Dawn of a New Day

Shandom Qi'Vaex · 01-03-2012, 06:45 PM

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99% of this is SSWM babble. XD Sorry for the delay, guys! I'll be much faster here on out Smile

/ +1179

Already, this was more of a home than Cour des Miracles had ever been.

Shandom, of course, found it slightly bizarre to be in such a subordinate position. When he was in the Southern pack, dominance was never strictly enforced - in fact, the cloudy male could not recall a time when a wolf that outranked him (and there were certainly many) made that fact obvious. While it struck the scarred male strange at the time, he'd adjusted to it without complaint. The male assumed it was mostly because he was a recluse within the pack; perhaps if he were more involved, or made an effort to meet the leadership - was there a leadership? - such hierarchy would have been more pronounced. But here, in New Dawn, as this pack was called, Shandom found that natural dominance and submission was to be expected. He of course complied without any breath of a complaint; he knew the position Zalen and Titania were in. Helen, the Omega before her daughter Aylienne, was killed by Gyek for insubordination; then again, Etienne was an extreme pack. Death as punishment was not an uncommon thing; Shandom knew that, had he not escaped quickly as he did, he would have been brutally murdered in return for his own crimes.

Part of him knew he should speak to Zalen about his past. Such a dark and bloody background was something that would have worried him while he was an Alpha; however, he did not know if the shadowy male would appreciate the same courtesy. Some demons were best left undisturbed, as he believed his might be. The killing of children, and then the killing of parents, was not a small transgression in any circles. But revealing his secrets might give him a different air than he wanted to possess. While the throne of leadership might not be his to claim any more, and he would certainly never try again, the white man had no desire to remain at the bottom of any pecking order. Shandom would rise through the ranks, hopefully, as he understood the ways of the wolf better than the hume ones he was expected to adopt in Cour des Miracles. Sewing, agriculture - none of those things be fit him. But he was a more than adequate Guardian and Warrior - though in battle he might be better suited to strategy, if only due to rust and a hesitance to draw unnecessary blood. He did not quite understand the rankings of this new pack, and perhaps sometime soon he would pull aside the Alphas and request further explanation of how they expected the pack to work.

In addition to the adjustment of subordination, Shandom also found it endlessly... strange that the Alphess was so young. Her youth was evident in her physical structure, though she held herself with grace and maturity; still, the man had to wonder what drew Zalen to her at such a young age. He didn't hold any less respect for her - she certainly had a commanding presence, and he understood leadership was something that came intuitively to her - but still. A pack so small could easily face combat early on, and he wondered if she were prepared to join the fray. But though he had only met her once, Shandom felt slightly protective of the young Alphess - something in her eyes reminded him of what Zeneca had been like as a child. Perhaps it was just the coloring (though Titania's was mottled with a reddish hue), or perhaps it was the simple fact that she was a female; regardless, he could not help but want to help keep a watchful eye on the young woman as she developed. Certainly, an Alphess could not be an Alphess if she were killed by some marauding group of insurgents, as he'd decided happened to his dear mother, Xydia.

Shandom was acquainting himself with the land when he heard the call, and he was lucky he did. The male was at the far reaches of the new Northern land, enjoying unfamiliar scenery and generally getting used to his new home. Immediately he took off, four paws beating the earth like a drum. It was such a wonderful, amazing thing to live in a place where all four paws were not only accepted, but expected! He had not shifted into his Optime form since he arrived in New Dawn, reluctant to break the mystique of the new, untamed land. Even the strange, black, still river-like-thing that was called a 'road' appeared to be taken over by the elements; in the portions he explored in depth, deep cracks and crevasses gave way to the growth of plant life, though it was not lush during this frigid winter season. Shandom didn't mind, however. His thick, white pelt was designed for such conditions, and he, in truth, felt more alive when the days grew colder. Many wolves were not like that - some were from more Southern climates, and found the springtime favorable, and he did not begrudge them their complaints of winter. Still, he didn't understand. How could they not enjoy the electricity in the frigid air and the slowness of prey? It made a wolf feel like a wolf - alive, natural, and wild. The strange ones of his former home could not be enjoying it in the same way as he. They were probably bundled in their strange furs and cloths, hiding in their human wasteland.

By the time he arrived at the den, Shandom noted that most - if not all, he was unfamiliar with most of the pack members - were there. Slightly embarrassed, the man slowed his gait to a walk and first approached the Alphas. They made a striking pair - black and white, young and mature. Still, he could not help but be grateful to them for their leadership and courage to create this pack. He sank down into a crouch, glued his ears to his head, and tucked his tail underneath himself when he reached them, and the older woman beside them - Soran, apparently, as he'd heard while he was still arriving. Alpha, Alphess, he murmured, eyes not so foolish as to make contact with theirs yet - that would be construed as utmost disrespect, at least in Etienne. I am glad to see you both healthy and well, and I apologize for my lateness. Shandom then turned to the Betess, and spoke to her as well. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Shandom Nightslayer. With that, he turned into the small crowd of pack mates, peering around discreetly so as to discern who was who. Shandom would have loved to make introductions then and there, but the Alphas had not called this pack meeting simply to chat, surely. He would make his introductions later. Still submissive, the male sat low, eyes trained on the Alpha pair and eager to hear what they had to say. Later, perhaps, he would meet with them to discuss what services he could provide.

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