Cold Water Creek Nightmares?

Capella awoke with a start and the unquenchable urge to travel. Nightmares were taking over her dreams, showing her a family she could never see again. They were telling her something, or at least she thought they were. The female wasn't sure why exactly, but she had to go. The forest was really getting to her. She figured she could at least make herself useful by exploring the surrounding areas, and possibly scouting any large heard nearby. Promising herself she would be back before Shade and Rosealia missed her, she set off. Her feet carried her for what seemed like hours, before she came upon a beautiful sight. This place couldn't even be compared to the woods she lived in with her small soon-to-be pack.

Sunlight bounced off of her surroundings, causing her to blink rapidly. Living in the misty forest so long, she had grown used to the dim light there. Roots grew from the soil directly into the cold waters, and the trunks attached to them grew strong. Temperatures were slowly beginning to rise with the coming of summer around the bend, and she couldn't wait for Rosealia's pups to be ready to leave the den. Maybe one day she could bring them here, so they could play in the cool waters of the creek.

A smell pulled her away from her thoughts. It was something new. A scent that hadn't been there when Shade and herself passed through on their way to find Rosealia. It didn't take her long to realize the aroma of multiple wolves living in one place. This meant that there was an established pack in the area. Backing off of their boarders, she took note of the area. When she got home she would be sure to tell Shade about it. He would certainly want to know.

Lovely table, and signature by Arla <3

Setting within the pack had been easier than Phineas had expected – the pack had dug out a decent den within the heart of the territory for Borlla to rest. Soon he would have to hold a pack meeting, more in hopes of the members to become further acquainted with one another than anything, but he also knew Borlla would give birth any day now, and for now, his focus was placed there.

The day had been spent patrolling around borders, marking the territory they had claimed as theirs. As the sun grew hotter and the day waned on, the ivory Leader paced away from the Glen, his paws carrying him along the banks of the winding creek. Game was something he could only hope to stumble across, wishing the caches were fuller than what they were, yet such things would only take time.

It was not a potential hunt he came across, but instead the presence of another. His fiery eyes fell upon the pale she-wolf, noting her youth. She was far from trespassing, but his guard lifted, and loping forward to investigate, he announced himself to the stranger with a low bark, surprised at finding another upon the other side of the mountain. The entire time they had scouted they had not come across others, and the scents of those that had traipsed about the land had faded. As he studied her, Phineas paused a moment, noting the familiar scent that clung to her pelt, though he could not quite place it yet.

(This post was last modified: May 13, 2013, 09:20 PM by Phineas.)

Her flaxen eyes turned toward the bark, catching sight of the wolf that it belonged to. His coat was white like Lachesis' had been, but the male in front of her was much older. There was an air of power around him, that commanded attention. When his scent hit her nose, she could tell immediately that he belonged to the pack close by. Quickly averting her gaze, she lowered her posture so as not to challenge him. The last thing she needed so far from home was a scuffle. Not even Shade could hear her this far away.

Her senses continued working overtime, searching for any signs of another, but she came up with nothing. Though there may have been other wolves near here, they weren't in the immediate area. Once she was sure he hadn't planned on ambushing her, she allowed herself to relax a bit. This was what one would call her greatest flaw, she was too trusting. This wolf she barely even knew could rip her to shreds, and yet she felt comfortable in his presence. For some reason she assumed if someone was a danger to her, she would just know.

"Good morning." She greeted him softly. Her ears fell backwards onto her head, and she allowed her tail to swing lightly from side to side. She wondered how long the pack had been settled here, and if somehow her and Shade just missed them while passing through to the woods. It seemed unlikely that they had just missed them, but then again, anything was possible.

Lovely table, and signature by Arla <3

She caught sight of him – the pale features of the female almost reminded him of Borlla in a sense, though his mate was dangerously close to a pristine ivory pelt. His features offered no insight to his thoughts, though his stance relaxed slightly toward the she-wolf – he had trailed after her to investigate, after all, and not coax a fight.

His ears cupped forward to her words, and only then did Phineas give his muzzle a slight dip, acknowledging her presence with a gleam to his eyes. “Hello,” he rumbled in return, his tail giving a hesitant flick as his nostrils flared – he still couldn’t place the scent upon her, but it was familiar.. and he almost sensed it was of someone he had not liked.

“I’m Phineas, Leader of the newly claimed lands in Cold Water Creek.” Never one to beat around the bush when it came to conversation, the ivory beast set the facts out before the stranger, his eyes studying her to see if he could catch glimpse of her reaction to this news. Magnolia Glen was newly established, and he thought it best to ward off any lone wolves who were not seeking a pack to join. “You’re the first wolf I’ve seen on this side of the mountain that is not of my pack.” There was a small pause, his large figure shifting. Given the healthier condition she remained he doubted she traveled alone. “Are you traveling with others?”

Yellow eyes kept their focus on the ground before her, making sure she didn't match his gaze. Leaders demanded respect whether you obey them or not. It was also very possible he rally his pack and they tear her to shreds. For some reason she decided that was very unlikely, but a small Part of her knew it could happen. Her tail remained low behind her, still wagging lightly back and fourth.

She would have to remember to tell Shade about this new revelation. Another pack on this side of the mountain could mean trouble. Capella hoped it wouldn't, but only time would tell. His words were short and to the point. He was telling her that her presence would not always be so welcome. There was a pack here now, and they wouldn't have wolves coming and going. She couldn't blame him though, as soon she would probably feel the same way.

His questions struck her off guard. They weren't unreasonable. In fact, they were important questions for both parties. The male in front of her wanted to know about her and her little band of rogues, as it could tell him many things. If she belonged to a large pack it could mean trouble for him and his family. This question mattered for her, because giving information to this leader could mean the downfall of her new family. He could do anything with this information, so she decided to give as little as possible. "It's nice to meet you." She answered in regard to his introduction. "There are not many on this side. Most scent trails I've come across are faint, and no one settles here that I know of." Then came the question she didn't want to answer. Withholding a sigh she began, trying not to give away any hints as to their location. "Yes, I followed Shade here." She didn't know the name might mean anything to him and she left it at that. He didn't need to know how many there were, if they intended to start a pack, or anything about Rosealia's pups. Capella was unsure how much information was too much, and was afraid she had already crossed that line.

Lovely table, and signature by Arla <3

Shade had been wandering again, it seemed like he often strayed farther from the den where Rosealia was sheltered more and more. But most of the time, his time gone was used for something good. For example, at that moment he was following a trail of deer. The familiar scent of Capella pricked his nose far before he recognized Phineas. He followed the scent trail of the wolf traveling with him and his mate only to stumble upon them. Gracefully he stepped out into the clearing, his eyes averting the males as he had smelled the pack markers. He had been careful to avoid them, a small little nod to Capella before he spoke. “Long time no see, Phineas. How are you faring?” He asked the male who had once been under him in Willow Ridge.

He kept his tail low, again, he was not the Leader like at the Ridge, and it seemed that Phineas bore a pack scent. He was unsure if the male was leader, he didn’t care to pay much attention to those details. He disclosed no information about him or Rose, figuring Phineas had been told of his treachery. He glanced a bit at Capella, weariness in his eyes. He couldn’t help but feel like he wouldn’t be welcomed at all. He merely was curious, and Phineas had never really talked to him, he didn’t know him and yet when he was at the last meeting, Shade had noticed all the males were not happy of his step up to lead. Perhaps they had figured he would leave with Rosealia after all. He was trying to be subtle and kind to the wolf.

She seemed to understand his purpose – or, at least, seemed to realize that he was fishing for information. He was slightly surprised how willingly she had given it to him – most loners, he found, felt strangely vindicated at being as impossible as they could be toward a pack wolf. His posture relaxed some, hoping she in turn would feel less tense by his presence. His ears flickered forward as she spoke, noting with intrigue and slight disdain that already there was at least a traveling pair on this side, and the moment she spoke the name the Leader’s memory gave a disappointed kick.

It was likely then that Rosealia was on this side as well – who knew how many they had gathered. Phineas had never been a fan of the male – not because he had been under him, nor for his abandonment of Willow Ridge, but only because of how incompetent the male had seemed. Recalling the pack hunt he had lead, Shade had come with the pack to help, only to fail to follow through on his simple task of the hunt. No, Willow Ridge was far better without him.

Yet no sooner could he question the pale she-wolf did the swarthy male come to view. The ivory wolf stiffened slightly, his posture lifting as his eyes, despite their fiery heated color, glanced over him almost coldly. Despite this initial reaction, the alabaster Leader felt himself relax as Shade held himself neutrally, and the conversational tones interrupted tension. His posture neutralizing, the rugged male gave a nod to the familiar face. “Well, and yourself Shade?” Cautious yet, he was uncertain what it meant for his pack with others so close by so soon.

The sunny eyed girl could hear Shade moving through the brush before she could see him. Relief washed over her body as his scent finally reached her nose, and she knew he was close by. The wolf in front of her held an air of power that made her somewhat uncomfortable. His leader status was one that was apparent regardless of how well you knew him, and she had to wonder if he always emitted it. Was it just because she was not part of his little family? After all, he knew nothing of her intentions. She could have been there specifically to ransack his newly formed pack for all he knew. Even his questions demanded answers, though she hadn't been entirely comfortable answering them.

Finally Shade came into view, immediately greeting the white wolf. His words made told her that the two males had known each other at some point. It was rather strange to her that they would just so happen to run into each other. Piqued interest made her pay much more close attention to the two. She picked up that the two had not liked each other, or at least hadn't been very close. There were no remnants of friendship between them. The off white girl felt very out of place at this moment, and couldn't help but take a step back. Her ears though, continued to satellite between the two, listening closely. She certainly wanted to see what the pair had to say to one another.

Lovely table, and signature by Arla <3

It was obvious that there was tension in the air as Phineas spoke with a cautious tone, Shade knew that he had done most of the males in the pack wrong, and that none of them really liked him or respected him. Though he hoped that relationships with them would mend in time, though it did appear that Phineas had branched off, and Shade had branched off before he could talk to a few of them and find out why they were so distrusting of him. He knew of a few of them, the ones at the pack hunt, were mad because he had disappeared, but he would have made it up had he stayed, he left the hunt early when he saw Rosealia leave, and from there they left, and Karpos and Adsila were now in the world.

Phineas however, was at least willing to make conversation, and Shade would try to make a good impression despite the bad view of him in the man, like Guiness’ and Angier’s and everyone else’s eyes. "Faring quite well, trying to raise a pack south of here to raise my pups safely in." He said, equally as cautious in case the man thought about striking him where it hurt, the pups. Though he knew that a lot of wolves, including Phineas, weren’t like that and would never harm any pups unless it was purely an accident. Still, Shade was never too sure, he glanced at Capella. "I see you’ve already met one of my friends, Capella." He said, it was true, she was a good friend, and she swore to serve the future pack with pride and wellness.

The girl seemed to fall silent in Shade’s company, and so Phineas’ attention remained more or less on the male who had proved to be utterly incompetent in his last pack. His fiery eyes held no emotion as they swept over the dark male, and while Shade’s disappearance during a pack hunt had almost lost the pack their meal – not to mention the injury Tempest took on because the ebony male had decided to just shuck off, the ivory Leader made no motion to bring the past to light once more. Shade had fled Willow Ridge, and the Argyris male hadn’t missed his presence one bit.

Yet here he was now, a phantom from the past, and with a different female than his mate. His gaze swept over the girl carefully for a quick moment, deciding the two did not seem to be romantically involved – after all, the first time Phineas had met Shade, the male had been quite protective over Rosealia, as if Phineas was looking to lure her away from the wolf’s side. It had seemed amusing at the time, but he could sympathize with such now.. Borlla brought out a fierce protection in him as well, unlike anything Demi had ever stirred.

As the she-wolf was introduced as friend, Phineas gave a nod, though the news of Shade having pups seemed to offer a hidden explanation of his disappearance. “I’m surprised you chose not to do such on the other side of the mountain in the lands you had called home far longer than I,” he murmured, his tail giving an idle flick. Words formed upon his muzzle to ask of how Shade's mate, Rosealia, was faring, yet the moments stretched only to silence. At the end of the day it mattered little -- Phineas had only met the female once, and any time he had met Shade, the swarthy male had let the pack down somehow. Hopefully he would not do the same to the pack he was trying to rise now. With a small dip of his muzzle, the large wolf rose to his height, giving a light shake of his pelt before his paws began to lead him in the direction of home. He owed Shade Slayer nothing. After all, the male had never been there when he was needed before. “I need to go home to my children. Take care,” he offered as explanation for his sudden departure, and with that, the pale wolf was on his way back to the Glen, eager to see the delicate faces of his two children.

(This post was last modified: Jul 30, 2013, 01:16 PM by Phineas.)