Windsong Fjord genius=crazy

since @Thalia has gone inactive, this thread is open to ANYONE 
jump @ lach yo he needs threads

Since the Hearthwood wolves had arrived in the north and settled into Kingsfall the healer had remained confined to the eastern side of the Expanse. When they had first settled into their new home Maksim’s children had been much younger and they were still worried about the development of Grizzly Hollow. Due to the disappearance of both the female’s in his life, XIX had kept to himself and explored their neighbouring territories in order to get acquainted with the land. It was important for him, as the pack’s healer, to know where to find the medicinal plants he used to stock his infirmary. The arrival of winter (and the snow) had made it a little more difficult, but since he had been cooped up at the dens since Maksim’s injury the ghost was desperate to stretch his legs and explore further.

Due to the king’s health increasing Lachesis had resumed his temporary position as leader until Lachesis felt as though Maksim was fully capable of returning to his position. Maksim was a little stubborn when it came to his health and wouldn’t wait until he was fully healed to return to the throne. This time XIX wasn’t going to allow his friend to jump back into the saddle so quickly.

Now that he no longer needed to be within shouting distance of the injured king Lachesis was out exploring the western side of the expanse. He stalked through the snow-dusted woods, occasionally glancing down at the river that cut through the land. He knew that once the snow cleared these trees would be abundant with plants he could use to fill his infirmary. The ghost had left Hearthwood just before sunrise in order to get to the Fjord by daybreak. As the sun rose from it's perch it illuminated the forest, along with the snow, and causing a sense of peace to wash over Nineteen. It was moments like these that made the former reserve wolf truly appreciate his new home. He had arrived in Relic Lore many months ago with his blue-eyed companion, Anastasia, after forcibly being removed from his home. His brother, Pyrrhus, had given the skittish boy no choice in leaving their fenced home, and while he had been reluctant at the same (and utterly terrified) Lachesis was now thankful for the ‘kidnapping’. It had been difficult to get adjusted to the life of a feral wolf but he couldn’t imagine any other life. This was his life—being free; being able to go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He had friends and was needed by his pack mates, something he had never imagined back on the reserve. After losing a few friends along the away and jumping from pack to pack, Lachesis had finally found where he wanted to stay; where he was truly happy. Something that he didn’t realize was possible when he had been confined behind fences and monitored by the two-legs.

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2016, 12:12 PM by Karina. Edit Reason: misspelled the title... ironically it was the word genius... I am not so genius )

stick with those who stick with you

I know it's a bit old, hope it's still okay to pop in. ^-^

It did not surprise Merys to find his companionship side beginning to pull at his heart. It had been a few weeks travel since he'd left his brother by a creek, and in turn the rest of his family and pack. Merys would naturally be described as more solitary than social in his last pack, but he was not without instinctual needs. Though he had ended up running into his old alpha male and stayed with him for some time, he had still pressed on for something more. He wanted more. He still wasn't sure what the 'more' was, but he knew it was not waiting for him back in his last pack. Recently, he had begun to think it might be in a new pack; perhaps, though, it was just loneliness and would be fixed with a intermittent encounters.. but, he doubted it.

He had been purposefully avoiding all of the strong scents until now. He recognized that there had been a few pack borders that were strongly marked on his travel south, but he had decided best not to just simply knock on their doors and ask for shelter. He knew he didn't need them.. not yet. Although a hunter by trade, Merys knew he would not benefit from staying a loner much longer. He had no pride in admitting that, enjoying the thought of being self-sufficient, but he knew that a pack could benefit him in more ways than one. They were safer. In exchange for his simple talents with his nose and teeth, he would gain much more — he just wasn't convinced that he was ready to settle down just yet. The remaining fat on his body and the muscles beneath his skin told him he still had time before he would need to begin searching, and until then, Merys was enjoying his exploring. He anticipated that if he made it past the bissextus, then he would be in the market for a new home.

Today's adventures found Merys in the most picturesque place he had found since he'd left home. The landscape here had shifted into natural beauty, even more than the mountains he had known from a pup. A different sort of beauty, one of colour and lushness. He had begun to miss the rocky lands, jutted peaks, and coniferous plant life, so was glad to find a nice mix of the two this morning. It was not the only thing pleasing his nose this morning. A male scent had been on the air, and there had something about the day that had pulled Merys toward it for once and not away. He knew he would end up staying in these lands, so he might as well break the ice eventually. He paused his trotting through the snow to pull his ears back and give a friendly, short howl, calling whoever it was in the area. It felt wonderful to use his vocal chords again; they were coarse, and the four year old realized then just how long he had been without company.

founding member | 2016

thank you for joining! :D was hoping this thread wouldn't die <3

While he was fiercely loyal to his pack — his friends; his family — Lachesis was still fond of going off on his own and exploring the terrain. This area was still new to him as he had focused on ensuring Hearthwood’s borders were properly marked and they had established themselves in Kingsfall. It was important for the neighbouring packs to know that they had arrived here and they were not going anywhere — not again. Lachesis refused to be chased from his home a fourth time. The first time had been due to the death of an important member. The second was the result of a natural disaster; the third due to undesirable neighbours. The River wolves would not be moved; Lachesis would not allow it. Even if his leadership was only temporary, he was still the second and this pack was is home. He would live among the river wolves until the end of his days and would do anything possible to ensure they did not fall apart.

As he maneuvered expertly over the land a howl caused his movements to stop abruptly, his ears standing tall as he located its origin. Despite wanting to be alone so he could search the land for plants to add to his inventory, XIX knew — for the future of his pack — that he needed to converse with more loners. With any further hesitation, the pale leader threw back his head and responded with his own howl as he changed his course.  Perhaps he was lost and searching for a way out, or merely passing through. The only way to tell was actually confronting the wolf — the good kind of confrontation, of course.

It did not take long for him to catch sight of the brown-eyed loner. Once the stranger came into sight XIX gave a loud woof to alert the other of his close proximity. It was possible that he just wanted to be left alone and the river medic would respect that; but it didn’t hurt to try to engage in casual conversation. It was possible that this chance meeting could result in a new river wolf…

stick with those who stick with you

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Merys wouldn't like to admit how happy it had made him to have his call returned. Maybe he was that lonely. It had only been a few weeks.. he twitched his tail in annoyance at himself, but a smile creeped into his features nonetheless. He changed his path to line up with his to-be company and padded forward confidently. He was glad that this 'longing' had hit him away from the territories that had been so heavily marked, he was not particularly in the mood for bowing down or showing his belly to anyone today. Nor had he ever been, really. Merys had gotten as far as he did with his — what did they call it, insubordinance? — ahem, ways, due to his birthright in his pack. That, and that he tended towards staying out of most wolves ways anyway. He was too uninterested by those sick with power and those sick with envy to waste his energies.

His sister, on the other hand, had always been a bit if a rabble-rouser when it came to the lower ranks. She found it amusing to see how much subordinates could hate who was sitting at the top, but mostly because she knew that she and her siblings were given too many passes from the higher ups. Merys thought that was one of her worst qualities, and wondered how she had gotten the tendencies. No one else had been inclined to be like that.. No, in fact, his other brother and sister had been stricken with sense of duty and purpose to climb to the top of the ladder. Merys had been happy in the middle, minimal problems from both sides. He liked neutral, he liked the mix between control and benefit. Being a lone wolf seemed to be a great choice for a while, but there was less benefits after some time. Especially if the prey was slim in the areas you were tending to live. Merys was a skilled hunter, but he had yet to learn to make wildlife appear out of nowhere. A new pack was where strength in numbers benefited him the most, that he knew. He just wasn't sure if it quite the time just yet.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a faint scent he knew too well to ignore in times like this. Meat. Not fresh, but freshness was not a luxury lone wolves got to be picky about. He turned his head, ears perked, and slowed to a stop. He listened for another predator, but he heard nothing. Was that a grumble? Immediately distracted, Merys pulled himself slightly off journey towards the smell. Elk? Caribou? No.. deer, perhaps? It was faint but certain, and he anticipated it being partially covered by snow — mere luck that he had stumbled upon it. He put his nose to the ground, feeling more urgent now that he was sure of the deer's presence. Another wash of clarity came over him when a new sound made his ears flick backwards, and his head rise from the ground quickly to look in the direction of his new company.

Merys had momentarily forgotten his original path towards the male. He was thankful for his yip, since Merys had become rather absorbed by his quest for the deer. The white male standing there now had a strong scent to him, now that Merys' snout was not being selective. "Yes, hello, uh," he greeted, then looked away for a moment, in the direction that the scent of the deer was, conflicted. Ugh, it wasn't fresh, it wasn't going anywhere.. Merys turned his body to face his company more politely and dipped his head in greeting. "Hi, not trying to be rude, I just smelled something and am realizing only now.." how hungry I've been all day.. he trailed off, dropping his snout to the snow again, making sure the scent hadn't wandered off. It would be no mystery to this male, clearly belonging to some pack by the smell of him, that Merys was alone and thinner than his frame would have him surrounded by a family. He was pulled to the food, but interested in the ghost-coloured male. He sincerely hoped, realizing, that two males and a meal would not make for an incredible change in the theme of his day, and flicked his brown eyes back to the wolf warily. He was not convinced he would win a fight right now, nor was he in the mood for trying. However scarce the food was in his life, having wounds to lick would be even more of a problem for the loner.

(This post was last modified: Mar 01, 2016, 12:54 PM by Merys. Edit Reason: Forgot a word in a sentence, and made my word of the day italic instead of green by accident. )

founding member | 2016

It seemed they both detected the scent of the deer at the same time. The loner’s attention wavered, clearly distracted by the idea of a meal. Lachesis knew all to well the struggles of being a loner; food was not so easy to come by, especially food that didn’t require any work. The pale medic was not an unreasonable man, nor was he a tyrant. He could not watch another stuffer while he gorged on a meal. Bringing some back to his pack would be ideal, but XIX knew he wouldn’t be able to bring the whole thing back. Sharing seemed like the only logical option.

“You’re hungry,” he commented, finishing the male’s sentence for him as he nodded in understanding. “Let’s go eat then,” he added with a friendly wag of his tail as he took a step toward the agouti male. Lachesis had always been intrigued by loners — where they came from, where they were going, ex cetera. At first the life of a loner had frightened XIX, who arrived in Relic Lore a timid, stuttering mess. He had strayed away from others, keeping to the shadows and avoiding confrontation at all costs. However, with the help of a few individuals, his confidence had skyrocketed and the nerves began to ebb away. His stuttering became less frequent and he put his talents to use. Despite being comfortable among the river wolves and feeling that he was truly home, Lachesis could not help but wonder how he would fair as a loner now. He was no longer the scared wolf who had unwilling escaped the wolf reserve; he had finally grown into himself and put his past behind him, precisely where it belonged.

Without further hesitation, the temporary leader of the river wolves motioned to where the scent of the kill was coming from. It would be a waste to not dine on the kill together and it would give the medic a chance to get to know the brown-eyed loner. As much as he preferred keeping to himself XIX knew that he needed to converse with loners whenever the opportunity came up. For the pack, he kept telling himself. For the pack.

stick with those who stick with you

Relief entered his mind at the friendly wag of the ghost's tail, and he returned it with one of his own. While he wasn't too impressed by the thought of seeming the helpless loner, Merys wasn't about to dwell on it when there was a meal to be had. It was what it was, and it was worth the absence of a confrontation with an added meal. A whole deer would have been too much for him alone anyway, he supposed, though he wouldn't have minded guarding it for a few days and keeping it all to ensure some extra fat on his bones. It wasn't going to happen, he knew, so he pushed the thought from his mind. The deer wasn't even his catch, it was already dead by something else's teeth, so there was not much room for possessiveness or rodomontade. Merys' stance relaxed, feeling comfortable with the situation and noticed the other male's notion to move forward. He turned his body to head in the same direction and put his nose to the ground, then stood back up and looked to the male. "Yes! Yes, let's,"

The male turned his face once again in the direction of the scent of the deer and began padding forward with the other male. The longer they'd stood there, the stronger the smell seemed to come to him. His natural hunting instincts came to him then, though he knew he had no work to do. Inquisitively, he searched again on the air for another animal, perhaps the one who had taken the deer down originally, but he found nothing. He was glad for that. Even though two large male wolves were frequently enough to send any creature on his way, the easier the challenge the better. Today, anyway. Or moreover, lately in general. He would be glad when the thrill of the kill would be ringing in his mind again. When the hunts were fun and passed the time. Now, all of his hunts had a sense of urgency to them, they were fewer and held more importance to them, and it was kind of a buzz kill. He was glad they were nearly upon the deer now; soon, the only thing on his mind would be his meat, and then his company.

founding member | 2016

@Merys <3

A smile unfolded across his maw at the stranger’s reaction. The loner was merely looking for a meal and seemingly harmless. XIX did not want to deny a hungry wolf a proper meal — and an attempt to recruit. The pack may not be his to keep, but it did not mean he couldn’t attempt to strengthen its numbers. Spring was well on its way, which meant there was potential for internal growth (depending on Maksim’s health, of course). But external growth was always welcomed — and encouraged. He continued forward, his nose pressed to the ground briefly as the pair followed the mouthwatering scent, his lanky body making haste across the terrain. Regardless of the outcome of this interaction XIX wanted to keep it as pleasant as possible; he did not want the stranger to leave with bitter feelings toward Hearthwood.

“Lachesis,” he introduced finally as they approached the deer, his chartreuse gaze surveying the area for any lingering scavengers. The lynx that had felled the deer seemed to be long gone, but it was foolish to let their guard down completely “The current healer and leader of Hearthwood River,” he added with an indifferent flick of his tail, dismissing the titles as soon as they had been spoken. Shooting the older male a side-glance he studied him for a moment before allowing his voice to cut through the silence once more: “Where are you from?” One could not do business without a proper meal — Lachesis motioned for the loner to dig in just as he plunged his own teeth into the deer’s shoulder. 

stick with those who stick with you

The four year old's mouth watered when they came upon the deer. He immediately wondered if he should not be trying to claim this meal for himself. Who knew when his next meal would be.. but, he knew it was much too dangerous to be considering that. He glowered inwardly for just a moment for not having the power he once had to be a formidable opponent in a situation like this, but it washed away quickly. He heard the ghost speak his name, and it pulled Merys from his spiralling thoughts. He was being friendly, and that was what was best for Merys right now. He had to stay healthy. He was a calculating wolf, a realistic one, and he knew it would be best to stay on this track. He smiled at his company, licking and swallowing away the excess of saliva in his mouth. "Merys, pleasure."

Shaking himself from his stomach-driven thoughts, he approached the deer hurriedly after he ascertained the lynx scent was one not to be worried about. A leading healer, hey? He eyed his large company, sizing him to be likely a lot more useful in a more combative role than a medical one, but size wasn't everything, he supposed. Merys enjoyed his size when it came to hunting, he was strong and patient. He had had lithe wolves on his team that were there for their speed when on a chase, but when it came to swinging a bison or a large caribou to the ground, a heavy body mass, he found, was much more useful. His nose dropped over the deer, the scent filling his muzzle and throat. It was difficult to decide where to begin. The kill had been there for some time and he anticipated it being frozen, which brought a frown to his features. He was not keen on being slowed down, but hopefully it would be manageable. He stepped over the carcass and decided the haunches would be a delicious place to start.

As he looked happily down on his back leg, the white male spoke again, making conversation before he dove into the deer's shoulder. Merys contemplated the question before he, too, took his first bite. The muscle was stiff and he had to rip his piece off with vigor, but it was plentiful and delicious. He chewed and swallowed, and finished a quick second tear before answering Lachesis between bites, trying not to let the question hang in the air too long. "Northeast of here, actually, a few weeks. In the mountain range." That was enough, right? He wondered how much of the conversation he would have to generate to satiate the male's quota for friendliness. He wanted to keep this encounter positive. He was hungry and lonely, and he finally had a suitor. "You must be from that pack bordering the lowlands? You smell familiar to somewhere I passed on the way down," he added, for good measure. Passed? he asked himself inwardly, More like avoided to omit any possibility of drama.. and yet, now here I lay with the alpha of said lands, The irony amused him, and he smiled to himself and buried his muzzle back into the cool blood and flesh. What odds.

founding member | 2016

Lachesis had truly come full circle. His life in captivity had been safe and controlled; the idea of a threat was exactly that, an idea. With the tall, chain fences that confined them there was no possibility of an enemy or a disaster. Their movements had been watched and analyzed — for what purpose, he would never know. Escaping had been out of the question for the outside world was a feral place and would not be welcoming to the wolves of the reserve. However, curiosity had consumed his brothers and they became obsessed with leaving the life of a captive wolf behind. Despite this obsession, XVII backed out, not wanting to abandon his family behind — which left XVI to pressure fragile XIX into leaving with him. The ‘feral’ outside world was not kind to the brothers; they were separated a few weeks after they left, leaving the anxious XIX frightened and alone. Luckily, it had been Anastasia to slowly piece him together, who had found the trembling yearling and taken him under her wing.

Since then he had gone from a trembling, stuttering idiot to a (mostly) calm and collected healer (and part-time leader). Being a healer was one thing — he was forever thankful for the lessons from his mother — but he never would have imagined becoming a leader, even if it was only temporary. Lachesis had been lucky to encounter a collection of impressionable wolves, who had helped shape him into the wolf he was today. Especially the blue-eyed Anastasia, who had been the most influential (and patient).

Focusing his attention on the loner once more, the medic listened patiently as he chewed slowly around the meat, his expression soft as he studied the brown wolf. Northeast. He stored away the location for future reference — and potential future exploring. He was ashamed to admit he had done very little exploring of the expanse since the river wolves claimed their territory. “That would be us,” he responded with an amused flick of his tail and a lop-sided grin pressed lazily against his blood-stained lips. “We’ve claimed part of the river that cuts through Kingsfall, north of the lake.” It seemed as though the loner was not interested in pursuing a pack at the moment; perhaps he was taking some time off to enjoy being a nomad before settling down. Fair enough, he thought to himself, his chartreuse gaze still fixated on the older male. XIX and his blue-eyed dove had done the same before choosing a pack to join. “Do you plan on staying in Relic Lore?” It was completely possible that the loner was simply passing through as opposed to settling down. 

stick with those who stick with you