Open [The Sanctuary] The Dog Days Of Spring

[Kavala]

Kavala was surprised when Copper said he’d stay. She was thrilled at the same time because that meant another Kelvic to be eyes and ears for the dangers that surrounded them. A great many people dismissed Kelvics, but Kavala found them sharp – far smarter than most people gave them credit for – and fiercely loyal as long as someone treated them like they deserved to be treated. In Riverfall and sometimes in Endrykas too, the Kelvics that popped up were often considered pets or animals. It was completely unjustified. Kavala knew that while they could shed their skin and be another creature, that didn’t mean they weren’t people with culture and feelings and deeply rooted core values. They were. And they were some of the best people she knew, truth be told. The Kelvics she knew were honest, sincere and hard working. They loved to give their heart and souls to tasks and expected others to be the same way. And already she knew that Copper most likely possessed these traits by the way he responded.

She was grateful.

“Thank you Copper. Your words reassure me. And truthfully we do need your help.” She added, pleased beyond measure that a kelvic would agree to help, especially one unattached.

“Caelum is one of Syna’s children. Both Syna and Leth have chosen people they take to their realms. Since the Valterrian sometimes these children fall from the realms. We are not sure why. But they are called Eth.. short for Ethaefal. They have two forms. One during the day and one during the night. Each form looks different from the other, but one will always be horned and beyond belief beautiful. They are immortal, these people, but they can be killed. Caelum has a golden horned beauty during the day when Syna is out and looks completely human by night. I believe his scent is the same in either form though. And because he is one of Syna’s chosen, he has special powers. Aging things is one of his powers and he uses it for good.” Kavala explained, careful not to play up the bad aspect of being an Eth. Everyone they knew and loved grew old and died… while they remained unchanged. Most of them carried a heavy heart because of that fact. She’d let Copper judge Caelum on his own merits if the two were to meet.

It was uncanny how the Kelvics eyes missed nothing. Her own niece and nephew were like that, but she was used to it. In a stranger, it was all the more odd. Had she known his past with the children of his Pavilion, Kavala would have been greatly reassured. Tasi was old enough to love the companionship of a dog, but her two infants were not at that point yet.

Still… she knew enough to be grateful. “Thank you. For Tasi… I’m sure will enjoy some companionship and watching. Ralac is strong.. my dark infant son. But you have better ears than all of us. My youngest, this small konti girl… has trouble breathing sometimes. I would be in your debt if you could listen for her breath sometimes.. and tell us immediately if it ever changes or stops. When she was born, it stopped often. Her lungs were not done developing when she came out. It took both Caelum and I’s watchfulness to get her breathing again.” Kavala explained yet again, still scared for the tiny baby, knowing the worst of her ordeal was over, but she wouldn’t be out of danger until she truly had a full healthy working set of mature lungs.

When the meal was finished and the room cleaned, the infants were left with the Kelvics and a strange tall redheaded woman who smelled of fierce raptors. She had the look of a mewmaster and bright copper hair. Chalce was introduced as an inartian who also resided within the walls, caring for the Sanctuary’s recovering birds of prey. Kavala kissed her children once more then headed up and out the tunnel.

They skirted the healing clinic and headed to the west past obvious construction and projects to expand that were well underway. Unlike a ‘kennel’ atmosphere, they instead gathered animals as they went. First one then another and another of the giant dogs known as Imperial Watchers joined them. Some were sleeping in the garden or doing early morning patrol. Others were chasing mice in the tall grass of some of the horse fields. Still others were playing, utterly young, near the kennels where all the doors were open in what would normally be a place dogs could be penned away.

“I keep them penned up sometimes, but only when its dangerous for them to be outside due to a storm or something or they are in the late stages of their pregnancies. We used to have deerstalkers, ghost dogs, silkenas, and a whole host of other things here. Now we simply just have the watchers.” Kavala said, then softly called. The pack gathered around her and she touched noses and stroked heads in a sea of wagging thumping tails. Copper wasn’t included in the gathering, but he wasn’t exactly shunned either. Some of the younger dogs greeted him with wagging tails and sniffing noses. The older dogs, of which there were seven, tended to simply hold back and watch him, curious but respectful that he was indeed with their mistress.

At this point, Kavala smiled, gestured, and the pack as a whole came with her… the seven adults and the twelve younger puppies that looked like they came from multiple litters. The dogs were trained. He could tell Kavala spent a great deal of time with them working on their ability to read her hand signs and body language. They were also surprisingly quite, not barking or baying or otherwise making it known they were there for all that they were excited to see her. “I teach them to be quiet. There’s nothing more intimidating than a big Imperial Watcher sneaking upon an intruder at night.” And Copper could see how some could sneak. Kavala’s dogs had two colors… well three if you counted those without color. Some were ink black, some where almost all white with small splashes of black, but by and large the majority of them were harlequin colored, with wild patterns of black and white crossing their coats.

“I breed whats called Harlequin patterns because the markings break up a predators ability to see them on the grass… most animals don’t see color, so the crazy pattern helps blend them in to the environment. The black ones are even better at it. I tend to train the paler all white ones for companionship… though their hunting excels when it snows.” Kavala said, retracing her steps with Copper and the pack in tow. They headed back down into the tunnel that lead to the Within. But instead of turning towards the common room, they descended a very long way on a spiral ramp that lead to a vast sea cave beneath the facility. She crossed the length of the sea cave, threw open giant double doors at the end of the cavern, and Copper found himself, with his nineteen companions on the beach.

It was there Kavala began to remove her clothing. She was not shy about bearing her body to Copper or the rest of the dogs. Kelvics living in and around her household had taken care of that. Unlike with a Kelvic, her shape shifting was not a thing of beauty with her body trading one form for another by dissolving in a swirl of bright lights. No, her body rearranged itself, transformed, bones shifted, until a white Imperial Watcher stood where the Konti had stood before. And she did warn him before she started.

“I’m a morpher. Its easier and I can go further if I borrow a dogs shape to do the exercise. Your kind have far more stamina than mine when it comes to getting exercise. But unlike you Kelvics, my shift isn’t instantaneous.. it takes time.” She offered, giving him a moment to ask questions before she started her shift. When she was done no more than two minutes had passed, but he could tell it was a painful two minutes.

Then all the dogs started wagging, milling around excitedly, and at some unspoken signal, they all took off running for the surf down near the waterline on the beach. He could tell by the mass of paw prints in the sand that this was a very usual occurrence and that it happened often enough to rough up the sand almost permanently in front of the sea cave.

He might not have been able to talk face to face with Kavala after she shifted to a dog. But he could read the joy in her body language and how much she loved doing this and bonding with her dogs in the morning.

Count: 1493

[Copper]

The world he had known back in Endrykas seemed so far away now. He listened to Kavala explain these new things to him, and couldn't hide the wonderment in his eyes. Horned immortals with another form much like he had, gods, and falling from the sky. And he thought reimancy was complex. Copper ran a hand across his prickly jaw. Calloused fingers rasped against the stubble there, and he shook his head. "There are many things it seems I don't know about the world. Far more than just the Sea has shown me." Endrykas was all he had ever known. Those sprawling tents had been his life, but now it seemed, also his bubble. "I have so many questions, but not for right now." The Kelvic peered at the Konti's children, both small and helpless. He would watch them and put their mother at ease, so that she might rest and regain her strength faster. Even now in his recovering state he had energy to spare. Copper's dual natured body was sore but strong, and it wouldn't take long for him to be as good as new thanks to her healing and care. He watched the infant Konti's delicate eyelids flutter in sleep. Long, pale eyelashes lay across cheekbones thick with baby fat. He tilted his head in a very canine way. These would be the youngest children he had ever been in the company of. Her oldest would be more what he was accustomed to. He looked forward to meeting this Tasi. "This baby will be strong. She will make it. You need to run and clear your head. Then you will feel better," he assured Kavala confidently. Even with this human nose he could smell the healthiness of the air. Sickness and death were thick odors. It clogged the nose and gagged the throat. The other Kelvics would be as aware of something so strong just as he would, most definitely in their animal bodies. If anything were ever amiss, they--just as an beast--would smell it in the air and feel it in their bones. It was harder in this body, but the instinct was there no matter what. He was dog and man regardless of whether he was on two of four legs. Each had benefits and downfalls. Copper rose with her and waited while she left the children with the others. There was another woman with flaming read hair who's name he learned was Chalce. She was something called Inartan, but she looked completely human to him despite smelling like birds. It was just another question for later. He followed the Konti closely as she led him once more above ground. Tension he wasn't aware of released down his rigid back and through his shoulders. The Kelvic let out a breath of relief. They passed through construction and he made note of buildings he'd seen earlier. Even after a tour he would take some time to move through his place and familiarize himself with it again on all fours. The smells would be different, stronger, and he was already feeling an urge to mark a few spots of his own to ward off intruders. One by one or in pairs and trios they were joined by massive dogs. They regarded him intensely with fierce eyes, and he bristled instinctively under their scrutiny. They would dwarf him when he shifted, he realized. Copper was used to dogs his own size, and of the same breed. He wondered how the personalities differed. The youngsters of the pack greeted him more openly, for which he wasn't surprised. Wet noses and warm tongues touched his hands, legs, and heads snuffled around his feet. He smelled of man and dog, and their curiosity was intense. Copper touched a few gently--small greetings--but he made no moves that befitted anything but a stranger. There was near silence as all of this transpired aside from some panting pups and the thumping of tails or snuffing of nostrils. The packs he ran with bayed with excitement and barked to startle prey from the grass. These watchers made barely a sound. The Kelvic followed Kavala and her pack back down below ground--much to his dismay--but it was for only a brief moment. "Your breeding is clever. For my clan, they bred speed into their packs. The colors were always there. If one did not have the right pelt, it could mean death out there. We were camouflaged in the Sea as we moved down close to the ground in the waving grass. But these are new to me. Prey sees more than one creature when there is only one dog? I would enjoy seeing them hunt one day, and test myself against them." He smiled that sharp toothed smile, and when they exited onto the beach he paused in wonderment. Copper had never actually been this close to the ocean before. He'd never touched it like he could now if he just ran down the shore and waded in. White waves rolled up onto the sand and were sucked back out by the current, only to be crash back up again in an endless cycle. He smiled, distracted, so when he looked back at Kavala and saw her already mostly undressed, he was slightly startled. The sight of bare skin didn't surprise or bother him in the slightest, merely the fact that she was taking her clothing off for this run. It seemed unusual for those who weren't dual natured. But she soon explained, and while she did, his eyes wandered. It was instinctive, and the strong young male in him appreciated what he saw. As the same time, he suppressed that urge and quickly distracted himself with genuine curiosity. "You change as well, then." It wasn't a question, but more surprised acceptance. He knew this morphing, because of Antea. She had not known the magic herself, but spoke of those who were not Kelvic that could shift like his kind. He was excited to see it, and didn't have to wait more than few moments before Kavala began. Copper wasn't really sure what the think of it as he watched her body slowly stretch, pull, ripple, and reposition itself. For some reason he'd thought perhaps it would be like his change; quick, seamless, and effortless. In his eyes it took a long time, but where once the Konti stood there was now another Imperial Watcher. Despite his uncertainty over how the changing process itself looked, excitement flared inside him. It burned in his belly and as the dogs turned to the water, he shifted as well in a flare of golden light. Copper was moving even before the change overtook him, and where a heartbeat before two legs surged, four landed on the sand and propelled him toward the back of the pack. His long, lean body rippled with the easy stride and he quickly caught up the to larger dogs. A long pink tongue lolled out of the side of his open jaws, and sand sprayed out behind him. He picked Kavala out of the others, loping among her dogs and obviously enjoying it as much as they were. The Kelvic slithered like an eel through the others and pulled up beside her, matching her longer stride with what could only be considered a skip in his step. He stood out starkly among them, with his long russet coat, saddle back markings, and compact Luvanor build. Her short white fur glinted compared to his, which seemed to soak up the remaining daylight and give nothing back. Comparatively she towered over him at the shoulder and then some with head carriage.

[Kavala]

Her blue eyes met Coppers for a moment when he claimed that Ia’del would be strong. She was slowly learning that the Kelvic had a bold manner that was not rude nor aggressive, but bespoke confidence earned in a life lived on the Grass. He might not realize it, but despite his Kelvic nature, he was all Drykas. He moved like one of her people, spoke with the confidence of one, and had the insight that her people tended to possess. In him she sensed a kindred spirit for while her race was Konti her heart was Drykas. It was probably no less for him.

She took his compliments on her breeding program as high praise and smiled her thanks when he made them. Hunting was a priority, for there were always mouths to feed in the facility and not everyone was a vegetarian. The grazers were lucky, but those that ate a wider variety needed fresh meat often and it was her responsibility to see everyone fed. An experienced Drykas hunter, even if he came in the form of a dog Kelvic, would be invaluable.

He took the morphing well too. She was momentarily envious of his ease of shifting when he joined the dogs as one of them. Her own shifting would get better as she gained experience and someday might be seamless, but until then everyone had to put up with a painful unpleasant looking experience before they could all run together. And run together they did. When Kavala took her Imperial Watcher form she set off with the other dogs. They ran for joy. There was no other explanation for it. Together, some shortening their strides for the younger, some lengthening their strides to keep up with the larger… the dogs set off. They waded through the dry sand with the ease of creatures possessing four legs and hit the wet sand where they could all find their stride.

Kavala stood out among them being solid white with blue eyes. The rest of her pack was black, harlequin, or just lightly patterned with big dark expressive eyes. And while the Watchers were big, it was clear to Copper from the beginning that none of them were designed for speed or to maintain any sort of stamina. The initial sprint to the waves broke up in a sea of sniffing noses combing the sand and several of the younger ones breaking off to bark and chase seagulls in the general direction they were all going. One Watcher even broke off to roll around in what was something obviously dead on the sand.

The Konti turned dog kept to Coppers side and while he couldn’t hear her words for she had none, her body spoke volumes to him. She loved this… this freedom to run. She loved the surf and sand and the pack around her. The Watchers accepted him because she accepted him and before long he had pups nipping at his tail playfully and even Kavala herself tripping him with a gentle shove to try and plant him face first in the frothing surf they ran along.

If one could actually call what the Imperial Watchers were doing running… The Imperial Watchers jogged and loped… going easy and keeping a steady pace. They didn’t move like a military group, but rather like a pack of youngling Drykas with each individual wandering here or there but all of them generally going the same direction.

But it was obvious the white one, the small female, was in a mood to play. She neatly fended off several attacks from some of the younger dogs, until a big dog slammed into her and dumped her head first into the surf. She sputtered, rose, and shook off her white coat yelping with canine laughter and immediately baring her teeth and charging the offender. He neatly pinned her and tossed her back in with her screaming in laughter. Then, before Copper knew what was going on, a pack of the younglings were doing the same to him. And before he could scramble out, Kavala’s jaws where on his neck, dragging him back in. Then, suddenly, the gentle surf was full of wrestling dogs… mock fighting and wrestling and laughing in the joy of living in the moment as only canines could do.

The water wasn’t cold. It was bathwater warm and inviting, the salt doing something to his coat. Other dogs would pull him back in if he tried to exit the water, and sometimes the teeth belonged to a white muzzle that framed blue eyes. And as they played and wrestled, he got to know them. Kavala was more than willing to loose herself to the pack and he soon found that while she was very weak, she was athletic and knew how to control her body in whatever form. She also smelled, despite the water, of herself and her children but no one else.

There was a big female who was also dominant. She had equal measures white and black and fought with the best of them. The younger dogs smelled of her a little as if they might be her offspring. Later Kavala would introduce her as Ivai. He could tell she was bred by her smell and suspected it was by a large solid black that he’d later learn was named Ink. Ink was respectful, but a lot of the dogs looked like him and more importantly looked too him.

There was another Watcher, Indigo, which was prone to being silly. She was the one that made silly faces amongst the pups and carried herself with an utter lack of composure. She was ungainly but made up for it by the pranks he could obviously see her trying to play. Any of the squabbles, she was by and large involved in if not initiating. Another solid black, this time female, carried herself with quiet dignity despite her size. She eyed Copper with interest and more than once nuzzled him when she got close. He could tell by her scent she’d be coming into season soon. But despite the female’s interest, Ink the big male, laid claim on her with his eyes making no bones about it to Copper who would cover the bitch when she was ready. These were his girls.

Intense was yet another adult dog. She was slim, lithe and serious where Indigo was silly. She had a quiet acceptance for Copper that had nothing to do with her state of reproductive health. Like the other females, Copper could tell she was already bred. More than once Intense waded in and helped Copper shed a mini pack of pups that dog piled on him in a mock attempt to drown him. She worked well with Kavala, who was also sly about her attacks. Kavala went down more than once to Inks devices while Intense helped her out. And the two females slyly attacked Ink bringing him down momentarily for a victory.

The play in the surf continued until they were all wet, tired, and tongues were rolling. Copper could tell spirits were recharged, and somewhere along the way because he’d joined in the play the dogs in the group had accepted him even though he was a different breed and built for different activities. There wasn’t a dog among them that was faster than he was… he knew that instinctively. And though Kavala had dogs a plenty, it was obvious that his skillset was unique and he had a lot he could both offer and teach the pack… the canine pack and the sentient pack at the facility.

So when they were done with their play, they all waded out of the water and started shaking loose the surf, salt, and sand. Tongues licked and tails wagged, and there was a companionary silence that seemed to fill the air without being crowded. Kavala, suddenly standing next to him, tipped her nose up into the sky and howled. The puppies joined in directly after her, while the adult Imperial Watchers slowly caught sound of the song and joined in. They were not wolves, but they didn’t try to be. They were a pack though, and reinforced this idea through the music they themselves made together there on the beach.

Count: 1,382

[Copper]

It was exciting to him, observing this pack and watching them when they were most at ease. Dogs at play showed their true natures. More so he watched Kavala in this new form of hers. It amazed him to see this magic so close. She wasn't Kelvic but had somehow developed an ability to take this animal body. It fascinated and excited him. So many things were different when one walked on four legs, compared to two. He could see the joy in her striking eyes, and it infectiously filled him with renewed energy. Soon the pups mustered the courage to test him. He felt teeth on his sensitive tail, and an ear swiveled around. The chastising yet playful bark that built in his throat died before it ever came to be as suddenly his legs caught on something, tangled, and he toppled into the wet sand. It was soft and soupy, and the warm water washed over his nose and filled his mouth. The taste was horrible. Copper scrambled quickly to his feet and coughed it out, looking automatically to Kavala with an expression of confusion and bewilderment. Wet sand clung to the thick mantle of fur on his chest and dripped off along his belly. The look of suppressed mischief in her eyes surprised him, then excited him. He growled at her--a playful and nonthreatening sound--but before he could exact repayment the pups were on him again, among other dogs. The drug him into the water, barking and biting, and milling with their wagging tails. His efforts to fend them off and flee back to dry sand were valiant, but again Kavala joined her pack and helped them drag him back, sodden and flailing. The sea water felt so different than the lakes and streams he'd swam in. The water was warm and heavy, with poorly tasting salt that disgusted his tongue but felt unique in his fur. He face went under a few times, but he came up each time with his mouth open and teeth flashing to give a gentle nip or yank of an ear. More than once he landed a few successful bites on Kavala. They were careful and well placed, almost flirtatious. As they all romped and played, he observed and learned. The alphas were the first to be picked out. It was top priority to learn which they were and how they moved. Both Ink and Ivai he later learned were their name. A few others stood out to him, and their names also came later. He was surprised how very similar this pack was to the one he ran with in Endrykas, and yet they were very different. He felt more affection here. He felt it in the bites and tackles, in the looks, and in their body language. In Endrykas it was efficiency or death. There was play, but many of the dogs grew tired of it as they aged, and left that to the pups. Even he had not played much this past year. He never realized how much he would miss it until now. Copper felt lighter than he had in a long time. There was one bitch that began to show some interest in him, and he smelled the season on her. It deterred him though, instinctively. Ink quickly asserted his dominance there, and Copper was a little grateful. It had always been that way for him. A female about to or already in heat would occasionally come to him, but he had no desire there, even on four legs. Always it had been the women on two legs that attracted him. He'd asked Antea once in his younger years--confused and frustrated--why this was, but she'd merely told him that was how it worked. And so he bristled when the bitch looked at him with that familiar expression, quickly rejecting her interest. But it seemed there was no heartbreak there. Their alpha would claim her, as was his right, and the moment was quickly gone--forgotten by her, but it would only increase his longing. Luckily the pack gave him no time to brood of his bachelor status. One of Ink's bred bitches came in and helped free Copper from his puppy attackers, and the Kelvic quickly pounced on a youngster, jaws open, and wrestled it into the sand. Even the pups were big, but he was strong and quick. The Kelvic could strike like a snake and be gone before one of them knew what had happened. Soon each of them grew tired, even Copper. His energy would be sapped quickly until he was fully healed. His tongue lolled as he drug himself from the water, moving among the other dogs far more comfortably than he had when they first began. The Kelvic could sense the shift--the acceptance, and it pleased him greatly. He'd been afraid that perhaps it would be harder because he was not like them, but he'd been wrong. He tried, unsuccessfully, to shake a lot of the wet sand from his fur, but it was thick and long, and he would have to bathe later to free it from his body. He automatically found Kavala as they moved out of the water, gravitating toward her and wagging his tail soaked a few times in a slow, almost sleepy way. When she broke the silence with song, his long ears perked and he sat in interested surprise. It was the youngest that joined her first, then the elders. He watched them for a moment, feeling a growing sense of comfort and happiness. He was glad now that he left the tents of Endrykas. Glad almost that he'd been attacked out in the Sea, and even more that Kavala and the people of this Sanctuary had found him. Yet there was that loneliness of the unbonded, and even now among this new pack of his, surrounded by the others and Kavala, he felt the pang. When his nose tipped back and he finally sang with them, there was a mixture of those emotions, but most obvious was his happiness.

[Kavala]

There was no doubt about it. Copper was good company. He worked himself into the ranks of the pack Kavala was with and ended up in the pecking order somewhere above all the pups and juveniles and somewhere below the alphas. It was about the same place she fit into when she had started taking their form and joined them running. Kavala was impressed that he gave as good as he got, but again she was worried that his strength flailed so quickly. His injuries had been severe, but even all healed it took time to gain strength back.

His lack of strength was something she was intimately familiar with. It was no different than her own form. She was tired, far too tired, and needed to draw energy back into herself as well. But trips like this weren’t for the body – not entirely – but instead were designed to feed the soul. As the dogs finished their song and turned back towards the fortress perched on the cliff, they were worn but in a good way and bonded together as only a pack could be. Kavala trotted alongside Copper, reaching out occasionally to nuzzle at his scruff or nip at his ear. The pups did no less, frolicking around them, their strength hardly even waned. The adults, however, seemed more settled, ready to work. Some would go back to the kennels and tend newborn pups. Some would go out with the herds to watch for predators. Others would roam The Sanctuary in a state of being off duty for the rest of the day. Kavala was like that. No dog worked day in and day out. Most worked every other day with a day off in between. If dogs were down due to heavy pregnancy or nursing brand new young, then sometimes the days off came every two to three days. But by and large she worked everyone fairly and in the mean time everyone got to relax and be dogs.

They passed through the double doors to The Within’s Sea Cavern, and instead of immediately starting up the tunnel, most of the dogs headed for the fresh water pool and waterfall that bisected the cavern. They milled about there expectantly, as if they knew the routine better than most.

Kavala herself paused at the gates and resumed her normal form, taking a few chimes to switch the shapes. Naked, it was clear she was gaunt for her clavicles, hips and spine protruded as she turned her back to bend and retrieve her clothing. The only thing on her that had any round softness were her breasts, and that could be attributed to the fact she was nursing. It was not an attractive look. It was a hard thing to take in because it bespoke suffering and weakness. Once, she might have been beautiful, but now she just simply looked like a survivor. Even with a regular good diet and exercise, it took a while to build muscle and tone back up when a body had been dragged down. Kavala was a living testimony to that.

The Konti did not put her clothing on, however. She had nothing to hide from Copper nor was she ashamed of living through what was the hardest thing of her life to survive. She’d brought two children to term together and birthed them safely. It was a thing to be proud of. And she knew her body would recover. So instead of dressing, she carried her clothing to a pile of towels where she laid them out next to the waterfall and retrieved a caddy of what looked like soaps and brushes. She slowly and carefully waded out into the chilled pool and called the first dog in.

Ink waded into the water and Kavala got busy bathing the sea salt off of him and getting his coat clean from the ocean’s harsh waters. She knelt in the pool beside him, unconcerned that the water turned soapy for the waterfall fell into the bedrock of the cave which soon carried the soap out the cavern and dispersed it out onto the sand. It was clear that within moments, the plunge pool turned dog bath would clear and be fresh and drinkable as soon as the bathing stopped.

“Two hands would make this go faster. Do you want to help?” She asked Copper, wondering how he’d like to work with the dogs more as well. Kavala hoped he’d shift back to his human form so she could continue her conversation with him, but if he chose to remain a dog, she’d not let that phase her much. “They are big dogs, but they have huge hearts to match as well. They hunt, but the skill does not come naturally to them. They have been smart enough to learn, but we’ve had to work on modifying what hunting is to them because of their size and lack of stealth. They were bred for protection so they could use some lessons in hunting and some new strategy.” She said, finishing with Ink, and moving on to one of the pups that waded out in a pair.

She soaped up both dogs and began washing them at the same time, careful to get them good and clean of salt. “I can tell you’d be good with them, Copper. Would you consider being in charge of the kennels and teaching some of the younger dogs hunting – at least the ones we don’t sell for protective guard dogs?” Kavala asked, not sure how he would react to the proposition. “It would be more coin in your pocket, and you’d have a team to work with even if it wasn’t a human team.” Kavala said, liking the idea more and more as it formed in her mind. Even though she was bathing the dogs, she kept glancing over and looking at Copper, judging his reaction, and hopeful that whatever form he took she could tell if her ideas were something he’d enjoy or not.

When she’d finished with the last of the dogs, she stepped into the waterfall herself and didn’t hesitate to take the soap to her own body, scrubbing off the sand and salt. If Copper wanted to join her in either form, she’d definitely give him the same treatment she gave the rest of the canines and carefully scrub him free of salt as well.

Count: 1,067

[Copper]

Copper's tongue wagged lazily and he panted all the way back to the doors of the cavern, worn and ready to lay down on cool ground. His thick coat clung to his body with sea water and was caked with sand, making him feel heavy and itchy. He shook violently more than once along the beach, spraying Kavala and the dogs nearest with dog water and dirt. If it could be considered such, she might have taken the look he gave her a smile, and payback for her chewing. For good measure, he gave the ear closest to him a good tug, then a warm lick. Even her snowy coat was streaked with sand and muck. Most of them looked more like him now, if even in color. Their striking white and patchwork bodies were almost calico. As they all entered the cave he started to go back the way they come, toward the ramp that lead back above ground, but when he realized none were coming with him, he stopped. Copper circled back around to the doors as Kavala finished making her arduous shift back to two legs, then padded along behind her to the pool where the other dogs milled. He sat and watched as they entered the water with her, and panted quietly. Still she did not dress, but this didn't bother him. He was quickly beginning to realize that she didn't think much like others did. She wasn't ashamed of her body like many seemed to be. As she bathed Ink, he watched her body move. Copper's first instinct was to go and hunt for her. She needed meat for her bones. Many of them showed, but still she'd rescued him and the Drykas from the grassland. Still she'd ran on the beach with her pack, led him down here, and fed him. Now, as she washed the beach off of Ink, she showed signs of stopping. The Kelvic's panting stopped as he watched her bend, and each little bone down her spine was visible. When she called to him, he didn't hesitant. Like on the beach Copper shifted while he moved. In a swirl of light he stood tall again and stepped into the murky water across from her. "I think that the instinct they have is already a good foundation for a hunt. Perhaps they just need someone who can work on their level to show them? In Endrykas my pack and our people hunted together, but no matter how well we worked together, dogs and humans do it differently. I think any dog can do it if they have the right pack, except the small ones that look like lap rats. Some of our good hunters were mutts. Strays that came with traders-following behind to eat scraps--and stayed. The clan put them to work when they could be caught and tamed, and they learned. It took practice, but they did learn. Their size will be hard, maybe, but they are strong and have good numbers. No one hound ever made or broke a hunt. It took all of us to take down the big prey." He smiled at her, and coaxed a third dog into the pool--a young female--and gingerly began to clean her. He'd never actually given another dog a bath, and if he had to be honest it was a strange experience. Copper's brows furrowed oddly as he wiped and washer the muck from her patchwork coat. His eyes flickered up at her praise and he smiled again, but he grew quiet at request. It wasn't a bad silence, and his face was ponderous. He finished the pup before he answered. She trudged out of the water with her tail wagging, splashing him as she went--not that he could get any wetter. His russet curls hung dirty and soaked in his face, sticking to his cheeks and the tops of his dark shoulders. "I will try," he answered honestly. The Kelvic had never taught any that weren't Luvanors or very close to it. These dogs were huge, but he meant it when he'd said he thought they could do it. "I will do my best and teach them what I know. I think that especially if started young they will be very capable hunters." Once more he lapsed into silence as another dog came in for a bath. His expression was thoughtful and intense as he washed the sand off of a mostly white male pup. The Kelvic would have to see them out there for himself before he could really know how this would go. It could be easier than he thought, or far harder. Soon the dogs were finished, and only they were left in the water. The watchers paced and shook their short coats outside of the pool, ears and jowls flopping loudly. Kavala stood next and began to clean herself in the falling water. Copper watched the dirt disappear and reveal pale, smooth skin underneath. He could imagine how she looked healthy and whole, and if she caught him staring, he didn't realize. Her breasts were heavy with milk, but the rest of her was so thin. He wondered if she was pain, but before he could ask she motioned him over. Again Copper didn't hesitate. He rose and stepped through the water to join her. When her dexterous fingers began cleaning the dirt from his hair, he closed his eyes and rumbled deep in his chest. As she worked, he talked. "Are you in pain right now, like this? You are very thin. Almost dangerously. But you still run and work. That is admirable, but not very smart. Should you be resting?" When his curls were clean he blinked the clean water from his eyes are looked at her. He was a bold he knew, but he also knew that sometimes people needed that. Too many others--normally those who were single natured--tried to dance with their words instead of saying what needed to be spoken, or asking what was on their mind. Dogs had it figured out. If a pack member needed it, they were quick to bite and put them in their place. On the other hand, they were quick to comfort.

[Kavala]

“Thank you for your help.” She said again, wading out of the water and smiling at the silliness of the dogs as they rambled around half wrestling half yawning. They would all soon be asleep, most of them by the fire in the main commons of The Within if Kavala let them all stay together. It was summer though, so there was less of a concern about them drying off before they went back outside than there would be in the winter when she wouldn’t let a single one of them play in the surf let alone get baths then head back to the kennels.

“No, Copper. I am not in pain.” Kavala said softly, her eyes wistful for a moment as if his question broke up her train of thought. She glanced down at her body, scowled, and nodded. “I know how it looks. I was a lot worse when the babies were born. I’m much better now and getting better every day. I just want to build muscle back up in a fit way, not pack on flab that is next to useless to me. Good food and trips like this will do wonders. And I’ve been strong enough to start training again… nothing fancy, but every bit helps. Riding is equally good. I just have to take in more food than my body burns, and right now that is hard. When I got pregnant, my body would reject foods from the land. Meat was hard to consume. I simply only had seafood – seaweed, fish, shellfish – to eat. Everything else I threw up. It was the babies needs my body was seeing too, not so much my own. But now that they are on their own, I’m free to eat whatever I want and I am rather enjoying it… doing some cooking and broadening my horizons.” The Konti said, a smile softening her gaunt features.

She would be better, for certain, and soon.

After Kavala smiled she walked over to a small wardrobe that was sitting by the freshwater waterfall. She opened it, took out a robe and handed it to Copper. Then she herself donned another, using a towel in the wardrobe to wrap her hair in. She handed Copper a second towel if he wanted one. Then, when everyone was ready, they all started up the ramp towards The Commons together. The trip was slow. The dogs were disorganized, roaming everywhere, and Kavala was tired. They took their time up the ramp, which while not steep did have a steady climb to it. It was definitely one of the ways the Konti could use to get into shape if she needed too. Running The Within tunnel ramp did wonders for stamina and could be done in all sorts of weather conditions. It wasn’t a dark dank trip either. Someone had lovingly inlaid the walls with sea creature scenes in different rocks placed together like mosaics. So the deeper one traveled down the ramp the more bottom of the sea type themes were displayed. Sunken ships, sharks slowly patrolling reefs, even tiny dark fish with glow lights on them were outlined in mosaic. Higher up dolphins played on the walls until finally almost to the outside, ships floated on the water, fished, and seabirds wheeled in the sky. The Sanctuary had been lovingly designed, and all of its details seen too.

Copper would learn very quickly that Kavala wasn’t a person to rest. She was active, constantly on the go, and the moment they hit The Commons, she checked on the children and took the time to feed the youngest again. While she did that, the dogs scattered… some heading towards the fire to nap – mostly the pups – while the older ones headed on up the ramp to the surface, presumably to do the things dogs did… patrol, guard, even laze. Kavala picked up an apple from the table as she walked around with her darkest babe, and began munching on it. The Konti infant was still asleep though Cadra, Kavala’s niece, hadn’t been far. The fresh smell of bread wafted from the kitchen area along with the smell of baked apple pie. The Kelvic cat rarely stopped cooking, for all that Kavala claimed she was going to brush up on her own skills.

“Today I think I’m going to lay out the groundwork for some buildings I have planned to complete in Summer. Would you be interested in helping, Copper?” Kavala said, gently rocking Ralac as she paced around… finishing her apple and then laying the baby boy down in his crib next to his sister. The Akontak was already yawning and blinking, so setting the crib in motion with a gentle rock seemed to cement his desire to join his sister in Nysel’s realm. Kavala glanced up at Cadra, who nodded her consent to keep an eye on the infants. If one or both were awake, the Konti would have happily slipped one or both into a cradle that was tucked under the crib and taken them to work upstairs with her.

“I want to pace out some building lengths, run some stakes into the ground, and do some layout for the buildings we need. Here, let me show you…” Kavala said, turning and heading out of the Commons and down the hall to the library. She returned shortly, a roll of blueprints under her arm. She unrolled the drawings on the big dining room table and showed Copper.

“See? We have the clinic and the patient rooms and guest quarters where your friends are resting all built. But this section here? The animal healing school, kitchens and mess hall, the library, and dorms? All those buildings needs to be laid out. I’m going to have a construction crew come in and frame up the buildings. We have the pool finished as well as some of the gardens. But if we are going to take students in starting in the fall, we need to get a place for them to live and learn all ready to go. That means the school needs to actually be built. It’s the last big structure we have left. The rest of the structures.. the Meeting Hall, the Cattery.. can wait. The green house we are almost done with. “ Kavala said, looking thoughtful and tapping the drawings.

“There will be students here… finally. Young people that want to learn how to help Kelvics and animals who will hopefully scatter throughout the known world so we can have a lasting legacy on Mizahar.” Kavala said, smiling at Copper. She ran her hands over the drawings, which already looked well worn, and suddenly said…

“It would involve you driving some stakes where I tell you and helping me pace out lengths and dimensions. I just really need to borrow you muscle. Is it something you’d be interested in helping with?” Kavala asked, looking thoughtfully at the Kelvic. She didn’t want to bore him or put too much on him his first few days here. But she really hoped he’d understand that there was something bigger going on here, something that the meant more than just a cut healed here or a bruise soothed there. And she hoped he’d stay around, and somehow want to add on a little to her dream, perhaps even assist her in it. She was building the place for him, in a way, for all the Kelvics in the world that were so overlooked and often mistreated. It was a legacy for her children, but also for any he chose to have as well.

Plus, with them pacing out building layouts and making string and stake markers, then she could ask him more about himself and what he wanted out of life.


Count: 1,297

[Copper]

"Do not think I meant you look poorly," he warned, shaking his head. He noticed the way she frowned down at her body. "You are thin, this is obvious, and your bones show. But I feel the energy and vitality rolling off of you in waves. It's like the ocean. Everyone is different. Antea said some mothers are bound to their beds for weeks after a birth. You show no signs of slowing even when now I am tired. Are you like this from the moment you wake to when you drop to sleep?" Copper smiled kindly. Technically he did just wake from a drug coma, so he was bound to be worn out. When Kavala handed him the robe he donned and tied it loosely, then draped the towel over his shoulders. His hair would air dry and he would scrape the tangles out later. He and the dogs followed along back the way they had come, toward the smell of food and the babies. He was feeling better now about the earth being over his head, comparatively. It helped that the Sanctuary was so beautiful and felt like a home. There was still an itch at the back of his mind--a voice whispering about earthquakes, tumbling stone, and crushed bones. The Kelvic ground his teeth and kept walking. "You say you could only eat food from the sea? Why would the babies reject land meat? Even fruits? Foraged greens?" That was new to him. He might have learned a few things by word of mouth from Antea and the others of his pavilion, but pregnancy and what it entailed wasn't something someone usually taught the family Kelvic. Especially when he'd never really asked. "Is every mother like that?" For a moment he was glad that he wasn't female. So far as he knew, he didn't have to worry about anything like this. Childbirth was starting to sound like it came with a lot of troubling issues. Copper looked again at Kavala--the way she walked and how her thin hips swayed under her robe. The Kelvic wondered where the father was. As they turned into the Commons, the smell of bread and pie attacked his nose. His mouth filled with saliva, but his stomach clenched in protest. If he ate any more today, he'd be sick. The stew had been just right after that long healing sleep. Instead he waited while Kavala checked her youngsters. The dogs had dispersed and wandered off to go about their own business. He was on the same page as the nappers. It would be the perfect time to go stretch out in dirt. The baby boy's yawn was infectious and elicited one from the Kelvic--a great quiet sigh all tooth and tongue and watering eyes. He smiled apologetically at Kavala and raked the drying curls away from his face. "I will try everything once. Whatever you need me to do, I will do it my best I promise you." That seemed to please her. She left and returned with some plans, and when she rolled them out on the table he moved over to her side. It was a carefully drawn layout of the Sanctuary, and he nodded as she pointed out the buildings while she explained her idea. "These can be done by fall?" Copper had never built a permanent structure before. The tents of Endrykas were mobile, which she very well knew. Every season the entire city was taken down and moved. He helped with everyone he could, including erecting pavilions, unloading wagons, and anything else they threw at him. This thought would be an entirely new game. The Kelvic scratched his stubbly cheek thoughtfully. "I know how to do what you ask. Driving the stakes and setting up a border--that I have done. Building will be different." He wanted to be completely honest with her. He would try, but he couldn't promise amazing results. Copper had a hunch though she'd appreciate the effort alone, and he was sure there would be more qualified employees to pick up his slack. Or worst case scenario, his disastrous product. He laughed to himself and grinned. The Sanctuary was going to be a lot like Endrykas. Always something to do. There were many comforting similarities. He just hoped he made a fast recovery, and that brought him to his final question. "This is to be a place to teach healers, but not just human healers? Healers for my kind, and for animals you say?" He'd never even heard of someone who could say they specialized in doctoring Kelvics, let alone met one until Kavala. And while he'd already learned more today than he had in the past few seasons alone, he guessed it was an uncommon concentration. Copper knew that his kind were sometimes considered pets, often slaves, and rarely equals. More than a few Drykas had looked at him like they would a common dog--not a man. And while he was both, it made his hackles bristle. He was proud, and he was just as much a Drykas at heart as any of them, even without the Windmarks or a Strider. Kavala herself was related to Kelvics, and he knew from the second she'd touched him that she thought the way he wished everyone would. When Copper realized he'd been silently staring at the plans, lost in thought, he smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry," he hurried on, then answered her simply. "Yes. If you'll have me that long, I will stay and help you build this school. I've never heard of such a thing, but never have I also heard such a beautiful idea. I wish everyone was as compassionate and understanding to us as you are." He wanted to stay now not just because he wanted to repay her--even if she didn't want him thinking like that--but because he was really beginning to like the place. The Kelvic could see himself making a home here, like he'd had in Endrykas. He had no doubts that he was supposed to be here. If not here, he would have been destined for death out in the grassland, and clearly Dira had let him go. Copper was grateful and looking forward to this new start in a new place.

[Kavala]

Kavala hadn’t thought Copper was saying she looked poorly. Kavala was well aware of how she looked and the healer knew it wasn’t the best. She’d gone from being strong and healthy to a thing that had wasted away until almost nothing was left. She understood that. But he was right. She wouldn’t let things get her down.

“I don’t know if any other Konti’s experience that sensation of not being able to eat foods from the land, but I know I’ve had two pregnancies now and both were relatively the same. I couldn’t eat anything grown above water. No fruits, no milk, bread or cheese... I survived on seaweed and fish, clams and crabs, that sort of thing. I think that’s why my weight dropped so badly.” Kavala admitted.

“The other thing was I went to the sea almost in a mindless instinct to survive when it was time to give birth. I didn’t think, didn’t take help with me, nothing… I just woke up in the middle of the night and found myself heading to the sea. My birth pains had already started, yet I had no awareness of anything but the need to get back to the sea.” Kavala admitted her smile a bit chagrinned in the effort to dismiss her own foolishness. It had been a stupid thing to do, for certain, but one she was fairly sure she couldn’t have avoided because of how strong the instinctual pull was. “I wasn’t raised among the Konti so I wasn’t aware of that either. If I had been perhaps I could answer your question. Is it funny, I wonder, that I know more about Kelvic physiology than I do about a Konti’s culture and habits?" She said with a kind smile.

By then they had moved to The Commons and Kavala had gotten out the diagrams for the building projects. Copper seemed to have no problems reading them or translating them to conceptual buildings on the outside. Some humans and Konti couldn’t do that. She reached out and stroked his head in pleasure that such things were no obstacle for him. It was then she felt his wet hair and how tangled it was. It would be even worse as it dried.

“Yes they can be done by fall. We use a combination of magic and building. I have contractors frame up the buildings, and then I finish them with stone so that they will stand a long time and am secure against the weather and in storms or heavy snow. The stone also stays cool in the summer and retains the heat of fires in the winter. I know being from Endrykas it was a difficult switch to give up tents in favor of stone… but after I’ve lived here so long, I think I actually prefer stone. We sheltered right here during the spring djed storm of 512. No one got hurt because we had enough warning from Konti Seers that sent word to Riverfall that a mighty storm was coming. The stone kept us safe. I lost the rest of the Denusk Pavilion in that storm… so all of my family.” Kavala said, looking thoughtfully at the map then up at Copper.

Copper had more questions… and as he asked them she left her drawings and diagrams and moved around the table to press him into a chair. “Sit… yes it will be for animal and Kelvic healers, not for human ones. We will teach some regular medicine here, but they will be things that are universally true across all species… such as how to stitch up a wound or how to prevent an injury from swelling. But we will mainly focus on Kelvics and animals. Everything we do will be focused around them. Kelvcis get treatment here for free already. Did you know that?” Kavala asked, suddenly reaching out to touch his hair. She was standing behind him now and had drawn something from one of her robes pocket.

It was an ivory comb. She reached around him so he could get a good look and a good sniff at it if he so desired, then she began carefully and gently running the comb through his tangled hair. Copper could tell she was used to working with delicate scalps, most likely that of her toddler, because she had a way of pressing on the hair above where she combed with her free hand to keep the hair from feeling like it was being pulled. She started with small sections, working from the bottom to the top, freeing one tangle from the next and working any knotted hair out of snarls. Copper’s hair seemed to be naturally curly for whenever she tried to pull it out straight, as soon as the snarl was out the curl would pop back into shape.

Kavala softly laughed.

Then she dove right back and in and started combing out more of his hair, gently stroking the long locks with her comb and even finger combing some of the less tangled stuff with her free hand. When she was done, she stepped back, smiled at Copper, and then began to comb her own hair with the same comb, pulling the long white strands free of their slightly tangled mess themselves.

Then she braided the now straight translucent locks and stretched a moment, slipping the comb back into her pocket. “We put your things in a room down the hall from mine. I’ll show you if you’d like. Then we can change; get ready to go work on the stakes and lying out of the building.” She said. And with that, Kavala ushered Copper down the hall, into the library, and showed him another hall to the Library and the first room on the right if one took a left and headed down the corridor heading left. She left Cooper to change and she herself let herself into her own to where she could get on fresh clothing and leaves the robe. She was ready in just a moment, then as she had told Copper, Kavala was planning on meeting him in the Courtyard above the Within where the pile of stakes, heavy two pound sledge hammer, and string were already laid out.

Kavala picked up a long long tape measure and grinned at Copper when he showed up. “Ready for this?” She asked a smile on her face and feeling much more comfortable with him and ready to get to work.

Count: 1,076

[Copper]

"It's good that everything turned out alright in any case. I think that even if you don't know the answers and your instincts are a mystery, that isn't such a bad thing. Things have worked out so far. You have three pups that will grow strong. You did well." Copper wasn't sure if he had the right to say something like that. He knew almost nothing about childbirth, and so he couldn't know for sure whether things were good. The Kelvic had to assume so, for the children and mother were alive. Kavala was recovering, and her daughter had made it through the apparent worst of her breathing complications. It seemed like a success to him. As their conversation turned toward business, he forced himself to listen intently and try to file everything away. Architecture was far beyond his grasp, but he understand the boundaries drawn on the Konti's diagram, and what was expected. That part wasn't so different from erecting a pavilion. Again her touch warmed him, and he didn't mind when a finger caught on a wet snarl in his drying curls. She seemed happy--felt happy--to him through the soft touch, though for what he wasn't sure. The canine inside him wagged its tail and just enjoyed the praise. He wasn't sure he agreed with her preference for stone and earth for shelter, but Copper could agree that it was far sterner stuff than a tent. Even one so large as a Drykas pavilion. The fact that this place had withstood that horrible storm two years ago was proof enough of that. He'd been a year old then, barely more than a pup, but he remembered the chaos and loss. The Grassriders had come out mostly unscathed, but for many others that wasn't the case. He squeezed Kavala's hand once when she looked at him, but thought to focus on the positive. "Good news that no one here was harmed. You all must have been lucky. Here underground like this I can't imagine anything harming you. Not even the Zith." Which made him wonder again how they kept this place safe from things other than freak storms and wild weather. He didn't know what had actually caused that catastrophe a few years ago, but the Sea hadn't been the same since. Subtle changes were everywhere, and even large ones. He wondered idly how far that storm had spanned. When she came around and coaxed him into the chair beside him, Copper complied, though he watched the Konti curiously. He listened to Kavala gone on further about the plans for this place and her ideas. The Kelvic liked the thought of having a place dedicated to taking care of his kind. Too many people overlooked the dual natured. It was fortuitous that he'd been brought here of all places. The more he listened to Kavala the more he was convinced it had been for a reason, though he never bothered to care about fate or some higher purpose. It could have been dumb luck for all he knew. She touched his hair again and he relaxed further into the chair instinctively. The comb he wasn't so worried about, but he reached out and brushed the tip of one dark finger across the firm ivory teeth out of curiosity. There was no give like some horsehair brushes he'd seen in Endrykas. "I didn't know it was free, no. It's generous of you to do something like that. I'm glad that I was found by you." Even facing away from her she would be able to tell by his voice that he was sincere and rather serious. "If there's anything you ever need done, ask me. I will try to help." As Kavala began to take the comb through his hair, he lapsed into a relaxed silence. The gentle, rhythmic tugs from the ivy teeth soon had Copper's eyelids drooping. She was very careful--it was only a mother's touch that could feel like this. Antea had been the same. She had brushed his hair before, both when on four legs and two. It reminded him or then. Often times he would fall asleep while she worked on him, carefully taking out the snarls and burrs after a day of hunting or mere wandering. The Kelvic hummed deep in his throat, rumbling in pleasure as the comb and the Konti's fingers massaged his scalp and reversed the state of his hair. His head moved instinctively at times so that as her fingers ran through his hair, she would gently scratch a spot. His eyes closed and his sighed loudly. When Kavala finished his eyes opened again and he turned to look at her. She began to work on her own hair and he returned her smile. A little reluctantly, he stood from the chair and stifled another yawn. "Please," he answered. It was a strange idea, having a room, but he was curious. When she led him out of the Commons, he followed almost eagerly, hovering close behind her as they entered the library. This place was nothing like he'd ever seen before. There were books--real books--on shelves to be read. He'd seen a book before in the market. It was from some place called Saliras, perhaps? Copper didn't think the name was right, but he didn't care. He couldn't read or write, but they had a unique a very pleasant smell that was almost alluring. There was a mystery surrounding books that tantalized him. He would touch one later. Maybe even open it. His fingers itched to do so, but he suppressed the urge. The next thing he knew they were at a room. His room. When he was inside, he stopped for a moment in wonderment. It was far too much to take in. Copper was used to sleeping outside or on the ground near the cookfire in the pavilion. Sometimes he would share sleeping furs with one of the Drykas, but not often. Antea more than the others, but she was gone now. Now he had a bed. That would be an adjustment, but he would worry about it later. His things were at the end of the bed, all accounted for surprisingly. Copper sifted through his pack for a tick until he found his pants and quickly wrestled them on. The shirt he would leave. He found Kavala right where she said she would be. The tools were there, and the stakes. The Kelvic grinned at her as he approached, bare foot in the dirt and wide awake now after the bedroom and library revelations. "Are you?" he jested lightheartedly, feeling a little bolder now. Work always put a skip in his step. He loved getting things done, and knowing he'd toiled and sweated to complete said things. "Where do we start?"