Iridescent Lagoon Calm before the snowstorm

For @Isuni <3 | Random Event: Dark clouds overhead threaten an incoming snowstorm. | Light Mist

An hour or two tops. That was what Enoki kept repeating within her mind as obsidian limbs struck with determination at the frozen earth below, waves of disturbed powder flinging into the air in the wake of her strides while smoldering amber irises continuously cast a wary glance toward the darkening sky above holding a silent promise to unleash one hell of a storm regardless of whom became trapped by the blistering winds and sting of whipped snow to the face. It was not the brightest idea on the piebald's behalf to engage in such a risky adventure outside Ridge borders, but the melancholic cloud that clung above the pack as of late was damned near suffocating and she needed fresh air. The darting timber wolf was positive she had at least an hour for personal time away before the storm would force her to return to safety.

Ebony brims parted to allow the length of a salmon tongue to rest atop the points of tarnished teeth, a column of exhaled hot air from contracted lungs swirling among the transparent mist that cloaked the sprinting beast. Casting a glance over an ivory clad shoulder was the only answer Enoki needed to know she had traveled far enough for today. It would be best to keep the umbrella shaped boughs of the barren willows well within her sight should the storm advance early. Decreasing the speed of her flying pads down to an easy lope, the plush outline of her tail wagged lazily at her hocks until a brisk walk transformed into an utter standstill once dull nails scratched the icy surface marking the beginning of the lagoon. This would do for now. 

It seemed Enoki was not the only wolf who felt the need to get some fresh air and spend some time away from the pack grounds. The woman promised herself it was only temporary; even if the sky wasn’t threatening awful weather overhead, she’d still return to the Willows before she settled into sleep. That was why she’d joined a pack, after all, to survive the winter and months following; admittedly, she also craved a sense of belonging or purpose, but that was not something she’d found just yet among the wolves of Willow Ridge.

The woman had just been debating her departure of the lagoon when another wolf arrived further down the shoreline. Ears perked up as she inhaled deeply, ignoring the sting of cold, dry air against the back of her throat. That this woman also carried the scent of willows thick in her guard hairs gave Capable reason to pause – did she really want to approach another packmate right now?

Ah, but this piebald wolf wasn’t with the others. Perhaps it would be easier to meet packmates one on one, where there was less pressure. With this in mind, she pressed forward, woofing softly to the other female to make her presence known as she jogged along the shores. “Hello,” she greeted Enoki, her tail wiggling behind her hopefully. “Are you coming back to the ridges, too? I was hoping to beat the weather…”

bring me home, bring back what's stolen,

Capable

like you're supposed to

A wild dissertation appears!

During her haste to elude the confines of the Ridge the piebald woman hadn't noticed the soft tawny blur positioned against the ivory and blue toned landscape further along the frozen shoreline, the female wolf's presence only becoming known when a low woof broke the silence. A pair of obsidian audits flicked toward the direction the sound had originated from as smoldering amber optics peered about in surprise, eventually coming to spy the approaching figure through the swirling mist. She hadn't expected to catch anyone else lingering out this way, especially with the storm looming overhead threatening to brew up something nasty.

Ebony limbs adjusted their posture slightly to meet the tawny wolf head on, white dipped tail lifting a fraction to return the friendly wag. Surely a bit of social interaction never hurt and she really had to get her butt into gear meeting these new members anyways. "Hello there!" Leathery lips paused their motion momentarily to allow the distance to close further between the duo. "I was actually heading out this way to escape the ridges for a bit, but I think mother nature has thwarted that idea." Dark amber optics cast their gaze skyward to witness the latest development on the storm front, lips pursing minimally in disapproval before releasing a short laugh. She had less than an hour by the looks of things now.

Lowering her skull back to focus her attention on the agouti female, a curious tilt of her head followed suit. "I don't think we've properly met before. I'm Enoki." A gentle smile creeping easily onto her swarthy lips.

(This post was last modified: Feb 19, 2016, 02:36 AM by Enoki.)

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

To her pleasant surprise, the other Willow Ridge female seemed quite willing to accept companionship. Met halfway around the shoreline, Isuni found her tail beginning to wiggle with actual happiness, ears pricked forward as she bobbed her head. Doubtlessly, this other wolf ranked above her – everyone did, save for the youth and the pups – but a friendly greeting was enough to encourage warmth in return.

It was so much better than running into Craw, of all wolves.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m a more recent addition.” And I’ve been keeping to myself, she didn’t add, not terribly interested in discussing her own personal reservations. “But it’s nice to meet you. My name is Capable.”

Deciding that Enoki seemed pleasant enough for now, the young wolf glanced upwards towards the rolling sky, tail twitching as she watched the oncoming clouds. The swirling mists were only a warning of the snow to come. It would be dangerous for the pair of wolves to be caught so far from home, even if they were fully grown and quite able to care for themselves. “I was doing the same before the storm rolled in, truthfully. It’s been a bit…tense. Would you like to head back together? We might be better off.”

bring me home, bring back what's stolen,

Capable

like you're supposed to

A wild dissertation appears!

Ah, so her suspicions were confirmed when Capable admitted to being a newer defender of the currently barren willows, the easy smile remaining etched onto her obsidian facial features while a bob of her head in recognition followed the other female's admittance of her name. Lately it seemed like there were more new faces gracing the umbrella shaped trees making up the Archer territory than the piebald woman could recall in months prior since her own join-age, but by no means was that to be considered a bad thing. Growth was always a positive sign for any pack, both older and newer. Willow Ridge was continuing to thrive regardless of winter's harsh kicks and blows against their doorstep. 

An ebony audit twitched subtly forward to rouse the older woman from her senseless thoughts, dark tinted lids blinking away the last traces of idle daydreaming. "Mm, tense is an understatement." Enoki paused a moment, recalling the events recently that have been disrupting the natural flow of the pack. The constant unstable shift of ranks among the male side of the hierarchy ladder since Angier stepped down, Morganna displaying her new found dominance by checking the females in passing with; in her opinion, unnecessary shoulder checks, brief muzzle grabs or drapes of her forelimb over a shoulder asserting her superiority. Herself not excluded from such power displays, but the patchy woman submitted regardless to avoid rougher altercations with her matriarch. It was best to just tuck tail and move along.

This wasn't even the icing, or cherry on the metaphorical shit cake sundae. Discovery of Isolde's frozen corpse won that trophy without contest and the accumulation of it all was what drove Enoki to seek solace away from the borders today. Until the storm ruined those plans. A half sarcastic sigh broke past her lips before a light laugh followed suit, smoldering gaze twinkling as they nestled upon the tawny face of Capable. "It's a shame we couldn't get a little bit longer away, but I think you're right that it's best we head back together for our own safety. Nature can be unpredictable at times." she continued, ivory dipped tail wagging loosely at her hocks. 

Isuni’s expression could only be described as a grimace, reflecting upon the piebald’s own assessment.  Kind, she thought bitterly, tail twitching behind her.  It made a wolf feel rather unwelcome, just a little speck lost among an asterism.  As important as family was to the redhead, it never occurred to her how odd it might be living among a tightly knit family, and not being one of their own.  In fact, as taken as she might have been when @Morganna had recruited her to the Ridges, the recent dominance displays had not flown well with large female, especially the muzzle grabbed.  It was no worse than what Arrow had done, however, and she grinned and bared it.  

With a short huff, Capable nodded and turned about, beginning to move in the direction of their home.  She set the pace to a brisk trot; hopefully they would return before the storm rolled in, and still have the breath to continue talking.  Thus far, Enoki seemed – pleasant, at the very least. “Mhm, shame indeed.  Though I do not think an extended absence would be smiled upon.” The grimace was back as the redhead shook her head, wondering what she’d agreed to upon joining the Archer clan.

“Does it ever get any less strange?  Not being one of them?”

bring me home, bring back what's stolen,

Capable

like you're supposed to

A wild dissertation appears!

"Mm, no, not at all and I'd hate to get on Morganna's bad side for risking it." Enoki concurred, her limbs easily adjusting to match the brisk trot Capable now set as the duo began the trek home toward the barren willows. A few fleeting moments of silence settled comfortably between the women, an ebony ear twitching toward her travel companion when a set of questions flitted off her salmon tongue in regards to them. In all honestly the patchy female hadn't given it much thought. She was a family oriented wolf and it was a natural merging when she finally decided to seek Elettra's pack whom was then and to this day still consisting of mostly Archers, but never had she pondered the idea of being one of them.

Snow crunched beneath the weight of her paws as she mentally prepared her answer, unsure just how to word her thoughts on the subject. Was the reasoning for the larger framed woman asking such questions because she felt strange in their presence? Had she felt like an outsider among them? An ugly duckling among a family of swans? It was a plausible idea considering she was still fairly new and explained her solitude near the lagoon, but regardless it warranted a small twist of guilt within Enoki's stomach who could relate to such a notion. Perhaps after today the piebald timber would go out of her way to ensure this female felt more at home in Willow Ridge and less of an outsider if that was indeed the case. But first she had questions to answer.

"I've committed many months to serving this pack and at first it took me some time to adjust to life here. It definitely wasn't the same here as it was back in my homeland, but eventually I adjusted." A pause in words, a glance toward the darkening sky and then where home nestled on the horizon before smoldering amber irises returned to her pack mate's tawny face. "As for being one of them, I'll admit I had my envious moments. Yet, it wasn't the sense of I envied being an Archer. It was in the sense I missed home, my family." At one point her brother, Mordacai, had joined their ranks, but soon he was seen no more. No doubt returning to the Calarosa mountains after their sibling falling out leaving her to be the sole Ashrelle once more in Relic Lore. Once more Enoki played the part as an ugly duckling among a family of swans.

Sorry for being so slow.  x __ x  Maybe we can start wrapping it up?

Her question fell like snow, and for a while, the only sound was the soft sifting of feet pushing through powdery snow as the pair of females continued their hasty journey homeward.  Capable was almost beginning to wonder if perhaps she shouldn’t have questioned the older wolf – perhaps she considered herself one of them?  An Archer in all but name?  She might have kept wondering, had the piebald timber not spoken up.

Ears perked back upwards and she offered attention best she could without taking eyes off their track.  The last thing she needed was to slip and fall like an awkward pup.  Talk about alienating herself.

“It isn’t much like my birth pack, either,” she murmured, though whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen.  She huffed a sigh, not entirely put at ease by Enoki’s explanation.  Even if she never envisioned joining the Archer clan, it was obvious the others had not made the effort to take a loyal subordinate into the fold.  Wouldn’t it become home if it were otherwise?  Was pack not meant to be family, even if they weren’t blood born?  Mouth twisted into a wry expression, and Capable hurried along, though she wasn’t certain the unease settling over her was due to the impending storm alone.

“Sometimes I wonder whether or not they are really interested in any outsiders at all.  But time will tell.  Maybe I just haven’t found my place yet.”

bring me home, bring back what's stolen,

Capable

like you're supposed to

A wild dissertation appears!

Go ahead and fade then archive <3

A single ear twisted sideways to catch the words as they fell from Capable's mouth, her own gaze kept intently on the snowy foreground and steadily approaching silhouettes of the willow trees that marked home. Just as her company was adamant about slipping like a pup in the snow, a similar sense lay just beneath the surface for Enoki, but of the opposite end of the spectrum. She wasn't quite ready to begin revealing the early signs of her ever increasing age. Sure she was still young at heart and partially young in body, but there was no denying the gradually seeping aches in her joins in the mornings. Some days were better, but the sign was still there. She wouldn't live forever.

Silence fell like the curtains of snowflakes around them as they trudged through the powdery snow back home until Capable spoke up once more, this time warranting Enoki to turn her head toward the agouti pelted female as she spoke. For a bit the piebald woman mulled over those words, having felt the very same way during her early Ridge days as the new girl in town. "I think it depends on who you encounter. Just remember every batch has a bad apple, or two, but very rarely is the entire batch soiled." With that a reassuring smile graced her lips, taking a purposeful step to the side to bump her shoulder playfully against the younger female's before stealing a glance toward the ugly sky above. The storm was moving in quickly.

"Y'know this storm seems to be moving in quickly. How about I race you home? Winner has to catch the other lunch." A mischievous smirk soon appeared on swarthy lips, not even waiting for a reply before ebony limbs soared forward to crash through the snow. If there was one thing that could ease a troubled mind, it was a good run.