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
been adrift too long

#1
AW
03-16-2021, 03:35 AM
OOC: Set at the inlet at the base of the mountains. 

Back home, in the cradle of Moonspear's protective granite arms, Saviguk had always wondered of the sea. It tickled the back of his mind like a persistent itch, drawing his curiosity ever deeper. Often, he told his mother and father of how he dreamt of seeing it for himself one day, when he was older. Only how little did he know that fate would grant him his wish much sooner than he expected. And not on the terms he had envisioned.
.....
All he could remember was a blinding flash of white light, brighter than the sun. He had been on the lower reaches of the mountain, splitting patrol duty with his father. Then the world seemed to collapse in on him. Sucking him inwards, pulling him somewhere. There was no sense of gravity, of up or down. Of left or right. There was no pain. No fear. Just a sense of ricocheting forward at the speed of light. He didn't know when it would end, but he knew not to fight it. His dizzying plummet or hurl into a new dimension (or whatever you want to call it), came to an end as he thought he saw what were spots of light at the corners of his vision.
.....

He landed with a heavy thud on solid, cold ground. He was wet. More like water logged. Water filled his ears and nose and spewed from his throat as he sputtered in a fit of coughing. It stung, and had a sharp salty taste. The sea, which he had dreamed so much about, had been the one to spit him out, back on land where he belonged. Finding his vision stinging and blurry, Saviguk tried to stand, only to be met with numb legs the consistency of jello. With nothing but the give of the sand beneath his body, crawling his way further ashore was a monumental effort. But the young Ostrega was a determined boy. He did not know the meaning of quitting. Clenching his teeth, he dragged his mountain made (not sea faring) body further from the waves that rolled to grasp for him.
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#2
Formation
Empyrean
03-16-2021, 03:53 AM
As he followed his usual route along the Dragonsteeth, he found himself drawn from his usual, tight route about the mountain's base and toward the area where the water flowed in from the ocean, mixing with the freshwater that cane from further inland, making it brackish. He was likely too close to the oceanside for the water to be potable, but he also figured he should scout the area for any signs that loners were approaching their border territories. 

So it surprised him to see a soaking wet figure upon the sand, sides heaving from effort as he breathed- and while the figure was soasked through with saltwater, masking his scent, there was something familiar about him. He'd seen this young fellow before- and then it his him. "Saviguk?" He called out, as he began to trot down to the shoreline.
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#3
03-25-2021, 09:27 PM
His eyes still stung. Burned horribly. He squinted them shut, and when he re-opened them again, he could swear he saw little white stars dotting his vision. A dull ache in his left hind ankle made him turn his head. The joint was swollen, littered with three inch gashes that wrapped around his skin like woven barbed wire. The only thing saving him from the full extent of any pain had been the icy water, serving as a numbing agent. The ocean had not been kind to him in his wayward journey.

Then there was a voice. A masculine voice, that pried his eyes away from his injured leg. There on the beach, was a wolf. Coming for him. Calling his name. Coated in a warm agouti pattern, he was instantly reminded of Osiris. Unlike his fellow Ostrega, this man bore the scars of battle and eyes like fall leaves. Bronco. Yes, that was his name. A wolf he had met before in passing, remembering him fondly, if not fleetingly. 

Desperate relief lit up in his gaze, and he struggled with a renewed urgency to rise. To clamber to his feet, to go and greet him. To be united with someone familiar once again. But his body worked against him, and he fumbled, sinking back down into the sand. Grunting, he forced himself to at least sit upright, with his weight on his forelegs. Ushering the other closer, all that came out of his throat was a hoarse whine.
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#4
Formation
Empyrean
03-26-2021, 02:34 AM
Hydra frequently came to the inlet, close as it was to her claim... and as good as a part of it, truly. Patrolling nearby, she heard the voice of Bronco even over the tide. Her pace increased at once; she knew the name spoken, and the matriarch called for @Jarilo. If he was near, he would surely come... and if not, well, she would ensure his son—and her nephew—were safe. Her stride lengthened at the sight of them, and as she saw Saviguk struggle she moved to his rear, which he collapsed upon. She could smell, even amidst the salt and sand, the coppery scent of blood. 

The ocean would have cleaned the wound, but Hydra would see it removed of anything else properly once they were off the shoreline. He was weak, though, and clearly was having difficulty as it was. “I know you hurt, Saviguk,” she drawled lowly, “but we are here for you now. Lean upon me, and where it hurts, do not apply any pressure. We will go as slow as we need to,” she comforted, keeping to his rear so that should any tide rush in he would not feel the brunt of it. She would anchor herself until he rose, digging her own heels in the sand to root herself there for now. Once he did rise, she would position herself to his weaker side... her nose and eyes both worked to determine which side that was, as when he sat on his hindquarters it was not so easy to spot where she stood.

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#5
03-29-2021, 03:52 AM (This post was last modified: 03-29-2021, 03:52 AM by Jarilo.)
When Hydra's call found him, he had been busy prowling the mountain's deep forests. Hearing his sister's voice effectively stalled his progress though, and listening started up a slow confusion that pulled his head up, creasing his brow as well. Right from the start, he knew it was best that he go to find out more for himself. Hydra wouldn't say such without good reason, and in the next breath, Jarilo was off quickly, searching for the best route to get him to where he wished to be. Eventually he managed to track a proper route and locked on, then sped after his sister--off the mountain, and beyond, towards the curious inlet.

In time he found the others and worked his legs to close in. Still worried, plenty confused.. Realization hit him brutally hard along the way. It came from the dark he was struggling to place since awakening in these curious lands, the one he felt like he was looking over his shoulder for answers to, constantly. His heart could've leapt into his throat then. Saviguk, he gasped, the name coming to him suddenly, and startlingly crystal clear once he got a good enough look at the waterlogged wolf Bronco and Hydra flanked. His son.

Rushing forward in the next second, Jarilo too was among them, searching the near-yearling's face desperately and reaching to nose at his cheek with a slack jaw and a panicked whine. Disbelief well set aside, he really was here, he reminded himself between panting breaths.. but that didn't explain anything, why he looked like the ocean had chewed him up and spit him back out especially. Bronco and Hydra likely knew little else, if the scene was anything to judge by, though he did take care to shoot them both a wide-eyed, worried look before his focus speared back onto this very tangible reminder that it had not all been just a dream. Now, he had to hope he could be here to stay. “Savi,” he murmured through another lick he tried to plant on his son's sodden furs, one in part for his own sake to try to distract him from the injuries on his leg. “The mountain's not far, you can rest up there,” he tried to measure his voice into firm assurance, even despite himself.
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#6
04-07-2021, 07:15 PM
Saviguk did not look or sound good. He looked fairly weak- and Bronco wondered if he'd been out in the ocean, struggling against the current, or some such thing. It was odd to have found him here upon the shore, and while he was glad to see another friendly face he was not pleased to see him so weak and bedraggled. 

He was about to call out for aid when it showed up without needing to be prompted. Both Hydra and Jarilo approached, possibly having felt a pull in the atmosphere, possibly by coincidence. But for whatever reason, the weakened fellow was now in excellent company and was being tended up by three of his packmates. Hydra acted as a wavebreak to keep him from getting wetter or colder, and Jarilo moved in to coax his son and comfort him. Bronco felt a little bit out of place, but was still quite willing to help, lend a shoulder for Saviguk to use to lean on if necessary, but he like the others was keen to see the young man escorted away from the shoreline where the tide might reach out and try to nab him.
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#7
04-14-2021, 02:07 AM
Before he could utter another sound or make another move, two dark beacons of hope descended down from the distant mountains and onto the beach. The recognition was instant. His sea green eyes lit up, swirling with emotion. Of hope. Of joy. Of anguish. His heart lurched in his chest against the mere sight of Hydra, followed closely by his sire. Their presence alone was enough to light a flame in the young Ostrega's eyes. One of fierce determination as he willed his legs to unfold, to support his body and stagger towards them. With a clenched jaw, he bore through the pain, trying to block it out.

Even in his sorry condition, that was not nearly enough to stop him from expressing his total elation at seeing two of his most cherished and respected relatives. His tail, soggy and matted, beat wildly, making his hips wriggle. Dark ears plastered back, he nuzzled forcibly into the dark furs of Hydra's neck. He so desperately wanted to lift up, to wrap his forelegs around Jarilo in an embrace, but could only manage to place a single paw briefly on his shoulder.

Shuddering again, he heeded Hydra's words, shifting to rest his flank against the stability of her body. Gingerly, he kept his back right leg up of the sand, letting it dangle uselessly in place. But before they could get a move on, a most uncomfortable itch tickled the back of his throat. It hurt, felt raw. His sides rose and fell as he dry heaved. One last little push of an effort yielded a regurgitation of sand, foam and pinkish muck. To his concern, the tightness in his throat remained.
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#8
04-22-2021, 01:36 AM
Jarilo was there, and quickly; her gaze turned, an appreciative light cast to Bronco as she gestured toward the open side of her nephew. She would keep to the rear of the caravan, so that he would not stumble and fall back as he adjusted to his injury. He would not be able to use the paw then and there, and was likely exhausted to boot. As her nephew retched, the matriarch frowned; she yearned to investigate it, to see if there was anything in it beyond saltwater... and quickly did she dart to look, noting the pinkish muck. Blood? Even with her sharp nose, Hydra had not the time to determine this as she saw another rush of water come. Swift enough to make it to her nephews rear once again to both support and stabilize, she would have this much information to bring home to a healer. 

Once Bronco was to his open side, Hydra would urge him homeward; they need not climb the difficult face to get Saviguk to a comfortable resting place, where Hydra would see to it that he healed. Her heart ached to think of him in any pain, and she wished her teeth could snap away at it until it ceased to exist. But her teeth would not help him in this, she recognized.

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#9
04-25-2021, 06:24 AM
His heart could've leapt from his chest and his tail wagged back, mirroring his son's gesture without an ounce of doubt. Despite Saviguk's eerie silence and his sorry state, Jarilo knew that there was joy and relief in being found--leaving him to wonder, what horrors had he seen, and what confusion flooded his head now. It was too much, and facing a present as now, not only reunited but in need of such careful tending.. Jarilo had to steel himself anew, against all this new worry that came as he only saw more. Everything else was washed away.

But every step was one closer to home, and he was grateful for Bronco's steadiness now beside him, even as Saviguk had to wretch. His his own ears slicked back, Jarilo worried viciously, and he shot a quick glance at Hydra as she investigated. He would hear her piece later sometime, surely. For now, to his son, he pressed gently against his side and felt how terribly wasted away his flesh was. With this he stayed close. “It's.. it'll be okay, take your time and soon we'll be--” he murmured anxiously, for Saviguk and himself. Home. he finished internally. Whatever strange illusion that meant now for those of them had had managed to piece back together here. There was something major missing, something very important that Jarilo could not promise his son, though he did have a safe place to rest, and a warm meal with his name on it--if he could handle it.

With a patient urgency, he helped guide his son to the lowlands, begging him to just hold on tight a little while longer.
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#10
07-13-2021, 02:55 PM
Fader for me on this one <3

 

The trio worked, slowly but surely, to get Saviguk home safely. And once that work was done, they settled; Hydra lingered, to provide body heat, and would let Jarilo take the helm as to what he needed for his son then and there. With the aid of Bronco, Saviguk was home—Hydra would work toward making sure he was safe, and that he would recover in the next coming weeks. She did not worry for him; he had a strength in him their family shared. He would surely survive this, and his family here would see to it.

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