Kina

Kina had trouble sleeping that night, there was just something about the sky. It was brighter than usual and wait… what was going on? Something seemed off and so of course she had to go and investigate. She slipped outside the den and gasped as she saw the sky. A beautiful band of green light was shifting and dancing in the sky, rolling in a slow and rhythmic way. Simply beautiful. Kina settled down to watch for a bit but she really wanted to get some of this nervous energy out of her body. She'd had a terrible dream that had left her heart racing and her nerves shot. After that no matter how she tried she couldn't get back to sleep. A spar would be great but… dare she wake any of her siblings. Kina's tail twitched as she debated what to do. Come to think of it she hadn't done much fighting in the night time. Every single one of her fights had been during the day. Even with the aurora lighting up the sky she had the impression that it would be a bit challenging. There was less light which made it harder to see. Fighting a dark-pelted opponent would be particularly challenging.

wc: 207
total: 207

word count: 195
total: 402

Kaizen wasn't sure what to make of the bright lights in the sky. They even shone through the thick overhead canopy, dappling the leaf litter with weird colours and patterns. It was pretty enough but for some reason it put the adults of the pack on edge, he'd noticed but didn't understand why. Obviously hadn't been alive, or even a sparkle in Kiriko's eye, when the Long Night had both Boreas and Auster in its hold.

He wandered beyond his den, knowing better than to slip away so late at night. Not that he was even allowed outside of Tojo territories yet, he was still well and truly grounded. Spotting the bright white pelt of his sister, he approached her quietly, his pace slow with care, attempting not to rustle the leaf litter as he got near. The colours of the night lights above seemed to bleed into her coat, as if Kina was stealing them for herself. She looked pretty, not that he'd tell her as much. Tight-lipped and awkward as he was.

"What is wrong?" He asked, not entirely sure what to make of the energy she was giving off. Tense, pent up.

table coding by bunni ♥

I wish you could see me for something more than the things I'm confined and condemned to be

Stjarna stared up at the sky, mouth open as she watched the beautiful green colors shifting above her. Her fur was on end but awe eventually won over fear. Not wishing to wake up Álarr she slipped out of the temporary den beneath the base of a strange tree to get a better look at the lights. She wandered along, gazing at the lights but with her focus so intent on the aurora she failed to watch where she was going and soon found herself at the border of a strange forest. The thin trees stretched way up above her. Uh oh… where was she?

Star's heart started to race as she wondered what she was going to do. It was then she caught a familiar smell. Kina! Maybe the other pup could help her. She bounded through the bamboo, seeking the source of the scent. It was then she saw Kina as well as another pup who looked to be a litter mate. "Kina! Kina! Thank goodness. I saw the weird lights and got lost. Do you know what's going on?" Star wasn't sure if the lights were ok or a sign of something bad to come.

WC: 198
Total: 600


Speech

Kina

Kina almost missed her brother's approach, so stealthy was he in his movements. It was only a slight shift in the shadows as the strange lights shifted in the sky that gave way to the notice of motion. She turned her head to her brother. "I'm not sure. I have never seen these lights. They are beautiful, but I don't know if I can sleep right now." She wanted to watch them but she also wanted to turn her attention away from them. She was torn. How long would these last? Was this a rare occurrence or a part of the changing seasons?

A louder sound of rustling caught her attention and she turned in surprise to see Stjarna appear. The girl explained that she had followed the lights and gotten lost. Kina sighed. "You should have howled at the border, Stjarna. You're trespassing right now… but maybe my egret can help you back. Actually… wait a moment." A mischievous grin spread across the girl's face. Normally well-behaved and rule abiding she sensed an opportunity here. She couldn't sleep, the other girl clearly couldn't and she suspected the strange lights were affecting her brother as well. "Have either of you ever fought in a melee fight before? I haven't. Maybe a good spar will help us get this energy out so we can go back to sleep?" Her hackles raised, ears pinning as she felt in to a fight stance, grinning at the other pups.

wc: 246
total: 846

word count: 225
total: 1071

Kaizen growled, fur standing on end as he caught sight of the pale intruder. How had she managed to slip into the Bamboo unseen and how hadn't she gotten lost? He wasn't nearly as quite so playful as his sister was, she knew how much they could get into trouble for this, all of them! And frankly, he wanted no part of it. Certainly not after he'd got in real trouble over the hunting dogs the other day, his pride still bruised and sore after the scolding he'd received.

"You can't be here, leave, or we'll make you!" He hissed, stomping forward in what was meant to be a threatening gesture, to an adult it wouldn't look like much but to someone of a similar age, maybe? In fact, should they even really give her a chance? Kaizen didn't think so, the rules were the rules.

He lunged forward, teeth snapping as he moved to try and grab a hold of her snout. She couldn't bite him if he bit her there first, right? Except even with the strange lights it was hard to tell where her colourful coat began and where the lights were shifting about. That paired with the nights usual darkness made it...disconcerting, he'd been so sure of his angle at first, only to doubt himself as the colours caught his gaze.

table coding by bunni ♥

I wish you could see me for something more than the things I'm confined and condemned to be

Kina didn't seem to have an idea as to what the lights were either and Stjarna sighed. Well, they were pretty even if they were kind of strange and a bit concerning. One of Star's ears flicked back as Kina scolded her but she was so grateful that the other girl was willing to help that she held back her retort. The sooner she got back home the better and that was all the more evidenced by the boy that was with them. She could only assume he was one of Kina's brothers based on their familiar looks. "Ok, ok, I'm go-" but before she could actually go he suddenly lunged at her. Her head jerked back, just avoiding his fangs while her left paw lashed out, claws drawn seeking to bash the boy across the face. She'd been trying to leave but if he wanted a fight so bad she'd give him one. It was going to be tricky in this strange light though, she realized that. It was hard enough fighting a dark pelted wolf at night let alone with the eerie green light shifting above them.

WC: 189
Total: 1260


Speech

Kina

Leave it to Kaizen to ruin the mood. She understood the rules, of course, but she also knew that Stjarna was no threat to them and it wouldn't take much to get her back. Instead though the potentially friendly spar turned less so as her brother charged toward the girl. "Kaizen! She said she's going." This need not have come so quickly to violence but there was little she could do now about it. Once a spar started it was hard for the participants to heed the words and she already knew enough about Stjarna that simply asking the girl to roll onto her back was never going to work so Kina got involved. She barreled toward her brother seeking to build up momentum and slam her chest into him to knock him over on his side. She'd had the situation under control. In her opinion she still did. Star agreed to leave. Kina's egret could escort her to find the girl's father. There was no need for this.

Despite her thoughts, though, she found herself having fun sparring in the creepy light. Stjarna was still easy to see, Kaizen less so. The shifting lights made his fur seem strange the green light reflecting oddly off the red markings making him look a murky, sickly brown. Kina knew her own coat was going to stand out much more but she hoped the surprise of attacking her brother instead of Star would be enough to take him by surprise.

wc: 248
total: 1508