Heavy white snowflakes drifted down with less malice, the afternoon sun peek through the clouds and forest trees. The land was coated in a heavy white blanket, most scents buried and forgotten. But markers weren't the only thing that was hidden. One particularly large lump of snow began to shift and move, some of the looser flakes tumbling to the ground in a gentle cascade. It seemed the blizzard had successfully covered a creature as well, for as the powder was dislodged a darker grey began to poke through.
A large yawn parted her jowls as Valmai attempted to exhume herself from the wintry coffin. Apparently the last of her intoxicating plant had finally worn off, causing her to completely crash. Thankfully she'd been able to dig herself a nice hole in the snow before hand, able to remain warm while she snoozed despite the the raging weather. Even though the storm had settled down for now, chances were it would be back sooner rather than later. The best thing to do would be to find herself some real shelter. Now that her body was recharged, she had no desire to spend another night in the wild snow.
She gave her body a hard shake, finally ridding her fur completely of the heavy powder. Apparently she'd gotten more buried than she had expected. It was nice to be free of the sticky white stuff though. It was a bit easier for her to breathe now, and she certainly felt lighter. Taking a few tentative steps forwards, she found she didn't sink too horribly as she walked about either. That was good. Finding a cave or something would definitely be easier.
A playful howl tumbled from her maw as she then proceeded to trudge forward, pouncing her way through the snow in order to cut a usable path. The four year old was having herself a merry ol' time, turning her quest into a game rather than some boring search. Valmai was quite fond of enjoying life, and if she was going to be stuck wading through the thick snow for a while then she figured she might as well make the most of it. An energetic wolf to begin with, she saw no reason to conserve her energy when the extra movement helped keep her warm. And thus, the female became the noisiest thing in the forest as she went about finding a home.
Toiro trotted through the snow-covered forest, occasionally pausing to mark his territory. He and Kastiel had started at the caverns by the beach, and split up to create the new borders. Judging by the distance he’d already come, they would be meeting up soon. Then they would look for their neighbours.
Toiro ploughed through the snow, deep in thought. How would the other packs react? Would they be friendly and perhaps offer an alliance? Or would they be hostile and uncooperative? Would they look down on the tiny pack, scoff at their attempts to make a home for themselves? Or would they help Airila become the pack Keyara had dreamed of? There were too many possibilities to even consider.
Toiro shook himself free of the snow that had accumulated on his back, and clambered up onto a huge tree that must have fallen in the storm. He sat down at the end of the log and peered over the edge. A couple of metres separated him from the small white clearing below. Toiro puffed out his chest proudly. Every inch of the land here was his territory. He was the alpha of a pack; even thought it was currently a very small one. That thought reminded him what he’d stopped for. A howl filled the air as he called for his beta. “Kastiel, if you can hear me, please come. I will meet you by the giant pine tree at the edge of the forest”
Toiro tried to resist the urge to lie down and sleep. It was so peaceful here in this beautiful meadow, with snow floating gently down from the sky. He sighed contentedly, and closed his silvery grey eyes. Maybe he’d take a short nap. He’d come a long way since this morning, and he needed to be strong enough to fight if one of the alphas didn’t like him. Yes, that was a good idea. Kastiel was probably miles away anyway.
He was just beginning to doze off when a sound startled him and his head jolted back up. “Who’s there?” he blurted out before he realised that it would’ve probably been best to stay quiet. Whatever had disrupted him obviously hadn’t known anyone was in the area, or they would have made much less noise. Swivelling his ears, he tried to pinpoint where the sound had come from. It seemed to have come from the opposite side of the clearing, but because he’d been nearly asleep, his hearing probably wasn’t very accurate. Toiro stood up on the fallen log and stared into the forest. He took a deep breath.
“I, Toiro, alpha of Airila, demand that you show yourself”
A call for another echoed somewhere in the distance. Being the nosy female that she was, almost immediately she changed directions. Where there was howling, there were wolves! So what if she hadn't been invited to the party? That wasn't going to stop her. Private meeting or not, she planned to barge in on it.
Fortunately or not, her less than subtle travels seemed to call attention to herself rather quickly. She hadn't made much progress on her new route before a clear voice cut through the silence. Laughter tumbled from her maw as she sought out the nearby stranger. So he was an alpha and this was claimed territory? Oops, her bad. The recent heavy snowfall had buried most of the scent markers. But still, the way he'd so dominantly declared his position was amusing to her. Valmai assumed he wasn't experienced if he expected her to come to him rather rather than the other way around. Rumor was that some of the less kind alphas attacked trespassers as punishment for their missteps.
"Over here, mister alpha!" she called out, voice happy as she pushed through the snow. Several moments later she emerged from a small cluster of trees, entering the clearing with a grin on her face. Grey tail wagged behind her, steps somewhere between a trot and a bound as she made her way over. Dipping her head in respect, she started to apologize before catching sight of who exactly she was talking to. "Didn't know these were pack lands. Sniffer ain't so great in all this snow. Real sorry about-- well I'll be! Lookit you, Kiddo. Why, you must barely be outta adolescence and already an alpha? Fates been good to you, boy. I must say I'm impressed.
Her smile grew as she laughed again, tail still wagging happily. Her brow was raised slightly in a look of awe as she stared up at him. He stood proud atop the log he'd claimed in the name of height advantage. If she hadn't clearly been older than him, than this Toiro: Alpha of Airila, maybe she wouldn't have been laughing. But as it was, the idea of a kid trying to rule the world was one she found amusing. Maybe she'd have to stick around just to see how things turned out.
Toiro’s eyes swept over the forest, wondering if the stranger would emerge from the thick undergrowth. If they didn’t, that would make it difficult. He’d foolishly announced his presence to the intruder so if they decided to attack him, they’d have the advantage.
Luckily, a cheerful voice replied to his demand, and a moment later a she-wolf arrived in the clearing. Toiro tilted his head to the side, carefully observing her as she bounded happily towards him.
He nodded somewhat awkwardly as she dipped her head and began to apologise. No one had ever really respected him before, so the gesture took him by surprise. He was in the process of trying to think up a clever response when she looked up at him for the first time and interrupted herself mid-sentence, launching into a torrent of comments about how young he was. Toiro backed away a couple of paces, thrown off guard by her sudden change in demeanour. “I… uh… yeah, thank you” he stammered as he tried to keep up with the conversation. “We only claimed this territory recently so that’s why – “ His cheeks coloured as the female burst into laughter. Had he said something funny? Toiro was thankful that his fur was so thick but was still certain that she’d be able to see his embarrassment.
He puffed his chest out again, determined to regain his pride. This just seemed to amuse her more; but instead of scowling, he found himself offering a smile. After all, what could she do to him? By the looks of her, he was much stronger, he had the height advantage, and she didn’t really seem like the aggressive type anyway.
“May I ask your name?” He tried to make his tone a bit more casual, but couldn’t stop the teensy bit of nervousness that crept into his voice. He’d never been very good at making conversation and today obviously wasn’t going to be any different.
Toiro gave himself a light shake, sending the powder on his back fluttering out around him. He leapt down from the log, landing beside the she-wolf. “I’ve organised to meet my beta at the edge of Shyia. I’ll be leaving soon but you’re welcome to come along. Perhaps as we walk you can enlighten me as to what you’re doing in my territory?” He spoke with a sly grin as his tail wagged happily behind him.
He suddenly realised that he couldn’t leave her here; she’d be completely alone and would probably start stalking the prey as soon as he turned his back. Toiro let out an amused sigh, realising that he’d just made another one of his famous mistakes. Oh well; there are probably enough deer in this forest to feed an entire contintent…
Kastiel’s paws hit unfamiliar land with a steady beat. Well... land might not be the right word to use, and each beat was accommodated with the squash of snow beneath his paws. It was partly firm where other creatures had pushed down against it, but for the most part it remained fresh, untouched by life. the storm had settled, and for all Kastiel knew it might only be momentarily. He and his Alpha however had taken the chance to explore the land they had claimed (or rather, that Toiro had claimed). He knew also that if they didn’t take the chance to grab some food they wouldn’t last another lengthy storm. Certainly the pair weren’t out of the woods just yet – metaphorically speaking that was. Every so often Kastiel would pause, sniff the air, memorise the details, the lay of the land before him. This was territory he must watch over, protect, a duty he had recently taken upon himself, as beta to the good-hearted Alpha.
He was adjusted to the feel of snow beneath his paws now, and the icy touch it left within the air. He knew it wouldn’t last forever, this deep white layer upon the ground, but in the mean time it hindered him less and he ensured he always had the advantage. He would begin to hunt soon, a map of the land had already began to form within his mind. He sniffed the air once more, and beneath the cold there was the hint of something else, something akin to that of wood, but layered with the scent of living meat. He pointed his nose in the right direction, searching for more information. His mussel parted slightly, taking in the scent. A Howl filled the air, what ever caused the scent stirred, weary. Kastiel himself stood to attention, head tilted, one ear raised as he took in the message. Meeting point! Got it. Reluctantly turning from the scent of prey he made his way towards the point his Alpha had spoken of. Surprisingly, he wasn’t all that far. His pace stared off simple enough, but with each step he felt a sense of haste, something that pushed him on. In no time he was looping through the snow at a speed that would humble a rabbit. Okay, maybe not quite that quick... but enough to get him to the tree with time to spare. He paused here, taking in the scent of the world around him, waiting.
Moments past, fairly short ones, in fact, when scents wafted towards him. There was the familiar one of Toiro, his Alpha, but with it was that of a stranger... weary, Kastiel abandoned the meeting point and made way in the direction of the scents. He was unsure of the meaning of the meeting, or if the stranger was friend or foe. Intent on being there, to back up his Alpha if required, he moved hastily, but stealthily through the snow. He arrived in quick moments, grateful to see his Alpha unharmed, that the stranger appeared to be a gentle fae. He took place, standing at Toiro’s flank, and with a friendly enough greeting, which was the nodding of his head to the other, he was silent. He watched, observed, and learnt.
image {c} Sakarri@flikr.com Manip {c} Haptic to Sea <3
A barrage of giggles erupted from the female. The young alpha was just too adorable! The way he tried to find the words to remain humble and modest while still asserting his title was endearing, especially with embarrassment written all over his face. Valmai decided right then and there that she like him. No, it wasn't a romantic sort of crush or anything like that. He was a bit young for her, and she had a bit of an aversion to romance that involved herself. The female much preferred to invest her time in the romances of others. But, she found him cute in that silly kid brother sort of way. She had a feeling that he would be fun to tease and pester while still able to maintain her respect. After all, what good was trying to join a pack if the alpha wasn't likable?
When he asked her name, her grin only grew (if possible). Her voice was so loud it practically echoed. "I'm Valmai. You can call me Val, or Mai if ya want. Doesn't really matter to me. Lots of folks call me different things. Take your pick, Kiddo." Despite the nervousness of the young alpha, the female felt comfortably at ease. She was a big talker with a habit of dominating conversations. Maybe her good mood would rub off on the youngin'. He seemed like he could use a good shot of confidence.
After introductions, Toiro laid out a game plan. So the pack had a beta too, and that wolf would be showing up shortly. While invited to tag along, it seemed more like an offer to be escorted out of the territory. Truth be told, she had been trespassing, even if it was unintentional. Of course the alpha would want to dump her at the borders first chance he got. Well, she'd just have to change his mind about that! There was nothing a nice chat couldn't resolve.
Of course, she'd barely nodded her head in an agreement to join him when the Beta made his presence known. He was another cutie, a bit more reserved than Toiro but also younger than herself. Her grin settled on the stranger as her voice once again broke the silence. "Well I'll be. Speak of the devil!" she laughed with a wag of her tail. "I'm gonna guess you're the Beta? Nice to meetcha; I'm Valmai."
She paused momentarily to let Toiro take charge. After all, she was the stranger in this situation and she knew the pair had business to attend to. Given her pelt a good shake to dislodge some of the snow was a fine distraction from whatever information the beta needed to be learn. Amazingly, the female actually managed to keep herself quiet until their little trek started. Only when there was a lull in the travel conversation did she finally launch into her story of how she ended up in the territory.
"Ya see, I don't sleep much. Generally I'm up for days. Musta been pretty late when I got here, 'cause next thing I knew I was waking up buried under a mountain of snow. That was only a few hours ago. Guess I passed out, haha. It happens from time to time." She barely paused to take a breath before continuing to ramble on. "And then I found you, and well, here I am! Really am sorry 'bout the whole trespassing thing. Though I must say, you've got yourself a very nice piece of land. I wouldn't mind stickin' around if you'll let me." It was a little forward, yes, but with a cheerful grin that spread ear to ear and her happy disposition it would be near impossible for the pair to say no, right? Right? Valmai would be delighted if she managed to find herself a home.
Toiro raised his head warily at the sound of another wolf arriving. A smile grew on his face as he recognised his beta. He nodded a welcome as the wolf silently took a place at his alpha’s side. “Kastiel, this is-“ His words came at the same time as Valmai’s, and he found himself letting her take the lead. No! Bad Toiro! You aren't going to be a very good alpha if you let loners be more dominant than you! He shook himself thoroughly, trying to get into the right mindset.
“We’d better get going if we’re to make it to Tiayr by nightfall” he said, glancing at the two wolves to make sure they were listening, before heading in the direction that his beta had come from. He wasn’t sure exactly how far they’d have to travel to find the other alphas of Anikira, but he thought that the Oriens would be a good place to start off. Of course, they wouldn’t be able to make it in one day seeing as it was already mid afternoon, but at least they were heading in the right direction.
“How did your exploration go, Kastiel?” Toiro glanced over at his friend, a big smile on his face. He felt much more confident when the other wolf was around, even though they’d only known each other for a few days.
Valmai broke the silence that followed the Kastiel’s words, explaining how she’d come across Airila. Toiro looked at her in wonderment. How could she stay awake for so long? Wolves needed sleep; especially energetic ones like her. He shrugged the thoughts off and concentrated on what she was saying. Her next words halted him in his stride. He turned to look at her, as if trying to decipher her intentions. When he saw that she was serious, a huge smile lit up his face and he answered eagerly. “Of course we’ll let you stay! It would be a pleasure to have you in our pack” His tail wagged, slowly but happily. Airila was now a pack of three!
Snow crunched softly underneath his paws as he lead the way towards the border at a brisk pace. The land was so beautiful. The blizzard seemed like something that had happened in a dream, not in this friendly white wilderness. He felt like jumping for joy, but of course alphas didn’t do silly things like that, especially not in the company of their betas. Still, he couldn’t contain the happiness inside him. Bounding forwards, he launched into the air and landed clumsily in a big snow drift, sending the stuff flying everywhere. His head poked out of the top of the pile and he grinned cheerfully at his companions, inviting them to play.
Kastiel had barely even stepped into place before he was dragged into the conversation by the eager stranger. His smile was light, controlled, as through wanting to show an open warmth but unwilling to immediately trust a stranger. Before it had been only himself to watch over, now he had an Alpha to guard as well. Torio spoke a moment after, as through his own words had been swallowed previously and only now had the chance to surface. Kastiel disagreed with the way his Alpha had lacked dominance over the rogue. If he showed himself to be one that another could freely walk over, then walk over him others would. Kastiel was naturally protective, and with Torio being his alpha, it was Kastiel’s responsibility to see to his protection.
His leader gave him direction, and still without murmuring a word, he began to walk beside his Alpha. He knew the other had given her name to him, but his alpha had already given free his beta’s name, and there was no reason for Kastiel to repeat it. It was only after Val’s speech, did his Alpha finally draw words from his beta – he asked after Kastiel’s exploration. “I need to look further yet to tag our herds, but I know without doubt there is prey within our territory. Aside from Val here, I have scented no other wolves on our territory, and every step travelled so far is memorised in my head” Maybe it was somewhat formal, but with the way his Alpha had relaxed so easily, Kastiel was on edge. There was a stranger on there land and Kastiel still didn’t have a grip on her personality.
Moments later, his Alpha was letting free his energy, jumping along the stacked white snow. He seemed so puppyish, so innocent. He gave away his firm grip on land for a roll along the snow, he would be so easy to pounce now, so unprepared. Kastiel had to fight the urge not to bare his teeth at Val, to warn her that well his Alpha was unprepared – he was not unprotected. Kastiel seated himself to watch the younger wolf let loose – knowing that he didn’t have it in him to show his own puppy nature. In fact, watching Torio set a ripple of hurt through his heart – he envied the other his ability to simply relax and let the worries of the world slid off his shoulders. Dust had that ability as well, his beloved, lost sister. Kastiel’s face remained impassive, but for the warning set for Val’s eyes only.
image {c} Sakarri@flikr.com Manip {c} Haptic to Sea <3
"Aw gee, you're too sweet, Kiddo! Thanks a million!" Val chirped happily, her tail wagging a mile a minute. Her grin stretched from ear to ear as she let her gaze take in the sights of her two pack mates. That had been a lot easier than she'd thought! Not that it bothered her. Hanging with these guys would be so much better than having to make do on her own. Life would certainly be a lot less lonely, especially during the day. Now if only the beta would loosen up a bit.
She didn't miss Kastiel's warning glance. Own eyes narrowing in response, she watched him for several long minutes. He sat in the snow like a rigid soldiers, possessive and threatening in presence alone. If he thought he was going to scare her off, he had another thing coming. The female was not so easily swayed, especially when she'd already taken a shine to the alpha. Toiro was still a kid, and being a big kid at heart still herself, she really liked that. It made her comfortable, versus being around an alpha past his prime or strict in orders.
And given Toiro's own comfort around her, she could not figure out what the beta's problem was. Did he really not trust his alpha? If she was a threat, she was a damn stupid one. What sort of idiot waited for a second pack member to show up before launching an attack? A chuckle tickled her throat. Charging forward, she dashed eagerly through the snow with no direction in mind, gaining speed. When finally she was moving fast enough she turned and headed straight for the beta, throwing on the brakes at the last minute in order to skid to a stop. Snow sprayed everywhere as she attempted to bury him in the soft powder. By the time it settled, she herself was covered in the wet white stuff and laughing genuinely.
"You ain't always such a stick in the mud, are ya mister beta?" she asked, raising a brow as she judged his reaction. No harm, no foul, right? She hadn't actually attacked, nor had she even had the intent of attacking. She just wanted to get the guy to loosen up a bit and enjoy himself. If they were going to be family now, she couldn't have him hating her right off the bat. Valmai disentangled herself, giving her coat a good shake before shifting to view both higher ranked males, that innocent, playful grin still on her face. She was quite pleased with her silly little game regardless of what the others thought. Hopefully Kastiel wasn't serious enough to not know how to take a joke.
The intense blizzard that had made navigating the area so frustrating had finally let up. He was heading North, and luckily the snowstorm of earlier hadn't knocked him off course. He took a quick second to sniff at the air and ground, he didn't pick up any marking of territory, but on the other side the scent could have been blown away by the blizzard.
Bear carried on deeper into the woods, hoping to find some pray or at least a spot he could use to sleep for the night. Bear had left Kamari in search of a smaller pack that a loner had passed by, and a Pack was what Bear needed. Though he had second thoughts, the living in Kamari was day-in-day-out and tough, but he kept afloat and alive. I need food, and shelter... Brrr. Kamari was mildy cold and had traces of snow, but the North was just plain freezing to him.
Bear shoveled some of the snow into his mouth with his tounge. In the snow bleached land, water was plentyful, but prey was a different story, but maybe he's just looking in the wrong area in this unfamilliar territory. A while later he found a dead rabbit, succumbed to the cold. It wasn't choice meal, he didn't know how long that thing was dead, but hungry is hungry so he ate until he was full enough to remain nourished. That was one of the most nastiest things I have eaten in my entire life, blech!
Bear stopped, he caught a whiff of something and took another smell. At this point there was no doubt, other wolves were near by. He worried he might have unexpectedly ventured into someone's packlands. Bear kept his tail lowered and hoped to pass by unoticed, but odds were he was going to have to deal with them. I hope they're friendly. he told himself, as there were at least three, and that would be a one-sided fight.
Toiro’s happiness began to drain away when he saw the look on Kastiel’s face. He must have looked so immature and vulnerable, playing carelessly in the snow. As he scrambled to his paws with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face, he noticed a mischievous gleam in Valmai’s eyes.
A smile spread across his lips as he prepared to dodge her play-attack, but at the last moment she swerved and headed for Kastiel instead. Toiro let out a groan, followed by a roll of the eyes and a weary shake of the head. Sure, their encounter would be fun to watch, but didn’t she realise how much danger she could be putting herself in? However, it was difficult not to get caught up in Val’s cheerfulness, and Toiro was about to encourage his beta to play when a barely audible noise distracted his attention.
His ears swivelled around, trying to pinpoint its location. Surely it wasn’t another trespasser? A quick sniff told him that the intruder was indeed a wolf. Toiro narrowed his eyes and peered into the trees, his expression unreadable. “Quiet, you two. I think there’s someone else in our territory” The comment was directed at Valmai and Kastiel, but since his attention had been solely focused on the stranger, he had no idea whether they had picked up on the disturbance previously. After the last intruder’s reaction to his weird greeting, he decided to take a more subtle approach. Maybe he needed to be stricter too. After all, he couldn’t welcome every wolf that trespassed onto his lands with open arms.
“Who is it that wanders in the territory of Airila without permission? If you come in peace, please show yourself immediately” It sounded a bit too formal for his liking, but after his recent vulnerability in the snow, he was feeling quite defensive. Still, part of him was hoping for another potential member, and he found himself eagerly anticipating the male’s arrival.
Kastiel’s eyes where locked upon his playful alpha, and as Toiro turned to see him there eyes connected. The Beta’s heart sank, and he had the terrible feeling he had let his leader down in some way. He could see the note of common sense return to his face, the gleeful moment slipping away, ready to be forgotten. Kastiel felt this was somehow his fault, and he was torn between grateful and resentful, for ruining his Alpha’s mood, and for putting a piece of sense back in his mind. The look shared between the two passed, and Kastiel’s attention drifted once more to Val. Speaking of the devil - for a split moment, as Vall’s paws hit the snow, it seemed she might be moments from heading towards the Alpha. Kastiel was off his behind in a second, fangs beared and a growl just beginning in the back of his throat. Barely a moment passed, but the newcomer took on a more direct path, coming right at him like a bird darting through the air.
Obviously, time can’t really freeze, but the moment seemed so slow through Kastiel’s eyes. This happy, easy relaxing, worriless wolf took on a new name. for a moment, one, single moment, she was no longer Val – she was Dust. The look of intense child-like need for play upon her face took on that distant expression Dust had always worn. It wasn’t the attack that rendered Kastiel helpless, it was the expression. The beta, sworn protector of the Alpha, dropped everything that held him to reality. She skidded to a stop before him, the moment had already passed. A painfully helpless expression began to take root on Kastiel’s face. It barely even started before he was shaking it away once more, shaking his head in mock disproval to the others play.
By Mother Nature, she was so alike to Dust it hurt. Torio’s voice stole his attention before Kastiel’s mind could comprehend the change of view he held for the newest member of there pack. Kastiel was at attention once more, whatever effort Val had taken to melt the ice about the soldier’s heart was wasted, the wall grew once more and his face was stern as he moved to stand beside his Alpha. Torio spoke this time, with more authority then he had mastered so far. Kastiel’s tail wagged lightly behind him in respect to this approach, and he waited in silence to see what would happen next. With, yes, be astonished, his back to Val, unprepared if she decided to mount an attack then and there,
image {c} Sakarri@flikr.com Manip {c} Haptic to Sea <3
Bear heard the commands of one of the wolves, and went into their direction hesitant and nervously, "Hold on! I mean no harm! he could feel himself shaking a little, fur standing on end. "Just trying to find my way through, the snowstorm gave me a bit of a cold and clogged my sniffer a little. I'm not in trouble am I?" Bear asked quite nervously. There were two other wolves with him, Is this the pack I heard about? Bear contemplated asking if he could stick around if he wasn't ripped apart by these wolves.
Bear sneezed, then took a drink from the snow. The Alpha wolf was staring him down, and Bear lowered his tail to show submissiveness to appeal to the wolf and maybe get on his good side as a first impression. Bear thought over what he would say to try to ask about staying considering the wolf didn't kick him out or kill him first, which was probably a more urgent matter to think about. Could I outrun these three if they try to attack? I may be able to fight one off, but being the bad end of a three-on-one fight would be my last resort. What am I saying? I don't even know if their hostile yet!
Bear decided to speak up once more, "Well, my name's Bear, could I ask what yours is?" Bear attempted to show the other wolf he had nothing to hide by revealing his name, and then maybe this other wolf would tell him his. Bear was very tense about the situation, but maybe that was a bad thing to show this stranger. Bear waited for a response from any of the wolves across from him.
Toiro’s ears flicked forwards as the bushes rustled and a young male, much like himself, stepped out into the clearing. He nodded at the other wolf’s apology, happy to see that he wasn’t looking for a fight. “No, no, you’re not in trouble. The weather has been quite cold lately and I can understand how you could stumble onto our territory without realising it”
Still, he was weary about the fact that two wolves had used the same excuse in one day. His eyes flicked briefly towards Valmai as the paranoid part of him wondered whether they knew each other and were plotting some kind of attack. The thought was quickly dispelled. Although he had only known her for a short period of time, he could tell that Valmai wasn’t the type of wolf to do something like that.
His attention turned back to the newcomer as he spoke once again. “It’s nice to meet you, Bear” Toiro nodded politely. “My name is Toiro. I am the alpha of Airila, the pack which rules over the land of Shyia.” He smiled gently as he spoke, aware of the other wolf’s nervousness.
He wondered whether Kastiel approved of giving so much information away, but he couldn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t have replied to the question, and it would have seemed very rude if he’d refused. Anyway, this wolf was nothing to be afraid of. It was three against one, and Bear didn’t look that much older than Toiro.
Toiro stood in silence, finally giving his pack mates a chance to speak. He looked across at Kastiel, hoping that he’d warm up again and introduce himself. The beta had seemed slightly annoyed that Toiro had given his name to Val without his permission, so Toiro wasn’t going to throw Kastiel's name out into the open again. Valmai had also been oddly quiet. She hadn’t spoken once since Bear had arrived, and he wondered what she was thinking.
Suddenly, he became aware that he was staring off into space, so he returned his attention back to Bear. He resisted the temptation to invite the wolf to join his pack, but he knew that it would make him sound desperate. A glance up at the sky told him that it was nearly evening, and he wondered whether they would make it out of the territory by nightfall.
(OOC: sorry about short post, crap day for writing lol)
The other wolf, who's name was reavealed to be Toiro, showed a calm demeanor towards Bear, and forgave him about crossing in to his territory. This reilieved Bear, and he relaxed a little, "Say Toiro, I'm having a hard time navigating in this weather, you mind if I join up with your group?" Bear wondered if that was abrupt or rude, but he had less to worry about since Toiro was friendly.
Bear sneezed again, grabbed a mouthful of snow, and let it melt in his mouth before gulping it down. He looked back up to the other two wolves with Toiro, the black-coated one seemed more serious than the others, and Bear was slightly intimidated, but still kept his guard down. He didn't want to seem to squirrley, so he passed up speaking first to the others, and waited for a response from them or Toiro.
((OOC from Admin: Bear, you've got to be sure it's your turn to post in the thread before you make another post. Several people were skipped due to this post. On the note of this post, if you don't have enough muse to make a long enough post, then wait. This is the second post in a row under the 300 word mark, and it's well below it.))
Last Edit: Apr 17, 2011 19:24:12 GMT -5 by Uruviel
