Nomads Pass Promises

For @Mapplethorpe!

Wouldn't it be nice if we...

• NAIRA AQUILA •

Could leave behind the mess we're in?

She hadn’t dared to stray far from the den she had chosen for a few days now, but suspicion was building in her gut - and she couldn’t ignore it any longer. Hauling herself upwards she had made her way awkwardly to the top of the Pass, stopping to check the markers and measure which scents were freshest and which were fading. A growl of concern was heard, laced with a whine as she took it all in. @Rhysis hadn’t been by for a few days, Adonis’s scent was just as faint... and Valiant. There had been mention of taking the boys out, to practice hunting and sparing and tracking... but @Datura was still here, and their timing couldn’t have been worse if they tried. Her lip curled in frustration. She couldn’t help but think the silver man had something to do with her mate taking leave of his senses of late.

@Sagacity was still scouting the far side of the mountain, tracking herds, looking for packs and exploring in general - but with her absence growing longer day by day, Naira had to question just how far the sterling wolf expected they would travel with young back home to look after? Not to mention who would fulfill her duties while she was den-bound? @Asta was young and fresh, and while she had the best intentions and was quickly making her mark on Nomad’s Pass, Naira couldn’t help but think perhaps the girl was just a little to nice yet to fill her overly particular shoes.

She wished the silver woman back but knew that wishes were seldom answered in any hurry. She dared not allow other thoughts of what might be delaying the scout to enter her already highly strung mind - there were many perils on the mountain alone, and very little was known of the wolves that made the other side home. She could only hope the girl had not been taken hostage as Datura had. They didn’t have the numbers with the absence of the boys to mount a second rescue.

Bringing herself to an awkward seat, her heavy sides writhing with the young that grew within her she allowed her eyes to roam down the mountain to the lower lands below. She knew what needed to be done - and she knew the consequences once Rhysis returned (because she would not allow herself to think for a moment that he may not), but she had been left with no choice. There was only one she trusted to make the choices that needed to be made when she wouldn’t be able to make them herself, and she knew she wouldn’t need to call her advisor, after all he was never far behind and no doubt finding her gone from the den she had chosen would only hasten his arrival at her side. A ripple of pain coursed down her flank and she growled in an attempt to quiet it. It was just another reminder of how short her time was running.

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The old Advisor was indeed on Naira's trail. He had initially been on the trail of a pesky coyote but had thought better of chasing the scent back down the slope and towards the Secluded Springs. When he had marched back up and over the borders he had recently marked, he noticed almost immediately that Naira had recently passed by. Rounded ears that had once been pinned back immediately perked up and his tail began to wave about. As carefully as he could, he picked his way further up the gravelly slopes and along the cliffs, his damp nose bringing him directly along his monarch's path.

What Mapplethorpe ultimately came face-to-face with was the back of Naira's head. He observed the angle of her skull, where her eyes were undoubtedly roving. With an unhurried gait, he approached her, careful to scrape the tips of his nails and the tops of his digits against the wind-brushed stone to announce his arrival. A small smile enhanced his graying face; once at her side, he stood still, his own amber-eyed gaze searching the landscape below.

As his tail grew still, he began to pick up on the unusual vibe that emitted from her. The pale arches above the sockets of his eyes rose as his brows drew upward. Something was wrong... Was it time? He sampled the air but found nothing out of place. The faintly lingering scents of Adonis and Rhysis around the packlands were not unusual to him now (in fact, since he had returned he had yet to truly notice just who among the small band of wolves had left or stayed), and he could not help but to dread what words might spring from his Leader's tongue. One ear swiveled back as he turned to look at the side of her face.

"You're looking for something," he lightly mused with a throaty tone, the smile still playing on his ivory maw. "Looking for something to say or has something gone missing while I was away?"

HERE I STAND

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Could dig beneath these old troubles

• NAIRA AQUILA •

return to find something amazing

The sound of claws dislodging gravel behind her was all the warning she needed. A casual ear flicked back in the direction of the approacher while her eyes remained glued to the lands below, focusing on her breathing as the familiar scent of Mapplethorpe washed over her, laced with scrub pine and the mingled scents of their pack mates. Her tail began to casually thump against the ground behind her, although she did not offer her usual greeting. Preoccupied for the moment with the erratic ripples of pain and the sudden realisation that they had been left alone at a time when the whole pack should be drawn to stay near.

“No longer looking.” Her tone was not angry or upset - it was tired and resigned. She felt the earth shift beneath her paws and enjoyed the feel of the breeze moving freely about her, a feeling she would miss once she entered her birthing den for good, a prospect that was looking to grow closer with every ripple that passed down her flank. “They’ll be here any day now...” she mentioned casually, leaving the absence of key members to be discerned by her advisor for himself.

Unlike the last time the excitement was missing from her voice. She doubted she would love these pups any less, and she was anxious to finally meet the children (regardless of their parentage, a secret she had managed to maintain as of yet) - but there was too much else weighing on her mind. Unlike last time, where she had been surrounded by a stable and supportive pack, this time she found herself surrounded by habitual wanderers and irresponsible rogues like Valiant - something she had undoubtedly bought on herself - but she had expected more from her mate.

“Sagacity is still scouting to the east, Rhysis and Valiant it would seem have taken themselves off for their own reasons... I don’t know when they plan on being back... and it looks as though they have taken Adonis with them.” her voice was still flat, she was still processing the information for herself. Her voice trailed off for a moment as she wondered how best to word her next request. “I trust you Mapplethorpe...” she finally voiced, swinging her head about to meet his gaze, although she doubted he would give their conversation less weight than it would deserve. “I trust you to decide who is worthy and who is not. I trust you to keep us safe, as you have done since the day you arrived...”

She broke eye contact as she moved to press her nose to the advisors temple, just below his left ear. “It is a big ask, I know...” the first traces of doubt entering her voice, and she couldn’t bring herself to finish her question, not doubting he would know what it was she meant to ask.

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Mapplethorpe's smile fell away as the tone of her voice fell against his eardrums. His genial note was not matched and almost instantaneously with her reply, concern and worry settled on his face. If looked upon for a matter of moments, it might have seemed that he had aged by several years. Whatever and whoever she had been looking for had finally been found. He read into the sentiment too soon and after one or two waves of his tail he realized it was not him she had been seeking. Her comment about them, the cubs still growing in her womb (he continued to assume) only affirmed the corrections he had made. His tail fell and his head tilted slightly before righting itself.

Ever so patiently, he waited for her to continue. When it seemed it would take some time for her to do so, he slowly seated himself at her side, sweeping his tail to the side so that its tip barely came to touch her own. The seconds ticked silently past. His eyes widened for some time, his mind racing as the list of all that could have ben bothering his Leader grew longer and lengthier. By the time a soft whine had emitted from him, she seemed to have been readying herself to speak again. Tell me, his eyes wordlessly pleaded, gently reaching forward to touch his nose to her lower jaw. I'm here at your disposal, the gesture attempted to convey to her. Please... Tell me.

Again her words were flat, nearly lifeless compared to when he had last really spoken to her - when he had arranged for Taima Lyall to join their ranks - and it all made him hold his breath. @Sagacity in the east. @Rhysis and Valiant... gone; and now, just as the golden prince had been retrieved, the quieter, raven-furred heir had slipped from their watchful gazes. Mapplethorpe frowned, half a snarl, muffled by the suddenness of his rage, ripping from his vocal chords. He poked his pink tongue out from between his teeth and lips and dragged it down across the front of his nose. His muzzle continued to quiver though, frustration rolling over his tawny shoulders as his hackles gradually rose.

He should have stayed home...

Taima seemed to prove time and time again during the past few days that she had the smarts needed to survive. Paired with @Datura and his knowledge of what and where his home laid, the Advisor was somehow certain the duo of soon-to-be yearlings could have made it back to the Pass on their own... and spared him the hassle of searching. Naira had needed him to bring her first-born son home, though, and he had done just that without hesitance... without question, and he had succeeded.

Mapplethorpe's eye teeth poked out from under his upper lip, his gaze averting as his glare intensified the more he thought about the mountain king and his silver servant. How dare they take Adonis... How dare they to even think of leaving! Another pass of his tongue over his nostrils seemed to keep himself collected but his jaw tensed in turn. Much like birdsong at the end of a very long winter, her voice came back to him, “I trust you Mapplethorpe...” He caught her gaze from the corner of his vision. “I trust you to decide who is worthy and who is not. I trust you to keep us safe, as you have done since the day you arrived...”

His tail, which had nearly curled against his hind limb and side, trembled, as he looked away before she returned to focusing her gaze elsewhere. She moved to touch him, nosing his temple with the lightest of caresses. Her contact prompted him to stand but he did not move or turn away. He merely turned his head, gazing upon her head and face in its entirety.

"I will keep you safe," he verified her plea, squaring his shoulders as his chest swelled proudly. "You wanted my loyalty and you long since have earned it, Naira Regine. Whatever you ask of me I will do it." He dipped his head down once, a solemn whisper fluttering from his lips, "You need not ask me twice."

HERE I STAND

image by GREY | AUTUMN BREEZE made by BONKO of caution 2.0, rpg-d and shine.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we

• NAIRA AQUILA •

could sail this ship to calmer seas?

The way his smile fell away did not go un-noted and for a moment, she wished nothing more than to find a way to place it back there. He looked younger when he smiled, and she was sure over the years he had been given more than enough reasons to frown. Their first encounter still stuck out strongly in her memory, and to see where they now stood was a miracle in itself. She inched closer, allowing their coats, so similar in colour to mingle as a feral sound ripped from his chest. It would have been echoed with one of her own except she found she simply did not have the energy to be upset, angry, or even disappointed right now. There was too much else to be done. She could grieve later.

When he stood, she remained seated, still able to feel a protective warmth rolling off his flank. She desired nothing more than to wander back down to her den, to find Rhysis returned, waiting for her and for this all to be a bad memory. She was sick of sleeping alone, sick of hunting him down every time she wanted a word, and more often than not finding her trusted advisor instead. The wolf that stood by her now, who had been the one to find her son (for she would not tolerate having him referred to him as theirs any longer). She couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps all this time she had been laying her heart at the wrong door - a closed door. Maybe it was time to move on... and perhaps a part of her already had.

His admission that she had earned his loyalty bought a small smile to tug at the corner of his lips. When she had managed to do so was still a puzzle to the tawny wolf but somehow, they had managed to grow together. And here they stood, close to the final remnants of the packs original members - along with young @Rais, possibly the last of the originals her skeptical mind would have expected to be left, if only because of his tender age.

“I won’t deny it is a big hole to fill... and I won’t be around to assist... But it is what is best for the pack.” She knew he did not need the words, it was more for her own benefit in the end. “Would you do me the honor of standing as my equal in Rhysis’s absence?” She would not ask him to stand aside if the errant leader returned. After all, it wouldn’t just be her trust he would need to earn back if he wanted to be a part of their family and she just wasn’t convinced it was a position he deserved right now.

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To Mapplethorpe the sight of her smile was likened to the acceptance of a token of friendship and affection or the procurement of the most magnificent of gifts. Though the weightiness in his stance did not lift, he took her in with a dignified air on top of his possessive affectation. He blinked slowly once or twice before she answered him, affirming her decision that what she was doing was for the well-being of the wolves under her regime. He was about to nod again and set his mind to crafting the most eloquent of sentences when her question, frankly presented, made him take a moment to fully apprehend exactly what she was requesting of him.

His black-lined lips parted just enough for his breath to escape him. To ascend into the place where the sable king had once stood at Naira's side was, undeniably, a dream and desire fulfilled. Since breeding season hit with the arrival of Spring, it had come to him that he harbored such affection for the monarch; and, now, to be granted the chance to actually stand at her side as an equal left him, for the first time in his life, practically speechless...

"Of course, my Queen," he answered without even a second thought. As if to make an attempt to bring back the Naira he had last met up with, he cautiously brought his muzzle close to her jaw, placing upon it a tender 'kiss' as he briefly closed his eyes. It was barely affectionate, but he hoped the gesture was enough to assure her that she would be all right - they and the wolves of Nomads Pass would be nothing but absolutely fine. His heart hammered about in his rib cage as he leaned back again to withdraw from her, "Is there anything else you require? Anything else that you would like or need me to do?"

HERE I STAND

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(This post was last modified: Jun 04, 2013, 09:10 PM by Mapplethorpe.)

Turn our backs on bush fires, burn

• NAIRA AQUILA •

and leave it on the coast

The weight fell from her shoulders like she was shedding a cloak. Rhysis may be gone, but that did not mean the future of the Pass was under threat. Ever dutiful, the next words to leave his lips gave her pause. Is there anything else you require? Anything else that you would like or need me to do? She shook her head with a smile, he had already done so much for them. “No, Mapplethorpe, nothing pressing that I can currently think of. You have already done so much for me I worry I little more than a burden on you.” Her voice was only half a tease. She had begun to question where she would be without his counsel and loyalty. She knew could not afford to drive him away. Not ever.

Turning her mind to lighter thoughts, including those that focused on their newer recruits, she gave pause, wondering if he had stumbled across either of the females in his duties. “We have two new recruits finally, their names are Asta and Nebet. Have you had a chance to meet them yet?” She queried lightly, she valued his opinion above all others and was curious to know if he had met them, what his own assessment was. “I believe Nebet was fleeing her former pack for some reason or other. She seems harmless enough for now and I’m sure she will be great with the children... Better here with us than down there...” she commented, her tone clearly conveying her impression of other packs about the lore. At least here, she stood half a chance of being protected.

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(This post was last modified: Jun 04, 2013, 10:27 AM by Naira.)

“No, Mapplethorpe, nothing pressing that I can currently think of," she assured him as he continued to hold her eyes, to somehow get used to at least finding more than just acceptance in their abyssal depths. Perhaps one day, some way, he would find that there could be something akin to mutual respect and devotion in her own fiery irises. "You have already done so much for me I worry I little more than a burden on you.” Again his tail began to sway to and fro, the heart in his torso continuing to beat and grow several times its original size as he soaked up her acknowledgement of his servitude. Finally, there was that playful note he had been yearning to hear; and, being all ears in light of her request, he allowed a rather knowing smile returned to his masked face.

"You are not a burden, my liege," he murmured, his own voice similar to a feline's purr. "And will never be one. I might have come by under his influence but I am here now only for you." He quieted as soon as he noticed that she was not finished and eagerly sat back down, everything about his body language, facial expression, and how he sat angled toward her spoke volumes about how utterly dedicated and committed he had become to his superior.

She proceeded to inform him about two wolves who had recently joined. Asta... and Nebet... He made sure to place the names to memory, to place on his agenda the important task of introducing himself to them and assessing first-hand whether or not they were beneficial to the still-growing family. Mapplethorpe shook his head when she asked him if he had met them. "Not yet, but I will soon enough." Naira let him know off the bat that Nebet had come to the Pass in search of security and protection, and why she had come to them was uncertain at best.

"She seems harmless enough for now," she told him as his ears swiveled back before coming forward again, "and I’m sure she will be great with the children... Better here with us than down there...” Again, the Advisor nodded. That was true. If @Nebet proved to be quite an asset to the pack, then it was best that she stayed with them on this side of the mountain range.

When he felt like he had been staring - or, rather, ogling - at her, he brought his gaze to survey the lands before them, taking in the texture of the pointed treetops of firs and the other territories - with the distinct patches of willow trees, burnt bark, sun-bleached branches and the spaces that cradled unseen bodies of water - he could barely make out in the distance. Changing the topic, he briefly let his eyes fall upon the rounded sides of his counterpart before bringing them back up and away, back to the invisible paths that led up into their territory. Only once he felt the right amount of seconds had come and gone did he turn to admire the fur inside and along her ears, to truly see what color they were and how soft they looked as they feathered out towards her shoulders and neck, "Will you be needing any assistance in the next few weeks? Have you found a suitable den yet? We could finally put Taima to good use when she's not with her... prince charming." He fought the urge to chuckle, successfully bottling it up in his throat while a humored grin graced his lips. "I've been attempting to pry her from @Datura's side, but she's really good at making herself scarce when I go looking for her."

HERE I STAND

image by GREY | AUTUMN BREEZE made by BONKO of caution 2.0, rpg-d and shine.

Aaah! Almost there! Happy for you to wrap it up next or I can do an end post <3

All the promises we've been given

• NAIRA AQUILA •

All the fires that we've feedin'

...but I am here now only for you. Although she dared to smile at the memory of Rhysis finding her, with Mapplethorpe in tow, now was not the time to be dwelling on thoughts of her dark mate. Her flank hardened and the children within kicked and she knew her time was drawing near. Once the short sharp pain had passed, she resumed her breathing as usual, not overly alarmed as yet. Soon yes, but not quite yet.

As her advisor continued to inform her of the goings on of their younger recruit she had to stifle a laugh. Oh to be young and in love again. “I have found a suitable den, thank you but perhaps they could be put to seeking something larger for once the children are bigger. Something that could house us all?” she suggested. It was not unknown to her that other packs would share a common den, but her birth pack had always kept to their own and so she had too. Perhaps it was time for a change. If it was to be them against the world, it would make sense to offer their pack mates every chance to bond.

“Perhaps she doesn’t need to be pried away. It would do Datura some good to pick up some chores as well. I am sure soon there will be plenty of prey for them to scout out for the hunters, and checking the borders should keep them amused. I’m not sure how much longer it will be before this lot decide to come...” As if on cue another contraction coursed down her flank and her grin morphed into a grimace. It wasn’t an overly long walk to the den but the desire to get back was quickly building.

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Mapplethorpe listened as his Lady assured him that she had everything under control. Good. It was exactly what he wanted to hear. Then again, when it came to Naira, he had come to expect nothing less. His smile remained along his ivory maw, even though he began to sense that something else was on her mind. He swallowed quietly, dipping his muzzle downward once in response to her answer. She knew what she was doing; and, for the briefest second he frowned at an inward thought: He should have thought of that... Then again, though, Taima at present was actually hard to get a hold of. The nimbleness of her feet versus his heavy-footed strides were often no match for a well-intended talk of sorts.

He swallowed quietly, unsure of what to say until he noticed something like a slight spasm along her side. Something within him began to grow fidgety and, again, he rose up to his full height, anxiously looking her over as if to assess her condition. She had asked him to keep her safe, even well provided for, and he was going to do just that. "Come, my liege," he coaxed her softly, affectionately. "I will escort you to your den. You need your rest." As if to imply that he was not going to take 'no' for an answer, he gently nudged the base of her ear with his nose then pulled away, back up a few steps. A part of him knew that she always had the 'last say' in things regardless of subject matter, but until she got up, he would be at her back, waiting for her to join him. His tail gave a small wag, "I can promise the view will still be there when you return to this point."

HERE I STAND

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(This post was last modified: Jun 16, 2013, 12:05 AM by Mapplethorpe.)