12-26-2009, 10:32 PM
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 It was hard to hear over the rain, but those that did had mixed feelings about the alpha of this territory. He was certainly interesting to look at: all scars and cockiness, seemingly. The children were a bit intimidated by him, all that damage on a wolven body seemed hardly to fit...seemed hardly natural. Indeed, to them he looked like a ghoul himself, and they wondered how much a person could actually get hurt before they died. Had their father looked like that when he finally went down? Mala, Ranya, and Aivyr were offended by the term 'ghoul' associated with their fallen friend, but they stayed their anger and followed their de facto leader as he followed behind Jefferson. It took more than an off-color remark to really offend Jantus...Jefferson hadn't known Skoll, and he'd be surprised if a wolf who had suffered such mutilation didn't have a black sense of humor. Tanya and Nikolov, the oldest in the group at nine years each, shared his attitude. Before too long, the group made it to the cabin, and escaped the rain. The kids tried to shake themselves dry, where the adults mostly separated before attempting to do the same. What a miserable day, especially for this sort of event. Jantus attended the alpha as soon as he felt he could do so without dripping all over him. "I promised you an introduction. There are a lot of us, so I don't expect you'll remember all of us. M'name's Jantus, again. These three yearlings are Ambien, Culexa and Trigger. Kids of the deceased." The black, tan-yellow, and bicolored yearlings all looked to Jefferson with expectant looks, typical of youths who were unsure of what to do next. They were adolescents anymore, but they still felt awkward and out of place deep in territory that had apparently been known to their father, but was wholly strange to them. "The gray and tan wolf is Skirnir, Skoll's brother. Alpha of the StoneTree pack far in the northwest." The eight-year old dipped his head in deference to the alpha of Phoenix Valley, making a brief statement of thanks to the three-legged male before him. When he was done, Jantus continued. "These two are my sisters, Mala and Ranya." He tilted his head in their direction. Their fur-pattern was varied like his own, black cascading into gray and finally white on their underbellies. Neither of them had the sheer girth of their brother, but they were still unusually tall and heavy, as big as the standard male. They clearly belonged to a litter that had come after their older brother's. "The white wolf is Aivyr, a student of Skoll's in the fighting arts and an ally to all of us in times of need. The two coyotes are Tanya and Nikolov, who we were also acquainted with through wartime alliance. Incidentally, it is where most of us know Skoll from, as well, barring his children and brother, who never knew him through that part of his life." He gave Jefferson a grim look. Usually, Jantus was good about dealing with dark feelings, but today, between the rain and the down-drawn faces of his comrades, he was beginning to feel a tightness in his own chest. "Thank you again for your hospitality in letting us do this. It is important to us: we've come a long way. Most of us are warriors, if you hadn't guessed, or at least experienced in that walk of life. Hopefully, in leaving our weapons and standing forms behind we've assuaged any concern that might cause." He was unsure of any further formality Jefferson was interested in observing, but he would do what he needed to do to get them to that grave. |