Wolf RPG

After leaving the creek, Junior decided to take a different route home, in the spirit of exploration. She headed east, then began loping south along the fringes of a pretty meadow full of wildflowers. A narrow lake appeared on her right and she stopped for a drink before beginning her climb into the mountains that separated the Rising Sun Valley from the Kintla Flatlands.

When she arrived at the peak of a ridge line, she saw two small valleys on either side. She knew that home lay northeast of here and that if she crossed the rock bridge, she would find herself in the plains. From there, she could follow the winding Whitefish River home. She had never been this far east, though, and didn't want to squander the opportunity.

Picking her way down into the left-hand dale, Junior soon found herself swallowed by a small, dark forest. It wasn't creepy, as Ravensblood Forest often struck her, but comfy. When she made landfall, she crept slowly into the trees, eyes, ears and nose on high alert. It was a pretty little glade at first sight, though as she moved forward toward its center, an incredibly pungent smell invaded her nostrils.

Junior paused, assessing the scent that made her nose burn. It wasn't the odor itself that grabbed her attention, it was its familiarity. "Aut... umn?" she blurted quietly, her tail giving a switch as she plumbed back into the memories of her infancy, when she'd met a playful red fox and they'd had a digging contest.

It had been a full cycle of the moon since she had left Themiscrya with the others; they had kept to the coastline as best they could, but circumstances had eventually led them inland. She missed the Sea, the whispers of Her waves and the smell of Her salt. Aktaiê was a High Priestess of the Nereides, but she had never quite believed herself to be as deeply spiritual as her peers. She craved action and adventure far more than more meditative pursuits, but with the Sea now so distant there was an ache and emptiness she hadn't expected to feel. It was likely worse for the others.

But she was to be their Matriarch, she was their acting leader, and so she had to be their strength. If she was their connection to the Sea, she couldn't let them know how weakly she currently felt it. "Rest," she had commanded them. "I will scout ahead."

Skirting westward around the base of the mountains that rose up to block their path, Aktaiê silently prayed that she was heading in a fruitful direction. Although far from the crashing waves, the Nereides believed that all water originate from — and returned to — their beloved Sea. It lacked the rituals she was used to, but the priestess felt in her blood that the prayer would be heard. "Great Mother, lead me to the place that shall further our cause."

Almost immediately (and very inexplicably), the lithe siren felt the urge to climb the rocky wall to her right. She had grown up dancing up and down the footholds of the cliffside that rose up around one of her homeland's coves, and it would be an easy enough feat... but Aktaiê knew there couldn't possibly be an ocean on the other side. Her paws shifted in decision for several heartbeats before she finally decided to heed her instinct.

As she had expected, the only ocean there to greet her was one made of trees. Pausing after stepping beneath the foliage, if only to confirm that fact, Aktaiê loosed a gentle sigh of frustration. If there was nothing here she was meant to find, why had it felt so compelling? Before she could turn and go back the way she had arrived, however, a young voice rang out — carried by the wind, and with it, the scent of another wolf.

On alert, now, the priestess followed her nose until she caught up to a smaller, darker female. "Autumn is coming," she agreed, her voice gentle, "but there are still a few more nights of summer."

Someone answered her, though it wasn't Autumn. Junior whirled gracefully, mismatched eyes clapping on the face of a strange wolf. She felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest, the result of being startled. Her lips pressed together as she made a rapid assessment of the stranger's demeanor. She did not appear threatening. She had spoken in a gentle voice. She seemed alert, yet not domineering.

"She is?" the youngster blurted, then almost instantly felt foolish when she realized the misapprehension. "Oh... I meant Autumn the fox." The youth paused, then turned to scan the woods. "It smells like her in here," she explained.

There was no sign of Autumn or any other foxes, other than the powerful scent. Junior swung around to more fully face the tawny she-wolf. She was nimble and wiry. She smelled like the sea, a smell which always made Junior's gut pinch with nostalgia for the bay. The pup met the adult's lovely teal eyes and smiled tentatively, feeling a vague sense of camaraderie due to the briny perfume.

"I'm Junior, Warrior and Outrider." She felt her confidence grow even as the words left her mouth. She sounded so accomplished. "Who are you... and what is this place?"

"Sleepy Fox Hollow," a male voice answered, startling Junior all over again. The muscles in her neck creaked this time as she whipped to face the speaker, who appeared suddenly from the brush. "Hello there. I'm Joker," the strange-looking fox greeted, breaking into a broad, toothy smile.

The priestess hadn't meant to startle the sprite, and her posture relaxed accordingly in reaction to the tension clear in the younger female's body. It was a mere instant, these small reactions, and in a heartbeat they seemed to have gained understanding of one another. It surprised Aktaiê, slightly, that the dark youth seemed so fearless... but then again, this was a female, and Nereides younger than she appeared to be were already training as Amazons.

Aktaiê's head tilted in curiosity as the youth personified the coming season, but the confusion was swiftly explained. "A fox...?" she queried, though it died in her throat as the dark female turned to stare with a tentative smile. She had not yet had sprites of her own, though she planned to soon, and felt her heart melt in that small action. She briefly considered whisking the child back to her camp, as she might have done back in Themiscrya; the feeling intensified at Junior's introduction. A fine Nereides she would make, but... where would she take her? Back to a camp, with safety anything but guaranteed?

"I am Aktaiê Nereides," she began, and after a moment of consideration and wink, "the second. Amazon and High Priestess," the siren continued in the same manner of introduction. "Of this place, I am not sure..." but before Aktaiê continued, a little wolf appeared to startle both of them from the brush.

Once more, the siren's head tilted in curiosity, this time at the strange creature.

Junior glanced sideways at Aktaiê to see what she made of the fox, then looked back to him. Joker? she thought, studying the strange mustachioed marking on his upper lip. He didn't look anything like Autumn, though he was certainly striking. She had never before seen a creature with such a varied and contrasting pelt.

"What're you staring at, kid?" Joker quipped after a moment, his voice soft and playful. He winked, then his burnt orange eyes shifted to Aktaiê. "I'm afraid I don't have any fancy qualifiers, like 'Outrider' or 'High Priestess.' It's just Joker for me." He chuckled, then took a step toward the pair of wolves. "What brings you to the hollow today, darlings?" He sat primly, wrapping his fluffy tail around himself.

"Um, I was just exploring before I go home," Junior said. "Do you know a fox named Autumn?" When he shook his head, she responded, "Oh... well, yeah. I'm an Outrider, so I wanted to check out the place." She fell silent then and looked to Aktaiê.

The pup had felt so proud of her titles, yet they paled in comparison to hers. Even Shield Maiden had nothing on Amazon and High Priestess... and Junior didn't even know what either one meant. They'd scarcely met and already a glimmer of admiration lit Junior's two-toned eyes. Suddenly, she was a lot less interested in this Sleepy Fox Hollow and even its resident friendly fox. She wanted to learn more about this sea-scented, ocean-eyed stranger.

Aktaiê gazed at the mottled creature, eyes bright with curiosity — in Themiscrya, she had never seen such an animal, and had somehow managed to avoid paths with one on her journey to this place. Part of her wanted to snap at it in instinct, warding it and any potential danger away, but the younger female seemed unafraid. The siren stifled any tension from showing in her composure, instead focusing on the contempt she held for all males. Rather than answer the creature—the fox, she presumed—Aktaiê asked him, pointedly, "Do we trespass?" And if they did, what was to be done about it?

In the end, his answer would matter little to the siren. There were more important matters for her attend to, and while the fox might very well be a great source of information, the priestess was more interested in the sprite before her than anything a male — small or big — had to say. "You are an Outrider, παιδί," the Nereides repeated, now understanding the meaning of the title, "Have you seen many places in your travels?"

"Nah," the fox answered cordially, "the hollow welcomes you, though I'm surprised the scent didn't deter your pretty little noses." Joker's eyes glittered thoughtfully, looking in particular at the younger wolf. She seemed to have another vulpine friend, a vixen by the name of Autumn. He wanted to ask where he could meet this lady, yet he figured the pup didn't know of her whereabouts. He also intuited that he had interrupted a conversation and that his presence wasn't necessarily welcomed, despite the fact that they were on his turf.

He was an amiable creature and not particularly territorial. He was also clever and wise. "I'll leave you two ladies alone. Enjoy your stay in the hollow." The fox grinned at them again. With his dark upper lip, he almost looked to be leering. Tipping his head, he pussyfooted back into the trees.

Although young Osprey was partly sad to see him go, she immediately forgot about him when Aktaiê spoke to her. "Yeah," she answered in a slightly uncertain voice, simply because she didn't understand the word after Outrider. "Yeah, I wander around this place a lot. The Teekon Wilds, I mean. How about you? And what's an Amazon and a High Priestess, exactly?" And where could she sign up?

The fox answered, his manner cordial despite the siren's rudeness. As he spoke, the priestess' sea green eyes darted to watch him, though her expression remained serene. If they were not trespassing, there was no more reason for his presence (at least in Aktaiê's haughty mind), and he seemed to understand her wordless opinion. When Joker dismissed himself and vanished into the brush he had emerged from. She watched the place he had gone for a moment, turning back to face Junior as she began to speak.

"I come from shores far from here," she responded. "An Amazon is like you; warrior and outrider. Physical. I am a High Priestess of the Sea and Moon," Aktaiê explained further. She, like all Nereides, were careful in the information they divulged to outsiders. There were some secrets of the Chosen not meant for the wayward, even if they were long-lost sisters.

In a way, Junior already was an Amazon, or at least she decided as much as soon as her new friend explained. The youth was something of a collector: packs, titles, even monikers. The more she acquired, the more accomplished she felt. She was a strong, proud and worldly young woman. Although she didn't know it, she would have made a fine Nereides recruit.

"What about the sea and moon? I lived by the sea once. I miss it," Junior shared, gnawing on her lower lip as she thought of the bay. "You smell like it. It made me... what's the word? Nastalogic?"

The youth seemed eager to learn, unafraid of what secrets might lay behind the priestess' eyes. Aktaiê was pleased, and it was sure to show in her features; this was a long-lost daughter, if her talents and interest proved anything. It would be unlike the Nereides to attribute such things to childhood imaginations and desires for adventure; to them, it was a romantic way of life. For Aktaiê and her sisters, it was simply life.

"There are many things to tell of the Sea and Moon," she returned, "but we share little with the uninitiated." This, too, did not seem to occur to the priestess as something that would entice a child; it was merely how things were done. "They are our Mothers," the Nereides shared reverently, "this is known. We are their Chosen." Aktaiê fell silent, then, looking at the little dark female curiously. "I have been far from the Sea for too long; I am glad to know Her scent lingers," this did seem to comfort Aktaiê, and though she hadn't been tense, she relaxed visibly.

"νοσταλγία," Aktaiê continued, slightly surprised at the youth's knowledge of the word, "A longing for home."

It took Junior a moment before she realized she was one of these "uninitiated." She felt slighted for a moment, though that feeling quickly dissipated as her intrigue grew. She began to wonder how one became initiated. Instead of interrupting to ask, however, she listened closely as Aktaiê explained that she considered the sea and moon (the Sea and Moon, rather, for Junior detected the reverence in the titles) to be her mothers.

It sounded kinda weird to her... but kinda cool at the same time. Junior wanted to know more. Yet the mention of longing for home made her suddenly realize that she wanted nothing more than get back to her home. She'd been gone all day and was rather weary from traveling. She'd definitely been an Outrider today: travelling to places known and unknown; passing along intel; discovering the hollow; and even meeting an exotic!

"Speaking of home, I should be heading that way..." the youth said in a decidedly reluctant tone. She bit her lip and hesitated, then asked Aktaiê, "Are you from a pack around here? Could I... come find you and learn more? I know you said you can't share a lot but..." Well, it was worth a try, right?

Aktaiê seemed to consider it, then assented; Junior could come speak with her another time. "Cool, thanks!" was Junior's response before she trotted away in the direction of home. She was already looking forward to their next encounter. The proclaimed Amazon was perhaps the most interesting wolf Junior had ever met.