Hell is a long Fall (Open)

[Duncan]

    The day was dying. The orange sun cast everything in a tinge of pink as the birds sang their night time chorus and settled in for places to sleep. The hawks were finishing up their hunts and the prey was making their evening rounds for food. Almost everything was the same as it had been since the forest started maturing, but for the wolf that had washed ashore about ten days ago, this land was alien and unnerving. Duncan's fang tips were visible under his lip as his nose stayed in a permanent crinkle. The salt water had done wonders for his injuries with the Ivory Collective, but they were not entirely gone yet. The once proud second son of the alpha of The Void now looked disheveled, slightly on the thin and starved side, and the patches of fur missing here and there told the story of his most recent clash. There was a slightly stiff movement of his left hind leg, but it could go unnoticed by the less observant.  


    Duncan's eyes flipped up every now and then to the trees as small birds flitted to and fro to prepare for the night, but for the most part his eyes stayed fixed forward. He had smelled it long before he set foot in these woods: this was pack territory. His ears remained back and his tail low in an attempt to not raise alarm. He was still not in the greatest fighting shape, and it would be awhile before he was able to get back into the swing of things. Likely it would take another week or two at least before he'd be able to fight as effectively as normal. He'd hope the pack wolves would not see him as a threat and allow him to pass through, if they were to find him at all.

    A scent hit Duncan's nose that made his mouth water. Lifting his head and looking in the direction the smell was coming from, but still unable to uncrinkle his nose from the pain of his injuries, he looked like a grumpy loner. He changed direction slightly and began to move towards the scent. Undoubtedly, it was a fallen deer now rotting in the evening of the day. He knew it would attract more attention, but he hoped he'd be able to talk to the other wolves should he see them. There was no way he'd be able to eat an entire deer, and he would of course save the heart and liver for the alpha to claim, as was custom. If they decided to kill him anyway, then so be it. He needed food if he were to last too much longer.

    He followed his nose to the exact spot where the old doe lay. The herd was nowhere to be seen, so he assumed she had died of natural causes. Though Duncan did not intend to take more than could get him through the next few days, he knew he needed to eat quickly. He tore into the haunches of the female deer and swallowed greedily by the mouthful. Even still, he remembered to keep his ears close to his head and his tail down. He was not about to fight for a meal he wasted absolutely no energy on. If the pack wolves came and demanded that he hit the road, he would do so with nary a thought of ill will towards them. He would do the same to an intruder, if not worse, if he found one sniffing around on his territory and eating food that was rightfully his own.
    

[Sasha]

The evening air blew over the lands, a slight chill to the gentle breeze. The sky was a lovely shade of pink tonight as the sun set behind the mountains. The moon was visible in the opposite direction of the sun, rising above the Earth as the sun settled in the west for the night. All the animals were bustling about, the hawks flying overhead, and the small prey animals scuffling around in the leaves for their last bite of food before they would burrow in their dens to sleep. Not too many large animals were in the lands... A herd of deer was somewhere, grazing in the forest, but the only other animals out and about in these lands seemed to be the wolves that had just recently claimed this land as their own. With the mountains all around them to protect them from their enemies, they were settling quite nicely in the lands named The Oriens. A mother wolf and her daughter of almost two years had washed up upon these shores, greeted by two wolves who helped them start the pack called Othala. It was the daughter, though, that was lying by the lake, looking up at the moon as it rose into the sky.

She wasn't really sure how long she had been laying there... But she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't care. She cared about the male that had stumbled upon her just a few days ago. Ren... She didn't love him... She didn't care for him anymore than feeling terribly sorry that he had lost both of his parents at such a young age. She felt that they could be friends, despite his decision to stay a loner and not join her mother's pack. She felt the strangest need to care for him... To protect him and his siblings... At least while they were in the pack's lands. After they left, she would move on with her life and probably forget about them. The silver she-wolf sighed as she slowly stood, her muscles and joints stiff from lying in one place for so long. Quickly, she stretched out her body -a cat stretch as some might call it- her tail curling up over her back. She shook after, a few leaves falling from her pelt as she slowly walked over to the water and lapped up the cool liquid. Once her thirst had been quenched, the young female started her trek back to the den where she was spend the night.

As she was crossing through the forest, however, a scent hit her, causing her to snarl. Her ears flattened against her skull momentarily as she inhaled deeply, taking in the scent. It was a foreign scent, and it definitely did not belong to this pack. She guessed male, though the scent was slightly disguised by the smell of salt water. He swam here. The question that Sasha had, however, was what was he doing here? Why was he so close to her family? Growling softly, the female started following the trail that the male had left behind, keeping her nose close to the ground so that she was able to track him. It wasn't even a moment later when his scent got incredibly strong, letting Sasha know that he was close. Silently, Sasha proceeded forward, peeking through the bushes that she was hidden behind. Blue eyes examined the male, trying to determine if he was a threat, but he only looked like a skinny, grumpy loner to her. Then again, looked could be so deceiving. Silently moving around until she was to the side of him, still hidden in the shadows and bushes, she watched as he ripped into a deer. That's our food... Sasha thought as a slow growl rumbled from her throat. Stepping through the bushes, the female stepped out into the fading light, ears back, head low, and tail straight out. "Who are you? And why are you in our lands?"

[Kiva]

The cold winter day was beginning to come to an end as the she wolf lay watching the sunset, a chilly wind rustled her silver colored coat. She sighed to herself as she looked over the pink sky. So much had happened over the past month and she knew so much more was going to happen. Her current goal was to begin forming allies with the surrounding packs. She knew it was only a matter of time before her old pack came after her and the last thing she wanted was for her pack to have to face them alone. The more allies they could get on their side, the more protected they would be.

Kiva was lost in her thoughts until a gust of wind came blowing past, carrying two distinct smells with it. As the scents hit her nose, her head shot up and she offered a protective growl in response. One of the scents was her daughter, Sasha. The other scent was what worried her. It was a male she did not recognize, and her ears pinned protectively. Getting to her feet, she quickly started in the direction of the two wolves. She didn’t know what a foreign male was doing near her daughter but she would soon find out.

As she got to the two younger wolves, she snarled at what she saw. Not only was he intruding on her land, he was near her daughter, and he was eating food that did not belong to him but instead to her pack. The fur on her back stood on end as she moved to stand beside her daughter. Not waiting for the male to answer the questions asked by her daughter, Kiva went on to ask him her own set of question. “Who are you and why are you intruding on my lands? It would be one thing had you walked in and howled so that I might know of your presence but to sneak in and eat food that my pack killed is not as forgivable,” she growled as she waited for his response.

[Duncan]

    He wasn't surprised in the least when they came, and since one had been growling the way there he heard her approach before he set eyes on her. He gulped the last of the meat he'd been eating and turned to face the mother and daughter with a suppressed sigh. They'd found him, so be it. His chin tilted down enough to cover his throat, his ears remained back, and his tail remained low. Duncan spread his feet apart evenly, though he did not lower his body into a crouch. He wasn't looking to start a fight, but he was prepared in case there was one. One on one he tended to handle himself well. Two on one would prove to be more difficult. Anymore than that and he might as well be a rabbit. The two of them barked basically the same message, but he stared at them with nary an expression on his face. 

    Duncan wondered if others would be coming soon. Probably, so he'd best make this quick and try to get out while he still had a chance. He let a second of silence pass between them to be sure they were done speaking, as he knew pack wolves could get quite hot-tempered and motor-mouthy when there was an intruder on their lands. He licked the blood from his lips before speaking.

    "If I would've howled I would have had a lot more to worry about than just two of you." The hum of his vocal chords were as deep and ominous as The Desert When it Sings* and as coarse as stone grinding against stone. He'd seen others' eyes widened a bit in surprise more than once, especially when he was even younger than he was now. All male wolves of the Bloodpelt bloodline had a voice like this. Their voices would start out normal enough, but as they got older the tones would drop low enough to easily be carried over longer distances by the time they were a year old. Some of the slaves The Void had in their midst had chosen slavery willingly, certain that the Bloodpelts were the demons of their old religions in mortal form. Though Duncan's voice was unusual, maybe even unnerving, it carried no hint of animosity or disrespect in it as he continued to talk.

    "My name is Duncan. I had hoped I'd be able to eat just enough to last me a few more days so I could leave your territory without incident. I apologize for stealing your food. I am not so strong-willed when it is so easy to take." That excuse would never be good enough for The Void, but it was the truth in any case. He'd had no intention of actually hunting anything on their lands, but the downed deer had proved to be more than he could resist after not eaten for a week. Maybe at this point it had been a little longer than that. Duncan couldn't really recall it anymore. 

    "As you can see the doe is still mostly intact. I took less than an omega's share and nothing more. If you'd permit me to leave without a fight I'd be gone well before sunrise." He braced himself. He didn't actually believe he'd get out of there without fighting, but if his words had appeased them at all then maybe. He could still fight if he had to, but not at full capacity. 


* - "The Desert when it Sings" Literally... the dunes are singing.

[Akanke]

Akanke had just filled her belly with water when she smelled something heavenly. It had the smell of life and energy. It was exactly what she needed. She knew her stomach would not appreciate her leaving it empty too much longer. The last meal she had where the scraps on that ship. They were nothing compared to what smell she inhaled now. She knew she had to get to it before the members of the pack who roamed this land picked it clean. She had to move quickly and eat fast. She knew if they found her on their land they would see her for what she really was, a runt who is good for nothing. She had a brief moment on her way to the smell where she thought she could offer herself as payment for what she took. That moment was short. She never wanted to be someone's slave again. Father was the worst she had yet to encounter, but at least she had her brother to protect her there. Here if she offered herself to the pack as a slave they would probably beat her. She was too weak to fight for herself.

A tear slipped out of her left eye. What was she thinking, trying to make it by herself in a foreign land? She should have figured out a way for Father to let her stay. Maybe if she had done better? Would he of allowed her to stay if she had made herself quieter, less noticeable? At least if she had tried she might still be with Malik. Thinking of her brother made another tear slip out. She missed him terribly. She knew that if he was with her he would make sure they ate every night and he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. She was too weak on her own. She really needed to find a place to settle down, but asking anyone would be like inviting them to abuse her like Father had. No, she would figure it out on her own. If she couldn't then she would welcome death, maybe then Father would finally be happy with her.

She slowed as she neared the scent. It had been so intoxicating that she had missed three other scents. There was a male and two females. This was a bad idea. She should have just left the pool where she had gotten her fill of water and gotten off of these lands. Find some place to live out her life alone. At least then she wouldn't disappoint anyone. She got as close as she could to the trio. It seemed like the two females didn't welcome the male. He looked unhealthy and smelled like salt from the sea like she did. Is it possible he swam here like her? She wondered what his story was. She tried getting closer, but didn't want to put herself in danger. The smell of doe was so close it was intoxicating. It took everything she had not to run out and tear flesh from bones. Luckily she had a lot of practice to being hungry. She laid and waited, trying to listen to the tense conversation happening close, almost too close, in front of her.

[Sasha]

Sasha felt entirely too proud of herself at confronting the male wolf, but it wasn't long after that the alpha female -aka her mother- was intruding upon them. It made Sasha a little angry that her mother had shown up so quickly, and she wondered if she even trusted her enough to deal with intruders like this male. It wasn't like she had to come out. She could have waited in the bushes to see what Sasha would do. Then again, the young female was still just a pup. She had yet to grow into her fast growing paws and legs, and she was actually quite amusing to look at. She was a bit clumsy with her limbs, too, and her fighting wasn't really the best because of it, but that was an entirely different story. As her mother came up beside her, the lanky pup sat down, her ears flicking back in slight disappointment before flicking forward again to catch the male's reply to both of the females' questions. Of course, he was really only answering the older at this point.

Sasha tilted her head and looked over the deer, examining it closely before looking over at her mother. "Mama... We didn't kill that deer. You see? There's not sign of a struggle. It just... died," she explained, displaying a little bit of her high intelligence. She had always been so eager to learn, and she had picked most everything up fairly quickly so far. For how young she was, she actually knew quite a bit... A good thing since she would one day be acquiring the pack... Something that she, herself, had yet to find out. One day, she would be the alpha making all of the decisions as to who could remain within pack lands. "Maybe he could join us, Mama... He looks like he's hungry and weak," she said, showing a little of her immaturity in basically insulting the male to his face. She wasn't one to generally mean to emotionally attack someone, but she was just telling the truth.

[Kiva]

“If you would have howled and told of your presence, the only thing you would have had to worry about would have been a friendly welcome,” the Aesir corrected him, her pale blue eyes never leaving his form. Surely, he knew that when entering into a pack land, it was better to tell the pack that you were there and not to just stay silent and start eating whatever food you could find. If he honestly didn’t know any better, he would have a lot to learn before his lack of pack knowledge got him killed. For surely if this was another pack the outcome may not have been as lenient. “I take it you are a loner then?” Kiva asked when she heard him speak of needing to go a few days without eating. “I appreciate the apology but I do ask that next time you make my pack aware of your presence, we would be happy to let you eat your share of food as long as it was not stolen,” she informed him, letting him off the hook this time. She wanted her pack to be willing to help others, even if they weren’t in the pack, but in return, she asked respect and gratitude from those crossing into her territory. It was then that Sasha spoke up, causing the silver feme’s ears to perk with interest. She looked over the deer for a second before looking back at her daughter with a well defined proud smile. “You are right my dear, we did not,” she shook her head looking back up at the male in front of her. “Not that, that makes it any better to steal from, as it is still within our territory, but my daughter is right,” she nodded and continued, “My name is Kiva, I am Aesir, or Alpha, of Othala,” she introduced herself with a polite bow of the head. “How would you like to join our ranks?” she asked him with a tilt of her head. Hoping he would agree, she waited quietly for his response.