Watch Your Step [Lex]

[Deleted]

It was cold, though not particularly unbearable for most wolves that called Anikira home. But for a small, short-haired Ethiopian wolf like Rita, who was accustomed to the hot and arid climates of middle Africa, it was pure torture. It was not cold enough for her to be shivering constantly, though her joints already ached slightly from her trek up from the southern part of the island. She currently had no place to call home, no friends beside her to have her back, and no protection against the elements or any other threat that this island had to offer. She was on her own, though she had gotten used to such a life ever since her birth pack had been so savagely torn apart by debilitating disease. They had turned on her, which now that she looked back on things, she honestly was not surprised.

She had been the largest, the strongest of her litter, so she held no doubts that if things had been different she still would have been the only one to pull through. The humans had saved her life, yes, but she had fought for it as well. Yet, she found herself here today, moving closer and closer to the likely chilling waters of the Nytyte River, with almost no self-esteem whatsoever. She was a mere shell of what she once was. She had grown up confident, strong, proud, but ever since the disease hit them like a hurricane, she no longer held herself with such pride and strength. No, she was shy and timid, easily frightened and almost always hiding. Though she usually blamed her current state of mind on the long-term effects of the CDV virus that had attacked her, but all in all it was her own mind that she had allowed to slip away.

There was probably some sort of confidence inside of her still, but she was much too far gone to reach it on her own anymore. No, she was pathetic and useless, and as she trudged across the slowly chilling terrain, her tail hung low and her head mimicked the movement while she neared the river ahead of her. It was strong, and wide, though she was sure that she could see some sort of shelter on the other side. The sun still shined brightly in the sky overhead, though it was clear that it was slowly beginning to make it's way down to the horizon to send the world into the darkness of night once more. But for now, she had daylight and she could see perfectly well, and with any luck, that would last long enough for her to get safely to the other side and find a secure and sheltered place for when the dangerous darkness finally fell upon her.

She paused anxiously as she reached the edge of the water, carefully letting her auburn eyes scan along the current in order to determine which route across would be the safest for her. Now, although she was weak and timid, she still had her intelligence, though she often kept it hidden. But right now, without anyone else nearby or watching, she allowed herself to somewhat relax and focus on the task at hand, almost automatically forgetting about her disabilities for the time being. But, they always lingered on her mind, even as she carefully stepped forward and onto a wide, slick log that stretched out into the water and towards a round, wet stone that jutted out from the current that swirled around it.

The tiny paw slipped slightly, though she carefully spread her paw pads out slightly and leaned forward into it, using her nails as well as her pads to gain some sort of grip before her other paws finally followed the first onto the wet wood. At first, all seemed to be going fairly well, but when she reached the end of the log, the pressure of her weight on the wood against the slick stone proved to be too much. The log shifted beneath her, sliding quickly off of the stone and knocking Rita forward as she desperately attempted to reach the rock safely. But she fell short, nails sliding uselessly on the slick surface and causing her to fall forward, head-first into the hard stone. A loud 'CRACK' and a yelp echoed through the area, though the sound of the painful cry was soon cut off by coughing and choking as she fell into the water and was swept downstream with the current. She struggled and fought, trying to keep her head above water, but as she lost blood from the cut on her head, she slowly lost strength, and eventually she lost consciousness, her body going limp and floating almost lifelessly down the river with the dangerous, merciless current.

Words: 804
Tags: n/a
Notes: n/a

[Deleted]

Despite the cold temperatures that the last month of winter brought to the lands of Anikira, the sun was still shining and the day was still bright. The cinnamon colored male wolf was fairly warm in his winter coat, shivering only on occasion. Most of the wolves on the island, at least those native to the island, were accustomed to the bitter cold winters and the sweltering summers. It was mainly the wolves who were not born on the island that felt uncomfortable during one season or the other. Lex was currently a loner, between losing his family pack and finding another one yet he knew that would all change soon. The wolf who had found him while he was sleeping a few days back had decided to take him in and give him a custom rank in her pack. It wasn’t the same as the pack his family had but it was, at least, something he could live with and be happy with. The pack would offer protection and a place to rest between expeditions to fight evil and those were things he could definitely use.


The brown and white wolf had been the oldest and strongest of all his siblings and was by far his father’s favorite. He was taught everything there was to know in order to be a successful warrior and possible future alpha. His father was very strict and in their training sessions, he never held back, leaving several scars on the young wolf, though they were almost all hidden under his soft fur. Though the training wasn’t what one would expect a puppy to go through, it made him who he was. Confident, proud yet never arrogant, calm yet ready to fight at any minute, and overall well rounded. The only things about his personality that weren’t caused by his pack was his poor social skills and his kleptomania.


His poor social skills and his shyness were caused by the murder of his family that he was forced to watch. It caused him to shut himself off from the world and not want anything to do with another wolf. He didn’t trust wolves and he didn’t want to interact with them any more than he had to in order to help those in need or save those in danger. Because of his recluse like personality, he slowly started feeling the over whelming need to take and gather things from various places, slowly turning into a kleptomaniac. From rocks, to branches, bones, and more, what he took depended on what was around and what called out to him. It was a dangerous disease that ate at his mind as there were times when the things he took belonged to others and he was lucky to have not gotten into fights.


The thin male walked slowly and quietly through the woods. Even though his pace was leisurely, he made sure to remain quiet as to not alert anyone that could be near of his prescience. His emerald green eyes scanned every which direction keeping watch for any signs that something wasn’t right. He was repeating a process that he did every single day, all day. He never worried about himself or what he should or shouldn’t do, but instead what was best for those around him. A day spent slacking was a day someone could go without the help they need and he wasn’t willing to let that happen. He only slept as long as was needed to give him enough energy to continue on before he got up and started again. He would continue searching day after day for anyone in need and only after he found someone would he return, with an item, back to the place in which he called home.


He wasn’t sure what caught his attention, but all of a sudden his head turned and he spotted a small female by the river that ran parallel to the path he was walking. She was small and reddish in color and had it not been to his pack capturing wolves of the same species, he would have thought she was a fox. She was an Ethiopian Wolf and she was currently trying to cross the raging river by walking across a fallen log, which may or may not have been secured. He stopped walking and watched her carefully, waiting to sprint to her aid if she needed help. It seemed, at first, like everything was going according to plan. However, as she reached the end of the log, his ears perked and he sensed things were about to get bad. The log shifted beneath her weight and rolled off the stone that it had been resting on. He watched as she fell forward and he instantly took off running to the water’s edge. However, before he could reach her, he heard a loud thump and looked up to see her head come in contact with the smooth surface of the cold stone. A painful yelp escaped her maw but it was quickly drowned out as she slipped under the water. He watched as she struggled to keep above water but as he was about to jump in the water, her eyes closed and she drifted into unconsciousness, her limp form floating lifelessly along with the rushing current.

He ran along side the edge of the water, making sure his pace was faster than the current’s and once he got a good distance ahead, he waited for her to come near. Seconds felt minutes while he waited and he grew more and more anxious wondering if his plan was, in fact, the best one to make. Finally, he spotted her still form bobbing in the water and he waited for her just to get a little closer. After just a few more seconds of waiting, he jumped in the water, coughing as some of the water made it’s way to his lungs. He swam against the current and towards the she wolf. He was able to meet her halfway and ducked down as she passed him, coming back up with her draped over his back. Wasting no time, he started swimming along with the current and also to the side slightly. It took a few minutes of careful swimming, making sure she didn’t fall off his back, before he reached the banks again. Very carefully he made his way out of the water, biting onto her leg to make sure she didn’t fall. He tried to be gentle, but couldn’t help but notice two tiny wounds where his teeth had punctured the soft skin and he made a mental note to apologize sincerely after she was awake and safe. Once they were both back on solid ground, he shook off and gently pulled her further away from the water by her scruff, thankful he didn’t leave another wound. Only once he was satisfied that she was safe, did he slink back off into the trees and laid down. He watched her, never once taking his eyes off her, but he made sure that she couldn’t see him so that when she woke up, she wouldn’t be afraid.

Words: 1213
Tags: @rita
Muse: SO MUCH

[Deleted]

Black. Nothing but darkness surrounded her. One moment she was moving across the slippery, wet log above the river, the next she fell and struggled for air until she lost consciousness beneath the curling water and swirling currents. The concept of time and space was wasted on her lifeless form as the male dove into the water heroically to save her, and even as his teeth sank into her soft flesh, no cry of pain was uttered. No, she was still, quiet and motionless, as if life had forsaken her and left her dead to the world. She remained this way, even while the much larger wolf dragged her onto dry land and grabbed her by the scruff to pull her further away from the dangerous waters. Yet, even as he moved away, she remained still. It was only when he finally reached the trees, as if fate was playing to her fears of others, that life began to pour back into her.

The sun beat down on her mercilessly as the chill of the winter overtook her, making her body tremble as it slowly began to feel again. Pain surged through her, but that was not the feeling that hit her first. No, panic was much faster a foe. When she had lost consciousness, water had freely poured into her lungs, and now, though he had carefully placed her on the ground so that it could drain from her open mouth, she coughed up the liquid, shaking and convulsing until her lungs were finally clear of water. It was a painful, and terrifying process, and after it was finished, she was left gasping desperately for air. Her auburn eyes opened, narrowing and blinking quickly as they did so. The light burned into her head like she had been struck, and then the memories flooded back to her.

Dizziness, though not surprising, overtook her, and though she knew her position laying out in the open was vulnerable, attempting to stand would only end in further injury. She might have problems, but idiocy was not one of them. She carefully lowered her head, unsure of whether the injury from the rock was oozing blood from her head or not. In fact, had it not been for the now-constant throbbing in her head, she might have noticed the tiny trickles of blood seeping from the wounds on her leg. But no, she let her head lower, resting it gently on the ground as she silently prayed for the world to stop spinning.

But of course, it would not. Eventually, however, she managed to grasp onto some branch of reality, and as she did, the scent of another wafted into her nose. It was a wolf, and though the water had washed away the majority of the scent on her fur, she could still smell the lingering traces on her leg - which she had just now noticed was bleeding. Gingerly, she licked at the wound, unsure of where it had come from or why it had happened. The last thing she remembered was fighting in the water, and then nothing. For all she knew, days could have passed. It was when she lifted her head to look at the sky, wincing painfully from the light, that she realized that less than an hour had gone by. Then, as a cold breeze blew around her very open position and made her shiver, she caught the strong scent of the male wolf once more.

Her head lifted, attempting to locate the source, though as she turned it from one direction to the other, dizziness and ache overtook her and forced her to lay still once more. Blood oozed gently down her head, leaking into her ear and making her shake her head to free the canal of it, only causing a wince and further pain to plague her. But, as if a cruel twist on luck, her body was becoming numb, the cold of winter and the constant frigid wind on her wet body taking the majority of her feeling away from her. Although anxious about the unknown male nearby, the female was too weak to move or fight, nor was she capable of fleeing. Instead, all she could do was lay there helplessly and hope that his intentions were not murderous, or worse.

Words: 719
Tags: @lex
Muse: medium
Notes: n/a

| Made by Rita |

[Deleted]

Like a silent guardian he watched over her still form, scanning the area to make sure no other wolves were nearby. He hoped and prayed that she would wake up soon for he knew that the longer she was out, the more dangerous her situation became. At least she was breathing, that was always a calming thought, if only a little. He wanted to go up to her and lay his head over her protectively but he knew that would scare her even more when she woke up and that wasn't his goal. He simply had to settle for watching and waiting from a safe distance. 

When she finally did wake up, his ears perked with relief and excitement. Even though she was caughing, he knew that was a good thing and it was the body's way to get rid of water that had found it's way into her lungs. He wished he could help but he knew there was little he could do and it was something that simply had to Happen. He watched as she gasped for breath after getting rid of all the water and he couldn't help but to relax, glad to see her breathing normally. He frowned as she noticed the blood on her head and leg and he ducked down more as she looked around. He was torn between showing himself or not and chewed on his paw nervously. However, as she laid her head back down, he figured she deserved to know who had rescued her.

Slowly, he got to his feet and even slower was his pace walking over to her. His eyes were lowered and his tail hung low. Not only was he Trying to show that he was not a threat, but his shyness was naturally making him act submissive. Once he had gotten a few feet away from her, he stopped and bowed his head respectfully. "I'm Lex, I umm saved you, " he said quietly and shyly, not wanting her to be afraid of him.

Words: 341
Tags: @rita
Muse: Medium
Notes: n/a

| Made by Rita |

[Deleted]

The scent, it was growing stronger. Or was she simply losing touch with reality? Could this all be a ploy of fate? A cruel joke and nothing more? For all she knew, she was all alone and still drowning in the river. Her eyes closed slowly, the world around her spinning mercilessly as the scent of the male slowly overpowered her, surrounding her like a cloud and suffocating her like the water that had poured so easily into her lungs within the river. It was the masculine voice that pulled her from the haze, and as her eyes slowly blinked open, they seemed to focus solely on his face, particularly his eyes. Her own eyes were misty and confused, but there seemed to be some sort of grip on consciousness that now depended on her interaction with him in order to survive.

"I'm Lex, I umm saved you." Her ears twitched slightly, not even realizing that they registered the words automatically. Her wide-eyes stared, unblinking, at his face for several moments, as if she was not entirely sure he was real. In fact, for all she knew, he was not. He could be a figment of her imagination, or another cruel joke of fate. Hell, he could be the reaper coming down to drag her out of this life forever. Finally, as if some unseen force had returned her life to her, she inhaled deeply in the form of a long gasp. It was like the air that rushed into her lungs gave her new strength, and though the realization that she was indeed alive flooded into her mind, fear was right on it's heels. Who was this stranger? Lex, he said his name was Lex. But why was he here? He saved you, right, he must have pulled you from the river. The events of the day slowly flooded her mind, bringing her at least some sort of comprehension of the situation.

He looked young, and though his tail hung low and his voice was quiet and gentle, he was still a stranger, and much, much stronger than her. Not realizing what was happening, she flinched slightly, at least that was how it would appear to the stranger that stared down at her now. In reality, it was the twitch that had plagued her ever since her bought with CDV, which flared up with her anxiety and left her even more useless than before. "I, uh, what...what happened?" She asked, her voice soft and feminine, but at the same time frightened and choppy. Her ears slowly lowered to a flattened, submissive position, and though she would have liked to flee, such movements were simply out of the question for the time being.

Words: 454
Tags: @lex
Muse: medium
Notes: n/a

| Made by Rita |

[Deleted]

The young male wolf wasn't sure what he would do if the slightly older she wolf didn't wake back up. He had already failed to save his pack and his family the night of the massacre and he wasn't sure he could continue on if he let someone else die under his watch that didn't deserve to, stranger or not. He whimpered quietly as he watched her from a safe distance and took a few calming breaths. Each second that he waited felt like a minute and each minute felt like an eternity. It was torture and he contemplated leaving so that he wouldn't know if she made it or not but it was then that she started to stir.

He waited patiently for her to fully come back to reality, extremely relieved to see that he had,  indeed, saved her from meeting an untimely death. She stared at him and he could see the thoughts registering in her mind. He jumped, slightly startled, when she gasped, bringing renewing air into her lungs and it was only after that did she finally return to the here and now. He could see the fear the flooded into her eyes and sighed. He knew he should have expected nothing less, especially considering he was a stranger, but it still managed to bring a pang of pain to his heart. He had a soft spot for the female after saving her and he hated to see her afraid.

When it appeared that she had flenched, he instantly moved back in order to give her more room and seem less intrusive. He kept the submissive posture but a part of him wanted to make her get up and bring her with him where he knew she would be safe and wouldn't get hurt again. "You were trying to cross the water when you slipped and fell. You hit your head which made you go unconscious and then you slipped under water. I jumped in and pulled you out so you wouldn't drown," he explained slowly what had happened so that she could process it all. "I didn't mean to startle you,  but I didn't want to leave you here unconscious where anyone could find you, " he both apologized and explained himself. He hoped that she would soon get over her fear of him.
Words: 402
Tags: @rita
Muse: Medium
Notes: Sorry this took so long!

| Made by Rita |

[Deleted]

The female lowered her head further, letting it hover less than an inch above the ground between her front paws. She could see him back up slightly, but she could not focus on his form while her body shook with a mixture of shock and fear. His words pulled her slightly out of her trance, though she still retained her submissive posture as her brown eyes finally lifted to look up at his face. It was as if her confusion that mixed with the shock and cold were overpowering her fear and allowing her to actually see who she was talking to. But even as she lifted her chin slightly to see his face, her unconscious fear upset her lingering symptoms from the past, making the right side of her face twitch slightly so that her eye blinked awkwardly and her head turned to the side while she whined softly.

I didn't mean to startle you, but I didn't want to leave you here unconscious where anyone could find you. She inhaled slowly, the sound shaky and unstable, as she closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to compost herself. Now on top of the fear and shock, she also had the embarrassment factor thrown in. Finally, after what felt like an hour (but was likely only a few minutes) she opened her eyes again to see the male still standing a short way away from her. "Th-th-thank you." She said softly, surprising herself with her ability to actually speak, even if it was a pathetic excuse for a proper sentence. Slowly, as if each tiny movement caused her an immense amount of pain, she spread her paws out slightly and attempted to push herself up to her feet. Her muscles strained, legs shaking and tail tucking between her legs as she struggled. She managed to get herself about half-way to a standing position before her twitch kicked in again, making her shake and attempt to put her weight on her weak leg. This, of course, caused her to loose her balance and fall onto her side with a soft yip and a muffled thud.

She lifted her head slowly, blinking as if she was dazed from the fall, but was in all honesty just embarrassed even further by her lack of coordination. She tried to shift onto her stomach and get herself up on her feet, but even the effort of rolling over seemed to be too much for her. Instead, she let her head sink slowly back down to the ground with a soft sigh and let her eyes close as she inhaled and exhaled slowly, as if to calm herself. She had basically given up at this point, and with her body shivering from the wet fur against the cool breeze the task of holding onto her consciousness was getting harder and harder. All she managed in protest to her situation was a soft whine, though it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. So tired, so, so tired. Soon, although she tried to fight it, the world around her grew darker and darker until the only movement she made was the soft rise and fall of her chest with her shallow breaths.

Words: 538
Tags: @lex
Muse: medium
Notes: No worries ^.^ I'm just excited to get a Lex post. I'm soooooo looking forward to these two falling in loooove <3

| Made by Rita |

[Deleted]

He waited patiently as she came back into full reality. Her form shook as she did so and he was sure it was from the cold and also from fear, as much as he hated that thought. He sighed as he wished that he could take away that fear but he knew the only thing that could was time. He would have to gain her trust and only then would she no longer be afraid of him. He knew it may take awhile but, it was something that he was definitely determined to do. He smiled gently when she met his gaze and hoped that it might be the start of something good. When she twitched and whined, he took a small step back, giving her a little more room and personal space.

He knew it was a good sign to see her take such a deep breath, filling her lungs with much need oxygen, and it allowed him to relax some. “There is no need to thank me ma’am, I am just glad you’re alright,” he said modestly, meaning every word. He didn’t think of himself as a hero or as someone that should be thanked, he was simply helping someone in need. He perked his ears when she went to stand and winced when she fell. After a minute had gone by, he moved to her side and gently reached down to try and help her back up.

Only after she was on her feet and steady did he take a deep breath and shyly asked a question that he expected her to say no to. ”Would you like to come with me? It would be nice to have some company,” you could tell he was shy and his eyes dropped to match how he was feeling, if she said yes, or if she said no, then their time by the water would be over and he would be on his way to his next destination. The only question was would he be alone or not.


Words: 338
Tags: @rita
Muse: Medium
Notes: Tried to write this so that your next post can be the ending post.

| Made by Rita |

[Deleted]

He was helping her. She could feel her body lifting from the ground slowly until she was finally standing. His scent was strong, filling her nose as all of her senses drank him in. Although she still shivered from the cold breeze on her wet fur, she could feel her body warming at his touch. ”Would you like to come with me? It would be nice to have some company." She opened her eyes slowly, looking up at him with what only could be described as exhaustion. It took her several moments to find her voice, but when she did, it was accompanied with a small nod. "I would like that." She said, though she realized that she could barely keep herself on her feet still. She needed somewhere safe and dry to rest, if she had any hope to continue to move on, that is. Perhaps he would help her, more than he already had.

She knew they could not stay by the river, but she also had no idea where he was planning on going. Either way, she would go with him. It might be a long journey, but she was small compared to him and she had no doubt that he would help her along the way. But, silently to herself, she hoped that they would not be going far. She needed rest, and she would need food soon, as well. At least she had stopped bleeding. She could only guess that the injuries had been from the male pulling her out of the water, for if he had not done so, she would have likely drowned. "Can we rest somewhere? I-I'm so tired." She said, her head drooping slightly and her eyes getting heavier and heavier by the minute. Her body still shivered, but she found herself leaning against him more and more as they stood there. If he was going to hurt her, he would have done so by now.

Words: 325
Tags: @rita
Muse: low
Notes: We can end this here

| Made by Rita |