Silvertip Mountain You may feel a slight sawing

paging miss @Olive :) others welcome!

As she had told Arturo she would, Furiosa made a detour onto Silvertip Mountain on her way back from introducing herself to their coastal allies. She would find out if it was true that the pack there had vacated, and report back to Teaghlaigh with confirmation either way. The day was sidling between late afternoon and twilight by the time her brisk trot slowed to a stop, having arrived at stale borders that hadn't been freshened in some time. She skirted alongside the old scent trails for two miles just to be sure, and then plundered into the territory without further reservation.

Furiosa strutted about, puffed out and on her toes, ready to fight any straggling wolf that might still be defending this fading claim; but she walked like that for an hour and found nothing and no one to confront. Her steam was lost, and it was only then did she realize how late it was on the mountain. The owls hooted fiercely at one another, just as the crickets called for mates and lamented their lives with shrieking instruments. She continued to pass through, her black eyes able to take in more of the beautifully vast mountain paths, now that she wasn't on edge.

She was surprised to discover no corpse, carcasses, or bones. Nothing at first to indicate any deaths had occurred. She had passed the scents of many wolves, but they were all so hazy now, and completely washed away in most places, that it seemed more as if fleeting ghosts danced in this place, rather than having once been home to a very healthy pack. For if a pack had truly lived here, then that meant that they had all run away, or vanished...

Olive stirred underneath the overhang of her fir tree, stretching her thin legs away from her body as she rose from a sedentary nap. It did not surprised Olive that a pack used to called this powerful mountain ‘home.’ For her first day here, Olive concealed herself within shadows and stayed downwind to avoid any confrontations with returning wolves - but as sun's pattern of rising and setting signaled the passage of time, Olive became more brazen in her residence of this particular alcove and dominion over this one, particular fir tree. It was a calm place and reminded her of home - soothing  and comfortable. So much so, in fact, that the femme had spent her last few days singing, yipping and dancing to an upbeat song that played only in her head. 

Her existence over the past few months has been nomadic, yet calm and tranquil. Often times, it was difficult to remember how much time had passed since she left the confines of her small pack and to forsake the close family ties. On the days when she felt renewed an adventurous (plentiful as they were), Olive could almost hear her mother’s coo in her ear. On days when Olive went to sleep hungry and ungrounded, it felt like she had last seen her family a lifetime ago. Though Olive was young and had none of burdens that kept her mother, father and siblings tied to one place, she often felt sadden for voluntarily leaving her already dwindling pack. However, Olive knew in her soul it had been time for her to write her own story. 

Yes, the past few months the universe had shined good fortune down upon Olive, but she was receiving shifting signs. Cold winds were blowing in from the north and the tall pines shuddered and creaked as they internally prepared for the impending winter. For now it was autumn and the hunting was still plentiful - but father winter makes quick work of lonesome wolves. Though she had left home to become a student of the earth, Olive did not to intend to be a victim of the earth.

Olive’s drowsy mind immediately snapped to attention as her senses tuned to something new, something different - another wolf. As she pushed herself to her feet, Olive’s gaze drifted across the landscape until it fell upon a large white wolf in the distance. “I wonder if she used to be part of the old pack that lived here,” Olive thought. Even her internal thoughts hushed as the strangers moved ever closer. Olive crept aside so that the trunk of her fir tree concealed her from the other wolf’s sight. If they were to meet, Olive wanted it to be on her terms.

For a while, Furiosa wasn't aware of the eyes following her from the beneath the cover of night. If she had any inkling she was being watched, she would've approached without any reservation; she would have accosted her onlooker for not being forthcoming about their presence. Luckily, she continued snuffling about the dark dirt, presently unaware and therefore innocuous towards the unseen bystander. The tarnished banshee prepared to move on, having found nothing in this particular area of great interest or concern, but the wind changed in that moment, and Furiosa picked up her head to catch the faint scent of someone lingering nearby.

Narrowing black eyes, Furiosa stood still, and called out into the darkness with smooth menace: "show yourself now, because you will not like it, if I have to find you."

Though Olive was well disguised behind the fir tree, her scent had forsaken her. The strange wolf, not too pleased that she had company, immediately frozen and spoke harshly at her invisible audience. As the wolf spoke, Olive slowed her breathing and tried to hush her loudly beating heart. After a quiet and motionless moment, it was clear to Olive that staying still would be a mistake.

“Hello, sister” greeted Olive as she slithered out from behind the tree. To Olive, all wolves were born of the earth, belonged to the earth and eventually returned to the earth - making each one of them energetically and infinitely connected. To call her fellow wolves her ‘brothers’ and 'sisters' was the least she could do to honor that divine connection. This time, however, the warm words “hello, sister” held an even higher purpose: Olive wanted to soothe the riled stranger that stood before her. In the dwindling light Olive had seen the stranger’s eyes narrow… she wanted to pacify any tension before the stranger had reason to bare her teeth. 

Olive fancied herself skilled in the art of speaking and relating. Sometimes, a careful selection of words could be more effective than tooth or fang. Internally, Olive felt quite confident in her abilities to relate, smooth conflicts and kindle flames. Because of this, finding friends had never been a difficult task for Olive. 

Slowly creeping into the open, Olive faced the wolf and bowed her head. “I thought it had been abandoned - I apologize for my intrusion on your territory.” A deep breath. “I did not take much from your land, only a few rabbits and voles from the field.”

She watched with sneaking aggression as a creature of ash and down gently presented herself from behind the cover of a bristling pine. Neither the stranger's gender or words did much to abate Furiosa's natural tendency to offend, though she found herself interested in the girl with the burgeoning eyes, which was enough to have her approach without any stiffened animosity to her steps.

Upon closer inspection, the she-wolf was smaller than herself, and without the cloy of a pack scent carried on her pelt, she was just a sylph in isolation, who mistook this area as a part of Furiosa's kingdom. Unfortunately for her, the pallid terror was not inclined to correct the assumption and instead she ran with it. "I don't like being taken from," she seethed, taking a step forward, and bidding with dark eyes that she submit to banshee, or suffer for her indiscretion. "Do you plan to repay me then, for what you took? Because we could maybe work something out..." Unless you prefer things to be done the hard way.

It was most upsetting to Olive that the white mystery wolf continued her strong dialogue, even after Olive had expressed a sincere apology. Though Olive was an idealist, she was not oblivious to the laws of the wild. The pack she grown up with was small and consistently on the move for better hunting grounds, but she had learned well that the laws of other packs included formidably defended borders. 

Olive, a good judge of the temperament and intentions of familiar and strange wolves alike, was reluctant to back draw back from a foe. The she-wolf liked to think of herself as something of a crusader of altruism and benevolence. When faced with a foe, Olive first resource was clemency. However, if Olive felt herself or her ideals jeopardized, her next resort was tenacity. She would not be mistaken for fearful, as weakness often meant death.

The wolf in front of her clearly subscribed to these laws, though (in Olive’s opinion) she should care more for her territory’s upkeep. Olive was indeed trespassing, but Olive felt justified in the fact that it was so easy to miss the fading border markers. That Olive proceeded to set up an undiscovered home for several days further convinced Olive that she should not be met with such a strong reaction. Fault for this misunderstanding did not lie with her. 

However, Olive was no skilled mercenary. Unless the situation escalated, she felt as thought she should step lightly around this formidable female.  If she felt as thought Olive was trespassing, Olive would relent.

“The borders has seemed neutralized with time - please accept my humble atonement.” Olive cast her gaze downward and slicked her ears back against her skull in an small act of submission. 

“I am more than willing to track prey outside of your territory to replenish what I have taken. If it suits you, we can work together to take down another, larger animal. However, these are just my ideas - it seems as thought you have something in mind.”

Sorry Osa is such a bully ;-; i tried to tone down her forcefulness, but it's kinda hard lol

"We don't mark this mountain, but we protect its resources. For reasons I imagine you can find understandable," she lied smoothly, narrowing her eyes slightly. But the mellow stormcloud did not seem eager to challenge her in any way. Furiosa watched her intently, searching her body language, ready to take advantage of the slightest sense of weakness; a soft tuck of her ears was enough, and the virulent harpy smiled. "I have a lot of things in mind. Mostly torturous. A few... advantageous," the snow leopard purred responsively, her wiry tail lashing. "Because what you fail to realize, is that you have sustained your life, at our expense. And I'm afraid a few dead rabbits returned, does not a life equate..."

She let the information hang between them, unable to mask her natural air of intimidation, though nothing about Furiosa suggested that she was going to physically accost the female. Not yet, at any rate. "However, I find your innocence on the matter quite endearing— it makes me not want to hurt you— so I will give you a choice rather than deciding myself," the wraith offered; "you will join me, and my family, be one of us to show your gratitude. Or, you will be branded a thief, and have to fight for you life."

It seemed as simple as this to Furiosa, a she-wolf who lived explicitly by a law of give or take; and unfortunately for poor Olive, her accuser was a monster better crafted for the latter. "Before you choose, my sweet, I feel I must tell that should you come to Teaghlaigh, you should not expect any of the wolves in my Family to be anything like me. I am the Enforcer, so if I frighten you, it means I'm doing my job. If you need emotional fulfillment, or whatever the fuck, you'll find it with them— not me. But for now you must simply decide if you want me to protect you, or hunt you."

I'll tie it up here :)

Olive felt her skin prickle as the wolf explain she had sustained herself at the expense of the family. Was helping another not something they approved of? A small, Olive had truly not taken too much from their hunting grounds - plus, as far as Olive was concerned, the contents of a hunting ground that wasn’t part of an official territory was up for grabs. 

Olive felt cheated that this ominous female was compelled to control her own destiny and her own choices - was that not the entire point for maintaining a lone existence? What was a life without freedom? Olive knew, deep down in her most intuitive of instincts, that there were many cons to living life as a loner (the security of a more safer existence, for one). However, those paled in comparison to Olive’s desires to follow her heart… wherever that may lead her.

But, honestly, if this wolf (who thought of herself as an enforcer, which Olive felt was a very fitting title with appropriate responsibilities) truly felt responsible for this unmarked area and its resources then Olive would accept her choice of punishment. Furiosa was a big, bad wolf - but even the biggest and baddest of wolves had their roles in this world, and hers was to maintain order.

Olive pondered: Was joining a pack and gaining a family truly a punishment? The word Teaghlaigh clearly held a deep meaning and the shewolf in front of her spoke the word with an air of importance and pride. She felt responsible for her associates, it was clear. Though she was brash and intimidating, Olive respected that.

“Quite an interesting proposition for a wolf’s who name is a mystery to me - I appreciate the options.” Olive spoke brightly, but she wondered if she really would act upon the latter suggestion. The strange wolf had drawn herself up in an act of confidence, but there was no sign that she would truly hurt Olive.  However, Olive needed to know more before making a choice. A small part of her imagined that a beating was a small price to pay for her liberated lifestyle. 

“I would be remiss to pledge my life to a family that I know nothing about. I ask for nothing but the blessing of meeting your leader before giving my final answer."  And with that, the two exited the unnamed woman's territory and headed toward's Olive's future.