New Horizons [Open]

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Vixen limped across the golden sands towards an unknown destination. The travelling was not good for her leg, and it had caused the old pain to flare up again. But the desert couldn’t go on forever, could it? She found that she didn’t mind the openness of it – the clear blue sky above and sandy hills stretching out as far as the eye could see gave her room to think.

Isata was dead. She doubted that Jay had the motivation to get it back up on its feet, since his time had been mostly spent sulking in silence thinking about Sapphire. She wished that he would be able to get over the alpha’s death and start a new life; she was unaware that he’d been killed by a herd of stampeding deer not long after she’d departed. Dihren was a fine warrior, and she hoped that he too was able to move on and find some other pack. None of them could reach their full potential in Isata, which was the reason why she had left. Perhaps she also wanted to leave on her own terms, instead of feeling lost when the pack was eventually disbanded. It was easier not to see the end of the once-great pack.

Unfortunately Haishin too appeared to be going the same way. She’d gone straight through their territory to get here, and yet she hadn’t seen a soul. The borders had been marked, but the territory seemed empty – she had only been able to pick up stale scents within the lands. Perhaps there was something going on that the members had to attend to, but she was quite sure that it was no longer the huge pack she had been born into.

Every pack she’d touched seemed to have withered. Haishin, Isata, and even Airila didn’t sound as if it was doing too well. Was she bad luck? Were all the packs she joined doomed to fall? Why couldn’t she have a home?

Vixen suddenly came to a stop with an undignified squeak. She had come to the top of a dune to find that the ground dropped steeply away in front of her paws. The fox like creature peered down over the edge of the little sandstone cliff. It wasn’t far to the bottom, maybe only a couple of metres. It was almost like a little canyon. She padded around to one of its ends and then carefully descended down the gentle slope. Ah, that was better! There was a little shade beneath the canyon wall, shade which she hadn’t realised she needed. The territory was much hotter than Tiayr, and although she was half desert breed it was strange being in such a different climate. A few plants were down here too, although the only one she even vaguely recognised was a cluster of red ominah clinging onto the sandstone. Now what was that used for? Her mind scanned everything Akitla had taught her but she just couldn’t remember.






((Note: This thread was made just before the claiming thread so she is not trespassing))

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Scout couldn't remember why he had been out during the day. His fur stuck to his body and his pads burned on the sand. He hadn't gone out to look for herbs no, he did that at night when the temperatures were cooler. Maybe he had gone out because he couldn't sleep well. He hadn't gotten used to the desert time here. His body wasn't used to sleeping for long periods of time during the day. Only for a few hours.

He thought about returning to the pack dens, until he saw a little wolf that appeared to be a fox laying under some shade. He wanted to see who it was and if they needed water or medical attention. He didn't have his basket with him for whatever reason. He probably had forgotten it at the dens, thinking he would only be gone for a little while. As he approached the little fae he discreetly examined her, trying to see if she had any swollen limbs or any sign of sickness. The little fae was small enough for him to carry on his back to the dens if she really needed it. Or, he could howl to Rasalas who could bring anything that they needed. Hello. He greeted the fox like fae as he realized that she too was a young wolf. It appeared that many pups would be coming around into the desert.

He too, sat by the little wall in the "canyon" of sand. He didn't mean to enter her personal space but, he needed shade as well. Even though he was a full-blooded desert wolf, he still needed shade. He wasn't incredibly close to her. He was maybe five feet away but, he knew that some wolves, especially young female wolves, had large personal space walls. Particularly with strange males. Which, was something that Scout could understand.

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They were actually very pretty flowers, she noticed as she examined them. Their petals were bright red, almost like blood, and they looked good growing on the sandstone. But it was really bugging her that she didn’t know what they were used for. Her memory for herbs was always so good so why had she forgotten this one?

Vixen was so intently focused on the plants that she didn’t notice the stranger approach until he was down in the little canyon with her. Ears swivelled, followed by her head. Surprised silver eyes flickered over the wolf and she almost didn’t notice his greeting.

“Oh. Hello”

The strange wolf was a little bigger her, but that didn’t frighten her. After all, she was a runt and most wolves were bigger than she was. Vixen also wouldn’t be surprised if he had thought she was a fox, considering her fur was the right colour and she was small and skinny, with a pointed muzzle. Her size also gave her the appearance of being younger than she was, although she wasn’t really that old to begin with. According to the seasons she remembered she would reach her second birthday in spring.

“Would you happen to know what these plants do?” She indicated the red flowers with one paw. It was merely an attempt at starting a conversation, as she was afraid that her startled greeting had made her come across as rude. “I’m afraid I seem to have forgotten…”

She was sure that Akitla had mentioned it sometime. But the white wolf had gone. The past few months had been so boring with her learning going nowhere and nothing else to do but gather the herbs she did know in case there was some sort of freak accident. Sapphire had been a good alpha though, and Isata had always had peaceful relations with neighbouring packs so there were never any battles. She half-wished she could join a pack where there was some fighting, just so she could experience the challenge of having her knowledge put to use. But first, she needed to learn more, and without a teacher that was unlikely to happen. Sure, she could experiment by herself, but she was afraid of accidentally ingesting some plant that could kill her. If only there was a shaman who was willing to teach her.


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The little fox-like creature seemed to be surprised at his greeting. It didn't bother the small brute much. She seemed to be focusing an a very beautiful flower resting on a sand rock.

He smiled at her when she did greet him in return. Perhaps he had been wrong about her age. Her facial features would suggest a wolf that had at least a year under their belts. Despite the small fae's pointed muzzle that gave her a young fox look, Scout was now able to understand that perhaps she was older.

When the young fae asked about the beautiful flower and what it did, Scout was pleased. It wasn't often that one came across a young wolf that was interested in the art of medicine. Scout himself hadn't started practicing until he was older. He smiled as he explained what the flower did. Ah yes, that is the Red Ominah. It is full of caffeine and will keep a wolf up for days. It wasn't often that he talked about herbs with another wolf so, this was a fairly new experience for him. Though, it was nice to speak with a younger wolf about herbs and help them in their studies. Though, he did wonder where her teacher was and why she was out here alone.

Where is your teacher? If you don't mind my asking. Scout asked her curiously. He didn't know of many other Shaman around other than Rasalas and himself. But, it was nice to hear that the practice was still alive. Not many wolves devoted their lives to the practice of medicine. They were more concerned with being hunters or warriors. But, what good are hunters and warriors if they get sick and no one is there to heal them? That was the way that Scout thought about it. He thought that being a Shaman was as important as anything else was.

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What? This wolf actually knew what properties the flowers had? In all her life she’d met only two wolves who knew anything about herbs, and one of them was now dead, the other probably as well. Shamans were rare creatures, although she had heard that one had taken up residence in the Amar pack. Perhaps she would go and visit him someday.
But right now, here in front of her, was a wolf who seemed to have knowledge of the lost art of healing. Of course, he could have been making it all up since she’d admitted that she didn’t know herself, but there wasn’t much point in that, was there? Anyway, he seemed like an honest wolf.

She listened carefully as he explained what red ominah did, concentrating fully upon the Iranian. Oh, that was probably why she’d forgotten it. The flowers didn’t sound as though they would be much use, and it was so far to travel in order to collect them. But she quickly reminded herself that Tiayr was no longer her home; she was a loner now.

“My teacher? She… she left. I don’t know where she went. She just… left.” Vixen blinked her silver eyes a couple of times to stop the tears that were threatening to come. She would not cry in front of this stranger. “I used to be part of the Isata pack. Perhaps you have heard of it? But then again, we were up in the far north so maybe not. And… we didn’t last very long. Half of the members just vanished, including our alphess, and the beta… well, he was not really fit to lead the pack.”

She didn’t know why she was spilling all this information about her old pack to this stranger who she didn’t even know the name of. Perhaps it was because she thought she had something common with him. Perhaps she was lonely.

"My name's Vixen, by the way."


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Scout honestly didn't see much need for the plant either unless one wanted to torture a wolf by forcing him to stay awake for days on end. He hardly ever collected them for anything. Sometimes he had loners asking him for some but, he would never give them any. As generous as Scout was, he was also smart. He knew when a wolf was addicted to something. Although, the plant didn't have addictive qualities to it, one could get addicted to anything. It was especially obvious when a wolf asked for a specific plant. It was a dead giveaway. Coupled with the fact that it was practically useless.

Oh, well if you are looking for someone to teach you, I would be glad to help you with your studies as well as bring you to my friends so they can meet you. He felt bad that her teacher had just left her. In Scout's opinion she couldn't have been that great of a teacher or, if she was, she had some issues. It was wrong just to abandon someone, especially someone whom you were teaching. He wanted to offer his services to her. Only if she wanted it though. Sometimes, wolves only wanted to be taught by a specific wolf and that was fine. But, if she did want to keep going in the field, he was capable of teaching her. Aries, Rasalas and Kyra were good wolves as far as he knew. They would accept her. Yes, I do believe I have heard of it. He nodded as he thought. Yes, they were in the Tiayr region. They had been a very peaceful pack. Scout would have liked to meet their alphess, she must have been a great wolf. Scout always respected wolves who could keep peace.

He didn't mind that she was telling him things. He actually liked it. He liked to be close with others. I'm Scout. He smiled at her. She had a cute name. He was glad to be making a new friend today. It seemed that the desert had lots of new friends for Scout. He had already met four wolves! That was pretty impressive. It was way more than when he was in colder climates.

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Vixen pawed at the ground, watching the soft orange sand sift through her claws. It was nice out here in the desert. The temperature was a lot warmer than she was used to but she had a short pelt and she was sure she could get used to it. Often she wondered what the brute who had sired her looked like; her mother and siblings had been thick furred tundras and the only place she could have possibly gotten those startling silver eyes was from her father. She was distracted from her thoughts however when the Iranian spoke about the possibility of helping her learn more about healing.

“Oh? Would you really? I would love that, Scout.” Vixen’s white-tipped tail wagged happily behind her. She had never expected that she would find someone to teach her so soon after leaving Isata; and such a nice wolf as well. He seemed very friendly and willing to help her out, and she was glad that she hadn’t run into some kind of psychopath. She was a bit confused about his friends though. “Who… who are your friends? How far away are they?” This didn’t make much sense to her. Wasn’t he a lone wolf? She didn’t mean to be rude but lone wolves didn’t usually have friends, did they? And there was no pack in the Occasus as far as she knew, unless she’d totally missed the scent markers, which was quite unlike her. Of course, he could be that shaman from Amar just out gathering herbs for his pack but surely he would have told her before offering to be her mentor…

Suddenly a claiming howl cut through the air and the fox-coloured wolf instinctively crouched lower to the ground, ready to flee at a moment’s notice. It reminded her of the day Sapphire had claimed Tiayr, although back then she’d only been a pup and didn’t know how dangerous pack wolves could be. She wasn’t sure but she thought there was a threatening note to this howl – especially that bit about how the deserts kill quickly – and she realised with a jolt that she could now be considered a trespasser. It didn’t sound as if the howl’s owner was far from here either… hopefully they wouldn’t start patrolling their new territory immediately after claiming it but it was best to be gone long before then.

She glanced towards Scout, wondering what they were going to do. She didn’t know these southern lands very well so she didn’t know what direction they should run. She was fairly sure that the notorious pack called Descai was to the west… or was it to the east? She hoped Scout knew because she certainly didn’t want to run into them. Vixen had heard of aggressive packs but had never really paid the stories any attention, believing that Haishin would always remain her home. Her new pack had been peaceful too, but what if she’d just gotten lucky and those were the only ones like that on Anikira?



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This desert had become his home in a very short period of time. The sands became a familiar sight and he had become old enough now to want to settle down in one area. The life of a loner was a difficult one and even though it came with many freedoms, it also came with many dangers. Scout needed to stay in one area, the long days of continuous travel from region to region would take a toll on Scout's joints. It didn't hurt him to run or to climb but, the long traveling days had to come to an end. Besides, he met some very nice wolves here.

As Vixen accepted his offer, Scout's tail also wagged back and forth. He had never had a student before but, he was quite knowledgeable and always wanted to be a teacher. My friends? Oh, they aren't far. Their names are Aries, Rasalas and Kyra. They are all really nice. Kyra's only a few months younger than you, I think. As Scout explained who his friends were to this little fox-like creature, he smiled at her. He was excited to have given her some place to stay, sort of. He couldn't have bared to allow a young wolf such as this one to fair alone in the desert all by herself. Even though her coat may have been thin enough, she wouldn't have known where the water was. She was old enough to hunt for herself but, did she know how to? He had met a grown wolf, not much younger than himself, who didn't know how and had a weasel hunt for him.

A claiming howl went into Scout's ears and a smile went onto his face. That's Aries! He was excited for her. She had spoken about possibly making a pack but, now it was coming true. But, as Vixen looked up at him with her eyes asking him what they should do, Scout wanted to comfort her a little bit. Don't be afraid, Aries won't hurt you. C'mon, I want them to meet you. He smiled before motioning his head for her to follow and then turning and jogging to where the howl had come from.

This had become a great day! He had gotten a new student and Aries had gotten her pack.