It had started with the prey animals. They had fled been found dead all over, and those who discovered these bodies reported becoming nauseous and uneasy. The threat became more apparent overnight - the enemy was invisible but very real, pungent smelling and dangerous. After the elk had perished, they had made the decision to abandon the territory they all called home. The earthquake had taken much from them, but it had given them the Tendrils. Beautiful, elegant works of natural art - but they had held a terrible danger in their deepest chambers. There was nothing they could do to fight off this foe. It was no longer safe for them there.

The trio had led them into the neutral lands, far away from the poisonous air of their lost home. With heavy hearts they splintered, some venturing out into the world to chase their own destinies -- shooting stars, blazing blinding trails of light through the night. Alana watched them go with growing sadness in her aching heart; they would be okay, she knew they would be, but the pain of loss remained. The Lunar Queen led those who had stayed with her towards the lavender kingdom led by those with light in their hearts. Inaria was perhaps Nardir's oldest ally, and in the Nardiri's time of need Inaria was the only place Alana could think to go.

It was quiet except for the sound of footfalls and the steady sound of the sled Julek pulled sliding across the grass. Bags and baskets of goods and resources rested slung over the backs of various Nardiri, all that was left of the once plentiful utopia they had taken for granted for so long. The woman felt like her heart was a chunk of ice, throbbing and cracking painfully with each memory, every glance at the lost, saddened gazes of her people. Her whole body sagged, head hung low. Again and again tragedy struck, relentless and brutal. It took and took from she and her Nardiri, like a black whole swallowing all good things piece by piece. The weight of the crown was steadily crushing her; Alana realized that she had absolutely no idea what to do next. All she could focus on was Inaria, moving steadily with gaze straight ahead not in a determined manner, but like that of someone dazed and in shock.

The jacaranda trees were a welcomed sight. Alana stopped at the Inarian border, swallowing thickly a few times to wet her throat before howling. She loosed a summons, somewhat urgent, to the gate. The weight of the double-basket hung across her back was beginning to get to her; during the trek she had become a little numb to it's heft, but now that they had stopped it began to get a little much. She slipped it off and gave herself a shake, taking a moment to look over those who had followed. They deserved better than this, better than constant hurt and loss. A fresh wave of melancholy washed over the woman, but Alana kept herself under control. She pressed her shoulder against her husband's larger one for comfort, leaning into him. Alana had always believed herself to be capable of handling anything life could throw at her - but this had taken things too far. She couldn't handle this.

The subtle noises of someone approaching mercifully distracted her from her negative thoughts. Snapping back to reality, Alana rose to her aching paws to greet whoever arrived. "My name is Alana," she would introduce if it was someone she hadn't dealt with before, purposefully stopping at just 'Alana'. "Nardir, we.. an earthquake released a poisonous gas into our territory, and we were forced to flee. We ask for temporary asylum in Inaria, just to recover and get back on our feet." She felt terrible shame that grew with each word she spoke, ears falling back. The cream-marked woman took a few steps back, realizing that she had hit the Inarian with all of that, all at once. Although she felt the need to apologize, Alana didn't; it was best that they got everything out as quickly as possible. Her fellow Nardiri were tired and sore, worn in more ways than one from the constant onslaught of darkness. They needed rest, and safety.

Would Inaria provide?

--
this has been pre-approved by the Inarian alphas, so no worries!
the Nardiri are here for temporary (or permanent, that's your choice) asylum in Inaria. the IC string of events goes like this:
earthquake, tendrils, poison gas --> everyone leaves Nardir, some people split off in the neutrals to go their own way, some follow Alana/Julek to Inaria --> we are here.

Nardir will be moving to a new territory after a thread between Alana & Mercury. after this thread, Azi/Scy will be the Queen/main leader of the pack. i'll still be on as an ooc alpha mainly just to help out, and will be RPing in the pack as Mercy. feel free to PM me any questions, and to have liquid-timed threads in the neutrals/continue your old pre-exodus threads.

Heavy paws padded across the wastelands as the wolf traveled, his red eyes shifting rapidly and ears perked. It seemed that the area was dead, but the indistinguishable scent of wolves was heavy in the air. The whole situation was odd to the loner, why would anyone live in such a crowded land full of rocks? Zephis scrunched his nose as he crossed what must have been the border as the air suddenly became thick with the scent of wolves. The loner grunted as he quickly pranced a few paces away from the border, going deeper into the territory.The scent of wolves didn't appeal to Zephis very much, especially wolves he didn't know. The loner sneezed a few times, laying down on a patch of grass to wrap his paws around his snout and wipe his face. He sneezed again when some dirt got into his nose. The situation was incredibly unpleasant, but Zephis signed up for this when he left home. Still, it was hard when there wasn't anything familiar by sight nor scent. Zephis didn't know where he was going nor did he know how to get back.

The space around her was inky black fog, and that’s how Eira knew this was a dream. She walked through it and it swirled about her in thin wispy tendrils. Her antlers glowed blue. In her dreams at least, they were not broken. Eira did not like her dreams, really. She felt trapped in them when they were occurring, and when she woke her nose often bled and her eyes were blinded with pain. Umbra told her that sometimes when she saw things she thrashed and wailed. Other times she was perfectly still, like a corpse. Either way, once a dream began there was no leaving it, not until it was over.

“Hello?” The hellhound said, furrowing her brow. And then, with a glimmer of hope - “…Amen?” No one answered, so she kept walking. The way seemed endless, with all directions the same void. Featureless. It wasn’t unusual for her, and she wasn’t afraid, not yet. Some dreams were more than dreams, she’d learned, and they began like this sometimes. Like the brain was clearing a palette before laying the images before her. Eira narrowed her eyes. These visions were always complicated.

She’d seen a river of death in a vision once, and Inaria had brought it to her. She’d seen a blue boy, and she’d traveled until she met him. The sound of Kekkai’s laughter. Sometimes she simply saw what was, or what would be. What she saw was what she got.

But she’d been fooled before, too - she had seen a royal boy with antlers like her own, silhouetted against an ancient forest kingdom, and she had thought it might be a home for her. But the Sovereign Gideon was not like her, and neither had he been a king. His crown had been doubly false, and Eira had been misled. What is true and what appears to be true are sometimes different things indeed. Gideon wore antlers upon his head. It did not mean his blood was hellish nor did it mean his blood was noble. Eira had wanted it to be true. But that didn’t matter.

Sometimes what she saw could not be true at all. A child reaching for a star that was impossibly close but eternally far. The moon falling onto a quiet valley, until the wolves lifted it up again and placed it back in the sky. A cover of roses that bent away and curled as though they were an animal themselves. Once she had seen a clean white skull with bright, living eyes that roamed about and stopped to stare at children if they passed. If there was sense in these images it was perhaps a different sort of truth, for they could not actually happen. Eira was a gruff girl, ill-educated and impatient, and separating out symbols was easier for those whose heads were not splitting with pain.

And then lastly - there were things she saw in her dreams that she could not say were true or untrue. She had once seen red fire spill from a mountain - not a place she had been, not a thing she had seen. What was there to make of it? Was it real? Was it an image that meant something else? There was no way for her to know. It seemed a fantastic thing, a world shattering thing, and yet the world was still here.

What would she see tonight, she wondered as she walked, until she spotted something small and red and gold in the distance ahead of her. There was only one way to find out. Maybe none of her visions were real at all, everything just a psychological rearrangement of symbols, of things she had heard once in passing, of things she hoped and feared. But she had not known of Gideon or Zenith before she had seen them in the black, chilly expanse of her mind. And so Eira believed the things she saw, even if she didn’t understand them.

“Hello?” She asked again.

Cockatrice is not a creature for whom love has ever come simply. Loyalty is as easy as breathing; he is more familiar with fidelity and brotherhood than he is the strange stirring in his chest that rises when he looks upon his children -- at once so similar to his stalwart fondness for their mother, and yet entirely different. He had never prepared or expected to be a father. It has been a long time since he thought of his own, and the youth he had spent in Inaria, as they do now; there is much that has changed, but he supposes they are innocent of that.

For now. For the moment.

There are butterflies in the meadow, and crickets to catch -- there are four wayward children in tow, whom Cockatrice regards with a wary eye as they stray from him and return, following in his footsteps to the shallow, still water of the lake.

"Today," he begins, settling himself with a lazy air that belies how his working ear rotates, how he is well aware of their surroundings and where each of his children sits, "I'm not going to show you anything. Not yet." No practiced snarl, no posture for the hunt -- no fish caught in the river. His mouth opens in a toothy smile. "Today, why don't you bring something to me."

Let your old man sit by the water and watch -- it's as close to idle relaxation as the grizzled guard might ever come.

~

Prosper ambled through the valley at the heels of her father, four or five hopping strides for each of the guard's. She smiled absently the whole way, since she had no reason not to, and when he sat, she curved around him to look up at him, blue eyes as big as dinner plates. Her small yellow tail was puffed up around her feet. "What do you want us to bring you?" She asked, sincere in that way that only children can be. "If you could have us bring you anything in the whole entire kingdom? I bet we could find it, maybe."

~

There was rarely an opportunity to be alone, what with seven siblings and two parents, and Hell, whoever else ogled them- that small nonwolf made Azrael weary. Like those ears could detect what they’re all up to before his beady eyes could see it. A quick shiver ran up Az’s spine and he looked behind them all, just in case Kashmir was looming in the distance and his radars could hear thoughts, too.

“I think it’s our choice, Prosper, ah.. I hope so.. well..” the boy sat for a moment to scratch an itch that wasn’t there, like pretending to glance anywhere but at who you were speaking to to avoid more conversation. “Okay well, bye,” the boy nervously rasped out before turning around to disappear into the meadow and do as their father instructed.

Anything. Azrael assumes there is no time limit, no wrong answer, and determines a peaceful retreat away from his siblings is a gift to them all anyway. He’ll be back, though. Probably.

~

The chimera boy licked tufts of the mottled fur on his chest only ceasing when his father assigned them a task. What would Cockatrice want? What kind of item would impress him the most? Besides his mother and maybe his siblings, Yale hadn’t been around long enough to know what kind of things his father liked. The boy invaded his sire’s space affectionately, rubbing his side against him and for a minute burying his face in Trice’s fur.  “I am going to find you the best thing Papa!”

He bounded past his sister, nearly running into her with nothing but a “…watch out Prosper! I’m on a mission.” Like a whirlwind, he raced past his quiet brown brother. “Don’t follow me Az! I don’t want no one seein’ what I’m doin’. He didn’t want anyone copying his ideas, his surprise would have to be original. It would have to be different than whatever his siblings founds, so he could show Papa how clever he was, and then maybe Papa would tell Mama.

~

Pareidolia in many ways was such a puppy, at that special age where even the royal ones behave in a most... unroyal way. She had walked early, testing her mother’s nerves when she tried again and again to toddle out of the den in search of wonder!! and adventure!! She had talked as well, though she seemed to save the bulk of that for when another sibling was getting a lot of attention for doing the same. Yes — it’s hard to avoid some rivalry in a litter of eight. Poor Haven. Who’s side of the family had that come from?

“Papa!” she yelped happily, bounding over in clumsy but enthusiastic leaps. “Papa papa papa~” Pareidolia came close, rubbing against Trice like a cat rather than the wolf she was, then flopped backwards into him, right against chest and trunklike front limbs. “I brought you me, your favoritest princess Doli!”

So much for that idle relaxation, eh? Maybe with her brothers and sisters busy, she could have dad all to herself for a while! Right?

~

He followed dutifully after his father, golden head raised proudly and his speckled tail pointed skyward like a banner. Cassian was a proud boy, a bullheaded one from the moment he opened his eyes. When Doli had walked early, Cassian was struggling right at her heels, refusing to be left behind (in the end he had been the last to properly walk, but running and bounding came in quick procession soon after. He'd never allow anyone to show him up for long!).

Today, Cassian only took a moment to frown at his father's word -- he wanted to learn things after all, he always did. "Next time will you teach us something?" He questioned loudly, not quite at the age where he could (or think to) completely wipe the pout from his face. But the golden boy was always one to follow directions, he wouldn't be stupid like Doli, and he would be sure to tell her so. "I bet you're just scared you won't actually be able to catch anything, huh Doli?" Grinning, Cassian would turn and bound clumsily away. He'd catch the biggest most impressive thing for his father!  Crickets and bugs just wouldn't do...

AHA! Bright blue eyes locked in on Azrael as the quiet boy made his retreat from loud siblings (so you thought!!). Making his decision, Cassian leaped at his brother, aiming to tackle him to the ground and grab a mouthful of fluffy puppy hair. "MMF VA ZRAEL TCHER!!" I'M THE AZRAEL CATCHER He'd cry in a muffled shout.

~

Basilisk followed her father with a nervous sort of anticipation, her tail raised high behind her. The forest was so big compared to their den, crammed tight with eight siblings, and she wondered how far it went. It seemed to go on forever. The trees stretched impossibly high, and below the sounds her siblings made as they traveled, she could hear birdsong. She squinted into the trees, barely able to make out a crimson cardinal amidst the branches. As they came upon the lake, she padded right up to the edge of the water and stuck her paw in, wrinkling her nose at the cold temperature.

Looking up at her father, she contemplated his instructions for all of half a second before her siblings responded. Basilisk rolled her eyes at Doli, and then again at Cassian as he moved to pounce on Azrael. But what would she bring for their father? She took another look around, surveying the new world around her. What sort of prize would he want? What sort of treasure was worth keeping? What would make her stand out? Her ear twitched with irritation at the open-ended nature of this test, as though there could be a wrong answer. Ignoring her siblings, she began to trot along the sand where water met land, following the outline of the lake. Unsure of what she was looking for, feeling that she would know it when she saw it, she scanned the ground as she walked.

~

He looks to Prosper, first, his wide-eyed little girl, and presses his large muzzle to the side of her small face affectionately. "I have everything I need here, save your mother." He tips his head to one side. "That is not permission for any of you to go find her. Go, bring me something you like." Trice watches Azrael carefully, somewhat relieved to have Yale scamper after him - or in front of him - or at least they're together. He huffs a gentle sigh, his good ear rolling forward to track them.

"Stay nearby,"  the guard reminds, more of a command than a request. "Cassian. Today you can learn to mind your brothers." He nods after the pair skittering off, turning his head to track silent Basilisk by herself along the shore. There's so many of them, and this with two still back in the den. He suspects, within the week, he will need more help monitoring their outings. Moons would've been nice, the old wolf thinks. Good company, good heart. Shame.

He blinks down to Doli, lifting his head. "My favoritest, are you?" he asks, but with such a brightness to his eyes that he does not seem to dissuade her. "Does a princess lead by saying she is the best, or by showing it to her people?"

~

Prosper smiled distantly as her siblings scrambled around her, chaotic and loud. Azrael plopped down by her, scratching his ear and telling her that it was their choice to pick something to bring to their father. The blue-eyed girl tilted her head curiously at him before he hopped back to his feet to scamper away. Cassian bolted after him and Basilisk made her way down to the water’s edge,  impossibly energetic even for children of their age. Prosper just watched them thoughtfully before Trice nuzzled her face. She looked back to him, smiling sweetly, as he elaborated.

He had everything he needed, he said, but he wanted them to bring him something they liked. Prosper furrowed her brow. ”Oh. Well. There's so many things….” She answered, indecisive. Frowning pensively, she considered the matter while the other pups scampered around. Was this supposed to say something about her? A representation of what she liked and how she thought? Oh, surely she was thinking too deeply into this. It was just a game.

She knew her siblings well enough, they'd want to impress Trice with their gifts. But Prosper was stuck on his instructions, what was something she liked? Inaria was full of things to like, after all. It was nice here. Everything was pretty good. She barely even saw Yale coming when he nearly collided with her, screaming I'M ON A MISSION.

~

”Good luck..” She replied to him, not bothered at all by his clumsiness, barely paying attention, clearly distracted in her own head. Meanwhile Pareidolia flopped on her father, yipping and providing her own company as her gift. If she thought she was going to have time alone with Trice, she was mistaken, but not because Prosper was vying for attention. She was still just sitting in front of the royal guard, stumped as to what to do. She just felt like she should decide something before she started wandering aimlessly looking for it, right? Or maybe she was just getting behind because she was bad at this? Huh.

“Okay….” She muttered. “Okay. I think I have something for you dad! I will wait on everyone to get back though.” Glancing over at Pareidolia, after Trice’s question, she added. “I think you’re a really okay princess.”

~

"I wasn't.. gonna.. you were following me.. you idi-" but before Azrael could continue that potential grunt of disapproval from his father, he was AMBUSHED!!!! "No-" he struggles beneath the weight of Cassian, claws reaching out to try and drag him away from the larger sibling. "Stop it-" he wheezes, contemplating if this is how he dies already. Life is so cruel, he is SO YOUNG.

"I'm not a thing-" he manages- with the help of his father's words, no doubt- to come away from Cassian and brush the dirt away from his fur. "Why don't you go.. go.. go chase.. Yale.." he begins, but drifts off into a quiet mumble that he could only hear. "Idiot," he gurgles below his breath before rushing away, as not to be trampled again by any of those still lollygaggin.

It wasn't long before he was alone- really alone- but still within puppy wailing distance of their father. He comes across a hole, or really, several holes, and finds a rather ominous scene. At first, those golden eyes just take it all in, letting his little brain process the entire thing, but before long he comes across his gift. A gift for his father, a gift for the Earth. Gently, Azrael wraps it in a large leaf and carries it ever so delicately in his mouth back towards the group. Prosper had already returned, and so he finds himself sitting.. kind of.. near her, maybe in her general direction? But not within reaching distance.

"I like mine," he says quietly after placing it down and resting a paw on it. It wiggled though, which startled him enough to 'eep' and then settle again. "I hope everyone hurries up."

~

"Huh?" Childishly outraged, Doli looked toward Cassian and stuck her tongue out through her baby teeth. "Am not! You -- you can just --" Oh, witty retort, where art thou? "-- go catch a COLD!" Sick burn. Give yourself a pat on the back, kiddo. He'll never recover from that gem.

Rolling over, flicking up her tail haughtily, she made a big show of getting even comfier on her father's lap of-sorts, snuggling up and sighing loudly, missing Basil's (justified) eyeroll. She had Trice's eyes, foresty green, and they expressed smugness. I'll stay right here, thank you very much!

"A princess is always the best," replied Doli importantly. "That's why she's the princess." Oops, we're a little entitled. Would they nip that in the bud? "When I'm a queen like mama, everyone'll hafta bring stuff to ME!"

Prosper was talking, saying she had something for dad, but it had to wait. Was it something extra special, then? Doli frowned a little, masking her curiosity poorly. "What is it, Pros?" She wriggled her way down from Trice's lap, padding over to her mottled sister. "Tell meeee... you can whisper it in my ear so it's a secret, okay?" She did so love secrets, after all.

~

He laughed loudly at Doli's response, giving her a cocky grin. "I'll make sure to catch one and give it to you, favoritest sister!" Cassian shot back, preening with pride at his retort. He totally won, take that Doli. He wouldn't stick his tongue out like Doli had done, because that was childish. So Cassian gloatingly pointed his nose in the air (yeah way better), and went on to hunt Azrael.

It didn't go as planned, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. He frowned as Trice called out to them, pouting as he reluctantly eased off of his smaller brother so the boy could make his escape. Chasing Yale sounded like a better idea anyways, or it would have, if he hadn't just barely heard Azrael's little insult. "HEY!! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE AZRAEL!!!" Cassian shouted righteously after his brother. Huffing, the golden boy kicked at the dirt. He just wanted to play and see who was the best wrestler. But fine.

Stomping off, the boy wandered into the trees, sniffing around and poking his nose into anything he could until -- oh, what's that? White and pointed, it kind of looked like a bone, but he'd never seen a bone shaped like that before. Curiously, Cassian plopped down and gnawed at it, releasing a pleased grunt as it felt amazing to chew. The prince spent a few moments gnawing, and he was half tempted to just stay there and have his new toy all to himself, but Father had said to bring something back... It would be proper to share with his siblings too. Grunting with effort, the large puppy began to drag his find (a small antler, likely from a young stag) back to his father.  "Dad, look at this cool thing!! Is it a kind of bone? What is it? Doli, come chew on this, try it."

~

Her gaze focused on the ground, the voices of her family faded into background noise. Only the tone of command in her father's "Stay nearby" registered, and Basilisk flicked an ear in acknowledgment without looking up. Along the shoreline, there wouldn't be much foliage to block her father's line of sight to her, so perhaps she could go a little farther. There was something not too far away...what was it? A piece of debris caught her attention, disrupting the otherwise clean line where water met sand. She broke into a trot, curiosity driving away all thought of being careful.

Closer examination revealed the object to be a stick, but one unlike any she had seen in her long two months of life. She bent down to grasp it in her jaws, dragging it out of the water to get a better look. The wood was smooth and almost white, all of the bark removed by the water. But etched into the surface were branching lines, almost like the way ivy climbs up a tree. Who or what could have carved the wood in this way? She traced the grooves with one paw, feeling the channels flow down the stick like empty streambeds. She didn't know what value such a stick could have, but it sure looked cool. Gently, she closed her jaws on a spot in the middle and lifted the stick into the air, where she struggled to balance it.

Her trek back was a picture of hilarity, her head tilted to one side with the heavier end of the waterlogged stick trailing along the sandy beach and the lighter end pointed towards the sky.  Now facing her family, she counted those who had made it back already. Doli and Prosper were there, though they probably hadn't left, but Azrael and Cassian had returned. As she got closer, she was able to see Cassian's prize-- another mysterious stick-looking object. Basilisk trotted up to the group and placed her stick gently on the ground, proud as can be. She eyed Azrael's leaf curiously for a moment before giving Cassian's prize a closer look. "Where'd you find it?"

~

He’d continued running, leaving behind the dark brother and the gold one. He was glad they didn’t follow him, they would have distracted him, or tried to copy him. The latter more likely, he was just so sure his siblings wanted to emulate him. The boy walked towards the shoreline, there is where he would look for something to show Papa. The water was clear today, and Yale liked how the sun was so bright it would create almost bright white spots on the surface. Oh it was so pretty, he wished he could hold it between his teeth and take it to show everyone.

He slowly crept closer to the edge of the water, keeping his feet planted as he slowly peered closer. He could see a distorted wolf looking back at him,  one that matched any movement Yale did. “Oh…that’s me.” He whispered as he took a minute to study himself. He was split down the middle, half bronze like Griffin or Cassian, the other half dark like Azrael. But his eyes….they weren’t like Mama or Papa’s, they were green like Papa’s but bright, bright like Sybil’s and no one else’s…..he was so handsome.  He took a minute to continue studying his reflection, before his attention snapped back to the task at hand: find something pretty.

With urgency he placed his head closer to the ground and began moving around the sand and gravel with no clear sense of direction. His eyes diligently scanning the area for just one thing to catch his eye-

“Oh!”

He  quickly grabbed the item in his mouth and sprinted back towards his father, only inhaling and hacking up his prize once.  As he got closer he pushed past Basil and Azrael and spat out  a spit covered quartz like rock at Cockatrice’s feet. He took a minute to admire it once more, before lifting his head to turn and look at his siblings.

“ This is a fine rock, a nice shiny rock for Papa and maybe me. AZRAEL LOOK AT THIS THING”

~

There's so... many of them. Cockatrice watches them as best he can, already sorting them into neat compartments, into pairs, making certain they stay within his line of sight and make haste to return; Doli and Prosper to their best to distract him, intentionally or not, but it's not until the other four are waddling back that he turns his attention to them again.

"Doli," the old guard says curtly, frowning. Do they grow out of this, eventually? Had he and Basilisk -- ah, and there's Basil, trudging up the bank with a stick twice her size in tow -- had he and Basilisk sounded like this, when they were young? He watches them gather again, patient, silent until they've placed their gathered items at his feet.

It look less time than he was expecting. Maybe he should've talked them into hide-and-seek.

"An antler, Cassian. Good for chewing," he agrees, then turns his great head so squint down at Azrael's wriggling leaf, and up at the boy. "A fine rock," he sighs to Yale instead. "No shouting. Now -- tell everyone why you picked what you did." He noses against Prosper, then Doli, nudging the latter over enough that he can rest his head on a paw. "And pick something to bring back for your mother."

The queen gingerly sat down in her den, groaning softly. She was tired. She had managed to shuffle her duties and her children around today long enough to have a spare moment, about half an hour, to just...lay down. She’d had a status meeting with Ghost and Xenia at their den rather than the meeting grounds to spare all three parents an extra ten minutes. She’d managed to pawn of some the children on a beleaguered Cockatrice and some others on an awkward Kashmir. Everyone had agreed it was usually best to keep the children of groups of three or less - to keep chaos to a minimum, so the litter tended to be a bit scattered. The fact that Inaria was now short a beta and a head medic only added to the queen’s stress. She’d need to meet with Weiss today, too. At least the Pages had an Emissary, so the ranks weren’t in complete disarray.

She’d curled up, her hip aching, and sighed as she let her head lay across her forepaws. She closed her eyes for just a moment until she realized. Three children with Trice. Three children with Kashmir. A single gold eye opened and glanced over at the two that had very nearly been forgotten in the rush.

“Ah.” She replied. “Hello.”

~

Pareidolia, like most children, was concerned far less with the stressors and weak spots in her noble kingdom through which could slip enemies than she was with some good old mothafuckin' PLAYTIME. She often followed her parents, fascinated by them, weaving through their strong strides like the little pest she was, nipping at their tails when they tried to rest. Sometimes, she'd fall asleep with a face full of gold or burgundy fur should she hit that puppy crash and need a nap so deep it was almost a coma.

Queen Mom was just the best! She was big and pretty and strong and everyone had to listen to her because she was the boss here. Even her godfather, quiet and funny looking Kashmir, deferred to her. Doli already noticed these things, you see, perhaps tellingly.

Haven's firstborn bounced up to her, all energy and silliness, and jumped none too gently up on her broad golden back. If she didn't watch out, the queen of swords might find herself in a rather unroyal position: Doli was quite literally trying to climb up onto her head. Look at me, I'm on a high up place! How fun!

"Hi mama! Guess what, I caught a bug today and ate it and it was GROSS!"

~

He was sure his parents had some type of procedure for keeping track of so many children.  Like maybe on Mondays Cockatrice watched all the kids whose names began with vowels or maybe on Fridays Kashmir watched the ones who names longer than two syllables. And really it all just seemed too much to Yale, he was a grown puppy, he should be free to come and go as he pleases. Sure, maybe the other ones needed a little more structure and overseeing, but he wasn’t like them…he was better.

Which was why he was a little put out to be left behind? Why hadn’t Papa or Uncle Kash taken him along? Why would they take silly Griffin or stinky Azrael and not him? The prince scowled, and if he had the features necessary he would have pouted at his predicament.

At Haven’s greeting, he’s would shuffle over to his mother and fling himself into the thick fur around her neck, in a face plant-esque movement.  With his entire face buried, he’d mumble “….they left me…I can’t believe they would leave me!” For a few minutes he would stay there, unmoving, just thinking.

“YOU KNOW WHAT…”  He just about yelled, before pushing himself off the Queen and scrambling to a proud upright position.   “It’s really their loss, I get to hang out with Mama and….Doli….and they don’t get to hang out with me”.  His bicolor tail began to wag, slowly at first and then building speed. “I THINK WE KNOW WHO THE REAL WINNER IS…ME. IT’S ME. I WON TODAY.”

~

The queen grunted unceremoniously as her firstborn slammed into her back. Children, especially lately, made her feel so old. She lifted her head as her daughter climbed up the ladder of her spine and scruff, the weight of the child now resting on her broad skull as Pareidolia announced her feelings on bugs and looked down on her brother.

In dramatics of a similar scale, though different flavor, Yale had buried his face into her neck, moaning that he had been left behind by his siblings and father and godfather. Haven sighed and struggled for a moment to tilt her head an angle that would force Pareidolia to slide gently from the top of her head and down to the floor with a plop. “Don’t climb on people.” Haven said sternly before turning back to her son.

“You don’t need anyone to stay with you to have a nice time. You’re right, you can be successful either way. That’s called independence.” Haven replied. “Though Pareidolia and I are happy to spend time with you.”

She sighed, glancing between the two. “How do I keep you entertained...” The question was more to herself than it was to them, but she continued. “We could listen to your sister’s story about who let her eat a bug.”

~

If she were older, with an appreciation for such things, the little princess would have laughed at her mother’s severity, an almost military sternness that was comical when surrounded by excitable fluffballs. As it was, Doli just slid on down Haven’s snout, giving an oof upon landing on the ground again. Hey, gravity works!

“Again?” she wheedled, rolling back up and wagging her tail, a motion that continued even when mother told her no. Eugh, she hated that word. “Aww, moooom... no climbing? How come no climbing? Can I climb on dad? What about... Kash... moor?” Totally nailed it. She was very good at remembering names! Saying them right, too!!

But suddenly, Yale came! Doli had many brothers and sisters, and differentiated them in sometimes odd ways; to her this brother was “two-face” in her head. He looked so funny, like someone had taken two wolves and stuck them together! Maybe Trice and Haven thought he was funny looking, too... albeit not quite in the same way. In any case, she stalked over to him (really, it was more of a bounce) and wiggled her rump smartly. “Hey, Yale!  I betcha can’t pin me down!”

Whatever came of that challenge, she’d still listen (or at least half listen) to her mother in the background. The lesson on independence went a little over her head, but the mention of bugs caught her attention. “Nobody let me! I got it all by myself. Princesses get to eat all the bugs they want. Even if they taste nasty. Eww, momma, it really did... it tasted like how Yale smells.”

The hulking dire mix lay sprawled across the rocks, enjoying the warmth of the midday sun on his shaggy dirt-colored pelt. He lazed about freely nowadays - after all, who would chastise him? Those who would dare to had much better things to do typically. No doubt they were simply content he wasn’t causing trouble. Theron dozed idly, his heavy head resting on his forepaws, drifting between napping and simply lazing about.

~

They had both been born within this old and powerful kingdom, but otherwise, they were worlds apart, as a domestic poodle is to the feral dog. Theron’s story was unknown to her and so Pareidolia looked upon him with fresh eyes; he was just another Big Wolf here. The girl padded up to the huge sleeping wolf, head tilted, and with a stunning lack of manners, mushed her front two paws into his side.

“Hey miii~iiister? I left my lucky rock here and now I can’t find it, did you sit on it maybe?”

~

Theron's head lifted slowly as he blinked eerie white eyes at the young girl. His gaze so intense and cold it seemed more like that of a reptile's than a wolf's. A larger adversary pushing him like she did would have been snapped at - but the tiny pup was certainly no threat to him. There were no manners to be found here either, although in a far different sense. At the girl’s prodding he gave a low growl to accompany his monosyllabic answer; “No.”

~

“How do you know, you didn’t even look!” Doli huffed impatiently and frowned, pawing the ground as though she was actually thinking about trying to tunnel under Theron. Either she was incredibly confident or amazingly clueless about the danger wolves she didn’t know could bring upon her if they chose. Maybe a little of both. “Get up, mister, that rock is super important!! Your princess commands you!!!”

~

The dire mix scowled as the small pup continued to pester him. One perked ear twitched at the word 'princess'. He dipped his head low to peer at her more closely, she was Haven's get then... Though Theron made that connection, the idea of princesses having any special authority was not one that really occurred to him, nor one that he'd respect even if he thought about it.  He was nose to nose with the pup now, and he delivered his reply with a blast of fetid breath. "...who cares?"

~

Doli stared at him, her mouth hanging open a bit as she absorbed this reaction. His breath rushed into her face like a blast of secondhand smoke and she winced, backing up none too subtly. “Well —“ started the girl. “Um —“ Weren’t people just supposed to flop down with Ultimate Reverence when she pulled the princess card? “You should!” She scowled and fidgeted, at a loss. “Inaria’s got a lotta rules about rock-stealing. You might get in trouble.”

~

The massive wolf gave a snort, shaking his head slightly. Clearly unfazed by the girl's reaction. He did not care in the slightest about her discomfort at his foul breath, her lucky rock, or the shrilly yipped reprimands. He also, sincerely, doubted Inaria had any rules about rock-stealing. Instead of answering her words he gave a long huffing sigh and dropped his head back to rest on his paws. He closed his eyes and feigned immediately falling back asleep. Theron was unfamiliar enough with the stubbornness of small children that he reason if he ignored the pup she would get bored and go away.

~

What a weird Big Wolf. Usually they had more to say to her, cooing over the pup, trying to admonish her, show her this, teach her that... this one was a bit of a puzzle to the two month-old. He did a convincing impression of a sleeping wolf and for a second Doli just stared, little ears flicking. “You have cool eyes,” said the princess, apropos of nothing, and it was true. She’d never seen such opaque white eyes. Everyone in her family it seemed had either gold or green. “Who’d you come from, anyway?” Because all wolves had to come from somewhere, probably, and her running knowledge for that hypothesis told her that they all shared something in common at birth: a mom and a dad.

~

Theron did not move at the girl’s words, he was content content to ignore her - though confused all the same by the comment. Most the time it was 'stop staring at me, creep' or some more polite variation thereof. Yet when she continued with the question it took him even more off guard. He lifted his head - considering for a moment. “Dead.” He said simply, his voice a gruff grating rasp.

~

"Dead?" echoed Doli, frowning and aggressively continuing to not get the hint. For whatever capricious reason, it seemed the impassive brute had snared the child's attention, and she'd keep poking him as if he were a pillbug that might uncurl to reveal a softer underside. "Your mom and dad died?" That was an unpleasant concept. Did that happen... a lot? Surely her folks were far too badass to ever succumb. Probably they'd just bite death in its face. Insensitive in the way oblivious young ones are, she asked, "How come?"

~

Theron gave a gruff dismissive snort at her obliviousness. The girl continued to blunder forward, blind to any red flags the brutish dire mix wore. There was a flicker of despair and in his expression before it was replaced with pinned back ears and a muzzle wrinkling into a snarl. A low rumble in his throat was the only answer as the dire mix lifted one large paw to swat at the young girl. It was not gentle or playful, though any familiar with Theron knew he was capable of far worse.

~

He growled at her and it sounded like distant thunder from troubled skies. Doli tilted her head to the side, not quite getting it, and was caught totally off guard when Theron up and smacked her in the face, almost hard enough to bruise. Ears ringing, the pup let out a YIPE and stumbled back, gaping at the stranger with wide, wounded eyes. He’d just... hit her! Nobody had ever hit her! And it hurt!

“Y-You...” Said eyes welled up with tears and she wiped at them angrily. “Stupid! You’re MEAN! I’ll tell my mama if you don’t say you’re sorry RIGHT NOW!”

~

The princess' yapping "threat", if it could even be called such, was met with a gruff chuckle. The snarl widening into a sneer as he laughed. Theron did not laugh often. The sound seemed out of place - raspy and ill-used. He suspected Haven had far more important things to do than pick fights for her troublesome daughter. Even if not, the idea that the queen might enact some punishment for his terrible terrible deed did not bother him. He was filled with the bluster and aggression of youth - he did not fear her.

His white eyes peered at the girl for a long quiet awkward moment, as if to ascertain if she were serious. He blinked. Then muttered, “Go away.”

~

It was presumably hard for Theron to be afraid of what Haven might do to him, even for smacking her fearless little daughter. When you’re brought up by two brutal terrorists since before you were weaned, civil punishments tend to lose their bite. Doli stared down the massive wolf, drilling fire into him with her eyes, prickling her little hackles as far up as they’d go... though naturally her childish tears sort of ruined the effect.

”Fine,” she hissed, punctuating the word with a stomp of her foot. “You’re stupid and ugly anyway, if I stay here I might catch what you got.”

She would not forget this slight! What that meant, well, that would be for time to tell.

~

Theron stretched languidly, content to continue his dozing now that the young pup had agreed to leave him be. He let his head rest on his forepaws again, watching in impassive irritation as the girl presumably stormed off. He had nothing else to say if she indeed left as she said she would. He would return to his nap and the princess could go bug someone else.

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[/div][div align="center"][div style="width:600px;text-align:justify;padding:20px;"][blockquote]THE WILD SIDE Is an original warrior cat roleplay where the line between right and wrong is blurred. In the vast expanse of this strange land, you may find an array of different stories; from the Roamers, to the Clans. Deciding which side you're on may be easy, but, deciding what to believe is the hard part. As the Clans are being feared, and the Roamers are being accused, everyone has their secrets. Everyone has their faults. No two cats are the same, each group makes up their own laws believing their ways and customs are superior to another; that their way of life is the only way to prosper. Joining a Clan could very well lead to your success or demise. Everywhere you turn a new enemy faces you, baring their teeth at your neck, everywhere you look, there's betrayal, heartbreak, and war. To make matters worse, Mother Nature is cruel. Her unforgiving manner has no time to care who you are or what you've been through. Your decisions decide the outcome as the seasons change, as well as your loyalties.

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