[MillietheWarrior]

Maweya hardly flinched as the male came barreling towards her. She watched him steadily, tails waving leisurely as he headed headlong in her direction. She had faith that he wasn’t about to tackle her and drive her to the ground with tooth and claw. She smiled a wolfish-grin, her tails wagging lightly as he neared, before she tensed, and slapped her front paws on the ground, watching as he sailed over her. When he landed on the ground on the other side of her.

Maweya spun, tails waving in the air as he dropped to the ground and rolled in the sweet smelling grass. The scent of the flowers was heavy in the air, and Maweya had to stop herself from chasing after a stray bird that she’d startled up beneath her nose. It’s wingtips brushed her muzzle, and she growled playfully, not intending to take it’s life; she wasn’t hungry, nor was she in the mood to kill for no reason. She pranced over to her ‘shadow’ and stared down at him, nearly nose to nose with the large male wolf.

She whuffed in his face, snuffling him slightly, before she flopped down lightly on his belly with her paws, letting them hang over his side as her body settled in the grass beside him. She could still hear the distant wing beats of the birds they’d startled up, and a butterfly flitted past her nose. She half-heartedly snapped at it as it fluttered away, before woofing in amusement at her ‘shadow.’ She tilted her head curiously, and decided to speak once more. “Do you have a name?” she asked at last, her voice soft and welcoming. This was certainly a big change from harsh words and angry shouting.

[8]
((Couldn’t resist; had to get another post in. xD))

[Jessari]

The wolf watched the upside down world lazily. It had been a long time, much too long, since he'd felt this much at peace. The tips of his tails twitched up and down, tapping the ground silently. Stalks of grass tickled his nose, and he twisted his head to bite halfheartedly at them.

Footsteps alerted him to Maweya's approach, and he tilted his head to watch her. She came to stand over him, and he blinked, worried that something he'd done had made her change her mind. But he didn't need to worry; after a moment, she plopped down overtop of him, her body a comfortable weight that further deterred him from rising. At first he breathed in shallow breaths, almost afraid to move and possibly upset the fragile peace between them, but as he watched her distraction with the butterfly, he quickly relaxed again. Perhaps he was wrong to constantly remain on guard. Maybe she truly wanted to become friendly.

“Do you have a name?”

He remained motionless, a twitch of his ear the only sign that he'd heard her. She'd only asked for one word, but what would it cost him to give it to her? The male blinked slowly, lazily, taking the time to collect his thoughts. He'd been nameless for over a year. The word she sought had last been used when he'd lived with his other pack. Before everything fell apart. In the distance, whether in memory or in the present he wasn't sure, he could hear the sound of rushing water. His eyes closed, forehead wrinkled as if he were in pain. Then he remembered it, the word she had asked for. Trying to slow his racing heart, he opened his yellow eyes again and spoke one, single word.

"Kaede."

[MillietheWarrior]

Maweya didn’t outwardly show the wave of surprise that washed over her. She stared at the male, leaning forward slightly with her nose nearly touching his. “I knew you could talk,” she said with a smirk, her tails giving a slight wag. “Kaede…” An interesting name, and one she had never heard before. Briefly, she wondered if there was something more he was hiding.

He did not speak like a normal wolf might have; his voice sounded slightly deeper, more cultured than that of the normal, simple-minded wolves. With a ‘woof’, she rolled over, her paws tucking themselves beneath her as she settled at his side, seemingly unconcerned with their closeness. She tilted her head at him, nudging him with her nose as she craned her neck in his direction.

“What else can you say? Where do you come from? And why did you choose this place to settle?” She wanted to ask if he was truly a wolf; he was larger than the other wolves, more intelligent, fiercer and more cunning. She had never seen that in any beast of the forest. There was more to him than meets the eye. She decided, perhaps, the question could wait. First, he needed to answer the others.

[9]

[Jessari]

Kaede's chest rose and fell as he listened to her voice speak his name. The sound of it, like her closeness, was pleasure and pain, a rose with sharper thorns than he could bear. Question after question came from her, and the first one was nearly enough to make him roll his eyes. He wasn't a tame human-pet, to perform on command. No, the slight break in his perpetual silence had been enough for one day; he would say no more if he could help it. An open-mouthed whine conveyed his annoyance at the way the conversation had shifted.

Knowing how stubborn Maweya could be, the male had a feeling that the only way to escape her questioning would be to completely sidetrack her. With a swiftness that would have made him blur in human eyes, he rolled to his feet and straddled her. With his body casting a shadow over hers, he leaned down and licked her dark muzzle then dashed back towards the tree, casting a quick glance and a yip over his shoulder as he dared her to chase him down. He knew he'd probably pay for that display of affection with his skin, but it had been worth it in more ways than one.

(Ugh...short post. >.< Ere needs caffeine...)

[MillietheWarrior]

Maweya stared at the male, waiting for him to answer. She had asked a question, and now that she knew he could talk, she expected him to answer her, like anyone with half a mind would. As carefree and light-hearted as Maweya could be, there was another, darker, side of her that very few ever wished to tangle with. She was a Rider; fiery, ill-tempered, and untamable. And she was a leader; stubborn, intelligent, and cunning. She expected to be treated as her station demanded, and this was one of those instances where ‘no’ was not a good answer. And neither was his silence.

Her fur began to bristle uncertainly, and she teetered on the edge, wondering if she should force him into speaking, or chase him off completely. He was walking on very thin ice, and he seemed to know it. She didn’t care about his annoyance, or how uncomfortable it made him. When he whined, she flattened her ears against her head, ‘woofing’ roughly. Then his shadow fell over her, and Maweya twisted her neck around, teeth flashing and a harsh, frightened snarl escaping her muzzle before he licked her nose and was off. Maweya leapt to her feet, her fur bristling as she shot off after him.

She caught up to him easily; her long legs allowed her to gain the upper hand, and while they were the same height, he’d made the mistake of not running fast enough. As she reached him, her teeth flashed out, aiming for his shoulder as she snarled in righteous anger, dealing retribution with her teeth. Once he learned his lesson, she’d let him back into her good graces, if only for a while. But for now, he needed to learn his place. She bounded ahead of him, and turned to face him, a bundle of snapping, angry teeth and fur right in his oncoming path.

[10]

[Jessari]

A sharp pain flashed through his shoulder, and although it wasn't a serious injury, the surprise of it made the male stumble. He hadn't expected her to catch up so quickly. Even before she passed him and spun to face him head-on, Kaede knew he was in for it. The pain in his shoulder, combined with the growling and snarling that endlessly polluted the air, told him he'd probably made her angrier at him than she ever had been before.

Although the last thing his wolf really wanted to do was injure her, she had invaded where she was not welcome. The memory of his past was painful still, like an old wound half-healed. Despite his protest, Maweya insisted on prodding at it, and that willful intrusion was entirely unwelcome. He settled into a fighting stance, legs stiff and straight. The fur stood up along the ridge of his back, and a growl rattled in his throat. She did not want to go here with him...

Looking back, it was impossible to judge who had made the first move, but someone did. The next thing Kaede knew, they were rolling in the dirt, biting, snapping, snarling at one another, their earlier peace forgotten. Fighting to keep his head through the adrenaline rush, the male wolf tempered his bites so they would merely bruise the muscle, not break the skin. He would not seriously injure her, although she didn't seem to have the same qualms as he, but he would not give in on this one point.

They sprang apart, circling each other stiff-legged, neither one willing to end the confrontation. Then, a familiar scent tugged at Kaede's senses, one from before. His eyes widened, and he lifted his nose, trying to get a fix on the scent. Maweya took advantage of his distraction, diving in to close her jaws around his exposed throat. Her grip was snug, and she snarled a warning for him to give in, to announce her the superior...

Then a red and black form burst from the bushes and impacted with the female Rider's side, tearing her apart from Kaede. Kaede staggered backwards, more from shock than pain, as he watched the newcomer face off with Maweya. Jabari...

The new wolf shifted slightly, flashing him a wolfish grin full of sharp teeth. Good to see you too, brother. Then he turned back to Maweya, darting towards her in a blur of black and red, teeth aimed for her flank. Without thinking, Kaede barreled towards him, knocking him off course. As Jabari skidded to a stop a few feet away, Kaede stood between the two wolves, tail brushing the ground as confusion filled his face. He could not let Maweya attack Jabari, nor could he allow his brother to attack the woman he'd come to admire.

Jabari... He'd thought him dead for over a year, along with the rest of his pack. The wolf within him began to retreat, leaving the unprepared mind of the elf to decipher the meaning of this new discovery.

[MillietheWarrior]

The bite of the male’s teeth was unexpected, and it only made Maweya more furious than she was before, He’d be lucky if he made it back into her good graces after this. He’d be lucky if he even made it out alive after this. Maweya was absolutely livid, hackles raised, tails and fur bristling as she snapped and rolled with the male, fangs sinking into every inch of flesh she could reach. She did not ‘curb’ her bites, as he did. She was out for blood, and it was blood she would have.

If the bite of the male’s teeth and his sudden desire for a fight was surprising, then being bowled over by a red and black blur and knocked into a tree was even more of a surprise. Maweya slumped to the ground, the impact of her body against the trunk of the tree enough to knock the wind out of her. She shook her head, trying to clear the sudden smattering of stars that peppered her now hazy vision, and looked up to see four or five wolves standing in front of her. No, no wait….There was only two.

Maweya shook her head again, her double vision clearing as she beheld the newcomer facing off with Kaede. A low snarl ripped itself from her muzzle, and she leapt to her feet, stumbling a few times before regaining her equilibrium. If the two decided to team up on her, there would be no hope. She would be torn to ribbons. She stepped back, away from both Kaede and Jabari, tails still bottle-brush straight and head lowered as she watched them with righteously furious eyes. She snapped her teeth in warning, before she flashed Kaede what could possibly be described as a look of hurt and anguish, though it was difficult to tell through the haze of anger.

With a snort in his direction, she turned her back to them, a clear indication that she did not see them as a threat (Though the reality was much different; she knew if she was killed, they would be as well, for no wolf could attack a member of the tribe without retribution). Stiff-legged and aching from the battle and her run-in with the tree, she stomped off with her head in the air, a low growl rumbling in her chest. She could see Iikran standing in the distance, hesitating quietly as he waited for instructions; he had sensed his rider’s distress and anger, and he had immediately come to her aid.

He flashed the two males a warning look, stomping one hoof against the ground. He snorted flames, muscles rippling, and tossed his head as he made to go to Maweya side. The she-wolf lifted her eyes, and barked angrily, and the equine stilled immediately. With a huff, he turned and began to graze at the tree line with one eye on his mistress, as Maweya flopped down in the grass, carefully moving her tongue over her legs and stomach in an attempt to ease the ache of the bites from the short battle.

[11]

((-Rolls eyes- Drama queen…XD What will Kaede do, I wonder? Hmmm…))

[Jessari]

Kaede paced as close as his wolf-self dared to the angry female, back and forth in a line between her and Jabari. Ikran, it seemed, didn't rate high enough on his list of worries at the moment, although he was well-acquainted with the horse's sharp hooves. He whined, a pitiful, confused sound, as he glanced first at one wolf then the other. All the aggression from earlier had bled from him, and a lost expression had taken up residence in his eyes.

With a quiet whine of his own, Jabari moved forwards, head and tails low as he approached his brother. Kaede reacted as if he'd been shot, spinning to face the red and black wolf with a vicious snarl. His eyes were glazed as he snapped at Jabari, driving the younger wolf back. Simply the sight and smell of his brother had left him painfully confused - he had no desire for that feeling to be compounded by the added sensation of touch. He stood his ground, fur bristling. How long had it been since the destruction of his village? How long had he been without companionship of any kind? How long had he mourned his brothers and sisters, only to find Jabari alive all this time? It was all too confusing for him to take all at once.

For his part, Jabari seemed to be just as confused at this turn of events. Although it appeared that his brother wouldn't allow him to approach the female he'd been tussling with, although she'd left no less than a half-dozen bites in Kaede's skin that he could see, he was determined to get some answers in one way or another. Remaining where he was, Jabari raised his voice enough so the purple-pelted female could hear. "Sister, I apologize for my rash actions. Could you explain what makes my brother behave so strangely?" His voice was honey-smooth, holding nothing but the concerned curiosity reflected in his eyes.

[MillietheWarrior]

Maweya lifted her head, purple ears pricking towards the sound of Jabari’s voice before they flattened against her skull. She lifted her lips over her teeth and growled angrily. She no longer seemed in a forgiving or acquiescing mood; Kaede had made a big mistake, and he was going to pay for it with her indifference. She gave her fur a good shake, before she leaned over, flopping in the grass so she could face the two wolves with a look that clearly said she was deciding whether or not she should continue dealing with them.

She studied Jabari closely; he did not speak the wolf language as she knew it, but the language of the Elves. This intrigued her, and she suddenly began to put two and two together. Kaede’s size, his intelligence, his ability to speak to her…Coupled with that, and Jabari’s words and naming her as ‘sister’ could mean only one thing; both of these wolves were not wolves at all, but Elves. Despite the startling and somewhat concerning revelation, Maweya did not move, and continued to delicately run her tongue over the aching wounds to soothe the pain.

“I have no idea,” she said with a disdainful sniff. “He was like that when he arrived; I am afraid your brother is more wolf than elf at the moment, and it is confusing him. We were not meant to live on four legs for such a long period of time; he has let his instincts and his animalistic urges control him for too long. Your arrival seems to have confused him. His mind is torn in two. Perhaps if you speak to him, he will regain some form of sentience.”

[12]

[Jessari]

Jabari's tails swished, brushing against the leaves of a nearby bush. Their positions at half-mast betrayed the tenseness he had filtered from his voice. His reddish eyes refocused on Kaede. "Is it true, brother? Have you been a wolf all this time?" He'd known pack mates who preferred to spend more time on four legs than two, but to be in that shape unchanged for moons on end..? It couldn't be true. He himself was itching to take on elf form, and he'd only been in this form since the morning. "But its been more than ten moons since our village-"

At these last words, Kaede, who had continued his agitated pacing between the two, let loose a wailing howl to the sky above, drowning out the rest of Jabari's sentence. The tentative peace of mind he'd held on to was coming to an end, and it was more painful than being mauled by a bear. Without another glance at the two, he barreled into the woods, heading towards the heart of the ancient forest. He didn't have any destination in mind; he simply needed to go away. His wounds ached, burned, but instead of hindering him, the pain simply spurred him into a faster pace.

Jabari stood for a moment and watched him go, then turned back to Maweya. His gaze flickered over her and Ikran, a thoughtful look upon his face as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle. He had a good guess as to what had happened to his brother; the wounds from the loss of their village ran deep within him as well. But if escape from elven thought was what drove Kaede, what had drawn him to this new village? What had made him remain? And what had spurred the fight he had interrupted earlier?

But all of that could be figured out later. At the moment, though, his brother, whom he had considered lost to the river, was getting further and further away. He flicked an ear at Maweya, his voice cool and unconcerned. "I have a feeling we'll meet again, sister. Let us hope it is under better circumstances than these." His eyes, before he turned to go, reflected a silent warning. If they fought again, he wouldn't let it end so easily. He would not allow Kaede to be lost, nor would he leave Kaede without family again. They were all each other had now.

[MillietheWarrior]

Maweya tilted an ear back to listen to the words exchanged between the brothers. It seemed to be a one-sided conversation, with Jabari speaking and Kaede remaining silent. Maweya knew her suspicions about Kaede were correct. Kaede’s howl startled Maweya, and she jumped lightly, a low whine echoing in the back of her throat at her surprise. She watched as Kaede darted off into the woods, Jabari looking briefly torn and thoughtful, before he spoke. Maweya resisted the urge to tell him she was not his ‘sister’ and he was not part of her pack. He had no right to speak to her with such familiarity. Her tails twitched slightly, and a low growl replaced the soft whine in the back of her throat as she hauled herself to her feet. She had not missed his silent look of warning, but Maweya was nothing if not stubborn, and she wouldn’t simply let this puzzle and affront to her dignity go without at least a little nosing around.

Iikran was at her side before she knew what was happening, and the two beasts followed after the brothers into the forest. Maweya treaded lightly, while Iikran busied himself with moving silently through the brush. He had grown up here, and despite his size, he knew how to move quietly. With a flick of her ear, Maweya left Iikran’s side and shot off into the forest, her small size and speed allowing her to make a circle around the two running brothers and reach Kaede before Jabari could. She caught up to Kaede, skidding to a halt in front of him, and facing off with him in a flurry of growls and rumbles. “Why run?” she asked softly. “Why run from your problems? You are not wolf. You are elf. The wolf is only a part of you. Do not embrace it so deeply, or you may never be able to get back what you lost.”