Let sleeping dogs lie (Open)

[Kailolu]

The wind that cast itself above the clouds was fantastic. It was natural and didn’t require any work to create. Kihlan pumped his wings, seeing a sea of white below him. The very reason the winged wolf was flying above the cloud canopy was because there was an air current that carried him. This means he could fly farther without using that much energy, since the wind would carry him. He’d flap his wings the minimum amount of times so he wouldn’t strain himself. The large feathered appendages were connected right above his shoulders, which made him very sore to walk whenever he landed. Usually finding a place to curl up and sleep was too tempting to resist. And the urge was growing.

Sliding in an upwards arc, Ki closed his wings to let himself sink past the wall of clouds to see where he was. The white wispy puffs tickled his face as he made his descent. After making it out of the pale canopy, Ki kept his wings against his body as he shot down. He let his ears lay back since the air rush was hurting him. There was a dark green river below, winding through bare canyons. Between each crease there was a collection of trees that ran up the canyon walls where they then spread out and soon vanished. The ravines were pale brown, shades of red and purple extended over the tops of the canyons. Ki assumed they were some kind of plant. He was disappointed when he saw there were no sand beaches. The river was lined with rocks, and for the most part, there was no place to land near the water. There were just sharp drop offs that looked painful to sleep on. Though soon enough there was a small grass flat that hung over the sand, providing a nice looking place to nap.

Ki flew down and reached it in no time, rotating his wings in a circular motion to slow him down. He folded his wings along his sides when his paws sand into the hot sand. The feeling was uncomfortable on his paws and he waded into the water. He couldn’t get far though, because there was a sheer drop off that lead to the dark murky bottom of the river. He lapped up the cold water, disgusted slightly by the dirty fishy taste. Ki never fancied the taste of fish, and the murky liquid tasted like it. He stepped out of the water and ducked under the grassy overhand. Red roots dangled from above, from some strange plant Ki didn’t care about. He made a tight circle before plopping down in the cool sand. He made sure not to lie on his wing, knowing that would seriously impair him. Kihlan relied fully on his wings for transportation, protection, and for show. It was almost a hobby to try and impress females with his wings, like a bird of paradise, flashing off his good looks to woo a lady. But for now, Ki was tired. He stretched his wing out once before bringing it back to tuck his head under them. It was almost a pet peeve when he exposed his head when he was relaxing. It was a fear that someone would attack him during his nap, so he’d protect his head and neck with his wings. Inhaling deeply Kihlan let out a sigh, nuzzling into the fur on his belly and bringing his wing further over his head. It didn’t take long for him to drift off to sleep.


occ;

Word count; 593
Muse; 98.9%
Tags; Anyone!

[Forte]

Zephyr too was enjoying the warm thermals that radiated from the ground, which had been baked by the sun a while ago, before these clouds had set in. She, though, was flying below the clouds, searching for prey. There wasn't much around and the young wolf had been tempted to move on but she was just too attracted to this open plain that produced great winds. So she stayed, stomach growling, but her heart satisfactorily sated with contentedness.

Zephyr sailed over the shallow canyon that the river had carved in the plain and onto the plain itself, her keen eyes peeled for movement. It was several minutes before she spotted about a half a dozen grazing hares, and she took care not to throw her shadow on them, instead circling down slowly until she was only a few hundred yards above the oblivious creatures. Her heart racing, Zephyr chose her prey, folded her wings and dived directly toward it, her wings silent. She opened her wings at the last moment to cushion her landing, which happened to be right on her chosen hare. She killed it quickly. "You guys are great," she praised her wings with a grin as if they could hear her.

Not wanting to further disturb the routine of her prey's companions, the wolf again took off--the worst part, so much work!--to find a nice place to eat, but just as she did so she spotted a dark spot in the sky, not too far away. From here it looked to be a very large bird, so large that the creature required further investigation. She buried her prey quickly and took to the sky in pursuit of the mystery being, which seemed to be wandering rather aimlessly as if looking for something. Not traveling. So it wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Zephyr was exhausted from trying to gain speed and to her disappointment, as she watched, the creature descended and disappeared into the ground, barely close enough that she could see about where it landed. She climbed a little higher, then soared down the rest of the way toward its hidey hole, and soon she was right above it. Certainly the softest-looking spot she had come across in a while. She spiraled down and landed with a thud right on top of the place she thought the animal would be and she clambered down the overhang to poke her head inside where she could tell she had found the right place. "Pst," she whispered excitedly, "Hey. Hey."

[Kailolu]

Is it called a dream when all you see is black? If it was, then Kihlan had a very boring dream. The darkness was quite and peaceful. If it wasn’t, then Kihlan didn’t have a dream. All he remembered was black. He enjoyed the colorless silence until there was a voice. The white and black wolf stirred slightly but didn’t get up. He growled lowly, smelling the intruder was close to him. “Hey, hey.”

“Is it a habit of yours to wake a stranger while he’s resting?” His voice was irritated and tired. He pulled his head out from under his wing to glare at the prowler. He had no reason to be aggressive that she was poking her head into his little hide out, mainly because he didn’t own it. Ki was a stranger here as well, but when he was trying to get much needed rest his sleep was interrupted. The wolf had bright blue eyes that reminded him of his own. At first he thought she might have been a sibling, but then remembered that his litter mates were dead. He tilted his head, perking his ears forward when he noticed her wings. She was like him? Kihlan hadn’t seen many winged wolves before and was kind of interested. “You come from a winged pack?” He questioned, voice changing from irritable to intrigued.


Occ;

Word count; 224
Muse; 70.7%
Tags: forte!

[Forte]

The stranger stirred, his feathers rustling. Pleased to see it was another wolf, Zephyr grinned, despite his remark on her manners. "Couldn't help it," she replied and withdraw her head from his little cave, sitting back so that she could still see him. She noticed his demeanor change to a less aggressive one when he noticed her wings, and she shifted them, emphasizing them, keeping his interest on them instead of on her interruption of his sleep. "I see so few winged wolves, I was curious. You can't blame me, can you?" she smiled again, knowing the answer. "No, I don't come from a winged pack." She raised her head and made a crinkled face, remembering what her parents and told her when she was young about how, when a certain kind of magic ran in a pack, there tended to be in-breeding in the history of that pack. Though Zephyr had never seen an instance where this was true, she had yet to come across many packs at all, so she accepted what she had been taught. She was born in a pack in which all kinds of magic were present and she was very proud of her heritage. "I suppose you do?" she returned the question.

[Kailolu]

Kihlan’s ear twitched with curiosity when she mentioned that she too hadn’t seen many winged wolves. He assumed that meant she wasn’t in a pack, and his suspicions were confirmed. Her wings shuffled and it made him tilt his head, enjoying the company of a wolf that looked like him. Ki shook his head and yawned, “No, I belong to no pack. Why settle when life is so young? Have you no will to venture the planet before chaining down to such a commitment?” Ki wasn’t talking about her in particular when he said ‘you’. He just meant other wolves in general. They always wanted to find a pack so quickly, but that was to be expected. Everyone wants to be accepted, to feel wanted and loved. Ki didn’t care much for that, but he did get lonely from time to time.


occ;

Word count; 142
Muse; 40.5%
Tags; forte!

[Forte]

Zephyr shrugged at the stranger's rhetorical question. "That life suits some people," she conceded. People like her sister. But she would not think of her sister toward whom, though she had done nothing wrong, Zephyr harbored negative feelings. Instead she would think of her brother. It was because of him that she was here at all. Without him she would probably be leading a very boring life somewhere. She had him to thank, wherever he was. Zephyr returned her attention to the male wolf, still in his hide-out. "Not me though. I like to travel. Like you."

((sorry.. :/ ))

[Kailolu]

Kihlan smiled, his tail sliding across the ground once in a wag. So she was a traveler as well. Not returning to someone. “Have you a travel companion?” He asked, curious to know if she had a friend flying above to make sure she wasn’t going to be assaulted. Ki guessed that would be wise, approaching a stranger should always be done with caution.

Ki gave a yawn, a high pitched whine coming out as he stood and stretched. He shook his fur, ridding himself of any sand that clung to his side. If he was going to have a conversation he might as well come out. Stepping from his hidey hole he sat in the warm sand and looked at the female. She was a pretty thing, smaller then him, with a tan body and white underbelly. Once again he admired her wings, matching her fur color but they had splashes of white. His wings were a little like hers, just more dull in color. They were black and white, and almost reminded him of owl wings, or that of a pigeons. He shuffled them once to cool him down, not liking the heat. Even though he had white fur, he still got hot. Ki cleared his throat before speaking. “My name’s Kihlan.” Might as well introduce himself now before doing it awkwardly after their conversation.


occ;

Word count; 227
Muse; 40.5%
Tags; forte!

[Forte]

A companion? the wolf thought to herself. She had not considered that before. Perhaps she had always thought of wolves like herself and her her brother as too aloof to invite tag-alongs. Though, she was anything but aloof. She smiles to herself as she remembered chasing down this wolf. "No, I'm not traveling with anyone."

Not for a second did it occur to Zephyr to lie, being trusting in that way. Never had anyone done her any intentional harm so she didn't think that anyone ever would. She also did not think to apologize to this other wolf for interrupting his nap, since she would not expect to be apologized to in his place. She would be more than happy to wake up to have a nice conversation with a stranger.

"Mine is Zephyr," she replied, with a nod of greeting, which had been a custom in her pack. It had stayed with her because she chose to keep it; it was a sign of respect, a virtue that she believed in deeply. "So, Kihlan," she looked at him and smiled wryly. "If you're such a big adventurer, how about some tall tales from the places you've been?"

[Kailolu]

Kihlan beamed at her mentioning of him telling stories of his adventures and where he’d visited. Oh how he loved to tell stories, even if they weren’t true. He thought for a moment, “I came from a forest quite a ways from here. It was just me and my mother and an outcast, but I didn’t want to stay there so I left. The forest was made of—“ Ki tilted his head "—Some really big red trees.” He didn’t know what kind they were but that was good enough. “The branches stretched up so high that you had to fly for ten minutes max to reach them.” Of course he was fibbing about the height, but that made it seem more interesting. “I had been there one day and met a strange animal, what you may know as a bear cub. At the time I had no idea so I approached open heartedly. He said that he had climbed up to escape his siblings and had gotten stuck. Being the nice, helping gentlemen I am, I offered him assistance to get down. He climbed on my back and I sailed effortlessly down to the ground.” He made sure to emphasize the words for dramatic affect. “Upon reaching the ground, however, his mother didn’t take kindly to me. She attacked without mercy, but my skills were far too great, for she didn’t lay a claw on me. Since I have power over wind, I used it to blow her down and she tumbled like a pinecone. Of course I didn’t cause too much damage, for what kind of gentlemen would orphan a cub, so full of life?” Kihlan smiled, praising himself for his creativity. “From there I’ve traveled the continent, coming across many things I’ve never seen. Giant creatures swim in the ocean which stretches over the world. I’ve talked with one, they call themselves whales. Have you been to the ocean? I’ve been there once, and was surprised to see it was bigger then a river. You see, I didn’t live near many sources of water except for rivers and lakes, so seeing an ocean was a shock.” He thought for a moment. That wasn’t exactly places he had been, but surely he had kept her interest with his tales.



occ;

Word count; 381
Muse; 70.7%
Tags; forte!

[Forte]

Zephyr listened to Kihlan's story, rapt, making amused, mock gasps and "ooh" and "ahh" noises where appropriate. She could tell that he was exaggerating, at least a little, and if he did, she would too. But she if he were outright lying, she would never have guessed. Being the trusting type and all. And even if he was, she wouldn't have minded really. It was a good story. She was happy to become engrossed in it.
Her interest was peaked even more when he mentioned that he could control the wind, and her mind was distracted for a moment by this detail. She had no magic of her own, at least, none that she knew of, and she had always been envious of others who did. Some, even less fortunate than she, called her wings a kind of magic, but Zephyr felt that they were somehow different. Immediately she was interested in Kihlan's magic, and she wanted to see it, but he was continuing his story and she reminded herself to remind herself later.

When he finished Zephyr was completely bemused by his description of this "ocean". She could assume that it was a vast body of water, but what in the world kind of huge animals would live in water? "No," she answered his question in a marveled voice that would gratify any storyteller. "I've never been there. Or heard of such a thing. What is it?"

[Kailolu]

Kihlan thought for a second, “The Ocean?” He turned to look at the river, “It’s not green like this, and it doesn’t taste like fish. It’s salty like some of the dirt around the grass plains.” He hoped she knew what he was talking about. Ki was rather fond of those natural salt licks, often just laying down and bathing his tongue in the salted taste. “It’s bluer, not like our eyes, darker then that. You can’t see the end of it, it could possibly go to the edge of the world. You could walk the shore for years and it wouldn’t end.” He smiled, “And it’s cold.” What else could he say? He wasn’t there long because the sea spray would wet his wings. Wet wings meant he couldn’t fly.

“I wouldn’t recommend going by yourself, the water is like a trap. I saw it drag a pup out. The water ran up to the shore and just pulled her out.” Kihlan fell silent after that, the images of the small black pup being sucked under the surface before Ki could aid her. Her scream muffled by the crashing waves. She vanished, just like that. “It’s a dangerous beauty.”


occ;

Wod count; 200
Muse; 88.8%
Tags; forte! ((What if we add a mini plot, and she asks him to take her to the ocean? They can travel and become greater friends. Just a thought.))

[Forte]

((Good idea, I had that in mind too. ))

Zephyr just couldn't imagine what the ocean could be like. Salty? She knew of salt. What wonderful stuff! And so big, Zephyr just couldn't imagine. And blue? Zephyr was used to water being clear. He made the water sound alive and full of malicious intent. Maybe it was? She had to see it. Had too. Her brother would. She looked at Kihlan. "You have to take me there," she said simply, very seriously, unabashedly. Never did it cross her mind that Kihlan might not want to go there again or have somewhere else to be. She followed her whims. If he didn't want to go with her, that was no big deal, she could go by herself. She would go where her brother would go.

[Kailolu]

Kihlan gave Zephyr a ‘are-you-kidding-me?’ look. He then smiled and shook his head, turning to look in time to see a fish jump from the water. “What makes you think I’ll take you just like that?” The white wolf sank down onto his belly and rolled in the warm sand onto his back. He looked up at Zephyr, “I’m very difficult to persuade.” Of course he let as much sarcasm as he could flood his voice. Yes he’d take her, why wouldn’t he? He didn’t have anything better to do, and who knows, he might grow fond of her. She was quite the character, very straightforward when she wanted to know something, but just as excitable as a pup. She’d be the baby of the pack, Ki guessed, if you mess with her you’d have every male wolf chasing you down. Females would see her as competition because she naturally draws males to her, and Ki guessed this because she attracted him. She was interesting, and she had good looks. Though they don’t play much part in how he judges people. Personality and actions is all he needs. Of course everything he thought was just an assumption based on the little information he had on her with the short time they’d been together.

He rolled from his back onto his side. “Are you sure you want to go? It’s going to be a long flight.” He said, crossing his paws. “Weather may become an issue, seeing since I bring the wind to me, I bring whatever comes with it.” He thought for a moment, thinking of another reason why she shouldn’t go. “I won’t tolerate impatience.” That was a given. Kihlan was a very lazy boy by nature, and refused to be prodded into doing something that he didn’t want to do. This includes traveling. It would take them two weeks max to reach the ocean. Ki knew this because he would straight up refuse the idea of moving. He’d fly for half the day, maybe, and then sleep it off the next day. She’d eventually get it. He wasn’t the most motivated wolf out there. And besides, using his powers to pull wind to help them and fly was hard work. He got tired easily, which brought him back suddenly to the point Zephyr woke him from his nap. The thought of this made him sleepy, but he didn’t show. He awaited an answer.


occ;

Word count; 405
Muse; 68.8%
Tags; forte!

[Forte]

Zephyr's spirits fell sharply before Kihlan even started talking and when he did, his words left her speechless. The look he shot her alone was enough to make her realize that she had made another social faux-pas, with which her life had been riddled before she had left her pack, and now she was having the same sinking sensation in her stomach that had always accompanied a mistake. She'd forgotten the downside of having friends. But Zephyr had a resilient spirit and in a second her frame of mind switched from devastated to defiant. She would go by herself if that was what it took. She didn't need this jerk, who thought himself so big. So intent was she on these thoughts that she didn't catch the sarcasm in Kihlan's voice. All the same, she still didn't have an answer to his question. She had assumed he would go with her without a thought for him, she realized that now.

She was glad when he started talking again, to take the pressure off herself for a response, and she was surprised at what Kihlan said after the stress his previous words had caused her, and she leapt from her paws in the middle of his sentence, tail wagging furiously, her head nodding to match. "Yes!" she replied, her voice pitched high with excitement. "I'll do anything you say." She could hardly believe her good fortune had having come across this random wolf who had agreed to take her on her first real adventure. She wouldbe just like her brother. If he could see her now he would be so proud. Zephyr pursued that thought fondly. Walking calmly with him, at the edge of another world inhabited by aliens, talking about something else, the wonder of the ocean having faded since they saw it every day.

[Kailolu]

Kihlan wasn’t expecting the sudden explosion of excitement and he leaned his head back to avoid flying paws and claws. He smiled at her, amused at how happy she suddenly seemed. Anything he’d say? Ki let that run through his mind, thinking of all the things he could and wanted to ask. Oh you’re so dirty, Ki. He thought with an amused inward smile. He yawned again and stood, stretching his paws out in front of him. “Now, we aren’t leaving now, so get that out of your head.” He flapped his wings once to get the sand off of them. “I’ve been flying nonstop for the past couple days and I really need to get the sleep I was trying to earlier.” He passed her and headed back under the grass overhang. He laid down, stretched out to avoid overheating. “I suggest you get rest as well. It’s not going to be an easy flight. And if you haven’t eaten, do that too.” He tucked his head against his chest and pulled his wing as far up as he could to shield his face. He inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. Hopefully Zephyr would calm down and leave him alone long enough for him to get some sleep.


occ;

Word count; 211
Muse; 49.5%
Tags; forte!

[Forte]

She wanted to leave now. This very second. But Zephyr was so happy that having to wait a while could not dampen her spirits and at Kihlan's advice about resting she remembered with slight embarrassment that she had woken him up. It seemed rude now that she looked back on it, but anyway. She had said that she would take his orders and that she would do. "I caught a rabbit earlier," she said, her voice still quavery with excitement, although it was fading slowly now. And with that she was running over the edge of the nearby ravine, wings outstretched, flapping hard.

All along the way Zephyr performed rolls and loops and dives. Her enthusiasm could not be contained within; she had to let it out. This slowed down her progress but she didn't care. The more time passed the closer she was to leaving.

When Zephyr neared the spot where she had buried her prey, she noticed motion around it, and soon she was able to determine that a coyote was digging up her rabbit. The wolf was not angered by this, and irritated only a little. She obviously had the upper hand over this scavenger. She was larger, and could fly. Rather, she was happy that something interesting was happening. She put on speed and altitude, and when she was a few hundred yards away the coyote noticed her. It seemed intimidated, but not enough to leave the prey. Zephyr dived at it just as it took her rabbit in its mouth and bolted. She followed, grinning in a playfully malicious way. In no time she caught up to it and she tackled the coyote to the ground. It yelped and squirmed beneath her and released her prey, so he let it up, growling as it fled.

Soon Zephyr returned to Kihlan, hoping to offer to share her meal with him, but he was asleep, or looked like it, with his face covering his wing. This threw her off a little. Should she eat her prey or wake him up? Eventually she came to the conclusion that if he wanted to eat when he woke up the pair of them would have no trouble taking something down, and she picked at the rabbit until its meat was gone. Then she laid down next to Kihlan in the shade that his wing cast, and she too fell asleep.

[Kailolu]

Kihlan this time did not dream a black dream. There were colors and characters, so full of life. Ki was running through a forest, tongue lolled out of his mouth. Bushes and trees whirled past him, reminding him of a waterfall. Even the ground was blurry, and eventually, it looked like he was running on water. Things were going so fast that is began to frighten him. His legs were moving at an unrealistic speed, and soon he couldn’t feel them. His legs twitched in his sleep. Ki looked to his left and saw his mother. Her image was slurred to the left, making her almost look unrecognizable. He tried to bark at her when her image started to fade, but found his jaw was clamped shut. He whimpered in his sleep. She vanished and Ki quickly looked to his left, starting to get dizzy from the speeding surroundings. The winged exile wolf, which he had come to know her as his aunt, was running beside him.

Kihlan’s eyes widened when he saw that her wings were gone. Bloody stubs remained in their place. The red liquid started to float and in seconds was swirling through the air like smoke. Suddenly, everything slurred together, colors mixing, bodies clashing. And then there was a yelp. The sound jerked him awake and he sat up, ears erect, eyes alert. Ki listened for a moment, holding his breath. What was that? He exhaled and blinked hard. How long had he been asleep? Obviously not very long because the sun hadn’t moved very far. Where was Zephyr? Ki’s muscles suddenly tightened and he stood up. But then, he remembered hearing her before he drifted off to sleep. She had a rabbit somewhere. She must have gone to get it. Kihlan relaxed somewhat after that and laid down again in the same position. He looked across the river up the canyon on the other side. Who had yelped? Sound carried incredibly far in these canyons, so he guessed it wasn’t near. He didn’t feel threatened, and the only scents he could smell was his own, Zephyr’s and the river. Keeping that in mind, Kihlan relaxed his muscles and lifted his wing again, falling back asleep.

This time he had another black dream. He could hear what was going on around him, but he was asleep. He listened to the water, to the birds, to the insects. It was so peaceful, Ki felt as if he could die in peace right here. Despite the fish smell. He sighed contently and listened. There was a flap sound. Must have been a bird. But no, Ki could hear Zephyr’s feathers rustle, and he listened to her eat. It gave him a sense of relief that she was back, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d just met her, yet he would have felt horrible if she were harmed in anyway. A wolf like her couldn’t cause anyone any harm, or so Ki thought. She seemed too sweet and innocent to be able to do harm and nothing angered Ki more then wolves that would pick on others like Zephyr because they’re afraid to challenge someone of equal status.


occ;
Word count; 529
Muse: 67.5%
Tags; forte!

[Forte]

Zephyr dreamed too, with a déjà vu feeling the entire time. First, she was very warm and it was very dark. She smelled milk and could hear whimpers, her own and those of the other pups in the den. Her mother crooned at them all and Zephyr was content.

Next she was older, just slightly, and her eyes were just now opening. Her first sight was of her brother, his sparkling green eyes smiling down at her.

Sunlight was flooding into the den, and the temptation was too great. Zephyr and her siblings poured out of the den for the first time, followed by their mother. Outside they were greeted warmly by each member of the pack, and her brother stood removed, watching the pups meet everyone. Zephyr was the only one with wings, he saw, and wondered how many of the others would be able to do magic, and what kind.

Next, Zephyr was at the top of a ridge that sloped up gently, then fell sharply on the other side. It was very windy, and she could hardly hear her mother's words of encouragement. She was afraid and stood back. Her brother was right next to her. "Go for it," he said in her ear, and Zephyr spread her wings and flew.

Then, there was an argument. Zephyr stood outside the den while, inside, her brother tried to make her father see his side.
"We're far better off than he is, and now he's probably going to die."
Her father's voice, menacing: "My first priority is the well-being of my pack. It's a hard year, you know that, and we just can't afford to give away our food left and right."
"You're wrong," her brother retorted, exasperation and anger leaking into his voice now. "We can all afford to give up just--"
Zephyr's father interrupted. "Don't talk back to me, pup!" he boomed. "You have no idea how difficult it is to keep this pack healthy, especially in this year of famine. So many pups were born last year and they still can't hunt yet." He growled at his son, "Maybe one day you'll grow up enough to understand. Now get out of my sight."
Before Zephyr could be caught eavesdropping she fled to a nearby grove of trees.

Her brother found her there later. "I'm leaving, Zephyr," he said quietly.
Zephyr had seen this coming, but to hear the words spoken aloud nearly brought her to tears. "But where will you go?'" she asked.
"I'm going to find that wolf who showed up at the kill last night and help him hunt. He won't survive long unless he eats." Zephyr was silent. Her brother continued, "I won't be coming back." His sister leaned against him. "But we'll see each other again," he promised. "Someday."
They sat like that silently for a long time. Zephyr's brother left at dusk.

Zephyr made her first kill the next day. It was just a rabbit, but it made her so proud. Her parents, too. Only one wolf was missing.

Zephyr was the first of her litter to leave the pack. Her mother cried and her father just glowered disapprovingly after her as she walked away.

She searched for her brother for a few days, her hopes low. She saw no sign of him and, resignedly, gradually, stopped looking.

Zephyr woke at twilight, before Kihlan, with a bad taste in her mouth and a heaviness in her heart. She stretched, then sat for a few minutes, staring into the distance and thinking about her dream, before she walked off the edge of the ravine and glided over the river, soon spotting a large boulder that sloped toward the water. She landed on this and drank from the river, then laid down to enjoy the heat that the stone had soaked up during the day. She watched the place where Kihlan was sleeping, though she couldn't see him, and waited.

[Kailolu]

Kihlan didn’t have a dream after the last one. And truthfully, he was grateful for it. The last dream was weird, and it was a little frightening. Though Ki wasn’t one to get scared over simple things, that one was different. The white wolf dozed for another hour before he randomly opened his eyes. He sat laid there, dropping his wing heavily onto his side. It was getting dark out, but that was good. Around the rivers and canyons like this, the night brought strong winds. He knew this because he had been following this particular river for a few days now. He didn’t exactly want to fly at night, because he couldn’t see well, but what could he run into up above the clouds? A bird? Ki laughed at himself as he sat up, stretching before coming out of his little hidey hole.

Ki glanced around his surroundings. Once again, he had woken to Zephyr missing. He stood, watching the water, and smelling the air. She was close because her scent was still strong. Looking up, he didn’t see her in the sky, so he looked down. There she was, laying on a boulder by the water. Kihlan stretched his wings once before taking two strides and launching himself rather ungracefully into the air. He gained altitude, not bothering to head toward his new companion. He had to stretch his wings out if he was going to try flying at night. After all, Ki liked to experiment and try things that others wouldn’t. After flying circles well above the female wolf, he finally worked out the kinks and soared down. He landed above her on a different rock before hopping down next to her. The boulder was warm, and Ki almost collapsed right there, wanting to sleep some more. But, instead, he moved toward the water, leaning down and lapping up the green water.

After having his fill, he stepped back and looked at Zephyr. He stretched out his wing and brushed the top of her head with his feathers, “Hey kiddo, we’re going to try something a little different.” By the nickname he hadn’t meant to offend or call her a pup. He was a sarcastic amusing fellow, and liked to tease friends. It was harmless though. “Since we slept the day away we’re going to get a head start and follow the river tonight. We can land in a few hours or sooner if you need a break, but the winds are going to be good.” He looked up, seeing that there weren’t many clouds. “And I don’t want to chance bringing some bad weather.”

Occ;

Word count; 438
Muse; 45.5%
Tags; forte!

[Forte]

The she-wolf did not have to wait long for her friend. She leapt to her paws when she saw him appear at the edge of the cliff, expecting him to come down to her, but he did not, so Zephyr sat back down and waited impatiently while he warmed up. It was all she could do not to go up there after him, but while she was often too outgoing and eager, she could still be aware of others' perceptions of her. She would wait for him to come to her.

Soon he began to spiral down to her and Zephyr became more excited with each passing moment. She expected that they would be flying tonight; why not? Personally, Zephyr liked nighttime better than the day, because all too often the sun was too bright and hot, while night was always perfect and comfortable. The moon was lovely and turned everything silver. She loved that color.

Zephyr remained seated when Kihlan landed, but she allowed her tail to wag and a friendly smile to gleam on her face. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she grinned. Zephyr could tease, too. She responded to his proposal to fly at night with a nod. "I'm ready when you are."