Wolf RPG

He couldn't find @Caiaphas, so Vlad did what he had to do without consulting the saltwater siren. If she was underground, there was no telling when she would emerge - and judging by the number of holes in her body, @Rosalyn was short on time.

He travelled to Donnelaith at speed, arriving as evening did. Lasher's scent was heavy here. He had noticed it upon returning from the bordering plateau, narrowly avoiding trespassing. The pack had been new then, and a bladder can only hold so much piss.

Without any real plan in place, the mottled Russian called out for @Lasher.

when the call from the accented saltwinter wolf rose up, lasher hesitated. what had drawn the brute to his doorstep? since aria had returned with the odd warning from the man called njal, taltos had instructed his wolves to keep from the grotto and its borders, but caiaphas ruled there. perhaps she had sent her guardian to seek him out.

lasher approached in due time, adopting the stance of a ruler, though he was not overly belligerent in his stance. "hello," he greeted in low tones. "what has brought you?"

Vlad knew nothing of Njal's encounter with Aria. The old man was elusive, and Vlad would have been surprised to hear that he had issued a warning on Saltwinter's behalf.

"Aha! Beeg Wurds Wolf, so heppy to heving enser," Vlad greeted, christening Lasher with a low but clumsy bow. His kept his smile free of teeth, having realized that it did him no favours in the diplomatic arena. "Cai-ee-faz heving... small praablem. Vlad coming esk help - cen geev ex-shange menny creb, vater doge.." He squinted, considering what else Saltwinter might offer Big Words Wolf. ".. Beeg Wurds Wolf cen choosing! Cai-ee-faz hev wulf.. wulf hev menny hole een boowdee. Cai-ee-faz so sedd." Not strictly true, but Rosalyn was worth the fib.

the man listened, returning the bow before trying firmly to make sense of the other's words. 'caiaphas' was recognizable, as well as the title that the saltwinter guard had given the druid himself. a series of moments passed as taltos mulled what he had deciphered in his mind, smiling apologetically at the agouti brute. "you wish to make a trade .... one of your own is injured? and caiaphas is ... sad?" he posited hopefully, anticipating a shake of the head and a retranslation of what had already been said.

Vlad nodded vigorously. A globule of spit jumped from between his teeth, bounced on its own cord, and landed in a nostril - the Saltwinter wolf sneezed before confirming: "Thees much gud - so vell understending! Ees so smol peck, Cai-ee-fuzz no cen luss even one wulf.. Vlad vant helping wulf veet many hole, for meck Cai-ee-fuzz again heppy. Ees from kett - rawr!" He did his best to imitate the creature that had attacked Rosalyn, then gazed smilingly at Lasher once more. This close up, the asymmetry in his face was more evident - he had a somewhat lazy eye, and his smile was uneven. "So - I meck trade? You helping? Bleckface saying you so gud frend - best frend of Bleckface." If that helped at all.

lasher nodded at another near-unintelligible string of words from the man. "a cat." what had it been doing upon the coast, and did it remain? making a mental note to double the patrols along their borders, the druid spoke, rather flattered by the accented wolf's claim that he was close unto caiaphas. "my mate is our healer, but she is indisposed as of late. perhaps my daughter can be of assistance. do you need only herbs or a healer to visit this hurt companion of saltwinter?" eilidh would be of help, but he was loathe to send her unaccompanied, even to the priestess' encampment.

Vlad didn't know the first thing about herbs or what to do with them, but Rosalyn's situation was desperate. Vlad was perceptive enough to know that a father would not allow his daughter to go without an escort, and unless one was waiting in the wings, he could not afford the wait. "Frend hev not so menny time," the saltwolf uttered, and appeared to be thinking hard about his options. Wait for Eilidh, or play medicine man? "Beeg Wurd cen.. showing Vlad how do herb? Ees.. ees gud to make beth to Rose-ar-leen een salty vater?" An unusual sadness was taking hold of Vlad, tightening its grip as the seconds ticked by. He knew very well that Rosalyn's chances were slim, but.. it made him feel rather more sad than the slow death of any previous companions.

the wolf was dying quickly; lasher's lips thinned into a grim line. "if her situation is so dire, it is best to have her beneath the care of a skilled healer," he insisted gently. add to that the fact that his mate would not so easily part with her supplies. tilting back his crown, the man called for @Blue Willow and casmir. he trusted the pair of them implicitly, and caiaphas also. "they will accompany you to the grotto."

he caught the eyes of the accented man with his own and the meaning was clear: if harm befell the pair, he would not hesitate to sweep down upon them and destroy their dwelling.

Had Lasher asked it of him, Vlad would have made love to the earthen Alpha then and there. He settled for kissing the ground at the other wolf's feet, slobbering and laughing and weeping all at once - it was impossible to distinguish one expression of feeling from the other, but all were of true and heartfelt gratitude. Customary offers of creb were made, along with whatever Lasher should desire of the sea-salt wolf in this life or the next. When Vlad had finally regained control of his feelings and his tail was no longer at threat to the integrity of his ass, the Russian raised himself from the ground and asked of Lasher: "So kind Beeg Wurd Wulf - how meck you so gud, much strong peck? Hev taosend shildrens?" The scent markers alone spoke of Donnelaith's greatness - of its strength. Vlad doubted the staying power of most wolves in Saltwinter, and assumed that Lasher had either fathered every single one of his pack-mates or that they owed him some deeply embarrassing debt.

the statement caused a great deal of excitement in the other; lasher allowed the accented wolf only a brief moment of unwarranted grovelling before he nudged gently the man's shoulder. "there is no need for such," taltos explained softly, before his features widened in a grin at the other's assumption. "only five children," he rejoined with a chuckle. "we are all family here. donnelaith is a place of little secrecy and closely knit creatures." 


"i know caiaphas is secretive, but she is a loyal compatriot also. how did saltwinter come to be?" for that matter, what was the name of the other wolf? but taltos felt this would come in time.

Vlad's mind raced. If Lasher could merge strangers and blood under the banner of family, perhaps Saltwinter would reach such heights one day. It was already different from the Bratstvo; he cared enough for Rosalyn to prostrate himself before the Donnelaith king, and Caiaphas - for all her witch-like qualities - was actually .. not so bad. An acquired taste, sure, but not so bad nonetheless.

"Vlad finding Cai-ee-fuzz," the Russian began. His tail was a blur, jaws parted in a broad grin. "Esk Bleckface - I meck naming - vant you veenter deal? Cenn believing, Cai-ee-fuzz saying vanting! Finding Stenderds, Limpy Menn, Creb-Leep, Veet-Fall.. Vlad so guud finder of wulf!" Caiaphas had contributed the Angry Urchin, but she wasn't exactly Vlad's favourite. "I liking," he concluded. "Thees OK peck."

lasher was becoming well-acquainted with the manner of speaking offered by vlad, for that was his name, and on his tongue was the title of the woman with whom taltos had long been enamoured. he was not sure of the titles such as 'stenderds' and 'limpy-menn,' but imagined that they were the names of the wolves who followed the darkfaced priestess. so she had come to share a banner with vlad out of necessity. "do you plan to remain together after the winter?" he inquired politely.

"Do you plan to remain together after the winter?"

Vlad secretly hoped so, but had not voiced that desire to anyone - least of all Caiaphas. It was her beach, and she would do as she pleased when the snow melted and the time came for Saltwinter to scatter. "Beeg Wurd! Vlad so sedd - no vant Vlad for peck of you?" he answered instead, jolly as ever. He feigned despair upon continuing: "Bleckface much engry wulf - not vant kees-kees from Vlad! How she says no to face of me? Vlad heart cennot teck thees deal - maybe I finding so gud wife een aader place? Eh?" Wink wink, nudge nudge. Truthfully, Vlad wanted nothing more than to call Saltwinter his home until further notice - even if the leader didn't want his kisses, and the Gamma was bi-sexual and full of holes.

lasher could not help a chuckle, both at vlad's heavy humour and the idea of the sly caiaphas coupling with this brazen guard of saltwinter. however, he did not know where her tastes lie -- or if she even dabbled in such things. the druid gave the other man a sly wink, mouth curving into an expression of good humour. "you are very handsome. i see no reason why you would have trouble procuring a wife." perhaps the other would take it as flirtation -- perhaps taltos, in a fit of mischief, meant his gesture and words to be construed as such.

The compliment was met with uproarious laughter from Vlad, who knew full well that he wasn't the glossiest apple in the barrel - far from it. "Vlad liking thees wulf," the Russian declared - had they been human, he would have offered Lasher a manly slap on the back or something equally masculine. But time was growing short for Rosalyn back home, and whatever was going on between the two men would have to be shelved for a later date. "So - I going! Ros-arr-leen so beeg wulf - needing much beeg hole for meck bury," he jested darkly, and was promptly on his way - leaving plenty of signs for Lasher's family to follow.