Willow Ridge Killing in the name of...

@Craw - no rush at all, just getting this up while I have the time (procrastinating assignments). :)

It had been long enough now surely. She had treated Craw like any other newcomer, a glance in passing, but otherwise dismissive, as though he needed to prove himself useful or convince her he wasn’t going to leave. She had come back upon the clearing where she stumbled across Angier and @Skoll’s confrontation and moved to the middle of the empty space and settled herself in a seated position, surveying the land itself. It had been well chosen (by Angier or Skoll she could not determine), and it must have been merely miserable luck that resulted in Skoll losing the upper hand (she hadn’t been present to see how he had slipped on the loose leaves underfoot and stumbled past his mark).

There was a chill in the air to warn her time was running out, and while she had increased the length of her scouting journeys, taken them far more frequently, her stamina and speed had improved but she remained as lean as ever. She could see no conceivable way to overcome her mother in a fight. All the moves she knew had been taught to her by @Elettra, and she was sure her mother could counter them with both eyes closed. No this would call for something new... Just in case.

The borders were fresh with her scent again. It had been on such a ordinary loop of the territory that he had discovered the fact of her arrival, and though he paused to confirm it, he did little more than snort and carry on his way. In the days which followed, he saw her more than once, but she had listened to his advice; treating him like little more than some new stranger in their ranks, she had seen fit to give him little less than acknowledging glances.

Good. Content that she was, so far behaving sensibly, Craw continued on his daily duties, and the sleeping in a permanent den and far easier meals was letting his body slowly rebuild itself.

Maintained distance was more unusual than overfamiliarity, though. Craw had not been shy in seeking out the company of other members of the Archer family - and other pack members besides - and so there was no need to give Morganna special treatment. Her musk was in his nose, his paws on a trail only minutes old, and with no other pressing tasks he decided that it was time they met.

She was sat in the middle of a clear space, almost contemplative, but Craw did not stop to wonder at what was on her mind. If it was relevant, if it was important, she would share it. He cleared his throat, stepped toward her once, his gaze seeking out her own.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself," he rumbled, and it was not a lie; while he had learned her name, he had deliberately held back from sharing his. "My name is Craw."

(This post was last modified: Oct 15, 2015, 04:35 PM by Craw.)

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

As if her thoughts alone were enough to make him materialise, she allowed herself a small smile when he met her eyes. @Craw.  She committed the name to memory, having been certain it would come about eventually (either through the gossip of fellow pack mates or via his own introductions. “Morganna.” she offered casually in response for the sake of any prying ears. “I hear yer bought a wolverine with yer. Very impressive.” she praised with a small smile. “I was beginin’ ter worry my siblin’s and nephew would be carried off by a cat.”  she jested, taking note of his improved condition. Yes he would do just nicely, even if he only stayed for the winter.

Anyone who had been here for any length of time knew the young Archer kept herself busy. She didn’t like committing to anyone other than her mother and littermate, when the inevitable abandonment would be so hard to stomach. Even her own father had fled before she was born. Was it really any wonder she kept distant? Still she had to make an effort where she could. “Yer’ll have ter forgive me fer not findin’ yer sooner. Herbs her gather, caches ter stock. Winter waits fer no wolf an’ all that…” She joked. “How are yer settlin’ in?” she finally questioned. Interested to gauge his impression of her home.

hng sorry.

The smile snaked it way slowly across his face, the satisfaction in her rough voice a welcome sound. She couldn't understand the wolverine's significance but it didn't matter, she had drawn her own meaning and was pleased. Talk of a cat was in jest, he knew, but understood the compliment. It was evident that the damage that time alone had done to his body was being rapidly repaired, for he was not made to be weak and fragile. Given the opportunity to fix it, he was, and with great enthusiasm.

She made an apology for delaying their meeting but he shook his head to dismiss it, for he saw her choice as simply listening to his advice. Now was as good a time as any for her to meet one of the pack's newcomers. Besides, the candid comment rather went against the otherwise well-constructed falsehood that the didn't know each other, and though he knew that the others in the pack had little to nothing to suspect of his presence here other than as a fresh recruit, it satisfied his quietly pulsing paranoia to keep it in check. "Very well," he said, moving towards her, coming to sit nearby, his yellow eyes bright and fixed on her own. "It is a cosy house your mother has built, well-looked after and with plenty of amenities. I like it." The lack of near-constant snow and the ease with which one could find non-frozen water were definitely boons which he was growing to deeply appreciate. "I met her," he mentioned aloofly, an ear flicking out just once, the casual manner belying the more serious look in his eye - which he doubted that Morganna would miss. "She's a very... strong woman."

Morganna listened to the silvered man's gravelly praises for her mothers pack with a proud smile on her lips. While she was only a small cog in the well oiled machine that had lasted the test of not only time, but rabies, famine, and their own fair share of other disasters, she had been part of their story since her birth. "She was always drawn ter this place." she spoke softly. "If I even manage ter be half th' woman she is, I'd be proud of m'self." Of course she would always strive to fill her mother's shoes. She wasn't the quitting kind.


A casual glance was enough to tell her pack life was agreeing with him well. "Yer are a bit imposing aren't yer?" she teased in good humour, "It's a good thing, we need more wolves like yer. But I bet all that bulk slows yer right down." She rose to her feet offering him a sidelong glance, not taking him for the playful sort but challenging him all the same. If there was one thing her brothers had taught her, it was that opponents gave away far more than they intended when they thought it was just a game. 

A hint of backstory was given, a tiny morsel which fed the curiosity which began to worm further into Craw's brain. Always drawn to this place? He knew there had to be history behind this pack, behind these lands, and it was fully his intention to learn them. But this wasn't the time; ears pushing forward in clear interest, Craw nevertheless did not question Morgann further on the subject, instead filing it away for future questioning. He would want to know everything possible - all context was important.

An ear twitched as the young woman claimed to be happy with becoming less than her mother. That either meant that she lacked ambition, or held her parent in far too high a regard; it was always possible to be more. If Elettra was flawless, then they wouldn't be able to indulge in her little conspiracy, for Morganna's loyalty to her leader would not be this shaky. A wolf doesn't plan to usurp the rank of a superior if they don't think they could do it better.

The topic changed then, jerking Craw from his train of thought, but as he realised what she was saying, the long, slow smirk returned. He had plenty of strength to recover still, but simply having the support system of a pack was doing wonders for his improving health. No longer did he have to worry about trivial matter such as food or shelter; now he had time to spend on more significant matters.

She was outright baiting him, Craw knew, and he watched her for a long moment, not rising to it. He huffed once in amusement and averted his gaze, rolling his shoulders. "It's true," he rumbled, at ease, "certainly compared to a little thing like you. Although, you sho-"

Mid-syllable, he lunged at her, intending only to barrel into her with his chest and greater bulk - his jaws were closed, for he did not want to cause real harm, but he would pin her to the ground if the feint was successful.

She wasn't watching nearly closely enough, coming to the conclusion far too quickly that he wasn't going to take her bait. It was pure reflex that allowed her to respond to his movement, his weight catching her flank, causing her to stumble in her retreat as she bounded an extra step away, and turned tightly to face the larger wolf. Disgust with herself was quickly replaced with a toothy grin as her tail arched over her back in a good natured wave. "Less ter slow me down." she shot back, her tone entirely too cocky for a wolf with very little fighting experience.


One of these days she would have to share her motives with the pale fiend but now was not the time, feigning with a swing of her head to her left (Craw's right), she sprung towards @Craws left flank hoping to prod her nose somewhere around his chest or shoulder (although a poke in the ribs would still be more than she thought herself capable of). She was leaving her own flank exposed, neck outstretched and vulnerable, but she had run out of time to correct her stance. All she could do was hope she hit her mark, and that she possessed the speed to dart away just as quickly as she moved in.

It was enough of a success to see the fleeting frustration on her face that he'd caught her off-guard, and the laughter rolled deep in his chest as she stumbled back only to recover with a grin. The tone was set now, and he saw the way her balance shifted, her stance slipping into one appropriate for sparring - Craw had no time to reply before she moved to his left after a clumsy feint. She had the ideas, the moves, but not the skills - at least, nothing more than the skills honed from play-fighting. He made the quick guess that she had never really fought for her life, and decided to see if her actions would lend weight to that prediction.

She left herself wide open, and he, tensed and ready to move since first lunging at her, jumped forwards again, twitching his side out of her reach as he moved. Rather than aim for teeth at her throat, he brought his head down, intending to exploit her vulnerability by bringing the bridge of his muzzle under her throat and then jerk it upwards, also using his forelegs to add momentum, which would hopefully unbalance and take by surprise. All the while he was moving forwards, so that she would be forced to get out of his way - either by her own action or through falling - as he decided that she needed to see that speed wasn't everything. But better to test her instincts first, then break her own into her constituent parts, ready to be built into something stronger and more durable.

She couldn't keep track of him. Speed was hardly an asset if you didn't know how to use it. She slipped in the leaf litter as she tried to dart away, and when that stumble was combined with the force of his muzzle under her chin she knew she was done for. Her confidence had been built on the way @Skoll had slowly stopped dropping her in the dirt, but now she had to question if he had been doing that to spare her pride all along? 

Her shoulder connected with the dirt, but she didn't bother trying to get up, instead she curled her tail along her stomach, her chin tucked in tight to protect her throat, the tip of a single canine protruding from between her ebony lips. "Alrigh' I told yer I don' know what I'm doin'..." she said, almost daring to pout like a chastised child, it was as close as she could bring herself to saying I surrender, but her body spoke the words her tongue would not. 

She didn't move to get up yet, getting knocked on her ass once was enough, but if he wanted to push the issue she could do without the extra bruises for now.