Reading Time

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Adonia was, once again, attempting to distract herself from her gloom. She wasn't doing a very good job of it though. She had decided to try reading in the gardens and was currently draped in a rather comfortable nook in a tree reading "Wuthering Heights."

She gave a little laugh. "It figures I would somehow manage to pick such a depressing story" she said rolling her eyes, but continued to read out of sheer curiosity.

(pfff aren't I original *facedesk*)

[Eos]

Eos was pacing about looking for Adonia, he hadn't seen her since he had gotten back to the Athenaeum and he was starting to get worried.

But as he paced over to the gardens he was her sitting and reading a book, though rather half-heartedly and with a frown. He sighed, and walked toward her, knowing that he wasn't good at cheering people up, but was going to try anyway.

"Addi..."

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

"Hmm?" Adonia looked up expecting to find a gardener or fellow student, but was pleasantly surprised to see her "brother" Eos. "Hi Eos," she said with a little grin, marking her place in the book and dumping it on the ground next to her. "You're back for a while then?" she said looking hopeful.

[Eos]

"Yes," he told her happily as he held the new dory at his side, one of the reasons for his absence. "How've you been?" he asked conversationally and sat beside her. He hadn't realized how much he missed Addi until he found how much he liked sitting next to her, he couldn't stop from smiling, very relieved she seemed okay.

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi shrugged. "Better" she said with a little half-smile. "Just trying to focus on lessons rathyer than... well you know."

She scooted a bit closer so she cold give him a hug. "I missed you 'big brother'" she said teasingly.

[Eos]

Eos didn't really mind if she was teasing, he rested his arm around her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I missed you too Addi," he told her.

"What are you reading there?" he asked and eyed the book curiously.

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi snuggled up happily. It was nice having her brother back again. It helped distract her from her sadnesses.

"huh?.. Oh this" she said with a sheepish grin, picking up the book and holding it out. "Its called Wuthering Heights... I was feeling a bit blue so I decided to try finding a new story.." she gave a nervous laugh. "I kinda failed at finding something cheerful though."

[Eos]

"Pffft," Eos tried his best to hold in a chuckle. "Wuthering Heights? No that's not a very cheerful story," he let her know. "Addi if you want a story, you can always ask me," he let her know. "Well, whenever I'm here," he amended sheepishly.

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi grinned tossing the book aside. "Tell me one now?" she said, giving him her very best, pleading pouty look. "I do love stories..."

[Eos]

Eos blushed, right now?

"Uhm... ever heard the story about little red riding hood?" he asked sheepishly, going to cheat if he could. He wouldn't be telling her the same story everyone knew, but still, it was a popular one.

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi cocked her head to the side looking curious. "No, what's that about?"

[Eos]

Eos grinned, happy that she hadn't heard it before.

"It's about a girl and a wolf, and the way I tell it there's a happy ending," he told her and waiting seeing if she wanted to hear this story or a different one.

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi grinned. "all right, tell me that one" she said snuggling up for her story.

[Eos]

Eos grinned, surprised when he remembered how much Adonia loved stories.

"All right, well, once upon a time there was a young girl that wore a long red cloak. It was a gift from her grandmother whom she loved dearly. She wore it almost every-day and soon people started calling her 'little red'. During one particularly nasty round of sickness, her grandmother got ill. Now she wasn't a weak old woman by any means, but the sickness took it's toll on her. She on bed rest and little red's mother told her to bring food to her grandmother, and not to go off the trail.

Now little red would do almost anything for her grandma, and happily took the basket of goodies. But she was equally adventurous as she was loving, and couldn't help but go a little ways off the trail when she saw pretty red poppies growing in the forest. What a nice present these will be for grandma, she said to herself."

((I just imagined Eos making a little girl's voice... *javelined repeatedly*))

"She'll love them, came a deep voice from the shadows. And out stepped the large midnight black wolf whose territory was most of the forest. Little red wasn't afraid, in fact, she grinned. The wolf was her friend and the reason her mother let he walk through the woods alone. For some reason the wolf had grown a soft spot for the girl, and was her protector.

Shouldn't you be on the trail rosy? he chastised her, and nudged her with his wet nose, gently pushing her back to the dirt path.

Oh you worry too much, she told him, not sounding worried, but still walked back to the trail. The wolf just smiled at his courageous little human.

There are troubles in the woods these days, and I have to go take care of some things... I won't be able to walk with you today. So please stay on the trail. I'll meet you at your old alpha's den. Little red nodded and walked along the trail, waving goodbye to her friend...." Eos stopped and thought for a second. Trying to remember what happened next in the version he was telling. He thought he was mixing them up, so many people had retold it so many ways. It got hard to keep track of it all sometimes.

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Adonia sat by her brother listening closely. She definitely liked this story. The long red cloak sounded so pretty. She vaguely wondered what it would be like to have a mother or a grandmother. Some of her friends had explained the concept to her before, but she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like.

"I've never heard of a talking wolf" she said with interest. "Do they really exist?"

((PPPPPFFFFFFF... Now I shall always hear him with the girly voice *facedesking to avoid incoming javeline*))

[Eos]

"Well... according to the story, yeah," he told her. Then smiled sheepishly. "I knew one too." Then stopped, not wanting to give away the story.

((Eos: *javelins you repeatedly*
Me: XDDDDDDDD ))

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

"I've never met an animal that could talk before..." she mused, before looking back up at him eagerly. "What happened next?" she said grinning

[Eos]

Eos smiled in amusement, the girl really did like stories.

"Alright, alright... well what happened was; Rosy continued on the path, and the wolf strode off into the forest. The danger that he was warning her about happened to be his own brother. Another wolf not gifted in strength or size like he was, but still a formidable beast. His brother heard the black wolf and the girl talking and hurried ahead to the grandmother's house.

His plan was to wait for the little girl and eat her, as well as the grandmother, for revenge against the brother he was jealous of, and because with the black wolf in control he was hungry. He planned on running away before the black wolf made it to the secluded cabin.

He waited outside the cabin, Rosy was not far behind and he didn't have time to go after the old woman, he'd get her later though.

At first Rosy mistook him for his brother, the black wolf, her protector, and she quickened her pace. But soon she realized that his coat was dark brown and he was a bit smaller. She slowed, but had the idea that he couldn't be that bad... maybe her wolf had sent this one for her.

The brown wolf loped forward, not very menacing, and Rosy just stood there not knowing what to expect. But stumbled back surprised and scared as he snapped at her feet. This was NOT a friend.

She tried to run, but he got his teeth in her leg, pulling her down. All she could do was scream and hope he killed her fast, smelling the meat on his breath, eyes bright with hunger.

Meanwhile the black wolf was walking through the forest, having just caught his brother's sent, he was following it. Suddenly his girl's screams echoed through the forest and he ran faster than he ever had before in his life.

His breathing had barely changed by the time he made it to the cottage. He snarled in rage at the audacity of his brother. To do THIS, in HIS territory! It was not acceptable! He had tried to hurt his girl, the little thing was curled up trying to protect herself with her small soft human arms, covered in her signature color, red.

The black wolf dragged his brown brother away, killing him in battle, but not after getting quite a few wounds himself. He had been surprised by how evenly matched he and the brown wolf had been.

((Sorry, too lazy to describe a fight scene.))

He limped back to his little girl, licking her arms and legs, grateful those were the only places she had been bitten. Her grandmother sat beside her, putting her skills as an old healer woman to use. She had run out as the black wolf dragged his brother away...."

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi sat in rapt silence as Eos continued telling his story. "Poor Rosy.. and the poor wolf" she said curling up into a little ball, waiting to hear more. "Were they ok? They didn't... die.. did they?" she said looking up at him with big pleading puppy eyes.

[Eos]

Eos had to bite his lower lip to keep from laughing at the pleading look on Addi's face. The girl could be so sensitive. But like he said, this was a happy version of the story.

"Rosy wasn't hurt that bad and it was easy for her grandmother to heal her... But the wolf had lost a lot of blood. He was taken inside the cabin, Rosy and her grandmother nursed him back to heal. But he wasn't really the same after.

One day while Rosy was out collecting herbs from the garden, her grandmother knelt by the wolf and changed him. He lost his fur, except a bunch on his head, his snout grew back into his head, his nose grew dry, he got soft, and he stood on two legs.

The grandmother was actually a powerful witch, she knew that the 'wolf' could not return to being a wolf after killing his brother. Because the pack is the most important thing. He had broken the number one rule of wolf instinct to save the girl.

Rosy came back inside, surprised to see the tall man standing there, some-how she knew it was her wolf, and hugged him tight, never wanting to let go again...

Happy?" he said with a smirk after finishing the story.

((I just... wrote a whole story for you, I deserve a chibi for that XD *javelined*))

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi grinned and nodded happily. "Yes. very happy." she giggled, giving him a hug. "Thanks for the story. It was much better than this one" she said making a face at the book she had been reading. "Though perhaps I'll like it better if I read it while I'm in a good mood." she mused.

"So where did you run away to for all this time?" she asked eying the new Dory he had brought with him.

[Eos]

Eos smiles, happy Addi was happy. "I'm glad you liked it." Even though he had to bend the truth almost to the point of breaking to tell the story to her.

"The human world," he told her very matter-of-fact. "I got to visit Allana," he said with a smile, thinking about the sweet little girl. Speaking of which, he pulled two strawberry candies out of his pocket. "Want one?" he asked as he popped one into his mouth.

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi peered at the candies curiously. "What are they?" She asked watching as Eos popped one of the reddish sweets into his mouth. "Are they yummy?"

[Eos]

"Hmm?" he managed with the sweets in his mouth, that he very conspicuously moved to his cheek for storage.

"Oh, well I think so... but I'm biased," he told her very matter-of-fact. He liked all things strawberry. Which was why whenever he visited Allana usually had a bagful of strawberry candies she had saved for him.

[Achlys Adonia Argyris]

Addi grinned, widely. "Well if you say they're yummy, then they must be" she said giggling at his cheek-full of sweets.

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