Now the pack had officially been formed and the Beta brute wandered with ease upon these lands. Aries indeed had not lied, and upon claiming the terrain she gave him the highest honors; well, highest other than herself obviously. Rasalas, although still slightly burdened with the situation from a day or so back, could not stay angry with the femme. Especially not on her special day, thus he supported her in the same way he always had. Rasalas was no liar, and he had told the femme that always he would return, and that he would care for her and the others as well. The red brute had no intentions of going back on his word, so despite the fact that he was still bothered by the situation he was not going to bring it up. Now Aries had many other things to worry about, and he would patiently wait until she mentioned to him anything. 'Maybe she does not even realize how abruptly she left?'
Slowly his shoulders rolled as the brute wandered towards Isdyn's Deep. Something about the old volcanic ash and smoke made the brute feel comforted. It was surprising actually that this was the place he decided to go, but Rasalas decided not to think about the rhyme or reason for his actions. Quite the contrary actually, the brute wanted to clear his mind. The mind needed to be wiped on occasion, now that the brute had more responsibility he wanted to ensure that his rage was kept to a minimum. That would just make everything so much better if he snapped and wounded a pack member. Rasalas chuckled slightly, the agony was about to erupt. 'What do I do now? Aries is most certainly irked with me about something, and I feel quite alone,' the brute hated these emotions; yet, they made him feel more alive than he ever had.
Golden eyes closed as the brute reclined to his haunches, attempting to enjoy the cool night air. It was not often that the brute permitted himself time to actually sleep, and additional time to relax; today was that day though. Now that the pack was formed, Rasalas knew he needed to sit back and think for a moment. His entire life had went through so much change recently that it would be beneficial to let all the details settle within his flesh. The brute wanted to make absolutely no mistakes, that would most certainly lead to damnation. Or so he believed. Betrayal would never be an option, but the brute needed to make sure that his mind was completely straightened out. He did not want to be the cruel Beta who attempted to rule with an iron fist, or use violence to gain obedience. Slowly, the brute exhaled a shallow breath and his head lowered between his shoulder blades. 'Oh Aries, I hope this is making you happy; I hope that this is truly what you wanted.'
Rather than finding what he had been searching for, the brute had found something quite different. He had found a pack that he would now assist in ruling over, and that meant that the young femmes were still missing. They still were gone, hopefully alive but the brute knew not. 'I can only hope that they used their best survival skills without me,' yellow eyes were now swelling with water. Quietly the brute buried his face between his paws and let the tears begin to fall, the brute was not trying to show his deep innermost feelings; however, the brute knew it would not be healthy to hide them all deep within himself. Hiding the agony would most surely only bring it out as rage. Rasalas rubbed his face against his legs to dry the damp lines the tears had left behind, once they dried the brute turned his muzzle towards the night sky.
Another slow inhale and the brute began to analyze all the scents that were mingling in the air. The brute smelled himself and Aries most prominently, yet he believed Scout and the whelp could be found in the air as well. 'Maybe you are just trying to make yourself feel less alone,' he let a small growl pass his vocal cords, and with that allowed himself to relax. Although the thoughts were driving him mad, what could he do about it now? Aries would come to him when she wished to inquire about something, and any of the others that were from this pack had full ability to walk wherever they pleased. His sisters were still missing, no new or unusual news there. Everything seemed to be rather alright, except the brutes emotional state.
The tears and pain remained well hidden as the brute stared into the sky, wondering if anyone would happen to wander through the ashy stone ground. 'Maybe this alone time will work out, maybe I can be better for Aries and the others then. Or maybe she will think I have gotten worse.' The brute stifled an angry whine from escaping his red features, no. The brute would not let any more tears pass his features for right now, and he hoped it would stay that way.
It was time to return to the dens. It had gotten quite hot outside and even though he was built for desert weather, he still didn't want to be out in it during the heat of the day. He wanted to go and sleep for a little bit. He had traveled quite a long way during these last couple of days. This desert was a hard place but, it was a good place to be.
Now that the pack had been formed, this would be his home. He would sleep here, eat here and live here. These wolves were his new family. He hadn't had a family in what seemed like forever. He had spent a year on this island but, it felt like much longer. It felt like a life-time. A lot happens to a wolf over the course of a year. He had met many wolves and seen many wolves die. Scout seemed to have done what he came here not to do. He had matured. He had run away from his original family to not grow up and not need responsibility. Now, he was a shaman of a pack and he even had a student. Life has a crazy way of taking what you think is going to happen and twisting it into the exact opposite. For lack of a better word, life could be a bitch.
When he finally made it to the dens, the beta Rasalas was there. He smiled at him before greeting him. Hi, Ras. Scout had made a bold move. He hadn't bowed before a beta and he had even called him by a nickname. Scout had never bowed before in his life and he didn't really plan on starting. He was getting older and he was set in his ways. As for the nickname, it was meant in endearment like a sign of friendship rather than disrespect as some might take it.
Scout couldn't tell if there had been anything wrong with the beta so, he went and sprawled out on the cool ground. How's it going? He asked the beta, seeing that he wouldn't be sleeping. Besides, who wanted to sleep while there was conversation to be made? Maybe the beta did look irked..had he walked in at a bad time? He hoped not.
The brute, although somewhat wanting company, had not expected it to arrive so soon. The scent of the other male caught his nostrils; yet, for once Rasalas hardly moved to greet the other creature. In fact, on this night he waited for the other creature to speak to him first. It was not that Rasalas was attempting to be rude, nor did he want the Iranian brute to feel disliked, it was merely that the red one was attempting to push his sorrows away. As Beta he was supposed to be a strong right-hand to the Alpha, and that meant not letting other creatures see your innermost sorrows. Especially not when they were regarding someone that was of a higher ranking than himself. It seemed that things had been getting easier and more complicated at the same time; and quite frankly it stumped the poor brute. He knew not what was the best thing to do. Conversing with Aries about her sudden need to be away from him would get nowhere, Rasalas knew it would be best to remain patient. The answer would become apparent eventually.
Patience was a virtue that the brute needed to practice more. The answer to his lost sisters would be found through this virtue. Thus, ever more encouraging Rasalas to bite his tongue and wait it out. Not everything could be rushed into an answer, although the instant knowledge would be pleasurable. 'Why spend your relaxation time worrying, just cleanse your mind of these troubles. Converse leisurely with the Shaman, share stories, build a friendship,' his thoughts felt strange within himself. The red one had never been able to push away emotions in such a way, but maybe sorrow was different than rage. He no longer felt violent towards others, but an inner sadness was truly consuming.
The brute did not realize how hard it would be to form words and sound normal to the other creature. His mouth opened, but at first it seemed that nothing was willing to emit it. After what felt like an eternity the brute finally mustered a few quick words at the Shaman, "Hello Scout, fancy meeting you here tonight," an awkward chuckle escaped his parched lips. Rasalas felt a bit guilty that he was less than enthusiastic towards Scout; yet, perhaps Scout would simply view this attitude as Rasalas acting in a respectful Beta way. This attitude could do the brute good, make him seem more responsible and mature. Truth be told, the brute felt that he was maturing faster than ever now. Even though the brute had played father for the majority of his life, now that everything was different and his sisters were gone everything was coming together. Now the brute had a stable home, something that he was never able to offer any other creature before. Now the brute was in a position of authority, perhaps others would look up to him one day? 'Don't get your hopes up too high, that only makes for them to crash down and crush you.' He nearly let a depressive sigh pass through him, quickly though he crushed it determined not to let his depression become apparent.
"It is going rather well, I finally have dedicated a bit of time to myself," a slight grin was cast in the direction of Scout, "The company of another brute is always welcome though." Rasalas did not want the smaller male to feel unwanted. As Beta he was responsible for making all pack members feel wanted, yet ensure that they stayed in their place. The brute was not going to let a single creature step out of line; but he would not do anything too harsh without Aries acceptance. After all, he was not truly in charge of these lands. It was only his responsibility to help enforce the rules and protect the pack, as well as support them. Rasalas knew that tomorrow, once again, he would go out on a hunt in an attempt to feed the many mouths of the group. There was always a potential that there would be other hunters eventually, but the brute did not know how long that would take. After all, they were residing in the desert; and not a lot of creatures were pleased to live in this hell.
Another chuckle escaped the brute's lips before he began speaking to Scout again, "How has this life been treating you?" it felt like his voice was coming from a place far away. Rasalas felt like he was not within himself, but listening to the conversation from a distance. 'Maybe this is what isolation does for a creature, allows them to detach from their painful reality,' thoughts were droning slowly throughout his skull. Rasalas did nothing to halt them though, in fact they rather entertained him at this point. Pain had settled within himself so deep that it seemed he would never be able to crawl away from it, but as long as not a single wolf knew then everything would be perfect.
Scout could sense a bit of awkwardness in the air around the brutes. The last thing he wanted was to make his beta feel uncomfortable. He was the Shaman after all..wasn't it his job to make others feel more comfortable? So, Scout also chuckled with Rasalas. Fancy meeting you here as well. I have to admit I wasn't expecting anyone to be here. He smiled and tried to make light of the conversation and see if this awkwardness could go away.
He nodded as Rasalas answered his question. He could understand wanting to be alone. After all, he had come here to be alone..sort of. Though, another's presence was always welcomed with the Iranian male. He enjoyed the company of others and most of the time, he liked to think that others enjoyed his company as well. He liked to think that he was a pretty easy wolf to get along with despite his inner insecurities. He couldn't remember a single wolf that he had ever really opened up with. He could remember many that had opened up with him but, it had never been the opposite for as far as he could remember. He always had this secret wall that was around him, not letting anyone through. Though, his wall was much different than those of other wolves. This was wasn't meant to keep everyone out of every part of his life, it was there to protect his inner most secrets. To not let anyone see his darker, depressed, sad, emotional side. Hardly anyone knew about his past aside from Sariya who still only knew very little.
At Ras' next question, Scout thought for a moment. How was life treating him? Well, it wasn't different from any other point since he had been here on Anikira. It's been going pretty well for me, how about yourself? He could tell that this conversation was distant and he wished that it could be closer or warmer but, it was what it was and all he could do was try to make it more comfortable.
The brute felt rather bad for being so distant with his Shaman, for truly it was awkward to approach a creature deep within thought. Rasalas pondered the idea of confiding in Scout about what was drilling his skull; yet, they had not been able to converse too much. It still felt as if they were family, but did not know each other as well as they should. 'I would like to get to know this brute better, perhaps he could be nearly a brother to me,' the thought was foreign in the red creature's mind. He had never contemplated the thought of having a wolf be a brother to him, but perhaps it was never to late to form those types of relationships. They were living on the same lands now, of the same pack, the same family, it would do no harm to learn about the others. Maybe one day he would be able to indulge his own secrets as well, it would take time for both of them to reach that sense of security though. The Shaman and himself did have similar interests, those of medicine for instance. Although Rasalas was certain that the Iranian knew more, it would always be a conversation topic that could mutually be brought up.
Gradually the brute shifted to face his friend a bit more directly, showing Scout that he was receiving all of the red one's attention. Speaking with another creature would surely aid him in clearing his mind, separating necessary thoughts from unnecessary ones. Even if the topics were not of the same nature, having another's company could be rather therapeutic in itself. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with company though, especially the company of family," the words tasted strange on Rasalas's tongue. Yet, they were not sour as he first expected them to be, rather they were pleasant. Speaking of family was so new for him, the only family that he had mentioned recently was his sisters. Now it was all becoming clearer to the Beta though, he loved his sisters but they were most likely in another world now. Their souls had most certainly separated from their body and they were a member of the heavens. It tore Rasalas apart to think of this, and he knew that a part of him would always search for the females, but his new focus had to be Ryala. There would be no excuse for sacrificing these wolves for ones that were no longer around.
A gentle exhale pried itself from his lungs before words were formed, "Things are going rather well. This is such a sudden, but pleasant, change. I am very happy that our lady Aries decided to claim her home lands, she has created a family and shelter for many lost souls." An admiring glance was cast away from Scout for a moment, the brute could nearly see Aries although she was not there. His fondness for the femme was strong, yet she had seemed so bothered before the lands were claimed. 'Maybe she was just nervous, Rasalas,' his ears flicked for a moment attempting to cast away the worried thoughts. If Aries wanted to be with him, or felt any fondness towards him, she would announce it. As Beta it was not his responsibility to court her, for she would surely have her mind set on many other things. Rasalas shifted slightly, hoping that Aries would wander from his thoughts so that the conversation between himself and the Shaman would go smoother.
"Do you mind if I inquire what brought you to these lands, sir Scout?" His head tilted to the side in a curious glance towards the other brute. Surely Rasalas did want to know about his pack mate, yet he did not want the other one to find offense. Simply enough the red one just wanted to learn about the life Scout had led before this, or at least what had brought him to become a part of Ryala's ranks. The Iranian was deserving, his knowledge of herbs was apparent almost the moment they met; not many wolves inquired about the yohimbe tree. 'Perhaps that will always be a bonding point for us,' a smile crossed his features and slowly his tail began wagging. The distance between body and mind was growing smaller for Rasalas; it felt like finally he was arriving home, where he belonged.
Deciding to relax even more the brute permitted himself to lay upon the ground on his stomach, stretching out his front legs. Golden eyes remained alert, focused on the other creature. Behind him the thumping of his tail could still be heard, comfortable and pleased. 'Company could be all I really needed, someone to converse with for awhile. Let myself think on this whole Aries thing.' His features held a soft expression, one of slowly fading stress, relaxation. Rasalas was rather pleased, silently thankful for Scout's appearance. It was not what was initially hoped for by coming to Isdyn's Deep, but it turned out for the best thus far anyway. Things had been stressful, many travels and adventures had consumed the past week or so; and now it was time to relieve the nerves that had built up. The thought of over analyzing the Aries situation briefly passed through the red one's mind, but swiftly it was sent away. Now was time for spending with the Shaman, he was curious if any new medicinal remedies had been located in this area and planned to inquire about that soon. That is, after they spoke of how their travels brought them to these lands. Rasalas was already simplifying his story, prepared to give Scout an answer that was not excessively detailed. That was if he did inquire.
Last Edit: Oct 10, 2012 23:42:01 GMT -5 by Deleted
Scout disliked any sort of distance. Unless it was running distance. Scout loved to run. But, when it came to personal distance, Scout became uncomfortable. He longed for a close relationship with every member of the pack. But, he knew that things like that took time. He knew that he would have to get past this awkward period of time to get to where he wanted to be with everyone here in the desert.
Scout was glad when Rasalas was giving him his full attention. Not that Scout was an attention whore because he was not. But, it meant that there would be more opportunity for bonding. Rasalas was also getting Scout's full attention. Yes, of course. Family company is the best kind of company there is. Scout smiled at his new family member. The thought of having a family was strange but, it was good. Scout barely remembered having any family members. His last family, he left them. He ran away from them. He fled from their tyranny. They had expected too much of him. They wanted him to be their alpha. Scout was not meant for leadership. He was meant to follow. He had no desire to lead. Teaching, was another story though. Scout loved to teach and to share his knowledge with others. He was determined to make sure that Vixen had the best education and the most knowledge given to her. She would be an excellent Shaman some day.
As the conversation switched to the pack. Scout wasn't sure what to say. Would he tell him that he never imagined being a part of a pack? No. That would be weird. He didn't want to give Rasalas any reason to not like him. This is a nice change. And, it is good for Aries to have some solidarity. She will be an excellent Alphess. Scout was always a genuine wolf. He was honest with everything that he said. Some wolves might have thought that he was fake because he hardly had anything negative to say but, that was just who Scout was. He was a nice wolf.
Scout thought about where he had come from. Well, he had come from a lot of places. He could tell that Rasalas was serious in his question though and that he truly was curious about his past. So, Scout would give him the best answer that he could. There wasn't much about his past that he wasn't comfortable talking about. Of course I don't mind. He thought again, gathering his thoughts. I was born into a pack that has probably disbanded by now. I started my life as a loner in the I'queyer. That is also where I started learning about different herbs. I met a little white wolf there as well who had wondered away from home. She had turned out to be the heiress of Haishin. I returned her to Kamari and then Akihra gave me permission to stay in her lands for a little while for bringing her daughter back. Then, I went looking for herbs one day here in the desert and that was when I met you and Aries. Well, that seemed like a pretty good overview of his past. He had conveniently left out the part where he had completely abandoned his family. Also, he left out the part about meeting Elu. But, it was a pretty good history if he did say so himself. How about yourself? It was only fair. Scout wanted to know about his beta's past. It was more out of curiosity than anything else.
The red brute felt oddly satisfied to be receiving the entirety of his pack mate's attention, it made him feel important. Rasalas had been quite bent out of shape in recent days, perhaps stress was wearing down on his tired soul. The brute truly would eventually need a break. Food was scarce and it was nearly impossible to continue hunting on his own and manage to catch enough to provide for the entire pack. Yellow orbs glanced around the room in despair, 'what am I to do?' He refused to admit any of his sorrows, as they were no one's burden but his own. Especially not to the Shaman, for Rasalas was nearly positive that Scout was fretting a bit as well. 'It is not like foliage is overwhelmingly popular in this area either,' the brute bit his lip to prevent a disgruntled groan from becoming audible. These lands had been Aries home, and he understood that, but it was such a shame to start the pack during such a struggle. Rasalas knew it would only pull them together in the long run though, no matter what hardships would be suffered.
The Beta had decided that he was gracious that Scout had showed up at the claiming, a friend would be nice to have. Especially one that was a brute like himself. Aries would always be his closest ally; yet, sometime it was nice to relate to other creatures as well. The shaman seemed to agree with him, as both of their attention was focused on the other. Auds quivered for a moment before the brute opted to speak, "It is quite strange to speak of family bonding once again." A chortle came from the red one before his vocals resumed speaking, "It has been quite some time since I have had a family, and the first time I have considered wolves of different blood to be the same as my own." These were words that had never been spoken by the brute before, truthfully before he did not believe that it was possible to think another creature as family. At least not ones that weren't blood. Now, things had changed though, and that meant considering all of Ryala his family. Being willing to sacrifice his life for every single one.
Then the conversation swung back to Aries, as if she was not racing through his mind constantly. The brute's head was drowning in thoughts of the female; yet, so far not a single care had been expressed from her. With Scout's comment, the red brute focused his gaze upon the earth they both were placed upon. Words seemed momentarily choked within his throat. 'What do I say? I shall not be foolish enough to admit anything to Scout, these are my thoughts and mine alone about my lady.' Rasalas dreaded the thought of screwing up his relationship with Aries by speaking of the feelings growing inside. It would only cause problems if she did not reciprocate the same ones; and he had already dealt with enough issues. "She will be a superb Alphess, I am so proud that she believes in herself. I'm ecstatic for her," the fondness was apparent within his tones, regardless of the feeble attempts to hide them. The brute was hardly aware that his words were nearly the same as what he had spoke of before. His mind had wandered away with the thought of the femme for a few seconds.
When Scout began speaking of how he came to Ryala, the brute instantly gave him the fullest of attention. It would be quite rude to ignore a creature's story that one had requested to hear, and Rasalas believed that he needed to know as much about all the pack members as they were willing to share. Especially the creatures that held a ranking, as Scout did. A smile crossed the brute's maw, "So you have traveled this island quite a bit? That explains your vast knowledge of medicine." The Beta's words were sincere, but he knew that the moment of truth had arrived. It would be time for him to really give his story to another creature, something that he had always been nervous about doing. "I was born to a traveling pack that consisted of purely my blood relatives. There was never many of us, but we looked out for each other. Upon traversing too far North, an illness swept over us as well as famine." Rasalas knew his words were spilling out quickly, and hoped that Scout was able to catch them all. He feared the thought of having to repeat them, if they needed to be spoken a second time tears may fall alongside the vocalizations. "The only survivors were myself and my two little sisters. I cared for them, attempted to educate them in all they were willing to learn. Truthfully, they were my drive to survive. We were so hungry - and I just couldn't cope with seeing them starve any longer." The brute had begun panting as he spoke, hardly embarrassed about the emotions welling up within himself. "So I went out to hunt, the only thing that awaited my arrival home was a bloodstained bear. I know not if they survived, or if they were a meal for the large creature."
His gaze averted from the Iranian male, anxiety consuming his frame. This story had been one of the most difficult things to express to another creature, as it was one that he held most dear. It would be far too amazing if his sisters would one day show up. His love for them kept him searching every few days for them, even if it did mean leaving his pack. There was no other option, the brute would not be able to rest until he knew the answer. Were they dead, or alive?
It wasn't hard to tell that the beta was going through something or having some difficulty. It wasn't a surprise to Scout. Being a beta was difficult. They were basically alpha's without all of the responsibility. He knew that Rasalas had been doing most of the hunting for the pack. He also knew that food this time of here was very scarce even for one wolf. Let alone the five or six wolves that lived here. He knew that Rasalas had been working hard and he did appreciate everything that his beta had been doing for him. Scout had been ridiculously underweight not too long ago but, thanks to the beta's efforts, he had been gaining weight at a steady rate.
This was not to say that Scout didn't have his own problems to deal with. Herbs around here were not easy to find and usually, when he went out to get them from other places of the continent, they died before he could get them back to the dens for safe-keeping. It was true that everyone was going through difficult times. It was just this time of year. Fall and winter were the driest and the least inhabitable times of the year. But, once spring came around, it should be smooth sailing.
Scout nodded and listened to Rasalas speak about family bonding. He had thought of many wolves as family. Unfortunately, he can't see them much any more. He didn't want to think about them being dead though, in his heart of hearts, he knew that they probably were. This island was tough on wolves. He could name several wolves that he had met and cared for and then never saw again. It had been indeed a long year.
It seemed that both of the males had agreed on Aries' ability as an alphess. He had only known her for a short period of time but, it was very apparent to him that she would make a great leader.
The conversation swung back to his life story. Yes, I've been around the island a few times. He chuckled, probably aging himself more than he wanted to. Thank you. He smiled at the beta after the compliment he had received. It was nice to have someone whose interests were similar to his own recognize his knowledge.
He also listened with his full attention when Ras had started his own story. You have been through much and still, you are a good wolf. That says something about your character my friend. Scout said comfortingly after Ras had finished his story. He knew that the beta was still stinging on the inside from his sisters apparent death. He also didn't know how his own family had fared. They were probably dead and he was pretty sure that Ras knew that his sisters were probably dead though, he may not want to admit it to himself. Scout also, did not want to admit to himself that his family had probably died after he had abandoned them. It was hard to lie to oneself.
