Magnolia had found out that Larkspur didn’t call the caves home anymore. She found out earlier in the day, before rushing west in search of her dark-haired savior. He was the only one she wanted to follow anymore. Magnolia wanted to call Larkspur not only a superior, but home. He was her home now. She decided this and knew where her heart lay. Magnolia would follow him ‘til the end of time so long as he would allow it.
Her journey was long and arduous but definitely worth it. The young woman was worn down and tired and she could barely stand anymore. But he was the only thing she wanted to have in her life anymore. Magnolia didn’t care what it would take; she’d do anything for the dark-haired male. Even if it meant traveling until she was worn out and merely a shadow of who she used to be. The long days alone made her lose a disastrous amount of weight. Magnolia resented it, but ignored her shabby figure for the most part. It wasn’t worth worrying, at least in the mohawked girl’s mind.
The packlands were guarded and very clearly marked. The young woman hesitated, unsure of whether she should continue onwards. Maggie was sure this was the place; the Anathema wolf was positive on her settling west, telling her she’d find what she was looking for. Still, the looming borders worried her and stressed the young woman out. It was late, and her savior was probably going to bed. She ignored this fact, and pressed on. She stepped into the territory, feeling immensely different as she plodded onwards. The dirt beneath her two paws felt alien, foreign. And yet she stayed. Straying a little into the territory, the young one let out another howl, identical to the one she let out in Anathema. She was begging for Larkspur, begging for him to save her again. “I’ve come to join you, Larkspur”, the female howled, loud and melodic. “You were right, after all.” Elders were always right. And that fact made the young one irritated beyond belief. He knew she needed a pack. And here she was, willing and ready to serve.
Night was a time that the dark wolf, by birth, favored. His pelt did not serve him well under an unforgiving sun. Shadow was his companion, and a welcomed one at that. Salsola had enough men to guard its borders well—Sirius made sure of that. The man he called Boss was smart and in some way mad; in many ways, while Larkspur was physically stronger, he feared that. Sirius had a ferocity in him that hid within a smaller frame. The Arbiter would not cross the green eyed devil, and he would follow him with the same sort of fanaticism that he had given to all others worthy. Larkspur would die for Sirius; he would kill for him without question.
A howl rose from the borders, closest to their eastern side. Larkspur’s ears perked at the call. It was one that did not demand him but instead beseeched. Magnolia? His eyes gleamed in the darkness, pleased that she had found him. To have simply brought her would have gone against protocol. With a grunt he turned and began loping in the direction of the call. It took perhaps twenty minutes before he found her. She had since gone back across the border, which was best—had she crossed he would never have been allowed to bring her.
“Magnolia,” his voice rumbled from the dark, announcing the shadowy wolf’s presence even though his eyes betrayed him. “Y’found us,” the Arbiter went on, smiling. “Our rules did not allow me t’tell y’myself. Things here are not like they are elsewhere.”
Lulz, I had a dream last night that a loner replied to this thread. XD –dies.- my first souls dream since like, 7th grade >_<
Magnolia waited, impatiently, walking in circles back and forth between the borders and neutral territory. She eventually realized staying behind the borders would be a good idea; she had no idea what kind of place this was, and during her time alone the woman heard of atrocities performed by other packs to a trespassing stranger. Larkspur (and the place he called home) scared her, in a way, which was why she kept her distance. He was dark-souled man that was clearly troubled by things Magnolia had no idea about. But she was determined to stay the cheery young woman she so dearly enjoyed being; Larkspur’s darkness would put no damper on her own shine.
Eventually, her savior came to her. Magnolia couldn’t help but grin at the sight of him. Everything would be okay now. There would be no more roaming, no more danger. Larkspur was willing to have her be part of the family and she fully intended to commit to him. But when he mentioned the rules, she was confused but let the comment slide. “It’s okay, I understand,” she said happily, even though she didn’t. “How are things different here?” The pack seemed secretive, determined to hide away in the shadows. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.
The dark wolf did not truly believe that Magnolia knew what she was getting herself into. There was much that the young would probably always believe they knew, but harsh lessons would be taught to change these things. While he smiled at her fondly, his eyes remained hard. It was her time to learn such a lesson. Larkspur remained standing across the border, his massive form blending into the shadows of then night. Only the white patches, blue-black in the dark, and his Jack-O-Lantern eyes betrayed him.
“Yer at th’ borders of Salsola. Knowin’ that means yer gonna be bound t’us one way or another.” There was a faint and unspoken threat in those words, but he doubted that she would have to face the fate of so many of those they had since found. “But for now, yer bound t’me. You have t’do what I ask, regardless of what it is. You must respect all of th’ members here, except th’ slaves.”
He shifted his weight and settled onto his haunches, ears swiveling as some night creature chittered in the forest around them. “After yer trial has ended, one of our leaders will give you a task. Complete it and you will join th’ ranks.” This was the simplest way for him to explain things, and he hoped that she would understand. Everything would become clear the longer she remained, which was his intention. He did not think that Sirius or Eris would expect a child to perform until she was older; though Magnolia was even older than his own children. “They also expect a gift,” he added, unsure of what she might be able to provide.
As Larkspur continued talking, she only became more and more confused. So she was bound to him? Brows furrowed in confusion, she finally gazed into his Halloween eyes, looking for answers. “I’m bound to you? So does that mean I can’t leave your side now or something?” the silver female continued to listen with all the attention she could focus. “What type of task? Is it something that could hurt?” the girl may be tough emotionally, but she was always afraid of getting physically injured.
At the mention of a gift, she gave her savior a smile. “I collect necklaces. I have a ton of them… could I hand them out or something? They’re all really shiny and wonderful.” She didn’t have any other gift to give, other than her service and allegiance. “Your friends won’t kick me out will they?” The girl asked after a moment, slightly worried. She was still a girl, after all, and couldn’t really understand the magnitude of her decision to join Salsola. She wasn’t aware of the pack executioners, either.
If you want to throw up a reply you can, otherwise Sie can pop in! (just edit a leader needed/attn: Sie into the title
He chuckled, a deep and throaty sound that hardly seemed like a sound that might come from the brutish male. Humor was not something he really seemed to understand, but most social situations were beyond his grasp. Slowly, though, he was learning. Not fast enough for Eris, but enough that he had learned the rules and regulations of their thistle-kingdom well enough.
“No, you can still wander around by yerself. Being bound t’me means that until yer ready I’ll be teachin’ you what Salsola is. There’s more t’our pack then just a name; we are a family.” The big wolf nodded at her idea of a gift, believing that Eris would certainly enjoy more useless trinkets. Sirius he did not presume to guess for; in his mind the Boss could do no wrong, even if he liked to collect stupid things like The Auxiliary. “You should be fine as long as y’can listen. Pick out a necklace fer Eris, I will call her.”
Sure enough, as soon as he was certain that Magnolia was ready, the Halloween colored wolf lifted his head and called for the woman who had bore his children.
Magnolia was excited to learn about this crazy new place. While this would be the third pack she would be a member of before she was a year old, it didn’t bother her. Salsola would hopefully be the last place Maggie would ever have to move to. This was a new opportunity for the silver female, and it certainly was very exciting for her.
Larkspur spoke of a gift, and Maggie nodded in understanding. It made sense; leaders liked being impressed. The poorly-made leather satchel by her hip held all her dearest possessions, all of them being jewelry. The female picked out the shiniest, most regal looking necklace she could find; it shone brilliantly despite the scant light. The large necklace wasn’t too heavy, as it was human costume jewelry, and therefore Maggie hoped it would be sufficient to win over Eris. The two had already met but Maggie doubted she would remember her. She was a little pup back then, but the memory of meeting the charcoal-toned wolf stuck out in her mind.
Word Count → 427 :: Derp. I am going to title you now because I suck. >_o
With the fading of the light from the sky, some of the day's heat had left the land, though Eris was still hot. Nova Scotia was not nearly as hot as Eterne, she knew -- she was far north and surrounded by water, but she had been hot all day nonetheless, finding the summer's heat unbearable with her condition. She was beginning to show now, her stomach growing its slight bulge that would soon swell with children. Nothing save a dive into the river had saved her from the seeming blaze of the afternoon, and she had wallowed for some time, using relaxation to patrol the borders some, as well. After remaining in the same pool for some time, the woman had headed upstream, meandering through the shallows. When the Pictou departed their borders, she had departed it, still dripping wet, intending to turn home.
As the sun all but faded, however, the hybrid was summoned by a howl, loud and low and unmistakable. She hesitated a moment, but turned her feet quickly enough, keeping her pace languid only so she might shift comfortably while still moving. When she had arms enough to do so and her legs were able to carry, she vaulted upright, still shedding the four-legged body. The river's clean and cool scent still seemed to cling to her, and the woman's sable fur was still slick in places. She drew both hands through her mane and shook it out, twisting her head from side to side a few times as she walked, now moving with increasing urgency. It was not long before she came upon them, her sable-shaded betrothed and another canine, thin but with a curvy build. She was large, bigger than Eris but still dwarfed next to Larkspur. Recognition was slow within the sable-shaded hybrid, but it was there nonetheless.
The woman's chartreuse eyes remained on Larkspur but a moment, turning to Magnolia with a tilted head. She wondered, however briefly, if Larkspur would have taken this one to his hovel for the night, and decided she didn't mind. She remembered the pale-faced woman, though she could not recall where. Anathema? The neutral lands? It didn't quite matter; the coyote's impression of the monochrome woman had been a positive one, and that showed in a brief smile offered to the younger woman. “You ask to join Salsola,” the coyote said, figuring this to be true. Her eyes were on the prize in the girl's hands, glittering and ornate. “Would that be mine?” she asked, unabashedly presumptive, her hand already extended forth.
Magnolia’s black veil slipped out of place at precisely the wrong moment; as she was readjusting the frivolous accessory, the familiar charcoal-toned queen appeared before her. Feeling sheepish, the silver teenager remembered her place in front of authority and kept her eyes averted. Eris was as beautiful as ever, though her belly was now larger than Maggie had remembered. She wondered if the woman was pregnant again before answering the dark leaders question. “I do, and this is a gift for you,” she finally looked up, feeling awkward and unsure of herself, quite like the first time she had shifted. “I …I found it in Halifax. I collect necklaces and thought this was fit for a queen like yourself,” she said quietly, motioning to her hip satchel. Eris was indeed a leader, but Magnolia wasn’t quite sure how the hierarchy in this area worked. The woman assumed that she was at the top, as even Larkspur had to call for her to get permission to join their crew.
Wasn't sure if Larkspur should greet Eris properly, I figured he would not as she's busy. Can edit if needed!
The massive wolf stood by silently as Eris emerged from the shadows. She was hardly quiet; their daughter outpaced her in this respect, as did Sirius. He likened this to her lack of skills as far as stealth was concerned, but also believed her pregnancy had made her noisy. Then again, given her rank within the Family, she had nothing to fear in these lands. One word would have a trio of deadly men at her aid, not to mention their ferocious leader or red-eyed Crone.
He kept his eyes away from Eris, watching Magnolia carefully. A wrong step would send her away or worse, turn her into a slave. “She’s the girl I found in Anathema,” he reminded the dark woman, unsure as to whether or not she recognized the now-adult Magnolia. “So she’s young enough t’learn the rules.” Orange eyes narrowed slightly, warning the girl silently that such a thing was not an option. Her idea of freedom was not to be found within the Family.
Word Count :: 300 I LOVE YOU BOTH THX FOR PATIENCE HEY SHAE YOU GET AN ACCEPTANCE MESSAGE EVEN THOUGH IT'S LATE AS HELLLLLLL~ we can wrap this up after this if you guys want :3
The sable hybrid did not know much of this Magnolia, but Larkspur was fond of her. Disgruntled at him as she was at the moment, the sable woman did not begrudge him so far as to disregard his judgment. She could see for herself that the grizzled hybrid would make quite an addition to her pack; young as she was, there was strength and grace in the young woman's limbs, and a pretty face to boot. The elder hybrid did not begrudge her female compatriots for their beauty; she had quite enough of her own to simply appreciate it when it showed up in other women. The news of where the girl had been discovered caused her ears to twitch, but she did not seem terribly interested in the girl's origins. Nonetheless, Magnolia's time near Anathema was noted by the sable hybrid, who did not remember the veiled youth from her own time in the mountain pack.
“Your gift is fit for barter into Salsola where I am concerned,” the hybrid said, confirming the gray woman's words. It was fit for Eris, and it was therefore also fit to buy Magnolia's passage into the Salsolian lands. Her loyalty had yet to be tested, but Larkspur seemed to stand for her. “Thank you,” the coyote said, holding the new prize in a balled fist. She drew it to her face and looked it closer, enjoying the way it caught the light for a moment. The hybrid had disregarded Larkspur's presence for the moment other than a furtive and momentary glance, but now her attention turned toward him. “Will you guide her in our ways?” the woman asked, almost casually. If he did not, it would be her duty, and one she would gladly take up.
Your character is likely to be ranked Associate for a while before receiving any promotions -- if you're looking to accelerate the process, make yourself useful to the pack by:
Working toward a Co-Rankor assisting others in achieving their own Co-Ranks
ICly befriending the higher ranks and making your character useful to them. Alternatively, seeking a mate in a higher rank is a fast-track to promotion.
As a new member, why not:
Start plotting with your fellow members -- start or join an Open Thread on Salsola territory.
Figure out which of the co-ranks you'd like and let the leadership know which you'd like to join.
Check out our pack game and start earning points! You can claim a residence after 50 points in the pack game.
Familiarize yourself with the pack's leaders and make sure you contact one of us if you encounter any sort of difficulty or require any assistance. You can send us a Private Messages or post to the Salsola Maintenance thread.
Lulz, I had a dream last night that a loner replied to this thread. XD –dies.- my first souls dream since like, 7th grade >_<
I am going to title you now because I suck. >_o
mall-caps;}
