\\Think of Me// Wolf

[Dakki]

The noon day sun was high in the sky, warming the back of the female who was walking towards the rushing waters. She knew that she shouldn't have left her pack, but she felt herself being shoved towards the falls. The sound of the water echoed in her one hearing ear, driving her forward. Her pace picked up to a trot. Worry filled her, what if her Master came and found her here? A shiver pasted down her spine, making her run towards the water. This was a special place for her now, it seemed to bring her good luck. Her speech had been altered, a stutter no longer thick on her lips. She ran into Nirco, an old friend from her old pack. Yes, these falls brought her good luck.

Green foliage surrounded Echo as she reached the waters edge. Laying on her stomach she dipped her head towards the cool, crisp water and took a long drink. With the liquid sitting in her belly she felt the worry melt away. She would be okay, she would be okay. Echo wiggled backward and turned onto her back, letting the sun warm her belly. Her paws flopped in the air, a smile forming on her lips. It was a good day to be alive.

The female yawned, the stretching of her muscled pulling at her scar. Shaking her head she let it relax, her smile disappearing. She remembered the day when she got that scar, her alpha and his son beating her near death. This was after they killed her pups before her very eyes. A violent shutter shook her, almost making her fall back into the river. That day was stuck in her memory like glue, and she was sure that it would never leave her. Fear filled her gut, worried about becoming pregnant again. She was scared that if she had another litter, they too would be taken away from her. A low whine whispered out between her lips as she turned back on her belly, curling into a ball. Maybe it wasn't such a great day to be alive... although there had been worse. She missed her babies... her little babies. She had tried her hardest to save her last one, but she was then shoved into blackness as they beat her near her death. Echo whined softly once more, curling tighter in her ball.

[Wolf]

FAIRE ÉCHO

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A tiny red and cream female crept along through the greenery surrounding the thundering falls. Approaching the shore of a pool that ran off from the crushing waves, shallow enough to stand in up to her belly, even with her tiny height of twenty inches, Faire Écho slipped into the frigid water and almost sighed aloud in relief. The cuts around her ankles and at her scruff burned with infection, a result of her recapture about two weeks before. They hadn't been serious at the time; her quiet obedience had saved her much of the beatings, but had been enough to invite germs and infestation harmful enough to cause a puffy, swollen redness. Heat radiated from them, and the cold water countered, so the small Ethiopian Wolf-ess laid down in the shallows to let the ripples lap at her wounds.

Curled up, Faire Écho started to slip off in a light doze of relief. Suddenly, thoughts of her dear grandmother Cleopatra entered her mind. The female had given her life to protect her, stealing her away as her father and grand-father [and father, as her mother had bred with her half-brother] beat Echo to death for trying to stop the murder of her pups. Echo had witnessed the death of all but Fair, and never lived to see that Fair had survived. Jonny and her grandfather had killed her and left her to rot, all the while Cleopatra carried the pup-Fair to safety. Hidden in the wilderness, Cleopatra had raised her to about two years of age.

Shortly after her second birthday, Jonny had found Cleopatra and Faire Écho, and attempted to kill them both in his rage at their escape. Only Fair managed to escape a second time, her grandmother beat to death by Jonny and his pack. A few short months later, however, she was surprised and captured by slave-stealers. After being taken to Auktion Rock, she had escaped once again, and here she was now, with the battle wounds to speak of her capture, and the nightmares to speak of her life and heritage. When she had been enslaved, Fair had fallen mute by choice, and even after seeking her own freedom she remained so; her cry to the gods at the unfairness of her life. Why, Epurna, why?

While these thoughts stormed and whirled within her being, her body sought the only escape from her mind- sleep. The cooling relief of the water cleansing and ridding her of fever gave her the first rest in the two weeks since she had been caught and escaped.

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[Dakki]

As the heat of the day wore on, Echo found herself longing for a quick dip in the stream. It was spring, and the air was warming up quickly. Lifting her head, she glanced at the rushing water. It was too fast here, she would have to walk father down to a place that was more shallow. With a heavy sigh she picked herself up, dragging herself to the waters edge. She walked along the edge, balancing on the line between earth and water. One slip of the paw and she would fall, but what was life without a little danger? She had lived though so much already that falling into the water and drowning was not a large red flag in her mind. With another sigh her walked on, her tail straight out behind her as she balanced herself.

Echo hummed softly to herself, an old lullaby that her mother use to sing to her. She walked father away from the water, no longer wanting to fall in. Her pale blue eyes slipped closed as she opened her maw, her musical voice filling the area. "Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine," Her voice was full of such emotion, she imagined herself singing this song to her own children. A single tear slid down her cheek as she continued to sing. "Little one, when you play, pay no heed to what they say. Let your eyes sparkle and shine, never a tear, baby of mine. If they knew sweet little you, they'd end up loving you too. And all those people who scold you, what they'd give just for the right to hold you," Echo heard that the water was beginning to slow, so she opened her eyes and walked even close to the water. "From your head, down to you toes, you're not much, goodness knows. But your so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine."

With her song done, she was just about to slip into the water when she saw a small frame curled up in the lapping waves. As she looked, she knew where she knew that coat from. Echo froze, her eyes growing wide. If couldn't be! Tears sprung forth and spilled over, trickling down her cheeks. "M-my b-baby?" she asked, her voice shaky as she cried. This couldn't be... had this river given her back her last living daughter? How did she get here? Echo sobbed, still frozen on the shore. Her child, her pup... her baby.

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[Wolf]

FAIRE ÉCHO

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From her light slumber, Fair snapped awake to the sound of a familiar song. Grandma Cleopatra had sung that lullaby to her every night, from the night she stole her away to the night before she died. The voice was so familiar, it even gave the same lilts and hums to the notes, with the same pitches and tune. Was it possible... Grandma, is that you?

Lifting her head, dark eyes bleary with slumber, and with the drops that spilled from her lashes were the river had dampened them, she caught the sight of a familiar red and cream coat. Jumping to her feet, a cry of shocked joy was ripped from her throat, the first sound she had made in two weeks. Grandma Cleo! I' that you? But you're 'po'ed to be dead! I 'aw them kill you! I 'aw them, all the blood and everything! How can you 'till be alive?! As she raced towards the familiar form, blinking water from her eyes, she instantly knew her folly. Grandmother Cleopatra was still dead, and this familiar stranger was just that. A stranger. But those markings, those eyes... So familiar... Grandmother had told her she had her mother's eyes, and every time she'd instantly brag that her mother had Cleopatra's eyes. And here, from this fae's face, shone Grandmother. How was it possible?

How can you be so cruel, Epurna? Who is this lie?! Her mind cried out defiantly, tears in her eyes as the denied joy left her feeling empty and pointless, so much disappointment. Who is she?! Fair had to know, yet her mind told her that once again speech and jumping to conclusions had betrayed her. It was best to remain silent, forever. The freedom of talking was never worth it in the end.

As the tiny female stood staring up at the female accusingly, the pain from her wounds came rushing back as the cold numb that the water had instilled faded, and she bit down a yelp, refusing to make another sound ever again. Faire Écho lifted her front right leg for a few seconds, releasing the pained tension of her weight momentarily, before lifting her front left. In this fashion she shifted all four legs through their turn to rest, though the pain never faded, and kept moving from paw to paw. The pain in her scruff could not be fixed without the water, but at least her weight, no matter how miniscule, was not resting on it.

Who is she, Epurna? And why do you let me keep getting hurt?

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[Dakki]

"Grandma Cleo! I' that you? But you're 'po'ed to be dead! I 'aw them kill you! I 'aw them, all the blood and everything! How can you 'till be alive?!"

Cleo? Her mother? Echo blinked as the wolf ran towards her, tears still springing down her cheeks. "Were you raised by a wolf named Cleopatra? Was she killed by two wolves named Ronald and Jonny?" she asked, her voice shaking. Could it be? Was this really her long lost daughter? She didn't know what to think, shaking her head slowly. "If so... I'm your mother," she choked on her words, not sure if she should race to her babies side, or let the child come to her. "You're two years old now, aren't you? Oh how could this be? I thought they- got all of you. I didn't know that my little daughter survived. That means my efforts were not futile...," She was whispering now, her tail wagging slowly behind her. The red wolf stepped forward, but the froze again. She saw how the wolf was looking at her, accusingly. Confusion swirled in her matching blue eyes, blinking again to clear her eyes.

"My name is Echo, I don't know if mother told you about me," she whispered, noticing the cuts along her babies coat. She whined softly, and closed the gap between them. Her tongue flashed over the open wound on her scruff, licking at the gash gently and carefully, knowing that it would give her slight relief. "Come back to the water, my little one. I will help you clean your wounds," Was she dreaming? It sure felt like it. How was this really happening? How was this wolf before her again? After two long years of weeping over her pups at night, one of them was standing right before her. She could barley take it, tears still leaking out of her eyes.

Echo nudged the small female carefully, not wanting to force her to do anything. She herself slipped into the cool waters, a sigh slipping from her maw as it cooled her heated paws. The fae looked over her shoulder, meeting those pale blue eyes, and smiled warmly. Her motherly instincts had began to kick in already, she felt a fierce need to protect her little one. She would do it to her very last breath, and would do a much better job of it than she did last time. She would not let anyone take her baby away, not again. She could tell that the little one was having a hard time with this too, and she didn't blame her. Her mother probably told her that she had been killed; everyone thought she had been killed. But here she was, and here was her baby.

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[Wolf]

FAIRE ÉCHO

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I'm your mother... Her mother? Echo had been dead for two years, killed by Jonny and Ronald. Who was this wolf? Cleopatra had raised her, they had lived all alone, forever alone. Until Cleopatra died, once again by Jonny and Ronald's paws. Faire Écho had lived in the fear that they would find her, that they would finally finish their mission. That they would kill her.

But if her mother was alive... If this was her... Mother? Is that really her, Epurna? If she's alive, how could you have let us believe she was dead? How could she have not come for me? I've been so alone...

[/i] Her thoughts raced as she mutely let the wolfess lead her to the water's cooling aid, and stepped into the water like a good, obedient little girl. Like the slave that she was.

It was all happening so fast, her thoughts racing faster and faster, whirring through her mind until she closed her eyes and screamed silently. In her mind she pictured herself leaping from the water and rushing to kill Jonny, to kill Ronald, to tear apart those who had ever touched her in harm. Why me Epurna? To stand against this sudden fury, Faire Écho dug her paws into the sandy river bottom, clutching the grit between her claws as tightly as she could, and forced the rest of her to relax. Males terrified her, but she had never been hurt by a female. Even if this one was a liar, as her mind screamed she was [despite their stories, dates, and names matching up], Fair trusted females. She would let this one help her, though she doubted whether she'd ever speak again. She didn't want to.

Her pale blue eyes opened and stared at this female, this "Echo", accusations lingering with the anger at being tricked to believe Cleopatra still lived; though mainly just fear, pain, and confusion remained.[/blockquote][/color][/size]

[Dakki]

As soon as the little one stepped into the water she got to work, licking away at the wounds as the cooling water soothed them. The female was silent, not saying anything. Was she shocked out of her mind, or did she simply not believe her? Echo let the silence spread, letting the thoughts in both of their minds rest. She longed to talk to this one, longing to know what her mother had named her. Sadness spread through her heart as she thought of Cleopatra, shedding a tear for her lost mother. She was so grateful to her mother for saving and raising her last surviving child.

Echo took a break from licking her wounds, standing back to meet the fae's eyes. "I know you might not believe me... I can't even believe this myself. I tried to save you after your two siblings had been taken away from me. Jonny attacked me then, giving me this scar," she said, twisting her head to show her daughter the scar that ran from the base of her ear and circled back to her muzzle. It was almost a perfect half circle. "I lost all hearing in that ear, and I use to have a stutter too. I prayed to our goddess at this very waterfall for my stutter to vanish. If I had known that my mother had saved you... I would have prayed for us to find each other. I am so sorry... I'm so sorry I wasn't there," she whined, closing her eyes to stop the tears from flowing again. She shook her head, forcing a small smile on her lips. "Let's get the rest of these cuts cleaned."

After she had given the female a throughout cleaning, Echo sat down in the water and let the cool water calm her soul. It rushed past her red, cream and black coat, the short hairs flicking back and forth with the current. She looked at the wolf before her, at those same eyes, the same coat that she had. There was no denying that they were related, any stranger could walk past them and see that. It was just the matter of getting this little one to believe her. She could tell by the feelings swelling in her eyes that her thoughts were true. It was a lot to take in though, she knew that. After two years of believing that her mother was dead, it would be hard to accept that she was not. "Come on, you have to see it. We even smell the same!" she barked, stepping forward to brush her cheek across the others. She took a deep breath of her scent then, the smell of Cleopatra still clinging to her fur. She smelt familiar, like her own scent with its own twang. There was no denying it...

[Wolf]

FAIRE ÉCHO

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When her mother started to explain the story of her scar, and of her near death, Fair nodded her head fiercely. She had heard the story a million times, begged it a million more. How her fiery, brave mother had stood against her evil father and stopped him from killing her last pup- Faire Écho herself. How she had been ferociously reprimanded and left for dead, while Cleopatra spirited away the last female pup, and how she named her Faire Écho in honor of her mother. How she told her every night that she had her mother's eyes, her mother's fur. How she never mentioned that she had her speech impediment from her poor choice in mates, her half-brother, and had developed a slight mutation in her vocal cords from the slight inbreeding. So far, she had not been able to rid herself of it, but it had never stopped her.

Now she simply had no will to speak, even if this was her mother. She knew it was in the deepest recesses of her heart, and knew even more so that her mother, Echo, deserved her story. Deserved every word of comfort and of explanation that Fair could dig up from her memory. Yet she could not bring her red and cream maw to open again, could not get her words to come. Nothing beyond the flood of emotions in those crystal blue eyes. How could she explain that she did not fault her mother for not knowing, for not coming to her side? You would have died anyway, just like Grandma Cleo did... Wouldn't she have, Epurna? Jonny and Ronald would have got her too. Only I could have escaped, like I did. They didn't truly care about me, I hadn't defied them directly, only mother and grandmother had. Yet she could not bring herself to speak the words.

As she accepted Echo's words, Faire Écho let her eyes close, shivering softly as her mother brushed her cheek and cleaned her wounds. She sucked her scent in, memorizing it. So similar to grandma's... Mother, my name is Faire Écho. Grandmother named me after you... She couldn't say it, had no real will or ability to. But how else could she communicate such things as her name? At least let her know I forgive her, Epurna. And her eyes shone with the forgivence and pleasure, though pain and sorrow still presided in those depths. Words had betrayed her... Always betrayed her, and her silence was her denial and rebellion to the world. No one could truly own their Sklavin, they could not make her speak. They would always know she was not born mute, nor made mute, but that she chose to be mute, and they would always know that that was her ultimate defiance, that no beating or promise could break and bend to their will. Not even the promise of her mother's return, the promise of her mother's love. Because some day, she'd be captured again, and she'd be a Sklavin again, with no defiance but her muteness in choice.

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[Dakki]

She watched as her daughter nodded her head, still shocked that she was not saying anything to her. It made her feel guilty, she felt as if this wolf's silence was her fault. She had failed as a mother, she knew that. But it broke her heart to think that her daughter was not speaking. She knew that she was not mute, she had heard her speak when she had first seen the wolf in the water. Echo relied on her body language, her pale blue eyes flitting around the fae's form, looking for little signs that gave off her emotion. Anything. She seemed to be matching the story up in her head, she was sure that Cleo told her elaborate tales of her mother trying to save her. It was nothing glorious. There was blood and death, sadness and heartbreak. Nothing pretty, no flowers or rainbows. She shuddered as the mere thought of watching her pups murdered before her very eyes. Nothing was beautiful about that.

Echo reached her neck down and rubbed her nose on her daughters cheek, tears pooling in her eyes. "Say something," she whispered, her musical voice catching in her throat with the deep despair that she felt. Why was she not saying anything? Pulling back she searched those eyes that were a mirror to her own, looking for any feelings pooling in them. If only she could read minds... Many thought she could, she was so good at reading body language. All mothers were. Although her parenthood was ripped away from her, the feelings never left her. They just burrowed into a dark crevasse in her mind, and once she saw this female all the feelings were woken up. They came alive without a moments notice, springing out of no where. But her daughter gave her nothing to go off of. Echo felt her heart sink to her paws, a defeated sigh brushing out of her maw. She prayed to the goddess to give her some sign, some way to read this wolf better.

She felt the small female shiver, concern making her eyes appear darker. Had she done something wrong? "Are you cold? Should we get out of the river? I'll help you dry off," she said, scrambling over her words as she worried over her pup. She felt a wave of some emotion rush through her, but she couldn't place it. She was too worried about her daughter. Was she going to freeze? Where were those wounds from? Echo shook her head, clearing those questions away. There was one main question that she wanted answered; her name. What had her mother named her precious, surviving child? "Your name, could you at least give me that?" she searched her eyes, a whine slipping from her maw. "Anything. Please?" Echo's whine became more sincere as she bit back a sob, the force of it rattling her bones. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she whispered, wrapping her neck on her daughters, giving her the best hug a wolf could give. "So sorry..."

[Wolf]

I will reply here tomorrow, my apologies for delay!! Excuses in Absence board >///>