Swiftcurrent Creek wrecking ball {joining}

Set on 7/11 early am. Scimitar is preferred, but since it's very early in the morning, anyone can reply.

Kaskara had really done it this time. After finally starting to feel like she belonged, even though that meant helping to find the missing Junior, Kas had let her exhaustion override her better judgment. She should have never said those things out loud, even if she believed them to be true--which she did. Scimitar would only laugh at her for letting her big mouth get her in trouble again. They had only just saw each other again earlier the previous day and now here she was, begging for mercy at his doorstep.

She was beyond exhausted. It had taken her twice as long to return to these borders as it had taken her to leave the day before. The dark wolf was staggering on her paws, her eyes barely open as she stopped, barely registering the fact that the scents were stronger here than they were before. For good measure, she back-pedaled as many steps as she could and seated herself roughly, her head hanging between her shoulders. With one last deep breath, she lifted her head and called for Scimitar, hoping her feeble howl would reach him in these early hours.

Bazi's first reaction to Kaskara's call for Scimitar was unbridled jealousy. She bristled and glared where she lay, willing the owner of the summoning howl to die a death or - once she had reined in the drama - think better of knocking on the Creek's door, and turn back.

But she couldn't wait and see if that would happen. Duty eventually pushed the Beta to her feet, allowed her a few stretches, and urged her in the direction of the sound. She crossed the meager distance at an increasingly brisk walk, picking up pace as her blood did. When the pallid northerner finally reached her target, it was a shrunken, shivering wolf she saw, sitting slouched at the very edge of their territory. Her intentions were obvious.

"You know Scimitar," Bazi observed, closing the remaining gap between the two girls with swift, confident strides and a loftily held tail. She stopped within lunging distance, offering the most neutral face available to her under the .. circumstances. Kaskara was broad but very obviously fit despite her recent and involuntary fast, with unusual eyes and markings. A sensible Bazi would have noted that along with the wolf's nonthreatening posture and immediately earmarked her as a worthy addition to the pack.

She looks like a boy, she thought instead. "Are you here to see him?"

To the exhaustion-dazed wolf, the wait drifted by in a sea of moments, a few glimpses of the world through her heavy-lidded eyes, unaware of time passing. When another revealed herself, Kaskara looked up in surprise, but quickly lowered her gaze from the light colored female, careful to keep her stance submissive and non-threatening. Getting on her bad side was the last thing she needed now.

"You know Scimitar," came her first words, and Kaskara nodded simply in reply. She had no energy for words just yet and felt that perhaps that didn't need more than a simple nod in answer. Then the female asked if she was here to see him and this is where Kaskara gave a verbal answer, "Yes, he-he's my older brother. My half-brother, really." She paused then, not knowing how much to give away, not knowing how much of her blunder to reveal, hoping Scimitar would hurry up. Instead, she introduced herself, keeping her head lowered, "I'm Kaskara Gladius."

The early morning had not stirred the agouti male – his slumber was light, only because he had yet to claim a den for himself.. choosing instead to sleep amongst the foliage of his home. His initial reasoning was because he had felt he was but an outsider looking in to the pack – now, he felt much more integrated within the ranks, and his original thoughts of staking out and claiming land elsewhere was slowly dwindling.

A familiar yet hauntingly unknown howl did bring him to wakefulness. Blinking sluggishly, one ear flicked as his mind reeled, knowing he knew the voice and yet desperate to place it – only then did his little sister’s face come to mind, and with a lurch of panic to why she would possibly be calling for him at such an hour caused him to push himself up quickly, his large figure stumbling rather clumsily to the borders as he tried to clear his mind and alert himself.

Bazi had beaten him to her – and while the ivory female was quick to draw his gaze normally, he instead found it riveted upon the thinner female – he had not seen her in such devastation before. “Kaskara,” he murmured, sweeping to her side and stealing a glance to his Beta. “What brings you here?” His muzzle bent to touch her cheek as his eyes inspected her, reassuring himself she had come to no injury.

Sorry guys, I had to go to London for work. Back now!

Brother. Bazi deflated with a softly spoken "Oh." No sooner had she realised her mistake than the man in question appeared, rushing to his sister's side.
Scimitar was not a wolf of many expressions, but it was obvious to Bazi that he deemed Kaskara to be in a state of disrepair - otherwise he would have greeted her first, surely.

"Were you chased?" she found herself asking, eyeing the direction from whence Kaskara had come.

Kaskara normally would have been much more observant of the other female, the way her feathers ruffled at the mention of her brother's name, the way her body relaxed when the dark wolf whispered brother. Kas would have been amused by it, actually, but for now it simply slipped past her, especially when Scimitar arrived, inspecting her as if she were a naughty runaway pup. In some respects, she was. She felt every bit that child he had scolded once for running into a bear's den without even thinking about it. Luckily, the bears had vacated it earlier that week, so nobody was hurt, but man had he been mad.

"Scim, I'm an idiot," she whined, closing her eyes and propping her head against his shoulder, drawing any strength she could from him. When the female asked if she'd been chased, Kas lifted and shook her head. "No, I didn't let it get that far." She sighed, turning back toward Scimitar, and decided to just tell the entire truth, right then and there, come what may. "I let my exhaustion and hunger out-rule my good sense. I said something I shouldn't have to my alpha, in front of a whole bunch of wolves, something that should have been said in private, and I got my ass handed to me." She meant that figuratively, since there wasn't a scratch on her, though she felt as battered and bruised as her soul was.

"We have been looking for Osprey Junior, the daughter of Blacktail Deer Plateau's alpha male, who disappeared a week ago. They found her body, I guess... I didn't stop to examine it." Kas felt the tears beginning to well in her eyes, the terrible hot sear of pain build in her chest. "My rude mouth decided to blame the alpha female, who isn't her mother, but is still her guardian since Peregrine, the father, is hurt. I.. I feel so stupid Scim. I know I shouldn't have said any of it, even if it's true. I just.." The tears came now and her voice cracked. Kaskara wasn't normally one to cry, but she was exhausted, ashamed, and terrified that she wouldn't have anywhere to call home, and that she'd have to return to her father, tail between her legs, the burning shame of the entire Gladius family.

His sister leaned against him leaving the male to lift his paw up and around then front of her chest in an awkward wolf hug as his eyes skimmed over the top of Kaskara’s head to glance at Bazi – what would she be thinking of all of this? Of course, the ivory female stated a very important question, and sighing inwardly, he lowered his paw once more to the ground.

Woefully, Kaskara issued her tale, drawing no emotion from the male until she had completed it. His muzzle bent down once more, grazing the top of her head to soothe her as he considered the story. Scimitar had never been overly impressed with Blacktail deer Plateau – ever since the Alpha had trespassed in to Neverwinter Forest as if she owned the place, he had placed them as fairly low on the stupidity pole.

Even more amazing, was she had somehow lured a mate and procreated.

But that was neither here nor there, and to slander the pack his sister had once sworn allegiance to would do little to the situation. “It wasn’t meant to be, Kaskara. They’re not your family,” he rumbled then, knowing at that moment that if she was turned away from Swiftcurrent Creek, they would be turning him away as well. “Stay.” With that, he looked back to Bazi, awaiting what she would begin to decide.

It didn't take long for Bazi to feel very out of place. She physically recoiled when Kaskara spilled her heart and soul at her brother's feet - something about Blacktail Deer Plateau, missing pups, and words said in anger, but it was the appearance of tears at the party that had the greatest effect on the socially awkward Beta. Her mouth fell open with the promise of words, but none came, and it snapped shut again. Scimitar was quick to soothe his sibling, touching her head with the practiced ease of someone that had dealt with many, many tears in their life.

"Stay," she echoed dumbly, shifting her weight indecisively between the left and right side. "If you're Scimitar's sister, you are welcome." The delivery was flat, but the phrasing was a little better than attempt #1.

Scimitar decided for her with one word, "Stay." Kaskara smiled weakly, pushing herself up and away from him, to look over at the leader. She kept her ears down, her head lowered, her eyes averted from the others' gaze. Everything she had not done at the plateau, she had done here. Kas noticed how she attempted to speak, but her mouth worked around her silent voice.

Then, finally, she spoke, flatly inviting her to stay, for she was Scimitar's brother. Kaskara took that gratefully, stepping toward Bazi cautiously, lowering herself onto her belly in front of her. "Thank you, miss," she whispered, licking her chin gently. "I pledge myself not only to Swiftcurrent Creek, but also to you. What is your name?" The gratitude that swelled within her at that moment leaked into her very voice, the very tears that slipped under her lids and ran down her stained cheeks.

He felt Kaskara move and he glanced back to her, though now her eyes were set in Bazi's direction. It was perhaps an awkward situation he had placed the Beta in, but there was no alternate option in his mind -- if Kaskara was denied in these lands.. he could not simply let her leave with no home to go to. She might have been an adult, but she would always be his little sister.

But the snowy female did not even question it, and he cast a grateful look in her direction before nudging Kaskara with promised renewal. He said nothing, allowing the two to acquaint themselves with one another. Instead, the agouti male shifted his weight, curious as to what had happened to his sister.. and hoping that whatever it was she had done to have herself thrown from the Plateau pack, she would not do here and make Bazi regret her decision.

The poor behaviour that had resulted in Kaskara's expulsion from Blacktail Deer Plateau was untraceable now. Bazi accepted her display in the the way she was expected to, sniffing at the newly assimilated wolf's face and throat, licking at the salty tears that stained the fur beneath the girl's eyes.

Satisfied that Kaskara was, indeed, a wolf and not a dying one, the Beta stepped back and introduced herself briefly as "Bazi." Kaskara's promise to devote herself to Bazi personally earned her a smile, too. With a quick look back at Scimitar, Bazi continued, "If you're anything like you brother, I'm sure you'll do us proud." Was that leader-like? It sounded leader-like. She gave a nod towards the Creek's interior. "Get fed. Scimitar will show you around." With a nod at both of them, she turned around and started back towards home. No doubt the two of them would want to catch up in private, so Bazi settled into a pace that suggested she would lead the way alone.

Last post from me!

I'll have this archived. <3

"Thank you, Bazi," she said softly, watching the woman leave after she accepted her into the pack. She turned toward Scimitar and shook her head, wiping away the tear stains from her cheeks. "I'm glad I found you, Scim. I don't know what I'd do without you." The pair of Frostfur half-siblings eventually left for a tour of the land, a bite to eat, and eventually Kaskara found herself settling down mid-day for a long nap.