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She didn't know who else was out there, who else had survived the fire. So far she had only met those who lived in the packlands, Twilight Vale...the place that she and Conri had taken as their own. That territory was as far South as you could get. So this time she had decided to come North. Naniko had travelled through many territories before finally reaching this one. She could almost smell the scent of the fire on the wind, which made her a little antsy; this pack must be the one thing left before the old lands.
The white girl sat down next to the newly constructed border, looking at the trees that stood in the distance. Was there really a pack living here, or were the scents she was smelling from something else?
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-steals thread- =]
He spent most of his time now wandering the lands, guided for a short time by Zexion with the rest of the small pack, but now he mostly looked on his own. The area claimed by the newly-formed Shadowed Sun was already starting to become familiar to the dark-furred wolf. Already he could feel a preferrence for the steady, sloping lands of the pack that reminded him of the old valley, and Jaded Shadow's in particular. Despite this, Kieran made a point to spend much of his spare time tracing the outskirts of the territory to watch for possible intruders as well as keep his mind off the the now charred and dead valley.
One foot in front of the other, Kieran patrolled the borders, his senses focused more on getting to know the area than actually looking for any wanderers. But, when an unfamiliar scent revealed itself through the smell of smoke from over the mountain, he immediately began to look around. Not too far ahead, he spotted a white wolf sitting at the borders. Calmly, he approached, stopping a short distance from the stranger. "Can I help you?" The words held a friendly tone, but he was still cautious. The pack had only recently claimed this area, and none of them knew if this would cause a stir with the locals. Whether she was a local or a refugee like himself, he couldn't be sure.
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[html] http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c73/p ... ized-1.jpg); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> -glomps-
She had been keeping pretty busy lately, with the attention that the pack required. A lot of the members were burned, some of them quite severely...so she was constantly mixing up new, stronger ointments to relieve their pain. Even the pups had suffered from the fire, the youngest of the pack, their fur dark with soot and their lungs full of smoke. Now the worst was over, though, the week that would tell them if all of the young ones would survive. All seemed well.
This was a leap of faith for her. She was a homebody, content to stay within the borders of her own packlands; she had always been that way. Once she found a place to live she usually stuck to it, with occasional visits to other territories. But the current situation warranted a little bit of exploration, to see how many more of her friends had made it through the fires that had stolen their lands away from them.
She was approached by a wolf, a male with fur as dark as her father's had been. He didn't look like he wanted trouble, and she certainly wasn't interested in fighting or arguing...so she stayed where she was, allowing him to come nearer. She didn't want to come into their packlands or make any move toward him that might be taken as a threat. "I'm Naniko D'angelo--one of the leaders from a pack to the South...new, like yours is." Now she could smell it on him, the scent of the Jaded Shadows land. It was hidden a little beneath a few other, newer smells...but it was definitely there. "I lived in Clouded Tears, back in the old lands."
Now that her explanation was over, she would get to the point. "I am interested in visiting other places...trying to see who else is hanging around--who else may have made it through the fires. I'm mostly looking for a white female named Dierdre, who has been missing since the fires took Jaded Shadows."
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He listened closely, examining the stranger closely as she spoke. When it became clear that she wasn't her to start up any trouble he relaxed considerably, the tension departing quickly. A small smile snuck its way onto his features when he heard that she was from Bleeding Souls; he was glad to find that many managed to get out of the inferno alive. And there were other packs forming as well? It was bound to happen, given the circumstances, but he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Feeling optimistic at present, he decided it was a good thing.
"It's a pleasure, Naniko. I'd be Kieran Heartsong, and the new pack here is Shadowed Sun." The usual polite tone, and a nod to go with his greeting. "It's good to hear that others have made it out of the valley." Again, a part of him wondered just how much of the population had managed to escape the destructive grasp of the fire. Having returned to Jaded Shadows mere moments before the fire began to swallow up the land, Kieran didn't make contact with anyone before stumbling over the mountain and into safety.
Dierdre... the name was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite call up an image to match the name. After spending much of the past month on his own and in a drug-induced stupor, this fact didn't surprise him much. He had avoided the mountain during that time, effectively cutting himself off from his packmates. Shifting uncomfortably at the thought, he brought himself back to the subject at hand. "Dierdre, huh? Sorry, but I can't say that I've seen her around." He frowned slightly, glancing around for a moment. "The only others I've bumped into from 'Souls would be those here in this pack: Tayui, Pilot, and Skoll." He wasn't sure if she knew any of them, but hoped the information would be helpful anyway.
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[html] http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c73/p ... ized-1.jpg); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> I read "inferno" as "inferni" oO
She had seen Tayui before, and knew her as one of the alphas of the old Jaded Shadows pack. The other leader had been Fatin, Dierdre's grandmother. There were so many new wolves here, two of whom had officially joined her pack during their meeting...that sometimes she wasn't sure if someone was from the old lands or if they were wanderers that had just happened upon the territories as they were divvied up.
She was pleased to find that he had lived in the old lands, and that he was a member of one of the packs. Diplomatically, it was a good idea for them to scout out the other groups in the territory, to find out where they were and how many members they had. If the coyotes were still around, as she figured they would be, they might end up needing the help someday. Maybe, like before, Inferni wouldn't be satisfied with whatever lands it had secured.
"There are eight in our pack, Twilight Vale, far to the South. I remember passing through these lands on my way in...but just barely. It was a very nice territory--a good choice for a pack" She smiled after a moment, feeling a bit more secure. "Could I come inside the borders? I do know who Tayui is, and I am friends wtih Pilot Haddon--he was the mate to my adopted sister. So...an adopted brother, perhaps."
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[html]lol, I did the same thing when I read over it. xD
And sorry this took me forever to reply to!
Kieran shifted from one foot to the other quietly, listening intently as Naniko spoke. He wondered silently if any other packs were forming throughout these lands as well, staking a claim as they had on lands they only recently arrived at. He was still pleased that his fellow ‘Souls residents had made it out of the fire well enough to settle down and protect new lands. Unfortunately for all of them the coyotes of Inferni were doing just as well, warning the scattered masses that they meant business with a howl just a few days before. He hoped they weren’t too close to Shadowed Sun.
“I hope all eight in Twilight Vale are doing well after the fires.” He offered the stranger a faint smile. His eyes darted quickly around the area when she mentioned the territory. “Yeah, these lands over here are quite diverse. Despite the smoke from across the mountains, the area’s wonderful. Things should clear up soon, I suppose.” It was peculiar that he hardly noticed the smell of the smoldering Bleeding Souls anymore.
The dark-furred male studied the visitor as she made known her request to come across the borders. Should he let her across into their lands? She did claim to know both of the leaders. But what if it was all a lie? People lied all the time, Selene and Dusk had taught him that much. Yet, Naniko here didn’t appear to have any ill intentions. What was the worst one wolf could do? --Oh Kieran, you know quite well what one wolf is capable of-- They all had better things to do than cause trouble after the disaster just past Halcyon Mountain… right?
But he wanted to start trusting people again. He glanced behind him, into the pack lands, and he gave in. His inner struggle now over and his decision made, he looked back toward Naniko. “I suppose you could come just inside the borders… but not too deep into the lands. Maybe we could call over Pilot or Tayui, if you’d like to speak with them. You understand, right? Y’know, with the lands just being claimed and all…” he trailed off, hoping he didn’t appear too unreasonable, too mistrusting. But at least this was a start.
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She was glad that she was trusted, at least a little bit. Naniko had met a few others from other packs at the Twilight Vale border, and she had been a little hesitant at first, too. But she'd figured that the worst thing that could happen would be a fight, and in that case she could call the rest of the pack. The best thing that could happen was that she'd make a new friend.
"They are, so far. Some burns, and smoke inhalation. A few other animals have come in from the old lands, too, and I've tried to help them. When I'm not hungry. It's a little harder to kill them when they talk to you." She grinned. She had known the speech of the lower creatures for six months or so, and had been using that power to communicate with them ever since. "And sure--that's fine with me. I'd love to see them"
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