Redhawk Caldera werewolf bar mitzvah, spooky scary.

Forward dating to Halloween night, just for fun :)

There was a chill in the air that night that Liffey was unaccustomed to. The days had been far less warm than those she had experienced in her short life thus far, but this was different. It wasn't the temperature itself - it was the wind that felt like thin fingers raking her spine, nor the darkness of the night that seemed somehow deeper than anything she had ever before seen. The four month old had lingered near where her family slept with her eyes glued to the sky, as she often was when the day disappeared and the stars blinked into life above. The others were asleep, but Liffey was wide awake and intent upon the landscape around her.

She didn't know what compelled her to do it, but she found herself striding away from her family into the night. The girl carried herself low to the ground like a cat, and she crept with along with steps just as careful and feline. Her nose was working overtime, taking in all of the scents the Caldera had to offer. It was all very familiar, but also different somehow. The hair along her spine prickled as she reached the trees and she gazed into the woods, peering between the tree trunks. Had it always been so dark in there? And creepy? And alluring?

Liffey jumped as a sound tolled deeply across the wind and into her ears. She turned around and stared wide-eyed back where she had left her family. There was an odd groaning, moaning sound echoing from that area. Or maybe...

The young pup turned slowly back towards the woods, her ears pricked and tail gripping her rump anxiously. Something was in there, her youthful mind knew it. An idea was forming in her head about what it could be, and it was that thought that kept her still and staring, and trembling like a leaf.

Referincing the happenings of this thread

Had Liffey's young mind not been so far lost to the whims of her imagination, she might have heard the approaching footsteps. As it was, they only magnified her anxiety through her subconscious, but left her totally unaware of the impending collision.

When the dark shape stumbled over her, knocking her to the ground, Liffey gave a shriek of terror. Her legs kicked wildly as she gathered herself back beneath them. She wasn't even truly up onto all fours again when she was sprinting frantically away. Her sense of direction was gone; her sense of everything was shot in that moment when instinct and fear took over her, and she ran for her life.

It felt like hours before the pup finally stopped. Her heart was still pounding when she did, and looking around to regain her bearings did nothing to help it calm. Liffey's eyes widened with surprise and deepening dread when she discovered that she had dashed straight into the heart of the forest that had been inspiring her waking nightmares in the moments before she had fled. She bit her lip as the tears came to her eyes and she whimpered - a sound that echoed so eerily that she stopped promptly. She shrank into the ground then, tucking herself into a tiny ball and covering her face with her tail, fighting to regain her composure before determining what she was to do next.

:P

Liffey and Lagan were old enough now to venture off on their own, but after what had happened to their sister, Elwood still felt uneasy when he let them out of his sight. It was a particularly spooky evening, and even he felt a chill racing down his spine as the wind wrapped itself around him. But he had let Liffey wander off on her own despite his misgivings; he was afraid to curb her freedom too much, fearing that she would withdraw into herself like Eljay. Truthfully, he was walking a very thin line that represented parenthood, and he felt like the slightest misstep would cause him to lose his balance.

He had settled down near some underbrush in the rendezvous site, finally having relaxed, when Liffey's scream caused him to sit upright. His heart immediately began to hammer in his chest as he tore off across the hillock and into the trees, completely oblivious to Fox and Peregrine's nearby lovemaking session -- and the fact that they were the ones that had inadvertently frightened Liffey.

"Liffey?" he called out, his voice echoing off the bare tree limbs and returning to him shakily. He squinted against the darkness, scarcely able to hear anything over the roaring of his own blood in his ears.

I'm behind but I can't resist ahhhhh

Gannet had gotten the memo - and suddenly home wasn't a place he should be anymore.  He took it well; after all, his parents weren't really up for spending time with the kids, having -ahem- other things to occupy them.  He'd instead taken to sleeping nearer to the Blackthorns.  He didn't want to feel like there was no one around, but no way in hell was he risking dad's wrath by showing up near his usual sleep spot.  

He was just about to drift off when he heard Liffey crash by.  His head shot up and he frowned, curiosity overcoming his need for sleep as he rose to find out what the heck that had been.  Scent quickly revealed that it was not so strange after all, and he got all the more curious.  Why was Liffey playing now?  And alone?

That wouldn't do.  Nose to the ground, he followed after, trotting along on her wayward path.  As he got closer, he might catch a tinge of fear, and curiosity would turn to concern as he attempted to join her on this little escapade.

Liffey remained where she was upon the forest floor for what seemed like ages. She shook with terror until she felt as though her body had gone numb from it. But really, it was just the cold. And when eventually she stopped shaking and lifted her head from her side, the numbness failed to leave her.

The little girl pulled herself slowly from her huddled position with her eyes gleaming as she took in the forest again. She had calmed somewhat from the shock of being trampled, although the woods around her were no less creepy. She may never have moved at all, were it not for the faint sound of something that she couldn't quite discern, but was somehow comforting all the same. Liffey's ears perked as she looked around at the darkness. Her lip trembled and she whispered, "Daddy?"

He crept forward, frustrated with his inability to see anything clearly in the darkness. Fear as well as anger clawed its way up his throat -- he refused to let anything happen to his other daughter. It simply wasn't an option. He would go down fighting tooth and nail to save her.

There was a rustle of leaves nearby and he looked up -- unwittingly glancing in Gannet's direction -- but whipped his head around in the other direction when he heard Liffey's soft, wavering whisper. "Liffey!" he bellowed, louder this time; somewhere overhead, a small group of bats took flight, their wings sighing in the breeze. Haphazardly, he plunged forward through the bare branches, ignoring their scraping along his sides.

If you don't want her found lemme know and I can editttt <3

He was getting closer, and the trail of the frightened girl was getting stronger.  He heard Elwood crashing nearby, but ignored him; Liffey was his focus now, and finding her was the game.  

He heard the whisper, nearby, and he froze, ears twisting for any sound she might let out.  He moved where he thought it was, but was startled by a bellow from Elwood in return. His fur rose at the tension in the father's voice; and it made him pick up his own pace. He stuck his face in the bushes tangled near some trees, then pushed through to the other side.  As he did so, he saw a small grey shadow and let out a low, questioning sound.  Why was she running?  Was there danger?  If so, she should have stayed where they could protect her.

Liffey's eyes were wide as she stared into the night that seemed to close in around her, suffocating. She heard him shout her name, and she took two steps forward. The word seemed to echo all around her, and so she stopped quickly, having no idea in which direction to turn. The sound of crashing through the undergrowth caused terror to plunge icy into her heart for it so reminded her of the experience she'd just had. From the sound she fled again, even though in a far calmer state of mind she may have realized that the sound of movement had come from the same wolf that had called out her name in the first place.

But all was not lost, for Liffey had barely gone a full few lengths of her own body before she was the one doing the crashing. She yelped as she smashed into Gannet's pale, lanky frame and fell to the ground. She scrambled fearfully backwards as her eyes frantically sought to make sense of whatever this new horrorifying obstacle was that stood against her. But instead of another monster, she saw the face of her friend. In seconds, Liffey was up and rushing at him to press herself against him in desperation, whining fretfully but otherwise unable to speak to explain herself.

Although Elwood wanted to keep shouting Liffey's name, he forced himself to clamp his mouth shut and use his eyes, ears, and nose to find her. As he pressed onward, he heard a commotion that sounded a lot like a collision -- the crunching of leaves underfoot coupled with loud exhales, as though two entities had run into each other. Fearing the worst, Elwood accelerated, running blindly through the trees.

He very nearly tripped over his daughter and nephew as he came upon them quite suddenly. He staggered to the left, his paws scrabbling as he quickly tried to regain his balance. When he whirled back around, his eyes wide, he was thankful and relieved to take in the sight of Gannet and Liffey, the smaller of the two huddling close to her larger cousin. "Are you okay?" Elwood asked breathlessly, even as he stepped forward to envelop both young wolves in his embrace.

Gannet was surprised when he not only found his objective; she ran right smack into him.  The hit twinged, but he forgot that as he anxiously watched her get up and latch in close.  He was worried she'd hurt herself bumping into him, but no, she was just scared.

It was ok now though.  If there was something bad, he'd protect her.  He'd been practicing so he was sure he could take it.  Gannet wuffed a low sound of reassurance as he embraced her back.

A crashing approaching moments later had Gannet lift his head with teeth beginning to show, but it was only Elwood.  Aggression turned immediately into happy surprise, and he knew now there was nothing that could get them while Uncle Elwood was here.

Liffey felt Gannet return the embrace and she began to settle almost immediately. It was a fleeting feeling however, for the sound of rushing footsteps caused her to tense and peer with wide, panicked eyes around again. Elwood crashed through the brush towards them, and only then did Liffey relax again with a cry of "Daddy!" In moments, Elwood had surrounded them both and Liffey set free the sob that had been stuck in her throat since the monster had attacked her.

Both young wolves seemed relieved by his sudden appearance, and Elwood, too, felt relief wash over him. He was glad to see that no harm had come to either of them; in fact, it seemed that Gannet was attempting to protect Liffey from what was likely just an imaginary demon.

"You guys okay?" he asked, glancing around and giving a cursory sniff. Nothing looked or smelled out of place, thank goodness. "What scared you?" he then queried, directing his gaze at Liffey.

Liffey seemed to relax more when her father came into the scene as well, and Gannet was glad.  He wanted to know too what scared her, because if there was danger, he had to make sure it couldn't take anyone else from him.  He hadn't seen anything, but then, he hadn't seen anything the previous times either.

Since Elwood was here, Gannet quietly stood and took a few steps towards the trees, looking about for any sign of the thing that had set her into a terror. If it came, he'd be ready, and he was sure Elwood was too.

Liffey sobbed as her father asked what had happened. She was too upset to respond coherently, but that didn't stop her from trying to do so through gasping hiccups. "I.. I was by the forest and.. and..." she whimpered and sniffled, smashing her head into Elwood's chest which served only to muffle her voice further, "I got stepped on.. by a.. by a monster.. and and..." She trailed off to allow herself to focus on crying again.

It was a few seconds more before she realized that Gannet had moved away from them. Liffey sucked in a deep breath all at once, halting her sobs to look up and away from Elwood's arms. She glanced hurriedly around until she spotted the pale boy. Her heart hammered as she watched him, worried that he might soon suffer the same fate she had (i.e. getting tripped on). She whined at him, hoping to draw him back to safety (i.e. her daddy).

While Elwood's fears had subsided, it seemed that both of the puppies were still a bit shaken. Liffey's voice was interrupted by sobs as she explained what had happened, while Gannet appeared to be keeping watch, having moved away from Elwood and Liffey slightly. Elwood watched his nephew for a moment, then turned his attention back towards his sniffling daughter.

"Something stepped on you?" he asked, frowning slightly. He couldn't imagine what it could have been. He didn't smell any other predators nearby, so it likely wasn't a bear or big cat. But what was it? "Did you see what the monster looked like?" he asked, chilled slightly by Liffey's use of the word "monster." It was exactly the description Lagan had given when Lucy was kidnapped. His nostrils flared, drinking in the scents just to make sure he didn't notice anything suspicious.

He heard Liffey's whine and smiled reassuringly at her, but didn't come back.  If there was a monster about he wasn't going to just hide behind Elwood.  He could fight too.

But the woods didn't reveal anything, much as he watched, and he wondered if maybe her monster had decided there was easier pickings outside of Redhawk.  It was apparently a smart monster.

Someone wanna wrap this up? :D

Gannet didn't return, but he offered her a smile that was reassuring enough to drive her attention back to Elwood when he spoke again. She looked up at him through watery eyes, then tried to remember what she could about the monster. "He was big and black and furry," she said as she remembered. She paused then, struggling to remember more to no avail.  Liffey lowered her head then  and attempted to snuggle even closer to her father, though it wasn't quite physically possible at this point.

"I wanna go home, daddy," the pup said mournfully, nuzzling her forehead against his chest.

I'll archive! :)

Big and black and furry. Rather than thinking of the Alpha male, Elwood felt an unwarranted chill snake down his spine. He didn't like the sound of that, even if there was no other evidence to back up the possibility of a trespasser. He smoothed his expression and leaned down to lick Liffey between the ears, the gesture serving to calm her as well as his own nerves.

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now. You're safe," he reassured her. Her request to go home was met with a prompt nod of his head. Elwood was ready, too; he wanted to get Gannet and Liffey both back to their respective beds safely, where the pack's adults could keep a close eye on them. "Let's go home," he said, gesturing for Gannet to join them. He then shepherded the pups back to the rendezvous site, not letting either one of them out of his sight.