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+--- Thread: Lost Creek Hollow Elephant Gun (/showthread.php?tid=37472)
Elephant Gun - Jackalope - November 10, 2019
Oh hiya all! Tossing Jackalope this way- but if there are no replies by Tuesday morning, I'll have him go elsewhere :) He may not even work out here...Or anywhere. But it is certainly fun trying to fling him places XD
Having given up fairly quickly on his first attempt at joining a pack in the area, Jackalope moved on, secretly pleased with the little 'no thank you' sign he'd left on their doorstep. He'd made sure to cover his tracks- traipsing through cold water, doubling back on his tracks and using every fox trick he knew- so that they would have a very difficult time tracking him down. Still, if they did, he'd be surprised and perhaps a bit pleased too. He'd be surprised that a pack that couldn't be bothered to attend the call of a possible joiner would actually go after someone who left a crude marking at their border, and pleased that they were actually capable of following his difficult trail. Maybe then they'd earn his respect- though he didn't really want to have whatever punishment they'd bestow upon him fall on his head.
Truthfully, and to the wolves of Easthollow's merit, he hadn't given them terribly long to come and greet him. He couldn't have expected to be a top priority- every pack had a great deal to deal with, with the advent of Winter coming, and he shouldn't have mistaken the time it'd taken for someone to respond for laziness. It wasn't their fault at all, really- nor was it anyone's fault at all that Jackalope felt so entitled...It was something he'd developed on his own, and he liked to think foolishly that he would get much further in life if he put himself above everyone else. His new toything was the idea of joining a pack, as he had little left else to do that would mean anything, in the long run.
This time, he didn't bother bringing a kill with him as proof that he could hunt. He'd eaten the partridge he'd brought to the borders of Easthollow and had scattered the feathers everywhere along that part of the borders before heading in the Hollow's direction, so he hadn't had much time to find something else- nor had he desired to do so. The last pack had blown its chance- so why should this one deserve anything? Also- the two packs were fairly close together, and he hadn't expected to happen upon the borders of another pack so quickly, so he had not even had the time to consider catching something else. A few down feathers were still tangled up in his unruly grey mane near his hunched shoulders anyway, and he left them there. That would probably be enough of an indication that he could hunt, right?
It didn't exactly occur to him that this pack was likely allied with Easthollow, but he wouldn't have cared anyway. It wasn't like they'd make such a fuss over him having left a pile of feathers and...Well, a pile of something else at their borders to mark his displeasure at having waited so long, right? If they were- and if this ticked off the wolves in this pack too, then they weren't right for him. They had to at least have a bit of a sense of humour, and they'd have to let something like that roll off their shoulders like water off a duck's back for them to be the right fit for Jackalope. Unaware of any future repercussions for his actions, he'd traipsed from one pack's borders to the borders of one of its allies- though the care he'd taken to cover his steps would have also erased any trace of scent indicating that he'd even been to Easthollow to begin with.
He came to the borders, sat, and called out. With half a smile on his face, he wondered smugly how long this pack would take to answer his call.
RE: Elephant Gun - Terance - November 11, 2019
it seemed it was quiet in the territory lately -- save for brou and pike's screaming. the borders still saw visitors, though. terance heard the sound of a howl while on his patrol, beginning to make his way towards the call.
terance was no wiser than the trick the stranger had pulled upon him, not scenting anything adherently wrong with the stranger. but, why should he have? the leader arrived as he always did, standing tall, ears pricked, and gaze rested upon the outsider with nothing but patience. his demeanor begged all the questions that he didn't ask, but still, terance cleared his throat in the cold air.
can i help you?the stone asked, tail flicking as it arched above his rear.
woo!! less see
RE: Elephant Gun - Jackalope - November 11, 2019
XD Eyyup <3
Well, that wasn't so bad. While he didn't get an answr in response promising a prompt meeting, it wasn't very long before he spotted a dark figure in the distance steadily making a beeline for him. He wasn't coming from the heart of the claimed territory, but from what Jackalope was assuming was a border patrol- which was reassuring. Good- they had a proper guardian who, as he came closer, bore the scent of the wolf who had put in an obvious effort to maintain the borders. He was either a high-ranking wolf, then, or one designated as a guardian.
As he came closer, Jackalope was able to judge by the easy confidence with which the man bore himself that this still could be either a notable wolf of the pack or a serious guardian. One who did their job, but didn't rush to meet newcomers with a threat. He wasn't flaunting his status as some might have, nor was he putting on any sort of a display. If Jackalope could say one thing about the way this guy moved, it was that he was simply cool. Though his pelt bore a myriad of scars- causing Jackalope some concern- he didn't seem like the type who was quick to get offensive toward a wolf who wasn't causing any harm. He did have to wonder if the male had earned those scars through some individual spat, or fight, or if they had something to do with his rols protecting the pack. Jackalope wasn't interested in getting into the middle of some kind of war. Still, though there was a confidence about the battle-torn male, there was also a calm within his verdant eyes, and a softness to his lips. His tail arched over his back in a gesture which often made Jackalope roll his eyes- but considering the fact that this guy had obviously seen his share of violence, he was able to- for once- recognize the action as a mere preventative measure. Jackalope interpreted it as a silent way of saying don't try anything. I've been through worse shit before and still come out kicking.
He lowered his head in a greeting, bobbing his chin slightly in acknowledgement of all the questions that the male's green eyes asked, and of the soft one that he asked in a calm voice. Jackalope's more impetuous nature was temporarily subdued. "Name's Cian Blackthorn, but I go by Jackalope." He said, with a tinge of pride. He knew his nickname suited him perfectly; aside for the fact that he didn't have antlers, and perhaps as well that he was the wrong species- his long upper fangs and bobbed tail practically begged for some type of nickname. And he was glad he'd been given Jackalope, rather than Jackrabbit. "Been travelling for some time, looking for a pack to join now. Was wondering if you might tell me a bit about yours," He stated, aware of the fact that he wasn't exactly posing a question, but he felt that his way of delivering the question was much less urgent, less demanding- and perhaps therefore less abrasive, which was unusual for him. It did carry a bit of ambivalence, perhaps- as though to indicate that he wouldn't be offended whatsoever if the guardian before him denied him any information. If that was the case, Jackalope would merely be on his way, without any arguments...But not likely without any sour comments.
RE: Elephant Gun - Terance - November 11, 2019
the stone was glad he was met with respect and an amiable demeanor -- such was all terance could ask for in someone standing at his borders. at the mention of blackthorn, his ear flicked forwards, trying to figure out where the hell that name had come from...
jackalope,he repeated, offering a gentle smile and his own name in return,
terance.ah! wait -- just as the long fanged man began to state his reason for being, terance remembered where he'd heard the name blackthorn before. he held back a frown, though a hint of concern pressed into his brow... if jackelope bothered to pay attention.
did you travel here from the redhawks?he asked, unaware of just how vast the blackthorn family was. he barely remembered liffey's surname -- only knowing it from passing conversations with rannoch when he'd mention liffey's family. as he looked upon the guy now, terance found resemblance between them. the black stripe, for starters. he held his judgement, for now, but was struggling past the prejudice he was feeling. to rannoch's son... terance found it easier -- who could persecute a child? here, terance certainly had some reservations.
but... he didn't mention how they could certainly use the extra paws -- not if this was some ploy put up by liffey..
sure -- i lead this pack along with my mate arbiter... who may make an appearance,he said instead, pausing to glance over his shoulder for his wife, who always seemed to be around -- but not now, it seemed,
we've got some pups in the pack -- older ones, though, already helping on patrols and such. pretty informal place, ranks function on loyalty. we've got allies in a few corners of the wilds.
to that, terance added with a small grin,
you've missed the worst of some natural disasters, though. we're working on clean-up, now, but i think everything in this area has been seeing some pretty bad earthquakes.
RE: Elephant Gun - Jackalope - November 11, 2019
Terance. Well, it wasn't too haughty of a name, so that was alright. Terance, though, quickly posed a question that made Jackalope raise his head and give the man a confused look, one scruffy eyebrow raised. "Redhawks? No, never heard of it." He answered honestly. "Passed by some reddish mountains in May of this year- but that was quite a bit East of here and I didn't spend much time there. Why- something I should know about it?" He asked. He'd landed solidly on the assumption that the Redhawks was a place, and that there was some reason to avoid it. Jackalope wasn't terribly keen on naming places he visited- he catelogued them in his mind based on what they looked like, and the season he passed through, without giving it some ridiculous name. It was quite possible, then, that he'd passed through the Redhawks without even knowing it, if it was somewhere East or North of where he was now. Terence certainly looked skeptical. Maybe there was some sort of disease that had passed through that area, or maybe someone he didn't like lived there.
For a moment, he wondered if the Redhawks was maybe the name of the pack he'd just visited, and it made him slightly nervous- though he didn't show it. There was no way the news of a phantom border-shitter could have made its way from that pack to this one that quickly, right?
He too looked past Terance when he mentioned his mate, but for her sake, Jackalope hoped she didn't show up. He didn't want to meet someone's wife. He felt the impulse to tell them off for the way they would eventually, inevitably, ruin Terance's life. That was what women did. He hoped that Terance at least had her in check, and that he was the one who made all final decisions for the pack, not her. It wasn't a woman's job to lead, it was a woman's job to support. Apparently the two of them had had kids, and Terance was quick to point out that the little halflings weren't freeloaders, which caused Jackalope some concern. He didn't particularly like kids, as he didn't particularly like censoring himself. What Terance might not have realized, was that Jackalope now feared that the pack consised only of Terance, Arbiter and their kids, and that was immediately a turn-off.
When he mentioned natural disasters, Jackalope shrugged and nodded. He'd been far enough East that he'd only heard and felt the slightest rumble, but he'd heard some horror stories from wolves who'd fled in his direction as he'd doggedly made his way back West, as though determined to prove that they were just sissies. Not interested in such things- as apparently that time was all over now anyway- he returned to the topic of the pack's members.
"So when you say it's you, your mate and some kids...Is that everyone in the pack? Or are there other adults too?" He asked, his skepticism showing in his voice. He did not want to join a pack that was 100% family members. That would mean babysitting and he would have none of that. "What've you got in your pack for tradesmen so far?" He asked. It wasn't exactly common for the tables to be turned, and for the interviewee to suddenly be the one asking questions that might make or break their decision- but Jackalope wasn't keen on joining a pack unless he figured it could more or less function with or without him actually contributing much. And if there were only kids and adults who hadn't bothered to earn a trade, he knew he'd be forced to work and step up- and he wasn't sure he wanted that.
RE: Elephant Gun - Terance - November 11, 2019
terance shook his head.
no -- there's a pack here with a bunch of blackthorn's in it. maybe they're unrelated,he said with a shrug, feeling quite relieved that he didn't appear to know liffey. granted, he could've been lying. but, whatever. he would take the guys word for now.
when questions were directed at him, terance noted what they were. he shook his head.
plenty of others,he returned with a small smile, figuring kids weren't everyone's cup of tea,
i'm just most proud of them, i think.terance, though, quite enjoyed kiddos -- especially his own.
mercenaries, scouts, and hunters mostly,he said with another flick of an ear,
what about yourself?terance, while technically the leader first, was certainly not the only one. most of his decisions were influenced by arbiter one way or another, though he didn't always ask permission. they trusted each other, that was all that mattered... but no need to mention all that.
RE: Elephant Gun - Jackalope - November 11, 2019
More Blackthorns? At first, Jackalope pricked his ears with interest, before he sighed, rolling his eyes and turning them back slightly in bemusement. He laughed a dry, brittle laugh and shrugged one shoulder. "Nah, we probably are related," He admitted wryly. "Big family. There were 9 in my litter alone, and I have no idea where the rest of them have gone- but we tend to scatter into the wind to terrorize the world as soon as we hit the yearling mark," He said. Still, the tone of his voice was fairly flat, indicating that he had left Blackthorn Vale to get away from the confines of being surrounded by family- and had no intention of joining up with them all again. Most of his older siblings had left when they'd been young anyway, so apart from the few who stayed back, he had no idea which Blackthorns might have come this way, nor would he have ever met them either. Unless one of his littermates had made their way in this direction, it was unlikely that he'd know aby of the Blackthorns in this Redhawks pack.
He studied Terance's voice and features for any indication that he might have been lying when he assured Jackalope that there were not only a few other adults, but plenty of them. His reasoning for mentioning the kids first was decent enough- and he supposed that a father had the right to be proud of his kids if they weren't total disappointments. And sure- if they were already chomping at the bit to patrol, then they couldn't be too childish, right? Maybe Terance was the kind of father that didn't let his kids run loose and wild, and started training them in their natural discipline as soon as they were able to do so. Jackalope certainly hoped so. He really did not want to have to put up with a bunch of entitled, spoiled brats. They'd be too much like him, and he didn't like copycats.
It seemed that the pack had the basic trades that every pack needed, save perhaps for a medic. Jackalope wouldn't have been any help in that area, really. So when Terance asked him about his own skills, he tilted his head to the side, allowing it to crack audibly, as though to punctuate the point that he was a tough guy. "Bit of all those, really," He said casually. "Best off as a scout; got a better sense of direction than anyone I know, and a memory for terrain. I could probably list the last 30 brooks I've crossed and point you right to them too." He bragged immodestly- his proficiency matched only by his ego. "I travel fast, and I definitely don't starve while I go," He said. "I can patrol as a guardian but it's stupid boring always just going in the same oddly shaped circle every day. I'd be better off scouting." He said frankly, tilting his head in the other direction and cracking his neck on that side as well.
RE: Elephant Gun - Terance - November 11, 2019
oh -- so maybe he was related to liffey. didn't seem to know her though, still, so terance didn't mention the witch. his tail waved, and he nodded along as he told a quick anecdote. sounded like arbiter's family, honestly... well, at least what he had gathered from her about it thus far. he had a plethora of siblings, sure, but none of them were too great at terrorizing anything... that was for sure.
his children, through... yeah, okay. but again, arbiter.
i see,said terance with a few more nods of his head, liking the part about the good memory. though terance used to pride himself on having excellent memory(especially good for holding grudges), the wounds he'd received from that bear all those years ago (years!! christ) seemed to have impacted that. he was still a little shocked he ended up remembering liffey's old surname.
he rolled his own shoulders, cracking a small grin at jackalope's body language. funny guy, for sure. terance hoped he'd find a place here -- they could use some extra paws for sure, and as great as arbiter was, she wasn't the friendship terance used to have with rannoch. but, honestly, terance wasn't really thinking about a friendship right now. it's just me, sad that a really great WOLF bromance had died off. anyway.
well,he said with a twitch of a dark ear,
prey is still scarce, we've mostly been traveling out of the territory to find it, we could use another scout to help us out with that.
then, terance paused, muzzle tilting up.
i forgot to mention -- this is lost creek hollow.
RE: Elephant Gun - Jackalope - November 12, 2019
From what he could tell, Terance seemed fairly pleased, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Get in good with the alpha, and he'd be sitting at a comfy rank in the pack in no time, right? That was how this worked, wasn't it? It seemed like he'd found his way into a pack, one that didn't seem to remarkable to Jackalope, but then again, the fact that it wasn't pretentious was a major bonus. The alpha wasn't conceited, and at least there was a dude who was in the very least partially in control of the pack. Jackalope would have had a difficult time following a female who led on her own.
But when Terance spoke the name of the pack, Jackalope took a second to consider it, with a slightly skeptical look on his face, before he snorted loudly. "Lost Creek Hollow?" He asked throatily. "Man, you do need a scout, if you can't even find the creek your pack's territory is named after," Had his tone been lighter, it might have sounded like he was making an innocent joke to try and lighten the mood, or to inrtoduce himself as someone who liked puns and wordplay. This, however, was not exactly the case. Jackalope thought the name was stupid. "Kind of a lame name, whether or not you ask me," He commented, his tone lighter now, but still slightly dry. "Yeeeeahhh, I dunno if I reeeeally want to belong to a pack with a name like that." He sounded and looked stoic- likely because Jackalope himself wasn't even certain if he was just pulling a joke or not. Would he really walk out on a pack just because he thought the name was lame? With Jackalope, it all just depended on how he felt at that given moment. Presently, he was ambivalent.
"How 'bout we do this. You and me- spar. I wanna see if all those scars you have are from fights you've won, or fights you've lost. If you win, I join, and you get a top-notch scout on your team. If I win...Well, you'll have to really convince me to join, then," He said. He stepped back a bit, putting a bit of space between them, and lowered his head to ready himself. "Or you could just declare me alpha of the pack. Your choice. You game?" There was no threat or hostility in his tone- it was nothing more than a simple invitation to Jackalope, who still didn't particularly care which way the fight went.
RE: Elephant Gun - Terance - November 12, 2019
terance, who's expression had gone from warm and optimistic -- after all! they really could have used the members -- suddenly went cold. it dropped quickly, starting with the fact that the joke this stranger had made hadn't even really made sense. the point of the word lost was that it was their hidden gem -- tucked within the territory. arbiter probably didn't think it was as poetic as he did, but it was quite sentimental to terance, who held a lot of his mother within him.
ah! and then it only got worse. quickly, terance decided this guy was definitely related to liffey, and questioned if maybe he had been lying -- liffey probably had sent him here to overthrow him and arbiter and murder his whole family. fine. whatever. two could play at that game. if the frostfur's wanted war, terance would wage it.
terance listened to the whole spiel, but only barely. and as soon as that smug mouth stopped moving, terance lunged. jaws gaping, the leader snarled as he moved, aiming to grab the mans throat right from the start. this was no longer amiable -- this was trespassing, and terance was either going to kill this man, or -- no. he was dying.
RE: Elephant Gun - Jackalope - November 12, 2019
Wanna do a couple rounds of dice-rolling? I don't want Jackalope to die- too early for that yet heh- but I'd be cool with them duking it out for a couple rounds! You can decide whatever the terms are for points and such if you're interested :)
Something he'd said had definitely struck a nerve- and even though Terance waited for him to finish speaking, there was a palpable tension in the air- one which more or less went ignored by Jackalope as he was bound and determined to finish what he was saying. He was glad that he'd put a bit of space between the two of them when he saw Terence lower his head. He knew that posture- and the extra little bit of space he'd created by stepping back in preparation for a spar definitely saved his life as the dark male lunged toward him, jaws open and snapping for his throat. Jackalope backpedaled a few steps quickly before he was fully able to bound backwards and away from the vicious onslaught, and immediately, his mood turned sour. That wasn't the way you began a spar.
"Jeez dude, it's just a fucking spar, not a fight to the death you hosebag," He accused, speaking quickly as he continuously moved away from Terence without turning his back on the dark, now unpredictable male. "If you're gonna be that way I'm fucking out," He warned. After all- maybe Terence was just testing him, or joking with him. Jackalope hadn't claimed to be a brilliant fighter, he was a scout, and at best, all he'd have to do in any tangly situations while scouting would be to stun and run, not engage in a full battle.
RE: Elephant Gun - Terance - November 12, 2019
yeah!! there's a new buffer system some people have been trying out that i think should be fun to use! sorry for the abrupt shift, lol, i'd never kill a toon without permission, it was just terance's mindset ;) https://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=37196&pid=397224#pid397224 looking at this post specifically -- so we'd each have 50HP (?) and roll 1d20 to see how much damage we hit on the other wolf. terance would get a buffer of +6 because he has his guardian mastery and has won a fight before... does that sound okay?
but this wasn't a test, and terance wasn't joking. he was shocked the male was even trying to talk right now when he was very clearly trying to harm him. terance lunged again, jaws still agape as the aimed once more for something to sink into. terance didn't want to spar, he wanted him gone, and if this man couldn't read body language well enough to see that, he wasn't welcome at the hollow anyhow.
RE: Elephant Gun - Jackalope - November 12, 2019
Of course! I knows you <3 And yeah, I think I've seen people do that and I like that idea :) So Terence would have 56HP and Jackalope would have 50HP, and we roll a d20 and whatever number comes up, that gets subtracted off the HP? If that's how she goes, I'm totally down with that- if you want to start a thread for keeping track and have Ter-Ter have a go at Jacky in your next post, roll away :D
Jackalope- as intelligent as he was- still wasn't completely certain that Terence wasn't just trying to test him. His next lunge brought him even closer, wearing down the amount of distance Jackalope was able to keep between them while still facing his opponent. He hadn't completely made up his mind yet about what exactly was expected of him just then- and he still wanted Terence to tone down his aggression a bit for a spar, but part of him became fairly frazzled, and he was starting to anger.
"DUDE! It's a spar, seriously!!" He complained angrily and loudly. If he didn't back off then, Jackalope knew he would be forced to defend himself.
RE: Elephant Gun - Terance - November 12, 2019
<3 and i think it goes every roll terance automatically makes 6 damage, plus whatever he rolls! but they both start with 50 (:
but terance wasn't backing off. he was coming harder and faster too. he was actually getting agitated that this worm was avoiding his hits so well -- writhe creature, terance was typically too bulky to dodge like that, typically opting to absorb hits head on. it was better for him. but anyway.
teeth. still ready for flesh. terance lunged again.
RE: Elephant Gun - Jackalope - November 12, 2019
Jackalope had had enough of this. This guy wasn't backing off, nor was he listening to Jackalope's complaints. He skittered back again, but Terence's next lunge caught him short of where he'd wanted to retreat to, and Terence's teeth caught his shoulder, tearing cleanly through the thick, shaggy fur and inflicting a small but painful wound that would leave a mark near where his hunched shoulderblades rose up above his spine. He snarled in pain, and could no longer convince himself that this was a simple spar. This guy meant business- so if he did, Jackalope would have to as well.
Presently, he wasn't sure what he intended to do in the long run. Did he want to put in all his effort and smack this guy to the ground just so he could potentially claim leadership of the pack? That was, of course, if his mate would simply follow general, male-dominanted-pack rules and allow him to take over after defeating the alpha. Otherwise- he could simply half-ass it, and as soon as he had Terance slightly incapacitated, he could run off. In the end, he decided not to decide until that decision was more or less made for him, by either landing a glorious hit- or suffering from one.
With Terance in close proximity, Jackalope used his speed to launch an attack of his own finally, surging viciously toward Terance's own shoulder, aiming to not only repay the pain in full, but in double.