Shadewood Tired Eyes

For one as young as Chacal, the move from their moors to the Shadewood had been very tiring. Even since the journey, her days were tiresome- like a terrified rabbit, she spent the majority of her time anxiously hunkered like a fawn in the timothy, emerging tentatively when one of her mothers was near, but dreading the moment that one or both of them might go off to hunt or patrol. The quiet child became more withdrawn. While she did not voice her complaints or whimper to express the stress that she didn't understand, she often bore a distant, wide-eyed stare that rarely softened. 

There were rare moments where she would be alone, and all the more frightened. All she'd needed was to give her mother a look to let her know that she begged to be given just enough freedom to go far enough and do her business. She skittered through the rainsoaked grasses, casting a glance over her shoulder every now and again. She didn't want to go so far that she'd be too far, but she was also a very private and self-conscious wolf, and wanted to be able to relieve herself without being watched; and she felt like her bladder would burst if she waited much longer. Once she could no longer see her mother- or anyone else for that matter, she found a spot and hunched, casting her tense stare straight ahead as she relieved her bladder, praying for it to go as fast as possible- so she could hurriedly scurry back to her mother as soon as possible. 

Once finished, she skittered off into the rain- but a clap of thunder and flash of lightning overhead caused the girl to nearly jump out of her skin, and when she landed, she ended up pointed in another direction. The wrong direction. She continued to scuttle through the wet grass, until eventually she slowed...It shouldn't have taken her this long to get back to her mother...But her mother was nowhere in sight.

brave little val was all about exploring this new forest, with its new exciting sounds and smells and view... he didn’t miss the ocean one whit, and had been largely cheerful during their relocation to higher ground.

noticing Chacal was slipping off, Val followed her curiously — trundling along on clumsy tiptoes. he tittered loudly from the bush when he realized what his sister was doing, but before he could tease her she was off again.

not even aware they’d strayed off the path, Val followed like a persistent shadow.

The feeling of being watched took some time for Chacal to register- but once she did, she'd cast a glance over her shoulder, too frigtened to look for too long, but she at least wanted to know whatever it was that was following her- whether it was another wolf or something from one of her nightmares- that she had an eye on it. She moved with a scared, skulking pace, and flinched at every new noise or every large raindrop that fell near her from the trees. None of this looked familiar, and all the trees looked the same- but her mother had to be around her somewhere?

At one point, she decided to double back and see if she could track her own pawsteps back to where she'd come from, but the ground was so saturated that she hadn't even left pawprints behind. It only took her a moment or two to catch a glimpse of something dark and thin nosing its way through the grass and for some reason, her mind jumped to the irrational conclusion that she was being followed by a dangerous, black snake- so she leapt aside, burrying herself into the prickly boughs of a spruce tree as quickly as she could, and stared out- waiting to see whatever it was as it would hopefully pass by without noticing that she'd disappeared.

while he was following chacal, val glanced around them. the forest was largely unfamiliar, and thickly settled. if it weren't for hearing chacal's feet ahead, valravn would quickly get lost.

on they pattered, followed by the rain -- valravn was briefly distracted by a large and splintered branch which crossed the trail where it had cracked from a tree above. it was the perfect length to engage in some good old tug-of-war with chacal -- speaking of chacal... valravn didn't hear her anymore.

the stick hung in his jaws as valravn paused, ears going akimbo as he strained to listen for his sister's feet in the squelching earth. he heard nothing but the persistent patter of rain.

full of a bit more confidence than his hiding sister, valravn strode right by where chacal skulked, dragging the branch with soft thump-thumps behind him.

As she heard steps approaching, she feared that she did not recognize the odd pattern. There was usually a soft one two, three four sound to a wolf's steps, but there was something inconsistent and unsetting about the way this creature moved. It wasn't a snake, she decided, and she pulled a bit further back into the darkness, though the nettles from the branches prickled her hide. She watched with wide eyed as she first saw the shadow of the figure, followed then by something whose shape was distorted, a muzzle turned long and held at an odd angle- but that was simply her imagination running away on her. She recognized her brother's form in an instant, and realized with relief that his form only looked distorted because he was dragging a stick along with him. That would explain the strange sound of his footfalls. 

Relieved that she was no longer alone, Chacal twisted and turned, prying herself out of the evergreen's boughs and shimmying out into the open so that she could catch up with Valravn, tail whipping from side to side. She uttered a quiet huff as she plastered herself to his side, and covered his shoulder with happy licks. She still didn't know where they were- but at least she wasn't alone anymore.

imagine marching along dragging ur favorite stick, and then a monster leaps from the shadows --

kidding, but valravn nearly died when chacal plunged from the darkness of cover, evergreens snapping in her wake. he bolted forward like a startled horse, dragging the stick along with him and then tripping right over it when he tried to about-face her.

valravn landed in the mud with a loud splat, his ears ringing as he felt his sister embrace his shoulder in affectionate licks.

Like a frightened bird, Chacal sensed her brother's fright and skittered sideways toward him- even though he was tumbling away from her- casting a glance over her shoulder to see what it was he was bolting from. Was it the snake? Was it after both of them? But she saw nothing, and in her moment of being distracted, she too stumbled, and sprawled onto the ground close against Valravn's side, but when she looked again, and saw nothing, she forgot about being spooked, momentarily, and remembered how relieved she felt to have found someone she knew. 

She wriggled happily against his side, heedless of the water and mud, and squirreled her way between his forelegs so that she could shove her nose into the fur of his chest, seeking closeness and reassurance from her brother. Her heartbeat finally began to slow as she breathed a deep puff of air into his fur.

for a few seconds valravn sat blinking, up to his ears in mud. then, chacal tripped besides him -- splattering his face anew.

valravn shifted and rubbed the grit from his eyes, streaking mud across his dark face. the stick was still in his jaws and now chacal was sprawled over it, making it difficult to pick up. he was about to drop it when he felt his sister buffet into him; gone were the feelings of alarm and worry, replaced now by a buzzing warm sensation of familiarity.

oh, the stick.

well, valravn wouldn't be much of a brother if he didn't rudely yoink it out from chacal, now swinging it towards her like he was wielding the world's sharpest pointy object.

Little more than a moment was spared for her, and Chacal found her source of warmth wriggling away from her and felt the stick being pulled up from beneath her as he focused back on his plaything. Like the baby sister she was, though, she was keen on staying attached to her brother, and smacked her lips together as she was fumbled off the stick, reaching out like a needy puppy to find a tuft of his fur to suck on for reassurance when she was abruptly bonked on the nose by the stick he now wielded. 

She sat down hard, though considering how soft the ground was, she wasn't hurt. She wrinkled her nose, and the corners of her lips trembled slightly; her nose hurt, but she didn't associate the smack she'd been given with any sort of intention. The thought of her brother purposefully rapping the bridge of her muzzle with a stick didn't even cross her mind- she simply assumed the stick had done so of its own accord. She raised a paw to shove the thing aside, when it came within reach, and still making soft suckling noises, she flopped to the ground and tried then to crawl up to her brother, so she could press her muzzle into his fur again for comfort, aiming to avoid the stick by keeping her posture low.

val froze in horror as he saw the stick swing and rap chacal's nose with a noise that sounded painfully loud. oh, he could see the waterworks coming -- the scolding -- the time out thereafter.. he stiffened, waiting for chacal's abject wail to alert the parents that he had played too rough..

instead chacal dropped low, slithering towards him like a fluffy snake -- delighted his sister wasn't about to tattle, valravn gave a soft growl and lowered his muzzle to hers, this time gently proffering the stick's end towards her as she crawled up his shoulders. meanwhile, valravn's eyes pleaded play???

Appeased with the response to her plea for reassurance, Chacal's tail whipped in circles behind her as she nuzzled her nose in underneath Valravn's chin, feeling the vibrations from his growl as his breath fanned out over her gilded temple. She looked up when a hint of rain-darkened tawny entered her peripheral vision, and her brother lowered the stick to be level with her muzzle. She paused for a moment, looking to him for a moment as though to ask permission, before she smiled and crow-hopped on the spot with glee. Rather than backing off and taking the other end of it, though, she reached out with the tenderest care, and grabbed onto the stick- about an inch or two away from Valravn's muzzle, so she could look him eye to eye, and gave the stick a gentle tug.

valravn held the stick aloft patiently, his tail increasing in wagging speed as chacal crowhopped on the spot -- by the time she wrapped her mouth around the stick, val's tail was going so fast he might have been close to lift off.

he waited for his sister's grip to be steady before he did anything. peering back at chacal with a glint of playfulness in his mossy green eyes, valravn stood eerily still even as chacal doled out a soft tug.

three seconds passed.

then five ...

and then valravn rocked back onto his haunches with a titanic tug, a playful growl exploding from his muzzle like gunfire.

Chacal stiffened in anticipation- all but her tail, of course- waiting for Valravn to make the next move. She'd initiated the game with a fentle tug, but he didn't seem to respond. Why wasn't he playing? He knew how to play tug, of course, was he just being so gentle with her that she hadn't noticed that he'd already begun to pull back on the stick? She was just about to give the stick another gentle tug when-

with a soft thump, she was pulled over onto her side when her brother hauled the stick backwards and out of her mouth. She panted in quick, short breaths as she scrambled to get to her feet and reached for the stick again- missing the first time because she was too excited to be accurate- but grabbed it on the second bounce, this time grabbing hold of the end of the stick, so that there was more than a foot of space between them. From this angle, she could see all of him, and wouldn't be tricked so easily. She hopped a couple times, bouncing her end of the stick up and down (perhaps a bid to get him to loosen his grip?) before she dipped into a play-bow, putting her centre of gravity closer to the ground should he try and give the stick another tug.

rumbles of soft laughter pealed from the boy when his sister had an unanticipated reunion with the dirt. oops, was that me?! the boy's eyes glittered with mischief, but he held the stick still as chacal regained her footing and seized the stick once more.

this time they were better matched. valravn began to march forward with the single-minded determination of a plow-horse, walking straight towards chacal with his head lowered and his jaws hauling the stick.

She held her ground well for a moment or two, against the older pup, uttering soft sighs which might have been growls had she engaged her vocal chords. As it was, she grinned, revealing her sharp teeth, their keen tips sunk into the wood and breathed soft little hrrrrrrrrrrrrr, hrrrrrrrrrrr sounds at him. 

Her paws slid, though, when rather than pulling, Valravn- her clever brother!- began to push the stick back toward her, marching forward. Now her claws were of no use to her, and she found that it was much more difficult, just holding onto the stick against his tugs, but now she found her chin pushed gently against her chest, and felt herself begin to get pushed backwards. 

Now, she needed a change of strategy. 

So, in a dramatic shift, Chacal dropped her head, allowing the stick's end to jut against the ground- and she leaned her weight against it, hoping that that, at least, might bring Valravn to a stop.

small, adorable noises sounded from chacal (sidenote: WHEN had his sister gotten so CUTE?!) -- valravn continued onwards in determination.

mud churned underfoot as he went. he half-expected chacal to be pulled along, but she dropped her head -- which had a seesaw effect on the stick, which now swung up on val's end. he was swung around as if in a gyre, nearly tripping over his legs in the process.

fumbling in the mud, valravn regained his footing with his teeth still firmly secured on the stick -- but rather than do anything, he simply plopped down into the sodden earth with his legs over the stick, and began to chew voraciously. hah! cant pull it away if i'm sitting on it!

Well, her main goal had been acheived- and her brother dangled from the end of the stick for a moment, before he pulled it close to him, clamping it into his grip, and began to chew on it. She clicked her teeth together a couple times, paused, and then did the same thing again, before she settled down onto the ground and began to chew at the other end. She could feel the vibrations from her brother's chewing through the stick, but it didn't bother her, and for a few minutes, she was content to simply share the stick peacefully. 

But when a crow cackled as it flew overhead, her gaze drifted to the dreary skies, and she remembered, then- that she didn't know where she was, or how far they were from the densite. She sat up, and gazed softly into the woods in one direction, and then another with a calm, yet distraught look on her face. She frowned, showing a heavy regret uncommon amongst those her age.

valravn eyed his sister from the corner of his eye as she settled besides him, nursing the other end of the stick. for a brief lull in time, the pair chewed contently.

a raucous call from a crow unsettled chacal, and val watched her while chewing absently. eventually, he realized she was fretful and nervous -- why, for the crow? glancing up with the stick wedged in his mouth, val didn't see any crow -- besides, it was just a bird!

never-the-less, the boy chuffed and rose to his feet, nudging the stick towards chacal. it wasn't a fun game if she wasn't enjoying herself.

of course, he was totally missing the point - that they were lost, and chacal was being sensibly responsible in her worrying.

Troubled, the child ignored her brother for a moment or two, taking a couple free jabs in the ribs from the stick he tried to entice her with. Her broad, worried gaze swept through the forest, and she exhaled a few breaths swiftly, as though to whine. She flicked her ears about, hoping to hear a familiar voice calling out her name, but she could hear nothing but the crunch of Valravn's teeth on the stick. He wasn't getting the point. 

So she side-stepped the stick's reach and moved to nudge her brother's shoulder- and would continue doing so like a little sister, tugging at the hem of her brother's shirt, hoping he might get the message and lead her back somewhere familiar.

chacal's whine was enough to bring valravn down from the highs of his play; he frowned, studying her worried face for a moment before asking softly: "do you wanna go home?"

valravn himself wasn't quite ready to quit having fun, but his sister's visible distress ate at his nerves and made a more protective, serious side of him come to the forefront. where regin was bold and full of her own ideas, chacal was soft and vulnerable.

valravn dropped the stick regretfully, but waited for chacal's affirmative whine before he began to nose the earth for direction.

home.

Chacal's response was swift, and with her tail now swinging from one flank to the other, she reached up to nuzzle at the corner of Valravn's jaw, as though to nudge his own muzzle in the up-and-down gesture of a nod. Sprightly, she bounded away a few steps away, before the ashamedly padded back toward her brother, as though to admit that she had no idea which way they were supposed to go. But he, her older brother, might have some inkling as he was bolder than she, and therefore more capable, or so she thought.

capable valravn was not, though he put on a good show of it. he grinned as his sister darted off, only to come back moments later with an air of defeat to her body language. gamely, valravn's tail swung back in forth in response. NBD, big bro is here.

he took several very confident steps in the direction he believed was home (it wasn't). it took a few less confident steps before he realized there were no scents accompanying this trail path; hm, no footprints either. slowing down, valravn began to nudge the vegetation for any scent that might lead them home. believing he caught a tiny bread-trail of a scent, valravn's eyes lit up and he crowed a triumphant "aha!" before boldly leading the cavalry in a new direction.

Investing her faith in her brother, Chacal trailed behind, her nose wavering not far above the ground as she too tried to figure out what to look for, though she was far too distratced by the scent of wet earth, plants, and the occasional slime trail left behind by a slug or a snail. He seemed to perk up at one point, causing Chacal to lift her head and gaze about- but she didn't recognize the area. He scanned the ground, before cottoning on to something- Chacal went to investigate. 

And the scent she detected was one which was familiar, and caused her tail to wag. While she might not have been capable of following the trail alone, Valravn had a better chance- and with the both of them following along the familiar scent trail now, they would surely find their way home.

the first scent val found had been a dud, but the second -- even chacal picked up on the familiar smells. his tail wagged in tandem alongside her, but he didn't wait long for her to muster before he was off like a dark rocket through the mosswoods.

a few times in his excitement and inexperience, valravn stepped off of the trail and had to double back.

once or twice, he managed to get a scent confused -- sometimes it was the scent of another wolf, sometimes a scent he didn't recognize -- any time this happened he slowed, brow furrowed as he tried to parse from all the sensory information which was valid and relevant and which was not.

at last, the scenery became somewhat familiar. a glance to chacal confirmed what valravn noticed -- they were now in recognizable neighboring territory. valravn grinned and pushed his sister gently in encouragement before he sped off on chunky legs -- no nose needed now!

We can wrap this up probably, since she's getting a bit older. Thanks for the thread! <3

Chacal, being even less trained in the art of scouting or tracking, more or less simply followed Valravn unquestioningly even if they did wind a way this way and that, sometimes straying from their original direction and then returning to it. She had much more confidence in him than she did in herself, and was happy to patter along behind him, imitating the movements he made and mimicing his behavior all as a part of the learning process. 

But when eventually a small rendez-vous area appeared with familiar trees and a couple half-finished meals stashed away, Chacal knew that they'd found their way back. She bounced on her tippy toes for a moment, and then gave her brother's cheek several happy, appreciative kisses before she bounded off to thrust herself in the warmth of her mother's dark, auburn fur.