[ P ] Paper Tigers

It almost felt strange coming home after her time away... Anthe had never traveled much, for obvious reasons, and as soon as she crossed back into the Lowlands she could feel familiarity settling around her, almost vice-like. It wasn't that she didn't want to be home - home was where her mother's lived, where they had raised her and Willow and Luca. But somehow the war had made everything feel wrong, backwards, like the whole world had been flipped on its head. Her lips had been pasted in a near permanent frown, as though weighted down at the corners, since she had been forced to leave the Redwood forest and continue home. Was that because she had left Sethos behind, not knowing when or if she might see him again, or for some other reason?

She sighed heavily, finding a plush patch of flowers, and flopped over rather ungracefully to lay upon her back and stare up at the puffy clouds rolling overhead. It smelled of the promise of rain, and the sky was really putting on an impressive show as it tried to decide whether or not it was going to open up over top of her. Somehow, she found herself not caring at all, though she often found herself sick when she got caught in the rain. "It's just water, after all..." she mumbled, ears flicking to pick up the sound of distant thunder.

Summit Hiram Eithne
The earth smelled moist and inviting here in the forest, new life bursting forth from the ground, with flowers budding and beginning to bloom. Today, Summit was exploring without either of his sisters, though his family was nearby. It was funny to be back in the Lowlands after seasons had passed, and Summit was amused to find that he still remembered bits and pieces of it. His parents had brought him by to see the earthen den where he had been born – and had nearly died, along with his young mother, due to the size he had inherited from his sire.

From size alone, one might guess that this youngster was actually much older as he moved clumsily down the worn path. Certainly, his height was already taller than many grown-ups he had met. But paws were still a bit too big for the rest of him, limbs still long and lanky, demonstrating that the yearling still had a bit of growing left to do. Every long step Summit took was awkward; the boy didn’t notice, a big smile spread across his ivory muzzle.

Overhead, the clouds were growing darker – a sure sign of coming rain, Mama said! But Summit didn’t mind the rain at all, and his ears pricked forward at the sound of distant thunder.

In the distance, he saw a wolf fall carelessly to the ground, and his mismatched eyes grew wide with concern. ”Someone in trouble!” Without hesitation, the youth barged over to the field where the wolfess had fallen, his features scrunched up with concern as he approached. He called out as he neared: ”Are you dead?”


@Anthe

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The sound of approaching paws was lost on Anthe's half deaf ears, and she gasped audibly as a voice suddenly called out to her. Are you dead? Red eyes snapped around as she hurriedly scrambled onto her side, falling onto... a somewhat familiar visage. He was much larger than the last time she had seen him. "God's... Nearly, after you snuck up on my like that!" she hissed, smoothing her puffed fur down with a few haphazard swipes of her tongue. "I guess I was just cloud-gazing. I needed some more fresh air before I face my mothers... What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with your sisters?"

She realized after she spoke that she sounded like every other dull adult, always snipping to yearlings and pups to mind their business... and she sighed, offering an apologetic smile and a thump of her tail as she pushed up into a sitting position. "Sorry, I'm... I'm just on edge. I think most of us are nowadays. Do you remember me? Anthe, Nephele and Kylar's daughter - and Willow's sister," she continued, her voice softer and closer to her usual almost lazy drawl.

Summit Hiram Eithne
Summit was very relieved that the wolfess was not dead, and he gave a long, drawn out sigh of relief. The worried expression on his visage vanished, replaced instead with one of youthful ignorance. For a second, his face registered his confusion… How did this she-wolf know he had sisters? Still, he didn’t find it weird or suspicious, just uncanny! ”My sisters? Oh, they’re not far. Mama and Papa are here, too!” Before he could begin explaining why they had returned to Melrose, the not-so-much-a-stranger apologized. ”It’s okay, sorry for scarin’ you!”

The lady asked if Summit remembered her, and the boy squinted, leaning closer to the smaller wolf in order to get a good look at her. At the mention of Nephele and Kylar and Willow, his face lit up. ”Auntie Neph! Yeah!” Still, Anthe’s face was only vaguely familiar, and Summit’s lips pursed tightly as he tried to reach further back into his memories. ”I know!” he announced suddenly. ”You’re – uh, you’re the one they kept inside, aren’t ya? So what’re you doin’ out here?” He blinked, head tilting questioningly.


@Anthe

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Anthe watched in amusement as the younger but much larger boy screwed his face up this way and that, clearly wrestling with confusion at her recognition of him. "I didn't realize your family had even returned... guess I've missed a lot being cooped up... it's not your fault I scare easy. I'm hard of hearing, and I don't usually let my guard down that far, to tell you the truth," she explained with a shrug. Summit seemed to glow in his excitement upon realizing their connection, and she couldn't help but grimace slightly at his question. As quickly as the sour expression appeared, however, it was replaced with a grin as she nodded her head.

"That's right. I'm sick, always have been... My mother has always taken very cautious care of me - but since I've been feeling better more often, I've been trying to get out more. It seems I picked a sh- uh... crappy time to do it though, with the war and all," she sighed, chiding herself for almost cursing in front of the yearling. "Have you been to see my mother yet? I'm sure she'd love to know how big and strong you've gotten."

Summit Hiram Eithne

"I didn't realize your family had even returned.” Summit nodded along, speaking up when Anthe had finished. He made sure to talk in an extra loud voice so that she could hear him, despite her deafness in one ear. ”Oh yeah, but jus’ for now! We mostly stay in the Highlands, ya know. But Mama might be…” He giggled, feeling too shy to say the word. ”She might have more pups!” And it was clear by his face, the bounce in his step – Summit was very excited to be a bigger-big brother.

The notion that the grown-up wolfess was sick inspired a frown, and Summit looked at her with renewed concern. But his cheerful demeanor returned quickly when he learned that she was feeling much better, and his tail wagged behind him. ”I’m glad you feel better! Bein' inside all the time sounds hard. And I’ll go see Auntie Neph soon,” he responded in a cheerful tone.

But his mind soon turned back to something else that Anthe had said, and he looked at her curiously. ”What war?” He was still smiling as he sat down beside the nice lady.


@Anthe

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Anthe did her best to keep up as he rambled, and she couldn't help the smile and laugh that the boys excitement inspired. Though he was already an impressive size, it was clear he was still blessed with some of the boundless energy often attributed to pups. Her eyebrows raised as he mentioned his mom might be having another litter, and her smile softened. Though everything seemed to be in turmoil right now, it made her heart ache a little less to know that some were still able to carve out their own little chunks of happiness and fulfillment.

"I'm sure you'll do a great job showing them the ropes if your mom has more pups... I'm sure Nephele will be thrilled to know that too. I'm not sure if there's anything, other than my other mother, that she loves more than pups," Anthe chuckled, stretching broadly as the sun's last rays before the storm warmed her against the dampness in the air. At his last question, Anthe frowned and stared at her feet... how did one even explain war to a soul this gentle and kind? She heaved a heavy smile and fixed her now-somber gaze on Summit. "War is... bad. For everyone. It means a couple of wolves in power think everyone who supports them has to fight everyone on the opposing side... all so one group can have more power. It's like... a really big fight. Hopefully it will blow over soon, just like this storm ought to."

Summit Hiram Eithne

The boy's chest puffed out proudly as Anthe spoke of his maybe-siblings. "Oh, yes!
My mum and dad talked about love a whole lot when they got married, and that’s where pups come from,” he concluded, quite pleased that he had figured it all out in his own. But his expression began to fade as Anthe continued.

Summit was silent as the grown-up began to explain all about this war business, trying to make sense of the senseless. His youthful features were all scrunched up, confused and concerned. The boy didn’t like the sound of this one bit. ”Is it like how in stories, there’s a hero that’s gotta fight the bad guy?” This theory made sense to Summit. He had heard about it in the fairytales and fables that he loved. But no war was destined to end with happily ever after.

An ominous rumbling of thunder announced the storm was creeping ever closer to where the two met, and Summit gazed into the distance with bright eyes, innocence in wolf form. He didn’t mind storms so much, though he had feared them as a smaller pup. The yearling looked to see if the impending storm was causing any anxiety for Anthe, ready to scoot closer if she needed any comforting. He was a good brother.


@Anthe

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