Post by caly on May 11, 2007 17:23:11 GMT -5
Haze
================================================================================
A brindle-patterned wolf with black and brown peppering his paler grey and tan fur, with hazel eyes looking out above his muzzle. www.mothwingcamo.com/images/Gray-Wolf-L.jpg
================================================================================
Auric
================================================================================
Since wolf pups have a tendency of growing really quickly, and almost looking different from day to day, I have decided to let my desc be a picture for the first few weeks of my lifetime. It's easier that way for everyone involved. tinyurl.com/2kj8kn should give you a pretty good idea.
================================================================================
Leafy Glen
================================================================================
The old forest empties out into a decent sized glen. The trees stand like sentinels around a large pond, the water gathered from the long creek movements. The pond is brown, with big rocks over the bottom, covered in a slick, mossy substance. It is a nice swimming hole, among other things. It mostly acts as the larger watering hole in the deep valleys of the mountains. The flowers here are hardy blooms, and the mushrooms spackle the ground around the elder trees. This is a demure place, with leafy trees and a calming pond.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[Down] into a Den [North] through the Valley
================================================================================
The sun rises on another day - while in another area of the lands, mourning and sadness are common themes, the Viridian wolves are as of yet untouched by recent events. Even more oblivious are the pups, much more concerned with beginning to explore the valley and testing the limits of the rules their parents have set for them - though still not so brave as to wander too far away from their parents just yet. A brindle-furred pup, hazel eyes glimmering as the sunlight flickers off them, seems particularly bent on tracking a beetle wherever he goes, black nose just centimeters from the beetle's hard shell.
Auric is just lazing about in the sun, his orange-tinted coat hot from the rays of the sun already. Only the occasional perking of ears and - at best - two half-opened eyes show that he's not fast asleep, but actually is paying attention to his brother's chase of the beetle. "Why not eat it?" he finally gets around to asking, sitting up and yawning. "It's boring."
"No it's not," Haze protests, though his amber-green eyes don't leave the sight of the large black bug. "It could lead me somewhere really cool that I haven't seen before. On an adventure," he continues, repeating one of the first words he learned from his mother, one of his favorite words so far. "Besides, then I'd have somewhere neat to hide from all of you," he adds with a teasing tone, finally glancing over at his brother with a bit of a grin, tongue lolling out the side.
Auric shrugs, getting up and jumping down from the small rock he was resting on, landing almost without stumbling. "Beetles are boring," he repeats. "All they do is run around in the grass and make funny noises when you step on them." He looks up at the sky at a pair of swallows crossing overhead. "No, if you want to follow something on an adventure, it should be a bird."
Haze follows Auric's gaze, watching the birds soar overhead and past the mountains, into the great beyond that he's yet to even step into, much less explore. "Good idea," he murmurs in reply, his eyes returning to Auric after the birds are long gone. "But I don't want mom to get upset or worried if I wander off too far," he comments, apparently not so concerned with the unknown itself, but how his mother will react to him exploring it.
Auric shrugs, nosing once at the beetle and squashing it with a paw. Yep, funny cracking noise, even if it's a bit messy on the fur. "Mommy says we're big boys now," he points out. "We could probably go away for days and days like daddy and uncle Grit if we wanted to." He sounds pretty convinced on that, though mommy probably would have some objections to that version of reality.
Haze frowns slightly as his brother squishes his playmate - even if the birds are better, he had already formed a whole half an hour's worth of a bond with that bug. Was nice knowing you, Mister Beetle. His ears prick forward at Auric's words, considering them. "We're not really that big yet...not as big as the other wolves." At the mention of 'daddy', Haze's pricked ears droop slightly. "I don't think we really have a daddy, Auric. Not a /real/ one. I mean, mom says we hafta call Silvan dad now, but he's not our real dad, is he?" And Pinta's dead, who was the alpha before Silvan, but isn't necessarily the father with the challenges Grit put forth...it's all very confusing, and the kid doesn't even know half of the story.
Auric shakes his head. "Daddy's a good daddy," he says. "He brings home food and tells stories and watches over us. Mommy says actions tell who daddy is." Mommy's either very wise or very naive, but then - yeah, the family relations ARE a bit messed up. Like, how come he's not grey colored like mommy and real-daddy? ;)
Indeed, Haze looks more like a miniature Grit than the other three gray-colored wolves considered for parental roles. "Yeah, I guess," the brindle pup replies, still frowning slightly nonetheless. The sudden appearance of a dragonfly buzzing into the scene and out again distracts him enough to bring him back to the previous conversation: "We should go on an adventure together sometime, Auric. The sissy girls can stay here while we go out and brave cougars and bears and all sorts of bullies," he growls out, crouching down as if about to pounce on an invisible attacker of the likes he mentioned.
Auric mimics the pose, front lowered deep into the grass while still standing fully erect on his hindlegs, tail stiff behind him. "Oh, we could take down entire clans of enemy wolves just the two of us!" he boasts, tail giving a quick wag. "We'll bring back a whole TRIBE of elk every day!" Oh yes, youthful dreaming - and youthful attention span, the discussion of daddy and not-daddies already long forgotten in favor of adventuring. "We'll brave steep cliffs, jump huge ravines just for fun!"
"We'll be the toughest, strongest, biggest wolves around!" Haze continues with a silly grin on his muzzle, his brother's enthusiasm infectiously contagious. "Mom will be so proud of us...And maybe someday, we'll become Ones of our own packs," he muses, staring off towards the horizon wistfully, no doubt imagining it in all its splendor.
Auric nodnods, then pauses for a moment in the middle of standing up from the crouch. "Ones?" he asks, a bit dubiously. "How are you gonna do that without girls playing along? Mommy says mommies are always Ones in their packs." Mommy says, mommy says - pups, eh?
"Puh. We don't need /girls/ telling us what to do when we're all big and tough," Haze replies disdainfully with a roll of the eyes. He hops up onto a rotting log, giving him a slightly higher vantage point from which to look out over the rest of the valley - at least until it curves around towards the rest of the mountain. He can't wait to see what's beyond these stone walls.
Auric ponders for a bit, still on the ground but following his brother's gaze through the valley. "Maybe we could race down through the valley?" he suggests, looking mischievous and hopeful at the same time. "We can always follow mommy and daddy's scent back here, and if we stay away too long they'll come find us, just like playing hide and seek!"
Whatever means to the end, it's all the same to him. Besides, this way he at least won't get in trouble by himself. "Okay!" Haze exclaims with a nod, hopping down of the log and crouching once again, his tail wagging slightly as he narrows his eyes, peering at the other end of the valley as if fierce concentration will help him run faster.
Auric moves up next to his brother, his pose a bit more relaxed though still fiercely competitive. His tail wags furiously behind him as he paws the ground for a moment. "On my mark," he growls in a low tone. "Ready ... Set ..." He jumps into a fast run through the grass, shouting "GO!" over his shoulder after a comfortable head start.
"Hey! You cheated!" Haze calls after his brother, his large paws kicking off as quickly as they can, causing a few seconds of non-motion before he finally zooms into gear, running as fast as his short legs can take him. When he catches up to Auric, why, he's gonna show him!
Viridian Valley
================================================================================
The valley widens and darkens, becoming dazzling shades of green and yellow, dotted with the specks of flowers and wild berries. Trees grow large here, and meld into a small, elderly forest. The stream seems more of a creek now, splashing and dancing on the valley floor. The grass moves into the forest, and makes way for leafy ground and mossy rocks. The old trees creak and moan with the songs of birds and the echoes of howls in the valley. This elder, emerald area smells of paused life; this is a place of calm, though it is also prime area for beasts. The fallen trees as one moves grow in number, and begin to seem like an endless tangle of logworks. The woods sometimes burst into big clearings, grass short from constant foraging by herbivores. The creek makes its way through the forest and the roots of old trees, a nice place for drinks and dunks alike. It is shallow, and easy to cross at all areas. One of the large logs has fallen across, for the weaker swimmers to use in a spot.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[North] through the Valley [South] through the Valley
================================================================================
Auric is showing quite an impressive stamina, bolting along through the grass, though his initial speed has decreased a bit; better not burn it ALL at once. He's running with his tongue lolling, ducking in and out between logs and rocks and whatever other obstacles the wilderness of the valley has to offer a race. No fun just running straight out by your nose, y'know, it HAS to be an obstacle course.
Leaping over a thick root that's partially lifted out of the ground, Haze isn't too far behind his brother, opting to make as linear a path as possible through the valley as opposed to Auric's zig-zags. Panting heavily, the brindle pup is too focused on running to try and continue bickering with his brother over his cheating tactics - though the more he runs, and the more he sees, the less he cares about it.
Auric is getting short on breath, and as he reaches the creek he finally stops, gasping and panting and coughing a lung out. He's far from the fallen log to cross the creek, so far, in fact, he can't see it, but the reflection of himself in the water is ... fascinating. As are the small fish swimming down near the bottom. And so the race is all but forgotten.
Haze passes his brother, finally - but Auric didn't just slow down, he stopped completely. Skidding to a stop, and tumbling almost completely over in the process, Haze turns to look back at his brother, head cocked slightly to the side. "What's the matter? We're almost at the end," Haze questions, glancing from Auric to the creek, to the curving end of the valley, and back again. Auric may find the water amazing, but Haze finds it to be just as boring as Auric thought the beetle was - at least in comparison to what lies beyond the valley. And to be so close, yet so far, leaves Haze feeling rather anxious. "You okay?"
Auric is just impressed by those weird things swimming around in the water. Sure, he's seen uncle Grit bring one home once in a while to eat, but those have always been dead, these are alive. He doesn't even hear the questions, crouching down in front of the stream, preparing his fierce attack, and seconds later he lounges into the water to ... well, to splash water everywhere and send the fish straight into hiding. Now the big question is if he can get back on dry land, or if there're nasty currents in the deceptively tranquil stream.
As Auric launches himself into the creek, Haze glances back a final time at the other end of the valley before trotting over to the edge of the small river, settling down on his haunches to watch him with mildly curious eyes. "/What/ are you /doing/?" Haze inquires with an eyeridge arched in bewilderment. Or trying to do, as the question may better be phrased.
Auric comes up from the water, spluttering and desperately paddling in place. No current, fortunately, but he's not quite sure on how to get to shore. "Wanted to catch a fish to bring home and show how great hunters we are," he mutters, his attempts at paddling to shore somehow bringing him farther out to the middle of the stream.
"Auric...?" His brother's words ignored, it's his actions Haze is more worried about. He's not getting much closer to the shore, even though he's trying to swim closer. "Auric? Um..." His tone a little more worried now. His hazel eyes scan the creek for something to help-- "Can you get to that log, maybe grab ahold of it?"
Auric looks around for the log, legs already tired from the run making it hard to keep his head above water. He sees it, but it's so unbelievably far away, he'll never make it. Not one for just stopping and drowning, however, he makes a try for it, trying to steer his stupid course towards it, and he does manage to - somewhat, anyway. He gets closer, but much, much too slowly.
"Auric?" A little more panicked now. He wishes Silver was around. Even Silvan, even if he's not his real daddy. They could swim out there and catch him...and he's afraid he'll be in the same situation Auric's in if he jumps in after him. Lifting his muzzle in as loud a howl as a puppy can make, Haze still knows he can't rely on someone to find them in time - he's got to try something else. Glancing around desperately, he sights a pile of sticks beneath a wind-tossed tree. Bounding over, he fishes out the longest one he can find, and awkwardly carries it in his mouth over to the bank. Stepping into the shallowest parts of the creek, he holds the stick out as far as he can, angling it towards Auric. "Grah it wit yur tee'!" he orders between clenched jaws.
In Viridian Valley, Haze howls.
Auric struggles, having to shift his course in the water again. He's starting to get the idea of HOW to move in the water, but with his tired limbs and inexperienced body and mind it's not doing him much good. Turn he does, however, paws tiredly paddling through the water with little to no effect - it's a good thing there's no current, or he'd already be one very dead pup. He reaches out with his head, biting towards the stick, but missing it, instead getting his head under the water. He comes back up, shaking the water away, and this time manages to get a weak hold of the very end of the stick, biting into it though he half expects it to break.
His entire little body tensed from anxiousness and worry, Haze's wide eyes watch as Auric comes close enough to grab ahold of the stick, and slowly begins to back away, out of the water and back onto the muddy bank. His paws bracing him as he leans back, a counterweight to Auric's waterlogged body, he continues to tug on the stick as carefully and quickly as possible.
Auric struggles to not let go of the stick, tired, heavy legs kicking in the water until first one paw, then the other finds the shore, and a moment later his hindlegs are on solid ground as well. He forces himself to walk a few steps higher up the bank, so tired he doesn't even think to let go of the stick, and just collapses there, soaked, cold, scared, and completely out of energy, whining quietly for mommy to come and make it all better.
[OOC] Auric is so growing up to have aquaphobia now. :(
[OOC] Haze awws!
Haze, however, drops his end as soon as his brother is back on dry land, bounding up to his side to lay against him and offer him a source of warmth in his soaked state. An affectionate lick is offered to Auric's cheek, Haze looking at the golden wolf with deep concern in his eyes. Brotherhood is a strong bond, and fortunately, fate did not decide to break it today. "...are you okay, Auric?"
Auric shivers and whines, only barely recognizing his brother's voice. "No I'm not," he whimpers. "That wasn't funny at all. It was scary and wet and cold and I want my mommy." He tries to stand up, young legs barely able to hold his weight. "I want to go home now. It's no fun being out here."
Haze whimpers in unison, his brother's unhappiness affecting him as well. "Okay," he agrees simply, willing to stay next to him all night if he has to, or to accompany him back to the glen - either way, he's not budging from his side until one of the older wolves is able to take care of him and make him feel better.
Auric limps a bit, probably strained a muscle or ten fighting for his life in the water, but he does manage to slowly walk back along the more direct path towards the den. He has no idea how far they'd managed to run, but walking back when all you wanna do is curl up and sleep for a week makes it seem like the den is AT LEAST at the other end of the world. Of course, it is at the other end of what he KNOWS of the world by now.
Haze follows alongside his brother mutely, keeping his pace and offering physical support whenever his limp gets the better of him. Nothing is spoken, Haze occasionally glancing over at Auric every so often - there was a very good chance not a few moments ago that he'd never see his brother again, after all, and he definitely wasn't ready for that. The walk back to the glen at the end of the valley is quiet and slow.
================================================================================
A brindle-patterned wolf with black and brown peppering his paler grey and tan fur, with hazel eyes looking out above his muzzle. www.mothwingcamo.com/images/Gray-Wolf-L.jpg
================================================================================
Auric
================================================================================
Since wolf pups have a tendency of growing really quickly, and almost looking different from day to day, I have decided to let my desc be a picture for the first few weeks of my lifetime. It's easier that way for everyone involved. tinyurl.com/2kj8kn should give you a pretty good idea.
================================================================================
Leafy Glen
================================================================================
The old forest empties out into a decent sized glen. The trees stand like sentinels around a large pond, the water gathered from the long creek movements. The pond is brown, with big rocks over the bottom, covered in a slick, mossy substance. It is a nice swimming hole, among other things. It mostly acts as the larger watering hole in the deep valleys of the mountains. The flowers here are hardy blooms, and the mushrooms spackle the ground around the elder trees. This is a demure place, with leafy trees and a calming pond.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[Down] into a Den [North] through the Valley
================================================================================
The sun rises on another day - while in another area of the lands, mourning and sadness are common themes, the Viridian wolves are as of yet untouched by recent events. Even more oblivious are the pups, much more concerned with beginning to explore the valley and testing the limits of the rules their parents have set for them - though still not so brave as to wander too far away from their parents just yet. A brindle-furred pup, hazel eyes glimmering as the sunlight flickers off them, seems particularly bent on tracking a beetle wherever he goes, black nose just centimeters from the beetle's hard shell.
Auric is just lazing about in the sun, his orange-tinted coat hot from the rays of the sun already. Only the occasional perking of ears and - at best - two half-opened eyes show that he's not fast asleep, but actually is paying attention to his brother's chase of the beetle. "Why not eat it?" he finally gets around to asking, sitting up and yawning. "It's boring."
"No it's not," Haze protests, though his amber-green eyes don't leave the sight of the large black bug. "It could lead me somewhere really cool that I haven't seen before. On an adventure," he continues, repeating one of the first words he learned from his mother, one of his favorite words so far. "Besides, then I'd have somewhere neat to hide from all of you," he adds with a teasing tone, finally glancing over at his brother with a bit of a grin, tongue lolling out the side.
Auric shrugs, getting up and jumping down from the small rock he was resting on, landing almost without stumbling. "Beetles are boring," he repeats. "All they do is run around in the grass and make funny noises when you step on them." He looks up at the sky at a pair of swallows crossing overhead. "No, if you want to follow something on an adventure, it should be a bird."
Haze follows Auric's gaze, watching the birds soar overhead and past the mountains, into the great beyond that he's yet to even step into, much less explore. "Good idea," he murmurs in reply, his eyes returning to Auric after the birds are long gone. "But I don't want mom to get upset or worried if I wander off too far," he comments, apparently not so concerned with the unknown itself, but how his mother will react to him exploring it.
Auric shrugs, nosing once at the beetle and squashing it with a paw. Yep, funny cracking noise, even if it's a bit messy on the fur. "Mommy says we're big boys now," he points out. "We could probably go away for days and days like daddy and uncle Grit if we wanted to." He sounds pretty convinced on that, though mommy probably would have some objections to that version of reality.
Haze frowns slightly as his brother squishes his playmate - even if the birds are better, he had already formed a whole half an hour's worth of a bond with that bug. Was nice knowing you, Mister Beetle. His ears prick forward at Auric's words, considering them. "We're not really that big yet...not as big as the other wolves." At the mention of 'daddy', Haze's pricked ears droop slightly. "I don't think we really have a daddy, Auric. Not a /real/ one. I mean, mom says we hafta call Silvan dad now, but he's not our real dad, is he?" And Pinta's dead, who was the alpha before Silvan, but isn't necessarily the father with the challenges Grit put forth...it's all very confusing, and the kid doesn't even know half of the story.
Auric shakes his head. "Daddy's a good daddy," he says. "He brings home food and tells stories and watches over us. Mommy says actions tell who daddy is." Mommy's either very wise or very naive, but then - yeah, the family relations ARE a bit messed up. Like, how come he's not grey colored like mommy and real-daddy? ;)
Indeed, Haze looks more like a miniature Grit than the other three gray-colored wolves considered for parental roles. "Yeah, I guess," the brindle pup replies, still frowning slightly nonetheless. The sudden appearance of a dragonfly buzzing into the scene and out again distracts him enough to bring him back to the previous conversation: "We should go on an adventure together sometime, Auric. The sissy girls can stay here while we go out and brave cougars and bears and all sorts of bullies," he growls out, crouching down as if about to pounce on an invisible attacker of the likes he mentioned.
Auric mimics the pose, front lowered deep into the grass while still standing fully erect on his hindlegs, tail stiff behind him. "Oh, we could take down entire clans of enemy wolves just the two of us!" he boasts, tail giving a quick wag. "We'll bring back a whole TRIBE of elk every day!" Oh yes, youthful dreaming - and youthful attention span, the discussion of daddy and not-daddies already long forgotten in favor of adventuring. "We'll brave steep cliffs, jump huge ravines just for fun!"
"We'll be the toughest, strongest, biggest wolves around!" Haze continues with a silly grin on his muzzle, his brother's enthusiasm infectiously contagious. "Mom will be so proud of us...And maybe someday, we'll become Ones of our own packs," he muses, staring off towards the horizon wistfully, no doubt imagining it in all its splendor.
Auric nodnods, then pauses for a moment in the middle of standing up from the crouch. "Ones?" he asks, a bit dubiously. "How are you gonna do that without girls playing along? Mommy says mommies are always Ones in their packs." Mommy says, mommy says - pups, eh?
"Puh. We don't need /girls/ telling us what to do when we're all big and tough," Haze replies disdainfully with a roll of the eyes. He hops up onto a rotting log, giving him a slightly higher vantage point from which to look out over the rest of the valley - at least until it curves around towards the rest of the mountain. He can't wait to see what's beyond these stone walls.
Auric ponders for a bit, still on the ground but following his brother's gaze through the valley. "Maybe we could race down through the valley?" he suggests, looking mischievous and hopeful at the same time. "We can always follow mommy and daddy's scent back here, and if we stay away too long they'll come find us, just like playing hide and seek!"
Whatever means to the end, it's all the same to him. Besides, this way he at least won't get in trouble by himself. "Okay!" Haze exclaims with a nod, hopping down of the log and crouching once again, his tail wagging slightly as he narrows his eyes, peering at the other end of the valley as if fierce concentration will help him run faster.
Auric moves up next to his brother, his pose a bit more relaxed though still fiercely competitive. His tail wags furiously behind him as he paws the ground for a moment. "On my mark," he growls in a low tone. "Ready ... Set ..." He jumps into a fast run through the grass, shouting "GO!" over his shoulder after a comfortable head start.
"Hey! You cheated!" Haze calls after his brother, his large paws kicking off as quickly as they can, causing a few seconds of non-motion before he finally zooms into gear, running as fast as his short legs can take him. When he catches up to Auric, why, he's gonna show him!
Viridian Valley
================================================================================
The valley widens and darkens, becoming dazzling shades of green and yellow, dotted with the specks of flowers and wild berries. Trees grow large here, and meld into a small, elderly forest. The stream seems more of a creek now, splashing and dancing on the valley floor. The grass moves into the forest, and makes way for leafy ground and mossy rocks. The old trees creak and moan with the songs of birds and the echoes of howls in the valley. This elder, emerald area smells of paused life; this is a place of calm, though it is also prime area for beasts. The fallen trees as one moves grow in number, and begin to seem like an endless tangle of logworks. The woods sometimes burst into big clearings, grass short from constant foraging by herbivores. The creek makes its way through the forest and the roots of old trees, a nice place for drinks and dunks alike. It is shallow, and easy to cross at all areas. One of the large logs has fallen across, for the weaker swimmers to use in a spot.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[North] through the Valley [South] through the Valley
================================================================================
Auric is showing quite an impressive stamina, bolting along through the grass, though his initial speed has decreased a bit; better not burn it ALL at once. He's running with his tongue lolling, ducking in and out between logs and rocks and whatever other obstacles the wilderness of the valley has to offer a race. No fun just running straight out by your nose, y'know, it HAS to be an obstacle course.
Leaping over a thick root that's partially lifted out of the ground, Haze isn't too far behind his brother, opting to make as linear a path as possible through the valley as opposed to Auric's zig-zags. Panting heavily, the brindle pup is too focused on running to try and continue bickering with his brother over his cheating tactics - though the more he runs, and the more he sees, the less he cares about it.
Auric is getting short on breath, and as he reaches the creek he finally stops, gasping and panting and coughing a lung out. He's far from the fallen log to cross the creek, so far, in fact, he can't see it, but the reflection of himself in the water is ... fascinating. As are the small fish swimming down near the bottom. And so the race is all but forgotten.
Haze passes his brother, finally - but Auric didn't just slow down, he stopped completely. Skidding to a stop, and tumbling almost completely over in the process, Haze turns to look back at his brother, head cocked slightly to the side. "What's the matter? We're almost at the end," Haze questions, glancing from Auric to the creek, to the curving end of the valley, and back again. Auric may find the water amazing, but Haze finds it to be just as boring as Auric thought the beetle was - at least in comparison to what lies beyond the valley. And to be so close, yet so far, leaves Haze feeling rather anxious. "You okay?"
Auric is just impressed by those weird things swimming around in the water. Sure, he's seen uncle Grit bring one home once in a while to eat, but those have always been dead, these are alive. He doesn't even hear the questions, crouching down in front of the stream, preparing his fierce attack, and seconds later he lounges into the water to ... well, to splash water everywhere and send the fish straight into hiding. Now the big question is if he can get back on dry land, or if there're nasty currents in the deceptively tranquil stream.
As Auric launches himself into the creek, Haze glances back a final time at the other end of the valley before trotting over to the edge of the small river, settling down on his haunches to watch him with mildly curious eyes. "/What/ are you /doing/?" Haze inquires with an eyeridge arched in bewilderment. Or trying to do, as the question may better be phrased.
Auric comes up from the water, spluttering and desperately paddling in place. No current, fortunately, but he's not quite sure on how to get to shore. "Wanted to catch a fish to bring home and show how great hunters we are," he mutters, his attempts at paddling to shore somehow bringing him farther out to the middle of the stream.
"Auric...?" His brother's words ignored, it's his actions Haze is more worried about. He's not getting much closer to the shore, even though he's trying to swim closer. "Auric? Um..." His tone a little more worried now. His hazel eyes scan the creek for something to help-- "Can you get to that log, maybe grab ahold of it?"
Auric looks around for the log, legs already tired from the run making it hard to keep his head above water. He sees it, but it's so unbelievably far away, he'll never make it. Not one for just stopping and drowning, however, he makes a try for it, trying to steer his stupid course towards it, and he does manage to - somewhat, anyway. He gets closer, but much, much too slowly.
"Auric?" A little more panicked now. He wishes Silver was around. Even Silvan, even if he's not his real daddy. They could swim out there and catch him...and he's afraid he'll be in the same situation Auric's in if he jumps in after him. Lifting his muzzle in as loud a howl as a puppy can make, Haze still knows he can't rely on someone to find them in time - he's got to try something else. Glancing around desperately, he sights a pile of sticks beneath a wind-tossed tree. Bounding over, he fishes out the longest one he can find, and awkwardly carries it in his mouth over to the bank. Stepping into the shallowest parts of the creek, he holds the stick out as far as he can, angling it towards Auric. "Grah it wit yur tee'!" he orders between clenched jaws.
In Viridian Valley, Haze howls.
Auric struggles, having to shift his course in the water again. He's starting to get the idea of HOW to move in the water, but with his tired limbs and inexperienced body and mind it's not doing him much good. Turn he does, however, paws tiredly paddling through the water with little to no effect - it's a good thing there's no current, or he'd already be one very dead pup. He reaches out with his head, biting towards the stick, but missing it, instead getting his head under the water. He comes back up, shaking the water away, and this time manages to get a weak hold of the very end of the stick, biting into it though he half expects it to break.
His entire little body tensed from anxiousness and worry, Haze's wide eyes watch as Auric comes close enough to grab ahold of the stick, and slowly begins to back away, out of the water and back onto the muddy bank. His paws bracing him as he leans back, a counterweight to Auric's waterlogged body, he continues to tug on the stick as carefully and quickly as possible.
Auric struggles to not let go of the stick, tired, heavy legs kicking in the water until first one paw, then the other finds the shore, and a moment later his hindlegs are on solid ground as well. He forces himself to walk a few steps higher up the bank, so tired he doesn't even think to let go of the stick, and just collapses there, soaked, cold, scared, and completely out of energy, whining quietly for mommy to come and make it all better.
[OOC] Auric is so growing up to have aquaphobia now. :(
[OOC] Haze awws!
Haze, however, drops his end as soon as his brother is back on dry land, bounding up to his side to lay against him and offer him a source of warmth in his soaked state. An affectionate lick is offered to Auric's cheek, Haze looking at the golden wolf with deep concern in his eyes. Brotherhood is a strong bond, and fortunately, fate did not decide to break it today. "...are you okay, Auric?"
Auric shivers and whines, only barely recognizing his brother's voice. "No I'm not," he whimpers. "That wasn't funny at all. It was scary and wet and cold and I want my mommy." He tries to stand up, young legs barely able to hold his weight. "I want to go home now. It's no fun being out here."
Haze whimpers in unison, his brother's unhappiness affecting him as well. "Okay," he agrees simply, willing to stay next to him all night if he has to, or to accompany him back to the glen - either way, he's not budging from his side until one of the older wolves is able to take care of him and make him feel better.
Auric limps a bit, probably strained a muscle or ten fighting for his life in the water, but he does manage to slowly walk back along the more direct path towards the den. He has no idea how far they'd managed to run, but walking back when all you wanna do is curl up and sleep for a week makes it seem like the den is AT LEAST at the other end of the world. Of course, it is at the other end of what he KNOWS of the world by now.
Haze follows alongside his brother mutely, keeping his pace and offering physical support whenever his limp gets the better of him. Nothing is spoken, Haze occasionally glancing over at Auric every so often - there was a very good chance not a few moments ago that he'd never see his brother again, after all, and he definitely wasn't ready for that. The walk back to the glen at the end of the valley is quiet and slow.