Ankyra Sound Fight against the sun

Dodged a bullet up there in the snow and rocks, that’s for sure. Surely she had decided to join a pack but talk of stars, sun and magic bullshit? Yea that was not a part of the plan of “join a pack”. She had to admit she had to try harder though, she did put too much pressure on and she had not showed off her best side, though she hated to admit it. She might need to lie or pretend sometimes to make it in this world she slowly realized that. Though lying about the sun as a magic thing of faith was on her list of “call bullshit on it”.
 
She didn’t have a specific place she was headed toward, she had heard no words of the packs anywhere and she would not know what to expect, she simply took the climb down and caught a few birds and mice throughout the days in the woods. She scented the ocean nearby, she had only seen the shore a few times in her short life and she saw no reason to not see it again. It had little to no food in the area so it was merely for the pleasure and fun of it, but being fed enough by the tiny prey in the woods she could afford a short trip and look at the ocean. It had a nice scent to it and was so open that nothing could sneak up on you there.
 
Solid ground turned to sand as the marking of the shore began, she watched her footprints she left behind and snorted slightly. Didn’t like to leave a trail, but she comforted herself in the fact that she could not be jumped at this area any longer.
 
The ocean held no surprised, it looked like the same as last time. It was a small shore, lots of woods and trees surrounded it, it was simply just nice to be there. What was a surprise though being the scent of a pack here. She twitched her left ear and wondered slightly how they had come to live here of all places. The shore? She wrinkled her nose. It didn’t exactly seem like a suitable place, but it was small and the woods were just behind them, maybe their territory stretched into the woods? She was sitting in the sand and simply looking at the water, not exactly in a hurry to go off ahead anywhere. She was not eager to join a pack and it seemed like she by chance had found a new one already so close to the other one. She wondered if they fought for land?

The thought satisfied her slightly even if she was not much of a fighter. Setting the sun-fuck-up pack in its place and question their glorified gods seemed way too satisfying for her just to think of it. She smiled slightly. Yeah alright she could live with that. She would wait, once again. She reminded herself to ask what the situation was for them with the Larksong pack. She hoped it was bad.

hallo! so in order to access the beach in SW you have to trespass -- the new map doesn't show it as well but i'm guessing you meant to meet somewhere neutral so i'll play it as if they are outside of SW? is that okay?

after revisiting the once abandoned (and now newly claimed) shores of stavanger, the siren queen had made back north for her coven. oddly enough she was not compelled to make haste for saltwinter, and instead found herself lurking around the great expanse of unclaimed sea between her hallowed homeland and donnelaith's fold. she had planned for the sojourn to be made alone, yet as she combed the tide-wash another wolf's form shimmered between the waves and sand.

curious but not outwardly friendly, the wraith approached with a neutral poise. they were not close enough to saltwinter that she felt territorial, yet they were not far enough where she felt entirely safe allowing a stranger to go unnoticed. instead of issuing a friendly greeting she simply studied the wolf, who she found to be quite exotic in appearance. the black of her fur was punctuated by bands of beige and tawny, and the coloring was one caiaphas had not witnessed before. she kept her thoughts close to her chest, though it was clear she was sizing the stranger up in case the situation turned brawly.

As another female wolf approached the shore she sat on she rose to her feet right away. The other one seemed to make no intention on sneaking up on her or in any way stalk her. Like Slate herself she was wary, not outright friendly nor chasing her off. The reaction was much like Slate’s own whose tail rose slightly to say she had seen her and that she was watching her, but not so high that it asserted dominance or too much confidence. Her skin on her shoulders twitched slightly as a natural reaction would be to raise the hair in caution, but she controlled the urge.
 
The other one was – studying her? It would seem like there was questioning in her eyes and suddenly Slate felt a bit on the spot. She knew she didn’t look much like others around here and she had often wondered about it, often wondered how she had come a territory like this where everything was so different from herself. She gave a light swish of her tail to make the other one take her staring eyes a bit off. It unnerved her.
 
She had not done well in her last attempts of joining a pack, suddenly having to open her mouth and speak for the first time in over a year had not been as easy as hoped. Be smart, be a survivalist. That was the plan. Lying, taking control of the situation, this was part of surviving amongst others in social hierarchy was it not? She tried a smiled – failed slightly half succeeded. Her face was half frown or scowl and the lips were smiling as if it hurt to even try it. She lowered her head slightly and quickly looked away. So being nice was not going to cut it entirely, she had to make it more believable than that.
 
”You don’t believe in daystar shit, do you?” Way to start a conversation Slate. Wrapping things up or hide intentions were NOT her specialty, she just couldn’t help it all the time. Or maybe she didn’t actually want to wrap it up or sugarcoat shit. She wasn’t sure which. ”Just came from a place where the Mr. Cardinal seemed right fucked up in the head.” She huffed and gave a small grunt with release of air from her nose as her face turned back into her usual scowl, though no directed at the other female. ”I think I would have gone mental living there. Looking for a pack you see. Gotta survive another year and I’ve done so for a while now, but. It’s far easier and more ah – natural? To do so in a pack.”
 
Wolves were simply social creatures and they were meant to live and strive in a pack. It was that natural instinct that after a year of wandering made her seek out a pack all of a sudden. She tried to remove the scowl from her face, not sure how much she succeeded on doing so. She attempted her hardest to make a nicer face (at best she might have looked neutral or bored, not sure which) ”I’m Slate.” So let the game begin.

caiaphas was outwardly bemused by the stranger's sundry gestures; it seemed slate's countenance ran the gamut from darkly menacing to a futile, almost friendly grin. the contortions that slate expressed were met with only a thinly veiled smile, as caiaphas was incapable of surmising what emotions fueled them.

her long, mulish ears pulled forward in an elaborate swoop as the female mentioned 'daystar' and 'cardinal' -- say what? she did not sheath the obvious consternation that clustered her muzzle. the siren queen shook her head in a silent 'no' -- no, daystar was not something she even knew the meaning of.

the stranger revealed her name, but in passing, also her motives. caiaphas was not one to rest on her laurels, but with slate's needs and intentions laid bare, the savage queen had no further need to analyze her.

"caiaphas. why just a year?" she queried, struck in particular by that oddity. most wolves stretched their lives as long as the could, so it seemed curious the female had a date in line for her expiration. caiaphas, as clever as she could be, was not aware it was simply a saying and so, found it quite curious.

The white wolf with the brown mask seemed somewhat as derailed as Slate herself on interactions, in a way this was promising. It meant that in some way she was more free to do and say what she wanted, and that it seemed unlikely that she would be judged for her failed attempts. At least this was assuming that the other one was not pulling bullshit on her and just teasing her somewhat. Slate felt her guards rise on the prospect of being made a fool out of and her muscled tensed lightly. Not enough for others to see, but she definitely felt it around her jaws and face. She seemed unable to relax or open up in any sort of manner at this point. The other gave a shake on the head on the question of the daystar, almost puzzled by the words. She didn’t have any clue of the pack it seemed. Odd as it was so close by, but she did not know how recent this pack or the other might be.
 
"caiaphas. why just a year?"
 
Oh okay, she was mental alright. Slate could not help it this time and made a clench with her jaws trying to hold her tongue in, her tail stirring to move in irritation, but she held it in place. What. Was. Up. With these wolves!? Shit, forget it she had no clue anymore and the burning sarcasm was just edging and waiting. Caution burned in flames.
 
”Well because Caiaphas. There is a time in every wolf’s life where they must transform you see. Turn into a cocoon and grow wings and fly off.” Her face had the weirdest grimace at this point, if one could combine facepalm with scowl, this would be it. She raised an eyebrow a little and said ”It’s a speaking. Like I would generally like to survive the coming time. A year is simply a way to put that time into perspective.” She paused shortly, her nose wrinkling a little and eyes didn’t let up. She turned her head away and sighed. ”Like saying I’ll be chased out in the coming hour for insulting an alpha with sarcasm. Doesn’t mean you wait an hour.” It sort of felt worth it. Smartass, stupid mouth got the better of it. She was doing so well too.
 
Well, now that she was out and about with her bullshit, why hide who she was? Why even pretend to care anymore? ”Look. I’m a bitch okay? I don’t do well with others, I say whatever I fucking want to and I seem to have a problem with sarcasm. But I’m not dumb. I know stuff from my time as a loner, I’m not brawly like you, but I survived anyway. Found ways to find prey I could take, learned of plants and berries. This is what I can offer. I do NOT offer delightful tea-party time where I smile an a-class lady. It’s just not me.”
 
Though distrusting and misfortune often had followed her, she had managed to survive in spite of a small and fragile frame of size. She was not weak per say, but not a fighter either. She had nothing else to offer and this could either be good or bad – likely bad.

understandably, the stranger seemed offput by caiaphas' query. but that was the way of the world, wasn't it? to caiaphas the statement had begged the question -- and to slate, the inquiry begged a snarky response.

the siren felt a prickle of hair along her spine as she listened to the wolf's narrative and it took a sharp turn for the sardonic; a keen scowl graced her features and her haggard yellow eyes became somewhat flinty. caiaphas had never possessed a great sense of humor, and if she had any wit at all it came at another's expense. exactling sharp quips on the unsuspecting was a talent of hers, yet when the tables were flipped she didn't much care for it.

"how do you figure?" she replied airly, as if it were some great surprise this wolf was not, as she put it, 'a bitch'. "saltwinter doesn't need bitches, but hunters and killers would do."