Standing By
It was summer now, which meant that it was hot and sunny like all the time. He didn't know if he liked it as much as the cold north, but since it was his first summer ever it wasn't as strange to him as it was to his mother. With it being summer it also meant that he would be a year old next season. Although if you looked at the nine month old it would be hard to guess he was so young. He had just gone through another growth spurt, finally putting him at his full forty-two inches of height, but he hadn't quite grown into his height yet. His legs and frame were still thin and awkward, the slenderness barely hidden by his thick slate-blue coat. The sun beat down on his back and he panted lightly, silently wishing he and a light colored coat like Momma Amalia. He found one of the larger trees in the area and quickly got under its shade, sighing with relief and gratefully sitting at the base of this tree. It wasn't till then that he let his two-toned gaze look around him a bit and see the the forest that he was in. Most of the trees were a lot smaller than the trees he was used to back home- no. That wasn't home any more. He sighed, his shoulders sagging a little bit. He had to stop thinking of the north as home! The Mangroves and Hot Springs were his home now. It was just so hard to wrap his head around, but being there made Amalia happy and he wanted his little mother to be happy. |
Honestly, Summer wasn't her favorite time of year. Of course she loved all the life and nature that blossomed around her...but, really. Did it have to be this hot? Winter was so much better. Plus, it brought back amazing memories of her mother and father. Garthinaw, a big bear-sized daddy who looked a lot like her. Had an amazing personality...and Song, her small, yet loving and gentle mother. They both left to go to their original home...far away from here. She missed them, but she was happy they were enjoying themselves. Now Arivae was on her own for a while. She planned to join a pack once she was older...but for now, the world awaited her. She wanted to venture out and explore places! Starting with...the place that she had visited countless times. Leaves crunched softly beneath her paws as she hobbled through the brightly-colored forest, slumping forward lazily. She was pretty tired...especially with this heat baking her dry. Her tongue lolled from her mouth, ears falling back against her head. But before she passed out, she trotted to the cooling shade of a nearby tree, falling to her stomach and resting her chin along her crossed ankles. After a few minutes, she had managed to cool down a bit. To the point where she wasn't panting with exhaustion. It was then that she realized she was not alone here...her eyes flew open, slits narrowing and ears pining forward. Her legs slowly pushed herself up and she carefully began to glance around. When she spotted a large grey and white blob sitting beneath a tree. A weak smile blossomed across her face, her knees bending a bit to look like less of a potential threat to him. She knew well that some strangers out there were very touchy and got offended over the smallest of instances. But this guy didn't look too dangerous...? "Hello...!" She greeted, getting a little closer, though staying low. "It seems we are both getting a bit of the heat today." She stated with a friendly smile, tail wagging gently behind her. |
While he rested and caught his breath in the cooling shade, his attention got caught by a new scent and the sound of pawsteps and panting. His ears perked forward and he lifted his head toward the sound and scent, spotting a small black woman hurrying toward the shade of the next tree over from his. She seemed completely oblivious to his presence at first, but he didn't really blame her. If his coat was as dark as hers then he would probably be pretty oblivious in this heat too. He watched her for several moments, his two-toned gaze curious. He felt like maybe he should say something... but at the same time he didn't want to bother her since she looked so tired all flopped out under the tree like that... Luckily he didn't have to awkwardly ponder it any more since her bright blue eyes snapped open and her gaze fell on him, apparently suddenly aware of him being there. His ears flicked back shyly, suddenly feeling even more awkward now that she had caught him staring. She didn't seem to mind though so he turned his ears back toward her so he could hear her words as she said them. He smiled back at her, his thick tail thumping against the ground happily at the sight of a friendly face. She seemed to be very cautious, but that was pretty understandable. Some wolves could be pretty mean to strangers. He wasn't one of them though! He chuckled at her comment about the heat and he nodded, adding, "I'm just glad I found this shade! I thought for sure I was going to turn into dust!" He grinned happily, but he didn't move to get up. "You can share my tree with me if you want. I don't bite." "" |
Arivae felt herself relaxing as the boy began to smile, his tail thumping against the ground lightly. Judging by this, he seemed fine with her being around. Thank goodness...she wasn't exactly in the condition to run from some lone, stubborn bum. Plus, he looked like he was around her age! Some company in this heat wouldn't hurt! "I thought for sure I was going to turn into dust!" He stated after she spoke, his gentle gaze relaxing her a bit more. But after that comment she let out a little laugh. She definitely knew how that felt...being in this heat with dark fur...it was horrible! Luckily for him, he had lighter fur than she did. But it was still unfortunate for them all, she could understand that. After inviting her to join him beneath the tree, Arivae sat up and moved over to him, seating herself beside him and eventually lying down with her forearms crossed. "Thank you very much." She said quietly, her soft blue gaze turning up to him. As far as friends went...Arivae didn't have many. Of course she had Dhiren and that one woman...Odette, was it? Either way, those two were much older than her. She looked up to them a bit too much for them to be like friends. There was also her cousin that she met once, Aslan. But he was family. Plus, Aslan was probably far away from here, with his mother and siblings. So this boy...she was happy to be trusted enough to sit near him like this. They literally just met...but things would hopefully process. "I'm Arivae. It's nice to meet such a friendly guy out here." She chuckled, her neck craning up to look at him. Speaking of which...this stranger has those pretty mismatched eyes. They look kind of like her mother's eyes. And plus...those facial markings...this wasn't another Destruction, was it?! Arivae winced at the thought, her tail slowing to a stop and her gaze turning away from the boy. Eck...it'd be nice to meet some more family, but...she wanted to meet some others that were different from her. Like Odette was! |
He smiled happily when she accepted his offer and came over to lay down by him, sitting so daintily compared to his own lounging position. It was hard to sit so neatly when one had as much leg as he had to deal with. She looked so dainty and compact in his eyes... and pretty, very very pretty. He had never seen anyone with eyes as bright a blue as hers. He and all his siblings had red or green eyes in some combination like their parents. Momma Amalia had blue eyes, but they were a darker blue. "I'm Tiburtius. It's nice to meet you, Arivae," he replied politely, knowing his mothers would be so angry at him if he didn't use his manners, especially with such a nice girl. He smiled happily and was about to ask if she was from around here when all the sudden she made a weird face and her tail stopped wagging and she looked away from him. His smile dropped into a frown and his ears flicked back against his skull. What did he do? He craned his neck down and gently nudged at her shoulder with his nose, his two-toned gaze peering at her sadly. "What's wrong? Did I do something? I didn't mean to make you sad if I did." |
Arivae really didn't have much of an eye for boys. Or...for romance, honestly. Romance was quite a mystery to her. Dhiren was handsome, but he was family. She didn't have any crush on him or anything silly like that. The same way with Aslan! He was nice-looking...but they were friends! Nothing like...potential love interests. And considering she was demisexual, things like mating and making love were practically transparent to her. It all seemed like some distant mystery that she refused to figure out for herself. And besides...she wasn't interested in that type of stuff. But...Tiburtius was pretty nice looking. She admired his grey-blue fur, and his mismatched eyes, red and green. But she found his sweet, gentle personality more attractive than his looks, to be completely honest. Ah, but why worry about her feelings toward him, when there was a risk of him being another family member of hers? Arivae sighed and turned to him after he introduced himself. But instead of seeing his gentle, comforting smile, there was a straight face of cold concern. His ears were pulled back to his head, and he was frowning, obviously worried. "Did I do something wrong?" His kindness made her heart throb, her bright blue eyes turning away from him. Why did he have to be...so nice?! She'd never met a guy so nice! Arivae frowned and shook her head, sending him a weak smile. "No, no...it's not you." She muttered, ears falling back against her head as she relaxed her chin on her forelimbs. Would she be able to tell him the real reason she felt troubled? The young lady shifted in the leaves a bit, her tail curling beside her slowly. "I just..." She paused and shut her eyes. "I'm worried you are part of my family. As stupid as this sounds, I really want a friend who isn't related to me." She finally admitted, her muscles relaxing a bit. Arivae highly doubted he was a Destruction...especially since he mentioned his name, Tiburtius. Tiburtius didn't sound like a Destruction name. Although, Arivae didn't either. So there was a possibility...ah, but she probably sounded ridiculous now. Maybe he'd bail on her...because she was acting so silly. The dame turned her head away and fought back the urge to cry, her teeth gritting together. Of course, in general, it was quite surprising to even think about crying over something so minor. But...Arivae was very innocent and still pretty childish. She couldn't help but feel nervous! |
When Arivae explained what was troubling her his brows pulled together with thought. Related? He had never met anyone that he was related to anywhere but the north and he was pretty sure he had met most if not all of his family... I knew his grandfather had a lot of pups, but she couldn't be one of his children, could she? She looked away from him and his ears folded back. He could understand wanting friends that weren't related to him. When he was back in the pack up north pretty much everyone was related to him in some way or another. It took quite a while for him to meet someone that wasn't related to him. Well, besides Amalia, but she didn't count cause she was Mother's wife. He leaned over and gently nudged her cheek with his nose, hoping to get her to look back at him again. "I don't think we are," he replied with a small smile. "I've met pretty much all of my family I think and I definately haven't met you before." He chuckled softly, his ears lifting from his skull as his expression softened into a relaxed smile once more. "But, just to be sure, let's start over, okay? I'm Tiburtius Armada, it's nice to meet you." He grinned a little, waiting for her to reintroduce herself as well. |
"I don't think we are." He said casually after nudging her cheek gently. Arivae perked her ears and slowly turned to gaze at him, her innocent eyes that glistened with tears locking with his. She rolled her shoulders forward and nodded slowly, sucking in a deep breath and allowing herself to relax just a bit, with the help of his sweet reassurance. Her family, all the Destructions, littered the land of Alacritia. Usually they all gathered in Threar and Abaven. But...she didn't know! They could literally be anywhere! This is why she worries so much...over the simplest of problems. "But, just to be sure, let's start over, okay? I'm Tiburtius Armada, it's nice to meet you." He said kindly, his gentle grin forcing a weak smile upon her lips. Arivae relaxed her ears and sucked in another deep breath, laughing quietly. Armada. So they weren't related. Well...that was quite a relief. She's never heard of an Armada before! Just...Destructions! She turned to him with a wider smile, reintroducing herself as he did. "My name is Arivae...Destruction." She responded softly, her eyes ridding themselves of the tears that once lingered. Her tail continued to pat gently against the ground. Hehe...she felt a little ridiculous. She made such a big deal over nothing! How awkward...she giggled at her own silliness and lowered her chin down between her ankles, releasing a bit of air that she kept trapped up in her lungs from the anxiety. "You were right...I guess we aren't related." She stared ahead aimlessly, searching for something to rest her eyes upon. Instead, they landed on a small pile of fallen pink flower petals, which...even though they weren't as pretty as the ones of the trees, they were still interesting. She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. "So...tell me a little about yourself, Mr. Tiburtius." She hummed playfully, her eyes finally moving up to him. She smiled sweetly. "That is, if you don't mind sharing with me!" |
Tiburtius smiled when he saw that he had relieved some of Arivae's fears of them being related. Destruction. He thought he had heard the name somewhere... but he wasn't sure where. Maybe it was just heard in passing or in conversation sometime. His mothers did talk about a lot of stuff and the members of Fiori were pretty varied so who knew. He watched her rest her head on the ground and stare out at the things around them. He tried to let his gaze wander as well, but she was the most interesting thing around so his two-toned gaze kept ending up back on her. He at least tried to keep it to quick glances. He didn't want to be the weirdo that stared at wolves after all. She spoke again and then his gaze would really settle back on her. He was never one to not give his undivided attention to whoever he was talking to. Her pretty blue eyes found his again and he smiled a little. "I don't mind at all," he replied with a little chuckle. "Well, I live in Fiori with my mothers and three brothers. We used to live up in the north because my mom was an alpha up there before she had us and then she gave the pack to one of her sisters and then her sister died so we moved down to Fiori so my other momma could live with her mom." He chuckled a little at his short life story. It sounded really confusing when he said it out loud. "I like to hunt and spar. I'm not too good at the whole healing thing. Well, not as good as Momma Ama anyway. She's really good at that stuff." He smiled and leaned his head down to rest it on his paws so that their gazes were even again. "What about you? As long as you don't mind sharing that is." |
"I don't mind at all," Arivae grinned weakly and stared up at him, listening as he began to list some things about himself. He said he currently lived a pack, named Fiori, with his family. Three brothers and two mothers...hm. It sounded like a quite a cozy little family over there. He explained how he got to Fiori, then moved along to his own personal strengths and weaknesses. This made her laugh a bit. "I'm not good at the whole healing thing." Song, as far as she could remember, practically had magic paws when it came to healing. She always felt safe around her, considering this. "Your mother sounds lovely. I hope I can meet her someday." She laughed, tail thumping at the ground. "What about you?" Arivae lifted her head and stared at him for a moment, caught in his mismatched gaze. But soon enough, she turned and giggled. "Sure, why not?" Where would she start...? Not much has happened through her short life, really. "Well, at the moment I'm just a loner. But I originally came from a pack called Sawtooth, which was kind of claimed by some other woman. Jupiter, I think was her name." She began, lowering her head between her paws yet again. "I was born a single child, by two amazing wolves that I absolutely adored. But they left about a year after I was born, and I regret not going with them." She sighed. "At the moment, I'm pretty unsure of what I'm good at. Maybe someday I'll seek it out." She giggled, turning her gentle gaze back to him and smiling warmly. "My life isn't super-duper interesting like yours. But it will help us get to know eachother, at the very least." She laughed, tail patting at the ground. |
Tiburtius happily listened while Arivae started talking about herself. A loner, hm? He had never really experienced life out of a pack. They had only been loners for a week or so before his mothers moved them to Fiori to live with Amalia's mother. However, when he heard the name of the woman that had taken her old pack he blinked with recognition... He remembered the name from grandma Pip's meeting when they first arrived in Fiori. Jupiter had been the alpha of the pack he lived in now before she took over... He frowned a little when he learned she didn't even have family here to live with. He couldn't imagine not being with his brothers and mothers. Her laugh made him smile again though. At least she still seemed to be in good spirits despite all of that. She was nice, pretty, friendly... He definitely enjoyed being around her. He was happy that the wolf he had run into on one of his first adventures out of the pack had given him such a good first impression. "Definitely," he agreed, his tail wagging against the ground as well. After a few moments he added, "You know... you could come live with my family if you wanted to." He smiled happily at the thought. "I know my moms will like you a lot and I'd like having another friend in Fiori with me." |
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