@Galileo [size=x-small]if you'd like to![/size]
At a brisk pace she returned to Swiftcurrent Creek, inclined to find Galileo. She had a question on her mind, certainly not one that was imperative to be answered, but she as usual was keen to know. Scimitar had told Falwasi that Galileo was on the council, and she figured he would know more than the others.
Falwasi had taken a detour around the Sunspire, due to her encounter with the two juveniles; one who had told her to leave, and she wasn't feeling particularly gutsy enough to ignore the young wolf's order, which she took as a suggestion. She was was smart, and, she felt she didn't need to push her luck any further.
Padding alongside the tumultuous waters, Falwasi stopped and took a quick drink before continuing on her walk. Her body was quickly recovering from her and Dovev's encounter with the rogue wolf, and her exhibition South had fatigued it further. Full health was a story only time could tell.
of course <3
Like the cool breeze that carried the beginnings of Winter, little spasms stretched across the peppered male's extremities; a gentle yet cruel reminder that the years didn't come alone. Though he still had a couple more years to go, it was impossible not to notice the toll he had to pay every season. His once shaded muzzle was now sprinkled with a thin mantle of silver hairs that didn't only drain his eyes from their usual glow but also made him look like he was being constantly weighted down by exhaustion.
Maybe he was exhausted.
Four years were a long time. More if you spent half of them alone. Though joining the Creek had soothed his peace of mind, hr could not deny that sometimes his past came back to haunt him in the night. With Bazi missing and Danica away, the peppered counselor-to-be felt alone.
When the young female returned to the Creek searching for him, Galileo was outside his den, stretching his legs before the numbness that had begun to tickle his toes settled in again.
Growing old was a reality that was never easy to accept, but growing lonely was one that became unbearable to a gentle soul like Galileo
"You must be Galileo," The golden eyed wolf said, dipping her head, her standard greeting. Somehow his appearance deceived the one Falwasi had imagined. She had imagined a small, simple and old creature. However he was a large peppered male as she discovered while he stretched before her. "I am Falwasi." She added, a customary introduction.
A bitter breeze ruffled Falwasi's thickening coat. Winters were cold back home, and the transition from her thin and healthy pelt to the heavy, yet beautifully soft one always came to a shock. For some reason, this year she looked forward to the protection of the fur, and the production of it seemed to decrease in its rate because of it.
With a small breath of hesitation, she asked in a calculated voice: "Could you help me with something?" Before triggering her rambling, Falwasi wanted to make sure Galileo was available to speak, averse to waste an ounce of breath. And by the looks of it, he was.
The man moved his feet in tiny circles, feeling the tingling sensation fade away as he did so. Galileo had always known that one day the tingling would not pass, and though he was ready to embrace that day as harsh as it would be, he was sure he would not go down without putting up a fight. He was a gentle man in the sense he didn't take force upon others unless it needed to be done, but when it came to defending beliefs or ideologies he was fierce.
He repeated the same motion on another foot, until the gentle voice of the female reached his black-tipped ears. He raised his head slowly, his rich amber eyes settling on his packmate's face. "In the bone and flesh" he barked softly while allowing a small smie to curve his lips.
His name had never been popular among most tongues, back at home he was always referred as the one lurking in the shadow -- his brother's shadow. But to see the female approach him so gently, lighted his heavy heart a bit.
"Whatever you need, Falwasi" he barked while bowing his head slightly. He was always open to give help to his packmates, more than once they had come to seek advice for him. And even if he'd like to think he gave good advice, he was afraid his past proved otherwise.
Falwasi smiled gingerly, "Could you tell me about the Creek and the Sunspire's relationship?" she asked politely, golden eyes blinking. She tilted her head slightly; the spry she-wolf knew she hadn't done anything wrong, but were she to have broken some unknown treaty, she would want to know. Standing at your enemy's border isn't exactly the smartest thing to do.
Maybe Summer would tell his Alpha though, who would inform Scimitar that his Creek wolves were failing to stray away from the Sunspire territory. And she would be the obvious suspect - to Galileo, anyways. He was the only one she was intending to tell, if she were even to do so, she reminded herself. Falwasi rolled her eyes in her mind at her immaturity; she was worried of what a wolf half her age were to do.
Falwasi waited patiently, preferring not to sit down. She was too tireless to sit, and too young, either. Of what she could remember of her parents, they would scold her as a pup for not sitting down when asked to. The tawny girl gulped secretly, and sat down as if her parents had requested her to. It was a sudden yet taciturn movement, and it must have looked odd to Galileo if he were to notice. She shuffled her paws to adjust her position, half because she needed to, half to mute the bumpy transition.
The girl's body language sent erratic signals to the man's head; while she spoke in a calm, unwavering voice she kept moving her paws and shifting her eyes as if something were about to grab her. He kept his eyes fixed on her, trying to figure out what must be troubling her mind. It was later the mention of the rival pack what caused the male to narrow his eyes in worry.
"I sure could, though I don't know all the inside details. " he barked, wondering and at the same time fearing why the sudden interest on the Sunspire had rised. "The Sunspire was established by two Creek wolves, that if I'm not wrong, were thrown out of the pack by Fox " he began, noticing the discomfort the female reflected in her little jittering motion.
"They were considered dangerous to the pack, or something of the sort. That's why they united forces and recruited members into their claimed ground. " he continued, remembering the time he had met Jace -- he was a nice boy.
"They still haven't reconciled?" Falwasi offered, raising her eyebrows, question strongly dyeing her tone. She was pretty sure Fox's reign was the one before Bazi's, who, was no longer Alpha. Were the two packs still rivalling, the spry wolf should be in awe at their solid will, for her pack had never held a grudge to any other for so long a time.
The sun came out again, warming her back. Lately the ball of fire had not failed to make an appearance, and it lit up the world, especially in the Emberwood and the Womens' Glade. Soon the days would become shorter, and the day would rise later and the night would fall earlier. When the sun should come out, it would be paradise. Through the harsh, glacial temperature, brightness would ignite and resemble hope in the darkest of times.
Falwasi's next question brought another wave of discomfort onto the male's shoulders, had she gotten herself involved in some way with the mountain wolves? He tried his best to keep his composture but he couldn't avoid curling his lips into a sour frown as he recalled the foul events that had led to the packs clashing.
"No, and I don't expect they --we-- will for a while" he barked with a lower tone. "After Fox went pissing in their borders and they held captive two of our own the chances of ever living in peace crumbled" he added, remembering the state in which Leaf and Magpie had been returned.
"They eventually returned the prisoners; leaving Bazi and the Sunspire's current leader to make a pact. The borders became sacred -- if they cross it, they're giving us full right to attack -- same goes to us" he explained, fearing each time more the reason for the girl's inquiry.
"Now you have made me wonder, why is it you come asking me this?" he barked softly, keeping his tone neutral until he got a better glimpse of what the female was hiding under her eyes.
She sat still as Galileo explained the story in detail. It wasn't a pretty story, and Falwasi was shocked at the behaviour of the packs. She shouldn't have been, considering she'd lived amongst the Wilds wolves for over two months, but she still could not wrap her head around the fact that the place held such inter pack rivalry.
The girl knew some of the packs were friendly with each other, some neutral. This was the kind of thing Falwasi was used to, especially since the packs in her area were located a fair ways away from each other. They'd had their disputes, but holding captive members of the opposing group... It was something she'd never hoped to come across.
"Now you have made me wonder, why is it you come asking me this?" Galileo asked. His expression had darkened, become somewhat uncomfortable, and this made the lissome wolf feel tension herself even though she did not show it. She waited, thinking. If she told the counselor, she risked being punished for getting too close to the border. If she didn't, their pack risked a surprise attack from their neighbours. Either way she would be at fault.
"I was walking back to the Creek and one of their juveniles threatened me over some treaty," Falwasi settled for. Her features were placid; she didn't think Summer would report back to his Alpha.
The story told by the male, was nothing compared to the horrors he had witnessed as a Devereux. Though he disagreed strongly to the actions taken by both parties involved, he had seen worse, and from his own father which was not least troubling. As one of the three children from the head of a well-known mafia pack, he had been craddled by violence right from the start.
His older brother had mimicked the harsh behaviour of his father, finding in him a role model instead of a beast that should be feared. Galileo had seen different, thankfully -- since his early days he had resented the various screams and beats his father gave him when things weren't done the way he desired. These so called 'lessons of life' had opened his eyes to the cruelty and the suffering of his own home -- which in the end had driven him out of that very lifestyle with shame upon his shoulders and flowing within his veins.
There was worse, but he wouldn't be the one to tell her that.
With his mind swinging again to the matter in hand, he perked his ears and blew air out his nose, bracing himself to hear the underlying reason of her curiosity. As he had suspected, she had been worrying about the treaty , luckily, she didn't mention a battle or an adult that could go forth with the threat. Sure the juvenile would probably scurry back to the Alpha with the news but until then, the Creek had time to prepare.
"Did you cross? Did you tresspass?" he asked calmly, knowing that alarming the female would cause her to omit important details. "How far off were you from Mount Apikuni, Falwasi?" he interjected again before giving her time to answer, the more he knew about her location during the event the better.
[size=x-small]So sorry for short post; I've been tied down with work lately :([/size]
Although the male spoke calmly, his words were alarmed and Falwasi stiffened, ignoring her act of innocence. "No... not Apikuni. I was standing at the border before the Sunspire," she said slowly, hoping in some shape or form this would lessen the importance of her mishap. The mountain wolf remembered coming back from Greatwater Lake, and seeing the black juvenile sobbing. This was why she didn't get involved with the younger wolves.
Galileo's questioning on the warrior's location undoubtedly gave way that Mount Apikuni was not the place to be. So, although she had gotten alarmingly close to stepping over the border, was it of a high importance? The she-wolf could only hope not.
While she struggled in her seat, he tried to think over the exact words spoken at the treaty. Did one wolf crossing inmediately mean war? He couldn't not remember the literal agreement but he could recall that it had been strongy advised to stay away from the Sunspire and their wolves.
This could be a bigger problem that he expected ; especially since he confirmed his fear of being too close for comfort to the rocky mountain.
He was silent for a few seconds more, as he decided then what would be their new game plan. If the juvenile had not already gone to his Alpha they would have the luck to get out of any potential scruffle unscratched, but if he had they could have a threat looming over their heads. But there was no way to know either of those things -- they were engulfed with uncertainty and fear as they were forced to stay still like a sitting duck.
The best they could do however, was prepare for the worst. It was a pessimist way of approaching the matter but Galileo feared they had no other choice, besides after spending his childhood in the core of a mafia he had learned to always hope for the best but expect the worse.
"Here's what we'll do " he barked at last, searching to connect his warm amber eyes with the girl's own. "I'll talk to Scimitar and make sure our borders are guarded, " he barked while stopping to give her a reassuring nod, "And though I will save the details for myself, I urge you to keep away from the mountain for a few weeks -- just as a precaution" he finished, his lips curving into a smile. He would not throw her in the water and announce to the Alpha of her fault. It had been an honest mistake that thankfully had brought no harm onto herself or others, besides she had had the courage to voice her errors which in the peppered male's eyes was like asking for forgiveness.
"Thank you for telling Falwasi, now don't beat yourself for it child" he ended, swinging his large head forward to lightly press his nose against the female's cheek.
She had been a lot braver than he had been at the time being.
He had never even managed to confess his fault.
Repenting, however, was something he did every second of his existense
Galileo was silent for moments, and then he suddenly spoke up, eyes connecting with her own. He told Falwasi he would tell Scimitar to keep the borders guarded, to which the she-wolf mentally agreed with. As the counselor called her a child, Falwasi silently stopped her eyes from narrowing at the male. Even though she knew Galileo meant no offence by his words, she didn't like being called a child. She was not a child.
Forcing a slight grin as the large male touched his wet nose to her cheek, Falwasi said, "I thank you for listening." I hope it is not a big deal, is what she refrained to say. She dipped her head low to the ground, this time a genuine sign of respect. "It was nice finally meeting you, Galileo," she said, turning away before he could respond. The velvet girl strode swiftly away, the breeze catching her coat and cooling her body.
She liked Galileo. A counselor always made a good friend, but kind and reassuring words would only gain her friendship; they would not win Falwasi's trust over.
last post, loved this<3
Being a child was not a synonym of being less capable of doing things, and in no way had he meant it to be an insult for the female. It was nothing but an affectionate term to refer to her, since she was considerably younger. "Anytime" he answered, as a little smile began to spread across the features of his face.
Then, just as fast as she had come, she was gone again. Slipping away with the breeze with her concience and her mind hopefully lighter after their conversation. "You too, Falwasi" he murmured, even though she was already out of hearing range. Just like her, the male had also decided he liked her. She was at least capable of admitting her mistake, something not even he had been able to do at the time.