Lost Lake bring out the beast in me

To be very clear, she's not past the borders. Just at them. Anyone is welcome. Especially if they're from FTC :> Also @Staleek iffen Namara wants :3

The hungry wolf sat on the brink of a world. Another lay just before her: the pine trees reeked of it. It was maybe one step... two steps? And then she would be in another world. This world belonged to some silly vagabonds who had taken all the lake real estate and thus stood in the way. Truly there was nothing stopping her from walking just a little farther along the edge of the lake to the nightshade bushes of her mother's birth, but that was not the point. The principal of the matter was that no one would enjoy some four or five wolves taking up so much space so close to their own doorstep. Tauza, quite frankly, wouldn't have welcomed them either even if diplomacy was an option. These were competitors in this little swath of eden nestled into the mountain.

She would not let her mother parcel it up and share it with everyone.

Mother had yet to appear. Her second daughter had waited anxiously for her. Though she was not sure why she cared, she wanted to share her plans with her. She wanted more wolves at her back before she went through with this. Hell, the Calor needed someone to keep an eye on Staleek to make sure no one got hurt.

But mother had more important errands to run it seemed.

So she stared. She waited. A sigh dripped from her mouth.

If no one would come, well... surely this place was less competition than she had originally assumed.

(This post was last modified: Jul 09, 2015, 10:43 PM by Tauza.)

OOC: Let's throw a sad little guy with too much faith in here, shall we? :)

Tagg wandered around their territory, not really settling.  He told himself he was just checking to make sure everything was safe, but he had to be honest with himself; he was avoiding the pack.  He'd let them down.  He didn't want to disappoint them again, so he would continue to wander until he found some way to redeem himself to them.

He was lost in his own musings when he smelled her. Right at the borders, even.  He wondered if she'd come to them on purpose or if she had just been wandering around. Something about her unsettled him, but he went to investigate anyway.  He slowly made his way through the trees until he saw the woman.  She was a little bigger than him, but not much. She was waiting there patiently, as if she wanted a pack member to find her.

"You know @Vespertio or @Namid would probably come if you called for them." He said, sitting a few feet back from the border with his left side turned slightly away so he could watch her better.  "I'm Tagg.  Who're you?"

While he waited for her answer, he studied her. She appeared to be younger than him, despite her superior size.  He could see it around her eyes and face.  He could be wrong, though; he never knew.  He'd met wolves that were far older than him that had seemed to be only yearlings at first.

"This is Fallen Tree Cove." He told her.

"Speech"

l

Regal pads strode along the invisible fence of his lakeside estate, golden optics ever vigilant for signs of mischief as he patrolled his kingdom after attending to his beloved wife and trio of children. Whom of which had grown drastically before his eyes. No longer the blind, deaf, mewling balls of fur, but growing pups that could play, run and evidently begin to acquire a speech all their own. Soon, though, the cramped birthing den would have to be abandoned with the increasing rate of development his children were showing. Come the next week or so a discussion with Namid will need to be had on moving them to a new rendezvous point; the communal den.

Rust tinged ears flicked to and fro with each mighty stride of creamy caramel limbs, bottle brush shaped tail swaying neutrally at his heels. A portion of pine fencing occasionally doused in a masculine cologne to remind unwanted visitors who owned this prime piece of real estate. The lingering odor of a male subordinate coming to draw his attention away from the task at hand, gaze narrowing to hypothetically hone in on the direction of Tagg's scent trail as it skirted about the boarders ahead of him. There wasn't many instances where Vespertio crossed paths with the other man, pondering some nights if the ragged tawny brute was still lurking within the territory after Rift's sudden disappearance months ago. Only his odor indicating otherwise.

Minutes passed slowly before the deep baritone hum of his subordinate's voice graced the velveteen of the patriarch's ears forcing them to prick forward with curiosity. Gradually, muscles picked up the pace of his stride to emerge from behind the silhouettes of his pine tree soldiers. Body habitually adopting a dominant posture upon spotting not just his pack mate, but a stranger on his doormat. She was a pretty young thing. One glance at her slightly smaller proportion followed by a subtle inhale of her perfume revealed the girl to be no more than a year old sporting a coat of sweet caramel and creamy whites, the occasional shade of beige peeking along the outline of her spine. A pair of ghostly gray eyes nestled between her light tinted mask. A coloration unseen to the regal Vuesain before. 

Puffing out the broadness of his chest, golden gaze swept from the tawny man with a small nod in greeting before shifting to fall upon the girl. "What brings you to my boarders, Miss..?" Baritone voice leaving a purposeful pause indicating for the female to speak her name and business. 

@Tagg 
@Vespertio

Oh, she remarked to herself as the breeze carried the news to her nose. These wolves certainly wasted no time and certainly it was no more than a few moments before one was upon her. Her salmon tongue went over her pale chest fur once or twice in a manner that seemed vaguely feline. She wanted to look presentable, after all. It might at least dampen the strangeness of her staring.

Vespertio. Namid. These were certainly names that belonged to whoever had taken over the lake of her mother’s birth. Had they taken the land themselves or had they merely inherited it, she wondered vaguely. Over two years had passed since her mother had left. Honestly it was anyone’s guess as to what had happened. All Tauza knew was that their claim to the mountain lake was only barely stronger than the Calors. One’s claim was only as strong as its supporters, and so the advantage lied with the wolves north of the nightshade bushes. Tauza was not so dumb as to deny such a fact.

This one, though – this one was Tagg. Some sort of underling. He seemed awful trusting to sit down like this and have a pow-wow with her. But he did not face her head on, which was sort of strange to the youngster who had seen so little of the world. She had not noticed the marks which had branded that half of his face much less useful. She assumed he intended to keep one eye on the pack lands, waiting for someone else to come.

“Tauza,” she offered simply. That this place would be named after a fallen tree seemed strange to the girl. Warily, her eyes moved about and saw only upright, study looking mountain pines. “Don’t see any fallen trees.”

That was when another appeared.

It was eminently clear that this one was Vespertio –the more masculine sounding name. He carried himself in a way that had belonged to her father, the only true alpha male she had known in her short life. A knife twisted in her gut. No one should hold themselves as mightily as Wolesh, she felt. This man more pointedly inquired beyond her identity and into the realm of her purpose. She blinked placidly.

With a deep breath she her feet on the path to her ambitions.

“Me and my brother have been staying in the mountains recently. He’s off… hunting or something,” she laughed and shook her head as if to say “god, that scamp brother of mine.” She tried to keep things in neutral territory. “I got a wiff of your wolves’ scents and followed them here. I guess I was just curious. A mountain is a hard place to make a living, after all.”

It would be harder with the Calors around.

(This post was last modified: Jul 17, 2015, 02:39 AM by Tauza.)

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Tauza. Tagg thought, trying the name out.  It was pretty, he decided.  Unique.  His ears flicked in amusement as she continued.  "There's only one Fallen Tree.  If all the trees had fallen, we wouldn't have a forest." He snorted.

He glanced up as he heard a noise, and Vespertio's scent washed over him as the alpha entered the scene.  Tagg dipped his head in respect, eye quickly darting away.  He was still ashamed of the turn-out of the hunt the king had ordered him to oversee.  He was fortunate the man didn't seem displeased with his subordinate's presence, though Tagg knew he should have called for him right away upon discovering a stranger on their border.  He mumbled a greeting, tone one of respect.

When Vespertio spoke, he didn't seem angry at all.  Just curious.  And of course he was all authority.  He was the alpha, after all, and Tagg knew that showing any sort of weakness to an outsider would only be inviting trouble.  Tagg admired him for that, the ability to always be strong.

Tagg returned his attention to Tauza as she began speaking again.  His ears pricked when she laughed.  It was a pleasant sound. Even so, he felt a pang of jealously.  His sister used to tease him with that same tone, that same mocking laugh.  He missed her.

He couldn't help but nod slightly as she spoke.  It was true; mountain life wasn't easy, but it was certainly easier than his journey here had been, and he enjoyed staying with the pack.  Although lately he'd felt useless, Fallen Tree Cove had welcomed him when he hadn't been able to give anything back.  He was going to repay them for that, no matter what.  He peered at Tauza.  If curiosity had brought her here, maybe curiosity would lead her to stay.

Thought

l

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

staleek "snakeroot" calor

careful, there are snakes in the garden

A certain hunger had swept over the yearling so he had crept out of the den he had been residing in to look for something to eat. It was meant to be a simple endeavor, but seconds turned into minutes which would then turn into hours and eventually, the child would give up his endeavor. He would draw a deep breath as she caught his sister’s scent. Curiosity would overtake him as he started to press forwards towards the familiar lines, creeping and listening intently for any sign that his sister might be in some sort of trouble. Chivalry did not exist, only a desire to not lose his sister, because she was all he had left to relate to his father. It was a selfish need to make sure she was alright more than anything.

He would note his sister’s scent becoming stronger and mixing with that of two other wolves – pack wolves from what he could tell. Something started to burn in his chest as his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. He would make his presence known. “Sister, I have been looking all over for you!” He let a bit of real concern mix in with his mock concern for her, playing a part and nothing more as he looked over towards the other two wolves, daring to be bold and ask a question his sister would no doubt scold him for later. “Who are you?” His words came off as harsh and a bit rude as he looked at them both. Why were they near her? He, in all truth, wasn't trying to give a bad impression given the plan his sister had put in his mind, but he couldn't fight his own nature.

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@Tagg @Tauza @Staleek

The cue for the yearling belle to offer a form of identification was smoothly dismissed, whether purposeful or not, but gratefully she continued to reveal her ambitions for lurking outside his kingdom. Tawny skull nodding appropriately on occasion while flax gold optics remained focused on her face. According to her soft spoken words it was only mere curiosity that lured her and a sibling; a brother, to the patriarch's borders after discovering a pack was thriving in an environment that would suggest otherwise. Mountain dwelling was indeed harsh as she had mentioned, but it spoke as a testament to the strength and endurance of Fallen Tree Cove.

Ivory fur laced lips parted to begin to speak, but before a single syllable left his vocal chords a new face entered the small collection to add his two cents. “Sister, I have been looking all over for you!” The concerned tone lofted between the gathered wolves, Vespertio turning his attention from the first sibling to arrive to the last. “Who are you?” Came the bold question from the young man's mouth that brought forth a calculated step forward from the older tawny man with a scrutinizing slitting of golden optics, bottle brush tail curling further over his spine. "The alpha of these lands, boy. Who are you?" His voice laced in a tone that dared this squirt(for now) to continue being rude at his front door. Immediately it became obvious this one would be the troublemaker of the siblings. Something the man was not keen on having near his borders and growing pups who now could venture further out. 

Waiting silently with an expectant quirk of a brow for an answer on the boy's behalf, the Vuesain took the time to study him as he had his sister prior. Unlike Tauza, he held a darker tawny pelt. A rich mask of what appeared to be a chocolate brown fading into the lighter and darker fur that make up the agouti pattern. One that cloaked a larger frame than his litter-mate, yet both holding a startling shade of ghost grey for eyes. Regardless the patriarch liked to duo before him at a rate of fifty-fifty. Rude brother gaining a strike thus far, respectful sister remaining on the neutral list. 

Tagg almost felt he had faded into the background.  Tauza seemed more interested in his alpha, and his alpha more interested in the stranger on his doorstep.  He was a little disappointed; he’d wanted to talk with her a little more.  But his alpha was boss and he couldn’t argue.  Taking care of new wolves at the border wasn’t his job anyway.

The appearance of Tauza’s brother startled him.  His head jerked up to look at the younger wolf who spoke to his alpha with such disrespect.  Tagg couldn’t help the low growl that rumbled out of his throat in defense of Vespertio, though he knew the matriarch could fend for himself.  He quieted himself with little hope that he hadn’t been heard.  He didn’t want to offend the girl by being aggressive towards her brother, and he certainly didn’t want to offend his leader by seeming like he thought he couldn’t take care of things his own way.

The alpha responded in kind, strict hostility lacing his voice as he replied to the whelp that had joined Tauza.  Tagg glanced at Vespertio, glad he was on his side.  He longed to say something to back his pack mate up, but bit his tongue.  The last thing he wanted was to appear to undermine him in front of others.  He wasn’t sure what these two could possibly want, but Tagg prepared himself to run for help should they need to.  If a fight were to break out, they would be even.  Should one more outsider show up, Vespertio and Tagg might need aid.

l

Okay, so the new posting order is Me -> @Staleek -> @Vespertio -> @Tagg

For a few moments it was all just awkward, well meaning glances. The subordinate was staring at her and she felt vaguely uncomfortable. Why was he sitting that way, one side turned away still? 


And then Staleek arrived.

Initially she found herself pleasantly surprised with his reaction as he closed in on the small party. She assumed that Staleek cared for her a good bit, but it was not often that it manifested. She assumed that most of the worrying was for show. And good for him, he should play the part just as she was doing. But then everything she had built was quickly torn apart as her brother turned his attention to the pack wolves. She allowed herself to cringe visibly. Clearly Staleek still had a lot of work to do on his manners. "Brother" she whined, her voice strained as she fought to reel him in. 

The chance quickly disappeared, though, as the leader of the Fallen Tree Cove cut in. The other wolf, Tagg or whatever it was, was growling too. The hositlity in the question was very clearly intended for her brother to answer, but Tauza could in no way allow her brother to say another word. She had to leap in before he could open his mother again. "This is my brother!" she chirped with an overly bright smile, "He's Staleek. And he's very protective of me." She tossed the most jovial face she could muster back in her brother's direction. It was like a conspiratoy smile. "Not that I can blame him! I'd hardly have survived without him." A quiet giggle left her mouth, as if this were some funny joke to her.

"Are there many of you," she began to steer the conversation away from her careless brother, "You know, in Fallen Tree Cove?"

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