OOC: I think it's time I stop sulking and take a good walk around the caves. Had to cut it short due to low power level on iPad.
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Lukos paced his barren house, thinking of things to do. Need too come up with something before I die of boredom.. He stopped and looked outside the window of his house. Hmm, don't really feel like practicing my archery. Gardens are boring. Already seen most of the park. I shouldn't bother Aeron, she's the new Angela and probably doesn't have the time. Lance is probably busy with something... That leaves one thing.
He leaned up on the closest wall, admitting defeat. "Visiting the caves.". His initial reluctance is due to him having a close call with Alaki on the training grounds, when he said the wrong thing to the wrong person. But he's not here, so I have no reason to worry. He stood up and walked out his front door. Looking up in the sky he smiled in spite of himself. Wonder what kind of people are there. He walked up the beaten path that led to his destination at an even pace. Guess I'm going to find out.
Pride moved through the caves quietly. A pair of daggers rested on her hips, thinking about the training that she did with her mama. It was harsh at times, but she wanted to make her proud, and loved the feel of the blades when they moved smoothly through the air. Running a hand gently over them Pride smiled, continuing her travels. There was nowhere in particular that she was planning on visiting. Perhaps Panda, to talk to her. She wasn't oblivious to the looks that Charm gave the black and white female.
Smelling another pack member Pride came near the edge. She stayed out from the sunlight, wishing that the sun would set faster. Her pale fur glistened from where she stood. Are you going to just stand there, or come in? Pride's voice was smooth, tail swaying slightly as she tried to get a good look at the male. Giving up she stepped further back, letting the darkened light of the caves envelop her again. She always felt more comfortable in the dark.
OOC:hello.
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He was about to make up an excuse to go back when a voice questioned him. "Hmm? Who's there." He looked around the area, scanning for a glimpse of the person who spoke. He smelled another pack member, so at least this wouldn't be a hostile meeting. Probably. [i]Way too many shadows. Or perhaps I'm just looking too hard. He relaxed a little, hoping to spot the figure. "To answer your question, I might as well come in, since I walked all the way here." A slight movement in the mouth of the cave caught his eye, only only to slide out of view seconds later. He took a couple cautious steps towards the entrance, watching for anything to come flying out and at him. "May I?" he asked politely.
Who's there? A bit foolish, really. Couldn't he just take a sniff and find out who it was? It didn't take much effort to do that. Just some thought, instead of foolishly panicking. She knew that it was darker in the caves, but that didn't mean that he couldn't find out who it was. The tension in his body eased slightly, taking a deeper look into the shadows. Pride remained quiet, not bothering to make things easier for him. If he was an idiot, Pride didn't have the time for him.
Laughter broke from Pride's throat at the attempt to be polite. Why would he feel the need to request to enter the caves when this was his pack? Go ahead. She had no reason for keeping him out. Well, perhaps it would have been more amusing to see what he would have done if she'd turned him down, but now it was done. He was pack, so she had to at least tolerate his foolishness.
OOC:Well I heard about constructive criticism, but that was a bit much. Obviously, Lukos hasn't been to the caves more than once, literally, so it's rather unlikely to know immediately who it is. That and all the other smells hiding Pride's would throw off most wolves. Sure he belong to this pack, but god forbid if someone like Alaki came along. Say the wrong thing in the wrong way and they go off on you. And it's always nice to be polite. For all he knows it could have been Aeron, although he's spoken to her, so he knows what she sounds like. The purpose of coming to the caves is to befriend his fellow members and get to know them, so making sure that he doesn't leave with a target on his back would be smart. Not so much foolishness, but more like caution. Not everyone here is kind and polite, rather the opposite, so to make less of a scene would be a good idea. Not that this text is helping very much to that statement. *sigh*. I think the point to my rant is to not jump the gun and assume that everyone is a bumbling idiot. Of course, I might be doing just that and that's how Pride reacts to such things. Oh, the thoughts that travel your mind in seconds. On with the thread. Why is it that my OOC is as long as the post?
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The laughter that rang in his was rather grating, with him trying to be nice. I guess politeness is not well practiced with some people. Although that greeting was rather ridiculous. Still having withdrawals from Alaki's near-death sentencing.. He shook a little at the memory.
Walking into the cavern, he passed the person without glancing at them. Might as well stop before making a bigger fool of myself. He gave a short sniff passing by to differentiate the scent from other pack members for the future. Moving on, he came to a splitting path, one on the left and one on the right. If memory served him correctly, he took a left to find the meeting Aeron held a while ago.
He decided to go exploring, and parted down the right to see what was in that direction.
Shortly after he came into a large room, presumably a storage unit, for all the things in there. Uninterested in his finding, he started walking away when he smelled an old familiar scent to his right. Hmm, if I'm not mistaken that smells like... He walked towards his newest finding interested if it was really what he thought it was. Paper! Oh, this cave is the best!. His parents taught him how to read a little English, being avid collectors of all things human. At his age, learning would be a lot more simple than as a pup. He meandered into the room, amazed at the mass of knowledge. I've never seen so many in one place. Wonder if they have a book to teach me more than I know. He gazed sadly at the bindings, mostly too illiterate to make sense out of them. Too bad for now, I could've read some of these for the rest of the day. He spent a little more time browsing thorough them, wondering if he can find a familiar book. "Probably won't remember how to read it anyways." he spoke absentmindedly to himself.
OOC: Pride is a very rude abrasive character. she acts that way with everyone but her mother. i did not mean to offend
Pride watched him go by, walking in with a slight shake. He was afraid! Afraid of moving through his own pack. That was an interesting development. She watched him move past, barely giving her a glance. Why? Was he scared of her as well? Or perhaps he was deciding that the best way to stop making himself look the fool was to stop talking. She let him go past before deciding to follow. It wasn't like it was dark enough to go outside anyways.
They walked some ways, Pride practicing her stealth at keeping out of notice as the pack member moved further through. She stepped into the storage as he did, gazing over the books. She'd read many of them before. Well, not all of them. There were too many to say that she had done that. A fair amount though. Not speaking to him Pride pulled off a book. If he was going to ignore her she might as well find something to read. Perhaps a book on herbs. Flipping it open Pride settled down, doing her best to contain a snort as he spoke aloud. One didn't just forget how to read. Once one knew how, the knowledge never went away. At least, that's what she thought.
OOC  lease ignore last night's OOC text. I tend to be unnecessarily rude and unforgiving when I'm tired. I need to remember that what pack members say isn't what the actual people are like. Probably one of the things that I struggle with the most.
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Lukos gave up the search for old favorites, and was about to leave when he noticed that someone was sitting down, reading a book. With the paper balancing out the smells a bit, he could recognize the scent from the stranger at the entrance coming from the same person in front of him. "Oh, it's you again. Not hiding in the shadows now?" he gave himself a frown thinking that didn't come out as he mean't. "Let me rephrase that. Hello again, how are you this fine day?" He muttered to himself, "That's no good either..."
Why is it whenever I talk to people everything I say sounds wrong? His eyes skimmed the bindings once more. I'll just blame it on being alone for so long, which defeats the purpose of joining a pack in the first place. He gave a small, inward sigh. Guess I just suck at being social. I talk to myself so much, it makes me wonder why I do. He looked at the white stranger behind him, rather intrigued. All white fur, except for her golden ear tips and above her nose. Even more interesting was that her eyes were also white. He's never seen anything like it, not even anything close to it. "I just have a harmless question for you. Did you follow me here, or did we just end up here at the same time out of pure coincidence? The latter seemed rather unlikely, but he thought that it was necessary if she didn't want to admit the former.
OOC: it's fine. lots have that problem 
Pride lifted her head from the book as the foolish wolf noticed her. He seemed a bit surprised. Was he always this oblivious to his surroundings? Pride imagined briefly the different ways that she could kill the wolf and drag him down. He was pack though, and she wasn't a murderer, trained as she might be as a warrior. She waited as he struggled with his words, digging through to figure out what he wanted to say. He really was a simpleton! Perhaps she should have left well enough alone, and just gone her own way.
Shaking her head Pride leaned against the cavern wall, feeling the cool stone against her back. I followed. It didn't seem safe to let a fool wander through the caves alone. They can be tricky to navigate. Many got lost in their time here. Not that it would be a great loss to the pack if this one decided to wander off and get himself starved. She was just curious to see what he would do, and make sure he didn't go anywhere he wasn't supposed to.
OOC:In broad daylight, Pride's attitude actually is a little amusing. Misguided, but amusing. I think that I'm not meta gaming, but not a hundred percent sure. Btw, congrats on getting community soul, whatever it is.
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He couldn't help but chuckle in spite of being called a fool. He was a little annoyed for the coyote's ignorance and mistaking disinterest for stupidity, but that couldn't be helped. His pack members had their opinions, and no matter how wrong or rude they were, he couldn't change that. "Well, fool or not, thanks for the concern." He had no doubt that the female would react to this comment negatively, but it had to be said. A man without manners wasn't worth being called a man. At least he thought so. Others may think differently, but yet again, that was their right as living beings. Saying intelligent might be a little too generous for some of these canines, though. "Since you probably haven't anything better to do besides stalk someone new to the caves, could you at least show me around so I don't need to be babysat the next time I come here?" He honestly didn't care about her feelings now, since it was apparent that she didn't either.
OOC: I try and thank you!
He found her remark surprisingly humorous. It had been a softened blow, and hearing him laugh about it just set her opinion of him down more firmly. Either he found his ignorance amusing, or he didn't realize that she was slighting him. Neither were traits she found particularly endearing. Pride simply stared over at him at his thanks. It hadn't been him she'd been worried about after all. It was the dangers that he posed to the other members of the pack, the ones she did have some level of caring about. Not much, but more than for him.
What? His words cut her, insulting her presence. It was true, Pride didn't have anything to do currently. That didn't mean that she had nothing better to do. She'd just went along on an impulse. Hackles partly raised Pride lifted her head proudly. You aren't new to the caves. Your scent tells me that much; you've been a member for a while and haven't bothered getting to know one of the most important areas of the pack. Why should I bother to aid someone who doesn't even put that much effort into the place they belong to?
OOC:Good point. Now for a counter post. This is pretty much a bulletproof story, if I may say so. Only about five percent is a little bias.
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He slowly turned his gaze at the female, hardening it into a glare. Theirs just no way to say something to most of the pack without sparking a retaliation, is there? Well, I knew that this question was going to pop up eventually, so I should just get it over with. He eased his glare into a more neutral look. "Let me just clear something up. My reluctance to come here wasn't out of laziness, it was out of fear." He started pacing back in forth, saying this more for himself than the coyote in front of him. "A couple days after I joined, I decided to grab a bow and practice some of my archery on the training grounds. Alaki was there sparring with a pack member, no big deal. As I walked by, I made a passing comment. A joke, really, and a harmless one at that. Little to my knowledge, he didn't like jokes, except from his mate, which was no where to be seen at the time."
Lukos stopped and faced the female, hoping she would actually care and not reverse this on him. "He pulled his sword on me, saying I wasn't respecting him enough. He had me on my back in the next five seconds, deciding whether or not to kill me then and their. His mate showed up, and he didn't even care. I realized, even if we are bound by blood, anyone could kill me whenever they feel like it, and their was no one to protect me from them. I mean, I could fight back, but the only weapon I've ever used was a bow. With almost all the pack using knives, swords, and other close ranged weapons, I would be dead if they came close." He started pacing again, wanting to rap up the story. "Thankfully, he lost interest almost immediately, in which I was able to walk away. My point is, I stayed away from the caves to avoid something like that again, fearing that I might not be so lucky next time. Even after he left, I didn't't have the courage to show my face here. Today was the day I mustered enough willpower to get here.". He turned and faced his audience. "And now I'm standing here, taking crap from you. I was hoping that this trip would be less dramatic, but that seems impossible here."
He sat down on a nearby couch, out of breath. "Now could do me a favor and stop being so pessimistic, for at least an hour? If that's too hard, could you at least try to be nicer? I really want to learn about this place, preferably in a peaceful way, without death threats and insults being hurled at me." He rested an arm on the side, tilting his head back a little, staring at the ceiling but keeping the female in view out of the bottom of his eyes. Please, just try to understand. This is the only place I have left to call home.
OOC: does it matter if it's biased? it's his viewpoint. well, biased would make it easier for Pride to insult him with
She stared right back, completely unshaken by the sharp glare he pointed in her direction. Most members of this pack were cold and callous. Raised here she had a tough shell. The kind members were the ones that were few and far between, though they were there. The coyote had learned from the best in how to keep herself untouched from the world as well, ready to fight against anything thrown her way. She had lived a good life, but she had her pride, and wasn't about to give in.
Fear? Mockery glistened in her eyes. He was afraid of his own pack? Perhaps he should have headed to somewhere more peaceful. Briefly Pride reflected on the other packs she knew about, realizing that she didn't actually know much about other packs. There was Inferni, and New Dawn, and Cercatori d'Arte. That was about the end of her reach with other packs. Perhaps she should get out there and visit them. Make sure that she was better acquainted with the various places. It would be useful, knowing who would make a good ally and who was an enemy.
As soon as he mentioned Alaki Pride understood his fear. The gruff warrior was an intimidating presence. The fact that he'd let his fear paralyze him wasn't something as easy to understand. Not to mention that there was no one in the pack that could kill a member without retaliation. Well, the leader could, but at that point each one had been responsible to report to the other. Physically harm the fool and lock him up, but not kill him.
A small smile tugged at her lips at the end of his story. So she had been getting to him. Her tail swayed brightly, enjoying the emotional avalanche she'd triggered from the older male. You would ask me to stop being myself? Pride paused, considering his tale again. You let fear paralyze you. A very foolish mistake. There's little room for forgiveness in this pack. If you truly feel so vulnerable, there are plenty here gifted with weapons that would help you learn how to fight. Pride could probably beat him up and haul him out of there, and she was younger than him! That was more than a little pathetic. She wanted to tell him to find a pack more suited to his soft nature, but she didn't know any. She really had to get out more.
OOC:That was quick. And with valid points too. This is one of my more longer posts.
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He looked down from his gaze at the ceiling, at the younger female. "I guess asking someone to change would be too much for some." He leveled his head to see her better. "You seem to forget that the only thing I had to defend myself with was a bow, which was useless because he already had me at sword point, and my fist and claws, which were also useless for the same reason. Besides, wouldn't you be scared if the one who was supposed to be your god could end then and there, with nothing you can do about it? Foolish it may be to let my guard down within the area supposedly to be a safe place, you can't tell me that you never made even a slight mistake. Everyone does sooner or later, and that's just how life works. I don't care about being forgiven, I care about staying alive, which is why I'm here. No one else would take me, not the Inferni, not Casa Di Cavalieri, and everywhere else was either too far or keeping their borders closed to newcomers, to my knowledge. I certainly wouldn't be able to live in the wild forever, and the last group that I was with kicked me out, so there was nowhere to go except here. Don't get me wrong, Anathema is a great place to live, once you are accepted, so it's not like I chose this place as a last resort."
He would've also mention that he didn't care for some of the members, but the coyote was among that list, so he kept his mouth shut. The last tid bit of the younger canine's lecture hadn't occurred to him before. Everyone here he knew were his good friend Lance, Naniko and Alaki, who are now gone, Charm, who he hasn't seen in a while, Malakai, who was a total jerk the first and last time they met, and Aeron, who was far too busy with the pack's problem's to help him. Everyone else he had little or no interaction with, so they probably wouldn't help a stranger. He taught Lance a couple things, and Lukos saw him practice swords with another wolf some time ago, so that's a potential option. The past pack leaders were gone, most likely for good, and Charm, well, he didn't see her as the violent warrior type. He didn't trust Malakai, who left a rather bad impression on Lukos on the day he joined. And Aeron, once again, had too much to do as a pack leader, so he didn't want to add to that list of things to do. Which left only Lance to really teach him something about melee weapons. They live so close together, but they haven't talked in a while. Wonder how he's doing... He came back from his deep thinking remembering that he was still talking to someone.
"Being pretty pathetic at close range combat, it would be a good idea to learn some things from other pack members. Right now, their's really only one person who I know would help me, which is another reason to come here. Though I doubt that I'm going to meet a lot of people who could help me if I don't know my way around. Guess that's the price you pay for being a hermit for so long.". He sat in silence, wondering how things would've been if he was a little less pathetic and more out going.
His gaze returned to where she was, Pride measuring him with care. Snorting she looked off. It wasn't that she couldn't change. Pride knew how to be polite. She just didn't see any need to expend the effort on him. She didn't feel like hiding who she was. From his words it sounded like he didn't understand what she had been talking about. What he did when held at sword point was logical, even understandable. Letting that keep him from reaching out to the rest of the pack and blocking himself off from such a central part of the pack was the mistake.
A giggle slipped through, hearing that many of the packs had turned him away. So he couldn't go to another place because they wouldn't accept him? That was too funny. So here he was, stuck with the rest of the canines that no one else would accept, either because they were too violent or because they were too strange for the others to accept. Pride was guessing that he was here due to the latter. Shrugging Pride turned, ready to be finished with this conversation. Well, you best hurry and learn your way around then. She'd be sticking close by to make sure that he didn't go anywhere he wasn't supposed to, but that was the extent of her hospitality.
OOC:This past weekend was a complete mess of staying up late and hyper-active friends.
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Lukos gave a grunt of annoyance, hearing the coyote giggle. "Yes, how funny that I should be denied by others, for one that has had a place to live in since birth. Oh well." Lukos stood up, ready to see the rest the caves have to offer. "You do speak of some truth. If I am going to be of any help to this pack, I'm going to need to know about the area and it's inhabitants. The best to that of course, is to get up and look for yourself." Walking towards the entrance thorough they came in, he stopped and looked at the girl one more time. "Thanks, for listening. It doesn't matter how you took it, or how much of and idiot it made me look. It needed to be said, more for me than you." And on that note, he walked out. Funny, the last time I spoke like that to someone, it was in the wild with Lance and those others. Now if I could only deal with other demons of my past like that. Moving down the pack storage on his left, he walked into the room he and the other pack members met for that meeting. A few were walking about, but not as many as last time. Now he could see other paths branching down more paths and hallways.
That female wasn't lying when she said that this place is tricky to navigate. If a enemy where to wander in wherem they could just simply starve if they didn't know the way out. He studied the room, keeping out of people's way in case they weren't in the mood to chat. On his left, he could see the way he came in before, which would be a good idea to keep in mind if someone started something. He doubted that the entire pack was like the female he was speaking to, but it never hurt to be cautious. Across the room, he could make out five other paths, in which three smelled the strongest of the pack. Undoubtedly that's where the rest of the pack lives, so it's likely that I'll run in to more people there. On his right, there where two more paths, that had the scent of food. Hmm, so many choices. Where should I start? He mulled over his options, deciding if he really wanted to talk to more people that day. He shook his head, remembering his own words. I can't help out if I don't even know the people who are supposed to be my family. i guess I'll see if I'm right about where everyone else lives.
Lukos walked for the far left tunnel, wondering who he might run into next.
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