Blackberry Fields Unknown Beginning

@Atlas

Speech.

More often than not, Inali was rarely ever in the confines of her pack territory. Not because she didn't like it, but because there was so much to do. Either she was scouting, going near and far to both Tokino's and Minka's knowledge, or out hunting, wanting to fill out the caches as much as she could, or just hanging out with Kova. So she was rarely ever in the territory unless she was willingly pupsitting. Today was a rare day indeed, for she was doing neither of those 3 activities that constantly kept her busy. Today, you could find the petite fae walking along the borders, providing them with her scent as she searched for a specific individual. She hadn't seen the boy much, but when she did, she couldn't help but notice that he always kept to himself. She had never seen him strike a conversation with a another pack mate. Inali couldn't help but let out a humorless chuckle. She had always been intrigued by the quiet ones. Bane had liked her company, or so it seemed. And Yuka had loved her once, but now hated her. So, how would this Atlas fellow turn out?

Inali was getting ahead of herself. First, she needed to find him first before she even thought of striking up a potential friendship. As if the Fates were on her side, she saw a figure a little bit ways away. His fur, a mixture of pretty light and dark colors, was a sight that she remembered. Her steps quickened, until she was gracefully moving across the terrain she knew so well. Stopping a few feet away, the second let a genuine smile grace her warm features. "Hello," she greeted with a friendly flick of her tail.

(This post was last modified: Jul 28, 2014, 06:15 PM by Inali.)

Atlas Nytrox

Kristen

The salt and pepper speckled yearling had been sunbathing and taking a light nap in the sweet smelling fields after making a small snack of the blackberries. His stomach had felt a little grumbly after eating them so he’d decided that a siesta would be the best solution. Too lazy to make the brief trek back to the pack camp he’d plopped down there. Being a light sleeper anyhow, he was easily awoken by the sound of approaching paw steps as they touched down on the plush grass. He lifted his head and blinked his sleepy auburn gaze, opening his maw in a wide, toothy yawn. Turning his cranium in the direction of the sound he saw the form of a brown and red tawny she-wolf approaching and immediately racked his brain for the name, but could think of nothing.

Lifting himself up to a sitting position he tried to make himself look mildly presentable with a quick shake of his already rather messy pelt. He didn’t particularly care at that point, there wasn’t much he could about his appearance and he wasn’t trying to impress anyone anyways. His face was rather expressionless as usual as he greeted the older female, dipping his head and replying with a “Hello” of his own. It was rather curious to him that she had chosen to come up to him in particular, but he didn’t think much of it and decided to go with the flow as he figured she’d probably been out on a patrol and saw him then thought to make conversation.

Speech.

It seemed she had awoken him from from a midday nap and the she wolf immediately felt bad, a small frown slipping onto her usual warm features. He reciprocated her greeting, but his face remained expressionless. Nothing new really, she was kind of used to men not showing their emotions very much, let alone in front of her. Aka Ash and Yuka. Did this boy hold anger as his only thriving emotion as well? She opened her maw, an apology immediately flowing out of her mouth. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I apologize." She really did feel bad. If she had seen him sleeping, she would've planned to just turn around and search him out later at a more convenient time.

But was done was done. She already knew his name, but it occurred to her that he probably didn't know hers. Obviously it was bound time for them to get the pleasantries out of the way instead of just a simple 'hello.' Her small frown was replaced with a smile and her tail wagged excitedly for she was eager to meet a new friend. Even a young one such as he. "I'm Inali, scout and second of the pack. I couldn't help but notice youre not very chatty, so I decided why not approach you instead of the other way around?" A small chuckle escaped her maw before she decided to continue. "What's your name, young one?," she questioned. She of course knew his name, but she didn't want to seem like some creeper.

If actions speak louder than words

Black Thorn Downs

I'm the most deafening sound you've heard

Atlas, who had become adept at reading expressions and body language, could tell that the she-wolf felt uneasy and maybe even a little nervous. He knew it was because of him, as it usually was. Being an unexpressive male by training it was a little hard for him to let down his mask, and this blank façade tended to throw off others whom were used to those who were expressive. If he were being honest, he didn’t like to be the way he was, but his past had ensured that his poker face remained intact even when he didn’t quite want it to be.

Inali, he thought. His mental utterance of the scout’s name ensured that he commit it to memory, saving it for later meetings which he knew would come. Second in command, he knew, was a very high position. Basically it meant that if one of the leaders, mainly Minka because she was of the same gender as Inali, were killed or went missing for a certain period of time they would rise to take their position. By the way she held herself it didn’t indicate that type of power to Atlas, all he saw was a friendly pack-mate who was going to converse with a fellow pack-mate. This confused him greatly, as even Minka held herself in a way that hinted at her leadership and most other wolves in higher positions did the same. Already, the tawny she-wolf was intriguing the young male.

The young one slipped in one ear and out the other to him. While most would have been offended he didn’t particularly find a care in the phrase, as he knew he was young in the eyes of others and would be for some time. “I’m Atlas, it’s a pleasure to meet you Inali.” This time his voice held a slightly friendlier note as he tried to seem more welcoming, hoping it could be detected despite the subtly of it.

Speech.

“I’m Atlas, it’s a pleasure to meet you Inali.”

Inali beamed upwards at the larger male, positively glowing. Two sentences! Two whole sentences! Well really, the first one only consisted of two words, but still! For some reason she thought it would be harder to get him to speak in the beginning. To find out that it wasn't almost made her want to bounce on her paws with pure unadulterated joy. It didn't take much to make this tiny she wolf happy, that was for sure. Trying to dumb down her level of enthusiasm, since he hadn't known her for long and probably wasn't even used to it like the others, the wolfess tryed to tone down her smile but to no avail. I'm glad you feel that way. It's nice to meet you too, Atlas!" The older woman grew older and matured as time passed, but her natural happiness and easy going nature seemed to never dim.

Eager to make the teen talk more, the lady easily lapsed into silence, thinking. She wanted to know more about her pack mate, but she also didn't want it to seem like she was prying when that was the last thing she wanted to do. Everyone had a right to privacy, and she wasn't one to meddle in someone's affairs if she didn't know them well and knew they didn't have a problem with it. Wracking her brain, Inali finally came up with a question that seemed perfect. A concentrating frown had been playing upon her muzzle as she thought, and it quickly morphed into a smile. Looking up at Atlas, Inali opened her maw. "What brought you to Black Thorn Downs, Atlas?," she questioned. Innocent enough, right? And she genuinely wanted to know. Had someone recruited him from their fledgling pack? Had he just stumbled upon their borders? Waiting patiently, or as patiently as she could, she waited for the yearling's response.

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

If actions speak louder than words

Black Thorn Downs

I'm the most deafening sound you've heard

In all honesty, Inali somewhat reminded Atlas of a pup. She was…springy if that was the correct term to use and it seemed fitting. Her energy level and pep was off the charts, and it was something he wasn’t used to. He shifted awkwardly, moving his paws in a shuffle but remaining eye contact with the she wolf. Her eyes danced with joy at his reply, and he wondered why someone would get so excited at such a simple gesture. Something in her tone suggested something of an accomplishment, and he considered the fact that she had before said something about knowing that he didn’t talk much. Maybe she thought that she was making a huge milestone in his communication skills?

While Atlas didn’t talk much, which was really only because he rarely approached anyone, he still could hold a decent conversation. If he was approached he would speak, but almost only if spoken to. This was something that had been ingrained into him long before he had joined Black Thorn Downs and would most likely stay there for a while after.

What brought you to Black Thorn Downs(…)? This question was something he was unprepared for, but at the same time he had known it was coming. Being new, it would probably be a standard question from the new wolves that he would still yet meet which was rather understandable. There were many things that had brought Atlas to his new home, losing his previous one being one of them. Many aspects of his past he didn’t want to discuss with anyone because he rarely came to terms with them himself, and some of them were too harsh to say out loud. It definitely wasn’t a topic to delve into on the first talk, so he decided to reply with something that just skimmed the top of the pool. “I had nowhere else to go, and I needed a fresh start. ” He replied appropriately. It wasn’t a lie, but it also didn’t cover even half of what could be said. Knowing that he wasn’t attributing much to the conversation, he swallowed some courage and asked a question himself. “This is a new pack, isn’t it?”

speech She hoped she wasn't making him uncomfortable. When she met new wolves, some of them were weary of her hyper activity. Inali understood that some wolves had to get used to it, and she tried to tone it down when meeting a potential friend. Though sometomes, like now, she had failed to control herself. But since he wasn't running away or awkwardly trying to escape, she saw it as a bonus and so now felt no need to bring in her natural joy. He spoke of needing a fresh start and Inali understood that perfectly. She nodded and watched as it seemed he was trying to ask another question, but just didn't know how. Ever patient, Inali waited for the larger male to speak. “This is a new pack, isn’t it?” She licked her muzzle, almost nervously. How much should she tell him? She didn't want to go into detail, since she didn't want to think of those dark times, but she knew she had to tell him something. Inali made a mental note to suggest to @Minka that a pack meeting was a necessity. She could tell Atlas, but what would happen when their numbers grew? Her pack mate and future pack mates had a right to know of what had caused the foundation of Black Thorn Downs if they were curious to know. It's not like it was anything bad anyway. At least, not in her perspective. Straightening her posture, Inali opened her maw. "Yes, our pack is new. Me, Minka and Tokino were once part of a pack called Whisper Caverns, in Southern Eden. Long story short, turmoil was in the pack because we simply just didn't agree with some things. We weren't happy there, and Minka and Tokino wanted a family. It caused a rift in the pack and at some point, tension got to high, and we left." More like kicked out, but he doesn't need to know that, she thought with a mental chuckle. Really, I just don't want to get into too much detail. It gets me down." Her voice was light, trying to make a joke, but she knew it fell flat. Whisper Caverns had once been her home, and they had once been her family. It still pained her and since Inali was such an expressive creature, it clearly showed in how her shoulders drooped and a sad light dimmed her usually bright blue orbs. Not wanting to bring down the boy, Inali straightened her shoulders and forced a small smile. "Anyway, i don't want to talk about that anymore. Tell me, what interests you young one?"

AustriaAngloAlliance @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

If actions speak louder than words

Black Thorn Downs

I'm the most deafening sound you've heard

Atlas had hit a sore spot, as he always managed to do. For a male who didn’t speak much, he certainly could make things even more awkward. His calculating darkened auburn gaze took in her shifting form and drooping shoulders, showing that she was rather uncomfortable with the subject. Her explanation held some points that he himself could relate to, but only to an extent. The tone of her voice suggested there were others things that had transpired between this Whisper Caverns pack, his leaders, and the woman in front of him. However, he had learned a long time ago and even recently to not meddle into the affairs of those who didn’t want to talk about it. It only got him hurt looks and guilty feelings. While he loved knowledge, it wasn’t worth losing a new friend and offending someone. A simple nod bobbed his large head in acknowledgment at her request to end the topic, agreeing with it completely.

However, he stopped at her inquiry at what interested him. The young one comment went in one ear and out the other to him, as that was the least of his worry at that moment. It was his turn to feel a bit uneasy and he lifted a paw, and then placed it back on the ground after a moment as he thought. His expression remained neutral the whole time, as he’d so dutifully been taught to maintain even in the toughest of times. What interested him…there were many things that interested him. Combat, strategy, winning. Then he paused. Those things weren’t his interests, it occurred to him. They were the interests he was supposed to have, the interests he’d been taught since four months of age. They had been drilled into his mind like mind control, and now being away from the cause was slowly giving him more and more free will of thought. No, he did not like fighting. In fact, he thought himself much of a pacifist. He enjoyed knowledge and travel, he enjoyed listening and retaining information because it was something he was good at. With his barrel-like chest and powerful body he was able to cover long distances in shorter amounts of time, with brief stops for rest. Maybe with these characteristics he wasn’t meant to be the warrior he’d thought he had to be. Maybe now he could be something more, something that suited him and not his father’s image.

“I used to think that I liked fighting and protecting, but now I’m not so sure. I know I like to learn, and I retain information well. I have a decent amount of endurance, but I’m not sure where that can fit in anywhere.” He replied after a few moments pause.

speech Glad that he had agreed to move on from the topic, Inali waited patiently for the answer to her inquiry. She looked at him than, really looked at him. He definitely held the build to become a Guardian, that was for sure. But what else could work for him, if he didn't wish to specialize in that role? She couldn't get all the information she needed just by looking. She needed him to tell her specifics, so that she could suggest what roles could suit him. Patiently she continued to wait and as he opened her maw, her tawny ears flicked attentively. He spoke of how he used to like fighting and protecting, though that wasn't his prime interest any longer. She mentally scratched guardian off the list. The scout's head cocked in a curious manner as Atlas spoke of liking to retain information, and that he held a decent amount of endurance even with his large build. Inali stared at him in a different light, thinking. He wasn't of the bulky sort, but instead his body was trim and muscular. His legs were long and lean, a good thing for someone who wished to be a scout. Hmm, yes. It could suit him. Smiling, she aligned herself and opened her maw. "I don't see you as a guardian, but I could see you as a scout. Not the most common build, but it still works. Of course, I'd have to see you in action to be sure. I am a scout myself, but it's always good to have more than one in a pack. I usually go and run messages to whoever Minka and Tokino wish to send it to. Most of the time I'm not in the territory for I'm scouting out nearby lands for whatever information I can find. I'm more of a Runner, but we could always use a Lookout. What do you think, Atlas?" She could always bring it up with Minka, if he wished to specialize in the role. She would gladly be his mentor.

AustriaAngloAlliance @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief