vritra
New Member
[M:70]
That One Girl
Posts: 29
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Post by vritra on Nov 10, 2012 22:55:32 GMT -5
It was early morning, the dew still dotting the ground and making the air chilled. Her fur kept her warm, but the pads of her paws were soaking wet and her nose was damp with the dew. She scanned the ground, sniffing and hunting out tiny mice to munch on. Her stomach was not often full, but she had grown used to the feeling and now barely noticed it.
The clouds were starting to part, the sun beginning to rise. Daciana looked up, a tiny mouse caught between her teeth. She chewed it thoughtfully, swallowing most of it whole and then sniffing the air afterwards. A pack… She was near a pack.
In her younger years, Daciana had been a member of two packs, but fate was cruel and she found it easier to wander aimlessly without being tied down. But now… Now she was older. Daciana was past her whelping years; she could no longer bear any young and her surviving pups had long since left her. Hunting was not an option as her legs were stiff and sore most of the time. The only use she could see herself being used for was watching the pack’s pups or offering what knowledge she had gained over the years to their younger members.
She grunted softly and then started to walk into the territory, her mind made up. Without a pack, she’d die alone. More than likely she would be wither away and become a skeleton for the birds to pick at. Perhaps this pack would take her in…
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Post by Lady Cattenborough on Nov 11, 2012 1:02:47 GMT -5
Elsa was, unusually, out on her own that morning. Her father was a few yards behind her, true, but she preferred to think of it as alone. She was sniffing along the ground, doing her best to patrol, although she was easily distracted and always thinking.
The dwarfish brown and reddish-white female caught a scent on the wind, and took off towards it on her stilt-like legs. Yards behind her, the alpha tried to keep up, but his mass and strength were his downfall compared to his daughter’s sleek and light body. She made it there, skidding to a stop and slipping on the dewy grass in front of the new wolf.
When she flailed and struggled back up onto her feet, her father was plodding up towards them.
“Guid mornin’, missus.” He greeted jovially. “Ye mus’ fergive th’ wee lass, she daesna usually make such a fash o’ herself. Can we help ye, missus?”
Elsa sheepishly flicked her tail, pacing back behind her father’s hulking grey mass and peering back out at the newcomer she had rushed to meet. She was wet and muddy now, and looked as feral as always.
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vritra
New Member
[M:70]
That One Girl
Posts: 29
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Post by vritra on Nov 11, 2012 1:25:43 GMT -5
The skinny little female that came blundering up to her surprised Daciana, though she didn’t try to retreat; the little thing looked more like a ball of fuzz than a threat. Behind her came an older male, hobbling along and offering the young girl a bit of protection from the stranger in their lands.
The older male looked to be around her age, his smile rather fetching. She smiled back, sitting down in front of them, her tail curled around her legs.
“Good mornin’ old one… She’s fine. The girl’s just enjoying herself. Reminds me of when I was young.” She laughed and shook her head a little. “But that was ages ago… This old girl barely still has her teeth, let alone her youth.” Daciana’s smile growing a little. Slowly, she pulled up a hind leg and scratched her ear, wincing a little when it returned to the ground.
“Argh… These old bones of mine don’t like moving around too much anymore… I suppose that’s why I’m here. I’m old, stranger. I only have a few more years left, and all my pups have grown and started lives of their own. I need a place to die, preferably in peace…”
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Post by Lady Cattenborough on Nov 11, 2012 1:38:46 GMT -5
The alpha’s total weakness for females and chivalry was showing when, concerned, he approached. Elsa shuffled on the spot, looking uncomfortable but also mildly excited.
“Missus, per’aps this is a conversation tha’ we can better ha’ back at th’ dens. I wouldnae want ye tae be uncomfortable, as an auld lad meself I ken the ache o’ bones an’ the strain o’ wanderin’.” He sounded so concerned, his ragged and trashed ears tucked back in worry.
“Elsa, ye run back tae th’ den and clear oor guest a space. Gae on, noo’.”
Elsa stood on the spot for a moment, a look of total embarrassment on her face, before she turned tail and ran off. When the sound of her paws disappeared from his ears, the grizzled wolf turned his attention back to the cream-coloured female.
“I am th’ Big Yan, missus. I am th’ alpha. Hae ye come far?” He stepped to the side to indicate for her to pass him and start off in the territory. He gave the impression of total, innocent chivalry towards her.
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vritra
New Member
[M:70]
That One Girl
Posts: 29
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Post by vritra on Nov 11, 2012 1:54:01 GMT -5
The poor pup looked incredibly awkward, but she said nothing; was the poor thing mute? Daciana watched her go when her father ordered her back to the densite, happy to have been accepted for now. Sure, dying was a few years off… But one day death’s icy grip would come for her and she needed to be ready.
The alpha’s torn years and face betrayed his concern for her, but the creamy female appreciated it. “The Big Yan, eh?” Her teeth appeared a little crooked when she smiled, but they were still all there and barely white anymore. She stood up and followed him, walking side by side and happy that the pace was slow.
“Not too far… I’ve wandered most of my life.” She watched him out of the corner of her eye, taking in the old scars. “Lost my mates… my pups… my pack.” A brief bit of pain crossed her face, but then she covered it up with another smile.
“But that’s the past. Please, Yan… Call me Daciana. I’m an old girl now… No need to call me ‘misses’; no one’s mounted this old thing in a while.”
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Post by Lady Cattenborough on Nov 11, 2012 2:20:39 GMT -5
The joke was unexpected, but it was a welcome one. He gave a low chuckle. “Aye, mistress, be tha’ as it may, ye’ll fergive an auld wouf his follies an’ let him ha’ his way wi’ this ane.” He started to lead her in the direction Elsa had vanished in like a fox in the scrub.
“If ye couldnae tell frae the speakin’, missus, Elsa and I aren’t frae aroond here. The Big Yan wa’ given tae me when I became larger than me faither, fer I wa’ named efter him. Ye ha’ permission, missus, to caw me by me given name. It’s Ned. But daena be givin’ the wee brigadier ideas on cawin’ me tha’. Tis fer th’ ladies only.”
His name was a rather touchy subject. He didn’t feel as if he could take on the name that his short but overall boar-like father had used with such pride. The Big Yan. That’s who he was. He hadn’t been called Ned since Jeannie had died – and before that, he had been just a yearling. Females had permission, but the brigadier might lose an ear over it – or something a lot more precious.
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vritra
New Member
[M:70]
That One Girl
Posts: 29
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Post by vritra on Nov 11, 2012 2:37:29 GMT -5
The forest passed them by, and Daciana loved the scenery; the winter was slowly melting into spring and it was a beautiful process. New life slowly taking over the old… She remembered her years birthing pups and watching them grow, but that was all in the past now. She was an old woman now, merely a bit of dust to most packs. She was useless… But it seemed Big Yan was willing to accept her none the less.
She’d let him have his way since he was being so kind and secretly… she liked being treated like a lady again. When he told her his real name, Daciana slowed down a little, her smile turning a little coy. “Ned, then… I’m sure you’d make your father proud.”
The densite looked rather small, but it made sense since the only wolves she spotted were Ned and his daughter, Elsa. She could smell another male, but he was off somewhere else… Probably hunting or patrolling another area of the pack’s territory. “You have a lovely home…”
Daciana stopped and turned to him. “And a lovely daughter. Elsa… She looks like her mother, doesn’t she?” It was rather easy to see, though there were a few traces of her father in there. But there was no scent of another female… “Your mate… She is not with you?”
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Post by Lady Cattenborough on Nov 11, 2012 2:58:21 GMT -5
Big Yan winced. The subject was a painful one, but he would not lie or hide it. Elsa was in one of the larger openings on the side of the hill, and was cleaning it out of leaves and debris. The old male turned away and lowered his voice so his daughter couldn’t hear.
“Jeannie, I am afeart, ha’ long since passed, killed by me rather stark wuid brither, Malcolm. Elsa wa’ only a yearling. She daesna speak, fer she saw it aw happen an’ it ha’ left her damaged. It is best ye daena bring up Jeannie where she can hear, or she migh’ ha’ a bit o’ a meltdoon.”
“Elsa daesna leuk like me a’ aw. Nae, she taks after Jeannie an’ me mither, which is who she gets those wee white markin’s frae.”
He turned and sat to watch Elsa digging out the little cave. She did look quite a bit like a young, very skinny Jean with wispy fur and patches of bits and pieces. She certainly looked nothing like her father, but had the same reddish brown as her mother. She wasn’t pretty, but she was smart, and kind, and to her father, that made her perfect.
Elsa noticed they were there and turned, wagging her tail happily and trotting over to her father. She was not as worried around females as she was around males, but she did make sure to give the stranger a wide berth before nuzzling into her father affectionately.
“Ye can mak yerself a’ hame, missus. Ye may stay, as lang as it pleases ye. If ye like, ye may hunt, but ye daena need tae. We ha nae nurses a’ the moment, bu’ young nurses an’ wee pups will be yer charges, should they ever come a’ all.” Big Yan sounded happy that he had another older wolf for company.
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vritra
New Member
[M:70]
That One Girl
Posts: 29
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Post by vritra on Nov 11, 2012 3:15:18 GMT -5
It was sad to hear that the poor old wolf had lost his mate, let alone to his own brother… Daciana’s face fell a little, taking a step closer to the large male next to her and understanding the loss that he felt. Her first mate… While she cared for all of her mates, the first had always held the most important place in her heart. He was the one she truly loved... And this Jeannie… She obviously still had a special part in Ned’s heart.
“I am so sorry, Ned…” Her whisper was soft, almost unheard. But all that sadness went out of the window when Elsa trotted up to her father, nuzzling him affectionately and reminding Daciana or her own pups. She smiled, not wanting to worry the other she wolf.
“It’s enough that you’d let me stay just for a little while… I doubt I’ll hunt, but I’ll happily care for any pups and anyone else who needs it. These old bones may be tired, but I’m not dead yet.” She cracked another smile and nodded her head to Ned and Elsa. “And if you ever need an ear… Well, I have two…”
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Post by Lady Cattenborough on Nov 11, 2012 3:28:24 GMT -5
“Ye dae whatever it is tha’ pleases ye, missus. Should tha’ den be not guid eneuch fer ye, we will mak ye another.” He got back up on aching back legs and grinned at her, showing his chipped canine tooth.
“’S funny ye say tha’, missus. I daen’t.” He flicked his tattered ear and made for the rocks with his daughter by his side. The morning had been busy and he’d earned this nap. As they scaled the old rock fall, he called out to Daciana.
“Ye watch oot fer th’ brigadier. He’s a feisty lad. Ye can give him a wee slap on th’ mouth if he gives ye trouble.” It was something worth noting to her.
Once on the rocks, father and daughter laid down in the morning light. The grey wolf slept as Elsa played with the remains of yesterday’s rabbits – a rather grizzly spine and tail with hide still attached. It pleased him to see her playing again.
[that wraps this up, then! You can reply if you like.]
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