Wolf RPG

All welcome! I apologize for the horrendous post that follows. :\

After what seemed like ages, Kaskara was finally able to find a place to rest. This section of land held many packs, but what drew her to Blacktail Deer Plateau wasn't the land itself or the location. It was the strength that emanated from its very core. The scent that permeated the borders was distinctly male. Though a feminine scent also lingered, it was the masculine that drew her in.

Kaskara stood at the borders of the pack, having just been accepted by Peregrine, taking a moment to think through her next steps. It was clear that here she would find strength, but what else lay in store for her here? Peregrine seemed a strong and sure alpha, though one that had a lot on his plate. She would need to find a den, scout the area, and hunt food before dusk--but she had plenty of hours left in the day to accomplish her goals.

With the early afternoon sunlight warming her dark coat, Kaskara began to pick her way slowly through the territory, following the paths and scents left behind by other packmates before her.

The adults had begun to take the pups on longer and more frequent jaunts lately, sometimes even spending all day (save for early morning and late evening) away from the rendezvous site. They still weren't allowed to go out on their own or even in pairs just yet, so an adult always escorted them. For now, the nine-week-olds didn't mind; they happily embraced their newfound freedoms.

Today, Hawkeye led her two biological daughters on a hike across the plateau that led them past the waterfall. The Delta stopped there and let the girls play in the water a while, then eventually called them to heel and continued their walk. They reached a clearing not unlike the one they used for their home base and Hawkeye commanded Osprey Jr. and Tytonidae to stay put, then ventured away to pick up a midday meal from one of the plateau's caches.

Junior tried to get Ty to play with her, yet the ashy whelp flopped to the ground, evidently exhausted from their field trip. She didn't move even when Osprey obnoxiously tapped her upside the head several times. Snorting, Osprey gave up on her sister and began to roam around the clearing, sniffing here and there. It was smaller than theirs and she quickly grew bored of it.

When she heard footsteps nearby, Osprey shouted, "MOM!" at the top of her lungs and ran to meet Hawkeye, knowing her mother wouldn't mind it much if she went just a few yards into the woods... except it wasn't Hawkeye loping through the trees. Osprey Jr. stopped short when she nearly ran into a perfect stranger. Small body stiffening, she backpedaled and looked up at the she-wolf, her mouth working noiselessly for a second before she loudly blurted, "STRAEJER DAEJER!"

It didn't take long for someone to find her, though this someone was smaller and quite confused when the figure she met wasn't the mom she had called for or expected. Kas smiled softly, her features gentling with the gesture. She even chuckled a little when the girl yelled what Kas could only assume was "stranger danger," though in her child's voice sounded much cuter.

The two-toned eyes scanned the area after she paused, wondering where her mother actually was. Keeping her ears perked for sounds of heavier footfalls than the pup's, she turned her eyes back to the child. "Hello," she said softly, sliding down onto her belly so she didn't tower over the girl. "I'm a stranger now, but your alpha accepted me into your pack just today." Peregrine hadn't mentioned any pups, but now that she thought about it, their soft, baby scents did carry on the wind.

"He gave me the rank of Mu. Do you think he'd let a stranger come into your pack?" Kas didn't know if the girl even understood all she said, but she hoped her gentle voice and lowered stance would at least put the girl at ease.

The unfamiliar she-wolf lowered herself to the pup's level, offering a warm greeting and explaining that the Alpha had just accepted her. Junior nibbled at her bottom lip, recalling the day when she'd accompanied her father to the borders to intercept and eventually accept Lasher. The child had a rudimentary understanding of how it worked and took the female's story at face value.

"Daddy's da king of da woooood!" she bellowed in way of response. "I's a pwince," she added. By now, Osprey Jr. understood the differences between boys and girls and knew, deep down, that she was of the latter variety. Yet this did not stop her from insisting upon thinking of herself as a little boy. Nobody was likely to convince her otherwise any time soon. "Wha's a moo? Wha's yew name?"

The youth declared her father was king of the woods, which explained the child's uncanny resemblance with the alpha male. "Oh, I'm speaking to the prince! How silly of me." Kas stood and made a big show of bowing, tucking her nose under her chest in the deepest sign of respect. It was all in fun, but the usually toughened woman liked to let her hair down, so to speak, around pups. They were one of her weaknesses. "Please forgive me for being so rude. I didn't know I was talking to the prince!"

Then the child asked her what her rank meant, and what her name was. Kas returned to her sphinx position, smiling at the girl. "Mu is my rank, much like your rank is puppy. I am the newest member, so I start at the bottom. If I am loyal and helpful to your father, I can get a better spot in the pack." Kas paused to let the girl digest that and then gave her name. "My name is Kaskara Gladius, but most wolves just call me Kaskara. What's your name, little prince?"

Kaskara humored her, not only accepting Osprey as a prince but making a show of prostrating herself before the puppy. Naturally, this pleased the whelp beyond all measure. Kaskara immediately shot to the top of the youngster's roster; if they'd had iPhones, she would've saved Kas's number under Favorites.

"Wha's a wank?" Osprey Jr. asked, though she didn't care enough to listen for the answer. Her speech littered with protracted vowels and extra syllables, she declared, "Hi, Kakskawaaa! I's Jun-yaw!" while puffing out her chest and raising her little, whip-like tail. "Opspweeeee Jun-yaw," Junior elaborated. Perhaps her inability to actually articulate her own given name was the reason she preferred the suffix.

The child sucked in a deep breath after all that jabbering, then exploded with, "KAKSKAWA PWAY?!"

Kaskara smiled at the youngling; children were always at the top of her list, though she didn't like to let many know of her affinity for them. Kaskara didn't want anyone to think she was weak or single-minded, like some other females she had come across in her travels. She was just about to answer the girl's question about ranks when she tried to pronounce her name, to silly effect. Kas didn't blame her; it was a hard name to learn. "You can call me Kas, if you'd like," she offered, watching the girl carefully as she gave her own name.

It sounded like Osprey Junior, but since she wasn't totally convinced of that first part, she decided to go with what she knew. "Well, Prince Junior, what do you want to play?" She shifted to get her feet under her so she could move freely whenever Junior decided it was time to play. It had been a long time since she had played, and it wasn't an entirely unwelcome experience.

"I denno!" the child declared promptly, grinning. She paused, head tilting slightly to the left as she mentally flipped through her choices. "Simon Says!" Junior eventually squealed. It was a game Kisu had recently taught the pups in an effort to strengthen their listening skills. Honestly, their grasp on the rules were loose at best, yet since it was so new to her, it was Osprey's current favorite. She also liked it because it meant she got to be even bossier than usual.

"Simon Says... boop yew nosey!" Junior crowed, eyes glittering as she waited for Kas to obey her.

Junior contemplated her choice of games and finally settled on Simon Says. She had played a similar game before, and she assumed that she had to follow everything Junior said, but only if she used the words Simon Says first. Kas smiled and waited for the girl to give her first command.

"Simon Says... boop yew nosey!" Kas laughed softly, but followed her direction by taking one of her paws and batting her own nose. "What's next, boss?" She asked playfully.

It never failed to give young Osprey a sense of delight and satisfaction when someone, particularly an adult, obeyed her command. Her eyes gleamed when Kaskara touched her dark paw to her nose as instructed. When Kas referred to her as boss, Junior's chest puffed up proudly.

"Simon Says... woll ovaw!" she said, slender tail swinging back and forth as she happily barked out orders.

I'm probably not supposed to be posting at work... oops. XD

Junior didn't waste any time in giving her another command. Kas laughed inwardly at the girl's obvious delight in being the boss, and figured she would be equally glad to see Kas roll over onto her back. The big woman did as she was bid, first getting down on her belly before rolling over, stopping midway to loll her tongue out at Junior, then finishing her roll and standing up.

She shook out her fur, sending bits of grass flying in every direction. Kas sat attentively in front of Junior, eyes closed, waiting for Prince Junior to give her the next assignment.

The she-wolf did as she was told and Osprey looked on like a little queen (or king), happy to have such an obedient subject. When Kaskara sat up again, the youngster noticed the bits of debris clinging to her coat and giggled. She outstretched a small black paw and swiped the remains of a dead leaf off her new friend's shoulder.

"Simon Says..." Osprey paused, trying to think of something good. "Fin' some foods!" she declared, straying from simple, quick tasks onto something a bit more challenging.

Junior batted away a piece of leaf from her shoulder and Kas smiled. It was nice to be welcomed so readily into this pack, even if the girl had been afraid of her in the beginning. Although she didn't consider herself to be the puppysitter type, if Junior's siblings were like her, she wouldn't mind the task.

Then came the next command, find food. Kas frowned a little and thought about ways in which she could find food here, in this new land. Her nose would definitely help in that arena, but she wasn't sure where to start. "This one may be a little harder, Junior! I just got here and don't know where the prey lives." Not wanting to disappoint her, she offered, "Maybe once I learn a little more about your home, I'll be able to bring you food!"

Before the girl could get upset, she asked something she had been wondering for some time, "Where is your mother, Junior? Won't she be looking for you?"

Kaskara didn't seem up to the challenge and attempted to distract the puppy with a question. Osprey wouldn't have it. "But Simon Says!" she protest insistently, her voice rising, a whine resonating in her throat. "Simon Says, Simon Says, Simon Says!"

A noise beyond the she-wolf's shoulder caused Osprey's mouth to shut. Fearing her mother's approach (and rebuke), she sucked in a breath and remained quiet and still. Yet Hawkeye did not appear. She was presumably still retrieving some food, even though Simon hadn't told her to do any such thing.

"Come," young Osprey said suddenly. Without waiting for Kaskara to agree, she spun on her heel and galloped away, back toward the clearing. She arrived within seconds to find her sister still sound asleep, a butterfly perched on her back. Junior stared at this sight for a split second, then whirled to see if Kaskara had followed.

Kas sighed, knowing the girl would be upset. "I know Simon Says...This one may just take a little longer." She expected Junior to complain again, but she seemed to hear something that diverted her attention. Before Kas could ask what was wrong, the girl commanded her to come and spun on her heel. Kaskara followed her, even though their Simon Says game was technically still in effect. The last thing she wanted to do was get either Junior or herself in trouble.

Soon they arrived in clearing where another pup was asleep. The scent of an adult female permeated the area, though it was beginning to fade, like she had been gone for a little while. "Is that your sister?" she pointed her nose in the direction of the sleeping pup, her voice kept at a whisper. Her bi-toned eyes scanned the area for signs of the mother, but saw none. "Where is your mother?" she asked again, as she sat down at the edge of the clearing. She didn't want the mother to find her too close to her children, especially considering she was a stranger in these lands.

Plus, if Peregrine was Junior's father, that meant her mother was his mate. And that meant she was probably the alpha female, and she definitely didn't want to get on her bad side.

When she saw Kaskara behind her, Osprey screamed, "Simon didn't say!" and then exploded into a bout of triumphant giggles. The puppy burst into motion, running a victory lap around the clearing before braking to a stop back in front of the adult, tongue now lolling from her black muzzle.

"Yawp," Junior drawled, bobbing her head. "Das Ty. Mama go fin' food," she added to answer Kaskara's other question. "I's hungwy!" she announced, as if that wasn't already obvious. Though she was almost fully weaned by now, she paused as a thought struck her and queried, "Kas gots miwk?" and tried to peek at the she-wolf's underside.

Kas chuckled at the girl's uproar that Simon didn't Say, but then the girl ran a circle around the clearing, before stopping in from of her again and answering the rest of her questions in one fell swoop. Her sister's name was Ty and their mother was out looking for food. Kas filed away that information.

Then Junior began to peek under her belly and asked if she had milk. Kaskara laughed and gently nudged the girl away, "No, I don't have any milk, Junior." The girl was a little big to still be drinking milk, but Kas didn't know much about whelping pups, considering she didn't have any herself and never paid much attention to the intricacies of motherhood. "Won't your mom be back soon with food?"

When Kaskara nudged her away, Osprey's lips turned downward at the corner, the lower one threatening to pop out in a pout. The adult's question effectively distracted her, however, and she nodded enthusiastically at the pleasant reminder. "Yup, yup, yup!" she said, prancing on the spot even as her belly gave a long, squeaky growl.

The sound of approaching footsteps, as well as the heady scent of fresh blood, announced the imminent return of the girls' mother. It was as if the rumbling in Osprey's gut had summoned Hawkeye directly, food in hand (or maw) ready to quell the beast living in her daughter's belly.

Shall we bring this to a close?

Kaskara liked Junior. She was a pleasant pup, though a little pushy sometimes. She laughed at the girl's quickness to change emotions, though she wasn't judging her by any means. Kas missed the days of youth's simplicity, when all she had to worry about was who she was going to wrestle with that day, or whose food she was going to steal. Usually the answer to both was her brother, but in her later youth she was known to pick on the other pack pups, too.

The sound of approaching feet brought her back to reality, and she sheepishly decided she needed to leave. "Junior, tell your mother I brought you safely back from your adventure, and let her know I had to leave to find a den, but I will meet her one day soon. Okay?" Kas kissed the little girl on her forehead quickly and turned to leave, waiting only for Junior's assent before slipping into the bushes and out of sight.

"Oookay!" Osprey Jr. replied, blinking owlishly as Kaskara quickly kissed her forehead and then swished away into the woods. She turned to look after her, then sat down on her rump and rubbed at the damp spot on her crown with a forepaw. She sniffed her foot, her nose wrinkling.

But her mother's appearance at the clearing's edge diverted her attention and she sprang to her feet and bounded over to Hawkeye, forgetting to mention her new friend at all as she tugged the meat straight from her dam's mouth. Grinning mischievously, she carried the morsel several feet away and flopped down to feed the hungry inner beastie.