Sankor's logic seemed perfect by his standards. Join the pack that Alexey had come from and they would be reunited with their long lost sister faster than if he jung around the borders from time to time waiting on her return. She didn't even know he was back and from the fighting that Ade and she had done she probably wouldn't search out the other Kiois lady as soon as she'd return. The mahogany hued male turned back towards his sibling that was reluctantly following him along. He gave her a slight smile as his paws slide through the snow softly, the border of the lands they would soon hopefully call home before him.
He really didn't know what to say to Ade, he knew that she wasn't one hundred percent happy about this idea but she hadn't had enough to argue against it, or she hadn't called him out when she had the chance. He knew she could still find some reason but he doubted that she would wait this long to do so.. but after the pain he'd caused her he wouldn't put it past the girl to get her own jabs in. He'd thought he'd been doing the right thing then and now he knew he hadn't, but this time everything about the idea seemed to be the perfect solution to it all. They didn't have to stay in a human home, they didn't have to be the world's most social creatures in the pack.. they just had to follow the rules and be likeable enough, right. No problem on his half, Ade.. he wasn't so sure of there.
Stopping along the edge of their lands he walked back and forth and waited for Ade who was taking her own sweet time in joining him at the border. He flicked his eyes back to where she was coming from as he smiled again, hoping that she wouldn't hold the grudge against him forever.. but he knew that a woman's scorn was a cruel cruel thing.. and this was only just the beginning.
[html]
The bushy tail of her brother was before her, swaying back and forth as he walked. Ade was content to let him lead the way, the idea of joining Dahlia de Mai had been his idea after all. After Sankor had let her burn off her negative emotions (in the form of an angry outburst) he had quietly suggested that if they were to wait on Lexey, which they were and they both knew this, it made the most sense to wait where she was most likely to return. This suggest, of course, had been met with resistance, but Adelaida was too tired from her previous attack on her brother to argue for long. Sankor won in the end, and Adelaida, begrudged, agreed to follow him. Ade saw the logic in his plan, but she still did not really want to integrate herself in the pack that she blamed for taking Alexey in the first place. The place which was full of shifters.
Sankor had been waiting for her for a while now, and Adelaida came up behind him, taking a seat not too close. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Adelaida turned her face from her brother, instead staring down at the markings on her legs, long chocolate boots that came up to her knees, the color of her fur matching the mask that covered her face. Adelaida had been born with the coat of a bandit, Sankor’s markings similar. Perhaps Alexey would not return to her two thieves, and then they would be in Dahlia de Mai waiting, waiting, waiting, for a long time.
[/html]
[html] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... banner.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
Yay~ Do we want to keep posting order? Or does it not matter?
500+
After the pack hunt, Cwmfen had returned to the den she had dug. She thought, perhaps, that she would be able to retire to this place every once in a while. The earth inside smelled delightful to the black female, and the natural quality of this dwelling would allow her to rest were the earth’s power was rooted. While she disliked small spaces, this place that she herself had made held a different, tolerable quality than that of the human edifices. When she did not wish to sleep deep in the earth, she would simply curl up in the crook of the tree’s roots, and that would be that. A simple, modest dwelling was fitting for the simple, modest woman. Quietly, she began to perfect the details of her abode.
Having tucked the Raven Spear deep within the chambers, the female crawled out of the earth and breathed the crisp air. The world was relatively warm for the winter seasons, but she was glad for the warm weather, as it provided a prime environment for her work. The white orbs quickly glanced about, falling lastly upon the bed of dirt that would soon accommodate her own supply of woad plants. Satisfied, the female leapt from the mouth of her abode, a swift and graceful movement, before she trotted over the book to take up the patrolling of the boarders. While Dahlia de Mai was growing, she still needed help in the matter of scouting the boarders, and the Head Warrior would do her part for the pack.
To the she-wolf’s dismay, she found that there was someone at the boarders. Cwmfen was not a wolf of many words, and she did not enjoy meeting new creatures. She was content with remaining on her own, occupying herself with self-training in the marital arts and other solitary activities. Yet, with a resolute sigh, the woad warrior turned her course to lead her to the boarders of the pack.
As the source of the scent grew near, the black female realized that she recognized one of the scents. Sankor. Her mind became calmer and her soul easier, for Sankor was no stranger to the black female. The woad-marked tail wagged as she trotted along the path, her movements as graceful as the shadows that hid her. The woad-marked female wondered who his companion—female companion, from the smell of it—was. But she would soon discover the answer to her question, for the two forms came into view.
"Sankor," the alto melody greeted quietly. The light-hearted, yet almost sad, smile was on her maw as she ceased several tail’s lengths from the invisible barrier. Perhaps he would notice (though the female doubted it, for many were hardly so keen to notice her subtle changes) that the black female he had met before was different, that she was grown now—a woman. There was a darker, accepting air about her, as if growing into maturity had put a great responsibility on her. She seemed every inch the warrior she was meant to be. "It’s nice to see you again." A brightness seemed to flicker within those white orbs.
Then she turned to regard the masked female, dipping her woad-bound maw in greeting. "Hello, I am Cwmfen nic Graine," she said, introducing herself. It was quite clear that the woad-marked female expected to receive a name in return. The observant eyes noted the similarity between the opposing male and female, and she suspected but failed to make the proper conclusion. The black tail swept the air once as she stood before the two, addressing them as if with a purpose. "What may I help you with?"
[/html]
--Kris, do we need a posting order really? or just at random?--
Sankor could do little more than lend her a smile and wait patiently while another came to their rescue. He knew that he should do as all joiners did and howl to the winds to announce they were there at the border but he was so nervous and so out of place, never before had he thought to belong to a pack much less really know how one was suppose to present themselves. Ade seemed to believe in him once again, even if it was filled with doubt and if only her belief was based on the thought that Alexey wound return to them in the end. A thought seemed to tickle the back of his mind the whole time, what were they going to do once she returned, steal her from the pack that had obviously become her home.. he hated to tell Ade but he didn't think it would work thatway.
Once more another smile was granted the sibling but the moment was broken as suddenly a voice rang out with his name. His ears rotated forward swiftly as his eyes brightened at the sight of the woad marked warrior who had become his friend one of the few times he'd ventured to the borders to try and find his tawny pelted sister. His tail thumped against the snow softly as his eyes twinkled as he greeted her in return. "Cwmfen! It's nice to see you.." Something about the woman was different but he couldn't place it. He was only a male and there was little you could actually blame on him for not knowing the ways of a woman. A shiver of excitement ran down his spine as he grinned back to his sister and looked forward to the ebony lass as well.
He was dense, but he knew that Cwmfen needed to know the truth of why they were here and so the male offered her the only thing he could grant this day. "We.. came for Alexey. If she's coming back she's coming home to your pack.. She doesn't even know I'm here.. and.. well.. it would be our surprise to her." It wasn't the whole truth but it sounded better than telling the woman that they were going to attempt to steal one of their own packmates out from under their nose before the season's changed. His bright eyes turned back to Ade as he waited to see if there was anything she had left to add.
[html]
Nah, we don’t really need a posting order. Ade’s craziness shines through!
Adelaida heard the approach of the female, so she was not startled by the voice, but she was rather surprised to know learn that Sankor knew the lady. Blazing blue eyes looking over the creature before them, one of the ones who called Dahlia home, and Adelaida looked back to Sankor, wondering why she felt so angry and insecure that her brother already knew the lady who introduced herself as Cwmfen nice Graine. It was illogical to think Sankor spent his time away from her alone, always alone, but Adelaida realized that part of her had thought exactly that. It hurt her to realize the truth.
The female friendly with Sankor, but more business like with her, and Adelaida cast her eyes away while she let her brother do the talking. It had been his idea, he could explain. Looking back to the female, making eye contact for only a quick second, Adelaida spoke in a near whisper. “Adelaida.” There wasn’t much more for her to add, Sankor could handle things. Even so, she had omitted her surname, hoping that the female wouldn’t know right away that her and Sankor were siblings. Unconsciously she moved closer to the male, refusing to really look at Cwmfen.
[/html]
[html] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... banner.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
Okay~
500+
Cwmfen’s black, woad-marked tail waved once behind her. She smiled at the male, pleased that he remembered her. She hoped that he meant what he said—that it was nice to see her again. The white orbs briefly caught the twinkle in his eyes as she peered deeper into them, and then she pulled out, looking only upon what the surface gave to her. That should have been enough to tell the black female of the genuine nature of his words, but sometimes the minds of females worked against them, and she let herself doubt. She did not even know why she was taking the time to wonder and notice—only to wonder again.
"Nice to meet you Adelaida," the female responded formally. She wondered what the masked female’s relation was to Sankor. The white orbs discretely watched as the other female closed the distance between her and the male. A small, almost imperceptible twinge of some hot emotion tickled her thoughts, but even she herself could not discern what it was. Inwardly, the warrior shook herself, hoping to return reason to her mind. Putting all such thoughts away, the black female took a sitting position, her black tail sweeping the snow covered earth to wrap about her woad banded paws.
She listened silently to what he had to say. The black ears pricked forward at the sound of that name. Alexey. The name of his sister, she reminded herself. The woad-marked female remembered back to when they had first met. The matter of his sister had been the reason for his arrival at the Dahlian boarders that day, and it seemed that it was so today. Cwmfen wondered when she would be back, for the name had been mentioned briefly even at the pack meeting. There seemed to be much concerning the sister of Sankor, and one day she hoped to meet her. Or perhaps she would just observe who she was, as she preferred to watch more than associate. Sankor spoke of surprising his sister, and the warrior was quick to understand what it was that he was asking.
"So you wish to join Dahlia de Mai in order to be reunited with your sister," the melodic tones stated. A soft smile flickered faintly across her maw. Family was important in both cultures that ran through her veins, and it seemed that it was so with the male—and female—before her. She did wish to allow them to join the pack immediately, but Dahlia was not her pack—it was Cercelee’s. She was sure that Cercelee would not mind if these wolves were to be permitted into the ranks, but she decided to go ahead and ask the standard question that frequented all such conversations.
"What can you two offer Dahlia?" The woad warrior’s head tilted as she inquired. There was a seriousness about her that transcended the friendship she had with the mahogany wolf. "A pack works like a legion, as you must know," the alto song began again, making the pack analogous to an army. "We’re only as good as our weakest legionnaire." A wry smile carved her maw. This was why she hated such social situations. It was not as if she were implying that Sankor and Adelaida were useless, that was not it at all. She was merely testing them, a meaningless test that meant nothing in the end, and yet everything.
War was easy for her. Kill them or spare them.
[/html]
Sankor listened as his sister softly gave her name and suddenly seemed to slink into his own shadow. He smiled at her softly before turning his warm brown eyes back to the ebony warrior that was greeting them. He curled his tail over his paws and settled in his place after having explained why there were there. He knew it seemed sort of silly and foolish to join a pack just to be with one's sibling, of course he had no clue how packs really worked. His family had natrually been a pack but they'd never held the hiearchy of one. He flicked his ears forwards as he waited to see just what Cwmfen would say to their request.
The soft smile he was granted as she asked once if that really was their wish. He returned the small flicker across his lips as he gazed back to Ade for a brief moment before saying firmly. "Yes, we'd like to join Dahlia de Mai.." He wished that Ade wouldn't hide so suddenly from the other woman but he knew well enough that it would take more that the lass asking her name and a friendly smile to coax her out of the shell. Nudging his masked sibling with a hindpaw he relaxed slightly, knowing the questions that would follow.
The male might not know much of packs but his time on the road had taught him a bit about how they functioned when new members were coming around. He wrinkled his nose as suddenly the woman who'd seemed so frail their last meeting had turned into a military sergeant. He almost wanted to laugh but instead a wash moved over his face as he thought about what skills he had. "We're a fair hand at hunting and stalking, we probably wouldn't be here right now if we weren't..." he winked at Cwmfen as he continued on. "I'm good at tracking and I've travelled the lands quite a bit." His eyes flickered back to his sister as he gave away the truth of it all. "These territories use to be our playground growing up.." It was sad and pathedic but when you knew the lands better than a pack that had recently found themselves on the lands.. you had a better hand to start off with than your opponent.
He lifted his eyes back to Cwmfen as he waited to see just what she had to say.
[html]
It was a reasonable question but it caused Adelaida to swell with insecurity and self pity. What could she do for Dahlia de Mai? Mope, feel sorry for herself, secretly hate each and every Luperci that she met. Yet Sankor's answer was smooth, and honest. Adelaida knew that, even if Sankor was more skilled, she could do most anything he could, they had, after all, been raised and taught together by their father. Adelaida flicked her ears as Sankor spoke of them growing up. It hinted toward their relations, but she said nothing, and she kept her eyes away from Cwmfen's.
Sankor would take care of everything, Adelaida thought, but a silence filled the air and Adelaida found herself speaking, voice timid and shaky, to fill it. "I do what needs to be done." It was true, she could follow directions, could do jobs others didn't wish to do. Perhaps they wouldn't agree, but Adelaida felt she was doing it right then. Sankor had asked something of her, and however begrudgedly, she was complying. She was here, she was trying to join.
[/html]
[html] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... banner.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
Bleh, I started school again today. Sorry for the suck, OnO
500+
She knew he wanted to join. She knew that he would be useful. But she felt that one could not skip over such formalities, such rites of passage, however small and insignificant they may seem, simply because one knew the other. She was fervently loyal to the friends that she made, and she trusted them. But she did not trust or believe in them blindly. She knew of the treacheries that lay in the hearts of all creates—the treacheries that lay in her own heart, lurking there in the dark. She knew that she could keep that treacherous entity at bay, no matter how strong the temptation or urge. But she was not so sure of others. Trust was a dangerous thing, and survival bid her not trust too deeply. To not love too deeply. It was her own doing, but she had chosen to live this solitary path.
Cwmfen listened silently as Sankor replied. Despite the wrinkling of his nose at her, the black female remained impassive. She did not respond to his physical body language although she bristled inside; for now, he was not the male that he had met at the boarders once a time ago, but a stranger whom she did not know. And she admitted that aside from their acquaintance and the conversation that had followed, she did not know much about the male, and so her seemingly cold display would not be too far from the truth. She hoped, however, that the mahogany male would not look too unkindly on her for this single meeting which meant so little and so much, and that his female companion would not judge too harshly.
Both Sankor and Adelaida had spoken, and the black warrior was swift in her response. "I meant no harm in the asking," the alto melody stated gently. "Just standard procedure." An amicable smile flickered across her woad-bound maw—and was gone. "I do believe that hunting will be useful. Once you reach the proper rank, you will be permitted to choose a co-rank. Perhaps hunting will be on your mind then too." Dahlia de Mai was growing suddenly with recent times, and more hunters, she suspected, would be needed to sustain a larger pack. Officially, she believed, only Slay occupied any hunting rank. She herself had considered joining him, but when the position of Warrior had been presented to her, she could not resist. She had a passion for that sort of thing. "If you are willing to take up the responsibilities of the pack, Dahlia de Mai will not refuse you." For now, at least, the boarders were still open.
However before she made it official, she glanced at both wolves before her, the white orbs inquisitive and holding a little bit of her older self. "Will joining this pack truly make you happy?" She asked quietly? At first, she did not know why she had asked such a thing in the first place. Surely it was not her place to know. And yet, as she had said, the pack worked as a team, and they were only as strong as the weakest link. They had to want to be there—sincerely—to protect the pack even if not always associating oneself with members at all times. Even she lived a relatively solitary life within the packlands, but she was diligent in her patrolling. She was a good little soldier.
[/html]
He knew there was reason behind the harshness of the woman who had once shared so much with him on such a strange day. He flicked his eyes back to his sister for a moment as he knew that Cwmfen was watching them. He really had no idea how their lives would change once they were accepted into the pack, if they were but he knew he would try with his whole heart to fit in. If Alexey had been able to make it there wouldn't be anything so horrible to make them turn on the members now could there be? He stared at his sister silently, knowing her rash panicked ways were not the same as his and that often she took things to the extreme. The words she granted Cwmfen seemed to be enough to show that though she was afraid she was willing to try to be what they wanted her to be..
Looking back to Cwmfen as she seemed to finally find her voice again Sankor was beginning to feel like a ball bouncing between the two females as though he wasn't even the one being judged here. One ear twitched at the thought as he tried to find a smile to return to the small one that Cwmfen had given him in a blink of the eye. When she began to speak of ranks and co-ranks he grinned and nodded. "It could be a possiblity.." he said as he wondered what other co-ranks existed in the pack, he was so oblivious to all these rules and customs, responsiblies and duties that exisited for packmates.. things that once were natural to survive, atleast the barebones of it all. She spoke once more of the pack and it's ways and their admittance as he looked back to Adelaida. This had been his idea but he didn't want Ade to feel like she was being dragged into this all. He knew she was uncomfortable but he also knew she would rather be with them than alone.
Suddenly he catch the strange glance of Cwmfen on the two of them as she interupted the silence. His cone shaped ears scooped forward to listen to the words that she was asking as he sat there with his brows furrowed. There was slight irritation under his skin at the question, knowing that it was really none of her business what or where he found happiness. Straightening up Sankor answered honestly. "One would never know until they tried to find happiness..." He smiled at Adelaida for a brief moment as he continued. "I hear it's often in the last place you look.. and this would probably be the last place." The male had wandered the roads across unknown lands and though he'd been content with life he had yet to find that perfect happiness.
[html] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... banner.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
Is it okay if I accept them right here? ^=^;; *Is new to greeting joiners* If not, I can just edit it, ^=^
700+
Sankor was silent for a moment as he turned to Adelaida. For a moment, the white orbs took in the sight of the male, wondering why she seemed to care so much about what he might think of her. But she found that she wasn’t quite sure. Before, she had been curious and younger. She had been seeking something permanent in her life. But after her Long Nights, she had felt a change come over her. Her initial curiosity had been satisfied by Haku, and so her search for that permanent entity took on a feeling of being sated, if only for the moment. She was taking that road more slowly, tactfully considering what came into her life, quietly knowing that when that search ended, the end would come abruptly.
Cwmfen’s ears pricked forward as the mahogany male spoke. A possibility, he had said. She nodded silently, imperceptibly, once in approval. While it was not necessarily required for all members to take up such roles, it had been made known that it was encouraged. While Sankor’s diction implied that it was not a certainty, his smile and the comment itself told her that he was at least considering this possibility. It showed her what she needed to see to decide whether to make this decision final. The woad-marked female understood how impactful this decision was for the two. When she had first joined Dahlia, she had come running from where she had hailed, and she had needed the protection of a pack. She had wandered about the lands briefly, sniffing at the boarders before finally settling upon the floral-named pack, and even as Haku had admitted her at the boarders, she had wondered at her choice. Did she truly want to be there? She was not a social creature, and she did not want her decision to join to be solely based on her own selfish need for security. But as time had passed, she had grown accustom to the ways of the pack, and she had found that she enjoyed it. While she continued to live life solitarily, the occasional company that she did share was a pleasure. And so she hoped that the two before her would find that they could belong to a pack without completely changing their ways. But she was silent still, wondering at the answer she would receive upon her latter inquiry.
Her inquiry had seemed to cause the mahogany male discontent, which in turn made her discontent. She did not enjoy causing people any sort of discontent needlessly if she could help it. Such a simple question that had brought on some greater response. Perhaps her social skills had not improved at all. Perhaps thinking that they had had only worsened them, a regression that she would most sincerely regret. Letting out her breath slowly, the woad-marked warrior released her frustration with herself, gazing momentarily at the snow covered earth. Content with his answer she looked up at the two, an amiable smile upon her woad-bound maw.
"Welcome to Dahlia de Mai," the silver alto tones were lighter, dancing once more upon the cold air. "You will be ranked as Felix for now. Once you obtain the rank of Circèe, you may take up a co-rank, should you choose to do so. Currently, we have hunters, scouts, and warriors. But there is also a musician and a diplomat." She paused briefly to separate her thoughts. "I am the Head Warrior here. Slay is the Head Hunter, and Haku, who is also Lilium, is the Head Scout. When the time comes, you may first wish to find one of us to see what it is that must be done, though it isn’t necessary." Then, as an after though, she added, "Cercelee is Dahlia’s Rosea." She remembered that no one had told her who the alpha of the pack was, and she had met her quite by accident. Luckily, it had not been an unpleasant experience. Rising, the black female smiled. Briefly she glanced up at the heavens as the silhouette of the Raven passed over them. Contentedly, the woad-marked tail waved once behind her. "You say that you already know these lands well, so I won’t suggest that you acquaint yourself with them. But perhaps a familiar exploration would be pleasant." She was not ordering them, merely offering a thoughtful suggestion—or at least what she considered ‘thoughtful’. Feeling that she had concluded matters decently, she turned about fluidly and trotted away.
"If you need anything, just find me," the soft tones sang softly as she looked over her shoulder. She spoke to both wolves, but the white orbs had fallen ultimately upon Sankor. But before any could respond, she had already disappeared from view, the Raven crawing as he shifted his course to shadow the woad warrior.
[/html]
|
