13/01/2006
Cool and damp, the temperature has peeked above the freezing point, and the accumulations on the roof of the longhouse and sweat lodge have started to drip on down. This seems to have had an effect of driving Circle Keeper into the open, no longer able to hide under the now dripping eves of the sweat lodge. The white wolf has instead found a place not far from where the hide frames are, laid out on his side without actually being asleep.
Veronica emerges from the woods, her nose working as she scents along the ground. Her tail waves high, then middle, then low as she remembers where she is. It takes the cub a few moments to notice the white heap of fur, and when she does, she stops in her tracks. Nose and ears twitching, she gives the other a wide berth as she tries to spot Circle Keeper's head.
From black nose to white tail, this full grown adult is a classic display of Canis Lupus Arctos. The three year-old's thick coat is the near-white of a wolf of the arctic, stretched over a sharp and stocky frame. He stands about two and a half tall at the shoulder; from tip to tail he's four and a half feet long. He looks well worked and well fed: muscles slide under his coat when he moves, padded by a healthy amount of meat. Slightly short and rounded ears, as well as sharp yellow eyes finish off his head. Like other wolves of the same subspecies, his legs are shorter than normal, and his paws look much more broad. He is often in constant motion, like he has the near boundless energy of one much younger than him. Among his coat are about as many scars as one would expect for a wolf of his age.
Circle Keeper doesn't seem to be aware of what's going on, his sides swelling and collapsing as he gazes blankly into space. If there's something utterly fascinating going on by the lake, he's apparently the one one able to see it.
White fur elder? the cub whines, moving closer. White fur elder asleep? Her tail waves as she pads around to the front end of the Uktena. This one has been learning. Talk wolf good. Hurt elder came, taught laws. This one respectful.
Circle Keeper finally becomes aware of the cub with somewhat of a start, pressing to his feet quickly. Not asleep, he answers quickly, shaking his ruff off with a snap. His tail slowly waves higher, squinting at the cub.
Veronica's tail and ears drop immediately. Something about the elder seems off today, and the cub gives a confused whine. White fur elder? she asks again, her paws picking over the ground. Other wolf? Her tail waves a bit again.
Circle Keeper twists his head back as if to check his colour, before looking back to the cub. Has white fur. Is elder over cub. He confirms after this investigation, plodding forward. Without warning or explanation, the Ahroun starts sniffing at the other cub, starting at her ruff and working his way back to those areas most homids deem 'personal' towards the back. His own tail flags high dominantly, as if she'd like to stick her nose back there herself.
The cub is evidently used to this treatment. Her tail hangs limp behind her, and she takes a few hesitant sniffs at Circle Keeper's flank. Not white fur elder. Other wolf, she states, holding still as he inspects. This one is Female-Two-Leg-Cub, Wendigo pup, talk-moon wolf. Cub.
Circle Keeper takes his time to finish, clearly in no rush to finish. When he walks around the back side of the roughly equal sized wolf, his eyes round out some. /Is/ white furred. Is elder over cub. he repeats adamantly.
Veronica's legs buckle and her tail curls around her leg. She stretches her neck for another sniff of Circle Keeper. Wolf is Wendigo? she asks, mightily confused. Submit, submit, submit. Cub, cub, cub.
Circle Keeper's temper dampens slightly, letting out a huff as he scrapes at the ground absently. Is Circle Keeper. Uktena Warrior. Not Wendigo. Beta of Ridgeline Guardian pack with Bison.
Veronica's tail waves. Bison! she yips, all energy again. Female white fur elder pack! Her ears prick, but she is still very careful to keep her tail low. Older Brother! She prances back and forth, proud that she's remembering these things.
Circle Keeper's sister is in his pack, yes. For once, the Uktena doesn't look caught up in the excitement; you could likely blame that one on the moon. Sister is alpha of pack.
Veronica licks her chops and pads back and forth. Many Older Brother in... She concentrates, lupine eyes closing for a few seconds as she dutifully tries to remember the word. Sept? Hurt alpha elder not tell. Only tell Wendigo.
Circle Keeper's head sways from side to side as he watches the younger of the two almost dizzyingly. This one is at sept. His elder might be with the sept or dead; he doesn't know. No others. he answers succinctly.
Veronica whines at this news. Many not-Wendigo and not-Uktena, she concludes. Other wolves anger at Brothers? Hurt Wendigo and Uktena? Her tail curves under her body again as she reaches this next question. Fight?
Circle Keeper seems to be somewhat inundated, looking fairly frustrated as the cub reels off the questions. Finally, he picks up on the last, and manages to make a response to that: Yes. Some wyrmcomer tribes challenge pure tribes. Silver Fang Alpha says bad things about Sister-Alpha and fights with this one and his sister. Many bad wyrmcomers.
Veronica's eyes widen, and her lips pull back from her teeth. Stupid wyrmcomer, she snarls, eyes dropping away from Circle Keeper to keep him from mistaking the direction of her anger. Her padding back and forth stops.
Circle Keeper's lips roll up, assenting agreement as he bodily faces of westwards, ears pricking and muzzle wrinkling up. Mooncalves. he growls in that direction, like they were hiding behind the trees down the valley even now.
Veronica cocks her head at the new word and immediately tries it out. Mooncalves. Moon calves. Means wyrmcomer? she asks, tail waving as she shoots a lip-twitching glare westwards.
Moon calf is very, very stupid and bad. he answers, head slowly pivoting over to the cub once more.
Bad name. Bad thing to say? Her tail droops slightly as she cocks her head towards Circle Keeper. Only for wyrmcomer? She sits, suddenly, and lets her tongue loll.
Some Wendigo and Uktena skin changers are moon calf also, Circle Keeper responds very 'matter of fact.' He turns back around, starting to plod over the wet snow towards the sweat lodge, sniffing slightly.
Veronica looks west again, then unseats herself and trots after Circle Keeper. She gives no response to what he told her, just prods at things with her nose for a few moments. Then she gives a chuff, hoping to draw his attention.
Circle Keeper's head turns back to the cub, looking to her expectantly.
She paws the ground, then turns her face to the longhouse. In that place, are there two-leg furs? This one has no more. Is wolf until finds some. Does not want to scare woman-with-pup.
Circle Keeper's expectant look turns positivly flabbergasted, head slowly crooking to one side. Apes do not /have/ fur. he answers, like this should be incredibly obvious.
Veronica's ears flick back. Have fur. Or else cold. Not like wolf fur. She whines at her inability to be clearer, and sits down again.
Circle Keeper's feet scrape at the ground, taking a few steps forward to sniff in the direction of the longhouse like that would clear everything up. His head pivots from the longhouse to the cub, and from the cub to the longhouse. The back and forth repeats a few more times, before he finally comes to rest over at the cub. Head fur?
Veronica's head cocks, and her ears splay. Head fur? No, for body. For legs and arms and body. Pretty. She lookg at the longhouse as though there could be some solution to her dilemma there, but remembers her instructions.
Circle Keeper's head shakes violently, teeth clicking together as he shuts his jaw quickly in frustration. Take ape and tell this one, he instructs. Cub is not good as wolf.
Veronica gives another whine, then very reluctantly shifts to homid. Naked homid. She wraps her arms around herself and shakes her hair over her chest, folding her legs as well. Immediately, her teeth start to chatter. "Clothes!" she exclaims, making a very economical gesture to herself with one hand.
Circle Keeper isn't nonplussed in the least over the teenaged girl's utter lack of clothing, but instead seems to be in the midst of receiving some divine sort of explanation as to the situation. His tail sweeps out behind him, moderately pleased with himself as he figures it out. Cub needs false skins, he supplies readily. For putting over her to stay warm.
Veronica studies him carefully to understand what he's saying. "Yes! So I can be like this around everyone! I tried to learn to make the writing...the glyphs, but it was too cold! I couldn't stay like this, and I don't know where to get clothes!" She's somewhere between exasperated and relieved.
Circle Keeper turns around and heads for the longhouse, the wolf devoid of response as he pokes under the flap to help keep out the cold, and disappears inside. It's a few minutes of quiet, where one might be lead to believe he plum forgot about her outside, before he reappears. The wolf drags some sort of hooded anorak and pants behind him with his jaws, moving through the opening butt-first.
Veronica shivers violently as she waits for the wolf to retrieve the clothes. She has a moment of indecision, then, awkwardly, gets up off of the ground. Trying to maintain some modicum of body-covering, the cub awkwardly edges towards him, biting back a squeak when she steps on something pointy, cold or wet. "Thank you," she calls to him.
Circle Keeper lets go of the stuff, head pivoting up and over to look at the teen. Circle Keeper is not gifting cub. He wants the things when she gets or makes her own fake skins, he grumbles out. A few seconds later, he adds (as more of a demand) No shifting if she wears them!
The cub nods frantically and hunkers down next to the clothing. "I won't. I won't. I'll take them off when I shift. And I'll fix them if anything happens to them." She looks at the pants, then sticks a toe into them. "I'll only wear them when I have to," Veronica continues with the promises.
Circle Keeper seems incredibly dubious, and levels such a look at the cub as he backs away from her. Why did the cub not asks others for fake skins before now? he asks, some what suspiciously.
"I...I haven't seen people. And Wadiskay was mean." Veronica frowns at the memory of that encounter. "And I didn't know if they wanted me to be naked." She sniffles. "And I didn't know if I would be allowed, because I was wearing qussaq clothes when I came here. And I think Jacinta broke my cell phone. And I was supposed to be pracising wolf, not writing." And there it comes. The cub starts to cry quietly.
Circle Keeper dead pans a look at the crying cub, not a whiff of compassion or consolation present. His sister wears wyrmcomer clothing often. Is permitted.
Veronica rubs her face with her hands. "I didn't know that." She rubs her nose along her arm, the tears still flowing. "But I was supposed to be practising wolf. And I'm not good at it." She bites her lip and hiccups, trying to stop herself from making noise as she cries. "And they want me to fight and stuff, and I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not good at it!"
Circle Keeper huffs hard, shoulders pitching. If cub is to be practising being in the wolf shape, she should return to the wolf shape now. he informs her bluntly. Plodding back forward again, his tail irks behind him.
Veronica looks at the clothing longingly, then hunkers down on all fours and obediently changes back to her wolf form. Her throat emits soft whines as she continues trying to calm herself down. Should not be like female. Weak. Should be strong. No water.
Circle Keeper's eyes round out, shoving his head high. His sister is best warrior in the sept, he declares roughly, as if she had just implied otherwise. She is /not/ weak.
Veronica drops to her belly and shows some throat. No, no, not weak, not weak. Warrior white fur female elder not weak. No. This one weak. This one weak.
Circle Keeper moves over to the cub with a stiff legged gait, positioning himself over her dominantly as he asserts himself. After a few seconds, he steps off temper once more reigned in slightly.
Veronica stays still and lays her tail flat When he moves away from her, she waits a moment, then gets to her feet. Unsure what to do next, she paces in a circle, occasionally glancing at Circle Keeper, then looking away.
Circle Keeper sniffs twice, before twisting his head back to try and chew at his side. The part he's aiming for is apparently out of reach, so after a few moments of trying in vain, he looks back over to Veronica. Cub is still cub. Not know to fight, yet.
Veronica chuffs and looks at Circle Keepers side. Unfamiliar with grooming etiquette, she just sits on her butt. Did Older Brother warrior learn all fighting when cub, or before? She shakes out her ruff.
Not before. Not as cub. Circle Keeper answers with a slight huff. Learns fighting... he trails off for a second, looking off to the lake distractedly. Learns fighting never.
Veronica peers at Circle Keeper, turning her head slowly to the side. One ear stands straight, the other cocks backwards. Warrior-moon. Must fight. All fight. Male cub and Wendigo white fur warrior elder and hurt alpha elder all say all fight.
Circle Keeper agrees with this readily. Yes, must fight.
Veronica's tongue snakes out to clean her whiskers. Then how Uktena warrior fight? No learn, no fight.
Circle Keeper fights, he insists bluntly. Fights horned serpent things. Is guardian.
Veronica tries to sort this out, her ears pricking and cupping, then flicking back. Uktena warrior... She pauses, growls to herself. Circle Keeper, she tries then. Circle Keeper know how to fight always.
Circle Keeper agrees with that readily. Knows to fight. Fights horned serpent. He ducks back to the discarded parka and pants, grabbing them in his mouth as he starts to lug them backwards into the longhouse.
Veronica watches the clothes as they are taken away, her posture tinged with resignation, then lays down, much as Circle Keeper was when she arrived.
Circle Keeper isn't out of sight near as long as he was before, once more leaving the building in lupus. Giving his ruff a sharp shake, he starts back over to the sweat lodge once again.
Veronica yawns from her position on the ground, and strains her neck to see where Circle Keeper goes. When he heads towards the sweat lodge, she slowly rolls to her feet and shakes herself off. This one goes, she says with a respectful attitude, before turning towards the woods and walking.
Circle Keeper barely acknowledges seeing what the other tells him, too busy sniffing at the base of the structure to some strange end, even as the roof drips off the roof and onto him. After a few minutes of this, he turns westward and heads away himself.
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