You Can't Escape [Open//Joining]

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Tail tucked between her legs, Syren bolted as fast as she could for the border of Vor’asa. Only once had she ever been this terrified, and that was during the days leading up to the death of her brothers. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, resonating loudly in her head. She gasped for air as she pushed herself harder, lungs competing with her heart for the extra space in her ribcage. How could she have been so foolish? Aimlessly wandering into the den of a pack. It was such a stupid move! She wasn’t stupid! At least...not that stupid. Or so she had thought. Maybe it was the chaos following the earthquake and the fire and the land bridge that had made her act like a yearling pup. Fear can cause such bizarre reactions. Yet even that was no excuse to traipse to the core of a pack lands. The only valid excuse would have been if someone, something were after her, and even that was iffy at best. She shouldn’t have done it. Simple as that. And she had. Foolishly so. Oh how could she have been so stupid? Deep sapphire orbs glanced wildly over her shoulder as often as possible. They would be coming for her. Any time now. She had to get out of the territory before they ripped her limb from limb. And why wouldn’t they? The beta male had been kind to her, in his own way, but she didn’t trust him to remain kind to her. And once she had seen the alpha brute... Well, that was it. She couldn’t stay and tell him how she had waltzed into his pack lands, unannounced, right to the heart of his home. He had just seemed the type to attack first and ask questions later. Except, with her, there probably wouldn’t be a later. So it was just safer to flee for now. Deep down Syren wanted to join the pack. To be part of an actual, functioning family, even if the other members weren’t her blood. She had been alone for some time now, and she was starting to feel lonely. Yet... She just couldn’t bring herself to trust these wolves. Not yet. They didn’t know her, not really, nor did she know them. Of course, she probably massacred what little chance she had at joining, what with her bold entrance and even more explosive exit. Which was why she was certain the pack would be on her trail in no time. Why hunt big game animals when you can track down a renegade loner? It was more satisfying, not to mention the wolf that ripped her throat out would likely get praised and promoted by the alpha. A shudder ran down Syren’s spine. Just imagining her throat being torn out (while she was still breathing, no less) was terrifying, and spurned her on harder. She had to cross that border line. While she may not be entirely safe once across, she would at least feel safer. words:: Five-Hundred and Fifteen muse:: Good considering tags:: Open ooc:: So, as I posted in my returning thread, I wanted to start over with Syren. But then I got to thinking: Why not make her the omega? She's made a few mistakes already, assuming her attempt to flee is a mistake

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She had wandered off once more to be on her own, something that was becoming an increasingly popular action for the Dire bitch. After all, if she was by herself it meant that her mind would be significantly less cluttered by thoughts of stupid Darius. The Alpha was consuming her mind lately, and this was not a time for her to be distracted by something so foolish. 'At least my mind isn't wasting itself with someone unworthy,' a smirk perched upon her muzzle as the female stalked back and forth. The Lead Huntress was hardly able to conceive why her mind was in such a state of anxiety, most likely the earthquake and volcano combination had been to blame.

The wind still held a filthy smell to it, making Kuma nearly heave when it hit her nostrils just right. At least she had managed to wash most of the garbage out from her gorgeous gray pelt. Hellfire optics raked at the terrain, searching more for dead bodies than trespassers - not like the femme wouldn't have been intrigued by either occurrence. Alas! As her paws kept carrying her to and fro across the land, she could simply not find anything worth her while. Adrenaline was beginning to edge away and perhaps an inkling of tiredness was crawling into her veins. By now Kuma assumed it was common knowledge throughout Vashti of her insomnia, after all what else would keep a canine awake at odd hours of the night? Certainly she did not do such a thing for her health; although at times she would subject her hunters to such punishment. They were trained to be flawless after all, if they cost Darius a meal then they would most definitely feel her undying wrath.

That was when something different caught her senses, auds erected themselves righteously as the Huntress put herself in defense mode. Hackles began to lift upon her back, each individual hair standing upon its' end. 'I know you're here,' the female was tempted to emit a vicious snarl; yet, silence consumed her for now. Patience would bring the lone creature right into her midst, their scent was flooding her nostrils by now. Certainly she was coming upon them with her marching pace or they were about to run right into her. The latter thought amused the femme slightly; however, she knew that if the creature ran straight into her they would be less than thrilled. Kuma was not exactly known for being polite and loving, especially not towards strangers. They were a threat to her Vashti, to her family. This was where she was born and raised - this was where she would die as well.

Reddish orbs landed upon the fleeing creature, lips curled up into a demon's grin at the female who was in quite a rush it appeared. "What are you doing, bitch?" her words were harsh to say the least. Syren could expect nothing less from the Dire female though; after all, the loner was fleeing from where the other pack members were. How was Kuma supposed to know that she had not attempted to kill the others? Slowly, she let her lips curl down slightly in order to take an opportunity to better study the female before her. 'She's not one of ours, that's for sure,' amusement settled into the Huntress' veins. "What is your name and what are your intentions within Vor'asa?" Her tone demanded a response from the creature.

A part of the femme hoped that Syren would keep running, pass herself by with no second glance. Kuma loved the thrill of the chase, the hunt. Ever since she was a child the adoration for the tactics utilized in murder had been strong within her veins. Not the type of slaughter that most assumed though, Kuma would not kill another wolf unless they were attempting to end her own life. Despite a rough exterior, the Dire canine was not as cruel as many made her out to be. Eagerly she awaited for this female's response, 'speak or run - bitch, speak or run!'

OoC| I know this isn't my best but I have been wanting to get a Kuma post up.

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With no true idea how far the border really was, Syren had no other option than to keep running. She could have passed it just now, or back there a ways. Or, for all she knew, it was miles ahead of her. Then again, with the alpha brute’s scent markers pretty much...everywhere, it was certain she would know when she finally passed that breaking point. Not that she would just stop once free. She needed to put distance between herself and the pack lands, miles. Paws pounded heavily against the shifting sand beneath her toes. Syren was grateful for the terrain. It was technically winter, yet Tas’alea didn’t see much snow. It was a small, warm island, with no true mountain ranges. Cold weather was common, but the only precipitation they ever seemed to get was rain. And the fire, but that was a one-time thing, right? Either way, the sand offered the perfect stealth. Other than her scent, she was fairly certain any pack members wouldn’t be able to hear her if they were close. They could likely follow her tracks, but once she reached the geysers, it wouldn’t much matter. The hot steam would block her scent, the rocky surface would cover her prints, and she was certain she knew her way around the geysers better than any native to the island. This plan was sure-fire. Perhaps her over-confidence was what clogged her mind. She didn’t realize she was growing closer and closer to another wolf. Not until she was right on top of her. Syren slid to a stop, eyes popping open in surprise. The sand, once her ally, became her enemy. Syren had hoped she could have come to a halt, spun around, and fled another direction. But her paws had little traction, even as she futilely dug her claws into the ground. With her momentum, she slid across the sands until she was nearly nose to nose with the massive female. Syren quailed under the female’s barked order, shaking like a young pup meeting a bear for the first time. She felt trapped, and even as her eyes darted frantically for an escape, she knew there was nowhere to go. Her position at the larger female’s feet made it difficult for her to just up and run. If she made even the slightest movement, the Dire femme could just pounce on her. Syren jumped at the femme’s voice again, eyes locking on her own paws. “S-Syren, ma’am,” she squeaked, voice breaking terribly under the influence of both her own fear and the femme’s radiating power. “I-I came to... I came to...” But no matter how hard she tried to explain herself, the words simply wouldn’t come. If she told the femme that she was interested in joining, it would be suspicious for her to be running from within the territory, wouldn’t it? That story wouldn’t seem plausible. If she said she was seeking refuge, the femme, like the beta brute before, might ask what she was running from? But she wasn’t running from anything. She just wanted to be safe. That story was hardly plausible either. So all Syren could do was sit before the femme, shaking in fear as she stared at her own paws, mouth opening and closing while not saying a thing. words:: Five-Hundred and Seventy-One muse:: Good <3 tags:: Kuma ooc:: I'm still getting the hang of Syren so mine isn't all that great either XD It seems she's going to become a coward no matter what I try... The wolves of Vashti are just too scary ;-;

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The overbearing beta male departed from Darius's pack meeting, intent on ferreting out the rogue scents that were covering Vor'asa. There was no reason this long after the event for loners to be mingling in pack territory. Darius made it abundantly clear that the Vashti pack was both still alive and still strong enough to ward off intruders. Maglor was going to be sure to uphold the alpha male's wishes. He would not dare cross the dire male, particularly when he was in a foul mood following all the chaos. So he found himself chasing after a fresh scent trail that was obviously not a member of the packs in hopes of seeing their way out of Vor'asa and back into the loner lands. He would not tolerate strangers meandering in Vashti's territory, kindhearted as he was. He was more concerned about his status and living up to the expectations of his alpha than he was of making nice with every stranger along the way. Though he and his sister may very well have been the most kindhearted wolves in the pack, the remainder were not as friendly or accepting. He had a part to play, and whether he liked it or not, that was what he was going to do.

The male found himself slowing to a trot as the words of Kuma echoed in the wind. A slight smirk crossed the male's face before the thought hit him that Kuma was so anxious to please Darius that she would likely act rashly in the face of a loner. These were different times than what were normal, so he was a lot more understanding of the circumstances than he believed Kuma would be. Strolling up beside the huntress, his deep words were intended to stop the huntress. "Kuma, enough." As the lone wolf stammered in fear, he let out a breath he did not know that he was holding in. "Syren, is it?" he inquired briefly before continuing to address her.

"You do understand that you are trespassing on Vashti's territory, yes? I am Maglor, the beta of Vashti, and I do believe you have some explaining to do," he spoke sternly, though not nearly close to the sharpness and viciousness of Kuma's tone. He was never one to believe that intimidation was the best method. If anything, the way that the huntress approached the situation in the first place was the reason Syren was having difficulty speaking at all. Of course, he could not be certain, but he would rather give the female the benefit of the doubt. From her behavior and body language, she was not here with malicious intent. She was scared and panicky, definitely not two terms he would use to describe a danger to Vashti. It was his right to decide what was right for their pack in the absence of Darius, not Kuma's. The look he shot to the female warned her to keep her mouth shut unless she was addressed further. "Thank you for apprehending her, Kuma," he praised in a clipped tone, though the true appreciation was lacking in the words. If anything, Syren was booking it toward the free lands in hopes of escaping. Surely she had heard the rumors of Vashti and their strictness and fled from it. Had Maglor not been a male, he would have steered clear of the pack all together. He regretted that Melethiel was forced to live under Darius's rule, but she could not return to their birth pack and her injuries kept her from being able to survive on her own. It was in her best interest to remain with the pack, and Maglor's position afforded her more protection than if she were simply another random female of the pack.

"I need to know your intentions and why you were so far into our territory, Syren," he reminded her sternly, though his eyes were much more friendly in their communication. He was careful to keep face with Kuma present. She was more likely to see the opportunity to take care of the situation herself than to allow Maglor to do his work alone. The strange relationship between the huntress and the alpha always left Maglor feeling a tad uneasy. He was not certain if they were both just sexually repressed or if they held unequivocal hatred for one another. Either way, being around the two caused Maglor more distress than he wanted, and the last thing he wanted was for Kuma to call Darius to the scene. That would likely cost Syren her life, and their numbers were so few on Tas'alea right now that Maglor saw the need to preserve the life of all wolves, not just those who were correct in their approach of the pack.

((OOC: I hope you don't mind that I threw him in here.))

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Much to the Dire's satisfaction, the canine stopped itself and attempted to spit out a response. This was a much better choice rather than running off somewhere, that would simply mean that Kuma would have to go after her. The lone female had some sense in her brain, that was blatantly obvious. After all, had she not her life would be over in a matter of minutes. If she felt this hellbent on rooting those away who didn't belong, the femme could only imagine how the Alpha must feel. He had to command orders that they search for any survivors. Their numbers had faded away drastically over the past few days, right now every able bodied canine would prove beneficial. A paranoid glance extended itself towards her; the huntress needed to retain any fraction of information possible about this Syren. Something in her chest was not satisfied with the direction the conversation had suddenly taken.

Crania turned slowly towards the brute that had so delightfully arrived. It was likely better for the lone female that Maglor had showed his face rather than the huntress keep Syren company. Slowly she lowered her head slightly at the sight of Maglor, he was the only brute other than Darius, who received any sort of respect from her. For a moment the Dire bitch held her tongue, optics lightly dancing between the Beta and the loner. It was a perpetual struggle for the ashen femme to hold her tongue, had this brute been of a lower rank he certainly would have received some snide comments. Grumbling lightly to herself, the huntress opted to settle her gaze upon Syren, waiting patiently to hear the foreigner's explanation for such ignorant actions. After all, it was not as if Vashti was a newly formed pack. They had been around for several generations now, Syren had to know that.

Her mind was still cluttered from the eruption that had tainted their soil, stress and exhaustion still wearing against her bones. Insomnia had been consuming the female's existence, which proved useful only because she managed to perform many tasks during her waking hours. Specifically hunting, she felt accurate in assuming that the males wanted little to do with a typically feminine task; alongside the fact that Kuma refused to be out preformed - especially by a male. Since her birth, she had trained to become the best huntress that Vashti had ever seen; thus far she had succeeded. There was no chance that the female would let any other canine outshine her. Regardless of the state Vashti was in, she could continue performing her duties and providing for the family. Even of they did crawl underneath of her skin at times, the Dire female was completely dedicated to Vashti and all strong enough to be within their ranks.

A glimmer sparked across her crimson orbs, Maglor had extended her a compliment of sorts. Of course she longed to hear words of praise from Darius's muzzle, receiving them from a male held quite a bit of meaning to it. After all, she was a female - nothing better than the ground they pissed on. A word of thanks was essentially a compliment within her mind. "Anything to help out Vashti," her words were quieter than normal, a twinge of appreciation evident. Maglor was not only the Beta, but one of the few brutes that was somewhat kind to the females. Kuma desired to hate him for it; however, she simply could not. Instead, the large canine received more respect from her for it. Melethial was a likely cause for his kindness, as the siblings were quite close. 'I do need to go see her again soon,' Kuma missed her closest friend. Being the only two femmes with a high ranking, the two had quickly taken to each other. Within their friendship they were given a time to speak their mind, truly have someone to converse openly with.

Other than her singular remark the female remained quiet for now, allowing Maglor to take lead in the conversation. Once Syren spoke of her intentions, then the Dire would permit herself to speak again. She wanted to know about this creature's hunting skills, there was the possibility that the frightened loner could become her newest huntress. Both warriors and hunters had perished in great numbers after the eruption, all of them knew that those numbers needed replenished quickly. Even if that meant taking in the weak and attempting to train them. All could learn to be useful in some way, it merely took time and dedication on their part. She cast a quick gaze towards Maglor, attempting to read the expression upon his features.

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The intimidating aura of the Vashti huntress was enough to cause Syren to start shaking in fear. It had been some time since she was this petrified to be in the presence of another. Since her mother was still around. Not that the huntress reminded Syren of her mother. This female was intimidating, borderline scary. While Syren was certain her mother had been out to kill her in her last days, Syren was even more certain this female would kill her if she even looked at her funny. In fact, Syren was beginning to search frantically for an escape route. The longer she was in this female’s presence, the more likely she was to end up a rotting carcass on the ground. She did not want that. As her ocean optics scanned the area, her eyes caught movement just beside the huntress. Those eyes widened as her heartbeat stammered painfully in her chest. The beta brute had appeared. One of the males she had been running from. She would have been even more petrified had the alpha brute himself appeared, but this was no better. Even now, he was quite kind to her. Where the huntress’ aura had leaked irritation—and perhaps violent intentions—the beta’s aura was more annoyed than angry. He had even remembered her name, which surprised Syren. She figured she wouldn’t be more than a smudge on his radar. The fact that he’d been listening to her in the damaged ship... The brute didn’t remain truly kind, though his tone was nowhere near as biting as the huntress’ was. He spoke with clear dominance, yet didn’t seem about to tear her head off. He gave his name before telling Syren to explain herself. At first, the Mongollon femme quivered under his intense gaze, her own eyes darting to the huntress. But at the beta brute’s approach, the huntress had fallen silent, watching over the scene. While the other female seemed annoyed by how things had panned out, she let the brute do all the talking. In that moment, Syren was pleased the beta male had appeared. Even if it wasn’t his intention, he had probably saved her life. Fear still pumped through her veins, but Syren felt just a smidgeon better. Perhaps telling them the truth wouldn’t be all bad. Syren opened her mouth to speak when the beta brute cut her off. She flinched slightly, cringing away from his stern tone. His eyes weren’t nearly as frightening, yet Syren couldn’t bring herself to hold his gaze for too long. She glanced at Kuma once more, worried about how she might react, before focusing back on Maglor. “T-To join,” she blurted out. It took a moment for her to realize how vague of a response that was, and when she came to that realization, heat rose beneath her pelt in embarrassment. “The fire in the sky was scary, and I was alone, and I knew of wolves here and thought I might be safe, but...” When she had wandered so far into the territory, she realized just how foolish she had been. Her eyes darted to the ground, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to... I’m sorry,” she stammered out, lowering herself onto the ground. She was scared, so scared as to what was going to happen to her now. Would he cut her down? Would he question the validity behind her intention? Would he ask why she was alone? If the fire in the sky had killed her family? Would she have to prove herself to him? Her eyes, brimming with tears, darted to the Dire female once again. And what about her? Would she laugh at how pathetic Syren was? She seemed the type to look down upon those weaker than herself. If only Syren was better than this... words:: Six-Hundred and Fifty-Three muse:: Good tags:: Kuma, and Maglor ooc:: She's so adorably pathetic <3 And Uru, I never mind if you pop into threads <33

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The beta male nodded reassuringly at the lone female as she attempted to explain why, exactly, she had wandered into Vashti's territory. She was incredibly lucky that it had only been Kuma and Maglor that happened upon her. Artos would have likely killed the intruder, and Darius might have come up with an even worse punishment for the female. With Darius having vanished once more, Maglor was the sole leader of the pack in his absence. The large male nodded his head in acknowledgement as Kuma responded to his semi-insincere praise. This female likely would have been much safer if she just stayed away from Vashti, but it would be foolish for him to turn away members, particularly when they were so weak. Darius was not there, so he could not be the one to make the decision. It was lucky that the dire male typically trusted his judgment enough to make decisions in his absence or the pack would be in a poor position.

"Syren, you are welcome here in Vashti. You will be trained as a huntress within our ranks. Kuma here will oversee your training and ensure that you adjust to our ways. Do not speak out of turn. Do not act superior to the males of the pack, and most of all, if you have any issues, come directly to me," he instructed the female rapidly, hoping that she caught the sense of urgency in his final request. He did not want the female to be seeking advice from the remainder of the pack. He was loyal to Darius, but that did not mean that he approved of the dire male's methods in ostracizing the females and making males more superior. It benefited him, but it was not a power in which he found comfort. Instead, it made him feel angry and uncomfortable. But there was no home for him outside of Vashti, and so he chose to remain and do the best he could to provide damage control to the male's actions. "Kuma, please go patrol the borders. Gather anyone you can to aid you, and then bring whatever prey you can find back to the Rilon. I will join you as promptly as time allows."

He was no Darius, but he knew that Kuma would listen to some extent because one, he was a male and two, he was Darius's second-in-command. All he wanted to do was comfort this female in one way or another. He did not want her to fear the pack, and particularly Kuma, who came across a lot bolder than they needed to most of the time. He mostly wanted to prepare poor Syren for the life she got herself into. For Darius, entry into Vashti was an unbreakable agreement. Once one entered the pack, they were there for life. With all the reproductive problems their pack seemed to have, it was not surprising that none of the pups of the pack had left in quite some time. Artos was a prime example of this. But now, with his family gone, Maglor was not sure what the warrior would do. There would have to be a search organized, but Maglor knew in his heart that those who had not yet returned were gone. So many had been lost, and it was going to be difficult to build back up after the chaos.

The beta's soft gaze fell on his new pack mate, wishing with all his heart that he did not have to agree to let her stay. Even though she had been intruding in their territory, the lines were somewhat blurred by the devastation of the previous months. Some excuses and exceptions could be made. But this time, Maglor did not want to be the one to subject the female to Darius. He was a bit overbearing, which Syren would soon see...

Word Count: 643 words
Tags: @kuma & @syren
Notes: Sorry for taking so long and sorry that this really wasn't that good of a post.