Wolf RPG

Xan was bored. Not just kind of bored, either, but bored-bored. His nose was still bugging him, and probably would for at least a few more days, but it'd definitely cleared up some. He could, once again, smell. It was faint, clouded even, but the scents were still there. Much to his displeasure, this also meant that he could smell those things. Oh, how those stupid weeds annoyed him. He didn't even care if they were used to heal the injured, all he cared about was the fact that they smelled downright awful. Worse than his siblings (or himself) after they'd wet themselves. It was terrible, and for a moment he wished he couldn't smell again. That is, until he realized there was a much better solution to his little problem. With a quick turn of his head, the little boy looked around to be sure no eyes were on him specifically, before starting to move towards the light at the entrance. In his mind, he was being the sneakiest little wolf around, and thought there was no chance in hell anyone would ever see him escaping.

As his body grew closer and closer to the entrance, the young Inuit was struck by a wave of something else. His determination to escape was there, driven by his want to get away from the foul-smelling leaves, but also pulled by something else—a want to explore. Alexander was far from being a curious soul, but something within him urged him to get outside. The child didn't know it just yet, but would later learn that the same voice had called to his father when he was the younger's age. He would also learn, both from stories and experience, just how much trouble he could cause for himself and others by wanting to get away from them. For now, however, he focused on what his instincts were telling him to do, and continued to crawl forward on his stomach. It was a slow process, and walking would have been easier, but he hoped staying low would better his chances of getting away undetected.

«wow, just getting the job...better make sure I make it worth it. xD»



 Cry was finalizing his first score of the land, learning landmarks, caches, escape routes, hidden trenches, wastelands, Valleys, and dens. Most especially dens. And the most special of all dens, was the parents. 
Seems he was already on the payroll. Better get to it, then. 

A little pup, one that proved to have no fear in delving into the unknown, one who's coat made even the purest of snow, jealous. Crawling on his tum to reach the outside of the world he had most likely been born into. Just barely touching the outskirts of his well made den. 
Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The dark prince watched, observing closely at the tactics the youth employed against detection.
Only when the ivory pup reached the end of the dens entry way, did he move in. 

"Hello."

A soft voice, gentle, a caress he hasn't touched vocally for quite some time. As smooth as a panther, the ethereal ebony lowered himself to his own stomach a yard away, as size alone could frighten a child. 
Rather not get bad reports on your first handling

Xan was nearly there. He was so close, and it seemed like no one was going to stop him. 'Seemed', being the keyword. Before he knew it, a new face appeared. The wolf was darker than any he'd seen before—wait, no, not quite. He remembered seeing a dark wolf while they were all walking through the storm, but was this the same one? No, couldn't be. He looked different, and, clearly, was not a female. In all honesty, it didn't matter either way. The fact still stood that this thing was in his way, and no one was allowed to get in the way of what he wanted. The word he spoke was one the boy recognized, but it was also one that disinterested him. The greeting sounded so boring, and the way he said it was annoying. The male then lowered himself onto his stomach, too, which irritated the child greatly. What was this thing? A wolf or a copycat? Just as the other's stomach touched the ground, Alexander rose up so he was standing. His odd eyes narrowed at the other, showing his silent hatred of him. While, technically, the other was only doing his job, the young Inuit couldn't stand him.

The boy let out a throaty grumble, which was more or less his version of a growl. It wasn't anywhere close to sounding threatening, but he still believed it would get his point across. Then, his face relaxed, as an idea passed through his head. The little troublemaker had thought of a plan, one that would work to his favour no matter how it played out. Xan started marching forward, a defiant look in his dual-coloured gaze. If the older wolf tried to stop him, he'd let out an exaggerated whine, and he would make sure it'd be loud enough to get someone's attention. He didn't care who, just as long as it got the dark creature in trouble. If he didn't touch him, though, then he'd have another win, as he'd be permitted to go outside. Plus, the boy assumed that would also get the other into trouble. There was no way his plan could go wrong—unless, of course, they believed the words of the elder over the cries of the child.

«Not a prob. W_^V»



The silent shadow was admittedly amused by the little shard of upset he felt flung his way from the miniature lupine, and he tilted crown, a smile dancing at the edge of his jaw. 
He hadn't even been there for 5 minutes, and another little soul despised him. How quaint. 

"You haven't even asked my name, and found out the very title of the wolf you are against, child. "

Cry knew the pup had no clue what he was remotely saying, and astonishing enough, it saddened him a bit. 
He smelled how new the pup was to the world, and understood first words had not yet come to the recently born. That was fine. 
Actions spoke louder than words. 
Silence was even louder. 

The pure white was swaggering up to the ebony, his little face contorted in a manner that seemed to dare him to try anything he wouldn't approve of. 
A challenge. 
Adorable. 
Even a tiny rumble from the recently created throat uttered something resembling an attempted growl. 

As he had previously done with the alpha, Cry snaked backwards, the complete body circuit working and relocating so he would not be in the way of the pale pup reaching his freedom. Of course he wouldn't let the pup run into anything that would cause harm, but only watching his moves. 
A silent guardian. 

As he observed, an almost imperceptible movement was on his left, and without looking at it, he bent from his one acquired sitting position, and found the movement to be a tiny snail. 

The dark man took a single hooked claw, snatched up the snail, and placed it into the view of the snow child.
What was his next move?

The elder spoke again, but this time he had more words to share. The amount of things said confused him, which made him dislike the dark being even more. He understood 'name', and could share his own if asked, and he also understood 'title' and 'child'. The title was the rank a wolf held, but he didn't yet know what all the ranks were, so he didn't pay much mind to that word. 'Child', however, he knew very well. He knew what it meant, and recognized the fact that he was a child. Why'd the wolf call him that, though? Didn't he know what the boy's name was? If he didn't, he should, or at least that was what the boy believed. The idea of someone not knowing who he was caused his glare to deepen, though a smirk still pulled at the corners of his mouth. His smirk grew cockier as the larger being moved backwards, too. While the older wasn't smart enough to know the child's name, at least he knew who the boss was.

Xan was about to walk right by the dark being, but something stopped him. The shaded figure dropped something in front of him, which made the boy to stop and look at it. It moved slowly, much slower than he thought anything could move, and looked funny. He inched closer to it, sniffing the weird creature. It's head poked back into it's shell when the boy's paw got too close to it, which made him freeze. Where'd it go? His oddly coloured eyes moved to the bigger wolf, a suspicious look in them. "Gone," he stated, looking back towards the snail. It's head slowly started to move out, then, and so he glanced at the other wolf again. The thing was so weird. Alexander walked up to it, mouth opening as he did so. Slowly, he clamped his little jaws around the insects shell, and then pulled his head up. The movement caused the snail to retreat back into it's home, which annoyed the boy. Why'd it keep disappearing? He shook his head, much like a dog would with a squeaky toy, but lost his grip on the thing in the process. The snail flew towards the bigger wolf, and though it was purely coincidental it'd gone in that direction, it made the boy grin. That'll teach him for putting something in the young Inuit's way.

So he did speak. 
Then the small creature was sent his way. 
Cry knew the pup didn't desire to send the play thing at him, but seeing the joy he got out of it only confirmed his previous suspicions of the pup. 

Crafty, he was, this child of white. And a temperament to potential cause emotional havoc to any siblings Unfourtionate enough to be sired with him. 
Pity. 

Cry laughed as the shelled creature was hurdled at him, light barks as to not wake the other pups. He hadn't even faltered his gaze at the miniscule impact of it, on his soft pelt of obsidian. 

Cry nosed the crustacean off, and flung it right back at the pup. 
Play ball.

The older wolf laughed. He was amused by the shelled thing being tossed at him, which the boy found odd. Even so, he could admit that he now disliked the dark being a little less. He didn't yet like him, but he deemed him tolerable and a potentially good playmate. His crimson gaze stayed locked on the snail as the elder nosed at it, curious about what he was planning. When the thing came flying back towards him, he attempted to catch it in his mouth by the shell again, but missed. It slipped right through his little jaws, which disappointed him, but for once he wasn't left annoyed by something not going as planned. Instead, he padded over to retrieve the thing, then sat down about a foot way from the larger wolf. His head lowered to drop the snail between his pale paws, before looking back up at the other. "Name?" he inquired, not bothering to specify whether he was talking about the wolf or the snail. Already, his want to leave the den and explore had been forgotten—or, rather, temporarily pushed to the back of his mind.

Xan felt something touching his paw, then, and looked down to see the slimy head of the snail poking out. It was touching his paw, which made him frown. Seriously, what was that thing doing? He plucked it off the ground by it's shell again, the motion scaring the thing back into it's shell. He flicked his head, this time throwing the snail at Cry on purpose. The second it left his mouth, he stood up and took several steps back, eyes glued to the snail as he waited for it to be sent back his way. This time, he wanted to try and catch it, and was sure he'd succeed.

«Lawl, snail is just like 'Bruh...'»



Positive play time to exhaust energy built within the youth. A game of catch. Nothing like a classic. As Cry grinned and actually snicked the snail perfectly in his incissors, and tossed it back, he aimed for the ivorys own jaw, a slow enough speed to where no harm done, but quick enough to keep the youth on his toes. 

After he had tossed it, only then did the dark wolf reply. 

"I am Cry."
After the name, he gestured to himself with his thickly furred soft tail.  

The question was passed back to the child.

"Name?"

Had it been any other time, perhaps Xan would have 'ooed' at the nice catch done by the elder. This time, however, he was far too concentrated to let out even the smallest of squeaks. When the snail came towards him again, he had his jaws open and ready. The boy caught it, thanks to the dark lupine's good toss, but then dropped it afterwards. It wasn't because it'd slipped, but because he'd caught it so the opening was facing his throat. Though the snail didn't peek out again, he could still taste the thing and was displeased, to say the least. Once it left his mouth, he scrunched up his nose and glared at the shell, making a mental note to be more careful next time. There was no way he'd be eating a snail anytime soon after that.

He looked away from the gross thing when the other spoke, learning his name to be Cry. When he heard that, he grew a bit amused, as he related the male's name to the action. Did that mean the obsidian man was a crybaby? So far, he'd proved that to be wrong, but perhaps it just wasn't the right situation. The Inuit would have to watch him in the future, just to see whether his name described him or not. For now, however, he picked the plaything up, and tossed it back to the other just as he heard the question being returned to him. Mouth free of his new toy, he thought about whether he should share his name or not. After letting a second pass by, he decided it was best the older wolf learned his name now, that way he wouldn't forget it in the future. "Alexander Apaata," he stated, having practiced over and over again before how to pronounce his name. It'd taken him a bit longer to get a hold of his family name, but once he had it'd become a simple thing to say. "Or Xan." He preferred his nickname over his full given name most of the time, since it was easier to say, and rolled off his tongue rather quickly.

Cry had to admit how surprised he was at the ease in which the boy spoke. Had he realized the ivory was capable of such, he would have held higher expectations. 
With a nod, Cry accepted the name in his stride, silently.

He noticed the face the pale one made at the small creature in his mouth, and raised a dark brow. 
He hated the taste of the shelled creature, himself, and the farthest he got with seafood was the fish he landed on the Sea he was once calling home.

"Xan," he spoke softly, while getting up and placing a flint colored claw on the shell creature.
"Snail."

Cry looked down with his winter gems at the miniscule thing and also made a disgusted face, showing he too hated the taste of the animal.

Whenever Xan would hear a new word that he fancied, he would practice saying it in private, and then work on learning the meaning behind it. He'd done the same when learning his name, though that was much easier than other words. He did not need to know the meaning behind his name, as it wasn't a word requiring such in order to be spoken. It was his name, something that would forever belong to him alone, and he liked how it sounded; which was what really mattered. He certainly heard it enough, too, so learning to say it properly and with ease hadn't been difficult. The question for his name was the only inquiry he could truly answer, too, so he always made sure to speak it with a sturdy voice. Then again, he wasn't one to really stutter no matter the word, he'd just say newer ones slower than those he'd known for awhile.

The boy gave a nod of approval when the elder spoke his name, glad he said it correctly, as well as because he hadn't called him by his full name. One point for the dark wolf. He was slowly gaining the boy's favour, though that was something that could easily be snatched away if one wrong move was made. So far, however, the elder wasn't doing much to upset him. His gaze moved back to the shelled-thing, but his ears stayed focused on what the man was saying. Snail. Somehow, the name seemed to fit the way it tasted. He couldn't quite explain how, it just did. "S... sn... ale," he repeated, saying the word slowly as he worked it's pronunciation over with his tongue. It wasn't a difficult word, but he would still practice saying it more later on, perhaps when he was alone or when his siblings were fast asleep.

When Xan looked back up to the face of the shadow, he was pleased to see a look of disgust directed towards the snail. Another point for Cry, in the boy's book. He wasn't too bad of a lupine, and even disliked the taste of the slimy things like the child did. The Inuit was starting to think he might grow to actually like the other, but for now he was still iffy about him. "Snale," he suddenly said again, using his nose to point to the thing. "Where... go?" Sentences were still tough for him, but he wanted to know where the snail went. The shell was there, but a slimy thing seemed to disappear into the shell quite often. Was it hiding something in there?

Cry caught the nod, and could swear this kid was older than his age led him to be, but the shadow guard kept his face unchanging. 

  The ivory pup spoke the word, treating it on his tongue before mastering it completely. This child kept amazing Cry. That undoubtedly got him closer to unlocking a bind to the child. Still bleak, but possible.

Xan had asked where it went, but missed words in his sentence. A way to fix it was to re ask the posed question, not to chastise the child for mispeaking. The pup would hear the words missed, and remember them in their next application, and next, application to bigger and more complex things. 
Psychology.

A genuinely curious face was placed by Cry, and solemnly he asked,

"Where did it go? The snail?"

Curiosity lay in the ebonys cold gaze, as he intently swiveled his ears to Xan, showing he was fully listening to the smaller wolf.

The boy could understand things quickly, probably quicker than he should, but it was due to him having a lot of time to himself. He enjoyed being able to think, as he liked the little pictures he could piece together in his mind. Speaking was something that came easy to him at times, but other times... eh, not so much. Single-syllable words were easiest, since they didn't require much to say, and could easily be repeated. Mimicking words he heard was something he'd often do, despite finding it highly annoying when others mimicked him. Then again, he often only repeated words over and over when alone, whereas he found his siblings would do so no matter who was around. They were mockingbirds, all of them, but he seemed to never group himself with the others. For a second, he suspected the elder might have mocked him, but quickly tossed that thought away. The dark wolf had added more words, and he did not laugh or shout it repeatedly. Cry just kept on improving the boy's impression of him, which would eventually prove to be a good thing.

Instead of repeating the sentence back, the boy just nodded. Single words, he didn't mind trying out once or twice in the presence of another, but full out sentences were a huge no-no in his book. As young as he was, he understood that some things he said could not be comprehended by adults, and he also understood that he was not yet capable of saying certain words or phrases. It was because of that, that he didn't practice around others, and that was also the reason why he would not repeat the sentence. He used his nose to point to the snail, hoping that and his nod would be enough for the other to understand. Xan wanted to find out where the snail went, but not enough to repeat a question back to the elder.

With a smile, the obsidian wolf nodded at the point of the youth to the crustacean. He observed how the child had not lashed out with anger or irritant behavior, greatly appreciating how his plan did not backfire even while it has not been successful.

"It hides from you, Xan. It hides in a shell."

Cry stared at the pup, his eyes twinkling in their amusement. Then the shadow covered the frozen gems with his dark paws, and curled up into a ball, only to unfurl and snickered at the ridiculous sight he pictured himself to be. 

After the image, the wolf barked softly to the understanding pup, labeling his action.

"That is what snails do. They hide."

Xan was confused, and he made no move to hide it. His little face pinched together as he started to think what was said over. It was not the meaning behind the word 'hide' that confused him, however, but the snail's reasoning for doing so. The boy did not feel as if he had given the creature a real reason to hide. All they'd been doing was playing with it, and he hadn't even growled at the thing. While he understood that it was very small in comparison to himself, he could not yet recognize the being as having it's own type of thought process. It wasn't a wolf, like himself, he could tell that just by looking at it, but he'd not yet learned that different species possessed different ways of thinking. Which, in turn, caused them to react in different ways when presented with a certain type of situation. Even other members of the same species could have different reactions to the same activity, but so far he'd caught on that there was usually a 'baseline'. Though some went above, or fell below, the line, there was always a hint of the base just below the surface. Alexander had learned to look out for that with his siblings, and when around other adults, but the realization that snails had a different sort of foundation had yet to hit him.

Despite his knowledge of what hiding was, as he often tried to do it to get away from his family members, the boy watched as the elder gave a demonstration. The sight was amusing, to say the least, and he let that be known as a giggle slipped out of his maw. Never had he hidden like that before, since it wouldn't be practical, but he titled it a good way to get a decent laugh out of someone. Perhaps he would use it in the future, though he'd most likely change it up a bit. Or a lot. Xan had yet to decide, really, but had determined the decision to be something that could be finalized at a later date—which he was totally going to do. What his mind could not ignore, however, was the fact that he was getting bored of the snail. All the thing did was hide, plus it tasted awful, and tossing it back and forth just wasn't cutting it anymore. Like any puppy, or child in general, his attention span was not always up to par.

If it weren't for the snails taste, he probably would have picked it up and started chewing on it. It'd probably feel nice on his tiny teeth, but he didn't want to risk breaking the shell and tasting the slimy part. So, once again, the snail was deemed useless, more or less, and no longer worth his time. He even found himself growing bored of the man, too. While Cry had earned his favour—something Xan wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon—he was no longer acting in a way that kept the boy attentive. The young Inuit tossed a glance to the den's entrance, but then looked back to the dark wolf. Assuming the older male would not allow him out anytime soon, he turned in the opposite direction and started heading back towards his siblings. Later, he would try again, and hope to be more successful. For the time being, however, the young lupine opted for letting his little body get some rest. He laid a little ways off from his siblings, not being one who favoured his personal space being invaded, and set his head down on his paws. Every now and again he would glance back towards the entrance, quite literally laying in wait. They'd have to leave sometime, and when they did, he'd be ready.