Even with the seems stitched tightly

@Naira or @Mapplethorpe?

The chilly night air shot an ache into her foreleg, nearly making the decision for her. Winter was on it's way, and this time there would be no artificial heat, nor humans to scavenge from. This year she would be on her own, unless those of her own kind would be gracious enough to take her in. Survival was her trade, an acquired skill that had brought her this far, but it couldn't carry her for much longer. Not with the freezing air sending small creatures into their dens before nightfall.

Enjoying either her last few moments of life, or freedom, she wasn't yet sure which one, the light female closed her eyes. She hadn't really considered what it would mean to join another pack until then. An alpha to answer to, and responsibilities to uphold, but she knew pack life. Well she did at some point before the chaos, but how long ago had that been? She couldn't remember anymore. When the humans stole her away, time stood still. The wolves in the cage with her didn't have access to the sun, nor the moon. Everything was fake, and so days could have passed without her even knowing. The timeline didn't matter though, the only thing of importance now was that she made it to see another spring.

A light breeze smacked into her side, successfully reminding her that time was running out. Drawing a deep breath she called, sending her melodic voice toward the mountain, and awaiting her judgement. The howl that left her maw was so foreign, as she hadn't used it in so long. There was no reason for it while living in the enclosure, and even outside of the enclosure she had to stay low. However, she was doing the exact opposite now, but it was alright in her mind. Even if the mountain wolves planned on killing her, it would be more merciful than the cold edges of winter gnawing at her throat. At least she kept telling herself that.

-Will get things rolling in the meantime-

"Come along, Mercy."

The woman's request came as soon as the female's howl had finished. She'd stiffened to listen to it- the sound of the foreign voice calling out for the attention of the pack's leaders telling her that either this was a missionary from another pack, or a lone wolf hoping to join. Something about the female's earnest, appeasing tone seemed to suggest the latter and so, though she and Mercy had been chewing away on a very slim hare she'd caught, she decided that, as they were near the borders anyway, they should go meet the newcomer. Her decision to bring Mercy was one she made on the spot, and she could sense her son's surprise. He would need to learn how to meet newcomers at the borders. Her tone left him no other choice, even as soft as it was. She left and he followed obediently.

She picked up a swift trot as she moved down the mountainside, her posture becoming somewhat stiff. She cast a glance at her son to see what he was taking away from this- and truth be told, he still looked somewhat surprised, though she saw the same change in his physique; he straightened a bit, though still looked somewhat sheepish. It wasn't often that he straightened out of his teenage slump, and he looked a bit awkward in his skin. Sagacity, however, thought it was a noted improvement.

She sought out the greyish female, whose coat was mostly alabaster, but not truly white; her shoulders were dashed with silver and even darker hues, Her ears perked and fur stood up; the female was large, a possible threat. She could feel Mercy draw closer to her hip as she slowed to a stop, her amber gaze sharpening. The first thing she wanted to see was an acknowledgement of their respective positions- she wanted to see submission. Then, she needed an answer. Sagacity's chest thrummed with a soft, low growl. "Who are you and why are you here?" She asked. Their whereabouts was largely kept secret, guarded so they could live a life without the drama of inter-pack connections.

Avatars by Arla!

Look Out!

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

MERCY get your things, we're leaving when the morning birds are singing, we're sailing. Mercy nearly choked on the piece of rabbit leg he'd been eating when his mother spoke to him. He'd expected to be left behind to finish the rest of the rather scrawny meal while his mother went to investigate. Something in her tone told him, however, that he wouldn't have much choice in the matter. He swallowed again a few more times to get the chunk to slide down before he stood up, shook out his grey-flecked pelt and took off after his mother. Her gait was smoothe whereas his was somewhat gangly and awkward- he was still growing into his long legs and huge paws, and didn't really have any mental image of how gangly he looked. He saw the change in his mother's gait as she ran- she became stiffer, more mechanical, and he caught the glint of her eye as she cast a glimpse to him. He lifted his head and tail, and straightened himself out as best he could- it felt odd, assuming a posture like this. As an adolescent, he had neither the puppyish right to assume whatever pose he wanted, but had to learn the rules of the pack as far as submission went- and he was aware that he would be at the bottom of the pecking order as soon as he became an adult. So to assume a stance like this felt odd, but he reminded himself of Crowe, how he stood- and it felt a little bit more natural. The woman there, who'd called, was quite large- she stood taller and broader than his otterlike mother and this caused Mercy to grow a bit more in stature. If she was a threat, no matter how much he was at odds with his mother, he would take her side. He drew closer to her, his stormy, greyish blue gaze lifting and staring into the pale, yellowish eyes even though it made him feel very strange to do so to a stranger. Her eyes were quite beautiful, he noted; he hoped they were a representative of her nature. His mother took charge and by her side he stood still and quiet, like a silent guardian. His gaze only wavered when he caught the scent of deer. It was a strong, promising scent- they were not far off, and to Mercy, it smelled as though there were several of them. He wanted to take off and rally a group of pack wolves to hunt them down- the hare had been insufficient and he wanted more to eat- and more than that, he wanted to learn how to hunt larger prey. His eyes flicked to his mother, who stood unwavering. It would be her decision, but he secretly hoped that something would be done about the opportunity which had come to them. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">

table by mimi

A pounding heartbeat that she recognized as her own flooded the pale fae's ears. It was so loud that she almost missed the soft footfalls heading in her direction. She could tell that these wolves were certainly a part of the pack residing on the mountain, but their status was still hidden. It wasn't until they moved into her field of vision that she could make out a mother and her pup. The young male was quickly reaching his full size, but the way he moved suggested that he had not yet entered the adult ranks yet. She felt her heart tighten as thoughts of Comrade infiltrated her head. He was about that age when they were separated wasn't he?

Tearing her eyes away from the approaching male they flicked to the graceful form of what Veronika could only assume was the mother. Her posture met the typical standard of a wolf who already done this time and time again. A perfect pack wolf, and the pale fae couldn't help but wonder if she would ever resemble that again. It had been so long since she had submitted herself to the ways of a pack that she couldn't even remember if she had been good at it or not. The two approaching forms were in front of her before she'd even had time to realize it, and a foreign voice met her ears.

Dull saffron met the silvery paws of a wolf who already held a place within the pack, as her stomach scraped the freezing Earth underneath, and she made sure to keep the weight off of her injured foreleg. Respect was a key to survival, and it went hand in hand with submission. Without sparing a heartbeat, she met the lithe female with an answer. "My name is Veronika, and I wish to join your family." It was short, and to the point, but it didn't tell a story. She hadn't provided any insight to who she was, but what she was. Her name was Veronika, or at least it was now, but that was certainly what the ranking female wanted to know.

Hardly a moment was wasted before she received an answer. Sagacity's eyes continued to bore down upon the woman who'd lowered her body to the ground and who had lowered her gaze as well, respectfully. She'd caught the woman looking at her son as they'd approached, which had made Sage a bit more tense, though now she anticipated no problems, so long as the female was being honest and wasn't lying to them. She could have been a spy from another pack, of course, one never knew. And Sagacity knew better than to simply accept every newcomer with open arms; she had to see how the woman's nerves were, and to see the mettle she was made with.

"There are plenty of packs in the Lore. How did you find us; why did you come here?" She said, purposefully accenting the last word so that she could find out why this female had chosen this pack in particular. Had she simply stumbled upon the pack's borders and decided, without knowing anything about them, to try and join on this godforsaken mountainside? Very few did that. Sagacity hadn't even found the pack, nor would she have joined, likely, had she not met Rhysis first. She cast a glance to her son and sharpened her gaze when she saw that his posture had begun to relax. She was far from through with this female; she needed some sort of proof that she belonged here, and that she would pull her weight rather than just becoming another mouth to feed in the middle of winter.

Avatars by Arla!

Mercy felt better as soon as he saw the stranger lower herself to the ground and avoid eye contact. He kept his eyes on her, even though he wanted to go off and track the deer herd. His attention was drawn back to the current situation when the woman spoke- and he assumed that since she'd answered his mother's questions, they'd be good- she'd go find Naira or Mapplethorpe so as to fully join the pack and he and his mother could go and hunt down the pronghorn or deer or whatever it was that he could smell closeby. It seemed, though, that this assumption was a far cry from the truth; his mother didn't acknowledge the woman's answer but instead spoke again, sending another few questions.

He was aware that they were a secretive pack, but he never would have guessed that he was meant to be so critical toward newcomers. His eyes strayed back to his mother, whose sharp gaze caught him by surprise. He realized then that his tail had relaxed, drooping down so that it was in line with his spine, and that his head and shoulders had relaxed as well. Habit. He corrected his posture quickly, shuffling a bit as he did so. It made him feel even more self-conscious, knowing his mother had caught him relaxing into a much less dominant posture and he wondered if the female had seen it too. He sincerely hoped not, and in his defense, he sharpened his gaze, daring her to lift her eyes to his. He wouldn't slip out of this again; he had to do better.

Sorry! I didn't get my tag >.<

my milkshake brings all the boys to the pass

and they're like, it's better than your ass

The howl had rung down the Pass with an echo, as most calls often did. It was somewhat of an advantage, the way the tall walls caught the sound and funneled them straight to the center of their home. She had been searching for her daughters, more so @Aponi than @Nova. After her recent excursion, the mother had been far more critical of her daughters whereabouts, particularly now the snows had begun. For a short while she considered not answering the call, another mouth to feed, another body to worry about - but then she remembered the advantages of numbers in the deepest depths of winter. No howl had come yet to say the wolf had been chased off, so before one of her own could summon her she decided she had best be off. Her children’s scents were fresh enough to put her mind at ease.

In a few more weeks, possibly days, their regular paths would be buried under a layer of snow - the usually rocky terrain would become even more precarious, the risk of a paw getting caught between concealed rocks and twisting or breaking even more of a reality than before. Those who had been here longest would fare just fine, their paths and trails etched into each individuals memory, but for newcommers? Well it would have to be a risk they were willing to take.

Her approach was casual, her tail even waved at the sight of Sagacity and Mercy, dutiful as ever. She came to stop next to the silvery woman - leaving her flanked by Mercy on the other side, a small and grateful nudge to her cheek in greeting before turning her attention to the pale wolf low to the ground. She seemed reluctant to put too much weight on one of her legs, and this was enough to make the leaders eyes narrow. With the scent of deer fresh on the breeze, she would need to know this woman was capable of pulling her weight.

“Come.” She said rather simply. “Show us you can earn your keep.”

(This post was last modified: Nov 11, 2013, 09:47 PM by Naira.)

There wasn't enough time to answer the silver woman's question before another made her appearance. It was for the best though, as she wasn't sure if they knew about her meeting with the dark male who made his home here. She didn't want to bring it up either, lest he should have run her off. Each pack had a different set of rules, and until she knew how this one ran, it might have been better to keep her mouth shut.

When the female spoke, it became clear that she was the matriarch of the mountain wolves. It was her opinion that would matter, and the words that left her mouth were loaded. She meant business, and if Veronika couldn't deliver, then she could only blame herself. Standing to her full height, she readied herself. Her forepaws touched the ground, shooting pain into her elbow, but she didn't wince this time. The fae had to suck it up, and ignore. It was the only way to ensure her survival. Bowing her head, she spoke with a still-there accent. "I will not disappoint." She could only hope that her statement would prevail.

Going over the mechanisms of a hunt, she felt a slight air of confidence. She did have a weakness, but at least she knew where it fell. Speed would not be her friend this time through, but she could bring up the rear. The only obstacle after that was shutting out the little voice in her head that would likely beg her to slow down, but she could do it. She was sure of that.

The scent announced Naira's arrival only moments before the beautiful queen joined them. Sagacity felt stronger in her presence and lifted her head to touch the alpha female's cheek, therefore establishing herself as the woman's second and close friend. She observed the alpha's reaction to the female which was fairly neutral. Something in her gaze narrowed for a moment- a tiny change which was noted by the clever beta who looked back toward Veronika to judge her reaction when she was invited to a hunt. Sagacity nearly stumbled sideways when Mercy leapt to action and gave the boy a quick but steely look before she set off by Naira's side. Once the stranger started moving, it was only slightly obvious that her gait was off- but only just. It was so faint that Sagacity paid it little mind. Many wolves had a slight gait irregularity, this was nothing out of the normal. The woman was hiding her pain fairly well.

Veronika trailed behind them, and Sagacity looked back now and again to make sure she was keeping up alright. She was surprised to see Mercy in step with her- it made her happy, as it showed he knew his place with regards to the two higher ranked females here, but also to see him being inclusive and keeping his excitement in check. He'd been invited on a hunt, but he wasn't running and jumping about like a fool. He was growing up.

The omnium-gatherum moved forward, following along the scent of deer which became more and more fresh. Sagacity's head lowered and she relied more on her sense of smell than vision, and flicked her ears forward and back as she zig-zagged a bit, trying to see how many different sets of scent she could discern. "How many, do you think, Mercy?" She asked in a quiet voice as they moved forward. She had a fairly good idea- but the boy had to learn. He couldn't let his guard down or get distracted, not even when trailing a herd, out of earshot. She wanted to sharpen his instincts, even if it meant making him answer a difficult question in front of both a pretty stranger and the alpha female.

Avatars by Arla!