Wolf RPG

There was a part of him that hoped the irritation would rid itself on its own, like a splinter that works out and disappears without having to be picked at. But no, that was not the case this time, and he expected as much. The howl went up that said the neighboring mountain was now claimed: there was six of them, with a female lead. He listened to them for a moment as he stood perched on a ledge in the higher reaches of the ridges. It occurred to him that his pack, a strong dozen, could chase out the smaller pack and be free of them for good, but it was not his nature to be so unkind even if there was a protective aspect to it that made him bristle. Logic won out, and logic dictated that the ridge provided for them, and that they had no need and no want of that piece of land so long as their passage to the east was preserved; and as far as he knew, it was.

He lifted his muzzle and threw his own loud song into the sky, his tones deep and commanding, but free of any malevolence. His wolves joined him, one by one, and together they let their neighbors know they were here, and that they were double their number, and would not tolerate any trouble. The tail end of his call beckoned his wolves to him, and he waited until all had gathered to speak.

"So we got ourselves some neighbors," he said. "I want us to keep our shared border marked the most; do not let them think they are welcome and that they can encroach on land that is ours." He paused, his gray eyes drifting over his packmates. "But do not incite war. We have all we need here, and until we do not, it is a waste to fight. Unless they trespass, keep your teeth to yourself."

He looked to his alpha female then, to see if she had anything else to add, before he would entertain the comments of their subordinates, if any.

The howl from the wolves on the flashing peak drew unease to the forefront for Farstep, who lifted his head and lost focus on his hunt. His target, a young and spry snowshoe hare, took the opportunity to make itself scarce. The male pulled a face, and was about to head to the weak spot that was their adjoining borders when Taggarik's deep, throaty call rose in response to their unwelcome neighbours. The wolf's tail eased into a gentle wave and he lifted his snout to call out as well, a wordless warble of warning.

His paws moved automatically, for although he did not comprehend that Taggarik was summoning him, it was only natural to join his fellows in these moments. The calls of their comrades rang out and Farstep howled again, joining the growing din above Porcupine Ridge. He arrived promptly before Taggarik and Capriccio, and watched as the others filed in as well.

It was a cruel joke, a pack meeting. Farstep didn't know what they were saying, but understood from body language there was both unrest and tolerance among them. Taggarik, in particular, appeared mostly unfazed by the wolves of the mountain. He allowed himself to relax as well, following the example set by his leader, but there was still the slightest touch of tension upon his brow. He didn't need instructions to know how to handle their adjoining borders—the man knew they would need to be most heavily marked to remind their neighbours where their land ended and where the ridge's territory began—but the rest of what was said went over his head in a cacophany of growls, yips and grunts.

Illea was patrolling a border.  When she heard the call of a pack meeting and instantly headed towards her leader Taggarik who had announced the meeting.  She howled as did the rest of the pack along with Taggarik.  Then listened as Taggarik spoke.

Illea payed attention as Taggarik announced their ‘new neighbors’ and that they would have to keep the border they shared with this new pack marked well, but make sure not to start any battles or wars unless their was a tresspasser.  Illea nodded.  That sounded sensible and wise enough and made perfect sense to the snow white female.  She chuffed her agreement.

Capriccio’s irritance would only spiral higher it seemed – she had not yet forgiven Taggarik, and as the claiming call of the Thunder Dome – the land literally next to theirs went forward, she felt her pelt bristle with annoyance. She hadn’t appreciated being lied to by Asterr, and her mind began delving in to the details they could go through to firmly remind these wolves that the mountain was not solely theris as their claiming howl seemed to resonate – they called that the mountain was finally claimed, but in truth, it had been claimed weeks before.
 
Arrogant assholes.
 
Capri was about to send her own clipped message to the deceitful Alpha when Taggarik interrupted her thoughts – his own voice echoing and summoning the Ridge wolves forward. A low growl seeped past her lips, but she moved quickly to the meeting. She had been solitary the past few days – even from Terich – and if another female thought to try to dethrone her now after the recent events, they were sorely mistaken.
 
She did not near the Alpha male – the tension roiled from her very being, and her icy eyes cast out upon the gathered wolves as he rmuzzle lifted proudly upward, her tail arcing higher to announce her well-kept position. She spoke nothing – quietly disagreeing with Taggarik’s words, given their food supply could run out at any time. The only saving grace to their predicament was that Northstar Vale was just below them – and could help if they required resources when theirs thinned.

Terich spent much of his time along the south-eastern reaches of the ridge, and so had not come across any of the wolves claiming a slice of land along the thunder dome part of the mountain. That was probably just as well, since he was getting a little frustrated with himself and his inability to get over his fear of the ridge. He would venture up a small slope, then freak out and run back down as soon as he possibly could. Perhaps it was getting better, but really he couldn't tell.

So it was with a sense of trepidation that he answered Taggarik's call. He found Capri and sat beside her, his own anxiety heightened by her rancor toward the alpha, and joined in their howling reply. This was their land, and if these new wolves dared trespass, they would not be met with tea and crumpets. No, they'd be met with tooth and claw. After the howl was finished, Terich kissed Capri's cheek and nuzzled her shoulder briefly, drawing strength from her as his vision swam. At least he hadn't passed out yet. Maybe his fear of heights really was getting better.

vuk too raised her voice as the strong song of her pack rose overhead. gleaning the relevant information from the sound, she found her way along the slope and joined the others gathered. she joined illea; nudging the girl's shoulder, vuk trained her eyes upon taggarik. his explanation elicited a nod from the girl; she was silent, but aware. 

and aware she was also of capriccio's wrath, and struggled within herself not to quail from it.

The tension from his alpha female was palpable; her ice as real and as cold as the snow beneath his paws. Yet there was an air about her that could not be denied, and that caused his lips to twitch into a subtle, brief smile: she was confident and dominant, and she owned her position. It was hers, and none would take it from her anytime soon. Hours ago he would have wished his time back to correct his error, but now, looking at her, he was no longer sure if he would accept it if he was offered it.

Capriccio had nothing to say, but Jhala did, and he granted her permission to speak with a dip of his muzzle. Her concerns were not unfounded, but were more alarmist than he liked. "Our ridge holds resident populations of moose, sheep and goat," he reassured. "Not to mention all the small game: the hare, the marmot, the ptarmigan.... I chose it in part for the wealth of food it has." His tail flicked. "We will not go hungry. But, I am curious, what is this solution of yours?"

Perhaps it was not required now, but later? Who was to say?

If only Farstep could understand their spoken language, perhaps the meeting would've shed some light on the personalities of his fellow pack mates. He only had body language to go off of, though, and so he sat in his typical silence, watching everything very closely. Vuk and Illea greeted one another but otherwise were still. His eyes lingered on Terich-mir, both because the man was on the cusp of challenging for the grey wolf's rank and because Terich-mir was showing an awful lot of familiarity with the Alpha female for Farstep's liking. Naturally, he believed that Capriccio belonged to Taggarik, regardless of the tension she showed toward him.

But he tore his gaze away and it fixed on Jhala as she stepped forward. His mind flitted through various possibilities for what she might be doing, but all that happened was a growl to his ears as she spoke. Taggarik responded with a grunt of his own and all eyes seemed to shift to Jhala.

Farstep had no clue what was going on, but he watched the newest female as well in the event her body language, or that of the other wolves, would enlighten him.

Anwyl had heard the howl, and it had made him nervous. Like what the hell couldn't they tell that there was already a pack in this territory? Well they weren't actually in the Porcupine ridge, but close enough to discomfort the ridge pack. The yearling had gone as fast as he could, but was having a hard time getting there through all the snow. Finally he made it, his white and grey pelt streaked with snow, the flakes covering his black nose. Breathing a little more heavily than normal, and walked over to sit by Jhala. The female seemed to be talking to Tagg about something, so he turned his head to listen.

All he really heard was the word war, and that scared him. As much as none of them really wanted this new pack so close to them, he didn't want a war. He could only hope it wouldn't come to that. He turned back to look at Tagg, wide eyed as he listened to what might befall the ridge pack.

He listened patiently. Neither his eyes nor his neutral expression betrayed what he thought about her suggestion as she went on. Her idea was typical to what he had seen of many packs and of many leaders: hyper-aggression. The black wolf was disappointed to hear it, but not until she had said the last word did he shake his head in disagreement.

"To do so would bring about war," he stated calmly, and for a moment his gaze shifted to Capriccio, who may favor the idea, and Terich, who had been at her side since the meeting started. His fur pricked, but he shifted his attention back to Jhala. "I do not wish to harm them without due cause." To say nothing of any allies they were not aware of. The pack may be small but attacking them could unwittingly bring the wrath of other packs down upon their head, and for what?

Taggarik was confident they were secure on the ridge, and his aggression would be reserved for a time when it was needed to protect himself and his wolves. He lifted his muzzle and arched a brow as he looked first to Jhala, and then to the rest of his wolves.

Anything else?

Capriccio was more inclined to agree with Jhala, but she allowed the conversation to flow between the girl and her co-leader. She was in no mood to deal with Taggarik at all, but there was little to be avoided – the pack she had worried about prior had indeed chosen to settle on their doorstep, despite her polite suggestion not to – and Taggarik was insistent that it did not matter.
 
“They lied to my face, Taggarik,” she noted, her voice anything but warm as her eyes squared themselves upon the Alpha male. While war was not ideal – their pack was still smaller than theirs for now, and the time to strike was slowly slipping form their grasp. “So you’ll need to forgive me when I say that I do not think they are as honor bound as you.”

Jhala accepted what he said and had nothing else to say. Capriccio spoke then, and he looked to her with quiet patience, his collected image not withering under the hardness of her gaze and the iciness of her words. He understood their concerns, and did not fault them for it even if he did not agree with their preferences on how to handle the matter.

"I think little of them," he clarified firmly with a flick of his tail. It was not respect for them that guided his decisions; any respect he could possibly have had was shredded when they settled beside them knowingly. His voice softened. "It's not honor that I care about. It is the wellbeing of my wolves," his muzzle swept around them, gathering them all into his circle of reference and care. His mouth parted to explain more, but he held his tongue. There was nothing else to say that was not a repeat.

The black wolf cleared his throat. "I will be strengthening our markers near their border if anyone wishes to discuss their concerns further. For now, what I said will stand."

He dismissed the meeting with a wave of his tail, and descended from his rock toward the borders.

vuk understood that which was said -- the woman jhala, whose name she had gleaned from taggarik himself, was concerned about their supplies, and wished to strike preemptively. capriccio did not openly support the notion, but criticized the opinion of the neighboring pack held by their leader. aside from these three, no other wolf spoke -- vuk attempted to catch farstep's eye briefly, but her gaze was again held by taggarik as he issued his final words and dismissed them.

as the man was the only creature here that vuk knew, she followed without hesitation, joining him with a polite sidle of her shoulder against his own before they began the business of strengthening the borderline.

He nodded to Tagg respectfully as the black alpha dismissed the meeting and trotted away with Vuk. Anwyl turned to Jhala, hoping she wouldn't be mad. Tagg hadn't seemed to like her idea. Anwyl thought it was better than war, but he kind of agreed with Tagg. But Jhala was his friend, so he nudged her shoulder comfortingly. Lets go, you heard the man, borders need to get marked. He whispered jokingly, trying to lighten the tense mood. He only hoped that this new pack wouldn't prove to be a big problem. As much as he didn't like them coming in so close to the Spiney Pine Ridge, he definitely hoped they could settle this peacefully. 

He stood and shook the snow off of his rump. He walked away, hoping his friend would follow.

From his perspective, nothing happened. There was some tense rumbling between Taggarik and Jhala, with Capriccio's ire hanging over all and chilling the atmosphere. Farstep's eye was drawn to the fierce alpha female, who held her role so well that he didn't think any would dare to challenge her anytime soon. Nor should they; the pack supported her wholly, or at least Farstep did.

No matter the support, though, the tension between Taggarik and Capriccio strained the whole pack. Farstep's slim ears sought refuge among the downy hairs on his scalp as discomfort settled over him, but they popped back up when the alpha male turned with a flick of his tail and dismissed them all with his body language. Vuk rose to follow the alpha male, followed by Anywl and Jhala, and Farstep rose and jogged after them. He paused to aim a nibble at Capriccio's jaw, not even sure if his companionable touch connect as he sidestepped away, and left in his wordless way to follow the train of wolves to the borders.