Wolf RPG

When Shenanigans came upon a heap of wet leaves piled up near the base of a tree, she sniffed her way closer. She had never smelled such a scent before, yet it filled her with some ineffable feeling. She stood there, inhaling deeply, before it occurred to her that she could just thrust her whole snoot into the pile. Grinning, she did as much.

A while later, olfactory fatigue kicked in and the smell had lost its power over her. Shenanigans withdrew, quickly losing interest and spinning on a heel to trundle in another direction. She followed the natural slope of the inner caldera, stopping suddenly when she noticed the yawning doorway of a den tucked in the hillside: the place once known as the Hobbit Hole.

Bronco had begun to wonder if he might be best suited for a life of being a caretaker and puppy sitter. He’d earned his titles growing up as a hunter, guardian and warrior, but save for the former, the latter two titles now seemed uncomfortable, thorny. The more time he spent with the children of the pack, the more he felt at home. 

He snuffled through fallen leaves, hoping to find the trail or a rabbit. Something he wouldn’t need help in catching, but ended up catching the scent of what he knew to be their most recent addition to the pack of youngsters in the group. He still wasn’t sure what the kid’s story was, but he figured regardless that he ought to meet them. 

A few strands of hair along his spine stood up when he caught sight of the unfamiliar kid in an area that had once caused him some discomfort. It was where Reyes and Towhee had chosen, before everything went completely sideways, for all of them. 

But those were memories; and he told himself they were harmless. 

”You don’t wanna go in there, kiddo.” he said, with a hint of a grin in his eyes. ”a Monster used to live in that cave.”

She stared for a beat, then took a step forward, enticed by the opening tucked in the hillock. She didn’t take more than a few steps when a voice arrested her. Shenanigans jumped a little at the rumble of it, caught off guard. She giggled at herself as her eyes clapped on a large, lanky wolf covered in a patchwork of faded pink marks.

He told her a monster had once lived in the cave. If he meant to warn her, his words had the opposite effect. Shenanigans’s eyes flew wide and she suddenly made a beeline toward the entryway. She rocketed across the foyer, the air inside cooler and stuffier than outdoors.

I love monsters! she shouted, her voice echoing off the surrounding walls as she spun on her heel and darted back to peek at the stranger from the doorway. Are you a monster? she wondered, eyeing his scarred features with intrigue.

Her enthusiasm, and the sudden movement, caught him by surprise. He flinched slightly, but was glad at least she’d had a positive reaction to his warning. He’d have felt like shit if she’d ended up bolting and peeing all over self in fear. 

She disappeared into the dark but almost immediately re-emerged, which he took as an invitation. His chest tightened at her question, but he did his best to roll with it. ”I’m only part monster.” He said. ”But I kind of know the one that used to live here. I could try an’ introduce you, if you want, but there’s a pretty particular way to go about tryin’ to talk to a monster.” He said.

He was only a monster in part, he told her, and he was acquainted with the monster who’d lived at this residence before. At these words, Shenanigans peeked over her shoulder, as if looking for any sign of the den’s former inhabitant. But the Hobbit Hole was largely empty, save for a few everyday objects scattered about the floor.

Facing forward when he offered to introduce her to said monster, she wagged her tail and cried, Yes, please! I love monsters! She paused to take a breath before adding, I’ve never met one before! What’s your name?

Well, the one benefit of not fearing monsters was that perhaps her dreams would not be full of them and turn into nightmares. She was fortunate in that regard. But fearlessness also tended to lead to risk-taking, and he hoped she might avoid that. 

”Part monster,” He reminded her gently. He didn’t want her to learn that all wolves with so much facial scarring would take kindly to being called monsters. Then again…Some were. 

”Well, there’s like…Things we gotta do, to be polite, first.” He said. ”Monsters love feathers. So I think our first task is to find…Four feathers. They don’t have to match, but we’ll need four of ‘em.” He said. ”Oh- and, uh, I’m Bronco. You’re Shenanigans, right?” He asked.

He remindered her that he was only part monster. Shenanigans wasn’t picky; she adored all monsters. But she wondered if he meant the monster who’d lived here before was only part monster as well? In any case, she bobbed her head rapidly to show she understood, grin still fixed on her face and tail waving.

He went on to explain that she would need to offer feathers. Now Shenanigans wondered: were they for him or the other monster? Where was it, anyway? She glanced around again, though she saw no sign of it, unless some of the old bones at the rear of the Hobbit Hole belonged to it.

Rather than assume they might be the remains of its victims, Shenanigans cried, Did it died? She whipped her head back to look at Bronco, largely missing his introduction. The monster that lived here before?

He glanced at her with surprise, and then shook his head. ”Die? Oh, no,” He said, as he began to rove around, looking for a feather. He knew he had a couple tucked away near his den site from a pheasant kill, but felt there might be some duck feathers near the lake’s edge from all the migrating birds. 

”Just because you can’t see one, doesn’t mean it’s not there…That’s why we need supplies. If we’re not prepared right, the monster might just stay invisible.” He said. ”They’re like us. Sometimes they’re shy, sometimes they just wanna be left alone, sometimes they’re grumpy- they’re highly misunderstood creatures.” He informed her sagely. ”This one likes feathers. So once we find some, we’re gonna wear them in our fur, an’….Well, I’ll tell you the rest once we get feathers,” he chuckled. ”Look! There’s one!” He said.

The hawk feather was bedraggled a bit, but still reddish in hue. He smiled faintly at the coincidence- a hawk feather, found  near the place Towhee once lived.

Bronco quickly reassured her even as Shenanigans remembered his offer to introduce them. Surely the monster must be alive and well then. The little girl grinned and swiped a paw over her forehead, making an audible phew! noise.

Her eyes followed him as he began to rove around the dooryard in front of the Hobbit Hole, explaining how to charm a monster. Shenanigans’s jaw dropped a little when he revealed the monster might be here, simply invisible. Now her eyes darted hither and thither, even as her ears remained tilted toward the man’s voice.

Right, they needed to collect some feathers! Shenanigans hustled over to the one he indicated, touching it lightly with a toe. What were they meant to do with it again? She rewound Bronco’s words. She was quite happy to play along, especially if it involved playing a bit of dressup, but her face scrunched.

She repeated, We’re gonna wear them in our fur?

They’d need three more- or so he’d said, anyway. He nodded in response to her question. ”Yup. Straight up, behind our ears, to make them look like a great horned owl’s ears,” He explained. He chuckled softly- he’d put feathers on his siblings before, to make them laugh. And once on Fennec too, if he recalled correctly. 

”We’ll dress up like that, an’ then we have to find four pebbles small enough to fit underneath a paw…So yours’ll have to be pretty small, but I’m sure we can find some. Monsters love to play a game called Bobstones, so once we get all dressed up and find our pebbles, we’ll be almost ready to ask him to come out, if he’s here.”

She chortled when he mentioned a great horned owl, sharing, I wish I had wings so I could fly! It seemed relevant.

Her lips pressed together when Bronco launched into a more in-depth explanation of how they would win over the invisible monster, getting it to reveal itself—himself, Shenanigans amended in her head, going by what her elder said.

I wanna learn how to play that! Shenanigans enthused about the game.

That meant she’d better get busy collecting the remaining items! The youngster scooted around the Hobbit Hole’s exterior, gathering anything that remotely resembled a feather or a pebble. She excitedly carried each back to drop them at Bronco’s feet before dashing off again.

After gathering about a half a dozen each, Shenanigans thought to stop and ask, a bit breathlessly, How many more do we need?

Of course, he’d told her the total for each: four. But between her youth and excitement, Shenanigans didn’t actually know how to count that high. Her bright eyes hung on Bronco’s face, ever so ready to finish collecting the remaining items they needed.

Shenanigans seemed easily distracted, but Bronco didn’t really mind following whatever her thought pattern was. He liked to be agreeable, when it came to talking with kids. He thought it helped nurture their creativity when he went along with their suggestions. 

”Be pretty cool eh? I’d fly if I had wings.” He commented. As far as he knew, heights didn’t bother him too much. He was wary of mountains for several reasons, but more for the precarious nature of their rocks and boulders than their height.

To the mention of Bobstones, he was delighted to hear he might have finally scored a dedicated partner. Most found it a fairly boring game- and she might too, once she tried it, but at least she was willing to give it a shot. ”I’ll teach you. It’s a fun game- all about being clever. I think you’ll be good at it.” He commented, inhaling sharply when he caught sight of another feather- this one smaller, thinner and black. 

As it turned out, she was much quicker at gathering things than he was. He’d also been thinking quietly to himself, or explaining to her, and perhaps hadn’t been searching as quickly. ”Wow!” He said, as he dropped his two feathers next to her lot. ”Yer good at this, Shenanigans,” The kid’s name was a mouthful, wasn’t it? ”We just need…Hmm. I think this, and this, those should do,” He said, sweeping some dirt aside with his paw and singling out two very small pebbles- ones she might be able to use for her hand in the game. 

He remembered how Kukutux used to carry items in a skin pouch, and how Fennec had done something similar for her herbs. He wished, now, he has something similar, but they’d manage. 

”Mkay, comere for a sec, an’ I’ll put your feathers on you. Which two do you want to wear?” He asked.

She beamed at his exclamation, then bit her lip and actually took a moment to ascertain her small collection. One of the “feathers” was actually a sprig of spruce. Shenanigans smothered a giggle behind her paw when she noticed. Would it still count? It looked similar to the others, which included a fairly plain brown feather with a white stem, surely dropped by a Canadian goose winging south for the winter.

Bronco seemed happy enough with their assortment. Shenanigans watched as he swept some dirt aside and placed two pebbles beside one another. But before he did anything else with them, he indicated that it was time to adorn themselves with the feathers.

That one, ‘cause it smells nice, she said, laughing again as she pointed at the spruce, well aware that it wasn’t actually a feather. And that one, she continued eagerly, pointing at the slightly disheveled hawk feather. It matches me! she explained, rearing onto her haunches so he could better view the rusty red on her chest and belly.

His eyebrows raised. Well, she wasn’t wrong- it probably would smell nicest, though it wasn’t exactly a feather. He pretended not to notice, and nodded. ”Nice choices. Spruce goose and Redhawk it is,” He smiled, catching a flash of the cinnamon-y coloured fur of her belly. 

He had to wonder for a moment- there was no way Towhee could’ve had this kid and then lost track of her, right? Surely they would’ve heard by now if one of her this-year’s kids had gone missing. As far as they knew, the kid’s parentage was a mystery. And if Eljay, Maia and Teya hadn’t found the answers, he wasn’t sure there were answers to be found. The best they could do was protect her, feed her, and carefully stick a feather behind one of her dark ears, and a sprig of spruce behind the other. 

What a calamity. Whoever had named her had done a good job- with her adornments, she looked absolutely hilarious. He chuckled, nicely, before he bowed his head. ”Do mine!” He encouraged, his chin hovering just above the ground, head held steady so she could try and poke the remaining feathers into his fur. ”Just, uh, behind my ears, not in ‘em OK? I know one of them’s sort of…stumpy. The feather’ll make it look better. How ‘bout we put that nice brown one on that side?” He suggested humbly.

She went very still as Bronco began accessorizing her, making a happy cooing sound under her breath at the ticklish sensation of the feather in particular. The spruce’s needles were a little prickly, though she didn’t mind much.

When he was finished, Shenanigans wanted to dash to the nearest puddle to check out her reflection. But Bronco bowed his head and asked her to bedeck him with the remaining feathers. She let out a girlish laugh, happy to help.

It was harder than it looked! She managed to tuck the darker feather behind his good ear after a few tries. Did it matter that it was lopsided? Try as she might, she just couldn’t get the goose feather to stay. Her face was scrunched with utter determination.

She didn’t have any intention of giving up, though after a while, she had to ask, How do I get it to stick, Bronco? in a slightly exasperated but still good-natured voice.

He too chuckled as the feather’s quill tickled him behind his ear, and just when she proclaimed it a failure he lifted his head back and sneezed loudly. ”Ouf. Bless me!” He apologized. He sniffed as she fretted about the feather but Bronco had a trick up his…Leg hair?

He turned his head away and sucked at his cheeks. He lifted a paw and as quietly as he could, drooled a thick puddle of saliva onto his paw pad. He smeared it in the dirt, and lifted up his paw again, now covered in a paste of spit and dirt. To save her from having to deal with it, he lowered his head and smeared the mud from the top of his forehead over the stump of an ear, and behind. ”Try now- it should stick in the mud,” he said, lowering his chin again. It didn’t even cross his mind that Shenanigans might be grossed out by the method- his sister Alyx certainly would have had absolutely NOTHING to do with him if she’d seen him do that- but if it worked, then it was one more problem solved.

Shenanigans started at the sudden sneeze, laughing and wrinkling her nose. That wasn’t the last of Bronco’s saliva’s involvement, it seemed. Shenanigans watched raptly as he mixed some drool in with the dry dust on the ground, creating a little glob of mud.

Gross! she observed, her tone of wonder a bit at odds with the word as she smiled in utter fascination.

She continued watching as he packed some of it behind what was left of his ear. Bronco then repositioned himself, explaining that the feather should stick in the makeshift clay he’d applied. Shenanigans blinked in amazement, then quickly plucked the feather off the ground and stuck it to him.

It worked! she shouted gleefully.

With the feathers in place and pebbles gathered, they had what they needed. He smiled to see yet another youngster with feathers stuck into their fur. It might be a trick that at least one of them might pass on to the next generation, and think of him as they did so. 

”Parfeckt.” He said, clicking his tongue. ”Now, first thing you wanna know about dealin’ with monsters, is that you never wanna give them your real name. Same with Faeries, I think. You might have to ask Maia about all the rules about talk in’ to Faeries,” He added. He felt certain that Wraen would have told Maia some stories about Faeries, and that Maia might remember the details better than he did. 

”I’m gonna introduce us to him, you just do what I do. It’s important to be real respectful. Now….I’m gonna call you…” He paused for a second. ”Dame Shenanipants Gobbledegoock II; known as ‘Nani’ for short. You OK with that?” He asked.

She’d very nearly forgotten why they were sticking feathers behind their ears (or gluing them behind what used to be his ear, in Bronco’s case). But he quickly reminded her of what remained in their itinerary. He would handle the introductions, though he told her she shouldn’t use her real name. His suggestion earned a bright chirp of laughter.

Ani! she agreed, either having misheard him or simply declaring her preference. I like that! And you can be Uncle Norbert! she shouted without missing a beat.

”Ani? Good, that’s even better,” It was, after all, a great compromise both for the game they were playing, and for use in daily life. He loved her name, and thought it suited her well- but what might also suit her well was a nickname that could be shouted across a distance, or in the midst of laughter. 

Her suggestion for his name had him bellowing with laughter, and he reached out to give her shoulder an approving, gentle punch with his paw. It made him feel great to be called Uncle. ”Uncle Norbert it is!” he said, once he’d cured himself of his chuckles. ”Lemme just grab aaaaaah,” 

They needed something to carry the pebbles in. He definitely needed to visit Kukutux again, and bring her an offering in exchange for another lesson on turning a squirrel or a fox or something into a pelt that could be used as a pouch. He found a couple broad dock leaves that would work for now, though. 

He put them on the ground, and scuffled the pebbles onto them. On the larger one, he scooted his four, and one of hers- and on the other he put the three smaller pebbles. 

He thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head. The leaves looked slightly rumpled even from him just putting the pebbles on them. He gazed around, and when he saw the old log with its bark dried and loose, he made a quiet, happy noise. He bounded over and pulled off two sections of bark- stiff, slightly curved, but perfect for the purpose he needed them for.

”So-“ he began, as he felt he owed her an explanation. ”We just need to carry these pebbles in there, I think this’ll be the easiest way if I put your pebbles on this piece of bark, like this, and mine on this one-“ He explained, shuffling the pebbles from the leaves and onto the bark. ”An’ voila- now we got a couple of good pebble-carriers. Just gonna hafta carefully pick it up, an’ walk real careful. Once we get into the lair, I’ll show ya what to do next. Sound good, Ani?” He asked, grinning.

Every single tooth in her mouth glinted as she grinned at Bronco’s—no, make that Uncle Norbert’s—reaction to his new alias. When he playfully socked her, Shenanigans squealed and batted at his legs, leathery paw pads slapping rather harmlessly against gnarled scar tissue.

The youngster tailed Bronco as he began collecting more items, her attention rapt and her lips pulled into a moue of fascination. First he tried out some leaves, only to make a tsk sort of sound and seek out a better vessel for their offerings. He seemed happier with the pieces of bark, explaining to Shenanigans how to utilize them.

Mmkay! she agreed brightly, making to grab her slab of bark once Bronco relocated the pebbles.

She didn’t make it more than one and a half steps toward the Hobbit Hole before the pebbles all came careening off her portable, makeshift altar, scattering on the ground at her feet.

He was staring down the bridge of his nose at his own pebble-carrier when he heard the sound of hers falling to the ground. Unable to help himself, he turned his head in response to the sound and in doing so, made a few of the pebbles fall out of his own carrier. He chuckled, and the jostling of his jaw made two more pebbles fall out. He laughed, dropping the piece of bark, and one remaining pebble to the ground. All of his planning and fussing, only to find out that it was the execution that mattered- but he found it hilarious. 

"Let's try again?" he said, still laughing a bit. This might not exactly go as planned; he tried to hold his breath to keep the laughter at bay but...On every exhale, he found a little giggle slipped out. He batted at the pebbles, trying to shuffle them back onto the piece of bark, but his sudden fumbling made the task all the more hilarious. 

He gave her a quick side-eye, before he batted one of his pebbles over in her direction. He made a mock, apologetic face. "Oops!" He peeped.

Bronco’s pebbles shared the same fate. Shenanigans chortled as they too tumbled to the ground, followed by his strip of bark. She still clenched hers between her teeth, though she realized it was rather pointless and set it at her feet.

He voted they try again and she nodded enthusiastically. Even as Shenanigans dipped to begin collecting the pebbles with her paw, an idea struck her. She began gobbling pebbles off the ground like a hungry, hungry hippo, including the one Bronco batted her way.

She straightened up, mouth closed and cheeks puffed out as she rolled the rocks around in her mouth. They audibly clacked against her teeth. Shenanigans then swiveled on a heel and ran toward the Hobbit Hole’s entrance, losing her feathers in the process.

He probably should have known this was coming. It was what kids and puppies did- if they could fit it in their mouth, then in their mouth it went. She hoovered up the pebbles and took off before he could blurt out any sort of warning. "N-No, that's not a good-" Was all he was able to get out before she pattered off toward the cave. She might swallow one, or choke on it, and then what? How would that look on his babysitting record? How hard was he going to have to spank this kid if one of them got stuck in her throat?

Of course, he hastily did the same with the remaining few pebbles- and booted it after her. Her feathers fell out of her fur, so he stopped to try and grab them with his teeth. The pebbles fell forward in his mouth- two fell out, and he snapped for the third and...For whatever reason, instinctively swallowed it down as soon as he caught it. For a second, he was mortified- but he had to catch up with Shenanigans. Pebble be damned. 

He mouthed the pebbles and found a spare, and then plucked up the fallen feathers, and cantered off to the cave, hoping she wasn't gagging by the time he reached her.

As soon as she passed over the threshold, Shenanigans let her mouth fall open to release her pebbles. They rolled out, covered in saliva, a thin thread of spit momentarily connecting them before snapping. The pup paid very little attention to her unloaded cargo, instead gazing around at the interior of the Hobbit Hole.

Truth be told, she forgot all about the monster and their game, entirely. Keen to explore, the youngster dashed to the rear wall, wedging herself there for a moment just for fun. Giggling, she then darted back toward the front of the den, pausing to sniff at a pile of dried scat very briefly before parking herself in the doorway.

I wanna live here! she declared to Bronco.