Autumn had come upon the Vale. It was near the pack called the Sunpire. Despite the several months the pack had been there, she didn't know much about them. Either that or they weren't very dramatic, cause the birds never had any gossip to share with her about them. Either that or very little gossip.
She gazed out across the veiw. She stood on a stone ledge. From here she could see a lot of the valley. Including the Creek. It would make a good spot to spy on them, she thought. Too bad a pack didn't live here. She'd also heard a little about a new pack called something like Knocked eh scar Bypass or something like that. Autumn wondered what a knockedehscar was.
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Selene was exploring. Obviously this wasn't the she wolf's choice activity to partake in, however it was necessary. Being an effective pack member requires knowledge of the surrounding areas (and packs). She wished only to scout herbs, not to pick fights, yet she had already run into one of the other packs in the area. With one near miss into her already eventful day, it came as no surprise that Selene found herself near a pond, trying to slow her heartrate. Birds chirped their incoherent songs in the air, flittering by as if they had no cares. Had she been any other wolf, it is assured that Selene would have been hunting. With the sun shining blissfully down onto the clearing though, she had no reason to take a life today.
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Deciding she'd had her fill of the veiw, Autumn got up and rounded a stone wall curve, only to fimd a nice little place that wasn't all stone. There was grass, a pond, and some birds. And on the other side of the pond was a white lady with some odd marking under her eye. "'Sup? I'm Autumn." She introduced herself casually. A smile was on her face, making her look as friendly as she always did. "Are you from the Sunspire?" She asked. Although the scent that drifted across the pond was not exactly that of the Spire.
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Selene's head jerked up. A dull sound had spooked her, as it was inconsistent with the surroundings. It sounded almost like someone had said something, but as she sniffed the air she found no wolves around. A brief scan of the pond yielded the same result: no one. All that existed in her immediate surroundings included a pond, some trees, lots of grass, birds - which have no reason to speak to her-, and a bright orange spot.
Upon closer examination, the spot appeared to be a cross between a mountain cat and a wolf... but was the size of a rabbit. She frowned in confusion. A... fox? That was what they were called, right? Orange was not exactly a common color whatever the case. As the animal spoke again, she caught a few words. "...you from... Sunspire?" Her expression of confusion deepened, her posture remaining neutral. Perhaps this fox was a scout meant to bring trouble, or perhaps it was a loner like she had been a short while ago. "No, I am not from Sunspire. I do not know what that is." Her voice was light and questioning, barely loud enough to make its way across the pond (for Selene had learned early that creatures respond better to soft noises).
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last post from me tonight!
Geez, she speaks quietly. That was okay with Autumn, it was just she didn't usially hear such quiet gentle voices.
"The Sunspire is a pack that lives near here. It's also the name of the mount where they live." Autumn informed the white wolf.
"I still hadn't caught your name?" She asked the white wolf. If Autumn was nice enough to give hers, than so should this lady. At least that was how she saw it. As she asked she gently dipped her paw in the pond to test the water temperature. Sometimes you could even go swimming in the Winter.
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"The Sunspire is a pack that lives near here. It's also the name of the mount where they live," the fox informed her. Selene nodded in understanding. A few miles back she’d thought she had smelled another pack, which was why she had turned to another direction—the she wolf knew her pack, and the Sunspire was most definitely not the Bypass. Putting the knowledge into her catalog of surroundings, she sat back on her haunches. The little fox obviously was just looking for conversation, so there was no need to be on edge.
"I still hadn't caught your name?" Selene felt guilty, realizing that this was the indistinguishable noise she’d heard at the beginning of their conversation. Introductions were always the first thing that anyone thinks of, so why didn’t she put that in her first words with the fox? The white wolf gave a soft sigh, resigning herself to addressing her decreased social skills later. ”My name is Selene, I’m from the Bypass, just a ways beyond the Sunspire. I’m new to this area, so I was exploring trying to learn the area better,” she smiled generously, hoping to open conversation with the fox. ”What are you up to?”
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"Like you, Sorta. I'm a traveller. I come to places, I see the things there, sometimes talk to people, move on. I stay within the Wilds though." She told Selene. "Well, I can tell you a lot about the Wilds. Are you looking for a certain place or just wandering? Want to know anything about the other packs? I know all about 'em." She said with a little grin. Autumn was very proud of her pack knowledge and gossip, as well as some gossip among other species besides wolves. She knew a lot about these things.
sorry for taking so long to reply! finals sapped all of my energy for a couple days :c
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The fox was a wander, much like herself. "Are you lost," the question came. Selene shook her head in response. The female's tail flicked around in moist grass behind her, causing air to waft through the spindly blades. Ripples flitted across the small lake as fish appeared here and there, reminding Selene that she had yet to eat today. Oh well, another time. Perhaps one when I'm not enguaged in the first friendly conversation I've had since arriving. A smile spread across her lips at the thought as the fox spoke of knowledge about the surroundings and pack gossip. That woulc certainly come in very handy when getting to know the lay of the land. "If you don't mind sharing your information, I'd love to listen. However, I have no idea what to ask. I don't even know which packs are nearby," she sighed.
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She took a deep breath before she began. She didn't say it fast, but there was a lot to say. "Well, the Sunspire is led by Amekaze and Jace. From what I've heard, they're rather peaceful and keep to themselves. They used to have a problem with Swiftcurrent Creek, but now they have a treaty. Swiftcurrent is in that valley," she said, pointing with her nose towards the creek. "And they're led by Scimitar and his friend Kaskara. I don't know much about them, but I know they are currently housing your alpha, Shadow's, mate. She's pregnant with his kids. Then there's Duskflame Glacier. They split off Swiftcurrent. Apparently they used to have a big family but now most of the puppies are gone. Too bad. Anyway, those are the three closest to where you're from." She explained with a large sigh. She didn't realized she'd messed up DFG's name- she couldn't remember. It was a lot of info to let out.
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Indeed, that was a lot of information at once. Selene flicked her tail faster, attempting to keep track of everything. Oh good lord Zeus what did I get myself into? From the way this little fox made it sound, the valley in which she resided was a great war waiting to happen. The Sunspire hates Swiftcurrent Creek, but they have a peace treaty. Swiftcurrent Creek is hiding Shadow's mate (likely the ex-Alphess). Duskflame Glacier seems to have a small problem with Swiftcurrent Creek -- why else would a pack split itself? Swiftcurrent Creek seemed to be a pack of drama. At least the white wolf hadn't ended up there and asked for sanctuary.
"Thank you for sharing that Autumn," the white fae smiled warmly. "You've helped catch me up on things it would've taken me ages to discover on my own. Is there anything I can offer in return for you doing that?"
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When Selene thanked her, Autumn smiled warmly and dipped her head before looking up at her again. Now the white wolf was a little in debt. Well, that could be cleared up easily with Autumn. Her eyes glinted and she grinned, trying to keep her excitement from bubbling over. "A wolf story. I know pretty much all the fox legends and stories and tall tales and myths. But I don't know any wolf stories. Do you know any you could tell me?" She asked Selene. How jealous Vulpus might be to hear that Autumn had a story that wasn't a fox story, and she didn't! She couldn't wait for the answer, almost desperate for a non-fox story. She loved the spirit foxes, and even some demon foxes, but she'd never heard a story centered around a wolf.
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Selene had to think a while. There were not many wolf legends she knew. Most stories the wolfess knew referenced the great Wolves of the Stars. The fox would not understand Star Wolves, so the white fae was forced to pick a little-told story. As a small pup, she had been told this lore by her mother. In some ways Selene had to wonder why only her pack told this legend, but in others she felt a greedy pride in being one of the few remaining wolves who knew the legend of Larka and Fell.
A smile came across her lips as she thought this. It took a moment for her to snap pack to reality. "I think I may know a story, but it's a rather long one," she purred, beckoning the fox over. "Would you like to hear a story of magic and Furless beasts?"
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Autumn tilted her head with a funny grin. "Magic? Furless beasts? Sounds awesome! Go ahead." She said, her grin growing further. The stories in fox culture often had magic, but uh... No furless beasts, usually. The beasts could have fur, feathers, slick skin like frogs, but never beasts that were meant to be furred that weren't. Magic was extremely common in fox tales. In different versions of one story, Sun Light, the fennec fox, reached the sun in different ways. In some versions two hawks carried him up, but in other tellings he flew up. She couldn't wait to hear Selene's story.
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Selene's long tail flicked behind her. "This story is set in an ancient land, far from here. There, all animals lived in fear the Furless beasts. These Furless walked on just two legs and brandished sharp sticks of pain and death. They were ruthless, killing every animal they saw. For many generations the forest fauna lived in fear of these Furless, but then came a wolf stupid enough to believe she could kill all the Furless beasts. Her name was Morgra."
The white female paused for a long breath, letting that information sink in with the red fox. "Long ago there was a wolfpack. It was small, consisting of a single family. They were very closed off from the rest of the packs; they existed only within the confines of their boarders and never allowed new wolves to come in. The Alphas were a mated pair, both silver and steadfast. At one point, the Alphess had been sisters with the wolfess Morgra, however they had banished her many years back by the time their first litter arrived. The first litter came out with a single strong male, two weak females, and another retarded male. These were the foundations of a new pack."
"Like all other animals in the forest, the wolves lived in fear of strange two-legged furless creatures, but managed to maintain peace by staying out of Furless territory. However, everything began to go wrong after the second litter was born. There were 5 pups born in total, though three died before sunrise. Only a pure white wolfess and an inky black wolf. Soon after the pack recieve a visit from the witch Morgra, warning them of dark days to come. When they reject her warnings, she curses them."
At this point, Selene's father use to tire of the story and leave, but to the white wolfess, this was where the story became exciting. "The next day a pack of Furless attack. The wolf pack are forced to move, running as fast as they can from the Furless. Along this journey, the Alphas determine that the white wolfess, named Larka, posesses a disease called The Sight. It allows her to see past and future, and view through the body of lesser fauna, like rabbits and birds, but she also feels their pain."
"Many of the wolves fall sick on this trip and die. Then Larka's black brother, Fell, tumbles into the waters of a river and disappears." Selene spashed the pond for emphasis. "The family move on quickly, as the Furless are relentless. They chase the pack to an old Furless den. It is giant and abandoned, with images of Furless gods on every surface."
"However, it is not the Furless that the wolves are scared of now. In the center of the Furless den, Morgra waits with a kidnapped Furless pup. Morgra wants to kill the pup as a sacrifice, and begin a war between wolves and Furless. At her side stands Fell. He remembers nothing about his life before Morgra pulled him from the icy river water. She has brainwashed Fell, who also gained the Sight disease, and it pains the family to see him like this."
A grin spreads over her lips as the fae speaks. Now for the exciting end. "In a great battle, brother and sister fight like enemies as their parents attempt to defend a Furless pup from Morgra. At the end, Larka makes a great sacrafice by leaping over a cliff and taking Morgra with her. Fell flees, remembering everything the moment the witch hits the ground. The two Alphas, having lost their entire pack, take the Furless pup and rush into the bushes."
"It is nearly 7 years before any are seen again." Selene finishes, implying that there is more to the story not given in this installment. She waits to see what the fox has to say about it. The story is likely not as thrilling as other stories, however the lore is a rare one. In all her years of traveling, Selene has only ever heard this story within her family pack.
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dang that's a long post
Autumn listened intently, caught up in the story. The smile faded as she drifted into the world of the legend. She mentally noted the main characters- Larka, Fell, Morgra. She tried to imagine what a furless beast would look like, but it was hard to picture. She gave up, and instead imagined each wolf. Larka's ivory fur, Fell's as dark as midnight... Fighting each other, brother and sister. Soon she was wrapped up in the story. She barely noticed when some water from the splash landed on her fur. Autumn couldn't believe when it was over. A little disappointed that all stories came to an end.
"Wow," She said in awe.
"That was really good! You should tell lotsa stories." She paused before continuing with a question-
"What does the Sight have to do with the plot, though?" She asked curiously with a tilt of her head.
xD yeah, no kidding. I thought about splitting it into two posts
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The white fae flicked her tail through the grass, grinning in contentment as she lay listening to Autumn's praise. She had done her parents well, of course. And then the question came: "What does the Sight have to do with the plot, though?" The wind swirled about her in a cylinder, ruffling her fur for just a moment before moving on. "In the land this story comes from there was an old prophecy. It stated a great war would come when two Alphas brought a pair of cursed cubs into the world, one black and the other white. In this land, the Sight was seen as a curse, as the wolf shared the pain of anything it killed. It also gives the wolf the ability to see the future, which was seen as witchcraft. The Sight is probably more important in the second half of this story than the portion I just told you. That is the significance."
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finish up soon? EDIT: wrote in an ending.
Autumn's ears perked at the words
second portion. But she knew the first portion had taken long enough, and that Selene probably wouldn't take up much more time telling a long story.
"I see." She said with a nod, using her best strength not to ask to hear the second part.
"Well then, besides that the story made perfect sense to me. It was great!" She said, her eyes sparkling with joy. There was another story added to her endless list of tales to tell.
"I think I need to go now. It was nice meeting you, Selene. G'bye!" Autumn said to the girl. Without waiting for a response, she smiled at the wolf and then began to dart off, continuing down the slope.