[html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ableII.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> WC: 300+ OOC: Aren't you happy you have such a giant neighbour? 
The air had become rather chilly in the past week, fall was obviously nearing an end and snow would soon touch the grounds. With the hunting seasons coming to a close Jazper knew that the time for checking out the other packs would soon be over unless he wanted to leave the pups for a few days travel in the freezing wind and thick snow. After his trip a few days ago to Halifax he had been reminded of how little he knew about the surrounding territory. For the past year he had made regular visits to Halifax, always taking the same path and never venturing to the far side of the city where he knew his mothers old home Phoenix Valley lay. He had left home early that morning high in spirits and full of new adventuring determination. He had been neglecting the other packs, clinging to Crimson Dreams like as tough if he were to take one step into unknown territory he would no longer feel safe, in control.
However, today was a new day and he was going to venture into unknown territory. First, he would start close to home. He had heard of a tribe of wolves just to the west of Crimson Dreams, called Aniwaya. The strange horse tamer named Heath had been from one of these unique pack, packs with horses, but that was the only knowledge he had of his neighbours. The scent in the air was definitely changing, thought the land seemed mostly the same to his relief. A large ebony hand lifted over his head to touch the tip of his swords handle lightly in a reassuring manor before falling back to his side. A solid wall of the new scent stopped him from moving further, he was here. Raising his muzzle into the air he called out for the leader, it was about time he got to know who was running the tribe so close to his beloved pack.
[/html]
[html]
Failslow Marit is failslow!
Word Count: 400
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
The threads that made up the half-finished blanket in his lap had tangled hours ago, and he had stopped caring some time after that. Now his fingers worked automatically to untangle them, but his gaze and mind was elsewhere. It didn't matter; he had made loads of new blankets lately. It was never hard to find materials, for anything could be used. It had a function; to take his mind off things, and right now it was failing at it. As soon as progress in the activity halted, his mind took over, and now his thoughts spun and spun around his problem. Maybe it wasn't a real problem, but to him it was. Ember liked him. How silly was that? She was so much younger than him (no older than Asha!); she probably didn't know what she wanted. Maybe she thought she liked him because he took care of them all or something, or because he knew all kinds of things. But that was an arrogant and ignorant thing to think at the same time. Luckily, salvation came in the form of a piercing call, for him specifically. He thrust the blanket away immediately, happy to have something — anything — interrupt him. In moments he was upon Belle's back (she stood rooted by his house these days, as he grew weary from patrolling on foot), heading in the direction of the call.
A mixture of snow and rain fell these days, and the ground was slippery and cold and treacherous, but Belle could handle it. Unlike him, she was a certian thing. His ears knew where the howl had come from, and in not long his nose accompanied them in leading the way. It didn't take that long before he reached the area where their borders were, and his eyes spotted a dark figure waiting there. Sharp sounds and a tug at the reins ordered Belle to slow to a walk and head in his direction, and once they were close enough for auditory contact without having to shout, he halted her walk completely and introduced himself. He remained atop the horse, nodding as he spoke his name. "Greetings. I'm Dawali Amara, the Chief of this tribe. How can I help you?" He recognized the scent of Crimson Dreams on him, a pack not far from here. Although he knew about their existence, that was about how much he knew, too.
|
[/html]
[html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ableII.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
WC: 300+
The wait was surprisingly short, he hadn't even had the time to get bored enough to pace as his impatient childhood self often came out when he was forced to wait. Jazper had never been one for waiting around for something to happen. Instead he would often find his own way to make the progress of things speed up. He had learned how to control his urges for instant action as he got older but even two years was young for a wolf and he sitting there made him urge forward wanting to march onto the territory and look for the leader himself. After all what was the worst that could happen? It wasn't like he was of average size nor would he start a fight willingly to begin with. A large dumb smile grew on his face as the strangely colored wolf came into site on a beautiful horse. His excitement grew and by the time the tribes leader got to him Jazper was practically giddy with curiosity. It took all of his might to keep himself from rushing to touch the beast carrying the red wolf.
The males introduction broke Jazper of his childish needs as he realizes that now was not really the time to be making any rash decisions. The introduction was simple enough though the formality was a new thing for the Colonel. It shouldn't have surprised him that the leader of another pack would give a simple greeting however, he would have preferred if Dawali had gotten off the beast to face him on his own two feet rather then looking down on him from above. The gesture quickly tamed the once childish thoughts as he returned the greeting “I'm Jazper Rhiannon-Knight.” He placed a smile on his face regardless, Crimson Dreamers where not hostel people. Moving forward he began to extended a paw up towards the man before realizing that it felt strange to have to reach so high up. Second guessing himself he pushed his hand back into the air not wanting to be rude. “I'm one of the two Colonels from Crimson Dreams. Highest ranked officer.” He explained his role slightly knowing that Colonel would mean nothing to the tribe leader. “I just wanted to meet and get to know a little about the pack that is so close to my own home.” The reason was simple enough however his curiosity was building inside once again, how many of these horses did the tribe have?
[/html]
[html]
Word Count: --
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
The stranger introduced himself, and when he used his rank Dawali was glad he had the intelligence to explain it. Many didn't, and he found it intriguing that they seemed to expect him to know their ranks, as if they were famous or something. The only thing that was famous around here, really, was Inferni as a group. And no wonder, they were the target of many a wolf's hatred. Some did not like their species, and some did not want competition. Either way it was hardly acceptable to hate them without cause, but that was his own opinion. He knew better than to share it. Smiling at the dark-furred male, he studied for a moment the elaborate colors of yellow around his eye, wondering if it was a signal of something. Rank? Belonging? Or perhaps like his own single red feather; the death of an enemy by his hands. He snapped out of it as Jazper announced his reason for being here, and now Dawali exclaimed a wordless sound of realization, and swung himself from the horse's back. It was better to lead a conversation on foot. "Nice to meet you, Colonel Jazper. Hmm, Crimson Dreams..." He thought for a moment. Who had he met from there? The shape of a puppy emerged in his mind, and he remembered. "Ah, yeah, I thought I'd met someone from there. Naniko, and Brooklyn?" He hoped he wasn't wrong now, that would be embarrassing. As he spoke he smiled, and led the horse by the reins to a nearby tree, intending to fasten it so she would not run away. Then again this whole place was fenced, so what was he worrying about anyway? Old habits were hard to let go.
|
[/html]
[html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ableII.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
OOC: I'm soooo sorry this took so long. The holidays being busy and then getting sick just left me fallen behind. I'm back and ready to go now! Sorry.
WC: 559
He stood awkwardly as the tribe leader stared at him. Was there something wrong with his face? His own golden eyes looked up at Dawali questioning until his eyes opened in realization. “It's just a tattoo. My father raised me believing that the great sun warrior Fenris watches over us. He and my mother were killed when I was very young.” His hand dropped to his side as he took a step back, allowing the leader more space to dismount if he pleased. “It's kind of my way of letting him know I remember him and his values. A Knight always protects those in need.” His chest puffed out as he talked of his father. He had been a strong, honorable alpha who had given his son everything he could, even his life. Jazper missed Ares greatly some days, Taka as well. They had been loving tender parents, unlike his adoptive parents who had abandoned him to be alone in Crimson Dreams. He would never leave Aro or Sophia's side, never. They were his most precious treasures, the last of his blood line. As a Knight he was bigger then his father had been, who was very large for a wolf. He had very little concern when it came to his abilities to kill for the protection of his children. After all, who would really be able to take down a 8”3 luperci with a sword?
As Dawali dismounted his horse Jazper's smile grew. Land was a much better place to hold a conversation, it was where wolves and coyotes could be equal to at least some extent. He followed as the chief walked the horse by some strange contraption towards a tree. The coal males attention only wavering fro the beast once the names were processed. “Oh, ya.” He yipped nodding, “Brooklyn is one of our younger members. I was there when she was born. She's grown into quite the beautiful young lady.” His smile was quite large now as he though about the girl. She had always been a little more conservative then her siblings but, never the less she was a very nice wolfess. “Naniko?” His ears fell back as he looked tot he red wolf with a face of guilt. “She had a bit of a break down a while ago. Became addicted to some drugs, one of the pups got into her stash and ended up very sick. Naniko is no longer a part of Crimson Dreams.” It was with a heavy heart he thought about the white lady, “However, she is now a part of Phoenix Valley and has a new set of pups with my mates brother about the same age as my son and daughter.” The smile replaced his guilt once more with the good news. A couple years ago he had been a pup, Savina and Naniko where friends and he wished they where his sisters. Now, a few changes later and they were his sisters in a sense. Golden hued eyes wandered back to the horse, “Does all of your tribe have one of those? I've only ever seen them once. Met a fellow from Cour des Miracles who was trying to catch one from the wild. Poor guy decided to go for a big black one.” He chuckled at the irony, you just don't mess with the big ones.
[/html]
[html]
Hey, no problem! Oh and, I am sorry for the length :/ I am not really trying, I've just grown accustomed to writing long posts now, I think ><
Word Count: 1065 - SoSuWriMo
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Dawali nodded as the dark male explained his elaborately colored fur (or was it the skin underneath? He couldn't tell) — it made sense. He had met many who decorated themselves in tribute of this and that, as he himself did it as well, though in a less permanent manner. His mane was ever flexible, and any symbol could as easily be cut off as added. He had cut it when he had... removed the threat of Brennt. To him, it was a deeply spiritual thing, his mane. It seemed this male felt much of the same connection, an urge to express himself and part of his values openly, by means of symbols or decorations. This was definetely something Dawali could relate to. Though the Chief knew nothing of who the great sun god Fenris was, he decided it was a detail that was not really part of the point. His gaze dropped to the ground as the male in front of him told the story of his marking. "I'm sorry to hear that." No child should ever have to face the loss of a parent. His own daughters had done so, and he never dared ask about what their true feelings on the subject was. It was their private feelings, and he had no right to invade them. Again the Kalona found himself nodding, though at first he did not quite understand what he meant. It took a few moments to link the surname to the word used in the sentence. Old or not, smart or not; there was no getting around that Dawali was not always the brightest when it came to understanding dialogue. "It is important to defend those who cannot defend themselves." One of the rules he lived by. Enemy or not; lives should be spared where necessary, and defence given to those in need regardless of position or action. That was, unless the person was involved in criminal activities and such, but that was a wholly different matter.
Jazper responded to his inquiry of the mother-and-child, the sister of Ember and the sub-leader's niece. He'd encountered Brooklyn another time as well, taught her how to weave. Well, sort of; she hadn't had hands, really. Too young to shift. But she'd watched at least. His hands worked automatically whilst his head was turned and his gaze upon the male. Soon his horse companion was secured and he calmly walked back over to his new acquaintance. The Chief smiled boardly when it was stated that Brooklyn was doing well; he was glad. She was quite a charm last time he'd seen her. "I'm glad she is well. She came to visit here with her mother some months after her birth. Cute little girl." The news on Naniko, however, was not as good. Dawali knew little of drugs, but he had seen the effects on some wolves who had experienced with various substances found in the old cities. Alcohol was a quite frequent one. Little did Dawali know that he himself was a frequent user of something many of the humans would have branded as drugs. To him it was simply execution of tradition. Still though, despite learning that Naniko had either left or been forced out of Crimson Dreams, Dawali saw it as a positive thing that she now had another litter. "I suppose that's half bad, half good news, then." And the young male in front of him even had a litter already! Why, the world was simply churning with new faces all the time. It seemed not a week went by that he didn't hear about a new litter, or a litter-to-be somewhere. He smiled broadly at Jazper's last sentence, though he did not comment. In fact, he was going to, but it seemed his visitor was quite curious about Belle's presence, and so the conversation continued onto other subjects. Dawali loved speaking of children, but he did not mind speaking of the horse. Chances were if this one was a very fresh father, he'd certainly be able to bring the subject up again at any given point and have a successful conversation. Males were often proud to the degree of silliness when it came to their children. Dawali sure knew he was.
The Chief chuckled, a deep sound coming from his throat. So, a Cour des Miracles one had tried to tame one from the wild? He should have known better than to go for a big one, certainly. Also, weren't they mostly dogs or hybrids of some sort? If a grown pure-blood wolf luperci still had trouble managing one, a dog-hybrid probably would have serious issues, if only because of height. "Hehe, I'd think he'll meet some challenges along the way if he actually manages to catch one." The red wolf male chuckled again at the thought, before he continued to answer the question. "But yeah, no, not all of us have one. This one, Belle is her name, she's not really mine. She belongs to the stables, and anyone in our tribe can use her if they want, if they have heavy lifting to do, or want to go on a long trek outside the general distance one can be expected to travel on foot in a day." To Inferni, for example. He still had yet to go there. "Though some tribesmembers have their own. I tend to all of the ones that have no particular owner, so it doesn't matter to me which one I use. You can say I own all of them, in a sense." He winked. It was true though, that in reality he ruled over all those horses they kept which were not claimed by any particular person. Who else would it be, that could decide over them, than him? He ran this place, and the stable. Even if he was not the chief, it would be the natural choice. Dawali walked over to Belle as they spoke, patting her gently on the back as he came close enough. If he so wished, Jazper could try to sit on it; the female horse wouldn't mind. She was among the most tolerant of the females. He had used her to familiarize the pups of the pack with horses, for this side of her. She would easily tolerate a stranger's presence as long as a familiar scent was nearby. "Come pet her, if you want."
|
[/html]
[html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ableII.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> OOC: Length is no problem! WC: 537
Two of the packs had these wild beasts running around. Personally, he was rather confused by them however, rather amused and intrigued because of Heath's demonstration of how they were caught, and which ones not to go after. He had not thought about the strange thin male for some time now, the black beast remained solidly engrained in his thoughts though. The Valley raised cattle for prey, raised like the Tribe apparently raised these horses. The horses were used for transportation though, not prey. Jazper had spent his life building up his strength, making sure he could protect everyone around him if the time came to defend his family. The mother and father he once new had fallen because he was unable to do anything to stop the coyotes and the mere thought of the same thing happening to his family sent shivers up his spine. Why would you use any transportation besides your own strength? You would just be crippling yourself.
The Knight simply dismissed the commonly found apology after the story of his parents. There was no need for a stranger to feel sorry for him, he wasn't a young pup anymore and he had quite obviously started a new life. Yes, there was always a little reminder, a tiny voice in the back of his head that guilt him for living, for not being strong enough, for being useless. He would never be useless again, and his size and muscles proved it. At the mention of Brooklyn as a pup his face calmed and a smile grew. “They were a rather cute litter.” He boasted. Crimson Dreams always had cute pups running around. It was one thing that made growing up there so special, there was always a future, a next generation of someones family. As Jazper was reminded of Heath once again he began to chuckle along with the tribe leader. The scene hadn't been so humorous at the time but now, now it was just hilarious to think back tot he image of the boney looking male being dragged.
The coal male returned to his silence as he watched the creature who went by the name of Belle. Did the horses know the concept of a name? The idea itself was interesting, wolves riding horses. His golden eyes grew as Dawali confirmed that he could indeed touch the animal. Very gently he raised a large ebony hand as he moved towards the animal slowly. Carefully he placed the hand on her side and stroked it with sweet and long sweeping movements. He rib cage moved up and down with every breath the mare took and Jazper found himself memorized. “The pups would love this.” He said in a whisper as his golden eyes turned their attention back to the red wolf, his hand never leaving Belle's side. “Why do you ride horses anyways? Couldn't you just walk or run?” The question was still bugging him as he was positive he could run as fast as the beast. Perhaps it would be nice to have a little help carrying things when traveling but with Aro and Sophia being so young traveling for long periods of time was not an issue.
[/html]
[html]
Forum load time is killing me. Sorry for being late.
Word Count: 484
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
The red wolf felt his head bob as he nodded in agreement to the other's statement. Indeed, Brooklyn had been a cute pup. If the rest of the litter was anything like her, he could easily understand if the pack had difficulty hiding their affection for the children. Then again, he'd never believed that such things should be hid anyways. A smile spread on his lips at the thought, but the conversation did not continue in that direction, and so he fell silent instead. A sparkle of humor twinkled in his eyes as his new acquaintance touched Belle and stated that the pups would love these creatures. He couldn't have been more right. Whenever Dawali had shown them to any young girl, it was as if their hearts melted or something. Most young males saw them as a source of excitement, and the girls as a pool in which to empty their need for caring for something else. Either way it was cute, and to this sentence Dawali replied, his voice laden with amusement. "Hehe, yeah. I have yet to meet a kid who isn't fascinated by these creatures; their eyes look as big as the moon himself as soon as they see them." It really was an amusing sight, the look on their faces when they laid eyes on a horse for the first time. It was not unlike the face of the male in front of him, though not quite as mature, and considerably more naïve and in open awe.
Presented with a question, Dawali smiled and patted the horse on the neck as he spoke, sometimes seeking the female horse's gaze, but mostly focusing his yellows on the male wolf. "Certainly. But the horses have a greater endurance than most wolves, and can help us travel further and faster in the course of a day. Say I want to visit Dahlia de Mai; a long march indeed. Upon Belle it feels shorter, and it leaves me with more energy, as well." Pausing, his hands wove patterns in the air as if he was drawing the imaginary journey in the space between them. "Not to mention how useful they are when you have food, material, or injured individuals to move from one place to another quickly." Having a horse around could easily save a sick or wounded tribesmember, getting them to a medic in time. And the building of the Town Hall had certainly become much easier with some help from Belle. "And besides, they make excellent companions." Now, he looked directly at the horse, as if speaking to her and not the male. He did care about his horses. What he didn't say was that they would also serve as a fresh source of food if the need was great enough, but so far no crisis had ever come as far as that, and he hoped it stayed that way.
|
[/html]
|
