Ghastly Woods It's Where I Belong

Evann Atlas Tired... So tired. Her legs were aching, paws long gone numb from the cold. Swiftly, she moved over the snow, ears pressed flat back against her skull, tail tucked as much in between her legs as possible without disrupting her quick trot; subjecting her nose to the blunt of the cold wind, its icy fingers scratching at her throat. Her dark eyes were lowered, their gaze empty - seeing only the path ahead, how long had she been traveling now? 3... 4 moons? More than half a cycle in through the snow, surely. Winter had come so suddenly, so powerfully, covering all green, and seemingly sweeping away all food along with it. She would have snarled, had she not been too exhausted, the thought of food making her head spin; Meat... Blood... The brown lass shook her head weakly to get rid of the unwelcome thoughts, stopping up on shaky legs, blinking slowly to clear her vision; Where am I..? How long have I been walking?! For many days now, she had been searching for other wolves, hunting desperately for a new place to belong; but without success. Maybe this wretched winter has taken them all! The thought had no bitterness, she was far beyond such petty feelings, rather she wandered if she should simply surrender to the cold, give in and let it take her from this place, as it seemed to have done with all other living things. But there was yet reason left in her head, despite the many days it had been since she last scavenged on some bones, left behind, maybe by some other unlucky soul, traveling the wretched landscape, maybe be the harshness itself. Evann shook her head again, harder this time, even though it left her ears ringing and her vision spinning; No... NO! I will NOT give in! She was an Atlas! Even though she had abandoned all rights to the name, the blood still flowed in her veins, and nothing could change that! So she closed her eyes, waiting for her vision to clear and straighten, determined to find somewhere... Some place she could call home. And looking around, on the hardy pine trees that offered little protection from the cold, she wondered, hoped, wished that someone, anyone had made a home amongst them. And that's when she smelled it, so faint that it might as well be her imagination as her actual nose, battered as it was from the frost, perceiving the scent; WOLVES! She didn't really believe it, in truth, even as her legs set off with newfound strength, in direction of the odor, her brain was, very rationally, concluding that she had obviously now gone fully insane, and was doomed to run around this woods, chasing imaginary wolves until her, luckily imminent, demise. The woods tightened around her as she ran, darkness replacing the stark whiteness of snow, and the cold taking on a, strangely clingy, moist nature. Soon her paws touched frozen soil and dry leaves, rather than ice crystal, and the scent grew ever stronger; Can it really be true? Am I not insane?! Tall trees rose before the dame, appearing out of the darkness as if they suddenly sprang from the ground, stretching so high that their leafless crowns disappeared amongst the tops of other, lesser trees, all invisible against the black night sky; No stars are out tonight... Not a single light to guide the way of lost souls. Maybe it was her punishment, she deserved no stars to guide her, no pack to take her in. And yet, her nostrils were flaring with the scent of wolves, clear markings of a pack, claiming this land, in the depths of the forest, as their own; Is it really true? There was only one way to find out: curling back her neck, stretching her muzzle towards the black sky, she called, hopefully, pleadingly, sorrowfully, begging for anyone to answer her; Are you there? Her voice was ragged from the cold, hoarse from lack of use, and the beginnings of her howl were creaking and whiny, but soon her voice took shape, forming a strong, steady song. Oh how she loved the howl, so simple, clean, full of expression without any complicated shifts in sounds or forms, no rapid changes to choke you up or knot your tongue; And still so strong a message! <b style="color:#000000;">"Speech." Thought If you want to live, let live If you want to go, let go. Table by Kaitlyn

PLOT WITH ME!

This part of the Ghastly Woods had yet to be heavily marked, and though the presence of another did not come as a surprise in the dead of night, her howl had the tufts of his agouti fur standing up on edge. "Are you there?" For some time he stared through the trees, straining hard to pick them out one by one while he determined where her call had sounded from. East. His left ear swiveled to the side, twitching once when her call advanced into a full-bodied tune. No. West. His brow furrowed; there had been sorrow in her song, longing and desperation with a hint of hope.

Hope.

Just thinking of the word made him frown. Who was this woman and how had she come to find them in the depths of the Ghastly Woods? His mind flickered to he memory of the female who had fled from Sagacity, the one who had boldly followed the wolves of the Keep down from the mountain. A growl threatened to vibrate through his chest and throat. If she had shown up again, then foolishness would be the death of her; he would make sure of it.

An easy tread with swift, long strides brought him closer to the young woman who had summoned his wary ears and curious eyes. He calculated the distance, estimated the time it would take to reach her, but in due time he was surprised to glean from the darkness an obscure shape against the snow. Breaking his cover from behind a bent and twisted tree trunk he stood, tall and proud, between the trees. His tail swayed behind him before growing still.

"Pax!" he hissed with a click of his teeth. "Tacete!" While he longed to confront her, get up close and personal to garner from her what exactly she wanted, he kept in his place. He let loose a single growl, one that simply requested her utmost attention rather than outright intimidate her, "Quid tibi desidero?"

After having chased Frost from their borders, Sagacity had thought that she had seen the last of wolves who would find them within their secluded woodlands. The Pass had been a much more ideal place for a pack which hoped to escape notice, or so she thought, given that it was much more difficult to climb a mountain in the winter and find them than it was to simply find them in a forest...But one as dense and labyrinthine as this, she thought, would offer them some protection and distance from those who had foolishly remained a loner for this long. Any wolves who joined a pack in the winter had already made one unsavoury decision- to travel solo when nature preyed upon loners- and would be likely to make another. She did not look upon these stragglers with much kindness.

When the call went up the scout- who'd taken to the role of a guardian as of late, given that the weather did not allow for much scouting- made her way toward it, the fur along her neckline prickling to an upright position. It was a female voice- and hopefully did not belong to the woman who had been marked for death. Part of her- that tiny cannibal within her- hoped that it was, so that she would have an excuse to kill the woman and have something to eat, even if it was wolf meat- but this part went largely unnoticed and shrank to a whisper when she caught the woman's scent. No, this was a completely different wolf.

Under the dark, starless sky the scout made her way toward the borders and though she caught Mapplethorpe's scent, meaning that he too was in the area, she continued on until she could see both of them in the distance. She knew that Mapplethorpe was more than capable of handling this loner on his own, so for now she kept her distance, a mere silver shadow in the background, watching with amber eyes. She knew Mapplethorpe wouldn't need her to help in the interrogation process- but she gave her distance presence nonetheless- more as a show of the pack's strength and preparedness than anything else.

Avatars by Arla!

Evann Atlas Her call echoed through the forest, its melancholic sound growing ever wearier as it bounced between the trunks; Such sadness... She was unable to connect the song to herself, even as she felt the air leaving her throat, her vocal chords working smoothly as they only could when she howled, she felt distant, detached from herself, silent... It was impossible to tell how long it went one, how much time passed before she finally lowered her snout, breathing in deeply to replenish the air used; the cold wind lacing the inside of her lungs with ice. She stood quietly then, on trembling legs, eyes staring blankly into the darkness. Darkness which was no longer quiet. A stranger had appeared, a ghost slipping out of the shadows, speaking... Words... But she did not recognize them. The tongue of this man was so different from anything she knew, her worn brain struggled to make sense of it; Why... Why don't I understand? Was this the final proof, a cruel joke played by her own, twisted conscience? Or maybe she was dead, this multicolored wolf the keeper of the afterlife, welcoming her in some sacred voice - maybe she was simply a fragment of her own being, her body lying cold somewhere behind her, finally having given in... But the harshness of the man's tone spoke against it, his anger calling her back to reality from the brink of insanity; So it is true! I've found others! Joy was rising within her, warming up her frozen body, loosening her tired muscles; but it was stunted by the confrontation of this other wolf, his, clearly superior demeanor reminding Evann how to act around other wolves. She shook her head, lowering her tired shoulders and looked up at the male with submissive eyes. But what should she say? She couldn't ask him to repeat his words, but how could she answer a question she had not understood? As she pondered, she noticed another ghost in the distance, moving amongst the trees like a shadow, keeping half hidden; This ire place surely makes it hard to retain one's sanity! She quickly returned her gaze to the brown and russet male before here, from his elevated stance and raised tail, clearly a leader in this place, and finally spoke; <b style="color:#000000;">"I... I-I'm Sorry t-to intrude, bu... but I s-seek a ho... home," A pause to breath, studying the alpha's face, looking for any reaction to this. She raised herself a tiny bit and continued: <b style="color:#000000;">"I... H-have been w... w... w-wandering since s-summer, se-searching f-for a new p-pack... Winter h.. ha.. h-has w-weakened me, bu... but if you.. U... If you t-take me in, I shall re-repay you t-tenfold." She took her time, ignoring her troubles as best she could; it had been long since she let herself irritate by the stammer that tainted her speech, it was unchangeable. She just hoped that this man would not wrongfully perceive it as weakness, like all others had done throughout her life; But why should he be any different? Why should he not judge me like everyone else? Still she hoped; This is why I left! This is why I abandoned all I've ever known, betrayed my family..! Only time would tell if she had done the right thing. <b style="color:#000000;">"Speech." Thought If you want to live, let live If you want to go, let go. Table by Kaitlyn

PLOT WITH ME!

Look Out!

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

While very much aware that the woods at his back were the stalking grounds for his pack, he had yet to realize the Scout's presence, delitescent and soundless between the trees as she, too, watched the newcomer with keen eyes. It seemed like ages before the woman actually spoke but Mapplethorpe, at the very least, approved when she had finally stopped singing into the gloomy winter night. Of course, he had expected the woman to be caught off-guard with the words he spoke. Practically no one understood him; and, the few who had heard him speak in a tongue that was foreign within Relic Lore often had to pluck up enough nerve just to ask what had he had just said.

A partial smirk made itself present along his maw, eagerly picking up on her movements in the dark and feeding upon the submissiveness that was presented with the lowering of her shoulders and how she had positioned herself to gaze up at him with what could be a pleading gaze. Curiosity stirred further in his chest but he had yet to move in reaction to her compliant display. The tawny Leader stared, watching... waiting... until -

"I... I-I'm Sorry t-to intrude, bu... but I s-seek a ho... home-" Oh, another stutterer. When the sounds congregated together through his ears and into his skull he gleaned that she had been traveling, looking for a pack, that she had been weakened, and was now hoping for a place to stay. She had even taken care to add on that she would repay him tenfold. To be frank, the words struck a chord, reminding him of a distant memory that he had trouble replacing at the top of his head. It did, however, remind him very much of something he had once said and his interest in the woman piqued.

Ever so slowly, he picked his way through the snow, coming forward three lengthy steps to express his renewed inquisitiveness and slightly lessen the distance his baritone/tenor voice would have to travel. He stood tall before her and, upon second impression, now that he was merely meters away from her, stared her down. A bit more muscle beneath her pelt would serve her well but in the way she initially behaved in being confronted had him craving for. His head tilted modestly to one side, his grin more apparent than ever as his voice sounded out from him in a wave of suspicion and incredulity, "How do I know that what you say is true?"

The small, young woman- she couldn't have been much older and certainly no larger than Mercy- complied with border protocol and assumed a very submissive position, to appease Mapplethorpe who was every bit as imposing as ever. The leader had a great deal of presence which he held with natural ease- Thus why Sagacity had no reason to draw closer. If anything was to conspire between the two of them, Mapplethorpe would have been able to sort it out on his own. But Sagacity was curious and liked to lend a bit of presence as well, so that the pack could obviously boast strength and numbers.

She could hear a bit of what the woman said, but the stammer made it more difficult for Sagacity to hear exactly what she said, across the distance. She could tell that she wanted a home and was trying to give reasons as to why she should be accepted- the same spiel most wolves used, that they'd be good at hunting, patrolling, whatever, Sagacity supposed. Her interest waned when she caught the scent of rabbits and, given that Mapplethorpe moved forward to investigate her and further excluded Sagacity who wasn't needed at all, she moved off in the direction of the rabbits' scents. She kept the two wolves in the corner of her eye as she moved along, hoping that she might be able to make a catch even with the two others in the distance. A rabbit would make a nice snack and help her restore her strength, or she could stuff it in a cache for later. Her attention was divided between the two tasks at hand- observing the possible joining process and trailing the rabbit.

Avatars by Arla!

And if I bleed, I'll bleed, Knowing you don't care! The initial reaction was unreadable in the man's features, especially as Evann did her best not to stare him down, but rather kept her gaze respectfully lowered to a point right over his snout - not meting his eyes directly. She wondered at the thoughts going through his head now, as he doubtlessly weighed her words; What's he thinking? Had the impairment of her speech colored his judgment, or was he truly the alpha of her dreams, a wolf who would let her actions show her worth rather than dismiss her as weak, based on so little? She hardly dared to think it, ... It wasn't long though, before the sturdy man moved, closing in on her with steady, confident strides. And her reaction came promptly, despite her fatigue; she held her ground, not showing fear, but kept her body low, tail tucked, only ears flicking slightly as she looked up to meet his golden gaze. His eyes were aflame, glowing brightly in the darkness, radiating strength and suspicion; a clear opposite to her own, dull russet look. And when he spoke, it was in a voice bellowing the same strength, his tone harboring the same notes of confidence and distrust as was evident in his stance. And, to her great relief, the dust brown lass understood every word. She was however, taken a bid aback at first, ears twitching nervously before falling backwards in a mix of insult and confusion. How could he know that she was speaking the truth? Well she had said it, hadn't she? Was he accusing her of being a liar? But her reason quickly caught up with her outrage, calming the feeble rage that her drained body had been able to muster; Of course he is, I am a stranger imposing on his land, he does right in being suspicious. Evann knew enough about other clans to realize that honesty and loyalty might not be as much of a virtue to everyone as they were to her, still the mere idea that she could have spoken untruthfully caused more than a skosh of indignation. But she removed herself from the feeling, answering instead the alpha with an even voice; <b style="color:#200909;">"You c-can't." A small pause ensued, in which she straightened herself subtly, tenderly walking the line of submissiveness and self-assurance; knowing that she would have to show this man that she was capable as well as compliant, in order to win his favor. Then she continued, holding his gaze to stress her point; <b style="color:#200909;">"All I h-have is m... m... my w-word. I... I will n-need t... t-time to p-prove its wo... worth." She had more to say, but a glimmer of movement in the distance distracted her. Throwing a quick glance around the man in front of her, she saw the other wolf stalking away; I wasn't THAT interesting after all... The situation at hand left no time to ponder on the subject though, rather she returned her focus to the leader before her, again lowering her eye to a less direct, and more respectful gaze. She continued to speak then, ignoring the stirring sounds from the other, moving away; <b style="color:#200909;">"It e... Is my o-only as... s... s-surance th-though, the o-only any one c... c-can g-give. Bu... But I s-swear on my l... l-life to its... s... Its s-sincerity ." That was all she could say for now, no use in going on, citing her abilities as long as the truth of her words were held in doubt. So she went silent, awaiting the opposing pack-wolf's response. Word count: 592 <b style="color:#200909;">"Speech." Thought

PLOT WITH ME!

Her answer was straight to the point, blunt and candid. He couldn't possibly know if she spoke the truth; she was right. Even if words and persuasion were his forte, he too was prone to falling for another's words if the act they presented him with was genuine enough. The woman had kept herself lowered, seeming respectful and meek as he continued to look her over. When she informed him that her words were all that she had and that she needed to time to prove that she could be of use, he fully straightened and cast his gaze briefly to where she had looked through the dark, towering trees.

"You want to prove yourself?" Mapplethorpe questioned, scenting a trace of the Scout's perfume in the air as she began to move hurriedly about in the dark. Sagacity's timing had been perfect and it was with a genuine smirk that he turned to face her, looking fully into her eyes at last. He shifted his weight onto his left in preparation to leave, "Help her. We need to fill up our caches." His tail swayed above the base of his spine, "I will have the Silver Dagger inform me of your effort. Disappoint us and you will be dismissed."

He let out an airy snort, a near-scoff as he continued to observe the woman in attempt to read her body language and obtain from her any underlying motives. His eyes raked over the small of her back before returning to her face, the air between them as silent as the night. The Leader slowly and carefully drew away from her. Once he had taken three steps back from where he had emerged from the forest, he stared her down before disappearing back into the depths of his territory. The details - her name, where she had come from, what pack she had initially hailed from, her story, the vow she would take as an initiated member, marking her with the scent of the pack, and her intentions as a wolf of Hollowheart Keep - could wait. It would only be a matter of time before the window of opportunity to discover the nearby rabbit warren was closed.

"Go. Now."

(EXIGO.)

(This post was last modified: Jan 04, 2014, 11:55 PM by Mapplethorpe.)

Due to her split focus, Sagacity had been meandering for a bit, still on the rabbits' trail but she'd also decided to take her time, so as to be handy enough to Mapplethorpe so that she could do as he asked, should he require something of her, with regards to the potential joiner. As a result, it had taken her longer to track down the rabbits, even though she was still on their trail, but was fortunately within earshot when Mapplethorpe gave his final decision with regards to the newcomer. Sagacity couldn't remember her name, or if she'd even given one- but she didn't particularly care, not at this moment. Mapplethorpe hadn't instructed her to go and give introductions, she'd been told to help Sage catch food and store it in the pack's caches.

Sage didn't bother introducing herself- a small smirk had crossed her features when her leader had used a nickname rather than her true moniker, something which pleased Sagacity quite a bit, for now real reason apart from the fact that she liked being called {i}the silver dagger.{i} Her eyes flickered toward the newcomer in that moment, as though to confirm that this was she, and that nothing else would be needed, in so far as introductions. They were hunting, after all, and this female had to prove herself.

Sagacity looked the girl over- small, slight, young- somewhat timid looking, partially because of her size but mostly because of the way she held herself. She'd be fast, Sagacity thought- but only if she summoned the boldness she'd need to make a good chase. Sagacity wasn't about to baby her or give her a leg up- if she wanted to prove herself, she'd have to live up to her own words. And Sagacity was no more inclined than Mapplethorpe to let a wolf into the pack if they couldn't hold their own- so without a second glance, the scout re-focused her attention on the task at hand, simply assuming that the new female would follow suit and help her hunt.

Avatars by Arla!