Phoenix Maplewood they've got the kingdom locked up

Ukko felt drawn to Phoenix Maplewood, like a gravitational pull he couldn't explain. He'd taken to exploring the territory to find an answer now that he'd been accepted but the only terms he'd come to find were an explanation words couldn't even begin to crack. The colors of the forest were an angry sunset with a lightning storm on the cusp of the evening. A few places were still charred with the new foliage attempting to cover and hide it away to hide the destruction once fallen upon the land. It was a rebirthing, like spring, but the remains of life after a wildfire.

The night sky is cloudy and the wind is strong; the clouds race across the expanse and Ukko stops to watch through the break in trees for a moment. His dark unruly fur flutters in the gusts and he closes his eyes, feeling the cool and calm of night surround him. 

It is a peace he hadn't felt in a long time; a feeling of home. 

Sleep is the last thing from his mind, feeling a surge of energy course through his veins at such a prospect. There was so much to do. Even if the pack is small, Ukko had a long way to go to earn their trust and his keep and he is determined to keep from letting them down. Tonight, however, he would enjoy the night near the fringes of the border, weaving in and out of the trees and following the path of the clouds in the sky.

It was dusk an Ashka had finished a long days work. She had been training with Arion, working on offensive and defensive fighting skills. She was improving but she felt she still had much to learn. She had begun to think of Arion as a pretty good mentor. He made a good teacher. Training was hardcore though and days where she had been learning left her with low energy. She trailed amongst the trees on the outskirts of the Maplewood ears twitching.  

The weather was getting cooler which meant soon it would be winter. Ash had been working hard to keep the food caches full so there was certainly no shortage of prey here just yet. Although with young wolves to feed she was sure she would have to keep it up.  

Ashka paused for a second her nose picking up the scent of an unfamiliar wolf. She looked around for a moment before following the scent just a bit further before she spotted a black wolf weaving through the trees near the border. The wolf wasn't trespassing but still was too close to be considered not dangerous. She trailed closer. She was by no means a high ranking wolf here but she would do her part in finding out the purpose of this black wolf. 

She cleared her throat before proceeding. "May I ask what you are doing so near pack borders, " she said sternly trying not to show how tired she was. Now was not a time to look weak.

Hope you dont mind me popping in here :)

It would take time to get used to the borders and the lay of the land but he isn't worried. He picks things up relatively easily and the leaders thought he'd be a good pick for the pack so he'd proven himself, at least initially. Now it is a matter of proving he can keep his word and be the wolf he told them about.  He continues to follow the scent that the alphas and other wolves have marked over time to familiarize himself but he doesn't realize how suspicious it looks to others. Ukko hasn't been there very long to give him the advantage. 

He catches the scent of her before she speaks and he turns to look, ears cupped forward in attention. The accusing question doesn't faze him, able to brush off the confusion. 

"Because I live here."

Ukko lets it linger a few moments as he turns to completely face her. His posture was low and relaxed. 

"As of today, I mean. I was just learning the borders myself. I'm Ukko."

He'd never joined a pack before so the protocol is new to him. He had been young when in his other land and he didn't contribute much before he left. Nonetheless, he follows his gut and tries to off another smile in hopes it would lighten the situation.

Ashka frowned for a moment. It appeared she may have been a tad wrong about this wolf's intentions. She must have missed the interactions he had with the Alpha's .She bowed her head apologetically. "Apologies," she said. "I'm fairly new here myself, but since I've been here we have had a few issues at our borders," she sighed. She wasn't going to go into much detail but she just couldn't understand why wolves thought it perfectly okay to walk over pack boundaries like they are nothing. 

"I'm Ashka," she stated her name in response to his. "Welcome to Maplewood, although im sure you had that from the Alpha's already," she mused. There seemed to be a lot of darker coated wolves in this pack, one of the alphas was black and a wolf by the name of Vega. Arion was dark brown but close enough, and well Desna. She smiled remembering the little black wolfs enthusiasm when she caught that raccoon the other day. 

She shook her focus back to the black wolf, considering he had just proven her wrong she found this conversation slightly awkward. "Er... What do you think of the place so far?" she fumbled for her words. 

Eek my bad. I thought this was a joining. Ill still thread but its gunna take me a few posts to get over it XD :P Apologies if this is awkward its early :P 

No worries!  He's new and on the borders so very plausible for an awkward who the hell are you. :)

Ukko brushes off the apology with a bit of a smile but the words to follow caught his attention.  The meeting with the Alpha had been short, talking about the basic needs for the both of them.  Having issues with wolves at the border didn’t necessarily mean a problem with his new pack but he couldn’t keep himself from asking.  He needed to be prepared if the issues were unresolved so he could help defend his new home.

“It’s no problem.  I haven’t yet earned my keep, right?” he tells her, accompanied with a wink.  “It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for the welcome.”

He turns his weight a little, offering to travel the borders together if she so felt inclined.  He didn’t move until she made her decision, but he wanted to know more about the issues and just how he could service his new home.  

“What do you mean issues, if you don’t mind me asking?  Maybe I can help if it comes up in the future?” 

Ukko hadn’t considered maybe it was private but what could be issues at the border that was private?  And would they keep it from the general public of their wolves?

Ashka laughed as he stated that he hadn't earned his keep yet and had winked at her. He seemed like a nice wolf but her trust would still not be easily earned.  For now this wolf was someone she knew. She wouldn't call him a friend just yet. Her mind wandered for a brief moment to what happened with fire wolf. How she had almost trusted that wolf before she too betrayed the pack.

Ashka deicded it would be ok though to join the wolf for a stroll around the territory. "Free tour," Ash chuckled. "Courtesy of yours truly," she finished grinning acting all high and mighty for a moment before full out laughing. She began to walk through the trees. She looked back at the black coated male "Coming?" she teased. 

Ashka though about his question hard for a moment. To tell him, or not to tell him. Surely he just wanted to know because he wanted to be aware of what had been going on here. This wasn't some plot to destroy the pack and he was checking because it meant the pack was on edge. She eventually decided it was okay to tell him since he was a member of the pack and he deserved to know, he didn't seem like the kind of wolf to plot things. She hoped he wouldn't prove her wrong.

"Well, we had one wolf who just kind of strolled into the territory a few months ago with intent to overthrow the Alpha," she stated. Remembering how little she helped that day made her feel the slightest bit guilty, however she was in no way going to be an asset in that situation.

 However the next one she felt she proved herself. "Last week, a black wolf walked into our territory, she was meeting up with a family member, I was there and I began to question the black wolf and explain she shouldnt have just walked over the borders. Her aunt began to defend the wolf, Saena showed.Things went downhill from there, the white wolf who was the aunt, attacked Saena," she finished frowning. "She was a traitor," Ashka stated anger slight in her tone.

Ashka shook off the moment and chose instead to put a smile on her face. "But that's dealt with now we are back to being as normal as a wolf pack can get," she mused. "So, If you don't mind my asking, what brought you here?" she asked with a friendly tilt to her head.

 Ashka's general curiosity began to take over. She had questions and she hoped this wolf might answer them, without asking too many in return. She wasn't sure she felt like talking about why she was here. However if he asked, she supposed she may answer.

wee long post XD

Ashka seems to relax easily—perhaps not completely—enough to trust him a little.  She even offers from a free tour, flaunting herself up and Ukko can’t hide the grin that appears on his face.  Her laughter rings out and his tail wags, glad the awkwardness has past by and they were able to get on as pack mates and, perhaps, friends.  Her melodic laugh brought his own thunderous chuckle rumble in his chest.  She looks back, beckons him, and Ukko gallops the few yards between them while he tries to soothe the laughter and lighthearted feeling that had been previously tucked away.

“Of course.  Wouldn’t want to lose the chance to follow a pretty lady around now, would I?”

Ukko steps up beside her, keeping relaxed and his tail waving back and forth.  He keeps his eyes out from where they are going as the sun disappears beneath the earth and his vision adjusts to the change.  He occasionally glances back to the female, listening as she speaks about wolves that threatened the borders of his home.  All of it, of course, before he joined, but he can’t help the scoff that comes out of his muzzle.

“Idiots,” he tells her with an exaggerated role of his eyes.  “Was the challenger known to the pack?”

It isn’t unheard of for wolves to challenge others, even for the Alpha position, but by the sounds of it, the wolf she spoke about might be insane for just dropping in and picking the Alpha out to take down.  As for the rest, it had been dealt with and Ukko felt a wave of relief that things would return to normal just in time for him to settle.  He kept in the back of his mind, however, to be on an extra lookout when it came to the borders.  While he’d kept his attention on his walking and the female, his ears were still cupped forward and his nose anxiously waiting for some idiot to trip up at the borders for him to show his worth.

“I left my birth pack over disagreements on how things should be run.  I wasn’t the only one either.  It was kind of like… a mass exodus though most of them went out and sought a land of their own.  I didn’t want to follow.  I thought I’d see what the world had to offer, y’know?” The past is the past and Ukko would rather leave it there and digging into someone else’s history isn’t all that appealing.  “And for this pack, I felt some kind of pull to the land.  Something I didn’t feel in my old pack.”

Apologies if this doesnt work but im trying this whole attached acc thing

Ashka's tail swayed happily as the male by the name of Ukko joined her for the free tour she had offered him. She smiled as he said that he would join her as he wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to follow a pretty lady around. The wolf seemed friendly enough and he had a sense of humour that made for some enjoyable company. It was a much needed break from her hard day of work. She enjoyed training but sometimes Arion made her work really hard. He was also grumpy at times. 

Ashka nodded and chuckled as Ukko rolled his eyes calling the intruder and traitor idiots. "Yep they sure were," she stated with a nod. Ashka thought for a moment as the male questioned as to if this wolf knew anyone inside the pack or if they had history with the packs Alphas.  "Honestly, I don't know. It was only a few days after I had gotten here and I wasn't exactly a huge part of that argument," she said frowning slightly. 

Ash was alert as they patrolled the borders together for she knew they weren't totally out of the woods yet. Anyone could be lingering around the borders just waiting. For the perfect moment to strike. At the same time she listened as Ukko explained he had left his old pack after disagreements on the way things should be done. That it wasn't just him but many of them.  Ashka gave a nod and said "Fair enough. I mean it makes sense, I'm sure any wolf would have done the same." 

He continued in saying he felt some kind of pull towards this pack and that part didn't entirely make sense to Ash but she decided against going into more detail. She was thankful he hadn't asked about her history but she was sure him or someone in this pack would find out sooner or later. The nightmares were getting worse, and more frequent and there was nothing she could do. 

"I guess this forest could have that kind of effect on people," she mused glancing around. The place was nice it had its perks but she could imagine insects might become a problem here in the summer time.  Her playful mood returned as she began to point out some of the most basic things ."On your right you'll see  a tree, and on the left you'll see more trees, and just down here there is a stream, and you aren't going to believe this but more trees," she joked trotting through the trees.

She didn't quite know where this side of her came from but she wasn't going to complain. It was the first time she had been genuinely happy in a long time. A long, long time.

Ukko nods every so often as she explains the situation.  He doesn’t ask for more information when she admits she hadn’t been a big part of it but he was curious.  He notes the information for later, perhaps when he could ask about it to one of the other wolves.  The Alphas, perhaps, would know the most, but he doesn’t want to come off as prodding for information and being nosy.  Phoenix Maplewood is his home now and he hopes they’d understand his desire to learn everything possible as he grows with the pack.

When Ashka begins to give him an “official” tour, Ukko bellows into laughter.  A tree, tree, more trees.  They were everywhere. 

“Wow, I have never seen a tree before.  Let’s go to the stream, I want to see more trees!” he barks and then takes off at half speed in front of her.  He doesn’t exactly know where he’s going but he veers back and forth between trees to let the white female catch up and lead the way to the stream.

Ashka smiled as the two wolves bantered back and forth. It was nice being able to just relax for a bit. Forget the stress of working hard and take a little much needed time for herself. Most wolves would argue that there's no reason to need to slack off but with her nightmares and lack of sleep on top of the work she was doing in the pack. It was nice to have a break.

She watched as the wolf ran in front of her darting in between trees. Ash too picked up her pace as she was fairly sure he had no clue where the lake was. She chuckled as she caught up to the male. "You know it's that way right," she mused nosing in the direction of the stream. "I can guarantee you its quite a sight," she stated with the hint of a smirk on her maw. Little did the male know the stream was hardly a stream. It was an okay sized gouge in the earth where minimal water typically ran through. Perfect place for frogs and lizards. Not so much for wolves looking for a bath or a substantial amount to drink. 

As they approached the stream she paused and turned to face Ukko. "Tada. The stream," she joked. Glancing at the small amount of water flowing through the crevices between stones. This would be frozen during the winter since it wasn't fast enough flowing. She made a mental note that when she was hunting in the winter to be careful in this area as it might get slippery. "Doesn't get much better than this," she said flicking some droplets of water at him with her paw and then dashing behind a tree in case he decided to return the favour. 

Lol. Im writing this one before anything else because my next post is on Wynters acc and is depressing as heck XD  

Ashka catches up with him, pointing in the opposite direction he’d been traveling.  He scrunches his face up in mock frustration before he pivots on his back legs and darts back toward the tawny wolf.  He barks excitedly a couple of times before he nudges he shoulder playfully.

“Right.  I knew that.  Of course I knew that.  This isn’t my first rodeo!” he tells her though he doesn’t exactly know what that means.  He grins from ear to ear, though, as she beefs up the scene he’s about to embark on.  It’s quiet for a few moments and he keeps up the façade, following next to her as she leads him along.  She turns and presents the stream to him—it’s not much of a stream, however, but he goes with it.

Ukko drops his jaw as if it’s the most magnificent thing he’s ever seen.

“Nice,” he says with a flick of his tail.  “Very nice.  It’s so big.”  

He jumps forward suddenly, leaving his pack mate behind.

“Last one’s in is a smelly frog!” he shouts, jumping into the narrow stream.  He turns around, bows forward, butt wagging in the air.  His feet are barely covered by the water but it doesn’t stop him from pretending their about fall right into deep and trecherous rapids.

Ashka rolled her eyes as Ukko claimed to know he was going in the wrong direction. "Uhhuh, sure you did," she teased with a chuckle. Her tail wagging she watches as he momentarily seemed surprised by the size of the lake and then proceeded to continue the banter. "Yep, isn't it just gorgeous," she mused. "In all honesty, I'm sure when it rains its alot more.... I don't know, watery," she said with a chuckle.


She watched as he launched himself into the narrow space that was the stream. He didn't seem bothered by the fact she had splashed him which she supposed was a good thing. She too jumped in to the water. "No fair, you had a head start," she said with an obviously fake pout. She bowed playfully before splashing the male once again and bolting. 

"Catch me if you can!" she challenged hoping that her legs would decide not to fail her. She was careful with the placement of her paws because despite the small amount of water the lichen growing on the wrongs surrounding the stream made for a somewhat slippery surface.

I don't know if we should end this soon. but maybe you could roll to see if he catches her or not. If you dont know how to do it then ill just let you win. Or you can pm and ask. XD Ive had fun :D We should definitely thread again sometime 

I'll just end it here since you are going on absence.  And totally to another thread, this one was a lot of fun. :)

She catches on quickly to the game, shouting at him for his head start.  It doesn’t bother him as he bounches off, making circles around the small stream and chasing after the younger wolf.  It is a silly game between two new friends and pack mates and Ukko can’t loosen the grin on his face as he chases her.  He’s able to keep up to her heels, for the time being, before he retorts and takes off for her to chase him.

He knows he’s made the right decision.