Ghastly Woods Gingerbread House

re: Thread Title - JUST COS! OK?

It had been an unusual request, but one she could not deny her poor dark boy if she had tried. Through the hell they had endured he had found himself a friend and while he was willing to make the journey alone she simply would not permit it. That did not mean she wouldn’t allow her son to roam ahead, he knew to call if she was needed... But until such a time, it was just her again, on her own, wandering amongst the caressing low lying branches of the Ghastly Woods. How many times had she been here? With Rhysis and with Tenzin. This had been her first home when she came to the lands of lore and still the woods embraced her as their own. Welcomed her back like a long lost daughter. She loved the openness of her mountain home, loved the crispness of the air. But this place was so similar to the woods in which she had been born. It was places like this that were in her blood.

She moved like a shadow between the trees, patient and confident in her steps, taking little care to avoid letting others know of her presence. She was after all, a queen in her own right, if not this far down the mountain, and she was more than confident she could hold her own if she had to. The snow was shallow here, shallower than in the open places anyway. She walked, with a destination in mind, but in no real rush to get there - following the scattered prints of her youngest, now almost fully-grown son.

Canttina padded through the thick forest with her head held low. Her eyes scanning the trees and branches. Her tail skimming along the forest floor and her fur shifting around with each step. Her eyes were narrowed, she began to speak to herself, which was a new habit of hers, getting worse day by day. "Why is no one e-ever around? I just w-want to meet someone. Why is this s-so hard?" A low growl erupted through her chest, her claws sinking into the ground with each step. She was getting angry as she always did.
She then heard some padding to her left, she spotted a female Wolf lurking around. Canttina raised her head and lowered her ears. Her eyes narrowing, "H-hello?" She stared at the Wolf with alert, was she a bad Wolf? What if she was here to kill me? I will kill her first! How dare she threaten Canttina. I will rip her throat out! I refuse to be threatened by this stranger. She does not know what I am capable of!
A very loud growl has been flowing out of her like liquid this whole time. Her fangs were visible and lips curled back. She looked viscous, her ears flat against her skull. "D-don't you d-dare attack me." Her tail was flicking around, her paws firm against the earth.
This women is weak, she has nothing on me! I am made for killing! She is flab! She shall not injure me! She should not even try! Cocky women prancing around here, how horrid! The growl grew louder, her eyes narrowing even more, her teeth snapping. All of her muscles were flexed, she looked ready to kill at any moment.

At the moment Canttina is around 81cm which would make her a medium wolf instead of large, you might want to adjust this in her profile? Guidelines on sizing are at the bottom of this article... http://relic-lore.net/showthread.php?tid=31. I also got the staff to roll for Naira’s attack - http://relic-lore.net/showthread.php?tid=3856 basically, if Canttina want's to retaliate there is a chance Naira's next attack will kill her (which I really don't want to do) so just take it into consideration with your reply. If you do want to retaliate ask the staff for a roll so you can figure out how much damage is being done.

The distant muttering built to a high pitched crescendo then dropped to the unmistakable bass of a growl. Golden eyes fell on the wolf with her lips pulled back trying to appear fierce and a raised brow was offered as her own tail pulled high over her back and her head dropped low, hunching her shoulders to protect her delicate throat. The wolf was significantly smaller than she, but with madness rife in these lands she would not take a chance. She may not have the tell-tale froth about her jaws and she may not smell of death yet but the leader of the Nomad’s would take no chance. Her own growl sounded in response, a warning for the mad thing to keep it’s distance.

Teeth snapping was the final straw. Muscles bunched as the heavy pack leader threw herself forwards, barreling into the younger wolf and bringing her own teeth to snap for the back of the girls neck or high up on her back with enough force to shove her to the ground. Once she was subdued, if the girl was smart enough to submit, she would back off with little more than a warning that she could put this child in her place without a second thought. For now, she would hold on tight and bare down, waiting for some sign that the mad wolf had been subdued.

Canttina gasped as the air got knocked from her chest. She was sent flying to the ground with a thud. The opposing female had her pinned to the ground and her teeth snapping along the back of her neck. She wiggled and snorted under her, obviously smaller then the enemy. She had no choice but to give up, she was wrong to even try the women in the first place. But, with a broken mind, common sense was lacking, usually.

Canttina tilted her head over and looked to the side, she went limp, not trying to attack or move at all. "W-women, calm..calm..I submit." She hissed softly in a gently, slightly creepy tone. Her empty eyes flicked to the women then back to the trees to her side, "I was not trying to -attack- you..just simply..testing you." She sighed gently, wiggling slightly under the larger female. "You can get off me now." Her tail flicked around slightly, she was surprisingly calm for a Wolf under attack. Her empty mind was telling her to fight back, kill this women. But, the very the very small sane side of her told her if she did that she would be killed.

The wolf beneath her continued to mutter away and a short growl of warning was issued forth as the furry ruff was released from her fangs. She didn’t need to tell the Nomad’s leader that she was submitting, she could feel it in the limpness of the muscles of the loner beneath her. But continue to talk she did. Naira, ever sensitive to small slights, didn’t know what pissed her off more in the end, being tested or being told to get off her when the other was clearly in no position to negotiate. A quick click of her teeth by the stranger female’s ear was the final warning she would give. "Shut the fuck up and stay down." Her own dark growl lacing her words. At least this one was somewhat smarter than the last. At least she was willing to submit.

"I will decide when I fucking get up and whether or not I let you go." She warned, a small shove bringing her back to her own feet as she inched back to glare daggers at the wolf on the ground. All it would take was one wrong move and she would be back on top of her. She was not in a mood to take shit, especially not with her son nearby and strangers growling at her for no apparent reason.

Now the woman had calmed some, she was able to study her closer. Pale yellow eyes and a relatively plain coat passed under her eyes, very little remarkable or distinguishing about the wolf at all, beyond a few scars here and there and the hiss of her words hinting at questionable sanity. She liked what she saw, to an extent, and several months ago she may have been less judgmental, perhaps even offered the girl a place in her pack. But spring was on the way, and would she really trust such a wolf with her young after that introduction? No. Not yet.

"Be careful who you test little girl, there are far bigger and badder wolves than I among these trees."

Canttina felt the sharp nip upon her ear. She was holding back as much as she could. If she was still completely broken she would have snapped by now. But with her mind fixing itself piece by piece like a puzzle she decided to follow the better judgment. She held back a growl, it actually caused pain in her chest. If Naira looked into Canttina's eyes she would see complete anger and emptiness. It was a mix that could kill, in many different ways.

Canttina stayed limp as much as she could until the larger female got up, with one last shove of Canttina. The dark brown fae laid there for a few moments, watching the female. She finally decided it was a good time to get up, and so she did. She got on her paws with a huff and she shook off her fur. She stood with her tail low, almost between her legs and her eyes did not meet the femmes. "I would like to say sorry for being so..hostile. I did not know who you were. I-i couldn't help myself." She spoke in a soft tone. She seemed to have trouble saying the last sentence, she could not explain why she did it really, her mind controls her. She couldn't tell what was right form wrong.

Canttina let her claws sink into the earth below her, "I am assuming this is your territory." She inferred, this women was a leader of sorts. She was tough and had an aura of power.

Couldn’t help herself? A frustrated growl sounded in response. These were dark times, and there was a shadow over the lands. If she couldn’t help herself she wouldn’t be likely to survive, but Naira would not let that sway her. She had no ties to the girl before her, no weak tug came at her heart, no desire to offer her shelter. "There is a sickness here girl." She warned in hushed tones, the quietness of her voice adding to the dire message she delivered. "It is caught through a bite and there is no cure. Only death... Perhaps this knowledge will help you ‘help yourself’?" She still watched closely. The smallest movement, the slightest hint of a challenge and she would knock her down again. Some lessons could only be learned the hard way.

Her next words were not so much a surprise, her coat was heavy with the scents of others, and she had learned to don the cloak of dominance well. It was effortless in her pose and in her tone. She was not a wolf used to being questioned or crossed. Her eyes narrowed as she observed the younger wolf for just a moment. Her words were carefully chosen. "Not here, but near enough." She allowed the warning to sink in. "I suggest you keep well clear of the mountain until you are better able to ‘help yourself’. There is very little tolerance for fools beyond the Lost Lake."

If the girl found herself at Poison Path, there would be another to bolster their ranks, but she held very little fear of the wolves at the Lake, and even less of this deranged child. Perhaps with time, she may prove herself a suitable candidate for the Pass, but for now, Naira had neither the time nor the patience to tolerate one so damaged.

She listened to the woman speak, her ears flicking at each word. This was a first for Canttina, was she gaining her mind back? This questioned flicked around in her mind for a few moments before more words entered her ears. She tilted her head slightly, she had called her -girl.- Canttina twitched slightly, her eyes shut for a few moments. She clamped down her teeth, not letting a noise escape her. She despised being called girl. Cattinas sunk her claws into the earth even more, she tried her hardest to hold back even if her broken mind was screaming for her to attack.

She had been called a fool, Canttina was not a fool, she might be broken but not a fool. Canttina did not attack this women, she merely growled and snarled. There was no point in calling her a fool. Canttina bite her lip, she was slowly growing tired of this women, she would turn away soon. She was interested in joining this pack she spoke of but it was slipping away. This is how the alpha treated potential members? Canttina twitched some more as she thought everything she wished to say. She thought bad about most that crossed her path, this is something she experiences a lot.

"I honestly have no clue where these places are. I am really just lurking around trying to find a pack that would accept me, for the way I am." She eyed the female before her with a silent sigh, "I suppose you are not thinking about letting me join.." Her nose twitched with a flick of her ears, she was severely annoyed.

Ok, if you put up one more reply that's our 10 and we can claim LP. I kinda have Naira wandering away at the end of this but if you want to yell something at her as she's leaving that's fine by me :)

A pack that would accept her? The way she was? Did she have no comprehension of the time of year? How protective packs would be of the gift that would soon come with any luck - to them all? "Foolish child. Are you that far gone that you don’t realise what pack wolves have to protect come Spring?" Her words were harsh, but they needed to be said, lest the girl face so much disappointment it pushed her further over the edge. "The days are growing longer, and soon there will be greater concerns than girls who have no manners, and no brains." She would not bother trying to be polite to this one, she needed the truth, and the truth could not be bundled in flowers and soft skins and still carry the same heavy message.

The fact she had even though to ask was laughable, and Naira held back a guffaw as the girls nostrils flared. No. She liked them far smarter than this one. But maybe with time... "As you are? No." She did not try to sugar coat the words, but she didn’t find the girl as hopeless as the last. "With time? Perhaps." She added in a quieter tone. "I will not accept wolves I can not trust with my children. You like to pick fights, we have enough dangers on our door without letting in those that would bring more with them." She had been lenient once, and allowed weak wolves to join, young wolves, trouble-makers. She wanted to know any who joined her now had at least enough common sense to steer clear of causing trouble on their own.

The shadows were growing long she still had a long journey ahead of her. "Come see me when you find yourself..." She said as she began to walk away. "Come see me when you are ready to grow up."

This female made Canttinas fur stand up as high as it could. The fae was now making small indents in the ground from her kneading. As the female padded of Canttina growled softly, "I am grown up. You have no fucking clue what I have been through woman. I have been to hell and back. It is fine if you do not wish for me to be in your pack just do not treat me like a mutt. You have no right." She snorted and raised her tail, her ears flicking back. Canttina moved to walk away, not exactly caring what happened next. This female was a bitch, in every way. They could have been good allies, two strong woman. But she ruined it.

Even if her mind was ruined she would not take crap from anyone, this merely made her worse. Pushing and nudging her constantly was not good, at all. She would fight to the death if needed, it did not phase the female. She was not afraid of death, she did not want to die. She was a confused female.