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 Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 6:37 pm
 How many weeks had he stayed with the violet wolf and her offspring? Seiphyr had lost track. Probably two or three, at the most. Snow had long since melted off. He'd almost come to think of Bipolar as a mother. She did everything his mother had done; she'd kept him near, licking the snow and dirt off of him. He spent his days playing with the oldest daughter, Lithium, who he'd come to be quite fond of.
But stirrings in Agua Azul made the small family nervous. Stirrings that Seiphyr didn't understand and Bipolar couldn't explain. She just took him to the edge of the territory and waited. When he trotted over to her, she chased him off with bared teeth and wild, sad eyes.
He had no other choice than to continue running.
When would it ever stop? When would he find a place to call home? Was he destined to be alone for the rest of his life. And Lithium...would he ever see her again?
With a low head, he padded slowly through the land, pawsteps becoming heavier with each step.
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:45 pm
 Tauro's life was going well--exceptionally, by her standards. She had found her sister, hopefully for good this time, and what was more, she was going to be an auntie (again.) There was little love lost between her and her other nieces, but as her sister's daughter the alpha had declared that they may stay within the pack at least until the pups were born, their tiny family was safe. After that… Tauro had a great desire to steal Gerda and the pups somewhere far, far away.
She wasn't needed in Gomorrah--Gerda wasn't that heavy yet--and she understood her sister's desire to leave. Tauro wandered out of the pack lands frequently, into unclaimed territory, often to hunt. Now that the snow had melted, her coat once again blended into the new spring mud. Here and there, a few clinging patches of white remained, but they all seemed to be melting at a great pace. Why, that patch of white was practically running--
No, it certainly wasn't a melting patch of white. It truly was running, or plodding, across the landscape. Tauro observed the patch of white curiously. On closer inspection, it grew legs, a tail, and features. A tiny wolf club, so white it was almost iridescent, clambering across the tundra. All alone? That was unusual; it needed a mother nearby. Tauro doubted it would be able to catch any but the smallest of prey animals, and even then the energy expended would not be replaced by the nutrients taken in. She fell in behind the pup, sniffing at its scent trail. It was a male, and certainly healthy, so it must have had a good meal fairly recently, but from his gait she could tell he was exhausted. Her footsteps closed the distance between them swiftly. "What are you doing, pup?" she asked. "There are no packs here. Are you lost?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 10:41 pm
The spicy scent was getting closer and closer as he traveled farther and farther out. The spice was Gomorrah, a pack he had visited once in his mad dash to get away from whatever evil his mother feared. He shivered at the thought. First, the smell of blood and death, then he lost Kisa. Then, after days of pure running, the alpha of Gomorrah had snapped at him and sent him moving once again.
He paused for a moment, trying to catch his breath. A blur of something against the background caught his eye and he turned his head to the side. A muddy brown wolf was making its way closer to him. His entire body froze. Had she seen him? He looked around. Dirt and mud and grass. He wasn't brown OR green, but white and violet. Bright.
She'd seen him.
He lowered his ears and began moving faster, faster than his paws could carry him. She sped up as well. With a whine, he sunk down against the ground as she came up close. His tail tucked and he raised a paw, waving it in the air, pleading with his blue eyes 'don't hurt me, I'm just a puppy!'
Watching her with wide eyes, he opened his mouth, then closed it again. To speak or not to speak, that was the question.
"Er...I'm walking. Well, running and walking. Getting away. Looking, searching," he rushed out. "I'm not lost. At least, I don't think I'm lost. But...where am I? Just to be safe..." He glanced around, then returned his gaze to her.
She seemed friendly enough...but she carried some of that spicy smell. It was just faint...
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:01 pm
Tauro towered over the pup even as he pressed himself into the ground, waving a feeble paw. He was so very tiny. Dull red eyes met fearful blue ones with bemusement. He seemed afraid of her, but her words, while not precisely confident, told that he knew what he was doing.
Some wolves could lie, though. Tauro wasn't one of them--she spoke what was on her mind even when it got her in trouble--but some wolves used it to survive. She kept in mind that he probably WAS lost. Still, she wouldn't call him a liar outright.
"You're to the north of my niece's pack," she informed him. Well, she wouldn't lie outright, anyway. She didn't wish to speak the land's name. Her ears pricked forward as she inhaled the pup's scent. He didn't smell like a pack, or even like other wolves, so wherever he was going, he hadn't been there in awhile. If he was telling the truth.
Tauro tilted her head to one side, still staring down at the pup. It seemed easier than lying down to try to get on his level. "Where are you trying to get away to, then?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:22 pm
Seiphyr leaned to his side, paws outspread outwards. He was almost on his side in the mud, but he kept all four feet on the ground. She wasn't acting agressively, or even assertively, which made him heave a sigh of relief.
Her niece? He slowly rose to his feet and padded closer to her, breathing in the scent of her fur. The spice tickled his nostrils and he sneezed. Yes, definitely the same pack he visited weeks ago.
"Erm... Go...Gomo..." He tilted his head back, trying to remember the name that the alpha had spoken of. "Gomorrah? Yeah, I've been there. I...Uh, I got chased off. From there, I mean." He shook his head slightly, curious. "Do you live there, then?"
Feeling more confident, he plopped down into a sit right in front of her, his little tail wiggling. It felt good to be talking to another wolf again! "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just, like...trying to find a place to fit in. Mama said to run. She said it was dangerous. So I ran. I was with my sister, but she disappeared. I think They got her..."
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:58 pm
Tauro prickled at the mention of the pack's name, and more as the pup stated his treatment from Piper. Perhaps this was before she'd had her own pups, or while she was pregnant and wished to protect their resources. She was the alpha, and her pups deserved better treatment than any other, especially ones from outside. Either that or she was just a cruel wolf. Probably a little of both.
The little pup didn't appear scared anymore; she was certainly surprised when he marched right up to sniff her fur and sneezed. Maybe he was allergic to Gomorrah. She could understand that.
"I suppose… my sister and I are staying there," she explained. "Until she has her pups." Tauro sat, also, which brought her head even higher. Her neck was on an angle practically straight down. She listened to his story sadly. "You know, I lost my sister when I was little, too," she said quietly. "But now I've found her again. Who are They, pup? And where did you leave your Mama?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:55 pm
Seiphyr wouldn't have known it, but the alpha who had snarled at him had been having a particularly bad day that day and the thought of a pup to watch out for while she was round with her own children just wasn't a nice thought. Not that she thought about where said put would GO when she chased him off. She never thought that far ahead...
He watched her carefully, still cautious but feeling better and better. She wasn't the type to bowl him over with a snarl, he decided. She was like Bipolar...welcome. His heart fluttered a little bit.
"I'm glad, yanno, that you found her. Maybe... Maybe...do you think I'll see Kisa again?" His head tilted to the side as he spoke, like an owl. His tail wagged at the thought of her splashy violet and white coat, so much like his but inverted.
He thought for a moment. They... Them... His little ruff bristled at the thought. "I...don't know, really. Someone. Or something, maybe? Chasing us. Forever chasing us. And we were running, running so fast. Our legs hurt, at least mine did. Mama said to go, just up and go. So we did."
He wondered what They looked like. He wondered that, if he stopped running, if they would catch up with him? He wondered if they would tear packs apart looking for him. And he wondered that perhaps they didn't exist but only in his head.
He slumped down to his belly in a mud puddle, which soaked his fur. A pink tongue lolled out of his mouth. "I'm so tired of running, brown wolf. I miss Mama and Kisa...and Lithium..." He added that last name a moment after his family. Lithium with her purple coat and her white toes and her quizzical green eyes.
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:57 am
Tauro tilted her head from one side to the other. He was such a little thing, even though she knew he was no newborn. Had she and Gerda and Laos all been so little once? Or was this pup simply small? He was certainly very tired.
Maybe offering him hope had been a bad idea. Then again, if she had never found Gerda, would she have given up? No. It wouldn't do to crush his spirits, then. "Maybe you'll find your family again someday," she told him, trying not to emphasize the maybe.
She grinned to herself as that little pink tongue lolled out and addressed her as "brown wolf." Well, she certainly was, but "brown wolf" and "white pup" wouldn't do. "My name is Tauro," she said. "Whatever is chasing you can't get you here, pup."
It was a lie, blatant this time, but she would make sure to hold herself to it. It wasn't right to take pups from their family. She knew that as much as anyone. She couldn't seek out this one's clan, but maybe she could offer protection until he was old enough to make a proper job of it. Her tail began to thump the ground slowly. "Why don't you come with my sister and I?" she asked. "My sister is having pups. Maybe you can help us."
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:33 pm
In reality, Seiphyr was a little over four months, but the runt of his litter. Kisa had been two times his size, towering over him. Perhaps that was why he was so submissive. Mama said he'd grow out of that. He hoped so.
He needed hope. Every wolf needed hope. His heart swelled at the thought of seeing Kisa again and his violet-splashed tail wiggled.
He grinned when she grinned, his emotions mirroring her own. "Tauro? I'm Seiphyr. It's pronounced Cy-Fer. Mama said it was a proud name and that I'd grow up to be a proud wolf, yanno?"
Pups? He'd never been around pups before... Wait... Was this wolfess offering him a home? He looked at her through pale blue eyes. "Y-You...want my help?" He leapt to his feet, dancing around her hopefully. "I'd love to! Could...Could you be a family, maybe?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 8:30 pm
"Seiphyr," she repeated. "Like a puzzle?" Maybe she shouldn't mention that; she might just confuse him. She nodded solemnly. "It is a proud name." I think? Funny, how it took a pup to make her choose her words carefully.
"Well, we already are a family..." she said, then backpedaled. "I mean, Tauro and I are sisters, and so her children are my nieces and nephews, and you could be... you could be their cousin Seiphyr." There! That was a better answer. "It takes a lot of help to raise newborns, you know," she told him. "I think you would be a lot of help, Seiphyr." Her eyes flashed red. "We'll have to make Piper let you into the packlands..." she grumbled, half to herself. "But I think I can deal with Piper."
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 8:51 pm
Seiphyr grinned at her, his tail giving a brief wag. A puzzle? He wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to admit that. "Sure. Like a puzzle," he agreed with a nod.
A family... His heart longed for a place to call home. No more running, no more looking behind him for fear of something there? It sounded wonderful, safe. Was Gomorrah safe, even with that snarky alpha wolf? Tauro seemed to think so, so Seiphyr settled, bouncing up onto the balls of his feet. "Cousin Seiphyr!" he cheered, his entire body wagging. "I like that!"
--
Piper had kept a watchful eye on her mother's new bodyguard, a wolf that smelled sweet with the spices of another pack. But she seemed alright enough; she knew how to stand up for herself...and Gerda. Piper was secretly pleased. Poor old mother couldn't speak for herself after all.
The pups were with Hurricane. All four little demons. She had taken Tauro's scent and followed it out from Gomorrah, wondering if perhaps the female knew a better hunting ground that her pack might find useful. No... Instead, she found the brown wolf talking to a familiar-looking white pup.
Who obviously, but the sound of their conversation, wanted to join Gomorrah. Her ears flicked back and forth, considering this. He might become a good hunter with guidance... She sat on the edge, watching the two. They would smell her as soon as the wind changed directions. She wondered briefly what Tauro would do with the pup if Piper turned down his acceptance into her pack. Probably sneak him in... She didn't seem the sort to run him off. She was curious to how the brown wolf would handle her once she realized she was there.
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Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:48 am
Tauro watched the little pup cavorting with a smile on her face. Piper wouldn't turn him away again. She would make sure of it. "Come on, then, Seiphyr." She stood and turned, facing into the wind. She caught Piper's scent and almost simultaneously saw the flash of her snow-white and midnight-blue coat. They ought to share a rough 25% percent of their genes, but they looked nothing alike, except for the bit of gray around Piper's eyes.
She lowered her head and spread her front legs over Seiphyr, in a defensive stance, but she kept her tail down out of respect for her current alpha. "Following me, Piper?" she called. "You won't find anything worth spying on."
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Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Piper looked them over breezily, her ears flicking forwards as Tauro caught sight of her. With a smile, she strode forwards, meeting the gamma halfway. Spying? Her? Well maybe a little. She gave a laugh. "You're almost correct," she murmured, because the pup was indeed something worthy spying on. She watched in bemusement as Tauro protectively stood in front of the pup, who had dropped himself down submissively, his ears folded back. He was almost cute... Not as cute as hers, though. Her tail flicked. "You want to bring him into Gomorrah? What sort of asset will he bring?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:57 am
Tauro glanced down at the pup she stood over. Asset? He was a pup. He was tiny. How was she supposed to know what he could do? Knowing Piper's preference, her one mortal indulgence, she almost simply told her, it's a boy. It was no secret in the pack that the alpha's avatar was Lust. As a mother with a mate, though, perhaps she'd changed. Either way, she was a dangerous wolf to bait.
"A pup-sitter," Tauro informed her. "And a playmate. He is older than your pups and Gerda's; with so many younglings in the pack, you can't expect the adults to watch them all the time." She dropped her ears, with respect. "You and your mate have duties as alpha."
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:13 pm
Piper looked them over, craning her neck out and around to try and remove a knot from her nap earlier. Tauro did have a point... The pups were getting older and it sometimes took both her and Hurricane to keep an eye on them. What would be better to watch the pups than an older pup. Put him to work, why dontcha. And he was another male to add to the pack...
She mused to herself for a moment, considering the fact that he might grow up to be a strong hunter. Gomorrah could use another one of those... And unlike Gerda, he didn't seem to have any...problems.
She stood and stretched, tail flagging high behind her as she crept closer to Seiphyr and sniffed him. He smelled faintly of Hurricane's packlands... And the rest like a loner. She smiled, looking back up at Tauro. "He can join us... However... I expect you to take full responsibility for his actions in the future," she murmured, then turned and looked back, over her lands. "Follow me, I'll take you two back."
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