"A Curious Pup"
"Stop that!" A young, dark furred female pup yelled, pawing at the neck of the male pup above her in frustration. The male looked down at her with a playful smile, his blue eyes kind. His light pelt jumped away from her after he reached down and nipped the tip of his sister's ear softly.
The female grunted and sat up, her curly tail falling over her haunches. "No fair, Haestine! You're bigger than me!" Haestine smiled, almost dopey like as he took his sister's stubborn anger in stride. He had always been the more laid back one. "Oh come off of it Katniss." he stated, sitting down and wrapping his long tail around his paws as Katniss stared him down. "We're just playing!"
Katniss grumbled and rolled onto her belly before standing, shaking her coat out from nose tip and ending at her fluffy tail. Suddenly, they both looked up as a strange sound came from nearby. Haestine growled and stood in front of his sister slightly, his long tail raised in the air. Katniss, although trying to put on a brave face, trembled slightly. With the sound came a strange scent they had never smell before. Haestine didn't like it, but he didn't know about his sister. "Wha- What is that, Haestine?" She asked softly.
Haestine grunted, saying gruffly, "I don't know. I'm going to find out. You stay here." The pups hackles were raised as he tried to keep his voice gruff and confident, even though there was evident fear there. Katniss glared up at him, almost in a change of heart. As Haestine stepped forward into the brush and flora, Katniss followed without a word. Haestine was secretly glad to have her there, because if eh had been alone, he would have cried for his mommy.
Once they emerged from the plant life, all the two pups saw was a wall of green scales and white hair. They squealed in fright and soon the scaly creature turned its head around and its aqua gaze pierced them like an arrow. Without much warning, the gradient pink coat of Taube, their mother, slammed into the creature and the black and white pelt of Segugio, their father, raced up to them and picked Katniss up roughly. Running off with her terrified form, Segugio was taking her to the safety of their den where the scaled menace couldn't reach. As he disappeared into the long blue grass, Haestine was left to watch his mother tussle with the creature. His massive head swung around and bit into his mother's front leg. Taube cried out in pain before reaching out and snapping her jaws closed around one of the monster's eyeballs.
Watching in stunned horror, Haestine's body trembled. After some more fighting, the green monster roared and swung its head, knocking Taube to the ground. Without warning, the menace lunged forward, only to be met by Segugio, who was now in his full armor; Which was dark purple and black horns, with bat like wings on the shoulder pieces and it covered the entirety of his tail. On the tail, there was bright green hair, as if from the bodies of other monsters. It was beautiful armor, but at the same time, it was frightening to the young pup. He howled something to his mother, who took off quickly and came to Haestine. Her mouth closed around the young pup as gently as she could and she started the trek to the safety of their den. As his mother carried him through the long grass he eventually lost sight of his father fighting the monster, and his mother collapsed from exhaustion right in front of the den. On her orders, Haestine climbed into the darkness of the den with Katniss. He didn't know it, but he had some blood on him that had been dripping from his mother's mouth. His fluffed out fur shook with his body, and he said nothing to Katniss.
After a few long minutes, Haestine heard his mother growl and he climbed close enough to the front of the den that he could the the green monster heading towards the den. All he focused on as the creature ran was the deep blue eyes of his mother, the gentle dove, and they quickly froze open as the Kronador bit down hard in her abdomen. The spray of blood was so much that it splattered recklessly against Haestine's face.
His sister and him would one day learn that the creature that took their parents was a Kronador.
"The Budding Trainee"
It seemed that fate had smiled upon the young pups who had brutally lost their parents. Haestine and Katniss had lived together for a long while, living on their own, until they stumbled upon Rayo's lands. Now, they were in training and a part of the pack thanks to Rayo's hospitality. Haestine's sister was being trained by Rayo's brother, Dax, while he was being trained by Rayo's sister, Foalan.
Currently, he was on his first solo hunt through the lands of Isket to prove that he had been learning what Foalan had really been teaching him. His young body was starting to flourish under the training and care of the pack. Before they had taken him and his sister in, they had been thin, barely eking out a living on scraps. Now however, Haestine's body was full and fed, his muscles starting to bulk out his formerly willowy frame.
Now, he was crouching low to the ground and moving forward through the long grasses of the land. His royal blue eyes blended in with the darker strands of grass, and his raspberry and purple pelt moved easily. He had his long ears pricked forward, nose scenting the air hastily. There was a heavy scent of a Flanier on the air, but he could never bring down a full Flanier alone.
It was true that his training consisted mostly of learning how to fight, but Foalan was also teaching him how to hunt, so in case he ever needed to step into that role, for whatever reason. Suddenly, another scent hit the young male's nose. His body stopped and he pricked his ears froward, listening for any sign of that Tinger he had just scented.
There it was! With a thrill of excitement and anxiousness coursing through him, Haestine shot forward through the grass and flushed out the Tinger onto a flat bed of rock. His claws scrabbled for purchase, and the Tinger gained some ground, before his grey claws caught on the cracks and small bumps on the red rock. Cursing himself silently, he growled in frustration and kept on after the rabbit creature.
After a few more feet of the chase, as the rock turned back into long blue grasses, Haestine's paw caught in a large crack in the stone, and he rolled onto the ground, hitting his shoulder hard as he tumbled into the long grasses.
"Ugh!" the young male huffed, standing on his feet grumpily. He limped back onto the rock, holding his twisted paw in the air and against his chest slightly. Out of nowhere, he heard a chuckle only to turn and find a familiar black, red, and white face looking at him. It was the face of Nexus, one of his few friends he had managed to gain in the pack.
Growling slightly, he lowered his head and grumbled, "What's so funny, Nexus?"
The black based fae only seemed to smile at him, her one icy blue eyes glittered at him. After another couple of chuckles, she said, "I can hunt better than you can and I only have one eye useable."
Haestine looked at Nexus a little confused, until he realized there was the slight scent of blood coming from her pelt. Realizing what she had killed, he grunted at her in an unfriendly manner, saying, "You just didn't."
Nexus smiled coyly before reaching into the grass and pulling out the Tinger that Haestine had chased right into her jaws;
"Oh I just did."
"Armor as Dark as Umber"
Haestine remembered the way Rayo's voice sounded as the words rang in his memory; "Haestine. You have learned well from Foalan and we have decided it is time for you to earn your armor. Your sister has been set to try for hers another day, so it is just you. We have retrieved your armor from the cave and hid it deep into the darker recesses it possesses. Find it, and return to us, and you will be a Warrior of the pack."
He had grown in his abilities exponentially since his first days as a pack member, as had Katniss. Now however, he was proceeding on this leg of his life journey alone, apart from her. It felt odd, as he had often kept Katniss by his side no matter what. However she was possibly happy having some alone time with that little intruding male, Alysdair.
The male's good friend, Nexus, had already earned her armor. She wore it on a nearly daily basis, as if to rub it into the grouchy young male's face. However, he couldn't blame her. Had he gotten his first he would have done the same to her. It was something they always did, competed a little against each other.
When the darkness of the cave started to brighten, Haestine pulled his mind to the present. All his senses were on alert and there was nothing that would sway him from his goal. Finally, the dark opened up into a large cavern, filled with multiple pieces of armor and metal, of all colors and types. However, the brute knew that his was not here. It was deeper into the cavern, thanks to Rayo's plans.
There were three paths to choose from once he reached the back of the opening in the underground mountain path. To the left, forward in front of him, and to the right. To the right seemed way to small for any full grown warrior to fit through, let alone drag along armor. To the left there was a large opening, the ground overgrown with cave moss and mushrooms, with a slight breeze coming from it, signalling that it came out above ground somewhere eventually. To the front was well worn, like a river used to flow through it. The ground was worn as well, as if paws had tread there in the past.
After a few minutes of deliberation, he walked forward and entered through the opening in front of him.
-----------------
Many hours later, Haestine watched as Nexus jumped to her feet and looked at him in awe, and then smiled. "You did it!" she said happily.
The raspberry male was now adorned in his heavy armor; Scales and plates formed together to make a dragon, his helm a head and wings coming off of his shoulders. His name was etched in bright silver on the left wing, and Rayo's Mark swung from the tip of that same wing. The colors matched his own pelt ones, only darker and duller. Through out the armor, dark grey spikes adorned it, proving them to be a fatal addition. His tail was completely covered and there was a bright green patch of fur all along the top of his tail.
Haestine was glad this was his armor. It reminded him of his father, Segugio's armor. So much so that from memory, he thought it was almost completely identical aside form some colors and small details. "Yeah, I did! I hink it looks great!" he responded, a rare smile on his face. He was so proud of himself.
From behind him, he heard, "Well done, Haestine. You're now a Warrior fo the pack. Welcome to the Ranks." Turning his head to look at the familiar voice, Haestine's smile only grew wider. It was Foalan, his mentor. He had always strived hard for her difficult to earn praise, and even now, he still loved hearing it.
"Thank you, Foalan, Nexus." He paused for a moment before he said, "Well uh... Excuse me! I'm going to go show Katniss!" With the energy and playfulness of a puppy once again, Haestine dipped his head to his mentor and his friend before dashing off into the den area to find Katniss.
"Let's Not Fall in Love; Lets Just Love."
With nervousness, Haestine padded back and forth over the red stone. His incoherent mumblings to himself were evidence enough that something was bothering him. Every muscle in his body was stiff, and his fur seemed to be shaking with anticipation. Over the year, he realized he had grown to love Nexus as more than just a friend. The male had put off telling her about it just to avoid what might happen.
Did she love him back just as much? Or was all she wanted to be friends? Even after this time, Haestine found Nexus a hard fae to decipher, unless she actually spoke her mind aloud and truthfully. Even around him, she hardly said anything. Part of her quiet nature and mystery was one of the things he adored about her.
Still, how to tell her?! Surely at this young age she was not ready to commit to be mates? Or maybe she would be? The only way he would know would be to ask, and while his mind was reeling, he didn't hear the soft paw steps come up to him.
"Hae, what's wrong?"
The raspberry male jumped, as if he had been caught doing something wrong. His head whipped around to meet the one ice blue eye of the fae he had come to love. Suddenly, he felt his stomach drop to his paws. There she was! now was his chance!
However the only thing he managed to do was stare at her stupidly with his mouth hanging open like an idiot.
"Haestine, " Nexus started, turning her head to the side slightly, "Are you alright?"
Oh, that head tilt was so cute! Wait... Haestine snapped out of his world quick enough to shut his maw and utter out nonsense. Nexus gave him a confused look, and he fell into an awkward silence. However, Nexus never removed her eyes from him.
Finally, Haestine's nervousness got the best of him, and he blurted out loudly, "Nexus I love you!"
There was a silence. That silence had to be the worst moment of Haestine's young life. However, he did not know how wrong that description could be. The worst moment of his life, had to be when Nexus laughed at him. She laughed at him! Laughedas if he had just told a funny joke. Nexus said something, but the shock of hearing her laugh at his confession had made his ears deaf.
There was a dark, empty feeling in his chest as his eyes widened at Nexus' response. The way she so casually brushed off this confession he had made left a bitter taste in his mouth. Soon, without any words, his eyes narrowed in a pained kind of way. Nexus had just hurt him more than she could ever comprehend, and he was fighting the urge to cry out.
Nexus continued to say something, her eyes still closed in slight laughter. Without waiting for himself to hear her words, Haestine turned tail and ran. Haestine ran like he had never ran before. Anything to get away form the pain that clawed at the inside of his chest like a Kronador clawing out the insides of a Warrior.
However, he never heard Nexus call out, "Haestine, wait!"
He only ran.
"I'm Dying Alone"
To Haestine, it seemed like forever since he had seen anybody. In reality, however, it was only a few months. After Nexus' rejection, he had run off to the edges of Rayo's pack, to be alone in his pain. It truly was pain for him.
Every moment he was awake seemed futile and useless, and he had troubles sleeping. He was a little skinny, barely really caring to hunt or fend for himself in his distress. He felt pitiful, and he wasn't sure what to do with himself just yet. Sure, he could go back to the pack, but what good would that do him? The girl he loved and had been rejected by was still there.
She LAUGHED at him, for Rayo's sake!
Still, there was something that made him get up every morning and exit the little den under the tree, to stretch his limbs. He started with his back legs, then leaned forward and stretched out his front ones. It was then a ritual of shaking the bits of dirt and moisture from his pelt roughly.
Before he could set off to find himself a meal, his ears pricked as a sound was carried to him on the wind. It was a howl, and not just any howl, but Katniss' howl. Something in him stung, realizing by the sound of her call that he had neglected her. He had run off without any explanation and now she was looking for him.
Though another howl joined hers, and at first it confused the brute. After a few moments, he realized who the second voice belonged to. It was his mentor, Foalan. With a stab of shame he realized that he had probably let the proud and powerful fae down.
For once in these last few moths, he communicated. He raised his muzzle to the dawn, light purple sky and let out his own howl. Katniss answered back, and he pinpointed their two forms on a rocky cliff in the distance. Had he really traveled that far from Rayo's territory?
With a new determination -however small- in him, Haestine started towards their forms, and they his. After a long while and much howling to keep each others positions in check, the slim and petite figure of Katniss burst through the Isket grasses and slammed into Haestine with a growl.
The male didn't fight; He simply let himself fall to the ground under his sister's weight.
"How dare you!" Katniss growled, "Running off like that without even a word to me! You scared me to death! Don't you ever do that again!" Her teeth were bared and nearly at his throat, but he knew he deserved his sister's anger. It was only natural.
Haestine smiled slightly and leaned up, licking his sister's ear in a bid for forgiveness. "I'm sorry," he said gently, saying, "but I had to go for awhile." His voice seemed to soothe her heartache a little, and Katniss only got off of him at the sound of Foalan's command, "Let him up Katniss."
As the raspberry male's sibling got off of him, he too rose to his feet. Turning to see Foalan emerge form the grass, his royal blue eyes met the sea foam green of his mentor. "It seems I still have much to learn in life," he stated simply.
"We all do, " Foalan answered, "Our learning never truly stops in life. Though you do understand that you must go back and face your life? The pack needs you more than you think. Don't let one bad thing in life ruin it for you; You'll never be able to let yourself truly experience your learning if you do."
Haestine nodded silently, knowing deep down that he had disappointed the sister of Rayo. Katniss clung to his side, not letting him out of her sight, and together as a group the two faes and the brute turned and disappeared into the grasses to head back home.
"The Wine that Soothes My Soul"
Haestine was currently laying on a rock with a young fae named Luxyrus. She and her two brothers, Galen and Amorok, had been born shortly after he had returned to the pack with Foalan and Katniss. She was pure white, with an orange tinted mane and a black blanket on her back and part of her tail. Over her blonde mane was black leopard spots and gradient green and olive yellow markings. The one thing that drew Haestine about her appearance most was her warm reddish eyes.
Haestine had been involved in her life since she was very little, and was just now finishing up mentoring her. Her presence was a very calming one to the large male, and he'd do anything to be around her. He had even saved her from a Kronador when she was a pup and still had the scar to prove it.
Currently, they were just relaxing under a tree. "Hae-Hae, " Luxyrus started, using the nickname she had given him when they first met, "Am I pretty?"
Her question caught him off guard, and he looked down at her, flicking his long tail a little. "Why do you ask that?" Luxyrus laughed a little, responding to him with a smile, "Oh, just answer the question!"
Haestine shook his head slightly, smiling back at her slightly, not even really having t think of the answer, "No. You're not pretty, " he had to continue quickly because of the look on her face, "You're beautiful. You glow like gold in the sunset, and your eyes are warm and welcoming. So no, you're not pretty. You're beautiful."
Luxyrus seemed to pause for a moment, looking at him as if she was trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. Then, she smiled widely and laughed, rolling over onto her back. She reached a paw out towards him and pressed her pads against the underside of his chin. "Thank you, " she said softly.
"There's no need to thank me for telling you the truth, " Haestine said, reaching his own paw out in turn and pressing his pads agaisnt her forehead, right between her ears. "You know, " the male said, "You should know by now how you look. Why ask me?" He looked at her seriously now, tilting his head slightly, turning it more into her white paw.
"I just wanted to know your opinion." she answered, closing her eyes and stretching her back legs out, swishing her tail on the dusty rock.
It was then that Haestine realized something; He loved her. However, past experience warned him from saying the words. However, him knowing he loved her was enough.
It would always be enough, and if she reciprocated the love, then it was all the better.
"Expanding the Family"
Will write once Hae and Lux have pups..."We'll Watch From the Stars"
Will write once Hae and Lux have pups...
