Poison Path Avalanche

Calm before the storm?

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c58/becuffin/hold.jpg) bottom no-repeat; background-color: #301e4e;"> She hadn’t been home for long, but already she felt better for it. Rested, and peaceful. She could confidently leave Adonis with the others and know that no harm would come to him. She had taken up her old birthing den, a short distance from the others, and for the most part, had busied herself filling the caches and patrolling the borders, her scent now almost as thickly about the perimeter as anyone else's. She wasn’t quite as thin as she had been, the first few pounds piling on quickly with regular meals. She only ate what she caught, leaving the caches for the young and the pack. She had a lot more miles to cover before she would feel entitled to take from the stores for any but the children. She was still keeping her distance from the young ones, although she had already encountered them on a few different occasions, she wanted them to adjust to her being around before forcing her presence on them. They were of course, curious as pups often were, and she would sit at a distance and watch them like a hawk, hunger apparent in her eyes... wanting to know them. And so, she had decided to take a rare break, settling herself by the lake, in the sun. She allowed her eyes to momentarily drift shut as she let herself simply be. The wind was talking to her again, and the she could feel love from the sky and the earth. Soon, she would head down into the lands below and thank Triell for the strength he had leant her in her hour of need, and maybe try to track down Rhysis and drag some rhyme or reason from his thick black skull... but for now, she was content to simply be surrounded by her family, back home where she belonged.

code by bryony

After Nina expresses who had attacked her. <3 <3

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He was still in the process of trying to figure what nasty loner had been near their borders and in their territory. Over all and all he had been thoroughly pissed off about the happening. Ever since he had not taken a break off of patrolling the Poisoned borders. He was succeeding greatly in letting no one pass through, but otherwise he was still disappointed with himself. His already large form had increased in size since joining a pack. His muscles had grown and the mountains had granted him with more stamina, along with the large prey he was allowed. The large male’s massive form stalked along the borders, his nostrils flaring as his green eyes pierced through the land.

He remained pacing, but he was soon stopped when the scent of something familiar caught his attention. . .yet, unfamiliar. His ears perked and his walk quickened wanting to investigate the smell. His lips pulled back as a brown form came into his view. It was a large female, though smaller then him. And she smelt of pack. . .but he had also scented it before. Where. . .? He needed to remember this soon. His eyes flashed and he was soon walking through the day when he had caught scent of another in the vicinity of his pack territory. It was then that a vicious snarl escaped from his powerful jaws.

He stalked forward, his head turned slightly downward so he could see the female. His tail was stiff and risen, whilst his body posture seemed to scream dominance. He was sure this female had been accepted into the pack, for the smelt highly of Athena, but she was still low. His eyes flashed to her, his gaze watching over his slightly, his nose sniffing her forehead in a protective yet curious gesture. "You came into the lands before you were accepted." And with his gruff voice ringing her looked down upon her, taking a few steps back.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c58/becuffin/hold.jpg) bottom no-repeat; background-color: #301e4e;"> Her mind had wandered back over the night she had been taken from her family. A lot had changed in those months, but the heart of her pack remained. Ava, Athena and Chantille were still here. Bella and Datura had flourished in her absence... Although Adonis still seemed somewhat caged. Her heart ached for her son. She was also pleased that Athena had found someone to lead at her side. Her meeting with the man had been brief, and for the most, silent on his part, but even in her shattered state she had seen the way he gravitated to her. Supported her. That was the way things should be... Before her thoughts could drift to Rhysis, they were interrupted by the sound of movement behind her. Her nose told her this wolf was pack and so her eyes did not open, nor did she rise. She felt the gentle blow of air on her crown before the man moved back. It was then that she chanced a glance at him. There was something familiar in this wolf, although she had never met him, to be sure. She never forgot a scent. Not even when her mind was broken and the world only seen through a haze of greys and reds. She allowed the silence to linger between them for a moment before she bothered to give him a response. His pose was demanding and deep down, an anger stirred at the sight. The queen in her was not dead. “These lands and this pack would not exist were it not for me.” She responded cooly. Her gaze traveling back across the mirrored surface of the lake. The tawny wolf imitating its calm to the naked eye. But underneath the surface, emotions ran as rampant as the Swift River. There was so much she was yet to piece together.

code by bryony

Sorry it's so short. :'(

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His eyes watched her closely, slightly shocked when she saw the flash of familiarity in her eyes. Her watched her, as a slight uncomfortable silence reigned over them. His large paws stayed where they were and when she spoke, he knew who it was. Her cold reply did not affect him, though he looked down upon her in wonder. He spoke, his gruff voice deep, "Niara, it‘s a pleasure. Ash Hervok." He spoke the words slowly, not sure what he had expected from her. It seemed word had gotten out about Nina’s incident, and quite a few wolves. . .no wait, most wolves knew about his terrible crime.

His muzzle bumped her on the cheek lightly, in a sign of acceptance before he stepped back to look her over. She seemed to slowly be regaining her strength, and he made sure to note her appearance and scent in the back of his mind for future cases. Considering what he had heard of the past alpha, he had been sure that they all despised Naira, though he was sure he had missed some important piece to the puzzle. "I apologize in advance for sounding rude. But I would like to know why you were accepted back into Poison Path." Ash asked this question mainly for Athena’s sake. He was her silent guardian.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

Oh dear. Sorry its so long winded... O.o

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c58/becuffin/hold.jpg) bottom no-repeat; background-color: #301e4e;"> The memory rang through her mind, as clear as a bell... My brother... Ash. What an interesting turn of events. Poison Path had always been a place of new beginnings. This put her in an unusual situation. Her loyalties usually lay with her pack, but she was so newly returned, and this man before her was but a stranger. She fought the urge to curl her lip back at his name. This was not the time. Not when her own position within the pack was so precarious. Her composure remained unflustered, as serene as the lake before them... But she would be keeping her eye on this one. The nudge to her cheek came as a surprise, and she instinctively returned the gesture with one of her own, a bit lower on his jaw to allow for the fact she was still quiet comfortably on her stomach, enjoying the cool that radiated from the mildly damp earth beneath her chest. His next question though, was more of a puzzle. Even she didn’t truly know the answer. “I never chose to leave.” She began slowly. Talking still grated on her nerves a little, and didn’t come nearly as easily as it once had. She owed Ava and Chantille a full explanation before this man, but it seemed he would get the shortened version before either of them. Retelling it always left her nerves on edge, and she didn’t want to go into too much depth so soon after the last telling. “Adonis should be with his siblings...” she finished lightly, brows furrowing as she watched a bird (an eagle?) dive below the surface of the lake and emerge with a wriggling fish clasped in its talons. Her gaze was still fixed on the bird as it flew off with its prize. It helped her to recall without reliving. Her voice was smooth, even... distant. “I told her what happened that night... I don’t know what happened to Rhysis or Lilly... but I had a problem to deal with... A threat to my son and my pack. I dealt with it, then there was the landslide...” She wasn’t sure she wanted to touch on the fact it was her brother who had committed such unspeakable crimes against his own blood. She wasn’t sure she would be able to keep the accusation from her voice if he pressed the matter... although her brother had come off far worse than Nina’s had. In such an emotional state she probably wouldn’t be too far off trying to even the score out a little for her friend. Pack or not. He wasn’t one of hers... Although she was not unaware of Athena’s feelings towards the Creek’s healer, and she didn’t particularly want to piss the white wolf off. Not after all she had done for Naira and her children. She owed Athena more than the white lady would probably ever know. Still, she was balancing a knifes edge. Her temper control had never been her strong point. It wouldn’t take much to tip her over the edge. The landslides were occurring increasingly often and it had the tawny woman concerned. The slips were almost a weekly occurrence, and the paths on the mountains were constantly changing. It was another reason she didn’t like the children being out of her sight for too long. “I got trapped outside. It took us months to work our way around it. Getting home was the only thing that kept me going...” her voice had dropped to a whisper, almost speaking with the same tone as the wind that teased her ears with snatches of secrets only half heard. Home wasn’t really home without her mate at her side.

code by bryony

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His green eyes watched the former alpha as his words were clipped off to her. He had previously talked to Ava about Naira before she had returned and even he could tell that the disappearance of the leaders had disappointed. . .and well, pissed off Ava. The small girl had been having a hard time previous to their talk and Ash had felt an even stronger presence urging him to watch over her ever since the brown wolf had arrived. It seemed since the meeting had been called the small wolf had gained a little bit of her form back and Ash calmly stared at her as he waited her response.

When it came it was not what he had expected. His eyes watched her carefully for any signs of emotion, but none showed, to his knowledge and observance. It would seem as though as the older wolf told her story. When she finished he thought over her words in his head. What she said made perfect sense to him. A current landslide had almost taken Athena from them, and the currency had definitely become more often than usual. Her story was believable, and yet, he was not sure if it were set in stone, so he simply let it go, but a warning, which was more of an offer of protection came out of his mouth, "Very well. I highly suggest you take another with you when you decide to go back up the mountains, Miss Naira. Just to be safe." His words were delicate and strong as he watched the smaller wolf before him.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c58/becuffin/hold.jpg) bottom no-repeat; background-color: #301e4e;"> His well intentioned suggestion bought a cold smile to her lips. “We should all follow that advise, especially during these times of change.” she responded quietly, and almost cryptically with a casual glance to the snow capped peak of their home. The mountain and the heights were becoming notorious for the slips and failing paths, perhaps some would take it as a sign that they should leave, but not her. No. The mountain was treacherous, prone to changes in the blink of an eye, just like she. Perhaps that was why the earth here called to her? A storm was brewing in the east, and would be here soon enough. She could feel it in her bones. Finally, with a mind to get the children out of the tempestuous weather to come, she rose up onto her feet, standing just shorter than the man before her. Next to most females she was a behemoth, it was nice to have someone make her slightly more proportionate, despite her yukon heritage. “Walk with me a ways?” she questioned gently as the wind began to pick up about them. “The storm will be here soon.” A casual glance to the sky would reveal open, blue skies, but she was rarely wrong when it came to the weather.

code by bryony

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His ears twitched with her response, and soon a wicked smile stretched across his face, something which had not been placed there in awhile. His green eyes flashed slightly, his paws shuffling slightly. His neck then strained out, stretching, before he watched her get up from her position, a slight shock to see her true size finally. She was about the same size as he, only slightly smaller. Her new words rang in his ears, and he silently nodded her head, muttering a quick, "Yes." His paws started forward, sure enough with himself that she would follow him.

Even though he had previously been talking about the dangers of the mountains, it was exactly where he had been heading. His tail wagged behind him in an easy manner, though his heart was still sinking briefly in his chest. He had been holding onto the grief of his beloveds absence, and now he was paying for it. His green eyes stared on in grief at the mountains above, still unable to grasp the facts. Suddenly his voice was barely audible, the question directed at Naira, "Before all that crazy shit happened…did you know Treena well?" He glanced towards the female, his eyes questioning.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c58/becuffin/hold.jpg) bottom no-repeat; background-color: #301e4e;"> Treena. She knew the girl, had met her in passing a few times, she had been there the night Naira went into labour while the stars fell from the sky, but she could not say she knew the girl well. Gently probing eyes told her there was more behind his question than a simple interest in the history of a pack mate. There was far more to it than that. Foolish was her only thought on the matter. Foolish of Athena to allow subordinates that which was reserved for leaders. If you wanted a mate, you could go and start a pack of your own, in her eyes. Why risk your own position for the happiness of others? The wilds had changed her. She was far colder now than she had ever been before. She pushed the angry leader down. It was no longer her place to pass sentence. “I met her, in passing. I was almost due when she joined. She was one of Rhysis’s additions.” She wracked her brain for a moment, there had been something about her joining that had made her smile. A ghost of it passed her face as she recalled. “Oh yes, I recall now. He made her prove her worth by climbing the waterfall...” she finished with a small chuckle. She had been one wolf he had wished to get to know better once the children ventured from the den. Obviously it was never meant to be. “Have you checked for recent slips?” she probed gently, having been abandoned on the other side of one herself, she couldn’t help but wonder. She hadn’t seemed the type to just wander off like that.

code by bryony

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His tail flicked behind him silently as they walked side by side…though still in territory, Ash was slightly uneasy. He knew that he had done all of his rounds, but the silence that surrounded them. Surely Ava was silently marking the borders, considering she was a huntress. His ears flickered back towards and her words caused blunt frustration to arise within his gut. An eyebrow rose with her next words though…climbed up a waterfall? He didn’t even know if that was physically possible…he knew it was for him. His tail rose behind him slightly before lowing, a slow wag occurring behind him. He wasn’t as tense as he had first been when he had sensed Naira in his presence, it was now somewhat comfortable…though still a small sliver of doubt was in between his skin and fur. He could not trust her yet.

When they continued on walking, as they edged closer to the borders his green eyes roamed constantly around the borders and the territory surrounding it. So long, it had seemed, since he had been standing upon the border trying to prove himself to Athena and now he was second of the pack, protecting his family that lived within the heavily marked borders. He was so consumed in his own thoughts he had to repeat Naira’s words in his head twice before he turned to her, a confused look in his eyes. What was she rambling on about? Clearing his throat, he spoke directly to the former leader, “Now why would I do that? I have to protect Athena and the pups. That would just keep me away from them and be a complete distraction from my duty.”

He knew when he had joined Poison Path that he was eternally giving up on him and Treena…though they would still be together. His loyalty and all of his muscle would have to be towards Athena, the pups, and the whole pack as a whole. She could not stay as a single stand point when it came to protection, but perhaps when it came to love he could have singled her out. It was hard remembering her now, it had been so long. He had not seen her once since joining the pack…and sometimes he even felt as if he should blame himself. Never dwelling on the fact for too long though, he knew that it could be dangerous. His mental wars would have to stay out of all pictures. Everyone else was much more important.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.