Not So Lucky ((Joining))

[kiyallanne]

She kept low to the ground, blue-green eyes focused intently on her prey. These plains were rich in small prey, if one could catch them. Kiya had not had the best of luck recently. Every day in these seemingly never-ending plains made her hungrier and weaker. She was slower than usual, and tired quickly. This time, she swore she would catch the stupid little horned rabbit. One step at a time, she inched closer, preparing for the ambush. Her striped fur brushed against a patch of particularly dry grass, and the rustle alerted her prey. It dashed off, and she gave a half-hearted chase. It got away. Of course. With a groan, she flopped over on one side, just lying in the sun. She didn't want to deal with it. The loneliness and boredom were bad enough, but being so hungry just added insult to injury. Or maybe injury to insult, because that was the part that actually hurt. Something like that, anyway.

She had been staying on the edge of the plains, close to the edge of the trees. The border of the pack was very close, and she had been wandering around it for days. She had her heart set on the Romneya Republic, but had been unable to see any of the members, and didn't exactly want to wander into their territory uninvited, just to get lost, in all likelihood. Of course, never stopping to wait for anyone probably wasn't increasing her odds of being discovered. Kiya was vaguely aware of that, but sitting still wasn't in her skill set. Only now, tired and grumpy, was she willing to stop. At least her Lyxxus colors were visible now. That couldn't hurt. If she had caught any jackalopes, they'd probably think she was some sort of Myou. That was all well and good, but Kiya's patience was wearing thin.

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] Bound, bound, leap, frolic, bound! A very small lyxxus female was traipsing through the tall grass. She was leaping, mainly to see where she was going, but also because it was so very fun! Bright violet eyes gleamed in the sunlight, radiant yellow fur rippled with health and life. She was a very happy wolf. In her jaws she carried a large, lifeless rat that seemed to jiggle joyously despite being dead. A trill of giggles was stifled only by the prey item she carried. Three luscious tails trailed behind her, one of which was beginning to split at the end. She was nearing her fourth year of age. Though, she looked almost like an overgrown pup. Her happy hopping soon brought her almost on top of the hybrid female. Her small brown paws slammed into the dirt as she skidded to a halt, almost running into her. With a surprised yip, she dropped her prize and froze. Now, most would be angry or scared at this abrupt pause. However, her mouth split into a wide grin, "Well Hello! Who are you? I'm Keely! You look tired, nice to meet you! Hi!" It had been a while since she had met a new wolf, the winter had been slow for new pack members.

[kiyallanne]

At first, Kiya was sure she was dreaming. There wasn't actually a tiny, bright yellow Lyxxus leaping above the tall grass with a dead rat, right? She lifted her head, becoming increasingly curious by the second. She didn't move or speak, which might not have been the best idea, considering the fact that the other wolf, apparently female, didn't seem to notice her. At least, not until she had practically jumped on Kiya's head. With a start, she stood up, taking in the odd appearance of the stranger. First, the Lyxxus was small. No one had ever called the hybrid big, but she felt like it while standing near this one. Her tails, though, showed that she was no pup. She looked surprised too, but certainly not angry. On the contrary, she looked delighted. The hybrid just stared as a flood of words escaped the stranger's mouth.

Completely forgetting her sour mood, she broke into a smile of her own. "Hi! I'm Kiya!" she replied, not bothering to use her full name. Kiyallanne. Too long, hardly the sort of name that rolled off the tongue. "Are you part of the Romneya Republic? You smell like it. I wanted to find someone but I couldn't and I guess that's why I'm tired. And hungry. Hey! Keely, Kiya...our names sound the same!" She could do fast, hyper chatter too. Quite well. She immediately liked this wolf, for no particular reason other than that she liked pretty much any Lyxxi. Especially friendly ones.

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] She was just beside herself at the rapid fire response, other wolves stammered a little at a loss for words when talking to the hyperactive female. This one was like her! Yay! " Yes I am in the Republic! I am one of the Consul! That means that I lead the pack I guess, heehee, Fyodor knows all the rules. I just know that I love having new people and I can let them live with us. As long as they do not hurt my family or friends." She attempted to give a stern nod at the end of that to make her point. It was lost by her next outburst though, "Kiya! Our names DO sound the same!" She looked down at her rat when the hybrid mentioned she was hungry, " I have food here if you want it! I was going to bring it home and save it for later, but you look like might want it now rather than later, so you can have it now!" With out waiting for an answer she picked up the rat in her small teeth and plopped it closer to her new friend.

[kiyallanne]

The quick-paced conversation was surprisingly easy for Kiya to follow. Or, more accurately, she didn't care about actually understanding much, so she just went along with it. Consul, alpha, king, queen, or whatever other word anyone wanted to use, it was fine by her. She nodded vehemently when Keely mentioned not hurting anyone, her whole body half-bouncing in place. "Yes! I won't hurt anyone, um...your Consulness!" She had no idea what the proper honorific was. It probably wouldn't be remembered anyway. For now, she would at least try something, but the odds were that she would only remember Keely's actual name. "Who's Fyodor? Is he a Consul? Consul sounds like a fun job. Can I have a fun job?"

"Oh, thanks!" She happily accepted the rat, realizing too late what would happen. A few bites of dead rodent later, and she realized that her dark gold and orangey-red fur was turning a rather dull gray-brown, exactly the color of the rat's fur. She loved being able to change color, but boring looking prey wasn't very fun. Rats, though perfectly good when one was very hungry, were on the list of prey that did not make for a good pelt. "Oops. Sorry, I do that when I eat stuff," Kiya told her sheepishly. Hopefully, the pack wouldn't mind. It wasn't her fault, or anything, but some wolves were weird about hybrids.

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] Her tails flailed wildly at the thought of another new friend for her to get to know. She nodded with suck fervor that she was dizzy a moment, 'Fyodor is my mate! Yes he IS Consul too! I'm glad you won't hurt anyone, I'd be sad and then mad if that happened. And I don't like being that. We have to get to know you before you can get a more fun rank. Fyodor is the one who usually figures out when that is." She was not the brightest of wolves, but she made up for it in the sheer amount of energy she had. Her eyes widened with pure amazement as she watched the other change colors right before her eyes, "Ooooh You are magical! Mimzy will LOVE you! You have to meet her!" She turned around as if expecting her daughter to be right there. Maybe they would have to go back to the main pack area for that to happen.

[kiyallanne]

Keely, Fyodor, Mimzy. Keely, Fyodor, Mimzy. She repeated the names in her mind, trying to keep them all straight. Remembering all everyone's names would be important. All the new information was a bit confusing, though. Kiya hoped she wouldn't lose track of it all. The pack might not like her if she couldn't even remember their names, and she wanted to be liked.

"Oh, can I meet him? If he's your mate, I'm sure he's nice. I know about ranks, from my old pack, but we didn't have Consuls. I think all your ranks will be much more fun!" She didn't care about being a high-ranking member of the pack. She could barely concentrate on simple tasks, so anything with too much responsibility would require a lot of practice. Lower positions might be less prestigious, but they could also leave a lot more room for fun.

Keely thought her color-changing was magical? Her smile immediately returned. At least some wolves didn't care about only one tail, or quirky fur."I never thought of it as magic. I want to meet Mimzy, too! Will you take me, please?" Another friend, perhaps? Kiya was already thrilled about the yellow female already acting like a friend. Life seemed to be taking a turn for the better.

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] She beamed at all the excitement, her happiness seemed never ending. She spun around in a jolly twirl, " Yes he is nice! And he can tell you about all the fun ranks. You can meet my brothers too and the twins! This is so fun!" Once Kiya was finished eating Keely bounced a little, " I can take you there now! I think you will be a great friend in our pack! All of the new wolves start off as plebs, so that is what you will be until Fyodor gets to know you!" She turned to bound towards the heart of the pack land. Ready to lead her new friend home.