Lukewarm Rain

[kiyo]

. . . it was everywhere.

Chii moaned in consternation; trapped under a dirty log. His bracelet had gotten very dirty and since his power was controlled by his state of mind; it wasn't working. To Chii the bracelet had to be clean if the winds would listen, and since it wasn't and he hated getting wet the young wolf was in a tough spot. A whisper of wind turned into a howling river of air; pouring across the log. The very same jolted when Chii jumped in fear, smacking his dial on the sodden wood. When you're used to being able to control something dangerous; it becomes strange and frightening to be unable to. The cinder-gray wolf huddled in on himself a little bit more and shivered--it wasn't very much like the "spring showers" he had heard about.

Suddenly, a small pink something caught the wolf's black eyes. Inky lamps jerked to the swaying death-dance of a small pink flower. His maw dropped open; eyes widening in sudden empathy for the suffering plant. One creamy-muddy paw was out in the open when a gust of wind sent it shooting back under the log. Chii shivered, steeled himself, and shot out of cover to snatch up the flower; only his forward momentum carried him over the mud. Slipping impossibly; the young wolf went tumbling down to the water's edge where he landed in a heap. Jaws clacked together firmly; he let out a pained squeak. For a time Chii just lay there, blinking against the water that ran into his eyes. Then he sat up and dropped the bloody flower into his paw, cuddled it to his muddy chest with one paw. Itsokay little buddy, I be good to you. A thin, watery line of red was dripping off his cream chin from the bitten tongue. All alone in the gray rain; Chii all but blended in.

[kiri]

Upon stumbling into the Tailmeln Tribe she had no choice but to stay undercover. She was a stranger here and if she were discovered she would be killed. That was what her instinct told her. It was a solemn instinct, yet it came from the fact of her abandoned life. Living alone was a good way to keep in check, and it kept her instinct fresh and alive. Stay away from other manen wolves. Although she felt certain groping to interact with another of her species, she couldn't. All wolves here couldn't be trusted. Or rather, vice versa. She couldn't be trusted. The puppy, though young, was decisive and manipulative. But quiet and often mistaken as an uncourageous timid puppy. But not so. Still, she had to stay away. Stay away.

Stay away.

Luckily the rain answered her desperate claim to be hidden. It slanted downwards and the black femme's coat was not easily seen in the blackness of the mud. Although it helped her, the rain thundering on her back was not the easiest thing to conquer, and she disliked it a bit. Granted, she should have expected a little rain, but this was nothing compared to what she'd heard about, or seen, or even experienced. Uncontrollable rain seized the ground and made it its servant. She looked around for shelter; surely no wolf would be out in the rain, and she was getting rather soggy. A disease could be spun from the rain. Needed shelter.

Luckily there was a log, right there. Her eyes widened and she ran for it, shoving herself into the log. Once securely in, she looked at the dreary outside and wiped the mud from her face. But there was something in the water outside. Something. From the way it was acting--crouched and seemingly cuddling with itself--it didn't seem dangerous. But what if it was another wolf?

Her natural puppy curiosity tugged at her and she looked away. But she found herself looking at it again. Soon, she picked herself up, sighed, and slipped back onto the mud to confront the creature shivering in the rain.

(OOC: The log she resided in was not the same that Chii was under, unless you want it to be. <3 Since the one she was in was hollow.)

[kiyo]

aah, sorrydidn'tseeyourpost xD;;

Chii licked at the thinning line of blood, and presently it was gone. It was cold sitting n the rain, but it felt good in a way. Willing up his ability and his trademark the gray wolf brushed away the raindrops with tendrils of air, still hugging the beaten flower to his breast. It had suffered the cold long enough, it should be warm again, even if it couldn't be the sun providing that warmth as nature had always implied.

A shape was missed by Chii, as he crooned comforting nothings to the nothing in his paw. As the shape grew nearer, it was still missed and Yroro was as of yet unnoticed.

[kiri]

ooc;; no worries lol xD

His carelessness led to the mild curiosity of where he came from. Was he a tribe member? Or was he, like her, a stranger in the tribe of the Tailmeln? Only time would tell. Her voice vibrated strongly as she let out one warning yelp as her paws slid on the sticky, warm mud and slid down the cascade of wet ground, plopping herself right into the edge of the water. She was still at the opposite edge of the watering hole, however, and she prayed that the racket she had made falling down hadn't disturbed the wolf kind of hugging himself.

Not that he's not disturbed enough already, she smirked to herself then immediately felt guilty. This wolf, he looked pitiful to watch. With a flash she realized that he wasn't hugging himself, but a tiny, almost lifeless flower. Guilt slashed her belly and she trudged down to meet and introduce herself to him. After all, one to be so kind as to be protecting a flower from the rain musn't be too dangerous. Right?

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[kiyo]

Chiisouki was still hugging the flower to his chest when he heard a strangled yelp and the slipping and sliding of something on the mud. A prominent plop grabbed his curiosity and the wolf looked up with very black eyes. There was a small form on the other side of the watering hole, staring at him. Far from afraid, Chii stared back with dazed curiosity. He was not one to be called the brightest of the batch, but no one could say he wasn't kind.

It--she got up. He saw the the thing was in fact a female puppy. It was hard to tell what colors she was, for all the mud splashed up her sides. He looked down at himself, and was surprised to see he was very, very brown. A sudden gust of wind smashed into Chii and he lost his balance; slamming one fore paw on the ground to keep himself upright in a sitting position. He looked up again, consternated, to see the puppy was walking around the edges of the splashing water toward him. He watched her idly, letting the air around him drop. The hard patter of raindrops went just as unnoticed as the world around him, the wolf with the flower cradled to him with one paw.

[kiri]

She narrowed her eyes at the stranger, but sat her little self next to him and looked at him with a sparked curiosity. Her tail even wagged just a litte; just that little, as much as she would allow herself. The sparkling blue of her eyes reflected how much she didn't understand about this wolf. The smell, covered by mud but still distinct, allowed her to understand that he was male. Suddenly Yroro shivered. She was out in the mud, with no one around for miles, with an adult male. Just what she was advised against. At least she couldn't bore children yet...

But that thought had only crossed her mind for a mere split second. He looked kind. She looked up at him, little puppy mind awhirl with thoughts swirling, swirling, swirling...

and for a dead second, they stopped.

"What are you doing here?" she forced herself to say. Her gentle, but intelligent, eyes roamed over the flower in his paws. She eased herself and looked away for a moment before staring back into his eyes. Firmly but not too interested.

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[kiyo]

Um, w-what?

The wolf cocked his head, looking at her in confusion. He was pretty sure he was understanding what she was saying; but having been alone most of the time even after joining the Tailmeln tribe. He hadn't had any time to perfect his language, and still spoke fractured and sometimes completely unintelligible manen. The black eyes had glazed over as the wolf thought, but now some intelligence returned to him and he spoke carefully.

There nowhere else to go--this land too big, and this flower very small. He looked down at it, tenderly. We need to look out for others. He was actually quoting something the alpha had said, but it fitted the situation well enough.

He looked up from the flower and watched the puppy with black eyes. He knew what she was seeing well enough; after seeing his reflection in the massive pond in the Tailmeln tribe. A fairly androgynous manen--only, he realized, this wolf would be completely brown instead of gray and cream.She herself was very small he thought, and she would probably grow up to be very pretty. What was unsettling was her suprisingly mature expression and intelligence. She was interesting, and someone not to be brushed off. Not like Chiisouki ever did that, anyway.

He also noticed that she was small compared to him, which was saying something. Chii was a very small, petite wolf. It was why he was such an excellent flier and also why he was often mistaken for a femme.

Why are you here? He asked, subconciously fixing the winds again to shield the both of them from the buffeting rain.

[kiri]

Yroro stiffened at the question, and looked away. Her pale blue eyes shivered at the muddy ground and she forced herself to say, "I... can't tell you." As much as the sympathetic part of her wanted to offer him her secrets, the business side strictly sat by her and told her to go running. Of course, it wasn't as if this wolf seemed like a killer. But then again, you never knew. Since a lot of murderers were armed with charm.

His language seemed to be unpolished; unexercised. It was unsmooth and some grammar was off. She glanced back at him, biting her lip, she added, "My name is Yroro. Then she immediately regretted it and bit her lip harder, so that a few beads of blood appeared. Then her empathetic side scolded her. "Be more trusting," it cried, but the shock of being "social" still shocked the cautious pup. She blinked rapidly and started to get up. This was a weird, very weird experience.

[/size]

[kiyo]

Okay . . . The wolf said ponderously, slipping a little in the mud when he shifted his weight. The petite creature slapped one paw to the ground again, before getting up akwardly and standing with his legs far apart as they dripped mud and rainwater. The flower he had quickly transferred to his maw, where it was held precariously between the gentle front canines. Black eyes looked beseechingly at the puppy, and Chii jolted with a sudden idea. One average-sized wing with patches of gray where the fur had been tightly furled against his back stretched over the puppy and curved slightly to shield her from the rain. Long feathers made hollow sounds when the slanting water hit them, dripping off the sleekly shining pinions.

My name is Chiisouki. Can call me, Chii, though. He said around the flower in his mouth.

[kiri]

She gave a jump as the wing came to enclose her; she had been trying to... just maybe... slip away. The prospect was out of question now since he'd obviously feel or see if she started to inch away very slowly. Not that it'd work anyway. Just a precaution that she liked to imagine herself doing. ...oh well.

She looked at the petite male and blurted, "Mister, why do you look like a girl?" She couldn't help it; she had noticed for a while now that this male was a bit skinnier then others, and he looked more like a fem than anything. The only thing that told her that this particular wolf was male was the distinguished scent floating from him; faint but true.

Or...?

She was confused by now, and hoped that she hadn't gotten it wrong. She shook her shaggy coat and looked up at him with sharp curiosity.

[/size]

[kiyo]

Uh, sorry: I just thought that it would be better than getting wet. Chii apologized, embarrassedly. He looked around and flushed slightly, scratched his head with one muddy paw and leaving a darker brown smear just beneath his ear. He transferred the flower from his mouth to the other paw, tucking it just under the wing joint where it was dry and somewhat warm. He had been concentrating on adjusting it when Yroro asked her question. The male looked at her unreadably, and said with dignity: My genes.

He patted the rumpled and dirtied flower comfortingly and ruffled his feathers back into place; looked down at the ground in some consternation. How do you explain these kinds of things to a puppy.

[kiri]

So it was a reasonable reason to why he looked like a girl. So maybe it was one of the only reasons. So maybe it was the only reason. Whatever. Yroro wasn't buying it; she looked up at the stranger with a measure of suspiciousness stretched on her face, then sniffed. Biting her lip, she added, "Alright. So your genes are the problem. Um. Did your father look like a female too?"

There weren't many ...gender-bender looking wolves around, and Yroro did want to find out who his sire was. Her curiosity, however, was wavering around that point; after all, it wasn't such an important issue and she just wanted to know 'cuz of what her mind raced around.

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[kiyo]

Uuuumm maybe . . . Chii said after a hesitant pause; looking to the side in a dodgy manner. He sniffed, wiping at his nose with the side of a muddy paw; further muddying his face. Uh . . . he was short, too . . . but he was more, ah, menly to look? He was just guessing at words, but they sounded kind of right, right! Chiisouki tried to grin, his maw twitched a bit but the easy gesture didn't quite come out right. Oh well.

I always have been to look like this. It not my fault? He said unconvincingly. It also wasn't his fault that he liked other males, right? No, it was. Daaammmmmitt why was it so embarrassing to tell a puppy!