Wolf RPG - follow my feet [hawkeye]

1
the monster in me

If there was one constant in the short lives of wolves, it was that they were beasts of burden. Weighted by their instincts to rule and kill, Ridley had never known a wolf that wasn’t as driven to succeed as any other. They all had an insatiable desire to be the best so that they could reap the riches of what it meant to be number one. It’s inescapable; to fight instinct was to fight the very flow of blood in their veins. She presumed that was how she ended up where she was, which was not entirely a familiar place. Her predicament of a summer full hollow stomachs and the constant plague of a skinny body had driven her to the edge, with only instinct left to guide her.

She had handled tough summers before, but with her most recent one, the elk had seemed almost immortally strong. They had gone unfazed by her attempts to bring one down for a good meal and as such, Ridley had gone hungry for a majority of the long, hot season. With the deterioration of her physique as the weeks dragged on, she realized that winter would be the end of her if she did not find some sort of alliance to help her. This involved leaving her solitary life for one of coexistence, the life her father had always wanted her to have. To be part of a pack was a blessing, but also a curse. Ridley hoped to find a group that would ease the constant struggle of survival, but ultimately feared that her father would be right about her.

While alone, she had no such taste for power or glory. A loner's life was hardly one for such things. But, if confronted with the temptation of a pack's hierarchy (which any group would undoubtedly have), she feared the idea of moving up in ranking would act like a poison to her mind. If she loved power half as much as her father did or half as much as he wanted her to love it, it would prove disastrous.

Even so, Ridley was faced with little choice. She was starving, dying, on her own. If joining a pack meant facing the temptation of power and high rank, but also meant saving her own skin, she'd do it. When times were difficult, Ridley was not so proud as to deny help, if she could find it. She'd headed into the unknown territories of the Teekon Wilds in search of a pack that might be willing to take her in. While she did not look particularly healthy, nor very useful, Ridley hoped her persuasive tongue might be able to convince a pair of ears if need be. Even so, she hoped whoever she found that was willing to take her in would understand that it was simply a bout of bad luck that had wrecked her health. She was not inept; it had just been a good summer for the elk.

ooc: I am assuming here that Ridley is walking along the river. Let me know if otherwise

Light key-lime eyes scanned the sparsely wooded area that the large black beast stood. It was quiet in the woods, but Hawkeye knew that her wolves were safe; they all knew that they could call her at any time and she would be there to defend them no matter what. A thought bounced around in her head and she wondered momentarily if the wolves of Blacktail Deer Plateau returned her feelings of protection and loyalty. After what had happened in Neverwinter Forest, Hawkeye was unsure about Ariston's loyalties the most.

The dark charcoal wolf let out a huff and turned to walk back to her ledge. Her bear god had not spoken to her in nearly a week, and she wondered if he had left her. If she was just mad; yet, she had a feeling that it was her duty to please him either way. Her altar would not be alone, even if she was.

Reaching the shrine of jagged wood and rocks of all colors, Hawkeye looked over the ledge, down to where the edge of her lands lay. She peered down, watching a wolf come from the distance with her precise eyes. Being mostly deaf never bothered her anymore, and she was everlastingly appreciative of her excellent vision.

A grunt escaped her lips as she turned once more and trotted to a place that was much less steep than where the clearing she had been was. She slid down the plateau and stopped, standing erect (trying to make herself bigger -- like she needed it). A youthful she-wolf roamed in front of her, with an ashen pelt and mustard yellow eyes. The female looked... sickly.

Being lonely but not necessarily desiring company, especially from a wolf she didn't know, Hawkeye sighed, her brow knitting together. Relaxing her face but staying on guard, she called out: "I am Hawkeye, Alpha of Blacktail Deer Plateau. Are you feeling okay?" Her own voice sounded foreign a loud to herself, and she nearly cringed. It had been days since she had spoken to anyone, and the sudden rumbling in her face from the noise irritated her.

set by Emy

2
the monster in me

The sound of a babbling river was always a calming noise to Ridley. It was one of the only things that was strong enough to overcome the loud rumble in her gut that meant she needed food. Throughout almost the entire summer, the female had slept the night away beside some kind of noisy body of water. The nights where she could find no such comfort often meant falling asleep to the unwelcome symphony of growls that erupted from her gut with ugly dissonance. With her nerves on end, seeing as she had walked into a pack's territory and had no idea how she would be received, it was nice to have the noise around once again.

Even so, the river's gushing might have been the reason Ridley never heard the approach of the strange wolf before it was too late.
"I am Hawkeye, Alpha of Blacktail Deer Plateau. Are you feeling okay?" the voice caused the ashen female's heart to leap in her chest. She'd just been standing, watching her reflection waver on the water's surface. As most of her senses had been preoccupied with the river, it was not surprising that Ridley hadn't known of her visitor's arrival. Shifting her gaze towards Hawkeye, taking in the sight of the opaque female before her, Ridley felt slightly intimidated. There was no denying that the wolf held a regal air about her, and apparently it was for a reason, seeing as the new female had introduced herself under the title of 'Alpha'. Even so, to Ridley, there was nothing more appealing, nothing more enticing than a female in charge. It was intriguing, almost exciting, to be in the presence of the very wolf she had intended to find: a leader of a group that could possibly offer her solace for awhile.

"Greetings," Ridley allowed a wide smile to part her muzzle, "Name's Ridley." It was a lazy grin, one that seemingly asked for understanding. She raised her head and straightened her stand, attempting to look better off than she was. For a moment, Ridley couldn't help but be distracted by the two's significant differences displayed through their reflections in the water. Standing beside the well-fed, muscular female before her, Ridley knew it was going to be a hard sell that she was of any worth to the pack leader before her. But she was going to try her damnedest.

"I've been better," the female admitted with another sheepish grin, "How about yourself?" She couldn't help but ask the stranger, even if it appeared that the beautiful, night-colored female was not one for small talk. In fact, Ridley could have sworn that Hawkeye looked irritated by the sound of her own voice when she had spoken, but then again, maybe it was just her own imagination.

Hawkeye nodded at her name and response and gave a "hello, Ridley" in reply. "Are you in need of any assistance? If you are willing to make a trade of food and shelter for loyalty, I am sure we can agree." Hawkeye winked at the female, sure that the playful gesture went unnoticed, but the slight humor in her voice could not be mistaken.

Momentarily, Hawkeye wondered where all of these wolves were coming from. It made sense when her mind floating to the fact that it was winter and wolves needed food and shelter to survive; even in the protected forest, elements could be harsh.

set by Emy

3
the monster in me

"Are you in need of any assistance? If you are willing to make a trade of food and shelter for loyalty, I am sure we can agree," Hawkeye responded with a wink, one that made Ridley's grin falter a little. The wink had been an unexpected, even if nice, gesture. Even the playful tone in her voice seemed foreign to Ridley, who had often been confronted by more dominant wolves with snarls and snaps. It was a pleasant change to be treated with a little more patience. Whether it meant Hawkeye was naive as a leader or simply harbored a kind spirit, Ridley was unsure.

The ashen colored female broke away from her thoughts. She should have been nothing but grateful for such a lenient offer. If loyalty was all that was required to save herself from the edge of death, it could be done. "Loyalty? That's all you ask?" Ridley mused, "Not even undying loyalty? Or something a little more binding?" She was hesitant to believe that was the only cost for joining Hawkeye's group. It seemed too good to be true, in all honesty. Of all the groups she'd ever known that had been willing to accept vagabonds (instead of killing them on spot), admittance had always come at a high price. Again, Ridley debated if Hawkeye was just pleasant or indifferent to the risks that came with accepting strangers. Hell, if Ridley had passed another wolf that looked as frail as herself, she probably wouldn't have given her the time of day.

She couldn't help but speak up again. "Do you pity me?" she asked, mainly for her pride's sake. The minute she asked, the female knew it was probably the wrong thing to say. If Hawkeye answered 'yes', then Ridley was sure that she would remain bitter for the entirety of her stay because she'd been allowed into the group out of charity. "Nevermind," she replied, before allowing her face to split into a wide grin, "I'm just going to assume you think I'm too attractive to turn away." Ridley laughed as she moved to walk past Hawkeye, deeper into the territory that reeked of the dominant wolf's scent. She felt lighter on her paws as she went, her heavy burden suddenly lifted with the promise of future food.

"Loyalty. I can do that. Loyalty is easy."

Hawkeye nodded at the loyalty comment. "I assume that loyalty will be enough, because anything less will have you exiled or worse." Her words were serious, but so was she. If all she asked was loyalty, how hard was that one rule to break?

She opened her mouth to answer if she had pitied the female, but ended up snickering when the ashen female slipped in that she was just too attractive to resist. A jealous thought rose in her mind when Hawkeye briefly wondered if any of the males would be taken with her. The Alpha quickly shook her head out, wondering what the hell that rush of emotion was.

"Let me show you the lands." was the comment that came from her mouth. She wondered if they could be as close as she and Pied had been, and then shook that thought away as well. That could never happen, but maybe they could be friends anyway.

table by houkie