Sacred Grove To find a friend...

<blockquote>When he heard voices, to turn towards it was instinctual. He recognised Jessie immediately, and would have been concerned about the unfamiliar male voice had she not sounded so relaxed. Unable to catch the words themselves - due to distance and his general inability - he had to rely on tone alone. Besides, he trusted Jessie as both capable and reliable. If she was in trouble, she would have called.

Regardless, he steered himself towards them anyway, pleased to notice that they were beyond the bounds of their territory. So far nothing was amiss, and at least in that his nerves would be spared.

He moved through the river and continued towards them, only to see Jessie coming back the other way - the large stranger with her. Instantly he could see their comfort with each other, the familiarity. So Cali had brought Jessie, and now the smaller sister had a friend of her own? Well, so long as it would not mean a repeat of Naira and Rhysis, Marsh did not have a problem with it. The Swiftpaws had proved themselves to be an excellent pair, and had more than earned benefit of the doubt.

He glanced between them, tail coming up high to its customary position - though it was still alien to bring it as high as Indru had ever done - and stopped, waiting for them to come to him, should that be what they want. He had a feeling that this male would want entry to the pack. A sickness in his gut told him that such a decision was within his rights now, though his filling of that vacuum left behind by Indru still felt awkward and unreal. No, he would let Corinna decide. This was her family, her right to permit or bar entry to it. Marsh would play the role he had always played - if with a few more embellishments now.</blockquote>

(I was thinking just this thread for joining)
Brenton smiled proudly as Jessie called for her leaders. A twinge of excitement shown in his stance. He could be Jessie's packmate. She was practically his sister. An unfamiliar scent came across him, it made he growl slightly in a protective way, but he quickly compared it to Jessie's and noticed the pack smell, it calmed him and he dipped his head in respect for the male who came to they're presences. "Greetings, I am Brenton Nelson." He said respectfully. He knew to respect his elders. He learned that quickly as a child, for one who was not respectful, was quickly... taught... how to respect. He remembered the reason he left. the sole reason he'd left his old home to arrive here in Relic Lore. The Swiftpaw's. They were his family, his home was with his family.

He looked at Marsh, observing the scents and smells of the new comer. His slate gray eyes shining. His Mackenzie Valley Wolf stature. His auburn fur, gray and tan as well. This wolf appeared to be high rank and didn't look as threatened to a stranger on his borders. No doubt a friend of Jessie's. "I'm a friend of Jessie's." He said, his eyes curious about the pack. He reminded himself he was here to make sure Jessie was OK. But she seemed happy that he wished to stay. The words, the magic words that were music to his ears. <i>"We can sure try and find out."</i> Those were the only words on his mind. This was the only thing that really mattered right now. His family.

To find a friend...

was intending to join this for ages but never got around to it until now. >.>

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. The sun filtered down through the trees, the cooler climate and shorter days setting the leaves afire and slowly letting them drift down to earth, like ashes - a brown mess, decaying, smelling richly of life. What died, turned to earth, brought life anew in spring. An endless cycle, and one day it would be his flesh and bones turning to soil and nurturing these ancient, towering trees. The thought was not an inspiring one during a border patrol, but when the mood of Swift River was like the mood after a particularly hard funeral, it wasn't surprising that his thoughts strayed to death and decay. He wondered not what had happened to Indru - he ought to die and rot in a ditch - but wondered about Torrel, and Rihael. The latter had probably set out to make his own life, but it was without goodbye... But how was Torrel faring? Voices brought the wraith through the trees faster, long sturdy legs forcing his bulk across the terrain. He knew these grounds, the roots and the rocks, and soon caught sight of three wolves: Jessie, a stranger, and his Marsh. It was strange, seeing that tail so high - but it had always been higher than his own. Said tail twitched up, ears forward and eyes alert as he prowled onto the stage they had set. Words - meaningless to Marsh - came from the large, black stranger; Brenton, he said. A deep and unfamiliar unease spread through his gut, though he masked it. They had not had loners come here, looking for home, since before Indru's betrayal. Marsh nor Ice had never carried out the judgment before - they had offered their opinions and allowed Indru or Corinna to decide. But, now? Would Marsh send him off, or grab his muzzle in acceptance? How would Corinna react, to strangers in the midst of this turmoil? Ice would rather they not accept new blood - to keep the grief a private matter. But perhaps something new would help break some of the shock... "What would you have to offer to our pack?" he asked, a faint challenge in the words and in his stance: be meek, and I'll sit on you. Be boastful, and I'll pound you into the ground. Be honest, and I'll - maybe - like you. Without hesitation he slid up next to Marsh, despite having come from opposite directions. Silver-pale fur brushed against copper auburn, Ice's shoulder standing above Marsh's but his tail lower. No point in revealing his - his mind found no word to describe Marsh - weakness with words, as if it was a disability to be, ironically, explained. Marsh spoke with his body and his heart. Those who could not understand that language, had no place in the wilds. Pale eyes blinked patiently in the Guardian's white face; he'd measure this Brenton's weight in words and let Marsh know, one way or another. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/Jessie-Table.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top:250px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px;">

It was not long before her call was heeded, as if Marsh had already been near and had been making his way towards her. The presence of her new alpha was slightly awkward, for she was so used to being close to Marsh’s rank…and now she was highly below him. Her head instinctively lowered in respect for him, her tail also lowering, a small warning growl shot towards Brenton when she heard the rumble in his chest. The small huntress soon crept forward, offering out a lick to Marsh’s shoulder before muttering his name quietly, enough for Brenton to hear for the sake of her alpha, "Marsh." She nodded her head before her head tilted to see Ice, the new second within the pack now that Marsh had moved up. Her head then lowered to where it was lower than Ice’s, not having used to not being equals with the male. Things had been quite awkward after the hunt.

She dipped her head towards him, her tongue also lathering over his shoulder in respect before taking her place next to them. It was like a military line that they formed. From general to runt they stood. Jessie was no longer part of this conversation, and she quietly observed in silence, letting Ice take the lead, considering that Marsh was not much of one to speak. Jessie’s emerald eyes would stare at Brenton in an emotionless way, keeping her own feelings within her heart just in case the decision was in the best of heart to let him go. At Ice’s aimed question at him, she listened on, her ears perked curiously to hear his answer. Jessie knew he was good at hunting, considering his size. The two of them had always been a good team…but then, she had never really seen him ever spar before, perhaps he had a hidden talent that she didn’t know about.

<blockquote>It did not immediately please him that the male didn't drop down more in submission. Marsh assumed that his lingering implied that he wanted to join - so he had better start acting like it. At least he had lowered his head. Instead, he was treated to words, those wonderful things that some wolves seemed to think replaced a good whine and exposed belly.

Jessie's movement and lick to his shoulder smoothed his mood before he grew too impatient, and it served to remind him again that he trusted Jessie's instincts, just like he had trusted Cali's. He heard his name on her lips, guessed the purpose, and was ready to step forward and test this male when Ice arrived. His second, now. It still felt wrong.

The guardian drew up beside him, the proximity empowering, but it felt different. This was his situation to control, not Ice's, though he knew that the wolf would only be trying to help, even as he offered his own words to the stranger. So Ice would test him in Marsh's place, and once his words satisfied Ice, then he would be permitted to judge for himself?

Wrestling with his need to let someone else deal with the situation and his need to show Swift River as having fully capable leadership, he took a step forward, putting himself just that bit in front of Ice, so that the lone male would be forced to keep his attention where it was most necessary. He would let Ice assess the male's response and then proceed from there. He still wanted it to be Corinna's decision, but perhaps, with Ice here, that would be unnecessarily delaying it. Damn it, he did not need these responsibilities.</blockquote>

Brenton realized that he'd forgotten something, but he couldn't name what it was. He looked at Jessie for some help when yet another wolf had heard Jessie's howl. Then he realized that these were two high up wolves. He could tell from they're stances so he tucked his tail flat up to his stomach and bowed his head in respect for both of them. A question was posed that Brenton himself could not answer. What could he offer the pack? He could hunt, but not well. He could fight, but he didn't like to. <b>"I guess I can hunt, though I'm not as good as other wolves. I guess I'm decent at it."</b> He said honestly. It was the truth.

To be honest, these new wolves nearly scared Brenton. They were so large, but Jessie trusted him so he must learn to do the same. His eyes glanced at them. He was playing a dangerous game. If he was not 'accepted' into the pack, he'd have to leave Jessie behind forever. But where would he go? He wouldn't die, he could protect himself. But he wanted to be in a pack, not just any pack. A pack that had his family. He looked from Marsh, to Ice, to Jessie repeatedly. What was going to happen?

He should have never left Jessie to go looking for Cali herself. He should have journeyed with the young Swiftpaw to find her. Now it was judgment. Not just for him to get into a pack, but for him as a friend. If he was taken into the pack, he passed the test. If not, he fail miserably.

(This post was last modified: Nov 25, 2012, 03:59 PM by Brenton.)

To find a friend...

Namara, I'd prefer if you didn't copy Aiyana's table for your own - I saw you did it for Blaze as well. Thanks. :) And I just realized you've forgotten to close some tag as well, as you're leaving a trail of blue text right now. :P

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Jessie came forward to greet him, head low; he gave a low snort. The only way she'd be challenging his authority was if she stuck her tail straight up and stiff, with their height differences she'd have a hard time being accidentally intimidating. Still, he appreciated it: as she came near he gave a low coo of sorts, running his nose along her muzzle before giving her ear a lick. She came to stand beside them, even as Marsh broke their chest-by-chest position, sweeping forward a step. Ice took his eyes off the stranger, watching the copper male instead - trying to understand, but failing to. Had he done something wrong? Or was Marsh just grumpy today? It was, sometimes, hard to tell; he always looked rugged, scarred and somewhat tense, something which fled only in sleep or when he new that every single member of the pack was safe... But in these situations, he always looked wary. So was it just that? "I guess I can hunt, though I'm not as good as other wolves. I guess I'm decent at it." Ice gave a low growl; guess, yeah. "You mean you have no real idea what you can do?" He had no idea why his own mood had taken such a foul turn, just that all of a sudden Marsh's slight shift and all the implications it might have had made him feel like a stormcloud: ready to take it all out on someone. Maybe he should just run away and leave Marsh and Jessie to it, and sink his teeth in something alive and rip it apart. Perhaps that would calm him down - but duty, duty - it was his duty to be here, even if he had the vague notion he was unwanted. He had to remain.. hadn't he? He fought the urge to pull head and tail up, to stare at this mewling, cowering newcomer until he ran away: it was not Ice's place. That single step Marsh had taken was a reminder, perhaps not just to Brenton, but to Ice as well. Had it been Indru - before Ice hated him - it wouldn't have been strange at all. He would've just stood there in the background like a silent ice titan, not question judgment or trying to do anything but stand there and look intimidating. So why was it so different now? Why did he feel.. all sorts of stupid things? And, of all other stupid things, hurt? As if the peace they had found before, together, had been shattered. As if the tiny splinters, fragments, had been pushed into his heart - as if they lay across his throat, threatening to choke him. And just as quickly as it had come, the anger evaporated, dissipated: he just felt tired, empty, lonely and confused. He just wanted this loner to go the fuck away and everyone else to go the fuck away too and leave him alone in a dark hole where he could mope and brood to his heart's content. Flicking one ear back, Ice's grew stiff and still, locking his jaws in a closed position as his eyes glazed over, staring dully at Brenton. Waiting. For doom and for the natural order. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

OOC: Sorry it sucks. :/'

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/Jessie-Table.png);background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top:250px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px;">

Silently standing by Ice’s side, no help was given from Jessie as she silently watched the happenings. As usual, Marsh was being silent, quietly stepping in front of them, a reminder to everyone that he was the lead here…not them. It was why Jessie also stayed silent, in the background, watching the interrogation continue. The dark brown male’s answer caused a flicker of irritation to pass through Jessie’s eyes, her tail flicking behind her quickly, accidentally hitting something…oh how she hoped it wasn’t Ice! She didn’t want him to catch onto her irritation. With her second’s retaliation she had to try hard not to put a smirk on her face. This was her best friend they were talking to, not someone just out of the blue. And so she stood by the guardian’s side, her mouth snapped shut.

Before long her mind registered stiff muscles beside her, an ear flickering towards Ice, concern wavering in the pit of her stomach. In a comforting movement she leaned over to him, though not to obvious. It was a sign of peace. Jessie hadn’t exactly been happy with Ice considering what had happened at the hunt and with Rhysis. It had left a bitter place for Ice from within her…but she knew that eventually she would have to get on with it…and that time was now. Her emerald eyes watched patiently, waiting to see how her leader and friend would react to everything. Both eyes were trained on Marsh.

<blockquote>It was too tense, too forced. On his own, Marsh could have dealt with the stranger - any stranger - with relative ease, for the relationship between pack wolf and loner was practically effortless. But this, this was not effortless. His simple step forward had been a message to them all, and he could hear in Ice's tone, feel it from the air of the wolf beside him, that the message had been received. It did not feel pleasant.

Jessie was silent, which pleased him, for it meant that she was prepared to allow him to do it his own way. As was right for a subordinate and her leader. Marsh was under no pretenses regarding the white guardian's intentions, and had the weight of his rank not weighed so heavily, he would have been able to appreciate the support. He wasn't Indru, but he wasn't handicapped. If Swift River was going to be his to lead, even in part and even if temporarily, then he would lead it as the wolf he was. He could not pretend otherwise. The only way he knew how to deal with the burden of filling that vacuum was to let his gut lead him, as it had always led him in the absence of a direct order.

It was him giving the orders now, after all.

Brenton's capabilities in hunting or scouting or shitting were of no real interest to Marsh, not now, not stood here as loner and leader. If he proved a useless addition, then he would befall the same fate as Finn had, when Corinna deemed her too unproductive to remain. These wolves liked their wordy interrogations, it was true, but not Marsh. He judged the loner before him on the basis of his respect, that he was a friend of Jessie's, that he had no previous sour history with the pack.

Marsh stepped forward again, legs stiff, this time the movement purely for Brenton. His tail curled tighter over his rear, and he growled softly as he drew close to the larger male, though it was not to threaten but to demand submission. This was the test he had to pass.

Afterwards, he would require the wolf to pass Corinna's demands as well, for Marsh was not going to divide an already tender leadership by acting without her knowledge. He may be forced to raise his tail in public, but he was still her servant, and so he would always remain.</blockquote>

(apologize Fen, I was seeing how different HTML tables worked. I removed them)
(312 WORDS)
Brenton shook his head at Ice. <b>"That's not what I had meant. I know what I can do, but I'm not sure if your pack would consider my hunting skills what I consider them to be."</b> He tried to explain, but then Marsh stepped forward in a highly dominant stance. He knew what to do in these cases. There was a point in time in which Brenton was in a pack, a lower pack member learned dominance quickly, or faced the wrath of those older then them. He went and pushed his tail nearly flat up against his belly and crouched down with a bow of respect. It was how he had been raised to show submissiveness.

He looked briefly at Marsh, then Ice, the Jessie. He noticed Jessie had remained silent through all of this. It didn't really bother him. But what sort of bothered him was Marsh. He showed himself like a leader. Yet Ice was the one who had been interrogating him. He'd have to talk to Jessie about this later. See if there was some reason for it. He had an odd prick of concern for the pack. Was this something to be feared? He sensed tension, that was it. It was all tension, he was part of it. Why were they stalling the decision?

Marsh was leader, so it was ultimately up to him. So was he waiting for Ice to question him further? Or was it something like he wanted to question him himself? He waited for Ice to respond, but he held his submissive position until he was told to stop. He felt that way personally, that it should be up to the leader on how long the lower ranking wolves should hold they're submissiveness. Ultimately, he was a bit odder then most wolves. He was him though. They could never change who he was.

To find a friend...