Ankyra Sound a walk on the wild side

@Autumn

It was the middle of the night; it was cloudly, cold, and strange. The cave where Caiaphas kept him seemed more spooky than usual. The bustle of wind outside was like a howling laugh, sometimes high in pitch, sometimes low and crackling as the wind whipped through the trees.

Larus had been nestled in his own special place within the cavern: a segment of dull stalagmites shot up towards the ceiling, their edges forming part of the wall in places. He had found it during one of his exploration phases and was pleased when he fit through the gaps, thus able to sequester himself in a place where adults could not reach. But he wasn't there now. The sounds from outside were too ominous to ignore, and he was too frightened to stay in one place.

So the boy had scurried towards the exit, almost unknowingly, in his haste to stay awake. What if he fell asleep and a monster came inside? He thought grimly, Isn't that what was making those noises? But there was more than just fear in the boy's heart. He was surprisingly curious as well.

With a great big gulp, Larus took a step out, and was faced with the great blackness of the November night.

Autumn had arrived to Sequoia Coast once again after a few months. Last time she was here at the beach, she had raced Ypres, then eaten her trophy: a pheasant. She'd also met the strange red eyed white cougar. They had talked about the eclipse, which had just happened, as well as legends. Now she had come back to see the sights again.

Now it was night and she walked along the samd. She didn't like the way the sand got between her toes, or the sour salty sea air, but the veiws of the sunrise and sunset were worth the cons. She now saw a figure in the darkness, she couldn't tell what. She sped up a little. It was canine, but she still couldn't tell what it was. It was possible that it might be a fox if it was small and canine. She called out to it: "Hey there!" She trotted closer and realized it was a very little wolf, and she wondered why its parents didn't seem to be nearby. She told herself perhaps they're hiding, and are going to leap on me, but there didn't seem to be the scent of parent here.

The boughs overhead were like eager arms, reaching and grappling with the trunks of their neighbors. There was a dull orange glow to the sky which was caused by the light of the sun, despite it having set. From the curve of the horizon any residual light was collected by the clouds; he could make out only a bit of this glow, and was suddenly reminded of home. It wasn't the same, not by far, but it was something. A comfort, however tiny. Larus moseyed cautiously around some of the trunks, his nose almost in the dirt as he tracked the strange night time smells, with occasional glimpses up, around, and back again to make sure he could still see the light.

The orange glow was suddenly quite intense through the trees. It was an amorphous shape, slightly darker than what he had seen before, and... Moving? That wasn't light at all, that was alive; but Larus, being the naive little bundle that he was, failed to realize what (or rather who) he was watching. The fox was similar in appearance to Maera or Mother, but far smaller -- and as she came dashing close, she called out.

Hey there! Piped up the beast. Larus didn't know what it was. He was under the very false, very childish impression that the light had somehow come to life; maybe it was keeping him company? Maybe it was a friend of Mother's and was sent by her to keep him safe! Larus latched upon this thought with such vigor that he was abruptly unafraid.

The spell had been cast upon him, and now the boy looked upon the tiny creature with a mixture of wonder and adoration - misplaced, of course, as it was adoration for his mother made manifest. Hallo! He chortled, stomping towards the streamlined little creature. Yous... Yous not afraid of the... This? He blinked his great big eyes and motioned with his nose to the surroundings.

ahhh your posts are so long i cant match the lengthhh...

"Nope. There's nothing scary about.. This. Don't you like it?" She asked. Surely this little pup disliked the same stuff she did about the beach, but maybe he liked the view? Or perhaps he was talking about the odd faint lighting, dim but eerie as it was cast off the trees. "Are you talkin' about the beach or the light level?" She asked. With how young he was, he might not understand, but she hoped he knew enough to decipher what she was asking him. The last time she'd seen a pup was when she played with that Osprey Junior girl. Autumn realized by now she would be around half a year old, if Autumn's estimation or her age was close. She wondered how the kid was doing.

It's ok! I didn't mean to write so much. @_@ For some reason when I have my text set at really small, I write more?

Gosh. Everything outside of the cave was so much more interesting! First the dark, the scary trees, and now this bundle of living light - or whatever it was. Larus was thoroughly enamored by it; and then it was speaking so fast that his head felt like it was full of bees or something. Not that the kid knew what that would feel like. But the sound of her voice was both familiar (in the way that any canine voice would be familiar) and also not - higher in pitch, and using words he didn't understand.

It was scary, but Larus wasn't afraid now that he had company. As the creature rattled off more words, he drifted in to his usual silence, as if the sounds had overwhelmed him. Really, he was staring at the fox with such rapt attention that it was positively creepy. The only scary thing out here was himself, apparently.

And of course, due to staring wide-eyed at her, Larus totally forgot to answer the question. Way to go champ.

The puppy stayed quiet and stared at her wide eyed. Woah man. That's freaky. "Do you get what I'm say-ing?" She said each word slowly as a hope that it would somehow help him understand. She couldn't teach new words to some wolf pup so if he couldn't answer then she'd have to start an easier topic on conversation. She walked a little closer to him and wondered why he was staring a weird at her like that. It was kinda freaking her out.

She spoke in a slow and deliberate manner, as if that would help the situation. When the Light finally stopped talking, it took a moment of processing before Larus finally responded - his voice low but excited. You can talk. He'd never talked to Light before; this experience was truly mind-blowing. In the next moment he was scuffling towards her, around her, sniffing with his nose and eagerly investigating. When he came to a halt, Larus pulled away from her as if he had been stung. But you ain't a wolf! Or maybe she was? Maybe this was a tiny wolf, tinier than even him.

probably my last post tonight

She chuckled as the little pup went into a storm of sniffing before he backed up and exclaimed the obvious. "Yeah, I can talk, and yeah, I'm not a wolf, I'm a fox!" She said, her puffy tail arching over her spine. Her amber eyes glowed playfully. "Foxes are like wolves but smaller and orange." She assumed he didn't know what a fox was, being so very little and all. [size=small]"Where are your parents?"[/size] She wondered quietly. She wasn't really asking him, more wondering aloud. She didn't expect him to answer but she was a curious creature and she found it strange that such a young wolf was alone.

A fox? Larus' head tilted in confusion, and his brow furrowed emphatically. But he had no words in this moment. The Light fluffed up her tail and Larus watched with the same fascination as before, although now he was fascinated for a different reason. This was like a wolf, but not. So... It wasn't Light after all. Mother hadn't sent her? Pout.

Where are your parents? The fox chirruped next, and while the tone of the question was more rhetorical, Larus did not pick up on that. He was, however, struck by a great sadness as soon as they were mentioned. I lost them. The boy mumbled in response; he looked down to his paws suddenly, and idly crossed then uncrossed them. Fidgeting. But I'll find them again! Or they'a find me! His head raised and there was a defiant glimmer in his eyes (but that could've been a sheen of tears - who knows).

ok maybe one more! Now I'm getting off.

Her eyebrows knit. That didn't sound right. "Wait, who are you're parents? How'd you lose 'em?" She'd completely forgotten that she hadn't expected an answer, but now if this pup was lost, surely he needed to go home. Autumn hoped that he was just kidding and parents were at this beach very close by, taking care of him. How did one lose their parents? She was sure if it was true, then his parents lost him.

Who are they? That was an odd question. Why, they were mum and dad; wasn't the fox listening? Larus didn't know what else to say about them aside from that - he didn't think of them as Njal and Tuwawi, although there were times when he had heard such names spoken. He couldn't really remember the name of the glacier either, or if it had a name; they had arrived there so drained of energy and so eager for sleep, and in the days passing the creation of the pack, Larus had kept to himself (or his siblings - either way he was absent from the bulk of the pack).

So all he could do was shrug. Ma and da. When I was really little we went on a'venture - but I didn't want to go - it took lots of walking, and then we got to home! But not really home yet. Uh, He was prattling on with so many tidbits of information that the poor fox probably couldn't make heads or tails of it. Boy was it nice to have someone to talk to though! It was home and then I lost them! Caiapuss foun' me though an' I'm OK now. Debatable.

He was so close to giving her the info, but it was short of specifics. Like who ma and da really were, where was home, where he'd come from. Only one specific slipped out. "Who's Caiaphas?" She asked the little wolf pup. Little did she know that Caiaphas was the name of the coy-wolf who she didn't get along with. Perhaps she even saw her as a rival of a sort. "She dosen't know where your family is?" She asked. Perhaps whoever Caiaphas was had attempted to find out what his home was.

That was something he hadn't even thought of. Caiaphas had agreed to take him home, but Larus hadn't been smart enough - or quick enough - to realize that the ocean side was the wrong home until he was in the cavern. At that point, it was too late. But now that the fox mentioned it, Larus was forced to think.

He gave her a shrug a moment later. I dunno.

What if she did? Caiaphas had saved him from the big cats, sheltered him, and even fed him. She kept him warm when the cave got too cold, and even brought him a new little brother! Was... Caiaphas... Bad? Was it wrong to do those things?

Caiapuss is... My mummy, but.. Not my mummy. It was a confusing situation for the youngster, and he could only make sense of it barely. She had taken him in but his mother was out there somewhere, presumably looking for him.

The confusion brought to Larus' mind also brought with it a hefty dose of frustration, which bubbled to the surface in the form of quick tears. They collected as dew upon his yellow eyes and the boy grew quieter. I dunno!

Everything the puppy said was confusing to Autumn. He didn't seem to understand either and a tear welled in his eyes, slipping onto his cheek. She instinctively reached her black paw up and wiped away the tear. "Don't cry, angelito." She said soothingly. The spanish word for little angel sounded natural on her tounge, despite her nearly empty knowledge of it. She knew hola, buenos noches, buenos dias, angelito, and zorro. That was it. "You said it's okay now, so don't cry, it'll be ok."

She pawed away some of the tears, but there was no way to stop him once he'd started. The spring in him had broken through, and with the river that poured from his eyes, there also came a great big glob of snot from his nose; it rose up as a bubble and popped as he gulped in a breath.

Larus hadn't realized just how screwed up his situation was until this point, and even now he just barely grasped it. His parents were far away; Caiaphas had saved him but he didn't want another mommy. He wanted... He wanted to go home!

This wasn't home. I need'a find my mom, he hiccuped through his tears, and my dad, and my sistas, and... Valtyr. The thought of his big brother made him produce a shrieking whine that shot through the trees, likely waking @Caiaphas from her slumber - or maybe rousing the new little brother @Kevlyn from his sleep.

Indeed, Caiaphas had been sleeping when Larus's shriek permeated the crisp air as sharp as the coldness of the sea. Somewhat started, Caiaphas shook away her drowsiness and rose, albeit stiffly. There was a lack of urgency in her step as she made her way towards the source of her nap's interruption. As the pack's only Warden, she guessed she had to aid the call.

It was not hard to find Larus, given the fact his incessant stream of simpering served as an easy locator. He cried often, too often for Caiaphas -- so when she heard him, she did not assume the worst. The waif would have scooped up the sobbing child then and there were it not for the fact he was with company -- company Caiaphas did not necessarily approve of.

Recognizing the fox almost immediately, Caiaphas dropped her head in a similar fashion as a bull moose, charging belligerently towards the creature with great assertion in her stride. She, like the fox, was rather small -- but this did not detract from the furor of her step. Wheeling about she turned back to Larus protectively, assuming the fox was the reason for the child's new barrage of tears.

The child began to whine loudly as mucus bubbled at his nose. She was glad he could give another specific name, before shreiking loudly. It hurt her ears. And moments later appeared someone she didn't think she would see again. It was her arch enemy( or at least she didn't like her, but anyway), the coy-wolf. "You!" She growled as the girl came forward. She didn't care that the coy-wolf now knew she was definitely alive, not a ghost. "Get away from him! You weren't here to comfort him!" She snarled. But it wasn't that fact that she hadn't been protecting the pup, more so the fact that this was her enemy.

And just like that, a shadow had risen to his rescue to combat the light. Larus was so busy sniffling and sighing that he didn't recognize what was happening; there was a sudden burst of air, of movement, and then the fox was blocked from his sight; he blinked and rubbed at his eyes with his foreleg, thinking that maybe his vision was the reason for the abrupt darkness - and then he heard the fox speak, hissing a sharp You! in Larus' direction. He blinked some more and inhaled through his nose, trying to collect the snot that hung like a pendulum.

His eyes adjusted, finally, and he could make out Caiaphas' looming figure in front of him. With a tiny hiccup to punctuate a forward roll, he was stepping up beside the lady and peering beyond her legs at Autumn.

Caiaphas shot a look behind her to ascertain that Larus was still there -- as he walked up to peer between her legs she tried her best not to recoil disgustedly from the snot smearing his muzzle, choosing instead to focus her attention on the auburn vulpine in front of them.

Her hackles remained flared in outrage, and she delivered the not-ghost fox the most scathing glare she could muster in rebuke to her accusatory words. "What did you do to him?!" She projected her words with a sort of matronly venom, her expression conveying clearly she had assumed Autumn was the culprit to the poor babe's woes.

"I asked him where his parents are and who they are! He wants to go home to his family, he says! He's crying 'cause he misses home, why didn't you take him home?!" She growled. Her face was now closer to Caiaphas's face in an angry way. Her jaws were raised just enough to show her white fangs. But to a wolf, it would not appear very intimidating. She was a fox, after all.

Autumn's display may not have been intimidating to a full-grown wolf, but to Larus it was a sight to behold: and a terrifying one at that. He had never been privy to such behavior, but on a deep and instinctual level he felt a great distaste for it. As soon as her teeth flashed in his view, Larus recoiled. He stumbled backwards and cowered behind Caiaphas, curling himself in to a bundle and covering his eyes with his paws.

When Larus recoiled in terror Caiaphas' aggression redoubled; so fierce was the ridge of hackles along her nape she seemed possessed by some semblance of evil -- and so darkly suspicious was her gaze that she looked, for the most part, like some conjured image of hate.

The fox's proximity was met with a cold stare for a moment, before Caiaphas closed the distance between them in challenge. Larus was left nakedly behind, not even the length of her shadow offered its comforting touch. Her black gums curled back in disdain and in rebuke her own yellowed teeth unsheathed in direct assertion. Autumn's accusation left her deliberating her words closely -- Caiaphas knew whatever she said would likely be a stab at little Larus and would forever change his view of her. "Beat it." She elected for a less than colloquial answer, choosing instead to entirely disregard Autumn's pressing inquiry.

First the pup cowered in fear at the sight of her fangs, which made her feel guilty. Then Autumn's coy-wolf enemy stepped forward, baring her fangs at the fox. "Beat it." Autumn narrowed her eyes. Did the coy-wolf really think she would surrender that quickly? "No way!" She said, anger building in her voice. She was defending the pup, couldn't he see? She wanted him to go home to his family too. But the coy-wolf was here, not letting him be safe with his parents and siblings.

Larus is exiting via running like a little baby!

As the two squabbled, Larus cowered. He didn't know what to do. As soon as the urge rose up within him to flee, his legs felt like they were made of stone; so instead of leaving, he just cowered behind Caiaphas. Sharp words vaulted from both parties - Caiaphas grew before his eyes, and in his fear Larus saw her figure merge with the shadows. The light was just as adamant, but still too small to take on the dark in this forest.

Larus didn't know what they fought about anymore. He knew he was tired, his face was wet, and he was missing his family... But everything happened so fast. The intensity of it all made him want to be somewhere else; and just like that, his faculties returned. He stumbled to his paws and reverse-stepped towards the cave entrance, tripping on some tree roots in the process. But he was in the cavern, he was safe from all of this turmoil around him - ignorant that he was the cause of the little confrontation.

As the fox defied her command Caiaphas nearly fell upon her in outrage. But as luck would have it (admittedly, Caiaphas was not much of a fighter) just as she shoved forwards to attack the spry fox, she saw out of the corner of her eye Larus' fleeting backside.

The woods were no place at night for an abandoned whelp, and Caiaphas, immediately forgetting her bile, was filled with a sense of urgency to follow him. Stealing one last contemptuous look at the fox (as if to say "look what you did!") Caiaphas turned face quickly and loped down the shadowed path after Larus.