Roleplaying

The dreaded White Season had finally come to an end.

 

Throughout the land, where angry roars and howls once polluted the air, nothing could be heard but laughter, and the sweet songs of the birds. The sun melted the last of the White Season away, and with it, the fear. Flowers boldly announced their arrival, dawning their radiant garments, bending and swaying gently in the breeze. The birds twirled and danced around each other, as if this new Spring had erased any trace of a dark past. Soft paws fell upon the warm, green grass. Tala drank in the sun, and rolled over on her back, savoring the feeling of the grass which she had missed so much.

A bird flew over head, followed by another, and yet another, each one more beautiful than the one before it. Tala giggled when she saw them. "Happy Spring, little birds!" She sang to them with a smile. The birds circled her happily and Tala chased after them. They eventually flew too high, and she was content to watch them gracefully depart. Tala sighed. "Time for a new start." She said to herself, and she laid down, looking at the clouds. 

Sola sat on a rock, her face towards the sun to absorb its warmth. The heat radiated through her fur into her grateful muscles. Sola took a deep, through breath; absorbing the delicate scents of flowers.

Spring. Sola's mind wrapped around the word, swirling it. Though her body lay here and now, each time her eyes closed she was transported to a different time...

A white blanket covered the ground, hiding the ground beneath it. Crimson streaked across is pure surface, staining the should-be magical looking land. Snow fell lazily... morbidly through the sky as if seeking to cover up the sins of the land...

Sola's eyes flew open, bringing her back to the world. I cannot think of that. Spring is the time for change...

Tala watched the clouds as they traveled and changed shape. Her gray eyes sparkled and grew wide with wonder at the beauty of them. She watched and laughed to herself as they seemed to create pictures and tell stories. At one point, one of the clouds resembled a big, angry wolf. Tala stopped and focused on it, and suddenly flashes of memories with Volkov flooded her mind. Momentary terror flooded her senses, but she shook it off. These were images and memories that would always follow her, but she was doing well enough so far in her efforts to push them out of the way. She took a deep breath, her chest rising, and she let it out slowly.

Just then, Tala's ears perked. Howling filled the air. A council. No doubt, Tala's pack was about to gather and discuss Tala's return. Tala got up to her feet, and stared down the path in the woods which led to her pack grounds. She hadn't been home in three years..she was only a pup last time she was a part of a council. Tala felt her heart beat in her chest, not with trepidation, but with sudden joy. It was so nice to be back. She made her way quickly down the path towards the sound of the call.

Sola stretched to flex her relaxed muscles, a yawn escaping her massive jaws as she did so. She looked at her surroundings, debating on which way she should go, what should she do. In the distances, wolves cried their songs into the sky in a mournful, yet joyful, chorus.

Lazily walking towards the forest, Sola watched the creatures come to life. Hummingbirds chased each other, bees buzzed from bloom to bloom. Perhaps I will find a mate this year... She thought absent minded. New seasons brought their own challenges, and spring was the season for love and young ones. The question was, is she prepared to raise her own litter?

 

Firefly stumbled around through the forest, sniffing at the new scents. Tiny flowers were beginning to poke through the ground, opening to the sun. The wolf pup climbed up onto a rock and looked about. She was very lost, and had no pack to return to. She walked slowly towards a stream, and drank a bit of water. Firefly was starving. Suddenly, faint howls filled the space around her. Firefly yelped in excitement and ran through the shallow stream, running towards the howls. She whipped her head back and howled, loudly. Her voice was hoarse and crackly. Her tiny heart was beating fast as she kept running. Finally, her little legs gave out and she collapsed, breathing heavily. She hoped, maybe, that the others had heard her.

Tala stepped into her territory and took a look around. The Catori Clan was gathered together before the alphas, and there was a loud, yet civil commotion. All heads turned at once to look at Tala, who realized she was the last to respond to the call. "Tala!" Called her father with cheer. He left his place before the crowd and ran to het. Tala smiled and the two nuzzled each other affectionately. Tala noticed tears in her fathers eyes when he looked at her, examining just how much she has grown. "My princess. It's good to have you home." He said tenderly. The Catori Clan was extremely tight, and there was a true sense of love and family. Tala smiled sweetly. "It's so good to be home, father." He turned his head and addressed the wolves. "My daughter, your future alpha, has returned!" A joyous cheering filled the air as the wolves ran over to greet her. Tala blushed, but received them with gratitude. Her father called her up to the front of the crowd, giving her the floor. Tala scanned over her pack mates. She recognized many wolves among them who used to play with her as a pup. Tala savored the moment, then spoke. "Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. It is so good to be back. Three long years as Volkov's prisoner has taught me to be strong. To survive." She said, becoming serious. "You have all fought so bravely, and I am so happy to see you have remained as united as ever, in this time of deception and betrayal. I have seen what Volkov's can do, and I assure you, as your future alpha, he will not tear us apart. We are strong, but many have lost the tight bond that keeps this community together! It is our job to do what we can as a family to prepare for whatever may come, and encourage others to do the same. But for now, let us enjoy this season of peace and embrace the new day. We will prevail." She concluded. The pack roared their applause, and Tala stood proud. Her father nodded to her in approval. For the first time, she felt the responsibility that came with being a future leader. She was ready.

Firefly uttered a small howl, and her head fell onto the dirt. "Help!" She shouted, her golden eyes brimming with tears. She looked at the birds and trees and flowers. She sniffed at the moist earth, and sighed. Her eyes began to flicker closed, and finally they did. How ironic that she would die when she had finally become free. Firefly's tiny body lay limp in the dirt. She breathed, slowly taking shallower breaths. Pink flowers tickled at her face as a breeze blew. Her eyes cracked open. She yelped, wether it was fear or pain, she didn't know. A tear fell from her eye as everything shifted in and out of blurriness.

Tala's father took the floor and gave the address for the day. When he was finished, the clan broke up and went about their normal rituals and duties. Tala's father smiled over at her. "I'm proud of you, Tala." he said. The two embraced once again, and then Tala's father released her. "Go now, reacquaint yourself with your friends. Tala nodded, and when she spotted a few of her friends she felt her tail wagg. She ran to them and they all quickly picked up where they left off. The boys told jokes, and Tala laughed. Things were quickly looking like they were back to normal.

Just then, something caught Tala's attention that made her alert. She heard a cry of distress, a small voice, coming from somewhere in the distance and off her pack grounds. She dismissed herself from the others and ran towards it. A quarter mile from the border of her grounds, she could see a small animal laying in the grass, weeping bitterly and breathing in a laboring manner. Her tail stood up in alarm and she ran to it. It was a young pup. "What happened?" She asked in a panic, and she nudged the little one gently, trying to help it to it's feet. It appeared to be famished. The tears fell from it's eyes, and Tala felt sorrow pull at her heart. "Come with me, I'll bring you to my pack. We have plenty of food there." She said, all the while she hovered over the pup in a motherly way.

Sola lost herself amongst the trees of the forest, letting her paws guide her across the ground. New leaves sprouted from every plant, young creature rustled and snuffled across the ground, running away when she came near. Excited yips sounded to her right, and Sola found it safe to assume a wolf pack was meeting. It seemed as if their borders were near. A cry of distress came from up front, a small timid sound the Sola barely managed to catch.

What the?Curious, Sola padded a little faster, and found a wolf nuzzling a pup that seemed to be weak and hurt. I wonder what happened here...

Firefly sniffled. "Thank you..." She looked around at everything. She wasn't going to die, no, she would live. Everything seemed more precious now. Her golden eyes twinkled as she looked at it all, everything she could have left behind. Slowly, she looked up at the wolf who had saved her. "Thank you. I'm Firefly, by the way. I've been searching for a pack since the end of...winter." She paused, staring at Tala admiringly. "My dad was killed in the war, and my mom fell very sick. I'm an only child, so I was on my own. No one took me in, until now." She paused, her body shaking with excitement and hunger. "I...I can stay with you, right?" She nuzzled into Tala's legs. "I would like to stay with you...you are very nice." Firefly's eyes closed, as she took in the warm sun. Today wasn't so bad after all.

Tala was full of compassion for the poor little pup. It was shaking, and appeared very weak. She listened with interest as the small wolf spoke. She nodded in understanding. "I'm Tala." she said in response to Firefly's introduction. Firefly then began to nuzzle her, and Tala smiled kindly. "A young wolf like you should not be all alone. Of course you can stay with me. My pack and I will get you back to health." She reassured her, and picking her up by the scruff, for the pup was in no condition to walk all that way, Tala started to make her way back to her territory, carrying Firefly. On the way, however, she noticed a strange scent. She turned around and noticed a tiger watching from some distance. Tala's ears perked. The cat didn't appear to be menacing, but one could never be too careful, especially with a young one who is in bad shape. Tala picked up her pace until she was back on Catori grounds.

The wolves were no doubt curious when they saw her. They flocked around her and examined the young pup. "What happened?" one of them asked. The crowd murmured. Tala placed Firefly gently on the ground. "She needs something to eat. Someone, fetch her whats left of the elk we caught earlier today."  Tala nudged Firefly again and smiled "Don't worry, you'll be alright with us."

Sola followed the wolf, unsure if she wanted to stir up trouble or make friends. The forest was alive everywhere as she walked. Birds chirped, bugs crawled, and various other creatures went about their business.

As the wolf entered her pack, Sola hung back. Not out of sight, so that way others knew she wasn;t trying to hid, but no close enough to attract a lot of attention. You could never be more careful with wolves, the were loyal to each other and defended their young from everything. The scent of elk drifted towards Sola, and she was glad she had already eaten or her stomach would be seriously upset at her.

Firefly looked around at everyone. Her tail wagged slightly. The other wolves were looking at her with pity in their eyes, and it made Firefly realize how pitiful she actually looked. She glanced at her muddy paws. Next her ribs poking out, and finally her ragged tail. Unfortunately she couldn't see her own face, but she was certain that her eyes were dull. She turned around, looking at Tala once again. "Thank you, Tala. Thank you..." Another wolf brought a large scrap of elk to Firefly, an the pup smiled. "It's perfect." She sniffed at it, unsure wether it was real or not. Eventually, she took a small bite. She exhaled, almost a sigh of relief. It was a bit old, but it tasted better than anything Firefly had ever eaten. It was so perfect, so precious that Firefly savored the scraps, eating them slowly and carefully as to not let any meat fall on the dirt.

Tala watched as Firefly ate with gratitude and a sparkle in her tired eyes. As she stood there, she had a great feeling of relief. What would have happened if she had not have found her in time? Tala tried not to think about it. She shook her head "Don't be silly, it's the least that we can do." She said, and she turned briefly to thank the wolves for helping, and asked that they might give Firefly some space. The wolves were happy to oblige, and they left the two alone without a word.

Tala sat quitely and let Firefly enjoy her meal in peace. Once she had finished, Tala smiled at her. "So," she started. She observed the physical shape that the pup had been in, and she frowned. "I'm sorry about your parents.." she apologized sympathetically. "Volkov will not get another chance to do the things he's done to our community..our families.." she said, though she knew words weren't enough. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she put on a broad grin. Her ears perked and her tone changed suddenly. "We're the Catori Clan. You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you like, so make yourself at home. We're a family here, and visitors are always welcome, so don't hesitate to jump right in. I'm sure everyone will love getting to know you." She smiled, her eyes sparkling and her tail wagging slowly behind her.

Sola was puzzled as she listened to the wolf Tala and Firefly's conversation. Big cats were not the same as wolves, they lived solitary for the most part and tended to be against guests for any amount of time longer than someone passing through.

Sola dared inch closer to listen in on the wolve's conversation, keeping eye and ear out for any wolves near by. She dared not attract any threatening attention. Not here. Alone, a wolf was weaker and easier to attack. But Sola was near a den, and so far she had seen plenty of wolves. If it came to a fight, she would run.

The setting takes place in a land that feels the extremities of each season, in Spring, the flowers bloom abundantly and radiantly. In Summer, the heat is brutal and tries even the strongest souls. The Autumn time paints the leaves with gold and amber, and the Winter is the harshet of all. Animals of every species coexist in this land. Large mountain ranges line the horizon, and the trees divide the woods from the plains. It is a beautiful land, but one which has suffered great damage over the course of the latest Winter, only time will tell if this land will survive.

Spring is here, and with the new season, a hope reborn. A hope for restoration, after the winter war left the land scarred and the woods divided. A rogue wolf known Volkov with a brutish personality and a desire to reak havoc has planted seeds of deception throughout the land over the last year, which resulted in the ruination of relationships and destruction of tight knit communities and a resulting season of chaos. But now, Volkov has been brought to his knees and has retreated for a time. Now for a new season. A season to rebuild and restore relationships, or perhaps for new ones to blossom. Volkov is not dead, and this season of peace may indeed last for a single Season. With the scent of trouble lurking somewhere in the shadows, will the community be restored, bonds be reestablished, and will they be strong enough to withstand what the new year might bring, or to stnd up to Volkov and his army if he should return? 

 

The creatures of the land have been divided and wared against each other the entire winter before, but with the new Spring they have a chance to pull together, while not all will take the opportunity.Traitors will rise and join Volkov's army, while meantime the community will reunite. As bonds are formed in the raciance of Spring,  The fires of Summer, and the returning Winter will put them to the test. It's a test of the heart.

 

This RP is to be the first of 4 RP's, that is, if it does well. The characters developed and the bonds that they forge in this RP will be carried into the next Chapters, so this RP in particular is important for character development.

Also, whoever wishes to play as Volkov the Wolf must be the first to message me about it.

Rules are simple:

-No bad language

-Violence is obviously going to take place, but let's keep it G RATED! Nothing too graphic ( i.e. mutilation or getting too into detail over violent affairs. G rated. )

-No controlling other people's characters

-Romance is allowed (G)

-No powers/odd coloring/etc. Keep it as realistic as possible beyond the fact that the animals can obviously talk..

Message me if you have any questions or concerns. And remember, this is just for fun, so let's get along and just go with it :)

Also, since there is so much room for different species, if you have an idea of a species that you think I should include for playable characters, let me know. As of right now, I am using the generic ones.