Fallen Tree Cove Strange Happenings

@Anthem Sorry I did a little bit of power playing... let me know if there's anything you want me to change! @Vespertio
Word Count: 258

Angele paused in her task, dropping the remains of the deer she'd helped Anthem steal from the cougar. A wall of the same scent that lingered on Anthem's pelt stood before her, blocking her from the territory. She put her ears back. This was it; the moment she'd never thought she would have to face.

She glanced at her brother, who was dragging what was left of the cat they'd killed and snacked on. Her tail lowered. The position was not only strange to her but uncomfortable. She was used to boldly declaring her dominance and stepping on anyone who dared stand her her way.

She knew that would have to change.

Still unsure of whether or not pack life was the right place for her, Angele sought comfort in her brother beside her. Her haunches were still sore, but that was to be expected. She was sure her leg would be stiff in the morning, but she was used to injuries. They would heal, and leave even more scars on her lightly tattered pelt.

This is for Anthem, She thought as she waited at the border for her brother to signal the alpha, who he'd said was called Vespertio. This is for him. Staying with him is worth every indignity that should befall you.

She almost believed herself. Anthem was, of course, worth it, but Angele was still afraid.

"After everything that's happened, I can't believe I'm more afraid of joining a pack than I've ever been before." She scoffed to herself. "I just can't believe you."

"Speech" Thought

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

With the cat in his jaws Anthem followed his sister while she had the deer. He had given her directions before the had set out and in no time they were at the border of the Cove. Home. He couldn't wait to show Angele what waited inside the territory and where everything was. Maybe it was because he wanted to show her what he had joined so badly or maybe he just wanted to see her reactions to everything. He just knew that he was happy that she had decided to join. The final word though was up to either Vespertio or Namid but the large man doubted that they would say no.

Letting the cat lay on the ground Anthem moved forward t rub his shoulder against Angele's. It was a move that he hoped would comfort her a little. Her body posture changed and he remained quite she would have to figure out somethings on her own. What worked for him wouldn't always work for everyone else. If he wasn't really submissive to his leaders, well they knew that he was like that. Letting his head tip back Anthem called for Vespertio the sound echoing happily across the territory. 

His ears caught Angele's mutters and he bumped his shoulder against hers as he gave her a grin. His tail was swaying slowly behind him as he waited for his friend to arrive. I called for @Vespertio. He should arrive shortly so chin up this will end well. He told her as his eyes focused on the trees in front of them. He had faith that his sister would be allowed to join.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

A new emotion was hanging thickly on the air these days like a static charge as the agouti leader patrolled his kingdom, making sure to never stray too far or too long from the silvery side of his queen. Her protruding sides heavy with the bundles of joy nestled inside the most prominent they had been her entire pregnancy. As well as the increase in her mood swings. One minute lathering his earthy toned pelt in affectionate touches and nips then the next threatening to eat his face off in a rage of irritability. The one thing that remained the same was her insatiable hunger and cries for food. Her eating habits likened to a wolf that had not tasted flesh in the better part of an entire season. Of course this was not the case. Another side effect of procreating and extending their bloodlines.

Today the queen's private guardian had the day off as his beloved had reclined the darkened depths of a secluded den. Finding herself drawn more and more in the passing days to the very place she had decided would be ideal for birthing the whelps to come after sprucing it up with tufts of pulled hair form her winter coat and a rug of sorts from the colorless hare given to the pair as gift from the storm coated Anthem. The perfect sized pelt to welcome the future princes and princesses to their new home. Trudging around the heart of his territory his day of partial relaxation was dwindling down to an end as a call rang out. A deep, jubilant howl recognizable as belonging to the male second and his dear friend. Instantly a grin broke out across the alpha's dark tinted lips, body shifting position to head for the location the song had originated from.  

Earth effortlessly melted beneath creamy toned limbs, the soil's surface receiving a good scoring from the edges of his dulled nails with each stride he took. Bringing him ever closer to the awaiting siblings until his tawny silhouette emerged from within the shadows of the surrounding pine trees, tail instantly rising behind his spine at the unexpected presence at Anthem's side. Gaze momentarily drifting down to the carcasses at both their paws. One of a deer the other a cat. The cat's lifeless body and partially eaten at that perplexing the patriarch, but by no means was his sudden display of dominance to be threatening to the female of similar age to the dark coated man. Simply, letting her know who he was in these lands nothing more. Turning gold hued optics to his companion, a nod of greeting was ushered before switching over to the stranger. Offering her the same form of greeting. "Who do we have here?" He spoke lightly although laced in an authoritative tone. This conversation was going to teeter between casual and business. An affect of his lifted mood of the day.

(This post was last modified: May 12, 2015, 03:16 AM by Vespertio.)

Word Count: 249

Angele smelled Vespertio before she saw him, but when he did make his way through the trees she was surprised. She wasn't sure quite what she expected, but it certainly wasn't the dashing young man coming towards her. As soon as he saw her, he took an alpha stance.

Angele's first impulse was to growl, raise her hackles, and show she was not going to be submissive in any way, shape, or form. She squashed this desire, though, keeping her tail low. She could tell his stance was merely cautionary; he was asserting his dominance, but not forcing them to any sort of humiliation.

That alone earned him some respect in Angele's eyes.

Although she itched to do so, Angele avoided making eye contact with the alpha. She was not familiar with this man, and as such didn't want to risk angering him. "I am Angele." She proudly. She would have to submit to this man, but she wouldn't give up her pride. "I am Anthem's sister."

She glanced back at the prey she'd dragged so far. "I would like to offer you this to show my goodwill." She added. She hoped he wouldn't take offense to the fact that they'd chosen to dine before bringing the meat all the way back. This was it; this was the crucial moment that would direct her life for the foreseeable future. Would she be allowed to join the pack, or would she continue on as a loner?

Did she want to?

"Speech"

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

It didn't long for his friend to arrive as the sound of his paws against the earth gave him away. Turning his gaze in that direction the larfe male watched his friend arrive on the scene. @Vespertio. Anthem said warmly in greeting his tail swaying behind him. He didn't react much to the dominant stance except to let his eyes dip briefly before rising once more a grin on his face. He could all but feel the waves of tension coming from his sister's pelt. He wasn't surprised in the least that the dominant stance had her bristling though she hid it well. She seemed to collect herself though as she introduced herself and the offerings though they were a little eaten. 

When she stopped speaking Anthem spoke up then saying simply. I brought her in hopes that she could join us. Short and straight to the point. Even though it had been awhile since they had been in desperate need of wolves Anthem felt that he had finally been able to fill the task that his friend had set before him. Though it had fulfilled later than what he had hoped. But now it was up to Vespertio to decide if Angele would be welcomed, refused, or if he wanted more information from the siblings before his final decision was made. Anthem had no thoughts that Angele would be refused seeing a how she would be a welcome asset to their ranks. Maybe she would become the next Guardian.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

A small smirk toyed at the corner of his lips at the reluctance the creamy girl held for submitting. Holding some dominance in herself that, like her brother, made it hard to bow down to others when called for. So they really were siblings if her words were at all doubted by the agouti patriarch. "It's a pleasure to meet family of my dear friend. I'm Vespertio Vuesain." The tip of his muzzle dipping in a more casual greeting after his own introduction to the woman before adjusting his eyes to glance at the carcass she now spoke upon. Scanning over the pre devoured body with a faint, pleased look settling on his features. Eaten or not, it would do much in restocking the caches that pesky Primrose had felt so inclined to empty. As well as the cat carcass that was also dragged along home.

As the stormy man spoke his attention had turned to him, listening to him vouch for his sister in hopes she would become the newest addition to the ever growing pack. Parting his jaws to address both siblings at once while gaze shifted between the two he spoke a question that would help to either make or break her joining. "I have all but one question I would like to ask you first, Angele. What skills can you offer this pack? Your brother has become a great asset to this pack and if the bloodline between you two is true I have no doubt you may become the same." Plus if she was deemed as such then Vespertio could make due on cleaning out the rest of the undesirable wolves dwelling in his midst. The overly submissive tawny woman Samhain, the young girl Rift and the aged healer Vali had both disappeared without word after the pack meeting. Leaving a sour taste in his mouth. But alas it was best to rid the weak and keep the strong. Now all that was left was to rid that snowy woman who sat dangerously close to his queen in the second position. Should Angele join he could easily rid that wretched woman and eliminate any possibility of Namid being overthrown. Who knew what schemes that wraith woman was up to.

OOC: sorry this will be short I'm on my phone camping 

Angele was not surprised by Vespertio's question, but she was slightly irked. As if she would ask entrance into a pack without having something to offer. She resisted the urge to flatten her ears and snarl her next words. "I am an adept fighter, and have plenty of experience protecting packs. Anthem and I were raised as Guardians together."  To her pleasure, her voice remained level though she was unable to keep the contempt from it. She had to remind herself to be respectful. "Though he is fond of disputing it, I'm far more talented than he is in the line of defense."  She shot a glance at her brother challenging him in the Sibling way of things to begin an argument. 

His steady gaze calmed Angele, and she took a deep breath before returning her eyes to the alpha before her. "I must admit I haven't been a member of a pack since I left after Anthem, but I promise that once I have chosen to give my loyalty I will obey every command given in defense of my pack."

Angele knew with every fibre of her soul that this was true. A disloyal wolf was the kind of wolf she herself killed. She hoped this would be enough to convince Vespertio that she was worthy of membership to his pack. With bated breath, she waited. 

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

The question that came from his friends lips wasn't an uncommon one. It was essential actually. Why would someone be allowed to join if they didn't have any skills to offer or were willing to learn something of use? If they didn't have anything then they were just another mouth to feed and weren't going to earn their keep. The praise though even if it wasn't intended had him feeling a little better. No one wanted to be told that they were useless so knowing that you were welcome was a feeling Anthem enjoyed.  

His sisters comments were all true, except maybe the one about her being a better fighter. He let out a snort of amusement. We haven't sparred in a while sister so we can't be sure now can we? He said implying that she was wrong without actually saying it. If she wanted to think that then he would let her. He was sure that with him being well fed and in the pack for a while now that he had a better chance at beating her if they were to spar now. Which wouldn't be such a bad idea if they hadn't just dealt with the cougar and if she hadn't been caught by its claws. He didn't want her to have to fight while she was still sore let her heal and then they could figure out which of them was better. 

His gaze went down to the cat and he motioned to it as he spoke. We bested the cat together when we went after its kill and it ended up joining it.  He told @Vespertio hoping to show that Angele wasn't just speaking meaningless words but that she actually did have something to offer the pack.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Silently his crown nodded to the exchanged words from the siblings. Noting that familiar gleam of a challenge in the sister's eyes when her gaze had shifted from him to the stormy man. He himself had used the same glare with his own family form time to time. Back before he had been ousted and deemed unworthy of being in their midst. A light chuckle sounded in his chest, brows partially lifted in amusement at the sibling banter before him. "If it was apparent you two are tired from the journey home, i'd allow you two to prove it now." The chuckle gaining in volume to a more solid laughter. A hint of a grin gracing over his dark colored lips.

With the sibling rivalry coming to a calmness, it was Anthem who spoke up once more. Again offering a more compelling case on his sister's behalf. The points of his ears flicked to ensure the man the words were heard, nodding once more with the final words said and turned his golden gaze back to Angele. "It had taken time to earn the loyalty of your brother and I wouldn't expect any less from family. I'm sure you will prove yourself as he has. Welcome to Fallen Tree Cove." The smile on his lips increasing in size as his creamy limbs pushed him forward to allow his muzzle to bump against her shoulder. The brief brushing of his hairs against hers adorning her pelt with the new scent that claimed her as one of them. Stepping back he allowed his gaze to drop to the awaiting carcasses. "Come. We best find a nice cache to store these in away from unwanted guest. I'm sure Namid and her growing appetite will appreciate the gifts." With that said his tale wove lightly behind him in a more casual position, the once dominant posture all but gone now.

Angele was slightly surprised by the laughter coming from alpha as he watched their banter.  She glanced at Anthem as he spoke, silent laughter in her eyes.  She was glad that he'd spoken up for her, though she didn't feel she needed to rely on his support.

"Welcome to Fallen Tree Cove."

Angele's gaze snapped back to Vespertio as he spoke.  She couldn't help but feel slightly pleased that she'd been accepted, and even felt a tiny bit of excitement.  "Thank you." She said as her new alpha turned and walked away, beckoning for them to follow.  She glanced again at her brother, then gripped the cougar and began following Vespertio into the territory.

After the initial feeling of success, Angele wasn't sure how to feel.  The worry was gone; she was sure she would be able to serve her new pack well, and wasn't worried about that.  She was worried that her new leader would take advantage of her loyalty and she would once again become the wolf she'd been as a yearling.  

Anthem had assured her that Vespertio was a good man.  While he'd already earned a measure of respect in Angele's eyes, he was still younger than she'd expected.  He couldn't have much experience, and as this was his first litter of puppies, he was likely to be overly defensive.  Angele sighed through the meat in her mouth.  This was her home now; there was no reason for her to doubt it.  Besides, she had Anthem to help her grow accustomed to her new roll in the pack.  Perhaps they would be able to work together as Guardians again.  She would like that.

Straightening her shoulders as much as she could with her load, Angele strode forward to her new life.

"Speech"

My brother is the Anthem we sing,
 
I am the Angele we follow,
   
My brother, Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.