Wolf RPG

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same result.....

A voice in the back of his head was chiding him. The dark furred assassin was currently making his way into the territory of his new pack, Silvertip Mountain. The third pack that he has joined on his own agenda.

He chuckled. Are you suggesting that I am insane? he responded to the voice, which he called Itzal.

You are talking to me aren't you? Itzal whispered back. This voice has been in his head ever since he fled after his family were killed. He assumed that this was his conscience, manifested into a voice seperate from his own. And it seemed so, Itzal always chastised him whenever he performed a wanton murder, or insulted one of his lovers.

Well, that is very true. The voice, while sometimes annoying, was very reasonable most of the time. It did make him think that he was talking to his conscience on occasion. But perhaps the third time is a charm, right Itzal?

I'll humor you and say yes.

Tyrande lifted her nose to the wind, not at all surprised to find yet another new wolf scent. She scented Jinx on him as well, so he wasn't an intruder. Picking up her bucket of nightshade berries she had been collecting, the toxicologist headed to greet the newcomer.

The clay bucket bounced in her jaws as she came forth to the newcomer, the strangely patterned she wolf addressing him with a nod before setting down her bucket to speak.

The raven-colored female had taken liberty to greet as many newcomers as she could find. And they keep coming like rabbits.

"Greetings." She said simply, her low, eerie voice filling the silence between them.

His ears flicked towards the sound of another wolf approaching. It was without a doubt, one of his new packmates. Jinx had already informed the assassin that they were a traditional style pack that attacked anyone crossing their borders, be they wolf, coyote, or otherwise.

Slipping on his mask, the dark brown wolf turned to greet the new arrival. It was a black female with strange patterns, holding a.....thing.... She spoke first, simply saying 'greetings'.

"Greetings. I assume you are a member of the Silvertip Mountain pack? It is a pleasure to meet you..." his icy-blue eyes quickly swept over the female's pelt, trying to memorize as much of it as he could. But who would forget such a strange pelt?

Tyrande narrowed her eyes as the dark wolf swept his gaze over her.

"That is correct, I am of Silvertip Mountain. And it's a common courtesy to not eye over your high-ranking officer like your deciding how to kill her."

Another loony. She could tell just by his body movements. A week's worth of hunting said that he specializes in assassination. Frankly, Tyrande would be unimpressed. She could do just as well with her Nightshade and Lily of the Valley.

The wolf smiled at the black wolf. "Just admiring your coat, miss. And I wouldn't dare kill you....unless ordered." Kaname flattened his ears submissively, respecting Tyrande's apparently upper rank.

Don't make any enemies, Kaname. Especially with those in your pack. Itzal whispered in his brain.

I am aware of that. he snapped. He hated when the voice stated the obvious. He would try his best to get an ally, but it may not be this wolf. But it didn't hurt to be polite to the smaller wolf, like Itzal said, he didn't want any enemies in his own pack.

"Now...miss....might I know your name, seeing as we are now packmates? My name is Kaname."

Tyrande dropped her tail and her tone and converted to a more friendly manner. "It is a pleasure, Kaname. You may call me Tyrande Nightshade... Or just Tyrande, if that's a bit of a mouthful, though when addressing important tactics such as Battle formations or hunts and such, I'd prefer to wear my title."

She quickly swept the area for any herbs she could need anytime soon for her studies, her eyes resting on a few weeds before turning back to Kaname. "And what brings you up here this fine day?"

The small wolf relaxed and became more friendly after he introduced himself. She introduced herself as Tyrande Nightshade, a fitting name for the black furred female. Her gaze swept across the area, searching for something. He had to guess herbs, for her gaze was low. Her eyes rested on a few plants before she looked back at him. And what brings you here this fine day? she asked.

"I wanted to get a good look at the territory before I head to the communal cave. Ghost Rock Network I believe it's called?" the male planned on being an Outrider for the pack, perhaps even a warden. Nevertheless, he thought it was good to explore his new pack's territory in order to plan things. Patrol routes, places to hunt, good spots to set up an ambush. Those sorts of things.

Tyrande pointed her nose towards the Mountain. "The caverns you are looking for are that way." She turned back to him. "So, what's your talent to the pack, may I inquire?" The shadow tilted her head in a child-like fashion.

Icy blue eyes turned to where the black female pointed. Of course, it would be in the mountains. He surmised that the caverns would be near the bottom and not too high. Kaname planned a course towards the mountain after he finished his expedition and looked back at Tyrande.

So, what's your talent to the pack, may I inquire? she asked "I plan on becoming an Outrider or Warden, depending on what is more essential to the pack at the moment." He looked down and sniffed the peculiar object at Tyrande's paws. It was filled with nightshade berries. "I can already tell you're a healer of some sorts Miss Nightshade."

"Put emphasis on 'of some sorts'. I'm a toxicologist. I deal in poisons and their remedies." The female sniffed at the deadly berries in her bucket.

"While I do know how to treat a poison intake, I usually deal with ways on how the pack might better themselves on the use of poisons. Few wolves know that coating your fangs with white oak before battle can cause the wound to fester, but even fewer know how to tell the difference between a juicy blueberry and a nightshade plant. That's where I come in."

Tyrande's tone held a hint of pride. "Should it need be, I can kill a wolf in several ways and make it look like a suicide or an accident. I can give a pup a better chance at life should they e bitten by a water moccasin. If a wolf ingested a death berry, if I am there in time and with the right plants, I can get it out of it's stomach before it dies from the toxin."

She looked at Kaname. "I can be a wolf's chance between life and a very painful death."

Kaname listened intently as Tyrande explained her trade as a toxicologist. It was a useful skill; many an ignorant wolf has died because they injested some sort of poisonous plant that they thought was some tasty treat. He didn't blame Tyrande for having pride in her voice as she explained her job.

"I am glad to have you on my side then, Tyrande." he gave the wolf a smile as she finished.

You will exploit her. I know you will. Itzal whispered. You will make her use her talents for nefarious purposes.

I like that word, nefarious. It sounds so devious doesn't it? Kaname answered, paying no mind to what the voice said.

"Now, Tyrande, could you tell me a bit more about the pack and my new packmates? How many of us are there? What are the ranks? the assassin asked. I don't want to make the mistake of offending a superior, you see."

Tyrande thought for a moment. "I haven't met a lot of wolves yet, but from what I can tell from the grapevine, here are fifteen of us. And there are nine above you: Jinx, Sitri, Lecter, me, Erika, and four others I have yet to meet. I'm not sure about Ira," Tyrande almost gagged at the juvenile's name, "But once he gets old enough to rank in he pack, no doubt he may be above you... Probably above me, as well... Pity, the child hasn't learned the lesson of reality yet. I fear for this pack if he should heir Jinx.

The dark wolf shook her head and blinked. There was a glint of... Something... In the wolf's eye after she explained what she could do. It sent a chill down her usual stable spine for some reason, but she disregarded it.

"That's all I can think of."

There are fifteen of us. Thirteen he needed to meet before he knew this pack like the back of his paw. Sitri, Lecter, Erika and a few more. He hoped to meet them at the communal den, or during pack rallies and hunts.

Kaname cocked his head as Tyrande spoke of the youth known as Ira. She did not like him, as was apparent from her nearly gagging over his name. And there was no doubt that the youngling would be higher than him or maybe her. Who was he anyway? His brow furrowed when Tyrande said that he might take over the pack from Jinx. That he was her heir.

"Is he related to her in some way?"

Tyrande thought for a moment. "No... No, I don't think so. I think he's sort of like an adopted son, though." She remember how he brazenly swaggered in at a pack meeting, giving her a dirty look and walking right up to Jinx as if it wasn't a meet at all. If she was Ira's mother, she'd be embarrassed as hell, but she wasn't, so what could she do?

"But I hope that Jinx will whip the child into shape. Who knows? Maybe he'll turn out to be not-so-bad after all."

"Hm...maybe. Who knows?" The assassin mused. From what the Nightshade said, he would not like the alpha's adopted son. He never liked those who were overprivileged and stuck up. But, he could he wrong. The young wolf might be different than what Tyrande thought. You know, bias and all that.

"What else can you tell me about our packmates?"

Tyrande thought. "An opposite of Ira in this pack would probably be Sitri. The brute may be big and overbearing, but when you get to know him, he can be quite friendly and trustworthy. But most of all, he's humble. He talks rather... Simplistic, but his simple words hide his mind, which in my opinion is very intelligent, he just never had a chance to use it. Crude pack the last run, you know?"

Wait a second. Her mind began to hold up a red flag, and it was waving. It would make sense as to why he would like to know a little more about his pack, so why were her instincts saying that this was more than just a casual talk?...

She glanced at the male, dark fur and all. What about you is making me grow so alarmed?!

She knows...

Hm...?

She knows now. Look at her. She's scared of you.

Good. Let her be... The dark assassin smirked in his mind. Something in the Nightshade's look suggested a sudden wariness and alarm. She was putting things together. He was not just asking about his packmates to learn more about his pack...

"The gentle giant type, hm? I assume he's a friend of yours, from what you were saying about him. Interesting name. Sitri.. I believe I've heard of that before, it was the name of a demon..." His mother would often tell him stories of demons. One of them was the Great Prince of Hell Sitri, who reigned over sixty legions of demons. He could make men fall in love with women, and vise versa. He also had the head of a great cat and the wings of a bird. I doubt that this Sitri followed his namesake's behaviors. Nor would he look like him either.

Tyrande flicked her ears up. This was news.

"Makes sense, then. He's constantly calling Jinx 'The Demon Queen', and from what I can tell, his pack raised him to kill. He is far from a gentle giant. He's friendly, yes, but he's also quite skilled... And deadly."

Her voice was cautious at this point. She eyed him more than before, shuffling her paws. She was wary, yes. Scared? More like worried. If he posed a threat to the well being of the pack...

"What about you?"Tyrande asked. Maybe she'd fit a few more puzzle pieces together from his past. She wondered if he'd pick up her underhand move. She had to weed out troublemakers, or else the pack could suffer. "Where do you come from?" She inquired almost accusingly.

The male chuckled. "Don't all of our packs raise us to kill in one way or another?" It amused him how some wolves claim to be pacifists, and yet hunt and kill animals. Or herbalists for that matter. When they tear the plants from the ground, aren't they killing it? "Then if Sitri is as skilled as you say, then I will be sure not to provoke him...."

Kaname's eyes narrowed slightly when the Nightshade asked about his past. Her voice had changed from friendly to accusatory and cautious. Her body language suggested that she was more wary of him than before. What is she getting at from knowing my history.....?

"To be honest, I am not sure. My pack was nomadic. We only stopped for a few months to let the new litter grow. And by the time the puppies born that year were old enough to walk, we kept moving. I don't remember where we stayed for those months when I was that age."

She nodded, trying to dig a bit deeper. He's hiding something from me... One slip of he tongue should be enough to piece something together... Just one...

"What made you leave?"

She's up to something. She wants you to slip. Give half a truth and half a lie....Throw her off.

Oh, so now you agree with my tactics.

Kaname stared at the smaller wolf for a moment. Then his gaze dropped away, as if he was upset. He sighed, then met her gaze again. When he began to speak again, there was a sad tone to his voice. "They were all killed in a forest fire. I was out scouting a course for the pack at the time. There was a lightning storm......and the wood was so dry since it hadn't rained in weeks......." It was true that his whole pack was destroyed in one fell swoop, and it was the only thing that made him genuinely sad. But...as Itzal said, he gave half a truth, half a lie. It was something his mother taught him. Damn, did he miss the old hag.

It was believable... Enough. She looked disbelievingly at Kaname but said nothing. She couldn't accuse him of lying because who was she to know what happened? He did seem upset... But he never showed much emotion until now. He was lying, at least partly.

She rolled with it, rather unwillingly. "... Okay."

Fool, you can't be serious. So far, you haven't shown any emotion whatsoever until now. You're lying, and you and I both know it. You switched from emotionless to emotional within seconds.

She gave him a hard stare, just to let him know she knew. She shook her head... I guess he'll tell me when he's ready...

She didn't believe him. It was obvious in her eyes that she didn't buy it. And who would? His lying was very good, but he could never really fake emotion as good as the others in his pack. He looked the Nightshade straight in the eyes and laughed. "Oh you don't believe me do you? My father did say I'm a horrible actor." he chuckled. "No, but my pack did all die. That's why I left. I have nothing left to return to." He stood up straight and looked down at the toxicologist and smiled a bit.

"You're not as stupid as some other wolves I've met, Tyrande. You've got a good head on your shoulders." And if you ever pry into my life like that again, I'll tear it off your shoulders. he hissed in his thoughts. I don't want every wolf here to know my history. No good will come of it.

The she wolf felt threatened. She didn't know why, but something about the way he said his words held a hint of threat. She narrowed her eyes as he looked down on her.

"What are you trying to pull?" she growled. Her hackles began to rise again as the warm violet flecks in her eyes disappeared beneath alarmed lightning blue. She held her tail up to how the dominant posture of a higher-ranked wolf. He was threatening her, she could feel it...

Tyrande began to puff up, her hackles and tail raised in a dominant posture. He lowered himself submissively and flattened his ears. He gave a sly smile. "I am not pulling anything, Tyrande." Kaname moved away from the angered toxicologist.

"But if you feel threatened Tyrande, then I'll leave." The dark wolf stood up straight, giving a curt nod to the higher ranking wolf. "Good day Miss Tyrande." He loped off into the woods, leaving the small dark wolf alone.