And the Floodgates Burst Open. [Dev; Open]

[kreios]

the silence is deafening

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The day was drab and overcast. The sky was a muddled mix of grays and slate blues. Every so often the sun would gain some footing against the blanket of clouds and a sliver of light would blink through but it seemed the clouds were unyielding and would always find a way to push back the light. Despite the dreary sky the day was warm and a calm breeze kept the air from becoming stagnant and heavy. It seemed an exceptional day for lazing about doing nothing in particular. One of those days that just made you want to lay there right in the center of it and just watch the world turn around you, and for the time being, at least one inhabitant of the valley was doing just that.

In the fresh spring grass lay a softly breathing lump of cream and brown fur. The wolf lay of his side, his chest rising and falling with a rhythmic beat, his legs sprawled in no particular direction, and his tail curled up, lying gently on his thigh. Besides the gentle rise of his chest the creature's only movement was the intermittent twitch of his nose that came only when a passing insect decided that the area would make an appropriate resting spot. Normally the wolf didn't spend an awful lot of time in the few lands that remained unclaimed by the packs, mostly because they seemed mostly to be lands that no one particularly wanted to be in, except of course for this stretch of river and the fields that connected to it a few hundred yards up. Today was an exception though, he was meeting a friend. The wolf could claim few friends thanks to his tendency to avoid conversation but for some reason this particular wolf seemed to be able to get past the quiet and call Kreios a friend as well. Unfortunately, their meetings were generally confined to these leftover areas thanks to the fact that they resided in separate packs.

The lazing wolf slowly let his eye blink open. It seemed to be getting a bit closer to their decided upon meeting time. With a sigh that indicated great effort on his part, the wolf pushed himself up from the ground, revealing to the world his slender disproportionate body. The wolf rocked back on his hind legs, stretching out his front legs and paws, even letting his mouth fall open and his tongue curl up into a hefty yawn. When he felt that his front side was sufficiently stretched, he leaned forward fully extending each leg out behind him in succession. Now that the creature was back into the conscious, functioning world, the sound of the rapids behind him became something he was much more aware of. The river, lazy farther up ahead, at this point began to surge forward and pour over and uncountable number of various sized boulders and rocks creating a roar of angry water. This hardly seemed that proper place to reunite with a friend he hadn't seen in several weeks. And so, the lanky creature began a slow walk a little farther up the river towards the quieter, more tranquil water. Perhaps he would intercept his friend along the way...

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[Skarlet]

Late, they were nearly late. But it was the female's fault for once, not her brother's. She was distracted, you see, by a foreign male who seemed to have lost his way, though with all her wit and experience of male's coming onto her, she was sure he knew exactly where he was going. But that didn't mean she couldn't play the innocent damsel. She had spent so much time appeasing the male, that even with her brother's reminders and protests, she still managed to make them late for their meeting with Kreios.

There was some the female knew about him, but it was her curiosity to learn more about him and encouraged her to make this encounter. Her steady paws carried her as if one wings to their meeting spot, a tranquil location along the riverside, just perfect for a calming conversation with a friend. Her only qualm was of how Devyant would behave. He was notorious for acting strange around other male's even more possessive of her than during any other time. Skar wasn't fragile by any means, and she thought the behavior flattering. But as of late, it was becoming annoying, though she could never crush her brother's feelings by saying so. She just hoped he would take notice before she was forced to speak her mind.

Her gallop along the river's edge slowed to a leisurely trot as the familiar pelt of Kreios graced her line of sight. He too appeared to be just arriving or was stretching his limbs. She hoped for the sake of embarrassment it was the prior. With an excited bounce to her step she raised her head and sounded an attentive bark toward her companion. "Hey!" She put on an extra burst of speed to reach him, then quickly braked at his side before knocking the poor brute into the river. She danced in place excitedly, trying to get her adrenaline levels plummet before she attempted speaking again. Once she was sure she wouldn't prattle on with nonsense she spoke softly. "Hi. I'm sorry if we kept you waiting.."

[Đevyánt]

D E V Y A N T !!

The pale mahogany and smoky grey wolf sulked in a slow, trotting gait behind his sister, sparks clinging to his whiskers and his shoulders hunched. Why she had needed to stop and chat to a male escaped him, though he had restrained himself, only calling her away. The stupid brute had been slightly intimidated by the flaming red eyes boring into him at every sideways glimpse, and finally they were on their way again. He trudged through the grass and glared at the back of his sister’s head, though if she were to turn to look at him his scowl would falter. In truth he still wasn’t happy that they were meeting with yet another male wolf, but if he didn’t let her have a couple of friends, she’d be upset. And he really didn’t want to see his sister upset.

Sighing, the guardian’s eyes drifted to the body of his sibling in front of him. He sneezed at the spring air, with its grass and insects and flowers, and at that extremely faint underlay of pheromones in the beautiful female’s fur. Any urge he might feel was very easily reined in, though, and at the moment he just thought of her as his charge as he escorted her to the rapids. She might have been leading him along, but it felt better to know that he could protect her from any danger.

He slowed down as she did and lifted his head to glance past his shoulder. A fine spray came from the tumbling river, and he hissed briefly as some dusted his fur with drops of water. He was used to getting soaked though, by his sibling’s element, and soon the gentle mist became refreshing. With a slightly brighter expression and less of a heavy step, he followed. When his sister’s bark sounded, he swiveled his brown ears forward and caught sight of the long-legged Kreios. Hunching his shoulders once again, he drifted as a protective shadow.

Her burst of speed caught him off guard, and Devyant gave a warning snarl before she was able to stop before knocking the male into the water. He sighed at the close call and walked a lot more calmly to her side with a glance at Kreios. He offered a less antagonistic expression and leaned over to sniff at the other wolf’s fur in greeting. He raised a brow at Skarlet’s apology and offered a short, taunting laugh. “I would apologize also, but it was her fault,” he teased. He grunted as he lowered himself to his stomach, his forepaws dangling over the edge of the water, and closed his eyes with ears turned toward the other two wolves.

[kreios]

the silence is deafening

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The sun poked through the clouds once more as the chocolate wolf strode along the riverside waiting patiently for his dear friend. The breeze drew some small spray from the river and it quickly clung to the wolf's long fur. He was very much enjoying his time spent by the river and had truthfully lost track of the time altogether. He didn't make it much farther down the river before a jovial bark broke through the air. The dark ears of the male perked immediately and his head shot around just in time to see a ball of fur flying toward him. The wolf skidded to a spot at his side, her paws ripping up the weaker grasses and spraying a small wave of sandy soil at the male. He couldn't help but grin as his lady friend pranced around trying to compose herself. He took this opportunity to allow himself a quick shake tor rid his fur of the loose particles that had just fallen on him.

The wolf's fluffy tail had been involuntarily wagging since his friend's initial bark and it hadn't stopped yet. As the silvery female began to speak Krieos couldn't help but catch sight of another wolf stepping into the scene, the bulky, brute shape of his friend's protector and brother, Devyant. Devyant was far less excited about the friends' meeting than either of the actual friends. Kreios knew better by now than to even hope that his meetings with Skarlet could be solo affairs, Devyant was always in the background. Her brother's constant presence wasn't all that big of an issue, Kreios's motives were pure, it was just that he always had a certain unusual disposition about him. Kreios always felt that there was something unusual about the two wolves relationship with one another, and unusual type of interaction that occurred, but neither sibling seemed to think anything of it, and so, in an effort to keep the peace, Kreios had never brought it up.

As Skarlet apologized for her lateness, Kreios's tongue lolled out of his mouth in excitement. With a smile, Kreios leaned toward his friend and quickly nuzzled his head and nose into Skarlet's shoulder and side. She smelled just like she always did, clean and fresh, with an earthy undertone. As soon as he pulled away, about to speak, the brother reached the two and spoke his own words. Kreios was sure he would get some sort of intimidating glare for even daring to touch the wolf's precious sister, but he would endure it. And so, with a nod and as much of a smile as he could muster in Devyant's direction, the wolf dropped his front to the ground, his tail high in the air wagging feverishly, and barked playfully, pawing at Skarlet's feet with his own. He tossed his head in the direction of the river with a smile. "Wanna go swimming?"

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[Skarlet]

Excitement was all that ruled her in this encounter with her dear friend, though as always Devyant's attitude was more than a little off-putting. He rarely reflected her excitement when encountering another wolf, even a friend or acquaintance. So ti was her job to be happy for the both of them. And that was fine with her.

As he place blame on her, the female wheeled around on dancer's legs, swatting the brute lightly with a wide paw across the muzzle. Just a light tap, nothing to ruin his precious visage. "Oh shush. It wasn't my fault. If you want to say Hi just doing it normally...not need to act so cold." She nodded her dome in a self-righteous air then padded around to dear Kreios. Tail resumed its pummel of the air.

A delicate touch to her shoulder produced a slight flutter to her stomach, a friendly little note to remind her she indeed had a companion to be close with aside from her brother and it filled her with an unexplainable rapture. Immediately she returned the favor in terms of a gentle lick at the corner of his muzzle and a rough nudge toward the tranquil stream. An offer to swim was something she could not ignore.

Had the female been excited before, she was exuberantly pleased now. "You bet I do!" She barked with all the boom her voice could harbor, then without a second thought, leapt clear into the water. By aid of her elemental control, Skarlet was gifted swimmer and she flaunted this ability at every chance she and her brother came across a body of water. A reminder perhaps, that she could manipulate an element just as well as he. And she reminded him. From the shoulder deep depths the female paddled around in a circular pattern, starting slowly to get the once idle pool active. Then once a definite pattern could be seen, she hurriedly pulled out of the bend and watched as her tiny maelstrom increased in speed, creating a vortex that slowly drug her back in. Without a care she turned and swiveled with the pool, barking with laughter all the while. For a brief moment her eyes touched the shore. "Krieos, Devy, come on! You guys had to try this!"