forum Dancing Under the Stars (o/o)

Started June 12, 2019 by @Vuclan-is-tired

tune

Thanks! One second!//

nj

Riverpaw nodded, looking down at Tsunami as the young dog watched Charlie. "Yeah, that's fair." She should take those words to heart and stop moping around at home so much herself. A cool wave reached her, and she looked up at the tall girl, tilting her head a little. Oh Stars. "Please don't be upset, Charlie." She said quickly, her eyes showing concern. "I-I noticed when you do that hair thing and then t-the atmosphere gets all…bothered. It feels like you're uncomfortable and- and I don't want you to be…"

Charlies smiled a little bit before shaking her head. "It's fine. I'm not upset. Just thinking." She chuckles softly smiles at River. "I love it here. It's so pretty." She says quietly. "And I'm not uncomfortable, in fact I think this is the most comfortable I've been in ages."

"O-oh, okay. Good." Riverpaw let out a breath as Cookie nuzzled into Charlie's leg, seeking attention. Rhino joined the kitten, sniffing around the tall girl curiously. "H-hey, you wanna know about some of these guys? How they ended up here?" She asked.

Charlie gently pet Cookie, smiling warmly as she does so, glancing at Rhino before nodding to River. "I would love that." She says softly as she runs a hand through her hair, a wide smile on her lips. She was genuinely intrigued by the animals and the girl beside her.

"Okay! Okay, um." She rubbed Tsunami's head. "Tsunami probably has the least upsetting story. Basically, her family was moving to a place that didn't allow dogs or cats, and it wasn't close enough to any family or friends that they could leave her with, so they gave her to the shelter hoping she'd find a good home. That's where my father comes in - I told you Tsuna was a birthday gift from him, right?" She glanced up. "I…was refusing to celebrate after losing Mommy, so Papa got me a pet to help cope."

She listens carefully, drinking in all the information. She smiled as she gazes as Tsunami. "She's very lucky to have you as her owner." She says quietly. She looked very happy as she ran a hand through Cookie's fur. "Please tell me more." Charlie was truly interested in what River had to say.

(Get ready for this nonsense. Sorry in advance for the wall of text when I could've just left it at something shorter.)

Riverpaw went on to happily explain as simply as she could, as to not waste too much of Charlie's time, how each of the animals in the house came into her care.
Rhino was found at the front of the town's shelter in a box with a small litter of kittens. Each kit, weak and unhealthy, perished within a week, leaving the cat a grieving mother before Riverpaw heard what happened and adopted her. Phantom, who had been neglected as a kit but cared for by the people in the shelter, was taken in not only to calm him after his mother was adopted but to fill the hole of the litter Rhino had lost. Dapper was a show cat who ran away from home when his owner hired a rather unkind trainer and started to focus more on his career than his cat. Her father had found Dapper under his car one morning and took him into the office, where they cared for him until he was moved to the house. Brightheart was found at the back of the restaurant Sky worked at; they still don't know where she came from or how she lost her right eye, but they'd been more than happy to take her in. Cookie, a runt who came from a hoarder's house, had dry FIP, and though the shelter people tried to get her adopted so she'd at least be happy, no-one wanted to adopt a cat who had only about a month left to live - Riverpaw changed that when she took Cookie home and did everything to make her last days wonderful. A month and a half went by and the tiny kitten was still alive and healthy, so Riverpaw fully adopted her and, well, now she was excitedly climbing all over the houseguest as if the first months of her life hadn't treated her horribly.
Kilo and Kane came from a different town, having escaped from a pound and traveled miles - Riverpaw had hunted down that facility and pieced things together with the information she was given. They arrived at the town with Noble, whose state was just as bad; Riverpaw still didn't know where Noble himself had come from, but she knew it wasn't the same place as the brothers. She was just glad that, wherever the terriers had found him, they helped him instead of leaving him for dead or…eating him. Pepper was thrown out by a family's mother who was taking her children from the house; the pup had been a present from the husband and was therefore unwanted. That's where the poor girl's cast came from - the injured leg hadn't been treated right away and became infected, but it was now healing up thanks to Riverpaw's father.
Rory and Savy's previous owner, who was already a tad forgetful of a bird's needs, bought a cat who would constantly harass the birds, and the owner hardly did anything to stop it, thinking they were just playing the way animals did. Savy was missing her right leg due to having saved Rory from a particularly vicious attack one day, which was how she got her name changed from Fiona to Savy, and that was the one time the owner paid attention and attempted to help. According to the shelter, a friend of the owner had gotten fed up with his lack of care for the birds and took them away. Charlie came from a bird shop in a neighboring town. He had an issue that caused his feathers to fall out and his skin to rash, and no-one wanted him - he wasn't good enough for the townspeople. Riverpaw and her sister had been visiting a relative and of course, Riverpaw wanted to check out any pet stores, which was how she found Charlie and, feathers or not, she was taking that sweet little cockatoo home. She was still very grateful to her aunt for buying him, and he was shedding less and less these days. Spirit had actually flown into a window in their house during a storm. It didn't take long for his wounded wing to heal but they found that whenever he tried to fly, he'd wobble and crash within seconds. They tried to give it time and attempted to help him fly straight again, but it was no use; a head injury paired with a wing injury was apparently too much for the young hawk, so they went through some legal papers and kept him. He'd glide around the house every so often but was ultimately grounded.
Another neglectful household story was that of Buttercup and Cole. Their owner kept many reptiles, but mostly for display, so he often didn't care for them properly unless they were showing signs of illness or near-death. Cole was quite angry at humans because of it, but he seemed happy nonetheless to be in a better place.
Pastel was bought from a rather strange woman who was attempting to train reptiles. She had separated Pastel from his family, who she still kept in the house, and was only willing to sell one "trained" chameleon. Pastel wasn't necessarily trained, but he was quite clever; Riverpaw found out that he'd been using his tongue to flick the room's light on and off when he wanted attention and/or food.
The "babies", as Riverpaw insisted on calling new members of the house, are a guinea pig named Unknown, who Riverpaw had watched get tossed out of a house, and a sick bunny named Little One, who she found in her back yard. They both stay in her father's vet office for now, but she intends to have them join the family once they are both well and maybe a bit older.

Awwww They're all so cute//

Charlie listened as she played gently with the animals who came her way, petting them, letting them gnaw on her arms, or just cuddling them. She was a soft giant compared to what people rumored about her. She loved animals dearly, so she was very happy at the moment.

(Thank you! ^-^)

Riverpaw added in a few things she thought Charlie might enjoy knowing, like how she was training the animals to behave around each other so they wouldn't have to be locked in their rooms when she was away, how Kilo had a soft spot for Noble, and how Brightheart was named after one of her sister's favorite book characters. She was smiling joyously and even bouncing a little in her spot the whole time, her gaze switching from Charlie to the animals then to Charlie and back again… She was a bit out of breath when she was done but very happy about how the night, which she had expected to suck, had turned out.

She smiled a tiny bit, her eyes watching the animals. She played with them happily as she listened to River explain them. She wanted nothing more then to listen to River all the time. Her eyes got so bright with happiness. Charlie hums to herself before tilting her head. "And what about you?" She asks curiously, lifting her eyebrow. "What's your story?"

Riverpaw's heart jolted suddenly, her excited movements faltering. "M-my…story? You mean, like…h-how I got all the animals? Or uh, when I was little?"

"Either or. I just wanna know about you." She says happily as she played with one of the kittens. She seemed content and relaxed.

Cookie batted and bit playfully at Charlie's hand and arm, while Dapper made himself comfortable in the girl's lap. Kane had settled by her feet with his brother, Rory had found his way from the Bird Bungalow and was excitedly inspecting and nuzzling the visitor. Riverpaw looked around at the animals; her buddies - her family - had only known Charlie for about an hour now and the majority of them already seemed to trust her wholly. She could trust Charlie.
"Well…I- I wanted to be a cop when I was little." She began as she rested her arm on Tsunami's back. "Mommy was a police offer and I thought it was the coolest thing; I wanted to follow in her footsteps and be a 'bringer of justice' and w-whatever. I was really into it…actually, I was lot braver and much less quiet then, always running around the house and jumping all over my sister and my parents. I- I can't do that nowadays." She paused for a second to take a deep breath. "I um, I know a bit of healing magic, which I started learning because my sister fell out of a tree…" She looked down at her lap, where her cockatoo was settled in the dip of her criss-crossed legs. She always avoided telling people about either incidents with her parents because, well, it hurt to think about. But this girl, this girl who she had sat down with at Homecoming and somehow made happy, this girl who had complimented her when she didn't deserve it, this girl who treated her so kindly and had driven her home and held her hand and let herself get dragged around a stranger's house… There was something about Charlie that made her want to tell everything.
"Do you want to know what happened to my parents? It…it'll come up sooner or later, anyway and…I really don't understand why but I feel like I can trust you with it."

Charlie listens and smiles happily as she listens, playing with Cookie and petting Dapper gently. She hummed and sighed softly. She listened with intent and looked happily at her. "You only have to tell me what makes you comfortable." Charlie explains softly as she relaxed into the couch.

Riverpaw nodded. "Okay…" You should tell her. I should tell her. Deep breaths. "Okay. So…I told you about the incident with my mother, and I…said I let those men into our house. It was my fourth birthday, Papa was working late that night but he said he was bringing gifts home, so Mommy, Sky, and I were having fun on our own - I wasn't very picky about my birthdays and was happy just spending time with my family. At some point, I wanted to go outside and draw on the driveway with my chalk and after a few minutes of that, three men came up to me to tell me 'happy birthday'. After I thanked them, because I was a little kid who didn't think anything was wrong with strangers wishing me a happy birthday, I asked how they even knew it was my birthday and one of them said that he was my uncle and that the three of them had been invited to the house. I had no idea I even had an uncle. He even showed 'proof' that he knew Mommy, which I now know was fake pictures that were Photoshopped to make it look like the two of them were happily spending time together." She stopped to look up at Charlie for a second. She then stood and went over to a table; digging through a drawer, she found two newspaper clippings. She went back and sat on the couch, gripping them and still debating if this was really a good idea; one paper was headlined, Police officer shot and killed at home. The other was, Cerberus Gang kidnap man, possible relation to murder of Star Wolfe.

Charlies eyes soften as she listens, her eyes gentle. She listened with upmost respect and a gentle look in her eyes. "That… I'm sorry." She says softly before gently moving the animals so she could hug Riverpaw. Charlie may have been a tall girl who hated most people, only wanted to protect this smaller, gentler and kinder girl. She hugged her tightly, but not enough to hurt her.

Riverpaw let out a quiet gasp, and the newspapers fell to the floor. She sat frozen for a moment before she realized what Charlie was doing, so she soon brought her arms around the bigger girl's shoulders, slowly, and hid her face in the space between her shoulder and neck.

She held her gently, running a hand through her hair in a comforting moment. She smiled gently at the other and her face suddenly turned a deep red. "Sorry. But. I meant what I meant. I'm glad you trusted me with this." She gently picks up the newspaper. "It truly means a lot."

On instinct, Riverpaw relaxed at the hand in her hair, her ears twitching pleasantly. Flushing, she smiled and nuzzled closer to Charlie; it felt odd being so close to someone she'd just met that same night, but it felt quite nice at the same time. She glanced down at the newspapers. "You- you can…read those, if you want." Her voice was almost a whisper.

She liked holding Riverpaw. She was so small in her arms. But it made her feel comfortable, happy. She liked being with the other. She was so sweet and kind, and Charlie wanted to keep her safe. She glances at the newspapers before nodding, her eyes gentle. "Alright." She mutters softly.

Riverpaw hesitantly leaned back; she didn't want to let go but she'd have to so Charlie could read. She pulled her feet up onto the couch and turned her body to the other girl, leaning against the back cushions and taking a deep breath. She hadn't read either of those newspapers in months… The first one was, of course, a rundown of the night on her fourth birthday, and gave a few extra details that she still couldn't mention. The second one was about the day her father, Fang Wolfe, was kidnapped by the very same guys that killed her mother.

Charlie read slowly. She skimmed over the paper, her eyes darkening at the violence and hate. She glances up at her and offered a kind smile once she had finished. "I'm sorry, River." She whispers as she gently takes the other girls hands. "What you had to endure is not fair. But you are the strongest person I have ever met." She whispers as she gently squeezed her hand.

Riverpaw forced a smile, but it only stayed for a moment as she dropped her hands from Charlie's. "Don't…don't say that. I'm really not." She took one of the papers and gazed sadly at it.
September 1, 2003. Star Wolfe, a well-known member of Starlight Town's police force, was shot and killed in her own home. She had been spending the day with her youngest daughter, Riverpaw Wolfe, for the girl's fourth birthday when she, Riverpaw, and her eldest daughter, Skypaw Wolfe, were visited by Raphael Wolfe, the leader of the infamous Cerberus Gang. It had been public for months now that Raphael and Star were on opposing ends of the generations-old Wolfe Family Feud. She glared; she understood why her parents never told them about that, but it still could've gone a long way to preventing the incident. Gabrielle Mourn, an elder mage who lived across from the family, reported to the police Riverpaw speaking with three unfamiliar men.
"As innocent as she [Riverpaw] is, she's a smart girl. I assumed that since she didn't seem to be bothered by these men, and that she hugged one of them, it was fine. I mean, it was her birthday; it made sense that they would have maybe invited someone to visit. But I called the police because I didn't know who these men were and I was worried, despite River's excitement about apparently meeting a new relative, and Star had always told me about the feud and said I should be careful." Mrs. Mourn died to a heart attack about a week after the incident, poor woman. Riverpaw skipped the next few lines about the questioning with her and her sister. There wasn't much to read anyway, just that Sky had been knocked unconscious before Star was shot and couldn't remember much, and Riverpaw herself had refused to speak. To this day, no-one but Sky was aware of the full story - everyone just knew that Star was shot trying to protect her daughters. She looked at the other newspaper.
January 20, 2009. Fang Wolfe, the husband of police officer Star Wolfe, was reported to have been kidnapped in broad daylight by the Cerberus Gang. Raphael Wolfe, the gang's leader, was seen restraining one of the Wolfe's two daughters as she attempted to reach her father. She really had tried to get to him. She shuddered. Raphael had whispered something to her as he dragged her away from the truck her father was being thrown into, and those words haunted her.
Chelsea Miller was taken into custody for the assist of Wolfe's capture after Skypaw Wolfe admitted to giving her the information the gang needed to catch him coming home from work. Police were not able to get to the Wolfe family's home before he was taken. Yet another reason why the two of them had trust issues, and likely why she refused to let her poor big sister date anyone. Sky didn't have the abilities she did, being able to tell if a person's aura was hostile or if they had ill intentions, so it was always best to be safe.
She stood up and went to put the papers back, Tsunami following to brush against her comfortingly.