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 Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 12:08 am
Darya, oh Darya, why do I get the feeling you're plotting something today? The old crone was pacing back and forth in front of her den. There was something irritating her though she couldn't put her paw on it. Something that she didn't quite understand. It was like a tickle at the back of her mind, buzzing like a fly.
Are you pleased Darya? Those who did not know of the pack's ways would have thought this wolf mad. In fact talking to her deceased relative was something that Ola did very often. The ancestor's skull had been placed neatly above the mouth of her den, slightly embedded in soil so that it would never move. The hollow eyes of that skull seemed, even now, to bear intelligence within them.
However, the skull could not ever answer, though sometimes Ola couild have sworn it had. You protected us for this long while. You protect us still. Just like Lady Cerridwen, you are. The old wolf shifted and scented the wind, raising her head to snuffle quietly.
It was early morning and the first fingers of pale light were just beginning to prise their way through the trees. In the clearing where Ola's den was the sky was pale grey-blue, promising a good day ahead. She had not slept that much recently, though she assumed it was because of all that had happened.
Then suddenly a new scent came to her and she tilted her head quizzically. Who or what was on the lands? She got to her well worn paws and made off into the trees; a dark, silent phantom.
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Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 3:35 am
Oh dear. She was lost. The little brown pup stopped plodding along and lifted her head up, blinking her eyes to clear the fatigue out of them. Gingerly, she sniffed at the air. Nothing familiar. Her eyes scanned her surroundings for anything, anything at all that she could use as a guide. Nothing. Yes, she was good and lost now. The pup bowed her neck so that she was staring down at her paws with a little frown on her face. Why did you do that now? Falling asleep while walking along? Pshaw! An' I thought you was a smart wolf! Ant didn't often talk to herself, but as she was in such a dire situation, it seemed necessary.
The little pup looked up again. The pale light of early morning peaked through the tips of the faraway trees, although a sort of dimness still lingered in the air. There, she'd heard a sound. The pup's head spun around and she lifted her tail high, confident. A moment passed and nothing happened. Well it was just like her now, to start at every little noise. She had been that way ever since she had bumped into that scary two-faced pup. She started forward once more, wondering not for the first time that morning where in the world she had wandered to.
"Hello?" She called out to the rising dawn, hopeful that maybe somewhere out there, somewhere within hearing range, there was somebody - anybody.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 1:22 am
Luckily Ola had found herself trekking in the right way. She was an old girl, yes, but she still had some years in her yet and she moved as easy as most wolves did. She moved silently, too. In fact the Crone moved so silently that most wolves never knew she was there until she chose to reveal herself. It had happened that time with the alphas and it would continue to happen. She'd picked up the habit of sneaking around and it worked in spooking outsiders. She was preparing to do that now, though never would she have expected to meet a pup.
She heard the voice first and paused, crouching in the undergrowth. The foliage held tight against her shivering sides, but she said nothing. Not yet. She had to get a better glimpse of the creature first. There was one thing for sure, though, it was a young wolf indeed.
Slowly she pushed forwards, circling around the scent that wafted gently to her nose. Then suddenly she moved out into the open, her black fur speckled with grey hairs of age.
Hello. Her voice rasped. Another one for Cerridwen's judgement I wonder? She stepped forth, taking the moment to admire the little pup. Lewana had been the only pup born in their pack for a long, long time and such a tiny wolf was an uncommon sight to Ola's old eyes.
Lost little pup, where are your parents?
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 3:23 am
The voice came as so much of a shock to the little pup that she spun around with a surprised yip, chocolate eyes wide. She hadn't expected there would be another wolf close by. She had hoped, yes, but she hadn't thought that her call had turned out to be a lucky one for her. Although whether or not that luck would continue... that was to be seen. Her eyes flitted from the black wolf before her to the foliage that offered much cover behind her, as if wondering whether or not she should turn around and bolt.
"I... I don't know," The little pup shifted her weight from paw to paw, shuffling uneasily and avoiding the old she-wolf's eyes. Her gaze landed left, right, up, anywhere but on the black wolf. She hadn't learned that this perhaps was not what she was supposed to do.
"I don't have parents, I guess? I don't remember." Each word was pronounced slowly, with a great deal of care, as if it was all the little pup could do to get them out. "Who's Sir Dwen?" She added curiously, blinking her large eyes. Sir Dwen sounded like the name of a mighty impressive wolf.
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 12:09 am
Lady Cerridwen. Ola corrected with a flick of her ear. There was a slight scowl on her face but it wasn't a snarl. Instead she gave a small huff and brought p her raggedy tail a little. She was no alpha but she was an important asset to the pack and she had the authority of one in most cases. She just took a back seat, watched and advised. She is far more powerful and important than any wolf that you might meet. She lives within all of those who believe and blesses us with her strength and wisdom.
She narrowed her eyes then and canted her nose downwards. This little pup did not remembr her family. That seemed very odd. Surely she was still very young, to have surivived on her own someone must have weaned her until the point when she could walk around like she was doing now. Old as Ola was, she still remembered her parents.
Amnesia? She was talking to herself really. Hmm... Then she lowered her muzzle to glance into the little wolf's face. You'll die out here, you know, all alone like this. She could be very blunt sometimes.
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:40 am
"Sort of like the ones you love, right?" She didn't know how or where she had learned, she just... knew. She didn't know how to compare it, perhaps, but somehow the little pup understood what the black she-wolf had just said. Perhaps to a degree that most adults didn't. It simply bloomed inside her, something she had known all along, that had lain half asleep and now, with the description of it, it had flared to life.
"Amnesia?" For the first time, Ant's gaze landed on the black wolf, only briefly, before flickering away again. "Is that like... what I'm doing? Not remembering?" She asked sadly, her tail falling a fraction from where she had held it a moment before. She had never enjoyed knowing that she didn't quite remember her family, how she had come to be all alone.
The little pup shrugged. "I know that. But since there's no Momma, no Pops, what else am I supposed to do?" She wiggled her toes and poked at the earth with her little claws. It wasn't like she would be any real asset to a pack. Not only that, she wouldn't really know how to go about joining one, even if she actually managed to find a pack. She didn't really know how to make friends, and she knew that in a pack she might well be left alone while the other pups played with their siblings and friends. It was worse to be alone when surrounded by others, she had decided long ago. It was far lonelier.
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:15 am
Ola's heart went out to the pup. She could be a cold-hearted soul at times but deep down the crone was not all grumpy and mean, sometimes she could actually be quite loving. The hardness in her eyes softened slightly, their grey edges perfect for resembling the moon that she craved for now. Yes, something like that The old wolf replied. This little pup certainly was a strange one. Appearing like magic before her very nose.
Then a thought hit her.
Perhaps this pup was a gift from Cerridwen, placed here to be found by herself? The idea, whilst crazy to some, was completely feasible for a religious character like Ola. In fact, such a thing would make complete sense!
Maybe that same strength and wisdom lives in you, little one. Ola replied. Maybe your very life is a gift from The Lady herself. She stepped forward, her grey-flecked paws moving silently on the ground. Do not worry about remembering. If you forgot, maybe it's not important. You have a free, clear mind now, a mind you can shape into whatever you want.
Ola straightened then and her tail waved once. But even if Lady Cerridwen is within you, you are small yet and in danger being out here by yourself. I am from a pack, a pack you happen to be on the borders of. If you agree, I would take you back with me now and see to it you are kept safe.
If this pup was a blessed one Ola would do everything to see it kept safe.
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 4:03 am
Ant had always been a rather observant little thing, especially when all her senses were keyed up by the previous anxiety of being lost. She was more relaxed now, but her senses had been heightened instinctively and it would take some time yet for them to calm. She saw the slight change in Ola's eyes as her gaze passed over the old wolf's face quickly once more, and in that brief moment, she was caught by how much those eyes reminded her of the moon, fat and full when it was halfway through its monthly cycle around the land.
"I never thought about it that way," She said, her voice thoughtful as she considered the memories that had so long escaped her. "Maybe that's why I don't remember. Maybe something bad happened, and I just wasn't ever supposed to know." The thought brought a sort of sadness to the pup, the thought of something terrible happening to the family she had never known, and she wondered then why, and how, she felt emotion for those that had never existed for her. "Do you... Do you talk to Lady Cerridwen?" She asked after a moment, in an attempt to banish the sudden rush of grief.
When she looked up, there was some hint of that same sadness lurking behind her soulful eyes. "You would do that?" Her surprise was evident. She had never known wolves that so willingly offered for another. "But... why?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:04 am
Well... Ola replied. Deep down she had a feeling that this little wolf was another chosen one, led here by the Goddess. Perhaps it was down to Lady Cerridwen that the child had lost its memory.
Or maybe not.
Maybe this was coincidence and maybe this little wolf just happened to stumble across the lands. It just seemed to much of a coincidence to be discarded. Whether this little pup was a chosen one orsimply a poor little child lost and alone, Ola had a feeling that she would find a place in the pack. She was young and would be easily taught, much easier than the adults.
I honour and worship The Lady. She is our guide and power and she keeps us safe from danger with her ever-watching gaze. If she has led you here then I must keep you safe for she loves you too. I could not turn away one of the chosen ones. The old wolf lowered her grizzled face and blinked. But even if that was not the case. Even if you were simply a pup who had lost her way, I think I would offer safety to you anyway. Her ears tipped forwards and suddenly she raised her head and turned to gaze around her.
She thought she heard the Goddess then, singing somewhere far away. But she was mistaken. It had only been the wind.
I talk to her if she wishes to talk to me. Her body was held still as she listened. Then; What say you, little one?
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:01 pm
"Chosen one...?" She echoed, murmuring the word softly as though afraid to say it to loud, as if saying it too loudly would ruin the magic that seemed to protect the two little words. She didn't quite know what it meant - there was no way she could have known. She was just a lost little pup who had been dealt a harder life than most.
Although how she herself might be a chosen one, Ant had no idea. She didn't know, at the moment, what to make of it all, and it was only when the black wolf asked her a question that the pup came back to the present, pushing her ponderings to the back of her mind.
"S'mighty generous of you to take me in," Ant said with a nod. Perhaps if it had been any other day, or any other wolf, she may have declined, but there was something about the black wolf that was comforting. This coupled with the fact that the danger of dying had now been acknowledged and therefore seemed all the more real, led the little pup into accepting the offer. "I think I need to stop wandering around every day." She added with a small smile at herself. She had never slept in the same place twice, so far as she could remember. Sometimes she wondered what it would like to have a specific place to sleep each night. No fuss, no muss.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:04 am
For once, Ola smiled. Truly she was fond of pups and she eagerly awaited the day when the alphas settled to have a family. She had hinted at pups to them but nothing more than that. She loved teaching and having young ones in the place gave her the opportunity.
A chosen one is a wolf that Lady Cerridwen favours above all others. No one truly knows why she chooses that particular wolf, whether it is due to their good hearts or worthy personalities. But maybe it is simply the fact that she was mother herself one day and that she wishes you to be cared for by us as her own pups were when she died. The tale of Cerridwen was a sad one but it was good too, it possessed everything that the pack strived for; peace, kindness, serenity.
Then follow me little one. She walked a few steps, paused to make sure the wolf was following and then continued to speak. I go by many names, but most call me Ola. In this pack wolves bare a secret name too, once they learn it, which can only be shared with pack members. I have a third name, though, so you may also call me The Crone, if you so wish. What might sound like an insult was considered a rank status in Ola's eyes. To be a vessel of the Goddess was something she prided over more than anything.
Do you remember your own name?
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 3:50 am
"She died?" The pup echoed sadly, although she understood how it was logical. It was easier to look back on another's life and find things there that were worthy of praise and worship. So perhaps that was what it took to be known, Ant would have no idea. She only knew that it was easier to be famous dead than alive, and though it was a rather illogical thought, it made it easier to bear whenever one was told the story of a brave and selfless wolf of the past.
Ant rose to her paws and trotted after the black wolf. "The Crone?" She blinked. Didn't titles starting with 'The' tend to have a more negative effect than positive? Although, Ola seemed rather proud of the title, and so Ant didn't question it further. Just knowing it was something worth being proud of was enough for her. But perhaps she might stick with Ola. She knew that in time she would get used to say 'The Crone', but it would never feel as right on her tongue as something simpler.
She was wondering about the secret name Ola had prevoiusly mentioned when she was asked if she remembered her own name. The little pup nodded. "At least... It was the name I've just always known, I don't know if it's really my name or anything." She was silent for a moment, as if wondering whether or not she truly had a different name. But then, it was the name she woke up to every morning, and so it had to be the one for her.
"Aliante." She said finally. "But then mos' call me Ant cause I'm so small." She added with a wide smile. Aliante for long. That was what she didn't like about it. It sounded too delicate, too frail, as if nothing would ever happen to her. Well she knew better than that, and she was working and fighting the the bad things that happened to her, working hard to stay alive. Just like an ant.
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:20 am
Ola nodded her head grimly. No one was too sure how old the wolfess was. All they knew is that she had always seemed to bare those greying whiskers. She had once been a pure black wolfess but she had always looked a little raggedy and aged even in her youth. Now as youth left her she was greying over most parts of her body.
Ant is a good name. Short and easy on the tongue. But you won't stay small forever. Ola replied. She was fond of the short names herself, having being blessed with one too.
Lady Cerridwen died but...she still lives. It's hard to explain without telling the legend, would you like to hear it whilst we walk? She would take the pup first to the alphas and then to the pool to bathe and purify herself.
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:03 am
((Everybody:
I am copying and pasting this message to all the threads I frequent and all the RPs I am currently partaking in. I am flying down to Australia tomorrow [Saturday, 23rd] for one week to participate in a competition with our school's orchestra. I won't have any internet access while I'm there. I will be back on the 30th of June.
Wish us all luck! I'ma miss you all wink
~Moon
PS I'll try to reply tomorrow morning. Packing + me = chaotic xD))
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:42 pm
Ant pondered Ola's words for a moment. Small forever? She had come to realize that she didn't mind being small one bit. She could show others just how wrong they were by being small and capable, and she knew that some wolves would be humiliated by no end by the fact that she could beat them at anything. "It's hard to imagine being big is all." She said finally with a small nod. It was hard to picture being as big as Ola, even when she was grown.
The little pup nodded eagerly at Ola's offer. "I'd love to hear it," She replied promptly. She was beginning to find it easier to let her gaze sweep over the other wolf, but she still did not let it land on one place for too long, and there was still the occasional absentminded fidget. Old habits were hard to break.
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