Nomads Pass Rise Up

@Mapplethorpe

Setting
Overcast — Current Temperature: 32° F/0° C
May 1, 2013
Early Evening

One, two, three, four... easy now. One more step... okay.

Asta made her way as carefully as she could up the rocky path to the place she called home now. The Pass was waiting to greet her, ready for her return. The pack may not have been eager to greet her yet, but at least the Mountain couldn't complain. Neither could she. Her encounters with her brethren had been eventful and at least partly welcoming. She couldn't say much for {Crowe} but, {Rais} had seemed kind enough. While meeting packmates was important to the girl, there was something far more pressing on her mind. Something more significant than knowing her packmates. Fitting - like a puzzle piece - into a pack. Being a needed and wanted part of it. She had no job, no specific task given to her. So Asta did the best she could to make herself useful. Honestly, that meant she did a lot of hunting and scouting the borders, as opposed to talking to anyone except the odd lone wolf beyond the borders.

That's where she was coming from now: the borders. Her eyes didn't quite shine with the same enthusiasm they had when she'd first arrived in the pack; she wasn't tired of it or bored so much as she had started to get used to the idea of having a pack again. The shiny newness of it had worn off at last. She couldn't say she was well and truly settled in yet though. Something about not having a set task or job disturbed her, made her to feel as if she were on shaky ground. It wasn't true of course - her own mind was likely making it up - but if it made her work that much harder, what did it matter? In fact, Asta wasn't returning to the pack with an empty maw: clutched in her jaws was a hare, its limp body swinging uneaten between her lips. The feel and taste of its fur in her mouth was just the slightest bit aggravating, but she was almost back. The cache could always use fresh game. Maybe... maybe she could offer it to @Naira? Their leader was expecting pups soon, after all.

As she stepped into the "proper" part of her new home, Asta paused to carefully set down her catch. She felt as if she couldn't breathe properly with the damn thing in her mouth! Gah! Smacking her lips and unrolling her tongue, the she-wolf tried to get some of the hair that had come loose out of her mouth before trying to pinpoint just where {Naira} might've gone specifically. With evening coming on, maybe their leader had taken to her den. Flicking her ears, Asta cast a quick glance around before seating herself to scratch at a quick itch on her shoulder. In that case, maybe she should just put the hare in the cache. I have no idea what Lady Naira would like. Maybe she won't like me being around her den? It wasn't as if they knew one another particularly well yet. Asta had to consider that before she did anything. And, on top of that, Naira was pregnant. Pregnant wolves were so... touchy. Mind seemingly made up, Asta stood up and made to pick up her catch once again. At least she was being useful. Right?

The onslaught of evening had Mapplethorpe tromping up the mountainside. Another round of patrolling the borders had been carried out and every single landmark he normally revamped went attended to. With the potpourri of scents that crisscrossed and claimed a variety of markers he felt much better knowing that his would be the most prominent, at least, for now. Those who dared to step foot on the mountain would know straight away that there was a dominant male on this side of Relic Lore who did not appreciate wayward trespassers.

The grizzled man, once on his way towards the tree near Naira's den, stopped in his tracks. The female, one of the newest pack members he had yet to meet, he had been trailing for the past couple of hours now stood before him. Remembering what @Naira had told him only the day before, he straightened his posture and stepped forward, emerging somewhere along the woman's left and into one of the last rays of sunlight. At first he merely eyed her, inspecting the kill she was about to pick up at first before sizing her up. Much like the rogue female he had seen about a week ago, this newcomer was also small and outfitted with a commonplace pelt pattern. The unsoiled rabbit she had hunted or scavenged spoke to Mapplethorpe, though, and he immediately assumed that she was quite the practiced hunter. Something and someone he was rather grateful for... It occurred to him that in his dearth, his Naira Regine had found herself a provider of sort to keep her fed.

Despite the fact that he was already much larger than she was, he went ahead and exercised the motions that declared his newfound rank. His head and ears rose up and his tail leveled with his spine. Rather proudly he drew closer to her, stopping only a couple of meters from where she stood as he wordlessly petitioned for a proper response from her. A low growl rolled from his chest, half-greeting her and half-affirming his position. He had only advanced upward in the hierarchy by one rank, but the Advisor still felt the need to let Naira's new recruit know exactly where he stood...

It was as she reached for the hare at her paws that she caught a glimpse of grizzled gray and tan. Her fur bristled. She stopped reaching and closed her mouth as she caught the glimmer of golden eyes watching her closely. Observing and studying. Asta lifted and turned her head to bring the male fully into her gaze (which was scarcely something so powerful and intense as Naira's... or even his), but didn't forget the prey she'd worked hard for. A paw moved almost instinctively to stand over her catch.

This... this man was a packmate she had not yet met. She was sure. She only knew him by his scent; that she had only caught brief traces of, and then only recently. She didn't recall him being present when she first came to the Pass. Perhaps he had been absent? It didn't really matter, did it? Her head lowered a little again as her lips quivered in the beginnings of a silent warning snarl. He wasn't a hulking behemoth like Crowe or small like herself or {Rais}, but the man that approached Asta now had a powerful presence - not crowded by that half-crazed expression she'd seen on Crowe's face. Even so, that didn't mean she had to relinquish the gift she was pretty certain she intended for Naira. She wanted to be thought well of, to show that she could do good work here.

Asta, who had been half-way to a warning growl stopped, almost as soon as the man's body tensed into a distinctive posture. Oh. Oh! So no nonsense then. That was where he stood... Just as instinctively as she'd moved to defend her kill, Asta's lowered head now seemed a thing, not of defensiveness, but of submission as her tail tucked close to her hindlimbs and her ears flattened so far she might've been earless. These smaller cues seemed to be followed by the fluid movement of her joints bending (she still placed herself decidedly over the hare's corpse). Her head was beginning to twist, prepared to roll further if it was not enough for him. But she also recalled she had gone no lower than this for the Lady Naira. Would this man be as forgiving? Licking her nose nervously, she averted her own yellow eyes. She could only watch him from her peripherals or in the quick flickering movements as she watched him for any indications she should rise or fall. "Sir." A polite acknowledgment. Just like her parents had taught her.

Minor powerplay with muzzle-grabbing, if you rather he do something else/not do that. Jus' let me know! <3

The woman collectively drew herself over her catch but Mapplethorpe kept his ground, still, yet domineering as, he was certain, Naira expected him to be. He did not want her hare and the sentiment was made clear after his eyes kept focused on her. He took in her gray- and rust-colored facial markings, watching as her pointed ears fell back along the back of her skull and neck. She went as far as to fully lower herself and even tuck her tail beneath her. It was a bit extreme for the Advisor's tastes, but he appreciated it nevertheless; it only satisfied him further as she addressed him properly as "Sir."

Once her display was complete, respectful beyond measure, the grizzled man came forth. He looked her over from up close and ever so carefully took the bridge of her muzzle between his teeth. He waited a few seconds as if to test her obedience then withdrew from her, looking down at her just as he had a few moments before. "Rise," he commanded her, his tone calm but firm with authority.

He waited for her to straighten, to glance upon him to show that she was listening attentively, and return to a more relaxed posture and state of mind. He was not here to intimidate her, trick her into giving up her kill, or abuse his superiority by bullying her. "You must have been recruited while I was away," he noted with an approving nod as his tail leveled with his spine. "I see you've already proven your capability in hunting and providing for the pack; so, tell me, miss... What is your name and why have you come to join the wolves of Nomads Pass?"

I'm absolutely fine with small powerplays like that. :P Asta wouldn't be the sort to move in any case. xD

Next she knew, his mouth was on her muzzle, holding it. Firm, but gentle enough not to draw blood. Asta had to tense to prevent herself from flinching initially, but made no effort to pull away. She clenched her teeth when he finally released her physically (to prevent even the smallest of sounds escaping) and when he released her verbally she parted her lips slightly to lick her nose again. Rise - a single, simple word that would never be beyond Asta's comprehension no matter how nervous she became. Quick to obey, the girl arranged her paws beneath her again and waited with ears half-lowered. He wasn't finished speaking yet - she could tell in the way he watched her, waited for her to stand. So she remained, still and silent, until he spoke again. On that cue, her tawny ears perked back up to listen intently. With proper displays and courtesies out of the way, she could let herself return and be at ease. Not only that, but she could remember a little of the excitement of meeting a new packmate as she had felt with Rais and Crowe.

Asta felt her face flush with the praise, however small it was. Her tail wagged a few times even! It meant the world to a wolf who was wondering if she was doing the right thing when she had little else to offer (at least as far as she felt). Like a dog being fed a treat by its master to reinforce a behavior, the man's words would encourage Asta to continue in her current course. She supposed she might make a decent hunter then! On the other paw, she remembered the hare she'd lost when she'd met {Jasmine}... though to be fair, she had been... distracted.

When he was finished speaking, Asta didn't quite have time to confirm his first words and chose to focus instead on his last: a question she answered quickly. The young woman seemed to lift her head a little higher, almost proudly as she stated her name - "Asta Fleetfoot, sir," - then lowered again for she knew none had heard of the Fleetfoots or cared. But she wasn't completely crestfallen: he'd know a Fleetfoot now!

Asta suspected saying she had simply been lonely would be a poor answer, though that was as much truth as what she said in its place: "I'm here to find my place and do my best by this pack, sir." she smiled then, a bit of her good humor shining in her eyes when she continued, aware she may not have answered the question properly. She masked her worry over how stupid she might sound with that smile: "I joined because my desire was to find a pack and Lady Naira believed I would fit in somewhere." She had been alone for so long... she hoped her judgment had not been blind on that mountainside when she'd met Naira. The pack had been everything she'd expected and more - she wasn't disappointed in her choice. She hoped Naira wasn't either.

"I offer my speed... and will do whatever is asked of me to the best of my ability. Whatever is needed." She stopped there, lest she become to poetic... or sound like she was trying to justify their leader's action; she didn't mean to question Naira's judgment. She also stopped because had the smallest bit of self-doubt in spite of the grizzled man's praise: was she good enough? She was still trying to prove herself. Hopefully her words were enough and would please him (though she hardly spoke them for the latter reason). If he was quite finished with her, she might ask him where to find Naira. Surely their leader wouldn't turn down a gift?

"Asta Fleetfoot, sir," her voice came to him with a more confident air, even if she let her frame fall a few inches down from its normal stance. Lofty ears eagerly took in her words after having quickly placed her first and last name to memory. She had come to Nomads Pass in search of her calling, to find where she could fit within a pack, and that Lady @Naira believed that she made an excellent addition to the family. Immediately his eyes sized her up again but he did not peruse and probe for long.

She continued, "I offer my speed... and will do whatever is asked of me to the best of my ability. Whatever is needed." Mapplethorpe nodded. "It truly is a pleasure then to meet you," he genuinely received her. "Any member deemed and proven to be beneficial to Naira Aquila is an ally and friend without question, so long as they continue to dutifully serve the Pass and guard it regardless." He returned her smile, his own posture relaxing just enough so that his dominance display was no longer as demanding as he had initially made it out to be.

"Would you like to find your place then, Fleetfoot?" he asked calmly, his grin inching up his maw as he came to realize the presence of enthusiasm and verve in her voice. "To truly pledge yourself to this pack - our pack - and prove yourself of all that you are capable of?" His gaze kept trained on her face but he gestured simply with his nose, a small nod, to the rabbit she had caught. "You've already proven yourself an able hunter, but is there, perhaps, a particular task you seek?"

So he was not done with her yet. Asta could wait. Her expression remained open and her mouth curved into the traces of a smile even as she gave the man her attention. It was good to be welcomed into a place; she could see he meant his words and took them with a smile and a bow of her head. "Thank you, sir. I will," she responded, her yellow eyes reinforcing the intentions in her voice: she was a loyal wolf. She didn't know how to be anything else.

"Would you like to find your place then, Fleetfoot?" There was a change in his tone, one that captured Asta's attention again (though it had scarcely wavered since she'd risen to her paws again). Her ears pressed forward, the picture of an eager and interested young wolf. She didn't interrupt him, and her own gaze followed his to the hare at her paws. When he was finished, her eyes snapped back to his face, then her snout lifted. Is this it? A chance to really prove my worth? To have a real place in the Pass? She was ready for the challenge. At least, she hoped she was. With eyes glistening, she tried not to look as excited as she suddenly felt at the very idea. She could not, however, stop the steady wag of her tail behind her - the silly appendage betrayed her.

"I believe my stature speaks for itself," Asta chuckled - she was too small to be a guardian even though she liked meeting other wolves. And she wasn't sure she could be like Naira - she thought of the few loners she had intercepted at the borders. She continued, "I won't be... guardian material. But I am quick, sir, and my feet have not failed me yet on the mountain." She spoke of how easily she had taken to living here. Her body was adjusting to the slopes and hard terrain; she had gained in muscle and tone since she'd lived here. Her paws were light and, while she did have her moments, when it counted Asta was not clumsy.

"At heart I am a hunter. It is what I am best at," she said this with that confident spark in her eyes. She recalled a time where she thought of scouting - but she was not eager to stray far from her new home. Besides: even a loner could gain experience hunting, as she had. She would have starved if she had not excelled in that area. Even so, there was the briefest pause before she did go on, a taint of uncertainty filling the little wolf: "I have never lead a pack in hunting. But I've worked with others. Before I came to the Pass." She was saying too much now. She didn't like it - she needed to stop talking. Her facade became serious relative to her prior appearance, but no less eager to accept whatever task she was about to be given.

♥ Allie

The Advisor gladly took in her words, her willingness to serve and her eagerness in wanting to show him just exactly who she was and desired to be. Her small chuckle was what allowed Mapplethorpe's smile to remain on his silvered features. "Oh, I wouldn't assume anything just yet," he told her quietly when she stated that she was not Guardian material. "Being quick on one's feet could be just enough to keep dangers at bay if only allowed the chance to put confidence to use. My sister when I last saw her was probably about your size, and she easily put our other age-mates in their places." He dipped his head downward slightly, "But if it is the call of a Hunter that you seek, then I expect empty caches to be filled and new ones constructed."

"@Naira will be due any day now," he informed her. "And I cannot stress how utterly important the task you seek to uphold truly is. If you're looking for my blessing, my approval, then do as you're told." A glimmer of earnestness flickered across his face, but the instant a hint of a glare showed up in his lowering brows and the evening of his smile, it disappeared and the corners of his mouth slightly curled up once more. "I'm certain you will not disappoint."

A partial wag of his tail brought his mind onto other matters. "Although... I must ask you a few things before I dismiss you..." His gaze briefly went over his shoulder before returning to her, not out of secrecy's sake but he simply wanted to make sure that there were no possible distractions to be had. "Do you know what happens to those who leave Nomads Pass? To those who defy our Queen, her sovereignty, and all that we - her pack - stand for?"

Asta had to prevent herself from thinking too hard on words that, while hardly profound, made her responsibilities all the more important, daunting, now that they were verbalized. Also, they might go to her head. Stroke the little wolf's ego, by all means. Naira was pregnant, that much the young wolf already knew. And she had suspected during that time, the best she could do was provide however she could - it just so happened it more often involved hunting than any other activity. Asta certainly wouldn't complain about it: hunting made her feel alive. She loved it; everything about hunting: the accomplishment of finding prey she'd been tracking, the rush of the chase, the thrill of bringing down the game... and being part of a pack now brought a new satisfaction to the job: feeding others. Helping them, however indirectly.

"...If you're looking for my blessing, my approval, then do as you're told." The grizzled man's eyes became harder, and Asta's ears twitched back a little. But she nodded in affirmation even as he went on: "I'm certain you will not disappoint." Another sharp nod from Asta, and she spoke, "Sir. Thank you," she bowed her head slightly, taking his last words as a form of compliment. He thought she would do well then... and that was what she hoped for. She didn't consider herself ambitious - she never wanted to climb the ranks but she did want to do well... and whatever came along with that she was sure not to mind.

Yellow eyes darted back to his face when he looked back to her. There was a new gravity in his voice, one Asta was not altogether certain she liked. Indeed, when he had finished stating his question, a hard ball of nerves had formed in her gut and she felt herself shrinking slightly inside, even though she managed to stand firmly on the outside (except, perhaps, for the slight drop of her tail). Asta had suspicions about what might happen. The way her own family pack had worked... well, you made yourself useful or else. They were kind wolves, but there had been so few of them. Asta had been too young when the pack dispersed to ever really be useful. Many of her ideas of a pack came from her first experiences at home, and then her own idealistic imaginings when she traveled with {Cohen}. Now faced with a direct question drawing on this knowledge, Asta felt nervous again. Had her family pack not fallen to pieces, she would have remained there, loyal to the end. She had never thought about nor considered leaving it. Now the Pass was the same to her: she never thought of leaving.

After a moment's reluctance the young woman answered, her grim expression suggesting she understood the consequences would be bad: "N-no sir, not... not exactly." Her answer was an honest one. Perhaps a wiser wolf would've said yes and assumed their thoughts were correct. But Asta waited for his answer now, her yellow eyes scarcely masking her thoughts.

♥ Allie

Asta had not been informed then... Mapplethorpe's face hardened and he wondered now just how new she was to the Pass. "We eliminate them," the words were crisp and heavy in tone. "We do not openly allow them back in without a few questions and trials. I will not tolerate having @Naira's trust broken or lost. Once an enemy, always an enemy." The mottled fur about his shoulders were starting to bristle just thinking about what could unfold under his reign in the event of @Rhysis' return. "Should those traitors prove to be a problem, we end them. No questions asked, no hesitation."

He paused just long enough to read her face in the gathering dark, hoping that he would not find not even an inkling of surprise. If he knew Naira, then he hoped Asta would have realized that the way the monarch operated would leave little room for anything else than measures such as exile or death. When he spoke again, his tone took on a slick timbre, lighter than it had been moments before but still grave and stern, "I'm assuming that you have you taken your vow?" He turned just slightly away from her to observe the invisible, scent-marked path that would take him to his sleeping quarters and the network of trails that traversed past both Naira's and Rhysis' dens. "...that you know the rules of our pack? Our values and morals... and what it is that we uphold?"

Glancing at her through the corner of his eye he stood, motionless but with his tail now hung proudly over his back.