Umbra Copse become ocean

@Ceara

Here the gnarled, leafless trees stood thick enough that snow had difficulty making it's way through to the ground. With the noontime sky draped in grey, even light had trouble illuminating the patchy ground of soil and snow. A few birds chirped overhead, and the wind howled a cold song as it raced through the branches, but otherwise Spieden was alone here. The chocolate and grey coated female ambled at an unhurried gait through the copse, heavy head swaying to and fro as she stopped to nose about an interesting scent, or glance at shifting shadows just out of sight.

Spieden was growing comfortable with the Bend pack in ways, but still sometimes could not help the feeling of prying eyes at her back, judging her every move. She wasn't sure what the members thought of her rule, and having heard neither good nor bad she could only assume the worst. It was liberating to shed all of that and move past the pack borders and find solitude, if only momentarily.

A dry itch had taken place in her throat and Spieden made her way towards the muted sound of trickling water. The oppressive cover of trees opened up just over the curling path of a stream. Frozen at the edges, with a firm smack of her paw the ice crumpled and drifted downstream once caught in the pull of the current. Dipping her muzzle downwards she lapped at the water, relishing the icy chill of it down her throat. With a sigh she lifted her head, revitalized and ready to continue.

Word Count: 365

That day, as the sky continued with its oppressive greyness, Ceara made her way through the trees to the exact same stream as Spieden, unbeknownst to either of them. Having spent some time in the same area of Relic Lore, Ceara had decided that it was time to move on, and found herself wandering the forest, catching small prey when she could, and going hungry when she couldn’t. The middle of winter was not the best time to be without a pack, but there was little the submissive she-wolf could do about it. Even with the instinct of pack life calling to her, it was not in her nature to actively seek out a pack’s borders, as this action could very easily be seen as a threat to all members within.

Therefore, Ceara was afraid she was doomed to wander this green Earth alone for the rest of her days. Being as emotionally small and subservient as she was made her very susceptible to bouts of depression, it seemed. She had never dealt with this sort of thing before in her life, because she had always had something to do. Before being ousted from her birth pack, being the lowest-ranking member meant that she was nearly always running around doing every one else’s bidding, or throwing herself between two fighting members, ready and willing to take the brunt of their anger. She never minded. It was her life, and she loved it.

But now… being thrown into a world in which no one was ordering her around – in which no one was telling her to go do this or that – she had no real purpose. Her survival instincts drove her forward, but aimlessly. And so she wandered from place to place, vaguely hoping to stumble upon others of her own kind. But this was generally a vain hope. Still. What did a lone wolf have but plenty of time and hope? And so, as she stepped from the tree line and saw the other she-wolf across the water, she was both terrified and elated. And completely at a loss for what to do. So she waited, rooted to the spot, frozen but quivering with anticipation.

CEARA
The way she shows me I'm hers, and she is mine
Open hand or closed fist would be fine
The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Spieden was about to turn away and move on when she noticed something shifting across the other side of the stream. Her nostrils flared as she took in the other's scent, though it told her little; a female, with a hodge-podge of scents that could mean just about anything. It was easy to guess she was probably a loner, unless another pack had managed to take root on this side of the mountains without Spieden's notice. A faint odor of a dead deer also caught her attention, though she shuffled the information to the back of her mind for now. She was much more interested in the sudden appearance of the stranger.

Spieden kept her fiery amber eyes fixed on the smaller wolf and defensively shifted her weight downwards, squaring all four paws as she prepared for... something. Anything. But as she waited, nothing happened. The female reminded Spieden of a deer caught off guard, staring wide eyed and motionless up until the moment it would gain its senses and disappear off into the brush. Unlike a deer, however, the wolf made no move to run. Spieden's crooked ears folded back and she snorted, not really sure what to make of this.

"Hey, what are you lookin' at. You just gonna stand there?" Spieden demanded. Really, it was creepy. She hadn't even noticed the woman's approach, and couldn't even guess at what they wanted from her. How Spieden managed to find all these weirdos, she had no idea.

(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2015, 04:49 AM by Spieden.)

@Spieden
WC: 278

Ceara, whose body still refused to move, flinched a bit when the female finally noticed her. She watched as the bigger wolf positioned herself into a defensive stance. This caused a small whine to emerge from her throat. She didn’t want any trouble. After a few moments, though, the female seemed to give up, snorting and folding her ears back. She looked confused. ”Hey, what are you lookin’ at? You just gonna stand there?” The demand caught Ceara off guard, and she whined again, tail wagging a little to try and diffuse whatever tension she might be causing. Unsure of what else to do, and not trusting herself to be able to speak, she lay down in the snow, as a sign of submission.

Now, though, it was up to the other to make the next move. Although, Ceara wasn’t sure what could happen, unless one of them chanced crossing the icy stream to get closer. For now, they seemed to be at an impasse. The tiny red-and-brown she-wolf was not opposed to meeting her bigger counterpart. After all, she could smell a mixture of plenty of other wolves on her pelt – and that meant a pack. She would give anything to be part of a pack again, even if it meant throwing herself at the mercy of this female. Ceara had groveled before, and didn’t mind it. She would grovel again if she had to.

Still, she did not speak. She felt it was not her place to speak in this wolf’s presence. Instead, she laid her head on her paws and stared up at the female, whining again and keeping her tail wagging slowly behind her.

CEARA
The way she shows me I'm hers, and she is mine
Open hand or closed fist would be fine
The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine

Rather than words, all Spieden got in return was whining. Was she deaf? Or mute? Spieden had already met a blind wolf, and either option no longer seemed too far off. It would have been pitiable, if Spieden wasn't already feeling frustrated at not understanding what was wanted from her and on edge. Her eyes swept the surrounding forest, wondering if it were some trick to get her to put her guard down, before they settled back on the russet girl who was busy flattening herself against the ground like a slug.

Rather than setting Spieden at ease, the show of submission confused her even more. Of course, she appreciated the ducked snout or respectfully averted gaze here and there, from her packmates. It was reassuring when they did it, and showed Spieden that her subordinates least made an act of respecting her. But out here, in no-wolfs land, Spieden didn't know what she had done to deserve so much deference from someone she didn't even know. Spieden's tail lashed upwards, a stiffly but energetically swaying plume. She kept her paws firmly planted on her side of the bank.

"I don't know what you're playing at," Spieden growled sternly, as if she were talking to a cub. The other female was so small, Spieden wondered for a moment if that was the case. "Can you even talk? Or do I have to guess what in the world it is you want?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2015, 05:59 AM by Spieden.)

@Spieden
WC: 282

Ceara flinched, feeling quite displeased with this turn of events. It seemed no matter what she did, the female across the stream was angry with her. When she was practically commanded to speak, she opened her mouth, but it seemed no words wished to escape her lips. Her ears fell backwards along her head, unsure of herself. Usually, even she was not this shy. She shook her head a little, trying to gather her thoughts. And finally: “I – I’m sorry.” Her voice was very small, and wavered a little. The female across from her was making her feel very nervous for some reason.

She paused for a few moments, trying to think of something else to say. “My name is Ceara,” is what she eventually came up with. “I-I’m a loner in these parts. I have only just c-come here, not but a f-few days ago.” She couldn’t stop herself from stuttering. It had been a while since she had last spoken to a wolf who held herself so highly. And Ceara, being the way she was, became very anxious around those kinds of wolves. Wanting to please, wanting to do the right thing, and not to mess anything up.

Not knowing what else to say, she went back to staring at the other, until she realized a few moments later that staring was probably not the best thing to be doing. Staring meant challenging in the animal world. Staring was, thus, never a very good thing for a submissive creature like Ceara to be doing – to anyone. Quickly, the small she-wolf averted her gaze, staring instead at the frozen stream that separated the two of them. This was not going well…

CEARA
The way she shows me I'm hers, and she is mine
Open hand or closed fist would be fine
The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine

@Ceara

Spieden felt as if she were waiting an eternity for the girl to speak. She wasn't even sure that she would, and was almost surprised when she heard what practically amounted to a squeak finally emerge. An apology. Well, that was a start at least. Spieden's flagged tail lowered, still rigid but no longer pointing skyward. A quickly stammered introduction followed, giving Spieden a small twinge of sympathy. Was she so frightening that she had caused this young wolf to be lost for words? It wasn't the first time Spieden had managed to inadvertently scare someone, but it was the first she'd ever scared the words right out of them.

"It's-- fine." Spieden heaved a sigh, forcing her hackles to flatten and her tail to drop the last few inches to drape limply near her hocks. What little pleasure she got from the knowledge that she was imposing was soured by the fact that such needless viciousness from others had ruined her own life.

"Ceara, huh? I'm Spieden. My pack's a little ways north of here. " She said, letting her eyes wander slightly over the russet wolf, rather than directly glare as she had been doing. "It's a tough time of the year to be out on your own. How'd you end up out here?" Spieden asked, having no reservations about prying. The blind wolf she'd met had obviously lost his way, but she wondered why Ceara was out here on her own.

(This post was last modified: Jan 29, 2015, 05:02 AM by Spieden.)

@Spieden
Word Count: 533 (Originally I never planned to make a post this long. >.< Ceara wouldn't stop talking.)

Ceara felt a little more at ease once the other female stopped bristling and pushing her tail out. Not that Ceara didn’t think she had the right to do so. After all, being a submissive meant putting up with all sorts of wolves, and she never minded having to submit. She felt right at home flattening herself to the ground and averting her gaze. It let her know where she stood in the world, even if she did stand at the bottom of everyone else. Servitude was her life and she was nothing when no one was giving her orders. She was nothing when no one needed her.

A moment or two later, Ceara gained two pieces of information: That the other’s name was Spieden and that Spieden was, in fact, part of a pack. A pack! Yes! The little she-wolf, who had been mentally likened to a cub, wagged her tail at this news. A pack! Somewhere to call home! Alphas telling her what to do! Things for her to accomplish! Perhaps pups to look after, or fights to break up! She would take anything just to be a part of her natural lifestyle again! But she was getting ahead of herself. Just because Spieden had told her she was part of a pack, that did not mean that she had offered Ceara an invitation to join. In fact, that could have been interpreted as a warning. As in: Hey, you’re encroaching on our territory. What are you doing here? So, Ceara would have to be careful.

Spieden did ask a moment later what she was doing out here, just as Ceara had expected. The problem was, she didn’t have an answer. Not really. She looked to her paws again, as if they might hold the right words. The held nothing, and she cleared her throat awkwardly before deciding that honesty was always the best policy. Besides, it wasn’t a very complicated answer. Or so she thought… “Um, well…” she began hesitantly. “I was recently ousted from my birth pack – not because I did anything wrong!” She tagged that last part on quickly, not wanting the female to think she was a trouble-maker. “No, nothing like that. You see, I am from the first litter my parents ever had. And I… found myself put into the Omega spot in the pack. So, when my sire and dam found out they were to have another litter soon, they pushed me out because I… well, there wasn’t enough food for all of us, and I’m not a very good fighter, so I couldn’t protect the new pups very well – though I would try! I would give my life to protect any member of the pack!”

Quickly, Ceara realized she was rambling, and snapped her jaws shut. Then added, a moment later, “I ended up wandering, trying to find a new pack to join where I could be of service, and suddenly I was here.” She stopped there, not wanting to ramble anymore. She was getting nervous again – nervous and hopeful that Spieden would invite her to join the pack. But she knew it was a long shot, and was also preparing herself for disappointment…

CEARA
The way she shows me I'm hers, and she is mine
Open hand or closed fist would be fine
The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine

@Ceara

A baffled look crossed Spieden's face as the shy girl seemed to be excited by something. Spieden wasn't sure what she'd said that could be taken positively, and anything she'd said seemed mostly neutral. One of her forepaws slid back a half-step, unsure and trying to gain some distance despite the wide berth the stream already gave. None-the-less, she was still curious enough to stay and hear Ceara's story. She listened through the hesitant tale, showing little emotion beside a sympathetic fold of her ears.

"A new pack, huh?" Spieden said quietly, mulling over things for a moment. Just recently she had allowed Pyrrhus into their ranks, having trusted that the woman was as skilled as she claimed to be. Spieden didn't particularly care either way, and it was just as well in her opinion to simply give others a home, even temporarily. As long as they worked hard, even if they still had little to show for it, it was all fine by her. However, she wasn't sure Triell was as lenient as she was. She didn't want to risk a reprimand from Triell from letting in just about anyone. Nor did she want to take the poor wolf in only have to boot her back out for being little more than another mouth to feed. At least the pack's pups were mostly grown, and Spieden figured with Triell's mate gone... or dead, probably, there would be none come spring.

Running a wide tongue over her chops to wet her silvered lips, Spieden finally continued. "Well, we do have space for new members... I could take you in. But, if you'd just be another hungry mouth I don't see much point in it." She said with a snort.