Puzzles, Day 1 (July 12, Year 1)

This post will be edited as time goes on.  If there are any issues with it, please PM me so we don't clutter the topic.  Thank you.

Current Members...

Ares (DF), Kit, Swift, Zofia

Ages & Due Dates...

• No members under a year old
  

~ No pregnant members

Plots & Setting...

THEN: Although once one of the most successful wild groups in the area, the Puzzles were met by a steady decline... the loss of their dominant pair broke what made them so strong, and disease did the rest.  What remains of the old Puzzles is just pieces of what they used to be... three immigrants and only one natal member.  It's up to them to grow the mob, bringing them back to their formal glory.  

NOW: Aside from a small IGI with the Fiddle Nips, there isn't really a whole lot planned for the Puzzles.  However, there is a bit of a disagreement between Kit, the last of the original Puzzles, and the other four founders.

In the calm morning air, Ares awakens within the small unkempt burrow they've made their home recently. She's become the new leader in the aftermath of the tragedy that almost destroyed the mob. They're not really a mob anymore, however. Just four of them, and no mate to rule by her side. They might as well be a team of rogue nomads. None the less, life goes on, and duty remains. They must survive and find others with which the mob will be reborn, figuratively and literally. Ares gets up and emerges, standing to sun herself. She's strong willed but stressed and beaten down. Her leadership is being tested in a trial by fire. But before she's truly a Dominant Female, she needs a king to rule by her side.

Zofia slowly stirs awake from the movement of Ares leaving. More petite and shy than her long term friend and adoptive sister, she's always been submissive and not much of a leader. Despite this, she's hardened to the harsh conditions and stalwart in the face of their plight. She's survived too much to fail here. In a mob as small as theirs, there is no rest, so she forces herself up and out of the burrow to sun herself near Ares. Zofia sticks to Ares like glue. She saved her life, and has always been her only friend.

Pyramos

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Pyramos had been watching the two ladies ever since they emerged. He layed underneath a broken branch at the edge of the clearing, barely visible. It had taken him all day yesterday and this morning to locate the burrow, but he finally succeeded. Pyramos waited for more members to emerge- particularly males- but he hadnt seen any except for the two that were up now. The sun continued to rise, yet still no one else emerged. With a patient sigh, he shifted in the sand, getting comfortable.

Having drifted in and out of an uncomfortable night’s sleep, Swift bolted her eyes open as her head that was previously resting against Zofia made connection instead with the loose earth of the tiny burrow floor. The current situation of the band of three and a half was far from neither ideal nor practical and usually it was the young male who seemed to somehow claim the best sleeping spot at the back of the largest chamber, leaving the three females to shuffle about in whatever space was left available to them.  It didn’t bother her though; she had become respectful towards the two other females; she liked being around Zofia for her shy personality reminded her of her once beloved brother Prince and bold Ares was instantly someone she felt she could be a great support to. There was no contest out of the three females about who would step up to claim the position of the dominant, there was no way she would have allowed herself to have to accept any old rover for a mate and right now she wasn’t ready to be a mother...that was definitely a job for someone else.

Shaking the last of the fallen dusty debris from her pale pelt, Swift rose up onto her feet and stared back into the darkness at the small body still huddled at the back of the sleeping chamber. She couldn’t help but glare disapprovingly, she knew he was awake but since the natal group that they had both been a member of had spiralled into a decline, Kit was very much keeping himself to himself. She had tried to empathise with his situation and although she cared about how much he must miss the ones he loved, the young male’s solo behaviours would not only hamper any chance that Ares had of becoming a successful dominant but increase the risk that the females could lose their own lives to the harshness of the desert. It just seemed slightly selfish in her book.
Growling lightly under her breath, Swift gave Kit a forceful nudge before sluggishly ascending the shallow slope into the bright sunlight of the Kalahari dawn.  

Cresting the lip with a wide yawn, Swift chirped to Ares and Zofia sunning themselves side by side as she passed clambering up to take her usual sentry position on top of the burrow mound. It would take a while for her pale fur to warm though fully and due to her semi restless sleep she wasn’t quite eagle eyed to expect any visiting early birds. Nibbling at the earth encrusted mark on her left forepaw, Swift had no idea that Pyramos was already busy surveying the group’s movements.

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Hissing moodily as he was forcefully nudged by Swift, Kit recoiled back into his huddled posture. He was more than ready to start the day, he had been awake ages before any of the three females but he would surface under his own terms not theirs. Miserably he placed his head flat against the cool earth and sighed, if he closed his eyes he could imagine being once again standing beside his father, the former dominant male or the sound of cheerful chatter of the other pups his age running through the burrow complex desperate to rambunctiously start a play fight.  He missed them...he missed them all painfully so.

He had initially tried to accept the three new females on a more personal level, they were all considerably nice and nothing like the former dominant female was towards him, but they just weren’t the same and now after everything that the group had been through: death, disease and fighting amongst themselves they were staking a claim that the group was now rightfully theirs.

Agitated, Kit tried to shuffle around to regain some level of comfort but his thoughts had disturbed whatever he once had. He hated this immature, selfish individual he had since become but with how he felt about everything this new shadow of his former self was sadly here to stay.

Where was he now? He wasn't sure. But constantly wandering around was growing tiresome. Especially for his skinny frame. Whiskers panted softly as he felt himself growing tired once more. Nothing new for him, really. But he urged himself on. Whiskers knew he had to find a new home. A permanent home. Not a temporary one. No more wandering. His light caramel orbs scanned around briefly as he walked. It seemed quiet and safe... for now. He spotted three figures in the distance, and took a moment to scan them. They looked to be like other 'kats... A mob was nearby, it seemed. Perhaps this was the new home he had been seeking. Shaking his dark gold-brown pelt a bit, he made his way there, at his slow pace. As long as they didn't leave... He should make it before they go off to forge. And if not? He'll follow them. Simple. For now, he just hoped the three wouldn't go off anytime soon.

Ares and Zofia both chirp a flat hello to the others as they emerge. Given the conditions she grew up in, she's sort of desensitized to losing loved ones, but she understands their losses must be especially hard on Kit. Her attention moves elsewhere though as she picks up the scent of a stranger. They are not alone. She doesn't know Pyramos is nearby, but she knows someone is.

There is another isolated drifter within the small confines of Puzzles territory. It is Uma, long slender muzzle freckled with ticks. She's been on her own for some time, and grooming has proved difficult. Sunning herself outside the entrance to a solitary bolthole the female sniffs the air, hoping to detect the scent of another on the breeze. A plethora of desert smells return to her nose, but nothing distinctly meerkat. Loneliness has begun to creep in. A devoted 'kat, Uma needed purpose to fuel her little body. Wandering alone in the desert, with none to serve, she was without direction. None of her skills were handy here in the life of a nomad.

ooc- Just so things don't get too crazy and stay somewhat realistic, we should space out the arrivals of new members. Pyramos should probably introduce himself first.

Ooc: she wasn't going to approach until foraging, I posted to kind of get in her character.

Pyramos had waited long enough- the mob seemed to consist of mostly females, and so he guessed his approach wouldn't be challenged. Rising from his hiding place, he scrambled on top of the long, standing tall. He watched the group attentively, giving out a few communication chirps to officially announce his presence. Pyramos was far enough away to be able to escape if needed, but he wasn't planning on wasting even more days searching for another group.

Ares spots Pyramos and emits and alarm, more out of being startled than anything. She stops however as she examines the male's movements. A rover no doubt. Perhaps, a potential suitor? The shattered remains of their mob need a strong male to be dominant, and she needs a mate to bear the next generation with. Cautiously and slowly, she steps closer, showing the male she's allowing him to make his case for what his intents are.

Zofia looks on, quiet as always. She is suspicious of the male, having a natural distrust of strangers. Her outward appearance shows her to be calm and recessive, but inside she's ready to spring into action on a moment's notice.

Hearing Ares’s surprised alarm call pierce the relaxing silence, Swift shot herself round on the spot to face the direction of the possible intruder. With ears pricked and eyes desperately scanning every tuft of grass, she snarled on the intake of a heavy breath. How could she have let her guard down, she should have been the first to spot a pesky rover. Stretching her body to the left for a different perspective, she caught sight of the rounded head of Pyramos just bobbing occasionally as he tried to communicate from his safe vantage point.

Feeling the hackles on the back of her neck stand up on end, Swift hurriedly glanced at the other two females in an attempt to read their intentions. With Zofia appearing to be calm and quiet about the matter of the rover, her decision to spring into defensive action would have to be based on the body language of new dominant female. With Ares slowly making her way towards Pyramos to test his intentions, Swift leapt down from her sunning spot on top of the burrow mound and intently watched at a short distance away bobbing her head to see how the situation would unfold. Ares only had to give the call and she would be prepared to instigate a chase after Pyramos but maybe, just maybe she might grant this male safe passage into the dwindling group and be the male saviour it needed to thrive once again.
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Only just surfacing by the time Ares has sounded her alert call, Kit was startled and could only look around bewildered trying to assess if it was safe to fully emerge. Scanning the sky overhead and not seeing any aerial birds of prey, he hopped out onto the sand hoping for a better perspective of the potential problem.

From his position, Kit couldn’t see Ares making her approach towards Pyramos but he could observe Swift appearing to be agitated bobbing her head in distrustful suspicion. Although he didn’t know Swift very well himself, he did know that although she had immigrated into the natal group only a short time before the chaos came his father the former dominant male had trusted her judgment about the intentions of roving males and occasionally was grateful her assistance in keeping a ruthless watch. Maybe that’s what she had spotted...and if it was a roving male he certainly wouldn't have very good intentions.

Fluffing out his chest fur, Kit tried to enlarge his scrawny appearance and attempt to make himself look formidable in case he spotted the cause of the morning’s disturbance.

The male watched them closely, especially the female that first spotted him. She seemed to be the dominant of the small mob, and so he would focus on convincing her he meant no harm. With a friendly coo, he hopped down from the log. Pyramos meekly moved closer, pausing only a foot from Ares. He was tense, ready to flee if she turned on him. Pyramos continued to make submissive peeps and churrs, keeping his gaze slightly averted and his head down. If she didn't growl or move away from him, he'd proceed to groom her face.

Ares emits calls to the others to calm down and back off. Pyramos appears to not be a threat. She sits on her haunches and allows him to approach, letting him make his move. He appears to be aware that she's the dominant and that she needs a mate. She is not fully aware of his intents however, and remains uncertain.

Hearing Ares’s command to back down, Swift exhaled heavily out of her nostrils and shook her head to release the tension from her body. She had no choice now but to except that the fate of the rover was out of her paws and with Ares’s views aired about the matter she couldn’t get involved anymore. Dominant politics were for the dominants only, simple rules that she had to live by. Chirping a casual call to let Ares know her instructions were being carried out, Swift gently padded back a very short distance to the burrow entrance eying the smaller figure of Kit on a relaxed postured sentry duty glancing about for any signs of the mystery rover.

It infuriated her slightly since in her book the rover problem had been assessed and resolved to see Kit still desperate to know what was occurring. It was his own fault for keeping himself isolated and aloof from everyone else, and maybe if he had surfaced earlier he would have had more of a chance to be incorporated. Rolling her eyes, Swift barked a hard contact call to the lone young male in an attempt to encourage him to help her excavating around the burrow mouth ready to accommodate their potential new member.
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Having had no luck spotting Pyramos or Ares for that matter, Kit turned around on the spot as he heard Ares’s command to the other females and observed Swift she wandered back towards him. Obvious now as to where Pyramos clearly was visible in the grass, Kit played it cool and acted like he knew all along as the older female made her intentions clear to him with a sharp bark.

Furrowing his brow, Kit wasn’t impressed to be told he had to help with the housework by Swift. In his eyes since the group had gone into a dangerous decline of numbers, she had always seemed to be on his case to do things or support the group. Even though she hadn’t emerged as the dominant that didn’t ever deter her for not getting off his tail.
Fine, if it earned him a few moments peace later in the day to be left alone with his thoughts he would respectfully try and follow Swift’s instructions.

Clambering down from his sentry post and keeping his head low to the ground in a sulky fashion, Kit found his way back to the burrow mouth and as enthusiastically as he felt like he could manage began to assist Swift excavating the size of the burrow mouth and ridding it of loose debris.

Pyramos relaxed as Ares called her companions off. He watched them wander away before approaching her, noticing that he was much larger than the lady. Now that he was closer, he also noticed that she was pretty. He admired her slim frame and light colored fur, which was almost similar to his own. With a warm grin, he began to groom her chin and continued over her cheek. He had tried to woe females before, but was always caught by their mob. Pyramos was determined not to be turned down this time. He sat beside Ares, showing he wasn't trying to lead her off simply to complete a roving quest... He was interested in staying, and especially interested in her...

Ares accepts the grooming, and when he sits beside her, starts to groom him back. He appears to have taken a keen interest in her, as well as a desire to be in their mob. She has an interest in him as well, a strong figure that appears to have experience. He seems to be about a full year older than her, but that doesn't matter much. Better yet, they need a strong male leader to rebuild the mob with, as well as repopulate. The only male in the mob hasn't been up to the task of dominance, making Pyramos the perfect candidate for this spot as her mate and dominant male. She chirps softly to him, introducing herself and explaining their situation, then offering him a place within the mob as dominant male and as her partner. They all need each other right now in these critical times.

Zofia gazes on, understanding what is happening. Ares is making a move and offering dominance to this male. She sees this as a good thing. A possible turn for the better in their ailing mob.

ooc- Actually, kind of. :/ Maybe wait a couple posts more as Pyramos isn't even officially the DM yet.

(OOC: My bad. XD Post deleted. But okay, I'll wait some more.)

With the acceptance of Pyramos still proceeding, Swift continued to excavate deeper down the tunnel with her best intentions to try and reach the main single chamber before they headed out foraging. No longer was she prepared to have to squeeze herself into the chamber alongside the others and there certainly wasn’t any available room for Ares’s potential new mate or any future pups. Calling out a series of contact calls she would need Kit assistance even more down here.
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Already growing slightly disinterested in progressing further with the excavating work on an empty stomach, Kit kept his head down and headed below ground after Swift. Why couldn’t he have the nicer job of being ahead of her instead of being behind and no doubt going to get covered in soil?

Pyramos ceased his grooming and listened to the lady, nodding. Finally, he had a second chance to build a family... only this time, he wouldn't fail to protect them. He churred in reply to her request. He'd happily lead this mob beside her, if she'd have him. Pyramos stood, stretching before shaking sand free from his pelt, causing it to fluff out. With the sand went the last bits of worry he carried. Finally, he had a home.

     Speaking of family, Pyramos realized he hadn't even successfully courted a female before. This actually made him happy- He'd get to meet his first born pups. He wouldn't try to mate with Ares immediately- he wanted to get to know the possible mother of his pups first. He noted that she was healthy and seemed to have a strong head on her... he could already tell Ares was certainly a good leader. He knew better than to wait too long to court her, though, as his position would surely then be jeopardized.

       The powerful male made his way towards the burrow, eager to chart his new territory and to meet his members. He would explore the burrow a little and mark the surrounding vegetation, the beginning of sealing his position as dominant male. Pyramos moved slowly in case Ares wanted to accompany him and talk more- he would gladly listen. His stomach burned in anticipation and hunger. He wondered if his lady would wait for him to mark the burrow as his.

ooc- Was able to get on briefly, but still please hold off on introducing new characters.

ic-

Ares smiles at his approval. She wants him to stay, and they all need him to stay. She marks him with her cheek, officially "crowning" him as their DM. She encourages him to bond with the other members and acclamate to the mob. She stays by his side, thinking about the future. They will have to mate to expand the mob as dominant duties. She has always dreamed of being a mother. Now she has the chance. She will wait though and bond with her new suitor as the day goes on.

(( Apologies if this is too soon, I just wanted him to hurry up and claim the burrow, lol ))

Pyramos pushed against her cheek as well, accepting her mark. He turned once again to the burrow, breathing in a large amount of air. He felt as if he could conquer anything- Finally, he had a home again. Not only that, but he was a king! Hopefully, his members would accept him- Or, at least learn to.

He padded towards the first green he saw, rubbing against it and marking it as his. He did this to all the surrounding vegetation, saturating the area with his scent. In no time at all, the burrow reeked of him, and he was satisfied. He then turned to the nearest entrance to the system of tunnels, clearing out excess sand.

Pyramos repeated this action on three or four entrances before deciding it was tidy enough and continuing underground. His nostrils flared, taking in all the scents that hung loosely in the tunnels... Two other meerkats, specifically one male and one female. He bristled a little but further intake of the smells told him the male was still young- Kit carried a slight pup smell on him even today, but it was barely noticeable. The scent would no doubt vanish all together as Kit aged.

Content that he wouldn't be challenged by the younger male, Pyramos continued exploring, making a map of the burrow in his mind. Of course, it would take him two or three visits to completely imprint the system of holes, but it would be done.

ooc- Last post before I wait for the others. I think you can introduce your character now, Night.

ic- Ares observes Pyramos's actions and follows him. He seems very quick to jump into his position and take charge. So long as he remembers in the matriarchal society of mobhood she is ultimately in charge, there will be no issue. Whether his actions are of arrogance or the qualities of a strong leader, she has yet to see. In either case, they all need him. Although her young age and inexperience is countered by an iron will determination, the mob can't function without a dominant male to father her young and keep the other males in line.

Zofia observes in silence, as she typically does. She was a little annoyed by how quickly the new male settled in and took charge, but understood the necessity of his presence. She quietly ponders what is to come. Now doubt she would be trusted the most to help care for the inevitable litters Ares will bear. She always had a passion for pups, even though their birth mob's dominants wouldn't let her or Ares near them.

Content that her hard work had made a valuable extension to the underground network, Swift emerged from a side entrance unaware that Pyramos had gone down below. Wrinkling her nose she certainly could tell that already the new male had been leaving his pungent mark around the place and making himself at home, but it was a scent that she would just have to accept and get used to. A dominant male alongside Ares was just what the group needed but only if he pulled his weight and took to fulfilling his responsibilities.
Standing on her hind legs she looked about for Ares and Zofia ready whenever they were to head out foraging.

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Distracted by dust in his eyes from Swift’s excavations, Kit stumbled about in the darkness below ground growing further confused by the sudden unfamiliar scent that was filling the tunnel network.
It wasn’t Swift’s he knew that for sure and possibly it wasn’t at all female...that meant it must be an intruder.
Backing himself into the main sleeping chamber, Kit prepared to stand his ground and growled softly. Until he knew for sure who the mystery visitor was, he wasn’t going to take any chances.