Thicket of Secrets Voices across the sea

@Koda first, then @Enoki?
not sure what time-frame to use, the first thread was in early morning, Io went to the secluded springs and then back, I'm guessing late evening?

Hours ago Iopah had been chased from the cherry orchard. With the piebald hot on her heels, her path from the fruit trees started out haphazardly. Panic, something she had long hoped to forget, had filled her and she'd bolted north. No hesitation. She was embarrassed that her gut reaction had been to go north again. It was as pointless now as it was then. But the scent of the Thorn wolves had jolted sense back into her. She weaved along their borders like a drunk, hoping to the individual scent of her would be lost in the cacophony of the other pack.

At some point the sound of Enoki faded behind her, but Iopah was halfway to the spring by then. What would happen if she turned back and ran into Enoki? If she lead the she wolf to the Thickets borders? She plunged on, tongue lolling out. Every step trembled, a mix of exhaustion and fear. What did Enoki want with her? There was no indication. The two she wolves only knew each other though their familys history. Enoki had been displaced hundreds of miles from the Black Hills region. Iopah was the last wolf in a line that had specialized in terrorizing every pack in the Black Hills region. It didn't take a genius to deduce that whatever she wanted wasn't going to be nice.

Maybe she deserved it for leaving like she did, but she wasn't looking forward to it. Reaching the water she waded in to her shoulders and stood panting and listening. There was nothing but the sound of her own ragged breath. She'd forded down the middle of the stream for another quarter mile. By the time she left the water her breath had slowed and her chest no longer heaved, but she was still jumpy, spinning at every sound.

She went back the way she came. Slinking along the Thorn borders one more time. Enoki couldn't linger here, not without Iopah hearing the commotion from the Thorns wolves themselves. Even her being here was a risk, but right now she'd rather face an irate Tokino than Enoki. The cherry orchard was shunned, too open and maybe Enoki had gone back to wait for her there. No, it was much safer to sneak through the blackberry canes to where it began to grow into the twisted thicket and try to slip back inside her borders unnoticed. That was her plan anyways.

*stumbles in* Sorry for the wait...

She'd been avoiding him, he knew. His rise into leadership had changed their relationship so that they no longer shared the same responsibilities, and he as it stood, had the right to direct her as he willed. Though he was not a power hungry creature by nature, he enjoyed the perks of leading one of the eldest packs on the land, it had been his priority since returning and with this rank everything else would fall into place. Eventually he would develop a stronger bond with his remaining children that bore his last name and one day, when the timing was just right, he'd find a mate to bring forth another brood. It was as if his life was falling back into place, now all he needed to do was find Iopah.

He followed her scent until it lead him near the edge of the pack and he stalled, wondering what she were doing so far from the back border. He understood that her duty kept her busy, it was one of the most important jobs in the pack, but she had been leaving Secret Woods a lot lately and he wondered what was keeping her away from home. Was their relationship really that strained now that she couldn't bother to remain in the pack despite their closeness, as far as he was concerned she had become an important figure in his life--he hoped that he'd been the same for her.

Closing in on the woman's scent he felt his heart lurch, afraid of how she would react to his presence, but he approached her with a leveled posture and his ears perked high on his skull. Her facial expressions concerned him and he could not help worrying over her absence; he hoped she hadn't been leaving for the Black Thorn Downs without him. "Iopah, I've been looking all over for you." he started, a few wags of his tail assured her that he was not angry with her but confused about her strange behavior, he wanted answers and felt he at least deserved something as her friend. "has everything been alright with you?" you've been distant he thought but did not mention, not wanting to chase her away. With patience he waited for her response as his green flecked gaze stared long into her own.

Just to clear any confusion now, this is taking place before she joins Willow Ridge.
Warning: Some cursing as she comes off as angry.

@Iopah @koda Time was of the essence more so now than ever as the last rays of sunlight were beginning to fall, the evening dwelling down to a close. She had to find her, she had to know. The last living wolf with information on her lost brother, Kele, heir to the Ashrelle throne, was here and running from her. Running from the past. No, she wouldn't let her escape that easily. She would hunt the Barberi woman all of her days until she got the information she needed out of her. Enoki needed to know about her brother though the two siblings never got a chance to meet and never would. She wanted, needed the closure that only Iopah could give the Ashrelle woman. The chase had started from the cherry orchard, the Barberi woman running in such a haphazardly manor north to wherever it was she planned to go to escape her piebald pursuer. That would not do. Enoki persistently followed her rugged trail, following her scent when her visual on the woman failed her. From the orchard to the secluded springs, from the springs to a blackberry field where her scent was lost, overpowered by the many scents of pack members masking her lone scent. 'Damn it.' She cursed under her breath with a low growl as she circled far enough from the pack boarders to avoid a scout detecting her. The last thing she needed was to be stalled by pack officials while she was on the hunt. 'You won't escape me, Io.' She cursed the she-wolf's name under her breath as she paced back and forth in frustration at the woman eluding her. With her muzzled now pressed to the ground she began to whiff at every leaf, every stone, every twig. She would find her if it was the last thing she did. The scent was fading already, being at least a couple hours old by now and this caused another growl to erupt from her lips. Following the weak scent trail, she dangerously criss-crossed along the Thorn pack boarders much in the way Iopah had before her until luck was on the Ashrelle's side. As she neared the opposite end of the Black Thorn boarders the Barberi scent became stronger just off the banks of the stream and with the fiery passion to find her rekindled, she was off on the hunt again. She wanted to howl to the heavens to let the woman know that wherever she was, she would find her. But her keen hunting skills reminded her that stealth would be key in this situation and so she pushed aside the urge to warn her 'prey' of her location. No, she wanted to catch her off guard, keep her from running away. Following the she wolf's trail she found herself edging along twist and turns of thickets, no doubt in an attempt to sneak back into the safety of her pack where Enoki would have no choice but to end the hunt. Even she wasn't enough of a fool to barge straight into the middle of a packs territory. Back at the Thorn boarders she barely allowed herself to set a foot past the line of trespassing. No, though the hunger for information was great, her judgement was not clouded. Now she was closing in on the woman, the scent growing stronger and stronger with each foot that closed the gap between the two. She would find her and she would question her. And then before she knew it she was upon the woman, stepping out of the shadows of the thickets to face her prey, tongue lolling out in exhaustion from giving such an elaborate chase. "Stop..fucking..running...I.." But before she could finish her words her senses came to, revealing that the two woman weren't alone. Next to Iopah stood a man, but not any man. The large, no doubt strong by the looks of him, lead male of Secret Woodlands. 'Shit.' She cursed mentally. Not what she was expecting..

Khalliysgraphy @DA & CathleenTarawhiti @DA - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Oct 02, 2014, 03:13 AM by Enoki.)

The wind brought a slip of familiar scents and she left behind a shaky footprint in the earth. Almost there. The rising moon cast a set of shadows in front of her that she knew by heart and a high, thin whine passed her lips. Almost there. She was so close to home that the woman didn't need to keep her bearings, her fumbling feet knew the way all on their own. Safety was only mere steps away now. But she was not yet safe and that stark realization kept her determined and focused. The invisible line was just ahead now and Iopah stretched her neck forward as if she could—

Iopah.

The voice was like a drumbeat in the otherwise still night. Loud and unexpected. Iopah crashed to the side as her head spun to take in the sight of her pursuer. Her legs were twisted awkwardly from the sudden movement away from the voice. Koda was there, watching her gently, and the legs folded and she sank to the ground in relief. His leadership and their changed relationship was forgotten for the moment. She trusted him implicitly, everything would be fine now that he was here. He was saying something more and her ears twisted in alarm. A terrible thought came to her. Perhaps while she had been running blindly Enoki had found the Secret Woodlands? Instead of defending them she'd been saving her own skin. The wagging tail confused her, but then again, nothing seemed to make sense today. "What happened?" She croaked out, gazing up at him desperately. Cautious she sniffed in the direction of home, everything seemed fine and quiet. Hope flared and she brought her eyes back up to him, horribly confused now. He asked another question and Iopah could not find words to answer. She shuddered, the movement jerking the gray guard hairs that stretched over her shoulders. Wordless she turned in the direction she'd just come. No, something out there is after me.

A movement just then made her stiffen, staring in the direction of her hunter. Iopah was filled with dread. She'd lead Enoki to her home. She heaved herself up, regaining her feet just as Enoki entered. Her lips pulled back in a snarl at Enoki's flow of words. "Then stop chasing me!" She shouted back, her own panting making everything sound rough. "Whatever my parents did, it was terrible! But they're dead now," The words were spat viciously. Angry momentum was building and she stepped forward to shield her pack, "and I'm sorry. What more do you want from me?" Koda was somewhere behind her and she longed to press against him. But Enoki had come looking for her, not Koda.

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

Not too much from Koda for now... @Iopah, @Enoki

He stared at her, his eyes searching her face with a seriousness that showed pure concern; there was definitely something wrong. No sooner did the thought cross his mind did another wolf appear near their border and with instinct he felt his guard hairs puff along his nape and his body stiffen defensively. He heard the words and yet they were of little concern to him, in fact he was more interested in why this wolf was bothering Iopah then who she was, and the lack of a scent that covered her pelt. She was a loner, a bold one at that, and without hesitation he took his position as leader to protect his members and stood tall at Iopah's side as she spoke with this woman, and her words of plea made him furious. This wolf was a bother, and he would not tolerate it. "You are either very foolish or too bold for your own good to venture near our borders and pester one of our most prominent members." he did not know much of Iopah's past therefore the connection she held with Enoki was irrelevant to him; he only wished for the welfare of his friend.

"Who are you and what do you want with Iopah?" he asked, glaring at Enoki with narrowed eyes, his temper rising. He did not trust this woman, she had proved her lack of respect for packs by following Iopah this far and he would not put it past her to attempt to breach their borders.When Iopah mentioned her parents and their past actions he glanced toward her with confusion and wondered just what this meeting was about, he couldn't help wondering whether it was his position to be in the middle of what happened in the tawny woman's past. He was curious, no doubt, but he respected Iopah far too much to push her further on the topic, instead he remained a dominant figure that stood without further word as the women talked. A part of him wanted answers, and another part of him could not separate from her for fear of some kind of altercation, therefore he stood the leader of Secret Woods he would be sure that chaos did not ensue.

(This post was last modified: Oct 04, 2014, 01:17 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Enoki was met with a snarl from the Barberi woman upon hearing her words to stop running, her own words more venomous than any she had heard before while stepping forward protectively of her home behind her. With this Enoki too stepped forward to meet her intimidating posture with one of her own, letting her guard hairs raise and a snarl emit from her lips. That was until she remembered that beside @Iopah stood @Koda the leader of the Secret Woodlands. Crap. Crap. Crap. She had not anticipated Iopah to be in the company of another, let alone the lead male of her pack. Not only that, but the large male was evidently pissed about the situation the three had found themselves in and let his posture demonstrate such. His guard hairs rose and his body stood tall, rigid in posture. "You are either very foolish or too bold for your own good to venture near our borders and pester one of our most prominent members." He spoke with words heavy with reprimand. Yep, he was pissed. "Who are you and what do you want with Iopah?" the lead male spoke once more, the temper in his voice becoming noticeably higher. The last thing she needed to do now was fuel the fire and ruin her only chance at learning about her brother. Her once raised guard hairs now lay flat and her lips relaxed to sheath her canines. In an attempt to disperse the tension, Enoki allowed herself to lower towards the ground and press her ears back flat against her skull with her tail tucked neatly beneath her as a low apologetic whine passed her black lips. "I am Enoki Ashrelle and I am so sorry for my disrespectful, idiotic behavior towards your lands. I only seek information about my lost brother, Kele, from your beloved pack member, Iopah." That was all the male needed to know about her personal business with the pack hunter, their past having nothing to do with the Secret Woodlands pack itself. Hesitantly she raised her body only slightly to glance more easily upwards toward the two Woodland wolves before her, switching her gaze from the male to the woman, her once visible anger now fizzled out and a look of plea settled behind her amber gaze. As she awaited a response from the Barberi woman, her left ear gave a tentative twitch at what sounded to be a boobook owl greeting the night that quickly grew nearer and nearer, but gave it no mind. "Iopah..only you can tell me about him. You got to grow up with him. I was robbed of that luxury." She daringly met Iopah's gaze once more as she spoke, willing her to see the sincerity of her words and that she did not wish her harm, only the sharing of what information she had to give.

Khalliysgraphy @DA & CathleenTarawhiti @DA - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Oct 04, 2014, 04:31 PM by Enoki.)

@Koda @Enoki

The momentum that had posed her only moments ago was gone. When Enoki snarled in reply she could do nothing more than pull back her lips to silently show her teeth. When Koda padded up beside her she could nothing more than lean into him. Only when her bristling hair brushed against him did she realize how much she was trembling. It was from nerves, for she had nearly caught her breath back now. Only her slightly parted mouth and deep exhales gave away the day she'd had. In the span of a single day her past had caught up with her. She did not want to remember everything her mind was dragging up. Koda was speaking now but her mind could not focus on the words. His tone and his posture were all she needed to understand. He was by her side and together they were defending their home. In her agitation that was all that was important.

Now Enoki was speaking her turn. Soft, apologetic words that floated around the clearing occupied by the three wolves. The sight of the Ashrelle woman pressed to ground was immensely satisfying, her words were irrelevant. She tuned out whatever had been said to her... to them, for she could still feel Koda's heat by her side. A low crooning growl started, approving of Enoki's reaction to them. She missed a lot by not following the words. Her soft, drawn-out growl continued, plowing through over everything that was said.

"Kele."

The name cut through the growl. Everything stopped at once. The low growl ceased. The deep breath in her throat caught. Her previously trembling limbs froze. The silence seemed to extend outward into the thicket. It was still and quiet. Somewhere a bird cried out, but Iopah was too addled to to notice it. She stared down at the wolf pressed into the dirt with widening eyes. Too late, she was recognizing the shade of her eyes and the angle of her ear when it fell back to wait for an answer.

All day she'd been running from Enoki, afraid of whatever revenge she wanted to extract on the Barberi woman. Now, she stumbled forward, feet weighted and clumsy with guilt to ask Kele's sister, "What do you want to know?"

The woman, smaller than him with a color he hardly saw on another wolf, was quick to show submission, as was wise in this situation. He stepped closer to her, his lip curled to expose his canines in case the woman needed a bigger push than his imposing presence and when he felt that her apology was sincere he stepped back once more to give Iopah the floor. He was curious, as Enoki had nearly risked her life to speak with Iopah, therefore he remained in the background as the two spoke and mention of someone named "Kele" had him wondering. This wolf was important, the real reason the skunk colored woman had ventured here and he couldn't help wondering what he meant to Iopah. He had learned thus far that the male was Enoki's brother, an absent brother, and during time with Iopah's pack he had developed a relationship with her. Turning his attention to Iopah he suddenly felt strange, a tingling sensation vibrated up his limbs and his stomach felt tight with butterflies--jealously had begun to form, and he did not know why.

There was no doubt in his mind that the relationship that Iopah had with Kele was old, a fling in the past, but there was a little voice in the back of his mind that was telling him their relationship had been deeper than puppy love. He wondered why she was fleeing, why was she hiding the information from Enoki that was apparently so important to her, so many questions floated around and he was wise to keep quiet as the two spoke. She asked what the other wanted to know and immediately his ears perked to attention he would be sure to hang onto each word the Secret Wood woman spoke in case he needed to refer to anything later--surely the two would discuss this issue once they were alone...

(This post was last modified: Oct 22, 2014, 05:17 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Her words went unheard as the she wolf before her let a rumbling growl overpower them, refusing to hear what the Ashrelle woman said. To add to it the brute beside her now stepped forward to bare his canines at her to give her another clue that she was not welcomed there. Enoki's body sank deeper into the grass around it in an attempt to become smaller, a low whimper erupting from the small break in her lips to let it be known she had received the message he portrayed. He was in charge. The situation had quickly fallen into their favor and seeing that her words were doing no justice in helping her to acquire what little knowledge she could get about her brother, a wave of failure washed over her. But as quick as it was there, it dissipated once his name was spoken. The name had stricken home with the Barberi woman and as soon as it rolled off her tongue the growling that echoed in Iopah's chest ceased instantly while the lead male beside her now took a step back and allowed the flesh of his lips to sheath his canines. A ray of hope was to be found. Perhaps she would be able to learn something from her. The next thing she knew the silver hued woman clumsily stepped forward clearly exhausted from the day's events and her voice broke the silence that seemed to hang on the air for an eternity. "What do you want to know?"

The question was simple, but the answer she just couldn't place. There was so much she wanted to know about her lost sibling. What did he look like? What was he like? Did he like hunting as much as she did? Was he a good guy? A million questions swam across her mind as she tried to figure out the right one to ask first. "Everything." She finally muttered, the amber in her eyes glowing brightly with the new found hope that she just may learn about her blood kin. She let silence hang between the trio again before switching her gaze from the woman to Koda who now stood in the background, silent as he watched the woman before him. "If its alright with you, sir? I know I've caused a great deal of problems chasing after her, but I need to know. For my own sake... Please." Her words fell heavily with a pleading tone, body still pressed submissively into the dirt as she settled her gaze on the ground at his feet.