Secret Falls beyond thunderdome

Open to any members of BTP!
Also paging @Naia to join!

He did not care for @Naia, but the information the scout provided was vital.  She was good at her assigned task, he would give her that.  Fortunately for the woman in question, he had little desire to replace her – they may both covet information by trade, but his was not so freely given.  It was Kjors before everyone else.  His survival was key, and he would not be quick to trust anyone else with something that may later save his life.   Thus, he moved his way southward, crossing over from the river as he descended into the Vale of Secrets.  Following Hearthwood River, the woman had said.  It was a day's worth of travel, but it would serve him well in the long run.  Karina would be fine for one day.  His pace was steady – time as a pack wolf had not softened the well-traveled loner.  Often he kept to himself, and kept exploring the land, should he ever need to know a quick escape route or plan an ambush.  Even the alphas knew, a wolf was never safe, not even on his own territory.  He would never rest…he could not rest. When the sound of crashing water reached his ears, Kjors stopped to rinse himself in the river, cleansing any sent of his pack upon him.  He did not want to be recognized, coming to the pack borders smelling only of himself.  Slinking down towards the borders, it was clear that canines had taken up residence here.  He did not have to cross into the territory – any scout worth their salt would find him soon enough.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Jun 03, 2015, 10:20 PM by Kjors.)

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Trust was something that came easily to the Timber woman, and especially with family it took no deliberation whatsoever: a family survived and thrived as one, in body and mind. Never before had Naia hesitated to speak her mind to a packmate, and though she felt a considerable aversion to the new recruit it felt wrong to conceal information from him. She had nursed competitive feelings toward packmates in the past, but those feeling had been healthy for the pack and pushed her to strive for greatness. This rivalry she felt towards Kjors was different; a novel feeling that Naia could only describe as resentment was brewing inside of her, triggered by the grizzled man’s miserly dissimulation of the information he held. Naia supposed that as long as Kjors was sharing what he knew with the Baranskis then there wasn’t much she could do if he wished to cut her out as the middleman. However, she was struck by the disconcerting feeling that Kjors would only share information in order to benefit himself, and the rest he would guard like a wyvern with his hoard.

Naia didn’t speak to her traveling companion at all as they trekked through Kingsfall toward the homeland of the Waterfall Wolves. In a strange land, you never knew where ears and eyes could be lurking. The pair were likely going to be concealing their identities at the Waterfall Wolves’ border, so being overheard discussing their pack or their plan was simply not an option. Ahead of her, Kjors stopped for a dip in the river, which was all it would take for the man to cleanse himself of the Baranski scent, so light upon his pelt it might not have been noticed even without the wash. Naia would have more trouble removing the pack scent from her coat, seeing as she bedded down in the community den on nights she spent in Kingsfall. She spent considerably more time washing and rolling in the mud, and even when she emerged from the river she still smelled a bit pack-ish. She was beginning to see the use of having an agent like Kjors, who could shed his identity at will.

The light pack scent upon her pelt wouldn’t be unusual for a loner—the Waterfall scout that discovered them would assume that she had left her pack to travel with Kjors, her tall (compared to her) dark and handsome lover. This is the story that Naia would purport if they were questioned, and she knew Kjors was clever enough to catch on. As she neared Kjors she noticed the border markers the Waterfall wolves had set, claiming the territory officially as their own. That was new since Naia had been here last. The Timber scout followed the older wolf’s example, sniffing at the territory markers and waiting silently. The marker confirmed that the Waterfall wolves were small in number, considerably smaller than Hearthwood River. The scout also detected pregnancy and post-partum hormones. So far all signs indicated that these could very well be the Crest traitors, who she knew were four or so in number.

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(This post was last modified: Jun 05, 2015, 01:00 AM by Naia.)

This peace couldn't last forever.

Iopah slipped along her borders and hoped to find nothing. It had been nearly three weeks since the new mother had brought her daughters into the world and every day since had passed quietly. The fractured trees that named her home were still in their placements. Nothing could shift the massive timbers that sheltered her family. Her pale pelt brushed them reassuringly, leaving behind tufts of miniature white flags to twist in the breeze. There was nothing but the familiar tracks of her mate and subordinates. The far-distant Falls were a low hum and nothing rose over that familiar sound. Good, she sighed into the. She wanted the peace to continue, all she'd ever wanted was to keep her pack-mates from harm.

In the distance, something stirred. Every inch strained in their direction, sharply turned ears and flared nostrils all studied the pair without her moving. Expressive gold eyes followed their path even as her path did not move. They were the first strangers to grace her borders and it was curiosity that initially light her eyes. No call for attendance was made and their path did not deviate. Dark lips pulled back from white teeth as she waited for the crime to be committed, so she could punish them as wolf-law allowed. Iopah wanted peace, but would not allow it at the defilement of her borders (a lesson Lugh learned too late).

They stopped and Iopah allowed a rough shake of her pelt to announce herself. The crisis had been averted and she did not want to appear to them with hackles raised. If they used common-sense in respecting her borders, then she would strive for civility in speaking with them. Pale feet brought Iopah closer to Naia and Kjors, tail rising easily behind her. "I assume there's a reason for not announcing yourselves?" It could never be said that Iopah hedged her words.

(This post was last modified: Jun 07, 2015, 07:27 AM by Iopah.)

Ah. A wolf had come. Maintain his relaxed position, the dragon allowed @Naia to approach more closely. It was to his benefit that he moved to keep her on his left where she remained in his peripheral vision. The pack wolf remained ahead, and his right ear tilted to the side, keen to alert him if anyone should attempt to sneak up on his blind side. As she announced herself, tail held high, he could only assume this was the alpha female – or perhaps a beta, ballsy in her rank among the group. He kept his tail behind him, respectful of the authority being unquestionably presented by the woman before them. It was getting easier to swallow his pride, much to his utter contempt. Things would change. Not today, not tomorrow, but things would change, and he would be the with a flagged tail and a bright smile full of bright daggers. "'lo," he greeted the woman casually, tipping his head to one side. "Didn' figure there was much reason t'. Last Ah came through these parts, there weren' any packs any where near here." He rolled his shoulder in an idle shrug, ears swiveling as he tried to assess her position. "'course tha' was a few seasons ago. Things change, Ah suppose. Wasn't lookin' t' intrude, miss….?" he trailed off, raising a single brow. He did not recognize the wolf, nor the scent that clung to her pelt. Having met many packs in his travels, he'd thought perhaps it was an old acquaintance relocated – but whomever they were, he could not put a name to them.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

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As she sniffed at the Waterfall Wolves’ border, the perceptive scout saw Kjors adjust his position out of the corner of her eye. He had subtly place Naia just beyond his left flank where she would be visible to his only remaining eye, which could perhaps in another wolf have been interpreted as a desire to watch over her and protect her. However with Kjors, Naia suspected his readjustment had very little to do with her safety and spoke more to how little he trusted his packmate, the woman who was supposed to be family to him. Had it been Naia with the missing eye, despite her dislike for the man she would have done the exact opposite, trusting Kjors to guard her blind spot so she might use her eye to better survey the unfamiliar territory. Clearly he was as dubious of her as he was of the Waterfall wolves, which was telling.

It did not take long for a Waterfall wolf to detect their presence, and as she approached them the stranger lifted her black-tipped tail to signify an elevated position—her stance was similar to the one Naia would have displayed if approaching a stranger at the Hearthwood River border. Having all but cleansed herself of her pack affiliation, as a “lone wolf” Naia’s station was well below that of this pack wolf’s.  Her stance adjusted accordingly as the woman approached. Anyone with eyes could tell that the milk-laden woman had whelped recently, meaning that she was likely the Waterfall alphess.

Kjors answered the woman for them, just as Naia expected he would, and the agouti lady remained respectfully silent, watching the two wolves with a bright, congenial expression. She waited for the Waterfall woman to introduce herself, wondering if she would be as brusque for the entire conversation as she was for her initial greeting.

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Timeline wise this works..got permission from Emma to throw him in

He was damn near on full defense mode. With both Iopah and Koda's children along with his own child (maybe even another he hadn't met yet of Zia and Inkheart) Camio was ready to jump at everything that wasn't family. So when he was rounding borders and heard a commotion of chatter he took off. Hackles raised and tail flickering dangerously he stood protectively next to Iopah. He had came at a time just enough to catch Kjors last few sentences.

"'course tha' was a few seasons ago. Things change, Ah suppose. Wasn't lookin' t' intrude, miss….?"

Oh no, those three sentences weren't sitting well with the overly protective Zamora. "Things do change." He eyed the two unfamiliar wolves. "And I'm glad as hell to hear you weren't looking to intrude because I know I personally wouldn't have had it." Glancing over to Iopah, his ironic war starting buddy, Camio gave a soft snort. "I know you enough to know you wouldn't have it either." His copper eyes were drawn back to the unfamiliar faces. This certainly wasn't going to be pleasant now that Camio was around.

He stood partially behind Iopah, near her ribs and flank, but enough to jump into anything should it go wrong. "Now why don't we introduce ourselves, would be rude for a host to not know their guest's name." It was obvious Camio was in a mood to cause some ruckus. His muscles high and tension even higher. While he would spring if given any command he would also stop at the single sign his lead female gave him. The male Zamora may have been reckless but he wasn't absolutely stupid.

"Speech."

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

Well, well, well, things were certainly about to get interesting. While Kjors only lifted his head to size up the new addition, the dragon coiled inside his chest. This one was almost hyper protective of the border and his alpha – but this was not his mate, she did not wear his musk heavy upon her pelt, nor did he wear the queen's. It was a curious situation then: was it love? Unrequited lust? (He might have snickered, were he the type, but instead his expression remained impassive.) Was it an undying loyalty to a wolf he owed something to? Or was it simply a love and longing for violence? The one-eyed male graced the second pack wolf with a smile that promised the latter, dipping his head in a brief show of respect. "Now, now, we ain' tryin' t' be rude. Didn' cross th' borders, did we? 'm name is Firstpaw. Bennet Firstpaw," he hummed, one ear swiveling back. "Ah jes' go by Firstpaw, though. M' woman an' Ah don' belong nowhere" Only then did he shift – with the arrival of the second wolf, it became clear to him that there may be others lurking in the forest under the cover of the roaring water in the distance. @Naia was placed back on his blindside. Here, she was the closest thing he had to a friend, and now he had two potential assaults to watch with his single orb. "Now, Ah would like t' know who Ah'm addressin', yeah? An' wha' pack this is – ain' gonna come down this way no more, if y'can tell me where t' avoid."

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

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The first wolf had addressed them coldly, but in a restrained way—perhaps there was a little curiosity beneath her suspicious exterior. There was nothing restrained about the second wolf to make an appearance, prancing up to his border as if he owned the place (which he very well might, how could Naia know?) and speaking provokingly to them, conspicuous intonations of a challenge laced through his tone. At his own border he had every right to speak however he wished to two loners, and Naia swallowed her indignation as she reminded herself that they were masquerading as lone wolves, whose stations in life would be very much below this strange man’s.  She lowered her muzzle and ears respectfully, speaking her own name in a demure tone. “Sprite Firstpaw.. begging you pardon for the rudeness, sir.”

Naia noted with interest that Kjors began to shift his position as he spoke, disguising the movement as a sort of offhanded pacing. Where he settled was was hardly a footstep’s difference, but her scout’s eye noticed that while before she was behind Kjors and slightly to his left, now he had placed her to his right. His blindside. His words might have been calm and confident, but Naia knew that the belligerent male’s arrival had made Kjors uneasy if he was willing to place Naia in his blind spot. The ball had been placed back in the court of the Waterfall Wolves, and Naia waited for either to reply, still sitting with patient, unassuming body language.

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A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

-whistles innocently- I know it's against posting order, but maybe Kjors and/or Naia should reply next?... seeing's how Io did this:

Kjors was whittling away at the respect he'd earned by not crossing the border. Iopah gold eyes narrowed as the man spilled out no part of an answer. Pale ears flicked back and forth at the snags in his speech, but the gist of it was easy enough to gather based on his flippant body language. She let his words stumble and fade into each other while looking the male over, not bothering to hide the brazenness of her inspection. He had come to her border, if Kjors didn't want to be non-verbally insulted he shouldn't have come. The missing eye was of little interest, being an injury she was familiar with seeing. It was old and well-healed; her gaze swept over it with at the same speed as the rest of her scrutiny. The words began to ebb away; Iopah curved an ear at the telling way his voice trailed off. She recognized the trick, hadn't Sagacity tried to glean information from her that way once? She was wise to it this time.

Finally she turned back to the one-eyed dragon; a knowing smirk on her lips, but no words on her tongue. A quick noise pulled at her ears and the woman waited for the accomplice to settle themselves. She blinked at Camio's familiar voice, the irony far from lost on her. There was no need to turn or stay his words, the two Pines wolves were of like mind in this. When the Zamora directly addressed her the smirk was wide, wide enough to show every tooth in profile for their "guests" as she finally glanced to the side. His words were angry and his stance was angry; Iopah let him turn the conversation with quiet confidence, seeing no need to restrain the man. She knew the depth of his obedience and had no question of it.

The dragon spoke again, with tone somehow the opposite of his words. Rudeness seemed to be only thing Kjors had accomplished. Iopah golden's eyes drifted to his "woman" with a lifting of a pale brow, as if to ask: 'Do you really want him speaking on your behalf?' She waited for a moment, giving the woman long enough to speak her own piece. Iopah's ears flicked forward in interest, then set back sharply against her head. Naia had not once acknowledged her. Perhaps these two loners were meant for each other, after all.

Kjors shifted and spoke again. Any deeper meaning the movement might've had was lost under the volley of requests the one-eyed dragon made. "No!" Iopah seethed, vehemence carrying her a step forward. "You cannot skulk without notice and ask our names after ignoring my question." It was becoming clear they had no business here and if they couldn't show proper respect then she was going to send them both off. If Naia had nothing to say for herself, then she would receive the same brand as Kjors. A soft rumble and sharp glance told Camio to hold back.

Iopah edged closer still, now pressing over her border with measured and deliberate steps. "You are addressing me and you need to stay away from this forest." This wasn't an attack yet, but she was offering if they couldn't see reason in her blatant request for submission. Either that or they could flee with tails tucked firmly. Salmon tongue slipped from her mouth as she came closer to the pair. She came close enough to invade their personal space, hackles now fully raised with her demand. Do it, her stance challenged, lift your lips to me and give us an excuse to rip you apart. This could go one of three ways and it was up to them if they fled, submitted, or offered violence.

(This post was last modified: Jun 21, 2015, 08:25 AM by Iopah.)