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+--- Thread: Blacktail Deer Plateau for you did murder kate mccannon (/showthread.php?tid=32130)
for you did murder kate mccannon - Thorn - January 13, 2019
AW!
thorn had curiously tracked the scent of a female from the sunspires down to kintla valley, but was quickyl dissuaded as her heavy scent was joined by the tread of a male wolf. lifting his snout from the snow, thorn considered pursuing her further -- her scent was thick with estrus, but an unknown competitor had somehow beaten him to the punch.
no less dispirited, the eyjolfur parted company from the trail and curiously inspected the plateau. it bore evidence of recent habitation - there were still trails lacing through its forest, and old, evacuated caches that shared little other than a few rotted vole skins.
with the voles now swirling around his content stomach, thorn licked his lips and continued meandering eastward with no real destination in mind.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Ruenna - January 17, 2019
Swiftcurrent Creek did not yet feel like home to Ruenna, and perhaps that was due to her frequent visits back to the Plateau, her true home. No, her former home. She supposed that was how she would need to think of this place, if she was ever going to move on.
Rue traveled one of the more worn trails through the territory, knowing her paws had helped beat this path into existence. Her nose hovered over the soil, searching for the scents of loved ones. Corvus, Siqsa, Liri... anyone who she had once thought of as family. It still boggled her mind how quickly things had fallen apart, and how thouroughly so many wolves had managed to get themselves gone.
Rue caught the scent of a stranger, and she glanced about warily. The scent of a strange male would once have triggered her every muscle to seize and heart to pound, but perhaps the young woman too emotionally exhausted for such an extreme reaction on this occasion. Or perhaps she was simply stronger now than she used to be, who could say? Rue paused her forward progress and chuffed a greeting to the unseen man, hoping to draw him into her line of sight.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Thorn - January 18, 2019
a chuff brought the man from his sullen ponderings, and he glanced upon its author with features immediately perking. for she was a young thing, with wispy-creamed fur and broad, doe-like eyes. his posture rounded in interest, and the male rose his muzzle to the frosty wind to drink of her scent.
she was not the she-wolf he had been following, but he took an interest in her all the same. the wilds were a wide and heartless place, and thorn would do well to remember that spring was imminent on the horizon; burgeoning him with an irresistible urge to seek the softer gender, and vie for their affections.
he measured the waif carefully; she was not small, but the way her limbs seemed to gracefully bend seemed to give strangers the impression she was dimunitive. curious, thorn drifted closer -- extending his muzzle towards her slender frame in greeting.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Ruenna - January 19, 2019
The male complied with Rue's wishes and made himself seen, his massive form emerging from the trees like a grizzly from hibernation. Bearing witness to his sheer size did inject a dose of nerves into the diminutive female, and her body tensed noticeably. When he was a few wolflengths away she raised her muzzle, a silent request for him to halt. The fur on the back of her neck lifted, but it was an involuntary reaction-- the man was not behaving in a threatening way, she was simply an overcautious creature.
Rue's nose quivered for a short moment, mulling over his scent, and then her lips parted to release her quiet tones. "You're one Stigmata's wolves," she observed, features softening in recognition. Her tail began to wave in a hesitant, yet friendly fashion. It would be clear the she was on decent terms with the Diaspora leader.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Thorn - January 19, 2019
the brute halted in his approach, for the pale creature had lifted her slender jaws, and motioned in a quiet flick with her head - an entreat to stop.
the male obliged, though his brow was vexed briefly by confusion that quickly dissipated. perhaps she was not used to men - or perhaps, a man had hurt her. thorn seemed to soften in care, though the mention of stigmata brought a new perkiness to his expression. his tail lightly stirred in response, but he kept his distance.
"aye," he affirmed, finding he could not identify the scent that clung to her pelt. "who are you?"
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Ruenna - January 19, 2019
The man respected Rue's wordless request and kept his distance, which allowed Rue to collect herself as she adjusted to his colossal-- and yet not overbearing-- presence. He affirmed her observation politely enough, and Rue's head dipped back down as she eased into a more comfortable stance. She then took a few steps forward, bringing the two of them to a proximity more comfortable for conversation. She quite appreciated that the man had allowed her to manage their distance; with that gesture of respect Rue was able to relax and trust the man just a little more.
"Ruenna Redfern," she replied, "formerly of Blacktail Deer Plateau... this plateau," she added, voice heavy with nostalgia. Her gaze swept the scenery as she released a melancholic sigh. "We were recently forced to disband. Several of us joined with Constantine's wolves at Swiftcurrent Creek, myself included." It was more history than she would usually provide to a stranger, and she did so mostly for Stigmata's benefit. She had no doubt it was information the leader would be quite interested to obtain from his subordinate, and for reasons unknown Rue felt compelled to do her part in passing along the knowledge.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Thorn - January 19, 2019
thorn slid into a sitting pose, studying the sylph as she gently pulled closer. he did not much care for the idea he might be intimidating her -- she was so delicate, so finely wrought -- that the idea of startling her caused thorn to try to bend and contort his frame until he was as disarming as possible.
he would have never afforded this courtesy to a male -- but ruenna was not male, and so, was exposed to a softer side to the eyjolfur.
her pack was not familiar to the hound, but he was surprised to learn she was one of the very wolves that had once resided here. tactfully keeping his voice low, thorn spoke to her in as refained a manner as he could. "thorn eyjolfur. what happened to this plateau?"
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Ruenna - January 20, 2019
Rue blinked. His name was Thorn? She couldn't really think of a less fitting name for the hulking, burly man. Thorns were so tiny, so thin and brittle and small, and this man was anything but. Thorns were also sharp, stinging and biting and clinging mercilessly wherever they touched. Although Rue had only just met the man, so far there was nothing about him that suggested a prickly disposition.
"Coyotes," Rue answered with a frown. "There were... so many... " She looked around their quiet, empty surroundings dejectedly. It seemed that the coyotes had only stayed long enough to devastate the caches, and then they had vanished. This place had been a home for Ruenna and many others, and the coyotes had ruined it all just for a quick snack break. It would have been infuriating, if Rue was the furious sort of wolf.
"I guess they were drawn in by our caches. They.. they attacked when most of the pack was on a hunt, and just... took everything. Ate everything." Rue shook her head. If the attack had happened during the summer months they might have been able to pull through, but with food being so scarce in the winter the pack had been forced to go their separate ways.
Rue shook her head again. This would never have happened if the Plateau wolves had lived like her birthpack, following the herds and only settling temporarily. Red Fern Glade had never amassed caches large enough to attract such a populous groups of predators simply because they never stayed anywhere long enough to do so. The Plateau's stationary existence had contributed to its demise, Rue was certain.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Thorn - January 20, 2019
if thorn had been cognizant of ruenna's inward examination of his name, he might have supplied some contesting points -- some thorns were large, and thorn -- well, perhaps the name was more symbolic than literal. he might even had gone into depth and explained that all of umbriel's litter shared the same naming convention -- quill, nails, tusk -- powerful defenses for a powerful family line.
thorn had not scented many coyotes in the plateau, and so, his spine arched in slight surprise and he glanced around them as if expecting one of the curs to materialize before them. the two of them likely would be able to fend off a few, but if a band roved their way...
his hackles prickled at the idea.
"why did you not kill them?" he asked, wondering too why the pack had stored so large a dowry in the earth that an entire pack of them were attacted to the plateau. "the dead don't steal."
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Ruenna - January 20, 2019
"We did." Rue returned, brow knitting. Blacktail Deer Plateau were not wolves to simply roll over and allow others to take what was theirs. "There were just too many," Rue added, tone verging on defensive.
After a short, tense moment, she let out a sigh and allowed her walls to come down a bit. Blacktail Deer Plateau was gone, what could it really hurt? "We had just lost several of our best mercenaries. They parted from us to create their own pack, and we couldn't hold down this territory without them. We had built caches and claimed territory for a large pack, and without our warriors.. we were not such a pack." Rue's regret for the events she described was written all over her face.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Thorn - January 20, 2019
thorn was admittedly prepared to think less of this plateau pack, given they had been run out by coyotes of all things. ruenna's explanation tempered his judgment slightly; if their numbers had been thinned, perhaps their pack's demise had been inevitable.
he kept such thoughts to himself, for he had caught the regret that sorrowed the sylph's words. "where did the mercenaries go?"
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Ruenna - January 20, 2019
The furrow in Rue's brow deepened. "They didn't say... They're following a wolf named Issun. He used to be one of ours. That's.. that's all I know." Rue did her best to keep the bitterness from her tone. She tried not to fault others for pursuing their own happiness, but... truly, if Issun and the others had remained, Ruenna believed wholeheartedly that Blacktail Deer Plateau would have overcome the coyotes.
"Please, Thorn, if you have the opportunity..." Rue's amber eyes lifted to meet the man's serpentine gaze. "...Could you relay what has happened here to Stigmata? He would be interested, I'm sure. And, please, tell him... Tell him that with the coyote band on the loose, it would be best for him and his followers to keep on the move, and only keep small, defensible caches. Tell him this.. advice comes straight from the lady Ruenna of Swiftcurrent Creek." Rue's eyes remained trained on Thorn, awaiting what she hoped to be his confirmation.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Thorn - January 20, 2019
mercenaries were a fickle race, thorn had come to learn -- and ruenna had come to find out. his features turned downward in a frown, for the name was unfamiliar to him and meant little to the eyjolfur. it would not be a name he forgot soon.
when the brute shifted to glance upon the sylph, he was surprised to find that ruenna's gaze bore into him; there was a beseeching intensity to her gaze he could not ignore. the onyx serpent dipped his head in somber acknowledgment to her deploring words -- rest assured, thorn spared stigmata no expense when it came to communication. "i will tell him at once."
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Ruenna - January 22, 2019
"Ah.. thank you," Rue spoke, letting her gaze fall in relief. It was an odd feeling to be accomodated immediately, almost as if upon returning here she had regained a sliver of the respect she'd once commanded as beta of these lands.
She could not say why this was so important to her, that Stigmata hear the news of her former pack's demise... and also that he should know where to find the lady Ruenna now, in her new lodgings at Swiftcurrent Creek. Perhaps their paths were converging, as Stigmata had predicted. Perhaps this was why Rue neede to know her name whispered past the new monarch's ears on occasion, to know she was not forgotten.
Rue nodded with an air of finality. Now, some advice for the messenger as well as his king. "Appreciate every moment and every wolf in your new home, Thorn Eyjolfur. What happened here... it just shows how quickly it can all vanish." It was likely Rue could benefit from following her own advice. She ought to be spending her time forging bonds with her new packmates instead of mourning the loss of her former life.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Thorn - January 22, 2019
appreciate every moment.
the black cur's gaze lifted, surprised to be handed such sobering advice, thorn considered her words. by principle he did not believe himself a wolf that took his good luck for granted.
dipping his broad muzzle to oblige her request, thorn prepared his exit. "certainly. good luck, ruenna redfern." the stygian beast grumbled, sharing with her one last look before he returned to diaspora.
RE: for you did murder kate mccannon - Ruenna - January 22, 2019
Obliging as ever, Thorn agreed to heed Rue's advice with a dip of his muzzle. "And you," Rue returned his sentiment. She then watched him disappear into the trees, the trees she knew like the back of her paw. "Until we meet again," Rue whispered, turning over her shoulder to make her own departure. She could feel it too, just as Stigmata described... her path converging with that of the Diaspora wolves.