{ +;;a.new.beginning

[Rai;;+]

The beach was a rather lonely place, especially at this time, when any canines nearby had abandoned their homes in the wild to attend the feast at the Pareil pack - there had been rumors of many sibyls gathering there for the occasion, which had drawn the attention of more than one loner in the area. As such, any territory around the camp was quite deserted, leaving the vegetation undisturbed, and, in this specific area, the waves crashing on the beach in a rhythmic, lonely beat.

But the little pup knew none of this. She saw the beach not as a desolate area, but a place of interminable beauty. Back when her mother had been alive, she'd often taken her and her brothers to this place to play, when the Pareil dogs weren't around. Lei had never understood why her mother had such a fear of the dogs around this area, but she had often told her pups 'don't trust any Pareil dogs."

To which, young Lei would tilt her furry head - "why not, mama?"

Her mother would growl then - this was the only thing she ever got angry about, Lei and her siblings had found sometime later - and flatten her ears against her skull. "Just don't, Lei - they can't be trusted."

Not really understanding it, Lei would shrug then, only seeking to make her mother not-angry. "Okay mama."

That had been over a year ago, and now the young pup was seated awkwardly, on her behind, with her back legs in front of her and her forepaws placed between them, on the soft sand. She had spent the last couple hours playing with it - fascinated, as she had always been, but its properties and the way it sifted through her fur and paws. As a result, her short, fluffy fur was now coated with sand, and she had a hard time getting it out, even if she shook and licked furiously. Now she was just a little bit bored - she was familiar with this feeling now, as she often had nothing to do since she'd lost her brothers.

With wide, curious blue eyes, she gazed out across the ocean, finding peace in the rolling waves. "I wonder what's on the other side..." she murmured aloud to herself, and her only answer was the call of the evening gulls.

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[Fayolinn]~]

"'Where ya goin', Jay, there's a feast goin' on!' 'C'mon fox boy, don't leave -- don't wanna miss the Feast!' 'There'll be plenty of food, Jay, and Keina and your folks won't like the fact that you left.'" Jay shook his head, imitating all the canines that had bothered to pay him any attention as he tried to leave the great gathering quietly. He wasn't one to mock others, but why did they care so much about his whereabouts and why?

The maned wolf let out a long, slightly exasperated sigh, swinging his tail behind him. Jay wasn't a social canine; he didn't dislike people and he actually had quite a few friends, but it was the gatherings he hated. So many dogs packed into one place at once -- it was chaos to him. Maybe he was just claustrophobic. Yeah, he'd have to deal with the consequences of escaping from either Keina and Sho, his folks, or even the entire pack, but he'd take the risk.

Heading towards the beach, Jay was so distracted by his forelegs' bandages (some foolish Pareil pup hadn't been watching where he had been romping and had bashed into Jay's sensitive legs) that he didn't notice a small figure by the shore, alone. It was only until he had caught the stranger's scent did he bother to look up, emerald eyes both curious and wary. Loners were allowed here, so he wasn't fearful, but all of them should be at the feast... but taking a closer look, Jay saw that the figure was still fairly young, and since it was alone, probably didn't have a guardian of some sorts.

Raising his head to check to see if anyone was around, Jay sighed again. It probably has a family, Jay, he told himself, don't stick your nose into other people's business! Flicking his ears, the maned wolf stepped foward towards the sand-covered German Shepherd, approaching carefully.

"Uh, hey," he murmured, feeling a tad awkward. "Why aren't you at the feast with the other loners?" He was assuming she was a loner -- she wasn't with the Straumura, and the Ventura consisted only of wolves, the Seori of coyotes.

[Rai;;+]

Like Jay, she'd been quite wrapped up in her own thoughts. The little German Shepherd continued to stare out into the deep blue ocean, and even though it was well into the night, she continued looking. To her, the dip of the move casting pale moonbeams across the flowing waters was absolutely amazing. It's so pretty... she thought to herself, calmed by the sound of waves crashing again and again upon the sandy shore. She could almost time the seconds between each wave.

Three... four... five... Crash.

Three... four... five... Crash.

She giggled softly to herself, finding this oddly funny in a way only puppies could. Thus, she didn't notice the figure approaching behind her, nor did she see his shadow, because it was so dark. But when he spoke, she gasped and scrambled to her paws, turning around to see a fox with the longest legs she'd ever seen! In fact, Lei spent a couple seconds simply staring at his legs.

Finally, what he said registered in her mind, and she tilted her head back to look up at him with big, dark puppy eyes. "Feast...?" she tilted her head sparrow-like as if she didn't understand the word. She did, of course, but what she didn't understand was this canine, or what he was talking about. The other loners...? She had never met any other loners before in her life - most of the time she and her brothers had stayed in the den if they weren't down here.

Oddly, she wasn't afraid. Maybe it was because he hadn't shown any hostility towards her, or maybe it was because his gentle and simply curious tone of voice didn't give any hint of a threat. He seemed kind of wary himself, actually. Either way, Lei was only curious about this long-legged fox who had come her way. "I dunno... why aren't you at the feast, long-legs?"

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[Fayolinn]~]

The little female's gasp of surprise caused Jay to take a step back as well, blinking. He hadn't thought he'd been especially stealthy or sneaky, but he supposed she had been deep in thought or distracted by the waves. Either one was plausible. Allowing her to recover, he watched quietly as she scrambled back to her paws, staring at his legs. Jay rolled his eyes, not from annoyance or anger, but because it was a predictable course of action mainly all newcomers took when meeting him. He had yet to meet another canine of his breed or one with as long legs as he had.

"Yeah, the feast," he repeated (with patience he was amazed he had) once the German Shepherd looked up to meet his eye. "Uh, the Pareil Pack's holding a dinner of sorts in their territory. All the canines of that pack and all loners, dogs like you, are, well, allowed to go and eat." Jay wasn't even sure if it was worth explaining, but he didn't want to feel like he was dumbing it down for this pup. She seemed like she could handle it, but she also seemed pretty used to strangers for being about six or seven years old... Jay felt a twinge of concern as he watched her, and then annoyance as was given a new nickname.

Long-legs? Frowning a bit and narrowing his eyes, Jay had the look of someone who had just smelled something rather unpleasant. He wasn't fond of pups anyway, and this was one of the reasons why. "I, ah," he began again, trying to throw the nickname behind him. She hadn't meant any harm with it anyhow. "I'm not a fan of the feast in any way. It's just a time to eat with new canines and talk and I feel it's kinda a waste. I mean, you can do that anytime you want, so..." Jay shrugged, lashing his tail. "So, er... my name's Jay." Should he really tell her his name? He didn't find any hurt in it, and it was rude not to introduce yourself, was it not? "What's yours?"

[Rai;;+]

At his explanation of the feast, Lei only tilted her head more until it looked like she was trying to look at him sideways. Holding a dinner, and inviting everyone? She'd never really heard of that kind of thing, but that could be because throughout the time she'd known her mother, she had always been rather stingy about food. 'You don't always get to eat a whole lot when you're hunting on your own, so don't waste your food', she always said. And she was always making sure no one else could get to the prey she had caught, so Lei wasn't familiar with the concept of inviting others to share your meal with you.

But she didn't get a chance to ask anymore questions regarding that before the tall fox introduced himself as Jay.

She giggled involuntarily, but managed to close her maw before it got out of hand. She shouldn't be laughing at others - mother had always taught her to be polite. But a Jay was a bird - he wasn't a bird! Lei decided that she thought he was kind of funny. "Mama told me not to trust strangers," she said, lifting her head slightly and looking him right in the eye, though he was a good deal larger than her.

Right as she said that though, a tiny grumble sounded from her belly, and she frowned, sitting back down helplessly on the sand with a quiet thump. She was really hungry - she hadn't thought about food for a while now. But she remembered her mother's warnings - don't trust the Pareil pack.

But how could that be? He seemed kind of nice. "I-I'm Lei..." she finally replied, looking up at him again, this time with a little bit of sadness. She was kind of lonely out here by herself... maybe she could make some friends?

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[Fayolinn]~]

Jay knew better than to ask as to why the little pup had begun giggling as soon as he introduced himself. Was his name especially funny? No one had ever mentioned that before; perhaps at the name Jonathan, but he hadn't told the pup that was his true name. Raising a non-existent eyebrow, the maned wolf was in for another surprise once she admitted that her mother had warned her never to interact with strangers.

So she did have a mother? Then where was this irresponsible parent of hers? And why was the little German Shepherd still talking to him? He was surely a stranger to her, he was no exception to the rule.

And then her stomach growled. So she hadn't eaten for awhile. Where were this pup's guardians?

"Well, Lei," Jay started again, casting another look around. "I s'pose I could, uh, take you back to the feast... perhaps you'll see your family there, or some friends." Someone that'll take you off my paws. He hated to admit it, and it wasn't entirely true, but he didn't want to be held responsible for Lei any longer than he had to. He didn't have any experience in raising a pup anyway, she'd be better off with someone -- anyone -- else. "Or, if you don't like gatherings like that..." Jay flicked his tail, thinking. "Erm, I could catch us a bite to eat elsewhere and we'll just eat in private." He glanced down at Lei. "You can eat meat, right?"

[Rai;;+]

Despite the warnings from her mother about not trusting canines of the Pareil, Lei tilted her head when he mentioned the feast again in conjunction to her plight. He'd probably heard her stomach growl and felt a bit sorry for her. Looking down at her paws, the shepherd pup blinked and seemed a little sad. "O-Okay..." she finally murmured somewhat quietly, "I guess I can go back... with you."

Her stomach rumbled again, dispersing any doubts she might have had about this offer. She was really hungry, now that she thought about it. When was the last time she had tried to catch a mouse for herself like her mother had taught her a long time ago? She wasn't very good at it, and often went hungry. Maybe she'd just stopped noticing when she got hungry.

"Yeah! I can eat meat!" she brightened up again at his second question, and rose to all fours to follow alongside him as they began to trot off from the beach back into the woods. "I just got my prey-teeth a couple years ago!" she announced proudly, puffing her small furry chest out with pride.

After that, a little bit of silence passed between them, and she had to make a big effort to keep up with long-legs and his great, loping strides. She covered in three steps what he easily covered in one, and as a result she had to scramble a bit, sometimes tripping over small roots jutting out from the forest floor, in order to keep up with him. But she didn't complain about it at all.

"What's it like, the feast?" she asked, eyes sparkling with the wonder imagination of a young pup. "Does it have bright lights and tons of food?"

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[Fayolinn]~]

What was that look for? One moment she was all happy and youthful, and the next she was slightly pouty and down. Other than seeming a bit hesitant to go with him at first (which he had expected), Jay couldn't decipher any reason as to why she could've reacted that way. He had yet to understand pups, or emotions in general.

Prey-teeth? Glancing down at Lei, the maned wolf couldn't help a smile tugging at his lips once he saw how proud she was at being able to eat meat. Her chest fur was puffed out and she had a little prance to her step. As annoying as the younglings could be, they did have their funny antics. "Is that so?" Jay asked, trying his best to sound genuinely impressed.

They continued on a deserted but well-worn path that was relatively flat, but littered with roots and small debris. Being exceptionally tall, Jay ignored such trivial obstacles, only picking up his paws a little higher than usual. It wasn't until he heard light grunts behind him that Jay realized how fast he was walking -- compared to Lei, that was. Slowing to a stop, he flinched a bit as he saw the German Shepherd pup trip over an especially tricky root, sending her tumbling to the ground (though she remained unhurt). Moving onward at a slightly slower pace, Jay thought about her question.

"Well," he murmured, holding down a stubborn root so that Lei could easily hop over it. "Yea, pretty much. The Pareil Pack -- we hunt for a few days to gather as much food as we can for the feast. Rabbits, birds, mice, squirrels, the usual. It's held in a large park and it's all dressed up for the occasion and such." They came across a real high root jutting across the entire pathway. Rather than let her suffer, Jay automatically grabbed Lei's scruff and hauled her over, licking his mouth as soon as she was safely on the ground.

"So..." he began again, swishing his tail. "You got any family you think'll be there?"

[Rai;;+]

She was relieved when Jay began realizing her difficulty of keeping up with his pace and slowed down to allow her some respite. He even began pressing down roots to make the going easier, and when he hefted her up ( a squeak of surprise popped from her maw as she felt her paws leaving the ground ) over a particularly tall snag, she was reminded of her mother and how she used to carry her and her brothers like this.

When she touched ground again, she smiled. "Thanks." He isn't so bad... why did mother hate Pareil dogs? She surveyed him carefully, but couldn't think of or find any sort of ill intent in him. The only thing she didn't understand about him was how he was so tall. He was taller than mama, even.

They continued on, Lei trotting happily and occasionally snapping at a bug or small frog in the underbrush until they hopped away. She would feel accomplished then, as only a young pup could, at having chased away another animal.

It sounded like the feast was going to be a big gathering with a lot of food. Her mouth began to water at the thought - maybe there would be other canines like long-legs too! She hoped they were all nice - maybe she could make some friends. She was about to ask him why they had the feast, or if it was just because they could, when he spoke too, his voice curious and gruff. Family...? Lei tilted her head again, and frowned, the corners of her lips tilting down in solemn thought.

"Maybe my brothers will be there - have any german shepherds like me come by? Around my age, but male? There would be two of them." She squeaked hopefully, liking the idea of seeing her siblings again. She had lost track of them some weeks back, and hadn't heard of them since.

"I don't know who papa was - mama said he left a long time before I was born. And mama died a few months ago," she explained, a flash of sadness crossing her eyes.

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[Fayolinn]~]

The way she kept surveying him made Jay nervous. Of course, if anyone observed him so carefully, he'd usually fidget or casually walk away, but he couldn't just leave Lei because he felt a little comfortable. After all, she was only a pup and couldn't mean any harm; puppies were natuarally curious and had no sinful intentions. So as her attention wavered towards other moving things, like passing butterflies, he offhandedly cast the German Shepherd a glance. Her pure and bright spirit seemed to warm his heart somewhat in a way only a pup could.

"Hrmmm," Jay hummed, thinking back to when he had left the feast. He hadn't stayed long; he had only remained until Keina had made her appearance, seen he was there, and escaped while her attention was diverted. The maned wolf hadn't been surveying the crowd. Sure, he had friends he would look for, but they knew he wasn't likely to stay for the gathering, so they didn't bother to find him, and he they. "I didn't have time to see," he finally answered honestly, "but there's a good chance they'll pop up sometime." He was about to add another comforting statement when he allowed her to continue, and she relayed the truth about her parents.

Oh. That's all Jay could think. Oh... So she was an orphan (most likely, seeing as she didn't know her father at all). That's what he had been fearing... Biting his tongue, Jay cleared his throat, doing his best not to make her feel worse. "Well, is there anyone else looking out for you? Perhaps some relative or a family friend? I'm sure they're probably very worried about you..."

[Rai;;+]

As they neared Pareil Pack camp, Lei felt her paws tingling. She could already smell the overpowering scent of dozens of dogs, none of whom she recognized. She tried to focus enough to catch any sign of her brothers in the midst, but she soon gave up. Even if they were here, their scents would be all mixed up in this chaos. She gave a sad whimper, and her ears drooped. Would she never find her brothers?

When Jay spoke again, Lei looked up at him with bright eyes. Relatives? Family friends? She thought back to any other dogs she knew who would be able to take her in, but drew up blank. Mama had always raised the three of them alone - she had never mentioned she had any family to turn to, or anything. Lei shook her head. "No. You're my first friend who's not family, long-legs!" Her yip was high-pitched and friendly as she continued on her way, faltering over yet another gnarled root before they approached the camp.

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[Fayolinn]~]

And there went the nickname again. He opened his maw to correct her -- he had an official name, after all -- but decided against it. She was only a pup and should be allowed her fun. She knew his name, but what was the harm in calling him something else? He had suffered through it before, and this was the first time it was meant innocently. In that sense, Jay couldn't help but allow a small grin, his eyes softening a tad. Long-legs wasn't so bad anyway.

"What an honor," he muttered with a friendly ruffle to her fore-head fur. "It's nice to have a friend like you, too... Shorty." Jay offered a wink, just in case she decided the name was a little offensive.

They were definitely close; just another moment or two, and the park would be in sight. Now that they were nearly there, Jay suddenly had a twinge of doubt; what would the others say about him bringing in a pup? "Decided to adopt, Jay-Jay? Ha, raising one by yourself ain't easy!" "Jeez, Jay, didn't know you were a family kinda guy." Well, it was best to do it on this night; loners were expected and he could probably blend in with the others... and why was he so anxious about being seen with Lei, anyway? She wasn't an embarresment or anything.

As they neared a steeper hill, Jay pushed her forward with one of his long legs, helping her scramble to the top. Heaving himself up, they soon stood side-by-side onlooking the park. "Well, here we are. The Feast." It looked as if he hadn't missed much; all the pack members were up and about, talking and it looked like the eating was nearly over. However, there was still some prey left, and they looked pretty appetizing. But with a closer examination, Jay picked up on another vibe in the air. There were some tense feelings, some lingering shivers of fear, and some anxious glances. Feeling himself tighten up, Jay moved a little closer to Lei, hoping she didn't feel his slight nervousness. We must've missed something... It looked as if the danger had passed, but something was certainly up.