Wolf RPG

Quote:Scroll over the lines in French in order to see a translation! I won't use this all the time, but for now I will.

It was one of the darkest forests she had ever seen. Conifers, branches thick with dark needles blocked the sun from the forest floor. Mist swirled in between the thick, moss swaddled trunks, cloying and sibulant. It gave off such a dark, foreboding feel, as if one could lose themselves in this forest and be trapped, soul and all. Maybe it was one of those spirit forests where the souls of the departed lived and threatened to drag the living into their ranks...

"Mon, mon, vieille fille! Vous êtes devenant en de plus en plus morbide, ne sont pas vous?" Erika laughed at herself. Ever since she lost the fur on the right side of her face she has become more funereal, more morbid. Maybe it is because half of her face looks so skull-like. Perhaps it was her near death experiences. Ah, Qui sait? Qui s'en soucie?

The black wolf kept travelling at a steady pace, enjoying the crunch of pine needles and loam underneath her pads. The light around her increased as she reached the edge of the forest. A little while away, a gray behemoth soared towards the sky. A mountain. No, not just a mountain, a mountain range. Erika's golden eyes drank in the scenery. Her head tipped back to seek the peak of the silver goliath. In the back of her mind she wondered if anyone has ever fell from one of its cliffs.

Of late, the Silvertip Mountain Alpha female had been increasing her patrols, and extending them from the territory proper to the outlying neutral lands. Though the pack held no claim over anything but their mountain, the greedy Kesuk was particularly protective of the foothills surrounding the peak. She had special interest in Neverwinter Forest, for it was nearby, unclaimed, and therefore served as a major hunting ground for the pack. Ravensblood Forest could have served the same purpose, but it was also frequented by Horizon Ridge wolves. Jinx would fight to steal food, but she found the thought of fighting off thieves for her own meals unattractive.

It was therefore not uncommon to find the woman prowling amidst the pines, searching for any wolf who dared to approach her mountain. Her diligent patrolling, coupled with the sound of a voice floating in the forest gloom, presently resulted in the discovery of a lone wolf staring out in the direction of the Sunspire. Jinx approached perpendicularly from Silvertip's direction, flinging her tail up over her hocks and barking out a sharp, "that's quite close enough." As of yet, she wasn't at the right angle to notice the extreme disfigurement of Erika's face.

Quote:I was actually intending her to be looking at the Silvertip mountains, sorry for not clarifying that. :( It's fine.

Erika's ears caught the sound of a wolf approaching, but she did not want to move until she heard the wolf's greeting. She sighed when she heard the stereotypical growl of some pack wolf, trying to chase off an intruder. Oh, génial. Un autre territoriaux. She groaned in her head, eyes rolling contempuously.

She turned and faced the wolf, letting her see the horrid disfigurement on her face. The wolf who challenged her kept a proud, dominant stance: tail curled over her back, ears pointed straight up to the sky. Something about her told Erika that this was a high-ranking female, if not an alpha.

"Bonjour, madame. I suppose I am invading your territory? I do not smell any markers 'ere." She hated speaking English, the language was choppy and rough. Her accent was thick anyway, it would not matter if she spoke French or English, most wolves would not understand her. But, for the sake of it, she tried to speak it anyway.

Jinx had met many wolves. Often, they left an impression on her that was either completely distasteful or completely tasteful. Rarely did she ever encounter a wolf and come away from it unsure how she felt about them. This was as much a product of the types of wolves she tended to come across as it was a product of her own selective personality. To all wolves, she came off as crass and thoughtless. Only those with the same wild mindset were able to look beyond their biases and find value in Jinx Kesuk's way of life.

This, however, was the first time the impression she got was horror, for when the lone wolf turned to her, the bulky female stared into the face of death itself.

The woman's face had seemed fine on first approach. Well-shaped, with wide, bright eyes and immaculate black fur. Had she an eye for beauty, she would have recognized a certain loveliness in the other woman's features. She would have explained that this wasn't her land, just that it was awfully close to it, but her breath was sucked away before she could speak. What she beheld on the woman's other cheek was quite the opposite of lovely. The fur was completely stripped away, leaving bare skin to the elements that was wind-chapped, heavily scarred, blotchy, and seemed almost like half-solidified candle wax.

Never one to keep her distaste to herself, the Alpha took a step back, letting the entire length of her mane prickle alertly and forgetting all about the woman's thick foreign accent and what she'd said. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she hissed, ears splaying back against her skull. Jinx had had such luck with finding creatures that she misunderstood lately. Erika was treated quite like Tiarnan had been when she thought he was a warlock. “What disease lays upon you to mark you so? What curse?” And, more importantly, is it contagious?

"Merde. Pas cette de nouveau." Erika growled at the she-wolf's reaction, a common one to her hideousness. Once again, her disfigurement was misinterperted as a disease, a universal fear. No one wanted to be as hideous as her, she did not blame them.

"I assure you, madame, zis is no disease. It iz only ze curse of naivete and a 'uman's fury." She turned the disfigured half of her face towards the wolf more so she could get a better glimpse. "My 'uman 'owner' threw a liquid, acid I believe, onto mah face for attacking 'im. It burned mah fur off. Den 'e beat me on zis side even more so for being a leetle bad. No madame, zis is a curse for only myself."

Erika shuddered slightly as the memories flooded back...a human male standing over her, screaming obsenities. He grabbed the vial and unscrewed the top, and flung the contents onto her face. She remembered screaming in agony; it was like liquid fire! He had done nothing to heal her, no he only made it worst. She had almost gone mad from the pain. She had wished then that the liquid would just melt her brain and kill her, or that the man just beat her to death. Perhaps that was the start of her macabre thoughts.

She flung her ears up when the woman began speaking in some other language. Much like she had with Tiarnan, the suspicious Alpha female grit her teeth and wrinkled the bridge of her snout, displeased not only with the disrespect of speaking a different language to her face, but also the possibility that it was a curse being cast on her. Her muscles were taut beneath her pelt and she stood ready to charge or flee, depending on the nature of the action Erika took. She proceeded to explain her affliction, but the explanation only proved to confuse Jinx further. She did take comfort in knowing it was not a disease... But so many of the other words were unfamiliar that she couldn't be sure.

“What is an eww-mon?” she brusquely asked, uncertain whether that was some kind of infection or plant and mistaking Erika's following shudder for some kind of nervous tick. “And acid, what is that? I have heard tell of no liquid with the capability of burning off one's face.” Truthfully, she was ignorant of a great many things and could only claim base knowledge of anything. She thought maybe eww-mon was another name for Sos that heretic wolves used, and acid was the means by which he had marked her.

The possibility of Erika being Chosen of Sos dawned on Jinx, but for the moment she put it aside, desperate to have her answers.

"You do not know what a 'uman iz? Mon dieu, if only more of us were zis lucky," Erika murmured, astonished. It was very, very rare to find creatures that did not know what humans were. A anxious part of her brain relaxed at the news. Finally! A place without humans! Yes, while most of them did not actively seek out to attack her and other wolves, she did not trust them. Besides, the sight of them brought back too many horrid memories.

"'Umans, madame, are a very intelligent species. Zey walk on only zeir back legs and use zeir front paws for grabbing, 'olding and creating zings. Zeir influence is almost everywhere, excepting zis place, if you 'ave not 'eard of zem," She explained to the wolf, who had looked absolutely perpelexed when she explained her disfigurement. "Acid, as I said, is a liquid zat burns at flesh and other materials. It iz practically unheard of in most places. I 'ave only 'eard of it in 'uman possession." Erika fixed her piercing golden gaze on the wolf hoping that her explanation made everything clear to the she-wolf. A huge part of her wanted to sneer at the wolf's ignorance, but if there were no humans around here, then she did not blame her.

"By ze way...We 'ave not been properly introduced." Erika said. She dipped her head politely to the white wolf. "I am Erika de Les Fantômes. Les Fantômes is mah birth pack's name, it means 'Ze Phantoms'. May I inquire yours, madame?"

From the way Erika reacted, Jinx had to assume that a eww-mon was a terrible, terrible thing indeed. Before the lone wolf could explain, she had already imagined mange and rabies and shuddered visibly. But when Erika mentioned they were a species, the Kesuk's horror only grew. She was, of course, unaware that most diseases were caused by microscopic living creatures; she assumed they were the product of an addled mind or a curse by the loa. To know a species could be so destructive to another species without cause was bizarre.

These eww-mons were unlike anything she had ever heard of. Jinx projected the imagery of what Erika described onto the closest thing she could imagine: a bear. She could recall Kermode bears standing on their hind legs. She couldn't imagine a bear holding anything with its arms, but the picture she got was of a grotesquely tall bear with very long arms and spindly little digits.

She was more interested in the acid that marred Erika's face. The description sounded keenly like the element fire, which Lecter had taught her about when she was just a cub. Perhaps acid was just another word for fire, but it was liquid fire, which was unheard of to her... “Is it still contagious?” she wondered ignorantly, missing the point somewhat of what acid really was.

Giving Erika ample time to respond, the Silvertip Alpha turned to the next issue: introductions. Although she wasn't necessarily keen on getting to know loners too well, considering she wanted very much to remain a secretive mountain wolf, she nevertheless obliged: “Jinx. The mountain back there houses my pack.”

Erika's eyes narrowed as the white wolf replied to her explanation of the destructive species known as human. Ce qu'est un profondément dirigé louve elle est. She hissed silently. Yes, she didn't know about humans or acid, but the fact that she was still questioning whether or not it was a disease astounded her to no end. From her stature and the muscle on this wolf, she looked very much like a warrior, a fighter. Encore un de ces loups de soldat d'idiot...

The wolf introduced herself as Jinx, the Alpha of a nearby mountain pack. Her previous assumptions about this wolf's postition proved correct, she lowered her head a bit, acknowledging Jinx's dominance and higher rank. "A mountain pack? Well, I assume there are more zan just your pack in zis area, no? Would you mind telling me about ze others?"

While Erika's inner monologue was well hidden and the Alpha female suspected nothing, Jinx's thoughts were much less subtle, if only because she had yet to look away from the black woman's disfigured face. It was difficult, if not downright impossible, to ignore such a blemish. The scar said nothing about Erika's personality other than that she was the victim of abuse, yet Jinx made assumptions based on the ugly mark nonetheless. She couldn't help it; she was the very opposite of gracious.

Still, stupid though she may have been, she was clever enough not to say anything further about it. Erika hadn't answered her question, which left Jinx to assume it wasn't contagious. Suspicion might have suggested otherwise, but for once she wasn't tempted to think the worst by paranoia. “There are four,” she grit out, somewhat loathe to give information about any of the other packs. Why not go find out for yourself, she would ordinarily have said to another loner, but this was no ordinary loner, nor an ordinary day.

“Horizon Ridge to the north, if solitude is your cup of tea. The Alpha is Akhlut, and he's as rare to find as a white-furred black bear, and everybody is a stranger there.” She poked her muzzle in the direction of the opposing mountain range now, gesturing as it were. “Blacktail Deer Plateau if you don't care about your opinion, since the Alpha there acts like hers is the only one.” Little did Jinx know that that was true to some of her subordinates, too, and not just herself. Her experiences with Hawkeye had given her a biased, hateful opinion of the wolf, and that was what she based it on. “Northstar Vale in the centre of the mountain range, if you want to have no manners, since they don't really get pack or border etiquette,” and finally, “Swiftcurrent Creek past the mountains. Not really a bad pack, but the leader's young and inexperienced.”

Of course, all of Jinx's opinions were extremely biased and based on her own experience with the wolves and packs in question. The truth of it was that none of the packs were bad... She just thought hers was quite a bit better.

The black wolf cocked an ear as the alpha almost growled an answer. It was plain to see that the wolf was not one to give out such information. The four other packs did not seem as appealing from what Jinx told her. One pack rarely saw each other, or its leader, something she was mildly interested in. It would allow her to live without having other wolves stare at her scarred face in disgust in horror, but deep inside she did desire companionship. Besides, a pack that does not meet often has a weak bond, which leads to a weak pack. The second pack named was not an option at all. Erika often voiced her opinion, she did not want some stuck up pute to mouth her off for saying anything.

Manners to her were a necessity (to strangers at least). A pack with no manners nor etiquette was little more than a gang of wolves. She would most likely despise being in the Northstar Vale pack. Finally, a pack headed by a inexperienced leader would not fair well for her at all. She would have to think about it for herself, perhaps investigate a bit. Jinx's descriptions of the other packs in the Teekon Wilds seemed very biased, but bias was often based on fact.

"I 'ope you did not mind my asking Madame Jinx. I am just interested in joining a pack at ze moment, though I do not zink ze others would accept me," she said. ""ow about your pack, Madame? What can you tell me about zem? If you do not mind, of course."

Tyrande was out and about, carrying her clay bucket full of herbs and bulbs, when she scented her alpha on the wind, with another unknown scent. Curious, she had gone to investigate. She sat there, stalking silently in the shadows, and listened quietly.

She couldn't help but admire this Erika wolf. Tyrande had seen humans only once in her lifetime, and that had only been from a distance. If Erika had been so close to them and suffer so much, and still have the courtesy of manners, then that was an achievement indeed.

She stood in the shadows, her pelt blending in harmoniously with the darkness. At this point in time, only her eyes, her hauntingly violet- flecked eyes would be visible. She waited.

“It's fine,” she said gruffly, and though she didn't really need to explain herself, she added, “I just do not get along well with those from other packs.” Specifically, she had pissed all of them off at one point or another. Though the encounters were generally her fault, the female was biased enough to discredit her involvement and pin the blame on others. A lot of the time, they exacerbated the issue themselves, which rendered Jinx's involvement somewhat unimportant anyway.

A prickling sensation on the back of her neck, as though eyes were fixed upon her, caused her to twitch back her ears, but Tyrande was silent and still and Jinx did not detect her. She turned her attention back to Erika when the feeling passed. Though she had initially reacted poorly to the loner's presence and appearance, it was not because she disliked her. Its source was shock and confusion more than distaste, and now that it had been explained, she had no reason to fear.

“We are... Traditional,” she said slowly, deliberately choosing her words carefully. Although Silvertip operated on basic wolf principles, she had discovered of late that the wolves of the Teekon Wilds were surprisingly detached from how wolves truly worked, and some of them took offence to her methods... Even went so far as to call them “evil”. “I dislike strangers near the borders. Those who come close are chased away or punished without question, because I do not care why they come, only that they are not behaving with proper respect for the pack's presence. Those who call for us on neutral territory are met and treated fairly and with courtesy. We have enemies, of course...” Specifically, Jinx had enemies, “...but they are few as of yet. Those we deem particularly threatening are to be attacked on sight if they are within the pack's vicinity... And the rare few who pose a real threat to our well-being are to be killed.”

As though to dissuade the air of the hatred she was implying about Silvertip, she rolled her shoulders. “It is the way of the wolf. I do not like to share my prey or company with rivals from other packs who would kill us in the scarce winter-time without a second thought. Yet some of their territories hold resources we cannot obtain... If you stumble upon such resources, you may take them if you can avoid their ire. Some of the packs are small and their land is not well guarded. Whatever we obtain from rivals weakens them and strengthens us. It ensures our survival.” A pause for breath. “Out in the wilds it is your discretion, but near the pack lands, strangers are unwelcome no matter their reasons. But, if you meet a wolf worthy of the pack, so long as they have not shown disrespect in coming too close, you may invite them to come and meet with us... And I will evaluate them, perhaps extend them an offer.”

In all this, Jinx left an unspoken offer in the air: the mountain was Erika's to call home, if she wanted it.

OOC: No, your post is fine. :)

IC: At almost the same time, Erika sensed a new presence lurking in the shadows. Her golden eyes quickly scanned the area, only catching a glimpse of the silent watcher. She presumed that it was one of Jinx's packmates, but felt herself tense a bit, just in case.

As Jinx described her pack, she got memories of the birth pack she was taken away from. They, unlike their neighbours, were traditional, like Jinx's. And because of this, they were strong. The other packs warred around Les Fantômes borders, but never crossing them for fear of the wrath of the phantoms of the lake. Her pack was on no one's side during the constant war and attacked anyone who crossed their borders (unless, of course, they were allies). While l'meute de Les Fantômes never raided other packs, having no need too, Erika did know it was necessary to keep the pack strong. This pack indeed showed promise in being her new home.

"Zough some might disagree, sometimes ze old ways are ze best ways. From what I 'ave seen in my travels, ze traditional packs are almost always ze strongest in ze area. I 'ope zat your pack iz, or at least becomes ze strongest as well, because I am interested in joining yours." Erika, for all of her time wandering alone in the wilderness, still knew how to read a conversation. Jinx had invited her, unspoken to join her pack. She would need some time to come to a final decision, but she was leaning towards yes.

Tyrande tipped her nose up, her dark-colored clay-made bucket shifting in her jaws. At the hope of a new member joining the pack, Tyrande seemed to almost literally morph out of the shadows, her eyes gazing into the newcomer's with their odd intensities. She looked past the gruesome scene on her face, not even mentioning it or pointing it out. She's probably had enough of that...

Tyrande dipped her head in a silent salute to her alpha before coming up next to her and setting down her pot of herbs.

Should you decide, Miss, let me be among the first to welcome you, if possible."

Meaner aspects aside, Jinx could, on occasion, be accommodating. Erika seemed certain about Silvertip Mountain, but her words suggested a desire to think on it more. Ordinarily, the Alpha bitch might have taken it as a slight, but the compliments the Frenchwoman paid to the mountain temporarily improved her usually stern mood. “Take your time. You know where to howl to get my attention when you are ready, and I will escort you home.”

Tyrande slipped out of the shadows, explaining in full the odd sensation of being watched that Jinx had felt before. The Epsilon sidled up alongside her carrying an odd contraption in her jaws, and addressed the acid-maimed lone wolf. Jinx said nothing, but she observed the pot for a time, then shook her shaggy head in wonder. Tyrande had some of the strangest methods and items, things Jinx could never dream of making with her limited range of motion, but she couldn't deny the usefulness of them.

“Tyrande,” she addressed her subordinate, suspecting the other wished to be involved in this initiation, “should Erika join us, I would like you to show her around, if you could.” The mountain didn't have many important places just yet, but at the very least she hoped the violet-eyed clay-shaping female would be able to show Erika where the streams were and where the communal pack headquarters were.

Erika flicked an ear towards the newcomer who melted out of the shadows. The she-wolf looked friendly enough, if not a bit...odd looking. She chuckled to herself. Maintenant vraiment, qui ressemble de plus étrange, moi ou elle? The wolf gave a respectful nod to Jinx, then turned towards her. Dangling from her jaws was a strange object made out of clay. Golden eyes widened in curiousity, confusement, and amusement all at once. Looking at Jinx, she saw that the white wolf seemed equally as perplexed. This new wolf must be the black sheep out of the flock.

"Bonjour mademoiselle." She nodded towards the strange pack wolf. She seemed eager enough to meet her. Strangely, she hadn't even acknowledged Erika's scars. Jinx had called her Tyrande. A peculiar name to suit an equally peculiar wolf.

"I wish to take a few days, no more zan two, to make my final decision. I shall return 'ere when I am ready, if zat is fine with you, Madame Jinx."

Tyrande nodded. She looked at the foreigner.

"Should you decide to join us, I would love to show you around. Maybe we could trade information..."She patted her bucket. "I can give you information of the pack, its ways, and its territory... And you can tell me about the creatures you call ew-mans... Or, as I would call them, humans." She looked guilty for a moment. "No offense intended, Miss, but when speaking a language not your own, one's words can be mistaken to one who has not seen those creatures who so unnaturally walk on two legs, handling fire in their dens and catching lightning in their clear, bucket-things to light up the weird caves in which they live. Your accent is quite beautiful, but I'm afraid not suited to translating words that a wolf has never heard of."

She looked at the foreigner. "I would be more than willing to show you around, should you decide to join us." She patted her bucket again. "I look forward to knowing about the creatures I take my ideas from." She flashed a toothy grin, both disarming and startling against her dark fur.

She caught Erika's quizzical glance, but could do nothing more than shrug as subtly as she could. The clay pot was a strange construct, but it did warrant a measure of respect, for Tyrande had made it with her own paws. It was beyond anything Jinx herself could have made.

Her Delta launched into a lengthy explanation of its origins and accents directed at the lone female. While ordinarily she might have stepped in to break up the flood of words, being something of an anti-social wolf herself and easily losing track of long conversations, this time she didn't. What Tyrande said was interesting.

The Alpha had nothing to add, however, so she fell silent and reclined back on her haunches to listen.

Golden eyes blinked in bewilderment as Tyrande jumped into a little monologue concerning accents, humans, and joining the pack. It was the first time in about a year that someone was actually happy to talk to her. She was unused to it. But it made her feel good inside, at least a little bit.

"Ah....merci mademoiselle.Thank you." She said softly, almost bashful. The comment about her accent had almost made her blush (if wolves could do such a thing!).

Tyrande smiled. "Then I'll be ready when you come... But if you'll excuse me... I have a very busy gathering schedule and I must get back to work. Hope to see you soon, Jinx, Erika."

The small wolf tucked in her tail as a respectful farewell and padded off back to where she came from, her bucket in her jaws. She truly was hoping to see Erika again. She seemed like a nice wolf.

The discussion seemed to be coming to a close. Tyrande made her exit with a reasonable explanation, and Jinx stayed only long enough to watch her disappear into the forest. Her eyes returned to Erika and she smiled, though thinly. It was plain to see that she was no-nonsense about almost everything. “We will see you again,” Jinx said by way of farewell, “on our side, I hope.”

With that, she dismissed the lone wolf and turned back to the her pack with the intention of doing another sweep of the borders.