Lion Head Mesa I'm just a random wolf, looking for adventure

@Zaahira

Wallace stopped at the border, sniffing warily. Yes, he smelled like a wolf. And not just any wolf, he smelled like his brother. Also other scents: Khaba, Zaahira. They had both treated him like an intruder. But he didn't smell Aliki, the female who had attacked him.

And Selena? That skittish female who had stayed behind, like a scared cub. Wallace yawned and then raised his head and howled, just crossing the border a little.

The howls of the past month had gone unanswered, but now he was in foreign territory. Did all the wolves protect their territory as fiercely as Khaba?

Wallace remembered the last time he had entered a territory: he had heard an answering howl, warning him, and then Aliki had appeared. Almost an instant later, Khaba was at Aliki's side. Supporting her. They had both advanced toward Wallace, side by side, defending shared territory. Wallace had advanced on them, but then he had jumped to the side, taunting them.
He had asked Aliki to follow him, to leave GreatwaterLake. Aliki had responded aggressively, making it clear that her loyalty lay with Khaba. Aliki had bitten him. Then Selena had arrived, who hid something (from the smell, Wallace thought she was a rabbit). Selena was unsure, though she still went to Khaba's side and, with a grunt, she supported him.
Instantly, Khaba had joined Aliki and attacked Wallace. On top of that, Zaahira appeared and began circling the fighting wolves, like a coyote waiting for her leader's orders, making it clear that she would defend her pack.
Luckily, Khaba had released him and Wallace had been able to get out alive...

Where was Selena's rabbit? Where was that beautiful female that had attacked Wallace? Wallace wanted answers

Another day, same as the rest.
A fellahin serving her breakfast, a morning bath, a pace of the halls. An early shift in the catacombs. And then, as always, a sweep of the borders. Zaahira was a dutiful Mazoi, if anything.
Nearly a month has passed, now, since she was officially tucked under the Queen's wing. Her Common had improved, her posture — the luxuries of Akashingo were becoming normalcy, and yet they were never taken for granted. How far she had come!

But one can never fully escape the past.

While keeping guard near the steppes, she was met with a muted-golden pelt that dared to trespass. One she recognized all too well. His self-importance had resulted in Selena's death — though she supposed, at the end of the day, no one was truly to blame except for Khaba.
So she does not attack instantly. The Queen would not want her sands painted scarlet without due reason. Instead, she comes forth in a proud march, stoic, hardened, as if she did not know him at all. You have reached the Palace of Akashingo, ruled by Divine One Muat-riya Isetnofret Toula. State your business.

Wallace wasn't surprised to see Zaahira. He looked around to make sure no one else was there. He snorted: if that was his pack, he'd organize patrols of at least three wolves.

The wolf got up and looked at the female. "It's good to see you again. Last time we couldn't talk" Then she wagged her tail "Can this new pack of yours take in a loner like me?" he asked her, smiling mischievously.

"I told you that as long as my brother is with you, I will never be far away" he added, and then began to circle around Zaahira, imitating what she had done with him many weeks ago

Zaahira did not react visibly.
That is to be judged by the Queen, she chuffs, a flatness to her words. But we are reaching our max capacity. And seeing as how your brother is our enemy, a twitch to an ear. I do not think you have good chances. And if it were up to me, I would tear out your throat before I would ever work at your side. An idle flick of the wrist as the underside of her nails is examined; an insult.
And then, a narrowedness to fox-eyes. What are your intentions? Do not even think of lying to me. I will know.

Wallace froze, surprised. "the pup Sunspots, enemy of a whole pack?" he laughed, even though he knew the situation was serious "What could he have done so serious?"

The wolf continued to circle the female, annoyed by her coldness. "I don't have to explain my reasons to you. If you introduce me to your queen, I can convince her. Look at me, I'm charming haha." He started walking faster

"I see you're still as aggressive as ever" he commented. "The good thing is that it doesn't depend on you that I join this pack"

The visiting prince had taken a liking to long walks. When he could escape the eye of his soothsayer, and slip his own guard, that is. There was much to learn about Akashingo and being diplomatic was only one method; Harakhte knew he could learn more if he was in the right place at the right time.
In this case, he came upon a pair of risen voices. There was one body he recognized from the palace halls - and another he did not, who seemed intent to delve beyond the mesa archway. Harakhte happened to be close, and stepped out, in to the strangers path directly.
It could have been accidental.
He felt their shoulders clip one-another, and with a wince, he took a sharp breath. Oh! Who is this, in such a hurry? He was curious, and would play the part of a surprised, shaken royal.

He wants a reaction. Zaahira would not give him one.
Harakhte approaches, and with a snort from flared nostrils, she turns to him. We have an intruder. He is looking for his brother who we sentenced the other afternoon, and this one, she points an accusatory paw. has a history of invasions. I will call for Senmut. Make sure he does not try anything.
And with that, her head tips back in a call for @Senmut. She will not make the same mistake again — nor will she allow him to terrorize her again. The Erpa-ha has full hands as of late, it seems.

Wallace greatly disliked all of this. Being treated like an intruder! He looked at the new wolf "Calm down. I don't want any trouble" he said, glancing at Zaahira.

Wallace was easily angered. Sunspots, his brother, was trapped in that place (as far as Wallace knew), and Zaahira seemed very aggressive. "I came to join this pack peacefully. Sunspots and I may be of the same blood, but we are not the same wolf."

but the man was indeed an intruder.

the prince came with khusobek's heavy tread in his wake. zaahira's had thrummed with a half-dozen things and senmut knew to expect some sort of embroilment at their borders.

what he found was another stranger already invading the red sand, with the mazoi and the sphinx harahkte holding him where he was.

a guardian and a man with the potential to be pharaoh. the situation was delicate for these known things and those not yet heard. 

he burned the interloper with a scathing look that he then lifted in unspoken inquiry to zaahira.

skippable!

the palace was lively.

the summons of his fellow mazoi had brought the man to his feet. he traded his role to bayek and climbed from the catacombs to join senmut.

another man. zaahira flared with that same zeal. khusobek slowly circled behind the stranger, cutting off his retreat, ready to set his jaws in a word.

intentionally he meant to trap the wolf between he and her, a gift, a silent assumption she too had history with this one.

Harakhte paid no mind to Zaaira, as she was a mazoi, although he appreciated her presence and the work she did. As she called for the erpa-ha, the prince smiled to the interloper as if they were old friends.
This one does not know our customs. Or general manners, it would appear. A small dig, spoken smoothly, with a pleasant inflection.
It is appropriate to name yourself upon any claim's border and to heed the guard. Myself, well, I had my arrival announced by my own guardsmen. A small flaunt there! Who did this mongrel bring with him? Whose blood ran in those veins? Nothing of value based on his own inferior display.
Finally, Senmut arrived.
Ah, yes. Welcome. For now Harakhte would sink back and watch.

Senmut's arrival brings a cool wash of relief. With him, he brings Khusobek. Harakhte, suave as he may try to be with his silvertongued insults right in front of Zaahira's face, is given nothing more than a roll of her eyes.
Senmut, she greets, head tipping with a pointed snout. She repeats her retelling of the story; that he is an intruder, related to the lakewolf, that he has attacked her home before and he will again. What do you suggest we do? Or in other words, was this heathen worth Toula's precious time?

Wallace looked gratefully at Harakhte. But he raised his fur when he heard Zaahira's words. He wanted to retort, but he kept silent. He wished he could control himself, but as Zaahira spoke, his fur stood on end and he began to tremble.

"I never attacked anyone!" He exploded, facing Zaahira. "I went in peace, until GreatwaterLake attacked me. All Khaba's followers are wild and reasonless. As far as I can see, the only aggressive one here is Zaahira: she will always be a member of GreatwaterLake."

He stood there, panting and glad he'd said everything he thought. However, he then remembered that three more wolves were looking at him, and he sat up, not meeting anyone's eyes.

akashingo was now home to zharille and her children, as well as apparent former lake denizens with no priority of manners or gratitude.

to know this stranger was related was a dire strike against him, for senmut knew too long and too well the plots that could arise under a shared roof.

the trespasser showed no restraint, shouting at zaahira. "i have heard enough," the prince said shortly, pinning the wildman with his hard stare. "you are unwelcome here. leave now. do not return. if you press further, it will go very badly for your brother, and the blame will be only on your own head."

The words thrown Zaahira's way are sharp as blades. It felt as if Khaba had branded her; a leathery imprint in the name of glory and gore. No matter what she did; You are not a true member of the Palace. You are a traitor. You are feral, misguided, rotten, sick, sick, sick—
And what of Zharille? She had taken her children right from their sire's hands, brought them to his enemy. Why was she the target?
Tick, tick, tick, boom.
You do not know me, is what she lands on saying, thunderous and cold as sheetmetal. I am a Mazoi. My loyalty is with Queen Toula. I serve her proudly. She has accepted me. I do not care what you think. Now you either leave these lands by the order of the Erpa-ha, or we will escort you. Silence, after.

Wallace tilted his head, his face gaze fixated on Senmut. "Do you think I care about Sunspots?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of disdain. It was true that he had followed his brother's trail, but it was merely coincidental that they had ended up in the same vicinity. Wallace hadn't had any intention of actually encountering his brother.


"Please, forgive me if I seemed disrespectful," he added, softening his tone slightly, a flicker of politeness emerging. Then, his gaze shifted to Zaahira as she spoke. "If that's what you believe, Zaahira, then so be it. But a crow can never be an eagle; it will always remain a scavenger," he murmured, his words carrying a touch of condescension.

Siting once again, he continued, his wolf form settling comfortably. "From what I understand, your queen has the final say. You all are merely her servants... or what do you call yourselves? Mazoi?" he said, his tone tinged with a mocking tone. A smug smile played on his lips. "You can do as you wish, but I have every right to stay here until I speak with your queen."

They bickered! Of course it was the mazoi who fought with the stranger, it was in their nature to be abrasive. The word of Senmut was barely heeded and that is what piqued Harakhte's interest, and he felt inclined to insert himself once again.
You misunderstand! He called from beside the erpa-ha, and with a slight bow of his head to the esteemed Senmut, he stepped around one wolf to face the other. Make a show of it! Why not? Harakhte was known in his home as a charismatic voice, he may as well utilize it here! What better way to prove his own strengths before this audience? Most importantly, it would spare this stranger further bereavement.
You stand before the erpa-ha, who speaks with the voice of the gods — and also, that of the divine queen. It felt as if he gave lessons to a child. How did this man not understand the totem of power? Did he think it possible a nobody such as himself would be welcomed in the court of any queen, let alone the hemet-nekheb, Toula?
You must leave. Harakhte implored. The way he stared at the man now, with his hard and hawkish gaze, the stern lifting of his chin, and strengthening of his spine, implied that there would be no further discussion.
Harakhte knew it was beneath his station to man-handle someone at the border, but he would place himself alongside the two mazoi so that they were a barricade; it would be Khusobek that struck first, he presumed — or Zaaira, who now had much to prove.

a truly arrogant young fool.

senmut only smiled a thin and dangerous line as the newcomer attempted to hold sway over akashingo, demanding audience with the queen.

offering disrespect to he himself. when harakhte pushed forward to castigate the man, senmut lifted his chin.

he fixed the lake wolf with a knowing look, and then, "mazoi." his voice held the curved edge of a scythe as he ordered the guardians of the palace to engage.

zaahira would have her pound of flesh after all. senmut did not want the man killed, nor mauled. but to taste pain, to see the proper respect and even fear at the gates of akashingo.

the royal stepped back.

It was as if Senmut's command was heard across the globe. Earth-shattering and imposing, a doom the intruder was now sentenced to.

She needed nothing further.

He dare to insult her, to spew heresy; to claim her loyalty to the Hemet-nekheb was untrue! I am no crow! She was, instead, an asp; a serpent, a warrior, and he would learn the hard way.
Whether or not Khusobek came to her assistance, she would charge. In swiftness, she had the pillager beat, and a venomous strike of ivory is given to his gold-gilded neck. The taste of metal is hot in her throat, and an unholy growl rumbles from deep within her chest.
LEAVE ME ALONE!

khusobek listened to the bantering. the fool seemed determined to have the hide stripped from him. but he could not fault the stranger for seeing no authority in the little redfurred man the queen kept as a prince.

the crocodile did not care for how the stranger spoke to a fighter of akashingo. she had lost her lover and gone to liberate the lake from him. now insensate creatures questioned.

still, when senmut's voice came, the mazoi was compelled into movement. his teeth bit for the man's back as blood blossomed along his neck.

khusobek enjoyed a good brawl, even moreso with another warrior at his side.

Wallace stepped back in surprise as the pack he had previously considered peaceful, even weak, attacked him. Zaahira, of course, was the first to attack.

Wallace tries to dodge the female, but he reacted too late: a sharp pain made him shiver. He felt all of Zaahira's hatred in that bite. "Wild!" he yelled at her, throwing himself to the ground and writhing.

He tried to break free, to run away from that place, home to wild wolves. What did Sunspots matter? His brother would have to fend for himself in that hornet's nest.

He looked at Senmut, showing his fangs. "I will be able to leave if you control your servant." Kindness? Formality? Piety? No, at that time there was only blood.

There was nothing else to say. The mazoi reacted with their orders, and Harakhte stepped forward with them - though he chose not to engage, and merely watched as the rude man was grappled with. He had the nerve to speak again! A bold thing, this man.
It was not Harakhte's place to dismiss the guards; and with Senmut done with the situation, there was only one course of action: follow the erpa-ha. He moved with assurance to Senmut's side as if the whole debaucle was not unfolding behind them.
I have heard of your success and fortune with the lake, he could be heard saying to the man, though as they walked their voices would mingle and dim together.

Harakhte out!

sen out! <3

"it was the queen's success," senmut said quietly. "she wished a bloodless end to the conflict. through her was the will of the gods carried out."

before he turned away with harakhte, the erpa-ha spoke again: "mazoi."

and when the attack had halted, he looked to the trespasser. "our guardians will see you out. if you wish to earn the favor of akashingo, then go and hold the lake once more. your true leader lives among us, and it is to she you will answer now."

if wallace continued to open his mouth, the mazoi now had free rein do as they pleased. senmut rejoined the sphinx. "such judgements will belong to pharaoh," the prince said, a heavy allusion to the true reason harahkte was among them.

last from me as well!

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At Senmut's command, she ceases her attack with a loosening of jaws. Metallic scarlet is licked from the corner of her upper lip, a stone cold gaze of quiet, raging resentment.
But she does not back away yet. In a venomous whisper against the curve of ear, she says: You will stay the fuck away from me from this day forward, you son of a bitch. So help me Allah, Osiris.

She would not be the one to escort him, no. Instead, she would weasel through the passageways and lock herself within her barrack. With wine as her numbing agent, she would see the Sun no longer on this day.

it was good to tear, to dominate.

khusobek's breath was expansive as he halted his final blow, backing from the downed man at the prince's order.

more words. a threat. a show of mercy, one the mazoi would not have given. the princes moved off, and the rough guard looked to zaahira, his icy stare reflecting that her lead would be followed, to blood or otherwise.

angered snarl. it would fall to him to escort the man away, and then he would rejoin his fellow guardian, the crocodile decided.