Cold Water Creek lost my head a while ago

@Camio @Aponi @Phineas
Uhm whatever post order works for people? I know everybody is busy with school and stuffs <3

Even with directions, it had taken Nova and Camio days, if not weeks, to reach the other side of the mountain, and days again to travel through the eastern forests. Most of what Nova remembered of her sister's vague instructions several weeks prior had been distilled down to its essentials, east, red trees, magnolias, and as such left Nova with much doubt that they were in fact going the right way. She didn't mind it so much, as she had Camio with her to break the doldrums of travel, but Nova kept imagining the chastisement she'd get from Aponi for being late. Perhaps the news of what had happened to Hollowheart Keep would make Aponi go easy on her... or not.

The forest of red trees her sister had told her of were hard to miss, and they had kept going east after that, but Nova still wasn't sure if the canopy that stretched above them were indeed the aforementioned "magnolia" trees. As they neared what smelled like the border of a pack, Nova slowed. She glanced to Camio for reassurance, though she knew he wouldn't know if this was the right place any more than she did. "You think these are magnolias?" She asked him quietly, almost afraid to speak loudly in case they were nearing the border of the wrong pack.

"This has to be it," She said with a little more certainty, if only to convince herself. "Aponi said I should call for her first... I don't know what we'll do if the leader shows up instead," Nova said with a shrug of her bony shoulders. Nova tipped her head back, howling a call for her sister before sitting down to wait.

Was waiting for others to reply first but didn't want this to sit for too long.

The howl resounded across the land he called home – a place that no longer felt as such. The sweet scent of the magnolias only stirred regret in his stomach now, and the only good thing that had come out of settling within the land had been his children – four healthy, and one dead. Abandoned by his mate, Phineas was certain if he saw her again she would bare the mark of his fangs forever.

Striding to the borders, he answered the call dutifully. His large figure remained tall and proud, despite the heavy weight that settled on his shoulders and the sinking of his heart. It did not take him long to reach the wolf – who turned out to be a pair, rather than the one who had called. Both were young – one, a rich gold and the other was a settled dark. Their scent was not familiar to him, and so he did not deem them from a pack he did know of.

State your names and your business, he spoke, straight to the point. The cool wind whipped past him, stirring his pale pelt and tantalizing him to simply sit down.. but he wouldn’t. His fatigue was hopefully not apparent, but as much as he attempted to remain emotionless, it would be almost impossible to see the tiredness in his bright orange eyes. Something had t give – changes needed to be made.. but first, he had to deal with the everyday business of life, and currently, that presented itself as two strangers calling for the Magnolia Glen pack.

Camio had kept his word. Sticking close to Nova and following her wherever they went. Through the mountains, over hills, and just recently through a great red forest. "I'm sure this is it. Your sister wouldn't give you false directions to send you on a wild goose chase, would she?" He chuckled softly nudging Nova's shoulder as they approached the border. When they came to a halt Camio let Nova sing out her lovely song. Voice as beautiful as ever. A large male was quick to appear in front of them. Not even giving the Zamora man a chance to prep Nova for anything. Yet he shot her a look quickly and lowered himself closer to the ground. Respect, something he learned leaders craved from the followers or soon to be followers. "My name is Camio Zamora. We come seeking a place." Hoping Nova would fill in the blanks he simply let her do her thing. Since she was the one who knew about the pack from her sister's word maybe Nova would know something that might make getting into the pack a bit easier. Keeping his eyes trained on the ground and his mouth shut he assumed this was to be like his acceptance into the Hollowheart Keep pack. Or maybe it might even be harder or easier, depending on the type of leader this male was. Camio knew little about the wolves who lived in the lore and those he did know about seemed silent and secretive. With his knowledge though he knew not all wolves would be like that. "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

Got permission from Ghost, we can keep the rounds going until she has a chance to pop in

Nova leaned into Camio's nudge, needing the reassurance as she tried to believe that he was right, that they had come to the right place. Nova wasn't so sure she could trust that her sister wouldn't send her on a wild goose chase. Maybe Aponi had even given her the direction to a pack of cannibals for all she knew. Nova dearly hoped that she hadn't been sent astray. If this didn't work out, neither of them had a home to go back to.

Nova's ears perked as she heard someone making their way towards her and Camio. She couldn't help but be disappointed when she noticed a flash of bright white fur, rather than the silvery coat of her sister. Immediately she ducked her long neck down, as her white rimmed eyes stayed averted from the alabaster wolf. She was just a little bit smaller than him, and even without his size, there was an air about him that commanded the utmost respect and suggested that he wasn't the type to take any shit. Too much dawdling and he'd probably toss the two of them back out without anymore questions.

Nova nodded earnestly to Camio's introduction. "And I'm Nova, we're from a pack over the mountains." She said nervously, "Aponi's my sister, she told me she lived here... I needed somewhere to go and she said I could come here." She quickly added, nervously lapping her tongue over the end of her nose as she momentarily glanced up to the wolf's intense orange eyes to see what he thought so far.

It was cold the day that her sister finally decided to show up, the wind whipped through the silver pelt of the Aquila heiress as she walked through the territory. For that was what she was doing, after hearing her sisters summons she sauntered towards the sound, not an ounce of hurry in her step. After all, Nova had taken her damn sweet time in getting here, why should Aponi hurry herself along? When she finally arrived Phineas was already upon them and her sister was speaking of how she had promised them a spot within the pack.

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously as she approached the....trio? With venom in her voice she addressed the larger girl, "I see you finally made it, I was beginning to think maybe you had fallen off the mountain after all, and you've brought a......friend." Looking over Camio quickly and dismissively she gave him not a second glance before she turned back to her king. Nodding her head respectively the coldness in her eyes melted away as she moved closer, giving the taller male a quick lick on his chin in submission. Then like a whirlwind she whipped around the face her sister, moving closer until their muzzles were almost pressed together, "Do tell me Nova, how exactly did a three week journey take you nearly two months to complete?" Aponi and her sister had never exactly been close, but with returning to the pack to find Mercy gone and this recent disrespect from her sister the unstable girl was almost at her breaking point.

His eyes slid before the two before him, noting the respect shown. His attention was dictated by the gentle flicker of an ear as words were spoke, and at the mention of Aponi inviting her sister to the pack, he gave and, about to issue a warm welcome with no questions asked – thus far, the silver yearling had proven to be nothing but dutiful and loyal.. if not heartbroken over recent events.

These words did not slip past his muzzle just yet as the she-wolf in discussion came forward, having heard her sister’s call it seemed. She revealed this through her kindred greeting to him – one he returned with the subtle tip of his chin and a crooning growl to his pack mate as he cast a nip to her cheek. The greeting she gave her sister, however, was not something he had expected, given the words the darker female had had just stated. Aponi had offered her a place here – instead, one sister pressed her forehead harshly in to the other, and the tension in the air sparked to complications Phineas did not pretend to understand.. nor was he particularly sure he wanted to.

His features turned stern as he regarded the two group before him, his figure stiffening as he spoke nothing – Phineas was all too aware of sibling tension.. he had told his own brothers not to contact him any longer just before last winter. Deciding to allow them to sort it out amongst themselves for now, he waited, his eyes drifting between either to study their reactions.

(This post was last modified: Oct 16, 2014, 01:05 PM by Phineas.)

It seemed things were running smooth. That was until another female showed up. He assumed this was the sister that Nova was speaking of. Watching her glance over him made him feel a bit more than just uneasy. He was vulnerable for the large pale male already and the last thing he wanted was Nova's sister taking advantage of this vulnerability. The Zamora male was doing just find with Nova's sister until she questioned what took Nova so long. "Do tell me Nova, how exactly did a three week journey take you nearly two months to complete?" That was it. Camio was not going to allow someone, even if Nova and the female were related, to talk to @Nova in such a way. "I ask nicely that you please do not use such a tone with Nova, if anything its my fault." Looking over at Nova Camio gave her a wolfish wink to let her go with it. "Hollowheart Keep is no more and when she came back we wasted some time taking care of certain manners and talking to each other. After that I asked her to take me with her, and she was kind enough to take me with her." It was a short jumble of a story and he shot a look at Aponi's paws. "So if anyone is to blame for the lateness it is truly my fault." After speaking Camio made himself ready for any blows that Nova or Aponi would give him. "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

Nova still wasn't sure how she felt about her sister. Nova dearly wanted to love her, they were family, after all. Maybe even the only family Nova had left now. But every single interaction between them had a sour note to it. Even growing up with her, Nova still wasn't sure how to handle her sister's temper. She wasn't sure if it was better to cower and let Aponi verbally berate her, or to stand up for herself. Never in this equation did Nova think of what she wanted to do herself, but rather, what it was that Aponi would take favorably.

Mulling over this, Nova had opened her mouth to retort but Camio had already begun to speak. She held her tongue, not even sure what it was he would say. It felt nice to have Camio looking out for her, and it made her feel a little bit like a princess. However, Nova didn't want Camio to take the brunt of her sister's foul temper, nor did she want Aponi to think she was hiding behind him. The loose ends of Hollowheart Keep really hadn't taken months to tie up. The real answer was that Nova was a poor navigator and it had taken her forever to get off of the mountain, and in no hurry once in Camio's company it had taken them just as long to get back across. The truth wasn't any better than Camio's abridged side-stepping of it. There had to be something better, more convincing...

After he had spoken, Camio had directed his gaze to Aponi's feet. Nova instead chose to keep her head up and look her sister right in the eye. Her black tail remained low, she wasn't trying to compete with anyone here, but she wasn't going to be cowed down by her sister's harsh words. "Those certain matters... Someone killed Mapplethorpe. We had to bury him. Mom was gone, the cubs too. We tried to find them, but there was no sign anywhere... I think someone was after them, and she tried to hide their trail." Nova said, her voice wavering, hurried, and clipped at times. She hoped that it came across as grief and distress, rather than what it really was; Lying through her teeth. They hadn't tried to find Naira at all, but it was a plausible enough time sink.

Aponi barely acknowledged that Camio had spoken other than a flick of one silver ear in his direction. Not even turning her muzzle his way she spoke dismissively , "This doesn't concern you." Instead blue eyes stayed trained on her taller sister, waiting for any moves or explanation that she might have. When the gold eyes met hers instantly her hackles were on end and her tail raised, barring her teeth the yearling made it clear her sister had made a mistake. How dare she think she could waltz n here after months and try to make eye contact as if she was her equal, as if she held any power in this situation?

The words that came next were the breaking point, while the tone was clipped an hurried Aponi heard every word as if Nova had shouted them. A snarl ripped from the silver girl, "You're lying, you snivelling pathetic bitch. Pa is not dead, you better take back your filthy lies right now or I'll tear out your vocal chords so you can never speak another untruth again." Teeth clicked together as outrage caused the yearling to see red, Camio was all but forgotten as the Aquila lost control. She had only one focus now and that was making Nova pay for her lies.

Without warning Aponi leapt from her spot, aiming all of her weight towards Nova's chest in an attempt to knock her over. There were no more thoughts going through her mind, now all she wanted was action, vengeance.

It was not a happy family reunion, it would seem. In fact, never before had Phineas felt more like a third wheel than in that very moment.. an onlooker that did not belong in the current situation. Had he thought his family was the most dysfunctional, it would seem the two sisters would prove otherwise. Anger erupted from Aponi in waves, while the other, darker she-wolf seemed put off.

The situation escalated quickly -- a stern glance was given to the younger wolves before him, and when he had no idea who Mapplethorpe was.. the moment Aponi mentioned 'the word 'pa,' he felt his gut wrench at what it meant. The girl had been through so much, and now, as she unleashed to her sibling, his eyes widened, the ivory wolf taking a step back.

He studied the group before him, debating on whether or not to step in.. perhaps gently lure Aponi away and leave the two to their own means. But Magnolia Glen was small on numbers, and the extra two would be beneficial to his pups -- and so, with tense muscles, the regal waited, knowing he would interfere should the fight become too serious. After all, none of them were good to him injured, and Aponi was his subordinate -- she was family now. For the moment, fangs seemed to be unused.. but he also did not want her to do something she would regret -- and possibly damage what relationship she might have had with her family.