Sapphire looked out across Zozyr’s glory, a fantastic cliff that fell into the territory she had claimed. The sun was only now beginning to rise, despite how long Sapphire herself had been up this day. It wasn’t the first time the Alphena had sat here and watched the reach of the slowly rising sun stretch across the clouds in an unbelievable shine of colours. There was something calming about sunrises, about how vast and magnificent they were that made her troubles vanish, if only for a little while. She sat by herself in silence until every last trace of the orange glow had faded from the clouds, and the touch of the sun reached down across water, setting it on fire with a single touch. The sparkling, clear waters seemed so welcoming in the first rays of the sun, but today was not a day to enjoy herself it was one to discover the fate of this small pack she had banded together.
It had been days now, that Sapphire had reached this land and called out, claiming it as her own. None had challenged her right to it and instead wolves gathered to her, looking for a place to call home. She had been so proud that day, swelling with achievement and pride, both for herself and for Jay, the faithful friend who had stood by her since they had meet. Yet... she had no seen him in some time now, in fact she had seen no one. Just days ago she had been surrounded with life, and now she was all alone. Was this truly what was to be the fate of Isata, the pack that had lived for such a short amount of time? It seemed somehow wrong, hurtful that they would make these promises and then leave her. She must know the fate of these wolves, she must know why things had been nothing but silent in the beautiful, peaceful place she had claimed as her home.
The white fae lifted her glistening coat into the rays of the morning sun, and let a melody of her own making touch the wind that swirled so delicately against her. The song she rose was sad in its making, but there where tinges of hope and a calling to home. She could only hope that wolves would respond, and that those she had brought together would not leave her. The thought that every last one may very well have left, even Jay... sweet Jay, was heartbreaking.
Last Edit: Dec 2, 2011 16:48:02 GMT -5 by sapphire
Gathering the supplies needed for the stockpile that she was making had been difficult over the last few days, especially with taking care of that young pup named...Vixen, was it? No matter. She would learn all the names within time as it passed by. Besides, between taking care of the pup and trying to stock what herbs were left in the lands had become very hard for her. She was not as young as she once was and she knew age would creep up on her very quickly, when she was not looking. It would be strange to know that things had gone by so fast when she only remembered them like yesterday. Thought she did not want to age, it was something she would greet with kindness.
Sapphire's call did not surprise her. As the Shaman, maybe she should have done better to keep herself well rounded when it came to the pack members, but no one was injured and with winter approaching very fast, she needed what herbs still lingered on the ground. Anything green, anything useful to her. There were certain things she would leave be, things she could gather in the dead of winter if needed, but some things were needed right away. Her blue-green eyes darted about for a moment, and she tried to locate the cause for Sapphire's concern. Sure, she had not seen her since the initial meeting with the wolves, but then again...nor had anyone else.
Perhaps that was cause for concern.
Sighing, Akitla stood from her little sitting place where she was sorting herbs and turned to leave her little hiding place. It was a decent amount underground, beneath the bottom of a tree. It was filled with all sorts of crevices from the roots and such, leaving perfect places to store things. Labels nor indicators of which herb was where were unnecessary. She knew every herb by heart just by smelling them, so she did not need them. As much as she wanted to finish her sorting, she knew that the mental well-being of her leader was more important at that very moment. Besides, it might be good for her to get out and see some other wolves rather than little Vixen.
The Arctic wolf made her way through the woods where she was and out onto the hills, where she quickly spotted Sapphire's stark white form against the beautiful hills surrounding her. She seemed slightly distressed, perhaps from not having any contact from the others for days, but she planned on fixing that. Approaching her from the side, her voice reached out to her, gentle as a bell, "Do not fret, Sapphire. The others are still here. We all remain, but attempt to settle into this new home." Of course, this was the most explanatory of things that she could come up with, for she knew it was most likely. "Forgive my absence, Alphess. I have been collecting and stocking herbs for the coming winter."
Cona crouched low to the ground, sniffing loudly as she tried to find Akitla’s scent. No, that wasn’t right. She was Vixen now, not Cona. With a new pack came a new name. The name ‘Vixen’ had been inspired by the comments on how fox-like her coat was, and was one of the loving nicknames that her mother had given her when she was just a tiny pup.
Vixen bounded along through the forest, carefully following the trail of the pack Shaman. She really did suit her new name. Now that her condition had improved, mostly thanks to the care Akitla had given her, the strong reddish-orange base colour of her fur and the almost pure white of her underside, chest and tail tip were clearly visible. Being the runt of her litter, she would be close to the size of a fox when fully grown, and her unusually short fur wouldn’t make her seem any bigger.
Runt. The word was not so bad for Vixen to think about – in fact, she couldn’t see what was wrong with it. It just meant that she was small. She was probably stronger than most other pups, considering how many sicknesses she’d survived and gained immunity to. Sure, the limp which she’d had since birth was still there, but it didn’t slow her down much as she searched through the forest for Akitla. She’d learned to live with the pain, and had developed a special gait that put less weight on that paw.
Vixen’s little black-tipped ears perked up at the sound of a sad howl from her alpha. Why was Sapphire sad? The pup paused for a moment, cocking her head to the side in confusion. Abruptly, after a sudden realisation, she leapt back to her paws. Akitla might be there! The pup set off towards the cliffs at a run, nimbly dodging anything that got in her way.
Knowing Akitla, she’d want to comfort Sapphire. And Vixen did know her! How could she not, after all the time she'd spent with the older wolf? The healer had probably saved her life, and in return, the little pup had become devoted to her. That was mostly the reason why Vixen was stalking her now.
Soon she arrived, panting loudly as she bounced excitedly up to the two she wolves. “'Kitla! ‘Kitla! I found you, ‘Kitla!” Vixen cried, sounding very pleased with herself “Look how good my tracking skills are!”
A sad song shook the air as Nessa ran across the land. It was the calling of an Alpha; she seemed to be calling her pack. This was Nessa’s chance! She hurled herself ever faster, racing to the sound of the call so that she would not miss it. She stopped about fifty feet away from the howler; a white female. She was about to step forward before she found another wolf, another female, walking forwards. Nessa bared her teeth slightly, backing away into the shadows so that she would not be seen. She wasn’t ready yet. ’Come on, gal, push yourself!’ Nessa thought encouragingly. She forced herself to raise her tail –not in dominance, but as a confidence booster.
She stepped forward lightly, her wounds stinging. A whimper came from her maw, but she stifled it quickly. This was no time to be afraid. After all, it was only two females! Neither one of them seemed harmful to her, although Nessa knew that an Alpha, generally, was good when it came to combat. Otherwise, they would lose a challenge. Just as Nessa was about to step forward, a pup came shooting out of the blue, screeching what sounded like a name. Nessa snorted and took a step forward, feeling her body stiffen more and more, with every step she took.
She came into earshot, and heard the second female talking to the Alpha, whose name must be “Sapphire.” Nessa squared her shoulders and walked forward, tail held just a wee bit over neutral. But, it was just for confidence – her body portrayed that she did not wish to be dominant. She came up towards Sapphire and dipped her head in respect, though, of course, she said nothing. She glanced over the other female, and tried to smile at the pup. Because of her pain, she wasn’t sure it had worked out right; it could have been a grimace.
Nessa glanced back at the female, who, judging by the pups’ words and actions, must be “’Kitla.” Nessa gave her a meaningful glance, then turned around in a circle to show her the wounds. She also whined and nosed her own ribs. Kitla had said she’d been searching for herbs…maybe she’d have a painkiller of some sort.
Words;; 376 Muse;; Good Tagged;; Sea's Sapphire, Spirit's Akilta, and Jay's Vixen Mood;; Determined, frightened.
Last Edit: Dec 20, 2011 12:54:25 GMT -5 by sapphire
Sapphire had not needed to despair so readily, the gentle wolf she had happily named pack shaman arrived before her, and the easy air of confidence that accompanied her words made it hard to doubt them. Her eyes drifted to the edge of the cliff, she wasn’t upon the edge but the way the earth fell away made it easy to see the expanse of water that filled out for miles around. She wasn’t afraid of the sea, but her first experience on this land made her weary and respectful of its waters. The morning sun had bullied its way into the sky now, and the sea mirrored it’s brilliance with a different perspective of its gold shine. Shifting, and rippling with the movements of the water gave it an endless, layered look about it. It was hard to tear her eyes from the water, but she did so instinctively as a little shape came running towards herself and her member.
She had no time to be alarmed, and instead the sound of mirth left her mussel as she identified the shape and heard the words that left her mussel. It was the pup that had intruded upon her first gathering, whom Akitla had taken under wing. Here where two members before her, responding to her sad call with no hesitance. She looked out behind the two, watching for the rest of her friends Still no Jay… The part of her mind that still wallowed in the worry that her closest friend had left her refused to be silent. Her ear perked up however as another wolf pulled themselves from the shadows. This wolf was not Jay, and nor was she a member of this pack. Finally, the alphena brought herself to speak “Thank you, Akitla, your words mean a lot.”
She turned then to the pup, and nodded her head in greeting, knowing the pup was too young to be required at any meetings, she left her to her own devices. By now the slow moving wolf was close enough to learn a great deal about. Her scent told Sapphire that she was a loner, and there was the hint of injury mingled in the identifying smell. The wolf was before Sapphire now, but the alpha had no reason to be alarmed. The stranger lowered her head to the alpha, acknowledging her position in this land. But she said nothing, gave no reason why she had trespassed into the lands of another, nothing to say why she had answered Sapphire’s call with her presence. Nothing to say who she way, and how she had come about an injury. Still saying nothing to the Alpha, this stranger turned to her other member, and gave her a view of the wounds, clearly she was demanding that the other see to them.
Sapphire’s eyes darkened, and her full gaze fell upon this stranger. ” You have trespassed on my territory stranger, and I can see that you are injured. Akitla I will ask you to see to her injuries” Here she looked at her Shaman, her expression softening before moving back to the stranger ”however stranger I find you disrespectful and I expect you to explain yourself to me. I am Sapphire and I am sure you have gathered by now that I am the Alphena here. Who are you, and why are you here?”
The somber grey wolf made his way back toward the pack, unhappy with the conversation with Kadhi. He would no longer speak about it, as it was a sore subject. Jay and Kadhi had some serious history behind them, and it would take time for him to trust the arabian brute once more. Kadhi had a lot of work to do to earn back his trust, and it would have to start eventually. He sighed, eager to rejoin Sapphire and their new pack. I can't believe we actually have a pack, he thought gleefully, his mood lightening substantially at the sudden realization.
What had been merely a fleeting thought had become a reality, and Jay was eager to rejoin his alphess and see who had decided to stick around. He had felt empty since leaving Alearia back with the rest of the wolves and a tad bit uncomfortable. It wasn't that he did not believe she could take care of herself. No, he was more concerned about what she would say to them. The last thing he needed was for the remainder of the pack to be ready to attack his companion the instant she was left alone. While he trusted the little owl not to do anything rash, Alearia had a way of pissing others off that was unparalleled.
The voices of other wolves filled the brute's ears, and he smiled at the sounds. It was interesting that the unfamiliar cries of the pup and the soft words of the older wolves brought such comfort to him, but Jay was finally starting to come to terms with his older self. He had developed a sense of self-sufficiency that he had not possessed before. He did not depend on anyone else outside of Sapphire, who has sworn she would never leave him alone. While he may have been foolish to believe that she would never leave, he trusted her unconditionally. Jay was forever in her debt, even though he had not told her as much. His actions would prove it with time; he was her's to command.
Jay strode up to the wolves, his eyes fixated on Sapphire as his dipped his head in greeting to his alphess. She would likely notice that Kadhi had not followed, but he would not approach that subject just yet. It was something that would be handled later, away from the rest of the pack. "Sapphire, do you have anything you wish for me to take care of?" he inquired of her softly. He did not wish to interrupt the dealings of the others, but he needed to know what she wished for him to do.
