{Act} Your {Age} [Zeph]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] It was so very hot. The sun shone mercilessly down on the streets of Hexasol as a well-groomed young she-wolf trotted along one of them, her tongue lolling from her mouth like a dog's. I think I prefer the snow and cold to this, she thought sourly as she went. The concrete of footpath beneath her paws was almost too hot to walk on; the black bitchimen of the road was even worse, but, thankfully, her pads were toughened from frequent ventures into central Hexasol. This was somewhat unusual for a six-month-old cub who belonged to the Tempest Pack - most other cubs and puppies didn't come out here on their own until they were adults, or nine months at the very least. It was dangerous out here for anyone, especially for a youngster. Valkyrie had managed to slip away once again, but she supected that her mother knew and had let her go. She wouldn't out it past Rikki to be following her at a distance, or having Ralph do the job instead. She knows we're growing up and have to be independent, she told herself. When she was younger, before she and her siblings had all run off together and caused a huge fuss a month ago, their mother would always keep a close eye on them, and if any of them managed to slip away for an adventure on the edges of Tempest territory or beyond, she or Ralph would attempt to find them and bring them back. Whereupon they would be punished, of course. After the incident, though, Rikki seemed to be more lenient about her cubs' wanderings - they were allowed to roam Tempest territory as they pleased, but they had to let her know where they were going first. And if they were going beyond the borders, they also had to let her know, so that she or Ralph could accompany them, sometimes at a distance. However, the timber - arctic wolf cross was a rulebreaker, so every once in a while she went out without letting her mother know, and this was one of those times. Valkyrie almost cried out in relief when she saw a large building a few metres away. Her head was held at shoulder height, her bushy tail drooping; she felt as if she was dragging hundreds of pounds behind her as she stumbled over the threshhold and through the open door of the large building, which was rather different from mos of the others in the area; it was taller than any other ordinary house, and instead of lots of little rooms, there was one large area that probably took up most of the building's inside, with long, wooden things on either side, with an asile betwen them that led up to a smaller area that had a large, rock-like thing in centre of it. The wolf cub noticed very little of this as she took a few more faltering steps and collapsed on the wooden floor, a metre or so behind the nearest long wooden thing. Her brain felt all fuzzy, and black spots danced before her eyes, closing in on her vision until she couldn't see anything anymore - she wan't conscius, but she wasn't sleeping, either. Her side moved fractionally, as did her nose, as she took in shallow breaths. After a few minutes, she regained consciousness, noticing that her body ached, as if she'd just been running fo five to ten minutes non-stop. Her throat felt as dy as paper, her tongue a dried-up sponge. She'd never felt so thirsty in all her life. Opening her eyes, she was alarmed to detect moment nearby, and attempted to raise her head, croaking, "Hello? If you mean to harm me, I'll. . ."

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[zeph]

Alto sat, watching the sun rise. He had only recently arrived here, and he was lonely after the loss of his adoptive family. He knew his two surviving sisters would be safe in that far away pack, but he couldn't help but think of them' of how they were getting on without him. And his mother and brother - They were a different story. Just the thought of them brought a stab of pain to Alto's heart. The clouded leopard shook his head, not wanting to remember the bloody scene he saw after the tigers came.

The sun was barely up, but its heat was already beating its heat into the world. Alto opened his mouth, trying to cool off. He had been up all night, looking for prey, but had had no luck. He was tired, and as the temperature steadily rose, Alto became more drowsy. He had to find a cool place to sleep, so he headed in the direction of a large building. The doors were open, and as soon as he entered the building he felt the cool relief of shade. The interior was large, and he quickly climbed what looked to be an erected branch with another across it. He laid on the extended piece, perfectly balanced, and slipped into a comfortable sleep.

Alto woke up to a bright light shining through a cracked window. He blinked as his eyes adjusted, and looked down to the floor. He saw a young wolf, seeming to wake up at the same time as him. Since he had always been friendly with canines, he jumped down of the 'branch,' making a soft thud as he landed, and heard the wolf speak, lifting its head softly. "Don't worry," Alto interrupted. "I would never attack without reason. I am Alto. What is your name?" He asked, a friendly tone in his voice. He had no idea that canines and felines around here often had a very intense hatred for each other. He had no idea there was a war.

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] Valkyrie shook her head groggily, looking up at the creature who had startled her - her eyelids were still heavy, so she closed them again for a moment. He was definetely a feline - his general scent was not completely unfamiliar, as she had met a feline once before, only a month or so ago. Panja, the leader of the Iris Pride hadn't been as unpleasent a character as his social standing would have a canine believe. He and Rikki had gotten on alright, which was surprising, seeing as he had helped his mate, the notorious and much feared Florence, torture her. But maybe, since both of them had lost their mates, they could get along. Rikki - Mama - had said that tradgedies did strange things to a creature, and she would know. The little wolf cub flared her nostrils further; the feline didn't appear to belong to any of the packs in Hexasol (she knew all their scents now, after plenty of adventures on her own and with other various creatures), but he did smell faintly of canines, which was interesting. His voice broke through her silent musings; it was quiet and friendly, reasonating with his words. Grunting as she fought to get up, the runt struggled to her paws, floaters clouding her vision for a moment before she blinked them away. Sizing up Alto, as he had introduced himself, she saw that he was a leopard, larger than a cat but smaller than a lion; he was probably slighter short than Rikki, but longer-bodied. Realizing that he had asked her for her name, she licked her nose and said hoarsely, "I'm Valkyrie, of the Tempest Pack - sort of. Some would say that if I was a proper Tempest member, I'd rip you to bits straight away, but I won't, of course. Where are you from? You don't smell as if you've been in Hexasol long." She looked up at the leopard expectantly, her bushy tail wagging slowly, sweeping the floor behind her like a broom, a slight smile on her furry, childish face.

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[zeph]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=#021401][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=cellpadding,9,true][atrb=cellspacing,9,true] and you have every right Alto padded closer as the young canine before him groggily awakened. He wondered what she was doing all alone here, the canines he had known where pack animals, that disliked being by themselves. He had inherited that from being raised by dogs, and was glad to see a somewhat friendly, though not completely awake, face. Altos ear twitched as a fly buzzed too close. Pesky insects were always a problem during the heat of summer. The clouded leopards head tilted as the wolf- as Valkyrie- spoke. What was Tempest, and why would they tear him apart? He knew that some dogs disliked cats, but never had encountered any that would rip him to shreds for no reason. A few moments later, Alto realized he had been asked a question, and an expectant pause was filling the room with silence. "It's nice to meet you, Valkyrie. Ive been lonely. So, this place is called Hexasol? No, I haven't been here long. I came from north of here. My family..." he started, but then rethought it. "I just had to leave. I wanted to find a better place to live than where I was." He looked down for a moment, trying to shake the memory of what had really happened. After a moments pause, he looked back up at Valkyrie. a question was still stuck in his head. "What is the Tempest Pack? Why would they rip me apart? I didn't do anything wrong did I? Is this territory claimed?" He stopped himself realizing, that his onslaught of questions would leave no room for reply if he continued. He sat back on his haunches comfortably, eyes wide with curiosity. to be scared

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] The room was silent for a moment after Valkyrie asked the clouded leopard his name. She blinked expectantly, wondering why he was taking so long. Unless he'd forgotton who he was? But no. He began to speak, and the young wolf felt sympathy stir inside her. He was lonely. She'd never really know what that was like: she had four siblings and a mother, plus friends to run off to when she was bored. And occasionally, of course, she felt like being on her own. But she ws never lonely. Nodding as he mentioned Hexasol, she listened with interest has he spoke of his past. His answer made her inquisitive - why did he have to leave/ Why did he have to find a better place to live? Putting hr head to one side, the little female asked one of her favourite questions, "Why?" Why she could sympathise with him being lonely, her child's mind didn't understand why he would leave his family, only to be lonely. Unless he'd done something wrong, or they had thrown him out? Or they had all died? Her overactive imagination soon provides her with multiple possibilities. The cub thought all this in Alto's pause, and then looked up, shocked, as he asked what the Tempest Pack was and what they would do to him. "They. . . We, I guess I should say," she corrected herself - her family wasn't really part of the Pack - they just lived on the territory, basically. "It's a group of canines who want to be in charge of Hexasol - many of them hate felines - so I don't think they'd treat you very well. My Mama, though, she likes felines, even though she was tortured by the Iris Pride. They're the felines who want to kill all the dogs and take over Hexasol." Sticking out her tongue, Valkyrie asked, "Do you know if there's any water in this place? I feel half dead, I'm so thirsty." She glanced around briefly, before turning her brown gaze back on the feline. "And then we could play?" She wagged her tail again, her eyes wide.

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