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 Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:20 pm
“Alone, alone, alone,” Tiyana sighed, eyes shut, ears laid back. “And so… so bored…”
She was resting in some forest, somewhere - it didn’t really matter exactly where she happened to drop herself these days - and was rather miffed to be surrounded by snow. It had been a wet fall, right miserable for someone with fur that liked to misbehave when damp, and the winter thus far? Equally as terrible. She hadn’t figured herself to be in an area that could get cold enough for snow, but then - perhaps she just hadn’t traveled far enough south.
But for now, she didn’t want to travel. She had found for herself a quaint little copse where the wind had brushed a bit of the snow from the ground, exposing a solid granite slab and a few withered grass patches. It smelled unused, though she thought a bit of pack lingered in the air some ways to the east, and though she had no wish to be greeted by a bunch of big, bumbling pack bullies… it would have been a nice awakening to a rather boring few weeks. A breeze, something chilly but still relatively light, kept her from truly drifting off, but that was about it; she was suffering a little from the sheer ennui of a quiet forest, an overall lack of bodily concern, and an empty mind, front legs stretched as far as they could be urged and back paws tucked safely under her soft belly. She didn’t like the feeling of melted snow underneath her, not really, and would have preferred a place a little more dry, but the somewhat windswept rock was pleasant enough; it held some of the warmth from the sun, and though scraping away flecks of mud and forest debris had been a bit of a chore, she was quite pleased with the results. A thinking place, despite her lack of thoughts, and a quiet place, despite her hunger for a little noise.
She needed to create a little noise, something exciting, something fun! But her itchy little paws had taken her somewhere strange, that smelled of strange things and glimmered with strange sights, and that tiny voice that gnawed on the back of her brain was telling her that just a little further she would find something tremendous. “What is there that could possibly be had which I haven’t already seen?” she asked herself bitterly, pinching her eyes tighter in an attempt to isolate the voice and kill it dead. “And how many times have I gone ‘just a little further,’ only to find more ‘furthers’ in need of searching for? HMPH!”
She gave a girlish toss of her head, not realizing a few dead leaves had built up in her shimmering sable fur, and bunched up her shoulders in a tight, consuming stretch. She could imagine each spread little toe digging into the adventurous, bothersome tug that urged her to leave what she already considered a ‘fine enough place to stay,’ and caught up in the moment she slammed both paws down swiftly. It didn’t kill the chewing, but it still felt all the better as her travel-sore pawpads hit the rough stone. “This time the furthers can come find me,” she said decisively, throwing herself to her side and stretching out her legs to their longest extent.
And she would certainly throw a fit if it didn’t, she silently threatened. She was good at throwing fits.
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:38 pm
 Adonai was, as well, terribly bored.
Things were going better for him, to be fair. Terreis wasn't quite so scathing towards him now, and though he was less than pleased with the lifestyle of his other two pups, none of it was really his business. It's not like he'd ever been around to raise them in the first place, to instill morals or values or any of that nonsense, and even if he had he likely wouldn't have taught them the right things.
Still, it rankled him deep in his heart that he'd never been given the opportunity. He'd never admit to this, of course, and was himself only subconsciously aware of it, but it was there -- lurking just beneath the surface, where it threatened to burst out at an inopportune time.
The problem, really, was that somehow Adonai had awoken one day to realize that he was long past his prime, without ever enjoying it in the first place.
Well...that wasn't quite true. He'd had his share of fun. Ladies, and battles, and packs. All of it had been rather enjoyable at the time and he didn't regret any of it.
But now, he was all grown up, facing each day of a droll existence in which the greatest accomplishment of his life was something he hadn't even been cognizant of doing. Also, he felt really old.
So when the scent of a female caught his nose, a smile spread across Adonai's features and his ears flicked forward, intrigued, and he veered course toward her. Perhaps he'd see if his charms still worked. It'd make him feel better, at any rate, to feel as though he were still doing something right.
So with that in mind, the white-and-calico wolf sauntered near to the female's rock, giving her a good-natured smile, golden eyes gleaming as he sized her up and wondered what the appropriate greeting to give such a lovely lady would be.
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:09 pm
Bored. Bored. Bored bored bored BORED -
And then - suddenly - a presence! Tiyana’s ears flicked in the direction of approaching pawsteps, lifting her head and peering about in a disgruntled, almost annoyed way. So someone had finally come along to help her poor little self find something to do? ‘Bout time. Why, she had every notion of snapping her best at this newcomer, perhaps get their hackles all a-raised, let them know just how frustrated she had become -
Well now, he certainly was a gorgeous specimen! All the critical annoyance that had built up in Tiyana’s chest suddenly found itself being expended in a gracious gasp, and doing her best to move smoothly she picked herself up off her rock and settled into a sit. He was a refined-looking gentleman, who moved as though he knew things, and oh, he had the softest eyes… Tiyana’s little heart fluttered in her chest, and feeling herself being quite appreciated by a well-discerned eye, she wished she had had time to smooth out her fur. “Well, now - who is this sneaking up on my private little meadow?” she purled, rolling her r’s and speaking in a quaint, yet directed way. “Hmm?”
How long had it been since she had let herself truly have any fun with another male? She hoped her flirting hadn’t gone rusty, and pretending to be wary, she tilted her head. Loneliness was not good for one’s image or self-confidence, and though she normally would have rushed into a situation such as this without the slightest care, a small part of her asked, what if he was dangerous?
Well then, she’d just have to risk that, wouldn’t she? He had come to her, after all - no sense in turning the fellow out without so much as a tail wag.
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:36 pm
Adonai was, truly, a fine specimen of a wolf. He was well-built, neither thin nor muscular but sinewy and proud -- the sort of creature that had clearly endured both hardship and opulence and was capable of taking both in stride. His fur was just a touch longer and silkier than most -- a trait which carried on to his son, he had been almost surprised to see -- and though he was old enough to be a grandfather he still had an air of liveliness about him.
When he smiled at Tiyana, he allowed a full burst of charm. Was this shameless? Well, certainly. But that wasn't such a bad thing. "Oh, my apologies fair maiden," he said, and his eyes glimmered playfully. He bowed his head before her and thought, to himself, just how disgusted his daughters would be to see him acting this way. Somehow the thought amused him. "I was wandering, and seem to have stumbled into a dream."
He lifted his eyes up to meet hers, for just a moment, gauging her interest. Not all females went for the pithy charm, and some were totally turned off by it. It was important to see how she'd react before he carried on.
Not to misunderstand, of course. Adonai was no player. He would never toy with the affections of a female without her willing participation, and had never in his life parted from a female on less than amicable terms -- not even a certain wild dog, not that her children seemed to accept that.
The flirtation need not lead anywhere, and perhaps for his sake it was best it didn't. He just wanted a little proof that the ravages of old age hadn't stripped him of all his charms.
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Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:35 am
Ah, now, this one was a regular Shakespeare in silk, he was! Tiyana had heard many lines (many similar lines, to tell the truth), but still, she truly appreciated the theatrics. How they made her feel as though she was being treated by a true gentleman, a wolf of honour and courage - perhaps he would have an interesting tale or two to share, while he spoke in novella and stood with the white of the snow softly reflecting off his coat. he had a nice voice, too, warm and alluring, and leaning forward just a touch Tiyana gave the softest of smiles. “Oh, you’ve done me no wrong,” she sweetly chimed, curling her tail along her side dreamily. “Though perhaps I’m the one dreaming. It’s been so long since I’ve seen another soul, and then you appear, speaking so nicely. Regardless who the dreamer is, why don’t we exchange a few words?”
Tiyana didn’t much care how long their conversation-in-cursive would last, though a part of her did want to know more. Who was he? Why was he wandering about? Surely someone as fine as this had somewhere to call home. For so long Tiyana had been taking life as an adventure, wooing and loving and fighting along the way - for there had been some rotten encounters, but those had been quickly thrown out of her mind. She wasn’t necessarily love ’em and leave ’em, but then… she did do an awful lot of leaving, out of boredom or something of the likes. She did hope this fellow would not become boring after a few lines of prose, and at least would be able to make her feel a little loved again.
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Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:04 am
He settled himself to his haunches, brushing the snow with his tail a bit before lowering himself to the ground. It was cold, and he regretted his decision almost immediately, but a bit too late to change his mind now. Looking nonchalant would have to come at the price of a frozen rump. "So it should be, in a dream," he said, and nodded to her obligingly. "After all, if you cannot be civil to those you encounter in your mind, what hope have you in the world?"
Oh, this was fun! Adonai hadn't gotten the chance to be the suave knight errant in many a long season. He was honestly surprised that he could still talk niceties with such a silver tongue.
He was, however, quite grateful that a certain dappled grandson of his wasn't here to witness this interaction, or else he'd have to put up with Balios wandering about talking in iambic pentameter, and Terreis would never put up with that.
"The name is Adonai," he said, then, drawing himself back away from his thoughts. Thinking about Balios -- now nearly full grown! and just when Adonai had grown accustomed to him as a pup! -- made him feel excessively old, and had an ill effect on his charm.
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 9:16 pm
“Oh, yes, there is a great deal of strength to a civil tongue. The ones you meet in your dreams often have a way of changing you, if you are not kind to them. Or else all of this could become a nightmare… dear me, that would be frightening!”
If Adonai was enjoying the role of a knight, then Tiyana would gladly fill in the role of a needy princess, lost and uncertain, graceful in suffering, polite but certain of her wants. She could sit on her rock looking picturesque and dainty, an ebony rose amidst the snow she had (rather angrily) plowed aside, or… oh, she just couldn’t see herself remaining there forever, looking down at her new acquaintance without being able to inspect or touch or dance about. And dash it all, that rock was starting to get really uncomfortable - was there no place comfortable at all in these godforsaken woods? Moving with a fluidity and elegance that did not match her momentarily grumpy thoughts, Tiyana placed one little paw in the snow below her rock - then another - then her haunches moved (and she made sure to wiggle them just the slightest)…
Lightly, she jumped down from her rock and made a mental frown at just how cold the snow now felt. Perhaps that rock wasn’t so bad, after all. “Well, maybe I don’t have any reason to be so scared… Adonai,” she said very softly, her expression warm throughout. “I do feel a bit better knowing someone understands my plight. My name is Tiyana, and it is such a pleasure to come across a fine young fellow as yourself in this rather dreary forest. You see, I'm afraid that, dream or not, I've become rather lost here.”
She gave a look of suffering, ears tilted back just the slightest, chin tilted to the side.
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 11:26 pm
He rose to his paws immediately whens he stepped down, taking the first opportunity to remove his rump from the cold ground. He bowed his head in a sign of respect, bending his forelegs just slightly into a little bow. Oh, it was so refreshing to be around a female who didn't want to kill him! Utterly irresistable.
And young! Oh, gods, she called him young. It was like music to his world-weary ears. "Ahh, but madam," he said, shrewdly, "You can only be lost if you have a destination in mind, or else you are merely exploring!"
His golden eyes glimmered as they met hers, a smile upon his maw. "So, fair maiden, where are you so desperate to be, that you cannot linger here?"
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 3:22 pm
She could have wilted underneath his shimmering eyes, regardless whatever he had to say. So bright, so alluring… There was a touch of irritation, however, that she swallowed away, not wanting to start up an argument with his logic. She didn’t know where she was, so she must be lost; that was how it happened to be, and that was the very definition of the word ‘lost.’ Still…
“To be honest, I have no destination in mind,” Tiyana replied softly, raising her shoulders in a demure sort of shrug and holding his gaze as though unsure of what to say next. “I’ve been searching for beautiful places, where I may stay a while before traveling on to the next - and in my search, I’ve come very far from where I started. Oh, but it does get very lonely sometimes, you do understand.”
The more she thought about it, the more she knew Adonai had been right. She was adventuring about, so to speak, and had several reasons to not stay in one place… though they were long-winded and much too thoughtful, both things she had no interest in going in to while she had such a chap before her to play with. “I do suppose, though,” she began, “That maybe this place is the nicest I’ve seen in a while. Don’t you think, Adonai?”
In a movement both shy and sweet, she stepped forward and touched just the very tip of her nose to her handsome gentleman’s cheek.
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 12:36 am
"It wasn't earlier, really," he said, steadfastly holding his ground as she came up to him, although a thrill of excitement ran through him. He still had it! He wasn't dried up and useless yet! Oh, gods, what a relief. "But now, I think this must be the most beautiful place in all of Telk."
Was that a bit much? Maybe. But then, she didn't seem like the kind of wolf who appreciated subtlety. He touched his nose to the top of her head, between her ears, and rested it there just a moment before withdrawing, a sly smile playing upon his maw. "Ah! Now, that's it. A game, before both of us freeze into statues of ourselves."
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2011 9:34 pm
“Oh - oh yes… all of Telk…”
If wolves could blush…
Tiyana always was easy to win over, even if she did like playing out affections like they were fun little games. Just a game, she would tell herself later, when she no longer shared words with this most handsome of creatures, just a game and nothing more. But for a moment there, with that most intimate act of feeling his nose between her ears… Tiyana was half-induced to become a giggling yearling again, and it showed. “I think a game sounds splendid,” she crooned, her tail picking up a wag that was, for the first time since their introduction, completely honest.
Tiyana still had many things to complain about, of course, and they all had their places, ready to be invoked should this game of his not turn out to be as interesting as she wanted it to be. She liked having a complaint or two at the back of her mind, to remind herself that this was a meeting between two wolves who obviously knew their art and flaunted it well… but, she really did like playing around like this!
”So, what are we to play, Adonai?”
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2011 9:54 pm
"Tag," he said, stretching, limbering up frozen middle-aged joints, somewhat embarrassed that he did this out of necessity and not nonchalance. "Something to get the blood pumping once more through these icy limbs."
He straightened, meeting her eyes, and grinned playfully.
"I happen to know that there is a frozen-over pool some distance that way," he said, nodding vaguely to the east. "And I also happen to be a master at ice fishing. Have you ever eaten fish out of ice-water, Tiyana?" His eyes sparkled, as though he were offering her quite a treat.
"If you beat me there, I'll catch you all the fish you can eat."
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:13 pm
“Tag? Why, I haven’t played that since I was a very little one! But it is such a good idea, I like it!”
Mentally, Tiyana giggled a little at the idea of a silly game like that; a bit of running, a little tumbling through the snow, the promise of fish at the end. It was a bit of an odd turn of events for her, as usually playful flirting led to different sorts of ‘fun,’ but she wasn’t one to turn down a good run and a healthy meal. Now, whether or not Adonai was really a 'master' at ice fishing was yet to be seen, but even if he wasn't... it'd still be amusing to see him try.
That, and Tiyana figured herself to be a fleetfooted sort - and a challenge being a challenge, she wasn’t about to let herself be shown up. “I can’t say I’ve ever enjoyed fish quite that fresh. Ooh, I do hope I win, it sounds so delicious,” she sighed, regarding the fish as every bit the treat as Adonai sold them.
Finally, some action! Running, dodging, tag! Following in Adonai’s example and very daintily pointing her toes, Tiyana stretched; more to exert a little extra energy, if anything else. “Just say when - and no cheatiiing!”
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:33 pm
Playfully, he nudged her in the hollow of her neck where it joined her shoulder. He inhaled her scent and found it both playful and intoxicating, and his tail gave a slow wag. "Tag," he whispered silkily into her ear. "You're it."
He jumped back then, reeling away so that he could grin at her, golden eyes gleaming -- and then he was off, running across the snow-coated terrain like a wolf much younger than he was.
He had kept himself in excellent shape over the years, perhaps because of all of the wandering. His silkier-than-average long pelt barely concealed the shift of muscle in his leggy body, and his mostly-white pelt faded into the snow as he ran in a blur.
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 12:10 am
That…
Totally wasn’t fair.
Tiyana enjoyed the little touches, the suave nuzzling, and shook a little to know that Adonai had scented something more lady-like than dust and travel - but then, oh, he was fast! She hadn’t expected to be the one doing the chasing, nor had she figured herself to be so frozen in the wake of his most gentle of murmurings, but -
But she wasn’t to be left behind so easily! She herself was a lean thing, a swathe of ebony fur that cut after Adonai like a shadow with a cause; she was small and light, well-traveled and quick, and though she had no spiteful pair of fangs baring down on her tail, she still stretched her body to its limits, trailing tightly behind her admirer. She did enjoy the movement of his fur against the snow, capable of admiring him for the gorgeous beast he was, but still - she liked to play for keeps.
Tucking her body close to the earth, Tiyana began to giggle. Every fibre in her long, delicate legs wanted to reach further, to eat up the land beneath her paws until she could place her own muzzle amongst silky white fur, to nudge at the gentleman who was, truly, gentle - right outta her way and towards the ice lake, where they could share a meal and a warm laugh, and perhaps talk a bit more on florid things!
“Oh, look out, Adonai! I think I’m catching up!”
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