There's No Place Like Home [Open]

[Amalthea]

Amalthea the Innocent

The slender beast paused upon slender limbs, her pelt, a beautiful intermingling of wonderful hues of creams, silvers and tans, was covered in a thin layer of dirt from when she had been resting upon the earth moments before. Her eyes, oddly bright, were a yellow with a joyous, light hearted gleam to them. Her ears, rusty red in color, were perked atop her skull, listening closely for any sounds that might otherwise alert her to potential danger nearing her. Lean muscles worked beneath her silky coat, like the parts of a well oiled machine, moving her along over the earth with grace and speed. It was clear that the female was still in her youth, her steps light, and her expression joyful and somewhat oblivious to life in general. She carried herself with a sense of pride, taking great care in her appearance and hygiene; her head held eye and tail lifted slightly, wavering slightly when a gust of wind caught it. The young female paused, allowing her gaze to drift upwards, eyes widening in awe at the looming trees. It was far different then her homeland and she found it hard to get use to it.

The young female had come from flat, seemingly never ending plains, lush green grasses carpeting the flats and gently rolling hills in the spring and summer, while turning to gold in autumn and winter. Every now and then snow would fall, but it was never too much of a problem for the animals there. There was an amazing selection of game ranging from small creatures like ground squirrels and plump hares to sturdy bucks or great looming buffalo. A buffalo was a rare treat—usually taken down when it was weak or a large back was behind the attack. Trees were scarce and the few that speckled the plains were small and scraggly, but she had loved the place—the weather never growing to hot or cold. She found the forests to be unbelievingly frightening, the trees were far too tall and it kept the light of the sun out. And there was no room too just run and she found it to be rather depressing. Sighing softly, the young female moved on, settling into a comfortable lope so as not to over extend her muscles. She would hate to be caught in a dangerous situation and have her legs cramp up on her.

The female, Amalthea, paused once again, the distant sound of running water drifting to her ears; the one thing that she recognized. As she continued on, drawing ever so closer to the water, the wonderful, refreshing scent reached her nose. Her throat felt suddenly dry, a soft whine escaping through slightly parted jaws. It seemed that no matter how fast she traveled, she couldn’t get to it fast enough. The crowding trees and shrubs kept her speed in check, not allowing her to sprint or run (she was frightened of running into something), and she was growing increasingly frustrated. Jaws parting forwards, her tongue lolled forth, sides heaving in heavy pants. It wasn’t out of over exertion that she was breathing heavy, but because of the extreme anxiety that had settled over her from the change in surroundings. The forest was far to overbearing and closed in for her liking. Yipping nervously, she attempted to lengthen her strides, suddenly bursting forth from the trees into a small clearing. Stopping, Mal twisted her head left and right, bright eyes wide in amazement. It was as if the Gods had seen her plight and granted her wishes.

Ahead, several yards from the tree line, snaked the thing she had been so badly searching for. A river. Yelping with excitement, she sprang forwards, closing the gap between her and the edge in a few long strides. She did not hesitate at the edge, but waded in several steps, lowering her muzzle to the surface and lapping gratefully. The water was cool, crisp and refreshing—easing the dryness in her throat that had suddenly appeared. Feeling once again comfortable and calm, Amalthea turned from the water and stepped once again back upon the shore. Here, she stared back at the trees, eyeing them unhappily and wishing that she didn’t have to return to the darkness of the forest. Perhaps there was a way to skirt around them and avoid it all together. It would be a blessing, but she doubted it was possible. Apparently, her luck was not that great.

Snorting slightly, she strolled away from the river and settled herself at the base of one of the trees, situating herself so that she faced the water, luscious tail curling lightly over her hind paws, her front paws crossed ever so slightly. Here she would remain until she figured out another option. She was not about to wander back into the forest. There were horrible beasts that lurked in the darkness—creatures that could no doubt devour her in a single bite. Shivering slightly, she lowered her slender head upon her small paws. “I miss my home…

[Monster]

There is was, the perfect catch. A medium sized rabbit, brown fur, feasting away upon the blooming berries upon the bushes. Silver oculars locked upon the creature with hunger, his black nose wrinkling with anticipation. With each large paw step the anticipation within the large young varg grew to an almost unimaginable amount, making him itch all over. As his mouth salivated, a soft breeze blew past the ebon and ruby male‘s nose, along with pollen particles. Monster shook his head, his eyes watering at the irritating particles. "Ahh-choo!" came an echoing noise throughout the line of trees. Monster’s large yet empty ruby red stomach growled hungrily as he watched his lunch hop off into the foliage. Monster grunted, his haunches collapsing with a thud on the ground below, his head dipped in disappointment.

The days may have becoming warmer, brining out colours to paint the meadows and a perfume to fill the forest with a lively scent- but it wasn’t all beautiful to vargs like Monster. Instead, the warmer days brought the obese male to several sneezing fits and attacks of itchy skin. On top of that, his eyes never seemed to stop watering.

Grunting again, the young varg picked himself off the ground, practically dragging him large paws across the ground and through the brush of the forest. It didn’t take him long to step up to the river banks, where he had originally seen the tasty- looking rabbit stealing a drink. Monster himself wading into the crystal clear river, looking down at his own refection before taking a drink. Over the season, Monster had grown some- he wasn’t just that small, chubby cub- but rather a large, thick adolescent. Monster had always been chubby, do to an insufficient thyroid gland- his metabolism was slower than a normal wolf’s. On the contrary, along with his thick, rough coat, thick short muzzle, and small, rounded audits- he looked more like some kind of dog than an actual wolf. However, it wasn’t just his structure that caused the mann odd looks, but rather his coat colour- a dark ebon colour, with ruby upon his belly, front digits, around his eyes and above his nose. Not to mention his chest, tail tip, and a mark on his left thigh that resembles a wolf paw print.

With the image in the river distorted by Monster’s large pink tongue, his thoughts of hunger were pushed in the back of his mind for the time being. Instead, Monster jumped into the water, swimming where his feet couldn’t touch, shaking his pelt happily as he waded. The varg laughed to himself, trying to pounce on the trout carried by the current and splashing noisily. Ever since Monty found a home and a kind of father to look up to, he had started to really come out of his shell, showing his willingness to play and how easily he could laugh.
Another easy breeze passed the mann’s nose, this time Monster wafted a different scent- one of a varg. Curiously, Monty looked up- his audits perked, catching the distant sound of splashing. However, just as quickly as it came, it left- as if the visitor ran into the water for a few moment, and ran back out again. Cocking his head, Monty stepped up on the bank, trotting along the treeline with his short fluffy tail waving behind him. Sure enough, the mann was able to catcher her scent, leading him into the thinner part of the forest, where he spied the rear end of a creamy coloured coat just visible from behind a tree. Still a little shy and afraid of spooking the varg into some kind of predatory stance, Monty just gave a playful bark. “Hello, Miss?”

[Amalthea]

Amalthea the Innocent

The soft colored female had found her resting spot to be more then she had expected. On arrival, she had eyed the twisting mess of roots and expected them to be more than just uncomfortable. She had imagined herself shifting and tossing and scratching at insects that just had to be lurking there. She had settled herself down reluctantly and was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t feel the irritating bite of bugs or the painful jabbing of roots in her sides. In fact, they were so perfectly done that they created a sort of twisted bed for her. It appeared that forests offered one good thing after all. She still longed for the vast open plains where she could run without fear of colliding with a tree or shrub—there was though, dangers hidden within the tall grasses. Holes dug by ground squirrels or other earth dwelling creature was a horrible thing to run into—a wolf was likely to snap a leg. Shifting her strangely bright eyes towards the sky, she found herself missing home more and more—here the sky was obscured by tree tops and distant mountains—at home there was no such problem. It was just a never ending see of blue, splattered occasionally with a large fluffy cloud.

What reached the female first was the noise, drawing her attention from distant memories to the present with a start. She hunkered closer to the roots; ears flicked forwards trying desperately to make out the sounds betters. It was strange and at first, she found it difficult to place it, but then it hit her. Water. It sounded as though someone was splashing in the water. Lifting her head curiously, she attempted to peer further into the distance to make out whatever it was. It was impossible for there was nothing in range, but the wind swirled by, bringing with it the familiar scent of wolf. She wanted to stand and lope in the direction, eager to meet another—she was unused to being so alone and had grown terribly tired of it. However, her father’s deep voice suddenly boomed within her mind, his words terribly serious and his face grave. She had never seen him in such a state and knew whatever he would say would be something she would need to take to heart. ”Not all wolves are as welcoming and caring as we are. Watch yourself and you will survive. As her mind replayed that day, she settled herself closer to the tree, resting her narrow head on delicate paws, waiting.

Amalthea had no need to wait long. In fact, it was only a short period of time before the beast came lumbering into view. At first, she thought it wasn’t a wolf at all, but a small bear, perhaps. Fear gripped her heart and she felt every muscle tense. However, as the creature drew nearer, she could tell, that indeed, it was wolf, just uniquely designed. She had thought perhaps, he would simply pass by her, yet his silver eyes met her’s and she knew that she had been spotted. The male was not only strangely formed, but his coloration was startling. There was common black, which she had seen before—but startling ruby markings interested her. Not only that, but he was large. She heard him speak, but said nothing in return, staring unwaveringly at the male before her. At first, it appeared as though she had not heard him or perhaps she was deaf---or maybe she was simply ignoring his words, but finally, she took a soft breath and replied; her voice light and joyful.”Hello!” She rose gracefully, long legs carrying her forwards a few steps so that she could better see him. As she drew closer, she got the overwhelming sense that he was in no way a harm to her, infact, he appeared to be young in age.

”I’m sorry, I haven’t given you my name. I’m Amalthea. Or Mal…or Thea. Whichever you like. I’m from a place…well, that’s completely different then this place. Its flat and open and beautiful and I didn’t mean to startle you if I did. I was just resting because I really don’t want to go into the woods, they’re a little bit creepy.” It was all said in a single breath and rather fast, the tension she had been feeling having disappeared entirely. The serious words of her father were forgotten.

[Monster]

((sorry if Monster's speech is hard to understand- he's still getting over a nervous problem and has a kind of cubbish mind))

At first, the crème she-varg just stared at the male with no response. Monster leaned his body back a little concentrating his weight on his thick rear legs, as if to ready himself for a quick dart- not that there was anything quick about any “dart“ he tried to pull off. When he was a cub in his old pack, Monster learned quickly that if he turned and tucked his tail no one would bother in pursuing him, and the danger would pass. Most vargs were afraid of him- the man was quite used to being picked off and discarded as some sort of illness.
Monty seemed to hold his breath as the young slender fae took a couple quick graceful steps towards him, yet he held his ground. He didn‘t know what to expect, but was quite relieved to find this fae was no threat to him, and was not afraid of him. In fact, when she did speak up, her voice though soft was very uplifting- a pitch the varg was still getting used to being used towards him by strangers. Blinking, Monty stood up straight again, his short tail wagging slowly behind him.

Listening to her vocals, the he-varg replied almost instantly. “He-hello, Mal-” Monty began to stutter, a bit of his nervous self beginning to show now he was face to face with the she-varg. Using her name made Monty squirm unpleasantly inside, he usually didn’t use another’s first name, but rather their title- another old habit. He thought of it as common curtsy. “So- you didn’t come from- here?” Monster replied, looking around. He found it odd she didn’t think this place was beautiful- yet was intrigued there was a place even more so, somewhere in the world. To be honest, he would have never thought it possible.
“I-I peg your pardon, Miss, but- you say you come from a place more beautiful than this? I-I mean, I don’t know why you don’t think this place is pretty-” Monty stuttered without direction. Shaking his head and licking his ebon lips, the man pondered a little before speaking again.
“V-very sorry, Mi-miss; you must think I’m such an idiot. But- these woods- look closely, I don't think they're so creppy. I-I’ll help you, see?” Monster nodded to a bush on his right. It had small, oval leaf clusters with lime green buds just ready to emerge into the forest light . “I-It’s green, with life- you have nothing to fear of life,” he chuckled childishly.

For most of his life, the chubby varg had always been looking on a different side of life than most of his peers. He loved nature, loved to study and watch it- even if it didn’t always love him back. Monster was one of those who found beauty in just about everything natural to the earth. “I think the only thing you’d have to worry about- was if the forest were dead,” Monster stated, staring absentmindedly into the forest beyond.
“Oh! I-I’m sorry, I guess I should say, I mean- my name- It’s Monster. Or, erm, I’m called Monty a lot,” the large mann stuttered hurriedly. He still couldn’t get over his dubbing, even though it was just a mark of his past now. Well, more like an open wound. Shaking his head, Monster cocked his large chubby head, and finally rested upon his haunches comfortably. “But please- I’m curious, where are you headed to?”

[Amalthea]

ooc: Its no problem at all! I think its adorable. XDDD Forgive my horrible post and Mal's absentmindedness. She's got a bit of a bubbly personality--never down for long. XD


Amalthea the Innocent

Inhaling deeply, the lightly color female grinned at the young male before her, her tail swaying back and forth in a relaxed, easy rhythm. For as absent minded as she was, Amalthea saw the shift in weight and the sudden increase in tension in the air. The familiar sense of unease settled over her forcing her smile to change directions and distort her graceful features into a frown. She felt saddened by his reaction, however, her unhappy feelings were short-lived and she was rewarded by her greeting to the young brute by his change in posture—he straightened and saw the tension slack away, his strangely short tail nearly matching the rhythm of her own. His speech pattern drew a soft laugh from the female’s jaws, the sound soft and musical. She was in no way trying to be offensive or rude, but she found it adorable—having made several unrelated males from her pack behave in a similar way—though Monster’s reasons and the younger male’s reasons were far different.

Leaning closely, she allowed her bright yellow eyes to lock with the young male’s silver ones for a long moment, her expression becoming suddenly emotionless. Finally, she grinned again, her voice as light and as kind as ever. “You’re funny, Monty.”For a moment, Amalthea pondered his questions, her eyes drifting towards the treeline causing a slight shiver to ripple its way down her spine. Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head and turned her thoughtful gaze back to the oddly color male. “Yes, it is pretty, I suppose. But where I came from it was far prettier. And no, I didn’t come from here. Where I lived the land was empty of trees, except for a few little ones. But it had beautiful rolling hills and vast fields of grass. The rabbits grow fat and the deer large. You can see danger coming from a great ways off. Again, she paused, her expression becoming slightly saddened. “You could run forever without ever worrying about anything getting in your way. Though you do have to be careful of ground squirrel borrows. Step in one of those and you’re bound to be walking on three legs afterwards.”

Bright eyes shifted from the young male to other shrub he indicated—taking to heart his words. He was speaking the truth after all. It was green and alive and there was usually nothing to fear about life. But there was still a strange inkling in her gut about the forest. His last question left her stumped. Where was she headed? She hadn’t really thought of that before. She had fled her homelands with no destination in mind. She had managed to avoid forests for the most part—every now and then having to pass through sparse areas of trees. Those areas weren’t so bad because the sunlight was still clearly visible as she traveled. Here, however, there were merely splotches of light peeking through the trees and the closeness unsettled her. Shrugging her narrow shoulders, she turned her clueless gaze back to Monster. “I don’t know, really. I’ve just been wandering around. I was told to leave home and so I did. And now I’m here!” Amalthea grinned once again and shook her head, adding on more happily. “And you don’t sound like an idiot, Monty. Tell me, where are you from?

[Acantha]

OOC: Hope you two don’t mind that I join in! If you do just let me know and i'll be gone ^^

Basking in the sun of Fenris a small figure padded up the river. Spotted with brown, tan, and grey splotches everywhere, wearing a thin layer of dirt on her white underbelly. Soft brown hues devoured the light causing her pupils to dilate slightly. Still young she did not know any better to walk among the world alone. Limbs carried her swiftly across the path her ears pricked highly above her skull, almost seeming too big for her small head, listening to any sounds. After her little run-in with Baipure Acantha can’t take any chances with not be alert though she still carried herself like a small pup would.

Her head held up in a puppyish posture as her slim figure carried her across the dirt road slightly picking up dust that clung to her pelt. Spring had finally come and the gods blessing them with beautiful weather. Cold chills ran up the spine of the wolf as the wind rushed by. Disturbing and eerie was the sound it brought; high pitched howls as if all the wolves that had lost their lives on these very hills were crying out, warning curious wanderers to stay away.The chilling screams of the air’s current continued on, haunting all those who pressed their pads against the dull, lifeless stone. These hills belonged to the ever treacherous terrain of the mountains.

The hot and lovely heat of spring was starting to begin. No longer was the air filled with moisture and humidity, an uncomfortable sensation for any creature with fur. Now the breezes were cool and comforting and provided relief. But this was only the beginning of what was to soon come with the simple, sweet breezes. Rain and storms accompanied by hail and warm temperatures was just around the corner. Down below in the valleys and meadows, this sense was not yet present. Ah, the memories of her first winter. Months of starvation plagued the wolves. Those who could find food were lucky and those that couldn’t, well, they’re with the Gods now.

This Varg remembered last year’s frozen season. The most noble of hunters end up stealing and feeding on carrion, behaving like scavengers instead of predators. Winter was what transformed a wolf into a vulture. Most would conceal their demeaning strategy to survive. Others, like this wanderer, didn’t care who saw her eating what. Eating down ice-caked meat was better than dying a slow, agonizing death from not eating anything at all. Anything she could do to keep her belly full, she would do it.

Though this small half wolf half dog padded on escaping the memories. Acantha was a well feed femme despite her being this young and alone, though always looking for a new home. The breeze passed by carrying the scent of two other varg with it. The cream colored cub’s ears pricked to the sound of them. She could tell one was a she-wolf and the other a he-wolf. Maybe it was mama! She exclaimed in her mind. Her pace started up to a run as she trotted down the river’s edge. “Mama! Mama! Is that you Mama?!” She shouted running closer toward the sounds of the other Varg.

The forest green was contrasting against her creamy fur as she came closer to the voices. Her eyes widen as she stopped in the bushes to see two varg. Just like she thought a male and female but it wasn’t her mother. Acantha sighed heavily. Not wanting to be rude and interrupt the she-wolf-dog hesitantly stepped out in front of the two varg. Her eyes were lowered and her head also showing no sign of aggression. “Um uh he-hello… I-I’m A-Acantha.” She started off introducing herself. Looking to the older femme her puppy eyes seemed to smile her tail slightly wagging. “Sorry miss, I thought you were my mama.” [/color]She said looking at the strange coated Mann.

“Well…” she started. She didn’t want to be rude to them. “Um not to be rude, who are you two?” she asked her tone polite and soft trying not to be like a mean varg. Turning her gaze back to the femme she smiled. She always looked up to other adult fae’s. She had always hoped one would take her in but sadly she had no luck. Being part wolf and part dog wolves would make fun and bully her. Her last mother abandoned her because she was harassed for having Acantha. Her eyes darting between the two she smirked her tail waving back and forth happily