WC:000+
Jace, I'm so very sorry. sswm 2740
Petite form followed the natural flow of the lands, and under the light and weighted cloud banks lit from above, the warmly shaded lady made her way through territory, bathed in the lovely pure of the snow. It would be easy for her to let her tongue slip, and declare the winter and its magic her favourite season above all, but as each season passed, she welcomed the next. She was glad to see such constant change, and while she would spend her time revelling in this winter wonderland, she would turn and watch the birth of spring and all things with wide, ruby lit eyes full of appreciation and respect for the miracle that was life. Strong heart pulsed behind the soft, silky cream of her chest, though she moved with the slight sting of the involuntary solitude that had been placed on petite shoulders.
She had once made a choice that had brought her far away from the lands she had come to love. But, back then, she had seen it as her duty to follow her closest family. But there was a multitude of strings wishing her to follow in several directions all at once, and it made it difficult to find where her true purpose lay. Perhaps her invisible ache would settle once she learned what it was to settle down with a handsome mate and have her own children. It was her wish that her family had followed, though. Colibri was much too old to wander the lands, a loner like her auburn daughter. But sometimes, it was best for families to scatter. It was possible to grow strong while far apart as well, and though she had wandered far away from her mother’s new home, she would do her part to nurture the Soul family’s roots as best she could.
When Halo had arrived in these lands of old, set south and west from the lands where her mother had grown up, everything had changed. Tales had let her know that the ancient lands of Bleeding Souls were no more, but that was not the pack she had sought when she first had arrived here. In a sense, the petite hybrid has sought back to an old home, where she and her mother had resided only for a short while, before Colibri’s depression had forced her to flee again, from everyone and everything. When the woman arrived at the borders of Dahlia de Mai, first then had she realized a most cruel, most terrible fact. Dahlia was no more. A pack had drawn their invisible lines across the lands, of course similar in scent as the pack that had originally decided to lay their claim there. But it had not been the same place, and the shock of this realization had sent the coywolf away with spontaneous grief.
Now she felt lost, and struggled to amend the feelings that so wished to cloud the right sense of judgement. It was important for her to keep her eyes fixed on the positive side of things. There had been but the briefest conversation with a member of the pack that had stolen her home from her, but it took time for her to sort through the information to find clarity. She continued to lack the certainty to know what to do, but she had to trust that the words that had been given to her were genuine by nature. It would be a foul prank to lay on her, to mess with her head. But the cocoa female couldn’t find a reason why a stranger would lie to her, for though she had been seeking aid, she hadn’t asked for a whole lot. Dahlia de Mai had been abandoned, and its members had moved far away, up north-east to settle near the mountains. Or so the kind gentleman had insisted, with his charming voice. The gold of his eyes had seemed genuine, and she had wanted to trust what he said.
In a sense, it was a bit funny. Halo knew well that her mother had helped found Dahlia de Mai as well as Phoenix Valley. She had served as a leader of the pack, commonly called the flower pack, for only a short time, before moving along with old friends to be part of the team to first set the name Phoenix Valley on the map. And now the two packs had come together to give birth to something else, though both names had been lost in the process. Ichika, was the only part of the pack’s name she managed to hold on to. Its meaning was beyond her, for the words had been of a mystical language that she was not able to interpret without help. She hoped to find the answers she was looking for once she reached her destination.
After a few years, it wasn’t an easy task to follow the most direct path to the new-found pack in the upper mountains. Anticipation was marinating well within the core of her being, and though she had been at the brink of tears a mere few hours ago, now a smile lingered on pretty lips, excitement bubbling in a curious face. Such strange tales she would be able to bring back to the kind lady in white, so far from here. But the Soul female’s last words had insisted that her red eyed daughter follow her own dreams. Halo wished nothing but to linger with those she cared for, but as siblings often did, they wandered in each their direction, hungry for a purpose different from their parents. Had Colibri managed to become a permanent part of a pack, things might have turned out differently, but the silver eyed canine never could force herself to stay in packs for too long as a time. A loner of heart, perhaps, unlike her warmly hued daughter, her youngest.
The pads under her feet pained her, for the snow could be as cruel as it could be beautiful. The long trek had taken its toll on her body, and the hard skin beneath her paws had eventually cracked. Warm red hues turned to peer at the slight, red spotted track she left behind her travelling form. It couldn’t be helped, and unless she was way off her course, the group of wolves she so eagerly sought should be within close proximity by now. Dark nose, set on a slender, fox-like muzzle of a coyote, moved with badly veiled excitement mere inches above the white, temporarily distracted by a rabbit track more than a few hours old. While it was pretty and pure, the snow made it more difficult for her, for she didn’t know the specific scent she should be looking for. All she had was the vague description of the location, and if fortune did not smile on her, her search could be lengthy as long as she didn’t know this land.
A few more hours passed, too slow to be fair, before she thought she had found a lead worth holding on to. On partially rocky ground coated with wet white, she found a concentrated scent to hold on to. Moving along the trail, the rich tail of the lady wagged elegantly with the small victory that bloomed so sweetly within her chest. The anticipation had moved to dance in her throat, along with her excited heartbeat. Could this be the borders of the pack she was looking for? Oh, how she wished it would be so. There was a sweetened taste in her mouth, though she had gone days without a proper meal. She had passed many tracks that had belonged to wandering prey, and the impulse to follow with the hopes of a successful hunt had been tempting, but she had abstained. She could last for a little longer before hunger became terrible enough to force her into action. It would be rude of her to assume she would find a free meal once she found a member of this pack, but if she was lucky, perhaps they would allow her to hunt with them, if only for a little while. She had come here with purpose to start a life for herself, but desire alone didn’t ensure her passage.
So, the petite form tripped eagerly, adjusting her path to keep her just outside the marked line she finally had managed to locate. Sharp, flawless teeth glinted behind their dark lips, for the woman was very quick to smile at life, even while others couldn’t. She didn’t know where she had inherited her tireless optimism, but it kept her warm while she should be cold, and it made her a force to be reckoned with. She knew of the clan that resided in these lands, and knew that she most closely resembled many of the members that lived there. She did not believe that her blood was a mix of wolf and dirt, like certain unkind individuals had suggested throughout her four years of life. Racism was something ugly, but it existed for a reason, or so others kept telling her. But Halo chose not to believe in such things. As a free individual, she had the ability and right to choose what to believe in. The world could be a horrible place if one would let it, but there was much beauty here as well. To judge other canines based on looks alone was unfair above all, and she wouldn’t have it.
Unfortunately for Halo, it was she that so often was put in the unfavourable position of being judged. She couldn’t help what she looked like, or who she looked like. The soft splash of darker auburn on her muzzle and the unique shade of her eyes—some insisted it was the colour of blood, but she preferred thinking of fine, exotic gemstones. She could understand it if she reminded them of bad things and deeds, but it was important for her to express that she was not the bad blood of her long-lost coyote family. She was well aware of the family ties that bound her to the clan, but she had yet to dare to approach the borders, rumoured to be lined up with the skulls of Inferni’s sworn enemies. Her stay here had been brief in the pack, so she didn’t dare to think if the rumours were true. Her mind willed it to be lies, but she couldn’t say for certain. The thought of decapitating another individual was a cruel thought that she wasn’t comfortable with. The thought alone caused a slight shiver to ride up her spine, leaving hackles disturbed.
Red eyes watched the unseen road ahead, but for a long while, all that the graceful lady could see was layers of snow against rock and dry, hibernating trees. More than once, the woman let her slender form brush against the rough bark of a tree. It would leave a strengthened track of her scent by the borders, and wouldn’t speak in her favour, but she couldn’t help herself but seeking connection to the world as she travelled through it. Come spring, and these same trees might offer her kind shade against a fuelling sun. It wasn’t her place to think so far ahead without certainly to hold on to, but it was in a dreamer’s nature to dream, and it was difficult for her to redirect thoughts of the future she so strongly wanted to happen. It was all about fruit of labour of her labour, and it was important that she did well for herself.
After some time, her feminine, four legged form was pulled to a halt as keen eyes caught moving forms ahead. Large, silky ears moved to linger on the top of her head, eager to catch the hum of what she thought to be a melody rising in the distance. Already at this distance, the Soul female knew that it was harmony she witnessed, and it filled her heart with soundless song, sweet and lighter than air. As a hooked fish, she moved forward, reeling in to the scene before her. Her paws made certain to push her approaching form further from the marked line of this pack’s claim. She didn’t doubt that it was a member of this pack she was about to meet, and it was most important that she established a fine expression at once. The audits that had leaped to catch the soft hum of the other now swivelled around to settle against the top of her copper furred skull, in fine, polite submission.
She lowered her neck to match the height of her shoulders, and the tail that so eagerly had leaped through the frosty air now moved to longer between her hind legs, wary and unconfident as it should be. Having been a part of her mother’s lonely life for so long, she knew enough to know the usual deal by the borders. The scent she caught told her that the canine ahead was a female. Encountering males had often proved to be an advantage in the past, but they could easily make her uncomfortable if they were of the flirtier sort. She didn’t like it when they suggested unspeakable things. But a few bad memories had the ability to cloak the majority of good, and she shook away the negativity, forcing her focus to move to the woman she now approached.
A short, softened bark was given to announce her position, if by change she had yet to be discovered by the other. Her thin frame approached the optime, slowly, ruby orbs skittish and wary of seeking out the pack wolf’s face. She didn’t want to make up expectations, but it was difficult to contain her feelings. She wanted to smile and laugh, but it wasn’t her place to do so. Still, the excitement ruffled her silky fur. She couldn’t help it. Once in clear view of the other, her too-thin form found stillness. It wasn’t Halo’s place to be the first to speak, she thought, and she would keep her tongue still and secure behind a locked row of teeth, hidden away by tight lips. Nostrils flared, and it was difficult not to let her pupils flutter about. She was nervous, and she couldn’t hide this from the other.
Halo wasn’t unaccustomed to the optime form, but she had been a traveller for many months now, and it was much more effective to move through vast distances in the form she had been born into. Her mother was of the traditional sort, and Halo had grown up in a home where the old way was the preferred way. The ‘Souls area was populated with wolves that seemed to favour the two-legged optime the most, but it had been a while since she had been here. The appearance of her guardian spoke in favour of this belief, however, and though she didn’t mind, it made her a bit more nervous. The hybrid hadn’t obtained useful skills that could be used in the optime. She had been brought up by her loner mother. She was a decent hunter, scout and caretaker, and she knew a thing or two about defending herself. But would it be valuable in the eyes of the community she so longed to be a part of?
She could adjust and copy their lifestyle, but it made her initial offer so much weaker, and it saddened her. Eyes traced the sharp metal objects attached to the optime’s upper legs, and the look alone caused a bad seed of fear to dig into her soft core and grow roots. Was this a sign of hostile borders, or a mere precaution? She knew there existed evil in others, of varying levels, and she could understand a wolfess’ need to carry weapon in case she had to protect herself. Or attack. The thought made her want to shiver, but she forced herself to remain still, quiet, and humble. Heavy eyelashes fluttered slightly before her gaze settled on the optime’s feet.
