Post by Pavane on May 29, 2012 16:39:42 GMT -5
Jatya - female adolescent dog
Anoki - male wolf
---Rock-Strewn Soil---
Jatya ran until she didn't know where she even was anymore - not that it mattered. How could she go back, when those wolves were back there? The wheeldog - beta - had been right all along. What did it even matter what she called him, anyway? She'd tried all winter long to fit in here, to live in the woods like wolves - like Anoki - but just look where it got her. She kept going. Eventually, it grew too dark to run. She crept beneath the prickly shelter of a bramble, and curled up tightly in as small a ball as possible. There, she trembled herself to sleep, and there she still is, sleeping off the exhaustion and panic of her flight.
His sister's news was not happy to hear; and since the hearing of it, Anoki has been... a mixed mess. The Ute in trouble, his heart goes out to them; but they attacked his friend, on what they considered to be Cerulean land, and that to him is as bad a crime as the dogs chase them from their own home. The direction Jatya went was hard to find with only a vague hint, but, nose to the grindstone, as it were, Anoki found her smell, faint, yet followable. And to the strewn rocky soil he has come, and here her scent becomes stronger. Lifting his head at last, he scans the area; and with eyes squinted, makes out shapes that could be here everywhere. "Jatya!" He calls, at last. "Jatya, are you here?"
At the sound of a voice, the sleeping Jatya's first reaction is to cringe; to try to curl up tighter, to hide herself. It's only a few moments later, as wakefulness comes, that she recognizes the voice. Anoki! Her ears perk, her tail starts to sway - then stops abruptly. Shouldn't he... be back with the other wolves? What's he doing out here, with a... a... /dog/ like her? Those ears wilt back again, and she whines beneath her breath. Anoki... oh, Anoki. He should have a better life. Back with other wolves, like him. Maybe that female, the one who snarled at her, or... it doesn't matter. She has no place here. He'll... he'll be better off without her. She'll... just have to make him realize that, somehow. For... for his sake. Jatya whines softly, and slowly crawls on her belly out from underneath the brush.
To see Jatya crawling, on her belly, like a whipped wolf, makes Anoki's ears lay back. What did they do to her? What did they say? He's never been so... so angry, at his friends, before. He trots her way briskly, speaking softly. "Jatya, there you are, I've been looking for you for days... I was worried about you.. even more when I heard what happened from my sister. Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they? If they did, I swear, I'll march myself down to their stupid little hideyhole and have what-fore with them.." His tail arced ober his back like a dominant male, he looks quite sure of himself in these words. "They had no right to chase you away if they feel this is /our/ land; they are the guests in Cerulean, and just because they're wolves doesn't make them any better than you."
Jatya's eyes widen as Anoki speaks, her head ducking and almost-lifting in turn. "I- I'm sorry," she murmurs softly. "I didn't mean..." But they are wolves, aren't they? And she's... a dog. "I'm not hurt." Not physically, at least. That tucked tail tells the story of other sorts of wounds. "You shouldn't, I mean... I just... they... maybe they're right, maybe beta Coinin's right, you're a wolf, and I'm a dog, and... and those wolves said... I brought bad things, and maybe I did. Maybe I'm... maybe the cloud-beast isn't a good thing. Maybe... maybe I'm not what you think. Maybe... I should leave."
Anoki rolls his eyes, as he reaches her, then starts nudging at her shoulders, snuffling, trying to inspect her physical frame while he thinks of how to deal with the emotional, the mental. "Coinin said you could stay, didn't he? If he thought you were bad for the pack, you wouldn't be here. You would have been chased off long before spring ever came, and no amount of me saying 'dude, I like her, I'll learn to hunt, and do everything you say' would have changed that." He shakes his head. Then sits down, reaching a paw out to place it against her shoulders. "So what if you're a dog, and I'm a wolf. We both breathe the same air, we both sit in the same rain, we both get the same itches when we go through brambles, don't we?" he looks down at her.. and smiles. "If you leave, I'll just follow you."
Jatya doesn't draw away from those touches - in fact, she starts to lean into them, before she remembers that she's supposed to be doing the right thing. She's supposed to be leaving, so these wolves can have wolf lives. So Anoki can, without... without her. Oh, she doesn't want that. Her body tells the truth of it, with how she relaxes at his touch, with how she orients herself in attention to him. It's her mind that says she should leave, the lies of fear. The truthful, wanting body is safe enough; scraped by thorns that tugged her fur away, paws worn by running heedless over rocks... but the fur was already being shed for spring, and the paws will soon mend. She frowns at Anoki's discussion of Coinin, but she does nod. He did say she could stay. There is that, but... what if he was wrong? What if he just... made a mistake? Her head starts to lower, so she can look away from Anoki long enough to come up with some kind of a protest - she can't argue this when she's looking at him, somehow. All the thoughts fly away - but the paw on her shoulders makes her look up again. Right into his eyes, her blue to his golden. Different, and yet... what is the difference, really? He... but - "You can't!" she says. He can't leave his pack, not - not for her! That surely can't even be _possible_, let alone something he'd actually do!
"Oh, but I can. And I will. They may be my family, but... Well, let's face it. I've never really fit in with them, I don't like hunting, I don't like little closed in spaces, I.." he trails. He looks aside, he shrugs. "I'm just different." He smirks faintly. "And they can get along fine without me if it comes to that. I mean, heck. My uncle doesn't even remember who I am so why would he miss me? And Niyt can always tell how I am by asking the wind." He looks down at her, and leans in, nuzzling at her shoulder, and then licking at some of the scraped places. "Wolf, dog, squirrel, pony, who cares about differences. /I/ care that I like you, and being with you makes me happy. In fact, being with you makes me the happiest I've been in a very long time. Your cloud beast hasn't come back for you, and I don't think it had anything to do with those dogs in the Ute lands." He considers though, thinking about those things. "... How can I prove to you that you're good..? I don't even know what those dogs look like, but I can tell you aren't /them/."
Jatya lowers her head again, but this time, she can't help but lean it forward, until she's lightly touching Anoki's chest with her muzzle. There's the scent of him. Wolf-scent, yes, but that's not the important part. Anoki-scent. As hers must be dog-scent... and also Jatya-scent. She whines. "I... you make me happy, too," she says softly. Can it really be that simple? Just... being happy together? Here, with Anoki, it seems possible, and yet... she thinks again on those wolves by the waterfall. Even Coinin, for all he let her stay, doesn't seem to see things as that easy. Maybe they know something she doesn't. That she and Anoki - oh, but there she hesitates. It's one thing to say /she/ doesn't know anything, but Anoki? That's something different. "If... if I make you happy, that... must be good, right?"
"Well, I dunno about you, but I sure think it's good," snorts anoki, as he lays his chin atop her head some while she's snuffling at his chest. He considers, then says, "Jatya, if we go see what these other dogs look like, if I show you you aren't like them, will you stay with the pack? I mean, the other wolves might not like you, but I sure do, and I certainly want you around. .. Well, no, I think it's more.. the Ute are afraid of you because of what happened to them. If I can prove you aren't like these dogs of theirs, well... Anyway. We could go.. see, I guess, maybe. But we'll need to be careful not to /be/ seen. And maybe if we go and see, we'll see some way to help them, and then they'll be happy." he says, softly, thoughtful. He's also slightly.. unsure. Jatya can't see the things he can.. what does he do, if he sees things that the Ute will get upset over..? /Wolves/.. who are dead...
Oh, there's a smile. It's hidden against Anoki's fur, but it's there. It's also echoed elsewhere in her body; in the slight relaxation, in the way her tail slips out from between legs and resumes a slight curl. Some of the relaxation vanishes again as Anoki talks about the other dogs. From what those waterfall-wolves - Ute? - said, they certainly don't seem like nice dogs. Not at all. If she's like Anoki, these other dogs are like... like... the snarling she-wolf, or maybe even worse. Jatya can be convinced she's not like them very nicely without seeing them, thankyouverymu- wait. It could... help the other wolves? Maybe make them like her? Not be afraid - well, that part's silly, because how could /they/ possibly be afraid of /her/, but still. It could convince them to... accept her? Gulp. "W-well... maybe..." she says. "But... what if those... dogs... found you?"
"If they find me, then I run. I'm more worried about them finding you," Anoki says, because then he would fight. And he isn't the best fighter, even he'll admit. "But that's why we'll have to be careful. We'll have to go during the day... Probably when the sun is high and things are hot. We'll need to be downwind of them at all times, and make as little noise as we can. And be ready to run at any time." She's given treat to a deep breath, and a slow sigh. "Better to go when everyone's lazy from food, or heat, after all. Night.. night, they'll be out hunting themselves if they're smart, since that's when most prey animals are sleeping."
This sounds... well... scary. Very, very scary. Jatya shivers slightly, but she nods. "We'll... be very careful." Running she can do. She's already done it once, from wolves. Hopefully she can do it again when it's dogs chasing her... and Anoki. Meep. Is this really a good idea? She's really not sure, but... she nods. Night is for hunting - well, and howling at the moon, but that's different. "What are we looking for?" Something to help is all well and good, but... she's never done something like this before! What sort of things could help? What should she keep watch for? She has no idea, but Anoki, he's smart!
"Weaknesses." Anoki says, drawing back as he takes a moment to examine her for any wounds she might be playing down on. He starts to fuzz over her slightly, snuffling at her shoulders abd back some, "Look for any injuries on the dogs we might see. count numbers of dogs that are visible. Pick out which ones you think might be the... Lead dog," he says, trying to remember some of her own jargon to help her. "And which ones are lower in rank. Look for discontent... or possible allies. There may be dogs going along with things because they don't know any other way to be... Who might be willing to help fight against the meaner dogs if it means they get something out of it."
Jatya nods as she listens, her tail curving slightly, her posture a happier one. Those sound like things she can look for; strong dogs, weak dogs, who shows their belly and who growls... who's hurt. She got close to that, when those Ute wolves attacked her... but managed to escape. "Maybe... we can find out where they came from, too," she offers. "We... we can see if there are other people who might need help. Or... might be able /to/ help."
"Yeah. Yeah, we can find out where they came from if we listen good, or find a... stupider.. one to talk to." Anoki says, pausing, before he reassures: "Almost everyone has one dumb cousin or brother who talks too much. That's just the way things are, Jatya, and if we can find out stuff from someone like that, maybe we can bring the information back to help the Ute." And get them back on /their/ lands. Anoki wouldn't say it aloud but.. but, with how worried Jatya was when he found her, and with knowing how snarly Ahiga can be sometimes... Anoki is actually kind of anxious to get the Ute and their dog haet away from him and his pack.. or else vice verse; know if he and Jatya need to go away themselves.
So who's the stupid one in Cerulean? Good question, but not one Jatya spends overly much time considering. Her thoughts are more on the talking, and... gulp. "If... we're talking to one... to a stupid one," because she's assuredly not talking to a smart one, "It should be me. That does the talking. I mean... I'm a dog." That part is offered with a small smile; not a self-blame, this time, but a simple fact. She's a dog. These are dogs. In much the same way that those Ute wolves wouldn't have attacked a strange wolf immediately... maybe her sharing of a species will help her if it comes to conversation. "Probably... probably better if they don't see you at all."
Anoki snorts. "Well, yeah, okay, you've got me there, you can probably look and talk Dog better than I can, but I'll be nearby to handle any problems, I promise you." Anoki ain't the biggest wolf, and goodness knows what he'd do in a fight. But he's darned determined to keep Jatya safe. "We'll wait a day or two, of course. I don't want you going in after dogs until /you/ feel better. Plus, I kinda uh. I kinda miss just layin' next to you a bit." he grins sheepishly, while rubbing at one forepaw with the other in a goofy manner, before he stand sup, turns a circle or three, then flops down, rolling onto his back next to her. "Y'know."
Jatya nods vigorously! For there's no way at all she'd be able to do anything like this if Anoki weren't nearby watching! Yeah, so maybe he's not the most battle-ready wolf (sometimes, when they play-tussle, she even wins. She's mostly gotten over apologizing for that. Mostly.) but that's not what matters here. He's still her Anoki. Her curled tail wags gently, and she hunches up, then scootches down to be right up against him, fur to fluffy fur. "I know," she says, smiling.
Anoki - male wolf
---Rock-Strewn Soil---
Jatya ran until she didn't know where she even was anymore - not that it mattered. How could she go back, when those wolves were back there? The wheeldog - beta - had been right all along. What did it even matter what she called him, anyway? She'd tried all winter long to fit in here, to live in the woods like wolves - like Anoki - but just look where it got her. She kept going. Eventually, it grew too dark to run. She crept beneath the prickly shelter of a bramble, and curled up tightly in as small a ball as possible. There, she trembled herself to sleep, and there she still is, sleeping off the exhaustion and panic of her flight.
His sister's news was not happy to hear; and since the hearing of it, Anoki has been... a mixed mess. The Ute in trouble, his heart goes out to them; but they attacked his friend, on what they considered to be Cerulean land, and that to him is as bad a crime as the dogs chase them from their own home. The direction Jatya went was hard to find with only a vague hint, but, nose to the grindstone, as it were, Anoki found her smell, faint, yet followable. And to the strewn rocky soil he has come, and here her scent becomes stronger. Lifting his head at last, he scans the area; and with eyes squinted, makes out shapes that could be here everywhere. "Jatya!" He calls, at last. "Jatya, are you here?"
At the sound of a voice, the sleeping Jatya's first reaction is to cringe; to try to curl up tighter, to hide herself. It's only a few moments later, as wakefulness comes, that she recognizes the voice. Anoki! Her ears perk, her tail starts to sway - then stops abruptly. Shouldn't he... be back with the other wolves? What's he doing out here, with a... a... /dog/ like her? Those ears wilt back again, and she whines beneath her breath. Anoki... oh, Anoki. He should have a better life. Back with other wolves, like him. Maybe that female, the one who snarled at her, or... it doesn't matter. She has no place here. He'll... he'll be better off without her. She'll... just have to make him realize that, somehow. For... for his sake. Jatya whines softly, and slowly crawls on her belly out from underneath the brush.
To see Jatya crawling, on her belly, like a whipped wolf, makes Anoki's ears lay back. What did they do to her? What did they say? He's never been so... so angry, at his friends, before. He trots her way briskly, speaking softly. "Jatya, there you are, I've been looking for you for days... I was worried about you.. even more when I heard what happened from my sister. Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they? If they did, I swear, I'll march myself down to their stupid little hideyhole and have what-fore with them.." His tail arced ober his back like a dominant male, he looks quite sure of himself in these words. "They had no right to chase you away if they feel this is /our/ land; they are the guests in Cerulean, and just because they're wolves doesn't make them any better than you."
Jatya's eyes widen as Anoki speaks, her head ducking and almost-lifting in turn. "I- I'm sorry," she murmurs softly. "I didn't mean..." But they are wolves, aren't they? And she's... a dog. "I'm not hurt." Not physically, at least. That tucked tail tells the story of other sorts of wounds. "You shouldn't, I mean... I just... they... maybe they're right, maybe beta Coinin's right, you're a wolf, and I'm a dog, and... and those wolves said... I brought bad things, and maybe I did. Maybe I'm... maybe the cloud-beast isn't a good thing. Maybe... maybe I'm not what you think. Maybe... I should leave."
Anoki rolls his eyes, as he reaches her, then starts nudging at her shoulders, snuffling, trying to inspect her physical frame while he thinks of how to deal with the emotional, the mental. "Coinin said you could stay, didn't he? If he thought you were bad for the pack, you wouldn't be here. You would have been chased off long before spring ever came, and no amount of me saying 'dude, I like her, I'll learn to hunt, and do everything you say' would have changed that." He shakes his head. Then sits down, reaching a paw out to place it against her shoulders. "So what if you're a dog, and I'm a wolf. We both breathe the same air, we both sit in the same rain, we both get the same itches when we go through brambles, don't we?" he looks down at her.. and smiles. "If you leave, I'll just follow you."
Jatya doesn't draw away from those touches - in fact, she starts to lean into them, before she remembers that she's supposed to be doing the right thing. She's supposed to be leaving, so these wolves can have wolf lives. So Anoki can, without... without her. Oh, she doesn't want that. Her body tells the truth of it, with how she relaxes at his touch, with how she orients herself in attention to him. It's her mind that says she should leave, the lies of fear. The truthful, wanting body is safe enough; scraped by thorns that tugged her fur away, paws worn by running heedless over rocks... but the fur was already being shed for spring, and the paws will soon mend. She frowns at Anoki's discussion of Coinin, but she does nod. He did say she could stay. There is that, but... what if he was wrong? What if he just... made a mistake? Her head starts to lower, so she can look away from Anoki long enough to come up with some kind of a protest - she can't argue this when she's looking at him, somehow. All the thoughts fly away - but the paw on her shoulders makes her look up again. Right into his eyes, her blue to his golden. Different, and yet... what is the difference, really? He... but - "You can't!" she says. He can't leave his pack, not - not for her! That surely can't even be _possible_, let alone something he'd actually do!
"Oh, but I can. And I will. They may be my family, but... Well, let's face it. I've never really fit in with them, I don't like hunting, I don't like little closed in spaces, I.." he trails. He looks aside, he shrugs. "I'm just different." He smirks faintly. "And they can get along fine without me if it comes to that. I mean, heck. My uncle doesn't even remember who I am so why would he miss me? And Niyt can always tell how I am by asking the wind." He looks down at her, and leans in, nuzzling at her shoulder, and then licking at some of the scraped places. "Wolf, dog, squirrel, pony, who cares about differences. /I/ care that I like you, and being with you makes me happy. In fact, being with you makes me the happiest I've been in a very long time. Your cloud beast hasn't come back for you, and I don't think it had anything to do with those dogs in the Ute lands." He considers though, thinking about those things. "... How can I prove to you that you're good..? I don't even know what those dogs look like, but I can tell you aren't /them/."
Jatya lowers her head again, but this time, she can't help but lean it forward, until she's lightly touching Anoki's chest with her muzzle. There's the scent of him. Wolf-scent, yes, but that's not the important part. Anoki-scent. As hers must be dog-scent... and also Jatya-scent. She whines. "I... you make me happy, too," she says softly. Can it really be that simple? Just... being happy together? Here, with Anoki, it seems possible, and yet... she thinks again on those wolves by the waterfall. Even Coinin, for all he let her stay, doesn't seem to see things as that easy. Maybe they know something she doesn't. That she and Anoki - oh, but there she hesitates. It's one thing to say /she/ doesn't know anything, but Anoki? That's something different. "If... if I make you happy, that... must be good, right?"
"Well, I dunno about you, but I sure think it's good," snorts anoki, as he lays his chin atop her head some while she's snuffling at his chest. He considers, then says, "Jatya, if we go see what these other dogs look like, if I show you you aren't like them, will you stay with the pack? I mean, the other wolves might not like you, but I sure do, and I certainly want you around. .. Well, no, I think it's more.. the Ute are afraid of you because of what happened to them. If I can prove you aren't like these dogs of theirs, well... Anyway. We could go.. see, I guess, maybe. But we'll need to be careful not to /be/ seen. And maybe if we go and see, we'll see some way to help them, and then they'll be happy." he says, softly, thoughtful. He's also slightly.. unsure. Jatya can't see the things he can.. what does he do, if he sees things that the Ute will get upset over..? /Wolves/.. who are dead...
Oh, there's a smile. It's hidden against Anoki's fur, but it's there. It's also echoed elsewhere in her body; in the slight relaxation, in the way her tail slips out from between legs and resumes a slight curl. Some of the relaxation vanishes again as Anoki talks about the other dogs. From what those waterfall-wolves - Ute? - said, they certainly don't seem like nice dogs. Not at all. If she's like Anoki, these other dogs are like... like... the snarling she-wolf, or maybe even worse. Jatya can be convinced she's not like them very nicely without seeing them, thankyouverymu- wait. It could... help the other wolves? Maybe make them like her? Not be afraid - well, that part's silly, because how could /they/ possibly be afraid of /her/, but still. It could convince them to... accept her? Gulp. "W-well... maybe..." she says. "But... what if those... dogs... found you?"
"If they find me, then I run. I'm more worried about them finding you," Anoki says, because then he would fight. And he isn't the best fighter, even he'll admit. "But that's why we'll have to be careful. We'll have to go during the day... Probably when the sun is high and things are hot. We'll need to be downwind of them at all times, and make as little noise as we can. And be ready to run at any time." She's given treat to a deep breath, and a slow sigh. "Better to go when everyone's lazy from food, or heat, after all. Night.. night, they'll be out hunting themselves if they're smart, since that's when most prey animals are sleeping."
This sounds... well... scary. Very, very scary. Jatya shivers slightly, but she nods. "We'll... be very careful." Running she can do. She's already done it once, from wolves. Hopefully she can do it again when it's dogs chasing her... and Anoki. Meep. Is this really a good idea? She's really not sure, but... she nods. Night is for hunting - well, and howling at the moon, but that's different. "What are we looking for?" Something to help is all well and good, but... she's never done something like this before! What sort of things could help? What should she keep watch for? She has no idea, but Anoki, he's smart!
"Weaknesses." Anoki says, drawing back as he takes a moment to examine her for any wounds she might be playing down on. He starts to fuzz over her slightly, snuffling at her shoulders abd back some, "Look for any injuries on the dogs we might see. count numbers of dogs that are visible. Pick out which ones you think might be the... Lead dog," he says, trying to remember some of her own jargon to help her. "And which ones are lower in rank. Look for discontent... or possible allies. There may be dogs going along with things because they don't know any other way to be... Who might be willing to help fight against the meaner dogs if it means they get something out of it."
Jatya nods as she listens, her tail curving slightly, her posture a happier one. Those sound like things she can look for; strong dogs, weak dogs, who shows their belly and who growls... who's hurt. She got close to that, when those Ute wolves attacked her... but managed to escape. "Maybe... we can find out where they came from, too," she offers. "We... we can see if there are other people who might need help. Or... might be able /to/ help."
"Yeah. Yeah, we can find out where they came from if we listen good, or find a... stupider.. one to talk to." Anoki says, pausing, before he reassures: "Almost everyone has one dumb cousin or brother who talks too much. That's just the way things are, Jatya, and if we can find out stuff from someone like that, maybe we can bring the information back to help the Ute." And get them back on /their/ lands. Anoki wouldn't say it aloud but.. but, with how worried Jatya was when he found her, and with knowing how snarly Ahiga can be sometimes... Anoki is actually kind of anxious to get the Ute and their dog haet away from him and his pack.. or else vice verse; know if he and Jatya need to go away themselves.
So who's the stupid one in Cerulean? Good question, but not one Jatya spends overly much time considering. Her thoughts are more on the talking, and... gulp. "If... we're talking to one... to a stupid one," because she's assuredly not talking to a smart one, "It should be me. That does the talking. I mean... I'm a dog." That part is offered with a small smile; not a self-blame, this time, but a simple fact. She's a dog. These are dogs. In much the same way that those Ute wolves wouldn't have attacked a strange wolf immediately... maybe her sharing of a species will help her if it comes to conversation. "Probably... probably better if they don't see you at all."
Anoki snorts. "Well, yeah, okay, you've got me there, you can probably look and talk Dog better than I can, but I'll be nearby to handle any problems, I promise you." Anoki ain't the biggest wolf, and goodness knows what he'd do in a fight. But he's darned determined to keep Jatya safe. "We'll wait a day or two, of course. I don't want you going in after dogs until /you/ feel better. Plus, I kinda uh. I kinda miss just layin' next to you a bit." he grins sheepishly, while rubbing at one forepaw with the other in a goofy manner, before he stand sup, turns a circle or three, then flops down, rolling onto his back next to her. "Y'know."
Jatya nods vigorously! For there's no way at all she'd be able to do anything like this if Anoki weren't nearby watching! Yeah, so maybe he's not the most battle-ready wolf (sometimes, when they play-tussle, she even wins. She's mostly gotten over apologizing for that. Mostly.) but that's not what matters here. He's still her Anoki. Her curled tail wags gently, and she hunches up, then scootches down to be right up against him, fur to fluffy fur. "I know," she says, smiling.