Broken Boulder half-dead
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#1
Joining 
Ioa had been slowing down for some time. Her mother was dead, as were all three of her new baby siblings… Her father had chased her away from their territory. She was alone—alone and starving and now near death. Unfortunately, her time spent with her natal pack had been mostly used for storytelling and keeping the peace between members. She’d never learned to hunt properly, her other siblings taking that job. With the arrival of new pups, however, her siblings had left and she had elected to stay behind to care for the new generation, which would free up her father and mother for hunting. Or it would have. If her mother had not died giving birth.

Ioa had watched as her tiny infant siblings had slowly starved to death, and it had driven her mad. She had internalized the pain, contemplated suicide, and then her father, overcome with his own grief, had chased her away. Now here she was, having smelled the borders of a new pack, far from home and half-dead. Wanting to die but still clinging to life, she collapsed at the boundary line, too weak to howl so anyone would know she was there…
Tagging  @Alarian  for visibility
Ioa is an incredibly submissive creature, so here's some stuff to know:
Minor PP: OK for everyone. Minor injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
Major PP: OK for pack-mates only. Major injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
You can skip me in threads after 3 days.
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#2
!!!!!
The young Governor already itched to wander again, though he had not even been back for a day. He stifled these urges by wandering the borders, marking them when he remembered. It was more for the sake of announcing themselves, he figured; Alarian couldn't imagine himself running anyone off, not unless they made it necessary. His pack would be a sanctuary. It would be the place he had so desperately needed in his youth-- so maybe, just maybe, he could prevent others from becoming like him.
He almost didn't catch the new scent. If he had not passed so near to the source, the boy might have missed it altogether. But he didn't-- he caught wind of the stranger, and turned with ears perked to search. It didn't take long.
The shape was pale and motionless. Ali froze, a surge of alarm shooting through his chest. Had someone gone and died on their borders already? The boy drew closer. No-- no, they were definitely alive. She was alive; thin, not visibly wounded, but clearly weak.
He chuffed as he neared, sniffing towards the prone form of the girl.
Hey, are you okay? What happened? Alarian half-expected he would not receive an answer; already he was trying to recall the nearest cache, knowing he and his packmates had worked to fill each one. With no immediately clear answer for the stranger's condition except her bony frame, unless she showed some symptom of illness, he assumed he would have to feed her. It was simple enough-- he only hoped it wasn't too late.
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#3
As if from a dream, Ioa heard the sound of salvation in the form of a voice asking if she was all right. A headache raged through her from starvation and she felt weak, trembly and nauseous. Her silver eyes cracked open and she lifted her head a few inches off the ground before her strength failed and she was forced to lay it back down on the ground. She was weak. She was a failure. She had failed her family — her mother and siblings — and now she couldn’t even die properly like her father had wanted. Ashamed as she was to admit it, her survival instincts were too strong to overcome so easily.

She let out a whimper, and then a barely audible whisper left her lips: “The babies are dead… I have no one.” In another moment, consciousness left her, at least enough to make her unresponsive. She drifted in and out, hearing the ever-weakening whimpers of starving infant pups echo in her ears like a siren call to the land of the dead.
Ioa is an incredibly submissive creature, so here's some stuff to know:
Minor PP: OK for everyone. Minor injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
Major PP: OK for pack-mates only. Major injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
You can skip me in threads after 3 days.
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#4
The she-wolf opened gleaming argent eyes, and even before she started to move Ali felt a wave of relief. If she could still respond, maybe it wasn't too late.
Her words sent a chill through him. He sniffed at her, double-checking the scent but finding no evidence that she had birthed recently. Not her babies, then, he assumed-- and he was relieved for that, too. Still, his heart ached for her, for the pain in the few whispered words she offered.
I'm here. Ali assured her, though he was certain the girl could not hear him now. It'll be okay. I'll take care of you.
With few options he could think of, the boy leaned forward to gently grasp the stranger's scruff. He lifted her as best as he could, then began the trek further into the territory. It was more effort than he had realized-- how could someone so skinny be so heavy?
Ali chose a den on the outskirts, near to the cache Korei had helped him dig. Once he had moved her, with as little jostling as possible, into the den he turned immediately to visit the cache. It was filled only with small prey for now, but there was certainly enough. He chose a fox, closing his teeth around one stiff, bony leg to carry it back.
Hey. Alarian dropped the fox to softly greet the girl as he stepped into the den. He didn't expect that she'd rouse easily, if at all, but he nudged the fox closer nonetheless. Hopefully the scent would eventually wake her.
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#5
Ioa was vaguely aware of being dragged, the bumps along the way, the pain building in her scruff from being held there for so long. But she was barely conscious and felt these things through a tunnel-like filter. Noises sounded tinny and far away. Pain was reduced to strange tingling aches like fever chills that did not match what was happening to her body. Eventually, the movement stopped. She slipped into oblivion for what felt like hours…

But it was really only a minute or two. Soon, the scent of meat woke her, and quite suddenly, and with much more ferocity than she ever knew she was capable of possessing. There was food here. Her eyes snapped open and her head rose and before she could even look at what she was about to eat, she was tearing into the carcass like a madwoman, her fur poofed up and snarls issuing from her mouth as warnings for whoever was nearby to stay the fuck away from her food. All too soon, the meat was stripped and there was red fox fur littering the ground and Ioa’s cream-colored maw was red with blood.

She looked ‘round for more food with a wild, dangerous expression in her eyes—and saw the wolf who had saved her instead.

Her mood shifted so suddenly it might concern some wolves to witness it. Immediately, she hung her head, whined, and set her tail to a thumping wag on the ground, the very image of submissiveness. “Thank you,” she croaked, her usually quiet whispery voice cracking from lack of use.
Ioa is an incredibly submissive creature, so here's some stuff to know:
Minor PP: OK for everyone. Minor injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
Major PP: OK for pack-mates only. Major injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
You can skip me in threads after 3 days.
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#6
Alarian watched with bated breath, but when the girl finally stirred he found her reaction unexpected. Of course, he hadn't much known what to expect when he found her unresponsive anyway. He was nonetheless surprised, jumping back to avoid the sudden aggression in her movements.
Maybe starvation just did that to someone. The Governor watched her closely as she ate, but made no sound, not retreating even as he flinched back from her snarls. He felt pity above all else, but something twisted anxiously in his gut when those pale eyes rested on him. They almost looked like Delight's, but-- too stark, he thought; almost as beautiful, but dizzying, and they did not enchant him in the same way.
His ears tilted back at the girl's expression, but outright flattened to his head when she shifted gears entirely. It dismayed him to see someone submit so thoroughly to him-- perhaps an odd thought, but Ali had never liked the dominance system overly much. It served a purpose to have higher ranks, but this? This was unnecessary. Alarian relaxed his own posture, tail wagging, and dared a passive step forward just as he heard her speak.
You're welcome, The response was automatic. He glanced around briefly, uncertain how to continue. Um... I'll get you more in a little bit. If you eat too much at once, you'll get sick.
The boy paused a couple beats. Do you need anything else? What's your name?
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#7
The male seemed confused and this immediately made Ioa feel she had something wrong. Why was he confused, why was he looking at her like that? Had she done something wrong? Her tail stopped wagging and her ears fell back along her head for a moment as she wondered how to fix whatever she’d done wrong. She opened her mouth to apologize, but then he stepped forward and spoke. She resisted the urge to back up. She assumed this was her alpha now. He had found her at the border and dragged her into the territory. Only alphas could do such things, right? So, if he wanted to approach her, then so be it.

“Ioa,” she said, when he asked for her name, and this time her voice came out as its usual whisper. “And no, I… I do not need anything else. You do not need to get me more food. I’m sure there are others who could… use it more than I.” She hesitated, and then continued, feeling the need to thank him again. “Thank you for taking me in. I will… work hard to earn my place here.”
Ioa is an incredibly submissive creature, so here's some stuff to know:
Minor PP: OK for everyone. Minor injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
Major PP: OK for pack-mates only. Major injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
You can skip me in threads after 3 days.
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#8
sorry this is bad
It seemed a puzzle, trying to figure out the girl before him. Ali settled on the idea that he would not understand any time soon why she seemed terrified of him— the scars, maybe...? No, it wasn't worth contemplating now; not when she was refusing more food and, well, Alarian couldn't have that.
It'd be better for you to eat more— The Governor started, but stopped when Ioa got to the bit about working to earn her place. That was fast, he mused, flicking one ear and hoping the girl didn't think he had just enslaved her or something. That would be bad. You don't have to worry about anything, Ioa. Right now you need rest and food.
He paused, studying her for a moment before he continued. I'm Alarian, the Governor— the um, leader, I guess. I prefer Governor. Uhhh... you should really eat more, when you can.
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#9
Have a shit post

Ioa hated that she was being told to eat more, but she took it as a direct order and sullenly nodded. “I will eat more soon,” she promised, her voice still strange and whispery, as though she was unable to raise it farther than this. She didn’t have much to say other than this, so she simply kept her eyes trained on the ground in front of her. “You are the Alpha,” she said when Alarian told her than he was the leader. “I will be a good subordinate. I promise. I will be useful. I will take care of— of the… the babies…” She slumped to the ground then and put her paws over her snout. “My poor baby brothers and sisters… my poor babies… I’m sorry…” And she was lost, lost in her memories, in her sorrow, once more.
Ioa is an incredibly submissive creature, so here's some stuff to know:
Minor PP: OK for everyone. Minor injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
Major PP: OK for pack-mates only. Major injuries OK. No maiming/killing.
You can skip me in threads after 3 days.
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#10
last post from me, you can archive or respond again if you want!
Alarian shifted uncomfortably at being called alpha— that title didn't suit him, it never would. He kept quiet, though, as she dissolved into more rambling about babies. I'm sorry... The Governor murmured once again, unsure how to console her. Maybe it was best to just... leave her alone, for now. She was safe, and he could check on her soon— hopefully when she was more coherent. I'll, um— I'll be back soon, alright? I'll bring more food. But you can come find me if you need me— any time.
With that, the boy more or less fled. There was no way he'd ever become a counselor.