On Your Own [joining]

[herbi]

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[atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Tables/ZMid.png] It wasn't that she was worried for her health, well possibly her mental, but Zoraia felt that the life of a loner wasn't really going too well. Various memories flashed through her mind of her family and what had happened back there. The last memory of them was certainly the worst though, and she cleared her mind, attempting to rid the anger of her father and the dead animal he had shoved in front of her. Back then she hadn't dared to get a good enough look, the smell alone was repulsive, she'd always had a sickening feeling that it may have been a rabbit. Caught up in her thoughts, she hadn't really paid much attention to where she was walking, only just aware that she was in the lands of a pack. It was of course the scent that made her realise this first, she couldn't actually see any wolves around her now. As she looked though, her dark eyes did manage to catch a glimpse of a jackalope settling down for his lunch. She chose to keep her distance, not wanting to scare him. Her own eyes glanced down at the grass for a moment, it was tempting to join the jackalope in a feast, though Zoe didn't really want to stick around for too long. Subconsciously she perhaps disagreed, somewhat unwilling to actually move. Just seeing, speaking to another... it couldn't hurt could it?

[Fyodor]

Fyodor gave a sigh as he poked his head from the comfort of the dens. The quiet whisper of the underground river was comforting to him as it echoed its song against the cavern walls. He was a wolf who was not at peace with himself, so every bit of peace offered through the environment was comforting to him. Sometimes, he doubted that the wolves of his pack considered him a competent leader.

The orange Lyxxi male limped through the Veld. He was half patrolling the land for potential risks and possible newcomers and half just wandering to run through his thoughts. As he moved deliberately through the grasses, a strange smell crossed his nostrils. Intruder? Threat? Or a new pack member?

Fyodor wrapped a thick tail around his small leg because he feared that perhaps this other wolf wouldn’t be as kind a judge as the rest of his pack. The Consul limped toward Zoraia. A Myou. He favored the Lyxxus species simply because of the fact that he had grown with them and lived with them. His pack didn’t care about who joined the pack. They only wanted more members to be that much stronger. However, Fyodor lowered his muzzle and then raised it in a dipping nod to welcome the Myou.

“C-Consul Fyodor.” His introduction was simple.

[herbi]

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[atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Tables/ZMid.png] As the Lyxxus approached her, Zoraia’s rabbit instincts took over, almost contemplating bolting off somewhere, from the corner of her eye she could see that was what the jackalope was doing now. A part of her was glad that he had gotten away and had escaped being someone’s lunch today. They were similar to rabbits, and the myou had to admit that she liked that, this lyxxus on the other hand she wasn’t quite sure about. It wasn’t that she immediately took distrust of him in particular, just other wolves in general. She wasn’t exactly normal and she doubted that anyone else would really accept that. As the wolf introduced himself, Zoe wondered what it was she ought to do next. A part of her still longed to simply run away; she was rather quick though she doubted she would be much use in a fight if he managed to catch up. She was a little larger than the consul, though it didn’t necessarily mean she was more powerful, she was too passive to fight anyway, running was better. In the end, she did stay put, deciding perhaps she had a little bit of explaining to do first. She had to admit that now she was glad she hadn’t decided to eat, though the grass still looked rather appetising, even with this wolf before her. She cleared her stomach from her mind though and set to responding to this male. Her name was a good start, she had his; Consul Fyodor. Having never actually been part of a pack, Zoe was a little uneducated on ranks and believed it wasn’t his position he’d stated but both names; she had met wolves with two names before. “Zoraia.” She responded, stopping there, though she did also dip her muzzle in response to Fyodor’s greeting. She was a little scared to give any more information, to state that she was only here by accident and she didn’t mean to intrude; after all she had no idea what this pack were actually like. She would have been more worried to know that Consul was in fact not only his rank, but the highest one in the pack. Perhaps it was for the best that the knowledge escaped her for now.

[Fyodor]

Despite his high rank, Fyodor was unable to really look the part of a leader. To those who didn’t know him, his identity could easily be mistaken for a subservient wolf. His soft and stuttering voice stripped his way of sounding confident and the fact that he had grown with such a gross deformity as his small hindleg made him unable to take much pride in his appearance. His failed self-esteem made him an unlikely leader, but by no means did it make him an unable leader.

All he saw before him was a homeless wolf. If they had met off of his lands, he probably would have averted his eyes and moved along. Loners were considered poor, outcast, stupid. But, the fact that she came here, it must mean that she had a desire to be a pack wolf. She couldn’t be all bad then, Fyodor reasoned.

“S-s-ss… Uh, so. You need a, uh, p-p-p-pack?” He gave a shy, apologetic smile and hoped that Zoraia wasn’t having too much trouble understanding him. Fyodor shifted his weight to his right hind leg. It gave him a more settled stance, almost warming and comforting. Despite all that was against him, he truly fit the role of leader as if he were born for it.

[herbi]

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[atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Tables/ZMid.png] Zoe took a step back at that point, once more the idea of running forming in her mind. This male thought that she wished to join the pack, but she couldn’t; no pack would accept her. Once he knew she wasn’t here for the pack though, surely she’d be in some sort of trouble. She figured it would have been best to simply run off somewhere like the jackalope. She wouldn’t be in this mess now, besides after standing here for some time she had noticed that the lyxxus lacked a fourth leg, well she couldn’t see the little limb from her current position, would have meant it was unlikely for him to keep up with her. She shook her head slightly in response, her mouth then open to answer verbally, though unfortunately not quite linked to her mind properly. “I can’t...” She stated simply, she of course knew that was the truth, though she hadn’t meant to actually say that. She knew right then that she ought to have thought of something else to say, Fyodor was bound to ask questions now, and she knew that she would be expected to answer. Running was out of the question though; he knew her scent, appearance and name. He had a pack to help him; it would certainly be a tricky escape for the myou. She didn’t bother to elaborate why she couldn’t join, perhaps if she was lucky; Fyodor wouldn’t ask and would just tell her to be on her way then. She didn’t consider herself to be lucky though, something else was bound to happen. As much as she hated to admit it though, the idea of joining a pack did sound like a good one. It meant that she would have others around her; both souls longed for company; wolves lived in their packs and rabbits in their colonies. What could both live together in though?

[Fyodor]

Fyodor tilted his head at her reply. His body language clearly said, “Why not?” He smiled softly, thinking that perhaps she did suffer from the same disease of lack of self-esteem. It was closer to Fyodor’s nature to coax her into the pack rather than chase her out of the territory. That was where his problem lay: he was unable to turn away even wolves he himself was uncertain about. Everyone could find a place in the pack; he was certain.

“Z-Z-Z-Zoraia,” he stammered, “this p-p-puh… uh, pack, w-would be happy to accept y-yy-y-you if you ever need comp-p-pany.” Despite his struggle with speaking, he had a charisma about him. There was something about the sheer goodwill in which he spoke that made it clear that he would be happy to accept her into the pack. His many tails wagged softly—save for the one he used to cover his smallest leg.

Fyodor hoped that this female would choose this pack. He didn’t have the heart to see her go away.

[herbi]

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[atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Tables/ZMid.png] Surprisingly to Zoraia, Fyodor didn't actually verbally question her. He clearly didn't believe that her problem was a rather large one though, believing that she would still be welcomed into the pack. She knew differently, but how on earth could she actually explain such a thing to this wolf? She couldn't, for one he might not even believe her and in the event that he did, well she didn't actually expect him to be overly considerate about it. He seemed nice enough, a decent kind of fellow, but still Zoe couldn't believe that he wouldn't react badly upon finding out that little rather important piece of information about her. Once again she shook her head, disagreeing with Fyodor this time. "They wouldn't." She stated simply. She remained still this time, though she did long to escape the awkward situation. No matter how much she longed for company, she never felt she could really enjoy it when it suddenly appeared. Constantly she worried, always expecting the worst from such situations. Like now, perhaps Fyodor wasn't kidding. It wasn't like her problem would really bring any harm to anyone else.

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] Keely frolicked through the Veld, forgetting for a moment that it was a relatively dangerous place to bring attention to onesself. The sunshine yellow female was on hot pursuit of a prize of a prey item. Her mate. She bounded like a kitten, her brown paws never touching the ground for more than a second. Soon her nose caught his scent, she changed her direction, giggling with anticipation. "Fyyyyyyoooooodoooorrrr!!" She sung his name loudly, her purple eyes could see his fiery form not too far off. Who was that with him? A new friend?! Her tongue lolled out in a bright smile. The small female was almost half the size of the male. She was a runt, but what she lacked in size she made up for in blinding cheerfulness. She skidded to a halt, taking her place by Fyodor, " I found you!! I was cold in the den, so I came outside to see the sun and then I caught your scent so I followed you and now I found you! You found a friend?" It was a rapid fire greeting, punctuated with happy licks and tail wags. The bright female beamed up at the myou, " HI! I'm Keely, are you going to join our pack? What's your name? I'm happy to meet you!" Three and a half tails practically knocked her over with the ferocity of the wagging, each seeming to have it's own mind.

[Fyodor]

Fyodor was seriously about to give up with Zoraia. He had tried his hardest to seem nice and friendly with the small shreds of confidence that he had. The fact that it seemed that all his trying wasn’t enough to allow Zoraia to join made him wish to just slink back into the caverns, in the coldest and deepest of them, and simply sleep until he stopped worrying about it. He lowered his tufted ears and then sadly started to turn away, convinced that he was unable to coax the Myou into his pack.

But then, Keely came barreling into the scene. Her brightness immediately made all his shadows disappear. Her sheer energy gave him more hope. Fyodor sat, his side facing Zoraia now, his good side. The male wolf accepted as Keely showered him with expressions of her love. He was only mildly embarrassed.

“W-W-Well, Keely…” he coughed a brief moment before trying again, this time in a gentle melody, “Zoraia here doesn’t think she wants to join our pack.” He smiled, a cue for Keely to work her charm. Her joie de vivre was infectious, at least to him, but he could also say it was for every wolf he saw her with. This was the reason he loved her.

A shy crippled wolf and a bright, happy childish wolf. And these two led the Republic.

[herbi]

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[atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Tables/ZMid.png] Zoraia was shocked when she saw Fyodor begin to move away, nothing else no more questions, however the arrival of Keely soon took her mind away from that. The myou stood still, dark eyes watching the little female as she bounded towards them, excitedly greeting Fyodor and then turning her attention towards Zoe. The latter made her more uncomfortable than the first surprisingly, perhaps because the cheerful little lyxxus was so pleased at the idea of having a new member in the pack, it seemed a shame to be the bearer of bad news. Both of the lyxxus were certainly likeable, they both seemed friendly though of course in different ways. For some reason the idea of saying no to the calmer Fyodor was easier than saying no to the hyperactive Keely. Maybe it was simply that there were now two friendly wolves that she had to say no too. A part of her truly did long for some decent company, and yet being a myou, and a rabbit one at that, seemed to give her the idea that this wasn't possible at all. Fortunately for Zoraia, or at least fortunate in some way, Fyodor was the one to speak, informing Keely that her assumptions were wrong. It took away a little of the awkwardness, though the myou wasn't quite sure what was going to happen now, and so she remained a little unsettled.

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] Her tails wagged happily, eagerly awaiting the answer of the myou, however it seemed that Fyodor was answering for her. She blinked a few times at the name...." Zorrr...i...a" She slowed down, trying to learn and pronounce the name at the same time. Odds are she would shorten it as soon as she went to say it, she had a habit of adding 'y' or an 'i' sound to the ends of names. However her concentration was marred by the revelation that she might not actually join, her eyes got wide and almost hurt, she felt that perhaps she did something wrong, " But WHY Zori?? My brothers are nice and Mimzy is fun and the twins are fun and and...OOOH!! WE have someone who is MAGIC! She can change colors!" Her eyes were big and begging, almost to the point of pouting with tears welling up. She pranced a circle around the myou, " WE have fun! And we like everyone! Don't be scared or anything, I can show you the Orchard! Oh oh! And the switch-grass cover! That's fun to play hide and seek in!" She paused her prancing and parked her posterior on the ground, looking up in a remarkable pup-like fashion. She could not help her size, nor her energy. She just wanted more friends to spend time with and share life with, no matter their background, shape or size.

[Fyodor]

Fyodor smiled proudly as his mate went into her hyper, puppyish mode. For some reason, her bright childishness was endearing to him rather than embarrassing. If he could speak more clearly, he would always be telling every wolf how proud he was to have her as a mate. Her presence only renewed his vigor at trying to convince the reluctant Myou to join the pack. It was a Republic after all, where a single wolf’s voice could change the leaders.

“D-d-don’t forget the undergr-gr-grrr-ground dens,” he added his say to his mate’s listing of the places of interest in the open plains. He felt some guilt for forcing the pack onto Zoraia. But then again, what pack would take her? Any other pack by now would have chased her away for being a stone against society. She was the fur that grew the wrong way and most wolves would rather bite off the tuft than lick it flat every morning.

[herbi]

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[atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Tables/ZMid.png] Zoe didn't really have doubts about the pack being nice. This little area seemed nice and these two wolves did. In all honesty, she hadn't really thought about what the rest of the pack might be like. It didn't really matter, it was her that mattered, the pack surely couldn't accept her. They'd accepted the colour changing wolf, but surely they wouldn't accept the rabbit wolf? She had to admit though, this place did sound nice and despite her fear everything was growing on her. The idea of joining a pack, one so friendly. Perhaps, if they noticed her oddity she would simply have to run again, for a little while though, as long as she kept out of the way to eat and when they ate, things could be fine for a while. "Maybe, for a little while..." She was a little hesitant as she spoke, a part of her still longing to put this behind her, though the friendliness of Fyodor and Keely had won her over, a little reluctantly, but they had succeeded for now. "But, umm, please it's Zoraia. Or I suppose you could call me Zoe." It had been a while since anyone had used anything other than her fully name, though Zoe had been the shortened version, Zori was a little weird in her mind.

[Keely]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=546b56] Her eye lit up like a four-year old on Christmas. So excited was she at the prospect of another wolf joining her ranks as a friend to her and Fyodor. She beamed up at her mate, all tails waving sporadically. She bounced a happy circle around her new friend, " Yay YAY! Zo-ie! Yay Yay Zo-ie!" The tiny ball of energy was just beside herself. She spun around to look at her, " Let's go to the Caverns so you can pick a den!" She paused to lick Fyodor under the chin before beginning to dash off toward the home dens. She assumed that everyone was following her, whether they were or not she would not notice till she reached her destination.

[Artemis]

Fyodor offered a gentle smile. He felt more at ease as the wall that the Rabbit Myou had set up seemed to be crumbling. He was finally able to feel comfortable, like he’s not going against the grain of his personality just for his rank. There were times when his rank made him do things that he wasn’t happy with, but he was glad, relieved that he didn’t have to go too far outside his comfort zone. Perhaps he would’ve had to if Keely hadn’t come along. He returned her kiss before limping ahead. His five tails fanning behind him, revealing his small leg between strides. He’d always tuck his tail against his leg at the first opportunity after he’d step forward, despite the futility of the action.

The Lyxxus Consul moved deliberately through the thick grasses. He would sometimes look back and offer a smile toward Zoraia in feeble attempt to make her certain that she had chosen the correct pack to be a member of. Finally, the closest entrance was near and it seemed like the earth had swallowed Fyodor up. However, he poked his head back out of the small entrance to the caverns.

“C-c-can you f-fff-fit here, wolf?” He didn’t know the flexibility of the rabbit Myou or whether she really wanted to live under ground. He turned around in the tunnel after some awkward maneuvering to go into the large, empty space of the caverns. It was like a second world under the ground. Cool and dark—perfect for the sharp Lyxxi eyes. And the water was fresh and cold, delicious to drink. And underground was like a maze for those who did not know the denning site intimately.

“Fff-f-follow cl-close,” Fyodor said, his stuttering voice softly echoing.