Ocean's Breath Plateau in the distance, warriors pour from their tombs

She couldn’t sit still lately. When she wasn’t frisking though the forest with @Riley, she circled Shadewood endlessly, seething at anything she perceived as a threat to her claim. It made her think of Avicus and the primal ways of the Redtails. Masque wanted to distance herself from them and decided to pour her energy into something more suited to her vision for herself and her pack.

She approached their single coastal neighbor with the plucked carcass of a duck whose feathers lined her favored den. When she paused at the borders and set it down at her feet, Masque licked greasy fat from her lips. She almost regretted gifting such a treasure, though she took this endeavor seriously.

Swallowing the last traces of that fatty flavor, Masquerade raised her head to call for an audience, preferably with a leader. She then settled in to wait, long tail low and flicking.

the birth of his children was tensely close. the seal hunter rarely quit their lodge except to gather food, but the pack's needs must still be tended. 
and so chakliux found himself on patrol again, rangy stride eating away the distance.
the call of a stranger took him, rote, in that direction. he found a young woman with striking red points and was immediately intrigued, first at the strangeness of a new female, then at the presence of a stranger.
he regarded her for a moment's open curiosity, berrybright eyes falling to the duck. "you come as a friend?" the seal hunter inquired, relaxing somewhat as a grin touched his face. "this is moontide, led by heph and rodyn. i am the first warrior, chakliux."

It wasn’t long before a figure appeared, moving toward her at a steady clip. Masque made certain to relax into a more deferential posture, though her eyes swept upward as he closed the distance. She glimpsed a hale man with a pale coat and eyes so striking, her lips parted in surprise. She quickly remembered herself and dropped her gaze.

Yes, she quickly replied to his initial query, paying close attention to his introductions. I’m Masquerade. My mate and I live in Shadewood, due west of here. We’re hoping to build a pack of our own there. It felt strange to be so forthright, though her next words served to remind her why. I was hoping to reach out to our nearest neighbors.

She’d nearly forgotten the duck. Masque glanced down at it now, then gently nudged it closer to Chakliux. She gave him another brief, analytical look and then glanced past him, curious about this Moontide. She wondered if Heph and Rodyn were too busy to entertain visitors.

This wasn’t easy to catch and it’s even harder giving it away, she said with a little laugh despite the sudden spike in her heartbeat. Deciding to be even more forthright, Masque told him, I’m new to this. But I’m interested in developing alliances. I figured that if you have any expecting mothers here, they could use the extra fat and other nutrients.

words came. a gift was offered. a name was given. aware of the effect he often had upon women, chakliux was further pleased with her reaction when their eyes had first met.
she was direct, honest, even commenting on how difficult it was to give away a kill. he enjoyed that sentiment, expressed aloud; it was one he had felt before. "the gift of meat is appreciated by moontide. my wives will very soon give birth, and two more women may also become mothers," he said, thinking of @Heph and her intriguing bond with phox redhawk. it logically followed that the careful hunter might choose him to be father for her children.
"i cannot speak for alliances. but i see you are a hunter. this is prized by moontide. we have many traders here, and our village is rich with new treasures from lands many days away. @Rodyn is a trader himself."
stepping back, he called out a polite note for the leaders to join them. "how long have you lived in this place called shadewood? i have not heard its name before." a smile now as they waited. "but always there are new lands to see. places to hunt."

She fell silent, ears drawing back and cheeks heating a little as she acknowledged the absolute word salad that had just come out of her mouth. Hopefully Chakliux understood the gist of it. Her teeth clenched and she swallowed, listening carefully to his rejoinder.

Masquerade looked up sharply when he used the word “wife” and plural besides. Her lips parted but she said nothing, looking down again as she continued listening. She’d never really heard of trading, though it was pretty self-explanatory. He called the pack a village. She mused over these terms and the talk of so many litters.

His call for leadership scattered her thoughts momentarily, though he redirected them toward his latest questions. His comment about the forest’s name made her wonder if she and Riley could come up with a better name for themselves. She wasn’t necessarily keen to put the Redtail stamp on it, though something that indicated the legacy they hoped to grow…

Not long. Our claim is very new and not very formal yet, Masque admitted with a slight frown. We hope to welcome a litter of our own soon, though I hope we can recruit another adult or two as well, she added, then realized she was prattling a little again and halted her tongue.

When Rodyn wasn't hunting ot help fill the lodge of Chakliux, because he would not have hungry mother's in the pack. He was on border patrol. He was separating items to trade. He was making preparations. All of it would be coming sooner than they all thought.

He was surprised from a hunt by a call from the First Warrior and headed towards it. It was there he was met with the sight of another wolf and gifts besides. he gave a soft chuff and moved closer to the edge of the pack lands.

Hello. I'm Rodyn. Yellow eyes took in the sights and then he waited for an explanation. Though he may have been a little irked to find out that thi swas a wolf from the pack that had attacked him on his bride price journey. Because a child had lied.

But he was oblivious to this and waited, patiently.

"it will grow," chakliux assured, his teeth flashing in a striking grin. "you are here in your devotion. that is a good sign for a strong village. and children, they are always the first step."
rodyn came, and the first warrior shifted to give the leader a deferential look. "rodyn. this is masquerade. she and her mate have claimed a place that is a walk west from here. it is called shadewood. she wishes to have an alliance and offers this meat to our mothers. i have told her some of what we do, but i will leave the rest to you. i must get back to the lodge," he explained with an apologetic glance to masquerade. 
"if it is all right, rodyn, i will see that this meat is given to the moontide mothers." if the alpha did not wish to do it himself, chakliux would take up the duck and return to the packlands, dispersing it between tullik, marina, and raindrop. he was not sure about her state, but she was in the company of a new man, and so the seal hunter suspected.

Between his charming smile and his friendly words, Chakliux was quite disarming. His use of the word “village” again reminded Masque of his mention of wives. It didn’t really surprise her to know he had more than one, even if the idea struck her as incredibly strange.

A second wolf approached, another male of large stature. Masque instantly felt less at ease being outnumbered on the pack’s borders. She took a few steadying breaths, making sure to avert her eyes when Rodyn’s gaze settled on her inquisitively.

Before she could speak, Chakliux spoke up on her behalf. The visitor remained silent, not correcting the pack’s name seeing as she didn’t have any alternative to give. When the pale man with the bright eyes departed with the duck, Masquerade dipped her head in farewell, happy to be left to speak with the leader.

You can call me Masque. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Ambassadorship isn’t my strong suit but I’m working hard to change that, she said candidly, then paused to see if there was anything Rodyn wanted to say in light of Chakliux’s monologue about her.

Poopy short post on my way out the door for work

A nod to Chakliux. That is fine with me. Give your wives and Raindrop my hello and well wishes.

He then turned towards the newcomer at their borders. Rodyn chuckled. Trust me it wasn't mine at first either. But you learn. So Masque what is it that your pack seeks with an allyship? What would you offer us and expect in return? And welcome to the area by the way.

Thank you. I guess I just want to stay on good terms with those close to us, keep the peace, Masquerade said after a brief, thoughtful silence. I came from a place that was based in combat, instinct and territoriality. Was that even a word? There’s nothing wrong with that. I loved my home, but it turned out I didn’t fit into that mold, she continued a little haltingly, the admission punctuated by a swallow. I want to rule, like my mother, but not like her. I’m trying to build something different, something of my own making.

She was rambling again, worse than ever. Masquerade stopped herself and let out a breath. She wondered if Rodyn understood what she was trying to say. Perhaps he might offer advice, help her learn more about this process. Her golden eyes flicked upward to gauge the expression on his face before she dropped them again, head low and tail swaying gently as she awaited his response.

Rodyn dipped his head. You're welcome.

He listened to what she wanted. Found he liked what she had to say so far. He too came from something he hadn't wanted to be. He had forged his own path. And he felt he had done well mostly.

I understand more than most would. My father was much like this. Though more with males than females. He would chase all males from the pack lands at a year and a half or sooner. And we are never allowed to go home. I refuse to be this way with my own children.


He saw her exhale and smiled gently. He made a soft hmm noise and then spoke. One way that we made allies was to trade. And I made many when I went on a bride price journey. I plan to go on a trip to trade in the fall. Would you like to go along? Or have a wolf from your fold come with me? All I ask is that they bring items to trade, furs, pretty stones, if anyone is able to make something they can bring that, herbs, meat. Things like that. We can solidify our allyship and possibly get you more? At the very least wolves willing to trade with you. And as a friend to moontide. You are also a friend to Moonspear, and Moonglow in th emountains. They are our mother and sister packs.

A soft nod and we would have another hunt closer ot winter. When we had one this spring. There were many packs that came. You would be invited among that as well. We hunted bison and each pack, received at least half of one. We felled many.::

In some ways, Rodyn’s upbringing was the opposite of Masquerade’s, though she still appreciated the commiseration. He wanted something else for his own children, just like Masque wanted less and less for her offspring to be raised in an environment like Redtail Rise’s. Even now, that thought brought with it a lot of guilt, not to mention the other negative emotions that welled up in her breast.

His next words were an effective distraction. Her lips parted when he mentioned a trip of some sort in the fall, then in the very next breath invited her along. Masque blinked, wondering how he could plan for something so far in advance. Of course she didn’t want to refuse him, especially because it sounded like an alliance could bring quite a few resources their way. But she had reservations.

It sounds like a wonderful opportunity and I appreciate the offer, Rodyn, though I don’t see how I can commit to something like that in good faith. My hope is that Riley and I will be busy raising a litter of pups this fall, she spoke forthrightly, wondering if she was dooming any chance of an alliance.

Maybe it was enough just to be on peaceful but distant terms, she thought, with Riley, herself and their young left to their own devices. But Masque tried not to let her thoughts run away from her just yet. She looked to Rodyn again for his reaction.

Rodyn could understand following a path that you were not used too. IT had been hard to leave home. Even harder to change his way of thinking, but he had done it. And he had faith that Masque could as well. She had already started.

A smile ot her then. I hope that your wish is fulfilled. Children our lovely. Hmm.

he tilted an ear thinking. If you would be comfortable with it. I can take something with me to trade from your pack and pass along that our allies though couldn't make it physically do appreciate in good faith. But I can understand you being a little wary of that. Please just think about it and let me know.

He moved his paw against the dirt. As far as Alliance goes. I am amendable to it. if you need help making you claim. I have a few wolves that could help you reinforce your borders. I myself will help you and build some caches for you if you'd like.

Rodyn offered to trade in their stead. Masquerade couldn’t think of what they could even offer, regardless of who brought it. He urged her to take her time and think about it, which prompted a grateful exhale. There was no way she could make decisions this weighty on the spot, without consulting Riley.

I will. I really appreciate the generous offer, Masque replied with quiet emphasis.

Then he made one even more munificent. She admittedly stared at him a little, disarmed by the total generosity. She would be remiss to turn him down, though Masque found herself leaning in that direction for a few different reasons. Her tongue scraped over her teeth as she took another moment to mull.

I think Riley and I have the claiming covered, though I would have to be an idiot to turn away food, the Redtail said slowly. If you do bring anything to help with our caches, know that we will return the favor as soon as we’re able. Right now, we have to dedicate all our energy and resources to, well, ourselves. Someday, though, I hope to be in a more prosperous position, like him.

Rodyn nodded and dropped that part of the conversation. He hadn't meant to put her on the spot and he realized he had. It was meant to be kindness, but he also realized it was rather heavy handed to be so in her face.

He knew that many wouldn't be so kind as he. But he also had been in her very position last year and had done much of it with just a pawful of wolves. It had been exhausting. And if she wanted children in the fall. It would do her good to have a cache readily available, so all she need worry about is her children.


Thank you. I have been where you are. I know it is tough and exhausting to start out. I hope all your endeavors prove fruitful. I will be hunting later this week. I can drop some things at the border for you.

She reminded herself she hadn’t shown up empty-handed today. Her eyes drifted past Rodyn’s shoulder, in the direction Chakliux had gone. Even now his wives—wives! Masque marveled—might be enjoying that delicious, fatty meat. It made her mouth water.

You are very kind, she acknowledged Rodyn’s latest remarks, refocusing her attention upon him. When you come by, I’ll be sure to introduce you to Riley. He’s my mate, in case that wasn’t clear, Masque added, the corner of her mouth twitching upward.

With the conversation reaching its natural conclusion, Masquerade drew in a breath and glanced in the direction of the nearby seaside. She could’ve lingered and asked more questions about Moontide, especially since its culture was clearly different from anything she’d ever known. But this felt like a good start for now. The packs could get to know one another better in time.

We’ll see you again soon then. It’s time I get back to Riley, so I’ll let you get back to you and yours, the Redtail said, readying to depart. Thanks again for taking the time, Rodyn.

Rodyn didn't understand even Chakliux's ways. Even his own late wifes were a little confusing still. He wouldn't have married another wife unless Samani ahd wanted him too as Kukutux had done with Sahkmet.

He grinned. I look forward to meeting him. He chuckled. Though there was a sadness t here. When he thought of Samani.

Safe travels and welcome to the area.