A Loose Use?

Noss · 04-25-2011, 01:35 PM

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Noss needs to get to know the pack because of right now he's a lump -w- Hunting/sparring would be fun :3 Or anything really XP Fair warning: Noss is a cranky bastard. Your character must have persistence~

Noss had basically done exactly what he had done when he had been a guest; hang around with Strel and make spears out of sticks, the first of which he didn't mind if he didn't feel like he was being a burden. Now officially a part of the pack, the grey warrior felt like he needed to make himself useful. Hunting? Perhaps. But he hadn't recently heard the call for a hunt, and the man going off by himself was just asking for trouble; more specifically, the need for his search and rescue. Instead of hunting large prey, he had contented himself with the rabbits and smaller prey that he could find; at the very least until he fully learned his new pack lands and could navigate those without a guide to just reach Point A to Point B.

Yawning as he descended the steps from Strel's room, Noss exited the hotel to find it a fine spring morning. Pale yellow eyes scanned the yard before he continued on, heading towards...where, nowhere in particular. The man was not particularly hungry, but he needed something to do. Patrol the borders? It would be easier, since he couldn't get lost with a straight scent trail. What he really needed to do was find Vigilante and asked how the whole rank system worked in the pack; try to figure out where he could nestle himself into use. Sitting on rock, Noss brought out his hunter's knife--a blade he had brought back from his trip to his homeland, strapped firmly around his waist with a leather belt--and found a stick, and began to sharpen one end. If Noss ate an elk for every stick he had sharpened and turned into some sort of weapon, he'd be the fattest wolf alive.

Warrior walks. "Warrior talks." Warrior thinks.

Caspa Al-Fateh · 04-25-2011, 01:56 PM

OOC: Hi, I hopes you don't mind! Sparring would be good, if not now some other time? Big Grin

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It was fine, yes, but with her silky, sparse fur, it still wasn't warm enough for Caspa to discard the ripped leather coat. At least the tear was on the inside, where it wouldn't show. She drew the garment loosely around her spindly frame as she stepped outside, glad of her height, which with the coat bulking her frame up, hid the worst of her present fragility. She had eaten well since arriving at the Court, though, and the flesh was thankfully piling itself back on. With the excess energy and her mind turning more and more inwardly these days, she was in dire need of something physical to do with herself. She thought of home, not with regret or heartache, but with the nearest thing to it since she'd left. Her father and uncles, her brother even, all vicious warriors, training together claw-to-claw. She had loved the sight, soaking in the techniques and talents of her clan, until later she'd realised the purpose of all the training and become rather more ambiguous to it. Still, essentially they had been targetting the defence of their family and home, and this was a strong desire in her heart as well. She hadn't yet met a single dedicated warrior since coming to this pack, but then, she hadn't met a great number of the residents, either through chance or due to her hermit tendencies.

Still, it was of great interest to the mongrel to find a trail leading from the gate out into the wide world that was clearly of a very mature adult male, heavy too, judging by the deep-set prints. She recognised the scent as one which lingered in the hotel often, and so she followed, tracking with great focus until the man hove into view ahead. Then she straightened up, her dark eyes widening into deep cave-pools. He was huge, indeed he was built like a gladiator, and he was holding a knife, and a sharp stick. The slight but sinewy Caspa hesitated a moment, then took a few steps nearer, folding her arms in front of her, trying not to be intimidated. She wanted to make friends here. "What are you going to do with that stick?" Although everything about him screamed warrior, perhaps all he wanted to do was build a little fence.

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Noss · 04-26-2011, 09:52 PM

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Probably some other time. Caspa's much smaller than Noss, and he has an awkward time with females he doesn't know. Probably once he gets to know that she's no pushover Tongue

Noss's ears flicked to the sound of the voice, eyes following immediately after. The woman who it had come from was a willowy thing--barely any meat on her. A dog? Noss wondered, looking at her. He had never seen a breed with such fur or features and...no ears? Noss wondered why she had found him--followed? happened upon?--but snorted as his first response to her question. By nature he did not do well with females; he was convinced that the creatures were fragile and easy to break, although he had met a few exceptional ones that defied this belief, such as his childhood friend, Naka. But the main reason he couldn't deal with them was because of their temperament; most who he had met cried easily or changed moods faster than the winds changed directions, and Noss had a horrible time with tears. He just didn't know how to handle it at all. But this female tried to exude confidence, even if her scent said otherwise. On the other hand, he had to try and make friends with his new pack, not create enemies. With a sigh he turned his head to her and waved the stick up and down.

"Sharpening it," he said bluntly, as if it could've been anything else. Regardless of what Noss wanted to do, his personality was not going to change overnight, either. The less he knew someone, the less words he felt comfortable using. He held true to his ideal of the circle of individuals who were under his protection and who he allowed to know his thoughts and emotions; this, too, would not change. Curiosity got the better of him for his next question, never mind that it was rude. Noss could probably described as an overall cocky, stoic warrior anyway, although it was apparent that others thought his brand of honor and respect old-fashioned and egotistic to begin with. "Don't have any ears?" he asked with a gesture to her head.

Warrior walks. "Warrior talks." Warrior thinks.

Caspa Al-Fateh · 04-27-2011, 06:49 AM

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So after he had sharpened the stick, he was going to sharpen the stick some more, seemed to be the gist of his answer. Caspa was certainly astonished at his size, having met very few full-size pureblooded wolves before. But she didn't place a great deal of importance on sheer bulk, although perhaps that was because she hadn't encountered it very often. Some of the conquests her brothers and uncles had proudly brought home had been quite fearsome animals, she remembered particularly the day they had hunted down a bear and kept the pelt for a decoration. None of her family had been exceptional in size though, in fact she had outgrown them all by an inch or two, due to her half-wolf heritage and whatever else it was that went into making one canine larger or smaller than another of its blood. It was what you did with what you had, that was what made you a warrior. She knew she had years of growing training ahead of her before she could reach her full strength, but she wasn't afraid to try herself as she was, if the occasion demanded. Of course, that was the best way to learn, simply to do. She had other ideas about combat and dexterity too, ways that a wolf could maximise their natural talents and bring their mind and body together to create the ultimate, intelligent and efficient model of speed and skill. She gave the matter more consideration than most things, as she had always known deep down that because of her unusual personality, her strange ways and looks, she would often be called upon to defend herself. She wanted to have the skill to defend others, as well. So while she was wary of the stranger's strength, she recognised in him something of the character of a warrior, and something inside her was drawn to this.

Her face, as emotionless as ever, didn't change at his comment. "No, I heard you. I have plaited over them. They get in the way," she answered. Now he'd spoken such a personal inquiry, she hoped very much that she might have the right to ask one of her own, for she very much wanted to know: "How did you train to build such strength?"

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Noss · 04-28-2011, 10:18 PM

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I know he's walking away, but you kinda have to be persistent with Noss; he doesn't do well with women >.>

She plaited her ears into her hair? Didn't this impair her hearing? Apparently not, because her tongue was quick to respond, which would be a hard thing to do if one didn't know what they were speaking of. He raised an eyebrow at her inquiry of his strength, although he supposed it was fair since he had asked a personal question. Noss was finally beginning to learn some commonplace manners; it was a miracle if there ever was one. Rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, Noss thought for a moment, actually a bit put off by the question because it was actually quite extensive.

"Practice, work...genes?" he added in as an afterthought. While it was true that the male half of his family were made to be large, the female half was always willowy. He summed it up as the bloodline alone and left it that way; it was easier to explain things away with simple words than contemplate and complicate. "If you're planning on doing the same, I suggest you eat more," he said as he noticed how bony she seemed. Like Ralla, this woman seemed more built for speed rather than strength, and he thought how hard her road would be if she wanted to pursue strength. There were some things that one could just not win against with nature. Standing up with the stick still in hand, Noss sheathed his knife into its hold and made to walk deeper into the forest--which, in retrospect, was not the smartest move, considering his trouble with directions to begin with. But females, as he said, made him uncomfortable, and he could already feel that itching feeling that this female would be like the rest; weak, fragile, annoying, and persistent. Oh, what would Noss do if she followed? Certainly break down civility if she tried his patience. Frankly, it was more often than not his ability to cope with a female's sensitivities that made him snap, not their actual being or talking. It was more of an intangible difference between the genders that was hard to explain other than gut feeling. Very few females had ever passed by his inspection for being okay on his list; much less in his inner circle. But they existed, and yet they were either dead or severely spread out.

Warrior walks. "Warrior talks." Warrior thinks.

Caspa Al-Fateh · 04-29-2011, 05:46 PM

Don't worry. She's patient. and thick-skinned!

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Her eyes were opaque and seemed to reflect his disdain back at him. Unlike Noss, though, it was a facade, for she had no automatic ill-feeling towards him, wolves, or males; however, nor did she desire his approval or interest - while she admired his physical prowess it was from a purely impersonal, clinical perspective. She was certainly curious, though. His answers so far had been entirely leading, causing more questions to arise, sprouting from the first one like shrubs. Practice was an obvious concept implied by the word 'training', so Caspa still was no nearer to knowing what sort of practice or work could build bulk and power. Maybe given time, she could work back round to the topic and learn more from what looked like a true expert in the field. His final comment was even more personal than the previous one about the plaits that overlapped her ears. Her under-nutrition hadn't gone unnoticed, it seemed. Caspa didn't have the speed or agility to be a natural light-weight, and she knew she was most dangerous at close quarters, with her large jaws and thick bones. So, she was certainly conscious of her bony physique, and determined he shouldn't leave those words hanging in the air. Her eyes flashed at his retreating back. "It is true, I am still recovering. I did not choose to starve," she explained levelly, wondering if he might have a word of apology or consideration enough to stay a moment or two, for she wanted to ask what diet he might recommend - sticking to the leaner meats, or filling up on the fat and gristle - although she suspected that might be a pestering question too far for the curtly spoken man who seemed intent on exiting this encounter as quickly as he could. A little strange for a pack-wolf to be so opposed to the idea of company, but she could only assume that it was a bad time.

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Noss · 05-01-2011, 10:01 AM

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Noss's conscious stayed clear even though she made the comment about starving. What he had said was not antagonistic, but rather commentary. Despite that, his feet did stop and falter for a moment before he continued on. He was not a soft man by nature, although this woman seemed to know how to hold her own, and he was so used to just leaving those he didn't want to deal with behind. It was usually so easy. But that was when he was a chief-to-be, and such flippancy was tolerated. Here...here he was a Seigneur; new and unimportant to the pack ranking.

Turning and leaning against a tree, Noss skewered the pole into the ground and crossed his arms, looking calculatingly to the woman, measuring her up "Why do you want to know this anyway?" he ground out, genuinely curious, even if he tried to hide it. It was obvious that the woman was underweight, but why would she choose him to talk to? He was not an easy man to come up to, nor was he the most obvious choice for a conversational partner. But for whatever reason, the woman had decided to brave his sharp tongue and intimidating stature, and Noss would still fault her for it, because she was the one who had chosen to do so. But then, why was he choosing to stay? That fault was his own. She had asked about strength, but as he had already noticed, she was built more for speed. The best kind of strength that she could be taught was the hit hard and often; even if the hits wouldn't deal as much damage by themselves as his would with a single shot, if repeated, they would match up to a single berserker punch given enough time. And even then, why did she want to know about it? Did she wish to go out for the warrior ranks as well? At the thought, Noss palmed his face, imagining having to patrol and work beside a female. If he didn't act amazingly awkward around her, then she's probably never hear a word out of him on most occasions. What kind of working relationship would that be?

Warrior walks. "Warrior talks." Warrior thinks.

Caspa Al-Fateh · 05-01-2011, 05:12 PM

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She stood straight, merely watching him turn back to her, grounding the stick, reminding her of her earlier thought about the fence. Her old pack had fenced its lands, a controversial but tyrannically imposed move. She was fairly sure the stranger wolf here was not thinking along those lines, but the reminder was poignant, and she recognised the sense that there was a barrier between them of some metaphysical kind too. Whether it was her appearance, gender, species, or just the fact she was in his vicinity, she sensed her presence wasn't entirely welcome. She wondered if he'd forced himself to ask the question, if underneath the antagonism, he was just attempting to be polite - or was he genuinely curious. The tone wasn't friendly, and moments after speaking he covered his face with a hand as if in despair. Caspa's eyes slitted, and she answered coolly "Why should I not? I, like most, aspire to be stronger, to defend and fight when needed. Or would you rather I left mighty warriors like yourself to protect us weaklings in times of strife?" Now she was half expecting him to attack her for her insolence, of course that was irrational but it was the reaction she could have expected from one of her elders, as a child. In her pack, if a female chose the path of mateship and motherhood, she was barred from combat, hunting, anything that might endanger her and by extension her family. Caspa had never fully understood the logic of this, and approved of anybody using their physique to its full potential. The world was dangerous, the righteous had a duty to be strong.

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Noss · 05-12-2011, 04:00 PM

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I hate myself and I need a pager and a LIFE >:O And in that life, there will be infinite time for Souls :<

"Isn't that the point?" Noss had grown up in a strictly traditional environment, so the statement seemed obvious to him. "The warriors fight, the medics heal, the leaders lead. If the warriors fail in their duty, it is their fault alone that this should happen." Which is why he had been trained so hard, alongside his pack mates--those who had once been under his authority as a chief-to-be, who had once respected him, who had once been his comrades. No more. Realizing, at one time, that he had to leave behind all the trust he had accumulated in a select few and the opportunity to lead a pack had hurt his ego. But he had found a new reason, which buoyed the consequences away, to stay in Cour des Miracles. He would never complain or regret his decisions after he had the resolve to go through with them.

"Besides, fighting is not simply learned," he said, which was contrary to most popular belief. "Anyone can learn to wield a weapon or throw a kick. It's how you use it. There are secrets to becoming stronger that can only be learned by someone who chooses the path of the warrior, and none else," the grey warrior said, reiterating the teachings of his mentors in the Crescent Moon Pack. He had not understood, at first, the price and reward of becoming a warrior when he was a pup--not fully. But when he had trained vigorously and hard, and thought that he knew the true way of the warrior, he fought his first true battle, and saw that he had been wrong. The way of the warrior is painted by blood; it is unavoidable. A dark truth that stained his hands he would not wish upon others unless they only showed the deepest resolve. Not everyone could escape the warrior's terror or draw. If the girl simply wanted to learn defense...well, he might not have believed it her duty to learn it at all, still, but he would not fault her for that. No, but he did not see the point in him teaching her. His was a style of wild energy, not defensive pomp.

Warrior walks. "Warrior talks." Warrior thinks.

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Caspa Al-Fateh · 05-18-2011, 01:29 PM

Maybe having more than one life is the answer =D One can be sleeping while the other is awake! Sorry for the slowness.

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She supposed he was right. Her only example from the past had been her slightly chaotic, aggressive birth-pack. There, fighting wasn't a matter for specialists. Everybody had to handle themselves, if they were in full healthy, and preferably others as well. Nothing was predictable. A healer might find themselves in need of healing, a warrior of protection. Caspa had no great talents at fighting, so she'd always trained hard with her brothers, purely to get up to the same level as everybody else. Something else drove her, too, something she didn't really understand. It was just there, the desire to be strong and capable of repelling and instigating attacks. However, even looking with envy at Noss' physique she had no desire to sign her life away to the way of blood. There was always blood, but there were other things too that she hadn't explored yet. Maybe she would have to settle for the halfway house of using her meagre strength in intelligent ways. With specimens like this wolf as part of her pack's protection, with any luck, even that wouldn't be necessary in the short-term. Perhaps when next she did call on her physical abilities, she would have found her own ways to develop and improve them. "Did you choose the path, or did it choose you?" she wondered aloud. It was just possible it was too late for her altogether, if the blood had not so far come calling. She'd never been in a real fight.

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