On High Alert

Skittering around a particularly large tree, she made sure to keep her ears and eyes open, her nose twitching. The reason for her alert was she had just smelt a bear and though the trail was weak with age, it wasn't a risk she wanted to take if the bear was still in the vicinity. Her old home had them and she had seen first paw how a wolf could be disemboweled by the swift claw of an angry bear. It made her shudder at the memory, her mind's eye seeing the blood of her pack mate seeping over and into the pure white snow. That was before she had fled from the scene in fear of her own life. It wasn't what had caused her to leave-oh no, that was months and months down the track-but it had made her wary of anything that had claws and teeth and was bigger than her. Even of strange wolves who were larger than her.

After several more minutes of trotting through the forest, the dryness of her throat suddenly reminded her how thirsty she was and finally deciding that whoever had left that sent was far away from her, Senka lowered her head and begun to search the roots of the trees. There was no scent of water nearby nor could she hear anything and not knowing the area well enough, there was no way to know the direction she was heading in was the right one. Indeed, if she wanted water, asking the way to a water source was her best option as her eyes landed on a small mouse scrambling over the roots of a nearby tree.

"Hello, Small One," She crouched down to its level, eyes peering at it. "But I am lost; you wouldn't happen to know the way to the river?" But as expected, the mouse took one look at her teeth as she spoke and fled deep into the crevices of the roots. Sighing deeply, Senka stood up. It had been forgotten she was no longer traversing the fields of her old home, where her promises of not eating mice in exchange for information were no longer known. It had bemused many of her packmates when they discovered this promise. Senka had been the only one in the pack who had done this, making promises with other animals that weren't wolves. It was never spoken aloud to her but it was known that others often called her strange or a wolf that wasn't really a wolf. She never cared for their words and she knew they were always grateful when she arrived at the healers' dens with much needed herbs or showed the hunters the most plentiful grounds in the different seasons.

Shaking her head, Senka spun around and started walking. It didn't matter she had no idea where she was going. Yes, while she was hungry and thirsty, if she found a water source there would also be food nearby. It had been many moons since she had last eaten a mouse and despite her presence was more feared here than she was used to, her promise not to eat mice would hold strong.

(This post was last modified: Aug 08, 2013, 12:05 PM by Senka.)

Sorry for the lateness! I have actually planned on posting here for some time but Elettra is SWAMPED with threads at the moment.

The truth, this day, did not nessisarily set her free. Elettra's wondering of the pack, Grizzly Hollow, having moved would only be confirmed with visiting the lands herself. It was obvious her children were growing and quickly. With it, their knowledge, their smarts, and an outward body language which commanded respect and attention. She would not worry of them for she had much faith in her children and her growing pack's ability to care for them despite the few times they had managed to wonder. Elettra Archer was able to move with a certain sureness in her strides, her ears slipping back in a flickering motion behind her every so often to hear out if Party was yet again on her trail. The woman was proving herself a well Tracker and Spy within the ranks if only due to the fact that she seemed often able to follow Elettra wherever she went. That was how she came to be a part of her pack, after all.
After some time in believing herself to be alone, a sound of another crunching down of the foliage of the Cedar forest caught her interest. It was ahead of her, definitely not her Scout by this and so Elettra approaches with wonder and caution. A since of 'going back in time' takes the Willow Ridge Leader, as once a time, some time, before she had wondered these very lands before, scouting out for threats and potential members alike. She had been the Second within the pack that once lived around here and though she had not been here in some time, still knew the lands quite well. She navigated with a near perfection, arching around so that when she arrived to the other woman, she would be coming out from her left side. "Lost?" Ether Elettra was a mind reader or she was that good with reading expressions by the woman's wondering throughout the forest seemingly mindlessly. Ether way, Elettra could help her whether she knew it or not.

As time went on, Senka became slightly more frustrated at her inability to find water. The anger wasn't directed at the surrounding, she was new in the forest after all and didn't expect to become familiar after only a few hours but at herself for not being able to find any clues, however remote they might have been. As a Hunter, there were some basic tracking skills she knew so she could locate prey and the main water sources that were used by them, though sometimes her basic skills were pushed to the limit when both water and food became scarce.

Since her ears were twisting to hear any running water and her nose was twitching to smell it, she didn’t hear or smell the other wolf until she had spoken but Senka showed no surprise as she turned to look at the newcomer. She had smelt faint pack markers several times, and wondered if there was a line a while back she had crossed into the pack's' territory. Though truth be told, the thought that the pack had simply moved on had also crossed her mind since the markers were so fragmented and faint when she did come across one.

“I suppose you could say that,” Senka replied while lowering her head slightly with ears back and her tail wagging slowly, to show she wasn't any kind of threat to the other woman. Just in case the other was part of the forest's pack, thus making Senka a trespasser and she wished there to be no trouble. She then wondered if there was any other wolves nearby. Though the markers were faint, the forest appeared like a pleasant place to live. There was an abundance of food and water, she was sure. Even if they more than likely had to share with creatures like the bear she smelt earlier. "I'm merely looking for a place to drink. However, since I'm unfamiliar with the terrain, I've had no luck as of yet."

Note to Self: This is before El's leg injury in her fight with Shade.

Instinctively, the woman lowered, dipping her head down to Elettra and allowing her ears to fall with a gentle waving of her tail. Though this woman was not trespassing upon any pack territory and was no subordinate of Elettra's, the display in which the other woman showed the dark woman was everything natural to her despite the lack of reasoning other then to show her lack of threat towards her. Elettra had become far used to others lowering themselves before her presence, whether deeply in a manner which Narime had or simple as Skana or Narcissa now acknowledged her. "I could show you a steam nearby. ...It cuts through the old Grizzly Hollow territory." Elettra's words allows the woman to understand that she was not crossing any pack lines in her travel. The smell of the pack that once lived here was so vague it was like a ghost playing with her memory. Awaiting the woman to approach, Elettra shifts, turning so that the other woman may follow her along the trail that would lead them to the borders of the pack that once thrived here - where she once thrived here. Though Elettra was not naturally helping to those who were not allies to her at all, and those who were often came with a expectancy that they would some day pay her back, the woman was in well moods this day, lucky enough for the lost lady.

Lifting her head back to normal height, Senka let a small smile cross her lips when the other woman, in the same instance, offered to show her the way to a stream and confirmed her suspicions of the old pack that once wandered the forest. The only reason she hadn't been sure at first was because of a roaming pack that were once allied with her old family, who moved with the seasons. Her Alphas had promised safekeepings of the other Alphas land in exchange for news of the wider world they traversed during their travels.

“Thank you...?” Senka let her words trail off in a question of the others’ name, wondering who this helpful wolf was as she trotted alongside her on the trail and wondering why she was helping, despite the good mood it appeared she was in. Scents of other wolves, her packmates it was assumed, wafted off her fur which made her wonder why the other was wandering alone much like her in the forest but with much more care and knowledge. “I am Senka.” The reddish-brown female gave with a twist of her ear when a squirrel chattered upon spotting them and darted off, scrambling up a tree and from safety, watched them go by.

“Was this forest once part of your territory?” Curiously made her question, as it was made clear the stream was a familiarity and not something foreign. "Or did you used to live here?"

(This post was last modified: Aug 14, 2013, 09:45 AM by Senka.)

Quickly, the other woman, draped in coloration of brownish, red hues which both reminded Elettra of old blood and autumn, followed suit after her, moving along her side as they trailed towards the territory which once belonged to Grizzly Hollow. With each step, long, sure strides were offered as Elettra once edged the borders of the Hollow which she had done many a time before as a Second within their ranks. Elettra took obvious attention to this woman's size, now that they moved side by side one another. Her Mackenzie heritage was made clear, something the dark Leader picked up quick, having been of the same type bloodline. Of mass proportion, the woman began to wonder if she dabbled in the art of the fight, or if she took to the thrill of being the one to take the prey down at the end of a hunt. Remaining silent for the time being, she listened to the woman offer her first name casually and then inquired about the origin of the lands. "I was once a member of The Hollow, yes." Elettra answers the woman's questioning, a small smirk forming over her lips as her ears perk forth higher to the sound of the stream to which they were quickly approaching. "Elettra Archer." She then offers her name in turn, as it had been a questioning upon the other woman's lips as she said her thanks for having led her here. Now with the sights of the stream throughout the foliage of the forestry, Elettra pulls forth quicker until she is at the slow flowing thin strip of water. She dips her own greying muzzle down for a small drink as she shifts down for a quick sit. "Have you only just entered Relic Lore?" Elettra then questions, her ears turning out to the side towards the woman as her attention remains out before them beyond the borders where the piece of land she once lived within lingered.

Sensing that the other was paying attention to her larger size as they walked, Senka allowed a small spurt of pride go through her. Her parent’s always told her that her heritage was important and to never forget who she was and where she originally came from, no matter where she ventured to next. At the same time though, they bestowed the open mindedness to treat others with honour and respect, no matter their own heritage. Looking at Elettra as she introduced herself, the dark female could see what made a Mackenzie wolf like herself in the other. Though smaller than her, there was something of her that made one want to think twice before assaulting the wolf next to her. Despite this, looking deeper pass her soft fur, though it was more well kept then her own, Senka could see the tell tale signs of scars and nicks.

“Are they gone then?” Senka queried softly. Despite the words earlier, having hinted at the desertion of the old Grizzly Hollows, presumably the name of the territory, Senka simply wanted it to be confirmed. “The markers smelt so faint when I passed them but being new, I was wary that they had shifted the edge of the territory outwards and I had simply missed the warnings as I entered.” The words spoke of truth, and as a hunter with a keen nose, Senka would feel the embarassment of stupidity if it had been true.

When Elettra begun trotting quicker at the sound of water Senka herself could now hear, she lengthened her stride to match. It wasn’t long before they were at the stream and were drinking from it. While the elder wolf settled down to drink, Senka dips her own muzzle down into the cool water and drank deeply. It tasted fresh on her tongue as she gulped it down and once her stomach was full of water, she backed off and sighed happily. Though the creek she had found the morning before had gifted her a break after a few days without the liquid, it felt much better having something to fill her stomach and quench her parched throat.

“Yes, I only just arrived, though I was at the borders yesterday and decided to rest up.” before entering.” Senka replied to the question Elettra had asked and patiently waited for while she drank her fill as she settled down next to her. “I’m from the North but I have what my mother calls ‘The Itch’. It’s something she named when some wolves have the need to explore and leave their pack, even if they didn’t have to.” Her ears dropped in sadness slightly at the mention of her mother, though the words being spoken were only partly true. There wasn't enough reason for her to tell this wolf her life story when it seemed lilely they would never meet again. When she left, it was felt that if Senka did ever return to her pack, her mother would no longer be a part of it. The memory of saying goodbye complied her to speak one last line concering her. "My only wish and regret is that I would be able to see her before her life ends."

(This post was last modified: Aug 20, 2013, 01:03 AM by Senka.)

"It's well you proceeded with caution, anyhow." It is a small praise from Elettra Archer, allowing the woman to not think ill of herself in foolishness. Despite the scent markers being very faint from the time the Grizzly Hollow wolves had been gone, Elettra herself still would have tread lightly over the lands just in case someone who was still protective over the lands was lingering about. "I was told the old Leads left Relic Lore with their family..." She speaks the words Angier had mentioned to her, that Jaysyek had packed up the kids and left, whilst Borden was looking for one of their children from a later litter which had strayed before he too would leave this place he once called home. Elettra had no care for Borden's whereabouts or health where he went, though Elettra's alliance to Jaysyek and her first litter had not wavered. "With the new Leads move, I am uncertain where they went. My guess would be a new location over the mountains." She could only presume this allowed, wondering where Kade had exactly lead the band of wolves with his new leadership. Nina's pack was in the North and perhaps Elettra when she saw her again would question if she had scented them. However, Elettra had some feeling that Kade was over the mountains, as Shade and Phineas had gone. Not to mention the once 'Swift River' wolves as well. Easily, four packs or more developed there. The new lands were very tempting, it seemed, but only causing them to be overwhelmed with an abundance of packs. Elettra had no worries of fighting for prey or territory now that the whole western region belonged to her and her two allies.
"I see. I guess you could say I had 'The Itch' too." However, it had been much more then a will to get out in the world and explore it. Elettra was no gypsy, this was for sure, who had plans to roam from land to land, living within packs and earning her keep only for a temporary time. Elettra had no intention of returning home once her fill of wonder was made, ether. Her ever intent had been to go out into the world, to make another pack of it knowledgeable to the name of 'Archer' and expand the legacy and her own well being. Elettra had no doubt the Torbine empire was doing well and would so, with or without her living in the shadow of Princess. Here, she had made her own name where it was destined Deacon would take their parent's mantle within Torbine and keep the family's birth home strong.
Listening in further on this red hued woman's words, she mentions her mother and her worry that in her wondering she would not return home in time to see her mother one last time before she died. It made Elettra wonder if her mother was sick of perhaps of age. With a sniff, Elettra could tell this woman was around four, which meant her mother would have to at least be six if she had bred right at maturity. Surely the mother had some good years on her before she passed. After all, Elettra would be six within half a year's time herself and she felt no where near ready for death just yet. "How much longer do you plan to travel before heading back?" Just curious, for most certainly with all the packs in the area there was plenty of opportunity to begin a new life. But if Senka was still in worry of the life she left behind, there was not much point in settlement here.

(Sorry if any of my posts seem silly or whatever. Still getting back into the wing of rping and trying out Senka's character. XD)



"To tell the truth, I have no idea. My way of leaving was ill fated and one I do not wish on my most hated of enemies." Senka answered ruefully. "I had a few quirks that many in my clan disliked, to say lightly. I’d imagine if I went back even in several years, hostilities would still be in place. Truth stretched cloud thin with lies and rumours spread quickly." Her old pack, the females especially, could be gossip something fierce once they got ahold of things. It’s why her oddities had been so quickly spread upon being found out and she had a chance to completely explain before the damage had been done. The label of the pack’s crazy wolf had floated out of several months of those who already disliked her for no reason, though Senka suspected they had been jealous of her hunter status and it simply stuck.

Shifting into a more comfortable position, the dark wolf wondered what the other would think if Senka told her of the quirks that made up a large part of who she truly was and the traditions of her pack. Both were a closely guarded secrets in any case and it had only ever been her pack who had known. Would Elettra understand either of them? She wasn't sure. The slightly older female was clever, that she could tell, and appeared accepting of things so far. Perhaps she could understand the slight alliance she had treasured above almost all else with creatures that weren't wolves and the way her pack handled picking new leaders. It would certainly seem outlandish to those who hadn't grown up with them. “Elettra? If I were to tell you some...things about myself, would you wait until I finished before judging me?”

lol, no! your perfectly fine. XD

So her journey out into the world had admittedly not entirely been because she had an 'itch' to explore the world beyond, but as a way to flee from the wolves within her pack that did not take kindly to her due to the fact that she had some kind of 'quirks' about her not acceptable to their ways. Being a pack of traditions, Elettra could only imagine and let her mind wonder at what the other woman had done. In Elettra's pack, taking a darkly colored wolf as a mate was frowned upon, where it was the pale wolves who were seen as pure to rise up within the royal ranks. However, her father had shattered that tradition with pairing with her mother. Of course, a number of the elders did not take kindly to this new changing in 'power' so Elettra could understand that the woman before her, despite hostilities, may not have done something entirely wrong in Elettra's eyes.
"I would not have an accurate judgement if I did not at least wait to hear the whole story." With Elettra's words, she swore to hear the woman out completely before thinking she was some kind of crazed freak and storming off to leave her lost here within the forestry. Elettra's judgement came down hard and was usually final lest proven time and time again otherwise to sway her thoughts. Why, however, was this woman, still very new to her, willing to open up to Elettra in such a way was beyond her. Sure, the dark fae had been kind enough to lead her to water, yet still she was not the most friendly of characters and definitely not the best with small talk. Still, she was learning to manage well with the wolves of the Lore since she had entered them, had she not?