Salamander was getting bored with the den, getting sick of dealing with his sister's teasing and his brother's bossiness. Today was one of his good days, he wanted to get out of the den and explore, to have some fun that would not be interrupted by his siblings. That was why he snuck out while mother was gone with father and his siblings were asleep.

He bounded through the forest, violet orbs looking up to the sky, sweeping back and forth between the trees and just watching the clouds roll by. Today it was sunny but because of the weather changing and winter around the corner there was a chill to the air, sending a shiver across the pups body.

It was surprising, he had thought somebody would have noticed him leavig the den, especially Amenti lands. In the back of his head he knew he was being bad, that he shouldn't be going so far from home, but he couldn't help it! He wanted to explore! See what was out there! The other half just wanted to get away from mother and the plants she was feeding him, making him feel all weird.

He wasn't going to let those thought bring him down though, not today! Instead of thinking about it he ran along the rocky beach of a lake, little paws splashing up water, his laugh echoing around the ring. He would run along the water as it lapped at the shore, then chase after it as it receded, and when it came back he would squeak with joy as he ran away.



"normal.
talk.
think.
you."

It was about time that Azalea got out of Dodge. Valhalla was in a rough patch. Her father had handed down his post but to who she did not really know. Epiphron would make a grand alpha one day but she was not quite two years old yet and by most all standards that was too young to lead. Cairo had been the one to officially appoint her aunt a helping hand but even Cairo seemed to doubt the survival of their pack. Azalea was not even a year old, she couldn't possibly manage to comprehend all the politics of the pack, any pack. It was beyond her to wonder what might happen if Valhalla continued downhill like it was. Currently the pack was a boulder, rolling slowly down a slight incline... but what if that incline steepened? The young female finally paid attention to where she was going. Water sloshed against a bank somewhere through the thick undergrowth. She stepped through the foliage, determined to find it. Her tongue was like sandpaper, dry and heavy in her mouth. She needed a drink. A hind paw got caught in the tendrils of some odd bush causing her to stumble out into the open. The petite gal flopped to the waters edge where she lay with her front legs curled under her, lapping at the cool liquid as though she hadn't had a drink in days. A shrill call made her jump, her body jolting in a way that made her heart ache. Eyes flashed to her right to see a tiny figure playing in the shallows. A wolf, younger than her. He was a mixture of shades from a mild grey to a coal color. That was all the detail she could see from this distance. She pushed to her paws, making a ruckus as she did. He would know she was here. Her head hung low, eyeing him. She was not afraid, but weary. He was young enough that an approach was a real gamble. He could have the wrong kind of company with him. She held her ground, alert, and waited for him to make a move or for more wolves to appear. Speech,

Salamander ran back and forth along the shore, squealing in delight as the cold water tickled his paws, oblivious to the presence of another being not far from him. One good jump and he landed chest high in the water, a shiver running down his whole body as the cold droplets raced across his face. This moment was broken though when he heard something, an ear swiveled to the side, his head quickly following. Violet orbs fell upon a wolf, not an adult but not a pup like him.

Hi thre, you wanna play too? He barked, tail wagging behind him. Violt orbs ran over the light colored girl, her face a different color, red? Whatever color it as it made her pretty, and this caused his lips to pull back and up in a toothy grin.

I'm Salamander! What's your name? He turned his whole body now, bounding out of the water in a few hops till he was fully on land. He had taken a few steps towards the female, tail still wagging, but flinging water here and there.



"normal.
talk.
think.
you."

As she leered at the child, there was a moment of calm. Then the dark wolf heard her, his head wheeling around to see her. The expression on his face was a frozen form of the joy he had been feeling before. He didn't even hesitate in what he was doing. "Hi there, you wanna play too?" She smiled, unable to feel threatened by him now. He was just an innocent pup looking to play. Still she had to wonder where his family was. At nearly a year old, it was still debatable if she should be allowed out of Valhalla alone. Still she let it be for now, worried that being so forward would scare him off. Her tail raised, wagging lightly and she nodded to him. He grinned at her, filling her with puppy energy. She romped over to him, as she draw near her rump went into the air and her front paws slapped the ground. To any puppy it was an open invitation. Play! "I'm Salamander! What's your name?" He asked, trudging from the lake with water pouring from him. "Azalea!" She sprang at him playfully, mouth open wide. Tenderly she groped at his legs, not biting but grabbing. She sprang away from him, twisting to face him where she froze, tongue lulling. "I'm from Valhalla, where are you from?" Speech,

He stood there waiting for the girl to answer him, it would be better to have another person to play with, it made the fun like one hundred times better. His tail wagged like mad behind him, paws kneading the ground, excitement rushing through his body. Violet orbs glanced over at her tail that had gone up and began to wag, his tongue lolling out the side of his jaws. He had jumped when she bounded forward and slapped her paws to the ground, her rump up in the air.

The pup instantly copied her, the front half of his body dropping to the ground with a bark, rear up in the air with his wagging tail. It was then that she finally gave her name, Azalea, before springing at him, groping his legs then springing away. The boy quickly jumped back with a yip, twisting around to reface her just as she asked where he was from. Mother says stuff about Amenti a lot, So I think I am from there.

With that the boy lunged at the girl, a playful growl escaping his lips as he ran right past her, nipping at her tail before bounding off towards the water. You can't catch me! He laughed, little paws marching him right into the water till it was midway up his legs, running along the shore.



"normal.
talk.
think.
you."

The boy's reaction to her was gleeful. Within seconds he was mirroring her behavior with his rump in the air. To wolves it was the universal signal to play. She jolted toward him grabbing at his legs with delicate precision. "Mother says stuff about Amenti a lot, So I think I am from there." She tilted her head to the side, her right ear drew back as she tried to make sense of that. If he didn't know for certain what pack he was from, then perhaps he was a Rogue? His mother could have been left Amenti at some point in her life? She shook it off. It wasn't her place to know the reasoning behind the child's answer. He seemed happy and healthy and so long as he was not skin and bones she would assume he was being well looked after. Salamander would allow her to think no longer anyway, growling as he barreled by her. His puppy teeth grabbed at her tail making her jump with the shock of pain. Puppy teeth were razor sharp, if only puppies would realize that! "You can't catch me!" He howled, running through the water. Unfortunately for him Azalea had the advantage here and he only helped her out by choosing the water to run in. The drag created slowed him down in his efforts to evade her grasp. Azalea let him have a head start before bounding after him. She zig-zagged in and out of the water before running past him only to whirl around. When she was facing him Az romped toward him, legs flying wildly. "Try again!" She called, delighted. It had been forever since she had acted like the puppy she truly was. With one brother missing and the other of exploring Alacritia, Azalea was left to her own devices and she didn't have very many age mates. Speech,

Salamander knew the girl was bigger than him but he did not care, all the pup cared about was having fun!

His legs worked hard to push him through the water, having to hop every few steps, splashing water everywhere. His lips were pulled back in a large grin, tongue hanging out the side of his jaws. Sal thought he got far, that Azalea was far behind him or scared of water. But just as he thought that the girl came running in front of him, turned and came right back at him.

Ah! Monster! Stay away! He barked, body twisting and turning but he was in such a rush that he tripped over his own legs and fell. Luckily he was in the shallow end, his body twisting so he landed on his back, head above the water. Take this! And that! He yipped while still laying there, legs kicking at the air, trying to swipe at the girl.



"normal.
talk.
think.
you."