Arrow Lake brot und wasser

diaspora wreathed with inviting scent. and while mahler had intended to be gone, his worry of thorn's desire to linger around swiftcurrent, at the threat of constantine's teeth, kept him close. tortured in his own ways, the shadowpriest loped 'round the edges of the southermost lake reach, considering what he had told the regent.
takiyok sprang to mind, unbidden — she had accepted his offer. and if she carried the next generation of his packland, he did not think stigmata would like her to be alone. but he put the winterwhite from his mind, and instead paused to mark, and to ruminate on all that had transpired.

The time had come and passed when she had been doused in an enticing scent. It still lingered but was faint, showing she had cycled out for the remainder of the year. It was this alone that brought her out of hiding, avoiding others because she feared what would happen if a male lost control and she had to fight them off. She had yet to meet many members, to prove herself worthy of Diaspora and of Stigmata and it unsettled her. She had not been given her task, she had not been allowed to become more than a simple Geist. Lucky for her she caught wind of the second leader and began to trail after him, expression determined. 

When she spotted the male along the borders, marking his scent she paused and called out to him a greeting "Mahler yes? I am Kazimir" she left this hanging in the air, not wanting to say more until she got a feel for the type of man her other leader was.

he was not alone for long; the scent of a new geist floated to him, edged with the tantalizing remnants of her estrus. mahler turned and padded toward kazimir in silence, seeking to brush his lips across her guard hairs before stepping back. "vhat can i do for you?" the lines of her body suggested it was not merely a social call upon which she had come.
kazimir was a perfect blending of masculine and feminine, and her voice carried a heavy accent not dissimilar to his own. in silence the man waited, wondering if she wanted to challenge for a higher rank.

She held still though a flicker of wariness went into her gaze as he greeted her by running his maw along the very tips of the fur along her neck. She wasn't used to this sort of familiarity, especially from someone who still remained basically a stranger. Nonetheless he seemed polite and there was an accent in his voice that reminded her of the lands she had considered home though she wasn't birthed there. "I have yet to be given my task. Whether this was due to my heat or not I don't know but I do wish to receive one." the tone used was that of a request but her body remained firm, poised in a more serious manner. She was considering challenging her way into the ranks if she didn't receive a proper task, at least a rank or two above Geist to start.

his stoneflower eyes studied kazimir for a long moment. he had not wanted to send her out of the lands while her mind was addled, especially knowing she would not be able to bear young this year. but her role in diaspora was valuable, and must be respected.
dipping his muzzle to the stocky woman, mahler turned to lead her along the lake. "i vant you to travel to the base of that peak there," he murmured, indicating the mountain called shadow, "and look for signs of a small coyote pack. they have raided at least one cache here."
"if you are able to kill one, bring me its head. othervise, do not unnecessarily endanger yourself." lilac stare perused kazimir: how would she take to her task?

For a moment she worried she had been too pushy, whether she had stepped out of her place and she lowered her eyes. Her posture remained the same and she stood her ground but she lowered her gaze to his muzzle just as he dipped it. Taking it as a gesture of acceptance she lifted her gaze once again as he began to speak, giving her instructions. She listened closely and looked where he pointed, her eyes studying the mountain and mind planning a route. She gave him a startled look when he mentioned coyotes, a flicker of fear crossed her eyes and she looked away to hide it. She remembered the small group of half breeds she would pull sleds with in Russia, wolf and dog like herself. A mated pair had babies one year, a small boy and a beautiful snow colored girl. Their human's food supply had been raided one night and the curious girl pup had went to investigate. They found her small body ripped to shreds, gore everywhere. 

She sucked in a breath giving her fur a quick shake as if to physically ward off the memory "I accept the task. I will do this tomorrow morning" she said her voice giving nothing about her fear away. She dipped her head to him "I hope to have the opportunity to provide that head for you" she said bitterly and looked off toward the mountain where her mission would take place.

mahler did not miss the fear that entered kazimir's eyes briefly, nor the bitterness that laced her accented tones. "valk vith me," the gargoyle invited, setting off around the edge of the lake. to be wary of coyotes was to be wise. they traveled in packs and could be violent if provoked.
he had faith in the stoic woman, however; she had agreed graciously to his task and said no more. thus it raised her in mahler's eyes and estimation. in silence he moved for a time, flanking the she-wolf.
"from vhere did you come, kazimir?" he inquired gently, alluding to the tones she carried, so akin to his own save for the guttural clip.

He invited her to walk with him and she dipped her muzzle, accepting silently and trailing after him. Her tail lifted to a relaxed position as she flanked him, slowing her pace to match his. It could never hurt to grow closer to leadership, to know who you followed and perhaps even use the closeness to rise higher. She hadn't quite figured out what her goals were yet but she had gotten her task and she figured taking the first step in a relationship with Mahler would help her make headway in this pack. She had already gotten on good terms with Stigmata or so she thought.

His question was met with no acknowledgement at first. She wasn't sure whether to be completely honest with the man or fabricate parts. "Russia. I once worked with humans. They took me to Russia. Raised me there. It was freezing, hard weather. I pulled a wooden thing with a team of wolf dogs"  she gave a brief summary of her history, flame-like gaze moving to their corners to look at him.

he noted the adjustment to kazimir's posture, but did not comment upon it. the woman maintained grace and observance of rank; her respect would be her saviour. the things of which she spoke, however, were wholly unfamiliar to the male, and a frown creased his otherwise inexpressive face.
"vhat are these things?" the gargoyle inquired with genuine curiosity. he had never been one to shy away from new knowledge and especially not now, when it pertained to one of his subordinates. "start vith 'volf dog,' please. vhat is a 'dog?'" from the wording, mahler could only assume it was a creature like their own kind, but one charcoal ear waited for kazimir's intake of breath and her subsequent explanation.

Kazimir noticed the curiosity in Mahler's tone as he asked what she was talking about. She hadn't quite realised that here in the wilds the whole world of humans and dogs and working for the two legged beasts was a thing. She gave him a quick smile, sheepish and apologetic "Dogs are...well I'm not entirely sure? They're kind of like us but...much much softer, stupider, easy to rule. Their fur and paws and teeth... everything Is softer...not meant for survival. Some live with humans as...friends. Others work for them. I suppose sometimes the females sneak off into the wilderness and find an easily wooed male to mount them. It's how I was made.." she said looking down at the snow. She had met plenty of wolves who judged her by her dirty blood, refusing to acknowledge her as a wolf.

She wondered what else he wanted to know, if he knew what humans were. "Humans walk on two legs. They are furless but wear false furs to stay warm. They are loud and vary in personality. They craft things...their paws can make anything they desire. Their fangs and claws are useless so they make things they call weapons. Varieties of loud sticks that shoot pebbles that kill. Twigs that stab like a lynx's claws. They are mighty beings...i hated them but some folks love them. It's an easy life when you get fed  and cared for by them" she finished there, giving him a moment to process all this and looked at him from the corners of her gaze.

the shadowpriest listened raptly as kazimir explained at length what humans and dogs were. an inferior race led by what seemed to be a weak one, though dominant. over dogs, at least. such strange things! and yet he was fascinated, falling silent long after she had finished speaking.
and so kazimir was not fully wolf, it seemed, though her ferocity would make a fool of any creature who thought she was weak for it. mahler was not one to judge unless someone had warranted it through their actions. she had not, and so he did not think less of her for things outside her control.
"how did you get avay?" he asked abruptly, breath rising steamlike against the cold air as he turned his eyes upon the woman for a moment. she had said it was an easy life; why had she left then?

She found that she liked it very much, having someone listen so intently and be so interested in what she said. It put her at ease and for once her fierce demeanor dropped until she was simply a woman walking by his side, having simple conversation with no expectations and no orders given. He asked another question and it was one met with a smile, her eyes gleaming with pride "I walked. I am not a dog, but wolf. The humans would let us free at night to either sleep or roam, stupid beings but...no other canine ever left. I took long night walks through the forests, taught myself to hunt, embraced the wild. I grew addicted and began to hate the domestic life. The slavery. So when they brought us back to their temporary den a good few months travel from here i left. Escaped. They did nothing about it...or at least they never caught me. I was alone for about a year before finding Stigmata and then joining Diaspora"  the way she spoke, it was clear she had disgust for the dog in her blood. She had never met any dog that wasnt a drooling, wagging, dopey fool and she didn't like it being a part of her.

to be so caught between worlds; mhaler could not imagine the scorn kazimir had suffered for her mixed blood. "i see you as volf," the man said softly. he meant them as a statement, both of reassurance, and as confirmation that she was not as she had seen the others. in diaspora, mahler had little time for such prejudices.
to hunt, to defend, to fill the caches. to be one's own, but surrender that for the greater good of a pack — those things mattered to the gargoyle, not origin. "i am glad you came avay from there, kazimir," mahler went on a moment later. "it is better that you are here."

His next words were so simple but they struck her hard and she sat there for a moment, processing how deeply they had touched her. She exhaled slowly and smiled, a genuinely warm expression. To know that someone like Mahler, a leader and a stoic, intelligent true alpha saw her as nothing but wild, as wolf...it really raised her up. She wasn't being held back by her blood anymore but by her actions and that's all she'd ever wanted. "That means a lot to me, thank you" she said her voice barely more than a whisper, the warmth she felt making her lose all the confidence and smirks she always paraded and leaving behind a unsure woman on the path to discovering herself. "I'm glad too. To have left. To be here. Diaspora is my home and I won't fail you all" she said firmly.

fade here? <3

a fleeting smile crossed mahler's features — he was humbled and pleased to have passed something worthwhile on to the woman. her devotion to diaspora would not go unrewarded, and he determined that he would find other tasks for her to grow stronger in her own regard of self.
for now, "vould you care to hunt?" the gargyole inquired, glancing into the burn of her eyes once before turning to lead them in the direction of the dark pines over a ridge.

poor bab has her first crush I think. Thank you, i love these threads

As a smile broke Mahler's stoic expression she felt something strange, a very subtle skipping of her heart and fluttering in her belly. It made her feel awkward and she was even more grateful when he asked her to hunt. She stood up quickly and nodded, eager to focus on something else other than her intriguing leader, a man who was a  mix of warm and cool that she was finding much too attractive. "Yes, that sounds good" she said and followed behind him, already focusing her senses to pick up any good hunts.