the days of our glory, JB Den, JB Pack, Y3 Summer

[Juku]

This thread will be set a little bit in the future, to ensure that Sati is back in the den with the pups and Blair does not get in trouble. Puppies are three months old now, I think? Anyone welcome to join in. :}

Soviet was bored. It was an early summer morning in the Jinnabully den, and aside from the aforementioned puppy, no one was awake - not even their ever-watchful mother. This meant great things for the young wolf, and ideas were already churning 'round her wee little head. Stifling a little yawn, Soviet rose to her feet in her corner of the familiar old den and pawed gently at its earthen walls. A bit of dirt fell away, and she batted idly at a stray clod. An unknowing passerby might guess she was playing discretely, courteously away from the others: keeping to herself as a nice puppy would. The truth, the dastardly truth, was far from this, as each time she batted away the clump of dirt the self-pleased expression on her face grew broader. It was early. No one was awake. Except her. (That meant, for stupid listeners, that Sati couldn't know what she was doing.) Soviet looked longingly at the gaping hole of the den's entrance, down to her sleeping mother, and back at the hole again. Her tail wagged excitedly; her lips parted in a grin revealing tiny little teeth. She made another circle of the den: Mother, Kotch next to her, Julia, Vorenus, Domino lying on his back, Vorenus, Jaselin. Jaselin. With eager little pawsteps, Soviet approached her brother from behind and gave him a gentle, then not-so-gentle, nudge in the ribs. Leaning close over him, she pressed her face into his and hissed: "Ssssssssshhhhhh. Wakeupppp!"

[DragonHybrid]

No finishing our parallel parent thread then? ):

Jaselin was not who Soviet got, at least at first; he was not even what she got. What she got was a massive, flying Kotch, who batted suspiciously mother-shaped objects out of his airborne path with evil laughter and billowing smoke. The laughter, it was evil; the smoke, it billowed. "It billows!" The sound of his own excited, sleep-crackled voice woke the small mohawked puppy with a start, and for a moment his mind was startled at the sudden change of scenery - most notibly, perhaps, was the fact that he was no longer a few thousand feet above sea level, nor the size of a mountain. With this disappointing realization, Kotch deflated slightly, his head lowering with the return of his low place in society. The role of a worldly lord just wasn't the same as being the son of a low-ranked female. And as for the paternal side of it, well, he was young, but he wasn't stupid; though Colo stayed as far as he could away from Sati, and Kotch himself it seemed, the pup had seen the similarities. At first, it had been cool being the son of the alpha, but it seemed that fathers weren't meant to be a part of your life - or, as he had deducted from eavesdropping, perhaps Colo wasn't anything to do with him at all. Understandably, Kotch didn't like to think about it; it hurt his brain slightly. Soviet, however, hurt him in different ways, and seemed to target his pride. Ever since he was tiny (and of course he did not view himself as such anymore) Soviet challenged his ethics, mentality and physical might, and often won, much to his irritation and shame. Being alone with her was not his idea of fun, even if she did appeal to his wicked side at times, and though the den was filled with his beloved family they were asleep; Soviet was not. It was not as though she was extremely subtle, especially visually; she definitely ranked highly in the 'sore-thumb' category, though it was certainly a tough call between several of the bizarre litter. "Hush," he chided, still groggy from deep sleep, completely ignoring the fact that he had made the most noise so far - as proven by waking himself up. He glanced at the den's entrance, and though the outside world was hidden from view, the light of morning fell on the dry earth and roots. That was it; he had never been able to get back to sleep once the sun was up, but, he decided with a deep breath, that didn't mean the rest of the family had to suffer the same fate. This meant standing up to Soviet and, somehow, overcoming her ability to initiate chaos and rebellion wherever she went. It would be a milestone for them, no least for Kotch, and the power of the dream still echoed in his mind; it was enough to encourage him forward, for now. "Don't wake 'em up, Vie, not yet. Lia only got back ta sleep way after sundown, 'n Dom wasn't much better. Mum won't be happy," he concluded with a hint of desperation; if it looked bad, mention Mum. It wasn't a guaranteed save, but it had a better track record than other threats he had tried.

[Juku]

Guh, just realized that this thread makes Sati in to places at once. I wasn't planning on having her show her face (in fact, Strim was supposed to have posted Jaselin by now >>) but if that makes colo/sati thread impossible, let's put the puppies on hold 'til it's over?

[DragonHybrid]

Well, so long as Sati stays asleep, I don't suppose it matters - I doubt anything earth-shattering is going to happen in our other thread like Sati dying or being disfigured, so there should be no problem of continuity so long as you don't have Sati reflect too much on their conversation-to-be :P

Speaking of, I require Satipost kplz? <3

[Juku]

Sure, it bothered Soviet a bit that Jaselin didn’t wake up at her bidding. She had a plan, and he was ruining it by staying asleep at the most inopportune moment. Soviet attempted to shake her brother a little more, hoping that he would magically come awake at her prodding, but she had no such luck. Jaselin remained asleep, and Soviet remained crouched on top of him, growing more anxious by the moment to put her plan into action. While contemplating further things she could do to make her stubborn sleeping brother wake up, Soviet remained unaware of her other stirring sibling until he was nearly behind her. Having already discounted Kotch from her plan (he would ruin it, like usual), her mohawked little brother was invisible to Soviet: invisible, that is, until she heard his very distinctive voice from right behind her. She raised her ears a little (to show she was listening), but there was a little bat of irritation to the brown pup’s tail when she was told to hush. Hush? That’s exactly what she was doing! The point wasn’t to wake the whole den up but just a select few, and now Kotch was ruining it. With an expression on her face that said “omg you’re being so boring right now” Soviet listening to her brother’s little speech, and rather than reply to it, she reached to start shaking Jaselin again. But wait – Jaselin was asleep. Kotch wasn’t. Why did she need to wake one brother when another was right here for her? With a soft little thump, Soviet slid off of her sleeping sibling and directed her green eyes at the wakened one. “Hokay,” she said with a little smile. That should confuse Kotch – it was rare that he stood up to her, and even rarer that he won with such little struggle from her part. “Yerright, we don’ needa wakem up. Twouvus is good ‘nough an’ mum wanted everyone ta sleep longer.” She smiled again. Here was the tricky part: no matter what she said next, he might go running for Sati. But he had just said that he didn’t want to wake anyone up, and that meant Mother too. “But ‘fore they wake up, let’s go ‘splorin’, you ‘n me.” The area around the den was more than familiar to her, and she had been around the pack lands before, but never alone, which was infinitely more fun. Soviet was dying to go wandering away from Sati’s watchful gaze. After all, she was three months old – almost grown up already.

[DragonHybrid]

She was right; Kotch was stunned. For a moment, he wondered if he was still dreaming, but had long concluded, before things got this weird, that he was awake. Before his threat - which had... worked? - her reaction had not been unordinary; she often gave him that look, and though it used to dishearten him now he just shrugged it off as the usual. It wasn't as though it was saved just for him; the same look, Kotch had noticed, was often shot in the direction of their mother, and any quality that Kotch shared with his beloved parent was no problem for him. But then the unthinkable had happened - come to think of it, Soviet had never given in so easily - and Kotch had been dutifully stunned. He should have realised there would be a catch; he just wasn't experienced enough with his sister yet, as surprising as that seemed. That time would come. The catch came. Instinct said reject it; sense stayed his tongue. Go outside? Alone? At this time of day? It seemed ludicrious, but his sister would not have been disappointed to witness her brother glanced towards the now-visible outside, and even licked his lips. He would deny that action ferverently later, but it was true, perhaps he did hunger for a little roguish exploration himself. Perhaps it was that primal desire which drove him to think of all sorts of sensible reasons for complying - and if he was honest, he could think of a few. For one, it would stop her from waking everyone else up, which was his initial quest. Was taking the culprit far away not ensuring everybody's peaceful slumber? Plus, he considered himself rather responsible, at least next to a certain few siblings, and so felt qualified to 'supervise' their excursion, if you will. It would also satiate Soviet, at least for now, so maybe she would be less eager to go running off at crazy hours in the morning? The logic behind the last one was a little too hopeful, he was aware, but it helped to convince him nonetheless, and when he looked back at Soviet it was with a strange look of both victory and defeat. He was being used, there was no way around it, but in the end Soviet was going to cause more damage inside the den right now than out of it. "If you git me killed, Vie, I'll-" he had no viable threat, but didn't expect his sister to stand around calmly to hear it either. He had given in; once she was out, he would follow, slightly more sourly than normal.

Powerplay Kotch coming out after her in your next post, and following where she initially leads, then he'll start complaining again <3

[Juku]

I'm pretty sure this thread was started before Sati and Colo "made up", so I'll leave it before then. Am ok in assuming the pups don't really know him?

Well, that was a surprise! Kotch never went along with anything she told him to do, not without a little (or a lot) bit of forceful incentive on her part. The victory almost stunned Soviet. Finally, she was getting the respect she deserved! Finally, Kotch was starting to realize who was actually pulling the shots around here. Soviet smiled then, a broad, almost catty smile, but it was not all victory, not all cocky puppy-superiority. Somewhere in there she had a genuine stroke of happiness, as well: Kotch, the weird little younger brother who always spoiled her plans, was batting for her team today. For once, they were not tugging on opposite ends of the rope, and though Soviet's mind was not yet sophisticated enough to fully realize this, she was happy to have her brother here, happy that he was something of a compatriot for the moment, something like a friend. But this was all just a flash in Soviet's puppy head, for she was not one to spend much time in thought, and she stood there with that catty grin on her maw just long enough to make sure Kotch wouldn't suddenly turn coward, then sprang nimbly over the sleeping body of another brother and skittered out the den door. The morning sunlight felt warm and welcoming on her ruddy fur as she climbed aboveground. She blinked a little and emerged into a forest clearing, one she knew quite well from all the times Sati had accompanied them outside. It was a familiar place, and cozy, but even at a young age Soviet was one to bore easily of cozy and familiar, so she spent just a moment looking around their usual playground before striking out beyond, into the dappled shade of Jinnabully forest. A fallen log met her path, and she leaped on with a thump, sending bits of old dead bark flying. With just a single glance behind to make sure Kotch was following, she raced along the log, then leaped into the air - landing in a not-so-graceful heap. She was on her paws again in just a second, but not fast enough to notice a curious scent on the forest floor. Tilting her head a bit in concentration, she lowered her muzzle to the ground and took in a big, exhaggerated whiff. How odd. It smelled like Kotch. She was familiar with most of the Jinnabully members by sight - they passed by the den, to see the puppies or their mother or on their way to other things. Colo, however, was a relative stranger to the pups - he stayed away from Sati and her children, and Soviet knew only that there was some other wolf out there who looked like Kotch, and that he was powerful, but nothing of his name, nothing at all of the wolf himself. So when she smelled that scent that was so similar to Kotch, Soviet was perplexed. Befuddled. Confounded. There was no way that her fuddy-duddy of a brother would be romping around all on his own. So what was up? She glanced back at her little brother, trying not to betray her confusion. It had to be the other kotch-wolf, she decided. It had to be. There was no other possiblility! And the logical conclusion was, then: "We 'ave ta find 'im, Kawch! Tha al-fa wolf as looks like you! Tha's is smell, righ' there," she said authoritatively. "We're a-gonna follow it, I says so. So there." She wouldn't take no for an answer.

[DragonHybrid]

Yeh, this'll be before Colo/Sati, and correct, he probably avoids the whole den as much as possible :P

Not accustomed to making Soviet happy, and very much accustomed to associating that catty grin with bad things, Kotch hesitated momentarily before following her out. Whereas she bounded towards her freedom, Kotch stood anxiously, glancing at each member of his gathered family in turn, as though in sleep they could advise him on how to handle his most unhandlable sister. They offered nothing, not even his mother, who slept with a faint frown on her face; it made him sad to see it. For a moment he considered that waking her up would be the best course, right now, even if it got him into momentary trouble; Soviet was being Soviet again, and only their mother could try to deal with it. Then again... Kotch finally turned to stare out to the den's entrance, where he could just see Soviet's tail disappearing, took a breath and decided. In movements not quite so graceful as her's, Kotch quietly padded after his sister, pausing the moment his head was exposed to look about himself. The immediate vincinity was certainly nothing special, for they had seen it many times before, but there was something about being there without authority which excited him. Then he had to remember that he was the authority, which put a little dampner on it, but reminded him to watch Soviet. He opened his mouth to comment but she did not give him time; she bounded off, beyond the boundaries of familiarity, and with a strangled yelp he darted after her. Now overwhelmed by all the reasons that he should not have agreed to this, he kept pace, momentarily losing sight of her as she leapt from a decaying log. Adding some desperate speed, for he was convinced she would vanish from sight the moment he gave her the opportunity, he dashed around the log to find her - and there she was, with her nose to the floor. He could not decipher the expression on her face. Confusion was not something he usually associated with Soviet, for she always knew what she wanted to do - and therefore was always dancing between self-delight and wickedness to disappointment and bitterness. Kotch was usually the culprit of causing her disappointment. Something about the foreign look on her face made him pause in his worrying to wonder what she had found. Then she looked up at him, the odd expression replaced by one he knew far better. His breathing stopped; this had been a bad idea. He would get it in the neck, he knew, because everyone expected this of Soviet but not of him! That was, if he didn't die in the process of whatever she was planning - he knew he should have finished his threat... Once more, she took control, dictating their actions with no word from her stunned brother, who stood there and had orders thrust at him. He froze, his face one of mild terror; this was by far the last thing he wanted to do. He had, perhaps, seen even less of Colo than the rest of his family, partly because Colo avoided him like the plague. Kotch didn't know why, and he was largely still too young to register this blatent avoidance to take offence - but he did know that this larger wolf who looked like him, scared him. There had been that one night, a couple of weeks previous, when a noise had disturbed Kotch's sleep. Having already long assumed the role of Soviet's conscience, the puppy had stirred, assuming it was merely his sister. He had been sleeping closest to the den's entrance, out of chance, and had done no more than open an eye. There had been an eye staring right back at him. For a moment, they both froze, staring at each other. The large pale eyes blinked once, twice, almost seeming more terrified than Kotch was, who just stayed as he was, curled up as though asleep, his heart pounding. The large, crested head twitched towards him, and Kotch flinched away slightly, but then something made him pause, reconsider - in a moment of blind, innocent curiosity, he lifted his tiny head up to point at the larger imitation. The white eyes smiled at the green ones; the large head moved forward a fraction, to just experimentally press its nose gently against Kotch's. The touch was only for a moment before the larger wolf turned and swiftly, silently left again, and Kotch did not fall asleep again until long after the last pawstep could be heard. Needless to say, Kotch was not keen to repeat it. "Naw, Vie," he contested, lifting his gaze to stare imploringly at her, something about him now going beyond his usual lawfulness. "He sca... I dun fink it's a very good idea." Usually, he would have punctuated that with some sort of bold look or gesture, to enforce it, but there was nothing but sheer reluctance and mild terror. He couldn't even bring himself to cite his mother as the judge that Soviet would face as retribution.

[Juku]

Short next to yours

It was about time that Kotch started trying to ruin her fun again, and Soviet should have been expecting her brother's objections, but as soon as her companion opened his mouth she felt a wave of irritation hit her. Of course he wouldn't want to follow the trail. Of course he didn't want to come on her adventure. Of course he wanted to just sit around all day and chase his tail. She should have known better than to bring him along in the first place. Seriously, what kind of bright idea had that been? "Whaddayamean, iss a great idea!" she shot back impulsively. Soviet rolled her eyes, quite obviously exasperated with her brother. She set her jaw in a very stubborn way, and glared at him out of the corner of her eyes. She didn't even want to look at him now, she was so disappointed. The pitiful sight that met her look, however, almost took Soviet aback. Kotch wasn't just spoiling her fun, she realized. He was legitimately scared by her suggestion. What was so bad about the mohawk alpha anyway? He was weird, he was funny-colored.... but so was Kotch! And it wasn't like he hurt any of them, no one would dare hurt puppies. Her mother had told her that. And even if he tried, he would have Soviet to deal with before he could lay his paws on any of her siblings. So what was the big deal? Soviet yawned a little, not confused as she had been before, just a little bored at her brother and his trembling terror. "Geez, Kawch, 'snot a big deal," she added with a grumble. "ee's freeky lookin' but tha' don't mean ee's bad." She thought for a moment, then just got irritated again by his reluctance and said, "Common, brave up." And with that, she stood up and started off slowly - very slowly - down the direction of Colo's scent, hoping her brother would be smart enough to follow. She glanced back in Kotch's direction, only to see him sitting fixed in the exact same spot as before. She almost yelled at him then, but Soviet was feeling almost mellow toward her brother today after he had agreed to be her adventure companion, so instead she just shouted at him (a little too loudly, considering he was only a few feet away). "We goin' so start movin'!" After a pause, she added, "An if ee tries ta hurt us, I'll pra-tect you!" with a smile across her puppy maw and all the confidence in the world.

[DragonHybrid]

Nah, Kotch internally monologued much

Familiar disappointment and disgust rang through Soviet's being, and strangely reassured Kotch. This was territory he knew how to handle - or, well, he knew perfectly well which strategies didn't work... he supposed there were many more to test yet. The mild reassurance didn't stop him from shivering a little at her immediate rebuttal, less from cold and more from the sudden fear which had gripped him. He said nothing as she slowly began to realise his true state, feeling now ashamed of himself, and lowered his head at her chastising, until he noticed that she was trying to comfort him, in her own way. She could have easily leapt up without him, she didn't need him for her games; it wouldn't have been the first time. She genuinely wanted him to go with her. This, coupled with the message behind her words, began to seep into his soft puppy brain, and he raised his eyes again to stare at her. He was... truly being involved? In her playtime? Soviet? He glanced back at the way he came only because the rest of his siblings passed through his mind; she preferred their company over his, they were more reckless and less likely to run to mother. Well, some of them. But then she told him to brave up and subconsciously, he felt himself do so. Soviet was an expert at being brave, she could even stand up to mother when the mood took her, and she was inviting him to play. It was a shame that Kotch was still too scared to fully let himself go. It just wasn't in his nature. He didn't follow her, at first, because he hadn't noticed her movement - he had been staring in the opposite direction, quite transfixed on the thought. But then he had heard her pawsteps, and jerked his head around, only moments later to be staring at her disappointed eyes again. It made him twitch up onto his feet, but he didn't move until she snapped at him, causing his backlegs to ungracefully lurch his body forward in fear of being left behind. Quickly caught up, and walking shoulder to shoulder with his sister (head lowered, perhaps pressed a little too closely) he then realised fully what she had said; she would protect him. His dignity and sense of duty was only young, so he felt no shame at the warm relief which spread over him; he was safe, Soviet knew what she was doing, she wouldn't let anything happen to him. He smiled shyly and gave her a quick lick on the ear in appreciation, then turned his head back to the front - they were on a mission now, and Kotch couldn't go back without his sister, not for fear of both of their wellbeing. Besides, there was a small amount of curiosity in him, but he was not about to let Soviet know that he was actually a little excited. She might start expecting this sort of thing from him regularly, and he couldn't cope with that. Very infrequent disobediance and rebellion was about as much as he could handle. "Vie vie viiiiiiiiiie," he muttered, in a sighing, what-am-I-to-do-with-you kind of way, "we d'know how long 't's been since he was here last... it don' smell fresh..." Was he actively participating? Gods forbid.

[Juku]

Soviet was fully expecting for her brother to turn tail and head back for the den. It wouldn't be the first time he bailed on her, and it definitely wouldn't be the last. Preparing for disappointment, she yawned a little and glanced away in her (hoped) direction of travel - deeper into the forest, where she had never been before. The trees got thicker up ahead; the sun only reached the floor in mottled patches of light, and other places were almost dark. Rather than be frightened by the forest, though, Soviet was excited at the prospect of reaching new places. Catlike, she batted at a spot of light with her paw, and the ruddy red of her fur grew bright in the sun. Up ahead, there was a rustle, and a squirrel leaped out from a bush up the trunk of a tree. Soviet's tail wagged faster, and she had to struggle (so hard) to resist the urge to chase after it. The world ahead of her was a mystery to explore, and it was exciting as only a new world is. Why didn't Kotch understand this? Why did he always want to stay behind in the dark, cramped old den? She grumbled again, at just about the same time that Kotch started speaking. This was fine, because she knew what he was going to say. It was a bad idea. Mum wouldn't approve. The alpha was big and scary. The trees were too big. Gripe gripe gripe. Over her grumbles, she heard her brother chanting her name disapprovingly. He was always disapproving. No fun at all. But then, he took a step forward! Soviet blinked in surprise, and a confused frown weaseled its way onto her face until, a second later, she realized what he was doing. Kotch took another step forward, and Soviet broke out into a victorious grin. Now that was more like it! She started up her walk again, her steps slow so that Kotch would catch up with her. Her left ear twitched at the mention of the scent, and she breathed in deeply again. And it turned out that Kotch was right: it was old. In her excitement, she hadn't thought about the possibility that Colo had moved on a long time ago. That was no problem, though. The two of them could track him down, even if it meant going far away. The concept of there being anything other than forest was foreign to Soviet: born near a cluster of trees, she had not yet seen anything in her young life to make her think that the rest of the world was otherwise. But the problem was finding Colo, and that was a problem, if he had moved away a while ago. There was only one solution, and it was an obvious one. Once Kotch had caught up with her, Soviet whispered to her brother, "Follow me!" and bounded ahead at full speed, dodging around trunks and over roots, following Colo's scent. He had to have stopped sometime. Sooner or later, they would catch up.

[DragonHybrid]

Sorry for short

Perhaps, unless Vorenus does join in, they could get caught by a senior member? I can't see Soviet admitting defeat, ever

She grinned, and his conscience lurched unhappily, but honestly he was pleased to have satisfied her. He fell into step with Soviet easily, quickly losing most of his inhibitions for the thrill of the chase. A small part of his mind lingered with the rest of his family, as it always did (and would), unable to be let go; however, today, he was his sister's brother, and her fellow scoundrel and troublemaker. (Oh no, was he expected to actually make trouble?) Connecting with her felt wrong, dirty somehow, but also... natural. He really shouldn't have been trying to act older or more responsible than he was, for the ignorance and innocent of his puppyhood would not last for long. She whispered her comment, his hesitation was minimal; he leapt into action after her, his heart pounding with excitement and expectation and trepidation and new fresh waves of realisation about being in coherts with the devil that just couldn't let him go, dammit, he knew what he was doing... he knew what he was doing! Worse came to worst, he could claim he was keeping up with her for her own good - so he could look after her. He actually scolded himself slightly for that half-lie (okay, so it was a large lie), surprised at how easily he was corrupted. Oh Vie, what have you done? They had not run for long, Kotch allowing himself to get absorbed in their task (it helped, because it made him less likely to think about that one encounter, which resulted in uncomfortable pangs of fear) but even when he paused to inhale deeply, he noticed something. "Viiie," he drawled, putting on a small burst of speed to catch up with her once again, "I dun think we're gettin' any closers..." he slowed, hoping she would be curious enough to pause herself. His small nose rustled in the dirt, then lifted to poke at a tree, then he stopped completely, turning about; he shoved it in a knot hole of a different tree, then turned back to Soviet, frowning slightly. "He's... ev'r'where."

[Eri]

I really want to join this thread, but I'd be holding it up since I've been and will continue to be out and about. Also, people have developed the awful habit of calling me before noon and depriving me of sleep, so any chance I get is devoted to making up for lost sleep (And Lord knows when that'll be).

I hear there's going to be a new puppy thread, anyway, so I'll definitely be sure to jump in on that. :)

[Juku]

After spending most of her time in a small radius near the den, it felt good to run. Bounding through the forest, Soviet could not help but enjoy the way her body felt when it moved, the air whirring past, the fallen leaves crunching underfoot, her short legs pushing as hard as they could against the soft forest floor. It gave her a thrill unlike almost anything she had felt before, and for a moment Soviet forgot about her mission, and her brother, and her family behind her. She was free, and she felt so good, so powerful. If she had her way, she would run like this forever. There was a rhythm to their motions, and she could feel it right next to her heartbeat - a pulse that drove her onward toward the goal. Any moment now, she expected to see the tall black crest that was her quarry, bobbing through the trees just waiting to be found. But he was not there, so she kept running, but he kept being not there. Soon enough, she could feel the pulse of their running begin to slow, though Soviet herself had not altered her pace. Had Kotch fallen behind already? Geez, he was almost useless. But then he was back, and he said some words, and he probably expected Soviet to listen to the words, so she did. He was everywhere? Soviet frowned to herself, then tested out this theory, slowing her pace and turning her head around and around, taking in the scent of the forest. No wonder his track had been so easy to find earlier - he was everywhere! This was turning out to be more difficult than it had originally seemed, but Soviet was not to be foiled. If they only kept going, then circled around, sooner or later they would find him. If he was really everywhere, then sooner or later he would have to be somewhere. Soviet slowed down even more, peering down a particularly dense cluster of trees. Maybe, maybe he was hiding. Maybe he didn't want to be found! Well, too bad. Soviet was coming for him anyway. She took a couple more steps forward, then glanced over her shoulder to urge Kotch on, and nudged aside a low-hanging branch. When she saw what lay around the corner, Soviet let out a little surprised bark. A wolf was sitting there. Picking up the pace again, the ruddy pup trotted forward to investigate. She nudged at one of his hindlegs with her muzzle, probing. "What yous doin' here?" she demanded. And then, realizing that he might be able to help them in their quest, "An' can ya take us to tha al-fa?"

[DragonHybrid]

alright... because multi-character posts are so much fun, I'm gonna post Scarlet/Jambul alongside Kotch

Kotch watched as Soviet confirmed his statement, somewhat sadly. It wasn't going to be as simple as they had thought; how did being everywhere at once make someone so hard to locate? It was logical nonsense! He knew she would not be put off, that would be insulting of his sister to expect such a thing. Now abandoning his olfactory observations, Kotch looked back at his sister and the stubborn determination which took over it. He smiled to himself. Soviet was better as an ally, for sure. This trip had been more fruitful than a moral hindrane, definitely, even if Soviet didn't think so - he supposed that she thought of her alpha-search as the main aim, but to be honest, Kotch was just enjoying being there. His curiousity only existed because of Soviet's overwhelming enthusiasm (and coercion). She didn't speak, which mildly intrigued him, for normally she had a comment on everything. But that was usually a sniding comment. Perhaps... his observation had been logically sound and approved? Now that was another first, but hey, it seemed to be the day for it. The respectable silence lingered, and Kotch turned to follow his sister thoughtfully. Unless they caught a stronger scent, they could be chasing whiffs all day - and that simply wasn't possible, for the rest of the family would be waking before too long. He glanced up, and though the sky was largely made of leaves, there was still the twinkling of sunlight. Mother's-boy worry pricked him, but he was too deep now to care as much as he normally would, so he stuck his head down and followed his sister. It was her turn to stop. Suddenly extremely curious, Kotch lifted his head but could not see what had halted her, so he edged up so that they were level again. He poked his nose out at the wolf he vaguely recognised, but then Soviet marched onwards again regardless of caution. Kotch squeaked in tiny protest, but his fear of being left behind far outweighed any nervousness over this pack member, so he jerked forward to keep in time with Soviet. All the same, he made sure to keep a step or two behind her. She had said she would protect him, right? Scarlet had been sitting in the shade, minding his own business, deep in calm contemplation. At least, on the outside it looked like contemplation; in reality he was in the midst of a heated argument. Jambul had been forgiving for far too long, the whole relationship was give give give and take take take, and unfortunately Jambul counted himself as the former. Sure, he liked them here, but they weren't family. And he watched Scarlet with Fenra and couldn't help but burn with jealousy and misery; he wanted to be with that he loved, too. Why couldn't Scarlet understand? Why was he so stubborn? Scarlet's resolve, once unbreakable, had been wearing thin. His arguments, too, for staying were getting weaker, and it had not taken the sharp Jambul long to notice. He had probed Scarlet, asking why the sudden change in mind - or the gentle reconsideration, at least. Scarlet's mind passionately lingered on his white love, that quiet, blunt, honest creature who had so captivated him. Jambul didn't ask more; he understood. It was also in his interests not to encourage Scarlet to change his mind again. However, his patience was no infinite, and sometimes an argument was just unavoidable. So when that young, boisterous voice broke quite cleanly through their silent, angry debate, Scarlet reacted to the poke perhaps more violently than he should have; twitching away, his front half spiralled towards the puppy at the same time as his rear end jerked away, and there he froze, blinking at them. Kotch flinched a little at the reaction, thinking that he was wrong and they were done for, but only leant into Soviet a little more for comfort. She would protect him. He stared up at those creamy eyes, and they both blinked in unison, making Kotch feel embarrassed and more keen to hide in Soviet. Scarlet blinked again at the shy puppy, trying to reconnect his consciousness with the physical world, and re-registered everything that had just been directed at him. Jambul just chuckled, happy to convene their discussion for another time. He hadn't seen the pack puppies much at all, and had an innate soft spot for them. "So... viet?" Scarlet said unsurely, remembering the name, "and... Kotch?" He looked between them, then remembered that one of them - Soviet, must have been, Kotch looked like he was going to soil himself - had asked him a question. Two, in fact. "Uh...", he started, glancing between them again, then decided to do this properly. He re-seated himself, dignified this time instead of twisted, and lifted his nose just a bit before deciding there was no need to be pompous around children; so he lowered it to gaze at them, and smiled. "I'm allowed ta be here, it's my packlands too," he said in responce to the first question. "We all need... time t'ourselves every now and then." And you would know about private time, would you Scarlet? Ignoring Jambul, he spoke on. Kotch stared, wide-eyed. "As for Colo -" then he paused, and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He knew well enough the tensions between Sati and Colo, they couldn't possibly be more obvious. Why would Sati's offspring be actively seeking him? Scarlet's gaze passed over Kotch's small mohawk, the colouring, then the eyes; sweet heavens, the resemblance was as uncanny as he remembered. Scarlet hadn't seen Kotch this close for a while now, and, well... Stranger things have happened. Quite agreeing, he returned to the matter at hand, and redirected his gaze quite pointedly to Soviet (Kotch only sunk more, having felt deeply uncomfortable during that scrutinisation). "I think he's busy." Pause. "Probably sleeping, in fact. Shouldn't you -" pause. Another suspicious narrowing of the eyes. "Shouldn't you still be 'sleep, too? The sun's barely up, surely your mother...?" He left it hanging, not due to conscious dramatic choice, carefully watching the two pups who he now deemed very guilty-looking. Well, Kotch certainly did - from talk around the pack, it sounded like Soviet was perpetually guilty of something. Kotch chose not to respond, electing Soviet as representative - hell, she was the one who spoke in the first place. Nudging her lightly in the belly with his nose, encouraging her to take the stand, Kotch continued to stare, wide-eyed and suddenly keenly aware. Now that Scarlet had dropped the M-word, his rebellion suddenly didn't seem so fun anymore... it was all real, and he felt a little sad to have lost their brief moment of mutual understanding only moments before. Of course, he was probably wallowing in it deeper than necessary; Soviet had enough lip and kick for all her family.