Post by Azoto on May 16, 2011 20:55:45 GMT -5
Those Present:
Anoki (m wolf pup)
Niyt (f Adol. wolf)
Len (f. wolf)
Wind-Blown Lowlands
Tall, flowing grasses extend in every direction here, rolling hills rising up toward the mountains in the south. Down from the craggy precipices churns a nearly constant flow of air, rippling gently through the tall, thick grass. The nearly unending winds cause the few small trees that have taken root here to bend slightly, as though they are simply too tired to continue their unending stretch toward the sun's merciful rays. The perpetual currents of air cause the clouds above to tumble and whisk by, creating strange and dappled shadows on the land below as they pass over the sun, and in this windswept land, thunderheads roll in unexpectedly to rain upon the denizens before moving off as quickly as they arrived.
Welcome, on ye intrepid explorers of the world! .. At least that's what the sunny areas here in the lowlands might say if they could talk, maybe. And over this landscape, the blue-silver eyes of a young pup cast, as Anoki, latest son of the Betas of the Cerulean pack, stands at the precipice of wandering away from the 'safe spot' he was plunked in while still mostly asleep, and into the tall grasses on unsteady feet, his stick of a tail curling slightly to the list of upward in curiosity. Slightly folded puppy ears tell him the wind is saying things. Mostly, 'wush'. Which sounds sort of like the Food Giver's 'shush' sounds. "fuuuuu." He murmurs, in askance: does it have food?
Len is lounging in the sun, sprawled across the ground in a furry heap. Her eyes shut, chin resting serenely on her forepaws; not a care in the world. What care could she have? At the moment, her life was lined up - as perfect as it had ever been. And then there is a noise. The familiar shuffle of puppy paws and clumsy voice - and her ears don't pick the accompanying sound of her friend's motherly tone. The small wolf's eyes open and she searches a moment until she spots Anoki. Ah. Wandering pup. Lovely. She stands, shaking the debris from her fur and trotting over, knowing all to well the dangers of hawks and snakes on the young. "Hello there! Wandered off from mum, have you?" She can imagine Qua flipping her lid.
To Niyt, the wind talks in more elaborate phrases, unwinding stories for the wolfess. She's been absent a fair bit lately - not that most of the rest of the pack has noticed. New puppies are a good distraction like that! Still, she feels she shouldn't stay away too long - and so when she found the scent of her family leading towards the lowlands on her way back from one of her expeditions, she followed it along, at a slow and graceful amble. She's getting near to them now - near enough for her to hear Len's greeting to the pup. She comes closer, stepping up along a ridge to better hear what's going on - though that will also make her more visible.
"Ba?" Asks Anoki, as the sudden voice distracts him from the call of the foodwind, and he turns to stare, wide eyed, at Len. Wuh-oh, what is this? His little nose twitches, and he tries to back up an uncertain step before plopping into a sit on the ground. "buh!" he says, annoyedly, at his feet, looking at them crossly. He gives them a scolding: "da dat da-da dat." And then looks at Len curiously again, tail twitching. "Fuuuu?" he asks, is she fooood?
Len is most certainly not food. "You know, mummy will be looking for you." She scolds gently, lowering herself onto her belly to get to the pup's level, smirking as he falls. "Oh, I hate it when that happens. You tell those pesky paws." Her eyebrow raises as she spots Niyt out of the corner of her eye and turns her head, tail wagging a greeting. "Hello!" She calls, friendly.
An obliging breeze brings the sound of puppy-voice to Niyt's ears, too, and she smiles. Her gaze is unfocused and vague - even Anoki's eyes are more precise than hers, and they're barely open! She nods a greeting to Len, though, more or less to the right place, "Hello," she calls back to the wolf, and then heads in that direction, rustling her way through the grass. As she arrives, she tilts her head curiously at the puppy, triangulating on his sound and getting that warm fuzzy sense of his spirit that's the closest she can manage to sight, these days.
"Muh? Muhm. Mumma." He parrots back at Len, before Anoki looks at his paws again scornfully. Bad things, still wobbly. He gets to his feet, and peers at Len again as she comes to his level. Before he creeps a sloppy foot forward and sniffs at her. No.. She doesn't smell like Mumma, nor like food. "Nuh." He states at Len, before his head turns, ears pricking as much as their floppy selves can at something. Hmm? He blinks-- and yet seems to know this wolf instantly, without even ever having met her, his features becoming the curious, yet happy smile of a contented infant. Yeeeah, now SHE looks like "Mummah!" he stumbles a few steps in his older sister's direction.
"No, not mum. I'm Auntie Len!" She introduces herself in a crooning voice. She turns to grin up at the other female as the pup does, even though she knows for sure that she is not his momma. "Nuh, not mummy. She's not mummy either!" She smiles and wags her tail as the newcomer arrives. "Hey there, I don't believe we've met! I'm Len."
Niyt laughs softly, listening to her little brother's ongoing argument with his body. She still remembers what it was like to fall down for no good reason! When Anoki starts to come towards her, she smiles, her tail lifting up in a wag and her muzzle lowering to his level as she steps towards him. All puppies have a little bit of the same sense that she does - the one that tells them about their family, that keeps them close and safe and helps them find their way home again. She may be only his sister, not actually mama, but... she's still family, and she can recognize that with the same refined sense that he uses instinctively, not yet having forgotten it as he learns other things. "Hello, little bright," she says to the boy, her gaze staring blindly past and through him, and she noses affectionately for where she expects his head to be. "I'm Niyt," she replies to the other grown wolf, head still lowered for Anoki. "His sister."
When nosed, Anoki wiggles his tail and says, happily, "Mumma mumma," bright in voice indeed as he nudges at her snout, and licks with little pink tongue. But then she says a new word, and he stops, listening, and his feet betray him into a sit again he doesn't really notice. "Neee... nuhhh.. Niii. Nit. Nit nit nit." He smacks his lips at the word, and then the other, "Sussa. Sisssssssha. Sisha. Nit Sisha." He beams! Yes! She's his sisha! And her name is Nit! But what about the stranger. Hm. "Anni... Annie... Annie Em!"
"Pleased to meet you, Niyt." Not one to get in the way of a lovely family meeting, she scoots backwards a few inches, observing the happy meeting. "Annie Em...yep that's me." She laughs softly. Annie Em! Annie Em! We're not in Kansas anymore, are we? Nit...Niyt...it's close enough, at least to her knowledge. Annie Em is close to Auntie Len as well, at least in puppy speak.
"That's right," replies Niyt gently. "Niyt. Your sister." She licks back, at Anoki's muzzle and over those floppy little ears. Her nose twitches as she takes in his scent - and her parents' scents, clinging to him. Now, there's just one puzzle left for her - which of her new little brothers -is- this one? Other than the clever one, who figures out words! Puppy speak sometimes defies direct translation, but it all works out in the end. She smiles to Len, and nuzzles Anoki, then lowers herself to a lying down position. "Are you going to be a little wandering star?" she asks him, and laughs. "Or are you a moon, searching for your orbit?"
"Shaaaaaa?" he asks, tilting his head. Anoki ponders that word. Then, "Moooooo-nuh. Mooo! Moooo-nuh moo moo moo." He likes that word. It's fun to say. Ears lay slightly back as he takes the biggest breath he can ever, and then bellows, "MOOOOOOO!" ... Silly Anoki, you're a wolf, not a cow. He beams wide! "Sisha Nit ish mooooo." He plants his forepaws eagerly, and shifts back to his feet, finding Niyt's paws and investigating them. Oh, hey, she's got the same things he does! And they work better than his! He snorts at his paws. "Da-da-da-dat-da." he tells them, "da-dat Sisha Niiit. Nuh buhbuh da." Sniff. Yeah. You better be more like hers! And then, he turns and examines Len. Oh, hey, she's got them too! Hm! He steps tentatively that way, and sniffs at a paw. "Annie 'em mooo?"
Sisha Nit is a moo. How quaint. Her ears tilt back at the loudest moo yet and she tilts her head as she is 'examined' by the little one. "Annie Ems not a moo...Annie Ems a wand'ring star." The other one that was offered worked better for her. Very elequant. Loquacious, in fact. She likes this other female. She lowers her muzzle to return the sniff, breath ruffling little puppy head fur. "Well, at least I was until I came home. You know 'home'? Its where mummy is."
Niyt laughs! "A moon, then," she agrees with her little brother. She splays the toes of her paw as Anoki sniffs at them, and lifts it up a little to thump it back against the ground. It listens to what she says, even! Now why can't Anoki's paws do the same? They will with time, of course. But that's eternity when you're a puppy! "Don't follow too close, little moon," she tells her brother quietly as he turns. "You have to find your own path." A moment's pause, and then she laughs again. "But don't go too far, either. You'll find the middle ground."
"Huh-ome." Little Anoki says, thoughtfully, before he considers the rest. "Annie 'em a Sharrrr." He says. Well, that clears it up! .. but.. not everything. "Wush mooo? Wush shar?" he asks, looking back and forht between them both attentively.
Len looks sideways at Niyt. "Wait till he starts learning the /meanings/ of words. I won't be envying mom when the 'why' days begin." She smiles, tail sweeping the leaves behind her like a wiper. "The moon is the guardian that occupies the dark sky, and the stars are its children. Little lights. We all become a star one day, so we can watch over our little ones long after we've left this wood." She grins, knowing that the puppy won't fully understand the explanation, but the female also holds the knowledge that it may stick somewhere in the back of his head. Someday that will all make sense.
Niyt smiles to Len. "There are at least as many answers as there are questions. Maybe more!" She nods to the explanation, though. "Some stars stay to watch, but some go running across the sky and disappear. But the moon... the moon always returns. Sometimes it goes away for a while, but it always, always comes back," she adds.
... Nup, he didn't understand a single word of that. Except that there was importance in the words, and that moon is like Mumma, and the stars like him and the other things that make noise and smell like him. He crawls closer to Niyt, yawns, and then tries to nudge his face into her belly. All this thinking has made him hungry. "Foooo," he insists, "Foooo."
"Maybe that's life in a nutshell. A stream of questions and worthy answers." She grins. Philosophical. Oooh. And then she giggles as the puppy goes in search of food. "She may look like mummy but she can't quite do everything mummy can" She laughs.
Niyt nuzzles down at Anoki. The real explanation will have to wait until night, when the pup can look up and see that moon - and those stars - and understand. She still remembers that sight. She nudges at the pup again, as he goes looking for food, and repeats what Len said, directly to him. "I don't have food for you, little moon." Eventually, she'll figure out his name, honest! "I'm not mama. Where's mama?" As she asks him, she reaches out her own senses, as well - listening, and feeling for the warm glow of her mother, the familiar sense of her spirit. Anoki probably won't know, being just a pup. That's why he has sisters and aunties to help!
"Mumma.." The little pup scrunches his face up some, and then looks about. He.. doesn't remember which way he came, he was following the wush sound! And all the pretty lights, and a few flitty things and something that made a noise like movement and... Hm. Well, balderdash anyway, Sisha Nit smells like Mommy and Looks like Mommy, so there. He plops down, and begins trying to suck on her fur, getting it all slobbery.
The downside to the lowlands are that...yep hills pretty much look the same, no matter which way you look at them. Especially to a young puppy. But...ewww slobbery fur. A baggage of motherhood Len isn't looking forward to...if children are in her future, that is. The female had denied Alaqua's premonitions until recently, actually. Snickering as Niyt is thoroughly puppy-loved, she adds "Well. Its the little things in life."
So close! There's the fur, and there's the mommy-like smell in it, and those little places that give food... but nothing happens! Even the most vigorous of puppy efforts result in a complete lack of actually getting something to eat. Niyt nuzzles softly at Anoki. "Come on, then," she says, and then rises to her feet, leaning down to pick him up gently by the scruff. Her ears flick, listening carefully for the sounds that will tell her where mama - and thus food - are to be found.
Well, it tastes kind of like mommy, but there's no real smell or taste that tells him he's hit jackpot. Blast! Just when Anoki is about to make a protest though he's picked up by the scruff. "Nuh nuh nuh nuh!" He yips in surprise, eyes going wide, but back end curling up instinctively anyway. He hangs there in surprise, then protests, "Nuh ba! Da ba dat! Nuh-nuh!" And then he flails his little forepaws a little, too. "Mumma!" he looks for Nit in assistance asking and then realizes it IS Niyt who's carrying. Aw c'moooon. "NU! NU NU NU!"
Lexus has disconnected.
Len chortles, rising as well, if anything to be ready to catch a falling, flailing puppy. "Oh be still, little on!" She chides, in Niyt's place as her mouth is full. "Mumma is nearby, little moon!" she offers, then attempts to narrow it down to better baby speak. "Mumma -" she nods in the direction of...another hill. Well, Alaqua has to be /somewhere/ in that direction.
So mean. Taking him away from adventure, stopping him from arguing with those paws of his about how to carry him. Niyt's just mean like that. She can't answer his protests - well, she could if she put him down, but she's not about to do that! - so instead she lets Len do all the arguing that there is to be done. Not that she expects it to do much good! She thinks she has a direction for where mama Alaqua is, though, between scent and spirit-feel - not to mention Anoki's own trail, and so she starts in that direction, despite the flailing paws and protests from her little brother.
"NU! NU NU NU!" Oh so close. He at least has a general knowledge of the meaning of that sound if not the actual grasp of it. "Nu!" The little 'Nus' continue as he tries to flail through the dangling, eventually stopping because of his natural fear of falling, but the little protests? Nup. "Nu nu nu nu nu nu. Da ba! Da ba! Nu nu! Nu Annie 'Em! Nu Sisha Nit! Nu nu nu! Wa shay heee!"
"Oh, you can nu, nu, nu till the moon comes up." Or the moo. Same thing. "But do you want food?" Something clicks in her mind. Ah. Fu...fu means food. "Fu is with Mummy. Want to go see Mummy?" She wags her tail and smiles encouragingly, leaning forward to nose at the pup. "So stop your wigglin'!"
A very all-purpose word, 'no' is. It's one of the easiest things for a puppy to understand the meaning of... DO NOT WANT! comes shortly after 'mama' and 'food' in the set of concepts that matter. Of course, sometimes, what a puppy thinks he wants isn't the same as what the bigger wolves around him think he -actually- wants. Are they right? Maybe. But how can they tell whether a little puppy wants food or mama more? Len is trying to ask that question right now - assuming she can get it through to Anoki!
Floppy ears half lay back, as he sscooooooowls like a betrayed cat. Fuu? Hm. Well, yes, he's hungry, but he doesn't want to leave the place he just was, either! He knows he heard the wush sound Mumma makes! But he's not in a position to walk away-- although brieflt, he does try, feet suddenly peddaling in the air: "Nu. Wa shay hee!" He squeaks again, trying to get free in a last ditch effort! ... Only to sigh resignedly as he finds himself in a carry. "Wa shay heeeeeee."
"But foods not here." Len reason. "Mumma gives milk, not sister Niyt and not...Annie Em." She likes that better than 'Auntie Len'. Cute. Puppy cute. "At least he's getting some excersize." She grins. "No fat puppies when sister Niyts carrying you." She trots along behind the two, continuing her failed puppy logic. "You can always go back when you've got mumma and food."
Reason? Logic? That's so not going to work on a puppy. Now, carrying him so that he can't get away - yeah, that has decent odds of success. He's getting so heavy, though! Niyt didn't realize just how big a pup could seem, until now.
Well, yes, once they get a certain amount of food, they become roly-poly. And Alaqua is a good mom, always there when the pups want her. Except, of course, when they want but don't want her. Anoki, dejectedly reserved to his fate, simply babbles back at Len: "Essa-si? Nuuu. Wa shay he, no essa si." he's not hungry any more! ... even if he is! "Nu fa. An'ki nu fa, wan' shay he."
Len shakes her head. "I'm sure that was a terribly convincing argument that we'll have to drop because...well, when sister Niyt makes up her mind, she makes up her mind." Of course, she isn't sure of this, having only met the wolf but it helps to sound like you know what you're talking about when speaking to puppies. At least she assumes it is.
The implacable force that is Niyt carries on, bringing Anoki with her. She understands his argument pretty well, herself - but then, she's still fairly young. She remembers when she was the one wandering off - and maybe, just maybe, that's the reason she's so insistent that Anoki can't. For all that it got her new experiences and friends... it had consequences, too, and on some of those nights, when she looks up and can't see the moon, she's not certain whether it was worth it. That's why she's going to return Anoki to mama - even if the boypup probably couldn't get into any real trouble, today. Alaqua hasn't gone far, she's sure of that much. Probably just curled up to grab a quick nap somewhere, worn out from her puppies.
Well fine, if he's gonna be forced to do what these crazy women want, then they're at least going to entertain him on their search for his mum, who probably IS laying down somewhere nearby. Likely somewhere shaded. Anoki babbles more, "Annie Em teh Sisha Nit dow dow." He says, considering. His little mind is working. Hm. "No wa fuu no mah. Wa shay he! Wa shay no wa moo luck." Then he considers, Now what was that noise his mum always said to his big hairy other mum says? "Peeeeees!"
Oh, honey. You're always going to be doing what the women want...its the curse of the male. "I can tell her but she just won't listen! She knows whats /best/ for you." She nods sagely. "You may be able to make mumma come back here." at the please she melts. "Awwww - No. No. Be strong. You're going to mumma, little moon!"
Niyt pads up one gentle slope - puppies are soooo heavy. Seriously, what is Alaqua feeding this one? Rocks? Small mountains? - and then pauses. There mama is, just down the other side, where there's a little gully worn out by rain. She's sleeping, tucked under a little overhang that can only halfway shade her. Niyt can feel her close, smell her scent - but it's hard to pinpoint a location when you can't actually see what you're doing, and the sound of quiet breaths are concealed by the wind's noise. She takes a deep breath, trying to concentrate - but heavy puppy distracts her with his scent and makes it hard for her to concentrate for the spirit-feel. She knows she's close, but...
Ears perk slightly, as the little boy-pup starts to recognize the area now. Okay, they're close to Mumma, maybe now these crazy she-girl puppy conspirators will put him down! He paddles in the air again. "Mumma! Mumma! "E fi mumma, 'ow dow dow a' go ba! Annie Em, Sisha Nit, go ba now! Pees!"
Len had noticed Niyt's cautious movement, and slight miscalculations when reaching to the puppy but it only now hits her that sight may have left the other female. She quietly moves forward to nudge her in a minor turn towards Alaqua. "Just to the left." But it seems that the pup knows his way and is finally ready to be released. She leaves that decision up to Big Sister.
Niyt adjusts herself as Len suggests, and takes another few steps forward. Not quite to mama - but close. Close enough that even Anoki's stumbling puppy-paws will be able to get there easily. Assuming, of course, that he decides food -is- more important. All this questing may simply be in vain, as he decides to turn himself around and run back to that grassy spot he was so fond of. Well, she's not going to retrieve him again! ...though she will follow him, to make sure he's safe. She lowers her head, and then... the jaws release! Anoki is free again!
FREEE! FREEDOM, FREE! "FEEEE!" He squeaks, legs already moving before they hit the ground. Anoki manages to make a complete circle of scrambling about on his legs before he considers thoughtfully, standing there, and begins looking back and forth. Hm. There's Mumma and food.. But there's also back to where he was. Food? Explore? Food, explore? Foooo-splore! He starts to spin in a little circle, obviously not very decisive, before he plops into a sit.... And ends up staring at the two older wolves. Well? /Now/ what?
Len watches in amusement as the pup flies back and forth back and forth...hm choices. "Food first, then play?" she offers reasonably to the stumped pup. "Ooor maybe you'll be sleepy after food."
Niyt lifts up her muzzle, sniffing at the air. Now that the scent isn't being overwhelmed, she has a better sense of where Alaqua must be. She leans down, nudging at - the air to one side of Anoki, and then the pup himself, with a playful nosebump, and then she continues to trot towards mama. Maybe he'll follow. Or maybe he won't. Who can know the mind of a pup? ...pretty much nobody, including the pup himself some days.
Ears wiggle brifly, and then, with Niyt trotting towards Alaqua, he considers that she must know best, so he stands, and wibble-wobbles his way in that direction. The closer he gets though, that familiar smell... mmm. Anoki licks his snout, and then, happily, plods closer, prods as his sleeping mum's tummy, and then settles in, paws prodding occasionally at the side of his mouth.
Well, her jobs done here! Shaking the remnants of dust from her fur she trots along quietly, not wishing to wake mum and then settles down quietly some distance back. She doesn't want to wake Alaqua - no matter how cheery her good friend is, she also knows the effect of puppies and lack of sleep on females and knows that THAT is not something she wishes to interfere with.
Niyt grins. Somehow, she thought the smell of mama would do the trick. She wags her tail, hearing Anoki flop down and begin to suckle, and she settles down nearby herself, resting for now. "There will be time for more adventures later, I'm sure..." she says quietly, and lowers her head to rest on her forelegs, half-dozing herself.
Anoki (m wolf pup)
Niyt (f Adol. wolf)
Len (f. wolf)
Wind-Blown Lowlands
Tall, flowing grasses extend in every direction here, rolling hills rising up toward the mountains in the south. Down from the craggy precipices churns a nearly constant flow of air, rippling gently through the tall, thick grass. The nearly unending winds cause the few small trees that have taken root here to bend slightly, as though they are simply too tired to continue their unending stretch toward the sun's merciful rays. The perpetual currents of air cause the clouds above to tumble and whisk by, creating strange and dappled shadows on the land below as they pass over the sun, and in this windswept land, thunderheads roll in unexpectedly to rain upon the denizens before moving off as quickly as they arrived.
Welcome, on ye intrepid explorers of the world! .. At least that's what the sunny areas here in the lowlands might say if they could talk, maybe. And over this landscape, the blue-silver eyes of a young pup cast, as Anoki, latest son of the Betas of the Cerulean pack, stands at the precipice of wandering away from the 'safe spot' he was plunked in while still mostly asleep, and into the tall grasses on unsteady feet, his stick of a tail curling slightly to the list of upward in curiosity. Slightly folded puppy ears tell him the wind is saying things. Mostly, 'wush'. Which sounds sort of like the Food Giver's 'shush' sounds. "fuuuuu." He murmurs, in askance: does it have food?
Len is lounging in the sun, sprawled across the ground in a furry heap. Her eyes shut, chin resting serenely on her forepaws; not a care in the world. What care could she have? At the moment, her life was lined up - as perfect as it had ever been. And then there is a noise. The familiar shuffle of puppy paws and clumsy voice - and her ears don't pick the accompanying sound of her friend's motherly tone. The small wolf's eyes open and she searches a moment until she spots Anoki. Ah. Wandering pup. Lovely. She stands, shaking the debris from her fur and trotting over, knowing all to well the dangers of hawks and snakes on the young. "Hello there! Wandered off from mum, have you?" She can imagine Qua flipping her lid.
To Niyt, the wind talks in more elaborate phrases, unwinding stories for the wolfess. She's been absent a fair bit lately - not that most of the rest of the pack has noticed. New puppies are a good distraction like that! Still, she feels she shouldn't stay away too long - and so when she found the scent of her family leading towards the lowlands on her way back from one of her expeditions, she followed it along, at a slow and graceful amble. She's getting near to them now - near enough for her to hear Len's greeting to the pup. She comes closer, stepping up along a ridge to better hear what's going on - though that will also make her more visible.
"Ba?" Asks Anoki, as the sudden voice distracts him from the call of the foodwind, and he turns to stare, wide eyed, at Len. Wuh-oh, what is this? His little nose twitches, and he tries to back up an uncertain step before plopping into a sit on the ground. "buh!" he says, annoyedly, at his feet, looking at them crossly. He gives them a scolding: "da dat da-da dat." And then looks at Len curiously again, tail twitching. "Fuuuu?" he asks, is she fooood?
Len is most certainly not food. "You know, mummy will be looking for you." She scolds gently, lowering herself onto her belly to get to the pup's level, smirking as he falls. "Oh, I hate it when that happens. You tell those pesky paws." Her eyebrow raises as she spots Niyt out of the corner of her eye and turns her head, tail wagging a greeting. "Hello!" She calls, friendly.
An obliging breeze brings the sound of puppy-voice to Niyt's ears, too, and she smiles. Her gaze is unfocused and vague - even Anoki's eyes are more precise than hers, and they're barely open! She nods a greeting to Len, though, more or less to the right place, "Hello," she calls back to the wolf, and then heads in that direction, rustling her way through the grass. As she arrives, she tilts her head curiously at the puppy, triangulating on his sound and getting that warm fuzzy sense of his spirit that's the closest she can manage to sight, these days.
"Muh? Muhm. Mumma." He parrots back at Len, before Anoki looks at his paws again scornfully. Bad things, still wobbly. He gets to his feet, and peers at Len again as she comes to his level. Before he creeps a sloppy foot forward and sniffs at her. No.. She doesn't smell like Mumma, nor like food. "Nuh." He states at Len, before his head turns, ears pricking as much as their floppy selves can at something. Hmm? He blinks-- and yet seems to know this wolf instantly, without even ever having met her, his features becoming the curious, yet happy smile of a contented infant. Yeeeah, now SHE looks like "Mummah!" he stumbles a few steps in his older sister's direction.
"No, not mum. I'm Auntie Len!" She introduces herself in a crooning voice. She turns to grin up at the other female as the pup does, even though she knows for sure that she is not his momma. "Nuh, not mummy. She's not mummy either!" She smiles and wags her tail as the newcomer arrives. "Hey there, I don't believe we've met! I'm Len."
Niyt laughs softly, listening to her little brother's ongoing argument with his body. She still remembers what it was like to fall down for no good reason! When Anoki starts to come towards her, she smiles, her tail lifting up in a wag and her muzzle lowering to his level as she steps towards him. All puppies have a little bit of the same sense that she does - the one that tells them about their family, that keeps them close and safe and helps them find their way home again. She may be only his sister, not actually mama, but... she's still family, and she can recognize that with the same refined sense that he uses instinctively, not yet having forgotten it as he learns other things. "Hello, little bright," she says to the boy, her gaze staring blindly past and through him, and she noses affectionately for where she expects his head to be. "I'm Niyt," she replies to the other grown wolf, head still lowered for Anoki. "His sister."
When nosed, Anoki wiggles his tail and says, happily, "Mumma mumma," bright in voice indeed as he nudges at her snout, and licks with little pink tongue. But then she says a new word, and he stops, listening, and his feet betray him into a sit again he doesn't really notice. "Neee... nuhhh.. Niii. Nit. Nit nit nit." He smacks his lips at the word, and then the other, "Sussa. Sisssssssha. Sisha. Nit Sisha." He beams! Yes! She's his sisha! And her name is Nit! But what about the stranger. Hm. "Anni... Annie... Annie Em!"
"Pleased to meet you, Niyt." Not one to get in the way of a lovely family meeting, she scoots backwards a few inches, observing the happy meeting. "Annie Em...yep that's me." She laughs softly. Annie Em! Annie Em! We're not in Kansas anymore, are we? Nit...Niyt...it's close enough, at least to her knowledge. Annie Em is close to Auntie Len as well, at least in puppy speak.
"That's right," replies Niyt gently. "Niyt. Your sister." She licks back, at Anoki's muzzle and over those floppy little ears. Her nose twitches as she takes in his scent - and her parents' scents, clinging to him. Now, there's just one puzzle left for her - which of her new little brothers -is- this one? Other than the clever one, who figures out words! Puppy speak sometimes defies direct translation, but it all works out in the end. She smiles to Len, and nuzzles Anoki, then lowers herself to a lying down position. "Are you going to be a little wandering star?" she asks him, and laughs. "Or are you a moon, searching for your orbit?"
"Shaaaaaa?" he asks, tilting his head. Anoki ponders that word. Then, "Moooooo-nuh. Mooo! Moooo-nuh moo moo moo." He likes that word. It's fun to say. Ears lay slightly back as he takes the biggest breath he can ever, and then bellows, "MOOOOOOO!" ... Silly Anoki, you're a wolf, not a cow. He beams wide! "Sisha Nit ish mooooo." He plants his forepaws eagerly, and shifts back to his feet, finding Niyt's paws and investigating them. Oh, hey, she's got the same things he does! And they work better than his! He snorts at his paws. "Da-da-da-dat-da." he tells them, "da-dat Sisha Niiit. Nuh buhbuh da." Sniff. Yeah. You better be more like hers! And then, he turns and examines Len. Oh, hey, she's got them too! Hm! He steps tentatively that way, and sniffs at a paw. "Annie 'em mooo?"
Sisha Nit is a moo. How quaint. Her ears tilt back at the loudest moo yet and she tilts her head as she is 'examined' by the little one. "Annie Ems not a moo...Annie Ems a wand'ring star." The other one that was offered worked better for her. Very elequant. Loquacious, in fact. She likes this other female. She lowers her muzzle to return the sniff, breath ruffling little puppy head fur. "Well, at least I was until I came home. You know 'home'? Its where mummy is."
Niyt laughs! "A moon, then," she agrees with her little brother. She splays the toes of her paw as Anoki sniffs at them, and lifts it up a little to thump it back against the ground. It listens to what she says, even! Now why can't Anoki's paws do the same? They will with time, of course. But that's eternity when you're a puppy! "Don't follow too close, little moon," she tells her brother quietly as he turns. "You have to find your own path." A moment's pause, and then she laughs again. "But don't go too far, either. You'll find the middle ground."
"Huh-ome." Little Anoki says, thoughtfully, before he considers the rest. "Annie 'em a Sharrrr." He says. Well, that clears it up! .. but.. not everything. "Wush mooo? Wush shar?" he asks, looking back and forht between them both attentively.
Len looks sideways at Niyt. "Wait till he starts learning the /meanings/ of words. I won't be envying mom when the 'why' days begin." She smiles, tail sweeping the leaves behind her like a wiper. "The moon is the guardian that occupies the dark sky, and the stars are its children. Little lights. We all become a star one day, so we can watch over our little ones long after we've left this wood." She grins, knowing that the puppy won't fully understand the explanation, but the female also holds the knowledge that it may stick somewhere in the back of his head. Someday that will all make sense.
Niyt smiles to Len. "There are at least as many answers as there are questions. Maybe more!" She nods to the explanation, though. "Some stars stay to watch, but some go running across the sky and disappear. But the moon... the moon always returns. Sometimes it goes away for a while, but it always, always comes back," she adds.
... Nup, he didn't understand a single word of that. Except that there was importance in the words, and that moon is like Mumma, and the stars like him and the other things that make noise and smell like him. He crawls closer to Niyt, yawns, and then tries to nudge his face into her belly. All this thinking has made him hungry. "Foooo," he insists, "Foooo."
"Maybe that's life in a nutshell. A stream of questions and worthy answers." She grins. Philosophical. Oooh. And then she giggles as the puppy goes in search of food. "She may look like mummy but she can't quite do everything mummy can" She laughs.
Niyt nuzzles down at Anoki. The real explanation will have to wait until night, when the pup can look up and see that moon - and those stars - and understand. She still remembers that sight. She nudges at the pup again, as he goes looking for food, and repeats what Len said, directly to him. "I don't have food for you, little moon." Eventually, she'll figure out his name, honest! "I'm not mama. Where's mama?" As she asks him, she reaches out her own senses, as well - listening, and feeling for the warm glow of her mother, the familiar sense of her spirit. Anoki probably won't know, being just a pup. That's why he has sisters and aunties to help!
"Mumma.." The little pup scrunches his face up some, and then looks about. He.. doesn't remember which way he came, he was following the wush sound! And all the pretty lights, and a few flitty things and something that made a noise like movement and... Hm. Well, balderdash anyway, Sisha Nit smells like Mommy and Looks like Mommy, so there. He plops down, and begins trying to suck on her fur, getting it all slobbery.
The downside to the lowlands are that...yep hills pretty much look the same, no matter which way you look at them. Especially to a young puppy. But...ewww slobbery fur. A baggage of motherhood Len isn't looking forward to...if children are in her future, that is. The female had denied Alaqua's premonitions until recently, actually. Snickering as Niyt is thoroughly puppy-loved, she adds "Well. Its the little things in life."
So close! There's the fur, and there's the mommy-like smell in it, and those little places that give food... but nothing happens! Even the most vigorous of puppy efforts result in a complete lack of actually getting something to eat. Niyt nuzzles softly at Anoki. "Come on, then," she says, and then rises to her feet, leaning down to pick him up gently by the scruff. Her ears flick, listening carefully for the sounds that will tell her where mama - and thus food - are to be found.
Well, it tastes kind of like mommy, but there's no real smell or taste that tells him he's hit jackpot. Blast! Just when Anoki is about to make a protest though he's picked up by the scruff. "Nuh nuh nuh nuh!" He yips in surprise, eyes going wide, but back end curling up instinctively anyway. He hangs there in surprise, then protests, "Nuh ba! Da ba dat! Nuh-nuh!" And then he flails his little forepaws a little, too. "Mumma!" he looks for Nit in assistance asking and then realizes it IS Niyt who's carrying. Aw c'moooon. "NU! NU NU NU!"
Lexus has disconnected.
Len chortles, rising as well, if anything to be ready to catch a falling, flailing puppy. "Oh be still, little on!" She chides, in Niyt's place as her mouth is full. "Mumma is nearby, little moon!" she offers, then attempts to narrow it down to better baby speak. "Mumma -" she nods in the direction of...another hill. Well, Alaqua has to be /somewhere/ in that direction.
So mean. Taking him away from adventure, stopping him from arguing with those paws of his about how to carry him. Niyt's just mean like that. She can't answer his protests - well, she could if she put him down, but she's not about to do that! - so instead she lets Len do all the arguing that there is to be done. Not that she expects it to do much good! She thinks she has a direction for where mama Alaqua is, though, between scent and spirit-feel - not to mention Anoki's own trail, and so she starts in that direction, despite the flailing paws and protests from her little brother.
"NU! NU NU NU!" Oh so close. He at least has a general knowledge of the meaning of that sound if not the actual grasp of it. "Nu!" The little 'Nus' continue as he tries to flail through the dangling, eventually stopping because of his natural fear of falling, but the little protests? Nup. "Nu nu nu nu nu nu. Da ba! Da ba! Nu nu! Nu Annie 'Em! Nu Sisha Nit! Nu nu nu! Wa shay heee!"
"Oh, you can nu, nu, nu till the moon comes up." Or the moo. Same thing. "But do you want food?" Something clicks in her mind. Ah. Fu...fu means food. "Fu is with Mummy. Want to go see Mummy?" She wags her tail and smiles encouragingly, leaning forward to nose at the pup. "So stop your wigglin'!"
A very all-purpose word, 'no' is. It's one of the easiest things for a puppy to understand the meaning of... DO NOT WANT! comes shortly after 'mama' and 'food' in the set of concepts that matter. Of course, sometimes, what a puppy thinks he wants isn't the same as what the bigger wolves around him think he -actually- wants. Are they right? Maybe. But how can they tell whether a little puppy wants food or mama more? Len is trying to ask that question right now - assuming she can get it through to Anoki!
Floppy ears half lay back, as he sscooooooowls like a betrayed cat. Fuu? Hm. Well, yes, he's hungry, but he doesn't want to leave the place he just was, either! He knows he heard the wush sound Mumma makes! But he's not in a position to walk away-- although brieflt, he does try, feet suddenly peddaling in the air: "Nu. Wa shay hee!" He squeaks again, trying to get free in a last ditch effort! ... Only to sigh resignedly as he finds himself in a carry. "Wa shay heeeeeee."
"But foods not here." Len reason. "Mumma gives milk, not sister Niyt and not...Annie Em." She likes that better than 'Auntie Len'. Cute. Puppy cute. "At least he's getting some excersize." She grins. "No fat puppies when sister Niyts carrying you." She trots along behind the two, continuing her failed puppy logic. "You can always go back when you've got mumma and food."
Reason? Logic? That's so not going to work on a puppy. Now, carrying him so that he can't get away - yeah, that has decent odds of success. He's getting so heavy, though! Niyt didn't realize just how big a pup could seem, until now.
Well, yes, once they get a certain amount of food, they become roly-poly. And Alaqua is a good mom, always there when the pups want her. Except, of course, when they want but don't want her. Anoki, dejectedly reserved to his fate, simply babbles back at Len: "Essa-si? Nuuu. Wa shay he, no essa si." he's not hungry any more! ... even if he is! "Nu fa. An'ki nu fa, wan' shay he."
Len shakes her head. "I'm sure that was a terribly convincing argument that we'll have to drop because...well, when sister Niyt makes up her mind, she makes up her mind." Of course, she isn't sure of this, having only met the wolf but it helps to sound like you know what you're talking about when speaking to puppies. At least she assumes it is.
The implacable force that is Niyt carries on, bringing Anoki with her. She understands his argument pretty well, herself - but then, she's still fairly young. She remembers when she was the one wandering off - and maybe, just maybe, that's the reason she's so insistent that Anoki can't. For all that it got her new experiences and friends... it had consequences, too, and on some of those nights, when she looks up and can't see the moon, she's not certain whether it was worth it. That's why she's going to return Anoki to mama - even if the boypup probably couldn't get into any real trouble, today. Alaqua hasn't gone far, she's sure of that much. Probably just curled up to grab a quick nap somewhere, worn out from her puppies.
Well fine, if he's gonna be forced to do what these crazy women want, then they're at least going to entertain him on their search for his mum, who probably IS laying down somewhere nearby. Likely somewhere shaded. Anoki babbles more, "Annie Em teh Sisha Nit dow dow." He says, considering. His little mind is working. Hm. "No wa fuu no mah. Wa shay he! Wa shay no wa moo luck." Then he considers, Now what was that noise his mum always said to his big hairy other mum says? "Peeeeees!"
Oh, honey. You're always going to be doing what the women want...its the curse of the male. "I can tell her but she just won't listen! She knows whats /best/ for you." She nods sagely. "You may be able to make mumma come back here." at the please she melts. "Awwww - No. No. Be strong. You're going to mumma, little moon!"
Niyt pads up one gentle slope - puppies are soooo heavy. Seriously, what is Alaqua feeding this one? Rocks? Small mountains? - and then pauses. There mama is, just down the other side, where there's a little gully worn out by rain. She's sleeping, tucked under a little overhang that can only halfway shade her. Niyt can feel her close, smell her scent - but it's hard to pinpoint a location when you can't actually see what you're doing, and the sound of quiet breaths are concealed by the wind's noise. She takes a deep breath, trying to concentrate - but heavy puppy distracts her with his scent and makes it hard for her to concentrate for the spirit-feel. She knows she's close, but...
Ears perk slightly, as the little boy-pup starts to recognize the area now. Okay, they're close to Mumma, maybe now these crazy she-girl puppy conspirators will put him down! He paddles in the air again. "Mumma! Mumma! "E fi mumma, 'ow dow dow a' go ba! Annie Em, Sisha Nit, go ba now! Pees!"
Len had noticed Niyt's cautious movement, and slight miscalculations when reaching to the puppy but it only now hits her that sight may have left the other female. She quietly moves forward to nudge her in a minor turn towards Alaqua. "Just to the left." But it seems that the pup knows his way and is finally ready to be released. She leaves that decision up to Big Sister.
Niyt adjusts herself as Len suggests, and takes another few steps forward. Not quite to mama - but close. Close enough that even Anoki's stumbling puppy-paws will be able to get there easily. Assuming, of course, that he decides food -is- more important. All this questing may simply be in vain, as he decides to turn himself around and run back to that grassy spot he was so fond of. Well, she's not going to retrieve him again! ...though she will follow him, to make sure he's safe. She lowers her head, and then... the jaws release! Anoki is free again!
FREEE! FREEDOM, FREE! "FEEEE!" He squeaks, legs already moving before they hit the ground. Anoki manages to make a complete circle of scrambling about on his legs before he considers thoughtfully, standing there, and begins looking back and forth. Hm. There's Mumma and food.. But there's also back to where he was. Food? Explore? Food, explore? Foooo-splore! He starts to spin in a little circle, obviously not very decisive, before he plops into a sit.... And ends up staring at the two older wolves. Well? /Now/ what?
Len watches in amusement as the pup flies back and forth back and forth...hm choices. "Food first, then play?" she offers reasonably to the stumped pup. "Ooor maybe you'll be sleepy after food."
Niyt lifts up her muzzle, sniffing at the air. Now that the scent isn't being overwhelmed, she has a better sense of where Alaqua must be. She leans down, nudging at - the air to one side of Anoki, and then the pup himself, with a playful nosebump, and then she continues to trot towards mama. Maybe he'll follow. Or maybe he won't. Who can know the mind of a pup? ...pretty much nobody, including the pup himself some days.
Ears wiggle brifly, and then, with Niyt trotting towards Alaqua, he considers that she must know best, so he stands, and wibble-wobbles his way in that direction. The closer he gets though, that familiar smell... mmm. Anoki licks his snout, and then, happily, plods closer, prods as his sleeping mum's tummy, and then settles in, paws prodding occasionally at the side of his mouth.
Well, her jobs done here! Shaking the remnants of dust from her fur she trots along quietly, not wishing to wake mum and then settles down quietly some distance back. She doesn't want to wake Alaqua - no matter how cheery her good friend is, she also knows the effect of puppies and lack of sleep on females and knows that THAT is not something she wishes to interfere with.
Niyt grins. Somehow, she thought the smell of mama would do the trick. She wags her tail, hearing Anoki flop down and begin to suckle, and she settles down nearby herself, resting for now. "There will be time for more adventures later, I'm sure..." she says quietly, and lowers her head to rest on her forelegs, half-dozing herself.