Wolf RPG

Oh God this was so exciting. Ayisihik was that one bit closer to becoming what he was meant to become — the king of the mountain lions. An Alpha not with wolves at his back, but with a whole team of magnificent mountain lions! It was such a thrilling ambition, and his heart rang with it at every sprightly step. The semi-nomadic little pack with which he'd run since childhood was lovely and all, but they were sort of holding him back. He hadn't had any choice but to slip out in the dead of night — which of course had been a great adventure, not some suicidal escapade resulting in a lot of people worrying about him endlessly.

He was a bit tired, though. Ishi had been travelling all night and his paws were achey, his immaculate fur was a little less immaculate, and he was awful hungry. But he still had a spring in his step, a faint smile on his face, and his ears were all perky and alert. His plan had been to track the nearest cougar and request admittance to its "pack" so he could discuss leadership with them, but he wasn't stupid — he also had a Plan B. And that was to find a wolf pack close to where mountain lions lived and get in with them. After all, the young one needed to find food, sanctuary and companionship if he was going to build up a long-term strategy.

The dawn was very bright. It came in the form of a great sheet of light that turned the sky a paler navy and made the landscape look green and magical. Ishi's slender white body began to slink a little lower as his pace slowed, because he'd sensed a wolf border nearby. God this really was exciting. Casting his gold eyes out over the handsome valley, Ishi halted a good distance from the border and sent up a soft, effeminate howl of humble request.

Ishi was hyped. Some really cool big wolf was going to turn up, invite him in, and teach him some stuff about mountain lions to prep him for his grand fate. He could basically picture it already. And then, of course, he saw it — an awesome black wolf, all confident and shadowy as she picked her way towards him. And then, oops, turned out she was really small, just like him. She was still cool, though, and that was enough to feed Ishi's optimism for now.

When she let loose a little growl, Ayishik felt a slight thrill in his heart because it reminded him of how lions sounded. The small yearling smiled innocently and replied, The name's Ayishik Zonnetje! I've come to humbly request a place in your pack. He bowed his head all the way down until the tip of his nose daintily touched the ground.

When the wolf spoke, his voice did not go unnoticed. He was goofy and cute, much like a dog rather than a wolf. He shrunk in size, a bit larger than she but no longer the big, beast of a male she had feared finding. He seemed comforting and happy, somehow, and some of her fears ebbed away. She relaxed slightly, still somewhat haunted by the thought of Luke. 

She gave him a weak smile, one that held a bit of hesitation. "I see. What is it you can offer us, Ayishik?" she asked, deciding that from here she would see if he deserved her time of day. If he did, she'd call Mordecai and Harlyn to the borders, if he didn't, she would chase him off here and now.

Ishi reckoned this was going marvellously well, and his smile reappeared in a flash as he lifted his head just a little. Though his extremely fluffy tail was submissive, it also had room for a few cheery wags. The truth was that he could offer this pack a place on the map! One day the wolves from around these parts would whisper that the young king of mountain lions had once walked among them.

But it turned out wolves didn't really understand his ambitions, so he decided to keep his fate secret for now. There was still plenty of truth left to tell. My main thing is that I'm a really good scout. I love travelling and exploring new lands, and I can explain loads of things like directions and the lay of the land.

In the days that passed, it seemed he was making more and more trips out towards their borders. It was a necessary evil, seeing how Harlyn was nowhere near able to leave the children for lengthy times. He was wont to do so himself, but had set off from the den to wind his way out towards their winding outskirts.

As he approached those borders and picked out the dark coat of one of his subordinates, he found this time it was not Ancalagon that had called him out there. Ilya's petite form stood in clear dominance, and a few steps closer pulled the lighter coat of another through the thinning timber.

Posturing himself as he drew near to them, his steps slowed as curiosity mounted the forefront of his interests. He had a fair inkling as to why he was there, but his solitary gaze came to rest briefly on the gamma before being brought out to the sight before him. While wolfish features were notably distinct about this fellow, Mordecai could tell he was of some questionable heritage.

If Ishi hadn't been young and foolish, enough silliness would have moved away from his perception to actually notice what was going on around him. For deep down, he was a smart boy. He might have noticed that the dark female was uneasy about being in the presence of the approaching Alpha Male, and he might have noticed that those wounds on the Alpha could only be made by a mountain lion...

But for now he noticed neither. He did see, however, that the male was really big. Now that's more like it! Big things were awesome. The female was cool too, of course, but if she was huge she'd be even cooler. His white ears twitched to try and pick up what she was saying to the Alpha, but it was just murmuring. Hi! he breathed when he had a chance to speak. His body was almost flat against the ground now. He looked like a slim white rug. You can call me Ishi if you want. You both can.

He couldn't quite figure out what the difference in heritage was, at least not entirely. Sure, there were some obvious quirks that set him apart from atypical wolves, first and foremost being his size. Like Siku before him, he was compact and a scout, leaving Mordecai to ponder a correlation between the two. Of course, the former had done exactly what they said they wouldn't have done, and had abandoned the Hollow altogether not along after being allowed entrance.

It was because of that his gaze narrowed, though he listened to Ilya's report. His gaze lingered on Ayishik, but only until he heard the shuffle of Ilya's feet carrying her away. It was enough of a grasp at his attention that he turned his head away from their visitor long enough to curiously look after her, wondering if she was leaving. But she wasn't, and he tilted his head with question before ultimately bringing it back around to settle on Ayishik.

"Are you willing to be loyal to us, to pull your weight?" He launched into questions instead of pondering the scene that had just happened, wondering the depth at which that eagerness to join gave up its pursuit.

It gave him a little thrill to actually hear the male's voice, all deep and leaderly that it was. The Alphas of his last pack had spoken to him of course, because they'd also been his guardians, but other than that he'd never encountered an Alpha before. He'd have to learn from this nameless one — heed his lessons and take them to his own eventual pack of great cougars.

Anyhoo, he needed to keep his mind on wolves for now. Yes sir, he replied brightly. I'll pull my weight, such as it is, he added humorously (after all, he weighed about as much as a cloud).And I'll be loyal. That was the truth. He didn't go into the stuff about mountain lions right now, because no wolf so far had understood his ambitions, and besides, he might never leave this pack if it turned out to be super-cool. After all, maybe there would be a way to be a part of a wolf pack and the leader of a cougar pack.

Best of both worlds!

His reply was earnest, confident. It was again an honesty that Mordecai could appreciate and did, though he still weighed the pros and cons of taking in yet another along their borders. Ultimately he did come to the decision — quickly, at that — that all they had taken in held that potential to abandon them. While he and Harlyn had maintained an open door policy for the most part, few had announced their coming and going. They had just gone, and the fact that they had only served as an irritation point for him.

But, what he saw seemed to satisfy him, though his expression did not change. "I think we may have room, then," he summarized, then turning his head back to Ilya and her standoffish location. "Ilya, would you care to show him around?" For as pint-sized as he was, Mordecai felt his chances may have been better if he were with someone. At least initially, as there was no telling how the others would take to him.

When the strong Alpha accepted him, Ishi's golden eyes flicked up in excitement — he didn't meet the male's gaze, of course, but he glanced at his face in a moment of gratitude. His heart leapt with excitement, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was now this much closer to his cougar pack: it was about being welcomed into a new family, pure and simple.

Then he learned the female's pretty name and prepared himself for what he hoped would be a really fun tour of this awesome valley. But he waited to be dismissed first. Ishi knew how to dream, yes, but he also knew how to do as he was told.