Drooping Willows Earthshakers

@Craw first then @Celandine backdated some time in the first week of April.

There was a bounce in her step as she danced ahead, sidestepping to bump her hip against @Craw's shoulder. It had started as a joke, from lets go find a bear! to a mountain lion, wolverine, coyote before they finally settled on anything. Anything, or anyone out of place to pass a little time while they waited for the final pieces to fall into place. She knew it to be foolish, children to think of and all that jazz, and she knew he was probably only indulging her so he could be certain that she wouldn't take off and seek out something on her own. Perhaps he had her figured out. Restless as she was nothing was impossible.

Beyond the red-rocked river, beyond the wooded hills... maybe she would get to see it yet. The thought of it was driving her to distraction and despite her swelling stomach her feet burned with the need move. It was time for change. Change, oh long overdue change.

She had picked up the trail of a bobcat, her casting nose the cause of her prior collision. Cat, cat... that loner was back... Odd but cat! She loved they way they hissed and swiped when you managed to get them corned and heading towards the heights chances of cornering the beast were high. It took all her self control to not wildly call - Here kitty, kitty, kitty.

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2016, 01:09 PM by Morganna.)

@Celandine, all yours~ you can assume it's both of them following her :)

The offer to partake in some mindless violence had been impossible to pass up.

Craw could not help but be reminded of when he and @Renier had gone for the very same not too long ago, and found that he rather liked the trend that was forming. Of course, he partly went with Morganna to ensure that she didn't antagonise something a little too big, jests of bears aside, for she was even more important now than she had been even one moon cycle ago. Her wellbeing was tantamount... and included in wellbeing was mental health - and the opportunity to blow off some steam would do both of them a world of good.

His jaws snapped harmlessly at her tail as she skipped ahead, enjoying the sight of her so carefree and excited. They were following a bobcat that she had scented - not the most entertaining of foes, but the day was young yet. Her nose worked at the trail and though he was content to trust her tracking, Craw dipped his head to inhale it himself just to help get himself more worked up - and her scent hit him like a freight train, mixed in with the feline's but fresher, and, as he paused momentarily to untangle them, going in the opposite direction.

For a fleeting moment, he was torn. The promise of ripping something apart was so appealing and yet the memory of the bold, vulnerable white loner was so strong in his mind, and he did not doubt that Morganna would derive amusement from the willow-dwelling woman as much as he had. And so, just like that, the universe saw fit to show the bobcat mercy.

"Morganna," he rasped, to bring her to a stop, and when her eyes found his he grinned and jerked his head in the direction the white woman's trail led. "This one."

Not waiting for her approval, he opened the throttle in eager pursuit, engine revving in anticipation.

Having finally made a decision, her stay near the Ridge's borders was just a temporary one. She needed a place to rest for the night, and nothing kept unwanted company at bay like the thick musk of a pack. Like yin, and yang, every pro needed a con, so she was careful not to stray too close to the imaginary lines separating Willow Ridge from the rest of the Lore. It was entirely possible that they'd force her further anyway, but if she stayed on her side, they probably wouldn't kill her. Probably.

A light gust of wind brought with it the heavy stench of a feline, one that Celandine chose to avoid, but it left the near-adult to wonder whether the pack wolves knew. It was soon to be birthing season, her own heat having left half a moon cycle ago. She'd been lucky enough to avoid making any little mistakes, but the likelihood of a pack not having cubs was slim to none. Something about the mewling creature seemed to get the subordinates giddy about love, and new life, but that's not what cubs were to her. They were the clearest show of rank, of the power to breed. How very unromantic it was. 

 A familiar chill crept up her spine, drawing away the vague thoughts of children, and replacing them with images of a grey stranger. Without the initial surge of adrenaline to dull her senses, pale ears pricked forward. Swiveling to, and fro, they pinpointed his direction with ease. There was a carelessness to his gait this time, echoing faintly each time his mass crashed down on the soil, and.. something else. Someone else. So she had mistaken his confidence for carelessness then. A pity. Two against one wasn't very fair.

In a very Celandine fashion, the corner of her lip pulled upwards, as their paw steps drew closer. There was no sense in running now. Adrenaline or no, she'd tire before them. It was the way their world worked. So she stood there motionless, listening to as the pair drew closer, and closer.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

@Craw @Celandine I apologize XD

When Craw spoke her name she came to a halt, tail ceasing its excited wave as he diverted their course with This one. She tried not to pout, seemingly being dragged away from her fun by responsibilities yet again. She couldn't fight off another wolf in her current state, perhaps he was deliberately trying to make her miserable so she would be meaner, angrier... or maybe he wanted all the fun for himself? Either way she followed where he led, chasing silver tail around and through the willows, this way and that. Her disappointment was short lived, Craw's own energy infectious. Had he met this one before?

A strange little beast reared its head then, one that usually only made its presence known in the company of her brothers sluts. It was motivation to spur her on enough to draw along her companions side, possessive little shove to remind him she was still here (what on earth was going on with her?) Finally they rounded on the interloper. Of course she was fucking white. Morganna's shoulders tensed to support her loftily held head as her tail inched higher and her eyes narrowed cautiously. At least this one had the balls to stand her ground.

(This post was last modified: May 01, 2016, 09:10 AM by Morganna.)

@Celandine <3

Not yet accustomed to recognising Morganna's jealousy, Craw interpreted her shove as little more than playful antagonism, perhaps a scolding for taking her off the cat's trail. There would be nothing stopping them from resuming the previous hunt, but the prospect of catching up with his little white firecracker was just too tempting, particularly with Morganna by his side. He half-wanted it to result in some pretty fireworks.

To his disappointment, though, the loner didn't oblige by turning tail and fleeing again, and this time when the pair came upon her, she was stood boldly, as if waiting for them. He was pleased to see that the girl was in good health, as though she was actually some kind of friend - but more that she was a curiosity which had once satisfied him.

Feeling Morganna tense, Craw glanced at the woman - his partner, now, his mate, if they were actually using that word - and saw the dominance rise in her posture, all too familiar with her features not to recognise the agitation there. It just made a dark, thin grin snake onto his face. "Now, now," he crooned, butting his nose against the side of her muzzle to jerk her out of it (although he liked seeing her display her power), "she's a good girl," and he flashed a wicked glance at the loner, "she knows to keep her distance from the Ridge."

Because, once again, he had pursued her well outside of Willow Ridge territory, their distance from the borders an acceptable amount for a loner to be lurking. But that she was still lurking...

"No luck finding your little friend yet, hm?" he asked, mock innocence thick in his tone as his yellow eyes shifted back to the pretty white thing, taking a step forward to put him closer to the stranger than Morganna. As with their last encounter, his posture was easy, largely unthreatening - no curled tail or raised hackles - but he clearly felt in control of the situation, just as he was clearly aware of all the tensions running high between the three, and just as he was clearly aware that he'd been the one to cause them. And that he was clearly happy with all of it.

Her bright eyes felt no great need to stray to the male—she'd already taken his form to memory—so it was the female she scanned. This one did not tower over her, but rather stood just below. Too bad the dark woman had a friend to keep her company, or things might have panned out a bit differently. Unable to stop the smile that spread across her face, Celandine lowered her head by a degree or two. No sense in pissing off a pregnant woman; Hormones and all that. The latest discovery was very interesting, indeed, alongside the shift in the woman's posture. It did not take a very keen eye to note the way her coffee-colored tail curled upwards, and her equally dark head raised. So she was either a high ranking female, or the Ridge had a change in the monarchy, for this woman was not old enough to mother the little prince's she'd met.

She answered the woman's clear display of power with as much respect as she could manage without submitting like a subordinate begging for it's life. They were outside of the borders after all, and this woman did not rule the Lore. Her ashen tail, already losing some of it's winter plush, fell somewhere between neutral and submissive, though she refused to cater to the woman any more. She might have been special as far as the Ridge was concerned, but out there, past their borders, she was but a title. Hadn't Celandine already learned how little titles actually meant? 

It was then that he spoke, his raspy voice cutting through the tension in her shoulders. "Now, now," Bright eyes flashed to him finally, watching as he caressed the woman's cheek. They were like mid-day overcast, and night; so different and yet it would seem that she softened at his touch. So was he the father then? Or just a subordinate overstepping his bounds? The alpha male maybe? It didn't matter. Regardless of what, or who he was, his condescension went unappreciated. It would seem that he liked this game though, taunting her as if she were merely a child. Celandine couldn't help but admit that she liked it too. She enjoyed ruining his fun. 

He cast her a glance that made her stomach churn, yet she remained glued to the soil beneath her paws. The woman still had a few tricks up her sleeve, after all. Even more unsettling than his gaze was the question he asked—the innocence in it—which left her wondering if he knew more than he led on, but she pushed it aside. These two were still dangerous, and her life was too precious to risk poking a sleeping dragon. "No. She's gone." He could interpret that however he'd like. Dead, out-of-reach, whatever suited him best. She'd already given up.

He stepped closer then, putting distance between himself and the woman, while drawing ever closer. Had he placed himself there to protect the pregnant one, or her? "Is there something that you require of me?"

(This post was last modified: May 01, 2016, 09:49 PM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

Subtle signals passed between the two women, a smirk of her own tugging at the edge of her lips as the pale woman's tail barely dipped (but just enough). She enjoyed these little pissing contests immensely but she could appreciate common sense even more. When @Craw bumped against her muzzle teeth clicked by his retreating nose, more tease than warning as her own tail twitched down, just the tip taking up a wave as she relaxed. Perhaps this game might prove to be fun yet. A good girl huh? Was he keeping her close for a reason or was he simply stating that they had met before. Perhaps the not keeping him in the dark only ran one way?

Morganna wasn't sure what was intended as he moved forward so confidently, casually, or who he was trying to protect with the move but if he was so certain then she could be too. The last nuance of her tension was shaken away with a twitch of her shoulder and a flick of her tail, a simple turn of her head bringing her chin across a silver hip, as subtle and possessive as a hand across a forearm, her small smile enough to feign interest in their current company but the warmth far from reaching her eyes.

An ear turned towards Craw but her eyes stayed forward at the mentioned a little friend, far more interested in the other woman's reaction than any feigned innocence on her companions part. Thoughts quickly turned to Sahalie, was this some eastern wolf come searching for a lost child? or was there another child that had wandered too far from home? She's gone. Dead or given up on mattered not to her, she doubted Craw would have asked for the sake of conversation. A barely raised brow and a smirk was thrown his way as she asked if there was anything they required of her. "Perhaps..."

Maybe, she was already liking this one.

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2016, 12:35 AM by Morganna.)

look at you two pretty ladies with your pretty tables and he's just playing it raw
@Celandine

Craw did not partake in any of the subtle power plays which tugged at the tails and postures of the two women, mostly because he was existing on a plane rather above it. His tail stayed comfortably neutral, the threat in his presence implied just by the fact that he stood and had stepped towards the loner; their last encounter would have left the girl with little doubt as to how he operated. She'd have known what he was playing at. It pleased him nonetheless to see how the white girl responded to Morganna's posturing with touches of submission, even out here where it wasn't entirely necessary. Where he had previously hoped for fireworks, maybe, maybe this would prove an entirely different kind of productive.

No, she said, and he almost felt a pang of sympathetic disappointment, even if it was just a residue from his sweet charade. Gone? Dead, or not found, or had she abandoned her white ally? A shame, a shame - but that ambiguity of the statement left a little room for interpretation gave him an opener if he chose to use it. She may have just been trying to turn him off the topic, but recalling how desperate she had been last time to even ask him... Erebos, she'd said, and he still mulled the word over occasionally, even if he hadn't heard it spoken by anyone else.

Her final question brought a rise to his brow, as he eyed her with curiosity as to the purpose of it. Such politeness veiled the fact she knew she was weak, thinking that appeasing two obviously-comfortable and dominant wolves with respect would keep her safe. Fortunately, he had no intentions of harming her, and when he glanced at Morganna, he saw the look on her face, heard the tone in her single word, and his dark, returned smile said I know what you're thinking.

"Perhaps," he rasped, continuing on from Morganna's trailed-off implication, a subtle sign of their unity, "there is, if you have grown tired of searching in these willows." He licked his lips, eyeing the white woman with her controlled fire, seeing possibility. "I will help you find her, however long it takes, if you have anything to offer in exchange."

Then, finally, his tail twitched up above his rear, his head rising to gaze down at the loner from the end of his long, scarred nose. He was only interested in the quick and the intelligent. If she didn't recognise the implications of recruitment, it was a strike against her - and while he knew the woman very, very little, he liked her strength of character. She was totally wasted lurking in the drooping willows - and best of all, she had absolutely nothing to do with Willow Ridge.

"I will help you find her," Bright eyes studied the man carefully, awaiting the proposition that would inevitably follow his raspy statement. So they did require something of her after all. How sweet. If he was to be believed—which she was sure he was not—then at least she had a chance, and to be honest, Celandine was so very tired. Tired of chasing after the crumbled remains of Silent Moon; Of searching for a wolf who seemingly did not want to be found. The woman was sick of the disappointment, and the endless wandering. 'Why not?'

So when his mass shifted it's posture, sending her an invitation to kneel, the woman did not skip a beat. Her body responded to his-albeit stiffly. 'Oh how the mighty have fallen.' "Perhaps," The former heiress followed suit, not necessarily mocking, but choosing the word for effect. "I could offer my own services." So she knelt. Like every single subordinate, like every powerless, pride-less creature. She forced her stomach to the earth, her amber eyes from the pair. For once in her life, she would serve. For her, or Maeve; For hope, or the unshakable disappointment she'd endured. She would submit.

It felt wrong, and new. She hated herself for it, hated them even more. How had she gotten here? Still, her pale crown bowed to them, accepting the display of dominance that was likely to come any second. 

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2016, 10:29 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

Happy to have assumed information exchange outside of this thread so we can get it wrapped up - Morg has nothing meaningful just the suggestion of asking @Greer.

Morganna watched the exchange with interest, although to look at her you wouldn't be able to tell. So now they were hunting for another lost child, she could only hope the outcome would be less bleak then when they had sought out Isolde. Morganna was dragged from her dark thoughts by the pretty way the white one kneeled. Ordinarily she would have closed the distance between them, thrown a paw over the woman's shoulder and bought her teeth firmly down on the muzzle of the wolf that was submitting. Instead, she lifted her head off @Craw's hip and nudged him forwards. It was time to prove that she could share.

Once the deal was sealed, her mind turned back to the issue of the missing child, the oak child the only she had seen out and about other than their own. "This girl, tell me more." Perhaps she had some clue that Craw did not, for this was the first time she had heard mention of it. She couldn't know that Celandine was already familiar with Greer, or that he would have little direction to give them. Least of all was she likely to know that the same wolf she had shared a crack in the rocks with during a sudden blizzard was currently housing the child they sought. Perhaps in time, the dots would connect in a meaningful way.

Maybe, she was already liking this one.