Sacred Grove Walking in a Dream

A hare was dangling between her jaws. It remained fresh and intact, since she had broken it's neck with a snap that hadn't quite pierced its fur. Blood stained it's nose and it was an appetizing scent. It had been a bit of luck that she had caught it. On her way toward her new home with Indru, her leader, she had startled the fat little grub out of a bush and on pure impulse, she had been triggered to lunge and bite into it's neck. Her tail had lifted with triumph and she had declared that it would make a wonderful gift for Corinna.

When they had drawn closer to the Sacred Grove, her pace had slowed and her gaze wandered more freely. The beauty of the place enthralled her and she marveled at the power she felt from the ground. It was almost as though she was walking through a dream. It would be rare indeed to find another forest that had such vibrant greens and healthy life. The tall, thick oaks with heavy boughs of green leaves whushed softly against one another in a pleasant, whispering song. Vines and moss climbed the bark and gave home to insects, birds, snakes, and squirrels. She craned her head back to try and catch a sight of the sky and occasionally she glimpsed pale blue when the wind ruffled branches out of the way. Her spirit felt soothed and blessed to be in such a rich territory.

Occasionally she fell behind Indru to drop the hare and delicately sniff at a marking on a trunk or bush and wonder who it belonged to. It was a strong border and she was certain that they would run across another quickly. Sacred Grove was well declared their territory and she felt comfortable adding markings of her own. She would pick up her hare and lope forward until she caught up with Indru, unable to be of any use when it came to conversation because of the fat animal filling her mouth, but she felt a comfortable companionship and happiness regardless.

(This post was last modified: Apr 24, 2012, 05:02 PM by Elsa.)

It did not take long for Indru to work out that Elsa was a inquisitive and lively wolf—as they walked towards her new home she had often fallen behind for a brief while as she scouted here and there. Indru paid her no mind, eager for her to get the lay of the land she would now protect with her life, and besides his scent was not hard to follow did she get too far from him. The leader himself kept a pace just beyond relaxed and as home neared he couldn't help it's slight increase in his eagerness to let his fiery eyes dance over Corinna once more and to smell her sweet scent which announced her pregnancy.

The next time Elsa appeared by his side—and he couldn't help but tense until he saw her drop behind him, accepting his lead—he noticed the fresh kill that hung from her mouth. It was clear it was not for eating, the kill was too clean as it hung from her mouth and he wondered whether it was a gift to Corinna. If so Indru couldn't help but silently approve, after all, what better way to introduce yourself to your leader than with a gift that demonstrated your prowess as a hunter and use to the pack? As they crossed the borders Indru paused, taking the opportunity to leave fresh scents along the border as Elsa now marked her own, it was each wolf's duty to keep the pack protected and what was a better defence than a invisible wall that announced the strength of the pack within.

Once done the leader huffed lightly to draw her attention before he turned to continue their route through the pack, his nose held in the air as he drew in the fresh scents of the River wolves for analysis. By chance Corinna was nearby and with a quick look at Elsa over his shoulder he acknowledged her to follow. With a low woof that he knew would carry he alerted Cori to their arrival, knowing that while the strange scent may alarm her at first she would soon notice that it was covered with his own, marking her as pack. Cori? Indru rumbled as they approached and he peered eagerly through the trees as his eyes waited to fall upon the silvery shewolf who had captured his heart.

Gone Tomorrow

Corinna's head was lowered to the ground, a few bits of grass half hanging out of her mouth as she nibbled away. Not far from her was a stick, dented and scratched where her teeth had made their impact. It was a nervous habit, something she did when she was anxious. Since her scent had changed, she had been seeking out fallen twigs more and more often. There was so much to be done, and there were days, much like today, where the River leader just simply felt overwhelmed. The destruction of the pack den during the flood was one of the biggest worries she had - every time she wandered by the flooded area, she felt a harsh pain in her stomach. A new one would need to be constructed before too long; that would certainly help to ease her feeling of restlessness. Perhaps more distressing was Ruiko's latest visit to the pack. She hadn't seen him since he had left them, and she had not expected his return to be as heart wrenching as it had been. While not close to Kinis, his absence was certainly felt in Swift River, most of all by his littermate, Triell. He had not been the same since the news, and it weighed heavily upon them all.

But life went on. The world would not wait for Corinna to finish chewing on her sticks.

Lifting her head, batting at her own muzzle to clear the remaining blades of grass from her face, Cori looked around. Breathing in deep, she took in the scents of the world around her, more than aware that it was rapidly changing. Scents came and went, and it was not with a smile that the leader took in the smell of her mate and a foreign female scent. The fact that they were on pack territory at all meant that the stranger, whoever they were, had been accepted. Which was more than enough to cause the gray female's irritation to rise - Naira had seen to that. Hearing Indru's call, she turned her head in that direction, not moving to approach them as they came closer. Her face was straight, neither welcoming nor upset, merely taking them in. Her ears had turned forward though, and her head and tail had risen. "Indru." She fixed him with her stare, clearly expecting an explanation for the interruption, nevermind why the stranger was holding a rabbit.

She caught the glance from her leader. Elsa had headed toward a tree to snuffle around it's roots when the request for her to follow drew her back to his heels. She tried to ignore the ache that was beginning to seize at her jaws from keeping it tense so long. There was a distinct, sweet smell that reached her after following him for a few paces. It held the wonderful message that the wolf carrying the smell was pregnant; and it made her tail swish side to side twice in an expression of her gladness. When she spotted Corinna, Elsa allowed her pace to slow to a walk to allow Indru a semi-private moment to greet his mate. She took the time to read her pregnant leader's body language and found that it would be better to keep herself well controlled. She didn't want Corinna to think she was threatening her position in her pack.

Her steps shuffled gently through clover and grass as she wound her way after Indru and stepped over roots and large rocks. When she was within a body length distance of Corinna, she lay the hare at her paws and couldn't help licking her lips and working her jaw a moment. She collected herself and lowered her ears passively, letting her tail hang neutrally. Her gaze drifted up to the she-wolf and then back to the hare. <b>"Hello Corinna. Indru found me outside of the borders and brought me here. I feel that I would be suited as your Second and have taken the spot by my choice, as Indru said it was empty and that can be a sad thing. I'm Elsa Keturah. I apologize if you aren't hungry, but I've brought a hare for you."</b> She lifted the hare by it's scruff and brought it to leave at her fore-paws. Elsa stepped back again and lowered her head humbly and looked up at her leaders with expressive yellow eyes. She knew that her explanation was quick and to the point but she knew that details were not necessary and if Corinna wanted to know more, she would ask. Elsa was not fond of rambling.

She couldn't sense whether or not she would be welcome close, so she remained where she was until she got an idea of what kind of wolf Corinna was. Her gaze slid momentarily to Indru, but returned to the pregnant wolf. Her loyalty to Indru and the pack had been expressed, now she had but to show to Corinna that she was devoted.

Indru watched his mate with an equally cool stare as she addressed him, his head nodding briefly in acknowledgement until he let his gaze drift back over his shoulder to where Elsa stood waiting, giving them a moment. An explanation was hardly necessary, as from his scent that now covered her and her being escorted into the territory (coupled with a gift) it was fairly obvious why she was here, but never the less he thought he'd let the female explain.

Instinctively, Indru couldn't help tensing protectively as the female approached Corinna as, after all, it was one thing trusting her with himself and another with his pregnant mate, however she soon dropped her rabbit and lowered herself respectively and Indru had no reason to intervene. So far, she had done everything correctly from what he could see and he listened carefully as she spoke and introduced herself. Elsa soon made her intentions clear with the rabbit and Indru watched with satisfaction as it swapped quite clearly from the female's possession to his mates'—any food at the moment belonged to Corinna in his eyes. However, once the gift was passed Indru remained motionless and instead waited for Corinna's reaction—his approval of the female was already clear by the scent that covered her fur, it was only missing her second leader's if the approval was equal.

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2012, 02:02 AM by Indru.)

Gone Tomorrow

It seemed Indru was content to let his name hang in the empty air, not verbally returning the greeting. Instead, Corinna's gaze left his and looked at the newcomer. She had emerged from behind Indru and was approaching the green-eyed leader. Immediately, the pregnant wolf tensed, the black of her lips curling ever so slightly. The scent of blood hit her nostrils, and she immediately looked to the hare hanging from the girl's jaws. Freshly accepted into the pack and already hunting on claimed grounds. But the gift was offered, and Corinna's lips covered her teeth once more. She didn't move to touch it though, deciding she would reserve the rabbit for later. Despite her increased hunger, she did not devour every piece of meat within sight.

As the girl spoke up, Corinna stored the name away into memory. But as she continued, professing to claim the rank of second, the leader couldn't help but snort and shake her head from side to side. She could relate to the aspiration of ambition, but merely saying you were a Second hardly made you one. The fact that she, and subsequently Indru, believed that would be acceptable to Corinna was ludicrous. "It is a sad thing," she snapped to attention, taking a step forward - not to threaten, but to insure that what she was about to say would be taken seriously. "But you'll have to excuse me when I say that I doubt your ability to decide what is suitable for me, or my pack. Words are incredibly cheap, especially in this part of Relic Lore. Unlike Indru, I require more than a pretty speech to believe that anyone is loyal, and having been here less than a few hours, you've hardly had an opportunity to prove it." Corinna's voice rose, somewhat sharply, and for a moment she looked at Indru. She had told him of what had transpired with Naira and Rhysis, but surely he understood that hurt could not be mended in a single day.

Settling back on her haunches, the leader stared at Elsa frankly and openly. "I trust Indru's judgement, so you are welcome to stay. I have three yearlings, I'm sure they'll appreciate the gift." She nodded at the rabbit, knowing full well that between Hael, Fenru, and Kisla, there wouldn't be an ort left. "Are you going to show her around?" This last was directed at Indru, and her head ticked to the side in her customary mannerism.