Seeking... (Open to anyone)

[Ree]

((I hope this is okay. ^.^; Please don't mind the length. My first posts tend to be longer than average.))

It was far too quiet, in more ways than one.

When Tiva and Tehya woke in this strange world, they were overwhelmed at the sheer amount of differences between life here and the life they used to know. The most jarring difference was the lack of sound, and both were still getting used to not being able to hear the other's footfalls or the noises of the world around them. It was...hard, and Tiva wasn't sure she'd ever adjust, but she was determined to make the most of everything. Besides, they could still communicate with each other, albeit in an odd way.

And that was the reason why it was quiet in more than one way. At the very start of everything, the cub's cries of hunger and fear echoed through the adult's mind. Now, though, Tehya simply kept near her mother's paws, without even a whimper being broadcasted from daughter to mother. It worried Tiva - it was a cub's nature to complain if they were uncomfortable. It ensured their needs were met in a timely manner, if it was possible to do so. Had she given up?

Well...Tiva wouldn't. Somehow, she would make sure they both survived. For now, that meant finding shelter to rest in and then seeing what around them was edible or drinkable. She had chosen to wander the Light Forest because - of the areas she could see from where she had regained consciousness - it seemed the most familiar and promising. If they could survive, their best hopes lay here, where the undergrowth falsely promised safety to all manner of prey and where there was bound to be shelter from the elements.

Did the elements even exist in this place?

Never mind. Best not to think about that.

There was weight against her leg for a brief moment as Tehya collapsed. Tiva stopped and turned around, laying by her exhausted daughter and bathing her with soft, gentle strokes of her tongue. She glanced around between licks, watching to see if anything - or anyone - would come into view.

[Snakeh]

Sköll stepped into view. Two panthers? She'd heard that newcomers were here, and she'd decided to check it out. The older panther, the mother, was licking her cub and keeping a close eye on Sköll. Using the new means of communication, the wolf simply said, "Hey. I won't hurt your cub. I'm just here to get to know you both." The wolf sat down, and, hearing the cub's feared cries, began to slowly lick it along with the mother. The cub's cries gradually died away, but Sköll could tell it was still scared. She sat up again, and circled around them, trying to see if the cub had any expression. She didn't get to see the cub's face. The wolf yawned, revealing sharp pointed teeth. "You seem tired. And you're a bit dirty." So Sköll began to lick the mother. This was her soft side showing, this tired mother and exhausted cub were under her watchful gaze. She stopped, and noticed that the Splitting Streams were nearby. Fetching a large grayish leaf, she caught a grayish fish and brought it over to the mother and cub in the leaf. Then she grabbed another larger leaf and brought water over. "By the way, I am called Sköll."

[Ree]

As she watched, a wolf came into view. She hadn't had much in the way of trouble with wolves since becoming an adult, but she did know of them, and she knew that they were competitors for food and a threat to cubs...

...in the old world...

To say she was startled when she heard - well, what passed for hearing these days - the wolf speak to her and realized she understood what it- she - said would be a massive understatement. Her pelt bristled for a moment, but she forced herself to relax. Perhaps the wolf was like her - an old world creature struggling to understand an unfamiliar land. That made her an ally. She needed what allies she could get, at least until she came to understand this place.

The wolf worked t soothe her cub, and Tiva wondered if she - the wolf - was a mother, or had been once. She wouldn't ask, though. She didn't want to risk opening wounds, especially if she was going to befriend the canine.

Tiva watched as the wolf circled them and then yawned. At the sight of the teeth, Tehya hid behind her mother, though she came out of hiding soon after. Tiva gave the cub one last lick to the top of the head, relieved that she was doing better now. Perhaps she had pushed too hard, forced the young creature to walk too far. She hated to admit it, but she had acted in something of a panic by making them travel since they woke up. They would have to take it slower, from here on. Now that she knew not everything here was hostile, he thought she could manage that.

She nodded when the wolf mentioned that she seemed tired. She was sure her tiredness was obvious, and felt as though she had travelled an entire world in one day. She let out a yawn of her own as the wolf licked her, and blinked when she saw her companion walk off. Where was she going?

Her unspoken question was answered soon when the wolf returned with a fish and then with water. Tehya was quick to lap up some of the water - a mark of how thirsty she was, as she normally asked for milk several times before settling for water and solid food.

"Thank you." Tiva began to tear into the fish, setting aside the softest, best-tasting portions for her cub and taking a bite of the remainder. It wasn't bad. She usually hunted mammals, but she didn't mind fish in the least, especially as a gift. "I'm Tiva, and this is my daughter, Tehya." She nudged the cub toward the bits of fish she'd set aside for her, and Tehya began to eat as Tiva spoke again. "We used to live someplace completely different, with sound and color and the most beautiful views, but then we suddenly found ourselves here..." She turned to the wolf. "What about you? How did you come to be here?"

[Snakeh]

"I was sent here just like you two." Sköll was not surprised at all. The cub had greedily lapped up water, while the fish was tore apart by the mother. Tiva and Tehya...she had heard those names before. "I've heard those names before...but where?" This was a stumper. She couldn't think of why these names sounded so familiar. Maybe a wolf had brought news to her as a pup? She didn't know. She settled down near the mother, and began to lick one paw, which was cut and scraped beyond pain. She winced as her tongue met the raw skin, but she forced herself to keep licking. Her paw became numb.

((no muse today, sorry~))