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+--- Thread: Snowforest Taiga Some turn to dust or to gold (/showthread.php?tid=8758)
Some turn to dust or to gold - Saēna - April 05, 2015
Set around SFT2/SFT3 area on the WIP map.
Saena's trek north was uneventful. Several days passed by with the only noteworthy developments being the prey she secured for herself. Despite her training as a hunter, Saena was forced to skip one breakfast and one lunch in favour of saving her energy after a crafty squirrel and hare both gave her the slip. Aside from those periods of growling hunger, there was nothing the yearling could complain about. The weather was fair for her entire journey.
She'd frolicked carelessly on the moraine and had even swept west along the plains, but nothing so far had struck her as "the place". As Saena'd told Reek and Wynter when they agreed to give her a chance as an Alpha, she would know it when she found it, and so far, she hadn't found it. She hadn't even come close. The north-west peak might have been promising if not for the very telltale signs that a wolf pack already lived there; Saena had smelled them over a mile from their border, and hadn't pushed her luck by getting any closer.
She was moving south, now, with Nova Peak's shadowed face at her back and the sun high overhead. Not far ahead, with sharp sides that were daunting but nowhere near unmanageable, stood another mountain, much shorter than the glacier to the east and Nova Peak to the north, but seemingly wider in a way. This was Saena's next destination. She intended to scale its sides and, using its height to her advantage, would determine where she should go next.
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Bazi - April 05, 2015
Bazi knew better than to venture too far beyond Nova Peak's borders in her fifth week of pregnancy, but she had woken up in a defiant state of mind that day. With her round belly in tow and no word to her pack mates, she had ventured south, hell-bent on proving that a lady up the duff was still a worthy scout.
She got as far as the slopes of the somewhat squatter mountain to the south before collapsing in a wheezing, whining heap in some bushes. Cramps squeezed her abdomen like a vice, and her already sensitive underside felt as though someone had doused it in gasoline and lit a match. This couldn't possibly be normal. Bazi shot a glance over her shoulder. Nova Peak was miles away at this point, and at the speed she walked, there was no hope whatsoever of reaching it before dark - at least not without an hours' rest and a sip of water to fuel her.
Groaning and huffing, Bazi dragged her rotund form out of the bushes and into the open - well within Saena's sights.
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Saēna - April 05, 2015
The climb was taxing. Low trees and shrubs dotted the sides of the slope, flourishing into a full forest and then petering out into rocky scrub once more. As she got higher, Saena noticed the ground sloping, as if the squat mountain's peak was actually a rounded dome. It was much too large to be a simple hill, and yet it felt like one.
When she reached the peak, Saena was short of breath for more than one reason. The trek up had taken a lot of energy from her, but the view was incredible. The mountain was actually a short chain, their tops connected to form a broad ridge. Bushes and rocks congregated along the top, and she saw that all sides were covered in a layer of deciduous trees. The sun glinted off a stream that was barely visible from the top. Overhead, nearly a dozen red-tailed hawks circled close by, eagerly hunting the mice that frequented the plains at the mountain's base.
Without realizing it, Saena had just thrown out her territory wishlist, and that sudden feeling of knowing rushed in and squeezed her chest. She was about to howl for the two loners, Wynter and Reek, when her eye snagged on a very pregnant wolf dragging herself from a patch of bushes nearby.
Concerned, the red-marked lone female paced cautiously toward Bazi. When she was close enough to be heard, she called out, "shouldn't you, y'know, not be climbing mountains while you're that pregnant?"
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Bazi - April 08, 2015
The less mobile of the two wolves was moments away from relieving her bladder into said bushes when Saena called, and much to her horror, there was no stopping it. Bazi backed her rear end into the shrubbery for privacy, forcing urine out as fast as she possibly could without rupturing something. The grass dampened the noise somewhat, but not enough. "I can climb just fine," she grumbled grouchily to herself, giving her business end an awkward shake before stepping out again to squint at the caller. The approaching wolf was young, and undeniably beautiful. She possessed the kind of figure that Bazi feared would never again be hers, with striking copper markings and a graceful gait. The mountain Alpha pushed back her shoulders in an attempt to come across more regal. It didn't work. So much for the the 'glow'. "What're you doing here on your own?" she called back, narrowing her eyes at the young whipper-snapper adventurer (oh my GOD I am my mother).
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Saēna - April 08, 2015
Although the woman shuffled suspiciously back into the bushes and did something that Saena didn't even notice, Bazi's response reassured Saena that nothing was wrong, but only because her experience with pregnant wolves was limited to Blue Willow. The Blacktail Deer Plateau healer had been on her feet until days before giving birth. Her brief belief that a pregnant wolf should be with their pack, resting, seemed to be fallacious. Relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about helping Bazi back to the ground—it wasn't really in her nature to be that selfless with strangers, anyway—she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
She sucked it right back in when the other asked what she was doing alone, like she was some sort of kid that needed to be watched over, even though that's not at all what Bazi meant. A brief flare of irritation lit in Saena's breast. "I'm an Outrider," she explained, doing her best to mask any annoyance she felt over the question. "And I'm looking for a good place to stake a claim, if you must know." Unlike the lone wolves Saena had recruited, there was little enthusiasm offered to Bazi, almost as if the pregnant woman wasn't invited. Which, of course, she wasn't; even in the unlikely event that Bazi was without a pack, she was pregnant, which was a deal breaker.
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Bazi - April 10, 2015
"I'm an outrider," the girl informed her curtly. Envy spread through Bazi's chest - or acid reflux, she couldn't quite tell any more. Like anyone with a pack to look after and an impending first birth, there were moments when she wanted to shed her skin, run away, and start afresh. She felt that feeling now, looking at slim little Saena and all of the wonderful unknowns ahead of her.
Bazi put another two steps' worth of distance between herself and her makeshift toilet. She was parched - her urine had a strong smell to it, and her mouth was dry. It was high time she went home - but Bazi was determined to make a useful, non-baby-related contribution to the world before she did so. "If you are looking for recruits, there are always loners near the water," she offered, meaning the ocean. Saena didn't look like she meant to settle in the mountains, crushed between two large groups of ex-Swiftcurrent wolves (as far as Bazi knew, the Glacier was still a fully functional pack).
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Saēna - April 12, 2015
Near the water. It was non-specific, but Saena took it to mean the coastline rather than the rivers and lakes of the region, if only because she had yet to meet many wolves near rivers or lakes. A lot of the time, she passed by bodies of water without encountering anyone. The coast, however, was a long stretch, a wonder to behold. Saena had no doubts that Bazi was absolutely right about lone wolves frequenting the shore. It seemed to draw all wolves in by virtue of its existence.
"Thanks," she said, "maybe some would be willing to come back here with me. I'll check it out." First, she needed to get Reek and Wynter to the ridge, but when next she found herself free, she would make a point of exploring the coast. Not for territory—Saena was very much a mountains girl and was pretty sure this ridge was her first, if not only, choice—but Bazi's advice would not go unheeded.
"I'm Saena, by the way," she said, "formerly from the Blacktail Deer Plateau pack. You?" She said this noncommittally, as if Bazi was welcome to share or not share and Saena wouldn't take offence either way.
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Bazi - May 02, 2015
The idea of Saena setting up shop nearby did not worry Bazi much. According to Reek - soon to be this girl's pack mate, though none of the three knew it - the coastal pack was on its way out and Bazi had seen nothing of the Glacier wolves since arriving at Nova Peak. It was lonely, and she almost relished the idea of having a neighbour to keep tabs on.
"Bazi. Nova Peak," she countered, nodding in the direction of home. Blacktail Deer Plateau.. the white wolf's face scrunched up in concentration. "Blacktail.. isn't that.. did you know a Fox?"
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Saēna - May 04, 2015
Surprisingly, Bazi didn't seem to take poorly to news of Saena's plans. The former Blacktail wolf took it as a good sign. Naturally, she didn't know that both of the surrounding packs had disappeared and assumed that none had ever bothered coming this far north aside from the Nova Peak pack, but she was glad that her plan wasn't met with hostility. It would make things easier for her and them if they were able to come to a truce of sorts.
Before Saena could mention it, though, Bazi asked a question that brought forth a whole mess of emotions with hatred at the helm. "I know Fox," she said slowly, "she's a selfish bitch. She came to the plateau for a while, and then convinced my dad to abandon his family for her, after our Alpha female stepped down so she could lead with him." Whether or not Bazi was interested in Fox or even shared the same distaste was uncertain. Saena didn't care; she rarely wasted an opportunity to tell others how absolutely toxic the red-haired bitch was. Besmirching others' reputations was becoming more and more rare for Saena, but for Fox, she would do it every hour of every day if she had the chance.
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Bazi - May 15, 2015
Selfish bitch. Bazi's gleeful grin lived a short but glorious life, lighting up her face for all but a second. "That bad?" she asked - a rhetoric question; Saena clearly thought very little of the Creek's former leader. Bazi's own feelings about Fox had settled over time; looking back, she recognized the dogged determination and abrupt decision-making as traits they both shared. On more than one occasion, she had considered paying Fox a visit, but life seemed to get in the way. Now, with pups on the way, such a journey would have to be put off; especially if she and Peregrine were no longer at the plateau.
Bazi had more questions to ask, but sensed that Fox was not Saena's favourite subject - at least not if she wanted rational responses. And anyway, it was high time she headed home. "Fox used to lead my pack," the white wolf shared, "Now it's mine." No need to elaborate there. Bazi cleared her throat and looked down the length of the incline she had somehow managed to scale, exhausted at the very thought of returning home but desperate to be there. "I met someone at the coast - I think his name was ..Rake? Something like that. He seemed like a nice boy; and lonely. There was a pack near the coast that disbanded recently. So it's just us - and now you." She offered a devious parting grin. "So I suppose we'll see you where the good hunting is."
RE: Some turn to dust or to gold - Saēna - May 19, 2015
In response to Bazi's exclamation about Fox, Saena gave nothing but a brisk nod, intuiting for once that nothing more needed to be said. After a pause, Bazi explained that Fox once led her pack and now belonged to her. That Saena was looking upon an Alpha female had passed her by previously, but now armed with the knowledge, she pressed her ears back respectfully and angled her snout downward. She wanted to say that she was glad Fox was gone from this area, but the truth was that Saena wished the devilish red wolf never found her way into Peregrine's life.
When Bazi mentioned the pack on the coast and Rake (Reek, surely, whom Saena had already recruited), the Blacktail said, "yes, Ankyra Sound. My sister once ran with them." She wasn't sad they were gone. Once, Saena had entertained the notion of running away from Blacktail Deer Plateau and joining Junior with the sirens of the sea, but it wasn't her time to leave. It was a decision she was thankful for having made, since Junior lasted no more than a month with Aktaie and her mysterious followers. From Reek, Saena knew the pack was disbanded; it seemed Nova Peak was also updated on news of their neighbours. She took it to be a good sign.
"I guess so," Saena said with a wry grin. Whatever she said now, Saena didn't intend for Redtail Rise as a pack to ever encroach on the Peak's hunting, but the promise of competition was briefly tempting. Only in the warm months, maybe, and only if agreed upon as a non-hostile competition. "Nice meeting you, Bazi. Walk safely. Congrats, by the way." Saena couldn't claim to know or even care much about this female beyond their brief interaction, but she loved puppies and imagined that all mothers felt blessed with theirs. Congratulating them was only proper.