Willow Ridge the rapture in the dark

@Sahalie and any WR wolves.  <3

Wraith kept up a steady stream of conversation as he led Sahalie south towards the willows. He regaled to her tales of the mountains where he was born, how his family would hunt the mountain goats and compete with rare spotted predators that were so quiet they were almost never heard until they were right on top of you. All the while, the male subtly kept an eye out for any sign of the coyotes' return. That the vermin had dared attack the young one so close to pack territory was an insult Wraith couldn't help but take personally.

Regardless, his demeanor remained calm and friendly, entertained by his companion's excitement for life and adventure, even if she claimed not to be looking for such a thing. As the willows came into sight, his tail wagged. Though he'd not been part of the pack for very long, it had started to feel like home. "There they are," he told her, grinning wide. "We'll call for the others on the pack border just so no one gets their tails kinked."

Saying so, Wraith lifted his muzzle and let out his loud, deep howl to summon his pack mates to come greet their visitor. Lowering his head, he nudged Sahalie affectionately behind the ear. "You can call, too. Perhaps one of them will recognize your voice."

I DID NOT ACCIDENTALLY FORGET ABOUT THIS, I SWEAR, btw any other WR members this thread takes place like 12/16 or something.

Her mouth did not close much as they slowly wandered farther and farther south. (This was a good thing anyway, as Sahalie was hoping to take the mountain tunnels back home and knew that they were somewhere near the more southern mountains. Though, really it was very hard to tell how south was south in this foreign, open land.) Wraith lived on the mountains when he was little —like Kyna!— and hunted prey called goats —which apparently were a lot like deer only with less off-shooting antlers that were way pointier and not as long. And the spotted cats, well, she didn't even know what to make of those, only that they sounded big and scary. She made sure to do her conversational duty and amply distibuted her gasps and woooOOOoows, where appropriate.


But the wow's just kept on coming when at last the willow's began to appear. At first she had thought that they were simply awkward mounds of snow, until she had bounded up to poke one and sent a shower of powder flurrying in the air, discovering a slender, droopy branch of dead leaves beneath. These were the willows! Her her whipped back to Wraith, peels of laughter ringing from her. 


Making sure to be on her best behavior, she gave her errant shoulder fur a good lick and adopted a posture that would allow her to easily fold herself into whatever origami was necessary for her to get into the territory. She started a little when she felt the nose in her ear fur, but was emboldened by his proposition. She tilted her head back and let out her best, "HI @Sven"

An ear perked with a questioning glance in the direction of @Wraith's howl, soon followed by a much younger female voice calling for @Sven. Now This was a new development. His aunt had forgotten to warn the pale princeling the little girls are the devil, so it was with equal measures of curiosity and duty that she moved in the direction of the dark subordinates howl.

She rounded on them in relatively short form, eyes falling on a young girl of dark pelt who smelled like she had travelled a very long way from home. There was nothing to distinguish her as belonging to any of the lands that Morganna herself had ever traversed and so her curiosity only grew. With a wave of her tail and a reaffirming brush of her flank along Wraith's side she offered the young wolf a smile. "Where did yer pick this one up?" she questioned Wraith while keeping her eyes trained on the face of the near yearling.

Memories of Deacon's adventure, and Isolde's disappearance still played out clearly in her mind. She was unable to shake concern that a similar retribution would be sought from their pack as what had been offered to the pack in the north if this child was missing or lost. What if they thought we had taken her on purpose? She supposed the assasination of her uncle would work more in her favour than against it, but what if they targeted her instead?

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2016, 03:16 AM by Morganna.)

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Any fears Wraith had of Sahalie's arrival being taken poorly were diminished the moment Morganna smiled at her. Not once had the brute seen his Alpha offer the sweet expression to a stranger at her borders unless accompanied by a flash of teeth and hardness in her eyes. It was quite a relief to know she didn't look at younglings in the same light as adults. Leaning over, he nibbled warmly at the fur along her neck in greeting before beaming down at his companion.

"This is Sahalie. She was fiercely defending herself from coyotes in the Sacred Grove when I came to her aid. She's from the east, over the mountain range, and said she was familiar with a few of our members, including young Sven." Well, maybe the yearling hadn't been defending herself as fiercely as he implied, but Wraith didn't think it necessary to make her feel embarrassed or even worse about being afraid than she already did.

And speaking of those coyotes...

"I drove them off," he assured, but his eyes had hardened and tail swished irritably behind him. "I know it's not our territory, but I'd like your permission to check in and make sure they stay gone. It's awfully close to home and with spring coming, I'd hate to think of any pups falling victim to those vermin."

SVEN ARCHER

& the night is closing in

When Wraith's voice sailed across the sky, Sven paid little attention to it. That the newcomer would bring a visitor was of some interest to the youth, however not enough so that he would take himself away from his current task and travel the length of the territory simply to investigate. Yet just as he determined to ignore the howl, a second one lifted; youthful, familiar, and calling to him specifically. Shock overtook the boy initially, locking his joints as his ears snapped upward to stand as tall as they could and catch every waver of the notes. Then he was off like a shot, flying over the powdered ground to reach the borders.

He arrived behind his aunt, and then bounded past her, ignoring the words that the two adults spoke.

"Sahalie?!" he yipped when he landed in front of her, tail wagging behind him. This was the last thing he had expected today, and boy was it an awesome surprise. He had to wonder though, had something happened? Why on earth was she with Wraith? His nose wandered and he did a quick circle about her, ensuring that she was alright. She seemed perfectly happy, so nothing bad must have happened, right?

"What're you doing here?"

@Morganna I guess you're next

Soon enough a dark woman arrived on the scene. Her smile was kind but her way of speech was strange to the girl, sort of like Thendaro's but with a different pronunciation and emphasis on different syllables. The dark girl shuffled and kept her posture as unassuming as possible. At least the woman did not seem displeased. She was looking directly at Sahalie, yet the question was directed more to Wraith. At least, Sahalie assumed that "yer" was this wolf's word for you. Sven did not seem to have this way of speaking, which seemed odd. Pointed to it being more like Thendaro's speech issue than a local thing. But in the grand scheme of things it did not matter, it was just thoughts to occupy her as she waited for Wraith to introduce her to the lady. No matter what cadence the woman with, she still commanded the atmosphere admirably.

A blush came over her as Wraith blatantly fudged the truth to his leader. Sahalie had done nothing of the sort. She hadn't even tried to defend herself, instead opting to scream like a little pup. But if Wraith wanted this to be the version of the truth the leader got, then Sahalie would not be the one to drag both her reputation into the mud along with his. She'd just have to take the lie to her grave — something she had tried to avoid accumulating in her short life. The rest of the statements were true enough, thank god. Then there was some more adulty stuff about patrolling and watching the Grove.

She was spared from listening to any more adult talk when finally her friend arrived. Instinctively she fell into a play bow, spanking the ground in front of her even if the opportunity to romp was not really available. Her tail batted playfully at his face as Sven rounded her. Feeling no qualms about speaking to the boy, her own equal, she eagerly yipped, "I came over here to look for Drift! And then I found where my dad's pack used to be so I was looking around!"

Her eyes swept over the curious looking trees, "Nice place you got here!" This was directed more at Morganna than Sven.

Wraith then Sven?

Morganna listened to @Wraith's explanation of how he had come across @Sahalie, a brow barely daring to twitch upwards at his tale of her defensive skills, a small oh really? conveyed to her dark pack mate with a smirk. It was sweet to think that he would try to repair any damage to the young girls ego in such a way were it not the case, but the presence of scavengers to the north might pose a concern, especially given the frequency with which her own members visited the area.

She had long since been aware of @Sven's trips outside of the borders, first in search of his mother and then later for other reasoning of his own, but he had never mentioned to her the other wolves he encountered out there. As if Wraith speaking his name was finally enough to summon the young explorer from the depths of their home, a white flash tore by her flank skidding to a halt in front of their visitor. The younger wolves conversation was only half heard as she focused on Wraith's request, answering him with a grateful smile and a nod before her attention was diverted by a comment the dark girl made, ice forming in the pit of her stomach. 

She could only assume this Drift was of an age with Sahalie and Sven, the thought of another pack missing young only caused to make her heart ache but she forced a smile none the less. "Well yer are quite th' explorer, so I'll give m' thanks," She complimented Sahalie in turn. "I've never crossed th' mountain m'self, it must be exciting visitin' new places..." she continued, seeing how desperately the children wanted to play she decided to cut the small talk short. "Sven, why don't yer show our guest ter one of the caches an' then yer can both play. If anyone has a problem with it tell 'em ter come see me."

His grin came fast and wide when Sven bounded onto the scene. The youngsters' excitement was infectious and Wraith fell into something of a play bow himself, though he disguised it behind a long stretch. However, his wagging tail was evidence enough that he'd romp around with the younger wolves as if he were their age without a single qualm about it. He let the pair have their fun though instead of interjecting. That idea was solidified as Morganna suggested Sven lead Sahalie to the caches to replenish herself before they got too far ahead of themselves.

Relieved to hear Morganna give her word of protection to the young female, Wraith turned his smile on her. While he needn't offer her thanks for it, Wraith did anyway. He'd brought Sahalie along and felt a great amount of responsibility for her welfare. To hear she had Morganna's weight behind her visit as well left him resting easier. None of Willow Ridge would dare harm the youngster with her welcome. Any who would dare would answer for it dearly.

"Let me know if anyone gives you problems," Wraith said to Sahalie, bumping his muzzle playfully against her shoulder. Standing now to address Morganna, he padded forward to nibble at his Alpha's ruff affectionately. "Thank you. You made that easier than I was expecting. If you've no need for me, I think I'll head out for a short hunt. We could use the prey with another mouth to feed."

Wraith out unless anyone has need of him. Don't think there's much more use for him. Hope Sahalie and Sven have fun! <3

@Sahalie your turn! I'd like to get in one more post after you, so Sven can get LP (:

SVEN ARCHER

& the night is closing in

To look for Drift? Her father's old pack? Sven was interested, but what really caught his attention was his aunt's own confession. Never been to the other side of the mountain before? The boy wasn't sure whether to be proud that he had accomplished such a feat so young if one of his idols hadn't managed it, or if maybe he shouldn't have done so at all. Morganna certainly didn't seem upset that he knew this girl, and anyways, there was some kind of relief in knowing that he was more likely to be the only Archer crossing the range. It added to the feeling of refuge he felt when he was there.

His tail picked up into a wag at his aunt's suggestion, and he nodded his slim, marked muzzle in understanding. He pranced forward, tipping his head toward his guest.

"Yeah, I'll show you all around!" he grinned, thrilled and proud to be able to give a tour of the home he so loved. She already said it was nice, hopefully he could prove that it was awesome! He passed one last glance to Morganna to say goodbye, but his steps faltered into a stop when he witnessed Wraith's teeth playing with her fur. What the... ? He knew the display as affection, something only appropriate between family, and even then...

Sven felt the fur along his spine raise as his teeth peeked out from his lips, a glare sent the man's way. Hopefully it was nothing, the possessiveness of the boy's spirit felt agitated all the same. For now, that minute show of agitation would palliate the feeling, however, and hopefully the problem would not grow. Sven forced himself to relax and nudged Sahalie's shoulder to signal that he was ready to leave.

"Anywhere in particular you want to see first?"

(This post was last modified: Apr 04, 2016, 11:53 PM by Sven.)