Firefly Ravine dying on the banks of embarcadero skies, i sat and watched you bleed

@Depp

after some discussion with @Kjalarr and @James regarding the troubling presence of intermittent scents about them, caiaphas had elected to turn her attention inland. it seemed ironic -- her sights had been so focused on the happenings around the strand that overnight, a myriad of packs had come and settled camp without detection from any saltwinter wolves. for the most part, she blamed herself -- but a small part of her blamed vlad too. he was, after all, sorely absent.

and so the small trio made their way inland, following the sundry scents that lead them to the sanctuary's encampment. nonplussed by the barricade of markings that assaulted their senses caiaphas hung back and shrewdly regarded the borders. with an upward tip of her muzzle she called forth for any, her piercing cry punctured by rallying ay-yips.

hope you don't mind me popping in!

She heard the call, not quite a joining call from someone looking to become part of the Sanctuary but rather a summoning howl. Curious the half breed followed it. She was after all Gamma, and highest authority after her Alphas.

It led her, of course, to the border where a trio of wolves waited. One was a small slender woman who appeared to be a half breed type as well, perhaps coyote and wolf. She had greyish fur with a blackface. 

The other two who appeared to be her subordinates varied in their appearance. One was white with cream legs and vivid blue eyes, his nose marred with three large scars. The other was greyish blue in color with blue eyes.

She stopped inside the border, greeting them with a soft bark. "Hello. Can I help you?"

Kjalarr followed close behind Caiaphas, keeping his gaze upon her close form, occasionally it would stray to the Epsilon but it never lingered there long. Kjalarr did not know much of the male that called himself James and this mission was no time for a friendly chat, so the viking was silent on their journey trying to decide when all these packs moved in. In Kjalarr's mind they were like unwanted rodents eating all of their food and being what rodents were best: pests. There were too many packs in Teekon Wilds and among the annoyance that filled the favorite of Odin there was a true and deep seeded concern that eventually there would be so many packs that the Teekon Wilds and it's consistent herds would not be able to sustain all of them; or that the herds would cease to return at all, scared away by the overpowering scent of the predators that would kill them until there were none left out of desperation and hunger. Perhaps this over exaggerated but his own survival was the top of Kjalarr's priorities and if he felt it was threatened then something needed to be done. Despite that there was at least one pack Kjalarr wouldn't mind seeing in ruins he deferred to Caiaphas' judgment on all of this for she was his alpha and the Delta respected her.

Their steps fell to a cease as they neared a border of one of these new packs, and Caiaphas called out to it's wolves. His expression was stoic as one it's wolves made herself present to the trio where they stood. He studied her as she posed her question but favored his silence, taking to Caiaphas's right flank, though he hung back out of clear respect for her, his interest on what would transpire, and the trickle of excitement shivering discreetly down his spine. He'd always enjoyed scouting, but having an official mission made it ten times better.

crap post is poop, lol. xD this is why tori shouldn't write when she's tired.

Depp happened to be chowing down on the successful kill of a rabbit when an unfamiliar voice howled across Firefly. Quickly lifting his head from the meal, ears twitching in the direction of the call, realization hit that this could indeed be another pack searching to move him and his members away again. Luckily, he actually wished  to move, but already forcing his loyal pack to move across the Taiga to the ravine had been enough for the time being and did not feel like redoing that whole process. War, in both his and @Sen's mind is unnecessary and plain dumb and obviously he didn't need that either. Hopefully it wouldn't have to come to and if this were a pack in close proximity it would be a coexistence. Finally getting off his lazy ass and trekking to the border he showed up early enough, but not enough to beat the now Gamma of Seadog. Of course, the Gamma was not alone but accompanied by three other wolves, who he inferred were all part of the same pack. The male wasn't directly by Teci, in fact he left a good amount of space between the two. It wasn't that he disliked her, more of preferred her not to be there. The pirate rathered to control these situations alone, but prided her in the fact that she showed up so early and proving her rank. 

"Hello there," He spoke, cocking his head to the side and holding a puzzled expression over his face. "What brings you here?" The male certainly wasn't unfriendly, he welcomed company if it came, and wouldn't mind the five of them all conversing seriously or not, he just hoped it wouldn't lead to any unneeded drama.

After her return to the sanctuary, Sen had kept to herself within the heart of the territory. She'd avoided those that did not demand her presence, playing previous events over within her mind. The true consequences of her actions had yet to become known, temporarily relieving her of one burden. Even still, her mind was weighed down with various thoughts, all of which had been disrupted by some godawful sound. Somehow, it seemed vaguely familiar, but she bothered not with attempting to figure out why it did. She'd simply dragged herself to her feet and began the trek in the direction from which it'd come, knowing it to be partially her duty to check things out at the borders. Despite that, however, her pace hadn't been especially fast, leaving her to arrive later than two of her pack mates.

Sen paid no mind to the wolfdog, coming up along Depp's other side instead. She said nothing, assuming her co-leader had already initiated a conversation (she'd arrived too late to have actually heard him), but made it known with her demeanor that she was his equal within their claim. Her eyes had found their way to who she assumed to be the leader of the trio, the faintest hints of recognition floating through her mind. She couldn't place from where, or even when, but felt certain she'd seen the coywolf somewhere before. Of course, she did not question the other to confirm such suspicions, leaving it at nothing more than a face she'd seen in passing long ago.

James had finally left the salty sea behind, to come visit the other packs. Well, that was what he understood, anyway. The grey wolf could fight well, but was not in favour of doing so unless completely necessary. He stayed at the back of the group, mostly to watch if anyone was following them. 


 Once they stopped, as the other wolf, Kjalarr, stayed on Caiaphas's right, so he remained on her left, behind her due to his rank. He did not speak as it was unneeded. In his eyes, he was here in case things got out of hand. 

 He took note of the husky-like wolf, curious. He had not seen many dog/wolves, as his parents seen them as a disgrace to all wolves (filthy mud-bloods). But James did not care about the topic, and kept his opinion out of it whenever it was mentioned. 

feel free it skip me since james won't do much

holy crap this is the longest post i've written in forever, sorry!

it was not long before her summons were answered -- first in the form of a dilute, strange wolf. caiaphas raked her gaze across the female's visage -- there was something about it that was not at all wolf-like. she trusted that both james and kjalarr besides her would dissuade the female from any aggression, though her ears laced forward as the female spoke.

she considered how best to answer this, but was interrupted by the arrival of another wolf, this one dark and male. caiaphas noticed his deportment - from his body language it was clear he was at the very least, in the upper tier of this unknown pack's ranking. his posturing towards her remained neutral, despite the alarming sight of three strange wolves along his doorstep. for this alone, caiaphas remained courteous.

the waif was just then about to speak again when another wolf appeared, though she remained silent. caiaphas felt the hairs along her spine trickle as she felt the wolf study her, but made no bid for challenge. instead, her attention reverted to depp. she gestured to both james and kjalarr, who remained wonderfully respectful, and began to speak. "the three of us--" she motioned again -- "are from the shore. saltwinter." her gaze was unremitting as she unabashedly sized depp up. "we are wondering who settles here."

She moved back as her Alphas appeared, her stance becoming submissive towards them. She felt annoyance at Sen's usual disdain and ignore of her, but didn't show it. She didn't have to like the woman, just be her subordinate. 

She got the sense that Depp didn't want her there but she made no move to leave. It was peaceful so far but if it came to physical action the grounds were level. Three on three. 

They were from the shore, the sea pack she had heard about while being a loner. A dysfunctional pack that were only together for survival, or so she had been told. She was silent, not answering the implied question. She left that to her Alphas.

feel free to skip kjalarr as needed, too. right now he's just observing. :p

Kjalarr was dutifully silent as others began to approach, but watchful. His eyes touched each of the pack's wolves as they appeared, two dominate — one male and female. The male spoke to Caiaphas, and his alpha responded. His eyes fluctuated between Depp, Sen and Teci, taking them each in on turn. Though he opted for reservation and silence, he was all the while observant, silently taking notes on how Caiaphas dealt with these wolves, because he aspired for the scout trade but this was the first he'd approached a pack for it, knowing that there was more to the trade than just exploring and mentally mapping territories.

He did a quick one over on each of the strangers all bearing the same pack scent, not surprising—obviously. Depp didn't mind the stare of Caiaphas, it only being the best thing to do when coming across a pack placed close to your lands, she had simply been observing him and wouldn't object to it. When Sen arrived he instantly felt more supported, the two often held a balance in these situations and usually handled them quite well together. It had been obvious out of the three of them who was in Alpha, or at least highest rank, that being the fae in the middle with the two brutes standing to her side but a few steps back. Not only did she hold a stronger posture, she also had been the only when to speak when the question had been asked. She had an odd coat, and it wasn't long to decipher that she's  a coywolf, he'd had plenty of experience with such hybrids, both good and bad, so her breed didn't bother at all.

When she presented her reasoning, the dark wolf moved his eyes around his land, as if he was unsure to answer. "The members of Seadog Sanctuary do," It was a bit strange they didn't live closer to the shore with such a name, but it wasn't too far away for the title to make no sense. Depp had been a "pirate" his whole life, wandering coastlines with nomadic packs, and although Seadog wasn't along the shore, nor a moving pack, it was the closest he could get to his eccentric lifestyle. He showed no dominant stance agaisnt her, or her bodyguards, and she was welcome to do so to him, not caring if another thought them to be higher than himself. It was he who would show no submission to them, Sen on the other hand, though she did reject fighting, may snap at such a gesture if presented.

Sen, who'd initially paid little mind to the males at the coywolf's flanks, allowed her gaze to sweep over them. It was a quick glance to each, taking note of their positions and demeanor, but giving them little acknowledgement aside from that. If it'd not been clear by their standing farther back than the woman that they weren't the leaders, then the fact the the oddity was the one to speak surely would have made it so. That in itself gave the serpent little reason to focus upon them, as did the statement made. Seeing no issue in delivering a name, the woman had been prepared to answer, but was beaten to the punch. It wasn't of much importance when it came to who delivered the answer, just as long as it was given—which it had been.

"Why do you wonder?" she asked. Inwardly, she was more concerned than she was curious, the idea of another pack having a problem with them again not sitting well with her. They'd moved once already, and she wasn't about to do it again; it was purely for selfish reasons, of course, but she'd easily act under the assumption that it was within the sanctuary's best interests.

James did not do much, he just stood there, a bodyguard. His purpose here was to show that Saltwinter wasn't weak, or maybe to safely escort Caiaphas places. He stayed frozen, still. As the alphas of both packs spoke, he caught a glance at both of the Seadog Sanctuary alphas. 

 The female had a black coat, though he saw a little white too. The male was not very different, having instead a dark brown coat. Unlike the alphas of the Seadog pack, the trio had lighter coat colours. James himself wasn't properly listening to the alphas, but was thinking about the appearances of both alphas, making sure he would remember them.

while some wolves would not have been forthcoming, it appeared depp was -- he answered her question without hesitation. his promptness and transparency was appreciated, though caiaphas cast a somewhat incredulous glance to both kjalarr and james as the female along him inquired as to why they would be concerned by a neighboring pack's appearance. the svelte siren made no attempt to hide the bemused scorn that fluttered across her face. "as neighbors to saltwinter, you compete directly with us for resources." her gaze flickered to both of her comrades, as if encouraging them to voice their own concerns. "so, perhaps remedial actions need to be discussed." caiaphas herself was awfully partial to the finest inland cuisine there was -- porcupine -- and would not be above succulent bribery.

Teci's brows rose in surprise at the Alpha's scorn. She was not a stranger to it but she had a feeling it wouldn't be appreciated with the dark woman who she submitted to. Sen wasn't someone she knew particularly well but she didn't see the viper woman exactly taking that as stoically as she took everything else thrown her way.

Teci shifted just in case things turned south, setting her eyes on the blue grey male who was closer to her size than the white giant. It would be a fair fight, or fairer, if it came to that.

Their male leader was quick enough to give up a name: seadog sanctuary. Kjalarr lazily held back the soft snort that threatened to escape his black, leathery nostrils. He saw no seadogs here. Just the normal kind of dogs; not to mention ...there was no sea near their pack territory but perhaps they were confused. Who was he to judge? The female leader broke her silence to inquire as to who wondered and Caiaphas responded, and cut right to the point. This brashness was something that Kjalarr deeply admired, and his muscles tensed along his shoulders as he studied the scene and the seadog wolves that had gathered for their — of which he assumed would be varying degrees of outraged and angry — response. As far as Kjalarr was concerned: Caiaphas was being kind. Thistle had explained to him that his culture didn't negotiate or discuss: they just harassed, raided and if the first two failed attacked with the intention of chasing their neighbors away. This was what he would have referred to, personally, but he wasn't in charge and was here to support Caiaphas ...and if it should come to it, protect her.

Depp nodded, so far Firefly Ravine had been sufficient enough in food, but they had only just arrived and further consequences could reel in if left untouched. It was a surprise when Sen asked a question, while he left it be. He was more easygoing than her, accepting things and they came and went, while she preferred things her way, and would often get it. Saltwinter's leader seemed rather blunt, which he took as a good thing, he would only beat around the bush if it would benefit him, but if someone else was doing so to him it was taken rather annoyed. Her bodyguards continued to say nothing, so he payed little to no attention to them. 

"What do you have in mind?" It was unlikely for her to be unprepared, as such high wolves often cared how them presented themselves–unlike him. Plans were often guided by the natural art of "winging it". Of course, if it were large enough for him to really care it would involve more thinking than just simple winging it, but hopefully she have a well thought out plan, so he could observe rather than think.

The idea of having to set up some sort of an arrangement with neighbours had never once entered her mind. As she saw it, there was often no point, for at the end of the day only your own would stand at your side. In this case, however, she'd opted to consider the thought, knowing better than to prod at nerves during such formal meetings. War was not something she would partake in, vanity often overruling the drive to fight for what belonged to her, but she also held no desire in relocating once more. If within her grew microscopic menaces, then she wished to remain in an area she was most familiar with, if only because it might increase her chances of getting things her way.

For the time being, Sen held her tongue, awaiting any response that might come after Depp's open query. It was difficult not to throw some sort of comment back at the other woman, but somehow she'd managed.

caiaphas watched the wolves before her, her gaze rapacious and cold. they seemed amenable -- a mistake that may cost them their homestead. she had never been sentimental, an aspect that detracted from any semblance of friendship or camaraderie in her legion. with a grunt she heightened her muzzle and canted her slender jaw towards depp.  her gaze revolved skyward, where the moon hung cotton-like and soft against the azure sky. "bring us wares for our caches, the first moon of each month." her demand was delivered with unflinching command -- the way she saw it, saltwinter had been there first and that, more than anything, meant they were owed reparations for the new pack's infringing existence. the fact that a pack had always inhabited ankyra sound made her bold in her demand -- as far as she saw it, she was entitled to make any outrageous claim she wished; and the sanctuary was obliged to obey it.

Just gonna put this post here, if Zephyr isnt welcome feel free to delete the post and message me. :) Also, feel free to skip if need be, he's only here for the same purpose of bodyguarding. 

Zephyr had heard Caiaphas's call, and hurried towards it. He showed up sorely late though, and walked in just in time to hear the other alphas outrageous demand. SEADOG, filling another packs caches? What the hell was going on here? He stopped just behind his alphas' flanks, making it clear he was part of the sanctuary and one more wolf to defend if need be. He stayed silent and neutral, only the twitching of his tail ears and lips betrayed his anger. He needed to remember he was no longer in charge, of himself or the wolves surrounding him. He was not home, leading his pack, he was a subordinate of the two he stood behind now. The tall, well-built ebony male wasn't sure if Depp and Sen would appreciate his support or scold him away, but he was willing to take that chance. He was a warrior, a protector, and it would be against what he believed in to leave now.

She had to fight to hold in the snort of laughter that threatened to escape her at this Capahs or whatever the hell her name was made such a demand. The Sanctuary feeding another's pack? She had a feeling her Alphas wouldn't sit too swell with that, it was outrageous for any pack to agree to.

Living as wild creatures, the wolves of Teekon had to spend much of their warm seasons filling caches for the coming winter. If they had to fill their own as well as another pack's caches they would most likely fall short, even starve. 

She shifted closer to Zephyr automatically, glad to have her friend by her side. Her body was tense as was his, both fighting to control their anger. She waited to see what Sen and Depp would do.

The ebony male that Kjalarr assumed to be this pack's leader appeared to be willing enough to hear Caiaphas out and the corner of the viking's lips twitched as he fought off the smirk that threatened to curl. Though he was not sure what the sea witch had planned out in her mind of what this pack would offer them — because as the senior pack Kjalarr followed along with the ideal that they had much more of a claim to the hunting lands than this whelp of a pack — he was sure that it wasn't going to be anything that these wolves would like; yet he itched to hear the ransom all the same. When it came, his eyes touched each of the newborn pack's members, gleeful (in perhaps a sadistic manner) as to the ranges of their reactions all the while tense and alert: ready to protect Caiaphas the moment one of them dared to step a toe over the line.

Depp looked over at Sen for a moment, before turning back to the coywolf in front of him. There was a pause, a moment of consideration. He wasn't sure what he'd be willing to give up for another pack, but he surely didn't want to be provider all because he claimed land close to them. Unsure whether he'd prefer to move or to provide for Saltwinter, his gaze remained rather stoic, an unusual thing for the dark wolf. Though he didn't want to give away any type of emotion to the matter. "What if we decline?" He asked, purely curious on the matter. If it was bad enough, he'd have to consult with Sen alone as to what they would choose.

In the interest of moving things along I'm going to post, but PM me if you would like me to remove it so the player can retroactively post!

'close' was one thing -- but these wolves were directly encroaching on saltwinter's back door. there was no neutral territory between them - one border ended, and the other begun. caiaphas resented this for many reasons -- most of all because these wolves had come and usurped precious resources from a pack that was already established. she had never considered depp would say no -- and his inquiry was met with a jut of her jaw and raise of her fierce, little head in disbelief. her expression grew dark and feral in intensity, and she stepped forward to bridge the gap between them assertively. "you get ugly neighbors." she promised with a clip snarl. "let me explain something to you - you set camp right in our backyard, you have chased our prey, you have defied the natural order of the world by neighboring with an already settled pack. you have usurped our resources and commodities and if there is not recompense, we will kill you." and she believed it -- fierce little warrior that she was shaping up to be, she would have no qualms about sinking her teeth into his throat should he graciously provide the opportunity.

Teci felt her lips draw back in a silent snarl but otherwise made no movement. Let them try. She was certain Sen could handle this coywolf, pride flashing through her at the thought even if she didn't like her Alpha female.

With two other males there to deal with the big white brute she knew she could take the other male that traveled with the lecher, eyeing him in case they made any moves towards her packmates.

Did she really just say that? Alpha female or not, that was ridiculous. How could she make such a demand and then threaten their lives? Like his wolfdog companion, his lips drew up to bare his fangs in a silent snarl. His grassy eyes flashed, but glanced between the alphas awaiting a signal of sorts. Surely they wouldn't accept such disrespect, be them sharing borders or not. If such things were to be accepted, Zephyr couldn't stay and let not just himself, but Rain and Lyric be in danger. His plans would be sped up, but that only meant being a loner for a little while. But then another thought came to him.... He owed Depp and Sen his sanity and his health, he couldn't just leave them to be killed or relocated.... Well that's conflicting. At least for the time being, Depp and Sen had his loyalty. Not if they didn't need the help he wouldn't come, after making his own pack, if they would accept it. This threat was no different he supposed, but if the alphas accepted this deal that was another story.