Post by Pavane on Aug 22, 2010 13:28:27 GMT -5
Sweeping Steppe - Early Autumn (RL day 10)
-----------------------------------------
The afternoon is a calm one, but Niyt is a little restless. She doesn't want to get lost again, but at the same time... there's something that makes her not want to just sit around. So... she's wandering, just a little, pausing from time to time to taste the wind, to peer for landmarks in the scraggly plants and misshapen rocks, and paying careful attention to the ground underneath her paws, to make sure she can understand this land, and find her way back once she's done.
"Niyt, where are you going?" comes Alaqua's concerned voice as she appears out onto the steppe, looking motherly concerned. Her ears lift upwards, snout sniffing at the wind. "You can't stray too far from the den, you know that. You're going to have me worried sick, again." She says, making her way over to her puppy, leaning in to give her a few firm licks against the top of her head. "Are you ready to talk about what happened yet? Are you brave enough to?"
If *anyone* thought that Shag was just going to sit around while his mate and kids are off gallivanting around, they had better think again. Shag is hurrying along the scent trail left by his mate, sniffing and rushing along with his nose to the ground, running in spurts and then slowing down again to make absolutely sure the scent is still fresh. He looks up when he hears voices nearby, ears perking as he plants his large paws in the soil, and lets loose with a howl.
Mori slowly appears as a small figure in the distance as he seems to move very slowly southward with sure steps, his eyes looking around him somewhat amazed at how different things are here compared to the forests where he has spent his life up until this expedition popped into his mind. His movement stopping cold as his ears perks at the howl, his head then quickly turning in its direction frowning deeply.
Niyt pauses at her mother's call. She smiles a bit at the licks, and then... her ears splay slightly at the question, her tail lowering. That's why mom's so worried, she knows that. And... she can't deny that it's with good reason. She doesn't want that to happen again... but there's still something about it she doesn't quite understand, and that's made her hesitant to talk. Besides... naming the spirits that lurk around the edges and hide in shadows might call them closer again. She opens her muzzle, to try to explain the reason, if not the disappearance - and then she hears her father howling nearby. Vanish just once, and nobody lets you do it the second time! "I... thought I heard something," she says after a moment. "But I can't see what." Nor does she see the small figure of Mori, yet.
"Well, there goes your father, he's probably worried sick as well. You know I had to find you all by myself, with only dreams to guide you?" Alaqua says, nosing at her ears a bit with a loud huff. "Your father gave me his gift, and if it wasn't for that, then I'd have lost you for good I am sure." Curling herself up around her puppy, she pins her down between her paws, and under her chin, smooshing her a bit, as if afraid to let her go. "Over here, my love!" She calls out for her mate, eyes squinting in the distance. "I see it too.." She trails off.
"Over where?" Shag says, and hurries toward the sound of Alaqua's voice. He can't wait to see his children again... the daughter who vanished so quickly! He has to lay eyes on her again, to nuzzle her and make sure she's just fine. When he sees them both on the horizon, he quickens his pace until his bulky form is barreling towards them rather alarmingly. He skids to a halt right in front of them and suddenly he's all over Niyt, nuzzling and sniffing her. "Alaqua, is she all right? She's not hurt is she? Where did you /go,/ silly girl? You're all right, aren't you? You are! I missed you so much!" His tail wags furiously.
Mori stays still for a few moments longer as he is slightly confused at hearing unfamiliar howls in an area he thought there would be none, exhaling a deep breath as he nods to himself the youngling continues onward toward his goal. His paws altering course slightly as to avoid the area the howls was centered as he does not think it to wise to just barge up to strange wolves, one he might have dared but two seems to dangerous to his mind.
Niyt sighs softly, her ears splaying just a little more. She didn't mean to worry her parents, she just... felt so restless, like there was something itching inside her somewhere that needed... something. She doesn't resist as she's held down. "I..." - would have made it back, she wants to say, but she remembers the shadows that lured her away and falls silent. Would they have let her? She doesn't know. She looks up as Alaqua says she sees something, ears perking, and tries to follow that gaze - but she can't see anything in that direction, yet - at least, not before her father is charging towards, and all her attention goes to that. Shag is a thunderstorm of attention and questions, and she wags her tail as she tries to make sense of things. She seems, at least, physically unharmed - a bit leaner than a doting parent might want, but that's a minor enough thing. There's just one little thing, one that seems to lurk on the edge of spirit-senses: was her coat always that color, the color of storm-hues and fog? Or has it perhaps grown a little darker, a spirit-shadow over her... no. It must just be a trick of the light. "I was... they were... I... I'm okay..." Too many questions, all at once, and she's not so sure of the answers herself!
Eyes continuing to track the movement in the distance, Alaqua pushes herself up, giving her little girl one last lick, then starts off through the grass, casting a quick, worried look over her shoulder to her mate. << We are not alone. >> She projects to him, before ducking herself down, disappearing from one's line of sight as she crosses through the thick tall stalks of grass, heading in Mori's direction, and following his scent to try and figure out who this stranger may be. He smells familiar, just slightly.
Shag finds Niyt looking out towards something else. He stands over her protectively as Alaqua gets up, eyes scanning the grass around them. If the shadows want to come for her again... let them. He'll be ready this time. He ducks down to Niyt and licks the top of her head. "Stay calm," he says quietly. "Gather yourself and your thoughts. Get centered. Close your eyes if it helps." If she's distracted she won't be able to use her budding abilities. And that won't help anyone at all.
The young wolfs ears twitch slightly as silence once again seems to reign over the area, a silence the youngling does not approve of at all as he starts to study the area around himself more closely. Taking another deep breath Mori stops up and sits down to wait and see which way the fates blow, agression, calm or neither.
Now mom's going out in order to - Niyt's a little confused. She hasn't managed to see what's going on, yet, but... is this what made her restless? She doesn't know. She looks up to her father, standing over her like a firm bulwark. Calm? All right. She nods, and takes in a deep, slightly wavering breath. Calm... having family here helps, makes her feel more comfortable. She tries closing her eyes, like dad suggests, and the calm darkness behind her eyelids descends - and with vision gone, it's easier for her focus to sharpen. She can't see who's there - but she can feel that someone, now. It's a tingle, touching on her awareness like scents on the wind make her nose twitch, along with the senses of her mother and father, always familiar but now felt in a more detailed way.
As Alaqua studies Mori for a few moments in the distance, from her grassy hidden spot, she comes to the conclusion that he is just a young one, and that scent she recognizes is that of the Ute. Ears lifting upwards curiously, she steps into view, slightly behind him, gently clearing her throat. "Hello there, little puppy..you're...far from home, are you now? Are you one of Wyanet's?" She asks as she settles back upon her haunches. She has something of a motherly glow about her, soft, and comforting as her tail wags a bit.
Mori mutters softly to himself. "Calm it is then." A soft smile appears on the young wolfs lips as he nimbly stands back up and turns to face the she-wolf. "I am a fair distance from home yes" His voice unusually calm and collected for somebody his age "And while you got the pack correct, Wyanet is not my mother, that would be Ixkin with Bodhi being my father." The names of his parents spoken with some pride, they might not be Alphas or even Betas but obviously in his mind they are just as important if not more so. "I was not aware there was supposed to be any wolves here tho." Mori's head tilting to the side as his tail wags slowly behind him. "Are you wanderers or have the Cerulean pack moved."
Shag tilts his head when he hears the new voice. It is a child's, but... more cultured and expressive than what he's heard before. Well-spoken pups, who'd have thought! But Niyt is one too. But she has the excuse of having those strange, inherited powers. He remains stationary over his daughter, however, not willing to move until she is. In fact it's a safe bet he's not going to ever let her out of his sight again until he's certain she's perfectly safe for the rest of forever! He can't count how many near heart attacks he's had just from this incident alone. "Alaqua," he calls out. "Who is that?"
Niyt perks her ears to listen to the voice, though she doesn't open her eyes just yet. It seems to match the feel, though, in some way she can't quite define. The same sort of smoothness, the same... sharp elegance, clear, crisp lines. She lifts a paw, taking a step towards that with eyes still closed, and then her foot lands on a prickly thorn she didn't see, and she yelps, eyes flying open. She still can't quite see right, though, and she blinks rapidly a few times, clearing her eyes as she lifts the pricked paw to her muzzle to lick it.
"If you were not aware, then why are you so far away from your home for? Are you lost, little one?" The motherly wolf asks as her tail swishes back and forth behind her. "I am Alaqua, and that is my mate, Shag. We're the Betas for the Cerulean pack. My daughter Niyt.." She pauses. "Just stepped on a pricker it seems." She says with an amused giggle, before turning her gaze back down to the child. "We should take you home though, before your family worries. We just went through something similar ourselves, and it's scary to know a pup is gone."
Mori dips his head slightly as he mentally notes down the new information. "So you've moved then, the last I was aware of your pack was that it was located a fair distance from here." His gaze lifting to look at Alaqua face with a slightly humored quirk of his lips. "It would seem that my fathers information was wrong for a change." A quick shake of the younglings head quickly returns his more calm exterior. "And I am not lost, my goal for this trip further to the south and if I'm not toally wrong slightly to the east." And finally he dips his head respectfully to the female "And i am Mori at your service."
"A pup," Shag answers his own question. "Strange to see one so far out here..." If he's from Ute, he has a long way to go to get back home. Shamefully enough he wants to make sure Niyt gets home safely above all else, so the pack can keep an eye on her... but they can't split up again. It wouldn't be safe... this close to the forest. "You... have a goal?" he asks Mori skeptically. "So far from home? May I ask what that is?"
Niyt gets her paw to stop stinging, and then sets it down, looking at the other youngling curiously. Her ears dip just a bit at the reminder of how much she worried her parents - she didn't mean to, really! - but that's only a moment. She takes a few steps closer, though not so much as to make dad think she's going anywhere - besides, she's getting closer to mom in the process - and keeps listening.
"Yes, Mori.. how can you have goals this young? You probably never been out of the den until now." Quirking her brow a bit, Alaqua doesn't seem to be much at ease with this particular pup. Something doesn't seem right. "We'll have to take you back, you know. You can't be out here by yourself, you'll get eaten up easily by something a lot bigger than you, and I know for a fact there is many hungry mouths out there." She says with a wrinkle of her nose.
Mori wrinkles his nose slightly. "I have been outside the den for a while already, and my father has been teaching me some of what he knows." His paws turning his body toward Shag and Niyt as he very slowly starts toward them. "As for my goal, it is quite simply to visit the Oasis then return back home" A respectfull dip of his head given to both Niyt and Shag as he gets close enough.
"Niyt," Shag whispers as he sees her scooting forward. He's overprotective no matter which way she goes. He'd be overprotective if she was sleeping next to him, wrapped up in leaves and unable to move. His eyes jump back to Mori. "The Oasis? That is near our home. But why must you go all the way there, child? Who put those ideas into your head?" It's downright cruel, it is, to send a mere boy off like that... His mind immediately jumps to the conclusion of some kind of spiritual intervention.
Niyt wags her tail softly as Mori approaches. She's a friendly sort, after all - though she does stop in her forward motion at her father's quiet warning. It's safe enough, she thinks, but... she doesn't want to worry him again. Not so soon... so she just smiles, half-underneath his shaggy bulk, and says a quiet, "Hello..." before going silent again.
Mori looks back at Alaqua for a moment as if to check if she follows him or not then turns toward Niyt and smiles warmly at her "Heya" His tail wagging happily for a few moments until he turns his gaze to Shag and his more serious nature is reaffirmed. "I will be honest and admit I do not know why I have to go there, and nobody put the idea in my head that I am aware of." His brows furrowing deeply in tought. "I only know that its where my path leads."
"Then it can wait, I'm sure," Shag says. "This is no place for a child. The land grows only still more barren and desolate as you go... we do live in a desert after all." He looks over his shoulder. Home. The place he wants to be back at at once. But how would Ute react if they knew one of their children was missing and they didn't return them at once? Shag believes they'd be pretty angry. He tries to mentally calculate the distance from here. He knows how far it is to the oasis, but he has never personally been to Ute. It's in the forest.
Niyt looks at Mori, and then back at Shag. She's not quite sure what the young wolf is doing on his own, but... if he's got to go, he's got to go, right? After all, what reason other than destiny would he have for knowing he had to go there - well, or whispering of malicious spirits, but that makes it even more important that he get somewhere safe! "Should... shouldn't we help?" she asks softly, looking up at her father.
Mori looks up at Shag and cocks his head slightly. "If its close to your home as you said earlier then I'd like to request permission to accompany you three to your densite." His lips quirking upward slightly as he continues to speak in a calm tone. "There is safety in numbers after all, and would you really have me turn back when I am getting close to my destination." His head tilting the other way curiously.
------------- Time Passes ---------------
Sweeping Steppe - Early Autumn (RL day 11)
-----------------------------------------
Evening has come, a quiet night. Niyt and her parents have begun the travel back towards their home - but it's slow going. She can't imagine how she made that journey on her own, with how tired her little paws have grown from traveling already. Something strange was definitely happening, then... for now, the wind is blowing coolly, and she's found a little pile of stones to climb on top of, lifting her muzzle to taste the wind and then drawing in a deep breath and letting it out in a quavering howl.
Resting on a nearby ledge, a pair of familiar, tattered ears perk. Zuphi swivels his head toward the howl and then the wind carries the familiar scents to his nose...His tail wags once as he returns the soft cry in their direction.
Shag of course is not making his dearest daughter travel any faster than she needs to! She needs her rest after her terrible ordeal. He travels closely behind her, watching intently, pausing as she takes time to howl. He perks his ears and smiles. It's a good howl. His shaggy tail wags behind him. All he cares about now is keeping everyone together and safe.
Mori pads alongside the group, yet seems to keep distance between them as not to trigger Shag's sense of overprotection. His gaze studying the area around him closely from time to time as they move, head tilting slightly as he looks over at Niyt once she howls then toward the responding howl with a furrowed brow.
Niyt perks her ears at the sound of a call returning. They're not alone out here, it seems - another wanderer. The wind is in the wrong direction for her to catch Zuphi's scent, though. She stays where she is, waiting... and resting her tired paws another few moments.
Hm.. There's another with them. The boy slowly pulls himself onto his feet and he ascends the ledge, ears forward and backfur bristled. If they're here to start something..Well, he's not running away! "Announce yourselves!" he calls out.
Shag raises an eyebrow when he hears someone else call out to them. "We're from Cerulean," he calls back. "Nothing to worry about." The scent... familiar. And there he is! "Zuphi?" Shag calls when the young wolf comes into view. "Is that you?"
Mori keeps his brows furrowed as he studies the newcomer for a few moments then dips his head slightly before padding over toward Niyt's side seemingly having decided that numbers are better currently.
Niyt peers into the shadows. It's a little hard for her to see, but... it does feel like Zuphi, in that odd way she's been growing more sensitive to lately. Her father must be right. She smiles to Mori in passing, jumping down off her rock and padding towards him, her tail wagging gently. "Hello..." she calls out again as she approaches.
"Ah! It's you guys!" Zuphi charges forward. His tail is up and he moves proudly, despite being a pup. He even grins at Shag! "Shag!" His voice seems desperately happy..Shag is perhaps the closest to a parent he knows.
"Oh, thank goodness," Shag whispers. He had thought it might be someone dangerous, for just the slightest of moments. He instead hurries forward, keeping up with Niyt and wagging his tail, dipping his head to meet Zuphi. "What are you doing way out here, you?" he scolds him, but with a smile on his face. They're picking up pups left and right!
Mori lines up with Niyt as she passes him and keeps her pace, a friendly smile and a somewhat happily wagging tail offered Zuphi as they get closer to him.
Niyt smiles, her tail still wagging. She's curious what Zuphi's doing here, too - did he get drawn here like she did, by the spirits that... are strangely quiet in their demands of her now, actually. Like they've gotten what they wanted, for now... that distracts her a little, though she keeps listening for the young wolf's reply.
Zuphi grins big, his heart filling with this unknown...happy feeling as he is welcomed! "Hi!" He paws at Niyt and blushes witha soft whimper. Spotting Mori and noticing that the others seemed fine with him, Zuphi decides he's okay! "Hi! I'm Zuphi!"
Shag notes his behavior with Niyt. For some reason it makes his eye twitch. But he shrugs it off and smiles again, leaning down to nuzzle the youngster. "Zuphi. You shouldn't be this far into the wilderness!" He sighs and looks back towards the distant, /distant/ shape of the butte. He wants to hurry them on, but he doesn't want to push them either. "Zuphi, this is Mori. He recently came to us while we were finding Niyt."
Mori glances up at Shag for a moment as he introduces him then turns his attention on Zuphi again and dips his head respectfully in greeting to the other youngling. "Heya, pleasure to meet ya." A wry but happy smile on his lips as he lets his tail wag freely.
Niyt nuzzles at Zuphi's cheek softly, with a smile for the torn-eared pup. He's her friend, after all, and the only person she knows her own age who understands some of the stranger bits of life. Well, at least as well as she does... enough that they can talk about those things together, despite their very different backgrounds. "I'm glad we met you here, though..." Whatever it is that's brought him, it can't be all bad, since now they've met again. Yeah, there's plenty in her expression at Zuphi to raise Shag's fatherly concern...
Zuphi wags finally and his blush gets a bit hotter..good thing he has dark fur! "Shag, sir.. I ran out here when I started hearing those voices! They stopped when I smelled you guys!"
"You heard voices, did you?" Shag says, tilting his head. "You came out quite a long ways to try and hear..." He stops and looks around, wondering what voices Zuphi could possibly have heard way out here. He squints, and makes a little grunt in his throat. "I think we should keep moving, kids," he says, distractedly, and begins to lumber his large body back towards home.
Mori dips his head once more to Shags words "ofcourse" He remains standing alongside Niyt tho until she starts moving as well. "One can hear and learn quite a lot if one is willing to listen." His voice calm and soft as he looks over toward Niyt as he speaks, Zuphi being kept an eye on from the corner of his eyes.
Voices, huh? That's beginning to sound rather like what got Niyt out here in the first place. She nods as dad says they should keep moving, and starts to trot after him, glancing between both of the other young wolves to make sure they're coming along. "Were you... following the voices, or... running?" she asks Zuphi softly while in motion.
"The voices were pretty scary.." Zuphi admits, dropping his tail a moment. He looks up at Shag, his torn ears pinned back. He's stunned. "You...You mean..I can come with you..?
"Yes," Shag says simply over his shoulder, as though it weren't a very big decision to him. "Of course. Come along, now. I'm not leaving anyone out here." Where he can't look after them. He keeps looking back to make constant headcounts and ensure everyone is with them. "Please, Zuphi... describe these voices. What did they say?"
Mori remains silent for the moment as he simply seems content to study the two other pups around his age and the adults, his gaze while taking the time to study the sorrounding area from time to time so he does not lose the path back home is kept mainly on the other pups, niyt in particular.
Niyt perks her ears at her father's question to Zuphi, curious what he'll say about the voices. Did they want the same thing from him as they did from her? Soft voices to lure at first, and then their insistence for her eyes... her sight, her self, everything. The angry things they screamed as she tried to run... She still hasn't managed to tell her parents about all of what happened. She wants to understand, first - and it frightens her, too, something she doesn't want to invoke again by careless words or actions, or draw attention from what may be lurking unseen...
Eagerly, Zuphi trails after the group..Finally, somewhere to sleep and rest without fear.. Then, the question. "They are very forceful..They scream like they're angry and sometimes they sound like they're being tortured.."
------------- Time Passes ---------------
Isolated Oasis - Mid Autumn (RL day 0)
-----------------------------------------
There's nothing more relaxing than the oasis in the midst of this desert. The winter, however, is coming, which means temperatures are getting to be just right, and the water a little cooler than usual. Shag is there, presiding over the pups that were recently brought back home from their odyssies... well, Mori was still on his. But that doesn't matter. They're resting here until Shag can take Mori straight back to Ute. Alone. He doesn't want Alaqua not here to guard their children, should more... shadows come. It will be trying, going to the forest, but he looks placid and calm as ever, sitting under the bare tree. Eyes closed to take in the mystic quality of the place.
The oasis has been something always lurking on the edges of Niyt's familiarity. Not quite home, but an easy few steps from there. A nice place to visit. She pads towards it, walking along one of the small ridges of the ground that the sand blows up against at a quiet pace - she's a bit tired from the recent travel, though she's definitely gained back some of the weight she lost during her ordeal, even with the effort of the trip back. She pauses, looking back to Mori, wondering just why he was so insistent on coming here.
Mori offers Niyt a happy smile and nuzzle as he passes her heading directly toward the oasis now thats within view, The sight of the pool seemingly having invigorating him in spirit if not in body. A deep breath taken as he reaches up to it and slowly surveying the oasis. his head cocked slightly to the side as if trying to focus on something
Shag opens one of his eyes, just a crack, as Mori comes closer. He glances down at the pup, and then the eye slides shut once again. The rest of him doesn't even twitch. "Well then. Is it everything you dreamed it would be?" he asks calmly.
Niyt smiles at Mori's nuzzle, wagging her tail slightly, then perks an ear at her father's voice, looking over to him. The place seems as it always has to her - but then, just because it's familiar doesn't mean it's not still interesting!
Mori blinks slightly as he looks over toward shag then offers a slight dip in his head, his voice unusually soft as he speaks "its...special" His gaze then giving the area one more sweep before he starts to circle the oasis in an everwidering circle with his nose close to the ground, every once in a while stopping up to dig slightly into the sand, tilting his head slightly for a moment then continuing.
Shag watches Mori with slits for eyes, peering at him in silence. Studying his movements. Watching how... strangely he acts. It reminds Shag of when /he/ was a pup, and that disturbs him. Quietly, he settles in once more. "Niyt," he tells his daughter. "I will speak to you later about what has happened. Alone, please." For now, he calms himself... and reaches out. Not with any physical senses. He doubts, even, that he is strong enough at all to do anything outside of dreams. But if any little tug, however slight, is felt, it will be because either of these pups has the same gift he does.
Niyt laughs a bit at Mori's response. Special? She supposes it is, if you haven't been there before. But it's kind of interesting to watch as Mori investigates... She pauses in padding forward as Shag speaks to her, and nods softly, with just a bit of hesitation. She does want to understand, though... and that sends her to thinking about those things - so perhaps that's why her father's extending sense meets her own, like the feeling of wind brushing against fur - not solid, yet there.
Mori having stopped once more to dig and tilt his head at nothing while the two speaks seems to give an almost unnoticable nod to himself as he starts to dig into the sand seeming quite focused...that is until he suddently turns his equally focused gaze toward Shag for a moment or two with furrowed brows then shakes his head as he returns his focus back to the digging.
There's Niyt. And then... Shag's eyes open slowly. He looks straight at Mori. And sighs, heavily, his big chest rising and falling with one long, loud breath. So it's true. For both of them. He bows his head, like he's grieving for a moment, and then looks at Niyt with a level, but somewhat disturbed gaze. "Niyt, come here," he whispers, suddenly desiring to be close to his daughter.
Niyt turns and pads towards her father, smiling and wagging her tail softly. That wagging slows when she gets a bit closer, and gets good look at his expression - her head tilts to the side, and she quickens her pace to a bit of a trot, coming closer. "Is... something wrong?" He doesn't seem angry, just... a little sad.
Mori lifts his gaze slightly again and looks over toward Niyt, more because of the tone of her voice then what she said considering he didn't actually catch that. His paws however does not stop digging after whatever he seems to think is down there.
"No," Shag says, though he reaches out to tug her closer with one large paw. "Nothing's wrong." But it sounds like it. He dips his head to nuzzle Niyt between the ears and holds her close against his wooly chest, just... wanting her nearby now. "I'm just... so glad. That you're my daughter." He looks over at Mori. "Are you all right?" he asks the pup.
Niyt smiles again as her dad pulls her closer, and her tail makes a back-and-forth thump as she leans in to nuzzle at his thick, shaggy chestfur. "Well... okay." He's her dad, she should believe, him, right? Only, she's starting to have just the littlest bit of doubt. Maybe... maybe her parents aren't invincible. Maybe there are some problems that they can't solve, either. That's a pretty scary thought, and she presses closer. "I'm glad, too..." she replies, with a little shiver.
Mori nods his head slightly before offering a friendly smile, likely the first proper one offered to Shag since they met "I think so, atleast I'm sure I will be soon enough" His gaze returning to the deepening hole he is making muttering more softly to himself "just how deep do I have to go anyhow" His tail wagging slowly as his focus returns to the digging, A sliver of focus tho remains centered on Niyt and Shag which his swirled ears hints toward.
Shag keeps an eye on Mori himself as he cuddles Niyt close, wondering about her future and what this could mean. The balance is upset and is getting worse day by day... he needs to teach her about her heritage and what she may have to do. He smiles for her sake. "I'm glad you're glad," he tells her, bush tail wagging. "How was it? Seeing the outside world?"
Niyt pretty much ignores those glances running back and forth between her father and Mori. She looks up to Shag - there's that smile! - and smiles back. "It was..." An entire world, more than she had ever imagined. "Neat. But... scary, too." She pauses, searching for words, filtering through her memories, then grins at one of them. "I saw trees!" Of course the prospect was exciting to her - all her life, she's heard how her pack used to live among them, but left. Everyone else but her and her siblings knew all about them - and now she does, too!
Mori blinks slightly, sniffs a few times then redoubles his efforts quite sure whatever he is seeking is moments within his reach, the surrounding world totally ignored in all possible senses of the word.
"Ahhh. Trees." They've now grown to have a place of near paranoia in his mind. "They must have been wonderful to see!" he says, trying to sound excited just like she was. Can't let her know trees are evil, just... what might be lurking in them. "You'll have such a tale to tell your siblings, won't you?" he says with a deep, throaty chuckle. He glances at Mori again, wondering what exactly he's going for.
Niyt nods, smiling. She's too caught up in the memory to notice that supressed unease about the subject. "I will! Lotsa things to tell... and maybe we can go back there, sometimes, so they can see, too?" She's part hopeful, on that last part, and part wistful - she doesn't really understand why they must be here, why the forest is a home for them no longer.
Mori emits a wave of pure joy lasting only for a few moments as his head lifts with a perfectly smooth fistsized obsidian colored rock in his maw as he turns toward the two, his lips curled into as much as a grin as he can with his jaws filled. His paws slowly leading him back toward the group as he seems quite blissfully happy.
A twitch of indecision sweeps over Shag's expression, and he looks away just to hide it from his child. "I..." It passes like Mori's emotional wave, which breaks on Shag's turmoil. He barely notices it, really, and only sees what Mori's doing when he looks over at him, wondering why the digging his stopped. "What do you have there, Mori?" he asks, tilting his head. He's confused as to why the pup would come all this way to... dig. For rocks, apparently.
Niyt stares up at her father's face, hopeful and yet... well, perhaps not really getting an answer is better than getting a clear no. She nods softly, starting to drop her gaze, and then turns as it seems there's something interesting going on behind her. It certainly is a rock. Plenty of those, in the desert, though few quite so black.
Mori slowly places the stone on the ground as he reaches up to the two of them then lies down gently with his paws on each side of it. "I....do not know." His brows furrowing deeply as if halfway wondering that himself, the grin on his muzzle tho dosn't dimish for even a moment. "I only know this is what brought me here." his head tilting slightly as he looks over at the two.
"I see," Shag says, even though he really doesn't. The spirits never showed him... rocks. He settles his head onto his paws. "Well. Try to figure it out. We will have to take you home, now that we've brought you where you wanted to go. We leave as soon as possible." Ute is probably freaking out over a missing pup. He closes his eyes but then... "We will find the forest again," he whispers to Niyt.
Niyt blinks. She turns slightly towards Mori and his prize, lowering her head to peer curiously at the black stone while remaining within her father's paws. "It's... a rock," she says, looking at Mori's expression and then back to the stone. She's perfectly willing to admit her lack of comprehension. "There's lotsa rocks..." she says, with a tilt of her head to the rest of the desert. "Why's this one important?" Why, indeed? What's so important about anything that's been going on - rocks, or trees, or... the forest. She turns her head back towards her father, and smiles. She liked the forest - or at least, the little of it she saw, the few scattered trees there. She nods, decisive and agreeing - and then, as he goes quiet once more, turns her attention back to Mori, her expression inquisitive again.
Mori looks down at his rock and gives it a nudge "I don't know why its important, I do feel content around it tho" his head turning to smile happily at Niyt "Besides, It caused me to meet you and Shag and Alaqua." His tail wagging slowly behind him "new friends!"
Niyt laughs softly, and nods. "Well, I guess..." she replies, considering on it. "There must be easier ways to meet friends than that, though..."
Mori chuckles softly as he hugs the stone close to his chest. "Likely there is" His head dipping slightly in agreement. "Still, where is the fun in always doing things the easy way?"
Niyt goes quiet for a moment. There's been a lot of the hard way, lately. Perhaps a bit of ease is a good thing, but... then she wouldn't find out the answers to her questions. Even if she gets hurt along the way, she wants to have those answers. She lets out a slow sigh, and then smiles. "S'pose that'd get boring..."
Mori lets out a deep breath as he shakes his head slightly "indeed, things might be nice and calm when doing things the easy way" his lips quirking slightly "Sides, i got some time away from my sisters which is nice for a change"
Hey, wait, is Mori saying bad things about girls? "What's wrong with sisters, huh?" Niyt demands. "Family is good t'have!" She's not yet to the stage where time alone can be a good thing, herself... that big bulk of her father sleeping by her is a nice comfort.
Mori snickers and leans over to offer Niyt a gentle nuzzle "Nothing wrong with them, and family is a great thing to have" a content smile appearing on his lips as he seems to settle down to relax "it just feels nice to be a bit by myself with the exception of the present good company"
Niyt seems more or less appeased by that. She nods, and then yawns a little. "Well.. okay." She trails off into another yawn in the middle of that, then smiles a bit. "Think I'm gonna... just nap a little. In... good company." Tired puppy, already halfway to sleep as she settles down.
Mori smiles happily "Sleep well, Niyt" his own head moving to rest alongside that of his new treasure and quickly starts to slide toward sleep himself.
-----------------------------------------
The afternoon is a calm one, but Niyt is a little restless. She doesn't want to get lost again, but at the same time... there's something that makes her not want to just sit around. So... she's wandering, just a little, pausing from time to time to taste the wind, to peer for landmarks in the scraggly plants and misshapen rocks, and paying careful attention to the ground underneath her paws, to make sure she can understand this land, and find her way back once she's done.
"Niyt, where are you going?" comes Alaqua's concerned voice as she appears out onto the steppe, looking motherly concerned. Her ears lift upwards, snout sniffing at the wind. "You can't stray too far from the den, you know that. You're going to have me worried sick, again." She says, making her way over to her puppy, leaning in to give her a few firm licks against the top of her head. "Are you ready to talk about what happened yet? Are you brave enough to?"
If *anyone* thought that Shag was just going to sit around while his mate and kids are off gallivanting around, they had better think again. Shag is hurrying along the scent trail left by his mate, sniffing and rushing along with his nose to the ground, running in spurts and then slowing down again to make absolutely sure the scent is still fresh. He looks up when he hears voices nearby, ears perking as he plants his large paws in the soil, and lets loose with a howl.
Mori slowly appears as a small figure in the distance as he seems to move very slowly southward with sure steps, his eyes looking around him somewhat amazed at how different things are here compared to the forests where he has spent his life up until this expedition popped into his mind. His movement stopping cold as his ears perks at the howl, his head then quickly turning in its direction frowning deeply.
Niyt pauses at her mother's call. She smiles a bit at the licks, and then... her ears splay slightly at the question, her tail lowering. That's why mom's so worried, she knows that. And... she can't deny that it's with good reason. She doesn't want that to happen again... but there's still something about it she doesn't quite understand, and that's made her hesitant to talk. Besides... naming the spirits that lurk around the edges and hide in shadows might call them closer again. She opens her muzzle, to try to explain the reason, if not the disappearance - and then she hears her father howling nearby. Vanish just once, and nobody lets you do it the second time! "I... thought I heard something," she says after a moment. "But I can't see what." Nor does she see the small figure of Mori, yet.
"Well, there goes your father, he's probably worried sick as well. You know I had to find you all by myself, with only dreams to guide you?" Alaqua says, nosing at her ears a bit with a loud huff. "Your father gave me his gift, and if it wasn't for that, then I'd have lost you for good I am sure." Curling herself up around her puppy, she pins her down between her paws, and under her chin, smooshing her a bit, as if afraid to let her go. "Over here, my love!" She calls out for her mate, eyes squinting in the distance. "I see it too.." She trails off.
"Over where?" Shag says, and hurries toward the sound of Alaqua's voice. He can't wait to see his children again... the daughter who vanished so quickly! He has to lay eyes on her again, to nuzzle her and make sure she's just fine. When he sees them both on the horizon, he quickens his pace until his bulky form is barreling towards them rather alarmingly. He skids to a halt right in front of them and suddenly he's all over Niyt, nuzzling and sniffing her. "Alaqua, is she all right? She's not hurt is she? Where did you /go,/ silly girl? You're all right, aren't you? You are! I missed you so much!" His tail wags furiously.
Mori stays still for a few moments longer as he is slightly confused at hearing unfamiliar howls in an area he thought there would be none, exhaling a deep breath as he nods to himself the youngling continues onward toward his goal. His paws altering course slightly as to avoid the area the howls was centered as he does not think it to wise to just barge up to strange wolves, one he might have dared but two seems to dangerous to his mind.
Niyt sighs softly, her ears splaying just a little more. She didn't mean to worry her parents, she just... felt so restless, like there was something itching inside her somewhere that needed... something. She doesn't resist as she's held down. "I..." - would have made it back, she wants to say, but she remembers the shadows that lured her away and falls silent. Would they have let her? She doesn't know. She looks up as Alaqua says she sees something, ears perking, and tries to follow that gaze - but she can't see anything in that direction, yet - at least, not before her father is charging towards, and all her attention goes to that. Shag is a thunderstorm of attention and questions, and she wags her tail as she tries to make sense of things. She seems, at least, physically unharmed - a bit leaner than a doting parent might want, but that's a minor enough thing. There's just one little thing, one that seems to lurk on the edge of spirit-senses: was her coat always that color, the color of storm-hues and fog? Or has it perhaps grown a little darker, a spirit-shadow over her... no. It must just be a trick of the light. "I was... they were... I... I'm okay..." Too many questions, all at once, and she's not so sure of the answers herself!
Eyes continuing to track the movement in the distance, Alaqua pushes herself up, giving her little girl one last lick, then starts off through the grass, casting a quick, worried look over her shoulder to her mate. << We are not alone. >> She projects to him, before ducking herself down, disappearing from one's line of sight as she crosses through the thick tall stalks of grass, heading in Mori's direction, and following his scent to try and figure out who this stranger may be. He smells familiar, just slightly.
Shag finds Niyt looking out towards something else. He stands over her protectively as Alaqua gets up, eyes scanning the grass around them. If the shadows want to come for her again... let them. He'll be ready this time. He ducks down to Niyt and licks the top of her head. "Stay calm," he says quietly. "Gather yourself and your thoughts. Get centered. Close your eyes if it helps." If she's distracted she won't be able to use her budding abilities. And that won't help anyone at all.
The young wolfs ears twitch slightly as silence once again seems to reign over the area, a silence the youngling does not approve of at all as he starts to study the area around himself more closely. Taking another deep breath Mori stops up and sits down to wait and see which way the fates blow, agression, calm or neither.
Now mom's going out in order to - Niyt's a little confused. She hasn't managed to see what's going on, yet, but... is this what made her restless? She doesn't know. She looks up to her father, standing over her like a firm bulwark. Calm? All right. She nods, and takes in a deep, slightly wavering breath. Calm... having family here helps, makes her feel more comfortable. She tries closing her eyes, like dad suggests, and the calm darkness behind her eyelids descends - and with vision gone, it's easier for her focus to sharpen. She can't see who's there - but she can feel that someone, now. It's a tingle, touching on her awareness like scents on the wind make her nose twitch, along with the senses of her mother and father, always familiar but now felt in a more detailed way.
As Alaqua studies Mori for a few moments in the distance, from her grassy hidden spot, she comes to the conclusion that he is just a young one, and that scent she recognizes is that of the Ute. Ears lifting upwards curiously, she steps into view, slightly behind him, gently clearing her throat. "Hello there, little puppy..you're...far from home, are you now? Are you one of Wyanet's?" She asks as she settles back upon her haunches. She has something of a motherly glow about her, soft, and comforting as her tail wags a bit.
Mori mutters softly to himself. "Calm it is then." A soft smile appears on the young wolfs lips as he nimbly stands back up and turns to face the she-wolf. "I am a fair distance from home yes" His voice unusually calm and collected for somebody his age "And while you got the pack correct, Wyanet is not my mother, that would be Ixkin with Bodhi being my father." The names of his parents spoken with some pride, they might not be Alphas or even Betas but obviously in his mind they are just as important if not more so. "I was not aware there was supposed to be any wolves here tho." Mori's head tilting to the side as his tail wags slowly behind him. "Are you wanderers or have the Cerulean pack moved."
Shag tilts his head when he hears the new voice. It is a child's, but... more cultured and expressive than what he's heard before. Well-spoken pups, who'd have thought! But Niyt is one too. But she has the excuse of having those strange, inherited powers. He remains stationary over his daughter, however, not willing to move until she is. In fact it's a safe bet he's not going to ever let her out of his sight again until he's certain she's perfectly safe for the rest of forever! He can't count how many near heart attacks he's had just from this incident alone. "Alaqua," he calls out. "Who is that?"
Niyt perks her ears to listen to the voice, though she doesn't open her eyes just yet. It seems to match the feel, though, in some way she can't quite define. The same sort of smoothness, the same... sharp elegance, clear, crisp lines. She lifts a paw, taking a step towards that with eyes still closed, and then her foot lands on a prickly thorn she didn't see, and she yelps, eyes flying open. She still can't quite see right, though, and she blinks rapidly a few times, clearing her eyes as she lifts the pricked paw to her muzzle to lick it.
"If you were not aware, then why are you so far away from your home for? Are you lost, little one?" The motherly wolf asks as her tail swishes back and forth behind her. "I am Alaqua, and that is my mate, Shag. We're the Betas for the Cerulean pack. My daughter Niyt.." She pauses. "Just stepped on a pricker it seems." She says with an amused giggle, before turning her gaze back down to the child. "We should take you home though, before your family worries. We just went through something similar ourselves, and it's scary to know a pup is gone."
Mori dips his head slightly as he mentally notes down the new information. "So you've moved then, the last I was aware of your pack was that it was located a fair distance from here." His gaze lifting to look at Alaqua face with a slightly humored quirk of his lips. "It would seem that my fathers information was wrong for a change." A quick shake of the younglings head quickly returns his more calm exterior. "And I am not lost, my goal for this trip further to the south and if I'm not toally wrong slightly to the east." And finally he dips his head respectfully to the female "And i am Mori at your service."
"A pup," Shag answers his own question. "Strange to see one so far out here..." If he's from Ute, he has a long way to go to get back home. Shamefully enough he wants to make sure Niyt gets home safely above all else, so the pack can keep an eye on her... but they can't split up again. It wouldn't be safe... this close to the forest. "You... have a goal?" he asks Mori skeptically. "So far from home? May I ask what that is?"
Niyt gets her paw to stop stinging, and then sets it down, looking at the other youngling curiously. Her ears dip just a bit at the reminder of how much she worried her parents - she didn't mean to, really! - but that's only a moment. She takes a few steps closer, though not so much as to make dad think she's going anywhere - besides, she's getting closer to mom in the process - and keeps listening.
"Yes, Mori.. how can you have goals this young? You probably never been out of the den until now." Quirking her brow a bit, Alaqua doesn't seem to be much at ease with this particular pup. Something doesn't seem right. "We'll have to take you back, you know. You can't be out here by yourself, you'll get eaten up easily by something a lot bigger than you, and I know for a fact there is many hungry mouths out there." She says with a wrinkle of her nose.
Mori wrinkles his nose slightly. "I have been outside the den for a while already, and my father has been teaching me some of what he knows." His paws turning his body toward Shag and Niyt as he very slowly starts toward them. "As for my goal, it is quite simply to visit the Oasis then return back home" A respectfull dip of his head given to both Niyt and Shag as he gets close enough.
"Niyt," Shag whispers as he sees her scooting forward. He's overprotective no matter which way she goes. He'd be overprotective if she was sleeping next to him, wrapped up in leaves and unable to move. His eyes jump back to Mori. "The Oasis? That is near our home. But why must you go all the way there, child? Who put those ideas into your head?" It's downright cruel, it is, to send a mere boy off like that... His mind immediately jumps to the conclusion of some kind of spiritual intervention.
Niyt wags her tail softly as Mori approaches. She's a friendly sort, after all - though she does stop in her forward motion at her father's quiet warning. It's safe enough, she thinks, but... she doesn't want to worry him again. Not so soon... so she just smiles, half-underneath his shaggy bulk, and says a quiet, "Hello..." before going silent again.
Mori looks back at Alaqua for a moment as if to check if she follows him or not then turns toward Niyt and smiles warmly at her "Heya" His tail wagging happily for a few moments until he turns his gaze to Shag and his more serious nature is reaffirmed. "I will be honest and admit I do not know why I have to go there, and nobody put the idea in my head that I am aware of." His brows furrowing deeply in tought. "I only know that its where my path leads."
"Then it can wait, I'm sure," Shag says. "This is no place for a child. The land grows only still more barren and desolate as you go... we do live in a desert after all." He looks over his shoulder. Home. The place he wants to be back at at once. But how would Ute react if they knew one of their children was missing and they didn't return them at once? Shag believes they'd be pretty angry. He tries to mentally calculate the distance from here. He knows how far it is to the oasis, but he has never personally been to Ute. It's in the forest.
Niyt looks at Mori, and then back at Shag. She's not quite sure what the young wolf is doing on his own, but... if he's got to go, he's got to go, right? After all, what reason other than destiny would he have for knowing he had to go there - well, or whispering of malicious spirits, but that makes it even more important that he get somewhere safe! "Should... shouldn't we help?" she asks softly, looking up at her father.
Mori looks up at Shag and cocks his head slightly. "If its close to your home as you said earlier then I'd like to request permission to accompany you three to your densite." His lips quirking upward slightly as he continues to speak in a calm tone. "There is safety in numbers after all, and would you really have me turn back when I am getting close to my destination." His head tilting the other way curiously.
------------- Time Passes ---------------
Sweeping Steppe - Early Autumn (RL day 11)
-----------------------------------------
Evening has come, a quiet night. Niyt and her parents have begun the travel back towards their home - but it's slow going. She can't imagine how she made that journey on her own, with how tired her little paws have grown from traveling already. Something strange was definitely happening, then... for now, the wind is blowing coolly, and she's found a little pile of stones to climb on top of, lifting her muzzle to taste the wind and then drawing in a deep breath and letting it out in a quavering howl.
Resting on a nearby ledge, a pair of familiar, tattered ears perk. Zuphi swivels his head toward the howl and then the wind carries the familiar scents to his nose...His tail wags once as he returns the soft cry in their direction.
Shag of course is not making his dearest daughter travel any faster than she needs to! She needs her rest after her terrible ordeal. He travels closely behind her, watching intently, pausing as she takes time to howl. He perks his ears and smiles. It's a good howl. His shaggy tail wags behind him. All he cares about now is keeping everyone together and safe.
Mori pads alongside the group, yet seems to keep distance between them as not to trigger Shag's sense of overprotection. His gaze studying the area around him closely from time to time as they move, head tilting slightly as he looks over at Niyt once she howls then toward the responding howl with a furrowed brow.
Niyt perks her ears at the sound of a call returning. They're not alone out here, it seems - another wanderer. The wind is in the wrong direction for her to catch Zuphi's scent, though. She stays where she is, waiting... and resting her tired paws another few moments.
Hm.. There's another with them. The boy slowly pulls himself onto his feet and he ascends the ledge, ears forward and backfur bristled. If they're here to start something..Well, he's not running away! "Announce yourselves!" he calls out.
Shag raises an eyebrow when he hears someone else call out to them. "We're from Cerulean," he calls back. "Nothing to worry about." The scent... familiar. And there he is! "Zuphi?" Shag calls when the young wolf comes into view. "Is that you?"
Mori keeps his brows furrowed as he studies the newcomer for a few moments then dips his head slightly before padding over toward Niyt's side seemingly having decided that numbers are better currently.
Niyt peers into the shadows. It's a little hard for her to see, but... it does feel like Zuphi, in that odd way she's been growing more sensitive to lately. Her father must be right. She smiles to Mori in passing, jumping down off her rock and padding towards him, her tail wagging gently. "Hello..." she calls out again as she approaches.
"Ah! It's you guys!" Zuphi charges forward. His tail is up and he moves proudly, despite being a pup. He even grins at Shag! "Shag!" His voice seems desperately happy..Shag is perhaps the closest to a parent he knows.
"Oh, thank goodness," Shag whispers. He had thought it might be someone dangerous, for just the slightest of moments. He instead hurries forward, keeping up with Niyt and wagging his tail, dipping his head to meet Zuphi. "What are you doing way out here, you?" he scolds him, but with a smile on his face. They're picking up pups left and right!
Mori lines up with Niyt as she passes him and keeps her pace, a friendly smile and a somewhat happily wagging tail offered Zuphi as they get closer to him.
Niyt smiles, her tail still wagging. She's curious what Zuphi's doing here, too - did he get drawn here like she did, by the spirits that... are strangely quiet in their demands of her now, actually. Like they've gotten what they wanted, for now... that distracts her a little, though she keeps listening for the young wolf's reply.
Zuphi grins big, his heart filling with this unknown...happy feeling as he is welcomed! "Hi!" He paws at Niyt and blushes witha soft whimper. Spotting Mori and noticing that the others seemed fine with him, Zuphi decides he's okay! "Hi! I'm Zuphi!"
Shag notes his behavior with Niyt. For some reason it makes his eye twitch. But he shrugs it off and smiles again, leaning down to nuzzle the youngster. "Zuphi. You shouldn't be this far into the wilderness!" He sighs and looks back towards the distant, /distant/ shape of the butte. He wants to hurry them on, but he doesn't want to push them either. "Zuphi, this is Mori. He recently came to us while we were finding Niyt."
Mori glances up at Shag for a moment as he introduces him then turns his attention on Zuphi again and dips his head respectfully in greeting to the other youngling. "Heya, pleasure to meet ya." A wry but happy smile on his lips as he lets his tail wag freely.
Niyt nuzzles at Zuphi's cheek softly, with a smile for the torn-eared pup. He's her friend, after all, and the only person she knows her own age who understands some of the stranger bits of life. Well, at least as well as she does... enough that they can talk about those things together, despite their very different backgrounds. "I'm glad we met you here, though..." Whatever it is that's brought him, it can't be all bad, since now they've met again. Yeah, there's plenty in her expression at Zuphi to raise Shag's fatherly concern...
Zuphi wags finally and his blush gets a bit hotter..good thing he has dark fur! "Shag, sir.. I ran out here when I started hearing those voices! They stopped when I smelled you guys!"
"You heard voices, did you?" Shag says, tilting his head. "You came out quite a long ways to try and hear..." He stops and looks around, wondering what voices Zuphi could possibly have heard way out here. He squints, and makes a little grunt in his throat. "I think we should keep moving, kids," he says, distractedly, and begins to lumber his large body back towards home.
Mori dips his head once more to Shags words "ofcourse" He remains standing alongside Niyt tho until she starts moving as well. "One can hear and learn quite a lot if one is willing to listen." His voice calm and soft as he looks over toward Niyt as he speaks, Zuphi being kept an eye on from the corner of his eyes.
Voices, huh? That's beginning to sound rather like what got Niyt out here in the first place. She nods as dad says they should keep moving, and starts to trot after him, glancing between both of the other young wolves to make sure they're coming along. "Were you... following the voices, or... running?" she asks Zuphi softly while in motion.
"The voices were pretty scary.." Zuphi admits, dropping his tail a moment. He looks up at Shag, his torn ears pinned back. He's stunned. "You...You mean..I can come with you..?
"Yes," Shag says simply over his shoulder, as though it weren't a very big decision to him. "Of course. Come along, now. I'm not leaving anyone out here." Where he can't look after them. He keeps looking back to make constant headcounts and ensure everyone is with them. "Please, Zuphi... describe these voices. What did they say?"
Mori remains silent for the moment as he simply seems content to study the two other pups around his age and the adults, his gaze while taking the time to study the sorrounding area from time to time so he does not lose the path back home is kept mainly on the other pups, niyt in particular.
Niyt perks her ears at her father's question to Zuphi, curious what he'll say about the voices. Did they want the same thing from him as they did from her? Soft voices to lure at first, and then their insistence for her eyes... her sight, her self, everything. The angry things they screamed as she tried to run... She still hasn't managed to tell her parents about all of what happened. She wants to understand, first - and it frightens her, too, something she doesn't want to invoke again by careless words or actions, or draw attention from what may be lurking unseen...
Eagerly, Zuphi trails after the group..Finally, somewhere to sleep and rest without fear.. Then, the question. "They are very forceful..They scream like they're angry and sometimes they sound like they're being tortured.."
------------- Time Passes ---------------
Isolated Oasis - Mid Autumn (RL day 0)
-----------------------------------------
There's nothing more relaxing than the oasis in the midst of this desert. The winter, however, is coming, which means temperatures are getting to be just right, and the water a little cooler than usual. Shag is there, presiding over the pups that were recently brought back home from their odyssies... well, Mori was still on his. But that doesn't matter. They're resting here until Shag can take Mori straight back to Ute. Alone. He doesn't want Alaqua not here to guard their children, should more... shadows come. It will be trying, going to the forest, but he looks placid and calm as ever, sitting under the bare tree. Eyes closed to take in the mystic quality of the place.
The oasis has been something always lurking on the edges of Niyt's familiarity. Not quite home, but an easy few steps from there. A nice place to visit. She pads towards it, walking along one of the small ridges of the ground that the sand blows up against at a quiet pace - she's a bit tired from the recent travel, though she's definitely gained back some of the weight she lost during her ordeal, even with the effort of the trip back. She pauses, looking back to Mori, wondering just why he was so insistent on coming here.
Mori offers Niyt a happy smile and nuzzle as he passes her heading directly toward the oasis now thats within view, The sight of the pool seemingly having invigorating him in spirit if not in body. A deep breath taken as he reaches up to it and slowly surveying the oasis. his head cocked slightly to the side as if trying to focus on something
Shag opens one of his eyes, just a crack, as Mori comes closer. He glances down at the pup, and then the eye slides shut once again. The rest of him doesn't even twitch. "Well then. Is it everything you dreamed it would be?" he asks calmly.
Niyt smiles at Mori's nuzzle, wagging her tail slightly, then perks an ear at her father's voice, looking over to him. The place seems as it always has to her - but then, just because it's familiar doesn't mean it's not still interesting!
Mori blinks slightly as he looks over toward shag then offers a slight dip in his head, his voice unusually soft as he speaks "its...special" His gaze then giving the area one more sweep before he starts to circle the oasis in an everwidering circle with his nose close to the ground, every once in a while stopping up to dig slightly into the sand, tilting his head slightly for a moment then continuing.
Shag watches Mori with slits for eyes, peering at him in silence. Studying his movements. Watching how... strangely he acts. It reminds Shag of when /he/ was a pup, and that disturbs him. Quietly, he settles in once more. "Niyt," he tells his daughter. "I will speak to you later about what has happened. Alone, please." For now, he calms himself... and reaches out. Not with any physical senses. He doubts, even, that he is strong enough at all to do anything outside of dreams. But if any little tug, however slight, is felt, it will be because either of these pups has the same gift he does.
Niyt laughs a bit at Mori's response. Special? She supposes it is, if you haven't been there before. But it's kind of interesting to watch as Mori investigates... She pauses in padding forward as Shag speaks to her, and nods softly, with just a bit of hesitation. She does want to understand, though... and that sends her to thinking about those things - so perhaps that's why her father's extending sense meets her own, like the feeling of wind brushing against fur - not solid, yet there.
Mori having stopped once more to dig and tilt his head at nothing while the two speaks seems to give an almost unnoticable nod to himself as he starts to dig into the sand seeming quite focused...that is until he suddently turns his equally focused gaze toward Shag for a moment or two with furrowed brows then shakes his head as he returns his focus back to the digging.
There's Niyt. And then... Shag's eyes open slowly. He looks straight at Mori. And sighs, heavily, his big chest rising and falling with one long, loud breath. So it's true. For both of them. He bows his head, like he's grieving for a moment, and then looks at Niyt with a level, but somewhat disturbed gaze. "Niyt, come here," he whispers, suddenly desiring to be close to his daughter.
Niyt turns and pads towards her father, smiling and wagging her tail softly. That wagging slows when she gets a bit closer, and gets good look at his expression - her head tilts to the side, and she quickens her pace to a bit of a trot, coming closer. "Is... something wrong?" He doesn't seem angry, just... a little sad.
Mori lifts his gaze slightly again and looks over toward Niyt, more because of the tone of her voice then what she said considering he didn't actually catch that. His paws however does not stop digging after whatever he seems to think is down there.
"No," Shag says, though he reaches out to tug her closer with one large paw. "Nothing's wrong." But it sounds like it. He dips his head to nuzzle Niyt between the ears and holds her close against his wooly chest, just... wanting her nearby now. "I'm just... so glad. That you're my daughter." He looks over at Mori. "Are you all right?" he asks the pup.
Niyt smiles again as her dad pulls her closer, and her tail makes a back-and-forth thump as she leans in to nuzzle at his thick, shaggy chestfur. "Well... okay." He's her dad, she should believe, him, right? Only, she's starting to have just the littlest bit of doubt. Maybe... maybe her parents aren't invincible. Maybe there are some problems that they can't solve, either. That's a pretty scary thought, and she presses closer. "I'm glad, too..." she replies, with a little shiver.
Mori nods his head slightly before offering a friendly smile, likely the first proper one offered to Shag since they met "I think so, atleast I'm sure I will be soon enough" His gaze returning to the deepening hole he is making muttering more softly to himself "just how deep do I have to go anyhow" His tail wagging slowly as his focus returns to the digging, A sliver of focus tho remains centered on Niyt and Shag which his swirled ears hints toward.
Shag keeps an eye on Mori himself as he cuddles Niyt close, wondering about her future and what this could mean. The balance is upset and is getting worse day by day... he needs to teach her about her heritage and what she may have to do. He smiles for her sake. "I'm glad you're glad," he tells her, bush tail wagging. "How was it? Seeing the outside world?"
Niyt pretty much ignores those glances running back and forth between her father and Mori. She looks up to Shag - there's that smile! - and smiles back. "It was..." An entire world, more than she had ever imagined. "Neat. But... scary, too." She pauses, searching for words, filtering through her memories, then grins at one of them. "I saw trees!" Of course the prospect was exciting to her - all her life, she's heard how her pack used to live among them, but left. Everyone else but her and her siblings knew all about them - and now she does, too!
Mori blinks slightly, sniffs a few times then redoubles his efforts quite sure whatever he is seeking is moments within his reach, the surrounding world totally ignored in all possible senses of the word.
"Ahhh. Trees." They've now grown to have a place of near paranoia in his mind. "They must have been wonderful to see!" he says, trying to sound excited just like she was. Can't let her know trees are evil, just... what might be lurking in them. "You'll have such a tale to tell your siblings, won't you?" he says with a deep, throaty chuckle. He glances at Mori again, wondering what exactly he's going for.
Niyt nods, smiling. She's too caught up in the memory to notice that supressed unease about the subject. "I will! Lotsa things to tell... and maybe we can go back there, sometimes, so they can see, too?" She's part hopeful, on that last part, and part wistful - she doesn't really understand why they must be here, why the forest is a home for them no longer.
Mori emits a wave of pure joy lasting only for a few moments as his head lifts with a perfectly smooth fistsized obsidian colored rock in his maw as he turns toward the two, his lips curled into as much as a grin as he can with his jaws filled. His paws slowly leading him back toward the group as he seems quite blissfully happy.
A twitch of indecision sweeps over Shag's expression, and he looks away just to hide it from his child. "I..." It passes like Mori's emotional wave, which breaks on Shag's turmoil. He barely notices it, really, and only sees what Mori's doing when he looks over at him, wondering why the digging his stopped. "What do you have there, Mori?" he asks, tilting his head. He's confused as to why the pup would come all this way to... dig. For rocks, apparently.
Niyt stares up at her father's face, hopeful and yet... well, perhaps not really getting an answer is better than getting a clear no. She nods softly, starting to drop her gaze, and then turns as it seems there's something interesting going on behind her. It certainly is a rock. Plenty of those, in the desert, though few quite so black.
Mori slowly places the stone on the ground as he reaches up to the two of them then lies down gently with his paws on each side of it. "I....do not know." His brows furrowing deeply as if halfway wondering that himself, the grin on his muzzle tho dosn't dimish for even a moment. "I only know this is what brought me here." his head tilting slightly as he looks over at the two.
"I see," Shag says, even though he really doesn't. The spirits never showed him... rocks. He settles his head onto his paws. "Well. Try to figure it out. We will have to take you home, now that we've brought you where you wanted to go. We leave as soon as possible." Ute is probably freaking out over a missing pup. He closes his eyes but then... "We will find the forest again," he whispers to Niyt.
Niyt blinks. She turns slightly towards Mori and his prize, lowering her head to peer curiously at the black stone while remaining within her father's paws. "It's... a rock," she says, looking at Mori's expression and then back to the stone. She's perfectly willing to admit her lack of comprehension. "There's lotsa rocks..." she says, with a tilt of her head to the rest of the desert. "Why's this one important?" Why, indeed? What's so important about anything that's been going on - rocks, or trees, or... the forest. She turns her head back towards her father, and smiles. She liked the forest - or at least, the little of it she saw, the few scattered trees there. She nods, decisive and agreeing - and then, as he goes quiet once more, turns her attention back to Mori, her expression inquisitive again.
Mori looks down at his rock and gives it a nudge "I don't know why its important, I do feel content around it tho" his head turning to smile happily at Niyt "Besides, It caused me to meet you and Shag and Alaqua." His tail wagging slowly behind him "new friends!"
Niyt laughs softly, and nods. "Well, I guess..." she replies, considering on it. "There must be easier ways to meet friends than that, though..."
Mori chuckles softly as he hugs the stone close to his chest. "Likely there is" His head dipping slightly in agreement. "Still, where is the fun in always doing things the easy way?"
Niyt goes quiet for a moment. There's been a lot of the hard way, lately. Perhaps a bit of ease is a good thing, but... then she wouldn't find out the answers to her questions. Even if she gets hurt along the way, she wants to have those answers. She lets out a slow sigh, and then smiles. "S'pose that'd get boring..."
Mori lets out a deep breath as he shakes his head slightly "indeed, things might be nice and calm when doing things the easy way" his lips quirking slightly "Sides, i got some time away from my sisters which is nice for a change"
Hey, wait, is Mori saying bad things about girls? "What's wrong with sisters, huh?" Niyt demands. "Family is good t'have!" She's not yet to the stage where time alone can be a good thing, herself... that big bulk of her father sleeping by her is a nice comfort.
Mori snickers and leans over to offer Niyt a gentle nuzzle "Nothing wrong with them, and family is a great thing to have" a content smile appearing on his lips as he seems to settle down to relax "it just feels nice to be a bit by myself with the exception of the present good company"
Niyt seems more or less appeased by that. She nods, and then yawns a little. "Well.. okay." She trails off into another yawn in the middle of that, then smiles a bit. "Think I'm gonna... just nap a little. In... good company." Tired puppy, already halfway to sleep as she settles down.
Mori smiles happily "Sleep well, Niyt" his own head moving to rest alongside that of his new treasure and quickly starts to slide toward sleep himself.