Nessa had been cruising along for a month or two now, without eating. She only scavenged. She was starving. She needed to eat. She needed a lot of things. Help. Family. Friendship. Food. A reason to live…a reason to care…someone to care for her…Deep within her mind, Vaniel was dying. Her wounds had long healed, yet wrongly. Her ribs stuck out at odd angles, and she had many infected cuts and gashes along her shoulders and back. Vaniel’s body was dying as well, wasting away into nothingness. This is what had kept Nessa out in the open, in the hostile world that Vaniel called “Home.” Every now and then, the black-hearted female would snarl at herself, staring at nothing, fur bristling in anger. Nessa was trying to keep Vaniel alive…
’You WILL keep going Vaniel.’ Nessa thought angrily. Deep inside, Vaniel cringed and whimpered, turning away. She was cloaked with darkness. Nessa knew that Vaniel had no knowledge of her disease, and therefore, it was stupid to be trying to communicate with her, but still. Victoire had shared everything with Nessa, so now she knew, too. Nessa’s stomach growled, which made her immediately start to hunt; she’d smelled some red deer earlier, and they’d never smelled so nice before…She found the group quickly, munching on the grass that was poking out from the snow. Nessa snarled softly, her cunning amber eyes missing nothing.
She stalked them for a few minutes, and then, one of them lay down in the snow. ’Yes!’ she thought, this was her chance! A quick, short howl issued from her maw and the group started; she was upon the doe in seconds. It never had a chance. Nessa was too aggressive, too hostile. Too bloodthirsty. It was dead in a matter of moments. She scarfed down the meal quickly, afraid someone would come and steal it. When she had eaten as much as she could – which, granted, wasn’t much thanks to her shrunken stomach….- she lay down and started to clean her fur, eyes closed in blissful happiness.
Zaylin did not know where she was going or what her motives for moving were exactly. She had been partially comfortable by the lake in the company of another. Perhaps it was the fact that that little life was too perfect and she needed to move her limbs for a little while and explore some more. Curiosity had always gotten the better of her, along with her inability to be happy with anything that was just too orderly or pristine. None the less, she found herself meandering along borderlines, never stepping into one particular land and facing a reprimand by some haughty alpha. She had enough of self-centered males attempting to place themselves above her as if she were some kind of prize to be had and not a thriving mind that wanted its own say. Indeed, her mind definitely had a different way of thinking about things and she would never easily be caged away and told to conform. No, she would probably end up doing some serious damage if that were ever the case. Heaving a deep and heavy sigh, she ducked her head down and extended her slender legs as she continued moving along and minding her own business. It was not her job to attract attention.
However, it did seem to be someone else’s on this dank and listless day. The next time she raised her mismatched eyes, she watched the fleeing form of another female who appeared much too thin to be healthy. Her mind must also have been on something else as she hardly noticed Zaylin standing not too far away, within sight at least. Pausing in her trek, Zaylin watched this female and immediately felt worried. No one should ever be that thin, even the rabbits that were relatively easy to catch provided more nutrition than what the other was showing. Frowning slightly, she began to move her feet once more, slowly following after the other to the point where she was only within the range of smell and no longer sight. It was not too difficult to track the other as the smell of malnutrition made the world around the female reek and Zaylin had to fight to keep herself from wrinkling her nose. When she actually caught up, she started as a howl pierced the grey sky above. Looking up, she almost sought out the shape of the howl until she was distracted slightly by the color of the sky. It will probably snow tonight. When the sounds of a struggle interrupted her thoughts, she gave a massive shake to her head before pressing onward.
Coming upon the scene of the emaciated female curling up after her meal, it felt as if a small load was lifted from Zaylin’s shoulders at the thought of this other actually eating something. Instead of venturing forward, however, she silently watched as the other female attempted to drift into a sleep. It was then that Zaylin realized that she was now quite a ways into another’s territory and the knowledge left her with a deep unease. Her ears automatically flattened themselves as she debated going down to the other female. Finally, she heaved another large sigh and took a few steps into the tossed snow and toward the resting female. She did not approach directly but preferred to stay back a little ways as to not startle the other. After a while, she allowed her soft voice to flow forth toward the other female, carrying only a few words with it. Sorry to disturb you. I’m Zaylin. Despite their gentleness, her words stumbled over each other, revealing the fact that she was not the most coordinated when it came to meeting others. She cast her mismatched eyes downward in slight embarrassment before looking curiously at the other female once more.
Pleasant. That's how she'd describe the morning in one word. Stomach full for the first time in nearly a week, Najira trotted along the white path with renewed accomplishment and pride, pushing the thoughts of her humiliation of her episode with the Airila pack far back into her mind. Snout high in the air, the Arctic inhaled the pleasant scent from the bark of the looming pillars that surrounded her, covering most of the little rays of sunlight given on a Winter's day in Shyia. Even after her howl hours before, signalling her position in these claimed lands, no wolf had come to investigate, so the white femme took this inactivity as a right to journey through the lands, sniff out what she could find and buy time before she approached the dominant pack once more. Maybe then she could have a chance to see if there was a place for her in their ranks, even if only a temporary one. She couldn't survive the dead of Winter as a lone wolf when the cold was this brutal and whatever roamed here was to be only successfully brought down by a pack's dynamics. Even if she was adapted to this type of climate, having being detached from a pack for so long had woken her up to how good a life she had had before she left. Where prey was easier to hunt down, and warmth was always given by an affectionate snuggle.
Refusing to let herself ponder on such depressing, nostalgic thoughts, Najira continued to weave through the thicket with a purpose to find somewhere safe enough to provide warmth and shelter for the expected snowfall that she had sensed would arrive within the night. Too many days she had slept on the cold ground without the security provided of a den. The forest had protected her of most of the cold, where she had lay countless nights at its roots in amongst the fallen debris, but still it wasn't enough for the small femme to live comfortably, who, in recent months, dropped quite a few pounds after leaving her family, and with her distraught on the death of the pups.
Najira was thinking too much on the past again, she found herself slipping into ill thoughts, and, with an irritated growl to remind herself to not look back on such sullen events, pushed herself into a run, eyes scouring any possible hollow one wolf could stay the night in.
Words || 452 Muse ||Poor Mood ||Slightly irritated and factitious ((OOC: I can either have Najira meet up with the other two Sor, your oc can meet up with mine on the run? Your choice ))
He'd been wandering for days without seeing anybody, enjoying the trees and the time without snowstorms, until he stumbled upon a territory. At first the aging male attempted to go around the place. Not that he was afraid. Beren was not an individual to be frightened of other wolves, no manner how many of them there were or what kind of gossip-clubs they formed for themselves. It was just that he'd been raised in a world where territory-right trumped gypsy-right at any time, and otherwise, wandering through someone else's property was rude at best and highly dangerous at worst. The wolves in this land, however, were not nearly as vicious or clannish as those he'd known in his old home. So, discovering that the borders of the territory continued for much farther than he wished to travel for the sake of courtesy, he turned his steps into the deep woods and over the boundary. (Supposedly, he thought to himself, one was meant to howl before entering a stranger's house, but Beren had no desire to do so and be caught by who knew how many of the wolves who lived here - at least until he got an idea of the minds of these other animals. As it was, the few wolves he'd met in the past were both rude and remarkably unobservant of things like wanderer-right and prey-right. Better alive than dead, etc; Beren would live with the stain on his honor instead of a blood-stain on his fur.)
He didn't take his time traveling, in any case, and headed through the woods at a steady lope - unhurried, unfearful, but not taking chances. He'd rather the residents of this area found out that he'd been around long after he was already gone. True, he was a bit hungry and it would be nice to stop and eat, but that could wait until later. Beren had gone hungry before now and would do it again. A howl drifted through the trees. The wolf stopped sharply, skidding slightly in the packed snow. The voice seemed to speak of travel. It was probably safe to assume that this other individual was trying to get the attention of the pack that lived here. More the better for him. Hopefully their border-guard (if they even had one) would be distracted by the female voice and not notice his passing at all. He breathed deep, the air smelling sharply of snowstorms, blew out a cloud of fog, and continued on his way, urgency marking his steps. Best to be through the territory by nightfall and into safe lands on the other side.
Unfortunately the land was much bigger than he'd expected. How any number of wolves could need such land that couldn't be traveled through in a few hours Beren didn't know. Such, however, was the way of this land, he supposed. He'd already seen that these packs were made up of far more wolves that those he knew from his homeland. Nevertheless, it was getting dark and it was best to find a place to stay for the night. If the gods smiled on him snow would cover his tracks overnight. This in mind, he headed for a thick stand of trees in the distance, planning to hole up there until sunrise the next day. Planning. No sooner did he reach a clearing than another wolf came bounding across the snow, headed in apparently in the direction that Beren had already come from. He stopped, frowning darkly, immediately giving up any hopes of remaining undiscovered. Even if this wolf was another loner, they would doubtless want to stand around and talk, and Beren supposed he should mitigate his earlier breach of conduct and stand around talking to them for a bit. He huffed out a breath and tried to make himself look larger and possibly like he wasn't walking around on his own, and stared down the other wolf (a female, he thought) as she came towards him. "Peace upon you, stranger," he growled at her, eyes wary. Beren was not in the mood for a fight. Hopefully he could exchange some polite nothings and be on his way.
*beren is, if it isn't as blatantly obvious as I tried to make it, speaking to Najira.
Nessa’s eyes opened slowly into slits as she heard the paw steps of another wolf. Approaching her. How dare they approach her and her meal…A soft snarl rose from her throat as she stood slowly, hackles rising, her tail curling dominantly over her back as she stepped protectively over her meal, teeth bared in an angered grimace. A warning voice, Victoire’s, no doubt, was twisting its way into her mind.
’Caution, dear Nessa…’ it breathed softly, the words wrapping around her mind like a snake, the mere softness of the voice clouding her thoughts as if a fog had invaded it. Nessa’s snarl became louder in response to Victoire’s voice and she spat internally, ’Get off my back, Victoire.’ At these thoughts, Victoire’s voice became angry, cold, and she responded icily, ’She’s not here to steal your food. There are more pressing matters to think of – more wolves are coming, can you not smell them? You have hunted in pack land, killed and devoured their prey…you best tread carefully.’
Nessa snorted, but all the same, she lowered her tail by a few degrees, and let her hackles fall flat upon the back of her neck and shoulders. ”Zaylin…” she snorted quietly, though her voice would carry to the other nonetheless. ”Yes, you should be sorry.” she growled, unfriendliness dripping off of every word that she spoke. Her eyes were still narrowed in intense anger – she wondered if the stranger Zaylin could see the fire behind the wonderful amber gems that were Nessa’s eyes. ”What did you want, then, part of my meal?” she demanded sourly, bitterly. Nessa wasn’t one to share; nor was she one to speak much. Yet the thought of losing her meal had deemed a few spoken words, at the very least.
But then, her thoughts flew back to Victoire’s words. Other wolves approaching? Nessa scented the air…yes, she could scent them, despite the overpowering smell of the freshly spilled blood, Zaylin, and the pack scent. Nessa made a noise in the back of her throat, then let out a breath of air that hissed from between her teeth. She hated people; it was Victoire that was the people-person.
’You requested me, Nessa?’ Victoire murmured, her voice amused, yet slightly sarcastic. ’I can take over….step aside…’
But Nessa didn’t want to step aside. She was doing well for Vaniel. She had the power to protect her, feed her, whereas Victoire did not. She was too much of a goody-two-shoes. ’Step down, Victoire.’ Nessa rumbled, an annoyed expression coming over her features as she forced the spirit of Victoire away from Vaniel’s mind. ’You had your turn, and you failed to get her help. I can take care of her.’
The large grey wolf yawned. He was stretched out on a nice flat rock, taking a little break. It was tiring being alpha sometimes, and the responsibitity only increased with winter. Airila had done pretty well though. Spirit’s wound was starting to heal, and nobody was complaining of hunger. His beta had told him of the little dispute about a lone wolf hunting on their lands, but that wasn’t a major worry of his.
And speak of the devil. A short hunting howl rang out through the air, and it didn’t sound like one of his pack members. Wearily, he pulled himself to his feet and reluctantly left the stone he’d been napping on. Toiro broke into a light trot as he went to confront the intruder. He hoped that it wasn’t the same wolf that Kastiel had told him about. He was willing to let wolves off the first time, but after they had been warned, it was unacceptable. He wouldn’t be able to tell if it was the same wolf though, because he’d never seen her nor heard her voice.
He was beginning to near his destination now. But what was this? Toiro stared at the two wolf-shaped silhouettes he could faintly see through the trees ahead. They couldn’t have been the ones who had howled. It had sounded like a hunting howl to him, and there was no food in sight. Just how many loners were there wandering around in his territory? He would have to remember to keep a closer eye on the borders.
The large grey wolf strode out of the shadows and stood with his head tall and proud. He was a kind alpha, but he would not let others take advantage of him. “Greetings strangers. I should not need to remind you that it is polite to howl upon entering pack lands, as you must know that you are trespassing on Airila territory. I would have been happy to grant a polite request; whether it was to join, to hunt, or to simply pass through" He did not approve of wolves sneaking through his territory like this, and he let the two loners know with a sharp reprimanding look.
His ears pricked up as he heard the sound of a voice not too far off. That must be the original trespasser. “Would you two mind coming with me?”
Zaylin was wary to say the very least. In fact, she was actually rather jumpy and her eyes darted about with each sound that was made. She did not want, nor need, a confrontation with a border guard, let alone an entire pack. Why had she wondered here, why put herself in danger? Why even risk what little pride she still held on to after her mind took away the rest of it? She had no idea what she was doing and the female that she had followed was not making things any better by any means. As the emaciated femme picked herself up off of the ground, Zaylin returned the posture, allowing her own tail to curl over her back and her hackles to rise about her head. She was in no mood to have her dignity challenged by yet another loner on the same status as her own. True, this other did have a kill worth protecting but Zaylin was not interested in food, she kept herself fed to a point where she never really felt a starving ache. As the two females stared each other down, Zaylin let loose a responsive snarl to let the other know that she was no pushover despite her relatively small size.
As they were staring one another down, a chilling howl of crossing drifted into the heavy air and wafted about them. Immediately, Zaylin’s body tensed and her ears went roving over and over on top of her skull as she tried to place the sound. Her nose was doing the same and she muffled a whimper at the fact that there was not one but two other wolves out there, not including the pack. A shiver ran along her spine but her eyes remained plastered on the defensive female in front of her. One other wolf for company was bad enough for her constantly raging mind but if you added more, she oh so obviously became irritated and frustrated. As her brain began contemplating other visitors to converse with, her tail began to twitch nervously as it lowered slightly. Her mismatched eyes flashed and darted in their sockets, no longer focused on the immediate threat but trying to find the minor ones. She was becoming agitated and very quickly and her entire body trembled slightly but only noticeably enough for someone looking for it to find it. Why did she come here in the first place?
It was the female before here who drew her from her state of mental warfare with the softest words she had heard from a wolf other than herself. Immediately, her eyes snapped back to the other and another snarl rolled forth at the threat that lay beneath the words directed at her. Her hackles rose the tiny bit that they had dropped as she allowed her own soft lyrics to come forth, dripping with venom. ”No need to get hostile. I was only wondering if you were alright.” The end of her words trailed off with a growl as she lifted her top lip to show one side of the pearly white teeth that lined her mouth. She continued to scrutinize the other female, sizing up her chances if their confrontation should come to something more violent. She probably had the advantage when it came to energy but the other had superior size that, if motivated, could easily toss her smaller self around. Shaking her head slightly, she cleared her mind of those thoughts before forming a few more words in her mouth before letting them slide forth. ”And, if I were to attack you, I would already done so. Besides, there are more pressing threats out there.” She coughed slightly at the end of her small speech, not used to that many words but her gaze was unwavering for once, focused solely on the female before her who had not given up on life yet.
With the sudden, alarmingly strong scent of a nearby wolf, Najira pulled herself up to a halt as a fellow wanderer appeared from her left not one metre away. She blamed the wind that blew in opposite direction in concealing the other's scent when she was further away, however, her not being able to hear him they drew nearer made her feel discomforted at the very least. Had her thoughts distracted her that much so, that she could have been ambushed if the opportunity arrived? How dangerous and foolish of her... Nevertheless, with ears drawn forward, eyes large to analyse this new company, and with her bushy, white tail standing horizontal to display her discomfort and surprise, the Arctic took a moment to compose herself from his sudden appearance before she formulated a reply. She had always been terrible at making small-talk with stranger wolves, yet the proposition to start a conversation, no matter how off the tone of this wolf was, Najira felt that she needed to give a greeting in return. 'And you.' It seemed this wolf, with underlying irritability somewhere in those deep, assessing eyes, had strained his politeness exceedingly so to even acknowledge her, making Najira's eyes narrow on such a displeasing thought. If he did not wish to converse with her, then why wait for her arrival? She could have easily passed him by without so much as a look back if he chose to continue on his journey. She knew how to take a hint is someone wasn't interested in speaking to her, and yet here she was, standing in front of the brute, who eyed her down in a passive-aggressive manner.
But before the femme could begin to carry on this brief conversation, she both felt and heard the approach of another wolf on her right, and with both suspicion and curiousity at yet another fateful crossing of paths, immediately snapped her head around to the approaching Alpha, who, with a loping gaze, did not at all seem displeased at the sight of these two loner wolves. His manner, though a little intimidating from his sheer size, and prideful stance, was more polite than the male that stood in front of her at the very least, though this provided little comfort to the femme who was now doubting on whether she should have run to such a place in the first place.
“Greetings strangers. I should not need to remind you that it is polite to howl upon entering pack lands, as you must know that you are trespassing on Airila territory. I would be happy to grant a polite request; whether it is to join, to hunt, or to simply pass through."
Immediately, her ears flattened with increased discomfort as she realised instantly who this wolf was who stood proudly in front of her, eager to roll into a submissive state at her mortification with a recall of ill thoughts on her embarrassment in front of the pack's Beta just yesterday. However, despite this overpowering emotion, Najira forced herself to be pleasant and reverted her ears back to their normal position through the Alpha's introduction, lowering her tail to calm herself and to attract a more relaxed atmosphere even though she was technically on his lands and could easily be seen as a threat. He must have finally taken interest in her howling hours before and had come to investigate who had roamed into his territory. Well, that's what she thought at this moment anyway. It was best that she didn't create trouble with such a passively hostile stance, or further embarrass herself to the Airila's.
However, hearing that he was granting them a request to join his pack, had the white perk her ears up with delighted interest, yet still, her gaze and body language was guarded and cautious, voice mirroring this so as she contemplated on her reply. Was this her chance to ask? She might never get another one, especially since this was the pack's Alpha, and most suited to this question of course... 'I-If you're proposing such an offer to join your pack..' Her voice trailed off awkwardly, unsure how to continue, and dropped her gaze in anger of her meekness and how poorly she was addressing the wolf, frustration at not being able to converse effectively to the superior when she felt so very anxious. It may have been easier if she was in the company of the other male, who had momentarily kept silent at Torio's approach.
Yet before she continued with this failed attempt at asking to join his pack, the sound of another's voice on the wind caught the wolves' attentions, all heads turned to the direction of where it had originated, perking the interest of them all, and all but distracting Najira's previous attempt at conversation with the grey. It seemed to have worked, as the Alpha turned back to their two forms, and requested for them to join him with sudden eagerness to investigate just who else had wandered onto his territory. Najira accepted without hesitation, nodding timidly with a cautious step forward to approach the Alpha, as she awaited for him to lead the way. If she co-operated, the maybe she would be able to leave without any problem if the Alpha did not care for her asking to be in the pack.
Her response was polite enough, Beren thought, and maybe he would soon be able to continue on his way. This female seemed rather nervous about his presence, which Beren was perfectly fine with, and, moreover, was apparently having much trouble deciding what to say. All these boded well for a very quick greeting. He'd meant, in fact, to say something about the weather, or perhaps give her a warning on the approaching snow-storm, but was interrupted as another male appeared from somewhere. A large, younger adult, apparently a pack member, and likely the owner of this country. Perhaps he had been better to announce his arrival; but then, Beren had never met to get caught up in this situation. Nothing to be done about it. However, he seemed easy enough about the fact that two wanderers were on his lands without leave. Beren eyed the other wolf carefully, taking note of his probable superiority in a fight, and almost without thinking slipped into the old rythms of speech: "A gypsy I am, my lord, seeking merely to pass and be gone again." At that he left it, watching the female wolf dither uncertaintly through half a sentence and trail off again. He was fairly certain that she meant to ask to join the pack. Beren could not see why, but to each his own, he supposed. No pack had anything for him, and all packs required in return things he was not willing to give away. Perhaps it was easier to survive amongst others, and, he would assume, that was the reason the strange female wished to enter, but honestly.. To be able to walk where one wanted, without consulting another, to smell the winter winds and follow the birds in their migrations - this was more important than Beren's own life. He would die before he let himself be led by another. He would die alone, unmourned, with pride in his heart.
He turned and followed the other male, casting an appraising eye at the female wolf as he went. She seemed a quiet one, one would would ask nothing in life except the certainty of her next meal. She would sacrifice her soul to have another beside her to catch her food for her. And therefore, not of importance to him. He glanced away again, no longer interested. Let her have her safety. He had himself.
Nessa took in the other female’s stance with a rather critical gaze. She snorted, her nostrils widening somewhat as she did so. How she would love to wipe that teeth baring grimace off the others’ face. Nessa’s thoughts went to attacking, and she shuddered at the pleasure she could receive, should she spill the other wolfs’ blood. Nessa loved blood, loved the way it looked, deep red on the pure whiteness that was the snow…A sudden thought floated through her mind, sounding disgusted, and broke through the fantasy she’d been seeing.
’You are disgusting, Nessa.’ Of course, it was Victoire, back again. Nessa heaved a deep, yet internal sigh and thought airily, ’Just because I’m not a glittering fairy princess like you, Victoire, doesn’t make me disgusting. Is it not in the wolfs’ nature to love bloodshed?’ That thought had shut her up, and Nessa smirked outwardly, taking a step closer to Zaylin. ’She wondered if I was alright?’ she thought to herself, somewhat distracted now. At this, Victoire piped up again, her voice reverberating inside of Nessa’s head. ’Unlike you, most of us have some semblance of compassion!’ Nessa growled a warning growl to Victoire, who quieted somewhat. She looked to Zaylin again and spoke suddenly, abruptly. ”I…am fine, thank you.”
Nessa huffed, her breath forming a mist in the chill air, and she shivered; her body was not used to this cold weather yet, and it did not help that she was hardly more than skin and bones…But at these sordid thoughts, Nessa berated herself, thinking about how she would NEVER give up on life. She had a duty to fufill, the duty to keep Vaniel alive. That was why she had been created – the aftermath of a suicide attempt on Vaniel’s part had caused another character to form within the femme. Nessa had been in control for a few months now, and Vaniel’s body was doing better, even if the fae herself was not doing so great.
Nessa looked to Zaylin again, her amber orbs somewhat softer, her tail lowering regretfully. The fight was off. Yet, she said nothing, waiting for the other to speak. Words were just not her thing.
Toiro looked curiously over at the creamy white she wolf as they walked through the cool forest. That half-finished sentence was obviously her way of expressing an interest to join the pack. He padded along in silence, contemplating. He didn’t know what kind of skills she had, or if she would be useful. But Airila could use more members, and she seemed to be in good shape. Finally he turned to her and offered a small smile. “If you are interested, then yes, I would be pleased to welcome you into the pack. You will start off as a Subordinate, and may gain a higher rank when you have proved your worth”
Eventually, they came upon the two other lone wolves. Toiro turned this time to the older male and spoke quietly. “If you wish to leave, you may do so, although you are welcome to stay” There was no need to keep this wolf here while he confronted the trespassers.
The big grey wolf raised his head to address the two females, his stance radiating power. He looked disapprovingly at them, but he kept his words calm and polite.
“My name is Toiro, and I am the alpha of Airila. This is Airila territory, as I’m sure you’re aware. So, may I inquire as to what you all are doing here? Also, if you could tell me your names…?”
The smaller wolf seemed to be in better shape than the one who had caught the deer, which was slightly odd. He decided that it must be because she wasn’t hungry, which meant that her hunting skills would have to be fairly good. He then looked over the scrawny creature. She needed the food, and even though he didn’t like wolves hunting on his territory without permission, he wasn’t one to let a wolf die if he could help it.
“You may keep the deer if you wish. I appreciate the fact that you howled, although I’m not sure that you meant to use it to summon me” His eyes twinkled briefly and a soft smile flitted across his face.
Zaylin was feeling more and more on edge with each passing minute. Her claws dug into the snow at her feet over and over again as her eyes darted all over the place in their sockets, trying to find some sort of escape clause. Her tail continued to twitch back and forth nervously as she tried to keep her mind under control. Why are you here you idiot? You knew this was a bad idea. She knew her thoughts presented valid questions but she was not quite ready to face her stupidity in the situation. For the moment, however, she was relatively safe as the other female seemed to be going through the same sort of war in her mind and both of their postures had become less aggressive and directed inward as opposed to the threat that stood not very far away. When Zaylin realized this, she forced herself to focus solely on the emaciated female before her and let the battle in her mind carry on in the background. She would come back to it when she had more time and less of a nervous feeling coursing through her veins and making her entire body seem as if it were perched on a narrow ledge and about to take a tumble to the depths below. She was even standing slightly on her toes and leaning forward as if she actually wanted to let herself take the leap.
Once again, strange words pulled her from her warring thoughts and she turned her attention back to the other. Her mismatched eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the female, proclaiming that she was alright. Zaylin knew better but she also knew better than to force herself into a situation where there was more than one personality fighting for control. Indeed, she could see it in this female, especially when her entire body relaxed and she lost the aggressive behavior. Zaylin slowly allowed her own body to lose just a tiny bit of the tension it held but she still remained on edge as she took the smallest step toward the other. New soft words floated breathlessly toward the other female as her mouth opened once more. ”Alright. Would you like help moving that?” She figured her motives for moving from this spot were blatantly clear as the smell of the pack was suddenly very strong on the stiff breeze that also carried a hint of snow with it. Almost as soon as the smells hit Zaylin’s nostrils, her day seemed to be getting worse as three other wolves appeared among the trees. A shudder ran along her spine as she slowly turned herself around.
Slowly, Zaylin backed herself up so that she was actually standing beside the first female she had met. At the moment, she was much less of a threat and Zaylin almost felt responsible for the both of them at this moment. A low growl began to work from deep in her chest as she lowered her head in an aggressive stance and her hackles sprang back up to form a collar around her head. It was then that she allowed herself to really focus on the three new wolves. Two of them were slightly submissive in the presence of the rather large male that stood in front of them with a glowing sort of power that made her shudder. She groaned inwardly as she realized her mistake had growing consequences as she now stood aggressively before the alpha of the pack that lived in these lands. As he spoke, her fears were confirmed and she whimpered quietly to herself as he continued on with a few more words. He was offering the deer to the other female and he did not even seem angry at the fact that Zaylin had not announced the fact that she had trespassed on his lands. In fact, he only seemed the tinniest bit annoyed if even that. A deep frown creased her brow at that point as she grew deeply suspicious. Finally, her soft words gently flowed forth, just loud enough to be heard. ”I’m Zaylin.” They were short and to the point but all that was going through her mind was the fact that he was much too perfect. He’s too perfect. He’s too compassionate. He’s too forgiving. He’s too perfect. Perfect is not good. Perfect should be destroyed.
Najira was too pre-occupied in her wallowing through her discomforted thoughts to notice the subtle looks that the Alpha beside her gave every once in a while as he lead the two into the thicket of the forest. Maybe if she had feigned being comfortable in the presence of such authority, that her request would have flowed more smoothly. If the Alpha's first impression was to see a weak, odd white femme who wasn't able to speak her mind, then her discouragement at seeming worthy to the male has her wish to end such assumption hastily. Najira wasn't usually one to speak in such stuttering mannerisms---she was never like that with her own pack at least. Yet though thinking this, with each passing minute, the wolf loosened her anxious state and accepted the fact that whatever impression she was giving off wouldn't help further on down the road. If she wasn't her usual calm self, then she'd only be proven misleading or two-faced, and that was the last thing she wanted to be seen as.
Yet when the Alpha spoke to ease her tension with expressing his approval of her request, Najira perked her ears forward from their previous depressed droopiness and stared at Toiro with both surprise and gratitude, amber eyes large again as a small smile drew at the corners of her mouth. 'Thankyou.' She started, casting her gaze off into the distance as the scent of something familiar caught her interest in the direction that they were currently trotting to. 'My name is Najira.' Before anything else was said, the white femme confirmed that the scent that they were following was of two wolves that were now visible to them, having the Arctic slow to a stand-still as she awaited for the reaction of the Alpha patiently and with an inquisitive side-glance at his face. Obviously, these two were not from the pack---her pack, it seemed fir to say now, as Toiro's disapproval gained a wary glance from one of the females, whose immediate reaction was to bring up an aggressive stance--one that the Arctic had all but fell into too easily before realising her mistake not yesterday on the outskirts of the forest.
It seemed that this wolf had realised just what she was doing and to who it was directed at all too soon, and now looked at the three with uncertainty and slight guilt at her actions, yet that uneasiness in her eyes thinned to discouragement as the Grey addressed the wolf beside on the matter of the slain deer.
The mixture of different suppressed emotions between the wolves who eyed each other mystified Najira. Maybe it was because she had been without a pack too long to be familiar with such interactions played out, or the fact that the first femme seemed to be suspicious of the owner of this land. But what could be the problem with the Grey that confirmed such suspicions?
From the brief moment of knowing Torio, he seemed to be only gentle and kind to stranger wolves. There was nothing about him that could be raised as deceitful. Unless his genuine friendliness had the wolf who now stated her name to be Zaylin, to be put on her guard with wariness.
Nevertheless, Najira stood calmly at the Grey's side, neither needing nor wanting to address the two loners, yet noticing the sickly, thin wolf at the deer's side with mild concern. It was best for her too not stare for too long at this poor sight which was both rude and improper as she distracted herself by casting a subtle look at the first wolf she had met briefly before the appearance of the Alpha. He stood beside Torio's left calmly, as Najira watched to see his reaction of the meeting. His expression gave nothing away what-so-ever, golden eyes effectively hiding whatever thought process that flew through his mind and dispatching Najira's interest on the matter as quickly as it came.
The alpha rather magnamiously gave Beren permission to leave as they came up on another pair of wolves, both female. He flicked an ear in ackowledgement, with the idea that he would depart as soon as he'd found out who the two female wolves were. They seemed to have been fighting, or planning to fight, which was interesting although not all that important to him. One growled at them as they approached. Beren scowled, feeling his hackles rise slightly. Already he could tell that he was going to have a problem with this female. He fixed his eyes on her as she backed up to stand beside the wolf she'd been with before, annoyed by her complete disgregard for rules of conduct. Even if the other male beside him hadn't been an alpha, there was no reason to provoke a fight. It wasn't as if they'd insulted her or attempted to steal food. He flashed a quick glance at the other female as the first named herself (Zaylin, another of those odd foreign titles), taking quick note of the fact that she was extremely skinny and also lying next to a dead deer. Had she caught it? Maybe, he guessed, although he found it more likely that she was partners with the one called Zaylin, who was already not giving herself a good name. The two did not seem to be friends, however, which was a puzzle. The skinny female with the twisted ribs might have been pretty at some point, he thought, turning his eyes away. At some point, probably around the time when her ribs were broken, she seemed to have lost..something. What it was he didn't know, and probably wouldn't.
"Beren." He gave his name somewhat grudgingly, although he kept it from his voice. He knew nothing about these wolves except what he had been able to observe in a few brief minutes, and the last thing he needed was for someone to know his name who shouldn't. Beren was hardly worried about the white female (Najira?), but the one called Zaylin was either murderous or stupid or both, and the strange female with the broken ribs he knew nothing about. And as for the alpha..Beren had nothing against Toiro, but he was never easy around pack wolves, and it was better in his estimation to remain out of their sight and knowledge. Nothing to be done now, however. It was his own fault for deciding to walk through this territory now, when he could have waited until nightfall, or for the snowstom. If only he hadn't been in such a damned hurry. Next time.. Well, next time would come when it did. For now, Beren supposed he had better wait around until he had an idea of whether or not any of these wolves would follow him in the coming darkness and kill him in his sleep, or such. He sat down, ready for a long talk in which he did not intend to take part.
Nessa could scent the others coming, and it worried her. What was she to do? She heard an intake of breath and knew that Victoire was going to butt in again. She let a growl slip from between her teeth and muttered aloud, ”I don’t need your input, Victoire.” Not having realized that she’d spoken this aloud, Nessa took a few paces forward as the silhouettes of three wolves came above the ridge she was on. She stopped as the largest of the three approached her and spoke. So, his name was Toiro, and he ran these lands, did he? Nessa, knowing at least some pack etiquette, bowed her head respectfully and growled in her harsh voice, ”I must admit that I did not scent the pack boundary before it was too late. The wind blew it away.” she told him, her amber eyes glinting in the sunlight. What she said was the honest truth – the breeze had blown away the scent, and she had only scented it after she’d caught her deer.
Glancing up at Toiro, she raised her head and murmured, “My name is...Neh-“ ’Nessa, wait!’ urged Victoire, a pleading note in her soft voice. Nessa obliged, and Victoire rushed on. ’Maybe it is time to let Vaniel have control again. You have gotten her this far, and I thank you for it, but she needs to live for herself. Let her out into the open – she needs to help herself. We cannot do all of the work for her.’ Nessa sighed inwardly, but agreed. She closed her eyes momentarily, letting her spirit float to the back of Vaniel’s mind, and Vaniel herself was reawakened.
Vaniel blinked, the light of the sun blinding her after the darkness of her own mind. She felt words on her lips, as if someone else were talking for her, and she blurted out her name without knowing why. ”Vaniel! I’m…Vaniel…” she mumbled, feeling dazed and confused. She looked around, feeling lost. ”Where am I?” she whispered to herself. The last thing she could truly remember was jumping off of a cliff. ”I’m…alive?” she whispered again, blankly. She stared around. She didn’t seem to be near the ocean. She no longer smelled the sea on her pelt, no longer felt the water. And it was warmer, warmer than it had ben when she tried to commit suicide. How much time had passed? She looked to her side, found her ribs poking out at odd angles.
Vaniel took a deep, shuddering breath, and felt tears pricking her eyes. She glanced up at Toiro, took a few steps closer so that she could stare at his face properly. ”You must help me,” she pleaded so that only he would hear. ”I think I’m going insane. I can’t remember anything. The last thing I remember is jumping off a cliff, and that must have been weeks ago…”
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