into the painted grey

AW, but attn: Scimitar!
Time: Late morning, around noon.
Weather: Cloudy, foggy, no wind.

Dawn had brought with her a foggy morning, enshrouding the sleepy world in its muffling blanket of grey as the sun remained ensconced behind a layer of thick, wintry clouds. Even now, hours later, as morning became afternoon, gauzy veils of fog still laced through the forest, creating ghostly new walls and pathways amidst the great trunks of pine. It was dark in the forest, for what little sunlight came through the overcast could not pierce the forest's evergreen canopy. Chakra made her way through a well-traveled part of the forest, not too far from the western boundaries of her territory, sniffing out what she thought might be a game trail. The only time she took a break from patrolling the borders was to look for game — a commodity that was somewhat scarce at this time of the year, though they had done better than some with regards to food.


Raising her head, her nose twitched acutely as she scented the air. She smelled many of her packmates on the fragrant air, a fact which heartened her, for she took pride in the size and strength of her pack. They had grown quickly and established an unmistakeable presence in this place, one which could no longer be ignored or overlooked. It was worthy of a smile, and a faint one flickered over her onyx lips as she thought about it.

It was not necessarily that the male had sought her actively out -- it was later in the morning when he had traveled from the borders and closer to the heart of the terrain when he had come across her scent. Chakra had remained an elusive creature to Scimitar -- everywhere, and yet nowhere to be found. This did not unsettle the agouti wolf who had promised his allegiance to her. He was simply content to know she had thus remained and the pack thrived, unlike Tuatha De and what Muirrin had promised them all. Still, at times he could still scent the captivating female and it would leave him bitter. She had fled like a coward, and Neverwinter Forest would prove to be his and Luka's new chapter in life.

His ivory paws met a steady lope as he trailed her scent now. There were matters to be discussed, and from his first (and only) impression of her, Scimitar felt the regal of the land would want to know of the tension that had risen upon her borders between Blacktail Deer Plateau and Neverwinter Forest. He had made the executive decision to not call her only because the trespassers had not earned her company, but perhaps that was not a decision for him to make.

As he moved through the trees, his aqua eyes fell upon her lithe form. She was a creature meant for such a mythical forest, and he felt a small smile fall upon his tainted lips -- something that had not graced him for many weeks now. He and Luka had made a wise choice, and with a small 'woof' to gain her attention, the cinnamon male lowered himself respectfully in her presence -- a queen of these lands.

"Lady Chakra," he murmured, his deeper tones echoing throughout the woods as he closed the distance between them. His ears pressed back to his skull as his muzzle swung lower, and remaining only a few feet away, his eyes would rest properly upon her shoulder. "How does the Lady of the Forest fair?"

set by Emy

I love your writing! <3

Chakra had indeed been rather elusive of late, but not out of an aversion to interacting with her own packmates. No, she had been hard to find because she had devoted herself, almost to the exclusion of all else, to patrolling and protecting Neverwinter's borders. The first several weeks of a newfound pack's existence were the most critical in terms of border security. An iron-strong presence had to be established, their boundaries strengthened and reinforced until their scents ran deep into the earth and traveled on the wind, forewarning those who would yet trespass that these lands were claimed and guarded. Chakra did not rest on her laurels and leave this work to her subordinates; rather, she personally took an active role in it, ensuring that all who came here knew that this pack was not led by a lax and lazy Alpha. She also wanted her followers to know that she worked hard to keep them safe. She was not a wolf who made promises she could not keep.

A short woof interrupted her thoughts and she quickly turned her head in the direction from whence it came. Her sharp gaze fell upon a figure cloaked in cinnamon and mocha tones, and she quickly recognized him as one of her first followers. "Scimitar," she greeted him softly, a companionable smile crossing her lips. He was a magnificent wolf, tall and strong, draped in all the splendid colors of earth and winter. Eyes of frozen seawater, so like her own, glimmered intelligently at her, ever careful to avoid lingering too long upon her face. She approached him and licked his face in greeting, her tail waving behind her. Perhaps such an intimate gesture would be regarded as strange and inappropriate among humans who had known one another for as short a time as Chakra had known Scimitar, but among wolves, packmates were friends and family, and the Alphess treated hers as such.

Scimitar greeted her politely and inquired after her, and she responded, "I am well, thank you. Neverwinter grows, as does my pride and love for what we are building together. I hope you have settled in and are finding this place to your liking?"

That's a pretty high compliment from someone who's writing I've always admired. <3

His presence was welcomed graciously, and as his name slipped past her lips, the cinnamon male bowed his muzzle further. She closed the distance between them – moving forward with a grace that he imagined only a she-wolf could have. He cast a nip of his own affections to her cheek before licking her chin in acceptance to her dominance – once greeted, he took a pace back, allowing her space.

Her response was expected as such. The pack was thriving, and in turn there would be pride and celebration. Neverwinter Forest was far greater than his previous pack, and in time, the male could only hope it would claim his heart as his birth pack had. “Of course,” he rumbled in agreement, his tail giving a content sweep through the air as he shifted his weight. His aqua eyes focused upon her cheek as he fell to a neutral stance. A crow echoed a cry in the distance, stirring his ears to swivel in the direction, though he did not tilt his muzzle to see. Perhaps it had found a stray meal to scavenge.

“Though we had an.. interesting visitor on our border.” He gave a small pause, holding back the small smirk on his lips as he recalled the interlude. Next time she trespassed, he would have her tail as a trophy. “A leader of a neighboring pack thought it fit to explore past our borders. She wanted to discuss matters regarding pack relations.. Viinturuth and I escorted her out.”

set by Emy

She nodded in satisfaction, glad that he was finding Neverwinter Forest a comfortable and suitable place to call home. She knew that he and Luka had likely been jaded and disillusioned when they had come to her, promised the world by an Alpha who could not uphold her end of the deal. So far, Chakra had gone out of her way and done the best she could to uphold her own end of their bargain. As far as she could tell, Scimitar had done well upholding his.

This was further confirmed by his next words, that they had had to…remove an intruder from their lands. Immediately, Chakra was all business, her face taking a more serious cast as she looked at Scimitar with cold eyes. "A leader? Of what pack? Tell me more." She felt a stirring of pride within her for the actions of Scimitar and Viinturuth.

<style type="text/css">.chakrastar {width:490px; background-image:url('http://ghostecho.net/stu/chakratab.png'); background-position:bottom center; background-color:#1D0D25; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #000; padding:20px 30px 140px 30px; margin:0px auto; text-align:justify; color:#bc6d89; font:15px/1.5 Georgia; border-top-right-radius: 50px; box-shadow: 0 8px 6px -6px black;} .chakrastar b {color:#E79876; font-weight:600;} .chakrastar p {text-indent:50px; margin:0px;} </style>table by hilli ♥

There was something about how swiftly her features changed that drew bemusement from him – the easy-going conversation had suddenly shifted to one that simmered with electricity – and not in a way that Scimitar enjoyed when it came to a beautiful female presence.

Yet he remained serious – the offense, after all, deserved such. “She called herself Hawkeye, of Blacktail Deer Plateau,” he voiced in turn, his eyes falling to rest upon her shoulder in respect. His own form stiffened at the memory, appreciative that Viinturuth had been there as well – Neverwinter Forest had represented itself well, in his opinion. They would not be a pack to be trifled with.

“I was doing a border patrol and found her on our side of the borders. When confronting her, she was too proud to even submit, or admit she had done wrong. Viinturuth came upon the scene and insisted she had best be compliant, and then one of her lackies showed up.” He grunted at this, refraining from rolling his eyes, if only to maintain a form of professionalism. “Her subordinate had to show her how to submit.. And then once asked to leave, she defied us by rising up once more and trying to assert dominance. That was when we chased her out – Viinturuth clipped her in the ass, and I ran her in to a tree.” Professionalism be damned, Scim couldn’t help but feel a bit smug about the end.

set by Emy

Ugh, so sorry for the long wait. <3

Chakra listened with her full attention as Scimitar spoke, and as his story continued, her brows became more and more knitted together in bafflement at the weirdness of the situation. A leader — and by 'leader', Chakra assumed they were talking about an Alpha here — had had to be shown how to submit by her own subordinate? And, more concerning, this wolf had come here and attempted to assert herself over those she had met in Neverwinter. That was not good. No, that was not good at all. She had never heard of this Blacktail Deer Plateau pack before, but she would make a point to remember their name now, and that of their leader as well.

"…Viinturuth clipped her in the ass, and I ran her into a tree." Chakra had to stifle a laugh at that, but she couldn't hide the grin that came over her face. She was proud of Scimitar and Viinturuth for protecting their boundaries and driving the foolish intruder away. She was quick to let him know, too. "I like your style," her wicked grin from a moment ago came back again as she referenced his last sentence. "Both of you did well. Thank you for getting rid of that idiot. I…fear to think of what it must be like for those of that pack who must submit to such a stupid leader."

<style type="text/css">.chakrastar {width:490px; background-image:url('http://ghostecho.net/stu/chakratab.png'); background-position:bottom center; background-color:#1D0D25; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #000; padding:20px 30px 140px 30px; margin:0px auto; text-align:justify; color:#bc6d89; font:15px/1.5 Georgia; border-top-right-radius: 50px; box-shadow: 0 8px 6px -6px black;} .chakrastar b {color:#E79876; font-weight:600;} .chakrastar p {text-indent:50px; margin:0px;} </style>table by hilli ♥