Two Peas in a Pod [j]
#1
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”So how are we going to find a new pack Karril? There are definitely a lot of wolves around here, but what does that mean? Will they want us? What if they don’t like us? What if they like you but they don’t like me?” Baharak asked her older brother. These questions had been racing through her mind (and therefore, out of her mouth) for the past few weeks, as she and her brother Karril had moved deeper and deeper between numerous claimed wolf territories. They hadn’t had any success in finding a pack yet, but they been edging around these borderlands carefully because it was too foolhardy to walk into a wolf pack’s land outright. At least, that’s what Karril had explained to her. She was just beginning to understand what it meant to be a lone wolf, and the etiquette was still somewhat new to her. But she wanted to get it right, both because she wanted to join a new pack and to impress her brother.


As the two approached yet another pack’s borders, Ara came to an abrupt stop behind her brother and nearly bumped into him headfirst (she hoped he hadn’t noticed). She wondered what had made him stop. ”Hey, why are we stopping? Do you want to wait around and see if we can find an alpha here? I think its important that we try to look as respectful as possible. Do you think I need to look more submissive?” She tucked her tail low and put her ears back. ”How’s this? Maybe I should flatten my ears a bit more… You should really tuck your ears down a bit too, you know.” She had been her father’s favorite, this submission thing was going to take some practice—but she was pretty sure she was nailing it now. She just wanted them both to get it right, she wouldn’t accept failure. ”Do you think we should try calling for someone? Maybe someone can give us directions!” She sighed and looked at the older boy standing next to her. Men never wanted to ask for directions.


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#2
Karril was vaguely aware of an incessant chatter going on behind him. This had been going on for days, since they had first started skirting the borders of some alpha territories, and he had finally learned to tune it out. It had been hard at first, her high voice going on and on about submissive poses, protocol, ears, scents and so on, asking a thousand questions pointless questions, lecturing him with the self-righteous authority of someone who definitely knows exactly how everything works. He had argued against joining a pack, but she had won him over. He thought back to how she had convinced him -- it had had something to do with having friends, and some other thing that he couldn't remember but didn't sound important. He reflected that perhaps it wasn't so much her arguments that had convinced him, but rather the number of times they had been inflicted upon him. Not for the first time, he wished he was traveling with a large sack of rocks. It would certainly have been easier.

Suddenly he stopped. He was tired of all this wandering, and constantly moving on made no sense. Skirting around the territories wasn't going to get them invited. He noticed with some satisfaction that his half-sister briefly stopped talking, but it did not take her long to recover, firing off another barge of questions and instructing him on what to do. He sighed and turned.

"Ara, can I-- no, wait-- listen-- look can you just stop talking for five seconds? Thank you. I just wanted to ask, what do you think of this one?" he said, gesturing to a territory whose border they had just gotten to. "Look, see that lake in the distance? And those little huts over there? Doesn't it look nice?" He knew it was a weak sell, but figured Baharak was probably as tired as he was, and the place looked pleasant enough.
#3
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[315]
01.06.2012 . 3pm . vinátta borders . lupus form
Welcome to 'Souls guys! Apologies for the rubbish post, Saul's timeline is messed up at the moment and I'm typing on my phone!



Saul Lupus is by Alaine!

His thoughts were turning over and over in his mind, the rhythmatic drum of his paws on the ground normally comforting but today feeling a little off. He was trying very hard to remain impassive, his brain constantly on overdrive. It was times like these that he really appreciated this defense mechanism- he'd learnt long ago that he needed this release to give himself peace of mind. Intense green eyes were distracted though and it was hard to remain impassive in his thoughts. With a soft sigh, he slowed to a brisk trot. This morning found him moving around the western border, refreshing weakening scent markers and making sure that no foreign scents had infiltrated their borders. So far, all was clear and the Virding was pleased at their successful guarding of their new pack.



For the moment all was peaceful, until a pair of foreign scents interrupted him. He paused, one front paw raised almost comically before he allowed large paws to move once more. His lupus form was certainly more useful than his other forms when it came to patrolling and he was able to pick up an adequate speed in a relatively short space of time. With Jordheim to his back, Saul began to slow as he spotted a pair of wolves. The smaller brown wolf smelled female, while the larger and paler wolf added the darker musk of male. Saul came to a trotting stop, a polite and friendly smile on his face alongside the obvious signs of dominance- tail raised, ears erect, guard hairs just slightly raised. He could see they were little threat.


Welcome strangers. You stand at Vinatta's borders. My name is Saul, I'm one of the leaders here. Can I help you with anything? He asked, tone likewise polite and firm. Green eyes looked from male to female, wondering which of the two would answer him.

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#4
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Yay, thanks! Sorry it took me so long, last exam of the year this weekend! Now officially an M2!! *happydance*

Baharak readjusted her position for the fifth or sixth time as she (sort of) listened to Karril’s reply. She didn’t really hear a lot of what he had to say though, because it was obvious that her brother wasn’t going to take her advice very seriously. Which was his mistake, because he wasn’t the one who had spent his entire life in a pack. Clearly, she was the more knowledgeable one when it came to wolf-wolf interactions! Determined to help him, she reached up to try and tuck his ears back. Your ears should be a bit more… just like this, see?

Satisfied, the girl now gave his previous comments consideration. She spoke her thought immediately, just as soon as they flitted through her head. "You mean live here? Yes, it does seem pretty nice. A water source for fishing and drinking. The huts would provide good shelter and storage for perishables. We’ve seen plenty of game around these parts too. I think it meets all the necessary conditions…" She tried very hard to sound as knowledgeable as possible, pushing her worries aside. Before she had any more time to run through her checklist though, she sensed another wolf approaching.

Ara had clearly picked up the scent a bit belatedly, because a male wolf quickly appeared in sight. He was a mixture of gray and cream, and a bit taller than your average wolf. More importantly, he carried himself like a dominant and high-ranking male. Hmmm. She hoped Karril was holding his ears down like she’d told him to. As the dominant wolf came to a stop in front of them, she knew to wait for the stranger to speak before introducing herself (she was a little proud that she recalled this). He seemed very polite and friendly as he introduced himself as Saul, alpha of the local pack. Maybe being a member of his pack wouldn’t be so bad.
When he finished, Baharak was eager to introduce herself. ”Well, I’m Baharak, but you can call me Ara, or Baha, or Barbar for short—I’m not picky! And this is my brother Karril. Well, I guess he’s my half-brother, but that’s not important to either of us. We’re very close.” She smiled fondly at Karril for back-up. ”We’ve been traveling for a few weeks now, and we’d really like to find somewhere more permanent to settle. Not that we have to stay here of course. I mean, we’d like to. But, if you don’t have room we completely understand…” She lost her nerve then, unsure of what to say next. Damn. Maybe she’d gone too far. The little female tried not to blush too much.

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#5
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Karril waited until Ara ran out of steam. He gave Saul a long-suffering smile, and said "Hi. I'm Karril. This is Baharak. She talks a lot. But she has the gist of it. We need a place to live, and we'd love for it to be here." He glanced back at Ara and was immediately conscious of the angles of his ears and tail, and wondered if she would think them "correct". He figured his stance was submissive enough, because Ara wasn't whining at him. As much as he didn't want to admit it to her, the idea of joining a pack had rather grown on him. And the lake looked lovely. He hoped Saul would take them in. He took a deep breath and stepped back, trying not to get his hopes up. He looked at Saul and waited.
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#6
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[414]
congratulations, thats excellent! <33



Saul Lupus is by Alaine!

The smaller brown female appeared to be the more conversational of the two, as she launched into speech almost as soon as Saul finished speaking. He gave a soft chuckle, a good natured and humour filled sound. She was certainly a bubbly personality and he knew she would fit in well. She gave him a list of different names he could call her and he nodded softly, trying to remember them. Ara stuck in his head, so he would most likely use this. She then introduced the male, as both her brother with the name Karril. He allowed green eyes to wash over the male, a soft nod to him- he'd been silent so far and Saul understood that he was a much quieter personality than his sister. Her words almost strung together as she explained that he was her half brother- he almost chuckled when she proclaimed them to be close.


Seemingly without pausing for breath, the little brown female now recognised as Ara, launched into what they were doing here. It was a familiar story, although she seemed to overthink things and allow thoughts to blurt out however they wished. He found himself liking the female and allowed a gentle swish of his tail as encouragement. It seemed her brother wished to calm her down a bit, but managed only a few words. He managed a soft snort when Karril declared that his sister talked a lot and Saul nodded softly. He seemed to be able to sum up when his sister had babbled in a few concise words, and for that Saul was a little grateful. He found that he quite liked both personalities and despite their differences, they appeared to compliment each other.


Welcome, Ara and Karril. Vinátta's borders are always open to those who wish it to be home. I have a few questions about the two of you before I can accept you- they shouldn't take a minute though. He offered, tone still nice and friendly. He knew that revealing bits about the past could be painful for some, especially if they wanted to put it all behind them. But one could never be too careful, especially with Miskunn's warning hanging over their heads. Where have you come from? Where are your family? How did you end up here? He asked, aware that there were a few questions, but hoping the trio had been enough to prompt at least Ara to talk about where they'd come from.

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#7
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Baharak tried to take a few deep (but subtle) breaths to calm herself down. She wished she hadn’t sounded so unsure about joining Vinatta. Or perhaps she sounded too presumptuous? Somehow, she felt she had managed both. Why couldn’t she get it just right! Karril didn’t add much either, so he didn’t fix anything. Maybe Saul would think her too stupid, and Kariril too silent, to permit them to join. If only she could show him how capable she was, and how good-hearted and insightful her brother could be. She could definitely prove it, if only he just gave them a little time.

Fortunately, the Vinatta leader still seemed friendly. He didn’t kick them out! In fact, he was considering them for membership to his pack! Ara had to try very hard to break out into a wide-grinned smile. However, she could hardly help herself. Nor could she stop herself from answering his questions immediately (Karril didn’t stand a chance), she was so eager to please.”Well, we’re from a few weeks travel west. We were very careful about heading due east you see, until we hit the ocean and had to skirt around it, that is. Anyways, we were both brought up in the same pack. My mum was a bit strange with Karril, not that it was his fault of course! Karril is very good-natured, and a great hunter! I’m sure he’d be pretty helpful around here. I’m not really sure what mum’s problem was, and he’d never say a bad thing about anyone, so I guess we’ll never know.” She looked meaningfully at her half brother. Maybe she was oversharing, but if Saul was going to accept them into Vinatta, he had a right to know. She continued on, ”So I got a bit lost outside of our pack's territory a few months after Karril left, and that's when we found each other again! He was very kind about returning me home, but I thought it better that we stick together… so that’s how we got here!”

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#8
Karril thought back to the day he'd been forced to leave his home. He had been born to a wandering loner, and his father's wife, Kenna, had never loved him. One day when he was just eight months old, he'd gone out to play with the other cubs, just like any other day. On his way home for dinner, Kenna had pulled him aside, ostensibly to speak with him. Instead, as soon as they were out of sight of his brothers and sisters, she told him he had never been part of the pack, and it was time to leave, now. When he had seemed uncertain, she bared her fangs and growled. He had left, then, and had never returned. He thought for a moment how best to answer Saul's questions.

[html]"I'm not sure how the rest of my family is, as I left home more than six months ago. By chance Ara and my paths crossed ways, we have traveled together ever since, and I am glad for her company. We pull our own weight, and we are happy to fulfil any duties your pack requires of us." He was trying to put their best paws forward, but he couldn't resist quietly adding "and If your pack has any silences lying around, Ara would be more than happy to fill them".[/html]
#9
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[392]
congratulations, thats excellent! <33



Saul Lupus is by Alaine!

The reply was almost instant and Saul knew it would come from Ara. He may have only known the two of them for a few short moments, but their personalities were clear, distinct and easy to recognise. Although he didn't think he'd met someone quite as chatty as Ara before, she was a breath of fresh air. There were a good few in Vinátta who used little words- Ezra, Niernan and Coli were most definitely on the quieter side of the spectrum despite Niernan's bouncy nature. Coli was perhaps their most introverted member and Saul supposed she had good reason to be. His recent revelation that her brother was dead had hit her hard he knew, but she was doing her best to make something better for herself. Cinnamon backed ears listened to Ara's words, the smallest of smiles playing at his lips. In her roundabout way, she explained about where they'd come from and how they'd managed to end up here. It was, thankfully, a relatively easy past to deal with and Saul could find little in there that could warrant any danger from the two of them. It seemed like second nature for Karril to speak after his sister, a basic summary of what she'd said.


I'm sure there are a few silences that are begging to be filled. Saul chuckled, turning an almost fatherly smile towards Ara, and encouragement to say the least. He accepted their past with a soft nod of his head though and a few easy words. It can be hard leaving home... but it can yield unexpected discoveries as well. He offered, smiling at them both now. It was clear to him that they were good wolves- their hearts were in the right places and they appeared to have been bought up well. The soft wag of his tail back and forth was an encouraging sign to both of them as Saul considered his next, and final question. He wasn't too sure how this would be answered- most were able to cover the basics and only a handful had specialised skills. But Vinátta was a place for growth and Saul was happy enough with a willingness to learn. What skills do you have that can benefit Vinátta? He asked, looking to Ara first as he was certain she would be the first to answer him.

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#10
Saul seemed receptive to their situation, was taking them seriously and carefully considering their words, and for this Karril was happy -- he hated wasted words, and despised those pointless conversations in which the outcome was already decided. Saul, on the other hand, was weighing their words carefully, and had questions for them.

[html]To Saul's surprise, it was Karril who answered him first. "I'm rather good at fixing things when they're broken. Also when they're not broken. Come to think of it, much of the broken stuff I fix didn't use to be broken before I started fixing it. But you know how it is, things can always be better." He glanced over at Ara and said "She can probably tell you about herself better than I can, but she fixes others. You know, like medicine and all that. She's pretty good at it, too". He chuckled, and mumbled "She doesn't even break them first".[/html]

He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.


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