Wild Rye Fields i'm the hero of the story

this takes place at the borders. on 2/17. Sahalie has come to get @Castel anyone is welcome to come but i'd like this thread to move fast (as I have a lot of other things/threads that need to happen). @Niles @Drestig are probably interested I'm guessing. Short and awful just the way I like it ✌

She sent the boys to scout ahead. Sahalie figured that a bunch of Monadnock-smelling wolves showing up in the field had the potential to end in disaster. As she neared the border the scents of many new wolves filled her nostrils, signalling a massive amount of growth since she had been here, only a few months ago. They would not know her face or her name—only the dangerous scent on her coat—and her heart pounded. Someone would come and vouch for her, though, right? She came to claim one of their wolves—her, a child by all accounts—and even an explanation might not be enough to diffuse the tension. But she puffed herself up: this was something she had to do. Castel had promised to come join them before joining Wild Rye Fields, and if Sahalie could not stand up to Drestig and Jessie then how would she fare against their new neighbors, where ever they ended up?

Sahalie regretted the fact that she had to take from someone else's pack to make her own. This was never something she had imagined, but almost nothing in life had turned out as she imagined it would. And she wasn't going to let life get in her way. If Castel had changed her mind, if she did not want to come, then that was a different thing. Sahalie would admit defeat, pick up the pieces, and keep trying. She was not in the business of forcing anyone to go along with things they did not want to. Castel could change her mind if she wanted.

Shaking a little even though her joints were locked in place, the dark girl bared her throat to the sky.  

guardian demonstration 1/3

As always,Askan was out on patrol, trudging along the heights of the lookout, his eyes cast down at the lowlands below. It was the same old, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and yet he was as alert as ever. Always ready to rush into action if need be. He knew that he didn't need to be so cagey, that it was highly unlikely that the Whitestone wolves would try anything now, considering that their numbers had grown quite considerably. But even so, it was better to be safe than sorry, and really it wasn't as though he had anything better to do. The last time he'd checked, the caches were full and no one was starving, so why would he want to leave his home?

Roaming the tundra didn't have quite the same allure as it once had, but he did leave on occasion. Particularly if the Rye ladies were getting on his nerves. Askan had gotten used to them-for the most part- but Castel was a tough nut for him to crack. She was just so chipper and jolly, and he was certain that she got a kick out of annoying him. She had to, from the way she grinned and laughed, as though he were the funniest thing around. Which he wasn't. Now, that wasn't to say he disliked her- not potently anyway- but he most certainly wouldn't seek out her company if he wanted some. There were other wolves for that, better ones too.

Thinking of the little wolf made Askan frown, as though she were before him, teasing him about something or another. From what he could tell her illness, or whatever was wrong with her, wasn't getting worse but neither was it getting better. He had half a mind to ask her about it, to force her to come clean, but he quickly decided he didn't care enough to go such a length. It was her business anyway, he didn't want to pry.

Coming to a stop, Askan cast a quick look behind him then back to the tundra-just in time to hear a call ring through the air. His ears tilted, searching for the direction of the call. That way. Breaking into a gallop, Askan loped along the ridge of the lookout, before scaling down it, leaving scuff marks in the snow as he went. Whoever they were, they weren't far away. If he kept up this pace he'd be upon them in moments.

And so he did.

Slowing to a trot, Askan eyed them as he closed the distance between them. Like himself this wolf had a dark pelt, and their eyes were bright, almost gold in hue. There was something familiar about them though, Askan could have sworn he'd seen a wolf of this size and pelt colour before. And then it hit him, just as he breathed in their scent. Coming to a stop, he took a moment to look her up and down. Yep, that was her. Short and stout, a little round at the sides. This was the wolf he'd met at the Bend. But why, what was she doing here?

"Sahalie?" He asked, his surprise masking his usual bitter tone. Before he regained himself that is. "Why're you here?"

(This post was last modified: Feb 26, 2017, 11:40 PM by Askan.)

A call at the border was the last thing he needed right now, recruiting was about the last thing on his mind and he didn't much feel like striking up the usual, jovial greeting. Perhaps he would have even ignored the howl entirely, had the voice not been a familiar one. Now instead he paused in his walk – back towards the den from the southern border – raising his head and ears high, a frown on his face; Sahalie..? What's she doing up here? If the Tainn had come for a visit, she'd certainly picked an unfortunate time. Though, of course she couldn't know that, and he wasn't about to leave her at the border, no matter how exhausted he was from a long night of searching. So he set off at a quick trot, shoulders slumped and tail hanging low, focus only on getting there; Not in style. He wasn't the first to arrive, no to his surprise, Askan took his tasks as guardian seriously. Though now that Drestig was home, his second would likely be on his way back out to keep up the search for Percy; They'd been following such a back and forth for some days now. Brushing against the younger man's side appreciatively, the Rye king came to stand beside him, ember eyes falling on their visitor. Sahalie looked, well, like herself would not be quite true, even in his worn out state, Drestig noticed a change, subtle but powerful. It was hard to place exactly; Confidence? Maturity..? This spring would see her turning two after all, an adult. Another thing about the girl instantly caught his interest too though, something far less amusing; Whitestone..! The older wolf stiffened slightly at the smell, eyes narrowing a bit as they swept over his guest one more time, before finding her eyes. "Sahalie," He greeted, voice not unkind, but weighted by the exhaustion he felt so potently; "What brings you here?" The ghost of a smile curved his mouth. No matter how tired, confused and on edge he might be, seeing her would always make him happy. But he expected her to explain what smelled suspiciously like pack markers on her fur, preferably without him having to ask directly. Then of course, he would have to relay his own bad news, though he wondered of the youngster's visit might be for something more than a casual catch up.   Word count: 400 ”Speech” Thoughts

Dawnthieves.de

 

1/3 Guardian dem

Patrolling was now second nature to the Snow woman as she eased around the last length of her border run, her nostrils flaring and yearning for any sign of the missing Rye heir. The pack was noticeably tense and solemn as they all did their parts in continuing the ongoing search for the alpha's young daughter. As far as she knew, there was still no signs of Percy which dampened her mood even further as she round back towards the communal den to see if anything had changed since the morning.

Keeping a smile in all that the Rye wolves were going through at the moment was hard to maintain and though she normally would try to cheer anyone up, she was too exhausted to do so. Doubling her patrols and traveling further outside the borders to bring any success to the round the clock search party, she just wanted to flop down beneath the oak tree and sleep for a fortnight. However, before she even drew close to the Oak Tree, a call rang out through the cold winter breeze. Ears perking up to see if it was Percg that was finally returning to them, but as the howl continued, she didn't recognized the voice and could immediately say it wasn't Percy.

Nevertheless, the large woman took off towards the call, hopeful she would arrive in a timely manner. Quickly her mismatched eyes found the dark silhouettes of Askan and Drestig, as she arrived just in time to hear what her alpha said to the stranger across from them. Nudging Askan on this hip as she came alongside him, she stared ahead at the girl as the scent of the Whitestone wolves drifted over to her. Nose crinkling slightly, she glanced at Drestig and Askan before settling back towards the girl, her posture below that of her alphas but level with Askan as she stood as a mere spectator.

(This post was last modified: Mar 01, 2017, 08:51 PM by Adelayde.)

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A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

The little wolf knew this day would come, but she hadn't expected it to come this soon. Not that she was complaining - any adventure was a good adventure, - she was just concerned, especially by the fact that Askan, Drestig, and Adelayde had gotten to the dark brown girl before she herself had. Though that wasn't for lack of trying - she'd gotten up and ran the instant she heard Sahalie's call for her at the borders.

She didn't run as quickly as she would under normal circumstances, because the dull ache in her legs was just not relenting. The excitement in her chest urged her on faster, her tail wagging as she ran to where her friend was waiting. However, the moment the chocolate-colored female entered her line of sight, so did three of her packmates... including her alpha. Her pawsteps slowed; she didn't really want to leave the Rye wolves, particularly now that little Phoenix was still missing. But she'd promised Sahalie before she'd promised Drestig, so she refused to let herself be deterred.

"Saaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee​eeeee!" she howled as she bolted over the snow to the plumper girl's side. She brushed her muzzle across her friend's. "It's so good to see you! You look so good!" Her tail whipped back and forth behind her as she stepped back and looked at her packmates, ears lowering just a bit. "Hi, guys." She cut her eyes toward Hal, raising one eyebrow. "You wanna tell them, or me?" Because she would tell them, if Sahalie was too scared.

(This post was last modified: Feb 26, 2017, 11:38 PM by Castel.)

@Niles feel free to pop in while you have the time. I assume you're in cali rn. Post order isn't really important. If Castel, Drestig, and Niles get their replies in onlookers will likely be skipped (sorry)

Drestig was black, the wolf headed towards her was black, she assumed it was him. Her former leader had always been timely when it came to attending various wolves at the borders of Oak Tree Bend, she remembered with the smallest pang of nostalgia and homesickness. But as the dark blob came closer and found herself squinting, noticing a few discrepancies here and there: Drestig was shorter and less bulky than the shape headed towards her. With a sinking feeling she realized it was not Drestig at all, and anxiously she watched the approach and awaited the suspicious questions and looks that were surely coming for her. Another shape appeared on the horizon, and Sahalie had to hope this one would be Drestig. As the distance began to close, however, more of the wolf's features came into focus and she realized this was one she knew: Askan!!

It was enough to take the edge off of her nerves.

"Uhm, well we oughta wait for Drestig to get here," she said with a nervous smile and a shrug, gesturing her snout towards the leader of Wild Rye Fields only a hundred yards or so away now. To fill the time, her nose turned up and down, looking the muddy man over. "Hope you been well," she commented politely. More figures appeared in the distance, but this time both of them were lighter. Maybe one was Castel, and maybe one was some other wolf coming to check out the call. She shuffled her paws underneath her, hoping that this wouldn't turn into a spectacle.

Drestig finally came to a stop beside his second-in-command and Sahalie began to chew her lip, noting just how tired the dark man looked. A bit grim. She hoped that something had not happened—certainly nothing with the Monadnock. "Well, uhm it's a bit... Complicated." Even though it wasn't. Her feelings were what was complicated. "I.... Well, she's coming now so—" because one of the shapes definitely was Castel.

The first of the two lighter wolves to arrive, though, was one Sahalie had never met before. She was neutral enough, likely just here to watch, though her muzzle did crease a little. Sahalie assumed that was because of her scent. But at least Drestig was here, and Askan of all wolves would know how harmless Sahalie was.

Castel, as light as she was, might have knocked Sahalie over had her paws not been so firmly planted and legs nervously braced. More than anything she would have liked to dance around the girl and yip playfully, to be a girl again rather than a woman. But there was business to attend to and all Sahalie could manage was a swift lick to Castel's ear. Her friend confirmed that neither Drestig—nor or anyone else—knew about their pact. Sahalie took a deep breath. "I'm going to start a pack, Drestig. Me and Alastor." And Larkspur, but Sahalie didn't think Drestig knew him. Larkspur had only arrived in the summer. "Castel had agreed to help me...we met recently and. It was Alastor's idea, really. We're all friends."

"I don't... want to be rude...but" Would he mind? "I mean, I'll tell you anything you wanna know. Lots of things aren't decided yet, like... where we'll go. But I took Spieden up to Whitestone and... I hate it. I can't do it. Spieden is bringing her children to where she was born but. I can't bring myself to leave the area." Maybe she and Drestig had never spoken directly about Sahalie's ambitions, but he had to know—everyone else certainly seemed to. Serach knew. Her dad knew. Drestig had to know. "I think I'm ready."

And if she wasn't she was going to do it anyway.

(This post was last modified: Mar 01, 2017, 04:56 PM by Sahalie.)

Post 2/3 Guardian Dem - Border thread

she says beauty is pain

Right on her heels came the young Castel running towards the stranger, yelling simultaneously. Her ears perked forward as she thought the Rye yearling was going to topple over the other girl. She obviously knew the other and seemed to know her well at the excitement of seeing her. Her curiosity of this meeting perked up as Castel asked the other if she should tell her or if the other should. Staying quiet, she listened as Sahalie began. Ade's eyes flickering towards the others as she spoke of creating a pack with Castel joining her.

Not knowing much of Castel, she couldn't really feel angry with Sahalie trying to take her away from the Rye. The Rye yearling was her own being and could make her own decisions, though she did feel a little saddened and upset that Castel promised her loyalty to another and wasn't solely loyal to the Rye like Adelayde was. However, it wasn't the second's place to comment or place blame on anyone. That was for Drestig, if he saw fit.

Sahalie spoke of not liking the Whitestone, the Rye second smirked to herself. Who could like such a place? She mussed to herself and listened on as the ambitious girl explained to Drestig that was ready. Mismatched eyes flickering over to see her alpha's expression. What was his verdict?

and there's beauty in everything

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2017, 11:00 PM by Adelayde.)

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Sorry for holding this up guys. @Castel should probably go next.

No this definitely wasn't just a friendly chat. Sahalie was visibly nervous, more so than the elder man had ever seen, and her stammered answer made his brow crease deeper. Sounds of more wolves approaching drew his ears backwards, just as the dark girl mentioned the same, gesturing over his shoulder. Ember eyes widening in surprise, he turned his head to look for himself, first seeing the female second and growing even more confused; Adelayde! What does Sahalie want with..? Then the excited howl drew his eyes to the final figure, racing towards them at a wobbling gallop; Castel. Without as much as a glance to her pack mates, the yearling rushed their visitor, greeting her with an overwhelming happiness that spoke of long, or at least tight, friendship. Again Drestig frowned, looking between the two of them expectantly, and Castel indeed was quick to move on, after finally giving her superiors a faint hello. Her questions made the king's ears twitch, eyes narrowing intently; "Tell me what?" His voice was neutral, gaze settling on Sahalie; What have you come for? And so the girl began to explain, her very first sentence bringing fresh shock to the old man's face; A pack? It was true that her ambition was not news to him, but she was still so young, it had taken him years to reach his own goals and here she was already. Pride, and no small amount of awe, swelled in his chest, but he kept his face blank, eyes shifting to Castel as the true purpose of this stop on Sahalie's journey was revealed. It was no surprise that the two of them would be drawn to each other, both young and with a similar, positive approach to life. The young Tainn had even had some practice in healing, so it was possible she could aid the sick wolf in that way as well. No, what was so glaring to Drestig was that this was the very first he had ever heard about it. There was more for Sahalie to explain though, and as she did he forced his attention back to her, eyes growing a little softer. The thought of her among the Whitestone wolves was sickening, and he hated to think what she'd needed to do to appease those sardonic bastards. Why Spieden had chosen to come there was a mystery to him as well, but at least he knew that Sahalie had followed her, and not chosen the Monadnock over Wild Rye Fields. There were still many questions whirling around his mind, but he felt a little less hurt, and at her final words, he couldn't help but answer softly: "Of course you are, you and Alastor will do great!" Then his attention shifted again to the tan yearling, and the warmth faded from his face, voice growing colder; "What I don't understand is…" He shook his head, fixing the girl with an accusing stare; "Why didn't you tell me?" The tone was not exactly angry, but it held a measure of blame, brows again set in a deep frown; "When did you arrange this? When you came here you promised me loyalty, you said you'd offer your life to the pack, those were you exact words." He shook his head again, the fatigue starting to show on his face, a touch of sadness now in his voice: "I won't stand in your way, I want to see you succeed Halie," Again he looked at the young woman - the pup he had helped raise, who was no longer a pup - a weak smile creasing his lips; "But I wish you would have told me." This was aimed at Castel, and the gaze he gave her showed no affection. He'd been prepared to care for her until the end, keep her fed and warm, even when she grew too weak to hunt with the pack; And all this time I was only a stopover, a place to scrounge off until something better came along!   Word count: 671 ”Speech” Thoughts

Dawnthieves.de

 

2/3 guard dem

Askan squinted as he watched the conversation unfold. This wasn't what he'd expected, not that he had responded to Sahalie's call with something in mind, but still. She was starting a new pack, that was all well and good for her but he had a hard time being happy when she insinuated that she would be taking a member-or two, as he assumed Niles would be leaving as well- of their pack. His gaze flickered to Castel and he couldn't help but bristle at the thought that she'd used them. That she had taken advantage of their kindness and hospitality. What were they? A rest stop? She had sworn to serve Drestig and his cause and had she? Fuck no.

Askan was angry of course, but he was more offended on his King's behalf. The affront was aimed at him, after all he'd allowed her in out of the kindness of his heart. And now she was throwing it away as if it meant nothing to her, as though they meant nothing to her. The guardian's lips pulled back into a snarl as a deep sound rumbled from his throat and he took step forward, his eyes set on the little traitor. As that was what she was. He had no intentions of attacking her of course, she was so tiny it wasn't even worth it, after all a stiff breeze would blow her over. And that is of course, without mentioning that he knew for a fact Drestig would not approve. He wasn't the sort to condone such things.

"Only a coward wouldn't tell. She planned to take advantage of us all along. I should have known." He spat, his ire clearly aimed at the little one.

But then his gaze flitted to Sahalie. What sort of wolf stole a wolf from it's pack? Drestig might have had a soft spot for her, but she was just as bad. Oh, she looked all soft and sweet like she wouldn't harm a soul. But that had to be the point right, everyone lowered their defences around her and she wormed on in with her chirpy nature. No one stood a chance, they were like puppets on a string.

He shot a glower her way but said nothing and remained at his alpha's side, ready to do his bidding at a moments notice.

(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2017, 06:23 PM by Askan.)