Cut Rock River love dont make a fool of me

Seriously, anyone is welcome. Please!?

Despite the pack's growing numbers, the young woman felt very alone. The wolves she'd met were hardly within speaking range, too busy with their own tasks which no doubt included finding food to replenish their starved bellies and obtaining duties. Her top priority since Spring's arrival was to officially become the second Scout, and since her ascend into the third position and pass of her third birthday, the woman knew she had big shoes to fill to reach her goals. If she were to reach them before the fall she definitely had to start soon, and once the sun made its appearance she slipped from her den on a path toward the northern region.

She was not much of a traveler but her most recent incident had shed some of her pounds, making her movements quicker and stealthier then before; it would take her no time to reach her destination. On the path to her destination she stopped on occasion to stop and smell the budding flowers, their pungent aroma were like strong perfume to her sensitive nose as she watched nature unfold before her eyes. Bees were abundant, flies were rampant, and the flora was growing wild from the rain that spilled so often from the sky, it would be a few months yet before Summer and Bastet was fortunate. She disliked the heat, her dark coat would absorb the rays of the sun, and she relished the days before summer would reap havoc on her; she wondered if everyone else felt the same way.

Having moved from the flora, she became more occupied on the task of marking their border while on her unexpected trip and lowered on occasion to urinate and make the scent of Cut Rock more pungent, and to make sure that others knew or her position she bent over to release a steaming pile, sniffed it once to ensure its aroma, and moved on finally toward the northern region.

(This post was last modified: May 13, 2014, 12:26 AM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!

Lol you did say anyone :p Just FYI she's not quite in the territory but pretty damn close.

Amber eyes opened to green leaves backdropped by the cerulean sky. Spieden lay for a few minutes on her back and watched the forest canopy, appreciating the view before she would get up and about for the day. Eventually she rolled to her paws, stopping at the creek she slept near for a cold drink. There was nothing that she needed to do, and was even loathe to set herself any goals for the moment. She didn't have to do anything that she didn't want to, and the freedom of it was almost intoxicating. If it were the dead of winter this philosophy may not have paid off so well, but spring was upon the land and food was plentiful. Spieden could afford to waste some time.

Having already explored the nearby beaver dam, this day's excursion brought Spieden further downstream and towards the marsh that it spilled into, which she skirted around for sake of keeping her paws dry. As always, hunger burned at her gut and she kept an eye out for both prey and predator. The memory of the male she met at the dam and his mention of a wolfish band of hunters after him was still fresh in her mind. Whatever they were after him for, she didn't care to find out, and only hoped that they wouldn't be after her as well for simply talking to the male.

The thick, generic foliage of the forest began to shift into a more sparse wood of cedar trees. However, even the fragrant cedar bark couldn't cover up the odor of freshly marked borders. Spieden paused, slouching low as she peered ahead. She couldn't see anyone yet, but her nose told her many wolves lived here, and a female had been through recently. She wasn't sure that she wanted to investigate, but this was the first pack of the area she had come across. Curiosity got the best of her, and making a rash decision, she continued to creep around the border, bright eyes searching inward for the inhabitants.

She wandered a few feet from the border, allowing her nose to lead her toward the Northern region but she did not get more than 5 feet a sensation crept through her spine, it was a sign that something was amiss and immediately the dark woman stalled in her steps and rose her nose to the wind. Almost immediately a scent reached her nose, it different than any she had encountered recently, and was strange because it lacked that of a pack; almost immediately her hair rose along her back. She was no guardian and had never formally been trained to keep their borders safe but her instinct kicked into overdrive and she found that her breathing had become more ragged and deep as she searched for her opponent, having returned back over the border where she would become the first wall of defense if the stranger wandered over.

She hoped that she would not fight this stranger, her skills were probably mediocre at best, though she had talent to make herself appear larger than she was and her teeth were sharp enough to cause damage if need be; she hoped that no violence arose from this encounter but it was always unpredictable with strangers. "Hiding only makes room for suspicion," she spoke aloud to the wolf in hiding, hoping that the creature would show face soon. She could not tell from this distance if the creature was male or female, whether experience gave it scars that it would display proudly, or if their age alone would give away their strength but she could sense that this wolf had been a loner for some time.

In one last attempt she rose her thick tail over her back, ears alert and swiveling on her head she focused her attention on area she assumed the stranger laid and waited, with waning patience, for the loner to show its face.

The mingling scents soon gave way for more tangible evidence that Spieden was in the presence of another wolf. The sound of soil and cedar needles crushed underfoot made its way to her ears, and craning her head in that direction she could see a dark coat moving between the trees in the distance. As quickly as she could she scuttled behind a thick cedar trunk, managing to angle her large body in a crouch to keep herself covered. Spieden waited for the wolf to pass, before diving under a thick shrub and waiting there with her greying belly touching the ground. Spieden wanted to see, but she wasn't so keen on being found. Spieden could tell that her presense had been noted, able to see through her shroud of leaves the black wolf pacing, searching for her.

Eventually the pack wolf called out to her and Spieden waited a few seconds. She didn't want to be found, but it would be better for her to come out now and be up and ready rather than get caught on the ground, trapped in a bush and unable to defend herself. Slowly, like a bear emerging from a winter den, Spieden shouldered her way out of the shrub and stood facing the other wolf. Spieden's body language was mixed, her neck and hindquarters slumped low and tail curled under, but her fiery amber eyes locked onto the surprisingly odd-eyed pair of the pack wolf. Spieden stood, letting an uncomfortable silence unfurl until she broke it with a rather sudden question, "Do you like it here?"

Her eyes watched the scenery, alert ears perked keen on her head as she sought for the wolf in hiding, it didn't take long for Spieden to show face and Bastet quickly gave her a once over. She was large but her coat blended well with the scenery, its earthen colors gave the illusion that she lived the majority of her life in the woods, and her amber eyes were piercing and sharp; apparently this woman was well versed in her situation. Though large and imposing, Spieden was thin and it showed through her ribs and her worn physique, the elements had not been kind to her but otherwise she seemed healthy, alert and curious; defensively Bastet moved forward.

She watched Spieden's body language and waited until her tail tucked beneath her hind quarters before she came closer, her own mix-matched eyes locking on the fiery color of her component, it did not bother Bastet that she had not averted them, in fact it intrigued her. When the woman spoke her ears perked forward, her head cocked slightly to the side in confusion though she was choosy with her response, knowing full well that this woman was probably in search of a home, "I love it here. They treat me as family, as I do them." her words seemed strange coming from her mouth but it was true, the Creek had treated her with nothing but kindness and Bastet felt as though she had been one of the founding few although her admission had been months after. "Why do you ask?" she was short, not wanting to feed the woman with expectations of joining, that was ultimately up to her alphas, and she had no idea how they would perceive her if she in fact wished to join.

@Bastet

Spieden crouched stiff and unsure, half expecting the pack's provisional guardian to finally chase her off. Though the other female moved closer, she did not attack. Spieden took a step back to create more distance, groaning apprehensively. Sudden and unprovoked cruelty had been her life, and it was difficult to trust that anyone's intentions were what they seemed.

Spieden's sudden question received an answer, with an equally open ended question given by Bastet in return. The Coho shuffled her broad shoulders upwards in a sort of shrug. She had her reasons for asking, but articulating them in a way a stranger could understand seemed unfathomable. She wasn't looking for a permanent place yet, and was still unsure if she ever would. "As family..." She murmured, testing the words on her lips. It had been years since she had seen the last of her family, and while it was tempting to take strangers as a surrogate for blood kin, it was something too exposing to seriously consider at the present.

"But you aren't family, are you? And still they treat you as such?" She quietly asked, skeptical. Spieden averted her gaze from the mismatched pair, yawning stiffly not in boredom but anxiety. Her eyes flitted to the forest beyond the Bastet, wondering if they were truly alone. "They don't make you say that, do they?" Spieden whispered, looking back towards Bastet.

(This post was last modified: Jun 15, 2014, 05:52 AM by Spieden.)

@Spieden

Spieden was apprehensive and had every right to be, their pack was still as strong as the day she had joined it and its members were youthful and fit, if need be they would be near the border with a howl, that much Bastet could be sure of. Despite the woman's obvious discomfort, the dark woman remained at her spot with her eyes keen on her company, as if trying to read her emotion, and when she felt that she had gotten enough she settled to her haunches, assured that this woman would not attack her.

Family the word had been foreign when it came from her mouth and sounded even more strange when her counterpart had mimicked it but it was a word that was more true then fiction, as long as she remained a member of Cut Rock she was there family. "Of course, that is how packs work..." she paused momentarily, contemplating for a second time if this woman had ever been apart of a pack before, "have you never been apart of a pack?" Though abrasive her question was genuine, she had never met a wolf who had never been a member of a group of wolves before, perhaps Spieden was the first.

The next question made her eyes narrow and she felt the muscles of her ears pull backward against her skull as she stared the woman down, wondering how to respond next. She had never exactly been asked this type of question before, "No, I'm not a prisoner. I have my own mind despite my loyalty to my pack, they can't make me do anything I don't want to do..." she was an independent thinker after all, and fiercely protective of her own beliefs. Though she enjoyed her allegiance with her pack she would not allow them to change her, not completely anyway, "who are you anyway?" she asked, her nose wrinkling. She would have to remember this woman for the next time they crossed paths...

(This post was last modified: Jun 26, 2014, 07:31 PM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!

As the other female seated herself, Spieden remained standing. Through this brief interaction she found herself warming up towards the other woman, but remained mindful that she had been a lone wolf caught snooping about someone else's border. Spieden flicked her orange bright eyes back towards Bastet, her nostrils flaring in response to such a course question as to whether or not she'd ever even been in a pack before.

Spieden didn't appreciate being spoken to as if she were an ignorant child that had no perception of how the world was supposed to work. Still, Bastet's answer had given her hope, and while it was an answer Spieden had wanted to hear, it wasn't one she had been so optimistic in actually finding. That perhaps with enough poking and prodding, what she thought to be the real truth would fall out. Perhaps in a sense Spieden really was still an ignorant child.

"I'm Spieden," She answered, voice level enough to seem detached, "From a pack on the ocean to the west. Unfortunately, I wasn't included in their definition of family. It's just become hard to believe that the world can be different out here. It's been a long while... I've... Forgotten, how things should be." She sighed, her posture wilting into exhaustion as if from the few short sentences uttered.

"It's easy to say that you will do something, won't do something. I sure told myself that a lot," Spieden admitted, her head and tail hanging low in shame. Hardly a day passed by without the internal admonishment, the could'ves, would'ves, should'ves that might have made all the difference.

Aww, so much for Bastet bringing her into CRR, but it's cool that she's in a pack :D

The woman in her company remained standing, as though too afraid to settle comfortably into a sit but Bastet said nothing, instead her eyes stayed locked on the loner with ears perked, as if hanging onto every word she spoke. When Spieden went on about her lack of trust in a pack the woman's head nodded, as if understanding her concerns though it was only partially a fact, her birth pack had been both a blessing and a curse--she had come from a loving, welcoming and trusting home. The ideals of Ypsi Creek were what caused her departure, never had she felt as though she were unwelcome and not needed, in fact her mother had pleaded with her to stay and her father faked his disappointment but she knew he would miss her as well. Never once had Bastet ever felt unwelcome in her own home, but not everyone was a lucky as she were.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Spieden, that pack must have been close minded..." she started off, remembering that she had not given her name, "I'm Bastet by the way, Gamma of Cut Rock River" and she dipped her head, pleased by her new rank in the pack; she had definitely come a long way from being the injured weakling during the winter.

She contemplated for a moment, whether this woman would benefit from knowing that her pack had openings and were looking for more strong, level headed wolves like her but she did not know how the chocolate woman would take the news. Would she dismiss it and decide to remain a loner because of her past? "we have room in our pack for recruits, if your looking for a home spieden," and she fell silent, wondering what the woman would say next, would she decline?

(This post was last modified: Jul 04, 2014, 12:39 PM by Bastet.)

Avatars by Becca! Thank you!

Closed minded didn't even begin to cover it, Spieden thought with a dark sense of humor. There really weren't enough hours in the day to explain just what was wrong with that pack, and so she held her tongue. Spieden couldn't help the look of surprise in her eyes when Bastet offered her a place with her pack.

"Thank you, Bastet. That's very kind of you... But I don't quite know if I'm ready for that yet. I hope you understand." Spieden dipped her head, a small bow of thanks. She couldn't say that she would ever be ready, though unknown to her a small seed had been planted in the back of her mind. If what Bastet said was true, perhaps Spieden would some day have a place she could truly call home, with wolves she could call family and who would earn her loyalty rather than demand it. Though that would have to wait for a day when Spieden was ready to seek it out. It was hard to give up the independence she had found, and still feared that relinquishing even a shred of it would have her yet again imprisoned.

Having declined the offer of membership to the pack's whose land she was standing on, Spieden thought it best for her to make her exit lest things became awkward. "Sorry for bothering you, I'll let you get back to what you need to." Spieden turned her hunched body, poised to scuttle off into the forest. "But, really, thank you. You've given me a lot to think about. Good luck to you and your pack." And with that, she was gone.