Black, red, yellow [joining]
#1
Character Name: Indira Youroukelis
Character Age: 1
Character Gender: Female
Preferred Specialized Rank: Chen-tao
OOC Name: Margaret
Other Characters Played: None
OOC Second Form of Contact: tetheredtothestory@gmail.com
Character Alignment: Neutral Good

Indira knew beyond a doubt that her journey could end, however briefly, as she lifted her snout to the air and breathed in the wild, sweet scent of the land that stretched before her. She had come from the mountains, and the craggy, rocky landscape had been her only companion for at least the last two days. She had passed by a river a few days before, grateful to sink her tongue into the clear water and drink of the cold, wintry stream. She had smelled a group-held territory then of wolves, but had avoided it. Indira was not used to crossing mountains, let alone living in them. And she had also gotten a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that had urged her forward, even after she had caught the scent of other wolves, those she had sought in the first place. She was glad she hadn't settled on the first thing she had found, and that she had followed her instincts.

Below the peak of the mountain she stood upon, her icy blue eyes took in the green peaks of trees. And when the medium gray female turned her head in the other direction, a valley sprawled, green and dotted with the muted colors of those plants that had survived the first chill of winter. Indira wondered how long it would be until winter struck this land, covering it in a white blanket of snow. She had been very young during her first winter, but she clearly remembered how cold it had become with the falling of snow. Surely it must snow here as well.

Indira waited patiently, making her way through the mountain until she reached the invisible scent barrier marking the true beginning of this pack's claim on the mountainside. Icy blue eyes gazed forward hopefully and expectantly. Surely someone would be making a patrol soon and would find her there. On four legs, she kept her ears erect, twitching to catch the slightest sound, as she lifted her snout once again to test the scents in the air. Soon, it would be soon.

Word Cout: 350, 3+
#2
Hi Big Grin Your post is awesome ^^
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As ever the scent of pups and milk clung to her. A not unpleasant odor that announced her maternal status to all who could use their noses with even the most basic of talents. It was a scent that all knew even if they did not know that they knew before they smelt it. An often unremembered time from that of their own childhood before eyes opened and saw and ears stood and heard. Jace's ears had never fully stood up but they heard enough, the wind through the trees and the call of her mate, the yelps of her children and howls of her pack mates were all she needed to hear.

Always aware her keen mismatched orbs saw far and her instincts ran deep and strong, a child of the arctic one had to be hardy to survive and almost impossible to beat, practically un-killable. Even in this lower land of plenty and warmth, there was strife and sorrow, lean times abounded and she found her skills ever the more useful in aiding her on her way. Black jaws parted and a soft growl rumbled, the smell of strangers was in the air, too close to be passing by. It seemed that many would perhaps be drawn to Ichika's borders this winter for not even a day had passed since she and X'yrin had aided the half dead man and his nervous steed.

Her movement was fast and nimble through the skeleton of trees, border patrol was the most basic of her tasks. She who was of the Prestige rank, who commanded the lowers into their places as the leaders commanded her. She came upon the one she had scented, a four legged female beast of grey and brown. Her own two legged form held height and weight as well as the dangerous knives sheathed at her thighs. For a second dog surveyed coyote and an echo of blood spilled past was brought up until doggish halfs gave way to the wolf and with wolven thoughts saw another wolf in her stead.

Jace offered the slightest of welcoming grins and a single question with soft lilting tones,

"Can I help you?"
#3
Thanks! I liked yours a well. Smile


Indira’s ears pricked forward, picking up the faint sound of bipedal footfalls a few moments after a memory-inspiring scent twisted its way through the chilly air. Before the coywolf laid eyes on the canine coming forward, she could discern a few things. First, this individual was clearly a member of the group that laid claims to this land, as evidenced by the way her own scent peppered the borders and intermingled to become part of the unique group scent. Second, a sweet scent clearly marked her as a mother. The milk-and-young scent stirred memories that seemed murky, of a time when her own mother had nursed Indira and her siblings. That time in her life seemed so far away, obscured and clouded by a stretch of time that her young mind had not been able to record in crisp detail.

As the maternal female approached, Indira’s forward-flicked ears immediately lowered, swiveling back toward her head. The instinct that arose in her made her make small adjustments to her body, lowering her tail and flicking her pale blue eyes to look at the compacted earth at her feet. When the female entered the scene, the medium gray wolf flicked her gaze upward once, observing the fact that she, too, was the product of mixed heritage. Upon reaching this realization, Indira let her gaze settle somewhere along the female’s chin, respectfully avoiding her bi-colored gaze.

”I think you can,” the young wolf said, alto voice ringing clear in the crisp air, the simplicity of her desire and her purpose spilling into the honesty of her words. ”I want to live among those like you. My name is Indira Youroukelis.” Her pale blue gaze was earnest as it traced the bipedal female’s jaw, ears faintly trembling with anticipation of her next words. What would she say?

Word Count: 303, 3+
#4
OOC: Sorry for taking a while to reply and for the shortness, I've fallen ill and it's really really annoying x.x

The stranger's immediate reaction to her dominance brought a small smile to her face, it was always nice when people submitted when they should instead of being forced to submit through aggression. Jace wasn't in the mood to be aggressive today and instead cocked her head to the side inquisitively, taking in the scent to be sure she had the right person and her eyes remembering this woman's form and colors in case she needed to repeat it some time in the future. She nodded sagely as she announced her intentions, a new person to Ichika's rank. How Nice.

She took a few more steps forwards closer to the border of stones and half dead flowers, soon they would be burned in the winter festival. Her voice was soft as she spoke,

"Well first off let me introduce myself; I am Jace. I am the pack's Yakuso, I watch over the people who care for the animals and plants here. Now I'm going to ask you a couple of questions to make sure that Ichika is a place that you would fit into. Okay so, can you tell me your name, why you want to join Ichika, how you heard of us, and what would you be interestd in doing for a role or rank." She crossed her arms over her chest aas she waited for the hybrid to reply.
#5
The wolfdog, Jace, gave her rank, stated her place in this pack, with a strange twist of her tongue. Indira had never heard such a blending of syllables before. It seemed that this pack used a language that lilted and lacked the hard sided consonants that Indira was used to. The sound of Jace’s rank, Yakuso, seemed to have a sort of sweet, musical quality to it. She wanted to mouth it to herself, but as all too aware of the bi-colored eyes that were taking her in. The situation at hand was far more important, and so she devoted the appropriate attention to it.

”Ichika?” she asked, finally sampling a word from this mystical new language. ”I have never heard about this place, this group, before,” Indira admitted, wondering if this was a bad thing. ”I am not from around here – I’ve come from the south,” the coywolf hybrid explained. ”I lived among a group called the Clan, and that was home until a few months ago. I departed because I wanted to find those who were perhaps more like me, mixed blood or wolfen.” She hoped that this explanation would be adequate for Jace, as it was the truth and she had no other story to impart.

”I can scout,” the medium gray female said. ”I can hunt. I’m fast. I know how to build small lean-tos. I can learn and adapt,” Indira continued. Indira hoped that this would be enough to offer Ichika. What she did not know, she could definitely learn. She was eager and willing to demonstrate these things. Her pale blue gaze traced the bipedal female’s jawline, looking for the hint of an expression, for a reaction that would give her an indication of what she was thinking. Indira was working off of instinct now, unsure if this was even the way most border interactions went. Despite her uncertainty, she felt strangely at peace about this, a quiet confidence in her submission. This must be natural.


Words: 332, 3+
#6
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Her confusion prompted Jace to speak for a short moment "Ichika no Ho-en is the pack's name, most of us refer to it as Ichika in short." She then descended back into silence and listened attentively to her words. As she spoke Jace watched her for any sign of shadiness or unsavory behavior, things were not always what they appeared to be to the eye, for all she knew this could be an enemy sent to hurt the pack as much as possible although she doubted Ichika had any enemies yet. So Jace watched this so called Indira Youroukelis with a hint of suspicion as she did to all new comers.

She answered all the questions given to her with acceptable answers, they were always looking for fresh young people to train in various areas almost as much as they sought out masters of their trade as well. The old provided the knowledge and wisdom while the young provided the strength and endurance.

"Just a few more questions I need to ask of you. If you answer these satisfactorily then I can have you recite the Niao-ka Creed and accept you." The woman shuffled her feet trying to find a comfortable position to stand in, despite having given birth she still carried a bit of baby weight at the front gained during pregnancy,

"Okay, Are you at fault for any serious crimes. If so then why and what was your reasoning. Are you spiritual or religious in anyway. And finally would you be comfortable living in a non-discriminatory environment. We accept all kind of canines here from coyotes, to wolves to dogs and jackals. Species makes no difference to us, we seek peace and life and to better ourselves in our skills and thoughts." The last few questions out of her mouth now Jace would await her answers and then either accept a new comer or run off a potential threat, it wasn't something that she enjoyed but it was necessary.
#7
Jace explained more about their surroundings and the group that held claim to them, once again using the strange language that had never before filled the coywolf’s ears. The language that was obviously traditional to this group seemed even more foreign to Indira than her surroundings. Still, Indira kept her pale blue gaze lowered and glued to the Yakuso, absorbing everything she could from this conversation. It seemed critical now, as Jace’s attention on Indira sharpened. Despite the fact that she could feel the weight of Jace’s scrutiny, Indira did not feel at all uncomfortable. It actually came as a bit of a relief that Jace was protective of her home; it meant that it was worth protecting and working for.

Jace’s questions were very important, and Indira furrowed her brow slightly as she let her mind go over her most recent past. There had been times that she had considered stealing before, but she had never acted on those urges. ”I almost stole a kill, once, from a neighbor. My family was pre-occupied with my mom’s bad health and we hadn’t really hunted. But no, I didn’t steal it. I have thought about it before, but my mom taught me to care for myself,” Indira answered, as honestly as she could. Was it a sin to consider something bad? She didn’t know how she would be judged, but she at least wanted to be honest.

”I’m not really spiritual. I haven’t really thought about it. I think there is something else after this, but I don’t know what it is. At least, I want there to be something after this.” Indira thought this was a strange question, something she had to mull over in her own mind. She did not have very many beliefs and lived in the present instead. ”As one of mixed heritage, I do not hold anything against people of different breeds. I just have felt lonely when faced with the idea of living among so many of the same blood, without anyone who might look like me, or different at all.”

Words: 346, 3+
#8
sorry for taking so long D: - Also I just realised this thread takes place in november not december XD oh well
3+

She nodded along again to the woman's words, listening to her explanations , thinking of stealing a kill didn't really constitute as a crime but Jace was glad with her honesty, it showed that she would be more inclined to be honest in an event where she would be called upon to either present evidence or where she herself was on trial. Once again the female, Indria gave all the right answers to the questions that she asked. She smiled approvingly at the younger girl.

"Well I see no reason to send you away, you've answered everything to my satisfaction." She shifted herself slightly and cleared her throat. "If you would now raise your right paw like so." She raised her right paw as an example. will recite the creed for you to repeat She waited until Indria had repeated the creed before speaking again,

"So that you can prove your loyalty to Ichika I will give you an initiation task to perform during your first weeks in the pack. Since it is nearly the winter month, I will give you a winter initiation task as it would prove most useful for the pack and yourself. Your task shall be to gather enough firewood for a bonfire to be lit, You can enlist the help of other Ichikans to aid you in your task. When you are done with your collecting, you can present this wood to Pripyat Soul, he will come if you howl for him, since he is the pack fire tender and he will prepare the wood for the Hibernal celebration for you."
#9
Indira listened to the words that Jace spoke, laden with a special meaning. She could sense the importance of this new creed. As responded by reciting it back to Jace with care. As she spoke each word, it felt like a promise that she was making. She pledged herself to the ideals set forth by this pack of peaceful inhabitants. Indira let the meaning of each word sink deep within her, committing them to memory in case she would need to replay them later.

The pale-eyed girl was creating a new life for her. This was a new path being freshly forged for the medium gray coywolf mix. She let her thoughts gloss over the life she had led before now. It was a life that had consisted of her siblings and her mother. She had had no other meaningful connections. Her relationships with her siblings and mother had been enough for her, and she had been content and happy. It had not been until her mother’s death that unease had stirred within her for almost the first time ever. She had truly lived a charmed life, but she did not regret this new phase of her life. She knew that she had to move on. Truly, Indira was grateful for the life she had had before, for she had loved it, but she looked forward to this new path too.

Jace mentioned a new name, Pripyat Soul. She hoped that she would meet this new person soon, but until then she would content herself with exploring her new place in the pack. ”Thank you, Jace,” Indira said, flashing a brilliant and relieved smile. The young wolf hybrid was grateful and ready to start a new phase of living, so that she could truly grow to be happy once again.

Words: 300, 3+
#10
Somehow i managed to actually forget to put in the creed XD i'm so bloody stupid. Anyway, this short post is the closer so we can archive it now. Welcome to Ichika Big Grin

It was with a certain pride that Jace watched over the younger woman with as she recited the creed and accepted her initiation task. This was a good joining, drama free and meeting every standard that Jace held. She hoped that all her new joiners could go as smoothly as this one had done and the one with Samantha as well. Jace waved the girl forwards over the borderlines that she was now allowed to traverse,

"Welcome to Ichika no Ho-en, Indria. Come, I'll show you of some places that you might bed down until you find your own home." Jace intended to show her the rooms that were available to stay in near the Abbey of course she was free to refuse if the blatant show of religion bothered her any.


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