Sacred Grove my old friend

No wolf, no matter how incapacitated—physically or otherwise—could ignore the tangible change in the air upon entering the pack land that was Sacred Grove. Even the air smelt different; there was a certain ferocious freshness to it that Nuka could not place, but welcomed all the same, and it seemed to have a crisp edge; the smells lurking in the air were much of the same – ferocious, fresh, and welcomed. It had been a long time since he had inhaled the scent of a pack, even one that was not his former home, and for a moment, a breathless second or two, Nuka was overcome by a pang of homesickness. His thoughts slipped back in time, skipping over the last few weeks, returning to Red Oak, where his parents and his pack were, undoubtedly hunting or spending time together—they were sharing moments he was no longer privy to, having left that life behind in order to follow the one that had led him to this very place.

Inhaling a great lungful of breath, Nuka released it slowly, eyes scanning the surrounding trees, searching for any signs of life. Deer that had lingered here before his arrival had quickly scattered off, and he was, at present, rather alone. The concept of ‘alone’ was a new one to him; Tala could be found at his side day or night, yet now they were separated, if only by a mile or two, with his sister scouting for potential pray whilst he ventured forth here. He had mentioned, in passing, heading towards Indru’s borders in order to see how his friend fared, and yet had not quite found the time to do so, what with most of his waking hours spent hunting or resting—in truth, Nuka had not realised the life of a loner was to be one of such an arduous nature. Pack born and bred, he longed for a community of his own, for company consisting of more than just his sister, and this longing—coupled with Tala’s insistence—had carved the path that ended here. Breathing in again, Nuka snorted softly, pawing at the earth, and then lifted his head and howled.

Granted, it was not much of a howl, but the nostalgia of hunting with Indru and howling to communicate came back to him in a flurry of sound and memory, and thus, quite accidentally, the noise he made took on a similar tone to the ones he had used with Indru a lifetime ago. An elapsed amount of time later, the song died in his throat, and he lowered his head back down to its normal level again, the weight of expectation now resting on his shoulders. Either Indru came or he didn’t, but Nuka hoped that it was the first option: his bones ached to see his old companion, and Tala would come running at a moment’s notice if Indru greeted him without her there to be welcomed as well. True, welcomed was a strong word—he had seen how Red Oak had treated loners they did not like—but he hoped it was the correct word; Indru would not turn away such a firm cohort as he… would he?

I am actually so excited for this thread, words escape me!

(This post was last modified: Sep 09, 2011, 01:22 AM by Nuka.)

Eee, me as well. :D I love them both!

Health had been returning to Indru swiftly; wolves were quick healers and now he had the strength of a pack to rely on also, yet even so he was not quite back to normal, a limp still plagued his right hind leg and even though they were no longer broken, his healing ribs were often stiff and sore after prolonged use. But weakness had never been a thing Indru had fallen too willingly and so it was only after a close inspection that another may find that the leader was not off full health. With young pups once more in the pack again, especially his own, it seemed more important than ever to keep the markings of the borders strong, each day Indru spent fruitless hours leaving his scent like a invisible wall throughout the Grove, a deterrent to any who planned to cross without having the markings of a River wolf upon their own fur. The pack was growing and the fresh scents of his brothers and mate along secured that; but it was the scents of pups on his fur that made it seem the strongest, as what was a pack if it had no future to continue.

Throughout his healing process Indru had been keen to use his limbs and keep them stretched and supple, he had seen too many wolves keep their limps or be crippled from lack of mobility as their bones re-knotted or their muscles healed. It had been a painful process but Indru felt relief each time he ran that it became easier, his lope more natural, and of late he had started to hunt the small prey in the Grove again, small gifts to his mate and pups. The reward of his latest catch hung limply between his jaws, the body of the rabbit still young as he headed back towards the fresh markings he had made earlier before departing beyond them. The scents of the forest were muffled from the enticing ones of the rabbit, but even so he did not miss the scent of wolf, a male, near his borders. As Indru's body jolted forward to meet the intruder his tail rose along with with the fur along his spine so that when he did burst through the trees to come face to face with the stranger his body posture spoke dominance alone, his scent aside.

It took mere moments before Indru's eyes widened and the proud, vertical position of his tail swayed into a wave, his once stiff movements becoming fluid as he dropped his rabbit and bounded forward, a wolfish grin on his face as he closed the gap between the male. Nuka! An age had passed it felt like since he had departed from his good friends and though they had kept in contact occasionally by howls there had been few and far between and Indru had found himself missing the chirpy and energetic brother and sister duo. How are you? Where is Tala? Joy broke through his fiery eyes as he leaned forward to lick Nuka's muzzle affectionately, his nose trailing closer to the male's fur to check that the fresh scent of Tala hung their, healthy, still. The dynamic was different now, Indru was no so weak and incapable as before, and a pack leader now too but he had no fears of Nuka wishing to harm him or his family, it's great to see you.

The leisurely posture Nuka had adopted in waiting for Indru’s arrival underwent a dramatic change from the moment his friend leapt into view, the picture of dominance and authority. It was different to the way Nuka had known him, but he recognised the necessary alterations Indru had made upon re-entering his old pack, and thus felt no inclination to hold it against him—although he would not have done that anyway. A whine rose from his throat, high in pitch, a mixture of happy greeting and submission, and he hesitated for a moment before lowering himself beneath the Alpha, tail tucked beneath his body, underbelly practically sweeping the ground. There was a pause consisting of a few heartbeats as Nuka breathed in, inhaling the rich, fresh scent of his old companion, and then, upon Indru’s switch in body language, and the loosening of his stiff position, he lifted himself from the ground in time for Indru to bound towards him with a grin on his face. Caution was the best way to proceed here; he vaguely wondered if he had done the right thing by submitting instead of, first and foremost, greeting Indru as the dear acquaintance he was, but that could wait—at this very moment in time, he was merely glad to see his fellow wolf.

“Indru!” he responded, the same enthusiasm lining his voice as his features, too, beheld a grin. He whined again, tail wagging furiously upon beholding the sight of the wolf before him, eyes eagerly drinking in the figure of the Alpha as if he had just stumbled upon a river after being deprived of such a source for months. Snorting softly with affection as Indru licked his muzzle, Nuka waited a beat as Indru hovered closer to his fur, sniffing, and then inched forward and licked the wolf’s chin with mutual affection, glad to be near him once again. He laughed at his friend’s questioning, a jovial sound from deep within his chest, and tilted his head slightly, a mischievous expression hovering over his face. “Tala is hunting a little way off—she’s no more than a mile away.” It was the most important question to answer first; perhaps Indru suspected that something foul had befallen his sister, as the duo were never seen far apart, and thus Nuka was quick to reassure him that such a thing had not occurred. “I rather suspect she’ll be along soon once she realises I’ve found you without her being present to greet you as well.” His grin widened, inwardly imagining Tala’s reaction, and then his thoughts returned to the present and talk of how he was.

Pausing for a second to reflect about his wellbeing, Nuka’s grin never faded. “I’m fine, Indru. How are you?” His eyes roamed over the Alpha’s body, as if checking for injuries, and he sniffed the air again, scenting for any sort of infection. There was none; to his eyes, Indru seemed perfectly healthy, which suited him just fine. “I see you’ve recovered quickly,” he added, pleasure obvious in his gaze. “Tala will be as pleased as I am.” They had both taken the task of caring for Indru in a personal manner, and Nuka was now rather emotionally-invested in the well-being of the Alpha; if anything were to happen to him, he supposed he would personally seek to ensure that he was looked after again. “It’s wonderful to see you, too,” Nuka responded gleefully, truth ringing in every word he spoke. He could not deny that he’d missed Indru since their departure, and that being back in his presence brought a certain joy to his step and his spirits. “How are things? How’s your pack?”

I must admit I wasn't quite sure how Nuka should respond re: behaviour, so if I made any mistakes, feel free to correct me, etc! (:

(This post was last modified: Sep 08, 2011, 11:15 PM by Nuka.)

Surprise and instinct had caused the dominant posture that Indru had taken, and it was instinct that also brought Nuka's response, an acceptance of Indru's more dominant rank and then submission to show he had no challenge to it. It was that most of all highlighted the new dynamic in their relationship, Indru was no longer the injured stranger accepted into their pack, or the homeless companion on equal footing, but he was still Nuka's close friend and had in some ways been a guardian and that would not change. Once the formalities had been established the pair reverted to their old ways; affectionate licks and happy grins as they conversed like only friends could.

Though he had tried to keep the concern from his questions it was clear Nuka knew him too well, but the laugh alone was enough to soothe the male that nothing had happened to Tala, a relief, as Indru had still found time to worry about the pair of them while adjusting to pack life. Well, I guess someone needs to feed the pair of you. We all know you're hopeless at it, the leader flashed a grin to show it was a tease, a happy laugh escaping him as he jolted his neck forward to bite playfully at Nuka's muzzle, trying to capture it in a affectionate grab between his jaws. Nuka's talk to Tala brought another laugh and Indru shook his head in amused agreement, his tail still continue to wave behind him. Well, I hope she does come. She's a far better sight than you are to look at. Indur had forgotten how effect Nuka managed to be in putting him in a good mood; it wasn't that he was in a bad one but the tension within the pack had taken its toll sometimes, and as much as he loved his mate earning her forgiveness for his absence was not something easily done.

Healing, I'm much better. Give me a while longer and you'll never have known. It had been a great worry of Indru's that he would be left with a permanent injury but so far everything seemed to be healing correctly, he had made sure to stretch and use his healing body as much as possible even if it hurt and that technique seemed successful so far. Then I'll be able to show you a thing or to. Towards the end, when Indru's injuries had become a hassle and a pain more than life threatening it had not been uncommon for the pair to tease him over his uselessness to try and keep his spirits high, but he would be lying if he was not looking forward to be showing them just how handy he could be.Things are great. Brilliant. Corinna is fantastic, she kept our pups healthy and they are just... Incredible, Nuka. Pride coated Indru like a second skin and the love he held for Corinna and their pups was clear in his voice. The Tainn was never so content as to have his family around him. How about you? What brings you down here, tired of exploring at last? Curiosity titled Indru's head as he waited for an answer, his ears twitching, were the pair leaving Relic Lore for good now and had come to say goodbye? The thought of it made Indru feel more sorrow than he would have thought and he could only hope for happier news from Nuka.

A teasing shake of Nuka’s head followed Indru’s jest at his hunting skills, and the wolf huffed lightly, feigning offence for a second or two. “You forget who hunted for you, friend,” he retorted easily, a smile framing his features to highlight the fact he did not mind the joke, nor take it too seriously; the relationship between the two animals was of such strength that they could easily tease and mock the other without blurring the line between jokes and hurtful comments. Tail still wagging at great speed, he made no move to stop the other wolf from playfully grabbing his muzzle, and instead welcomed the gesture as an affirmation of the bond that lay between them; time, it seemed, had not eroded the things that they had been through and the connection that they shared. “I do believe you only say such things because my good looks are superior to your own, thus you feel inclined to belittle my striking appearance in order to make yourself feel better.” Nuka’s voice was thick with teasing, as Indru’s had been before, and he darted forward to lick the other wolf’s muzzle again, altering course for a second to thrust his nose closer to Indru’s fur, taking a deep breath of his friend’s scent as if to reacquaint himself with it.

Upon hearing that the wolf was healing, his expression brightened considerably, and a contented noise left his throat. “Good news and more good news, it seems!” Nuka was glad to find him in such good health, and happy, too. Even Tala had expressed some notion of worry about how his pack would respond to his return, and whilst both of them had doubted that Indru’s return would be unwelcomed, they had been concerned about how well it would be taken, and whether or not he would be happy to be back. However, it now seemed that their fears had been for naught, as Indru stood before him, relaxed and healing well, which pleased him more than he could ever put into words. “Oh?” he answered, a mischievous expression brimming on his features, bright fire dancing in his eyes as he laughed slightly at what Indru was implying. “I look forward to that. It’ll be a chance to see whether or not you’ve progressed from being useless to being of some use!” He was teasing again, as he was wont to do, and the smirk on his muzzle professed as much. It was good to hear that the wounds weren’t irreparable or causing him any long-term struggles; it put Nuka’s mind at rest, and would probably put Tala’s at rest, too, once she found out.

The conversation switched to talk of Indru’s family, which intrigued the wolf, as he had wondered how they were now that their leader was back. Corinna—he recalled her being mentioned a lot, inwardly reminding himself that she was Indru’s mate—and the mention of pups and their good health made Nuka’s smile widen again. “I’m very glad things are as they should be,” the wolf intoned, a mixture of solemn meaning and happiness bursting in his voice; he was glad, because Indru deserved good luck after his bad fortune at being injured, and all this good news was nothing short of what Nuka personally thought his friend needed. There was a slight pause as he listened to Indru’s question, and consequently lapsed into a moment of silent, unsure as to whether he should broach the subject whilst his sister was absent. “Ha!” Nuka laughed, “I shall never be tired of exploring!” Something about the ground beneath his feet, going wherever he pleased, struck a chord with him, though it conflicted with his desire to be part of a pack and belong somewhere again.

He inhaled, testing the earth beneath his feet, and glanced around, as if to check if Tala had made an appearance. She had not; she was still off hunting, he presumed, and he pondered on the thought of howling to her and requesting her presence. She would probably be along soon, and presumably would not mind the discussion of their mutual future taking place without her being present. Returning his attention to Indru, Nuka’s tail ceased to wag for a moment, slipping into a static, relaxed mode. He inhaled and exhaled, and, after a second or two, came to the conclusion that he should just be honest with his friend. “We initially came to see how you were faring—to check on you, if you will—but then… well, Tala suggested we could keep an eye on you in the long-term if we joined your pack, so… I suppose we’re here to do just that.” He fell silent for a moment, realising he left Indru with few options, which sounded to him rather like he was forcing his friend to make a decision, and quickly amended his previous statement. “If there’s room, of course. And if you’ll have us. Though I did try to tell Tala you wouldn’t want someone as dashing as me strutting around and challenging your good looks.”

The last sentence was a jest, of sorts, to ease his request, but the rest of it was earnest and heartfelt; he felt a bit bad about requesting such a thing without his sibling present, but Indru had asked, and Nuka felt obliged to answer.

Sorry for the wait! <3

Laughter broke from Indru often as the two continued their easy banter, bursts of affection shown through playful touches and verbal jests. The three had formed a bond quickly and strongly and Indru had forgotten how much he enjoyed Nuka's company when they had been parted. Indru shook his head as Nuka exclaimed, clearly voicing his interest in exploring — it was something Indru had never truly experienced, the wanderlust that some of his siblings had, but even he knew that eventually the desire to do so would fade as responsibility took over. You say that now... The older male teased knowingly, a small grin, eventually he would settle in a pack or perhaps disband to try and start his own. Though somehow, he could not see Nuka leaving Tala's side and would his sister accept him as her leader so easy?

Suddenly his questions seemed to bring a slight nervous from Nuka and Indru watched with curiosity as he pawed the ground, looking around absently. Indru let the silence remain deciding to let his friend work through what he wanted to say without pressure, and he was rewarded but not having to wait long. He listened intently as the boy spoke, surprise being over taken by pleasure and then excitableness as he realised what this meant. Of course! Indru's tail, who had ceased it's movement to match Nuka's, started to wave again as his front paws paced the ground on the spot for a few steps in his joy. More than welcome — we have pups, every number is a blessing. The stronger there pack was the safer and more healthy his pups, and two loyal wolves like Nuka and Tala would be a gift, the fact aside that they were both dear friends. I am yet to see a threat in you, boy, Indru growled in mock jest, a wolfish grin on is face to show the growl was well meant.

The Ekreon female was not here yet but he presumed she would be along in time, and Nuka's fresh scent crossing the borders would surely on inform her of the success in their decision and she would howl for him if they were not around. Leaning forward Indru went to gently grasp his friend's muzzle in his jaws again, but this time for a different reason. This gesture spoke of his dominance and leadership of the wolves of his pack, but also reassurance and acceptance too, if Nuka was to agree to his control.