Ankyra Sound The Wanderer and the Water [Joining]

It had been a long year. Life on the road had taken it's toll on Reek, both mentally and physically. His fur, unkempt and caked with months worth of mud, stood on end because of his excitement, for his calloused paws had finally touched sand. The River That Circumvents the World stood before him, and Reek stood speechless in it's might. To his great surprise, the legends of his pack were true. He had always believed the stories that the River Pack told about the great expanse before him were only to entertain the children, to give them something to imagine, to distract them from Cato. Never once had Reek entertained the possibility of the stories being true, but there he was, experiencing first hand what few will ever see.

"Holy shit," he muttered to himself, absorbing the beauty of the water, like a sponge.

Nightfall was approaching soon, and the sun hung low over the watery expanse, casting bands of orange, red, and pink, streaking across the sky in a beautiful cascade. The water, smooth as glass, reflected the light like a black mirror, taking on the colors of the sky. It was beautiful. The most beautiful sight Reek had ever seen. The corners of his mouth had twisted into a sheepish grin, like one of a child given a new toy to play with. How foreign the feeling felt. Was this happiness? Certainly it was satisfaction, but there was something more. Like a child's sense of wonder that had laid dormant in the young wolf, waiting for this particular moment to arrive and leap forth. Reek howled in ecstasy as loud as he could, breaking the constant sound of water gently lapping on the shore. The welling of his excitement could not be contained.

As soon as the initial awe wore off, Reek sprinted toward the water, making as big of a splash as possible. He looked like a damn fool, but no one would see. The water was freezing, but the cold could not stop him. The icy water soothed his aching joints. After so long on his own, Reek had forgotten what it was like to be clean. The matted dirt fell off in chunks into the water. He scrubbed and scrubbed, and the dirt that had become such a part of him had all but gone. He swam in circles like a pup, laughing and laughing, and laughing some more.

AS's only accessible beachfront is deep within their territory -- i'm going to play this as if Reek is at the beach that is flanking AS's forest if that's okay? unless you wanted him to be caught trespassing

A howl punctuated the onset of night, alerting Caiaphas instantly to the presence of stranger. It was not the solemn howl of the Sirens, nor the warning howl of a consort -- it was joyous. A sound in which did not belong to Ankyra.

Caiaphas bristled, slinging her head low and hackles high as she turned towards the barren beach that bordered Ankyra's sheer cliffs. As she prowled along the rocky strand she saw a dark and gaunt wolf in the water, splashing about like some youth newly acquainted with the sea. She pulled up wordlessly, though her posture was anything but neutral -- and a low sounding growl escaped her throat as she waited for him to cease his water activities and pull ashore.

Wynter's ears twitched as she heard a joyous yet unfamiliar howl coming from towards the beach. She had been out hunting on her own to see if she might stumble on some small prey. She sniffed the air, she couldn't pick up the scent of this strange wolf but began to trot in the direction of the beach. As she got closer she picked up the scent of a strange wolf. One not of Ankyra. She also picked up caiaphas' scent. The siren queen must have already stumbled upon the intruder. She stood at the edge of the beach and let out a small low growl "Need some help?" she barked as she took a few steps more. She knew full well the queen could have handled this rogue on her own but she figured best ask in case.

~Wynter~

OOC: That works fine for me. Intruding on a strange pack's territory would be a deathwish. Reek may be a reckless little twat, but he's no idiot.

Reek darted under the water. The saline water burned his eyes and tasted foul, but despite the massive river's oddities, this had been the most fun he had had in ages. He quickly emerged from the water with a splash to take a quick gasp of air, and then he was back under again. This time, trying to take a bite out of a fish, but he had missed by a mile. He burst forth from the water and the salt cleared his nose; a strange new smell had piqued his interest.

No. No no no. How could he be so stupid? He wasn't alone, the howl must have alerted every wolf for miles of his location! He swore under his breath. Reek's mind was racing a mile a minute. Two hostile wolves were staring him down, hackles raised, and they clearly had the terrain to their advantage. He was boxed in.

The angle, what's the angle? How could he talk himself out? The tension could be cut with a knife at that very moment. Should he feign ignorance? No. Ignorance wouldn't get him this far. Should he make himself look tough? No. His size already betrays him, and he was already outnumbered, and outmatched. Then the gears began to turn... the lovable rogue. In his travels, Reek had created a new persona. Like an actor playing a roll. And the lovable rogue was his favorite to portray. Respectful, yet snarky and sarcastic. Playful, and a tinge of confidence. They had already seen him be the fool... this could be believable.

"Beautiful night for a swim!" He shouted over the water with a toothy grin, toward the two wolves on the shore. "I don't mean to impose upon you're territory, and I mean no harm. Trust me, I'll explain everything when I make it to dry land! I swear on my life. But bare with me," he continued. "It's going to be a rather long story."

And with that, he began his swim back to to the shore.

Leucothoë heard the howl as well. Deeper into the territory, it took her more time to arrive than it had the others, but she moved as swiftly as she could. The Nereid girl came shortly after the others, in time to hear the tail-end of the males speech: it's going to be a long story. The furs on her nape pricked upward as she looked upon the male swimming so close to their shore. May the Sea drown him, she cursed inwardly; did he think they had the time for witless stories?

Leucothoë pulled up on the other side of Caiaphas, her strut stiff as though she were refraining from rushing him then and there. Her head was kept low, so as to not offend the Queen, and her tail lashed whip-like behind her. Her eyes were hard, and colder than the Sea might feel. Leucothoë bore no affection toward the opposite sex, and that was even truer when they were not of their home.

Reek's fumbling was endured by the Siren Queen, but not without a humorless smile. She watched as he struggled to pull towards them in the thrashing sea -- and like Leucothoe, she had similar dire thoughts reserved for his fate. Wynter's inquiry was met with a brief affirmation by a dip of her head -- though her silence suggested they wait until the male pulled ashore.

While they did not hold males in high favor, they held inland wolves of no denomination in even less regard. Leucothoe's distaste was palpable -- visible -- as was her right. Yet Caiaphas knew if they turned away every haggard wretch that came jelly-legged to their door, they'd be no more than a pack of sparse vagrants. Caiaphas had learned who was deserving of their council -- though it had been a hard lesson to learn. She would wait for his explanation, though the coldness in her gaze suggested if she found it unworthy there would be unpleasantries in his near future.

Wynter watched the male wolf struggle to make his way back to shore, she had now come to flank Caiaphas who had also been joined by Leucothoe and nodded her head as the queen acknowledged her inquiry. There were better the pack could be doing but she knew that walking away would lead to more lone wolves showing up close to their borders. She had no tolerance for intruders let alone males. She would stand by the Siren and ensure that this wolf left and wouldn't come back. Wynter with what little patience she had left waited for the male to come ashore.[/i]

The swim back to shore was much more difficult than the swim out due to the current. Thankfully, Reek was a solid swimmer. The shore inched closer and closer by the second, and he found himself in the shallow area and able to support himself on his feet. He looked back to the beach. Shit. The two wolves became three as another wolf took the other side of the rugged leader. Game face Reek, he thought to himself.

After emerging from the water, Reek shook himself dry, sending a cascade of tiny droplets of salt water around him. He kept his head and tail down as a sign of respect as he approached the three. Their hostile expressions were... quite clear.

"I'm terribly sorry," He began, addressing the three. "If this is your territory, I did not wish to trespass. I guess the ravens shouldn't be trusted when asking for directions." He let out a slight chuckle, trying desperately to cut the tension. "They call me Reek, Bastard of the White River Pack. Child of the Dirt. It's a pleasure to meet you three." Reek paused for a moment, his mind raced while he tried to get his next story straight. "I expect you want an explanation to why I've traveled so far? That is... if you want to hear?"

The youth stood by her Queen, and would stand by her whatever her decision was. To Leucothoë, it felt like the male was taking his time. Her distaste was growing by the minute... but she could understand the need for their growth, especially in trying times. Part of her felt that she could live with having him serve her; he would just need to learn to keep his mouth shut. Leucothoë was not one to even humor rambling... but in this instance, they would need to allow it.

Leucothoë acknowledged Wynter with a sidelong glance and a nod of her own. She would be happy to run off this male with the duo beside her, it was an activity to be done with pleasure. The male looked unkempt and bedraggled, a drowned rat. Her nostrils flared; it was fortunate he had been embraced by the Sea at all, she did not want to think of what he might smell like otherwise. Reek. His query was met with a pointed look that conveyed her thoughts perfectly: do not waste any more of our time. The decision to listen or not was up to Caiaphas; she was willing to accept whatever it was.

loose P/O?

The Siren Queen expected a quick explanation -- anything -- instead, she was offered a stumbling and roundabout answer. Her rust-tipped ears laced back in annoyance as no prompt delivery was given. His mild joke was met with a dark expression, and no chuckle parsed from her taut lips in reply.

"You stand before Children of the Sea." She countered with her muzzle held aloft much in the manner one would point the brilliant mouth of a gun. "And we do not have time for dallying." Any more hindering on Reek's part, and Caiaphas would order the two besides her to annihilate him. For funsies, or perhaps for practice -- it had been some time since the wolves of the Sound had whetted their teeth with blood.

The gray wolf had stumbled onto the shore. Finally. It felt as though they were waiting. Wasting time they did not have. Wynter's tail twitched in annoyance. No explanation either as to why he was here. He seemed to think making jokes were more important than explaining his presence. Wynter glanced back and for between Leucothoe and Caiaphas. Waiting. For a signal. Something. Anything.

I wish I knew what that meant. I'm relatively new to RP and some of the more obscure terminology is lost on me.

Shit. It seemed to Reek that humor was lost on this lot. He was floundering, and floundering hard. Like a slinky, falling down a set of stairs. The small, black wolf pawed nervously in the sand as he tried to calm himself down. He feared for his life. Three seasons alone... and it ends like this.

"Short version then!" Reek piped as fast as he could. It seemed as if his pre-packaged and prepared story would send the wolves before him into a tirade. "Well, three seasons ago," He began, "I left my pack following the death of my mother. They were dicks, but that's not the point." Reek spoke fast and curt. Unfortunately he found himself unable to embellish his story in such a panic. "So," he continued, "before my mother died, she would tell me these wonderful stories of the land she came from. A land bordering the river that circumvents the world. I made a promise to her... and to myself, that I would see it with my own eyes one day. Nine months later, and I'm here... albeit much further south than I intended to go."

Reek stopped to catch his breath, panting from his short speech. He paused, choosing his next words carefully as they could make the difference between life and death. "And now with that out of the way," he sputtered, "I have no intention of walking back, and traveling is overrated."

"I swear I can make myself useful and I don't require much, as I usually live off the land," he pleaded. "I know the native medicinal plants, and if you could put that to use, I would be happy to do what I can."

Loose post order I think! I.E. she can post whenever. If need be anyone can skip me :)

The silver wolf listened to the others story with limited interest. The only thing that did interest her were his skills in the plant trade. She herself was adept with herbs, and knew very few others that were aside from those that taught her. It could prove useful, she supposed. But it was clear he was a wordy one, his short story quite long and uninteresting to her. Perhaps she would have listened moreso if he were a woman, but she regarded him as she might an ant. Useful in the circle of life, but at the given moment, not to her.

She felt Wynter's eyes but did not look to her in that moment, waiting for any given command from Caiaphas. Her muscles were taut, and coiled; she was prepared to burst forth if that was her Queen's desire.

sorry! i meant that we could have a 'loose' post order -- ie as long as everyone posts in one round all is good so no one is waiting :) here is phas' last post!

It appeared their impatient aspect had an effect on the dark matted wolf, who quickly ushered forth a winded reply. Caiaphas looked to her side slyly, gauging both Wynter and Leucothoe's demeanor regarding the raggedy male. Like her, they looked ready -- willing.

To the male the Siren Queen spoke, though not without pause to ruminate over his words. "Fine. We have room for one more if he earns his keep." She twitched her tail and turned to the two sirens besides her. "Show him to Spyridon or Kevlyn." She instructed, keeping a cold eye on the stranger. With that the Siren Queen cast one last look at the wolf before continuing her patrol along the frozen strand.

It seems he finally caught on we didn't have time to waste on his stories as he told us the very short version. Wynter couldnt decide just by looking at him if he would be any use to the pack. Perhaps his skill with herbs would.
She didn't particularly like the idea of him joining this pack. She knew she could not ignore orders though. She glanced once more at Caiaphas and then looked over to Leucothoe who was about ready to attack the male.

"Θα οδηγήσει εγώ θα περπατήσει πίσω" she muttered in the tongue she was still learning. She then padded towards the male and growled as she walked past and stood just a little bit behind him. She wondered where Spyridon or Kevlyn would be perhaps back at the camp.


Ooc/ Sorry this isnt my best post ever. im working on it. I think ill leave it here. Welcome Reek.

Alright! I guess this post will close out the thread!

The leaders words felt like ice in Reek's veins, radiating out from the pit of his chest and sending chills down the length of his body. He felt as if his extrematies had been dipped in ice. Fine. Her response was more than surprising to the raggedy wolf, who at this point believed himself to be staring death herself in the face. Her eyes cut into him like a heated knife through butter as she gave him his final glance over. She then turned and left, leaving him to the two subordinates.

"Thank you," he cried out, but the Siren Queen was already gone. His words falling on deaf ears.

The two subordinates did not look pleased with the male's company. Both faces twisted into menacing snarls. The brown wolf spoke up in an unfamiliar tongue to the other while she shifted behind him. Decidedly, Reek felt it wasn't the time to ask questions, but only to follow the grey wolf in front of him, who had started to walk in the direction of the pack.

Reek peered over his shoulder to get one last look back at the beach. The sky had gone dark, and the sun had been swallowed by the waves. Night had fallen... and Reek had never felt more in the dark.