Phoenix Maplewood fast and furious

I couldn't choose more than one post icon but this is, of course, all welcome to any member of PHX but I'd love for one of the leaders to hop in here eventually. ;-)

Antar's steps slowed to an eventual cease, eyes of cold silver studying the vibrancy of the treeline: blossoms of crimson reds, sunlit oranges and yellows like an aesthetic treat to his eyes. In some semblance of ways, it reminded him of Emberwood and immediately the incubus adored it. Perhaps it was strange to be drawn to the aesthetics of landscape but he was nothing if not a terribly vain creature and he couldn't help it. Of course there were other things to consider too; namely hunting grounds. Did the territory itself provide or did the wolves that made it home — for he was well cognizant of the scent markers that kept him more than a respectful distance away — have to venture far? These considerations Antar did not offer much more than a fleeing ponder towards. He still had to indulge in that whole joining process and place himself on trail for inspection and consideration.

His favorite thing. Not.

While he was graced with a tongue of silver, the incubus didn't harbor the saint-like patience these things involved which was likely what made him a piss poor guardian. Or Warden. Or whatever word they used in these parts to describe the wolves who were tasked with patrolling and protecting the borders. Black, leathery nostrils flared as he sniffed at the air, past the urine markings of the wolves that called this place home to discover there was a distinctly syrupy scent upon the air. Brow furrowed as he sniffed at it again, trying to determine what the intriguing sweetness was. After deducing that he couldn't outwardly place it, but deigning to find out he lifted his muzzle towards the heavens and let out a call, announcing his presence — and his interest.

If I've done the math right, Antar is my old character, @Key's, second cousin.  I think.

When the howl catches his attention, he lifts his head and feels a pull in the direction.  He’d been here long enough—and having been promoted rather quickly—that he knew he could handle a wolf at the border.  He moves with a slight limp, favoring his right leg up until he could see the other.  He straightens his shoulders, broadening his posture, and stepping forward with even steps that presented no sign of injury.  A closer inspection would find a broken toenail but it’s not enough to bother him now.

Ukko clears his throat, drawing attention to himself to the wolf hovering near his home.  He’s quiet for a moment, stopping several feet from the other.  He’s draw to his icy gaze, lifting one brow as he admires how well the other’s features complement his appearance.

“You rang,” Ukko tells him as his tail tightens the curl above his spine.

I think she might be his great aunt? idk, going off of this thread but when it gets into the 'great-aunts, second cousins', etc. I get confused easily, lol.

His call is not answered by another but instead by the physical presence of another wolf. Male, his scent indicators told him, though there was always a masculinity that was present even in the most svelte of males, even if they harbored a frame that was not broad and large; and admirable broadness was not something the swarthy stranger that had melted from the shadows of the fiery canopied trees lacked. Clearly. There was a subtle hint of succulent coyness to the set of Antar's own shoulders, though his posture remained neutral. He was not yet an inducted member of this pack and he was being plenty respectful. Antar was a gentleman after all, and he had a reputation to uphold despite that none here were aware of said reputation and no one would really know if he enticed a little trouble.

Yet, trouble was not on the day's schedule.

For a moment it would seem as if the two men were in a bit of a stalemate as they took a opportunity to admire one another. Or, at least, this was what Antar was doing. As for the other male he could not claim to know aside from the other's gaze, expectantly, resting upon him. The swarthy stranger's tail had curled over his back when his inquiry — simple as it was — was posed. “Quite astute of you, yes, I did call,” The incubus spoke with a charming slight curve of his lips upwards. “I have an interest in joining but I'm afraid I'm ill informed of your pack.” Information for information, should the other be willing. After all: a loner had to fit the ideals of the pack as much as the pack fit the ideals of the loner or else it would be one big mess; presumably something that neither one of them wanted.

Shit, you're right.  I had the pathway correctly but the wrong term.  I got confused along the way, haha.  I think @Mallaidh would be the second cousin.  Maybe.  I don't know.  This family is all over the place.

 

Ukko’s lips turned into a smile when the wolf first speaks in smooth words that kept him on his toes.  He’s compelled to lean in but restrains, thinking about Tavi and their games before she’d accidentally joined the pack.  This one has purpose and paranormal activity isn’t their foreplay.  Yet.

“Well,” Ukko begins, biting his tongue on the first thing that pops into his mind.  “I’m sure I can help you.”

The male still feels new when it comes to Phoenix Maplewood, compared to the time in his birth pack.  Seana and Reek, however, trusts him enough and he feels confident enough to be proving his worth to the alpha pair.  Interrogating potential joiners could add another notch in his belt for skills.  He didn’t quite get to practice when it came to Tavi.

“I’m Ukko.  Who are you?”

All threads using the Joining icon are automatically all welcome. :) I have a lot of other things to reply to but wanted to make sure I get in on this. I'm not feeling writing today, so feel free to skip me if I'm holding it up, at least until it's time to make a decision. I'm going to write present tense in this thread as part of my challenge.

The songbirds have all disappeared in the wake of the recent snow, the evidence of which has since vanished. The forest is quieter than she's ever heard it. It serves to unnerve the alpha female at times, as bird calls served a great purpose in warning of danger. Where their song was quietest, it was often best to tread carefully. Now the whole wood is silent save for the occasional rustle of the bare shrubs and the gentle patter of smaller animal feet. There's no warning signs of danger, so she relies on her eyes and her nose.

Thankfully, these senses still serve the alpha female well, and she scents the stranger on the wind just before his call goes up. She's quick to respond, but not quick enough. When she arrives, Ukko is already on the scene, presenting a bit of a wall between himself and the maplewood. She approves of his speedy response time—a likely reason he has climbed the ranks so readily—but her attention on him is fleeting, for the other male is the one who called. The white-haired alpha is smaller than both males, but makes up for the size difference with a posture that practically oozes authority. The lack of tail no doubt ruins the effect, but she pays the thought no mind.

She doesn't speak, but acknowledges Ukko with a dip of her muzzle. She's interested to see what he's made of. He's brought one member into the maplewood without incident so far, so for now, the yearling defers to his judgment in handling the situation.

Most of the large WWS families are. :P And oohh, thanks Chels. :-)

It did not fall beneath Antar's notice that the other male wasn't immediately insulted by his soft cynicism, the subtle sharp wit that hid beneath the words murmured from betwixt his lips. It was never truly personal; for Antar had no qualms about making his opinions known as curtly and starkly as possible if it were a personal thing. Simply, this was how Antar's personality had been shaped as a young lad. Kali taught her children well and Nocturne was all too eager to leave the children with her whilst he went and did ...whatever it was Nocturne did not occupy his days. They were never particularly close and Antar did not mourn his father's lack of attention. Nocturne might have liked to boast but at the end of the day every one knew that it was Kali that had held the reigns of that relationship.

 Fleeting thoughts of his childhood were broken as the swarthy stranger spoke, once more reclaiming the rapt attention of the incubus as his words breached into what was previously silence between them. “Of that I have no doubt,” Antar responded. It was true enough. The stranger was a member of the pack that Antar had been interested in joining and could certainly divulge into what Antar needed to know, though beyond that they were open for interpretation.

“Antar.” The incubus offered the simplified version of his name, or the nicer term 'nickname' he supposed. Antareeksh still remained on reservation for close friends and family only. A few moments after he'd offered his name to the swarthy man before him another figure appeared to melt out of the treeline. She was smaller than either of them, though size had hardly ever meant anything to Antar (who'd heard enough of “you're not large and hulking therefore you cannot fight worth a damn”). The misconception that size had any bearing on skill was as ignorant to Antar as it came. As far as Antar knew she could easily hand him his ass in a physical fight; not that he sought a fight. He did not.

His head lowered in acknowledgment of her and her obvious rank of power, if her posture was anything to go off of and in his general experience posture told a lot. Considering posture was the strongest way in which they communicated with one another his belief that she was an Alpha was not contested. Yet, she did not speak, seemingly content to observe and Antar's gaze fell back upon the one who called himself Ukko.

Antar responds in kind in the same way he had before and Ukko shifts his weight to the injured paw to pull his attention back to the task at hand.  He remains silent for a moment, giving the other a chance to speak up—whether it would be to tell Ukko what he had to offer or ask for specifics of his home—they are disrupted.  Ukko’s gaze slowly turns away from Antar and over toward Saena that broke out into the scene.  She doesn’t approach, choosing to stay back for the time being.  His own head dips, turning back to his current companion.  He had little to do with Tavi joining the pack, but he would be under much heavier scrutiny is the young leader watches him work.

“Welcome, Antar.  This is Phoenix Maplewood,” he begins, letting his tongue moisten his lips.  “It is led by Saena and Reek.  It is but a few months old but our land has proven plentiful.”  A good choice for a new home with the upcoming winter.  The first snow had fallen a few days ago, threatening the upcoming turning of the seasons.  Ukko takes a few deep breaths to settle himself under Saena’s gaze, shifting his weight back off his ankle.  His shoulders relax, trying to put himself at ease.  "I will tell you more with an exchange of your highlights." 

No reason to give it away for free.

A welcome was given along with an introduction. Phoenix Maplewood. Ah. That explained the subtle and sweet scent he'd caught upon the wind. The sap from maple's was known to be extremely sweet to the taste, though Antar had never indulged in trying any of it himself. He'd heard it through the grape of vine, though he knew better than to trust everything he heard from the mouth of other's. Over time as the same story was told over and over details began to fall short or be entirely rearranged, ending with something different than what it'd originally began with. Names were given of the Alpha pair, allowing Antar to make the connection that the female observing must be Saena. 

Antar's highlights were required to be listed, then. Quite a fancy way of asking for what he was good at it. A slight supercilious smirk tugged at the corners of his lips though he kept what had first came to his mind from leaving his lips. The Alpha female was here, after all, and now was no time to be knavish; no his professionalism was of the utmost importance since it was likely what would bank on his getting into this pack or not. “I have a fair knowledge of plants, though for the most part my talent was not in healing,” Allowed to be taken for as what it was. “Poisons remain my specialty though it can easily be crafted into healing. The medicines that heal us in small doses are more often than not lethal in larger doses.” He was flexible where needed. 

“I have a natural knack for diplomacy,” Though perhaps it was his velvet voice and eloquence that made his tongue silver that had a direct impact upon that particular skill. “and I don't mind travel, or collecting information on other packs in the Wilds.” So, Outrider he supposed. Or one branch of it, for the term “outrider” was awfully general in and of itself. “I suppose that skill could also be utilized within pack relations, as well. Keeping the peace, offering advice, et cetera.” He'd never really considered it except here and now when he was forced to assess his strengths and voice them aloud to Ukko and Saena, of whom Antar had no doubt was listening.

Antar begins to explain himself with ways he could be useful to the pack.  Ukko’s ears attentively cup forward.  Poison as a speciality isn’t as common as healing.  Wolves and the pack needs more health and growth than the opposite.  Most healers he knew knew, for the most part, what is or isn’t poisonous.  Someone to know more about the deadly and toxic than those that heal could still be beneficial, especially if he states he can craft into healing.  Ukko tucks it away in the back of his mind to find out more from the wolf, if given the chance later.

The other doesn’t mind travel where Ukko does and having another that is willing to make the trip would be a better advantage for him.  He looks toward Saena for a fleeting moment, before he puts his attention back on the wolf at hand.  Antar’s craft of speaking definitely put him into a bright light Ukko felt hopeful for.  He is sure a lone wolf would be capable to take care of theirselves if they at least appeared to be in one piece at the borders.  

Some wolves were better with their words, whereas Ukko is more confident in his actions. 

“How is your hunting?” Ukko asks with a slight tilt of his head, “Phoenix Maplewood offers a variety of small game.  The maple and berries that grow provide a good source of nutrition for them, or your own if you have a sweet tooth.”  He hadn’t gotten his paws on them just yet but he had a number of rabbits with berry stains across their faces.  “Though watch out for the turkeys that pass through,” Ukko tells him with a little cough to clear his throat.  “What else would you like to know?” he asks, glancing toward Saena as the other option.

Saena has met few unsavoury folks in her time on this earth. Most of them are outwardly sinister and seem to lack subtlety, so it isn't difficult to tell immediately the type of wolf they are. She's met so few hidden dark personalities that, indeed, she considers most wolves to be good at first glance. The effort it must take to hide such a personality isn't worth it in her eyes. One is either outwardly vile or not vile at all as far as the yearling is concerned.

Or was, because the impression she gets from Antar is that he is neither good nor sinister. The superior lift of his lips does not go unnoticed by the reigning leader, whose eyes steel immediately and whose resolve grows prickly. A more volatile Saena might've immediately told him to get lost if he was going to smirk like that—it reminds her of Arion, who frequently needs reminding that he is beneath her and Reek—but she holds her ground and tongue for now, giving the lone wolf time to speak. Ukko seems to accept his words readily and begins to tell the male about the woods, but the alpha female, having caught that condescending twitch of his lips, requires a great deal more convincing.

"What makes you think poison is even remotely useful to wolves who can smell it? And why should anyone trust someone who uses poison to do their dirty work?" she blurts out. She's unable to keep herself from saying these harsh words; her judgment of his trade comes down like a lightning bolt, and she unfairly turns it against him when he mentions gathering intel on other packs as well. She's developed a great appreciation and respect for medicine and the art of healing from observing her aunt, Blue Willow, and her mate and Citali at their work. But she does not hold the same respect for wolves who use it as a weapon in lieu of their own teeth and claws. Poison is the weapon of a snake, and that is how she sees Antar with the admission that he also infiltrates other packs: a serpent who would stab her and her fellows in the back the second he got the chance. Who's to say he wasn't here infiltrating for somebody else? That's why he smirked before, she's certain of it. Because he sees an opportunity here or is on some sort of job. But Saena fancies herself smarter than him and stares him down, silently demanding that he say something to make himself seem even slightly trustworthy, lest she turn him away for presenting himself as a snake who cannot be trusted.

“My hunting is fair. I'm not the best out there but I'm certainly not the worst,” After all, if he couldn't hunt worth a damn he wouldn't have made it on his own. He probably would have perished soon after leaving Song's Rise. Things had appeared to have been going rather swimmingly at first, only to crash and burn as the young Alpha stepped forward and asked her questions, giving Antar the distinct impression that she wasn't impressed. “Not all poisons are detectable by scent or taste,” The incubus replied, softly. It was clear that out of everything he'd said that was the one she'd been stuck on ...with a certain level of distrust he felt. Not outright hostile but he felt a slight prickle of it at the nape of his neck, nevertheless. “I never said I couldn't fight, if that's your implication, but I don't enjoy it. I admit it's not conventional, but as I said it can easily be crafted into healing. It's a fine line between healing and killing. All healers have killed before, even if it's unintentional. Medicine isn't infallible and I don't know about you but I wouldn't trust a so-called healer that claimed that they hadn't ever been trained in poisons. That would imply that they don't know where to draw the line and could end up doing much more damage than they could good.” Poisons and medicine were the one in the same.

“If it bothers you I've never killed with poison. Simply my mother thought it was a useful skill for her children to know,” Savage “Kali” DeMonte was sharp as a whip and her penchant for all things dark and “magic” didn't particularly surprise anyone. No one claimed Kali was a good mother; but unfortunately Nocturne hadn't been around much and Antar and his siblings had learned from the parent that had taken interest in them. “I understand your suspicion and skepticism.” Though he had a feeling her mind was already made up towards no and he prepared himself for her rejection, thinking that should he be rejected he would try his luck further south.

Skipping Ukko with permission just to move this!

Saena listens, forming her opinion slowly but surely of this strange drifter. He claims to be a hunter but not a great one. He then corrects her on poisons and how detectable they are, though Saena does not believe him. The nose of a wolf misses nothing. Antar explains that he dislikes fighting, then attempts to justify his use of poison by putting down healers. Prior to this, Saena's opinion could lean either way, but when Antar speaks poorly of healers who don't deal with poisons, he solidifies her opinion and resolve.

It certainly helps that his voice has a quality to it that makes her uneasy, or maybe she only hears it there because of his previous cocky smirk. Perception is a powerful thing. Either way, Saena decides she cannot trust a snake. It's for two reasons, ultimately: her claim to her rank being more important than ever with her upcoming sexual maturity, which is endangered by any untrustworthy individual within her pack; and the honour of her husband, a healer, and of Blue Willow, arguably the best healer in the entire wilds, neither of whom would agree that poisons are medicine.

Is it ignorance? Yes, absolutely. Saena knows nothing about dosage and how important it is to prevent toxicity. Still, she holds her opinion above all others and so she seals Antar's fate with a cold look.

"My husband and my aunt are great healers who do not resort to using poisonous substances. I've yet to see anyone poisoned by their treatment, which suggests to me that you use questionable methods or questionable substances, neither of which is a promising prospect even if you could reverse your knowledge and become a healer." She licks her chops, then flicks her muzzle dismissively. "I have no use for snakes here. Go find Blackfeather Woods. They prefer your kind." She pauses, then adds, "and I'd wipe the smirk off your face the next time you are addressed by an alpha."

Antar isn't going to reply again so I'm gonna wrap it up.

Antar doesn't seem to be fairing well with regards to Saena and Ukko doesn't question her. It's her land she's laid claim to and while his opinion might matter, if she doesn't trust a wolf at the borders, she'd never trust him in the land. The boy takes a step or two back, giving them space will the stranger is scrutinized, and in the meantime he stands guard. His posture remains dominant, watching the other in case it turns sour quickly. His shoulders are taut and ready but he doesn't force it.

Eventually the exchange ends and Antar takes his leave. Ukko doesn't move until the wolf is gone and not even a speck in his vision. His large head swings to the pale alpha and he nudges her rump before turning his shoulder and retreating back inside the safety of his home.