Nomads Pass Return to Chaos

Crowe had traveled far, Frost had gotten him lost and now here he was, finally back at the door of Nomads Pass. It had been so long that he was unsure of whether or not he could simply stroll back across the borders. So instead he howled for @Naira or anyone else that might be listening. Crowe had returned with the Nightshade leaves, late, the leaves had just barely begun to brown. Really Crowe had no idea how it was they had not fully shriveled away to nothing, but was grateful for it. He howled a few more times to be sure his message would be heard. I have returned!

At long last, after far too long he was back. Crowe began to groom himself silently, whatever it was that happened to his head from being lost and alone for so long had seemingly knocked something loose in his brain. For now he did not pace, he did not growl or snap. He did not wonder where Naira was frantically. Crowe began to wash himself as he waited, and when, or if Naira arrived, he would greet her and request entrance to pack lands. Something about never dropping that nightshade had changed Crowe, just a little. But enough to keep him from wanting to maim every single wolf he met. "Speech."

That’s what ruling is.Lying on a bed of weeds,

• NAIRA AQUILA •

ripping them out before they strangle you in your sleep.

One call would have been sufficient, but the continued yowling at her borders did little to temper her patience. Sprawled outside the den with her daughters tugging at her ears and tail was a rare moment of peace for the tawny leader and she was tempted to simply ignore the call, until it continued on and on. A low growl to voice her displeasure was followed with a howl that carried a message somewhat along the lines of Shut the hell up! was issued forth before her eyes fell to @Sagacity apologetically as she hauled herself upwards. Her words would have been far less civilized if not for the presence of the children that scrambled about them. Beneath the surface she was seething. How could it have possibly taken so long to take a simple two day journey? A week she could have understood, but over a month?

It was hardly in anyone’s interest for her to meet this particular wolf alone in her current worked up state, and so she decided to busy herself seeking out her trusted advisor. She was thankful that he never seemed to be far, and today was no exception. Since their discussion the night before their move into the communal den, she had allowed her own guard to drop around @Mapplethorpe and even the sight of him, already on his way to the borders to greet the disturber of the peace was enough to calm a little of her anger.

She loped to his side with an affectionate nudge to his flank and a strained smile, her steps slightly more rigid than usual the closer they approached. When the white wolf finally came into sight, grooming himself casually her eyes narrowed. Short of snapping to ask the wolf what it was that he wanted, she instead noted just how close to the borders he had allowed himself to come and loosed a low growl of warning. Many things had changed in his absence, including the status of the wolf that now stood at her side and she would expect full acknowledgment of the fact before she would even consider approaching him with less than bared teeth and hackles raised.

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mapplethorpe

solent mendaces luere pœnas malefici

As Naira and @Sagacity expressed some time alone to relax and bond with the cubs, Mapplethorpe was gracious enough to bow out and excuse himself, spending the next few hours shortly after patrolling the perimeter - yet another newly forged path in his network of routinely traveled walkways - around the communal den. When one howl sounded out for the Empress of the Pass, Mapplethorpe, completely on guard, set off to greet the caller at the borders. Immediately his fur bristled and his auburn ears came forward. He knew who this was. He had been waiting for Crowe ever since he had heard of the brute's assigned task of gathering nightshade inside Poison Path territory.

Once the ivory brute had come into view after releasing a few more howls, the Advisor's tail shot up and his hackles rose, his dominance display completed only as his lips peeled back to reveal his teeth and Naira stepped to his side. At first he had considered a wordless approach, wanting his significant other to speak first but when she didn't, he took one step forward and stared the man down. His cadmium yellow eyes raked over Crowe's frame, going from the nightshade leaves in his mouth and the leathery nose at the end of his muzzle to the signs of travel that was evident on each of his stocky limbs and tail.

His Highness growled and as if to temporarily soothe her, Mapplethorpe turned to briefly touch the tip of his muzzle and nose to her hers before turning to the ashen man once more. "Crowe," the tone of his voice was deep, nearly gravelly in contrast to his usual lighthearted tenor and soft whispers. "Long time, no see..." Again, his eyes went to the sprigs of nightshade, noticing the state of its leaves and taking a wild guess that they had either been plucked just before he left the Lost Lake or just rather well-preserved in the cool mountain air. "I see you have been successful in your task," he carefully noted, his eyes returning to Crowe's yellow-ringed pupils. "That trip should have only lasted you two days, yet you were gone much longer." A frown began to mar his masked features and the edge in his voice became more apparent, the pronunciation of his words much sharper than they should have been, "What happened?"

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Crowe, nudged the herbs towards the border before stepping back to the point of a common lone wolf and lowered his head and tail in unison. Had he been the same wolf he was a month ago he would have come up with some type of bullshit story about why he had been so long. But it was no longer the time for that, and his time alone battling his own thoughts at every turn had clarified the non-uniformity of his thoughts. Crowe did not speak yet, he thought first, another new trait of his. If Crowe were to ever be able to battle, to fight whomever he so pleased, he would have to be humble. The word left a bad taste in his mouth but Crowe's scattered insanity had been replaced with a cold calculating one.

"Poison Path gave me no trouble. There was a she wolf, by the name of Frost. Whom I was set on bringing back for you to pass judgement Naira. However she wandered away and in my attempt to find her, I lost my way." He grew silent for a few moments, to let it sink in. As he was sure Naira had expected some half growled lie. Secretly to himself, he was very sure to pay attention to her face. Would he see relief? Maybe shock? Crowe pushed away the thoughts to simply add, "I assure you both, It was not my intention to... desert... the Pass." The word was emphasized, for Crowe felt he had deserted them. In truth the great white male felt he had failed entirely.

Wanna get this moving a bit; @Naira, you're next when you get a chance?? <3

mapplethorpe

solent mendaces luere pœnas malefici

"Poison Path gave me no trouble," Crowe began, continuing to relay his rather eventful story of meeting a woman named "Frost" and stating that his intentions of deserting Nomads Pass was not something he had intended or wanted to even suggest. "Your assurances are just words," he warily extended. "But, at least, you're here," his voice had dropped a few notes, his already grave tone sounding much more menacing and reprimanding. At his back he could feel Naira's own emotions rolling from her inner core and draping up and over him in turn. "Your loyalty is apparent," he then stated, the obviousness of his words presenting its own test to the white-pelted man. Any sign of impertinence or disrespect was bound to send the grizzled Advisor into quite a frenzy.

His tail swayed slightly from one side to another as though it were trying to keep itself balanced while it held itself up and over the small of his back. The more he thought about this Frost the more it made his fur bristle. With his teeth clenched together, he marched even closer to the large brute. He squared his shoulders and straightened his posture, growling loudly as to petition Crowe to accept him as a superior... to bend at his off-white knees and elbows and allow the smaller man to grill him further on a more personal level. Mapplethorpe brought his white and auburn muzzle to the base of Crowe's ear, whispering harshly into it as he braced himself at the same time in case his proximity was unwelcome. "You want back in, then you will bow..." As if to make sure that the man's train of thought did not immediately shoot to Naira, he added with a subtle smile, "And you will not just bow to her either..."

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"And you must be the leader I never met." Crowe replied as his knees bent, willingly this time. his head dipped until his chin brushed the ground. No other words followed as large male contemplated his decision. Yes life was fun as a killer and twisted soul. But what of something more... honest. He could be just as cruel as he already was, only less so to the pack. With a pack he could be more powerful than ever too. The thought was appealing and made sense, on one hand, the life of a loner would make him free to do whatever he pleased. On the other, a pack meant power, and this would be the most powerful one of all with him in it he was sure of it. Second? yes Crowe, be the commanding force when these two are not around.

He had convinced himself. The yellow eyes closed briefly as the scent of earth continued to fill his nose. If Mapplethorpe were to ever let him get up he was prepared to show a change. Not so much that he would be as happy go lucky as most most of these fools in this land for Crowe Shane knew the evils of the world and of all the darkest places in the soul. But maybe a little more... thoughtful before his big ass mouth opened and uttered statements that sounded insane and stupid. But now he began to crave power. Crowe wanted to be feared and respected, and running around spewing off nonsense to everyone would not be the way to do so. He still may not be all there in the head, but that did not mean he could not be trusted to some extent, truthfully he wouldn't kill someone that didn't deserve it. Frost taught him that simply because no matter how hard he tried, he could not bring himself to just kill her.

That’s what ruling is.Lying on a bed of weeds,

• NAIRA AQUILA •

ripping them out before they strangle you in your sleep.

She watched on with silent resolve, her face a blank canvas as she weighed up their options. His excuses meant little to her, his presence, while grating showed that he was loyal to them, and yet his own distraction had led to this mess. Whether or not this Frost was real or imagined, she doubted he would be able to find what she sought in members of her pack. She was grateful for the calming presence of her advisor, who’s absence would have more than likely left blood staining her borders once again.

As Mapplethorpe moved forward to assert himself, her ears shot forward, eyes searching for the slightest hint of defiance, her own hackles bristling just as ready to run the white wolf off as she was to accept him back into their ranks. But the initial defiance that was shown to her was absent as the white man quickly folded in front of her chosen partner. A little of her hostility ebbed away as her Advisor was acknowledged and the white wolf stayed down.

Finally moving forward to stand by her Advisor, her head lowered and her muzzle crinkled in warning, exposing white teeth dangerously close to the face of the wolf on the ground. “You will prove yourself. Again and again. Until you are deemed worthy. You. Failed. Me. Crowe.” she all but spat the words at him. Although he returned with the leaves she had requested he had not done so in a timely manner. It was just fortunate that they weren’t something that was required to save a life. “Don’t let it happen again.” she warned quietly before moving back several steps, her golden eyes still burning holes into the white wolf’s pelt, but handing control back over to Mapplethorpe. She had, after all, said her piece now.

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Minor PP for dominance display, feel free to PM me, Ghoff, if something doesn't agree with ya!

mapplethorpe

solent mendaces luere pœnas malefici

Mapplethorpe's hackles rose as the ivory brute bent down so low that his chin touched the ground. For several seconds, he waited for any sign or hint of defiance, prepared to strike as soon as Crowe had made up his own mind to refuse acknowledging the Advisor as his superior. Crowe did not move, and for some time Mapplethorpe stood, likened to a tower built of sandstone. Nothing came: no growls or snarls, not even a flash of teeth or a twitch of his whiskers. The masked man turned to Naira then, searching her face for approval. She came forward, coming to stand beside him. Her lip curled up and so did Mapplethorpe's but when she craned her head downward to address the returning subordinate, Mapplethorpe remained standing tall.

The white giant had failed. To this, the Advisor scowled, his yellow-gold eyes falling upon the remains of the bits of nightshade Crowe had obtained. As Naira moved away, still glaring, Mapplethorpe seized his chance to do what he had been aching to do since ascending to become his Queen's equal. While the ashen man remained crouched low to the ground, Mapplethorpe confidently stepped over him, placing one moderately sized paw on either side of Crowe's head. In one swift move, he lowered his head he took Crowe's muzzle between his teeth. Once he had applied a decent amount of pressure, just enough to make it seem like the feel the tips of his teeth were going to pierce through the bridge of the subordinate's nose, Mapplethorpe withdrew from him. With his tail well above his back and glancing to Naira one more time, he touched his nose to her chin, glaring also. Turning back to the re-initiated Lowest of the Pass, he stepped away from his liege before pausing, scowling at the pile of white fur. "Get up," he commanded with a harsh bark. "I will show you where you will be staying. You will not be allowed in the communal den unless she allows it."

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*Crowe begins balancing act of sanity*

At first there was no sound uttered from Crowe as he thought of the betrayal he had faced from Frost. The Pass had accepted him once more, it had been enough to show him, that all were enimies. Every stupid wolf that walked these lands was an enemy. The only ones he could trust were those of the pass. Never again would a wolf be trusted until the carried the pack scent, that much was now sealed. Crowe was finished with all these games. The wolf pressed a key into a lock in his mind and turned it. The tumblers clicked and his thoughts of betrayal were now locked away forever more. More than anything the male was relieved for even her knew that if he had no pack, a wolf of his size and limited ability to hunt would die alone.

Mapplethorpe's teeth pressed into Crowe's muzzle and his eyes locked forward onto the jaws. Still he kept silence. In his head it was a show of strength not to buckle under the feeling of teeth piercing the skin on his muzzle. "If I may." He said as he raised his body. "You no longer have to wonder of my allegiance, I have been betrayed by one I thought well enough for you both, with all the fire of Naira herself. I trust no one from this point that does not carry your scents." Crowe's head stayed low as he finished. "I have failed you both. But I thank you for keeping me." A spark of his old stately diplomatic ways began to emerge. He may not be able to keep his insanity, but he could still be the fierce and cold hearted prince that he had once been. He may yet be once more stone cold, and stately, almost elegant for his size. His breeding could return him to cold strength and iron will. But his sanity had to hold first.

#badpackleader. Short one to wrap it up so it can get off our threadlogs!

my milkshake brings all the boys to the pass

and they're like, it's better than your ass

Naira watched on, the skepticism barely veiled in her golden eyes. A non-committal “Hmm.” was her only response to Crowe’s declaration before she turned her attentions back towards the borders that protected her children. Children that she needed to return to in order to keep them fed and safe. Without a glance backwards she headed into the heart of her home and back to the den where her family waited. Only time would tell if Crowe would be able to keep his word, but she would be watching him closely until then.

{end}