Between a Rock and a Heart of Stone (shiver, dogzrock)

[Deleted]

Amora let herself hang from her mothers jaws. Her limp black body was swirled with bright colors. Great for camouflage! As night descended, so did the bugs. Misquitos nipped at her nose and landed all over them. Though when the disgusting yipping and yowling of the lower canids became louder and more prominent, Amora's focus shifted from bugs, to fighting foxes.

As her mother roughly placed her among the ferns and shrubs, Amora was astonished. She did not! Did she? Yes! Yes she did! Anger flared through her. She could fight! She could destroy those foxes and save her brother! Amora fantasized about her future carrier in heroism for the whole length of the loud brawl happening behind the tranquil screen of jade foliage.

"Come fight me!" Amora leaped out of the bush only to see the battle long over and Ruko safe and sound. "Oh," she sighed in disappointment. She didnt get to show off her professional fighting skills.

The black, orange, pink, violet and gold pup padded wearily back into the shrub and immediately curled around Ruko. Though when a strange wolf entered their small shelter she sprang to her feet protectively.

[Rykett]

Blaise:

Blaise's relief of being reunited with there two pups was dashed by the appearance of male wolf a couple seconds after she set down Ruko by the wide-eyed Amora. Blaise blinked in surprise at the large male before he. Despite his words, Blaise's crouched protectively over her pups, growling. Her immediate thought was of Scorpius. But the color of the male's pelt made the disappear as soon as it appeared in Blaise's mind. What did he want? He claimed he wanted to help, but Blaise wasn't convinced. Words didn't speak a wolf's true intent. What were her chances to get away with her pups? Nothing, as long as her stupid paw was injured. Even if her paw wasn't wounded, Blaise couldn't carry both pups at once. Flight was impossible so Blaise's next instinct was to fight. She tensed even further before speaking slowly, "Who are you? And what do you want?"

The next action that Blaise would take was determined by the stranger's answer. But then again she couldn't trust anything he said. She couldn't trust what anybody said. She could only rely on actions. Blaise watched the male's every move. She noticed for the first time, his nonthreatening position and recalled how his tone of voice was soft. Blaise thought over her experiences and decided she could rely on the wolf's action either. Scorpius had seemed sincere and trustworthy and loyal but it had all been just an act. Blaise's mind kept wanting to trust the male but she kept countering every thought with something Scorpius had done. Finally, she sighed, mentally, as she gave herself one last argument. It's not like I have much choice! I'm crippled and will be unable to take care of Ruko and Amora alone. I need help and his is better than nobody's. It was the most convincing thought yet. So Blaise decide to accept the stranger's help if he gave it but nothing could convince her to fully trust his words.

[6dewdrops]

Foxtrot

Seeing the mother's hostile reaction, Foxtrot laid down. Now if she wanted to attack him, she would have the upper hand. He met her eyes, keeping his eye contact short. Then he inspected her litter. They appeared uninsured and healthy. He smiled slightly and returned to the mother. Knowing full well that she did not trust him, Fostrot spared no detail in explaining himself.


"My name is Foxtrot. I am a loner traveling by. I happen to have the power of Recall bestowed upon me by the White Wolves. By chance, I decided to use it and caught a glimpse of you and your puppies. I recalled how you lost your pup and then found him, fighting off foxes to protect him." He smiled sweetly to retry and mask his pity. "That was very brave. It must be difficult being a single mother. I couldn't imagine how you would be able care for your pups with your hurt foot." Foxtrot nodded his head in the direction of her paw to emphasize. Then he looked back at her. "I decided it would be heartless of me to watch a mother struggle to care for her children." He warmly held the pups in his eyes. "I have come to offer my assistance." His eyes raised to meet hers, not wanting to set his heart on a definite yes.

[Deleted]

Amora glared at the newcomer with skepticism. He seemed nice enough, but then again what did a pup know? The warmth if Ruko next to her, and the low chirruping if frogs and cicadas lulled her to a laying position, forcing her dark eyelids to become heavy. The more Amora fought to stay awake, the more exhausted she became. Soon she fell into a deep sleep beside Ruko.

(They must look like mini Scorpius and Blaize's. oh, and feel few to skip me until noting in the IC world!)

[Rykett]

The male who called himself Foxtrot would not fight Blaise. That fact was obvious. His position gave him a disadvantage. Blaise knew that and she was sure Foxtrot knew it, too. His words described the large male's purpose in conversing with Blaise well. She decided that they might have some truth in them. She didn't doubt that he had a power. Blaise had already promised herself that she would accept his help but still his presence troubled Blaise. He could be lying, faking, or acting. Blaise had no way to tell. His reason for helping could be completely different than the reason he gave. Or he might not really want to help at all. His position could be hiding anger or a desire to fight. Any motion and word that could be a lie. Blaise had to stay on guard. She need to constantly remind herself of that.

"Guess I need it," she said resigned to allow him to aid her. Her voice had a tint of bitterness to show that she was only accepted because she had no other choice. She straightened. Blaise knew she had to take and stay in command. If she became a follower rather than a leader, Foxtrot would have an automatic advantage. Blaise couldn't give him any more advantages than he already had. "First things first. We can't stay here. Those foxes know we're here and that I'm injured. They might return. We need to find some other shelter to spend the night within. We'll continue eastward for an hour. If we can't find a temporary den in that time, we'll dig our own."

Blaise then bent her head to gaze at her pups. Ruko's ragged grey fur against Amora's smooth black coat. The two pups had been through a lot in the last day especially Ruko. They were both exhausted. Blaise couldn't imagine either of them walking a single step. She licked Amora lovingly and inspected Ruko's wounds. Mostly they were shallow wounds that would heal in a week but the bite on his leg was deep. It could possibly make Ruko limping for the rest of his life unless tended. A bite on his back also looked deep. Blaise gently picked the little gray form. Her eyes found Foxtrot's. Her gaze was expected as she gave a slight nod towards Amora.

[6dewdrops]

Foxtrot

He listened obediently as she listed her conditions. His head bobbed as he nodded along, acknowledging her rules. She ended her list and Foxtrot said, "Of course, of course." He slowly stood as to not frighten her. He may not have gained her trust, but she wasn't as cautious as before. He didn't want to change that. 

As she made her way to the pups, he followed behind her at a safe distance. She picked up the male pup and Foxtrot realized that he did not know her name. "May I ask the name of you and your pups?" He went and picked up the sleepy girl. She dangled snugly in his teeth. Foxtrot looked back at the mother expectantly.

[Rykett]

Blaise eyed Foxtrot suspiciously as he picked up Amora. He could easily kill or harm the pup now that she was in his grasp. Blaise made a mental note to never let the male out of her sight.

A moment or so after his question, Blaise answered, "I'm Blaise. The pups are Ruko and Amora." Blaise didn't waste words as she introduced herself and her pups. If Blaise could allow herself to trust Foxtrot, she could introduce Ruko and Amora with a thousand words. How could she describe such amazing pups? Right now, a couple adjectives applied to Ruko that Blaise wished would never be used before his name; injured Ruko, unconscious Ruko, ragged Ruko. Then there was Amora. It was as if Blaise could see the little pup aging as she was exposed to the trials of the world; fear, pain, exhaustion. Blaise knew she couldn't shield the pups from the world's terrible side forever but she'd hoped she could for longer than a month.

Blaise walked slowly away, beginning the stopwatch in her head. She took note of position of the stars. She orientated herself towards the east. There was said to be a territory on the east border of the valley. There was sure to be dens there but there was to scent of an old pack, yet. All of Blaise's senses were on full-alert. Her ears were the sentries and keep alert for suspicious sounds. Her eyes scanned for a den, giving glances every now and then towards the stars and towards Foxtrot. Her paws kept walking forward and felt the grass and pain with every step. Her nose was constantly sniffing for the border of a territory or some other piece of information that the rest of her senses had missed.

Blaise was pretty sure that any moment now Foxtrot would ask a question. Who could resist after meeting a single mother that obviously had some kind of interesting back story? Or did the male already know her whole history with that power of his? Blaise had no idea how powerful Foxtrot was with his power.

[6dewdrops]

Foxtrot

He carefully cradled the pup between his jaw, being extra cautious to carry her by the scruff on her neck. The bumpy ground made it difficult to keep the ride smooth for the sake of the sleeping pup. Blaise had said that her name was Amora. After what she had been through today, Foxtrot wouldn't be surprised if Amora slept through a thunderstorm. Based on the looming grey clouds ahead, there might actually be one. Foxtrot felt the time slipping away as the need to find shelter shortened.

His eyes lifted from the ground to look at the she-wolf limping ahead of him. He wanted to help her more, but he knew she didn't trust him enough yet. The feeling of hurt put pressure on his chest. The idea that another wolf didn't trust him hurt his feelings. He was not one to fight unfairly or go back on his word, but he didn't know how to explain that to this single mother. Foxtrot sighed and continued to follow. He wanted to know who had caused her such pain that she couldn't trust anyone. Yet, he knew that her past didn't matter. If he could help her now, in the present, that was all that mattered.

A roar came from the sky and a flash lit up the clouds. Rain began to fall, running into his eyes and nose. Stupid rain. Foxtrot hated being wet. In the distance, one of the ruins had fallen. It now leaned against a standing stone. The structure appeared sturdy. Hopefully it would hold for one night. First he needed to make sure nothing was living in it.

He passed Blaise, leaving Amora at her feet. Talking, he looked back. "Wait here a minute while I check it out." His walk turned into a run and he arrived at the formation. In a few short seconds, he had seen the area in the past few hours, checked for residence and smelled the air. There were no signs of any other living creatures. Foxtrot crawled in and looked around. Clear.

He walked back out to retrieve Blaise just as another crack rippled through the sky.

[Rykett]

Blaise:

Blaise watched as her starry reference was blocked out by the clouds. "Rabbit droppings!" she cursed under her breath. She could no longer keep track of whether they were heading in the right direction. She could feel the pressure in the air and the static electricity that whispered of thunder and lightning. The storm soon broke and a torrent of rain bombarded Blaise. Her ears drooped as she became soaked. Thunder rumbled ominously and streaks of light often lit the sky above.

As the hour torturous dragged on, Blaise's confidence that Foxtrot would start asking questions faded. Ruko stirred slightly in Blaise's grasp but didn't wake. As her hopeful spirit was fading, Blaise's eyes kept returning to her paws willing the three to keep trudging onward. It was at a moment when Blaise's purple eyes were on her white paws when Foxtrot put Amora at her feet. She looked up wearily and watched Foxtrot enter the shelter. Shelter... Blaise's mind was muddled but she felt relief to be so close to sleep. Now that they were here Blaise just wanted to run to it. Ruko stirred again as Foxtrot was returning.

The thunder suddenly roared at the exact time a lightning bolt flared to life. All Blaise saw was white. The sound was deafening and the electricity in the air made her fur stand on end. She swayed as toppled to one side. With her ears ringing and her vision blurred with black spots flying around, she lifted her head. The tree beside her was ablaze. Blaise stared into the flame. Her skin tingled at the terrifying heat. She stumbled to her feet, while the world spun. She looked down at her pups. Ruko's yellow eyes stared back at her. They were unfocused and blank. Blaise picked up Ruko and looked frantically at Amora. How could she save both? She set Ruko down beside Amora. Then she tried to grab both pups' scruffs at once. She managed but could feel them slipping. Blaise ran towards Foxtrot and tumbled into the shelter behind him just as the pups slipped from her grip.

Ruko:

White and black. No color colored Ruko's vision as the thunder woke him. The world was buzzing. There was Mommy and Amora. It had to be a dream. All of Ruko's dreams had no color. They always made no sense. His body was still sleeping with the badger, right? No there were memories after that. The foxes and the fear and the pain had all been very real. So now how could he be with Mommy unless it was a dream. A dream that he could never wake up from because the foxes had sent him into the forever sleep. This wasn't the real Mommy and Ruko was sure he would never the real Mommy again. There was still plenty of pain though. More pain then there had been when the foxes had hurt him. Ruko had never had a dream where there was pain. Maybe the forever sleep dreams were different.

[Deleted]

It smelled funny. Like a strange wolf. My neck hurts. Where's mommy? All these thoughts ran through her head beforethe lightning jets her from sleep. In momentalshock she slipped from her mothers grasp. "Fire!" She yelped. Mommy had told her about fire. It was bad. Amora sorang to life, adrenaline pumping through her tiny legs. She bounded forward. Suddenly she realized something was missing. Her other half. "Ruko!" She barked loudly and skidded hastily to his side. "Come in! Get up!" When he didnt she resorted to competition. Amora knew he couldn't resist a race. "I bet you I can touch mommy first!" She attempted to look exited and happy for his sake.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Amora. There was Amora. A dream version of her at least. She proposed a race smiling just like the way she did back home. There was something different about this smile, thought. Something was hidden behind it. Ruko was so disoriented that he didn't realize that fear was hiding behind that expression. "You're on!" he croaked weakly. Smoke and dust clogged his throat and he had struggled even saying those two words. Ruko struggled to his feet. Yelping as one leg protested loudly and painfully. He would still win, Ruko had to. He began his best attempt at a run but he kept stumbling and tripping. Every time he found his nose in the dirt, he'd jump right back up. He found that his path kept veering to the right because that was the side his injury was on. After what felt like an eternity, Ruko entered the shelter were Mommy was. He coughed as smoke blocked his airway more. His ability to breath was disappear. Did he breath in dreams? Or was it just habit? Ruko didn't have time to ponder the question before he collapsed at Mommy feet with his little limps trembling. He stretched out a paw and tapped Mommy's paw. He smiled. Ruko had won, once again!

Blaise:

Blaise kept going into fits of coughing. She looked out into the forest that now had a couple trees ablaze. She wished she could control it. She wished she could force the fire not to hurt her pups, but she was powerless. She could barely move let alone, rush to her pups' rescue. There was Amora encouraging Ruko to get up. Ruko seemed unaware of the world around him. His gaze was still strangely unfocused. Then it suddenly flicked to Amora, focused on her for a second before becoming unfocused, again. He got to his feet and began limping as fast as he could towards Blaise.

Blaise had no idea what Amora had said to get him going, but it was working. Blaise caught her breath every time Ruko fell, which made her cough, but the little pup just got back up. She looked into the fire, again. There was the silhouette of Amora. She had no doubt saved Ruko's life. Blaise couldn't tell in Amora was moving towards her because of the ever shifting light source behind her. Ruko stumbled into the shelter and collapsed. He tapped Blaise's paw. Blaise found enough strength to lick his head. She could taste the ash hidden within the light ashy fur. She manage to pull him close to her with a paw. Blaise nervously looked out to Amora, again.

[6dewdrops]

Foxtrot

Blaise came running into the cave, without her pups. Foxtrot looked back and saw the outline of two small figures. He gasped, coughing as ash entered his lungs. Just as he was about to rush in, one of the pups got up and started towards the cave. Foxtrot recognized Amora, she turned and not soon after, Ruko followed. Every stumble made by Ruko caused Foxtrot to grimace. He wanted to help, but Foxtrot knew they could make it. As the two stumbled into the cave, Foxtrot stepped between the small group and the growing flames. There was no way to escape. They would have to try and wait out the fire. Blaise settled down with her pups, but Foxtrot lightly nudged her. "Move farther back into the cave so the smoke won't be as thick."

He noticed the frail conditions of the three wolves and chose to do anything to help. Foxtrot ran to the back of the cavern and found a small puddle as a source of water. That would suffice, but they also needed food. Nothing was stupid enough to hang around during a fire, but Foxtrot knew that smaller animals could probably slip through the holes in the back. He snuck slowly towards the far corner and noticed a small crack, small enough for a rodent to fit. A quiet scurry echoed into his ears and Foxtrot lept without giving the mouse any time to react. In a split second Foxtrot had a mouse dangling in his jaw. He walked back to Blaise to feed her and the pups. They would need their strength...

[Deleted]

Amora stumbled and nearly tripped as she followed behind Ruko. Her heart skipped a beat every time he fell. If he went into the forever sleep, Amora wouldn't know what to do! He was her whole world. If he died, she would become empty inside.

The black, orange, pink, and gold swirled pup bounded into the shelter and nuzzled the fur of her mother. No! This wasn't her mother! It was the strange orange and black mottled wolf. She jumped back surprise and gave a squeak of terror as he leaped.

Oh, just a mouse. Amora's over active heart started to complain, and reluctantly the pup wandered into the back of the cave and curled around Ruko, their bodies creating a yin and yang shape. Each very different, but one without the other would be incomplete.

[Rykett]

Blaise:

Blaise picked up the half-conscious Ruko and stumbled deep into the cave, following Foxtrot. She set Ruko down by the puddle and went back to retrieve Amora. After ferrying the two pups, Blaise drank from the puddle to clear her smoked-clogged throat. She nudged Ruko and Amora to do the same. Finally she pressed her back against a wall and eased herself to the ground. This place felt so similar to the place that Scorpius had left her. Now that little shelter was far behind her. Blaise hoped never to see it again.

Her gaze turned to Foxtrot. He was waiting in the corner for something. Blaise wasn't sure what the male was doing until she heard the sharp squeak of a distressed rodent. Smart! He realized how frantic prey will be to take refuge in here. She expected him to eat the rodent and catch another to curb his hungry but instead he brought the mouse over to her and offered it to her. "Thank you," Blaise said as she quickly gulped down part of the mouse and offered the rest to the pups. She looked up at Foxtrot gratitude filling her purple eyes. Maybe he was different than Scorpius. Then again, Scorpius had been kind and had saved her life.

Blaise suddenly wondered why. Why would he save her just so he could crush her? Blaise would've rather wished he'd just let her drown. She could better deal with death than this ongoing pain. Blaise probably would have searched out some way to end the pain if not for Ruko and Amora. Though they were the only thing she had left of Scorpius other than memories, they were the most precious thing in her life. After they had finished eating the mouse, Blaise began cleaning through Amora's soot-covered fur.

Ruko:

After Ruko had eaten, he found his strength slowly returning. He limped over to the puddle and drank deeply. He lifted his head take breaths through his newly cleared throat before dipping back down to drink more. Finally he sat back, happy to be filled with much-needed water. He looked at the puddle's slightly rippling surface. It was so serene. Ruko giggled. It wouldn't be for long! Ruko pounced into the puddle, laughing and splashing. He rolled in the puddle. It felt so nice to have the water sloshing through his fur. He dipped his head under the water one more time before skipping out of the water. He held back another round of laughter.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" he said excited to tell Mommy about how clever he'd been in the rabbit burrow. "Guess what!?!? I got trapped in a super long tunnel that evil rabbits lived in. I hopped and pretended to be one of them and the rabbits never realized that I was a wolf. They all thought that I was a lost little rabbit! I saw baby bunnies and their parents," Ruko paused his amazing story as he remembered the important question that he wanted to ask Mommy, "The baby bunnies had two parents. Why don't we have two parents? Shouldn't we have a Daddy, too? Is Daddy lost somewhere? Can we go find him? Is that where we're going, to find Daddy? Do wolves not have two parents like bunnies do? Why don't we have two parents?"

[6dewdrops]

Foxtrot

Foxtrot felt relieved when Blaise took the mouse and ate. Thank goodness. Based on her stubborn character, he had expected her to reject his help. After watching her and the pups for a few seconds, Foxtrot stood and walked towards the middle of the cave. He sat and looked out into the flames. A strike of lightning animated the red glow. 

Smoke continued to build and Foxtrot weighed the option of escaping through a gap. Considering the size of their group, he knew they would never make it. They would have to wait it out. Flames licked tree branches and reached for the green canopy. The falling rain helped to tame the fire, keeping it from reaching for the upper branches. Another flash lit the forest. 

He heard Ruko splashing in the water and hoped they wouldn't have to wait long. Ruko had just contaminated their only water source. Maybe some of the rain will flow into the cave and provide fresh water. When the splashing stopped, Ruko explained his disappearance to his exhausted mother. Foxtrot wouldn't be surprised if Blaise was already asleep. She went through a lot today and her paw must hurt.

As Ruko rambled on, Foxtrot thought. So that's what happened to the pup. When the pup asked about having a father, Foxtrot pitied the mother. How is she going to explain the pups' lack of a father figure? He kept his back turned and decided to let the mother explain without the intrusion of a stranger.