Thicket of Secrets Living by Association

OOC: Takes place morning of 3.23. All welcome.

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Weather: Blizzard, 20F/-7C

Word Count: 203

She was getting tired of traveling. This was a new feeling for Kaela, who spent much of her time on the move. She wasn’t sure why she suddenly disliked this wandering. Perhaps it was because winter had blown in again. The heavy snow was swirling around her, tugging her left and right, backwards and forwards. She closed her eyes and stood still a minute, paws sinking into the snow until her belly was almost touching it. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of the wind tearing at her pelt.

This was what she lived for, this cold. Everything was too bright, but she supposed one couldn’t have everything. She didn’t mind that the whipping snow nearly blinded her; her eyesight wasn’t that good anyway, so she was used to the limitation. The feeling inside of her purred with delight at the frozen chill soaking into her fur.

Still, she must continue on. She was looking for something. What it was, she wasn’t sure. But she was looking. She would know when she found it. Wasn’t that how she usually lived her life? Searching for the unknown? Following the snow?

With a soft snort, she continued trudging through the snow again.

"Speech" Thought

Snow, snow and more snow! Will this cold ever end? The almost-yearling faintly remembered a time when the thicket was not covered in the stuff, but it seemed a distant dream these days. Her mother kept saying spring was in the air, but Flair didn't see it, everything was as cold and dead as before. Perhaps it was the weird illness she had caught, the one that made her smell funny and act all strange. Oddly enough no one seemed to worry about it, nothing like when dad had been ill and they couldn't even see him. The red girl shook her head, snorting and kicking at the snow; Nothing makes sense around here! In an effort to work through some of her penned up frustrations, the girl had set out beyond territory, patrolling as her brother would call it; Sheesh! It was a technique she'd used before, nothing blew off steam like a brisk trot through the thicket. Of course, usually she didn't run into anyone. The Woodlands were secluded, and loners at their borders, or anywhere near them, were a rarity. Never the less, the youngster's jog was halted by an unfamiliar scent mixed with the whirling snow. She paused, raising her snout into the wind, nostrils flaring. Her skills at tracking might be feeble, but she knew the smell of wolf, and this was a stranger too! Giving her coat a quick shake, the pup spun, following the scent with perked ears and narrowed eyes. It took a while before she made out the silhouette among the snow and bramble, but finally she noticed the figure, standing eerily still as the wind pushed and pulled at her from all sides. Flair cocked her head, flicking one ear back and then forwards again, curiosity and antagonism mixed on her face; What the hell? Then suddenly, the stranger started moving, as if nothing had happened, a small sound falling from her dark lips. Unable to hold her tongue, and knowing her fiery coat was not exactly good camouflage among the white and brown, Flair called after her: "Oi, what're you doin' here?!" Not even the smallest hint of politeness in her voice. Word count: 363 Thoughts ”Speech”

Tambako The Jaguar @Flickr

OOC:

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Word Count: 200

Kaela jumped and then cursed herself when she heard a voice. She had been so wrapped up in the snow, she hadn’t noticed the approach of another wolf. Or a pup, but same thing really. This young lady looked to be only a year old. Kaela smirked to herself.

“You would do well to watch your manners.” She purred, halting and looking over the fiery young woman. Her fur matched her personality, it seemed. Even through the howling weather, the dark woman could smell the others on the fur of her confronter. “I have not crossed any pack borders, as far as I am aware.”

She hadn’t. She tended to avoid packs; she didn’t like them. Hadn’t ever since her childhood. They were just full of throttlebottom leaders and sycophants. Not to mention pups who had a habit of reaching above their position, like this one seemed to be doing.

Kaela might just have to teach her a lesson.

But she’d learned long ago not to take things as they seemed; if someone this young was beyond their borders, there were likely others nearby. She found that packs frowned upon those that attacked their youngest members. So she would play nice. For now, anyway.

"Speech" Thought

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

He was merely wandering about in search of something to hunt. He didn't feel great today but that didn't mean he could just slack off. There was work to be done. Granted before he even caught something to track down he heard voice chattering. If he was correct one belonged to one of the pack's children. The other he wasn't familiar with but he did not appreciate her words. He set off towards the two of them and let out a gentle growl as his eyes stared at the stranger.

"One to talk." He chuffed in a rather rude tone. "Just because you haven't crossed borders doesn't mean you shouldn't watch yourself." It was a fair and clear warning to her. No one from his knowledge took kindly to even a lurking loner. Vasu was well aware that you didn't have to cross borders to cause trouble. Especially given the time of year.

He glanced towards the red toned child and she seemed safe. While she wasn't all that young that didn't mean he was going to blow all of this off and leave. "What do you want?" His question was obviously directed at the strange female. It was obvious that his time spent with Nauja was giving him a bit more of a backbone.

the ghost in the corner of the room
knows how you’re feeling
‘cause you’re dead to him, too

Flair snickered at the woman's reaction, flicking her ears again as she turned to face her. She looked strange, her black and white fur reminiscent of Enia's, though more mottled with grey. And her eyes were even darker blue than Cináed and Miccah's, so that you couldn't really tell the pupil from the iris. Flair wasn't one to scare easily, but she did find something creepy about the strange woman, especially when her shocked expression morphed into a thin smile. Her honeyed comment got a quick response from the pup, who stuck out her tongue and made a rude face; You're one to talk, lady! And as if echoing her thoughts, a rugged voice suddenly sounded, prompting a reaction not unlike she had in the stranger, moments earlier. Jerking her head sideways, Flair narrowed her eyes slightly at the old man, one ear flattening backwards. He was still mostly a stranger, even if he had technically joined the pack, and she wasn't sure what to think of him. But the way he spoke to the intrusive lady made the youngster's lips twitch I a half smirk. Her own gaze returned to the wench, ears again flipped forwards and tail flicked above hip-level, unabashed. "Tha's not what I asked," she barked, quickly followed up by Vasu's own question, and she didn't hesitate to jump on board; "Yeah, that!" Had she still been alone, she might have acted with a bit more caution – or maybe not, she had yet to be truly burned by her brash manner – but with the pack mate emboldening her, she felt even more assured in her approach; "You're close enough! Not like this thicket's got a lot'a other stuff going on." She narrowed her eyes; I should know! Word count: 291 Thoughts ”Speech”

Tambako The Jaguar @Flickr

OOC: Ooooo name calling. I like it ;)

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Word Count: 300

Had they been on pack territory, perhaps it would have been different. Perhaps she would have been kinder.

Probably not.

The voices in the back of her mind whispered for her to cause trouble. Kaela had grown adept at ignoring them, but this time she was tempted to obey. She was bored, and they were being rude. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She was, in fact, just passing through. It had been the pup who had made the first move and initiated contact. Kaela would have been content to simply ignore them if they hadn’t chosen to be so… uncivilized.

I can show them uncivilized.

But she was outnumbered, and it had been a while since she’d been in a fight. She may enjoy stirring up trouble, but she also had a very strong sense of self-preservation. She stood quietly for only a short moment, eyeing her adversaries, before letting out a short bark of laughter. “Outside of your territory, you have no authority.” She mocked, sidling a little closer – yet not so close that she couldn’t escape should they decide to attack. “But you have nothing to worry about. I was simply passing through when this fiery little thing-” She flashed a smirk at the child, “thought it her place to shout at me.”

She could tell these two were not as comfortable with the weather as she was. This was her domain. This was her element. Each blast of icy wind was a caress, bringing her strength. Each flake of snow was a shield, bringing her enemies to her level. In the cold of the storm, she was the one who should be revered. Energy bubbled up inside of her.

She bared her teeth in a wild grin. “Little children should learn to watch their mouths when beyond the safety of their borders.”

"Speech" Thought

scuffle post 1/2-3 Vasu's objective is to grab her muzzle and force her down

While he usually would have been upset for a child to be so feisty it seemed she had every right to be. As the stranger pleaded her case it only made Vasu's hackles raise out of frustration. She was dimwitted, to say the least. Vasu wasn't going to stand near to Secret Woodlands and take this kind of behavior from some kind of cocky loner. Who did she even think she was to test against their authority and tell the pack's children what to do? He was glad he had come towards the pair of females instead of resuming his tracking. There were much better things to be done here.

Without a moment to waste he launched himself at the colorless females. His jaws were parted as he aimed for her muzzle. If she was going to act with disrespect she would be put into her place. Once his teeth could make contact with flesh he would hold tight and force the damned loner towards the ground. He wasn't going to be gentle about any of this. She had already proven with her words that she wasn't worthy of his manners or respect. Not to mention this would be a good lesson for the child behind him. Hopefully, she would merely watch and not feel the need to get involved.

(This post was last modified: Mar 24, 2017, 04:41 PM by Vasu.)

the ghost in the corner of the room
knows how you’re feeling
‘cause you’re dead to him, too

OOC: So the new order is Kaela, Flair, Vasu, yes?

Scuffle post 1/3

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Word Count: 200

She had gone too far.

When it came to fighting, Kaela preferred to strike first, harboring the element of surprise. She liked to go for the legs; take them down, then take them out. She’d thought she’d left enough space between her and the other two for her escape should she be attacked, but she failed to recall how deeply her paws sank into the snow when she stood still.

When the older man attacked, Kaela reeled backwards but got tangled in the drifts around her legs. Rather than yelping, however, she growled deeply when his teeth closed around her muzzle.

Kill kill kill kill!

The voices chanted in her mind, commanding her to take her recompense for the disrespect.

Not with the child watching.

She struck out with her paws, trying to yank her face free but couldn’t get any purchase. Her feet slipped in the snow, but she somehow managed to remain standing despite the other man’s weight. She knew she wouldn’t be able to last for long, though, if she couldn’t wriggle free. Her ears were pressed against her head and her eyes were narrowed, every hair on her body bristled. She hadn’t entered his territory or attacked his packmates. How dare he!

"Speech" Thought

lol yeah, Flair's a brat xD @Vasu's up next with his final attack :) Oh and Scuffle pints are 2-3 posts total, not each, so this should still be eligible

The laugh felt jarring to her ears, something truly wrong in its false tone. Whether the strange woman was really amused, or just generally insane, Flair couldn't tell, and neither did she care; The condescending tone was clear enough. It made a low growl rumble in her chest, teeth baring. It would seem the witch mistook them for honorable guardians, touting laws of conduct as if this would make them back off; What an idiot! This wasn't about authority, it was about force, and she was outnumbered. But clearly not smart enough to realize her disadvantage. The derisive comment drew a full snarl from the pups lips, amber eyes watching closely as she snuck closer; I'll show you my place, Bitch! This stranger was certifiably crazy, no doubt about it. The whipping winds and icy, sharp snowflakes only seemed to rile her up further, and despite warnings from both Flair and the adult, she continued her arrogant display, the smile on her face just as false as her laughter. That next remark finally did it for the temperamental youth, eyes widening in fury as her remaining semblance of self-control snapped. With a roar, she hurled herself forwards, moments after Vasu did the same, though his attack seemed a lot more controlled, probably owing to his vastly larger experience. The stout pup was more used to acting 'target', waiting for an adversary to come at her and then biting back. Aim and regulation were not her strong suite. So as the dark man's teeth closed around the wench's muzzle, pushing her off balance, Flair's charge veered off the moving target. Trying to change her course, the pup slammed her paws into the snow, skidding through the wet cover before stumbling into the grabbling adults. Rather than knock down the woman, as she had hoped, it seemed Flair's attempted attack might end up freeing her from Vasu's hold. Though, lying tail up in a  drift, she couldn't tell exactly how much damage she'd ended up doing. Word count: 334 Thoughts ”Speech”

Tambako The Jaguar @Flickr