New to Conflict

The sky was yet again littered with grey clouds, this partially made Vel want to return to her den to snuggle up with some herbs but it also stirred something deep inside her. She remembered what her Aunt Toralu had said to her before she entered the forest, "Don't return to me until you're part of a pack." Her words floated about in Vel's head, she couldn't shake the desire of wanting a pack to run with, the feeling wasn't just a thought in her head this feeling lived within her very bones. She lifted her head to see only more greenery and trees, Vel began to get agitated with herself, "I know I can smell them, they're all here!" Her honey eyes danced around the sky a moment before she cursed the clouds, it began to snow lightly and Louvel hasn't found anything yet, and she had been in the forest for four days now, and she still felt the same as she did months ago. Alone.

Spotting a small thin trail leading away and over the knoll her ears swiveled forward and her eyes grew intense. A small ball of nervousness began to form in Vel's throat, she's never been around other wolves than her family and Aunt Toralu. Her paws grew restless quickly as she continued to scope out the path, her size made her prey for larger wolves to push around and test out their strength on, however Louvel is determined to make a good name for herself in a pack, even if she can't find it. She padded her way over to the start of the path and peered down it which only made her stomach churn. She flattened her ears and lowered her tail and began to make her way down the small almost indistinguishable path, it was obvious no one had used this path for some time, small sprigs of dying plants covered patches of the path.

A soft gasp seeped from Louvel's mouth as her eyes fell upon the opening of the giant cave, her ears plastered against her small head and her tail curled up under her as she was flooded with the scents of many wolves, however they all shared a faint familiar scent, the pack's scent. She could smell the warm den, the crisp air that almost pushed her into the cave, but she refused the urge, the urge to enter into the large mouth of the den. She lowered herself to the ground, her undersides scraped the cold ground, "H-Hello?" Her voice only made her feel smaller, not to mention the scratchiness from not speaking to another creature for four days, "Is anyone here? I don't want to harm anyone." She called out into the deep darkness that seemingly drew her in, she wanted to explore the den so badly, however she huffed to herself and firmly planted her paws in the now thin blanket of snow.

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ooc: Gotta say, you came at a bit of an odd time and Grizzly Hollow is sort of in between leaders right now. @Kade, @Ava, @Borden, would you like to post, or something?

An unknown voice called out, jerking Sibyl abruptly into wakefulness. Her mind flashed to all the horrid things that had been trespassing the Hollow, and she could only assume the worst. Sibyl peeked her head up from behind the log she had been resting next to, brows furrowing as she caught sight of a rather plain wolf simply... Standing around. That wasn't characteristic behavior or any wrong-doers, but it certainly was odd behavior. No pack escort stood at the wolf's side, and if there even had been a howl, Sibyl must not have heard it. It made Sibyl uncomfortable, unsure, and largely doubtful of the wolf's intentions. Sibyl was lucky Ava's pups still had a month to go before their birth, otherwise she would have to consider chasing off the stranger. With Sibyl's trusty companion Aniu gone, she wasn't sure she'd have the courage to be chasing anyone off. Sibyl took a deep breath, steeling herself before she finally clambered over the log she was hiding behind to address the wolf. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"E-excuse me miss." Sibyl said in a soft voice, aiming to draw the stranger's attention while her body language told of the complete opposite, crouched low and red ears pinned back. Her bronze eyes flicked over the female in quick appraisal, finding nothing imposing in the similarly small wolf's body language and thus deciding it must have been an accident on their part. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"S-sorry miss. A howl would have been appreciated -- far back at the border -- and you should have waited for someone to let you in... You're lucky there aren't pups about yet."

table by bryony

A slight stir sounded from back within the cave, Vel's heart thumped with a mixture of emotions. A wolf appeared from behind a log that Louvel hadn't noticed moments ago, at the sight of the wolf Vel's ears flattened even more and her eyes darted to the ground her tail instinctively curled under her stomach and Vel started to push her face into the snowy ground, as humiliating as she felt, Vel heard Toralu talking about how one must submit to a higher ranking wolf. "This is it, isn't it?" Vel thought to herself as she continued to grind her face and maw into the wet ground, mud started soaking through the fluffy snow as Vel rolled onto her back. "I-I don't mean to.." Her voice small and quiet, "I can go, I just-" she cut herself off, taking a deep breath she began to explain, "I apologize for anything I did wrong, I've never been in a pack." Her eyes clouded with fear, "I don't know what to do, but I want to learn, learn how to be part of something." Louvel stumbled over her words, it was difficult for her to speak when he face was crammed into the ground.

Louvel's stomach began to ache from nervousness, she had no idea what she was doing, all the things that her aunt Toralu had spoke of about the ways of a pack wolf, they all seemed to vanish from her memory, Vel didn't know what to say or when to say it without getting bitten. She didn't want to be bitten, especially by someone she didn't know. A short whine escaped her maw, "Please.." She showed the whites of her eyes in total submission, "Please don't bite me. I'll leave if you-" Her words were once again cut off, Louvel's body now began to tremble softly as her mind entered a state of panic. Pups? Had she mentioned pups, Vel was awful around pups, she had no idea what to do with them, or even how to speak with one. The snow was falling moderately quick now, the sky had grown a darker shade of grey in the last moments.

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Just to clarify, Denver, so the OOC bits don't confuse you: The current ranks do not reflect this yet but Ava is L.eader (alongside Kade) :)

Pregnancy was, above all, weird. It had been strange enough when the only show of it had been the remarkably different scent of her coat and the feeling unique to Ava, but the weeks moved quickly and it seemed all of a sudden her sides were expanding, slowly but surely and in a way she was certain was obvious. Being able to see her own stomach from her peripherals only solidified the fact that she had to protect lives literally between her four legs. This, along with the freshly removed threat of those mangy mountain wolves and the losses Grizzly Hollow had faced courtesy of those events had Ava in a constant state of alert.

So when a scent - a stranger's scent - reached her black nose from so close a location her heartbeat quickened in fear and she sent off immediately in its direction. The scene Ava came upon was odd to say the least - Sibyl's posture certainly didn't reflect the dominance she would've expected, but the strange wolf was belly-up and whining regardless. Utterly confused, a little weary and mostly disgruntled the inky she-wolf strode forward, head and tail reflecting her position. Her gait was as graceful as the lack of adjustment to her pudging sides would allow, but the look in her amber eyes was absolute: fierce, dominant, and most of all demanding.

However fearful the russet-touched Sibyl appeared, she was there, at least, so she made it clear the severity of her stare was meant only for the intruder. As Ava drew to a fhalt she was nearly over the smaller loner, dark tail curled over her back and feet planted firmly in the blanket of fresh-fallen snow. Her ears had caught the whimpering and what not as she'd approached but had failed to gather an appropriate meaning of this. The female did not look dangerous, but this was their den, and with pups on the way it would have to be protected without fail - something that had not been upheld, clearly.

Since the stranger had managed to get so close already, Ava wasted no time. "You are too close to a home that is not yours," she said, her words quick and tone clipped but lacking in aggression - yet. "Make it clear what you want."

(This post was last modified: Apr 02, 2013, 02:08 AM by Ava.)

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Sibyl was frozen with a sort of disbelief. Her murmured advice was received as if it was a death threat, the other wolf cowering, begging, pleading in a manner Sibyl knew all too well. By all means Sibyl was above this loner, but she couldn't bring herself to stand with any sort of authority. Her thin tail curved up and out though it's end hung downwards, the entirty much like an upside down J, and her ears remained glued to the sides of her head. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Wh-what? No, I won't bite you. Just calm down," Sibyl pleaded back, really put off by the over-the-top show of grovelling. Normally it was she who groveled at other's paws, and she had no clue what she was supposed to do here. Thankfully, Ava was quick to make her appearance, and the fledgling alpha knew what to do. Sibyl turned towards her superior, not quite used to seeing the inky black wolf in place of Jaysyek, though she regarded Ava just the same with a lowering of her head. Ava wasted no time in getting to the point, and while Sibyl had an idea that the female came for membership, she just let Ava do the talking here and stood silently. Sibyl did hope that she wouldn't be too hard on the woman though, as she could well sympathize with the fear. Although the wisdom of marching right up to a pack's den still had Sibyl guessing. This wolf would have a lot to learn.

table by bryony

Louvel's nostrils flooded with the scent of another wolf, a pregnant wolf. Vel had known the scent from her own mother, it clung to the black she-wolf like the leaves cling to the branches. The snow was only beginning to let up when the black she wolf stood nearly over Vel's writhing body in the snow. Her eyes danced around the eight paws that now stood around her, she was panicking. "I'm here to-" her voice shook almost as bad as her body was from the snow. "I' come to join the wolves that live here." Her voice was still soft and shaky. "I didn't mean to intrude, I don't know the ways of the pack wolves.." Vel let the last word roll from her tongue, "I came here to seek sanctuary." Her honey eyes glancing nervously from paw to paw, she wasn't sure what to make of the situation she had gotten herself into, but she only had one chance.

"I know about berries, and herbs too." Her voice sounding almost eager to tell someone about her knowledge. "I can help, my Aunt Toralu said I was a decent healer for being so young." At the mention of her beloved aunt Vel's eyes clouded with regret, why did she leave the comfort of her aunt to come live with strangers? "Aunt Toralu.." She whispered, the honey eyes closed then open again, Vel's chest heaved heavily as the cruel icy air constricted in her lungs, she had been in the cold for days and she was beginning to lose feeling in her paws, claws included. She grinded her face deeper into the once snowy ground, now her face was caked with mud, it too was starting to lose feeling. Her mind raced, what could she do now? She was now faced with two unknown wolves in stranger territory..

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(This post was last modified: Apr 02, 2013, 02:52 AM by Louvel.)

The female's words, however hushed and nervous they were as they fumbled from the lips of the stranger, took Ava with considerable force. First and foremost she was seeking a home - almost desperately - and it was without question that minus the Lyall family their numbers were sparse. She presented herself with absolute submission which was wise, coming from a female who did not have much experience around a structured heirarchy. Would the skill translate into loyalty? Ava could only hope so, if she gave the pale-coated wolf a chance.

But further more, she spoke of healing. Though Naira's tutilege had given her the basics, Ava had never been much in practice. With pups on the way and the memory of the most recent conflict it would be more than smart to have a healer among them. There was use yet for the quivering girl, and she seemed all in all eager to please. Though her neurosies would need some work... Quickly the black-coated female spared a glance at Sibyl, pleased to see she wore the same sort confused look that Ava had. She would have cracked a half-hearted smile, had there not been a facade to remain. Sharpy her amber gaze returned to the stranger.

Ava began, "Easy," her tone halfway between a command and suggestion. There would be time to soothe her worries, but only if the paperwork went through first. Quietly she moved backward, retaining the high position of her head and tail but allowing room for the she-wolf to get up if she so desired. Groveling in the snow for so long would not do any favors for her health, and Ava did prefer that all her members were well looked after. "It was a foolish thing to cross a pack's borders and approach their den, but you have done no harm. What is your name?"

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OOC: Pardon my lack of muse, I'm still a bit rusty from not rping for a while. <3

Vel's stomach churned and twisted as the two she wolves exchanged glances, her mentioning the face the she knew about herbs and berries gave her a sliver of hope. Her eyes still danced around the eight paws, following the ebony wolf's command Louvel got to her paws but still crouched and kept her head low, still not looking at either of the their eyes. "I can't say that I'm sorry enough, I didn't know." She stammered, her ears pricked slightly, "My name? My name is Louvel, but Aunt Toralu called me Vel." Her voice was hoarse, Vel's paws danced in the muddy snow, the tingly numbness that clung to her paws now began to surge upward, her smallish legs shivered once before Vel straightened them and planted them a bit better in the snow.

Her eyes still hadn't met those of the other two she wolves, "I know about berries, roots, and herbs." She hummed softly, her ears pressed to the side of her small head, "I want to help, I don't know if anyone needs it, but I've got some berries and pastes in a den on the outside of the forest.." She didn't dare to rise the tone of her voice so she seemed to whisper that about berries also. Small snow flakes began to swirl and shimmer around the three wolves, Vel muttered about the snow and getting a break under her breath, small clouds of moisture appeared in front of her maw, then vanished. Louvel couldn't hardly stand from how chilled her legs had become, wobbling and then toppling over was humiliating to Vel, she sighed and remained there. Her pleading eyes for the first time met those of the inky wolf's.

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ooc: I know you're probably just excited to post, but could you try not to skip me? Thanks :)

Sibyl noted Ava's similarly baffled glance in her direction, in response a single brow on her tawny forehead flicking up for a brief moment. As Sibyl suspected, the female had come looking for entrance to a pack, and mentioned having some talent in healing. That certainly was more than Sibyl herself had to offer to the pack, other than her general helpfulness. With Aniu and Angier gone, the pack was down its two official healers, and Sibyl thought the woman before them would surely be an asset. And besides that, she really didn't want to think about sending the oblivious woman off to the world at large, where others weren't necessarily so welcoming. She knew well enough what evils lurked beyond the border. Ava asked her name, and Sibyl listened intently. To Sibyl's great relief, Louvel finally got to her feet. It had been distressing enough watching her behave as if they were savages about to kill her. Sibyl offered a warm smile, her tense tail easing enough to give a little wave. Sibyl quite liked the thought of letting Louvel stay. <b style="color:#8a90a1">"Ava, Ma'am... I think... I think Miss Louvel here could be quite a help for us... Maybe, if I can show her the ropes, she can stay?" Sibyl ventured, her voice tiny as she addressed her leader. She almost hadn't spoken up at all.

table by bryony

Remaining upright seemed to be a problem for the poor girl beyond their doorstep; it was clear she needed proper care, and fast. With shelter right in front of her face and a cache of food similarly nearby it seemed utterly cruel to keep her waiting any longer. The snow that fell upon her brow was growing more and more irritating by the minute, and Sibyl's suggestion showed that she was more than ready to relieve the situation as well. Taking the bronze-eyed female's quiet interjection to heart, she nodded once in her direction and responded, "I do think you're right."

Quickly she turned to address the newcomer - Louvel - once again. "My name is Ava, and this is Sibyl, my Second," she introduced shortly, not keen to waste precious seconds before turning the females over to the safety of their warm den. "There is not a healer among our ranks so you will be alone in your duty, but only in your duty." A small smile edged its way upon her maw, "I ask that you serve this pack, Grizzly Hollow, faithfully and proudly, but also happily." The she-wolf was beyond nervous so any projection of her real demeanor was difficult to conceive. Still, Ava was certain she could find comfort and friends among their ranks. She was particularly pleased that Sibyl had volunteered her companionship, hoping it would ease Vel's nerves.

"I would be more than grateful if you brought your stores with you, but I suggest you warm yourself up before you fetch your things out in the cold once more." Easily she strode forward, dark fur rubbing against the other's muddied and cold pelt to mark her as one of theirs. "Welcome," she finished, no longer blocking the way between Vel and their home. Ava would then return to the den sauntering with her odd round gait, one trusted member and one new, shivering face in tow.

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