Sky took a breath of fresh spring air, reveling in the slight cold of the morning. She took a few seconds to enjoy the sun, which has decided to momentarily peek out from the clouds, and then continued on her way into this new territory as it once again disappeared behind the thick cloud layer.
Sky knew quite well that she was walking on eggshells, going into this territory without permission. But she was a wolf, and wolves were pack animals. She knew she could not survive for much longer without a family unit. Her ears went back against her head in sorrow as she thought of her original pack - the one she had grown up with. This last winter had been harsh, and, in the end, her pack had split, with not enough food in their territory to accommodate all of them.
She shook her head. It did no good to think back on this now. She had to keep moving forward. She didn't care what position she took in the new pack, as long as they agreed to have her. With a determined air, she continued onward, ignoring the anxiety that was building up in her gut. She had once been the mediator of her pack, after all, dissipating arguments and harsh emotions, so getting into the alpha's good graces shouldn't be that hard.
As was becoming the norm, a bout of sickness had hindered her in the morning, but it was not enough to keep the Alpha in bed. With a bit of lemon balm chewed to soothe her troubled belly, she took to the borders with purpose to mark them, trusting that her brethren had taken care of the first rounds in the earlier morning. Her role was more to ensure the work was done, or perhaps grate her claws a bit deeper into their wooded borders. But what she found this day was not negligence in the borders, but an unknown scent trespassing beyond what was marked into the more wooded area.
Rather than sound the alarm, the warden investigated this transgression on her own. Her eyes were wide and ears cupped forward and alert, searching for hide or hair of this wanderer the midst of the Vale. The scent was easy enough to follow, carrying not the scent of a pack but the musk of the wilds adorned with a feminine perfume. Regardless of the fairer gender known, it did nothing to stifle the asserting growl of warning from the she-wolf as she drew nearer to the scent's source...
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As Sky continued her cautious padding through this new territory, she began to pick up the scent of another wolf. Female, hormones releasing a warning that said, Watch yourself, stranger. With even more caution, she moved toward the scent, and soon saw the female coming through the trees ahead.
This she-wolf stalked with a purpose, her body ready to spring if need be. Sky immediately stopped moving, allowing the female to come towards her instead. This one was obviously an alpha. Sky could tell just by the way the female held herself, the way her tail was raised, ears erect, teeth pulled back in a confident snarl.
Sky sat on her haunches, eyes downcast in reverence, and then rolled slowly onto her belly, showing the white flag of surrender and submission. With baited breath she waited to see what the alpha would do, hoping that she wasn't about to have her jugular ripped open.
Patience and generosity were lacking this day as she looked upon the pale stranger in her lands. Her eyes looked to nowhere but to the female as she marched forward, near bounding in stride as she built momentum; her bulk a prepared ram to slam into the trespasser. Yet the submissive gesture slowed down her approach, as she came to a swift halt before the lying. Her lips quivering with an audible rage, she lowered her muzzle to the stranger’s throat, her jaws parted and at the ready to ensnare if need be.
“Do I call you spy… or trespasser,” the beast snarled, snapping short and quick at the female napes, implying that her patience for reply was nil.
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Sky closed her eyes and took a quick intake of breath to calm her nerves. Above her, she felt the she-wolf snapping at her neck in irritation, though 'irritation' did not seem a strong enough word for what the alpha seemed to be feeling.
"Do I call you spy, or trespasser?" the female snarled.
"Trespasser," Sky replied immediately, not wanting to anger her further by hesitating in her response. Having worked with the wolves of her old pack for a long time, learning to calm them down in the heat of anger, she had learned what worked and what didn't, and how to form quick answers on the spot. "Though only out of necessity," she continued, making sure to keep her voice calm, unwavering, and quiet. Often pack mates had complimented her on the soothing quality of her voice. Much of that had to do with the fact that Sky spoke very little, saving her innermost thoughts for when they were most needed. If she could break up an argument with body movement alone, she would.
"I am no enemy of yours, Alpha," Sky continued. "I understand that I am trespassing and I had hoped it would not come to this. I do not like angering wolves for no reason. Please understand that I am not a threat. I come in the hopes of joining your ranks, regardless of what position I am put into. If you do not want me, I will leave and try another pack in a different territory. I am at your mercy. Do with me what you will, but if you plan to kill me, make it quick."
With her prepared speech out of the way, Sky closed her eyes once more and further submitted herself to the alpha's rule by bearing her throat. This would give the female all the leverage in the world to bite down, or to back away. And there, lying on her back on the cold ground, Sky waited.
OOC: Slight PP. Please let me know if I need to change anything.
It was apparent that though the autumn wolf was not inherently an aggressive female, the role of such could be accommodated with ease when the need arose. While it was in her nature to be understanding to most, when it came to blatant disregard of another, her patience was time and again proven to be thin. Hence the brandish of her fangs and bristled fur.
Wild eyes glanced over the white belly as it was presented, yet her muzzle did not venture away from the female’s throat. Her jaws remained parted as heated breath tempted the fur in rhythmic gusts. And even as her lips closed, her ears listening to the trespasser’s explanation, her nose remained near and quivering, ready to snap if the reply was not to her satisfaction.
“If you were not an enemy then you should have called for an audience,” she corrected sharply. “The wolves of the Northstar Vale has been instructed to treat ALL trespassers as threats,” her heavy lids lowered in warning. “…regardless of their intentions.” But it was apparently by her actions that the woman before the pale wolf, though harsh, was more lenient. A fault of a benign nature perhaps, but one she did not believe was a negative. All fools within reason deserved to explain themselves.
Roughly, she lowered her muzzle and clasped the back of the female’s neck, hoisting her around to her own paws. Releasing her she questioned, “…if you are not a threat, then what are you? A healer? A hunter?” Again her gaze brushed over the woman’s physique. “What skills do you possess?”
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OOC: If you are referring to the fact that your character grabbed me by the back of the neck and hauled me to my feet, then that's fine. I don't actually know what PP stands for.
Sky was surprised as she was suddenly lifted up by the back of the neck, but made sure to remain limp so as not to startle the seemingly easily angered she-wolf. Honestly, she had begun to doubt her venture into this particular territory. This particular Alpha seemed perpetually pissed off and Sky was not sure she could find a way to calm her down that did not result in turning tail and leaving.
With a sigh that forced her impatience down, she sat upon her haunches. She was usually good with others. She'd find a way to calm this Alpha down. "I have no skill in healing, hunting, or fighting. I was a counselor in my old pack. I kept arguments from escalating by finding solutions to others' problems. I also watched over the pups when there were any, making sure they did not get into mischief or play-fight too roughly. I am good with social problems, not so much with physical problems. Though I can hunt smaller prey if need be, and I am interested in becoming a healer if there is someone to teach me."
Sky said no more, and instead kept her blue eyes on the Alpha, though never looking directly into her face, as doing so was a sign of disrespect. She waited with baited breath for the she-wolf's response, praying that she wouldn't have to go all the way to a new pack somewhere else just to have a chance at survival. She was tired of being on her own.
OOC: "PP" stands for PowerPlay, when you're taking an action against another character without previously expressed permission. :) But yes, that's what I was referring to.
The female was neither expert hunter nor healer, as she professed, yet a redeeming quality did keep the Alpha female listening. Though it was said that she was not much of a fighter, there were other methods to take care of conflict that did not resort to violence. While she was not familiar with the formal title of ‘counselor’, she was aware of the duties implied by such a role. She was the one that calmed fights before they started; the voice of reason as the Alpha herself had tried to be. And that this female had some experience with pups was a trait that held the would-be mother’s interest. Though her body was yet visibly showing the signs, Lecter’s announcement had left her with thoughts on what to prepare for in the near future.
In time, one to watch the pups would be necessary.
“There are no pups as of yet,” the woman exhaled softly. Her eyes remained hard on the she-wolf though her posture lessened its tension considerably. “But there will be in time. However, there is tension between us and another pack. Perhaps your skills could find a means to calm it. …but not now.” Or not in the near future for that matter. There were issues internally that needed tending to before the Vale dared to branch out again, if at all. “For now,” she continued. “What do I call you?”
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Sky listened to the Alpha with interest. Tension with another pack? Perhaps her skills would be necessary, then. And she did, indeed, catch the hint about pups in the future. She gave a soft smile when the Alpha asked what to call her.
"Sky. Sky Karan, though the last part of my name was never given a reason. My mother never explained to me what it meant. She did, however, tell me that the Sky in my name referred to my eyes. She told me I had held pieces of the sky inside me, and that they showed through in the color of my eyes." She shook her head at the anecdote. "I'm not sure I ever truly believed her, but as a pup I enjoyed the thought, and so it stuck. Please, just call me Sky. The latter part of my name is not necessary save for formal greeting." She dipped her head. "And what shall I call you, Alpha?"
The need for surnames was a practice lost on the Alpha, but it was one she respected with the same caution as religion. If it was what made another unique, then by their means it could be maintained without conflict. But for ease of recognition, she was content to regard the female simply as Sky.
“Sky it is then,” she added once in agreement, then slowly lowered her muzzle in a greeting manner. Despite the manner in which they had met, she was not without her practiced etiquette. Though it was fortunate that the beige wolf had found her instead of her mate. Such pleasantries would surely not have been in place. “Xi’nuata is fine,” lifting her muzzle, she let her head sit comfortably between her shoulders. “These lands belong to the Northstar Vale,” introducing the lands once more, she swept her muzzle gradually from the pines to the near hidden peaks of the bordering mountain. “And if you are to live here…” Her gaze returned to Sky. “Not only are you to see to the care of those within it, but defend its borders from our enemies and trespassers.
“If you are unable to fight, you will learn how to defend… whether under the guidance of myself or my mate. Do you understand this?”
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OOC: My character is mostly light grey, with cream-colored accents, so you may want to edit "beige" to "grey". Also, I may take the bolding of dialogue from you. I like it, as it makes it easy to tell what is narrative and what is speech.
Sky sighed with relief. So she was being accepted. Thank the gods.
"Do you understand this?" Xi'nuata's words brought her out of her thoughts.
"Yes," she said. Here, she hesitated for a moment, and then continued. "Although I do not like the idea of fighting, I will if I have to. I will do what I must to protect the pack. And thank you. Without you, I'm not sure I would have survived much longer. Wolves are meant to be within a pack. Being without one for so long has..." She sighed. "It has been difficult."
Suddenly her thoughts took her back to her old family. The ghost of a smile crossed her maw as she thought of the pups running around the glade, surrounded by sunlight and the smell of spring. Then she thought to the time when, one by one, the pups died, or were carried off by their mothers to go live lives away from the pack. That had been heartbreaking…
She shook her head. Things would be different this time. This she swore to herself. She would take her job as counselor and defender of the pack as seriously as she took death, With that, she looked back at the Alpha. "Also," she said, "I apologize for trespassing. Normally I am not so careless. However, desperation and lack of food had rendered me temporarily thoughtless. I did not mean to startle and anger you so. I promise to do all in my power to prove my worth to this pack."
OOc: Xi'nuata was the 'beige' wolf being described since that is her main coloration.
Only time and care among the others of the Vale would truly show the female’s potential, but Xi’nuata for the moment took the newly inducted at her word. She nodded in turn, understanding wholeheartedly the struggle of the wanderer, as she too had once been in a similar state until fate saw fit to alter her path. Perhaps the same was happening for the grey wolf before her. But as with all things, only time would tell.
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” she uttered quietly in accepting the apology. “No encounter happens without reason,” she concluded while calmly stepping forward to proceed past the Vale’s addition. “I will take you to one of the caches,” she led on, beckoning with a low sweep of her tail for Sky to follow. “From there, you may find yourself a place to rest before you meet the rest of the pack.”
And with the plan laid out, she led on though the Pines of the Vale, navigating their course to the known heart of the territory.
[Exit]
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