Whispers In the Dark [ Orfeo & Wren ]

[seraphia]

The silence was more than enough to drive anyone crazy, if you absolutely had to try and give it a rating. Nothing was happening. Sure, there was the gentle breeze or maybe the occasional thump as snow hit the ground after falling from its previous perch on a tree branch, but other than that, complete and total quiet, just how it should be. All seemed to be right enough with the world. There was not another soul around and one could have hours to themselves here, just them and their thoughts. Which is exactly what Seraphia always strove for. Just the peace and quiet of her own world and no one to stop that. Of course, anyone that tried would get a mouthful, which would probably be laced with insults to the high heavens. That always seemed to happen in the end; Even if the other party was the nicest soul on the planet earth they would still be met with a good session of bullying of some sort.

One could be considered lucky that it wasn't them to disturb her nap. Rather a biting wind caused her eyes to flicker open, widening as another breeze ripped through her ruffled, dirty white fur and pricked at her skin like a thousand needles. In the course of a few seconds her expression went from surprised to angered to complete and total sadness. How was she supposed to sleep with that kind of temperature? She wasn't, of course. Pulling herself to her paws, Seraphia glared over the landscape that surrounded her, not happy about the situation she had found herself in. At all. It was bad enough that she still hadn't the slightest idea as to where she was in the world. Now a decent nap ruined by the cursed mother nature.

Mumbling a thousand curses on her breath, in both English and other languages, the white female started her way down the hill she had placed her sweet little rump on a few hours ago. The snow clumping in the fur between her paws didn't exactly make the trek easy, and more than once she would stop, sit down, and flap her front paws like a retarded seal. It did nothing to dislodge of the annoying substance though, and so she just ended up looking like a comical relief character straight out of a cartoon or movie. Placing her paws back on the ground, she twisted her mouth into a look of extreme discontent, and even muttered under her breath. "Fottiti, snow." But of course swearing the snow out in italian would not do a thing to change it, so she left the dispute at that and continued walking.

The base of the hill then became Seraphia's bed. Without much thought she flopped down into the nearest drift, covering her face promptly with the snow that now hid her from view. It was far from comfortable, and even further from warm, but it blocked out the sounds and the wind, and so it would just have to do, and if anyone had a complaint with her choice in bedding they could take it up with the gods. She was fine for now, and when sleep began it's descent, she didn't have a single complain. Which was good, cause complaining took a lot of energy she didn't have.

[Deleted]

Snow clumped onto the brute’s body, covering patches of black fur and causing a shudder from the wolf. Orfeo had seen snow many times before, but whenever it had gotten too cold he simply had to go indoors to find the heater and warm himself up again. There were no heaters here, and the lack of eating while he was journeying around Tiayr had caused his weight to plummet. He was pathetically skinny and the wet snow made his fur cling to his skin, making him seem even more malnourished.

Taking a nap now might be a good idea… or a bad one. Orfeo sneezed roughly as the snow blew right into his back, making his eyelids cling closed to shield the eyes from the blistering snow. If he slept now, who knew if he would ever wake up? Orfeo usually seemed to not care about his condition, but he definitely did not plan to die here.

So the black wolf trudged on, a small dot in the snowy hills. Suddenly a peculiar scent had hit his nose. He lifted his head to determine what it was and where it was coming from, but the wind blew the other direction and the scent disappeared with it. He squinted dully into the distance as the snow collected more and more on his body. As time passed, his steps felt heavier and heavier, until he stopped completely.

His breath clouded into the air for a mere second before getting pushed away by the wind. How was one to find food in this place? He almost wished he had not left Toiro back in Shyia, but then again, he was being a bother to the alpha. Toiro surely had other things to do other than to babysit the lone wolf. Orfeo's pace wavered as he began to rethink his past actions, wondering if he should had done something differently.

Suddenly a scuffle was heard, and Orfeo’s ears shot forward. Whatever that was, there was a possibility of it being food. He slowly took a step forward, and then another, some intuition kicking into his blood and mind as he cautiously made his way toward the sound. Ah, the inner wolf was coming out, or so he thought.

Orfeo’s paw suddenly stepped on something warm and furry, making the snow erupt in a little cloud right in front of his face. Apparently he had stepped on whatever he was hunting, a rabbit that had tried to stay still in order to not get detected by the hunter. By its bad luck and Orfeo’s good luck, the black wolf had found where the small creature was hiding.

But even with the luck, Orfeo had to shake his head to rid of the snow in his eyes that the rabbit had kicked up from the ground, and the brute had gotten a late start in chasing the prey. His poor condition also made him run slower and clumsily, making him trip through the snow awkwardly. His paws dug into the sand only to have to be pulled out again, causing Orfeo to use more effort just to run. The wind blew this way and that, blinding him and making the scent of the prey come and go, until it had finally left for good. Just as the prey had suddenly appeared, it had already disappeared. Orfeo slowed his pace down and panted heavily, his heart throbbing with effort to get his oxygen pumped out to his muscles.

… now what?

[wren]

Well, this is lonely. These were first thoughts of Wren as he ventured north. But then again, didn't he come here to be lonely? He hated loneliness, he didn't know why he had thought it was a good idea. But the thought of getting away from anything- or everything- seemed appealing at the time. Now, not so much. As soon as he had arrived on this strange island, albeit soaking wet, the first thing he'd done was take a nap. The second was to find the great challenge, and these snow covered hills caught his eyes as he traveled throughout the land. Of course these were not the highest yet- and the mountains in the distance certainly caught his attention- but they would do for now. So far he hadn't seen hide or hair of any other soul in this godforsaken place. Even living in that old human hellhole had been better than this, at least there were people to bother or birds to chase. Here there was that, too, but it seemed.... different somehow. Wren couldn't quite put his paw on it, and therefore pushed it from his mind.

He tried to push himself to the limit. Maybe death was just the answer to it all. Never when he was younger did he think suicide or wanting to die would ever be something to cross his mind, but here he was. Thinking about it. Possibly on the verge of doing it. In his mind he just wrote it off as a dare for himself, but there was a darker reasoning behind his actions this time.

Chills always ruffled his fur easily, and he got cold quickly. Warmer temperatures were much more kind to him. Just looking at the snow-topped hills made him feel cold in his bones and to his core. And yet, he pressed on. Soon he reached them and trotted through the white stuff. This was not remarkable to him and held nothing of interest; he had seen snow numerous times before. And it was just as irritating as always. From the first step he felt it seep through his fur. It was different than swimming. Now there was no pleasant sun to fill him with warmth. He was still on the same planet, in the same place, but the sun was different here. It was cooler and more unforgiving. Yet he pressed on.

Now at the base of a hill, he looked upward at the large incline. Gritting his teeth in determination, he picked up the pace and tried to run. In his mind he was begging to be taken away from it all. What is happening to me, why am I like this. he asked himself as he did so. I'm going insane. Why, how.... It was the end, the end for him, the end of everything, the final countdown. He closed his brown eyes and plowed through the snow as fast as he could. It was more difficult than he thought and he wasted energy very quickly in the process. One step, then two, then five, then ten. Then... squish. Wren stopped for a moment, confused. Looking down at the ground he saw that something was different in this snow. It was breathing steadily, a rising and falling flank and was a different color than its pure white background. He saw a fluffy tail in this snow, and it was then that he realized he had stepped on someone. Wren recoiled slightly in shock and forgot all about his goal and what he had been doing at the time. The first wolf he had encountered so far was right here in front of him. He didn't feel sorry for waking them, for who would decide to sleep right in front of a mountain in the snow anyway? It was just asking to die, honestly, so Wren considered it that he had really just saved the wolf instead of disturbed him or her. He wasn't sure whether or not this would lead to confrontation, but Wren felt like he could use a way to get his anger out and perhaps this would be the answer, high up in this snow-covered hills... He felt his curiosity get the better of him, and waited to see whether the wolf would wake up.

[seraphia]

One would think that sleeping in a makeshift den would, oh I don't know, keep them hidden and well protected, from wind and too curious of eyes, at least. But, when did that ever happen and actually go well? Anyone with a brain would know it was never a good idea to disturb a sleeping female wolf, especially one with a temper like Seraphia, who didn't enjoy anything in life when her sleep was so rudely interrupted. She may as well have the word rude painted across her forehead in capital letters, for the only reason she seemed to ever talk to someone was because their actions were just that. Today was no different. First it was just a light sneeze from another living creature up on the top layer of snow somewhere. This is actually what drew her from her sleep, light as it was, in the first place. But when nothing else happened, she simply allowed her eyes to close again and the black veil of sleep start to sweep over her once more, her mind scrambling to resume it's previous dream.

It was not a minute or so later that a sudden heavy weight pressed down on her hip. At this, the female's eyes shot open and she jerked her head upwards at the same time the weight was removed. Seraphia had never been known for her grace, so she probably looked like a fish out of water, spinning around to fully face the culprit of this horrible crime against nature. What she came to see though was not a predator looking to kill her, but rather just another wolf that was maybe an inch or two larger than her. Blinking, she let her tongue slide over her lips for a brief second, before drawing her head back so that she may see more than just the canine's brown eyes. He was a skinny wolf, one she could easily sit on and flatten just a little bit, but when it came to his actual body structure, he was pretty much the same size as her, which came as a surprise. Was he emaciated? No... course not, his ribs were not showing. She intended to draw every bit of information from him, but upon realizing she would just be staring for the longest time, she stopped short and snorted, shaking her head.

When Seraphia met his gaze again, it was only with contempt for his mere existence on the earth. Her green eyes were narrowed and her tail flicked back and forth on the snow under her. When she opened her mouth she didn't waste a second to make sure those words were put to good use. "Watch where you place your paws! I could be a polar bear and you would be dead right about now!" The accent that slipped through on her voice distorted a few of her words, but she knew that they were getting across good enough, unless of course the other wolf in question was totally and completely deaf. Only then would there be issues. She was about to open up and let loose another stream of complaints when her eyes caught on to something about this stranger. His fur was short! Hardly able to keep him warm in the climate that was the north. Certainly not a common sight among these parts, she guessed, or he would have grown longer fur by now. She drew her gaze up from where it had rested on the male's side, eyes narrowing once more. "Far from home, are we? Looking to become an ice sculpture, perhaps? A lovely profession!" She paused, using a front paw to tap herself on the head. "For a DIMWITTED FOX!" The last words came out as a less than lovely screech, and they made it so her entire body moved with the effort of pushing them past the forming lump in her throat.

Seraphia pulled herself into a standing position then, taking a step closer to the stranger male, the fur along her neck standing up on end. No one, and I mean no one, ever disturb her and not quickly explain themselves before she could even so much as get a word in edgewise. And oh, was he about to learn why she preferred to be left alone. "Oh, and while you are still staring at me like an idiot, why not just review what has happened today, shall we?" She paused for a breath before resuming, this time with a new toe to her voice. High pitched to assume that of a small boy that had yet to hit puberty. "Hi, I'm Mr. Stranger that is not adapted to the cold. I thought I was just gonna skip through the snow and not care about anything and STEP ON THE NEAREST WOLF I SAW." Upon finishing her sentence, the female tilted her head and allowed her mouth to go straight, eyebrows raising as she briefly closed one eye in sort of a forced, confused wink. A small smile even formed on her lips when she opened her mouth again, until she assumed her normal voice and actually showed no evidence of her outburst, as if it had never happened. "What are you doing up here anyway?"

She didn't get to focus long enough to hear an answer, if there was one, for a sudden movement of black right out the corner of her eye drew her attention away from the stranger. She whipped her head to the side in time to find herself sprayed with the snow the running one kicked up, obviously in pursuit of something fast. She closed her eyes against the icy flakes that bit at the short fur, and thus her skin, at her face, shaking her head once they ceased to fall upon her. Seraphia turned her head then to watch as a black wolf slowly pulled to a stop, his sides, with bones on the verge of showing and all, heaving. However, she couldn't find herself to allow a tinge of sympathy to crawl its way into her head. In her mind this wasn't a suffering wolf with a failed hunt on his paws, no, this was just another stranger put on this earth to drive her nuts. It was always that way with these animals.

Casting a glance to the stranger, she huffed and spun on her heels, leaping out of her hole in the ground and quickly making a start to stalk over to the stranger. He was still breathing heavily, and unlike the first guy, was black instead of red, long furred too. He held himself low, and so aside from those small details she couldn't draw much else. He was emaciated and obviously not looking after himself very well. Seraphia sat herself in front of him, and peered on with narrowed eyes and an emotionless look about her face. "Thought you would turn into a bird back there? Everyone knows hares are bloody fast." She put emphasis as the start of her second sentence. Obviously this guy didn't get that fact, or he wouldn't have attempted to catch whatever he had just failed at chasing. She would guess a hare for now because of his speed and obvious clumsiness. "I'm sorry but last I checked, wolves are not jets. They can't break the sound barrier." Her references to the human made instruments and concept of a barrier for sound probably fell on deaf, or at least uninformed, ears, but she didn't do much to revoke her statement aside from licking her lips and watching both the strangers on the edges of her vision, awaiting their reactions to... whatever.

[Deleted]

Some squabbling was heard, but Orfeo only though it to be of a bird, as he glanced upward, the sights around him dizzying. The clouds seem to swirl around him, and the snow that pelted his face forced him to close his eyes. That run had cost him a lot of effort that was lost to nothing, so now his chances of survival were even slimmer. Living out in the wild was the hardest challenge he has come across yet. With that reminder, he puffed out his chest in pride. So what if he failed on the first hunt? Perhaps in another he would finally succeed.

Still, sometimes he wished he had stayed with Toiro and maybe joined the pack. Perhaps the pack had some food, and maybe he could have learned from them on how to hunt. He would be in a family, much like the one he had in the circus. Orfeo was used to being in the company of someone else. The lack of wolf and human interaction had left him quite lonely, and he longed for something warm to perhaps press upon. A heater would be best, but a body would not be bad either. A fire would be nice as well…

Contrary to what Orfeo planned, he began to fall asleep, his energy drained out of him and the chilly snow and air causing the black wolf to become drowsy. His legs failed under his weight and he pressed his belly into the snow, succumbing to the slumber he so very needed. He let out a yawn before an explosion of complaints was directed at him.

Orfeo opened his eyes and peered at the white wolf who blasted out criticism that was covered completely in utter annoyance. She was sure the talker... Her accent did not really throw him off, for he was used to the different accents of the circus. Orfeo did not know what to say to the white wolf, for the female only rambled on and on about random things such as “birds” and “jets” and “barriers”. The fact that Orfeo knew some of the words from his experience with humans but not the other words made him even more confused. He quickly assumed that he was troubling the female and apologized, “Mi dispiace, signorina. I have yet to learn how to hunt.” His wheezing was evident after he began to talk, the cold having made his lungs weak; every breath was a painful effort to get air into his body.

Out in the corner of his eyes, there seemed to be another wolf as well, a red one that definitely did not have enough fur to keep him warm. Orfeo wondered why such a wolf would be here in this terribly cold weather, and then thought that he could use the small wolf to his advantage.

“Signore,” he addressed to the red wolf, “if you feel too cold, I believe that if we stay together, we will both feel warmer.” It was a sincere suggestion, and Orfeo really just wanted to feel warmth, even if it’s only a little bit. He was reluctant to ask the fiery female, even though her fur seemed even warmer, for he feared that anything he did would invoke a complaint from her.

These small interactions pleased Orfeo, which was obviously revealed when his legs suddenly, but slowly, pushed his body upright again and his black tail wagged a bit. He was not alone anymore, and the simple fact made him feel warmer inside already.

[wren]

Wren watched as this mysterious wolf flopped around on the ground for a few moments. The sides of his mouth turned up in a grin of amusement. The wolf seemed to get his or her balance, and then immediately turned on him and started yelling. This was nothing new to him, of course.. But just his luck, the first wolf he found was a cranky female. Not even the good kind of female either! His days had just been bad luck recently. Wren sat down in the snow as she went on and on about how he stepped on her while she was sleeping in a snow drift. He yawned. Her yelling was making even him tired, though it wasn't too hard to do that anyway. As her anger rolled over him, he took a look at who this wolf actually was. A female, obviously, from her slightly strange voice and accent. She was about his size which was still no worry to him since he was probably still faster than her. What caught his attention were her remarkable green eyes. He basically stared at them while she prattled on and on about one thing or another. Wren felt his annoyance level steadily rise as the white wolf continued. Was she ever going to stop? Or breathe?

He still listened to her insults with interest just for the sake of passing the time. If she was going to expel so much effort to throw them all at him, why not return the favor and lend at least half an ear to listen? Eventually she slowed down and finally stopped and even winked at him, then smiling and asking him what he was doing around here. But before he could even reply she had already bounded off in another direction, completely oblivious to the fact that he was about to speak. His anger was reaching a boiling point soon and he wasn't even going to try to stop it. Fur bristling, Wren walked after her, trudging through the snow. All in all it was completely uncomfortable and he was getting cold quickly. Now that there were actual wolves here he couldn't just leave to go die in the freezing hills or wherever the hell this was. Much to his surprise he saw another figure up ahead that was also getting yelled at by the female wolf. This next character was an obvious male wolf who was so much larger than him it was ridiculous. However he noticed the ribs showing through his pelt, clearly this wolf was hungry and according to the cranky princess he had been trying to catch a hare which was the worst possible thing to ever do ever. "Breathe once in a while, princess." he said, chuckling to himself. "I bet all your prattling has made you tired now, so why don't you go lie in the snow in the middle of no where again? Because that's such a good idea." His brown gaze flickered to the wolf who was also apparently sleeping in the snow. Were all the wolves here idiots that arrived without common sense and with weird accents? The male wolf then invited him to get warmer and lay down next to him. Wren considered the situation- he was definitely cold. "Sure, don't mind if I do." he replied, grinning, moving past the female and laying down next to this stranger. "Why don't you move off these hills where it's warmer instead of staying all the way up here?" he asked, directing the question at the male wolf and by now completely ignoring the female.

[seraphia]

She hadn't been paying much attention to anything aside from ensuring this wolf got the memo that he wasn't a good hunter. It was probably obvious that he shouldn't pull something off like that again, at least, not with the way he collapsed on himself and lay down on the snow, only opening his eyes to look up at her when she had started talking. Seeing this made Seraphia raise a brow in wonder, and she even half expected to be met with the same insults she threw, but instead, the male just seemed to apologize. Certainly not in the English language, which caused her brow to raise even higher with the sudden confusion that raced through her mind. "Uhm.." She cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter, looking down on the male with a certainly wondering expression. He didn't look to be in good condition at all, and certainly looked worse when he looked to the red one for warmth. Hearing this, a certain immaturity sparked within the female and she bit her lip, the corners of her mouth pulling into an amused smile.

Before Seraphia could respond to that in her own way though, the red one was certainly all up in her personal space and telling her off for sleeping in an area that she had previously thought was devoid of any life but herself and a few of the birds that had stuck around for the winter. The audacity of this stranger surprised her. How he had the guts to even try and tell her she was wrong for sleeping in a certain area that happened to be a good one. Not to mention, he was the one that had stepped on her when she was pretty much perfectly covered. A large hole the size of a wolf in the snow should have been a huge hint, but apparently not to this character. Puffing out her chest, the female sighed and allowed her eyes to narrow. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know my sleeping patterns offended you." Pausing then, she raised both her brows and tilted her head, lips pulling up to reveal a small portion of her back teeth while she smiled ever so slightly. "Or, you know, that a passer-by such as yourself is concerned for my safety...." She stopped again, pursing her lips together while she flicked her gaze to the sky for a brief second. She probably looked very comical with her varying facial expressions. "Who died and made you king?"

But, the male seemed to be just about done with her, for, Seraphia noticed, he was now laying pressed up against the black one, sharing their body heat and even so much as allowing the snow under them to melt. Huffing, she assumed an annoyed expression, listening with ears pointed forward as he asked the black one why he didn't move his location and get off these mountains. She never did well with being totally and completely blown off like she just was, and so she decided to try a risky move, one that would probably get some of her fur torn out. Standing up, she moved to the other side of the red wolf, and, flopping down, allowed her longer fur to lap over his, sides touching. "No use in freezing up here..." She muttered past the snow at her muzzle, moving her gaze to look at the two of them. The black one was more adapted to this climate than the red, but he wasn't exempt from the fact he could very well freeze up here while she would be just fine. She was an arctic wolf, she could survive up here as well as anyone. The red one was so far from home that he would most certainly die up here without assistance. Sighing again, she lifted her head and looked down on them both. "I'm Seraphia, by the way."

Why she was being nice to them was beyond her. Sure, she didn't enjoy their presence, cause it meant she would have to be social and probably wind up stuck in their company, which is not something she was about to enjoy doing. But if there was one thing she hated seeing, it was seeing or knowing someone she had met had died when she could have stopped it. For now, she could provide warmth and maybe teach the black one a thing or two about hunting. Perhaps the red one could help her in that task. A group of three lone wolves depending on each other for survival, much like a pack. The idea of that didn't appeal to her, and upon thinking about it she huffed, scooting so that she wasn't like a sardine against the stranger that had just snapped at her. She wasn't about to leave him without warmth though, and so remained in generally the same place and placed her head on her paws, watching the land go by without much happening.

[Deleted]

Orfeo did not know what to make of the female. One second she was lecturing him, and the next she was clueless of what to say next. The white wolf did not seem to want to harm him, though, so Orfeo considered her good company, whether she was shrill or not. The female seemed more interested in retorting to the red wolf anyway, snapping back at him with strange facial expressions that sometimes showed annoyance, cunningness, thoughtfulness, and more. Her features shifted very rapidly, quicker than Orfeo had ever seen before, and this made him a bit curious about the female. He was ready to glance at the red wolf for his response, but the smaller wolf had already begun to walk towards Orfeo.

Amber eyes followed the red wolf as he took to lying next to Orfeo. The black wolf seemed pleased and softly, but surely, felt the radiating heat of the body next to him. A contented sigh left his lips as he began to feel drowsy again, his eyes drooping dangerously. He gave a yawn before responding, quite belatedly, to the red wolf’s question, “I was told by another that there was going to be food here. I did not expect it to be so, eh… hard to find anything to eat.” He tucked his tail in to maximize the warmth, continuing his response, “You see, signore, I am not from around here. Nor have I learned the ways of the wilderness as of yet.” The black wolf’s thick accent made his words seem thick and emphasized, as if they carried a great importance. The tone suggested for his words to not just be heard, but to be taken in deep consideration and thought before one should reply to them.

He then gave another yawn, showing both his relaxation and exhaustion. He really would like to eat something as he felt his stomach gnaw and chew on air. He also really wanted to sleep, his eyes threatening to completely close with every blink of the eye. It seemed that sleep was going to overcome him, but again, the shrill voice of the female kept him awake. In a way, she was saving him from going into eternal sleep, but definitely not in the most pleasant way.

Orfeo looked to the side where the voice of the white wolf was coming from, and was surprised to find her laying down next to the red wolf. Orfeo tilted his head in wonder, but he did not contemplate on it for long. It was cold out here anyway, so who wouldn’t look for some warmth? The black wolf welcomed the company, and raised his ears when the female announced her name. Seraphia, it was. Orfeo looked up into the sky as if thoughtful, then replied his name as well, “You may call me Orfeo.”

It was strange. Just a few moments ago he was wishing for the company of humans and their warming contraptions, but Orfeo realized that other wolves were much better than heaters and fire. Heaters and fire do not talk to you or give you company, but these wolves do, and Orfeo enjoyed every moment of it, sighing contentedly through his nose.

[wren]

Wren kept his gaze on the male wolf, though out of the corner of his eye he was still watching the white female. She seemed slightly taken aback by something, maybe she wasn't used to getting a reply? Either way, the red wolf was happy because she stopped speaking at least for a little while. Finally it seemed she had recovered from shock and of course continued with her insults. "Of course I'm concerned for you, wouldn't want that pretty face getting frostbite." he replied, the corners of his jaws turned up in a mischievous smile, now turning to fully look at her. "I'll be king if you'll be queen." he added after a moment, smirking to himself and looking up to catch her green gaze with brows raised, as if slightly in challenge to see how she would reply to his comments.

After replying to this female he once again turned to the male wolf with interest. He was not from around here? Why, then, they had something in common! But he implied that he did not know how to hunt yet, and in that way they were different as could be. Despite this, he said. "I know what you mean, it was difficult for me at first too." The male nodded a few times, acting as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. Wren was taken by surprise as he felt a warmth on the other side of him, the opposite to the male stranger. His brown gaze turned and saw a white ball of fur curled up beside him. He chuckled to himself. "Why, isn't this comfortable now princess? Nice and cozy. At least there's some smarts up there with all those insults, I suppose." Both wolves said their names now, and Wren wondered if it was a good idea to give them his. Sometimes it wasn't always a good idea to have a name attached to a face. Word got around quickly. Nevertheless he replied with, "Wren is mine, pleasure to meet you both, Seraphia and Orfeo." This sentence was sincere, perhaps it was a good thing that he had met these two wolves. Although maybe it would have been better for him if he met the male and not the female. Either way they were together now, and he knew he would make the best of it.

"Y'know, I could get used to this." he sighed, "We could stick together huh, princess?" he nudged his body further towards the female wolf to close the gap that she had created when she moved further away. This comment was meant for the both of them, and he turned to look at the large black wolf beside him. "You look hungry, Orf, if I may call you that. See, I'm not so adept at hunting either or I would have gone off and caught something by now, I'm famished. Luckily it seems we have a professional hunter up here, thank the lord." he grinned and chuckled to himself, again turning his gaze to Seraphia. "Whad'dya say, princess, want to show us what you got? Or is there no skill behind your words?"

[seraphia]

She was content and perfectly happy to just lay there, listening to the words the two males exchanged. The black one was saying how he was not from around 'here'. It was quickly confirmed he probably meant the whole continent, once he mentioned he had not learned how to hunt. At this, she snorted and allowed a paw to cover her nose, as if she had simply been sneezing and wasn't highly amused by that fact. What Seraphia did gather from his response to the red one though, was that he had almost been, indirectly, sent right into his death. A wolf with little hunting experience sent to a place with little and hard to catch food. Fantastic. She would be sure to smack the one responsible for that on the upside of the head for their mere stupidity. Thinking about this made her shift positions slightly, a light smile crossing her features. Thinking about how badly that would piss anyone off was almost a comforting thought, scary enough as it was.

Then the red one was speaking, in response to her earlier session of speaking. She perked her ears to listen, but quickly flattened them against her skull the second his words registered. The last thing she was expecting was something like that, and to be perfectly honest, she had no idea how she felt about it. "Well..." She began, eyes narrowed and brows raised in a very confused expression. "You know what they say..." She paused, thinking about her next words before they came out of her mouth. "Beauty burns hot." Smiling inwardly at her own comment, Seraphia made certain to shift her wait once more, especially since her paw, which had been tucked under her, had begun to grow tingly almost with the lack of blood flowing to it. She turned her head away from the two, nodding when the black one introduced himself as Orfeo and the red one, having yet to state his name, responded to his previous comments.

But she didn't get much peace in the fact that she was back to going unnoticed. Once again she heard the words princess, directed at her, so obviously. How demeaning. She had a name and would have loved for it to be used in place of such a girly nickname. Now it was his turn to not stop talking, something that probably went around in her presence, speaking entirely from past experience, that is. She had nearly begun to fall asleep listening to him, and the second he stopped for a breath, she made sure to mutter past the snow. "Shut up." It wasn't exactly a harsh retort in any way, more of a quiet moan to show she was indeed on the verge of sleep. But once she was about to drift away, the male introduced himself as Wren. A funny name, compared to herself and Orfeo. But then again, something of the sort could only be expected. There was everything wrong and off about this place, so why not add a name such as Wren to the mix.

Seraphia was happy for the large gap of silence that followed his introduction, that, or she simply tuned out anything else beyond that. She was good at tuning things out, she had come to realize in the past months, but what she couldn't tune out was a touch. Lifting her head up in a sudden awareness, she saw right away that Wren had moved closer to her, making some sort of comment about being able to get used to the closeness she hated so dearly. "Don't get too comfortable, lover boy." This time her speech was an annoyed growl, and she didn't make eye contact with the male, but instead kept her gaze focused on what was behind the three, lips lightly drawn up to reveal the tips of her canines, entire jaw clenched out of annoyance for this males antics. And oh did he just keep talking. He mentioned something about having an experienced hunter in the group to Orfeo, and at this her eyes widened and she found herself shaking her head vigorously. "Nuh uh. I am not going to catch a few scrawny hares for your inexperienced asses." But Wren kept going, and this time he even challenged her outright on her experience in the art of hunting. Now that was simply enough!

Standing up, Seraphia turned to look down on the male, eyes narrowed. She loved a good old fashioned challenge to her skills, and she intended to show this guy just who he was flirting with, maybe then he would shut his trap. He didn't seem to give a response, so she moved her face closer and just let her gaze say it all, aside from what she voiced. "Don't underestimate me, boy. You want food? I'll get you food so that you may sit your pretty butt down and get fat." She pulled away then, looking over her shoulder in both directions for any quick sign of life. She saw nothing right away, but figured she could find something, a hare at least, fairly quickly. "Watch and learn. Or, in your case, just watch." She winked at them both and spun around on her heels, trotting a good 50 feet away from them. Her eyes squinted against the breeze that chilled her face, and for a brief second she even shivered against it.

However, that breeze was certainly helpful, for with it came the scent of lemming. And not just any lemming, but a lemming or two hidden deep within the snow, cuddling each other for warmth against the cold winter. Seraphia smirked at this and lifted her chilled nose to the air, taking in deep breaths in an attempt to locate the exact direction of the scent. It was to her right and up the hillside ever so slightly, and from it's strength, there would be a dent in the snow indicating it's presence. She made haste to go off in that direction, and sure enough, it only took a minute of trudging through the snow to locate it. Sure enough, there was a small hole in the ground indicating where the lemmings had hidden themselves. She smiled at this again, and, raising up to her hind paws, prepared to strike.

The rodents didn't have a chance. She crashed down on them with her entire front end, whichever one she didn't crush she caught in her mouth with ease, for their obvious shock made them disoriented and confused. She lay there for a moment before standing up, realizing she had landed on two of the small mice things and caught the third in her mouth. They weren't exactly appealing to the hungry stomach of Wren and Orfeo, but they would have to do for now. There was nothing else in this bloody land to eat, at least, nothing she could take down without help. Seraphia picked up the lemmings by their small scruffs, and with a huff, started back towards the other two wolves. It took her a minute, but she finally arrived, dropping one of the dead rodents in front of each of them. "We... Can get something larger later, if you mutton-heads help me out." She shuffled her paws to get back to her previous place next to Wren, still placing at least an inch between them so that only their fur touched. She took her catch in her mouth and saw to it that it was devoured in a matter of seconds. "My apologies for the small catch. Not a sign of other life in this bloody freezer."

[Deleted]

The black wolf yawned as he listened to the red wolf speak, although it was hard to pay attention to such a small wolf. He digressed from time to time to address the female with a tease, which humored Orfeo a bit. The two strangers fit together like two pairs in a clown act, one always bantering with the other. Well, clowns do not exactly talk, but these two would fit the comical act of the play. Thinking about the circus made Orfeo’s heart ache a bit, for he did miss it dearly. But he must not regret his actions, for he had no time to mope. The circus was doomed anyway; all of its hopes and future had been engulfed in flame. Only the memories stayed, and Orfeo refused to think about them in a time like this. At the exchange of mockery, Orfeo gave a deep chuckle. Simply listening to the pair was entertaining enough. He could listen to them for hours or even perhaps days. Orfeo was sure he would not get tired of it.

The thought made him question if he even remembered any of his old tricks. He has not practiced them in a while, and losing them was like losing a part of his identity. He was Orfeo, the black wolf of the circus. Although he was not of the circus anymore, the least he should do is remember the acts that he did. He stared off into the distance as he tried to recall the technique to do them, the memories fuzzy.

Ah, he was not supposed to remember the past, he suddenly recalled, snapping his trancelike state. The red wolf had just introduced his name as Wren, and Orfeo mentally reminded himself of his companions’ names. There was Seraphia, the fiery white furred female. Then there was Wren, the small, sarcastic red wolf. Ah, there was one act that the clowns did once that had three clowns acting at once. The act was called… Ah yes, The Three Musketeers. It was a circus play loved by the children, and Orfeo wondered if the small group resembled such an act. Wren suggested for the group to stick together, and Orfeo smiled softly at the thought, “That would be nice.” He heard a faint and sleepy remark by Seraphia, but it did not seem to mean anything other than her discomfort when Wren calls her “princess”. Orfeo wondered why she would resent such a nickname, for all of the little human girls he had met had always wanted to be a princess. They giggled whenever they were called a “precious little princess” and proceeded to take a picture with Orfeo with those tiny smiles pointed at the camera.

Orfeo’s ears shifted to the red wolf’s direction when his own nickname was created: “Orf”. Orfeo tilted his head in thought, for he hasn’t been called that since he was a puppy, all of the female humans calling him “Orf Orf” for they deemed it baby talk and cute. It was also the sound he made when he called out for food or for his caretaker, and the females had a good laugh when he did that. Orfeo shook his head softly, for these wolves were triggering more memories than they should. Orfeo responded, a little too late again (it was rather a normal thing with him), to Wren’s comments about his hunger, “Si, I am hungry, signore.” He then paused as the red wolf continued to speak about his poor hunting skills and made a jab at calculating Seraphia’s ability to hunt.

Orfeo wondered if it was a good idea to address the female in that tone. She began to rise, going up to the challenge. The black wolf admired Seraphia just then, for he enjoys a good challenge as well. Perhaps the strangers were not as different as they seemed. When the white wolf had left the group, Orfeo had rested some of his neck on Wren’s body to keep the small wolf warm while Seraphia was at work. He turned his head to watch the hunt, as the female instructed the two to do. The white wolf was swift and deadly in her tactics and made the hunt seem easy. She only needed a few moments before she was onto something, and then she had gracefully leaped into the air and down onto the snow to capture the small mouse-like animals that were hiding. Orfeo was impressed, but he could barely show it for his pride deflated a bit. The female caught a meal in a minute, while Orfeo had been trekking the entire area for just a scrap of food.

When the female returned, he smiled weakly and praised her with a, “Bravo, signorina. Grazie for the meal, it is more than enough.” He stared at the lifeless small body that was presented to him, but as hungry as he was, he didn’t feel like eating just yet. What could he do to at least be of some worth, instead of being utterly useless at a time like this? Well, he was already warming Wren up so that he would not freeze in the cold wilderness, but was that enough?

Even though it was a trivial trick, he took the body in his mouth and tossed it into the air, catching it upon his nose. What was supposed to happen, as he used to do with sticks, was that the rodent to be perched perfectly on top of his nose. The problem was that the mouse-like thing was limp and unwilling to prop upright so that it would give the desired balanced effect. Instead, the body flopped down onto Orfeo’s nose and just lay there, not a speck of talent was shown. His dignity was bruised enough, so he saved himself by flipping the rodent from his nose back into his mouth, which he did with ease. He grumbled a faint, “Ta da…” but his mood was soured by his lack of ability to even hold up something on his nose. In the end, Orfeo just proceeded to eat the kill. It didn’t taste like beef, or pork, or chicken, but it was very fresh and delicious. He quickly finished it and wished to himself that there was more.

((Dude, your muse is contagious o^o))

[wren]

Wren turned to look at Seraphia, waiting for her response to his comment, quite interested to see what the talkative female had up her sleeve this time. It was only a measly little sentence, but enough to bring him back to the past and recall a name and face which he wished to forget so dearly. One who had been so close to his heart, at least at one time. So many emotions went through him, a heart-throb then anger then hurt all at once, like some kind of rollercoaster ride. The male tried to keep these from showing up on his face, instead attempting to hide it with a silly grin, though he wasn't sure how well it worked out. From appearance it looked like both wolves had their faces so far stuffed into their snow drift they could have already been on the other side of the world and were basically passed out, so the wolf doubted they would notice any emotion he wasn't able to hide. Wren grunted and muttered in response, flattening his ears slightly and turning away to look down at the snow instead of at the off-white female. "Yeah, I've learned that from experience." This tone was very different from his previous sarcastic one, but automatically after his demeanor changed back again to his natural nature.

After he finished speaking earlier he sensed the wolves begin to drift off next to him. He had second thoughts about this alliance, if that's what it was. Wren didn't like to be tied down, this had been clear to him since a very early age. Some kind of three peas-in-a-pod nonsense didn't sit well in his stomach after he thought about it, despite his words conveying otherwise. Maybe he should just talk of various things- like the weather- and put them to sleep. Then he could just get up and walk away, simple and easy as that. Find some other wolves to bother or a cave to stay in until hell froze over.

Then his belly growled, reminding him of his hunger. Though he wasn't as skinny as Orf next to him, he would get close soon without a steady source of food. Hunting by himself wouldn't work very well, especially up here (though he was sure he would leave these hills soon enough. This wolf heater obviously wouldn't last for long). He was all for self-preservation if he was honest with himself, so maybe sticking around until he got the gist of the land was a good idea. He could disappear without a trace after that and go on the opposite of this supposed island so they could never find him again. He always had a way out, and this idea appealed to him. From beside him he heard an audible mutter from Seraphia, obviously she wished him to be quiet. "Maybe for a kiss, princess." he replied with a smirk, though she doubted he saw his facial expression. "Lover boy!?" he said, with a surprised expression on his face. "I'm sorry that you think of me so lowly, princess!" Wren paused for a moment, turning to gaze at Orfeo. The male had been quiet for the past couple of minutes and seemed absorbed in thinking of something else. Perhaps his spirit was elsewhere.

He then replied, saying he was hungry. "That makes two of then, huh?" he grinned, turning to look back at Seraphia. To his surprise she went for the bait and got up all in his personal space, growling and the works. "You're pretty when you're angry." he commented with another smirk that was the usual expression that remained on his face. "And oh, I will definitely watch." he added, chuckling slightly to himself. Despite his words sounding sarcastic, he was indeed interested in viewing the female's hunting skills.... along with her... er.... "form". She then moved off and further into the distance.

The female almost disappeared against the snow's white canvas, the only thing really standing out about her was her emerald eyes and other unlike markings. As she did leave his side he felt a significant loss nearby and almost wished she had stayed, at least for the sake of having more heat beside him. In instinct he snuggled closer to Orf to make up for the loss but of course it would not be the same. Wren waited in silent moments, listening carefully and watching as the hunting quest continued. Soon the female had returned- successfully, with food for each of them. The girl dropped his piece down in front of him as he laid down, and he eyed it hungrily. Dropping his sarcastic facade for a moment, he said, "Thanks, Seraphia." before pulling it closer towards him and eating it hungrily. "My pretty butt appreciates it." He commented after he finished, licking his jaws. Of course the food was only a couple mouthfuls, but it would do for now. At least it kept some of the hunger away.

Wren's attention was then turned away as he saw some movement in the corner of his eyes. Orfeo seemed to know a couple tricks and they amused the male fully. Though he wasn't very successful, they still elicited a chuckle from the mouth of the red wolf. "Where'd you learn those tricks then, eh?" He asked curiously.

[seraphia]

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[atrb=background,http://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii610/Rautayrtti/SeraMiddle.png] The lack of anything happening for the longest time, aside from the thanks from Wren and Orfeo, had begun to lull Seraphia into a gentle sleep, her green eyes half lidded and her breathing beginning to slow. It was freezing out here, even to her, which was something she expected to never happen. She had lived in the north pretty much ever since arriving on this continent, she should be used to it by now, right? Well, apparently not, and she didn't even think about what she would do for just a little bit more warmth. This gap of space between her and the red male just wasn't going to do for long, and half asleep and thus unaware of her actions, she founds herself pressing up against him without a second though, sighing at the sudden increase in the heat at her side. Her face however, was still next to frozen, and she kept licking her cold lips in order to warm them up, running her tongue over her nose as well to keep it from turning into a block of ice. They couldn't stay here for long, she knew all too well. They would have to leave soon or risk freezing up here. The former was much for appealing. It took her the longest time to process this, but the way Wren had said thank you... that certainly pricked at her curiosity. Seraphia ran the words over in her mind over and over again, ears flicking in an obvious indication that she was sinking deep into thought. The first thing the male had said to her in response to one of her comments was that he knew something about beauty from... experience? Now that was a strange response, and he hadn't said it with a smug look upon his face, unlike everything else he had said thus far. Not to mention, he had... addressed her by name when saying thanks, not princess like he had been saying earlier. Normally she would figure he just learned not to call her such a demeaning nickname, but honestly, what were the chances of that one? She shifted awkwardly next to male thinking about this. What had he meant? Should she inquire? No, no. It was obviously nothing, right? Of course it was nothing, for within a second he had said he wouldn't shut up unless he got a kiss. Well, that surely meant that something hadn't been troubling him, or if something was, he forgot about it quickly. Seraphia brushed the thought off then, instead focusing on what was happening in the real world. Orfeo was tossing his food up in the air, like it was nothing more than a ball a seal played with. At this, the female felt honestly offended. Here was this male, playing with the food she didn't HAVE to catch for him. Finally he ate it though, and she nodded her approval, while, next to her, Wren asked where he had learned those moves. She didn't really care, but none the less kept her ears up in listening for a response. She was interested in finding out how he had done that with such ease. Why he had done it was not really any of her concern. After a few moments, the female lifted her head from the snow, and, shifting slightly, adjusted herself so that she was but a white ball curled up against Wren, pressing against his short fur in hope that more warmth would come from it. Her nose was tucked under her tail, but she could still be heard from between the fur. "What did you mean by knowing about beauty from experience?" The question left her mouth before Seraphia could stop it, and for a moment she regretted asking it, but, what could she say, her curiosity was piped up, and it refused to leave her mind until it got answered. Why she cared, she didn't know. Just curious, she kept telling herself. Just. Curious. "Oh, and" she piped up again, this time opening her eyes to look at the red wolf. "I wouldn't kiss you in a million years. Just so you don't get your hopes up." She winked to close her sentence, before shaking her fur and, quickly getting tired of her position, made it a point to sprawl out instead. Word Count ;; 722 Muse ;; Low. Notes ;; One of you should suggest they go someplace warmer or something. |D

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[Deleted]

Orfeo listened as the wolves exchanged their share of taunts, never really having much to say when they did so. It seemed as though Wren was… what was that word? Ah yes, flirting, with the female. Orfeo had seen it done many times while he was with the circus. It was either a way to seduce another, or to tease another, and flirting was not limited to one gender. He has seen both females and males flirt before. Orfeo had never seen wolves flirt previously, nor could he ever tell if the flirting was to attract or mock until the other person either joins in or becomes very angered. He didn’t exactly care either way, but it was still a strange thought. Orfeo himself never found any interest in this “flirting” anyway.

The black wolf blinked a bit when Wren asked him about his trick, his mind foggy from the lack of sugar in his blood. The trick? “I learned them when I was piccolo, eh… a young pup,” Orfeo explained slowly, a bit of Italian getting mixed up with the wolf speech, “I was raised by a good, eh… signorino of the circus, and he is the one who taught me these tricks,” the black wolf looked longingly at the distance, looking at nowhere physically, but he was imagining everything mentally. His accented words seemed to melt the snow around him, making the wolf feel warm and at home. “I had many pleasant days at the circus. Doing shows is what made all the performers alive, including me. Seeing those anticipating stares, and then the people around you cheering,” Orfeo sighed, “It was a wonderful life. Sometimes I wish…” The black wolf trailed off, as he realized he said a bit more than he needed to. Nonetheless, his response left him relaxed and he enjoyed the silence that occurred afterwards.

Eyes closed as Orfeo willed his stomach to stay quiet while he rested next to the wolves, but with the small snack of the mouse-like creature in his belly, his stomach wanted more. He was thankful for the meal that Seraphia had caught for him, but it simply was not enough to satisfy the hunger that clawed at his insides and he began to get fidgety. It was hard to sleep when your stomach pains you from starvation. He would close his eyes only to be snapped awake by a gurgling in his abdomen. A puff of condensed water blew out into the air as the black wolf sighed miserably, wondering what to do next while his stomach groaned desperately at him.

Finding food in this area would be difficult, he thought as he studied the world around him, especially since Orfeo had little experience, if he counted the failed hunt with the rabbit, in hunting. He squinted through the snow and even tried to smell the air to see if he could locate any prey, but to no avail. He lowered his head into the snow to contemplate a bit more on the situation, but to his displeasure the icy cold powder only went up his nose. His chilled sinuses gave one shudder before he sneezed all of the snow out violently, making his fur on his back rise.

He began to painfully wheeze again after the sneeze, and even the shared warmth of the three wolves could not help. He tried to clear his throat, but his breathing still did not clear up. Involuntarily, he nuzzled his body even more tightly against Wren, squishing him against Seraphia so that he was sandwiched in between the wolves. The brute shivered, and he realized that his nap will never come if he stayed in these lands.

He turned towards the two wolves, and cleared his throat, even though his wheezing was still apparent, and offered a suggestion, “Eh… I do not think it will be wise for us to stay in this place. It is, eh… harsh.” The wolf struggled to communicate his thoughts, his mind hazy. “Do you know of, eh… a warmer place? That we can go to?” His belly reminded with a loud rumble to add, “Eh, and where there is better chances for getting food?”

[wren]

(If I'm actually a good student this weekend and most of next week, I most likely will not be on or be able to make a post because I will be brain dead from studying since I have exams next weekend. Hopefully I'll find some time to browse or maybe post a couple times but we'll see, obviously studying is on a high list of priorities for me now).


Wren pondered what Orfeo had said. A circus? How peculiar... Wren had never actually been to a circus but he figured out what it was just from the wolf's statement. It was obviously some kind of entertainment for the humans who walked on the earth. And apparently they employed dogs as well. A weird tradition, surely, though he wouldn't complain if he was taught those tricks, they were interesting and certainly could get attention from some of the ladies. "If we have any free time in the future I would like to learn some of your tricks perhaps." he commented, looking at the large male with a mischievous smile on his face. His previous thought was reason enough to learn those fancy stunts...

Wren noticed that the male seemed to yearn to be back with his humans. It was probably all he knew, but still the red wolf could not understand. Had he not known the true wonders of being alive and running through the wind wherever you'd choose, alone or with others? Instead he chose to be tied up with humans until he was probably separated from them. Wren scoffed slightly at the idea, but turned away to look into the distance instead of at the black wolf.

Soon both of the wolves on each side of him fell silent. The small wolf didn't break it and instead wondered what kind of life was ahead of him. When he was little this is not where he thought he would be, and well he admitted to himself that no wolf would think they'd be forced out of their birth pack and eventually stranded on an island in the middle of no where, with a human-loving circus performer and a loud-mouthed insane snow-girl. Wren sighed softly to himself, now turning his attention towards the ground while his ears were pointed towards Seraphia. She hadn't said anything in a while which surprised him. Glancing over he saw her basically passed out as he had suspected, and shivered slightly, wondering how she could fall asleep in such an uncomfortable place as this. Insofar no one had brought attention to his first comment for which he was appreciative. Perhaps this time he could actually let it go.

But then, no, someone had to ruin it. That white female finally piped up with curiosity in her voice and asked him about it. Wren supposed if he didn't want to take that chance he shouldn't have made the statement, but it had slipped from his mouth so easily he could not have stopped it. It annoyed him slightly that this aggressive wolf was prying into his personal life when he much preferred to keep it a secret. He never told anyone about his past, and he wasn't about to start this time either. "Met two gypsy sisters a while back. They were the two most beautiful things I've ever set my eyes on, I swear by it. They nearly killed me if I hadn't escaped, you know. They were quite feisty, not unlike you, princess." The male grinned and turned his gaze to look into the emerald eyes of Seraphia. "Then you wouldn't have met me, and that would have been a shame." He winked at her and in his mind he was hoping she would buy it because he did not want to address it any further. The only person he trusted was his sister, and every day he missed her deeply against his expectations. There was no one on this island he could trust or ever would, and he knew it the moment he stepped onto this island. Wren then turned to look at Orfeo as he began to speak.

The large male was clearly feeling the cold by now, despite his seemingly thick coat. Even the white female moved closer to him, probably her survival instinct and not personal preferance. He was being squished closer between the two as Orfeo moved to close the gap further as well. The sensation was getting quite uncomfortable, though of course the heat was welcomed. He mentioned that he would like to go somewhere, anywhere, other than here that was warmer and where there was a better food supply. Wren agreed completely. "Yes please, unless princess has objections?" He turned to glance over at the white wolf as if challenging her to disagree. It didn't matter if she did or not, he would still be leaving here anyway. It was unnatural for him to be here and he wasn't about to stay any longer. Survival instinct was now kicking in, and the male forgot all about his previous suicide attempt.