Wisps of fur undulate in a frigid breeze that bears with it the sweet aroma of pine. It rouses a cream colored wolf from an unnatural slumber, her heavy lids fluttering open to reveal unfocused ice colored eyes. Blurs of green and brown fill her vision before slowly sharpening into large trees. Beneath her, hard packed ground numbs half of her medium sized body. For a few moments she lies there, calmly taking in her peculiar surroundings. She begins to wonder how she has come to be in this place. Thinking back, the last thing she can remember is gazing through thin silver branches to stare at a small group of strange two-legged creatures watching her. Dry and cracked lips curl in a snarl at the thought of the creatures, divulging an unconcealed hatred. For nearly a whole cycle of seasons they had held her captive.
Stiffly, the female sits up on her stomach while wincing at her aching body. Something heavy and thick shifts on her neck, catching her attention almost immediately. She attempts to glance down at it, but the object remains out of her view. Wanting to see what contraption the two-legged animals have placed on her, the cream colored wolf glances around for a river or a puddle. Nothing of the sort catches her eye causing her to growl in irritation. She shoves the problem to the back of her mind, choosing to ignore it. Whatever it is, she can find out later. Right now she wants to know where she is and why she is here. She will probably never understand the reasons of why because her captors never acted or spoke in a way that she could understand. But she can at least try to figure out where she is. Obviously she is in a wood from all the trees around her, but what is this area? It wasn't her old home, the scents differed.
Fear rises her hackles. Beneath the smell of the wood and winter was the smell of wolves. Her breathing quickens as she struggles to her paws. She swings her head one way and then the other, searching for the wolves. Shadows move to her left causing her to swing in that direction. It was only the wind swaying a tree. Another flash of movement from the same direction spins her around again. This time a squirrel chatters a greeting while scrambling across a branch. She backs up against a tree, whining. Why would the two-legged captors leave her here? Was this a death sentence?
The dark furred wolf had seen a wolf outside their territory, and instantly he took to the shadows to watch and make sure she damn well did not try to place a foot on Spine territory. He watched from higher ground, the chips of ice that served him as eyes focusing on the female's every move. She had woken from some kind of slumber, and looked around with confusion before snapping her head in several different directions trying to identify movement.
What really interested the Beta about her was the black collar on her neck. He had seen collars before, but never with that large black protrusion on it. The assassin was indeed curious, and wary. Such things can only be the sign of the Two-legs' interference, and he wanted nothing with that.
But then again, he wanting nothing with this pseudo-trespasser either.
So he went down to greet her, well, warn her off really. The lean wolf walked close to the disoriented woman and barked sharply at her to take her attention from the shadows to the shadowy wolf.
hey i'm gonna assume she is right at the borders, slap me if its wrong so I can edit :3
EDIT: omg Alisha I always shadow-post you sorry!!!! :x I can erase if you want
[size=medium]"in the land of gods and monsters,
I was an angel"[/size]
[size=small]Oblivious to the internal conflict another female battled near her borders the Queen of the Spine rose from her home, strategically dug out near the center of the territory. Since she had risen back to her legitimate spot as Alpha, Cara had been restlessly tending the borders and actively seeking for recruits among the lonesome souls that sometimes knocked at her door and roamed in the neighbouring areas.
Despite her various run ins with strangers, she had not yet managed to lure anyone into her ranks -- a collateral effect of Mordecai's sudden decision to depart had been thinning dangerously. This had planted a seed of anxiousness in the young female's heart, who despite being already familiar with the hardships of leading, had not anticipated the harshness of what the Ostrega's departure would mean.
Even with their grudges and continious clashing he had managed to do the impossible.
Earn Cara's most profound respect.
And though part of her still wondered what had lied beneath his urge to leave she did not dwell on it for to long. The fact was that he was gone and she was not. And even if a great part of their rebirth after Ptarmigan's attack could be attributed to him, she would not admit that their recent decay was also because of their absence.
She could, and would, make the Spine flourish again.
Even if she died trying.
It was then when the pale Warden caught a glimpse of a wolf up ahead, wandering exceptionally close to her borders. Instinctively the territorial she-wolf bristled, lifting her tail as she began to pad over to the stranger to give a further inspection. It was not hard to notice as she came closer, that there was something off with the female in front of her..
With her hard yellow eyes settling upon her shivering form she lowered her tail to a less threatening pose. "Are you injured or diseased?" she asked, her eyes scanning over her body for any traces of wounds or notable signs of illness.
While Cara was not generally known for being merciful, she was not an executioner.
This was not a death sentence it was a shot at life.
[/size]
Suddenly, a sharp back calls out to strike her ears causing her to jump. She lowers herself, curling her tail down between her legs when she spots the source of the violent sound. Then another voice speaks from a different direction. The she-wolf's muzzle lays on her paws as she attempts to make herself as small as possible while her body shivers uncontrollably. The thing around her neck brushes against her forelegs causing her to jerk at the unfamiliar feeling. She presses her ears along her head, wanting to close her eyes in hopes of feeling less terrified, but that very fear keeps her icy orbs wide open. Two wolves have found her near their territory, maybe even within its boundaries. A whine escapes her as the wolves draw closer. She would speak to them if she could, tell them she had not meant to be anywhere near their borders. But her jaws are clenched shut against her will.
If they decide to assail her, there was no way she could defend herself. At one point in time she had been a spirited fighter, but her capture and imprisonment has changed that. Now she is a disgraceful coward. Even the smallest hint of aggression sends her into a panic. She can't even flee from a fight when her body freezes in place. She can only hope that the wolves are not angered by her strange appearance in this area. If they seek answers from her, she has none to give. Her fear will have to pass as well if she wishes to speak at all. Will her inability to talk vex them? She feels betrayed by her own body. In any dangerous situation it will fail her with the high probability of being the cause of a serious injury or even death.
The cream wolf's eyes dart from one wolf to the other, refusing to let the strangers disappear from view and grateful that she doesn't have to move much to keep them within sight. Her hind end pressed against a tree guarantees that no one will be able to sneak up from behind and attack. She wonders if any other wolves will appear from the surrounding trees. If any should join the two in front of her, she feels that the fear will become to great and may cause her to pass out from freight. She can only watch the two and hope that no harm comes to her.
His lovely wife and alpha had joined him on the investigation of the new and strange wolf shuddering on the ground. His head tilted to the side as he walked closer to her, keen on investigating that strange and interesting collar of hers. The Beta sniffed the contraption, icy eyes examining it curiously.
It occurred to him that the girl had not said a word the entire time. He snorted and met his gaze with hers. "Well, what's wrong? Can you not speak, girl?" He asked, face intimidatingly close to her own.
[size=medium]"in the land of gods and monsters,
I was an angel"[/size]
[size=small]The presence of the brown assasin was never missed by Cara, who limited herself to shoot a fleeting glance at him before setting her attention back to the frightened wolf that stood at their feet. Naturally, Cara would have already given the shivering creature a goodbye, probably using a snarl and dominant posturing to give her something to actually be afraid of.
However, she did nothing of the sort.
With her eyes scanning over the female's body and her ears pricked in curiosity she allowed her mate to step towards the female and sniff her up. Then, as he began to hover dangerously close to the girl -- who they still hadn't ruled out to be diseased -- Cara stepped in.
"Leave her" she barked, a command that was pronounced with a firm yet concerned tone. She too had noticed the strange object wrapped around the female's neck but unlike Kaname, she was hesitant to even touch it.
"Speak." she barked, her words now directed at the female, "Are you injured or diseased?" she repeated, the light in her eyes reflecting the intrigue and interest she felt crawl up her chest.
"What is that you have around your neck?" she barked, still refusing to use any type of aggressive tone in her voice. Until she was proved to be a useless piece for the Spine, the seemingly fit wolfess would not be turned away.
[/size]
Ryuu shudders under the intense voices of the two wolves, but manages to shake her head 'no' with quick short motions. As far as she can tell, she is in good health. Even though she had been imprisoned, the two-legged creatures had always kept her, and the three other wolves she had been with, well fed. The three wolves comes to the front of her mind now. Two were female like herself, one had been a dark grey wolf named Ashes, and the other a patchy brown and black wolf named Ruby. The last one was a pitch black male called Midnight. They had been in captivity there for all their lives, their names given to them by the two-legged captors. She can't imagine having to live there for all her life.
As to the thing around her neck, she has no clue. She hasn't even seen the thing yet. "I-I-I d-don't," she swallows, "k-k-know." There, she managed to choke out something. Taking a shaky breath she tries again. "Will.... are you...." a cough strangles her for a moment before she spits out, "Don't kill me please." Ryuu tries to shrink even further against the tree behind her and ends up in an uncomfortable position with her back raised. She is pathetic she knows. She hates herself for being so weak.
Kaname backed away at the behest of his mate, who, despite him being the larger and stronger half of their union, was still the alpha. He didn't smell sickness on her at all, only fear and weakness. But who knew? Some diseases came and took their hold without the wolf, or anyone else knowing.
The assassin smirked cruelly when the girl began to stutter. "Oh, so you can speak, huh?" he interjected during her pause. Kaname sighed as she worked through her words meticulously, but then chuckled again when she pleaded that they did not kill her. Like they would, what would be the point?
"I'm pretty sure she isn't sick, Cara. She's just weak." He said, striding over to his younger mate. "But that collar...it smells unnatural. I'm not sure what to make of it." The scent lingering around it was strangely familiar. It reminded him of a long gone wolf, Erika. She had this strange scent hidden deep into her coat that always threw him off, especially around her scar. What did she say caused it? "'u...man.."?
[size=medium]"in the land of gods and monsters,
I was an angel"[/size]
[size=small]An expression of pure delight appeared in the Queen's features as the assasin moved away from the other female's shuddering form. It was truly satisfying how with a single command she could make the man move at her will. She allowed her gaze to linger on him for a brief second as he gave the female some space.
While she had also failed to recognize any scent of disease on her she was still cautious. When Jinx, her beloved Queen, had fallen ill the only give aways had been the foamy saliva that dripped from her mouth and the empty light in her eyes. Disease was perhaps the most silent of killers.
"We won't kill you" she barked, reaffirming this same statement with a brief flick of her tail. Again, with the crown weighin upon her head, she felt powerful. Like a real Queen she was able to mandate over her subordinates with a simgle word, and like a god she now had the power over the defenseless female's life.
Still, the yearling's intent had never been to hurt the female.
Cara, being as picky as she was, would have perhaps not considered to even offer the troubled girl a home, but with her numbers thinning and the prospect of new life arriving she knew she could not afford to be selective.
And the female couldn't really afford to turn away a chance such as this one, right?
With her pale eyes still fixed on the female and a single ear turned to listen to Kaname, the Spine Queen took a step forward, her tail curling dominantly over her back but her eyes glimmering with an unusual compassion. "Do you have any skills?" she barked, craning her neck slightly to sniff curiously in her direction. "Hunting perhaps?" she asked again, though she did not seemed famished, she didn't hold the build of a fighter.
"Because if you do.." she continued, her voice lurring like a soft lullaby. Hopefully the female would catch the hint and sell herself well enough.
As long as she could pull her own weight Cara didn't really mind having the odd-collared female among her ranks.[/size]
well I don't understand why the code isn't working, it's completely correct. I've re-wrote it several times, but still no luck... so just ignore that one for now. Sorry
The male heads back to the other wolf when commanded. He had chuckled at her words and glances down in shame. The female tells Ryuu that they won't kill her, though the knowledge doesn't do much to sway her fear. Then she is asked what skills she may possess . The female offers up the suggestion of hunting and despite Ryuu's nervousness, she feels her ears perk up with familiarity. Her gaze returns to the female and she relaxes a little at the cream and brown wolf's soft tone. "I love hunting," she answers honestly. She has always been a good tracker, that's the only part of it that she takes pleasure in. To say that she is a good hunter is not completely correct. She can find any trail anywhere and follow it to it's source, but she will stick to the back of the pack while they take the prey down. Once she would have lead the hunt, she had been a great hunter. Ryuu hopes that she will attain her fighting spirit back in time, but that does not seem possible. Will she always remain so weak?
Wondering why the female is inquiring about her skills and her last lingering words, Ryuu questions, "What are your intentions?" with a small voice. Did they want her to fetch them food? Are they just going to bully her instead of killing her? Neither idea was pleasant. Perhaps they are testing her? Why would they bother to do so? Maybe they wanted food in payment for letting her live. Well she won't hunt for them, she is not prey that they can play with. Her eyes narrow the smallest amount partly out of annoyance towards her thoughts and partly because of how tired she is. Even after waking up from a deep slumber, she still feels drained. Even a bit nauseated.
cara edit -- fixed your color! tell me if this is not ok :)
"Loving to hunt is one thing, actually knowing how is another." He was beginning to pace behind Cara, occasionally flickering his frozen gaze back to the collared wolf. Cara had stepped forward, her tail curled over her back dominantly, but with a soft coo in her voice. It was something he was not accustomed to hearing, but the fact that the gentle tones were being directed towards an outsider instead of him made him flare with jealously for a moment.
But the luring voice had its benefits in relaxing the frightened wolf, opening her up to answering their questions instead of stammering like an idiot. But she did prove a little indignant to the Beta with that last question of hers. "Our intentions were to see why you were so close to trespassing, and if you were sick. And now, they are if you would like to join." He flicked his tail with a bit of annoyance lurking in his voice. They were the ones asking the questions, damnit!
[size=medium]"in the land of gods and monsters,
I was an angel"[/size]
[size=small]While the initial response given by the female was appealing enough for the Queen she could not deny that it was Kaname's own answer to it what piqued her interest even further. When cleared of the hostility, Kaname's remark managed to convey perfectly Cara's thoughts. "Are you any good at it -- at hunting?" she questioned, keeping the same curious expression upon her face. While the brown assasin himself was a talented Gamekeeper, and at a time Cara had also pursued such title, there was always room for another among hunter among their ranks.
She waited patiently for a response but instead recieved a question.
With her brows quirked and her eyes narrowing thoughtfully she looked at the female, her eyes holding blatant disbelief. Hadn't this female picked up on her unspoken proposition? Had the hint flown of her radar?
Again it was Kaname who voiced her thoughts first, giving the female a dull explanation of what they wanted. "If we give you the chance to prove yourself among our ranks, will you take it?" she barked, echoing Kaname's previous words but rephrasing them so that the female had no other choice but to answer yes or no.
[/size]
The male almost pulls her thoughts from her mind by saying that loving to hunt and knowing how to hunt are two different things. Ryuu remains quiet, not wishing them to know. But the male continues on to tell her their intentions.They are offering her a position in their pack. Ryuu is confused by it. There is no reason for them to give her the choice. Even the female speaks up to ask that if they give her the chance will she take it. This decides what she is going to do. "I would like to take the chance," she tells the two in a small voice. Life here could end up being good for her. Knowing how she is now, Ryuu knows she cannot survive on her own either.
She was a contradicting to him. At first, she appeared weak and helpless, frightened at everything around her. But now that she had regained whatever senses were lost to her, she seemed resliliant. They could use that in their ranks, but with Cara there, it wasn't his decision. His glacier-blue eyes focused on his mate, awaiting her choice. He was leaning on yes, however, and would be surprised if Cara said no.
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[size=medium]"in the land of gods and monsters,
I was an angel"[/size]
[size=small]And finally, an answer was given.With her ears swivelling forward and her tail curling upon her back she met the female's eyes. While she was completely oblivious -- and perhaps ignorant -- to the atrocities the female had gone through to not only recieve the strange leather piece that choked her neck but the paralyzing fear she had recently exhibited, Cara counted the female's promise of collaboration as a greater plus.The why's and what's would be asked later, for now the Queen would be content to leave the female in Kaname's capable care.
"Take it, but don't dare fuck it up" she barked, her tone ridding itself of the initial softness she had applied as the female recoiled in fear. The anxiety in her eyes had no reason to be there anymore, therefore neither did Cara's soothing voice. The crudeness of her words didn't make them any less real.
Neither her nor the Spine would carry her weight.
She would have to do so herself or she would be soon find herself homeless.
Without further ado, or further words to add to her ungraceful welcoming greeting she allowed a final chuff to be directed at the female before she turned her muzzle to her mate. "See that she's settles, and if you can take that thing off her" she barked, turning her attention to the female briefly to motion towards the collar wrapped around her throat.
"Find me if you need anything else, ..." she ended, realizing suddenly that the girl had never had the chance to give her name. "I'm Cara" she added, prompting the female to add her own name in return.
While adhering herself to the pack and earning the leadership's trust was no heaven it was a hell of a better veredict than a death sentence; one that was almost guaranteed if the female were to chose the life of a loner.
[/size]
The female barks her words at Ryuu. She winces at the now seemingly hostile wolf that had just had a friendlier tone. She hopes she will not screw up this chance, but cannot guarantee it. The female then gives orders to remove the thick heavy thing from around Ryuu's throat. She doesn't wish either one of these strange wolves near her throat, but she is not going to voice that. It won't do to tell them that she doesn't wish them so close. Not after having been accepted into their pack.
The female in charge tells Ryuu to find her if she needs anything and she nods back. Then she learns the name of this wolf. Cara. "I'm.... Ry-Ryuu ," she stammers somewhat. Better than she had been at first, but she is still nervous and wary of these wolves as she has a right to be. She doesn't know them. They may still have bad intentions behind their offer into their pack. She hopes that the male will also offer up his name, but will not hold it against him if he does not voice it. She is too afraid to ask as well in case it upsets him.
Cara gave the word, and the collared female was one of their own. Kaname sighed, feeling the tension that accompanied protecting the borders flow out of him. The assassin read the mood around him. Both females had given their names, and now that the ladies were done introducing themselves, he saw that it was his time.
"Kaname." he said simply, walking back over to Ryuu. He examined her collar, wondering how they were going to get this thing off of her. It looked tight, though not harmful to the female. It would be a doosey, this one. He snorted, speaking to the woman gently. "Come, follow me. I'll show you around." he gestured towards the valley.