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
You ain't gonna take me down no way


Morning
#1
P
Hunter
Discovery
Content Warning
08-27-2022, 12:15 AM
Content Warning
This post contains content that may be unsettling to some readers, including:
  • Mild Gore
 He was a big brother... he had siblings and his mom needed his help to care for his little siblings. He would be the best big brother and the best helper. To do that, he would have to hunt to help keep her fed. Certain things were too large to take down but he could catch a bunch of smaller things. For most of the morning, he'd tracked several different animals from foxes to rabbits to squirrels. The squirrels had proven a bit too quick which was funny, given that a deer should not be on their radar as "dangerous" but whatever. He snorted at them when they'd climbed up to the safety of their trees.

 The rabbits... they weren't as quick on the upkeep. He'd pretended to graze, moving closer to a pair of conversing bunnies. He carefully crept closer and closer, when they finally seemed to take notice. He acted quickly. He swung his antlers at one, knocking it away and into one of the boulders that bordered the falls. It lay there on the rock and ice, stunned. The other rabbit tried to run but he managed to get after it fast enough so that it didn't escape. He stomped on it, ending its life rather swiftly.

 His attention turned to the other rabbit as it twitched on the ground. He walked over and grabbed it in his mouth by the neck. Quickly, as well, he bit down hard on it and broke its neck. It let out one shriek before it lay limp and bleeding from its mouth, staining Hawk's neck and chest with blood as he walked back over to the other rabbit.

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#2
Hunter
08-27-2022, 07:14 PM (This post was last modified: 10-31-2022, 04:34 AM by Vera. Edited 1 time in total.)
It was nice to be in this world of ice once more for Vera. As she basked upon a rock that was even more frozen than her own heart, she watched the landscape below her absentmindedly. That was, until she saw something quite peculiar. A deer was roaming about, a young but oddly muscular buck. Vera was observat enough to notice slight muscles in areas you don't usually see in, suggesting abnormal activity from the norm. Still not the strangest abnormality, sure, maybe a bit of a strange climate and stronger build, but it happens. What was odd was the way it was acting. She watched him search for something, but no plant or stub of grass could satisfy him. He gravitated towards other animals that seemed just as perplexed.

And then she realized at the last moment what those squirrels in particular had sensed. Malice. She watched with a start as the buck proceeded to snuff out the lives of two rabbits, killing one quickly before grabbing the other in his mouth to finish it.

In her fascination, Vera had unknowingly stood up, head lurched forward with pricked ears, completely engrossed in this scene. The always alert wolf could have been stabbed in the back now and she would have been none the wiser. She watched as the creature betrayed boundaries of normality and channeled in a carnivore's lust as he ended the others life with a deadly grip and shake from the maw. With a slow blink she collected herself. What kind of sick joke was this? She had to know.

Bounding off of her tower, she made her way carefully to the other who was now gathering his prizes. She stalked as if she was hunting to keep her presence low, and perhaps she had a sick fascination to know if the other felt true fear in front of the real deal like herself. "Well now, a mighty fine prize here, yes?" She asked as she moved close enough for a verbal encounter, light dapple shadows blanketed her back. Her eye of flames unwavering at the sight of the other.
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#3
08-28-2022, 11:22 PM
 No sooner had he dropped his second rabbit off by the first did he have some unexpected company. He saw her before he turned his head and knew that she was a large wolf, muscular and scarred. However, when he turned to fully take her in he realized that she was even more impressive. She was very much like Tiberius in the way that she held so many scars and he knew immediately that this was another warrior.

 He also recognized the way that she stalked and wondered if she was trying to intimidate him. He refused to let her see any fear and many moons ago he'd learned to tamp down the instinctual fear of the wolf. He could ignore it and look at them like fellows... although when they intentionally stalked him like his, he could feel the prey instincts screaming at him. Like always he pushed it away. He knew the number one rule of dealing with predators was not to run and not to show fear for they could latch onto that and it might cause them to react.

 So, he stared back at her and showed her that he was not going to run away or become afraid like the prey that he hunted. His tail lifted slightly, not in a full show of dominance but in a gesture to show that he was not going to back down; it was a very deliberately wolven behavior. "I don't know if I'd call two rabbits 'might fine prizes'." Or was she talking about him? He wouldn't acknowledge it. "A sheep or a mountain goat might be better." But he'd never hunted an ungulate before... he wasn't sure if he was ready to take one down by himself.

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#4
Hunter
08-30-2022, 01:24 AM (This post was last modified: 10-31-2022, 04:38 AM by Vera. Edited 2 times in total.)
She watched in fascination as the other faced her on. He was smart, smarter than all the prey she has ever met as of yet. His body langue seemed so strange and yet so familiar, at the moment she could still not fathom the idea that was creature was raised with her own kind. Then the real kicker happened; he spoke. Just like the funny raven and the regal tiger, but what was different from them was the fact that this was, or suppose to be, a herbivore. Hilarious.

She blinked, not being able to keep up her default walls. And yet this ended in a way she was often met with... she laughed. This was utterly ridiculous and she loved that. Perhaps she truly gone mad now. The facts didn't matter. Deciding to go with the flow, she recollected what he just said to her. His first sentence suggested his rabbits were not enough for whatever source they were meant for, whether him or another. "Is that so? Where I am from, some would think you are rich just for that feast! I have many scars here over just rabbits. Perspective is important, yes?" She tried to reassure his work with a hint of her past few knew these days. The perfection he aimed for was often a bad premonition for many in her opinion, thus best to nip that in the butt with some positivity right away.

"Ah, let me bestow some manners..." She said and then proceeded to do an elegant bow that did not match her appearance. "Vera, it is a pleasure young stag." She introduced herself. Still Vera could not ignore his other words. She smiled as wide as she could between the scarred tissue that imprisoned her maw. "A sheep or a goat huh?" She took a step closer, deciding that she knew what she was going to do for the day. "Would you like to hear a proposition?" She asked
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#5
08-31-2022, 01:12 PM
 Out of all the things that could have happened, the wolf laughing at him was not one of them. He flicked his ears back, annoyed at being made fun of (or so he assumed) for hunting for his mom. Was it that comical? A deer who could hunt? He fought the urge to mouth off at her. It was one thing to display confidence, another entirely to poke the bear. He was away from the pack, alone, and the last thing he wanted to do was get injured and die out here.

 At least, she seemed to correct herself and comment on his hunt. He looked back at the two rabbits without turning his head. "You think so? Would a nursing wolf think so?" He thought it wouldn't be enough since rabbits always seemed more like snacks from what he'd seen. "I just want to have enough for her." What better opinion to have than an actual wolf's? He seemed unsure but was considering her words.

 And then, she surprised him entirely by pulling out some manners. She gave a bow and, remembering his own manners, gave a similar dip of his own head. "My name's Hawking, Vera. It's a pleasure to meet you too." His steel blue gaze returned to her as he tried to figure out exactly how he felt about her. She had laughed at him... but quickly turned that around to reassure him about his catches and now she was offering something else. "What kind of proposition?" He stepped forward too, ears tilted eagerly towards her as he was curious what she had to say.

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#6
Counsellor
09-04-2022, 01:21 AM (This post was last modified: 10-31-2022, 04:38 AM by Vera. Edited 2 times in total.)
Just like his meat, the stag was a pure creature laced with far too much honesty. She was almost surprised with him confiding his fears about the nursing wolf. It clicked in her head now, why the traits and movements he possessed were so familiar, he had become ingrained with wolves from time ago. She was quite curious about this situation but she would stalk back into such a curiosity later. She had time, for now she wanted to get to the heart of this.

He decided to play her games, introducing himself and seeming eager to hear whatever it was she had to say. He was so earnest and trusting that she quickly edited the proposal mentally before revealing it, not having the heart to take advantage of the other. "This world is a give and take. Risks get you far, experience gets you farther. Doing both creates a force none should reckon with. I have all the time in the world Sir Hawking. Tell you what, if you give me a rabbit now to eat, you can accompany me upon the hunt of a goat or likewise kin. If killed, its all yours, and I'll trade it for that second rabbit. If the kill fails, well then you only have one rabbit to bring home." She proposed before tilting her head in curiosity. Surely he must be confused about the offer but she would answer it to the best of her ability right now. "So do you understand my words? I am the experience, you are the risk." A smile broke out with a wicked glint, "together, we are a force to be reckon with!"

She was not sure if he would accept such an odd proposal from someone he just met, but stranger things have happened. Her original proposal had been for her to receive both rabbits at the start, but she couldn't bare the young soul to go back home empty-handed, especially for such a noble cause.
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#7
09-08-2022, 01:56 AM
 She was an easy, smooth-talker. Weaving words like no one's business and he was left trying to keep up. To be honest, he didn't altogether understand the first bit. To cryptic and mysterious but as she explained further he was left understanding and nodding his head. "Yeah, I think I get it." The "experience" and "risk" still didn't make a ton of sense but he knew the gist. "Sorta like a bet, then?" Wager one rabbit on the goat hunt, score the goat, and then let her have the second rabbit. Seemed easy enough. Even if they failed he'd have one rabbit to take to Harper and was quite confident that he could catch another smaller thing for her.

 "How do I know you're not just gonna take the whole goat for yourself afterwards?" Was his only suspicion to the whole thing. "And how come you're putting so much faith in me to help you catch one?" He was just a deer, after all. Did it amuse her to try? Or did she actually believe he could do it? Her words though "a force to be reckond with" put a glint in his eyes. Determination. It sent shivers up his spine and boiled his blood, he wanted to try this and hoped that he wasn't being set up somehow.

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#8
Counsellor
09-16-2022, 12:15 AM (This post was last modified: 10-31-2022, 04:37 AM by Vera. Edited 1 time in total.)
Vera held in the sigh she wanted to let out. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but eager enough. What he did have going for him was the suspicion to doubt your neighbor. If something seemed too good to be true then it likely was. She gave him a smile. "Good questions, lets break them apart to fish for the marrow. First off you're right, I could try to take the goat all to myself. I could never finish it in one setting. This would provide me three great risks. The risk of the hunt, the risk of your horns-because you would not run from a wolf, yes?" she lightly teased, to hint at the fear she knew was somewhere deep in his soul, "and you have a pack, yes? You could bring them back quick enough, even if I tried to move the body...unless you are the knight of just a nursing mother? I like risks but that's a lot for meal when I could just take both your rabbits now and live for another sunset." She countered while fishing for a bit more info on his pack. He seemed to have quite the loose tongue.

"Now for the last question..."

She looked at him with a wicked glint. As if saying with her single-working eye 'I'm not like other girls wolves'. "That's exactly it. Me putting faith in you with yourself putting faith in me is the risk. It is a lot safer to just walk away, you can never guarantee the results or intentions with anything involved that is not yourself. But..." She trailed off, her eyes lingering up, lost in the past. "You will always wonder the 'what if' of your actions. They will follow you far worse then any plague or death, believe me. The cause and effect of each action is often far greater than we can anticipate. As you grow and learn more about yourself you will learn what kind of risks and gambles work best for you. As for my own motives..."

She took a moment for dramatic timing, mustering up the most serious expression she could. "Boredom! Spending time teaching and helping the youths of the future sounds way more fun right now than walking around all by myself!" She exclaimed before letting out a hearty laugh. If she had stayed in Shiroshika..if she had not wounded the innocent and was able to heal then perhaps she could have seen herself teaching the younger ones to maneuver through this unforgiving life. Also she wanted to see a deer hunt more, but he was probably use to being an oddity so she held back those reasons in fears of insulting. She would then tilt her head, waiting for his reaction.
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#9
09-18-2022, 03:16 PM
 "Yeah, I am in a pack. A couple, kind of." Although if push came to shove he'd probably either just move on if she tricked him because he didn't know how worth it it was to get injured out here. Then again, who's to say he wouldn't try to fight if she pushed him. Hawking was always so desperate to prove himself and hotheaded when it came down to it. Still she was such a fast talker and explained things in a way that left him grasping for the deeper meaning. He didn't really have time to process but on its face, what she said made sense to him. "Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. He said, nodding his head and frowning as he worked to try to parse things out.

 You'll always wonder about the what-ifs.

 His heart clenched uncomfortably, but he was not thinking about the now... he was thinking about @Archon and his family here. Vera didn't know how close to home she hit with that statement. What if he left again and never came back. What if he never got to talk to Archon like he wanted. What if he never got to see his siblings grow up. What if he turned his back on all of his family to go back south. He felt like he was losing his breath as he stood there.

 And then, she kept going... The cause and effect. The consequences. What if he took an action that he thought was right and really he was making the wrong choice? What if he should go back to Elkshire and never should have left? But no, no no no, he had family and he had his Archon here. It felt right to be here and yet he felt so wrong for no wanting to go back south. Guilty. He had a duty. He couldn't turn his back on the queen, after she'd given him a chance. It was wrong. He was wrong. His tail started to tuck as he grappled with what was inside, his eyes widened as he saw what was not really there. His family's faces there before him rather than Vera. He looked like a deer caught up in headlights.

 He couldn't move... he couldn't... couldn't--

 He gave a start when the wolf in front of him suddenly laughed. He... he couldn't remember what she'd said after that. He missed it. He felt like he couldn't breath. She tilted her head, waiting on a response...

 He felt stupid because how was he supposed to talk to the stranger now? He'd shown nothing but being a huge crybaby coward in front of her. Freezing up, he'd never done that before! Why was he acting like this now? Over decisions that... that could define him for the rest of his life? Could have far-reaching consequences? Forever. His rear legs buckled and he flumped into a harsh sit on the snow.

 He had to salvage this.

 "Yes, yes, we can... we can go." He hated how he sounded like an unsure child. Like he was a small fawn again, tagging along with Crux and asking about some unknown aspect of life that he didn't understand. He forced himself to stand again but he seemed to stare off into space at demons that only he could see.

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#10
Counsellor
10-31-2022, 03:24 AM (This post was last modified: 10-31-2022, 04:37 AM by Vera. Edited 2 times in total.)
She wasn't exactly sure what was up with the youth. For all she knew, it could be a deer thing. But the stress, the turmoil that flooded into him could be not just seen, but felt a mile away. She would not coddle, no one ever wanted that in such moments. She would nod to him and try to lighten the mood. "Wonderful, I'll make sure we catch the fattest of the batch! Just the marrow will fatten pups for seasons~" She laughed heartily before beckoning with her head to travel alongside her to new horizons.

She would do what she had learned early on in her old career (or perhaps from her brother), to dance around topics with a shrewd eye to witness its ripples. Yet she was far from as skilled as the messiah. "It must be tough to be so different among family, hm?" She would ask in a manner that did not require follow-up. "But you show effort and considerations, this I know from but a few minutes with you." She said bluntly and yet a subtle warmth could be felt filtering through the words, her flaming eye darting to the youth's own eyes. "Whatever happens, surely you have formed the support and tools for whatever destiny you care to manifest." It was her attempt of small talk laced in encouragement or inspiration for the other. She could not even begin to imagine the life of the one she would describe as a living-breathing chimera. Melded in with opposing forces and multiple families...truly insane and impressive.

If he said anything or not, she would let out a small sigh before looking to the horizon. "No matter what, there will always be a better day." That last sentence was more for herself, an attempt at false comfort as she got back to her games and lack of purpose. 

It was fun being with others. Why...did she always have to ruin it in the end?
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