Small World. [Open]

[Artemis]

Mother was sleeping peacefully, but the last thing she wanted to do was sleep. The seconds had quickly turned into minutes, the minutes into hours, and yet no amount of time could quiet her young mind. She had hardly seen what the world had to offer, in fact, her perception of Ina'mos included little more than her small family and the Cavern of Govyn - not that she was complaining. Her tiny body thrummed with fondness for her mother, for she was such a gentle, silent creature; Artemis felt safest when she was nuzzled affectionately into her side, their white furs blending as one. And then, of course, there was Apollo, her identical twin in every single way; she had never been apart from him, not once in the two months of her life thus far, and she couldn't imagine having it any other way. There was something comforting about the idea of another version of herself being with her, always and forever. She loved all of her siblings, truly and deeply, but she couldn't deny that Apollo was very, very special to her.

She had to remind herself a few times that Apollo was fast asleep like she was supposed to be, and that it would be rude for her to wake him up so that he could keep her company. She didn't think he would mind, but that didn't affect her hesitancy - she was timid in nature, just like her mother, and therefore she was horribly afraid of consequence. She often caught glimpse of the older puppies in the den rough-housing, being noisy, coming and going from the cavern as they pleased, and though she was immensely curious she couldn't imagine doing anything with them. They were a lot bigger than her - much bigger than her comfortable idea of a small world and a small family - and because of that she tried her best to stay out of their way. From what she had gathered, many of them were related to her, and she would have to get to know them all sooner or later, but for now she was too afraid.

Speaking of afraid.

A loud thump had the puppy recoiling further into her mother's side, sheltering her head before, with a shaky breath, she opened her bi-coloured eyes and chanced a glimpse into the surrounding darkness. It sounded like it had come from deeper inside the cavern, and with a quick glance at her family - it didn't seem to have awoken any of them - she decided to take a look.

Normally, Artemis would never think of leaving Tala's side without expressed permission to do so, but she knew that the Cavern of Govyn was a safe place for her to be; besides, she wasn't going to be far. The floor was cold under her paws, but she pressed deeper and deeper into the cave with slow, clumsy steps. She was just about to turn back, beginning to question whether or not this had been such a good idea in the first place, before she delicately collapsed into the leg of a complete stranger, a quiet whimper to show for her surprise. "Oh, sorry!" Her voice was quiet, fragile like a flower, even when she was frantic. She directed a green and a blue eye towards the ceiling, trying to see the face of the wolf she had accidentally ran into. "I didn't mean to do that. I just heard a noise." She was trying to explain her reasoning for being away from Tala to someone who likely hadn't even processed that train of thought yet. She simply didn't want to get into trouble, and since she hadn't personally met anyone outside of her family yet, she had no idea how this wolf would respond to a puppy being on their own at this hour of the night.

Artemis slunk to the floor, subtly creating space between herself and the stranger; she was a little bug in comparison, and right about now she definitely felt like it was plausible for her to be squashed.

---

Word Count: 682
Notes: I'm going away on vacation for a while as most of you know, but I reaaaaaallllyyyy just wanted to post with Artemis now that she's playable. Anyone is welcome to join, but you might be waiting on a reply from me for a while after today.

[Zohartze]

[attr="class","plbase"]

[attr="class","pltxt"]Her boys were on their way to Vor’asa. That much, she was certain of.

Zohartze had spent the night in her den, alone. It was one of the deepest alcoves in the caverns, and so the long walk back to the surface went slowly. Her paws felt heavy, her sleep restless and fitful. She only hoped to make it to the light to see for herself that her sons had left and not have to face another wolf telling her. Despite their departure, her heart felt a little lighter after Olympus had visited her. His visit had been brief, but it made her feel more like a parent, more like she ought to have been the entire time she’d known them.

Zohartze had tried to sleep through the night, but she awoke stiff and agitated. Her sense told her that it was early in the morning, far too early for any wolf to be awake, and so she did not hurry through the dank caves. She simply wandered, listening to the lizards skitter across the walls and to the gentle snores of the pups who still needed their mothers.

To say the Mexican fae was feeling like her nest was empty was an understatement, and also not completely accurate. She felt more like a confusing mix of a loss of anxiety and feeling like a failure, relief mixed with guilt and pride mixed with inexplicable sadness. It was exhausting.

As she walked, she kicked forlorn pebbles absent-mindedly, until her paw collided with a larger rock, sending it spinning against the cave wall with a thud. Startling herself, she looked into the nearest den to see Messoria sleeping soundly with her brood. She hadn’t woken them, and she let herself relax. The incident already forgotten, she trudged onwards, slowly and silently, breathing in tune with the darkness she had become so friendly with.

Even still, it was her last night in these caves. She had vowed that to herself. Her childhood memories were littered of the terrible memories of never being allowed to the surface, living constantly in a tomb of rock. It was as if they died the moment they were born and were forced to live in their own graves as their mother slowly lost her mind. She had to give herself credit there—at least she hadn’t smothered, manipulated, and abused her own children as her mother had done to her. There was one front to feel proud of. Somehow, though, the fae couldn’t give herself an ounce of credit where it was due.

Snapping her out of her trance, a small ball of white fur collided with her paw, the impact so gentle that it could have been a leaf. This pup was tiny, and though she was white, the image of the tiny creature was so like Oeta that Zo almost gasped aloud. Her three living pups had been so large, and this tiny, angelic creature was like the puff on a cotton plant, tiny and flawless. Her voice sounded like bells and butterfly wings, and Zohartze couldn’t help but smile as she gazed down into mismatched eyes and a delicate black muzzle. Bearing unmistakable resemblance, this was clearly one of Tala’s.

In light of recent events, the swirling guilt and animosity for herself quelled by the rare show of affection from her son, she bent down and offered herself to the frantic pup with calmness. This pup was as when her own were younger, and she was still so in love, so unafraid of ruining them. Offering a tilt of her head as a forgiveness, the Mexican mix femme smiled at the tiny thing. “Artemis, is it?” she whispered softly at her, remembering the names of her packmate’s litter. Though Artemis and Apollo looked very similar, she could at least tell male from female. Unsure if Tala had mentioned her, she introduced herself to the little female. “I am Zohartze.” She didn’t bother asking why the pup was awake—her own had scampered away from her many a time, at any hour. “I think the noise you heard was only me. Don’t fear, little one.”

tags: Artemis
words: 688
muse: just okay
notes: Popped my lil' empty nester in. <3

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[Artemis]

Her smiling face calmed her, if only slightly, but even slight was noticeably uplifting upon the youth's face. For now the threat had passed, it had retreated from her mind - so quick and yet so reluctant to trust - and she would be at ease because this older wolf, although not her mother, was being nice to her. The one thing, above everything else, that had always managed to stick with her was to be respectful towards those that were older and therefore wiser. Artemis didn't lift her chin from the ground, she wouldn't without permission, though her ears perked at the sound of her name coming from the other wolf's mouth. "Yep, that's me. I'm Tala's daughter." And Goliath's daughter, too, though why her father's role in her life always seemed to be forgotten wasn't something she often contemplated - she was much too young to yet understand some of the inner workings of her mind.

"Zohar-hard..." She frowned, if not only because she was afraid of making her angry for not being able to say her name. "That's a cool name, but it's hard to say. Does it mean something special?" She didn't like to let the attention stay on her for too long, besides, she was interested to learn more about this stranger. There was a big world beyond her immediate family, and though she couldn't be sure she was comfortable with that, she was going to do the best that she could.

Artemis slowly lifted her head, still ensuring to keep it lowered respectfully. She was the perfect female of Kairos: beautiful, and mindful of her place. She was too shy to be playful, at least, without Apollo at her side she was; her different coloured eyes were bright, intrigued, looking up into Zohartze's face and letting a faint smile spill across her black lips. "Do you have your own puppies? You seem like you'd be a good mother." It was just like her to see the world reflected back to her in someone's eyes. She thought such big, amazing things about those she hardly knew, and even worse was that she believed them, she didn't question them, because why would she? This female had made a friendly first impression upon the young puppy, and she rather liked her for it.

Zohartze

[Wraith]

Noises seemed to reverberate loudly in the caverns she called home. Wraith could not help her mild curiosity as the different sounds broke through her dreams at night. There would be some instances where she would lie awake endlessly, staring into the black abyss and wondering what was causing all of those strange sounds. Her auds would often twitch atop her petite skull, until finally she could take the suspense no longer. Hesitantly she raised her beautiful little tiara to glance past her mother and sister. Their particular nesting grounds were far from the other litters and closer to the entrance of the caverns. Wraith often heard the sounds of the other puppies playing, but they were far bigger than she. They even made her older sister Banshee look tiny. But Wraith was afraid of no one- the only wolf she truly feared was mother and she knew that if she left her side without being told she would get a harsh punishment for doing so. But tonight was different. There was a loud thud towards the very back of the cavern causing her to tremor lightly. She glanced over at mother and Banshee but neither had stirred from the noise, only she. Determination set in then, she was going to figure out what made that noise and as long as mother remained asleep she would never find out about her departure. She slowly rose off the ground, being careful not to jostle her little family out of their sleep. Wraith tiptoed around Banshee before scampering off into the darkness. Her golden brown occuli quickly adjusted to the dark expanse and she slowed her gait, her small nares flaring to inhale all of the foreign scents. Many of them mingled together but the strongest scents were female. One smelled similar to herself while the other smelled more mature, like her mother. However both of the scents were completely unfamiliar to her but intrigued her even more.

She tiptoed quietly, her auds flicked forward as she listened to the water dripping off of the cavern walls. The air smelled stagnant and she wrinkled her nose slightly but decided to ignore it. It wasn't nearly as stuffy by her den then it was back here but she was already adjusting to it. Do you have your own puppies? You seem like you'd be a good mother. She halted then, aware that she was closer to the strangers then what she had originally intended. But there was no going back now, no matter how quiet she could be. They would eventually hear her, or smell her. She took the opportunity to weigh her options and then decidedly continued forward until finally the forms of the strangers came into view. One was a pup not much bigger then herself, though her fur was pure white and seemed to sparkle in the darkness. The other was a much larger wolf, though her size was nothing in comparison to her mother. This female had a mixture of tan, white, and black. She was beautiful. Wraith had heard the word uttered a few times here and there by the adults, and she decided that this stranger fit that category. She crept forward then until she was in perfect view of the other two. Her tiny tiara was held high with pride, just as her mother had taught her. She did not cower before the others even though she was clearly the smallest one here. In the darkness her ebony fur blended in with the exception of the pure white mask that framed her eyes, a telltale marking that both her mother and sister shared- it tied them all to one another. Hello. I am Wraith. Her voice was very monotone despite sounding like delicate little bells ringing. Her face was void of emotion with the exception of curiosity shining through her golden brown occuli. She glanced back and forth between the two and then sat on her haunches, waiting and watching for a response.

---

notes: figured I would throw Wraith in here <3
tagged: Artemis + Zohartze + open
muse: medium/decent
word count: 779.
status: complete.

[Zohartze]

[attr="class","plbase"]

[attr="class","pltxt"]Zohartze couldn’t help but smile at the tiny white creature. Despite her general unease about the youth in the pack, there was something so relatable about Artemis. She was nervous, anxious even. The words that spilled from her maw were so innocent, so respectful, and undeniably kind. Despite the fact that she shared Datura’s worries that Tala would coddle her male pups, she felt that the females were certainly more receptive to the loving attention. She had tried, with Ossa, despite her anxiety—she knew deep down that she had neglected her only living daughter as well as her sons, but somehow she knew that Ossa understood more than the other boys. She was mature, and she could only hope to truly show her daughter affection in time.

But the pup before her offered almost a second chance at softness, if only for a moment. “You may call me Zo, if you wish,” she told the pup. Settling down into a lying position to put herself on the level of the female pup, Zohartze’s heart went out to the anxious thing, willing her to lift her head. And, as she felt often around Datura, she didn’t feel the pressure of secrecy and coldness that she naturally exhibited around the adult females of Kairos. She was sure Tala didn’t care for her, as she couldn’t be bothered to be anything but stoic to the femme. The frigidity of her form around adults was effortless, just as calming herself to what she might have been before her childhood destroyed her. Before she destroyed herself.

“My mother was religious. I’m not sure what my name means, but I chose this name for myself when I was your age.” She did not reminisce for long, but images of her puphood danced in her brain. The day that she, Benicio, and Esai had named themselves was a happy one. The fae allowed that much to spill over into her eyes, for the sake of the pup, blocking the negative from her irises.

As Artemis lifted her head she lifted her own so that she was more comfortable. Her bi-colored eyes were bright and shining, and the startling difference in color might have shocked her if she weren’t so used to looking at Lilith. The blue was the same as many of Goliath’s pups, but the green was that of Typhon’s—a color said to have been the emperor’s mother’s. But the question that fell from her lips left Zohartze with a clench in her throat. The old anxiety pulled at her mind with angry tendrils, leaving her mouth oily and slick.

The mixed breed fae took a moment before she responded, testing the words on her tongue before she said them, straying away from her comment about being a good mother. Her heart broke slightly, and had it not been for her recent conversation with Olympus, she might have literally walked away from the conversation, but she kept calm for the sake of the meek pup. “I have three pups. A daughter, and twin boys that look even more alike than you and your brother.” She kept her words light, though she felt sad. No one but Datura and Goliath knew about Oeta. She heart was heavier knowing that her twins had left, despite the relief of being freed from motherhood.

Before she could finish her thought, another pup stepped into the vicinity. Zohartze held back the roll from her eyes. All these pups wandering around—did her pups sneak away as much as it seemed these pups did? The femme almost laughed, and a smirk wrapped its way around her maw as Wraith introduced herself.

“I know who you are, girl,” she said to Xena’s pup. Rumor had it that she would be gone soon enough, traded to Ultoris for alliance. No one talked of the sire of Xena’s pups, but everyone knew it was Severus, the alpha. And though the masked femme made a stoic wolf and an even colder mother, Zohartze respected her deeply for what she’d done for Kairos. She was a warrior through and through.

Though, it seemed that the emotional slate that existed within her mother had been inherited in Wraith. She sat as a puppy statue, her white mask an inverse of her sister’s. For the sake of the newcomer, she introduced herself again. “I am Zohartze,” she repeated, this pup not evoking the same softness of her voice that Artemis did. The white pup was easy to be kind around—Wraith had not elicited that level of intrigue in the femme yet.

tags: Artemis, Wraith
words: 782
muse: pretty good
notes: -

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[Artemis]

"Zo." She repeated the single syllable with extreme caution, searching the older wolf's face for a sign of approval. Finally, she allowed herself to crack a smile, better lifting her head off of the ground; her wariness was slowly disintegrating, being gently replaced by a faint hesitancy. She looked nothing like Tala, but she was a mother, and thus far she seemed perfectly trustworthy.

When she said she got to choose her own name, the puppy's ears perked up in interest. "Do I get to pick a new name when I'm older?" Bi-coloured eyes doubled in size, the possibilities seemingly endless. Getting to choose a name for herself would be outstanding, but she knew deep in her heart that she'd never dare; she would never think of doing something like that to her mother. Tala's opinion was something that, in her eyes, made whatever she thought completely irrelevant. It was exactly the same with her brother - she often couldn't help her mind from wandering to him, and it was especially easy when Zo spoke of her twin sons. That they looked even more alike made Artemis' stomach twist with unease; she didn't like to picture twins that were closer than her and Apollo, for it had always seemed like such a silly, impossible thing. What little confidence she had managed to build in the she-wolf's presence had quickly deflated, and though she was quiet, though so little about her posture had changed, it was simple to detect the way she shyly lowered, assuming a position more suitable to her nature: submissive and unsure, a touch of disappointment tucked into the backward flicking of her ears. One could only hope that, with time, she would grow into herself, but for the time being all she knew was her own helplessness.

It was funny how swiftly such a thing could change, however.

A voice even more delicate and petite than her own had Artemis reluctantly turning her head, spying a pair of yellow eyes framed by a white mask in the surrounding darkness. She had never seen the puppy before, but it was not so simple as her new face that had Artemis opening her mouth in a display of awe and confusion; rather, she had never seen someone that was smaller than her before, and that there was such a thing as a smaller wolf in this world had her opening her eyes to a fact she hadn't believed existed.

The vacant look on the other puppy's face made Artemis uncomfortable, but that didn't stop her from approaching on delicate paws, attempting to push the black fur on her muzzle into the space where Wraith's ear connected with her head. It was a normal greeting between Artemis and her siblings, and she hadn't stopped to think about how a puppy from a different litter would take to the sudden, unexpected affection. "I like this." She touched her paw to the white of Wraith's face, following the pattern under her eyes. "It's pretty. You're pretty." She pulled away, suddenly nervous, because this wasn't one of her sisters, this wasn't Apollo, and it was only a matter of time before she craved the security of one of them. She looked over her shoulders as Zo reintroduced herself, and just in case Wraith was uncomfortable with an unfamiliar adult, much like she had been at first, she wanted to reassure her and, even better, bring a light into her empty eyes. "Zo is very nice. She has puppies too, but I don't think they're in the cave."

Different coloured eyes widened in concern for the twin boys she had mentioned before. Artemis left Wraith's side with a quiet apology in the dipping of her head - she didn't like to make a habit of dismissing herself without permission - before she once again approached Zo, covering a tiny portion of the adult's paw with her own. "Did your boys go on that adventure? So that they can come back and keep us safe?" She had heard rumours of the Agoge. In her young mind the true danger of it hadn't fully sunk in, but she worried as though it had.

Zohartze & Wraith

[Wraith]

She felt oddly out of place as she sat before the two other females. Though the ivory pup was not much bigger then herself she was still a stranger to her. Xena had not allowed her to do much wandering in the caverns and the only interaction she had had with other wolves was with her mother and older sister. She was curious but unwilling to show it upon her pretty little face. I know who you are, girl. I am Zohartze. Her auds perked then with full curiosity as she drew closer to the adult. You do? The delicate tones of her voice showed the tiniest bit of emotion as her bright orbs glanced upward at her face. Her tail wagged for a quick second before she immediately halted the movement. She quickly masked the bright curiosity that had flickered across her face and collected herself once more. How do you know me? She asked softly before glancing over briefly at the pup that sat only a few inches from her. Soon however the pup was drawing closer to her and Wraith did not flinch but she did feel like moving away. She wasn't used to contact with others and it made her slightly uncomfortable. Before Wraith could adjust herself the female was pressing her cold nose into the fur of her face. Instantly her hackles rose and she almost snipped at the pup's muzzle but instead she froze entirely. I like this. Wraith drew away from her then and stared at her, Like what? She demanded of the pup. She almost sounded irritated but her harsh vocal chords were simply her normal voice which was almost difficult to believe considering she was such a young pup. It's pretty. You're pretty. Instantly Wraith felt like gagging at the words. You are mistaken. She said bluntly, though not to be mean. It was only the way that she felt.

Zo is very nice. She has puppies too, but I don't think they're in the cave. Did your boys go on that adventure? So that they can come back and keep us safe? Wraith allowed herself to be distracted from the touchy feely pup for a moment and redirected her gaze back to Zo, the mother. Her invisible eyebrows arched as she waited for her remark. If she had sons and they were partaking in the Agoge Wraith wanted to know all about them. Banshee was to be expected to partake in the Agoge herself and Wraith was hoping that she would still be here to do so also. The thought of her older sister going through such a task alone made her stomach twist with unease. There was hardly a thing that she and Banshee didn't do together. They only had each other considering the fact that their mother wasn't very loving. Both of them would not be ready for the day that Wraith would be sent off to live with their father. She herself loathed the idea but she did not speak a word of it. Her mother would reprimand her harshly if she spoke any unease or hatred toward the idea. Wraith was expected to just deal with it because this would be what sealed the deal with an alliance with Ultoris. Wraith didn't very much care of the whole "alliance" ordeal and didn't quite comprehend it yet. But when she would mature she would begin to completely understand everything. The only thing she could understand was that her mother did not want her, or her sister, and that she was sending her away. Maybe it was because she was tiny and was viewed as useless. But Wraith would prove everyone wrong. And if one more wolf looked at her or spoke to her the wrong way she would make them regret it. After all every wolf wants to keep their eyes in their head.

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notes: sorry for the wait and the sucky quality! I love this thread already <3
tagged: Artemis + Zohartze + open
muse: medium/decent
word count: 793
status: complete.