White Knight

Igni and I have agreed to have this be Athena and Vafri's first meeting. We're letting the other thread go dead.

The day was uneventful as usual. She started her day off with watching her lovely sunrise and then she was off to do the daily duties. She ended up taking two trips around the borders to fill up some time. A small rock was a used by her to sunbath for a little while and there she saw the prettiest bluebird she has seen this season. Moving on towards the mountain that is when things started to get interesting.

The metallic stench of blood slammed into her nostrils on her way up the side of her mountain. It was definitely fresh, but was not close for her to make out exactly what it was. As she rounded around a bend, a scene of murdered wolverines and her leader's stench hung in the air. A scowl formed on face as she pieced together the scene. If she was not determined on how those rocks were laying everywhere before her, she might have missed the loner scent that was among the jumble of smells. A rumple grew in her chest as she jumped up on the ledge that the loner's scent was the strongest. The scent was unfamiliar and as she jumped down and started to follow Naira's scent, her heart and pace quickened, as the loner scent seemed to follow her leader's trail. She did not know if he was accompanying her or following her. If that was the case, he could potentially hurt Naira and she broke out into a full run. She had to get to Naira, before something bad happened to her if this wolf meant harm.

She was coming from behind them, so she was able to spot them from a high point. She skidded to a stop for a moment when she saw the tawny woman and a white wolf besides her. She watched frantically for a moment, hoping the male did not attack her. She would not be able to get there in time if he did, but luckily, Ava came to the rescue. The black subordinate seemed quite calm and she feared that she Ava would fall victim to the white monster. She thought that she might be overreacting since all the wolves seemed calm and not at all tense. She observed them for a moment and concluded that the loner didn't seem to have the intention of hurting Naira or Ava and she calmed down a bit before she descended down the rest of the mountain towards them.

She padded towards her two pack-mates and her eyes ran over Naira's body looking for any injuries. It seemed like she was hurt on her shoulder, but it did not look too serious. She nudged and licked her tawny cheek before stopping in between both Ava and Naira; the Poison lady gang was together again. "Are you alright, Naira?", she asked, before turning to her dark friend. A soft nudge was given to Ava, before she turned her attention finally to the newcomer. Her eyes surveyed the older male. He was lanky, but most of his condition was due the effects of loner life. He was large in build and her eyes finally rested on his face. A pair of dark brown eyes met her own lighter amber eyes. She tried to keep her eyes from being judgmental, but at times, it did not seem like they were that kind. "Athena Moon." She kept her greeting simple and to the point. She would leave the small talk to Ava and Naira. They were quite good at it.

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

Naira, she introduced herself. Vafri's ears twitched at this mention of liking him, and the big wolf's tail gave a tentative wag. Must be something in the water, he thought, making everyone so kind... or maybe the hot air got into them and made them amiable. No one back home gave strangers more than a warning and the flash of teeth. No one back home dreamed much of forests filled with green and not with white, either. Vafri kept his mouth shut while they walked, content to drink in now-familiar mountain air as they padded along. The smell of blood diminished as the distance rolled beneath their feet, and clean winds brushed his nose. The scent of the female at his side was clearer, too - that familiar earthy smell of wolf and something else, something he wondered if he ought to recognize. He knew the smell of sickness and of fear, but this was different and perplexed he kept pace in silence. At some point, Vafri thought, they passed near enough the boundaries of true pack land to make him a trespasser under normal circumstances. His nose dipped to skate across the ground, catching the faint scent of the female beside him and the bitter presence of a male wolf, and another female. Maybe not strong enough - or recent enough - to be in the heart of strangers' territory but quite near enough to make him nervous. Vafri's head whipped up at the sight of a dark wolf up ahead, and his lanky figure folded back as she approached. Head down, eyes wary, he let his dark eyes follow the stranger's approach to Naira and then glanced away as the dark wolf's eyes met his own. Ava, she introduced herself. The wonderful hunter, he recalled as he eyed the small wounds on her lower legs. "Vafri Seigaldr," replied the white wolf with a brief nod. "Naira told me about you. Pleasure to see you in the flesh." His manners were holding up, at least. The thought of being surrounded weighed heavy on the white wolf's mind but he shook it off. There was no reason for her friendliness to be a trap... none. Vafri still tensed visibly when another female appeared from behind them. He swung about to eye the newest visitor while the other wolves lingered in periphery. They were certainly... attentive, Vafri thought. He followed the white female as she, too approached the leader, and Vafri cocked his head. Nothing odd about this, really, beyond his lack of social experience. All the rubbing against familiars and licking chins and ducking his head was long past, and suddenly he didn't look forward to more of it. He thought of what Naira had told him, though, of being one of few males in a pack of females. Of hunting alongside others, of being safe within their circle of allies... When it came down to that, the pragmatic side of his brain beat down apprehension swiftly. The years ahead of him grew shorter by the day so long as Vafri roamed alone. The sky was not a kind mistress; even verdant lands like these would never coddle him. With another brief duck of his head, then, the white male introduced himself to this Athena - noting, all the while, that she moved with less languid comfort than the other two females. Suspicious, maybe. He tried to make his lanky figure unintimidating. "And I'm Vafri. Nice to meet you. I was just, ah, thinking I might join you ladies. Your leader's promised me I won't have to fight wolverines every day." Dark eyes swept over them again, his joviality a thin veil for cautious optimism.

<blockquote>She knew her slight limp would not go unnoticed by the other members of her little family, nor the fresh smell of blood that had welled and now clotted on her shoulder, but neither did it bother her. The first to arrive was Ava, and she greeted the dark girl with an affectionate nudge. When she asked if she could get her anything a small smile and a shake of her head was the only response she had time to give before Athena made her presence known. As usual, she was the more cautious of the bunch but after her recent encounter with strangers it wasn’t a surprise. Not all wolves were as friendly as she usually was and even she had her days, more so now she was battling with pregnancy hormones.

His attempt at humor drew more laughter from Naira’s mouth. Yes she would need to keep this one around, and it almost seemed as if he was willing to accept. The way he folded back on himself, the way he adjusted his posture as if without thought. He may not be a warrior, but they couldn’t all be warriors. A quick grin flashed to Athena in an attempt to calm the other lady down. <b>”Although with the skills you exhibited today, you would make a fine exterminator should the need ever arise.”</b> she joked back to the pale man, indicating that he should eat. Turning her attention back to Ava and Athena, the grin still plastered to her face, she mentioned conversationally. <b>”If he chooses to stay with us, would you mind showing him around ladies?”</b> She didn’t doubt that they would, Ava was so agreeable and she didn’t doubt that Athena would like to measure up the new recruit for herself. She was like a little general when she wanted to be.</blockquote>

Athena was soon to appear from the opposite direction, Ava casting a small smile to her second as she came down from the mountain rises. Her gaze flickered between Athena's approach and the new white wolf, quietly noting what appeared to be discomfort in the way he held himself. She couldn't soothe it quite yet, their leader having yet been unspoken, but his polite introduction was almost enough to prove himself to Ava. There was no need to be untrusting and cold to a wolf that walked at the side of Naira and whose manners were apparent upon meeting one of her pack. "<b>Good things, I hope,</b>" She joked, a pleasant smile breaking out across her dark face. "<b>Lovely to meet you, Vafri.</b>"

She noted how he tensed on Athena's approach, inwardly making the joke to herself about how intimidating the small she-wolf could be, even though that probably wasn't the case. And she couldn't help but smile at how Vafri was, more or less, getting the perfect impression of the three she-wolves: the way that Naira's presence commanded them, but not with cruelty, and how Athena and Ava were doting and loyal and ever present, where the dark wolf was openly eager and the pale female was passionate about her duties, though far more careful. That was the lady-gang that fit together so well. Then again, she suppossd, it would be smart to have males around. Y'know, to even out the ridiculous amount of estrogen that was saturating the mountainside.

Laughing, Ava pitched in, "<b>Looks like there'll be less wolverines, thanks to you two.</b>" The mountains pestilence were not so many in number, but they were awfully dangerous creatures. Besides the wolverines Ava would occasionally catch a hint of cougar in the winds, but they never came too close to the wolf packs. She blamed them whenever a hunt went unsuccessful. The black she-wolf did her best to give Vafri one inconspicuous once over, trying to gain any hints at all that perhaps he had hailed fro the mountains as well, or else there'd be plenty for him to learn among the Poisoned wolves. It was hard work to <span class='word'>ensconce</span> to the life on the stones, but ultimately well worth it. "<b>I suppose that'd be alright,</b>" she mused, playful notes laced in her easy tones. with a flick of her tail she snuck a peek at Athena, in case she had vastly different judgement.

art - threads

Her ever-inspecting eyes bored into Vafri. It seemed like those amber balls of fire could tear apart someone’s soul with one glance. She did not want Naira making a mistake and allowing the wrong wolf into their family. There were cubs on the way and her ever-dying loyalty to her pack, she did not want them hurt. She would literally take a bullet for them if she had too. However, the white man was not showing any signs that Athena could disapprove of. Therefore, when her eyes did not find any sort of underlying flaw in the wolf before them, her gaze lightened and her mood turned kinder.

Naira’s laugh soothed her ears and she was assured by the tawny lady’s words that he seemed to be worthy of a position here. Ava, too, seemed to take a liking the man and with both of the lady’s approval, she decided she couldn’t be too hard on the wolf. When she addressed both Ava and her, she merely turned and nodded politely before turning back to the male. She would see later on if she thought he was worthy of a place in this pack. One misshape could be deadly for them and she was not about to let them go down this early. Her attention turned back to the conversation before her. A lady of few words, she was merely a pair of ears in a group of mouths.

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

There was such easy friendship here - he felt it in the way they stood, the way they spoke, the way they fit together like three pieces of the same tight puzzle. It had been a long time since Vafri last witnessed comradarie in any form; he wondered briefly if his own pack had ever been so accommodating, and gave a tentative wag of his bushy tail. "I'd love a tour," offered the white wolf smoothly in response to Naira's suggestions and Ava's brief tolerance of the hint. He found he liked the threads of playfulness running in electric undercurrents just beneath their every word. They reminded Vafri of old tales, of witches and wildlife and furtive grins beneath the frosty curtain-lights of a northern sky. He wanted to smile himself after a time, and wondered if he was only dreaming or if they planned to eat him the moment he let down his guard.That thought, at least, did bring a brief grin to the big male's face.

[ eh, I guess we should wind this down around now? I'm sorry this is so short, I didn't really know what to say :x ]

<blockquote> She took his grin as acceptance of her offer and moved forwards to brush down his side coating him with the scent that was Poison Path. Turning to her ever reliable lady gang with a nod she turned to return to her den. Her jaunt with the wolverines had not left her unscathed and she had her own wounds to tend to for once.

Before traveling too far she turned to check on her little gathering. <b>”I’ll expect to here some of those stories soon!”</b> she shouted back with a laugh. Truly confined as she was there was little to keep her amused down here, and that was largely why she had gone in search of trouble. Hopefully now she would have a reason to stay closer to home.</blockquote>