Wolf RPG

with things more or less settled on the Rise—Tulimaq and Prophet wielding great authority, but still subordinate to her—and their numbers fairly stable, Avicus gives a brief message to her co-leaders before leaving her land for the first time in. . .what? a moon?

it's been a while, and she relishes picking through the Tangle, taking in the new scenery. all the while, she's conscious of the way her body moves—the way her body has always moved.

Tulimaq's touch has not yet brought the stirring within her belly. no children to come. she must try again.

perhaps Prophet. . .

she shakes all thoughts away to focus on the present, physical moment as she reaches the edge of the sound. she slips through narrow, rocky passages, nostrils flared, constantly scenting. traces, perhaps, of the white woman. she'd know her smell anywhere, after all.

but Nyra has not been here for a while. 

Avicus knows this is good—her army is not yet ready. but disappointment nonetheless purls in her chest as she reaches the beach, having found nothing, no one. not a single soul; not a single Saint.

will she ever taste that marrow-rich revenge?

for the first time in a long time, drakon was truly alone. he knew what it felt like to be abandoned, betrayed; but true loneliness was an unfamiliar beast. something he'd only tasted here and there throughout his life. now, it was the main dish... and drakon was quickly losing his appetite.

so when he saw the ruddy figure parsing the sands, it gave him pause. just for a moment. normally he couldn't be bothered with strangers, but what else did he have right now? he stopped in his tracks, grateful for an excuse to halt his march to nowhere, and simply stared at her. he couldn't decide whether he wanted to approach or not — so he lingered, hoping one path or another would make itself clear soon.

Refusing to let anyone or anything deter her, Meerkat decided to go beach combing for more presents for Erzulie and her newborns, preferably the nonperishable kind this time. She returned to the site where she had stumbled across the stack of sea glass, yet all traces of it were gone. Humming under her breath, she roved further along the coast, toward the neighboring sound.

She did not expect to find anyone there, not after the Obsidian’s edict. Meerkat halted in surprise when she spotted not one but two figures, one staring at the other. Her eyes flicked between them a few times before recognition registered. Still keeping the swarthier of the two in her peripheral vision, she pointed her snout toward the reddish she-wolf.

Avi, hello!

the thin, multi-colored female draws her attention first, moving along the beach with not so much purpose as to be alarming. Avicus rounds upon the wolf and is about to ask her name and business here when a more familiar face pops into view.

Avi!

Meerkahh', she responds, giving the tawny wolf a brief nod. one corner of her mouth twists upward, a faint smile. you here. wi' your man? 

she is surprised Meerkat had chosen so, but also pleased. the stronger Sapphique was, the better. even if Avicus hasn't found any trace of Nyra here, she doesn't believe it for a second; and even if the woman is truly gone, she always returns.

she jerks her muzzle toward the stranger. who dhis? she asks brusquely.

soon enough, the decision was made for him. it seemed he'd stumbled into a meeting of acquaintances — or had it stumbled into him? either way, he was quickly made into the odd man out. he did learn their names quickly, at least. sort of. it seemed the red-brown wolf had a garbled speech pattern, making it nearly indecipherable to drakon. this only increased his discomfort.

uhhh... i'm drakon. just some dude passing through, yet he lingered awkwardly, staring between the pair. what the hell was going on here?

There was something delightfully casual about hearing Njord labeled as such. Meerkat huffed a laugh through her nose, nodding. Before she could respond verbally, Avi asked her about the stranger lurking in the background. She glanced over at him inquisitively, noting how awkward he seemed as he answered the other woman’s question.

Hello, Drakon. I’m Meerkat and this is Avi. We’re from neighboring packs. She glanced at the redhead, not wishing to divulge her personal information without permission and hoping the introduction was okay otherwise. We were just catching up since we last spoke, she added for Drakon’s benefit, telling Avi, I’ve been with Sapphique for about two months now. My man, she said, lips curling in amusement, and I are betrothed and expecting, actually. How are things with you and yours?

Her attention remained primarily upon the other she-wolf as she spoke, though as she voiced the question, she included Drakon with a glance and a smile. He was welcome to join their conversation if he wished, though based on his discomfiture, Meerkat wouldn’t be surprised if he excused himself and left the women to their conversation.

she doesn't trust this Drakon. especially since Meerkat seems not to know him. she gives the stranger a jaundiced eye before looking toward her acquaintance, a kind of pleasure blooming within her.

betrothed. expecting. she doesn't know either of those words.

but she knows a fulfilled wolf when she sees one, and Meerkat is that to an absolute tee. her face is one of undoubted pleasure as she looks over Meerkat.

we are fine, Avicus responds, nodding solemnly. but she cannot relax. 'hhh'Rakon, she barks, whipping toward the wolf, indigo eyes blazing. are you of h'hhapphique?

she doubts it. 

and if he is, he is a trespasser. too close to their lands. they will drive him away.

Avicus clearly perceived him as an interloper. Meerkat followed suit, deciding to pick up their conversation only after he had departed, repeating the query posed just prior to the interruption: How are things at the rise?

the thin wolf departs and Avicus gives a quizzical look in that direction before returning her gaze to Meerkat. okay, she says, and begins to describe—if not at length—the goings-on in her pack.

they share things back and forth for a while before departing, further solidifying the alliance between Sapphique and Redtail Rise.

little did she know Ashlar and Chacal could potentially toss a wrench into things just weeks later.