Don't go throwing your stones around

@Olive



Wolfsong cut through the crisp silence. Jagoda stood at the borders of the Teaghlaigh territory, having heard around Blackrock Depths that their borders, as long as they were shown respect, were not guarded with hostility by the wolves of the forest pack. The dark beast was not much for diplomacy, preferring to keep to himself.

Perhaps, however, it was residual wanderlust that lingered from his search for Ksenia that had brought his pawsteps here. He hungered for new experiences in a manner which had never struck him before. Watching the light snowfall swirl from the sky and settle down upon the tree boughs, the snowdrifts, Jagoda leaned his weight against a sturdy conifer but remained standing, yellow eyes peering into the depths of the wood. His call had long since faded, swallowed up by the silence.

The pain of Furiosa’s death had not faded yet. Time had taken the edge off — though, her drug of choice had always been a cocktail of stoic prayer and a simple splash of modern, melancholy loneliness. The smokey siren had always been a bit of an introvert and now, with the heaviness that pressed upon them, she found herself often retreating into the shadows of the forest. It was cathartic to lose reality among the dizzying smattering of the sequoias and firs, both young and old. Although, Ceannasach strictly instructed them to not be alone until the inscrutability murder had been realized.  Truly, she rarely was alone [as the only true happiness she felt now was Dakarai, who he was her shield from the horrors of the world], but Arturo’s words did not stop her from seeking the solace of the nonliving macrocosm.

She traveled under the guise of patrol, but her wanderings were truly aimless and brought her in wide circles around the sap-scented coppice. The scent of Teaghlaigh was strongly intertwined throughout their borders, marked incessantly as they were.  So when the perfume of another invaded the normality, it shocked her sensitive nose and snapped her inattentive mind back to the earthly reality: Someone was on their territory. It was the murder. It had to be.

The form of a man could be seen through the veil of falling snow. “Step back!” the woman seethed, her black lips pulling back to reveal minikin ivories. “Who are you?!” The word were barked without an inflection of amity; a rarity for Olive. All fear was gone, the resulting void filled with the need to protect and restore peace in the world. This was all on her, now.

Hackles raised and grimacing, Olive prepared to howl for the others.

within moments, jagoda became aware of the muffled sound of crashing snow and subsequent arrival of a very angry female, her fangs flashing white and vicious.

her behavior puzzled him. although he was dangerously close to trespassing,  he had yet to step over that vital borderline and her reaction seemed exaggerated and misplaced. nevertheless, jagoda respected her request and took several steps backward, lowering his ears and posture.

i am not a threat, he spoke gently. my name is jagoda. i come from blackrock depths.

To Olive’s relief, the strange male respected her wished and stepped back, farther away from the border than he had been before. The ruffled feathers that crowned her the ridge of her shoulders and spine disengaged [albeit, just a little bit] and the low outcry forming in deep in her chest began to fade - not for his sake, but mostly due to her discomfort assuming the position of assailant. Olive’s position was always for peace and nonviolence; after all, what good did bloodshed and anger do? The woman, herself, was a prime example of this. The past few days had completely suffocated her spiritual expansion and she felt unwilling to connect with anyone, even family.  The forest, the earth and the sky were in imperceptible disarray, as if an earthquake had struck and the damages were only visible to Olive’s viridian gaze. She never wished to contribute to this. Had this brute meant Teaglaigh harm, the druid was truly unsure what her next move would have been.
 
Though this stance was Olive’s essence and reason for being, she could not deny that immediately she wanted to tear into this wolf [even without probable cause].  In that moment, she had almost been scared of herself. Had joining a pack caused her to waver on her most closely held ideologies? The more you love something, the more power you give it to hurt you.
 
Not wanting to let down her guard just yet, Olive took a haughty step towards the shadowed male, Jagoda. In her haste and fear, she had not stopped to recognize the scent of their allies. “You’re one of Skellige’s wolves?”  Her timbre was flat and serious. Though she had never met the wolves of Blackrock Depth, there was talk enough among family that she knew well the names of their leadership.

Olive's howl had both alarmed and caused him to panic, so jump to his paws and rush to find her he did. Arriving on the scene, he first went to Olive's side and snuffled at her pelt checking for blood or injury. FInding none he sighed heavily, lifting his electric blue eyes to the face of the male standing a respectful distance on the borders "Hello.Im sure our leader will respond shortly" He said in a businesslike tone, but giving him a once over as if to decide how much of a threat the male was. Allowing himself to relax he turned his attention back to Olive "Are you alright? The tone of your howl scared me" he asked, his voice soft as he moved closer pressing his pelt against hers until he could feel the steady push of her sides against his as she inaled and exhaled.

*messes up the post order just to mention that Olive didn’t actually howl, she just prepared to do so* 
buttttt Olive did shout at Jagoda pretty loudly, so maybe he heard that? ;)

Her dark knight was on the scene in a heartbeat, as if to answer the call of her aggitated heart. Though Olive was delicate, she had her own ways of successfully navigating through the world. Passionate rhetoric and astute kindness had not only kept her safe thus far, but bridged many gaps and created many friendships — it was truly a truly powerful thing. But as Dakarai brushed up beside her and Olive perceived the comfort of his goliath frame [at least it was to her], Olive wondered how she ever lived without his security.

“I am fine, my love.” When he was near, the femme could not help but pepper his muzzle in soft kisses - however, they were in the presence of another, so the tempest limited herself to 2 or 3 [or 4] good licks on his maw before whispering thank you into his dark ear. Dakarai’s sudden arrival soothed her immensely, but she could not ignore the wolf that stood before them.

“This man is from Blackrock Depths. I, I thought he was…” Olive trailed off, emerald eyes speaking what she couldn’t. She swung her neck to look back at Jagoda, hoping she had not offended her ally with her mistake.

The gray beauty seemed to soften. Jagoda noticed a slight relaxation in the hairs along her ruff and  her spine, and only then did he feel confident that he would not be attacked. However, her cautious demeanor wasn't fully relinquished and she took a forceful step in his direction, demanding information from him, which he had no problem providing. With a twitch of his ear, he answered her.

I'm Skellige's brother. Jagoda. came the beast's stoic response, along with a punctuating flick  of one dark ear.

Suddenly, in a whirlwind of motion, another canine was upon them, a male of pitch fur. Jagoda was so taken aback that he flinched, giving the two of them plenty of room. It became obvious that they were mated to one another, the male asking his she-wolf about her safety. In an affectionate exchange (one kept subtle and tasteful, to the Cairn's immediate relief), the gray woman relayed to her charcoal-furred lover that all was well. Jagoda curiously lifted a brow.

The flustered girl sought his eyes almost apologetically, it seemed, and the masked brute shook his head. I'm not worried about it, he responded, hoping to reassure her that his feelings were unharmed.

Her safety was assured and he touched his nose to her cheek quickly before turning to the male who just announced himself as jagoda. Dipping his head in respect he offered the male an apologetic smile I apologize if I startled you, I am Dakarai. Is there something we can do for you? Unsure if it was his place to offer, he turned to Olive for back up.

Wow. This post is awful. Forgiiiive me

Thank god. Olive had not squandered her first encounter with a Depths wolf with unease and offense. Olive felt so unsure in these types of situations that required so much strategy and forethought and refinement. Olive was raw and candid [though always in a pleasant manner] and felt akin to a puppy who spoke its mind’s words before stopping to mull it over. She was overthinking it, Olive decided with a firm nod of her head. “And I'm Olive. How fares you, Jagoda?” Olive spoke easily, finely, letting the tension of moments before slide from her vocal chords. Then, she motioned across the invisible borders the guarded Teaghlaigh with a toss of her milky snout. “Please, step through; the wolves of Blackrock Depths are always welcome amongst our company.”