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
In a hospital


Sunrise Sunny/Clear
#1
AW
09-07-2022, 08:38 PM
Once the sun rose over the dunes to the East, it revealed a lump in the sand- like a dune just beginning to grow. Unlike the other ridges of sand, though, it seemed to shrink each time the wind blew, skiffing a layer of sand off the top and sending it elsewhere. Like blades of grass, the first few traces of dark fur emerged from beneath the sand, slowly revealing the hulk of a wolf, lain out in the golden light. At the piercing cry of a red-tailed hawk overhead, the dark shape suddenly reared its head back into the air, drawing in a first gasp of breath past chapped lips and down a dry throat. 

Her first exhale was a scream. She tried to lunge to her feet but stumbled, like a newborn colt on unsteady legs. She was weak, confused- and panicked when she cast her gaze about and recognized nothing. This area was like nothing she'd ever seen before; there were no trees, no lakes, no grasses...She coughed and hacked, and tried to catch her breath. Her throat felt raw and sore, as if she'd been inhaling sand. She could feel it in her teeth, and longed for a spring or a stream where she could drink. 

She pushed herself up onto her two front paws, and looked around, straining her neck to see. Her hind legs were still too weak, and a deep, aching pain pulsed in her stomach. She moaned, and flattened her ears. 

She could not remember how she had come here, or where she'd been moments ago. But this place was not of her world; it felt so much more like a nightmare than reality.
the staff team luvs u
#2
09-13-2022, 09:00 PM
He had been out exploring and hunting when he heard a scream. Curiosity got the better of him as he walked over, raising an eyebrow slightly as he saw her, a wolf that seemed to be absolutely freaking the fuck out. A small smirk crossed his features as he watched her. "If you keep thrashing around like that, the sand will swallow you whole." He would sigh as he walked over, aiming to wrap his teeth around the scruff of her neck in an attempt to carry her like a child. 

If he succeeded in that, he would start to carry her off, closer to where he called home and where he knew water was. Should she struggle or fight him though, he would simply drop her rather ungently in the sand again.
 

the staff team luvs u
[Image: 594e2082-689d-11ed-b829-057c57b7de88.gif]
#3
09-15-2022, 12:45 AM
Her mind adrift in the fervent search for memory, she did not notice the large, pale man as he approached. Her vision was blurred by the sweeping mirage of heat on the horizon that seemed to swell and roll on forever. This was not where she was. This was nowhere that she knew.

The voice sounded familiar at first, but as she sought out the speaker she realized it belonged to a stranger. She froze, but sank and coiled like a serpent when he reached for her scruff.

With his might, he lifted her to a seated position. At first she was limp in his grasp, like an obedient child, but she was far too large to be carried as such. Dragged, perhaps, if she’d been unconscious, but not lifted. Once she was pulled up and got her front feet beneath her, she pulled away from him. Given the fact he seemed willing to let her go, she wasn’t immediately frightened for her life.

She already suspected by now that she was past the point of living.

”Where is this? Who are you? Am…Am I…?” She questioned, her voice quenched with trepidation. If she was dead…Certainly, this wasn’t heaven.
the staff team luvs u
#4
09-26-2022, 05:25 PM
She didn't let him drag her off, but she didn't fight against him either. Instead, he felt her plant her feet, letting go as she moved away from him. Red eyes watched her for a moment, noticing that she didn't run away now that she was free. Her words caused him to chuckle, looking around at the endless sands. "You're in the Desert of a land that isn't wherever you came from. My name is Satan and I'm the King of Warcrest, the pack that claims these sands." Did he actually claim the whole desert, no, but it was always fun to him to act like he did. After all, no one else had tried to claim them since he got here. 

"Now follow me if you want water and shelter, otherwise, I have no qualms about letting you sink below the sands." He would begin to walk off, though slowly with enough time for her to follow. Only if she followed would he tell her more, or answer her questions. If she stayed behind, she would stay in the dark.

the staff team luvs u
[Image: 594e2082-689d-11ed-b829-057c57b7de88.gif]
#5
09-29-2022, 10:34 PM
The pale man’s tone of voice was demure. He was calm, as though finding another wolf out in the desert like this was commonplace. He seemed to take no offense, even though he-Satan, as he named himself- claimed the desert belonged to him. Both his name and the pack’s name caused her to pull back slightly. Satan? War? She was confused, and this all seemed like some kind of a bad omen.

He offered her water, though, and a gentle warning about the sand which rolled in dunes and stretched out for miles. Was this temptation? Her throat was parched. He began to move, and she rose to follow, commanded silently by instinct.

She’d stay several feet behind him. Something wasn’t right. She searched for memories, but found herself leafing through empty pages. ”Why…Live in a desert?” She asked, her voice cracking slightly.
the staff team luvs u
#6
10-01-2022, 02:23 AM
The man continued to walk, a sly grin on his face as he walked. However, he would quickly change it to a neutral expression as he glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow slightly as he noticed her hesitation, though her question made him shrug. "I grew up in a desert, it is home to me. Not only that, but here, only the ones as used to it as us can attack us. You found first hand how hard it is to walks across the shifting sands if you are not used to it." He would continued to walk, his body calm and loose. 

"Not only that, but you can see others from miles away." He may be insane in some ways, but he had a method to his madness. "Do you have any other questions? Also keep in mind, I could have attacked you back there, but I didn't." He would pause as they came across a small watering hole, one that was tucked under a small cave that wasn't connected to his pack cave. Here, he could bring others to water, but not give them access to his pack. And, if needed, he could pin them here too.

the staff team luvs u
[Image: 594e2082-689d-11ed-b829-057c57b7de88.gif]
#7
10-01-2022, 06:45 PM
He was a natural in this environment, whereas she felt the sand give away beneath each pawstep. It would be tiring for her, for sure, and put all those who lived here at a natural advantage over her. She wondered if he was leading her to her demise and if she was foolish to believe he'd lead her to water but what other options did she have? She wasn't suited to survive in this place, and he knew it. 

He was open for more questions, but she felt she should watch what she said. She did not want to offend her host, but she still felt as though she was in some kind of dreamstate, and had been transplanted in some reality that was not her own. If this was a dream, she wondered if he might have the key to unlock her memory. 

"Is the world so hostile, now, that we need to go to such great lengths in order to live?" She asked, sounding disheartened. Surely, a more comfortable life could be had, living in a forest, or out on the plains where ungulates moved in great herds. "I don't mean to offend you, or your home when I say that," She apologized. "It just...Seems like a lot of effort, to live somewhere, to be safe, unless...There's someone you don't want to have find you." She said, trailing off. There was something oddly comforting, knowing that she couldn't necessarily be reached by a foe here.

He'd brought her to water, but she faltered, looking up to him. "May I?" She asked politely. This was, after all, his desert, she thought. He'd brought her to water but that didn't necessarily mean she could drink before him.
the staff team luvs u
#8
10-02-2022, 08:29 PM
The man turned to look at her, making no showing that he was annoyed by her questions. As she spoke of the hostile world, he would shrug slightly before speaking up. "It entirely depends on who you are. Someone like me, with plenty of enemies, than yes. But someone like you, likely not. You're a good soul with no reason to hide away." He would nod his head as she asked to drink, laying himself down in a relaxed way, eyes flickering out across the sands. 

"I can offer you a spot in my pack, giving you a home, food, water, and protection as well as freedom to come and go as you please. However, in return, you must do your jobs, whatever you are the best at be it hunting, teaching the children, scouting or healing." The offer was on the table, red eyes turning to glance up at her as she drank. 

He made no move to tense himself for a fight, or any indication that he was going to be rude or aggressive towards her in any way.

the staff team luvs u
[Image: 594e2082-689d-11ed-b829-057c57b7de88.gif]
#9
10-03-2022, 07:57 PM
He was honest enough to admit that he did have enemies, and that he had reason to choose an unhospitable land to live in, so that he might thrive. She had to wonder what his packmates were like- was his pack made up of others, fleeing their enemies, or those who had simply ended up here by chance? There was an odd kind of syncopation, between who he claimed to be, and how he acted in her presence. 

She drank, and listened to him speak. She was expected to pull her weight, which was something any pack would ask of a newcomer. She looked up at him, a couple water droplets falling from her chin as she did so. She blinked. He was curious. 

"You're surprisingly hospitable for someone with so many enemies," She said. "Like an oasis." She said softly, looking down at her reflection in the pool. Funny; something looked...Different. This wasn't quite how she remembered seeing herself last, but she couldn't place what was off. It was as if her image was a mirage. She tried not to get too hung up on it. She looked up at him again. 

"I would like to show my gratitude somehow, for your hospitality, and I don't want to seem ungrateful for the offer of a home...But I'm afraid I wouldn't necessarily thrive in a place like this, not if I felt I might be hunted by your enemies whenever I step foot outside the sands." She admitted. She didn't want a life where the sand burnt her paws, and where the rains didn't fall. Nor did she want to have to flee the persecution of another wolf's troubles whenever she sought a bit of respite in the woodlands from the sun's rays. "All I can offer is to speak well of you, elsewhere, in hopes it might gentle the opinion of your foes over time." She said.
the staff team luvs u
#10
Misc Skill
10-08-2022, 03:45 PM
He was relaxed as she spoke, though he couldn't help but chuckle at her words, shaking his head. Why everyone thought he was a good guy was beyond him. It was simply a tactic he used to get people to do what he wanted. "I am not kind sweetheart, I kill creatures when I feel like it and take what I desire. I just don't desire anything from you right now." He would stretch himself out, clearly not worried about her attacking him. 

As she spoke of not wanting to join, he would shrug slightly, pretty indifferent. "Very well, if you ever wish to join, come back to the desert and I will find you. Regardless of how much you speak of me, that will not change anyone's opinions of me. And, just so you know, you joining wouldn't give you my enemies. If anything, it would give any of your enemies to the pack." With that, he would start to stand, gesturing to the west with his nose. "That is the way out of the wastelands, though watch where you treck, there are plenty of packs that are the same if not worse than me, but with worse charisma." With that, he would begin to walk away, having done what he  needed to do here.

the staff team luvs u
[Image: 594e2082-689d-11ed-b829-057c57b7de88.gif]
#11
10-08-2022, 05:05 PM
It was not a novelty for others to have little interest in her. She didn't strike his fancy as someone to kill, tease or seduce- being plain, and being somewhat aloof often served her well. She'd found a killer, and he'd done nothing more to her than lead her to water, and show her the way out of the desert. She doubted he was nearly as evil as he claimed he was- but would allow him to exist in that delusion. Stating her opinion might ignite whatever temper he did have. 

"Very well," She replied calmly. She was content with not being desired. She turned her pale gaze to the dark line on the horizon, and decided she would head off in that direction, as he instructed. He warned her of others who might be worse...Which she felt was entirely possible, given the fact he'd been nothing but merciful to her. "Thank you, Satan. Be well." She said, and began to pad away, wondering who she might meet along the way.
the staff team luvs u
scroll to top