Open Plains [pack-forming]

[Fyodor]

The sun was dazzling upon the two Lyxxi. Fyodor limped through the grasses as he tried his best to outspeed Keely. He was quite enamored with the fact that she chose to be near him. And he still wondered if it was because she pitied him or because she truly enjoyed his company. Either way, he enjoyed hers. It put a song in his heart to not be alone, and he wanted to share stories with her—if only he wasn’t afflicted with such a terrible stutter.

“Keely, I-uh, uh, I-uh, I, I,” he was stuck, on a simple word and after a few seconds of concentration, he decided to try another way into what he wanted to say. “My pack used to, used to be a d-democracy. Every y-year, the wolves, the wolves… they would vote n-n-n-n-new leaders in.”

Fyodor wished that he had ended up as the leader of his pack like he was supposed to be. He was practically groomed for that position since his birth. If it wasn’t for his leg, he wouldn’t have been tossed aside like yesterday’s carcass. No wolf would have voted for him to be leader anyways. To have such a physical deformity as his small leg… any wolf would take one look at it and claim he was weak. There was no escaping the dry, cold fact.

He merely looked to Keely with sad eyes, “They w-were training me t-to be the next candidate.” And he let his bright colored tail unfurl from his small leg. The paw twitched as he moved it and it was awkwardly attached to his body. It was a complete, puppy leg attached to an adult body. He let his clear blue eyes glance at the leg, but he saw it as a horrible deformity, a sign of weakness, a terrible badge of failure and broken destiny. “Y-you can see… The Gr-great Spirit appappapap… apparen… apparently did n-not favor me.”

The soft wind was slightly warm. It tenderly caressed the long-haired Lyxxus male as if to pat him ‘there there.’ And the four tailed Lyxxus tucked a fourth tail against his small leg and hid it from view again. His tufted ears pricked as a lone crow cacawed ‘cross the way. Tired, he sat down. The dry grasses around them seemed perfect. It was comfortable here. Slightly harsh, slightly weathered, slightly warm, slightly… Just slightly all around.

Just like Fyodor.

[Keely]

Keely lopped happily alongside Fyodor. She seemed to give all her effort to push herself above the grasses to see the entire expanse of the prairie. She tripped over a rock and topped into a barren shrub. With a giggle she pulled herself free and shook out her sunshine pelt. Her brown tuffed ears twitched as she heard Fyodor begin to speak. She trotted to his side.

"Yes?" She titled her head a little confused at how he started his sentence. However his train of though seemed to shift, so she became more alert to better understand him. She looked into his eyes, that was one of her favorite things to do when talking to him. It helped her understand him better, it allowed for a narrow bridge to work through the turbulent dialogue at times.

She listened quietly and respectfully,. She did not know that he had been groomed for leadership. She did not see why they would not let him be a leader. Though when he revealed his leg, she gave a reassuring smile, not because she understood why they didn't pick him. No, because she didn't think having a deformity should matter. "I don't think it matters, if you have a small leg or not. You were trained to be a leader, so you should be a leader, Fyodor."

She gently nudged his cheek, pulling him away from his gaze to the ground. She sat next to him as he sat down to rest, her twin tails coiled around his playfully. She set her head on his shoulder, wanting to make him feel better. She didn't mind his leg, or his stutter. She liked him for who he was. Was it so hard to say that? Would he believe her?

She felt the wind across her own body and closed her eyes with a smile, "This is nice." Her mind wandered for a bit, enjoying his warmth. She opened her purple eyes and gazed over the land. Then she had an idea! "Fyodor!" She pulled away from his shoulder to look up to his face, her own alight with wonder "Maybe you COULD be a leader! This place is nice, who's to say you cannot claim it as yours and be a leader?" Her tails began to wag at the prospect of this bringing him happiness.

[chaseholmes]

Chase and Holmes were walking across the plains, waiting for adventure. "Chaaaasssssseeee, I'm tired." Holmes said, being whiny. Chase suddenly heard something, something about being a leader. "Shut up Holmes, I'm trying to listen!" Chase said with venom in her voice. Holmes started bawling. "Buh-buh-buh-buh-WAAHH!!!!" Holmes rolled on the ground, and Chase set him down, whispering to him. "It's okay, it's okay, it was my fault, you didn't do anything, we're almost there."

Holmes and Chase continued walking, when they spotted a familiar yellow Lyxxus. "KEELY!" Holmes screamed, pouncing on her, smiling. Holmes jumped of off her and but his huge goofy grin on his face. "Hey Keely, long time. no see, right?" Chase smiled, something very unusual for her.

Chase looked over to the other Lyxxus standing next to Keely, whom Holmes had once again pounced. And who are you, mighty-fine-Lyxxus?" Chase did a reality check on the inside. What is wrong with me... "I heard something about leaders, and are you perhaps forming one? We would love to join. Holmes' head bobbed up and down. "Packs are fun." He said bluntly.

[Fyodor]

Fyodor felt a rose bloom colors upon his spirit. Keely took him up with her inspirational choice of words. Even though all she did was state the facts, it did make Fyodor feel a bit better about himself—enough to raise his self-worth just a little bit. At least enough to not feel like a complete and utter failure.

In crystal clear thoughts (as opposed to his muddled and confused speech), Fyodor reasoned his way to decide that perhaps being a leader was possible. He had been trained to understand what makes the common denizens of a pack happy while keeping the pack functional as a whole. However, he felt it was unfair if he forced himself upon them, like most would-be leaders do.

“W-well, well, w-w-well, w-w…” Fyodor’s excitement over the prospect that he could do as he was born to do excited him so much that he could barely get a grasp on what he was trying to say. In fact, he spent so long saying it, that he barely noticed the arrival and introduction of two other Lyxxi.

Lye watched with confused eyes as these other wolves seemingly came out of nowhere. He nervously moved his weight from paw to paw, front legs doing a little dance of anxiety. He licked his lips in the canine equivalent of appeasement and averted his eyes. He realized how foolish it was and then took to trying to appear strong, but with his nose held up and his tails curled almost over his back (except for the tail he kept down to hide his leg), Fyodor just looked like he was a fool. Eventually, he just stood normally, feeling every bit like an idiot.

He was shy to speak due to his stutter and these wolves may make fun of him. “I’m F-f-fyu-fyu-fyuuuu-Fyodor, b-but you may call me Lye.” A nervous smile seemed pained and forced on his face. Fyodor finally gave a sigh and gathered up his thoughts before saying, “We are look-k-k-k… looking to start a pack.” He glanced at Keely,

“W-we can vote leaders.”

[Keely]

Keely was so absorbed in her cuddling that she didn't hear the arrival of her cousins. She felt herself pulled away from her Fyodor, yes she had come to call him that in her mind. She hit the soft ground with a surprised yelp. Once she got a good whiff though, she knew who it was. Her surprised expression broke up in a gleeful mix of happiness and giggles.
Holmie!!!!" She squealed with delight as her older cousin's greater weight kept her pinned to the ground.

She managed to squirm away from him, giving him a lick on the face, to run up to her other cousin, Chase, "Chasie!" She licked under her chin, her two tails wavering ecstatically. Her bright eyes gleaming with the pleasant turn of events. Well...things had been pleasant to begin with, but this was just icing on the cake. Mmm cake.

She turned toward Fyodor when he spoke up. Her ears fell a little when she say how uncomfortable he was. She moved away from her cousins and came over to Lye, nuzzling under his chin. "They are my older cousins. I have not seen them in months!"

However her attention came back to the proposition of a pack. "I think you should be the leader Fyodor. I vote for you! I will help, if you like." She gave him a gentle smile, she wanted to stay close to him. Perhaps helping him run a pack was a step in a good direction. She considered that maybe she could be his voice. If he was uncomfortable speaking to groups, she could ease him into it.

[chaseholmes]

Chase and Holmes listened intently to their fellow Lyxxi brethren. Holmes rolled off of Keely as she rolled out from under him. Chase listened as Lye introduced himself and stated they were making a pack. "We'll join the pack!" Exclaimed Holmes, and Chase nodded, smiling. "I vote for Lye," said Chase with a small smile, "and I bet Holmes agrees." Holmes nodded, eyes closed, grinning with his toothy mouth showing. "We'll help form this pack!" Shouted Holmes.

[Fyodor]

For a moment, Fyodor felt out of place when Keely’s family members came almost out of nowhere. He dropped his eyes and shuffled his feet nervously, trying to let them get whatever catching up they needed to do. The orangey Lyxxus raised his eye to see that Keely had finished her enthusiastic greeting of her cousins and was now honed in on him. She was voting for him? And then, almost as quickly and with equal eagerness—at least as far as the crippled Lyxxus could tell—the other wolves voted for him as well.

Fyodor felt a sort of glow radiate from the depths of his soul and finger into his mind. He could feel the golden rays of their approval of him sent him into mental spasms of joy. Finally, in eager happiness, he nodded that he was fully accepting of his new rank.

“W-well, if I am l-leader…” He shut his eyes, re-ordering the words in his mind. He gave his words a fun, ordered rhythm and in half-song completed his thought to avoid his stuttering. “We should really have a continuation of a special little piece of my pack’s old tradition. And so today a Republic of Wolves is born, with leaders myself and Keely sworn.” He lost his rhythm and his words became muddled, “And-and-and I suppose y-you two shall b-be Praetor and Aedile. Pr-praetor Chase and Aedile Holmes. I always th-think wolves should enjoy a fair pack… a democracy. The Romneya Republic… is wh-what-what I will… will call the pack.”

[Keely]

Keely smiled as Fyodor accepted their votes to be leader. She could feel his happiness, and it empowered her as well. She wanted to help him in anyway she could. It would be fun and a way to learn about new things. She bobbed up and down to his rhythm, enjoying how he tried to overcome his handicap. She almost blushed when she heard her name, and that she was also considered a leader. She bit her lip to hide her excitement.

Her tails waved ecstatically when her cousins were also given ranks. "This is good! I like that we will have a fair pack." Sure, she didn't understand the some of the words. But she trusted that Fyodor would explain them to her in due time. She had come to trust him greatly. She looked between him and her family members. She wanted Fyodor to feel like family as well. She logged that away in her mind as something to attempt later. Right now, she was blindingly happy that they had accomplished somthign this great together.