Phoenix Maplewood Deep down I know this never works
uncurbed, unreined, and riderless
327 Posts
Ooc — Em
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#1
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@Kael :)

Time to think had been granted. Mason had swung backwards and forwards on this issue of being a Beta for a while. At first: great! Dad wants me to be Beta! Sorted! Then: Will Steady be okay with it? Then : Oh, Zaria thinks I am a pile of turd still and isn't on board. Then: Oh, so I'm worrying about Steady, and he's happy to just accept Beta without checking with me.
 
Maybe Mason was trying to please too many people at once, and managing to please none. After his discussion with Steady, and determining he would take up the Beta role, he had fled the packlands. He had of course let his Dad and Steady know he was going for a couple of days. Dad understood; Mason needed to start getting out on his own. His wanderlust had developed suddenly, almost at the apex of childhood. Now that he had planned out Silvertip in his mind, thoroughly (since he had been doing it since a Pup in one sole territory) he felt he needed to know the rest of the wilds.

First Mason had been to the sea. Now he was heading in the next direction, and he had spent a couple of ragged days travelling to get to the furthermost pack on the trail of this compass-point. Dad had told him some names of packs, but he couldn't put scents to many of them. This one he did, because he knew Desna. 
He had not been inside the packlands, because he would not have dared to presume given Scarlett's situation. But Mason now headed directly to the borders and made sure to keep well back. He intended to see Desna again. He had liked her, she was pretty, and his age, and he really needed someone friendy. He looked pretty haggard, having travelled for some time now, and was a bit hungry too. His low-slung body was smeared in dirt, and some of his fur stuck up in silly directions.

It was a non-descript time of day, and Mason trotted along at a safe distance from the pack, keeping an ear swivelled inwards, hoping to spot someone soon. Maybe they would be able to tell him of the news on Desna's mum.
I ain't even mad.
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Ooc — Hana
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#2
Kael was still struggling to find his place in the pack. It was nearing a month since he got accepted, and while he worked on little things such as replacing the cache and patrolling the borders for trespassers, he still felt a bit adrift in where the rest of the pack expected him to be. Especially when remembering his last encounter with Reek, he winced and his mood shifted to an angry defiance. Jaw and shoulders squared, he moodily picked his way through the wooded borders trying desperately to drop the thought.

Although, he had listened to the mournful calls that swept the whole clan. Scarlett, an integral female, had died. Kael hadn't met her and barely knew of her before the news swept through. It was obvious that the death was affecting the whole morale of the rest of the wolves, but the agouti boy couldn't help but feel as if it was their little circle of grievance, and he stood from the outside looking in.

Snapping back, Kael physically shook the whole length of his body out and gave a loud and audible chuffing sigh. There was no sense in him getting depressed as well and he rolled his shoulders and head in an attempt to pull himself back into the impish character he was. 

Something caught his eye when he was stretching and his brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed to figure it out. It was a dark figure, silhouetted by the mere distance, but definitely canine. Kael set his posture confident but neutral and walked closer warily, feeling rumbles of barks emit from low in his chest that told the other he was watching.
uncurbed, unreined, and riderless
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Ooc — Em
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Mason heard him before he saw him, with ears that caught the vibrations on the otherwise-quiet air. Quiet besides the usual bird call and whooshes of wind, that was. Mason looked around and spotted an earthen male heading directly for him. Already low-slung, Mason’s posture crept lower and he arranged his tail and ears as submissively as possible until he almost crawled towards Kael. He had no intentions on being attacked.

Mason skittered to a stop, meeting the fellow halfway. “Hello, I am Mason from Silvertip Moutain. I know Desna your packmate, and I actually came to check if she was okay after her mother… was poorly.” Mason cleared his throat, his wide-set eyes on the others’ paws. “Do you happen to know her?” Mason didn’t want to sound like he was uninterested in this particular male; he was quite happy to while away some time with him if he wasn’t busy.
I ain't even mad.
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Ooc — Hana
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Wolf etiquette is so intense, but also so ingrained. As the other approached, Kael did too, only subconsciously noting the difference between status. However, Kael's eyes were warm and his tail began to swish rhythmically against his hind quarters. His stance was not one of leadership, but of a benevolent pack member. 

When they met, the other was quick to start. Mason, he had christened himself, from Silvertip Mountain. Kael reflected briefly on when Reek had given him the low-down of the area, vaguely filling in a mental map of Teekon Wilds. But it wasn't until he requested the status of a packmate - Desna and her mother, that he felt his whole body wilt. The boy had heard the mournful calls echo across Phoenix Maplewood. 

Kael cleared his throat hesitantly, this being the first time ever that he had to deal with such crucially sensitive information. "She's..." He started, but faltered. His golden eyes searched the other one's face, praying that Mason would be able to fill in the large gaps of speech.
uncurbed, unreined, and riderless
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Ooc — Em
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#5
Mason eased up when his companion showed only signs of a good nature. However when Mason continued, the larger male appeared to lose heart. Mason’s fire-eyes watched Kael carefully as he stumbled over words unwilling to exit his mouth. It wasn’t hard to understand, even for someone who had dealt with limited death in their young lives. There was no other reason he would be struggling – after all, she had been in the worst possible condition when Mason had last been.
 
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He said softly to no one in particular, eyes drooping to look at the floor. “At least she’s at peace now.” Those words for Desna – and they were directed at the earth in the vain hopes they might vibrate through to reach her.
 
Mason looked up, his nervousness gone on the face of such a terrible subject.[size=xx-large] “I’m sorry, I forgot to ask your name... would you mind showing me along your borders so that I can get the lie of the land?” Mason spoke more firmly now, hopeful to move them along onto brighter topics. He didn’t know how well Kael knew Scarlett but he wasn’t crying which was a good sign, so maybe taking his mind off her would help.[/size]