Aina & Sasha

Aina

Aina picked her way carefully to the lake, Sasha close at her heels. The wolfess glanced around to ensure her charge's safety. Once certain that the coast was clear, she padded out onto the beach. She could hear the pup pouncing in the sand behind her and smiled to herself. She may be annoying sometimes, but Aina found herself unable to picture a life without that little dog. She found a somewhat shady tree near a small tributary that ran into the lake and lay down. When Sasha looked up at her expectantly, she merely laughed and gave her the go-ahead to go play. "But stay where I can see you!" She warned. As the female watched the little puppy play, she frowned slightly, remembering some of the looks she had gotten after taking Sasha into her care. Was it strange for a wolf to adopt an abandoned dog? Perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult for them if she looked more like a wolf, but it didn't seem likely. In any case, Sasha was a dachshund/terrier mix and looked nothing like a wolf. Aina closed her eyes and furrowed her brow slightly. What did it matter what others thought, anyway? As long as they had each other, nothing else mattered, right? She sighed and, for about the millionth time in the past five months, shook those doubtful thoughts from her head. They would probably creep up on her again that night, but for now she would not allow it. She opened her eyes to smile at her pup, but said pup wasn't there. "Sasha?" She called tensely. There was no reply, and the beach was empty. "Sasha?!" She cried again, a hint of panic colouring her tones. She jumped up, fear gripping her heart with icy jaws. "Sasha! Sasha, where are you?" She clenched her teeth, looking around wildly, helplessly. A lump was forming in her throat, and she felt the prick of pending tears just beyond her nose. She desperately rand the length of the beach, but the pawprints were indistinguishable, and the pup's scent was masked by the heady odor of the forest. Where was she?!

Sasha

Sasha, meanwhile, had wandered off to another stream that fed into the lake, and was currently chasing a very fluttery butterfly upstream. She was so determined in her task of catching it that she couldn't hear Aina's fearful cries. She was blissfully laughing and barking and growling as she chased that blasted insect. It seemed like every time she got close, it was magically several feet away. She wandered farther and farther away from the beach, deeper and deeper into the unfamiliar woods, having the time of her life while Aina was on the verge of a panic attack.

Jais

Kekechoi had been on the white wolf's mind for a long time now, but he hadn't quite plucked up the courage to speak his mind to her. As Jais made his way along woods near the Lake, the she-wolf still lingered in his thoughts as he contemplated just what to say to her. Hey, Kek... I've been meaning to tell you something. No no... I need to be more forthright! Kekechoi, I love you. No, that's too forthright... Maybe I'll just catch her a rabbit? Or... The wolf's thoughts trailed off as he spotted movement ahead.

Ears perked in attention, he slowed to a stop as his amber eyes focused on some little creature bounding through the brush. At first, the instinct to chase drove a light of intensity to his gaze, and he half-crouched in anticipation for the attack. Before he ever made a move though, a subtle breeze came his way, informing him that the little creature was a canine. Dropping the hunter's stance, Jais cautiously drew forward, nose a-quiver as he moved closer to Sasha.

As he came closer, Jais heard the frantic calls of a she-wolf a little ways off, and quickly put two and two together. Although... a wolf and a dog? He had heard of stranger things in this Valley, but decided to play on the safe side and get the pup's story first. "Little one, are you lost?" Jais called out in a yip, hoping not to startle Sasha away. It was a good thing that he, and not his crazy sister Nachi, had come across Sasha. For if Nachi had found the pup wondering without supervision, she would have snatched it and taken it back to the Haunters at the Ruins. Just as she had so many other pups, after first killing their mothers.

Condemned

She moved quickly for her young age, following after Jais. Her mom was being quiet, so painfully quiet and it saddened the young female. But Jais liked to play! She followed behind him, making sure he didn't know until suddenly.... BOO! Then she was nearly on top of Sasha. Her wolfish tail wagged, and she grinned at the pup. Hi! I'm Condemned, whats your name? Energy. Hyper, over the top, energy. So many new scents, so many new sounds. So many...NEW! It wasn't long before something else got her attention. A BUTTERFLY! Then she was chasing after it, leaping, snapping and then...splash. She hit the water. She yipped and leapt backwards, shaking out her coat. Then her eyes got big. WATER! She leapt into it, bouncing and playing and just having a jolly good time. Come play with me! She called. Oh, to be innocent again.

Aina & Sasha

The little pup stopped in her tracks when she saw the big male in front of her. She grinned at him and said brightly, "I don't get lost! That's why I have Ai--" she paused, as though suddenly realizing that she had left the beach, then finished in a whisper, "-na..." She lowered her head with some amount of shame, dreading the talk they were going to have later. She was brought out of her reverie by a loud BOO! and then a wolf in very close proximity. Sasha beamed at her unflinchingly. "Hi, I'm Sasha!" She giggled as the wolf chased after the butterfly which had been her very prey, and finally resolved to full-blown laughter when Condemned hit the water. She watched the older femme speculatively as she amused herself in the stream. When she was invited to play, the pup leaped in the air excitedly and bounded off toward the water, slowing down before she got too deep in. She hadn't experimented much with swimming, and now didn't seem the best time to start. She barked playfully and pawed the water in front of her, all thoughts of Aina or the great white wolf behind her banished from her mind.

Aina, meanwhile, was trying to decide where to start looking in the forest. Sasha could be anywhere! She sniffed around the bushes futilely and called out again. "Sasha!" How far could the pup have gone? She was loathe to think of what may befall the whelp if she came into the wrong paws, and pushed away thoughts of how unfeeling some wolves were. She howled in desperation, but her throat was swollen in her grief and sore from all of her frantic cries. Finally, the female delved into the woods, determinedly seeking her misplaced charge.