Dead Empress Backwater Putting Down Roots

[OOC/]Backdated to the 19th, lmk if that doesn't work for you and I'll change it.[/OOC]

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage crossed through the familiar paths of the pack following her alpha's scent tensely. She was nervous to confront him directly and had considered talking to Clover. The thoughts of Khalon's snotty sneeze had her veering toward the other leader. She needed a break from the germ balls and the mother was probably overwhelmed and didn't need another child, although older, bothering her. The yearling sighed to herself. She didn't want to be a burden or problem to anyone. Was she choosing the right alpha? Viorel was intense. Intimidating, distant, and well he scared her. There was no beating around the bush on that.

The yearling followed his trail until it grew strongest, stopping out of eyesight, "V-Viorel, sir, may I talk to you?" She tried to ask as politely as possible with her shaky voice. Sage could feel the familiar shyness swelling within her, threatening to pull her away from the encounter. She twisted her paws in the dirt as if to firmly root herself to the spot she stood at.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

(This post was last modified: Aug 04, 2023, 01:45 AM by Sage.)

Dead Empress Backwater

There was a lot going on, and Viorel found himself feeling guiltier than ever about his surly behaviour and yet still unable to pull himself out of it. He was forcing himself to be more available to pack members, spending time near the pack den or near the largest sources of water in case anyone needed him. He still exuded displeasure and was could only be described as grumpy, but he was doing his best and this was a step in the right direction.

It was one of those instances where the leader reclined on one of his favourite broken trees, it had split a couple feet from the bottom so the log was elevated from the earth. He was almost asleep in the sun, a little less smoky than it had been in the past days, when paws approached him. Dark ear flicked towards the sound, and his leathery nose twitched to discover who it was. Once he had identified Sage he had settled back down, she was likely to just continue on in search of Eros or Seri.

So her voice calling his name surprised him. Lifting his head to turn and look at the teen below, he answered, ”you don’t need to call me sir.” And then waited for her to continue. What was with these yearlings being so formal? Seri had used to call him sir too.

some fairy tales are more than true

His voice alone was enough to raise the hairs on her nape from the burning of her nerves. She took a deep breath and smoothed them down, her body trembling for a moment. Green eyes scanned the space around her to find him. Sage was surprised to see the man propped up in a tree. Her head turned ever so slightly before she righted herself taking on a proper submissive position in front of an alpha. "Oh...um...okay." She answered in a shakey tune, barely keeping herself together. Another deep breath and she spoke more smoothly.

"I've been here for a while now...and you all have been very welcoming to me. I would like...with your permission...to-" She paused to steady her words so that the anxieties would not steal her voice away as it waxed and waned in volume. "Learn about roles and pull more weight as a member. I want to contribute more than I currently do." With this she fell silent and looked to the ground, awaiting his response.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

Dead Empress Backwater

Sage continued on in a way that was noticeably nervous and rambling. Viorel might have felt bad if the onslaught of words hadn’t immediately made him annoyed. He almost breathed in deeply in an attempt to steady himself, but stopped when he got the first hint of smoky air. No sense sending himself deep into a coughing fit over this.

Hanging his head over the edge of the bough, he raised his eyebrows, ”What’s stopping you? You don’t need my permission to learn.” Maybe where she was from they needed to ask before they even took a piss but that wasn’t the way that things worked here. Pulling back to settle his head on his paws he continued, ”Just find whoever you want to learn from and ask them for lessons.” The words weren’t said in a mean tone, rather one that bordered on bored or apathetic.

He assumed she would just ask Seri or Eros to teach her whatever she wanted to learn. Or Clover. She was so sweet it seemed like new members flocked to her warm demeanor and he couldn’t blame them. Vayko had always been surly, and now he knew he was no rose to be around either. Vasco and Rochus were the same. Sage would surely pick someone a bit nicer to learn from.

some fairy tales are more than true

Sage felt uneasy at his response, but pushed through her nerves, clarifying her intent, “I want a pack roll.” She stated flatly, not trying to further beat around the bush, “I wanted to ask permission to take one on…but I wasn’t sure what sort of role I’d be most suited for.” What he said next made sense and the yearling felt a little dumb for asking now. A fresh wave of embarrassment washed over her. Perhaps she should have toughed out the pups and talked to Clover instead. “Alright…” She stood there quietly for a moment, considering just walking off and leaving the conversation there. She wasn't done though.

“Viorel…will you teach me how to be a guardian?” She asked him this despite not being sure if it was the direction she wanted or not. He was the alpha, so surely, he could show her the ropes to being a guardian. If not, then he'd know who to go ask. “I’m not interested in healing…but I do like herbs and I’m sure Eros or Clover could teach me more about that.” She started to thoroughly ramble now, “I like fishing. I’d love to learn more, but I don’t know who to ask for that.” What other roles might she fit? “And…I’m willing to learn about other things too, if there’s something else the pack needs.” She paused, becoming aware of how annoying she was being, “I’m sorry for being a bother, truly, but I want a role…and I only really like Jacy, but I’m not bad with the pups either. I showed him how to kill his first fish.” The last part was irrelevant, but the girl wanted to state what she was kind of good at. She figured the more she offered maybe the more likely he’d have an ideal role for her to work towards. Her ears were pinned off to the side, her tail wagging nervously, this had potentially been the most at a given time she’d spoken to Viorel.

"She speaks" She walks She thinks

(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2023, 05:01 AM by Sage.)

Dead Empress Backwater

{ooc}I'm happy to get rolls for their spar if you are! He's not going to hurt her or anything but it could be fun to see hits and misses./[{oc}

The clarification made much more sense to the leader as to why she had even sought him out in the first place. Apathy was replaced with a hint of understanding, and after a moment of silence he nodded to her words. She wanted a role, ”everyone is welcome to a role in the pack, if they’re able to prove themselves skilled enough in their chosen craft.” She had said that she had not known what she was sorted for, but it seemed that wasn’t true as she went on explaining herself.

Viorel himself wasn’t thrilled on the thought of teaching these days, but sparring was something that he always enjoyed. Even now. His eyes lit up for a moment and then the final sentence actually brought out a chuckle, ”Cubs aren’t for everyone, and it seems even Clover’s good nature couldn’t compete with Vayko’s genes with this year's group.” He had mostly been watching from a far distance and not interacting with them, but what he had seen had been chaotic and frankly bordering on concerning. But, they weren’t his kids and therefore it wasn’t really his problem.

Leaping down so he was on the earth before, the Valle man sank into a deep stretch, a bow and then kicking out his back legs. A leisurely yawn was the final touch before he looked her over more thoroughly, ”If you’re looking to learn to fish you could myself, or if Oleander returns you might seek him out, he’s got quite the gift for it.” But that was just an if, and that wasn’t why he had come down here.

Rolling his shoulders in preparation he continued, ”As a guardian you’ll need to be able to fight, so we can start with a spar. Go ahead, show me what you can do.” And then he waited, ready to - gently - show her what he was made of.

SAGE HERVOK

Sage looked up at him with a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes. The words sounded almost encouraging, something she wasn't used to with the leader. She was capable of building skill, willing to fail and try again, and dedicated to the pack. Now she just needed to pinpoint a focus.

The she-wolf was caught off guard by the man's words. At first, the corners of her lips twitched, and then a muffled sound made its way out. A bubbling laughter erupted from Sage. He was right, Clover's good nature didn't fit her pups. They were nothing alike to their mother's gentleness. She didn't know Vayko enough to regard whether or not they took after him, but the irony of the comment lightened her mood greatly.

She studied his movements as he approached, slightly turning her head while her brow arched curiously. She had no way of knowing what the mysterious wolf was thinking. Viorel and fishing? She loved to fish...but he was so intimidating. Then the mention of Oleander had her cheeks burning. The embarrassment was shown on her face. Something about the pale wolf got her feeling funny and just the mention of fishing with him...well it ignited butterflies.

There was no time for sorting said feelings. Her ears flickered forward in surprise. Her brows crunched together and released just as quickly. "Alright." Her voice betrayed her nerves with its shaky undertone. The creamy Hervok squared up, tucking her chin to cover her throat while her tail aligned with her spine. She looked him over, unsure of what weaknesses the dark male could possess.

Sage opted for the strategy of catching him off guard. It seemed risky, but unexpected, so she darted forth with jaws outstretched. Her teeth made contact with his lower front leg and she thrust her full weight upwards. She hoped the move would topple him over onto his side.

"SPEAK."

Dead Empress Backwater

Used Vi's miss as him not attacking, just trying to stay on his feet lol

The leader couldn’t help but smile when Sage laughed at his joke about the youngest Valles. He honestly had no idea how they were raising such hellions and frankly was just trying to stay out of it all. He respected Clover and knew how quick Vayko was to temper, if they didn’t get it sorted out by the time they were yearlings at that point they would be treated like any other adult and the real world would put them where they belonged.

Her face ran through a variety of emotions but none of it mattered once the spar began. He sank into a defensive position, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He loved this, this was a state where he didn’t need to think it was all like a reflex for him and it got his heart rate up in a way that was exciting rather than frightening.

It seemed he was a little rusty because when Sage struck out she was quick enough to make her mark, sharp teeth scraping along his leg. Not enough to draw blood or bruise given it was a spar, but enough to know if this was a real fight he would be injured. She tiled backwards and Viorel needed to backpedal a few steps to keep his balance but was able to right himself before hitting the dirt. He chose to focus on staying on his paws rather than striking again, yellow eyes watching closely for her next attack.