Willow Ridge old folks home

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The thick grey of the morning fog swirled around the wolf, the coolness of the mist settling into her brown pelt. It was as thick as pea soup, and while she was sure no one would be able to see her moving through without being close enough to see them herself, she tried to mask the pain the cool weather drew from her front paw. Soon enough she could take a rest, but not until she reached her destination. Skana hoped she could find it through the mist that blanketed the forest, though the place was unfamiliar enough that the fog couldn't really make her any more disoriented.

Past the hanging vines of the willow branches and the syrupy fog, a rocky, jutting form began to take shape in the distance. It became obvious that this was not some old den that had fallen fallow. It smelled strongly of the pack, and the ground was marred with recent activity. This had to be it. Her tail began to sway in reserved excitement, and if her bones weren't so sore she would have run the rest of the way. She stopped in front of the beige stony castle, working her gaze from it's precipice to the small, dark cavern set into the formation. So this was it, the place she would now call home.

With a tired huff, she unceremoniously dropped her rear to the ground and sat. She was just tired of walking, and thankful to have a place she could rest for a little bit. Before she knew it, her lids had begun to droop and she slouched forward, her head snapping back up occasionally as she fought off sleep.

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> Th egentle smell of Skana triggered a flashback into the past. Afte rhe growled. <b style="color:#8e989d">"Whay are you here Skana?" His tail raised in dominance in case the scent of Willow Ridge was just from the scent marks. (The flashback) Shade was carefully smelling the surroundings for any hint of wolf or prey. Too many encounters with vicious wolves made him wiser, more careful, more skilled. He kept thinking back to his sister. He would never find her so he gave up all together. She probably wasn't even in Wildwood. Probably somewhere else, living the excellent life of a lone wolf with the skills he had taught her. He was near the lagoon, the Iridescent Lagoon, the largest water source in the Wildwood. He searched for prey, scenting a deer, but he can't catch it by himself, so he continued to settle for rabbits. With his luck, he scented one. He would eat good while he was here since the lagoon attracted so much prey. He stalked it carefully, making sure he got the prey. He lept and landed on it. Crushing it's neck with his paw, he killed it. Shade headed to the small cave right by the lagoon to eat his prey. The cave was his temporary den. He enjoyed it, reminded him of his puphood home. He ate the rabbit, savoring each bite. He'd been well fed with a steady supply of rabbits since he arrived at the lagoon. He cleaned his paws, getting all the blood off and licked his muzzle clean. He left and drank a bit out of the lagoon as he swore he scented another wolf or two. If he was right, he would surely end up running into them sometime. When, he was unsure of that. Since he had heard of the packs of Wildwood and seen them. He had been at war with himself. He wanted to join a pack. But he didn't want to disgrace the Slayer line. He now realized he had to make a choice. Find a pack and be a loyal member to defend said pack, even with his life. Or he had to turn away, keep the Slayer line a lone wolf line and continue the hunt for his sister. He took a few hours debating and conferring the facts, plusses and delta's of each thing. He reached a deadlock. So he decided, he'll keep looking for Shadowstorm unless he finds a pack that he would be suitable for.

table by bryony

(This post was last modified: Aug 14, 2012, 04:08 AM by Shade.)

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>(OOC: I'm gonna assume he came up behind her if that's alright?)</span>

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She was wading through a wide, wide river. So very slowly she was walking against the current, trying to move upstream. There was something important up there she had to reach, though she couldn't remember what it was. It felt like she had been walking for hours, but when she looked around at the surrounding forest, she found she hadn't moved an inch. A deep voice rumbled into her dream, asking "Why are you here, Skana?". She looked around, confused. Where had she heard that voice before? And of course she would be here...

"This is my home," she murmured in a sleepy daze, still not quite awake yet. Then realizing that the voice hadn't been in her dream, she bolted upright, eyes wide and head twisting to see who had spoken. For a moment she was lost. This wasn't Salmon River. But then it came back to her. She was in Willow Ridge, before the pack den, and though in her exclamation she had meant the river was her home, this place was now, too. She craned her neck back to look over her shoulder, finally catching sight of a dark, blurry shape with her bad left eye. That wouldn't do. She stood and turned around to face who had come up behind her, and started laughing when she caught sight of the familiar gilded brown wolf.

She had just barely gotten the fit of laughter under control before she spoke, "Look what the cat dragged in! I might ask the same of you, what are you doing here, Shade?" She chuckled as she spoke. She couldn't believe this. What a strange twist of fate, a strange sense of humor the universe held, to bring the two back together after their tense meeting only a week before. She had thought she might never run into the man again, and while she wasn't exactly happy to see him, she found she wasn't as irritated at him as she had been. Things were looking up for her now, and she didn't see the point in getting irritated over their earlier interaction. After all, it was him who had helped her to see that she did need help, and had resulted in her coming to Willow Ridge.

While she wasn't as annoyed at him anymore, his tail held high resulted in her lifting her own tail, arching the plume over her back. She didn't know what standing he held here, but she wasn't going to snivel at his paws.

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> Shade laughed a bit. They had a very tense meeting a mere week before. Now it appeared they were packmates. <b style="color:#8e989d">"Same as you, this is my home now. I was searching for Remy. Elettra suggested the guardian position to me. It appears that we both had the same interest in the same pack Skana." He said. The meeting was very ironic. It was also not something to take lightly. The fae stayed relaxed. Not tensing on him like she did last time. It seems she took his advice. <b style="color:#8e989d">"So Skana, how are you?" He asked. He thought of all the abuse and such he’d gone through. He thought of his shameful history: Shade was born in a small litter, 2 pups. Him and his sister Shadowstorm. They lived together with their parents for a few months but then, a small group of lone wolves attacked the den. They killed his parents, but spared his life and his sisters. Luckily, he learned how to hunt already from his father, and he had taught his sister all he knew. He started out, knowing his sister was alive, togo looking for Shadowstorm, who had ran away from the scene thinking he was dead as well. He is a firm believer that pack members are weak. But that belief is deteriorating in him. He is starting to contradict himself and that is when he decides to make a move he's never done before. It's 'weakening him' he thinks because he is sick of a lonely life. He wants a pack now, but he keeps his thoughts in check as he continues forward, hoping for a strong will power to hold him off until he finds Shadowstorm, his sister. Before he came to the Relic Lore, he encountered a wolf name Ari. She started rambling on about how she wanted to be in a pck and he got mad. He attacekd and mauled her. Leaving a nice big scar on the back of the small fae. He regrets it because she was no bigger then a pup. To this day, he regrets it, but he can never take it back, and never undo it.<b style="color:#8e989d">"speech."

table by bryony

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By now her laughter had subsided, and her amusement calmed into a neutrally pleasant expression. "Remy? Who might that be?" Skana asked, her ears shifting to perch alert atop her head. Besides Elettra and Koda, and Shade of course, Skana had not yet seen any of the other members of the pack. She had been assured they were all strong, competent wolves. She lowered her tail, letting it stick out straight behind her as she further relaxed. "It seems we have. It's funny how fate works like that. Well, it's good to see you've found your place here. I'm to be tested for the role of advisor at some point."

He asked how she was, and she had to consider it for a moment before she could respond. She was sore, tired, and a little hungry. All of those things could be overlooked, however, considering she wasn't all of these things and alone. A pack wolf through and through, she was happy to be back in one, even if it wasn't at the top. That was just fine for her anyways, as she could live the rest of her years out without worrying about running a pack. If the role of advisor was given to her, she could still offer her help where needed, but ultimately all decisions would be left to Elettra and Koda. "Better, things are finally looking up for this old wolf. You?"

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> By now Skana's laughter had subsided, and her amusement calmed into a neutrally pleasant expression. "Remy? Who might that be?" Skana asked, her ears shifting to perch alert atop her head. <b style="color:#8e989d">"Remy? She's is the stone cold, steel wall of a second for Elettra." He said calmly. He had a small smile on his face. She wasn't as annoyed at him compared to last time. "It seems we have. It's funny how fate works like that. Well, it's good to see you've found your place here. I'm to be tested for the role of advisor at some point." <b style="color:#8e989d">"Congratulations on being accepted. I swear that if some other wolves I know join the pack, I'm gonna freak!" e said, by other wolves, he meant Shadowstorm. Odd how fate worked. Perhaps it was best Shadowstorm avoid him. Then he suddenly remembered that the history he previously thought of was the biggest understatement of his life. The real truth was that he had a hard life. Shade was born to an unknown line of Lone Wolves. The Slayer wolves. His father ruthless, crueld and mean. When he started training Shade and his sister Shadowstorm how to survive the cold world. He used his first lesson: Packs are weak, bottomfeeding losers that couldn't take care of themselves, so they hung together and shared food. He told Shade never to join a pack. Shade was an idealistic child. He had reason and said that wolves would be stronger in numbers. His father attacked him, leaving no permenant scars, but the emotional trama to get it stuck into his head. This went on for a year or so, his mother kept begging his father to stop, claiming they were children, they didn't know better. It got worse as it happened. His father started to beat her too. It was gruesome to watch. He was out on a final hunting assignment. Returned early with two hares for the family. He came to the sight of his parents fighting a group of two or three lone wolves. Out of fright, he ran for his life. Hoping his sister made it out alive too, he began to search for her. He searched everywhere far and wide for a long 4 years. He finally came and arrived here, in Relic Lore.

table by bryony

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Skana gave a small nod at the information Shade gave her. She would have to keep Remy in mind, as her standing of second gave her prominence within the pack. It was good to know who's toes to avoid stepping on. While Skana didn't want to stir things up having just joined the pack, she wasn't planning on staying in the lower ranks forever. Second was a stretch though, and if the woman who held the spot really was the cold, steel wall that Shade had said she was, Skana didn't think she would get that far. She was happy enough just not to be on her own anymore.

"Thank you." She said simply. She was practically a stranger to this land. Anyone she knew here, Elettra, Koda, Shade, were all within the same pack anyways. The thought of seeing anyone from her homeland wasn't a thrilling thought. Seeing no reason to stand any longer, she sat back down. "So, have you met any of the other members of our pack? I've only just arrived, and incidentally you were the first and only I've come across, besides our leaders."

Before meeting Roselalia

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> "Thank you. So, have you met any of the other members of our pack? I've only just arrived, and incidentally you were the first and only I've come across, besides our leaders." Shade nodded. <b style="color:#8e989d">"I've met them all Skana. There is Kyrie, shes a huntress, about 2 years old. Narimé is a yearling, that is the only thing keeping her from being a huntress as well. You already know Koda and Elettra and Remy. I just told you, Remy in a steel wall. LAstly is Reed, he is the second male. Head hunter. The nicer of the seconds by far." All the information flowed out of him. It was like a waterfall. So much info he could barely breathe afterwards. <b style="color:#8e989d">"This place is like a home for old folks like us isn't it Skana?" He said with a jokeing smile. (SUPER SHORT! Muse is low, so so sorry)

table by bryony

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Skana leaned back on her haunches as Shade unleashed a barrage of words. The man certainly could be energetic, and Skana remembered how she used to hold the same enthusiasm and vitality. Too much had happened, with too many years gone by for her to muster up the same spark she had when she was younger. A younger Skana's first activity in a new territory would be to scout out every bit of her new home and acquaint herself with it. And the older Skana would do so, eventually, at a later time. Right now, all she could think about was sleeping. "Well, I look forward to meeting them all." She said.

Her jaws stretched in a wide yawn, her teeth audibly clacking shut afterwards. She was tired, after all, and her nap had been interrupted. Slowly, she slid her front paws forward along the ground until she was laying down. She set her head down on her paws and sighed tiredly. "I suppose you could say that," She said, her amused gaze moving up to look at shade. "This tired old folk is glad for it. Especially if it means I can finally get a good rest." Slowly she blinked, then closed one eye, leaving the good right one to stare up at Shade.

(Yeah my muse isn't doing too well right now either :( If you'd like to finish up in the next post you can?)

My last post, then yours and we have ten so we can claim points

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j347/holdbacktherain/sets/shadetable.png) bottom center no-repeat; background-color: #c7b49b;"> "Well, I look forward to meeting them all. I suppose you could say that, This tired old folk is glad for it. Especially if it means I can finally get a good rest. He laughed a bit. Ah, it was good old Skana. He hated party pooping, but he had to scedattle. <b style="color:#8e989d">"I have to spoil the party. But I gotta run. Busy life pack life is." He said. He almost didn't wanna leave. The real truth was that he had a hard life. Shade was born to an unknown line of Lone Wolves. The Slayer wolves. His father ruthless, crueld and mean. When he started training Shade and his sister Shadowstorm how to survive the cold world. He used his first lesson: Packs are weak, bottomfeeding losers that couldn't take care of themselves, so they hung together and shared food. He told Shade never to join a pack. Shade was an idealistic child. He had reason and said that wolves would be stronger in numbers. His father attacked him, leaving no permenant scars, but the emotional trama to get it stuck into his head. This went on for a year or so, his mother kept begging his father to stop, claiming they were children, they didn't know better. It got worse as it happened. His father started to beat her too. It was gruesome to watch. He was out on a final hunting assignment. Returned early with two hares for the family. He came to the sight of his parents fighting a group of two or three lone wolves. Out of fright, he ran for his life. Hoping his sister made it out alive too, he began to search for her. He searched everywhere far and wide for a long 4 years. He finally came and arrived here, in Relic Lore.

table by bryony