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 Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 12:40 am
 Sindre was just a pup, but he wasn't oblivious. He knew that when his family and their dearest friends had set out on their journey, that they wouldn't be going back. He knew that the pack they left behind was crumbling, even if he wasn't sure why, or what that really meant.
He knew, also, that his family was not the only one now wandering and searching for a place in the world.
This last detail, he wasn't sure if anyone else knew. He'd caught the scent of the other male, saw a glimpse of him through the trees as they all journeyed, and the male intrigued him. He was a fellow packmember, that much was obvious. He was the right colors -- good colors -- and he smelled right. But he didn't travel with them, and Sindre didn't know why.
He was immensely curious about it, though. And while his parents had taught him not to talk to strangers...well, this other wolf wasn't really a stranger, was he? Not if he was from the old pack, right? He didn't think so. No, he should be safe to talk to. And besides...somebody should talk to him, Sindre thought. The idea that this stranger (no, not stranger -- pack mate!) was all by himself and maybe lonely and confused...well, that was too much for the big-hearted pup to bear. He didn't want to be lonely, so he didn't want anyone else to be lonely. It was as simple as that.
So, feeling bolder than he ever had before in his entire (admittedly short) life, the dark little pup crept away from the safety of his makeshift den while the others slept, and followed his nose to where he believed this other stranger could be found.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 8:14 pm
Never before had Hushidhe felt so… so lost. He had been lost before, or at least hadn’t known exactly where he was - exact location and whatnot - but at least he had always been of a more optimistic mindset. Now it felt as though everything he had come to know and love, the very rock that had appeared amidst the storm to offer him shelter and belief, had been shattered; his moon had been torn from the sky, thrown to earth, and had burst into a million pieces that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t collect on his own. The pack that had embraced him with warmth and security had been torn apart by prophecy and something else, something a little bit more earthly, and now - well, now he was floating on the fringes of the last thing that gave him comfort. He might not have known the members of his pack as well as he would have liked, but this family had so far tolerated him. They were so united in survival that he felt completely drawn to them, but no matter how much he wanted to be close, he still drifted apart.
Again he felt himself becoming lean and shaggy, his thick winter coat collecting burrs and twigs, his paws feeling the familiar twinge of long travel. Where were they going? The destination was completely unclear, and yet Hush didn’t trust himself to find his own path just yet. He didn’t mind the cold, or the little stomach cramps that came with hunger, and could handle the solitude; he had been a wanderer most of his adult life, anyways, so it was actually quite natural for him. It was the suddenness of the pack’s breakup that still shook his soul, though he wasn’t really too surprised that such a string of events would lead to such conclusions, and though he didn’t want to think badly of those who had taken him in…
It felt like betrayal. It felt like every word they had told him amounted to nothing but lies, that their unity had been a false thing from the start and that everything had been, for a lack of a better term, somewhat doomed. And the true nail in the coffin, the final crack that broke his spirit into shards, was how all the music seemed to have left his life. No matter how hard he listened, the wind refused to sing. No matter how still he sat, the Earth remained still and cold. His voice had faded away, and every sweet note that had once swelled in his chest no longer resembled so much as a croak, and that - that felt a bit like dying.
The moon was awake now, though it was only a sliver of its full glory, and it was a terribly cloudy night. Nonetheless, Hush couldn’t sleep - he had wandered from the rough bed he had scratched in the earth, letting his paws move him to a little knoll where he had the highest chance of catching moonlight, and now sat with his head thrown back, eyes closed, mind wandering wildly.
Still no music.
He sighed.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:46 pm
Sindre crept forward, with every step feeling less and less certain of his plan. It had sounded so good, when he'd left the den, but now things were looking dark...and frightening...and confusing. And the other wolf was suddenly looking much bigger than he had seemed from a distance. And he smelled like the pack, but he also smelled...different. Not like his family. Because, of course, he wasn't family -- and suddenly Sindre worried that maybe that mattered after all.
But, too late to go back now.
Quietly, the pup came upon the other and seated himself, staring at him with luminous pale green eyes that seemed exaggerated by the white markings between them. He didn't speak, but merely tilted his head, and stared at the grown-up, his expression innocent and fearless.
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:07 pm
Perhaps he had lost himself to his own misery. Perhaps he had become so entangled in his desperate search for even the slightest note, just the softest quiver of a melody, that he had completely lost sight of his true surroundings. But then, everything around him had seemed to melt away like mud in a rainstorm, and he had imagined - for a moment - that he was so utterly alone that the darkness was trying to drink him in. And so when his solitude was pierced by a tiny little body, he was at first completely oblivious; he did not notice the big eyes or the fearless calm that radiated from a small pup, and probably would have continued wallowing in his own dismal trap had he not felt the urge to search the moon for guidance. Watery green eyes flickered open just the slightest, hoping against nature that the clouds had shifted even the littlest bit, trying to find some sort of semblance of solidarity…
And, drifting a little to their very corners, they fell on the small body that had come to share his cranny of the world. It was as if a small bolt of lightning had struck the big lonely wolf; his ears flicked upright, his eyes widened, his legs became like springs as he scrambled to his feet. He ducked down a little, giving a little shiver that came with a very brief thought - could this be a threat? A small one sent to warn him to keep his distance? - but then, his better judgement got ahold of him. A puppy, to do the work of adults? Not likely, and though he was certain this little one meant no harm, he himself had done a fine job of bustling about in a way that, in most youngsters, would probably evoke some sort of fright. His ears went a bit c**k-eyed and, apologetically, he lowered his head. “I’m sorry, you’ve startled me,” he murmured, lowering himself to his belly and giving a half-hearted wag of his tail. “I thought I was alone. What… what brings you out so late, little one?”
He would have been frightened to have heard someone speak with a voice like his own; it felt so foreign and rough, not at all what it should have been, and it dismayed him. The first wolf he had seen this close in ages, and he was making a horrible impression!
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:46 pm
He tilted his head, staring at him again for a long silent moment. He hardly flinched at the other wolf's actions; indeed, he giggled a little, a quiet and sheepish laugh. Then he averted his eyes, feeling embarrassed for laughing. It didn't seem like the right thing to do. "You have the same spot on your head as me," he said, then, seemingly avoiding the other wolf's questions entirely. "And my mama. 'cept yours is dark."
He smiled a friendly smiled and thumped his tail. Then, with the bluntness of youth, he asked, "Are you lonely, mister?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:06 pm
In many ways, the puppy’s laughter helped alleviate any worries Hush had harboured of his unfriendly skittering; if the boy was so comfortable as to do that, then surely Hush wasn’t as fearsome as he imagined himself to be. He had never actually been laughed at during his lifetime, so it truly didn’t occur to him that perhaps the pup had found his actions funny - though in hindsite, they probably were - and offering his own shadow of a smile he let the tenseness in his legs relax. “Ah, so we do have the same markings,” he croaked, clearing his throat a bit in an attempt to put it in tune. “And a good marking it is.”
He was a little curious to know why the puppy would avoid his question, but then, perhaps he was looking for something. Everyone went through life looking for something, or trying to find answers, or other little personal adventures that didn’t need to be public knowledge. So perhaps he was on a mission of his own, Hushidhe could find great respect for a little one with that much drive. But his heart fell a little at the question presented to him, and his smile faded. Little ones were so inquisitive, and so keen, far better at feeling emotions than any adult Hush had ever met, and this one… well, he had caught that fish on a hook and had reeled it in rather smartly. “I do suppose… that I am a little lonely.” It felt a bit like a lie, the way Hush said it. ”Alone. I am alone, aren’t I? But I’m alright - I do have to worry about a pup wandering in the dark alone, however...”
Hush wanted to admit that he was so terribly lonely that he ached all over, and that even his songs had abandoned him, that he was more alone than any one wolf deserved to be - but why say such negative things to an innocent? He felt terrible about avoiding the root of the question, but perhaps - perhaps this little one would understand.
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:04 am
Sindre nodded, his expression completely solemn. There was a special kind of wisdom in his eyes -- the wisdom of a child forced to grow too quickly, while still retaining so much of his innocence. It was a rare event, really, and probably something to be cherished. "I thought you might be lonely. And maybe scared of the dark." His smile widened and his tail thumped faster behind him. "I'm not scared of the dark," he added, perhaps a bit hurriedly, and carried on in a rushed tone as though afraid if he lingered over the words that they wouldn't come out at all, "but I know some wolves are, and in case you were I wanted to come so you wouldn't be lonely and scared in the dark."
Well, that wasn't the entire reason, to be fair. There was also the overbearing curiosity to meet another wolf outside of his family. Also the need to creep out and make himself an individual rather than just be subsumed by his siblings. But those needs were much harder to put into words, and Sindre was finding himself pretty much word-spent now -- he was pretty sure he'd never said so much in his entire life.
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:39 pm
Hush nodded sagely as he listened to the little pup, his own tail picking up an unconscious wagging - though he looked and felt just as solemn as the pup did. “That is very kind of you, little one,” he replied softly, a bit of the grumble gone from his voice. “The dark can be very frightening sometimes. Other times, not quite so much - but, I will admit I am a little frightened of it right now.”
There were many kinds of darkness to be afraid of, and while the concept of nighttime and shadows didn’t concern him, he did fear what was lurking through it - both physically as well as metaphorically. Everything was so dark without the hope and happiness of Cerridwen in his life, and without a light to guide him… the darkness was threatening to swallow him whole, and he had nearly let it, until this new little light came about. This little puppy had lost just as much as Hush had, if not more (considering he had been born into the pack while it had been sliding south), but somehow - somehow, he had not been quite so broken. He had lost everything he had known, while Hush was still relatively new to the pack concept, and still seemed to be so bright! “Say, little one, do you have a name?” he asked, feeling a kind of warmth breaking through the night chill. “I am Hushidhe, but you could call me Hush. You are an incredible pup to worry about a complete stranger!”
And he had come at just the right moment, when Hush needed company the most. For that, Hush was incredibly thankful.
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:28 pm
He shook his head. "You're not a stranger," he said -- as much perhaps to support his 'talking to strangers' action as to comfort the larger wolf who seemed to skittish and afraid. "You're like big brother. From our pack. And you're good color."
He looked down then, a little sheepishly. Sindre was young, and hadn't had enough time within the true environment of the pack to have learned all the nuances of his family's religion. He knew only what he had managed to glean from what he had been taught so far.
But he understood Good Colors and Bad Colors just fine.
Besides. Hushidhe had a stripe on his head, just like him and mama. Surely that was a sign.
"My name's Sindre," he said, and smiled. "And I'm nothin' special. You can ask my whole family, I'm just a pup."
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:11 pm
Oh, he could just cry.
Hush had once had a family - a right proper one, with parents and siblings, aunts and uncles - but that had all been taken from him at a very young age. So, upon hearing little Sindre call him a big brother (a big brother!) filled his heart with such a wave of joy that he nearly began to sing. Only nearly, as tune and lyrics still evaded him, but somewhere in the back of his mind… he began to hear notes. Faint, timidly-plucked notes that had yet to solidify into any one line, but it was something. His grin became a smile that spread across his entire face, and a new light brought depth to his eyes. “I do suppose a pack is like a family,” he agreed, tail going as fast as it could behind him. “That would make you like my little brother. That is a very comforting thought, Sindre.”
And yes, they were both the right colours. Hush had never put much weight on the idea that certain colours were better than others, but… but then, a blue wolf had brought down the pack, and so yes, there were definitely bad colours out there. He was comforted by the idea that Sindre was natural all over, a good, earthy colour, and reassured that he at least understood a little of the pack’s old doctrines. Just because they had lost their home didn’t mean they had to give up on their religious beliefs… right? Right.
But little Sindre could be quite harsh on himself, Hush thought, shaking his head in gentle reproach. “I assure you that you are more than just a pup,” he said with just a hint of a louder, more lyrical tone. “The world’s future rests in the paws of little ones like yourself, no matter how many siblings you have. You’re quite special and unique, Sindre.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:25 pm
Sindre looked shyly at his paws, not at all sure how to take all these compliments. He wasn't used to such things. Not that his family treated him poorly by any means, but...it just wasn't the sort of thing you got a lot of as a puppy. Especially not a puppy in a family of refugees.
Strangers were nice!
"Do you got a family, too?" He asked, and actually looked around a little as though expecting them to be hiding out in the bushes somewhere.
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:41 pm
Hush just wasn’t quite sure how to answer that sort of question. While it had been inevitable, and he had almost been expecting Sindre to bring the topic of his own family up, it was still something Hush had never told another wolf about. How did one go about explaining what had happened to his family? Did he even still remember what had happened? It seemed as though his furthest memories stopped at the sound of an odd wailing, a crescendo that had come from his own throat when he was perhaps just a little older than Sindre; there was a smell, an acrid, poisonous smell, and a darkness, but that was it.
Hush shrugged, his eyes trailing to his chocolate paws and watching them twitch a bit uncomfortably. “Ah, I used to have a wonderful family,” he finally said, still smiling throughout. “A nice, cozy family, that just… disappeared one day. I can’t say I really remember any of it, because it was so long ago. My, I’m feeling a bit old right now!”
He chuckled, though he was a bit curious and confused as to what had actually happened. He really, truly could not remember! “I became a wanderer when I was very young, and I was on my own for a while. I’d like to tell you to treasure your family, Sindre, because they are the most precious group of individuals you will ever find. I do remember that much.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:16 am
Sindre shivered. He couldn't even imagine what he'd do if he woke up one day and his whole family had disappeared! How brave this other wolf must be! And no wonder he was all alone in the dark. "You can have my family," Sindre said, suddenly, and then his ears flopped down. "Well...i mean...you can be in my family with me. If mama and dad say it's okay."
He probably should ask them first. He might get into trouble if he didn't. His brow furrowed. "...but, uh, you can have me, anyway. I'll be your brother if you want."
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