It was as if every pack in the surrounding area had disappeared. The Occasus was silent as Zethrox approached its border between his lands and Vee's. Nothing seemed to be moving, and no one was around. Why is everything so still? he wondered. He was not sure if it was due to the harshness of the summer (he could feel the heat beating on his thicker coat and wished that there was some relief other than jumping in the river) or if the pack had simply disappeared like Aldgar had done before. One thing was sure: if the land was left open, Zethrox was going to take the opportunity to snatch it up.
The rocks around the river were void of moss, as the green, fuzzy leech was torched by the intense temperatures. Zethrox watched peacefully as small fish jumped and minnows swirled in the shallows. The river was quite alive, but the land around it was void. He could not imagine a pack surviving here long, but it was also the middle of the summer. And, since he had been handed the opportunity on a silver platter, Zethrox was going to try his hardest to collect as much territory as possible. This area will be a great hunting region during the winter, he considered. He knew how most of the larger prey fell Kamari during its coldest days, and hunting was scarce. The brute was weighing his options heavily, and this was favorable to his plans.
If I can control an entire section of the continent, then Kamari will be borderline invincible, he dreamed happily. It was the rogue blood in the alpha manifesting itself. Zethrox was not content to sit on his butt and order wolves around all day. He needed excitement, and it was coming in the form of invasion, one area at a time. The pack will be invincible. We will be an empire, he thought hopefully, knowing that that dream could potentially be a reality in the near future. It would just take a little bit of work, and he would have the control he needed to spread the pack's roots out even further.
Haishin was a great pack. Zethrox was doing everything in his power to make it greater than in already was. The brute emitted a short, claiming howl, announcing his challenge of the current pack's occupation of the river. Even if he only collected the river, that would be an excellent addition to Haishin's claims. The Oriens, then the Occasus. Where to next? he wondered.
The blazing sun baked painfully down on burning earth, no place safe from its scorching rays. Afternoon in a desert summer was the worst time of year. Dead heat rolled through the territory, even the lizards too weary of getting fried alive to stay out for very long. Everything was just too hot at this time of day. Which is why Zahir slept when other packs walked the land.
Irirangi, the beta, had been curled up in one of the deepest parts of the dens. Cool stone had long since lost is clammy touch, heated from below by the rivers of magma. It was impossible to get comfortable and heat always added to irritation. Which is why her tempered flared as a curt howl bounced off the walls of the den. A challenge? At this time of day? Seriously? The she-wolf snarled, not at all pleased that she was now required to leave the comfort of darkness.
Not far from her lay another curled up form. This one was less solid in body, the ghost of an alphess that still dwelled with her pack. Alya was still hanging around, still unable to move on. If Zahir was being challenged for ownership, that would mean Alya had another reason to not move on. The Maned female huffed as she rose to her paws. Great. Just what she needed. Another excuse to keep a cantankerous ghost around.
For a brief moment she considered just sending Alya to greet their visitor. Spirits didn't feel the effect of the desert heat. It was too bad that idiotic Haishin alpha couldn't see the dead. It would have been so convenient! Seriously. What was he thinking, trying to take the desert in the middle of the afternoon. "You coming, Alya? I doubt you'll want to miss this."
The unearthly Iranian rose her head which was quickly followed by her body. She ghosted along behind her host (no pun intended), keeping silent for the majority of the trip. She knew better than instigate the medium at this time of day. The results would be disastrous; the unbearable heat made everything twenty times worse. Plus, Alya was calculating. It had been a long time since they'd last met with the Haishin alpha, not since Ardemu was still alive. Had she herself still been living just the thought of that brute would have made her blood curdle.
Which is why the sight of Zethrox instantly put her on the defensive. The ghost was still bitter about not being able to finish off the Knave leader herself. And now the one that had stolen her glory was here to try and take her land. Head and tail held high, the tiny Iranian wasted no time in asserting her dominance here despite the fact that Irirangi was the only one able to see it. "Zethrox. I should have known you couldn't be trusted. What do you want with my land?"
Irirangi didn't have the energy to chastise the ghost for forgetting her compromised state. It was too hot. The walk from the dens had been longer than she would have liked despite most of it being along the water. Her tongue lolled from one side of her mouth, chest panting heavily with each breath. But despite her fatigue, she still stood regally in front of the male, silver eyes severe as she stared him down. Her own greet was less formal as she outright insulted the alpha. "I suppose this puts an end to our alliance. I think the heat has fried your brain, Haishin alpha. Only an idiot, especially a shaggy idiot, would try to cross the desert in the afternoon. Though really, the sooner I leave you to die in the sun the sooner I can get back to sleep. That will solve this little challenge issue and the alliance one. Though it will be a pity that Haishin is left leaderless because their alpha was an eager old fool. Next time learn about your surroundings before making stupid assumptions. Even Alya has that tact."
Zethrox was remotely amused as he watched Irirangi and, he assumed from his previous encounter with the femme, the ghost of Alya, strode toward him. He was curious what sort of harsh words the femme would have for him; yes, he was interested in expanding, but only into areas that were not currently occupied. It would seem that Zahir had not disappeared as he had expected, and it could possibly come back to bite him, literally.
"Irirangi," he greeted the female with a nod. "How is your alpha, Vee?" Zethrox was definitely suffering from the effects of the heat - he was almost delusional to the point of hallucinating. In fact, the brute could almost see another wolf standing there. He was going crazy!
"Zethrox. I should have known you couldn't be trusted. What do you want with my land?"
The little hallucination wolf spoke, and Zethrox stared dumbly. What a strange manifestation of the heat, he thought, blinking. As quickly as it had appeared, the figure vanished, and Irirangi's berating voice filled his ears. He was focused enough to gather the gist of her lecture, and he inhaled sharply before speaking.
"Indeed, my dear Irirangi, it is quite foolish," he agreed, a goofy smile plastered on his muzzle. "But as you can see, I come here for two reasons. Those being that I was curious to see if the pack still existed here, and if not, to add it to my own little collection. As you are still around, I am perfectly content to walk away." He laughed quietly, his body aching from exposure to the heat.
Zethrox continued with his explanation. Though he was eager to expand, he was not to the point of attempting to eradicate other packs in the process. "My presence here is actually not a threat to Zahir, you see. Because my arrival has confirmed that you are, indeed, still here. I feel no reason to bother you further, as I have no intentions of spreading my claims here if your alpha is still around. In fact, the lack of scent markers is a bit worrying. Perhaps recommending to your alpha that he re-mark his territory? That would have quite simply avoided this entire misunderstanding."
Irirangi had called him an eager old fool. While the words should have been offensive, he simply laughed and nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I am getting up in years. If I were to die of the heat here, the there is another who is prepared to lead in my stead. But I do not hope to take my last breath here. In fact, I would rather like to chat with your alpha, if it is at all possible?" he smiled the same friendly, warm smile that he wore around his pack. While he knew that Irirangi was angry (and Alya, no doubt, as well), he was not the kind of wolf to make a trip for no reason. Perhaps the two of them could speak cordially and catch up on the business of their territories. It had been quite some time since the brute had heard anything other than rumors of the other packs. I could have a nice chat with Exodus, as well, he thought, his head swimming again as the delusion-wolf reappeared. He or she looked quite angry, and Zethrox cocked his head to the side.
What did I do to upset you, brain wolf? he thought, laughing in his head. Or at least, he thought it was only in his head. In fact, the brute both spoke the words and laughed audibly, his stare now fixated on the pissed-off desert wolf before him. You do not look happy to see me. I'm not a threat, you see. Just a curious old badger, he explained to the imaginary wolf, his eyes twinkling.
((OOC: Because Zethrox is getting close to death, Alya is more visible to him. Just clarifying that now.))
The land was fire beneath his feet, simmering in his skin and boiling his blood. Heat was everything in this world of the sands, and its brutal onslaught brought every memeber down to its level. Walking between the relentless beating of the sun and the livid inferno of the earth, the elder was nothing but a conduit for their exchange. Now, as the great volcano loomed off in the distance, Siscarm could feel truly one with the earth and the air. His plodding was senseless and direct, his eyes blind to the world and his ears deaf as his mind slowly turned over and over. He was tired, his thoughts slowing and dulling every day in one long decrescendo, likely the final one of the opera. But still his body plodded onwards, as it always had. Well, up until a certain point.
As his meandering brought him sloshing through one of Aughgar's deeper bends, his senses returned to him, seeking to identify this new input. He was mistaken as to his location, it would seem, having expected to come to the river far later than now, however it was not an unwelcome mistake. Siscarm merely stood for a moment, the water trickling around his legs at its slow summer pace, revelling in the simple pleasure of a reprive from the heat. He was no longer a conduit of the sun's rays to the earth, now he was simply Siscarm again, and he took the needs of every old wolf.
He sat first, but he soon lay himself fully in the water, feeling it rush around him. Why had his feet brought him here? Perhaps his encounter before had set him a little off course. Perhaps fate brought him to a place where he could rest, not yet willing to sacrifice him to the desert air. He snorted at that thought, closing his eyes to the world. What a fanciful idea, that fate cared anything of his life. Luck brought him here, not just to this river, but to this point in his life. For a moment, the elder pondered whether it was good luck or not, however soon grew tired of this and simply lay himself at ease, slowly drinking from the stream at his leisure.
The world, as the stream, still moved around him, and a claimatory howl roused his rest. Were these not the lands of Zahir? Siscarm grumbled, slowly bringing himself back up. Did not Haishin have a home already? It would seem that the young wolves in this world didn't know their place as once they had. Water dripped from his coat, but he did not shake it off, preferring to keep the coolant on his body for as long as possible. The howl was not too far away, certainly out of sight, but from what he could tell it was tracked downstream. He ran the name in his mind. Had Siscarm personally met this alpha before? Scattered thoughts gave different answers, and the elder simply could not remember conclusively. He began to trot lightly towards the source of the howl, hopping out of the water so as to not come splashing towards the speaker. He wasn't going to sneak up on him in this landscape, but it would only be polite.
He spotted the group just as two wolves arrived to the howler. It was difficult to distinguish them at this distance, but they were clearly both native to the area, and very clearly hostile to the declaration of Zethrox. That said, the alpha seemed somewhat apathetic to their aggression, and the elder spotted him laughing at whatever one of them had said, just entering the periphery of earshot as he finished his rebuttal. An odd sort of diplomacy, this brute had.
"...at with your alpha, if it is at all possible?"
[/i]
Zethrox smiled warmly at the two, who Siscarm now noted as the young Irirangi and her wonderous guide Alya. Given his knowledge of these two, the elder was somewhat regretful that he missed their rant, but that business was passed. He silently entered the group as the alpha addressed Alya, referring to her as 'brain-wolf', which Siscarm thought an odd thing to say, but made no note of it as he smiled his tired smile at Irirangi and turned to speak to Zethrox.
"Her name is Alya, Haishin Alpha, and it would do well to remember it for her sake. I imagine she is upset at your claim here, and she's every right to be, but I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you that herself. I have a different sort of upset, though." Siscarm's smile slowly faded as he spoke, but dropped when he finished, narrowing his eyes at the Haishin alpha. "I am Siscarm, wanderer of Anikira and last Alpha of Aldgar, and I'd care to know why a young wolf is taking lands beyond what is needed."[/blockquote]
The pack of Zahir had all but disbanded, and Auden could not help but feel a smidge guilty for the desert packs second downfall.
After finding his mother in the Kinath mountain range, Auden could not believe his luck. There he was, on a path to discover himself, much like Dura was doing with his absence from the pack, and he found the one being everyone thought was dead. Why wouldn’t they? He and his father were told by his Uncles that they had murdered her. Now he could bring Avani home, begin to piece his family back together again. His father could find happiness once more, and with two solid leaders to run the pack, maybe Alya would be able to pass on to the other side. Auden could be proud to say he was from Zahir. If there had ever been a day of glory for the seemingly doomed desert pack, bringing his mother home and the days to follow her return would be the best days of the Zahir’s history.
If only his dreams ever became his reality… From the minute he met her, he began to wish he hadn’t. She was nothing like anyone in the pack had described her as. She did not even look like the female figure in all of his dreams. He wanted to leave her where he had found her, but could not bring himself to walk away. All his life he wanted his mother around, he wanted to know her, to be able to share a beautiful day with her, to be able to talk to her and share how he was feeling on a regular basis. All of that was within his reach, she was standing right in front of him…she was just incapable of fulfilling his dreams.
It was days before Auden could talk his mother in to leaving the shelter of the cave and travel across the continent to be reunited with her mate. The trip back home took even longer… Avani would just stop dead in her tracks, fearful of every living along the way. She would threaten that she wasn’t going any further, she couldn’t, and they weren’t safe. Trying his best to comfort and protect the individual who should be stronger and more independent than him was chipping away rather quickly at his mental and emotional stability. A mother completely dependent on her son; Auden was not prepared for this type of reunion.
Eventually the haggled pair reached the border of Zahir, and even though The Occasus were his home, he felt the urge to howl, as if he would be trespassing. In actuality, he could not wait any longer to dump his mother’s problems onto someone else. He knew it was a horrible way to think, but the thought could not be stopped. The memory of his father showing up is burned into the recesses of his mind; a movie clip that plays repetitively, still just as vivid as it was months ago. Vee was so delighted to see his son, home and safe. Auden really should not have left without saying a word. The large Tundra male’s gait picked up in speed and in grace, dancing his way to embrace his missing son; until he saw her… Avani peeked her head around Auden to see who was coming to greet them, and Vee stopped in his track, stupefied by what he saw.
That was when it all started. Vee tried desperately to bring Avani back up to speed, but she was overwhelmed with everything that was happening, she could not take the pressures of her Alpha life. Auden knew Alya would be sneering, having heard the tale of how she promoted Avani to Alpha status because she wanted to see her fail; and here she was, failing for the second time at leading Zahir to greatness. Auden avoided his mother most days, confused and uncomfortable around her. He considered leaving again, searching for the one wolf he knew was out there, Dura, and travelling Anikira with him. Maybe Dura had found a new home. Maybe Auden could join his pack, start fresh. No one would know he was the Heir to Zahir.
Avani’s return was short lived; she ran off one morning, unable to cope with her new lifestyle. This time, Vee was not going to let her take off by herself. He had nearly lost her last time, he could not stand to take that gamble a second time, and not when she was alive, if not well. No one really knew what to do after that. Iri was never really a part of the pack; Koaru did not know what to do with himself without some sort of direction from his Alpha, and Auden… Well he tracked his mother and father’s scent trails to the ocean shore where they disappeared in the salty waves. Looking out over the horizon, hazel eyes found his parent’s destination, a small island off the coast. They would be safe there, free from dangers and interruption. Auden prayed that his father was at least happy.
Auden never left that shore, not really anyway. He would travel only far enough to hunt for food and find fresh water. He was simply surviving out here, waiting for the day that either of his parents, or both, would wash back up on the shore. He wasn’t even sure if they were alive, if they had survived the battle against the current to reach the lonely island bank. Every so often, when he would wander to the Aughgar River he would slip back inside the lands of Zahir, always to find it deserted. Today was one of those days, resting in the shade by the river bank. This was one of his favorite spots; the edge was shallow and the current at its smoothest. Only if you wandered in to far did you run the risk of getting pulled away by the rapids. Auden was at the point where he was ready to move on. He could not waste his life away waiting for his mother some more. If either one of them ever came back, then so be it. He would welcome them back into his life with an open heart, and an open mind. He could not process the idea of love, at least a love like the one his parents shared. The only female in the old pack was Iri, and she was much older than he, not to mention he looked at her more of like an Aunt than a potential suitor. There was that one other female.. Zur..Zan.. something, but Auden was too enveloped in his own thoughts to think about courting her. Even if he could not understand why his father put up with his mentally ill mother, he could accept it.
Auden was glad when a foreign howl interrupted his thoughts on love and parents, though frustrated when he understood what the howl was asking. The foreigner was trying to claim a portion of The Occasus; ownership that was his birthright, not that he’d ever done anything to earn the status of Alpha. Though full of self-doubt, he swelled with pride in the lands that his father staked claim too for two years. He needed to at least meet this other wolf, circumstances depending…
The trek upstream was not long, his pace hurried due to the critical circumstances. Before long, his nose started to work in overdrive, overwhelmed by the myriad of scents lingering up ahead of him; one particularly distinct scent intrigued him, and pushed him faster and harder, a pace not recommended by desert dwellers in the afternoon Summer sun, but he had to know, was it really her?
His nose did not deceive him. Standing her ground was the infamous Irirangi with, no doubt, the former Alpha Alya. Auden was overwhelmed at the sight of her, ignoring all others as he entered the scene from stage left, sprinting. He had been sprinting towards her, ecstatic to see her alive and doing well. Screeching to a halt before her, he looked as if he might cry. “Iri,” he said through an exhale, a grin creeping onto his face. He withheld the urge to nuzzle up to her; she was family to Auden, no matter how much she may not have wanted to be. “Where’s Ayla?” he asked in a hushed whisper, completely ignoring the two elderly males behind him.
He turned to the males after acknowledging the spirits presence, having heard half of what the, “former Alpha of Aldgar” had said. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting gentlemen… I am the Alpha of Zahir. And yes dear sir, the spunky little wolf, as I am told, was the former Alphess of Zahir in the beginning of the pack. And if you can see her, then you must be blessed, for most cannot. Now, as far as claiming part of my territory…” he looked to each of the males heavily. Even if he had missed part of the conversation, he would be sure to catch up on everything that he had missed.
This claim to Alpha status was not like his last, where he forced the female away, and ran before he could propose his idea to his father. This time was true. He wanted this, more than anything he ever wanted in his life. He was old enough to think for himself, to deal diplomatically. He wanted the best for Zahir, and he would look out for the packs interest and each individual’s safety.
***** words: fifteen ninty four. muse: high. notes: 'nali will be so proud of meh; i completed the whole post on the net, in a couple of days!
((OOC: This is to un-stick Akihra from her thread and to un-stick Zethrox from this thread. Sorry, but I have nowhere to post because all my characters are stuck.))
Akihra growled under her breath; what was her idiot grandfather thinking? The femme could hear the echoes of his claiming howl from all the way in Kamari, and it was one of the poorest decisions he could have made. Especially because he went alone, she thought with a shake of her head. This was the last straw; Zethrox was getting to be senile.
The femme stalked after the brute and into the desert temperatures. How could he have even considered this as a good idea? Akihra emitted a short howl, alerting any nearby wolves to her presence before simply wandering into Zahir's territory. Because I know better, than fool, she thought. There was absolutely no logical train of thought in her grandfather's head. The pack was not sufficiently sized to overtake another territory. It was bad enough that she could not even find half the pack, let alone that their alpha was not smart enough to keep his ass in their territory.
A group of wolves filled the femme's view, and almost immediately she spied her dying grandfather about to topple over. As Akihra drew near, his form toppled to the ground, and she rushed to his side. She licked at his eyes and ears, trying her hardest to revive him from his heat-induced state. As she attended to her grandfather, she did her best to remain submissive to the wolves around her; after all, she was intruding on their territory. With one final thought, Akihra dragged Zethrox's nearly lifeless form to the water's edge and dunked his face in the water. The old geezer sprang to life, sputtering and twitching all over as she pulled him from the current.
"Stay here," she demanded tersely. Approaching the three other wolves, she dipped her head in a more formal greeting to each. "Greetings, I am Akihra. I do apologize for this unwelcomed intrusion. My grandfather has not exactly been in the best state of mind recently." Glancing backward at the now fully functioning brute, she growled as he attempted to open his mouth to speak. "Zethrox, have you not done enough?" she snapped, silencing him once more.
"Please do not allow this to reflect poorly on the relationship between our packs," she pleaded with the three. "I know that this could greatly strain dealings between us, and I beg forgiveness on behalf of Haishin's members and it is for this reason," she glanced back at the aged brute who now sat silently behind her, at her request. "- that I, as the only sufficient successor to the Haishin Pack, now claim that rank as my own. From now on, I am the Alphess of Haishin, and I will certainly deal with matters in a much more neutral, as well as sane, manner."
With her announcement made, she once more dipped her head to the wolves. "I will now take my grandfather back home. Disregard his claim to your lands, as they are your birthright, Auden." She knew the brute had not stated his name, but she also know of him. Wandering Anikira, the rumors of Zahir's problems had spread. How Auden's mother, Avani, was last seen in Aldgar's territory with the femme, Meikou. Akihra may have been young, but she was not naive to the somewhat hazardous world in which they lived. Things happened, and Akihra heard of them. It was, however, a bit of a shock to meet the new alpha in person. He looked too much of a winter wolf to rule over the deserts, yet she did not question his authority. Akihra was a respectable female, and for that reason, she was content to leave them to their lives without any further interference.
"Zethrox, we are leaving," Akihra commanded, and rose to her feet. The former alpha, now dethroned in front of another pack's superior ranks, dipped his head in shame and trailed his granddaughter, knowing that his actions had been out of line. "If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to call for me. I will do whatever is necessary to maintain a civil relationship between our packs," she reiterated, turning to the wolves once more. "And good luck in your wanderings, wise one," she respectfully addressed Siscarm. With that, Zethrox and Akihra disappeared back to Kamari.
