Ghastly Woods Workhorse

They're bringing back 13pts of meat with them, from this thread. There're two food drops.

Please allow for @Couth and Sage to talk a bit first- when she calls out for a leader I'll tag. :)

Not a great deal could be spoken between the two wolves as they marched their way back to Hollowheart Keep, each lugging a fairly significant amount of meat. Of course, they hadn't made any kills- but their circumstances had made it possible for them to find not one but two kills. Of course, the ravenous wolves had eaten a tiny bit each, but the majority of it had been pulled back with them, to make it easier to barter for Couth's acceptance into the pack. She felt fairly impressed and optimistic. With the temperature rising above zero, more old kills were surfacing from the deep snow, making it easier for wolves like them to scavenge and survive. She knew that Naira would need to stock up on as much food as possible if she wanted to have a healthy litter- so Sagacity hoped that this would help. She also knew that Nova was close to perishing, as was Evann, so she felt that with this food she could make a difference.

She brought Couth to the borders of Ghastly Woods where the trees creaked in their usual, eerie way. She put down her chunk of meat and stretched her shoulders and neck, which had become somewhat stiff while she'd been carrying it. She sat down and leaned her shoulders one way and another to sort out her spine and once she felt lean and limber again she looked over to her partner. How fortunate it was, for them, to have found food. But before she could feel absolutely sure Couth would be pack material, she had to interrogate him.

"Welcome," She said, though her tone wasn't convincing- after all, she couldn't officially welcome him to the pack, as her rank was that of a beta. "I'm the second-in-command, here, and Scout. Our alphas will need to know what you can and will do for the pack." She said. Though she wanted to be able to talk to him without being formal, she knew he'd have to do his best to impress either Mapplethorpe or Naira. "And you have to be polite, respectful- no jokes, Mr. Wise guy. We're not the warmest folks, we don't just let anyone with a nice smile who wants world peace join." She said, and straightened up. "Well?" She asked, hoping that she could be impressed.

Avatars by Arla!

He could feel the weight of the meat in his jaws, holding them tight so long made his muscles grow weak from exhaustion but he kept silent and continued on for the sake of Saga. He didn't want her thinking he was the same Couth who couldn't shape up and fly right, instead he wanted to prove to her and himself that he would make a great asset to the pack, although he couldn't help shutting his eyes every so often to close off the flooding sensation to give up.

It wasn't long before they had reached the outskirt of her home, finally we're closer he thought to himself, after he stalled to a stop at her side and dropped the kill at his feet. As they stood in wait he exercised the muscles in his jaws, moving them up and down until the cramp disappeared and giving a single lick to his nose to increase its sensitivity. He would not know who the wolves were that would accept by sight alone but he wanted to be able to detect them by stench. He would need this skill if he wanted to be a better fit for this pack, and convincing himself that he was capable to training himself to focus, was the first task on the agenda.

She took this opportunity to drill him on the proper way to conduct himself, and he received the information without interrupting. When she had explained to him her position in the pack, and what the pack expected from those pleading for acceptance, he nodded his head in silence before saying a single word "okay" and shifted nervously on his paws. She asked him what he thought of the pack and his shoulders shrugged, eyes lightening a bit, "It looks like a warm and cozy place, sure beats sleeping under the stars." and his tail wagged, "I'm sure there will be more to see and say once I'm accepted, but i wanted to know... you say the wolves here aren't the warmest...are they all stick in the mud tight lipped old farts?" he wondered, head cocking to the side. He'd left a pack similar to that once and didn't think twice, he didn't know if he could endure that kind of pack life again.

He kind of reminds me, for some reason, of Colin Farrell's character in "In Bruges."

Sagacity sighed softly when Couth began to make observations about the pack and she nodded, to hurry him along, simply because she didn't want to interrupt- but he wasn't answering the question she'd asked. Well, he was- he'd just interpreted it differently. She stopped and gave him a slight glare when he did the inevitable- and cracked off a comment, and seriously considered pinning him or giving him some sort of physical reminder of the fact that this sort of tongue wouldn't be acceptable. But decided not to- but if he stepped out of place again, she knew that if push came to shove, she'd have to start swinging whatever meagre weight she had around in order to keep his mouth shut.

"Couth," She said sharply, in warning. "That's exactly what I was afraid of; anyway. No, I didn't mean what do you think of the place- you know what I'm like, any place will do, whatever. It's grand. But I meant 'well?' as in 'what can you do?'" She explained. "You need to be of some use to the pack, guarding, hunting, something- something serious," She said, expecting that he might interject with some sort of ridiculous task like basket weaving or zombie imitations. She knew she'd have to do whatever she could to sell Couth to the pack- but if he could help sell himself, that'd be a good starting point.

"And if you must know, we're badass." She said, straightening up a tad and tilting back her head. And because Sage always wore her hipster jeans whenever she spoke about the pack, she added: "We were badass before it was cool."

Uh, I suck. Sorry! I havent seen that movie though, I hope its a good character lol


Her glare sent his ears backward to his skull, his dunked as though he would be punished for the act as a single whine erupted from his throat-when she did nothing he found his composure but made sure to keep himself in line. She had advised him to be serious and already he had failed, he would make certain not to make the same choice twice. "Erm, sorry." he started, biting his lip in though and releasing it when he'd finally come up with an idea; why it had taken so long was beyond him. "I'm actually pretty handy with herbs." he hadn't thought much about it but his herbal knowledge had increased within the last year, he hadn't officially practiced on a patient before but he was confident that if the need arose, he could cure almost anything. "I learned a lot since I last saw you Saga, I can treat almost anything with an herb." he stated with a wink.

Realizing that he might be overstepping the boundary again by winking in this meeting, he cleared his throat and straightened his posture, his shoulders once more level with her own. He wasn't sure if his herbal knowledge would be of much use to anyone but it was probably his proudest moment knowing that he had actually learned something useful. With the silence between them he searched Sagacity's face with a wide grin across his face--would she be just as excited as he was about his talent?

(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2014, 12:07 AM by Couth.)

:) He's fantastic; as are you and Couth :D

@Mapplethorpe @Naira

While it was good to see that he did remember manners and that he was able and willing to rein himself in to submit to her, she would have to believe that he would do the same for other pack members as well...Still, even though it meant sticking her neck out on the line in order to vouch for him, she felt it was worth something. Couth could be an asset to the pack- as long as he kept in line and contributed, she was sure she could make him scout with her- teach him how to map in his mind, maybe- or hunting, or something. So when he brightened up and spoke about his skills as a medic, Sagacity was surprised- and at first, not inclined to believe him.

"Bullshit," She said, though the comment came not from the fact she didn't believe he could do something useful- but because sharing insults with Couth had always been a knee-jerk reaction sort of thing. She'd say something, and he'd snap back with some witty insult. If he did something, she'd never be wholly impressed, but it had worked. But he was so earnest, at present, that her ears flicked forward. "Really though?" She asked, and waited a moment for some sort of positive affirmation, before she tilted her head back. She had little to say to that- nothing snarky, at least. A medic was a skilled wolf, and she looked Couth up and down, and could actually picture him carrying assorted greens around and using his sense of humour to lighten the situation. For once, Sagacity was impressed, and she let it show.

"Wow," She said, with a slight nod of her head. "You'll need to prove it, but...That's really good, Couth," She said. She smiled faintly, then, faintly but honestly- but then the look faded from her features as she scented the air. She was sure she could smell one of the leaders in the area. "That'll be them now," She said softly, and uttered a low, short howl to catch their attention. She loOked at Couth again and sat a little straighter, with all hopes that he would be acceptable.

sarah edit: just wanted to fix your code, you were missing a "<" and it was breaking the board

(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2014, 01:32 AM by Datura.)

Mapplethorpe had been content with accompanying Naira around the territory; without the dire need to scavenge for food and with the stubbornness to keep the pain in his joints towards the back of his mind, he was undoubtedly enjoying it. Her scent had changed and, though, it had made him loosen up a bit more than he usually was, the Hollowheart Keep Leader was still bound to riled up by the simplest things. For when Sagacity called for both his and Naira's attention, he stopped in his path and turned towards where she stood in the distance. Letting out a longing sigh, he gently nudged Naira's side before pulling himself away from her. Whether or not she followed or continued on her leisurely walk, was her choice, and Mapplethorpe didn't mind either way, but he was determined to address the pack Scout and then continue on his merry way.

Once or twice he stopped through the trees to give his left elbow and right shoulder a brief rest, but soon after that, he was jogging as best as he could with light-footed steps in hopes of promptly answering Sagacity's summons. He had expected the Scout to return with Mercy and Aponi in tow but what he came face-to-face with was actually not disappointing in the very least. He stopped just short of the pair, his stance, at first, still neutral until he realized the creature near her was a male. It had the Leader's nose immediately twitching, scenting the air for any telltale sign that the unwelcome deed had been done, but he came up empty-handed. Sage still carried all the usual scent-markers in her pelt and the rogue... simply smelled like any traveling rogue did with Relic Lore debris embedded in their fur on top of their own unique and characteristic musk.

In a sort of dominant presentation, his tail came up and he straightened himself out, despite the lingering pains along his spine. For as long as he could hold himself up, as only the privileged could, he would... His stark golden eyes scrutinized the pair before releasing a singular word in the tone that clearly suggested that he had been disturbed, "Yes?"

Sagacity's keen amber gaze swept the white horizon in search of one of the leaders and soon enough, she saw someone approaching. Mapplethorpe was coming directly toward them, with purpose, as per usual. She was aware that it was not the best time of year to distract either of the alphas, nor was she nearly as close to Naira as she was the rest of the year; while they were companions, they were both females and Sagacity herself preferred to keep away from other women during breeding season. Not that she had a particular beau she felt she might lose to them, but her hormones made her competitive nonetheless, and she knew that it was simple best if she and Naira avoided each other until breeding season was through and tension was lower.

Thus, she knew it as best to get straight to the point. And she suspected that Couth, being a social fellow, and not knowing that Mapplethorpe had a lady to attend to, might beat around the bush a bit- or say something out of line. So she lowered her head in a respectful greeting to the alpha and kept Couth in the corner of her eye so she could keep an eye on him. She felt guilty for having disturbed him, but hoped he wouldn't be disappointed; she had a other pack member for them- a medic, no less- and a decent amount of food.

"Sir," She said, with a tone warmed with appreciation. "This is Couth, an old traveling companion of mine. He's trained as a medic, and wants to join our pack. These," She said, gesturing to the meat they'd scavenged, "Are for you and Naira." She said and drew back slightly so Mapplethorpe could take the meat or question Couth further if he felt so inclined.

Tell me, what would I get if I added

• NAIRA •

powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?

For the briefest of moments she considered ignoring the call to the borders, content instead to continue on her leisurely stroll. But as she watched her companion... no her mate move in the direction of the summons she paused, watching his somewhat stiff gait with growing concern. A quick glance at her surroundings as though only seeing them for the first time told her what she already suspected. As soon as the weather would allow she would need to take a trip up the mountain no doubt, for what could be better than sap from a scrub pine to ease pain in the joints? If only they still resided in the Pass... It was a foolish thought though, they never would have survived the winter if they had stayed.

She came on the scene just in time to catch the end of Sagacity’s introductions, her ears pricking forward at the word medic. It was a role that was primarily unfilled. While she herself knew enough to get by, she was often far too busy to gather the herbs that were required to keep any real stores. She also suspected that given half a chance, @Nova would flourish under proper instruction if only she had the time...

She regarded the pale stranger with her usual stoical stare. She trusted Sagacity’s judgement implicitly, but did he really know his herbs or was he simply one who said he did? She chose to wait in silence to see what the stranger would say...

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I think I'll participate in this little game :D

Couth sought the eyes of his comrade and when she seemed satisfied with his answer, felt the wind around his flanks move with purpose as his tail wagged quick behind him. He figured that this talent would impress her, it was a duty he had recently taken real pride in although he couldn't admit in that moment that he still needed a little more training. What mattered most was that he had something to show to his superiors, and a smile as broad as his ego stretched the length of his mouth as he sniffed the air in wait of their arrival. He felt his heart race in his chest in anticipation.

It didn't take them long, in fact he was surprised of their swiftness, but he straightened himself in their presence, opting to stand tall on his stilt like legs as they approached, speaking first to Sagacity who had introduced him. "It is a pleasure to be in your presence Mapplethorpe and Ms. Naira" he started, nearly stammering on her name, it was strange rolling off the tongue but he kept his composure, taking sure to avoid both of their gazes, mimicking Sagacity he nodded to the prizes at their feet, fresh food that was a welcoming gift for the pack and the two in front of him. He would only hope that this gift would impress them more than the words that would come from his mouth next, "As Sagacity has stated, I am a trained medic, learned from my many months as a nomad. I have come here to lend my talents and ask for a more permanent home...that is if you will allow," he had no idea that he was so proper under pressure, but than again he was quite the charming character. He only hoped the others would think him the same way.

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2014, 07:01 AM by Couth.)

Grey ok'd me skipping Thorpe. Sorry to mess with the post order but this has been in limbo too long!

Tell me, what would I get if I added

• NAIRA •

powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?

He presented himself well, that she would admit. Her decision quickly made she allowed her gaze to rest on the pale coated stranger a moment more. “Perhaps when weather allows, @Sagacity might accompany you to our former pack lands to gather some scrub pine and ergot. Our rather hasty departure left us with no stores to speak of and with everything buried under snow by the time we escaped... Well...” She stepped forward and pressed against the newest recruits side briefly to mark him with their scent. “I’m sure you’ll find no shortage of tasks to keep yourself amused. Winter has been harsh and there isn’t much food to go around as yet...” She warned in passing. Pull your weight, was the clear message she hoped to convey.

Turning her attention back to @Mapplethorpe she slipped her muzzle beneath his chin as she turned back to the route they had been traveling before the interruption. She trusted their scout would see their new medic properly settled.

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