Welcome to Gaia! ::

The day was warm and somewhat muggy after the last few days of rain. The ground underfoot still compacted a little, soft mud pressing between her pawpads as Calliope walked along beside the still swollen riverbank. She had woken up that morning slightly hungry and had decided to see if she could find some small prey by herself since the carcass of the deer had now been stripped clean, white bone poking through shreds of tattered hide.

Calliope's head came up from the water as she heard another close by. Upwind, she could not smell who it might be but from the languid movements as paws splashed through the water she guessed it was one of the two males. Deciding that Ouranos would most likely still be watching over the pups, she splashed upstream to find Zagreus. Or so she thought. Hoped.

Her deductions had been correct. Zagreus stood about 20 yards upstream drinking from the fast moving stream. He was up to his belly in water and seemed to be enjoying the coolness of it. He looked up as she came into his field of vision, having caught her scent seconds before. Tongue lolling in the heat, he grinned, calling a bright "good morning".

Calliope returned the greeting softly, padding heavily against the current, she half walked, half swam up towards him. In this section of the river the smaller female was a little lower in water. She moved a little more towards the bank where she could stand a little more solidly. Zagreus turned towards her and glanced briefly upwards "Better than the thunderstorms." She nodded her agreement. The wet weather had been a nastily chilly reminder of the winter she had spent alone, though crowding together under the overhang had been ... cosy.

Zagreus glanced at Calliope questioningly, as if to ask what she was thinking about. The she-wolf replied with a smile "I prefer the warmer weather... summer is much more enjoyable than winter." Most animals would, she thought. Zagreus looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded "This summer seems like it will be hot; that usually means a harsh winter." The female nodded with a slight grimace "That's certainly been my experience in the past. Even the harshest winters are easier when you have a den, and a pack..." she mused.

Zagreus considered the female's words for a few moments, silently. An amused twinkle appeared in his eye. "What might you be suggesting, Calliope?" he asked in a playful tone. He had a fair idea of where she was leading. It had been obvious to him that she had no great wish to be alone again, having tolerated the arrival of the two albino pups without so much as a murmur.

If wolves could have blushed Calliope would have. She looked back in the direction of the overhang, trying to compose herself and wishing she weren't so obvious. "I... I was not suggesting anything, merely pointing out something that is common sense..." she half stammered. Zagreus paused once again, taking note of her body language. He smiled. "I know. I guess it does seem like a good idea, especially as we seem to have grown in numbers." Zagreus padded out towards the bank, having had enough of the water. He shook himself vigorously, sending spray flying in all directions.

((Written by both Ieyasu and Alyosha. TBC))