No matter where he went, his heart always seemed drawn to Neverwinter Forest. Since his departure from the deserts of his birth, Viinturuth had not truly settled anywhere until he joined the pack of Chakra Feralheart. The proud snow queen and her vast woodland were often at the forefront of his mind following the disbanding and now, more than half a year later, Viin followed his heart and returned to the one place where he truly felt at home with the hope that his pale alphess had picked up the pieces and re-established their one powerful clan.
But he was disheartened by what he found. Instead of the strong scents of his former companions, Viinturuth found the forest to be wiped clean of any evidence that a pack once resided there. Nearby there was another, one far too close for comfort, but it was not that of his snow queen. Disheartened, the sable Frostfur turned away. If Chakra were to ever claim territory again, Viinturuth doubted very much that she would leave this one behind.
He wandered alone for several days. His former comrades were not to be found in the surrounding area of what had once been their home, and Viinturuth happened across another pack entirely by accident. Several yards from its borders, the ebony brute lingered curiously. A thorough sniff of the air alerted him to the weakness of scent marks at the territory outskirts, suggesting that their numbers were few, but this did not make him leave. Instead he remained in the vicinity, interested to know if any of these wolves knew the whereabouts of those who were once a part of Neverwinter. He did not request their presence, but merely waited to be noticed.
The priestess exited one of the tunnels nearby the borders of Blackfeather, dragging herself out of the bush that hung over it, hiding the entrance. Shaking out her dark pelt, she busied herself with patrolling the borders. Meldresi marked the barriers with her own cloying scent, telling the wolves who came close that it was her territory and hers alone.
Meldresi's indigo eyes fixed on a dark figure lingering a few pawsteps from her border, gazing intently into the darkness of her woods. She watching him for a few moments, waiting to see if he would walk away, but when it became apparent that he wouldn't, the alpha strode towards the male, tail held high. "May I ask what you are doing lingering so close to my borders?" Her voice was calm and casual but laced with a hint of a threat, and an emphasis on "'my' borders."
Sooner than he was expecting, a dark female emerged from among the foliage. Viinturuth observed her approach in silence, his pale eyes lingering on her proud posture as he wondered if she'd go for the predictable greeting of a vain leader. Surely enough, it came; with an arch of her tail and a subtle, dangerous undertone she demanded the reason behind his presence with utmost arrogance tainting what could be an otherwise lovely voice. He blinked at her, unimpressed.
"You may," Viinturuth started, holding his position and maintaining his entirely neutral stature. "I think we could help each other." Straight and to the point. Viinturuth could not live forever as a loner, nor could this female hold her title if she had no one left to follow her. It was within this region that he wished to live, and it was this wolfess' territory that he'd happened across first. If she did not tread carefully with him, he would simply seek the attention of another leader elsewhere. If the pack was as little as he suspected it might be, he doubted that she could afford to turn him away. Viin had learned that good alphas did not demand respect, but earned it instead.
When the loner male blinked at her, unresponsive to her aggressive postures, she lowered her tail slightly, eyes gazing curiously at him as he responded. "How could you help me?" Meldresi asked, dropping the hint of aggression and possession in her voice. This was obviously a wolf looking to join a pack, hers to be specific. Her tail twitched slightly as she studied him, wondering how he could be useful to her and her pack.
She seemed to relax somewhat, her tail sinking as she mustered a likely question. Viinturuth studied her body language carefully, unsure if her sudden change in demeanour was some sort of ploy to draw him in. He couldn't deny that this ebony alpha was... interesting, but was she the type of leader he was looking for? Unsure, he advanced with his words.
"Your pack is weakening," he said rather boldly. No offence... "you need strong bodies to fill your ranks and defend your land if you wish to hold onto your claim." Viinturuth fell silent then, gauging the female's reaction if there was any to be given. "If I'm right, I might be one of those bodies." He was a giant of a wolf, broad and solid, seemingly bulletproof. A powerhouse in his own right, who appeared that he could take on the world and cone out unscathed.
She chuckled delightedly at his boldness. He was very astute in his prediction, and used it to bolster his application. "You are right on all accounts, except that we are not weakening, we have just started here. An impromptu time, I might add, but I believe we can make the most of it." She observed him, coming to the conclusion that his boasted strength was not without support.
"And how can I help you? If he could add strength to her ranks then what could she do? He wanted something more than food and the protection of other wolves, that was for sure. She waited for his answer, eyes hiding a bit of mischievous curiosity.
She laughed at him. A low chuckle, one perhaps he could have passed off as a response given without thought, but in this particular situation it roused a new doubt in his mind. Why would he follow a wolf who saw fit to laugh directly in the face of those who sought to aid her? Viinturuth cocked a rugged black ear in disappointment, though his stoic expression did not falter. He continued to stand before her, silent and unmoving, as his greeter responded verbally.
The dark female announced that her pack was a new one, offering a strong reason as to why her numbers were far from strengthened, which against piqued the sable Frostfur's curiosity. He blinked thoughtfully, considering the question she tacked on at the end of her defense. "I've been wandering for some time," Viin said, no shame in his voice, "and I can't do that forever." He was made to be a pack wolf. It was a built-in requirement to live in a social environment, one where he could prove himself and build relationships. "All I seek is a place that I can call my home."
One more round after this, then I can archive it. (10 posts)
The ebony lady nodded her head softly. "Then Blackfeather Woods will be your home." She said, eyes focused on her new packmate. "As I said, we are few, but we do have strength." She thought of the wardens that already resided in the pack and how loyal they were to her, even in a brief amount of time.
Sounds good to me! Sorry for the horrendous delays in this thread, btw. D:
Without any demands that he hunt for them, fight for them,
die for them as so many packs seemed to request, the raven female accepted Viinturuth into her ranks. It occurred to him then that she did not even know his name, or much about him at all. Curious, he wondered if becoming a follower of this mysterious wolfess would be of benefit to him, and he supposed inwardly that he would get along just fine as long as nothing too ridiculous was expected of him. With any luck, he could live peacefully among them and remain in the background until he figured out exactly which path his life was supposed to take.
With a respectful dip of his muzzle in gratitude, the sable brute lifted his pale eyes to settle him gaze on her features.
"Blackfeather Woods," he repeated at last, the syllables rolling from his tongue leaving a rather unpleasant aftertaste in his mouth. After all, this place was no Neverwinter Forest and she was no Chakra Feralheart. Supposing it was only responsible to offer his name, the darK Frostfur did so:
"I am Viinturuth."
Sorry for my lateness. ; n ;
"Meldresi." She returned her name to her new subordinate, turning and gesturing him to the dark forest where he would soon make his home. He did not seemed too excited to join, but he seemed like he would try to make the most of it before he departed, or whatever he chose to do.