Blacktail Deer Plateau How bright you shone for me tonight

ooc: Osprey's "Lovegame" plot. 7th February - Day 1.

AW for BDP folk - men especially. The only requirement is that your character acts more canine-like and not as a human. Osprey is in heat, therefore she acts differently and has a strong specific scent that can affect your character on a certain level. Imagine, what would he/she do, if they happened to be around her?

For a few days Osprey had felt the change coming - it had first begun with the realization that all of her packmates, which belonged to the opposite sex, were quite pleasant to look at. If there had been some strong beliefs and preferences (this is my type, this is not) before, then now - one by one - they dwindled, leaving her feeling in a bit of love with every one of them. The fluttering feeling in her stomach and giddiness, whenever she caught glimpse of either of them - near or from afar - made her ashamed of herself in the beginning. But over the following days all remnants of shame and self-restraint were swept away. Why should she deny herself the joy of looking at handsome people?

This morning she woke up like a very different person - happy and carefree and with an overwhelming need to do something. It was mere minutes, while she wondered, whether this was her true self or an impostor in her body, but then she decided not to care. Why should she, when the world was such a wonderful place! It didn't matter that it was cloudy and raining, that there was no snow on the ground and that everything was coated in the dull colors of gray and brown. No - today - she was the sun herself and equipped with this knowledge she padded through the forest, stopping frequently to leave scent marks.

When it felt that padding was too slow for a pace, she began to run in full speed only to have herself slip and fall to the ground with a muffled thud. However, this mishap did not dampen Osprey's joyous mood - sure, her foot hurt a little, so did the flank that had hit the ground, but, who cared, when the sky above was in so many beautiful shades of gray. Just like me! She thought and burst in laughter. I am sky or sky is me...

short little guy to get it on my radar!

Dante was aware of the season, and having caught traces of Kesuk's intoxicating scent, was doing his best to actively avoid any sort of interaction. It wasn't that he had issue with her... But it was the season where stupid things could happen if one wasn't careful, and though he was alpha, he knew he was not ready for the duties of fatherhood. Not only that, but Kesuk was Koda's, and had in no way shown any interest in Dante fulfilling that role. Not entirely trusting himself, he remained on the borders.

When he spotted Osprey, however, he thought himself safe. "Osprey, morning!" He called out, halting his steps and wondering if she would slow to talk.

Osprey had slipped and fallen on the ground and had decided not to get up. Didn't they say that life threw opportunities in your path and you simply had to seize them? Even if meant tumbling and falling, some broken bones and hurt pride? Not that she cared about any of those things at the moment. It was suddenly so hilarious to lie like this, all four paws up, belly exposed to the sky, helpless as an infant in a crib - she burst out in a spell of giggles. Someone could come and easily kill her, such a silly death it would be.

She rolled on her stomach, when she heard a familiar voice greeting her from afar. She easily found the location, squinted her eyes to see, who it was. Dante! The king of the forest in person. Her heart skipped a beat and there was this feeling, as if there were thousand butterflies fluttering in her stomach. If there was a chance to feel happier than she already was than it definitely happened now. Osprey didn't get up, she remained lying on the ground with her head rested between her outstretched paws. Ears were perked up and alert and her gaze - full of admiration - was focused on him.

He approached easily, failing to note the expression in her eyes as anything other than a friendly gladness to see him. "How are things?" He asked jovially, the beautiful day having put him in a rather good mood.

When he got a bit closer, however, a niggling scent became present, and he balked, surprised. Oh shit. While avoiding one encounter he had walked directly into another, and immediately he took a step back.

Dante seemed eager to approach her at first, but, when he came near enough for her to catch his scent, for some reason he stopped suddenly and took a step back. Osprey lifted her head and had a confused look around - in case there was a big, bad monster hanging around somewhere, which was not true. Was it her? She turned to see the tip of her tail, back and then counted her paws. Four as usual, not spikes and fins sprouting out - she was normal. So what was wrong?

The gray she-wolf got to her feet slowly and regarded the alpha with an inquiring glance, then averted it and yawned to let him know that she was not entirely good about the situation. Then - holding her tail low and wagging only the tip of it, ears drawn back against her skull, she let out a quiet a whimper and approached him in a submissive manner.

Well, hi thur!

There had been a subtle shift in the air. Something that the adolescent Valtýr could recognize - even though he couldn't discern exactly what it was. The juvenile was quickly approaching adulthood and though he was just seven months, he hardly resembled the pup Lasher had found tucked against Junior's mangled body. The firefoot had become exceptionally tall, despite Val's sunken posture, and his voice had deepened to a baritone croon. Pura's mentoring had begun to have an effect on his outlook, though the child was still very much a lamb.

He cruised along the Plateau at a comfortable pace before a perfume drew his attention in a different direction. Valtýr cut between the trees with unusual zeal before the silver figures of Dante and Osprey appeared. The latter's ears were slicked back deferentially... however Dante looked very much out of his element. Val considered hugging the treeline, wanting to merely observe, but a new and curious feeling reeled him forth. His sandy crown cocked to the side as he approached, eyes sliding between each in turn.

In the absence of an Alpha female, two of Blacktail's own women succumbed to their heats. This was a natural process, something that expanded a pack regardless if a breeding female was at the helm or not, yet the scent of either Kesuk or Osprey still twisted Saena's stomach into a jealous knot. She wasn't even old enough to crave that sort of attention, let alone to breed, but it affected her as readily as it did any breeding female and, in fact, any female that wasn't in heat and wasn't going to be.

Anyway, even if there wasn't an Alpha female, she coveted that spot, so the scents left by Osprey and Kesuk around the territory were like tangible challenge posters. She despised the scent every time she came across it, and soon was as irritable as a badger. She stalked around the lands like some irate feline, slung low and with a narrowed gaze, and dared not set foot over the threshold.

She felt it was her duty to keep this blasphemy from going anywhere.

It was only when she followed the fresh scent of Osprey to her present location that Saena really felt a drive to do something about it, though. Up until now, the juvenile padded around with a storm cloud over her head, but there was no clear answer. She wasn't the crowned Alpha female, and indecision made her waver. But as she got nearer and saw Dante and Osprey together, that flare of jealousy returned, and when she saw Valtyr nearby, it bloomed into a wildfire.

She struck forth like an arrow, straight for the slightly younger boy, who she possessively coiled around. Her gaze flitted briefly over the Alpha male before fixing on Osprey. If Dante chose to breed with her, then there was nothing Saena could do about it... but she would be damned if she didn't prevent this before it happened. There were many motivators—Blue Willow's litter would not be put at risk by this perfect example of irresponsibility—but the majority of them were completely selfish and illogical.

Nevertheless, Saena felt the possessive pull of her ambition and the irritation with the season, and soon was striding away from Valtyr (brushing not-so-subtly against his entire side as she did so) and baring her teeth and pointing her ears in a warning grimace at Osprey, one that firmly said, this is not your right.

She looked hurt by his involuntary reaction, and he cursed that he had made it. It wasn't her fault he didn't know how to handle himself, but it was true. Up to this point in his life, he hadn't really encountered a woman in heat, having been born in the spring and leaving his pack mid-winter. Tarin hadn't been old enough, and even if she had, sisters were different. They weren't even a remote option.

Nor was Osprey... but try telling his mind that.

"Sorry," he said, not having meant to insult or make the impression he didn't want to be in her presence. He very much would rather be anywhere else right now, but that was a sort of flustered, uncomfortable feeling about the situation, not her. He reached out to touch her shoulder, making it clear they were still good, but he still could not hide that he felt completely out of his element at the moment.

Then Saena approached, and her warning growl almost elicited a return from the Alpha automatically. He held back, though, and would allow Osprey to deal with this. Saena had every right to challenge who she saw fit, but her assertions were rather heavy-handed. If she was to challenge Osprey, she needed to know what that meant.

He would interfere if things got too out of hand, for he didn't think she would deal with her niece too harshly, but you could never really tell. Still, even though he elected to stay out, his hackles did rise. Saena's assertion was not only a challenge towards Osprey's actions, but his own as well. Instinct drove him to take offense, but it also drove him to stay out of it for now.

All of a sudden several things happened at once and, what up until now, had been a tale about two people meeting under awkward circumstances, now had a potential of becoming a full-scale drama. Osprey caught sight of another approaching - Valtyr. The adolescent had grown considerably and was almost the same height as her. If not for the lack of muscle, the lankiness and what appeared to be the insecure look of a child, he could be mistaken for a grown-up. He approached the two - she turned to greet him with a fond look and a light sway of her tail. Yet her gaze told him to keep his distance and not interefere. In a polite and friendly way.

Then Saena appeared too - one did not have to look at her to know that she was raging with anger - one could feel it, smell it even. Osprey would not have cared about the young she-wolf, had not it been evident that this anger for unknown reason was directed at her. She lifted her eyebrows and studied the girl's face, trying to understand her reasons, but was interrupted, when she felt that Dante, who was standing nearby tensed up too. Osprey shot a glance back at him, then at the young wolf and decided to go up to the leader. She reached out to touch his cheek with her muzzle, as if saying that all was good. That there was no need to worry.

(≧∀≦)

Valtýr's meager weight shift to and fro undecidedly as his brackish muzzle lifted in the air to glean the changes in Osprey's musk. He was neither slow nor daft, but the youngster couldn't quite wrap his head around exactly what about the silver gamma drew him in. Life had not yet learned the teen in courtship or the unique cycle of females - for he was too young to act on such promises - but he had become uncharacteristically stalwart in his position, stuck in place like a stubborn barnacle. Even Osprey's disapproving eye goaded him to remain fixed, for she had become perfumed with spice - something that made the pubescent youth's skin goosebump excitedly.

These feelings were new for the timid juvenile, who was loathe to leave the scene despite his urge to remain respectful and subservient to two of the highest ranking wolves on the Plateau. His head ducked away, ears lying flat, as he watched Dante's apologetic expression and verbal amends. What was to be sorry about?

Without warning, Saena's alabaster figure burst from the treeline. Her paunch, stiff-legged body immediately bee-lined towards the prying Valtýr. She drew near like a python clutching a mouse but her intense glare, which was loosed like throwing daggers, was only meant for the coy Osprey. The Blacktail's nearness and possessive caress set the teen's whole body ablaze, his knees reduced to jelly while she wrapped around his scarecrow frame. His amber ears slicked back, sooty tail curling beneath his haunch as his tongue swept across its chops nervously... but all the submissive habits could not extinguish a new wanton butterfly bumbling around in his stomach. Suddenly, everything clicked and Valtýr became privy to what this whole dance was really about.

At that moment, Saena pulled away and rubbed her body brusquely against his own. The boy could swear his ears were going to combust into flame right then and there, so taken by her avaricious posturing. His jaw clenched worriedly as she boldly stepped forth - his side suddenly cold - but he became transfixed on the girl's stance when her warning did nothing to separate Osprey and Dante. In fact, the two only came together more closely. Val hung back, crown low but ears turned forward expectantly.

She stood tensely, her eyes on Osprey and her ears on Dante. From her periphery, the juvenile spotted Dante's crest and mane rising, but the Alpha made no move to discipline her or otherwise suggest he intended to claim Osprey. His manner was testy, but Saena was testy too; aside from an outright dominance display, he couldn't dissuade her from this.

It wasn't personal, although her protective sweep around Valtyr may very well have seemed like it, as if she thought Osprey would try to seduce any male around, even a young one. Had it been Kesuk and not her estranged aunt, her behaviour would be the same. Had it been anyone but Dante standing there, she would've been more forward, rather than standing tensely with her snout angled up and her jaws silently displayed.

When Osprey approached the Alpha male more closely and sought to touch him, Saena surged forward a few more steps, peeled back her lips and snarled, making her warning more apparent and more dangerous. It was for Blue Willow, she told herself; the Beta would not approve of another litter while hers was so young unless it was Dante's express wish, something she was unconvinced of. She wasn't sexually mature, so it wasn't a battle for breeding rights, but more for authority and for the good of the existing Plateau children; if it were, one of them would already be bloodied.

Rumbling loudly, the youth advanced another step and let every hair on her body stand on end. Saena rose her tail over her spine, both challenging Osprey and silently demanding that she back away from Dante and back down from her coy attempts. So focused was she on preventing Osprey from breeding within the pack that she didn't even notice Valtyr's nervous shifting behind her, though she would've found it cute (and possibly irresistible if she wasn't an adolescent) if she noticed.

im kinda letting Dante drive now :) this thread is insane haha

Osprey shifted closer and made to show there was nothing amiss, but apparently she hadn't caught the meaning behind Saena's posturing. Dante thought he had an idea based off previous actions by the juvenile, and in his mind Blue's pups were far from it. He figured it to be a rank challenge, a test to see what she could get away with now that she had risen in the pecking order. An attempt perhaps to claim her aunt's spot.

He was far from amused, and wrestled with the desire to cow her. Osprey's proximity only made it worse. He wasn't used to being driven by instinct, usually keeping a tight hold on sense and reason. It was getting harder and harder in this situation, though, and though he knew they had not the resources for more children (nor he the capacity) he knew he would have a hard time refusing should she attempt. Luckily she had shown no clear signs.

It was his conviction that Saena's confrontation was a question of rank that prevented him from bowling her over on the spot. If she did not respect Osprey, then it was up to the Gamma to show her she was in the wrong. His intrusion would serve nothing.

He failed to relax, but he couldn't help letting his own side press a bit closer to Osprey's own. Valtyr was noted but ignored for the moment... Nothing personal. Dante's focus was elsewhere at the moment.

Osprey's attempt to make peace by simply ignoring Saena's behaviour failed. It only fuelled girl's anger and what had first been a simple display of bad attitude, exacerbated to an open challenge for the rank and place in the pack. She didn't understand, why was it so - ever since her return, she and her niece had not mixed much together, therefore Osprey knew nothing about the girl's ambitious future plans or how she had begun to test the boundaries. Rank had never been an issue to the gray she-wolf - she had never aspired to climb as high as she already had, nor did she see a reason, why it was worth fighting for.

She turned to face the girl once again. Her expression wore a slightly annoyed appearance, the fur on her nape was bristled and she had her tail raised slightly above the level of her body, but her gaze was calm and collected. Her green eyes met Saena's blue ones, she looked at her unblinking, quietly questioning her motives and at the same wondering, how far she would dare to go. There was a tiny wish for her to make the first move, to attack, to push down, to dominate, but even, if her mindset was a bit off due to the hormones, she knew very clearly that she wanted to avoid a physical confrontation at all costs.

Therefore - eventually she blinked few times and turned her head to the side, thus dismissing the challenge. I am not going to fight you.

A part of Valtýr wanted to skirt away and avoid becoming caught up in the confrontation any more than he already had. Heck, if he had been a few months younger he probably would have. Yet, the youthful Sveijarn was ripe for these kinds of interactions and so he watched Dante's mane bristle and Osprey's stance become rigid with an analog eye. The pecking order amongst the Plateau wolves, though is seemed rigid, was actually fluid and already Saena was not far behind her aunt in the pecking order.

It was curious how Dante chose to recline from the precipice and let Osprey take the helm in this conflict. The alpha male, as the sole top dog, often had the last word in pack negotiations. Yet, he watched with a tempered and pacifistic control that Valtýr almost admired. Osprey, too, had yet to bare her fangs -- but she was unyielding in her position, practically obtuse. Val's eyes slid back to Saena. The silver wolf would not back down from her junior's demands. Would they spar to settle this argument?

Let me know if this slight powerplay isn't okay! This thread is so intense!

As she rumbled ominously, Saena cast a wary glance at Dante. His thoughts were right and wrong at the same time. Perhaps if she could read his thoughts, she wouldn't have persisted in this endeavour. She would've left it to another time, a more private time. But she couldn't read them, nor was his behaviour entirely readable. In fact, she took his seeming indifference as permission to continue, and would be irritated if he suddenly changed his mind.

One of her ears twisted briefly back, locating Valtyr, before snapping forward once more when Osprey glanced at her. Like the first time Saena had shown defiance of the woman's rank, Osprey basically ignored her, but unlike that time, Saena refused to let it drop. She was gaining in the ranks now, and the Betas knew of her intentions. She had three trades to Osprey's zero now; her confidence was much higher that the pack wolves would recognize her, even in spite of Koda's recent harsh treatment. This time there was more at stake.

Osprey's heat was a threat to the Beta female's pups but, more importantly, it was a threat to the rank Saena sought for herself. This time she wouldn't be ignored.

A sidelong glance back at Valtyr was the only indication that she had any uncertainty about her next move. Perhaps the younger wolf would hate or fear her for this, but it wasn't personal, and she hoped he knew that. Saena'd never felt possessive of him or any pack wolf until now, but the scent of the ripe females did strange things to all of them, even her.

The volume of her snarl peaked as she swept across the last few feet between her and Osprey. Completely rigid, the small female stood there a moment, demanding a response... and when none immediately came, she forced it by making a dominant snatch for the other female's snout, a classic and unmistakable show of superiority.

dante be watching! So shortish

While Dante did not understand what drove Saena to push for dominance, he did know one thing; no matter the outcome here, for the time being, in his eyes Osprey would still hold her place. He had told Saena once that he thought she could make a leader someday, and he had meant every word. That day was fast approaching as she grew, but she still had much to learn. Perhaps her style of taking what she thought she deserved would serve her well were she the only leader, but it clashed heavily with the way he, Lasher, and Blue Willow chose to run things. Having leaders who were not on the same page could only lead to conflict.

He did not know of her intentions to alphaship, however, for Blue Willow had not shared their encounter. So the true threat that Saena felt from Osprey was unknown.

He watched like a hawk, ready to jump in should Osprey retaliate and the fight grow heated. Rank challenges were well and good, but they could not have able bodies injuring one another in the middle of winter.

Saena ignored Osprey's offer of peace and didn't back off. Quite the contrary - she closed the distance between them, rudely invading her aunt's private space and making an attempt to snatch her muzzle in order to push her down and remind, who was the boss here. It was a bit odd though, because last time Osprey checked - the adolescent was still way down in the hierarcy - and her actions could mean two things - either the girl was not in her right mind or she had too high opinion of herself.

Although a pacifist in nature, who tried to avoid a conflict at all costs, there was a streak of pride in her too - she wasn't going to take this kind of insubordinance lying down. Plus, there were other reasons for her to feel annoyed with the girl - she had disowned her and rather than minding her own business, she was meddling in somewhere that shouldn't have concerned her at all. Osprey avoided the attempt to snatch her muzzle, springing to her feet with her fur now bristled along her back and with tail held high and body stiff. She locked her gaze with the girl's again - there was a growing anger burning in her eyes. A deep, warning growl resonated in her throat, threatening her not to make another move.

Skipping with permission!

Finally, a response. She felt more feral than she ever had as Osprey expertly avoided her grasp and found her feet, finally rising to Saena's challenge. The soon-to-be yearling felt confident she would win here. She felt confident that her cohorts would team up with her to teach Osprey her new place beneath Saena, if she managed to get the upper hand. That was just natural order; she never would've suspected she was out of line, or that anyone would disagree with what she was doing, let alone look down on her for it.

She couldn't be more wrong, but she also couldn't know it.

Gnashing her teeth menacingly, the yearling craned her neck and lunged for her aunt's blunt grey muzzle again, intent on pushing what she thought was an advantage. This would settle everything, she thought.

Osprey had hoped that her display of dominance would make it clear to Saena that there was no point in continuing this absurd situation. She was wrong, because it ticked the girl off and with her teeth bared she lunged at her. The move was unexpected and the older wolf, who was more an expert in fleeing than fighting, didn't react nearly fast enough. She managed to turn her muzzle out of the way only to get hit on the side of her head and she almost lost her ground because of the momentum.

She staggered few steps backwards, feeling confounded for a moment, but then the instinct to defend herself finally kicked in - her eyes became black and the look in them feral. With a roar and she lunged with all force back at the girl, aiming for her scruff and with all intents to push her to the ground.

ooc: Osprey has minor wounds on the right side of her head and cheek.

The gripping of the snout was a ritualized method of rank communication among wolves, so the last thing Saena intended to do with it was cause harm. Perhaps her personal feelings toward Osprey weren't the greatest, but she wasn't in the business of harming pack mates over personal feelings. Besides, she was growing up enough to know that she wasn't necessarily right to have disowned her aunt, even if it was something she would never go back on. So when her ritualized snatch resulted in her teeth raking across Osprey's face, Saena faltered just slightly.

It was enough for her advantage to become a disadvantage. Likely outraged by the actual hit, which was never intended anyway, Osprey retaliated by lunging for her. The older wolf was too quick for Saena to dodge, and soon she was being squashed into the ground, clearly bested. She growled fiercely for a moment, but knew it was no good; she'd lost, and no one was rushing to put Osprey in her place, which was to say that no one approved of Saena's ambition, least of all the Alpha male who still hadn't stepped in to settle the challenge and name her the victor, as she'd sort of expected him to do. And why not? Hadn't she done a lot more than her aunt? But it wasn't enough—she wasn't seen as worthy.

It was the sting of this realization more than any respect for Osprey or acceptance of her lower rank that made Saena meekly fold back her ears and fall silent. She allowed this dominance display only a moment before she wriggled free and, defeated, strode quickly away from them all without even a glance back.

Last post for me!

The scuffle did not take long to resolve. Even though instinct was the engine behind Saena's conquest, Osprey had experience and age in her upper hand to best the insurgent teen. The storm-colored gamma adeptly dodged her adversary's lunge and, in one foul-swoop, delivered a powerful scruff to send the Blacktail into the snow. The challenge had been obliged and Saena, without an ounce of clout, slipped from her senior's hold into the forest's waiting embrace.

Valtýr blinked a few times as he tried to digest what he had witnessed. Though the Sveijarn was but an adolescent, the meaning of these ritualized challenges was not completely lost on him. However, the boy had trouble grasping how Saena saw him -- being so near Osprey at the start of this season -- even if her possessive stance had his skin prickle.

More confused than before, Val slunk low obediently. His sooty head ducked away and he moved to exit the scene, as Opsrey had urged before, to give her the privacy she had rightly won.

Only, when Osprey actually brought Saena in submission and replied to her growl with an angry growl of hers, did she realize, how very unusual the situation was. As fast as it had appeared, the anger receded, when the girl wriggled free from the forced position and fled the scene without another word. Valtyr left soon after - either terrified of, what had transpired here moments earlier, or because his friend had gone and needed comforting.

After all, tomorrow is another day. She decided to analyze this in depth another time and shook her coat, to indicate that she was done with the stressful moment. Osprey then cast a glance back at Dante, who had kept in the background. "What was that about?" she asked, forgetting her previous intentions for a moment. She yawned and gave her coat another shake. Somehow the memory of Saena approaching her this was wasn't easy to get rid off.

Dante did not relax until they were once again alone. Saena had thankfully had the sense to leave before things got out of hand, but Osprey was rightfully confused by her actions. He himself wasn't positive, but he thought he may have an idea. After glancing at her muzzle where the girl had caught her, he sighed.

"She has been trying rather hard to prove herself of late. I admire her drive, but I think at times she might be a bit too exuberant in her attempts." He wondered if perhaps he should talk with her. She had seemed upset, leaving without a second glance, and he did not wish to cause her embarrassment. He would likely wait.

"You ok?" She didn't seem the violent type, and the former awkwardness had been forgotten for the moment in the excitement. The intoxicating scent was still present, setting him hyper-aware of her presence, but the conversation having a distinct direction helped to put him at ease.

So... there was an aspiring leader-to-be in the pack. When you looked at this from this perspective, a lot of things got clear. Yet the true reason, why Saena had been so angry with Osprey and had attempted to dominate her, was still not clear. She wasn't aware, how her and Kesuk's particular scents affected the other members of the pack. Speaking of which...

She felt that same feeling - a mix of adoration and love for all and everyone - budding and growing in her heart, making it beat quicker. She looked at Dante and studied his face for a while, as if she was trying to come to a conclusion of some sorts. And eventually her expression hardened and she looked away. She had been seeking for desire and had found none. Only restraint and awkwardness.

"I will be away for few days," she said eventually and offered a sad smile, "I see that I make you uncomfortable." With that she went past him and headed to the borders. Feeling of being rejected was not nice, even if she was overexaggerating too much and even if it was for a greater good. But she found consolation in thought that the world outside was waiting for her.

poor osprey :(. This thread was so hard to write for but I enjoyed it immensely!

He saw her study him, and her words made his stomach drop uncomfortably. Was he so easy to read? Of course he was. His ears flattened, splaying apologetically, but he was unable to think of anything to say to argue. He wasn't sure that he could have said them if he had words. To tell her it wasn't true would be a lie.

He did desire her, though, a completely surprising (and terrifying) sensation. It was the entire problem. So instead of compelling her to stay, he let her walk away, and his list of individuals to avoid grew by one for a while.

When it died down, he could pretend like this had never happened.