Sacred Grove MOTH to a FLAME

<blockquote>Pride was never an attribute Marsh understood.

It had been a great deal of time since he had last been in Relic Lore, since his reluctant departure from Bramble Falls. The water had been disappearing, inexplicably but undeniably, and there was no future to be had in a dry land. Having no attachments, it was easy to leave, and he had survived easily because of it. He had heard that Relic Lore was no longer thirsty, and it called to him. The memory of a few souls here danced in the back of his mind, pleasant memories. The world was covered in fools, and here no less - but there were a few gems here, a few beasts who Marsh fancied he understood.

One such soul sat heavy in the fore of his mind, his nose recalling the scent perfectly. Marsh had not spent much time in the south west of Relic Lore, though he knew of this pack. Their leader had left a favourable impression, certainly. He had just been a little too young at the time, a little too fresh at his game, and Marsh was not inclined to attach himself to the boy. Not permanently, at least.

The winter was hard, and demanding all of the wolf's skills and effort to endure it; it was tiring. He did not want to beg, for that was highly unbecoming, but he did not want to endure the rest alone. There were no ideal, immediate solutions, but he did have a few options.

It was prideful to believe yourself capable beyond your true limits. Marsh did not approve of pride.

The borders of Swift River, though faint on his nose due to his distance from them, were compelling enough to be considered for his first attempt. He had encountered sense here, once before. Loping at a steady pace, the heavy-set beast continued onwards, ever wary for that moment when the boundary between packland and neutral lands became overpowering. At that point, unless confronted earlier, he would stop. He would not call, for he had no right to do so - but any pack with competent scouts would not leave an outsider at their borders for long. He had faith that his presence would not go unnoticed.</blockquote>

Gone Tomorrow

The she-wolf was doing her job; ensuring that her pack's lands stayed safe and free from trespassers. The incident with the two lone wolves was still fresh in her mind, and she was not willing to let a similar situation arise. Eventually, they had left, but they had taken their sweet time in doing so. With any luck, they happened to be the two most idiotic wolves in Relic Lore, and any other lone wolves wandering about would not duplicate their mistake. In any case, Corinna had taken to making rounds about the borders. The more she did so, the more her scent became apart of the pack that she had sworn loyalty to. Slowly and surely the scents of her months as a lone wolf were fading from her. Her initiative in patrolling Indru's borders already showed a transition within her. Even her body was reflecting the change. She had taken on a much healthier look in the weeks since she had joined Swift River. Which was always beneficial; more energy made her an asset to the pack, not a weak link.

Coal black nose was investigating the base of a tree when there was an intruding smell that caused her gray head to lift from the ground. Body swiveling, she approached the line that had been marked several times by Indru since his reinstatement of alpha. She was free to cross in and out of the line as much as she wished, Indru had not forbidden her from leaving the territory. But she was drawn by the strange scent. It was coming closer, as it grew stronger and less vague. She began to perceive it, attaching basic information to the scent. A wolf, a male one. It was too far away to distinguish a pack loyalty, but Corinna was guessing that whoever it was probably did not belong to Midnight Plateau, and she knew now who was a part of her pack and who was not, and she was sure it was not a Swift River wolf returning home.

Creme legs came into motion, and the female began to trot along the borders, her head angled so that she was looking out of them. As the scent grew stronger and the lone male approached, Cori increased her speed so that when he finally did meet the line, she was there to meet him. It didn't take too long of this, her walking on the inside and him walking on the outside for their paths to cross. The subordinate stopped in her tracks, taking in the male she had been tracking since she had first picked up his scent. He was a large beast, rather heavy-set. His fur was a color unfamiliar to Corinna, but he would become all the more memorable for that. It wasn't often that she saw those who had auburn pelting, as opposed to the typically gray that seemed to coat most of the wolves in Relic Lore. She waited, wondering if he would stride past the borders, but that didn't seem likely. Stepping forward, the she wolf lifted her head, and her tail lifted out of it's neutral position. Not as high as if she was the most dominant wolf here, but she wanted to be clear from the beginning of who she was. "Hello there," she called out, her voice neutral, but not particularly unfriendly. "Can I help you with something?"

<blockquote>To his pleasure, Marsh soon learnt that he was not alone. The borders of the familiar pack grew closer, and his paces slowed accordingly, far from intent on being a twice trespasser on this pack. In all fairness, his first time had been out of some version of kindness, and he did not believe that any bitterness would be held towards him. He had been no enemy of Indru's. There should be no reason for meeting hostility here.

Keen to see who had come to check up on his presence, Marsh glanced about, the distinct scent of a female in his nose. He did not recognise her, though her signature was quite easily found in the borders. That meant she was not a new addition, and only reminded him of how long it had been since he had last walked these woods. Moments later, the cream wolf came into view, and Marsh kept a close eye on her as she approached. The wolf himself came to a swift stop, wanting it to be extremely clear that he was not here with ill intent. His tail gave a brief wag, further driving this point home, before hanging neutrally. In the few moments necessary for the female to approach, Marsh enjoyed some brief analysis.

Seeing her, he was able to confirm her unknown status. She did not smell like any relative of Indru's, which meant that Swift River was possibly being inhabited by more non-family members than otherwise. What had happened to the large sibling grouping? His ears perked, Marsh pushed his nose forwards slightly, inhaling more now that she drew closer, and it was hard to miss the thick coating of Indru that came with her. So, they probably spent a lot of time together, or at least were close. And she wasn't family. Marsh could recall some vague conversation about Indru and the future of Swift River, and it brought just the smallest of bestial smiles to his features as he considered the interesting news that was walking towards him.

The question was expected, if not welcomed, and the copper wolf licked his lips with some hesitation. It had been a while since he had been around such verbal creatures - it'd take a while to get used to again. The words struggled like dirt in his mouth. Determined, however, not to give any opportunity to provide the wrong impression, he gestured first at her and then the packlands beyond with his muzzle, never taking his eyes from the slender, pale-coloured wolf.

<b>"... Indru."</b></blockquote>

Gone Tomorrow

Green eyes never lost their focus, keeping the auburn colored beast in full view. She nodded to herself in approval at his own swift stop as she came into view. So he at least was smarter than the other lone wolves who had come across Swift River territory; he wasn't planning on trespassing onto claimed land. Additionally, he seemed like he was of a good temperament, her eyes picking up the movement of his tail before he settled. All of this was good and fine, and Cori felt herself relax. She didn't mind meeting new wolves, so long as they were nonthreatening, and if he was, she was sure he would have made some sort of indication about his intentions by now.

Ears perked and she cocked her head to the side as he managed to spit out a single word for her inquiry. It wasn't what she had been expecting. If he had wanted Indru, why hadn't he just called for him himself? But the gray female merely shrugged her shoulders, flashed Marsh a smile and lifted her muzzle. Lips parting, she loosed a short howl, calling for the alpha male. Finished, she turned her attention back to the loner. "May I ask your name?" Unless Indru instructed her too, she wasn't planning on leaving once the alpha arrived, and she liked to be in the loop of things. Maybe this male would request permission to join the pack, another non-family member to join the Swift River ranks. But she kept her mouth shut, convinced that his single word reply would have to suffice for now, and she would learn more when Indru arrived.

<blockquote>It was a surprise when she took it upon herself to call for Indru directly, though Marsh did not contest it. He supposed, to some degree, Indru was his reason for visiting, so it made sense. Besides that, this female's calm efficiency was pleasing, and her love for words could almost be forgiven.

That, however, may have been a somewhat unfair assessment; she did not seem nearly as verbose as some he had met. All of her comments so far were short, sweet, to the point, and though it had been a while since Marsh had needed to wrap his head around it again, she certainly made the transition a little easier. For one thing, she did not seem put-off by his lack of such communication, and that improved his opinion of her even more. <b>"Mmm,"</b> he struggled, his lips pulling up in erratic snarls only due to his mild distress at this burden, <b>"aarr... Marrrsh."</b> There, finally. He calmed again, relieved, and turned his head inquisitively, huffing through his nose to throw the query back to her.</blockquote>

I knew I had something to reply to yesterday I had forgotten, sorry! ♥

Indru was paw deep in the ever-flowing, river that gave the pack its namesake when Corinna's call for him shattered the quiet of the pack lands. Everyone was gone from the immediate area and Indru was enjoying a rare moment alone to think when he heard his pack mate, ears twitching as he deciphered the meaning behind the howl. She was near the borders — he could tell that from the direction her howl — and it seemed they had a visitor, though as she had been able to call him he did not think it was an unpleasant one. Curious, Indru turned and headed towards her immediately, lifting his nose to the air to trail her very familiar scent to her location on the borders.

As he neared he began to pick up the scent of the other, much harder to recognise amongst the more significant and recognisable smells of his borders and Corinna himself. A male, a loner, and perhaps more curiously it was familiar to him, though he could not match a face to the scent. He saw a flash of grey through the trees and slowed his pace, his tail curling over his back, ears perked forward and head rising up proudly as he walked the final paces to bring the wolves into sight. He was the most dominant here and his movements were stiff and controlled, as he met the eyes briefly of first Corinna and then the reason (he presumed) for beckoning him. Marsh, pleasant surprise laced his voice but his posture did not soften yet, nor would it until Indru felt comfortable his position was not being challenged.

He approached closer to the male, brushing along Corinna's side as he did so in an affectionate gesture and could not stop the tensing in his body towards Marsh as he did so, he was a male after all, and breeding season was not so far away. Indru stopped just ahead of Corinna, watching the wolf in front of him carefully as he waited for him to speak, their previous meeting had been different but pleasant and it was a nice surprise to see the male again, but he couldn't help but wonder what had brought him here.

Gone Tomorrow

Like the place? The question boiled up in her thoughts before Corinna could stop it. But she had enough poise not to voice the question out loud. It wasn't a name that she often heard parents calling their young, but she couldn't judge - her own name wasn't exactly common either. Instead, she dipped her head in acknowledgment, noting with interest that once again he had said the bare minimum, and had taken a moment to do it. Did he have troubling remembering? Or was he lying to her and trying to come up with a suitable alias to cover his true identity. That thought lodged itself in the subordinate's brain, and she looked at the auburn furred beast with fresh eyes, unable to shake the idea that he might be deceiving her. But she went on anyway, ready to call him on it if somehow he tripped up admist conversation. And Indru would be on his way shortly, and the leader would know how to handle a case of mistaken identity. "I'm Corinna Donata," she told him, deciding that liar or not, it would be rude to not share her own name when he had obliged by telling her his.

The she-wolf's cry had not gone unanswered, as she doubted it would. It didn't take long for the strong scent of the lead wolf to get caught by her senses, and she immediately focused in on it. Eventually sight joined in as well, and the subordinate dipped her head in acknowledgment of his presence and dominance over the group. Cori met his eyes only briefly, and shot him a brief smile before he turned his attention away from her and to the loner. As he stepped into the scene, Cori felt his comforting bulk press up against her as he strode forward, putting himself in between her and the borders, as if the male offered a threat. She knew it! He was some devilish fiend here to bring harm to Swift River, just like those other two had.

But before she had time to get down into a defensive stance, Indru spoke. Marsh. Stopping midthought, the subordinate looked questioningly at Indru. So, the loner had been telling the truth. And Indru knew him? What? But she remained quiet, content to let the leader handle this proceeding. For the moment, she would be content with being a gimcrack, though only until she was needed to be called into action.

<blockquote>Something strange came over the female, though Marsh had some difficulty interpreting her slightly altered body language. Had he... done something wrong? Frowning a little, Marsh exhaled through his nose and took a hesitant step back. Was he giving off the wrong impression? It wasn't his intention to inspire hostilities, not at all.

Before long, the female's name was offered in return, and Marsh wondered if he had just been imagining things. Well aware of that unlikelihood, he nevertheless tried to relax. Show by example, after all. By that point, however, Marsh became aware of another approaching entity, and it was quickly identified as Indru himself. Believing the situation to have improved - Indru had met him before, they understood each other - Marsh let his tail wag once more, awaiting the dutifully prompt leader's arrival. He was impressed, certainly, and when Indru came close, Marsh was satisfied to see the recognition there.

But then, things went strange here too. The loner's ears flickered back as he registered the ever so slightly cold welcome that Indru had to offer. His voice was friendly, but Marsh could care less for that. Taking another hesitant step back, the loner re-evaluated the situation.

Indru looked well. Very well! Marsh was pleased for him, and that he seemed to have grown into his role. He didn't appear quite so young any more. That said, his defensiveness was a sensible trait, though Marsh didn't think himself quite deserving of it. He had tried to make a big point out of not threatening Corinna, though...

His slate grey eyes flickering between them, something clicked - or, more rightly, he remembered a previous conclusion - and he realised that he might have been inadvertently treading on toes. Stepping swiftly and silently to the side, he placed himself a little further from Corinna, securing Indru's place between them. Turning his head pointedly at the leader, Marsh snorted again, keeping his tail down and his manner inoffensive. He would understand, surely.

Now, however, Marsh had to somehow articulate his reason for being here. That was easier said than done, and for several reasons. Allowing time for Indru to get the message, Marsh tried to organise his thoughts, and came to a swift conclusion. He supposed there was no other real reason for him to have come to visit - and he truly believed that seeing Indru like this, authoritative and strong, had triggered something in him. It was unintentional but very welcome.

In one fluid motion, Marsh lowered his body and his gaze, shuffling forwards to better place himself beneath Swift River's leader.

He had liked this land last time, and nothing else had appealed. And life was lonely without a family. It was time to settle down, finally.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Mar 07, 2011, 09:55 PM by Marsh.)

<b>OOC:</b> Fail because I accidentally skipped Tara. *headdesk* Whoops.

Gone Tomorrow

This was a terribly odd situation, in Corinna's honest opinion. This Marsh fellow seemed kind enough, even though he was one of few words. But there was some tension here that she was missing that seemed to be communicated between the two males. Indru had stepped in front of her rather protectively, which had added to her suspicion of the loner, and Marsh had responded accordingly, moving further away from her. The gray and creme female wasn't dumb, she knew full well that Indru had it in his mind that he "owned" her in a sense. Even with Ruiko, he had set off the challenge by making it clear with his body language that he had claimed her. She didn't particularly mind it, but it was interesting watching it be played out before her eyes. Still, she followed her role, and stepped closer to Indru's flank, nudging him with her nose briefly to indicate that she was still there.

Watching curiously, Marsh once again said no words, but rather indicated his reason for being there with his body. He swept down low, into a crouch - a position of submission to Indru. At the borders, that typically only meant one thing, that was he looking to join the band of Swift River wolves. Turning her head, she nudged Indru's flank again. She thought he should join.

(This post was last modified: Mar 08, 2011, 04:18 PM by Corinna.)

God, Shadow! -smacks- x] Also, Siki, small bit of muzzle-grabbing powerplay here if that is okay with you, just say if you want anything changed. ^_^

As he had been called for his arrival was no surprise to the wolves and when he came into sight, posture supporting the rank he currently he held, he saw Corinna drop slightly in submission, flashing him a smile but he was too keen to keep his focus on Marsh to offer an recognition back but an affectionate nudge from his hip into her side gently. The male retreated as Indru has approached, angling himself between the two wolves as best he could and saw confusion on Marsh's face as his eyes flickered between both the River wolves quickly. Suddenly a thought seemed to dawn and he moved further away from the female in their presence, allowing Indru's protective division between her like a shield to be more effective and the tension in his body dropped slightly in movement, pleased that he had showed a disinterest in his female companion. Quickly he felt Corinna press herself tightly against him and nudge her with his nose and his tail, still curled over his back, waved briefly in response.

No verbal answer was given for the unexpected appearance of the male, but it was explained easily enough when Indru saw him abruptly drop to the ground; gaze averted elsewhere and shuffle towards him in a clear sign of submission as he sought his approval to join the Swift River pack. He felt Cori's nudge to his shoulder but it made no heed to decision as it had already been made by the leader. He pulled away from Corinna to approach Marsh further, his steps rigid as he closed the gap between them, his posture turning more dominant as he made it clear that he would now be the other's leader opposed to acquaintance. Then, dropping his head down, he took Marsh's muzzle in his strong jaws in a sign of acceptance and reassurance, holding it briefly to assert his lead before releasing and pulling away as he took a few steps back to give him space. Welcome. Indru stated clearly, knowing that Marsh was not one for words, which had seemed to progressed even further in his absence, but quirks aside he believed that the male would be a valuable and loyal asset with his simple approach, and that was something Indru would not turn away.

(This post was last modified: Mar 10, 2011, 01:02 PM by Indru.)