Silver Creek Wooden floors, walls, and window sills
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Ooc — Jess
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All Welcome 
With the advent of a storm stirring the lands to the West where the land met the ocean, Oryx found herself compelled to find a better shelter to weather it out, within their claimed area. The creek was frozen in places by the icy wind that screamed, now, sending the silver-tinged fur of her hackles and ruff into a whirling dance. She disliked the advent of a storm, not knowing exactly how vicious it would be and if it would cause the wolves any harm. She wished there was something she could do to fight the oncoming storm off, so she set about searching for somewhere to hide. 

She wandered along the creek, where it cut its way into the countryside, following it to where the banks became higher, to the point where the creek itself had sunk several feet down from the rest of the area, with the banks incredibly stony and steep. It was here that she found a small overhang and a dark pit; it was ominous, but inviting as well, though at first glance it appeared to be quite small. She couldn't tell if it was simply a crack in the stone, but she twisted her way past the entrance and was surprised when her eyes adjusted to the dim light, which revealed much more than she had expected. 

It was a small cave- but the ceiling was high enough for her to stand up and still have a foot and a half above her head, and she was able to walk about freely. The cave led on- but the path was far too small for her to pursue. The hollowed area, though, was definitely large enough for several wolves comfortably- and likely the whole lot of them to fit if they didn't mind being close in proximity. It was quite a find, and she liked the look of it- though she realized that this might have to be surrendered to Grayson. It would make an ideal place to raise pups- and more than one family could raise them in a cave this size. With the entrance being fairly small, they would be protected, too, from the howling winds. Only a small draft whistled softly through the opening she'd come through, so with enough wolves kept inside, she imagined it would be quite warm. 

She stepped back out into the winds and tilted her head back to call for the others- @Grayson, @Harrison, @Emerson and the lot of them- to come and investigate the treasure she had just found.
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#2

 
Imprisoned, banished, into a nexus of my own design...
Now Time mocks me, and my sentence is Gravity.




Zafina had gone through very little being here in these ‘Teekon Wilds’. She  hadn’t had any interesting encounters, other than maybe meeting whatever phantom was on that mountain that day. 

Suffice to say, in the endless chambers of her prison, she was quite bored.  So the Goddess has taken to exploring the wilds a bit. She had traveled a tremendous amount from the mountain, and eventually she would have to find solace, or even a meal. Her hunger hadn’t been diminished despite her status as a wolf. If anything, it seemed to lessen, and she had noticed herself being content with one meal if not two, with every sun. As willowy as she was, seemed her body was meant to stay that way. 

Sooner than later, a breeze coasted across her skin, and from simply the tension that rose with it and the silence which followed its billows, Zafina knew a storm was brewing. Instinctively the body bristled with the wave of fresh air, upturning undercoat and overcoat, alike. And just that easily, the witch was shielded from the effects of the warnings. 

Her mind continued however, that pathetic lupine signal that repeatedly told her that she needed to find some semblance of shelter, for her to tuck herself away with a full belly until this storm was done. Indignation sutured the pulsation shut however, as she acknowledged but ignored the messages. Zafina would figure it out as she desired, and the Whichever god was controlling the weather would simply need patience.

She happened upon a creek, the frosted endings of the river itself stuck between some middle ground of frozen and thawed. She could individually pick out each flake of ice across the rim of the water, and that guaranteed its fresh state, as it was not bogged down by mud. 
Shaking a dark and earth laced pelt, she steadied herself before kneeling just over the reflection of her own self. Heavens be damned, she cursed inwardly. She hated this face. She hated having a face, at all. She was a Celestial! A Goddess! There was no form to divinity! 

Fury castrated the fishing attempt as she pulled angrily away from the calm waters. Her hours upon this world were seeming limitless...

was as she meant to stay a wolf, forever?


 
But every sky will build my throne.

116 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#3
She'd waited for some time before she'd turned and disappeared back inside the small cave. It still mystified her, how large the cavern inside was when the entrance was a bare crack in the high, stony banks. She was surprised she'd seen it at all, as the snow and ice that had formed along either side of the small entrance could very well have blocked it from view from the wrong angle. And while she had anticipated for the air to smell damp, dead and mossy inside the cave, it was surprisingly fresh; it simply smelled of water and damp earth, two scents she didn't mind at all. Looking up, the ceiling was fairly smoothe- too smoothe for bats to make a purchase should they seek shelter within....And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing- as bats were known to carry diseases. She supposed, though, that those diseases had cut the bat population down over recent years. She'd heard tales of some white-snout disease which had cut into their population and had made their numbers fewer. Oryx didn't mind; bats were scary. 

She tinkered around a little bit, using her dull claws to try and scratch the surface of a shallow puddle which had frozen over just enough to make it a bit less slippery. She tried to dig some of the dirt up from the ground and scatter that over the ice patch as well, but found that the ground was a bit too frozen, even inside the cave. She'd simply have to warn them that there were icy patches, but with enough wolves stowed away inside the cave, their body heat could likely melt it down a bit. They could find things to make the ground softer, more ideal for puppies in the spring...And the very thought of that made her excited all over again- so she stepped back out into the cold air-

-And halted the moment she saw the dark female wolf on the opposite bank of the creek. Her beautiful features burned with ire, and Oryx regarded her from her little crevice with a wide, icy blue stare, half hoping she hadn't been seen, but also half-wanting to make sure that the dark stranger was alright. She couldn't make herself say anything, and wondered vaguely if perhaps one of the men had recruited her- but she simply smelled of the wilderness, of wind spruce sap.
ʜ ɢss ғ ʀx
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Imprisoned, banished, into a nexus of my own design...Now Time mocks me, and my sentence is Gravity.


Zafina felt direction, pull, entrance of a new element amongst her proximity. It could have been simply the prickle of feeling watched - but she would never admit such things. The Goddess could hear the storm speak to her, the world itself pulling her to whoever watched her, and just as it's final ribbon enveloped her decision, she turned a royal gaze of vile crimson and stared directly into the wintery blues of her onlooker. 

The Goddess of Paradox regarded this dark wolf, terrible hellish irises skimming over the smooth and curvaceous body, slowing over the more delicate shiver of slivering silver sparking a flavor to the canvas of ebony the lupine was thinly coated in. The pair of garnets ran a heated examination over the felinish body, noting well enough the tension betwixt those low haunches, in those lean and thin feminine forelimbs. This was clearly a female. The Sahira flicked her bloody gems back to the thin and rather plain face of this handsome wench. 


"Kam kinliri j'us, berniuk?" her dulcets gently cross the creek that her body had not. An inviting gaze of the enchantress beckon the company from where she stood, the gleam loosening their rigid glaze as she soundlessly sent an invitation for the dark maiden to join her. Chin up but crown tilted ever so slightly to the right as she was curious to who this other lupine was. She could be a Celestial should she understand the tongue in which the Priestess of Arcane spoke - if not, then she would simply be another of these rancid mortals she crossed. 

Yet the witch awaited some sort of response, either way.
 

But every sky will build my throne.
 

116 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#5
Caught beneath the female's sanguine gaze, Oryx froze, keeping the sharp but willowy femme in her peripheral vision, afraid to give her anything more or less than a cautious side-eye. Just across the creek, she was safe, and was respectful of the borders that Oryx would not defend simply on account of her gender...And could not, due to her lack of experience, when it came to fighting or even simply defending a territory. She knew she'd been spotted, but in the very least, the dark female didn't cross the creek- at least not yet. When her dark lips moved, foreign words passed over them, calling Oryx's ears to shift and turn toward her, cupping forward as she was beckoned to lift her gaze to the female's dark face for a moment, questioningly, before her gaze fell again. 

She glanced up the creek, and then down it, still not moving from where she was, half inside the crevice that led to the cavern she'd found. She prayed that Harrison or Grayson would come and find her; she'd called out- had they not heard her? Or were they busy with more important matters? Her heartbeat quickened when she began to wonder what would happen should the female decide to cross the stream...All Oryx could do, then, was warn her- but her voice was feeble and her nerves unsteady. 

"This land is claimed," She said quietly. The fear present in her voice should have been indicative enough that there were wolves to be feared within the pack, should the dark female test her luck...Then again, she was so beautiful that she might even be recruited. She said nothing else, though, not knowing if the female would even understand her language, given that she had spoken in a foreign tongue to begin with.
ʜ ɢss ғ ʀx
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#6

Imprisoned, banished, into a nexus of my own design...
Now Time mocks me, and my sentence is Gravity.





The thin whippet of a woman had a side of her body to the Witch, but after words were passed, she had managed to turn the entirity of her glacial gems upon the Goddess. Zafina returned her chin to it's usual degree, slightly tucked to where she maintained a discrete image, delicate, cravable. She could mirror the modesty of this shaking girl, could become the complete ideal of how they would be similar, sisters but of two different species. Yet the voice returned to her was not one of welcome, nor of question. The voice held no respect, but the shriveling shake of fear, of dismay and desolution that Zafina internally knew could not be of her own doing. The Goddess' frame was light, modelesque - her company held fear of something else. 

Or someone else.

This ignited the selfish dead star within her chest, and the nova heated those deadly garnets of hers. But alas, her body remained calm, gentle, but with instantaneous subtlity, it was no longer inviting. It was simply...existing. Seating herself on the ends of the water's curved edge, she waited as a reaper would another soul to harvest. Mystical intent hidden for now, the Divine sighed as though the ebonian minx disappointed her. 

"Nu uzpra kam kinliri j'us." The lace of unnaturally soothing voice crossed the harsh and cold river yet again, attempting to gain some respite of understanding with the uncalled for disrespect of this mortal being. "You can keep your land." The words were quite different from her prior life's language. The wolfspeak was blunt, almost abraisive. Nothing like the traditional words of Tsis. But this lupine understood none of it, so the beautiful language would fall upon ignorant ears. "Because I asked what ailed you."




But every sky will build my throne.

116 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#7
Jayyys, you write her so beautifully!

When greeted with the female's dulcet voice once more laced into a foreign tongue, Oryx's perplexion increased tenfold, worried she might not have been understood and fearful that she might not be able to express her point clearly enough. She could not help but feel- in the mere moment that passed following the reiteration of foreign words- that she was out of place there, so close to the pack's borders where strangers could pass along, tip-toeing the borders between the neutral lands and their claimed ones, begging attention as they went and either going on their way, joining with the Rosings wolves or causing conflict. Fortunately, it wasn't a moment later when the crimson-eyed woman spoke again, and eased at least some of Oryx's worries. 

Even though the common tongue might have been an insult for the beautiful female's lips, the way she spoke it was music to Oryx's ears, with a smoothe tone that blended with the cool air like milk into coffee. Oryx was relieved to hear that she wouldn't trespass and she looked comfortable, the way she sat on the opposite bank- poised, but relaxed- and not at all indicative that she might disturb the peace of the cool wintery day. Instead, she asked about Oryx's wellbeing, clarifying that that was what she had questioned before- though in a language Oryx couldn't have understood. 

Oryx, with little sense of how timid she normally looked, further withdrew into her invisible shell when the attention was directed to her, and how the stranger implied that she looked as though something ailed her. "What...Ails me?" She peeped, and bashfully shook her head. "Nothing...I was just...Surprised to see someone else...I don't...We don't generally go this close to the borders," She said, aware that the word 'we' was somewhat vague, as she hadn't exactly specified that it was specifically the females of the pack who did not patrol, while the men did. She felt more and more anxious the more she spoke, and wished that she could simply back into the cavern she'd found and wait until the female simply disappeared.
ʜ ɢss ғ ʀx
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#8
Definitely appreciated, those words <3



 
Imprisoned, banished, into a nexus of my own design...
Now Time mocks me, and my sentence is Gravity.




Zafina almost transcended into her company’s body as she too felt the mood twist and shift. The rolls of strength melted away, slipping like harsh cotton from bare shoulders as this woman was forced to endulge the question. Inside, Zafina smiled - they were finally getting somewhere. Yet, neither of them moved. 

The Goddess listened, fully absorbing the message she could only assume from the little nibble she was given. Of course this would prompt her to ask more questions, but she had done quite enough of asking things. She was a Divine; she gave orders, leaving no room for errors. This woman before her was a mortal...what did she have to offer her but supplication to such demands? However in this instance, Zafina couldn'tchoose whether to remain her proud self, and represent the regal Celestial she was, or to garner trust from this woman with a chameleon’s charm.

The words were hollow internally, but the surface had meaning. How much  was up to the fae before her. “That is unfortunate.“ The Goddess watched her with some hidden intent behind those jarring jewels. “It is wiser to know who is at your door than not; you never know who or what might greet you.

It was a word of the wise to the ears of the deaf, as Zafina allowed bitter pessimism to run through her - surely this girl wouldn’t oblige the warning. Unless this scenario was completely out of her hands. The Witch couldn’t help but tenaciously rove her stare over this femalia, her mind searching for the truth amongst the foggy world of absent details and assumptions. The body was a meek thing, held almost as though she expected the Lord of Dread himself to throw free from one of the cairns around them. She seemed skittish, and while these were typical steadfasts of abused persons, Zafina associated this persona with servitude. Was she the servant of another? And how did they acquire a servant while she roamed, unattended?

So many questions blended into a single one, but the Witch would gone onto it. She would ask at a later time, once her temper and indignation settled a bit, if she ever got such an opportunity.


 
But every sky will build my throne.

116 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#9
Oryx listened with a furrowed brow as the female seating at the opposite bank spoke, her words confusing Oryx. Who was she to fear? She wasn't sure she'd been understood correctly, nor was she certain she was understanding what the female was trying to tell her. It was not Oryx's job to maintain the borders, and she didn't personally believe that that was unfortunate. It would have been unfortunate for the pack had Oryx been one of the main guardians- as she easily would have let them down, one way or another. The female was right, though- the fact that Oryx had no idea who would appear at the borders was not necessarily a good thing. She could only hope that her companion would behave herself, or that in the very least, Oryx could outrun her until Grayson or Harrison or just anyone else was able to come to her rescue. 

"I'm Oryx." She said, unable to comment on what the female had said before- as she wasn't entirely sure she believed she should know the strangers who came to the border. Not her circus, not her monkeys. Still, an introduction couldn't hurt- and perhaps, if the female was kind and would uphold the same beliefs as she, she could possibly be a recruit. She hoped she wouldn't be punished for greeting a stranger...And that she might be excused for this trespass for at least the stranger was female.
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#10

 
Imprisoned, banished, into a nexus of my own design...
Now Time mocks me, and my sentence is Gravity.




The Divine nodded her head at the return, solidifying one of her several theories - either the girl was deaf or she hadn’t understood her very well. While it seemed unlikely that the fae was moronic, Zafina hasn’t put it past organics to be anything other than faulted. So she couldn’t blame the lupine for her mental incapacity. 

Enchantress ,” the Celestial offered back, peering down her snout to further learn from this females body language. She hadn’t ran, nor sent up an alarm - Oryx might have had faith that Zafina wouldn’t cause any terrible deeds. The Goddess had already put together that Oryx was with others; who was to say she wasn’t serving a band of Celestials?

I will be around.“ She would. Sooner than later, should the Ancients allow it.


 
But every sky will build my throne.

116 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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Enchantress? Oryx was not a prideful being, and so, felt in awe of the stately female who possessed a name as that was as noble as she herself seemed. Shyly, she bowed her head. "You have a beautiful name." She said softly, envious of the creature before her who seemed to possess a smoothe sort of confidence that made her seem almost otherworldly, to Oryx. Meekly, she stole a glance, hoping to note the way the Enchantress postured herself, in hopes of someday being able to mimic that poise herself- should she ever need it. 

Her next words caused Oryx's ears to tremble, and she felt a bit lighter, as she asked "Are you in search of a home?" She felt hopeful, now. Though she did not believe that she could invite others to pledge themselves to Rosings- nor did she have the conviction to vouch for a stranger- she did believe that she could request the presence of one of the males who could investigate the beautiful stranger themselves, should she show any interest in joining the pack.
ʜ ɢss ғ ʀx
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#12

 
Imprisoned, banished, into a nexus of my own design...
Now Time mocks me, and my sentence is Gravity.




Without ceremony, Zafina was caught surprised as she sucked in a breath. Oryx was such a meek mortal. Such a willing woman to avoid conflict, to remain gentle despite the situation. Idly, the Goddess wondered if Oryx was Dalia, the Celestial of Maidenhood. Zafina remembered the mannerisms of the Divine, the grace and petite fluid being who had the heart to calm even the most turbulent of occurrences with the sweetest words, or even shy encouragement. She had been one of Zafina’s closest confidants- 

that was until Zafina had broken the friendship apart with her confounding methods.

Almost feeling sympathy for the woman before her, the Witch had snapped out of the depression by recalling Oryx hadn’t understood her initial foreign language. Celestials were educated on the existence of everything; every language was their own creation. So for her to not know, it cancelled out the option of the woman being Dalia.

Yes,” her mysterious voice waltzed across the river. But how would she settle in with mortals? Should she take the chance to see if this Oryx served Celestials? The Divine mused over the possibility, and fancied the chance. She she allowed the yes to settle between the pair, interested in meeting the woman’s overlords.




 
But every sky will build my throne.

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Ooc — Jess
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#13
Though intimidated by the stranger, Oryx perked up visibly when the Enchantress admitted that she was looking for a home. While her tone might have implied that she was looking for something possibly more substantial than a simple pack to live with, Oryx took her word for the face value and moved forward, out of the cavern's entrance and toward the creek's bank, tail waving from side to side behind her. She could possibly recruit the Enchantress to join them- and wouldn't Grayson and Harrison be pleased? She was a remarkable creature, and would make an excellent mother, she figured- simply because she looked healthy and beautiful, as though that was enough to make a good mother. 

"We are called Rosings," She said, volunteering a bit of information with a tone that was docile but softly trimmed with excitement too. She loved her home- and it showed. "We are few...But growing. We have a society governed by gender roles; so the men do the hunting and patrolling, and we women are expected to be good mothers and healers," She said, pausing to see how the Enchantress dealt with the description of a home that Oryx found to be idyllic.
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#14

Imprisoned, banished, into a nexus of my own design...
Now Time mocks me, and my sentence is Gravity.





Just that quickly, Oryx had proved to Zafina whom she served. Celestials did not enslave by gender, they had mortals serve them, regardless of gender, species, culture. This was how things were. So it was confirmed to the mystic Witch that there was nothing for her here. 

Oh that will not do very well for me, Oryx.” She said it without any holdback, as sugarcoating things would only spiral emotions and personality where they didn’t belong. Yet Zafina had begun to like Oryx; her humble stature and demeanor had too much in common with Dalia, and Zafina found herself slightly nicked in this decision. “But should I return, I will return to see you, only.“ That was as fortunate as it would get - Zafina was a Divine - she served no one, except perhaps the Ancients.

The Celestial began to turn away, lavish body curving and whispering an enchanting ‘farewell’ to Oryx as she began to head back to where she had come from.




But every sky will build my throne.

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Ooc — Jess
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#15
Oryx was disappointed but not offended in the least when the enchantress turned her offer down. Their lifestyle wouldn't suit everyone, she supposed, though it was odd to think that it wouldn't. It seemed so idyllic to Oryx, who was content to fall into a prescribed lifestyle. Nevertheless, the enchantress was polite in her refusal, and Oryx felt extremely flattered- to the point of not being able to say anything in return, in fact- when she said that if she did return, it would be to visit her. Pleased, she watched the enchantress turn and leave, still admiring her poise and beauty. Though she'd been somewhat intimidating, there was still something extremely apt about the way she'd been named, as she'd definitely managed to capture Oryx's attention without even trying.