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!

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Swirling spheres of otherness.


Morning Partly Cloudy
#1
P
Vanderfell Woods
10-24-2021, 03:54 PM
On his return to Vanderfell that morning, Quicksilver at once looked for @Hieronymous. He knew the High King had been significantly more active along the territory outskirts since the birth of the royal brood, so he set about testing the evergreens along the lower reaches for fresh scent markers. On his swift location of a tuft of brown fur that clung to rugged tree bark, the druid made his way promptly along the trail he suspected he might've gone.

He'd promised to be back as soon as Haruki was safely delivered to his family, but certain distractions had delayed his return - and he wished to apologise for that, and hoped for an opportunity to pick his friend's brain for an anecdote for two.


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#2
10-24-2021, 04:13 PM
^^
He had been wandering the borders to keep their scent fresh, mimicking what Ira would do to refresh their scent along the border... Boy I hope I'm doing it right, he'd think to himself every now and then.

Casting a glance over to the tundra, he wondered how Quicksilver and the young prince were doing. What might have delayed the return of the silver man and hoping that nothing had happened to him along the way. Night had passed and morning had come, Hieronymous figured he would have been back by now.
^^
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— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#3
Medic
10-24-2021, 04:26 PM (This post was last modified: 10-29-2021, 05:22 PM by Quicksilver. Edited 3 times in total.)
“Oh, hey,” the silverwhite chirped to Hieronymous when he managed to catch up to him, and loped between the trees to catch up to him with a cheerfully swishing tail. “Sorry for the delay, was... catching up with friends. But I'm here now!” He smiled, a little sheepishly, unprepared to share any information over what particular activity had kept him away a little longer than he meant to. Quicksilver still felt pretty weightless over he and Reiko's development, his confidence boosted, but some things were meant to stay private.

The druid carried on, “how are you and Ira doing? Little ones okay, keeping you busy?”


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#4
10-24-2021, 06:55 PM (This post was last modified: 10-24-2021, 07:00 PM by Hieronymous. Edited 2 times in total.)
^^
Speaking of the young lad, Quicksilver made his appearance in no time! Seafoam eyes catching the silver man’s approach with a welcoming glint in them, glad to see he had returned safe and sound. And… a little happier than usual. “Welcome back! You seem to be in a pretty chipper mood.” there was no judgment there in his tone, in fact, Hiero was glad to see Quicksilver was basically glowing.

“Ira and the kids are doing just fine. Nothing too stressful yet.” they were still just little potatoes for the time being after all, not enough movement just yet to be troublesome… but time had the habit of flying by if he wasn’t careful.
^^
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— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#5
Counsellor
10-24-2021, 07:08 PM (This post was last modified: 10-29-2021, 05:26 PM by Quicksilver. Edited 1 time in total.)
Hieronymous took note of the silverwhite's good mood, and for a change he did not blush. He just gave his friend a big, goofy smile. He felt pretty content, knowing his reason for such a shift was safe in the confines of his own mind - tucked away where no one could expose it. Quicksilver would shield and protect it for as long as he needed to, for as long as Orlaith and anyone else felt the need to pry their way into his personal life beyond Vanderfell borders.

Ira and the children were doing find, thankfully, and there was some release in his muscles to hear such confirmation. “And what about you?” Quicksilver questioned with a curious twitch of a velvet ear, and he reached to nip fondly at his friend's mottled chin; had Hiero avoided any mention of his own wellbeing because there was something wrong?


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#6
10-24-2021, 07:16 PM (This post was last modified: 10-24-2021, 07:16 PM by Hieronymous.)
^^
Of course whatever made Quicksilver happier than usual was none of Hieronymous' business, and so he would not pry any further than taking note of the shimmer that radiated from the man before him. If it didn't have any negative effect on Vanderfell, whatever brought such a smile to the druid's face was his to hold and share if he chose to do so at his own time.

If anyone knew secrets, it was Hieronymous himself. Keeping personal matters locked away from prying eyes and judgemental ears should it change their view on him. Especially now that he was their King, a husband and a father.

The tender nipping on his chin caused the man to titter at the contact. Very few would reach out to touch him in such a way and in all honesty, he liked it. Even between platonic friends. “I too am well.” Returning the friendly affection, he'd flick his tongue across the silver white's muzzle before they could pull away.
 
“A little bit of adjusting, but nothing strenuous. I feel like my life has been turned upside down for the better these past few months.” First a rushed marriage and now children quickly after. Adjusting was one way to put it, but he was glad to.
^^
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— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#7
10-24-2021, 07:28 PM
Hieronymous assured him that all was well on his part too, and Quicksilver did not press further. He had no reason not to trust the High King, even though he was concerned that he might feel overwhelmed with all that'd happened at such a fast pace. There were days where the druid fretted that it might all become too much, the way his life shifted so quickly, but his friend always seemed to take it all in his stride. Of that grace, and of the companionship and family he'd found in their Queen, he'd always felt rather envious.

Less so now, however, that things between he and Reiko had begun to swiftly improve.

“Hey, so... uh,” he gestured ahead, and stepped forward - encouraging his companion to set pace with him. Walking and talking had always been easier for him, as it saved him from twitching and fidgeting awkwardly in place; “has Orlaith... talked to you or Ira, recently?”


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#8
10-24-2021, 07:36 PM
^^
So it seemed that Quicksilver himself had something on the mind to talk about. Opening floor up as he stepped forward, awkwardly beginning while drawing Hiero's attention in. Naturally, he followed as Quicksilver stepped forward, having no problems with talking and walking. It would also help with the patrol as well, Ira always did like killing two birds with one stone as well so why shouldn't he?
 
“Orlaith?” He parroted. Taking a moment to ponder over the things he and Ira would talk about recently... “No... Not to me I assure, and I haven't heard of her talking to Ira about anything noteworthy. Why?” He wasn't particularly close with the female warrior, she seemed to prefer Ira more than him to which he wouldn't complain. The two women were here first before he came along, it was only natural that Orlaith had a favourite.
^^
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— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#9
10-24-2021, 07:47 PM
Quicksilver, not entirely sure if Hieronymous' bond with Orlaith was anything as strong as the one he'd forged with him, felt nervous to discuss the issue she seemed to have with him. He always had harboured concern over what others might think of him. Always eager to please, the silverwhite felt as though he did his best for the pack as a whole by committing himself to his studies and maintaining their stores all by himself. So it bothered him, naturally, to have been accused of not caring for Vanderfell - and more so to think that she might be borderline stalking him.

The High King had not been interrogated as he had, it seemed, and as far as he was aware Ira had not been informed. Good, he mused, for he did not wish to trouble the Queen while she tended to her newborns with such childish behaviour from her most trusted guard. “Okay, so,” he inhaled a deep breath, “she isn't too happy with me, and my... coming and going. She seems to believe I'm up to no good.” He gazed ahead, through the trees that rose above and on either side of them, and twitched a whisker thoughtfully.


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#10
10-24-2021, 08:17 PM
^^
“Do you know what kind of "no good" she's suspecting?” He chimed in almost full of humour. Finding it hilarious that someone would be suspicious of the silver lad. Individuals were always busy, coming and going when something catches their attention or need to go fetch a particular thing. As a medic, he suspected Quicksilver was off looking for more remedies.

Or even solidifying allies, especially with the Northern pack as he seemed to be pretty close to them. Even so, if he was spending plenty of time with them, Ira had trust in the Northern pack... so he saw nothing wrong with being chummy with them. “Does she worry you?” Did he feel threatened by Orlaith?
^^
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— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#11
10-24-2021, 08:28 PM (This post was last modified: 10-24-2021, 08:55 PM by Quicksilver. Edited 2 times in total.)
The druid stepped carefully over a branch that lay in his path; “she thinks I am tending to another pack more so than this one,” he said, rolling a shoulder and emitting a breath of awkward laughter at how ridiculous it sounded to him. “I assume Shiroshika, since... I see someone from there often.”

He blinked around, briefly, to seek the High King's gaze curiously. Hieronymous knew of his fondness for the Empress from the Northern reaches. Ira was his wife, and Quicksilver thought there to be some unwritten rule not to keep secrets from one's significant other, so... she'd surely told him? Maybe asked him to play dumb over it, should it ever come up in conversation? It didn't seem like the kind of behaviour to expect of the High Queen, so he tilted his lobes backward somewhat guiltily as he blinked ahead of him once more as he queried as to whether or not she worried him.

“I... a little, I guess?” Angry women were fucking terrifying! “I didn't want to tell Orlaith, because I didn't appreciate her prying, but... you remember Reiko?” Quicksilver lashed his tail thoughtfully between his pale hocks, “she was here to celebrate your wedding day, and you helped me with her when she was almost swept away in the run.”


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#12
10-24-2021, 08:37 PM
^^
Tending to another pack more than Vanderfell? He quirked a brow over to the druid, a look of scrutiny cast over to him more so directed to Orlaith than Quicksilver, but since she was not here to glare at... the only face he had to look at was the gentle druid. “I believe that is up to Ira and I to decide.” And not for Orlaith to start straining inner-pack relations with accusations. 

He was not aware of Quicksilver's feelings for the Empress. Ira had indeed kept such a secret from him, perhaps seeing it more as a personal matter than anything to be shared with anyone else. Even if they were husband and wife, some secrets were harmless to keep between pack members and leaders. 
 
“I believe I do.” That day was hectic beyond belief. Not only did he have to tend to his own hunting injuries, but also focus on their guests, Ira and the traditions he wished to upkeep for her. “She was the littlest one yes? The pretty small white one?” She had come with a tall dark man from her pack, but he didn't really notice much between them.
^^
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— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#13
10-24-2021, 08:54 PM
He would agree, that it was not the job of Orlaith to question his work ethic nor his relationships within and outwith their pack. Neither Ira nor Hieronymous had ever judged him for his loyalty, not even when he'd disappeared for those long weeks. Vanderfell had welcomed him home with open arms - all except one, it seemed. He'd been too distracted at the time to notice, to care, but now that she'd strewn all her issues with him out in the open, he couldn't deny how her accusation and poor opinion had hurt.

“That's right,” he said, and exhaled a breathy sigh. He shook out his tousled neck furs, and carried on: “I... I love her, Hiero.” He'd said those exact words to Ira months prior, though spoke them now with greater confidence. “I have loved her all along, and I... things were complicated.” He explained how he'd initially made a very wrong assumption that she'd already been wed to another, considering her children of the previous year. He shared how the High Queen had tried to guide him toward a new path, one that he'd tried to want for himself - one without his snowflower.

But time and time again, fate drove them together again. No matter how he tried, he couldn't seem to outrun it, and he'd recently come to feel more willing to embrace it. “But things are better now, and she and I - Hiero, she... she loves me back.”


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#14
10-24-2021, 09:02 PM (This post was last modified: 10-24-2021, 09:03 PM by Hieronymous. Edited 1 time in total.)
^^
He'd hum along at the confirmation of who Quicksilver was talking about. Putting a face to all of this and wondering where she fit into all of this. The same girl who had stayed with them for a week or so after being pulled from the river too if he recalled correctly, which he was certain he did.
 
“Oh?” A pause in his steps as the silver-white admitted his little secret outright. But there was more. Quicksilver continued with his explanation, the whole ordeal and the complications that came along with it. Together they kept walking while Hiero remained silent, soaking in all the little details and wondering just if this was for the Druid to vent, or seek some kind of guidance.

Near the end a smile found its way to his maw. Remembering how awful it felt during those two weeks where he was certain Ira didn't feel the same, that his love too would go unrequited and tossed to the winds. How delighted and over the moon he felt when she would accept his accidental proposal. No wonder Quicksilver was in a better mood as of late. Love was a beautiful colour on him. “That's wonderful news! Is it not?” He said with a sway of his tail. “I can see your travels were more than just foraging... but honestly I don't see how this would be negative.”
^^
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— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#15
10-24-2021, 09:33 PM
He was excited, of course, for the way in which his relationship with Reiko had begun to at last veer in a more positive direction. The months that brought them to where they were now had been difficult, but Quicksilver was keen to move past them and dive headfirst into a brighter, far better future.

He had, in typical Quicksilver fashion, naturally got ahead of himself. The druid was good at overthinking things, especially his life choices, and should things with Reiko continue to blossom he knew of the sacrifice he'd need to make. It would mean relocating himself down the line, separating himself from Ira and Hiero and their wonderful cubs who he'd already come to adore. The druid didn't want to rush things along and had considered with great anxiety how Reiko's yearling twins might feel should their mother seek something more official with him, and he was terrified of these changes that would come at him from all angles.

“I don't either, but... maybe,” he paused, and twisted awkwardly to scratch an itch on his neck with hind toes before he carried on, sweeping his flank to the exposed roots of a half-fallen fir tree to deposit a fresh scent mark, “Orlaith would feel her suspicion accurate, should she know that I wish to court a she-wolf that is not one of our own? I don't know,” he twitched a whisker, “and I just... don't understand why she suddenly wants to interfere in my business.” She was scary, sure, but it didn'tmean he was about to submit such sensitive information about his turbulent love life.


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#16
10-24-2021, 09:45 PM
^^
He too would think of the ramifications of it all. To lose Quicksilver through marriage as it was fairly certain the Empress wouldn't stop all she built in her pack, her followers who looked up to her to follow her here and under the rule of others they might not agree with. Could they even support that many wolves in their territory for them to merge? It was likely that the druid would move with her, and it would be a terrible loss... but they were still allies, he figured.

If anything, it might be a blessing in the long term.
 
“If she feels that way, it would only make our pack toxic to a certain degree. If we only sought to mate with those who have joined our ranks, I mean.” It would muddy their genes with long-term inbreeding, as well as cause inner-pack tension should there be not enough individuals around for everyone to claim one for their own. “If you want to pursue this, you have my support, and I will watch Orlaith for you.” After all, wouldn't this just make their alliance with the Northern pack stronger?
 
“I can't be certain why she would either...” It's quite the conundrum and perhaps he would talk to Ira once the children were less of a handful about this. For now he would just keep a silent eye out, listen and watch for any trouble on the wind. “If she causes you grief, feel free to seek me out. No one should stand in your way for happiness.” In trying to alleviate the topic a bit, he would turn with a playful grin to his companion. “And if you two were to wed, wouldn't that make you Emperor?” Thus on a higher pedestal than Orlaith.
^^
the staff team luvs u
— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#17
10-24-2021, 10:05 PM
As sad as it would be to leave his home and all it meant to him, Quicksilver was sure to remind himself of the good things that could come of a union with Reiko. He would at last have the love and companionship he'd long yearned for; Vanderfell and Shiroshika could come together as stronger allies. He'd thought of it at great length and fretted for some time, so fearful he was that Hiero and Ira might feel bitterly toward any choice he'd make that did not prioritise their pack. To have the High King's support confirmed felt like a huge weight was lifted from atop his already bowed shoulders.

“I-I don't... know what to say,” the druid swayed, his tail wagging cheerfully as he moved to bump shoulders with his friend, “thank you. It means a lot.”

His mention of a new title for him at last brought Quicksilver to an abrupt halt, and his expression shifted to one of contemplation. He and Reiko hadn't discussed making things official at all, but it was the next step, right? He did hope to make a grand proposal if things continued to go as well as they had been. Hiero had risen to Alpha alongside his bride when they wed, so Quicksilver could understand his assumption - but, “I'm not sure, I... they might do things differently?”

"Emperor" sounded too grand a title for a wolf who still couldn't remember his own name.


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#18
10-25-2021, 01:08 AM
^^
“You don't have to say a thing.” He mused, letting his own tail swing behind him with that single declaration. Returning the shoulder bump without hesitation. They were a pack, even if some did leave for other reasons... one of the purest and respectable ones was for love. Shoot, even Hieronymous himself had left a pack he was a part of as soon as he saw Ira and decided to drop everything in order to follow her. Such things were not uncommon. 

He barely even ever thought back to that other pack...
 
“It's possible... might be something you wanna find out.” In other words, he was telling Quicksilver to talk to this lady of his instead of speculating. Instead of fearing the unknown and just casually talking to see if it was something they could both pursue comfortably. If their visions lined up. “Oh! But don't rush it either, we like having you around as well!” He laughed loudly, reassuring the young silver lad that there was no rush for any of this to happen.

To let love blossom slowly, properly, strongly before regret rotted its petals.
^^
the staff team luvs u
— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
#19
10-30-2021, 11:23 AM (This post was last modified: 10-30-2021, 11:23 AM by Quicksilver.)
Wanna fade here?


After thinking so long over Orlaith's scorn, and having been clinging even longer to his feelings for Reiko, it felt good to finally lay it all out. It was as though a great weight had lifted and he could breathe a little better, and he was warmed by the trust he'd been able to establish with Hiero.

The leader's laughter was infectious, and Quicksilver chuckled along with him. He thumped his tail cheerfully, pl ayfully, to the mottled wolf's flank; “hey, I want to be around long enough to see those pups show you who's boss!” Themedic shot a glance over his shoulder at his teasing words, for he could imagine the High King submitted with ease to his children - especially his little girls. He would be the same, he felt, as he thought for the first time how he looked forward to rearing daughters of his own.

“Shall we finish this route?” Quicksilver moved on with a smile, not wanting to get ahead of himself. There was no telling what, exactly, fate had in store for he and Reiko, and although he was hopeful he knew it would do him no good to overthink it.


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#20
11-02-2021, 11:43 PM
^^
At least this conversation, though it did take a turn, was not for the worse. Quicksilver’s mood was still rather chipper despite his anxieties being expressed and heard - even tapping his tail against the High King’s flank which only brought more laughter from his blithe outlook on it all. 

“Hey now! That’s not fair, they have all the advantages!” They were cute, small, and his children of all damn things. He would be nothing but putty in their paws. He even had a hard time imagining himself ever laying down the rules when necessary even if it was for their own good. Oh boy, he really did have his work cut out for him in the future.
 
“Absolutely, I’m sure you would like to rest soon anyway.” Hiero had never traveled to their neighboring pack to the North, Ira had on a few occasions of which he knew of… so he knew somewhat just how far they were.
 
No matter how worried Quicksilver was, Hieronymous felt it would all work out in the end. Every road had a few bumps in the path and no love story wasn’t without its own twists and turns, but if he truly loved this woman as he claimed to, and she returning his feelings - well, nothing should stand in his way to prevent their union, and as they finished this patrol to go their separate ways, Hieronymous would remain steadfast on his beliefs.
^^
Total Words: 239

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— Hiero has a dull sense of smell, it will affect how I play him and how he acts in threads
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