I seriously need some Starbucks

Tired legs found their way to a mountain. A place Dotharan wolves went to die, and that is exactly why Kivi was here. She had run her course, completed absolutely none of her goals in life and was now ready to just roll over and end it all. All the Khalas had left...or burned alive, she couldn't remember. In fact the only memory she has over the past few months is darkness. Darkness and pain. The pain of starving while she shouts for help but no one hears her. Then in an instant a jolt of pain shoots through the female as her blood frantically flows throughout your body, and she can finally awake to the world again. However it was not the same world she left. Flames filled her vision and it still sends shivers down her back as she remembers the horrible sight of bison caught on fire, desperately trying to outrun the fire. However that was all over, only ash and bones were left. If it were not for the whirling storm Kivi would have already been dead. Thanks to the storm, the female could scavenge off of the bison and other creatures that didn't survive, but the carcasses wouldn't last forever.

As she looked up towards the peak of the mountain, she remembered her mother. All the suffering she went through so that Kivi and other Dotharan females could become equals to the males, but that would all be for nothing now. As she began her climb to her death bed a scent stood between her and her destination, it was familiar. A pack's border, but last she remembered traveling up this mountain there were no packs here. Had one formed while her mind lingered in darkness? The urge to howl was consuming the female, to know if one of her fellow Dotharan wolves had taken refuge on the mountain. However she did not consider the possible danger, and before she could stop herself her desperate call traveled up the mountain and towards those that occupied it. She sat patiently waiting to be answered and was expecting a warm welcome almost positive this is where the Khalas went. Though she had no idea what she had just walked into.

The day had been young. The Tartok family wrestled with one another, Tonravik pinning the tubby Sitamat beneath one paw whilst Malrok gobbed his face. Iqniq handled the other two in their makeshift war against the cubs, who were too amused and ready to pounce upon the nearest prone object that they didn't quite get the concept. Tonravik didn't much care, feeling that they would learn, and contented herself to the leisure of the nice, cool morning. An ear flicked as she looked to her mate to check on his progress with the bullheaded boys when she heard a song in the air.

The howl was familiar. Tonravik could not forget the sound and withdrew her foreleg from the babe. Her cub was quick to rebound... but Tonravik payed him no mind. She and her mate found @Aariak to be approaching them, who had expressed interest in becoming a caretaker. The parents both put a great degree of trust in the pale man, who had his first hands-on exercise with them then and there. He relieved them, and she and her mate were quick to head toward the source of the call. Nanuk was already headed there, and together they picked their way down.

Truth be told, the woman had been content to let bygones be bygones. But their cubs were here, and her trust in the foolish woman was nonexistent. So she was not incredibly open-minded as they approached; if the woman reacted in any other way but with her belly to the air, Tonravik was open—as Iqniq and Nanuk would undoubtedly know—to killing her then. Tonravik approached with pride in her step, plume well above her hindquarters as her dark eyes landed upon the tawny plains wolf. That she was alive hardly bothered her... she would not be for long, if she played her cards wrong.

The boys were well and more active than ever. All four of them were something of a handful, but that didn't keep him from enjoying their childish spirits nor their level of fascination with all things. He rolled with Atuaserk and Pingasut, keeping his body between the both of them as they double teamed him and went for his ears. Those milk teeth were sharp and while he let them have their victory here and there, it was always short lived. He couldn't let those pups get the best of dear old Dad, but he could pretend to let them win upon occasion.

All playtime came to a halt when that call rose upon the air. He froze, turning his ears towards the sound only to let his ears fall flat upon realizing who it was. Kivi. She was back. His eyes turned immediately towards Tonravik. They shared a look. This... particular individual was of such circumstance that her presence required an audience. Thankfully, Aariak was near. They left the pups in his care and descended their slippery slopes together.

"The plains wolves are no more," he mentioned to Tonravik as they descended. "She must come alone." He couldn't remember whether or not he'd filled her in on that much. Savik had informed him of the pack's disbandment. Their newest member had dallied with the plains wolves briefly, but it was evident the dark wolf was no of their culture and he was welcomed. Kivi? She was very much of their culture and had tried her luck upon the borders of the Spine so many times she'd made an enemy of herself. While normally Tartok was quick to abandon all ties to the past upon accepting a wolf, Kivi had a history of intended harm against their kin. Letting a snake into their midsts was not something they could do so easily.

He arrived upon the scene with Tonravik and Nanuk who joined them. Tail high. Head lifted. He was the very epitome of dominance and the tension upon his lips held promise of violence should Kivi not play her cards right. She'd made herself a villain to this pack time and time again. Here and now they would all be judge, jury, and, quite possibly, her executioner. A growl rumbled in his throat. There'd be no room for conversation if she did not submit and quickly.

The three leaders of the Spire held the same demeanor without ever talking; this bitch had been a threat multiple times and now she was back. For what reason? Nanuk couldn't have said, but she couldn't have cared less either. A snarl resonated in her chest, trickling through bared teeth as she stared the plains wolf down. 

Her Alphas' presence did not deter her from taking a very purposeful, menacing step forward, hackles raised to form a mohawk down the ridge of her spine. Her posture was aggressive and threatened death just as much as Iqniq and Tonravik's asserted their dominance and position. There were no doubts or hesitant movements here.

The rules were simple, as was the ultimatum. Submit or die. The choice lay with the wolf before them.

As she waited on the borders of the what she assumed to be Khalas new home, she came to realize that something wasn't quite right. The scent of this pack was familiar but it was not Dotharan, though the female still hoped to find at least another former pack-mate here on the mountain. She grew uneasy and as the Alpha pair grew closer and their scent's became more specific, Kivi's eyes grew wide with fear. Her last memory before darkness was of the large, dark female who ripped her throat apart and sent her into her paralyzed state. The last thing the female wanted was another repeat of that day, and her body immediately lowered to the ground and she quickly began to slink away before she caused anymore commotion. However there was no use, the muscles in her right hind leg gave out unexpectedly, and she was now stuck before an angry Alpha pair and a Beta who's shoulder she messed up. It wasn't exactly the situation the female wanted to be in right now, and she immediately froze under the cold stare of the pale Beta.

Her tongue nervously licked her lips while her stomach stay pressed against the earth, a position the Dotharan wolfess was not use to. Her tail tucked under her belly while her honey eyes kept a close eyes on the three strong wolves that stood before her. She had no family, no friends, all Kivi had was enemies and right now she needed to fix the mess she had made and restore her family name. A whimper came from the Dotharan female's mouth as she stayed in place not daring to step closer to the wolves who currently ruled the mountain. If she healed these wounds between the leaders of the Spire and herself, Kivi believed she might actually have a chance at surviving, though she was highly doubtful.

Tonravik listened to her mate, who affirmed what she had noted in her expedition out of the territory. Tonravik had meant to bring it up to him, to see what he had known... perhaps he had informed her, but she could not think of it then. He reminded her now, in any case. The plains were no more. If she came alone or not, she would die that way dependent entirely on her actions here and now. In their approach, she watched the other fall backward and then shrink to her stomach. Where was the spirited spitfire...? Tonravik was of the same mind as her mate. To have a snake in their midst was not what they needed. How could Tonravik trust the other before her to be a good subordinate when she had not been beneath the male she had met, who had led the foreigners?

The alpha female did not stop in her approach. She moved to the side of Kivi, snarling loudly. She was not appeased by the other shrinking, not after all that had been done. Tonravik wanted the others ultimate show of submission, or the three of them would be upon her in seconds. Why the other was here she did not understand fully, but before they got to that, Tonravik needed the other to show she and hers fully she would not bring harm to them. If this was an act, she was sure her mate and Nanuk would note it as the other moved. Tonravik's eyes also did not leave the other... she tried to discern what was going on, here. Had the other come to die? That she might come to live was not something she even thought of.

All three wolves from the Spire leadership was present. He wasn't sure whether it was an honor or a misfortune for this wolf to warrant such an audience. For them? It was a precaution. He found his lips curling in a silent snarl as Kivi lowered herself further. Tail tucked and belly to the ground, the whine that fled her lips still felt extremely dissatisfying.

Nanuk stepped forward. Tonravik moved to circle the wolf and stopped at her side with a snarl. Iqniq stepped forward, completing their circle of fangs around her. She was posed lowly, but from that position she was also posed to run. Evidently, she needed a little help in knowing how to properly submit. "On your back," he hissed. Paws up. Throat bared. It was the ultimate form of submission and the most humiliating of them, but given her history even that position didn't quite seem to be enough. Not with children in their midsts. Nothing ever felt like quite enough with such fragile lives around.

Still, despite the posturing and the physical threats, they would get no where if words were not exchanged. As the most vocal of their motley crew, he growled deeper allowing the low, brassy rumble to spool within his chest. "Do you seek death?" he asked, though there was no lilt of question in his voice. He could think of no other reason for her arrival here. Her history was impossible to ignore. Her actions made it near impossible to believe she might have come for anything else.

Their circle around her was barely contained violence, simply put. The history the wolves of Tartok had with this one was not pretty, nor was it any measure of pleasant. Nanuk's shoulder, the rabbit, the multiple occasions of trespassing... There was seemingly no end to this one's idiocy, as now she threw herself on the doorstep of the Spire and tempted fate. As Tonravik moved closer, Nanuk wound their circle tighter, unfeelingly snapping teeth near her haunch to put fear in her, to punctuate Iqniq's verbal command. 

Perhaps her rage was more easily incited since the coyote attack but of any wolf who deserved it, this one topped the list of lists. She had consistently invoked the ire of thewolves living within the Spire and even had a warrant of death out on her head, so what she sought otherwise was unknown to the palest of the three. "Obviously. Dipshit forgot what happened the last time." And this time, there was no pack to return her to alive, nor was there anyone to avenge her, judging by her scent. No one was going to miss her. They knew it, and she knew it too. It was just a matter of when.

It seemed the submission she had already shown was not enough for the trio and soon the ebony furred alpha was upon the small Dotharan wolf and she was quickly followed by her mate a pale Beta. She was even smaller in size to them now than before, skinny, not much muscle left on her, and certainly not as confident. Kivi's muscle was her pride and joy, she worked hard for it and it had just disappeared over the time she spent swimming in darkness. With her muscle went her confidence. In time she would surely regain her strength and be back to her old rebellious self, however now was a different situation. She didn't have that muscle and determination to fight against the wolves of the Spire and so her only other option would either be die or submit.

Filled with humiliation the female turned on her back and lay stomach up to the group, her tail tucked between her legs. She averted her gaze rather than staring at the Alpha head on and a voice caused a slight scare in her though she kept as calm as possible given the situation she was in. His question confused her at first but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. If she had known who occupied the mountain she would have rather drowned in the ocean than face them, but that was not an option now. "No" she spoke the lie clearly, though not aggressive, or rudely. It was true she had come to the mountain to die, but if she was going to leave this earth she wanted to go out on her own terms.

As her mate and Beta spoke, Tonravik maintained her silence for the while. The other moved as they demanded, and her belly was revealed to them. While typically appeased by this, Tonravik's feeling toward the other did not remit for it. It lingered insidiously in her breast, threatening to blossom from her aggressively. The other responded to the words of Iqniq; Tonravik did believe her, if only because had she desired death, she would have not revealed her stomach to them and exposed herself so. Then again, there was little choice the other had but to do that, in her situation.

The alpha female realized she did not wish for the other to live.

To have the other survive this meant that now, the wretch knew where she and hers lived. There was more at stake now, and her cubs were not yet able to learn of the poisons Kivi knew. Her tail lashed behind her and a lifted lip betrayed the choice she was making to those that knew her well (the two close to her, now), the movement imperceptible. Were she alone, she likely would have acted by now. Tonravik had shown the other mercy in letting her go once, and she had returned with that rabbit. It was not a mistake she would make again She was only curious to know what her mate thought of this all, and this alone was what gave her pause. She did not doubt that her beta shared the same mindset as she, but his mind was different than their own that came to brutal conclusions, swiftly.

The female lay, belly up on the ground. She was compliant. She was quick to appease their baser instincts as if she somehow hoped to get out of this alive. He had no reason to trust her. No reason to give additional mercy where she might have demanded it, but this wolf had spoken nothing. Her original cry had been desperate and now, when asked if she had a death wish, she replied with naught but a single word as she gave into their demands. This compliance and non-aggression was an unusual sight in the female who'd once been so daring to cross their borders.

It was evident from Tonravik's posturing and lashing tail that her patience with this one was non-existent. Nanuk would do as Nanuk always did and he had a feeling she too bore no sympathy for this wolf. Iqniq hesitated. He did not think her coming here an accident. Weak and frail as she was, there was nothing to suggest she currently bore them any ill will. Did that make her a trojan horse of sorts? He couldn't be sure. A wolf kept their friends close... and in this case there could be something to said for keeping ones enemies closer.

"Then why come?" he asked instead, his voice cold gravel as it churned within him. She was weakened and in no position to pose a threat. He did not think her stupid enough to mistake their scents around their borders for something else. They were the same wolves. The terrain may have changed but their scents were still true. There was no mistaking their markings. Their claim. That... and she was passive. In all their encounters that had not been her mood. He didn't trust this. Not at all.

short post bc not doing anything significant don't hate meeee

No, she hadn't come to die. Nanuk snorted in her disbelief, metallic eyes boring holes into the female as she lay on her back in surrender. Whatever she had come to do, she was doing a shit job of it, making them work to pull answers out like they were pulling teeth. Personally, she would prefer to kill the other and be done with it, having allowed her life for far too long already, but it wasn't her call. Iqniq questioned her though, and the Beta listened intently, eyes never moving from her, ready to reach down and tear open her gut at the slightest hint of anything they didn't like; And what a broad spectrum that was. Kivi probably could do anything at all and Nanuk might lunge for her with deathly intent. Only the wait for the command kept her from the kill.

Their agreement was silent as usual, just as it was unanimous. With snarls and snapping teeth, the trio ran the Plains bitch away. It was her final warning; if she came around again, she would not see it through to Winter.

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