` like a baby sea turtle [open]

[Banks]

She hated the ocean.

As she floated along, tiring of paddling but doing enough to keep her afloat, she felt as if she’d been staring at the island before her for hours—which was probably because it had been hours. Banks was internally screaming curses, her body aching from the prolonged exposure to the cold water and the sensation of weightlessness. She knew better than to expend what little energy she had left in attempting to get to shore when she was already drifting there slowly.

With an emphasis on slowly, she complained to herself. The sands before her looked soft and warm, and in her mind’s eye, she would roll around in them until she became a sand ball. Maybe she’d bury herself in sand and have to claw out pitifully like one of the baby turtles in the morning. She laughed to herself, a few giggles escaping her lips audibly.

Not like there was anyone around to hear it. It hadn’t been so long that she had been swimming, and she’d been training for this for a few months anyway. She knew what to do, and how to tread the water so well she could practically sleep in the water. She was coming closer to the sandy shore, though—on her right she observed a kind of sand inlet that housed some of the bluest water she’d ever seen. An odd object that looked like some sort of a floatation tree rested inside it, and her heart swelled with curiosity and excitement. To her right there was a cliffside with a forest up above, and she had passed a smaller island, but hadn’t been able to direct herself that way. The tides here were so strong that she could hardly direct herself anywhere. She could have fallen at the feet of gods she didn’t believe in for the fact that she was headed towards a beach and not the cliffs.

And that was all it took. She felt the undertow tug at her fur first, begging to grasp her tail and limbs like the tendrils of a monster, and she took a deep breath. Banks knew what was coming. She squeezed her eyes shut in a scowl, and didn’t even have time to utter an expletive before the sea ripped her downwards. The female just focused on not breathing through the tumbling. Calm, calm, calm, she repeated. In her practice, she knew that panic would just bring about her untimely death, in case it wasn’t already imminent.

It wasn’t long before she crashed into a rocky outcropping, tossed about like a ragdoll by the power of the sea. She brushed past several of what looked like volcanic remnants before the current lost its power in the upsets and deposited her neatly atop a jagged surface. The Timber and Grey blooded creature looked about, frantic for a moment, trying to make sense of where the rocks came from. It was only then that she realized that the current must graze around the side of that inlet and then curve around to go back out to sea. Banks rolled her eyes and shook herself out, assessing her body as she went. She had minor bruises and scrapes, but nothing that wouldn’t be gone in a few days. “Oh, I’m so blessed,” she crooned aloud, snickering at herself again. “That’s what I get for thinking something might have been watching out for me, huh?” It crossed her mind that she shouldn’t laugh at her own jokes, but that thought was quickly replaced with one of non-concern. She had made this trek to find something—what that was, she wasn’t sure—but she was certain it wasn’t to care about what imaginary being might think about her laugh.

The wolf chose her steps carefully, jumping from rock to rock. She had chosen to go West for convenience—all she wanted to do was get on solid land. However, she now saw the beginning of a desert, and lit up. She took steps faster, vigilantly noting her footfalls and allowing her long, tall body to work for itself. She ran across the rock and straight into the expanse for a few strides before stopping in a gust of sand, dropping to the ground, and wiggling about happily.

She may have not been a pup anymore, but that was no reason to not have fun. Especially after you’ve been floating for a day and a half, she thought to herself giddily. Digging down, she laid in the hole and wriggled about so sand covered her body and only her head was exposed to the hot sun. She closed her eyes and smiled, placing her chin on the ground and holding back a giggle as she imagined what she looked like. The weight of the earth on her back and the pull of the earth underneath her was enough to solidify her decision to never swim again.

Banks made a mental note to ingrain this lesson into her core system of beliefs: anyone who needed humbling needed only to go swimming.

` words ; 865
` tags ; x
` ooc ; x

[Deleted]

The sun was hot, beating painfully on her red fur and making it feel as if the color were taking on its true form and glowing brightly like fire. She had been walking for what felt like days, and although she had managed to scramble her way onto shore after the plane that transported her had crashed, her mind had been scrambled and her sense of direction was about as useful as a broken compass. Her only luck had been finding a small and secure place to spend the night before so that she would not be travelling during the night hours. This morning had found her crawling awkwardly out of the bushes she'd managed to find, and as she tried to push herself up onto her feet she had fallen awkwardly - and painfully - onto her face. After pulling herself slowly up and doing her best to shake off the dirt and embarrassment of the ordeal out of her fur, she made her best attempt at a stretch and finally went about her way.

She had found this massive island like a miracle, and thankfully the warm sands had found her alive enough to pull her way out of the cold salt water and onto the soft and secure lands. Her recovery had taken only a couple of days, thankfully, though her disorientation lasted much longer. She had met now one, ran into no trouble, and had yet to figure out where she had actually landed by the time the afternoon found her near the semi-dormant volcano that could only be the origin of the island she was now on. Her limp was painfully accented this afternoon, and as she moved forward slowly, she fought to contain the occasional twitch of the right side of her face and slight swerve of her body as her side joined in on the torture. She growled softly to herself, veering away from the tall peak and heading instead towards a desert looking expanse of snow not too far away. Her steps were slow and careful, picking her way along the sharp rocks and stones until the soft, hot sand was once again under her paws.

Yet fate continued to press its cruel hand down upon her, for the sands beneath her paws only made her limp more pronounced and the heat that beat down on her back only intensified her twitching. Step by step she attempted to move further inland, knowing that by the time the sun set she would need shelter or she would be a wandering helpless target in the dark. Her paws moved slowly, though even with the extra effort and focus she forced upon her walk, she still managed to stumble and fall face first into the sands and send them flying up in a small cloud around her. She yelped softly as her face hit the ground, grunting softly as the cloud fell atop her and buried her slightly in the hot tan powder. Within moments she began to squirm, arching her back and clawing at the air around her in an attempt to free herself from the sandy prison she now found herself in.

Eventually she managed to orient herself in an upright position and pushed up with her paws, managing to stand back up to her full height and shake the sand from her fur. But, of course, her body turned against her once more and her twitch sent her falling back over onto her side once more. This time - thankfully - there was no cloud of sandpaper wind, and she laid there silently, huffing softly and glaring at the tan grains in front of her. Why oh why did the world hate her? Was everything against her now? For a few minutes she did not move, slowly gathering the courage to push herself back up and try again. Eventually she did just that, this time skipping the step of shaking the sand from her fur and letting it settle there awkwardly and discolor her red coat. And of course, as she finally looked around, fate's cruel smile only widened as she spotted another wolf nearby, likely having seen the entire ordeal in the front row.

Words: 699
Tags: Banks

[Banks]

Lying in her bed of sand, and almost drifting off to sleep, the Timber female heard a quiet yelp nearby. It alarmed her at first, and she froze; for some reason, it hadn’t even occurred to her since leaving her own home that there would be other wolves on this island. She had hoped there would be, but of course, there was no guarantee. She cautiously rotated in her bed of sand, not ever uncovering more than her head, and turned around to face the noise.

What she saw shocked her. The female she saw in front of her was not a fox, though she didn’t look anything like a wolf either. She smelled like a wolf, she yelped like a wolf, and yet she didn’t look anything like Banks did.

The way her father ran things was simple: if you became a problem, you would be dealt with accordingly. When she was young, she assumed that the various offenders were given a talking to, perhaps sent to forage for herbs—usually the job of the young apprentices. It was only when she was taken under his wing that she learned of their swift and silent execution. It bothered her, on one hand, as she had an innate sense of the importance of life. On the other, she understood—this was the way it had to be in such a space that could only sustain a limited number. A kind of population control, really. As such, pups with deformities were killed as well. Any mutation that might have selected for a different looking offspring was squashed under the paw of the dynasty.

It also hadn’t occurred to her that wolves could look differently than the lineage that she was used to. Her roots came from the large-bodied, thick-framed Grey and Timber wolf breed; in fact, she was something of an anomaly with her tall and thin frame, though her appearance was generally similar. Of course Banks understood that colors and patterns were all varied, but this creature...

“Fascinating,” the female whispered to herself. She was somewhat encaptured by the uniqueness of the other presence. Banks winced as she saw the small female fall, then fall again—she was embarrassed for her, and also slightly worried. Was she hurt? Did she need help? Yet the nagging sense of insecurity came to the back of her head, scratching at her with rat-like claws. Every scratch came closer to breaking the skin. Not here. As the opposing female lay still for a moment, Banks shook her head fiercely and rose to her feet.

She was shocked by the difference in size. Despite the distance, she could tell that she was a foot taller at the shoulder than the fox-like wolf in front of her. Banks knew she was tall, but she dwarfed the small female. It made her smile softly—she would have made a joke if she weren’t concerned for the health of the other.

The fox-wolf wasn’t a threat, Banks had decided. She looked around, greeted only by sand, the rocky bridge, and a forest far in the distance, and sat on her haunches. What are you? She pursed her lips before the question on her lips spilled over. Now wasn’t the time for bold curiosity.

“Are you okay?” Banks asked carefully, dropping her head and cocking it slightly sideways to attempt to look at the female. Her striking eyes scanned the other’s body from afar, searching for the answer to her own question. “Are you hurt?”

` words ; 599
` tags ; @rita
` ooc ; x

[Deleted]

The heavy sun beat down, forcing its rays upon her sand-covered coat and making her shift awkwardly because of the heat. Now, of course, the situation could not be any more awkward for her, that is, until she attempted a nod and half of her face twitched painfully and caused her to turn her head to the right in an attempt to hide it. "I-I-I'm alright." She said, her ears flattening to the sides as she lowered her head shamefully towards the ground. Her black and white tail curled tightly between her legs, not out of submission, but of shame. She not only had to endure the twitches and limp which had caused her to fall into the sand, but she also had put on her pathetic show in front of a complete stranger on an island that she knew nothing about. Hell, for all she knew this wolf could be interested in eating her. The larger female did not look particularly hungry, or interested in cannibalism, but one could never tell.

Sure, the stranger appeared to be only interested in making sure that she was alright, but she knew better than to simply leap into any kind of relationship - friendship or otherwise - without a second thought. "I-I'm sorry." She said, shaking her head slowly and keeping it turned uncomfortably to the side to hide the more exaggerated twitching from the added stress of being observed in her struggles. She kept her head low, eyes on the sandy ground in front of her, and ears flat and turned backwards. "I, uhm, did not mean to, uh, dist-distrub you." She said, frowning and backing up slightly. Yet, of course, the heat and discomfort only caused an exaggeration to her limp and made her stop to prevent yet another uncomfortable and embarrassing fall in front of the strange female.

Although she was smaller than the tall wolf before her, she shrank under the others' stare until her belly almost brushed the sand beneath her. She stood there frozen, waiting for either some sort of judgmental remark or even an attack. After all, she was an easy target and it would take only a small amount of energy to take her down. Plus, she knew nothing about what sort of wolves lived in this place. For all she knew they could be crazy, psychotic cannibals. She swallowed anxiously, doing what she could to silence the shaking of her body that caused just a little bit of the sand that clung to her fur to fall down to the ground below her while she waited for fate's grip to close around her throat once and for all.

Words: 443
Tags: Banks
OoC: Sorry it's so short

[Banks]

Banks’ heart broke for the fox-wolf. She wasn’t sure if the female was stuttering because she was embarrassed or if there was something genuinely wrong with her—though she was leaning towards the latter, the more she observed the actions of the small female. The stranger’s body spoke more than she did, and it was obvious of the poor creature’s discomfort.

Banks laughed softly at the fox-wolf’s apology and shook her head, squinting her light gold eyes as she did so. “Oh gods, you have nothing to apologize for!” she chuckled. If Banks was anything, it was always quick to be bubbly. Her sisters used to tease her, saying that she flirted with everything alive. It wasn’t intentional—it was simply part of her integrated natural charm. “Hell, I don't even know where I am.”

She studied the female and quickly understood why the fox-wolf was built the way she was—minimal body mass while still retaining stature, thin features, a short coat... the creature was obviously made for the desert. It dawned on her that she could quite easily be encroaching on the stranger’s territory, though it certainly seemed that she felt it was the other way around.

Banks smiled at her good-naturedly. “Nothing to disturb me from. I mean, I was the one buried in a sand hole. I should be the one apologizing. I promise, I won’t be in the heat for long. This is f’ing miserable.” She coughed out a laugh. “I don’t mean to offend if this is your home or something.”

Not that it wasn’t obvious. Though the body of the female screamed desert, it was obvious how uncomfortable she was. Whether that was due to the heat, the sand, or her, Banks couldn’t tell. She suspected it was a mixture of all factors involved. Anxious creatures could read other anxious creatures, and this was no exception. For Banks, it wasn’t at all social situations that made her uncomfortable, but she certainly knew the feeling that the female was expressing.

As the fox-wolf shrank down, Banks shrank with her, wiggling herself into the loose earth to be certain she was on the stranger’s level and crossed her paws. “I’m nothing to worry about, I promise. I’m just thrilled there’s something on this island that speaks my language.” She couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “What are you, anyway? I mean, you look like a wolf, but you also look like a fox. I'll be honest, I’ve been calling you a fox-wolf in my head.” Though she said it amiably, Banks shook her head at herself, not only for her comments but also for her projectile vomiting of speech. You’d better hope she thinks you’re funny. “I’m Banks, by the way.”

` words ; 483
` tags ; @rita
` ooc ; She's as blunt as ever. And it's fine! Mine wasn't much longer. I need to stop posting past midnight. xP

[Deleted]

The little female remained still and silent while the other talked, watching her from her anxious crouched position until the other wolf finally lowered herself down onto her level and crossed her paws. She frowned slightly, letting her head lower as if in submission to rest on her own paws so that she was now laying with at least some sort of comfort on the hot sands. At least laying like this she could not fall over again and embarrass herself further. Her twitch, on the other hand, emphasized and made worse by the sun, was harder to hide. She whined softly as her lip twitched awkwardly, showing off her canines for a second before falling once more to cover them. Silently she prayed that the other did not see this as a sign of aggression - as it had most likely appeared to be - though she also wished to prevent the other female from assuming she was as messed up as she really was. She looked up at the larger female, carefully watching her expression to make sure that her seemingly kind and gentle demeanor had not changed to anger or annoyance.

Seeing that she seemed to be in the clear, she listened in a semi-relaxed state, tilting her head slightly as the female turned her apology around on her. She frowned slightly, looking around for a moment or two before looking back at the larger creature and finally lifting her head from the sand once more. "It's not my home, I don't know where I am either." She said, frowning and if she could bite her lip anxiously, she would have. She glared at the sand for a moment, taking a deep breath as her stress and anxiety took over and made her twitch once more. Then she looked back up, tilting her head and leaning back slightly at the blunt question of her species. She stared awkwardly for a moment, blinking a few times before easily registering the regret in the other female's eyes. It was clear that the other was very blunt and unfiltered by default, and from her expression, it was obvious that she wished she could take back what she had just said - or at least how she had said it.

After a few moments her ears relaxed, the left flattening out to the side and the right perking up slowly as her muzzle curved slightly into a smile. She laughed softly, closing her eyes and letting the feeling overtake her and vibrate throughout her entire little body. "I am an Ethiopian Wolf. No fox at all." She said, letting her laugh settle down into a small sigh and finally allowed her smile to take semi-permanent residence on her face. She was more relaxed now, picking up on the slight awkwardness of the other wolf as they talked. "I'm Rita. She said, nodding her head slightly with the introduction as she crossed her own paws and shifted back and forth slightly to position herself comfortably in the hot sand. She sat there silently for a moment, letting her eyes take on a mind of their own as they wandered aimlessly across the small tan grains of sand in front of her before she was forced to open her mouth and allow her tongue to loll out as she started to pant.

It was ridiculously hot here, and though she had finally found another living creature - and one that did not want to eat her - laying in the sand under the hot sun was becoming more and more of a problem. Sure, they still had plenty of daylight left and she would not need to find shelter for a while now, but her condition would only worsen and not to mention her discomfort would only increase if she stayed where she was. After a few minutes she sighed softly, shaking her head and carefully pushing herself to her feet. Thankfully her twitch controlled itself this time, and though she still refrained from shaking the sand from her fur, she found herself rather proud of the maneuver. She looked down at the other female now, tilting her head slightly and letting her pointed right ear flop over towards the ground slightly. "Would you like to find some shade with me?" She asked, desperately hoping for some relief from the heat and also wishing to continue their surprising interaction elsewhere. After all, it was not every day that she found another wolf that was actually friendly and not judgmental - assuming she had picked up on her disabilities.

Words: 759
Tags: Banks

[Banks]

Banks let her tail wag gently as the female relaxed slightly, though she still seemed on edge. As the fox-wolf spoke, the Timber mix female let the gentle smile on her lips soften even further. There was something wrong with the poor thing, and it was all she could do to not lick the creature on the ear. She had a moment of sadness as she realized the reason for her immediate like of the creature.

The siblings in her litter had died, Banks knew. Her parents never seemed to be overtly bothered by it, though she did know that she would have had a brother, had he survived their birth. She was the stronger pup, and her parents had often told her it was because she soaked up all of the wonderful qualities that they had passed on so that there was no room left for the little one to grow. She was a large pup at birth—not particularly heavy, but certainly long and tall for an infant. Her little sisters had been the light of her young life, joining her the following year. There had been another male in their litter, and it was clear that he had defects as well, and had not survived the pregnancy.

Banks’ sisters were called Kitern and Renke, with the latter being significantly smaller. Their personalities appeared shortly after they were born. Kitern was easygoing and happy-go-lucky, with nothing ever seeming to affect her in a negative way. She was the grand optimist of the family, and while she didn’t mature quite as quickly as Banks had at her age, she was a happy young thing, and though Banks understood that she was both more intelligent, wittier, and higher-maintenance than Kitern, she envied the way her sister wore her confidence like armor over her golden-white fur.

Renke was another story entirely. While she was incredibly quick to learn, the poor thing was socially backwards from the start. It seemed that she never truly matured the way she was meant to, and while she was the runt of the litter, her parents never expected her young frame to translate into a perpetually young mind. She threw tantrums over insignificant matters, and she had difficulty making and sustaining friendships. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that Renke had inherited the same anxiety-ridden mind that Banks had—amplified exponentially by every day that she aged.

It wasn’t that she saw the fox-wolf, or Ethiopian wolf as the female explained, as a mental anomaly like Renke—it was more that the small creature seemed to weep timidity from every follicle, and Banks felt an inherent need to protect her. Like a little sister. Banks was struck with a mix of guilt and love that felt overwhelming. Despite their quirks, she missed them. She swallowed her thoughts and nodded in a lighthearted bow as the stranger laughed and introduced herself as Rita.

“I’m Banks,” she said softly, struck by a sudden bashfulness at the sound of her name on her tongue. She sat upright and mimicked the pant of her cohort subconsciously. And then there was the prospect of shade. “Oh gods, yes!” she laughed. She pricked her ears and looked about, squinting her eyes towards the mountain to the east, and remembered the forested land to the north. As the Timber female looked back and met Rita’s gaze, she almost giggled at her. With her ears pricked and flopping to the side, they looked like huge leaves on a tiny stem—just too big for her head. The little thing was just too damn cute. “We’ve got a couple of options. There’s a forest to the north that I passed on the way in, or we can check out the mountain,” she gestured with a point of her nose, “over there.”

They had a few hours until dark, but Banks knew as much as Rita probably did that they needed to find shelter before nightfall. She felt her heart swell for a moment, noticing that she’d included Rita in her plans. The female stood and shook out her coat, anxious to move before they ran out of daylight. All caution to the wind, she decided to nickname her on the spot. “The choice is yours, little sister.” Banks wagged her tail. Who knew you’d be adopting new family members on your first day here?

` words ; 733
` tags ; @rita
` muse / ooc ; good / HOORAY, FINALLY! <3 I didn't really mean for Banks to be all "OMG ILY" but it happened in my head so YAY FOR RITA.

[Deleted]

She remained standing carefully, looking down at the other female that was still laying in front of her silently. She was eager to be out of the sun and away from the unbearable heat, but she was not going to rush the other wolf just to get herself more comfortable. She was enjoying their meeting, and though she had not socialized with any other wolves since she had been in captivity and infected, she was rather proud of herself for doing so well so far. It would be rude to force her own desires upon the wolf that had been so kind and patient - to to mention accepting of her - so she waited patiently and quietly and prepared to lower herself back into the sands if the other preferred to stay where she was. She herself - being an Ethiopian breed - was more accustomed to this climate and heat, but it was clear that the other wolf was not built for such an environment. Sure, she was holding up well enough, but the little red female had no doubt that if she was this hot and uncomfortable that the larger female was on the verge of spontaneously combustion if she stayed out here any longer.

It was with great relief that the other wolf popped up into a sitting position and as she mimicked her panting motion, the little red 'fox-wolf' was offered a name from the other. Banks. It was an interesting name, and although the little female did not know how to react to it or where it had come from, it did make her at least a bit curious. However, within a matter of moments Banks was speaking of potential places they could seek out shelter for the night, and Rita could not help glancing slowly in the two directions that were pointed out with her nose. It took her only a matter of moments to decide, as one path was definitely much easier for her to travel with her disorder than the other. The mountain would cause her great difficulty, climbing and making her way around objects likely larger than herself. However, the forest was likely at least mostly on the same level and much easier to traverse.

She swallowed slowly, finally letting her eyes return to Bank's form and allowing her head to tilt once more at the surprising outburst - or at least what Rita would consider one - of a new nick name or sorts for the red female. The gesture of naming her a family member not only surprised the little wolf, but also left her speechless as she stood there staring stupidly. She had just called her 'little sister'. Little Sister. She liked the sound of it. Carefully she let the words roll around in her brain, slowly growing accustomed and familiar with the term. Her siblings had been close to her, but she forced herself not to remember their painful and untimely ends. She had gotten lucky, the only survivor of her little family, forever in debt to the humans that had helped her recover from the dreadful Canine Distemper Virus. She frowned slightly, remembering everything she had to go through, the poking and prodding of needles and thermometers, the handling by the humans, the torture she had endured. It had been a horrible time in her life, and she had absently let her mind open up the to memories without even noticing it.

Finally realizing her mistake, she shook her head slowly, blinking heavily and letting out a slow, long breath. "Sorry, the forest is perfect." She said, blinking a couple more times before putting a smile back on her face. She could not bring herself to give the larger female a nick name herself, as it had never been her way, but she did venture as far as to affectionately nudge the female's shoulder before carefully turning towards the trees. She knew it would be simple for the other to overtake her position and enter the trees before her, so she did not bother keeping track of Banks' position behind her to ensure she was keeping up. Her small paws carried her slowly and carefully through the sand, hoping and praying that the uneven ground would end soon and that her twitching and limp would control themselves until she was at least on solid terrain. She was almost there, she just had to focus and keep herself together for just a little bit longer.

Words: 743
Tags: Banks
Notes: Rita could use a big sister and someone taking care of her ^.^ She really likes Banks, too.