Akiko. [open]

[[Midnight]]

Akiko had really been enjoying her adventuring the past few weeks. The weather had been warm and damp, with summer showers every few days to make the trees drip and the grass glisten. Her favorite time of day was the early morning, when the ground was still heavy with dew and the songbirds were the only sounds to echo through the forest. She found it far too beautiful to bear. She couldn't quite describe the feelings it gave her; when she tried to show others the pretty sparkling drops of water on the ground, they didn't find it nearly as interesting. She was a little put out by it sometimes. She decided she wanted to find a new playmate today, somehow and somewhere.

The meadow seemed to her like a great place to start her search. There were always creatures strolling through the grass. She was thinking of the doe she saw the other day nursing its newborn calf while she searched the horizon to see if they were here today, too. When she saw nothing of interest, she frowned a bit and sat back on her haunches, staring around her for something entertaining. She ended up rolling over in the grass with a heavy sigh, staring cross-eyed at a stalk of grass tickling her nostrils. Only another moment or two passed before she began rolling onto her side - and then rolled over again, and again, and again, flipping about and disturbing the grass to make crinkle and slowly stand back in place.

She giggled a bit when she looked back up at her trail of crinkling grass. That was temporarily fun. She could see her father enjoying this too, if he were with her.

[Paint]

It had begun again. That inccessant inability to sleep. Bandit felt as if she were in a state barely alive, having to wander about with this dragging weight pulling hard on her shoulders. Somehow she found herself in the meadow, although how she did not know. She didn't recall moving much but her bones ached. Perhaps she had been wandering for days now around the land.

Seeing Duke and not killing him was the cause of this. The nagging guilt that always weighed upon her - that she was not doing enough - pulled her down again. She hadn't slept in days now. Her dull amber eyes realised the sunshine, the long soft grass and in the distance there was a growing pup. Her body finally gave in and she sat down, staring into nothing, not entirely sure if she was in a sane state of mind. Her eyes widened at nothing and stayed wide as she swayed ever so slightly in the hot breeze.

[[Midnight]]

Being still a pup and rather inexperienced, Akiko did not bother to pay much attention to what was happening aorund her. She kept her eyes riveted straight ahead. The way the grass liked to bend back in place was rather silly to watch, but she hadn't really noticed before that walking through it made such an obvious trail. Were there other fresh, crinkling grass trails around here, used by other wolves or animals? She decided that following one would lead her to something pleasant, such as her new playmate. She was convinced that the grass all around here must be dancing back in place after all the paws that had trampled it.

But when she looked up and gazed around, she suddenly recognized that there was another wolf close by, watching her. Well, no, not really watching her. Akiko gathered that this she wolf was not feeling too well. She stared at Bandit for a few moments, starting to get a bit spooked by her elder's appearance. Something about the glaze in her orange eyes spoke of a broken spirit; unpredictability.

Akiko, of course, hadn't really gathered so much into it; she simply thought Bandit looked tired and frightfully sad. After a few moments of indecision, she decided she wasn't dangerous, and ventured closer. Her movements were purposeful as she lifted each leg as high in the air as possible and smacked it down like she was trying to squash something. She couldn't help but look back at her crinkly grass trail and smile.

When she looked back ahead she almost ran into Bandit and stopped short. She looked up apologetically but soon realized that not much had changed with this she wolf. Akiko wasn't too sure if she had really been noticed. But as she stared quietly up at Bandit's features her smiles all turned to frowns.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing she spoke. She wasn't sure why she was apologizing or what for, but she felt it was the only appropriate thing to say.

[Paint]

What Bandit was thinking about it could not really be said. There seemed to be an incessant buzzing as background noise, and she was sure that the world was becoming a little fuzzy around her peripheral vision as she sat and stared. When words reached her ears, she blinked and came to, turning her head a little and noticing that the pup who had been across the way was now right in front of her. Bandit shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to snap herself out of it, but ended up simply staring dopily at the apologetic wolf in front of her.

"No, I'm sorry," she finally replied, shaking her head again. Her ears flapped against her head as she shook, desperately trying to remove the blur from her mind. Having company was bringing her to, ever so slightly, but it was taking a hell of a lot of concentration. The worst part was that she just wanted to lie down and snooze, but she knew that was impossible. She'd been trying to tire herself out for days now, and still even when she finally rested and closed her eyes, she could not sleep.

"My name is Bandit," she decided this was a safe starting point. She knew that somehow she knew this pup- heck, she was probably mildly related to her- but her brain was simply not in a fit state to compute. So she fixed her amber eyes upon the beautiful pup and awaited some sort of response. Bandit was just glad that Caden was not around to see her in such a state.

[[Midnight]]

The pup had a brief moment of high self-worth as she understood imediately that her decision to greet this wolf did not end with danger. She was always told to shy away from strangers unless they smelled of Dancing Stars. Akiko had caught her familiar scent while walking up to her, but it seemed to her like a huge achievement to be able to recognize a packmate. When the older wolf spoke of her calling, Akiko mulled over the name for a moment, her green eyes darting towards large paws. They were far bigger than Esmerelda's paws. She didn't recognize the name Bandit, nor the paws that belonged to her. Akiko was observant, however, and took note of Bandit's name and striking appearance.

"Hi Bandit. I'm Akiko," she responded politely, unable to stop her tail from wagging with delight. She was glad she wasn't alone anymore, even though it certainly was enjoyable while it lasted. "Mom and everyone always says I should trust my nose before my eyes, because your nose tells you more. But my nose didn't tell me your name or how scared you look. Are you afraid of the meadow?"

She c0cked her head to one side, at an utter loss as to why anyone would be afraid of such a care-free place. Of course, Akiko had also been warned about staying too long out here on her own, since she was "plainly visible from all angles." But she had yet to run into trouble. Bandit stood out a lot though; maybe that's why she seemed troubled.

"Don't be scared."
To emphasize her point she let herself fall flat into the grass, acting like she was carefree and safe in a secluded den. "It's beautiful!"
And with that she let out a loud, contented sigh, that spoke of a good life.

[Paint]

Bandit could hardly compute this happy little wolf's words. Scared? Of the meadow? It was a sort of kindness, the way she was speaking, but it made very little sense. The black and white wolf stared at her, mildly incredulous and completely confused. She watched her roll around and slowly she closed her eyes and then opened them again. Every small movement seemed like an effort.

"I'm not scared," she began to explain, then numbly began to think about it metaphorically. Perhaps she was scared. Not of the meadow, of course, but perhaps she was scared of something else. It was all too much to think about. "I'm not scared of the meadow."

She watched the little wolf curiously, trying to place her. The dappling in her coat was very beautiful, very typically beautiful, and reminded her of someone else. When she mentioned her mother, Bandit's throbbing head stirred a little.

"Your mother is right about your nose," she managed to say. A frown crossed her brow. "Who is your mother?"

[[Midnight]]

Akiko sat herself back upright when Bandit insisted that she was not scared. She shook the grit from her pelt before looking back up at her curiously. Not scared of the meadow? Akiko wasn't sure then why Bandit seemed like a black cloud. Perhaps she had simply been mistaken. After all it seemed like she still made a lot of mistakes even though she thought she was so close to being grown up by now.

"Oh, sorry," was her first initial response, flicking her eyes against her skull to show her misgivings. She wasn't sure what else to say. Though Bandit certainly seemed more normal now, Akiko still thought her gaze was unsettled. Actually, she looked confused. Was there something on her face? She began to rub a forepaw across her muzzle in a cat-like manner when Bandit asked who her mother was.

Akiko put her paw back down and pointed her ears forward. She supposed she was used to answering this question, although sometimes she noticed many wolves knew who she was even though she had never met them before.

"Esmerelda is my mother. Her eyes are green like mine," she noted, a hint of pride in her voice. She admired her mother, who always seem to have the answers for everything. "She's very pretty," she added as a side-thought, nodding her head once.

[Paint]

Bandit found a smile, somehow, when she realised who this wolf was. Of course. She dipped her head, wondering how on earth she was going to go on in this fuzzy state of mind, and sighed. She blinked, eyes sticking like tree sap freshly oozed from a branch. She stared dully at her distant relative.

"Esmerelda is my... half-niece, I suppose you could say," Bandit replied, trying to clear through the fog in her mind to establish the relationship. "I don't know if you know anything about your great-grandad. I'm one of his daughters."

She wondered what else there was to say, for a moment. That happy-go-lucky attitude that this wolf seemed laced with, this female who she wasn't even sure of the name of. She thought of Esmerelda's litter, but they'd been so small back then. They grew so fast.

"You've grown up an awful lot," she finally decided to say, prompting her to speak a little more. Listening required less mental power than stringing together a coherent sentence, she thought.

[[Midnight]]

Akiko wasn't sure at all who Bandit was, or who her great-grandfather was, for that matter. She hadn't really thought much about her relatives outside of her immediate family. She had perhaps heard mention of them once or twice but had since forgotten of it. But she was even more curious about Bandit, now that they were suddeny something like sisters (from Akiko's point of view.)

"Have I?"
She seemed utterly proud to hear this, suddenly standing up at her full heigth and lifting her chin rather proudly.
"I thought so too. I'll be a yearling before long. Maybe then I can hunt with everyone. I've always wanted to hunt. Dad used to bring Mom and I something he hunted all the time but now I eat with the pack. I saw Caden a few times. I want to be an Alpha someday too. Then I'd get to tell everyone to come to the meadow and play."

She was almost out of breath the way she spoke so quickly and enthusiastically.

"So I'm a half-niece? How come I don't see you very much?" she asked, blinking slowly and smiling sweetly.

[Paint]

Bandit smiled. I'm going to be Alpha one day. She'd heard that one before. Her heart wrenched a little, and despite herself she let her mind wander very briefly to the past. She was sure the exact same words had come from her own maw all those seasons ago.

"Sounds very exciting. Hunting can be good fun," Bandit replied, an automatic reply but there was real sentiment behind it. She liked Akiko. "And Caden is a very good wolf. You'd do well to follow his example."

"I haven't seen anyone very much recently," she thought a little, stretching her body and feeling the aches in her bones. She thought of her new Beta status and shook her head a little, sighing. She needed to get one good night's sleep and then she could really fulfil her duties. "But I should. And I will. I'm very tired, you see. I'm finding it difficult to sleep. My brain keeps whirring."

She yawned a little. It was a positive sign. Bandit had never quite figured out what made her insomnia better. Sometimes it was company, other times it was being alone. Sometimes it was exercise, other times it was staying entirely still. Routine or spontaneity didn't provide any particular help. It was a mass of contradictions that she had somehow learned to live with.

"But we should see each other more often. If you'd like I was thinking of going for a hunt in a couple of days, if Caden doesn't suggest one first. Perhaps you could watch and learn, or something." She smiled again.

[[Midnight]]

Akiko couldn't quite appreciate that Bandit wasn't sleeping well. She herself found sleep easy to come by at the end of a long day. When she wanted to sleep, she certainly didn't let anything stop her. She looked at Bandit oddly, wondering why it was so different for her. It certainly explained why Bandit had seemed so off just a few moments earlier. Akiko couldn't help but feel sorry for her, so in response she pushed her head into Bandit's furry chest and gave her an affectionate nuzzle.

"I will follow your example too. I like you," she stated simply and innocently. Excitement at the prospect of watching a hunt made her unable to sit still. How nice of Bandit! She was the best half-half-aunt ever! If her mother was half-neice, why hadn't she said so?
As she thought of hunting with Bandit and maybe Caden and all the adults, she almost felt scared. What if she ruined it? What if she turned out to be the worst hunter in the pack and was banned from it?

"I'll try my best to learn," she said, looking more serious than before.

[Paint]

Bandit laughed a little.

"You'd do well to follow my example too. I am, of recent, your new Beta," she informed Akiko. Bandit was not a boastly wolf, so her tone was more self-mockery than anything else. Not to say that she wasn't proud of herself. She just had respect for pack hierarchy, and knew that Akiko should learn such a respect if she were to do well in life. Sometimes Bandit thought that Esmerelda was still a little too wild at heart to really adhere to the pack structure, and she wondered if such a trait would be passed on to Akiko.

"It won't be too difficult," she thought about the implications of taking a pup-come-adolescant on their first hunt. It was always better to start off small, but she knew what it had felt like to watch her father's pack bring down a whole moose for the first time. Simply awesome. Her ears flickered in thought as she attempted to overcome the fog in her mind. Her eyes felt heavy.

"Perhaps at first it would be better to buddy you up with someone, a runner. There tends to be the wolves who chase and trap the prey and the wolves who attack it. We try to keep it as civilised as possible, until feeding time," she thought aloud for a while, before blinking her amber eyes back on Akiko. Perhaps she was boring her.