Stone Circle you shoulda kept your pretty mouth shut

@Valette

the chill had long since grown tired of stroking tenderly at the curves of her figure, trailing little patterns up and down her spine; no it had surpassed all levels of toying with the young tonrar. its cruel, curved claws sank so deep into every inch of her trembling, enervated form and she knew it was just waiting for her to stumble or falter so that it could take permanent claim over her fallen vessel. but no, not today- she'd made it. fluttering restlessly at the pack's borders, polaris paced back and forth a couple of times to ensure that this in fact was easthollow; it had been a while since she'd tasted this scent after all. fangs pricked at charcoal lips, bieyes shifting off track to gaze unseeingly in the vague direction of swiftcurrent whilst her gut writhed apprenhensively as narrowed focus continues to lift until resting on those disgustingly brazen peaks looking down on them all. curling her lip slightly, polaris tore away from their sneering shadows with a tensed jaw. soon, she'd conquer that another day.

for now, this. swishing her feathery tail at her hocks; the young girl inhaled deeply. she'd never done this before despite having experienced life in three very different packs now; but never had she had to request access herself. all she had to do was howl right, slipping a salmon coloured tongue quickly over chapped lips; the dove threw back her head and threw her song free to roam the overcast skies and reach whoever resided within. would they let her stay? she'd met one of the leaders before, clay's dad...if only she could remember his name! letting out a low exhale, she steadied herself. no point in stressing, if they turned her away she'd just....she'd think of something. for now, all she had to do was wait.

and so, forcing her skinny figure to straighten, she did just that.

hope you don’t mind if jump in! ive been stalking her return <3

It was uncommon for the man to reply to the summoning howls, often to worried to overstep the natural order that managed this pack so well. His upbringing, and demeanor vastly different then most that surrounded him, Siarut held to much respect for his sister-in-law to unwittingly trample on the delicate balance that was their hierarchy. But with Greyback away and Clay having only recently returned, Siarut knew Valette’s preoccupations might delay her arrival. And so, the pale man found himself headed for the edge of the territory, intent of find their visitors purpose.

As usual, his long legs and large paws made short work of the distance. He lumbered through the slush of the slowly melting snow, spring on the horizon. The girl held a similar pelt to his own, highlighted by shades of grey. But her sprightly stature spoke of a different heritage than his own.

She surely would have seen him approach, seeing as she was waiting for someone to answer her call. As soon as Siarut was close enough to not yell, and be heard, he did. “Stranger.” He greeted, a critical eye roving for her intention. “Welcome to the border of Easthollow.” Siarut came to a stop before her, with only the simple greeting on his tongue. He kept any questions to himself, for now, preferring she explain herself on her own accord.

Valette slowly stretched herself as a howl had spurred her into motion. She had been laying still for awhile, especially when watching their bison herd. The matriarch and main gamekeeper was even to this day relieved that the herd was back and staying. It was their main source of income. The mother turned to the direction the howl came from.

The female approached the border, finding a female at the border. The matriarch approached with her tail raised but her demeanor overall friendly and not too threatening. "Hello, I'm Valette, the matriarch of Easthollow," she greeted, so there not any doubt that she was the leader of these lands. She had been for awhile now.

keen eyes are quick to pinpoint the leisurely stroll of the snow dropped man as he approached. the first thing to flicker throughout the girl is in fact, envy, jealous to see the easy gait of one confident in their own home. inhaling deeply, she rolls her shoulders back and pushes against the flutters of overwrought butterflies wrecking havoc in her stomach. first impressions were stressful, she had to seem worthy yet without straying into the area of arrogance. ears flick forward to catch each rumble from his chest whilst mismatched eyes rove curiously over the frankly intimidating bulk of his impressive size. yet his eyes are what she chooses to focus on, appreciating the reassuring shade of green to stare steadily back. easthollow, she nods slowly, letting the word really sink in. she'd made it back, she was here. shifting position lightly, polaris realised he'd said all he'd intended to and was now regarding her quite expectantly. "hi" she quips softly, feathered tail continuing to sway slowly as her jaws opened to speak once more only to break off at the approach of a woman.

before she even speaks polaris can feel it, like the most ancient of mossy boulders as her colour scheme resembled, there was an air of solidity and stability to her. from the powerful stance of her body to the air of expected respect, it was evident that this was a woman of power. smiling bashfully, the girl marvelled in her aura until she released her own greeting. sure enough, matriarch, which then also struck a chord in her memory. clay had referred to his dad as a patriarch before elaborating that it was some kind of leader thing, so obviously there was a trend there. dipping her head quickly, polaris waited a heartbeat to make sure the floor was hers before inhaling. here goes nothing. "nice to meet you both, i'm polaris. i'm originally from the late swiftcurrent creek" she swallows now, pushing against the budding strain in her voice as she murmurs "my dad was the alpha there i don't know if you're familiar with him, his name was..kavik" her gaze drops momentarily, breaths shuddering as she gathered her bearings. she would not break down in front of these wolves. "anyway the pack's gone now and so is..my family so i really need a place to stay if you'll have me and easthollow is the only other pack i know in teekon. i uh, met one of your leaders before, i can't remember his name but if you know who clay is, it was his dad" she shrugs helplessly then, had it been good enough? replaying it in her head did her no favours, it all sounded quite jumbled and unprofessional dammit.

sighing inwardly, she blinked up to focus on the earthy woman and her ghostly companion, tense with apprehension.

Siarut was quick to dip his own head as the matriarch arrived, a friendliness in her gaze that often baffled him. How could one be so open and so kind to whom ever they met? The northern, quiet man was not inclined to follow suit, preferring a gruffy more intimidating approach. And in this he hopes at least she saw they made for a good partnership. Taking a half step back, for these lands indeed did belong to her.

He was sorry to say he had never heard of Swiftcurrent Creek, nor the name Kavik; but her story touched him still. He felt for the girl of course, but he was not ruled by his heart. Perhaps another reason the girl was lucky Valette was in charge and not him. However, there was a name he did recognize. Clay. The strange boy, Valette’s returned son. He cast a glance to his sister-in-law, curious. Perhaps Greyback does know this kid.

His lips were kept sealed, deferring to Valette’s questions.

I only now saw I shadow posted Siarut! <3

Valette noticed that the white was already there. It felt like she was seeing Siarut more and more at the borders helping with strangers. She really liked that she wouldn't be alone. The female before her seemed respectful enough, so Valette would hear her out. If someone would take advantage of her politeness the female would no accept that, those moments were definitely great if Greyback or Siarut were there.

Valette dipped her head as the female revealed her name, Polaris, and that she was from the late Swiftcurrent creek. She knew of the pack but that one had been the only one they didn't have an alliance with. She wasn't sure why. Valette hadn't reached out since they had three allies at the time. Slowly Valette's face turned more thoughtful. She had heard that name, recently as well. Interesting. "I have heard of him but not as the Alpha of Swiftcurrent. I recently accepted a female in the pack, Lainie. She told me her father was Kavik as well, only he was leader of Uaine Gorsedd." Was this Kavik leader of two packs? That was so strange to the matriarch. "Is she family of yours?"

If her family was here and the female was willing to work with their family then Valette would not be one to decline her. Polaris continued she even knew some members of Easthollow, and not some new members but her mate and son. "Clay is my son, Greyback, who is his father, is my mate," she explained. Greyback was away at the moment so she couldn't ask him about it. Clay was here, but... hurt. She wanted to wait on her answer of this Kavik and Lainie before making a decision.

lainie.. 
      

kavik..

 

alpha of uaine gorsedd?

no...that, couldn't be...

she stumbles back a few jerky paces from the easthollow sentries, long tail lashing through the shivering blades of grass. hazed eyes focus blurrily on her figure as muted whispers hit dully against flattened ears. clay, greyback....they tickle at only the fringes of her consciousness before drifting off once more as she grits her jaw anxiously. lainie was, here? but no...

that was all her brain could manage, an increasingly clamouring NO. she'd been there, a shudder shifts through her entire figure at harsh memories of the convulsing earth: the groan and creak of vengeful rock until that thunder as it rained hell on them. she'd woken up alone, because...

"dead..." it trembles forth from dried lips, eyes locked unseeingly on distant peaks. a feverish swipe of her tongue as finally she seems to return to the two figures before her, yet there is an abstracted sheen to bicoloured orbs as her head shakes slowly. "lainie..my d..ad, they died" it rasps forth, haggard and sharp. were they playing with her? memories of that ruby gaze, the rotting stench of the nightwalkers suddenly prowled across her vision; had she made a bad mistake? had those wolves somehow infiltrated here now and wanted only to hurt her further? her teeth grind hard against each other as she tips her chin up slightly, no they wouldn't win.

referencing this thread

Her sorrow was physical, the grief that fueled her movement’s, the shake in her joints and the gasping for air, were abundantly clear. Siarut couldn’t help but look away, giving her a moment. He didn’t have to imagine her pain, as he had felt the same… the longing ache of a loved one ripped to soon from your grasp. No, Siarut didn’t have to imagine such anguish.

When he green gaze returned to the speckled girl, there was pity in his expression. Lips pursed tight, eyes scrunched slightly in concern. But Siarut knew the girl, Lainie was very much alive. Her name murmured through the pack, as all new arrivals monikers did.

Siarut wasn’t a man often filled with emotion and was acutely aware that his words very seldom helped in these kinds of circumstances. “Perhaps…” Siarut nodded to her words, dead, year perhaps they were, perhaps this was a very strange and very cruel coincident of similar names. “Or perhaps you only thought them to be.” He offered her the thoughts that had escaped him when his mate had magically been restored to him just over a year ago. When Nanook had suddenly appeared before him, and he thought her a ghost.

Just saw that Lainie's player will have left EH by now. Now it feels weird that they mentioned her. Oh well.

It seemed that her words had quite the effect on the female. Valette had not meant to cause such emotions, she hoped that it had been happy ones. The female was certain that they died it seemed. Siarut had wise words, and Valette could only nod. "I did accept a girl with that name, and mentioned a Kavik. She was black in color but had curious white markings on her face, around the eyes," Valette spoke to the other. "Although, I haven't seen her in awhile now," Valette commented and looked to Sia if he had seen her around recently.

If the girl would have left without a word, Valette would be displeased by that. Since she offered the female a home at least she could give her a thank you. Valette stepped forward, kind of wanting to comfort the girl. "If you need a home, you are welcome to join Easthollow, Polaris. We have room. Get your strength back and perhaps search for your family," Valette offered.

lmao i noticed that, oh well i guess it wouldn't be too odd since they both mentioned kavik being their dad - also sorry it's a bit long i usually keep border posts relatively short but this is all a lot for her <3

pity...eyes narrow with slight suspicion, scanning their features carefully to indentify any slip up that may betray the faux nature behind such glances. when the ghostly man speaks, she blinks reproachfully at him; muscles twitching in slight preparation for some cruel, sneering cackle to slip forth. yet there is none, the steady thrum of his voice is as solid as it had been when he'd first approached the border only mere minutes previous and yet still before they had managed to unintentionally uproot everything she'd come to believe. 

only thought them to be?

continuing to chew at her lip, she glares off to the side for a moment; trying to fight the burning rising in her chest. there is sense to his words and yet such shock toys with the wrong emotions, tempting forth bitter anger that he could so casually suggest....she'd seen no bodies....that she had just been wrong about the death of her own family! did he not think she would've made sure...but you didn't, you ran away....and it takes just that one flicker of uncertainty for the raging fire to lose its domineering power as doubt flushed forth like a wave of icy liquid. her shoulders sag. 

the woman speaks again, and the heat has left her gaze when she glances up now. at the description all she can see is her beloved lainie grinning before her, mischief alight in those bright eyes. all she can muster is a wearied nod, jaws trembling lightly. they were alive...she was glad, of course she was! yet the shock, it had hit with a force so strong she just...she didn't know what to do. so much time she'd spent recovering, fighting the agonizing pain that she was ultimately alone. they'd been living the whole time, roaming the teekons themselves. so many questions were already building and she felt pulverized under the weight of them, mouth dry. what about the rest? was it only lainie and papa alive? did they think she was dead? had they looked for her?....she exhales slowly, blinking rapidly to fight back any threatening dampness. 

the matriarch's gentle offer swam about her for a few minutes before finally settling in and it was only then that she really came back. the relief at having somewhere safe to gather her bearings, it was immense enough to give her a moment of clarity. "i'm sorry" she exhaled sharply, guilty not only for her very unprofessional and frankly weak display but for even considering these kind wolves were anything like the nightwalkers. "this is all just...a big shock. thank you so much though, i'd love to join" she fell silent for a few contemplative moments before adding somewhat tentatively, hoping she wasn't asking for too much. "you wouldn't mind if i went looking for them after a couple days? i'm not wanting to leave i just can't rest knowing they could be out there. i'm an aspiring scout too so i could like use this as practice, keep an eye out for anything that might benefit you's to know too so that i can also be earning my keep...." a quick shrug as she blinked hopefully at the two, she really didn't want to seem ungrateful for their offer but surely they'd understand her need to find out the truth about her family's fate.

im sorry for the delay! Ive been held up by a school project. Quick response so I don’t hold you up any longer!

When Valette turned to him the man furrowed his brow and shook his head. He hadn’t had never properly introduced himself but knowing of her departure Siarut was able to narrow down her scent to one that had waned slowly in the last few days. The young woman had obviously moved on.

Valette offered the girl a place to stay, and feel welcomed, once again showing her benevolent heart. The girl was obviously distraught, and Sia’s heart felt for her. If she was around long enough, and proved to be a contributing member of their pack for however long she desired to stay, Siarut made a mental note to help in her search. He often found himself well beyond the borders of Easthollow, might as well try to offer a helping hand. But that was a discussion for another day. If Valette didn’t offer his skills to the girl beforehand, considering Val and himself were scouts themselves.

Siarut’s wavered from the girl’s frame for a moment to catch Valette’s reaction to her request. Feeling he already knew the answer.

Valette slowly nodded. She understood that it would be quite a shock for the female to hear that her family was alive. The matriarch dipped her head and nodded. "Of course, then you are welcome to join,' she spoke to the female. Perhaps a yearling female would be good for her children to hang out with.

The female shook her head. "I would not, but I would advise you to take someone with you from the pack to join you. Then you aren't alone," she offered. Plus then she would have more assurance the female might return to their pack. If not, so be it. A child would have been safe if only for a bit. Valette looked at Polaris and offered a smile to her. "Let us show you around, and some food then," she spoke.

relief is quick to wiggle its way into her tense joints and soothingly get about to loosening them with gentle traces. it's only now that the frantic energy propelling her to safety disperses having completed its job that she realises how exhausted she is. letting a small smile step daintily upon her lips, the girl nods eagerly and lets a mumbled "thankyou so much" pass her lips,  ears still perked attentively as they await her final answer. she exhales, deflating peacefully whilst her head bobs quickly to signify her gratitude and agreement to her terms. she has to admit though, her first instinct is to feel a little peeved at the condition. having gotten by on her own for so long, having to rely on someone else wasn't going to come natural to her and she couldn't help but suspect that whoever it was would just slow her down. yet she doesn't let such misgivings reach neutral features as she rolls her stiff shoulders back. there is a little part of her that remains warmed that the woman cares enough to give up a pack member if only temporarily to make sure she's safe. shame she isn't mature enough yet for that to be the dominant reaction.

she returns the woman's smile and blinks from her to the pale knight as her tail waves freely at her haunches. "yes that sounds great, thank you" the words don't seem like a well enough way of expressing her gratitude but she supposes they'll have to do until she can prove that she's worth their time. without hesitating she follows the two when they go to move, steps lighter despite the exhaustion clinging to her muscles.