|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:22 pm
 Iosef sighed, stretching, as he drew himself away from his den. He glanced at the sky, checking the position of the sun -- not quite fully risen, but lingering upon the horizon in a pale yellow-pink haze -- before giving himself another full-bodied stretch.
Another day.
He couldn't be collecting Chimera this morning, as his multi-colored son would soon be busy training with Achilles. Iosef found the whole thing ridiculous. What did the consort think he would prove? Patroclus might grow to follow his father into a life of murder, but Iosef would be damned if his son did the same. It was inglorious, and blasphemous besides. Males were not meant to be warriors.
But Iosef allowed it, because he knew he no longer could control Chimera's actions. And because, also, he was afraid that their activities would be discovered if he spoke out against it -- that in Chimera's recklessness to defy his father, he would get caught by Varia or one of the others and punished for his impudence. Not that Achilles would allow Chimera to be badly injured, Iosef knew better than to think that. Only that Chimera had become angry -- surly -- in his age, and might be prone to saying something he didn't mean. And then his punishment would be justly deserved.
The calico-pelted wolf sighed and set off for Seraphin's den. Today was auspicious because now that the boys were quite old enough to be no longer considered pups, they would be choosing dens of their own. Chimera had, of course, slipped away days earlier, cleaning out his own den -- far away from everyone -- and denying any help from the others. But the twins were still with their mother for now, and Iosef hoped that they would allow him to help move them in to their inaugural home. Perhaps they could choose a den near him. Since Casimir's absence, Iosef had to admit he was quite lonely, even if Casimir had never been a true friend until the very end.
Iosef shook himself fervently. He'd been awake less than a half-hour and already his thoughts were gloomy. This was no way to start his day!
Grumbling to himself he made his way to the den Seraphin had whelped their pups in -- much larger than the one he himself had -- and waited outside for a moment, collecting himself. It was strange to think that they had grown so much already. Strange to think that, already, Iosef's dreams were coming to fruition and yet...he was still so sad. The melancholy came and went like the smell of rain on spring air, but he was never fully rid of it, no matter how much he loved his family, no matter how much he tried to devote himself to Seraphin.
"Romir," he called, gently, down into the den. It seemed quiet inside, as though perhaps Seraphin had left, perhaps taken some of the pups out for some quiet time before training. "Perdicas. Are you awake?"
No matter how long he had been with Seraphin, he never felt fully at-home in her den, and so he lingered outside a bit longer, waiting for a response.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:07 pm
 The paw across his muzzle was NOT the one he had been dreaming of.
Groaning internally, the young wolf opened one eye, regarding his sleeping twin blearily as he tried to comprehend what had pulled him out of such a... beautiful dream. Romir sighed quietly- he had learned to sigh quietly; one did so amongst a pack where males were so... inconsequential- and flicked an ear towards the mouth of the den.
Ahhh, his father's voice. A light sniff told him that Iosef was waiting just outside of the whelping den, and judging by the depth and regularity of his twin's breathing, Perdicas wouldn't be arising any time soon. His ears folded back as he yawned hugely, and almost immediately, the young wolf guiltily glanced around the den. No one was present to see him yawn, but making so much noise could draw a female's irritated eye, and he loathed it when a female was irritated with him. Absolutely loathed it.
It was difficult to squirm away from his twin's warmth, but Romir inched away, already wishing to be curled up again, lost in the glorious dream. It had been blissful- she had been gazing at him with love in her eyes. Not mild distaste, nor tolerance. Love. Her gentle nuzzling had been so tender, and the way she had leaned against his shoulder, wuffing a soft breath across his muzzle...
Not, of course, that Romir would ever go to one of the pack's glorious warriors and admit that he dreamt of curling up beside them, secure in their love, protected by their devotion. Doing something like that to the wrong female could prove fatal. However, every warrior in the pack had danced through his dreams in some form or another- well, certainly not his mother; she belonged to Iosef completely- and the young wolf longed for the day that dream would become reality.
It would. He was certain of that.
Stepping over the sleeping Perdicas, he indulged in a full-bodied stretch, shaking the night's unsettled sleep out of his fur before padding to the mouth of the den. A quick sniff ensured that it was only his father who awaited, and Romir felt confident enough to bound out into the cool morning air, his ears pricked aloft.
"Good morning, Father! Glorious, isn't it? Perdicas looks to be out for quite some time. Was there something needed?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:27 pm
Iosef smiled. Sleepy-headed little Romir, dreamy-eyed pup with his head in the clouds, in distant galaxies, always with a smile on his maw. Iosef wondered, from time to time, just what it was that crossed the pup's thoughts...but then he decided, based on his own experience, that perhaps he was best not knowing.
Iosef wondered for a moment what his own father would have said about him, when he was Romir's age. Now that the pup was growing, the similarity in their appearance was impossible to deny -- although the marks about his eyes and tail tip were entirely his mother's. Still, there was something about the intensity of his dreamy gaze that reminded Iosef of a time in his youth, when he had looked upon certain hard-bodied slaves with a degree of admiration....well, he refused to think on it. For Romir's sake, he hoped the pup dreamt of other things.
Not that Iosef's father had ever gotten the chance to wonder about his son's dreams, considering the two had never met until quite recently -- and even then, Iosef was reluctant to accept Adonai into his life in any capacity.
Shaking himself, feeling quite predisposed to daydreaming now as well with all this dwelling in memory lane, Iosef offered his son a smile. "Well, fine enough," he said, peering past his son into the darkness, where of course he couldn't make out the pup's twin. He cast his purple eyes -- the same shade as all of his son's -- back to Romir. "Let him sleep, then. We've got some work to do today -- cleaning out a den, so you can get ready to move out on your own, like the rest of us boring grown-ups."
Humor had never been Iosef's strong suit, and he felt pretty ridiculous even attempting it. He wrinkled his nose at himself and then shrugged it off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 12:05 am
Perhaps a bit more than fur colouration had passed from father to son, for Romir certainly could've empathised with his father about longing looks and daydreams best left forgotten. That he had to hide his adoration... Conceal his regard beneath a veil of servile attentiveness... The young wolf yearned for the day he could lavish a female with his devotion, bask in her delight at his eagerness to obey her every command, sate her every whim. The loyalty he had learned at his father's paws had taken a twist, shaded by the rose-coloured glasses he perpetually wore. To serve was an honour, yes, but to serve HER- ...the as-yet unnamed her- would be... bliss.
Romir's ears flattened as he realized he'd drifted off into yet another wistful daydream right in front of his father, and he dropped onto his belly, tucking his muzzle between his paws with an apologetic whine. "I'm sorry, Father. My mind wandered. I don't think I've woken up quite yet. Den, you said?
It took a moment for that to sink in, and when it did, Romir all but sprang to his paws, his tail swishing rapidly. A den. A den! A cozy place all his own, large and suitable to show her that he was ready to take on any responsibility, any task, anything she could ever ask for!
"A den? Absolutely!! Do you know of a good place? Something the sun hits, with a nice view? Possibly a glade nearby? With flowers?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:29 am
Iosef waited, patiently, for Romir's thoughts to catch up to the world around him. These pups would be the death of him, he thought -- between Chimera's insistence in joining unseemly activities, and Najara's admiration of Varia, and Romir's misty-eyed optimism...ahh, the joys of parenthood. He'd trade it in for nothing, but it was baffling all the same. He wished there had been some kind of handbook -- instructions, at least -- given at the onset of fatherhood.
Maybe if his father had been in his life....
....No, Iosef, don't even go there.
He lifted a brow as the enthusiastic questioning tumbled from his son's maw. He couldn't conceal the hint of smile, the flicker of amusement in his violet eyes. "...Not quite," he said, dryly. "But you've got your choice, of denning on this side," he jerked his head "of the main dens, where Zeke and I are. Or over there," he nodded the opposite direction, "past the center of the pack, where Achilles and Chimera are."
A thought occurred to him, then, and his smile both broadened and softened. Something the pup had just said reminded him of something, and his tail waved involuntarily behind him. "...And when we're done, I have something to show you. I think you'll like it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:24 pm
A mild huff was all he could really reply with to his father's practical statements, and Romir's ears dropped slightly. It was always the same- reality had to come crashing in on his delightful dreams and fade the vibrant colours that he painted the world with. Not only did the blatant truth irk him, it pushed his dreams further away every time it was brought up. With a low sigh, the young wolf looked at his father, his ears hanging limply against his head. "Oh, well... I suppose near you is fine. I'd rather stay close until I can find something I really want."
Odd how a romantic could phrase something with such cold thoughtlessness. Romir, naturally, saw nothing wrong with the way he casually disregarded his father's subtle invitation to keep the family close. His mind was too thoroughly occupied with thoughts of the den he would create- a proper nest for a beautiful warrior who would whelp her pups in the complete comfort he would so eagerly provide.
"...something to show me?" That actually broke through his reverie pleasantly, leaving a hint of his rosy thoughts to shade his eyes as he looked up at his father. Ears pricked slightly as he pawed the earth, shifting his weight. "Something I'll like? What is it?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:12 pm
Iosef raised a brow, but decided against commenting on his son's settling for his company. Whatever was going on in the youth's brain, he didn't want to exacerbate it. "Come on. The faster we get this done, the sooner I can show you."
He grinned, then made his way across the territory, toward the cluster of slave's dens. He hesitated, a moment, scanning them, then chose one between his and Zeke's. It was a bit larger than his own den, but substantially smaller than what Romir was accustomed to with Seraphin.
"Here. This one will be fast. It's pretty clean."
Some of the dens, having been empty since the war of succession, had become overgrown with weeds and infested with mice and snakes and even badgers. This one, however, looked quite clean, because it had been inhabited not so long ago. "Casimir lived here," he said. "His boys stayed with us for a time, when you were a child. Do you remember them?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:17 am
It was a chance to stretch out the night's cramps from his limbs, and Romir took the opportunity readily. Bounding ahead, he zipped back and forth between his father and their surroundings, pausing often to sniff the air when a female's scent caught his attention.
The den Iosef indicated was... disappointing. To say the least. His ears sagged as he looked at the positioning of the den, and the size. A wordless huff was his only response to his father's optimistic statement, and the young wolf padded closer to regard the den's interior skeptically.
"Well it's... cozy," Romir said slowly, sniffing the floor of the den before sneezing loudly, his ears folding back as he sat abruptly outside of it. "I... think so." Asking the young wolf to remember anything that had no direct connection with his daydreams or immediate family was always a gamble. "Were there any daughters?"
Swiveling an ear back to his father, Romir ducked his head and squirmed into the den, flattening himself down to avoid a few hanging roots. The scent of a mouse drew another sneeze, and he prowled the small den in its' entirety, examining it as he lost himself in another vision. He could make this work. It might take a bit more effort than he'd originally thought, but... He could make this worthy of a female's attention.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:09 am
"Just one," Iosef said, rolling back to his haunches. He waited patiently outside as Romir prowled through the den, examining it so critically. What had happened to these young generations? Why were they all so eager to eschew tradition, to push their limits? Iosef had spent his entire life trying to be happy with what he had.
Although, that hadn't really worked either.
"You know her. Your cousin Chilapa." He rolled his eyes a bit. Romir's memory was abysmal, probably because he was too wrapped up in whatever daydreams consumed all of his time. "Casimir had to take his sons and live with your aunt Terreis. I was thinking of taking Chimera to visit them, if you wanted to come along."
And to visit my father, Iosef added silently. He still had not told any of his other pups about the run-in with Adonai, and if Chimera or Najara had said anything there had been no indication as such. He didn't know why he hadn't been up-front with them, really, aside from perhaps a deep-seated shame. A desire to keep them safe and separate from the things that troubled his own mind.
He glanced up at the sky, where the sun had not yet fully risen. "If it's to your satisfaction, come along and I'll show you that surprise before it's time for morning duties."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:06 am
Perhaps it was merely the curse of the young- assuming that the older generation had few thoughts worth asking after, that they were placid and settled in their ways, with no curious surprises to strike them after they had passed a certain age. Despite Romir's curious way of viewing the world, he was no different in that manner. His father's preoccupation bypassed his attention entirely, making no dent in the rosy haze that clouded his thoughts as he nosed a rock out of the den soon to be his own. A huff of breath blew dust off of his nose before he padded out and sat down, settling companionably near his father.
"I... think I remember her." It wasn't quite a lie, but then again, it wasn't quite the truth, either. What Romir recalled was more likely a painted and polished dream instead of the facts. "To visit? I wouldn't mind. When would we go?" His ears swung back at the chirps of birds increasing in volume as the sun slid above the horizon, and the young wolf sighed internally at his father's last words.
It wasn't that he minded his morning duties, but... There was nothing particularly... inspiring in them. They didn't take him into the direct path of a lovely warrior who would see how glorious her life would be with him in it, and they were, well... Mundane.
Heaving a sigh, he rose to his feet and shook himself violently. "I'd like to see it. Is it far?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:43 am
"A few days, maybe. You have lots of cousins there, it should be fun." He smiled. Well, he wasn't sure if Romir would look forward to it, but he had always enjoyed spending time with his nephews whenever he could get a chance. And they were getting so big now!
As the teen emerged, Iosef offered him a grin and tossed his head, gesturing for him to follow. "Not far at all," he said, padding away from the woods and toward the rocky outcropping on the opposite side of the territory. It was a quick journey, as he had made it before many times and his paws knew the way. "I brought your mother here, before you were born," he said.
The place had always been one of his favorites as a youth, somewhere he had once gone with Terreis when they were young and things were simpler. He'd quite forgotten about it recently, but Romir's talk of a "room with a view" had reminded him, and he grinned in anticipation as he made his way up the narrow footpath up the side of the outcropping.
From the ground, there was only a weedy patch of earth encircled by large stones. But once they made their way to the top, nestled safely inside a little ledge in the rock face, the view changed dramatically. Below, scattered amongst the weeds, were dozens of wildflowers of different shapes and colors, a burst of brightness against the otherwise stark rocky landscape, like a small private garden.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:03 am
A trip of a few days... That could be just what he needed to give him a sophisticated world view that the warrior of his dreams would appreciate. Enthusiasm radiated from the young wolf as he bounded after his father. Well... Bounded around, towards, away from, and back to as he followed Iosef, peppering him with meaningless questions such as "Do you think the moon has a scent all its' own?" and "Is elegance a good trait to have in a warrior's eyes?"
The path was great fun to dash up, and Romir nearly knocked himself off of it in his eagerness to reach the top. Skidding to a rock-sliding halt beneath the ledge, the young wolf drew a loud breath, his ears swinging in wild directions as he tried to focus.
"Father!!! This is amazing!! You brought Mother here? How ideal! There could be no better place! The colours! Oh, smell those flowers! Did you ever pluck one of the blooms and tuck it behind Mother's ear? Those violet ones would be ideal against her fur! Flowers of every colour, no less! How long have you known about this place? Does anyone else know about it?" Questions and comments poured from Romir as he braced his paws on the edge and gazed down, his tail wagging in shameless exaltation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:24 am
Iosef made muttered replies to his son's questions, growing more and more uneasy at the subtext of his communication -- but it confirmed some of his fears, and that was better at least than being in the dark.
"So far as I know, no one really comes back here," he said, his violet eyes gazing across the small garden of wildflowers. "Though I think your mother brings pups up here, sometimes, as a treat."
He took a steadying breath. He was the least equipped wolf in the world to give any advice on the topic, but he felt compelled, as a father, to try. "Son...I've been watching you. I know you want to catch the eye of a Warrior Sister," he said, slowly, carefully. "And I won't fault you for that. Being a Favored is a great honor, the best rank that those like you and I can hope for. I just...I want to caution you to be careful."
This was ridiculous, he thought. But a niggling voice in his mind told him that maybe if he'd had some advice given to him at this age, maybe he would have turned out differently. Maybe he would have been straightened out early on, before he had plunged into a life that would cause so much pain. "Your mother is a rare creature. Like one of those flowers down there. Beautiful and delicate but hardy and strong. A real treasure amongst the weeds." But you still don't love her the way you should, he thought, and forced the thought violently back down into the recesses of his mind. "You're young and you have all of your life ahead of you to earn a rank. I just hope you will exercise caution, and do things...the proper way."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:14 am
Basking in the scent and shade of the wildflowers, Romir hardly heard his father's voice. It was ideal- JUST the sort of place he could imagine declaring his undying love within. The young wolf buried his nose in a flower and inhaled deeply, muffling a sneeze in his foreleg before he laughed with careless joy, delighting in the pollen coating his nose. One ear flicked back to his father, and some of what was being said actually filtered through the shining dreams that preoccupied his mind.
"...rank? You think I want rank?" It was impossible to keep the shock from his voice, and Romir turned to face his father, eyes and ears trained on the wolf. "Of all things to... Rank?! Rank has nothing to do with this! What do I care for rank? I'm male- rank is... It's a ridiculous thing to consider. I don't care about having RANK."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:03 pm
Iosef blinked. He stared, long, confusedly, at his pup, baffled by the sudden influx of...anger? exasperation? ...he wasn't even sure what to call the emotion. When did his children become so complicated? Why could he never seem to understand anything they said or did? He was a terrible excuse for a father, it would seem.
"...I...That's not what I meant. I don't think." It wasn't often that Iosef was at a loss for words. If he had one thing he was capable of, it was articulating. "I only mean...." he sighed. He was going about this all wrong. "Is there someone in particular you've got your eye on?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
