Whisper Marsh Friends, Family & Mates, Oh, My!

Tempest was asleep and yet her mind was whirling with all that had changed in such a short period of time. She and Guiness had arrived in Relic-Lore, met a couple friends and Gui had gone and joined Willow Ridge. Tempted to do the same, she had persevered in their original quest to find their younger brother, Sloane...all the while dreaming of returning to her brother's side and settling in the home that awaited her... if she returned in time!

Caught in an awkward situation with a male that had no sense of personal space, Sloane had appeared out of nowhere and 'rescued' her from a potentially messy encounter. The male, Valiant, hadn't realized just how close to the edge he'd pushed her, given her history. Now that she was away from him, she could cut him a bit of slack, for at least in the beginning he'd had no idea how his close proximity would affect the wary fae. He'd almost found out the hard way when her brother had appeared and taken her away from the Grizzly Hollow wolf.

It was here that she met his friend and pseudo pack mate Nina, one of the very wolves that she'd hoped to find a lead with. Everything had happened a bit topsy turvy and backwards, but in the end the results were the desired ones. She'd found Sloane. The purpose that had driven her and caused her to drive Gui so hard had finally been achieved and now there would be three Thorben siblings to represent their grand forbears.

With that pleasant though in her head, she dragged herself to wakefulness, surprised that she'd slept so hard. Apparently the release of achieving her goal and finding her young brother had eased much tension in her. She smiled sleepily and couldn't help but be happy. Until she looked around, that is. She was all alone. Again. The three had traveled together for nearly two days and now there was no sign of Sloane or of Nina. She could easily scent them and could tell that they'd wandered away a few hours prior at least.

With a shake of her head at her unusually deep slumber, Tempest surmised that they'd simply gone of hunting and let her sleep. Nothing whatsoever to worry over, so she settled down to enjoy the morning sun warming her in the chill of the winter breeze. Her feeling of contentment hadn't lasted though. Hours had passed and there was no sign of either of the wolves.

A mild panic set in before being replaced by irritation. The two emotions warred with each other as different potential scenarios played themselves out in her head. Hunting, accidents, she just didn't know what to think. The short and volatile temper that she'd been well known for as a youngster rose to the surface and fueled her long legs as she tracked her errant brother and his friend. Why did they leave her alone? Her emotions were still raw and she tried to calm herself, but her worry and anxiety gave her no peace.

After a while, she came to an area where the terrain changed and the ground itself became almost spongy. The marsh. Bright amber eyes burning with a mixture of worry and displeasure, the large russet female stopped, lifted her head towards the blue skies and called her brother to her. With her summons completed, she lay down in a bit of a huff and tried to regain the composure that she had worked so hard for all of her life. It was no easy task at that point. She hadn't earned the nickname Stormy for no reason...

(This post was last modified: Jan 07, 2013, 05:50 PM by Tempest.)

The Calm in the Storm

The call came to him on the wind and he winced a bit to himself, realizing just how much time had passed since he'd left Tempest and Nina asleep. Of course, he hadn't counted on Nina following him, either. He'd just wanted to check out the Lagoon before heading back to the Willow Ridge borders. To his delight, Nari had indeed been here and they'd been in the midst of a joyous reunion when Nina had appeared... and then Shade.

Looking at the sun, he noted the time and realized that Tempest must have started tracking them for her voice to carry to the lagoon. Although her lovely voice carried concern, his sensitive Thorben ears also detected the agitation that laced it. Even as a pup, he'd marveled at the fiery temper of his older sister. She'd appeared so mature and calm that he'd assumed that she had outgrown it. Maybe not completely.

With a sheepish look at the others, he said, "Um, Tempest is looking for us..." Heat crept up his neck as he thought of how upset she must be right now. Hopefully, he could calm her temper or maybe the girls could do it for him, he laughed to himself. She would be annoyed with him, but she'd never hold it against them!

Feeling like a little boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar he continued, "Perhaps we should head her way?" he suggested. He smiled at Nina, nuzzle his sweet Blue-Eyes and turned in the direction of Tempest's call, leading the way for those that would follow him to face his sister's ire.

(This post was last modified: Dec 29, 2012, 12:51 AM by Sloane.)

Knight of Honor

No longer was Narimé anxious or nervous. She had long enough time to figure out those feelings and others next to her protector Sloane. Though the girl wasn't so sure if Shade would keep her secret meetings secret. She hoped he would. Instead of heading back after their initial meeting at the Lagoon Narimé had followed Sloane and Nina back to wherever they were headed. She didn't want to leave Sloanes side though she knew at some point she would have to go back to Willow Ridge.

Hearing a familiar call the young silver woman picked up her ears listening. It seemed that Tempest was nearby too. She kept her attention on the call as Sloane nuzzled her and spoke of traveling towards his sister. Narimé was still confused about a lot of things. She didn't know what she was feeling for Sloane, neither did she know what Nina, Sloane, and Tempest were up to. The young woman knew they were planning something but she knew not of what was being initiated in current events.

"Sure." She turned to look at those amber eyes that were always in her dreams and waited for Sloane or Nina to head out. The blue eyed she wolf was sticking with them for a while to at least figure out what Nina had wanted to talk to her about. It seemed like something important.

(This post was last modified: Dec 21, 2012, 04:16 AM by Narimé.)

Their little conversation did not last long, and Nina lifted up her head as Tempest’s call echoed through the marsh. She blinked her one eye and gave one glance towards Shade, as if ordering him to take his leave before nodding towards the other two. She picked up her head and answered Tempest’s call briefly, telling her that they would hurry, and a small edge of an apology in her voice. It had been nice learning that Sloane had older siblings. A sister and a brother, though the brother she had not yet met…though she planned on meeting him. The Thorben family seemed to be considerably loyal to one another and she was pleased to see the same traits in Sloane. Her tail wagged behind her as she started forward, casting an anxious glance at Sloane. She was wondering how the large wolf would react to Sloane and Nina going off, though she was sure she had told Tempest where she had gone off to, perhaps the older Thorben hadn’t been fully awake.

She was soon rolling her shoulders back before stepping into the marsh, the water coming up to her chest, something she had become used to considering the two floods she had been in. One in Copper Rock Creek…right before the pack had disbanded, and another in Willow Ridge when she had gone for healing. Her legs pushed through the marsh, trusting that Narime’ and Sloane were following close behind. After a short while, she came upon Tempest laying down in a heap at the beginning of the marsh. It didn’t seem as though the female liked the water much, and Nina couldn’t blame her much, though the golden brown girl always did love a swim every once a awhile to cool off. The water here was just plain cold though…it was common sense to know that though, considering that it was winter.

When Nina exited the water, she didn’t shake, for she didn’t want to get the Thorben wet and so she simply sat down near her, every once and awhile blinking her one good eye while looking back towards her other two friends. She tilted her head at them silently, a silent question being passed towards Sloane. What exactly was going to happen now? She wasn’t exactly sure if she wanted to tell Koda yet, and she found it best not to tell him yet. All she needed was a shake or nod from Sloane to confirm their plan. Hopefully he wasn’t paying too much attention to Narimé at the moment.

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

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Much time had passed since Gui had heard from his sister…and so he had been busying himself scouting over other lands and marking the borders around Willow Ridge. He didn’t mind the silence that had been given to him though…even though he much rather having his sister by his side, safe and away from danger, so that he could keep an eye on her. He was slowly starting to become anxious though and he now sat, after his run of the borders, on the edge of the willows, just looking out into the forest and into the marsh. Where had she been? He was sure he would have heard from her sooner or later. His head was high, though he was one of the lowest in the pack, it did not feel much like it. He was treated with enough respect from the other pack mates he had met so far. Among friends, rank didn’t seem to be much of an issue, as long as you acknowledged their rank at first.

As a heart warming howl filled the air, Guiness’s head picked up, immediately making him get off his rump. It didn’t sound as though the call was for him, but the wag that it brought to his tail and the pleasure that came to his heart was enough to get his large paws moving. It was good to hear that his sister was nearby and that he would soon see her…though he had heard the slight edge of irritation that was in her voice, and he was curious as to what could have caused such a sound. Her composure was usually pretty good, but at the moment, it didn’t sound much like she was keeping her cool. It sounded as though Stormy was coming back. As he ran, his tongue hung out of her mouth as he pants, his tail wagging easily behind him as though he were a puppy again.

When he arrived upon the scene he was shocked to see a few wolves already there…only one of whom he didn’t know. She seemed quite small…but strong at the same time, and she was already the smallest one out of all of them, considering Narimé had grown to her full weight and height. The muscles underneath her pelt weren’t hard to pick out, but were probably much more noticeable when she didn’t have her winter coat. He admired her briefly, before letting his golden amber eyes drift towards the other two wolves. He nodded briefly to Narimé before narrowing his eyes at the male by her side. It seemed Sloane had come and was traveling with the female. From what he had heard perhaps this would be the highly spoken Nina…though he was not quite sure yet. He knew he would have to get acquainted with her, for he was sure she was an asset to the pack.

He wasn’t sure if Sloane was bigger than him or if they were around the same size…but Guiness was a massive beast and from what Guiness had seen so far, he was bigger than most of the wolves in the lore, with a few around the same size as him. He smiled briefly at Sloane…something Guiness rarely did, before his large form was moved to stand next to his sister, whom was laying down, and he briefly nuzzled her on the shoulder, to give her comfort and ease some of her aggravation. His tail wagged behind him though, some of his own stress easily now taken off of his back.

Pillar of Strength

The weather was brisk and Koda was happy that he and Elettra had had an opportunity to talk recently, despite the strange circumstances that had prompted the encounter. Since they had met, it seemed that all of their interaction had been business. He had asked her to go hunting with him today in hopes of building on their friendship. It was a hunt, hopefully to bring back staples for the pack, but perhaps they could talk a bit more as well. They were such different wolves trying to lead a pack together, it only made sense to communicate better.

He looked over at the black fae moving at his side and smiled to himself. Six months ago he would never have imagined he'd be leading with her rather than merely being a loyal member of her pack. There was no way of knowing what would have happened if he hadn't lost his heart to another first, but they were both dealing with the strange circumstances of their partnership. They'd been traveling comfortably in silence for a while and just as he was about to inquire as to how she'd been doing a call broke the silence.

His chocolate ears perked and he turned his silvery head in the direction of the summons, towards the marsh. He didn't recognize the voice, but it seemed to be laced with a bit of distress. Being the wolf that he was, he instantly wanted to investigate and make sure that they were all right. They were off of pack lands and the voice was distant, so the bearer posed no threat to the pack. He looked again at the dark fae besides him. She had heard the call too and he tipped his head slightly as she appeared to recognized the unfamiliar voice.

"Someone you know?" he asked. Knowing that she would respond in her own time, he made the call to turn and head in towards the call somehow knowing that she would be right there as well. He wondered how she might know the strange wolf, but for now he just wanted to make sure that they were all right. The two of them soon approached a small group of wolves, half of which were familiar.

He couldn't help his heart skipping a beat at the sight of his mate. He hadn't seen Nina since she'd left Willow Ridge and he'd mostly kept his distance from her during her stay out of respect for Elettra and the rest of the pack. Narime' was standing by the side of a very large muscular wolf. Guiness was standing next to another large wolf, a fae that seemed to be just rising to her feet in greeting. He looked between the three large ruddy wolves and it was hard to miss the resemblance.

The female must be Guiness' sister and the other, taller male must be the lost brother that they'd been searching for. The size, coloring and eyes were certainly a giveaway of the growing Thorben line in relic lore. He gave a slight smile for what appeared to be turning into a family reunion. He looked at everyone in silence, before his golden brown gazed settled once more on his love and he lost himself in her brilliant emerald eye.

(This post was last modified: Dec 29, 2012, 01:00 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Her movements were swift and solid, each of her long, thick limbs working hard to move the equally curvy form of her being. Medium in height and proportions, the lady and compact and built for fighting and stamina in the fight, though she was far less slow then the lot of the men in her family, made as power houses which lead their army to much victory. She was an Amazon in her own right, moving with obvious confidence in her prowess as a woman and wolf, as well as the leading position within her pack. Along side Koda, she looked slim and short to his own broad stature. Silently, the pair moved along, their ears, eyes and noses working to their advantage at finding a meal.
When a call shattered the otherwise natural sounds of the mostly forestry around them, Elettra found herself at a sudden halt, her silky black ears trained upright to listen, whilst her silvery pale eyes danced into the direction of her partner. "Indeed. A woman by the name of Tempest Thorden, sister of Guiness." She speaks and in moments the pair if off once more, headed west in the direction of the Cedar forest for which she once lived. Rarely did she come this way, if only to specifically avoid the Hollow wolves and the memories which it would stir up. The Rise was where the pack hunted, as well as the Meadows and for goat around the mountain side, but not here.
When she arrived, the sound of the call was confirmed, with no other then Tempest herself to match it. Guiness was here, as well, answering his sister's call and even Narime and Nina, though how Narime matched in this Elettra was not sure. Only one was unknown to her - Sloane, for which Elettra looked towards with much interest. Was this the brother Tempest was looking for? And if so, how did Narime come to know him? Elettra's eyes watched Narime, settling closely to the unknown man, and it would seem even Nina knew him well. Alas, Elettra did not know that not only was this man the brother of Tempest and Guiness, but also the man to lead at Nina's side in her new pack and the lover of Narime.
"This is him, then?" She speaks, her attention fleeting to the large, rather good looking man to soon be known to her as Sloane, before passing over Tempest with a dip of her muzzle in greeting, as well as directed towards Nina. She silences once more, shifting in her placement at Koda's side, her silvery gaze looking over her leading partner and the longing which he felt to finally see his mate once more. Elettra had kept her promise to keep hush on Nina's idea for creating a new pack, though perhaps now would be the time for Koda to find out. Elettra's muzzle, rimmed in greying, pressed to Koda's nape, nudging him into the direction of Nina. Though still more then half the pack did not know of their un-mated secret as far as Elettra was aware, the cat was out of the bag none the less and with this gesture, Elettra beckoned Koda to go to her.

Tempest lay with her eyes closed and concentrated on regaining her composure. As a youngster, she'd had a fiery temper and had thrown more than her share of fits. Her gentle mother had eventually taught her to control herself and to always behave like a lady. Ladies didn't rant and snip and ladies didn't threaten to chew their brother's tail off, much as she wanted to right now. So she counted slowly in her head and breathed deeply while she waited for Sloane. although she couldn't help her tail lashing behind her every once in a while.

It wasn't long before her call was answered, in spades.Sloane soon arrived, with Nina and surprisingly even young Narime'. Some pieces of a bigger puzzle fell into place as she saw the silver fae and her lanky brother together. The corner of her mouth quirked upwards, just a titch. Before she had a chance to even rise to her feet, Guiness showed up from another direction. The huge male came to stand by her and immediately she felt most of her tension and irritation melt away. The big lug had always had that effect on her, even when they were pups. She gave him a grateful smile, knowing that would be enough.

Turning back towards the trio she gave each of the girls a friendly smile, looked at Sloane and said, "I was rather surprised too wake up alone this morning," as she smoothly rose to her feet. Her words were accompanied by a leveling stare at Sloane and a small lashing of the tip of her tail. She wouldn't lose her temper, but she wouldn't let him get off scott free either! Before she had a chance to say more, the sound of others approaching from the general direction that Guiness had came to her and she shifter her bright amber gaze. A pale silver and cream male came to stand quietly a small distance away and she couldn't help but follow his longing gaze in the direction of Nina. What is that about? she wondered to herself.

He was accompanied by a regal dark form that she remember well, for all that they'd only met once. Elettra. Her leadess now, she supposed... if the woman and her mate were still amenable to her joining. When Elettra spoke, her gaze returned to her younger brother once more and this time she gave him a heartfelt smile before swinging her amber gaze back towards Elettra and the wolf that she assumed to be her mate. "Yes, Elettra. This is Guiness' and my younger brother, Sloane Thorben, in the flesh," she said proudly.

Despite her earlier irritation, Tempest was overjoyed to have finally been reunited with her brother. It was quite possible that they were the last three of their once-proud line and they could carry on the honor and tradition of their forbears together. With a brief glace at Narime' the thought that the Thorben's might just reinvent themselves here in relic-lore came, unbidden, to her mind.

(This post was last modified: Jan 07, 2013, 05:51 PM by Tempest.)

The Calm in the Storm

Then another huge wolf, a face from the past showed up and gave him a rare smile. Guiness. He looked even more massive, if that was even possible. His older brother moved to stand by Tempest, supporting her as he always had. Just as he was getting comfortable and warming to the idea that his brother and sister really were alive and really were here in front of him, another pair of unknown wolves appeared. A dark proud looking fae and a silver and cream male that looked at Nina as if she was his life preserver during a storm at sea. After a long appraising look at him, the woman inquired, "This is him, then?" His ears pricked forward as his sister confirmed that he was Guiness and her brother.

The woman then nudged the large male forward, in the direction of Nina and realization dawned on him. This must be Koda, Nina's absentee mate. He gave him a brief appraising look of his own, still determined to have a word with him alone at some point. That realization gave him the identity of the other wolf. He looked back to the regal woman and nodded respectfully to her. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Elettra. I've heard much about you and your illustrious pack."

(This post was last modified: Jan 07, 2013, 05:45 PM by Sloane.)

Knight of Honor

Narimé's tail continuously wagged as she trotted along, her fur occasionally bumping and mixing with Sloanes. When they finally got to Tempest she gave the fea a happy smile and yip hello. Then another familiar face appeared. Guiness padded closer and joined the group with his characteristic silence. Though the young silver woman could see how the big lugs eyes shined at seeing his sister and brother again. It really was great to finally see all of the Thorbens together. It gave Nari the chance to step back and look at all of them. Keeping with their bloodline all three wolves had russet fur mixed with grays, blacks, and creams, their sizes all impressing to the normal onlooker with Nari being possibly taller and definately more lanky than Tempest.

Replacing herself back next to Sloane Narimé looked up to him watching his smile as the male nervously waited for Tempest to scold him. "This...This feels like family to me.." the gray hunter smiled then caught sight of yet more wolves trotting towards their little get together.

When her eyes spyed the familiar blackish gray hips of Elettra Narimé's happy feeling quickly went out the door and was replaced by a nervous feeling. She tensed up and immediately lowered her head looking away from El's gaze. Listening quietly as the others introduced themselves Narimé shifted ever so slightly away from Sloane unsure if Elettra would be fine with her sitting so close to some unknown male. Her blue eyes flitted back and forth watching the other wolves calmly sitting or standing in their places. "Well I guess I don't have to worry about Shade telling Elettra anything now do I?" Nari watched Elettra push Koda towards Nina and jerked her head up to watch curiously. "Yeah I remember. She's his real.." Nari paused thinking at the word "mate.." She was unsure why Elettra wouldn't mind watching her alpha male of their pack sitting close to a different female.

In fact Narimé was now full of questions that she wanted to ask. "First off what was Nina and Sloane planning? maybe... does it have something to do with Koda? No, no I'm jumping to conclusions again.. Its just coincidence that Elettra and Koda are here right?" Her thoughts swirled and for a moment she had no clue what to do or say.

"I feel like I'm missing something very important.." She grumbled to herself then glanced over at Elettra again. The woman seemed calm. She didn't seem angry that Narimé was there and not hunting. Under her stressful thoughts and nervousness Narimé's body shifted once more closer to Sloane. She didn't catch her mistake until a minute later when everyone had finished talking. Or doing whatever they were doing. Then she simply gave up and let herself sit body all tense and twitchy next to her big russet wolf.