[Parker]

Little specks of white gently kissed little specks of black. The dappled child sneezed as a snowflake landed on his pale nose, his entire body shaking, causing the hood of his sweater to flop over his head. He groaned in frustration, but stood up and continued on. He had just finished crying again, maybe for the 50th time since he got lost. He should've thought about it first before running off from his pack and out of the safety of the forest. In the open grass, he felt exposed and vulnerable. Not that he didn't feel that way about himself every day of his life. But now it was just a little too real, and too cold.

He let out a whine every now and then, trying to calm his nerves. The boy was scared, and he knew he just made the biggest mistake of his life. Looking up, he realized that the snow could make him less visible to anything big and tough that would want to hurt him, but he didn't want to risk freezing to death. Normally his siblings would've been there to keep him warm. He sniffled as he thought about how much he would miss it, and probably how little they were thinking of him right now. Surely there was no one back there who really cared that he was gone. They would think, "Oh, he's having one of those tantrums again, just leave him be". But the truth was, he didn't want them to leave him be. He wished for someone to nudge him up, to tell him it's alright to be a little different. No one ever really tried. They'd tell him to toughen up, grow a pair. He was expected to deal with his bullies on his own, and not take crap from anyone. But he'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt a lot, physically and emotionally. There were parts of his body that still ached with the bruises, and the memories. 

"No one cares about your stupid fucking stories. You sound like a girl!"
"Yeah, no wonder you don't have any friends. You're so god damn annoying."
"You're not special, you freak. Quit pretending."


"I'M NOT PRETENDING!" And with that, he was already far away enough that he couldn't hear them laughing, and they couldn't hear him shouting. The boy let out a sigh. Now that he was a bit more calm after his sobbing spell, he was able to forgive himself a little. If it had continued any longer, maybe they would've hurt him a lot more. He was lucky to get away with just bruises and scrapes. He was happy to be away from them at least. Anything to escape their awful voices and hurtful intentions would be ideal.

He paused at the top of a hill, it's silhouette stark against the grey sky. There was something funky in the air. Wolves? Aha! This was his chance. He'd heard stories about big scary wolves before. Time to prove it to those big meanies that he was a super strong, super magical bandit! Just like in his stories. He was gonna conquer the wolves and bring back one of their heads and shove it in their mean faces how cool he is. He giggled, hopping in place with excitement, before bounding away following the scent. 

"Look out, woofs! I'm big strong an' gonna get you!"

Before he could make it very far, he unwittingly slipped on the sleeve of his hoodie, sending him rolling. He lay on the frosty ground for a minute, catching his breath. When he finally untangled himself and sat up, he couldn't stop his watery eyes from flowing. The sobs began again. He pulled his hood further over his face, embarrassed and upset that he was beginning to feel that those big meanies were right. Maybe he wasn't special.


^{ooc: Parker is a wee baby in this, like 4-6 months young!}

[Carol]

Even when the snow fell there were still treasures to be found and collected. There had been a time that Carol was taught how to spot and gather useful ingredients in a desert climate, and winter hadn't proven too terribly difficult to forage in either. She started out in a colder place long before the oasis too, so winter was not daunting, but did carry with it a wide array of memories. Carol was well beyond those more unpleasant days however, and opted instead to rememeber the things about her old villages that she had been fond of. She remembered the bustling of humans and their young, there was always life and activities, new and exciting things to discover.

For as many years ago she had put that place behind her, she never once relinquished her reminders of her past life. Little tokens of a human who loved her once, a part of who Carol was, letting go of them was near unthinkable. Not to mention that when winter rolled around each year the scarf about her neck and makeshift hat kept the worst of the biting cold at bay.

Gathering up one more elusive and hardy little plant, Carol tucked it away and for a moment considered the trek back into Gemini's heart, accepting her meager haul for the day. There was little time to mull over the idea when she heard the confident cry. One ear perked up from beneath the tattered old hat. Threatening though the words were, they came from such a small voice. Carol stood a little taller among the snow and dry grass, her maternal instincts kicking in, her desire to protect sought out the little voice. It may have been a long time since she had a child in her care, but the sense of duty never left her.

Hunting forgotten, the small dog moved toward the sound, her stride quickly rising into a bounding motion until she spotted him, a bright red patch standing out against the snow painted land. All the words of grandstanding apparently had worn off and left the child in a bit of hysterics. Unconcerned with restraint, Carol padded quickly to the little one's side, drawing close as to defend him from the cold. "Come now, no need for tears." She would coo softly, lowering her head and poking under the boy's hood. "Everything is alright." Carol assured, well aware that perhaps it might not be.

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[Parker]

Parker blinked through tears as he paused from his sniveling to look up, his hood falling back as a wet nose poked his forehead. He lifted a paw to wipe away the wetness all over his face, and blinked again so he could see who was standing over him. He felt warm breath puffing in his direction, and though things were still blurry, he could finally see another dog looking down at him.

"Everything is alright."

He didn't know who she was or where she came from, because he was too busy feeling miserable, but he immediately slowed breathing and tried to sniff until he slowly stopped crying. The emotional energy it took for him to let out his emotions was very taxing on him, and he felt almost expended from all of the blubbering he had done earlier that day on top of it. He could only gaze up at the soft-looking female, too sad to move away or question if she was going to hurt him. He had no reason to believe that she was like the other dogs from his village, but she was in wolf territory and smelled odd to him. He had also never met any dog outside of his own family. His mother always warned him and the rest of his siblings that the world was a very dangerous place, full of bad dogs and bad humans. Anything can try and hurt you. But not Parker! He was strong, and he was good. He didn't like it when bad dogs were bad. And he'd do anything to help someone like him be safe from them. Maybe this lady is in trouble with the woofs.

He used the side of his sleeve to wipe his nose and sniffle once more, then looked back up at her. "I-I'm sorry. I c-can't save you from the woofs. I'm stupid. A-and I f-fight like a girl," he whimpered through more sobbing. "Das what they said 'bout me, and then they pinch me. But all I did is try 'n be a super boy." He leaned forward to try and nuzzle the lady's leg with his face. "I don't wanna go home! I'm scared!"

He was well aware that he was as good as dead out here on his own. He was terrified, not of the wolves or dying from the cold, but of the big bad dogs back home. He was more afraid of being hurt by them than anything.

[Carol]

Carol stood over the pup, watching with some amount of relief as he seemed to calm down, pulling himself together in spite of whatever stressed him. She would listen carefully when the boy blubbered his problems to her, gently amused though still plenty sympathetic. She had a particular familiarity with bad dogs too.

He gave her a few things to which she could respond, but what caught her most of all was the claim that he was afraid to go home. A distinct ache grabbed her heart, and she moved a little closer, knowing she couldn't quite protect him from his hurt. Certainly it could be the fit of a pouty child, but she wanted to trust in him and keep him safe should his home really be a place of more harm than comfort.

"You don't have to go home." Who knew, a parent could come along after him, but Carol focused solely on easing the boy's fears for the moment. "You're alright here, we both are. Gemini is a safe place, no one will hurt you." She would nuzzle at a speckled ear before reaching over to give him a little nudge. "We can go further in, beyond the walls, it's safest there. We can get you warmed up too." Part of her couldn't help but glance up and do a quick scan of the area, just in case th er was some threat that may have followed the poor child.

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[Parker]

"You don't have to go home."

The freckled boy looked up at her with wide eyes, surprised. "I don't?" he asked excitedly, his voice still a little husky from crying. On the inside, he was really just hoping that the nice lady came from another village, full of other good dogs who smelled funny and wore warm things their owners gave them. Other than the constant harassing he would receive from other dogs, he actually liked living in the village before they began travelling. Life was simple and sweet when you got along well with man. They fed you plenty, played with you, even gave you silly names. They treated him kindly, and so he would try to stay as close to them as he can. But that left him lonely and sad at times. It would just be a reminder to him that he wasn't a friend to any of the humans' dogs. It was either stay far away where you're safe, or risk losing an ear to those who found you worthless and pesky. But he didn't want to choose anymore.

"You're alright here, we both are. Gemini is a safe place, no one will hurt you."

"O-Oh... Gem'ni. Gemyni has good dogs?"

He couldn't help but smile a little, and then giggle as the caring dog tickled his ear and prompted him up. He waddled around her, looking around the snowy field that was known to the stranger as Gemini. It seemed safe enough when she was here with him. He glanced back at her when she offered to guide him past the walls and provide warmth and safety. His ears twitched, and for a moment he forgot where they were. "But... there's woofs here. My mommy says they very bad dogs." He pondered for a moment, then gasped. "Oh yeah!! I can show you my super power! And then I'll save you from the woofs." He began running laps around her, bursting with elation. "Yah, yah, let's go! We can beat them up and save the day together!" Parker finally skidded to a halt in front of her, kicking up a little bit of snow and panting hard. "Are you a super lady? We can both have powers. I'll give you some! But you hafta close your eyes, it's a secret."

He sat back on his haunches to reach one paw into his sweater pocket, and use his other paw to "cover" the power. He would wait a moment, whether she actually closed her eyes or not, and then throw his paws up, revealing nothing. "TA-DAA! Silly, you're already super," he laughed as he stood up again, bouncing up and down.

[Carol]

Carol watched as the distress in the boy's face seemed to drift away, revealing instead a sweet little smile. It never failed to amaze her how quickly children could bounce back from various states of upset to perfectly fine. That level of innocence was incredible, and too often enviable.

"But... there's woofs here. My mommy says they very bad dogs." She couldn't quite respond before Parker carried on with his excited little epiphany.

"Oh yeah!! I can show you my super power! And then I'll save you from the woofs. Yah, yah, let's go! We can beat them up and save the day together! Are you a super lady? We can both have powers. I'll give you some! But you hafta close your eyes, it's a secret."

Brows furrowed somewhat, though a smile made a way onto her face. She was content to play his game, and if it meant keeping him from dwelling on that which scared him, it was all the better. "Alright," And she did close her eyes. Briefly. One flickered back open to watch, unable to deny her curiosity in just what the little one had planned.

"TA-DAA! Silly, you're already super,"

Her heart could melt in that moment, and she sighed at the spotted boy. Shaking her head, she approached him again to touch her nose to the top of his head. "Well thank you." Carol murmured, only to then give him another little nudge with her paw. "Let's go, maybe we can show others in Gemini your power, hm?" She stopped then, head tilting with a suddenly occurring thought. "And I ought to know the name of my protector, right?"

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[Parker]

"Let's go, maybe we can show others in Gemini your power, hm? And I ought to know the name of my protector, right?"

The spotted boy nodded his head so hard he could feel his insides turn over with anticipation. There was a feeling inside him that was unfamiliar, and he didn't quite know whether it made him happy to feel wanted or sad because he'd never felt that before meeting this dog. It was possible that maybe he hadn't made a mistake in running away after all. He was angry for a long time because he couldn't figure out what it was about him that made others hate him so. It made him even more upset that he didn't allow himself to feel hurt until now. He decided to take this opportunity as a sign. He could be the emotional, sentimental, jubilant cry baby he was meant to be. And he wouldn't change.

He closed his eyes and smiled wide.  "Yes, yes! And then we can share! I want everyone to see cuz then they be my friend. And if the woofers is nice dogs, they can be my friend too!" He hopped over to a small pile of snow and stomped into it, sinking in slowly, and though he didn't exactly plan for that he still managed to appear confident and excited.  "I aaaammm Parker! Protector of the Gemyni! Forest boyyy!!" And with that, he rolled out in front of Carol, laughing his tiny heart out and wriggling around to get the snow out of his hood. He stood once again, gazing up at his friend, tail wagging enthusiastically.  "And you can be, um... Carol! Carol theee Fire Lady, or something. You get to pick. I fight with grass and stuff!!" He mostly made it up in that moment, which is what he normally did whenever he tried playing with other pups, but he wanted to feel like Forest Boy for at least a little longer. Forest Boy was a good boy, misunderstood sometimes, but always there for his friends. And now he could make real friends that Forest Boy would want to protect.

Parker shook himself in a shiver, then scooted closer to Carol's leg to nuzzle it, this time without tears.  "I'm so happy. You a really nice lady, Carol." Before she could have time to react, Parker would boop her with his nose and run past her, not really thinking about which way was the correct direction to get to Gemini. He couldn't run very fast in his oversized sweater anyway. "Forest Boy will save yoooouuu!"