Bartering for the life of another
#1
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Don't think it's far now. Muscles in his thighs aching, Dawali wondered whether he should rest for the night or push on and get it over with. The latter was probably the better idea, especially since he was already so close to the border now that he might as well. It'd be strange, probably, for a pack member to encounter him here tomorrow, sitting under his fur-skin as shelter and talking to the horse, when he was this close. For some reason Dawali didn't find it very polite. So, despite it drawing near to evening, Dawali pulled the reins of the horse, leading it behind him until he reached a point where he'd say he was just around the border somewhere. Gvihita came soaring down from the skies just as he stopped - impeccable timing as ever. She looked at him, noticing how he was tired, and shut her mouth. Otherwise she'd probably have had something rude to say like always, but she could be kind sometimes. Glancing at her just as she turned her head the other way to look at something more interesting, he smiled. She probably didn't see it, but she'd know. She always did have a way to know what was going on in his head.

Quickly lifting his head to the skies, Dawali let out a long tone, clearly a request, but a polite one. An inquiry, perhaps. He was hoping to have someone quite highly ranked straight away - it was easier than to have to camp the night and look into it the day after. While waiting for someone to come, he went to the nearest tree and fastened the reins to it. Reaching into a few of the crudely made bags that were strapped around the animal, Dawali found a few fish, and the stone he used for making fires. In that same bag lay the things he was going to trade with, should they want to trade with him at all. He had some glass beads they'd bought from European merchants - they had adopted all sorts of fancy human skills, including glass-making. There were also a few metal ornaments, little chains with rocks on them looking very fragile, and lastly a few larger skin bags. If a male came, perhaps he would be more interested in the last item, but Dawali hoped he would not be. Mischka had made them - she'd been very skilled at making anything out of hides and skins - and they were well crafted and quite valuable because of this. Perhaps exactly to anyone who also held animals, as they were handy for having the food in. A femme would be interested in the beads, surely. And he had more of those, and none of personal value, so he sat down with a few twigs and two rocks, starting to make a fire, hoping a female would come along - for once.



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#2
ooc- fine you get the blind one! Since she'd be more interested in talking to someone with a birdie than DaVi would. Big Grin She wants a horse.. not for her, but the stupid stallion they have at the farm. He needs a friend. >:E

Iskata had been out late that night, her paws walking her along the edge of the packlands alone for once. DaVinci's two children had finally begged their father to let them returned to the porttown to see their mother and for some reason or another he had agreed. Iskata hadn't asked but she'd been there to see the young ones off before returning to her cabin and laying by the fire. The silence of the house was too much, Zana, Skylar and Tyrone were all missing and the woman wouldn't admit it, but she was beginning to miss her last born child even after all the pain and suffering that she'd been though and the child as well. She'd taken a short nap before deciding that there was nothing left in the cabin for her to do so she'd slowly and surely found her way to the edge of the pack borders, trying her paws out at keeping her ears alert for the sounds of strangers and her nose sharp.

The blindness the woman suffered was slowly beginning to fade from her life as she seemed to forget every day that she'd ever even had such a trait. Her ears had caught the sound of a horse nickering and for a moment she was rather confused. She stopped in her tracks and paused to try and think of just where she was at, knowing she wasn't too close to hear the stallion in the fields back at the farmstead. It took her a mere moment to catch the scent of the male, she had known the scent once, a woman had come then belonging to a new tribe that wished to set up within the lands, seeking friendship along the native packs. She had seemed friendly enough though Iskata had no clue of what had happened to the tribe but now atleast here was another.

She paced along the trail til she could hear the sounds of camp being set up clearly, moving cautiously the woman called out softly. "Who's there.." She could smell the scent of fire and though she could feel the heat of it just barely she stayed a distance away, still leary of getting to close to what she didn't know was there, everysince the accident.
#3
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Sorry for any bad spelling, my spellcheck has died on me :/


Sitting down, warming his hands on the fire, Dawali had just begun to fill a cup-like, hammered piece of metal with snow, thinking to boil it over the fire for a nice hot drink. As his hands were doing this, his senses noticed a change of smell, and soft noises from the direction of the packlands. Someone was coming? His hands stopped doing their task, ears listening for the smallest of sounds, and head turned so he could look into the vegetation. Something was moving, slowly, carefully, and coming in his direction. The smell spoke of a female - yes! Perhaps, if she was representative of the pack, she would want to trade him for the beads! Still he wished to hold on to the large leather bags, but he knew it was not really that realistic. Estimating how far away the female was, and by the speed she was moving at, he decided to finish his project of the boilt water, and then wait for her. And he didexactly that. Making sure the cup was filled and hard-packed with snow he put it next to one of the rocks that made the ring around his fireplace, sat down on one of the previously mentioned bags and warmed his hands while waiting. It was cold, and evening was approaching, which didn't lessen his need for heat. Hopefully this whole ordeal would be swiftly over with and he could set up his camp properly, not having to worry about anyone mistaking him for an intruder. Everything was more comfortable the second he had a roof of any sort over his head, and some furs to lay his body on. Shaking slightly, he couldn't believe how some still slept on the ground, which had to be freezing cold this time of year. Humid air left his mouth and steadily formed clouds that evaporated into the evening air above his head, snow beginning to settle on his shoulders as a tiny blanket. Patient as ever, Dawali still wished she would come soon.


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#4
Iskata was slightly annoyed when no voice spoke up in the darkness. She flicked her tail back and forth as she took another step forward and slowly began to make her way closer and closer to the scent of the fire. She rose her head up as she exclaimed. "Whoever you are.. you're not making this easy on me.." Iskata decided to change her tactic on how close she moved and instead of moving to the source of the fire she circled around towards where the scent of horse was coming from. She grumbled to herself as she slunk close to the ground, the once proud woman was atleast attempting to gain some balance in her life by acting normal, too bad normal wasn't really what she was anymore.

She lifted her head again as she drew herself up to the scent of horse, the stamp and snort of the animal making her wonder just what she thought she was doing trying to find a stranger at their borders. Sitting up and wrapping her tail over her injured hindleg she spoke dryly as she waited to see what the stranger would say. "What do I have to do to get some attention here.." Iskata normally wasn't the one to demand attention but right about now she needed attention to make it through the world. It was an irritation but she would have to live with it since she wasn't about to be dying anytime soon.
#5
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It seemed the evening's events were rather blatantly calling out to him one by one. First, it was the foreign sound of a stranger's howl, though gentle and non-threatening it seemed. The Patriarch soon stood two-legged and on his way, grumbling and swearing to himself as he went. He could never be ensured that DaVinci would tend to such tedious things, and thus he was often stuck seeing to them himself. He couldn't blame the silver-furred idiot of a subleader, though; he had his own problems, whether it was keeping mind of his children or figuring things out with Ryan, he was always busy. DaVinci managed to help out when he could, and whatever he managed to do was enough to keep Jefferson out of his hair, anyway.


Shortly after the reverberation of the howl over the evening's chilly January air, the cyclops nearly choked on the sudden and unexpected inhalation of smoke, which (of course) made him move a little faster and had his expression set in a twisted scowl. Whoever it was that was romping around on his land and building campfires, they'd had better had a good explanation for it. Not only that, but when he came across the blind ex-Matriarch wandering around in search of the culprit and evidently frustrated by their lack of response, Jefferson's scowl thickened. She was moving around blind, with an injured back leg no less. The brute wasn't especially pleased. Of course, he said nothing to her but stepped past rather blatantly, pace quickened and heavy due to his now pushed temper. She would recognize his distinguishable gait, of course, and thus no real dialogue between the two was needed.


When the embers of the fire fell into view and the heat began to burn at his face, Jefferson peered his thick green eye down at the seated stranger, slowly becoming a live snowman under the falling flakes. As always, Jefferson managed to approach at the wrong angle (and could have cared less), now standing behind the intruder with a flaring green eye and a terrible frown on his face. "You stand on my lands and ignore who greets you even though she's blind," he hissed grimly, no introduction or greeting included whatsoever, "and you build fires. You'd better have some goddamn good reasons. Get on your damn feet."


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#6
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hoh! Actually had dialogue directed at Iskata written, but must have missed it when I pasted in here. Turn of events became interesting enough though Tongue


He had not heard her the first time around, and when he did, he had been trying to spot her through the vegetation, yellow eyes staring into bushes and trees. She appeared finally, but not alone. The sound from the fire had clouded his hearing, thus the male that approached him from behind wasn't noticed until he spoke. At the sound of him, Dawali jumped up from his seating and swirled around, clearly startled and uncertain about this scorning he'd just received. He was new - he knew no-one, and he did not know what was accepted along the borders of another pack. And his intentions were pure, so why was he so angry? He had harmed no one, and how would he guess that the femme was blind? He was no psychic, after all. Stuttering, Dawali was confused, and felt somewhat hurt to the reactions towards him. An anger at being unjustly treated began to rise within him, but he quenched it. For all he knew he had violated a lot of unwritten rules, and he was the fool. But there was still no need to shout at people before hearing them out, he always thought. Yellow eyes looked at the strangely scarred and weathered-looking male in front of him, and he quickly drew the conclusion that the male would be someone high-ranked. He kept himself that way, at least, especially with that demanding attitude. So he'd gotten what he hoped for, just not exactly. The red wolf male gathered himself, and gesticulated vaguely with his hands as he spoke, calmly and clearly.


I am sorry. I did not mean any harm, nor did I know the female was blind. Turning slightly, Dawali nodded to the female, as if she could see him, as a polite gesture. I thought it polite to wait for her, since this land isn't mine. And I built a fire because it is cold, and my horse and I have traveled far to meet you, thus she was thirsty and I thought she deserved it.


His voice was apologetic, but explaining, and he kept himself at a humble pose, tail still, hanging right down with the tip pointing slightly forward between his long legs. His head was bent forward, nose pointing at an angle to the ground, and he kept his eyes away from the male once he was done explaining himself. However, this male would soon find out that if he kept that attitude up, Dawali had the means and the will to fight him. The scars on them both told him they had been in a fight or two themselves, but Dawali did not fear that. Despite being on their lands, he had done nothing wrong, and there were ancient rules about honor that lived within his veins. However, if they would just be a little more open towards him, there would be no need to fight about anything at all.




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#7
Iskata had not needed or wanted Jefferson's help in dealing with the stranger and she wasn't pleased when the Patriarch's voice rang out as he seemed to rush over her and take hold of the whole situation. She felt her heckles rise slightly as she turned her sightless eyes back and forth between the two figures. She was being ignored it seemed and yet spoken of as though she was a child as well. Her voice was dry as she spoke up. "Address me as though there was nothing wrong with me. I can't see but nothing else is wrong with me." So she lied, there were other things wrong with the woman but she was not about to be short changed. She'd just started to get back on track and this stupid sort of actions were not helping her find her way.

While Jefferson was the leader of the pack now she could still speak and she would ask the male questions. Her concern for this pack was just as much as Jefferson's. "Why have you travelled to Phoenix Valley. I've spoken with your leader once and it was moons ago.." There were certain things that she knew that Jefferson didn't, he'd probably grumble and moan about her not sharing this information with him later but she wasn't going to play any games right now. She was rather curious and the stranger had grabbed her attention finally.
#8
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The one-eyed brute found himself rather grateful that the fallen-from-grace Whilom could not see him roll his eyes when she marched on up after him and started demanding questions. She didn't quite annoy him, no, and he was somewhat pleasantly surprised that she was assuming her older demeanor and behavior, but he'd never really liked being interrupted in the first place. Not only that, but the woman knew she was blind and handicapped, but she was still attacking and following strangers without even knowing what monstrosities could have lurked there or that she might have been set up for another trap. She didn't need protecting, he knew, but... she did need to be more careful, or there wouldn't been an Iskata around to test him, soon enough. He stifled the shudder that resulted at that concept.


He had nodded comfortably at Dawali's answer, mostly because the foreigner had a gentle tongue and demeanor about him. He seemed to pose little threat, and had ventured to their lands for some particular reason, be it a mission or a request of some kind. And after all, Jefferson considered it somewhat brave for any unknowing creature to go waltzing onto his lands if they knew of Phoenix Valley's two leaders and their rather... inexcusable behavioral patterns, or something to that extent. Then again, if people were traipsing around on Phoenix Valley lands for no particular reason, well, then they were just foolish. "Let's start with your name," Jefferson muttered, giving Iskata a look of knowing sarcasm that, although she couldn't see it, she probably would have expected anyway. His tone and temper had settled, satisfied with the stranger's behavior and answers thus far, and thus Jefferson adapted to his more usual self--a gruff, sarcastic asshole who was slightly more amiable than usual. "I'm Jefferson, Patriarch here. This is Iskata... she's just nosey."

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#9
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Gvihita appeared on his shoulder, feathers bristling with anger at their unjust treatment of him, although he sent her a mental note to calm down. He didn't hold any mental powers, however, and naturally she would not get his "message", but she calmed down in a few moments, noticing his own lack of agitation. She was not visible to the others present, naturally, even if she could have been had she wanted to. Pinching his shoulder with her claws (again something she chose to do, since nothing - no laws of any kind - bound her to having a material form at all. It was simply her way of letting him know where she was, and she also slightly enjoyed the reward of his irritation), she seemed to quench a squeak, before she took off again - bored with the lack of his humiliation.


The femme presented him with a question, and also a slight reprimand for not addressing her properly (how could he, when he did not know her name until now?), but the angry male in front of him spoke again before any words could exit Dawali's mouth. He craved a name, something which Dawali could easily offer, and also provided him with their names and the male's rank. So he had been right! He was highly ranked - something which explained his behavior towards the femme, too. He had seemed to calm down a fair bit as the red wolf had been speaking, and it made Dawali all the more confident that the meeting would prove successful, despite a rough start. This, in turn, meant that the situation now was more formal than it would have been otherwise, and thus Dawali offered one of his more formal titles, as custom forced him to. Just as he opened his mouth and turned slightly so he could look at both the wolves present, despite the blindness of the female, he thought it wise to add his casual name as well. After all, few would know who they were talking about ,should they ever seek him, if not.


Very pleased to meet you Jefferson, and Iskata. I am Tsugi Amara, or more commonly called Dawali, sub-leader and Bone Bearer of the AniWaya tribe quite far to the southwest. As he said their names he nodded to each of them, again forgetting that Iskata couldn't see him. He just wasn't used to blindness, and uncertainty crept into him for a second before he let it go. Hopefully she would understand his good intentions sooner or later, and he could begin to help this along by answering her question. I've come here hoping to trade with you. A stranger, from Dahlia de Mai, told me maybe a moon back that you keep horses and stock. Mine are in grave need of food, and my pack don't have the numbers of adults to support them through plain labor. Unfortunately we settled here too late for crops this year.



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#10
Iskata turned those sightless eyes towards Jefferson as she glared at the male with the words that he granted about her. She snorted and commented dryly. "Yes, I'm nosey. Only because before you became leader I spent my days as your Matriarch performing the same duties you do today." The stolen glare at the male was given up on as she shook her head and tried to ignore the grumpy frumpy nephew of her's.

The stranger began to speak of a member from Dahlia de Mai who had granted him some inside information on the fact that Phoenix Valley kept lifestock and had actually spent the time to collect grains and food for the herd. She wondered why the leader of the tribe hadn't spent her pack's time that summer doing the same, she'd had plans to stick around in the summer when Iskata had spoken to her and yet they hadn't done anything for their herds. She snorted as the male explained everything and grumbled under her breath about how everyone seemed to wait til last minute. Her ears pinned back slightly as she sighed to herself.

The silver and gold woman knew that she really should just turn the whole even over to Jefferson but she'd met the stranger first and she had been the one who had done most of the work during the summer months to make certain that the pack's lifestock would survive the winter. She asked the question that had been on her mind as she waited for Jefferson to push her aside again. "Why didn't Ayegali put your people to work while you were trying to find a new place to settle.." it seemed like the simple solution to her, and it probably would have kept the bored packmates doing something atleast while the older higher ranked members assisted the leader in finding the perfect home for their future. "Just curious.." Iskata grumbled.
#11
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Jefferson straightened a little, shifting almost uncomfortably at the stranger's words. He hadn't expected any such questions to be asked, concerning livestock and the like, but he was still new to the whole... leading packs thing, after all. He had to make the decision, even if Iskata was itching to--and she was--and if something went wrong, it fell on his shoulders. Perhaps it was the first time this had happened to him, the first time the responsibility occurred to him. Bah.


Dawali mentioned AniWaya and, as Jefferson had expected, served as some sort of leader for their tribe. The cyclops had little experience with the group, believing them to have been a more recent gathering and newer than Crimson Dreams, of whom he still had little experience... other than Geneva, he supposed. He'd met someone from AniWaya though... Ember Phoenix? Right, and he had thought about going to visit her as well. The tribe couldn't have been that bad, but Jefferson still knew relatively little about them. Jefferson gave the ex-Matriarch a puzzled look at her words, as if she didn't know what she was talking about, but decided against addressing her about it. "I don't know anything about your tribe," the Patriarch said cautiously, shrugging his shoulders. "How do I know you can be trusted?"

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#12
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This is long, I'm sorry. I do these things when there is a lot of dialogue to cover...
Word Count: 771



The blind female threw comments at her leader, and Dawali quickly understood their close relationship. They must have one; they were behaving much like an old married couple would, throwing comments at each other yet still taking comfort in each others' presence. If these two did not like each other he would notice, he was sure. These comments he did not linger by, but let them pass - they were none of his business. He was also facing two very dominating figures in this pack, it seemed, and he would do well to not interfere with with any conflict between them. After all - he was an outsider, as the one-eyed male quickly pointed out; there was a problem of trust. However, the femme had presented him with a very curious question first, and it did puzzle Dawali as well (aside from the fact that Ayegali had already had contact with this pack, yet not let that on to anyone else, or so it seemed). Frankly, the behavior of his leader, Ayegali, had puzzled him ever since she had made a stop here. A stop which would, eventually, lead to their permanent settling, although she had taken a good amount of time to decide this. Perhaps news of the storm the others had been caught in was the final argument to stay here, so they would have some sort of a stable welcoming once they returned to the rest of them. He did not know. Turning his head towards the female, who he knew very well could not see him, he let his eyes drop to the ground for a second before letting them rest just between her eyes, unsure where to look otherwise. "To be honest, Iskata, I too have asked myself the very same thing. But I was not sub-leader at the time, and it was not up to me to question the decisions of our leadership." He paused, before continuing with another pair of sentences. This part of the encounter was not what concerned him the most, but he would answer as best he could if it would satisfy the femme, who seemed to be ex-leader of the lot that lived here. "I do not think she meant for us to settle here permanently, really, until news of our relatives who were coming after us in a separate party reached her. They are stuck in a storm, or some trouble of the sort. Many of us have gone back to help them."


Now came the turn for the one-eyed male's question. How could he trust Dawali? Courteous behavior and a calm appearance was easy to fake, and he was wise not to immediately take him as a good wolf. Dawali knew too well the possible consequences of bestowing one's trust onto one's neighbors too easily. His yellow eyes looked the male directly in the eye(s) as he spoke, confident, hoping he would know that he was not lying. Deceit was not one of the things a true man of the tribe would do, and thus Dawali would enlighten him on two things. Both should suffice, he hoped. "You do well in doubting me. Hopefully, the information I offer you will ease your mind. We have, currently, only two warriors, where merely one is skilled with the traditional weapons of our lifestyle. We have only two scouts, but three members capable of medicine. Most of our members are young, inexperienced, and only three of us are from the tribe originally; My leader, my daughter, and myself." By shedding light onto AniWaya's weaknesses he offered the male to trust him, and also offered his own trust to this pack. "We are weak - have no means to attack you." He was giving away information he should not, although in his position he was trusted to act correctly. Thus, he trusted the pack would not attack his tribe after learning of this. This was one proof of his honesty. Another was their traditions. "In addition, our traditions and ways prohibit us from violent behavior. Any crime comitted against, say your pack, would give you the rights to return this crime with full force - especially in the event of a murder or rape. The criminal is put to justice, so to speak - and these lands are too small to prevent news from traveling." Dawali's yellow eyes studied the single one in front of him, hoping his answers would satisfy the matriarch. They were both gruff, these two, but they seemed dedicated to their pack, and that was one sign of a good person, or at least Dawali thought so.




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#13
The Silver and gold woman could tell when she wasn't needed or wanted, and both males were showing her that just now in their own little ways. She couldn't help but flick her ears back and grumble under her breath as Jefferson seemed to push past her words and take control. The Wilom wasn't use to being ignored and now that she was being put into her place and role in the pack as a retired packmember she could feel the bitterness of the cold as well as the upside to the rank. She just shook her head and sighed at the answers the stranger had finally granted her. Basically just air, and air wouldn't feed much of anyone. "Well I can tell there's not much more I could really be of help with.." she said with a show of drawing out her words as she paced away a bit, not out of earshot but still aways away to let the boys go about their business. "I'll just be entertaining myseeellf." she called as she glanced over her shoulder, eyes not seeing but knowing where the men stood.

Before settling down she wandered closer to the scent of the horse, the calm creature making her wonder as she lay on her belly and moved closer. Suddenly she was still and just lay her head down as she waited, knowing sooner or later the foolish animal like the cattle in the field would come over to investigate her. She hadn't been around horses in a while and she wondered why these ones choose to trust wolves, though she doubted the dull beasts would give her an answer.
#14
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When it came to Phoenix Valley and a means for defense, well, Jefferson had little faith in his members. It wasn't that he didn't know anything about them, no, he just knew that they would be relatively worthless in the face of some sort of raid. Pendzez and Allegro were both soft and foolish; they hadn't the wisdom needed to survive an actual battle, which was probably why they'd paired up and ogling each other somewhere he'd made a conscious decision not to venture towards for the sake of his sanity. Whinifred was probably the brawniest girl he'd seen in Phoenix Valley, but even she was some sort of delicate little flower stained one way or another. She had others do her dirty work. There was respect in that somewhere, but it wouldn't be of use in war. Iskata... spoke for herself. She could whine someone to death, quite possibly. He and DaVinci could have held their own perfectly well; the two would make a great team, should the need ever arise. Jefferson took the time to devote that to memory, that is, until Iskata mumbled something he'd expected from her eventually and skulked off. He rolled his eye, sighed, and turned back to the gentle-tongued foreigner.



"Phoenix Valley is little threat," he said quietly, shrugging his shoulders.
"We don't have any enemies; the other packs tend to leave us alone. We're just a bunch of misfits and dreamers put together. Our enemies would have to worry about my subleader and I, that's all." He trusted Dawali, somehow, as if forming some sort of respectable boundary between the two without needed to mention it outright. He gave the concept some thought, offered a slight smile, and looked at the stranger a bit more confidently. "I don't mind a trade... or an alliance, at that. You and your pack seem friendly enough." He personally had no reservations about any other pack in particular; in fact, he'd managed to meet a kind face from each of them... that was, except Inferni. He'd heard some rumors about them and knew to be cautious, but the clan itself had yet to give him any sort of impression. One could be cautious, though. "Our pack is still a small one... we have food to spare, though I don't know what you were planning for an exchange."

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#15
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Word Count: 467


The female seemed dissatisfied with his answer and wandered off to - seemingly - spend time with the horse instead. He followed her with his eyes, and when he saw that she approached Bella he quietly gave her a warning. Bella was not always tolerant with unshifted wolves. "Be careful, she doesn't like the four-legged form much." Obviously she didn't want to be part of the conversation, and thus Dawali let her exclude herself, looking back to the one-eyed male. He seemed to choose his words carefully, and the subconscious (perhaps) actions of his body told Dawali that he was not attempting deceit. His demeanor seemed to become milder and more positive by every sentence the two males exchanged, and when he finally admitted that he would agree with a trade Dawali felt relief sink into his body for sure. So, the youngest horses would not need to die. Whoever had made sure the females shared a stable with a male during a time where mating wasn't allowed was unknown, but Dawali was not happy with it. The result had been foals in a bad time of the year, a time where they would normally have to worry mostly about themselves, not the stock. Ah well, if it all got sorted now he could push it out of his mind. Smiling, his yellow eyes sought the one green in front of him, as he spoke, optimistic. "An alliance would be great, it should ensure friendship between our members. And hopefully that would mean we could cooperate with each other on other occasions." Another one of those formal, two-second lasting bows was directed at Jefferson, until he continued to speak. "Should you ever need help we will assist you, that's my word."


The matriarch wanted to know what he had to offer for trade, and whilst glancing back to the bag on the horse, Dawali sighed mentally. It wasn't much, now that he thought about it. Food was more important than what he could offer them, as it seemed they weren't that interested in decorating themselves, nor building huts. Yellow eyes lingered on the horse and its cargo for a few seconds while he thought about what to say. Hopefully the male would see some importance in his useless items? "For trading.. I have brought with me a few things.. I have some glass pearls and other ornaments which I thought perhaps the women might find interesting... I also have three large leather bags which might be useful for handling or storing food, and I think also one skin that's very nice for a bed. " Looking to the other he hoped it would not be disappointing. If they were of no interest,however, Dawali could offer them meats or services, or tools. He just hadn't brought them here.



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#16
"Pfah!" Iskata just flicked her ears back at the male and snorted. She'd been around horses enough to know how they acted. She'd normally wouldn't have approached the creature in this form but she seemed to be stuck like this unless she wanted to be even more useless than she was now. Crawling closer to the horse the sightless lady paused when she heard the warning snort from the animal and the stomp of one hoof. She lay her head down on her paws again and soon she could feel the hot breath of the beast of burden above her. She knew the horse was examining her, sniffing and poking at her pelt. She doubted the beast knew that she was a hopeless useless thing that couldn't hurt her but Iskata didn't care. She could feel the whiskers of the horse along her tattered ears, the two twin points quivering as she tried to keep from flicking them when they were brushed softly.

While the horse continued examining her and she sat patiently in the snow she listened to what the males spoke of, hoping that Jefferson wasn't going to be stupid enough to trade off their grains and grasses for something that the pack wouldn't get any use out of. She quietly wished that she could ask for one of the horses, but she knew that the life of one of their beasts probably wasn't worth the fodder to fed the stock for the winter, though in her eyes she believed that it was a worthy investment. She knew she might not be able to care and tend to the horse now but Skylar had always been so transfixed by the stallion mustang in the meadow and she believed that her granddaughter would have loved to have a horse of her own. It wasn't her choice to make though she reminded herself as she realized that the horse must have gone back to forging the small area as she turned her head back towards the males, almost to show that she hadn't had her brains kicked in, weren't they so proud of her. Childish yes, but they were the ones treating her like a kid, she might as well act like one.
#17
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He nodded patiently as the male spoke, cautiously heeding his words. Dawali's offerings were somewhat trite and cute; had Jefferson been a few years younger and easily delighted, he might've squealed in the face of such glittering and shining objects, but at his age and demeanor, that wasn't quite the case. The skin and bags could be of definite use one way or another, but his interest in the pearls and the like ran thin. There had been a time when Phoenix Valley was overrun by males--the only females had been the leader and ex-leader--should that happen again, of course, pearls and the like would hardly be something to hold onto. He considered the thought, though, and what opportunities or possibilities he could've used them for.


"Leather and skins can always be put to good use," he shrugged. "Not sure how we'd use the rest. Usually the pack runs low on women, somehow." Jefferson snickered somewhat, then turned his shoulder to glance at Iskata, knowing that she felt babysat and unconsidered in their decision making. She looked like she'd been in deep thought, somewhat, and paid more attention to the horse than he might've expected. "How many horses do you have, Dawali?"

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#18
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Word Count: 343


Iskata scoffed at his words, although they were meant as a genuine warning. Often Bella had acted very nervously even at himself when in the four-legged form, breathing in a threatening way and stomping her front feet, and there was nothing but concern that had made him warn her. His head moved backwards slightly, indicating surprise at the rough and inconsiderate sound that came from her mouth, and his ears flickered a few times before he looked to the matriarch. His eyes dodged back and forth a few times, revealing his insecurity, before he finally let it go. If she didn't want anything to do with him, she may. Obviously she didn't heed his warning anyway, as she continued her encounter with the horse, which at first was nervous but took to exploring her eventually. At least Iskata seemed to know what she was doing.


Dawali had half-expected the limited use of the brought along items, although he was somewhat disappointed that even the beads were not desired, as the number of female members of the pack was not high. Dawali let a chuckle escape his throat at knowing this, thinking the matriarch was lucky; less women were less hormones, and less hormones was less trouble. At least in his world, anyway. Glancing at Iskata, however, he did not say a word, knowing very well it would be asking for trouble. When the male in front of him inquired how many horses he had, Dawali became uncertain, however. He wasn't entirely sure how many they had, but it was for the two mothers and their foals he had come now. If Jefferson wanted a horse in return for this favor he'd have to wait until they were strong enough. "I'm not entirely certain. We have several horses that have specific owners, and then there are the ones everyone cares for, like Bella. Most of our horses are fine, and can stand a little lack of food, although we have two unexpected foals and their mothers, who cannot, which in turn brings me here."




Table by Pilot/Anna! <3
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#19
ooc- she probably won't be needed anymore so go ahead and pass her by.. she's DEAD anyways. Big Grin

ic: The woman was never good at listening and she didn't like the way the boys were speaking of the few female packmembers left within their lands. She sighed and grumbled to herself as she rested her nose in the snow, ignoring the huffs that came from the horse that stood overhead. She knew if she moved suddenly that the creature could cause her great damage but she didn't expect to be doing anything stupid as of yet. She was slowly falling asleep from boredom from the chatter of the males until something caught her interest again.

One ear flicked back when Jefferson spoke of the horses and asked more information on them. She was silent as she waited for the tribe's subleader to respond and when finally he answered she flicked her ears back to the roaming whiskers of the horse as it touched against her pelt once more. She could hear the horse moving on to find some brush, the dry yet fragrant scent bursting into the air as the plant was crushed and mulled over by the beast. She wrinkled her nose in distaste but just remained the silent figure, listening but never commenting on the trades of the males.
#20
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I think we're close to being done this anyway, really.


Jefferson nodded his head quietly at Dawali's words, thinking to himself silently a brief while before speaking up once more. "Keep your skins and pearls and give us a horse or two and we'll call it good," he shrugged. Perhaps a bit too forward he was, but Jefferson was never really the type to beat around the bush. "...Since I'm assuming we'll have to care for them as well anyway, since they're on our territory. If we could use them for recreation periodically too, well, that'd be good." He was vaguely aware that Iskata's grandchildren were fond of the big animals, but more importantly, the horses would need their exercise. He looked at Dawali earnestly, intending nothing foul in his words. "What do you say?"


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