It was unusual for the woman, going into hibernation so early. Every year she would go and curl up in a den a bit after the first snowfall, but this time, she had gone before it had even begun to fall. But also like that, she would unusually wake up from it. Eyelids would slowly flutter open, violet orbs rotating in their sockets till they adjusted to the lighting. A paw would twitch, about to reach up and scratch the side of her neck but she would freeze. Dark eyes would fall down the length of her arm, dripping over her claws and landing one a mass of fur beneath them. A smile would spread over Zanire's black lips as she looked to this mass with a great deal of affection, her companion Kar. But why was he under her paw? Was he cold, lonely? Did he miss her and just anted to be close to her again? She would close her eyes, and wrap her arm around him gently, bringing him closer to her warm body with a low hum. "Hello little one..." Her voice would rumble, sounding more deep than usual due to her sleepiness and being in the den but still held a gentle tone or the young man. "normal. talk. think. you." Awesome table by Shrap <3

Loneliness and a great deal of affection for the grizzly companion had been the cause of what made Kar choose his sleeping place. He had nosed his way underneath of Zanire's paw as he snuggled close to her body. During the time they had spent together so far Kar had become very attached to the female bear, seeing her almost as a mother figure. Zanire was sweet and kindhearted -- she eased the loneliness that had once plagued him during his travels. The deep breathing of the bear was a comforting sound. It eased Kar into sleep, his ears twitching every so often as the brute dreamed of warmer days. Feeling the deep rumbles of Zanire's speech the brute slowly opened both eyes, looking up at her with a gentle, caring gaze. She was such a beautiful creature... and he was ever so glad that she had taken an interest in wolves. He wasn't sure what he would do without her at this point. A happy smile crossed over the sleepy brute's face, though he was trying to wake himself up. It was rare that Zanire would be awake since she had started going into hibernation... these moments in time were precious to him. "Hello." He snuggled closer to Zanire, letting out a happy sigh. "I'm glad to see you're awake for a bit. Are you hungry? I could get something for you." The brute started to swish his tail lightly, happy just to be in Zanire's presence. Speech, Thought

A low hum would come from the woman as Kar spoke, it was such a nice thing to hear after she had begun hibernating. Ears would twitch as he went on, closing her eyes briefly, trying to refocus on the things around her after being asleep for some time now. He was glad she was up, and asked if she was hungry, that he could get something for her. Though she didn't want the boy to do such a thing, the beast's stomach would growls softly. "Me glad too... I could use little snack I guess." She would chuckle with the growling of her stomach, parting her jaws afterwards in a large yawn. "normal. talk. think. you." Awesome table by Shrap <3

Kar gently nuzzled Zanire as her stomach growled softly. The wolf could feel his happiness bubbling over. Zanire would be hibernating all winter... and the fact that she started having long sleeps before the snows worried the brute a little bit. He got to snowy paws, carefully sliding out from under the arm of the bear. A playful smile would spread across the brute's muzzle. A little snack, huh? No offense to Zanire, of course, but hearing that come from a bear was just a little funny. Kar twitched his cream tipped ears happily as he spoke. "Leave it to me!" Without any further hesitation Kar was off, bounding across the leaf-littered landscape towards the river that was near the territory. It was a bit of a good distance from their den, but that would mean when the thaw came that the den wouldn't flood. Kar had been a bit worried about that at first, but Zanire had reassured him that all would be well. He approached the water slowly, green eyes scanning for the fish. He had to pick out a decent sized one for his friend, if he could manage to catch it. If not he was just going to have to catch two for her. If another wolf were to see Kar and the way he crouched over the water they might be a bit confused. After all, Kar had learned his fish hunting techniques through watching Zanire. She was a master of the art, and Kar had practiced hard to be able to do just as well with the task. In a matter of minutes Kar had a fish in his jaws. It was a decent sized thing, flopping around so much that Kar had stumbled into the water and was having a bit of a hard time dragging it to the edge. Blood seeped from the fish's wounds where Kar's teeth had dug into it's flesh. The scent of blood was appealing but Kar reminded himself that he had eaten earlier in the day and that this was for Zanire, not him. He hung onto the fish as it flailed about, stumbling in the water over and over until, finally, the last of the fish's strength had been used up. Kar pulled himself onto the shore, not so energetic now himself. He set the fish down, panting, and worked on getting his breath back before heading back to the den. Finally Kar managed to come back to the den. He was drenched with water that hadn't yet had the chance to dry on his coat. He set the fish down for Zanire and nudged it toward her before laying down. "Should be a good meal. He was a strong fish... had a hard time getting him to the bank." Speech, Thought

Zanire would watch the boy silently as he slid out of her grasp, an ear twitching as he told her to leave the snack up to him. Within seconds the male was gone, off looking for a snack. While he was gone the woman would roll onto her back, bringing both paws up to rub at her face then folding them against her chest as she yawned once again. Head would turn to the side, eyes closing as she took in a deep breath. The den was very comfy, and even though it was Winter the size kept a good amount of the two's heat inside, a stable toasty warmth.

Not paying attention to how long Kar took, the bear would lazily roll onto her side when the sound of snow crunching beneath paws reached her ears. Violet orbs watched as the boy came up to the den, a large fish held firmly in his jaws. All the woman could do was shake her head with a low chuckle at seeing the drenched boy, her gaze going down to the fish as he nudged it towards her and commented on how it was a strong fish that gave him a hard time on the bank. "You silly." She would grin, bringing a large paw forward, her claws going along the fish's spine and pulling it over.

The beast would dig into the meal, peeling back the flesh the biting out chunks of meat. Zanire would not eat all of it though, she had spent the summer and fall bulking up so she didn't really need much food at the moment. When she finally finished she had eaten about half the fish before pushing it towards Kar. "Dry fast or you get sick." She would give him a serious look and tone before motioning to the fish. "You eat rest, me full already." With a grunt the woman would roll onto her back, a paw to her side and the other slowly rubbing her large belly.


"normal.
talk.
think.
you."

Kar chuckled softly as Zanire pulled the fish over, curling up as he shivered a bit. He didn't like the thought of being wet in winter, but at least the den was warm. The wolf closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of Zanire eating. It was a soothing sound to the brute. His ears twitched his ears, opening one eye to glance over at Zanire now and then. Sometimes Kar wondered to himself if he was more of a bear than a wolf at this point. Either way the brute knew that he was happy with how his life was. Not that he didn't miss the old Wind Clan lands. Kar lifted his head as he heard the half-eaten fish being pushed in his direction. "As long as I stay in this cozy little oven I'll be dry again in no time." Kar looked to the fish and moved it closer, tearing off a piece of meat and swallowing it. Though he was hungry, he wasn't going to take the time to finish it now. No. Spending time with Zanire while she was awake was much more important to the brute. Kar got up and turned to Zanire, laying so close to her that their fur brushed against each other. "I'm glad that you're up again, at least for a little while." The gray brute gave a loving nuzzle to her side. "I gotta wonder, if I ever have pups, how many of them are going to think they're bears like you." Happiness danced in Kar's eyes. He knew that even if he found a mate she would have to both be accepting of Zanire and vice versa. Zanire was family, and that would never change. Speech, Thought

She would smirk at the boys remark about getting dry, the den was pretty warm because of her mass, so he did have a good point. Either way, Zanire would have preferred that he dry up anyway just in case. What if he ended up getting sick? She didn't know how to treat an ill being, could the tactics used for her kind be used on his?

The feeling of a form at her side, brushing against her would make the woman turn her head and look down at the boy with violet orbs and a small smile. His voice, his words would warm the beasts heart, especially when he nuzzled her. Yes, so was she. Zanire had missed the boy when she went into early hibernation. Her days in deep sleep were mostly filled with darkness each year, unable to have dreams... but this time, she had Kar waiting, so couldn't stop thinking about him. Her sleep was filled with images of the two traveling, meeting others, both good and bad wolves, even a few of her own kind. It was very nice, soothing, even if she knew it was just a dream.

The male's voice would bring Zanire out of her thoughts, an ear twitching. He brought up pups, if he ever had them would they think they were bears like her? The thought brought a low rumbling chuckle from the woman, rolling over onto her side, a large paw laying playfully on the boy's face. ?Little bear cubs instead of wolf ones, will be funny to see.? She grinned, finding the thought rather amusing. ?Maybe I take dem!? Lips would lift to show her fags in a playful manner, giving the boy a gentle shove.


"normal.
talk.
think.
you."

Kar let out a happy chuckle as Zanire laid her paw on his face. Despite her size her movements with him were always gentle. The idea of little wolf pups following Zanire around was rather cute. He rocked with the shove, twitching his ears happily. "I don't think I'd mind too much. We'd still all be together after all." His own playful smile came onto his face. "So take them if you want, that is, if you think you could keep up with having a litter of little ones following you around." His words had a teasing tone. Speech, Thought

She would pull her paw away when the boy rocked from her shove, the grin still there as she watched him, listening to him explain he wouldn't mind too much and that they would still be together. That was very true, and something that made Zanire very happy. However, with his next comment on taking the pups and having them follow her around, suddenly brought something to her face... was it sadness?

For some reason, through all this time, though she tried not to forget really hard, the thought of Lunaire popped into her head. Head would go back, gaze looking to the wall of their den, the happiness melting from her face. Lunaire, the boy she had promised to protect, to look after... gone. After the volcano she had promised her friends she would take care of their child as though he was her own, replacing their sibling status to a mother and son one. It has been a long time since their separation, and now thinking about it brought a pain to her heart.

"Following..." She would mumble silently, eyes closing with a soft sigh. Oh how she wished she had a child following her around again, but mostly her brother, her son... like the old days.


"normal.
talk.
think.
you."

As the happiness ran away from Zanire's face the boy would lower his ears, a worried look on his face. He had never, in all his time with Zanire, seen such a look upon her face. The sigh that escaped his companion made Kar's heart sink. What memory had he stirred into her mind? Something of loss... he knew the feeling of loss. He thought of his friends, Prince Kino and Grantiare. His sister. His mother. The brute pushed those memories from his mind. It wouldn't do him any good to get lost in memories of the past... especially when Zanire needed to be distracted from her sadness. Kar gently nuzzled Zanire's side, a soft whine coming from him. "Zanire?" Kar's green orbs shifted to her face. He searched for something, anything to distract her mind. He forced a small smile, giving her a second, more loving nuzzle. "We sure have a lot of things to do once winter is over, don't we? You know... I've been thinking of something..." Well really he had just thought of it now... but at least it was something. "Why don't we travel to some of the packs in the spring? We might be able to gain some useful knowledge about what's going on in Alacritia... and maybe meet some more friends as well." Speech, Thought

A touch to the side and soft whine would break Zanire's thoughts, giving a small shake of her head, gaze focusing on Kar who whispered her name. Her brows would come together, upset that she let such a sad look come to her face in front of her companion, worrying him. The woman would lean over and nuzzle him, giving a soft kiss on his cheek. As he spoke her head would tilt to the side, the memories already fading away from her mind. He brought up how they had a lot of things to do once winter was over... and he was thinking about them possibly traveling to some of the packs in Spring, gain some useful knowledge about what was going on in Alacritia, and maybe meet some more friends. She would remain silent, just gazing into the pools of green with her own violet. Abandon their travels to check out the packs and make friends... it sounded nice but she couldn't help but wonder if Kar knew of how dangerous some wolves could be. How easily they could take your life's work away, break up your family... like what happened with Gargoyle and his pack, his family. With a sigh the woman would lay back down on her back, gaze looking to the den's ceiling. "Not all wolves friendly Kar... some will break you family up..." She would turn her head to look at him, not wanting to think about the pain her heart would go through if something were to happen to the male. "We can try though... when Spring come, when I wake up... we go." She would smile, it would be good to find information on what was going on around the lands, they would know where to go for abundant food, where to avoid bad areas, watch out for certain trouble makers, know of where they could go to if they ever needed help. She just hoped it went well, that nothing bad happen. "normal. talk. think. you" Awesome image made by Clash. <3

Kar would frown as Zanire spoke. Though he knew this to be true, he couldn't have helped feeling that maybe Alacritia might be different. He lowered his gaze for a moment, looking to his paws. At times Kar could still be very naive. He was just curious though, having not been in a pack for so long, what the ones here in Alacritia were like. Maybe it was too dangerous though. But Zanire spoke again, trying to boost his spirit a bit about it. They would try. His green orbs would lift up to Zanire again. The smile she had on her face warmed his heart, gave him courage. Even if some of the packs were not so good... they didn't need to pass over pack boarders. They could learn stuff from a passerby... hopefully. "It sounds like a plan then." The male would settle down again, his mind working. The information would be very useful to know, even if they might have to take some risks in learning. Kar snuggled down next to Zanire, a gentle look in his eyes. He knew even if they ran into trouble they would do their best to help each other. To defend each other and make sure that everything would be alright. "We will be cautious about it though, I promise you. I don't want to take any unnecessary risks." He would turn back to the fish, taking a bite. He would then look back at Zanire, swallowing before he spoke again. "So where do you think we should begin?" Speech, Thought

end next post?

She would listen to the male, her gaze looking to the den wall as he snuggled up beside her. He talked about being cautious, not wanting to take any unnecessary risks, asking where they should begin. Zanire would close her eyes to think, Winter was already upon them and once she woke up it would be spring. That meant they could spend all that spring and other seasons to check out the other packs, gather enough information. Once Winter came around again and she went ito hibernation, Kar would have enough time to think over all the packs and decide which seemed suitable fr the two, and when she woke up she would give her input and then they could decide.

"We start here in West, den we go south, east and back to the north." She would yawn, a large paw moving up and rubbing at her face. "When winter come again, you think when I sleep, when I wake up we talk and decide what to do." The bear would roll onto her side, limb pulling Kar in close against her warm body, eyes slowly closing. "Sound good?"


"normal.
talk.
think.
you."

Kar would listen to his friend's words, pondering over their route. It would lead them basically in a circle, which was probably the best tactic to go with. Kar saw no faults in the plan, and as Zanire pulled him in close the wolf would snuggle next to his companion, allowing his eyes to close as well. "The plan sounds perfect, Zanire. We'll figure this out, together..." Kar would let out a yawn as well, snuggling closer to the bear. They were quite a pair... and forever inseparable. The smaller of the two beasts would drift of, and though he knew pretty soon he would be alone for the remainder of winter he couldn't help but feel excited and giddy at the thought of what would happen when spring came. Speech, Thought

-End Thread.-