Thicket of Secrets Working around the clock

Hollow had been feeling very absent since he and Azariah had stayed in that makeshift den for even that short while. He couldn't stop thinking of her however much he wished he could easily dismiss her from his mind at least for a while he couldn't. Instead the black wolf settled for just moving her to the back of his mind, letting himself focus on two things at once. Instead of fully wishing to be with her at the very moment he just wondered where she was, and how she was doing today.

With a task at hand he continued down the borders and back, it seemed that Durai and Kashikoi were not around much so Hollow laid it upon himself to secure the borders. After all Sloane was a leader and he surely couldn't keep constant guard on the border. Ashanti and Azariah were both more or less healers, and he would not want either of them in harms way.... for separate reasons, but all the same, a healer was too valuable to risk on border patrols. Nina he was sure could fight as well as anyone but she too was leader and busy. That only left Iopah and Ecco, and Ecco it seemed was more of a hunter, possibly Iopah too but he couldn't be sure. Better not to ask them anyways, if they decided to patrol as well, that would be good, but he would neither expect it, nor would he expect nothing.

However it was tiring work, back and forth, back and forth. Hollow had even made his den halfway between the border and everyone else's to make guarding much easier on him. He was unsure if a yearling could take on the title 'Guardian' but until then he would strive for it, what better way than to practice it, every day, around the clock. Hollow would be there always, for his pack mates and on the borders to keep strangers out. "What about Azariah?" said a small voice in the back of his head. If he had no fur he would have lit up bright red, of course he would be. Still he shook the thought and pressed on, back and forth, around the clock. It was silent, any food he crossed while patrolling he would catch, and add to the caches only to turn and head right back to the border.

(This post was last modified: Jan 30, 2013, 05:42 PM by Hollow.)

Sloane had added a few more rabbits to the cache and was shaking his head as he trotted away. It was filling up, but oh-so-slowly. Starting with nothing in the dead of winter made catching enough prey to fill it a doubly hard endeavor. Well, he would mark the borders and see if maybe he could catch something more to add to it along the way. He really wasn't worried, since everyone seemed to be doing their part. Aside from Kashikoi all had managed fairly well as loners and that carried over into pack life. Even the smaller man had started to fill out nicely and Sloane could see his previous health and vigor returning. He was glad, for aside from Nina, Kashi was one of his oldest friends and he'd been greatly saddened to see his friend in so poor a condition.

He let his mind drift to the various members of his new pack and he mentally reminded himself that he really needed to get to know each of them a bit more personally. It had been his sire's policy to be approachable to his pack mates. Letting friendship build with respect. It had worked well for Selik and he knew that it would for him as well. With this resolve in mind, he made his way to the borders. It didn't take long for him to run into the fairly fresh scent of young Hollow. He rarely traveled the borders without the young wolf's freshly marked trail and it pleased him. The lad was working hard and if he kept it up, he'd make a fine Guardian one day. With his earlier thoughts mingling with his satisfaction with Hollow's performance, Sloane resolved to find and speak to the dark male.

He quickened his pace until Hollow's scent became stronger and he could actually hear the other wolf moving in front of him. He came to a stop before the other wolf could hear his approach. Curious, he employed his unnatural stealth and moved silently through the bushes towards the other wolf. Given his size and resulting lack of speed, he'd developed a knack for moving almost literally silently, which allowed him to get much closer to prey as long as he wasn't in their line of sight. Crouching low and slinking forward, the boy came into sight and it seemed as if he had not heard the over-sized wolf as of yet. It had been good practice, using his stealth to get close to Hollow, but now he tried to decide what to do. Stand up and say hello, or jump out and try to surprise him?. With a youthful smirk on his face, he stayed hidden and simply said, "Hello."

Knight of Honor

As Hollow stood silent sentry lost in thought, tired, but happy, and fed decently, he was content. For the first time in his short life he began to feel that he could relax, enjoy the sights around him. Winter froze the world and made it die every year he knew, but if one were to look hard enough they could find the pure beauty of it all. Maybe it was a product of his ruined childhood but he found it easy to see deeper beauty in things. Like the trees that stood silent around him looked as if they were made of glass. the vines and other various branches looked like decorations of Ice. Even the sky a dull gray today was a backdrop to behold for the scene which played out before him. There was a silent seclusion but not an uncomfortable one as the earth slept, for in the summer he knew this type of silence could only be hoped for.

Hollow did not notice for all of his admiration of nature the large russet make creeping up behind him. Luckily when he heard Sloane say "Hello." He instantly recognized his voice and with a playful grin plastered onto his face Hollow twitched his left ear, and spun around, "Now since when did the bushes start talking?" Hollow almost barked the words in laughter looking directly at Sloane, after all the big wolf could not be missed very easily. Hollow once again sat down only, this time facing Sloane and asked, "What brings you out to the borders today? Hollow asked keeping his stance and tone respectful, he may be forming a bond with his alpha but he was still just that, his alpha.

Thought I could jump in :)

Anne padded slowly through the bushes looking for whatever edible plants she could find. The young wolf had so far survived on rose hips, orchard grass, bugs, and the occasional berry leftover from the birds. Her diet reflected poorly upon her thin malnourished frame.

However what really bothered the she wolf was not hunger. No she was far past the point where hunger would bother her. Instead it was an annoying twitch that she had acquired sometime after her run in with the strange wolf babbling on about some Black Cow guy. Ever since a few days after that she had a twitch that would occur while sitting or laying still. It was so annoying to the young she wolf that she would keep herself moving just to avoid the twitch.

With her knowledge of plants Anne had healed her injuries with the herbs and medicinal trees along the way. However she had no clue why the twitch wouldn't go away. I've tried everything I know. Black hawthorn from right over the hill behind me now, wolfsbane from by the mountains, white fir and scrub pine too.. Nothing has helped it. Though my fever from a few days ago has gone down.. She noted quietly while padding forward.

Her worried thoughts turned to the smell that began slightly marring her usual scent. It was that same sweet sickly smell that the other wolf had. This confused the she wolf to no end and worried her so much that she often times could not sleep at night. Anne was very scared that the smell was something bad, but she wasn't sure just how bad it was.

Poor ignorant Anne. She would find out in a few months time that her new scent was a death sentence.

"speech"

Just a warning. She has rabies now. And yes you can smell it on her even though she hasn't really gotten any symptoms of it yet.

(This post was last modified: Feb 04, 2013, 01:44 AM by Anne.)

Sloane couldn't help but laugh at himself as Hollow turned and asked when the bushes had started talking. With one last chuckle, he rose up to his full height and grinned at the boy. He had gotten quite close to him, but he hadn't flustered him at all. His quick recovery and good humor were pleasing to the over-sized alpha. He couldn't make promises, since it might be after his time here, but he felt very confident that with a bit of maturity and time, Hollow would make a grand Guardian. So he replied in a good-natured tone, "I'm just checking up on an up-and-coming-guardian! How are you doing, Hollow? Adjusting well?" He doubted that his first words would go unnoticed and he hoped that the younger man took them to heart and took encouragement that his efforts had been noted.

He stepped forward and out of the bushes to greet Hollow better, his stance high and proud, but with his tail waving high in the air. He reached forward and gave the black wolf a soft nip to his muzzle, to show his dominance and reaffirm their developing bond. He hoped that when the time came for him to leave that he would not loose this young man's friendship. These developing relationships were the reason that he'd been up front about not staying. He remembered the shock to everyone at the gathering when it was finally clear that Koda was NIna's mate and not Elettra's. The lie of omission had taken many by surprise. He hadn't wanted that to happen here. At least all had known from the start that he was not Nina's mate. He assumed that the others would let Azariah and any other newcomers know. Well, he hoped that they would. He didn't feel the need to tell everyone and flaunt it, but at least the truth was out there.

Hollow didn't seem the least bit worried that he would be leaving. The young man put his trust and respect in Sloane and it showed, making the alpha proud to call him friend. Before he had a chance to say anything more, a wolf appeared at the borders. She appeared to be quite distracted and was beyond gaunt, her bones jutting out sharply in places. The part of him that wanted to save everyone came to life and he stepped forward, now next to Hollow, with a concerned look, yet he questioned her briskly as an alpha should. "Who are you? You are dangerously close to our borders." Now that he was directly in front of her in a dominant stance, he simply towered over her.

Her scent drifted to him and he could tell that she was a loner, although her severe state of malnutrition had already given that bit away. There was an underlying scent too that he was not familiar with. He could see healing wounds from a spat of some sort, but the scent kept coming to mind and this concerned him. There was something not right about it, but he didn't know what. Without even intending it, his hackles raised to full height and his head lowered with a low, almost silent growl. His instincts were telling him what his mind wouldn't or couldn't. This broken, half-starved, pitiful she-wolf was somehow a danger to all of them...

Knight of Honor

Hollow gave snort as Sloane extracted himself from the bushes, "I'm just checking up on an up-and-coming-guardian! How are you doing, Hollow? Adjusting well?" Hollow felt a rush of pride, Sloane had noticed his efforts, the young wolf was very happy that he did not go unnoticed, Hollow would continue to work hard, because of it. Even more so that it was by Sloane whom seemed to be a very nurturing and kind leader, and Hollow knew that even long after the big guy was gone they would remain friends. Hollow only hoped that the wolf meant to replace the russet male would be in the same league as a leader.

"Thank you Sloane, I'm well, a little tired but well, I've been adj...." Hollow stopped mid sentence and caught a strange scent on the wind and turned to face the wolf as Sloane came to his side. His head ducked down and his hackles raised, his eyes belied the true emotion of concern and fear, he felt. The pitiful she-wolf before them both was gaunt to say the least. She looked as if she was a ghost sent here to haunt the minds with the nightmare of a terrifying image of starvation. Hollows heart broke for this wolf however he kept his mouth closed and raised his tail merely using his instinctive warning stance.

Silence rained and in his mind a frenzy stirred, the scent for some reason was tainted, why was not important to him what was. Was the strange hostile feeling he began to feel, Run her off, do it now, she needs to be gone from your borders, she brings death. It was as if a more primitive section of his mind were speaking, whispering in his ear, telling Hollow to run this poor scrap of fur off. But his cursed heart, was swelling with pity and he truly wanted to help her, in the end all he could do was cast a sideways glance at Sloane, and wait.

(This post was last modified: Feb 04, 2013, 10:04 PM by Hollow.)

With a start the she wolf heard the deep male voice and stopped in her tracks. Anne had no idea that she had walked in upon the two wolves, guardians nonetheless, nor that she was close to their territory.

I.. I already know I can't survive without a pack..but.. he's even bigger than the last one I saw! She whimpered remembering the black wolf from the mountain pack. He'd said that in order to get into a pack she had to submit. Submit? Like, bowing down or something.. show them my weak places..even though I'm pretty sure my whole body is a weak place right now.. She quickly lowered herself down to the ground, tail tucked between her legs, and head held sideways showing her soft throat to the two wolves.

"I.. I just want a pack to live in. My family... They left me out here alone. They betrayed me, and to top it off they never even taught me how to survive out here...Please.. help me.. I want to be a part of a family again...." She pleaded desperately to the two wolves. One black, and one russet. Like her wolf mother and father. Her tail twitched as she stood still, but for now Anne was too preoccupied to even notice the annoying thing.

Sloane was at a loss. The girl needed help and his heart tugged at him, but his instinct roared that she was a danger. It didn't make any sense to the large wolf. He felt as if he needed to send this pitiful waif packing at the same time as he wanted to save her. Trying to think things through with his mind, rather than his heart of his gut, he decided that if she did somehow propose a danger, as impossible as that seemed, they needed what it was. He gave her a low warning growl to stay exactly where she was and then he lifted his muzzle to the sky, calling for their pack healers. They now had three. One of them should know what plagued this slip of a girl and what kept his hackles raised high.

Giving the girl an almost apologetic look he turned to Hollow and said, "There is something not right here. The Healers will know what it is." He hated to keep her in suspense when all she wanted was a home. He already knew that he could not give her that home, but what he needed to know was why? It seemed as important to know that as it did to send her packing as soon as possible. So now they waited, all three tense, one obviously terrified. He couldn't let his compassion endanger the rest of the pack though. There was something wrong with her and every fiber of his being rebelled against whatever it was.

Knight of Honor

It was a war within the young wolf, his compassionate, kind nature wanted so badly to help the scrap that seemed so lost and afraid. On the other side there was something his instincts were trying to tell him, he wanted to chase her away and make sure she never returned. He let out an exasperated whine and looked around briefly to be sure she wasn't a diversion or something, there was a problem here and he could not place it. The scent kept coming to the forefront of his mind, it was nagging as if he had smelled it before however he couldn't recall. Her gaunt features bones jutting out she looked almost dead and until he caught sight of her tail twitching in a very strange way.

Hollow had seen felines tails twitch like that, but never a wolf, or even a coyote. "There is something not right here. The Healers will know what it is." Hollow nodded to his leader and fixed the she wolf with an iron mask and wide fearful eyes. The wind shifted and the scent almost choked the young wolf, it was sickly sweet almost the smell of infection. That had to be it, it was a sickness, she was ill. Almost in a whisper Hollow spoke into his leaders ear so she wouldn't hear them, "Sloane she's sick, do you think it's contagious, or that Nina can help her?" He asked in a way that was almost reassuring to himself he wanted so badly to help her, yet still the nagging want to run her off remained.

NOTE: Morbus means illness. <3

It seemed that ever since Copper Rock Creek had disbanded that she had been on her toes all the time, not taking any time for herself to stop and relax. Her body and perhaps even her mind was highly worn out and it took her no time to try and sort out her own mixed feeling. Though it seemed whenever she tried to take a rest, the world never revolved around her, and she didn’t mind that. She appreciated and loved helping other wolves, though sometimes, as much as she wanted to help another, it could not always be the case. When her partner’s call rang through the thickets, her head turned, one brilliant emerald eye glistening in the shadows. It was pretty ironic if one of her close friends would have thought about it enough. Such a bright enthusiastic wolf living in such a dark place. Of course, the darkness came with its own advantages though, but also with some disadvantages to those who could not navigate well in the dark.

The woman traveled quickly across her lands, her paws thundering lightly on the ground. When she arrived at the scene, the scent that reached her nostrils, caused her body to stiffen next to that of her partner’s own, her pelt bristling as the seconds went on. The pupil of her one eye got smaller and she blankly stared at the twitching female in front of her. The golden brown woman’s lips curled back, exposing her fangs, and it was as if she were about to determine the final fate of the female in front of her, which in the end, would end up becoming true. She growled once and took a protective step in front of her family. They knew not of this side of her, the one that would rip another’s throat out. Nina knew not to get close to this wolf though, it would most likely mean her own death. The healer knew not of the disease, only that the scent meant death and that it was bad for other wolves. The correct term would have been contagious.

And so her ramble of mismatched words began, making sense to few wolves that she knew, but some were smart enough to piece the words together, "Morbus. Dancing with death is fresh for you. Your scent and presence dangerous. Be gone you foolish wolf, who played too close with fire." She then snapped her jaws at the other female, her emerald eye blazing furiously at the girl in front of her. Nina’s dominant stature screamed power and to any wolf that didn’t know her well enough, she might have actually looked scary, but with a heart as kind as hers, it was hard for her to attack another. Of course…if her family on the line things were different, and right now things were different. This female needed to leave, now.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.