▷ Living in Confusion {Open}

[Cherokee]

Cherokee

The rain was falling from the heavens in angry fat droplets. Thunder shook the ground and lightning lit up the sky, making the land feel as if it were vibrating with the tension in the air. There was a single lone wolf that galloped across the terrain, her petite paws thudding against the earth and sending puddles of muddy water up onto her snow colored pelt. She blinked rapidly, her auds plastered against her skull. Inside she trembled furiously and if she had not been running her body would have been wracked with tremors. There was something about the rain that absolutely terrified her. Though part of it rejuvenated her. As if it reminded her of the time that she had escaped her past. But nowadays it just set her on edge and made her anxious. A whine built up in her throat as another shock of lightning flashed across the sky. She skid to a halt, mud splattering against a nearby tree and flinging itself up her legs and underbelly. She trembled violently for a few moments before common sense kicked in. She needed to find shelter and fast. Cherokee didn't need to be stuck out in this weather any longer then what she already had been. She had been traveling for awhile now and although her body was weary she continued to push herself onward. She knew that she needed to find a place to lay her head down for the night, and it certainly would not be out here. She inhaled and exhaled before turning on her heels and darting off in the opposite direction. Leaping over a fallen log she wove in between trees until her golden brown eyes caught the sight of a tunnel up ahead. It was clearly a tunnel to the female because she had nearly grown up in one all of her young life. She picked up her speed and entered the mouth of the tunnel. It was an instant relief to the female to not feel the rain pelting her hide. She shook her fur and continued on her path, weaving deeper and deeper under ground. It was warm here and she didn't realize how tired she was until the warmth enveloped her. She could hear the sound of running water up ahead and she quickened her pace a bit, eager to get there so she could have a drink before bedding down. The clear pool of water was a welcome sight and she hesitantly made her way to the pool's edge. Lowering her muzzle her tongue lapped at the water as she drank her fill. By the time she was finished she was exhausted and more then ready to just sleep the night away. She turned from the water then and made her way over towards a corner that was tucked away from the worn down path she had taken. She circled a few times before lowering herself to the ground. The cavern floor was cool against her skin and she lowered her head onto her tiny paws. Her eyes slowly began to drift closed and she let out a soft sigh. She could hear the rain pounding against the tunnel walls and she allowed it to lull her to sleep, completely unaware that she was deep within a pack territory. Cherokee had never been good at that kind of thing, especially when it came to realizing that she was invading someone's home. Cherokee simply just wanted to sleep the night away and avoid the rain at all costs. There was something about the horrendous weather that truly frightened her, but she wasn't sure what. All she knew was that she intended on relaxing here tonight, no matter who found her.

tag || open || words || 774 || notes || this will be cherokee's first experience in Airila || ▲

[Arche]

Rain. It was here again, and torturing the large male as he moved slowly along the pack's border. It was not a particularly heavy storm, at least not in his mind, but it was still inconvenient and terribly irritating. He sighed heavily as he moved, but as he lowered his head and breathed deeply, his paws stopped. Here, right across the border, there was the scent of a stranger. There seemed to be no hesitation in their path, no pause, no sense. They simply walked right across the marked border and into Airila territory. He could not help but growl softly at the thought, wishing he had moved faster on his patrol instead of wasting time with remarking his father's old spots. If he had moved quickly, he might have been able to catch the intruder before they had gotten into pack territory. And of course, now he would not only have to follow their trail to find them, but he would have to do it in the rain.

He was not exactly an expert tracker, but he managed to surprise himself with his abilities as he slowly made his way along the awkward and clumsy path of the stranger. Well, it seemed like they were either just naive or plain stupid, because a wolf that had intended to cross into Airila pack territory would have either been bold and outright, or sneaky. This wolf, however, was clearly neither. He followed the trail for sometime, even as the rain grew heavier, and though he had to pause here and there to pick up the scent again, it eventually led him to the Lerelm, a place that he had always assumed would hold the future litters of the pack. Thankfully, however, this season they did not have any helpless youngsters and exhausted mothers for him to worry about. For all he knew at the moment, the caves were empty. Except for the intruder, of course.

He wasted no time in following the trail inside, and within a matter of moments he nearly tripped over the female that had created it. Thankfully, though, he had been at least somewhat paying attention and managed to stop a few feet away from her laying form. A deep growl rumbled in his throat, his tail instinctively arching over his back and his head lifting dominantly. He doubted she was asleep, for her trail outside had been fairly new, therefore he could only assume she had gotten here only a short while before he had found her. "Who do you think you are? You are trespassing on Airila pack territory." He growled, lifting his lips to show his yellow stained teeth while he waited for her to somehow respond. If she were smart, which he was seriously doubting, she would submit and apologize for her failure to pay attention. However, he had met some pretty idiotic wolves in his time, perhaps she would talk back to him and argue her right to be there or something.

Words: 500
Tags: Cherokee
Muse: Low
Notes: n/a

[Anima]

Growing up, the white she wolf had been taught to respect and love all parts of nature, including the elements. She loved the earth because of things like pretty flowers and shade trees. She loved the air for allowing her to breath and to live. Fire, while deadly like the tragic incident of her past, left behind nutrition in the ash and from which thick foilage would eventually grow. But her favorite was water. It allowed to drink and quench her thirst. It let her swim and cool down on hot summer days and it made rain which had always been relaxing to her.

As she walked, she looked up into the sky and smiled as the drops fell upon her face. Lightning flashed around her, seemingly reflecting off her snowy pelt in the loud thunder, she imagined her uncle talking to her from the high heavens. It was extremely peaceful and it made her even more excited to get to where she was going-to see the wolf who made her heart soar. But, all of sudden, she caught scent of something that made her tense. It was an unfamiliar scent, deep within her pack's territory. It didn't belong there, it was intruding.

Quickly, she began following the scent. Even though she had excellent tracking abilities, the storm made it hard to follow any scent. It took her a while to find where the wolf had gone and once she did, she was relieved that it was away from the storm. She started winding her way down the tunnels and, although she could now smell the scent of another pack wolf, she continued she should still go. After all, if the wolf was looking for a fight, it would be nice to have back up.

Once she found the two wolves, she knew the wolf was likely not looking to start anything. In fact, it seemed as if she didn't even know she was in a pack's territory. The white female appeared afraid, and Anima assumed it was because of the storm. Although, the way her pack mate was talking, likely wasn't making her feel any better. His name was Arche and while she had not met him personally, she had seen and heard of him. He was a warrior and she figured that was the reason behind his harshness.

Letting her old beta side out some, she stepped up next to the warrior and offered him a polite nod. Then, she turned her attention on the female.  "Miss, I am going to assume you were trying to find shelter from this storm and chose this place as such without knowing that it was claimed by our pack. If that is so, then I or Arche can either assit you to the border and see that you make your way out or we can take you to our Alpha. However, if you are looking for a fight, then I am sure our trusted warrior would be glad to see that you don't make that mistake twice." As she talked, she kept her tone neutral, making sure it was made clear that she was being serious but not mixing any anger into it.

[Cherokee]

Cherokee

Cherokee had not been resting for very long when the scent of another hit her flared nostrils. Immediately she sat up, her light golden brown occuli glancing back towards the direction she had come from. Had someone followed her in here? In her haste to get away from the storm it was quite possible that she missed someone having a tail on her. She rose off of the ground completely, not wanting to be in a vulnerable position once the stranger approached. Soon enough they rounded the corner and his scent was thick and strong, obviously male. She arched her invisible brows at the brute as he came ever closer, his tail arched high above his head and his lips bared slightly to reveal yellow stained canines. Her auds pinned against her petite skull at the sight of them. She certainly wasn't looking for a fight here and the sight of him reminded her of the brute of a female that she had run into previously. Who do you think you are? You are trespassing on Airila pack territory. She stared at him dumbfounded for a moment. She had never heard of an Airila pack in her life, then again she was kind of naive to the whole pack ordeal. My name is Cherokee. She spat sarcastically in order to correct the brute. And I didn't intend on intruding on your pack lands. She informed him, the smallest hint of a sincere apology interlaced within her guarded vocals. He was far larger than her and a fight between the two would more than likely result with her getting injured. She could attempt to defend herself but she seriously doubted that she would do any true harm to the male. Soon however they were not alone. She sensed the presence of another and sure enough another wolf approached. This wolf however was a female but she did not waste any time to stand alongside the brute. Great, now your outnumbered. The voice in her head scolded and Cherokee took a hesitant step backward to put more space between them. Miss, I am going to assume you were trying to find shelter from this storm and chose this place as such without knowing that it was claimed by our pack. If that is so, then I or Arche can either assist you to the border and see that you make your way out or we can take you to our Alpha. However, if you are looking for a fight, then I am sure our trusted warrior would be glad to see that you don't make that mistake twice. Ah so that explained it. The brute, Arche, was a warrior. No wonder he was so incredibly tense. I appreciate your kindness. I did not intend on trespassing on your lands, I was just trying to find shelter. I.. hate storms. She offered as an explanation with slightly embarrassed vocals. If you would just allow me to stay for the night I will leave by dawn. She spoke, though if they did not want her here they could surely make her leave on their own accord. Cherokee was hoping that she hadn't rubbed them the wrong way by trespassing because she certainly did not want to go back out into the storm tonight. She really needed to learn the reality of packs and their borders much better then what she did now. She could not afford to keep trespassing in pack lands, because the next ones would probably be not as kind or as forgiving. She scolded herself mentally, promising herself that she would do better next time. However if you would like me to leave I will. I just need some help finding your border.. She spoke honestly as she glanced from Arche back to the female. She did not know what her name was but she could sense sincerity and kindness in her voice. It was comforting. Cherokee felt that she could possibly trust her should she get to know her better, but at the moment it seemed like they didn't really want her here. She would not be surprised if they did ask her to leave though she hoped for otherwise.

tag || Arche + Anima || words || 883 || notes || she's definitely backpedaling lol || ▲

[Arche]

Finally, almost as if it had been something he had completely forgotten about until now, the male shook himself to rid his fur of the water that had drenched it while he had been following her trail. But, as he allowed himself to relax slightly because it was clear that this stranger was not an immediate threat, they were joined by another female. Had she stood by quietly and simply backed him up, perhaps his reaction to her presence would have been different. Instead, the female - who smelled strongly of Airila - opened her mouth to speak and address the stranger before she could respond to his original words. "Miss, I am going to assume you were trying to find shelter from this storm and chose this place as such without knowing that it was claimed by our pack. If that is so, then I or Arche can either assit you to the border and see that you make your way out or we can take you to our Alpha. However, if you are looking for a fight, then I am sure our trusted warrior would be glad to see that you don't make that mistake twice."

He could not help but frown slightly, but instead of snapping at her like he would have preferred to, he slowly sat down and let his tail rest motionlessly beside him. He had never met her before, though she claimed to know who he was and what he was doing here. Although he did not prefer to be judged and labeled without a single word of greeting, he supposed he had done the same to the stranger in front of them. Then again, she had trespassed and he had every right to speak to her the way he had. "She is right, my name is Arche, though our leader, my father, is unwell. He has asked me to take care of the pack in his stead until he returns to full health." He said, glancing over at the other Airila wolf before looking back at the stranger. "If you would just allow me to stay for the night I will leave by dawn." He frowned at the words, but even he knew that it would be simply cruel to send her away now.

"However if you would like me to leave I will. I just need some help finding your border.." He shook his head, and though he did not look over to see if the other female agreed with him or not, he assumed that she would not send Cherokee out into the rain tonight, either. "You may stay, just please remain here and avoid wandering about the rest of the territory." He said, assuming that she would have no reason for leaving the cave during the storm. Hell, he found that he rather preferred the dryness of the caverns himself right now. "I will join you for now. Do you belong to a pack of Anikira?" He asked, ignoring the other female from his pack for the time being as he spoke to the stranger. He could at least get some information out of her before she left. Perhaps she would be interested in joining, too. It would save him a trip to the border if he accepted her here, but he first wanted to know her interest and intentions when it came to the pack. It was his duty to protect them, after all.

Words: 573
Tags: Cherokee, Anima
Muse: Low
Notes: n/a

[Anima]

The white she wolf had known what it was like being homeless and looking for shelter. Unfortunately, she too, had been there before. After the fire that destroyed her pack and killed her family, driving her from her home and taking away everything she had ever known, she had been forced to live the life of a nomad loner, moving from place to place in search of places to rest. Unfortunately, she had not been as lucky as this wolf, finding a place with wolves who would let her stay and not hurt her. No, she was found by her master, a black wolf who, the moment he laid eyes on her, was determined to make her his. Not as a mate, and not as a pack wolf. No, he had made her his toy, his pet, his slave. Punishing her when she did anything wrong, twisting her thoughts to make her think he was best for her, and making her do his bidding. For a while she lived a double life, half pack wolf half pet. However, she finally managed to escape with her life becoming a solid pack wolf. It was then that Jadir, unaware of her master, made her his mate and even though she knew Zitao was gone, he would always be on the back of her mind.

Listening to Arche speak of Toiro falling ill and making him temporary alpha made her stomach Knott. She would remain loyal to him because of her loyalty to her pack but she couldn't understand why Jadir wouldn't be picked. She felt like her mate deserved it and like he would make a great alpha but she would not question Toiro's plan. "I can stay here with her so you can check on the rest of the pack," she spoke softly with a sense of understanding, a mix of emotions within her blue eyes. Anima sat back on her haunches and listened to him talk to her, wondering about the same thing he had asked. Anima didn't smell the scent of a pack on her fur but she also knew that it was possible for the Storm to have washed away any lingering scents.