Grizzly Hollow Tensions

@Veho only!
Set directly after this thread

 

Reach for the stars

Slow, evenly paced steps took the russet Queen further and further into the confines of her home. Clutched firmly between her jaws, hung the limp body of the fish, caught and presented by their newest member, Squeak. While spring was not far away, winter was by no means over. Hopefully the young wolf would utilize the availability of the river nearby, in case the Hollow wolves found themselves in shortage of prey. Ears turned back, jaws quivered and clenched down slightly on the damp, scaled body. Jynx was still irritated. She had done nothing more than simply show up. Than perform one of her many duties as Leader. As she dropped the gift down by one of the caches, a thought occurred to her. Perhaps Veho did not want her to have this position. Maybe he found her unfit for the job, for all she knew. She tossed her head to the side with an arrogant huff. Too bad. It had not been his call to make; it was Quil's. Unless she was challenged by a rightful heiress to the throne, then no other females would be throwing their weight around anytime soon.

Pawing at the soil of the cache, she uncovered it's contents, not surprised to find it containing a few meager leftovers of a rabbit or two. Dragging the fish closer, she placed it within the excavated cache, before covering it up again, using her nose and paws to tamp down the soil. A quick mark of urine signaled that this cache had been restocked, and was ready for use, to any who may need it. Turning partway, she lifted her head to glance back over a shoulder, for any sign of her...partner. She saw none, but wasn't fooled. He couldn't have gone very far on his way back from the borders. Instinctively drawing her head up a fraction higher, she let out a stern chuff. "Veho. We need to talk." Her voice was set on edge, yet eerily calm, with no room for argument.

Had you been there tonight, you might know how it feels to be struck to the bone!

Veho did not follow directly in his counterpart’s paw prints; the man needed his space, and he would be sure to seek it out before approaching the woman. In truth, he desired to consult his Ancestors on the matter, to hone his patience, to strengthen his resolve, but there was no such time. So the alpha allowed himself a few breaths of crisp, cold air, and allowed the mask to return his pale face. Whatever Jynx had in store for him, he would shoulder, be it that she simply wished to talk, or if she let her emotions rule her and wished to calumniate the lord with whatever misgivings she’d made up in her time without him.

Still, the stern chuff did little to improve the man’s mood.

Striking forward from the thick of cedar wood trees, the man held his tail aloft as he eyed the woman with pale moons. Who do you think you are, he wondered to himself, that you speak to me in such a way?

But Veho inhaled the harsh bite of dry winter air through his dark nose and gave himself pause before he gave himself voice. “Wacipi,” he warned her carefully, holding his head high like any king with a crown nestled upon his brow. “Do not speak to me as one of your subordinates. You may have replaced Quil in her interim, but you do not rule me.”

As far as he was concerned, he was the only one with Rook’s true interests at heart – and thus, by default, Quil’s as well. “Speak, if you wish it.”

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

 

Reach for the stars

With the winter season, came a change for wolves. Hormone levels shot through the roof, leading to heightened aggression and flared tempers between individuals who did not exactly click. Perhaps she and Veho, were just such a pair. Coolly, she watched as her lighter colored partner made his appearance. Despite her calm facade, on the inside, her emotions and temper were boiling hotter by the second. Convincing her further and further, that this place was not where she was meant to be. Just a temporary haven, as she had approached it from the start. 

His display and stern, forceful words did nothing to sway her, to falter her in her stance or attitude. She kept her russet head drawn high (but not arrogantly so) and tail aloft. The slow side to side swishing of her tail like a pendulum was the only true giveaway at her real emotions. For the sake of civility, Jynx did not allow the sneer she wished to come to her face to surface. She would try to work this out, even in such a confrontational mood. Instead sharp yellow eyes narrowed only a fraction at his opposing silver ones. Who the hell does he think he is? She growled to herself at Quil and Rook's names. He was offered only a soft huff, before she spoke, a little too calmly. "Likewise." She stated, with perhaps a hint of sarcasm. "Quil elected me to take her place. Temporarily. As did Rook, to you." She didn't say it, but they were both nothing more than fill ins. "Need I remind you that it was Rook alone who found me, who decided to allow me refuge in his pack." She sent him a look that said he had no role in deciding her entry or not. He was merely there to assist with her injuries and nothing more. 

Moving on, Jynx paced back and forth, with slow, deliberate steps. Not taking her eyes off of him for a second. "Now, if you have a problem with the way I am handling my role...which it seems you do...I suggest you speak up." She stopped directly before him once again, but did not invade his personal space. "But before you do, know that I am only doing what is required of me to ensure the pack is run smoothly. If you don't like sharing our duties like equals should, then you need to re-think your strategy as Leader." While Jynx may have been overreacting emotionally, in her eyes, Veho was the one who started this all. All by one wrong look at the borders, then getting irritated with her for simply doing her job.

Had you been there tonight, you might know how it feels to be struck to the bone!

Were he a lesser wolf, he might have rolled his eyes as Wacipi felt the need to remind her equivalent of her arrival at Grizzly Hollow. As if he were not there, as if he were not the reason she was walking again without any hint of old injury. Thankfully, pride was not the man’s sin, and while it might have twinged, it did not rule the lawful soul. The alpha’s tirade was met with an impassive, if slightly worn, expression.

“Do not,” he warned her evenly, “speak down to me. If you cannot find duties to keep yourself busy without stepping on my paws, it is not I who is struggling with Leadership. It is not a competition. I do what needs to be done, as it needs to be done, in the way it needs to be done. That you cannot find order is not a failing of mine.”

Not a proud wolf, but Veho was a man ruled by lawful nature – his own morality and sense of right that dictated such lawfulness, in fact. That Wacipi was beginning to buck against his own sense of order was not a problem of his own. “Understand that you may be my packmate, and my family – you will be watched as are all others here – but you are not my equal. That you need to demand such things of me only makes this more clear to me now.”

 

Reach for the stars

Her patience was rapidly wearing thin with the man. Her upright tail lashed at the air behind her in agitation. She did not know how much longer she would be able to keep her temper, and her mouth, in check. Glinting yellow eyes narrowed in his direction. "I believe I have had everything under control, just as much as you have. Which is why I chose to show up at the borders when I did." Now, slowly, Jynx let the mask slip. A new fire sparked in her molten colored eyes, a flash of irritation written across her face. "And apparently, you don't seem to appreciate my consideration for doing such."

Growing more and more irritated by the second, Jynx began to let her emotions take over. Bringing her insecurities and personal feelings to the forefront of her mind, which she would confront Veho with. She had respected him at one point. But now he was proving to herself that Grizzly Hollow was in fact, not the place where she was meant to be. Even if he did not consider her his equal, as Leaders, their job was a partnership. He hadn't even taken the time out of his busy schedule to get to know her, while he did with his subordinates. She whirled to face him moments after those last words flew from his lips, but not in an aggressive manner. He had struck a nerve, and a faint smirk written upon her muzzle signaled a change in her mood. He wanted to play? Fine. 

She held back the short, humorless laugh she wished to release. Instead she only shook her head. "Oh of course not. You're right. It is not me who is your equal. It's Rook. He should be in my shoes instead, at your side. Ask him to take my place instead." Now she was just being mean, to try and get under his skin. It was no secret of the relationship between the two males. While Jynx respected their feelings for one another, she did not see it as natural. To her, it almost seemed that he viewed her as unworthy, as a female, to be in a Leadership position. Turning her back to him, Jynx practically dared him to come and confront her, with whatever he had in mind. As far as she was concerned, her mind was already made up in regards to her future here.

(This post was last modified: Feb 22, 2016, 02:06 AM by Jynx.)

Had you been there tonight, you might know how it feels to be struck to the bone!

Jynx’s harsh words were met with a faint smile – did she think to shame him, for preferring the former alpha over a female partner, perhaps?  There were several things in his past the he was still ashamed of.  Neha’s death still hung over him like a ghost.  Leaving his parents behind was still fraught with confusion, but his relationship?  Nothing in the world could make him ashamed of @Rook – much less the words of a bitter wolf.  Was she jealous?  Perhaps, but he did not care much for the petty barb thrown in search of a reaction.  What did she hope to get for all of that?

With an expression turned bitter, he tipped his head to one side.  “I will consider that your resignation,” he said. “Perhaps I will offer the position to Rook in your stead.  He does, after all, have a grasp on tact.”

In truth, he had little intention to do so.  They were revolutionary in some senses, but even if he thought they might run Grizzly Hollow together, it did not seem his partner was ready to step back into the role of leadership.  Instead, there was another friend he had in mind – one who had proven her worth again and again.  But in the meantime.

“I trust you can see yourself out.”

(This post was last modified: Feb 23, 2016, 11:07 PM by Veho.)

This will be Jynx's exit post.

 

Reach for the stars

With a slow glance over her shoulder at her former partner, it was clear she was done playing games. She released the hold on the flaring emotions she had been holding back, and let loose. Whirling to face him, her expression grew harsh. A snarl curled over her lips while both ears pressed forwards, hackles raised. "Oh I have long since resigned, believe me." She hissed, pink tongue darting out between pearly white teeth. While her body language and threat display was quite clear, Jynx would not physically lash out at Veho in anger. She knew better.

"Apparently you could care less about my place here. You have all along." She growled, whirling to the other side before him. "In fact, you never even took the time or the effort to get to know me as your partner. Or an individual. Had you given a flying fuck, then you would have shown some interest." Clicking her teeth together, Jynx stepped back, her facial features smoothing out, but remaining harsh nonetheless. "If you think you can run the pack better on your own, or with Rook, fine." She stepped away, glaring coldly over her shoulder. "I am done being a part of this three ring circus. Have fun with it." She jeered, referring to Rook and the fact that he stood no chance, as a male, of breeding with his lover. She would much rather be alone, than in a pack where she had no respect or was in the midst of some unnatural lovers dream. With a forceful shove past him, and a low growl, she warned Veho to keep well away as she made her way to the borders. Once out of sight, she stealthily slipped away, abandoning the responsibility and the luxury of pack life once again.