[knifekind]

mark

is there a word limit? and may
we link to offsite?

[Dissimulodeerling.]

mark

is there a word limit? and may
we link to offsite?

So far there is no word limit, I'd prefer you not to link offsite unless it's absolutely necessary. As long as it's not one of those things like the forms made offsite It's good. I just have a hard time navigating those.

[Firedancer77]

Aika's wings folded neatly at her sides as she padded confidently into her small, beach home. The wolf hummed a tune as she went, although the words escaped her at the moment. She was in an excellent mood today, and that was good.

She paused when she spotted the envelope on the table though. The door had not been open. None of the windows were either. She had not fetched any mail, and knew that none of the people she kept in touch with would be able to mail her yet, because no mail should've been delivered to her today. And yet, here on her table was an envelope. Slowly, almost hesitantly, she walked closer. An inner debate went through her head when she reached the table and didn't recognize who it was from. A debate that was won out more because Aika wasn't one to do the cowardly thing.

You're Invited!
Please come to Laelia's Christmas party on December 5th!

Christmas? The one word echoed in her head, bringing up memories from long ago.

"Where is he?" A younger Aika paced back and forth at the window.

"I'm sure he's coming." An older lady - her mother, to be exact - stood beside her, and there was an uneasiness in her eyes that her words did not give away. "He just had to go out for a bit."

Aika stared out into the cold, pressing her nose against the glass. "But why?"

"He went to pick up one of your Christmas presents, honey. We didn't know we had to go get it from the lady, and so he went out to make sure we had it." Aika didn't turn her head to watch her mom. She kept her eyes trained out the window, straining them to look through the darkness to find her father.

Shaking her head free from the memories, Aika backed away, turning around and walking off in a huff. However, as she passed the envelope again later, another onslaught hit her, although shorter this time.

"Momma, he should've been home by now!"

"I'm sure he's fine, sweetie." Her mother's voice wavered a little with uncertainty.

Aika shoved the envelope from the table, glaring at its sloppy writing before walking away yet again, to clear her mind of the memories. And yet, she stepped on it as she walked by, and as she looked at it, the worst memories flooded into her head.

The door bell rang. Aika bounded to the door, grinning and waiting to see her father, covered in snow, standing there with a smile on his face. He wasn't.

Instead, a police officer was there. "Is your mother home?"

Worried now, Aika slowly made her way to her mother, leading her to the door. Aika was shooed away, but could hear her mother's distressed cry at the news. It didn't take much to put two and two together, and the young pup burst into tears. Somehow, her father had died. She had ended up laying at the top of the stairs, and through her tears she picked up strains of the conversation. He had slipped by the river, and that type of cold isn't good, especially in this weather. They said something about being too late. He was too badly frozen.

With tears in her eyes, she shoved the envelope aside and blinked away tears. She was not weak. She would not let a note tear her apart so much because it mentioned Christmas. In fact, she would go, just to prove that she wasn't afraid. Because she wasn't. She couldn't be.

[G1 Sunstreaker]

You need to own an RPW, don't you?

*dejected sigh*

[Dissimulodeerling.]

You need to own an RPW, don't you?

*dejected sigh*

Nope, like the main event, you can use an OC

[G1 Sunstreaker]

You need to own an RPW, don't you?

*dejected sigh*

Nope, like the main event, you can use an OC

oh thank heavens, good! I haven't been writing for nothing! XD

[booklover789]

History:
The pup's eyes opened to the dimly-lit cave. He heard a sound, barely above a whisper in his ear.
"You shall be called Balto. Be safe, my son. I am sorry for what you must go through...but I cannot keep such a burden as you."
He felt a brush of fur against his nose, and sneezed from the tickling sensation. He looked up at a pale wolf who padded off into a snowstorm, just outside the cave's opening.
Balto blinked in confusion, looking around the dim cave where he'd always spent his days curled up next to his mother. Where is she going? he thought, turning his little head sideways as he stared at her paw-prints in the snow. He shrugged, curling up to go back to sleep. She'll come back later. She always comes back.
But she never did.
Balto spent about a week alone in the cave, curled up against the harsh snowstorm that blew heaps of snow into the cave's opening, but never reaching the pup curled against the rock at the very back of the tunnel-like place he'd called his home. The hunger finally got to him, and he managed to find some edible berries just outside the cave's opening which he scarfed down before racing back inside, feeling frozen from head to tail.
Two weeks of eating berries in the horrible snowstorm got old pretty fast. Balto was always hungry, but didn't know how to catch anything. He'd tried to get a mouse that had crept into the cave, seeking shelter from the cold, but couldn't grasp his teeth around it quickly enough - the rodent had raced off into the snow, never to be seen again.
After about a month of waiting, Balto gave up. The snowstorm had finally stopped, and the ground was fresh with the white powdery substance. Balto crept out, surprised at the coldness on his sensitive paws. He decided that he'd walk until he found food, as he'd completely eaten every berry that was remotely close to the cave. He continued to walk all day and all that night until he collapsed from exhaustion the day afterwards, curling up underneath a pine tree for protection. When he woke, he found a yellow blanket tied around his neck. He frowned, not understanding who could have given him such a lovely warm thing. Looking around, he saw his mother's paw-prints, eventually disappearing under the falling snow. He nodded, a determined look on his face. "I know food is around here somewhere," he said with confidence, standing and continuing to walk in the direction he'd started out in.
Later that week, he finally found a town, bustling with strange pale creatures bundled up in odd furs and blankets to keep warm. He saw dogs and other wolves much like himself...but different. They didn't smell the same.
He walked among them, going unnoticed for the most part. He found an alley, and a trashcan. He thought it smelled nice, and curled up to take a nap in the overturned bin, tired from all the walking he'd done.
He awoke to a snarling wolf yanking him out and tossing him into a snowdrift.
Balto squealed in fright, soaring through the air and then digging his way out of the snow, narrowing his eyes and growling at the larger wolf. "What was that for?!"
"Get lost, runt!" snapped the larger one, still snarling at him.
"That's my cave!"
"Well, now it's mine. Get outta here, stupid pup."
Balto stayed, planting his paws to the ground. "Get out of my cave!"
The larger wolf picked him up by the blanket still tied around his neck and threw him as hard as he could.
Balto tumbled through the air, howling as he went head-over-heels. He landed roughly on a patch of ice and slid directly into the middle of one of the few streets the town had.
A car screeched to a halt.
Balto, dazed and confused from all the noise around him and the bright lights shining on his face, suddenly felt very tired. He laid his head down, his vision slowly fading. His body succumbed to sleep.

When he woke, he was in a vet's office - though Balto had no idea where he was. He was slowly being petted by the head vet, who was holding a bottle of milk in her other hand, slowly moving it towards Balto's mouth.
He narrowed his eyes, growled, and tried to bite her hand.
She was too fast, and jerked out of the way, dropping him to the ground.
Taking this as a chance for his escape, Balto padded as fast as his small legs would carry him, trying to get up enough speed to leap out of the only window in the small room: the one in the door. Being the pup that he was, Balto couldn't jump high enough.
The vet laughed at first, and then bent over to pick him up, slipping a muzzle over his face. "Now you won't bite me, will you, puppy?"
He growled in response, trying to yank the thing off of his face but failing miserably.

A week later he was let out for good. The vet's assistants had grown tired of trying to feed him only to get bitten every single time. The only time they could even get him to ingest something was if they set it in a bowl and left it alone for awhile. The pup was simply unable to be trained to like humans, so they accepted their losses and let him loose.
The moment they opened the back door, Balto was out, flying over the snow with ease. After growing stronger in the clinic, he was ready for anything the world threw at him.
Well...anything except a bear.
About two weeks after he'd been let out of the vet's office, he looked for a place he could stay without having to come into contact with the humans again. He looked for months, trying out different things to stay in - he started off in old shoes, but when that proved problematic, he tried trashcans again. When that didn't work out, he tried old boxes and crates...but he always seemed to run into the humans and had many sticky situations. So, he kept looking, trying new options and figuring out what would work best for him. When he was about a year old, he found a cave not too far away from the humans' city, as while he didn't want to be around them, their trash kept him well-fed. The cave was massive - much larger than other caves he'd looked at. He liked the idea of having more space to spread out in, as he hated cramped quarters. He decided he'd take this cave, as it didn't have a lot of water dripping and it kept him warm in the cold weather.
He curled up to sleep, yawning as he stretched before curling up in a ball and drifting off.
His awakening was a rude one, to say the least.
Balto was awoken by a growling sound, and a shadow blocking out all the sunlight. He then realized he was outside on the cold snow, and had slept through being thrown there. He stood up slowly, opening his eyes as he looked up at the monstrous beast above him. Black fur and red eyes, it snarled at the wolf.
Balto narrowed his eyes and growled back. "Back off, buddy! This is my cave!"
The bear swung its massive paw in Balto's direction, bowling him over. He hit a rock, and promptly blacked out.
When he came to, snow had covered his entire body. He shook the snow off, feeling pain in his right shoulder from where his body had made the impact with the boulder. Glancing over to the cave, he decided he'd try elsewhere for a home. After that point, if he ever even slightly smelled a bear, he went the opposite direction.

After looking for other caves and having no luck, he found an abandoned house far away from the human city. First a bit wary of humans, he quickly found that he was all alone, and had the house to himself. He used the old couch as a bed, though it was falling apart at the seams and stuffing was rapidly being lost from the icy winds that blew through the house from the cracked windows. Besides a couch and horribly neglected coffee table, the entire house was devoid of furniture - everything had been taken by looters a long time ago. Balto decided he'd stay there for as long as he needed to, and made himself at home, using the blanket he'd always carried around with him as an actual blanket, sliding under it to keep warm every night. He eventually figured out a way to block the wind, too - after scrounging about outside one day, he'd stumbled on a rather large pile of wood. He carried each piece back to the house and built up a tower of wood, blocking the wind from coming in through the cracked windows.
About a year after living at the house, traipsing back and forth between it and the city getting food from begging the humans and knocking over trashcans, Balto met his first bird. The raven swooped into the house where Balto was padding along the kitchen floor, deep in thought. The black bird startled him, and he growled at it as it landed less than three feet away from him. "What do YOU want? And what ARE you, anyway?"
"I am Isabella, a simple raven."
"What do you want?"
"It is cold outside, dear one. I need shelter for a few days."
"In return for what? Why should I help you, anyway?"
"Because I need someone who is willing to help me. What is your name?"
"My mother called me Balto."
"Lovely name, dear one."
He growled, his ears flat against his skull. "In return for me letting you use my home, what will you give me?"
"I can teach you how to speak English."
"What am I speaking right now, then, Isabella?" he spat, still angry at the bird for interrupting his thoughts.
"Native American. Not sure which dialect. Hm....let me think...can you understand what the humans speak in that little town over there?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, can you understand the animals that live there, both the pets and the wild ones?"
"Well, yes - can't you?"
"Have you had any trouble understanding anyone from this region, be they human or animal?"
"Other than the bear that attacked me last year, I've been able to understand everything. Why? What's with all the questions?"
"You can speak all kinds of Native American, then!" the raven crowed with delight. "There are many different types of people and animals that live here, and all speak a different type of Native American. My, you're very smart for a wolf!"
He growled. "Unless you're going to do something productive to earn your stay here, you can get out right now."
"Fine, fine. Allow me to teach you English."
And he did. Balto learned English from the raven, who later left for the summer months. She came back every year, teaching him more and more about the language. Balto was a fast learner, and he picked up the language easily. The last year Isabella stopped by again, she brought a robin with her. "Balto? I'd like you to meet my friend Phillipe. He speaks French, which I'm learning. I thought perhaps you'd like to learn some, as well."
"Certainly," Balto said, smiling as he rose and greeted the newcomer.
Balto learned very little of French, as Phillipe was not a good teacher. Not long after meeting the wolf, Phillipe excused himself and flitted off, leaving Isabella and Balto alone. "My friend, this will be the last time I see you. I have found a mate, and will be laying eggs soon. It has been a pleasure being in your company. Would you promise me something, dear one?"
"Of course," Balto said, feeling sad that the only friend he'd ever had was about to leave him...much like his mother had done all those years ago.
"Go out and try to greet those in the human city. Perhaps they'll have changed their mind about you."
He frowned. "Fine. I shall try for you, Isabella."
"Good." She flitted for a moment, perched on his head, and smiled down into his face, her head upside down. "You be good now, you hear?"
"I'll try my best."
"Good boy." She smiled as she leapt into the air. "Goodbye, my friend."
"Goodbye," he said, watching her flit out the permanently-open door, rusted from the weather.
Moments later, she returned, an old hat in her claws. She dropped it onto his head. "Almost forgot," she said, giggling, "about your going-away gift. I wanted to give you something to remember me by. The humans call it a 'musher's hat.' Apparently it's a hat that only people called mushers wear. Go figure." She shrugged, landing on the couch to look at Balto. "Now, I suppose I'm off for good. I hope that hat keeps you warm."
"Wait just a minute! Where did you get this?"
She paused before leaping off of the couch and flitting into the air. "I filched it."
"You what?"
"I stole it. I mean, not really - it was just lying in the road, and no one looked to be using it, so I grabbed it and flew off."
Balto nodded, smiling at his mischievous friend. "I see."
"Well, goodbye, dear one. I shall miss you." With a wink of her eyes and a flick of her tail, she said one final sentence before soaring through the door for the final time. "Perhaps we'll see each other again."
"Goodbye, Isabella!" He padded out into the snow, watching her black silhouette disappear into the pale grey sky. A tear rolled down his cheek. "Goodbye."

Balto tried only once to make friends at the human town. After failing, he decided he'd stay on his own. He'd rather be lonely than picked on, after all. He spent years in isolation, only going out when he needed food or water. Through his loneliness, he learned how to fend for himself, and how to hunt. The first thing he caught was a rabbit, after he'd raced after it past trees and over hills of snow for at least half an hour. He became more accurate and quicker every time he went out to hunt, honing his skills so that he'd have more time to do something he actually enjoyed. His favorite thing to do was run. He'd run through the snow-covered forest, leaping over fallen logs and skidding under suspended branches. His legs would pump up and down, his sides heaving in gasps of ice-cold air. Running was something that always made him feel as if he really had a purpose - as if he wasn't just meant to be alone without any meaning to his life. He wanted to be stronger and faster than anyone he'd come across, mainly so he could at least have a shot at getting away from them, should he not want to fight. Shortly after entering his teen years, his energy increased and he was able to run for almost twice the time he'd been able to before. He became smarter, able to hone his thought processes to focus on one specific task, such as leaping higher than the rabbits he watched, or racing faster than the deer he observed. From doing this, he became physically-fit very early-on in his life...but his hygiene suffered, as he hated to take baths and truly didn't care how his fur looked.
It was in this state that he met Malta, the dog that would forever change his life.
One day he was tracking a particularly hard-to-obtain rabbit for dinner. This creature must have been extremely intelligent, because it kept leading Balto in circles. Finally, Balto thought he'd cornered it. He was so far away from his home that he wasn't sure where he was, but, being the stubborn wolf that he was, he refused to turn back without that rabbit. He thought he'd cornered it to a brick wall, pounced, and got a mouthful of snow. He spat it out, realizing that the rabbit had just been there, but raced off seconds before. He'd just missed his final attempt at catching dinner...and in the growing darkness, he knew he'd be safer going without one small meal than trying to track it down again. Before he turned around, he heard a sound coming from over the wall.
Intrigued by the odd sound he couldn't place, Balto bunched up his legs and leapt, easily clearing the low wall.
On the other side of the wall, he found he was in someone's backyard. Great, he thought crossly. This is just great. Let's hope a human doesn't live here, or I'll have to bite it to get it away from me. Ugh. Why did I decide to do this? Suddenly, a light flicked on, shining into the yard.
Balto froze. Dang-it! he thought, trying to slow his breathing so as to focus better on a way to get out of the yard without having to attack anyone.
A pale brown wolf with a curled tail and flopped ears trotted out into the snow slowly, a smile on his face. "Hello there. May I help you?"
"Just passin' through. Was tryin' to catch a rabbit."
"Ah, you're hungry. Please, come in! I'll make up another plate of food."
Balto frowned. "Excuse me?"
"Come in. I'll get you some food." He smiled warmly.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And why should I believe that you're not going to hurt me?"
"I suppose you'll just have to take a chance. Oh, my name is Malta, if you were wondering. I'm sure you'll tell me your name in time." The wolf turned and walked back in the house, leaving the light on and the sliding door open.
Balto rolled his eyes, turning to leap back over the wall. Something stopped him, though. A simple thought drifted into his mind, and he couldn't shake it. It kept repeating itself over and over, demanding to be heard. One night won't hurt. Eat his food and move on. It's one less thing for you to have to worry about catching. Sighing from the incessant thought, he succumbed to the pressure building inside his head and turned, trotting through the door into the brightly-lit room.

Balto decided to stay with Malta until his adult years, when he figured he'd venture out to try to find some of his family members. Malta had graciously done some digging around and had found a very small list of wolves that might have been related to Balto. He'd given it to the wolf as his going-away gift, along with a scarf. Malta smiled at Balto affectionately, slipping the bright orange scarf over his head. "Now, you be safe, you hear?"
Balto smiled, leaning his head against the smaller wolf's. "Of course, Malta. I'll be back to visit before you know it!"
The smaller wolf nodded.
Balto took a step back and looked into the curly-tailed RPW's eyes. "Thank you so much for all that you've done for me, Malta. I'm a changed wolf."
"And you better stay that way!" he joked, laughing.
"I promise," Balto said, smiling as he gently bopped his adoptive father in the nose. "I'll be back soon - there's no need to worry. Though, knowing you...you'll worry."
Malta looked to the ground. "I'll paint to keep myself occupied."
Balto smiled again. After one final hug goodbye, he turned and trotted out the doorway, hiding the tears welling up in his eyes. He cleared the brick wall just as easily as he had all those years ago. Landing on the other side, he shook his head, making sure his hat was on tightly and the scarf was snug around his neck. Casting one final glance back at the wall, he sniffled, whispering, "I promise I won't ever leave you for good, Malta. You're the only dad I've ever had."
And with a flick of his tail and a narrowing of his eyes, the determined wolf set out, looking at the first name on the list to see which RPW he'd be in search of first. "Riven," he murmured. "That's a nice name." And with that, he set off into the cold, snowy weather, promising himself that he'd be back to his family soon...perhaps with more members tagging along behind him.

Now That THAT is Out of the Way, Why is He Here?
Balto raised his head against the snowy weather, the two wolves beside him shivering - one black as night, the other one nearly blending in with the snow. "Come on!" he encouraged them, putting one paw in front of the other, instructing them to place their paws where he had all ready stepped. They followed his orders.
Three hours later, they arrived back at Malta's house.
Malta opened the door widely, shooing them inside and then shutting it tightly against the cold wind that threatened to tear it off its hinges. "What are you doing out in this weather? Here, have some soup." He spooned out three bowls of the steaming pot on the stove. "Now, what brings you to my home?"
Balto shook first, snow flying everywhere. "Hey there, Dad."
"Balto!" cried Malta with glee, throwing his paws around the larger RPW's neck. "I've missed you! Who are your friends?"
The two RPWs shook off their snow more daintily than Balto had, and Malta got a good look at them. The black one stepped forward first. "My name is Riven. I am Balto's step-brother. Are you really his dad, or - "
Malta shook his head. "Adoptive."
Riven nodded, and then looked to the white wolf, who stepped forward. "My name is Salvalor. I am Balto's cousin. Pleased to meet you, sir."
Malta smiled at both. "Any family of Balto's is family of mine. You're welcome here, and may stay for as long as you'd like...as long as you pull your weight."
"Understood," they said in unison.
Balto ate the soup, and then explained what had happened. "We were on our way back to see you, Malta, when the snowstorm hit. We had no where to go, so instead of turning back, we decided to continue forward. We were closer to you than we were to the place where we'd started out - Riven's place. Anyways, I wanted to introduce them to you - you showed interest in meeting my other family members, seeing as you gave me the list and all." Balto smiled. "So, here are two of them."
"There's more?" Malta asked, an intrigued look on his face.
Riven nodded as Salvalor spoke. "Yes. We ran into Riven's sibling, Leif, and Leif knows of other RPWs that she's related to. She is technically Balto's half-sister, and she says that there are many other family members we just haven't come across yet."
"Why isn't she here with you?" Malta asked.
"Other business," Balto said, quickly changing subjects. "So, any mail for me? I was gone for about three weeks, right?"
Malta nodded, and ran to get the stash. He brought back quite a pile. "You've become famous, I suppose."
Balto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Probably all just junk."
Most of it was. He sifted through the pile, throwing most of it in the trash. When he got to the bottom of the pile, he frowned. "Malta? What's this?" he called.
His father trotted in from the other room, curly tail bouncing with every step he took. "Ah, that just came today. I don't recognize the handwriting, either."
Balto frowned, ripping the envelope open.

You're Invited!
Please come to Laelia's Christmas party on December 5th!

Balto read it aloud, and then tried to remember the wolf that had sent it. "I don't think I know her. Why would I receive an invitation from someone I don't even know?"
Malta shook his head. "I don't recognize her, either. Picture's nice, though."
Riven trotted in, Salvalor on his heels. Both read the letter and saw the picture. Salvalor frowned. "I've seen her around, but I don't know her personally. She looks a bit snooty to me."
Riven agreed, nodding his head. "I don't know if you should go, man. Besides, what would you bring for a gift?"
Balto frowned. "What gift? This isn't a birthday party - it's a Christmas party. No gift needed, right?" He shook his head, tossing the letter aside. "Where's the address, anyway?"
"Here," Malta said, handing him a slip of paper he hadn't seen.
"Oh, I know where this is!" Balto said. "Meh, what's the harm? I'll go."
"Bringing a gift?" Malta prompted.
Balto frowned in his father's direction. "The invitation should have been more clear if I was expected to bring something. No, I'm not bringing anything. It would be tacky to show up with a gift when one was not called for."
"It would be tackier to show up without a gift when one was needed," his father replied. He sighed, looking over at Balto once again. "It's your choice. I will not force you to do anything. You choose for yourself."
"Then I'm not bringing anything. Besides, I'm a nomad - I don't have any cash to spend."
Riven nodded. "Everything we ate on the way here was stuff we found or caught for ourselves. Balto COULD bring a rabbit, I guess - "
Balto gave Riven a look the wolf instantly understood. Just in case it wasn't clear, however, Balto spoke to remove all doubt. "C'mon. This is clearly a fancy RPW who probably buys stuff all the time. Getting some dead bunny as a gift, no matter how heartfelt or practical the gift may be, is NOT a smart idea."
Riven nodded, agreeing silently.
"All right, then. I'm off to the party. I'll probably be back later tonight, if not early tomorrow morning. I dunno if it's a sleepover or not."
Salvalor nodded. "Have fun!"
Balto rolled his eyes. "I hate socializing, and you know that, Sal. Look, I'm going because I was invited, and that's just the nice thing to do when you're invited someplace. I can only hope I'll have a good time." Shaking his head, he turned and trotted towards the door. "Bye! If I'm not back by tomorrow, go to the address and look for me, okay? I'm sure I'll be fine...but just in case."
Malta nodded, hugging him goodbye. "Your scarf and hat have dried. Here, let me fetch them for you." He raced off, and came back moments later, slipping the scarf over Balto's head and around his neck. He also plopped the hat down on his head. "Stay warm. It's still pretty cold out there, though the wind and snow look to have died down for the time being."
Balto nodded. "Don't worry - I'll be fine. I'll be back before you know it, and then we can play some games and spend time together as a family. And who knows - maybe I'll find other family members at the party!" With a smile, a wink, and a flick of his tail, he trotted out the door and into the gently falling snow, ready for whatever happened next.


Except for Balto, Phillipe, and Isabella, no other characters or RPWs belong to me. Salvalor belongs to Ittam. Riven belongs to Krist Fullmetal. Malta belongs to Helsing. Leif belongs to Shironeki. Yes, I have their permission to use their RPWs in this story.

[Reiji]

Offsite link

[Dissimulodeerling.]

Since this is an event for those who haven't had time to do the main event. This event will end on New years eve (the 31st of December) There will be a surprise for everyone who participates.

[Reiji]

One question- Does the length of the story matters?