Music of the Forest

Apollo wasn't sure exactly what happened, but it was painful and it was damn annoying. The first thing he could remember was waking up in a heap on the floor, but he was outside and not inside which was sort of weird... Secondly, he was fucking furry. He initially gave himself a one over to see if he was injured - for this wouldn't be too much of an issue, considering he was pretty skilled with healing - and saw fur covering his body. He had no idea what was going on, to be honest. "Hermes?" He called out, jumping to his feet and noticing that he could not stand on two feet ... paws? Whatever. "Arte?" Was anyone even there?

Shit, where was his car? Had he locked it? He looked down to his hands, no, paws and freaked out all over again, stumbling backwards on his ass. Clearly he couldn't use his car keys - if he even had them - because he had NO THUMBS. Turning his attention skyward, Apollo noted that he was in some kind of forest. Okay, this definitely wasn't home. Maybe he was just on a super weird trip, or in a really realistic dream... No, wait, these things didn't happen to Apollo! Standing up on all fours again, he grunted and looked around idly, only to be slightly startled by the new addition of a tail. "Shit." He murmured, allowing yellow eyes to skirt across the landscape.

Had he done something to piss off Zeus? Was this a punishment? Looking skyward again, Apollo pouted and snorted again. "This isn't funny anymore." He stated, deadpan. He was, thankfully, still tall and strong, so at least some things had translated over... For now, the sun god stood there, drinking in the sunshine and basking in the confusion of the situation. Well, at least he looked damn good.

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Fortunately (sometimes unfortunately, depending on the day), their forest was never lacking excitement. There always seemed to be something happening, whether it be a new member or visitor, some small activity to involve herself in, or a simple act of nature. Theodora was slowly becoming accustomed to her new lifestyle, enough that she had almost forgotten the vague memories of whatever life came before.

She walked quietly through the trees, humming her familiar melody as she went along. Theo didn’t think twice about the new, strange scent as she went, figuring that it was simply another face she’d had yet to meet. When he finally came into view, Theodora approached with a steady gait and called out a simple, “Hello.”
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Nothing was helping with the panic that overcame Apollo - where was the life that he knew? What would he do without opposable thumbs?! Where was Persephone? A thought hit him - he betted that Hades had done this to him. Sure, Apollo was the "shitty little Sun God", but she was his girl, and he was going to ensure everyone realised that eventually. 

As he sat and scowled, Apollo found himself simmering in his own disdain, only to be jolted free of this by the sound of a small voice. Startled, he jumped to his feet and he moved to look at the youngster, narrowing his eyes. His short, bob-tail flicked behind him as large ears flattened. "Who are you?" A pause. "Where are we?" Another pause as he sniffed the air, picking up scents he'd never smelled before. This was weird. "How do I get home?"

The sudden flap of a bird's wings caused ears to flick up and the brute looked skyward, pressing his lips together. He didn't know where he was or where anyone else was. Now, there was some kid near him who probably wouldn't be able to answer his questions. Fuck!

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This stranger, whomever he might have been, obviously didn’t know about their settlement, which made him an unwelcome guest. Having never been in a position to fend off trespassing loners (not that she could win this fight anyway), Theo figured that she would give him the benefit of the doubt before calling for backup.

His questions were fired off without much pause in between them. A moment passed, then a soft, smile-less laugh, before she replied: “Theodora.” 

“Winterheart Forest”, came her second response, “I don’t know where your home is.” It would be an important part of helping him get anywhere, since she hadn’t explored much beyond this forest and that small section of desert where her journey began. 

Theodora turned her head to the side, quietly examining the stranger. “What’s your name?” she asked.
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It was clear that honestly, Apollo didn't know too much. His amber eyes were bright with confusion. He looked towards the femme before him, almost angry at her for not being able to answer his questions. How dare she not know where they were or even, who the hell he was? Who the fuck was she? "Theodora." He stated, almost unimpressed. Ears flicked back and scowl continued to line his mouth. No, that wasn't the answer he wanted. He wanted Persephone to find him so that he could live the life that he deserved to have with her.

Where the fuck was Winterheart Forest? Was this the mortal realm or not? It was somewhere where he wasn't his usual violet self, that was for sure. He snorted as she stated that she didn't know where his home was and his gaze snapped to her. He stepped forth, trying to make himself look bigger, more intimidating. "You don't know where my home is?" A pause. "Oh, I don't know, maybe... Olympus?" The brute damn near snarled as he looked upon the girl with disdain. How did she not know him? Well, he was lacking his violet hues...

Standing proud above the girl, he lifted his head and shot his best charming grin, the one that got all the girls.. "Apollo; God of the Sun, Music and Medicine." Man, if one could add in the animated sparkle and 'ching' sound on his teeth, he would be a damn commercial. "Where is Persephone? She must be missing me. Artemis? My twin sisters. Is she here too?" He paused, realising after a moment that the girl likely knew nothing. The tall brute scowled, rolling his eyes and sighing some as he continued to eye Theodora. "Are you even a Goddess?"
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Theodora watched Apollo stepped forward and, while keeping her same dull expression, mirrored his movements with one step back. “Olympus?” she repeated, “It’s a child’s tale.” The stories about olympian gods weren’t completely unknown to Theo, but to her, they were all nonsensical fairytales.

A smirk lifted one corner of her mouth which then uttered its innocent response: “If you’re god of the sun, then make it set.” She turned upward to where the sun sat still among the clouds, still lighting what was left of day. His question about Persephone would have to wait.

She would allow some time to pass while she pawed silently at the ground, awaiting Apollo’s attempt at performing this feat. “I’m not a goddess. Do you know of a goddess named Theodora? I don’t even know what I would be patron of. Perhaps hymnals...” Theo continued rambling to herself without much acknowledgement of her company.
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Apollo snorted at the girl's response; a look of contempt shadowing that handsome face. "Olympus? A child's tale?" He barked a sharp, loud laugh and shook his head. "My, my little girl. You have certainly been misled by whoever sold you stories. It is real and it is most definitely my home." He growled, lowering his head and flicking those long ears back. Bob tail flicked behind him eagerly as he looked ready to pounce! 

The response, however, caught him by surprise and he lifted a brow, searching for a reply. "I cannot do it here on this mortal plane, silly girl." He snorted, though honestly, he really wasn't sure. "It's not as easy as jumping and grabbing the sun like a damn rock and tossing it across a lake. Honestly." Apollo grunted, though he wasn't really sure if he could just yeet the sun in this form; it was unlikely at best.

Watching Theodora as she clearly detached herself from their conversation and was not throwing herself at his feet, the narcissistic brute grumbled. However, as she spoke of hymns, his ears pricked. "You sing?" He queried, sitting before her and cocking his head some. "Is that common place here?" Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here, at least he could relish in the music side of things. Oh, how he missed his lyre...
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“If Olympus is real”, Theodora started, “then which direction is it in?” She turned her head left and then right, leaning forward just enough to peek around a thick gathering of bushes nearby. “Maybe I could help you then.” There was always the (slim) chance that Olympus was the coincidental name of a pack that she simply hadn’t come across yet.

Apollo went on to explain himself with an unsatisfying round of excuses. Theodora shook her head, arguing: “You might have been a god elsewhere, but you’re no more than I am now.” She smirked, teasingly turning her head upward again. 

“Unless you can set the sun.”

Theodora was fully prepared to continue this game until Apollo thought to ask about her singing. “I do. Everyone can sing, but I don’t know if that makes it common.” She shrugged. No one seemed to know her songs, anyway.
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A brow lifted as Apollo regarded the young female, torn between grabbing her small head between his jaws and simply laughing at her. Instead, the bob-tailed brute smirked and cocked his head, narrowing those amber eyes in her direction. "Though you are young, you have wit and sass." He retorted, leaning forth to eye Theodora more closely. "Olympus is not a place you can plot on a map, but it is elsewhere outside of the natural realm. I cannot  lead you there." He snorted some and leaned back, regarding her with a wry smirk. "Your silver tongue will get you into trouble, miss. I feel sorry for those that receive a lashing from it, especially as you get older." Hell hath no fury and all that.

Brows lifted at the girl as she seemed to not be content with his responses. To be honest, now that he spoke everything aloud, he did sound a bit of a dick. Still, what else was he to do? Parts of his memory were hazy and fuzzy at best; as though he could see the outline, but not truly reach them to show her. It was frustrating, but he lacked anything else to do about it. Her words cut through him like a knife and for a moment, Apollo stilled and there was a weight on his chest. No, he was not some mere mortal - he refused to believe that. The weight shifted into his stomach and he felt it boiling over as rage bubbled from the inside. He tried his best to keep his composure, but hot breath escaped from his nostrils. "Shut up, stupid girl." He snapped, standing up and turning away from her, as though she was not worth a God's gaze.

Even as the conversation moved to her singing and the songs, he tried to ignore her further. "I suppose you must be less than ordinary, then. Not some God's gift after all..." He grunted, his pride dented. He refused to pay the girl any compliments, for she had clearly lost the grace of a God and now he sat, like a petulant child, with his back to her. His nose lifted to the air as he sniffed idly. "Oh, Persie. I hope you are not alone or afraid." His voice was low, but still dramatic enough, as though he was in a soap opera. Cue the violins!
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Apollo’s belief in Olympus seemed silly to Theodora, especially his claim of having originated there, but she could tell that no progress would come from arguing. Instead, she smirked at his remark and shrugged her shoulders, deciding that she would take his observation as a compliment.

“Quite ordinary”, Theodora nodded, “Just like you.” Their conversation was beginning to bore her; figuring that Hades was nearby, she fixed her head to sound an alarm call but stopped out of interest upon hearing Apollo’s next words. They were quiet enough that Theo could tell she wasn’t supposed to have heard them, but that didn’t stop her from asking, “Which Persephone are you looking for?”

She allowed him a brief moment to speak, just enough for him to be interrupted should he have taken the opportunity. “I know one, but she’s fairly ordinary, too.” Theo thought that Persephone had a unique beauty to her, but aside from that, she didn’t seem any more or less capable than the others.
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Apollo pressed his lips together, gritting his teeth as yellow eyes settled upon the youth before him. Clearly, she did not possess the knowledge capable of considering Olympus more than a "pup's tale". He exhaled a snort from his nose which, if he certainly could, would have been smoke of rage. Ears flattened against his skull as he narrowed his gaze at Theo and he shook his head in disbelief. How far had he fallen from his kingdom, for those to deny its existence. Who was he to be treated like common muck when he was Apollo; god of the sun, music and medicine! It was damn near blasphemy.

He watched the blonde girl as she seemed to consider an action, only to pause at the mention of Persephone. His head lifted, ears pricking and eyes widening in disbelief and hope. "There is only one Persephone." He stated simply. "She is beautiful and radiant. She is to be mine." Apollo's voice drifted off almost dreamily as his gaze moved to the middle distance, thinking of her before he was draw right back out at the mention of her being merely ordinary.

Apollo jumped to his feet, hackles rising and an almost insane look to his bright yellow eyes. "She is not merely ordinary!" He spat quickly, eyeing Theo. "She is the Goddess of Spring, though she should be the holder of beauty."  His voice whined some as he looked around wildly. "Take me to her, child. I wish to see My Girl." His voice was firm and demanding as he flitted between looking at the young wolf and the area around him, as though Persephone would materialise from thin air before him.

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It should be noted that while Theodora didn’t know any specifics about Persephone’s relationship to Hades, their apparent friendship (if nothing else) hadn’t gone unnoticed. Theo thought that the pair would make a handsome couple, and so had to keep herself from snickering when Apollo insinuated that Persephone belonged to him already.

She stared at him with a voided expression, listening intently to his demands. “I am not a child, you know”, Theodora corrected him, “I’m just small.” Her back straightened assertively as she lifted her head, turning snout back toward the Forest under the assumption that he would follow.


After a few steps though, Theodora paused. “Actually, this is claimed land.” She turned to look at Apollo, bristling her slick shoulder hairs as she continued, “You’re a stranger here. It might be best if I call for someone else to guide you further inside.” The simple call was sounded for Hades, then Theo sat, expecting his prompt arrival.

@Hades — couldn’t tag you in-line for some reason

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if I get behind at all please tag me on discord / reach out to me - things are a little weird atm and busy trying to settle everything <3

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^^He'd broken away from Persephone in the early part of the day, choosing to busy himself with making sure any of the dead limbs from a recent storm hadn't tampered with the natural flow of the forest. He was surprised to hear Theodora call for him but as she'd expected, the King made his way quickly to her side and offered her a brief smile before he turned to look upon the other person standing there. At once a feeling tinged down his spine and the King's posture shifted. Taller than the younger male, Hades looked down on him, a quick snort of air leaving his nose. “You're trespassing.” He said, as way of introduction to what he expected.

Even in this form he knew that smug look, that particular face begging to have the smirk wiped right off it, and Hades didn't like the idea of him anywhere near Winterheart. “You know the rules. No one of the sun is welcome in my realm.” The King of the Underworld said. It was ironic, given how Theodora had taken the news of Olympus and Apollo's actual origin - if onle she knew how many of them she was stuck with.^^
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Eyeing the smaller wolf, Apollo snorted, especially as she responded indignantly. Head lifted and his amber eyes settled upon her, flashing with deep-seated resentment. "No? You must just act like one as well as look as one." He smirked. One had to admit, he was a dickhead but, damn, did he look good doing it. Confidence exuded from every pore as the brute stood straight, his tufted tail flicking idly. Why he had not been given a long, lush tail like he deserved, he had no clue. Alas, at least he had a nice face (he presumed, but it was a given, really).

He made to follow Theo, until she paused. He scowled and snorted, pawing the ground impatiently. "Well? Come on! What's the problem?" Though, as she stated that it was claimed land, he sighed, rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Fine, fine. I'll deal with them then." They would probably be more helpful anyway. Thus, he plopped his rump down and sat, listening to the call that the small one gave for someone higher up. Maybe like a manager or something. Though, what appeared made him jump to all fours, hackles stiffening between his shoulder-blades.

Although they were both four-legged furries, Apollo knew exactly who was stood before him and he scoffed at the words. "Oh, sorry. Did you piss all over this land?" He lifted his head and looked around, as though judging. "It's a lot nicer than your usual dreary land. Are you not missing your river, Grandpa Winter?" He paused, offering a wide grin as his bright eyes settled upon the other male, practically cracking with electricity. "How's darling Minthe? Holding up well, I suppose?"

A snicker left his maw as he padded towards the male, ears twitching before he feigned a frown. "Is this your realm? The last I heard, this was a forest, not the Underworld. I can go where I damn please. I hate to tell you, but the sun shines upon this land, therefore I'm pretty sure I am welcome. This isn't your dark underground lair." He paused, standing before the taller male and meeting his gaze. "Where is Persephone? Spring needs the Sun to blossom, not Death. You know that as well as I do." A large snort left the brute's nostrils as he stared at the male before him, cocking his head dickishly. "I am here, whether you like it or not."

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Although grateful for Hades’s swift arrival, Theodora was visibly shaken by his pronouncement of Apollo’s trespassing. She felt an instant guilt for having allowed him this far, and unlike her other emotional changes, this one was hardly kept unnoticed.

She decided that it might be best for her to disappear before either of them noticed or had the chance to acknowledge her distress. Turning between Hades and Apollo, Theo nodded her adieu and stepped off to the side, ready to renter should her pack-mate request it.

Exiting unless called!

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^^A few times over. Hades thought glumly as Apollo just kept on. How did anyone suffer the pompous young god? Now he realized why the Fates called them young bloods. Why the trivial antics of the trio of Kings was nothing more than a fly in their eye. Hades rolled his eyes at Apollo's antics before he spared Theodora a glance. He nodded at her as she backed away, settled on the fact that the sunspot couldn't do jack shit to him and never had been able to. “Our rivers are bountiful here, it's so kind of you to worry.” Hades said with a false sweetness to his voice. “You know, she sulked around here for a bit before Persephone banished her.” And while he'd never laid a claim on the Goddess, he knew that barb would still land when Apollo went on to mention her.

Hades wasn't as vindictive as his brothers. Zeus especially. However it was no secret that he detested the sun gods and found them all pompous fools. Although Artemis might not have liked him much, he favored her immensely over the rest of her blood. “You mean so little you aren't even a memory for her.” Hades said evenly, his dark eyes flashing as they bore down on the male. He took a couple steps closer, standing taller than Apollo did and reveling in it for a moment. He didn't care about the rest, but he'd be happy to show up the 'God of Music' any day. “The Spring doesn't need you for anything. Life comes from death, it's all reborn, that is the power of Spring. It's a shame you discredit her so quickly only to keep up your delusion that she'd need you at all.” Hades didn't need to explain all the intricacies to Apollo - the careful way that the world worked and how the 'circle of life' carried on. They were cogs to keep the machine going.

He wanted to leave Apollo's side to find Persephone and warn her. While Apollo's presence meant that Hades remembered a great deal more about the annoyances, but he couldn't remember anything still about Persephone and him before. A low wind swept through the trees and shook them and the King regarded the boy again. “You are still King of nothing, little boy. Best you run back to your Mommy.”

Whether Apollo thought himself strong or not, even the most passionate of young men would turn tail and run when faced down by one like Hades. It pleased him to know even though the boy was all talk - seeing Apollo's form retreating from his forest brought him a deep rooted satisfaction.^^
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