The Changing Leaves

[Keely]

The leaves were changing colors as mid-autumn had finally set in. There were still a few green leaves on the trees, as well as a few over ripe fruits. A pleasant breeze danced through the trees, sending occasional cascades of leaves to the warm grass below.

Below the trees romped a sunshine colored lyxxus, filling the chilly air with giggles and squeals. She was dodging the falling leaves, making it into a game. Keely, finally fully recovered from the birth of her pups three months prior, was back to herself. Bright purple eyes gleamed with laughter as she watched the different leaves fell from the sky.

Keely was still a small wolf, but she had grown a little at the hips and belly from motherhood. Her belly was returning to normal now that she had weaned her two children, but her hips would remain the same. It was no worry of her's though, not that she even noticed. She had grown up in a few ways since leaving her family. She had the look of a mother to her now, she loved it. Being a mother was the greatest thing she could ask for.

She seemed to have forgotten the anguish that she underwent to bring her pups into the world. They were happy and healthy and so was the rest of her family. She panted a little, she had been playing for a while now, she needed a break.

She plopped under one of the larger trees and rolled over onto her back. Her three tails were sprawled out on the grass, and the lily mark on her chest seemed to radiate as the sun's rays hit it. Her smile was cemented back on her pretty little face, the universe was in order once again.

[Feebo and Navii]

They crept along the outskirts of the orchard, looking around furtively. Both were young and innocent looking, two tails apiece, one with bright blue-green eyes, the other with curious purple ones.

"Navii, are you sure we we should be here?" asked one to the other. This one was small and delicate, looking as though he might blow away with the slightest breath of wind. His larger companion, Navii, looked over her shoulder at him and grinned.

"Don't worry, Feebo. We're just passing through, that's all," she said soothingly.

The smaller one, Feebo, looked around, listening to the wind rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. The whole place smelled like not one wolf, but many.

"B-but... I think we're trespassing on someone's territory," he said softly. He usually spoke quietly, his voice was somewhat musical, quite the contrast to his twin's gruff voice.

"I said don't worry, Fee, we'll just walk through, unnoticed, and then be on our way. No one will even know we were here!" Navii continued walking, but Feebo had stopped. Somewhere close by were the giggles and squeals of a wolf.

"Na-na, I think there's someone here," he said quietly, scurrying after his sister. Navii listened as well. A faint breeze stirred her red-orange coat. She too heard the giggling, somewhere within the trees.

"C'mon, let's go see who it is!" she said, bounding off to investigate. Feebo ran after her, not wanting to go but not wanting to be separated from his twin.

"Navii, wait!" he shouted, "We're gonna get in trouble! Na-na!!!"

[Keely]

Keely thrashed herself back and forth in the grass, getting at an itch her tiny legs could not reach. Her brown tipped ears twitched as she heard voices in the distance. She didn't move, trying to figure out who they were with out getting up to see.

Once she heard them coming toward her at an alarmingly quick pace. She flipped over onto her side and slowly got up to a crouched position. She peered from behind her tree and saw two lyxxus bounding toward her. At first she thought they might be her cousins, but quickly corrected herself.

Trespassers? New friends? Pup thieves? The last thought had been a new one that had developed since whelping. The motherly instinct of protecting her young was very strong in the tiny wolf. The Consul kept her place behind the tree, they did not seem threatening. She decided to step out and greet them. Her tails fanned out behind her as she came around the tree.

She tilted her head quizzically, then her mind was taken over by her usually happy-go-lucky self. "HI!" She shouted, tails wagging and eyes alight with kindness. She loved meeting new wolves, and her beaming personality seemed to confuse those that meant her harm. Win-win, Keely.

[Feebo and Navii]

Navii skidded to a halt as the other wolf bounced to their paws and shouted "HI!" This confused the young Lyxxus. She could smell this wolf from among the other scents in this area, didn't that mean she was one of the pack? And if so, shouldn't she be angry at the twin trespassers?

"Er... hi..?" she mumbled back, half expecting the joyful greeting to be followed by severe punishment, maybe even some sort of harm being caused to her and, worse, Feebo. That was her true concern, seeing him being hurt by someone. Even this Lyxxus, who seemed so friendly... even she was a threat to Feebo's well-being.

Feebo kept close to Navii, tails tucked between his legs. She had always kept him away from other wolves, generally because she was afraid he was going to be attacked, and because he was afraid she was right. However, this other Lyxxus seemed friendly enough.

"Umn, hello..." he said shyly, "is this... is this your... your territory?"

He looked at Navii as he asked this, wondering what she'd do if the other Lyyxus attacked. He'd seen her do some pretty terrible things, all of which may have instilled some sort of fear of displeasing her in him. He hoped dearly that the friendly wolf wouldn't upset Navii. He liked her, which was rare for him.

[Keely]

She smiled happily at the twins, "Why yes! This is my territory, my family lives here." She nodded very proud of her family. She looked between the two, tails wagging ecstatically. It had been a while that the pack had had visitors. "I'm Keely! What's your name? You won't try to hurt my family will you?" She added the last bit with a slight pout in her tone.

Her brightly colored pelt caught the sunlight beautifully. She was radiant. Being a mother was wonderful for her. She briefly wondered, though, where her family was at the moment. She had left the pups sleeping in the underground dens. But her brothers and mate had not been around much today. She glanced over the immediate area, hoping that maybe they were close.

Once she decided she could not see them, she decided to look back at the twins, smile still evident on her face. She looked between the two, they smelled and looked remarkably alike. "Hey, are you two siblings?" Leave everything to Captain Obvious Keely. She was proud of herself for making the connection though. The only thing to bring her down would be if she was wrong, and even then she would just laugh it off.

[Feebo and Navii]

Feebo and Navii were having some trouble keeping up with the other Lyxxus' rapid-fire manner of speaking. However, Navii had been paying some attention, and had gathered that the other's name was Keely, as well as this was, in fact, her territory.

"Erm... I'm Navii," she said, "and that's Feebo," she gestured towards her brother, who had looked away for a moment to watch a butterfly fluttering past. She would have to keep an eye on him, because, knowing Feebo, he'd wander off after it shortly, "And no, we won't hurt your family."

Feebo, having completely forgotten all but the butterfly, began to wander off. The little yellow wings, the antennae, the swift, fleeting movement... all entranced him in a way very few wolves could be entranced. Without thinking, he began moving after it, unaware of his own pawsteps or his sister conversing with the other Lyxxus, Keely, if he had heard her correctly.

"Hey, are you two siblings?" Keely had asked. Navii resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How could she have been worried about her harming Feebo?

"Yes, ma'am," she said, "We're twins," Not that it should have come as a surprise. Most wolves didn't even have to ask! Navii went to look at Feebo, only to realize he'd already wandered after the butterfly. Turning back to Keely, she muttered a quick, "'Scuse me," and ran after him, catching up and taking one of his tails in her mouth to drag him back by.

Having broken away from the butterfly's spell, Feebo followed Navii back to Keely. He sat down and began licking one paw idly while Navii resumed her conversation with the other Lyxxus.

"You'll have to excuse Feebo," she said apologetically, "he's a bit absent-minded at times..." Feebo looked at Navii disapprovingly.

"'S not my fault..." he muttered, "I can't help what my brain does... you understand, right, Miss Keely..?"

[Keely]

Keely kept a happy smile on her face, her purple eyes sparkling like stars as she listened to Navii talk to her. She forgot how much she loved new people. She was even more pleased with the fact that they meant no harm to her or her family. Speaking of family....she noticed the other one start to wander off following a butterfly. Ooo! A butterfly! Keely wanted to chase it, but she restrained herself. Navii was still conversing.

She giggled a little when she retrieved her sibling. Her three tails wagged happily, "No worries! I love butterflies too! And Flowers." One of the changing leaves fluttered across her face, "OH! And leaves! It's fun to play in the leaves. They make fun noises!" She was very excited about nature at this moment. As if to demonstrate she took a petite light brown paw and brought it down on an especially crispy looking leaf. The satisfying crackle made it's way to her ears and she giggled, "See!"

[Mimzy]

Tiny feet padded near the talking wolves. A tiny orange head snuck a look around a tree, and a giggle was barely suppressed. The small pup’s brown tipped tail wagged happily from her hiding place. She’d done it! She’s tracked down her target all the way from the den! Now if only she could decide on the proper dramatic entrance her triumph would be complete.

But then Keely had to go and step on a leaf. Tiny brown ears perked up at the crackling sound. Leaves did that? Leaves were awesome! Her midnight blue eyes darted about and spied an unsuspecting leaf just beside her. She pounced on it. Crackle. Her eyes widened in merriment. Ooh! There was another one! Pounce. Crackle. And another! Pounce. Crackle. She gave a giddy little squeal as she continued her way bouncing along on crispy leaves.

Suddenly she realized that her bouncy path had led her not only into the open, but quite near to her mother and the other wolves. She looked up innocently with a proud puppy grin on her face. “Hi Mommy!” She looked the other wolves over for a moment. Mimzy only knew a few wolves. And so far everyone she knew was family. They all had different titles, Mommy, Daddy, Brother, Uncle but they were all part of her family. So when she saw two new wolves she just assumed they were more family. Mommy had said that there were more uncles that she might get to meet someday. “Hiiiiiiiiiii! Are you my Uncles?” she asked the pair. She knew one was female, but the connection that uncle meant male had not been made in her mind yet.

[Feebo and Navii]

Navii looked between Keely and Feebo. There seemed to be some sort of nature-appreciation thing going on here she didn't quite get. This bugged her to some extent. It seemed she'd been worrying so much about Feebo.... she hadn't taken the time to properly enjoy the world around her. Feebo, on the other hand, had taken the time he was given to experience the world almost to its capacity. A faint feeling- jealousy?- stirred in her heart. But she shook the feeling away and smiled at the pair.

"Flowers are nice..." she said politely, "We have flowers by the den in our pack. They're probably withered now..."

Feebo, glad for the empathy, wagged his two tails and gave a small smile. He didn't meet many wolves who saw the world like he did, and was pleased that Keely understood.

A sudden crackle- not from Keely- drew his attention to a small pup leaping among the leaves. The pup had bounced her way over to the little conversation and had now addressed Keely as "Mommy."

Navii looked at the little pup, stars in her eyes. If she had any other weakness besides Feebo, it was pups.

"Is that your daughter?" she asked rather needlessly, "She's so cute!" she smiled at the little one, chuckling as she asked if Feebo and herself were her uncles, "No, we're not. We're just visitors," she replied.

Feebo considered the pup as well. He tilted his head first to the right, then the left, then, slowly, placed his paw on a leaf as well, listening to the crackle Keely and her pup both seemed to enjoy quite a bit. It did seem to have a pleasant little sound. He could understand why they enjoyed it so much.

Navii turned back to Keely, still smiling.

"What's her name?" she asked, completely enamored. Feebo crouched on the ground beside her, reaching for any leaf he saw and stepping on it with a curious light in his eyes. Much like with the butterfly, he was entranced.





OOC: I didn't know how to end this, sooo....

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] Keely smiled at Navii as she told her a little about her old pack. It was good that they also had a family somewhere, that seemed to be the most important thing in life. Family. Her tuffed ears swiveled on her small head as she heard a chours of giggles and crackles from behind her. Her three tails wagged excitedly as Mimzy joined the conversation. Keepy crouched to her daughter's level, rump in the air, "Hi Mimzy!" She giggled at the question about the uncles, but her daughter was answered by Navii. "No not uncles, new friends! Mimzy, meet Feebo and Navii!" Always easily excited she gave the energetic introduction as if she and the new lyxxi were the best of friends. Her sparkling eyes went back to the male who was practicing her newly introduced game, "See! It is fun!"

[Mimzy]

Mimzy beamed at the attention, her little tail wagging her whole lower half. Friends? Mommy was always talking about how important it was to make lots of friends. Now she had some! “Feebo and Navii,” she sang out in an impromptu melody, “friends who’ll play with me! Leaves are friends with trees, flowers friends with the bees.”

Then she spied a little pile of leaves blown together by the breeze. Her little eyes lit up and she raced toward them calling back, “Mommy, mommy! Watch me!” She pounced into the middle of the pile, sending some of the leaves flying and rolled around on her little back sending out a chorus of crackling leaves. Her tongue hung out of her mouth as she squirmed around on the ground trying to get as many leaves as possible.

------------------------------------------------
OOC: Holy crap this is wolf bubble wrap! And sorry this didn’t add much to the conversation, her attention span doesn’t really exist yet.

[Feebo and Navii]

Navii couldn't help but laugh. From what she could see, this was a family of happy, bouncy wolves. She could easily imagine Feebo among them, chasing leaves and butterflies the whole day long. However, she felt it was her duty to get him back home, where ever that was...

But for the moment, she was content to watch the little pup, Mimzy, run around. She even tossed a leaf in the air, leaping up to catch it as it fell.

"Haha!This is fun!" she said to Keely, "how did you come up with this game, anyways?"

Feebo had sighted Mimzy running to the pile of leaves, and couldn't help but smile as the leaves flew all over the place. He followed after her, dropping into a crouch, his tails waving in the air. He suddenly leaped, catching a leaf like Navii had, then dropping it lightly before the pup.

"Do you... do you want to play?" he asked quietly. He sighted a small rolly-polly bug trundling past, probably looking for a way to avoid the on-coming winter. He batted at it for a few minutes until it rolled up, then tossed it into the air, "We can play with this!" he added.

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] Keely beamed at her daughter's little ditty. How clever she was, making rhymes! Keely giggled happily as the leaves were swirling around all of them. Her trio of tails never seemed to stop moving. She watched her daughter leap into the pile, "Ah-ha! Very good Mimzy!" She turned back to Navii, smiling "How did I come up with it?" She puzzled this over a moment, her little brows furrowing in concentration, "I think my mother taught me. yes That's it! She was playing in the leaves with my brothers and I wanted to as well" Her childhood was a happy one, she really had no complaints about life. Even birthing her pups didn't tarnish her happiness, even though she could very well have died from it. She watched Feebo attempt to play with Mimzy and smiled even wider. "You two should stay with us, we always love having new people around to play with."

[Mimzy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,505,true]

[atrb=background,http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt87/Tye-Lily/Comissions/mimzybg.png] Mimzy looked up with bright eyes when Feebo approached her. When he dropped a leaf before her she pounced on it as soon as it touched the ground, giggling happily. An invitation to play? “Uh huh!” she responded happily. She watched as he pawed at the small bug. As it began to curl into a tiny ball her eyes widened in amazement as she looked back and forth from the bug to Feebo. “How did you do that?” she asked in amazement at the transmutation she had just witnessed. Without waiting for an answer she called to her mother, “Mommy, Mommy! Feebo’s magic! He turned a wriggly, squiggly bug into a little round pebbly webbly thingy!” Mimzy was quite taken with this little demonstration. She overheard her mother asking them to stay and turned back to her magical new friend. She looked up at him with big, round, hopeful eyes. “Pweaze say you’ll stay. I want us to be friends forever!”

[Feebo and Navii]

Navii smiled at the tale of how the little game was created. She saw Feebo playing with Mimzy, using a little rolly-polly bug as a toy. She remembered that game had been created much the same way, the general curiosity of a couple of happy children.

She looked back at Keely in surprise as she invited her and Feebo to stay.

"Er... uh... umn..." she was at a lose. On one hand, they still wanted to return to their old home. On the other, this was a nice place, and Feebo certainly seemed to enjoy it. Not to mention Navii was beginning to grow weary of the constant travel. Having a new home...

Feebo allowed the little bug to uncurl before pawing it into a ball again.

"If you touch it, it'll curl up," he explained to Mimzy. He gave a quiet laugh as the little pup called to her mother that he was "magic." He, too, was surprised by the offer to stay. He looked at Navii. These sorts of decisions were usually up to her. He did hope she would agree. He liked the orchard and the leaf game and wanted to be friends with Mimzy, namely because he didn't have very many friends.

Navii noticed her twin's beseeching look. She sighed, then smiled.

"We'll stay," she said, "I... I mean we aren't having much luck finding our old home anyways, and... well, I don't see why not! We'd be happy to stay and play!" She wagged her tails enthusiastically.