The sounds of the sea lapping against the sandy shore made a natural sort of lullaby in the spring afternoon. The warm sun only added to the lazy atmosphere. Any other wolf would have been asleep in such a peaceful environment. But Valmai... The Mackenzie Valley wolf was far from asleep at the moment. And as she continued to much upon the leaves of the Nicotiana Benthamiana plant, she was sure to remain awake for several days.
Originally she was supposed to keep close to the alpha and beta of her new pack. But when she'd first met them she had just been coming off of a crash. By the time that stranger had intruded, the cravings had started to flare up. With her bloodstream deprived of nicotine, the effects long since slept off, the agitation was beginning to set in. Several minutes into the conversation she had become distracted. After searching the immediate area, she had excused herself and wandered off in search of her personal drug.
Her quest had brought her to the Issimore Caverns. The tall stalks of her beloved plant had been growing out of some of the rocks. After plucking a nice, large dosage, she'd settled herself down in the shade of the cave. Now she was chewing the leafy greens to her heart's content. Nicotine coursed through her bloodstream, energizing every fiber of her very being. She felt almost tingly, like a spring wound too tightly. It wouldn't be too long before she could no longer sit still.
If the alphas still planned on their cross-continent trip, they would probably be better off with Valmai staying behind. In her stimulated state she would be awake for days, meaning she would be more useful on border controls than she would be trying to travel with a pair of males who needed to stop for sleep. They also would not have to deal with one of her crashes, which lasted for unpredictable amounts of time. Yes. As she continued to on the sweet tasting plant, it was better that she was not with them. It would do them all good if her high energy did not inadvertently turn an alpha or two against them.
Post by seadragoness on May 10, 2011 19:02:53 GMT -5
Kastiel knew that very soon Toiro would be calling for him, but until his Alpha required his attention the Beta was free to continuing roaming the pack’s territory with no mind to the world around him. Of course, being a beta with an over-protective personality he didn’t just switch off to his surroundings. The pack had already begun to grow around him and he surprised by the feeling of warmth it brought him when he realised it. Almost like a father, enough room his heart for all these wolves. He wasn’t an Alpha, but he was beta – and although he would obey Toiro’s every command, he knew he had a lot of work to put towards this pack. In every waking moment the worries in his mind where never quite at the back and his every actions where for the better of the pack (Well – almost all of them, one couldn’t be alert for every second of there life after all). Well he lived; the pack would never starve, be unprepared or fall prey to a tragedy he could have prevented. It was what he lived for now, and he did so proudly.
But enough of what was in the poor brute’s head – his paw-steps where bringing him towards the caverns on Airila territory. After hearing Bear’s acceptance into the pack he had noticed the very first, shiny new member to the pack had sneaked off in another direction as through waiting for the distraction to make her escape. He did not think she was up to trouble – she was a part of this pack now, he accepted that and he knew he would look out for her. No, the reason he followed her was not to spy on her, but simply to get to know her. He wanted to understand Val a little more, now that they would be sharing this little piece of land with her and a few other wolves. Not just sharing, living together as a pack.
Kastiel approached the other wolf now, his paw-steps light against the earth as he made his way towards the generally talkative and energetic wolf. “Val, hey there?” He called out, wondering as he did so, what she was chewing on.
The sounds of an approach did not go unnoticed. If anything, the crunch of sand beneath paws was increased thanks to the effects of the stimulant. Despite the fact that it kept her up, nicotine typically had a positive effect upon Valmai's mind. It improved her memory and made her more aroused and alert. She was more sensitive to subtle changes in her surroundings. As such, she perked right up when she realized the stranger was none other than Kastiel. While making new acquaintances was fun, it was better to be around familiar faces at the start of one of her highs. It meant she could enjoy the anxiety reducing effects with little worry of any harm coming to herself.
"Well hey there Mister Stoic Beta Boy," she chirped cheerfully. Her tail wagged enthusiastically, brushing grains of sand about as it swept over the cavern's floor. With a leaf hanging half out of her mouth, she sat up. Gray tipped head tilted to one side, a large grin spreading across her muzzle. All in all she was the picture of open friendliness, the loudness of her voice bouncing off the walls with her happy greeting.
"What brings you around these parts? Thought you an' the Kiddo were supposed to be off alpha greetin' and all that. You weren't waitin' on lil' ol' me, were ya? If so, I'm real sorry about that. Didn't mean to sneak off like that, but you boys were busy with the new kid an' I figured I wasn't being much use anyways so, yeah... heh heh."
Valmai trailed off there, realizing she'd started to ramble. It was a bad habit of her's, really. She knew how to talk for hours and often made it hard for anyone else to get a word in edgewise. But really, that was no way to make a good impression on her new superior. Conversations needed to be equal parts talking and listening. If she did all the talking, she'd probably have a hard time getting the quiet male to come out of his shell. Of course, this was all based upon first impressions, so she could have been totally off the mark. It was better to be safe than sorry, though, so she resorted to grinning widely at what she hoped was her new friend.
Spirit found herself sunbathing on a boulder not too far from the nearby beach, basking in the rare warmth of the day and warming her inky colored coat. The silver furs trailing from her chin to her underbelly were glimmering, but the russet color of her paws appeared dull. She stretched her stiff muscles, arching her back, and opened her tawny eyes to scan the world around her, sitting her body up to do so. It was a beautiful day, especially for their location. Warm days were almost hard to find, for it was usually cold here. The winds were normally blistering and cold, but today there was a soft breeze that was delightful to the young Tundra Wolf, only adding to the joy she felt about being added to the Airila Pack.
A small sigh was released from the depths of her throat and she suddenly found herself bored, leaping off the rock and into the cool grass. Her toes fanned out and kneaded the ground happily, enjoying it. "What a beautiful day..." She murmured, lifted her gaze to the sky. "I wonder what the others are doing?" She didn't bother thinking much about it, so she simply decided to wander towards the beach. Her legs remained in a trot for awhile, then she broke into a run, feet carrying her straight onto the heated sand.
It was there that she stopped, seeing two figures not too far from her. One she recognized, the other she did not. The darker fur of her pack's Beta was clear to her, though the companion with him was a mystery. She assumed the other wolf meant no harm, seeing as the Beta was enjoying a talk with him...or her. Spirit made her way over to them, a light spring in her step. She approached warily, staying more towards the Beta just in case.
Her voice rang out when she stopped mere feet from them, "Hello, Kastiel. Is this someone I know?" She didn't intend on being intrusive, but she reached out with her muzzle and gave a small sniff to the stranger. Female and, by the smell of it, in the same pack.
Last Edit: May 10, 2011 22:31:12 GMT -5 by Deleted
Approaching the old she-wolf, new member of there pack he was greeted with her informal speech, her easy coming words and was reminded of her formal, happy nature. Despite the fact that what she had said could almost be taken as insulting, he found a light smile gracing his mussel as he nodded his head to her, coming to a stop before her form. After the greeting it was clear she was not done and once more Kastiel found he did not have a chance at pushing a word in sideways, and began to wonder if she even needed to breathe beneath the onslaught of her words. When she took a pause, ending with a ‘heh heh’ he took the chance to put in his own words before she could be off again, speaking for an entire pack and more. “We will be leaving – and shortly, too. However, I would just like to ask that you watch the territory in our absence, to set you up running a border patrol so we can ensure the pack is well looked after. Seeing as the next moment will be taking both the Alpha and the Beta from the territory when the pack itself is still so fresh” Which not only was quite possibly the most she had heard him say at once, but also his words would give her a sense that he disapproved. It was a bad move to abandon the pack to new members, taking out both authority figures... who knows how far, if the others found trouble.
Val had taken to grinning at him now, and the face of a quite, steady wolf had morphed into a smile of it’s own. There was no need to be weary about her now. This loose, easy wolf was no threat to him now – she had convinced him of that, and he trusted his gut; it told him she meant no harm. And to top it off she was in the pack and he was trusting her as the now oldest member (despite the fresh, newness of her) to look out for the others in there absence. He might as well give her the benefit of the doubt and give no reason for his words to leave a bad taste in his mouth and feel he had been harsh on a wolf that did not deserve it. Conclusion: no reason they couldn’t be friends!
In the pause another wolf began to approach. He recognised her immediately as Spirit – another wolf in there steady growing pack. She kept close to him as she approached, and he would have moved his stance in a protective gesture in Spirits favour – but there was honesty no need. He might as well introduce the two members instead, and have them work together in his and his leaders short absence. “This is Valmai, another wolf in the pack, Val, this is Spirit. Since you’re here, Spirit, I might as well put you to use?” He teased lightly, his tail wagging now, an even more unlikely sight for the wolf. He was starting to... really like the idea of pack life. It was strange, this feeling in him – these where his wolves, and gods dare stop him if harm threatened them. They where his to look after – a strangely pleasing idea for the protective wolf.
image {c} Sakarri@flikr.com Manip {c} Haptic to Sea <3
Had her legs been able to move in such a manner, the female would have saluted. Instead her tail wagged a mile a minute at the prospect of being assigned a very important job. To think, she had only just joined and was already being trusted enough to guard the pack from intruders! She could do that! She could do that all hours of the day, given she was still chewing on her nicotine. The stimulant always kept her up on days on end, turning her into a bit of an insomniac. So having something to do in those hours where normal wolves slept would most definitely be a blessing.
"Ay ay, captain!" she barked out cheerily, grinning at the Beta with enough enthusiasm to make even the most depressed soul crack a smile. "You just leave it all to me! Ain't no one gonna get inside these borders without goin' through me first! An' iffin' they do, I'll just have ta catch 'em and hold 'em prisoner till you and Kiddo get back!" She put on a mock evil expression then, her eyes shifting back and forth as she flashed a fanged smirk.
Maybe playing pirate wasn't the best way to reassure Kastiel, but she honestly would try her hardest to keep the borders safe while he and Toiro were gone. She was a Mackenzie Valley wolf after all. There couldn't be many who would think it was easy to get past her rather large size, and with her loud voice quickly giving away the stealthiest of creature's position, they'd realize soon enough that once you were in the presence of Valmai you were as caught as a fish in a big ol' net.
But first it seemed she had to meet another pack member. Her keen eyes didn't miss the way the female stayed a little closer to the Beta. It was most likely due to precautionary reasons, but the larger female's brain jumped to completely different conclusions. Naturally she assumed the two were crushing on each other, and after she logged a few more hours of careful observation she would set up a plan to get the pair together. Because she did so love to play matchmaker, and even the most unlikely of matches were just too good to pass up.
Valmai was a little too caught up in her own thoughts to dominate the introductions, and seeing as Kastiel seemed to have more orders to give she did the polite thing and kept herself quiet. Well, she stayed relatively quiet, anyways. Total silence was rather hard or the girl. Her voice practically echoed with her lack of volume control. "Nice ta meetcha, Spirit!"
Spirit was cautious at first, yes, but only because it had become a habit over the few years of her life. Her trust had been broken more than one time, thought the biggest break was a year ago when the male she loved rejected her. It was the one thing that set her on the tracks to cautiousness. She made sure she took every precaution when meeting another. Even her trust in Kastiel was not complete, but she trusted him enough to know he would make good decisions. He wasn't beta for nothing, after all. Though she had trust lacking, she was sure it would grow over time, if the fates allowed it.
Spirit gave a small smile when the old wolf's voice yipped cheerily her way, even thought the ink-colored female had seen the strange, far off look in her eyes before she even spoke. Valmai. She'd be sure to remember the name. Just as she had reminded herself when meeting Kastiel, names were a hard thing for her to forget, unless she absolutely wanted to push them into the deepest, darkest depths of her own mind. She dipped her head, respect for the older female, then lifted it again so her golden gaze could meet hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you, as well, Valmai."
Spirit's tiny smile had bloomed into a full grin, brightening her expression to a great extent. She was more relaxed now, knowing the female was on their side and not someone else's. Still smiling widely, she tilted her head ever so slightly to look at Kastiel when he spoke to her, golden eyes catching the sunlight, causing them to shine a little. "Put me to use? Now, what could that mean?" She was teasing back now, mocking the tone in his voice slightly. She noticed his tail was wagging. It was a miniscule thing and almost barely noticeable, but it was Kastiel. He almost never did that. With him wagging his tail, it was almost as if the sky had begun to fall. Still, she wondered what he meant by "put her to use". What was there for her to do, exactly?
Kastiel’s steady gaze caught the excitement on hers, or the shift in it since excitement seemed to be a permanent feature on her face. It seemed she liked the idea of taking on a guard duty for the pack in there absence. This was good, if she was happy to do it then she would do a good job of it. Her enthusiasm to work was uplifting – it seemed maybe he wouldn’t be the only one putting effort into making this pack work! Well, he never should have thought otherwise. His Alpha also loved this pack (this was something Kastiel would never question) and trusted Toiro to make the right decisions and put in the effort. Okay, so he didn’t believe he was the only one putting in effort – but it was good to see it in her.
“Good to hear it Val – I know you’ll do well” Was his friendly words of encouragement. His attention shifted between the two wolves, determined not to leave one out and talk to them both in turn. He let them familiarise themselves with each other with there friendly words. They where both good-hearted wolves and kastiel didn’t doubt fort a moment that they would get on well. This was especially good news seeing as he would be getting them to work together, both in this instance and most likely in others. Having spoken in an easy, teasing voice to Spirit, he was delighted to hear it returned in her own words. Honestly, with wolves like these two around it would be near impossible to stay the stoic and silent warrior. He did not find himself annoyed however, instead his tail wagged all that harder. “Well, Spirit, I would like you to work with Val here, what do you think of that? More immediately I would like to set you two up on border patrols” He explained, brining her up to speed. His tail slowing now, feeling somewhat silly an impish that he could act like a pup, caught up in his own delight at the friendly company he found himself in.
Ooc: Kinda a museless post, and for that I apologise
image {c} Sakarri@flikr.com Manip {c} Haptic to Sea <3
ooc: i'm afraid i'm coming up short for this thread. you two wanna just wrap it up and end it? or we can call it quits and let it die here. sorry it's taken me so long. u.u
