Post by Pavane on Jun 28, 2011 22:21:34 GMT -5
It's been a LONG few days. Zuphi has no idea why the members of the Cerulean pack haven't torn him to shreds yet as he keeps entering their territory, but he keeps a low profile. Tail hung limp, earnubs flat and golden eyes averted and meek. Although, the young male walks a bit differently now- he's sore. Turns out that whatever had chased him - which he couldn't bother to identify because he was running for his life! - had dealt him a good beating. "Ow, ow.." he mumbles with every step on his sore limbs. His fur is mussed more than usual, red streaked through the shades of black.
Niyt has a few ideas about why the pack hasn't been paying attention to Zuphi - and they're the same things that have been making her full of sadness and worry. She paces her way through the tall grasses of the steppe, head and tail held low. Where can she even begin to search? All this land is crossed over many, many times with the scents of her pack - each time she thinks she has a promising trail, it simply returns her to a den or old sleeping-spot. And the winds have proven unhelpful - the occasional faint mouse-spirit squeak only serving to make Niyt more anxious. She's been searching all day, and she's grown tired. Tired enough that she doesn't even notice Zuphi at first, just continuing to plod forward along the ridge of a hill.
Zuphi wonders exactly what the one female, Niyt, thinks so highly of him. He's down on himself for the moment, even more humbled by the beating. Guess he had it coming for not paying attention. But he owes it to Niyt, to let her know that he's alive. Battered and broken sure, but alive.
One foot, then the next. Really, she should rest, but... but... She doesn't want to give up. Her little brother... she knows all too well what being lost is like. If only he's just lost! She lifts up her head and gives an anxious little howl, though she doesn't expect an answer.
He startles and stops in an instant. His eyes widen briefly and he licks his chops anxiously. His reddened fur bristles but soon recognition hits... And a single wag of his tail. He looks around before shyly lifting his head to answer her with a strained, broken howl of his own.
Niyt just stops right where she is, at that answer. It's a measure of just how tired and care-worn she is that it takes a moment for her to recognize the voice. But then... her head lifts, and so does her tail, and she lets out a brief happy Aroo! before loping in the direction the sound came from. One of her worries seems to have lifted!
Niyt's answer jolts him again and as soon as he realizes who it is, he starts to walk toward that thing barrelling toward him. Simply too sore to run, he pants and whimpers happily.
There's Zuphi; Niyt can feel that glow of his spirit - though it's a bit more tremulous than usual - and she can smell his scent - though with it, the scent of blood. All, it seems, is not well with him - but at least he's here. At least he's still here. Her steps slow to a quick walk, orienting with sound and spirit-sense to close that final distance, and then she leans in, to try to touch her nose to his cheek carefully enough to not do him harm, since she can't tell the where of the injuries she smells. "Zuphi," she says, her voice glad, and then in worried tones, "What happened?"
"Niyt? I'm sorry.." He offers a weak nuzzle and whimpers in pain; he grits his teeth as he didn't mean to make the agony known to her, but it's no use, she can smell the blood streaking every part of him. "I, I.. Was chased by...something..I don't know what it was. It caught me and, well.." His remaining, though tattered, ear folds back. The other one had been ripped clean off his head, as well as a section of the skin on the same side of his head.
Niyt can smell the blood, and she can hear those sounds of pain even though Zuphi tries to hide them. She whines softly, deep in her throat, in sympathetic pain. "At least... at least you're still here," she offers after a moment, hesitating from giving another nuzzle to avoid causing more pain. "This spring..." she trails off, and shakes her head. "I'm glad you got away."
The battered male pricks his ear. "Mmm..? Did...Did something happen, while I was gone..?" Drat! He knew he should've returned sooner!
Niyt's ears droop again, and so does her tail. She sighs. "Mama's... sick. Really sick. She... she probably won't last the summer. And... Anoki's disappeared."
"What now..? Sick..? Is...is there anything we can do..?" Zuphi's voice suddenly firms, as if an ancient warrior had awakened inside his chest as his voice lost its timid crack, although still soft. He feared Alaqua, sure, but she IS his superior.
Niyt sighs. "I don't know. I don't think so. The wind... it's already calling her name. Like... like it calls all the spirits away." She shakes her head slowly. "She's not gone, yet, but... but in a way, she already is. She's not... here... anymore. Not really."
Zuphi thinks momentarily back to when his family had gone to the spiit world.. And now, Niyt was about to feel the same pain. He doesn't want to tell her that the pain never truly fades, because it doesn't...And, for a moment, he conflicts deeply over what to say. "Do...Do you want me here..? You know...For support..?"
Niyt lowers her head. "I... yeah," she says, and shuffles a half-step closer, taking in the scent of her Zuphi - even muddled together as it is with blood and pain. Even like that, it's still a comfort. "But... I can't just stay here. Because... Anoki's missing. And... I can't help mama. But I can still help him, maybe. So... I have to find him. If I can."
"Mmm.." Zuphi sighs restlessly. "I'll help... If you don't mind a scraggly old thing like me being part of your search team." He lightly licks the top of her muzzle and brushes his tail against hers.
Niyt smiles at Zuphi's comment - and the lick - and nuzzles back softly, her tail giving a gentle sway. "I'd like that. A lot." And even in the midst of the anxiety and sorrow, she looks, for the moment, happy.
"If you decide to leave the territory, I will be your eyes.. At least I still have those.." Zuphi offers a sincere smile, although he knows she cannot see it.
Niyt laughs, though it's got a slightly hollow sound, and she nuzzles in softly, licking gently at a bit of dried blood. "I hope whatever caught you is good and gone, now..." she says softly. If her puppy brother ran into something like that...
"Please tell me.." Zuphi responds, looking about the land momentarily, "When was the last time you saw him..?"
"It was... three days ago. Almost four, I suppose." Niyt sighs. "I... we were talking about mama. And..." she sighs, and shakes her head. "I left him curled up there, the next morning, when I went out to hunt, and then... he was gone, when I got back. I thought perhaps he'd be with one of the others, but... they hadn't seen him either."
Well, this is indeed a tough riddle. Zuphi thinks hard for a moment, making his head hurt more than it already does. Ow. "Well, that's quite odd.. If none of the others have seen him- and even though their scents are all over the place... He must not be in the boundaries.."
Niyt nods. "He must be... Anoki wouldn't stay away this long, if he had the choice. He's not a loner. Not at all. He must be lost, or..."
"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet, Niyt.." Zuphi responds softly, even gently bumping his muzzle with his.
Niyt sighs, and nosebumps back at Zuphi. "I don't want to leave mama behind, but..." Though the truth is, she's almost - in a little part of herself she feels guilty about - glad to not have to see her mother dying by inches. "I... we..." she smiles a little. That 'we' existing again makes her happier than she's been in a while. "We have to find my brother. Whatever's going on."
"We will. We will look and I will do my damndest to help you find him.." Zuphi offers, leaning very lightly against her.
Niyt leans back - gently, because Zuphi is hurt, but very glad for that touch all the same. "Thank you," she says softly.
"I..I admit, I missed you.." Zuphi responds timidly.. He pants anxiously and wags, his bashfulness returning.
Niyt nuzzles gently, and leans close. "I did too," she replies, and smiles. She can smile about that, now. "I was worried that... something had happened to you. That you wouldn't be back."
"Well, I'm surprised I haven't been ripped to pieces yet.." he responds. "Does anyone in the pack know about us..?"
Niyt laughs a little. "Stay in one piece," she says. "Even if that piece gets a little tattered." She smiles, and then the smile fades. "I told my parents..." she says. Not that either of them has much free attention for their daughter's love life, right now. "And my uncle Lexus, but... that's all."
Zuphi sighs with relief. "Well, at least someone knows, is all I can ask for. But.." he pauses, "Even if they end up not allowing me into the pack in the end, I... I still want to help you."
Niyt nuzzles softly. "If they don't let you in... I'll leave to be with you," she says, quietly but firmly, and leans in close, her tail gently wagging.
"Wow, uh..Are you sure..?" He gulps and blushes under his dark fur. "I'm no alpha material.."
Niyt smiles. "You're better than you think," she says softly. "But... what do I have to keep me here? Mama is dying. Dad... he's caught up with her, like he's always been. I have some friends, but... half of them have wandering paws anyway. They'd come to visit me wherever I was."
"Well...For now, let's stay here, for your mother's sake. And your brother's.." Zuphi rests his chin on the back of her neck in a sort of reassuring "hug".
"No point borrowing trouble from the future, when we have more than enough of it here right now," Niyt agrees, and leans in against Zuphi with a gentle wag of her tail, tilting her head up to nuzzle at his cheek. "We'll find a way. Somehow."
Niyt has a few ideas about why the pack hasn't been paying attention to Zuphi - and they're the same things that have been making her full of sadness and worry. She paces her way through the tall grasses of the steppe, head and tail held low. Where can she even begin to search? All this land is crossed over many, many times with the scents of her pack - each time she thinks she has a promising trail, it simply returns her to a den or old sleeping-spot. And the winds have proven unhelpful - the occasional faint mouse-spirit squeak only serving to make Niyt more anxious. She's been searching all day, and she's grown tired. Tired enough that she doesn't even notice Zuphi at first, just continuing to plod forward along the ridge of a hill.
Zuphi wonders exactly what the one female, Niyt, thinks so highly of him. He's down on himself for the moment, even more humbled by the beating. Guess he had it coming for not paying attention. But he owes it to Niyt, to let her know that he's alive. Battered and broken sure, but alive.
One foot, then the next. Really, she should rest, but... but... She doesn't want to give up. Her little brother... she knows all too well what being lost is like. If only he's just lost! She lifts up her head and gives an anxious little howl, though she doesn't expect an answer.
He startles and stops in an instant. His eyes widen briefly and he licks his chops anxiously. His reddened fur bristles but soon recognition hits... And a single wag of his tail. He looks around before shyly lifting his head to answer her with a strained, broken howl of his own.
Niyt just stops right where she is, at that answer. It's a measure of just how tired and care-worn she is that it takes a moment for her to recognize the voice. But then... her head lifts, and so does her tail, and she lets out a brief happy Aroo! before loping in the direction the sound came from. One of her worries seems to have lifted!
Niyt's answer jolts him again and as soon as he realizes who it is, he starts to walk toward that thing barrelling toward him. Simply too sore to run, he pants and whimpers happily.
There's Zuphi; Niyt can feel that glow of his spirit - though it's a bit more tremulous than usual - and she can smell his scent - though with it, the scent of blood. All, it seems, is not well with him - but at least he's here. At least he's still here. Her steps slow to a quick walk, orienting with sound and spirit-sense to close that final distance, and then she leans in, to try to touch her nose to his cheek carefully enough to not do him harm, since she can't tell the where of the injuries she smells. "Zuphi," she says, her voice glad, and then in worried tones, "What happened?"
"Niyt? I'm sorry.." He offers a weak nuzzle and whimpers in pain; he grits his teeth as he didn't mean to make the agony known to her, but it's no use, she can smell the blood streaking every part of him. "I, I.. Was chased by...something..I don't know what it was. It caught me and, well.." His remaining, though tattered, ear folds back. The other one had been ripped clean off his head, as well as a section of the skin on the same side of his head.
Niyt can smell the blood, and she can hear those sounds of pain even though Zuphi tries to hide them. She whines softly, deep in her throat, in sympathetic pain. "At least... at least you're still here," she offers after a moment, hesitating from giving another nuzzle to avoid causing more pain. "This spring..." she trails off, and shakes her head. "I'm glad you got away."
The battered male pricks his ear. "Mmm..? Did...Did something happen, while I was gone..?" Drat! He knew he should've returned sooner!
Niyt's ears droop again, and so does her tail. She sighs. "Mama's... sick. Really sick. She... she probably won't last the summer. And... Anoki's disappeared."
"What now..? Sick..? Is...is there anything we can do..?" Zuphi's voice suddenly firms, as if an ancient warrior had awakened inside his chest as his voice lost its timid crack, although still soft. He feared Alaqua, sure, but she IS his superior.
Niyt sighs. "I don't know. I don't think so. The wind... it's already calling her name. Like... like it calls all the spirits away." She shakes her head slowly. "She's not gone, yet, but... but in a way, she already is. She's not... here... anymore. Not really."
Zuphi thinks momentarily back to when his family had gone to the spiit world.. And now, Niyt was about to feel the same pain. He doesn't want to tell her that the pain never truly fades, because it doesn't...And, for a moment, he conflicts deeply over what to say. "Do...Do you want me here..? You know...For support..?"
Niyt lowers her head. "I... yeah," she says, and shuffles a half-step closer, taking in the scent of her Zuphi - even muddled together as it is with blood and pain. Even like that, it's still a comfort. "But... I can't just stay here. Because... Anoki's missing. And... I can't help mama. But I can still help him, maybe. So... I have to find him. If I can."
"Mmm.." Zuphi sighs restlessly. "I'll help... If you don't mind a scraggly old thing like me being part of your search team." He lightly licks the top of her muzzle and brushes his tail against hers.
Niyt smiles at Zuphi's comment - and the lick - and nuzzles back softly, her tail giving a gentle sway. "I'd like that. A lot." And even in the midst of the anxiety and sorrow, she looks, for the moment, happy.
"If you decide to leave the territory, I will be your eyes.. At least I still have those.." Zuphi offers a sincere smile, although he knows she cannot see it.
Niyt laughs, though it's got a slightly hollow sound, and she nuzzles in softly, licking gently at a bit of dried blood. "I hope whatever caught you is good and gone, now..." she says softly. If her puppy brother ran into something like that...
"Please tell me.." Zuphi responds, looking about the land momentarily, "When was the last time you saw him..?"
"It was... three days ago. Almost four, I suppose." Niyt sighs. "I... we were talking about mama. And..." she sighs, and shakes her head. "I left him curled up there, the next morning, when I went out to hunt, and then... he was gone, when I got back. I thought perhaps he'd be with one of the others, but... they hadn't seen him either."
Well, this is indeed a tough riddle. Zuphi thinks hard for a moment, making his head hurt more than it already does. Ow. "Well, that's quite odd.. If none of the others have seen him- and even though their scents are all over the place... He must not be in the boundaries.."
Niyt nods. "He must be... Anoki wouldn't stay away this long, if he had the choice. He's not a loner. Not at all. He must be lost, or..."
"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet, Niyt.." Zuphi responds softly, even gently bumping his muzzle with his.
Niyt sighs, and nosebumps back at Zuphi. "I don't want to leave mama behind, but..." Though the truth is, she's almost - in a little part of herself she feels guilty about - glad to not have to see her mother dying by inches. "I... we..." she smiles a little. That 'we' existing again makes her happier than she's been in a while. "We have to find my brother. Whatever's going on."
"We will. We will look and I will do my damndest to help you find him.." Zuphi offers, leaning very lightly against her.
Niyt leans back - gently, because Zuphi is hurt, but very glad for that touch all the same. "Thank you," she says softly.
"I..I admit, I missed you.." Zuphi responds timidly.. He pants anxiously and wags, his bashfulness returning.
Niyt nuzzles gently, and leans close. "I did too," she replies, and smiles. She can smile about that, now. "I was worried that... something had happened to you. That you wouldn't be back."
"Well, I'm surprised I haven't been ripped to pieces yet.." he responds. "Does anyone in the pack know about us..?"
Niyt laughs a little. "Stay in one piece," she says. "Even if that piece gets a little tattered." She smiles, and then the smile fades. "I told my parents..." she says. Not that either of them has much free attention for their daughter's love life, right now. "And my uncle Lexus, but... that's all."
Zuphi sighs with relief. "Well, at least someone knows, is all I can ask for. But.." he pauses, "Even if they end up not allowing me into the pack in the end, I... I still want to help you."
Niyt nuzzles softly. "If they don't let you in... I'll leave to be with you," she says, quietly but firmly, and leans in close, her tail gently wagging.
"Wow, uh..Are you sure..?" He gulps and blushes under his dark fur. "I'm no alpha material.."
Niyt smiles. "You're better than you think," she says softly. "But... what do I have to keep me here? Mama is dying. Dad... he's caught up with her, like he's always been. I have some friends, but... half of them have wandering paws anyway. They'd come to visit me wherever I was."
"Well...For now, let's stay here, for your mother's sake. And your brother's.." Zuphi rests his chin on the back of her neck in a sort of reassuring "hug".
"No point borrowing trouble from the future, when we have more than enough of it here right now," Niyt agrees, and leans in against Zuphi with a gentle wag of her tail, tilting her head up to nuzzle at his cheek. "We'll find a way. Somehow."