Wolf RPG

She was alone. Her fellow guard had decided the best course of action would be for her to remain while the others returned, bringing word to the Queen of her son's state and at least a reassurance of his safety. In the meantime she would stay here to continue ensuring his safety as well as following should he move on once more.

This was why she stood here on the border of these lands where he had once told her he pledged his loyalty. Though she was not sure of his presence here now, she knew his honor would bind him here for at least a while. He would come back if not already here and she would be there. A good hunter knew when to chase and when to wait, and in this instance staying put made the most sense.

The leader was a male, a fact that made her lip curl with distaste. The idea of offering herself up as subordinate to him was abhorrent, but she had done it before. She would do so again, for her Queen's sake. Still, her gaze was contemptuous as she looked upon the lands these wolves called home. Some could call this beauty, but her soul still ached for the familiar sights of her southern home. The north was a land of barbarians, no place to make a home.

She pondered whether she should call or remain as she was. After a moment she decided to remain silent. If this pack had any sense someone would be by soon. She knew how alphas were with their precious borders.

But the borders were the last thing on Malachi's mind that frigid winter day. Instead he devoted himself to the hunt, spurred on by the scattered flakes that had fallen from the sky just moments after waking that morning. The cold season was in full swing, and though there was no telling whether or not the season would be a time of hardship for the Glacier wolves, Malachi was intent to fill the caches fuller in preparation for whatever nature swung their way.

He pursued his prey now with stark intensity, his paws churning the ground in a hungry rhythm. The hare swerved in a jagged pattern, but Malachi traced its spiral path and kept his mind fixed one step ahead of the creature's every move. It darted a sharp left and Malachi turned, bursting through the undergrowth to the flatter ground. Without the shrubs dotting his way he put on a fresh burst of speed - only to come to a tearing halt when a blur of earthen fur finally registered as an abnormality on the border. Bits of frosted ground dug their way into his claws and he felt a sharp burn in his cheeks when he turned his eye upon her, now standing meters behind him.

Resisting the urge to let his ears slack, Malachi turned and made a beeline back toward Duskfire's claimed land. Had he missed the woman's call? That he'd managed to dart right past her brought a sheepishness to his heart, but he raised his head in defiance of the embarrassment he felt. As he neared her the young leader drew in her scent, subconsciously searching for the briny tang of sea. But her fur held none of the ocean, and Malachi let his shoulders relax. "Why do you wait at Duskfire's borders?"

They were more inept than she first imagined. She watched, amused and mildly annoyed, as a figure darted past without even paying her a glance. Raising her brows, she saw him stop, then turn to finally approach. So this was the pack her prince had chosen.

Pushing down her own feelings of disgust at what was about to happen, she kept her tone carefully neutral as she spoke. All the time she focused on her current task. "I seek to join your number. I am an old friend of Tze.. Tyrr." She fell silent after, awaiting any questions he may ask of her. Her words were not false though they did not tell all truth. She saw no need to divulge her true relation to him at this time.

He came round her as she spoke, placing himself within Duskfire borders again, all the while keeping his eye steadily trained on the woman and gathering what he could from her neutrality. But her words soon caught the better of his attention, and Malachi's brow quirked. This quiet look was all that gave word to his surprise.

Malachi gave a slow nod. "Yes, I know Tyrr." But the words did not come without a nervous stir in his gut. Malachi had not seen the earthen man since he'd met him on the borders some countless suns before. Whether or not he still ran with the pack remained unclear, a fault of Malachi's own. He'd been preoccupied in recent days, and tracking the loyalty of their members had not pressed him as a weighty concern. He trusted them - but after Danica's leave, he began to feel the guilt he'd made a mistake in not keeping up with those he served as head. He took every departure as a reflection of his leadership, every leave a failure of his own. "Have you travelled far to find him?"

"I have," she responded, but did not elaborate on from where it was she came. That information was neither pertinent nor any of these wolves' business. "I do not know if he is here now, but I know that he has pledged himself to you. And thus it is here he shall return. If you will allow me to reside here, I will give you my protection and aid in surviving. I will harm none in your pack and follow your word." At least until she convinced her prince to return home with him. She fought the urge to grimace as she spoke the words, effectively placing herself beneath this wolf, but pride would not serve her purpose here. She thought it a more than fair bargain.

Whilst she was here she would also likely do some scouting. She did not think her Queen would do anything with the knowledge of these heathen lands, but it could not hurt.

The woman was certainly not one to waste breath on small talk. Though Malachi had hoped she would elaborate on her origin, he did not press her further. Though a curious boy by nature, Malachi understood the want for privacy. "I have not seen Tyrr in a number of days, but I too am confident he will return." After all, the earthen boy had left and returned once before. Malachi had no reason to doubt his loyalty. But he felt but a feigned conviction in his words, and his mind teetered with an uncertainty that did not break through the finality of his voice.

With her credentials laid bare and her pledge clearly spoken, Malachi saw little reason to deny the ruddy woman a place among their numbers. She looked a capable woman and, though he felt a suspicion she was holding something back, she seemed to have a level head upon her shoulders. The Glacier needed able bodies more than ever. After a moment's consideration, he gave her a slow nod, though the decision had not been difficult. "Our home is yours. Welcome to the Glacier. My name's Malachi, by the way." He fell into a silence, prompting for her's in exchange.

She ignored any doubt she might have heard in his tone, his opinion mattering little to the huntress. She knew that this was her best course of action for the moment, at least until a more clear route presented itself. She had let the trail run cold once more when she backtracked to find her companions and now had to deal with the consequences of that mistake. The most pressing one being her need to submit to this unknown male, laying her pride in her culture aside for the moment. It was harder than one might think.

She knew what was expected when he introduced himself, and she returned matter-of-factly. "I am called Manauia." She was tempted of habit to go into her titles, but did not. They meant nothing here and would only bring questions that she did not wish to answer. He was wrong about one thing, however, in his introduction. This place would never be her home.

Malachi remained ignorant to the aversion that ran through Manauia's amazonian mind. Tyrr had come from the North, and by logic he assumed Manauia had, too. Even if he'd known the truth of her origins, his naivety would have remained. The boy knew no culture but his own, and that some packs held gender roles in such high esteem did not even present itself as a possible explanation behind her brevity.

Instead Malachi took her pointed answers at face value, simply concluding she was a wolf who did not get off on conversations with others she'd just met. Fair enough. The youth felt a prickling sensation she did not wish to be in his presence, and though in different circumstances he would have gladly left her to her own device, Malachi felt wrong simply leaving her on the border after welcoming her in. "I can show you around the Glacier if you'd like." he offered with a wave of his tail to the mountain behind him. A light smile traced his lips, the product of courtesy and an underlying awkwardness in his struggle to assess the situation.

At least he had manners, and she had the thought that were circumstances different the man in front of her might have made a good slave. She studied him a moment, in a likely disconcerting manner, though at home it would have been seen as the norm. Too bad he was not raised in Coatl's Rise. Those not born to the lifestyle rarely took to it, their own self-importance and egos getting in the way of them seeing the honor it truly was.

He was no slave, though, and for a time Manauia wished to spend as little time in the man's company as possible. As an Amazonian warrior she was heavily trained in maintaining and withholding her thoughts and feelings, for emotions only brought trouble in the heat of battle, but she still did not quite trust herself to know how to proceed in these strange lands. She needed to gain her bearings first. "I would prefer to discover myself what these lands are like," she responded, gaze traveling to the mountain. After a moment she remembered herself and amended, "if that is acceptable." It had sounded like an offer but very well may not have been.

There was something unsettling about the way she studied him, as if she were sizing him up for an agenda known only to her. His skin tingled where her eyes met him, and in other circumstances he would have faltered. But the importance of first impressions rooted Malachi in place and though he wished to turn from her, he refrained from flinching beneath her scrutinizing gaze.

Manauia's response came somewhat of an unspoken relief to the mottled boy, not that he would let her know. Malachi allowed a brief pause to pass after her words while he seemingly considered her proposition, though his decision had already been made. "That is acceptable," he replied with a polite dip of his head. "If you need me, I'll be a howl away." With little more to say, he took his leave, backing away from the woman and nodding his head in farewell. The strange discomfort of their brief meeting lingered in his bones, but he shook the feeling off with a ruffle of his fur and he turned to enter the heart of Duskfire again.

He seemed to consider her proposal and she found herself annoyed at the possibility of a refusal. Was there so much to worry about? She did not need watched, for her word was an oath, and her honor was that of her sisterhood. She would never tarnish the dignity of her fair homeland with idle words and broken promises.

Thankfully he saw reason and allowed her this. Relieved to be rid of his presence for the moment, she nodded, turning as he did and departing in the opposite direction. She would familiarize herself with this land before branching out to those surrounding. The huntress would case the entire place, knowing that such a practice would prove useful in the coming days.