Drooping Willows The One and Only

Could be a join thread. Could not be one. Depends on who shows and what happens.

Distaste.

It was all that was left in his mouth. The scarred Tainn hated what he was doing. It was so distasteful, and yet so right. To leave the family who cared naught for him. To leave the white ass who'd taken over as alpha. Swift River had never really been his family. Since the beginning he had been unwelcome by all spare for one.

Jessie.

She was the only reason Hotei had stayed. Burn on the other hand wanted to stay for another reason. To be more honorable than Indru had been. But it is better this way... They both agreed. Better for Jessie that we leave. She was too good for them. She had a family there. All we had in Swift River was a bunch of ignorant fools who couldn't wait to be rid of us. He wasn't going to be that wolf who split the family further by challenging Ice's rule. He would not dishonor himself further by doing so.

No...Better for me to leave. Let Jessie have her family to take care of. To be apart of. Hotei's heart ached. Even after he'd left the black wolf had stuck around outside of their borders for a few months. It wasn't until the new scent of disease began to coat the land that Hotei had decided to fully let go.

Now the black wolf brooded alone in this new place. A ghost scent tickling his memory. The memory of when he first met Jessie. There had been two wolves there. Jessie and a young female. Was that the old scent that he was tracking? The scent that plagued his memory? What was her name? Did she say she was from a pack? In the Willows? His mind was all jumbled. Memories from Burn colliding with his own. Of course they were all his own, but Hotei had a tough time trying to sort through them. Sort through the memories that seemed so much newer.

I can't stay alone forever. I need to join another pack. One that adheres to loyalty over anything. I don't want my new family to be fighting each other all the time. To betray each other by leaving.. Hotei thought quietly while Burn listened. Like we betrayed Jessie and left?

A snarl appeared on his face. Why was he arguing with himself?!? We had to leave. For Jessie's sake. For the packs sake. If we had stayed we would have broken them a part. Fighting senseless battles with the white brute. Hotei growled at his darker half wishing that he'd be quiet.

Ever since his last meeting with Jessie Hotei had become aware of his second personality. The one that called itself Burn. Although this had answered a few of his questions as to why Ice hated him and a few other things...Hotei did not like having to fight for control with his other half. Always fighting just to decide what to do.

I will find a new family.. I will stay with that family..fight for them.. I have nothing else to do.. He reasoned glad to feel no resistance from this "Burn" fellow on the other line.

Stepping forward the dark wolf found the gray she wolf scent crossing a mass of scents. Yanking himself to a stop the burnt man scented the border picking out individuals. This was a strong pack. Larger in number and well patrolled by the smell of it. Would they accept one other? One other who wanted to forget his old life and start a new?

Only way to tell is to try.. the black wolf raised his head and howled. He howled for whoever would come, whether alpha or guardian. It was up to this pack to show him whether they were loyal to their own.

He would try..one more time.. to be apart of a family..

(This post was last modified: Mar 03, 2013, 08:56 PM by Hotei.)

The lands in which she stepped foot weren't all that bad- she was actually starting to enjoy herself. Though she was still a lone wolf, Itai managed to keep a positive attitude. She places her paws with caution, though. Who knows what she could encounter next? As she walks, Itai keeps her head lifted high. Her eyes observe the willows around her. What lovely trees. They drooped in a sad way, but they were so beautiful. A light smile comes across Itai's dark lips before she freezes in her tracks. She takes a few steps back, light eyes locking onto a figure.

It was a dark wolf. He stood a decent distance away from Itai. The young woman knew better than to go approaching. Her nostrils widen now as she takes in the air. Unlike the wolf she had met awhile back, this one did not carry any heavy scents. Itai tilts her head before lowering her tail. She sucks in a breath before stepping forward. As she nears the wolf, the details of his physique become clear. He seemed to have been burned- his fur was in patches. Not deterred by this whatsoever, Itai peers out from behind a willow.

After a few moments, she slips out, eyes cautiously watching him. It was unlike her to say something first. "Are you as tired as I?" she asks as her ears twitch in curiosity.

(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2013, 08:04 PM by Itai.)

His nose told him that he was not alone anymore. Though the scent that greeted him was that of another loner. Not the scent of this Willow Ridge packs guardians or alphas. With a soft growl Hotei and Burn turned their attention to the cream and white she wolf poking her head from behind a tree. Then she stepped forward and spoke. The dark mans right ear twitched in her direction as he listened to her comment.

"That depends on how tired you are.." He spoke plainly without emotion then looked over the female with dull yellow eyes. The two inner wolves struggling once more to figure out what to do. Burn wanted to stay quiet and ignore the female while waiting for a pack wolf to show, but Hotei was lonely and wanted someone to speak to.

The black wolf closed his Tainn yellow eyes and remained quiet. A thoughtful expression on his black maw. What do we say when they ask about our names? Or..err.. name?? Hotei questioned himself. Questioned Burn as well. Call yourself what you like.. we are one in the same, my name has no meaning to you. The darker half answered darkly. When we abandoned our pack we abandoned our previous life. Our previous names... Now we must choose for ourselves a new name.. Who are we Hotei? Burn responded to the troubled wolf whom currently controlled their body.

He opened his eyes again looking over the border waiting for either the she wolf to answer or for the pelt of a pack wolf to show. Perhaps these borders were not as well patrolled as he had first thought. Or maybe the dark wolf had just missed the patrol by the time he'd gotten there. Who knows.

Itai was to err on the side of caution. She most certainly wouldn't question the wolf. She knew how to pick and choose her words. She flicks her tail and observes the male. He was silent for a moment- collecting his thoughts? She had no idea of the internal conflict that was occurring before her. Feeling the moment was right, she parts her jaws and speaks. Her voice is bland; she does sound tired.

"Tired enough" she replies in a cool manner. Her face twitches and she looks away. It seemed this wolf meant no harm. Though she was curious as to what he was up to, she remained silent after her two words. It seemed he was waiting for someone. She gazes now in the direction he looks to. She squints and her ears fall back onto her head. Was she near pack borders?

It seemed as if packs were everywhere. She was likely surrounded, but with her careful treading, she has managed to avoid conflict. Odd. Itai knew her luck was bound to run out sometime, but she pushes the thought in the back of her head. There was no time for those thoughts. She constantly has an issue with worrying and thinking too deeply into things. For a brief moment, she wonders if the wolf before her may attack her with a pack. No, highly unlikely... There she went. Her mind went back into worrying. Almost grunting aloud, she shakes her head lightly before returning attention to the burned one.

His lips twitched into a smirk and one black ear tilted fully towards the female as she spoke. Tired enough eh? Hotei scented the air for a few seconds then gave up. Te only scent coming to him was that of the female behind him. Standing up and shaking his fur the burnt man turned his gaze upon the girl questioningly.

"If you're so tired why not sleep? Regain your strength for the upcoming hunt? Or the traveling that fills the life for us loners?" Hotei watched quietly waiting for the woman to speak. She seemed to speak less than most of the females he'd come into contact with. Burn liked this and Hotei was fine with it.

"What are you called by?." He posed another question while sitting down and laying his ears to the side so as to stay neutral and not offend the female.

The willows groaned, their branches caught in a breeze as the two wolves sat waiting for something to happen. A rabbit stuck its head up out of the snow covered hole observing its domain and enjoying the warm breeze filtering through the leafless trees. Spring was coming, though there was still the chance that a late snowstorm would blanket the ground with more of the cold white.

Ah, there it was. The name question. Itai's ears perk as she heard the question. First, she would address his previous words. "It seems there is no time to sleep around here" she says, her light eyes becoming steely, "No time for naps. Sleep at night, awake, hunt, and wander." She shrugs her shoulders now, turning slightly away from the dark wolf. As the breeze blows, Itai immediately picks up on the scent of rabbit. She resists the urge to begin salivating like some fool.

"Itai" She now says. Her eyes wander for a minute. "Itai Sole." She seats herself now, her rump now on the ground. Black-tipped tail wraps around her right haunch. Itai gazes at her paws before looking up toward the willows. They sway in a hypnotic way as the breeze flows through. "And you?" If the wolf didn't want to reveal his own identity, then fine. No skin off her back.

Itai shifts a bit, getting comfortable. No, this wolf didn't seem all too bad. Perhaps she could have a legitimate conversation with another wolf for once- it felt like it had been forever, after all. Sadly, in reality, it had only been about half a year... yet it felt like much longer. Social interaction was of such importance to wolves. Sometimes she wished she was a different animal, one that enjoys being on its own more than with others of its same species..

(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2013, 09:55 PM by Itai.)

The dark wolf closed his eyes thinking of something to call himself. Raking his memories for words he'd learned from other wolves. One wolf stood out. A white male named Haku. He'd spoken two languages. One that Hotei could understand and another that Haku said was Japanese. It was so long ago when Hotei had been but a young bloke fending for himself after the fire.

The dark wolf had hunted with the sickly white male for a long time before his sickness had taken him. It was one wolf that Burn respected above many. Haku, had taught him a number of Japanese words. Though Burn would likely never be able to speak in the language Perhaps he could find a new name from his old friends words. What was it that he called me so long ago? In our language.. it was Fireshadow... But in Japanese what was it? He stood there for a few minutes just thinking upon that old name. Something to call themselves while they lived in their new family.

"My name is Kasai Kage. I have no family nor a home to go to.. That is why I am looking for one now..Have you a family or friends to go to?" He answered the female giving more information than he'd meant to. Not that it mattered. The only one's who would recognize him were the Tainn's themselves and the members of Swift River. Kasai was fairly sure the loners he'd met previously wouldn't really remember him. Though if the silver she wolf he'd tracked to this border still remembered him he would likely have to answer questions as to his new name from the pack alpha.

(This post was last modified: Mar 04, 2013, 10:38 PM by Hotei.)

(since this is dated after the mass meeting but that has barely begun, ima leave it vague...)

Though she had not been officially told that it was happening tonight, Elettra already knew Narime was gone. Sloane's call had stirred her to full awakening when he had willed Narime to come to him and the woman, as promised, followed suit in the whispers of the night. Elettra only felt worry and sadness, bottled up in a swirling of wild emotions boiling over the edges with the new spring season. Her best huntress had not left them. Kanosak was dead. Koda was no longer at her side, nor in the pack. Sloane, since being appointed leader, had been off wondering far from these lands and as very obvious, Rosealia had not been seen, ether. Obvious irritation and wonder stirred in Elettra, though she had yet to be confirmed of the broken law that was brewing. Elettra was stressed if not only by the missing members, the treasonous ones, the dead ones, but the breeding season that had finally come.
For the time being, Elettra merely strays along the edges of her home, trying to keep it together with a hope that the worst was behind her. Winter was over and now hopefully with Spring there would be a new start for the Willow Ridge pack. So many members had gone and not yet known to her, more would follow in their footsteps, be in love or lust with an ambition to rule their own. So many packs would stem from members of the Ridge, though Elettra had yet to feel any pride. She only roamed, still protecting the boarders of what remained in her pack. It was along this very stretch that she found this pair of wolves, male and female, conversing together. Wariness struck her further, unwilling to accept anyone who would come into her pack seeking 'love and a family' where breeding rights were reserved for the Leaders - for her. "Any reason why a couple is standing at my boarder?" Her silvery attention scans them both as she slowly approaches further. Perhaps they had only come across each other by chance, but why still did they remain at her doorstep was the true question.

(This post was last modified: Mar 05, 2013, 01:09 AM by Elettra.)

Itai freezes now as a dark wolf appears. Her muscles stiffen once more. Her ears fall back and she glances at the woman before at the ground. Peering to Itai, she frowns. "I was passing by" She says, the honesty in her voice true. If this woman was not to believe her... then fine. "I apologize. I will be moving on, if you wish." She wasn't here to start trouble. Itai was exploring the land and what it had to offer. So this makes two packs so far. There was the one that other wolf (Fenru) was along the borders of. They weren't all that far from each other. How many other packs were there?

Her gaze now flows over to Kasai Kage, who stands a few feet before her, closer to Elettra. She shrinks back, allowing Kage his time to speak. Light eyes flicker cautiously between the two of him. She wonders for a moment if she should slip away, but her interest keeps her rooted to the ground. Soul forgets how hungry she is until her stomach releases a growl. Her face grows hot with a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness. There was no need to feel embarrassed. She was a loner.... of course she was hungry almost all the time.

Slowly, Soul's ears rise back up. She fixes her posture, remaining submissive but confident. She was too hungry. A pack would be a nice change right now. Itai listens for Kage's voice now to see what he has to say to the darker woman before them.

(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2013, 03:51 PM by Itai.)

The dark males eyes turned as another dark shape appeared from across the border. The fine regal lifting her head as Kasai narrowed his yellow gaze, looking away from the female. The scent that flowed off of her matching that of the more dominant scents among the borders many wolf smells. This must be the alpha. She looks strong. Kasai noted. With inner strength you mean? The lighter personality questioned seeing as how the female was of medium build. Hotei had not dared to look over the alpha female long enough to disturb her, and so did not see the rippling muscles that was her lithe body.

He listened as the pristine black wolf voiced her concern with them being at her border. Kasai waited as the other lone female Itai spoke of passing around. Burn had enough of being alone. Or at least of being alone with only the idiot Hotei to argue with. Hotei thought the same of Burn and wondered what the other wolves of this pack were like. They both agreed for once as the alpha woman stood there, that they did not want to be alone anymore. Lowering their head Burn and Hotei, or Kasai, placed his body into a submissive pose and avoided eye contact with the woman.

"I come only to serve the pack. The loner life has beaten me down far long enough." He answered clearly asking for a place within her pack. The burnt man would do all he could to stay away from his old family, to help them stay together. For if he saw Ice again Burn would not be able to stop himself from being an issue. Also, for both Hotei and Burn wanted to stay away from Jessie.

"My name is Kasai Kage, family none, den of noplace. Though I would like to change that.." He kept his head low and his eyes to the ground waiting for the black fea's rage or acceptance. It would not be the first time a pack turned him away because of his mysterious background and burnt features.