Down By The River

X Characters X

~

Format: Name - Breed - Gender

Blurry - Alaskan Noble Companion - Female

Seska - Alaskan Noble Companion - Male

Nadia - Alaskan Noble Companion- Female

Azure - Himalayan Wolf - Male

Saphira - Hybrid - Female

Josh - Hybrid - Male

Void - Gray Wolf - Male

Tumble - Gray Wolf - Male

Stolos - Mexican Gray Wolf - Male

Palm - Belgian Malinois - Female

~

X Water X

I skidded to a halt. Whatever this noise was; it sounded angry and hungry, to say the least. The hollow flooded with this same sound for moments. Huddled in the nursery, I stuck my head between the dangling plants, coming off the ceiling. Massive circles acted as these creature's paws; and the body was shiny and dented in places. It tore away the ground, rumbling forwards. My mother stood calmly in the distance, staring. Carefully taking a step out, she pulled me back by my tail. "What in the world are you thinking?!" She snarled, gaze now focused directly on me. Stuttering, my brain swam with things to say. "I.. I wanted to see what was going on!" Her tail lashed in annoyance. "Oh my lord. You don't listen, do you? I told you hours ago to stay in the nursery! You can't just wander out of this place without an adult." I snorted. I really hate my parents sometimes. Sometimes, they can get overly protective. And sometimes I wish I had different parents. Ones that would let me explore, hunt, and do all a pup does. But instead I felt glued to these wolves; ones that are strict, only let me out to eat, and take away all the fun. Sighing, I flopped on my side. That animal outdoors seemed really cool! I had a lot of questions. Like what species is it? Where did it come from? Where are it's parents? Does it ever sleep? Suddenly, paws tapped behind me.

Seska. My father. He seemed oddly worried; almost as if there was something outside that is bad. A bad guy. A criminal. The creature. The creature on black circles. My mind raced. *What's going on? Is something wrong? Can I help fix this? Is there anything that can help?* "Nadia! I need your help. Something is.. different in the forest today." My mother nodded. "Blurry, please stay here. If you're out of your nest by 9:30, you will be sleeping outside." *Sleeping outside? Awesome!* I wanted to blurt it out but my thoughts stayed in place. Maybe this was my chance. My chance to escape and finally explore. I waited. Slightly smirked. "Oh, okay.." I mumbled, trying to sound disappointed. But I felt otherwise. I felt excited and curious. What lay beyond the nursery? I would find out. In seconds, they disappeared behind the ferns. I tiptoed out too, jogging to the hill. There was a big hill behind the nursery and it led to other parts of the forest. Trees ripped to the sky, their roots holding them down. Pine needles scattered the area as I hopped up, running through the trees. The wind brushed against my fur. I held my ears back, tongue lolling. It felt great to get some fresh air. Then.. it all stopped. Silence. I wagged, my energy bursting at the sides. A loud noise hit off the clouds. 3 of them. Then a deep, painful yelp. And a mournful howl. Then silence took over everything once again. It went all quiet.

I tried backing up to see what had happened, but my paws just forced me onward. It was like someone was pushing me towards something, or urging me to do something. I wanted to save whatever got hurt, but I was unable. Everything else besides myself said no. At times, silent howls and barks echoed around, but I chose to ignore. If something had been killed, what could I do about it? I'm a pup. Every wolf says that adults have to do everything. That it's too dangerous for a pup like me to go wander, or enter a battle. But I couldn't care at this point; not when I was so determined to find what's beyond the hollow. A chilly wind hit me in the sides, nearly shivering me. A figure darted in front of me, tail lashing and eyes narrow. "What the heck, Blurry? I told you! It's past your bedtime. Get back in the hollow. NOW!" I huffed. Did I care? No! I didn't need no rest. I was completely and perfectly fine. Instead of biting back the words, I instantly blurted everything out without thinking.

"Go. Go. Leave me alone! Why do you always have to be so strict? I thought I could play with you; and you'd care for me! But no, everything is the exact opposite! I have to make my own nest, care for myself, let alone seeing you walk out of the hollow every hour. What even do you do? Hunt? Fight? Psht. There's fricking bears out here, and you think it's okay to leave your pup in a huge camp alone?" Before I could continue, she snapped at me. "Because I'm scared! You're going insane! This isn't right! Every night you toss and turn, talk to yourself 24/7, you need help! I've been trying to care for you, but it's impossible! You ignore everything. And you're so miserable. Is there something you're not telling me?!"

X Alone X

It had been hours since the last time I saw my mom, and the hollow was out of sight. Walking along a forest trail, I tried to think back. Was there any place I could rest? Any place I could just spend the night? Then I remembered. I was born in the hollow; that's the only place I know of. Sighing, I dragged my paws toward an oak tree, settling down. I was now the age of a trainee; tomorrow morning I would teach myself how to hunt and fight. But I was too tired to function. Closing my eyes, my vision blurred into mist, plants and magical waterfalls surrounding me. *A dream!* My dream-self was not like my real-self. I was glittery and felt like I had no weight to me. If I were to take one step, I could float up. I swished back down, smiling. *Is someone supposed to be here?* I thought; but just then, a beautiful black wolf stood before me. I looked around; this was the only other living creature here, besides me. But something seemed weird. I looked at my paws, sprinkled in dusts of white glitter. I look at the spirit's, a black-dark gray shade appearing. *I'm so confused, who is this?*

As the spirit came closer, I realized something. This was my spirit. It almost reflected me; my looks, everything. But why would a Draco wolf be in a place like this? With light, magical creatures, endless prey? I thought Draco wolves had their own place. Bloody water, dead prey, decaying plants? I jumped back as it spoke, but then stood back in position. "Ah, little kid. You shouldn't be here. It's too early for a cute pup like you to be around." *Little? Pup?* I bit back the retort as the spirit went on. "Blurry, it's a pleasure to finally see you. Lots of spirits talk about you." "How do you know who I am?" She snickered. "Oh, because I'm a spirit. I know everyone and everything." My fur spiked, but I quickly set it flat.

"Oh! Yes! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Anyways, I'm Blurryface." And with that, she faded away.