Stavanger Bay Grace, too
120 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#1
All Welcome 
Spring was picking up speed, putting green buds at the end of branches and bursting soft, fuzzy pussywillows on the ones that grew in marshy areas. Birds had come back from wherever they'd gone over the Winter, and were beginning to court one another, singing and chasing each other through the trees. Jackalope had passed the remainder of the winter travelling, still roving this way and that, creating a good map in his mind of the way the land lay. He'd come this way once- only to turn his back on the sea and head inland again, content to explore where the winds weren't so cold and savage. Now that Spring had come, though, he'd decided to range back toward the coast, though slightly further South than he'd been before. 

He made sure to avoid the areas he'd scouted earlier, which had belonged to Drageda and Rusalka. They were enemies, from what he remembered, but now he found himself inadvertantly wandering closer to a bay what seemed to be claimed as well. Unusual, he thougt, for so many packs to settle in one area- and he also found himself wondering if this wasn't another enemy joining in the neighbourhood of angst and hate. Perhaps this was an ally, or just a settlement for one pack to grow in number before taking out the other. He wouldn't know- he'd stayed so far away from the Dragoncrest Cliffs that he hadn't even noticed that the pack was gone. 

As soon as he caught the scent of marked borders, he decided to pay them a mindful distance- but ever the scout, he couldn't help but linger somewhat nearby, in hopes of getting information. Even if he spent his whole lifetime making a map that he kept to himself, he'd be content. He was happy to have whatever knowledge he had, without ever feeling the need to pass it on to anyone else.
THE REGULATOR'S SWINGING PENDULUM
129 Posts
Ooc — lauren
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#2
what was with the interlopers these days? what was it about their nice, peaceful claim that made all these asshole wolves want to stir up drama? rannveig hated it - every wolf now was an enemy unless it was born under his eye or carried the mayfair-cairn blood -- and he took no chances as he stormed up and down the borders in a furious clip.

which meant he came across jackalope, a man that was probably in way better condition than rannveig (leaving deets vaguey-vague, who knows what will happen in his thread with firefly). rannveig probably had no business being rude as hell, and this wasn't his usual MO -- but he was irritable, sore, and very distrustful of everyone now and that included nosy dingles lingering at what should be ford's claim. "if you're here for trouble, BEAT IT DOUCHECRAB!" he yelled from a distance, feeling his chest swell with defensiveness. there was a possibility he was majorly mistaken and jackalope was a perfectly fine young man -- but rannveig was not taking chances in light of ford's head being cracked, and all.

help me inhale,
and mend it with you.


120 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#3
In his travels, Jackalope met many wolves, and he'd begun to notice how polarized their reactions were, when they came across him. Being somewhat of an angular, shaggy beast with hunched shoulders, a docked tail and protruding upper canines, he understood why some would look at him and immediately assume he meant trouble. But once engaged in conversation, things generally went one of two ways- either the wolves he met were friendly and warm, once they got past their initial hesitation of talking with someone so beast-like, or they were hostile off the get-go, and remained hostile. He wasn't easily rattled, so when the tall, swaggering grey figure in the distance, whose gaze was as icy and sharp as a razor clam's edge, yelled at him- he simply paused and lifted his head only slightly. He blinked as he registered the insult, and the corners of his mouth tightened, drawing his upper lip up, to reveal a bit more of his pointed canines. It wasn't a smile, but for Jackalope, it was how he expressed amusement. That insult was new to him- and he liked it. 

"Douchecrab. I'll have to remember that one," He drawled in his typical, calm monotone. Those words were mostly spoken to himself, and he wasn't sure (nor did he care) if the other male heard him. He shook his head slowly. "I mean no more harm than a piece of driftwood on the beach," He replied. These sea wolves...They were an interesting sort. Salty as the ocean they lived next to, and as abrasive as the winds that ruffled their fur. But he knew that even strong sea winds could be tempered, and if not then they could be harnessed and put to good use. "I'm simply travelling, mapping out the terrain, and where the packs are...And which ones to avoid. There seem to be a few of these along the coast, but I can assure you, I am affiliated with none of them." He said, supposing that an alliance with either of the packs he'd previously discovered along the coast might immediately make him an enemy of this fellow.
THE REGULATOR'S SWINGING PENDULUM
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Ooc — lauren
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#4
that word wasn't supposed to make you half-smile! rannveig's already puffed up fur puffed up even more, as he saw the dancing flicker of an inward grin cross the stranger's features. it wasn't an outright smile, but it was clearly amusement -- how dare you laugh at a serious insult!

rannveig scowled, eyeballing jackalope with way more scrutiny than he deserved. he half-resembled the driftwood he described, but that didn't make rannveig's suspicion relent. he'd seen plenty of plainly-colored things in the ocean deliver a hell of a sting.

"is that so?" rannveig huffed, squinting past him as if something would tell him jackalope spoke the truth. "well, this is stormrift. we don't get many visitors, keep to ourselves and such." and he preferred it that way, too.

help me inhale,
and mend it with you.


120 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#5
The tone of the male's voice, when he spoke again, seemed skeptical, so he assumed this fellow wasn't going to warm up to him so quickly. If anything, he seemed lightly offended by how calm Jackalope was being, and the fact that he hadn't gotten insulted by the name he'd been called. He snapped back some information about the pack's name, and mentioned that they kept to themselves. A bit contradictory, given the fact that this one, who claimed to belong to a pack that kept to itself, had greeted him by shouting insults. This fact amused Jackalope, who couldn't keep his thoughts to himself. 

"If you want your pack to go unnoticed," He said, "You might not want to go shouting insults at strangers," He said, amusement warming his voice. He spoke the words fondly, though he was prepared for backlash. He probably shouldn't be telling this fiery fellow what to do, so he decided to try and distract him with another question. "Any connections to Rusalka or Drageda?" He asked, curious to see what kind of response he might get from that.
THE REGULATOR'S SWINGING PENDULUM
129 Posts
Ooc — lauren
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#6
rannveig did not likebeing told what to do; as a younger brother, he was obstinately used to getting his own way.. to have a wolf approach his own damn house and tell him what to do didn't sit well with the mayfairn; luckily for jackalope, he was saved rannveig's usually devastating wit flippant response as the boy had bigger fish to fry: ford was missing, and firefly was still in their home.

he simmered, but didn't respond as quickly as he wanted to. "well, your nose knew i was here before your ears ever heard an insult." he replied, fighting to keep calm. "as far as your second question... who?"

help me inhale,
and mend it with you.


120 Posts
Ooc — Jess
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#7
This fellow- who had to be only a year or so younger than Jackalope- was certainly bristly. Jackalope had a few siblings who were still the very same in nature, despite having had another year to outgrow teenage spite. Regardless, he simply nodded to the male's response, and lifted one side of his lips, as if to smile- though with his exposed canines, it might've looked a bit more like a grimace. "That's true." He said. 

He was surprised, then, when the male didn't seem to know the name of the other packs he'd mentioned. So Jackalope cleared his throat and reiterated. "Rusalka and Drageda," He said, gesturing in the direction of the two packs. "They're not too far from here- or they were, the last time I wandered through. Perhaps they have disbanded, or killed each other off by now. It seemed as though they were at odds with one another at that point." He said. He surprised himself, having offered information rather than receiving it. He didn't mind, though- and he hoped that it might help to smoothe out the bitter male's attitude...Give him something to take back to his pack, and make him useful.  "How long as Stormrift been established?" He asked.
THE REGULATOR'S SWINGING PENDULUM
129 Posts
Ooc — lauren
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#8
yeah, the names this guy gave meant nothing to rannveig. maybe it was a testament to the guy's (normally) completely affable nature (he almost never didn't get along with someone), or maybe it was because they were so far rooted from the coast's turmoil, that it just never got to them... but the packs were news to rannveig, who shrugged off their sudden presence with a roll of his shoulders. "dunno who those guys are, don't care." he replied flippantly, having little use for things entirely outside of his sphere of knowledge.

now, for how long they had been established.. that was something rannveig could answer. "about six months. we don't get any sorts of trouble usually." rannveig reiterated, already annoyed that their sanctuary's peace had been destroyed recently. on second thought.... "maybe that asshole came from up there. how do you know of all these places, anyway? what are you, a spy?"

it turns out jackalope wasn't a spy, but that didn't make rannveig any friendlier. after some casual talk, the male turned away -- rannveig remained rooted to the spot until he could see jackalope disappear, and then he turned back towards the bay for a nice snacky-snack.

help me inhale,
and mend it with you.