Poison Path Dust Bowl Dance

Kamota had been on patrol, as soon as he heard Naira howl for the pups, he became suspicious of it. Calling for the pups, now what reason could that be. A curious Kamota broke into a run, and much to his displeasure, he arrived after Ash to see Naira with a group of wolves. He scanned through, some had that scent of Poison Path. One had another packs scent and the rest smelled of no pack. One loner caught his eye, it made him furious. "Tenzin." He growled at his brother. Giving a long howl for Namara. This was a sort of test of his sisters judgment. Would she stay with Poison Path, or go with Tenzin? This was his way of testing his sisters loyalty. Kamota had warned Ash of his brothers dangers, but this was an unexpected move. Tenzin working with the devil herself and other Poison Path wolves, loners and wolves from other packs. Fuck this stuff. Namara wants to prove things to me, not to Tenzin. this will be interesting. He thought to himself.

His eyes narrowed at Naira, why would she bring his brother here. The wolves were too close to the border. Surely this meant war? No, that was up to Athena and Tlarx. He kept his tail lower then Ash's. He glanced at Ash, he wanted to just rip his brothers throat out. But he knew he didn't want a fight at the same time. If Ash gave some sort of an attack to any wolves, then Kamota would go straight for Tenzin. He had so many questions about this situation without answers. He wanted to leap so bad, but unlike Tenzin, he could control himself. He could control his wants and desires.

-Like a phoenix, I rise from the ashes.-
~Anger is a short madness.

The black and white wolf crouched low, slinking forward towards the rabbit emerging cautiously from the safety of it's burrow. His muscles bunched beneath his thick winter pelt, preparing for the attack when a howl split the air. His quarry's head popped up and the startled creature bolted for the safety of it's warm dark hole in the ground. With a growl of irritation, Steel's own head lifted at the call. Naira? Why would she call for the pups?. All he knew was that something didn't feel right. Without another thought for his lost meal, he took off at top speed for the voice of the former Poison Path leader.

It took little time for him to reach Naira and what he could only think of as her gang. It was a ragtag mix of wolves that all seemed out of place in their own way. Other than the mottled young male, Rais, he cared not for any of them. The boy was on the wrong side of the line though for this was clearly a confrontation in the making and he was a Poisoned wolf. Then he laid eyes on the gangly pup behind Naira. Adonis. The boy that he'd followed into the mountain when he'd met the stranger, Brenton. Why were he and Naira doing this? He knew little of what went on with the rest of the wolves in his pack, so he really was in the dark. Naira was calling for the other pups though and he couldn't understand why.

He moved to stand on the other side of Ash from Kamota and the three guardians waited tensely for the powder keg to go off. Steel's stance was a fraction lower than Ash's, but his aggressive posture left little doubt of his own position and confidence. If there was to be a fight, he knew that Athena rightfully should have the privilege of sounding the charge. Until she showed, he and the others would hold these misfits here at the border. The fact that they would be sorely outnumbered right now mattered little to the burly wolf.

With nothing in particular to accomplish Navar had laid down in a patch of underbrush. Amber eyes were nearly closed when an unfamiliar voice echoed in the distance. Her posture was quickly alert, eyes and ears directed towards the origin of the sound. Although the voice was unknown to her the message was clear. "Children? What children?" she thought to herself. Before she had a chance to ponder it the sound of swift footfalls came crashing in the distance. As the cream colored woman pulled herself to her feet the image of a large gray and white wolf passed like a blur in the distance. Even though she was completely in the dark in regards to the situation the woman could feel the rising tension. A small whine escaped between her lips as she watched the figure quickly fade into the distance. Her gut, and curious nature, urged her to follow his trail. Navar took off after him, keeping a good distance between the two until he emerged at the lake. The place she was recently accepted into the pack. The entirety of the lake clearly unfolded into her line of sight and she stopped under the cover of a line of brambles.

Had she been fully aware of the situation Navar would have stepped out into the open right away, but her eyes narrowed on the group of wolves that had gathered right at the border. She could only assume the wolves closest to her were members of her pack, even though she had not had the chance to meet them. Ash, the guardian who had met her at the border stood ahead of the two other males. One she had met in Riddle Heights, Kamota, and the other was the wolf in the woods. Her eyes searched for their white alpha, but she was nowhere to be found. A small whine escaped as she paced back and forth, unsure what to do. She wasn't directly involved in the matter, but she didn't want to appear as a coward to her pack. That she most certainly was not. Silently she trotted into the space close behind her three pack mates. Their own stance and sense of urgency causing the fur along the ridge of her spine to stand. The lady had taken the liberty to cover her pelt in Poison Path scent earlier so her sudden appearance to the other two wolves wouldn't cause alarm.

Everything will be okay in the end, the white woman kept telling herself, repeating it to herself like a broken record. She needed to reassure herself that this mess would be over soon. She’d have her life back with no drama once again. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. Whatever Naira was doing, Athena won’t be taken aback again. The tawny woman had left Adonis behind, so she would surely come back for him. The boy didn’t like to stay around the lake, instead spending his time away from the glistening lagoon. She had tracked him on some occasions, making sure he wasn’t getting hurt, but keeping herself at a distance. After what he had did to her ankle, she knew his hatred towards her, but she had already blown it. He wouldn’t try to like her (he had shown that completely at the lake), not even a little bit. Her heart tightened at the thought of Bella or Datura forming those feelings towards her. She had given all she had to those two. The thought broke her already broken heart even more.

Her howl pierced the sky like a cannonball. White paws coming to an abrupt stop, her triangular ears perked forward, listening for exactly who she was calling for. A low rumbled answered the unmistakably familiar voice of Naira. Of course, she wanted the children. The ones that she had raised, not her. The ghost of the once cheerful, warm-hearted woman trudged forward towards the sound of Naira through the thick snowy landscape that was her kingdom. If Bella and Datura wanted to go, then she couldn’t stop them. They had to make their own decision and she wasn’t going to taint their decision with lies and persuasions. She wasn’t going to lie to them again. She had made that mistake and she had learned from it. Vowing to herself that she wouldn’t keep anything from them again, she marched on faster, hoping and praying she would get to see them one last time, if they indeed wanted to leave her.

As her fiery eyes caught sight of the large cluster of wolves that Naira had brought with her, another low growl rumbled within her chest. Was she trying to start a war? If so, she would make it a worthwhile fight then. Marching forward with a new purpose, she made her way towards the group, her burning eyes roofing over each and every one of the disparate wolves she brought with her. The sight of Rhysis once again unnerved her slightly, but mentally giving herself a shake, she moved on. Her ebony lips rose to show her pearly whites at the sight of Rais, the young boy who had evidently switched loyalties. Valiant along with Triell were here as well. Valiant was obviously here supporting Rhysis, while Triell was most likely here for Naira. She had known of their fond relationship when Rhysis had caught her with Triell’s scent multiple times while Naira had been pregnant. However, it still didn’t make sense why the River man would leave his home for Naira’s group. Or was he only here temporarily to help Naira take her children back. Whatever it was, she cared little. Other than the lanky boy Adonis, none of the others were familiar.

Slipping her slender body in the space between her two Guardians, Ash and Steel, she looked Naira straight in her golden eyes. This was her kingdom now. No way was she backing down without a fight if the past leader intended on taking it back. She had poured love, sweat, and tears for this pack. This land was hers now and she intended on keeping it that way. Her burning eyes looked over at Ash, her concern for Bella sky rocketed. The innocent girl would surely be frightening if she saw what was going on down here. "Go find Bella," was her only comand for her loyal Guardian. He would be her escort if need be.

It may seem stormy now, but it couldn’t rain forever.

editing the last paragraph, so that Lightning has an easily way to get Ash out if a fight arises.

(This post was last modified: Jan 20, 2013, 02:43 AM by Athena.)

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

Namara was slowly but surely stalking a squirrel whom had strayed out of his burrow in the cold he moved slowly, and then faintly she heard a call from the boarder, she stopped momentarily unsure of what to do she didn't know what was going on or even if it was any of her business. Then the thought occured stupid, your in this pack of course its your business. Steadily she began to run towards the call until the familiar scent of Kamota and the less familiar one of Ash crossed her path. It seemed at that moment a cue was set and Kamota's call summoned her Dammit he's still a long way off now she was sure this was important.

The gray wolf knew she was getting close, angry with herself for taking so long she caught two unfamiliar pack scents and then Athena's Oh that's just great now they'll think I'm careless she slowed to a trot as she approached the wolves gathered before her. There were now quite a few Ash, Kamota, Athena, and two she had not yet met were on her side of the boarder, then there were several on the other side bristling and growling. The first thing she noticed was the scent of a black wolf, he carried the same pack scent as that insane wolf crying about her alpha.

As she took in the scene two things happened to her she did not expect, she matched her stance to Kamota as an equal without thinking first and caught the scent of Tenzin. The party before her was very clearly set to fight, and Tenzin knew Kamota was here in Poison Path and yet there he stood. It was the moment she knew they had both been waiting for what would she do? At first the thought of joining Tenzin tempted her before casting a glance at Kamota, standing for a reason other than to cause discord and chaos. Weather it was right or wrong Namara would stand beside Kamota.... and Athena because this was her new home she knew nothing of this fight but felt driven by nothing but loyalty to the wolves on her side of the boarder.

Namara growled and swung her head to lock her cold gray eyes to his glinting angrily her jaws opened and only one word escaped her maw "Brother" the words were thrown at him. She hoped to see shock and anger spread across his face, what kind of brother would knowingly attack a pack his blood was in. Namara was pissed and proceeded to swing her head from Athena to Ash and to Tenzin hoping one of them would give her, One. Good. Reason.

Ok, new posting order. Mapplethorpe, Navar, Romanis, Rais, Kamota, Namara, Tenzin, Triell, Rhysis, Valiant, Ash, Athena, Naira & Steel. If you want to attack someone, specify who in the fight thread and the staff will roll for you. If you want to escape, you need to post an escape thread but are not considered free until your next round (provided you haven't been intercepted). This round will end no later than 2nd Feb. If fighting does break out you have 48 hours to respond or you will be skipped. If you miss two rounds your wolf will be considered as fainted. Let the shenanigans ensue!

A smile crossed Naira’s face as Rais made his hasty approach. Glad that he still wanted to find himself on the right side of the line by the time the children, and no doubt the others arrived. The wounds he carried made her body stiffen, but there was time for proper revenge for one of her charges later. Had it been a Poisoned wolf to do this to him? Or was it another entirely. Either way, once she knew, the wolf would pay. Nobody messed with her pack members.

Triell stood steady at her side, a rock, as he had been through this entire shit storm from re-entry to her proper return. Rhysis on her other, where he should have been from the start. The presence of both black wolves, for once seemingly at peace (although she had no doubt it was for her benefit entirely) was enough to convince her that she was doing the right thing. She only wished that her dark friend did not have to leave her at the end of it all.

Romanis stuck close to Valiant. She would need to wean the young girl off him soon. He was hardly worth clinging to like that and far too unreliable for her to think that he might stay forever. She had very little doubt that come the spring he would vanish again, as he often did, only to return in the summer, or autumn. He was a hard wolf to tie to one place, and she didn’t want the young wolf heartbroken because the silvery wolf was too thick to see a good thing shoved in his face. The growl that came from the young wolf would have made her beam with pride were she not wearing such a serious face. As it was, she managed a half smile in the girls direction. This one, she would keep.

Then there was Mapplethorpe. She was still unsure about the older wolf. Their first encounter had been tense to say the least, the second only mildly less so, but he was still here. She had no idea what Rhysis had done to get him to follow, she only hoped it was enough to hold him to them past the winter, even he added a growl to the chorus and she decided for now, he would do. She just would not be dropping her guard about him any time soon. Then there was Tenzin, looking formidable as ever, toeing the border just as closely as the rest. If she was given the opportunity, she would happily loose him on Kamota for his little stunt in the woods. That boy was a fool and a waste of air to boot.

Bored eyes watched as the nosy bastards assembled in front of her, just as she knew they would. No surprise that Ash was the first to arrive, once again placing himself between what was rightfully hers and what he thought she should not have. Her eyes rolled at his question but she did not bless him with an answer. It was none of his fucking business why she was here, but if the pack did not know where their wards were, well that was enough to get his throat ripped out were she in a more volatile mood. Then came Kamota, the last wolf on earth to improve her mood. Her own growl started then. They were foolish. Two on eight? even with Steel’s approach and the strange female, they were still grossly outnumbered.

Finally Athena came, and then another strange young woman who referred to Tenzin as brother. Clearly she had picked the wrong sibling to stand by, but it was none of Naira’s concern. She was just another body that had chosen to place herself between a pissed off mother and her children, and she would bleed just like the rest if that was what it came to.

The absence of Tlarx did not go unnoticed by the tawny leader but nor was it a surprise. Just like Indru, she had hardly seen the man on her last stay at the lake. Perhaps he was just as unreliable. It had taken the River wolves so long to see him for what he truly was. Would it take Poison Path just as long to realise the same? But it was not her place to comment. After all she had not come here for a discussion. She had come here for her children.

"I did not ask for any of you." She stated clearly bored with the whole scenario so far. She simply came to collect her children. They knew this day would come. They were simply fighting the inevitable.

"She's looking for me!"

From beyond the assembled, beyond the battle lines that had been drawn, beyond all the snarling and posturing, came a cry as sure and as deep as thunder. A tall golden boy — no, man— stood a hundred yards off, his head raised and his tail aloft. He wore confidence as if it were his very fur, for he had been born a lord. That he knew only a handful of the wolves assembled mattered not —they were merely witnesses. Let them watch, he told himself, straightening a little more so that, when the spotlight finally fell on him, he would appear every inch the role he had been born into.

He took a solemn step forward.

He would need to play his cards exactly right.

Nothing could have torn his golden gaze away from the tawny brown and grey lady that he knew now to be his true..."Mother," he breathed, a smile bursting into life on his handsome face, "Mother, I missed you every day." This, perhaps, was not true in the sense that it reflected reality as the rest of the world might have seen it. But it was true in the sense that Datura believed it, and oh, he believed it with his whole heart. He needed to. He couldn't hold on to the guilt that was curdling in his stomach when he thought that he hadn't even known his mother was missing in his life; the shame to think that he was living a lie, that he was adopted. Desperate to protect himself from all this terrible embarrassment, his subconscious bent his perceptions and poof! this truth was born.

"Don't leave me here with these strangers."

"Because that's what they were now: strangers. They had lied to him and kept him away from Naira, from his mother. They loved Belladonna more than him, anyway. They all loved her more than him, they always had and they always would. Did they think he couldn't hear them? Braying, "where is she?" and "go find bella." Did no one care where he was? A grimace wrinkled his face as his eyes scanned the assembled wolves of the pack he belonged to. They raised an interesting question, though: where was she? His sister was a constant burr in his fur, and yet... she was no where to be seen among the gathered wolves.

(This post was last modified: Jan 20, 2013, 10:36 PM by Datura.)

Oh, she was there.

She had been told to think back as far as she could. She had been asked to remember, and she had. Everything she had tried to ignore, all the signs, they had stood plainly in front of her face, and she couldn't look away. It had rendered her numb. On the one hand, it was a small truth, insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Did it matter who had given birth to her? Didn't it matter more who had raised her, who had loved her?

But she loved nature, loved her world, and it was stupid to deny that Naira being her blood mother was unimportant. It had answered so many questions, after all. Why was nobody else quite like Bella? Why did nobody share her passions? Why didn't she have a father? All these things which she had never let bother her, but then the final piece of the puzzle had been shoved in her face and the picture was plain. All that was left was for Bella to decide what to do about it.

She had pondered it. Ever since that day with the faint, angry voices, the day with Naira covered in blood, she had hardly been able to think of anything else. In that long time, her lake was her friend more than ever; she did not need to explain her woes and troubles to the water, and it listened without judging or trying to give advice. She didn't want anybody's advice, didn't want excuses or reasons or suggestions. This was between her and Naira, and possibly Athena. It took some time before Bella realised that she probably should be angry at the white woman, for the lack of honesty, for the lack of truth, but she was not. The truth was that Naira had gone, and Athena had been there. In a sense, that was all that mattered, and Bella could have cared less whose blood ran in her veins. She loved Athena with all her heart, loved Poison Path, loved Ash, loved the lake. She loved that lake. It listened to her cry, to her whispering, to her rationalising, to her questions. It said nothing, and she appreciated it.

The moment Naira's voice cut through the air, Bella knew that it had come to an end. She was out of time; she could not roll it around in her head anymore, could not try to decide what to make of it. She was a good girl, and she did what she was told. She kept out of trouble, she didn't explore too far, and she was polite and honest. If Naira told her to leave, would she do it? If Athena told her to stay, would she do it? Bella had never had to make such a huge decision on her own before, and it tore at her. She wanted to love Naira as she loved Athena, but it was so hard. It was there, on the edge of her heart, but everything felt so wrong - so broken. Datura was even different, like he had found answers for himself, and though his company had rarely brought her true comfort in the past, it was even worse now. She avoided everyone. Why couldn't things just go back to normal?

She just wanted things to go back to normal.

... find Bella, Athena had said, and the girl heard it on the wind, and knew her time was up. She had been following Datura secretly, her heart having wrenched the moment she realised that he had risen to the call. Silently she had followed in his wake, anticipation mounting. What would he do? Bella had no idea of the scene she was about to witness, but to see Datura's choice - she had to see it. Even far behind him, she saw him move proudly, with purpose, declaring what they all knew - and then her heart broke in two the moment he called her 'mother'. So, that was his choice. He was...

Her eyes widened as she stared, creeping forward, taking in the truth of what she was seeing. Her family and... and his family, opposed, stood ready for... no. Her heart broke into smaller pieces as she realised with cold dread the anger and hostility that was laid bare before her. It was all wrong, all wrong - why had it come to this? It must have gone so much further than just her and Datura's lineage, so much history, so much pain, to have this be the conclusion. But Naira had called for them, had called for Bella and Datura. They were at the centre of this, of it all.

"I'm here," she called, her tone dead, as she stepped forward in Datura's wake. But she did not bask in any attention as he had so clearly done - she wanted none of it. It was all hopelessly and terribly wrong, and the memories of hurt words and the scent of blood was too rich, she could not stand it. This was her lake, her beautiful, pristine lake, and she could not simply stand aside and let it be tarnished with their hatred and anger. She didn't care, she didn't care.

Rather than move towards Athena and Ash, as she so wanted to, Bella stepped forward to stand squarely between the two groups, glancing dully over the faces she knew and didn't know alike. She felt cold, the dread holding her heart tight. Only Naira did her gaze linger on. Mother. Datura had called her mother. He was leaving. It was all changing. Why did it all have to change? Having reached the middle, she paused, the word rolling on her tongue but she wasn't able to say it. It just felt wrong.

She had eyes only for the woman who had turned her world upside down - for the woman who had brought her into the world in the first place. It was all to do with her. "Please," was all she could manage, a soft plea for peace and no pain. Bella could not fight, and she would do as she was told, but who was going to give that command?

A backdrop to the confrontation, the lake was silent, always silent, but it sang to her, and deep down, Bella knew.

"Please... go."

Oh.

She was standing just behind him.

Gracefully, he stepped aside and turned so that he could welcome his sister to this gathering... This gathering that had been called for them, in their honor. For once, he did not want to begrudge his sister the limelight, they could share the center of attention. This was their birthright, he told himself as his imagination began to swell and run away with his thoughts, together they could denounce these liars and part ways with this stupid lake and go to live with their mother, their real mother. Having exerted such an intense power over his sister for so long, Datura took it for granted that she would come with him, follow him, do as he did. To Datura, Bella did not make her own choices. Bella did whatever he would tell her to.

When his golden gaze finally fell on his dear sister, however, his good graces and willingness to share his glory with her was rudely trampled by her troubled eyes. At first he was annoyed... but then he caught something glittering in her eyes. Something was wrong. No. He knew what it was, but he couldn't allow himself to believe it. Although in many ways Datura failed to understand his sister's heart, her expression was deeply, deeply troubling. Did she love these stupid liars? Did she want to stay with them? The silence stretched on without Bella saying anything, and the golden boy began to grow intensely anxious. No, no, no, no. This could not be....

And so it wasn't.

Just as his fears reached a terrible climax, Datura's subconscious constructed a barrier to protect him from the terrible reality that was threatening to consume him. Inside the safety of these walls, his mind constructed a new reality, a better reality. Bella was just sad because she liked these people... I mean, they had always treated her with such care, they had always doted on her. She was weak like that, she would have trouble detaching herself from these terrible people even if they were lairs. She didn't understand how black and white the world was. On top of that, she had some strange attachment to this stupid puddle. He heard her talking to it sometimes. She was sick. Desperately, Datura wished he could help her, wished he could fix her. Gradually, Datura began to regain control of himself, and he felt another surge of confidence. It was going to be okay. He could fix this.

"Please.... Please, go."

It was as if she had hurled a massive boulder at his barrier, trying to break everything he had built to save himself from this horrible realization he was fighting to keep out. But she hadn't broken the walls — not yet. She only shook them. Immediately, Datura whirled around to fully face her, taking bounding steps until he towered above her. "Bella," he was pleading with her but his voice was oddly menacing, "Stop it. You always get like this. But I've decided we're going."

Inside his walls, though, the doubt was resonating through the ground, and his walls began to hum and tremble as if there were an earthquake. Deep inside, he knew the truth, but he would fend it away for as long as possible. Dature could not live without his sister. She was... she was his sister, he had to take care of her and make sure she behaved and didn't do anything stupid. He had to protect her, he had to fix her. What would become of either of them if they were separated?

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2013, 02:49 AM by Datura.)

He had always been so much larger than her. If she had not grown up alongside him, always known and loved him as a sibling, he would have intimidated her much more effortlessly. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, or, at least, she trusted him not to. He had never really broken that trust, even when their playing as children had gotten a little too rough for her. Complaining never solved anything with Datura, so she had learnt to bear it. He didn't like it when she complained, so she didn't.

She could see it in his eyes, that he was having trouble believing what she was so obviously saying. That just tore the pieces of her heart into smaller fragments, scattered about her chest and laid bare on the ground for all to see. How he could think she would ever leave this place, this place she loved... it only went to show, she supposed numbly, that he had never really known her. It wasn't entirely his fault. She had done her part to alter herself when they were together, to please him.

So the conflict boiled down to this. She cowed her head as he came to stand over her, so much taller, so much stronger, but she didn't fear him. What she feared was his pain. This would hurt him, and she knew it. But she wasn't doing it to hurt him - could she ever make him understand that? "No," she breathed, defiant and terrified, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "You've decided that you are going, Datura."

He wouldn't like that. This was going to be the worst storm she had ever faced, and she had faced a fair many.