Drooping Willows A Brave New World

The sun shone through the thin and small amounts of clouds that surrounded the Ridge as Semananti crossed the border. She had just returned from her meeting with the Whisper Cavern’s wolves and was on her way to report back to Elettra about the news. She was a bit excited to report her mission as a success and glad that Elettra might make her a scout in return. She would have been a Guardian; however it just brought back too many memories of her old pack where she was a night runner and a respected one at that. A small shutter coursed through her as a small and unexpected wind came through and bellowed her fur. She breathed deeply as she continued.

She had met all the wolves at the pack meeting, so she knew their appearances, but most she did not know. She knew Kasai, Elettra and Tempest. She had been through a brief conversation with @Guiness where he told her what the traitors looked like. While she was out, she searched for them to give them justice, but to no avail. They must have fled the lore or gone up north, perhaps if Elettra sent her on a mission north then she could search there. She might do that later, but she had to report back and get on patrolling. She had promised that when she wasn’t on a mission, of course, she would not slack off. She expected to do other work as a scout was not always needed. The words of her leader were a comfort to her almost. It showed that everything would prevail and all would be well.

Her tail was wagging slightly as she strolled; the Huntress of Artemis was a bit confident as her gait suggested. She had good news for Elettra, and perhaps it was a good chance to meet some other packmates. Then she wondered if Elettra had given birth. She knew the mother would be protective so maybe she should tell her later. All that mattered was she was home and with great news. There would be an alliance.

He had been doing his duty, just as he did everyday as he had sworn to when he had first entered the Ridge pack. He had never sworn his loyalty to his male alpha, as he had never found a steady one, but his loyalty to Elettra and all of the subordinates was strong and long lasting. Guiness knew that he would not be able to trust all of them, for not many of them had proven to him that he would be able to trust him. The gentle beast knew he could trust his sister…that was an easy one, along with Elettra, who had stuck with the pack since the beginning. Ever since he had started sensing in the area that Kiche’s scent was fading, had he fallen into a small pit of grief for a few hours, silently sitting as he had let his mind wrap around the fact that his twin had left him and the pack. Now that so many were gone, it was hard to know who he could trust. Narimé, he knew he would be able to trust, as she was his brother’s mate now, a pack that he had hoped the two were able to build…and perhaps continue on the Thorben line. However, Phineas, Sica, Shade, Rosealia, and he was sure a few others had now left them alone…had left their duty, which was a sin in the highest of ways.

Walking back from where he had marked the boundaries, he caught the scent of one of the female subordinates within the pack. By the direction her trail was headed in, he had to tense for a moment. That was towards where Elettra had given birth to her children not Kiche’s. The red hued man would no longer have any claim over the miracles that Willow Ridge had been blessed with that year. With a small snort, Guiness followed Semananti’s trail, his large paws landing on the ground, but unlike most large wolves, he had gained the skill of stealth over his years of training to become a Guardian. Finally he would be able to get to know a pack mate better hopefully. Pushing himself forward, he let himself slow down a bit when the female’s form came into view. Clearing his throat to allow his presence to be known by her, he spoke, his voice low and barely above a whisper…much like a mumble, "If I were you…I would not go near Elettra at the moment…" Letting his golden amber eyes watch the lady in front of her, he lifted his tail slightly above his back, asserting his dominance over her.

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Sema turned to see one of the male members of the pack, the one who her the description of Shade and Rosealia, standing behind her. He mumbled about how not to go near the den at the moment and she jumped to conclusions. Though when she saw him, her ears fell flat against her skull and her tail curling neatly underneath her body in submission towards the higher ranked wolf. He was of higher rank and she ran by standard pack protocol so she had to obey. She made a single comment, not one of the talkers, though it depended on who exactly she was talking too. “It happened, didn’t it?” She asked, that was all the words that came out of the tan and brown wolf of the Ridge. She was the one female who was guaranteed to never get a mate and be a loyal wolf forever more.

She had been under some pressure lately to get to Elettra after her trip, though it seemed that she would have to hold onto the retained information a bit longer until Elettra had the spare time to talk to one of the lowest wolves in the pack. Her face was emotionless, even her eyes bland without a care of feeling other than a fierce determination. It wasn’t to go talk to Elettra, but to earn the respect and trust from every wolf in this pack, even if later they would end up leaving. From what she knew, Guiness had been here long; whether or not a while meant a few months or the beginning of the pack she had no idea.

Her entire post held, a bit stiffened as if a robot had taken Semananti’s place. She had only been in the pack a month, but the submission, dominance, roles, everything had been drilled into her head in that time. She knew the pack territory by heart, and her fur bore the clear scent of the Ridge wolves now. It should all be good right? Yes, Elettra would see a strong and fine warrior in her. She awaited the answer from the far larger male.

Looking upon the woman who was much of the same coloring as him, only much smaller, he waited for her reply, only to find that his appearance was perhaps a bit of a shock to her. Guiness had always been the best sibling at playing games when they had been puppies. Though the largest, he had the most wit and he had learned easily how to be much quieter than the others within his litter. Tempest, his twin, seemed to be the most talkative though…always finding something to talk about, no matter what kind of situation they were in. The smaller wolf in front of him seemed to be built enough, around a year younger than himself. She was a good addition to the pack, from what he could tell so far. She was much like him, preferring to get the job done in the most efficient way possible while being quiet about it in the same instant.

Her words traveled towards his ears, nodding his head in compliance to her question. Elettra had indeed given birth to her children, three little miracles that he was sure that pack would grow to love. It was not hard to detect the air of protectiveness he held over his alpha and her children, as it was his job as Head Guardian to be on top of his game and it would be quite a lie if he said that he did not care about their alpha and her offspring. These thoughts did not waiver Guiness’ attention as to why Semananti seemed to be taking a course towards where his alphess lay. Letting his voice mumble out to her once again, he spoke, "Is there something I can help you with…?" His voice trailed off, his tone soft and his golden amber eyes innocent. He was willing to help his pack mate, or at least find out why she wanted to see their lady. This was probably the most he had ever spoken to one of his pack mates…no…more like the most he had talked to another being since he had entered the Lore. What made this female different from the others?

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Sema was not surprised when Guiness had nodded his head, so there were pups to protect in the pack now. She probably wouldn’t go on scouting missions for a while, it was obvious she was needed here for pack hunts, which she was alright at compared to lone hunting which was her biggest weakness. Guiness started to poke his nose into her business with the lady, and she supposed she had to tell him something. “I bring word back, Madam Elettra sent me to a local pack belonging to a former Ridge member and her mate. It was about an alliance.” She said, though she had been in the pack a month, she did not know of relationships that Willow Ridge had with other packs.

She was completely oblivious about the fact that Sloane and Guiness were related. Then again, he didn’t even know Guiness’ name. They hadn’t really said names at the meeting and they certainly weren’t sharing them now so she had no way of connecting the name Thorben. All he knew was that Lady Narimé was sick and Sloane had wanted her to check with Elettra to see if medicine can be brought when they met. Of course, she also needed to tell Elettra the alpha’s agreed to meet with her. She wondered if she would bring another wolf with her to the meeting. Perhaps Sema herself would be invited. No, she probably wouldn’t be. It might be the male leader’s part to go with them.

She still held back her voice from the male, not talking as much as she had to Tempest. She thought that Tempest never shut up and neither did Kasai depending on the encounter. She assumed that this wolf was a talker too judging by how much he spoke. However this was subtle conversation and she would be polite. She was not one for idle chit-chat. So what exactly was his point in all this?

(This post was last modified: May 11, 2013, 02:04 AM by Semananti.)

Listening attentively to what his subordinate had to say to him he nodded along with her words, making assumptions of his own. Nina had come on their own lands to finalize the alliance between Willow Ridge and Secret Woodlands. That meant that the only other pack Guiness knew El to make an alliance with would have been Sloane and Narimé. Lifting his head slightly, he nodded his head once more, realizing how rude he had been not to introduce himself. Reluctant to talk much more than he had to…he once again spoke, the distain to having to actually speak words evident in his voice, "Guiness Thorben." He spoke his name quietly, his red head watching her amber eyes incuriosity. Surely she would understand how he did not feel like expressing all the details to her. How that only had to happen when his job was involved, which was right in the instant, but she would connect the dots. Semananti seemed like a smart enough wolf.

The work it took him to muster up the proper words to utter was such a tedious task, one that he had no needs of expressing. He did not bother with titles as he was sure his role was evident enough to the woman already and that he, in no means, needed to do anything. The red hued man simply waited for the woman’s response to his name as to which would open up the conversation that he hoped would engage. He was never one to be the one that needed to start a conversation, as he was use to having the conversation raging in his ear and just simply listening. Elettra brought him along most of the time for walks as they would stroll through the territory, sometimes she spoke and other times she did not. Guiness was not there to carry on a conversation with his lady though, just walk in a companionable silence next to her, watching her and protecting her. Never had he faced a situation like this in his three years of life.

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(Sorry this one is short)

Sema looked at him curiously as she connected the dots between the two names. Curious it was how some wolves were related and she knew nothing about it. "Semananti." She offered up, but no last named followed, she dispersed that at the borders, and some people knew her last name from past experiences. She had a new defensive tone to her, blocking out any conversational tone so her voice was bland and dry without emotions to back them up. She always went on the defensive when learning… new things about a wolf. For example when she learned about Teketa’s not believing in a god and scorning them, she went on the offensive and attacked. She would have attacked anyway; it just depended on the conversation.

She wasn’t too fond of situations like this, he was another talker and it almost annoyed her. She offered up one last piece of information in case he knew of the Greek Gods. "Huntress of Artemis." She whispered the words almost; she was becoming quieter and quieter. Tempest she talked to for a while too, it seemed to run in the family. She knew that Tempest was a Thorben too. Sloane also seemed to talk a lot. She knew that Narime’s pups would probably talk a lot too. Fantastic, the world needed fewer talkers and more doers. She couldn’t help but wonder if this man was a talker and a doer, she smelled his border marks as he seemed to be around them often. Was it even possible? She saw talking as too busy to do what needed to be done. Was she wrong?

Her eyes stayed glued to the floor of the territory, not looking at him because this conversation was awkward for her. Never before had she talked to a guy this long, other then her father and brothers. But they didn't count, they were blood related.

(This post was last modified: May 11, 2013, 06:35 PM by Semananti.)

Sorry it took so long. I'm really busy.

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He shifted his feet uncomfortably beneath him, not exactly thrilled with the position he was in. Being so use to someone talking constantly in your ear and now having this woman, who barely spoke a word...just like him, show up and silently stare at one another. He found that situation much less awkward than the one both of them were in right now. When her name came, he flicked his ears forward, showing her that he was paying attention, as he had finally decided to give up on talking. The title that she supplied to him afterwards meant nothing to his knowledge. The only part that truly stuck out to him was her Huntress title. Flicking his tail behind him, he could feel his paws beneath him twice anxiously, begging him to get start on another patrol. As the two wolves continued to look at one another Guiness then mentioned her forward, going towards the borders in an act to get her to join him. Having a silent companion was better than anything he could have wished for. Always having someone talking in your ear did tend to get annoying sometimes, because there was never anytime to receiver peace that one longed for.

Hopefully, if the red hued woman would come with him, they could fall into a companionable silence and go on a border run. Truth was that it had not been long since he had remarked the borders, but it was also better be safe than sorry. If some foolish loner decided to intrude on their lands than Guiness would gladly show them off of it, with much force involved. When it came to his duty, the Guardian would put everything else on hold to get the job done. And perhaps this would be noticeable to his new pack mate as he continued doing what he was born to do. Breathing him deeply, he waited for anything interesting to happen.

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<3 It's fine

Sema was uncomfortable in the situation in front of them, she knew the man was more dominant, but he fell silent and did not speak. It was a good thing for her, she didn’t like talking, nor listening to talking since listening commonly led to having to respond with her own tart comment. She had connected the dots, knowing that Guiness was related to Tempest, Sloane and Narimé in some way, shape or form. She was beckoned towards the borders, patrolling, which could help take her mind off what she needed to do until it was clear to go see Elettra. As she was lower than him in the pack ranks, she figured she had to obey. Sema was focused on what she normally was during borders, as it was she was one to focus on the task ahead of her and nothing else during the task she was performing. Keep a steady pace, a trot most likely given stamina. Then scent the area, keep it clear and mark the area. Repeat around the borders, you know what to do Sema. The words reminded her a lot of her father. He would have been the one to comment and tell her how to patrol despite the fact that she knew how to patrol.

Her father had forgotten time and time again that she was one of the most trusted guardians from her pack, a teacher to her brothers. Occasionally she had gone with Zeus {her father} on scouting missions, but not too often. She saw those missions as a privilege. She could do pack hunts, they were simple for her, it was the lone hunts, the hares and rabbits that always got to her. Her eyes were calm, she waited for Guiness to say something or dismiss her. So therefore the awkward silence continued until he chose to end it. At least, she was used to having a wolf talk to her. Whether it was her mother, Latoya, who had been her night runner {the wolf she ran the night patrol with} or her mother. Perhaps her father would take her out on walks occasionally. It was silent, and Semananti had never minded them talking in her ear and telling her what was on their mind, nor had she minded the fact that they had sometimes scolded her. She had never felt like she needed to talk before. The silence was too awkward for her to bear, but she held her tongue, it wasn’t like she had anything to say anyways.

One more post from you and then archive?

To him, the silence was perfectly comfortable, leaving him in a peaceful state of mind. Flicking his tail behind him as he went along and left his mark on the borders, he waited for anything to be said and when nothing was said, the Guardian was left with the peaceful, sweet silence he had always wanted for the few years of his life. His subordinate was now giving him this, something that he did not mind and would not mind at all anytime in the future. The patrol was extremely uneventful, nothing seemed to be amiss and nothing caused them any problems. Birds were flying around, but Guiness knew that they were of no threat to the pack. Not yet…but when the pups would be able to get out of their birthing den, they would all have to keep a sharper eye out for predators. With him on duty, he would try his hardest not to let anything get past their defenses.

With a soft sigh, he pushed on and when they did not have any more perimeter to cover, he stopped and turned towards the woman beside him, dipping his head politely towards her and bumping his muzzle against hers in acceptance to her presence. Blinking his golden amber eyes briefly to clear them up, he tipped his head back, in saying that he was now leaving and for her to have a good day. He then turned on his heel and bounded away from her, his large red hued body disappearing within the willows. He had no doubts that he would be meeting the woman again. Time would only tell them though, and he hoped that the time would be soon. The Ridge pack needed loyal members, and he hoped that she would be exactly what he was hoping for. Another loyal member within the ranks.

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