Post by Pavane on Mar 7, 2012 1:09:23 GMT -5
Ikuna - male adolescent wolf
Tala - female adolescent wolf
Ahiga - male adolescent wolf
Wachiwa - female wolf
---Hilltop Vista---
The days are getting shorter. The nights are getting colder. Ikuna knows what's coming... but this year, he's getting to actually enjoy the autumn! Much better than being trapped in a cave or weak from hunger. The adolescent wolf has cast aside his serious 'practically all grown up' demeanor for today, and he's... frolicing among the falling leaves near the edge of the woods. Prancing around, like a fool or a puppy. Even snapping at them with his jaws and shaking them with mock-fierce grrs. Dignity? HAH!
Tala can be found following along after her brother, which isn't a real surprize as the pair tend to go everywhere with one another! The wounds from the wolverine are long gone replaced by scars that can seen be seen upon her form while she bounces along through the leaves kicking them up with a laugh escaping her in the process.
Dignity. That's the epitome of Ahiga. He's a wolf with poise and class and...stuff like that. Yeah. He'll show them just how awesome he is! He'll show them that he's as good at this guard thing as any grownup. He'll show...Hey look it's his pals!!! The young wolf somewhat stiff, uh, guard walk slows as he hears noises up ahead, ears pricking as he sees Ikuna and Tala prancing about. He grins, tail beginning to sway from side to side. "Ooooh, yeah! Wooohooo!!" is his war cry as he charges towards the two of them, kicking up leaves in the process. He jumps and goes flying a good few yards, snapping at the falling foliage, spittle flying in the process. Pft. Poise and class.
Winter is coming. Winter, when most of the younger pups will be hiding in the den warm and safe next to their parents, and the older pups should be learning to hold their own in the pack. Wachiwa never liked winter. But this winter.. With this winter approaching, and knowing there are just so many things she needs answers for, the usually carefree she-wolf is quieter than usual, perhaps a little pensive. This day, she returns from yet another sweep along the borders of the packlands; she may not be the most vicious, nor the strongest, but she tends to see things in different ways. She can already hear 'her pups', as it were, playing in the leaves ahead as she returns to the hill. She almost thinks of winding around them, slipping into the shadows to not be seen, to let them play. But she needs to talk to these three, the oldest. So instead she simply stops as she reaches the top of the slope, peering down at them as they make a massicre out of the fallen leaves.
Ikuna pounces down at one of the leaves that Tala has stirred up into motion, pinning it down to the ground! ...amidst all the other leaves. Aww, where'd it gooooo? He noses in amongst the crunchy leaves, snuffling around in the dirt and missing the approach of Ahiga right up until the war whoop of getting his attention, along with the attention of just about every critter in the vicinity that isn't deaf or dead. He lifts up his head, grinning, and bounces to the side as the other adolescent charges, his front lowered and his tail wagging to... bat the leaves out of the air. Yeah, that's it. For the moment, busy in play, he doesn't notice Chewy's arrival.
Tala ears perk at the sudden whoop from Ahiga and she blinks before glancing towards her friend that is running towards her and Ikuna. She grins and wruffs out as she bounces forward and towards Ahiga with a few quick steps, her large paws carrying her forward a bit more until she shifts to the side and lets out a laugh. "Ahiga! Where have you been?" Seems she hasn't picked up on Chewy being there just yet either.
Oh-ho! Ikuna's ready to play, and Ahiga is all too willing to comply with the other male's play bow. Now that he's shown the poor leaves just who's boss, it's Ikuna's turn! When all four paws thud back to ground after his flying leap, they continue thrumming ahead as he charges towards his pal. His eyes flit to Tala, and his grin grows as he shifts his charge her way..then shifts back to Ikuna, then back to her! Decisions decisions! Who to pounce? And there's someone else here too! "Chewy!" Apparently he does notice the quiet wolf up on the hill, but his shoutout to her is all that he can offer before "RAR! HERE!" he answers to Tala just as he leaps to her. Kerpounce!
The shouting and the war whoops and oh gosh, Chewy realizes she /will/ miss this, but that answers must be found if happiness like this is to remain. She chuckles; a smile spreading on her face, as she watches them play, before she finally starts her way down. "Oh, goodness, yes, you show those leaves what's for, the lot of you; how /dare/ they fall, hmm?" Her tail wags behind her in a cheerful manner, though is hardly at full mast; instead tempered. The one-eyed she wolf finds a safer place near them and their play to sit down, not wanting to interrupt... But not joining in. An unusual thing for a chewy, but perhaps she simply wishes to watch for now.
Ikuna grins wide, bouncing from side to side and then charging back toward Ahiga, two wolves running to meet each, other, the clash of the titans unless of course it isn't ... well is it? Nobody knows! Certainly not either of them! At the mention of Chewy, his charge halt for a moment to look back. Oh yeah! It's a Chewy! Fortunate for Ikuna that Ahiga has chosen to attack Tala at this moment, or else he'd probably be a helpless target as he barks a greeting. "Hi Chewy!" He doesn't bother to invite her to join, 'cause, well, it's Chewy. There is a place he learned the lesson that even grown-up wolves can play and have fun, and that place was her. Her invitation is always implied, and as he turns back to see Ahiga in mid-pounce to Tala and charges in to join the fray himself (he hasn't decided on whose side yet) he expects to hear her paws not long behind... but doesn't, this time.
Tala glances over to Wachiwa as she hears Ahiga call out her name, and doing so Ahiga sends her to the ground in a splat of wolf! She wiggles about and laughs out madly as she kicks her paws at Ahiga trying to send him flying over her head and off of her in the proces!
Mwuahaha, wolf pile!! Ahiga's eyes squint as he hits his target of Tala, and he immediately tries to wrap his paws around her, knowing her fighting style. She's like a kicking, bucking horse! Luckily, he has a few pounds on her, but still, keeping himself upon her is no easy task, and the task becomes more difficult when Ikuna joins the fray. He nips at any portion of either wolf he can get, knowing that at any moment now things are going to get heavier when Wachiwa joins in as well. "C'mon *oof!* Tala! Y'know y-*ow!*can't beat me 'n Kuna!" Because, you know, Ikuna is definitely on HIS side. Boys vs. Girls!
The war of the leaves! Oh-ho, she remembers the times she spent with Asku and Shawnee, fighting the leaves. she chuckles to herself as she watches them.. but does not join. Wachiwa is loathe to let their play end... But she knows. Oh how she knows. Eventually, she speaks up a little softly. "When you have tired yourselves from battle, I need to speak to you three. I want to tell you some important things. But .. I don't want you to lose the chance to be yourselves. Winter is coming," she cants her head back a little, nose to the air, the chill hinting itself even then. "And you won't have much time then to play."
Tala laughs out and squirms about and tries to get away from Ahiga.. Which after a few moments at least works! She bounces around on her paws and kicks a bunch of leaves towards Ikuna and Ahiga while just grinning. Her ears perk forward and she looks towards Chewy a moment, blinking as she wonders wha needs to be said. "Well.. Alright.." She glances to the her friends wondering what they shuld do.. Continue playing to listen to the talk now?
No small wolf, Ikuna. The summer and early autumn have filled out his frame, and left him with the body of a large northern wolf - rather like that of his father, not that Ikuna recognizes that in himself. He wrassles in with both his friends, taking nips to the fluff (and stray kicks) and returning playful nips of his own as he alternately shoves at Ahiga with his shoulders and pounces down at Tala's paws with his own. Fun times! ...though now that he knows Wachiwa's there, it's a little odd that she doesn't come to join them. Some small part of him is wondering at that, and listening for signs of her, and so when she speaks, he hears the quiet voice, and veers off from the play to turn and look at the older female. He tilts his head to the side, his eyes searching her expression. "We can listen now," he says. "We all know who woulda won, anyhow." ...and he totally doesn't actually name ANYONE. Not at all. He just grins to both of his playmates before looking back to Chewy.
Tails and teeth and fur and fun! This is what life is all about for Ahiga, and unlike his more observant companion, he seems not to notice the unusualness in Wachiwa's demeanor. Yes, he hears her...but he doesn't actually /hear/ her. It's only when the wrestling seems to die down that he notices anything out of the norm. "Huh?" he says with a snuffle, a leaflet clinging to his ear. Pft, thanks Tala! After standing, he gives his body a brisk shake and glances towards Ikuna, a smirk curving his muzzle. "Yeah. We /all/ know who that would'a been," he chimes in as he pushes himself to stand, then sit, between the brother-sister pair, eyes on Wachiwa. "S'up Chewy? And ah, winter's not so bad. I like the snow!" He doesn't like the 'not so much food' part, but...after a few seasons of plenty, he seems to have forgotten how sucky winter can be.
Waiting for what she still sees as 'her pups' to settle, Wachiwa mms softly, then says, "Winter may have fun things like snow. But winter is also a time of lean; when you must all work together to bring down prey so the pack as a whole must eat, Ahiga," Chewy smirks. "There won't bee rabbits running about helter skelter looking for love or food; the herds will be on the move soon- are already on the move for the grasslands where they will have better to eat when the snow falls. I know you three are young, but when the winter passes, this will be your second spring.. You will be adults, and to serve as a reminder, winter will try you this year in its hardest. Remember that; work together; as wolves we are strongest when in numbers." She sighs, taking in a breath, before she lowers her head slightly. "... I have always been here, for you, since you were born, since you joined the pack, Ahiga. Always. But .. this winter, I am not going to be with you."
Three (not so) little wolfies, all in a row! They look ready to listen... in their own individual fashions. Ikuna's ears are perked, and he nods along to the first part of what Chewy's had to say. He's heard it before, more or less, but he's willing to listen again. ...though he's not so sure this is important enough to interrupt the play, or for that slight oddness in Chewy's demeanor. They _have_ heard it all before, even if Ahiga wasn't always listening. At the mention of working together, he glances over to his two companions and grins... before his attention is drawn back sharply to Chewy. This part is something most definitely new. "You're leaving?" he asks, and his tail is down to the ground and his ears back a little. But... Chewy! She's always there! Even when he was gone, she was there and she came to get him and... "Why?"
Tala shofts her shoulder back against Ikuna while she wiggles about and plants her rump to the ground and looks to Chew listening closely and tilts her head. She licks across her maw and then blinks a moment while watching as the talk goes on. Her ears lower as she watches the wolf she's considered her mother for a long time. "But.. Wait.. Where are you going?.."
"Yeah, yeah..." replies Ahiga gently beneath his breath, the wods accompanied with a boyish grin. Oh these three have heard it all, haven't they? Of course Ahiga thinks he knows everything (even when he's forgotten it) because that's what adolescents do! He not to slyly grins over at Ikuna, then Tala, before settling to listen. That grin is still on his face, but it's a look that slowly begins to melt as Wachiwa begins to falter. What's going on? That's never a sign of good news to come, and this instance is no exception. He blinks, frowning soon after, watching the female with a look of uncomprehension. Not going to be with them? Where else would she be? "But you jus' said--!," he begins, speaking right as the others do. He clamps his jaw shut, letting their quesions resonate first while he watches her, still looking confused.
Swallow. Breath. Wachiwa opens her eyes, settling the clear blue of the untainted orb on each in turn. "Ikuna.. Tala.. Ahiga... You three know that for some time now, that it has seemed like the Spirits have been turning an unkind eye on us. First your parents.. and then the Dark Times last summer.. And now, little Hadir. I know you haven't said anything of it aloud, Ikuna.. But I've felt your doubt of their presence, and I must admit.. I have felt some doubt myself. I have been thinking of this for some time... And I have decided that this winter, I will go in search of the Spirits myself. Without me here, however, I will need you three to be strong. I need you to take care of Hadir and Althaea, be like brothers and sisters to them, but also as I have done with you, be their parents when Skahla and Shawnee are busy. You will need to help with the hunt-- and initiate your own hunts as well. And I need you to remember and spread the stories I have told, for most important are stories and songs. They were passed down by our ancestors to us, and we would do them great shame not to pass them on ourselves."
Tala isn't sure what to say now and shifts pressing closer to Ahiga, her head lowering and lets her cheek press against his shoulder. She supposes that makes sense but at the same time losing everyone and now Wachiwa?.. A faint whimper escapes her.
Ikuna keeps listening, though his distress is obvious. He never has been good at hiding his feelings. When Chewy speaks of his doubts, there's a brief ear-flick, but then he simply nods. It wasn't a secret, so much as... he didn't want to worry her. It seems she's been worrying on her own, though. As she continues on, his expression slowly changes; his ears perk again, and his tail lifts up - not to wag, but to hold a steady position. His posture becomes one of... determination. "We will," he answers. Haven't they already been doing those things? Watching over the puppies, and hunting for the pack... and even telling stories sometimes, though Ikuna knows he'll never be able to do /that/ as well as Chewy can. All that becomes far more important now; with winter, yes, always with winter, but with Chewy gone... will this place even feel like home without her? She's always been here. It... Ikuna pushes down his doubt. It will, because they'll make it so. He'll make it so, if he has to do all those things himself. He's not giving up. "Just... come back, okay?" He almost manages it without a quaver in his voice, and he steps forward to nose at Chewy's cheek softly.
The three of them are no strangers to losing others in their lives, but for Ahiga, the loss of his mother has been something he has not thought of in...well, forever. The pain of that is gone, largely thanks to the kindness and acceptance of the Ute. Wachiwa and Asku especially. But this is different. Wachiwa has been a constant, a wolf who has been in his life longer than the faceless wolf that was his mother. The feeling that is clutching at his chest now is one he hasn't felt in moons, and he doesn't like it. Feeling Tala lean against him, he glances her way and his frown grows a little deeper. His friends are sad, and he likes that even less. His mouth opens, perhaps to protest, but it closes once Ikuna speaks. He watches his friend closely and slowly inhales a breath. "How're you gonna do that? Find the Spirits? Where are you gonna go, and why /now?/ Asku's not gonna let you go, y'know."
A smile comes across chewy's pale face and she leans in to nuzzle at Ikuna as he noses her cheek. She leans forward to nuzzle at them each in fact-- to give Tala a comforting nudge to the temple, to try and wryly nip at Ahiga's ears. She chuckles. And replies, looking skyward, "I will find them the same way I always find my way home. I will follow my heart. Is there any better thing to be lead by than that which confirms we live and breath?" She s chuckles. Then adds, "AskuAskuwheteau and I have always had an understanding, Ahiga. We are bound by love, but we still run free. If he disagrees with me leaving, then he will find his way to me to bring me back." She chuckles softly. Then says, looking at each of them, "But don't worry. I will be back... If I do not find the Spirits by spring.. Then I will return. It may be that they are indeed gone.. But I cannot answer that with truth until I know for sure.. And for Hadir, for all of us, I must find these answers."
Those are some good questions from Ahiga. Some very good questions. Ikuna... well, he's pretty sure the spirits are dead and gone, which makes it all the more important that wolves like him take care of each other and their packs. That's all they've got. Even if dead isn't exactly... dead, according to his friend Anoki, it's still a far cry from being alive and able to do things. Still, that's something for Chewy to figure out, not him; he's not sure he'd even understand the answer. ...yeah, pretty much as he thought. She'll follow her heart... and while he doesn't know hers, he knows that his has sometimes led him down strange and thoughtful roads. It's the same sort of thing. He adds in a bit of his own, "Hadir's been gettin' worse. If they can help -" and while he doesn't believe they can, he'd be glad to be proven wrong "- it'd better be soon." He's still not happy about it, but... he's not going to argue with a Chewy who's made up her mind. Let his brother do that... though he doubts Asku will, not with how often he's been off on his own journeys lately. As for the other brother... "Have you told Skahla?"
The thought of Chewy leaving is not easy for Tala to take, since she was a little pup someone has left her life in one form or another. Her gaze turns back to Chewy and a soft breath escapes her while she shifts up and leans close to the other she-wolf hugging her with a forepaw closely. "Becareful.. Please.." She murmurs out before turning and moves away from the three. Her head lowered and ears back.
Ahiga ducks as his ears are nipped, unable to fight back his smirk quickly enough. He regains his composure though, adopting back his look of displeasure, making sure she knows that he isn't pleased with this planned trip of hers. But really, how can he argue? Her reasons are...noble, to say the least. For Hadir. For the good of the pack. He's done his best to keep away from that young one. His fits...are scary. Scary in a way that they are unknown and strange. An alien thing that has not been a part of his world until now. If the Spirits can fix that, then...well, why would he be against that. A large breath is exhaled, and his eyes turn to Tala, watching her depart. "...Fine. Y'can go, I guess.." he says begrudgingly (as if she needed his permission!) He looks back at the one eyed she wolf. "But yeah, y'd better be back cuz if you ain't, I /know/ what's gonna happen. Asku's gonna go out lookin' for ya, then /he'll/ be gone too!" he says exhasperatedly. Ikuna's question is a good one. Skahla should know! Cuz if not..then he'll be pissed. And a pissed alpha is no good for anyone.
Mmm. "Skahla does not know yet. I have been trying to find him to speak to him, but I think.." She drops her voice a bit among thw two boys, since, Tala, already leaving, does not need to hear her suspicions, "I think he may be going on a lot of border walks because he is worried, in his heart, for Hadir. It is very hard to worry for someone you love when you cannot do anything to help them, and they are hurting so much. I think sometimes, he may even be trying to decide if it is best if he simply ends Hadir's life so that Hadir does not have to suffer. It may not make much sense to you boys now.. But when you are older, you will understand." She sighs, then shakes her head. Before she pauses.. then smiles. "And don't worry about me. Even if I'm not here where you can see me, I'll always be here in heart. You're never alone." She pauses, eyes closing, as she lifts her head a bit.. then lets out a soft, howl-like song. "Never alone, never alone, I'll be in every beat of your heart when you face the unknown. Where-ever you fly, this isn't goodbye, my love will follow you, stay with you, you're never alone."
The part about Skahla's worry... that, Ikuna knows. He's spoken with the alpha about his son, and caught occasional glimpses of him since then. It's part of why Ikuna has put up so little fight to Chewy's departure; an emotional argument strong enough to convince Ahiga is definitely enough to convince _him_. The wolf nods. "He is. It's... hard for him, but he doesn't want to give up. He... wants to give Hadir every chance, but... it hurts him, to... see. If you can find something...." He lets the words trail off, and shakes his head slowly. Ikuna is young yet, but he's seen and felt enough of different kinds of pain to understand rather more than he should. He closes his eyes briefly as the female wolf begins to sing, and then opens them again to look at her, take in her face and shape. There was a time, trapped in that hole, that he began to forget. This time, he'll remember - for himself; for his sister when she comes to him because she feels alone, sharing the pain that's too fresh for her to deal with at this moment; for the puppies who won't have Chewy during their first winter. He'll remember.
Yeesh, end the pup's life? That's...rough. Ahiga's eyes slightly lower in thought. He doesn't harbor too much affection for Skahla other than the respect that's automatically given due to his stature, but it's difficult for him not to feel a little sorry for the guy. His gaze lifts again only when Wachiwa begins to sing, and he does not interrupt the melodic words, raising his eyes up as if he can see them drifting off into the sky, carried off by the breeze. ".. When will you leave?" he asks quietly.
Letting the howl carry into the wind, Wachiwa closes her eyes; chest feeling tight. She does not wish to go so much as she feels they need answers. She breathes deep, then says softly, "I will leave after the first snow falls... When the moon is high and full. Before then, I will try and show you both the places where the water runs thinnest to drink in winter. And I want you to howl then the moon is sharp in the sky, while I am gone; howling keeps the pack together; it makes us feel like we are whole. We can keep in touch with howling; for no matter where a wolf wanders, he or she will always, always hear the howls of their home pack. It is part of our heart, to know these howls." She smiles.
To hear those howls? Maybe. There was a time when Ikuna couldn't hear the howls of home, though he hoped for them. Still, he smiles back, even if it's a little sad. Perhaps it was only that he couldn't see that moon overhead... or perhaps this too is simply something his heart doesn't quite grasp. All he can do is keep on trying. "I remember the moon-song."
The she-wolf's leaving seems as if it will leave behind a lot of responsibility to the three amigos. Is Ahiga up for the task of being...responsible? He'll have until snowfall to find out, and luckily there still a little time before that to prepare for the things he'll have to do. The stories he'll need not to forget. She'll be counting on them. He slowly nods, a bit to himself and a bit to her before he slightly turns his head towards the upper slope of the hill. "Hey uh...I better go check on Tala," he says as he rises to his paws. "Tell her you ain't leavin' right now right now so she won't go cryin' her eyes out for no reason." This said with a small smirk.
There's a chuckle-- but Wachiwa understands. She nods to Ahiga, then adds, playfully, "I imagine you two'll be the next to have puppies by the time I get back." with a tease at him. .. but she frowns then, and looks to Ikuna, murmuring, "I will be back. I promise. But I need to see if there /are/ answers out there.. Not just for Hadir. For everyone. Skahla, Shawnee, they need answers, too. This whole family.. we need answers. And I hope I can find them. If nothing else.. I may find more stories to tell." She smirks amusedly, "And if I come back empty-pawed, well. You can all say 'I told you so' and ground me from ever leaving again, how's that."
Ikuna nods to his friend at the mention of Tala. He may tease, but Ahiga will certainly help lift her spirits... though Chewy's mention totally flummoxes him. Puppies? Them? Ikuna looks at Ahiga, and then to where Tala disappeared to, and then back again to Ahiga. Uh well yeah they're growing up - grown up, practically - and yeah adults have puppies with that weird mating thing, but... Ahiga? Tala? Together? Like... that? He manages to drag his attention back to the rest of what Chewy's saying, though there's still a little thought running wild after that mental hare. "For you, too. The answers..." He glances to her blind eye, and then back to meet the gaze of the other. "Just so long's you come back."
Wait. Ew. What? Way to go, blowing the poor males' minds with talk of puppies, Wachiwa! Ahiga's only a mid-step away before he freezes at that, glancing at Chewy with a bewildered look. Puppies? With Tala? Like, gross!...right? Ahiga's not even one hundred percent sure he's gotten the full story about this "mate" thing. Skahla and Shawnee are mates and they have puppies. But aren't Wachiwa and Asku mates..ish? And they don't have puppies! Plus, this is Tala we're talking about! She's cute (not that he'd say that to her /or/ Ikuna for that matter) but she's Tala. She's like...his sister. Sort of. And plus, she's Ikuna's /real/ sister, so he couldn't like...go there with her. Right? Wouldn't that be a major break of the bro code? Or something.. All this goes through Ahiga's mind in about 4.23 seconds, and all he can utter afterward is a very unintelligent sounding, "Uh..." Thank the spirits Ikuna doesn't have anything to say about that, and before he /does/, Ahiga makes his exit! He trots off at a pace a little too quick to be considered nonchalant.
Tala - female adolescent wolf
Ahiga - male adolescent wolf
Wachiwa - female wolf
---Hilltop Vista---
The days are getting shorter. The nights are getting colder. Ikuna knows what's coming... but this year, he's getting to actually enjoy the autumn! Much better than being trapped in a cave or weak from hunger. The adolescent wolf has cast aside his serious 'practically all grown up' demeanor for today, and he's... frolicing among the falling leaves near the edge of the woods. Prancing around, like a fool or a puppy. Even snapping at them with his jaws and shaking them with mock-fierce grrs. Dignity? HAH!
Tala can be found following along after her brother, which isn't a real surprize as the pair tend to go everywhere with one another! The wounds from the wolverine are long gone replaced by scars that can seen be seen upon her form while she bounces along through the leaves kicking them up with a laugh escaping her in the process.
Dignity. That's the epitome of Ahiga. He's a wolf with poise and class and...stuff like that. Yeah. He'll show them just how awesome he is! He'll show them that he's as good at this guard thing as any grownup. He'll show...Hey look it's his pals!!! The young wolf somewhat stiff, uh, guard walk slows as he hears noises up ahead, ears pricking as he sees Ikuna and Tala prancing about. He grins, tail beginning to sway from side to side. "Ooooh, yeah! Wooohooo!!" is his war cry as he charges towards the two of them, kicking up leaves in the process. He jumps and goes flying a good few yards, snapping at the falling foliage, spittle flying in the process. Pft. Poise and class.
Winter is coming. Winter, when most of the younger pups will be hiding in the den warm and safe next to their parents, and the older pups should be learning to hold their own in the pack. Wachiwa never liked winter. But this winter.. With this winter approaching, and knowing there are just so many things she needs answers for, the usually carefree she-wolf is quieter than usual, perhaps a little pensive. This day, she returns from yet another sweep along the borders of the packlands; she may not be the most vicious, nor the strongest, but she tends to see things in different ways. She can already hear 'her pups', as it were, playing in the leaves ahead as she returns to the hill. She almost thinks of winding around them, slipping into the shadows to not be seen, to let them play. But she needs to talk to these three, the oldest. So instead she simply stops as she reaches the top of the slope, peering down at them as they make a massicre out of the fallen leaves.
Ikuna pounces down at one of the leaves that Tala has stirred up into motion, pinning it down to the ground! ...amidst all the other leaves. Aww, where'd it gooooo? He noses in amongst the crunchy leaves, snuffling around in the dirt and missing the approach of Ahiga right up until the war whoop of getting his attention, along with the attention of just about every critter in the vicinity that isn't deaf or dead. He lifts up his head, grinning, and bounces to the side as the other adolescent charges, his front lowered and his tail wagging to... bat the leaves out of the air. Yeah, that's it. For the moment, busy in play, he doesn't notice Chewy's arrival.
Tala ears perk at the sudden whoop from Ahiga and she blinks before glancing towards her friend that is running towards her and Ikuna. She grins and wruffs out as she bounces forward and towards Ahiga with a few quick steps, her large paws carrying her forward a bit more until she shifts to the side and lets out a laugh. "Ahiga! Where have you been?" Seems she hasn't picked up on Chewy being there just yet either.
Oh-ho! Ikuna's ready to play, and Ahiga is all too willing to comply with the other male's play bow. Now that he's shown the poor leaves just who's boss, it's Ikuna's turn! When all four paws thud back to ground after his flying leap, they continue thrumming ahead as he charges towards his pal. His eyes flit to Tala, and his grin grows as he shifts his charge her way..then shifts back to Ikuna, then back to her! Decisions decisions! Who to pounce? And there's someone else here too! "Chewy!" Apparently he does notice the quiet wolf up on the hill, but his shoutout to her is all that he can offer before "RAR! HERE!" he answers to Tala just as he leaps to her. Kerpounce!
The shouting and the war whoops and oh gosh, Chewy realizes she /will/ miss this, but that answers must be found if happiness like this is to remain. She chuckles; a smile spreading on her face, as she watches them play, before she finally starts her way down. "Oh, goodness, yes, you show those leaves what's for, the lot of you; how /dare/ they fall, hmm?" Her tail wags behind her in a cheerful manner, though is hardly at full mast; instead tempered. The one-eyed she wolf finds a safer place near them and their play to sit down, not wanting to interrupt... But not joining in. An unusual thing for a chewy, but perhaps she simply wishes to watch for now.
Ikuna grins wide, bouncing from side to side and then charging back toward Ahiga, two wolves running to meet each, other, the clash of the titans unless of course it isn't ... well is it? Nobody knows! Certainly not either of them! At the mention of Chewy, his charge halt for a moment to look back. Oh yeah! It's a Chewy! Fortunate for Ikuna that Ahiga has chosen to attack Tala at this moment, or else he'd probably be a helpless target as he barks a greeting. "Hi Chewy!" He doesn't bother to invite her to join, 'cause, well, it's Chewy. There is a place he learned the lesson that even grown-up wolves can play and have fun, and that place was her. Her invitation is always implied, and as he turns back to see Ahiga in mid-pounce to Tala and charges in to join the fray himself (he hasn't decided on whose side yet) he expects to hear her paws not long behind... but doesn't, this time.
Tala glances over to Wachiwa as she hears Ahiga call out her name, and doing so Ahiga sends her to the ground in a splat of wolf! She wiggles about and laughs out madly as she kicks her paws at Ahiga trying to send him flying over her head and off of her in the proces!
Mwuahaha, wolf pile!! Ahiga's eyes squint as he hits his target of Tala, and he immediately tries to wrap his paws around her, knowing her fighting style. She's like a kicking, bucking horse! Luckily, he has a few pounds on her, but still, keeping himself upon her is no easy task, and the task becomes more difficult when Ikuna joins the fray. He nips at any portion of either wolf he can get, knowing that at any moment now things are going to get heavier when Wachiwa joins in as well. "C'mon *oof!* Tala! Y'know y-*ow!*can't beat me 'n Kuna!" Because, you know, Ikuna is definitely on HIS side. Boys vs. Girls!
The war of the leaves! Oh-ho, she remembers the times she spent with Asku and Shawnee, fighting the leaves. she chuckles to herself as she watches them.. but does not join. Wachiwa is loathe to let their play end... But she knows. Oh how she knows. Eventually, she speaks up a little softly. "When you have tired yourselves from battle, I need to speak to you three. I want to tell you some important things. But .. I don't want you to lose the chance to be yourselves. Winter is coming," she cants her head back a little, nose to the air, the chill hinting itself even then. "And you won't have much time then to play."
Tala laughs out and squirms about and tries to get away from Ahiga.. Which after a few moments at least works! She bounces around on her paws and kicks a bunch of leaves towards Ikuna and Ahiga while just grinning. Her ears perk forward and she looks towards Chewy a moment, blinking as she wonders wha needs to be said. "Well.. Alright.." She glances to the her friends wondering what they shuld do.. Continue playing to listen to the talk now?
No small wolf, Ikuna. The summer and early autumn have filled out his frame, and left him with the body of a large northern wolf - rather like that of his father, not that Ikuna recognizes that in himself. He wrassles in with both his friends, taking nips to the fluff (and stray kicks) and returning playful nips of his own as he alternately shoves at Ahiga with his shoulders and pounces down at Tala's paws with his own. Fun times! ...though now that he knows Wachiwa's there, it's a little odd that she doesn't come to join them. Some small part of him is wondering at that, and listening for signs of her, and so when she speaks, he hears the quiet voice, and veers off from the play to turn and look at the older female. He tilts his head to the side, his eyes searching her expression. "We can listen now," he says. "We all know who woulda won, anyhow." ...and he totally doesn't actually name ANYONE. Not at all. He just grins to both of his playmates before looking back to Chewy.
Tails and teeth and fur and fun! This is what life is all about for Ahiga, and unlike his more observant companion, he seems not to notice the unusualness in Wachiwa's demeanor. Yes, he hears her...but he doesn't actually /hear/ her. It's only when the wrestling seems to die down that he notices anything out of the norm. "Huh?" he says with a snuffle, a leaflet clinging to his ear. Pft, thanks Tala! After standing, he gives his body a brisk shake and glances towards Ikuna, a smirk curving his muzzle. "Yeah. We /all/ know who that would'a been," he chimes in as he pushes himself to stand, then sit, between the brother-sister pair, eyes on Wachiwa. "S'up Chewy? And ah, winter's not so bad. I like the snow!" He doesn't like the 'not so much food' part, but...after a few seasons of plenty, he seems to have forgotten how sucky winter can be.
Waiting for what she still sees as 'her pups' to settle, Wachiwa mms softly, then says, "Winter may have fun things like snow. But winter is also a time of lean; when you must all work together to bring down prey so the pack as a whole must eat, Ahiga," Chewy smirks. "There won't bee rabbits running about helter skelter looking for love or food; the herds will be on the move soon- are already on the move for the grasslands where they will have better to eat when the snow falls. I know you three are young, but when the winter passes, this will be your second spring.. You will be adults, and to serve as a reminder, winter will try you this year in its hardest. Remember that; work together; as wolves we are strongest when in numbers." She sighs, taking in a breath, before she lowers her head slightly. "... I have always been here, for you, since you were born, since you joined the pack, Ahiga. Always. But .. this winter, I am not going to be with you."
Three (not so) little wolfies, all in a row! They look ready to listen... in their own individual fashions. Ikuna's ears are perked, and he nods along to the first part of what Chewy's had to say. He's heard it before, more or less, but he's willing to listen again. ...though he's not so sure this is important enough to interrupt the play, or for that slight oddness in Chewy's demeanor. They _have_ heard it all before, even if Ahiga wasn't always listening. At the mention of working together, he glances over to his two companions and grins... before his attention is drawn back sharply to Chewy. This part is something most definitely new. "You're leaving?" he asks, and his tail is down to the ground and his ears back a little. But... Chewy! She's always there! Even when he was gone, she was there and she came to get him and... "Why?"
Tala shofts her shoulder back against Ikuna while she wiggles about and plants her rump to the ground and looks to Chew listening closely and tilts her head. She licks across her maw and then blinks a moment while watching as the talk goes on. Her ears lower as she watches the wolf she's considered her mother for a long time. "But.. Wait.. Where are you going?.."
"Yeah, yeah..." replies Ahiga gently beneath his breath, the wods accompanied with a boyish grin. Oh these three have heard it all, haven't they? Of course Ahiga thinks he knows everything (even when he's forgotten it) because that's what adolescents do! He not to slyly grins over at Ikuna, then Tala, before settling to listen. That grin is still on his face, but it's a look that slowly begins to melt as Wachiwa begins to falter. What's going on? That's never a sign of good news to come, and this instance is no exception. He blinks, frowning soon after, watching the female with a look of uncomprehension. Not going to be with them? Where else would she be? "But you jus' said--!," he begins, speaking right as the others do. He clamps his jaw shut, letting their quesions resonate first while he watches her, still looking confused.
Swallow. Breath. Wachiwa opens her eyes, settling the clear blue of the untainted orb on each in turn. "Ikuna.. Tala.. Ahiga... You three know that for some time now, that it has seemed like the Spirits have been turning an unkind eye on us. First your parents.. and then the Dark Times last summer.. And now, little Hadir. I know you haven't said anything of it aloud, Ikuna.. But I've felt your doubt of their presence, and I must admit.. I have felt some doubt myself. I have been thinking of this for some time... And I have decided that this winter, I will go in search of the Spirits myself. Without me here, however, I will need you three to be strong. I need you to take care of Hadir and Althaea, be like brothers and sisters to them, but also as I have done with you, be their parents when Skahla and Shawnee are busy. You will need to help with the hunt-- and initiate your own hunts as well. And I need you to remember and spread the stories I have told, for most important are stories and songs. They were passed down by our ancestors to us, and we would do them great shame not to pass them on ourselves."
Tala isn't sure what to say now and shifts pressing closer to Ahiga, her head lowering and lets her cheek press against his shoulder. She supposes that makes sense but at the same time losing everyone and now Wachiwa?.. A faint whimper escapes her.
Ikuna keeps listening, though his distress is obvious. He never has been good at hiding his feelings. When Chewy speaks of his doubts, there's a brief ear-flick, but then he simply nods. It wasn't a secret, so much as... he didn't want to worry her. It seems she's been worrying on her own, though. As she continues on, his expression slowly changes; his ears perk again, and his tail lifts up - not to wag, but to hold a steady position. His posture becomes one of... determination. "We will," he answers. Haven't they already been doing those things? Watching over the puppies, and hunting for the pack... and even telling stories sometimes, though Ikuna knows he'll never be able to do /that/ as well as Chewy can. All that becomes far more important now; with winter, yes, always with winter, but with Chewy gone... will this place even feel like home without her? She's always been here. It... Ikuna pushes down his doubt. It will, because they'll make it so. He'll make it so, if he has to do all those things himself. He's not giving up. "Just... come back, okay?" He almost manages it without a quaver in his voice, and he steps forward to nose at Chewy's cheek softly.
The three of them are no strangers to losing others in their lives, but for Ahiga, the loss of his mother has been something he has not thought of in...well, forever. The pain of that is gone, largely thanks to the kindness and acceptance of the Ute. Wachiwa and Asku especially. But this is different. Wachiwa has been a constant, a wolf who has been in his life longer than the faceless wolf that was his mother. The feeling that is clutching at his chest now is one he hasn't felt in moons, and he doesn't like it. Feeling Tala lean against him, he glances her way and his frown grows a little deeper. His friends are sad, and he likes that even less. His mouth opens, perhaps to protest, but it closes once Ikuna speaks. He watches his friend closely and slowly inhales a breath. "How're you gonna do that? Find the Spirits? Where are you gonna go, and why /now?/ Asku's not gonna let you go, y'know."
A smile comes across chewy's pale face and she leans in to nuzzle at Ikuna as he noses her cheek. She leans forward to nuzzle at them each in fact-- to give Tala a comforting nudge to the temple, to try and wryly nip at Ahiga's ears. She chuckles. And replies, looking skyward, "I will find them the same way I always find my way home. I will follow my heart. Is there any better thing to be lead by than that which confirms we live and breath?" She s chuckles. Then adds, "AskuAskuwheteau and I have always had an understanding, Ahiga. We are bound by love, but we still run free. If he disagrees with me leaving, then he will find his way to me to bring me back." She chuckles softly. Then says, looking at each of them, "But don't worry. I will be back... If I do not find the Spirits by spring.. Then I will return. It may be that they are indeed gone.. But I cannot answer that with truth until I know for sure.. And for Hadir, for all of us, I must find these answers."
Those are some good questions from Ahiga. Some very good questions. Ikuna... well, he's pretty sure the spirits are dead and gone, which makes it all the more important that wolves like him take care of each other and their packs. That's all they've got. Even if dead isn't exactly... dead, according to his friend Anoki, it's still a far cry from being alive and able to do things. Still, that's something for Chewy to figure out, not him; he's not sure he'd even understand the answer. ...yeah, pretty much as he thought. She'll follow her heart... and while he doesn't know hers, he knows that his has sometimes led him down strange and thoughtful roads. It's the same sort of thing. He adds in a bit of his own, "Hadir's been gettin' worse. If they can help -" and while he doesn't believe they can, he'd be glad to be proven wrong "- it'd better be soon." He's still not happy about it, but... he's not going to argue with a Chewy who's made up her mind. Let his brother do that... though he doubts Asku will, not with how often he's been off on his own journeys lately. As for the other brother... "Have you told Skahla?"
The thought of Chewy leaving is not easy for Tala to take, since she was a little pup someone has left her life in one form or another. Her gaze turns back to Chewy and a soft breath escapes her while she shifts up and leans close to the other she-wolf hugging her with a forepaw closely. "Becareful.. Please.." She murmurs out before turning and moves away from the three. Her head lowered and ears back.
Ahiga ducks as his ears are nipped, unable to fight back his smirk quickly enough. He regains his composure though, adopting back his look of displeasure, making sure she knows that he isn't pleased with this planned trip of hers. But really, how can he argue? Her reasons are...noble, to say the least. For Hadir. For the good of the pack. He's done his best to keep away from that young one. His fits...are scary. Scary in a way that they are unknown and strange. An alien thing that has not been a part of his world until now. If the Spirits can fix that, then...well, why would he be against that. A large breath is exhaled, and his eyes turn to Tala, watching her depart. "...Fine. Y'can go, I guess.." he says begrudgingly (as if she needed his permission!) He looks back at the one eyed she wolf. "But yeah, y'd better be back cuz if you ain't, I /know/ what's gonna happen. Asku's gonna go out lookin' for ya, then /he'll/ be gone too!" he says exhasperatedly. Ikuna's question is a good one. Skahla should know! Cuz if not..then he'll be pissed. And a pissed alpha is no good for anyone.
Mmm. "Skahla does not know yet. I have been trying to find him to speak to him, but I think.." She drops her voice a bit among thw two boys, since, Tala, already leaving, does not need to hear her suspicions, "I think he may be going on a lot of border walks because he is worried, in his heart, for Hadir. It is very hard to worry for someone you love when you cannot do anything to help them, and they are hurting so much. I think sometimes, he may even be trying to decide if it is best if he simply ends Hadir's life so that Hadir does not have to suffer. It may not make much sense to you boys now.. But when you are older, you will understand." She sighs, then shakes her head. Before she pauses.. then smiles. "And don't worry about me. Even if I'm not here where you can see me, I'll always be here in heart. You're never alone." She pauses, eyes closing, as she lifts her head a bit.. then lets out a soft, howl-like song. "Never alone, never alone, I'll be in every beat of your heart when you face the unknown. Where-ever you fly, this isn't goodbye, my love will follow you, stay with you, you're never alone."
The part about Skahla's worry... that, Ikuna knows. He's spoken with the alpha about his son, and caught occasional glimpses of him since then. It's part of why Ikuna has put up so little fight to Chewy's departure; an emotional argument strong enough to convince Ahiga is definitely enough to convince _him_. The wolf nods. "He is. It's... hard for him, but he doesn't want to give up. He... wants to give Hadir every chance, but... it hurts him, to... see. If you can find something...." He lets the words trail off, and shakes his head slowly. Ikuna is young yet, but he's seen and felt enough of different kinds of pain to understand rather more than he should. He closes his eyes briefly as the female wolf begins to sing, and then opens them again to look at her, take in her face and shape. There was a time, trapped in that hole, that he began to forget. This time, he'll remember - for himself; for his sister when she comes to him because she feels alone, sharing the pain that's too fresh for her to deal with at this moment; for the puppies who won't have Chewy during their first winter. He'll remember.
Yeesh, end the pup's life? That's...rough. Ahiga's eyes slightly lower in thought. He doesn't harbor too much affection for Skahla other than the respect that's automatically given due to his stature, but it's difficult for him not to feel a little sorry for the guy. His gaze lifts again only when Wachiwa begins to sing, and he does not interrupt the melodic words, raising his eyes up as if he can see them drifting off into the sky, carried off by the breeze. ".. When will you leave?" he asks quietly.
Letting the howl carry into the wind, Wachiwa closes her eyes; chest feeling tight. She does not wish to go so much as she feels they need answers. She breathes deep, then says softly, "I will leave after the first snow falls... When the moon is high and full. Before then, I will try and show you both the places where the water runs thinnest to drink in winter. And I want you to howl then the moon is sharp in the sky, while I am gone; howling keeps the pack together; it makes us feel like we are whole. We can keep in touch with howling; for no matter where a wolf wanders, he or she will always, always hear the howls of their home pack. It is part of our heart, to know these howls." She smiles.
To hear those howls? Maybe. There was a time when Ikuna couldn't hear the howls of home, though he hoped for them. Still, he smiles back, even if it's a little sad. Perhaps it was only that he couldn't see that moon overhead... or perhaps this too is simply something his heart doesn't quite grasp. All he can do is keep on trying. "I remember the moon-song."
The she-wolf's leaving seems as if it will leave behind a lot of responsibility to the three amigos. Is Ahiga up for the task of being...responsible? He'll have until snowfall to find out, and luckily there still a little time before that to prepare for the things he'll have to do. The stories he'll need not to forget. She'll be counting on them. He slowly nods, a bit to himself and a bit to her before he slightly turns his head towards the upper slope of the hill. "Hey uh...I better go check on Tala," he says as he rises to his paws. "Tell her you ain't leavin' right now right now so she won't go cryin' her eyes out for no reason." This said with a small smirk.
There's a chuckle-- but Wachiwa understands. She nods to Ahiga, then adds, playfully, "I imagine you two'll be the next to have puppies by the time I get back." with a tease at him. .. but she frowns then, and looks to Ikuna, murmuring, "I will be back. I promise. But I need to see if there /are/ answers out there.. Not just for Hadir. For everyone. Skahla, Shawnee, they need answers, too. This whole family.. we need answers. And I hope I can find them. If nothing else.. I may find more stories to tell." She smirks amusedly, "And if I come back empty-pawed, well. You can all say 'I told you so' and ground me from ever leaving again, how's that."
Ikuna nods to his friend at the mention of Tala. He may tease, but Ahiga will certainly help lift her spirits... though Chewy's mention totally flummoxes him. Puppies? Them? Ikuna looks at Ahiga, and then to where Tala disappeared to, and then back again to Ahiga. Uh well yeah they're growing up - grown up, practically - and yeah adults have puppies with that weird mating thing, but... Ahiga? Tala? Together? Like... that? He manages to drag his attention back to the rest of what Chewy's saying, though there's still a little thought running wild after that mental hare. "For you, too. The answers..." He glances to her blind eye, and then back to meet the gaze of the other. "Just so long's you come back."
Wait. Ew. What? Way to go, blowing the poor males' minds with talk of puppies, Wachiwa! Ahiga's only a mid-step away before he freezes at that, glancing at Chewy with a bewildered look. Puppies? With Tala? Like, gross!...right? Ahiga's not even one hundred percent sure he's gotten the full story about this "mate" thing. Skahla and Shawnee are mates and they have puppies. But aren't Wachiwa and Asku mates..ish? And they don't have puppies! Plus, this is Tala we're talking about! She's cute (not that he'd say that to her /or/ Ikuna for that matter) but she's Tala. She's like...his sister. Sort of. And plus, she's Ikuna's /real/ sister, so he couldn't like...go there with her. Right? Wouldn't that be a major break of the bro code? Or something.. All this goes through Ahiga's mind in about 4.23 seconds, and all he can utter afterward is a very unintelligent sounding, "Uh..." Thank the spirits Ikuna doesn't have anything to say about that, and before he /does/, Ahiga makes his exit! He trots off at a pace a little too quick to be considered nonchalant.