not falling apart

@Naira @Mapplethorpe or basically anyone in Nomads Pass
Overcast — Current Temperature: 43° F/6° C - Early evening.

He'd been gone for a month. A month that he wished he hadn't been sent away. But he was obedient to his Queen, her consort. Aniu would be found and he would be back soon. But a month had passed, and his sister was no where to be found. Chulyin returned empty-handed, his pride bruised. But he would not spend a lifetime searching for a sister who did not desire to be found. He had a pack to attend to, a sister regained to keep safe. He was exhausted, but with a better knowledge of his surroundings now, he was not so tired and exhausted as he had been on his initial journey here.

He trod heavily up the mountain, frustration emanated from him. Nose twitched slowly as he followed his instincts to get to the borders, wondering what wolves had been about. Mostly unknown scents greeted him which put the male on edge. What had he missed in a month's time? His teeth clicked together with unease as he reached a plateau. Still a ways from the border, he howled to the sky, calling forth the wolves of Nomads Pass. Hopefully Mapplethorpe or Naira would heed his call, rather than a stranger that would greet him with disdain. The Queen's knight had returned to reclaim his place.

Settling back upon his haunches, he let his call fade into the cool evening air. Bright bronze eyes gazed skyward, admiring the stars that he could see through the thin gray clouds that he had come to know as his own. His time in the Pass had been short before he'd been sent to find Aniu, but this place was his home. <b style="color:#a51919">

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It was very hard for Sagacity to comprehend why her son was acting out as he was. She knew that she'd been a wanderer when she'd been younger, but could not place the fact that Mercy was doing nothing different. She couldn't place herself in his pawprints, not now as she was his mother. She couldn't see that he was only doing what was natural, especially given that wanderlust ran in his blood. It wasn't the same, she told herself- it had been safer when she'd been younger. There hadn't been so many bad wolves roaming the lands in search of a victim. Nowadays, it wasn't safe, even for an adult wolf- she'd experienced this first hand. And shed been a nightmare for other wolves as well, stealing meals from them whenever she could. But life was tough, tougher than it ever had been, so she felt somewhat justified in keeping the boy cooped up.

She guarded the borders when not out on a scout patrol as it kept her moving and it kept her wanderlust from getting too out of hand. She was content to do this, especially as it left her scent as a reminder to her son not to cross over her scent marks. It also enabled her to keep track of her son, to see if he was breaking the rules while she had her back turned. Thus far she'd seen no trace of Mercy's scent along the borders, but she had no idea the clever boy had used a better route to escape now and then, by travelling in a stream of water until he was past the borders and therefore left no trail behind that she could follow.

She felt the approaching cold of winter and had already begun to grow a thicker winter coat. She hoped that it would come in quicker, as it seemed that the autumn had become very cold very fast. An early winter was what she predicted, and as the temperature sank even more toward the evening, she anticipated a frost that would settle in overnight.

A call coming from nearby sounded and she picked up her pace so that she might intercept the one who called. Immediately she was put on edge- she did not recognize the voice, though in it she recognized the tone of someone calling out for a member of the pack. Whoever this was, they'd discovered Nomad's Pass, which wasn't necessarily a good or a bad thing. It would all depend on who he was and why he had come. So she moved swiftly and as soon as she saw the dark male she scanned him over, assessing his strengths and appearance- he was tall and strongly built, in good health and had gold eyes which reminded her of those of a hawk, though there was a slightly drawn and tired look about him. He'd been travelling, she assumed.

Her eyes were fast upon him as she approached, somewhat bristled. "You called?" She asked, her tone hinting that he'd better have a good reason for doing so.

Avatars by Arla!

What luck should he have that a stranger would descend upon him? Chulyin was under the impression that only Naira and Mapplethrope would be aware of his absence, and so he would have to explain the situation to this woman who was clearly already annoyed with him. His exhaustion made him irate. How dare this woman question him? His nose wrinkled slightly, though not so much that his teeth exposed themselves and he exhaled, eyes dropped earthward for a moment. Although not within the bounds of the lands for a month, it was not as though he'd abandoned his home, his family. As far as the man was concerned, his rank was still his own, or he would prove himself to regain it.

It was unfortunate, however, that he should not have become more acquainted with his packmates before his departure. Something in the scent of this woman was familiar, but not so familiar that he could place a name to it. He would not beat around the bush for this woman, nor would he cower before her. In his eyes, they were equals, well, far more equal than they would have been should he not have been a guardian of this pack. <b style="color:#a51919">"Naira sent me to find Aniu." He said slowly, ignoring the woman's prickly tones. <b style="color:#a51919">"I have, unfortunately, returned empty handed." His ears flipped back and the man scowled, clearly unhappy with how the events had turned out. He fell silent now. There was nothing left to say and he could really only leave his fate within the paws of this uninformed stranger.<b style="color:#a51919">

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He did not show her much in the way of respect, which irritated her- though her agitation subsided slightly when he said Naira's name. He must have been a member of the pack, then, at some point, and had been sent on a mission. One in which he had failed, but it was not her place to be disappointed- Naira would be the one to judge him because of that. Due to the fact that he claimed to be a pack member and that she herself had been in the same situation- she'd left on a mission and when she'd returned she'd received a less than respectful greeting from Asta, who'd joined the pack in her absence- she told herself not to be too harsh just yet. Not until Naira passed judgement, anyway.

She sat down, then, knowing she'd have to keep an eye on him lest he be a spy from another pack, until either Naira or Mapplethorpe showed up. She relaxed slightly, but the pride she had in her rank kept her head held high and ears pricked. "Then she'll be the one to judge you. Or Mapplethorpe," She added, knowing that the alpha male was quick to step in and take charge for Naira whenever he was able to. He did so much for her, supported her in any way he could. Whether it was because he really cared for her or feared more for the jeopardy of his own position she neither knew nor cared. He did a good job.

"I'm Sagacity, the scout and second-in-command." She said with a brief nod of her head. With this male, they'd have four males in the pack, which would make them stronger. That was, of course, so long as Naira and Mapplethorpe would allow him to rejoin the pack.

Avatars by Arla!

my skin has turned to porcelain

• NAIRA AQUILA •

to ivory, to steel

The call echoed off the walls of the Pass, reaching her at the heart of their territory. It was the call she had been waiting for, although it did not carry the hint of victory she dared to hope it would - but it wouldn’t be the first time her siblings had managed to fool her either. She dared to dream - perhaps they were playing her? Her tiny silvered sister, shadowing their large protective brother across the lore and back home - to her true family.

It had been an age since she had seen little Aniu, just catching a ghost of her scent amongst the cedar trees - with Taima’s family... Who were long gone now. How far had they travelled to escape the sickness that scourged their lands this winter past?

Polite as ever, she knew the dark man would wait, and so she raced, onward and upward to where her brother waited. And there she was - a flash of silver by her brothers side. Her heart began to race as she closed the final distance with alarming speed, a large smile almost splitting her face in two until it struck her... The scent of family, but not blood filling her head and cracking her heart. Her steps faltered, but only for a moment.

It had been a long shot, she had always known and so her smile remained. He had come back to her regardless, and she would not make him feel as though he had failed. Allowing her nose to touch the temple of Sagacity gratefully as she passed, she moved forward to embrace her dark knight with a welcome smile. “Welcome home brother.” Then she added teasingly “I see you’ve met Sagacity.”

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The tired man held himself evenly. He made no great show, aside from his lack of true submission towards the woman, of his rank, unsure of what Naira would have to say. He was disappointed in himself, as though he had failed to reunite them all, which he had. He had failed them. He had failed his Queen, his sister. But he had returned. He would not find himself lost again. Aniu knew where the Pass was...Perhaps she too would one day return. He eyed the woman, curious about her, now that most of the unpleasantness had passed. She introduced herself to him, and he gave a slight nod. <b style="color:#a51919">"Chulyin, second as well, before I left. Guardian." He spoke in broken words, clearly tired, but it was not too far from how he typically would have answered a near-stranger. His tongue passed over his jowls and he inhaled sharply, glancing away from the woman momentarily, mild frustration in his voice, <b style="color:#a51919">"It's unfortunate that I failed to meet you." Certainly with her standing within the Pass, the way she held herself, indicated that she was comfortable in her position. She'd been here long, and he'd been far too caught up in checking the borders to affiliate himself with those that he'd share a den with.

Looking up again, he spotted Naira approaching, and his head lowered, eyes averted quickly. His jaw clenched, and he seemed to hold his breath for a moment, before letting it out heavily, his shoulders falling as she embraced him. She was not angry with him, though he was certain she should have been. Chulyin knew he did not deserve such a display, nor such a tone, but accepted it. Perhaps she wasn't disappointed or angry with him. He would accept this, but it would not change his own feelings. <b style="color:#a51919">"I have." His voice had a bit more brightness in it now, though he did not smile. He gave pause, before sighing and speaking quietly, just for his sister. <b style="color:#a51919">"I could not find her, Naira. And I could not leave you without either of us. I'm sorry." He frowned visibly, and there was a sudden sadness in his eyes. He had gone so far for Naira, but what of Aniu? Glancing towards Sagacity, he bowed his head, a quiet apology for his earlier bluntness, then added, for both women, <b style="color:#a51919">"What has happened in my absence?" <b style="color:#a51919">

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There was a calmness about the dark male that Sagacity liked. While there was a quiet negativity about him- likely due to his failed mission- there was a sense of resolution and acceptance. He seemed willing to wait quite patiently for Naira or Mapplethorpe to arrive, and seal his fate. This, to Sagacity, seemed to imply that he was comfortable either with death, exile, or that he was comfortable with the pack's leaders. She chose to believe that it was some combination of all three- he seemed the type who had no demons running amuck inside his soul, and there was a mildness about his lips and eyes that expressed no havoc lingered within.

It seemed that he had definitely found favour with the alphas before he'd left, as he'd once been second in command. Considering that she didn't recognize him, she observed that this would mean something important- to have been a part of the pack, and promoted to second-in-command without her knowing, he had to have had some distinct connection with the alphas. She'd been a part of the pack for some time now- and had earned her keep. This male had easily taken the rank of second-in-command without having been there for a long period of time...So she became more suspicious of his connection to either Naira or Mapplethorpe.

A small tug of muscles at the corner of her lips was her reaction when he spoke. "Well you have the chance now." She said. He'd been gone on a mission, and hence hadn't been able to meet the pack members, she assumed. She would have gone on and started a more amicable conversation had the matriarch of their pack not joined them with her usual, punctual way. She uttered a guttural growl of affection when Naira touched her temple and lifted her nose to nuzzle the woman's jawline affectionately. The smile on the woman's face did not go unnoticed, so when she looked back to Chulyin, it was with more softness in her eyes. If Naira approved of him, then she would as well.

...And there it was- brother. She did not see the immediate resemblance, aside from size and an air of dignity, but now that the connection was known she was able to pick out some similarities in their features, in the way their gaze was calm but strong. She smiled when Naira spoke about her and nodded. Respectfully, she turned her muzzle away when she saw Chulyin draw close to speak to the alpha female alone, but pricked her ears when he spoke for them all to hear again. She decided to defer to Naira about the happenings in the pack, as she would better known- and she didn't know how long Chulyin had been gone for, and therefore could not know what he knew about the pack.

Avatars by Arla!

I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON! D:

my skin has turned to porcelain

• NAIRA AQUILA •

to ivory, to steel

I could not find her. The tawny monarch was not surprised. She herself had taken well over a year to track down their sister, and when she finally found her she had been well settled in her pack amongst the Cedar trees, reluctant to leave them on the verge of the winter past. If Chulyin did not find her there, there was every chance the pack had moved on. @Taima’s family still would not know of her whereabouts, just as the Nomads had no idea where the pack that once dwelled in the Hollow had gone. A bleak situation was becoming bleaker, although she would like to think even if they had found her family, that she would choose to stay here.

“No matter.” she said with a genuine smile, finally at ease knowing he had returned to them safe. “Rais is missing, otherwise the usual, adding all we can to the caches and being on the lookout for loners. It seems colder somehow, although that could just be the altitude...” She knew her brother was not much of a one for words and so she left it there. Knowing there was still much to be done, she turned to her trusted second, her smile still in place. “I will give you both a chance to get better acquainted, I get the feeling if I don’t check in on @Aponi soon, the Pass may fall down around our ears...” With a final affectionate nudge to Sagacity’s cheek she headed back into the Pass, leaving the other two wolves to do as they wished.

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[fatass out!]

This thread is a bit old now, so if you'd like to have a more updated Sagacity x Chulyin thread, we can c:

It seemed as though the man had not missed much in his absence. But rather than feel a faint sense of disappointment, he was simply glad that nothing terrible had befallen his sister while he'd been away, unable to provide any assistance. Another wolf had gone missing, it seemed, but Naira didn't express any outward disappointment at this revelation, and so Chulyin did not let it bother him. As far as he'd been aware, the wolf had been something of a youth anyway. Wanderlust had obviously gotten the best of him. With a smile and a bow of his head, Chulyin let his sister return to her duties. Her motherly duties.

Turning his attentions back to Sagacity, he shifted upon his paws, words uncertain on his tongue. <b style="color:#a51919">"Thank you for helping Naira." He said, quietly, before casting a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure that she was out of range now. <b style="color:#a51919">"It seems as though many things occurred in our time apart, before I found her here, and it is good to know that someone is loyal to her still." His copper eyes were trained upon the woman for a moment, before they dropped. He was interested in getting to know this woman further, but perhaps now was not the time. Naira had mentioned the shifting weather, so certainly there were more important things to do than stand idly and chatter. <b style="color:#a51919">"Perhaps we could go hunt?" He offered, figuring that an attempt was better than no attempt. At least they'd be doing something useful. He began to move forward, and if she wished to oblige him, then so they'd hunt. <b style="color:#a51919">

/Chulyin exit

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

Look Out!

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the snow. Hunt Opportunity