The Sentinels i'll say what this means to me, i'll do what i can

any! on the borders of DL

with the boon of food in her stomach caiaphas swung south, tracing down the lengthy strand. clutched in her jaws was the meager proferring of deer haunch, a recent spoil of saltwinter's good fortune. she had not seen lasher in some time and oddly enough, wished for his company. she wished to tell him of her pups -- lusca's pups -- she wished for the first time in her life to confide all of her worries to her one true friend.

as she came along the border she noted lasher's scent was faded and at first worried donnelaith no longer held the wilds; settling the mangled haunch to the ground the coywolf set back her head in a lilting howl for lasher, and lasher only.

After leaving a meaty bone for the trio to chew and Dante to look after them, Osprey left for the borders to see the person, who had asked for Lasher's audience. She did not know, how many friends and acquaintances their former leader had had and therefore how many times in the next months she would have to go and tell them the bad news. 

When she came in the clearing and first set eyes on the caller, she froze in her steps, because the wolf seemed vaguely familiar to her and not in a pleasant way. It had been almost a year and a half ago, when she had run into the same person and they had had a rather unfriendly exchange of words. Osprey did not like her, trusted her even less - and it did not matter that this she-wolf had been a friend, ally, lover, whatever to the dead Mayfair, now according to the elder she had no right to be here. 

"Lasher is dead and you are no longer welcome here," she told the female after closing the distance so much to be seen and heard well.

phas rn, glorious hair and all

she had expected the swarthy form of lasher to greet her, yet instead she was scathingly welcomed (or refused) by this uppity succubus. caiaphas did not quell the hackles that rose along her shoulders and haunches in sharp daggers, nor did she veil the silent snarl that creased her snipey snout. who did she think she was? caiaphas felt both rage and sorrow insurmountably rise in her chest, an inexplicable, inarticulate feeling. all she felt was darkness; consuming, hateful darkness. the siren queen stepped forward, her jaw set in defiance. "did you kill him?" she asked quietly, the lowness of her tone dangerous. it was the only reason she could possibly think that she would not be welcome -- donnelaith and saltwinter had been allies, and osprey would be committing a great mistake in making caiaphas an enemy.

she took another step to osprey, each limb bold and powerful. her gaze settled on the agouti, harsh and full of grief. lasher had been her only friend, and she would not allow this strumpet to speak to her that way. where was dante? blue willow? deirdre? had this haughty little witless snake gone and killed them too? caiaphas was prepared to exact vengeance, and was not afraid to die if it came to it.

deirdre heard the call, but 'twas not that which lured her but the scent the wind brought to her. it was familiar, vaguely so, and she followed the trail. something encouraged her to move swiftly, and she followed the intuitive train of thought as she moved gracefully through the forest. she had not been far to begin with, and she heard the tail-end of the sea queens words.

kill him, were what they had been, and as she slid into view her gaze firstly fell to osprey who was, in appearance, standing guard as was appropriate. what is this? she breathed to the two of them, and her eyes fell toward caiaphas, a woman known to her as a friend of her fathers. the extent of it she did not know, but deirdre regarded the other woman with great warmth. you are the one who brought me home, when i was lost--do you remember me? her head tilted, wanting the other to feel welcome in speaking freely. that she was favored by lasher was no small thing to deirdre who had never known him to be a man of bad judgment. that caiaphas had aided her in her time of need warmed her to the other even more--but the hostility, here, was easy to sense. she glanced to osprey, befuddled. what was happening here?

The female's aggressive response was something that Osprey had expected, given her own attitude to the sea-witch. Yet it still came as a surprise and rather than making her back off and be a little more diplomatic about the approach, she felt anger rising within her. Who the heck did this hag think she were?

With fur along her nape bristled, tail raised dominantly, she locked her gaze with the opponent's. At this point Osprey forgot that she was not especially fit for combat - famine and tending for her young - having left her weak and vulnerable. This female had challenged her and according to her reasoning thus endangered her home and family. She was not going to back down. 

"Who are you to make such claims?" Osprey growled. "Baby-snatcher and killer," she added. She would have said more, had not Deirdre arrived and - both saved and spoiled the moment, cause the temptation for a nasty brawl was almost too great to resist. She composed her a little, though her eyes were still shooting daggers at the leader of Saltwinter. 

ooc: reference to this old thread - http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=8173 - she does not know the whole history about Caiaphas and kids, she just assumes that bits and pieces of information are true. In a way that a creepy person must have creepy deeds. :)

caiaphas felt the fur along her nape and spine lift in fury, and she would have struck the bold wolf down then and there were it not for the appearance of deirdre. she turned her enraged gaze to the child, and while the emotion was somewhat softened, the furor was not eked from her harrowing eyes.

she remembered deirdre, of course -- but for now, her attention was focused on osprey. she stepped forward again, a snort of incredulity issued at the notion of killing babes. she closed the gap, lifting her savage muzzle and standing mere inches from osprey's own. she met osprey's gaze, the alacrity of her yellow eyes imbued with fiery hatred. "i will say it again; did you kill him?"

short post to keep it moving >_>

 

deirdre had not heard the words osprey had uttered, but saw in caiaphas an unfetered fury toward the silver woman. when the question was uttered, deirdre was given pause for but a moment. who? who would caiaphas be speaking of? osprey has killed none, she defended, and not blindly so; for the woman had been denridden with her cubs, and before that pregnant with them. what is this? she pressed again, her eyes holding fast to caiaphas and taking her in. for the woman had known her father, and surely had known him well; for deirdre knew saltwinter to be an ally to them, and caiaphas had not shown her any cruelty. truly, deirdre could not even remember her impatience with her--she only knew that she had been brought home safely thanks to the woman. desperately she sought to recollect any stories she might have been told by her father after this; but she had been exhausted upon her homecoming, and could procure nothing in this moment.

As nice and amiable Deirdre was, in this situation, frankly speaking, Osprey was annoyed by her presence. Had the child not joined them, she and the sea-witch would have settled their differences on their own. Now the girl was between them and they were like dogs on short chains - facing each other, roaring and growling like mad at each other, yet unable to get loose and actually fight. Later... she might think it was a good thing, but for now.

"Go away," she would leave explanations for later, now she took one bold step forward again to emphasize, what she had meant before too. The witch was no longer welcome here.

the siren queen felt her lower lip curl in scorn as osprey stepped forward. a brave harridan, if any -- she eyed the tender flesh beneath the silvered female's jaws. she imagined the pulse of the veins underneath the soft embracing warmth of her skin. and she imagined the darkness that would spill from osprey's throat, should her teeth care to find it.

caiaphas visibly reined herself, though violence certainly ruled her. she did it only for deirdre -- for she understood innocence lost on her behalf was a great and egregious crime.

but she would not be commanded. not by osprey.

"no." she said firmly, dangerously. "i want to see him."

deirdre listened to the both. it took only a moment for her to deduce the only wolf caiaphas would wish to see so earnestly, and this was because she knew of his fathers feeling for the siren. not those that meant romance, but of his obvious fondness for her; after being returned from the ocean by her, lasher had told her many a tale about the attractive she-wolf.

the girl stood protectively before osprey, because she was devoted to the woman and could not stand to see her undermined. she looked to caiaphas, and then to osprey. he would wish for her to know, she murmured faintly, before gesturing away from donnelaith and trotting out and then beyond it, indicating nonverbally that caiaphas should come with her. you cannot see him, now, she began softly, gently, as the famine has taken his corporeal self from us... and she continued to walk with caiaphas toward the bay, she spoke with caiaphas about his passing, and would listen (or watch) to her say (or do) what she would.

lasher would be mourned--by all who loved him.