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Post by ziko on Dec 21, 2006 17:49:33 GMT -5
As Ziko came closer to the female, he noticed that she seemed absent minded at the moment. Her gaze was elsewhere even if it seemed directed to him. Sitting on his hind legs, he looked up at the great female who he had come to be very fond of. His head rolled onto his left shoulder and he watched with curiousity as Nightblood recollected her past. Little did he know what was going on in her mind. He gave a soft whimper to the female, but it was rather quiet and she seemed not to hear him.
Ziko winced a little and his paw hovered slightly above the ground. A tiny footprint from where he had placed it on the snow was left but there was no blood for nothing was broken, thankfully. Lifting it up he drew his pink tongue across it and attempted to sooth himself of the aching pain. Folding his ears neatly on his head he gazed at Nightblood, who was seemingly brought back with the image of the snowflake on her nose. He would have giggled at this, but he sensed that play was inappropriate at this moment and remained quiet.
Ziko was somewhat surprised, as Nightblood reached down without a word to grasp him by the scruff. He allowed her to do so, and even though she nipped him a little with her teeth he ignored it. Lightly he bounced, as the female carried him away. He did not know the world from this height which was roughly around the chest of Nightblood. He was small, and was growing of course, but it fascinated him for it he could see over the bushes instead of always going around them. Soon, he would be this height, and he would a be strong whatever for the pack. He would serve them, and he would be proud. When that day came, he would be thankful for all the teaching that was intented to follow from this night on.
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Post by nightblood on Dec 22, 2006 12:07:54 GMT -5
{{Modified Night's past a little.}}
NightBlood glanced down at the pup's ears. They were all she could see as he dangled under her jaw. Perhaps teaching Snow would make up for the life she had broken so long ago. It would certainly keep her mind away from the memory of it. She looked around. There was no one to claim the pup. Again she wandered what had happened to his care takers. Perhaps they had been chased off for some treachery to the pack, or maybe they had died in battle? NightBlood longed to know. If they were alive and in the area, she would apologize for injuring their charge. If they were no longer a part of the pack, her idea of taking the pup in would stand. She was always stubborn when her mind was set on something.
The black and tan wolfess leaped over a fallen log. The white powder around here remained untouched. She paused and looked at the landscape. It was one of her habits, appreciating the land around her. Wincing, she took the first step into the virgin snow, reminding herself that the ice crystals were still falling and they'd soon fill her tracks, giving the land it's flawless look once more.
Blood rounded a wide tree and found the cave nestled under a small cliff made visible by a now non-existent river. She entered it. It's clearance was just an inch over her ears. She placed the pup on the hard rock floor and released him from her grasp. Facing the entrance, she laid down wither her front legs stretched out in front of her. The white snow glistened in the moon light as she thought hard about how she should ask the pup about his family and whether or not he would allow her to take him in.
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Post by ziko on Jan 1, 2007 12:02:56 GMT -5
The land was certainly beautiful from this height. He saw how perfect the snow was when it had not a print on it. The little male liked the way it looked, how it glistened in the moonlight that flooded the region before him. The flakes that fell from the sky seemed to vanish when they hit the ground and this fascinated him. He wriggled slightly, as they wound around a large tree, and just then, he saw the bark in great detail. Every little line, all the shades of it. This was certainly an eye opener for sure, he thought. Blinking slightly, he stared forward at the cave they were advancing towards. It looked so dark inside. He shivered a little as they went inside.
An appreciative lick of Nightblood's nose when he let go of her was from Ziko. He loved the sights that he had just witnessed. Shifting close to the female's chest as she lay down, he sprawled out over her forelegs and wagged his tail. An innocent look was of his freckled face. Then, catching a look at the cave entrance, he saw how the shadows only got so far before they stopped at the light entering the cave. They seemed repelled by light. Furrowing his brow he placed his chin on his paw and looked away and sighed. Was it time to rest already? Flicking his tongue over his nose, he eyed Nightblood was curiousity, giving an inquisitve look to her.
"Nightblood?" said Ziko with a voice so soft that it was almost a whisper. But it echoed a little, in this cave. It had no scents in it... no smell of it being owned by another. Flopping about he tried to make himself comfortable whilst awaiting a reply from Nightblood. Why he took her here he was unsure, but he was confident that it was to rest up. Rolling onto his back, his paws dangled above him and he watched her with his light brown eyes. "Snow." he said gently and nuzzled her chest. If she wanted to take him in, he would gladly let her. He really enjoyed her company.
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Post by nightblood on Jan 2, 2007 16:14:25 GMT -5
NightBlood looked down at the shifting pup and allowed herself a wide grin as she watched him try to make himself comfortable between her front legs and the rock floor beneeth him. A dirt cave would have been a lot better for comfortable sleep, but Night was accustomed to rock, having been raised in a simmilar den. He gave his nickname and nuzzled her for what seemed like the bazzilienth time already. She could still feel the wetness on her nose from his last thanks.
In truth, NightBlood was as 'buttered-up' as never before. She had never allowed herself to get so emotionally close to another since her parents had been murdered. Snow may very well be her ticket to sanity. Although she seemed overly sane during any other time of the day, in all reallity she felt herself breaking every time she let her mind wander to the day her world divided, which times were only before she drifted to sleep every night.
She took the pup's actions as a sign of acceptance. He was possibly the bravest of those she had approched. All the others had run off or pissed her off so much that she could not contain her rage. She found Snow oddly tollerable, but still one thing scratched roughly at the back of her mind. Why was he alone? She voiced this consern as gently as was possible for her. She had always been annoyingly tactless when it came to fragile emotions. She was always so blunt in everything she said.
"Snow... er, where are the ones who are responcible for you? I mean, your guardians? Pups in my old pack were always watched by a sitter or their parents..." NightBlood cringed as she left the sentance hanging, hoping to all the world that she hadn't said the wrong thing. She pushed back the voice in her mind telling her that it was none of her buisiness. The voice was wrong this time. If she was going to be this pup's protector, she had to know.
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Post by ziko on Jan 7, 2007 12:51:45 GMT -5
With each passing day Ziko slowly began to forget about his dead mother and father. He became less emotional over their death, and he no longer thought about how much he missed them so much nowadays. Life was moving on with him yet he was not exactly conscious about losing these feelings. Every night the kid used to sit up and whimper for the warmth of his mothers lick, or the rough nuzzle of his father.
" Dead. Disease. "
Harsh yet simple words. They were just said, with no emotion behind them. Pressing his head onto his own paws, he observed the details of the rock in the cave. It seemed to have a strange, dark blue tint to it with the way the light hit it. Squitning he followed the cracks as they vanished into the darkness. He believed he could still see them split along the rock but his eyes were defying him that.
" Why. "
Perhaps with others, memories would awaken within him and cause the kid to become emotional at this point, because that sort of thing normally ran deep in ones heart. But he felt nothing. As it was, he was forgetting them day by day. Even though, he was the one out of him and his brother who had taken the news the hardest. Lifting his head he looked Nightblood in the eye and waited her answer.
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Post by nightblood on Jan 8, 2007 16:12:29 GMT -5
NightBlood sighed at the mention of disease. That was sertainly a better way to go than the brutal way her parents died. At least they knew they were dieing. "I was wandering because..." Her voice trailed as she attempted to ask Snow the question that had plegued her all this time. She took a deep breath as she musted the strength to do so and tried again. "I thought, if you didn't have anyone to take care of you... that maybe I could." She paused and allowed the sentance to sink in, so that Snow would realize what she was asking. "Would that be alright?"
At this point the voice of her mind appeared. The image of doubt, anger, and hatred. 'Outrage!' it screamed, 'You've hated pups all your life! Ever since that one attacked you! What makes this one so special?'
'I attacked him, and it's only really young pups I hate,' she replied quietly, 'Snow's different! He's alot like me!'
'So, you're going to adopt every pup who's lost their parents, are you?'
'Shut UP!' she shouted, her anger building. She returned her attention to the pup and awaited his reaction to her question. It was true, Snow was not unlike her, having lost his parents as well. However, she doubted very much that he was to take over Arnlan some day.
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Post by ziko on Jan 8, 2007 16:31:18 GMT -5
Knowing that they were going to die was not very appealing to the parents of Ziko and his forgotten brother. Both were such proud elders of Arnlan, had been with the pack since no one knew, quite like Karolek and Sofika themselves. All of a sudden the disease struck, with a name unknown to the pup. The symptoms had gone unnoticed because both mother and father strived to protect and serve the pack to the best of their abilities. They're dream death was no doubt dying fighting for Arnlan because they knew that Arnlan would fight for them. To become to weak and defensless must have tortured the proud wolves; their dignity shattered as others catered around after them.
Ziko rocked his head on his paws for a moment, carefully listening to the words, rolling each syllable mentally over his tongue. Some he recognised, some he did not and some he understood immediantly. This was his little way of trying to learn. A bored like sigh escaped his partly pealed lips, before he stopped rocking his head and looked up almost dumb struck. What did she say? Shaking his head and blinking a little he looked to the female as she argued with the voices in her mind (he didn't know that this was going on of course. ) Did she just say that she'd like to look after him? His soft brown eyes glistened with joy and he nodded several times. His tongue lapped around his lips and he smiled a great big smile.
" It would be alright, " he replied quickly and wagged his tail slowly and gradually it was eaving happily behind him and he was pouncing up onto NightBlood, licking at her maw and face. Oh what a happy day. Even though he had only met her, and that he'd taken no time to consider anything, he felt that this would be perfect. The majority of the pack had either given up or forgotten all about him. Except Crow of course, he missed her badly, and he had not seen her in a while. Sofika too. He had felt her presence, but she was a mysterious character right enough. Funny how it was always the females and ever the males who took responsibility over the younger ones, watched their back.
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Post by nightblood on Jan 8, 2007 16:51:48 GMT -5
NightBlood leaned into the happy licks of the pup and gave a great sigh of relief. Snow had not burst into tears, attacked her, or run off suddenly as she thought he would. She was actually suprised at his immediate acceptance. Her mind swam with the memeries of the past few days. Being a member of Arnlan for less than a few days and already she was now responcible for a pup. She never dreamed it would happen.
Now another pressing thought came. Escaping the pup's insane attemps to lick her fur off, she rose her head up and looked down at him. "You've said more words than I've taught you. Are you sure you don't remember how to say your name?" Now that she was his keeper, it was important to know his name. If he couldn't remember, she would simply seek out another Arnlan member in the morning and ask them.
{*cough* short...}
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Post by ziko on Jan 9, 2007 14:30:15 GMT -5
Words familiar to him had been slowly trickling through his mind with each passing moment. He could recognise some, and knew their meanings, and so had used them when trying to learn with Nightblood. However, after being left alone by the pack not too long ago, some had been forgotten to him, and he had been unable to learn any new ones. Crow was a mute, and so he had learned to communicate without words through her, and he was grateful that he could do so. All wolves should have been able to understand motions anyway.
Ziko shrugged. On the death of his parents, he never remembered anyone mention his name. He was always referred to as 'poor kid' or something of the sorts. Matters about him where always spoken about in hushed voices, with shifty eyes and concerned looks. Sighing, he had ceased to lick the face of Nightblood when she had risen. The pup had tumbled back a little, but had corrected himself into a seated position and looked up at the great female. Did she understand fully what she was taking on? Would she have the patience for such an active little pup?
"No Nightblood. No remember, " was the reply and he spun on the spot and waddled with a wag on his tail to the entrance of the cave. Maybe it was rude to turn your back on someone in such a moment but he was insensitive to that sort of thing. Plonking his rear end on to the ground that caused a shiver to run up his spine, he eyed the little clearing before him. Ziko noted the churned mud at the entrance, how prints from NightBlood's entrance had been pressed firmly into it. Did she have some muck on her paws? He never noticed. He was content with the name Snow for now anyway.
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Post by nightblood on Jan 9, 2007 16:40:07 GMT -5
NightBlood groaned at the reply. She needed his proper name. "Who in the pack knows it? Can you think of one?"
'So many questions...' came the voice of her mind.
'I have to know. What kind of protecter would not know the name of their charge?'
'One that was unconserned with mere trifles and more focused on the big picture... like you used to be.'
NightBlood blocked out the voice stubborly and forced her attention on Snow. The little pup had moved toward the entrance. His tail was wagging. Did he smell something? Someone? Or was he simply observing her large paw prints. NightBlood had not forgotten that it was from one of these paw prints that she had injured the pup. Yet, now he seemed alright.
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Post by ziko on Jan 11, 2007 8:29:15 GMT -5
Who in the pack knew his name? Well, certainly some of the older members of the pack would know, such as Crow, Karolek, Pollux and Sofika. Ziko shook his head a little and looked over his left shoulder to Nightblood. There was so much to know in this pack, and he wondered if she would ever know it all. Maybe within time she would gradually learn the histories of the other members. If he could talk properly, he'd have tried to tell her about what happened to his parents. For now though, she was probably best asking someone else.
Karolek, Sofika, definently, " he whispered and turned to look out iof the cave again. His paw, he had forgotten all about his paw. Maybe because he was soo excited when he was lifted, about seeing the sights from a new angle, and when Nightblood said she would be his guardian. Maybe the pain had been forgotten that way. Rolling his shoulders he got up and moved a little out of the cave and pressed his own paw into Nightblood's print. It was a good bit bigger than his for sure.
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Post by nightblood on Jan 11, 2007 17:04:30 GMT -5
NightBlood stared as Snow put his paw into her paw print, amazed as he did so. It was funny how much pups did that. She had once walked a full winter's hike in her father's paw prints. She looked out at the night and layed down, sighing. Most pups would be asleep in their dens by their mother's side right now. She could remember every night during her wanderings as she wished for the comfort that would never come. So much fear in every sound... predators, angry prey animals, and hunters were constant dangers. Only the protection of an elder could subside the fear.
NightBlood layed her head on her paws and looked at the pup. "Tomorrow we'll go find one of them," she told him. As a moment passed she wandered if Snow knew that as her way of implying that it was time for bed. She would watch him for a few moments and if he didn't get it, she would tell him. He was a smart pup, for not being able to talk until today.
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Post by ziko on Jan 11, 2007 17:22:38 GMT -5
The was getting on, the light would be sure to rise soon enough, at least, he predicted anyway. Like most of his ancestors, he was a very nocturnal one of his kind. Some wolves these days though were more active during the day and this baffled him. The light was far too bright and sometimes temperatures were very warm during midday. As for night, the moon was glorious in the sky and everything felt cool, sharp. His own mother and father had taken to the night watch. That was there time in the pack. When Arnlan was theres when others slept.
He had grown accustomed to following them now and again during their duties, and so he was brought up to live at night. It seemed the most beautiful time to be awake as well. His senses always felt at their best around midnight. Smiling a little he turned to the sound of Nightblood resting her head down. He had woken her from her sleep he could remember. No doubt she was tired and would sleep throughout part of the day now that she had been awake most of the night. Maybe she'd grow to be awake at night like he was.
" Tomorrow, " whispered Ziko and he moved slowly to the female, and lay by her side. He nudged his head under her fore leg so that she had it aroudn his little body. He could already feel her warmth. Smiling he shut his eyes. " Tomorrow, " he said again. He would be a day older then. Sighing he shut his eyes and licked his paws for a while before stopping to fall into a gentle slumber. Everything felt as if it would be a whole lot different, now that Nightblood had come into his life. Things looked up for him and he felt the future was promising.
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