➵The Pupper Games➵ ROLEPLAY (OPEN: FOR PUPPER GAMES PLAYERS ONLY)

Gwyneira kept her eyes forward and shoulders straight. It wouldn't do to look at anyone else now. It'd only inspire doubt, a doubt that would work itself in like a snake, sinking venomous teeth into her. An attack like that couldn't be allowed.

While she didn't want to look, didn't want to meet anyone else's eyes, Hordweard's still found her, piercing through her with an icy gleam. She knew what Weary was thinking, but neither voiced it. Flanking Aisling at either side, they had no time to speak a whimper of their thoughts.

In her teeth was a chain, a chain made by one of the Others. It was used to hold back their cattle, and Aisling promised it would be able to hold back a wolf. It was a bitter taste in her mouth, both the metal and the unspeakable truth that Aisling had to know, from some experience, that it would. 

She wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to Aloisa. She hadn't thought to consider why she was kept in a separate den than any other wolf. She hadn't considered the food and bones she had been brought, or the encouragement to stay in the den.  The encouragement to have pups when they already had so many; with winter right around the corner. 

Aloisa looked pleased to see them, approaching Aisling in an excitable but respectful way. Aisling didn't meet her eyes.

None of them could.

"Aisling! Joss says I am expecting, with three pups due at the beginning of winter."

Aisling nodded, staying silent for a moment. She was considering something. Gwyn could make a feeble guess at what, but it wouldn't change the circumstances. A pup was needed and a pup Aloisa would give. Anything else would be excuses weaker than a starved runt. 

"Aloisa..." Aisling's words died on her tongue

Aloisa tilted her head to the side, the tip of her tail flicking "Is it something important?"

Expectations flickered in her eyes with the playful jump of a candle flame.

"Have you ever heard of the Pupper Games?"

With a bucket of freezing water, Aisling put out the candle of hope. If Gwyn didn't know better, she would say the bucket of ice water hit all of Aloisa. She began to shake, stepping backwards with a stumbling gait. "No.." 

Aisling didn't move but spoke in a wavering voice. "Yes. Our pack is the one selected. Your pup will be the competitor."

"You can't, not- you can't! I'll- I'll..." The words died on Aloisa's tongue, falling like thread-bare leaves.

Aisling turned to Gwyneira, nodding. The part Gwyn was afraid of. Hordweard went forward first, grabbing for Aloisa. She kicked, throwing Hordweard back slightly. Gwyneira lunged forward, pushing her to the ground. The fight left Aloisa's body, migrating south for the coming winter. 

To Gwyneira's surprise, it took two tries to clasp the chain to Aloisa, fewer than she expected. Dropping the chain to the ground, she finally looked to Hordweard, who carried an odd device. She hammered it into one of the chain links, the sound of bells seeming to echo in the cave. Funeral bells, Gwyneira thought bitterly.

Aisling took the moment to approach, nuzzling Aloisa. "It'll be okay. You'll still have the others." 

In a flash, Aloisa had snapped, and crimson ran down Aisling's face in small streams.

"Get away from me. You don't get to say it'll be okay!"

Aisling took a few steps back, turning to Hordweard. "Watch her. She's not thinking right yet."

Aisling walked to the exit, looking briefly at Aloisa, then Gwyneira. "You've got some hunting to do Gwyn. Winter will be here soon."

Gwyneira took the offered escape. She couldn't bare to look at Aloisa, and she couldn't understand why Aisling could. Maybe... Maybe there was something wrong with Aisling. Something worse than a twisted paw or a lost eye. 

She shook her head. It didn't do to think this way. Doubt was venom. But the snake had already bitten her. 

Pack Mother temporarily sent District 7 to another pack to become pregnant. She was going to be sent back once the pups were delivered. Pack Mother was still nervous about this. Winter and pups didn't go well together. She went to explore her territory for a bit to clear hear head from the swarms of thoughts.

"I am honored that I've been chosen." 

The heavily pregnant Scylla stared at her pack leader Beckett, her yellow eyes glowing with an eerie gleam in the dimming evening light. Her eyes were unreadable in terms of emotion, but she stood proudly, her head lifted high. For as long as he had known her, he had never once seen her waver in the face of adversity. In fact, oddly enough, she did not seem to think of this as a misfortune, but an opportunity.

Beckett didn't voice his own doubts, choosing to remain silent on the matter. When he had heard they had been selected to participate in the Pupper Games, he had been mortified. He had put in the work, ensuring that after Oros, the first leader had passed, that the pack turned toward passive and friendly ways. They were well off enough that no belly went unfed and the pups were bright eyed, as well as fat and round; as a pup should be. To know one pup would be sent away to face challenges they should never have to, was a hard knowledge indeed to swallow.

"No pup of mine will be weak. They will triumph." 

Beckett blinked and lifted his head back up as Scylla spoke again, realizing he had gotten lost in thought. She was still staring at him, a slight frown gathering on her face. She thought he was doubting her and her pups.

"Er...no. You are a wonderful mother and your pups will be strong and no challenge will scare them." He tried to reassure her he did not think she was weak. She only nodded in reply, before turning to pad out of the den. At the entrance she paused, and looked back at him.

"You must govern your heart better than that if you're to lead this pack. Dark days are ahead."

Beckett watched her go, his heart heavier than it had ever been. She was right of course. With winter soon to come, his pack had never faced such hardships. It was too late now though to get them ready. They'd either adapt...or succumb. And it would be his choices from here on that decided which would happen. 

"I'm sorry." He whispered into the air, the apology aimed towards the pup that would come into this world knowing only challenges and pain. It was an apology that would never reach the intended ears. An apology that faded into the lonely space, dying out as soon as it had been breathed life. 

District 11.. 

In the rear of their cave, Cass circles, pawing and nudging the herbs & feathers until they are *just* right.  Coal watches anxiously as she starts to lay down, then gets back up again to adjust the foliage.  Nesting was serious business.  There was a lot of pressure on her to ensure a safe birth of her pups - Coal, the scouts, & even herbalist Brighid had been working hard to bring back an exuberant amount of luscious feathers and plants.  The whole pack seems to be on edge - this is a huge honor.  The adols are jealous, all yipping about how they hope one day *their* pup is chosen for the Games.

Once Cass has settled in, mama Delilah starts herding the pack out of the cave, insisting that she needs her rest.  Coal tries to stay behind, but mama nips at his nose.  He might be the alpha, but even he knows not to mess with his mama when she means business.  With a final lick to her mouth, Coal departs, leaving Cass to birth his pups in peace.

Pack Mother rejoiced upon District 7's return with four pups. The male that bred to her told her that one could be kept other than the tribute that would be chosen. It was a hard decision, but everything got figured out. The mother wolf named the tribute Pawber Jack, which she received in a dream. Pawber Jack was the strongest of all the pups and seemed sure of her survival the most without the aid of someone watching her. Would the little pup live to the next day though?

Nothing seemingly eventually happened in the night. Pack Mother didn't sleep well and was anxious to see how Pawber Jack faired. To Pack Mother's surprise the pup was just fine. Maybe last night was just some odd luck. Who knows what tonight would hold, Pack Mother thought as she went to mark their borders again.

District 11..

Coal was second guessing himself.. maybe picking the scrappy runt was the wrong choice.  maybe he wasn't  the one.  It was a long night, and Coal spent it pacing a few feet from Cass & the tribute.  Every time any of the pups mad a noise, Coal rushed over to make sure they were alright.  Surviving without an official pupsitter was hard.. what if Cass was tending to the other pups and Corn slipped out of the cave?  There were so many threats to young pups.. from eagles ro coyotes, to even just wandering too far and being unable to find their way back home.  Dawn came and Pupper of the Corn 🌽 seemed to be doing even better than the day before

(Survival has risen from 39% to 46%.)

District 8 - Puppy Scissorpaws

The annual Pupper Games. Hati hat heard of them but since he was so new to the land he didn't anticipated he would get called to be a tribute. When the organisators said "Tribute 8 will be from the Vargr Pack" he was surprised, however he didn't showed it. His more impulsive brother Skoll was yapping loud out, turning around and shouting out "We have to select one of our Puppys TO DIE? I am NOT ok with this. Hati, we have to do something about this!" Hati growled at his brother, angry that he lost his controll so much. "We talk about this at home!"

When they returned however, there was not much talking. The Pupper Games are not an option, you have no choice. Even tho Hati himself is a rather angry and aggressive wolf, killing ruthless his enemys, the decision which of the puppers will participate was not an easy one. He always protects his own and would give his life to keep his babys safe.

It was his luck that a young female arrived at the den. She was tempted by the looks of Haits Submale and when she got the news that she is pregnant, she decided she doesn't want the puppys and rather kill them then keep them. So the decision was that her litter will be the one where the Tribute is selected from.

The day she gave birth was the first day of winter, so her puppys were already weak. On top was that she gave birth to twins. When Hati saw that his heart jumped for a second since he doesn't wanted to decide which of the twins he wants to sacrifice. It was then when the young female pushed one of the two brown boys in front of him, pointing with her paw towards him and saying "that one, I don't like his looks." Stunned by such a cruelty towards the young boy, Hati decided to take the other twin with him and give him propper protection until he is old enough to survive on his own. He then decided to name the brown boy "Puppy Scissorpaws", after some of the abilitys he has shown.

The first night was stressfull, two young demanding puppers wanted to be fed, to be entertained, to be cleaned. He was glad his puppy loving female Gyge took the small ones under her wing. Hati did made sure to scribe into Gyges Mind that she is not allowed to protect the puppy from any danger or situation the small one could put himself into. The Pupper Games are a Game for the strong ones, the weak ones should be selected out and vanish to make the whole pack stronger.

Patient Zero felt a kinship to the young tribute. Pawlectric Slide was a name to poke fun at it, to make losing a tribute easier. Aisling had pushed them to not think of it as a pup, just an item to be traded. It would make it easier, she said. He couldn't though. He'd spent the past year of their lives watching pups grow, balancing his time to ensure their survival. Each pup had a life and personality, one he couldn't ignore. Pawlectric Slide in particular stood out. Paw's name, like Zero's own, was something to laugh at.

To see this pup, given a name meant to soften the blow of death, it struck him in his heart. Aloisa was a strong wolf, beautiful in her resilience and subtle resistance, and he hoped a son of hers would carry the same traits. A product of hers, he's sure he would have been corrected had he spoken aloud. All he had was thoughts, however.

He knew he had other duties to attend to, squirming pups that needed his watchful gaze, but he still sat, watching. Thinking. Faust seemed strong, and Aloisa watched him with the tenderness she desired to give her other son, but Paw didn't seem to be distressed. As much as Zero wanted to suggest the two take the pups and run, he knew the penalty that would be dealt, and it wasn't a penalty either would be comfortable paying.

"Hey Ze, you okay?" Aloisa's voice was soft, as gentle as fallen snow.

"Me? Oh, perfect! How are you? I mean, with everything going on it can't be easy, but how are you?" Zero swished his tail, trying to force confidence to the forefront.

“No, you’re not. Is it because of him?” Aloisa ran a gentle paw over Pawlectric Slide.

“I- No, just..”

“It’s okay if you aren’t okay. No one owes it to anyone to be okay.”

Zero couldn’t help but smile a little at that. “You’re… nice. Uh, don’t want to intrude, but I did have a question. A-about what you call me.”

“Ze?” She tilted her head to the side, ears flopping

“Yeah, why? To everyone else it’s Zero, why Ze?”

Aloisa opened her mouth as though to speak, but stopped as Faust and Pawletric Slide shifted. As the two finally settled, she continued in a lower voice.

“Because Zero is an insult. Ze’s a nickname. Could be for anything. I’m partial to Zephyr myself.”

“Zephyr? That’s a nice name.” Zero moved in closer, laying down beside Aloisa.

“It could be yours, if you want it.” Aloisa looked at him, a coy smile gracing her face.

“M-maybe. Speaking of names, another question”

“Of course Ze. What would you like to know?”

“I don’t want to ask anything too hurtful, and I know it’s a sensitive time, but I wanted to ask about what you would’ve wanted to name… him.”

Aloisa looked to the side, ears flattening briefly, before turning to face him. “I was thinking Sylvan.”

“Sylvan. That’s a very nice name. It could still be his, y’know, if…”

“If what?”

“If we ran. If we hurried, they wouldn’t be able to catch us. We could escape from what they’re doing to you.” He stood up, looking toward the den entrance. The sun was rising.

Aloisa didn’t speak, only pulling a chain that he hadn’t seen before. The gleam was unpleasant, a shiny prison. “It’s not possible. I don’t think I would have said no, but we’ll have to wait it out.”

He nodded, shifting on his paws.

“I think it’s time to go, Ze. Aisling will probably be stopping by to check on us all soon, and I doubt she would react well to seeing a pupsitter in the den.”

“Oh, okay! I can come back later, if that would be good?”

Aloisa smiled, nodding. “Take care, Zephyr.”

Zero- no, Zephyr wandered out of the den, seeing the sky above brightening with the light of the sun.

“Esyn, bless the pup that your Eye has chosen, and let him come home safely. May Sylvan be strong, worthy of the life you have offered him, and may you allow him to be a vessel of your light.”

Zephyr couldn't linger under the fading moon any longer; Raziel would wake soon, and he couldn't slack off with such an energetic charge. 

Nine long days.  That's how long Pupper of the Corn 🌽 had been participating in the game of all games.. a battle between districts, reminding the wolves that ultimately, they were not in control of their own fate.  In the arena rainforest, Corn found a mossy log that had become his home.. He had drug in some leaves and herbs, burying himself in them each night to camouflage him from the predators and the other pups.  With a sign, Corn crawls inside.  The rain is beating down heavy, the soft noises soothing him.  In the middle of the hollow log, he collapses, reminiscing about his short life.

It wasn't so bad at first.. the pupsitters weren't allowed to guide the tributes and keep them out of trouble but Corn was still allowed to drink all the milk he wanted.. he could play with the other pups, keeping himself in good spirits.. but once weaned, the rules changed.  The tributes then had to fend for themselves.. usually the hunters brought back food for the packs but once the tributes entered the arena? They had to hunt on their own.  A couple of the pups had teamed up in the beginning, successfully pinning down some small game.  Corn had only eaten once since then.. when a large carcass had been set out and most of the pups had has a feast.  That was days.. maybe weeks ago.  The cannons boom every day now, signaling another pup lost.  The ice blue pup starts to drift off to sleep.. wondering if he will ever see his mama, his siblings, or even his Daddy again.

Startled awake, Corn yips softly as something comes crashing down on his head.. a rat!  Both dazed for a moment, neither moves.  Finally Corn smacks his big wolfie paw down on the rat, extending his claws to pin the rat down.  He'd never had a live meal before.  The pup waivers for a few seconds, then hunger takes over.  With one swift chomp, and a couple crunchy bites, Corn swallows the rat whole.  It wasn't much.. but it was enough to ease the hunger pains for tonight.. maybe tomorrow he could find a turtle or something?