Clear Skies ((Open))

[Fierfly]

((Meds))

Rontu:

The chalky gray pup pranced through the swirls of color. Falling leaves of gold, amber, red, orange, brown, even violet and some still persistently tinged with green created a veritable storm through which the young wolf trudged. It was fun exploring the territory. It was fun going adventuring. It wasn't fun going alone though. Ferox had been all cranky and "too busy", Mey and Val had also been preoccupied in some game of their own. Mom and Dad had been working on pack stuff, so he was a lone patrol today. Which was fine by him, it was better with a friend, but that didn't mean he couldn't have some daring, neck-breaking adventures alone. Yeah, yeah this could be fun. Soldier Rontu, out surveying the home base. Nothing looked amiss, but that was kinda hard to tell with all the leaves falling, and with less than a year under his belt, he really hadn't lived very long, so he couldn't truly say what "normal" was, but hey, it builds the mental monologue, he could overlook the technicalities.

So he tried out scouting. It didn't work so well. With so many leaves underfoot everything - and I mean everything - rustled or crackled, or made some kind of sound. He'd even heard one pile of leaves squeak when a mouse was startled out of its hiding place. Any other day he would have given chase, but he was determined to scout out the Grove at least. He had to make sure everything was okay, but he had to be discreet about it. Hm...how to be discrete about guarding a place? He had to sneak, he had to be quiet, he had to try to blend in. He looked himself over. The pale grey in such a season of color didn't help, but his golden slashes blended a little bit. He decided color wasn't as much an issue as was movement. You could see a mouse move even if it was brown like so many of the leaves, movement was what gave you away. He could keep still. He crouched down on his belly and tried to hold perfectly still. He had to stay still. Wait...how could he patrol if he was holding still? He had to move a little! Well, maybe he just had to move as little as possible. He tried walking stiff-legged for a couple of minutes, but that made more noise than before, so he told himself not to move too much. Then out of the corner of his eye a racoon-striped tail. He glanced over his shoulder at the pesky tail that refused to stop wagging and waving with the excitement of scouting. It was going a mile a minute, anybody could see it! He jumped for his tail to make it hold still, but it scooted just out of reach as he moved, and impertinently wagged once or twice more.

All thoughts of scouting and discretion were gone, the chase was the only thing on the pup's mind as that wily tail alluded him again and again. If he turned he felt like he could almost reach it, but every time he was sure it was seconds away from his jaw, it would move back out of reach, just barely out of reach! So he turned faster, trying to catch it off guard. That didn't work too well. If anything it made him dizzy. Disoriented he lost his footing and landed in a huge pile of the fire-colored leaves of the fall, belly up and long, awkward legs pointing skyward. Shoot. Oh well, leaf pile! That was fun! He started rolling and squirming through the sea of red and gold, sending more drifts of leaves skyward and chasing after new ones blowing down when the wind shifted. The pup froze. The wind brought a new scent, someone nearby. He craned his head in their direction, looking for the visitor to see what they were like. He was momentarily distracted with another leaf blowing down and just barely missing landing on his nose, but curiosity overcame the urge to chase. Who was out there?

[Meds]

Kanga;

Powerful shoulders were rolling against brown-turned-russet fur. Kanga was on the move. Too-large paws crushed the dryest leaves under his bulk, and squeezed the moisture out of the greener ones. Kanga was looking over the Ashwood Grove that day. Not a week past he had made a fool out of himself in front of a new friend, Epsilon, and almost gotten into real trouble because of it. He had gotten out in the end, with help, but his twin brother, Manaaki, hadn't let him hear the end of it. His older brother rarely lectured him, but this was one of those times. It made him feel like a pup instead of a fully grown, fully functional wolf. The two of them had had an ever-rare argument, and Kanga had wandered off to clear his head. Manaaki had said something about going to look at the dens or something—he hadn't been sure.

His mind was so focused on his brother and whether or not Epsilon would take well to seeing him again, that he almost walked in on a pup's playtime. He was largely grey, in stark contrast with the gorgeous, autumn-rich surroundings. There were a couple of stripes on his back that blended a little bit better, but other than that he stuck out like a sore paw. Even Kanga, so much darker than the lively trees, had a bit of red to help him pass through like a shadow if he willed it.
Upon seeing the pup, a familiar smile chased away the darker expression he had been holding while contemplating his latest blunder. Staying to the trees, Kanga watched for a time. The pup seemed to be trying to sneak around—or, no. He was trying to hunt. No, wrong again. The pup was chasing his tail. Kanga held in a chuckle as the pup's wild personality shone through in a matter of seconds. He had just shifted his weight to go down and speak to the pup and maybe even join in the leaf-pile, when the little wolf froze and looked toward the shadow where Kanga stood, smelling the air.

Remarkable, that nose of his. Kanga himself hadn't even noticed the wind change. It almost looked like the pup would become concerned about the stranger, but then a leaf fell on his head and Kanga saw his resolve crack. Poor thing, he may as well not torture the little fellow.
On silent paws, Kanga dipped out of the shadow and down the small embankment. He sat, a healthy ways off from the pup, and fixed him with a rougeish, crooked smile that revealed his staggering canines.

"Well, what a surprise! I couldn't even hear you over here—you're so good at being sneaky." His ringed-eyes danced as he lifted an eyebrow, and his tail swept the earth and fallen leaves behind him.

[Fierfly]

Rontu:

A tall, red, earthen and brown wolf finally stepped out of the shadows of the trees and started talking. Rontu sniffed once or twice more to assure himself. It wasn't strong, but he smelled like the territory, so he was part of the pack and thus was a friend. The triumphantly uncaptured tail wagged in greeting as the newcomer gathered his haunches and sat a respectful distance away. One thing about Rontu: he was not shy, did not pretend to be, and was never at a loss for gestures since he couldn't express himself through words. So he let his tail thrash the air and opened his maw in a grin, letting a long, skinny pink tongue loll out to say hello. Wow was this guy huge! He too was grinning with his mouth open so Rontu got an excellent look at the long white daggers for teeth, but just the size in general was amazing. Rontu's paws were oversized until he grew up and grew into them a little, but he probably wouldn't make quite that tall. Powerful muscles rippled under the glossy amber coat and the head and paws were massive - but he moved so fluidly! Turquoise eyes popped slightly at seeing such an enormous wolf for the first time. His parents were more mediumish, with Dad on the lean side while Mom was more rounded, athletic, not quite slim or scrawny, just athletic. This guy was huge!

He mentioned how quiet Rontu had been and Rontu's eyes squinted as the grin broadened. He had to have been making as much noise as a lumbering bear while he'd been chasing his tail and playing in the leaves. They just crackled so much! It was impossible to stay quiet! But that meant that this guy had been watching him, probably deciding whether to introduce himself or not. Again: Rontu was not shy, and didn't want his new friend to feel uncomfortable or left out, so he bobbed his head and let his eyes squint even more as the grin broadened. He yipped once, a sharp, hoarse squeak of a yip and spanked the ground once with his forepaw. He dashed first one way, then another in front of the new-comer and then bowed down on his fore-arms, rump in the air and tail wagging a million miles a minute. Universal body language for "Hiya, let's play!"

[Meds]

Kanga;

This little pup was something else entirely, Kanga thought as a deep chuckle rolled out of his chest. He wasn't the most experienced with pups, but boy, this one was sure cute. Kanga's eyes twinkled as the pup grinned at him and lolled out a tongue. He didn't seem shy—quite the opposite, in fact; and yet, he didn't speak a greeting. Kanga could often be mistaken for the "dumber" twin, but he was still a remarkably clever wolf. The incredible sense of smell, the over-the-top-yet-still-silent excitement... Kanga already had the first suspicions that the little one couldn't talk.

His grin broadened when Kanga complimented him, if that were possible. Another bass chuckle rolled out of the big wolf. His tail was basically a blur behind him, and this time it was even acompanied by a yip. Then suddenly, all in a flash, the little gray and gold wolf with the raccoon tail was squaring his chest and dashing one way, then skittering to change direction and streaming another way. If Kanga had had a happy pup-hood, he bet he would have been very similiar to this little one. Well, with a lot more talking. Suddenly again, the raccoon tail was in the air and he was preparing to spring into play. Kanga's ringed eyes twinkled once more, and he turned his head away as some wolves do when uninterested in playing. He held it for as long as he could, then his eyes flicked sideways to the pup and a grin broke his stoney resolve.

Kanga crashed down onto his own fore-legs, with such force that the ground shook in his near vicinity. His back legs lifted into the air and lifted side to side. Making sure to keep his mouth closed so as not to alarm the pup (too much), Kanga let a deep, rumbling growl rock out from the depths of his throat. It was so low that it viberated through the air—but it couldn't have been mistaken for anything but an invitiation to play, albeit a loud one.
Suddenly he leaped off his paws and into the shade behind a group of trees. His tail stuck out into the open and wagged steadily through the air.

[Fierfly]

Rontu:

The russet giant was grinning plainly at Rontu's invitation to play, but he didn't move for it. Instead he turned his head away. Rontu squeaked out a begging whine and rose up on his haunches, forepaws dangling in front of his chest begging. "Please? Pretty Please?" The dark eyes rimmed with silver flicked over again and a grin practically exploded onto the huge, friendly face. Friend too crashed down onto his forearms - he was so huge Rontu was sure he made the earth shake, even just a little bit with the impact and the pup followed suite, head back down on his paws, tail whipping through the air eagerly at what would come next. Friend started growling, but his teeth didn't show and the playful spark in his eyes were very familiar to Rontu as he often had the same look himself. The growl wasn't warning, he wanted to play!

Rontu might have jumped at him to chew on one of the enormous ears if Buddy hadn't jumped first. With a leap he sprang back from the earth, somehow landed lightly and darted behind a stand of trees, the dark earthen coat melding with the shadows. But a long, furry tail stuck out one side of the stand. This guy was fun! He knew how to play fair. Rontu gave his own playful growl and dashed toward Buddy, crashing through the leaves in the direction of the tail, then changed directions at the last second, instead scurrying quietly on his toes to where he estimated Buddy's head would be. He sprang into the air, long stilt legs flailing wildly as he came down and spun until he caught sight of the russet coat, then reared back and skipped and dashed and turned wildly, overcome with excitement over having found a new playmate. Then he got hold of himself and dashed at Buddy full-speed to jump on him and chew that ear.

[Meds]

Kanga;

The pup's begging whine was just too much to take, and Kanga snickered behind within the shadows of the young trees. The sun was still high, but it was past midday. It was the perfect lighting in which to hide his rusty fur, but that long and flowing tail of his, waving innocently in the autumn breeze—he knew the pup wouldn't be able to resist it. Sure enough, the leaves started crackling furiously as the pup made his attack. Kanga flicked his tail out of reach as soon as the hopeful jaws snapped, leaving Rontu with empty air. The little click his teeth made had Kanga roaring with laughter. As he was preoccupied, however, the little wolf switched directions at lightning speed and started careening into his head. Kanga didn't react quickly enough (to the pup's apparent pleasure), and allowed him to slam into his heavy, furred shoulders.
Kanga flung himself sideways after the impact, out of the little grove of trees and back into the path, seemingly being thrown aside by the pup's all-too-powerful attack. He crashed in a heap, rolling. He was so big that such a movement looked like it would hurt—but Kanga didn't feel large to himself. This was the size he had always been, and so therefore could fling himself around like a wolf much smaller could do. His hips were strong, and his muscles compensated for his bulk.

He felt sharp little pins close around his ear, and he rolled onto his back. Kanga pressed unevenly against the pup with his big forearms in turns, making it difficult for him to continue his ear-meal. His booming laughter echoed around the Grove.
Consensus: Pups were alright.
At least this one was.

Who would have thought?

He eventually rolled onto his side and let the pup slide off into the dust. "What's your name?" He asked, his grey-rimmed eyes searching to find the pup's eyeline for longer than two seconds. He wasn't sure how the pup would go about telling him, but perhaps it was worth a try. "I'm Kanga."
The silent pup, at least, wouldn't ask what his name meant. That would be a nice change.

He batted Rontu's head gently and chuckled again.

[Fierfly]

Rontu:

Success! The ear was freakin' huge and very soft and flexible, perfect for chewing! "Om-nom-nom," he chuckled darkly to himself, that was until Buddy toppled over. He rolled and rolled and rolled and knocked Rontu away from his precious ear and burst out in the biggest, loudest, happiest laugh Rontu had ever had the pleasure of hearing in his young life. This guy was really, really fun! He knew how to play and genuinely liked it. If his siblings were ever busy again, he'd just come out here and sniff around until he found Buddy's trail, they'd have something going in about three seconds.

The huge frame was still vibrating with a low, rumbling chuckle here or there as he asked his name and gave his own: Kanga. Kanga was cool! It sounded sporty and energetic, kinda like Rontu's name, but slightly different, or maybe that was just Rontu's mental imaging system, he wasn't sure, but he thought the sound and energy that came with the name fit. Kanga scrubbed a paw across the top of Rontu's head with a chuckle and Rontu squirmed away, the paws were big and heavy and he was having way too much fun to sit still. And...and oh yeah! His name! How did he do it with West again? He scampered away so Kanga could watch and read his lips for better enunciation. He growled lightly, kindly, but with no extra body language to make it an actual message: r. Now he yawned, again not squinting his eyes or stretching as one might when they were tiered to try and get Kanga to focus on the sounds he was working out: o. He put his teeth together and hummed between them and clicked his tongue: nt. Then threw back his head and puckered his lips in an act of a howl, u. R-o-nt-u. Rontu. That done he went back to dashing back and forth and yipping excitedly.

---

Tear:

It was a gorgeous autumn day, but what made it better was seeing who was enjoying it. She smiled as up ahead she could spy Rontu dashing back and forth, spanking the ground with one paw and wagging his tail, inviting someone to play, maybe a busy squirrel or one of his siblings or - knowing Rontu - some complete stranger still new to the pack. She crouched down low and began to sneak up on her little chalky-white son, being very careful to keep downwind and to tread on her toes around the leaves if possible, or on the damp ones that made less noise, he had sharp ears and an excellent sense of smell, so if she wanted to surprise him at all she had to be very, very quiet.

Once she was close enough she jumped, clearing some underbrush and a few piles of leaves and landed slightly behind Rontu just as he was turning. "Mm gotcha!" she slid her fore-paw down underneath Rontu's skinny fore-legs and held him about the rib-cage, trying to re-orient him so she wasn't getting tickled by that ever-wagging tail. She leaned down and gave him a big, sloppy lick across the back of his neck and he promptly turned around and started showering his mother's snout and face with little puppy-licks of his own, until he grabbed for her ear and she released him. Rontu turned his direction toward a group of shadows and beckoned for his mother to look along with him. She turned her gaze and found an enormous male wolf, rusty in color but with a big friendly grin and the smell of the territory about him, so he was from the pack. She flashed a smile of her own and smiled as Rontu ran back up to his friend, bowed down and wagged. "Afternoon,"

[Meds]

Kanga;

He seemed excited to give his name—that was positive at least. The little guy could have easily gotten upset that he couldn't talk or something, and then Kanga would have had an issue on his hands. It was quite the show, trying to decipher what the little pup was saying, but after he realized what was happening, Kanga hunkered down and stared with unblinking eyes. His shoulders lifted against his skin and fur and stuck out with the way he was crouching to be more eye-level with the pup. He couldn't quite get to eye-level, simply because even laying he would be taller than the puppy, but the duo made it work. He growled. Well, that was an obvious sound.
"Rrrrr" Kanga rumbled, squinting his eyes in focus and nodding that he understood. The fake-yawn made Kanga actually yawn, his impossibly big tongue lolling out. He made the appropriate sound, then his eyes lit up. "Awwww" There were getting somewhere. Maybe this pups name was Ro, pronounced like a delicious meal. Oh, no, he was moving again. Kanga refocused. The little pup clicked an nt out, and that was clear enough that Kanga didn't even have to clarify, and then he pretended to howl. Kanga grinned, and lifted his own head and let out a quick howl. Even though it was only a few seconds long, the long bass was haunting, impossibly loud, and beautiful.

"Rontu," He smiled. Then, his fur shivered. They weren't alone. Kanga immedietly scanned the area, just using his eyes, so as not to alert the pup and startle him uneccesarily. He saw a female approaching, but she had a smile on her face; besides, if she had ill intent she wouldn't even be able to get to the little pup. Not with Kanga there.
She surprised the little pup, picking him up and dodging the tail as if she did it all the time. The way Rontu berated her with his puppy breath lead Kanga to believe that she was his mother, or care giver at least. Kanga dipped his head low, and fixed her with that crooked smile of his.
"Afternoon," She said, as if her son always brought home gigantic strangers to play with. It brought another rumble of laughter from Kanga. Her scent was mingled with the same kind of scent as that of the alphess', and yet it was not as strong. Perhaps she was high within the pack, though not as high as Blaise herself.

"My name is Kanga," He said, shaking out his mane of russet. "Your son—Rontu—" He flicked his gaze to the pup for a moment. "And I have been getting to know each other." The pup was at his neck again, nipping. He pawed the pup's back legs out from under him with a smile.

[Fierfly]

Rontu:

He jumped and spun in the air as Kanga repeated his name. He'd gotten it! Yipee! He ran back and forth and skipped some more, spinning and pawing the air in delight, "That's it! You got it!" He'd just turned on his heel to dash back when a familiar chocolate-brown paw scooped him up and a great big lick fairly doused the back of his neck. Rontu had no trouble making a sort of disgusted groan. "Mo-om!" he protested, and turned around and started attacking her snout with his own blunt nips and licks. Mom grinned and laughed for a second, dipping her head so he could better reach, and then he jumped for her ear. She caught him though, dodged back out of his range and scooted him aside. He accepted it and began dashing back and forth, rearing up and pawing at his mother to get her attention. "Hey Mom, look he followed me home! Can we keep him? This is Kanga!" he dashed back and jumped up trying to nip at Kanga's neck. One quick bat with a huge paw at Rontu's back legs sent him down onto his back, belly-up in front of his massive play-mate. He held his paws to his chest and squeak-whined playfully. "I surrender! Mercy! I surrender...No I don't!" he jumped back up and started pawing and growling and playing with Kanga's slowly waving tail. He often chased his own tail and sometimes pounced on the unfortunate flags of his parents or siblings, but this was different: Kanga was supersized! The tail was bigger than Rontu was and thus even more fun to mess with!

---

Tear:

The russet male shook himself over and gave his name: Kanga. Turquoise eyes watched him carefully. He was enormous, but his movements were easy and careful, his eyes were dark and playful, maybe a touch roguish - not so different from Rontu's adventurous spark, and his smile was genuine and simple. She felt like this one was going to be a great member of Secluded Sunrise, only time would tell, but until another pack hunt or something where Blaise could decide what to promote him to, Rontu was plenty satisfied with having him for a new chew-toy. Speaking of Rontu, he'd managed to convey his name! When she and Ramone had realized he couldn't speak there had been a little grief, a little guilt, a lot of reservations, but he was bright and determined and was finding more and more ways to express himself without a voice, seeing that strangers could now understand him as well, or were learning to, was one of the most satisfying things for a parent to see. Kanga and Rontu had been getting to know each other. "So I see," she grinned as Rontu went into a wild chase after Kanga's tail, easily and amiably waving back and forth. "Gammess Tear, Secluded Sunrise," she nodded as she gave her name in return.

[Meds]

Kanga;

Kanga was looking at Tear when Rontu went for his tail. He grunted slightly, not taking his eyes from the mother, and exhaled as if the pup was causing him discomfort. Then, still without moving his eyes, he lifted his tail up and then brought it down, fwish-fwump, on top of the pup. He tried not to smile but it pulled at the corner of his lips anyway, and he cast his ringed-eyes back for just a moment. The pup was almost totally hidden under the long fur.

Tear seemed pleased that Rontu and he had gotten along and were on a first-name basis. Kanga's keen eyes picked that up right away—the way her chin flicked inward ever so slightly and her eyes deepened and watched her pup for just a moment. Kanga's father had never looked at him like that, and he had never known his mother. She had died giving birth to him, the second—the Curse. He blinked, realized that he had gotten lost in his own thoughts, and shook his head out a little.

"Gammess," Kanga repeated, stretching his back straighter in a caual way, and as a result fairly towered over the female. The sun was making it's way lazily through the breaks in the trees, and as he straightened so much higher, a shaft of light landed on his ears. The warmth was immediate. Kanga didn't know how to act around a Gammess—but slouching was not an option, he guessed. He wished Manaaki were here. He would know what to do.
Suddenly his easy afternoon with the pup had taken a political turn. "I'm not anything." He added the words to fill the silence—awkward, but genuine. It wasn't that he didn't like Tear—she seemed kind, and calculating. And, though he and she were around the same age, she seemed much more 'grown up', if you will. It's not that Kanga was some half-wit wannabe child, it was just that formal conversation, especially with someone ranked higher than himself, had never been his strongest suit. He always said something to make somebody angry, or made a joke that was in bad taste, or in general dug himself into a hole.
Granted, he didn't mind this about himself—he thought he was hilarious; however, he couldn't act that way around Tear or he would get thrown out of the pack or something. Again, he wouldn't mind—it would put him out, but he was used to not being wanted—but Manaaki would be pretty upset, he guessed.

As such, he smiled in a pained way after his awkward end to his speech, and sat quiet, absently flicking his tail so the pup wouldn't bite it off.

[Fierfly]

Rontu:

Oh dang, Rontu sighed to himself as Mom gave her rank, name and pack affiliation. Grown ups were talking, he was gonna be bored. Well...maybe not so bored. He was deciding whether or not to moan out some om-nom-noms in his hoarse rasp of a voice when Kanga's tail flicked upward, out of his reach, and down...right on top of Rontu. The pup groaned as the long, auburn fur draped over him and practically covered his form. He. Was. Huge!!! It was kinda novel and interesting, but now he was trapped! There had to be a way out of this little predicament he now found himself in. His head was neatly pinned under a heavy tail of rusty fur and thus Kanga was safely out of biting range, but maybe he could still nip it. Nah, Kanga would feel him open his mouth and just adjust himself like Mom did when his tail wouldn't stop wagging. Okay, time for plan B then! Rontu's plan B was mostly made up as he went, but it always started out the same. Wiggle your way out of it! So he alternately shifted his shoulders and rump and tugged and rolled and struggled until he was out and went pack to pouncing, nipping and pawing at the huge, fluffy flag of red.

---

Tear:

Kanga slowly straightened up and respectfully nodded back, calling her by her title. Her smile slipped slightly as he continued with: "I'm not anything." What? Oh! He meant his rank. He meant he hadn't been given a rank yet. Tear shook her head, "Rontu disagrees," she grinned as he left off abusing Kanga's poor tail and instead wove himself through and around Kanga's fore paws and plopped himself down in the middle, grinning and panting innocently. "You're never 'nothing' in a pack, Blaise'll find a rank you'll do well at. And I'm not 'Gammess' to anybody, just plain old Tear." she viewed the responsibility in much the same way her mate Ramone did. She took it seriously, she watched over the pack and all, but the titles weren't her thing. As far as she was concerned, the pack was really all just some big, extended family, and she was going to treat them as such.

[Meds]

Kanga;

Kanga's captured prey wiggled out from under his tail and started biting it again. Kanga chortled and started batting it softly first on one side, then up over the pup's head and down on the other side. It was an easy rythm to keep. He didn't have to focus on it and it kept Rontu busy.
When Tear told him that Rontu disagreed with his self-proclaimed status, he smiled. His massive teeth caught the light, but his eyes had squinted with the size of his grin. Nobody could have taken that threateningly, not even if they had been blind. He looked down and the pup had knotted himself in and around Kanga's legs, then sat down square in the middle. Kanga's chest rose so high from the ground that the pup could sit up fully and still not touch Kanga's neck. He started panting happily, and Kanga hummed contently deep in his chest, knowing the pup would feel the rumble.

"You're never nothing in a pack," Tear told him. That brought another smile to his face. Scratch that—he had n't stopped smiling. Kanga had always been an easy smiler. She told him that Blaise would find a rank that fit him. He thought about his many attributes, and sized himself up.
"Well, I've never gone hungry," He said, and then looked down at himself with a shrewd smile. "Not that you could tell or anything." He gave a knowing nod, as if speaking about somebody else instead of himself.
"I've never lost a fight either..." He said then, and his eyes alighted to the trees as he tried to recall a time. "At least, not against anyone normal sized." He had, of course, lost to Manaaki throughout his life—but there were two differences there. Manaaki had never been actually trying to kill him (maim, Kanga often suspected, but never kill), and he was monster-sized just like Kanga himself. Kanga had never actually met any other wolf that rivelled the twins in size—so had he ever had a fair fight? He only thought on that for a moment. Of course he had. He wasn't some magical assassin; however, since most other wolves lacked so considerably in size, they had to be very skilled to best Kanga in a fight—especially because size was not his only asset. Not even close.
Of size, his father hadn't been anything remarkable. He had been larger than average, but he didn't exactly turn any heads. Apparently his grandsire on his mothers' side had been huge though, even bigger than him and his brother—and stories told of his mother lead him to blieve that she had been no small female, either.
Good genes, good genes.

He could be a warrior. The thought only played in his head for a moment. He had always considered himself a hunter rather than a soldier, but things could change...

He bent his head directly down and looked at Rontu. He rumbled again, and waited for the pup to turn his head upwards. Once he did so, Kanga let out a huge huff of air from his large lungs, and ruffled the pup's ears with a paw.
"You're certainly not the worst pup I've ever met."
Was that rude towards the mother? Oops. He hadn't meant it like that. He was quite fond of Rontu.

[Fierfly]

Rontu:

In and out, in and out. He wound himself around and through Kangas paws like a cat, generally just making a nuisance of himself until he was given proper attention. Like all young ones, Rontu's only focus was play of some kind, and he had nearly boundless energy to spend on it, so he wanted to be doing something right then! Then he plopped himself between the two huge paws and craned his head up to see what had made Kanga rumble. He was met with a big whoosh of air in his face which made him jump from his place and turn a circle or two, but then came back, panting and smiling happily and Kanga gave him another rough rub across the top of the head and kindly teased him about not being the worst pup he'd ever met. He endured the rub for maybe one second longer than he had the first time before he scampered away and started rubbing himself on Mom, weaving through her legs and batting her tail once or twice each time he came to it. Mom caught him by the scruff and started baby-talking him and he felt the cold, brown nose press at the back of his neck again. "Aw Mom, not now!" he pleaded in his mind, gave a whine to be released and ran back to Kanga whimpering. He stopped about half-way as Mom's sugar-talk didn't stop, then fell on his belly, covered his eyes with his paws and groaned his protest to being babied.

---

Tear:

Kanga considered the idea of gaining a rank, one that would fit especially. He thought over his hunting abilities: he'd never gone hungry. Few wolves did, when the hunger pains started, instinct roused them to get up and seek something to fill the empty space. Most learned to hunt before they found true hunger, Kanga was no different, but he glanced down at his large, well-muscled frame impishly and shrugged that one couldn't really tell whether he was eating or not. Tear chuckled at that, no; no you couldn't. He was also a fighter from what he said, at any other time that would have made her anxious for Rontu to be so close to him, but she'd been watching. Kanga may have been able to fight, even fight dirty, but he was plenty careful with the pup, gentle bats and playful whacks did him no harm and yet were strong enough to keep the tireless scrap of fluff occupied. Now Rontu craned his head up to look at Kanga who simultaneously looked down and blew a whoosh of air down into Rontu's face. Rontu did not approve! He growled lightly in some irritation, but he took it well and turned circles before letting Kanga swipe his paw over his head again and make a comment before he bolted back over to his mother. "You're certainly no the worst pup I've ever met." the russet giant observed.

Tear laughed at that. She was that kind of wolf, she knew her kids, she knew they weren't perfect, she understood the comment, no offense was taken. "He can be a real pill if he wants to be." she felt Rontu bat her tail and as he came back up winding himself between and around her legs and slid under her chest she grabbed him by his scruff and tickled the back of his neck with her nose. "Or he can be a super sweet little baby, puppy-eyed baby with a cute, squishy little face..." Rontu yelped in protest and scampered away. If there was one thing Rontu could not stand, even in fun, it was baby-talk; Tear wasn't exactly the type to give it either (especially not in front of a neighbor), but his reaction was worth it "Cutesy-wootsy, fluffy-wuffy-scruffy..." Rontu moaned and fell to his belly, covering his eyes in embarrassment and she burst out laughing before she could quite finish. "Ball of fluff," she managed between giggles.

[Meds]

Kanga;

The little one certainly did not enjoy being blown on by his large companion; not that Kanga could blame him. Warm air, probably mingled with the scent of raw, dead meat... not pleasent. When Rontu ran off, Kanga tossed his head side to side, tilting it back and forth in a very care-free and jovial way. He smiled that mischevious grin again that so often alighted to his maw. The pup ran for his mother again, but she was too quick for him that time. Kanga chuckled as she caught him and started tickling him. He whined loudly—you'd never guess he was mute by that sound.
Then Tear started baby-talking him.
Kanga's eyebrow shot up, and he jerked back onto his haunches. Not in an agressive way, but in a flabbergasted sort of way. You see, Kanga never knew his mother, nor was he loved by his father. Manaaki basically raised them both, and until Rontu, Kanga had never really spent an extended amount of time with pups—and especially not when they were with their mothers. There was one time he found a lost pup and got it back to its parents, but as soon as the mother had the thing by the scruff, off Kanga went. The pup was safe, and that was his cue to go.
So as it was, Kanga had never heard baby-talk before. At first he didn't understand what was happening or why Tear's voice had gone so high and gushy. When Rontu rolled his eyes and seemed to fight against it, only then did Kanga realize that maybe it was some form of affection (even in a joking way), from a mother to her son.

As Rontu whined again and ran back to Kanga, Kanga looked down at him with en expression that held both shock and understanding.
"Yea, bet my breath doesn't smell so bad now, does it?" He asked the small little thing. When the pup crashed down onto his stomach and covered his eyes though, Kanga joined in with Tear in laughing about it. It was odd, spending time around a pup and its mother. He had known other wolves that were mothers, sure—but he had never been around when they were actually mothering.
It was refreshing, but also entirely unfamiliar and new. He wished Manaaki was there to experience it as well.

[Fierfly]

Rontu:

"Cutesy-wootsy fluffy-wuffy-scruffy?" Rontu repeated in his mind and groaned again. No one deserved such torture! He peeked out from under his safe paws to see Kanga's reaction. He was laughing! He was laughing at his misery! Rontu growled, whimpered, whined and moaned frantically, protesting that Kanga should take Mom's side in this cruel punishment when he'd done nothing wrong. He just wanted to play! When Kanga didn't stop laughing he growled and came up and tried to swat at Kanga's muzzle, but he was too tall! Gosh dangit! Why did he have to be so huge? He kinda liked that Kanga was ridiculously enormous, that, the rusty fur and the really cool accent altogether made him fun to play with and different as far as what Rontu was used to, and different was interesting and something new and fun to explore. But why did all grown-ups have to laugh at baby-talk?! When he couldn't reach the taunting muzzle Rontu settled for smacking the tip of the big, fluffy tail around. When the tail swatted him back he go an idea. He crawled over and on top of it, sat down, and shoved the end into his mouth and began to chew, take that grown-ups!

---

Tear:

Kanga's face was priceless. Something between shock, curiosity, amusement and utter bewilderment, but as Rontu moaned for his mother to stop and she didn't, he bolted back to his giant friend who nodded sagely, apparently agreeing with him that he'd run from such torture as well. With Rontu's mock collapse both adults burst out laughing, Kanga apparently enjoying Rontu's exaggerated reactions to everything. Tear was a little more used to them and understanding Rontu's extreme dislike for all the smothering finally fought her giggles down and just smiled. Kanga was having a little too much fun with it and kept on chuckling, Rontu stalked over and tried to swat the grinning muzzle to give his friend a lesson, but missed, sat back and scowled. Tear couldn't hide the grin or the twinkle in her eyes, though she dearly tried. "I'm sorry Baby, did we hurt your feelings?". Rontu's reply was to jump on Kanga's tail, pin it down, and shove the tip into his mouth to chew on for revenge. Tear giggled once or twice more and nodded over at the pup. "See? He can be a regular little pill." another growl and pleading whine from Rontu to make her stop earned one more giggle and finally a resigning sigh. "Alright, alright, I'll stop...for today." Rontu continued to console himself with the tail-tip.