The Wildwood New Beginnings

<blockquote>Rhysis held in his snigger, it appeared Valiant had bitten off much more then he could chew and he was enjoying watching him squirm. He looked completely uncomfortable and worn down and on some levels Rhysis simply thought he deserved it. He played around with far too many hearts and as a strong believer in karma; this was going to happen sooner or later. Whilst it might have been amusing it could lead to more difficulties- they were here for a reason and if they wanted to bail they only had the power to restrain one from running; on that thought his eyes fell upon the small and silent female. If they weren't going to go along with his plan of their own accord, she would be the one he would take, regardless of her will.

As the loud mouth female continued to shout he left Valiant's side and sauntered closer to the small female. It was probably best to keep closer to her; she was no doubt fast and whilst he might be built for speed rather than strength, he was pretty sure she would still outrun him. He didn't get too close, he didn't like physical contact after all but he kept close enough to look harmless enough. <b>"With you here, I am already in a nightmare. Now if you would kindly shut the hell up for five minutes perhaps I would be able to tell you why we've invited you here. Else I may let the burning inside me to rip out your tongue come to fruition."</b> he said towards Hawke. He wasn't intimidated by her brash stance, she was Valiant’s problem and he was more than certain if she did want to make a move he wouldn't be alone in fighting her off, in fact even the other female looks positively pissed at her every breath. As the old saying went, my enemy’s enemy is my friend.

<b>”So. Valiant tells me he has told you of a plan for a pack. This is why we’re here. We’re trying to establish our own pack here in these lands. We want to take a territory, offer you the security of a pack but with none of the rules.”</b> he paused then and gave a smirk to Valiant. <b>”I think I speak for myself and Valiant when I say we have a little trouble with authority... and the packs around here really don’t suit our particular personalities.”</b> he continued with a glance between the wolves gathered. <b>”We want to make a pack where the only rules are a scheduled hunt for all memebers and loyalty to your pack mates are key. Other than that you can do as you please and I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know it will be Valiant who holds our lead position and not myself.”</b> he said with a nod in the fluffy fellows direction. What he didn’t add however was that he would be running the show from behind the safety of a giant fluffy wall- he’d be almost untouchable with such a bodyguard and should trouble arise, it wouldn’t be his neck on the line.

<b>”The problem we’re having is numbers- the law of any land is that you need a female to lead, which is where you <i>ladies</i> come in. One of you could become our pack leader, which includes every girl’s dream of breeding rights.”</b> though at the moment he was rooting for the silent female, he didn’t think he could stand the other for too long, especially if this was only first gear. The way the position would be decided was a complete mystery, he had figured Valiant would return with only one female but with two that made it more difficult. He could either pick himself or they could battle for it... for the time being they didn’t need to choose. They had other matters to attend to.

<b>”Alongside this Valiant and I are seeking acceptance to the packs of the land. If you were serious about joining us you’d need to enlist yourself too.”</b> but what he didn’t say was the reasons why they were joining other packs. It was probably not a good idea to mention they were scouting out potential enemies, hierarchy, territory lines and pack habits. The more Intel they had the better and with a wolf in each pack they’d be laughing. That was if they went willingly, he was pretty certain if he had to take the small female by force she wasn’t likely to go wandering off into another pack by herself and then willingly leave it to rejoin them. </blockquote>

<blockquote>The silvery male saw his dark companion move from the corner of his eye but kept his entire attention focused on Hawke. Hopefully he would attempt to make polite conversation instead of forcing the other pale lady to stay. He had found her quite agreeable on the mountain and although Hawke's presence seemed to have her on the edge of her own sanity, she was still a nice wolf. He just found Hawke was easier to manipulate.

He was on the edge of his own sanity, almost tempted to rise from his cowering position and give the woman a good beating, but that wouldn't serve anyones purposes. His eyes met her's, so similar in colour to his own. <b>"How can I convince you when you've already decided we're against you?"</b> he asked quietly so only she could hear, ears drooped in defeat, hurt laced in his voice. <b>"Everything was going so well before Athena came along. Why did everything have to change? She's no threat to you, look at yourself. She's nothing compared to you."</b> At some point his rear had hit the snow and he looked utterly defeated. He gave the female a small lick on her chin, a sign usually reserved for the leaderesses of packs. He lowered his head to stare at the snow at his feet as he attempted to lean against her, almost taking a pose one might expect of a wounded pup.

Inside, a fire was growing that he was struggling to contain, but his ruse was so well practiced that he managed to keep the rage and anger from his eyes. He had never been an angry wolf, but this woman was testing his limits. If this didn't work, he wouldn't be able to pretend anymore, and may well ruin everyones plans. He attempted to meet her eyes again, lacing his sadness with a little hope as the tip of his tail twitched in the beginnings of a wag, sheepish grin fighting its way from his maw. He knew it made him look ridiculous but it had worked it's magic on more than female, merely serving to enforce their inbuilt opinion he was far too simple to manipulate anyone.</blockquote>

Sorry for the wait - I was slammed with a bunch of appointments that were made last minute. It's kept me away from the computer a lot.

i know it gets hard sometimes but i could never leave your side no matter what i say "Do you think I'm afraid of you?" she responded to the black male with the same cold, calculating voice. She was no longer the angry, fuming female that she had been before, but was now a calculating, calm wolf, unfazed by the dark wolf's threats and the fact that he was larger than her. She did not believe that Valiant would defend her if things did come to a fight, but she also had no problem with dying. "There is no reason for me to fear you," she continued, answering her own question. "I do not fear pain and I do not fear death. I will fight until my heart stops beating, if I have to." Was it sacrifice? No. It was determination and a refusal to back down. She backed down from no one, as if she was an alpha already, willing to face any challenge to defend her position and her pack. Finally, her flexuous form turned back to Valiant, hearing him out as he spoke to her. While his words sounded genuine, she was not keen on trusting him so completely now. She spoke lowly, so that only he could hear her voice now. "How can I trust you when you bring me to this friend of yours? He is unpleasant - I am here for you, and nothing more. But I will leave, if that is what you want or if I feel that I am being used." Her voice was strong and clear, but she was calmer when speaking to him. She wanted to be with him. A part of her enjoyed his company and loved him. She would have done anything for him at this point, simply because he had kept her from being alone. She spoke to him again, in the same quite voice that only he could hear. This time she was softer, and her eyes were different than they had been before. She was no longer the annoying wolf that had come on the journey with him. Nor was she the cold, calculating wolf that she was as she spoke to Rhysis. Now she was calm; almost pleasant in a way. She was not the female that required assurance each moment that she was not going to be abandoned. "I want you to be happy, Valiant," she said softly, her voice taking on the smooth, almost musical quality that it had had when they had first met. "You only need to ask and I will do what I can for you. I just need to know that I can trust you." 'cause if i wanted to go i would have gone by now but i really need you near me to keep my mind off the edge

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The white girl shifted slightly when Rhysis stepped closer to her. She didn't know why he decided to come closer to her and from what she observed he didn't seem like the type for physical contact. As he was closer now, she got a better look at him and saw that he was actually quite handsome, but that doesn't mean a thing now a days. Some can easily use their good looks to their advantages, as fluffy romancer over here, has demonstrated. Athena continued to stare at the black brute while he explain the plan. She was intrigued when he talked about a pack with no rules and noticed his strong country drawl. She never really liked being told what to do and criticized upon, so this kind of pack structure was interesting enough to get Athena on board with the plan. For the moment Athena was just ignoring Hawke and her rants. She had no desire to waste her time on her and hopefully either Rhysis or Valiant would take care of her. Though, she did glance over at her when she said something about fighting. She wondered what Rhysis would say to that. Maybe, Rhysis would be the one to get the female out of Athena's fur. The talk about female leadership made Athena wonder who it would be. Hawke or her? Maybe Rhysis should get rid of her now, before she had the headache of deciding this with her. She sure would want to be the Alpha female if Valiant was leader. Great, can't wait for that fight. Now was when Athena decided to finally speak when Rhysis finished with talk of joining separate packs. "What packs have you and Valiant decided to join?" The white girl said with her slight Canadian accent. She was slightly worried about going into Swift River. From what she had heard, it's a more family oriented pack than mixed up loners. She only knew of one other pack which was the Grizzly Hollow. They lived quite close to her old den in Riddle Heights and she ran into them from time to time. Hopefully, one of them had planned on joining Swift River, if not than she'd have to put on her innocent facade.

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

<blockquote>Rhysis had remained silent whilst the loudmouth continued her ranting. He honestly hadn’t the energy to continue such a petty argument- he knew any further remarks would just make her go off on one again and really, who needed the hassle. He drew his attention away from the female and Valiant as they spoke in hushed tones to one another; he still didn’t know whether to feel sorry for the fluffy brute or smirk at his misery, but there was something more there between them, he could almost feel it in the air as they spoke so quietly between themselves. Of course, Rhysis didn’t understand how mates, love and emotion worked, it was entirely alien to him and he didn’t have any interest in finding out the logistics of it all, it seemed entirely too much unnecessary work and he had enough on his plate as it was. He supposed at some point in the future he would have to spawn an heir, the thought repulsed him but he needed to keep his bloodline alive... still, he had plenty of time to worry about that later.

He was torn away from his thoughts as the silent female finally piped up, and what a surprise she direction her attention towards Valiant. Already they saw him as the leader and with an inward smile, Rhysis relaxed a little more. It was working out just fine, they wanted Valiant, they would follow Valiant and fortunately, Valiant would follow him. He made the rules, he was the brains whilst the poofy male was the brawn, they were a good team... providing that Valiant would never catch on to the lie which floated in the air between them, that he was a puppet and Rhysis the master. It would be an... awkward moment, that was for sure.

It appeared as no one else wished to speak to him, he may as well speak up for himself but directed it mostly at Valiant. <b>”I’m going to Copper Rock Creek... I have unfinished business there. Join a pack, get your strength up and listen... learn. In our own pack, the packs we join now could become an enemy- learn about them, it could give us the upper hand.</b> he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. It wasn’t as if he wanted to wage war between the packs, it seemed the three already in the area got along well together but he was certain that it only took one or two shady characters, who might be drawn to their lawless pack, to offend the wrong wolf and hell would break lose- Rhysis couldn’t wait! <b>”So... everybody in?</b> he then asked the group. Naturally he could only go on their word... but he had kept things as simple as possible so if one was to change their mind, remain within the pack they had joined, they couldn’t let too much slip.
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OOC: He hasn't come down with stockholm syndrome yet... Also, apologies for the length (lack of) pounding headache.

<blockquote>The fluffy brute took a deep breath to centre himself, keeping a concerned look in his eyes. It was all going to work out in the long run. If only they knew just how he was reacting internally they would see a very different conversation going on between the pale pair. His comments would seem sarcastic and snide, down right rude. He would have her on her back with her throat between his jaws but that wouldn't serve anyones best interests and it would be a shame to break something so pretty and gullible.

He managed to unclench his jaw and give the woman another reassuring smile. <b>"I <i>am</i> happy Hawke."</b> he said forcing a smile to his eyes and bumping gently against her side before turning his attention to the main discussion. <b>"I met Jaysyek of Grizzly Hollow, before I went to the mountain..."</b> he added more for Hawke's benefit than anyone else's. <b>"She seems alright as a leader, and she's the <i>only</i> leader at the moment. I can try and head over that way?"</b> he questioned to Rhysis. After all, he knew he wasn't the brains of this operation.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2012, 12:00 PM by Valiant.)

Guys, I am so sorry for the wait AGAIN. I haven't been home for most of the last three days and my computer access has been limited.

i know it gets hard sometimes but i could never leave your side no matter what i say Hawke felt as if she had sedated. All of her anger and all of her other emotions had just drained out of her. She sat sedately, keeping quiet and listening. She had all but chosen to ignore the black male and Athena. They were useless to her nothing for her to be concerned about. She felt completely detached from the situation, and for some reason that made her want to just lay down and die. No one wanted to be around someone like her, with her strange mood swings and her violent outbursts. "I guess I'll go with Valiant," she said absently, not looking at anyone as she spoke. There wasn't any reason for her to be there anymore, she decided, and she almost stood up and left without thinking. However, something tugged at her mind, keeping her from completely breaking with the situation. "When do we leave?" she asked, with the same absent voice and expression as before. Clearly she was no longer interested in the other two wolves and she didn't know what else to do. It was almost as if she was having some kind of dissociative break from reality. 'cause if i wanted to go i would have gone by now but i really need you near me to keep my mind off the edge

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ooc: Understandable(: & sorry for the shortness and triple posted. My phone kinda sucks/: but I reported the last two posts, so hopefully they will be gone soon(:

That left the Swift River pack up for grabs. <i>Of course.</i> Athena grumbled in her head. The one pack she didn't want to butt heads with was the one she'd have to join. Part of her hoped that Hawke would volunteer to join Swift River. Maybe then she could have gotten into a scuffle and the pack turned on her for it. That would be great. Easiest way to get rid of her.

Sadly that wouldn't be the way now. With Hawke going with Valiant to Grizzly Hollow, she wouldn't be getting herself chewed alive by the river wolves. Too bad. <b>"Then, I will seek out Swift River."</b> She stated, not all that enthused. With Rhysis's last questioning words, she merely nodded. She didn't have any plans on changing her mind about this. Athena would use her innocent side to try to win over Swift River; fooling them that she's only <span class='word'>liege</span> to them. Anyway, she couldn't miss out on on the fun.

(This post was last modified: Mar 03, 2012, 09:49 PM by Athena.)

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

That left the Swift River pack up for grabs. <i>Of course.</i> Athena grumbled in her head. The one pack she didn't want to butt heads with was the one she'd have to join. Part of her hoped that Hawke would volunteer to join Swift River. Maybe then she could have gotten into a scuffle and the pack turned on her for it. That would be great. Easiest way to get rid of her. Sadly that wouldn't be the way now. With Hawke going with Valiant to Grizzly Hollow, she wouldn't be getting herself chewed alive by the river wolves. Too bad. <b>"Then, I will seek out Swift River."</b> She stated, not all that enthused. With Rhysis's last questioning words, she merely nodded. She didn't have any plans on changing her mind about this. Athena would use her innocent side to try to win over Swift River; fooling them that she's only <span class='word'>liege</span> to them. Anyway, she couldn't miss out on on the fun.

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

That left the Swift River pack up for grabs. <i>Of course.</i> Athena grumbled in her head. The one pack she didn't want to butt heads with was the one she'd have to join. Part of her hoped that Hawke would volunteer to join Swift River. Maybe then she could have gotten into a scuffle and the pack turned on her for it. That would be great. Easiest way to get rid of her. Sadly that wouldn't be the way now. With Hawke going with Valiant to Grizzly Hollow, she wouldn't be getting herself chewed alive by the river wolves. Too bad. <b>"Then, I will seek out Swift River."</b> She stated, not all that enthused. With Rhysis's last questioning words, she merely nodded. She didn't have any plans on changing her mind about this. Athena would use her innocent side to try to win over Swift River; fooling them that she's only <span class='word'>liege</span> to them. Anyway, she couldn't miss out on on the fun.

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