Dreams

[size=small]
The mountains overlooked the dusky evening sky. Bright pinks and oranges peeked out from behind the wispy clouds. Athena was lying in the grass beside a large boulder. She curled up in it's shade and felt herself drifting to sleep. Athena loved to dream. Mostly because her dreams were filled with memories of her and her brother. Or she believed her dreams revealed things about her mother and where she came from.
Athena dreamt of her and her brother as pups. They wrestled in tall grasses and chased ducks until they flew into the sky. After a hard days chase, the pups curled up next to their mother and drifted into a heavy sleep. In the dream, Athena had woken up with a startle. All around her were flames, red and orange and yellow. She looked back and forth frantically for her mother and brother. Her brother ran into her as he was being chased by a colossal tree trunk hitting the ground, creaking and crackling in the flames. Athena nipped at him gently and led them away as far as she could from the flame. Their mother was never found.

What happened to you mother?Athena thought as she woke up from her dazy dream...[/size]

Hiya! is this set outside the Creek? Since there is a separate forum for the Creek, but I notice you haven't specified a location. :)

Bazi was performing an evening patrol around the outer reaches of Creek territory when she happened upon the newcomer. She was sleeping - again. Which was fine, she supposed, but hardly impressive. Her own early days as a Creek wolf had been filled with frantic activity and the desperation to impress. Bazi threw her tail over her back and announced herself with a gentle woof.

"Long day?" the pale girl asked, stepping boldly into Athena's personal space to catalogue her scent properly. She smelled foreign, and new.

Sky looked over at the two wolves wanting to join in and see what they where talking about. She felt sleepy,but still wanted to meet all the wolves. She was struggling to try and not come over. It looked as it the wolves just spoke to each other. Since Sky was new she also was one of the lower ranks. She was also full of the feeling to explore and do everything. She finally couldn't stand it and she bounded over to introduce herself.

Sky felt as if pounds were now off of her shoulders when she went over. She must know everyone's names and what ranks they were.

[size=small]Athena stood and stretched, digging her claws in the soft dirt and grass. I have been traveling a lot. Trying to gather my energy back, I guess. I am still getting used to these new surroundings. Athena said. She looked inquisitively at Bazi, the white Creek wolf. How long have you been a Creek wolf? She asked, her ears pricked forward in interest at the other wolf that had just approached.[/size]

"Quite some time now," Bazi stated vaguely - Swiftcurrent Creek was new, making six weeks a relative eternity, but these two were not to know that. She was established, and that was all they needed to know.

The newbies were a peculiar lot, to say the least - Athena made no move to submit, and the second, strangely marked wolf that bounded towards them did not either. Rather than mention it outright, Bazi butted her head against Athena's shoulder, then Sky's, willing them both to roll over so that she could inspect each girl properly. There was a hierarchy, and she would see it enforced.

Sky's stomach turned into a series of knots. She was just a newbie and didn't know what to do."Hello I'm Sky, I'm new to swiftcreek. Just a PI." She stared at the two other wolves and bowed to show respect to the two higher ranked wolves. Even though one was new as well. She stared again to see what their names were.

[size=small]Athena consented to Bazi's request. After being independent for 2 years of her life, it wasn't easy for Athena to bow down to Bazi. She swallowed her pride which went down like a gigantic lump in her throat. Athena had been a tiny pup when she last remembered being in a pack. After that, she remembers only being with her brother. She hadn't much clue as to how this whole pack thing worked. But she was determined to prove herself. I'm Athena. She said to Sky, another newbie wolf. Athena felt slightly awkward when Sky bowed to her as well as Bazi. She wasn't used to this yet.[/size]

Finally. Bazi accepted Sky's bow with a curt nod, and rewarded Athena for her submission with a copious number of licks to the face, nuzzling and sniffing her new pack-mate until the scent was burned into her mind. Athena, she repeated in the privacy of her mind. Athena and Sky.

Satisfied that the two girls knew their place, Bazi stepped away from Athena, motioning to the multi-coloured wolf to get up. She was a sweet thing - quite small, with warm, brown eyes and a similar build to Fox. Sky, on the other hand, was bright-white and blue-eyed like herself, and that similarity did not sit well with Bazi. The higher she rose, the more possessive she became of what was hers, even though it wasn't always warranted - it wasn't Sky's fault that their colouring was near identical.

"Bazi," the snowy female replied, looking between her the two new recruits. "I'm the Beta here, alongside Njal." And I far outrank you, she didn't say, but thought - it would take some time for the smugness to fade, but Bazi was only young, and some pride was to be expected. "Welcome," she added, for politeness sake, and finally sat down. "Where have you both come from?"

Athena accepted the generous licks and nuzzles. Everywhere. Athena replied simply. This was true. She had been just about all over, trying to find a pack, mainly for protection. She realized quickly after her brother was gone that it was too dangerous for her to try and survive on her own. She could run, yes. But her small stature made her an easy target and she couldn't risk her life anymore. She continued, I lost my brother and...now I'm here. That's the short version...

OOC: Hope you don't mind me using similar format as you, Bazi. I realize that the format for posts everyone uses here is easier to read. :)

Sky never was from anywere. Her mother had died giving birth to Sky and her dad was a sweetheart like her mum before she died but her dad died when another pack attacked theirs. Sky as a pup didn't understand her dad and mum dieing she knew her mum was gone but when she saw her dad she didn't understand she went up to him and whined for him to wake up from his sleep not knowing he was going to sleep forever. Sky sat there and cryed for him to wake up. She finnaly left him to go find food and shelter. Another wolf took care of her until she was 8 months old and then Sky left. Sky had made a home by a her birthplace a creek and forgot it was her birthplace but she still stayed. Sky replied " I don't know my parents died when I was little." She held her tears back remembering her parents.

Not at all! :D Go right ahead. If you want to use this format for 'out of character' text, it's just:

Code:

[OOC] your text [/OOC]

Sad stories both - but that was not unusual. Disease had laid waste to the majority of Bazi's old pack, but the sheer trauma of the occurrence had sealed the hurt away under layers and layers of thick, tough scar tissue. She barely thought of them now.

"Come on now, buck up," she told Sky, who looked close to tears, nudging the newcomer's shoulder gently. "Swiftcurrent Creek is your family now, and we're a good one. OK? Athena and I are your sisters." Blue eyes regarded the wolf intensely, as if staring would be enough to wipe the fragile woman's memories and give her a clean slate.

"Why Swiftcurrent Creek?" she swung round to ask Athena, keen to find out more about the decision-making process. There were other packs in the Teekon Wilds, and each of them had their allure. The Creek only had room for loyal wolves, especially now that Tuwawi was expecting.

OOC: Thank you!

Athena nuzzled Sky gently and glanced at Bazi. She thought for a moment. For their strength and loyalty. I cannot survive on my own and I needed a pack that believed in loyalty to each other above all else. After you lose your family, everything, you have no room for anything else but loyalty. It's how I survived, I suppose.

Sky smiled feeling a little better knowing wolves would help her out. She went from heartbroken to happy in almost a snap with that second. She was almost glowing from inside out. Her swirl and three dots got slightly lighter but no one noticed.

This will be my last post. Great thread, guys - and so rapid! :D

"For their strength and loyalty."

The pale Beta nodded. Good answer. Pack was everything to Bazi, and she expected the same of the wolves around her - an oath to Swiftcurrent Creek meant as much, if not more, than the bonds of blood. A wolf could not choose where her roots were anchored, but every decision after that was a decision, not fate. Athena reached out to comfort Sky, who brightened instantly. The sheer rapidity with which she went from tears to joy was either great or terrible, but that remained to be seen.

"Find a trade," she instructed them. "We have need of wolves that know their way around herbs, in particular." Each girl received an affectionate nudge to the cheek before Bazi turned tail and trotted back towards the heart of Swiftcurrent Creek, intent on visiting her brand new 'work husband'.