Nightingale Palisade the last true mouthpiece

Requesting @Kisla and (or) @Maksim to join CRR!
@Karina can pop in if she would like, since she convinced him to try to join.
@Aleksei also offered invitation, so he's welcome too.

Instead of heading towards the Cedarwood Forest, former home of the Cut Rock River pack, Karina had directed the One-Eyed Dragon northward to meet her family on the road.  He'd listened to the princess' advice thus far, he wasn't about to start arguing now.  Of course, he did pause before he started his journey – it behooved him to inform @Urotho of his plans.  They'd only just found each other weeks ago…but things had been terribly rough with the badger woman.  Half the time, he detected disgust in those dark eyes of hers.  What had happened once they were torn asunder?  She did not follow him, not immediately, and Kjors departed with the silent home that time would heal all wounds, and given enough space to deal with whatever demons haunted her mind, the large female might come around and seek his presence with more amicable intentions next time. With his prize in tow, the healthy loner set off from the Ghastly Woods, picking his way through fallen trees and downed limbs.  It would take him time to get there, he knew, having traveled to the Secluded Springs once before.  This time, he was moving even further north, to a land he'd only briefly passed through on his first journey into the forests of Relic Lore.  The deer's hind quarter slowed him down considerably, but his consultant assured him it would please her parents – truth be told, he needed all the help he could get. This time, he wanted to join a pack.  Slowly drawing to a halt when he could smell wolves in the distance, the loner set down the limb and lifted his muzzle to the sky, issuing a loud cry.  Hopefully, he could summon one alpha, if not both.  With a little help, he would be a river wolf soon enough.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Apr 27, 2015, 01:21 PM by Kjors.)

The journey was exhausting -- only a few weeks remained for the now nomad group to find a new home to call their own before she would give birth -- and she would need to find a birthing den even after that. She spoke of her concern to her mate -- unable to hide the panic in her voice a sshe sought comfort from @Maksim.. who was always quick to console her. Her emotions were weary - hormones plagued her, and she found herself saying very little to those she traveled with, in fear she would ignite in to a mood of angst or rage.

 Requiring a few moments alone, she broke away from their small group. Not terribly far, for her beloved would never allow her out of his sight for very long during such times, but enough that she was able to relieve herself in the quiet behind a fallen tree -- and given the fact a bundle of puppies were bushing against her bladder constantly, this was a small treat.

 A howl beckoned in the very near distance, however, and she paused. Her eyes drifted back in the direction of the group, knowing she should not be traipsing closer to the unknown without at least one other with her.. but who was not to say they would not investigate as well?

 Loping forward, the she-wolf swallowed her sense of foreboding (or, perhaps it was acid reflux?) and finally, the dark stranger came to view. He was settled upon the ground in the unknown lands, and she swept him a quick glance. If he was looking for someone to help him with any certain matter, he had certainly come upon the wrong wolf -- Kisla only offered her aide to those she called pack or family. Not vagabonds. She spoke nothing, slowing her pace, but pointing out she was not stopping -- if he wanted something, he had best speak quick.

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2015, 11:48 AM by Kisla.)

sparking up my heart

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

He issued his cry once, and after a moment of thought, Kjors issued another one, face in the opposite direction. The princess had instructed him they were moving 'to the northwest', and that covered a lot of territory. While he could smell the wolves nearby, he wasn't quite sure in what direction, or if the others could hear him. Planting his haunches in the dirt, he waited – who would be sent to investigate a stranger's call? As much as he wished to see Karina, he suspected her parents would not send their only daughter. Aleksei was a more likely chance – he was the heir (as far as the one-eyed wolf understood the matter) – perhaps they considered him old enough to handle such things. Or, perhaps they wished to shelter their prince, and had other, older males for such things. He'd little idea about the actual size of the pack. As far as he was aware, there were the two children he'd met, as well as an additional brother. There was Amisun and a second healer, as well as the leading pair (who were expecting a second litter of children). Silently, he waited. His patience was not long strained – a wolf came loping out of the distance to investigate the interloper. Once she was close enough, he realized she looked rather having – expecting a litter soon. Unless there was a second breeding pair within the pack, Kjors made the assumption this was in fact the alpha female – the mother Karina loved, and feared losing her love with the arrival of more perfect daughters. Carefully, he dipped his head in acknowledgment, and made no move to get to his feet. He tail stay pressed against the ground, and hard as it was, he needed to stay not just respectful but…submissive. Ignoring the swell of bile from his stomach, he leaned down and nudged the fresh haunch of deer towards the mother, but did not move from his spot. "'lo," he greeted her, ears swiveling wildly, seeking to detect if any of her packmates lurked in the shadows. "Ah suppose yer th' alpha in these parts? Me name is Kjors – Kjors Sørenson. Ah was hopin'…" A soft sigh, as he steadied himself. "Ah was hopin' t' join yer pack. Ah've met some of yer family, an' yer pack members, an' they speak highly a' th' home an' th' pack. Ah can hunt. Ah can guard." Ah'm still alive after five years, he didn't say, supposing his scars spoke for his own ability to survive. What else did he say? He'd been roaming on his own for so long, Kjors found himself wondering what Kisla actually wanted to hear from him – so instead of talking himself in a circle, he simply paused, and waited for what the woman had to say in return.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Eeep sorry @Kjors, I meant to jump in here ages ago.

The pup was on her feet the moment she heard her friend’s voice break through the stillness of the ravine. Having only given Kjors the instruction to search northeast, she had worried for days whether he was lost, or if he had simply rethought his desire to join her family. Life on the road did not suit the delicate princess, who was constantly slipping and bruising herself on unseen obstacles. Her paws ached and her jaws were sore from carrying large bundles of herbs. She was travel-worn and thin from hunger; unknown to most of her family the bulk of her diet consisted of edible plants and roots, and she only knew the locations of those particular plants back in the Cedars.

Though Kjors’ call did not come from particularly far away, the princess was out of breath when she made it to the source of the call. It seems her lack of food was catching up to her—her heavily pregnant mother had made it to Kjors before her!  She approached @Kisla and nuzzled her in greeting. She was unable speak while simultaneously disguising her heavy breathing, so she stood silently and listened to Kjors speak. So far so good.. he was even doing a respectful, submissive pose! Karina’s heart swelled with gratitude and appreciation, as she knew Kjors was here only because she asked.

“Mama,” Karina piped up once the swarthy man finished, having finally caught her breath while listening to her friend address Kisla. “I asked Kjors to speak with you about joining us. He can teach me to fight with my disability.” Feeling unsure, Karina raised her clouded eyes to meet her mothers’.  It was the first time either of them had mentioned her vision openly in conversation, but certainly Kisla had noticed her struggle. Certainly she worried about Karina while watching her pathetic attempts to defend herself during lessons. Karina needed a tutor who understood her limitations, who knew how to fight using other sensory organs apart from his eyes.. or eye, in Kjors’ case.

   

    
 

If he felt completely uncomfortable at the display he gave to the Alpha, he made no outward sign of it.  The swarthy male nudged a deer haunch her way - a very thoughtful gift, given her stage of pregnancy, and the fact he was a lone wolf and such sustenance would be hard for him to come by. Still, it was Kisla's innate sense of distrust that caused her to truly pause as he spoke f having already met some of her own family -- where? How far had they traveled from the safety of their home?

These questions were answered rather quickly at the appearance of her blue-eyed daughter. Karina was gentle in her entrance, sidling up to her mother and gave her a quick embrace. One ear flickered to her daughter's words, though her eyes did not stray from the stranger for long. She mentioned her disability, and it was then that the mother pulled her eyes fro the wolf to regard her near-yearling girl. Her blue eyes were more cloudy than others she had come across -- a sign of her partial blindness. It was not something they spoke of often, but Kisla knew her daughter's world held many shadows in it.

Which was why she wanted to make sure the shadows that were within it were trustworthy.

"What do you know of our pack, then, Kjors?" As his name slipped from her tongue, she briefly wondered if he knew her own name -- and why would he want to join a pack to help a girl fend for herself in the art of fighting.

sparking up my heart

As the lone wolf slowly began to explain himself, young @Karina made her appearance.  The princess was as graceful as ever, appearing from the shadows as she slid beside her mother.  Once they stood together, he could see some of the resemblance.  Their coats were similar in hue, and @Kisla held much of the elegance her daughter would one day possess.  He appreciated the truth the pup shared – she was true to her word, and the small doubt in the corner of his mind telling him that this was a trap was put to rest.  Slowly, his single eye shifted back to the alpha, and he gave a brief nod.  This question was much more simple to answer. "Ah know Princess, here.  Ran into her when she, ah—"  And here the loner paused, not wishing to betray Karina's trust in return for upholding his.  "She was havin' a bad day.  We talked, she loves her family.  Ah met @Amisun near me den, she was lookin' fer plants.  She shared a thought with me – Ah liked her, an' her security.  An' Ah met @Aleksei, further south.  We killed a fawn t'gether.  He was a good hunter, and youth ain' born tha' way.  So someone taught him well. Tha' speaks fer yer pack." Kjors rolled a shoulder, debating what he had to say next.  After a moment, he seemed to plow forward.  "Now, see, m' mum never did like me, an' earned me ire in return.  But m' da, Ah'd have followed him t' me death, if he hadn' have left me home.  So Ah know what loyalty is.  An' th' idea tha' both yer children possess such loyalty fer both parents is wha' brought me here.  Y' can't be terrible leaders, an' command such love from yer pack.  So here Ah am.  An' Ah ain't disappointed yet."

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2015, 12:10 PM by Kjors.)

Karina wanted to say more-- impart as many accolades as possible upon her friend—but she understood that her part in this was complete. It was up to Kjors now to sell himself to @”Kisla”, and likely any more words out of Karina’s mouth would hinder rather than help. The pup was worried she would say the wrong thing and raise questions, and besides.. her golden-eyed companion was doing a fairly decent job all by himself. Karina was relieved when he glossed over the finer points of their first meeting, especially the fact that she was way outside the pack’s boundaries. That little detail would have landed her in quite a bit of trouble, but even so it would have been worth it if Kjors was allowed entry to Cut Rock River.

The child lowered her haunches onto the ground and gave Kjors her attention, periwinkle eyes trained intently on the man. His story about his youth was similar to the one she had heard before, though this one focused more on his father than his dam—a woman so wicked Karina could not even think of calling her a mother.  Karina certainly knew it wasn’t easy to be so open with a stranger.. in fact, if her and Kjors’ situations had been reversed Karina would probably still be standing silently, quivering, trying to come up with the words to address such distinguished royalty. The pup thought back to her first meeting with Kjors, realizing that from the beginning things with him had been different. Kjors had never felt like a stranger to her—even when they didn’t know each other, it was as if they were simply friends who hadn’t yet met.

 

   

    
 

He could hunt.. he could guard. Her daughter had come to vouch for the rather rugged looking man before her, and as he spoke, she realized he was far more acquainted with her pack than she would have initially guessed. She saw no threat in him, though that did not make her wariness disappear. Always with caution she maintained herself, yet outward she exposed nothing of the sort.

“Then you must be familiar of our plight. Our pack had come to odds with Whisper Cavern – a pack we would have moved against, had one of our own not gone forward to steal away members from a well established pack that was a neighbor to us also.. the Willow Ridge pack. This boy then took these girls and his family and claimed a land his parents had abandoned long ago – right within the same forest as us and upon our doorstep. Grizzly Hollow.”

She paused – loathing the situation they had been thrust upon. Pride was a large part of her makeup.. and it had been hard to swallow it, but for the better of them all, instead of fight, they had left. “The odds of three packs against one did not sit well in our eyes, and so we seek a new home. Do you have any connection to these packs I just mentioned?” If so, she desired to hear them now – only then would a final verdict be made upon the man.. and she could only hope he had no true connections with them.

(This post was last modified: May 14, 2015, 10:51 AM by Kisla.)

sparking up my heart

What @Kisla was beginning to see was only the tip of the iceberg. Undersized as he was for a male of his subspecies, the dragon had long since learned the power of knowledge. It could cut as sharply as any tooth or claw if wielded correctly. He had not taken this situation lightly, gathering as much information as he could before choking down his pride and venturing forth to seek out the leaders of Cut Rock River. The war that had been forced upon the pack was not news to him. One ear swiveled backwards, and he offered a short nod. "Aye," he agreed. "Tha' Ah am. Originally, Ah had no intent t' get meself involved in th' squabbles of others." They had more in common than the female realized. He'd been forced from his past den when two packs had taken an intense disliking to each other, and the unsettled territory he roamed in became the center of conflict. As distasteful as he found flight, sometimes it was best to flee and live to fight another day. "Bu', Ah like th' princess here. @Karina has been a fair friend. An' Ah always did like the underdog, bein' one meself." The wolf winked (though it may have been impossible to tell, was one not reading the flicker of amusement across his features). It was a long story, the tale of his survival this far, but it was the honest truth, that. He never did care to throw his lot in with the biggest and the strongest, that nagging need to prove himself on his own worth driving him to do things the difficult way. "Bu' t' answer yer question, th' answer is no. Ah do naw associate with 'ny wolves from those packs. Jes' yers, packs naw mentioned, an' a few loners Ah've met hither and fro. Kept t' meself, mostly."

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief