Sacred Grove All things new and old

Tali even considered calling out to him, but decided against it. If he could hear her, so could everyone else. For all she knew there could have been a dozen wolves within her proximity. They could even be watching her, waiting for strike. Paranoia was setting in hard. If these wolves were anything like Fenru, she would be alright. If they were like those in her former pack, then she might not make it out of these woods.

Becoming more conscious of the noise she was making, Tali slowed down. She padded along, quietly this time, keeping her ears erect. Every little noise made her jump, but caution was key. It was better to be paranoid and alive, rather than laid back and dead. Maybe this would go well, and maybe it wouldn't. There was no way to tell who she would run into, or how they were going to react. She had to do this though, because if she never tried, then she would never know.

(This post was last modified: Apr 08, 2013, 10:01 AM by Ice.)

Brenton had been running the borders, checking them, marking them, doing everything he could to warn that no loners were welcomed here. The scent of Swift River had caught to his fur and this made him happy, he was here and he would do his best to stay here. For if he couldn’t be with Jessie, than what was he still doing here in the Relic Lore. In the chance that life liked to stab him in such ways, if the wolves around him and the Relic Lore all the world. He would leave, depending on the case, if it were the wolves, he would leave as they requested. If it was the Lore stabbing him then he would leave the Lore with his pride intact. If it was, for last, life…. He wasn’t sure what he would do if it was life.

Brenton paused, the scent of loner was strong and he growled to himself, they really needed to stay away from the borders. He saw the female, she was small. She was russets and whites and browns and all these colors. He needed to ask the questions and move on. Brenton might need to let a call for Corinna or Ice go if he needed it, or if this wolf had other intentions then to just stand at the border or walk away. He raised his tail slightly, a small growl emitted from his throat. The jet black brute was not going to put up with loners who were just lounging around the pack borders. “What do you want?” He questioned the female with caramel eyes. His own eyes examined her condition.

To find a friend...

It was too late to run when Tali finally heard the wolf coming. Running might trigger a chase, and she was far too tired to evade him. It might also lead to a fight, which was the last thing she wanted. Therefore she did the only thing she knew to do, stand her ground. Watching as the black wolf stepped into view, she lowered herself to the ground. His smell was much like Fenru's meaning he was a part of the pack. She knew she had to show him the utmost respect, as she was the intruder here. Any wrong movements could lead to her being outcast forever, with no chance of being allowed in. Going over what she was going to say in her head, she made quick work of it. Too long of a pause would make her look suspicious.

"I'm sorry," She began. "I know I am on your boarders, I was following the scent trail of a wolf headed this way. I.. I thought.. Maybe I would find him before I ran into anyone else. I know that is no excuse, but he lives here in your pack. Honestly, I mean you no trouble." She left it there, as she was rambling. Hopefully, he would believe her. Nervously, she crawled forward slightly while leaving enough room to run if things took a turn for the worst. Tali wasn't sure how far she could get before he caught up with her, but she if need be, she would try.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. Life had fallen into routine, of waking, patrolling, socializing, hunting, sleeping... The familiar Grove remained the same, though snow melted on the particularly warm days and the birdsong had a different tone to it. Ancient workings in the bodies of wolves demanded he spend as much as time as he could around Corinna, though he sometimes wondered how she put up with it. And if anyone but Fenru got too close to her... It confused him as much as it felt natural, and sometimes he forced himself away from the heart of the pack lands to blow off steam on the borders. The markers were strong in scent, but as he moved along on that particular day he became aware of a disturbance. The scent of Brenton, the male Ice had been reluctant to let in yet Marsh had, came to his nose, and while the black male hadn't done anything wrong in particular, he still didn't know what he felt about it. But the peculiar thing was, he wasn't alone. There was a loner, female, at their borders, and as they were up ahead Ice just kept going, until he saw - and heard - them. She was lying upon her belly, saying she'd followed someone here. "Who?" the thick male asked as he padded towards them. Gradually his tail rose up, marking his rank, and while he raised his head from its relaxed position he did not seem particularly hostile. He didn't feel particularly hostile, either. If she had deliberately followed someone of the pack here, she would probably be less of a nuisance than the random loners who showed up - or more. Who knew? Stepping up beside Brenton Ice let their shoulders touch, black and silver fur mingling, and made a move to rest his nose against the top of his muzzle before turning his full attention upon the small female. At least she knew how to behave when confronted upon the borders, and it was with interest churning in his eyes that he awaited her reply. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Brenton gave a nod as Ice arrived, he had not paid much attention to the females words. He lowered his stand, his tail quickly tucking underneath his body, flat to his belly. Making sure not to gaze at the wolf, he turned his head and backed up so Ice was obviously ahead of him. He looked at Tali. He spoke lightly to Ice. "She searches for a wolf she knows." He told the male with a light voice, he was not afraid of Ice necessarily. At least he wasn't as afraid as he had been when he himself joined. He knew he had to trust his packmates and they had to trust him, it was one of the only ways that the pack would be successful, that was interdependence. They all depended on each other, though if need be they could make one leave and they would take over said jobs.

Brenton had given a lick on the chin to Ice, a sign of respect to the wolf who stood there as a most dominant around. Ice was more dominant then Brenton and most certainly the wolf in front of them. As far as he was concerned, this wolf was too close to the borders. But that was a matter of personal opinion. He was feeling apprehensive and perhaps a bit tired, but life continued on. He could sleep after he finished up here, finished the patrol and caught a few things for the pack. He needed to work his tail off. It was that or Ice was right and he simply wasn't Swift River material. But he refused to believe that. It was that one mistake he made when joining, he called it modesty and Ice called it lying. Now he tried every day to make up for it.

To find a friend...

The day had passed on as normal, the pepper-colored woman making her way through the area, trying to find any scent trails for prey in the area. Luckily, around midday she finally found what smelt like rabbit. Wagging her tail, she had crept along, remaining silent and stealthy, and she had made it perfectly there, until she made the mistake of stepping on a loss branch when her prey had come into view. Freezing, just in case she might have been lucky, she watched as the fluffy tail quickly disappeared into its home. Cursing herself quickly, her nose twitched when two highly familiar scents hit her sensitive nostrils. Ice and Brenton. Lifting her eye brow, the only thought going through her head before she took of was, Oh shit!

Quickly making her way through the trees, the gray lady wagged her tail behind her as she entered the area, a loner standing on the other side of the borders. Raising her tail so that it was much higher than Brent’s and slightly lower than Ice’s, she made her way forward until she was standing next to the guardian’s other side, gently nuzzling him on the shoulder before her emerald eyes glanced back at the female. She had not heard the previous conversation, nor any of what Ice or Brenton had said and so she quietly waited to see what was going to happen, her tail gently swaying back and forth and green eyes light as she watched the mysterious loner across from them.

Though her attention was centered on the black male in front of her, Tali was aware of another presence approaching. This new wolf was obviously confident in this setting, as it took no care to keep itself hidden. She was unsure how she felt about the approaching wolf. If both were to attack then there was no fending off two, but this wolf could be more accepting of her. When the male finally came into sight he spoke. Her eyes fell immediately to the dark wolf in front of her. His stance changed completely in the presence of this new wolf. Which could only mean that this wolf was higher up in ranks, if not an alpha.

Tali answered him quickly, desperately hoping not to get Fen into trouble."His name was Fenru." She paused, looking to the newer male for only a second, making sure her eyes never met his. Her tail remained firmly locked her her underbelly. Even though she had been on her own for so long she was not oblivious to the ins and outs of respecting her superiors. Respect in the pack she had come from was of the utmost importance. Lack of respect would only put you at risk to be exiled or eliminated.

Her uneasiness grew tenfold when she heard another wold approaching. As if two against one wasn't unfair enough odds. Her mind was willing her to run, but something kept her grounded to that spot. Her eyes only briefly flicked to the female wolf, taking note of her body language, and trying to determine her status in the pack.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. What he couldn't quite understand was why Hotei had put him off black male wolves in general, but not tarnished his opinion of Triell. Maybe it was because Triell had been close to him before that black, schizophrenic menace had joined the pack, but fact remained, that Ice was wary of black male wolves. Brenton's little slip when joining hadn't made it better, and while he'd certainly been hard-working and trying to prove himself to Ice, Ice couldn't help but feel like he was just waiting for the inevitable failure. Hotei had worked hard, too, but he'd still turned out to be rather crazy, and had left. Would Brenton do the same? He hoped not, for if so, Ice might just have to start rejecting all black males on a very discriminatory basis. Still, this one seemed quite okay, as he licked Ice's pale chin and gently murmured what was going on. And for that, Ice rewarded him with a lick to the nose, before focusing his eyes on the rogue female. She said it was Fenru she had been looking for, and Ice stared at her silently for a moment. Well, that was interesting.. Fenru was generally a good judge of character, but why hadn't he taken her home? Why did she come alone? "Why do you look for him?" he asked her curiously with a tilt of his head, his erect tail doing little twitchy wags. The stranger's tail was up against her belly, and she didn't seem as if she was about to sprint past them into their territory any moment, so he felt rather calm about having her there. In fact, he felt in control, and while he knew that it was a naive concept, he wasn't in a hurry to bare his fangs and run her off. Depending on what she wanted.. well. Better that she'd join the pack now, and become Corinna's punching bag until hormones calmed down, than trying to join once the pups were born. Jessie had been let in at that time (or had it been Cali? No - it must've been Jessie.) and Corinna had not approved. Ice remembered that. And speak of the devil - Jessie came out of the forest, her small salt-and-pepper body smelling thickly of the Grove. She was a quiet wolf these days, patrolling and hunting, but saying little. He wondered how hard she'd taken Rissa's death, if he'd been a fool to not snap her out of it... She came up on his other side, shoulder to shoulder, and he leaned into her briefly to give her comfort, before turning his head around to give her nose, too, a lick. Then, his attention went back to the crouching loner. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

((Received permission to skip Brenton))

Upon her arrival, she had caught the name of the wolf that the girl was looking for, and the comforting lick from Ice caused her to butt her head unto his shoulder once again, before tensing next time him. It was odd to have a wolf asking for one of their pack mates and she briefly wondered why she would be here…if Fenru had not brought her himself. This only added onto the dislike she had for loners that came to their borders, whether she knew them or not. Rough encounters could turn out quite bad for the pack, for injuries could be a high possibility. Though the female in front of her did not seem to be a threat, for she had her tail respectfully tucked under her, which was enough for Jessie. Her tail flicked behind her, a small grin almost taking form on her lips. If the woman did decide to take off Ice and Brenton could easily take her down and Jessie could easily track her.

Reminding herself that no such thoughts should be gracing her mind quite yet, she glanced off into the forest beyond their territory, tempted to just leave the area for a little while, get some free time for herself. She had not been outside of the grove for quite awhile now and felt it necessary for her to reacquaint herself with the outside world. In the meantime, Brenton stood behind them, remaining silent and the River wolf could only suspect that he was observing from the back ground. Shuffling her paws beneath her to keep them awake, her eyes strayed back towards the loner, awaiting her answer as to why she was stalking one of their yearlings. And if this just so happened to be the case, Jessie wouldn‘t mind going for a small chase. With this in mind she rolled her shoulders back a few times and wagged her tail behind her.

She didn't even know where to begin, so she thought just for this instance, less is more. Rambling would have been much more annoying than a short and simple answer. "He mentioned that it might be possible for me to join your pack." Her answer was more of a question really. Being granted admittance into this pack would not only be a lifeline, but an honor. She was made for pack life, and living alone was taking a toll on her mind. The thought of being around others of her kind again was a perfect one.

Tali's eyes focused on everything but the wolves in front of her. As a group they were rather intimidating, and angering any one of them could set off the whole group. Her stomach felt as though it was in her feet and she couldn't tell if it was her nerves or her excitement. Her bets were on excitement though. This was such a great opportunity, and it was one she was certain she wasn't going to pass it up. Whatever the answer of this alpha though, she was going to be thankful. Thankful for the chance meeting she'd had with Fenru, for finding that there were other wolves so close, and finally, that her mind could focus on something besides the silence.

Just by analyzing the situation, she now was sure that the light gray wolf was the alpha male. It wasn't hard to tell because the other wolves respected him so much. This was a good thing to her, because thus far he seemed rather easy going.