✦Username✦
Divantae
✦Name of Hali✦
Leo
✦Gender✦
Male
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✦Short story of why they put leaves around their neck✦
"As a tiny cub, I felt lost and alone in the world. My pack which I began to rebel from gave no solace, always pushing me down specifically because of how many tails I had. Whenever anything went the slightest bit astray in the pack, it seemed I was always to blame..."
...
Drifting among dotted clouds and arching over the moon as he flew, Leo painted the sky with his whipping tails, chasing stars as they shot by and feeling the wind pressing against his large tufts of brunette fur, whispering lightly in his ear its shrill cry. His mouth watered and gaped as his stomach protested and he dived headfirst towards the ground, spotting some plentiful berry bushes lining the blurred ground. However, his heart lurched when he touched not the homely dirt he was familiar with, but frigid icy water...
...
"Frequently I dreamed of running away from my home and it tortured me like thorns against my pelt: the thought of being even more alone. At least I could rely on my pack mates for food and shelter, even if they weren't that accepting. Plus, I was sure deep down someone would have missed me, even if they were always so mean..."
...
Sputtering and panting, Leo pawed his way out of the river he fell into. This happened often: a few nights a week he would sleep safe in the comfort of his temporary nest, yet in the morning he would find himself somewhere inconvenient or dangerous. This wasn't the worst time, though, he recalled once where he got his whole face stung by a hive of aggressive bees and he was made fun of for it for weeks. Sighing in a defeated way, he tried to recollect the dream he was having, but once he pieced some of it together he shook his head of such thoughts, feeling guilty that he would ever have desires of being free of his responsibilities.
Shaking his fur and yawning occasionally, he started to make his way toward the scent of the pack's camp. At least the sun was not too high in the sky yet- he typically was not fond of the heat of midday because of his massive coat. The pack was bound to move in a few hours, so Leo's head was racing with worry and fear, even if he was accustomed to his habits by now, he was not ever that sure of the camp's location as it was bound to move with their travels. Climbing upon a stone ledge, he searched the landscape for a Halinhi he would recognize, perhaps sleeping among some leaves.
As he slowly realized he was abandoned in this desolate savanna, his tails hid between his legs and he backed off the ledge, his whole body cowering. His eyes frantically darted around and his jaw clenched tightly. The world was becoming dark and shadowed around him as he collapsed on his belly. "No, don't cry, it'll be alright, you're stronger than this..." Tears ran down his face and he yelped as he held his head with his front paws, shutting his eyes tightly.
Suddenly, he felt a paw on his back and he let out a horrified shriek. Leo wheeled around defensively, baring his teeth and arching his back.
"H-hold on- I'm not going to hurt you. What's wrong, young'un? You've been crying here a few," the mysterious Halinhi withdrew his paw and crawled back. He did not look threatening in his demeanor at all- his expression was relaxed and he held himself in a sort of reassuring confidence that was absent in most Halinhis Leo knew. His appearance surprised Leo, having so many tails that intertwined and tangled, yet unlike his pack, he seemed friendly.
Wiping the boogers off his face with his paw, Leo eased up on his own figure and decided to trust him, at least for the time being, even if he was taught always to call for help if confronted with a stranger.
"I'm lost from my family. Can you help me find them? Do you know them? They should be around here, but I don't see them," he explained swiftly, stuttering over his words.
"Sure thing. I'm from a pack myself, so I know this land like the back of my paw. 'Though I see Halinhis all the time so you'll have to be more specific," he waved his tails gently.
"Okay, I'll describe them. There's about ten- no, twenty maybe... I don't really keep track. They set up camp last in a clearing surrounded by small trees. I know they're nearby because of the smell I was following, but I lost it."
Slowly but surely, they both navigated the terrain together, the stranger stopping occasionally to let the little Leo catch up. As their travels overlapped into midday, then sunset, Leo was skeptical that they were ever going to find all he knew and had. A few times he considered the possibility that they left him on purpose, but he didn't want to think about it...
...
"I did not want to face the truth back then, that the Halinhis I knew were harsh enough to abandon me for being such a burden on their precious lives. I never even knew my father or if he even was in the pack, so that was an issue in itself to my confidence. No one would give positive attention to me, as I was very needy in their view, but that's what I craved and needed so desperately. For so long I was either ignored or made fun of. Now I realize I really had no one in that vile pack."
...
The stranger finally got a lead as to where Leo's pack was, but it was not what he expected or wanted to see. In the distance, he recognized the pack's two leaders heading the group. He knew them well, but wished he did not. Before Leo could spot them, he blocked his vision and turned, shooing him in the opposite direction, concealed in the bushes.
...
"I don't blame the Halinhi for not letting me see my pack. He explained himself once he brought me to his pack mates, with heavy complaint from me, but he knew what he was doing was right and I would not have it any other way. See, the Halinhi saved me from a lifetime of hate by not letting me go back to them. Unknown to me at the time, the pack I was born into terrorized other packs and loners, stealing food and cubs. His daughter was taken a long time ago from him, and he informed me with great sadness that she does not communicate with him anymore as he believes she had been brainwashed. Putting two and two together, it's clear I was stolen at a young age as well," he concluded.
"B-but Leooo, you didn't tell us about how you got your leaves yet! Get to that part!" a tiny Halinhi crowed at Leo, interrupting his story.
"Yeah! We didn't ask you for your life story, old coot!" a pint-sized Halinhi piped up.
"There's no way an evil pack exists! Fibber!" another Halinhi clambered into the conversation.
"Doesn't he think that his leaves will protect him from aliens or something?" an older Halinhi teased.
"Wait, what? Oh right, this! I forget I have it around my neck sometimes," he chuckled, scratching himself with a back leg and readjusting the necklace.
"So it was a long time ago, when I saw a flying thing in the sky! This necklace, which was bathed in glistening sparkles the night of the appearance of the alien, will protect me from it, you all should get ones of your own to be safe!" he joked.
"No really, how did you get them, like what do they represent to you?" the same older Halinhi sternly pressed on, yawning.
Leo considered for a moment if he wanted to tell his pack mates this detail, but it connected to the rest of the story and his old pack, so he confessed, "Between you all and me, I was very insecure about my tails and appearance as everyone else had many other beautiful and lustrous ones, but I realized that I did not have to be and I could show off the real me in other ways. After all, it's what's on the inside that counts. So with these leaves, I can be confident like the stranger long ago with his many tails. They're like a sort of mane, hear me roar!" he shouted the roar part and attempted a hearty roar, but only a cough came out, to which everyone gave thunderous laughs.
"Ugh, I'm coming down with something. Now go to sleep, please, cubs. I don't want to hear complaints from all your parents. Plus, I'm all tired from a long day of hunting and story-telling!"
They started for their nests, but Leo stopped them: "Wait, wait! I should incorporate some lesson from all this so I'm a good teacher, so listen up. Don't let others define you. Er, be the change you want to see in the world, and um..." he struggled to find another good piece of advice, so he finished with, "Always go with strangers! Wait, I think that's the wrong lesson. Eh, whatever. Good night little ones!"
"G'night, Leo!" they shouted together and finally retreated. Leo looked on and his chest swelled with pride, knowing despite his past and his tails that he was still respected among his loving pack, and with his story maybe he could change others' minds about their past beliefs. However, he'd have a long way to go, and he had a feeling dwelling deep in his gut that old pack was still around somewhere, and many more like it.
✦Extra✦
