The Lava Field

[tain]

OOC: Continued from 'Uncertain', meant to join the Zahir pack. Never mind. See posts.

BIC:

When Tain of the Plains reached the lava field, she was for the moment only a bit suprised. The stuff was the color of the sunset and fire, and smelled very strange..like eggs. And, it was hot!
The gray she-wolf stopped and stared at the first flow she came to. Where on earth did this come from? It couldn't be from the ground, because it was cold and hard, not soft-looking and wet. It couldn't come from the water, because water was clear or green or blue, the colors of the sky - not orange like the sun.
The sun..
Tain wagged her tail as the answer came to her. The sun! It made sense..after all, the sun was big and hot, and you couldn't look at it. This was incredible..the she-wolf's tail wagged harder as she stared at the stuff, almost dancing in her enthusiasm.

This wore off fairly quickly, though, and the she-wolf hopped over the very small flow to continue through the field. It really was very hot - Tain could feel it through her fur.
She trotted into the field and sat down in a clear spot, looking about. It all smelled of eggs, and was hazy although the sky above was clear blue. Tain didn't like it nearly as much as she had the beach.
Still, it was okay, and the red stuff that came from the sun (whatever it was called) was...well, was impressive. Tain could see why they'd chosen this place for loners to come ask to join a pack. After all, packs were supposed to be impressive, with lots of wolves, and strike fear in the hearts of loners. The flows definitely achieved 'impressive', and also maybe 'fear.' 'Lots of wolves', though, Tain wasn't quite so sure about.

Well, whatever. Tain turned around to look for her friend and traveling companion, the she-wolf Meikou. Tain had run ahead of her friend in her excitement, as she'd wanted a closer look at the sunstuff. Now, though, she had another question.
"What do we do now!?"
She couldn't see the other wolf yet, but she yelled the question back anyway to find out. Meikou seemed to be very smart, and would know what to do now. After all, she'd known about the weeks and days and turns of the moon..

[miki]

Following the younger femora, Meikou winced at the hot ground beneath her pads. What was Tain thinking coming so close to the lava?! The brimstone smell reached her nostrils causing her to winkle her nose in disgust. ‘Ugh! What a horrible smell!’ She shrieked in her mind, hopping across some fresh hot flowing lava. She had lost sight of the femora ahead of her, for the thick smoke provided good coverage for the young she-wolf. ‘Gosh darn it.’ She cursed to herself squinting through the smoke. ‘Tain where are you?’ She whined softly to herself now worried for the younger femme, what if she touched the lava? She would have burned up to crisps in an instant.

“What do we do now?!”

The shout of Tain’s voice cut through the smoke like tick heavy claws of a warrior. Meikou’s ears perked up at the sound, and hopped along dry hardened spots of lava toward her newly acquainted friend. Friend, the word sounded almost foreign after her long absence without interaction with others. Only memories of her dear close friends from her former pack remained. Maybe she shouldn’t have left her pack. ‘But… living in the same pack with Yuu and them…’ She trailed in her mind, them being her parents. She would never forgive them for lying to her and Yuu about their blood line. How could they have let them become so close and not tell them they where related?! “Ohh! I really hate them!” She shouted aloud without thinking, oblivious to her surroundings.

Soon the multi-hued femme came up to Tain and she let out a soft sigh of relief. Her eyes watched the lava flowing and hardening in the water. Nature was so fascinating sometimes. Yet, so dangerous at the same time. “We howl for a pack to come get us.” Meikou said, answering Tain’s earlier question on what to do. Grinning at the she-wolf that stood before her, she threw her head back and let out a loud howl that would echo as far as she could muse. Calling pack members to the loner’s lands, singing a song of the hope and wish to be a part of a family again.

Ooc: Note, looking for Meikou to join Aldgar.

[tain]

Tain pricked her ears for an answer, her yellow eyes dancing over the flowing sunstuff with excitiment. Today was turning out to be a great day! It was even better than the one when she'd discovered the wolf pack in the mountains. Better than the one where she'd seen the miles and miles of sand, like a huge..well, a huge dumping area really. It might even be better than fresh fish, although not too much more.
First, she'd seen the ocean and all the water. Then she'd met her new friend, the she-wolf Meikou. (whom, Tain recalled, she still needed to come up with a title for. It wouldn't do for the she-wolf to remain just 'Meikou' forever.)
Then she'd made another new discovery, this fiery liquid..the sunstuff. Tain would have to figure out where it came from. It flowed along downhill like rainwater, so maybe it fell from the sun on some days.
Not today, though. Tain, as she had that thought, turned her head up to the blue morning sky. No flaming sunstuff drops were coming from the sun right now. That was a good thing, since the sunstuff was pretty hot.
“Ohh! I really hate them!”
Tain looked over her shoulder at the shout. It must've been Meikou..the other she-wolf said that alot. Whatever they were, she really did hate them. Tain would have to ask what and why, because she didn't think it was squirrels anymore. Those were very tasty, and besides, after mentioning your hatred for small rodents, it didn't really require mentioning again.
Hmm.
“We howl for a pack to come get us.”[/i]
As she watched, her friend came trotting carefully through the sunstuff field, picking her way over the little flows. Tain wagged her tail excitedly, her yellow eyes lit up with her excitement.
"Isn't this great! It's all red, like strawberries, only it flows like rainwater. I think it comes from the sun, like rain comes from clouds. It probably falls sometimes during the afternoon. I expect from orange clouds, because rain comes from gray and this isn't really like rain."
Tain trailed off, considering her theory again. Meikou howled behind her, but Tain's slightly naive mind was still racing along through her newest theory and she didn't follow suit.
Another thought had occured to her.

Suppose these alphas in the other packs were old enough to remember her father Zohar? Suppose they were not gray wolves, and could remember what her mother had said Zohar did to wolves that weren't of her specie? Suppose they...suppose they chased her off for it? And besides, Tain didn't know anything about living in a wolf pack, aside from betas and alphas because her mother had told her. Suppose she did something wrong and ended up in trouble for that?
Tain didn't think she looked like Zohar, but her mother had always said she had. Tain didn't think she acted like him either, but her mother had always said that she was as thoughtful as he was. A worried look would always cross her muzzle when she said this, and Tain would be nervous for a moment.
The thought worried Tain. Her brow wrinkled and she flattened her ears. She'd have to do something about this, although what she didn't know. It was a hard question...
Well, Tain didn't want to live by herself, but she didn't want the other wolves to hate her either. As far as she knew, there was only one way to avoid those problems.
Tain would have to become an alpha.
It wasn't a bad idea. Tain knew that alphas got the good things. They commanded other wolves, and they could make things better...her father, Zohar the Granter of Sanctuary, had done that once, before he became Zohar the Insane. All Tain would have to do was not make the same mistakes as he had. She could be a good alpha, she thought.

The she-wolf tapped her tail worriedly, then shook her head sharply. That would work. It was decided.
But how would Meikou like it? Tain didn't want to lose her new friend. But, Tain would have to tell the other wolf sometime, and now was as good as any.
Her yellow eyes were slightly apologetic as Tain turned to Meikou and smiled a bit.
"I...I don't know. I mean, if I want to be in a pack. I know it's what's usually done, but...I...maybe I want to be an alpha instead. Alphas get to make things better more than just normal wolves, y'know?"
Tain forged ahead quickly, staring up at Meikou and willing the other she-wolf to understand. Tain didn't want to explain it again, or about Zahor.
"Because, you know, there's a whole empty territory out there. I met this he-wolf, a black one, and he said it was called Kamari and that there were no packs there. I might claim it. I might be different!"
Her slight melancholy had left her. A grin appeared on Tain's face and she wagged her tail, warming finally to her own idea. It was, after all, a Good Idea. Good Ideas rarely came to her, and she liked this one particularly.[/size]

[miki]

Meikou blinked at the femme beside her as she spoke about the lava like it was common rain water. ‘It almost actually sounds logical but I know that’s not the reason.’ Then again she did not know where the Lava really came from. She knew it came from the mountain to the north but… Why? She did not know why. Shaking her head she ignored the question that she would most likely find out later in her life when it was most needed. ‘I wonder why anyone hasn’t come yet…’ She thought she had howled but no packs came. What if no one wanted her?

Suddenly the uncertain voice of Tain reached Meikou’s ears causing her to look at the other she-wolf. ‘What is she talking about? I thought she wanted to be a part of a pack?’ Miki questioned in her head, as she listened to Tain thought with her head tilted to the side slightly showing her obvious confusion. “Alpha?” She questioned aloud. Tain wanted to be an alpha? Meikou looked down at her paws she had never thought of the idea of being an alpha before. ‘I don’t think I would make a good alpha. I’m more of a follower, not a leader.’ She thought to herself looking up at Tain for her paws. Would she be a good alpha? Could she handle the stress of leading a pack? Meikou knew leading a pack was very difficult. ‘She does have a point though, with alphas being able to make their own choices and not having to follow orders.’

Meikou gave the femme a small smile. “I wish you good luck then. If you really think you can be an alpha I say go for her dreams.” Meikou said softly with a small smile that held a little bit of sadness. This would mean her and Tain would part ways. “I am going to find a pack and be a part of it. I am not alpha material; I’m a follower not a leader. I hope you can be an alpha and maybe we’ll see each other again some day.” She looked down at her paws again; flicking her off-red colored ears and licked her black lips. ‘Why can’t I just become a part of her pack? Well I don’t even know if she will be alpha or not. After all there are likely others that are willing or wanting to become alpha too.’ She thought with a soft sigh she looked back up at Tain and smiled brightly. “Good luck my friend, If you ever need help don't be afraid to come find me.” She grinned a little, hiding her sadness of losing a friend already that she had just made. Without another word the she-wolf ran off into the pack lands to find a pack suitable for her taste.

[tain]

Tain watched her friend run off, her excitement ebbing away quietly. She'd thought, for a moment there, that maybe Meikou would come with her. After all, they were friends. Tain would be happy to have the other wolf in a pack with her. She could be second-in-command, or something.
Now it looked like she'd lost her friend as quickly as she'd found the other she-wolf. Her yellow eyes flickered sadly for a moment.
"I wish you good luck then. If you really think you can be an alpha I say go for her dreams. I am going to find a pack and be a part of it. I am not alpha material; I’m a follower not a leader. I hope you can be an alpha and maybe we’ll see each other again some day.”[/b]
The she-wolf sighed softly, remembering the conversation word-for-word..odd, for her. Tain rarely remembered what she herself had been doing a moment before, much less what another wolf said.
Tain sat down, staring at the place where Meikou had dissapeared in the sunstuff and rock. The she-wolf licked her lips and sniffled a little, realizing she was by herself again. Although, since Tain was going to be an alpha..or alphess, or something like that..she wouldn't be along for very long. And neither would any of her friends, because..because Tain wouldn't let them be alone. Nobody like to live by themselves, that she knew of, and they wouldn't have to. When Tain was an alphess, she'd have a place for every wolf. It would be like Zahor's pack, only for everyone!
Her ears pricked again and her tail rose up..Tain even raised her head into the correct position for a she-wolf who wanted to be an alpha. It felt odd for a moment, but in a good sort of way, like she could do anything like this.
“Good luck my friend, If you ever need help don't be afraid to come find me.”
She jumped up again and raised her head, howling back to the other she-wolf in her high-pitched voice:
"We'll see each other again! I'll find you, if you don't find an alpha first! Goodbye, Meikou the Friend! Good hunting!"

Tain of the Plains finished her Howl, excitement flooding her again, and whirled around in a flurry of ears and paws and tail. Her yellow eyes flashed in the light of the sunstuff and the morning, reflecting them like a burning mirror.
Everything would be good now. Tain could make it like that.
She hopped over a hot flow of sunstuff and ran for the edge of the field, heading in the direction of the place called Kamari.