my voice upraised to wild swept chords

Pia Hayes · 04-08-2012, 04:22 PM

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Pictou River. Lupus form.

Clumps of foliage sprouted up close to the river at the edge of the foreign pack lands. It was easy to tell where those bushes became claimed; the pack had marked them generously and left no question where their territory ended and began. Nevertheless, the musk of wolf was far off to her right, while her nose was busier with a bilberry plant in front of her.

Pia smiled as she poked the whitish-pink bell-shaped flower, inhaling its aroma and looking at its two sisters on the same stem. It would be some time before the fruits began to develop, but she was eager to explore the mountains later in the season and nibble all the berries.

After taking note of the plants, giggling as soft leaves brushed her cheeks, the grey she-wolf stepped down the slanting bank to lap at the water. It was cold and refreshing, and drops splashed her as the river made its course over smooth rocks. It would be no great feat to cross right here, but she would want to be careful; strongly-scented as the pack borders were, a misstep might take her within them. Besides, she didn’t want to venture too far west from her own pack than she had to. She wanted to head back to Ichika no Ho-en tonight, hopefully, to recuperate and meet with her newfound family before exploring again.

If only Ichika wasn’t so small. She sighed, taking a seat and licking the last drops of water from her whiskers. She didn’t mind the number, but with such a large territory, the members were so spread out. As much as she acted like she was the best friend of everyone she met, the only creature she really knew there was her filly. She supposed she’d have to change that.

Content for the moment with relaxing, Pia began to hum.

Tharin Lupei · 04-08-2012, 07:39 PM

Tharin wasn't comfortable in his new pack. At all. The cold greeting Noah had given him had completely dampened his enthusiasm for the place. Sure, it was like his old pack, but did he really fit in? They had plenty of warriors and fighters, and Tharin found himself feeling rather withdrawn. Everyone seemed to fit together, but he was just an extra. Deciding to combat this feeling Tharin moved on past it, throwing himself into the pack with all he could. He was still uneasy around the others, something he covered up by acting even more confidant than he really was, tail held proudly.

Being as useful as he could Tharin took himself out to the border, running along the edge. The scent was strong, well marked as could be expected. Occasionally he paused, noting where others had come close. Most of them turned around immediately, with a couple lone ones lingering a bit longer before disappearing. One scent was incredibly powerful though, and was sticking around. A female. Standing at the river Tharin looked out, noticing a cute silver wolf. Hey. What're you doing here?

Pia Hayes · 04-10-2012, 08:34 AM

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The female had closed her eyes to better enjoy her other senses, such as the spray of cool water on her thick coat. Her humming was soft, barely discernible over the babble of the river moving languidly over the smooth stones. The voice that hailed her from the direction of the border, however, was loud enough for her to stop mid-verse and turn to stare at the newcomer.

The pack wolf looked young like her, silver with ruddier streaks around his face and mane. He looked nice, but that was really what Pia thought of everyone she came across. The scent that clung to him hadn’t quite been integrated with the musky border markers, however, so she guessed that he was new to his pack just like she was new with Ichika. Her mind fastening on this vague connection between them, the gray she-wolf leaped to her feet and grinned at him, her tail wagging as if in greeting of an old friend. Eagerly, she bounded toward him—which was likely destroying etiquette for border meetings, other than her obvious submissive posture: downturned ears, tail wagging very low, head lowered in deference even though her muzzle bore a large smile.

“I came to the river, and see the bushes and drank,” the young woman explained, tilting her nose in that direction for a heartbeat after her words rushed out of her mouth all wrong. She ventured to poke him, her belly all but touching the ground as she scooted closer. “Who’re you? What pack is this?” She grinned and wagged her tail harder, a wriggling thing captured between her hind legs as she took in his lean appearance.

Tharin Lupei · 04-10-2012, 02:22 PM

The female lifted her head, looking over to him. He expected submission, perhaps a brief apology and explanation for why she was there. What happened was anything but that. Her tail set wagging crazily as if he had just made her day. Her posture was submissive, ears and tail low, but she bounded over to him, immediately making him nervous. What was she doing? His hackles raised, taking on a more strict dominant pose, placing himself clearly between the pack and the bouncing wolf. It was a rather amusing display. It felt like he was dealing with a pup, not an adult.

An explanation did follow, all rushed together. She had to be a pup. Maybe she was just large for her age. A discreet sniff confirmed that she wasn't all that young though, around the same age as him. She crawled toward him, belly almost scraping. He relaxed at that, his tail lowered slightly. Her behavior still puzzled him a lot though. Tharin. This is New Dawn. Who are you? He had to bite his tongue to keep from babying her, talking as if she really was just a stray pup that had wandered too far. It was by far the strangest behavior he'd witnessed, matched only by the strangeness of the virus making wolves into two leggers.

Pia Hayes · 04-12-2012, 10:36 AM

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Ditzy wolf!

The male wolf’s posture became more assertive as she leaped toward him, and she swiftly brought her head down lower, smiling sheepishly. She knew that some wolves tolerated advances like hers less than others, but at least he hadn’t outright attacked her—not that she thought he would, or she wouldn’t have bothered him. Tail still trembling between her legs, she listened eagerly to his explanation. Her expression grew almost serious as she nodded, filtering the names away.

“I’m Pia,” the mottled girl chirped, and she shuffled away from the border a few steps. He seemed to be uncomfortable, but he’d figure her out eventually—and from there develop an opinion as to whether she was simply sunny or annoying. It was generally split half-and-half.

“I’m sorry,” she added, her apology swift and barely there as she explained herself to him. “I knew there was a pack, but I don’t know nothing about it, and I wanted to smell some and find out.” She looked along the invisible border. “I’m new—to the whole land, I mean; I come over from that way.” She pointed toward the isthmus with her nose and smiled sheepishly again.

Tharin Lupei · 04-12-2012, 10:53 AM

She seemed determined to sweep him along with her high spirits. It was difficult to remain serious in the face of something so sweet and happy. His tail swished behind him a few times before he managed to stop it, trying to remain looking like a serious border guard instead of another overgrown puppy just like her. She backed up a few steps, making him relax even further, tail wagging lazily behind him. He cocked his head at her introduction. Pia. That was a nice name. It fit the energetic wolf bounding before him. He felt like he'd been assigned to watch over her, looking around for dangers that a pup could get into, keeping her out of trouble even knowing she was the same age.

Her words came out in a rush again, barely intelligible. She apologized, so briefly Tharin almost missed it, before continuing to talk about the pack. So she'd been curious. That was understandable. Any pup would be curious about a large group of wolves. No, he had to stop that. She wasn't a puppy. No matter how much she reminded him of one. He followed the direction of her head, looking with some curiosity. I'm new here too. I haven't done much venturing out of the pack, but it's very different from where I come from. His words were softer than he would have thought they'd have been, smiling down at her.

Pia Hayes · 04-17-2012, 11:39 AM

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Pia really was like a child in her behavior and her optimism toward the world. It was as if she’d seen nothing horrible at all—but that was not the truth. Seeing her mother kill her sister in cold blood had changed her, made her realize just what the world could be. She had run away from Jude, but time to reflect on Maze’s murder had given her the answer: she must not let something like that happen ever again. And if that meant befriending every canine she met, so be it. She didn’t mind being seen as a little girl.

But at least Tharin seemed to relax once she followed proper, if still a bit sloppy, etiquette, and he even wagged his tail a little bit. She grinned sweetly from ear to ear, listening to his soft speech and resisting the urge to hop around in place. “And what was that like?” she asked, somber and genuinely curious for an instant before she suggested wickedly, “Maybe you should get out a little more then. That’s what I do. Left Ichika behind to explore, and see everything, not cooped up all day.” She believed that a pack was more than its borders, anyway; it was a family, a belief you held in your mind. The ideals of the mountain pack was one she agreed wholeheartedly with, and she didn’t feel like she was abandoning it so long as she spread its word and went back home at the end of a long day.

Tharin Lupei · 04-17-2012, 08:44 PM

Pia's ears twisted, hanging onto his words as he spoke. It was an odd feeling, knowing that her full attention was on him. He suddenly felt like he was performing, the soft words not enough for the wolf before him. Her words were surprisingly solemn, genuine emotion in her words. Pia wanted to know about where he came from, something that filled Tharin with a mix of sorrow and pride. He loved the north where he came from, was proud to have called it home. Tharin couldn't return though, a heavy burden that he could only hope would lessen with time.

The mischievous way she spoke the next part brought a good natured growl from Tharin. Cooped up? I'm not cooped up! We have plenty of land to explore and hunt in. I still have lots to see in here. I'll leave after I can name every stone. His tail wagged behind him, Tharin absently arching his tail with pride over his new home. He stepped over the border, coming closer to where the childish female laid. I come from the north. It's very flat there, and there's usually snow, if only in small distanced patches at times. You can see everything, and run without a need to stop for days. His eyes glowed as he spoke, back where he came from.

Pia Hayes · 04-18-2012, 06:09 PM

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Tharin growled, insisting that he wasn’t cooped up. She grinned at him with a quirked brow until he explained his goal of naming each stone before he set off on reconnoitering the neutral territories. She nodded in understanding, glancing back in the direction of her new home. “I guess that’s a good idea,” she mumbled. “But Ichika’s territory is so big, and empty…” Melancholy fell over her pale features before a smile picked up where her statement left off. There was no use being sad about something that wasn’t all that bad when others were hurt from worse things, after all. She wasn’t a creature of complaint.

She was about to tease him for crossing the border, but the timber wolf described the land he’d come from in the flat, snowy north. Her eyes widened slightly at the description, and her legs ached with the sweet burn of loping tirelessly across an expanse of tundra. His happiness and pride sparked similar feelings in her, as most of her encounters went, and she grinned.

“It sounds amazing. I’d love to just see everything and just run and not care!” She turned around in a quick, playful circle before her eyes fell to the water running over the smooth stones. “I like all the trees and birds and stones, though. I like to pick them up. Like a little gift to me from the world.” Her tail wagged behind her, although she did know this time that it was a little childish. She couldn’t keep her hands off anything that was natural and pretty, and had she been wearing her pants, they’d be filled with river-stones and acorns and feathers and all matters of stuff lying around the fertile, untamed earth.

Tharin Lupei · 04-18-2012, 06:58 PM

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OOC here!

Pia looked pretty amused by his words about wanting to know every piece of his pack territory. Part of his was him being a hunter, and wanting to know where all the prey were. The other part was just plain old possessive instinct, telling him to make sure that there was no place where intruders had touched the land and threatened his pack. It would also help him settle down and get over his homesickness for the north hopefully if he had a new home that he knew as well as his old.

His ears pricked, hearing that she was from Ichika. His tail wagged softly. Tharin knew that the pack was weak, with far too few members. The pain in her voice made that far too clear. Kiara was there though, making him care for that pack. He hated it at the same time though, fearing what could happen to her pups when there were so few there to protect them. Her joy at hearing him talk about his home warmed him, tail swishing happily. He was glad to share that.

Tharin laughed as she circled around, speaking of the joy of just running. It made his own legs burn with the itch to dive across and keep moving. His head cocked as Pia talked about something completely nonsense to him though. Picking up the stones? Wouldn't it hurt, carrying it in her jaws? I think it's better to just leave them and mark them as yours. It's why I want to explore my pack. So that every part of it is mine. It was a silly reply, considering how he had no idea how one would even go about carrying such things, but it did answer what she was talking about.

Pia Hayes · 04-23-2012, 08:19 AM

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The male seemed to know about her pack, although he made no comment on it. He did, however, comment on picking up the smooth pebbles and whatnot she found during her travels, saying it was better to mark them. One dark ear flicked as she considered this, her tail-wagging pausing for a moment. She guessed it would be good to mark the bigger things, like lovely trees or rocks she could not carry, but it was a little silly to lay claim to a feather that could only blow away in the wind.

“Well, the stuff I get is so little, it’s just easier that way.” She reached out and tried to pat him on the shoulder with a paw, awkward in their four-legged shapes. “Like… If some of your fur shed and blew off and I thought it was pretty, I could steal it!” She giggled, knowing how ridiculous that was, and her smile showed some embarrassment. She nodded quickly, however. “But that’s good, markin’ all the good spots in the territory, making it all your own… I need to do that in Ichika! It won’t seem so empty then, because I’ll own my own little landmarks.” She didn’t know if the High Shepard would approve, but she didn’t think that X’yrin would punish someone for something so minor, not that she knew her new leader that well.

Pia frowned momentarily and glanced over at who she considered her new friend. “Do you wanna run around for a little bit? Just down this river and back? So you can go back to marking and all.” She looked at him hopefully.

Tharin Lupei · 04-23-2012, 12:24 PM

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OOC here!

Tharin cocked his head. Why would she pick up little things like that? Tharin didn't really see a point in collecting anything that wasn't useful. He might note places that he liked to return to, but picking up those other items seemed silly. Her paw batted at him awkwardly, Tharin grinning at the childish action. His tail swished softly, chuckling at her words. Steal a piece of his fur? That was very silly. His fur couldn't do anything. If she really liked it she could just come and visit him.

His smile was a little sad at her next words, talking about marking the territory so it wouldn't seem so empty. I'm sure there'll be others who'll want to mark stuff as well. You could reclaim the land again with some friends. That might help strengthen the pack, take away from the dying air that surrounded it. He nodded his head, stretching out happily. Tharin was always up for a good run, just enjoying the feel of the wind and the burn in his legs.

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