Moonspear My kind

Her recent trips to the coast had been exhilarating but there was still much to discover about her homeland. On this unseasonably mild December morning, Wildfire picked her way down from the outcropping where she had spent the night with her beau, the pinks and oranges of daybreak painting the sky beyond the ashen slopes. Halfway down, she paused at the head of a deer trail to sniff at some scat, then continued descending, stumbling only twice before she reached the forest floor at its rocky base.

Her primary feeling this morning was thirsty, so she quickly sought one of the small brooks that threaded through the trees, parked on the bank and bent over to take a long, ice cold drink. Meanwhile, her warm amber eyes scoured the naked trees. She sensed a presence nearby, though there were no sights, scents or sounds to corroborate her belief that someone else was in the vicinity—at least, not yet...

Tev was heading back to his den — bachelor's den, he supposed the empty space he slept in was called; but really it was just a den adding bachelor before it didn't make it sound cool, it made it sound lonely which was what it was most days — when he caught Wildfire's scent. It wasn't unexpected, really, after all they did live in the same pack. He should be concerned if he didn't smell her, but her scent trail was fresh ...and as it was the first time he met Wildfire, strong with Floki's scent. He had caught her scent, equally as strong, upon his twin's coat when they'd talked a few days ago and while it was really none of his business he was beginning to question if they were just “friends” as Wildfire had first introduced herself as or more. Tev was nothing if not a curious creature — one of many traits he inherited from his deceased father — but he also didn't want to pry. It wasn't as if Floki and him were attached at the hip and his twin's business ...and relationship with Wildfire was his own.

Despite that he cast a look at the sky, cast in varying shades of light (and dark) gray that let him know the sun was quickly rising, Tev found himself diverting his course. He figured he could stop by, say hi, maybe chat for a bit before he retired for the day. He wasn't blind in the daylight, after all, it was just a bitch to adjust to the light sensitivity and while Tev wasn't afraid of a challenge he knew that he didn't need to make his eyes work any harder than they had to. She cut a silhouette against the landscape, Tev saw as he shrugged through the trees, some of the lower hanging branches tugging against the longer tendrils of his fur, though he shook off any twigs that might have snapped and tangled into his fur out. “Looking for trouble, Wifi?” He inquired in a tease, grinning at her as he closed some of the distance between them, though when he ceased walking there was still plenty of comfortable distance between them.

I know you chose a (very attractive, mmm!) character model for him but between the developing dynamic and the fact that he's sensitive to sunlight, I can't help but picture him as the Ian Somerhalder of wolves, lol...

Within moments, the sounds of an imminent approach confirmed her hunch that someone else was nearby. When he first appeared, Wildfire momentarily mistook Tevinter for his brother. Her black tail broke into a wag, her head lifting, ears pricked and eyes bright as she prepared to greet her beau. Then her eyes locked on those unmistakable scars. Her tail halted momentarily, then resumed wagging at its previous speed. Although he wasn't Floki, she was already fond of Tevinter, despite having only met him the once. It probably had something to do with his resemblance to his twin, though he wasn't without his own outstanding qualities, of course.

"Tev, hey," she rejoined, taking a step back from the water and swiping a foreleg across her mouth to wipe away the last few remaining droplets of moisture. "Good morning. What are you up to?" she inquired cheerily, oblivious to his eye condition and subsequent nocturnal habits.

hehe. ;-)

Tev watched the furious movement of her tail, following it's progress as it paused as she realized (he assumed) that he wasn't Floki. A small chuckle rumbled in his chest, finding it amusing that he was still mistaken for his twin despite the ugly wounds turning scars that marred his previously flawless platinum silver fur of his muzzle. Tev didn't find her lapse in enthusiasm to be insulting, letting it roll of his shoulders with a cheeky little smirk reminiscent of his deceased father's rather infamous one tugging at the edges of his lips. Being mostly identical twins tended to confuse even the best of wolves. Even Charon had initially mistaken him for Floki at first. That was not something Tev had in Jade Fern Grove: he was unique in that respect, and perhaps it was that fact alone that he didn't harbor any internal irritation at having an identical twin: because he hadn't grown up with his identical twin. Not growing up with Floki gave Tev a distinct appreciation of his twin that he might never have had otherwise. He was constantly reminding himself not to take advantage — very different from the selfish boy he'd been before the (first) bear incident.

Wildfire's tail had begun to wag at the previous speed anyway before she greeted him. “Good morning,” The scarred Northman returned, catching her cheery mood as if it were contagious. And in ways, it sort of was. “Nothing much really,” Tev offered her a lofty shrug of his broad shoulders. “Just finished a patrol and was going to head back to my den for my beauty rest.” He joked, because y'know being that handsome was work and required lots of rest. He hadn't told anyone but Floki about his “impairment” because he didn't think it was a huge deal and someone had to cover the night shift. It might as well be someone who was comfortable with the subdued, (sometimes) sleepy atmosphere of the dark. “What about you? Got anything big planned for the day?” He returned the question in kind.

mistywind cheerfully walked in to the heart of the territory and looked around. it was clear that she wanted to make friends. mistywind started to explore and was hoping to find amekaze or someone new. "wow this place is amazing im so happy to be here!" she was excited but somehow lonely. suddenly the excitement was gone and she felt loneliness creeping back in. mistywind went into a corner and put a snowy white paw on her muzzle and whimpered like a pup. her legs lost control and stopped moving she was so sad that she could spend her whole life in that corner.

Her head cocked when he explained that he'd just wrapped up a patrol and intended to catch some sleep in the near future. "Ah, the morning siesta?" she teased playfully, assuming he had simply risen very early versus spent the entire night on his feet. "Don't let me hold you back," she added, motioning in a way that indicated Tevinter was free to make his exit whenever he liked. "I was just going to take another tour myself. Nothing too exciting."

A strange noise caused her attention to shift sideways, somewhere off to Tevinter's right. "Do you hear that?" she asked after a beat, eyes flitting back to his face. Her own expression scrunched. "It sounds like... someone's crying." Even as the realization struck her, Wildfire's amber eyes widened slightly. Louder, she shouted, "Hello?" in the hopes of catching the attention of whoever was whimpering in some unseen corner of the surrounding woods.

mistywind looked up and stood up slowly. she peeked out of the bush. "oh um hi.... i'm mistywind i was just a bit lonely and well maybe over reacted" she was a bit scared that this wolf would tease her. mistywind wagged her tail to at least hide her sadness. "so whats your name?" she tried to change the subject and tried to get to know this wolf.

“Something like that,” Tev responded with a coy quirk of his lips and a slight roll of his broad shoulders. He spared a glimpse at the skyline, attempting to judge how much time he had before sunrise as best he was able before his gaze fell back upon Wifi. “I'm not real tired yet,” It was true but he also said it because he wasn't ready to end their conversation just yet. “Maybe I can keep you company, if you want?” He put the offer out there for her to either accept or decline as she so wished. He wouldn't have taken it personally if she refused his offer, but he could not claim that he wasn't hoping (maybe just a little) that she would accept his offer of “tour” companionship. 

Her attention was diverted from him as a sound broke through their conversation. He, too, had heard it, his ears slicking back to rest atop his head at half mast before they cupped forth, alert and attentive as he attempted to pinpoint it's area of origin. “I heard it too,” And for a moment he took a soft breath, unsure of why he jumped to such a conclusion but said in a low whisper, “Oh man, I hope it's not mom.” She had told him she was doing better, yet, he couldn't help but worry for her. Charon had mentioned something about her needing him — Tev — and he was a protector by nature. He wasn't sure how to exactly deal with tears but he was willing to learn if it meant seeing Thistle happy again.

Before the two of them could really set off to investigate an woman (girl?) draped in stark ivory stepped into Tev's monochromatic line of sight, taking form as she drew nearer to them. Instinctively, he shifted closer to Wildfire, flanking her so that he, too, had a straight on line of sight to the newcomer. She introduced herself, albeit awkwardly, and confessed that she felt lonely and that she might have over-reacted. Tev opted for silence, though he spared a clueless glance at Wildfire. Though he understood loneliness on all kind of horrific levels (that he never wanted to experience again) he wasn't very adept at dealing with ...girls; and it seemed Mistywind seemed to be focused upon Wildfire for it was his companion that she addressed and further asked the name of. 

She would have breezily accepted his offer to accompany her, if not for the muffled sobbing sounds. When Tevinter made a comment about his mother, Wildfire shot him a concerned look. As it turned out, it wasn't Thistle at all, but a perfect stranger. The way her cohort shifted closer to her reminded her starkly of Floki and her lips twitched in silent appreciation. Wildfire's attention then fixed upon the unfamiliar face of the tearful she-wolf, who seemed embarrassed about her emotional display.

"Hi," the young adult rejoined, her black tail twitched lightly in greeting. "Sorry to hear that," she added genuinely, head tilting. "I'm Wildfire and this is my friend, Tevinter. You must be new...?" That would explain her unfamiliarity, as well as her loneliness. But in the space of two minutes, she had at least gained two new acquaintances, so it was a start.

"yes i am new and nice to meet you two. i was invited by amekaze."  she was curious where she was now was. mistywind remembered the bear indecent and saw an injury on her front paw. she could only relies it now and she quickly lifted the paw and whimpered in pain. from walking on it blood trickled out of the wound. DUMB BEAR! IT HURT ME! mistywind lay down as some blood trickled onto the ground from her paw. "DAMMIT STUPID BEAR! I MUST HAVE TAKEN A BLOW WHEN THAT BEAR SWIPED AT ME! 

Wildfire had made the introductions to the newcomer, introducing herself first and then Tev. Caribbean and silver gaze did not lift from Mistywind, studying her with only a little weariness. She was a part of Moonspear and that made her family in some sense but the Ragnarsson was a bit of a critic — not as big of a critic to others as he was himself, as it stood, but a critic nevertheless. She confirmed that she, indeed new to the pack and that Amekaze had accepted her into their fold. Tev didn't know Amekaze that well at all — a fact that he should probably seek to change in the near future. A sharp, poignant and metallic scent tickled the young Viking's nose and his scarring muzzle wrinkled slightly as he recognized it immediately as blood. There was a ghost throb in his muzzle, an echo of the white hot pain he'd felt as the bear's claws had struck and torn through the flesh there. Of course, with the adrenaline that had been pulsing through his blood stream at that point he hadn't felt the pain until after he'd fled the scene, grateful to still be alive and realizing just how stupid his confrontation had been.

Mistywind had let out a whine before she laid down before the two yearlings, blood seeping from the wound. Tev could not see it with the distance between them, and was no healer even so (probably the best thing considering colors no doubt played an important role in medicines and poisons). His lips had parted to inquire as to where she'd gotten injured since she hadn't seemed to be limping upon her approach to them when she screamed out about a stupid bear. On instinct, Tev's hackles bristled. “You engaged the bears on your own?” He demanded, rougher than he'd initially intended, sharp gaze locking upon her monochrome form, a slight rumble brewing in his chest. Of course, he really had no leg to stand on in that respect because he'd done the same thing a month or so ago. It was the only logical assumption he could make since the party that had scouted the two bears had been before even Tev had joined up and way before Mistywind had joined their ranks. He hadn't even known about them until Wildfire had mentioned them. 

Tev might have no longer been afraid of bears but that didn't mean he didn't acknowledge their danger and threat level. They were not meek prey. They were predators, and could outmatch a single wolf any day. “You could have gotten yourself killed,” He'd seen the damage the bear had done to Swift, blinded his younger brother and had left nasty claw marks on his body. Tev was lucky he'd escaped with the ugly mars on his muzzle. It could have, so easily, been so much worse, he had realized shortly after. “You could have gotten us killed.” He meant the pack as a whole. One bear was bad enough but two bears was worse. His thoughts flashed to Floki, immediately, and he felt something tight in his chest. No, he would not allow harm to befall upon his twin. The bears would not touch him. The soft rumble that had been building in his chest passed through his lips and he took a deep breath in attempt to get ahold of himself. 

“I'm sorry,” Tev spoke when he realized he wasn't really being friendly. “I just...I know better than anyone what bears can do.” And he seemed cursed with them, unable to get away from them no matter where he went. He shifted his weight then, awkwardly. “You should probably go see my mom, Thistle Cloud, about getting that wound tended to.” Because Tev was as about useless as a leaf when it came to healing, and his mother was the only healer he knew of in the pack.

"yes the bears. i tackled one. and only one. its out of the territory now so we are safe. hopefully"  she stood up  on three paws head high. she new how dangerous those bears were. they were running for their lives or at least misty was. " i know how dangerous they are. my whole family was attack by bears!! my only surviving family member was my sister! thats how dangerous they are!!!" mistywind  felt anger flowing through her.  she never though she would be mentioning "it" ever again.

Nina, I sent you a private message. You've skipped me twice now in this thread. Please respect the post order here and elsewhere. Thanks.

Erm, awkward post is awkward.

Wildfire idly wondered if this she-wolf had been recruited by Ame the same way she had been pulled in by Charon and Floki. She barely had the chance to ponder it before Mistywind abruptly started whining, then screaming at the top of her lungs as she waved a bloody paw in the air. Taken aback, Wildfire sucked in a breath and subconsciously began shrinking away from the other female. She glanced at Tevinter even as he began to harshly berate Mistywind's behavior. Boy, had this escalated quickly!

Already flustered by the sudden turn this encounter had taken, Wildfire could only blink several times when Mistywind claimed to have single-handedly tackled a bear, then chased it from the territory. This time, the look she shot her male counterpart was bewildered bordering on skeptical. What were the odds that she would be standing in the presence of two wolves who had taken on bears and lived to tell the tale?

Nil, she thought, suddenly squinting pensively. She might have believed Mistywind's story, if not for her erratic behavior and mood swings. But Wildfire found a strange disquiet blooming suddenly in her chest. She wondered if maybe there was something wrong with Mistywind, mentally speaking. She had already proved unpredictable; might she be dangerous? Wildfire hated to make a snap judgment, though her instincts were suddenly singing a thousand warnings.

"Yes, you should go see Thistle. Maybe Tev can take you to her," the young adult suggested, casting yet another look in her friend's direction, this time her amber eyes apologetic. She didn't mean to pawn Mistywind off on him but the she-wolf, quite frankly, was making her uncomfortable. Wildfire knew Tevinter had legitimately squared off with a bear, so he could likely handle an unstable she-wolf, no problem. And as discomfited as she felt about Mistywind's actions, she genuinely hoped she could find the help (mental or physical) she needed from Thistle.

Things had escalated in an extremely rapid fire manner, including but not limited too Mistywind's apparent mood swings. His gaze reluctantly left the older woman to Wildfire when he sensed her discomfort in regards to the situation. He didn't blame her. He was plenty weary himself about the whole situation, grasping to keep up with the sudden changes as they came. Tev was dubious and cynical about her words as she spoke them: funny how she'd approached them seeming fine, and not at all like she'd just got done scrapping with a bear. He couldn't help his scoff when Mistywind went on to lecture him about just how dangerous they were — as if he didn't know himself. “Really. You tackled a bear?” He was as dubious as Wildfire about it, his posture tense, ghosting forward a step to put himself between Wildfire and Mistywind. She seemed harmless enough physically, though if she was telling the truth about tackling a bear he wasn't sure his initial assessment was a sound one. Just in case, he felt better positioning himself between the two females, ready to protect Wildfire at any sign of danger, no matter if it was domestic or not. 

“I was attacked by a bear. You're not telling me anything I don't already know,” Granted, he'd provoked the attack …. (and attempt at an attack) both times (though in his defense he'd basically been a bossy baby who thought he was king of the world the first time). He tipped his muzzle so she might see the ugly scars that would forever mar his handsome face; a face that was probably too young to bear such markings of war. Yet, they served as a grounding reminder: his youth did not equal immortality and to allow his brain and sense of judgment guide him instead of pride, or on it's flip side: fear. It was a lesson that Tev had been determined to learn the hard way.

Tev caught Wildfire's apologetic look moments before she offered for him to escort her to Thistle. He hated to leave Wildfire, yet at the same time, the idea of letting Mistywind unattended around his mother struck a wrong chord within him. As long as the higher ranking female was with him then she wasn't continuing to make Wildfire uncomfortable; and he assumed that she was uncomfortable from her looks and partially because he was uncomfortable. “Of course,” Though his assurance was more for Wildfire than it was for Mistywind. “I'll see you later Wifi,” He promised her with a charming grin before he looked back at their companion, inhaled deeply and let it out in a sigh. “Come on, my mom can get that taken care of.” He spoke to Mistywind gesturing her forward with a sweep of his muzzle, clearly having no intentions of taking “no” for an answer.

"look i'm not going to hurt anyone here. i understand that she is your friend but why would i hurt somebody in the pack. i cant believe you would think that!" misty was in pain but she didn't really care and turned. she limped away trying to get away from this. " I DON'T CARE IF IT GETS INFECTED AND DIE. WHY WOULD ANYONE NEED ME HERE! AND YOU CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!" mistywind broke into a run and she went out of the den area into the trees.

He seemed ready and willing to escort her but Mistywind clearly didn't think much of this plan. She made a comment that caused Wildfire to pull a face. It was like Mistywind had read her thoughts, which made her all the more uncomfortable. It also made her feel guilty for feeling that way. This wolf probably just needed help, not for her own pack mates to treat her like some kind of leper.

Suddenly, the Lambda's tone lifted into a screech. Then she turned and fled the scene, leaving Wildfire more uneasy and bewildered than ever. Whether or not Mistywind would actually prove dangerous—the young female thought briefly of Junior—she suddenly knew the leaders must be made aware of her erratic behavior. It was up to them how to handle it from there.

"I'm not sure what just happened," she said to Tevinter, "but you go on and get your beauty rest. I'm going to find our Alphas and let them know about this." Wildfire paused, amber eyes resting on his face, waiting for him to say something before she disembarked.

Tev felt a brief stab of guilt as Mistywind spoke to defend herself. “I get that I should trust you as a pack mate but I don't trust easily,” He trailed off, rather abruptly when she began to scream once more, taking to dramatic mode once again, screeching about how she didn't care if it got infected and she died, and tried to guilt trip the young Viking by screaming about how no one needed her there and that there was nothing he could do about it. The bully Viking let out a low snort. Clearly she didn't know him that well, he could have Thistle track her down, but even still (perhaps now more than ever) he still didn't like the idea of his mother and this virtual stranger together given her mood swings and penchant for unnecessary drama. Perhaps he was being unnecessarily hard on her by ghosting forth to act as a barrier between her and Wildfire but he wasn't going to apologize for it. His friend had clearly been uncomfortable as soon as the woman's mood swings begun and Tev was only listening to his instinct, even if it had hurt Mistywind's feelings.

The worst part was, instead of feeling guilty Tev only felt more weary of her than before. Tev looked back to Wildfire when she told him to go get his sleep and informed him that she would seek out the leaders and let them know about what had transpired. “Are you sure?” Tev hesitated, visibly. “I could go with you if you want, it's ok.” But he let the choice up to Wildfire. If she didn't feel his presence was necessary he would go let her go on her own, but he wanted her to know that he would go with her if she would feel better having him around. He shot an uneasy glance in the direction that Mistywind had disappeared into, before his gaze settled back upon Wildfire.

I'm pretty sure Mistywind has left the scene, so I'm gonna go ahead and post. I let Iris and Gerra know that these two would inform them of the situation behind the scenes, so let's fade here? :)

She could see his hesitation. Wildfire followed his gaze in the direction their (possibly) crazed pack mate had gone, then offered him a thin smile when Tevinter's eyes wandered back to her face. She had wanted to give him an out if he was tired, especially after that fiasco. But she certainly wouldn't deny him if he wanted to come along. If two of their subordinates bore witness about Mistywind's erratic behavior, it would make a stronger case for whatever the Alphas decided to do with the information.

"I just think Charon and Ame would want to know about what just happened, even if I'm not even really sure what just happened myself," Wildfire quipped dryly as the two of them began to walk. His gait was almost identical to Floki's, she noticed, albeit with slight differences perhaps only she would notice. "I was attacked by my half-sister when I was little. I don't remember much about it—and I didn't know her at all—but she was supposedly a little off. I'm just worried that Mistywind might be too. What if she's dangerous?"

Those heavy words hung in between them as Wildfire lapsed into a companionable silence, leading the way as they trekked in search of the leading duo.