|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:53 pm
(AIM log between Milo & Nikui)
After a storm, Drover would stick out like a sore thumb on the prairie, his rusty pelt marching through the green grass and delicate, brilliant flowers. But right now, it was a drought; the plants had taken on their dusty yellow hues, and it was difficult to spot the wolf unless you noticed movement, or the unusual red patterns on his coat.
In the setting sun, he became even harder to see; if he stood still, one would almost think he'd sunk right into the fiery sky. Drover did not stop to admire its beauty; the sun set every day, and would continue to do so long after he'd turned to dust. No, he was more interested in finding a place to sleep off his most recent meal.
---
Nanaka also blended quite nicely with the bright colors of the sunset and the yellowing grass. The female had found herself a nice, temporary burrow in the sand near a dried up riverbed, digging down until the sand was wet and packed together. The older female was content in the cooler den, not minding that grains clung to her already sandy colored fur, bright eyes half-lidded.
She was growing tired, but found herself unable to sleep. Slight paranoia nagged at the back of her mind, pushing her to stay away for...just a bit longer, enough to listen to the wildlife as it hunted for what little moisture might be around the area she temporarily resided. Maybe one would stumble into her den and she'd find herself getting a free meal, which was likely now that her den smelled wet and cool.
---
He almost fell into the female's makeshift den. His nose had picked up the scent of water, sensitive to it after years of living in the desert, and he had headed for it, presuming the softest earth and grass would be nearby. Apparently, the she-wolf had, also.
He could have walked away, but she was a pretty thing, and it had been some time since he'd had any company. Since he'd met the female Turbo, anyway. "G'day, sheila," he said, peering down into her hole from the ridge of the riverbed. "Comfortable down there?"
---
Tensing the second she looked up and saw a male, Nanaka blinked up at him and perked her ears when she was addressed. "Hello," she murmured quietly, a little nervous about being cornered in her den right now. "Sheila..?" She asked curiously, not recognizing the word, but figuring it was addressing her still. Maybe a nickname?
She was a little slow, having not socialized much as an adolescent or pup. Just with her siblings--which still wasn't much socializing anyway. "Yes, it's nice and cool," she smiled, tail thumping against the sandy ground in a friendly manner. "If you're searching for water, there's a small waterhole I dug out on the opposite side of the riverbed. I dont mind sharing with other wolves, as long as you chase away any other wildlife."
---
She seemed awfully friendly--a little innocent, too. That could be good or bad. Fortunately Drover wasn't the type to take advantage of someone, unless he was in a really tight spot or the other wolf deserved it.
"Thanks heaps," he said, nosing out the waterhole and trotting over to take a drink. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was until she mentioned it; it was a sensation he'd learned to ignore. The liquid was dirty but that had never bothered him; he found it tasted delicious.
He lifted his head to look back at her, a bit of water dripping from his maw. "You from around here, sheila?" he asked, and then, so he wouldn't have to keep using his common term for girl, added, "What's your name?"
---
Smiling as he made his way to the small waterhole, she shifted slightly so she could sit, digging her claws into the sand to make sure she didn't slip due to how tired she was.
"No, I'm from further south. I'm traveling, though, to find somewhere to settle," she admitted, tail still wagging a bit. She enjoyed the company, even if it was a stranger. "Nanaka," the female murmured, lowering her head a but to rub the back of her paw against one of her eyes. Needed to look more awake...she didn't want to seem weak or be an easy target, in case he wasn't as friendly as he seemed to be.
"What about you? Are you from around here?" She paused, "And your name..?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 9:06 pm
"South, huh," he said, and the edges of his mouth turned up a bit as she batted at her eyes. She was adorable. Maybe she'd be needing a bodyguard. "Naw, I'm from the desert in the east, just beyond the prairie." At ease, he crossed the riverbed again and sat to speak with her. "M' name's Drover," he said, "a rover by nature."
"What're you doing all alone?" he asked, trying to phrase his questions so he didn't come off as a predator. He really wasn't trying to be; but wandering as a single female could be a dangerous occupation, one that caused its participants to become wary of strangers. "Seems a lady like you'd have someone at her side."
---
Smiling at his explanation of his name, she nodded, "Drover," she murmured, letting the name flow over her tongue--it flowed quite well, she doubted she'd forget it anytime soon. "Oh, the desert..that's a rough place," everywhere was a rough place right now. To Nanaka, at least--because yes, a single female wandering on her own was quite difficult, especially a small female such as herself.
Cocking her head slightly at him, she gave a slight shrug in response to him. "I left my siblings a while back, been a wanderer ever since," she female explained, lightly pawing at the sand beneath her paws. Either she was naive or stupid--maybe both, because his question didn't even cross her as predatory. He didn't cross her as predatory. But then again, she herself was a predator of sorts, so she couldn't bother to judge other wolves that might hurt her.
"Oh no, I haven't had company in a while. It's not so bad.."
---
He shrugged, too. "It's not so bad, if you're used to it," he said. "The desert'll take care of you, if you know how to look." He'd been raised to know how to step through what most wolves saw as a wasteland, following paths to water and finding prey even when it buried itself in the sand.
…After which his mother had promptly left him to fend for himself, which might have been the cause of his incessant wandering.
He nodded in agreement with her last statement. No, it wasn't so bad being alone, but the nights could get lonely sometimes. "Why'd you leave your family?" He'd been born with two sisters but neither had lived, and he didn't really feel any sorrow over their loss.
---
"My family wasn't very..family-like," she shrugged once more, looking up to him with a smile. "They were all very cruel and insane, in my opinion..I dont see them as my family at all, to be honest." She didn't hate her family, but she didn't get along with them. They were all dead set on causing pain and anguish, while she was much more interested in one day having her own family, and meeting other wolves. She wanted a pack that didn't believe in harming others unless they needed to.
"What about you?" She cocked her head, "Why aren't you traveling in a pack? With your family?" Nanaka asked curiously, obviously interested in figuring out more about this male.
---
The orange wolf almost choked on his own tongue. That was a bizarre thing to admit to a stranger, made even more so by her level tone and bright smile. Cruel and insane... what a winning combination. Drover had done some things in his life that some wouldn't appreciate -- he'd fought other wolves, hurt them if he'd had to -- but he'd never been deliberately cruel, and he didn't understand wolves who were. There was no gain to it. "Well, you don't seem like that at all," he reassured her.
He looked away from her, off into the dusky sky. "Ah, my mum was all on her own when she had me… it was just me'n her, growin' up, and then it was just me. Hard to keep more than one wolf alive together in the desert. Been with a coupla packs since then, but I don't stick around."
---
She was pretty optimistic about things. Didn't like to get too down or it made for a weaker mentality. She nodded to him in thanks when he reassured her that she wasn't like her family, her smile merely brightening and her back straightened slightly.
"Oh.." Nanaka frowned slightly at this, following his gaze to the sky. "It's never fun to be alone...I do miss my mother, but I have to say I'd love a pack of my own. How were the packs that you were around?" She asked excitedly, tail thumping softly against the ground. Nanaka was overly curious, and this might be a problem..but she found no problem with asking questions.
Licking her maw softly, she waited for an answer from him, eyes bright and settled on the male's expression. They had to be amazing packs--or, well..helpful, if he was able to live with them and move on. Maybe..? She hoped so.
---
He snapped out of his daze, looking back towards the tan wolf. "Oh, they were alright," he explained. "Fine for a bit; but, y'know, it's hard t' stay for too long, 'specially when you're an outsider to begin with. Sure, you're fine to have around when there's something to be done, but the day to day stuff…"He trailed off, as though the rest of his thought could be assumed. The sun had disappeared, only a thin line of dull orange remaining on the horizon, leaving up just enough light for diurnal animals to get home by. "I'm not much of a pack wolf," he said.
"Why do you miss your mother, if she's bonkers?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:59 pm
"Oh.." She blinked, but smiled a bit despite herself. She herself was a pack wolf. She liked other wolves, liked the organization of a pack...liked the ranks and the dynamics. Her family had had a bit of a pack-organization thing, but her mother and father never really put the pups in their place when they needed to. Maybe that was their problem? Who knew.
"I wish I had a pack," she mused, folding her ears back to look up at the sky, cocking her head, "I think it'd be nice to have one place to stay, to live--not have to worry about where you'll be sleeping the next day." Dropping her gaze back to him, she smiled. "She's my mother, and I'll always love her. She did a lot for me, so I respect her...even if she is 'bonkers'," she giggled, moving to flop down onto her tummy, obviously growing more relaxed around the male. "Do you not miss yours?"
---
"Well," he started, willing to compromise, "t' do that you have to give up your right to choose where you want t' sleep." He pondered adding, and who you want to sleep with, but it was probably a bit early in this relationship to start that.
He stayed seated, even as she lay down, shuffling a bit uncomfortably. "Oh, I dunno. Me mum was... it's hard, I s'pose, on your own, raising a son, 'specially in the desert. I think she figured she'd make sure I'd be alright and then let me be on your own." He ventured a guess, "maybe it's different for males." Drover had certainly respected his mother, but love...? He didn't really relate that to himself and his mother.
---
Smiling up at him, one of her ears folded down over her face while the other swiveled about. She was tired--but growing more comfortable, therefore she wanted to keep talking to him. He was a nice male...she'd only ever run into females until now, except for her siblings and father. "My momma also raised us on her own...my dad stuck around for a while then left with a few of my siblings. Guess that helped...did you not have siblings?"
She was just full of questions, wasn't she? Nanaka gave a soft laugh, "I'm sorry. It's been so long since I was with another wolf, I guess I'm trying to get my talking out.." She mumbled, tone lowered and a bit skittish now.
---
"Ah, there were two females with me, but one o' them was dead already and the other didn' live long," he explained. He didn't sound concerned or upset about it -- it had just always been a part of his life, that he'd been the only one of three to survive. His mother had told him often, but she had never let on as to why.
"It's alright," he answered. "I don't mind." He didn't really; it wasn't often he got a chance to talk and when you ran into strangers, it didn't matter what you told them -- another reason to avoid long-term stays in packs. "How many siblings did you have?" he asked, prompted by her mention that her father had taken a few siblings. It must have been a fairly large litter.
---
"I-I see," wow..she hadn't expected that. She wanted to apologize, but he didn't seem all that bothered by it. Guess it depended on how one viewed a family.
"I had five siblings," she nodded, "Two brothers, three sisters. They all turned out like mom at the beginning...then my father took my brothers and one of my sisters got lost." Again--depended on the family. Her sister being lost had been cast to the side by her mother, so it was never a huge deal to the family.
Her tail softly thumped against the sand, making her c**k her head and look around--it was getting quite dark, she must have been blabbing on for forever. "Do you have somewhere to stay? 'cause I made the den big enough for two or three.." She offered, obviously being too friendly with a stranger, but she felt sorry for the wandering male.
---
"Oh," he said. "Was your da... different, then?" He didn't want to say not bonkers like your mum. "Did you ever meet up with them again?" It seemed strange that she, so apparently loyal to her family, was fine with half of them just... leaving.
The little insects in the grass were singing, waking in the night; a few luminescent ones took flight but it wasn't quite their season. Drover finally lay down, the damp dirt cool against his fur. His coat was thinner than some of the forest wolves, made for days baking under the sun. "Nowhere better than here, sheila," he said. "That is, if you're really offering." He glanced at her with emerald eyes. He wouldn't mind staying but he didn't want any assumptions occurring, on either part.
---
"No, I haven't seen any of my siblings since I left my mom." She shrugged once more, lifting her head when he moved to lie down. Ears swiveling, she looked around once more before looking back towards the makeshift den--just a few paces off behind them.
"Of course...you're welcome to. Always nice to have company," Nanaka murmured, pushing herself to her feet slowly. Smiling at him, she shook herself off and made her way down into the den, plopping down onto her side with a rather immature 'oof' before curling herself up, tail casting over her muzzle. Looking up to him curiously, her ears laid back, relaxing herself...unless he wanted to keep talking. Which she wouldn't mind...but she figured she'd harassed him enough as it were.
---
He nodded, not even getting up completely to get into the makeshift den. It was cozy with two; they would certainly be warm enough. He didn't curl up completely but stretched out more, on his side, his ears tilted toward the outside world.
"Always nice," he said, repeating the sentiments. He watched her for a moment before closing his eyes. It would be nice to get some sleep. He'd said and heard enough for the night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
