Sanctuary [conquest]

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/7417/rasscroll.png) center bottom no-repeat; width: 500px; height: 575px; padding: 0px;] The day had come, perhaps the red brute was merely impatient or overly paranoid. Regardless of his own mental weakness, this needed to be done. He could not push his family to a place that was not rightfully theirs. It was too risky, only hell knew what sort of trials they would face if the pack remained within unclaimed territory. Or worse, what if others attempted to take both Xisyn and the Occasus. The brute had pondered such nightmares for far too long, it was time to settle his cluttered mind - or at least allow himself some form of relief. 'Maybe I should have spoke of this to more of the family,' the brute's head shook quickly, audits slapping against his crania. It was too late to call a pack meeting, he was their leader and this was what he believed to be best for everyone. Certainly that was enough, 'besides, this could bring about a renewed pride within the pack. It will aid in boosting the morale of the others.' There was no changing his mind now, if they didn't claim Xisyn than others surely would attempt it. The last time he had ventured into The Occasus it had been healed enough to be considered inhabitable; although, the others would certainly need to be cautious. The old dens seemed to hold an inevitable danger to them right now. There was hope for the future though, they could live freely between the two lands. It would be easier to hunt as there would be a significantly larger food supply. The canine knew not why he was attempting to reassure himself, this was for the best. Amber optics cast their worried gaze upwards, allowing themselves to become half-blinded by the bits of sunlight peaking through the clouds. He relished this temporary escape from the blanket of fog that had been upon them the past several days; although, the Alpha felt fairly certain that soon the sun would be masked by cloud cover again. The Alpha brute felt guided by the fragile beams of light cascading to the ground. It was nothing like the warm summer days within The Occasus; yet, the small radiating warmth from above felt rather reassuring upon his russet pelt. Each time his paw lifted from the earth it felt weighted, as if he could not bare to bring his figurine to move forward. The undying heaviness of his mind was wearing him down, something needed to resolve that. This would create some sense of security within him, his family would be safe from terror. Or surely the Alpha prayed for such an occurrence. Only the heavens could foresee the future, he was merely a mortal - nothing special at all. Gears were grinding away, but the brute pushed himself forward. He needed to pass through the tiny glimmers of morning light, bring himself to the place he knew so well now. It was the spot upon the boulders, he was heading to the same place that the last meeting was. Only this time, Rasalas would be speaking of good news. Despite the overwhelming devastation, they had all survived and the pack was still increasing in numbers. The others would love to hear such grand news, right? The brute had seen most of them privately since the eruption, persistently checking in on everyone's recovery. Perhaps they had not expected such individualized attention from their leader; however, every one of them held importance inside his heart. They all deserved to know that. He forced a smile upon his features, more to attempt to bring cheer to his solitary existence. At least he had these moments alone to prepare, the russet brute did not believe himself to be a talented public speaker. Hell, he felt awkward at times even within small groups! Yet, here he was once more about to call the family together. 'Everyone will meet once more,' truthfully the brute was unsure how well the individual members were meshing into a family. He had only crossed paths with a few of them at a time, now was the time to pray that they would be enjoying each other's company. Steps were feeling lighter now, the brute's pace had subconsciously increased in speed. Even an eager swing had settled into his tail, a detail that Rasalas had hardly taken the the time to notice. Mind was swirling with possibilities, allowing his body to merely pull itself forward on autopilot. He knew where his body was headed, this moment had been visualized in his crania for weeks now. It was time to act, things could not wait forever. Golden optics surfed across the ragged terrain before him, how long ago had it been that he could hardly trot across the boulders? It had been two moons since the hellfire rain, now he was agile and swift in each precise movement; somehow he had managed to adapt quickly. At least a sprained ankle had been luckily avoided, Rasalas was unsure how he had not broken all of his legs in the initial sprint from The Occasus. He nearly tripped over himself as the motion of his paws stopped. A deep exhale released from his lungs, causing such a change in body pressure that a brief pain stung his chest. Instincts had guided him to the exact rock he had perched himself on before. The memories of his exhausted speech haunted him. He looked like a fool, not an Alpha. His body was tattered and wounded, by the end he could hardly utter the words he wished to say. This time things would be different. He was stronger and healthier than before, perhaps now he was genuinely fit to lead Tassos. Cautiously he approached his pedestal, climbing it with all the confidence he could muster. There was a certain excitement building inside of him, a sensation of importance that the brute had never experienced before. Golden eyes played across the terrain slowly, taking in every hazy detail of their new lands. It was a beautiful feeling, a true sign to the Alpha that things may be brightening up for him; however, Rasalas knew not to become excessively hopeful. That would only be his downfall, in the end he would be broken down - a guard was always going to be necessary. He could not become as emotionally weak as he was before, at least not externally. One lingering ray of sun burned his orbs, causing the brute to turn away from it. The clouds were making their coverage thick across the sky once more. At least a dim gray glow seed to pass through them, allowing enough light that summoning his pack should cause no issues. Although the lighting was dismal, some of the heaviness was gradually relieving his shoulders. 'Things are going to turn out great, deep breath,' the brute took one more second of silence to prepare himself. Muzzle lifted itself towards the heavens above, eyelids found themselves closing as the brute's song parted ways from his body. It rang out loud and clear throughout the terrain, small reverberating echoes caught his audits making them quiver slightly. "Tassos, my family! I call you together, Xisyn is now a part of your home." His body trembled as the great sound ended, a certain nervousness passing over him briefly. Short and sweet - that was how he liked to call to any other creature, the brute always felt nervous summoning others. It brought about a weird form of attention upon himself that he despised with his entirety. Slowly, the brute stabilized his breathing once more. The worry was growing less apparent as the time passed, his silhouette standing strong with authority. 'There is nothing to fear, they are your family,' the brute nodded and flickered his audits. Everything would be great, if only he could stop himself from becoming so easily flustered. Every breeze seemed to bring a gentle smile to the canine's features, this decision was the right one. Immediately after the call he had become paranoid and anxious, but that was bleeding away with incredible speed. Had he known what relief he would experience, he would have done this weeks ago. Alas, he knew it would be wise to wait. Rasalas had not wanted to expand when their numbers were too few. Then they would be in a very dangerous state. His tail swung slowly behind him, causing small waves of dirt to fly from the raised boulder he was standing upon. The canine was impatient due to his own eagerness, he wanted his family to arrive, then they could all share their happiness. words:: One thousand four hundred and fifty-one muse:: Superb tags:: Tassos/Open ooc:: Yay finally the official expansion

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After making several circuits around the same path of sand between two large boulders, Kibeti had finally settled down to take a quick nap. She was finding that she still was not sleeping well, even after having been accepted into Tassos. While she did feel safer within the protection of the pack rather than trying to make it alone as a lone, small wolf, she still thought of her family. When she did sleep, her dreams were filled with memories of them, and she would wake thinking herself a pup again, and in their company. But reality would rapidly set in. Laying her head on her paws, she closed her eyes. Then she heard Rasalas, the Alpha of Tassos, call out. He was calling to Tassos to join him.

Instantly, she was up on all fours. She listened, trying to gauge the direction and distance that the call had come from. She jumped up to a taller boulder and peered out. She saw his silhouette in the distance. A smile came to her muzzle as she began her approach to him. As much as she longed for her family, she knew she was blessed to be a part of this pack. They genuinely seemed to care for their members, and Rasalas in particular, seemed to try his best to be interested in each one of them. That each member was important, and not simply a part of the whole, but that the pack was made up by individuals that each had their own talents and abilities to share, and each had their own stories as well.

What had he said? That’s right, Tassos, my family! I call you together, Xisyn is now a part of your home. Perhaps this was his official declaration of this new territory. Having grown up in a small family band, Kibeti was still trying to get used to pack life.

On reaching Rasalas, she bowed her head to him. “You called, Alpha.” She peered up at the red brute with her yellow eyes. Being near him always reminded her how small she was. But he never failed to make her feel as important as anyone else. “It truly is wonderful to be a part of your family.” She stood and waited for the rest of Tassos to gather around their leader.

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Vixen lay sprawled across a large boulder, soaking up the sun’s warm rays as she relaxed. The gatherer had been rather busy lately collecting herbs and running errands for Scout, but she found she did not mind the work. It was better than having nothing to do at all, and she had quickly learned a lot about the plants that grew in the south. Soon she would be able to tend to her own patients, although hopefully that wouldn’t prove necessary.

The pack was recovering well and soon they would be the strongest they’d ever been, far from the crippled bunch of wolves they'd been only a few months ago. Tassos was, in a way, the one year old's fourth pack – Haishin, Isata and Ryala had all failed, crumbled into the dust. At that, her mind drifted to Alyan, reminded of how she had spilled her story to him. Where was he now? How did he fare? She hadn’t seen him since the day she had returned to Tassos and she found that she missed his company. It was likely that he was back in I’queyer by now, which was a pity, as he had seemed like a nice guy. Maybe she would try to find him again some time.

Black-tipped ears perked suddenly with interest at her alpha's cry, and the mixed wolf cocked her head to the side. Xisyn was theirs? Well, she supposed that was good; Tassos had grown a lot since she’d left and the Occasus wouldn’t be able to provide for all of them, especially in its current state. Vixen had travelled up there herself after hearing the stories of how the mountain had exploded and had found the land coated in a layer of ash, almost barren of life. Hopefully the winds would clear the sands soon enough, but until then, it was true that Xisyn would have to be their main source of prey, and this expansion ensured the pack’s security.

With a huge yawn, Vixen stretched and lifted herself to her paws, then half-scrambled half-fell down the side of the boulder. Upon the jarred impact of landing excruciating pain shot through her right hind leg and the runt winced but determinedly ignored it, limping as she cautiously made her way through the boulder-field towards where Rasalas had called. The scattered rocks were very difficult to navigate when one had only three working legs, but thankfully it was not far to travel and she only tripped once or twice.

As she came within sight of the two wolves already present she realised that it was the exact same spot they had gathered the day of the eruption. It had pained her heart to see those wolves suffering, even though she did not know them personally, and she was glad that she had been able to provide some assistance to aid in their recovery.

“Hello Rasalas,” she spoke shyly as she inclined her head to the larger male, before her metallic silver eyes drifted to the she wolf she had not yet met. “Greetings, madam. I am Vixen, gatherer of Tassos.” She quietly introduced herself to the stranger; they were supposed to be family, after all, and she had to make an effort to get to know her new packmates. But how many others would there be that she did not know? Tassos had indeed grown a lot since she had been absent – did they even need her anymore? She couldn’t help but find slight offense at the thought that Rasalas had replaced her with these other wolves, but it made sense that she wasn’t the most important, especially not to him.



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[atrb=background,http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg604/Fourth-Disaster/maitryi_table_zps8a547d59.png] It had been a rather peaceful day thus far, to say the least. No other wolves to meet, no prey to catch, no sleep to come, and no noises to hear. Not that Maitryi hadn't become accustomed to this already, but she had hoped for a bit more excitement after joining a pack of wolves she had not met. From the two canines she had met, Rasalas and Kibeti, the female had discovered how kind others could be. She was used to returning home from a long day of hunting and gathering to a cruel brute who would then proceed to rip her limb from limb. Well, not exactly. He did need her to remain alive, it was the only way he himself could survive. Unlike his daughter, he had used his disability as more of an excuse to get away with not completing any work for himself. But, that was all in the past now. And as the Arabian female trotted around boulder after boulder after boulder, she realized just how much her life had changed within the first few days of becoming a member of Tassos. For one thing, she was safe from Damon, the living devil of a father. As she wandered aimlessly through Xisyn, she had remained among the huge Boulders of Tohyz because she did not particularly want to bump into any strangers that may question her place within the pack. What would she have said? She certainly did not wish to cause an uproar because another canine may not believe she was telling the truth about her being a member. She knew that it was impossible for her to lie, but another wolf twice her size may think differently. She would rather be solitary for the day than accidentally triggering trouble within the pack. She disliked being the center of attention, for she feared she would slip up and humiliate herself in front of many pairs of observant eyes that would be watching her so closely. Out of nowhere, Maitryi thought her nostrils had caught a whiff of nearby wolves though she wasn't sure how she had missed the scent prior to now. She had been traveling the edges of the cluster of boulders, and she would've thought she would noticed if a canine would have entered the area. She shook the thought away, it didn't even matter. She stuck her nose to the ground and tracked the unfamiliar scent. She could not quite differentiate between the three different scents that lingered in the air. For all she knew, she could've been following the scent of her own father, the smells were much too jumbled together and she was sure that they were positioned slightly downwind of the Arabian. As she trotted along, the stench grew stronger and more precise. Maitryi now knew that she was approaching one brute and two femmes, although she still did not know whom the scents belonged to. Finally, she came upon the canines she had been searching for. Her own Alpha was standing before two Ethiopian females looking quite proud and confident. The female's heart fluttered at the sight of the larger brute, he was truly beginning to grow on her. He was kind, well-built, and a strong leader from what she had seen so far. Her yellow orbs shifted their gaze to fall upon the two females that stood with the Alpha. Both were nearly identical in color, though their eyes slightly varied in shades of silver and grey. The one with a more grayish pair of orbs was the female who had literally ran into Maitryi and Rasalas not a few days earlier, her name was Kibeti. She had made quite the first impression, but overall had seemed nice enough to the Arabian. Taking a few more steps forward, the femme dipped her head in greeting to the trio she had stumbled upon. Glancing up to the Red brute, she smiled and greeted him respectfully. "Hello, Sir Rasalas." Her voice was sweet and slightly submissive, she was unaware of whether or not she had intruded an important meeting that she was not welcomed to. Glancing over to the Ethiopian female she had already met, she greeted her as well. Good afternoon, Kibeti. I'm glad to have crossed paths with you a second time." Her yellow eyes glittered with warmth, she still felt as if she had acted rudely toward the femme the first time they had met. Turning to the third and final canine that was present, Maitryi introduced herself in a friendly tone with a small hint of nervousness to the stranger. "Greetings, miss. My name is Maitryi, I am a subordinate of Tassoss." She looked over the group once more, trying to absorb the mood of their conversation. She didn't pick out much. Craning her neck so she was facing her Alpha once more, she decided to ask what was unfolding between the canines. Perhaps she could be of assistance? Flicking her audits as if to signal that she would not have been able to hear any of the conversation earlier, she parted her maw wearily. "May I ask what you three are speaking about? I do not want to interrupt anything important..." Her voice trailed off as she realized how stupid she was acting. She thought she could just wander up and question her own leader? She had to fix the mistake she had made. "I apologize, Rasalas. I should not have acted so foolishly. Please excuse me, I should probably be going. I-" This time, her words halted abruptly. She had said too much already. Ashamed, Maitryi dipped her head once more and turned to walk away. She had no reason to be present here right now, why had she come in the first place? She was lonely, that was why. count:: Nine hundred and seventy-eight. muse:: Surprisingly decent. tags:: Rasalas/Kibeti/Vixen/Tassos notes:: Poor little deaf girl<3

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The dust-colored lizard lay sunning itself in the meager sunlight radiating from between the clouds. It was completely still, holding its head in the air with perfect poise, with only the slight movement of its belly betraying the fact that it was breathing and alive. Several feet away, the Mexican wolf crouched with a stillness to match that of the lizard's, his caramel eyes entirely focused on the reptile before him. He had spent the better part of an hour creeping up on the lizard, hardly moving except to inch ever closer. Now he was only a few minutes away from his strike, but he must not rush it. The lizard may appear to be drowsing, but Alyan knew that it was alert for danger, and it had a keen sense of the vibrations in the ground. This was why each step had to be under careful control, each paw to be placed down with feather precision. A sharp wind blew into Alyan's face, ruffling the fur along his sides and threatening to tip his balance for a moment. He shifted his weight and rebalanced himself, using the opportunity to stalk incrementally closer. He was upwind of the lizard, and prayed to Fenrir that the wind wouldn't change and announce his presence. Baring his teeth, the wolf crouched lower to the ground, preparing to leap. His face was a picture of concentration as he eyed his prey, measuring the distance and mentally preparing himself for what he needed to do. With a sudden bound and an uncoiling of pent-up energy, Alyan lunged towards the lizard and closed his teeth around its scaly body, giving the reptile no time to even be aware of the danger. His teeth came together like the steel jaws of a trap, and the lizard was held securely in his iron grip, struggling to get away. Alyan whipped his head from side to side, dizzying his prey, then flung it onto the rock it had been laying on moments before. While it lay there stunned, he quickly broke its neck with one sharp stamp of his paw. Victorious and elated, Alyan gently picked up the carcass and trotted towards the dens, pleased to have made a kill. He had deliberately avoided crushing the ribs or any other bones, knowing how irritating it was trying to avoid splinters of bone strewn throughout the meat.

He paused and his ears twitched uncertainly as the Alpha's cry rang through the air, echoing off the boulders of Xisyn. It was a summoning call, beckoning to all the wolves of Tassos, and Alyan remembered that it included him now. Anxiously he began to move in the direction he'd heard Rasalas from, nervousness lending an unusual speed to his trot. He realized he was still holding the lizard, dangling limply in his mouth and flopping with every stride. He decided to bring it with him. Rasalas didn't sound too far away, and if he was quick, maybe he could make it to the meeting before everybody else. Maybe someone was hungry and they would appreciate something to eat. Lengthening his stride, he continued onwards, leaping from boulder to boulder with greater agility than he displayed when he first struggled through this area, when he had Vixen by his side. His balance was slightly off thanks to the dead weight he held in his mouth, but he could adjust to it. Scanning the area from atop a particularly large rock (visibility really was poor), his brown eyes caught the fuzzy shapes of something vaguely resembling wolves in the distance. With a visual destination to guide him now, he made faster progress through the rocky minefield. Nervousness seized him as he finally approached the wolves surrounding Rasalas, and he slowed his pace to a walk, flicking glances up at those who were already there. He recognized Rasalas immediately, looking proud and content atop his high perch. It had been a little while since he spoke with the red wolf and gained acceptance to Tassos, and he was pleased to see that Rasalas looked well. He liked his Alpha, and felt more confident being here among strangers with him there. Vixen ... Vixen was here too! Alyan's heart gave a funny stutter within his chest. He gazed at her with ears forward, momentarily forgetting about everybody else gathered here. Often during his time in Xisyn he had wondered how the mixed wolf had been faring, but his new duties kept him extremely busy. He did think of her quite a lot, and he missed her gentle company. Remembering the other wolves, he brought his attention back to the situation, reluctantly looking away from Vixen.

The two other wolves were complete strangers to him. They hadn't even been present at the pack gathering after Pievunt-An erupted. Maybe they were new as well? One of them looked extremely awkward; she was walking away with a rather downcast appearance. Alyan glanced back at the rest of the gathering, wondering what had happened. He had missed it, whatever it was. Feeling sad for her and wishing he could say something comforting, he shyly moved towards Vixen and positioned himself beside her, leaving a few feet of space between them. He dropped the lizard and settled into a sitting position, content to wait for more arrivals. "Hi Vixen," he greeted her, wagging his tail to show his pleasure at her company. It truly was good to see her again! He wanted to sidle closer and greet her more affectionately, but he felt a little bit awkward around her, and for the time being it seemed more right to be restrained, especially in front of the other wolves here. Just because he was quite glad to see her didn't mean she felt the same about him. Alyan caught Rasalas' eye and offered him a warm smile. "Greetings, Rasalas," he said to the Alpha, dipping his head with respect. "Thank you for expanding our home." His grin became awkward as he turned his attention to the remaining wolf, a stranger whom he didn't know. He was never any good at introductions, and he disliked strangers. But once he knew their name, they were a stranger no more. "I'm Alyan," he offered to her and anybody else who was listening. Ducking his head, he stared at the dirt, licking his lips occasionally to clean the taste of lizard flesh from his mouth. He was doing better. At least he was still here and not running away. More wolves were going to come, but he was a member here now, and he must meet them and consider them family. But Alyan was aware of Vixen's presence beside him, and with her nearby, he felt steadied. She was his friend, and so was Rasalas. They could trust them, and in return, he would trust them too.

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Aowyn spent ample time lately doing nothing in particular, waiting as she healed her ankle from its battered state to make sure she could be of use again. In the last week or so, it had proven to be of more use than it had been in the times before then. It had shot pain through her nerves and up her leg, crackling horribly at the back of her head every time she stepped on it. Perhaps it had been broken or even just badly sprained. Either way, she had spent the time allowing it to heal itself, though it had bothered her greatly to have nothing in particular to do. Rasalas had asked her to rest so she would not harm herself further, and she had begrudgingly done so. She hated not being of use, especially since she had been given a purpose, but she supposed if she harmed herself further, then she would be of less use. Now that everything was back to normal, she hadn't stopped hunting for whatever reason. It kept her busy.

The water was cool as it shifted around her paws, flattening the fur that rested there. Her yellow-grey eyes were trained intently on the carefully moving liquid as it drifted past, attempting to pick out any small flash of color, silver or otherwise, that resembled a fish. They were her favorite meal of all time, though she tried to alternate between them and land animals. Often times, she was dragged back closer to the water animals instead, her love for them too great. There were no sounds, except that of a breeze and the water that came up to her ankles. Her ears were pointed forward at an interesting angle, her head tilted slightly as though she were confused or overly curious about something. Everything was perfect for fishing. No distractions of any kind, sound or otherwise. The sun was somewhat there, but the extra cloud cover made the fish easier to spot. Her eye caught one coming down the stream and she parted her jaws slightly. Now for the lunge...

Which she immediately regretted. The call of the alpha had surprised her, shattered her concentration as though it had been a fragile bug beneath the weight of a massive stone. Her movements jerked awkwardly in her attempt to regain concentration, but she ended up slipping on the stones beneath her pads, rolled onto her side into the deeper water. Though, when she sat up, it barely came to her shoulders, even though it seemed like she had gone through the river that was in the Occasus. Her ears flattened and she gave a small whine, having missed her lunch, but she did not verbally complain. Instead, she pushed herself to her paws and left the chilling water, shaking her pelt free of what she could. It still looked as though she had taken a long swim, but she did not mind so much. With a small stretch, she bounded upon the ground with ease, ankle no longer aching, and made her way towards where the call had resounded from.

Aowyn did not take particularly long to reach the destination, but she suddenly became hesitant in approaching the wolves, even though she was sure she had met most of them in the last meeting. It had been some time, though, and her sudden bashfulness seemed to get her every time. The red femme halted before entering the rocky area, heart hammering in her chest painfully, glancing about with her shaky eyes. She didn't say a word, didn't announce herself, but paced slowly into the area and sat off a ways from everyone else, tucked beside a rock. Perhaps she wouldn't garner too much attention for herself, almost afraid to make conversation with these people. She did, though, send Rasalas a respectful dip of her head, the smallest of movements in her tail. Otherwise, she was silently crouched, observing rather than being a part of. She would get over her introversion eventually, but that would take quite some time.

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