Dark Side of the Moon

Ralla · 01-16-2011, 11:14 PM

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Backdated to January 15th >.>

They had finally made it. Ralla and Noss had finally made it to the Halycon Mountains. The rocky range looked so daunting now that they were up close--it being Ralla's first time and Noss's second--and the snow still seemed thick. In order to get an accurate reading on when the best time to cross would be, though, they would at least have to make it to some sort of crossable point. Whether it was blocked by snow still or uncrossable was yet to be seen. The two remained optimistic, at the very least.

Having travelled for days, the two were tired, to say the least; even after sleeping in hospitable hollows or caves, nothing could beat the rest one got while in a familiar home. Scaling a mountain wasn't very high on their to-do list at the moment, however much it had to be done... With the bright sun mercifully shining and lighting their path that day, the siblings began their ascent. Sugar plodded carefully and faithfully behind, finding easy purchase on the rocks with his hooves. The quarter horse was not made for such treacherous heights, yet the path that they were currently on was easy enough for him to climb. Their food supply had run dangerously low three-fourths of the way through their journey, so the two had opted to hunt along the way from there on, using the preserved food if only the hunting was bad enough to warrant it.

As they got higher and higher, it was evident that it was still too early to hope for a premature thaw. The gypsy luperci would be arriving on the other side for their triannual commute to the south--picking up and dropping off exports of their travels--and Noss and Ralla had to time it well enough that they wouldn't miss the chance. Should the ice thaw too late... Their journey south would be doubled in time, at the very least. Not to mention riddled with dangers that they had faced on the way up (well, more on Noss's side, since Ralla had been clever enough to catch a gypsy luperci ship up). At a certain point, as the small group rounded a corner, Noss grew still as he scented a boundary. Ralla caught on not a second later, stopping in her tracks and soothing Sugar to a halt as well. The look on Noss's face told Ralla that he did not remember such a thing being there when he had crossed the first time, but seemed to unnerve him. She knew he had a bad sense of direction in the first place, but to overlook an entire pack was impossible. If only she knew how oblivious he had been when he had affronted Dahlia by mistake... The obstacle now in place, their only choice to scout further was to cross through the territory. But doing so without permission was out of the question. Alone, they might've gone unnoticed, if not been more vulnerable. But together with a horse was another story.

Noss howled his deep howl to the sky, but Ralla kept quiet. For some off reason, even as she soothed Sugar's impatiant lifting of his hooves, there was an aura of uneasiness about the silent pass that she could not shake. She could scent some prey animals nearby--as there should be, in a pack territory--and could even see some moving specks in the distance, all grouped together on a gently curving mountainside. Near the group of specks was a larger, unmoving dot, which Ralla supposed to be the entrance to a cave. Did the animals live there? Did something else? Or was she just being paranoid and was it empty? Ralla was being so jittery that she nearly let out a yelp--that which she hadn't done since she was a young pup--as a bird cut a corner on the downdraft and flew straight towards her, narrowly skimming her head as she ducked. Noss was momentarilly surprised as well, but he did not comprehend the full meaning of what it meant. For Ralla, the sign was clear; bad luck was iminent, somewhere around. For the time, she only saw the bad luck as one meaning 'there will be no early thaws'. Being in a comfortable situation in AniWaya had let Ralla grow less suspicious of the world around...

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Naniko D'Angelo · 01-26-2011, 01:11 AM

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I’m not sure if Anna will be able to participate or if she’s back yet, but we can PM her if a few days pass without a reply :] I'm sorry that it took me so long to get to this; I forgot to add it to my post log!! wc: 374

The plans for her pit-fall traps around the borders were going smoothly. The ground was pretty hard, but now that they had extended their borders out they weren’t digging in land that was completely covered in snow. Naniko had been working on a few holes in her spare time, digging a bit whenever she got a few hours away from Scorpius or the borders. She hadn’t been too sure about how the idea would work at first, but was liking it now that she had gotten it started. These holes could be very useful indeed if an unknown wolf or coyote came over their borders. They might break a leg or a neck, but if they were intruding then they ran that risk.

She was working away at the partially frozen earth with her pickaxe when she heard the howl, and her ears immediately perked in that direction. Someone at the borders? She wasn’t far from where the sound had originated. Naniko used her pickaxe to climb up out of the hole and was still brushing dirt off of her coat as she headed toward the sound. She was diligent about her borders, at least, and tried to greet every joiner or wolf at the borders that she could. She had to be, with her newly established pack. It was her baby; she wanted to be sure that nothing happened to it in these first few precious months of life.

A pair of wolves rested just beyond the border’s edge, and she eyed them warily. She was by herself, though she was in her optime form. The female wasn’t particularly scary looking, but her height often intimidated others. She had a weapons belt on that held a few daggers, two of them poison-tipped and one more ceremonial in look. The leader approached them slowly, calling out as she closed the distance. ”Who are you? Do you have business here?” She was glad that they had howled, at least; it showed a sign of good faith that they hadn’t just walked right in. She took trespassing very seriously. Her jade eyes rested on the pair as she waited for an answer from either of them, arms crossed, one hand on the hilt of a dagger.

Table by Jenny!

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Ralla · 01-30-2011, 01:42 AM

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It's alright :3 She and Noss can always scuffle later ^w^

Ralla was actually quite surprised to see a white wolf like her emerge from the earth; same flawless white pelt, same basic color eyes. But, whereas Ralla's were a deep forest green, the new wolfess's were a bright jade. They reminded Ralla of the stories she had heard of witchlight; a bright green that cut through the fog, created during rituals of magic by the spirits around. There were similar stories--fox fire, will-o-the-wisps--and although each varied in color and legend, there was no denying the mystic quality that this new female held. She was tall--not quite as tall as Noss, but taller than Ralla--and graceful on the mountain face. Unlike Ralla, though, her form was perfect. Ralla held the oddity of having extended arms, legs, and tail, although she had grown used to carrying the extra length and concealing the obvious strangeness. More than that, although she felt uncomfortable about it sometimes, she found that she was beginning to ignore her insecurity. Kemo had done that to her; given her more confidence. Regardless, the approaching wolfess also brought on a faint memory; that of her mother. Ralla had been very young when her mother had died. Noss and her father had told her it was an illness that she had run off to weather and succumb to solitarily, leaving the pack without a body to burn or bury. But from her puppyhood, Ralla could recall faint images. Her mother was that pure color of a winter moon--as were all the Moon Tribe Shamans, like Ralla was--with a kind smile and eyes that almost matched her father's. Green eyes always reminded her of her father and mother, so much so that when she looked in her reflection, she usually averted her gaze to everywhere but her bright orbs. But this wolfess was not completely like Lenarshe. She looked stronger; more sure and confident and steadier (especially with the weapons so readily displayed). But that didn't bother Ralla much; it was but a sign showing that this pack was well-armed and ready to defend its borders.

Noss looked on at the stranger with mild disdain. Ralla knew he had issues with discussing his 'business' with those not of higher rank--it was how he was raised, although his personality also played a large part--so she knew that she'd have to do to the explaining due to his flat-out refusal to usually do so. Stepping forward, ears gently laid back and tail hung low, she presented herself as an inferior to the wolfess, regardless if she was a sentry, warrior, or alpha. "My name is Ralla, and this is my older brother, Noss," she replied point-blank, the female's apparant way of speaking being no-nonsense. "We came here to scout the mountain passageway. When my brother first crossed earlier last year, there was no pack, and we need to be able to cross these mountains as soon as the first thaw hits. But now that your pack is here..." She trailed off, then, fully unaware of the pack's name or even anything about the pack at all. After all, the boundary marker had caught the siblings by surprise. "We respectfully ask that we speak to your alpha for permission to look for the mountain pass," she continued on, her diplomatic tone and speaking style coming into play. So easily could Ralla's words shift between formal and informal; those two were as interchangeable and as fickle as the moon's cycles. It all depended on what surrounded her. As it was, she was surrounded by an air of foreboding and a foreign pack superior, so... The obvious was stated.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Naniko D'Angelo · 02-08-2011, 09:44 PM

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<33

Naniko was the type of wolf who responded to politeness well. She could usually see through deceit, but not always...and there were times in which she had to trust another canine for their word. She tried not to trust too many wolves outside of her own pack, though. Her pack she could trust. The female looked back at Ralla, nodding as she introduced herself. "Naniko D'Angelo" She said in return.

These strangers didn't seem hostile, but her posture didn't relax. The wolf had been through a lot in her four years and knew not to immediately show that she trusted what another was saying. Sometimes canines would take advantage of behavior like that. "I see." She said simply. She knew almost every inch of her territory, having just explored some of the portions that were more recently claimed, and considered what the female said before answering again.

"I am the Angela here, the Alpha. Is there not a way around my pack's territory that you could scout?" She wanted to know that first of all; she didn't want to escort them through her territory unless she absolutely had to. She'd already decided that she couldn't tell them no, though.

Table by Jenny!

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Ralla · 02-08-2011, 10:46 PM

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You know, it's official; I derp in real life too -w- Btw (just because I have to clarify every so often to keep it realistic) Ralla's power is not 'real'. Her profile explains it more in-depth, but she basically perceives her visions through prior knowledge, the stars, probability, and her senses.

Ralla could tell that the snowy female was intently listening and observing Ralla for any hint of subterfuge; a trait that she could understand but still unnerved her. Ralla knew she was asking a lot, actually; had she been a true spy or enemy, Naniko would be leading them right through her lands and giving her valuable information. As it was, they weren't; but all they had was their word, that which Naniko had no true reason to trust.

"Angela?" Ralla repeated. It was assimilar to the term angel, and it was obviously the same name. What a creative way to rank a chief, she thought. She had heard of quite a few rank titles since she had begun travelling--even before then, actually, since she had learned of stories with kings and emperors--but this one seemed to imply a little more. Now, Ralla didn't know much on the religion known as Christianity; it was a practice that she had not grown up with around her. But she had heard of it, as well as the implications that a king was the descendent of the being known as God and that an emperor from the Asian regions supposedly was one. From her limited source of knowledge on the ancient practice, she pulled that calling oneself an 'angel' was to call oneself 'holy'. Was Naniko truly that? Whereas the alpha didn't fit the kind and cherubic aspect that Ralla had heard of, she certainly fit the bill in grace and protecting her pack. "Ah, I'm sorry, but...no..." She turned to Noss again, reconfirming that it was alright to tell the alpha what Ralla had seen. "Actually...I know this is going to sound a little odd, but I saw a vision. The way around the Halycon mountains has been blocked by a small avalanche, and we need to be able to get to the gypsy luperci as soon as they come. Please believe me; you can send scouts if you don't." While it was true that Ralla had seen the mass of falling snow from the top of a mountain in a vision--it was rather vivid--it was accompanied by the sound of the crashing ice on the land soon thereafter, confirming the suspicion. At first they had thought it inconsequential, since Noss had come through the mountains first anyhow, but now... Regardless, Ralla was confident and sure of her visions; they had yet to fail her.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Naniko D'Angelo · 02-09-2011, 12:06 AM

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Yeah :3 I remember ^^

Well, it seemed that they were in a fix then. She didn't want to have to play babysitter to a bunch of strangers; she didn't owe them anything. The cogs in her head worked as she thought this over. Naniko believed the female and her visions, unsure of what else to do when confronted with this type of situation. She could understand that Ralla might believe in such things herself; Naniko had her own beliefs, using her gris-gris to ward off bad luck and ill will and other methods as well.

"I believe it. I have never heard of having visions of such a thing before, but I don't feel that you are lying to me. I would ask that you wait at the borders, howl, and then I will accompany you through the lands when the time comes. However...such service doesn't come without a price. What can you offer me in trade for safe passage through my lands?" The wolfess asked evenly, crossing her arms.

Table by Jenny!

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Ralla · 02-15-2011, 08:10 PM

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KK; sorry for the wait. I've already said it ten billion times, but I'm never working three 11 hour days in a row again. EVER. >.< Sorry for the shortness as well >.>

The white woman's question startled Ralla a little, although she supposed it wasn't completely unreasonable. They were, after all, asking to traverse across her territory. But what did they have worth trading? "I, ah, don't really quite know what we could trade you," she started, the claws on her feet digging into the snow in an attempt to calm her nerves. "I could divine something for you," she tried. Visions of the future were valuable, and it wouldn't be the first time Ralla would be repaying someone with a vision. Alaine had been such an example, even if it hadn't been the future she had been wanting to hear... Ralla prayed to the moon that if it decided to send her a vision for the Angela, it wouldn't be bad; Naniko didn't seem the type one would like to displease. All the while Noss stood behind Ralla, eyeing the female up and down. He would not interfere with the affair unless Ralla's life seemed threatened, even if he himself was a bit uneasy. The wolfess, although not at all matched to his muscle, gave off the natural sort of power that one wouldn't normally want to meddle with.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

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