Hushed Willows Captain Amerus

Captain paused as she scented the air, her sandy-blonde fur smooth and thick upon the elegant curvature of her neck. Her bright blue eyes scanned the foliage around her with keen interest, lingering upon the decent collection of vegetation with a mounting sense of hope. She had grown accustomed to barren landscapes and devastation in the wake of the recent plague.

     Though she could still sense the effects of the locusts, the sight slightly eased her concern. A small rythm began drumming throughout her ears, beating in synchronization with the pulsing thrum of her heart. All this time she had believed that perhaps her brother had not survived the famine - not after it caused the deaths of so many others. Having been much less liberal in the past, she now found that the survival of her siblings was not as hard to realistically comprehend.

     The thought stimulated a new sense of brio within her. She quickened her pace so that she walked with much more urgency. Her muscles were taught with hesitant caution as she neared the outskirts of Marauder's Keep. She had no doubt within her that this was, in fact, her destination. She was careful not to step too far within the territory, her ears angled outwards so as to detect event the slightest of sounds. This is it. She thought, muscles visibly contracting as she subconciously worked her jaw.

     The sky was a clear, blue void above her, reflecting the strong sense of continual will within. Her tail brushed the ground beneath, body clearly brandishing a stance of modest submission. The surrounding heat encompassed her body, small beads of sweat forming along the nape of her dignified neck. It had been a long journey, even for a tough wolf such as herself. Closing her eyes, Captain drank in the cool morning air before tipping her head back and releasing a long, deep howl.

Stark was almost concerned with how easily and quickly he had settled. A mere month and he was watching Tambourine spend his time deciphering new hopeful ways to attempt to reach his sheath on a regular basis, allowing Octavia the ability to comb the borders. Today though Stark was getting some fresh air when his entire body froze. He knew that smell. 

His first random thought was he was being tailed, that somehow there was a hope he would come home again. It wasn't going to happen. The longer he was away the more certain he was that he didn't have to deal with playing second fiddle to anyone anymore. He was his own man here. Stark turned and cut through the willows to intercept Cap before Trick did. Her howl rang out a moment later and Stark huffed. There she went again, mouth running unnecessarily. 

He came upon the blonde, his eyes drifting slowly over her, searching out any injuries and weaknesses. "You're a really long ways from home." He settled on, unsure what he truly felt. 

Captain squared up to her brother, looking back at him with somber blue eyes. She had no weaknesses, no injuries. He knew that. The way he searched her made her feel sorry to think that he still felt so bitter about her."Stark..." She voiced, loosely toying the word upon her lips. It had been so long since she'd last spoke of her brother, even more so from when she'd last spoken to him. Her tail brushed the ground as it swayed, swinging like a pendulum as the two siblings faced eachother. Captain had missed her brother. She had missed the constant rivalry between them. 
 
     "Home is the heart for a wanderer." She commented, shrugging evenly to suppress any hostility. The friction in the air was quite appaling, and she was adamant to increase it. Searching her brother's gaze, Captain shifted her expression so that it remained unreadable. 
     
     "The famine. It's hitting harder than any of us had thought." She said finally, her blue eyes hardening. There was an unmistakable sense of determination within her stance, one of militant courage and might. She was not here just for her brother, no matter how much she had wished him to be alive. This was also a matter of survival.

Love the avatar!

 

It still was alarming, having Cap show up on the borders of Marauder's Keep. There was a tension between both of him and he was glad to know it wasn't just him. He wasn't just the asshole (well, he was) but that the feelings were a little mixed. Now Trick would get to council him again, because he wasn't sure how to feel already and it was just a moment into the meeting. He swallowed thickly, his blue eyes still checking her over in brotherly affection, and though he didn't always like her he still did love her as siblings should. 

"How long have you been wandering? Everything's okay at home though?" Not that Stark would entertain thoughts of just up and leaving, not right then with the pack trying to keep it together through the famine. There was no promise that there would be food enough to sustain him anyways in the journey back. 

His gaze shifted, hardening and he felt his hackles raise. "The famine - it arrived just before I did, and the path I took there was still plentiful life beyond these wilds. It's spread, then?" It was good information to note, though it pained him to consider it. He frowned and looked over towards the packlands, only hints that maybe the trees were going to sprout again and be beautiful. No promises at all, however.

I'm playing around with it XD

     Captain dropped her gaze. There wasn't much encouraging information she could suspend. She didn't want to believe that their old home had been swarmed by the same disaster, but it was the only reality she faced. At least he's not bitter, she thought mildly. "I've been wandering for a few months now. The valley is a complete mess." She returned her gaze with his in subdued silence.
    
     "I barely escaped. Everyone split up back there - I have no idea where they went. I traveled the first two months in search of them, but..." She couldn't finish her sentence. She wanted to be strong about this, but it was too painful to think that she had failed her family. She had failed to rescue anyone other than herself. Captain sighed, clearly pushing the negative thoughts to the back of her mind. "I'm here now, though, and I want to help in any way possible. I'd do anything to compensate for my deficiency back home."

He was torn instantly. Captain admitting that they had all ran, that the family had separated off, made his heart sink to his stomach. Had he anything to offer it might have come back up, a worry in him so deep over his sister. He considered running to find Banner - certainly he of all people could get her home safely. But he had Octavia. He had Tambourine. He had Trick and Grace, even Kunik and the batty old woman to consider. He frowned and looked down, eyes closing for a moment. "She'll come," He said finally. 

"She'll find us. If you can get here, she'll get here." He teased ruefully, only then deciding he had to be comforted by that thought and he had to see it through. He couldn't rely on himself to feel better about it, he then could just choose not to focus on it right then. "I joined a pack here, but we're really strapped. Everyone is low on resources. But...." But she could watch the borders. Lend her strength to the pack in a way that Stark could not. Since he was an easy identifier he couldn't watch over them properly but Cap could. "Some good might come out of those muscles of yours." 

Stark lifted his head up and called for @Tavi - hopefully someone could watch Tambourine while she was with them. If not, he could depart after introducing the pair to mind the babe. 

It wasn't common for wolves to find their way to them, which was one of the reasons Tavi was so pleased with her home. She liked the solitude of it, the safety. The secret nature of the pack. Yet there was a call for her from the borders — Stark's voice reaching in to the depths of the Crook to pull her from a quick nap — and briefly Octavia wondered why she had to be the one to investigate. She sighed, gave Tambourine a very soft kiss to the top of his head, and then pulled herself away. The woman lingered only until someone entered the den-cave and took up a protective position over her son, then she was off.

Octavia knew some short-cuts now, and maneuvered with more ease across the territory. When she came upon the edge of it, where Stark stood in direct opposition to a far fairer toned wolf, she stiffened and approached with some caution. A brief look across the stranger told her some things: they were hungry, they were alone, and they were female. She glanced to Stark then, and with a far more commanding tone than she usually wielded she said, Who is this? And how did they find us? Her eyes demanded.

Captain kept her stance, turning to face the Alpha female with an air of polite control. She had no intention on stealing her position, much less posing much of a threat to her pack. A cautious wolf is a wise one, she decided as she scanned the alpha. She rather preferred leaders with a keen sense for detail. Already, Captain could feel herself become a subject of close evaluation.
  
     Though the Alpha female had addressed Stark, Captain felt compelled to introduce herself. No telling what Stark can come up with, she thought with dry amusement. Their rivalry had always been looked upon as humurous through her eyes. "I am Captain. I've come the Sun River Valley - no sense explaining where that is. The famine has urged me here, thought not without my own accordance." She lifted her chin resolutey, shifting her gaze so that they met the female's. Captain's blue pools reflected a combination of strength and courage, dulled by small traces of pain and endurance. "I want to help the Marauder's Keep." 

Stark could say a lot of things about Cap but he turned to Octavia, smoothly letting her take the lead as was her right. "She failed to mention she's my sister." Stark offered dryly. "Apparently the famine scattered my family to the four winds. I'd only expect one other to come along, our littermate Banner," Not that they'd come along and take things over, and even were that the case their loyalties would lie with Octavia alone.

Stark wouldn't be the type to put their differences in the light and make it awkward. Honestly, having Cap in the pack could be useful though he was loathe to admit it. He instead turned to the blonde female, glancing over at Octavia just periodically. He wasn't the focus, here. 

Instead of hearing Stark's appraisal of this stranger, the golden girl herself began to speak. Octavia wasn't all that trusting of strangers to begin with, and she found this abrupt shift of her attention irritating. But Stark did nothing to thwart the synopsis given by the girl, and then - when Tavi opened her mouth, ready to admonish the newcomer for their forthright answer - Stark cut in and explained an even more important tidbit. A sister. Had she known that before-hand, perhaps Octavia would've been less defensive in her mannersims, brief though her visit had been thus far. She thought this had been some kind of womanly caller for Stark — not that she'd admit something like that.

A sister. That, she could work with.

Captain. Weird name, she commented while looking back upon the golden woman. Then she looked to Stark, deciding she'd have a word with him later (specifically to find out how many others might be popping up) but she said nothing to him; only glanced, then returned to Captain, as she was the wolf they were here to scrutinize. I don't really care where you've been. If you want to stay here with us, you'll have to pull your weight. Can you hunt? Are you some kind of badass warrior? We have no need for anyone with a lazy streak here, so if you're looking for somewhere to wait out the famine, I'd suggest taking a hike. Although she had softened considerably since learning of this wolf's connection to Stark, Octavia was still quite serious. 

Warbone had his rules, but so too did Octavia. If this pack was to remain a secret place, a safe harbour for Tambourine, then this extra mouth would have to know how to feed themselves. Having extra teeth wouldn't hurt either.

Captain wasn't appaled when Stark spoke, and found that she had expected the slight shift in the Alpha female's attitude. As for her name, it had always been a mystery even for herself. Leadership, commitment. That was all she could remember having anything to do with the strange title. 

     "I've traveled a long way. I believe that earns one a little credit." She pointed out. Her gaze did not cease to hold the same qualities as before. "It's safe to say that I indeed hold beneficial attributes. I can definitely hunt and my fighting capability is gaining new definition as I grow." 

     She didn't like to point out things like this, it was something she rarely resorted towards and found to deeply loathe. In truth, she liked for others to acquire their own perception of her ability - not the one she formed.

He'd never imagined that his family would find him there. If he had, he might have mentioned something to Octavia. He frowned when Cap ran her mouth, shaking his head a bit. "Credit isn't everything, though." He pointed out. He glanced over at Octavia, still respectfully keeping himself lower than she was, his eyes downcast. She did not demand that he grovel before her regularly but Stark was respectful still and would give her the respect she deserved. 

Most people would be blindly lying to get their relatives into their pack, but Stark wouldn't do that. Honestly, he wanted to see his sisters both win on their own merit - Cap more than Banner, perhaps, but on their own. He stepped closer to Octavia, speaking beneath his breath. "She could watch the borders in my place." He said lowly, offering the suggestion. 

Well, Stark was right. They could use the manpower (woman-power?) on the borders, since Tavi was moving people around. And if this wolf worked as hard as Stark did, that'd be a bonus. It was another set of teeth to sic upon Reek if he came knocking, but another belly to feed, and overall they could use more able bodies. Everyone was feeling the pinch of the famine but this Captain was in good spirits, and far more healthy than the lot of them. Alright, Tavi announced.

Rule one: Do not tell anyone about the Marauders. We like to keep to ourselves, and I'd like to keep my son away from his jerkass father, which Stark can explain to you later, she glanced at the dark man then and raised her brow, then looked back to the golden woman. Rule two: My son's safety and health take priority over anyone else. Doesn't matter if your best friend is starving to death - you let them die and feed me or my boy with whatever you can find. It was a harsh example but one that painted her point clearly. With that said, she added only one last thing: Stark can show you the ropes, fill you in on any details. You answer to me and to Warbone, the alpha male.

She'd forgotten to mention the Crook, but with Stark giving a tour, they'd no doubt stop there along the way and meet the rest of the pack. Octavia wasn't too keen on having a stranger so close to her son right of the bat anyways, and had likely dropped that tidbit from her mind as a mental precaution. Welcome to the Keep, she intoned with finality, and then turned to depart — if Captain had any questions then she could stop her, but Octavia was keen on returning to her son.

Captain didn't disrupt the Alpha's descent, watching her leave with a small hint of satisfaction. Her tail swayed evenly from side to side, displaying her relief and excitement. She was a part of a pack now, at least, and she would no longer struggle alone. As soon as the female disappeared, Captain turned to face her brother with a grin. Her previous intensity had softened, and she felt much more comfortable addressing him. "Stark, I'm glad you are well." The long overdue sentence hung in the air for a moment, lingering in the eerie silence of morning. "I don't believe I'd have ever found this place had I not remembered your scent."

     She glanced to the side, taking in the surrounding landscape with interest. Now that this was her home, a whole different light had been shed across the formerly dull setting. "What all is there to show me?" Captain asked, shaking out her fur subconciously. Her muscular shoulders rippled as she did so, hardly visible through her thick mass of blonde fur. "And what happened between the Alpha and her mate?" Though she didn't voice it aloud, the prospects of hunting for a woman and her pup was rather unsettling. I should have a pup of my own and order around wolves to do my bidding. She snapped out of her thoughts with a small growl. A mother and her pup were the very future of the Teekon Wilds. There was no reason in arguing over the value of Tambourine, so she came to the quick decision to agree without hesitance. In fact, she found that the Alpha was being quite diplomatic in her leadership. The very fulkrum of a pack was its motivation, anyhow.

Stark gave a nod as Octavia chose to allow Cap to stay with them. Well - at least he didn't have to deal with that sort of guilt that his sister wasn't there and he was in a plush pack doing fine. Not that the famine meant that things were plush anywhere, but, it was better than he had expected. Stark licked his lips, turning back to view his sister and gave a soft sigh. "I'm glad that you're alright." He responded quietly, looking over at her. "C'mon." He lead her towards the Crook.

"She's here, he's there - and he leads a pack that could always try and get Tambourine. Don't need many details, honestly. Just keep a look out. I recently went over to tell him that his son was born so I'm off border duty since he knows what I look like." He explained as they walked. "We stay here - the Crook, all of us sleeping there. Octavia has a spot with her son a little off the beaten path, but everyone stays there at night." It was a hard thing to adjust to for someone like Stark, but, he was making due. 

"It's made her more alarmed; I've just come back. So we're on high alert for a bit." Stark said evenly. "We don't tell others where we live, and that's been a rule since the start. It's more a family than anything here, so there's a sort of casual vibe here." 

Captain felt very proud of her brother. He's really making a name for himself, she realized with a thrill of satisfaction. "Alright, so what does this guy look like?" She glanced sideways at Stark as they trekked, noting how certainly he stepped. He truly had grown accustomed to this territory. It was clear in his calm, smooth stride. He barely even had to look at where he placed his paws. Captain found herself feeling slightly homesick. 
 
     "And why in the world would she want to send a packmate onto rival territory just to inform them that their pup, which he no longer had authority over, had been born?" Captain spoke with reserved definition, her blue eyes fluttering towards the ground beneath. It was important that she understood the flow of emotion in her brother, as well how he reacted to certain prompts. She wanted so badly to learn as much as possible. The more information she had about her new pack, the more depth and precision she could place into serving it.

To her question he couldn't give a proper answer, not without making assumptions of things he didn't really know. As comfortable with Octavia it didn't matter in the long run - he wouldn't talk about things that weren't really his business. No matter how comfortable he was with her, it wasn't his information to tell. "Scraggly. He's a dark male, looks malnourished - like you wouldn't expect him to make it through the famine." He felt confident that should he come to the pack that they would easily overpower him. 

"It's polite, I imagine." Stark said with a small laugh. "If I had a kid I'd rather know about it, even if I wasn't with the mother." Stark explained. "I mean - if you had kids, you'd know. If your boytoy wasn't right there he'd never know though. As a male, I'd hate not knowing about my children." He could only voice how he felt himself. "So. Catch me up. What happened with everyone after I left?" He'd really only discussed things with Banner and briefly with their father. After York passing it was hard to be there, and he needed to break way. He felt like it had worked in his favor though, being here. 

Captain shrugged. "There isn't much I can actually say, to be honest. Everything continued like normal after you left... I guess we were all just too focused on survival to truly lose ourselves in the loss of you and York." She shuddered. No matter how many times she believed that their family had lived to the best of their ability, it always felt as though they had never quite reached a comfortable state in their life. Something was always happening that off-balanced the scale one way or another. "When news of the famine traveled to Sun River Valley, we all thought of you. Thought of all the painful deaths a wolf like you might endure." Captain paused as the memories flooded back. It wasn't like she would just crumble beneath their weight, but it took time to realize the breadth of everything and it often made her halt and take a moment to compress it all.

     "None of us expected it to travel so far as to reach our home, Stark. So when it did, we were just prey for the hunting. The effects were slow and hard to notice at first. By the time we realized what was happening, the worst was upon us." She sighed. "I should have tried to form some sort of pact with the effected individuals. I'm sure Banner and I could have somehow herded everyone to a safer location where we could have gotten a grip on ourselves. Unfortunately, many of the wolves became hostile. Hunger had changed so many of the people I thought we knew. Banner and I were forced out of our own home. Do you realize how embarrassing that is? Just because I couldn't just control myself?" She stopped bantering, shaking her head and trying to push away the negativity. Instead, she resumed a positive expression, struggling to lighten the mood. She nudged her brother playfully. "But I got here, didn't I? I know Banner will find us. She's strong, and independant."

He listened to her grimly, his blue eyes staring straight ahead as they made their way through the Keep. He was careful not to touch her, not to get his scent on her for the sake of protecting the pack and Tambourine. "A wolf like me? You know I work better alone. About the only person that could handle me was Rhodes and Banner." Stark said dryly. "I made it though." He said evenly. He was proud of that fact too. "And so did you. I'm sure others will manage." Because they had, two people who couldn't be more alike and yet so very different. 

"She'll come, I know she will." Because he could feel it, and he longed desperately for it. If he could get them both back, if he could hope for maybe Rhodey too - if they could be back together, there would be no way that the Keep could fall. "We've gotten by mostly from fishing the creek that's near our borders. If you want to make a go of it sometime, we can try." He offered. He didn't know how well she'd gotten on or if she'd ever been lucky at fishing. 

Captain nodded grimly as he spoke. She missed her sister too, and it made her ashamed to believe that she didn't do more to help her. What could I have done? She thought wryly. A whole lot more. The words stung, self-inflicted though they were. It was a big slap to the face to think about the past and find all the different ways you could have changed it. Nevertheless, she was careful to keep her expression soft and full of polite regard as her brother spoke. "I would love to try and help out in any way I can, Stark." She responded, glancing over at him. "I truly am honored to be here. You've made quite a name for yourself, and I know it was rude of me to show up so suddenly."

     "But, I'm here now. And if fishing in a creek is going to help, then by all means I'll do it." She thought about her last hunting session with Banner before the famine had reached the valley. We didn't know how lucky we were. Captain shrugged off the everpresent waves of melancholy, steeling her emotions and forcing herself to think. If the fish could survive during this disaster, so could her family. And, she thought with a newfound sense of loyalty, Marauder's Keep.

Was it rude? No. Just unexpected. He wouldn't be mad about Cap showing up although he was a touch disappointed by the fact that it was her and not Banner. Okay. Way more than a touch he was extremely disappointed. He wouldn't tell her though. He'd never be that rude. Stark glanced over at her, shaking his head. "No - I'm glad you're here. Makes it easier to keep an eye on you." He teased fondly. 

"Here, I'll introduce you to everyone - then we can see about getting you something to eat." He suggested, guiding her into the Crook itself. He introduced her to the wolves present before taking her to try fishing at the creek.

Thought this was a good place to fade here! I'd love another thread!

Ok, sure! Sorry this is short - I lost inspiration XD

     Captain knew that Stark missed Banner, it was obvious in his overall mood. It should have been me that got lost, she thought grimly. But time had made it's decision and there wasn't much that would sway it. In a small trance, mesmerized by thoughts and past memories, Captain supplied her brother with a distant grin. "The Crook is great." She commented as they entered, snapping momentarily out of her daze. "Very strategically placed. Ideal for our secret habits, I suppose."

After leading her through the lands, Stark gave a little nod, smiling gently at her. He reached out, giving a sharp, playful tug to her ear. "C'mon. Stop pouting." He said with a smile. "Lets get you settled in. Looks like you're stuck with me for a bit longer, Cap." He offered. It was a rare moment that he felt so worried over her, pushing instead to lift her spirits a bit. 

last post for me :)