[joining] chasing the sun

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The sands felt nice beneath her paws, seeping in between her toes with each step that sank deeper into the sifting grains. It was getting nearer to nighttime, the sun coming closer to the edge of the horizon as she sauntered along. She could feel the coolness that the night brought and watched as the glaring ball of fire in the sky painted the clouds above like a blank canvas. She enjoyed the shades of orange, red, and sheer gold that graced white wisps against the darkening blue canvas. A slight breeze had kicked up, pushing the clouds idly along and tugging on some tendrils of sand here and there. It rushed through her fur, relieving her skin of the heat that it had collected throughout her travel during the day. Though, she did love the warmer weather and the desert she now stood in, she couldn't help but welcome the sudden change in temperature to her pelt.

Aowyn was new to Anikira and had little idea of what the land was like. She'd only been there a year, maybe less, if she estimated right. She was glad that she had found the desert, though, because it was the conditions she had been born and raised in for the duration of her life. As much as she loved and was born for the greatness of vast desert, it always brought back horrible memories of her father, a male who had long since abandoned her and had beaten her to near death. He had never truly loved her. If he had, then she would never have known. Her mother and her brothers had taken her away, escaped to the cliffs of another continent. When her mother had passed away, she was left with her brothers and a female who had fallen for one of them. Luck had never seemed to be on her side, though. Not long after, a storm came and a gust had swept her into the sea. In the end, she had woken up on the lands of Anikira.

"I wonder where I even am..." She murmured the words quietly to herself. Obviously, she could see that she was in the desert, for there was nothing on the horizon except the mountain that was belching smoke. She couldn't estimate the distance and how long it would take to reach it, for the heat could be playing tricks on her. After all, she was exhausted. She wasn't entirely sure if she would be capable of making it much farther. The more she looked, she found herself staring at a rushing river and relief took over her limbs, filling it with a new energy. She couldn't help but bound to it, reaching the edge with an excited grin on her face. She let her paws sink her closer to the swift waters so that they rested within it, and she sighed happily at the coolness of the water. Her tail wagged before she threw herself into the water with a yip of joy. Her paws flailed at the water, splashing and pushing her about as she gracefully fought the current. That swimming trip through the sea had made her muscles strong.

Aowyn wanted to simply yowl with joy when she reached the other side. It had been a few days since she'd seen a river such as this one. She pulled herself from the water and shook her pelt about, scattering the droplets everywhere, watching as they caught the sun and glinted in a rainbow hue. Before the sand bothered to stick to her now wet pelt, she found a smooth stone embedded into the river's side and leapt upon it. She hadn't smelled the marked boundaries of the pack, the river having masked it. She had no ill intent in trespassing and didn't know that she was. Had she known, she would have bolted immediately. She would much rather be on her own before running into a wolf in this strange and extremely unfamiliar place. However, she needed the socialization, whether she wanted it or not. More or less, she was focused on stretching out upon the stone, laying down and soaking in what was left of the sunlight.

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[atrb=background,http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1830/rasmid.png] The evening breeze tasted lovely upon the red brute's tongue, he preferred the night to the vibrant heat of the day. After all, the land still looked beautiful in the silver light of the moon. The sands held an entirely different glisten to them. The warm tones blended into cool ones, an eerie haze overwhelmed the Occasus, his home. Everything was falling more into place for now. The brute permitted his mind to adventure while he blandly paced throughout the desert awaiting something to peak his attention. The past few days had been a bit more quiet for the brute and the relaxation had been quite necessary. His auds quivered slightly as the volcano let out an upset burping noise and another tower of smoke swirled up towards the glistening sky. A grumble emitted his maw and for a moment his golden orbs averted from the border and back towards the annoying mountain that seemed so ready to explode. The pack meeting had yet to be called, but Rasalas already had a plan should the volcano erupt. They would head south and stay in Xisyn until the lava cooled; however, who knew what would become of their home then. The Alpha was well adapted to change now, despite the fact that it had a tendency to be rather unpleasant. His life had been a constant mixture of agony and change, until recently it had tormented the poor brute's soul. Somehow, the rebuilding of Ryala had brought about a new light to his mind. Perhaps it was some sort of divine intervention that had caused wolves to begin joining the pack - or maybe it was his own skill. Rasalas would never know, nor care, the reason for the sudden popularity of the Occasus. All that mattered was that they would survive, every last one of them. Pride began to swell in his chest, his crania held high between muscular shoulder blades. Power had never flowed so smoothly throughout the red one's veins. Never prior had he possessed such strength, but it was his hard work paying off entirely. For a desert wolf he likely held the power to take on a much larger type should they attempt to fight with him. 'It would relieve my inner tension,' he nearly laughed, the vast amount of rage in his skull worried the alpha at times. So far, it had been controlled. He would have to see how long that would last, maybe one day it would all just disappear. One could hope. His meandering was brought to a halt when a foreign scent caressed his nares. Golden eyes pulled themselves into focus as to search for the figurine that had tainted his packs' lands. The diminishing light made his eyes strain to focus upon the ground that lined the river, a source of water always seemed to pull loners. Gradually the brute pulled his frame a few steps closer, optics still raping his own terrain to find where the new one lay. His own annoyance with the last glaring rays of light nearly pulled a growl from him; yet, he was restraining. Rasalas did not wish to show signs of aggression towards a creature that may merely have innocent intentions in mind. 'One day I will have a strong border patrol, then it will be easier to weed out the creatures that wish not to join but merely use our home.' At last, his gaze settled upon the femme. She seemed so relaxed upon the stone, that for a moment Rasalas nearly felt guilty for intruding upon her. It was his duty to keep the others safe, and he could not do so if dangerous wanderers were making the Occasus their resting point as well. Cautiously he made a further approach upon her rock, making his final stop when he stood rather close to it; yet, not to the extent that he was hovering. "Good evening, madame," his tone was smooth, nearly friendly as he greeted the stranger. His mind was right to give the female an opportunity to explain herself, perhaps her intentions were innocent. The alpha had yet to determine which side he should take in order to prevent the pack from being overrun. Was he short and friendly or did he attempt to be intimidating?

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Water. It was absolutely one of her favorite things. Of course, it wasn't her favorite because it was one of two things that sustained life (those things being food and water). It was her favorite because it had been her friend as a younger wolf. When her father would spend the time training her two older brothers, who were much larger than her even though their age was separated only by a few minutes, she would wander just because she had nothing better to do while her mother spent time doing who knows what. Her mother had been an excellent Shaman for their little pack of five, and her father the best fighter. He taught the boys everything they knew, making them completely capable of fending off an enemy whether on their own or as a group. Then there was someone like her. The runt of the litter, the small one, the insignificant one, the one who wasn't capable of providing for the group. Though she was the weakest link, she was surprised she hadn't been chased out sooner.

Aowyn was the hunter. She was decent at it, at least. She certainly couldn't take down something as large as a deer on her own, but there were still things she was capable of chasing down. Just because she was small didn't mean anything. She was very fast. Rabbits and even snakes had become her prey more than once, but it was something she was proud of in private. Even her father hadn't cared of her capture of the rattlers or the adders. So, she made companions with the oasis she had stumbled across so young. The shade of the trees was similar to the shade of the rocks that the dens provided for her, but it was the scent of the fresh plants that was so alluring. There was fresh water there, too, shaded all day long by those tall palms. It made the water cool, refreshing, and worth being around during the day. She spent the time there hunting, and teaching herself to swim when her family members couldn't. Unfortunately, her last two encounters with water had ended with her father beating her and then the ocean dragging her to this island.

The river was pleasing to her red fur, plastering it against her skin tightly like the weight of being buried by sand. It was a far more pleasing than sand, though, as childhood experiences provided. Swimming was fun to her, but it also made her strong and gain muscle in places she wouldn't normally have gained. Her style was less fighting and more running. As her mother had told her repeatedly, she was more of a lover than a fighter, and there was no weakness in that. She had been caught up in her bliss of playing in the water, watching the droplets turn silver as the beams of the moon shone through them with clarity. It was quite a beautiful thing, watching the waters turn silver when the moon rose. The chill was beginning to get to her fur as she laid out on the rock, grateful that she had managed to dry off some of the way. Something didn't settle in her stomach too well with the situation, though. She felt like she was in the wrong...

"Good evening, madame,"

The voice was smooth and somewhat welcoming, but it startled her. The femme leapt to her feet and spun around, her hackles sticking out on end, though they seemed frayed in every direction from what was left of the water holding them down. Her tail was fluffed, but immediately tucked in between her legs. Her ears flattened tightly against her head and she hunched against the stone. She definitely wasn't a fighter. "Oh g-gosh, I-I...h-hello--" She hadn't realized her small steps had taken her to the edge of the stone. With a yelp, gravity decided to pull her backwards and back into the water. The whorls of silvery liquid clung to her lower half, threatening to loosen her grip on the shifting sands her paws grasped at helplessly. After a moment of useless flailing, she clawed herself out of the water and crouched down a little ways again, not bothering from shaking the water from her lower half. If she was in danger, she would run, but she didn't think she was.

The scent seemed to smack her right in the nose, drifting into the female's sinuses. The realization dawned on her fairly quickly, her mind making the connection between the scent lines and the male in front of her. This was pack territory, and she was trespassing right on it. "O-oh...m-my, I'm...t-t-trespassing..." What now? She had little clue what to do at that point. Wolf or not, she wasn't exactly built to fight her way out of a confronting situation. She had never been particularly good with them. Though...she had been longing for companions since washing up here. Perhaps the run-in with the male of this land's pack was not such a bad thing at all. She didn't even know how to begin to go about joining in the first place. Aowyn straightened herself slightly, trying to stand a little taller, but her tail and ears remained down. "I...uhm...I'm s-s-sorry..." She gathered herself, forcing her voice out a ways. "I...d-didn't mean t-to t-trespass. I...a-apologize..."

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[atrb=background,http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1830/rasmid.png] Rasalas' mind had been darting in different directions for the past few hours, helplessly struggling to grasp at the harsh reality. Things were changing rapidly around him, but it would be for the best in the end - or so he believed. For the first time in what felt like months, the brute's mind was roaming free without the thought of his siblings tugging him about. The air felt smoother, the brute welcomed the fresh scent into his body. He adored the night lights playing across the water and sand of the Occasus, his desert. It beheld his orbs more than anything the brute had ever seen before. He was falling more in love with these lands than he ever believed possible. They were gracing him with a security the brute had never known. Now he was not struggling to the extent of before, currently there were others here. The desert would not always be a land for the free to pace throughout, there would be structure and safety for those who wished to contribute. The splash brought a bit of a start to the alpha's posture, immediately his ears stood erect upon his skull. They quivered whilst his golden eyes peered at the stone which had previously held a rather graceful looking female. Hesitantly, the brute permitted his worn red paws to carry him a few steps closer to her, "Are you alright?" His voice held a tone of concern, the paranoia within his brain hid itself well. Somehow it was impossible for him to one hundred percent trust a canine instantly anymore, what if they were attempting to trap him? They could want the desert as bad as he did, perhaps another would be jealous of his rapidly expanding family. Rasalas had already decided that they were worth his death, all within Ryala would be protected until the day that his soul parted with his body. A few nervous twitches of his tail gave proof to his anxiety about the female falling into the water. It yanked at his heart slightly to watch the femme struggle, but it all happened so quickly. She had fallen and clamored out of the water in the matter of seconds, the disaster had been avoided. With near silence the brute permitted a gasp of relief to part ways with his lungs. 'I do not need to have the film of a dying female play within me,' his head shook slowly for a moment, convincing himself that everything was over. Disaster was always a threatening concept to Rasalas, he feared that his reaction time would be too delayed. What if he caused the deaths of those close to him? That would certainly be something that he could not live with, it would drive him into pure rage and insanity. Any thoughts of normalcy would dissipate into the damp molecules around him. "I know the river is lovely, but you should be careful," a soft grin peeked at the canine's features. It did not hold much raw emotion within it; however, it appeared sincere. The alpha was doing the best he could to shove away what was left of his torment. Dwelling upon it had done nothing but almost caused Ryala to disband. The pack was created in order to be a refuge originally, how could it save when there was no one to guide - it couldn't. They needed Rasalas. The female's stuttering tone did make Rasalas slightly confused, he did not find himself very intimidating. His subconscious welcome the slight fear the female possessed in his direction, 'perhaps I do seem fit to be an alpha.' The brute never wished to be feared, merely respected. Trouble was something that Rasalas attempted to avoid at all costs, his fear of harming another was quite immense. One day he knew it may come down to a bloodthirsty fight, as for today there was not one. Rasalas would save any blood lust rage for that opportunity, most issues could be solved simply by discussing them. Right? He noticed that once more his mind had wandered away from himself and eagerly yanked it back towards the delicate one before him. "The river does mask the border," the brute offered her a slight reassurance. He could not help that his yellow optics were entranced with the glitter of her fur beneath the moonlight. The shades of silver that glittered upon her pelt made Aowyn appear to be nearly glowing. A tremor shot through the brute's body, it was ignored by the conscious mind. Rasalas still repressed much of what the world wanted him to become. "I am Rasalas, Alpha of Ryala. And what do you call yourself, my lady?" his voice slipped from his mouth like silk, it rang out smooth and nearly charming. He found it rather strange that as soon as the stress began easing itself from his mind that he could speak once more. For quite some time the brute had felt like quite the stammering idiot.

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It had been some time since she had found herself capable of relaxing. There were many thing that crowded her head, mostly having to do with the fact that she had little idea where she even was. The island was the most confusing thing on her mind, really, but the territories owned by the packs were certainly another thing she wasn't too aware of. She hadn't come across the scents of the wolves before and that honestly scared her the most. It had been hard enough to live with confrontation with her brothers protecting her, and now she had little clue where they could have been. Whether on the island or still in South America, she really had no idea, but she was on her own now. The only thing that seemed capable of comforting her was the water. To most wolves, it was a heinous thing and such a pain when it couldn't be navigated through. It hadn't ever been much a problem from her, considering she could swim and even hunt the fish within.

Aowyn had merely been startled. The water didn't pose a problem to her. If she had been dragged into the river, she would have been capable of swimming out on her own, but her loss of footing had simple caused her to stumble. When the male asked whether she was all right or not, she was slightly taken aback. She was trespassing and he was asking if she was in good health. She took a moment before answering, shaking her pelt out to rid herself of the excess droplets of water, which caught and glinted in the light as they scattered. "I'm...f-fine. I...I c-can swim..." She managed to give a smile of her own, albeit far shier than she would have liked to put it off as. "Y-You just...s-startled me, is a-all." That much was the truth, but then again, she was quite easily startled by a lot of things. Perhaps it was her being the runt of the litter or something along those lines. Or just her overly cautious nature.

Her ears twitched slightly at his sentence, and her eyes turned to the silvery liquid that continuously flowed away. Yes, it was quite a lovely thing, something she had taken a good liking to despite the short amount of time she had spent within it and near it. Another smile broke out on her maw, a little larger than before and showing her teeth the tiniest bit. The laughter showed in her eyes, "I-It's very l-lovely, indeed..." Her head lowered a little bit, realizing that she really should be more careful, as much as she knew the water and adored it. Accidents were still possible, even for the well-experienced in any matter. "But, y-yes, I suppose I sh-should..." She could see the sincerity in his smile and in his words, and it made her happy. It had been some time since anyone even began to care about her. Well, anyone that wasn't family at least. Her family had been more or less required to care.

Aowyn glanced around. It was a rather nice place. She enjoyed the warmer climate, if anything. She had grown up in it, though not exactly with all the sands the entire time. It had been sand in her younger years, trapped in the desert with only one or two oases nearby, not that she had minded. Things had only ever gotten bad when they moved closer to the coast. The storm, getting dragged into the ocean, and then washing up here. She returned her gaze to him when he offered her a small amount of reassurance. Yes, the river had certainly masked the scent of the border to her. Perhaps it had just been her sheer excitement of getting to see it and swim in it that had kept her from realizing the scent markings had been there. After her situation with the ocean, she didn't think she'd ever want to swim again, but the pull had been overwhelming and she had found herself in the water quicker than she had thought. "Y-Yes... Again, I a-am s-sorry." She said that a lot.

Aowyn's heart skipped a beat or two. An alpha? Certainly not what she had expected in the first place, but she supposed it was normal to have the Alpha confront strangers running in on his territory. It made sense to her, at least. Ryala. She pronounced it in her head over and over again. Even her old pack, the one of her family, had never really even had a name. His name, though, made her paws itching to move. He seemed fit as an Alpha, considering the strength and power she found in the name. "A p-pleasure, Rasalas..." The "my lady" at the end of his sentence caused her to pause for a moment. Not a single person had ever gone so far as to address her like that, and she felt her skin heat up slightly at the comment, shifting her paws in the damp and dry sand. "M-My name is Aowyn...s-sir." How else was she supposed to address him? She thought it would be proper, taking into consideration the rank. She wondered if she should ask for entrance into the pack, but, again, she could hardly begin to fathom how she would go about it.

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[atrb=background,http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1830/rasmid.png] Some of the alpha's worry dripped away as the femme responded to his concerning question - she was quite alright. It reassured the alpha that she felt quite confident in her swimming abilities, for a moment he wondered if she came from over the ocean as some had. Only a few wolves had ever crossed paths with himself that were not from Anikira, most were natives from somewhere upon the continent. It nearly brought a chuckle from the brute's muzzle when he thought of Anubis and Isis. The siblings had been born and raised within the Occasus, obviously much before Ryala's time within the desert. Something about the irony still brought a soft smile to the Alpha's features. He enjoyed the thought of having pack members to actually think about, whereas before he was attempting to gain members to the pack. 'It is funny how things change,' for a moment the brute wondered if there was anything out there. Was there something that guided all of the lost souls of the world? Or were they all alone? Perhaps he would never know, but for one of the few times within his life - Rasalas actually was curious. As his muzzle faced the sun, he inhaled gently as if attempting to extract the lord from the clouds above. He felt as if it was nearly possible to pull the scent into his lungs and the answer would make itself apparent. This was, obviously, not the outcome. It was simply his territory, a mixture of water and himself and now this lovely new femme. She caught his glance once more. Mating season was bringing about his worst characteristics, they were growing gradually in his mind. The repression was sprouting its' head out. Situations were settling themselves down and that merely left more room for his mind. The demons were calling to him once more. Reminding him of the luxurious scent that clenched itself upon the femme before him. 'No,' he commanded his mind to halt this behavior, but it was a feeble attempt. There was nothing that could be done about it now, his mind was pulsating rapidly. All he could do was proceed with conversation in as close to a normal way as possible, push away the thoughts playing before him. There were so many opportunities that he would not grasp, so many chances to ruin himself as an Alpha. He was a loving leader, that his pack needed. Without him it would certainly collapse once more and he would not permit that. 'Breathe damnit.' "It is comforting to know that you can swim, I will not have to worry about finding you washed up on the river bank somewhere," once more the brute's tone held a dual tone; half-humor and half-serious. It was spoken with a gentle smile towards her, it would depress him so if he ever found a drowned wolf. 'Vogel had almost been drowned,' that much had been true about the larger brute that he had stumbled across. For some reason, even a male larger than himself had offered up respect. It was a strange concept to Rasalas; however, he welcomed it either way. The thought of massive respect made him feel more successful as an Alpha, until recently he believed himself to be quite useless. Only one canine knew that truth though, his dearest companion and the shaman of these lands. Scout would be the only one to hold his deepest secrets for now, that brute had calmed him down when nothing else could. The brute knew not what to say to such a female, she seemed so nervous to speak. Was he that intimidating? A part of him felt proud and another felt sorrow at the concept. The thought had been nudging at his mind for quite some time now, and eventually he would have to seat himself down and evaluate the answer. That would be on another occasion, for now he had a lovely female placed before him. One that was rather darling even despite her stuttering words. Auds twitched lightly as the femme spoke, eagerly absorbing her tone. 'Aowyn,' he mentally filed her name away, "That is a gorgeous name, it is quite fitting for you." His golden eyes glanced softly upon her. The alpha could not help but compliment such a precious creature, even if his mind was forced into chaos because of it. "Do you have any skills, my lady?" He cocked his head to the side out of habit when inquiring to the female. It was something that the alpha had a tendency to do when he was genuinely interested or curious about another. The brute had hardly even accepted this habit, or acknowledged its' existence. His movement was natural and pure. His mind may have been cluttered with a concoction made from angel wings and demon horns; yet the brute had dealt with it so far. Living within an unstable mind was something that he had become all too familiar with, there was no way of changing fact. All he could do now was live with it, and pray.

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Aowyn was confident in her ability to swim, otherwise she would not have crossed the river in the first place, played in it like a puppy in a puddle within the roots of a tree. The oasis had been her form of learning, and then she had gone after a river when she encountered it upon her move from the desert, away from her father. The river had proved quite difficult at first, but it had been something she'd accustomed herself to over time. Most things worked that way, really. Winter, however, was not something she had been too fond of or been able to get used to. She hated the snow, the bitter winds, and low temperatures. She could tolerate them at night in the hot areas, so she supposed that it was the snow and the icy wind that made the difference. Anikira was odd to her, though. It had taken her some time to even get here. She had made it, though started in a rather tropical place, by use of direction from the sun. The ocean had brought her a long way.

When her mother had passed away, she had thought quite a bit about where she would be going, if she would be happy wherever her soul ended up. An answer was never something particularly easy to grasp onto, even when she had asked her brothers where they thought she'd end up in the afterlife, but all they could tell her was she went to where the rest of the souls of wolves went. Forever free to run and play, having crossed some bridge of light to get there. She didn't know much other than that, but had never put much thought to it. She had out her faith into the fact that her mother would at least be happy and safe wherever she was. Such thoughts brought about her brothers to her head, wondering where they were. She wondered if they were still hunting by the cliffs or if they had been carried elsewhere by the storm or if they were even here on the island with her. If it wasn't those, she didn't want to think of the alternative.

Aowyn had never interacted much with males. When it came to other wolves, other packs infringing upon the family's territory, it was always something she had been left out of, because she was far from good at talking to anyone. Her stutter got in the way, though her father's reason had been more along the lines of "weak, pathetic, and horrible at making good decisions". She didn't think much about the last one, considering she'd yet to get bitten by an adder or a rattler during her hunts. Her conversations had never particularly been allowed to start, so there was little in her mind that would make her think about it. When it came to mating season, she went well out of her way to avoid it, considering her brothers acted like coyotes in rut every time it came around. She tilted her head slightly, ears swiveling as she made a slight face. Some males were attractive to her, she supposed, as the one in front of her, but she'd never considered the possibility of a family. She guessed that to be the fault of her brothers.

She gave a small nod to him, a tiny smile on her maw in return of his own, eyes squinting to a bit of a close to avoid the laugh bubbling up her throat. "N-No, you w-won't. If a-anything, the r-river would be r-running from m-me." Technically, a river always ran in whatever direction it chose, but her certainly wouldn't find her washed up anywhere upon the banks. Her jokes weren't so good either, but anything to ease the awkwardness on her side of things tended to make her feel better. Her ears did flatten, though; she was still trespassing. She had only been on the lands because she had gone through the river. She didn't really want to leave, though, as she was already quite fond of what she had seen. "Of c-course, I c-can, uhm...leave, if y-you wish..." If he didn't make her leave, she'd be elated. She wanted friends and someone to call family. Perhaps a pack would do that for her. She would at least try.

Aowyn wasn't necessarily fearful of the male. Nervous, yes, because she hadn't talked to another wolf one on one in some time. Granted, meeting any wolf for the first time terrified her, because she did not know whether they wanted to rip the fur from her flesh or not. Rasalas, though, did not seem to have such a malicious intention for any reason at all. He was the alpha of the pack that ruled these lands, and she was a trespasser, but he wasn't tearing her apart for doing so. Perhaps he was more interested in gaining members than chasing them away. His compliment of her name made her skin heat up, like that of a blush, and she let a very small laugh escape her throat. Her mother had always told her she had such a beautiful, unique name, but that was a mother's job. "Uhm... Th-Thank you. N-No one has b-been so kind to s-say such things t-to me." Every female deserved a little flattery, as Malaika had once told her, a female she had come to love over time as her brother's mate. It was strange to be on the receiving end for her, though.

Skills. Skills. Of all the questions she could have been asked, this was probably one of the ones she didn't have an immediate answer for. Her skill set was particularly small. She was no capable fighter, no healer (though she had some knowledge on the plants, but this was a place foreign to her), and certainly no diplomat. She did love children, though, and was quite good with them; it had been proven in the times they'd had visitors in their lands. She enjoyed them greatly, but what good would such a thing do her here unless there were pups? She supposed hunting was her only strength. She could hunt many things and had the methods of doing so. Getting snakes and rodents out of their holes, but also fish. She hadn't spent all her time in the water swimming. "W-Well... I guess I h-hunt. Fish, sn-snakes, rodents. Nothing t-too big, th-though. I k-killed a coyote once, b-but it was v-very malnourished. I have a sm-small knowledge on h-herbs, but t-these lands are f-foreign to m-me..." It was the most she'd managed to say in a conversation to anyone, but she did know that was about the extent of her skill. She was quite good at listening to others' problems, keeping secrets, but that wasn't necessarily a pack skill. Hunting was a better thing for her to say, but she was useless otherwise.

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[atrb=background,http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1830/rasmid.png] The alpha shivered lightly, he felt the ever present memories of his siblings etching back into his brain. It seemed that, despite his efforts, they were always there. Persistently they pecked at his mind, a constant reminder of his failure. They were part of the reason he was so kind to others, without the two girls he did not know what he would be. Their smiles had brought joy to his heart; yet, somehow he had still managed to let them die. Certainly they were dead now, how could the two little ones survive on their own for so long. 'Unless someone rescued them,' the thought always brought a bit of hope to his desolate soul. Deep within the red brute knew the truth, his little sisters were dead. The thought of them surviving was childish, by now Rasalas had witnessed how harsh the world could be. There was no room for abandoned children, Mother Nature gobbled the weak into her gaping belly. She was quite the bitch like that. Now the brute had many more issues laying before his paws, they were real and demanded instant attention. Secretly, he was thankful that Ryala had been so close to crumbling. By rebuilding the pack, he had begun reconstructing the broken life he wandered through. The pack had given him a sense of direction that brought him to the future - not the past. Algethi and Adhara were ghosts now, that was all they could be. Gradually he had begun cutting himself off from thinking about them; often times feebly attempting to distract his brain. Over time it had proved to work, they still owned his heart, but they did not rule his life. Their glittering smiles had contorted into a skull with gaping eye sockets and rotting teeth. Their once joyous laughter was now cruel and malicious when it played within his head. Maybe the attempts to kill them were sick, but they worked for Rasalas. At least his mind was granted some clarity. A gentle chuckle escaped his maw before he even had time to realize it, Aowyn's remark had caught him off guard. She was throwing in a bit of comedy, certainly not the most hilarious comment ever, but it was enough to mix up the situation and lighten the brute's heavy heart. So long had he went with merely serious words being directed back and forth, Rasalas feared he may have forgotten the art of genuine conversation. 'I hope it comes back to me soon,' the brute had always been a bit strange with others. It was to be expected though when one lived their life mostly alone or with only children to accompany them. The choice had not been his to live a life alone with his sisters, the illness had consumed the others. The bitter chill of the north had raped his elders and nearly abducted both pups while it was at it. At times Rasalas believed the world was out to get him, it seemed any possible negative natural disaster would occur only when he was around. Sometimes the brute got scared, he did not need his new family to be harmed. "If you wish to stay, I am certain Ryala has a place for you," he offered her a soft smile. This femme seemed so very kind, Rasalas could not believe that she had a mean bone in her body. Perhaps he was being naive, but he believed her words to be genuine. Even her slight stutter did not seem to bother him, when normally the brute tended to become quite irritable over the smallest things. Either his body was getting used to the constant stress or simply decomposing from it, the brute could not tell. All he knew was that the company of this femme was rather welcoming, for once the brute felt nearly relaxed - which was a rare occurrence. He knew his guard would have to raise up once more when he crossed another loner, after all not all of them would be so sweet as Aowyn. Rasalas shook his head slightly, some of the canines he had encountered were quite the handful. At least now he was given the opportunity to really enjoy the company of another, even if that meant locking away over half of his brain. The red brute needed to keep the demons away, the sexual desire to take every female that walked past him. He would not put any of his new family or this femme at risk, that part of his place was simply too dark for access to be permitted. That would be the destruction of him, if the demon was released once it would never confine itself again. The darkness loved licking at freedom. The brute forced himself to focus upon the female's soft words, 'A hunter.' As an alpha he believed it would be useful to set up a hunt party eventually, it'd be nice for him to not have to do everything. "Hunting is quite a useful skill, all need to eat," his words trailed off. Once more it seemed that the brute's own social anxiety was setting in. 'Why does this always happen at the worst times,' his claws flexed themselves into the warm sand beneath. His mind had begun to throb, a quiet headache was itching to become louder should his auds listen. Rasalas could not resist wondering if this femme was going to stay or if she planned on swimming along down the river. Maybe all of them would leave him, after all everything else had.

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Aowyn wished she was home. Home was the place where her family was, no matter where in the wold they could be. Whether it was the cliff side where she had last seen them or the desert where they had been born, she would be with them. Rolling in the sands and letting them seep happily through her fur, welcoming the coolness as she buried herself within their depths. She remembered said game her siblings and her used to play whenever they had the time. She had always been capable of enjoying attempting to tackle the much larger males over and into the sand, shoveling the dirt across them until they were buried deep. Well, at least deep enough to have it made difficult for them to shovel their way out, allowing the other two to laugh freely. Granted, such a thing didn't work on her so much since she enjoyed being buried in the sand. It was a neat way to keep cool on a hot day. Her brothers had often found her odd for that.

It would be nice for her to have a home again, it was something she had so deeply missed. In the recesses of her mind, she had craved finding a pack and a territory to call her home since she had woken up that day in the roots of that tree. She still had little idea who had saved her, dragged her away from the beach and had forced her to eat and drink, hunting for her to keep her alive. She didn't know anyone could be so considerate, or even pitying of her. It was rather pathetic, really, how helpless she tended to be. Aowyn was certainly no fighter, completely incapable of fighting off anyone bigger than her or even her own size. If some wolf smaller than her had any particular fighting skills, then she was certainly at a loss. It was not going to be in her favor at that point, at any point. She was weak, helpless, needed to be protected instead of doing the protecting. She didn't know what use hunting snakes could be to anyone, but it was good enough for some.

Aowyn's tail immediately shot upwards and wagged rather uncontrollably. It was more of an involuntary action, really, something she hadn't intended to do. She didn't realize how much she had yearned for a new home amongst these lands, as terrified and weary as she had been in the first place. "R-Really?" Her eyes shone with sheer joy, something she had not felt since her arrival in the island of Anikira. She didn't care in that moment how ridiculous she seemed, how desperate she appeared for companionship and a place to call a home. She had never once considered the fact that she could return to her brothers one day, that they could come calling to her, ask her to leave with them. It wasn't on her mind right now, and she didn't dare think about it. It would end up forcing her to reject the offer. When she realized her sudden burst of happiness, she ceased her tail wagging and calmed herself down, smiling shyly. "I would l-love nothing m-more than t-to st-stay."

Aowyn had never had the time to enjoy the company of anyone but herself, or even the waters that she had grown so fond of. Being the runt had its disadvantages, but also had its advantages as well. She had learned something that had ended up saving her life, something that her brothers had never learned how to do and had ended up being too scared to learn how to do. Her yellow-grey eyes still glimmered with the happiness she had felt at the offer to stay with Ryala, and it would be something she wouldn't turn down. Her heart pounded erratically, remembering the octave or two that her voice had shot up when she had given her yip of joy. Her mind ran through what the offer meant for her. It meant a home, friends, and maybe more than that. She didn't linger much on the latter, but nodded instead to his words. "Y-Yes, b-but I'm n-not of m-much use ot-otherwise... S-Sorry." She might be completely useless to the pack, but hunting was better than nothing at all.

ooc: sorry, had little time, crap post.

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[atrb=background,http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1830/rasmid.png] The Alpha realized that he certainly missed his family, they had been his driving force for the first half of his life; however, being the leader of Ryala was incredible. It gave the brute a new wave of power to know that he was permitting wolves a second chance at life. Until he stepped up to lead Ryala, he had never had an opportunity for another family. It was simply him hunting for his sisters day after day after day. Life had grown more difficult with the passing summer days; yet, as the autumn began to set in he felt a new surge of power. His body nearly held more energy to press onward, to find those two little bitches and drag them back to safely. His actions would have been kinder, but now within his mind he held slight rage. To this day, Rasalas had yet to establish why his family had been torn from him. The great sin he had committed still escaped his mind. Why were they all gone? His inner demon nearly gleamed at the thought. Sure it was pleased when he managed to aid others, bring them to safety, but the joy it held was much different. One half of him enjoyed the company of the others, adored making their lives better. The darker half enjoyed the power it brought. Every day was a constant war, it was growing easier. Since the brute was a whelp he knew about this strange demonic force within his head, a dark temptation that merely grew the older he got. Sometimes when it got out of hand the brute would have to leave, 'my excuse was to hunt, I know what I needed.' The brute stared blankly, catching his breath. 'Stop, stop, STOP!' He needed to clear his mind instantly before an anxiety attack set in. This force was not something that he could mess with, even in the slightest, it could manifest and then slip through the tiniest crack. With Ryala growing and beautiful Aowyn before him, it was something that could not be risked. When he had no family, on occasion he would tinker with it - no longer could that happen. One slip up and someone would be dead. He was responsible for the lives of these wolves. Nothing was greater than the gift of existence. Instead of focusing his mind upon the past, his attention was required in the present and future. Aowyn rescued the Alpha without even realizing it, her excited yip was enough to bring his panic back to calm. Eagerly he accepted the trip back into reality, his own tail picking up speed in a happy wag. The pretty red female seemed ecstatic to be able to call The Occasus her home, it certainly did make Rasalas feel proud. After all, none had seemed this excited to stay with him. Her overflowing positive energy was rapidly absorbed into his bones, marrow greedily utilizing the happiness. Almost instantaneously did the Alpha feel a sensation of refreshed relaxation consuming him. "It is an honor to have you within our ranks," he let out a soft grin at the female. She certainly was a beauty. 'So happy to be here, maybe she left something quite unfortunate as well,' the thought of the poor female suffering made the red brute nearly nuzzle her. However, he maintained a safe distance. There was no need to get overly close already. "We are in need of hunters, if you would like to take on such a position. Do not worry, we will all be working on pack hunting together. Many of us come from a rather broken lifestyle," his smile never faltered as he offered the femme a rank. True he had not seen her abilities, but the femme's pure commitment and joy had made up his mind. Like he had said, they could learn to work together and if she had managed to survive alone - then she could catch food. It was as simple as that. 'What if she declines being a huntress?' the thought was nearly silent within his brain. If she wished to be a subordinate he would happily keep her in such a position; but he could not resist what his maw had said. Her willingness was greatly appreciated and sent a soft glimmer into his golden orbs. Aowyn would be a phenomenal addition to Ryala, that was for certain. If she accepted his rank, she would also be the first official hunter that Ryala ever had. The femme would not be alone for long, the Alpha had plans to promote others to be hunters. There were several who seemed fit to aid in the pack survival by catching food, even though during pack hunts he would call upon even the subordinates. Everyone was responsible for assisting the pack, it made everyone's life easier and allowed them to work with and for each other. In actuality he believed it would be a beneficial system, as long as it all worked out.

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Family was important. She had never once been alone in her entire life until that wretched storm had dragged her into the ocean. Learning to swim beforehand had certainly saved her life. Never before had she been so tired or in so much pain or hated water so much. Never before had she ever wanted to curl up beside her brothers and her mother, rest warmly in their sides like nothing would ever go wrong. How she missed it, because they had been her only reason to live, her only reason to not go off on her own and get herself killed. Of course, look where that had led her: to a completely foreign land that she didn't even know the name of. She couldn't --well, wouldn't-- complain, though, considering where she had ended up. She quite enjoyed the lands she was in, but there was nothing more than she wanted right now than to know her family was safe, to know her brothers hadn't suffered a worse fate. Perhaps she could bring them here, if she ever found them.

Her ear twitched with interest, watching his eyes and expression go blank, wondering what troubled him. She supposed it wasn't all that easy to be an alpha, but everyone had their demons. She often had wondered if she'd had any of her own, though she was not quite the type to kill or harm in cold blood, unless it had to do with the food that she hunted. Never once had she ever bared her teeth against another wolf, whether in a joking or serious manner, nor had she even growled. Only her prey received that kind of...maliciousness from her. She was not an aggressive wolf, and she knew her father had had a point when he said her softness would get her killed one day. But perhaps it had been the one thing to keep her alive this entire time? It didn't matter. She was here, with the opportunity to join a pack, to call this place home and these wolves her family. There wasn't really any reason to linger on such things. She'd been handed a gift, and she was going to take it.

Aowyn felt overly excited, like she was exaggerating her feelings on the situation, but she was truly excited to be within the pack. She hadn't ever been given a home among wolves she didn't know, hadn't been accepted by someone so quickly. She had always been the wench to do the bidding of those who mattered, taking orders from her father to please the guests that came their way. This would be far better. It had been since she and the rest of the family had let him to fend on his own, but this would be the best so far. She would be able to make decent friends, have this place as her home, and even be of some use to those around her. It wasn't something she had ever felt she could do, at least on her own, but Rasalas seemed glad she was even there. "N-No, I am h-honored." She didn't suffer anything so unfortunate as some, but she had been miserable for some time. It was more or less emotional suffering, though the physical abuse had come from time to time.

Her tail was still swinging back and forth with such joy as he spoke, but she did wonder where the offer of the position came from. He hadn't seen her hunt before, but she supposed that was all right. Every alpha ran things differently and she was not one to judge the way he did things. At least she was not a fighter, otherwise she'd prove rather useless. A pup could pin her with enough effort. But, for her, to be named a hunter for the pack would be something so fantastic for her. She'd never had a rank, but had always assumed she filled the omega role in her family, at least according to the treatment from her father. Aowyn could only nod happily. "Of c-course!" There went her voice again, up from her ecstatic feelings. "I m-mean, y-yes, I would l-love to b-be a hunter." Trying to keep herself appearing in a semi-professional manner wasn't so easy, but she was just so happy. She felt like she had walked back into her den.

Aowyn felt the speed in her tail slow and a small frown come on her face when he mentioned broken backgrounds. It seemed like many wolves came from broken homes, broken places. Such things made her sad, knowing there was such pain in the world. Others had had it worse than her, and she had known a few, and they had survived. Her voice level had lowered and her speech impediment seemed to disappear, even if only for a moment, "Tough times pass, tough wolves don't." It was a phrase her mother had often used when things were rough. It had always been so helpful, knowing there was always a chance to survive. The smile returned to the female's face, blooming into a large grin. Her eyes switched around for a few moments, wondering what did come next now that she was a part of the pack. She hummed a bit in thought, eyes glued to the water before turning to the male and sounding her question, "Are y-you hungry, b-by ch-chance?"

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[atrb=background,http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1830/rasmid.png] How could the brute not be happy? It seemed merely impossible with the present situation. Life was coming together perfectly and currently he was sharing his company with a beautiful female. 'What more could I possibly ask for?' Alas, Rasalas knew that he dare not answer that question. The list of two names would merely demolish the cloud he was currently upon. Now, they had a hunter. He hoped that she held the amount of skill that she claimed, but right now there was no reason to doubt her. Her words would be trusted, more so than some of the others. The Alpha knew not what made him believe her to be sincere, for she could be lying as swiftly as the others. Either way, he had gained her trust to an extent - at least enough to be the pack's first official hunter. The brute had begun to believe that he was taking far too long to assess the skills of others. After all, being a hunter merely gave a newly accepted wolf a reason to stick around. They would have a purpose, a goal, and specific tasks to accomplish. It would further help him identify their personality and usefulness, if they would betray him or stick around. His mind had claimed that he should be less cautious and the brute truly had with this female. There was a bit of bias to his thought process, however. She caught his gleaming red optics, Aowyn was quite attractive. Rasalas had always been a sucker for female's, this was was so gentle. The Alpha nearly wanted to nuzzle Aowyn; yet, he feared what would happen should he show any sort of physical affection. It could end quite poorly, the female would believe him to be crazy. There was no reason to chase her off, especially not right now. Rasalas would merely enjoy her company, worry not about what his head was attempting to say. 'So she is honored to be a part of the pack?' her words absolutely warmed Rasalas' freezing heart. Few seemed this eager to join them. Actually, most seemed as if they were reluctant to find themselves a formal home within the desert. It was useful though for certain breeds, such as his own, which despised the cold. The Alpha assumed such anyway, the bitter winter was what had stolen his entire family away from him. One day they were there and the next a permanent frost had settled upon their hearts. It bothered him less the older he grew, the wiser he became to the ways of the world. Still, his sisters had been so young and ready to begin their life. There was no need for it to be captured and shut down so soon. Aowyn's joy was absolutely contagious, the Alpha could not resist wagging his own tail a bit faster. It was a welcome surprise to see a creature so eager to become a member of his pack. Sometimes the brute merely felt as if he was doing Aries' bidding while she was not around. He figured it would take some time before everything really felt as if it was his - this was one of those special occasions. The Occasus belonged to him and those who shared Ryala. A name change must be done soon, something to ensure that the damned bitch would never cross his mind again. He would merely slaughter her existence within his head and pretend she never existed. That brief moment of weakness within his life could be overlooked. "I am glad and ever so pleased to have a member like you," his words were soft. True, this canine was a brand new edition - yet her eagerness was the best thing to the Alpha. Aowyn seemed to be ecstatic to join them, Rasalas nearly felt special. That was something almost foreign to the red brute. The sensation of being important to another canine had almost been nonexistent for several months. 'You are the Alpha,' but being so hardly made him close to another's heart. Even if he was taking her expression of happiness to a further extent than it was intended, Rasalas was joyous. A true smile peeked upon his lips, one of genuine purity. This sort had remained hidden for many months, perhaps even years for all he could remember. There was little the brute wouldn't do to have the ability to expand his array of emotions. 'Maybe Aowyn will help?' the brute nearly growled as he pushed such thoughts from his mind. Carnal desires and companionship were not to be even though of, the damned mating season was making his demons grow in power. Rasalas liked to believe that he was not too old, if it was meant to be then one day he would find someone. He was certain that they were tough, all of these wolves had to be in order to live within the desert. Being weak merely left them room to die. This Aowyn was starting to gain some favoritism within his golden orbs, but he would do his best to disguise that for now. "Food is not a bad idea, shall we go find some?" The brute had hardly acknowledge the grumbling within his stomach until that moment. This would be a superb opportunity for him to see how well Aowyn could hunt as well.

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Aowyn wasn't entirely decent in judging herself so well, at least in comparison to what she could do. She had undermined herself so many times, even though she had been capable of proving she was good at something otherwise. Very few wolves could catch fish, she would remind herself, but even then, it wasn't anything all that fantastic. Anyone could hunt snakes, most not without getting bitten, so she hated thinking she could do anything special. She was elated, though, knowing she was a hunter in this pack. She had a rank, a role she had to play for the benefit of others, something she hadn't been given to do in some time. If her heart had wings, it would have been long gone above the clouds by then, and she could think that with pride. She'd been given a purpose by someone important and she was going to take every opportunity to use it. She would spend day and night hunting if she had to; of course, rest was important all the same.

She didn't think she had much of a plan with her life. She had just pined to be useful to someone, to something. Now that she had that, she wasn't so sure what a long term goal would even be. Hunting was one thing, yes, but so were friends, a mate, even pups. They were thoughts she had avoided, specifically the latter of the two. Friends had been difficult to make because she had not been allowed them, so such a skill was hard for her to come by. Her speech impediment didn't help in the slightest. There were some occasions where she wouldn't stutter, but those were in the rare instances where she would become angered, a state that was difficult to get her to. One would have to threaten the life of someone important or threaten the life of a pup. She saw no reason to threaten the life of something that had yet to even live. Her speech impediment tended to get in the way of things like friendships and such. Physical touch frightened her if its intent was malicious, but when it wasn't, it didn't bother her so much. She had learned such from her brothers.

Aowyn was beyond honored to be in the pack, to belong to something so important to the survival of others. The fact that she could contribute in a way to the well-being and the complete survival of others made her happy. She was glad to be able to do something. She even would have been glad to have been left to the care of elders or to the care of the sick, changing their bedding, whatever they wanted her to do. She would have even been content with that. She was a humble female and did as she was told without question unless she found it absolutely outrageous for any reason at all, which she felt wouldn't be the case here. Owned by a tyrant, she would have steered clear. The pack was led by this male, though, and she was glad he was far from such a thing. It made her glad to know there was an authoritative figure out there that was nothing like her father. She felt like no one could harm her here, like no one in their right mind within the pack could make her writhe in pain.

The desert was home to her. Snow had never been anything she'd seen, never been anything she'd wanted part of. Her mother had seen it before, long, long ago, and said it was nothing too great. Wolves like them were better off staying in their appropriate places. She was glad that she had managed to find something special. She couldn't complain about the settings. Plenty of snakes and those funny antlered rabbit would run around freely here, as well as other animals. Birds would be good picking, too, if she could manage to find some. Most birds in the desert would bother picking up what was already dead, making them rather easy targets. Nonetheless, she was pleased to be in this place. "I am j-just p-pleased to b-be of use t-to s-s-someone... It d-doesn't come b-b-by me often..." Well, ever. Even so, she was ecstatic. Her ears were no longer flattened, her head no longer so far lowered; her tail was going and she was smiling. Happiness was a nice thing.

Aowyn loved wolves. She really did, despite the abuse she had suffered once upon a time. All of that was long gone, though, and she'd had the chance to see a better side to the people had long grown up with. There were good wolves out there, but all had a problem in their lives. She had listened to her brother's issues, to Malaika's issues when she had been around. Her brother's mate had been a troubled female, and she had done her best to keep the femme from remaining down. Malaika had seemed to enjoy the fact that she could listen, that she was capable of not judging her despite the bad things she had done. She had been afraid at first, but was convinced the female had changed. She had taught Malaika to hunt, even, something else she was half decent at. She had found a way to perservere through hard times, just as she was doing now. Against all odds, this runt had managed something her family once thought impossible. Her stomach rumbled slightly, and she gave a nod to the alpha, "Y-Yes...let's."

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