Poison Path Keep Your Eyes Open

Mandatory meeting about Naira and Rhysis's return. This takes placed right after this <a href='http://relic-lore.net/index.php?showtopic=2915' target='_blank'>thread</a>. Naira first, then everyone else can follow. NO POSTING ORDER. <b>First Round Deadline: 9/22</b>

<i>So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard. Every lesson forms a new scar. They never thought you'd make it this far. But turn around, oh they've surrounded you it's a showdown and nobody comes to save you now. But you've got something they don't. Yeah you've got something they don't. You've just gotta keep your eyes open...</i>
Taylor Swift - <i>Eyes Open</i>

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AthenaTable.png);background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 200px;padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; text-align:justify;">Everything was about to change. Time had been able to heal the wounds left behind by Naira and Rhysis’s betrayal, but now they were being ripped apart suddenly without warning. They were back, both of them. Only one of the cubs managed to survive, the other had fallen prey to a crazed man. Athena didn’t know the details of how Lily had disappeared, but she didn’t need to know. Not after what Naira told her. Rhysis was a lost soul, a dangerous one at that. And the pack needed to know that. Poison Path wouldn’t allow their former patriarch within their borders. Not until Athena deemed him sane.

Athena’s emotions were a whirlwind inside, but she kept a calm façade. She allowed Naira and Adonis reentry into the pack. Many of her members will be confused and stunned and a meeting was desperately needed. All of them needed to be aware of Rhysis and Naira’s return and it had to be evident if they saw a glimpse of the dark man to be on their guard.

Once she made her way back towards the Poison Path den with Naira, Adonis, and Tlarx in tow, a long, commanding howl was released calling all Poisoned wolves for a mandatory meeting. Then she sat as dusk drew upon them, the wind gently combing through her fur as she sat regally on her throne awaiting her followers.

(This post was last modified: Oct 20, 2012, 09:22 PM by Athena.)

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

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c58/becuffin/caved.jpg) bottom no-repeat; background-color: #301e4e;"> She followed closely behind her new leaders with worried glances back to her underfed son. With their acceptance, some of the burden had been lifted from her shoulders, but not all. They were safer here, but only just. At least now she would have more eyes and ears to look out for her son, and she would have a chance to know her other children. The earth rose up to greet her aching paws as their journey neared its end. She did not need an escort, she knew these lands as well as any of the wolves that currently called it home, but she had not been given her leave and so she followed, head and tail low, silent, but relaxed. It was so good to be home. Her news was hardly good, any of it, and she expected it would take some time for her friend to absorb it all. So when the smaller wolf’s head tipped back with a beckoning howl she paused, her fur itching to stand on end. It had been a long hard journey home, and she had avioded others for the most part at all costs. She wasn’t sure she was ready to face them all just yet, especially not all at once. Was this a trap? Where they going to tear her apart for abandoning them and then do the same to her small dark son? Nervousness was clear in her gaze and an anxious noise made its way from her chest as she stepped back to shield Adonis. Athena took a seat, attentive, and not at all tense, but Naira could not bring her rear to the ground. Paranoia had settled itself deep within her bones over the previous months, and no matter how exhausted she currently was, it would take time for her to completely relax and trust in anyone but herself. But she too, would wait.

code by bryony

<blockquote>Athena's low howl roused her from her rest at the Lake's edge, though she rose within a cloud of confusion. Like a sixth sense the coat-pelted female knew exactly what was coming. Her mechanical steps moved her black body toward the den while her brain was unavailable, consumed with thought once again. Somehow Ava found herself an equal mix of shocked and absolutely unphased by the news. This very moment she had lived herself in many a dream and nightmare both. The return of the betrayers, she considered it.

Sometimes Ava flung herself at them - wolves with whom she'd trusted with her entire heart - and tore at their flesh with tears in her eyes. How dare they? She should have known that with the way they turned their backs so coldly on Swift River that they would do the very damn same to them. Those nights she often woke up regretting with her whole heart how evil she could think of them - though somewhere deep down she felt a divine retribution for the release of her anger on worthy subjects.

Yet this was not a synaptic overload in the middle of the night. This was real, this was happening. When a whiff of Naira had been discovered near their territory Ava refused to believe it and chalked it up to a figment of imagination. Of course she was still going to smell them - their cells remained in the dirt <i>somewhere</i>. You couldn't just erase the founders. She ignored how strongly the scent lingered and told herself over and over again that they had up and left and clearly had no intentions of return. <i>Clearly</i>.

But now, every step brought her closer to the scent and she thought she would certainly go mad before she even made it to the meeting. Naira's scent coated the nightshade-lined path as she marched onward. Athena's and Tlarx's were there too, and yet it just didn't mesh together right. It only took her a moment to realize what was throwing it off - <i>Adonis</i>. The scent was altered - since the last time she had seen him he was still mewling around in the den - and yet it struck her with a ferocious and deep familiarity.

Ava did try to brace herself for the sight of them, to prove they were not ghostly trails of smell and the real wolves who had turned her world upside down... but there was no amount of mental preparation that could ready the scarred she-wolf for it. Without slowing down she approached the den and suddenly, there they were. To prevent herself from tripping she stopped entirely and reluctantly drank in the scene.

Naira stood in front of her son, pounding a nervous energy into the very aura of the place. The both of them were rather gaunt and yet she could not find pity in her soul to save her life. Seeing her now it was hard to recall the times when she'd placed Naira on a pedestal taller than the damn Mountain of Dire itself. Head and tail raised high while an anger brewing within her amber eyes. But beyond the flickering flame the windows to her soul could show only one thing: <i>hurt</i>. Ava already knew her thoughts could not be condensed in to words so she did not attempt to speak. Instead the she-wolf uncemented herself from the ground and positioned herself a little ways off of Athena, awaiting the others perfectly numb.</blockquote>

art - threads

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When Athena’s howl sky rocketed through the air it had been quite unexpected. Front paw lifted in the air, froze in mid step as he stepped back down from the mountains he was beginning to climb. Ash’s massive head swung towards the alerting sound and his muscles flexed in his shoulders as he made the final leap down from the large mountain tops, his large paws thudding heavily on the ground with the impact. His body then made its way to the call, his brain automatically figuring out where the call had come from. His pace soon quickened though, as he became eager to find out what everyone was being called for. . .and he was sure it would look quite bad if the Second would come into the meeting last.

When he arrived, he was quite shocked to see two new members in the vicinity, along with Athena and Ava, but the scent of that female. It was the same one he had sound in the territory on that day. His lip curled in a nasty snarl as he made his way to Ava. This was Naira. Danger. He trotted over to his equal, keeping in mind the conversation they had up in the mountains awhile ago. His tail was stiff and high, with his green eyes flickering over the starved female. And then there was a pup, who looked similar to Belladonna. His ears flickered but he made no move forward. He remained observant as he stood by Ava’s side, trying to give her some form of comfort. He wasn’t sure how she would feel about this in all.

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

I'm sneaking in a day late... >.>

Silence gripped the man as he paced steadily behind his dear mate. She was twisted with emotions- he could feel it. It took a lot for him not to take those emotions on as well. With a calm mind, the numbed male walked behind the snowy woman as they neared the den site. He seated next to her as she picked her spot. He leaned over to her, pressing his thick muzzle into her soft neck fur. Closing his eyes, the man sighed almost inaudibly before bringing his head back up. As she howled, his ears twitched backward as they awaited the arrival as others.

They filed in rather quickly. Naira was already with them; she was paranoid. His careful eyes watched her before the others had made their appearance- Ava and Ash. He nodded to them before returning his gaze to his small mate. With his tail flicking, he awaited her words.

(You are not alone... Sorry for Steel's tardiness!)

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Alone as usual the black and white wolf made his way through the rugged terrain of his new home. His powerful muscles rippled beneath his dichromatic pelt, confidence rolling off of him in waves. He may not have needed others to survive, but perhaps there was something to this whole pack thing. There was a certain satisfaction in completing his duties on the borders. Athena could not fault him in that at least. The rest of the pack didn't matter to him, only his leadess. Perhaps one day that might change, but he wouldn't hold his breath.

As he strengthened the borders with his mark, a summons came to him. The one voice that he would bow to. He turned his direction of travel unerringly towards her voice. The thing that bothered him was that it was a call for the entire pack. His skin crawled and his stormy blue eyes darkened to nearly black at the prospect of being around all of them. With a rumble deep in his chest, he reminded himself of the voice which summoned. She would not care for his reluctance and so he moved towards the white fae and likely the rest of the pack with dogged determination.

As he neared Athena and the others, he kept to the shadows for a moment, breifly taking stock of the situation. Lady Athena was there with her mate, Larx, The dark Ava, second with Ash looked as is she were prepared to rip something to shreds. He followed her heated gaze to gaunt and haunted looking fae that he didn't know at all. His gut told him that she was the reason for the summons. Ignoring the rest, he moved out of the shadows and forward to greet his queen, mindful to give a respectful nod to her mate, even if only for her sake.

He didn't approach all the way, but near enough to be an obvious presence and show his repsect to her summons. His dark gaze swept over the ragged female once more, wondering only for a moment what this was about. Surely they were all about to find out. With that thought, his gaze fell on the youngster by her side, seemingly melting into the shadows with his own small bony form. Something tugged at Steel's cold heart at the sight of the little lost soul. He gave an internal shake of his head and focused solely on Athena.

Kamota heard the yowl from afar. By the time he'd gotten there, a rabbit in his jaws, who he already knew had assembled. Tlarx, he had'nt seen since the mountains. Athena, Tlarx's mate and lead female. Ava, the fiesty second who teased him at his arrival on the borders. The silent Ash, who seemed devoted to the pack in his silent ways. Then that bitch who had attacked him for defending a Poison Path pup in Ghastly Woods. What the hell was she doing here? She wasn't part of the pack as far as he knew. Maybe a new joiner like him?

He gave a respectful and submissive bow to the gathered wolves in higher rankings. Meaning mainly Tlarx and Athena, but adding in a bit of respect to Ava and Ash. He knew they were seconds. He wouldn't make them feel anything, if he could get emotion into them at all. He placed his rabbit at his feet so he could properly pay attention.
He gave a half glare, half kind look to the bitch who had attacked him. Who was she to attack a packmate? Of course they hadn't been packmates back then. so it was fair game.

-Like a phoenix, I rise from the ashes.-
~Anger is a short madness.

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The healer had heeded the call of the pale woman. She padded into the scene quietly; her chocolate eyes were focused upon Athena, then Tlarx. Lowering her ears, the creamy coated female brought herself down in submission. Dipping her head respectively, she took a seat toward the front of the group, as she was an older member of the pack. Bringing her head up, she could feel the tension within the air- but, with such, came a wavering sadness. A nervous mouse that jumped about within dear Athena; the woman was a mess. She kept herself composed in front of her pack mates though. Chantille applauded such.

With her fluffed tail curling around her right haunch, she gazed around her, dipping her head in greeting to her other brethren. Silence held her muzzle closed as she anxiously awaited the words of her leaders. Naira was there as well, a shadow within the presence of the pack. It was awkward, but Chantille kept her focus upon the two white wolves on the rock before her.

Next deadline is by the middle of this week: <b>11/8/12</b>. If you problems replying, please PM me to let me know what's going on. It would be nice to get posts all in before the deadline as well. Again there is no posting order.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AthenaTable.png);background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 200px;padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; text-align:justify;">The pressure of her beloved’s muzzle on her neck calmed the maelstrom of emotions within her. Her body leaned into him, soaking up his strength like a sponge. She didn’t know what she would do without him. He was her pillar of strength, guardian angel, and her wall of support. She wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for him. She needed him, especially tonight. Sighing audibly into his warm neck, she stayed glued to his side until the first members started to show. She lifted her head away from his side, but not before giving him an affectionate lick on the cheek.

Her loyal second was the first to show. Athena was worried the most about her. Ava had taken the whole ordeal the hardest and this could end up being too much for her. The look on her face said it all. She was obviously hurt to see Naira again. The Leader felt horrible for throwing this back onto her shoulders after she had just gotten over it. Her heart went out to her black-coated friend, but the pack needs to know what really happened.

The next to come to her call was her silent guardian, Ash. Ever since he’s arrived, the borders have never gone unprotected. He truly was living up to his promise. Her chest swelled up in pride at the thought of that. However, when his emerald eyes landed on Naira, he snarled at the sight of her. She didn’t understand why he would be showing this much aggression towards Naira, but it was unnecessary. A deep rumbling warning within her chest was the only response to Ash’s snarl. He’d get the message. Naira and Adonis weren’t the ones that Poison Path should be worrying about.

Steel arrived next. He lingered in the shadows for a moment, most likely seeing what he was getting himself into. She had noticed he did this from time to time and she respected his need to observe the situation before thrusting himself into it. He was coming along well, getting used to the pack life like she had predicted. She was proud of him and she hoped that he may want to take up a role, maybe as a guardian.

The newest member, Kamota, was the next to come. She had yet been able to observe him within the pack, but he still showed potential. She returned his respectful gesture, but when he settled himself and decided to show aggression towards Naira, she gave out another warning. Another warning growl escaped her chest, warning Kamota to back down. None of them, besides Tlarx and herself knew the real truth of Naira’s return.

Their healer was the last to show. She was relieved to see the loyal woman’s face again. Like always, Chantille was respectful and submissive towards her Leaders. Athena returned the creamy woman’s gesture before she turned back towards the nightshade covered path. She was hoping to catch the glimpse of Treena’s figure walking towards them. Her scent has become increasingly fainter each day and she feared the Guardian had left Poison Path behind her. Her hopes were crushed, however, when Treena did not show herself and she concluded that the woman had indeed left them. But, the show must go on.

Her fiery gaze fell on each of her followers, even extending towards Naira and Adonis. She could see how nervous and tense the ex-leader was, but this meeting was essential. With the reactions from multiple members when they initially saw her here, if Athena had waited to tell them what was going on, they may have tried to attack Naira. So, she may not like being in the spotlight this quickly, but if she wanted to last within Poison Path, they needed to know now not later.

“Some of you may have an idea why I called you all, but many of your assumptions will be wrong.” Her fiery eyes flickered over towards Ava then back towards Chantille. They were the only ones left that knew the pain they went through and they most likely have the same assumption that she had before she found Naira in the Heights. “Before most of you came to these lands, this woman, Naira, and her mate Rhysis led this pack. Shortly after their children were born, the two of them along with two of their young disappeared. We searched for them for days until we finally came together to figure out what needed to be done.” She paused for a moment, her eyes fixating on the two women that she trusted the most. The hurt and pain they suffered together would never be forgotten.

“It was assumed they had left Relic Lore and I took up leadership. We went through two men, before Tlarx took his place by my side. Meanwhile, where we thought our ex-leaders were living happily without us, one of them was trying to get back to her home.” She directed her focus back towards Naira, making it obvious which leader she was talking about. “Naira did not choose to leave us. Adonis was kidnapped and she went to go after him. Once Adonis was safely back with her, she tried to return back home, but the mountain wasn’t in her favor. Landslides prevented her from getting a good path to climb back over the mountain.” Pausing a moment, she glanced around to see how the news was affecting everyone before she went on. “Rhysis was the one who chose to leave and not come back.” This statement hurt her the worst inside. She had trusted that man, laid everything out that she had for him. And what did her do in return; he left her without a simple good-bye.

“He may have been trying to find Naira and his child, but he knew he wasn’t coming back. He took one of his own with him, one of his daughters, Lily. When Naira managed to get over the Dire, she ran into him. She told me he was a completely different man. He tried to attack both Adonis and her, something that he would have never done before. The demented man even told her he had murdered his own daughter.” The poor girl had no chance against Rhysis and what he was capable of. She was so innocent; she didn’t deserve to die the way she had. “Rhysis is dangerous and is not allowed on our lands for the safety of the children and everyone else. He is not to be trusted by any means and if you run across him, do not take your chances fighting him, run home and alert the others.”

She hoped her warning was kept within everyone’s heads; it could be the matter of life and death. She knew how dangerous Rhysis used to be and in his new crazed state, he was even more dangerous. “For all those who have never seen this man, he is tall, lanky with pale blueish grey eyes. His coat is black with tiny flecks of silver on his shoulders. The tip of one of his ears is also missing. He will be acting aggressive and odd, possibly on the edge of insanity. If you should see him, come home and warn the others, do not challenge him.” That is for me to take care of.

(This post was last modified: Nov 05, 2012, 10:48 PM by Athena.)

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

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Kamota took the growl from his leader and backed down. Apology on his face, but for the bitch. He kept his anger inside of him until he'd heard the news. His eyes peaked with interest at how she truly was the mother of Datura. It was awkward now. They fought and hated each other, now they were packmates.

“Some of you may have an idea why I called you all, but many of your assumptions will be wrong. Before most of you came to these lands, this woman, Naira, and her mate Rhysis led this pack. Shortly after their children were born, the two of them along with two of their young disappeared. We searched for them for days until we finally came together to figure out what needed to be done. It was assumed they had left Relic Lore and I took up leadership. We went through two men, before Tlarx took his place by my side. Meanwhile, where we thought our ex-leaders were living happily without us, one of them was trying to get back to her home. Naira did not choose to leave us. Adonis was kidnapped and she went to go after him. Once Adonis was safely back with her, she tried to return back home, but the mountain wasn’t in her favor. Landslides prevented her from getting a good path to climb back over the mountain. Rhysis was the one who chose to leave and not come back. He may have been trying to find Naira and his child, but he knew he wasn’t coming back. He took one of his own with him, one of his daughters, Lily. When Naira managed to get over the Dire, she ran into him. She told me he was a completely different man. He tried to attack both Adonis and her, something that he would have never done before. The demented man even told her he had murdered his own daughter. Rhysis is dangerous and is not allowed on our lands for the safety of the children and everyone else. He is not to be trusted by any means and if you run across him, do not take your chances fighting him, run home and alert the others. For all those who have never seen this man, he is tall, lanky man with pale blue eyes. His coat is black with flecks of silver on his shoulders. He will be acting aggressive and odd, possibly on the edge of insanity. If you should see him, come home and warn the others, do not challenge him.”

He took in the information. the news, history, appearances. His ears perked up in attention, his eyes wide open as he gazed upon them. He didn't hold much liking for the newest female, the ex-leader. but he would respect her after all she'd gone though.

(This post was last modified: Nov 05, 2012, 01:41 AM by Kamota.)

-Like a phoenix, I rise from the ashes.-
~Anger is a short madness.