Drooping Willows Shadow of what I was

Her breath steamed in the cool air, her eyes narrowed against the chill. They scanned the land, noting the drooping trees and the thick scent of borderline. Pack. Swiftly, soundlessly, she rose, slipping through the fog and wood like a fish through water. Her movements seemed effortless, gracefully, but she was wary of the scents that rose up before her like a wall, that promised death should she trespass. At least, at the mountain it would have been. Teeth bared, eyes glared angrily as she thought of them. Traitors, rebels, fools. They would be regretting their decisions now, yes they all would. The anger faded as quickly as it had come, melting away to humour. A quiet chuckle escaped the maw of the Shadow. Their mistakes had cost them.

Her muzzle tipped back, eyes slitted as a beautiful howl broke the silence. It rent the air like a bird, moving upward, searching. She called for the leaders of this land, the pack in the midst of the crying trees. As the last notes of her eerie song faded from the air, her head dipped and she sat, waiting.

As she did, Alya contemplated the cold. Spring was a funny thing, coaxing the creatures out with warmth and sunshine, then landing a blow with frigid cold and howling winds. Warmth then cold, over and over. It was a good lesson. Kindness, trust, then anger and power. She would do well to learn from it.
(If I did anything wrong, let me know. Thanks!)

Again, with the curious onlooker just along the borders... This Spring had proved to be an interesting one - with the Attaya sisters' leave, his nephew's insolence (surely Borden would have taught him better than that), his sons' own departures from and back to Willow Ridge, and his step-son Sköll's acts of defiance - but, the fact that the caller he had been somewhat aware of nearby had been a woman was no surprise. This would be the third one this month and he was sure, after this one, @Elettra might have adopted the mind to confine him and her sons to the heart of the territory to discourage other women from finding them. They might have already been certain that their new sons and/or daughters were already on their way, but he had a feeling that his mate not like the idea of having more women under her watch. Maybe.

He ducked through and around the light green curtains of willow vines, using his nose and sense of direction to locate the newcomer, barking twice as he went before finally stumbling upon her. Had Angier remembered, he might have thought of Skylah or of Sibyl; as it was, still he had to do a double-take. She easily reminded him of Mojave, whom he had met only a few days ago. Her distinctive scent told him otherwise; this was a stranger, someone he had not met before.

As was customary, his tail came up and his head leveled so he stare across the bridge of his muzzle at her. He was the Leader around these parts and he wanted to be sure that she did not miss such a notion. "'ello," he greeted her, his voice a tad too solemn and sober upon noticing upfront that she did not seem like a threat. "Can I 'elp ya?"

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The bark ran out twice, and then he was upon her. A strong male, but seemingly older in his years then she. He was quick to adopt a superior stance, the very same that the Shadow had once held with pride. But with her desertion of the traitors came the removal of her prestige and rank, now she was nothing. So it was with distaste that the female slid into the submissive trance, tail lowered as her body melted toward the ground. Her intense optics darted to the wolf, taking him in but never once gazing him levelly in the eyes. That, was a threat...and threatening the leader of a strange pack was not her intention.

"Greetings, sir. I am Alya, known more commonly as the Shadow" inside, she grimaced. Now, why had she revealed that? Oh well. The age old title had slipped from her maw, even though in the travel weary state she was now in, she was in no shape to uphold the rank. "My I have the honor of knowing your name, and perhaps of the pack you...lead?" She guessed from his stance and air that he was in fact such a ruler, but was unsure. He could very well be a subordinate that was full of himself, or one full of ambition. She was careful to keep emotion from her voice, and from her expression. She had always been one not to openly display such things.



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(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2015, 10:39 PM by Alya.)

"Greetings, sir," she addressed him in a rather courteous manner. "I am Alya, known more commonly as the Shadow." While he appreciated her willingness to share not just her name but her other moniker as well, her frown (or was that a wince?) was not missed. Hmm. As much as he had wanted to give her a close-lipped smile, he chose not to. At least, not yet, if ever.. She asked him then if she could know his name and pack. It was obvious now that he had succeeded in making himself clear and there was currently no need for him to assert any sort of dominance over her.

"I am Angier Lyall," he lent, clarifying just in case she had any doubts, "Leader of Willow Ridge." His dull gold eyes looked her over, silently sizing her up - every inch of her agouti fur, the gleam in her fiery amber eyes, the bulk that made up her moderately-sized build - and gauging what little emotion or expression was in her tone and in her body language. All that he could assume was that she had hailed from a discipline-based pack and was ready to assimilate into any band of wolves should they openly welcome her.

If anything was clear, it was this: the Leader was not about ready to play a lighthearted game of 20 questions or even take a guess at why she had come to ask and make an audience of the Willow Ridge king consort. "If yeh've come to join my ranks, then what is it that you can offer me in return for protection, shelter, fellowship, and food?"

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