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
I found a moment to be brave, so I let her know.


Late Evening Snow
#1
P
Discovery
05-11-2021, 12:08 PM (This post was last modified: 07-07-2021, 12:43 AM by Lyss. Edited 1 time in total.)
The tundra seemed endless, a great snowy plain that stretched on for thousands of miles. Quicksilver remembered sorely how he'd wandered it aimlessly for days just a few months prior, lost and entirely alone, without even a name. He'd thought the blizzards would claim his sorry life back then and as he trekked his way across the vast white territory once more with his heart in his throat, he rather wished it had.

He didn't know where he was going, but he fixed his attention on the distant spires. Mountains meant safety, right? Ira's summit had been the first welcoming place to him that he could remember, so if anything he could find a vantage point and decide where to go from there.

The sky had darkened by the time he began to ascend the lower slopes, enough to reveal countless glimmering stars among a blanket of rich navy blue. There was barely any time to acknowledge the beauty of it, however, as he happened across the obvious and fresh trail of @Reiko that he immediately veered to follow.




+1 discovery points

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#2
Discovery
05-11-2021, 12:22 PM (This post was last modified: 07-07-2021, 12:44 AM by Lyss. Edited 1 time in total.)
day 5 of heat, last day!

^^
They wandered the tundra for a few days, searching for a place to call their own, to rest safely and recuperate. One mountain south from here was already claimed by a pair of frightening men, and quickly she took her group to retreat further north. There was no certainty how long her heat would last, but one thing clung to her thoughts - she had to stop travelling and at least wait it out. The more she wandered the more scent trails she left behind to be followed and as soon as a scentless chain of mountains came across their path she took to it immediately as their new safe heaven.

Quickly she put herself to work checkin it out. Searching for any signs of anyone else who may be lingering, for anyone who might be trying to claim these mountains too. She was slow, cautious, meticulous as she slid through the snow and past evergreens, carefully picking through the scent as to not miss any markers as she did earlier. That was not a mistake she was willing to repeat. 

As time went on with no signs of any others trying to claim the rugged terrain, she felt more confident in their safety here and couldn't wait to tell the others of what she found. 

However her path would soon be cut by a familiar face.
^^


+2 discovery points

the staff team luvs u
[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#3
Discovery
05-11-2021, 12:51 PM (This post was last modified: 07-07-2021, 12:45 AM by Lyss. Edited 1 time in total.)
He was going in circles. Quicksilver picked his way through a dense cluster of proud conifers, the scent of frosted pine overpowering what he was sure to be the snowflower's trail. With the snow unable to penetrate the thick canopy, he found no distinct paw prints to follow. He carried on, becoming more and more uncertain - enough to wonder if his mind had begun to play tricks on him.

Wishful thinking? Probably.

He twitched his nose, and paused for a time to sink to a seat alongside the rugged bark of an evergreen. His paws ached from the day's long journey and he lifted one to nibble at the tuft of white fur between the pads, freeing a thorn that'd gotten tangled.

Anxiety gripped him at a sound close by, and Quicksilver snapped his gaze in the direction it came from. Pastel eyes studied the darkness - he could see the edge of the forest and flurries of snow where the trees grew sparse and despite having been actively searching for her, nothing could've prepared the silverwhite for the sight of Reiko Izuka as she stepped elegantly in his direction.

All he could do was gawk.




+2 discovery points

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#4
05-11-2021, 04:28 PM (This post was last modified: 07-28-2021, 11:16 PM by Aso. Edited 1 time in total.)
^^
There was so much to see, and as there was no other scent lingering upon the wind and snow, they would remain here to find it all. Firstly they would need to find where they would sleep and rest, of which was most important to make sure Hotaru would be comfortable. Though her wound was healing well after all this time and almost gone, she would be sure to leave the princess with a comfortable den to rest before heading back out to find her brother.

First they had to find a guardian to guard the women here, and one who could accompany the empress on her journey back south to find Haruki. They were all lucky this time, but the time spent back in the Tundra reminded Reiko that not all were kind. 

With her mind busy with thoughts, she hadn't noticed the silverwind watching nearby as she slowly strolled by. It was the feeling of being watched that snapped her out of her thoughts, the last few unpleasant encounters setting her on edge and hyper aware of her instincts. Ready to flee at any moment, she only relaxed and smiled with a gentle wave of her tail in a greeting as she recognized the kind, aristocratic Quicksilver. “Quicksilver?” 

With a few excited steps toward the young man she approached with a smile finding its way to her lips again. “I — what are you doing all the way out here?” It was a pleasant surprise.
^^


+1 Formation Points

the staff team luvs u
[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#5
Discovery
05-11-2021, 06:54 PM (This post was last modified: 05-11-2021, 07:09 PM by Quicksilver. Edited 1 time in total.)
She seemed lost in thought as she strolled right by and Quicksilver, with his tongue feeling dry and swollen in his mouth, found himself unable to call out to her. He parted his jaws to speak but no sound spilled forth, and so considered shrinking to the ground to better hide himself and allow her to pass by, none the wiser to his surprise arrival.

He hadn't meant to startle her, and the backward sweep of each silver lobe communicated a silent apology. Carefully, tiredly, he gathered himself onto travel-worn paws and smiled awkwardly for her, tail low as its alabaster tip twitched happily, nervously, in greeting. Quicksilver dipped his long muzzle bashfully as she piped up in question, clearly surprised (and probably horrified!) to see that he'd stalked followed her all the way into the vast land of never-ending snows.

“I...” he tried to answer her, imagined he could be smooth, “I just...”

The silverwhite urged himself to hurry it along, to say it, like a sharp jab to make it as painless as he possibly could. I want to be close to you, and I can't, because you belong to someone else!

But she looked at him then, with those lovely doe eyes, with the alluring curve of a smile on her lips, and he practically melted on the spot. Quicksilver swallowed, and made another attempt: “I just came to say-”

Another stall, as he stared right back and felt the weight of his guilt, his frustration, his blossoming affection all at once. Powder blue eyes blinked and he inhaled deep to try and steel himself before trying, and failing, once more: “... hi?”


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#6
Discovery
05-11-2021, 07:39 PM
^^
This time as they met she was more self-conscious. Aware of what was happening to her body and how it might make Quicksilver feel should she approach too close. Was she also in heat during their previous meeting? The thought was enough to send her into an embarrassed frenzy, feeling the warmth upon her cheeks as blood rushed to her head as if it would somehow mask her face. A veil of red to hide behind instead of heating up her cheeks and every corner of her face so uncomfortably so even snow would instantly melt should it touch her features.

How awful he must think of her now

Still his shy demeanour was oh so sweet she couldn't help but keep that bashful smile curling her lips gently toward the sky, even through the embarrassment she couldn't frown in his presence. 

The way he greeted there was no concealing her laughter. “Hello to you too~” Hopefully he didn't find her laughter to be directed at him in particular. “What do you think of this place? I thought perhaps this is where we will call home.” Gesturing with her muzzle to the hills and rocky spires all around. To the trees that clung to their mountainous sides and constant gentle snow that fell from the breeze above twinkling in false twilight as they'd catch the sun's light.  

Still, after all this time she was still oblivious to his feelings.
^^
the staff team luvs u
[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#7
Discovery
05-11-2021, 09:57 PM
He couldn't do it. Too pure, too weak-minded, too selfless. Had he always been this way? Had his family raised him this way? Quicksilver wished he could be a little tougher, a little sharper, but the idea of harming the feelings of anyone - not just Reiko - was unbearable. So he feigned a smile to the best of his abilities, and tried to pretend he hadn't just spent the entire day plotting how to tell her that he could no longer continue to embrace their budding friendship.

The silverwhite didn't even know if she considered him as such! Perhaps she looked to him purely as a potential ally, as simply a follower of Ira's pack. He didn't believe himself to be of any real value to anyone, after all.

Mind running wild with how ridiculous he might seem to have crossed the snows in search of her to say "hi", Quicksilver didn't know what else to say. He wilted, visibly, when she laughed - a beautiful sound, like music to his ears, yet one easily interpreted as mocking. Mortified, he tried to join in, but it was awkward and clumsy.

“Reiko, it...” he mumbled, but she drew attention to the world around her. Lifting his gaze, Quicksilver glanced around to the frosted branches of the pine trees, to the huge trunks that reached toward the sky. He could see that clouds had rolled in, further obscuring the stars he'd arrived to and promising further snowfall. “It... it's wonderful. What will you call it?”


the staff team luvs u
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#8
05-12-2021, 03:22 PM (This post was last modified: 07-28-2021, 11:17 PM by Aso. Edited 1 time in total.)
^^
Things were more complicated than she realized for the young man - while she tried her best not to linger too near for the sake of what she thought was her final day of heat, something unknown to her was going on in the boy's head. Never in all her young days would she have guessed that the woman he had spoken of before was her. Too occupied and ignorant to connect the dots and clue in to all his little hints.

She wouldn't have laughed then at his awkwardness, wouldn't have made things worse by finding his self-conscious way of being cute or quirky. 

Maybe she would have eased his worry about a man being in her life despite the mention of children. Assured that they were gone through tragedy, and though they would never be forgotten for both better and for worse... that she was indeed as single as a mother could ever be. There was also a distinct lack of male scent around other than Quicksilver himself.
 
“Umm not certain...” A name, yes that was something that had to be decided upon soon wasn't it? “I suppose it cannot be just 'home' hm?” Feeling awkward herself, she offered a gentle chuckle to try and ease her own feeling of unease. “You are our first visitor however! We only just arrived too but would you like a tour? Perhaps help me find a place where we can use as dens?”
^^


+2 Formation Points

the staff team luvs u
[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#9
Discovery
05-14-2021, 06:27 AM
A new tension hung between them, as though Quicksilver's anxiety was contagious. He stood there awkwardly, unsure if he should just apologise for the intrusion he'd made on the snowflower's turf and head home to mull in privacy over his most recent failure.

Perhaps it'd been foolish of him, to so hastily make attempt in putting a stop to the unhealthy obsession he'd begun to feel for Reiko. Aside from two brief encounters, he barely knew her - time and distance would lessen his fondness for her, surely? What of the silent magpie with Caribbean blue eyes who haunted his dreams anyway? She, if she even existed, could very well be an integral part of whatever life he'd led before.

Was he betraying someone, in turning attention to another?

Quicksilver swallowed as he dared to seek his companion's lovely face again, knowing how he would be robbed of sleep in days to come by his plagued thoughts and many wanderings of what if. Oh, how he wished he could simply put himself out of this self-inflicted misery by telling her that he wished to explore their budding relationship, but that he was sorry to feel that way and put her in such discomfort. It'd been for this reason alone that he had pursued her all this way, after all: to find closure, and move on with this already confusing life he'd come to lead.

Reiko had successfully steered their conversation toward the spire on which she would make her home, and Quicksilver played along with a feigned smile that didn't reach his eyes. He tried his best to give a happy twitch of his tail despite the nausea that began to bloom in his gut and the strain of his own overthinking, and dipped his muzzle: “I'd love to help you.”


the staff team luvs u
[Image: Untitled_Artwork.png]
#10
Discovery
05-17-2021, 12:49 AM
^^
Ignorance truly was bliss wasn't it? While Quicksilver was in his self-deprecating hole, Reiko was as light as ever. Now that they had their own place she no longer had to worry about roaming during her heat and instead she could get comfortable here... still worried about any wandering male drawn in by the scent, and not at all believing Quicksilver would be that type, at lest she would have the advantage of the others who lingered here and knowing the land well enough to hide should it be necessary.

At least here she would be at her most comfortable as opposed to wandering aimlessly. Now they had a home where friends could find them easily just as Quicksilver had, and a place to be safe... she could only hope it would be safer as they gained more numbers over time.

Happily they moved on as the young man accepted her invitation to wander the new mountains, already Reiko was on the move. Excitedly hopping around ready to quickly start either fast walking or running to their first destination. “Come! Let me show you the river, it is beautiful! Maybe we can find something following it.” She waited long enough for him to start following before she rushed off in the direction she believed the river to be in.

It was a fantastic thing, at least to her. Shallow, crystal clear, the branches that hung over it were coated in a thing layer of white ice that gave the river a wintery feel to it. Maybe if they walked along its side, they too would gather frost on their pelt.
^^
the staff team luvs u
[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#11
Discovery
08-11-2021, 08:24 AM
Her excitement was infectious and, despite the uncertainty he carried, Quicksilver bounded after his friend. His plume whipped at his hocks as he quickened his stride to keep up.

The land was beautiful, as pale and lovely as Reiko herself, though it was not to the river that Quicksilver's eyes were drawn. Instead he stole quiet glances at the snowflower, admiring the cheerful bob of her lucious white tail when she trotted ahead and listening to the enthusiasm that radiated from her unique, lilting tones.

That was a voice he wanted to hear every day, for as long as life would last.

When at last their adventures came to an end, Quicksilver bid her a fond and solemn farewell. He had tracked her to Tsukiishi with intentions of honestly, having expected their brief friendship to conclude with the truth, but in his cowardice he held his tongue. He departed more hollow than before, more confused, and picked his way South toward Vanderfell's spears.

The druid would not make it home, not that day or any day in the foreseeable future. He simply vanished without a trace, lost to the tundras just as he'd been on his arrival to these mysterious lands.


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[Image: Untitled_Artwork.png]
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