Wolf RPG

They had spent the last several days traveling north, exploring the territories that would no doubt become familiar to them as neutral territories once they had settled along the coast. Junior had proven to be invaluable, introducing them to the history of the lands (at least, what she know of them) and their various secrets that only locals would know of. Still, Aktaie had pressed on — she had not bothered to introduce herself to any nearby packs beyond the one Junior had absconded from. With any luck, she and the Nereides would settle far from their reaches; they would make their claim and begin to thrive, and then she would seek out relations with the other packs of the area. Or perhaps not even then.

Frustration overwhelmed her upon reaching the coast. It was good to be near the Mother once more, but there was no singing in her blood of home; there was no sign of what part of this oceanscape would become their claim. She and the others pressed on, scouting feasible territories to make their own.

The moon hung in the night, Aktaiê's favorite time to seek out answers. In the embrace of both Mothers, she was comforted and knew that it would only be a matter of time before they answered her silent prayers. She had slipped away, alone; a behavior not uncommon for priestesses, seeking the voice of the Mothers without interference. Her pawsteps left imprints in the sand, washed swiftly away by the tide. Minutes passed as she diverged from the group, and she was suddenly overtaken by an inexplicable pull.

As she drew further north, she could see a strip of land across the sea; distant, but not incredibly so. It seemed to come closer as she moved, and her pace quickened. If she was not mistaken, it would join with the land she currently stood on... perhaps where the two lands met was where she would find their destiny. It wasn't long before she was running, greeting the point where the lands met with a tail like a banner.

When she stopped, she stood on a cliffside; beach spanning between the cliff she stood upon and the bluffs that connected to it and ran the opposing direction. What was more telling, however, was the eerie blue glow of the tide lapping that lower shore.

In that moment she knew, and Aktaiê lifted her head to call for her acolytes.

Although young and energetic, Junior had not yet adjusted to the inverted schedule the Nereides kept. When the matriarch's voice carried on the dark, salty air, she started awake from a deep sleep and slowly lifted her head from its nest on her forepaws. She blinked a few times, then quickly climbed to her feet when she saw the others racing along the beach, heading north.

"Hey, wait up!" the indignant youth called, lurching to her feet and starting to run a bit drunkenly. The bracing air soon cleared her head and senses and she pelted after her comrades, soon catching up to those at the rear. She grinned at the sensation of running with the pack, their paws flinging sand into the air as the waves crashed off to their left. She felt warm bodies bumping against her and Junior nipped playfully at shoulders and rumps, feeling more at one with these wolves now than ever before.

Craning her head backward, she gazed up at the Mother Moon, then returned her attention earthward as they suddenly moved away from the beach, following the land as it contoured upward toward some sea cliffs. That's where they reached their queen's position, overlooking a hidden sliver of beach below. Junior stared at Aktaiê, transfixed by the sight of her bathed in the moonlight, then noticed the strange blue glow reflected in her leader's eyes and looked down.

Her own eyes widened at the sight of the glowing surf below. She slowed and stopped, staring for a moment before looking around questioningly, wondering if any of her would-be sisters had an explanation for this phenomenon. Her mismatched eyes then returned to it, watching as the water lapped at the beach, leaving neon streaks across the dark sand.

Psamathe was never far behind Aktaiê, though of late she had been reclusive. The encounter with Junior's father had left a sour taste in her mouth that even affected the way she viewed the young Neophyte, whom she had avoided these past few days. It would pass, as all things passed for the Adept, but she rode out her inner storm until the calm would rise once more. She had been especially snappish toward the consorts, who all knew better than to get too close to her in a foul temper.

Aktaiê was the only one who could settle her unrest, so the scryer kept close to her blood, following the priestess everywhere but seldom actually approaching. Tonight, she followed her sister's paw prints down the coast, stepping alternately across wet sand and foaming surf, so by the time Aktaiê summoned the Nereides, Psamathe was already halfway up the cliffs.

She arrived in time to see the winking blue of the surf, and her breath caught in her throat. A whirlwind of emotions swept her away so that she was still and silent as the others arrived. Seeing the gift of the Mother Sea like that was enough to wash away the worst of Psamathe's turmoil, such that when she turned to the group, she did not even avoid Junior's eye. It was presumptuous to speak in place of the Matriarch, this she knew, but a force in her welled up too strongly to ignore and she did anyway.

“The Mothers have shown me this,” she announced when all had gathered, “and now we sisters see it true. Matriarch,” she turned reverently to Aktaiê, extending her narrow snout in a gesture of apology and respect, “She means this blessing for you.”

Where Aktaiê traveled, Greyjoy was never far behind. Like Psamathe, he had been following the priestess, though at a respectable distance, keeping a watchful eye on the woman who would become the Matriarch of this branch of the Nereides bloodline. He also used the time to map the coastline in his head, to keep track of the area they would soon call home and the immediate surrounding areas.

So it did not take the hoplite long to reach the cliff upon which she stood, following upon the heels of Psamathe, feeling and hearing the others surrounding them. It was moments such as this when he would forget himself, he would gaze upon the teal-eyed beauty ahead, and he would hold hope within his heart. Though he knew it was never to be, Greyjoy believed the love he harbored for the Nereides was purer and truer than any he had ever heard tell of before, and he would do anything for her sake.

Atlas hurried along behind Junior to the best of his ability. He was strong and quick, or liked to think himself as such, yet the dark girl seemed to be even quicker; she was eager to heed the call, nipping and prodding at the others in passing, and Atlas could only watch as she disappeared from sight. He did not feel an overwhelming glee from the summons - that isn't to say he dreaded it really, but he would miss the constant exploration. Seeing new sights had energized him. Atlas still couldn't get the image of the Emberwood out of his mind.

But as he followed after the others, a new sight rose up to greet him. He spotted Greyjoy in the distance, and then Psamathe and the priestess. They were positioned upon the edge of a cliff, and did not seem interested as he approached (something he was used to, but even Greyjoy was distracted, and that was odd). As the women exchanged words, Atlas glanced from the hoplite and down from the cliff's edge - spotting the sea, and finally the glowing tendrils of light. The image would be burned in to his memory forever: the sea, imbibed by the moon's grace.

Silently, Atlas gave thanks to Mother Moon. He felt his heart swell with many feelings, too many to name, and could not take his eyes off of the iridescent waves.

She could feel it strong in her blood and bones; this was their home, this place so blessed by both Mothers. The Moon, dark only a few nights ago, now painted its light within the lapping waves of the Sea. It was a marriage of their deities, and a clear blessing of this place. This is what they had journeyed for, and Aktaiê almost wept for it. Their long days of travel had ended, and now their true purpose could begin.

When she spoke, it was with conviction, "Ankyra Sound." Her body turned to face those that had gathered, and her sea-green eyes swept over them all, brimming with tears and pride. "We have arrived. It is our home, now." Aktaiê's eyes closed, then, and she began a softly chanted blessing... her sisters would join in, and then they would make their way down the cliffside to dance along the shores until it was time to start solidifying their claim.