Stealth and Patience (open)

[Kiva]

The silver feme kept replaying her conversion with her alpha over and over again in her head. So many things left her confused, like his history with the gods or the bearing of pups.... if that was actually what he meant. She had no idea what to make out of the vast majority of their conversation and she made a mental note to herself to go back and talk to him again. But that next conversation would have to wait. For she had something much more important to do first. The little bit of her initial conversation that she did understand was when Goliath told her she needed to get her strength back or she would be forced to move down to omega. Omega. the tought alone made her feel sick to her stomach as a snarl escaped her clenched muzzle. She had been an omega before, when she was still part of her parents pack, before she made Tala with her brother and she swore to herself she would never be in that rank again. It was hard enough for her to settle for hunter instead of alphess. There was no way she was going to let something bring her any lower. Especially if that something was within her control.

She moved stealthily through the marsh, making sure her steps stayed quiet if not silent. She avoided puddles as to not make any splashing noise and moved very cautiously keeping her ears and eyes alert, watching and listening for the smallest sound of danger. She knew what she was doing was dangerous but she kept pushing herself forward. She was tired of going after deer and other common prey. How would she ever get even better if she never changed anything. She knew she couldn't go after a larger or stronger animal in her current state so she went in a different direction. She would practice her stealth and speed by going after an aligator egg. It sounded easy since an egg can't defend itself but if she wasn't careful and she let the mom sneak up on her, she could very quickly go from being the hunter to being the hunted.

[Banks]

Banks had stumbled upon the territory on accident.

She’d left Rita in the shelter of the gloomy forest to relax for a short while she went to grab food, and upon losing her footing on the rocky cliffs, had slid all but gracefully into the waters below. She’d seen the shore not far away, and chose to swim there instead of climb back up the rocks. She’d been battered enough for one day in the fall, small scrapes and faint reminiscence of watered-down blood decorating her otherwise light coat. It was humiliating, really.

She’d howled to let the alpha know that she was in the territory and just passing through, but it still left her on edge. She looked around, admiring the scenery as she walked. The swamp was gorgeous—vines hung from ancient trees and the entire atmosphere had a light hue. Though she knew it was a dangerous place, this swamp felt much less ominous than the forest she’d go back to in a moment. Large colorful birds swooped overhead and others dove for the small minnows swimming in the tiny pools of water.

Animal tracks were abound, but she knew better than to attempt to hunt on foreign land. I’ll have to hunt in the desert, she thought to herself with a scowl, but despite her unenthusiastic approach to hunting in the hot sand, she had only intended on skirting the coast in order to better facilitate her swim back to the forest. It was pack territory, after all. Her father’s words threatened to break to the surface of her consciousness and she shook them away with the last of the water that clung to her fur.

No matter the case, the Timber mix was was on her guard.

As she carefully waded through the green swamp, a slow murmur of white caught her eye. Banks lifted her nose to the wind, smelling the other before silently moving closer. Curiosity killed the wolf, she thought, smirking slightly. If only someone had seen her fall. They’d laugh about it for days, she was sure.

When she noticed that the white female was hunting, she gently lowered herself as well. The other was clearly unwell, at closer inspection. Severely underweight, the female should have seemed much larger than Banks, but instead, she seemed shriveled and weak. She didn’t seem aggressive, per se, but the Timber mix called out to her softly to be sure. When she noticed that the tall femme was hunting an egg, she almost giggled aloud, but held her tongue. “I’ve got your back, if you want a lookout for mother dearest.” She wagged her tail softly, assuming that her words wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise after her howl nearby.

Banks stayed behind the white female, not wanting to alarm her or give her the wrong impression by coming too close. She spoke quietly, the swamp swallowing the extra sound and the humidity making loud speech seem oppressive. “I’m just passing through. I’m Banks.” Her accent seemed more and more apparent to her the longer she stayed on the small continent.

` words ; 532 (x_x)
` tags ; Kiva
` muse / ooc ; Ick. I have lots of muse, but this was much better in my head. xD Excuse it, please. Just wanted little Banks to meet some folks.

[Kiva]

Kiva crouched down in the wet marsh, her silver fur and blue marking sticking out like a sore thumb from all the green around her. She knew this was not usually a place she would hunt at but like she had decided before, she really heard no choice. She was about to move forward more when she heard a howl come from somewhere nearby and she knew it didn't belong to any of her pack mates. She could tell in the tone that it was not a challenge or even a threat but still she stayed still and listened, for she knew from her own experience that a wolf can howl one way and have polar opposite intentions. When the wolf spoke behind her, Kiva jumped, startled. She had forgotten how easy it was to make your steps silent in a swamp and mentally fussed at herself for letting her guard down. Thankfully, the wolf was indeed, not a threat and was actually kind hearted. Looking over her shoulder, Kiva saw that it was a she wolf who would be just a little smaller than Kiva if she wasn't as unhealthy as she was. She nodded a friendly greeting as she turned around to face her. "I'm Kiva, One of Kairos' hunters, seeing as you're not a threat to us, I see no reason to take you directly to our alpha. It's nice to meet you." She bowed slightly, suddenly wishing she wasn't so unhealthy. "Oh, and thank you," She added quickly, glad to have the added help.
After that, the silver feme turned back around and continued to stalk forward, making sure to keep a close watch for any sign of predators. It took her a while to find a nest and she was about to give up when she finally spotted one that was full of eggs. Her stomach grumbled with anticipation and she paused taking a minute to look around to make sure the mother was nowhere to be seen. "You can come up with me if you want but I suggest you stay here so if something happens, we don't both get ourselves killed," Even though she was a few yards away from the nest, she still spoke in a hushed voice.

[Deleted]

Datura’s day had been uneventful, remarkably calm for the chaotic soul as she wasted time around her home. In spite of a day spent wandering around the southern tip of the island, the petite she-wolf had not encountered any of her pack mates yet. Growing bored of her directionless day, she was about to turn to the north in search of the hunting party when she heard something echoing through the realm. The feminine howl caught Datura’s attention – someone was nearby, and the stranger’s call piqued her interest. It sounded as if a newcomer had washed up on their shores once again. Following her flaring nostrils deeper into the swamp, Datura searched for the foreigner. The dark green vines draped around her, the air warm and moist, nearly masking the scent she was following.

The source of the howl was easy for the Mexican wolf to track down, wandering quite near where the auburn-licked Kairos female had been, and the small female was not alone. Chestnut orbs narrowed in disdain as she observed the scene before her from a short distance: the ragged white wolf with the bizarre marking littering her pale features and ribs protruding, talking to a stranger that appeared to be as small as Datura herself. She knew of Kiva from the rumors that circulated through the pack – she was an older female, in poor condition. Every pack needed an omega, and if the silvery fae on the beach did not watch her back, she would fall to the lowest of the lowly in short time. Better her than Datura.

Her dark tinted ears folded back, enraged by what she saw – Kiva, skulking through the mud instead of attempting to find prey with her fellow huntresses, showing respect to a common stranger who did not intend to stay and thus should not be there in the first place. Datura stalked out of her clandestine hiding place with her head lowered defensively. ”You,” she addressed Kiva with disdain dripping from her course tongue, tainting every word she spoke as dark lips curled back to barely reveal her ivory fangs. ”What do you think you are doing?  You should be away, hunting with the others.”

Her head snapped in the direction of Banks, the foreigner. Her scent was scattered and nearly impossible to trace, given the lingering salt on her fur, streaked with red from her own blood. Datura huffed, her eyes suspicious and her tone was unforgiving. ”And you, stranger. Do you seek Goliath and entry into the Kairos pack? What purpose do you have for coming to Ina’mos?”

words: 434
tag: Kiva + Banks
ooc: angry Datura is fun.

[Banks]

Banks watched the female, awaiting her response, before the white creature turned to face her. Across her eye was a strange blue marking that resembled the moon.

Suspicion immediately rippled across Banks’ body and climbed into her throat. The stranger’s piercing blue eyes turned from seeming kind and welcoming to piercing and magical, something that Banks firmly did not believe in. Whatever kindness she had held on to in meeting a creature who seemed down on her luck melted away like snow in the desert and fell to the ground as rain. Her scrawny nature made her seem lithe, dangerous... unstable, even. It was downright unnatural, and it left Banks feeling suddenly like she, not the egg, was being hunted.

As the female spoke, Banks ears rung in a quiet panic, hardly hearing what she said and certainly not comprehending much of it. Kiva, as she was called, seemed nice enough, and it took everything Banks had to keep her voice from changing as she responded. “Good to meet you as well,” she spoke, her voice quieter now than before. She wore an expression of the same good-nature that she had previously, but she knew her eyes would be laced with noiseless fear.

At home, there were no gods. There was only the pack, and the alpha who decided the difference between life and death. Of course she’d heard tales of old that seemed almost silly to her—rain, for instance, was a heavenly being crying. When a wolf became ill, it was because they had done something wrong, or because it was ‘all part of the plan.’ The gods ranged from merciful to merciless, and with every new traveler came a new god with the same basic story. It was the way they were raised, she realized, and the way she was raised was in logic and atheism. All of the magical, beautiful, and downright wonderful things in the world were so because of chance, and all the wonderful things that wolves were and could do was because their minds were powerful enough to will it so. That, to Banks, was always a more powerful and more comforting notion than an almighty being that lived in the sky ever would be. They were the almighty beings, and their paws scratched the Earth with every step.

But she had certainly never encountered something like this. The light blue crescent laid perfectly around her eye and grew in the same kind of fur as the rest of her face. The hairs blended seamlessly and naturally with the rest of the silvery white hues, and with a mix of uneasiness and curiosity, Banks swallowed hard without a logical explanation.

And so the façade continued.

The lightly hued female shook her coat absentmindedly and refocused her sunkissed eyes on Kiva. “You’re right. I’ll stay back and keep watch,” she spoke again, this time slightly more confident in her words.

It was not long before another appeared. Banks smelled her a split second before she saw her, and whipped around to look in her general direction. She wasn’t the alpha, she could tell by scent, but as she spoke, anger and superiority dripped from her tongue, and Banks flattened her ears against her head instinctively. Foolishly, she didn’t know whether she did it in submission or stubbornness.

After Kiva was reamed, the auburn female whirled to face Banks, accusation in her tone and flying like daggers from her chestnut brown eyes. The Timber mix narrowed hers in response, retorting immediately to the smaller bitch. “Woah woah woah,” she snorted. Foolish girl, she could hear her father say as he shook his head in her mind’s eye. She rolled the image aside with a flick of her eyes. She wasn’t about to be patronized by some female she didn’t know when she’d been clear of her intentions. Frankly, she was exhausted. And for Banks, as with most females, exhaustion and hunger meant complete irritation. “I don’t even know half of the words you just said, to be honest.” The white and grey female raised her head, easily making her taller than the auburn pack member. “I fell over a damn cliff and ended up in this muddy pit on accident. If you’d explain to me what you’re talking about, I might be more apt to know what my purpose is beyond what I’m sure you already  know.” She looked the opposing female over from head to toe, knowing the gesture seemed cold and snotty. A smirk took over her expression, her lip tugging back on one side. “Assuming you’re not deaf.”

` words ; 785
` tags ; Kiva and @datura!
` muse / ooc ; Woohoo snotty Banks!

[Kiva]

 Datura. It was a name the silver feme had heard of a few times whispered in the wind throughout Kairos. She could tell just from what she had heard that Datura would probably never be her friend but she was not completely sure she would be an enemy either. It sounded more like she would be someone who Kiva would avoid when she could and simply tolerate when the first option failed. However, when she showed up during the hunt, it took Kiva no more than maybe five seconds before she started second guessing herself and how she would really come to think of Datura.

Datura was younger than Kiva and, at the moment, would be better fit than her. But, she was a gatherer and while they were respected more so than subordinates, they were not quite as high as hunters were, Which was what the silver female was. Because of that, she did not hesitate in holding her head and tail a little higher than the other female. She would not resort to conflict to get her to back down, but she would not be surprised if Datura did though. If she did, Kiva knew good and well that even in her weakened state, she would just only a little less than equal. She had sparred with her much stronger brother nearly every day back before the fire when she was still alpha of Tala so she was used to fighting stronger opponents.

"Datura," She spoke with a tone equal to Datura's having to force herself not to slip back into her old alpha ways. She may be higher than her but she certainly was not the alpha of this pack. "I need not answer to you but since you  asked, I am hunting on my own to gain back my strength and gain weight so that I may better hunt for the pack." While her tone continued to match the other's, she spoke in such way that told she was not looking for a fight and wanted to get back to what she was doing but that she was not afraid to defend herself if need be.

[Deleted]

The smell of the swamp was thick, the air sticky. The pale intruder regarded Datura in haughty words and expression. She could feel her heart race accelerate, but she suppressed the urge to hurt the larger stranger. Perhaps the fall has left her brain damaged, she mused. No reasonable wolf turned up on foreign shores to bother the pack that lived there. The white and gray femme lifted her head to show that she was not intimidated by Datura. But the petite ruddy female did not need to be the tallest or the strongest. All it would take was one howl, one long call offered to the island, and her Savior would appear. They need not fear me, only Goliath. Rather than argue with Banks or try to fill in the blank spaces in her mind, Datura merely smiled, offering a patronizing cluck of the tongue. ”My, my, what a long day you have had. You may go now.”

Her attention turned to Kiva, pleased that the pale elder knew who she was. ”I need not answer to you...” A single dark ear flicked, the only visible sign of her irritation, but the fae’s aggravation was short lived. In due time, while Kiva lurked in subordinate status, Datura would be ascending the ranks – and she would do anything to remain there, finally at the top, once the power trickled down to her. Datura’s title was merely a guise for her self-appointed duties to her pack, duties far more important than gathering herbs for a healer. Her label cloaked her real intentions when she departed Ina’mos in search of new recruits: she beckoned the faithful to rally behind Goliath, to strengthen Kairos and to strike fear into the hearts of those not welcomed into the pack.

The foolish and the weak were not to be accepted. Or so she thought, anyway. Datura did not know where Kiva had come from or who had allowed her to call herself Kairos, but Datura was not impressed with the aged she-wolf. Her glory days in the sun were behind her – a wolf her age, in a pack that expected so much from its faithful, how could she keep up? Whatever accomplishments Kiva could claim were in the past, the power she once held now erased by time and tragedy. Datura did not need to know the sordid details of Kiva’s history. As far as she was concerned, Kiva was a relic of the past. Datura was the future.

And Datura – she would receive His blessing, even if she was torn limb from limb. Her life’s mission revolved around Goliath, her alpha, even if it killed her to deliver his heirs into the world. She would crucify herself if that was what it took to remain in his favor. Her children would be bigger, stronger – where she lacked, her offspring would excel. There was nothing Kiva could do that would discourage Datura.

But the Mexican wolf was not looking for a fight, either. Her lips curled back, exposed canines glinting ivory in the sun. ”Very well, crone,” she responded after a long pause. ”Carry on, then. Do not let my presence stop you from your important duties.” She took a step to the side to allow Kiva to continue with her so-called hunt, critical stare fixed upon the white female.

words: 588
tag: Kiva + Banks
ooc: It’s okay to continue without Banks –
Nile will write her out of the scene when
she is able, so we can keep going
with just the two of us, Luna!

[Kiva]

The silver feme definitely had no doubts left in her mind that she and Datura would never ever stand a chance at being anywhere near friends. She was, at first, hoping they could beat least allies or associates but after just the first few minutes of their first conversation she knew that was not going to happen. The way she stormed in, demanded to know what was going on, and then insulted Kiva was enough to make her alpha personality attack and drag her drown to Omega status. Thankfully, she was able to remind herself that she was no longer an alpha before she acted on those instincts. Instead, she knew in that moment that she would do everything she could to regain her strength and her weight so that she could produce healthy litters and if nothing else, she would be known throughout the pack as being the best mother and an excellent hunter. She may not be alpha but she could still make herself known and if Datura wanted to act like she was all that, Kiva would do the same thing. She would give the other female a reason to hate her if that was what she wanted. What was the worst that could happen? If she got kicked out of the pack, she would return back to her home lands, find her family, and restart Tala. She was officially done rolling in her self-pity and grief. She would avenge her brother by being the best sister he could have ever asked for. She would make him proud and it would start today. Datura would not be able to drag this wolf down.
When the other wolf moved out of her way Kiva continued to walk forward keeping her eyes on the nest ahead of her. But, while on the outside it looked like she was just taking regular steps, internally, they meant a lot more than any average steps. They were the first steps to a new chapter, a fresh start. They were the first steps back to getting her health back, her shiny unmistakable silver coat, the shine in her light, almost white, eyes, and the lushness of her crescent moon. Sure, she was just on a basic hunt but really, it was so much more than that. 

[Deleted]

Silently, she watched the snowy white female as she continued on the hunt something that could not run away or fight back. But Datura was watching for something else, lingering there minutes longer. Her earthy hued eyes scanned the area for any sign of a crocodile – not because she was a great fan of Kiva, but Kairos could not afford to lose one huntress; with the birthing season fast approaching, there would be many new mouths to feed.

Kiva had been rude, yes, but Datura could forgive her for their initial meeting if her tune changed, and in time, the little auburn-tinted female was certain it would. Once she was the vessel for Goliath’s offspring, her influence would only grow along with her belly. She was convinced of this, her subtle mission to gain some semblance of authority over the other females who had come to Kairos after Datura. Observing the older femme for another silent minute, she wondered what the breeding season would bring. Certainly, Goliath would not Kiva as one of his own. Datura did not know who her alpha would choose to bear his divine progeny, or which of the warriors would take Kiva for himself.

She could envision the island swarming with little ones, young hunters and warriors learning from their experiences elders. She was not foolish enough to believe that every pup would survive their earliest months, but there were bound to be losses along the way. The weak children would not be acceptable, and their survival was too tentative to waste resources on the ones who were not deemed worthwhile. They would not live to see the first anniversary of their births – just as all of Datura’s siblings had wasted away, every last one of them. She no longer gave a second thought to her own family or her miserable origins, the gruesome demise of the pack that had raised her to survive, no matter what. The pathetic lot of them were all long dead now, and she had no reason to mourn their absence. Her parents, the alpha pair of their ragtag, homeless band of misfits had made her strong, but her life was exponentially better without them. Her life was her alpha now.

Boredom set in before long, and a wide yawn parted the Mexican wolf’s jaws. Before turning away, she glanced about one last time for any reptilian newcomers that could be nearby. Seeing nothing and satisfied that the weakened hunter would be safe, she departed as quietly as she had come, without further comment to her pack mate.

words: 432
tag: Kiva
ooc: Datura is out!

[Kiva]

Now that the she wolf had turned her back on the other wolf and continued on with her hunt, she was ready to stop wasting time and finish the hunt. With the nest in sight, it took all of her patience not to run right up to it and grab the egg. For while their mother was nowhere in obvious sight, she knew that alligators could be sneaky and that the mother could very well be hiding just under the surface of the water covered by algae and keeping an ever watchful eye on the nest. If she wasn’t careful, she could end up in trouble.

She stalked forward slowly, keeping half her attention on the pack mate behind her, not trusting her to not try anything. However, once she heard the other wolf leave, her pace quickened and her formed relaxed. Why Datura had to butt into things in the first place she would never know but she was just glad that she was gone now. With her attention focused solely on what was in front, it took no more than a minute or two to close the remaining distance between her and the nest full of eggs. Taking one quick look around to make sure the mother wasn’t hiding somewhere close, she grabbed three of the eggs and ran quickly away from the nest.

Unsure of rather or not the mother had seen the shameless act; Kiva continued to run until she was a good safe distance away from the nest. Once satisfied that she was out of harm’s way, she laid down and dropped the eggs in front of her. One by one, she tore into each egg, drinking the liquid before eating whatever solid parts were in each one. Once she had eaten all the edible parts, she licked her lips and laid her head on her paws with a satisfied expression.

OOC: I figured this could be the finishing post unless you have other ideas.