Sacred Grove You're waiting for a train

Gone Tomorrow

Slipping through the trees, the gray female cast her gaze nervously around her. She stuck close to the tree trunks, keeping to the shadows that felt cool across her back. She was breathing in deeply, doing her best to keep quiet. All around her, the forest was alive with noise, but it sounded as if coming through glass - muted. She could hear the birds chirping, but they sounded far away. Beneath their endless chatter, she could hear the dull roar of the Heartleaf Creek. The Creek is what had spared this place from the fires that had raged around it. It gave the Grove a spooky feel, but even that atmospheric feeling was not a major contributor to her apprehension. It was almost like a yeuk, the feeling that plagued her.

Stopping abruptly, Cori backed up against a tree, looking in front of her. The Grove continued on, but what lay beyond was not free territory for her. There was no visual difference between the two parts, but there was an invisible wall between them that was impenetrable by the she-wolf. Which was a problem, because her destination was beyond this wall. Breathing in deeply, she moved away from the safety of the tree, and took a single step forward, hitting the invisible field with a start. Pushing her way through, it was more of a mental effort than a physical wall, and a few moments later, her entire body was past the barrier, enveloped by the scents of the wolves she had been watching since she had arrived in Relic Lore. So far, so good.

The work was repetitive and mundane but this was what made it calming for Indru. Marking and scouting the pack borders was an important process as stale borders represented a weak pack that could not protect a blade of grass, one easy to challenge and conquer. The boy was confident that the Swift River was clearly claimed as their own as both he and Ruiko made rounds often enough that no confusion should be made with their borders. It had become a habit he had taken on easily, as he travelled the circumference he would scent the air and upon finding weak patches mark them and make them stronger, but it was on this particular inhale he noticed something was wrong.

Instantly his once calm, meandering walk changed as Indru's fur bristled, a growl rising in his throat even if he could not see the wolf it was aimed it. Indru did not take long to come across the female, so knowing of the Grove and his borders, and at the sight of her so clearly over them his growl deepened, his tone dangerous. Walk yourself back over those borders right now or I will assist you over them. He hissed his demeanour clearly showing the assistance may not be too gentle. This was no mistake, his borders here were strong and clear, it was done on purpose which made Indru more wary instantly. What do you want? His tone was hard, commanding, and he approached the intruder with utter confidence, his body stiff and imposing, his tail and head held high.

Gone Tomorrow

It didn't take long, a couple of minutes at the most. But in those couple of minutes, Cori almost lost her nerve and retreated back to the tree, past the safety of the borders she had so boldly intruded upon. But, she couldn't do that. She had been following these wolves for a couple of weeks now, and she owed it to herself to follow it through. She couldn't keep surviving like this, on her own. She had been raised in a pack environment, as most wolves were, and the lone wolf life did not appeal to her.

His growls preceded him, and she immediately lowered her body to the ground, tail tucking up underneath her. Not quite flat against her underbelly, but significantly subdued in comparison to his own. Her head lowered, and her eyes took only a moment's glance to look him over. He was clearly the gerent of the territory that she had trespassed on. Out of the fire he had arisen as the leader of the remainder of the Swift River wolves."You're the alpha of the Swift River pack," she spoke up, her voice quiet out of respect, but not not a question. It was a statement, proof that she was fully aware of who she was speaking to. "I tried to join you and yours before the fire," she explained, leaving her request hanging in the air. She wanted to became a part of the pack.

(This post was last modified: Aug 09, 2010, 06:10 PM by Corinna.)

Her body dropped in submission but not as much as Indru felt was appropriate, she was trespassing — as a complete stranger, not someone he knew — and now had failed to ignore his command to get out of his territory. He approached her with a growl rising from his throat, his hackles raised and his nose wrinkled in the beginning of a snarl, if he was this wolf he would of retreated at her arrival. Indru ignored her statement, it was stupid and he found it undeserving of a reply at the moment, it was clear he was the pack's leader, his scent was surrounding them even if his posture was not making it as blindingly overt.

A husky laugh was his response to her next statement, and he searched his memory of the many wolves he had seen Rihael and Honijo turn away. I think we see why, he began, his tone unfriendly and not at all interested in her hinted request, if you think this is the correct way to seek acceptance. He had a vague memory of a she wolf matching her appearance, but he did not recognise her scent nor anything further, besides he was unsure whether his mind was creating such a memory either. After all he was certain he had not been witness to every lone wolf that had sought to join their family. I repeat, get off Swift River lands now unless you want me to do it for you. This time Indru would not give her another chance, his fiery gaze and bark of a snarl backing up the large male.

Gone Tomorrow

He was not amused, that was made painfully obvious to her by his stance. Her explanation of what she was doing here didn't seem to work well, and she vaguely remembered what Weldering had told her about the pack in the mountains. She hadn't gotten a name or a location, just that one existed. This leader's attitude was significantly different then what she had expected. Her stance had show submission, but his demanded more. What kind of power trip was he on exactly?

Keeping herself lowered, she managed to hoist herself off the ground enough that she could take a step backwards without falling over. She continued with the other, moving away from him. Silent, without making a sound. It was only a few steps, but it felt like an eternity until she crossed back over his borders. However, once she did, she rose back up to her normal height. No longer was she submitting, but she wasn't expressing dominance either. No longer on his lands, his powers fell away. "I never attempted to join before," she told him, her voice controlled but her anger threatening to break through. "The opportune moment hadn't presented itself." She needed the companionship that a pack offered, but this was not the type of environment that she wanted to find herself in. Anger seemed to surround these wolves. "Your brother was angry too."

It was clear, in Indru's mind, that the lone wolf had no idea about pack etiquette. She stumbled into his home where the borders were marked quite clearly and obviously, suggesting that she had some ulterior motive in mind, and then seemed disgruntled that she had to grovel for forgiveness. As she sat on the border's edge, bold and not at all bothered over the highest of crimes she had just committed Indru was more than a little tempted to send her off with force, hopefully leaving a scar or two reminding her not to return. He stared at her, storms destroying villages in his fiery eyes, before he snarled, a low deep rumble from his chest, his lips curling over his teeth and his shoulders hunching in defensively.

Leave here now. His voice wasn't entirely clear, the vicious bubbling growl that was welling up in his throat distorting his words but the meaning would of been clear to anyone. Your not welcome here. Indru was larger than the female and he most definitely used it to his advantage, his normally regal face now transformed, his muscles so taught and tense that his movements were stiff and threat just screamed from him as he approached her fearlessly with hackles raised. Without hesitating Indru suddenly lunged forward and towards her, teeth snapping as he aimed for her muzzle hoping that even if she missed a nasty wound to her maw it would catch her shoulder if she swerved away.

Gone Tomorrow

He was pissed. That was clear. His eyes were daggers, and they were cutting her with their intensity. She had broken the rules on his territory and she was certain that she would pay the price. Acceptance was not an option at this point, or at least, she highly doubted it. Maybe if she completely submitted, he would relent, but even so, enough damage had occurred that she would be fighting for her place in the pack every step of the way. And she was not prepared for that. In her mind, she had not broken some unbreakable rule. She had been taught that it was improper for lone wolves to summon pack leaders to them. And she hadn't passed more than a foot or two beyond the marked border; it was hardly like she had taken up residence near the pack's den.

But all of this logic, while clear to her, would have no impact on him. He was angry. He spoke in snarls, not words. Taking a step back, she prepared to make her exit. There was no use arguing against somebody who valued brawn over brain. "I can see that. I'm sorry for that," she murmured, turning her head as she prepared to turn and leave. Had she waited, she would have taken the force of his attack to the muzzle, but he hit her midturn, and she could feel the sharpness of his teeth as they sank into her right shoulder. "ARGH!!!" Her voice grew high in pain and she jerked backwards. The growl of pain turning into snarls, she tried to pull back, hoping that he would relinquish his hold so that she could leave. He wanted her gone, and she wanted to be gone. "LET GO!"

Sharp teeth struck the intruder on her shoulder and Indru tasted a soupcon of blood and he felt a somewhat determined pleasure that she would not be so rude as to trespass on another pack's land's again. The Tainn knew she was lucky that she had not done the same on his uncles's lands or even here but came across Ruiko instead of him, out of the two Indru was the most calm and logical. As she yelped and demanded he let go the leader did, having no desire to do anything more than warn her and give her something to remember the lesson by, Indru was angry but he was not past fair thought. His actions did not need any speech, what he wanted was clear and so he just continued to let his growl bubble in his throat, fur bristled as he waited for her to leave his lands.

Swift River was strong, most importantly it was the strongest pack in Relic Lore at the moment, and he did not need to accept such wolves as this female into his ranks. The Tainn gave a deeper growl, intending to hurry her along and took a confident step forward to the edge of his boundaries, fiery eyes planning to stay fixed on her form until she was nothing more than a dot in the distance. His posture remained strong and resolved, his eyes unforgiving, and Indru's raised head and tail held the confident threat only a Leader could manage, daring the lone wolf to do anything but walk away. She was not welcome here, nor would she be for a long while.

Gone Tomorrow

Growling, the she-wolf fumbled backwards as she was released. The rip in her shoulder was not particularly deep, but it stung. It was times like this that Cori wished she was a fighter, somebody who could hold their own against wolves like Indru. That would make him rue his decision to chase her off his lands. Not that she was still on his lands; she had backed up off his claimed borders. Now, he was just being an arrogant leader who thought that the world was his to conquer. Snarling one last time in disgust, the she wolf bounded away from him, leaving his pompous ass snarling like a moron on his invisible border. With any luck, Indru Tainn would pay for his decision to react so harshly to something so trivial. It was fine with her that she was not welcome here; she would not be coming back.