|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 6:47 pm
 . . . was a flopped over little boy, tongue out of his mouth and touching the grass he was upon, paws splayed out as if to hug the tree's shadow. Shade did him little good with such a dark pelt; everywhere felt hot in the summer. Kyros was beat from the recent training their mother had been putting hem through lately, and he loathed to show it - but he was just so tired . . . Maybe a quick nap in the shade will freshen him enough to withstand the rest of what Momma no doubt had planned for them. As the sole male and youngest of the litter, he felt it was his duty to keep up with his older sisters. The quicker they got up to speed to what Momma wanted, the quicker they would get to see Daddy!
Ah, Daddy . . . Kiara had entertained them with a few tales; nothing that made him utterly godlike, but there was admiration nonetheless, and it transferred to him easily. Kyros wanted to see his face so badly, it was what often made him push himself harder - when his tiredness seemed far away and the sun wasn't beating down on him worse than Momma's critical words. He knew full well what happened to pups who didn't keep up . . . But all the boy had to do was remind himself that they had an epic father to come home to, and his spirits were replenished.
He was a family man, Kyros. If one of his sister's was looking down for whatever reason, he put it upon himself to move over - sore legs and all - and try to administer his own brand of upbeat medicine. If one of them got sick and could only be healed by some obscure plant, you could be sure he'd tear out his claws trying to find it. He didn't look tired in front of them, no, never - just at times like now, when he thought he was alone and able to loosen the belt so to speak. "Least it's not as bad s'it was in the beginning," he mumbled to himself, even then meaning to poke life into his aching limbs with encouraging words. Yup, he was getting better, but it still really, really hurt; he huffed a sigh.
No pain, no gain, right? Ow . . .
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 6:53 am
She had let them scatter for the heat of the day, allowing them rest or play as they chose. She kept careful tabs on where each onewent, ears and nose keen for danger and to ensure they did not wander too far. She herself lay in the slightly cooler shade of the den, her belly heavy with milk. It wasn't the most comfortable of states she'd been in, but it was bearable. Not just bearable, but worth it when she saw how her pups grew and strengthened.
With a deep sigh she found a minimally more comfortable position to lie in, trying to ease herself off her still tender abdomen but remain in a somewhat read position, in case her children should need her. Her ears flicked in the direction Kyros had disappeared in. He wasn't in sight, but he was within hearnig. She could hear his puppy voice, murmuring something. She glanced in the directions the other three had gone, wondering what they were up to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:14 pm
 The others may need a rest but Kevlar didn't. Or at least that's what she told herself as she stalked through the bushes, following the trail of a small critter she was yet to identify. Her mother had instilled into her and her siblings to be strong, fierce and to never back down, even at such a young age. Being tired was a form of weakness, as was hunger - or at least that's what she told herself as her belly grumbled at her. She could eat later, when mother told them to. For now she would continue to train even if it was on her own, for she was determined to show not only mother, but her father that she was the best in the litter.
Pausing in midstep Kevlar's ears rotated to listen for any sign of the small creature. There was a very faint rustling of the leaves, too faint to be one of her siblings trying to sneak up on her. And then a small flash of movement. The red brown lizard darted out from his safe spot and Kevlar took that as her opportunity to catch it. Dashing forward she managed to smack it with one of her paws, therefore dazing it, before it got too far from her. Snatching the lizard up with her teeth Kevlar bit down hard, crushing the poor critters skull before returning to where her mother lay. Kevlar didn't expect to get praise from Kiara, but if it came then so be it. But Kevlar knew she had done well in doing something instead of lazing about like her brother was. Sitting down not far from her mother Kevlar dropped the lizard on the ground, it's blood covering a bit of her muzzle. Her eyes moved to Kiara as if awaiting instructions for their next training session.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:32 pm
Kemena was tired, but she was too stubborn to admit it there was a bond she felt with her siblings but it was dulled by the fierce sense of competition she felt with them as well. Mama had instilled the need to prove the best, the need to show strength. They barely had gotten past their milk teeth yet their puppy paws had traveled farther then most adults. Tiny jaws had been able to mash and tear up meat and learn to hunt. She lifted a hind leg and scratched at the back of her neck for a moment, she felt a headache coming on. Still she would only allow the ache to fuel her not take her down. She slunk along her nose twitching as she searched for her brother and slowly a wicked little smirk formed on her muzzle as she spotted him.
She loved him because he was her brother, her only brother, and she hated him because he was her brother...her only brother. He was valuable to mama, but Kemena was aware of little weaknesses in him. They all had their faults of course, but she hoped somehow that her brother would fall much shorter of their mothers expectations so she could sweep in and show off. She threw herself then eager to pounce on him her jaws snapping to try and get a good grip on his ear in a dangerous mock fight.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 3:49 pm
Even when exhausted, Kiara's training had done him well: his body was always keeping track of things going on beyond that wave of heat, and Kyros was instinctively taking deep breaths to slow his heartrate down quicker as well as expel more hot air out to cool himself off. For instance, he could detect the specific scent of lizard blood and figured without having to turn around that Kevlar was once more on the move in her hunting practice.
He had learned quickly three things in his short life: that it was not a good idea to showcase his momma's boy tendencies, that it was not good to show weakness, and that it was definitely not good when your own sisters were trying to pry you open to see if you were soft in the meantime. But Kyros was optimistic about their opinions, believe it or not: it was a healthy reminder that even as a sole son he was not special, that he would have to continually prove himself to even to his family; and that was a very good lesson to learn in life, he thought, so in a way he was rather thankful for their open competition. Competition was what made them all stronger in the end, not flat out monopoly.
He definitely didn't believe that any one of them wanted him to fail.
Once his lightheadedness got out of the way, he was sure he'd be capable of movement again. The pain was so regular it was almost passé at this point. That's the only reason you're lying in the shade right now, Kyros told himself cheerily. Not 'cause of the pain, but 'cause you're just hot. And already you're getting cooler, so it's time to get back up and see what's next on the schedule. The pain doesn't even exist anymore! All he had to do was mind over matter after all. Just mind over matter over his sore limbs. . . So he was beginning to get back up with a soft grunt -
- which quickly turned into a growl as something leapt upon him and sharp things injected themselves into his ear and a rather puppyish weight crashed upon him. Nothing elicits a quicker reaction in a living thing than when something presses hard against a sensitive area, which was exactly why almost immediately upon contact Kyros was a whirl of black fur, rolling with the direction of the pup's leap to avoid further damage to his ear and to attempt to reverse their positions so that he could get on top. Jaws opened to encompass any part of that black fur into a vice-like grip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
