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!

P
Please don't scar this young heart


Late Evening Thunderstorms
#1
P
Formation
04-20-2021, 03:25 AM (This post was last modified: 04-20-2021, 03:26 AM by Persephonee. Edited 1 time in total.)
Thunder cracked and roiled over head, the clouds swollen and angry. Over what, she wasn't sure; Mother would have told her @Zeus was angry again, probably over the fact that he got caught being unfaithful or something equally ridiculous. Her immediate thought, of course, was to ask @Hades, but she was still avoiding him. She had been for about two weeks now, not wanting to question him for fear of his answers. While she didn't smell the red wretch on him, and even though Persephone was naïve, she was not stupid -- there were ways to avoid being caught.

Would he have done that? Persephone huffed, soft and yet frustrated as she explored over their cavern, opting to explore above ground rather than under this night. There was something about the smell of the air when there was an impending storm that she enjoyed, something about the electric feeling she sought that she had felt no where else except in the presence of the very man she was keeping her distance from. Eventually, she'd have to talk to him. She knew that. Just... Not right now.


Tagged Zeus for reference. Thread for u, boo <3

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#2
04-20-2021, 05:01 AM
^^His eyes cut to the skies and he wondered what his brother was mad about now. No matter. It wasn't his family as Hades had been reminded. He let out a soft sigh and wondered if Persephone would avoid him for the rest of their days. Still, regardless of Minthe, he had only hoped for Persephone's affections more. He left her meals by their cavern, never pressuring her. He stayed closer to the cavern entrance instead - making sure he still held up his end of the deal. He'd protect her. Tonight's meal was a thick hare and it swung from Hades' jaws as he bounded along the forest. He lept over a rock rather than coming around it, only panting lightly when he found her near their densite.

“Persephone,” He had placed the hare at his paws, blue eyes seeking her face. Would she rebuke him? Would she let him near? A breath left him, and Hades wanted to whine. “Would you like to have dinner with me?” He asked quietly. It was all in the hands of his small Queen. His fate, his kingdom, was still hers.^^
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#3
04-20-2021, 05:23 AM
Over the ceiling of their den did she explore, careful to tread lightly in case she found a hidden opening in the stone. Silently, she ruminated and inspected her own thoughts; did she want to be Queen if the red wolf was around to rub her relationship with Hades in her face? Did she was to be around Hades or his woman (bile rose in her throat her, teeth clamped tight to keep it all down) if she was only to be the young mistress? Mother had always gone on about what indecencies the three Kings had always gotten up to. Had she been right this whole time?

She hadn’t noticed him approach until he was right there, dead hare at his feet, piercing eyes seeing all the way through her. Seph wondered if he knew. Still, his invitation was one that she found she still wanted to accept, butterflies in her stomach betraying her. “I would,” Came her soft answer, looking to meet his eyes for a moment before shying from the action.

“In the den? So that we don’t get rained on?” Since she’d started avoiding him, he’d stopped sleeping at her side, something that had only strengthened her fears and heighten her worries. He hadn’t been in their little haven with her since that day, and who knew if he had when she wasn’t there.
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[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
#4
04-20-2021, 05:34 AM (This post was last modified: 04-20-2021, 05:36 AM by Hades. Edited 1 time in total.)
^^He swallowed thickly as she met his eyes and he saw her drenched in water then, the rain she mentioned escaping falling over them both and washing away anything that wasn't just them in his mind's eye. A blink and it was back to reality, the heavy roll of the weather seeming as dark as his moods had been lately. Her offer was a smart one - it was good to think of, and he longed to be near her in their home too. He nodded and picked up the hare again, gesturing carefully for her to lead the way. It was equal parts fear and longing that made him hesitate. He wasn't an idiot. Minthe appearing only made things more complicated - he didn't want to hurt Minthe after all but he couldn't see any way that they could be healthy together.

At the same time he worried that he was like Demeter, putting too much on Persephone's shoulders and expecting her to just survive with the life he thrust on her. Making her Queen was meant to honor her - but wasn't Hera just held down, chained to her gilded throne? When his eyes had adjusted and they'd stepped past his new bed spot, Hades came to a stop and let the hare rest near the soft plants by the pool. “You can ask me anything you want. I'll be honest with you.” Hades promised her gently before nosing the hare towards her. “I've....I've hated how it's been.....feeling so distant.” The King admitted.^^
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#5
04-22-2021, 03:07 AM
She led him down, hopping fluidly from point to point until she stood before the cavern's entrance, waiting only a moment before disappearing into its depth with a flick of her tail. She didn't stop as she padded towards the lake, and as reluctant as she was to maintain such distance from him, Persephone sat and curled her tail 'round petite paws, kunzite eyes watching the man quietly as he made his offering to the would-be Queen. The honey wolf made no move to accept it, not yet, her gaze lingering upon him instead. Ears twitched when he spoke, a slight tilt of her head occurring as she considered him.

Ask him anything? Persephone frowned, a slight but present expression as she thought of what questions he expected her to want to ask, what information he thought she sought. She, too, hated how distant they'd been, having gone from sleeping cuddled up to one another to sleeping entirely separately, from stolen touches and glances to frostiness (though, that was on her part). She felt hurt, felt like she had just been a toy for him while he waited for some other woman to show up.

She knew that wasn't fair, however. Hades had treated her kindly, with respect, as he would a friend. A friend. Persephone was not stupid; she was no woman, not like that red wolf was.

“I'd rather you tell me what you think is important for me to know,” She finally answered, hoping her voice didn't waver as she felt her heart race.
the staff team luvs u
[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
#6
04-22-2021, 04:20 AM
^^Watching the Queen traverse over her homeland was blissful to him. She was growing more and more natural. He cocked a smile despite the unease around them that filled the silence that had been comfortable before. He followed after her until they'd stopped and he let the silence swallow them up again. Before they might have laid there in peace, only occasionally watching the dance of the glowworms as they sparked along the ceiling of the cavern. Her statement wasn't unexpected. There were a million different reasons why she might not have been able to settle on a question at first. “I didn't purposefully keep her from you.” He began, and it was clear from the look in his eyes he wasn't lying and he wasn't happy with how things were. “But...I didn't...even if Minthe is here now it doesn't change things.” Hades was quiet and kept his eyes turned towards her. He wasn't going to hide.

“It's important to me that you know that....there is nothing similar between you. Minthe and I have always had an...unhealthy relationship.” They'd written their love notes in revenge and anger, mostly. Hades assumed that he deserved her, too. “Maybe it's best to talk to Hecate? I don't feel like I'll describe it properly. But, Minthe would say things like how she didn't feel like being seen with me, and just....” Even now he felt wrong for even talking poorly. He wasn't innocent either. “I wasn't great to her, either. I Know my family didn't like her. Hera wasn't exactly kind when talking about her.” His teeth worried at the edge of his lip for a moment, fidgeting in a nervous sort of habit. “Half the time I felt more used than anything but at least it was predictable, y'know?” Son of Kronos, what more could he deserve?

“I don't have any intentions of staying with her, here.” He said firmly, wanting to hope that she knew that even without him saying it.^^
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#7
04-22-2021, 04:38 AM
He spoke and she listened, attention rapt upon the man who had the potential to cause her first true heartbreak. There were several things she was happy to hear; not the least of which was that Minthe’s presence didn’t change anything. Persephone was unsurprised when he spoke of how unhealthy the pair of them had been and, though the honey wolf was young and a touch naive, even she could see how any relationship including the red woman wouldn’t have been healthy.

“No,” She answered him, voice gentle. “I don’t know.” Persephone couldn’t imagine staying with someone like that, someone who’s attitude was sour, and who insulted those she didn’t even know. It was his last statement she coke yes into though, forgetting to breathe once she asked her next question: “And what are your intentions, Aidoneus?” She asked him plainly this time, not shying from the directness of it all, the tiniest piece of her more peeking through as she waited, heart pounding away.
the staff team luvs u
[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
#8
04-22-2021, 04:51 AM
^^She didn't say anything. The silence was drowned out by the pounding of his heart and the worry he had that she would leave. It would hurt him too. He would never force her though. Rather than a response to any of the things that he'd admitted to her the question she asked was focused on her and his intentions. He understood that, too. “I don't want us to ever be like th-that.” Hades offered quietly. It was hard for him to process those feelings, though, it burning him up considerably.

“I can't - wo-won't - force you into anything. Ever. There is no one else I want though, but, I feel like I wouldn't do you, or us any justice trying to rush into things.” The King let out a sigh, tail tip flicking just a smidge. He had to move. He had to fidget. He couldn't sit still. “It's not just about me, though. What do you want, Persephone? from me, from Winterheart....” He trailed off after that. He was too nervous to keep talking, actively trying to keep the stutter out of his voice with occasional lengthy pauses.^^
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#9
04-22-2021, 05:44 PM
She hated that he stuttered then, for no other reason than that she felt bad, awful, that she was the one that put it there. She wasn’t mad at him; really, she was relieved when he said he didn’t want to be like that. Didn’t want to be nasty to one another. Her relief grew as he went on until Persephone finally sighed, soft and gentle.

“Hades,” she said his name, trying to get him to stop for a moment. When that didn’t work, she tried again. “Aidoneus.” She took a deep breath, back tracking for a moment before she answered him.

“I’m sorry you went through that, that you hurt with her when you should have been happy. That’s not right. I don’t want to hurt you, ever. I just... Minthe told me you and her were mates and I was scared.” her voice was quiet, looking away from him to their lake. “I was scared because that’s what I want for us and here someone showed up and ripped the rug out from under me...” She glanced his way, ears low, tail wrapped tightly around her paws. “I don’t want to be the other woman, Aidoneus. I don’t want there to be an ‘other woman’ at all.
the staff team luvs u
[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
#10
04-23-2021, 04:51 AM
^^It wasn't only that anger made him stutter. Any sense of emotional upset was liable to send him back into that stutter from his youth. He couldn't even say it was childhood. Children didn't fight and wage war. They had done what was necessary and this life was the only way that any other lives could survive so long as the Titans ruled. Thankfully Persephone speaking brought him out of those worries and he focused instead on her. Minthe had told her that? Hades was surprised and his face gave it away, the King feeling his chest tighten. He remembered telling his brothers he'd considered asking her - after one of the parties she'd so sweetly decided to not go to.

“I....I'd almost asked her to marry me.” Hades admitted. “She'd stood me up again, and I destroyed the ring....” His voice was further off, like from some memory. Persephone saying that she wanted him like that made him let out a low sound of pure longing - it wasn't sexual. So far they'd made no real advances on each other, nothing more than moments of flirtation. But admitting what they wanted was so much more than that. His tail thumped the ground as it wagged. He couldn't hide that very well. “I would never do that to you.” Hades promised. “You've done so much for me in such a short time. I don't know how I could settle for what I'd had before.” The King admitted it freely - but his voice was still soft. Quiet. He didn't want Persephone to ever think it had been an option.^^
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#11
05-03-2021, 05:03 AM
The shock on his face was enough to tell her that it wasn't true, that it had never been true. Maybe Minthe had wanted it to be, but if that was the case, then she'd apparently failed at showing him anything that would have proved that to him. She'd stood him up when he had meant to propose and Persephone, sweet, empathetic Persephone felt her heart ache for him. Even if she was glad that he had never proposed, the little honey wolf couldn't imagine how painful that must have been for him.

Perhaps it was that which finally pulled her closer to the man, or maybe it was that she hated the distance between them. Whatever it was, for the first time in weeks, Persephone drew close to the King, gently pushing her head under his, tucking herself against the plush of his fur, breathing in that winter-fire scent that had been teasing her every time she'd smelled him. This time, the springtime goddess had no words for him, only the reassurance of physical touch and closeness.
the staff team luvs u
[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
#12
05-03-2021, 08:31 AM
^^The King let out a low sigh when it seemed that he had escaped her rage. Persephone wasn't prone to anger the same way that Minthe was, but, there were a lot more ways the Queen surpass his former lover. Still, Hades waited, not wanting to *presume* that he was in her good graces or anything would be like it had been. He made a soft sound when she stood and for a moment he feared she'd run off. Instead, she pressed close, molding herself beneath him and the King sagged against her. He made a soft sound that was purely canine, grateful for her and her endless grace. “Persephone,” He said her name so softly, nuzzling against the top of her skull. “I like how you make me feel.” He admitted quietly.

The idea of her and him was something that he didn't truly thing he deserved. He'd try though. For her, he'd try. “I want to be the person that I think you deserve.” For the King of the Dead, that wasn't who he was. Not yet. But i meant that he had a goal in mind, he had something to aim for and work towards.^^
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#13
05-03-2021, 05:51 PM
She felt him fold around her and welcomed the gesture, pressing closer, burying her face in all that fur. His words brought only minute reactions from her, a murmur here, the flick of an ear there. She appreciated his desire to be better, she did, but that wasn’t what she was seeking from him.

“Hades,” She mumbled, voice muffled as she refrained from moving, happy enough where she was right there. “I don’t want who you think you should be for me. I want you, and all that entails. All of it. The good, the bad, and the things you think I don’t deserve. No one’s perfect. No one.” she’d finally pulled back enough to look up at him, noting the way his face was illuminated by the shine of the glow worms. “Just be yourself with me, okay?”
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#14
05-04-2021, 01:24 AM
^^Hades let out a soft hum as she burrowed into him, teeth catching as he preened her fur tenderly. Listening to her made his heart ache in a way he didn't understand. He wasn't accustomed to just... being accepted the way that Persephone offered to him. Especially without any sort of conditions or expectations. “I can want more for you, Sweetness.” He said gruffly, trying to hold himself together as stoic and... Well, competent.

“You won't change my mind that i can be better for you.” He said that with confidence, a charming smile on his face. “I've hated how it's felt without...” He gestured slightly, unsure of what to call it. “Us” He settled on finally. “Going forward, whatever happens, I want to talk about it.”^^
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#15
05-04-2021, 02:19 AM
He'd barely gotten the words out before she replied. “Yes. Yes. Please let's talk next time. I'm sorry I didn't sooner, I just... wasn't... I didn't know how and I think...” Persephone took a deep breath then, pulling back to look up at him, pink eyes searching blue. Voice dropping to a whisper, ears low, the little goddess found herself ashamed to tell him the truth of why she hadn't come to him sooner. “I think I was scared of the answer.”
the staff team luvs u
[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
#16
05-04-2021, 02:51 AM
^^Despite the difficulty surrounding how they felt he understood her words. He knew Fundamentally how it felt to doubt and worry. “I understand,” He said smoothly before pressing a few gently kisses over her brow to soothe her. “I wanted to give you space.....I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” Knowing that the anger and fire in Minthe was capable of burning the world down if her fires were stoked enough, Hades didn’t want to be so presumptuous as to imagine that Persephone would be immune either. “I know it’s got to be hard since most of Winterheart is related to me somehow....but I’m glad you have your friends, too.” He said gently. “I won’t hide from you anymore.” He said at last - realizing it had been childish but he’d been afraid of her rejection.^^
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#17
05-04-2021, 04:14 AM
While Persephone was grateful for the space he'd given her, she had hated every minute of it, every moment, every morning she'd awoken cold and alone. Every night she'd wrestled nightmares and dreams of her teeth rotting out of her own skull. Stress had pressed in like a heavy weight, suffocating, debilitating, breaking, until it had left the honey girl sullen and sore. A pressure had settled on her chest, one born of anxiety and worry, only to be lifted now, inch by inch. Pound by pound.

“I promise the same,” She murmured, reaching to preen at the fur along his jaw. It was a gentle motion, a simple motion, but she wanted to rebuild what had been temporarily broken. The touch was small, feather light, but present and in that moment, it was perhaps all that mattered to her.
the staff team luvs u
[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
#18
05-04-2021, 07:26 AM
^^Hades had felt oddly normal even while they'd been apart. It wasn't to say that he had enjoyed his time by any means, but, he'd found that he was so accustomed to the anger and the withdrawn state that he didn't have to worry about it at all. He was more focused on shoring up their lines and making sure that things were going as smoothly as they could given he was going purely off instinct and had no idea what he was doing. That was obvious to any native who might have seen him.

His tail gave a few quick beats when she promised the same, a breathy sigh escaped his lips when she nibbled along his jaw. It felt more natural than he could possibly put to words to have her in his embrace again. He couldn't quite return the favor as she tended to him and for once he took a note from his youngest brother's book. He just took it. He was selfish. He just let her touch him, gentle and preening and inside he wanted to press her to the ground and kiss her until they both forgot what anything else in the world felt like. “I think I'm going to sleep better than I have in weeks tonight.” The implicated hope was that he'd be able to curl around her like normal.^^
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#19
05-06-2021, 04:30 AM
“Then we’re on the same page,” the springtime goddess murmured into his fur, bubblegum eyes closed as she leaned into him. Her own sigh loosed from her lungs, heavy and suddenly exhausted. She’d been so tired all this time and only now did she let herself give into it. Give into him, as she had been wanting to do all this time.

In the weeks they’d been apart, Persephone had discovered much, and wanted to share everything with him. The pack beyond the plains, the appearance of the War Gods Ares, even that she’d started her own little garden. All fairly minor but relevant, at least in her mind. And yet, in light of all of that, Perse remained entirely silent, nuzzling his fur before reaching up to tug gently in his ear, to lead him back to their spot.

Their dinner forgotten, Persephone curled in the bed of flowers and grass and furs and looked up at him expectantly..
the staff team luvs u
[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
#20
05-28-2021, 09:09 AM
^^The same page - as they should be. As they had been, enough that he felt like it was written by the same hand often. Maybe holding two separate pens, and the left and right hands had caught up with one another, flowing seamlessly to a point where it was all the same. He longed to stay like that forever, just tucked into their secret world and kept safe from any other realities. Nothing mattered other than her right then, and thus them as they were. He found himself smiling even when her teeth met his ear and she tugged him, as if there wasn't so much of a difference in their heights. His tongue met her cheek before she released him to settle herself and he watched her with fond eyes.

The silence between them this time wasn't as heavy as Charon's ferry, as massive as Cerberus ever was, as endless as Elysium was vast. It was quiet and comforting, and he waited for her gaze to fall on him with such a silent command. He never would have been able to resist her if he'd tried or wanted to. Hades closed the distance between them again, walking a circle around her first and occasionally reaching out to brush his snout through her fur and nuzzle against her. He needed her scent to cover him again, that strong sort of smell of her that had brought him so much comfort. When he curled around her it was with a heavy sigh like a sailor touching the ground again after a long stint at sea. It was stability he rarely felt he deserved.

Did he take too much from her? Ask too much of her? He took to grooming her gently, his body fit carefully so that her back was against his side and he could lay his limbs next to hers. “I don't want to miss you again.” He admitted softly, glad that they were facing the same way so she didn't see the longing on his face.^^
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#21
08-15-2021, 05:38 AM
“You won't have to,” She whispered, snuggling back into his warmth, that same warmth that had been so terribly absent lately. Persephone appreciated, deeply, that he knew the words to soothe her fears, even if Hades himself didn't realize it. Whatever tension was left melted from her bones, the little female relaxing into her protector with a final heavy sigh. Quickly, sleep overcame her, dragging her down into its depths now that she felt safe and right once more.

Fade
the staff team luvs u
[Image: 32742104_CtCyQBtRsKxdbdr.gif]
— Hades is welcome in any thread Persephone is in, and, may powerplay her if the need is there
— Mother, please stay out of my threads :c
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