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
is it real or a fable.

#1
AW
03-08-2021, 03:42 PM
Frost felt the cold gripping him long before he actually awakened to it. It made its way into his dreams where he was wandering, once again lost and alone in snows that deepened with each step he took until he could barely keep his nose above it. He tried to turn back, but found it was impossible. He began to drown in it and thought himself a goner for certain, until the chyerti came. It grabbed him by the scruff in its powerful hands and lifted him free of the snow, but before he could get a glimpse of what sort of creature it was, he awoke to find only frost in his eyes.

The boy rose quickly to all fours in a startled, anxious way. He spun around, searching for the creature and finding nothing but open space. He was alone, though he had no recollection of where. Once his panicked mind stopped racing, his thoughts went to his companions. Stjor, Solpallur, Valmúa and Rökkvi. Where were they? Where was he?

His heart sank again as he realized the truth. He was lost and alone. Again.

The weight of acknowledgement dropped him heavily to his haunches as his breath was stolen from his lungs. In a rare moment of sardonic humor, he thought to himself, Haven't I exceeded the allowed amount for the number of times this can happen to one wolf? It didn't bring a smile to his face, only more dismay. He wished his dream hadn't been a dream--that truly he'd just drowned in the snow rather than face this again. But the chyerti's words whispered in his ears, and he sucked in a steadying breath.

Not yet, little one.
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#2
03-09-2021, 06:57 AM
He was not lost, but found. A low sound left the man, calling to the boy who had proven so loyal. Of all the wolves that had followed them, it was the young Frost that Stjornuati found himself most concerned over. Their travels had been long and difficult, and he could not deny the frustration he had found bubbling within him at the boy's absence. It was no fault of the boy's, however, as whatever had separated them had done so to all, save he and Solpallur. 

Still, the relief in his voice as he howled from the short distance away was palpable. @Solpallurand @Rökkvi would likely hear as well, passing the message along that their youngest had been found. “Frost,” He said, voice rising over the wind, “This one is glad he finds you safe.”
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“Common tongue” | “native tongue (icelandic/old norse) in [q=#9e5d53]”
#3
03-11-2021, 08:28 PM (This post was last modified: 03-12-2021, 01:49 PM by Frost. Edited 1 time in total.)
By the grace of the gods, Frost was not left to stew in his misery for too long. He didn't hear the man approach, but his head shot up the moment he heard his voice. Stjörnuáti stood before him, here, and real? Though Frost's mind was not immediately able to accept it.

"Is it really you? Or is this another part of my dreams?" Frost asked, his voice touched with a nervous sort of eagerness. He didn't want to be lost again, but it seemed far more likely to be his fate than it was to be found and safe once again.
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#4
03-12-2021, 05:13 AM (This post was last modified: 03-12-2021, 05:13 AM by Adriel.)
cameo unless interacted with. it just wants to s t a r e

[size=medium]
 With the man came a great, black shadow, first winging above and circling thrice over the watermark of pale wolves on pristine snow. Viewed from above, the pair look more like dirty snowdrifts than living creatures. But the raven knew them for what they were; it had been following the elder, although in such a roundabout way that it might well have been several ravens instead of a very curious one.

 It landed, then, in the low cover of some willow shoots, and seemed to busy itself picking through the snow.
[/size]
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#5
03-12-2021, 06:37 AM
The flutter of wings drew the stareater's attention for only a moment before liver colored eyes settled on the boy again, forging his way across that last little bit of tundra that kept them apart. He was smart to question, smart to poke at the fabric of that reality; Stjornuati leaned his head down to nose the boy's forehead, drawing in the scents that clung to his fur. The contact would serve purpose to them both, a token moment to prove that this was no dream. 

Ekki draumur, He confirmed, though how much of his tongue young Frost had picked up, the gilded wolf could not remember. “Not a dream. We awoke separated in a cave of ice and glass.” He didn't need to ask if Engi or Valmua were with him; their scents were absent Frost's fur, as they had been Rokkvi's and Solpallur's. Still, the man did not worry. If the hringja bid them come together again, they would. 

“You are unharmed?”
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“Common tongue” | “native tongue (icelandic/old norse) in [q=#9e5d53]”
#6
03-12-2021, 09:55 PM
Frost didn't notice the bird. His eyes were glued on the man who had become a mix of older brother and father-figure to him. Relief didn't fully take him until he felt Stjor's touch. He was solid. He was real. Frost shut his eyes, let go of the anxious breath he'd been holding and relaxed.

There was a smile on his face when he opened them again and his tail wagged gently at his haunches. The strangeness of how they'd come to be in this place lingered in his mind, but he held it to the side for now. "I'm fine," he answered, "Just... disoriented." He paused for a moment to think, then added, "You said 'we'. Is everyone else here too?"
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#7
03-15-2021, 10:11 PM
Disoriented. Stjornuati could understand that, having felt much the same way when he'd first woken from his slumber alongside his darker half. “It will pass,” He assured the boy, bumping the bridge of his muzzle against Frost's. “No. Only Solpallur woke with this one. Rokkvi, only yesterday.” His mood darkened at the mention of his half-brother, and then further as he realized that it was the first time he'd ever thought of Rokkvi as a half brother. “The others will return as their hringja leads them to us. This one is not concerned.”

“Do you hunger?” While Stjornuati had not been hungry upon his waking, perhaps it was different for others. If this was the case, they would hunt something down together before returning to the Grotto, where they were staying for the moment.
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“Common tongue” | “native tongue (icelandic/old norse) in [q=#9e5d53]”
#8
03-19-2021, 08:50 PM
So, it was the four of them. Frost frowned, letting the news roll around in his mind. The way Stjor spoke, it seemed their awakenings were not unlike his own. How strange. It was as though they'd been lost at sea and swept up on this shore, only there had been no sea and this was no shore. Had it been the chyerti after all? Had they been the ones to scoop up their band, whisk them through Midnight and plant them here? Frost had a feeling that this was a mystery they may never solve. Though what did it mean for him ever being reunited with his family again?

The Whitebark swallowed hard and pushed the thoughts from his mind. Stjor posed a question to him. He thought for a moment and eventually nodded. He wasn't starving, but he could eat. And after as much time as he'd spent starving, Frost would never decline the opportunity to refill his belly even when it wasn't yet empty.
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#9
03-23-2021, 05:49 AM
Koma.

He began to walk, pace slow at first; he sought to gauge Frost's ability to keep up. He had no doubts, but if the boy needed something slower, Stjornuati would adjust for it. One ear twisted in the pallid adolescent's direction, the wolf of golds and creams began seeking, hunting for a scent on the air that would benefit them both. There was nothing immediately apparent, but the stareater worried not — they would find something.

“What memories do you recall, strákur?” For he and Solpallur had a patchwork set of memories, ones that had begun to reveal themselves over time.
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“Common tongue” | “native tongue (icelandic/old norse) in [q=#9e5d53]”
#10
04-08-2021, 01:52 PM
Frost began to follow. He was pleased that his hard-earned physical fitness hadn't suffered in whatever amount of time had passed between where he had been and where he was now. He'd been near the brink of death and the return to his health had been hard won, not only by his own efforts but by those of his companions. He never wanted to suffer like that again, and it seemed, at least for now, he didn't have to.

He considered the question for a moment before answering, trying to remember what he could. There truly wasn't much in his memory, though. "I remember us travelling together," he answered slowly, "And I remember us lying down to rest. After that, it is only the dream I woke up to where I was drowning in the snow, and then this place."
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#11
05-01-2021, 02:53 AM
Gonna wrap this one up for us! We can have a new on at Hrafnsvaktin to help discover it!

So Kaldur remembered mostly what Stjörnuáti himself remembered. It was both a reassurance and an annoyance, though nothing was directed the boy's way. Stjörnuáti simply didn't understand what this place was and how they'd arrived here. Still, nothing was going to change their predicament, leaving the gilded male with a single option. Accept it and move forwards, as he always did. As they always did.

Fade!
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“Common tongue” | “native tongue (icelandic/old norse) in [q=#9e5d53]”
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