Cedarwood Forest || Dreaming of Rabbits

Searching for a pack was no easy task.
Karri had learned this through experience. Not all wolves were friendly, that was a given. And not all liked the sight of a scrawny young female, who could barely defend herself, but insisted on picking a fight with the alpha at the worst of times. So she was a little reckless. And maybe had some trouble keeping her thoughts to herself. So what? She had good speed, and she'd learned to drop right to her belly in submission when approached by an older wolf. She could learn lessons. Being apart of a pack was new to her, after all.
With a sigh Karri wandered the forest, cold, and bones aching unbearably. She was heading for the central of the woods, quickening her pace as she weaved her way through the trees, stopping only to mark and leave her presence known. Her focus on walking started to diminish, and instead she allowed herself to dream. Oh how wonderful it would be to have a pack. To be at the center of a cluster of warm bodies, listening to her fellow wolves' heavy breathing as they occasionally growled or twitched in their sleep. Maybe they were dreaming of chasing rabbits? But Pack Wolves had access to much better food than that. How lovely would it be, to have a full belly, to be warm, cozy, protection...
Karri's ears pricked. The sound of rushing water was a fair distance away. But she was close to the central. With a new rush of enthusiasm Karri picked up her pace, and bounded ahead.

ooc;; Sorry. First post so I hope it's all good. Thanks. :)

(This post was last modified: Jan 12, 2014, 11:29 AM by Karri.)

OOC|| I've read this over and over, and no matter how I look at it, it sounds like she crossed the border since you said she was "nearing the cental" and "bounding ahead". I'm going to toss Naia in here, since I doubt Maksim would be as kind about a loner wandering around in his borders haha. Also, welcome to ROW! ||

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Another boundary patrol. Naia heaved a large sigh as she covered ground between the pack's center. It was a sigh of content though-- she had taken to life in Maksim's pack more happily than she had originally thought. As a young lady striking it out on her own for the first time, when she came to Relic she thought she wanted a pack without rules or ranks. She wanted to live like a hippie in a little wolf commune, where her diminutive size wouldn't put her at a disadvantage as usual. Although she had settled down in Maksim's pack due to necessity in the harsh winter climate, she was surprised to find herself enjoying the traditional hierarchy and roles. She had graduated from her childish thought that submission equated with disrespect. No matter your rank in a pack you were important, as long as you worked hard to fulfill your role. Naia was blooming gracefully into adulthood, and with that transition came a surprising contentment with her current life as a pack wolf.

But along with pack life came a certain daily rhythm, and Naia was starting to become a little complacent as she ran patrol after patrol with little incident. This was why she was incredible taken aback as she saw the russet streak of a wolf bolt across her clearly marked boundary without hesitation. For an instant she froze-- too shocked to do anything but stare-- and then she lept into action. ”Halt!” she commanded the stranger, bounding up to her position. As she reached the petite female, she noticed that the intruder was especially young. Why would a youngster who smelled like a wanderer be charging directly toward her family's den? More enthusiasm than sense, Naia answered her own question, sighing inwardly. ”Stranger, is this your family? If no, we need to carry this conversation back to my pack's border, as is proper. Did you realize you crossed it?” Although it would have been well within Naia's rights to attack the girl, she felt sorry for the overeager youth. Her mistake reminded Naia of something she would have done in her younger days. With a nod toward the border, Naia beckoned the russet lady to follow her.

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(This post was last modified: Jan 12, 2014, 07:45 PM by Naia.)

ooc;; Oh, I do apologize for not specifying. :) Thank you for your reply!

Karri knew the distinct scent of a pack. The strong smell of the borders had an almost sickly sweet odor, fraught with obvious messages of threats to intruders. And it wasn't as though her nose, scarred as it was, hadn't alerted her of the markers. Crossing the border was a mistake Karri was used to making. She was also used to ignoring her instincts. As the scent of strangers dominated the forest the further she went, Karri allowed herself to slow down, feeling a mix cautious aggression as the sound of a stranger echoed up ahead.

Though usually Karri would have lifted her tail and growled low in a firm declaration of challenge, this time she tried a new technique. To her, it was disgusting to lie herself down and roll on her belly like a defeated dog. Such an act was an obvious sign of weakness, and one she had been so desperate to avoid in her other attempts of joining packs, hence her desperation to come off as powerful and dominating. Nevertheless her small size had always been a crippling disadvantage, as well as her thin frame and lack of muscle.
Still, if she were to tackle head on and try and force her way into the pack's hierarchy then she would surely be beaten out. She had to admit that she wasn't as tough she originally thought. The scars and nasty bite wounds were testament to that.
When the pack wolf came into sight Karri settled on her haunches, low to the ground, bowing her eyes and giving her tail a soft, domesticated wag. She bit her tongue, resisting the urge to speak first and allowing her superior time to consider her.

The stranger's voice startled Karri. Ears pinned back, she gave a reluctant reply. "I apologize...No, this is not my family, nor do I have any past association with your pack...However, if I could speak with you for a moment..." She slowly lifted herself to her paws, and followed.

(This post was last modified: Jan 13, 2014, 08:48 AM by Karri.)

Look Out!

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

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Naia nodded approvingly of the russet lady’s show of submission. Also being a wolf of petite stature, she was more used to being the one on her belly than the one standing up tall. The feeling that came with having a wolf defer was new to her, and it was different from how she expected to feel. She had imagined that a dominant wolf would feel in some way entitled to the treatment, and smug when it was delivered swiftly. That wasn’t how she felt at all when the stranger lowered herself. The feeling that washed over Naia was more like… well, the closest thing she could equate it to was love. She felt instantly attached to the young lady in way that was only possible when two strangers knew exactly where they stood with one another.

”Of course, Miss.” She tossed a crooked smile over her shoulder to the stranger as they walked. She seemed well spoken and appropriately submissive for one so young, and even though she had badly blundered by ignoring a boundary marker Naia thought she might still make a decent pack wolf. If that was even what she wanted to discuss. She turned back forward after she spoke—a nonverbal indication that she did not intend to speak any more until they reached the boundary. The young girl seemed to be a little shaky on pack wolf custom, and Naia wanted to make sure she understood that a border was the only place it was appropriate to engage a pack wolf. As they reached the boundary, Naia halted, turning her soft amber gaze to the yearling. ”Why don’t we start with names? I am Naia Aegina, a subordinate to Maksim Baranski of Cut Rock River.” Her tail lifted slightly as she introduced herself, hinting to the stranger that even though they had already spoken casually, she still expected an appropriate show of submission.

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Karri could barely hold herself still, anticipation and anxiety coursing through her veins. She could feel every bone in her body, tense, stiff, as she awaited this pack wolf's answer. Either rejection or acceptance would occur; if this stranger was to react with aggression, then Karri would be at a loss of where to go next. All her hopes were pinned on this pack wolf, and whether she would give her a chance.

It was a wonderful feeling of relief when the stranger displayed her approval. A weight lifted from her heart, and slowly, just a little, Karri allowed herself to relax. It was odd, to say the least; that with only a few words exchanged Karri had already started to feel a kinship. A connection between that of her senior, whose approval had her tail wag for joy, and whom she would happily roll over for should she have to. She wasn't used to feeling such willingness to obey. The emotion both elated and confused her. Maybe such a lonely life, deprived of any sort of relationship with other wolves besides her distant mother and weak siblings, had left her with a detachment to her instinct. It was possible, though Karri had barely the patience to ponder too long.

She followed this interesting stranger, admiring her sleek pelt and laid back aura. If she were to join this pack she would certainly be well fed. And the wolves seemed rather...friendly, to say the least. At least, this one seemed to be. So engrossed in her thoughts, Karri nearly bumped into her, as the pack wolf came to a halt.

She hurriedly lay on the ground, though her tail lifted and her ears perked. She felt quite comfortable with her current situation, though she had to remind herself to not get too cocky. They were still strangers after all. And she was still a trespasser.

She was awed at the wolf's lovely name, a name ringing with sophistication and power. "W-Well! My name is Karri. I don't actually have a last name, but...I mean, however, you can just call me Karri...obviously." Her tumbling words came to a halt. Taking a deep breath Karri continued on, somewhat calmer within herself. "I apologize for stepping over the borders...it was an honest mistake. But I came to the pack, hoping that maybe...you'd accept a wolf from the outskirts. At least...I do hope you will."

OOC|| Don't worry about matching the length of this post, I often get carried away writing. Also, feel free to PM me if you have questions about anything, Keri. I remember being incredibly confused by the layouts here when I was new.

Edit: I found a picture hidden on my computer that looks like how I imagine Karri. It's only missing the white strip on her nose. I resized it already, so feel free to use it if you want. Just drop the picture url (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e84/RunningOnFaith/My%20Characters%202/e57e5fbd-0ce6-4abf-9fc1-b281afac45b2_zpscc366dab.jpg) into the slot for Profile Image URL located in the IC Avatars section of your User CP at ( http://relic-lore.net/usercp.php?action=imgprof ). ||

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Appeased by the yearling’s submissive pose on the ground, Naia relaxed the atmosphere between them by lying down as well. Her shoulders remained upright and straight and her ears erect in order to convey dominance, but in this reclined pose she felt less like she was towering over the petite loner. She gave the newcomer her attention as she stammered her name, and by the time she was finished there was an expression of concern tugging at the corners of Naia’s eyes. No surname? That was curious, indeed. It usually meant that a loner either was not born into a pack or could not remember her family. Either situation would have made for a difficult first year of life for her, and the fact that this scrap of a wolf had survived at all made her tougher than she looked. No wonder she blew through Naia’s carefully laid border with little regard… she likely had never been taught how to conduct herself in a formal pack setting. Should Maksim choose to take in the loner, Naia would see to it that she was trained properly—for the pack’s sake as well as the girl’s.

"Well Karri, you’ll have to let me know when you choose a surname.” Naia smiled warmly, wondering if her new acquaintance had considered naming herself. “Foxglove” came to mind as a clever choice—a bright, ethereal springtime flower but also a play on the girl’s foxlike appearance. Perhaps she would suggest it if they became better acquainted. Karri gave another apology, and Naia nodded quickly. ”I thought as much,” she said simply, a cue that it was time to dismiss that subject. The mistake had been corrected, and Naia didn’t see any point on dwelling over it. The girl seemed sharp enough, and with some time and patience she would learn. The youth stammered out her final request, and it didn’t surprise Naia in the least. A fair few loners had appeared at their borders since the days turned cold—it was interesting how loyal wolves became in times of foul weather.

”I see.” Naia rose to her feet once more and took a few steps curious steps around Karri’s reposed position, as if inspecting her. ”I think you could shape into a fine pack wolf, with some hard work of course..” she began, ”But my opinion is not the one that matters. Only a leader can accept you into our family. Would you like me to call Maksim?” Her amber gaze ran over the crouched girl, waiting for her response. ”When he arrives though, you will need to say your piece with much more confidence than that. Do you or don’t you want to be a Cut Rock River wolf?” Her voice had taken on an inspirational, coach-like tone. ”And watch your tail!” Naia snapped her jaws together near the foxlike girl’s black-tipped tail, which she noticed had popped up during their interaction. A high-waving tail was a sign of dominance that Maksim would not appreciate. Though she had snapped, her features sported a small smile to reassure the girl that she wasn’t angry, she was simply trying to teach. Wolves were physical animals—they learned better through action than through words alone.

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(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2014, 05:29 PM by Naia.)