Blackfoot Forest A Place to Belong

ooc: private for Pied!

Kisu sighed as he entered the thickening forest. Trees towered above his head and shrouded him in shadow as he entered the dark place once more. This was one of the first places he had been when entering the new territory months before; he hadn't decided on a set destination, but the blanket of darkness could give him somewhere to think alone. He desired to enter a pack, but was unsure as to where he belonged.

As he lifted his nose, he smelled traces of several wolves, but no scents were fresh. Had a pack formed or gathered here since the last time he had been? Stopping in his tracks, the goldenrod-eyed wolf searched his surroundings. Maybe it was a bad idea to trespass on lands that were taken by another.

Pied went in search of Jinx, the pack's Alpha, since she hadn't yet spoken to her about the events that had taken place at the Dragonwatchers' plateau several weeks ago now. However, she was having trouble finding a fresh scent and tracking down the leader. The more she scoured the forest in vain, the colder Pied felt. Had the pack disbanded? Aside from Hawkeye, Pied hadn't seen much of anyone in these past few weeks. Worry gnawed at her gut as she considered what she would do if she indeed discovered that Bon Dye was no more, especially right on the cusp of wintertime.

A strange and powerful scent distracted her. With nothing else to do, Pied busied herself by following it to its source. She came across a stranger and hung back, eyeing him warily. Instinct told her that this was no member of Bon Dye, yet here he was, far into the forest. She would have been within her rights to attack to defend her pack's territory. However, Pied hesitated, uncertainly. Was there a pack to defend any longer? Even if there was, Pied really wasn't a fighter at all.

"What are you doing—" she began to ask, making a rather bold approach. Mag swooped suddenly overhead, distracting her, and she made a concerted effort to keep her focus on the unfamiliar wolf. "What are you doing, so far into the forest? This is home to the Bon Dye pack. You shouldn't be here," she said levelly, her voice firm but not aggressive and her expression cool and collected.

The grey wolf swung his head around to the she-wolf who spoke to him. She was small and spotted, but her voice strong and assertive. Apparently, there was a new pack that had formed. Kisu was now very interested in what the female had to say.

He began in a calm demeanor. "I apologize for trespassing on your pack's lands. A few months ago, there was no pack gathered here. I suppose I should have guessed from all of the scents marking the trees and brush, no matter how old." Kisu paused, taking in the curious markings of the wolf that faced him, deciding she was attractive in a rather quirky way. "Do you mind me asking what exactly the Bon Dye ideals are?" The way the "Dye" slid from his tongue felt interesting and new to Kisu.

The stranger apologized immediately and he seemed both genuine and sincere. Her nostrils flared slightly and she arched her brow at him when he mentioned the scents. His mistake seemed rather witless, yet Pied said nothing. Instead, she frowned slightly at the word old. Were Bon Dye's scent markers so stale that a stranger couldn't discern them as current? The thought was disquieting.

The directness of the question surprised her. "I'm not going to answer any questions until we remove ourselves to the borders," she said coolly, then gestured for him to begin walking as she fell into step behind him. "And not until we at least introduce ourselves. I'm Pied." The requisite, Who're you? was heavily implied by her subsequent silence as she continued to escort him out of the territory.

Kisu fell into the lead position, but he knew that it was actually the spotted female who called the shots. He didn't want any trouble with a pack.

"Hello, Pied. My name is Kisu." His ear twitched as a rabbit sprung from a bush a few feet away. He ignored the creature and kept his attention forward, but focused on the wolf behind him. He desired to take another look at her, but knew that decision would cause a probable threat to the young female.

When he genially offered his own name, Pied tossed him a quick sideways glance to acknowledge him, then remained mum until they reached the edge of the wood. She didn't stop there, leading him several dozen yards beyond the borders. Satisfied that he could no longer be considered a trespasser, Pied motioned for Kisu to stop and then fell back onto her sprightly haunches, facing him.

"Bon Dye worships the bear gods, Sos and Atka. Do you know of them?" she inquired. She didn't mind explaining them to him, though she would skip that if he already knew something of them.

After stopping a distance from the borders from the forest, the dappled wolf spoke as she had promised. "Sos and Atka..." Kisu mumbled to himself, tasting the words the same as he did with the Dye. He looked to the sky, and then looked into the golden and indigo eyes of the wolf before him. "I am sorry, I have not heard of these bear gods of yours before. You don't need to go into any specific details; I would not like to inconvenience you, Pied."

Kisu now took this chance to take a good look at the slight female before him. Her coat bore mostly a soft, snowy white color, with the bluish-grey running throughout--her ears, a patch around her eye, and all her elbow joints but one. And, of course, the spots on her back. She seemed a sturdy wolf in stature and personality. His eyes gleamed in appreciation; he himself was nothing special, but the wolf before him was unique in her beauty.

ooc: oh yea, he's totally hitting on Pied hahaha

Haha. Sorry this is short, I got an inventory request while posting...

He wasn't familiar with the bear gods, so Pied mentally prepared herself to give him a brief description of each. However, he mentioned that she needn't bother. She blinked, unsure of what to say. He'd asked, then told her to forget it just a few breaths later. Pied's brow furrowed.

"Well, which is it—do you want to know or don't you?" she asked, trying not to sound irritated. "It's really not a bother," she added, shifting her weight as if unconsciously responding to his weighted stare, though she had yet to notice the telltale glimmer in his eye as he scrutinized her.

ooc: no biggie! I kindof like the shorter writing style :p

Kisu frowned slightly. Maybe the way he had worded his response had been wrong. Being a loner really took a toll on his speech.

"I don't mean to frustrate you, Pied, and, for that, I am sorry. I just meant that you do not need to go into great detail... I would like to hear of your bear gods."

The white and grey wolf shifted his weight as well, settling down onto his haunches. He slightly quirked his head to the side, showing that he was interested and curious for her future words.

When he clarified, Pied nodded, then succumbed to a spontaneous yawn that wrenched her jaws apart and caused her pink tongue to curl out over her fangs. Once it passed, she closed her mouth and shook her head with a light, "Excuse me," and then fell silent as she pondered what details to share. She wanted to keep things simple but informative.

"Sos is the dark bear and Atka is the light bear," she started. "Then there are the four Loa: Ogoun, Bade, Agwe and Loco. Everything is sort of elemental and it all balances. For instance, the Ogoun represent Fire and they're the first servants under Sos, as far as I understand it. It's all relatively new to me," she explained as a sideline. "The Bade represent Wind and are Sos's seconds. Then there's Agwe, or Water, and Loco, the Earth, underneath Atka. I'm an Agwe'en."

These details only scratched the surface of Bon Dye. Pied didn't mention the penchant for darker activities, which she'd never experienced for herself in any case. She didn't mention a lot of things. The bit of information she'd just given was about as detailed as she was willing to get; the rest were trade secrets, after all.

"Any questions?" she prompted after a beat of silence, her tail swaying slightly over the ground.

Kisu watched with attentiveness (and a twinge of affection) as the splotched female yawned, her jaws pulling apart and her tongue coiling up over her teeth. He listened intently as she continued on into the rundown of Bon Dye beliefs.

"No questions. Fire, water, air, and earth used in pack categories. And you are of Atka, from what you say of being of the water variety. Is your leader near?" He watched Pied's mostly golden eyes as his tail flicked and his tongue shot out for a moment to lick his chops.

Kisu seemed to have a good grasp on the information given and repeated back some key facts to her. Pied simply bobbed her head to acknowledge his words and replied, "Yes, I'm one of Atka's followers." In regards to her leader, her brow furrowed and she admitted, "No, I can't seem to find her. I don't think she's in the forest at present." She knew because she'd scoured Blackfoot Forest and found no sign of Jinx.

After a pregnant pause, Pied said, "Sorry I can't be more help on that front." For now, her voice lacked the concern that would color it in the coming days, when she realized Jinx's absence was more than a temporary foray elsewhere. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Kisu?"

Kisu tipped back and forth on the scale of asking toward Pied's mate situation, but settled on saying nothing on the subject. He didn't know her well enough to question anything in that regard, and he wasn't sure if he was ready or not.

"That is all for now, thank you, Pied. I may return again soon, when you find your leader." His last word could have meant new or old, but he left Pied to understand that. "It was a pleasure to meet you." He smiled while turning to walk back the direction he had come. He knew not where he was headed, but that he was venturing there anyway.

Their encounter drew to a close and as Kisu prepared to go, Pied bobbed her head and replied, "Take care, Kisu." Then, with a small smirk, she added, "Next time, try to remember not to overlook the borders." Although she meant it as a serious reminder, it was a good-natured jibe and it was clear she had forgiven him for his earlier trespass.

He turned his back and began to plod away. Pied remained where she stood, watching until he disappeared into the distance. Then, chewing at her lip and furrowing her brow, she strode back into the forest, still wondering where Jinx could be...