Post by Pavane on May 27, 2010 21:27:28 GMT -5
Characters:
Atka - male Wolf
Niyt - female Wolf Pup
Maiara - female Wolf Pup
Setting:
Storyteller's Butte - Mid Spring (RL day 4
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With full belly (for once!) and almost having fully shed that itchy, bothersome winter coat, Atka comes trotting up toward the rocks from the Cactus patch, panting to himself frm having just spent much time among the spiny plants trying to rub the shed-hunks off himself. He's managed to scratch himself in several places, but, it's better than being itchy! Finding a place in the shade of the rocks, he stops, sits a moment to chew on his backside, and then flops down, stretching out, overlooking the area.
Niyt's just waking up from one of those long naps that characterize puppyhood. She makes a little mumbling noise, shifting restlessly, and then lifts her head to give a big yawn. Now that she's done with napping for now, that makes it time for the other important part of being a puppy... playing! She lifts her nose, sniffing at the air, and then wobbles herself to her feet, tail giving a little wiggle as she looks around.
Maiara looks like she's dead or something, the pup found a rather uncomfortable position for a nap. Flopped completely flat on her backpaws on her a little in the air in front of her. Weather is still cold, so she relaxes and lounges under the sun's light. Nothing beats sunbathing, motionless expect for an occasional eartwitch caused by the 'loud' rustling of the grass below her sister's steps. How come she's so energetic..
Ears perk at the sounds of something near him stirring, and he turns to look towards Niyt, with a grin. Oooh, one of the pups is awake. Cool. He calls to her: "Heeyyyyo, little one!" with a wag of his tail. Well, he just as well watch out for them while they're around, you know? As a near adult it's kind of his job to make sure nothing happens when no one else is around.... But he's also kinda loathe to leave his spot now that he's gotten a good flop going.
That call makes Niyt's ear twitch, and she soon gets around to actually looking at Atka. She gives a little waggle of her tail to him, and then glances away to notice her sister, sprawled out on her back like that with all that exposed belly. It makes such a tempting target. she starts trying to sneak closer, with all the stealth of an unsteady wolfpup. So... with grass rustling, little stones being kicked around, and occasional hffs as she stumbles...
Maiara needs more than grass to wake up, her sisters steps don't seem to do more than give those ears a twitch or two. The male's voice however does seem to quickly make her snap to the world of the living, almost flinching awake and looking up, then here and there, but not able to see much, Everything's so bright that is has her blinking a couple of times, adjusting to the light.
Ears perk as Atka watches the two, once more at attention. He chuckles softly, and then, sigh a sigh, slowly stands, trotting a few steps closer, to watch them, sitting down thoughtfully. Hm. He doesn't step in just yet; they're puppies, how badly could they hurt each other? He does, however, watch, grinning slightly. They're about to wrassle, he bets.
Aww! Niyt was almost in position to pounce, and now her sister's gone and woken up! She could give up, but she's already here, so she turns her attempted stalk into a bumbling run towards Maiara, aiming to pounce at the other pup's belly. Maybe she can still get in before her sister finishes waking up - she could use the advantage of surprise, this time.
Maiara squints those pretty eyes and she can almost see her surroundings. The upside down angle somewhat confusing since the sky is down now, and there's that blurry thing coming her way, and smells like sister.. Hmm, wonder what that- ARCK! The pup yelps and starts flailing about in surprise, just batting the air as she tries to roll over, impossible to do with the other pup resting atop her now. Grrr!
Atka laughs, when the pups cavort, and Niyt pounces. He grins, then stands, and comes closer, reaching a paw out to separate the two harmlessly, saying, "Now now, you shouldn't pounce your sister when she's just awake. It's not fair, because you're not going to eat her." He grins, but then offers a paw to chew on for either pup that wants it by wiggling the limb before him and tracing marks in the dirt.
Niyt's caught her sister! What's she going to do with her now? She hadn't really thought that far ahead, and now she doesn't have a chance to figure it out because she's kept quite busy just trying to stay on top. She wiggles and squirms, and tries to get a mouthful of bellyfluff - and then Atka comes down and pushes her off with his paw. She sits back onto her hindquarters with a whff, and then looks up at him and barks! She may not understand the remonstrations, but she does know that he got in the way of her (soon to be. She was hoping) victory. So she propels herself forward towards that paw, grrring as she goes!
Maiara squirms and yelps and just growls very very softly in a playful manner at the other pup. So this time she was caught with her guard down, but doesn't mean this is victory for her sister! As soon as possible she stands, looking at the strange male she doesn't know.. How careless, two pups left alone, but Maia doesn't seem to mind at all since she has a target in mind. One is distracted talking, the other barking up and probably then distracted by looking down... So this might just work. The pup sprints forward in a mighty leap to try and headbutt her sister!
Atka laughs as his paw is attacked, giving playful 'grrs' back at the pup as hewiggles his paw. But when Maiara leaps for Niyt, he barks in surprise, not having forseen that. Granted he's not like other members of the pack, capable of seeing things and speaking to things. He's just Joe Schmoe Wolf, as things go. He laughs! And then says, "Oh no! I've been attacked by a vicious wolf, and now she's being attacked by a viciouser wolf!"
Niyt tries to catch at that wiggling paw, mouthing at it playfully and being distracted... and then her sister comes charging towards her! Whff! Niyt's taken totally off guard by that assault, and she goes flying, falling down onto her side and landing in a hapless sprawl. She may be the older of the two pups, but Maiara's already showing signs of being the stronger one!
Maiara has the fluff on her back even fuzzier when she stands after delivering the headbutt. Looking at her sister's direction and almost grunting down. Ha! That's what you get for waking her up like that. Then she's doing a little victory dance, barking and jumping to turn around. So proud of herself, just making half a turn when she remember there's that strange male standing there. Ears pinning and victory dance stops suddenly, facing him. Who..
Atka quickly turns to make sure Niyt is okay, dipping his head to nose her. "Hey, you alright?" Which, of course, puts his nose in the danger zone. One ear flecks, and he notes he's being stared at; so he turns to look at Maiara, blinking then grins a little. "Hello. I'm a friend of your daddy and mommy." Well, in a way, considering he's part of the pack, even if he's decided he's the omega for now.
Her sister may have won for now, but Niyt's not going to give up that easily! She seems to be fine, the tumble no worse than one she's taken just by tripping while trying to walk. She makes a little whff, and rolls over onto her belly and wiggles towards Maiara as the other pup dances, trying to catch at one of her legs in her muzzle. She doesn't quite manage to get a hold of one before her sister stops, though, and Niyt notices the change in body language and lifts up her head to take a look instead of biting. For her part, she seems unconcerned about Atka - she's seen him before, after all, paying attention to her dad and looking all respectful. So he must be okay.
Maiara doesn't understand a thing the guy is saying. Yeah, words come in one ear and just escape from the other, but he DOES sound friendly.Nostrils begin to flare a little, trying to get the scent that clearly belong to the rest... But she fails to do that, she only smells dirt, only mom and sis smell different. Bark! And BARK! she goes, the pup starts trotting toward the male, barking to scare him away, sounding playful of course; now that sister is below her on the food chain, she must escalate by overpowering a larger enemy! Charge!
Blink. A grin, and Atka feigns fear, yipping at Maiara, and moving to sit up, 'scrambling' back and (intentionally?) Falling over. "Oh no! A vicious wolf is going to attack me, arrgh!" He half moans in fear, but mostly in play, looking at both pups upside down, grinning a little at them. Hey, kids, let them think they're the big pups on campus.
Once she's figured out that Maiara's not looking at a -real- threat, Niyt resumes her attempt to bite her sister's leg - but this time, before she can, Maia moves out of range as she charges towards the larger male. Niyt huffs to herself, and stands up - then starts chasing after. Is she going to pounce her sister again for a rematch? Is she joining her in the assault on Atka? Is she just running for the fun of it? She doesn't really know the answer herself, and it's probably all of them!
Now thanks to Atka, Maia will be a bratty girl when she grows up. Can't even make up words and she's already defeated a much larger and older foe! With just a couple of barks and intimidation! But oh, she doesn't stop once the enemy falls.. Pup continues charing forth, as fast as a pup can, stumbling down and yelping as her chin hits the ground. . . But once again charing until she's close enough from her target; which seemed like an eternity for a pup her size- and then leaping to the male, playfully growling and snapping her jaw at the pelt, not really able to get anything else.
Maiara, victorious atop the fallen.. No wonder why Atka is Omega.
"Ow! Oh, ow! Help!" 'begs' Atka; thankfully all Maia is able to catch hold of in her teeth is one of the stubborn chunks of shed-fur mat that has so far refused to come off; it comes off now, giving Maia a victory trophy over the writhing adolescent, who squirms beneath the puppy, batting paws harmlessly at her as if trying to fight back in flimsy manner. Oh! That he was not so verily defeated! He howls! A pain-sounding howl and then flops over, 'dead', letting his tongue loll, eyes closed-- though he peeks through one squinted eye in good humor.
Wobbling her way after her sister, Niyt barks as she gives chase, and snaps playfully at her sister's tail a few times, though she doesn't manage to catch it. Then she reaches the supine Atka, and rears up to plant her forepaws firmly against his side. She barks up at Maiara, and gives a wag of her tail, then gathers herself and tries to jump up to join her sister. After all, just because Maia's got herself a wolf, doesn't mean she gets to keep it... Atka might just turn into the battleground for a game of 'King of the Mountain.'
It's all fun until someone gets hurt, right? Maia is enjoying the fun and her silly victory over the male, she probably does think she's awesome compared to her sister for this, but still knows it's all just a game. Glomping and biting the pelt that makes her whiskers and nose tickle. Even spotting her sister and barking at her to encourage her up! Time to feast on the prey! However, when the male howls and so suddenly stops moving, she realizes she just killed the wolf! And all those hairs on her maw are the evidence. Eyes widen a bit, turning to look at her sister with an expression that almost says 'Oh darn.' Just as fast as she killed the wolf, she's jumping down and running away from the crime scene.
Eyes pop wide, and Atka blinks as Maia runs away-- crap, did he just scare one of Shag's kids? He'll get an ear ripping for sure from that! He looks to Niyt as she climbs atop him, and then back to Maia calling, "Hey, hey, wait, come back, I'm still alive, I was just playing!" Hooboy, he hopes she isn't going to have nightmares about this. "C'mon, I'm sorry!" he ads, as a slightly frantic whine slips into his voice.
It is now your pose.
Niyt scrambles up onto Atka just as Maia runs off him! Huh? She was expecting that taking over here would be a lot harder than -that-. Why's her sister running away so quickly? And with such a weird expression! When Atka comes back to life, she wobbles atop him - it's hard to keep her footing on the calling wolf. He sounds all worried, too... but the little whispering sound that makes up 'him' to her ears didn't change, he just looked funny for a bit. Not realizing that other wolves can't all sense that sort of thing, Niyt instead wonders whether Maiara noticed something she didn't.
Maiara just killed him! She's gonna get so busted because of this. Mom's going to be so mad when she finds out. While she runs, she goes through it again, she was 'biting' him and took pieces from his fur and then the sound until he stopped moving.. Yup, that's what dad did the other day with the rat, so it just means she's commited lupucide! Finally finding a decent sized rock and quickly hiding behind it, where it's safe!
Ears flatten some, and Atka sighs. Hooboy. He looks up to Niyt, nudges her with his snout, and then carefully rolls over in a manner that leaves her harmlessly deposited on the ground. He then stands, and nudging her with his snout again, as if to say, hey, 'follow me', he turns, and trots after Maiara, calling, "Hey, hey come back here, I'm okay, see? Still alive.." he calls, softly, tail dipping low to his ankles.
Niyt jumps down off of Atka without complaint as he rolls - this game isn't nearly a much fun when Maia's run off with her tail down and Atka's whining! She looks over to the rock that her sister's hiding behind, then back to Atka, and then runs a few steps to catch up with him as he goes over, halfway-running along to keep up with his longer legs. She's not entirely sure this isn't just another of Maiara's cunning traps, but her sister does seem really worried, not just acting like it.
Maiara's ears perk up just a little, hearing the lad's voice coming from the other side of the rock. How is it possible?, she just killed him, no? She wishes this was a trap. The pup's head peeks from one side, glancing over to the incoming couple, once again almost terrified when she sees the wolf standing. Must have come back from the dead to get revenge. Her ears gradually pin down with each step the male takes closer to the rock.
Ears flatten a little, and Atka dips his head some, murmuring, "No no no.. Don't be afraid," he half-coos, before attempting to crane his neck out and touch the pup gingerly with his snout, and then lick her ears. "Come on, see, I'm fine, I'm not angry. You didn't hurt me at all, I'm okay.." he attempts to comfort with words, and actions, tail wagging behind him, casting a look occasionally over to Niyt for.. Help! ... Yeah, that's pretty bad when you're asking for help from a pup smaller than you.
Niyt stumbles up beside Atka, and looks at her sister with a skeptical sort of expression. The chance to see fierce Maia so frightened is definitely not one she's going to pass up - or fail to look rather smug about. She downright struts a bit as she comes up to her sister's side. But.. she really doesn't want her to be unhappy, and the degree to which Maiara's scared right now is enough to make her kind of unhappy too. She gives a slow, all-is-well wag of her tail, and leans in, giving her sister a nudge in the side and a little bark, as though to say, 'Come on, silly.'
The touch makes Maia feel 'safe' again, this of course takes some moments since she still tries to lean away from the male's snout, still for just a few moments before she bumps her nose up to the chin right above her. About to come out from hiding when her sister's touch makes her flinch again, surprised! Turning to look at Niyt she's fine so the wolf isn't some kind of monster or strange spirit. Slowly she turns back to look up at the male, beginning to stand slowly only to look past the male's side, past the wagging tail and guess what.. Nothing there but maybe just a few hairs gathered there. But no carcass! Hey, it's a bonus.
Atka smiles again, as Maia unfolds from cowering, and he begins licking her face warmly. "There, see? Nothing bad. I'm okay, not angry at all." He grins, then lays down, looking at Maia with a grin. "Thanks, by the way, that hair was drivin' me nuts there." He knows she probably doesn't understand him, but, he wants her to know she's not in trouble! ... This time! He grins, then.. Looks over to Niyt, and adds, "And you're okay, too, see? Both of you are allright." He smiles, tail patting the ground.
Niyt sits down with a thump, and grins. Atka is safe and sound, Maia is... well, no guarantees she won't have nightmares about this but at least she's not cowering anymore, and Niyt... well, any sense of defeat from Maiara knocking her over earlier is quite dissipated, at this point. After a moment, she gets up pads over towards Atka's head a few steps, leaning in to nudge at his muzzle. She thinks she should get some licks too!
Of course they're both fine, they weren't the ones under the reckless attacks of the wild pups; the male was the one who almost suffered the consequences here. Maia still can't understand a thing the bloke is saying, basically just grateful nothing happened. Making a face when the older wolf licks her face, now it's all messed again. Tail slowly starts wagging behind her as she climbs the rock, taking some extra effort to manage to get atop. Then looking down and wondering how bad this idea is, as slowly as she can jumping down and surprisingly enough avoiding the male's forearm with her own, landing with just a soft thud and flat on her belly next to Atka. There, she came closer, she's not afraid.
A happy chirpy wolf whimper escapes as Maia jumps-- but doesn't hurt herself, instead landing next to him. He smiles, and licks at her ears one last time, then blinks as he starts getting licked by Niyt. Huh. He grins, tail patting the ground, then nuzzles both pups, and lays his head on his paws. Hey, they're free to climb all over him if they want, as long as they don't go running away scared again!
Niyt cocks her head to the side at Maiara jumps down off the rock, and her tail wags back and forth slowly. She leans forward to bark over at her sister in playful challenge as Maia lies sprawled from the leap, and then turns and runs off along the opposite side of the adolescent wolf, starting to circle around him.
It wasn't a very big rock at all! Only if she stumbled and landed on the face or something, but nothing happens and she finds a comfortable spot on the ground beside the male. Turning her head quickly to look at her sister, watching her then dart away and disappear from sight since the male covers the wild pup. Now she's curious, what kind of game is sis up to.
Atka's ears turn slightly to listen to the pup using him as ground cover to hide from her sister. Oh-ho, looks like she's sneaking up again. Well, this one'll be a good hunter some day, that's for sure, given the way she's sneaking around and suck. He grins, then looks to Maia; she'll be a good fighter if it comes to it, maybe. They'll both be wonderful, all pups are wonderful, he's sure! He grins.. then sits very still to continue providing a shield behindwhich for Niyt to hide.
Niyt heads along on the other side of Atka from her sister, almost ready to round the corner of him, and then pauses. Hmmm... no sound of footsteps following her, so... is Maiara still waiting there? Has she turned to wait for Niyt to come out? Time for some reconaissance! She pauses, and carefully peeks her head up, little paws pressing at Atka's side as she looks over the top of him to investigate.
Maiara is not some silly pups, she sees her sister disappearing from one side, she is bound to appear from the other, right? The pup turns her head to look at the other side, waiting, but it all stops and anxiety builds fast. Getting up on her paws and pacing to the side Niyt is expected to come from. Looking past the male's shoulder and not seeming to find anything. THen crouching and sneaking to the other side of the male, careless maybe but she has to make sure Niyt is not just hiding on the other side. But she can't find anything either!
Atka has, by this time, come used to sitting still so two pups can use him as a wolfie shield for their games. It's better than being scared that he's scarred one for life. He lifts his head high with a grin, to see if it helps Maia find Niyt, or Niyt to take her sister by surprise, tail patting the ground a little. Heh, maybe this game will end better than the game of 'all puppies attack the Adol'.
Niyt clambers up over the top of Atka, her little paws nudging in at him as she treats him like a bit of climbing equipment. As she crests the top, she lowers herself to try to be sneaky again - rrf! He's steeper than he seems! She starts sliding as she goes down along him, wobbling back and forth, and gives up the pretense of stealth to simply charge towards her sister at full speed - just keep running, the alternative is falling down!
Maiara is getting closer and closer, can almost sense her sister nearby, and all of a sudden bark! The pup turns around quickly to bark at the air, was thinking sister was coming from behind. But nothing happens, and she's getting worried! Of course this tension comes to an end when she sees Niyt falling from the male's back. Oi that's why rocks are better! Seeing the other pup making a run, she's unable to do much but get ready!
Atka's ears fleck back and he yips in surprise, "Hey! Hey! Be careful!" he says, moving as fast as he can to try and grab Niyt from his back. Of course, his teeth click shut on empty air, because she's already to the part of his back he can't reach from this position, and already trying to leap for her sister. Augh! If one of the pups gets hurt, Shag'll have his shaggy sheddy hide!
Niyt stumbles a bit as she transitions from sloped wolf-back to level ground, but quickly recovers and charges straight for Maia, running at her headfirst! She can see she's lost the element of surprise, so she barks as she comes, with a yip that turns to a playful growl as she launches herself like a little grey-furred cannonball, leaping into the air and aiming straight for her sister!
Maiara has a perfect plan for this, if it worked the first time, then it HAS to work the second time, right? All the pup does is get ready, paws firm on the ground while bracing herself for the incoming pup. Her head facing the ground and just waiting for her sister to come to the victorious thick head. It's very simple, and very stupid too.
Atka leaps to his feet as pups prepare to collide and finds himself staring helplessly at what's going to probably end up much like two Dall Sheep fighting over a girl. ... They're puppies, though, right? Nothing will be bad from this, right? They're tough, right? He's going to get bitten by angry parents, isn't he, oh goodness. He waits to see what happens.. because, well. Puppies.
Niyt launches herself through the air, straight for that thick puppyhead - and slams right into it, just like before! Only this time, she's the one in motion, and all that inertia has to go somewhere. Her body keeps going forward, and Maia's, meeting it so very squarely, has no choice but to follow, being knocked backwards by her sister! This plan, it seems, works for whoever's -running- when it goes off!
Maiara closes her eyes shut, waiting and waiting and all of a sudden she feels like her head is spinning. The girl is bounced backward after letting a soft yelp escape her. Well it didn't hurt because.. Pups are made of rubber or something, but she does seem to lose balance. She ends up slightly on a side, sitting and lifting her head to look around like she was lost. Right, stars are eventually clearing and she realizes just now what happened. Bark bark! Again!
Atka finds himself staring. They want to do it again? "... Okay, okay, kiddos, I think this is a game we're going to have to take off the list. Let's try uh.. something else?" He says, grinning nervously. If he lets them keep knocking heads, one of them's going to end up as loopy as a squirrel on a clothesline! "Uh, I know, let's all play hide and seek. You know what that is, right? Hide and seek?" He looks between the two helplessly.
Niyt stumbles down from her charge. Her head's a little swimmy too, but she's still more or less upright! And that, she figures, is enough to claim victory, lifting her head and tail up high and barking triumphantly, then starting to prance towards her sister, not even turning her head to acknowledge Atka's attempt at distraction, even if she knew what he was saying. Victory prance! Only, she stumbles on an uneven bit of ground, and trips with a whff!, halfway falling down with her chest to the ground but her butt still stuck up into the air.
Maiara has't lost the fight! Just because she saw stars doesn't mean her sister didn't, right? The words from the male catch her attention, turning her head to look at her sister and the male trying to stop the game. Just like Nyit, she doesn't listen to the Omega, getting all on four and pacing to her sister at first, then quickening the to pace to once again engage the other pup in mortal combat! Shame Niyt stumbles first this time and gets the ears chewed by her sister..
... Puppies fighting, and they don't listen to him at all. Ears drooping, Atka murmurs, "Now, come up, let's not try to hurt each other, if you get hurt it.. uhm.. hurts!" he, too, begins pacing a bit, back and forth, watching these two pups with some concern, not sure what he should do about it just yet. Well, then again, as long as they aren't crying or bleeding, they're alright... Right?
Seems Niyt declared victory prematurely! She has no chance to defend herself, or even pick herself up before Maia's gotten in - and gotten a mouthful of her ear. She grrs, trying to twist and turn to get away from that gnawing, poking out at her sister with a forepaw, nudging it against... her legs, mostly, since that's what she can reach without getting her ears tugged at more than they already are.
Maiara lifts her forearms when her sister starts batting, over and over gnawing on those ears, it's not painful at all, if any it just feels weird. Batting a couple of times at Niyt to try and stop the nudging, eventually it's better if she just flops atop the squirm frame of her sis.. See? Mostly away from danger because she's taking over, so.. How's the score again?
Atka's not keeping score much beyond making sure the pups don't get too hurt. After watching them for a few moments, he seems to realize they aren't going to hurt each other, he's not going to get in trouble unless, like, a hawk comes out of the sky and eats one, so... he backs off a few steps, then turns, moving o lay down in a shady spot near enough to keep an eye on them, but far enough that he doesn't get in their way. "It's a good thing /I/ don't have kids," he murmurs to himself.
Niyt whffs! as Maiara sprawls on top of her. She's pretty well pinned from going anywhere, but she still wiggles around underneath her sister, squirming and making the upper pup rock and wobble. She does manage to stretch her head out far enough to try to catch at Maia's leg and give it a chewing, though, to snag a few extra points!
Maiara rests her forearms atop her sister, the gnawing and chewing slowing down when she knows she's victorious, she won more points than her sis, so it's all good. Eventually she's relaxed and using Niyt as a pillow, feeling her leg caught and merely giving a few little kicks; reflex action mind you. Turning her head to look at the other so eagerly glomping her footpaw.
Seems like the puppies are now starting to tire each other out; which means that Atka can lay his had on his paws and start to nap a little, which is what he does-- laying his head on his paws, anyway. Napping won't be until he's for sure out of the woods of having to watch puppies!
Niyt seems pretty sedate about her chewing as well. Maybe her calculations are different, and she thinks she's the one having a victorious gnaw. It's hard to figure out how puppy points are actually scored, sometimes. Or maybe she's just tired... that theory gains some evidence as she lets go of Maiara's foot in order to give a big yawn, stretching out a little underneath her sister. Her eyes start to close, even with that weight still on top of her. When puppies are tired, they're tired!
Maiara's maw opens wide to let a wince escape while she yawns.. Eyes lidding almost shut as she scans the surroundings, just wondering where the strange zombie wolf is. A huff escapes her, lasting for a couple of seconds before she finally relaxes, her chin nestled betwen her sister's shoulderblades. Close to sis so no one hurts her!
"Hooo, good." Sighs Atka, as he heaves relief out of his lungs. The pups are settling down for a nap, and nap means babysitter gets a break, which means that he can nap, too! Whoo. He yawns himself, and then lays his head on his paws, letting his eyelids droop some.
Niyt's breathing deepens, and she drifts off to sleep, her sister a warm and comfortable weight on top of her. Soon they'll wake again, for more wrestling and adventures and collecting points - but for now, they rest, and the rest of the pack gets a break from their chaos.
Atka - male Wolf
Niyt - female Wolf Pup
Maiara - female Wolf Pup
Setting:
Storyteller's Butte - Mid Spring (RL day 4
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With full belly (for once!) and almost having fully shed that itchy, bothersome winter coat, Atka comes trotting up toward the rocks from the Cactus patch, panting to himself frm having just spent much time among the spiny plants trying to rub the shed-hunks off himself. He's managed to scratch himself in several places, but, it's better than being itchy! Finding a place in the shade of the rocks, he stops, sits a moment to chew on his backside, and then flops down, stretching out, overlooking the area.
Niyt's just waking up from one of those long naps that characterize puppyhood. She makes a little mumbling noise, shifting restlessly, and then lifts her head to give a big yawn. Now that she's done with napping for now, that makes it time for the other important part of being a puppy... playing! She lifts her nose, sniffing at the air, and then wobbles herself to her feet, tail giving a little wiggle as she looks around.
Maiara looks like she's dead or something, the pup found a rather uncomfortable position for a nap. Flopped completely flat on her backpaws on her a little in the air in front of her. Weather is still cold, so she relaxes and lounges under the sun's light. Nothing beats sunbathing, motionless expect for an occasional eartwitch caused by the 'loud' rustling of the grass below her sister's steps. How come she's so energetic..
Ears perk at the sounds of something near him stirring, and he turns to look towards Niyt, with a grin. Oooh, one of the pups is awake. Cool. He calls to her: "Heeyyyyo, little one!" with a wag of his tail. Well, he just as well watch out for them while they're around, you know? As a near adult it's kind of his job to make sure nothing happens when no one else is around.... But he's also kinda loathe to leave his spot now that he's gotten a good flop going.
That call makes Niyt's ear twitch, and she soon gets around to actually looking at Atka. She gives a little waggle of her tail to him, and then glances away to notice her sister, sprawled out on her back like that with all that exposed belly. It makes such a tempting target. she starts trying to sneak closer, with all the stealth of an unsteady wolfpup. So... with grass rustling, little stones being kicked around, and occasional hffs as she stumbles...
Maiara needs more than grass to wake up, her sisters steps don't seem to do more than give those ears a twitch or two. The male's voice however does seem to quickly make her snap to the world of the living, almost flinching awake and looking up, then here and there, but not able to see much, Everything's so bright that is has her blinking a couple of times, adjusting to the light.
Ears perk as Atka watches the two, once more at attention. He chuckles softly, and then, sigh a sigh, slowly stands, trotting a few steps closer, to watch them, sitting down thoughtfully. Hm. He doesn't step in just yet; they're puppies, how badly could they hurt each other? He does, however, watch, grinning slightly. They're about to wrassle, he bets.
Aww! Niyt was almost in position to pounce, and now her sister's gone and woken up! She could give up, but she's already here, so she turns her attempted stalk into a bumbling run towards Maiara, aiming to pounce at the other pup's belly. Maybe she can still get in before her sister finishes waking up - she could use the advantage of surprise, this time.
Maiara squints those pretty eyes and she can almost see her surroundings. The upside down angle somewhat confusing since the sky is down now, and there's that blurry thing coming her way, and smells like sister.. Hmm, wonder what that- ARCK! The pup yelps and starts flailing about in surprise, just batting the air as she tries to roll over, impossible to do with the other pup resting atop her now. Grrr!
Atka laughs, when the pups cavort, and Niyt pounces. He grins, then stands, and comes closer, reaching a paw out to separate the two harmlessly, saying, "Now now, you shouldn't pounce your sister when she's just awake. It's not fair, because you're not going to eat her." He grins, but then offers a paw to chew on for either pup that wants it by wiggling the limb before him and tracing marks in the dirt.
Niyt's caught her sister! What's she going to do with her now? She hadn't really thought that far ahead, and now she doesn't have a chance to figure it out because she's kept quite busy just trying to stay on top. She wiggles and squirms, and tries to get a mouthful of bellyfluff - and then Atka comes down and pushes her off with his paw. She sits back onto her hindquarters with a whff, and then looks up at him and barks! She may not understand the remonstrations, but she does know that he got in the way of her (soon to be. She was hoping) victory. So she propels herself forward towards that paw, grrring as she goes!
Maiara squirms and yelps and just growls very very softly in a playful manner at the other pup. So this time she was caught with her guard down, but doesn't mean this is victory for her sister! As soon as possible she stands, looking at the strange male she doesn't know.. How careless, two pups left alone, but Maia doesn't seem to mind at all since she has a target in mind. One is distracted talking, the other barking up and probably then distracted by looking down... So this might just work. The pup sprints forward in a mighty leap to try and headbutt her sister!
Atka laughs as his paw is attacked, giving playful 'grrs' back at the pup as hewiggles his paw. But when Maiara leaps for Niyt, he barks in surprise, not having forseen that. Granted he's not like other members of the pack, capable of seeing things and speaking to things. He's just Joe Schmoe Wolf, as things go. He laughs! And then says, "Oh no! I've been attacked by a vicious wolf, and now she's being attacked by a viciouser wolf!"
Niyt tries to catch at that wiggling paw, mouthing at it playfully and being distracted... and then her sister comes charging towards her! Whff! Niyt's taken totally off guard by that assault, and she goes flying, falling down onto her side and landing in a hapless sprawl. She may be the older of the two pups, but Maiara's already showing signs of being the stronger one!
Maiara has the fluff on her back even fuzzier when she stands after delivering the headbutt. Looking at her sister's direction and almost grunting down. Ha! That's what you get for waking her up like that. Then she's doing a little victory dance, barking and jumping to turn around. So proud of herself, just making half a turn when she remember there's that strange male standing there. Ears pinning and victory dance stops suddenly, facing him. Who..
Atka quickly turns to make sure Niyt is okay, dipping his head to nose her. "Hey, you alright?" Which, of course, puts his nose in the danger zone. One ear flecks, and he notes he's being stared at; so he turns to look at Maiara, blinking then grins a little. "Hello. I'm a friend of your daddy and mommy." Well, in a way, considering he's part of the pack, even if he's decided he's the omega for now.
Her sister may have won for now, but Niyt's not going to give up that easily! She seems to be fine, the tumble no worse than one she's taken just by tripping while trying to walk. She makes a little whff, and rolls over onto her belly and wiggles towards Maiara as the other pup dances, trying to catch at one of her legs in her muzzle. She doesn't quite manage to get a hold of one before her sister stops, though, and Niyt notices the change in body language and lifts up her head to take a look instead of biting. For her part, she seems unconcerned about Atka - she's seen him before, after all, paying attention to her dad and looking all respectful. So he must be okay.
Maiara doesn't understand a thing the guy is saying. Yeah, words come in one ear and just escape from the other, but he DOES sound friendly.Nostrils begin to flare a little, trying to get the scent that clearly belong to the rest... But she fails to do that, she only smells dirt, only mom and sis smell different. Bark! And BARK! she goes, the pup starts trotting toward the male, barking to scare him away, sounding playful of course; now that sister is below her on the food chain, she must escalate by overpowering a larger enemy! Charge!
Blink. A grin, and Atka feigns fear, yipping at Maiara, and moving to sit up, 'scrambling' back and (intentionally?) Falling over. "Oh no! A vicious wolf is going to attack me, arrgh!" He half moans in fear, but mostly in play, looking at both pups upside down, grinning a little at them. Hey, kids, let them think they're the big pups on campus.
Once she's figured out that Maiara's not looking at a -real- threat, Niyt resumes her attempt to bite her sister's leg - but this time, before she can, Maia moves out of range as she charges towards the larger male. Niyt huffs to herself, and stands up - then starts chasing after. Is she going to pounce her sister again for a rematch? Is she joining her in the assault on Atka? Is she just running for the fun of it? She doesn't really know the answer herself, and it's probably all of them!
Now thanks to Atka, Maia will be a bratty girl when she grows up. Can't even make up words and she's already defeated a much larger and older foe! With just a couple of barks and intimidation! But oh, she doesn't stop once the enemy falls.. Pup continues charing forth, as fast as a pup can, stumbling down and yelping as her chin hits the ground. . . But once again charing until she's close enough from her target; which seemed like an eternity for a pup her size- and then leaping to the male, playfully growling and snapping her jaw at the pelt, not really able to get anything else.
Maiara, victorious atop the fallen.. No wonder why Atka is Omega.
"Ow! Oh, ow! Help!" 'begs' Atka; thankfully all Maia is able to catch hold of in her teeth is one of the stubborn chunks of shed-fur mat that has so far refused to come off; it comes off now, giving Maia a victory trophy over the writhing adolescent, who squirms beneath the puppy, batting paws harmlessly at her as if trying to fight back in flimsy manner. Oh! That he was not so verily defeated! He howls! A pain-sounding howl and then flops over, 'dead', letting his tongue loll, eyes closed-- though he peeks through one squinted eye in good humor.
Wobbling her way after her sister, Niyt barks as she gives chase, and snaps playfully at her sister's tail a few times, though she doesn't manage to catch it. Then she reaches the supine Atka, and rears up to plant her forepaws firmly against his side. She barks up at Maiara, and gives a wag of her tail, then gathers herself and tries to jump up to join her sister. After all, just because Maia's got herself a wolf, doesn't mean she gets to keep it... Atka might just turn into the battleground for a game of 'King of the Mountain.'
It's all fun until someone gets hurt, right? Maia is enjoying the fun and her silly victory over the male, she probably does think she's awesome compared to her sister for this, but still knows it's all just a game. Glomping and biting the pelt that makes her whiskers and nose tickle. Even spotting her sister and barking at her to encourage her up! Time to feast on the prey! However, when the male howls and so suddenly stops moving, she realizes she just killed the wolf! And all those hairs on her maw are the evidence. Eyes widen a bit, turning to look at her sister with an expression that almost says 'Oh darn.' Just as fast as she killed the wolf, she's jumping down and running away from the crime scene.
Eyes pop wide, and Atka blinks as Maia runs away-- crap, did he just scare one of Shag's kids? He'll get an ear ripping for sure from that! He looks to Niyt as she climbs atop him, and then back to Maia calling, "Hey, hey, wait, come back, I'm still alive, I was just playing!" Hooboy, he hopes she isn't going to have nightmares about this. "C'mon, I'm sorry!" he ads, as a slightly frantic whine slips into his voice.
It is now your pose.
Niyt scrambles up onto Atka just as Maia runs off him! Huh? She was expecting that taking over here would be a lot harder than -that-. Why's her sister running away so quickly? And with such a weird expression! When Atka comes back to life, she wobbles atop him - it's hard to keep her footing on the calling wolf. He sounds all worried, too... but the little whispering sound that makes up 'him' to her ears didn't change, he just looked funny for a bit. Not realizing that other wolves can't all sense that sort of thing, Niyt instead wonders whether Maiara noticed something she didn't.
Maiara just killed him! She's gonna get so busted because of this. Mom's going to be so mad when she finds out. While she runs, she goes through it again, she was 'biting' him and took pieces from his fur and then the sound until he stopped moving.. Yup, that's what dad did the other day with the rat, so it just means she's commited lupucide! Finally finding a decent sized rock and quickly hiding behind it, where it's safe!
Ears flatten some, and Atka sighs. Hooboy. He looks up to Niyt, nudges her with his snout, and then carefully rolls over in a manner that leaves her harmlessly deposited on the ground. He then stands, and nudging her with his snout again, as if to say, hey, 'follow me', he turns, and trots after Maiara, calling, "Hey, hey come back here, I'm okay, see? Still alive.." he calls, softly, tail dipping low to his ankles.
Niyt jumps down off of Atka without complaint as he rolls - this game isn't nearly a much fun when Maia's run off with her tail down and Atka's whining! She looks over to the rock that her sister's hiding behind, then back to Atka, and then runs a few steps to catch up with him as he goes over, halfway-running along to keep up with his longer legs. She's not entirely sure this isn't just another of Maiara's cunning traps, but her sister does seem really worried, not just acting like it.
Maiara's ears perk up just a little, hearing the lad's voice coming from the other side of the rock. How is it possible?, she just killed him, no? She wishes this was a trap. The pup's head peeks from one side, glancing over to the incoming couple, once again almost terrified when she sees the wolf standing. Must have come back from the dead to get revenge. Her ears gradually pin down with each step the male takes closer to the rock.
Ears flatten a little, and Atka dips his head some, murmuring, "No no no.. Don't be afraid," he half-coos, before attempting to crane his neck out and touch the pup gingerly with his snout, and then lick her ears. "Come on, see, I'm fine, I'm not angry. You didn't hurt me at all, I'm okay.." he attempts to comfort with words, and actions, tail wagging behind him, casting a look occasionally over to Niyt for.. Help! ... Yeah, that's pretty bad when you're asking for help from a pup smaller than you.
Niyt stumbles up beside Atka, and looks at her sister with a skeptical sort of expression. The chance to see fierce Maia so frightened is definitely not one she's going to pass up - or fail to look rather smug about. She downright struts a bit as she comes up to her sister's side. But.. she really doesn't want her to be unhappy, and the degree to which Maiara's scared right now is enough to make her kind of unhappy too. She gives a slow, all-is-well wag of her tail, and leans in, giving her sister a nudge in the side and a little bark, as though to say, 'Come on, silly.'
The touch makes Maia feel 'safe' again, this of course takes some moments since she still tries to lean away from the male's snout, still for just a few moments before she bumps her nose up to the chin right above her. About to come out from hiding when her sister's touch makes her flinch again, surprised! Turning to look at Niyt she's fine so the wolf isn't some kind of monster or strange spirit. Slowly she turns back to look up at the male, beginning to stand slowly only to look past the male's side, past the wagging tail and guess what.. Nothing there but maybe just a few hairs gathered there. But no carcass! Hey, it's a bonus.
Atka smiles again, as Maia unfolds from cowering, and he begins licking her face warmly. "There, see? Nothing bad. I'm okay, not angry at all." He grins, then lays down, looking at Maia with a grin. "Thanks, by the way, that hair was drivin' me nuts there." He knows she probably doesn't understand him, but, he wants her to know she's not in trouble! ... This time! He grins, then.. Looks over to Niyt, and adds, "And you're okay, too, see? Both of you are allright." He smiles, tail patting the ground.
Niyt sits down with a thump, and grins. Atka is safe and sound, Maia is... well, no guarantees she won't have nightmares about this but at least she's not cowering anymore, and Niyt... well, any sense of defeat from Maiara knocking her over earlier is quite dissipated, at this point. After a moment, she gets up pads over towards Atka's head a few steps, leaning in to nudge at his muzzle. She thinks she should get some licks too!
Of course they're both fine, they weren't the ones under the reckless attacks of the wild pups; the male was the one who almost suffered the consequences here. Maia still can't understand a thing the bloke is saying, basically just grateful nothing happened. Making a face when the older wolf licks her face, now it's all messed again. Tail slowly starts wagging behind her as she climbs the rock, taking some extra effort to manage to get atop. Then looking down and wondering how bad this idea is, as slowly as she can jumping down and surprisingly enough avoiding the male's forearm with her own, landing with just a soft thud and flat on her belly next to Atka. There, she came closer, she's not afraid.
A happy chirpy wolf whimper escapes as Maia jumps-- but doesn't hurt herself, instead landing next to him. He smiles, and licks at her ears one last time, then blinks as he starts getting licked by Niyt. Huh. He grins, tail patting the ground, then nuzzles both pups, and lays his head on his paws. Hey, they're free to climb all over him if they want, as long as they don't go running away scared again!
Niyt cocks her head to the side at Maiara jumps down off the rock, and her tail wags back and forth slowly. She leans forward to bark over at her sister in playful challenge as Maia lies sprawled from the leap, and then turns and runs off along the opposite side of the adolescent wolf, starting to circle around him.
It wasn't a very big rock at all! Only if she stumbled and landed on the face or something, but nothing happens and she finds a comfortable spot on the ground beside the male. Turning her head quickly to look at her sister, watching her then dart away and disappear from sight since the male covers the wild pup. Now she's curious, what kind of game is sis up to.
Atka's ears turn slightly to listen to the pup using him as ground cover to hide from her sister. Oh-ho, looks like she's sneaking up again. Well, this one'll be a good hunter some day, that's for sure, given the way she's sneaking around and suck. He grins, then looks to Maia; she'll be a good fighter if it comes to it, maybe. They'll both be wonderful, all pups are wonderful, he's sure! He grins.. then sits very still to continue providing a shield behindwhich for Niyt to hide.
Niyt heads along on the other side of Atka from her sister, almost ready to round the corner of him, and then pauses. Hmmm... no sound of footsteps following her, so... is Maiara still waiting there? Has she turned to wait for Niyt to come out? Time for some reconaissance! She pauses, and carefully peeks her head up, little paws pressing at Atka's side as she looks over the top of him to investigate.
Maiara is not some silly pups, she sees her sister disappearing from one side, she is bound to appear from the other, right? The pup turns her head to look at the other side, waiting, but it all stops and anxiety builds fast. Getting up on her paws and pacing to the side Niyt is expected to come from. Looking past the male's shoulder and not seeming to find anything. THen crouching and sneaking to the other side of the male, careless maybe but she has to make sure Niyt is not just hiding on the other side. But she can't find anything either!
Atka has, by this time, come used to sitting still so two pups can use him as a wolfie shield for their games. It's better than being scared that he's scarred one for life. He lifts his head high with a grin, to see if it helps Maia find Niyt, or Niyt to take her sister by surprise, tail patting the ground a little. Heh, maybe this game will end better than the game of 'all puppies attack the Adol'.
Niyt clambers up over the top of Atka, her little paws nudging in at him as she treats him like a bit of climbing equipment. As she crests the top, she lowers herself to try to be sneaky again - rrf! He's steeper than he seems! She starts sliding as she goes down along him, wobbling back and forth, and gives up the pretense of stealth to simply charge towards her sister at full speed - just keep running, the alternative is falling down!
Maiara is getting closer and closer, can almost sense her sister nearby, and all of a sudden bark! The pup turns around quickly to bark at the air, was thinking sister was coming from behind. But nothing happens, and she's getting worried! Of course this tension comes to an end when she sees Niyt falling from the male's back. Oi that's why rocks are better! Seeing the other pup making a run, she's unable to do much but get ready!
Atka's ears fleck back and he yips in surprise, "Hey! Hey! Be careful!" he says, moving as fast as he can to try and grab Niyt from his back. Of course, his teeth click shut on empty air, because she's already to the part of his back he can't reach from this position, and already trying to leap for her sister. Augh! If one of the pups gets hurt, Shag'll have his shaggy sheddy hide!
Niyt stumbles a bit as she transitions from sloped wolf-back to level ground, but quickly recovers and charges straight for Maia, running at her headfirst! She can see she's lost the element of surprise, so she barks as she comes, with a yip that turns to a playful growl as she launches herself like a little grey-furred cannonball, leaping into the air and aiming straight for her sister!
Maiara has a perfect plan for this, if it worked the first time, then it HAS to work the second time, right? All the pup does is get ready, paws firm on the ground while bracing herself for the incoming pup. Her head facing the ground and just waiting for her sister to come to the victorious thick head. It's very simple, and very stupid too.
Atka leaps to his feet as pups prepare to collide and finds himself staring helplessly at what's going to probably end up much like two Dall Sheep fighting over a girl. ... They're puppies, though, right? Nothing will be bad from this, right? They're tough, right? He's going to get bitten by angry parents, isn't he, oh goodness. He waits to see what happens.. because, well. Puppies.
Niyt launches herself through the air, straight for that thick puppyhead - and slams right into it, just like before! Only this time, she's the one in motion, and all that inertia has to go somewhere. Her body keeps going forward, and Maia's, meeting it so very squarely, has no choice but to follow, being knocked backwards by her sister! This plan, it seems, works for whoever's -running- when it goes off!
Maiara closes her eyes shut, waiting and waiting and all of a sudden she feels like her head is spinning. The girl is bounced backward after letting a soft yelp escape her. Well it didn't hurt because.. Pups are made of rubber or something, but she does seem to lose balance. She ends up slightly on a side, sitting and lifting her head to look around like she was lost. Right, stars are eventually clearing and she realizes just now what happened. Bark bark! Again!
Atka finds himself staring. They want to do it again? "... Okay, okay, kiddos, I think this is a game we're going to have to take off the list. Let's try uh.. something else?" He says, grinning nervously. If he lets them keep knocking heads, one of them's going to end up as loopy as a squirrel on a clothesline! "Uh, I know, let's all play hide and seek. You know what that is, right? Hide and seek?" He looks between the two helplessly.
Niyt stumbles down from her charge. Her head's a little swimmy too, but she's still more or less upright! And that, she figures, is enough to claim victory, lifting her head and tail up high and barking triumphantly, then starting to prance towards her sister, not even turning her head to acknowledge Atka's attempt at distraction, even if she knew what he was saying. Victory prance! Only, she stumbles on an uneven bit of ground, and trips with a whff!, halfway falling down with her chest to the ground but her butt still stuck up into the air.
Maiara has't lost the fight! Just because she saw stars doesn't mean her sister didn't, right? The words from the male catch her attention, turning her head to look at her sister and the male trying to stop the game. Just like Nyit, she doesn't listen to the Omega, getting all on four and pacing to her sister at first, then quickening the to pace to once again engage the other pup in mortal combat! Shame Niyt stumbles first this time and gets the ears chewed by her sister..
... Puppies fighting, and they don't listen to him at all. Ears drooping, Atka murmurs, "Now, come up, let's not try to hurt each other, if you get hurt it.. uhm.. hurts!" he, too, begins pacing a bit, back and forth, watching these two pups with some concern, not sure what he should do about it just yet. Well, then again, as long as they aren't crying or bleeding, they're alright... Right?
Seems Niyt declared victory prematurely! She has no chance to defend herself, or even pick herself up before Maia's gotten in - and gotten a mouthful of her ear. She grrs, trying to twist and turn to get away from that gnawing, poking out at her sister with a forepaw, nudging it against... her legs, mostly, since that's what she can reach without getting her ears tugged at more than they already are.
Maiara lifts her forearms when her sister starts batting, over and over gnawing on those ears, it's not painful at all, if any it just feels weird. Batting a couple of times at Niyt to try and stop the nudging, eventually it's better if she just flops atop the squirm frame of her sis.. See? Mostly away from danger because she's taking over, so.. How's the score again?
Atka's not keeping score much beyond making sure the pups don't get too hurt. After watching them for a few moments, he seems to realize they aren't going to hurt each other, he's not going to get in trouble unless, like, a hawk comes out of the sky and eats one, so... he backs off a few steps, then turns, moving o lay down in a shady spot near enough to keep an eye on them, but far enough that he doesn't get in their way. "It's a good thing /I/ don't have kids," he murmurs to himself.
Niyt whffs! as Maiara sprawls on top of her. She's pretty well pinned from going anywhere, but she still wiggles around underneath her sister, squirming and making the upper pup rock and wobble. She does manage to stretch her head out far enough to try to catch at Maia's leg and give it a chewing, though, to snag a few extra points!
Maiara rests her forearms atop her sister, the gnawing and chewing slowing down when she knows she's victorious, she won more points than her sis, so it's all good. Eventually she's relaxed and using Niyt as a pillow, feeling her leg caught and merely giving a few little kicks; reflex action mind you. Turning her head to look at the other so eagerly glomping her footpaw.
Seems like the puppies are now starting to tire each other out; which means that Atka can lay his had on his paws and start to nap a little, which is what he does-- laying his head on his paws, anyway. Napping won't be until he's for sure out of the woods of having to watch puppies!
Niyt seems pretty sedate about her chewing as well. Maybe her calculations are different, and she thinks she's the one having a victorious gnaw. It's hard to figure out how puppy points are actually scored, sometimes. Or maybe she's just tired... that theory gains some evidence as she lets go of Maiara's foot in order to give a big yawn, stretching out a little underneath her sister. Her eyes start to close, even with that weight still on top of her. When puppies are tired, they're tired!
Maiara's maw opens wide to let a wince escape while she yawns.. Eyes lidding almost shut as she scans the surroundings, just wondering where the strange zombie wolf is. A huff escapes her, lasting for a couple of seconds before she finally relaxes, her chin nestled betwen her sister's shoulderblades. Close to sis so no one hurts her!
"Hooo, good." Sighs Atka, as he heaves relief out of his lungs. The pups are settling down for a nap, and nap means babysitter gets a break, which means that he can nap, too! Whoo. He yawns himself, and then lays his head on his paws, letting his eyelids droop some.
Niyt's breathing deepens, and she drifts off to sleep, her sister a warm and comfortable weight on top of her. Soon they'll wake again, for more wrestling and adventures and collecting points - but for now, they rest, and the rest of the pack gets a break from their chaos.