Ages [Calandra/Open]

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It had been many months since Anubis had fled the desert and its fiery wrath that rained down on Tassos. It had been many months since his sister stumbled into the pack meeting, exhausted and nearly dead from fleeing the volcano. All Anubis could feel was disdain toward Pievunt-An. The top of the volcano was gone. The remaining pieces of the age old volcano had slid away with the lava into the ocean, creating a new crossing that, from time to time, Anubis saw strange wolves walk across. They were not the masters of the bridge, and the wolves that traversed that way always cut across the beach to I'queyer or headed north, so he did not really see it as much of a problem. But the biggest issue at hand was what to do with himself. Since Osiris had never been located, Anubis wandered the desert aimlessly. He was pleased to have his sister back, but Anubis wondered if, by some chance, that volcanic eruption had taken his brother's life, if he had not already been dead before.

Then there was the issue of Amun. Once he dismissed the jackal back in Xisyn, he had not seen him again. Anubis wondered if his companion had merely been awaiting the day that he could leave Anubis and live on his own; either way, his family was being picked apart. However, he had a new family now. Isis was still here, though Anubis did not see her often, and there was Rasalas and Scout and Calandra and the others. The pack had grown exponentially and the iranian male could not be more pleased. It was everything that he ever wanted. Rasalas was a kind alpha and a much better male than Anubis could ever hope to be. He was pathetic in comparison to his alpha. All he could really do was hope to contribute to the pack in any way possible.

And so this was why Anubis was stalking through the desert in search of prey. He was not the most skilled hunter, but so far he had apprehended two meerkats and a lungfish from the river. It was not much and would do little to feed the pack, but it was all that he could really offer. He was too small to be effective in hunting larger prey, and without Amun, he did not have the necessary back up to hunt as he pleased. So he was limited to the small animals of the Occasus, and even those were few and far between. Anubis had no idea how they were going to provide for the whole pack unless everyone participated in hunting. With the arrival of spring, hunting was better than it was during summer and fall, but it was diminishing as the heat returned to the desert. It would not be long before the Sands of Rodorr were once again the barren desert that Anubis knew so well. It was both depressing and comforting to see the cycle of life in the desert region. It was home to him.

Quiet time was not foreign to the male; with the large expanse that was the desert plus the new addition of Xisyn as part of the pack's territory, Tassos could each have a couple square miles to themselves and never encounter another wolf. It was because of this that Anubis was grateful for the expansion. He needed some alone time, and Rasalas was, inadvertently, giving that to him. The pack meeting in the canyon had been far too stressful for the reserved male, and he needed to counteract that trauma with some time of peace and quiet. There was not a care in the world to Anubis when he got settled. And so the iranian male found himself a nice little crevice and nestled into the lukewarm sands for an afternoon nap, finding comfort in the warm sunlight on his back.

Word Count: 651 words
Tags: @calandra
Notes: This didn't come out as good as I thought it would. I think I've lost some muse for him.

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Calandra had recovered quite nicely, though the scorched hole through her ear remained, and the white fur in her tail was still greatly diminished, some of it still falling out. She felt a bit ragged, and knew she likely still looked damaged, but she felt better. The russet she-wolf was greatful for Scout and Aowyn's help. They had helped her to survive her wounds, and she knew that she would be back to normal health soon. Even breathing hurt less when she exerted herself, which was a welcomed change. The scorching smoke and ash had done a number on her lungs and trachea, and she had feared that the damage was permanent.

Trekking through the desert, spring slowly crawling towards the lands, Calandra was happy to be back in familiar territory, even if she still had her ghostly tag-along. The black wolf, who had recently revealed himself as an invention of her mind, still persisted. Calandra was unsure why, and had been certain that once she had accepted the fact that her solitude had invented a friend, he would disappear. This was no so, and while Trout had been grouchy before, he had calmed down notably. Rather than being jealous of her new pack and the wolves she was coming to know, Trout was relieved that Calandra had accepted him as an imagination, and hadn't eclipsed into psychosis because of this reality. The black male ambled along behind his companion in silence, contentment evident on his face.

"Hey Trout, how come you're still around? I know that I made you up, so... how can you still exist?" The she-wolf looked back at the male and slowed her pace to walk beside him, still very comfortable to be in his presence. "It's not that I want you to go away, you're my friend. It's just... this isn't really normal, is it?" She was sort of thinking out loud now, which was mostly unnecessary since Trout could hear her thoughts, which made more sense now, knowing that he was a part of them.

The black male sighed, "I don't know why I'm still here, or how to go away..." He trailed off a bit, and they walked in silence for a moment before the male began to chuckle. "Does it bother you that you really are talking to yourself?" Calandra smiled and gave a little laugh to, having never really thought about it like that. She shook her head and gave a shrug, unsure of how to answer, or how to feel.

As they walked along, she noticed the reclined form of Anubis, snoozing in the sand. She smiled at the sight: Anubis was probably her only real friend. Trotting down the dunes towards the male, she gave a low chuff, alerting him of her approach across the golden sand.

Words: 473
Tags: @anubis
Muse: Getting there...
Notes: Still trying to get back into the swing with Calandra.

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The sound of voices should have stirred the Iranian male from his slumber, but the much deserved nap that Anubis settled into was far more powerful than anything around him. And so, despite the approach of his Maned friend, Anubis slept peacefully, comfortably resting under the spottily cloudy sky and sun rays. He was so overwhelmed lately; it was rare that the male ever got time just to sit around and relax. And so the world of the dream took over him, and he tuned out the world around him, content to be surrounded by the hallucinations within his mind.

"Anubis, Amun, where are you?" the voice echoed off the rocks of Xisyn. It had been so long since Anubis last heard Osiris's voice, and he suddenly found himself roused by the calls and darting among the boulders in search of his lost brother. "I need you, brother!" the cry echoed out once more, summoning him into the caverns on the far walls of the canyon. It was where Osiris had been lost before; it was in this very cave that Anubis last saw his brother's face. But now, the rubble was clear and settled, and both Anubis and his jackal companion could squeeze into the narrow entry into the cavern that they had once called home. Maybe he could find his brother after all.

Anubis dove into the crevice, his voice calling out to Osiris desperately. "Osiris, where are you? I need you to tell me where you are!" he cried out desperately, the need to find his family once more becoming overpowering. The Tassos Pack was nothing if his brother was suffering because of his staying there. He needed to find Osiris and save him from this hell. Osiris was his main priority, and with Isis already safe, he had to get his brother out of here. "Osiris, where are you? I need you!" he screamed again, his voice dying the further into the caverns it went. And yet, a reply never came. Osiris was not really there. He was gone, just like Anubis's dreams of their reunion. All that was left was the ghost of his memory, terrorizing Anubis's dreams.

Anubis jerked away, a yelp slipping from his black lips as he was stirred from his dream, or rather, nightmare. He was thoroughly traumatized by the content of his slumber, and the male's body visibly quaked from his experience. It was hard enough that he did not know where Osiris was. That dream had all but told him that his brother was dead and was not coming back for him. He could not grasp that possibility. Osiris had to be out there somewhere, and Anubis needed to find him. He would not be able to sleep easily until Osiris was found and his terrors put to rest. Maybe Isis would help him out; they could go find their brother. He knew that Isis and Osiris did not really get along that well, but surely she would feel inclined to help. He could not just let this go.

A slight noise startled Anubis, and he whirled around, landing in a defensive stance with his fur bristled in alarm. Upon noticing that it was only Calandra, he visibly relaxed, dipping his head in greeting to the female. "How are you doing today, Calandra?" he inquired politely, though his voice still shook slightly from his previous experience. He could not quite let go of that dream. It was going to bother him until he did something about it, but he did not want to abandon Rasalas and the others. There had to be some sort of solution.

Word Count: 607 words
Tags: @calandra
Notes: I'm so sorry about delaying this. I've had a crazy life lately x.x I'll try to do better.

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He seemed to be dreaming, and awoke suddenly. Calandra frowned, wondering what he had been dreaming of - were they nightmares? The Maned she-wolf hardly had nightmares anymore, or dreams for that matter. She wondered if that was normal. She was pulled from this Anubis whirled to face her, clearly startled by her sudden appearance. She gave a sheepish grin at him, apologetic for her action. "I'm fine Anubis. How're you? You seem a bit put off by my arrival. Were you dreaming?" She wasn't sure if she was allowed to ask about that sort of thing, or whether he would want to talk about it.

She sat down slowly, the still healing wounds along her rump twitching as her haunches touched down. How ragged she must have looked then! Her tail still singed black as the white hairs had yet to regrow, patches missing along her back and shoulders, and a hole present in her ear from a tiny coal striking right through it. Calandra had really no concept of her own image and how it ranked on the scale of atractiveness - she'd never really come across another Maned Wolf, and was unsure of what constituted beauty in her species. What she did know was that now, with her injuries and mutilated ear, she likely did not represent an attractive member of the Maned clan. This bothered her a bit, and coupled with the realization that her best friend is a hallucination, Calandra was a bit down on herself as far as self image and esteem.

Words: 258
Muse: Weird.
Notes: Sorry it took FOREVER. I've been dealing with stuff.