Fallen Tree Cove If I was yours, but I'm not

@Namid @Anthem @Desideria only please. PM with questions/comments!

Mid-morning, Patchy rain, 71°F/21°C
Fallen Tree Cove, Noble has come to try and steal from you!

It had taken a long time to get to this point.

Noble thought only of the tangible journey, though it was far more than just that. Her mind revolved solely around the wear on her paw pads after the trek from Turtleback Lake and the way her belly was scraped and pinched by her spine. It hurt, but fear of her own death was far worse. Noble was not quite as emaciated as when Desideria found her, but she was getting close. Soon, she would need to do something. Something. The tawny she-wolf's teachings had been been remembered and slowly taken to heart as wandering feet carried her south. Her body grew thinned and her resolve grew stronger during the journey. It didn't matter that she had been born into nobility and still carried it's name. Noble was not going to let herself starve to death.

Lost lake was found entirely by accident. Noble had sheltered under a wind-bleached oak and awoken with Desideria's words in her mind and Fallen Tree Cove in her sights. The lake glistened far below and her eyes watched the wolves passing by it's shores. She was ready now, the journey had worn her consciousness away enough. The next two days were passed simply watching them. Noble would soak in a mountain stream and let the wind whip her dry while she learned their habits. It was impossible to know where the cache might be and Noble wished Desideria was here to ask. It was raining the third day and there was nothing else that could be learned.

Noble crept close, feeling the rain washed her clean and expose too many bones along her spine. Nothing could be done about that and the pity might help. A quick shake made the dark pelt blade away from a starved frame. She casually ambled till the border rose up in warning. The soul-searching lasted only a moment, then she was over and moving towards an illegal meal. Body skimmed the ground while hackles rose defensively. Her every sense was on high, body tingling with equal parts exhilaration and horror. The ground was sodden, but the tracks were easy to follow. Black nose twitched when they caught scent of the goal.

Only a few steps separated her from a meal, from surviving.

Set after 'welcome to the family' and going to be vague about the outcome because who knows

It hadn’t been long since she’d accepted the sibling of Anthem and Angele into their lands, perhaps less than an hour it had been. Once Nathaniel had been taken away by his siblings, she’d turned and headed back toward the prey she had buried not long before. She needed to get back to her children, who were undoubtedly hungry and driving their sitter nuts with their mewling. Likewise, she longed to be with them. She loved to be out and out, reveling in the feeling of being able to stretch her legs again, but nothing could beat the feeling she felt when they were tucked away safely at her belly where she could hum and preen them. Namid was, truly, a mother at heart as if it was something she was born to do. As she came close to the prey she stopped, ears rotating forward to catch the faint rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs as if something were creeping toward her cache. Perhaps it was one of those stupid lynxs again, and if that were so they were going to leave with a few marks to show them to never return to her lands.

Her lips peeled back into a growl and she pushed forward into a run, covering the distance between herself and her prize and bursting through the bush before seeing that it, in fact, was not a lynx at all. It was instead a young girl, perhaps only a yearling with a dark pelt that clung to her in rags. Her skin was sunken and her bones prominent to the point of her spine poking out and her likely once brilliant golden eyes were sunken and desperate looking. She skidded to a halt quickly, paws scattering debris as she came to a stop a few feet from the girl. Likely she was terrified by her entrance, and while Namid was certainly not happy about the trespasser inside of her lands clearly attempting to steal food, she couldn’t help but look at the child and see bits of her own within her. This was someone’s daughter, young and still new to the world. She had been in much the situation the girl was in during the winter, and there were times she thought she wasn’t going to make it the next step as her stomach ate her alive, body and all. While she had never stolen, the thought had crossed her mind at times. All this girl was doing was trying to live, and she found she couldn’t bring herself to reprimand her for doing so.

The Lake Queen’s tale rose behind her, though her posture said that while she was wary, she was not a threat to the girl. She looked at her with curiosity and reproach, preparing herself for if the yearling should feel so threatened to attack. She wouldn’t get anywhere if a fight were to break out, and it would only lead to the youngsters misfortune. “I am Namid Vuesain, lead female of Fallen Tree Cove and the lands you have entered. My dear, why have you crossed my borders without a call?” she asked, her voice gentle but somewhat scolding very much like the mother that she was. If something like this were to ever happen to Neha, Aleister, or Cernan she hoped that a wolf would treat them like she would treat the girl.

OOC: So sorry for the long post. I got carried away ^^;

His brother had found them. Anthem couldn't believe that both his siblings had found him and he couldn't keep the smile from his face. After talking a bit with his brother he had explained that he would talk with him once he finished his patrol. So leaving Nathaniel with Angele he had gone back to the border his long legs carrying him quickly. He was eager to get back and celebrate and they would have to celebrate. The three of them were back together! It was like a dream come true after he had pulled them apart. The thoughts of celebrating quickly died as he came across the scent of wolf.

His nose twitched as he inhaled deeply a frown forming. This wasn't the scent of anyone he knew he mused before finally realizing that the trail didn't jsut come to the edge of the territory but went across it. Instantly he through up his head to tell the pack that they had an intruder in their lands. Call finished he took off after the scent his paws digging into the earth. Lips curled up a growl rumbling in his throat as he ran, whoever had crossed had better not have reached Namid and the pups. Following as fast as he could without losing the scent he finally arrived on the scene hearing the Namid's voice as she finished talking.

His fangs were bared and his hackles raised as he eyed the one that had trespassed. A girl. A young girl. Anthem's growl didn't die as his blue eyes narrowed. She had come into the territory and from the looks of it had come to steal from them. Anger bubbled in his chest as he stared at her. He was aware that she was young and likely extremely hungry from the looks of it but that didn't matter to him. She had come and had crossed a border that he had patrolled regularly and made sure was fresh enough that it would be hard not to notice. She had come into a territory that his friends were in and that he had chosen to protect at all costs.

Though he was angry enough to want to chase away the trespasser Namid was there and he would take his cues from her. One ear was tilted in her direction as he circled so that the girl wouldn't be able to make it further into the territory he forced himself to tone his growl down though it could still be heard.

(This post was last modified: Jun 20, 2015, 04:17 AM by Anthem.)

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Desideria was on her usual business, pacing the borders of Fallen Tree Cove when she came across a distantly familiar scent. She was well familiar with all the comings and goings of pack members – they'd all been met, and their distinct flavors memorized as she worked the ground and tried to learn all her alphas had requested of her. As far as she knew, no new wolves had joined their small group. Surely Namid would have told her if this had changed…and even if not, the newcomer's signature would be mingled with Namid or Vespertio's own, marking her as one of the family. Sniffing again, it dawned on the desert dame slowly just where she'd found this wolf before. This was Noble, the starving yearling she'd encountered near a lake. It was prior to her own fishing lessons, and unfortunately, she had little to offer the younger wolf – except an education in the art of theft. Her heart leapt into her throat. Surely the wandering youth wouldn't attempt that here…not where she resided with her companions. But why else would she cross the borders with no announcement or request? Spurred into action, Dezzy raced through the trees, sprinting faster than she had in eons. Perhaps if she found the youngster first, she could talk her out of it before anything transpired. Maybe it was all a big misunderstanding. Maybe— Maybe the queen of the lake, Namid, and the just sheriff, Anthem, had beat her to the punch. Side heaving, she brushed past the other two towards her acquaintance. "Noble," she rumbled, eyes wide as she stood between her packmates and the yearling, "I don't…I don't think you should be here. Lemme show you the way back out, yeah…?"

LuDa-Stock & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Kristen I kinda went with the insinuation that this is the same rabbit Namid cached in the earlier thread, lemme know if it's not ok

Noble was naive and young, but well aware of how easily things died. She knew, if these wolves could catch her, they might kill her. All these thoughts raced through her head as Noble crept closer. The possibility of her own death did not faze the dark yearling; skinny body slunk low in shame, but continued on. She wouldn't, couldn't, blame this pack of wolves. They played by the same game of survival that she did. Noble would do anything to stay alive, and so would this pack. They just happened to be on opposing teams.

She was close enough for the scent of blood to add with the freshly scuffed earth and exposed patch of rabbit fur. Her stomach clenched hard at the smell. After so many so many weeks of being ignored her hunger had faded and it was back with a vengeance now. It took only a few swipes of her damp muzzle to unearth the rabbit. Noble's ears flicked back and forth rapidly before her teeth pinched neatly around the carcass.

The rabbit swung wildly in her jaws as she turned to gape at Namid. Dark legs tensed before stupidly hesitating. Should she run now? Take the rabbit, or just leave it and flee? The other rose and Noble slunk away, rabbit dragging on the ground. She heard the words, interpreted them perfectly, but didn't understand the question. Wasn't it obvious? Dark gold eyes flicked down to her secured rabbit, then rose slowly and she started edging backwards. This woman might not be attacking, but she was still leaving... with the rabbit.

Noble spun in the opposite direction as Anthem came up behind her, jaws clenching in fear around the rabbit. Cornered, she was cornered now. Her eyes were wide over the prize, despite the low growl starting in her chest. Being caught didn't mean game over, she would still fight for her life. Another arrived and Noble spun in place once more, growl wavering just a little bit higher now. She was screwed, there was no way this disaster was going to end well, it was— Dezzy!

The dark girl moved to her companion instantly, eyes matching Desideria's. Noble didn't think she should be here right now either. The rabbit was still in her mouth and it jostled around as Noble nodded fervently at the suggestion. She took a quick step in the clearest direction and stopped to look back, almost expecting to see either bristling wolf breathing down her neck.

Her presence obviously came as a shock to the girl, who turned to gape at her. Honestly, though, what had she expected when she came into their borders to obviously steal prey from them? Their borders were well marked, insinuating that they had regular patrols at all times and that there was more than a likely chance that she would be caught. However, the more she looked at her body the more she understood why she had taken the chance. A girl like her probably didn’t have much experience in hunting, which even furthered her chances of not making it past the year. Her brows furrowed as she tried to desperately drag away the rabbit. Even more fear crept into her dull golden gaze as the beta Anthem appeared from the brush behind her, a growl forming in his throat. One look from Namid and he silenced it, the sound dying in his throat though she could see he was still waiting readily for any signal from her to chase the starving girl from their lands happily with teeth scouring at her haunches. A new growl came, and she was surprised to find it was coming from the dark yearling. A brow raised indignantly at this, but also with a faint bit of respect. She was still willing to fight in the current state she was in, and it only made Namid want to help her even more.

The thudding of more pawsteps approached, having heard Anthem’s rather unneeded call most likely, and bursting through the brush came her friend and subordinate Desideria. One look between the theif and ex-thief and one could tell they knew each other. Noble, she named her, and the alphaess could have scoffed at the name. It was quite ironic, for what she was doing there was certainly not noble. Her next movements set an edge to the leader as Desideria tried to pull her away and out of their lands while the girl still clutched the prey in her jaws. The pale queen took a step forward, her mismatched gaze landing hard on her subordinate and a sharp growl escaping her maw. She might have been her friend, but she was also her lower rank and thus should not be making her own decisions in a situation such as this. And she especially should not have been aiding the thief, who seemed more than happy to follow her.

Her gaze traveled to the girl who was staring at them all wide-eyed, still desperately clutching the meal that was supposed to be for Namid’s family. “I am sorry, but I am afraid you will not be able to leave quite so quickly. Noble, as I heard Desideria call you. You are not going to be harmed unless you attack us, and you and I both understand that you are not in a condition to be doing so,” she said gently, a faint mothering tone lacing her words. Staring at the young girl, she looked to her subordinates briefly to let them know to keep her where she was. Her gaze returned to look over her form again, wanting for purge her stomach at the sight of the girl’s all but completely skeletal frame. She could not and would not be able to bring herself to take the hare from her clutches, for she needed it more than the queen did. She was already overfed as it was, and she had not technically stolen from the pack. Only from the queen herself. “My dear, you have stolen from me. When I say me, I do mean me for that rabbit had been intended for myself to feed my children. Therefore, I take it as an offense to myself and not to our pack. I had been in your paws not too long ago, and I understand your struggles. I would like to make a proposition for you. You may keep the rabbit, under the condition that you sit and let me watch you eat it and have a conversation with me. Then, you may leave,” she said, giving her an ultimatum. There was still an underlying motherly tone in her voice, but there was also a warning that if she didn’t take the offer she would be run off foodless if she didn’t. Namid was generous, but she did not provide food to fools.

(This post was last modified: Jun 26, 2015, 05:20 AM by Namid.)

His eyes were trained on the dark girl though he could hear the sound of paw-steps. The scent of Des carried to him before he felt her brush past him. Bristling silently his eyes narrowed but he didn't look away as he heard his pack mate speak of trying to get this Noble out of their territory. What was she thinking? Namid was here and he was here as well. Both of them out ranked her and in a case like this he didn't think that she should go doing what she wanted even if it was her friend. This Noble was trying to steal from them and that wouldn't do and it seemed that she wanted to leave with Des so that she could escape as quickly as possible. 

He heard Namid's growl of displeasure and his head dipped a little lower as he waited for a sign to chase Noble out and away, after the rabbit had been taking away of course. He wasn't going to let her keep it even if he understood that she was hungry and needed the food badly. Anger coursed through him as he waited like a rubber band ready to snap. He caught the words that Namid was speaking and he almost wished that the girl would try and do something stupid so he could put her in her place. He nodded at the brief look he was given in understanding. He didn't like it but he would do it. With the three of them there they could hold her there as long as possible but he wondered if Des's ties to Noble would make her disobey and instead help the girl get away instead.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Oh, hell, this was bad. This was very bad. When she had helped Noble out, the woman had never imagined it might come back to bite her in the rear. With wide eyes, she watched the yearling for a moment, seemingly cemented to her spot with confusion and fear. Never before had she been stuck in a position like this – forced to chose one friend or another. No, that wasn't quite right. Like this, Namid was queen, an alpha that had been stolen from – her alpha. The growl lashed through her racing mind, bringing Desideria back to the present. She was almost boggled by the whiplash and without thought, a low whine escaped her jaw as the older wolf lowered herself towards the ground. Her tail swept beneath her, practically pressed into her belly as she offered her leader a regretful gaze. Taking one step back from the rogue yearling, she whimpered again, but made no attempt to assist Noble escape from the grounds. Even the overeager subordinate realized that would be suicide. "Sorry," she whispered, staring down at the ground. If this was addressed towards a particular individual, it remained unclear. All the former rogue wanted was to sink into the earth and allow the dirt to swallow her up that she might disappear. This was, in a sense, her fault. If she hadn't have taught Noble-- Or maybe, if she'd scented the young wolf before she'd made it this far-- Or if she'd gotten here first and managed to talk the loner out of it— One thousand 'ifs' ran through Des' mind as she slowly slunk back to Namid's side, her loyalty restraining her concern for the yearling as she hung her head, clearly defeated by the situation.

LuDa-Stock & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

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

Noble almost didn't know where to look. The rain fell in drizzles and dripped unnoticed from her nose as gold eyes jumped from wolf to wolf. The rabbit between her teeth was squeezed tighter as the circle settled around her. She spent little attention on Desideria, despite her adherence and trust. Desideria was the one individual she didn't need to watch. Her gaze merely skimmed over the older tawny woman as she regarded the other two, more dangerous, wolves. Anthem's growl had scared her badly. The tension coming off him was so strong that it was nearly impossible for Noble to turn away even after the growl had been silenced. He seemed less like a wolf and more like the raging creatures in the stories her father had told. Noble knew, if she couldn't escape this, that it would be Anthem's jaws that ended her life.

It was Namid's sharp growl that finally ripped her attention away. She turned with stunned eyes to watch Desideria slink away. Her own dark ears nearly folded in capitulation in hopelessness at the situation. Desideria was thoroughly subdued and it seemed unlikely Noble could do any better. She listened to Namid speak. The mothering tone might have worked if such a figure was still in her life. As it was the pitch of Namid's voice felt like rubbing her pitiful, starving state in the yearling's nose. It was clear the woman felt herself in charge, but Noble couldn't help the sly look to Anthem as the alpha promised an attack would not be made.

Her eyes flew up and widened at the proposition. The wording, the entire situation reminded her of a similar proposition. She wouldn't be surprised if @Hexamora resided in this very pack, a pack full of wolves just like her. Noble took a step back, unbidden, before remembering the rabbit in her jaws. "You think I ain't heard that one before?" The carcass was not worth whatever they planned to do to her. It slithered out of her speaking mouth; Noble was moving even before it hit the ground.

She charged directly for Desideria, but her eyes were fixed on the forest behind the tawny woman. Of all the directions it seemed the safest; Noble could not bear to brush past the dark wraith or the snake-tongued woman. She changed course at the last moment, avoiding the collision by inches and hopefully causing enough of a commotion to make an escape.