Welcome to Canis Major

a wolf and animal rpg (role-playing game)

Canis is a writing community for play-by-post (forum-based), freeform roleplay set in a fictional dream world in the intrusion fantasy genre. Most characters on Canis are wolves; many play elements are focused around wolves and canids, but the world makes room for a large variety of other animal characters such as dogs, horses, cats, bears, deer, and many, many more.

Our community is focused on flexibility, creativity, and collaboration. That boils down to a few important features:

  • There is no set activity requirement to write
  • The setting and plot are member-created and staff-supported
  • The game is continuously improved to increase fun and decrease stress

Learn more in our Rulebook!

AW
here we are.


Afternoon Sunny/Clear
#1
AW
Empyrean
04-17-2021, 05:18 PM
whoops late af, @Altair  shortly after THIS thread


Desdemona brought the young male to the base of the mountain, and there while surrounded by the pines of the world, various boulders laid before them. She would look behind as he followed her through the trees, purposely weaving in and out between in a small attempt to try and loose him, it was but a challenge of small. Finally arriving to the pack did she leap upon one of the many boulders, waiting for him to catch up.

"We will only travel by rock from now on."

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#2
04-21-2021, 06:04 AM
They reached the mountain easily enough and once there, Altair did not resist the mimicry in clamboring up on a stone just as Desdemona did. In the briefest of moments, he beamed a smile at her as though to say I can do that too, but he hadn’t the faintest clue that it would be the next venture of their little training session.

And when she did elaborate on that, the beam of his smile diminished slightly.

”We’re going to stay on the boulders?”

The disbelief lingered in his tone; he couldn’t quite fathom just how there would be enough stones between them and whatever course she could make out of them to sustain such things. Then again, this was Desdemona, and the boy wondered if he ought have been surprised at all.

He doubled down, brow furrowing as though he had accepted the challenge.
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#3
04-22-2021, 05:44 PM
There wasn't too many, and generally Desdemona did not know the particular extent of how stable they were. Though in the previous land they once claimed she would do the same, and even at one point @Bronco followed her path of this. Her legs stretched and leaped to another, claws cracking against the rock and slipping to gain an appropriate adjustment. She looked back at Altair, nodding at him, "Follow the path."

"If you touch the ground, you restart from the beginning." The floor is like lava, while an amusing game came from her, she did not pull a smile, nor' even a chuckle. Desdemona took the challenge rather seriously, especially as jumping brought precision, the wrong step one can slide off the rock, or likewise not leap far enough. She was a particularly slim wolf, but her tactics brought leaning muscles hidden under the fur.

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#4
Paladin
04-28-2021, 05:20 AM (This post was last modified: 11-12-2021, 06:56 AM by Altair. Edited 1 time in total.)
It sounded like a game, he realized.

Maybe that was intentional on her part—make something that took a lot more effort into a game so that it would continue to be appealing to him. It almost went without saying that it worked, because the reality of the situation didn’t occur to him until he had launched himself from the first boulder to the next.

That one had been easy. Bridging the gap to the second one took a bit more time and in his calibrating efforts, he almost overshot it completely. Altair teetered and tottered considerably on it, his grip sliding on the uneven surface. He flashed Desdemona an awkward smile as he finally saved himself, and the process began again.
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#5
04-29-2021, 07:46 PM
Though while a game in some, she never thought as it. It simply felt like a natural way to help maintain her body, preparing for the worst and honing one's skill. Wolves can only do so much in preparation, and she spent years refining what could be done. Mornings were spent stretching, for sore muscles can act up during the worst of moments, and afternoons would be spent patrolling. At times nights, she would do different types of training, jumping on the rocks, markings on the tree and rocks to hone claws.. Occasional fish hunting, as not only would it help to fill the cache, but one needs a fine eye to scrap away a carp from a stream. Bear-wise, she remembered how they do so, and copied.

Stopping on one of the boulders as they hopping game continued, she turned back to the boy who was scrapping by, "How are you doing?" should they stop? It was not for everyone.

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#6
Paladin
07-29-2021, 03:21 PM (This post was last modified: 11-12-2021, 06:56 AM by Altair. Edited 1 time in total.)
The next couple of stones were a bit easier to get to and just when he thought he had the hang of it, he found himself scrabbling along to keep himself balanced. This one, this particular evil stone, was a bit smaller than the rest. Perfectly fine for someone who may have been a bit smaller and perhaps more poised and graceful, but Altair was not quite those things. He hadn’t built up all of the skill just yet to be a master at it like how he saw his teacher, and it would have seemed that she had taken notice of it as well.

As he balanced awkwardly, he flashed her a grin.

“I think I might—” he had to halt himself, slipping on the stone again. It was almost a critical failure, but he caught himself just in the nick of time. “I think I might be getting the hang of it.” This time, the words made it out. Delicately, this time, he leaped off of the stone for the next one closest to Desdemona, and stuck the landing without fanfare.

“You make it look so easy, but this is actually kind of tough! It’s a good workout though, not that I’m complaining. That little rock back there’s a pain.”
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#7
07-29-2021, 07:16 PM
She nodded in approval. Though it may be 'silly,' it definitely gave a good excerise. Working the muscles and precision as one jumps to the other, though is missed, a fatal fall and a possible injury to remember. As all Ostrega children are - strong and athletic, Altair was going with more ease then a beginner, "It is wise to stretch before doing so if you were to ever do it again," though she so warned. Desdemona was a firm believer to prepare before starting, sometimes though one could not do so, but due to constantly stretching of previous days, her joints would be fine - even upon older days.

It was how she survived from being overworked, if she did stretch when she was younger, her joints would surely be destroyed by now.

The woman jumped ahead.

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#8
Paladin
07-30-2021, 12:13 PM (This post was last modified: 11-12-2021, 06:57 AM by Altair. Edited 1 time in total.)
“Stretch?”

The word hung in the air, left behind as she leapt away from him along the stone-riddled path she made. Altair lingered for a moment, watching her go before his own mimicry and eagerness seized him and sent him forth. In doing so, he thought he had the answer to the question before she had even the opportunity to answer it.

“Oh, wait, you mean stretch so it’s easier,” he said as he steadied himself once again. “My mother said something similar once, uh, so our muscles don’t tense up, or lock up? Maybe both.” It had made about as much sense then as it did now, but maybe he had only been fortunate enough not to deal with a severe cramp right in the middle of a fight or spar.

Except he kind of had, once, he thought, and Mira had bested him for it.
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#9
Paladin
08-16-2021, 06:37 PM (This post was last modified: 10-15-2021, 12:22 AM by Desdemona. Edited 1 time in total.)
"The more you stretch the more flexible you'll be upon battle, and quick on the feet. Cramping of joints is common for battle." Being interlocked in a particular pose for so long can damage one's muscles, sometimes even at sparring the damage of feeling them tense up could be there. Though rarely, did Desdemona gain any charlie horses, but she always remember the occasional time her opponents would need to take a breather to gain the aching of their muscles. Not to mention, they could not probably turn to bite.

She counted herself rather flexible, able to bend her body with an ease. She jumped with an ease, her body straightening in the air before gliding casually onto the next stone, and looked back on him.

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#10
08-16-2021, 10:34 PM
He nodded with her words—it made sense and well, she would definitely know. Her instruction was every bit as crucial to him as any he could get from his parents, and that advice he would do his best to take to heart. With a bit more distance between them once again, he followed in her stead, and another curiosity brought itself to life as he balanced on another stone.

“Have you always been a guardian?”

There was a certain wisdom about her, one that made her seem far older than appearances let on. But he didn’t think her as old as his mother or his aunts; there was something a bit more spry in the way she moved that made him wonder, though he doubted she was no less heavy-handed in the way she battled. Never mind the impoliteness of his thoughts, though he had the sense not to ask how old she was.
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#11
Paladin
08-25-2021, 09:52 PM (This post was last modified: 10-15-2021, 12:23 AM by Desdemona. Edited 1 time in total.)
She paused on the rock for a moment, thinking how should she respond, "More of a guard, then guardian." And looked back upon him with her jade eyes, watching his scramble upon the rocks. A gradual adjustment though, of him improving with the leaps. Sometimes though, she would pause to wait for him to catch up. It almost seemed like they were about to circle the mountain, but in reality they weren't halfway through. At least there was plenty of boulders decorating the territory.

"It has been like that since I been born."

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#12
08-30-2021, 10:43 PM
It sounded like a predetermined path, though he didn’t know enough about such things to comment on them. The initial silence couldn’t have been helped either as he followed after her, focused once more again on the task at hand as he tried to nimbly leap after her. The last bout was a particularly large gap that gave him a bit more trouble—he took the appropriate time to line himself up all the same, debating just how best to tackle it.

It seemed as good as any time to go forth with another question.

“So if you didn’t have to be a guard, what would you do?”

Muscles coiling, he sprang forward towards the next boulder.
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#13
09-14-2021, 07:04 PM
He brought a question that had given Desdemona a standstill. Upon the rock did she gaze back toward him, a tail slightly flickering from behind. Her head nudged him to turn around, "Repeat the other way," as soon as their path of endless rocks would simply not be possible to jump. Now she would watch him, seeing how his form would properly leap to each rock - until at least, he was tired and sore. 

Only when she gave some time to think, and a few moments of silence, "Perhaps a hunter."

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#14
09-18-2021, 06:31 AM
Repeat the other way, she said and for a moment, Altair’s muscles went slack from where he stood on the rock in a split second beat of defeat. Still, the motion was fluid enough that his slack morphed into a turn that was handled delicately—Desdemona, once again, had the better rock to perform such a thing.

He wobbled a bit, an ear turning to hear the rest of her rejoinder.

“I could see you being a hunter,” he said with a smile. She had the build for it, but then again most wolves did. He lumped himself into that category as well, though a wolf would did not have some prowess in hunting didn’t last long in the world. It was simply a matter of fact.

And once again, off he sprang for another stone, back the way they came.
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#15
09-19-2021, 10:21 PM
"Perhaps if I wasn't turned to the path of a guard, my fate would've laid in so." Desdemona admitted, thinking most likely she would've chosen such a path. It was a past-time she enjoyed, and often when a shift of change would happen for the guards of the mountain, she would fly forth to get something for the catch. In particular though she held a liking for birds, the challenge and the wait to get them..

A bit more exciting then to be a guard, but would she admit it? Most likely not, for Desdemona had grown so used to being a guard, she felt useless otherwise. Unwanted, if shifted into another direction - nor' did she desire to. Especially Hydra, who took her in with only trust between the two, as the spidery wolf could've been an enemy. She had to return such a favor.

"Do you desire, to be a warrior?" Skipping rocks, she questioned the boy.

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#16
Paladin
10-06-2021, 08:52 AM (This post was last modified: 11-12-2021, 06:58 AM by Altair. Edited 1 time in total.)
If there was ever any indication that he was not going fast enough, it was the sudden sensation that she was right there, right behind him. Her question hung in the air—which only further proved his growing point—but Altair was swift to at least comment back even if he was making about the same headway in speed as before.

“I’d like to be, yeah,” came his almost absent response as he calibrated a tricky grouping once more. Being a guardian seemed an honorable path, though honor had little to do with it. He had heard it many times in his life already and knew that his parents wouldn’t feel or think less of him no matter what path he took.

But guardians and warriors both made up what he knew of his heritage.

At least what his mother had told him, anyway.

“I know the training is rough and it takes discipline to learn,” he went on, “but I’d at least like to try. Mira’s not around and she seemed the most apt to take it on, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I can already hunt, so…” he trailed off—hunting didn’t seem that far off the beaten path from being a guardian or a warrior of some sort.
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#17
Paladin
10-15-2021, 12:22 AM
"That is enough for today." Desdemona said, feeling her muscles starting to sore at the touch. If she were to feel that, the woman could only imagine how Altair must feel as the day goes on and they continued so, "do not over do it, rest your muscles," she so warned. The most useless of warriors were that who over did themselves and ruined their body. To let one rest and heal for the next day as their muscles grow stronger was the clear way to go, then that of pure strength and continual pushing. To break down, was a possibility, and she has seen it before.

"If you desire more training you are welcome to me."

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#18
Paladin
11-06-2021, 07:02 AM
Her voice was crisp in the air, concluding his training swiftly as it had begun. Altair let his brow furrow at the cessation—he felt like he could have kept going, but couldn’t find the words to protest without seeming impolite. Instead he slipped from where he was standing with a certain grace, nails scratching against the surface nosily as he gently left stone for softer earth. There he shook out his coat and let a merry wave come to his tail as he let his gaze round back on Desdemona.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon again,” he chuckled, “but I thank you for the lesson today.” He knew he had much to learn—the way he would feel come morning would tell him so—but that was half of the fun to him; the encouragement bestowed upon him from his mother was a driving force in things as well. Only time would tell what he kind of mold he would be cast in, but he had the smarts about him to pool his resources and learn from multiple sources. His mother, Desdemona… and well, the rest of the pack that he could potentially encourage to teach him bits and pieces.
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