Sheltered for now (Tagged)

[6dewdrops]

Foxtrot

The story washed over him as the truth was revealed. Based on Blaise's story and Misti's reaction, Blaise had been tricked by a wolf that had turned a 180 degree turn after getting rejected. Disgusted, he turned his head. What a pathetic excuse for a male. Turning evil after getting rejected? I want to beat some sense into this Savu, or Scorpius, or whatever he may be calling himself now.

Foxtrot rotated his head back to the commotion. Misti stood and he watched her sway. His eyes narrowed. She must be starving. The shewolf can't even stand. He went to help her when Ruko took off. Torn, he glanced between Misti and Ruko. Ruko took priority. Foxtrot ran to Misti and pressed her to the ground.  "We will get you some food. Wait until I return." Then he ran past her to the cave entrance. He ran out into the open. There were still a few hours of sunlight yet. If he ran quickly, he could get Ruko back and go hunting before dark.

Blaise lay in the dirt as he went to chase Ruko. He passed her but, seeing her despair, he turned back. The light above the trees behind her blinded him, so he couldn't tell how far past her he had run. In his confusion, Foxtrot shouted. "I promise you! I will bring him back!" With his declaration, Foxtrot ran into the forest after Ruko.

~Exit Foxtrot~

((Would you like to start a new thread?))

[Deleted]

Amora was shocked. She was hurt. She was alone. In her time of need they all ran off. Save for this Mysti. Amora didn't even like her! Especially now that she had a reason not to. She was 2 seasons old and was growing fast. She needed nurturing and love. Not...this. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at her father. She was disgusted by Ruko's softness. She was disgusted by Mysti's feebleness and inability to do anything!

Amora wondered what was wrong with the world. Was every wolf like this? Weak and jumpy? A coward? She took in a sharp breath as it dawned on her. Or was something wrong with her? she began pacing, her eyes wide and full, she was scared and there was no kne to turn to. And again Ruko was being a drama king and was getting all the attention. Would anyone even notice if she left? No. They would be busy searching and mourning iver Ruko. Precious Ruko. Perfect Ruko. You should be nicer to Ruko. You should be more like Ruko. Why aren't you as great as Ruko. Don't be a spoil sport, be more like Ruko.

[Rykett]

Blaise slowly got to her feet. She felt so grateful to Foxtrot for running after Ruko. Blaise was sure she'd just trip again before she'd catch Ruko. Blaise limped back to Amora. [/b]"Amora,"[/b] she called, happy to see Amora hadn't run off, but concerned about how anxious the pup seemed in her pacing. Blaise stopped Amora with a gentle paw. She licked the multicolor pup, hoping to comfort her. Blaise wasn't sure what words would help the pup so she only used a few and hoped her presence was enough. "It's okay. I'm here."

Blaise shot a glance at Mysti. The gray she-wolf had fallen asleep not long after Foxtrot had pressed her to the floor. Blaise observed that Mysti's current position didn't look that comfortable, but it must be good enough for her. Blaise refocused her attention on Amora. Maybe if she'd chosen one of those powers, this situation wouldn't have gone so horribly. At least Amora was safe.

[Deleted]

Amora whipped her head around to glare at mom, she spoke her mind. She was older -and she considered herself wiser- she blew her top. "Dint even bother to check on me! Go off and find Ruko! Precious Ruko. Perfect Ruko. You should be nicer to Ruko. You should be more like Ruko. Why aren't you as great as Ruko. Don't be a spoil sport, be more like Ruko. That's all you see is Ruko! I'm growing up and I can see that there is more things wrong with both of you and I'm the only sane wolf here!" Amora spouted, her little body shaking with sudden rage. "you are so distracted you can't even focus in what's important!:finding a true family! Or even a pack! All Ruko cares about is knowing everything! Being the best! Well NEWSFLASH! He's a coward, he's a crybaby. Both if you are! FixTrot and I are the only ones here that are brave! And you can't even trust him because if something my own father did." Her voice lowered, which was quite possibly even more foreboding. "Maybe dad was right to leave you." Sge hissed and stomped over to the corner and curled up in a shaking ball if hurt and rage.

[Rykett]

Blaise was shocked at Amora's burst of anger. How could get sweet, little girl be so jealous and filled with sudden hatred. "Amora... I... I never thought..." Blaise stuttered a couple words before becoming silent again. Amora didn't realize how hard Blaise was trying. How hard she tried to be a fair mother without picking favorites. How hard she tried to keep them save. How hard she tried to set an example that her pups would always remember. Maybe she was falling in all of those regards. Blaise was a terrible mother. That was the thing all mothers feared was being a bad mom. Amora had just told Blaise that she was horrible at parenting. She kept making all the wrong choices.

After a couple minutes of tense silence, Blaise spoke, "If... if it makes you feel any better, I was planning to join a pack that rumors say is forming in the Sapling Grove after we finished resting here... I love you. Blaise wasn't sure if the reveal would help or hurt Amora. With Blaise's luck, she'd just made another bad decision. Telling Amora about her plans could be good in the way that Amora knew she was trying or it could be bad since if was another secret Blaise had kept from them. The last three words didn't completely describe how much she needed Amora. It was all she could say without breaking down though.

[Deleted]

Amora huffed still in a rage, fuming in a corner. "Good. At least you did one thing right." She snapped. Being in a pack would help. It had been hard to find good food lately. And as winter was coming, they would need all the support they could get their paws on. "Ar least learn how to trust again. Give Fox a chance." she whispered and curled her tail tightly over her nose, she wouldn't be speaking for a long time yet.

[Rykett]

"I am giving him a chance," Blaise said softly. She looked at her paws. She flexed her previously injured paw. It was nearly healed. A scar would be left behind, but it didn't seem as though it would affect Blaise's walking. She'd be back to normal in some couple days. She'd be able to hunt with no problem. Foxtrot's assistance wouldn't be necessary anymore. That was the chance that Blaise spoke of. Foxtrot could stay even though Blaise was able to care for her pups alone. Amora was still young. She didn't understand how dangerous the world was and how other wolves made it even more perilous. Blaise decided she should give Amora some space. She should have some time think things over, to reason with herself.

Blaise's gaze flicked towards the grey she-wolf sleeping against the wall. Mysti wasn't a threat right now. She much to starved to even think of starting a fight. If she was one of those wolves who were deceitfully good wolves but turned in a flash to exact destroy others. The reveal about Mysti's connection to Scorpius had made Blaise wonder what Mysti could really be like. There could be a reason other than a broken heart that Scorpius had left her. Maybe Mysti was an amazing actor who was really crazy... Nope, there was no way a wolf, even a crazy one, would starve themselves. Was there? Plus Blaise couldn't imagine Mysti being a crazed actor. She was top nervous, but maybe that was an act, too. The whole world could be not what it seemed and Blaise would have no idea. It seemed every wolf was hiding something. Blaise didn't trust those who hid. She was starting to no longer trust herself. Learning to trust as Amora had asked seemed impossible. Trusting had caused her pups to have an absent, evil father. She'd trusted enough to give her whole heart. A heart that'd been crushed.

[Deleted]

Amora finally slipped into sleep. Darkness no dreams. She was greatful for that, because she was afraid that what would've come up in her mind would've giver her a heart attack. The pup curled in into herself, her chin tucked between her back paws and her fore legs erect out above her.

[Rykett]

Blaise wished she could curl around the pup, but Amora didn't seem in the mood to be comforted by a 'coward.' When her pup finally fell asleep, Blaise was relieved that Amora would no longer have to think about all the heartache she'd had today. She looked outside the cave towards the sky. It was darkening to from the light blue to orange and red of sunset. Where were Ruko and Foxtrot? They should be back by now, shouldn't they? Blaise became nervous of whether they would ever return. She wondered if only Foxtrot would return during the night. Then her Ruko would be gone forever.

Blaise wished she could be in two places at once. She wished she could stay with Amora to show she cared about Amora as much as she cared about Ruko. She wished she could be out searching for Ruko until she found him safe.Blaise settled herself against the wall of the cave. She would have to trust Foxtrot to find Ruko. She couldn't leave Amora alone. There it was again, trust. Why did the whole world seem to be centered around trust?

[6dewdrops]

Foxtrot

Foxtrot placed his paws one in front of the other. He knew Ruko was probably tired, so he kept the pace slow. Plus, Ruko was carrying a squirrel about as big as he was. Foxtrot continued plodding on. The rabbit swung in his massive jaws as he walked towards the temporary cave. Blaise, Amora, and Misti would be just beyond that rock. Foxtrot let the idea sink in. For some reason, it felt like home whenever he was with Blaise and the pups. He didn't feel the usual urge to travel every five minutes. A smile crept onto his face. I like this new feeling.

He turned the corner to the cave entrance. The dark cavern gaped before him while the sound of the waterfall crashed behind him. A chill ran down his spine. The autumn sun was setting, taking the warmth with it. It didn't help that the cave was cold and the misty water from the falls even colder. The night would be a long and uncomfortable one. Perhaps they would have to sleep close together to share body heat. Foxtrot thought about it and decided it would be wrong for him to sleep next to two single females. He would sleep outside or stay awake and keep watch. 

The cave opened to him and he stepped inside. His eyes adjusted and he looked around. Misti was asleep where he had pushed her down; Blaise seemed to be awake and tense; and Amora lay facing the corner, asleep. He looked between Amora and Blaise, wondering what had transpired while he was away. His shoulders lifted in a shrug. He'd soon find out some how. 

His rabbit thumped onto the floor as he released it. In a dramatic voice, he announced their arrival. "Dinner has arrived." Foxtrot turned around to wear Ruko should be. "And tonight we have a special guest." He paused for theatrical effect. "Suuuuuuper Rukoooooo!!"

[Deleted]

Amora's blank sleep was disrupted as Foxtrot arrived. Her stress and jealousy was greatly diminished, but her basic envy was revived at the words 'super Ruko'. She was even more jealous when she saw that they has been hunting. He got to do everything fun without her! She stood groggily, her gaze still narrowed into a glare. She ignored her mother completely and gave Fox a small smile. "I'm glad you are back."

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Ruko was lagging behind Foxtrot. Even though the large male's pace was slow, Ruko was so tired and just kept slowing down. He saw Foxtrot enter the cave. He quickened his pace. He couldn't wait to see all their faces. Then he heard those magical words... 'Suuuuuuper Rukoooooo!!' Right as the 'O' diminished, Ruko leaped into the cave. He gave a swift bow and dropped the squirrel. "That's me!" he yipped. Then he began 'flying' the way he'd done during the bird act. "With his amazing hunting skills, Super Ruko swoops in to save the day! He never looses a fight, especially thanks to..." Ruko landed and spun around. He focused on creating a dust devil. The dirt around his feet swirled into a small cone. Ruko hopped out of the center of his mini cyclone and finished, "His AAAAAmazing... DUST DEVILS!!!! a.k.a the Cyclone power. The black power mark on Ruko's back was glowing light blue as the dust devil rotated a couple more times. Ruko released his hold on the spiraling breeze. The dust drifted back to the ground. Ruko took up a little pose that said, 'Ta-Da!'

Blaise:

Blaise let out a sigh of relief as Foxtrot entered. Wait, where was Ruko? Blaise began to tense up in panic until Foxtrot said 'Rukoooooo!' and Ruko leaped into view. He was carrying a squirrel. Had he hunted that? Blaise's question was answered as Ruko began his performance. Foxtrot had taught Ruko to hunt! And Ruko had a power! The Cyclone power to be exact. Blaise smiled at her pup, proudly. She flashed the smile at Amora. It faded as the pup ignored her. After Amora's words, Blaise spoke, "Me, too. Ruko, did you hunt that squirrel?" The gray pup nodded vigorously. He had obviously forgotten the anger that'd made him run off. The events following had probably been so satisfying. Blaise turned to Amora and spoke, "Amora, I'm sure you'd love to learn to hunt, too. How 'bout I give you a lesson on the road, tomorrow? Sound good?"

Blaise couldn't fully understand the feeling as she watched her pups grow. It was pride directed at her pups. There was joy in there as well, tons of it. Then there was a strange sadness that one day, her pups would leave her... Not only that it felt rather weird to see her pups growing so fast and slowly becoming fully grown wolves. Weird that it didn't seem so long ago that Blaise was going through similar adventures, first time eating meat, first hunt, getting a power. How was it possible that they were once tiny fuzzballs that knew nothing but the feel of their mother's fur?

Mysti:

Mysti jerked awake as Foxtrot and Ruko made their dramatic entrance. She'd been having another nightmare. It didn't seem as though she'd been showing any sign of it. The fresh image of Savu, her beloved Savu, slowly transforming into a scorpion still haunting her. It was like the name Blaise said she'd known him by, Scorpius. Mysti had to find him, she had too. She'd leave tonight. Yes, that's exactly what she'd do. Leave while they all slept. Mysti had gotten enough sleep to have the energy to travel during that nap. She didn't care if she still felt tired. She didn't care if she was hungry. She only cared that she found Savu as soon as possible.

Satisfied with her decision, Mysti turned attention to a different subject. Hadn't Foxtrot said something about food before he left? Maybe it'd been just her imagination, but Mysti still hoped that they'd spare a couple bites for her. Blaise had given Mysti the info she needed to get on the road. She'd said that she'd met Savu by Kai Lake, hadn't she? Mysti figured that she would start searching there. Maybe she could get a whiff of a trail, but that was highly improbable, considering that Ruko and Amora looked about two seasons old. Still it was start that Mysti wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.

[6dewdrops]

Foxtrot

He smiled when Ruko came charging in with his prize squirrel. Foxtrot barked and howled a little to add to the effect of his entrance. Ruko's little dust devils made him laugh. The pup was so tired just a second ago and now he was full of energy. Foxtrot watched proudly. Not only had he taught Ruko how to hunt, he had been able to distract him from his anger of his mother. He stole a glance at Blaise. She seemed happy, but he noticed that she kept stealing glances at Amora. The female pup appeared to be ignoring her mother. Foxtrot's eyes narrowed. On top of all this drama that's been going on, Blaise and Amora are fighting. Great.

The large wolf turned away from the reuniting family to focus on Misti. She seemed to be plotting. Her eyes distant in a deep thought. Foxtrot placed his paw on the rabbit and sank his teeth in. Then he pulled, tearing off a good sized chunk. He raised his head and walked to the shewolf. His head lowered in front of her to set the meat down. With his nose, he pushed the rabbit meat towards her muzzle. Foxtrot rose again and looked down at the week female. "You should probably eat. You'll need to eat if you're planning to find Savu or Scorpius or whatever his name is. Based on your reaction, you really care for him and will want to start searching as soon as possible. I won't stop you if you want to leave tonight. But my one condition is that you finish every last morsel of this rabbit piece." He stood firm, but spoke tenderly. "Agreed?"

[Deleted]

He actually caught something?! Anger threatened to overflow, Amora felt like another rant wouldn't do any good for anyone. She just huffed. But when he revealed that he had recieved a power from Sheba! She huffed. "Yes, magnificent super Ruko and his wonderous power."

The black and sunset swirled pup stood and stretched her legs. She bit her lip as her mother wanted to take her out hunting. "I think I'd like that." she whispered and looked down guiltily, shuffling her paws. She lowered her head to Ruko's squirrel. She would bring back a large rabbit or, or, ferret!

[Rykett]

Mysti:

Foxtrot was coming over to her. Mysti wasn't quite sure how to react. Was that a piece of meat that he was carrying? She hadn't been paying much attention to the actions of the other wolves in the cave. She should've been more alert. An enemy could've sprung forward and attacked. Mysti would've been the first to go since she was so distracted. As Mysti silently scolded herself, her eyes watched as he placed the food in front of her. Was this meat for her? He answered her questions as if by magic. She'd been wondering whether they would mind if she just slipped away. It seemed as though Foxtrot had no intentions of stopping her. Meanwhile Blaise probably wouldn't want a wolf so closely connected to Savu so near.

Mysti gave a bow of gratitude towards Foxtrot before softly repeating, "Agreed." She bent down. Her nose got a strong whiff of the food as she did. It smell glorious. Mysti took a small bite then couldn't help but gobble to meat down. It tasted like the best meat in the world. She should go now. No more delaying. Just slip away. Mysti whispered "Thank you! I better go, good night..." before starting towards to exit. Mysti was sure to keep her footsteps soft. She didn't want to make dramatic exit or to be called on by one of the pups. Her exit was to be as silent as possible. The quieter she left, the quicker she could start searching.

The breeze outside the cave was chill as it ruffled her fur. Mysti quicken her pace as the cave was left behind. The roaring of the falls also diminished until Mysti could only hear her rapid pawsteps and the beating of her own heart. She was on her way to Savu, where ever he might be. Whatever state she found him in, Mysti couldn't wait to see him after so long. Thoughts of Savu were the only things on her mind as she disappeared into the darkening night.
-Exit Mysti-

Blaise:

In the corner of her purple eye, Blaise noticed Foxtrot talking to Mysti. Her mind was too focused on her pups to hear what he said. But she did turn to head slightly to watch the female depart. Blaise was glad she was leaving. Mysti, as long as she stayed with them, was an eternal reminder of Scorpius both to Blaise and her pups. The last thing Blaise needed was her pups getting back into a bad mood because of reminders of their father. Blaise's main feeling as Mysti left was one of relief. This was for two reasons. Amora had accepted Blaise's request to teach her to hunt and Mysti was gone. The later was only a small part of Blaise's emotion.

Blaise bit off a chunk of meat from the rabbit, leaving the squirrel for the two pups. Blaise noticed that the rabbit already had a piece taken out of it. That was probably the reason Foxtrot was talking to Mysti. Blaise would've given the she-wolf some food also if only to make sure she would leave. As she ate, Blaise's eyes drifted over her family. The two pups' negative feelings seemed to be mostly hidden, if not destroyed, for now. Blaise was content that such emotions wouldn't bother Ruko and Amora for now. Then there was Foxtrot. He'd seemed to be the glue holding them all together. If not for him, Ruko would be lost and, depending on whether Blaise was searching for him, Amora's jealously might've driven her to leave as well. Not to mention the food that Foxtrot had hunted for them, while teaching Ruko to hunt. Blaise suddenly realized that she was including Foxtrot in her definition of 'her family.' He wasn't just a random wolf helping them, he was a friend. How could Blaise not have understood that sooner? Would her treatment of him been any different if she had? Maybe, but that was in the past. What mattered now was the future. That was looking up from here.

Ruko:

Ruko definitely detected some sarcasm in Amora's tone. Was she seriously making fun of him? She was just jealous. Yes, that was it! Maybe, he shouldn't rub it in her face so much. Throughout the hunt, Ruko kept thinking of how jealous Amora would be of him. It didn't seem like such a great feeling to have someone be jealous of him. Instead, it just made Ruko feel guilty rather than the triumph he'd been hoping to feel. Then a though stuck Ruko like lightning. "Hey, Amora, maybe we could get you a power! Sheba was really nice. I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving you a power,too! What kind of power do you wanna get?" Ruko took a bite of the squirrel. There was a sweetness to it that he'd never tasted in any other squirre. No doubt, it was the sweetness that he'd hunted this food almost completely on his own.