Mountain of Dire Safety Dance

Naira - You cannot shake the feeling that you are being watched.

She was trying to be good, really she was, and she knew if @Rhysis found her gone there would be an argument, maybe even another fight... the memory still left a small smirk on her face but it was quickly wiped away. It had been weeks since she had ventured any further than border patrol, but today she needed to stretch her legs. She wouldn’t wander far... or at least that had been her intention. Before she knew it she found herself wandering up the mountain, back towards the peak which lay south of the Pass, back towards Poison Path. It was a creeping suspicion she had noted on her daily passes of their borders, they were missing someone... several someones.

@Sagacity, it would seem had been sent on a scouting mission by her love, and well enough - with the realisation there were more packs out there than they had originally known of, the new pack in the thickets, the pack in the cedarwood, river wolves, poison path and who knew who else - it made sense to send their scout scouting to see what else she could glean of packs on the rise with the spring. It also suited Naira just fine to have the girl far from home at such a high strung time of the year.

It wasn’t the absence of that particular scent though that bothered her, no, it was the absence of their guardian - one she had trusted above all others that sent her scaling the heights. There hadn’t been any tremors of late no slips or slides or avalanches - that she had been aware of, but cooped up as she had been she wouldn’t have been aware of anything further up the mountain. So far, nothing seemed amiss, but she could not shake the itching burn between her shoulder blades, the uncomfortable twitching nor the unshakable feeling that she was being watched.

OOC| Hello! I hope you're not opposed to Asta's joining you? I'm a wee bit rusty on the RP scene but I'll do my best. ;)

IC|
Mountains. She'd never really done mountains before. The occasional large hill, yes, but mountains? Asta tried to remember whatever had possessed her to come here in the first place. Several nights ago she'd heard howling - another loner, probably - but if she'd forseen where she'd ended up now, she would have turned around sooner. Every time she tried to convince herself, "It's just an over-sized hill," she'd take note of the dangerous plumets and rather larger-than-she-cared-to-consider-rocks and remember: mountains are not hills. Even so, Asta had picked her way surefootedly up a broad path, hoping to find either some small game or an indication she should turn back.

The path changed and Asta came to a stand-still, her eyes dark as she stared ahead. She could hear the wind whistling, the chill of the mountain air against her nose... "This is pointless," she whispered to herself, tensing as she turned back around. Back down the mountain - back the way she had come.

Asta had been a lone wolf for a while now - long enough to feel the maddening pinch of loneliness all over. She'd determined never to turn back on her own tail unless absolutely necessary. Now she defied her own rule and picked her way back down, her eyes narrowed against the air. Maybe the wandering would end one day, but Asta did not think that day would be today. Mountains just didn't seem very hospitable.

Then again, what did she know about mountains?

She wasn't in the habit of counting the minutes or hours since she'd been alone, but she was sure it had only been a few minutes before she caught a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye. The lone wolf froze, her spine prickling uncomfortably as her hackles rose. Her eyes darted first, then her head turned. She had perceived the motion and... nothing. I can't stand this! I'm getting jumpier than a hare! ...wait. I haven't gone mad have I? Lowering her head, the she-wolf proceeded again more cautiously, head and tail low so she could move more quietly, ears rotating to listen closely. She gave her head a quick shake - she was just being paranoid. Maybe she needed to get more sleep... or maybe there really was someone else, close by. It was possible to catch a glimpse between rocky crags and lose sight of others altogether. The small she-wolf altered course; if she wasn't hallucinating, she wanted to find out what it was that had caught her attention.

(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2013, 03:52 AM by Asta.)

Not at all! Nice to meet you! I'm going to be away for about a week after today (well sort of away for the next two days - then without net for Easter. Depending on how exhausted I am by the time I get home after work I will try to manage another reply or two before I am cut off from the world!).

And I apologise in advance if she tries to recruit you... I don't really know whats gonna happen til it happens anymore.

The snow still lay thick up here, there would always be a crisp cleanness to the air that she knew she would never find in the lowlands. This mountain was hers, and it was only a matter of time before her claim would become a reality... if only their timing was right. They had stolen from the Lake wolves and remained unchallenged. It only strengthened her belief that their leader was unworthy and their presence was little more than the ghost of a bad memory to be chased down to lower territories with the rest. Had she not been carrying young, they would have stormed the lines already. As it was, it would be well into the Summer, or early Autumn before they could make a decisive move with her at her dark mates side.

But no matter where her thoughts wandered the lingering itch remained. The icy wind cut through her coat of silver and gold but could not shake the burn of holes in her back. Someone nearby was watching, and it was making her hackles itch as her tail inched instinctively higher. Her movements became more stiff until she bought herself to a standstill, golden eyes observing the rocky terrain about her. There were any number of places one with hostile intent could lurk, and it wasn't like she had any shortage of enemies. Might it even be the mountain lion she had confronted with Sagacity before the girl left on her mission? She did not like this one bit, and her maternal instincts kicked in. Perhaps it was time to head back home?

(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2013, 11:26 AM by Naira.)

OOC| Nice to meet you as well! That's all right - I definitely understand. -chuckles- I'll still be here! And no need to worry about recruitment - if she does try Asta wouldn't complain. Neither would I for that matter. Given the rougher demeanor of Nomads Pass I suspect it would interesting to get a somewhat softer wolf in the mix. ;)

IC|
There - an outcropping of stone and snow. It might make a decent vantage point. It was a little out of her way (that is, she had travel up a bit), but Asta felt at the moment she must ensure she was neither mad nor in immediate danger. So she made her way as quietly as she dared to the tip of the outcrop and peered down. It wasn't a long drop at all, but it afforded the small wolf a better view of the way she had been going - of the place she thought she'd seen movement. She had to suppress a smirk as she looked below - she felt a little like one of those big cats her parents had told her about when she was young.

There it was! Movement again!

Asta felt her spine prickling with anticipation even before her eyes and mind fully registered what she was seeing. A wolf! An honest-to-goodness wolf! Her heart was already pounding eagerly in her chest, eager with the thought loneliness being dispersed. That, or she was much more nervous than she thought she'd be. Actually, she was pretty sure she was just nervous. She'd lost track of the months since she'd seen another soul - at least a friendly, wolfish one. Lowering her head, Asta considered her options for a moment. It was likely her path need not take her near this new wolf - Asta could run and avoid trouble. If the wolf was another loner, though, they could add to one another's strength. What's the worst that could happen? I'm fast - I could run away, she told herself again and again as she peered over the rim again. The wolf below was larger than Asta, healthy-looking too.

Asta could not bring herself to move right away. She watched, barely noting the other wolf's change in posture - Asta had made up her mind. Even as she wondered if it was a good idea to approach the other wolf, she virtually scrambled down the side of her outcropping. A little further, and she was nearly on-level with the other wolf, though there was still plenty of distance between them. There, Asta halted, her tail close to her hind legs with apprehension. Her hackles were still raised - she could feel their uncomfortable tickle.

"Hello," she yipped at last, struggling to keep her voice from sounding too eager. This meant the nervous edge revealed itself a little more.

Hello the introduction was more the excited yip of a young wolf, than the steady introduction of a more seasoned adult. Her head turned then, the call easing her nerves some. If you were out to attack someone, the last thing you willingly did was reveal your position. Out there she was, as white as the snow that still blanketed the mountain - tipped with silver and copper. Naira’s warm golden eyes locked onto the slightly more pale ones of the young girl, her tail arching up over her back just a little as she moved forward steadily, a small bark of greeting sounding her approach. She was so small, how was it that she had come so far? Thin, as loners tended to be, the tawny leader couldn’t help but wonder what had bought the girl so far. They truly could be considered at the edge of the world up here.

She stopped several wolf lengths away from the loner, out of caution more than arrogance. The wind whipped about her longer fur, a testament to her mother’s arctic heritage, although her size spoke more of her father. An ear flicked back idly before swinging back so her full attention was focused on the wolf before her, her confident stance betraying her as more than just another pack wolf. "What is it that brings you to the ends of the earth on such a blustery day?" She questioned, the hint of a smile gracing her pale lips. She would withhold an introduction for now, her name was something she would keep well guarded - until she had a better measure of the young woman that stood before her.

OOC| Hey! I hope your traveling has gone well! Are you still visiting family or are you home?

Oh yes. Asta was nervous. She was usually at least a little nervous when meeting strange wolves in strange territory. One would think she'd gotten used to that kind of thing by now - what, with having been alone for the better part of a year now. Or had it been a year? Asta couldn't properly remember - but it had been a long time since she had been traveling on her own. She had to resist the temptation to dance from paw-to-paw - she wanted to seem at least a little dignified.

This was the moment wheen anything could happen; the moment when Asta could find herself required to flee. Or - she hoped - it might be friendlier, for she had been alone and deep in her soul she required the company of others. Then again, this meeting the occasional fellow lone wolf was not a replacement for a pack lost. She lifted one forepaw as if she might consider backing up, then replaced it carefully even as the other wolf's head turned at the call. Asta felt the frightened prickle along her spine - oh she hoped her fur wasn't standing on end too much! Her tail wagged once or twice, uneasily, but Asta forced herself to remain standing just where she was. It was just that, well, Asta suddenly realized exactly how much smaller she was. She was, at best, half the size of the other female.

Their eyes locked for a moment, and Asta felt a small thrill rush through her. It was at that very moment she realized she had been mistaken. This wolf didn't move like any loner, cautious of nearly everything. Not at all. Those graceful, queenly movements - Asta didn't know any loners who would dare move like that. She averted her eyes, staring a little past the other she-wolf as the larger approached. With each step the other came closer; with each step, Asta's head lowered a little more. Her ears lowered, her tail became still and tucked close to one hindleg. This was a pack wolf. By default, Asta was nothing next to even the lowest pack rank or title.

The other wolf's words prompted a slight tilt of Asta's head. Not from confusion, but so the thin smile on her lips might be visible. Her eyes alternated between the ground and the other's much broader chest. Asta felt pathetic really. If this she-wolf was at all typical for the area, then this was a land of giants... was everything huge around here? Even the prey...? Oh, she could go for some rabbit right about now... but she must focus! Her knees bent, bringing her body a little lower.

"Well, I thought it would be a new experience to climb this hill," she said with a small twinge of irony in her voice. A sad attempt at humor. A moment later she clarified, and with a tone a little more collected and certainly more serious: "That is... I have wandered around this land of late and I was curious. I heard a howling this way." Asta allowed a moment of silence before her head seemed to sink a little lower. It had not been easy coming up here, though Asta's surefootedness had kept her from falling thus far. "I suspected another like myself. I did not find them. Unless... was it you, perhaps?" There was a level of hope in her voice - though what she hoped for was another question entirely. It did not matter whether this wolf was the owner of the voice or not. Another wolf was another wolf.

That’s what ruling is.Lying on a bed of weeds,

• NAIRA AQUILA •

ripping them out before they strangle you in your sleep.

The easy wag of the younger woman’s tail put the tawny leader at ease. It had not been so long ago that she herself had experienced the pang of loneliness and hunger, nor the sudden rush when another came into sight that wasn’t willing to chase you to the ends of the earth to tear a chunk from your hide. She relaxed then, her tail dropping lower and her eyes sliding from the face of the stranger to rest a little lower, on her chest instead of her face.

Well I thought it would be a new experience to climb this hill, a chuckle escaped her chest then, at the younger wolf’s sense of humour. To call the Mountain of Dire a mere hill was bold enough, even with all the shakes and slides of late - she doubted the mountain would take offense. At her mention of howling, a nod was made in response. “It may have been...” she conceded, “Or it may have been one of my pack. We aren’t always the quietest of neighbors.” The wicked grin that accompanied her last statement left more than an impression of tales untold, but now was hardly the time or the place.

“Is that all you seek at such lofty heights?” she questioned further. She was already at ease with this one, but she did not want to force a home on one who was not already seeking one, and so, for now, she would wait and see.

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It was good to find the other female appreciated Asta's humor - it did wonders to set the she-wolf at ease. It also meant she wasn't completely out-of-bounds, which was a relief. She'd rather make a good impression on this wolf, whoever she was. Indeed, Asta had not been given a name yet. Should she ask for one? Oh, she didn't know! She wasn't good at things like this! She just wouldn't ask. Not yet, anyway. Her mind was soon enough lead away as the other spoke however.

Or it may have been one of my pack... Asta blinked. One of my pack. For a moment, Asta's splayed ears lifted. Sure, any wolf could say that - could talk about the pack they were part of as their pack. But Asta was sure that wasn't the case here. The way the larger female carried herself, the very air around her, it all said she was a queen and this was her realm. Would it be going too far for Asta to assume she was speaking to a pack leader now? She didn't think so. Her ears lowered again, tucking tighter than before as her heart seemed to redouble its beat.

The last question asked took a moment longer for Asta to answer. But her expression seemed to give away her answer already - her yellow eyes opened wide and flicked up for a moment - just a moment - to the other's face. Her smile was easy enough, if a little world-weary. "I'd be a liar, ma'am, if I said the only reason I came here was to investigate a calling," her eyes lowered and happened to take note of the other woman's paws - Asta's were so much smaller! - then they returned to a neutral place and she continued, "I hail from far north. I have been alone for a long time and I do not want that, not anymore." She never wanted it. What wolf ever did? "When I heard the howling, I dared not hope for more than, possibly, another loner like myself; I never wanted to imagine - hope - for more," her voice began to tremble slightly. Excitement? Something else? She was smiling a little broader now. She was sure if she wasn't standing crouched like she was she'd tremble more.

"I would seek more than the companionship of just one more lone wolf if I hoped for a pack." She spoke earnestly, wondering if she was taking simple questions and statements too far. But it seemed there was a pack here. Why else would a question come forth like that one? Asta did not want her hopes to be false. "If I am mistaken, I beg you stop me. But I must hope a little now. There is a pack close by, and if I would fit into and be useful, I would go to them happily." She wasn't being too eager, was she? She'd never done this before.

Sorry for the delay! One more each and we're done!

When the snows fall and the white winds blow

• NAIRA AQUILA •

the lone wolf dies - but the pack survives

The poor girl was lonely, and she was young as well. Winter was not kind to those who didn’t have the shelter of a pack, and while spring was on the way, the snows were not about to recede just yet. An encouraging smile was offered to the woman as she spoke of seeking companionship and not daring to hope for more. After all, the mountain was hardly welcoming, who on earth would expect to find a pack tucked away all the way up here?

“Not mistaken, no. We are a while away yet, but I can show you if you would like? I am Naira...” The last was added as an afterthought. She had already decided this girl was just what she would need in the coming months, and while @Sagacity was a spitfire of a wolf, savage and seemingly devoted, she was a scout, named so for her love of being on the move and it would serve her well while Naira was den bound - border patrols would increase, there would be loners to be met and hunts to arrange - she would be taking on the burden of leadership while Naira was unable to do so... Or so she thought. But beyond those first weeks, she would need someone to watch the young in the following months - someone softly spoken and gentle. Someone just like the girl before her.

Her mind was made up as she stepped forward, her flank running along the side of the paler wolf, marking her as one of their own. “The Pass is not easy to find unless you know where you are going...” she commented with an easy smile. “Come, and I’ll show you to your new home...”

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(This post was last modified: Apr 18, 2013, 11:52 PM by Naira.)

When her parents' pack decamped on that night so long ago, Asta never would have imagined herself here, on the side of a mountain. Not just on the side of a mountain; that wasn't the biggest shock. No, it was the loneliness. She never imagined a time where she would not have her brother at her side. Yet here she was. Alone, but not for much longer!

Asta's eyes all but glowed as she heard the other she-wolf's - Naira's - words. Asta didn't know exactly what the future had in store for her. But the idea that it would no longer be faced alone made it a brighter one for her. Her tail wagged between her legs; this day - of all days - she had thought would be like any other. She had nearly given up! But here she was, marked as a wolf of a pack! The Pass, Naira called it. She'd ask more questions later undoubtedly. But for now she would try to suppress her excitement in favor of following the queenly female. It was a few moments before Asta spoke, her voice meek, but barely containing the truth of her excitement. "Thank you, ma'am. I will serve the pack with all that I am, I swear it."

Her brother would've done that - said that. It was so dramatic! But did it matter if what she said was cliché or silly if she meant them with all of her heart? She moved with an easy sway that belied her fulfilled hopes as she followed Naira. One book of her life was ending; Asta couldn't help but feel a twinge of sorrow. But a new chapter was about to begin, and that sorrow could not outweigh the joys.