Blackfoot Forest The Modification of a Wolf

ooc: anyone from BD welcome!! :)

Her large body bounced between trees while her pelt gathered debris. Pausing, she tilted her head upward towards the sun that barely peered through clouds in the high up leaves. The sky was bright, although cloudy, giving Hawkeye the desire to see more. She pushed forward, searching for a spot when the brush pulled back at least a bit. Her mountainous form paused as she happened upon a tiny clearing. Squeezing her key-lime eyes to a squint from the sudden shock of brightness, Hawkeye raised her nose and sniffed the air as a gentle gust of wind blew past her inky face. Thinking she smelled something for a moment, she shook her head and sat comfortably. She was nearly deaf, but the light breeze and silence were comforting to her.

She spent the night sprawled on a log, enjoying the cool autumn air, and rose about an hour prior to sunrise the next morning. Pied leaped down from her makeshift bed and stretched her slender limbs before trotting into the forest. She located a towpath that wound through the trees like a snake and followed it. When she looked up to gauge the direction in which she was moving—northeast, for the most part—she glimpsed Mag skimming the treetops. Her tail twitched interestedly when a small shape flitted in the same direction as the spectral magpie. A bat, Pied realized, wondering if it, too, was a ghost or a flesh-and-blood creature.

Shrugging a mottled shoulder, she continued wandering through the woods. Perhaps an hour had passed—and the sun had crept slowly into the bright, cold sky—when she came upon a clearing and discovered a large, black she-wolf sitting there. Pied paused, scrutinizing the stranger from afar. She looked relaxed. After a slight hesitation, the Sigma began to plod toward the other wolf. En route, the sun struck her pelt, making the white shine like fresh snow and the markings darken to the shade of wet soapstone. She assumed that all wolves ranked above her, so she kept her head low and her tail dangled limply against her hind legs as she approached.

"Hello," she said, her voice soft but direct. "I'm Pied." She didn't bother with titles or other elaborations, instead keeping her introduction short and allowing the female to introduce herself in turn.

ooc: I was actually kindof hoping for you :D

Hawkeye's key-lime orbs burned as they popped open and she hopped to her feet, startled completely. As she whipped her large form around ready to fight, her heart racing, she suddenly lowered her ears in embarrassment; the small, white female in front of her, dappled with blueish-grey spots all along her coat, seemed to be a bit submissive toward her. A quick "sorry!" escaped her mouth before she composed herself. "I didn't hear you. I must have just been so wrapped up in relaxing.." Hawkeye cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "You needn't bow to me, Pied. I am Hawkeye, a Sigma Ogoun--of the Fire Loa. A warrior." Her mouth parted in a small smile at the words she spoke, feeling a slight swell of pride. "And what are you?" The jet-black colored wolf inquired, head slightly inclining toward the spotted wolf.

:D

Pied did not startle in response to the stranger's unexpectedly shocked reaction, instead calmly taking two steps backward to give her space. The large wolf gathered her wits soon enough and, after issuing a breath apology, she introduced herself in a gush of words. Pied paused, gathering her own bearings.

"I'm many things," she replied with a small smile after achieving an inner equilibrium. "Definitely not a warrior, though," Pied added. "I've chosen the path of Agwe'en, though I have to admit that I'm not even really sure what that means just yet. I'm still pretty new."

She meant to say something else, to hopefully get a conversation rolling, but another wolf suddenly strode into the clearing. Pied turned to greet him or her, only to stiffen slightly as her heterochromatic eyes pinned on the figure. Not all spectres wore their mortal wounds like this one—his throat was agape, the torn tissue glistening pinkly even in death—though it was certainly a foolproof way to differentiate between who was alive and who wasn't. Pied tittered in her head at the thought, eyes following the apparition as he glided across the clearing in their direction.

Not wanting Hawkeye to find her strange or suspicious, Pied smoothly returned her attention to her living companion. "I'm sorry that I—" she began, wanting to apologize for unintentionally interrupting the female's rest. At nearly the same moment, the ghost wolf arrived at her side, paused, whispered, "She's kind of deaf," in her ear, chuckled and strode away, losing substance and fading before he reached the trees.

Well, that sort of explained Hawkeye's initial reaction. Pied quirked a brow at the ghost's odd helpfulness, then refocused yet again on Hawkeye. "Sorry," she said quickly, "I'm being spacey. I wanted to apologize for barging in on your down time. I can come back later if you want," the mottled yearling offered diplomatically.

ooc: OMG KAT I LOVE PIED

for the pack meeting (that I will make a post on later), I figured it would only make sense if Hawkeye recognized Pied, otherwise this would have to be in some parallel universe o_O

The other female seemed to be a soft-spoken creature. She is water, and I am fire. Opposites, but animals of the same pack. Maybe we can be friends. The thought rolled around her mind after the female had mentioned being an Agwe'en, but was cut short by Pied seemingly spacing out--the yellow (and blue-violet) eyed female turned and stiffened, as if seeing a ghost; she then resumed talking to Hawkeye, cut herself off for a moment, and began again. Hawkeye shook her massive head out, trying to grasp what was going on through the confusion in her mind.

The yearling apologized, talk already! "No, don't worry about it..." she ushered out, "I should have been doing something more productive anyway." Hawkeye arched her back in a stretch and then sat down facing Pied, her tail casually swaying as she took a moment to look around. The space was blotched with uneven patterns of the sun and looked completely different from the blanket of night pouring over the forest (not to mention the shrieks from the foxes). Day and night, light and dark; what Hawkeye once was and what she needed to be. She just didn't know how to do it.

Looking back at the female, Hawkeye curiously examined her markings, noting the missing coloring on her left foreleg and the unevenly spotted toes. The sharp eyes had done this in a matter of a second, and rested on the dainty female's face. "May I ask why you chose the path of an Agwe'en?" Hawkeye inquired, knowing only that the Loa was a peaceful type and a sort of cleric... or a shaman.

Yep, the meeting takes place after this thread, so they'd recognize one another. :D

Hawkeye pardoned Pied easily and the yearling's lips twitched gratefully. She felt the other female's eyes scrutinizing her, yet did not feel particularly bashful about it. She knew her markings were rather unusual and was quite used to lingering looks. Besides, the two were pack mates, so it was par for the course that they would get familiar with one another, through sight as well as scent and other traits.

Since the other Sigma had seated herself, Pied did the same. Even as she reclined, she saw the ghost reappear just over Hawkeye's shoulder. He plodded behind her, unnoticed, and roamed around the edge of the clearing. Pied watched him out of the corner of her eye but kept her gaze and her focus directed forward, toward Hawkeye. Her grayed ears leaned forward, indicating the raptness of her attention.

"Um..." she began, hesitating slightly as the gears in her mind experienced a momentary hiccup. She hadn't yet revealed her talent to anyone, so what other reasons could she supply to sate her pack mate's valid curiosity? "It seemed the most fitting out of the four," she said finally. "Like I said, I'm no warrior, so that was out. I'm not very tricky or cunning, either. I guess I could've chosen Loco'en but it sounded... boring, you know? So I guess it was a process of elimination more than anything. I'm pretty laid-back and—magical."

Pied meant that last part as a little joke, yet she stammered slightly when the apparition suddenly appeared right next to Hawkeye. It didn't scare Pied, so to speak; it was more distracting than anything. She kind of wanted to hit him, especially when he inexplicably began to make faces at her. The peculiar expressions combined with his shredded throat created a macabre image and suddenly Pied snorted. Gruesome, she thought, and smoothly said aloud, "Bless me," to play it off as a small sneeze.

ooc: weeee! I put in the Lecter part cuz we are currently threading, and I like the conversation with him being before this one!

Hearing the "magical" made Hawkeye's left ear twitch, and the little sneeze and "bless me" made her tilt her her charcoal-colored head in interest. The black female shifted her neck around, wondering if something was there, then rested her eyes on the mismatched orbs of the petite wolf in front of her. "Are you feeling okay...? And did I hear you say you were magical?" Hawkeye leaned in slightly toward Pied with the latter question; she'd only ever heard stories of "magic" wolves, and this wolf seemed sane. Well, mostly.

Despite Pied's efforts, Hawkeye seemed to notice her strange mannerisms. Damn it, she thought quietly. Aloud, she said lightly, "Oh, I meant that as a joke." She paused, then nodded. "I'm okay. Sorry, I... have an attention deficit disorder of some sort," the yearling said apologetically, offering Hawkeye a sheepish smile. She hoped this would explain her odd behaviors to the other female's satisfaction.

Pied had yet to reveal her gift to anyone, not even her closest family and friends back home—not even her own mother. When she'd happened across Bon Dye the other day and learned what it was all about, she'd felt she might fit in well and find acceptance. Here, her gift might not only be accepted but truly appreciated. Until she felt more sure of that, Pied refused to let anyone know of her special talent. She was still working on accepting it herself, to be honest.

With that said, the ghost's presence made her almost maddeningly curious as he now made wild, amusing gestures behind Hawkeye's back, as if mocking her. Pied's head tilted at the strange display. Now he lifted his leg against Hawkeye and released a stream of ectoplasmic urine. Of course, Hawkeye could have no idea what was happening. For her part, Pied bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Hawkeye," she began, "I have what might seem like a very strange question for you." Pied paused, her two-toned eyes glittering. "It's a little bit morbid too. Sorry about that." She paused again, then finally queried, "Do you happen to know of anyone who died by having his throat torn out—like, maybe a brother or something?" Even as it left her tongue, Pied realized how strange and specific the question must seem. But something about the way the ghost was behaving just screamed sibling to her. Again, she bit her lip.

Hawkeye accepted the young wolf's excuse of her attention shortage. Something still seemed a bit off, but the almost two-year-old mentally shrugged it away. She secretly wished she could be more confrontational and abrasive--not to her packmates (unless needed), but in general. Her head seemed to buzz with an exceedingly odd feeling.

The strange droning sensation continued for a moment, making her completely deaf. She narrowed her right brow momentarily, in both confusion and irritation. I better not be losing even more of my hearing... she mumbled, slightly irked. It was bad enough she had to strain to hear things already. Hawkeye's auditory ability returned with a slight hum when the wolf mentioned ...What? Did she know if her brother--or someone else--died by having their throat torn out?

"Kimblee... What did you do?" She mumbled to herself with a far away look, eyes darting back and forth while staring at the ground. Hawkeye knew that her older brother had a strange blood-lust, but had he gone too far? Messed with the wrong wolf or pack? Sanity seemed to drip away from her as she looked at the white and grey-blue wolf in front of her. Confusion and anguish marked her face.

ooc: Not sure where you wanted me to go.. I had a brother I planned on using, but since he would have had a lust for blood... this ending for him seemed to fit here. Maybe I could bring him in to get murdered by someone who is willing

You're welcome to go wherever you want with it! :D

Pied prepared herself for two distinct possibilities: either Hawkeye would react with bewildered confusion and perhaps even think Pied sick or crazy, or else she would be met with thunderstruck recognition. Her lips pinched when she saw the befuddled expression take over the other female's face. Hawkeye mumbled something—a name. Pied's unique eyes darted sideways to the ghost, who seemed to react to the name by freezing and staring right at the back of Hawkeye's head. All antics ceased.

She didn't know whether Hawkeye was talking to her or someone else—this Kimblee person, possibly—when she asked, "What did you do?" Nevertheless, Pied responded. "Who is Kimblee?" Then, because of the faraway look in her eyes, Pied softly added, "Hawkeye?" to nab her attention and bring her back to earth. As she waited for the answer to her question, she prepared herself for the inevitable questions Hawkeye would have for her, particularly the one where Hawkeye surely demanded to know Pied's reason for asking.

Hawkeye snapped her eyes back at Pied, searching. She hadn't realize that she spoke her brother's ...nickname aloud. Dexter...

"Kimblee... that's my older brother. We were the only two pups my parents had, and we were in separate litters. He-uh..." The large wolf paused. She didn't know what else to say. Was her brother dead? His antics weren't "normal" per se, him claiming he heard voices and saw visions. She hadn't believed her brother, until she saw him pacing in the woods; normally emerald eyes glowed white, and the large male cackled and mumured to himself ...and what seemed to be someone else. A rustle of the brush in her direction made his head snap, his orbs turning a color that resembled spilled blood. Her running from him in fear was how she ended up in the landslide that damaged her hearing.

Before the "voices" began, Dexter had been a caring and loving brother who loved wisecracks and tricks. That's who she liked to remember... Dexter. Not a wolf nicknamed "Kimblee" who's mood was unstable and unpredictable, and his bloodlust unquenched. Her eyes began to water, but she pushed her tears away.

"You really do have.. powers, don't you." Hawkeye more stated at Pied than asked. She didn't feel like this wolf was erratic like her brother had been the last time she had seen him.

As Hawkeye explained who Kimblee was, Pied watched the apparition carefully. He continued to stare at the back of the large female's head, absolutely motionless. Without warning, he then evaporated into thin air. This development made Pied's brow knit together, as if frustrated. She looked surreptitiously around the clearing, yet he hadn't reappeared elsewhere. A flap of Mag's wings in a treetop overhead momentarily snagged her attention, then the piebald Sigma's attention drifted back to Hawkeye.

Right then, Hawkeye blurted something about magical powers. The way she phrased it made Pied uneasy, as if she knew something and was trying to catch the Agwe'en in a lie. Calmly, she asked, "What makes you say that? If you're wondering why I asked, I suddenly realized that your name was familiar. Sorry for prying." She left it at that, the apology genuine even if misdirected.

"You were about to say something about Kimblee," Pied reminded gently after a pause. "Tell me about your brother?" She phrased it as a polite request, even as she folded her mottled haunches to the ground and wrapped her tail snugly around herself. She felt cold all of a sudden, something she noted along with the fact that the ghost still hadn't reappeared.

She tilted her head in the slightest and her brow narrowed somewhat in confusion. Only her family had ever called her "Hawkeye." She used her given name everywhere else... well, until recently. Maybe she had heard about her through whispers in the wind. It made sense.

Hawkeye shrugged and looked away at the gentle question she was asked, preferring not to answer. She did anyway. "He was born two autumns before me and was my only sibling--weird, I know. My parents had trouble conceiving.. and during the right seasons. Dexter--he.. he could see things.. Hear them, too. He went crazy. His desire, no lust, for blood... Something changed in him. Snapped. I don't know. The last I saw of him..." The midnight wolf stopped. Narrowing her brow, she squeezed her eyes shut. They were beginning to burn, feeling warm and strained. What is going on?

"I don't know where he is now. He could be dead." She breathed out the last sentence quietly while opening her eyes once more. Hawkeye inspected the area around the two, feeling like someone was standing there, watching them. Coming up with nothing her eyes glided back to Pied and resting on the small female.

Pied listened with the quiet attentiveness of a trained therapist. She kept her face neutral, though her brow furrowed ever so slightly at the name. Dexter? she thought. Was that his name? Then who was Kimblee? The entire time, Pied had thought it was her brother's name. She didn't have time to dwell on this perplexity, as the Agwe'en sensed that Hawkeye was becoming distressed. Not to mention the compelling information about her brother's strange visions and behaviors...

"Why would you think he was dead?" Pied asked gently. She noticed the way Hawkeye looked around, as if she sensed the ghost. Yet he was gone and Hawkeye couldn't possibly be aware of him. "There's no reason to think that. I'm sorry that things went... wrong with him," Pied continued tactfully. "Tell me something good about him and your relationship. What did he look like?" She hoped that sounded offhanded enough. She wanted, of course, to compare Hawkeye's description to the missing specter.

Speaking of specters, a movement in the trees caught Pied's attention and she looked up discreetly. Mag had taken wing and was flapping into the distance. Just as she was about to disappear from sight altogether, she wheeled around and circled back. She continued doing this. Pied recognized the behavior, having witnessed it before. Quit pacing, she chided the magpie, then returned her full attention to Hawkeye.

ooc: whyyy is the magpie pacing?! I MUST KNOWWW

Hawkeye shook her head and stepped back at the questions. Her head ached and seemed to throb. Blowing air out her coffee-colored nose in frustration, she looked at Pied with a slightly wild look, mostly due to the emotional pain.

"I am mostly deaf because of my brother," she stated, in an unidentifiable tone; she was concerned, angry, hurt, sad. "Dex could cheer anyone up or talk his way out of any situation. He had these eyes that were a mossy jade, and they mostly resembled a raw emerald. His pelt was an Appaloosa type--mostly a deep grey smeared around and mottled with lighter grey spots here and there. A slightly darker grey faded in around his eyes, making them always seem like they glowed." Hawkeye smiled fondly at the memory of her mother telling her that her eyes reminded her of Dexter's with the way they gave off a luminous feel. She had been so excited to be like her big brother in at least one way; her unmarked, jet black pelt had made her feel plain and uninteresting.

Her face suddenly became hard. "There is nothing good to think about anymore. I-" she rashly shook her head. "He was such a good brother, before he saw, heard those things. Our pack may have believed in spirits in a more positive light, but what happened to him--that was malevolent. He was caring, but a trickster.. I never thought something evil would envelop him." The black mountain flashed back again, "His emerald eyes glowed white and then red. He chased me until I backed up to the edge of a cliff and fell down a landslide while I was still a pup, smashing my ears and making my--" Hawkeye paused and looked at the mismatched eyes before her. "We called him "Kimblee" as a nickname, because he had a strange fascination with blood. It was just a teasing nickname at first, but then the name seemed to engulf him, and he became the name. Hunts every day; killing off animals not for food, but for the fun of it. Laughing to himself became more common, like he was hiding something. A pup had gone missing the day before I had found him in that clearing. He-he had this look, like he knew what had happened, but I didn't say anything." Hawkeye took a deep breath before finishing her wall of words. "I assume he's dead, because I have had dreams. About him roaming, fighting, killing... but lately, nothing. I am not sure if they ever meant anything, but I feel like now that they have stopped, that so has his life." Hawkeye finished with a soft but grave touch to her tone. She had never told anyone of her brother before, or the truth behind how she had actually lost her hearing.

ooc: WHEW, sorry! I figured it would be a good time to get the "story" out! I didn't mean to write so much *sweatdrop*

Well, hey, there's no such thing as too long of a post. :)

Although Pied requested a positive story, she received instead an opening line that made her frown lightly. She regarded Hawkeye's troubled expression and pressed her lips together, her grayed ears tilting forward to show the other wolf that she was listening. Pied thought herself a decent listener and she paid attention to the other Sigma's every word.

Her heart sank at the initial physical description of Dexter, for it indeed matched the ghost's, and sank further and further as Hawkeye spun her tragic tale. When she mentioned the disappearance of a young pup, Pied sucked in a breath and willed away a sudden but powerful wave of nausea. Despite her intention to listen to everything Hawkeye said, she barely registered the mention of the disturbing dreams which had ceased suddenly.

"Do you believe in spirts—angels and demons?" Pied questioned once she found her voice again. "It sounds almost as if Dexter was possessed. There are also diseases that could explain his symptoms, like rabies," she added rationally. "I'm really sorry about everything that happened to and because of your brother..." Of course, it was very unfortunate that Hawkeye—only a pup at the time—had been robbed of her hearing. The worst part was the missing pup, probably dead at his hands.

Although she offered these possible explanations for Hawkeye's benefit, Pie hoped that the ghost—Dexter, almost surely—would reappear and speak to her again, confirming what had happened to him. He did not, however. The only ghost Pied detected was Mag, who still circled above. Her pacing no longer annoyed Pied but made her feel vaguely uneasy.

Hawkeye quietly considered the options. Possessed? She thought harshly, unable to believe that this was possible. "I suppose he could have been taken over by something evil. I mean, he wasn't really acting like himself the last few months I knew him.."

She felt a slight chill as she realized the sun has arced across the sky and would be setting within an hour or so. Once again, a confused face appeared on the charcoal wolf. "Wait.. Did you say something earlier about my brother's throat being ripped out.?" Hawkeye asked, now looking helplessly into Pied's yellow and indigo eyes.

Hawkeye seemed dubious about possession, yet she did not totally dismiss it as a possibility. It seemed Pied could not answer any unspoken questions for her, as Dexter still did not reappear. Not that I could've told her anything, the Sigma thought to herself wryly, since that would kinda sorta give you away... Pied hoped that her gift could be of some use here yet she was definitely not ready to break her silence on it.

A confused expression passed over Hawkeye's onyx features now and she demanded to know why Pied had asked about the torn throat. "Like I said," she fibbed smoothly, "I thought your name was familiar, connected to this rumor I'd heard... but never mind. I don't think it has anything to do with you." That wasn't true but, with all things considered, Pied really had nothing to offer Hawkeye.

Except companionship, she supposed. "Hey, I'm sorry to have brought up such a sore subject... want to talk about something else? Like..." She paused a moment, considering. "What brought you to Bon Dye?"

Hawkeye nodded once at the first words Pied spoke. She figured she might as well believe the petite female since it seemed like she would not lie. When she had become so untrusting and willing to second guess the words of another, Hawkeye did not know. Get your head together, Vilocity, she spoke sternly to herself in her mind.

"Bon Dye..." The words came as almost a murmur from the charcoal mouth. Her mind spun for a moment, trying to go back to the mental state she had carried when she returned that fateful howl to Jinx, to the glory of Sos.

"I suppose..." Hawkeye paused shortly before fully gathering her thoughts. She straightened up slightly and moved her key-lime orbs so they looked into the gold/indigo eyes of her packmate. "After an ...encounter with another pack's Alpha and Delta, I have been filled with anger and distrust. I have also been away for my family for quite a while, and I figured that I have traveled enough alone; finding a pack where I respected the leader and felt at home was a necessity. The call that Jinx made seemed to rattle something deep inside of me.. I guess that is what sealed the deal."

The black wolf took a slow, deep breath. She felt like maybe she was talking a little too much--and too openly at that. The large head cocked somewhat as she returned the questioned to Pied and asked why she had picked Bon Dye.

set by sophie

I posted a message for you in the "Octoberfest" topic in the Members Only forum. :)

Hawkeye's reasons for joining Bon Dye seemed pretty typical. The way she hesitantly mentioned the word encounter begged for backstory. However, Pied did not press the matter, assuming that Hawkeye would have elaborated if she had wanted. Then her fellow Sigma bounced the question back at her and the piebald yearling considered it a moment before answering.

"I lived in my parents' pack until I was nearly a year old. Then something happened that caused it to break apart. My parents and I joined my grandparents' pack after that. I liked it there but I never really fit in. I think my mother sensed it. She encouraged me to go out into the world and find my calling. Eventually, I took her advice and... well, Bon Dye is the first pack I've come across that felt like it might fit me. I'm not entirely sure yet but I just have a good feeling about it." She glossed over the part where her father had left to take his own life and, of course, she didn't mention how her secret gift factored into her decision to disembark from Flightless Falcons or join Bon Dye.

"I'm a little bit hungry," Pied said after a beat of silence in which she wondered what their next topic of conversation should be. "How about you? Want to help me find some food or would you rather go back to relaxing?" The way she said it, Pied made it clear that she would not be offended no matter Hawkeye's choice.

Hawkeye smiled. "I feel pretty good about this pack, too. I hope we can be close friends." She spoke honest words as her stomach groaned. "But I think maybe both of our callings at the moment are to find some food," the jet black wolf quipped before conforming to a serious nature. "Plus, I shouldn't be lazing around... I have a duty to the pack now, and protecting its borders from others should be my priority."

The raven-colored wolf smiled gently at Pied and asked her which direction she would like to go while looking at the surroundings. She now enjoyed the company of at least one pack member, and wondered what the others would be like.

set by sophie

Wanna fade this to black here? Then we can get to plotting our trick-or-treat thread! *rubs hands together* :D

The sentiment surprised and pleased Pied. She had never really made friends outside of her own family before. It was a welcome part of her new, independent life. "I hope so too," she replied softly, a small but warm smile on her pale face. The two of them could not have been more different in appearance and temperament, she thought, but she had always heard that opposites attracted. They could complement one another. Pied could be the watery yin to Hawkeye's fiery yang and so on and so forth. Perhaps Hawkeye might even be the first to learn of Pied's secret, once she felt she could share it with the world.

"Let's find one of the caches, then I'd be happy to join you on a patrol. If we run into any bad guys, I'm going to hind behind you, though," she warned jokingly. Finding her feet, Pied selected a direction and began walking, then paused after a few steps to glance back and make sure Hawkeye was in tow. When the other, larger and darker Sigma flanked her, Pied disappeared west into the forest in search of cold meat.