Stone Circle I want to watch the universe expand
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
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Ooc — Jaclyn
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#1
All Welcome 
Now that his ears nearly piqued to full height, Merrit discovered he could truly hear. Their tips no longer sheltered the sensitive drums, and the world became a place filled with more sounds than he had ever imagined possible to exist. They drew him back to the surface tonight, as the sun stroked her waning beams against the den's dark walls. While the boy enjoyed the novelty of the rendezvous, he found himself back in the birthing den often, for no nostalgic reason. Simply to study the light and the strong earthen walls, as much as a child his age could. As dusk settled over Easthollow, he rose from the underground to meet the last rays of daylight, and propped himself in the blades of soggy grass just at the surface, set his ears, and listened.

A light spattering of rain fell from the patchwork of clouds, while the evening light sank with brilliant rays across the glistening grass. The night chorus chirped from amongst the plants and shrubbery. Merrit hadn't yet discovered the tiny composers, but he often wondered what sort of things the noises came from. He had tried to find them, a great many times, but soon as he ever neared the sounds, they stopped and frustrated his plans to find them. Still, he would try again tonight - perhaps with a different plan - but for the moment he rested, content enough to listen to their song as it wove with the plink rain against the leaves, and the faintest rush of wind.
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Ooc — Hela
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#2
Brynn had been the one who got the pleasure to watch Valette's pups tonight, so when the dark-colored boy made his way from the den, she lifted her head from where she had rested it on her paws and watched him carefully as he found a spot in the wet grass to rest and take in the night. 

She stood up then, shaking the off the rain water that had collected on her coat, and trotted to where Merrit was lying. Brynn lied down in front of him and licked his face affectionately. She didn't say anything; just watched him curiously. She hadn't been around pups so small before and was unsure how much they could say or understand at this age. So, she waited, ready to follow whatever plan the small boy had for tonight.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
253 Posts
Ooc — Jaclyn
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#3
While his ears kept preoccupied by the song of the night, his watch remained tuned to his vicinity. To remain both aware of how the shadows shifted with the descent of the sun, as well as on who came and went from the rendezvous.

Merrit met Brynn's greeting with a slow blink of his eyes, receiving her affection with the slightest lick in return, and coupled with the stillness characteristic of the boy. She settled, and he found his watch trailing to stay on her. In all the information he had gathered in his short month alive, he had yet to form many thoughts about this one, beyond the basic trust he placed in all the wolves of Easthollow. A few he could identify by their delightful melodies, but though he searched, he couldn't recall Brynn's.

He turned his head ever slightly with a thoughtful shift in plans. Did this one have a melody? He had watched his mother make sounds to others, only for them to make sounds back, enough for Merrit to know that this could prove true if he tried so, too. The boy hardly gave his voice to anyone, only because he treasured the sounds of others, and that gave him so little time to discover his own. Here, he needed to give something of himself to learn something of her, so with the slightest breath he questioned, "whoo," wanting nothing but some sort of verbal response, so he could hear the song and rhythm that her voice made.
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Ooc — Hela
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#4
Brynn smiled at the dark pup and laughed softy. The sound hadn't been any real word, but she figured that was probably pretty normal for pups this young. She looked from the boy to the sky and back again. "I like coming out here at night, too," she said knowing he wouldn't understand the words. 

Brynn gently, but playfully, nuzzled Merrit before placing her head on her paws to look at him. She was hoping he would play with her as much a he was able. Not only would it be fun, but it would help develop his coordination and social skills.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
253 Posts
Ooc — Jaclyn
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#5
His content showed through the gentle wag of his tail. She did have a voice, and one as unique as the rest. Much of what she said swarmed right over his head, yet he found some words familiar. Of course, every word sounded a little different from wolf to wolf. The deep rumblings of his father were starkly different than the high and lovely chords of his mother, for the best example - but the basic structure of words was always there, and he clutched onto this familiarity in the ones Brynn spoke.

The intent of her nuzzle went unnoticed. Though Merrit would tussle with his siblings, he more often found himself engaged in finer, quieter matters. Watching the shadows, listening to the night. His curious eyes settled on Brynn again. If he could remember her syllables, could he copy her song? "Nnn-n-ight." That was one he had heard before, one his mother only used when the sky grew dark, and he tipped his head and waited for a sign from Brynn that he'd spoken right.
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Ooc — Hela
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#6
Merrit didn't take the invitation to play, but instead attempted to repeat the word 'night.' Brynn smiled at the boy and nodded her head. "Yes. That's right. Night," she said smiling and making sure to enunciate the word as she said it again. 

Right now, it's night; Next, it will be morning," She added a moment later. Brynn was content to do whatever Merrit wanted to do, so if that was trying to learn words, she was glad to help.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
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Ooc — Jaclyn
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#7
Merrit warmed at her praise, and his content showed in a controlled and single flick of his tail. He enjoyed her voice and her words, and though he understood the meaning to only a few, he tried to store them all away to decipher them later. At the moment, he latched onto a pattern he hadn't heard in anyone's speech before and tried to repeat it himself.

"Right," he said, "Night."  Their similar sounds intrigued him, the way they chimed off one another, and he repeated again, "Right. Night. Right. Night." He tipped his head, and reversed them. "Night. Right." And though the order changed, the effect remained the same, so he found himself asking one of his favourite words he knew: "Why?"
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Ooc — Hela
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#8
Brynn listened to the boy repeat the same two words over and over. She was fascinated by his thought process. It was interesting to see a child learn and process things that were done without thought as an adult. 

She smiled as he switched the word order. He soon stopped and asked her why. She thought for a minute. Why is it night? she asked Merrit, tilting her head a little. I suppose it's because the sun can't stay in the sky forever. It has to share it with the moon, who only comes out at night. That was the best explanation Brynn had for why there was night and day. She had never really thought much about it.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
253 Posts
Ooc — Jaclyn
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#9
She spoke in simple enough terms, and he grasped her explanation in a grand and encompassing way. The information he gathered was interesting, yes, but his brow furrowed, because, despite this, her words didn't do much to satisfy the question he'd asked.

Merrit pressed his lips into a thin line. "No." he said with a stiff shake of his head. "Why?" He tried to fish for better words, but a new feeling swelled in his chest. The little boy, not knowing what to do, fixed his brow in a firmer furrow and quirked out his tongue, as if that might help him think. In the end, he simply settled on, "Why's same?" 
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Ooc — Hela
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#10
Brynn studied the boy for a minute. Why was what the same, she wondered. Was he asking why the words 'right' and 'night' were the same? That must be it. She smiled at him and answered, Well, night and right both end with the same letters, 'ight,' so they sound similar. Brynn paused for a second before adding, It's called rhyming. She looked at Merrit then to see if she had answered his question adequately, and to see if he comprehended her answer.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
253 Posts
Ooc — Jaclyn
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#11
He stared at Brynn right on back, patient in her silence. Sometimes being quiet meant he wouldn't get an answer - but Brynn seemed smart, and her face looked like she was thinking. When her mouth lit with a smile, he found himself meeting her with the quirk of a grin and a mechanical shift of his tail.

Finally.

"Rhy-ming." He repeated, satisfied with the new concept she offered. Words that sounded the same - ended the same - but were different. Night. Right. Merrit shifted a pensive glance to the sky, and moved his lips ever slightly as he ran over the words he knew. "Night... right... light? Bright??" And his smile grew as they syllables fell from his tongue, relishing in this new kind of melody.
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Ooc — Hela
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#12
Brynn smiled brightly and nodded at Merrit. Yes! All of those words rhyme, she said with pride in her tone. She could tell he would grow up into a smart wolf. Even now, instead of wanting to play, he wanted to learn about words, and she was happy to comply. 

Thinking for a minute, she tried to come up with another word he might know that he could rhyme with. Smiling once more, she asked, What do you think rhymes with the word day? She picked a word she was sure he already knew, not wanting to make things more difficult by using a word he wasn't familiar with.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
253 Posts
Ooc — Jaclyn
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#13
Alright! His quiet excitement piqued in the subtle shift of his smile to something brighter, something that near touched his eyes. Not only was he grasping the things he was learning, but Brynn seemed just as eager to be here with him, teaching him and helping him to understand.

He turned his head with another glance to the sky. "Day?" he repeated, and felt the word on his tongue. Day. Ay. Merrit soon found his brow furrowed and his gaze shifting to the ground. "Play." he offered with a tiny nod and turned his head again. "Say." This one was much harder and, after a minute of fruitless searching, he gave a single shake of his head. Not giving up. Just... seeking guidance, and he looked at her expectantly. "What 'bout you - you've words? New 'uns?"
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Ooc — Hela
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#14
Brynn watched as Merrit thought about the word 'day' and anything that might rhyme with it. Soon, he said a two words that both rhymed, and Brynn smiled encouragingly at him. She could see his wheels turning as he tried to come up with more words, and she enjoyed watching him think.

When it seemed he was having some trouble, he looked at her and asked if she knew any new words. She considered his question for a minute, trying to think of some other words for him. What about ray, clay, and stay? she offered with a warm smile. The words were easy enough but may not be something he had heard before.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
253 Posts
Ooc — Jaclyn
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#15
He cupped his ears and inclined himself closer, sorely aware of how very little he knew about the world. While he could glean a lot through his private investigations, the adults always seemed to have something of an upper hand when it came to understanding the things he didn't, and Merrit was not below taking opportunity of this. He met Brynn's suggestions with a slow nod and turned them over, trying to recall where he'd heard them before.

"Stay," he repeated, with a slow nod to affirm he knew that one already "Mah uses tha'un."  And for how many times she did, he didn't know how he'd forgotten. But ray and clay - now those were new, and he shook his head and watched his teacher with continued expectation that he wouldn't dwell in the unknowing much longer. "Was' ray? An' was'a clay?"
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Ooc — Hela
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#16
Brynn smiled at Merrit as he explained he already knew the word 'stay.' She wasn't surprised; it was something Valette surely told the pups frequently. When he inquired about the other two words, Brynn thought for a minute to find the best way to explain them. 

She started with the more difficult word first. Ray would be difficult to explain in terms the pup would understand. Ray is like a small streak of light usually coming from a larger light source, she explained. She wasn't sure if he would understand her description, but if he needed further details, she would gladly supply them.

She moved on to define the next word for him. Clay is sort of like mud, except not quite as wet. You can find it by digging in the ground in certain areas. That explanation seemed like it would be a little easier for Merrit to understand. 

She watched him after she finished talking to see if he understood or had more questions.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
253 Posts
Ooc — Jaclyn
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#17
Brynn's explanation resounded with the boy, and his ears perked up. He'd never had a name to give the light that had brightened the underground dwelling of his den, but now he did, and his mouth quirked ever slightly up as he glanced about them. There was light here, too; there were rays all around, casting bright against the shadows as the sun pushed through the bruise of rainclouds on the western front. "Ray," he repeated, and the word and its meaning settled on his tongue.

He had never dug so far as to find clay before. Truth be told, he hadn't done much digging at all, if only because he hadn't seen use for burrowing in dirt before. But the prospect of things being buried underground, thing you couldn't find on the surface - now there was something worth exploring, and Merrit rose on eager paws. "We go find clay," he told her, and already moved past his teacher to find a diggable spot, because in his mind that was the next logical step in the process of discovery. He could only listen so much before he had to go and do, test and try, and find these things out for himself.
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Ooc — Hela
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#18
It was exciting to see him learning new things, and she smiled at the pup while he connected the words she had given him with things around them. She listened as Merrit repeated 'ray' and replied with a nod of her head, still smiling at him. 

Brynn laughed as he ran by her to go 'find clay' and stood to follow behind him. She wasn't really sure they would find clay here, but it would be fun to try. Part of learning was doing, so even if they didn't find any clay wherever Merrit chose to dig, the meaning of the word would be easier for him to recall if he had a tangible memory to associate with it; at least, that's how it was for her. So, she followed the boy and waited for him to start digging so she could join in.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
patron saint
are we all lost like you?
253 Posts
Ooc — Jaclyn
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#19
He trusted Brynn followed, and didn't see the need to look back to see if she actually had. He was much too focused, anyway, on scouting the ground for a prime spot to unearth this thing called clay. Everywhere was just a little bit muddy from the light spray of rain, and if he looked somewhere where the dirt was already mud, surely that meant the clay would be mud, too. He had to find somewhere dry, somewhere shelthered... but where?

The standing stones! For a second, the excitement of thought shot his body rigid, but he quickly spun and wove himself right back around to dash past Brynn toward the hill that held the strange guardians of rock. Most of the stones stood upright, pointing toward the sky, but he remembered there was one that formed a structure unlike the others - two pillars, with a larger slab balanced from the top of one to the top of the other, to form a sort of cave. And caves didn't let rain in - and sure enough, as he loped up to his prize, he found the large rock had kept the ground at least a little bit drier than the grass in the direct path of the rain.

He wagged his tail quirked his mouth in a smile. Only now did he cast a glance over his shoulder to beckon Brynn to join him with a whooping, "c'mon!" before he turned, stooped down, and began to dig.
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Ooc — Hela
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#20
She followed Merrit, letting him lead the adventure but keeping an eye on him at the same time. After a few minutes, they walked into the stone circle, and he headed directly for the two stone pillars that were connected at the top by a third, horizontal stone. She watched as the boy began to dig and when he excitedly beckoned her over, she laughed and trotted over to join him. 

She began digging onto the ground. Even though it was drier here than the surrounding dirt, it was still soft enough to give under her large paws as she began to dig an indent into the earth. As she got father down, the dirt became even softer, and the cool mud began gathering between the toes of her front two paws. The easier it became to dig out large chunks of mud, the more satisfied she felt. She became lost in the task, dark earth-colored smudges accumulating in random spots on her legs and chest as she invaded farther and farther into the hole she had began to form. 

When she remembered her digging partner, she stopped and looked over to see how much progress he had made.
: 0/10  : 2/5
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear, and I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.