Post by Pavane on Jan 20, 2012 2:28:38 GMT -5
Wachiwa - female wolf
Hadir - male juvenile wolf
Ikuna - male adolescent wolf
Tala - female adolescent wolf
---Hilltop Vista---
Summer sun overhead, the wind lightly listing through the grass, a perfect time for laying around and lazing. As far as Wachiwa knows, the pups she's been watching have grown up; and the pups she'll soon watch are still in the den with their mother; of course, Chewy has never had a good grasp of 'time' as far as 'growing' is concerned. Plus, well. Sun is good for laying in, and never knowing when the next horrible snow will come, Wachiwa wants to take advantage of it! Thus, Chewy has moved her usual daytime siesta out of the shade and into the sunlight, laying there with head on her forepaws, and a serene smile on her face. Ears twitch lazily as a fly buzzes about, or a mosquito tries to convince her to give up some of her blood. But really, what more to peace is there.
Hadir doesn't really have that much of a conception of time either. He mostly just sticks around the top of the hill and interacts with whoever is awake. He sees his father infrequently but always loves it when he can see him. His mother mainly stays in the den. His main source of interaction has been with Ahiga and Ikuna, though he has seen Tala around as well from time to time. At the present time the pup is mainly occupied with learning to talk and has made some progress in that regard. He doesn't generally have a great deal of energy and so spends some of his day sleeping either in or just outside the den. Today he is sitting by the hole that leads down into the den not really doing much of anything.
Ikuna is totally grown up, yes. Entirely. ...okay, so maybe not quite, but it's easy to think that when you're an adolescent, and easy to keep thinking that when most of the adults of the pack are too busy with PUPPIES! to pay more than cursory attention to the youngsters old enough to take care of themselves. He and his friends have been doing serious adult stuff like hunting and patrolling. Or sometimes, having serious adolescent conversations while out allegedly hunting. Or playing games, when there's nobody looking or they have the excuse of pupsitting. Or sometimes, when the sun is hot and the day is long... lying sprawled out partway down the hill, half-shaded by a boulder. Zzzzz.
Ear twitching in lazyness, Wachiwa yaaaaawwwwns as she stirs breifly, never opening her eyes to the sunlight, before setting her head back on her paws, rolling slightly to the blind side as her eyes then slowly crack open. The right has finally healed enough that she could pry the lid open with washing and rubbing; but there's nothing to be made as far as sight goes with the eye anymore; the striking blue of her left eye contrasted by the milky white of the right. Lazily she takes in the surrounding; Ikuna her favorite on the hill, and-- hello, new face. She smiles, tail twitching into a slight pat on the ground, before she coos in the direction of Hadir; though does not move.
Hadir blinks as he hears the coo and turns his the direction of the older wolf. Well she certainly looks different than the rest of the group with the eye issue. Though that thought doesn't really linger much in the pups mind. He is more interested in this new individual than Ikuna who he has already met. He raises himself to his paws after a stretch and begins to make his way over toward Wachiwa, "S'up." he states. Yes. Ahiga has been teaching him how to talk and it most definitely shows. He is very interested in words at the present time. All sorts of words. He definitely wants to learn how to make himself known just like these older wolves do.
It's warm. He's comfy. Ikuna hears the sounds of the others at some level, but they're not the sort of thing to galvanize him into motion. They're cheerful, happy sounds. Nothing to worry about. So, for now - he keeps on sleeping, if perhaps a bit less deeply than before. Zzz. Definitely the less interesting option for young Hadir to investigate.
A grin crosses Chewy's face-- Yup, Ahiga's met this one. "Hello, little one. You must be one of Shawnee and Skahla's! Hello, I'm your aunty! That means your momma is my sister." She grins, lifting her head and sliding up into a sit, craning snout down to meet him with snuffling, poking nose and gentle licks about the ears and shoulders, tail starting to thump. "Can you tell me your name?" She asks, grinning proudly of him.
Hadir is slowly but surely able to understand more about what is being said. He doesn't always have the words to express the answers that others want though. He accepts the licks and offers a laugh in return. Yep. Most of the time the pup is a pretty happy fellow. It would take alot to cause him real irritation. He understands that she wants his name, though he doesn't properly understand that his parents have different names other than 'mom' and 'dad' yet, "Dir!" he says to her. He has managed to figure out that is at least part of what his parents call him.
"Dir, huh," Wachiwa muses, "Then you must be Hodir." She grins, and nuzzles at him, offering, "My name is Wachiwa. But you can call me Chewy.. Choooooo-weeee. Everyone does." She offers. "Your Mom is my sister. You've got sisters, right?" She grins. She's trying to see, to guage, how much he knows, to see what she needs to work with (eventually anyway.) She's also interested in seeing how her sister has been with her pups... She feels slightly out of touch in that area; her sister being as hard to catch up with as the Pack Leader.
Hadir is definitely Hadir, "Chooooooooooooo eeeyyyyyy." he responds. Ok thats a cool sound. He will have to remember that. He has also picked up that Ikuna has a name as well from listening during the conversation that the boys father had with the young wolf. He certainly knows that he has sisters. He sees them all the time and by and large he likes them, though they can be kinda weird sometimes, "Ya." he says in response. He gives his head a bit of a shake to stop a bit of buzzing in his ears.
A grin at the little'un. And Chewy remarks, "That's good, you know! To have sisters and brothers." She grins, and nuzzles at him. "I have your mummy as a sister, and my brother is..." She trails. And frowns. And sighs. As much as she loves Mori, she knows she is likely the only one to have forgiven him what he did. "Not here." She says, with a frown to herself, before smiling again. "So! What words do you know? Show me! So I can see how awesome you are!" She grins.
Warm and comfy can only do so much to keep a wolf asleep when there's actual conversation going on around him. Ikuna rolls over onto his back for a moment, pawing at the air, and then wurfs as his eyes come open. Hmm? Oh yeah. His tail gives a single thump on the ground, and then he rolls back onto his belly and stands up, padding over to Chewy and Hadir. He greets the adult first, approaching on the non-blind side and nuzzling for her cheek, then lowers his head to wurf softly to Hadir.
Hadir isn't really at a stage yet where he can just list the words that he knows. He can, more or less respond to questions and tell folks what he wants in simple one or two word statements but that is about it at the present moment. He lifts his head to look up to the other wolf as he arrives. Yay! Its Ikuna the master of all things cool, "Kuna!" he says to him loudly. Yep, thats another word that he knows. He lifts his paw to itch at the inside of his ear, still trying to get rid of that dreadful buzzing, "Ow." he manages to get out before a waves of dizziness overtakes him. He feels something akin to a prickly sensation all over his body for a moment before he falls over onto his side. The twitching begins in his legs. He looks like he is attempting to run, but far less coordinated and rather odd looking. His head twitches from side to side repeatedly as his mouth snaps tightly shut. His tail doesn't twitch at all but rather sticks out straight and doesn't move.
A warm whine of comfort issues to Ikuna as he nussles at her cheek, and Chewy turns to lick at his face. "Hello, sleepy jeans," she greets him with a grin-- but just as she's about to turn and say, 'You know Ikuna, that's also good!', Hodir 'ows', and then... sort of.. falls over, twitching in his legs and snapping at the air, and stiff and-- "Hodir!" Wachiwa yelps in surprise ,leaping to her feet, and reaching a paw out to try and gently pin him to the ground a little with it, shocked, and unsure WHAT to do except try to stop him from flailing about by holding him down. "Ikuna, what's going on, what's happening?" She asks, with a frantic whine, somehow hoping the older (than Hodir) pup will know what's happening.
There might be some objections from Ahiga about Ikuna being designated master of coolness. Just sayin'. Only Ikuna doesn't say it, or much of anything else, because not long after he smiles to Chewy's teasing and says, "Hey, Hadir," the pup starts to have another Bad Day. ...maybe meeting auntie Chewy was too much excitement? She _is_ pretty awesome, but... Ikuna sighs unhappily, but does not panic, because he's actually managed to get sorta used to this. Amazing what you can adapt to. There's the funny smell, and the shuddering... and then (so far) Hadir is okay again after. The adolescent drops down himself, putting his paws to either side of Hadir, so between him and Chewy the pup doesn't roll away onto any rocks. He nuzzles the younger male for a moment before answering Chewy. "It's... he's sick. He'll... be okay." More or less. Sort of. At least... it probably won't kill him, this time.
Hadir will be alright in time. Thankfully this isn't really even the worst of it. He continues to twitch despite the paw and everything that they are saying to him. He really isn't in control of what happens. The seizure just hast to end on its own.
Tala had wandered off at some point during the day, an is now returning. Her tail twitching as she moves along, a slight yawn escaping her in the process. Her wounds from the wolverine have long since healed, though she is sporting some scars still while the fur is working on growing back in. Her ears perk forward as she gets closer towards the hilltop catching sight of the others. She isn't all that sure what may, or may not have happened but continues forward. "Hey.. What's wrong?" Is questioned with a tilt of her head and curious look offered to Ikuna and Wachiwa.
Ears lay back as Chewy registers this from Ikuna, then looks at poor Hodir, grimacing. "He's... He's very sick," she agrees, nodding slightly, with a frown. This is .. .. Does his mother know? Does his father? She begins to wonder as she watches the poor twitching pup beneath her paw, just how bad it could be. "You're sure he'll be okay?" She asks, of Ikuna; feeling so odd for the moment -- How is it that she, the one who supposedly knows 'everything' (to the pups anywa) could be so lost as to what to do about this? She's going to want to talk to the Spirits for sure about this, she decides, with a creasing brown, before she murmurs, "Ah.. Tala, Hodir is uhm.. He's not well."
Ikuna lifts his head up at the approach of his sister, and he smiles to her despite the current trouble with the pup. He nods to Chewy's answer to her. "One of his fits." So... wrong, yes. Something anyone can do anything about? That, not so much, at least not that anyone in Ute - from the alphas down to the puppies - has been able to figure out. The best they can manage is to try and keep him from hurting himself further while it's happening. He sighs, and nods. "It's happened before. He's... tired, after. But he's been okay... so far." That's the thing of it; 'so far', and no idea if it'll get better or worse. "Skahla's been praying." And that, from Skahla of all people, should explain just how serious this is.
Slowly the fit dies away and the pup is more or less silent. In fact he looks as if he could be sleeping at the moment. He isn't of course,, but it might appear that way. His chest slowly rises and falls as he breathes. All in all it could have been far worse. Ikuna has had the experience of several of these now and hsi parents likely have as well. He doesn't know it but he is pleased his father hasn't asked that he be starved or killed.
Tala frowns at this while she moves along on over towards the three. A slight nod is offered to Wachiwa showing that she knows about Hadir's well, issues to say the least. "Did it ast long this time?" Is questioned with a curious tone as she settles to her haunches, a curious glance rests on the pup.
Ears twitch slightly forward as the twitching stops, and the pup stops flailing. Chewy lifts her paw reluctantly away, then frowns, looking down at the poor afflicted boy, before she murmurs, "... It may be the Spirits have sent him to us to teach an important lesson," sadly, more to herself, though she doesn't hide her words from the older 'pups' around her, before she leans in, and begins licking Hodir to clean him up from the whole mess, gentle and caring, yet also fretful. Is that the real reason? Or is it punishment upon the pack.. no, her family, for her brother's behaviour? Is it punishment for the way Helaku was treated, even if he might have brought some of it on himself? Or is this just.. somethign the spirits planned..? "Spirits protect him," she mumbles.
Ikuna shakes his head to Tala. "Not long." This seems to have been fairly mild, as Hadir's problems go. Still enough to worry the others, though. He tilts his head at Wachiwa's ponderings. "Not very fair to him," he says in return, some amount of firmness in his voice. Lessons of the spirits for the pack is one thing, though Ikuna's not so certain of them after his own experiences, but Hadir is just a pup. "We'll do what we can for him." And if the other is somewhat firm, that part is granite. Spirits or no, Ikuna is a firm believer in Trying and Caring.
Hadir would be pleased to know that his family cares about him. He of course has felt loved in his rather short life so far and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. He wouldn't know anything about what his family has done, or not done. Most of the time he really doesn't even remember that he had a problem. He continues to just rest and recover. Not opening his eyes yet.
"Agreed," Wachiwa replies to Ikuna, "We will watch over him. It's not fair to him at all, but sometimes life isn't fair." She says, with a frown, "After all it wasn't very fair to you, Ikuna, or Ahiga." She adds, though hates reminding him of that. She sighs, then resumes licking Hadir; instead of bathtime though it's now a manner of trying to wake him. "Come back to the sunlight, little fish; come swim in the grass with us." She calls softly, nudging at the same time, smiling, albeit now weaker than before. Worry is present in her good eye.
Ikuna nods to Chewy. It's not fair, no - and that's a large part of why Ikuna has his doubts about the Great Spirits these days. If they exist, and things like this are their active will, then they're not very good people. That doesn't fit with what he's been told about them. He's pondered it a lot - especially while he was in the dark hole - and found an answer for himself. According to him, the Great Spirits once existed, but now are dead, like his parents; all but gone, able perhaps to watch, maybe to whisper sometimes to their children - but unable to act. He sighs, and nuzzles Hadir softly himself, before leaning over to give Chewy's cheek a nose as well. "Sometimes things just happen." It's partly about the pup... and partly for Chewy. He knows she blames herself for what happened to him.
Ears back again, Wachiwa sighs, then sinks slightly into a slouch, looking to Ikuna with a smile, though it's waning. It's very very hard for her to keep all this happy on the outside when she feels so ... worried and not happy on the inside. One reason why a rare moment in the sun had been taken greedily. "Oh, Ikuna, it's not your fault unfair things happen. Sometimes we need to be tested to show we can stand up to what happens. Remember, the Spirits did not always have it easy themselves, either. The Rabbit Spirit had to be punished, after all, because he got too greedy, and did not keep his people in check." She smiles weakly, then sighs, looking to Hadir. "There.. is.. probably some reason for this. We are not meant to know until the lesson is over. Perhaps, his lesson to teach us is that even when bad things happen to us, we can live through times that are trying and still be happy." She smiles, kindly, hoping that may help Ikuna ease some. "He is happy, isn't he?" She pauses to ask after a moment though, looking to Ikuna. "He seemed happy until the fit.."
Hadir is indeed a generally happy pup. He seldom remembers these sorts of things when they happen and he isn't really old enough yet to realize there is a large problem. Granted when he is older he will likely have questions that will need to be answered, but it isn't really a painful thing. At least the seizures aren't. Sadly the boy has others problems that are more serious and more painful, but that isn't the issue today. He opens his eyes after his rest and blinks, not really sure what happened, "Kuna?" he asks since he is more familiar with him that with Chewy.
"Oh little fish," Chewy says softly, as he awakens, and she feels far better now knowing he is indeed not going to die before her paws. "What are we going to do with you, flopping about like that," she shakes her head, but tries to shove all her worries and fears deep where the pups cannot see them on her face. "You had a nasty floppy fit, little one," she explains to Hadir, with a smile, "But it does not seem to have hurt you any. Say, do you like stories..? I could tell you one, so you could rest while you feel better.."
Hadir doesn't really know what she is saying just yet. He always takes a bit of time to come around after something like this. He just sorta blinks at her as he looks up to her, "Kay..." he says to her. He likes stories in general, though other than his mother most folks aren't really around to tell him stories.
Chewy is, believe it or not, used to that groggy sort of 'just woke up' that puppies tend to have, just not Hadir's special kind. She smiles, shifting to lay down again, and offers him a place to cuddle if he is so inclined against her side or chest. Ikuna, too, is given open invitation -- of course he is. Chewy's stories are for everyone. She grins at her 'little fish' as she seems to have nicknamed Hadir, before she closes her eyes and starts to hmm. "Let me see, what would be a good story for today. How about a funny story," she says, with a grin, "Something to make you laugh," She adds, smiling at Hadir again; and looking to Ikuna in amusement. "And when I am done, maybe your uncle will tell you a story, too."
Hadir isn't really ready to lean against anyone yet, or even really move. He just sort of stays where he is presently sprawled, though he does turn his head so that he is facing her and offers her something of a smile as he settles in for a story. He likes stories.
With a soft 'Awr' of concern, Wachiwa lifts a paw to try and nudge Hadir a little closer, before simply just getting up, turning around, and laying down to curl about him. She may not be momma, but she knows that puppies like warm. She nudges him in close against her side, and smiles. "Just rest little fish." She murmurs, before she closes her eyes, and cants her head slightly, nose to the wind and sky, as she begins to speak. "A long time ago, as even now, Fox was a prankster. Fox is Wolf's little cousin, and where he had not our strength or numbers, he had intelligence. But with his intelligence came easy boredom, so he would hunt for ways to amuse himself at the expense of others. This is the story of how Fox and Bear came to be enemies because of his pranks." She says, softly, smiling as her ears droop lazily. "Long, long ago, Bear once had a tail as long and as beautiful as that of the Cougar, and he was very prideful of his tail. He would spend his days grooming his tail until it shone in the sun like the stars do at night."
Hadir rests his head on his paws as the older wolf curls herself around him. He does feel more comfortable now, and is ready to continue to listen to the story. He hasn't even ever seen a fox, though doubtless he will as he grows older. Nor has he seen a bear, but he can imagine in his own mind. Truth be told he has never seen any animal other than pack members and birds.
"Now this story happened long before bear took to sleeping in the winter," Wachiwa explains, and knows that little Hadir will likely see his first winter soon to her dismay, "And because of this, Bear was often very hungry once the snow fell. One day, Fox watched Bear as he stomped about complaining about his hunger, and Fox decided to play a prank on bear. He invited bear to meet him down by the river the next day, promising to show him how to get many many fish. The next day when Bear went down to the river, he found Fox had broken a hole into the ice, and was pulling fish out of the hole in the ice as easy as he pleased. "Why, however are you doing that?" Bear asked Fox, and Fox just smiled, and said, "Come here and I will show you." And so Fox waited as Bear came over, then, Fox dipped his own tail into the water, and twitched the tip. Shortly after a fish snapped onto the end of his tail, and Fox pulled it up to bear's amazement."
Hadir will definitely see his first winter soon, though he has rather enjoyed the summer thus far. The weather has been nice and when things got too hot he would just wander down into the coolness of the den, "Fox..." he says to her. Its a word that he hasn't heard before and he sorta likes the sound of it.
"Yes, fox!" Wachiwa grins, nuzzling at Hadir. "We have friends who are foxes. Maybe I will ask your parets if I can introduce them to you, hmm?" She chuckles, closing her eyes once more to listen to the wind and the sun, before she continues. "'You see,', Fox explained, "The fish see your tail and think it is a worm, so they try to eat it. Once they have a bite on it, you can yank them up!" "That's very wise," Said Bear, "Will you teach me how to do that?" He asked of Fox. "Why of course, my friend!" Said Fox, and he lead bear a little ways down the river, where he showed bear how to make a hole in the ice. But once Bear had put his tail in, he realized he could not see over his shoulders, for he was far too big! "Fox," bear said in dismay, "How will I know if I have a fish on my tail?" he asked. "Well," Fox said thoughtfully, "How about if I go hide in those bushes and watch, and when I see a fish, I will shout out, 'Bear, pull now!' and you can pull him out!" Bear considered it, then nodded. "Of course, that will work perfectly." He smiled happily at Fox, and Fox smiled happily at him, then Fox went to hide in the bushes." She pauses, then chuckles, "Or so Bear though; Fox actually ran all the way to his home and went to sleep laughing, imagining about poor Bear waiting there all day."
Hadir listens quietly to the story. He understands most of what she says, but the subtlety of the humor of the story escapes him. Still he rather enjoys the story so far and he really loves to being told the story. The point of the story after all isn't really to convey information, but rather to take the pups mind of the earlier event.
"The next day," Wachiwa continues, "Fox awoke, chuckling to himself, and went back to the river to see if Bear had caught on to the prank. At first he could not see Bear, but then he found a lump of snow that was snoring, and, laughing to himself, he realized Bear must have fallen asleep after waiting all night! He laughed to himself some more, then hid himself in the same bushes he had said he would watch from before, and then he yelled, "Bear, pull now!" Bear, startled awake, was at first slow to realize what was going on, until he saw it was Fox! And he jumped to his feet and yanked his tail as hard as he could! But in the night when the snow had fallen, the ice had also frozen over in the hole, and Bear's tail was firmly stuck! Bear did not give up, however, and he yanked and yanked and gosh oh gee, he yanked so hard, his tail came off in the ice!" Wachiwa gasps for effect, waiting to see if Hadir catches on.
Hadir has never seen ice or snow, but he is able to get the notion of a tail falling off, that would be rather shocking. His eyes widen at that part of the story and he laughs when Chewy gasps, he likes this story. Its really funny, "Chewy..." he says with a laugh.
Chewy grins, and leans in to nose and try to tickle little Hodir with her snout as she murmurs, "Well, Bear was so angry he chased Fox up and down the River, but Fox was so fast he could never catch him. Which is why to this day, Bear has a short short tail, and he will attack Fox or his cousins whenever he sees them, out of anger for what happened to his long, beautiful, treasured tail." she grins goofily, and then adds, "Bear has never been the smartest animal, of course, but that's a story for another time, hmm?"
Hadir laughs as she tickles him. It seesm that this Chewy person is pretty darn cool. She tells great stories and seems to be friendly. In some ways she reminds him of his mother, which shouldn't be surprising since the pair of them are sisters, "Yah." he says to her. Of course never having met a bear he would have no idea about how smart or dumb they were but either way there is no sense in saying no, he hasn't reached the magic age yet where no becomes the most popular word.
Ikuna just nods to Chewy as she talks of the spirits, though his expression is troubled for more than one reason. When she moves to tell her story to Hadir, he rises as well, and joins the two. Practically adult or not, he's not too grown to cuddle. He rests his head on his paws, listening to the story quietly.
Wachiwa smiles at the giggly puppy, and grins. "You, little fish, are going to be mine forever and ever," she teases softly, nudging at him and smiling, tail thumping the ground, "Your mommy can't have you again," she teases, "Cos you're mine." She giggles at him then, and looks to Ikuna with a smile. "So do you want to try your paw at stories, Ikuna, or have you already decided what you want to be in the pack?" She asks, amusedly. "After all, this winter will be you, Tala, and Ahiga's second.. you'll be full adults soon, and need to find your places." She smiles.
Hadir isn't sure what to make of that comment. He is at the stage where he takes most things pretty concretely and the thought of never being given back to his mother is something that he isn't all that sure about, "No." he says to her, "Mom." He definitely wants to go back to his mother. He doesn't mind aunt's pup-sitting but mom is still mom. If that is the case he will have to find a way to warn his sisters about the Chewy who steals you away from mom forever.
Ikuna laughs at Chewy's teasing of his little nephew, though there's a slightly odd edge to it. That used to be him, being fussed over and loved - and while the love's still there, it's changed over time, and the adolescent is still growing used to the new shape of it. He's not the baby anymore. When the question's turned to him, he tilts his head. "Me? Uhm. Well, maybe..." he ponders, but then he gets derailed by the idea of his future in the pack. He's been thinking about it... actually, mostly, he's been exploring the question of what the roles in the pack /are/. Including the question of who leads a pack... and why. "I don't know yet," he says, answering honestly, and then smiles to Hadir's answer. "That's right. Mom is mom. Chewy can share you, though. Sharing's good. It means some for everyone!" He tilts his head, considering for a moment. "Maybe I do have a story I could tell..."
Wachiwa awwws, drooping a bit at Ikuna. "Well, Hadir, I guess Uncle Ikuna has the last word. You get to stay with your mom. But I want to see more of you, hmm?" She smiles, nudging at him playfully again, before looking to Ikuna with a smile, offering, "And of course, when you want you can always come to me to talk, or to get a story, or even to tell a story, hm?" She smiles, then looks to Ikuna encouraginly. "Story Teller is a good path to take if you want to, Ikuna. Your grandmother was the storyteller when I was but Hodir's age, and though I never got to meet her, I know my mother and father loved her. A storyteller keeps the lore of the pack, and helps the young learn what paths they want to take." she smiles, then adds, "Although there's also the role of hunter, which I'm sure you and Ahiga are both well suited for. The ones who keep the pack songs are also quite important, though I haven't seen Quidel around since you were pups. Like he just.. up and left after ... well." She mms softly. "We need a new songkeeper, and we need new songs," She says, before looking to Hadir, and smiling. "Maybe the little fish can become a songbird."
Well as long as that is settled. He will go back to his mother then when he is ready too. He knows she isn't too far away just down in the den, and he is sure that if he made a big enough ruckus she would come out and deal with whatever problem might be going on. Even if it was a case of Chewy trying to take him away. When Ikuna speaks after his long silence he looks over toward him. Wow there are stories all over the place tonight. He looks at Ikuna expectantly, stories are definitely good. The more stories the better.
Ikuna nuzzles Chewy affectionately, and nods to her. "I don't think I'm smart enough to be a storyteller or a songkeeper," he tells her with a smile. "I can't tell them like you." At the mention of Quidel, who disappeared when he was a pup, he tilts his head a moment... then frowns, as he realizes what the 'after' was. He nods, but he doesn't mention it aloud either. "Well," he says, and then turns his gaze on Hadir. "I do have a story, at least. This isn't a wolf story, though. It's a cougar story." Ikuna doesn't explain how he knows a cougar story, simply continues. "Once, long ago, there were two cougars named Ahiga and Paoro. They were mates, and lived together in a beautiful valley. They loved each other, and respected the earth and all the spirits."
A kind smile is given to Ikuna as he nuzzles her, and she smiles, tail thumping. He's such a charmer. Wachiwa chuckles though as he launches into his story, and takes to listening; though her good eye wanders to Hadir as she listens; mostly because she's thinking. What could be wrong? She knows Skahla is praying over the boy; and she knows that Shawnee likely is too, unless she, like some of the older pups, has lost her faith. Chewy decides.. she, too, will have to pray, and will also have to ask the Spirits what they have planned, if they would tell her.
The boy just has a lot of problems. If he were to be taken to a human vet the doctor would probably say that he has epilepsy, though he hasn't really shown it yet to anyone but Ikuna, a congential heart defect on top of the epilepsy. By itself the epilepsy is simply a disability that would probably cause him problems for the rest of his life, but the heart defect will likely kill him before he reaches adulthood. One day the pups heart will simply stop. Hopefully that day is far away though, and certainly it isn't going to happen during Ikuna's story. He gets the general idea of love, though the whole notion of spirits and cougars is strange to him. Still the story is interesting so he listens.
"One summer, things got very, very hot," says Ikuna. "There was no rain, and all the plants wilted. There was nothing for the prey to eat, and soon there was no prey to be had. Ahiga and Paoro spent long days hunting, but they couldn't find anything to eat. They got very, very hungry. Everyone else got hungry too. The other cougars living nearby started to come into Ahiga and Paoro's territory searching for food, but there was none to be had. Paoro looked at the lands, and though she loved them, she decided that it was time to move on. She and Ahiga got ready to go, but before they could leave, Paoro's sister came. She was old, and her fur was grey. She said to Paoro and Ahiga, 'I will come with you.'"
Wachiwa sighs, moving to lay her head down on her forepaws as she listens, but again, she'll leave the story to Ikuna, and Hadir; but she'll take her wandering mind and her thoughts to other places, letting her eyes start to lull into a droop, as her mind wanders. Perhaps in dreams, an answer would come..
Hadir wonders what it would be like if he didn't have any food or water. He imagines that he would get pretty hungry and thirsty. Hopefully nothing like that ever happens around here. Its interesting to him to note that Ahiga the wolf has the same name as Ahiga the cougar...he wonders if they are the same person. He will have to ask Ahiga the next time he sees him. Perhaps wolves grow into cougars.
Sometimes, things are just coincidence: like shared names. Ikuna also thought that was weird the first time he heard the story, though. He smiles to the pup as he continues. "'Why should we let her come?' asked Ahiga. 'We can barely feed ourselves, and she is old and cannot help us.' It was true; Paoro's sister could barely hunt even in good times. But Paoro shook her head, and she said, 'She is wise, and she is beloved of the spirits.' Ahiga hesitated, but in the end, he agreed. The three of them set out together. At first, it seemed Ahiga was right. The elder couldn't walk as fast as they could, and she couldn't hunt. They shared their food with her, and all three of them went hungry because of it. They slept with a gnawing in their bellies at night. Sometimes they fought with each other, but on they went."
Hadir watches Ikuna as he tells the story. Ikuna is a good person and definitely tells a good story, "Hungry." he states to the older wolf. He isn't hungry he is merely echoing the statement and the point of the story.
"Very hungry," agrees Ikuna. "At last, they came to a place that seemed nearly as beautiful as the home they left behind. A forest, with tall pine trees and waving ferns. Ahiga and Paoro decided to stop there. But Paoro's sister said. 'No! We must go on!' 'What?' asked Ahiga, and 'Why?' asked Paoro. The elder said only, 'It is not safe here. We must climb the mountain.' 'The mountain?' shouted Ahiga. 'It is bare rock! You want us to starve, old woman!' He was very angry, and Paoro was almost as angry as he. The elder stood firm as they yelled at her, and quietly insisted. 'We must climb the mountain.' A day and a night they argued, until at last Paoro and Ahiga gave in. 'Very well,' said Ahiga. 'We will climb this mountain, but that is the last thing I will do for you. I will help you no further.' Paoro's sister bowed her head, and they set out again, though Paoro and Ahiga had heavy hearts."
Hadir continues to listen to the story. He has never seen a mountain, but perhaps one day he will get a chance to see one. That would be pretty cool.
Ikuna has seen mountains, but he wasn't in much state to enjoy the experience. He continues on with his story. "They were halfway up the mountain when they heard a loud crack behind them, and they turned to see that the beautiful pine forest was in flames. It was a wild firestorm, great billows leaping to the sky. They could feel the heat of it from where they stood, almost a day's journey away. If they had stayed, they would have died. The fire would have eaten them. Ahiga and Paoro saw this, and regretted their harsh words to the elder. They bowed their heads to her. 'I am sorry,' said Ahiga, and Paoro said, 'We should have listened.' The elder nodded, and she said, 'I forgive you.' For she knew it is a hard thing to trust. Ahiga kept his head bowed, and then he said, 'I name you Shaman, for you are wise. From now on, it will be the duty of me and all my tribe to share our food with you, and in return, you shall share your wisdom with us.' And they all three agreed to that; and so it was. To this day, those cougars have a shaman, and she shares her wisdom with all who need it."
Hadir yawns as he hears the end of the story and rests his head on his paws. He has to rest now, but he did appreciate the story that Ikuna told. Perhaps sometime he will ask him more about the story, "Sleepy..." he says before zonks out.
Ikuna smiles, and nuzzles the sleepy pup gently, then does the same to Wachiwa as she likewise sleeps. He's not quite tired yet, but he stays cuddled against the two of them. He'll just keep watch for now, and enjoy the nearness of his pack.
Hadir - male juvenile wolf
Ikuna - male adolescent wolf
Tala - female adolescent wolf
---Hilltop Vista---
Summer sun overhead, the wind lightly listing through the grass, a perfect time for laying around and lazing. As far as Wachiwa knows, the pups she's been watching have grown up; and the pups she'll soon watch are still in the den with their mother; of course, Chewy has never had a good grasp of 'time' as far as 'growing' is concerned. Plus, well. Sun is good for laying in, and never knowing when the next horrible snow will come, Wachiwa wants to take advantage of it! Thus, Chewy has moved her usual daytime siesta out of the shade and into the sunlight, laying there with head on her forepaws, and a serene smile on her face. Ears twitch lazily as a fly buzzes about, or a mosquito tries to convince her to give up some of her blood. But really, what more to peace is there.
Hadir doesn't really have that much of a conception of time either. He mostly just sticks around the top of the hill and interacts with whoever is awake. He sees his father infrequently but always loves it when he can see him. His mother mainly stays in the den. His main source of interaction has been with Ahiga and Ikuna, though he has seen Tala around as well from time to time. At the present time the pup is mainly occupied with learning to talk and has made some progress in that regard. He doesn't generally have a great deal of energy and so spends some of his day sleeping either in or just outside the den. Today he is sitting by the hole that leads down into the den not really doing much of anything.
Ikuna is totally grown up, yes. Entirely. ...okay, so maybe not quite, but it's easy to think that when you're an adolescent, and easy to keep thinking that when most of the adults of the pack are too busy with PUPPIES! to pay more than cursory attention to the youngsters old enough to take care of themselves. He and his friends have been doing serious adult stuff like hunting and patrolling. Or sometimes, having serious adolescent conversations while out allegedly hunting. Or playing games, when there's nobody looking or they have the excuse of pupsitting. Or sometimes, when the sun is hot and the day is long... lying sprawled out partway down the hill, half-shaded by a boulder. Zzzzz.
Ear twitching in lazyness, Wachiwa yaaaaawwwwns as she stirs breifly, never opening her eyes to the sunlight, before setting her head back on her paws, rolling slightly to the blind side as her eyes then slowly crack open. The right has finally healed enough that she could pry the lid open with washing and rubbing; but there's nothing to be made as far as sight goes with the eye anymore; the striking blue of her left eye contrasted by the milky white of the right. Lazily she takes in the surrounding; Ikuna her favorite on the hill, and-- hello, new face. She smiles, tail twitching into a slight pat on the ground, before she coos in the direction of Hadir; though does not move.
Hadir blinks as he hears the coo and turns his the direction of the older wolf. Well she certainly looks different than the rest of the group with the eye issue. Though that thought doesn't really linger much in the pups mind. He is more interested in this new individual than Ikuna who he has already met. He raises himself to his paws after a stretch and begins to make his way over toward Wachiwa, "S'up." he states. Yes. Ahiga has been teaching him how to talk and it most definitely shows. He is very interested in words at the present time. All sorts of words. He definitely wants to learn how to make himself known just like these older wolves do.
It's warm. He's comfy. Ikuna hears the sounds of the others at some level, but they're not the sort of thing to galvanize him into motion. They're cheerful, happy sounds. Nothing to worry about. So, for now - he keeps on sleeping, if perhaps a bit less deeply than before. Zzz. Definitely the less interesting option for young Hadir to investigate.
A grin crosses Chewy's face-- Yup, Ahiga's met this one. "Hello, little one. You must be one of Shawnee and Skahla's! Hello, I'm your aunty! That means your momma is my sister." She grins, lifting her head and sliding up into a sit, craning snout down to meet him with snuffling, poking nose and gentle licks about the ears and shoulders, tail starting to thump. "Can you tell me your name?" She asks, grinning proudly of him.
Hadir is slowly but surely able to understand more about what is being said. He doesn't always have the words to express the answers that others want though. He accepts the licks and offers a laugh in return. Yep. Most of the time the pup is a pretty happy fellow. It would take alot to cause him real irritation. He understands that she wants his name, though he doesn't properly understand that his parents have different names other than 'mom' and 'dad' yet, "Dir!" he says to her. He has managed to figure out that is at least part of what his parents call him.
"Dir, huh," Wachiwa muses, "Then you must be Hodir." She grins, and nuzzles at him, offering, "My name is Wachiwa. But you can call me Chewy.. Choooooo-weeee. Everyone does." She offers. "Your Mom is my sister. You've got sisters, right?" She grins. She's trying to see, to guage, how much he knows, to see what she needs to work with (eventually anyway.) She's also interested in seeing how her sister has been with her pups... She feels slightly out of touch in that area; her sister being as hard to catch up with as the Pack Leader.
Hadir is definitely Hadir, "Chooooooooooooo eeeyyyyyy." he responds. Ok thats a cool sound. He will have to remember that. He has also picked up that Ikuna has a name as well from listening during the conversation that the boys father had with the young wolf. He certainly knows that he has sisters. He sees them all the time and by and large he likes them, though they can be kinda weird sometimes, "Ya." he says in response. He gives his head a bit of a shake to stop a bit of buzzing in his ears.
A grin at the little'un. And Chewy remarks, "That's good, you know! To have sisters and brothers." She grins, and nuzzles at him. "I have your mummy as a sister, and my brother is..." She trails. And frowns. And sighs. As much as she loves Mori, she knows she is likely the only one to have forgiven him what he did. "Not here." She says, with a frown to herself, before smiling again. "So! What words do you know? Show me! So I can see how awesome you are!" She grins.
Warm and comfy can only do so much to keep a wolf asleep when there's actual conversation going on around him. Ikuna rolls over onto his back for a moment, pawing at the air, and then wurfs as his eyes come open. Hmm? Oh yeah. His tail gives a single thump on the ground, and then he rolls back onto his belly and stands up, padding over to Chewy and Hadir. He greets the adult first, approaching on the non-blind side and nuzzling for her cheek, then lowers his head to wurf softly to Hadir.
Hadir isn't really at a stage yet where he can just list the words that he knows. He can, more or less respond to questions and tell folks what he wants in simple one or two word statements but that is about it at the present moment. He lifts his head to look up to the other wolf as he arrives. Yay! Its Ikuna the master of all things cool, "Kuna!" he says to him loudly. Yep, thats another word that he knows. He lifts his paw to itch at the inside of his ear, still trying to get rid of that dreadful buzzing, "Ow." he manages to get out before a waves of dizziness overtakes him. He feels something akin to a prickly sensation all over his body for a moment before he falls over onto his side. The twitching begins in his legs. He looks like he is attempting to run, but far less coordinated and rather odd looking. His head twitches from side to side repeatedly as his mouth snaps tightly shut. His tail doesn't twitch at all but rather sticks out straight and doesn't move.
A warm whine of comfort issues to Ikuna as he nussles at her cheek, and Chewy turns to lick at his face. "Hello, sleepy jeans," she greets him with a grin-- but just as she's about to turn and say, 'You know Ikuna, that's also good!', Hodir 'ows', and then... sort of.. falls over, twitching in his legs and snapping at the air, and stiff and-- "Hodir!" Wachiwa yelps in surprise ,leaping to her feet, and reaching a paw out to try and gently pin him to the ground a little with it, shocked, and unsure WHAT to do except try to stop him from flailing about by holding him down. "Ikuna, what's going on, what's happening?" She asks, with a frantic whine, somehow hoping the older (than Hodir) pup will know what's happening.
There might be some objections from Ahiga about Ikuna being designated master of coolness. Just sayin'. Only Ikuna doesn't say it, or much of anything else, because not long after he smiles to Chewy's teasing and says, "Hey, Hadir," the pup starts to have another Bad Day. ...maybe meeting auntie Chewy was too much excitement? She _is_ pretty awesome, but... Ikuna sighs unhappily, but does not panic, because he's actually managed to get sorta used to this. Amazing what you can adapt to. There's the funny smell, and the shuddering... and then (so far) Hadir is okay again after. The adolescent drops down himself, putting his paws to either side of Hadir, so between him and Chewy the pup doesn't roll away onto any rocks. He nuzzles the younger male for a moment before answering Chewy. "It's... he's sick. He'll... be okay." More or less. Sort of. At least... it probably won't kill him, this time.
Hadir will be alright in time. Thankfully this isn't really even the worst of it. He continues to twitch despite the paw and everything that they are saying to him. He really isn't in control of what happens. The seizure just hast to end on its own.
Tala had wandered off at some point during the day, an is now returning. Her tail twitching as she moves along, a slight yawn escaping her in the process. Her wounds from the wolverine have long since healed, though she is sporting some scars still while the fur is working on growing back in. Her ears perk forward as she gets closer towards the hilltop catching sight of the others. She isn't all that sure what may, or may not have happened but continues forward. "Hey.. What's wrong?" Is questioned with a tilt of her head and curious look offered to Ikuna and Wachiwa.
Ears lay back as Chewy registers this from Ikuna, then looks at poor Hodir, grimacing. "He's... He's very sick," she agrees, nodding slightly, with a frown. This is .. .. Does his mother know? Does his father? She begins to wonder as she watches the poor twitching pup beneath her paw, just how bad it could be. "You're sure he'll be okay?" She asks, of Ikuna; feeling so odd for the moment -- How is it that she, the one who supposedly knows 'everything' (to the pups anywa) could be so lost as to what to do about this? She's going to want to talk to the Spirits for sure about this, she decides, with a creasing brown, before she murmurs, "Ah.. Tala, Hodir is uhm.. He's not well."
Ikuna lifts his head up at the approach of his sister, and he smiles to her despite the current trouble with the pup. He nods to Chewy's answer to her. "One of his fits." So... wrong, yes. Something anyone can do anything about? That, not so much, at least not that anyone in Ute - from the alphas down to the puppies - has been able to figure out. The best they can manage is to try and keep him from hurting himself further while it's happening. He sighs, and nods. "It's happened before. He's... tired, after. But he's been okay... so far." That's the thing of it; 'so far', and no idea if it'll get better or worse. "Skahla's been praying." And that, from Skahla of all people, should explain just how serious this is.
Slowly the fit dies away and the pup is more or less silent. In fact he looks as if he could be sleeping at the moment. He isn't of course,, but it might appear that way. His chest slowly rises and falls as he breathes. All in all it could have been far worse. Ikuna has had the experience of several of these now and hsi parents likely have as well. He doesn't know it but he is pleased his father hasn't asked that he be starved or killed.
Tala frowns at this while she moves along on over towards the three. A slight nod is offered to Wachiwa showing that she knows about Hadir's well, issues to say the least. "Did it ast long this time?" Is questioned with a curious tone as she settles to her haunches, a curious glance rests on the pup.
Ears twitch slightly forward as the twitching stops, and the pup stops flailing. Chewy lifts her paw reluctantly away, then frowns, looking down at the poor afflicted boy, before she murmurs, "... It may be the Spirits have sent him to us to teach an important lesson," sadly, more to herself, though she doesn't hide her words from the older 'pups' around her, before she leans in, and begins licking Hodir to clean him up from the whole mess, gentle and caring, yet also fretful. Is that the real reason? Or is it punishment upon the pack.. no, her family, for her brother's behaviour? Is it punishment for the way Helaku was treated, even if he might have brought some of it on himself? Or is this just.. somethign the spirits planned..? "Spirits protect him," she mumbles.
Ikuna shakes his head to Tala. "Not long." This seems to have been fairly mild, as Hadir's problems go. Still enough to worry the others, though. He tilts his head at Wachiwa's ponderings. "Not very fair to him," he says in return, some amount of firmness in his voice. Lessons of the spirits for the pack is one thing, though Ikuna's not so certain of them after his own experiences, but Hadir is just a pup. "We'll do what we can for him." And if the other is somewhat firm, that part is granite. Spirits or no, Ikuna is a firm believer in Trying and Caring.
Hadir would be pleased to know that his family cares about him. He of course has felt loved in his rather short life so far and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. He wouldn't know anything about what his family has done, or not done. Most of the time he really doesn't even remember that he had a problem. He continues to just rest and recover. Not opening his eyes yet.
"Agreed," Wachiwa replies to Ikuna, "We will watch over him. It's not fair to him at all, but sometimes life isn't fair." She says, with a frown, "After all it wasn't very fair to you, Ikuna, or Ahiga." She adds, though hates reminding him of that. She sighs, then resumes licking Hadir; instead of bathtime though it's now a manner of trying to wake him. "Come back to the sunlight, little fish; come swim in the grass with us." She calls softly, nudging at the same time, smiling, albeit now weaker than before. Worry is present in her good eye.
Ikuna nods to Chewy. It's not fair, no - and that's a large part of why Ikuna has his doubts about the Great Spirits these days. If they exist, and things like this are their active will, then they're not very good people. That doesn't fit with what he's been told about them. He's pondered it a lot - especially while he was in the dark hole - and found an answer for himself. According to him, the Great Spirits once existed, but now are dead, like his parents; all but gone, able perhaps to watch, maybe to whisper sometimes to their children - but unable to act. He sighs, and nuzzles Hadir softly himself, before leaning over to give Chewy's cheek a nose as well. "Sometimes things just happen." It's partly about the pup... and partly for Chewy. He knows she blames herself for what happened to him.
Ears back again, Wachiwa sighs, then sinks slightly into a slouch, looking to Ikuna with a smile, though it's waning. It's very very hard for her to keep all this happy on the outside when she feels so ... worried and not happy on the inside. One reason why a rare moment in the sun had been taken greedily. "Oh, Ikuna, it's not your fault unfair things happen. Sometimes we need to be tested to show we can stand up to what happens. Remember, the Spirits did not always have it easy themselves, either. The Rabbit Spirit had to be punished, after all, because he got too greedy, and did not keep his people in check." She smiles weakly, then sighs, looking to Hadir. "There.. is.. probably some reason for this. We are not meant to know until the lesson is over. Perhaps, his lesson to teach us is that even when bad things happen to us, we can live through times that are trying and still be happy." She smiles, kindly, hoping that may help Ikuna ease some. "He is happy, isn't he?" She pauses to ask after a moment though, looking to Ikuna. "He seemed happy until the fit.."
Hadir is indeed a generally happy pup. He seldom remembers these sorts of things when they happen and he isn't really old enough yet to realize there is a large problem. Granted when he is older he will likely have questions that will need to be answered, but it isn't really a painful thing. At least the seizures aren't. Sadly the boy has others problems that are more serious and more painful, but that isn't the issue today. He opens his eyes after his rest and blinks, not really sure what happened, "Kuna?" he asks since he is more familiar with him that with Chewy.
"Oh little fish," Chewy says softly, as he awakens, and she feels far better now knowing he is indeed not going to die before her paws. "What are we going to do with you, flopping about like that," she shakes her head, but tries to shove all her worries and fears deep where the pups cannot see them on her face. "You had a nasty floppy fit, little one," she explains to Hadir, with a smile, "But it does not seem to have hurt you any. Say, do you like stories..? I could tell you one, so you could rest while you feel better.."
Hadir doesn't really know what she is saying just yet. He always takes a bit of time to come around after something like this. He just sorta blinks at her as he looks up to her, "Kay..." he says to her. He likes stories in general, though other than his mother most folks aren't really around to tell him stories.
Chewy is, believe it or not, used to that groggy sort of 'just woke up' that puppies tend to have, just not Hadir's special kind. She smiles, shifting to lay down again, and offers him a place to cuddle if he is so inclined against her side or chest. Ikuna, too, is given open invitation -- of course he is. Chewy's stories are for everyone. She grins at her 'little fish' as she seems to have nicknamed Hadir, before she closes her eyes and starts to hmm. "Let me see, what would be a good story for today. How about a funny story," she says, with a grin, "Something to make you laugh," She adds, smiling at Hadir again; and looking to Ikuna in amusement. "And when I am done, maybe your uncle will tell you a story, too."
Hadir isn't really ready to lean against anyone yet, or even really move. He just sort of stays where he is presently sprawled, though he does turn his head so that he is facing her and offers her something of a smile as he settles in for a story. He likes stories.
With a soft 'Awr' of concern, Wachiwa lifts a paw to try and nudge Hadir a little closer, before simply just getting up, turning around, and laying down to curl about him. She may not be momma, but she knows that puppies like warm. She nudges him in close against her side, and smiles. "Just rest little fish." She murmurs, before she closes her eyes, and cants her head slightly, nose to the wind and sky, as she begins to speak. "A long time ago, as even now, Fox was a prankster. Fox is Wolf's little cousin, and where he had not our strength or numbers, he had intelligence. But with his intelligence came easy boredom, so he would hunt for ways to amuse himself at the expense of others. This is the story of how Fox and Bear came to be enemies because of his pranks." She says, softly, smiling as her ears droop lazily. "Long, long ago, Bear once had a tail as long and as beautiful as that of the Cougar, and he was very prideful of his tail. He would spend his days grooming his tail until it shone in the sun like the stars do at night."
Hadir rests his head on his paws as the older wolf curls herself around him. He does feel more comfortable now, and is ready to continue to listen to the story. He hasn't even ever seen a fox, though doubtless he will as he grows older. Nor has he seen a bear, but he can imagine in his own mind. Truth be told he has never seen any animal other than pack members and birds.
"Now this story happened long before bear took to sleeping in the winter," Wachiwa explains, and knows that little Hadir will likely see his first winter soon to her dismay, "And because of this, Bear was often very hungry once the snow fell. One day, Fox watched Bear as he stomped about complaining about his hunger, and Fox decided to play a prank on bear. He invited bear to meet him down by the river the next day, promising to show him how to get many many fish. The next day when Bear went down to the river, he found Fox had broken a hole into the ice, and was pulling fish out of the hole in the ice as easy as he pleased. "Why, however are you doing that?" Bear asked Fox, and Fox just smiled, and said, "Come here and I will show you." And so Fox waited as Bear came over, then, Fox dipped his own tail into the water, and twitched the tip. Shortly after a fish snapped onto the end of his tail, and Fox pulled it up to bear's amazement."
Hadir will definitely see his first winter soon, though he has rather enjoyed the summer thus far. The weather has been nice and when things got too hot he would just wander down into the coolness of the den, "Fox..." he says to her. Its a word that he hasn't heard before and he sorta likes the sound of it.
"Yes, fox!" Wachiwa grins, nuzzling at Hadir. "We have friends who are foxes. Maybe I will ask your parets if I can introduce them to you, hmm?" She chuckles, closing her eyes once more to listen to the wind and the sun, before she continues. "'You see,', Fox explained, "The fish see your tail and think it is a worm, so they try to eat it. Once they have a bite on it, you can yank them up!" "That's very wise," Said Bear, "Will you teach me how to do that?" He asked of Fox. "Why of course, my friend!" Said Fox, and he lead bear a little ways down the river, where he showed bear how to make a hole in the ice. But once Bear had put his tail in, he realized he could not see over his shoulders, for he was far too big! "Fox," bear said in dismay, "How will I know if I have a fish on my tail?" he asked. "Well," Fox said thoughtfully, "How about if I go hide in those bushes and watch, and when I see a fish, I will shout out, 'Bear, pull now!' and you can pull him out!" Bear considered it, then nodded. "Of course, that will work perfectly." He smiled happily at Fox, and Fox smiled happily at him, then Fox went to hide in the bushes." She pauses, then chuckles, "Or so Bear though; Fox actually ran all the way to his home and went to sleep laughing, imagining about poor Bear waiting there all day."
Hadir listens quietly to the story. He understands most of what she says, but the subtlety of the humor of the story escapes him. Still he rather enjoys the story so far and he really loves to being told the story. The point of the story after all isn't really to convey information, but rather to take the pups mind of the earlier event.
"The next day," Wachiwa continues, "Fox awoke, chuckling to himself, and went back to the river to see if Bear had caught on to the prank. At first he could not see Bear, but then he found a lump of snow that was snoring, and, laughing to himself, he realized Bear must have fallen asleep after waiting all night! He laughed to himself some more, then hid himself in the same bushes he had said he would watch from before, and then he yelled, "Bear, pull now!" Bear, startled awake, was at first slow to realize what was going on, until he saw it was Fox! And he jumped to his feet and yanked his tail as hard as he could! But in the night when the snow had fallen, the ice had also frozen over in the hole, and Bear's tail was firmly stuck! Bear did not give up, however, and he yanked and yanked and gosh oh gee, he yanked so hard, his tail came off in the ice!" Wachiwa gasps for effect, waiting to see if Hadir catches on.
Hadir has never seen ice or snow, but he is able to get the notion of a tail falling off, that would be rather shocking. His eyes widen at that part of the story and he laughs when Chewy gasps, he likes this story. Its really funny, "Chewy..." he says with a laugh.
Chewy grins, and leans in to nose and try to tickle little Hodir with her snout as she murmurs, "Well, Bear was so angry he chased Fox up and down the River, but Fox was so fast he could never catch him. Which is why to this day, Bear has a short short tail, and he will attack Fox or his cousins whenever he sees them, out of anger for what happened to his long, beautiful, treasured tail." she grins goofily, and then adds, "Bear has never been the smartest animal, of course, but that's a story for another time, hmm?"
Hadir laughs as she tickles him. It seesm that this Chewy person is pretty darn cool. She tells great stories and seems to be friendly. In some ways she reminds him of his mother, which shouldn't be surprising since the pair of them are sisters, "Yah." he says to her. Of course never having met a bear he would have no idea about how smart or dumb they were but either way there is no sense in saying no, he hasn't reached the magic age yet where no becomes the most popular word.
Ikuna just nods to Chewy as she talks of the spirits, though his expression is troubled for more than one reason. When she moves to tell her story to Hadir, he rises as well, and joins the two. Practically adult or not, he's not too grown to cuddle. He rests his head on his paws, listening to the story quietly.
Wachiwa smiles at the giggly puppy, and grins. "You, little fish, are going to be mine forever and ever," she teases softly, nudging at him and smiling, tail thumping the ground, "Your mommy can't have you again," she teases, "Cos you're mine." She giggles at him then, and looks to Ikuna with a smile. "So do you want to try your paw at stories, Ikuna, or have you already decided what you want to be in the pack?" She asks, amusedly. "After all, this winter will be you, Tala, and Ahiga's second.. you'll be full adults soon, and need to find your places." She smiles.
Hadir isn't sure what to make of that comment. He is at the stage where he takes most things pretty concretely and the thought of never being given back to his mother is something that he isn't all that sure about, "No." he says to her, "Mom." He definitely wants to go back to his mother. He doesn't mind aunt's pup-sitting but mom is still mom. If that is the case he will have to find a way to warn his sisters about the Chewy who steals you away from mom forever.
Ikuna laughs at Chewy's teasing of his little nephew, though there's a slightly odd edge to it. That used to be him, being fussed over and loved - and while the love's still there, it's changed over time, and the adolescent is still growing used to the new shape of it. He's not the baby anymore. When the question's turned to him, he tilts his head. "Me? Uhm. Well, maybe..." he ponders, but then he gets derailed by the idea of his future in the pack. He's been thinking about it... actually, mostly, he's been exploring the question of what the roles in the pack /are/. Including the question of who leads a pack... and why. "I don't know yet," he says, answering honestly, and then smiles to Hadir's answer. "That's right. Mom is mom. Chewy can share you, though. Sharing's good. It means some for everyone!" He tilts his head, considering for a moment. "Maybe I do have a story I could tell..."
Wachiwa awwws, drooping a bit at Ikuna. "Well, Hadir, I guess Uncle Ikuna has the last word. You get to stay with your mom. But I want to see more of you, hmm?" She smiles, nudging at him playfully again, before looking to Ikuna with a smile, offering, "And of course, when you want you can always come to me to talk, or to get a story, or even to tell a story, hm?" She smiles, then looks to Ikuna encouraginly. "Story Teller is a good path to take if you want to, Ikuna. Your grandmother was the storyteller when I was but Hodir's age, and though I never got to meet her, I know my mother and father loved her. A storyteller keeps the lore of the pack, and helps the young learn what paths they want to take." she smiles, then adds, "Although there's also the role of hunter, which I'm sure you and Ahiga are both well suited for. The ones who keep the pack songs are also quite important, though I haven't seen Quidel around since you were pups. Like he just.. up and left after ... well." She mms softly. "We need a new songkeeper, and we need new songs," She says, before looking to Hadir, and smiling. "Maybe the little fish can become a songbird."
Well as long as that is settled. He will go back to his mother then when he is ready too. He knows she isn't too far away just down in the den, and he is sure that if he made a big enough ruckus she would come out and deal with whatever problem might be going on. Even if it was a case of Chewy trying to take him away. When Ikuna speaks after his long silence he looks over toward him. Wow there are stories all over the place tonight. He looks at Ikuna expectantly, stories are definitely good. The more stories the better.
Ikuna nuzzles Chewy affectionately, and nods to her. "I don't think I'm smart enough to be a storyteller or a songkeeper," he tells her with a smile. "I can't tell them like you." At the mention of Quidel, who disappeared when he was a pup, he tilts his head a moment... then frowns, as he realizes what the 'after' was. He nods, but he doesn't mention it aloud either. "Well," he says, and then turns his gaze on Hadir. "I do have a story, at least. This isn't a wolf story, though. It's a cougar story." Ikuna doesn't explain how he knows a cougar story, simply continues. "Once, long ago, there were two cougars named Ahiga and Paoro. They were mates, and lived together in a beautiful valley. They loved each other, and respected the earth and all the spirits."
A kind smile is given to Ikuna as he nuzzles her, and she smiles, tail thumping. He's such a charmer. Wachiwa chuckles though as he launches into his story, and takes to listening; though her good eye wanders to Hadir as she listens; mostly because she's thinking. What could be wrong? She knows Skahla is praying over the boy; and she knows that Shawnee likely is too, unless she, like some of the older pups, has lost her faith. Chewy decides.. she, too, will have to pray, and will also have to ask the Spirits what they have planned, if they would tell her.
The boy just has a lot of problems. If he were to be taken to a human vet the doctor would probably say that he has epilepsy, though he hasn't really shown it yet to anyone but Ikuna, a congential heart defect on top of the epilepsy. By itself the epilepsy is simply a disability that would probably cause him problems for the rest of his life, but the heart defect will likely kill him before he reaches adulthood. One day the pups heart will simply stop. Hopefully that day is far away though, and certainly it isn't going to happen during Ikuna's story. He gets the general idea of love, though the whole notion of spirits and cougars is strange to him. Still the story is interesting so he listens.
"One summer, things got very, very hot," says Ikuna. "There was no rain, and all the plants wilted. There was nothing for the prey to eat, and soon there was no prey to be had. Ahiga and Paoro spent long days hunting, but they couldn't find anything to eat. They got very, very hungry. Everyone else got hungry too. The other cougars living nearby started to come into Ahiga and Paoro's territory searching for food, but there was none to be had. Paoro looked at the lands, and though she loved them, she decided that it was time to move on. She and Ahiga got ready to go, but before they could leave, Paoro's sister came. She was old, and her fur was grey. She said to Paoro and Ahiga, 'I will come with you.'"
Wachiwa sighs, moving to lay her head down on her forepaws as she listens, but again, she'll leave the story to Ikuna, and Hadir; but she'll take her wandering mind and her thoughts to other places, letting her eyes start to lull into a droop, as her mind wanders. Perhaps in dreams, an answer would come..
Hadir wonders what it would be like if he didn't have any food or water. He imagines that he would get pretty hungry and thirsty. Hopefully nothing like that ever happens around here. Its interesting to him to note that Ahiga the wolf has the same name as Ahiga the cougar...he wonders if they are the same person. He will have to ask Ahiga the next time he sees him. Perhaps wolves grow into cougars.
Sometimes, things are just coincidence: like shared names. Ikuna also thought that was weird the first time he heard the story, though. He smiles to the pup as he continues. "'Why should we let her come?' asked Ahiga. 'We can barely feed ourselves, and she is old and cannot help us.' It was true; Paoro's sister could barely hunt even in good times. But Paoro shook her head, and she said, 'She is wise, and she is beloved of the spirits.' Ahiga hesitated, but in the end, he agreed. The three of them set out together. At first, it seemed Ahiga was right. The elder couldn't walk as fast as they could, and she couldn't hunt. They shared their food with her, and all three of them went hungry because of it. They slept with a gnawing in their bellies at night. Sometimes they fought with each other, but on they went."
Hadir watches Ikuna as he tells the story. Ikuna is a good person and definitely tells a good story, "Hungry." he states to the older wolf. He isn't hungry he is merely echoing the statement and the point of the story.
"Very hungry," agrees Ikuna. "At last, they came to a place that seemed nearly as beautiful as the home they left behind. A forest, with tall pine trees and waving ferns. Ahiga and Paoro decided to stop there. But Paoro's sister said. 'No! We must go on!' 'What?' asked Ahiga, and 'Why?' asked Paoro. The elder said only, 'It is not safe here. We must climb the mountain.' 'The mountain?' shouted Ahiga. 'It is bare rock! You want us to starve, old woman!' He was very angry, and Paoro was almost as angry as he. The elder stood firm as they yelled at her, and quietly insisted. 'We must climb the mountain.' A day and a night they argued, until at last Paoro and Ahiga gave in. 'Very well,' said Ahiga. 'We will climb this mountain, but that is the last thing I will do for you. I will help you no further.' Paoro's sister bowed her head, and they set out again, though Paoro and Ahiga had heavy hearts."
Hadir continues to listen to the story. He has never seen a mountain, but perhaps one day he will get a chance to see one. That would be pretty cool.
Ikuna has seen mountains, but he wasn't in much state to enjoy the experience. He continues on with his story. "They were halfway up the mountain when they heard a loud crack behind them, and they turned to see that the beautiful pine forest was in flames. It was a wild firestorm, great billows leaping to the sky. They could feel the heat of it from where they stood, almost a day's journey away. If they had stayed, they would have died. The fire would have eaten them. Ahiga and Paoro saw this, and regretted their harsh words to the elder. They bowed their heads to her. 'I am sorry,' said Ahiga, and Paoro said, 'We should have listened.' The elder nodded, and she said, 'I forgive you.' For she knew it is a hard thing to trust. Ahiga kept his head bowed, and then he said, 'I name you Shaman, for you are wise. From now on, it will be the duty of me and all my tribe to share our food with you, and in return, you shall share your wisdom with us.' And they all three agreed to that; and so it was. To this day, those cougars have a shaman, and she shares her wisdom with all who need it."
Hadir yawns as he hears the end of the story and rests his head on his paws. He has to rest now, but he did appreciate the story that Ikuna told. Perhaps sometime he will ask him more about the story, "Sleepy..." he says before zonks out.
Ikuna smiles, and nuzzles the sleepy pup gently, then does the same to Wachiwa as she likewise sleeps. He's not quite tired yet, but he stays cuddled against the two of them. He'll just keep watch for now, and enjoy the nearness of his pack.