Wapun Meadow Running away will never make you free

@Rakharo More of a meeting thread between him and Zoratto than a pledge. :P Just wanted to get used to RP-ing with this guy

As soon as Rhanno settled and fell asleep, Zoratto ran. It was merely his nature; he was born with a runner's body, sleek, thin, with long legs to tear up the ground. When he was in his birth khalas, he ran all the time, always winning the races between him and the other pups. After he was captured, he ran every night, farther and farther away from the ragtag khalas, every chance he could....but he always came back. At first he cursed himself for wanted to come back, calling himself a coward for turning back to those who took him away from home. But soon he ignored the angry voices, and simply reveled in running, far, far away from Rhanno.

The silver and red juvenile slowed his pace as he saw changes in the landscape around him. Flowers. There were flowers everywhere here. His red ears cocked sideways as he sniffed one. Seltur. He declared to himself. Soft, just like this land. But pretty, he supposed. The red-masked wolf continued to sniff around the meadow, his gray-green eyes examining every new flower he found. He wondered if any of them would have thorns.

@Zoratto Sorry for making you wait Ali! I've been slow on posts this week :s

indentToo long had the Khalas stayed idle in the valley, and it was time to move. Rakharo made the Khalas rise at an early hour two days or three ago, and until that moment, they hadn't stopped walking. Mountains came and went, one after the other, but just when Rakharo was about to give up, an open field appeared behind one of those damned mountains. It wasn't anything like Rhaesh Dahaan, but Rakharo had never expected to find that. All he needed was a herd, or at least a field where the sky wasn't hidden behind thick canopies. The colors abounded there, and the mountains at its back, although high, didn't interfere with the flat terrain. But there was one thing missing.

indentThe bison were a crucial piece for the Dotharan to feel comfortable in a place, and for too long, they had craved comfort. Elk were becoming more and more annoying, and the occasional moose, although a challenge, wasn't satisfactory enough. They needed the great herds, and Wapun Meadow didn't have that. It would only do as a temporary settlement, but no more.

indentRakharo told the Khalas to recognize the area, find a source of water and find a good place to spend a couple nights. The small herd of deer that inhabited the place would be the best to feed the group for a while, but soon enough they would have to leave again.

indentThe Khal himself departed the meeting place for recognition of the territory, and he was crossing the flowery field when the scent of a young male drifted to him. Was the meadow claimed? He quickened his pace to find the source, and soon enough, the Golden Khal tracked down the Rakh whose the scent belonged to. A wolf too young to be a loner, Rakharo considered, which meant that he probably wasn't alone at all.

indentRakharo moved closer to the male, making sure he noticed his presence by barking a greeting. With his tail held high, and peaceful expression, the golden Khal addressed the young adventurer. "Tir wux ossalur loaw, Rakh?" asked Rakharo with calmness. There was no reason to feel threatened by such a weakling.

Zoratto did not find any flower strong enough to defend itself. He could easily crush all of these plants with one paw if he could. The young Dotharan wondered what an Asaverak or one of the Khaleens would make of such a sign. Perhaps it meant this land was weak and ripe for the taking. Perhaps, but Zoratto was no seer.

His contemplations ended with a sharp bark from an unknown voice. The red-masked wolf turned his head towards the sound, only to see a golden wolf approaching. He looked every part a khal, unlike Rhanno. The golden warrior was heavily muscled and heavily scarred, and taller than the lanky Rakh. When he spoke, Zoratto confirmed his suspicions; this was indeed a Dotharan. Thric. He admitted to the golden warrior. Si ossalur mrith vin juanth sthyr, Rhanno. Si mi jacida bacri. He growled the last sentence; he hated having to admit that to the Dotharan warrior but he had no reason to lie to the man. Rhanno would have told him anyway. Yth jahen wiilirkir dout gazziz, gewjtokvi

Whoop sorry for the delay @Zoratto

indentThe boy, although lanky and weak, had enough courage to adress the Khal with full confidence. A sign of psicological strength that Rakharo understood as a useful trait. He admitted that, not only he was a captive, but that they were following Rakharo's Khalas for some reason, and the Khal didn't get any reason to think of him as a threat by his words. Besides, he said he was travelling with an old man, and spoke of no one else, hinting that there was no one else behind them that would mean danger to Rakharo or his daughter Khalas.

indentSvaklar ui nomeno juanth sthyr wux renthisj di? Rakharo demanded coldly. The boy was still young, and didn't seem to come from any slave blood. He was of Dotharan blood, and Rakharo would allow him a chance to impress him and free himself from Rhanno's chains if that was what he desired. He would need more recruits if he was to claim a good place for his Khalas.

This khal, or ko perhaps, was cold and distant. Zoratto was not sure if he liked that; his father and his khal were very fatherly in nature and protected their khalas with the warmth that a father had to his children. Even Josso, his half-sister Aheshi's mate, was one for peace rather than war. But that had led to Josso's, and perhaps even Aheshi's death. But the young boy with the roaring voice did not mind having a cold, ruthless khal for once. Those khals were strong; they lasted. He would have joined Tihollo's khalas had he not been exiled with Rhanno, Eshinni and Navi.

Si zulf jacion spical ini vi pond. Si mi scouting. He answered. Rhanno ehtaha dout gazziz, shar si siofme jaci tepohaic sil vi ricin ekess clax svern vi khalas jaciar. The boy smirked, knowing that the golden warrior would find it a ridiculous notion. A wolf as old as Rhanno would stand no chance against him. He decided to tell the golden warrior, in order to "warn" him of Rhanno's intent. Zoratto had no love for the old man, and would gladly see his further spiral into darkness, even death. But he would prefer to have Rhanno's blood on his own jaws.

indentThe coldness of Rakharo towards the world was one of the results of having been destroyed from the inside by his own father. He learned that not everyone, and posibly no one, would care about you as he cared about others. So he didn't care. Ad he protected himself in that shell of ice, safe from any harm.

indentBut it wasn't like he needed to show any bit of warmth to the Rakh... He wasn't a friend. He wasn't family. He wasn't in any way related to him. He was only a subject.

indent"Vin juanth sthyr svaust huvenic ekess overrule ve? Si ornla qe petranasgarh ekess riliw jacion..." Rakharo said in a suggestive way, letting the Rakh know what a great opportunity he'd just found. "Wux ornla hefoc ekess ocuir batobot... Ornla ti wux? Jacida riliwa aulkhor onureth sia urac..." he saw the hate in Zoratto's eyes. It burned hot inside them.

The red-masked boy was pleased the warrior caught on so quickly. The threat of Rhanno would be eliminated swiftly, and Zoratto would find solace in a khalas and grow as a warrior, as he should. But Navi came to mind. The sweet little girl he swore to protect. The fire that blazed in his pale gray-green eyes dimmed for a moment as he worried over her for a moment.

But the flames came back when he mentioned killing Rhanno. Thric. He said, matching the gray eyes defiantly. Si tuor ekess svent jacion sio. Ihk froneel jaci tepohaic authot ekess ve. Rhanno would have the honor of being the first man he would kill, and the Ezok-to-be would relish the moment for years to come. Nothing pleased a man more than killing his enemies.

indentZoratto was corageous. And he had a cause. Two things that were important to keep going in life, and things that Rakharo praised. But he was now considering to recruit the young Rakh for his Khalas, and he didn't want his subordinates' enemies to bring any harm to the Khalas.

indent"Vur svabol ui coi jaci tira ekess wux vur dout svihelen? Tira jaci clax wux, Rakh? Ui batobot svabol xurwkic wux zyak harkajup?" he asked, a teasing smile curving his lip. He knew there was actually a possibility of his master having raped him the moment he stole him, but he didn't actually care about the past of the young avenger. He just wanted his Khalas to grow.

indentRakharo was a proud wolf. Would the boy ask for a spot? Or would he have to offer it to him?

He blanched at the mention of rape. He knew of older men that would do that to boys, but would have never thought that Rhanno would ever think of such a thing. No, Rhanno's attention was fixated on Navi rather than him. Sjek jaci tepohada authot batobot, si ornla tepoha svadria jacida llonnada cock stoda ini jaka. He hissed, and it was no empty bluff either.


Sia half-sister jahus khaleesi huena. Svadrav si bihainwor ekess visit jacioniv mrith jacioniv dask vur creol di sia lyrik siblings, Rhanno ui|ulph khal lowda, killed sia iosta, vur nomagqe sia myvish. His eyes were cold flames now, as he thought back to that bloody day. The screams her heard from his little brothers and sisters as they were slaughtered, watching Jasso be torn apart by Rhanno's warriors, watching Aheshi's mother being.... Jaci xurwka udoka thesek lae astahii raped wer aesthyri vur ghergo fanoli, vur killed throdenilti di astahi, ihk thric dril sva shio. Creol di wer droti jahen raped kiri, wer ghergoilti vur"prettiest". Jaci tira ti activon, shar jaci theseka, vur jaci laughed. He let out a sigh, and then met the golden warrior's gray eyes once more. Batobot ui|ulph svadrav si irral started siofmeir di sventir jacion.

indentIt wasn't like the Rakh's story was going to make Rakharo shiver in disgust. He had done most of those things himselfs when he was Khal back in Rhaesh Dahaan, so he was used to the gory scenes of conquer. Dotharans were conquerors, that was their speciality, and Rakharo had once been good at it. Time had passsed since the last time he took a pack with his Khalas, and it had also been a while since he last took the life of a wolf, but how to do it was still fresh in his memories.

indentZoratto seemed to have had a rough time in his earlier youth, and he seemed passionate about his story, but that didn't earn him Rakharo's shame. Was that what he wanted? Well.. it wouldn't get him too far ahead in the pack's ranks as it would if he was tougher. That was the way to Rakharo's respect. Besides, would Zoratto feel ashamed if Rakharo's Khalas ever got to the point where sacking a pack was necessary? It was a possibility.

indent"Coi ornla ti tepoha coanwor wer irral tairais vi Khal rapes vi fanol, Rakh." Rakharo said with disinterest. "Vur coi geou ti qe wer annyo. Di batobot wux shilta qe jaunus." he said, in part as an attempt to get the boy thinking about the Dotharan life if he was going to remain in it. Rakharo would still give the Rakh a chance to earn a place within his ranks, but he would have to prove himself worthy of such thing.

Zoratto did not expect to get much sympathy from this warrior, to be sure. While his own khalas did not raid and kill like the others around them, he still knew what being a warrior entailed. Zoratto frowned slightly at the man's disinterested tone. He was not stupid. Vucoti batobot.

The little Rakh tried to get some kind of compassion from the warrior. Tried, was the key word. He was merely speculating. Shar sjek creol sthyr raped ir di dout vraktor, sjek wux tepohada tikil, usv dout isthasyi vur myvishi, ornla ti wux tuor ekess itrewic narhethi?

Sorry for not using the translator.. Or the fancy format.. I wanted to post this quickly before I got lazy :P
(I've been having a lot of stuff going on as well omg I don't know how you keep all of your activities going D:)

Rakharo, more than anyone, understood the Rakh's position. He, of all the Dotharan had had the awful luck of being born son of the most cold-blooded Khal in the grass seas, and Drojharko, had had the awful luck of breeding the most revengeful Dotharan in the grass seas. His father had suffered for his actions, and Rakharo couldn't be more pleased to have been the one to show Drojharko what it was to be weak. He had won the war. Lost his Khalas and family in the process, but he had won that damn war and he had aveged his wife and children.

"I would." Rakharo said coldly. "The man who did that to my children would have his days counted. He would never see light again." He was convinced of it. He had been on that boat before, and he would gladly do it all over again if someone dared touch his precious daughter. "But you are too young to be worried about such things. You need training before you can avenge your fallen and you will never get that on your own."

I don't know either. XD

He was glad his guess was correct. The man agreed with him. And in a way, suggested something. He could not be a Dotharan warrior alone. And the man had a khalas, from his smell. Zoratto snorted. Algbo... He looked up at the silver eyes once more, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Wux tepoha vi khalas, tir ti wux? He wondered how large they were, but regardless, he would not be alone with a cranky old man. Si ornla hefoc ekess demak wux.

Rakharo saw the gleam of hope in Zoratto's eyes. It was too strong to ignore it. He had gotten what he wanted, he had made the boy ask for a spot in his Khalas, which wouldn't only bind him for his oath of loyalty, but would also mean that he was being merciful with him, something a leader needed to be respected for, and although he had the strength on his side he still was a good leader in many ways, not just one to be feared.

"I do... But I don't even know your name, Rakh... Why would I allow you to join my Khalas and eat our food?" the golden Khal asked, idirectly attempting to get more information about the boy. He wanted to know if he had any skills he could use or if he had a secret talent that the Khalas might find a good use for. It was a crucial point to take into account when someone joined your family.

"My name is Zoratto ki Remekhosi." He said, wondering if Rakharo knew the name. His father was not much of a raider, but he was a warrior to be reckoned with when his blood was up. He had seen that many times before he was captured, and he had no idea if his father's blood still pumped through his veins. It would be a long time before he would know.

"I am fast, and I can run for miles before I tire." He said, exaggerating just a tiny bit about his stamina. "I have yet to start my warrior training, but I am a good hunter already. I'm sure you need someone like that." He had no idea of how large or small this khalas was, but he was leaning mostly towards the latter, judging by the golden warrior's smell. "I don't seem to know your name either." He was bold, but he wondered if the male would respect that in him.

Boldness was a trait that was commonly praised among the Dotharan, but no one really knew what it was good for better than Rakharo himself. He had been bold through his life, and that boldness had made him big among his culture. He praised boldness, but he was cautious of those who were bold.

The young Zoratto had been brave to keep going after the old Rhanno raided his family, and he seemed to be a promising wolf. Those traits were important for Rakharo, and the compromise that the boy showed was a plus for him, and Rakharo couldn't deny that he couldn't turn down the opportunity to build another good warrior. There was a hollow space in Rakharo's heart that was reserved for his sons, who died along his wife on Rakharo's own father's hands. He would have taught them what he knew about fighting and he would have made them fierce warriors. Maybe this was the chance to do that. "I am Khal Rakharo of Rhaesh Dahaan." he barked, proud of his name even if it wasn't his father's anymore.

"Very well, Zoratto." Tthe Khal said with a grin on his face, satisfied by Zoratto's promises, and then he turned serious to state his conditions. "You will have a place in my Khalas, but you will see me every day to train to be a warrior... And in return, I will free you from your captor, and give you the chance to pledge loyalty to me. You will always have a home with my Khalas if you do."

He was right, the man was indeed a khal, and of his own homeland. The young boy was curious how this man's khalas got to this bison-less land, but it was not a question for now. Zoratto smirked back at the khal, pleased that he finally had a place somewhere, where he could be free. No longer would he be Rhanno's slave, he would be a warrior of his own right, and have his own slaves.

"I pledge my life to you and your khalas. Your enemies are my enemies, and I will hunt with you until the day I die." And he was certain of that. He could not dream of returning to Rhaesh Dahaan, not now. He did not know where to start in the golden plains, who he would go to. Here was his home now, like it or not.

This one's done. You can archive or post one last time if you want ;)

It was satisfying to hear once again someone bending the knee to say their vows of loyalty to you. Rakharo thought that was one of the most sweet things you could hear, but he also knew it could be dangerous sometimes. This time, with the promise of a new pupil for Warriorship, Rakharo felt good, but with the mention of it's previous captor planning on taking over Rakharo's rule, things felt a bit shaky.

"And I release you from your captivity. You are now one of us." he said to finish the ceremonial act. "Follow me, I will take you to our camp where you can have a bite. We had a fortunate hunt yesterday..." he said, turning to lead the new Rakh to his new home.