Sunbeam Lair Fabulous Fables I Bring

Chaska had headed the direction Grayday had directed him to. There was supposed to be a pack that would take him in there. And surely, there was. The only fact that remained was whether they would accept him or not. He felt rather malnourished, a tad skinnier than usual. The scent of a pack border reached his nose, so he stopped some distance from it. He dared not cross it at all, and just in case he kept his distance in case it was the wrong pack.

He sent a howl up, calling for anyone of the pack. He did not mention Day's name in his howl, as he recalled Day saying that he didn't know much of the pack himself. Not even it's name. All he could do was have faith in his friend's directions, and that he had indeed gone to the right pack that Day had directed him to. If it was, he would have to thank him the next time they met.

She heard his call at the entrance, making Shikoba trot towards the opening with a high carriage of her body. Her tail stood up like a grand totem pole, her hackles stood on edge as she lifted her head. She didn't reflect snottiness or arrogance, but more that she declared herself a higher ranked than the loner.

She chuffed lowly as greeting to the male. She examined him for a bit before deciding to speak. "Why here?" She asked him chopily, not once blinking her golden eyes as her scars writhed on her body like serpents.

A member came, carrying themselves higher above him. He lowered his frame, his tail close to the ground to show how much lower he was. She examined him, than spoke. "Shelter" he answered, bowing his head quickly. "If you have room to give." He stood still as he awaited a response, as well as looking past her occasionally to see if any others came.

He was in search of a home, making the native nod her head. Although winter was closing soon, it didn't mean it still wasn't fierce. Winds still chilled the body as snow pelted the bodies on the ground. She was sure the tribe had room for another, though Shikoba would make sure to give a thorough run down of everything.

she never softened her look to him, the warrior could let that happen later. "Skills?" She first asked him, curious about what he did for a job in a pack.

She went straight to the next topic, asking of skills. Straight to the point. He could already guess she was a wolf of few words. "Storytelling. I also have some experience in fighting." The scars were evidence he had been in his fair share of fights. Only one of them he had won. He went to introductions next. "Name is Chaska." He motioned to her for a name, if she would give one.

He was correct in his assumption, Shikoba spoke few words and preferred action over anything. He spoke of his skills, storytelling. Shikoba remembered her father and mother telling her stories, though she was unaware that the stories she was told differed from his.

she nodded her head, though her ears perked up when she heard that he had some experience fighting. "Stories good," she started off "Shikoba see skills. Prove." She said in a direct tone, soon beginning to settle down in a fighting position. If this male could fight, she wanted proof. Even if he wasn't good, anything was better than nothing.

One of Chaska's brows went up. It had been some time since he last did anything like this. But, if this was what it would take. So far, this pack was not like what Day had said it was like. Although Chas did count the blessing of them not trying to kill him or anything.

He went into his own fighting stance, looking her over. She looked like quite the fighter, and he knew he would lose. Though he would give it his all. "I'm a bit rusty, but I'll try. If that's what it'll take to impress." And get shelter. After all, he would have to pull his weight. 

How do you want to do this?

ooc: perhaps we could do a dice roll out of 10? Highest number gets to win? 

She heard his his words but discarded them for a bit. All she could feel was adrenaline pump through her body as she readied herself to launch. At first, the native began to circle for a few steps, observing her opponent to find some sort of weak point. She picked his limbs, thinking that if he was done for a long time of a few seconds, she could keep him there.

she continued to circle and circle, then-- she launched forward with jaws open towards his side, hoping to grab ahold of his shoulder.

Rolled. And Shikoba wins by 1 higher! (would have been chas, but i typed the code wrong. Shikoba got 1 first time)

Chaska watched as she began to circle. He would let her make the first move. She kept going around him. As she did, he tried to think of a way to at least last long against her. A distraction came to mind. He planned out his moves, and waited for her to come. When she did, he tried to bat out her face with his paws, trying to distract her. He felt a pinch of pain at his shoulder when he turned. This seemed to not be the fun kind of spar he had with friends.

He paid close attention to her, making the woman feel happy to know that he had some basic mercenary training. As she launched towards him, she made contact, but felt something against her face. He was hitting her with his paws in the face (what kind of move was that?) 

Shikoba unmatched herself from him, trying to avoid getting smacked again. Well, if he was going to fight like that, it takes two to tango! As she tried to dodge his paws, the warrior went for his tail, thinking about grabbing it and pulling it to serve as a distraction as well. Should she succeed in grab, she would try to yank him and get a chance to reach his face should he try to get her to release.

Chaska's plan worked, sort of. She backed off, but only for a moment. As he kept swinging his paws, he did not notice her next target. Not until she went for it. He felt a pull on his tail, and he let out a yelp. The tail was sensitive, and he stopped swinging to then try and look back, then try and reach for her to get her to release. He didn't like his tail being touched, not one bit.

She succeeded in her plan to catch him off guard, he was surprised by the tail grab. He went back to make her release, just as she expected. The warrior felt blood pump through her body, her breathing becoming faster and faster.

she let go of his tail, this time, she went for his head. Her jaws were shut this time, what was she going after? Her goal was to actually headbutt him, as if she was a goat in a fight with another rival. Her head tucked in slightly, the tougher part of her skull pointed towards him. Shooting forward, she prepared for either a hit or a miss.

Chaska looked back, and saw her let go of his tail. He went wide eyed for the one second between before he felt her head connect with his. It definitely knocked the wind out of him, he felt a bit dizzy. He shook his head, trying to clear it. All he had was a massive headache. He couldn't even think about how badly he was going to lose.

her headbutt move succeeded! she dazed him enough to see he wasn't going to focus right after that sort of hit. now was her chance! shikoba drew in a sharp breath, spun 'round on her heels, then opened her crocodilian jaws. this time, her goal was simple- capture the neck within her grasp and end the fight. should succeed in this grasp, the fight would be over and the female could give her final verdict, though @Asterr would need to make sure this decision was correct.

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The howl had been heard, though her arrival had not been immediate. Asterr had taken to her medical storage, where the task of taking inventory had begun. She’d fallen into a pleasant pattern mere moments prior to the stranger’s call, which had made her a bit bothered by the idea of simply leaving her dried herbs. For several minutes, she’d struggled with herself, wondering for how long she might be able to get away with not making an appearance. Then, when at last she’d realized that her thoughts would not switch back over to her previous task, she’d slipped through the opening in the wall and began the trek towards the cavern’s entrance.

After having passed through the exit and then gone beyond it, she’d arrived on the scene just in time to see the skirmish’s potential end. Seeing no reason to feel concerned towards their actions, she’d settled a short ways off, her body as still as the mountain whence she’d exited. When the time was right, she’d step in, but until then she would hold off on doing so.

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As Chaska was stunned, he could do nothing but feel his neck get tugged on as she grasped his neck in her jaws. He stopped struggling, knowing he was beaten and panted, a low whine of submission leaving his mouth. "Okay...you won..." He glanced over to see another, watching. Must have been quite a show for them. He hadn't noticed the other there before, so didn't know how long she had been watching. He had to admit though, she had skill. The fight was over quite quickly.

ooc: hng i'm sorry for holding this up!

the fight was over as soon as her teeth touched his neck. she managed to keep him in the hold to the point where he visibly and vocally submitted to the Mexican wolf. as soon as he let go, shikoba released him from her grasp and stepped back. his skills needed tuning up, but perhaps being a mercenary was not his main goal, unlike shikoba. her body heaved lightly with labored breaths as she examined him. he was bigger than her, though he was only an average sized wolf. she admired his attempts that were whole-hearted in the spar, it was quite enjoyable to her. "unique fighting, distracting smart." she complimented him with shaky words and choppy sentences but meant every word of it. he had a new type of fighting that she never witnessed before (and she couldn't just label it as uncoordinated). something about it peaked her curiosity.

the presence of another made the native turn her head to see her chieftess in the distance. the commoner backed off the other wolf and lowered to a more submissive position. she wagged her tail and dipped her head in greetings towards asterr. how long had she been there for, did she witness the spar through the entire time or just the end of it? with a loud chuff, shikoba welcomed asterr and beckoned her over to the newcomer. "recruit," she told her with a panting smile.

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As the spar was drawn to a close and her presence there noticed, the dragoness approached. She nodded first towards Shikoba, whose submission was dismissed; she believed not in such displays, and rarely insisted that her followers lower themselves around her. Then, with a slow turn of her head, silver eyes trailed over the stranger. After hearing the word recruit, she’d become curious, wondering what had brought him there and what he might be capable of. Again, she looked to her fellow tribe member and then smiled, silently thanking her for having been there to greet the male. With so few bodies to support them, it was wonderful to see those that were there contributing—she would remember the female in that moment, there was no doubt about that.

Giving her attention to the stranger, she began by saying, “My name is Asterr Draconid,” and then followed-up by asking, “What is your name?” Having arrived towards the end of the battle, she hadn’t been present during the previous sharing of his name. Once she received an answer, the vessel would then go on to ask, “What skills can you offer to this tribe?” Never had one’s interests contributed to her ruling on whether or not they would be permitted to join, but that didn’t mean she was never curious.

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He shrugged at the sparring partner. Really, he had just thought the strategy on the spot. With having been without a pack, as well as the guilt he felt, he hadn't eaten much and was rather weak. At least, he thought himself to be. He never took into account the size between them, thinking that only partially mattered. And, she had won. "You weren't that bad yourself." She had easily countered it all.

Chaska noticed Shikoba's stance change, and made his own submissive quickly. She addressed herself to him with her name, and he answered quickly. "Chaska. Just Chaska." Asterr continued on to what he could offer. "Well, storytelling. I can hunt well with others. And as you might have seen, I could use some touch ups in fighting."

his compliment made her smile as she felt more comfortable around her chieftess. As she listened to the two converse, she grew a bit interested in the male's skills. storytelling? her father and grandfather did that, they filled her head with stories of great beasts that walk the earth while great spirits sit on the clouds and observe the below life. she quietly hung back, giving the male her gentle smile before quietly waiting to hear the verdict of him.

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As the male spoke, she remained silent, having never liked the idea of interrupting others. She was intrigued by the idea of storytelling, wondering to herself just what types of tales he might be able to spin. During her childhood, whilst she grew and learned within the Draconid Tribe, she had heard plenty of stories. Some had happy endings, others sorrowful, and then there were the occasional narratives that had never received a conclusion. Many of them had been enjoyed, but they were from a different place, a different time. Chaska, surely, knew far more than she could ever imagine, and she was curious to hear them—but at another time. For the moment, she nodded slowly, showing that she had heard him.

“What of loyalty?” asked the vessel. “Are you able to offer that to this tribe?” Oftentimes, she settled on knowing that a wolf would, at the very least, work towards providing the tribe with their faith. For even though she wished to, she knew that she could not demand something as strong as loyalty from a near stranger, and so she never had.

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They both remained silent, and the one he sparred smiled at his compliment. Once he finished, the higher up one asked another question. One that made him catch his breath for a short moment. Loyalty. He threw that back in the face of the pack he came from, all for a female. But he swore he would not again. He planned on remaining for a while. In case Grayday never got back to him.

After his hesitation, he nodded. "I will offer what skills I possess." That included fighting, storytelling to calm the nerves of the pack or to make their day brighter. And fighting he could touch up on.

shikoba heard asterr's question of loyalty, making her eyes look straight at chaska. she mexican wolf wondered about his loyalty, his promises if they were all true. she didn't doubt him, he didn't look like a liar to her. however, there was never any certainty with the wolves she met. none of them were set in stone, none of them were readable. all of them, in one way or another, were confusing and often were always malleable and changing.

"loyatly," she piped in in a gruffer voice.  "is important to tribe. loyal to chieftess, important to other, important to shikoba." she made sure to connect her honey colored eyes with his, as if she was in a deadlock stare with him. "chaska have it?" she questioned him, wanting the answer now. his skills were useful no doubt, but loyalty was what the tribe was based on. she wouldn't take any answer besides yes or no. she wanted it up and front.

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The answer given was indirect, and though his nod could have served as a decent enough response, more was asked of him. Asterr glanced towards her tribe mate as the woman spoke, listening to what it was that she had said, and then agreeing with her. In the past, she had accepted members that knew not if they could develop any sense of loyalty, but those specific wolves had been upfront about their feelings. They had not tried to hide their intentions, nor had they lied—it had been their honesty, perhaps, that resulted in their acceptance. Recalling said moments, she felt as if she had nearly made a mistake, her tongue ready to speak the words of acceptance. Thankfully, Shikoba was there to say something, as well as remind the woman of what foundation she had based her tribe on. For that, she appreciated her immensely.

Back towards the male, her gaze trailed, watching him carefully whilst his answer was waited on. Should he be unable to provide his loyalty, she knew not what her reaction might be, she knew only that honesty was appreciated above all else.

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Chaska felt guilt in the pit of his stomach, wondering for a moment that, if he did promise loyalty that he could even keep it. But, this was for his survival. So he only had one choice. "Yes. You will have my loyalty." He bowed his head before both of the wolves in one final show of respect toward them. One other thing that made him give his answer was the way Shikoba looked at him. Funny how she became much more intimidating, it really made him more nervous to be around her.