Lost Lake The crow's cold stare

The white lady had been traveling the borders more often. Maybe it was that she was getting anxious for the lone wolves to be making their appearance close to her home. On the other hand, it may have just been something for her to do. She was already acquainted to the lands and the only scheduled things she had planned each day were to watch the sunrise and sunset. Therefore, patrolling and hunting made up the rest of her day. Rest on the other hand, was barely experienced. She did not like to be laying around, while there could patrolling done or hunting for the three other wolves. It just didn't feel right to her.

She was just coming back from her trip in the mountains when her nostrils caught a unfamiliar scent. It was indeed a loner and it seemed he might be close to her home. Switching into investigating mood, she gracefully traveled the rest of the way down the mountainside. There she caught the sight of the gray man by the lake. Her amber eyes also caught the sight of her tawny leader. Good, somebody has reached him.

Not wanting to leave her pregnant leader alone to deal with this loner, she quickly finished her downward climb. As she neared the two larger wolves, she intently stared at the gray male, watching his every move. If he even thought about attacking Naira, she'd be quick to intervene.

Offering Naira a submissive lick on the chin as she arrived at her side, coats brushing against one another. She may be the smallest one of them here, but she should not be underestimated. Don't judge a book by it's cover.

Naira gets straight down to business, thankfully. She too, listened intently for the grey brute to speak, hoping he's worth their time.

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The crow's cold stare - Jedd - Mar 30, 2012

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Jedd suddenly picked up on the scent of a wolf- when he had lost
his hearing in his left ear, it seemed his other senses attempted
to improve to make up for it. As soon as the scent entered his nostrils,
a voice sounded through the still air. Damn... Jedd thought.
Where the female was, his deaf ear was facing. He turned his head
sharply, picking up the last few words of her sentence, and piecing
the rest together within his mind.

At that very moment, a second wolf appeared. This one was quite
smaller in size. Blinking, the wolf dipped his dark head politely.
" 'Lo, ladies." he said, old western tones quite gruff "My
calling is Jedd Millinae. I've recently stepped paw upon these lands, and
I seek a pack to thrive within." He lifted his head now, making
eye contact with the larger wolf, whom he immediatly knew was
the leader of the small group of wolves. Parting his jaws, the beast
continued: "I'd serve as an excellent protector of your family.
I am a fierce and loyal wolf. Family comes before my own life."
Every ounce, every drop of his fluid words were true.

Within his home pack, he had served faithfully and loyally, thus
growing quite upset when his sister Finn had decided to leave.
Pursuing her, he now realized that he himself would have to
settle within another pack. He was a wolf of pack life; for he
was wise enough to know that lone wolves have a very
difficult time of surviving.

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The crow's cold stare - Naira - Mar 30, 2012

So it had begun. She had thought with their slightly more isolated location that they would be less hindered by curious loners than they had been in the grove, but they had been here for little more than a week and already the first loner had come knocking at their door. At least he hadn't needed to demand attention. She fought back a small flash of pride, not only had she found him before such an event, but little Athena was so swiftly at her side. They were doing just fine. It then dawned on her this had been near where she had entered the lands of Lore. Perhaps they would endure more loners than in the grove as a result... In which case any influx of their ranks was welcome. No time to ponder now.

While they had brushed on the subject, Naira was hesitant to just accept the first wolf that stumbled across their home. Especially given he was a male. His discipline and orders would most likely come from her mate the majority of the time and she didn't want to upset him any more than she seemed to unintentionally do already. Still, the strangers presence bought her hope.

Tilting her muzzle to the sky she let lose a short alto howl, but the message was clear. "Dear, there is someone here to see you...Athena is with me." She was doubtful her younger mate would ignore the call, and she had merely added the latter to try and diffuse any tension he may feel if he thought the lives of his pups were in danger. If the stranger was close enough for the two women to investigate, it deserved his attention just as swiftly.

His words rang true in her ears, only because she had felt the same when she first approached the river wolves. "I will leave your fate to my partner, to whom I just called. No doubt he will be here shortly." she explained lightly with a small smile. She couldn't see there being too many troubles with the grey male joining, but Rhysis may want to put him through some sort test to prove his worth and the truth to his words about being a potential protector. She would do so herself if she didn't worry so.

The crow's cold stare - Rhysis - Mar 30, 2012

Jedd! You don't have to start another thread to catch the goat, you can do that here in your next post and we'll just carry it on if he returns with it. It'd probably make more sense to play it out here, return with the time of day being different and calling them back then starting a totally new thread. :)

Half awake and half asleep, the black brute had been resting within one of the nooks of their homeland. Still tired from their long trek here, constant border patrols, worrying about their future he was restless to say the least, so when he could catch a moment to relax it took it with open arms. As his lids flickered open and closed, he had just been about to slip into darkness when a familiar noise caught his ears. The message was clear, direct... and it utterly pissed him off. It didn’t matter that Athena was with her, he knew she wouldn’t be able to keep herself to herself and leave the outsiders to him.

Quick as a flash he was on his feet and charging towards the borders. Once he had passed the line, he inhaled the air deeply, trying to locate the familiar scent of his mate and pack mate. Fortunately, Athena had passed by this way recently and so he chased the scents left by her. Within a few minutes he broke free from the thickets to the shore of the lake and pulled upto the side of Naira. He gave Athena a sideways glance, acknowledgement that she was here and doing her duty, but the look he gave to Naira was much more serious, a message there of annoyance. Of course she’d be here, greeting new wolves. He had expected nothing less from her, despite how he felt about it. Stubborn woman.

Still, there was another presence here that had to be addressed. Finally, the black wolf asserted his dominance and elevated his head. His already tall height did wonders to make him look larger, older then he was. With his tail held high, his posture strong, assertive he let his grey eyes land upon the silvery male. ”So you wanna join? You gotta prove your worth.” he stated simply with his southern drawl. He took a step forward, assessing the wolf with a once over. He was a large wolf, larger than any other member here when it came to weight. Rhysis might be very tall, but he was no tank. Looks weren’t enough. He wasn’t as easy to impress as the other packs around here- if a wolf wanted to join they had to prove their worth. He refused to just believe the word of a stranger, he was no fool. ”Bring back the horn of a mountain goat, a fresh kill, and I will consider your request to join. You have until this time tomorrow to complete this goal. Do not return without it.” he stated simply, but met the others gaze once more. Of course, it was a strange request to any outsider... but Rhysis had tried to catch a healthy male mountain goat... and he would never try it again. They were very tough to catch and on their own terrain, where they were situated, getting near one was a task in itself, let alone actually catching one.

Of course, the downside would be if this wolf failed, they would have turned away a potential member but what use was a wolf who couldn’t think up a way around this little task...

The crow's cold stare - Jedd - Mar 31, 2012

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ddeJ kneaded the earth beneath his paws at the ebon wolf's request. He
seemed to be deep in thought, large frame quite still. Suddenly, he seemed
to burst into life. " 'Course. I'll do it by hook or crook." he wasn't sure
if they understood his old western saying, meaning 'to do any way possible',
but there was no time to explain. He turned on a heel, padding swiftly away
from the three wolves.

The feeling of what could only be excitement fluttered through his strong heart.
Pale green-teal eyes shone within the sun's light as he padded along, massive
paws soon gripping onto small stones. He scaled a small mountainside, nostrils
wide and awaiting the scent of mountain goat to enter. Within his old pack, the
wolves had learned to outsmart a few pronghorn antelope, which are incred-
ibly fast creatures. Hopefully a mountain goat wouldn't prove to be too much
of a difficult task.

Hours later of scaling and patience, the male finally picked up the scent of
a goat. He had rested several times, eyes scanning the hills and mountains
for any signs of the white pelted coated animal. ddeJ was laying down when
he picked up this scent, and immediately rose to his white paws. He began
to slink along carefully, quietly. Eyes were wide, observing the area as he
went alongside the rocks. As he continued to walk, he became ever so
cautious of every breath he took. He felt as if he was the only living creature
in the world, the only thing making noise and the whole earth resonated
it. Within about fifteen minutes, the sight of three goats came into his vision.
His heart felt as if it stopped.

ddeJ crouched, breathing as lightly as he could. His ears flattened. His
body tensed. Tail was down, his eyes focused. He lay down now,
waiting patiently. The wolf observed the creatures, picking out which
was weakest. After what felt like an eternity, he had picked up on a
younger goat with a slight limp in his hind leg. Ah... he thought to
himself, slight smirk creeping 'cross his ebon lips. He crept forth
as the goats hoofed along the stones, searching for grasses. Every
time the animals were not looking in his direction, he continued to
inch forward.

About twenty yards away now, ddeJ knew he would not be able
to get any closer without being seen. Stress of the hunt pulled at
him, and he began to grow frustrated. Shaking off the feeling as best
as he could, ddeJ waited. The moment came all too fast.

Powerful hind limbs pushed the large wolf forward, his fur rustled
by a powerful breeze that swept across the small mountainside.
His eyes watered from the strong winds, but that did not break his
focus on the animals ahead. The weakest was closest to him- just
what he wanted. Immediately they spotted him, and began to bound
off swiftly. ddeJ hopped across the rocks as swiftly as he could, pray-
ing that he would not slip on the rocks. Fear hovered around him
like a mist as he pursued the goat. Jaws opened as he came within
range of his prey. Suddenly, he remembered the day that he was
deafened by the buffalo. He felt like throwing up.

ddeJ felt his fangs sink into the injured leg of the goat. The creature
released a cry of pain, suddenly losing its solid grip on the rocks. ddeJ
was still attached by its limb when they suddenly went into a tumble.
Shit! ddeJ cursed in his head, readying himself as best as he could
for what was sure to be a painful experience. He released the goat
as the rolled down the rocks, the impact knocking the breath out of him.
Thankfully, they were not too far up. Hitting the ground with a thud,
ddeJ panted heavily. His eyes looked for the goat, which was laying
still a few feet away from him. Body throbbing, the wolf rose to his
paws, suddenly leaping forward as the mountain goat attempted
to scramble to its dark hooves. 'Oh no you don't... ddeJ growled,
soon clamping his jaws around the neck of the animal. When it took
its last breath, ddeJ released it, suddenly collapsing. He was exhausted.

An hour went by, and the wolf woke up. He lay next to the kill, which
smelled extremely tempting at the moment. The wolf lazily rose to his
paws, taking in a deep breath before releasing a long howl into the
mid-afternoon air. Right now, he could go for a long, long nap... but
he was overjoyed that he had completed the task.

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The crow's cold stare - Naira - Apr 01, 2012

She could barely keep the joy from her face at the sight of him, despite his obvious displeasure. She was sure she would hear more of this once they got another moment alone, but for now, she was doing her part, and building the confidence the other pack members had in her. That was the important part for now, because in just a few short months she would be restricted to the den until their children were ready to greet the world. Again she sent up a silent prayer to mother nature that they would all look just like him.

Although she thought his request strange, she didn't let it show in front of the potential recruit. She could see the use of the request, it would mean one less hunt he would have to risk her taking behind his back. He was still to hear of the small hunt she and Athena had taken part in a few days before, and she hoped it stayed that way. Watching cautiously as the grey man went she wondered how he would do on his quest...

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Sorry for the little pp on both parts guys! >.<

She had just settled down comfortably to enjoy the afternoon sun and release her frustrations back to the earth where they belonged. As expected she had received a little more than a talking to for approaching the stranger. Being called stubborn was the least hurtful of what the pair had flung at each other once Athena had continued on her patrol. When she had let it slip in her frustration that she had been there before Athena had arrived she found herself in even more trouble with her mate. She just couldn’t keep her mouth shut, but he was being ridiculous.

Once again they had ended an encounter by yelling at each other and stalking off in opposite directions. She allowed herself to put it from her mind however. It was the way things had always been and while it wasn’t perfect, it was theirs, and a small smile crossed her face. Sweet moments were few and far between for the leaders of the Poison Path pack, but it made them all that more special when they did. She could understand he was stressing. He felt responsible for them all. Perhaps she should at least try to ease his worry for her by doing as he... commanded? Well, he certainly hadn’t asked.

She was pulled from her silent musings by the grey wolfs howl. Happily raising herself, feeling lighter than she had in a while, she almost floated in the direction of the requesting summons. Taking her time, she reached the small gathering on the heels of her mate and the white lady who was clearly to become more than an asset to their little family. Jedd was sitting there with his goat, a small, scrawny thing. But it did have horns. A small smile crossed her face. Now what? she silently mused.

The crow's cold stare - Athena - Apr 01, 2012

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The request by sisyhR was a bit strange, but then again quite smart. If the grey man succeeded, there would be one more goat in their stocks. One less goat to hunt sounded fine in her ears even though she liked the thrill of the hunt. As the grey man left to complete his task, she too continued to patrol to borders for a little while before his arrive the next morning. If he succeeded.

A howl interrupted the early morning as she was making her way back from her spot in the mountains. The sunrise was beautiful as usual, but it had a little bit more purple than usual. She bounded and leaped down towards Lost Lake where the little gathering was going to take place. She could not help but wonder where avA was. Surely, she smelt the grey man's scent the day he came. In anehtA's eyes, she was slacking in her duties as a pack wolf. She has not once seen her on border patrol, but maybe that was because she always took the whole way around and not a little section.

As she arrived, sisyhR and ariaN were not close behind. She could not help but smile to herself when she saw what was at his feet. He actually did it even if the thing was a little tiny and scrawny, it would still do if it had horns. Moreover, it definitely did. She glanced back to see sisyhR' face, but as usual it was blank, no emotions protruded on his placid of his.

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The crow's cold stare - Rhysis - Apr 01, 2012

The sun had been washing across his body, and with eyes closed he’d been silently, stotically enjoying the daylight. He was taking a moment to relax in his surroundings, with his female close by, the sounds of anehtA patrolling the borders and the world around him at peace, it was proving to be a lovely day. Though his peace was interrupted by a sound he’d heard only yesterday- it seemed the grey wolf had returned. sisyhR wasn’t bothered if he had returned with the horns of a goat or not, he wasn’t fussed whether this male made it into the pack or not, but he was interested to see if he had trouble completing the goal. sisyhR had tried to hunt a healthy goat before, but he had admitted defeat before he had injured himself on the heights- it was why he asked such a silly question of the wolf. Any wolf who could catch a healthy goat was either very lucky, or skilled enough in his books and therefore, good enough for his pack.

As he headed towards the area they had parted ways the previous day, he felt ariaN on his heels. Of course she was coming, the female wasn’t exactly going to sit back and wait to see what happened. Oh no, she wanted to jump right into the thick of it. Irritating though it was, he was glad he was at least here with her this time, rather then discovering her with a stranger all alone as he had yesterday. Their argument had been over quickly, both parties knew exactly what they wanted to say and that the other wasn’t going to like it. As quickly as it had come, it had vanished again and whilst they were not sunbathing together... or really talking, at least they were together and she was safe. That was all that mattered.

As he arrived the scent of anehtA brushed his nose- she seemed to always be there and he was pleased. She had been a good candidate... tnailaV had chosen well. tnailaV the wolf he had betrayed... who might at this very moment be at their meeting place, waiting for sisyhR who would never arrive. A pang of guilt hit him but he walked through the feeling... he had what he wanted now. And as he left the path of their home to breach the shore of the lake, he could only be thankful for his home.

As grey eyes landed on a grey beast, he looked down to the dead animal at the wolf’s paws, then back to the wolf. He felt a little smug, seeing the wolf looked like hell compared to yesterday and almost a little sore in the way he moved. He felt glad that it wasn’t just him who had a had time catching one of the animals... the difference was however that sisyhR had a pack, and could have given up the chase at any time as he did, this wolf had to catch that goat to prove himself. He couldn’t fail if he wanted in. He had done as he had asked... that was stage one completed.

”Alright. Now I’ll listen.” he said as he stepped closer to the wolf, giving him a once over. He was large, in acceptable condition, though as with any loner, he could do with a bit of feeding up and the various ridges and heights around here would help with his muscle development. ”What is it you want here and why should I give it to you?” he stated, plain and simple.