The Wildwood may i feel in my bones that i am enough

Random Event: Pip, you witness high rising waters in a mid-autumn rain, causing banks to overflow. Open to all! Located in the Wildwood at the borders of CAD/with some crossing territory unawares involved.

Were it not for the swollen creek, Pip would have recognized the area faster. She'd been this way before. When she found Kjell, she realized. When they'd been reunited once more after so long apart and he'd agreed to follow her back to Grizzly Hollow. Her heart ached for all the change that had happened since then. Not only had they left Grizzly Hollow - a place she'd imagined staying forever - but she'd been separated from her family as well. Perhaps it would have been translated as purposeful. She had been so cross with Aegir, so upset with him. Maybe he thought she was never coming back. Did he think she hated him? Her heart broke with the thought. Never. She could never hate him. She could be disappointed, but never hateful.

Pip shook her head as if to dispel the tears away. There was no use crying over it. She couldn't change it. All she could work on now was surviving until she could find her way back to her family. And that couldn't happen without a meal.

Thus far, her success had been spotty. Even now, it remained so. The creek was far too waterlogged to make for decent fishing, and while she'd found another cache to scrounge from, it was drowned by the high waters and smelled of rot. While she was desperate, she knew ill meat when she smelled it. As hungry as she was, there was no good reason to eat something guaranteed to make her ill and worsen her situation further.

The little mute walked on. All the rain was washing scents away, making it hard to track even small prey through the woods. She had an inkling of a nearby pack, but couldn't locate exactly where the borders were with how much it had rained the past few days. Pip managed to toss an irritated look skyward as if the gods were to blame for her misfortune. Had she lost favor with them because she left the Hollow with her family? She thought she'd been doing the right thing for her mate and her son! It wasn't fair.

But scowling at the dark clouds above would do little to fix her situation. So instead, she dropped her muzzle to the ground again, frowning when she caught a whiff of pack scent. The more she focused on it, the more she realized...it was all around her. Now she'd really gone and done it. If the gods weren't furious with her before, they would be now for breaking pack law and crossing territories! She was just like one of those bad lone wolves who did as they pleased!

dangerzone!

Lana Tainn

Suka was gone. Just like mom, he disappeared, with only a trail of blood to note that he'd even existed at all. Lana wondered if her life was doomed to repeat this tragic cycle, taking those that she loved the most, and making them disappear. It was her self proclaimed job to look after the boys, and she failed. She failed Suka, and Cannon. She failed Treyah, and Dad. She failed them all, and then she failed herself. The possibilities swam through her head, and paranoia crept its way into her bones. It was no longer a matter of if, but when. When would they leave her? Would she wake up one day to find that she was the only one left? What then?

Gods she was an idiot. How could she have let this happen? It was her fault. Her fault. Her fault. That's why, when the scent of a stranger crept unwillingly into her olfactory system, and she was able to process it's obvious proximity, she ran towards it instead of away. Wild eyes swept over the woman's pale form, and anger swirled in Lana's stomach. Did this woman take Suka away? Was she here to take Cannon too? Who the hell did she think she was crossing their borders like she belonged here?

Having put on most of her adult size already, Lana leaned towards being a force to be reckoned with, so she felt no fear approaching the woman with her tail arched high over her back. It wasn't the approach she'd normally take, but this woman had the misfortune of catching her at the wrong time. Dark lips pulled back, a clear sign of aggression, emphasizing her displeasure. "And just what do you think you're doing?" The words were spat with venom lacing her tongue.

(This post was last modified: Dec 11, 2017, 03:55 AM by Lana.)

Guardian demonstration 1/3

The wet weather as of late had him feeling particularly annoyed. Scent markers were being continually washed away, and there was only so many times he could revisit a spot to refresh it before growing tired of doing the same repetitive motions.

But it didn’t stop him from trying yet as he was searching for more weakened marks to strengthen, his ears perked at the faint sound of Lana’s voice - with what sounded like aggression lacing her voice - caught his attention. With a frown and wondering what was making the near yearling so angry, it was only as the wind shifted did Dread catch wind of an unfamiliar scent. Shit, how did he not notice that before? There was no way he could leave Lana alone with a stranger.

Picking up his pace till it was nearly a slow trot, Dread came across Lana with the strange wolf who was far too over their borders for Dread to feel comfortable, weak marks or no. Brushing his shoulder against Lana’s right side, to let her know he was with her, Dread stared down at the woman before them. She was so small. Even Lana, with her only fault of still growing, was already showing signs that she’d be much bigger than this stranger.

However, while part of him was thankful she was on the smaller side, he knew not to assume that size always equaled weakness. Besides, the other’s size wasn’t what mattered most right now. Though not having caught exactly what she had said, Dread assumed Lana had already asked what the stranger was doing here, so far passed their borders. So Dread merely stood in silence while they waited for an answer.

@Lana @Dread

Of course a pack wolf would find her! Just when she was trying to find her way out of the predicament she'd landed herself in, Pip was suddenly faced with a furious young woman who clearly meant business. How easily submission came; it was as if she'd never left pack life at all. The little mute immediately sank to the ground, tail tucked and ears flattened to the side as she tried to communicate her silent, wide-eyed apology. Her tongue flicked out nervously across her lips before retreating. She had come to learn that even if wolves sometimes came on strong, they didn't always back up their anger with teeth. Maybe...she'd have mercy and let her go with just a stern warning.

Pip's heart seized with momentary elation when she saw the dark male approaching. But her happiness was fleeting, for she quickly realized that while he was large and his coat was dark, his similarities with her mate ended. The most obvious of markers was the presence of two yellow eyes rather than one.

Outnumbered and clearly outmatched, Pip failed to hide the quivering of her taut muscles. She ached to flee, but she also didn't want either of them to grab her by her hocks and take her from behind like prey. The very image had her heart fluttering in bird-like panic. She knew well what she looked like; some skinny loner looking to find an easy meal. And sure, she'd been that wolf a few days ago with that pack farther south...but it was an honest mistake today!

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Cannon had thought he heard his sister's voice nearby, that's why he'd came to investigate. Though the sight before him was nothing like what he'd imagined on his brisk walk closing the distance. Lana was visibly upset, Tenebrae accompanied her with a similar aura about him, and a rather small, quivering wolf lay just in front of them. The fae was obviously scared out of her whits, what the hell was going on? Were they bullying the poor thing?

"Hey!" The pup sternly declared. "What are we doing over here? Ma'am are you okay?" The female was, again, quite small. It was hard for Cannon to imagine she'd be able to cause much trouble out here on her own. Sure, she was in pack boundaries, but maybe she just needed some help? No need to drive her into the dirt over it. 'I get it Lana, they're gone. I'm upset too. But don't take it out on some poor defenseless traveler.'

(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2017, 08:13 AM by Cannon.)

dangerzone!

Lana Tainn

The anger swelling in Lana's gut did not subside when the small woman crumbled before her, but rather increased. How. Dare. She. If she was going to commit such a sin, then she should at least stand her ground, instead of making the Tainn girl feel so... bad. She didn't like the feeling she got as the small wolf looked up at her, eyes pleading. It made Lana feel like she was wrong but she wasn't wrong, was she? The inky youth wasn't the one who traipsed onto someone else's territory. She was right. She was right. She was right. Why wouldn't the woman at least defend herself?

She felt a wave of relief as Tenebrae's coat brushed against her own, and the hot rage boiling in the pit of her stomach began to ebb away. That's when the familiar thud of Cannon's paws caught her ears. Another surge of relief poured over her coat. She could always count on him. Except... at that moment, apparently, because the words that dropped from his lips weren't in her own defense, but rather the stranger's.

Pearly white teeth flashed as she snapped at the air, but instead of directing her aggression towards the crumpled heap of wolf on the snow, it was intended for her brother. "This doesn't concern you Cannon." Wildly, her vivid eyes flashed back towards the stranger. "Say something!" 'Defend yourself, or prove me right.' "If you've come to take another one, then we can end this right now." It was a lot of talk for a girl so young, but she couldn't help it. She was sad, and angry, and confused. Nothing made sense anymore, and someone had to pay for it.

(This post was last modified: Dec 12, 2017, 08:24 PM by Lana.)

Guardian demonstration 2/3

A dark ear flicked over to Cannon as he approached, obviously curious as to what was happening. But when the boy laid eyes on the scared stranger, it was clear he was on her side. Though it was possible the pale woman hadn’t smelt the washed away markers, declaring a pack was residing there, it was the idea she had possibly intentionally ignored the markers that had Dread on edge. And it was better to be prepared than not to be, so not to be caught off guard.

Opening his mouth to explain what was going on, Lana cut him off, clearly annoyed with her brother.

Somewhat confused, Dread closed his mouth as more angry words fell from Lana. As much as he was with the girl on that the stranger shouldn’t be in the borders, she did have the chance to explain herself at least. And take another one? Was she referring to Naira and her missing brother? From had been explained to him, Naira had simply wandered off in a somewhat deluded state. However, Suka had vanished with nary a trace of him, expect for a trail of blood leading off to god knows where. Sharp yellow eyes turned to the quivering woman in front of them. Could she be the reason behind both their disappearances? Or at the very least, Suka’s?

He doubted it, looking at the pathetic excuse for a wolf in front of him.

“Lana, calm down. If she is in need of help, then she can explain herself. If not, then there’s no reason for her to be crossing our borders.” Glancing back over to the intruder, Dread did notice she seemed somewhat battered and had been quick to flatten herself to the ground in submission. Had she gotten into a fight recently? Or just wasn’t able to properly look after herself, with being on her own? “So tell us, is it because you need help that you crossed our borders? Because if not, kindly go back over them.”

@Cannon @Lana @Dread

As frightened as she was, Pip was observing every sound, every movement that may indicate a bite was incoming. It was because of that that she heard the approach of yet another wolf. Automatically, she sank even lower, her face scrubbing the ground. But rather than add to his packmates' aggression, the newcomer seemed to have a calmer head on his shoulders. While the female's demeanor reminded her more of Aegir overall, the boy's softness reminded her of her son's gentle side. His initial bark had her flinching, but then he asked if she was okay.

Was she okay? Of course not! She didn't really know where she was, didn't know where her family was, she and her son had a huge argument before she'd been washed downstream in a river and nearly drowned, she'd been forced to steal from another pack, and she had bumbled onto another pack's territory courtesy of the rain. So no. No, she was not alright.

Say something! And there was the familiar demand. The one she wished she could comply with, but never could. But Pip's fear was replaced by momentary confusion with the young woman's final statement. Take another one? To her knowledge, she'd taken nothing from this pack. Her only crime was of stumbling over their blurred territory lines like a classless coyote.

And there was the big male - more calmly - saying the same. Say something, explain yourself.

But how could she explain herself when they weren't listening? She was trying! They just weren't paying enough attention. And with as angry as the young female was, she was unlikely to give her the time to continue trying.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, and while she promised herself she would never do this under any circumstances as it made her feel lower than low, Pip mouthed the three dreaded words repeatedly with her eyes squeezed shut as if that may make it easier to bear. It did not.

I can't speak. I can't speak. I can't speak. I can't speak. I can't speak. I can't speak!

Lana would be better for praying Cannon always stay the calm wolf he currently was, because with a mouth like that she could end up seriously hurt someday. "You're lucky you're my sister and there's a lot going on right now, Lana." He snarled. Nobody had ever pushed his buttons like this before. Nowhere in the course of history had he ever had such a build up of Adrenalin pumping through him like this very moment. Though he'd do his best to calm down for now, no need to scare the stranger any further.

It put the boy at ease, listening to Tenebrae's next choice of words. Seemingly his sister was the only bat-shit crazy one. But what next followed out of their company's muzzle absolutely broke Cannon's heart. 'She's a mute..' He thought to himself. 'As if this situation couldn't get any worse. My sister is bullying a mute.' With a sigh, the boy removed himself from the side of his fellow pack mates and over to the side of the defenseless. "Hey, it's going to be okay. You didn't mean to come here, did you?"

(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2017, 08:14 AM by Cannon.)