Ankyra Sound Coastal Wonderings

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Sebastian was avidly exploring this area. He already been into the forest with the big trees, in which he didn't feel quite safe. The large grey male also lurked around the sharp cliffs, the only thing he hadn't fully explored yet was the beach that was between the forest and the cliffs. He was always reminded of Haven now once he walked on the soft sand of the beach. The grey male was enjoying the coast more and more. It was so different than where he used to live, which was all quite an impressive record. He lived on a cliff with thorns and later on a caldera. Sebastian was now thinking of permanently settling on the beach.

He entered the sanding area, wondering if seals would be here like the other one beach he and Haven had spend the night. A haunting feeling came over the male. It was so secluded and serene. The grey male stopped to look around. The high cliffs to his right and the forest to his left. He wondered if a pack ever settled here. There were a few traces, but it seemed they had been long gone. He was curious to know why they left, if it was an illness then it might also be a danger to settle by the cliffs nearby. If it was a relocation, then what would be that reason? Lack of food? Lack of Fresh Water?

SIRE!! HYENAS!! IN THE PRIDE LANDS!! ok sry chelsea inspired me. i tagged vlad's merry band in case they wanted to enter but they don't have to!

in the days following her brief introduction to @Vlad's rag-tag gang, caiaphas had upped her vigil along the strand's borders. she hadn't seen much of the merry band of miserable rogues vlad was towing, but in some retrospect, preferred it that way. neither @Rat nor @Rosalyn nor @Njal evoked any immediate sense of hatred in her, and there was enough mutual interest in surviving the winter that caiaphas was feeling vaguely confident about her newfound situation. and even then, their lack of obtrusiveness afforded her a scarce reward seldom seen in packs: solitude. her solitude gave her time to think -- to do -- all without the condemning or judgeful eyes of her peers.

after all, a bulk of what caiaphas did was not really audience-worthy.

all the same, her hackles nearly flew up in alarm when she saw a wolf patrolling the area. her area. with a venomous snarl the salt-witch strode towards sebastian, this time recognizing him outright for what he was: trespasser.

"get out!" the slatternly wretch commanded, her muzzle contorted with annoyance. despite the disparity in their sizes she was every bit confident in her conviction. ankyra was her home - she as much a part of it as it was a part of her -- and sebastian's existence on the pummeled strand threatened her way of life.

Rosalyn had sized up her newfound queen and found her adequate, if only because of the lack of threat she perceived. There was little posturing, and the Rivaini was allowed to continue her ways unchecked, so she had little to complain towards.

The status quo could stay as it was - for now. But inwardly she was taking note of the characters whom she now called pack, even temporarily, searching their strengths and weaknesses as was her way. She did not like to be surprised. The only one who held any sort of interest for her so far was Vlad - the man was a loose cannon, but he at least had a shade of personality to him.

When the stranger came, Roz happened to be returning from a (sadly unsuccessful) hunting attempt. Determined to give it another go after a break, she stepped along the shore when her ears caught Caiaphas' curt order. Now interested, she slid into their midst, circling the makeshift queen for a look at the intruder.

"So territorial. And here I thought you were in the business of collecting strays," she said, her eyes scanning Sebastian's bulk with interest. He didn't smell affiliated, and looked far less sorry than any of their ragtag bunch so far. Unlike Caiaphas, she felt no attachment to this strand, not beyond the scant security her fellows offered. Others were welcome to it as far as she was concerned.

Oh dear.. x) (I kinda expected this actually, haha)

It didn't take long before Sebastian's peace was disrupted by no one other than the crazy lady he met before. He would recognize her slender body and dark head everywhere. His pale eyes turned skeptical, not that afraid of her to be really honest. But he was still a lone wolf so the young male was on his guard. His made his large body look even bigger. "No," he returned to her. "This isn't your territory," he returned. 

Sebastian gave her a good glance over. He left her the last time since she was all yelling in that grotto. His nose started registering her scent. He had the feeling he would run into her more often if they were going to settle here. What Sebastian did admire was her courage to stand up like him with such confidence. If her was her size he probably wouldn't be as confident. Alas, that was not something he would discus with her now. "I'm just exploring, relax woman," he added, not even knowing her name. 

Not a moment later another woman joined the crazy lady's forces. She didn't seem as angry. Sebastian was still on his guard. He was outnumbered before and that didn't end well for him at all. The young male noticed that they both smelled of each other, probably like he was smelling of Haven and Aduin. "You are gathering a pack here?,"he asked, sounding a bit defeated.

bc i'm museful -- but anyone else can join!

caiaphas' posture heightened as the male defied her, and a sliver of a sneer tore across her snipey muzzle. sebastian's response was to posture himself in a way that made him appear larger -- the intention behind such a gesture a clearly poised writ of challenge.

and caiaphas had never taken kindly to challenge.

the sound had always been caiaphas' -- from the day she had walked upon it. even now, the sound reflected her residence -- from the timeworn tread of paws that winded around the cliff's approachable slope to the fur that lined the narrow passage of the grottoes. even the sand bore trace of her existence in the small indents that slowly filled with grains of sand by each passing breeze. to say it was not her land was an insult and the umbrage rose clearly across the black swath of her violent visage.

though rosalyn didn't know it, caiaphas had encountered this male three times now -- that was two times more than she preferred loners to visit her isolated strand. "sebastian is not a stray." she corrected, her muzzle uplifted in a challenging stare as she peered at the much larger male. "and you are wrong. this is the sound -- home to the sirens -- and every pack established along the shore knows of the nereides' claim." caiaphas stepped forward, asserting her titleship with a raised tail. she was not about to expose the coven to sebastian by answering his second inquiry, and so, chose to ignore it. "so i will say it one more time. leave."

:)

Depending on where you go with it, Roz is probably skippable

So she and this Sebastian knew one another.  Wonderful.  She shrugged and took a step back with a mental do what you want, wondering if the male would rise to the challenge and quite hoping he would.  She was interested in knowing how Caiaphas handled herself.

Not that she would jump in.  She had no inclinations on getting herself in a tussle over the sea witch's patch of sand.  Maybe if there was a kill to defend but as it was, she saw no point.  If Caiaphas expected support in keeping him out from her, she would be disappointed.

To Sebastian this was only his second meeting with her, he had no clue that it was her who was causing the haunting voice in the tunnel. The large male didn't feel like she could make a claim on a territory as a loner. She was clearly crazy, and it seemed that she didn't like to be challenged. He had to admit that he much preferred her seeing him as her son instead of a trespasser, it was much easier for him that way. Maybe since the female wanted to live here so badly they could make a deal out of this. Sebastian really didn't want to fight and get injured over a location. 

"Technically I am a loner," he bantered back, his pale eyes on her. He did have a mate, and her siblings to hang out with. "Well you clearly don't have the members to make your claim," he pointed out to her, he felt like a rebelling child that talked back against someone elderly. A huff came from his lips. He did want to settle with Haven close to this beach, and he really didn't want this female to become a problem, why did he had the feeling that she would become a problem? Sebastian could be stubborn at times and he was not ready to leave yet. "I have been in your grotto and it was empty. Even your Kevlyn is gone. You have to accept that the pack you once had is no more," he pressed on, maybe even boldly so. Sebastian always had been reckless in these situations. "Your lands don't interest me to settle on, though I do want to know what is out here," he explained, tone back to being calm instead of judging.

i'm not a huge stickler for order so no worries!

small as caiaphas was, there was a mighty fierceness in her gaze that was resolute in its bearing -- a primordial sense of possession that could not be fled nor hid from. once rosalyn stepped back caiaphas stepped forward, an energy about her frenetic and full of voltaic fervor. she didn't care what sebastian insinuated - this was her home - it smelled like her and she like it -- and for any one to deny that claim was blasphemy. she had chased bigger and more violent wolves from the shore before and if it came down to it she would defend her homestead with tooth and claw. 

for truth be told, there was not much else the sea-witch had to live for.

"leave." she commanded once more, stepping forward to close the gap between the two. her tail flew over her hip and her muzzle jutted -- there would be no second warning.

Clearly verbal talking didn't work with the female and Sebastian was quite his stubborn self. The female wouldn't get his respect for the sole reason that she couldn't ask him to leave on a normal tone. He had been nice to her as she mistook him for her son. He dealt with her crazy before. Plus if he wanted to lead his own pack one day he couldn't get himself told what to do by some small annoying crazy lady like her. The male looked straight into her crazy eyes. He bared his teeth and raised his tail just like her. He held his ground towards her.

He almost wanted to start his pack here now, so they could chase her out. That was a mean thought, he realized. But they were going to settle by the cliffs and if the female would trespass there then Sebastian would attack. Now they were both on neutral grounds, even though the slender female claimed that it was not. The other female, that didn't have any interest in defending this beach, smelled like a loner. So clearly these lands were unclaimed. Sebastian was going to leave when he wanted to and not because she was telling him to.

that the wolf raised his tail and head over her took chutzpah -- and a certain lack of self preservation. caiaphas knew one thing about the lone wolf lifestyle -- and it was that lone wolves could not afford to get hurt. caiaphas at the very least had her grotto to slink into, and the sea to nurse her wounds -- but if she had learned anything about the ways of the wild it was that life was an incredibly unforgiving sentiment.

caiaphas allowed her gaze to slide to rosalyn, who seemed neutral on the subject. a certain amount of disappointment seemed to cloud her eyes and the witch stepped back, conceding to sebastian's resolute aggression. fine -- her body seemed to say -- have it your way.

in that breadth where sebastian would presumably feel a victorious flush capture him, caiaphas seized her moment. a single forepaw, quick as the lash end of a whip, dug into the sand and a furious gout of hailing clod was sent directly towards sebastian's eyes in the hopes of obscuring his vision. it was a calculated and, if she could say so herself, delightfully feint-full move -- her previous surrender probably afforded her a great advantage of surprise.

but she did not wait for a reaction -- in that same beat she lunged forward, hoping the sand would temporarily stun him. with the sickening ardency of an amazonian she launched forward, jaws outstretched to seize the meat of his cheek or neck. he was taller than her, and a moment before, had lifted his head in a perfect position for "grab-my-throat" presentation. if sebastian had turned away to wipe his eyes, her teeth would likely land along the brunt of his jawbone where tender neck filled into stout mandible. if he had managed courage under fire and remained still, her teeth would seek instead the neck -- and more specifically, the trapezius. while she did not know the name of such a muscle, she knew it's importance -- once her teeth closed around his trapezius he would likely be neutralized, for he would likely not be able to retaliate with his own teeth given her proximity. the trapezius functioned as the neck's (and body's) rudder, and was responsible for various functions such as turning the neck and shoulder -- it was a broad target, but a easy one -- and was one of the prime areas under assault during hunting. one needn't elaborate on the vital function of the throat -- and if it was that caiaphas gripped, well, it would spell certain doom for the agouti male.

and once her teeth made connection with flesh, wherever the flesh, caiaphas would refuse to let go -- she would attempt use her momentum to her advantage and attempt to push the insolent wolf into the sand to unbalance him. once wolves got ahold of a throat, it was an easy feat to flip them -- and caiaphas, darting fiend that she was, would attempt to flip or force him downwards, thus incapacitating him if successful.

either way, there was no mercy in her assault -- and if sebastian did not turn tail and run it was apparent the she-wolf had every intention of killing him that day.

oh boy! #RIPphas 3-hit 1-dodge rule? A1: sand -- A2: lunge for throat -- A3: attempt to unbalance/flip him

Here comes the useless vermin :D

The creature lurked some distance away, disinterested in whatever it was happening so far from him. He could discern his two associates, and some other wolf, but the saltine air that drifted around him said nothing about food and so he had no reason to investigate. The searing hunger that was ever-present in his stomach made it difficult for much else to draw from his limited mental capacity. However, when conflict erupted, his head lifted and his tattered ears flicked forward. Now, his attention had been captured. He did not care about the land, or the wolves involved, but he saw an opportunity for himself.

He slithered his way toward the trio, quick and purposeful. His mouth was already adorned in long strands of slobber. Under most circumstances, the black-headed coywolf was a better target, but he would not defy his master by attacking the Queen. So, the cowardly Rat darted in toward the hefty male's hindquarter's, away from the danger of massive jaws and bone-crushing teeth. His sharp, befouled teeth sought to nip and worry at the flesh for the pleasure of it while the brutish male was (probably) busy fending off the savage woman.

Hopefully said woman would make a kill, and he could feed.

What Sebastian didn't expect was the sand she flipped up into his eyes. That was a trick he yet had to learn. Sebastian was going to live at the coastal area too so that was something he would remember and practice. The sand hurt badly in his eyes and the healer inside of him briefly thought about what he needed to do about it. He turned his head away as he blinked, hopefully he wouldn't have permanent damage. That is when he felt the females teeth on his cheekbone. Sebastian instantly reacted by stepping away. Her teeth had to graze into nothing. With her vision a bit limited the male then realized a smaller and skinny dark wolf was coming up behind him. 

The nip didn't hurt that bad, he did turned around with his teeth bared aiming for something of the rat of a wolf to bite into. Sebastian then lunged forward, wanting to run away, but he wanted to leave the female without damage. Sebastian knew he was a tank of a wolf, and this crazy lady was only petite and slender. He charged towards her as he made his way to the exit. He lowered his muzzle to protect his neck. If his charge was successful he would barrel into her like a mad bison. Once he barreled past her he didn't went around to attack her again. He knew to against one might be something he could win, but he learned from the time Saena and her pack attacked him. Now the grey tank wasn't alone anymore, and if he would be injured he wouldn't be much help to Haven. So this time he would run, but it hurt his pride. He had been so kind to her before and now she was even meaner towards him. He hated it. 

- seb out -

inserting this, if it doesn't fit (ie seb doesn't get away) let me know and I can delete/repost!

She backed up to allow them their space, her intent to stay out of the fight still strong, but not stronger than her desire to watch.  Unfortunately, it had barely begun before the rat jumped in and latched what were likely disease-ridden jaws into the burly intruder.  Damn.  Hope he had his shots.

Despite her distaste, she fancied pulling Rat off and making it once more a proper duel... but before she could, Sebastian was out, along with her chances of finishing any sort of observation.  Double damn.

The trick with the sand had been somewhat enlightening in showing the conniving nature of Caiaphas' strategy.  Seemed honor and upstanding actions weren't in her playbook.  All the better.  With a slight huff Rosalyn leaned into a long stretch, back bowing and arching luxuriously, before heaving a heavy yawn.  "That was anticlimactic," she said dryly as she made to continue on her previous plan - a well deserved nap.

phas out too!

despite caiaphas preparing for the worst, it appeared kismet had other designs for her -- sebastian easily shook her assault and cast her aside, storming back the way he had come. she was thrown into the sand -- briefly she rested on her elbows and appeared as if she was contemplating what to do next. for a moment she ruefully entertained the idea of worrying his hocks until he was clear of the sound -- yet in truth she hardly had the energy reserves to do so.

her gaze swept to rat, the russian companion -- while she did not think he had come to her aid simply as a comrade, there was a flush of gratitude in her gaze as she beheld him. yet for rosalyn, there was only a stiff upper lip and cold stare. "you'd think you'd defend the host that welcomed you into her home." the wraith sniped snidely, her hackles still flared from her encounter with sebastian. despite her tone there was no physical recourse behind it, and with a haughty puff of umbrage the sea-witch slid off back to the tunnels.

The wolf's attack missed the Rat, who was skittish and all-too prepared to evade a counterstrike. In the next moment, the wolf was charging past the Queen and beating a hasty retreat. With an annoyed snort, Rat flopped down onto his arse and licked at the minuscule bit of blood and fur that he had managed to pull from a flank before the wolf swung his teeth toward him. It was dissatisfying at best. With nothing else here to interest him, he took his leave. He snaked down the sands in search of some other opportunity.