Seeking Hope (Antares/Nerah)

[Aries]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #000; -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #888; box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #888; height: 600px;border-radius: 15px; background: url(http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/3481/antarestable.png), bTable]

[atrb=style, height: 300px; vertical-align: top; width:420px; padding:5px;][style=height: 200px; padding: 10px;width:420px;overflow: auto; color: 5f4538; padding: 10px;text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 5px;] "Seraphi is a gorgeous name~" he smiled a little wider, giving her a look over. She looked a little weak, but otherwise healthy, her muscles would surely grow stronger with age. A deep purr began resonating from his chest, he was glad to have contributed to the creation of another beautiful life. He rose to his feet and padded back to the roots of the tree where he left a mouse he killed earlier. A newborn maimed it and left it to die, so he ended the poor thing's misery. The feline picked it up by the tail, and brought it back to his new daughter. The mouse wouldn't be a mouthful to him so he might as well put it to better use. He'd learned that newborns are nearly always starving after battling their way out of their pod. "Eat this sweetie, it'll get your strength up." Antares dropped it at her paws gently. [/style]

[Deleted]

Nerah’s tail wagged as she watched the two. Antares was a good father – she knew that because she knew him and because she had seen him with his sons. She hoped she’d be a good mother. She’d never really had the chance with Hershey, outside of visitations. If this little one was willing, she’d join the pack and live with them. Then Nerah could watch over her as a parent should and not have to rely on a friend for any chance of seeing the life she had helped to create.

Antares gave the newborn a mouse to eat. Nerah’s first instinct was to sniff the mouse to make sure it was all right, but she held back. She trusted Antares, and knew he wouldn’t have given it if it hadn’t been safe. Her attention focused instead in the direction of the orchard’s exit. Eventually, they’d have to bring the pup back to the pack.

~*~*~*~POV Switch~*~*~*~

Seraphi tried to imitate her father’s purr. She succeeded for the most part, though her purr sounded very different than his. It was higher-pitched, and a bit uneven. Movement caught her eye, and she noticed her mother’s tail moving. Could she do that, too? She tried it, though her wag was slower than the canine’s. She would have to work on that.

Her father brought her a mouse and told her to eat it. She looked at it – it sported several injuries and didn’t look all that appealing. The sell did entice her, though, and she nibbled the carcass. After a couple small bites, she decided it tasted good and began eating in earnest.

[Aries]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #000; -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #888; box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #888; height: 600px;border-radius: 15px; background: url(http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/3481/antarestable.png), bTable]

[atrb=style, height: 300px; vertical-align: top; width:420px; padding:5px;][style=height: 200px; padding: 10px;width:420px;overflow: auto; color: 5f4538; padding: 10px;text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 5px;] "You're going to make a fantastic mother, you know that right?" he looked up and over to Nerah, who was quietly watching. Nerah was always gentle, but fiercely protective over who she cared for, which are the perfect traits for any parent. The feline chuckled as Seraphi mimicked his purr and purred a little louder himself. "Sorry it's so messy, a newborn left it to die after he was done playing with it, so I ended its misery." he shrugged as she gave the mouse an odd look, but ate it anyhow. "So, what do you think about going to see your home? We live just over in the distance in the forest right there." he pointed with his tail to the orange line of trees. After sleeping in the Orchard for so long he missed his soft and comfortable den in the homely forest he loved so much. [/style]

[Deleted]

Nerah blinked as Antares spoke to her. “You really think so?” It had been a source of insecurity for her since Arya took custody of Hershey, and especially since both had disappeared. She was happy her friends hadn’t considered her a bad mother for that outcome. Really, it was never her decision. It had been Arya’s the whole time. Even the decision to have a pup had been Arya’s She never regretted it, and she never regretted Hershey, but she regretted not seeing him more often, or making sure she had done all she could to salvage that relationship. That was the past, though. Nothing she could do unless fate brought her and her former mate together again.

~*~*~*~POV Switch~*~*~*~

Seraphi finished the mouse after several bites and licked her jaws clean. “Why would he hurt something so bad if he was only playing?” Was that a normal thing? Should she do that too? She didn’t want to hurt something through play. Instinct told her she’d have to hurt and even kill to survive, but for just play…well…it wasn’t her that’d done it, at least.

When Antares brought up seeing her home, she stared at him. Home? This wasn’t home? …No, she supposed not. If anyone made this place home, it’d get overcrowded between the permanent residents and the newborns. Her gaze drifted around, taking in the trees and other plants around her. What lay beyond where she could see? She did want to know, and she should know where she’d been staying, but her eyes widened when an orange line of trees was pointed out. They seemed so…distant.

“Home is that far?”

[Aries]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #000; -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #888; box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #888; height: 600px;border-radius: 15px; background: url(http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/3481/antarestable.png), bTable]

[atrb=style, height: 300px; vertical-align: top; width:420px; padding:5px;][style=height: 200px; padding: 10px;width:420px;overflow: auto; color: 5f4538; padding: 10px;text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 5px;] "You've always taken good care of the pack, I don't see how it would be any different here." the feline nodded, it wasn't her fault for what's-her-face taking her son. He didn't know the whole story himself, and he didn't really want to know either, but whatever happened wasn't because Nerah screwed up as a mother. "Claws are sharp and mice are fragile." he replied dully, he found dead or dying mice in the Orchard constantly from newborns playing too rough, but he'd accepted it as life. If he ever caught someone in the act of playing with their (still living) food he would scold them, and tell them that life isn't something to be played with. it went in one ear and out the other most of the time, but he really didn't care. "It's really not that far, you can ride on one of us. It takes mere minutes to get there at a good pace." Antares rose and stretched his muscles which ached to go home. He wanted Silva and Shadow to see her and give her a warm welcome into the pack, where she'd be safe and loved. [/style]

[Deleted]

“I…thank you.” She nuzzled the feline. “You’re a wonderful father. That I’ve known almost since we’ve been a pack.” It meant a lot that he had faith in her. She just needed to develop faith in herself. This wasn’t like before. This would work. She had to believe that.

She listened as Antares explained about the mouse, frowning. Nerah didn’t understand the current newborns’ obsession with playing with prey. Her own generation – at least, that she knew of – had always killed only for food. Such an act was done as quickly as possible, leaving as little mess as possible so more of them eat would be salvageable. But then, she and Silva had had to learn the whole concept of killing for food, and now it seemed instinctual to most beings. Did the trees give off knowledge earned by the creatures that had come before? It was an interesting concept, at least. Perhaps she and her generation had knowledge gained by earlier creatures. Was that how they knew how to talk at such an early age?

~*~*~*~POV Switch~*~*~*~

Seraphi listened as Antares explained about the mouse. He…didn’t seem happy about it. Should she be upset, too? But it had been killed and eaten. Life was confusing.

The feline assured her that home wasn’t far and she could ride on one of them. She stared up at him. He was so big compared to her, and certainly looked like he could carry her, but wouldn’t it hurt? She thought she might insist on walking herself, but then she wondered how she could keep up a good pace, especially going beyond the orchard. It seemed so big…everything seemed so big…

“All right…” She rose to her feet, a little shaky but able to keep herself from falling. “Can we go now?”

[Aries]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #000; -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #888; box-shadow: 0 1px 5px #888; height: 600px;border-radius: 15px; background: url(http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/3481/antarestable.png), bTable]

[atrb=style, height: 300px; vertical-align: top; width:420px; padding:5px;][style=height: 200px; padding: 10px;width:420px;overflow: auto; color: 5f4538; padding: 10px;text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 5px;] "No problem, I'm only speaking the truth." he nuzzled her in return. "Thanks, that means a lot to me." being a good father was something he always tried so hard to be, so it meant a lot to him when he was complimented on it. "I certainly don't see why not!" he gently grabbed the pup by the scruff and tossed her onto his massive shoulders. She could use her claws to hold on without hurting him, the fur around his neck and ruff was thick. Her little claws surely wouldn't go through the masses of it. He thought about if Nerah would want to carry her for a moment, but if she did he was sure she would speak up about it. "To the den, then?" he began trotting towards the forest, careful to keep his steps steady as to not throw Seraphi off by accident. [/style]

[Deleted]

Nerah grinned when Antares said he was only speaking the truth. “As am I.”

Nerah’s tail never ceased wagging as she watched the pup/kit. Aside from the weakness, she really was perfect. Beautiful, curious, and – from what she could tell – sweet-natured. She kept having to remind herself that strength would come in time. For now Seraphi was alive and that was what mattered most.

Their child seemed eager to get home, and Antares picked her up. Nerah giggled at the sight of her friend with the tiny creature on top of him. It was cute, and her worry about Seraphi managing to hold on lasted for only a moment. A tiny spark of jealousy hit her, but she pushed it away. It’d be her turn to carry Seraphi soon enough. It could be Antares’s turn today.

When the feline set off, the canine was right behind him, keeping an eye on their little one as they traveled.

~*~*~*~POV Switch~*~*~*~

Seraphi let out a yip of surprise as she was picked up and tossed onto the feline’s shoulders. It was strange – she thought such a thing would hurt, but it didn’t. It just felt a little odd because she hadn’t been expecting it. She turned in a circle once she was atop the feline, looking around at everything she could see. The world looked so much different from up here! Would she ever get this big so she could see the world like this all the time? She hoped so.

The mix kneaded the fur on Antares’s ruff and then clung to it, tail wagging. Her gaze continued to wander, taking in all the sights she could see.