Wolf RPG - and undignified suffering is firing up again

@Lótë ? :0

Each day, his independence grew.

Today, he slipped out of Moonglow. He knew he would return. For the very first time in a long time, Makan wished to return. Just as he wished to see a bit more. To flex his very, very minimal skills.

The forest held promise of prey and he hoped he might find something he could catch. Something he could bring back to Lótë.

She provided for him time after time.

He wished to bring a gift for her.

Lótë hadn't meant to track him. The blackbird was gradually becoming embedded in their family, in their village. Her children had returned to the hearth, for it was clear that Makan meant them no ill will.

Regardless, the mother had frequented the forest to the east of their domain of late -- at first drawn by curiosity and the thrill of exploring the ruins of its former inhabitants. Recently, with the thoughts circulating her mind, the Naturalist tended towards inclinations of rebuilding what had laid dormant for so long. There were a great many children in the village, by the next spring it would grow rather crowded.

While it was true that children were usualy the members to disperse, Murre had given her the inspiration to grow their family anew by settling another village in the shadows of the Spine. It was something she had yet to share with @Kukutux, not yet certain she could leave. Not with @Mojag and her stepchildren newly born.

It was for this reason, and an inkling of concern to find Makan's scent trailing from the borders, that Lótë followed the healing shadow to the woodland that had become her hideaway.

Through the pines, she trotted in search of Makan -- seeking out his company for a hunt perhaps -- releasing a soft howl when his perfume thickened among the boughs.

It was guilt that tickled down his spine at her call.

Mainly because he did not know how she felt about his sudden absence. So far he had been glued to the ulaq, tethered to her side or only slinking out in the dark to explore Moonglow in peace.

He had never left to come this far.

So when he finds her, faces her, he whines lowly. A wordless apology to her as he slunk low and crept towards her.

Hoping to place apologetic licks to her chin if she would allow it.

Lótë had learned he communicated best by body language and tried to keep her verbosity to a minimum, lest she overwhelm the sooty he-wolf.

She welcomed Makan's presence with a kind smile, allowing him to dip close and attempt to placate her -- though there was no anger to soothe. She bowed playfully to make herself even smaller, her jaw nuzzling against his dark ears to reassure him.

"You are no captive," the doe wisped to him as she pulled away, straightening and casting a glance about them.

"I like this place, I come here often. Would you like to explore it with me? Maybe hunt something for the mothers who have little ones?" Some speech simply couldn't be avoided. She smiled sheepishly, apologetic.

No captive.

But it was hard to shake off such a feeling, when Makan had always been one. An outcast, a loner, a prisoner. Not in that order.

He was still learning plenty from Lótë, each day was something new — both about her and himself.

She asked to explore. To hunt. Something for the mothers. He had not intended to bring something back for the new mothers. In fact, he tried not to think about them too much. Mothers were full of teeth ready to bite.

Perhaps Lótë would take it to them and he could be left out of deeper family affairs. Not yet ready to face that many.

He nodded softly. Rounded her and rubbed himself against her the whole way, mingling their scents further.

If Lótë had been privy to Makan's inner thoughts, she'd have found it slightly amusing -- having been marked with the totem of the bear and being a mother herself, full of teeth and ready to bite where it came to her cubs.

The doe stilled, for once as cautious as he when the length of him curved along the slim shape of her. Optics of spring growth watched the blackbird closely as he returned to her side, wonderingly.

Shaking the moment off, Lótë nipped at his cheek playfully -- her movements slow and gentle, uncertain if he had ever played in his life even as a child.

She grinned and darted into the woods, ears splaying to make sure she hadn't left him behind.

Play was not entirely foreign, but still strange enough that it did not immediately click in his mind.

She dashed off.

He would realize, after a few moments after listening to her burst off into the wounds, he was meant to follow. It churned his body into gear as he propelled himself on willowy limbs. His body had not exerted such energy in a long time.

His lungs heaved and screamed for air, but still he would find himself hot on her heels.

I am blopping in!

It was the howl that woke the dragon and caught his attention. The hoarding dragon rose to his feet and walked through the woods, he kept his scent downwind, sneaking and hiding to watch from afar at first, watching two lovebirds doing a dance in the woods. His woods. His bright blue eyes watched with a fire flaming within as one of them began to run, with the other soon chasing.

Smile, let's play their game.

He set off, no longer keeping downwind from them, but chasing them, obviously they could not read minds and if they could they would likely only experience madness within. No thought was coherent, no thought was single minded with the dragon and so he began the chase, the hunt was on, the game was being played.

He chased and darted forward, while they were playing and letting the other follow he accelerated in speed, slowly catching up as the first slowed down, and soon they should be able to scent him, see him. They had better pray he wouldn't catch up, for the dragon was ready for games.

They had dared enter his cave and so he would follow.

ooo, was not expecting this thread to take such a turn but I'm here for it! XD as a sidenote: I'm going to play this off as Lótë not having realized anyone was living in the territory since Krauss has only two threads in NWF since the start of 2022 and his presence in the Forest has been kinda spotty. (That's just because she has a lot of threads in NWF and that would be a lot of editing to her threadlog lmao.) But please lmk if anything needs to be edited!

Lótë slowed after a time, letting Makan catch up as she realized he'd fallen behind -- feeling a stab of guilt. He was likely too tired to run in such a manner. The wind shifted at that moment, bringing with it an unfamiliar scent. That of another, growing steadily stronger.

Then she saw him -- a distorted silhouette of Makan, yet not. He was dark and had brilliant blue eyes of a similar hue but the shadow racing towards her bore the face of a stranger. Lótë's hackles rose, lip peeling back in a panicked snarl but the pursuer was larger than she and likely stronger. The cloudberry didn't wait for the man to catch up with her, nor did she brace to meet him in violence.

Instead the dove burst into flight, wheeling and taking off with a cry of warning for Makan who was surely not far from them -- intending to circle back around if she could not flee from the stranger. If she could not lead the attacker away, perhaps the two of them would stand a better chance against him.

But this was all betting on the hope that Makan would not flee in fear.

sorry for the wait ;; i am happy to proceed with this however you two want <3

Everything shifted.

Change, change, change...

Makan heard the cry of cloudberry, he heard the sounds of another, soon he caught up with the kind woman once more. Was it worth fighting the man? Could they lure him away or perhaps simply chase him off?

He growled warily, as he remained tucked close to Lótë, finding the thinnest sliver of a backbone within him now.