Well, She thought.. This is impressive. Wide multi-colored eyes gazed at the site before her. Various lengths of skulls, some still in decay, some picked clean from various carrion hang from branches, scattered on the ground, and in the bushes lining the Infernis territory. Quite frankly, it gave her the creeps. A shudder rolled down her spine, pushing her fur up on end for a moment before it settled back down smoothly. Thankfully she was of the sensible, responsible type and had chosen, very wisely she thought, not to trespass. On another note, she thought it might be amusing to see who would trespass with such an obvious and incredible display of why not too.
Her thoughts strayed to a different matter, would it be non-threatening to be in Luperci or Lupus form? She looked down on herself, her long blonde hair swishing and shining in the sunlight. Although this was the better looking form, she figured it would be more submissive and respective to be in her Lupus form before she howled for the leaders presence. She slowly knelt to the ground, one hand gripping a fistful of dirt gently and the other propped up on her knee. Her toes grabbed the earth for purchase, and she closed her eyes and concentrated. Her blonde hair gradually shortened until it was just a long, shaggy mane which then continually shortened until it was regular fur, her long limbs going back on themselves until she was on all, normal fours. Her skull had shortened and shrunk back into her Lupus shape, and once it was all over she shook her coat out and snorted, pawing at her muzzle to disperse some of the dust that had settled during the change.
Once she was calm and collected, she gazed around and checked out her surroundings. Deeming it safe and the right time to do so, she raised her muzzle to the sky and howled out a respectful request for the leader to come see her. As the last little bit of the cry trailed out, her muzzle closed and she glanced at the skull-border again. What a comforting thing that was to look at.
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Meep, hope you don't mind I popped in. I was on and had some time to kill. xD I do have class for a few hours, so perhaps Omni can join in too if you'd still like, but I wanted to make sure this went quickly for ya!
Frost glittered on the ground, but as the days grew longer they grew warmer as well. Winter took its time receding from the Waste, but Vesper was glad that she wasn’t shaking in her scruffy scar-riddled pelt anymore. The frigid grass crunched under her paws nonetheless as she trotted along the territory boundaries on her patrol. It was a humbling duty to move around the territories like clockwork, but she still liked to fall back into the old routine even though she was the clan’s Optio now, made to keep track of greater things. It was best to give some of the younger members a break while the weather was nice, at any rate.
The pale tawny she-yote had paused to check out rabbit tracks when a howl rang out from the borders ahead, a wolfish cry but one that carried enough of a coyote note in it for her to have second thoughts. Anyone who had the decency to call at the borders wasn’t going to be trespassing, at least, and Vesper corrected her path to trot toward the sound. It had been a while since the last new member had come into the clan, and she dared to get her hopes up that this was another prospective joiner—one that she realized she had the power to accept, now that she was in the Legatus tier.
It did not take her long to reach the source of the sound, and her lithe four-legged frame stepped between two of the border-stakes adorned by skulls. Pale blue eyes flickered to the similarly-formed stranger, and she had to fight back a satisfied smirk. Athletic yet feminine, with a beautiful pelt that spoke of her coyote heritage, even if her scent was more wolfish. Perhaps that would change.
“What brings you to the Inferni borders?” Vesper asked, her tone almost languid.
Even as she asked the required question, she couldn’t help but notice the hues of the other’s eyes—made all the more vibrant by the dark markings underneath. One blue, one green. The memory of another set of heterochromatic eyes made the hybrid feel momentarily weak, but she kept her defenses up and forced the image of the girl aside. She couldn’t afford to think of a lone wolf when there was a potential comrade standing in front of her.
Her posture adjusted slightly, tail and ears rising up, though she didn’t stand as dominantly as some high-ranking creatures did. She believed in equality, after all.
Word Count - 453 :: uhm. i am utterly stupid for not realize it was winter, LOL my bad! and me n omni can just have another thread. no biggie.
Although it was still winter, the morning suns heat still beat down on her furred back. It felt nice, and reminded her that spring was on it's way. As she waited, she let her mind wander for a short while. The russet-streaked Coywolf had traveled from an extremely far distance for her young age, it had taken more then a month to get here, almost two months even with a steady pace. She had slept in many places and had gained many skills on the way here, and hopefully her skills would be useful to this pack.
Long days had been spent in the country recouping, scratching out the frozen ground for temporary, shallow dens for her to sleep in. Some days she would hunker down at the frozen rivers she frequently passed, using her Luperci form to punch holes in the ice, change forms, and wait until the bubbling stream calmed again. The patient female would wait for hours for a dark form to appear under the ice, and then when the time was right snap her muzzle under the shallow water to capture the fat fish below.
She had taken pride in her fishing and hunting skills, all fueled by her unwavering patience and aptitude for speed and endurance. You couldn't have the muscle she had unless you could feed yourself, for there were no handouts or kind souls in the wilds that she had been fortunate enough to stumble on. For the first few weeks she had gotten pretty thin, but as her skills improved so did her weight. A rustling in the frozen grasses caught her attention and she drew her mind back to the present time and place.
It did not take long for her call to be answered. As she waited another female came into view - this one seemed to be higher ranking due to the subtle dominant way she carried herself. Emmanuelle took a moment to gaze over her figure, small, compact, but none the less impressive. She had a host of scars all over her body, and as her eyes rolled over the others body she noticed she was even missing toes. She must have been lots of fights and looked like she came out winning. Emmanuelle held eye contact for just a second, then let her eyes fall to the scarred females feet out of respect.
“What brings you to the Inferni borders?”
Tawny-hued ears perked forward at this question, eyes still dropped to the ground. Emmanuelle chose her words carefully, she didn't want to say something that might offend the other female. " I came to your borders seeking acceptance to the Inferni pack, and my name is Emmanuelle Brenna. " She said somewhat formally, her feminine voice calm and clear.
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Haha yep; seasons are as they are in real life in Nova Scotia! Anyway, done with class so we can get through this quicker. <3
Those mismatched eyes dropped to the ground in respect, and Vesper could feel herself swelling once more with pride. For once, it was not pride for herself—she was arrogant, but not so much as to enjoy lording over others. No, she was proud for the clan that she represented, as she would possibly be the first face of Inferni this tawny and grey girl saw. She knew she wasn’t the most comforting canine to look at with her myriad of scars, rousing suspicion and pity and disgust at worst, but hopefully it would get the point across that this was not a pack to be trifled with. Some others might allow any luperci with a sob story into their lands, but the coyote clan prided itself on strength.
Already, the girl was showing all the signs she needed to, as a loner addressing a pack member on their grounds. The Optio mentally checked that off the list, as well as the other’s purpose and name. “Emmanuelle,” the hybrid murmured, just to get used to the feel of the word in her mouth. She needed to know the names of all the clan, especially in case this one would want to go into the Lumen tier.
“Two questions,” Vesper said then, her tone more brisk. She took a seat between the stakes and rolled her shoulders, posture relaxed but confident. “First off—why Inferni?” Her blue eyes thinned slyly at this question, wondering if the female had done her research or if she truly wanted to join the first pack she came across. There was no wrong answer, however, and even if she hadn’t heard of their so-called reputation, that was only easier for them to help their new positive image. “And secondly,” she went on, “what skills do you possess that would make you an asset to the clan?” No coyote in Inferni was going to feast from the Waste without pulling their weight around, of course.
Word Count - 320 :: sorry, i find it hard to write fluff when she is standing still lol.
Her ears flicked forward, and she let her gaze match the other woman's eyes for just a moment, listening intently to what she was being asked. Eyes dropping again, she cleared her throat before answering. " The answer to your first question is rather simple - I have heard on my journeys to this land about an all coyote or coyote-hybrid clan. I myself have been looked down upon due to my heritage, and I thought it might be nice to surround myself with those of my kind, to feel a sort of kinship with my pack brothers and sisters where I have been denied such previously. " She paused then, inhaling and exhaling before she continued, in order to gather her thoughts. " My assets to the clan are as follows, I have great speed and endurance, as well as my fishing and hunting skills are honed and fruitful as well. I will do whatever is needed of me to provide for my clan brothers and sisters to the best of my ability. "
Emmanuelle hoped that covered everything as she continually gazed at the other females feet, shifting her weight from one side to the other. Her journey here hadn't been the easiest, she had crossed through primarily wolf territory and most of who she crossed were not so pleased about the mixed scents, coyote and timber wolf. She felt heat rising to her cheeks as she recalled one particular encounter with an especially unpleasant wolf. As she was still younger and naive, she hadn't really understood all of the slurs hurled her way, but she understood the general hate directed to her ancestry.
Looking back up, she caught the gaze of the smaller hybrid. Hesitating, for she did not know if it was out of turn or not, she glanced to her right before speaking once more." May I ask your name? " She asked quietly, meaning no disrespect to her counterpart.
Emmanuelle answered her questions, though it was in a formal and concrete way as if she’d rehearsed her very words. That was possible, but it still caused a crooked smirk to quirk the side of the Optio’s lips; otherwise, she remained serious while listening. She found herself nodding with sympathy and understanding as the girl explained that she wanted kinship with coyotes rather than being looked down upon.
“You’ll find others who are in the same boat as you,” Vesper murmured. “Some go as far as to resent the wolves that cast them out—some, not all, and I hope hatred doesn’t have to be the norm.” She made this warning and amendment very quickly, so that Emma wouldn’t be stunned to hear that the species prejudice swung both ways, and so that she recognized there were sane Infernians among those who sang for wolf blood. After all, she was as much wolf as coyote, and had her father been a different man than Marcel, she might not have embraced her mother’s half quite so vigorously.
“Those are good skills to have, and you can hone them further as you train here,” she added, noting that none were out of the ordinary; but that made her, only newly turned luperci, feel better about herself. After all, she could claim the ability to fight and survive and nothing else before coming here. “I see no reason we shouldn’t be able to accept you.” Her tone changed from somber to warm, and she stepped forward from the border with tail swaying lightly behind her.
Emmanuelle asked her for her name before she could go on, and a sheepish look overtook the scarred woman’s face. “Oh, crap.” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “I knew I was forgetting something,” she said, smirking. “My name is Vesper.” She wondered if she should mention anything else. “I’m the Optio, a subleader and the head of the Lumen, or scouting, tier. We have a few different ones depending on what you choose do to here, like scouting or fighting or miscellaneous stuff such as gardening and tattooing.”
She stood firmly and met the young woman’s mismatched eyes once more, her tone changing once more from familiar to serious, her scarred brow furrowing. “I can accept you into the clan, but you need to swear loyalty to our Aquila—our leader Ezekiel—and to the clan. You should be willing to defend your clanmates with your life.” She knew it was a lot to ask of a yearling who hadn’t even met the Aquila yet, but it was all they truly asked: fight for your land and leader.
Word Count - 249 :: jeepers creepers, where'd you get those peepers.
A smile broke out onto her face as the tone of the hybrid before her changed into something more welcoming, offering her name as well. Vesper, she thought to herself. That is a pretty name. Her bushy tail swayed from side to side as the other female drew closer, excitement< rising in her veins. If all went well, she would finally have a family again. A place to call her home, others to love and cherish. This was all panning out very nicely. Shifting her wight, she began swaying back and forth, the urge to do.. something rising due to her sudden increase in mood. She was just so excited to meet and see all the new faces! Hopefully she would find a few friendly ones among the crowd.
She came to a standstill once Vesper spoke once more, tone changing back to serious. Ears perked, she listened to the other females words. She took a few moments to digest it, she hadn't really been expecting anything less. The russet-hued hybrid had always had this idea of what a pack should be, and what Vesper described was what she thought it might be like. Your pack was your family. Nodding, she looked at the other female. " I am young, but I will do what I can. I will sweat loyalty to the leader and to the clan, and I would take no greater pleasure then defending them with my life. " She said with a serious nod of her head.
Welcome to Inferni! We can totally continue this, but you're free to post around the territory and stuffs too. <3
The girl’s excitement was enough to make Vesper feel warm and fuzzy, almost. She had to resist cracking a grin or chuckling to herself, not wanting to detract from the mood. The moment where you realized where your home was and that life’s journey wasn’t a waste—that was a pretty big moment, and it seemed that the younger coywolf was getting a taste of it, of where she truly belonged. Only time would tell whether her vows would prove true and whether this excitement was only a fleeting feeling, but the scarred Optio could only hope that Emma would live out the rest of her days here.
Emmanuelle spoke her oath, promising her loyalty, and the pale tawny Infernian offered her one of her rare grins. “Good,” she said, coming forward and butting her head against the other’s shoulder. She rarely went out of her way to make others comfortable, but she had great responsibility now—and the girl was really cute, so she was surprised she wasn’t tripping over herself even more to make her feel welcome.
“Consider yourself one of us, then, sweetheart,” Vesper quipped, and she turned to trot past the watchful skulls into the territory, a flick of her coal-tipped tail beckoning Emma to follow. “I guess now you bombard me with questions and beg for a tour of the residences, unless you want to run off and see for yourself.” A wry smirk passed across her narrow, scarred muzzle as she glanced over her shoulder at the girl.
Inferni’s ranks are based on character behavior and activity. Read over our Rank Information for hierarchy information -- approach the higher ranked canines in your tier, and try interact with them. To choose a tier, simply mention it in our Maintenance thread. If you do not choose a tier, the leaders will pick one based on your character’s in-game behavior.
As a new member, why not:
Read about Inferni's culture to learn about some of Inferni's unique aspects.
Create some AW (all welcome) threads in Inferni and meet your fellow clan members. Alternatively, join another member's AW thread (open threads are found here). You can also request threads in our thread request forum.
Start earning points in our Game! The game is a great way to get fancy titles, icons, and other cool things for your character.
If you're confused about anything regarding Inferni or being a member of the clan, feel free to PM one of our pack leaders, and they can help answer your questions!
and me n omni can just have another thread. no biggie.
