Solid Frolic

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Solitaire yapped at a suspicious squirrel. He scolded her and loudly chattered from a safe spot in his tree. Solitaire placed her front paws on the trunk and continued her high pitched insults. She was only picking on him, all in fun. She had already eaten. If this had not been the case, she would have been silent, stalking anything and everything for a potential meal. But she was full and frisky. The squirrel was the closest thing to a playmate she had seen. Her blue eyes watched him. He wasnt coming down. She snorted at him, and turned to continue on. Although it was cold, Solitaire felt quite springy. She trotted lively, her thick furred paws taking on the challenge of the snow. Something was there, just up ahead, a large clearing of some sort. Excited, she broke into a lope. She was greatly surprised to have come to the edge
of frozen lake. Never before had she seen such a large flat area, with no trees or mounds of rocks and snow.

Amazing.

She was understandably curious, and she put a paw on the surface. It was solid. She put her other paw on the lake.
Nothing changed. Without a second thought she raced out onto the ice, slipping and rolling and sliding. She grasped with her claws to regain her footing, and just as soon slid again. It was great fun to the wolf dog, and she exploded in her familiar playful yaps. A more sensible animal would have done much more testing to deem the frozen lake safe to walk on, but Solitaire was not exactly cautious. It was pure luck that the lake actually was reasonably sound.

She scrambled around the ice and made her way back to the bank. Her slip slide romp had satisfied and exhausted her at the same time. She plopped down. Her pink tongue flapped a bit as she panted heavily.

Although she didnt know it, Solitaire's commotion had caught the attention of something.

[animalgoddess]

TIP: If you can't read the words, highlight them. (:

[/color]



“WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”[/center]

Sparrow launched himself into the air, unintentionally making a clear flip before colliding into the ice roughly. The ice where he landed was thin and broke easily under such a harsh collision. The pup was still grinning wildly as he sank through the water.

As his limbs untangled themselves from underneath the water’s surface, Sparrow paddled back up before breaking away and thrusting his head out to breathe air. With a joyful giggle, the wolf continued swimming through the thin ice until he reached land, where he heaved himself out and shook his fur until it puffed up.

Then it came to his mind: Sparrow never really did like water.
Seeing that female slip and slide on its surface made him curious and longing to test it out for himself. With another shake of his body, the shining, caramel-coated wolf trotted up to her with a friendly approach.

Standing a respectful distance away, Sparrow unnecessarily yelled out to her, despite the short distance. “Hiya!” With a silly grin on his face, muzzle dripping with cold water, the pup shivered before letting his tongue loll out, his tail wagging vigorously.

He hadn’t seen this wolf around, and she smelled funny; almost as if she wasn’t a wolf… but was one. Sparrow’s mouth gaped as his eyes widened with fascination and wonder, “Oh my gosh, are you some kind of a Magical Wolf?!” He jumped up from the place he stood and his tail wagged even more as he scanned over her beautiful figure with excitement, numerous possibilities flashing through his wild mind. “You smell so… weird!” he called. Realizing what he said sounded rude, Sparrow crinkled his snout before smiling sheepishly, “In a good way, of course.”

Hopelessly grinning at her, Sparrow observed the “Magical Wolf” and took her odd appearance and scent into his memory, storing it in his “Fascination” section. “How very interesting,” he mused.

“Come to think of it… I just might have discovered a new species!”

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[✮ErInJaN✮]

Solitaire was taken by surprise as a little caramel brown wolf trotted up. She had been so wrapped up in her own play, she hadn't noticed him, or anything else. She stopped panting and pulled herself into a sitting position.

"Hiya!" He said loudly. He grinned. He was wet, and he shook a bit and started wagging his tail. He was small, and looked a bit fragile. He didnt seem to acknowledge his small size. He let his tongue hang.

Solitaire hopped up and wagged her own tail. She smiled back at him. His eyes lit up with a fascinated look.

“Oh my gosh, are you some kind of a Magical Wolf?!”

“You smell so… weird!”

He paused then seemed to want to correct an error.

“In a good way, of course.”

Solitaire giggled and closed the gap between them. He must be confused by the color's I wear, She thought. Her father told her other wolves might be a bit wary or confused by her mother's contribution to her appearance.

"I'm not magical, silly," She made a small play bow. "I just look different. I am a hybrid. My mother was a dog."

She pressed her head to herself and took a whif of her white chest.

"I never knew I had a different smell." She said thoughtfully.

Her blue eyes were lit up and her tail wagged her rump. Solitaire slowed it's wagging and tried to hide her emense excitement. A playmate! She thought. He seemed young and not so serious, like her father and brothers had been. Someone she could romp with, perhaps! This was the first creature who had spoken to her since leaving her father and brothers. Solitaire had been alone for several weeks, and had discovered alot of things about herself. She knew from this feeling of complete joy at seeing this other canid, that she was social and prefered company over solitude.

She shrugged and smiled again.

"I'm Solitaire. Who're you?"

[animalgoddess]

Sparrow grinned as he fluffed himself up a little more, taking pride in the introduction he was about to present: “I am Leonardo the II,” His chest puffed out as his tail reached the clouds, snout alongside it. “—You, my friend, can call me Sparrow.” His dignity quickly dissolved into thoughtfulness, eyes widening as they seemed to focus on the horizon, giving off a glazed kind of look. “One day… I’m going to fly.”

Holding onto his moment, his imagination put forth the image of a sparrow, him and it flying as one… But as soon as the picture came, it disappeared, and the heartbreaking truth shoved another image of him in the air, falling, crashing…

Shaking his head, the thoughtfulness in his eyes vanished, leaving just the tiniest speckle of sadness before being overrun by excitement. “So what’s your name? Where are you from? Do you like swimming? How come you can walk on water? Can you teach me? Why do you smell funny?” Curiosity bloomed across the young male’s face, his smile growing along with it.

Sparrow’s paws began to rake through the slushy land underneath him. His tail wagged eagerly, his big, hazel eyes begging for answers as his tongue slid slightly back passed his teeth.

Soon enough, he was grinning ear to ear as he leaned in just the smallest bit closer. Seemingly with caution, his eyes darted back and forth before settling into the female’s own beautiful eyes; “Do you… do you ever dream of flying?”

Sparrow’s eyes got that same haze it got before, thoughtful and deep. Poetic words, mechanical designs, millions of things seemed to make up the screw and bolts of his brain, widening his imagination till it reached the sky.

His youth only helped fuel his mind, thoughts were connected with dreams, possibilities with impossibilities. Everything he did was done with interest or curiosity. And all this made him believe that he would one day fly. And maybe, just maybe… Solitaire was the same…


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[✮ErInJaN✮]

Leonardo the II . . .Sparrow. He seemed very proud of his name, he stood tall, and dignified. She liked his manner, and found him very endearing.

"What a nice name," said Solitaire, but the pup had already begun a game of twenty questions.

“So what’s your name? Where are you from? Do you like swimming? How come you can walk on water? Can you teach me? Why do you smell funny?”

She smiled at his enthusiasm, and started to answer.

"I told you, I'm Solitaire. I'm from that direction. I don't really like swimming, and-"

Her answers were interupted, as he grinned and leaned in toward her face. She leaned back to give space. He looked around, then into her eyes. She looked back brightly, wondering the reason for his excitement.

“Do you… do you ever dream of flying?”

Solitaire looked back into his hazel eyes. A strange look came over them. She could tell alot was going on behind the far off stare.

"Fly?" She said. "Like a bird?"

She liked birds. Flying like one would be quite exciting, now that she thought about it. What an amazing veiw one would have. She could tell this idea of flying sparked something in this little wolf. She herself had never been obsessed with anything or anyone, but she could see that's what sparrow was. Obsessed.

She smiled at him and giggled. He was so very cute.

"Fly . . .Yes, I'd love to fly."

[animalgoddess]

As she repeated her name, Sparrow sheepishly grinned, forgetting she’d already given it to him through all his excitement.

She was an adult, this Solitaire. Maybe all his bubbliness was annoying her… maybe it creeped her out. Although Leonardo never really took thought to anyone’s emotions towards him, he still noticed them. Perhaps he should tone it down.

The male’s face contorted into a tiny pout, but his eyes contradicted, shining ever-so feverishly. Solitaire’s single, most important answer filled his ears up, just as they did his mind. “Fly… Yes, I’d love to fly.”

Sparrow beamed, jumping up as his voice piped along, “Great! Forget the other questions, then!” His tail wagged vigorously, it was so great to finally find someone like him! “Then you believe you can, right? If you can… when you can… where would you fly?” He implied his own belief in the crazy concept, determined to hear her agreement.

Sparrow allowed a long pause, enough for Solitaire to fit in an answer to his satisfy his curiosity.

Every other wolf he met would simply smile and play along for a while… Until they got tired of his stories, and seemingly witless banters and wondering, they would walk away. He was used to traveling, and found it odd to stay with one person for too long.

He remembered the weird looks they’d give him; the kind that questioned his sanity. Sparrow didn’t see that look in Solitaire’s eyes. He saw the kindness and endearment for his actions. But maybe she wore the same mask as the others? Maybe she was just playing along for a while? How long until she would tire of him? Sparrow took a deep breath, his animated thoughts causing a wild headache. Images of his past companions’ faces ran through his mind, the weird looks, the questioning looks, the friendly masks…

Sparrow let go of the breath he was unaware of holding. ”Is it so wrong to dream?
Another thought: “Can Solitaire dream?”

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[✮ErInJaN✮]

“Great! Forget the other questions, then!” The little brown male's eyes widened, their focus on Solitaire.

“Then you believe you can, right? If you can… when you can… where would you fly?”

Solitaire could see this was important to Sparrow. As she had never thought much about flying before she had to take a moment to think about it now. Sparrow waited for an answer.

Solitaire admitted to herself she was young, and did not know much of the world yet. She had never seen a wolf fly. Only birds. And bats. But, just because she had'nt seen it, didn't mean it was impossible. Her father told her of many things, strange and miraculous. If Sparrow wanted to fly, maybe he could. She thought about how nice the wind felt, when she ran fast down hill. Perhaps flying would be like that, only without all the foot work.

"I should like to fly . . .", She looked up.
". . .through a cloud. . . and over a mountain!"

She jumped up at the thought, her tongue lolling. She spanked her front feet on the snow, and rushed up to Sparrow. She gave him a soft nibble on his neck, and rushed around in a small circle. She stopped in front of him and yapped, the un-wolf like sound she made when she was happy. As she stood before Sparrow, her tail began to curl ever so slightly.

"Over a mountain . . ." She whispered again, more to herself than Sparrow.

[animalgoddess]

Sparrow’s eyes shone brighter and bigger than before; the hazel in them seeming to grow lighter. His paws hit the ground excitedly with her answer. Leonardo’s mind flooded with possibilities, so many things they could do! Finding someone else who dreamed of flying, someone who wanted to fly… through a cloud! And over a mountain!

As Solitaire ran up and nibbled on his neck, Sparrow scrunched up into his neck-fur, trying to block her while laughing. When she stopped tickling him, the wolf-dog hopped away and Sparrow couldn’t help but notice the shine in her eyes. Instantaneously, his mind compared it with his own, seeing the obvious similarity in emotions.

Giggling, Leonardo’s tail began to wag wildly. Without thinking, (what an uncharacteristic thing to do!) he blurted out what had been itching throughout his body for a while, “Playfight!”

Again without thought, (how odd) Sparrow inhaled deeply while stretching a grin across his face. With that devilish grin, the wolf pup charged at Solitaire then lifted his body into the air. Like an eagle in flight, the male aimed at his target –Solitaire’s side- and spread his paws, determined to hit a bull’s-eye.

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((…. MY GOD, THAT WAS SHORT! Sorry! D: ))

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Solitaire could see Sparrow light up with excitement at her antics.

She skittered around in the snow as Sparrow's tail began wagging more. He suddenly shouted.

"Playfight!"

He bounded forward and jumped into her, knocking her over despite his smaller size. She laughed and rolled onto her back making play growls. She hopped up again and nipped at Sparrows legs. She leaped and jumped, yapping all the time.
How wonderful playing was! Her tail was curled even more.
Solitaire rolled Sparrow onto his side as well, and continued nibbling in his chest and neck fur. She giggled and leaped up again, feeling as if she could touch the trees.

Suddenly she thought of a another wonderful game she could play with her new friend.

She spun in a circle and yapped at the sky. She rushed up to Sparrow again and licked his nose.

"Tag!" she said.

And she pranced away, up a small snow bank. She stopped at the top and looked back. Her happiness surprised even herself. She decided that she needed companionship. Being a loner was not for her. I never want to be alone again, she thought.

She barked and twisted her head a bit, then pranced down the other side of the hill.

I hope he likes tag! she thought.

[animalgoddess]

Being knocked over and batted at for a while, Solitaire's giggles made music with those of Sparrow's. His laughter suddenly ceased as the female ran up and licked his nose. Ears shyly folding backwards, the male stepped back a little as a sheepish smile grew on his face. If wolves could blush, he'd be apple-red!

His traitorous tail gave away his happiness at the act. But before Sparrow could giggle and rebound into play-mode, Solitaire's voice rang out: "Tag!"

For a moment, the pup froze. He dumbly sat down as his snout crinkled, watching the female bound away. Tilting his head, the caramel wolf took a double-take. "Tag?" he mused curiously.

Eyes turning to Solitaire, he gave a thoughtful, but confused look before sounding his distress. "What is 'tag'?" Having never heard the term before, Sparrow's mind began coming up with multiple answers. "Perhaps it's a form of running?" Solitaire's prancing away offered proof to that. "Maybe I'm supposed to run away, too? Or jump, or something."

Sparrow's tail continued to wag, but it's speed decreased a little, changing it's rhythm to a lazier one. Tongue lolling out as he panted, the male continued to sit and come up with possibilities, awaiting Solitaire to confirm his thoughts, or give another answer.

He gave a small, sheepish grin. "I think I think too much..."

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((That was some mad color-coding, dude. Oh, and sorry for the shortness.))

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Solitaire heard Sparrow speak as she reached the other side of the snow bank.

"What is 'tag'?"

She bounded back up the hill and peeped over. Hmm. She had'nt counted on Sparrow not knowing this game. She shrugged and trotted down to him. She stopped and sat in front of the young male, panting through her smile.

"It's a chasing game. It's alright, we can play something else."

He was sitting too, with a grin spread over his face.

Solitaire knew she was a vivacious playmate. Perhaps Sparrow was tired. He wasnt exactly full of vim and vigor. There were plenty of ways to play without running. She sifted through her brain for games she had played before. She liked to paw wrestle, a game she would often engage in while being pinned by her brothers.

Solitaire stretched herself out in the snow and rolled under Sparrow. From her throat came a squeaking sound as she lifted her paws over her head. Her white feet feet brushed his chin as she stretched them. She sat there for a moment, Her blue eyes could see straight up into the trees and the sky. She suddenly looked at him, her eyes wide.

"Sparrow! Try this! It's sort of like flying!"

[animalgoddess]

Having lived alone, while sometimes taking to grown company for ambulation, Sparrow had never really had enough time to play. His childhood had been stripped of him by his own selfish desires. Games were never the priority in his mind, and fun was usually pushed aside from the face of his attention. And thus, unlike most pups of his age, Sparrow did not know of many games. The only thing his thoughts were set on, was flying. And firmly set, they were!

But as unknowing as he was -to the game of tag-, the male was still filled with abundant energy. As he caught his breath, Solitaire's voice called out: "It's a chasing game. It's alright, we can play something else."

Sparrow was about to protest, but out of nowhere, Solitaire rolled towards him. "Whoa" he laughed, standing up and raising his foreleg to allow her through. She rolled under him and the caramel wolf's laugh sang in the light breeze.

The bottom of the female's paws tickled his chin and Sparrow grinned. "Sparrow! Try this! It's sort of like flying!" At the sound of his name, the wolf's ears perked up. But at the mention of 'flying', his entire body straightened up in attention.

Wobbling off the wolf-dog, ((OOC: I think I read somewhere that Solitaire was a wolf-dog... o.O)) Sparrow walked over to her side and lay down. As he rolled on his back, the hazel-furred male recognized the action immediately. "We're cloud-gazing." he whispered more to himself than to his companion. He recognized this so fast because of the familiarity. Sparrow would do this whenever he was bored, or when he was in deep thought. And at night, he would star-gaze.

Tilting his head towards Solitaire, his orange-tinted eyes met her azure ones. "Yeah, it is kind of like flying." With a dreamy sigh, the male took this moment to get a better look at his friend's odd marking. She had a very beautiful, but unusual arrow-shape upon her forehead. "Hey Solitaire, where did you get that mark? Is it a scar? Were you just born with it? It's very beautiful."

He allowed a fair pause for her to answer before speaking once more: "You know, I've always wanted to have a cool thing like that. Something that would set me apart from the others. Sometimes, I think that I try too hard to be different. Sometimes, I think I don't try hard enough. But you have such a clear difference; it's beautiful and unique." Despite the sincere shine in his eyes, Sparrow wore a teasing grin. "I'm envious."


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[✮ErInJaN✮]

Sparrow joined Solitaire as she requested and rolled his little brown body next to hers. It seemed he had done this before. Solitaire never had, and it was like opening a new door.

"We're cloud-gazing." He said.

He turned and looked at her, and Solitaire noticed his eyes were tinted with orange, like a sunset.

"Yeah, it is kind of like flying."

He continued looking at her face and she at his. His nice eyes sat perfectly over a clean muzzle, that Solitaire thought looked sort of regal, since he seemed to be in thought.

"Hey Solitaire, where did you get that mark? Is it a scar? Were you just born with it? It's very beautiful."

Solitaire smiled. "Thank you. I've always had it."

She watched him as he answered.

"You know, I've always wanted to have a cool thing like that. Something that would set me apart from the others. Sometimes, I think that I try too hard to be different. Sometimes, I think I don't try hard enough. But you have such a clear difference; it's beautiful and unique."

He grinned a bit.

"I'm envious."

Solitaire was surprised. "Envious? Of me?" She thought this odd.
She thought Sparrow was very unique himself. She had never met any wolf so passionate as he seemed to be. Solitaire felt a bit empty. She had never really had a passion or drive for much of anything in particular, except playing. She knew deep down that life wasnt all play, although she did enjoy it. She envied his sense of life goal. His purpose.

"You are unique Sparrow. I envy you." She smiled a less playful smile and showed a more sincere one. And for no other reason than she wanted to, she washed his face with her tongue. She thought too late that she might embarass him. Solitaire got up. She'd play it off. She laughed and began what one might call dancing. She turned around with tight movements, sometimes crossing her feet. In her head she heard mambo music.

"Ba da bah bah beh bah dah" she be-bopped to herself.

She knew she must look VERY foolish to her friend, But she didn't mind looking so.

[animalgoddess]

Sparrow's eyes held a firm focus on Solitaire's beautiful orbs while his mind was softly at work, thinking out her words. "You are unique, Sparrow. I envy you." An older, much handsomer, experienced, knowledgeable and unique being was envious of him? The little wolf snorted at the thought. At the noise, his ears pinned themselves back in embarrassment before he burst into a fit of giggles.

Suddenly, Solitaire's warm tongue ran across his face. The laughs came to an abrupt end as his ears folded even more tightly back. Looking down, his eyes shined with embarrassment, yet had a twinkle of happiness in them. Sparrow lightly laughed. She was a very nice friend so far.

So far...

How long until she tires of me?

The shine in his eyes disappeared, going dull as dark thoughts polluted his mind. She isn't going to stay forever... Although... I wouldn't mind it if she did..." Sparrow tryed to look at anything but the she-wolf in question. And then...

"Ba da bah bah beh bah dah"
Sparrow's brow crinkled. Out of the corner of his eye, the wolf spotted the female's forelegs moving in unision to the back. Unable to contain himself, Sparrow angled his neck to get a better look. Instantly, curiosity bloomed across his features. "Wha-?" he chuckled, "What are you doing, Taire?" he questioned, not noticing the nickname that slipped out.

He tried to imitate the moves, failing miserably as he stepped on his own tail and fell dumbly onto his rump. Laughing, the wolf tried again, this time bumping his hips with Solitaire's. Sparrow giggled again, "Teach me!"


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((I am so sorry for the delay. I really don't want this thread to go inactive.))

[✮ErInJaN✮]

Solitaire laughed as Sparrow tried out her dance movements. He laughed as he fell after clumsily stepping on his tail. He tried again and bumped into her, laughing.

"Teach me!" He said.

Solitaire lit up. She absolutely loved Sparrow's eagerness for something he had no clue about. She and her whole family had liked to dance, if thats what it could be called. It was a ritual they practiced every now and then, when they'd had a good hunt, or had especially full bellies. They would move rythmically around one another, crossing their paws and leaping in circles. It was one of Solitaire's favorite ways to express joy and her Father had always ended the silly sessions with a group howl.

"Like this," Solitaire said, and leaped a few feet away to have space. "It's good to make your own rythym too," She said as she winked at Sparrow.

"Lalala-la-lalala-la-bedop-op-op-op-bah!" Her voice was light and beautiful, setting a good pace for her dance. She laughed, and turned in a circle. Her back legs hopped right and left while her front paws stay still. She then picked each front paw up high, one at a time. She made another cirle, and crossed her paws with each movement to the left. It looked very odd, but strangely poetic.

She did the little routine a second time, her pink tongue falling from the side of her mouth. At the end she gave a little leap and her clear singing howl. She looked at Sparrow, who had been watching her performance. She laughed again, a real diaphram laugh, and nodded to him.

"Join me!" She insisted, and began another round of the dance. This was the most fun she'd had in a long time.


(OCC; LOL, i was listening to mambo music on my Dirty Dancing soundtrack the last time i posted Solitaire and whole time i wrote this XD, Who knew canids could dance?)