[Sybella]

It was quite apparent, almost immediately upon being welcomed into Gemini, that she lacked quite a bit of height compared to the majority of the pack here in Gemini. She was short, which was why she took her place upon a ragged boulder when she decided to make herself heard to the rest of the pups. There was a lot of them, more than she anticipated when she decided to join the ranks of a shepherd... but she had quite a bit of help, which made it a bit more bearable.
Anyways, she took to the rock because when you're in a crowd of puppies and you raise your voice, you just aren't heard. Especially when you're small.

"Huns!! Hullo, lit'le ones... up'ere please." It took a moment more, but finally she had several small twinkling eyes staring back at her. Ah, her heart melted. "Ah, thank you, sweets. We-- she stared at the other shepherds accompanying her, have a lit'le game for you! A scavenger hunt." She was particularly careful with her dialect and pronunciation here, as she already had confused a few of the babies with her foreign slang and heavy accent. "I will give you a few riddles, Ugh, did she have to explain that one, too? Was a scavenger hunt kind of over their head? .. or clue.. you will have to solve the riddle by searching around the area here, and come report back to one of the shepherds with what the riddle is! Some of these items can be transported back to us! If you can pick it up, bring it here! Sound fair? Alright now, get together in pairs! It's more fun when you have a partner." She watched as the wheels began to turn, the scurrying began as each pup grabbed a pal to adventure with. Once they found a friend, she continued.

"Here is your first clue!" She cleared her throat, "I come off a beautiful creature, which soars in the sky, I come off a peckish creature, which has a tail as mighty as the sun! I am sometimes dirty, and parents beg you not to pick me up... what am I?"

Heads began to turn curiously, some of them ran off, and Sybella called at last, "Okay, now! Once you find it, bring it to us! We will give you the next riddle!"

She looked back to the shepherds, grinning sheepishly, "Oy, this'll keep'm busy for a bit, aye?"

▌note: if you wanna be a shepherd post here!! sybella can't rank you?? but she can give you tips and stuff and train you or whatever idk.

ALSO PUPPIES? SERIOUSLY COME ON.

[Vixxie]

>:O

[Twitch]

"I'm not very good with stills.  I get all twitchy." - Saffron Burrows

It was a wonder that her parents had gotten her anywhere, considering how all over the place Twitch could be.  Yet somehow she had been shepherded off to... school?  There were other youngsters about, and she swiftly abandoned her siblings to try and find her bestest friend ever.  However, it didn't seem that Embsay was anywhere around, and Twitch's large ears drooped in disappointment. Still, like any youngster, she didn't stay down for long.  Her voice was amongst the others yipping and barking through the clearing as Sybella tried to gain some semblance of order.

"Huns!! Hullo, lit'le ones... up'ere please." Twitch obligingly craned her head upwards. "Ah, thank you, sweets. We--have a lit'le game for you! A scavenger hunt."

The little hellion girl had no idea what a scavenger hunt was.  But several voices around her sounded enthused, and she was nothing if not enthusiastic.  Her shoulders convulsed as a twitch caught her, and her tail was up before she could control it, flicking back and forth with the energy of a chipmunk.  She gave herself a full shake, trying to dislodge the shiver that caused her twitches.  New environments always got to her, Instead, she plunked herself down and scratched behind her ear.  The others had already tried the tease about fleas, but her were sure to defend her if it continued.  And if not, she could always sick her father on the meanies...

"I will give you a few riddles,.. or clue.. you will have to solve the riddle by searching around the area here, and come report back to one of the shepherds with what the riddle is! Some of these items can be transported back to us! If you can pick it up, bring it here! Sound fair? Alright now, get together in pairs! It's more fun when you have a partner."


"Embsay?" Twitch called, turning around to try and spot him in the crowd. "Embsay!"

Pairs.  She needed a partner. Her stupid brothers already were a pair, and you were just as likely to be dealing with both of them as with just one.  They ganged up on her sometimes, when they were home and playing at the den.  Entity could have also been her partner, she guessed, but it wasn't like she wanted to spend time with Twitch.  Did she? She wanted a good partner that would help her beat the game.  She wanted Embsay.  How was she going to find the perfect partner when he wasn't here?  No one else could ever be her bestest friend, no way! Suddenly the thought of all the strangers around her became overwhelming.  Shivers pulsed down her spine, and Twitch's hackles raised.  Her tail was like a whip, flicking all over in a jerky, catlike manner.  Her pupils dilated, and suddenly she was on the ground on her side, paws frantically clawing like she was running.  

"Hnnngggghh!"

She flailed, still caught in her episode. She wasn't quite seizing, and Twitch remained conscious during these times.  But she wasn't in control of her movements at the moment.  The likely cause was the trauma that Poltergeist had suffered making her way to Gemini from Saboro.  Not all of Twitch's siblings had survived, and aside from herself, there were three others in her litter.  Lucky enough to have been one of the pups healthy enough to be born and raised, Twitch was in no way unscathed from the attack on her mother's womb.

No doubt her parents had already filled the Shepherds in on Twitch's Hyperesthesia, but being told about it and dealing with it were two different things.

What a way to start the day.

[Arcas]

A R C A S

"Anti-Social Youth of Gemini."

actions - “speech” - thoughts

"Huns!! Hullo, lit'le ones... up'ere please." 

Arcas rolled his eyes, it was a summoning. How degrading. He hated being forced to interact with the others - the hellion preferred to keep his distance from the awkwardness that was social interaction. His start to life had been far from kind, with his mother barely speaking a word to them and half of his siblings being nothing more than .. freaks. He desperately hoped he wouldn't come across any of the three eyed weirdos at this gathering.

Reluctantly he made his way towards the voice to find a small-ish wolf perched upon a boulder.  Arcas was careful to curve away from the rest of the gathering and set himself far off on the sidelines, watching broodily from a distance. There was no smile on his face and no warmth in his features - he truly could care less about being here. Yet.. for the sake of  his mother he would play his part. Maybe following the rules would help him to gain her approval and acceptance? It was a long shot, but one he was willing to take for the small chance of receiving a warm word from his maternal figure.

"Ah, thank you, sweets. We have a lit'le game for you! A scavengerhunt."

The hellion pup could hardly stop the growl of frustration escaping his maw. By all the things in this forsaken world, if he had to socialize with the others the most they were going to get out of him was subtle verbal cues and increasingly dirty looks. 

"I will give you a few riddles, .. or clue.. you will have to solve the riddle by searching around the area here, and come report back to one of the shepherds with what the riddle is! Some of these items can be transported back to us! If you can pick it up, bring it here! Sound fair? Alright now, get together in pairs! It's more fun when you have a partner."

She spoke to them in such a condescending and slow tone - did she think he was retarded or something? He narrowed his eyes and flattened his ears towards the she-wolf. Partners? Fun? She's the retarded one. He thought to himself angrily. What was the point in these stupid games? Why oh why did his mother make them leave the den? This was ridiculous. Arcas maintained his distance from the rest of them, watching with disdain as they began to happily team up. 

"Here is your first clue! I come off a beautiful creature, which soars in the sky, I come off a peckish creature, which has a tail as mighty as the sun! I am sometimes dirty, and parents beg you not to pick me up... what am I? Okay, now! Once you find it, bring it to us! We will give you the next riddle!"

One pup fell to her side after the announcement and began trying to run... This is exactly why I hate this crap.  His fur puffed up in indignation and his jowls pulled back in a half snarl as if to scare off any potential partners. If he got his way he would play this game alone and beat all these other losers without help.

The clue seemed a simple one, there was only one creature that Arcas had ever seen in the sky. He had watched them many times in the last few days, flittering around without a care in the world. Oh how he would love to snap them out of that big blue abyss and bring them crashing down to the reality of the earth.  The hell pup stood, shook off his coat, and turned on his heels to slink away into the forest. Would getting a bit of bird fur make his mother love him? There was one way he could find out.. and so the hellion began to explore - nose to the ground and ears perked alertly. He just hoped no freaks were following him.

coding © vixxie's codes | edits © Nadia

[Reath]

Once again Reath had been left to fend for himself while his larger companion went off to attend to 'important matters' in which the smaller was not allowed to participate. It was confusing for the silver pup because the white giant hadn't left his side for a single moment up until a week ago and then Reath found it becoming a frequent occurance. He didn't know if Sveyn now trusted him or if he trusted the pack not to do anything to his small charge. It was a nice thought that Sveyn might have began to trust him not to do anything too drastic. On the other hand he did feel kind of neglected when he would go off with the other adults and leave him alone. This time however the dire pup found himself in the company of other pups and for once he didn't feel Sveyns absence as much when he had so many potential playmates to have fun with.

"Huns!! Hullo, lit'le ones... up'ere please." Blue eyes sparkling with excitement locked onto the brown black figure that stood uptop of a rock overlooking the puppers. They looked small compaired to the other wolves he had seen and much more bubbly for being an adult. Maybe they were a really big kid? "Ah, thank you, sweets. We--" an invisible brow raised as she gestured to thin air and Reath wondered if he should run back to the den or seek out Sveyn but the other pups didn't look bothered by it so maybe it was a common occurance? This place was weird so he didn't doubt it, " have a lit'le game for you! A scavenger hunt." There was a sudden flurry of conversation and excited hollars to this announcement. As for Reath he was confused as to what a 'scavanger hunt' was. He had scavanged while he was left on his own within the Neutral territory. The small pup was an orphan who had found himself being taken in by the big fluff ball known as Sveyn; who cared little for having fun and focused more on being an adult....which was boring to be honest. The only thing he did was hover over the pup whenever something look the least bit dangerous and constantly told him no when he wanted to try something awesome.

"I will give you a few riddles, " The pup tilted his head in confusion...he wasn't good with riddles, " .. or clue.. you will have to solve the riddle by searching around the area here, and come report back to one of the shepherds with what the riddle is! Some of these items can be transported back to us! If you can pick it up, bring it here! Sound fair? Alright now, get together in pairs! It's more fun when you have a partner."  The silver pup looked around shyly as he wondered who would want to pair up with the new kid. He was becoming more disheartened as he saw kids calling out to each other and running to join  close friends while the few who  were left partnerless either walked off or looked as lost as Reath did. There was one pup who was calling out for someone but it didn't seem like they were having much luck in finding whoever it was they were looking for but the small dire found himself too shy to approach them; much less talk to them. The orphan suddenly found himself wishing that Sveyn would appear and tell him that it was time to leave because Reath hadn't felt so isolated since the passing of his parents.  There was one pup who shot him a dirty look when he approached and Reath lost his courage to try and approach anyone else if that reaction was what he was going to get...perhaps he would find a partner later? The small dire could only hope so. "Here is your first clue!"  suddenly his small heart was pounding rapidly in his chest as he realized that the game was about to start , "I come off a beautiful creature, which soars in the sky, I come off a peckish creature, which has a tail as mighty as the sun! I am sometimes dirty, and parents beg you not to pick me up... what am I?"  Needless to say Reath had no bloody clue what she was talking about. It sounded like she was talking about a bird but he never saw a bird with a sun for a tail or a dirty...something. His parents had lived their whole lives within the Neutral territory so he only knew of things that lived there. This place was new to him and he never saw anything that came close to what the lady had discribed. With no partner and no idea of what the clues meant the small pup wandered off in a random direction. He wasn't going to win this so maybe he could have a mini adventure on his own?

"Okay, now! Once you find it, bring it to us! We will give you the next riddle!"

The foreigner didn't bother listening to what was being said he looked around and saw a cool lookin rock and he bounded off to explore it. He saw that it was actually two rocks leaning against one another with enough space in the middle to allow Reath passage. So with no hesitation he dove right in and he sniggered as he imagined all of the scares he could get with this awesome hiding place. So he quietly waited for someone to pass waiting to pounce at them. Sveyn wasn't here to tell him no this time.

[Ahsoka]

A h s o k a

#C11B17 * profile

"Huns!! Hullo, lit'le ones... up'ere please."

The young girl turned her head to look up at the larger female, ears perked expectantly. She had been glancing around at all the pups gathered together, searching for any familiar faces. So far, none stood out to her, but she wasn't overly concerned. Ahsoka never turned down the opportunity to meet new faces. However, that could wait as she anticipated the woman's next words. Her curiosity had been spiked when she and the other pups were summoned, and she felt intrigued to know what this was all about.

"Ah, thank you, sweets. We have a lit'le game for you! A scavenger hunt."

Poppy red eyes widened as the girl sat a little straighter, excitement running through her veins. Ahsoka had not yet participated in a scavenger hunt, but she knew what "scavenging" meant, and she could put two-and-two together before the red female continued.

"I will give you a few riddles, .. or clue.. you will have to solve the riddle by searching around the area here, and come report back to one of the shepherds with what the riddle is! Some of these items can be transported back to us! If you can pick it up, bring it here! Sound fair? Alright now, get together in pairs! It's more fun when you have a partner."

The princess swiveled her head around again, seeing if anyone she knew had shown up while the red female was talking. "Witch?" she called out, wondering if her new friend was around. No sign of the purple hued girl thus far, or of Ahsoka's siblings. Well, perhaps today is the day to meet someone new!

"Here is your first clue! I come off a beautiful creature, which soars in the sky, I come off a peckish creature, which has a tail as mighty as the sun! I am sometimes dirty, and parents beg you not to pick me up... what am I? Okay, now! Once you find it, bring it to us! We will give you the next riddle!"

Ahsoka thought hard about this one, screwing up her face in concentration. A bird? They soar in the sky and are pretty and colorful...or a butterfly? No, butterflies don't have tails...but dirty? How are they dirty? She hummed to herself, her mind getting hung up on the last bit of the riddle as she made her way in the opposite direction. She didn't have a partner yet, but she kept an eye out for anyone willing to join her.

Suddenly, an anguished moan nearly made Ahsoka leap out of her pelt. Eyes wide, she turned and saw another girl writhing on the ground, paws flailing. With the riddle pushed to the back of her mind, the princess sprinted towards the girl, hackles bristling in alarm.

"H-Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" This was all foreign to the princess. She had never seen anyone just fall to the ground and lose control of themselves like this. Was it because the girl couldn't find a partner? All she had to do was ask...but why would that turn her into a thrashing mess? Turning her head back toward the adults, she called out, "MISS! Over here! Something's wrong with her!" Don't panic, don't panic.

Red, there was so much red.

The w a l l.

Keep it together, don't panic.

A girl does not succumb to terror.

She does not lose her way.

Pain. Fear. R e d.

ooc: ~

[Sybella]

She reveled in delight and pride when the pups seemed to light up in animation when given the activity, most of them anyway. She paid particularly close attention to Arcas, who regularly required a little more attention than the other pups to try and keep interested. Another pup who occupied a portion of her regard was the visitor's pup, Reath. Sybella feared he'd feel more excluded than the rest, being that he probably has had very little time to make acquaintance with the other ankle biters since he's been here. She would let him attempt to introduce himself independently before she would step in and assist. That kind of courage for such a young boy would surely take time, though.

With a heavy, happy heart she watched as her peers went off with the pups to support them on their hunt. Scaffolding them for real life, for real expeditions. Unknowingly they were being prepared to work as a team, as a pack. It meant the world to her that she was able to be a part of this stepping stone in the children’s lives, as she would never have the opportunity to do it for children of her own. She began to wonder if that’s why she enjoyed her job as much as she did, she was robbed of the beauty of motherhood so she excelled and rejoiced as a shepherd? Even with the many young children around her that she had the pleasure of caring for, it was still hard to accept none of them would ever belong to her.

Once she was finished having a moment of self-wallowing, she surveyed the vicinity from her stone-post; looking for anyone who may be crying or fighting, confused or lost, hurt or… holy shit was that kid DYING? It was then she heard Ahsoka’s cry for help, “MISS! Over here! Something’s wrong!”. Green eyes bulged, not giving a second thought as she leapt off of her podium and rushed to the aid of… who was this? Trying to remember the name of the child during the pressure was causing her to panic more, her chest heaved in a continuous, non-stop motion. But her name wasn’t important, not now.

Sybella stood over the child as she jerked and convulsed in all directions, she brought her head close to the girl and whispered softly – and to her surprise, calmly. Although she was admittedly unfamiliar with all aspects of medical jargon, she could only guess that the girl was having a seizure. “I’m here, love. Stay with me, I’m here.” Sybella took a swift step back to review her thoughts, and quickly decided calling for a medic was the girl’s best chance at survival. Concluding her decision, she raised her head to howl a call of urgency, letting anyone know within ear-shot that she needed a healer.

Quickly

A race of thoughts overtook her now, lips quivering as she tried to fight off her tears. She could not cry now, not in front of these kids. She had to remain strong despite being at a loss of direction on how to ensure the girl's life would be saved. Looking down at Ahsoka, and the other children whose attention was reverted to the chaos unfolding, she smiled. “She's going to be okay, don't worry.” But, let's be real, it was more of a reassurance for herself.

▌note: THANK YOU GUYS. I love you all for joining.

[Hickory]

    From the distance Hickory had watched as the little puppies went along with some kind of teachers. He had yet to learn the true names of the ranks in this pack, but he guessed they were nannies of sorts - none of the pups seemed to be theirs. As much curiosity as he had, and thought of gaining a real rank in Gemini, he held back. A monster can’t help children, he decided, as he went back to sniffing around. Having avoided taking many herbs for himself, he had finally given in and tried to make a little bag out of animal hide. Jessie in Borogrove had some sort of sick collection of rabbits, and sometimes he got to learn from the more experienced healer in many things. One was how to make a bag to carry herbs. Hickory only grabbed a few of what he knew, but his small bag was already filling.

    Enough time had passed that he had wandered off from where the pups and shepherds had put down their little camp. Any noise they made were in the distance, sounding just like wind in trees. But what didn’t sound comforting was the howl that went into the air, a call for medical help. Hickory froze for a moment, debating on if he should go to assist. After all, he wasn’t an actual medic yet. It seemed only a few days ago that he had joined, and he barely knew anything of this land. But as he didn’t hear anyone else seeming to race in, he gathered himself up mentally. He could at least try to help, give assistance or something. It would be cruel not to try and help if there was a chance he could.

    The monster raced towards the howl, all eyes catching onto the group that laid before him. He knew none of these people, and felt fear welling up in him. Would they think that he was some beast here to claim an easy prey? But his eyes drifted lower, towards the pup that was on their side, almost seeming to be trying to run. If there was anyone in his way, the skinny boy would push his way through towards the child’s side. Any fear of others he had was gone, instead changed into if he could truly help this child. But his words came out stiff and clear, demanding. “Do you know if there is anything wrong with this child? Is this new? Did something trigger this?” Before even putting a paw on the child, he would look her over, seeing if there was anything too close to her mouth, or anyone too close. If there was a pup that had ventured too close, he would push them away. The main worry he had was that he had never been told of much that could be done with a seizure. Would they accept his answer of rest? Either way, if anything of danger was too close, he would start pushing it away: rocks, branches. She needed space.

[Twitch]

"I'm not very good with stills.  I get all twitchy." - Saffron Burrows

Suddenly Twitch was the center of attention, and the young pup tried to scoot herself along the ground to get away from anyone who attempted to touch her. The girl closest to her called for help, and then the adult who had made the announcement was there, towering over her.  As Sybella came to bend over her, Twitch let out a squeal and flailed away, rolling back on her belly.  She lay flat on her belly with her sides heaving and her tail whipping about. Clearly this wasn't a seizure, for she was up and moving, but the way her mouth was open and her unfocused eyes, it was clear she was in some sort of fit. Her back was in a tide of shivers causing her fur to ripple along her spine. She panted a couple more times, then rolled again, scraping the top of her head and shoulders along an exposed root.  Tufts of white fur snagged in her wake.

"Do you know if there is anything wrong with this child? Is this new? Did something trigger this?"

A new voice joined, firm and staccato, tapped into Twitch's ears. She snapped her focus around, silvery eyes coming to focus solely on Hickory.  She now lay on her back, looking at the the inverted world and a creature the likes of which she had never seen.  She gaped at him, going still as she became engrossed by this new development.  For a moment she was quiet, staring open mouthed at the red stranger.  Then, with a tact that only a child can muster, she shouted:

"YOU'VE GOT FACES ON YOUR FACE!!!"

She flailed, flipping herself over and scrambling to her feet with surprising speed.  Her tail went straight up and began to helicopter in the air, overlarge ears angled forward straight at Hickory.  Now that she was upright, two small horns were clearly visible among her tussled bangs.  Her back still rippled, and she shifted her feet like she couldn't figure out how far apart they should be, giving her a general hopping shake.  Suddenly her head turned sideways at almost a visibly uncomfortable angle, before it became a shake that after-shocked from her nose to the tip of her tail.

"I'm Twitch!"

Oh, yes you are, child.