Cedarwood Forest Endless Monotony

OOC: Post prompt for Scent Marking!! :) Anyone can join!

It was a somewhat chilly morning.. but she knew that despite the cold, she had a job to do. The white female hoisted herself to her feet and stretched, feeling the hardened, wrinkled skin over her shoulders stretch and loosen with the movements. A quick glance around showed that she was among the first to wake of the pack and smiled, amber eyes glancing over the pack members before she slipped away. Plumed tail wagging behind her, the wolf walked slowly at first, warming up her shoulders before she upped the pace into a swift, jaunty trot. The crisp morning air puffed from between her lips as she traveled to the outskirts of their territory, moving easily between the trees and ground coverings. Since the four of them had settled here, she had become quite acquainted with the lands surrounding the den they'd chosen..though she generally chose to sleep outside the den rather than inside it. Why not? She was one of the larger wolves of the small gathering of them... There was no reason she couldn't use that bulk to sleep close to the den entrance to protect the pack members from anyone wishing them harm...

Granted.. She might not even need to worry about such things, but she didn't want anything getting to the few wolves in her life she could actually rely on. After about five minutes of a soft trot, Vlarindara came to the first of Borden and Jaysyeks scent markers. After snuffling around a few moments in either direction, Vlarindara stepped up to the tree and rubbed against it, her tail lifting over her back as she moved towards the next marker in the set. The two alphas were the ones that left the more.. oderous markers, but Vlarindara didn't mind leaving her own to reinforce theirs.. Besides.. She hoped that if Raigo came across her scent, he would know she was still there..and come home. The distance between the markers wasn't extremely large, but she did stop a few times in between the longer ones and drop to the ground to roll about on a fern, or against a fallen log. She had to wonder.. would Raigo show up this morning, or would it be like every other morning.. and she would move from marking the scents of the Grizzly Hollow pack to hunting up breakfast for the wolves?

(This post was last modified: Mar 23, 2011, 11:04 PM by Vlarindara.)

OOC: Hope ya don't mind a little meeting with Kauda. :3 She needs points too. xD

"Don't be afraid, child."Liss Kokki ran her soft pink tongue along Kauda's sleek black fur. Kauda stared up at her snow white mother happily. "Momma, why won't you come back to see me? I miss you. Kanaii and Makita are gone now." she murmured gently, licking her mother's white chin. Liss's ivory face seemed hurt at Kauda's question. "I - I don't know, dear. I miss you, too. I miss you so much, more than you know." Liss paused. "Kanaii and Makita are gone? Dead?" her voice lowered and her bright hazel eyes were pained. "Yes, momma. Dead. Kanaii drowned and Makita was taken away in a storm." Kauda whimpered, nuzzling her mother's shoulder. Suddenly, Liss began to fade. "No! Momma, don't leave me! Don't leave me alone!" Kauda whimpered, licking her mother's shoulder as tears came to her eyes. Suddenly, Kauda woke from her dream. The warm, humid air of the den hit her and she realized she was sweating. Tears really were in her eyes and Kauda let out a tiny sob. The small black female realized that she was curled up at Jayse's side, the only one in the pack she was really comfortable with. I'm sorry, Jayse. she thought to herself just in case she had woke the peaceful white female. As she realized sitting there wasn't doing anything, she pushed herself off the hard den floor and stepped carefully over a few sleeping wolves, careful not to wake anyone. As the den entrance came into view, she ducked and leaped out of it, into the blinding sunlight. Shaking out her thick black fur, she bounded away into the forest. She just needed to run... To see who would follow her, maybe. A dream. That's all it was. This dream was unlike most of her dreams. As usual, it was about her family, but this one was not a flashback of a fond memory. It was of an actual meeting with her and her mother. Kauda had discussed everything that was stinging at her mind with her mother and felt a lot better... in the dream. When she had woke, she realized that it was just a dream. A dream that reminded her how lonely she was, even with Jayse and the pack. Kauda pushed herself on sobbing quietly to herself along the way. She ran for quite a bit until she finally calmed down. Letting out a sigh, she took in a shaky breath. The breath brought her faint scents of Borden and Jayse, her alphas. The scents were not fresh. Well, thought Kauda to herself. I have nothing to do anyway. Might as well freshen up those scents. With that thought, Kauda loped to where the scents ended. Gently, though rather carelessly, she rubbed herself against it, raising her tail slightly. She remembered wanting to go with her parents to mark pack territory when she was young. Suddenly, the smell of another wolf nearby interrupted her memories and thoughts. It wasn't a scent marker, but an actual wolf. Without hesitation, Kauda tossed herself into a lope. Her reasoning was that if it were an intruder, she could protect the pack for Jayse, who she had really come to like. But, as she raced across the area, the scent also carried the smell of Grizzly Hollow. As soon as the scent caught her nose, Kauda spotted a large white wolf. Creasing her eyebrows slightly, she slowed herself to a walk, her agile paws falling in place one in front of the other. "Hello?" she called out to the female.

OOC: Not a problem!

The sound of paws running behind her caused the white female to stop what she was doing and turn to meet the intruder. As Kauda could smell her, she couldn't smell Kauda, being upwind of the onyx female. Her plumed tail had curled tightly over her back, ears pointing forward in as much a display of dominance as possible. Her head lowering and a deep, warning growl trickling from her throat. When Kauda came into view, Vlarindara cut the growl off abruptly, before straightening up, but keeping her ears forward, though the tail did lowered slightly. She recognized Kauda as one of the wolves she'd both met before, but lived in the pack with them. "Hello, little one...What brings you out so early this morning?" The short burst of adrenaline at the possibility of a stranger was beginning to fade, the white wolf settling down onto her haunches to watch the yearling.

She knew she wanted to continue marking, but couldn't think of a polite way to part herself from the younger wolf. "Would you like to come with me? I was reinforcing our borders." Vlarindara got back to her feet and shook herself, the earlier tension leaking out of her like water through a sieve. A glance of her amber eyes to the female before she glanced back the way she'd been heading. It was in her mind to offer to take the yearling on a hunt.. but in all honesty, she was still a bit on the shy side around the wolves in the pack.. wolves she'd only met a few times in passing...Once she got to know them, she knew things would get a bit more comfortable.

Kauda slowed as the white female swiveled her head around to glare as the ebony she wolf darted towards her. The wolf was awful large as she let herself fluff out and stood tall on her paws, her puffy white tail curling tightly over her back. Her lips curled up, wrinkling her large white muzzle as she revealed long ivory fangs. She doesn't look nice.. thought Kauda. Deep from within the wolf's throat came a threatning growl. This is my home! Kauda thought to herself. As the ebony she wolf raced towards the intruder, she lowered herself into a crouch and curled her lip up, as well, to reveal long ivory fangs of her own. Her hackles rose without hesitation off of her short, narrow back and her claws flexed as she ran. This was Kauda's territory. Jayse's land. And no intruder could stop that. As the she wolf ran, her agile black paws beating rhythmically against the hard ground, she suddenly noticed something. This wolf was no intruder - it was Vlarindara, the second of the pack. Being a rank higher than Kauda, she didn't want to disrespect the wolf, but she had already launched herself forward. As her front paws came off the ground, the claws of her back paws dug deep into the Earth, stopping her from launching herself at the second. Quickly, her front paws pounded against the ground as she landed. What a rush! Kauda let a playful grin light up her dark features. "Hey, Vlar. Sorry, I, uhh.. didn't notice that it was you." she let out a little chuckle. The excitement was still running through her veins and she didn't plan on letting her little false alarm get her high spirits down. "I.. I had a.. dream." Kauda couldn't necessarily say it was a bad dream. "And I couldn't sleep. So I came out to explore." she smiled happily, her pink tongue barely lolling out of her mouth. Kauda listened to the wise white wolf's offer to help mark scents. Kauda, being reintroduced to pack life, had not marked in ages and was happy to help her land, with her wonderful leader, Jayse. "Yea, sounds great!" she smiled, wagging her fluffy black tail in the air. "There's a few weak scents down this way." she gestured her muzzle back towards an area behind her.

OOC: Ruh Row!

The wolf hadn't *STOPPED* charging her, and Vlarindara felt a rather..strong urge to charge back, but she..unlike the onyx female knew better. When Kauda commented on the scents the way she'd come, Vlarindara frowned, an ear flopping backwards before it returned to being trained on the female. "I..don't see how. But, let us go check it out. I know both of the alphas have been marking since we've gotten here." An odd thing that there would be a break in the boundaries. She did take a step forward before brushing against the tree trunk she was next to before trotting past Kauda and back in the direction she'd just come from. "At times.. you may not smell them where they might have been.. because the territory expanded or contracted a bit." Once reaching the spots she had just marked, she moved over the area, her nose to the ground as she snuffled about. "Aha.. here it is... They expanded our borders a few feet here...which might have been what you were smelling.."

A soft smile curled on her muzzle before her feet carried her to the trees a few feet farther where she nosed at the bark. "Here it is. If you get confused.. about where a marker is. Hunt around a bit. You can't simply assume it doesn't exist. The Alphas are rather careful about claiming our boundaries...'Tis a simple mistake." She chuckled before moving farther and nosing the next tree before glancing at the younger female. "Be careful not to overlay their scents with yours.. They are the primary proclamation of ownership of these lands.. we simply reinforce it. The more differing scents there are at a single marker, the less likely a stranger will come waltzing in...or even a small group of strangers." Despite the fact that she'd already marked this tree, the white female rubbed her cheek, neck and shoulder on the bark, over her last marking but next to that of their alphas.

OOC: Half way done. <3

Kauda lowered her head in embarrassment to nearly charging the female. The thing was, Kauda didn't know half the wolves in the pack and she wanted to keep it safe from any and all danger for Jayse. Jayse was the only reason Kauda was here at this point. "I..don't see how. But, let us go check it out. I know both of the alphas have been marking since we've gotten here." Vlar's soft words made Kauda's head drop even lower. Hearing the experienced second speak of this made her almost sure she'd made a mistake. If anyone could blame the yearling though, after her life spent alone, then they were some sick wolf. "At times.. you may not smell them where they might have been.. because the territory expanded or contracted a bit." Vlar told her. Kauda's head fell a bit lower, her energy winding down a tad with the embarrassment running through her. "Aha.. here it is... They expanded our borders a few feet here...which might have been what you were smelling.. Here it is. If you get confused.. about where a marker is. Hunt around a bit. You can't simply assume it doesn't exist. The Alphas are rather careful about claiming our boundaries...'Tis a simple mistake. Be careful not to overlay their scents with yours.. They are the primary proclamation of ownership of these lands.. we simply reinforce it. The more differing scents there are at a single marker, the less likely a stranger will come waltzing in...or even a small group of strangers." "I - I'm sorry, Vlarindara." she murmured gently, taking a few steps forward to a large tree. Carefully, she noted where the scents of the alpha's were, then rubbed her dark ebony body against it, taking notice of Vlar's useful advice.

A soft chuckle escaped the white female as she leaned over to bump her nose against Kauda's shoulder before pulling away..whether the contact conected or not. "No need to apologize. Don't worry about it..I had no idea that sent marking was required of packs.. I'd...never lived in one where I did more than play.. So the workings are a bit foreign to me still. She didn't want to make the onyx female feel unwanted, so instead, she stopped a few paces away with a smile. "Coming? Or.. are you going to let something that all wolves have done at least once get you down?" There was a teasing tone to her voice, something kind and gentle...but she waited for the younger female, looking over her shoulder and wagging her tail lightly.

Kauda lifted her chin a little so she could rub her dark, ebony neck over the tree Take this intruders. she thought to herself. As she rubbed her scent against the tree, she felt like she was contributing to the pack in some way. Like Vlar said, the more differing scents there are at a single marker, the less likely a stranger will come waltzing in, or even a small group of strangers. Suddenly, a strong muzzle came in contact with Kauda shoulder, causing her to glance up in surprise. "No need to apologize. Don't worry about it..I had no idea that sent marking was required of packs.. I'd...never lived in one where I did more than play.. So the workings are a bit foreign to me still." Vlar explained softly. "Same, I suppose." she murmured quietly, her ecstatic electric blue eyes glancing up to meet Vlar's. The white female suddenly turned, taking a few steps forward. Playfully, she tossed her head back and teasingly barked to Kauda, "Coming? Or.. are you going to let something that all wolves have done at least once get you down?" It was all in good fun, Kauda could tell, but she herself had not marked hardly at all. That didn't matter. Kauda let a smile wrinkle the sides of her muzzle and trotted forward, waving her tail like a flag high in the air. "Of course not! Let's do this thing!" she said happily, pulling herself forward to jog beside the large white female.

Vlarindara chuckled before nodding and picking up into a lope. She stopped along the way to give Kauda a chance to mark some of the trees and ferns she'd already gotten before they hit the area she'd not done that day. Each time she finished with a marker, her bulk moved aside to give Kauda a chance to do the same before moving on. As they walked, she fell quiet, concentrating on the job ahead, and the things moving about in her own mind. Before too long, they had reached the end of the territory markers and she stepped away, smiling to the female and nodding back towards the den. "Shall we head back? The others might be awake by now.. " Despite having spent a bit of time with the younger wolf...she was still feeling..uncomfortable around her.. but careful not to comment on it.

OOC: The End.

Something about Kauda and Vlarindara just didn't click. Maybe it was how neither of them wanted to open up. Or it could possibly be how Kauda wasn't a good conversation starter. Whatever it was, if Kauda knew that Vlarindara was the reason that her small, tawny sister was living (which Kauda was unaware of), she would've loved her to death. The scent marking was average. There were no twists, turns, or surprises in the short period of time they spent together. Kauda quietly followed behind Vlarindara, keeping her mouth open for the scents of her alphas to waft in. Vlarindara would rub herself against a tree and then move out of the way for Kauda to do the same. The small black female rubbed herself lower than were Vlar did and was careful not to go over her scent. It was silent and they acted like normal wolves marking their territory. "Shall we head back? The others might be awake by now.." Vlar offered. Quick to accept, Kauda nodded her head, giving the larger white female a crooked grin. Quietly, the wolves turned and walked side by side back to camp. Kauda had enjoyed herself and learned new things. Best of all, she was helping Jayse. As soon as the little black female got back, she went searching for Jayse, her current (and only) friend. T H E . E N D