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 tried to find you, but words can't describe you.


Morning Sunny/Clear
#1
P
Shiroshika
Formation
05-21-2022, 08:00 AM
With much to plan for the upcoming wedding meant to unite Shiroshika with Vanderfell, Quicksilver was sure to make time for an introduction that he fretted over more than anything else. Meeting @Hotaru, beloved daughter of @Reiko, was something that was long overdue - and he felt nausea tear at his stomach as he approached his betrothed to suggest that the time had come.

He knew so very little about the Princess, for her mother had only revealed a tidbit of the troubled life they'd led before. He understood enough to know Hotaru's trust was a fragile thing, something the druid was prepared to nurture should she allow him, but what if she were to reject him entirely? What if she opposed of his intrusion on what remained of her family? What if Reiko resented him for unintentionally driving a wedge between she and her daughter?

Quicksilver was anxious as he and his snowflower trailed the mazes in search of Hotaru, though he drew some comfort from her presence. She knew her daughter better than anyone, surely - should things take a negative turn, she would be there to assume control.


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#2
Adventurer
Formation
05-21-2022, 09:44 AM
Though Shiroshika had made the shift to the mountain's lower paths some time ago, Hotaru still found herself walking in circles on occasion. Marked walls or not, the Pass was a mess of mazes and it only frustrated her further. This wasn't a home, nor would it ever be, but fortunately she knew this was no permanent residence for Shiroshika. That being said, she wasn't sure why they could not just continue to live at the Summit with Vanderfell. Wouldn't it be better even if there were two sets of rules in place? They shared a common enemy and many wolves were forced into recovery.

Well...she'd like to believe it was smart, but she full-heartedly knew the problems with overstepping the bounds of their ally's kindness. Was there truly nowhere else they could have settled though? She wouldn't have minded offering her aid in border patrols, except as she rounded a corner she'd lay eyes on a very familiar boulder marked at least three times now by her claws alone. Annoyed she'd groan behind a growl, half tempted to bash her head against the damn thing but opted to just lightly bonking as she stood there trying to figure out which path to try next.

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#3
Formation
05-21-2022, 03:43 PM
Following Quicksilver as they made their way through the pass to find the Princess and deliver some... probably problematic news - knowing the young woman it probably wasn't going to go over too well - an uneasy feeling continued to gnaw its way through her stomach. It had been over the past few days, growing stronger with excessive nausea.

Seeing that Quicksilver didn't share any of the same symptoms gave her some kind of relief, believing that it was possibly at least not contagious whatever it was; and so she would continue on their path to speak with the Princess. If anything all she could pick up from the soon-to-be Emperor was his own anxiety. It poured from him like a thick smog, impossible to ignore as all she could do was remain as calm as she could for the both of them. Every so often leaning her shoulder against him in a form of support to remind him she was there.

Hotaru's freshest scent weaved through the pillars in a confusing pattern, slowly the two of them would pick through the paths in hopes of finding her sooner rather than later. A soft little growl caught the snowflower's attention as they rounded a corner to see the Princess with her head against a stone.

It would be the first time they spoke that wasn't a meeting for months now... was Hotaru even ready to speak yet about anything? Even if it meant expanding their family... to have more security with a new, better father figure to help raise her and possible future siblings. Was she ready? Or would this just made the rift between daughter and mother larger than ever before?

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[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#4
Formation
Counsellor
05-22-2022, 08:34 PM
He heard it too, the rumble of frustration. Quicksilver drew his ears forward at the sound of another's growl, and his curiosity piqued as he and Reiko rounded a bend to find a pale-furred girl with her brow to a boulder. The druid halted alongside the pallid Empress and turned his head only to exchange a fleeting glance with her, before his attention turned fully to her daughter.

He inhaled a deep, wavering breath.

“Princess Hotaru?” Quicksilver managed, and should she turn focus on them he would muster a soft little smile. He fell silent, figuring it best that Reiko take the reigns to break any ice.


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#5
05-23-2022, 10:19 AM
The sound of footfalls graced her ears a moment too late as a voice quickly caused the princess to step back and adjust to a more proper posture. However, as soon as her lavender gaze met the stares of her mother and her...companion, she'd find her shoulders slouching in a disappointed fashion. They hadn't properly met, but she recognized him. He was the man who came to Tsukiishi often, and on more than one occasion she caught his scent in her mother's den. There was no doubt she held a bias towards him without what small bits she had put together, but given this was the first time he had actually spoken to her, Hotaru would do her best to swallow the annoyance she felt bubbling. Yes?

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#6
Counsellor
05-23-2022, 09:13 PM
Her daughter wasn't stupid. In fact, Hotaru was bright. Sharp, and understood a lot more than Reiko could ever give her credit for. She was wise beyond her years which perhaps trauma had a bigger part to play in that than the upbringing Reiko would like to claim to be. While Quicksilver addressed Hotaru to break the silence, Reiko remained silent for the time being while she observed her daughter as though she could still see the beautiful little bundle of fur she was just almost two years ago.

That's right. Her birthday was coming up, hers and Haruki's which meant they would soon be officially adults in a matter of days. Even with the harsh words they had exchanged months ago, Reiko's feelings had never changed about her daughter and still she was completely head over heels for her child.

She could only wish that Haruki was here too so she could see how much of a young man he was growing up to be.

Quicksilver remained quiet for now, which she took as the silent queue it was her turn to take the stand. “Do you have a moment? We would like to discuss something among us... all three of us.” If Hotaru wasn't ready to talk, Reiko would be uncertain what to do. It would be wrong to not discuss Quicksilver joining their family with Hotaru, but also, it would be unfair to ignore if she was just not ready to speak with her mother just yet.

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[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#7
05-25-2022, 06:06 PM
The petite wolfess straightened herself, and turned to look upon he and her mother with a rather blank expression. He watched as the Princess' slim shoulders sagged, and it was clear to him immediately that she was not overly receptive of their presence.

Quicksilver swallowed, fearing already that they were off to a terrible start.

A sterling ear twitched toward Reiko as she piped up in question, asking for her daughter's time so that they might discuss the arrangements made for the future. The druid felt his stomach flop uncomfortably and he wondered if Hotaru might've already suspected the reason behind their pending introduction. Nervous, he waited quietly for the young Izuka's response.


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#8
06-18-2022, 05:29 AM
Her mother's words only felt like confirmation as she looked for her answer. The man beside her almost seemed to wither like a flower in winter at her stare, or maybe it had been her tone despite her believing she was being...friendly.

She knew in her heart what she wished to say, how she could question her mother's intentions, but she merely let the words churn at her core. And what exactly would concern the three of them? Her words would be meaningless. It was clear there was no decision to be made, they had already made up their minds.

Nowhere to run...

Nowhere to hide...

Though she kept her composure, she too felt a part of her wilt inside. You ask as if this were an intervention... Gods, was it? Whatever you have to say feels as if it will happen with or without my opinion.

So just say it. Confirm what I already know.

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#9
08-03-2022, 06:00 PM
Quicksilver remained quiet, leaving Reiko to feel as though this was just her and Hotaru now speaking. Though he was here as a physical figure of support, verbally, he was but a ghost. Uncertain what she would have really asked of him at this moment, she chose to keep going regardless of the hardened lump in her throat, of the fast beating heart in her chest.

An intervention? She shrunk at the accusation, not wanting to come off as imposing on the matter.

“I am certain you already know Hotaru...” And so she wouldn't treat her as an oblivious child. Wasn't this what their previous argument was about? What had spurred on months of silent treatment from her little flickering light? One that seemed so distant now. “Would you truly say no to our union?” It was obvious the mother and Empress needed help, it wasn't her intention to rule for so long alone... and the opportunity to have a partner had arisen. One that Hotaru didn't seem ready to take up just yet as Queen as she kept away from her mother.

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translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#10
Counsellor
08-28-2022, 08:08 AM
Sorry! I'm an idiot and didn't realise it was my turn, lol.


He felt very out of place, and out of his depth. His gaze flitted between the two doves and he felt the conflict stir between them; the last thing he wanted to come from this conversation was any form of hostility. Quicksilver didn't know how to mediate, or if he should, so he swallowed.

“Not an intervention,” he tried, and mustered a thin and awkward smile for the Princess; “I'm sorry it feels that way, we... I-” Quicksilver felt his mouth dry, and he twitched a whisker to make another attempt: “I hope we can get to know each other?”

Reiko had asked him to be careful with her daughter, she who'd been made fragile by a past where her father - a wolf she'd loved and trusted, and who should've protected her - had been cruel to her. Quicksilver could understand her reluctance to accept a new partner in her mother's life, but he was hopeful that time might ease the tension surrounding it.


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#11
08-28-2022, 09:29 AM
She could only give her mother a look as she questioned her aloud. She would have answered her then if Quicksilver hadn't finally spoken up drawing her gaze. In what world would I want for another father? Her words bit harsh and she almost felt sorry for the druid. Hotaru was more concerned with her mother than him, but now he had been dragged into this family drama. Maybe he was nice. He seemed it, and the princess knew not all men were bad, but that did not mean she would like him any more. At the end of the day, nothing would change, and she was not interested.

This family is cursed. You only doom yourself. A lie half believed and half said in hopes to sway the man. Only bad things happened to them. That wouldn't change with him in the picture and that was not to say he would not be the cause for them. Glancing back to her mother, she'd look to hold her gaze, Are you so low as to try and erase what's been done? To forget everything and abandon what little we have left? Abandon Haruki for a new comfy life and new children who weren't haunted? Nothing would scare away the ghosts.

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#12
08-28-2022, 04:23 PM
Her daughter's gaze felt like a knife piercing her chest. Sharp and cold, unforgiving as it pierced flesh and soul with ease. “If that is what you want, he does not have to be.” There was no forcing a position onto someone, to force a young woman like Hotaru to see another man as her father after all she had gone through with Noboru. “He may not be your father, but could you accept him as my husband?” They didn't have to be one in the same.

Perhaps not. As Hotaru continued, calling their family cursed and how Quicksilver had only doomed himself for marrying into their doomed family. She wanted to cry. To weep. But the tears were easily held. The woman didn't crumble but only shrink under the accusations of her daughter. Her opinions were valid, they had reason to be. Though cruel, they were not untrue.

“Are you so low as to try and erase what's been done? To forget everything and abandon what little we have left?” It stung. The words were wounding. To think that trying to move on and find new beauty in a world that had left them so baren, alone, was trying to erase the past. Perhaps Reiko was far too kind and forgiving to her spiteful daughter, but she couldn't bare to spit venom to the young woman even if it meant defending Quicksilver, or even herself. “Sumimasen.” Is all she could manage.

Did Hotaru really think that her mother was trying to forget Haruki? That the past could ever be buried? It seemed to be a losing battle.

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[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#13
Counsellor
08-31-2022, 04:58 PM (This post was last modified: 10-14-2022, 11:13 AM by Quicksilver. Edited 2 times in total.)
In what world would I want for another father?

He had expected such a comment to come, but hadn't prepared himself for the way it pierced. Quicksilver stood there, awkward and anxious, sterling ears splaying backward atop his crown and not knowing if he should diffuse the situation by simply removing himself. Giving voice to his own single want of the Princess had proven fruitless, perhaps acted as a catalyst for her frustration, and the druid turned his gaze downward.

The information Reiko had given him regarding Hotaru's troubled childhood had been vague, and Quicksilver hadn't felt it appropriate to delve deeper into depths that were unknown to him. He wanted to know, to gain a better understanding of what it was the dove's daughter had gone through in the past, but it felt wrong to press for more. The Empress knew his heart was open to her daughter, that his shoulders were ready to bear whatever weight the family needed him to carry, and that he would be present in whatever way she wished.

He wished he could extend that same offer to his future step-daughter, but as she carried on with her barbed tongue he was afraid to breathe a single word that might further fuel her wildfire emotions.


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#14
09-06-2022, 08:28 AM
No, she couldn't force him to be anything to her, nor did she wish for him to be. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for who she allowed upon the throne. Even if she refused, would she truly turn him away? This was not the first time she had seen them together and her mother was aware of her feelings then, just as she was aware now. She would do as she pleased... I can't stop you from doing as you will. She could take her answer however she wished. In her mind, the Empress had already made up hers.

Despite standing in her beliefs, it did not feel good to speak her mind. Hotaru's stomach twisted with a pain she was uncertain if she would label regret as she watched the druid shrink beneath her. Her mother would do the same with apologies unfit of a mother to her child. All of this felt wrong. She was mad and wounded, but Quicksilver played no part in this. It wasn't inherently his fault and he had only unknowingly stepped into deep waters trying to live a simple life. He should have known, however, that she and her mother had always been drowning.

Only now would he clearly see it.

She wanted to vomit. If you have nothing left for me, then I will take my leave. She wished to turn and run as soon as the words were spoken, but she refused to show that stirring darkness that hung behind her. All this time she had been painting herself a villain if only to hide from the one that would forever lurk behind her. That much was slowly becoming clear to her now.

After all, how could you be harmed if you were what they feared?

She hated what she had made of herself.

She hated this weight she carried and it only grew.

She hated that there was nothing, not a single solution that would satisfy the pain.

She just...wanted for the impossible.

For Haruki. For their home. For what life once was...before she had been awakened to the horrors surrounding her.

Perhaps that was her curse.

When you are a light, you will only ever be surrounded by darkness.

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#15
09-14-2022, 08:35 PM
What they'd get wasn't a blessing, nor was it a curse. There was no pleasing Hotaru in this moment, not without living the remainder of their lives together on a frail bridge built on decaying grounds. Something her mother couldn't do. Rot in their loneliness while struggling to keep their home safe and pleasant for the rest to enjoy, for them to flourish and continue their duties as caretakers for those ranked below them.

“That is all.” Just above a whisper she'd reply, letting Hotaru leave as she wished all the while not letting her eyes seek anything but the pale paws of her beautiful daughter, afraid that if she looked up to those lilacs they would be painted in hatred. With a nudge to the druid's side with her own shoulder, she signalled for them too to take their leave together. Hotaru didn't have to run from them, but she was free to leave this spot or remain as they too would take their leave as requested.

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[Image: df686pz-0c7a3fc2-8eca-4da1-8429-49fa07fd3bab.png]
translator, I'm sorry if it is horrible for anyone fluent in Japanese!
#16
Counsellor
10-14-2022, 11:10 AM (This post was last modified: 10-14-2022, 11:12 AM by Quicksilver. Edited 1 time in total.)
There was an emptiness in him, a void that he didn't know how to navigate. He knew there'd been a distance between Reiko and her daughter before he'd gotten himself involved, had suspected that the suggestion of introducing him as a more permanent fixture in their lives would not be a welcome one. Still, Quicksilver had held firmly onto the tiny sliver of hope that Hotaru would find some small happiness for her mother having found happiness in new company.

She announced her desire to leave, and Quicksilver maintained his silence as the Empress dismissed her. When they were alone and opportunity presented itself, he turned his sad blue eyes to look upon the side of Reiko's face; he could see the sorrow and hurt that lingered there. Tentatively, the druid reached for his bride-to-be, offering a small gesture of assurance that he was still there.

No matter what.

She nudged against him, keen to be on her way, and Quicksilver obliged. He padded along quietly at her flank, a silent support, with a sterling ear fixed toward her should she wish to give voice to her feelings.


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