Roleplaying

Tala was relieved that Sola seemed agreeable, and Firefly was busting at the seams. She could hardly contain herself over the prospect of getting t know the tiger and share her with the other pups. Sola asked first for the permission of the parents, and they seemed to trust her enough. Tala respected Sola's preference to hunt for herself, and nodded "Not a problem." However, when Fierfly corrected Sola on her views of charity, Tala smiled a warm smile, and nuzzled Firefly when she came over to her. She watched as the pup ran off clumsily towards the others and nearly knocked them over in her excitement.

 

Tala turned to Sola, who was starting to loosen up. "Thank you for your cooperation. I know it may seem strange to be in a den of wolves, being a tiger..but I assure you, I would not have asked if it wasn't very important." She said respectfully, and with that, she gestured for Sola to follow her and the others into their home. The pack walked together with Tala ahead of them. Firefly had been wrapped in her story telling, which, when Tala overheard, she raised a brow, but she had to laugh at her imagination. The other pups looked over at Tala as she approached, wide-eyed, and asked her "Is it true, Tala?" To which Tala responded with a broad grin, as she glanced at Firefly, "Yes, Firefly was very brave." She giggled. The pups were amazed, but when they glanced Sola in the crowd, they were stunned silent..

Sola followed Tala, she was more relaxed now. She was alert, but not out of fear as she had been. The chitter-chatter amongst the wolves was mostly about her, but not surprising as she was a cat in a wolf den. Literally.

Sola smiled when she heard Firefly's version of the story. Her voice was an excited yipping. The young one had already suffered much, her family being lost and then her almost dying. When Sola noticed the pups cowering at her Sola turned to Tala. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I have a few nerves to sooth."

The pups' eyes widened as Sola approached, their tiny bodies quivering with fear, intrigue, curiosity, and joy. She sat some distance from the pups, her tail flicking the ground in smooth rhythmic strokes. "Seems to me none of you have ever seen a tiger before."

They all exchanged glances, and one came up slowly, nervously. "Is it true tigers can kill with their paws."

Sola weighed her reply. "I have claws. They are sharp and dangerous like my teeth, but as with my teeth, I will only scratch when I want to."

The pup's eyes widened in awe. Another came forward, a little braver. "Is it true tigers don't have families?"

"Tigers have families when we are little, like you. But when we become older, we become big strong cats and travel alone."

"I knew it..." But he was shoved away by another curious pup.

"Is it true tigers are made of fire?"

The others pups laughed at his question, saying that was stupid. Sola interrupted their teasing. "I am not made of fire, but if you want I can tell you the story of how tigers got their bright orange coats." She waited for all of the pups to reply, and for any adults who were curious to settle down somewhere near by.

Firefly smiled as Tala and Sola came to join them. Her chest puffed out with pride as Tala went along with her little story. The pups all seemed stunned by Sola. A couple nudged her, with whispers of 'wow' and 'you were right!'. Firefly ran to the back and sat with her new friend. He seemed very nice, but a little shy. As Sola got ready to tell her story, Firefly turned to the other pup. "What's your name again?" She whispered. The other pup looked at her. His dark green eyes sparkled. "I'm Kai." He whispered back. Firefly's tail wagged slightly. "Right! So, what do you think of the tiger? Isn't she ferocious?" Firefly smiled. Kai's tail wagged. "She's really cool. Is it true that you pinned her down? She's huge!" He continued whispering as to not upset the other pups from the story. Firefly rolled her eyes. "Between you and me, no. It's called entertainment! You pups were probably bored out of your minds before I showed up." Her chest puffed out. "When I went clan to clan, I would tell stories for food. You really get the hang of things." Kai smiled and nodded, then looked at Sola as she started telling her story.

A sorrel colt bathed in the tender warmth of the sun, lounging contently in the open expanse of grasslands that dominated the region. The winter had been severe, but there was seemed to be no apparent indication of its stranglehold over the land enduring in the region. The day was alive with the sounds and songs of spring; an entrancing chorus of chirps and chattering; for a moment he could lose himself in the serenity of it all and forget the hardships that had proceeded such a picturesque day. Satisfied that he had soaked up enough warmth into his skin, he stood up and trotted leisurely up the nearest grassy knoll; from its summit he could survey the entire area. He was developing an intricately detailed portrait of his surroundings within his mind’s eye, being sure to discern the various obstacles and potential hazards, so lest the need arose to abscond, he would recognize which spaces to avoid and what he could exploit. After a moment he began to graze eagerly on the sweet, delicate and delectable spring grass; feeling very fortunate to have happened upon such a fertile glade. Besides the occasional swish of his tail to swat away flies, he was still, content in his feast for a time. Though the quiescence of it all was beginning to bore him, and he wasn`t resigned to stay put for long. His eyes were already gazing towards the horizon and soon; once he finished eating he was planning on heading that way.

After both had been walking a ways side by side, Sola excused herself to quell the scruples of the young trembling pups. Tala nodded. She watched as the pups hesitated, but soon began tumbling over each other just for the chance to get near Sola. To Tala's delight, Sola approached them carefully, so as not to startle them. Her words were tender as she spoke, and the pups responded to her soothing countenance. Tala sat on her haunches, her eyes sparkling as she took in the moment. Sola was about to tell a story now, and everyone seemed to be interested, even herself. Everyone got ready to listen. Tala was listening, but at the same time, she was watching Firefly. She appeared to have made a new friend, which brought Tala great contentment. Just then, Jack, the male who had been given momentary charge over Firefly snuck up at Tala's side and sat down. "Sorry I let Firefly get away from me.." He whispered, his ears flat, but a genuine look on his face. Tala smiled at him, her eyes kind. "Don't worry about it," she said softly, "I shouldn't have just dropped her on you like that." She said with a tone of regret. Jack simply nodded, and the two fell silent as Sola began.

Sola laid down, stretching her body out lazily. The story she was about to tell was part of tiger lore. One she learned from her mother.

" Our story begins long ago, when the world was young. Every where there were bright, vivid colors of new life. Everything spoke of a new world, greens, yellows, oranges, purples, and every other color in between.

"However, the animals in the world were not so lucky. They were all black and grey, lacking the multitude... er... many colors the have today. So, animals began to get the colors from around them.

"Cardinals got their red from berries they ate. Chameleons got their color changing skills from the rainbow. Deer got their brown from the earth.

"The ways to get colors was endless, but after a time, the magic was lost and one thing would change the animals anymore. Soon, many animal like the Raven were left behind, and kept their black color.

"The tiger was one of these creatures, nothing more than a black cat. Until one day, a fire over took the world. Other animals ran from it and its searing heat. The tigers however, were desperate to be something more and ran into the flames.

"The heavens had not expected this, they had meant the fire to destroy. Because of their bravery, The tigers gained their fiery orange coats. Because fire was ever-changing, and thus two tigers had the same stripes.

"After that, fire lost its magic and could not turn any other creature into such a vivid orange. They say inside, tiger carry a little bit of that first fire within them.

"Today, if you look close enough, and listen close enough to our roar, you can see the past dancing in a tigers fur, and the sound of a roaring fire, the last lingering presence of that first flame."

With that, coat shining in the sun as if flames were dancing on her fur, she let out a roar from the heart. It was an old trick her mother had used to put her in a sense of awe, and make her believe once that the legend was true.

 

Tala, Jack, and the other adults sat at a distance while the other pups were gather all around Sola, each climbing over the other in order to get close to hear better. When Sola spoke about the fire, the pups were as still as statues, their little bodies tense with anticipation and suspense. Sola delivered a earth shaking roar that caused the little ones to jump, and she'd be lying if she said that the adults weren't taken by surprise a little. When the story ended, the pups seemed to regain their composure, and forgetting the fright they initially felt from the sound which caused their ears to ring, they ran up to Sola and examined her stripes closely, hoping to see if her fur would show them the past. Just like her story.

 

Tala watched from a far, allowing the pups to get to know Sola a bit, but it didn't take long for them to fall in love with her. One of the pups was getting tangled up in Sola's long tail, while others were attempting to climb her back, and still more barraged her with questions. Tala approached the small crowd. "Alright you guys, let's give the big bad tiger some space, huh?" She suggested as she pulled on of the cubs off her. Tala looked at Sola and smiled, brows raised in surprise. "Well, that was quite a story. I mean look! You really got us going." She said, laughing as the pups were still fighting to get near Sola. The adults came by to gather their young one by one. The pups waved goodbye until only Tala, Firefly, and Sola were left.

The serenity of the meadow was shattered in an instant as a thunderous roar tore across plains; striking fear into the hearts of all those out grazing there. Birds burst into the air in a torrent of feathers, driven out by the sheer authority of it, and rabbits fled to their holes in alarm. Zelos was unmoved, but intrigued by the intensity of it none the less. ‘Whoa, sounds like someone is angry’ he thought with amusement ‘this could be interesting’ he considered, as he headed in the direction the roar had sounded from; optimistic that he`d get to witness a cat fight.

Keeping to the high ground as he traveled toward the horizon at a quickened pace; he soon surmised the source of the roar, but the scene that lay before him in the distance was not what he had anticipated at all… wolfs and a tiger seemingly getting along? He was bewildered by it, but at any rate there were too many teeth present down there for him to want to investigate any further. He tended to be reckless, but he was no fool; he`d dealt with wolfs in the past, and deemed that they weren`t to be toyed with...  at least, not as a pack. They were too far-away to pose any threat to him, so he was content to spy on them; as long as he commanded the high ground, there would be no sneaking up on him, so his confidence remained. After a bit he continued to graze, watching the bizarreness of the assembly expectantly; hopeful that if he stuck around for a bit he`d have the opportunity to witness a fight yet, and the day wouldn`t have been a complete loss for action.

The day began slow, and still. Not a whisper nor a whistle out of the wind, and the trees were quiet. It was late afternoon when finally the wind picked up, and dark storm clouds began to move in, casting long, heavy shadows over the earth. The birds were gathering their hatchlings under their wings, hiding them from an impending storm, and the rabits hunkered down in their underground shelters. A roar filled the air, a loud, thunderous roar, though it wasn't thunder at all. In the thick of the forest, claw marks could be found on every tree within a mile radius. The canopy of trees overhead felt the beating of a downpour of rain, as drops fell here and there through the branches. The silhouette of a striped figure, slashing away at the tree bark could be seen with each flash of lightning, which acted as strobe lights, and the activity of the strange beast mixed with the intermittent flashing created a scary scene.

 

Her reflexes were quick, and her blows grew more severe with each tree she moved to. Her long, sharpened claws tore and gashed the trees with ease. Poe let out grunts as she struck them, stopping only for a brief moment to rest. She sat down, her side moving in and out with her heavy breathing, her ribs poking out each time she inhaled. Poe examined her sore, splintered paws and licked the blood from the wounds inflicted by sharp wood. Not good enough she thought to herself, as she attempted to catch her breath. With her amber eyes, she locked onto a dead branch hanging low on a tree. It was just barely hanging on, and with one quick and mighty swipe of Poe's paw, the branch snapped and fell to the earth. Poe seemed unsatisfied none the less. Thunder crashed and roared. Lightning flashed once more, bringing Poe back in time. She saw her father's hardened face, his furrowned brow as he looked down on her. She saw her mother, who looked on her with little emotion in her eyes, which were dull and uninterested. Next, she saw her father leaving the den, his back turned to her as he slowly began to fade into the snow. Raindrops fell on Poe's nose, bringing her back. Her eyes narowed. Her lips curled under in a snarl to expose the terrible fangs beneath. With a roar that overpowered the pounding of the storm, she raced to the nearest tree, and began tearing at it in a frenzy.

Firefly watched Sola with admiration as she told her story. After a bit, when all the other pups had left, Firefly walked up to Sola. "Was that true?" She asked nervously. Her tiny eyes sparkled with excitement. She then had a realization. Slowly, she tilted her head, trying to make up an idea. "Tala," she started, "where can I sleep? I have nowhere to go." Her ears went back with embarrassment. It had been a long time since Firefly had slept in a clan, with wolves who actually cared. She looked at Tala, then Sola, nervousness creeping into her expression.

Sola felt sorry for the young wolf. Firefly seemed to have been through a lot, and obviously was in secure right now. Sola wanted to comfort the pup. "You know, sometimes we don't know if stories are true or not. But, the way to tell if something is true is to believe it. If you believe it, and it doesn't feel right, then its not true. If you believe it and it feels right, then it is true." A smile came over Sola. "In fact, that is true for everything. If it feels right, everything will work itself out." Gently she nuzzled the pup.

Tala smiled down at Firefly, her blueish gray eyes shinning with a motherly affection. She felt for the pup, she really wanted to do everything she could to help. Firefly looked conflicted for a couple of reasons. The first, she was unsure of whether or not to believe Sola's story, but Sola gave her a helpful answer. Tala nodded at Sola, and smiled. Returning her attention to Firefly, Tala lowered her head so she could look the pup in the eyes. "You can stay with me in my den. My father and brothers stay there too." She confirmed, and the wind slightly ruffled through her short fur, a circle of leaves flew all around them. "Or, if it would make you feel more comfortable, you can ask one of your new friends if you could share their den. Everyone here is very friendly, so I'm sure their parents won't mind." She said, as she looked back to the adults who were carrying off their young, and the parents seemed to nod their approval.

After a while it became apparent to him that there would be no fight breaking out, despite the fact that there was a tiger among wolves, he could ascertain even from a distance that their exchange was an affable one; there was a tenderness about their movements—it was unsettling to him ‘how disappointing’ he thought with a snort, dissatisfied.  He stomped a foot frustrated and bewildered; it wasn`t right… those creatures down there being so chummy with each other like that—it was just so unnatural, and besides; there kinds had never extended such gestures of amity toward his kind-- what made them so special?  He swished his tail impatiently ‘there had better be some action soon darn it, I’m getting bored out of my mind here!’ he was getting antsy waiting for something to happen, something...anything to break the mundanity of an otherwise uneventful day.

He resolved stay at his post; it’s not like he had anywhere to be anyway, spying on wolves was at least doing something. He wouldn`t get any closer since it was going to be dark soon; which put him at a glaring disadvantage , but something about a tiger amongst wolves intrigued him too much to simply walk away.

The rain had left the earth soft and wet under Poe's paws. She had finished her training for the time being, and was observing the skies. The rain had stopped, and the lightning was gone. Only the faint rumbling of the distant thunder could be heard. The sky was clearing up, and Poe was getting hungry. She decided to head north, where the sky looked clearest. Bending her back in a curve, her belly just hovering above the rain-soaked ground, she stretched and flexed. She shook her wet coat, rain flying off of her and glinting in the light of the emerging sun. With a single push of her hind paws, she sprinted towards her selected destination. Her paws struck the ground with much force, and she picked up speed every time she pushed off the earth. A flock of birds up ahead scattered as she burst through. Her eyes were keen, but her nose was better, and she sniffed the air. A strange, but surprising scent flooded her senses, and her eyes scanned the area. As the scent grew stronger, she slowed down a bit, quieting her steps.

Suddenly, a whole assortment of smells filled the air. Poe closed her eyes and tried to seperate the scents to get an idea of just which animals were in the area. All at once, her fur stood on end, and she felt her claws extend and dig into the earth. She was in Wolf territory, without a doubt. She felt her heart race. The last time she had seen a wolf was during the War..she had to proceed with caution. She crept foward. At least if there were wolves around, that meant there had to be food. Then, Poe spotted something that pleasently surprised her. A large Stallion off in the distance, not too far. Her stomach sounded off with a muffled growl, and Poe brought herself low to the ground. She focused and felt her muscles tense as she crouched and crawled forward slowly through the brush in the Stallion's general direction.

Sola's ears suddenly pricked, her body stilling. One paw was mid-step, and her mouth was agape. On top of a tiger's mouth were sensory organs that helped her sense of smell. Her ears rotated their 180 degrees and back, like satellite dishes.

Sola had heard a paw and snort carried on the wind. It had shifted directions, and now the smell of horse washed over her. Looking around, Sola zeroed in. The stallion stood on high ground, watching.

Wolves forgotten, Sola followed her paws. She was lower to the ground, sliding across the earth without a sound. She wasn't sure if the wolves saw the horse, and she sent out a silent prayer no one would get in her way. A charging tiger was no laughing matter.

She sprung forward, racing up the hill towards the stallion.

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.