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
I broke my fever then I broke my chains


Late Evening Fog
#1
AW
Discovery
04-03-2021, 12:08 AM (This post was last modified: 05-10-2021, 09:31 PM by Aso. Edited 2 times in total.)
^^
 He’d only intended to spend a day away from the Nameless Mountain, but had deeply underestimated how far his curiosity would bring him under one pass of the sun through the sky, and how exhausted he’d be after navigating all the new terrain he’d covered. The daylight had long since faded and the evening was growing cool, and Element found himself wandering through lands that were foreign to him; absent of the mixed scent of the wolves of Empyrean he had been growing to associate with home. When, earlier in the night, he’d caught the sun setting on the horizon and the sight of the Nameless Mountain was distant in the sky, he’d worried if he’d gone too far without signaling to someone he’d be away.
 
 Then again, who was there to miss him for a journey of a few days? It was unlikely, he thought sullenly, that his absence would be noted for a night or two. Although he suspected he had long gone beyond the range of his packmates ears, as the moon found it’s place in the night sky he lifted his peppered snout to the stars above, sending out a call towards any listening, friendly ears: that he was searching, wandering, and all was well. The sound broke through the fog that drifted across the surface, wavering across the quiet plain and into the night.
 
 Hopefully, nothing would happen this evening that would make a lie out of that message.
^^

+1 Discovery Points


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#2
Discovery
04-12-2021, 07:35 PM
I'm gonna date this for Ven different than its gonna be dated for Element possibly LMAO! But let's pretend both our timelines make sense

^^
Someone who was perhaps friendly did indeed hear the call. A call rang out through the mist in a land neighboring the one of his woods as he returned from the Northern mountains after meeting with a few leaders there. As he found himself once more enveloped in the cool tendrils of the fog once more, the returning Warlord kept his pace as he wandered toward the figure that stood in the mist. He suspected that was the one who called.

But did they call for the mercenaries lurking in the mist?

Perhaps not. But he was going to meet one regardless of his previous desires for a friendly encounter. As the moon's face reflected off of the pale, creeping mist, the beast would stop only a few wolflengths away from the stranger. At first quiet and observing. “Who are you?” An air of eerie tranquilly frosted over his stained maw as he stared at the black back man with neutral interest.
^^
the staff team luvs u
Vengeance is a disgusting, terrible character. I do not condone anything he does or thinks of IC, and though I enjoy writing him, he also disgusts me often. He is a villain and nothing more.
#3
Discovery
04-14-2021, 05:03 AM (This post was last modified: 05-10-2021, 09:32 PM by Aso. Edited 2 times in total.)
*BUZZES EXCITEDLY*


^^
 The call left his lips, the last of it rising through the fog and seeming to reverberate through the moist air around him, dissipating slower than he was used to at the higher altitudes of the mountain. There was something strange about catching stray seconds of his own song echoing back to him through the mist, and the strangeness of it sent a shiver, through not entirely an unpleasant one, up his spine. Element paused again to take in his surroundings, appreciating anew the sights this world had to offer him. As he breathed, he caught notice of the way the air from his lungs took shape as it left him, becoming it's own fog and mingling with the damp air. There was something dreamlike about it, and he felt himself as just a lone piece among the mist, observing the world around him and feeling just... not quite part of it.

 Until he was shocked from his peaceful reverie by movement. Standing suddenly, his limbs stiffened and his dark ears swiveled as his mercurial gaze swept across the world before him. Movement again - this time, accompanied by scent, hanging thick on the air. Element's nose wrinkled as he took it in. It was a deathly smell, of prey and wolf alike; pungent and rotten in a way that lit a sudden, shocking splash of panic in his chest. Emerging through the dark, following in the wake of his own morbid fragrance, came a large figure. Their eyes locked on each other's frames, and it took no more than a moment for Ele to give the other male a once-over, the panic still pulsing and rising along with bile in his throat as he noted his size and stature. It would be problematic, should this encounter go sideways.

 Distantly, Element made a note to himself that these lands seemed to hold far too many large aggressors, and perhaps he was better sticking to the Nameless Mountain after all.

 After what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds, the other spoke. Ele weighed his options, and finding none that seemed to ensure safe passage, went with what came to him first. "Element," he answered, tail stiff and steady behind him, head lowering in defense and not deference. "Of Empyrean, of the mountains beyond." It was good, he thought, to be reminded of the power that came with association. "Yourself?"
^^

+1 Discovery Points


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#4
Discovery
04-14-2021, 05:03 PM
VIBRATES

^^
With ears pulled back and to the side, they gave the beastly man a figure as if he was adorned with horns at either side of his head as they angled to give the silhouette of pointed tips. They pulled to the side to listen for anyone else to approach them from within the mist, while his blood-soaked eyes would keep a firm watch on the man who had sang out into the mist summoning him unintentionally.

Element, and he hails from Empyrean. From this distance, he could not smell Hydra's mark on his pelt and so he approached, steps slow as though stuck in tar as he held his gaze on the silvers of the man in question. The last one who had claimed to be from Empyrean held none of their scent along his back, and so he would do the test all over again... Stopping just close enough to get a good whiff of the guy, this one was with Empyrean long enough to still have their scent on him.

And in response to that, the Warlord's posture relaxed, and so did the intensity of his gaze. An ally after all. Even if they were a good imposter, he had no reason to doubt them just yet. “Vengeance, Warlord of the Nightwalkers.” He tossed his head in the direction where his forest resided in a different part of the mist. “What brings you to our doorstep?”
^^
the staff team luvs u
Vengeance is a disgusting, terrible character. I do not condone anything he does or thinks of IC, and though I enjoy writing him, he also disgusts me often. He is a villain and nothing more.
#5
Discovery
04-15-2021, 05:07 AM (This post was last modified: 05-10-2021, 09:36 PM by Aso. Edited 3 times in total.)
^^
 The red eyes. They were set deeply in his face, ringed with dirty brown fur that seemed moist and clumped in a way he didn't think was purely due to the haze in which they stood. Element had never met someone who had looked both so unkempt and apparently unbothered by it - in fact, he could hardly imagine what the nightmare in front of him would look like well-groomed. Somehow it seemed like such a thing would be out of character for the brute with the smell of death on his fur. Or maybe, Ele thought distantly, he was just being judgemental.

 More distracting than his coat and the scent that threatened to keep his nose wrinkled, were those eyes. Element found himself transfixed by the ruby hue, hardly unable to keep himself from meeting them directly to get a closer look. His brain ached, and his memories roiled like an angry sea and spewed forth images - a white wolf with red eyes, one scarred - this same face he'd seen more than once in a dream. A face that, when he was able to picture it, tried to tear him in half with the way it evoked both tender love and deep hurt, fear, and regret.

 But the wolf in his head was not the one standing before him, and the one standing before him would require all his focus. So, regretfully, he tried to push the memories aside despite how the begged to be addressed, and listened to the monster speak. Vengeance, Lord of the Nightwalkers. Vengeance, he thought idly, sampling the name and imprinting it on the vision before him. It made him want to shiver again, but for the sake of his appearance and holding on to whatever dignity he had, he repressed the urge into nothing more than a twitch of the dark fur along his spine.

 A moment of panic threatened to surge through him as Vengeance claimed the terrain they stood in as his own doorstep, and Element wondered for a moment if in his haste he'd missed the markers of another pack's claim. He thought back to his trek through the mist, re-checking his mental accounts of the place as he'd moved, and felt just a tad more soothed as he verified that he hadn't come across the scents of borders. There had been smells, of game and wolf alike, both entwined together in the mist, but nothing he could pinpoint that told him he'd overstepped. Not only that - but after Element had spoken the air between the two of them seemed to change. The mist became less cloying, and the weight of imminent danger seemed to be released like a held breath. Something about his words had resonated with Vengeance - was it familiarity he was able to read on the brown wolf's face?

 Between Vengeance's posture and the title of Warlord, which was not one Element had heard but contextually seemed to imply leadership, he opted for a display of deference, lowering his head in a gesture of good-will but also strategic defense. Hydra's combat lessons trickled through his conscious, and for the first time, he found himself thankful for them. They did not serve as a full shield, but they gave him at least something. "Exploring the regions south of the Nameless Mountain," he answered truthfully in response to Vengeance's question. "Not many of us had ventured this way, so some scouting felt like a good use of my time." A pause. "I don't believe I've encountered any of your fellows - unless your from the mountain beyond," he continued, gesturing back towards the mountain that contained The Maw, the glowing cave where he'd met Kyeza. She'd mentioned no Warlord, but the two of them seemed like two peas in a pod; large, intimidating, and inherently unsafe.
^^

+1 Discovery Points


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#6
Discovery
04-15-2021, 06:33 PM (This post was last modified: 04-17-2021, 03:31 PM by Vengeance. Edited 2 times in total.)
^^
There was that tangible air between them that were this not a wolf that the Nightwalkers were already allied with, it would have excited Vengeance beyond reason. That sweet scent of fear intoxicated him so as it slithered into his senses from the mist that swirled around the two men, how he loved to bathe in such feelings cast by others through his mere presence. He could see it in the silvery eyes of the other man and could feel the hairs prickle excitedly alone his spine excitedly. Rising at their rhythm in waves at the beat of his breath.

And yet, he didn't move or act upon it. Even as the tang of fright could be tasted in the air, he would not dare to act upon his wild desires and severe the precious alliance he had with the mountain queen. Such a thing for a brief moment of pleasure through pain was not worth putting the treaty at risk. There were plenty of others who he could enjoy without that looming threat after all.

As Element spoke it all made enough sense. Scouting was important after all, knowledge was power and knowing your terrain and neighbors was a good first step in the right direction. Vengeance was already doing just that after all. But something that Element had said piqued his interest. The ones twisted ears shot forward as they greedily hung onto his words. He knew not of anyone claiming the mountain nearby, especially the one where Element gestured to... it was one he would have to pass by to meet with Célnes soon enough.

“None of mine reside in the mountains.” He drawled. “Who is it that you met?” He was doubtful that it was the one he sought and yet, he clung to the belief that perhaps... out of sheer luck, that they might have found the woman of the hour.
^^
the staff team luvs u
Vengeance is a disgusting, terrible character. I do not condone anything he does or thinks of IC, and though I enjoy writing him, he also disgusts me often. He is a villain and nothing more.
#7
Discovery
04-16-2021, 12:31 AM (This post was last modified: 04-16-2021, 12:31 AM by Element. Edited 1 time in total.)
I don't know yet if Kyeza and Element will even exchange names in their thread, so I'm making Ele forget.

^^
 

 It was rare that the ability to scent fear ever had worked in his favor. When it came to the hunt - to teasing out the weak and fragile prey, the ones who jittered with anxiety and exuded the delicious scent of terror when they realized a predator was in their midst... those were the moments he could savor the ability. But even then, it wasn't their terror that excited him - it was the way the sense of their fear became another one of his senses while he stalked. His eyes, his limbs, his nose, all working in unison. The moments like this though - where he found himself playing the role of the doe among the brush, trying to save face and stare down the predator before them as if they posed a threat, all while the scent of their fear hummed around them like a static aura. Facing Vengeance, he was not as terrified as the doe - but unease coursed through him, the desire to just be away from the other wolf. And he knew Vengeance could smell it. Element could smell it on himself; the way his discomfort arched around his frame, becoming one with the mist.

 Words seemed to bring him some relief, as Vengeance's demeanor shifted every so slightly with each statement. First the mention of Empyrean had fallen on him like a shield. Now the mention of the mountain wolfess had changed something else in the Warlord's ruby gaze - Element found he could not quite read it. Curiosity? Greed? Lust? For some, these were one and the same. It wouldn't surprise him if Vengeance was one of them. "Hmm," he hummed quietly, giving himself a moment to consider his next words. In truth, he couldn't recall if he'd gotten the striped female's name. Had he given his own in turn? It was another interaction he'd been eager to get out of, and polite greetings hadn't been as high on his priority list as the safe placement of his chess pieces. "I don't believe I got her name," he admitted, his ear flicking in mild displeasure as he recalled their conversation. "A large wolfess, dark and striped," he offered as a descriptor. And, in a departure from his usual diplomatic character, he added with a low rumble "voice like poison." He did not add that the way threat had churned under the surface of their interactions like a ripcurrent, waiting for him to step to close and be pulled away... well, Vengeance reminded him of much the same. Here Element was, playing another game of chess.

 Words seemed to be like currency with Vengeance though; knowledge offered for... something. He would not call it safety. But given that he had not been lunged upon yet, there may have been more to gain here than just avoiding attack. He could not let slide that mention of Empyrean had done so much to quench the initial flames. "You know of Empyrean, then," he continued cautiously, hazarding an educated guess. Then, to cover any potential for insult between their two packs, in case Vengeance would expect all of Empyrean to already know of the Nightwalkers: "I've been away for some time - I haven't had a chance to talk with the others about any other neighboring packs yet, to learn of the Nightwalkers."
^^
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#8
Discovery
04-16-2021, 04:45 PM (This post was last modified: 04-17-2021, 03:35 PM by Vengeance. Edited 1 time in total.)
^^
The details he gave were shallow and vague. Not enough to confirm her position, nor her name as he seemed to have forgotten whether or not it was given. It wasn't good enough. “What colour were her eyes? Tell me how large was she? I assume she was bigger than yourself, was she bigger or smaller than I am?” He'd milk this man of everything he knew. It wasn't a matter of getting the right individual and avoiding slaying any innocent women - but it was a matter of slaying the right one to rid himself of her once and for all and be absolutely certain of it. Any innocent lives who got in his way didn't matter.

“Did she have scars or any other identifying traits?” He pushed and pushed. Though he tried to remain calm and not threaten the man, he couldn't help but let the pitch of his voice and hardened stare give away his excitement and annoyance. He was so close and yet so far. Behind him, his tail flickered once, electrified by the news with one quick flick of its tip, disturbing the haze that clung to their bodies.

Element wanted to know things in exchange, which, was a fair trade... even if the Warlord didn't want to banter about anything other than the possible target of his looming somewhere nearby. “Your queen and I have been allies in this life and one prior to this.” Of which he was thankful. Not only to have a familiar face nearby, but one that had been nothing but good to him as far as he could remember... however should the fuzzy details evading him tell him a different story of Hydra, of which he doubted, that alliance would surely change.

“I have returned from the mountains just now after speaking with her of our settlement and location, you should hear of it upon your return.” And Element would have something to share in return should he have truly, unintentionally, found the target Vengeance had been seeking...
^^
the staff team luvs u
Vengeance is a disgusting, terrible character. I do not condone anything he does or thinks of IC, and though I enjoy writing him, he also disgusts me often. He is a villain and nothing more.
#9
Discovery
04-16-2021, 10:33 PM
If Ele ever finds out he started some kind of shit he will have a crisis. But for now he's too intimidated to consider that, haha.


^^
 It appeared that he'd unknowingly tread upon a landmine; one step, a soft click in the form of passed information, the building tension in the air as he held still, dangerous pressure resting under his paws. He had two options - to feign ignorance, and possibly upset the creature before him further, ally or not. The other option felt safer - to share what he knew, as minimal as it may be. He did not know Vengeance's intentions with the knowledge he had to give, and in his present state the ability to hypothesize was beyond him. His encounter with Kyeza had been an unpleasant one, for him at least, and he held no trust for her. But still, he held no malice for her either. But between her or Vengeance, it appeared Vengeance was going to be the evil he knew. The evil, apparently, that Hydra had named an ally.

 He'd need to ask her about that. Had he not been in such a precarious situation, the idea may have sent him reeling. Allied why? Allied to what extent? What did Empyrean gain by association with the wolf before him, the stench of unknown horrors upon his coat and hungry malice in his eyes. There had to be more he didn't know, and he trusted Hydra's judgement... but even then, he was uneasy. The information gap was too wide, too many blank spaces. It would be essential to fill before he could look at Vengeance and think friend instead of fiend.

 Especially with the way his voice had grown hungry, pressing, intent. Unwillingly, Element shrunk back a step, cringing mentally as he did so at the way it so clearly signaled his unease. His tail lashed behind him once, an indicator of his stress. Of his choices here, he'd decided to play along. "Like lightning," he answered to the question of her eyes. "The kind of blue lightning creates in the sky at night; bright". She'd had intense eyes, piercing, unreadable. He remembered them because they had been so unique. As for size, he took  a moment to try to take Vengeance in anew, scanning his gaze across his body and trying to mentally compare the two to his own smaller frame. "Larger than me," he admitted, the smallest pang of self-consciousness nagging at him. There were too many large monsters lurking in these lands. "Maybe... not quite as tall at the shoulder as you, but close" he guessed, "but longer nose to tail, I think." That sounded about right.

 He had to pause again, trying to bring up an image of her anew in his mind. "Black fur, striped with gray. There may have been a scar on a shoulder, but I didn't get a good glimpse of it." There was not much else he could bring to mind. Except, well, "her teeth seemed odd," he added as an afterthought. Hopefully, it would be enough to appease him, as Element wasn't sure what other details he could rummage from his memories. Vengeance's response to him about Empyrean was almost lost on him under the weight of the rest of their exchange, but he gave a nod of understanding just to acknowledge it. Another thing to ask Hydra about, it seemed.
^^

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#10
Discovery
04-17-2021, 04:49 PM
^^
He paused and listened attentively as Element eventually came to the right decision to share the information he gathered. Vengeance couldn't say with certainty that this was the woman in question nor that this was her domain, but she might have been spotted. The details shared by the dark and pale man were all too similar to what the Warlord had seen himself in this mist just weeks ago before his journey North.

With every addition to detail describing the woman he saw, the world around them grew silent as far as the Warlord could hear. The birds singing in the distance away from the foul odour that returned to their land grew dull and gone in a moment's notice as he focussed purely on the words being shared. The mist shrouding every detail around them and all that was left was him and Element in what could be the turning point of his search.

Once Element had come to a conclusion of his description, Vengeance's head lifted and peer in the direction of which the darker lad had motioned to earlier. As if he could see through the haze, distance, trees, and rock in between him and his possible future destination. “Hmm.” He hummed with delight. Even if it were not her, he had something to look forward to. “You have done well.” Whether Element knew it or not. “I will be sure to let Hydra know.”

He paused, pondering for a moment his next course of action. It was still too soon to move, even to investigate the area of which was pointed out to him. Were it her, it was their one shot to corner the woman and rid themselves of her immediately. Simply too risky to investigate without believing it may go sour. “When you return to Hydra, let her know I request troops to investigate your findings. We will go as a group should my mark truly be there.”
^^
the staff team luvs u
Vengeance is a disgusting, terrible character. I do not condone anything he does or thinks of IC, and though I enjoy writing him, he also disgusts me often. He is a villain and nothing more.
#11
Discovery
04-28-2021, 05:47 AM
^^
 

The world didn't actually turn silent then - the constant thrum of crickets still hummed through the mist, the sparse and scattered calls of birds still joined in the chorus, and the wind rustled gently across it all, sending some of the trees creaking and the grasses whispering against each other. But for Element, he heard none of it. Only Vengeance's words rang out, first a feeling of discomfort as the brute before him seemed to compliment him - no, not seemed... actually complimented him? The juxtaposition between the praise and topic of conversation rattled him. But not nearly as much as the next segment. Element merely swallowed thickly and managed an acknowledging nod as Vengeance mentioned speaking to Hydra about having done well, but then... then he froze.

Because the next thing Vengeance said was what made the world go quiet. Troops. He was asking for troops. Not only that, but he was referring to Empyrean as an ally, and one that would, upon his request here, supply troops for his venture. What he meant by that was Element and his packmates - and Ele refused to acknowledge them as troops for this monsters personal vendetta. He sounded like he was speaking about a war.

A heat rose in him unexpectedly, mingling with the nervous fear, and Element found himself surprised to recognize the heat as anger in his belly. The panic grip of silence did him a favor here, because it stifled the urge to growl just as it halted his initial retort in his throat. He attempted to steady himself, balancing the hot anger and the cold panic, uneager to make more of a mess of things than he felt he already had. A voice inside him would not relent: what have you done.

It was only a few seconds that he regarded Vengeance silently, and after that he managed a stiff nod. "I can relay the message," he responded, equally stiff as he chose his words carefully, refusing to commit outright to Vengeance's request for troops. Beyond that, he had nothing else he would promise. Beyond that... well, the rest of it wouldn't be his call anyway. "I was heading back there this evening, actually," he added. It was not a lie - but there was no need to add that he'd now be returning with additional haste.
^^
the staff team luvs u
#12
Discovery
04-29-2021, 08:00 PM
^^
The air took a subtle change between them. It went largely unnoticed but there was still an inkling that something had shifted, just not enough to trigger the beastly man into action about it. Perhaps the new information on where the woman was hiding was enough to distract him to be reading into Element's shift in mood through the haze.

As Element agreed upon relaying the message to his Queen, Vengeance offered a satisfactory nod before turning his attention back to the path he had diverted from earlier. There was much more to share with the other Nightwalkers now that he had this little delicious nugget found right upon his doorstep. “That is all, until we meet again.” With a rolling humm he turned away and made his way toward the woods nearby to call for the other mercenaries within.

Regardless of what Element wanted, all their fates were sealed. They would move soon, that he was certain. For now it was the calm before the storm as he prepared his moves in order to obtain victory.
^^
Last from me! 8D

the staff team luvs u
Vengeance is a disgusting, terrible character. I do not condone anything he does or thinks of IC, and though I enjoy writing him, he also disgusts me often. He is a villain and nothing more.
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