Arrival [open]

[Valdís]

Somewhere – far away – her home burnt.

For the first few hours after plunging into the icy cold water, the smoke and flames that licked the sky had been visible, the harrowing screams of her pack mates still rung loudly in her ears. There had been no comfort in it, no solace found in having her family ripped away from her – the one she had sworn to protect at all costs perishing as she fled, unable to save them. Even as her muscular limbs carried her further from the fray, her heart ached to return to them. Perhaps she could save just one. Perhaps she could keep the force of nature at bay through sheer ferocity and willpower. If nothing else, she could die by their side instead of running away – back to the past. But she knew, in her heart that there was nothing to be done. She knew that there had been survivors, she’d seen the bodies falling into the water like cornered rats. How many of those survived the fall, she did not know. How many would make the swim to her previous habitat, she could only speculate with painful optimism. In the chaos, she could not have given clear instructions to the illusive island. The chances of survival – even for her —for slim.

Eventually, however, the last trailing embers of the smoke disappeared on the horizon. Now Valdís was left alone in the water, her body burning with exhaustion, her muscles feeling as though they were on fire as she continued to fight against the waves. The darkness was suffocating and it made every direction appear the same. Even the moon was slim and scarce that night, the stars one great blur to her weary mind. There was no comfort in this, either. This eerie silence, the feeling of… Nothing. Valdís could die out here, right now, at any second. Just keeping her head above water seemed to take her entire strength and concentration. More than once, she wondered whether dying here would allow her to be reunited with her family: with her strong, beautiful children and her mate, with Jotun and Siggy, her most loyal and treasured friends. But she had no doubt that if she stopped swimming, if she gave up now, she would be dragged down to the underworld below the sea by Hvalris, the great whale, for her cowardice.

Overcome with grief, she realised at one point that warm tears had begun to flow from her eyes, though she could not recall when it had started. They rolled down her cheeks, thick and salty, but she refused to sob, or wail. Her brow was set stoically with stormy determination, knowing that if she cracked now, all would be lost. But she did not crack. She did not know how long she had to swim for. Hours? Days? Weeks? She was unsure; it all felt the same to her. By the time she reached dry, or, at least, solid land, the darkness was beginning to ebb away from the sky, giving way to an eerie early morning glow, and it was all she could do to heave herself ashore and collapse.

When she awoke, she was bathed in cool grey light. It was a dreary, non-descript day, with clouds laden heavy with water and on the verge of bursting. A groan rumbled from her chest as she came to, her head pounding and body shivering, her vision blurred. But she hauled herself upright all the same, ignoring the dizzying spin of her head and pushing down the bile in her stomach. The wind had dried her coat as she lay passed out, much to her relief, and it no longer felt as though she were carrying half the ocean on her back. Once her surroundings became clearer, she assumed at first that she had missed Anikira entirely, and landed upon some other godforsaken rock, but to the west she saw the familiar mountain range of the Tia’deli mountains stretching toward the sky. This island was deserted, devoid of life it seemed, but there had to be food somewhere.

Food arrived in the form of crabs, scuttling in and around the moss-covered rocks that surrounded her. They were pathetic morsels, hardly enough to fill a pup, but she devoured them hungrily all the same. Once her appetite was partly sated, she turned her attention to finding fresh water. Rain water could be found in small pools amongst the rocks, and once she’d drunk enough to satisfy her parched mouth, she turned back to face the direction she came. There was nothing to the east except ocean, stretching far and wide, but still she had hope that the gods would guide at least a few of her pack mates back to her.

Where exactly had landed, Valdís could not be sure. It had certainly not existed in her first eight months on the island, but she supposed much could change in three years. Even the land. It surprised her how comforted she was by her previous home, given how little it had offered her as a pup. First it took away her mother, and then her father, and after that there’d been no reason to stay. How she made the swim to Africa before she’d even reached her first year, she had no idea. The gods must truly have favoured her. Whether they still did or not remained to be seen, perhaps they would deliver her friends back to her, and they would have a second chance to rebuild their pack here, on the shores she had thought to leave buried in her past.

---

Word count: 938
Notes: WELL HERE SHE IS. Open to anyone and everyone
Tags: open

[Kinley]

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[attr="class","pltxt"]Lorem dolor, consectetur.

It was the smoke that had caught her attention, she knew it was far away, of the island. There would be no way for her to know how it had happened merely by standing on the shore and watching the land. No way to know what had perished in the flames. Fire was destructive, stripping the world of life. Life always found a way to cling though,to reclaim what had been lost. Kinley hadn't really made a conscious decision to head to the Miera, it was a gradual thing, a natural occurrence. Having never chosen any logical routes to follow, only having a deliberate destination had she needed to find a particular plant, the female simple always ended up where she ended up. That was the brilliance to wandering, because there was no plan, she never had to stop and had the freedom to forever find new places or visit favourite old ones simply at whim. Not all that wander are lost and she had yet to find a reason to stop. Every time she looked upon the horizon, the smoke stream got larger.

Eventually it became a swallowed by the darkness, becoming a mere stream of black until there was nothing left. She spent most of the night walking, coming to the edge of the Mossland before taking up residents in the underground cavern that resided there. The natural cave provided both a quiet place to rest and a supply of fresh water. As always,she was provided with the means to survive because she seeked it. Dawn had been a blushing promise on the horizon when she ventured out to drink after two hours of sleep. With it was a clear view of the sky, void of any sign that a scorched patch of earth is now what lay across the water. The pale fae went back to sleeping though, even if for a few more. By the time she got on the move again, the day had already chosen to be a bland vista, grey and cloudy, likely to douse the ground with rain later in the day. Yet she found herself continuing north in a roundabout manner, investigating all that too her fancy. The mossladen rocks that formed the terrain didn't exactly make for easy passing if a person wasn't paying enough attention but then Kinley wasn't rushing herself.

The air smelled of so many layered things though mainly of the salt that drifted in from the ocean, laced with the last remnants of the smoke from the night before. It was some time before the twisting waters of the sea came into view, before the crashing sounds reached her ears and sand packed between her pads. As the shore came into full focus, Kinley realised she wasn't the only creature wandering. Going closer to the dark figure, she found it to be a wolf and one far larger than herself. The observation didn't have her turning and leaving, she simply slowed her strides, allowing both sides to take stock of the others presence. Just because bad creatures existed, she didn't feel the need to treat every stranger as a foe. Besides, the female ahead of her looked to be in bad shape, though from what she couldn't be sure. Coming to a stop with space between them and tilting her head to the right, she ventured a sentence to the other, "Hello, are you alright?".


Words: 577
Tags: Valdís
Muse: distracted
Notes: n/a

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[Baard]

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Damn this god-forsaken spit of land. Why did I have to end up back here?

The silent thoughts coincided with a sharp growl as a burly but fairly small male picked his way through the sand and rocks, despising the feel of it between his toes and beneath his body. Sand was unstable, hard to walk and run in, and the bane of his existence; Venom was the one who liked sand, and he was a damned fool. A damned fool who very well could happen upon you at any moment. Shut your mouth and keep moving, he thought to himself, shaking his thick head and staring ahead with black eyes.

It had been a long time since Baard had seen Anikira, and it was not by choice that he had turned up--though it was highly fortunate that he happened to turn up on a clearly remote part of the island, one he didn't seem to remember from his days of travel. Memories of his brother flooded the wolf's brain, but he drained them right back out, a skill he had perfected many years ago when he detached himself from his only remaining family. Besides, there was more to consider after his forced swim, for he had adopted a new sort of family on the mainland.

Aesir had been a home for him, despite Baard's fierce determination to avoid such a thing for years. It had been a coincidence, and taken some convincing for him to settle with them, but the grizzled brute had not minded after a time. The pack had been full of wolves from all walks of life, most of whom he was entirely uninterested in, but one in particular whom he owed a debt to. Valdis lead them all with a strong, caring hand, and she kept her family safe above all costs. It was not her caring that Baard respected, but the way she held herself and lead a band of wolves who would otherwise do as he had done for years--wander.

While he oft times missed the life he had alone, pack life had not been as bad as he thought. Over time, the others had learned that he was to be left alone, and that he would do anything he needed to on his own, for Baard needed help from no one. Fiercely independent, the wolf knew he could do anything he wanted, though he was no fool--some lines he did not cross, though there was not much he wasn't willing to do. Getting to know others was the top of that list, and while he was a part of Aesir, he was not a part of the family the rest had formed. Baard did his duty and observed the rest from afar, keeping himself out of pithy affairs and protecting the pack because it gave him a way to keep his skills intact.

Pulled from his reverie by a familiar scent, the old wolf paused, considering what step to take next. It was Valdis, very clearly, meaning that she had made the swim after all. From the way she had been acting on the cliff, Baard assumed she would leave only when the flames had already consumed her; such was her resolve to keep Aesir safe, to save as many as she could. Knowing that she was alive was, to his surprise, a bit of a relief; Aesir would rise again under her leadership, if enough of the others had managed the swim as well. It was possible that many had died.

Before he had made up his mind to approach the out-of-sight female, however, another scent, and words, caught his senses, and Baard immediately sidled up behind a mossy boulder, despite being out of sight of the beach in general. Slim paws held him easily behind the bit of shelter, allowing him to listen undetected should any more conversation ensue. Valdis could defend herself if needed, and the voice that spoke asked if she were okay--meaning it likely was a benign sort of wolf, or at least one whose immediate desire was not to see the other harmed. Baard would wait silently for her departure, or he would leave and seek Valdis out at another time; it was unlikely she would go far, in the hopes that the remains of Aesir would wash up in the same place.

Words || 742
Tags || Valdís , Kinley
Notes || And enter Baard!

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[Valdís]

The form of the female giant remained, stoic and watchful, at the edge of the sea looking out. There was precious little that would tear her away from her silent vigil, her mismatched eyes scanning the horizon intently. They could not all be dead. They simply couldn’t. The thought that the gods had willed such destruction, such pain was unthinkable. Had she done something to anger them? Both she and her pack had dedicated their beliefs to the gods of old – sacrificed for them, prayed to them, worshipped them – and they in return they had made her pack strong, their hearts courageous, and blessed her with two healthy children. Why should they turn on her now? Where had she gone wrong? If they were punishing her, there was no better way to do it than allow her to live on as her family perished.

“Fenris guide them,” she muttered, “as you did me.” They were strong. All of them were strong, and some would make the swim. Of this she must be sure, her heart must remain strong, her faith unbroken.

The coast’s relentless wind brought a new scent to her, and with it, an approaching stranger. The brutish female had little interest in strangers, and so she resolutely ignored the crunching of sand until it came to a halt. Exhausted by the events of the previous night and her swim to the island, Valdís was in no mood to speak with anyone but a survivor of her pack, but it seemed the outsider had an interest in speaking with her. A soft, feminine voice questioned her, and Valdís could not bite back the warning growl that sounded from her throat. Turning her body in the direction of the female, she intended to tell her to leave, but her eyes fell on the strange blue mark stamped onto her otherwise pristine white fur. It was shaped like a feather.

Perhaps she was grasping at straws, or had otherwise completely lost the plot and hallucinated this wolf, but the possibility that this wolf was something more than she appeared felt too real to ignore. Three of her deities were feathered, one of which one was a shape-shifter. It aligned too well to be pure coincidence, surely? Regardless of the white wolf’s true identity, Valdís’s anger died in her throat, though her demeanour was far from friendly.

“Hardly,” she stated in response, her bi-coloured gaze studying the strangers form. “Who are you?” And why are you disturbing me, was the tacit implication. Whether this intruder was a god, sign, omen, or not, the dark wolf was at the end of her tether, and her irritation could not be subdued.

Before her ire could escalate, an intake of breath drew a new smell to the forefront of her attention. It was familiar, and easily placed, causing her to stop in her tracks, turning her head in the direction it seemed to emanate from. Blue and brown eyes narrowed to slits. There was no doubt that the scent belonged to Baard, but she glanced quickly at the white wolf, wondering if it was an hallucination of the rest-deprived former Alpha’s brain. Without a word, she left the wolf’s immediate presence to seek out her acquaintance. “Baard!” she barked, jumping onto large nearby rock to gain a better vantage point. It seemed that the older wolf had had the opposite idea, using the boulder to hide from company. Distantly, Valdís was aware that he likely wanted to speak to the white wolf as much as she did, but her relief at seeing him far outweighed what little courtesy she had.

“So you did make it,” she acknowledged, peering down at her monochrome companion. Of all the wolves that belonged to her pack, Baard had been the one she least expected to make the swim. His age and size would’ve made the swim even harder than it was for her, but clearly she had underestimated him. “I thought for a moment I was losing it.” A lop-sided grin twitched on her lips. “I’m glad you did.” It was true. Neither wolf was much for sentimentality, but she respected Baard a great deal, and his surviving presence was a great relief.

---

Word count: 704
Notes: I swear there's more to her than paganism and scowling *sweats*. Also I edited the text box position a little so hopefully it's easier to read?
Tags: Kinley Baard

[Kinley]

[attr="class","plbase"]

[attr="class","pltxt"]Lorem dolor, consectetur.

It was funny, the larger female had stood upon the shoreline in a silent vigile, multihued eyes staring out at the ocean. It seemed that Kinley wasn't the only one drawn here by the dark shadow of smoke that had cut a hard line out of the sky. It no longer remained and yet here the female stood as if those remnants were still able to be witnesses. As Kinleys voice filled the air, she illisated a growl from the much larger female. It was not enough to have her turning tail and her head tilted as the other turned to look upon her and the threat of violence dissapated somewhat and instead decided to answer the given query, then ask one of her own. The question was not nasty itself but the other was irritated and as she approached, Kinley saw the salt and sand marring her dark pelt and wondered if perhaps she had not come to view the fire but escape it. Foolish to make assumptions. She decided to give the simplest answer she could, "Kinley ... I'm just a friend ". Which was what she was to all she met, whether they wished here to be one or not, everyone needed a friend at some point and she was happy to oblige. It was no effort on her part, no grudging routine that she practised out of habit. Whether that would always be the case, only time would tell. She made no attempt to move towards the other, instead just watching her with those teal eyes until the other was no longer focusing on the pale fae.

A scent seemed to catch her attention and with the sharp bark of a name, the black giant ran around Kinley and leapt upon a cluster of bolders. Twisting her torso, she lifted her noise and caught the scent of another wolf, one who quite possible had wanted to escape notice. Her ears leaned forward as she caught the words the female spoke, happiness nessled within each word. A true smile twisted the corners of of maw and she dropped her head before turning to look across the ever crushing wall of water. It seemed her intuition had been on the mark and with the realisation the happiness drained from her expression. They had escaped the fire that had raged across the land ahead. Lives had been lossed most likely, loved ones stolen by the flames. No evidence remained to be seen by the ones across the water. The ocean itself was much the same, its domain a vast tide that worries not about the creatures residing upon its back. How cruel the rolling waves seemed to the female. Moving her eyes to a different type of blue, Kinley washed away the dark emotions that came with death and destruction. No need to let old scors mar the present. Sure, death occurs but it should not way heavy upon the good things that happen. Like lost ones finding one another. Turning her head to the right, she glanced across her shoulder to the pair.


Words: 521
Tags: Baard @valdís
Muse: Good
Notes: n/a

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[Baard]

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[attr="class","pltxt"] The two wolves out of sight would have gotten along, perhaps, back on to coast that now spewed fire, but Baard knew what Dis would be thinking--she was concerned for her family alone, not some unfortunate lone female who had happened upon her and gazed with pity at the fanged beast desperately keeping her hopes up. His leader had and would always put Aesir first, and it amused him to hear the snarky tone of voice she typically reserved, despite her harsh reasoning for it.

Before they had time for a proper conversation past the stranger's name, however, Baard sensed that he had been found out; Valdis had grown quiet, then barked out his name, and in response he backed up slightly, looking up at the moss-covered boulder just as the black-coated wolf leapt upon it, the only reason being he did not need to crane his neck quite so much to see her. Undoubtedly, she would be surprised; for one, he was not the type to stick around if he didn't need to, and Valdis likely doubted his loyalty based on how he treated most of his pack mates. For another, he wasn't a youngling, and the swim from the mainland was harsh as any.

But the grizzled brute would let nothing stop him if he thought he had a chance to keep going and, loathe though he would be to admit it, he still felt as though he owed Valdis for a service she had done him long ago--namely, saving his life. "Not a fan of fire," he said gruffly in response, snorting a bit of leftover salt water from his nose as he did so, shortly before he backed up a few more paces (in case Valdis wished to jump down from the rock) and settled his rump on the ground. "Knew the island would still be here, except this part is unfamiliar."

The fact that he had spoken so much was unlike him, but in truth the loss of their homeland seemed to hit the old male a little harder than he thought; the male was by no means burdened by the loss of life or land, but even an old traveler could learn to settle down, and being uprooted from that affected even the hardest of wolves. Baard was no different, deep inside, he was simply much better at dissociating from it.

Though she gave him a smile, Baard never did fully trust that she meant anything by it, and so he never returned them. He was, in a way, glad that she had survived the swim as well--after all, he still owed her for years ago, and how could he repay a dead wolf? In another uncharacteristic move--likely spurred by a deep-dwelling desire to get the stranger out of the equation--he spoke again in his rough voice. "Who's your friend," he asked, his monotone making it seem as though it wasn't a question at all.

Words || 510
Tags || Valdís , Kinley
Notes || What a butt ugh

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[Valdís]

The black eyed brute did not seem half as surprised to see her as she was to see him, but there was little that seemed to faze him. He’d never been much of a talker either, but Valdis could hardly begrudge him that when she herself preferred action over debate. The few sentences that fell from his maw were droll and gruff, as though he resented having to speak them at all, causing the side of her mouth to quirk in vague amusement and reveal more of the over-sized tooth that protruded from it. In speaking, he revealed the fact that he had been to Anikira before, though whether he was a native or had simply visited once in his many years of existence, it was not clear. Valdis narrowed her eyes in shrewd curiosity.

“I never knew you were an Anikira native,” she said, wondering if she’d ever mentioned her own origins to him. If not, there would have been little reason for either to have known about the others birth place. It was not something she enjoyed speaking about. Although the events that transpired had been fairly time she preferred to leave the past in the past, and she had wrongly assumed that Anikira would stay there. Perhaps Baard had felt similarly about his past, content to let it lie undisturbed. He’d never been overtly open about anything, not even his loyalty, and as such Valdis had never truly trusted him as much as she trusted other members of her pack. His allegiance was more of a mutually beneficial relationship than anything else; his skill as a warrior in return for the pack’s protection, but nothing further than that. “I’ve never seen this barren bloody rock before either,” she continued, glancing around at the island’s lifeless landscape.

Baard’s attention turned to the white stranger, and in turn so did her own. “Who’s your friend,” he asked, reminding her of Kinley’s presence.

“She is no friend of mine,” she commented mildly, as though she were not there at all, “but perhaps she can answer some questions I have.” Turning her icy, mismatched eyes on the white wolf once more, she considered how useful she could be. “Do you live here? ” she inquired. There were no scent markers that suggested this wasteland was claimed, but she suspected that there would be packs close by. Even with this addition of land, Anikira’s resources had always been fought over by vying alphas. “What packs reside on the mainland now?” Her tone was gruff and serious, as it tended to be with wolves she didn't know. Stoicism was her first line of defence, and made sure the wolf in question knew not to mess her around.

---

Word count: 465
Notes: this sucks I'm sorry
Tags: Kinley Baard

[Kinley]

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[attr="class","pltxt"]Lorem dolor, consectetur.

The pale female had turned her attention away, both ears and eyes to give the pair some privacy and it was a few moments before they seemed to remember her presence. A shocked expression crossed her face as the barked question had her head swivelling to look to the large she-wolf. The other was a rather beautiful and imposing creature, a far cry from Kinley herself. The fae doubted she could ever look as fearsome as the pair of wolves before her, though she could not see much at all of the grizzled male. With a nod, she said, "This is my first time to Meira but I have lived on Anikira all my life". If the first question had been random the next was incredibly so, the brusk manner and serious way the dark female requested the information had Kinleys eyes widening slightly. Another wolf might have taken offence at being spoken to in such a way, or perhaps have offered up an answer out of fear of not doing so. Neither applied to the feathered marked fae however as she turned her body around and sat upon her rump as she thought over how to answer. "You are currently just of the eastern coast on an island that was previously submerged. In the East you have the Othala pack in The Oriens, Ultoris in Aleru and Valyn in Kamari", as she listed them off, her head tilted to the side and her eyes squinted some as she pulled the information to the forefront of her mind. "To the north you have the Airila pack, they have claim over Shyia and Cryothia. Then there is Eden in Tiayr".

The salt air stirred the foaming waters and some splashed upon her coat. Shaking it off absentmindedly, she continued, "To the West is the Kairos pack, they have both Acerbus and Ina'mos. Also a pack called Tenebris in The Occasus", she frowned saidly at the last part. Kinley hated to think badly about anyone but some wolves were incredibly difficult to get close enough to see any other. From the stories she had heard told, the wolves there were viscous to an extent were even she found herself thankful to never have crossed paths with any of them. Personally she hoped the stories were an exaggeration of what was. Moving on. "And lastly to the south there is Ananake in Aveline", she said with a smile. At some point or another, the female had crossed nearly every single one of those places, though she never lingled out of respect to the Alphas that chose to recide permanently within those areas. Physical well-being played a part as well off course, but Kinley would never go out of her way to anger when there were no need too. They same could be said about causing another upset nor annoyance, though she had done all three by accident, though without mallace. Though the pale fae could appreciate the fact that sometimes those emotion had to be acknowledged from time to time.


Words: 532
Tags: Valdís Baard
Muse: Meh -.o
Notes: n/a

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[Baard]

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[attr="class","pltxt"] Baard could very clearly see and hear the surprise behind Valdis' eyes as well as her words when she heard that he had been from Anikira. It was not as though wolves did not come and go regularly from the island; back when he had roamed with his brother, the two had learned that many a wolf had migrated to the small island, whether out of necessity or simply because they were unhappy on the mainland. Having been born on the dismal land, Baard could not imagine swimming here as an escape, but he supposed it wasn't the worst of places he had been. Only the memories and destruction he had left here kept it tasting bitter upon his tongue.

A grunt and a nod answered her, confirming that he was a native to this land while simultaneously acknowledging her own history with the island. Through meticulous spying he had learned much of his pack mate's histories, and word of his alpha's past had swept past his ears more than once. It did nothing to help the brute, but it gave him insight, and Baard had learned in Venom's absence that knowledge was oft times just as important as protection. Information could be used in many ways, and it never hurt to know something spoken in secret. It was for this same reason that he spoke so little--and besides that, nobody had anything interesting enough for him to want to respond to.

Though he would never admit it to her, Baard was always impressed with the confidence Valdis exuded with her sharp tone that simultaneously seemed more uncaring than anything else. The female commanded respect no matter who she was speaking to, and her large stature and impressive canines made it hard for strangers--especially meek little ones like the female before them--to resist doing as she told them. As the while wolf rattled off a number of packs, Baard mused about how much had changed since he last spent time on the island. He had never taken time to learn the names of each pack, but he had done much to clear out the smaller, weaker traveling ones to make room for those with stronger foundations.

Regardless of which ones were old or not, it seemed that there was not a pack that called this land home, and the dark-eyed wolf turned his attention back to Valdis, a curiously blank expression upon his face. No doubt she was still, at the forefront of her mind, concerned with the rest of the pack; after all, she had stayed on the burning shore long enough to have perished along with many of them. But of course, she would also think of claiming a new home for them, and what better land than that which they had washed upon already? It was the closest land from the shore, and the chances of more Aesir members having made it here were high. If Valdis wished to start anew, this freshly revealed island was likely the best place for it.

"What now, then, boss?" Baard asked after Kinley had finished speaking, standing perfectly still where he had been, a quiet sentinel. "Searching? Or claiming?" Whichever she chose, it was likely that the male would follow, or at the very least station himself on the beach to catch any more stray Aesir wolves. Though he wouldn't consider himself loyal to her, the two had a mutually beneficial relationship, and he in no way resented following such a fierce and determined wolf. If he were to leave, Baard would live on his own until he died; but it was entirely possible that he would, instead, die a pack member, so long as Dis never told him to be gone.

Words || 635
Tags || Valdís, Kinley
Notes || WOW he doesn't say anything and I'm annoyed by my OWN CHARACTER RAR

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[Valdís]

The feather-marked was the epitome of courtesy, answering Valdís’ demanding questions with grace and patience. In almost all regards, she was the opposite of Valdís: diminutive , feminine, and kind. The blue marking was rather apt, considering it looked as if she could blow away in the wind. So delicate and insubstantial the female appeared, and yet the mighty former alpha could see no fear in her eyes, even when faced with two grizzled, standoffish wolves. She had a backbone, that was for certain, though Valdís was exhausted from the events that had only just transpired, and she doubted she looked as intimidating as she might when she was at the top of her game. She had an ounce of respect for the female’s obedience though, and she remained intrigued by that feather-shaped smear on her otherwise pure coat.

With a glance, Valdís checked Baard’s reaction to the female – Kinley – as she spoke. The hardy male rarely gave any indication on what was unfolding in that sharp brain of his – something which Valdís found restricted the trust she could place in him. Baard was a fine warrior, and an asset to her pack, but he wouldn’t have been her first choice to have survived the swim. Tor, her mate, and her two children were still out there somewhere, though whether they were dead or alive, she may never know. When she tried to remember the last time she’d seen them, she could not, and the realisation weighed heavily on her sturdy but weakened shoulders.

The female wolf ended her speech, returning Valdís’s thoughts to the present, to the immediate plan of action she knew she would need to form.

“Miera,” she repeated automatically, her gaze surveying the land around her, taking it in for the first time. It wasn’t pretty, but even with a cursory sniff it was clear the land was unclaimed. She nodded at the wolf once she’d rattled off the names of the pack, the closest Kinley would get to a ‘thank you’, but her attention was still fixed on the landscape. Of the packs she’d listed, Valdís only vaguely recalled one or two. The land seemed to have changed a decent amount, too, the island seemed a lot bigger than it did when she was younger, which seemed the wrong way around. “Do you know of any other unclaimed lands?” she asked, turning her attention the female once more. “And which packs lay claim to the shores closest to Miera?” While the female was here, Valdís intended to squeeze as much out of her as possible. It was easier than interrogating more wolves, or finding out for herself, though she supposed she would need to send a scout, or herself, to confirm what the female was saying.

Baard’s voice turned her proud head once more, expression impassive as he inquired about their next move. “I want to get to grips with the mainland again,” she told him, “so I’ll be searching for any survivors. Two wolves would make a pitiful pack.” A pack’s strength lay in its numbers, though that were only true if each pack member was a fierce and resilient as the next. But the two of them were hardly a pack, and they would need more bodies to fill out the land if she decided to claim this one. “You’ll remain here, on the shore, and make good use of those beady eyes of yours.” Valdís had always found his eyes strange to look at, deep and unfathomable much like their owner, the black abyss of his gaze reflecting his own enigmatic nature.

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Word count: 599
Notes: bleh
Tags: Kinley Baard

[Kinley]

[attr="class","plbase"]

[attr="class","pltxt"]Lorem dolor, consectetur.

The massive stranger seemed satisfied with her answer, but it seemed that there was more she wished to learn. From the few things she had said, Kinley deduced that she had some prior knowledge of the island. Perhaps she had heard stories as many had who wash up upon the shores. Or else she was a native. The pale female didn't need the answers to her own questions, besides, she would have to find room to ask them if she so wanted to. "Caurus is the closest unclaimed territory, though it sits in the middle of four pack lands. Tiayr is on the closest shore to Meira. Like I said before, it is owned by Eden", she gave a small shake of her head to rid it of the sea foam that splashed at her, "South of Tiayr is The Oriens and North is Cryothia". There was not a shore to be walked upon without some prior pack claiming ownership of it. As Kinley sat back and listened to the other two wolves exchange thoughts, it came to her attention that they had been part of a pack, perhaps with the female as leader for she was formidable looking, especially with her fangs. She gave orders to the male, who had hardly spoken and still seemed uninclined to remove himself from his place behind the rock. Had she been a lesser beast, the expressionless male would have made her uneasy, yet she ignored such emotions and focused on what she did know.

Neither had hurt her or caused her any ill will, though they certainly were neither of them friendly. Talk of survivers meant a tragedy and loss of life, something that left many wounds and she understood that they had gone through much so she would not deny them short tempers. It seemed she was useful to them as she had information that would take weeks of searching minimum to get a hold off. That at least would hold of bad intentions for now, though she doubted any would come her way. Kinleys attention returned some as the large black she-wolf gave the other orders to stay put. I hope they find whoever they're searching for. They must have been ever so worried to not know who survived the fire she had only caught a glimpse of and made the swim to shore. Standing up, the pale female shook out her coat and then twisted her head to smooth out the wet patches with her tongue before taking a few striding steps to stretch out her legs. Turning her head and shoulders to look at the other wolves, she spoke again, her gentle voice not needing to battle with the waves to be heard, "I'm sorry for whatever misfortunes have been bestode upon you both. Is there anything else I can assist you with?". It was as close as she would come to deliberately prying into these particular wolves' lives. Sometimes that wisest thing in life is to know when to not push your luck.

And she certainly was not going to do so right now.



Words: 535
Tags: Baard Valdís
Muse: Reawakened
Notes: n/a

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