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A dark shape was sitting outside the door to the ranch house, enjoyign the feel of rian in his fur. In his Lupus form, there was no way to tell that he was anything else. Mismatched, red and yellow eyes watched dragonflies hover around a flowering bush as his brown-tipped tail swished back and forth in a small puddle. He liked the rain. It calmed him, cleaned him, both body and soul. Not that his soul needed cleansing. Sure, he had a glass of wine every now and then, but he never did anything dumb. That he knew of.
Aaanyway, Vuk... he stopped himself before his thoughts could get anymore random. He definitely needed somehting to do. He'd just joined the pack, and he'd been directed to this place, and now, he had no idea what was expected of him, because he'd not seen anyone else. "Ah, well. They're sure to put you to work soon enough, guy," he muttered to himself as he rested his muzzle on his paws, closing his eyes, lettign his mind slowly drift to blissful thoughtlessness.
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Geneva had taken up residence in the old ranch house, taking a spare room down the hall as her own. She was sure this was much to Jefferson's chagrin, and a smile touched her tired features at the thought. He hadn't said anything, but she hadn't really seen him recently. She was certain he was busy, attending to the pack. She was pleased to hear - through the grapevine at least - that the pack seemed to be growing and thriving. She had only begun to partake of her responsibilities before the attack at the borders. Her joints were stiff, and it hurt to move. She was cautious these days, moving slowly as her body and mind healed from the incident.
It had left her shaken, and she had never properly thanked DaVinci for saving her life. She had no idea how she would convey her gratitude. It was just another thing to weigh on her mind. She heaved a sigh as she sidled gingerly out of the hallway, lime green eyes scanning for any sign of company. She had been avoiding everyone - especially Jefferson - recently, not wanting to explain the bruising and scabbing of her body, or why her eyes tightened whenever she moved. The pain would fade, but she wasn't certain that her shame would.
Geneva's eyes found the front door, and she figured she should check for Addison. Although the girl was growing day by day, as children often did, Geneva still felt the need to keep a close eye on her. If the girl was outside playing, she would call her inside. Perhaps she could read to her. The idea brightened her mood considerably as she went to the door, opening it slowly. Lime green eyes cast to the ground, instead of seeing the small shape of Addison, her eyes encountered the shape of a full grown male. "Ah, hello," she intoned quietly, wondering why the man was sitting in the rain.
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((Is she in her Optime form?))
The blakck wolf looked up at the female who'd just come through the door. "Hello, I'm Vukasin," he said as he sat up, leaning back on his haunches as he looked at her. He didn't know her, which wasn't much of a surprise. He would've shaken her hand, but he didn't have thumbs at that moment. He normally spent most of his time in his Optime form, but, he prefered his Lupus form when it rained. Lower center of gravity and four paws made it harder to slip.
The female was pretty, with green eyes and gray fur, but he wasn't exactly "looking" right then, so, he just saw another wolf. "I'm new here, in case y' can't tell," he said in a voice that seemed to emphasize how he felt lost and out of place in hsi new home, not quite sure what he was supposed to be doing.
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The grayscale wolfess found herself nose-to-nose with the stranger as he turned to greet her. His face was kind, his greeting cordial. Geneva swallowed and tried to compose herself. The male seemed friendly enough, and had seemed to make himself familiar with this area, at least. The wolfess didn't have the benefit of a working nose, and had no way to discern his scent. Still, judging by his body language, he was trying to make himself at home. He had to be one of the new joiners.
She was quiet for a minute before a small, answering smile spread her tired features. She wanted to welcome this man, the way she had been welcomed here. Although Jefferson had seemed apprehensive - wasn't he apprehensive about everything to begin with? - he had been unconditionally tolerant. She would reflect the same values and extend her own welcomes to this newcomer. The tone of his voice implied that he felt out of sorts.
"Vukasin, I'm Geneva Stockholm. Welcome to Phoenix Valley," she said, her voice soft against the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. She stepped closer toward him, holding the door open with her tender side. She winced at its weight against her, and shrugging, stepped out into the elements with this new wolf. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked as the door swung shut.
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((Zokies. And sorry it took so long. My dad finally got my computer fixed, and I'm positively overjoyed because of it. ^_^))
He shook his heacd and shifted to the side to make more room for her on the porch. "Not at all, Miss Geneva. Make yourself comfortable. I'm assuming that you've been here longer than myself, so you've more right to begin with, after all..." he replied, more thinking aloud than actually talking to her. That happened with him sometimes. He snapped out of his reverie quickly, however, and took a closer look. She was in bad shape.
His tone turned to concern as he appraised her healing injuries more closely. "What on earth were you fighting with, if I may ask?," he inquired, his eyes squinching together. She looked as though she'd been tackled by a bear or something... Maybe not that big, but certainly that vicious.
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Geneva sat lightly at Vukasin's side, curling her tail around her like a cat. The wolfess was small-boned, short and thin, almost like a child. But the script of violence written across her skin didn't hint at anything delicate. She shivered, although she did not know if it was because of the cold or the memory of Brennt's teeth in her shoulder. Her body ached dully all over. She felt as though she was one big bruise, one great stretch of aching flesh. It was foolish, but she was hard pressed to remember a time beyond her sore muscles, aching bones. She knew she would heal with time, but she was impatient to put the experience behind her.
"A stranger at our borders. Although I don't think 'fight' would be a very accurate word," she said lightly, embarrassment coloring her words. "DaVinci, one of our pack leaders, came to my defense." It was easier to say it, to imagine each word forming in the air, than to recall the images of the great yellow eyed beast. He frightened her to the core. Fear was a cold block of ice inside of her. She hadn't been one to fear before, so deeply in her soul. But Brennt had placed something there, something she couldn't escape.
She turned her head slightly and smiled, wishing to direct the conversation away from the incident. "In Phoenix Valley, we take care of our own," she said. The words were inclusive, warmth in them meant to welcome Vukasin in. Although he was a newcomer, she wanted him to feel at ease. She wanted him to feel like this place could be home.
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He considered her words for a moment, digesting the multipl meanings in his mind, sighing. Sounds like it was nearly slaughter, he thought to himself, his red eye's pupil dialating slightly as he tried to discreetly take a better look at the wounds. What with the color variation, it felt to him sometimes as though less light made it into the pupil of his red eye than did into the pupil of his right.
"I don't mean to intrude, but you will have to talk to somebody about it eventually. Those kinds of things do eat away at you... I hope you have a friend somewhere that you trust with the darker corners of your heart," maybe he was being dramatic, but he did know how she felt. Sort of. He'd never been nearly killed himself, but he had watch his brother, Sora, the runt of the litter, die as a result of a septic belly wound...
Suddenly he brightened, and he let himself steer his mind away from such dreary matters. "So, what kinds of prey anmals and plants do y'all grow and hunt around here?," he asked as he began to absent-mindedly tap his left hindleg, which was slightly longer than his right. It was a nervous habit he couldn't seem to break.
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The grayscale wolfess stayed still, digesting Vukasin's silence as he considered her words. The experience wasn't one that she cared to relive. She wanted to put it as far behind her as possible. But often, her mind was at a standstill, trapped in the treacherous moments of the one-sided battle. She still shivered at the thought of the great brute's empty yellow eyes. There was something about the screaming chasm behind those sun-colored orbs that still left her scared, chilling her to her very soul. There was something there that lacked knowledge and knew only instinct. Something that told her that he would never stop, even after she was only scraps of bone and meat.
She nodded quietly as Vukasin decided to speak. Her ears flicked back, eyes wide at his proclamation. But she blinked and nodded demurely, recognizing wisdom in his words. She considered his words and pondered them for several moments in silence, as she usually did. It was in her nature to quietly turn things over in her mind, sometimes for hours. But she came out of her reverie quickly enough. "Thank you," she said, her voice characteristically soft. Her thoughts were filled now with Anu, and surprisingly, Jefferson. But she could wonder why she had thought of him later.
"There are all sorts of prey. Some strange - squirrel, rabbits. Did you know that there is a herd of cattle on the premises?" she asked. She had found it odd when she had first arrived in Phoenix Valley. "The cattle aren't for eating - they are kept here for other resources."
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He looked a bit surprised at this. "Really? What for? Milk? Fertilizer?" He was a curious wolf. Always had been. As was his nature, he let the topic of her discomfort fade from the conversation and the forefront of his mind. He'd find out what had happened at a later date.
He thought about the cattle for a moment more, interesting creatures, bovines, before turning again. "What plants? Anything like corn, or wheat? I don't know much about plants, but I'm pretty good at manual labor, and I like to cook, and..." After a moment, he realized that he was rambling, and with a sheepish grin he let his sentence taper off.
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Geneva looked sheepish, her ears flicking back. "You know, I'm not exactly sure about that," she confessed. She wasn't sure about a lot of thing in Phoenix Valley. It certainly presented a new lifestyle, one she had never considered before. She had been able to pick up some of its aspects. She was rather adept at herding some of the cattle this way and that while on four legs, and she no longer felt the urge to hunt them. As if she could bring one of the bulky cows down by herself!
There were other things she was more familiar with, other things that she could do with confidence. She scent-marked the borders, although she couldn't smell anything herself. She scouted, trying to make sure that no intruder with ill intent would step forward, but look where that had gotten her. She sighed at the thought. Well, at least she knew that she was good at least two useful things. She looked after Addison, and she could get a rise out of Jefferson like no other. Okay, maybe the latter of those two skills wasn't exactly helpful.
She smiled at his interest in cooking. She hadn't really tried anything like that herself, but in her previous pack, Crimson Dreams, she knew that Anu and Naniko cooked somewhat. She felt a pang in her heart at blue-eyed wolfess' name, but refused to let her face swim to the surface of her thoughts.
"I'm sorry that I can't answer all your questions," she said. "But, if you want to wait until after the rain lets up, I'd be happy to give you a tour of what I know, and after that, we can explore."
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He nodded promptly, grinning wide as he swished his tail once, then let the tip settle over his right forepaw. Of course she couldn't answer all of his questions. He doubted anyone could. But, that wasn't what she'd meant. "That sounds spectacular. I've been itching to get to know my new home better... As of this moment, I know Halifax better. And so, regrettably, does my head," he grinned another sheepish grin. He rarely drank, but when he did, he had a habit of getting smashed flat out of his mind. And his poor skull still hurt from two days before.
As his mind continued to wander during the break in conversation, he let his gaze follow suit. The house behind him, he'd noticed earlier, had a very homey feel to it, inviting, but not overbearing as farms in the southern and midwestern U.S. tended to have. His olefactory nerves detected several species of livestock, including hogs, sheep, and the aforementioned cattle, as well as turkeys, and a few wild geese that had stopped for a rest. He also noticed the scents of some of the herbs he used in his healing. The aromas of rain and grass were his favorite among the myriad that assaulted his senses. "A guy oculd really get used to a quiet place like this..."
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She nodded, remembering her brief foray into Halifax. Her first encounter with the city had also been heavily saturated with alcohol. It wasn't something she cared to recall. Well, the experience itself hadn't been terrible. The hangover that followed the day after had been quite an experience though, not one she could forget lightly. She could bring up a vague image of a man with two different colored irises who had spun her around and danced with her. Perhaps he had only been a figment of her alcohol addled mind. She couldn't even recall his name.
She nodded in agreement of Vukasin's assessment of Phoenix Valley. "It certainly is peaceful here...As for quiet it, it really depends on the moment." Geneva grinned, thinking of the sounds of Addison playing inside and outside the ranch. Puppies were hardly ever quiet or still. And then, there were always Jefferson's dulcet tones to consider. For a man who liked to keep to himself, he certainly raised his voice quite a bit. She smiled, wondering if Vukasin would prove to be louder or softer.
"There are some islands too, a little way in. I haven't been there yet, but those look interesting too," Geneva offered. Actually, it was about time she made herself better acquainted with Phoenix Valley territories. She would need to give herself more time to recover though. She shivered lightly as a cool breeze surrounded them both.
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He thought for a moment, digesting her words. He certainly understood about her comment on the quiet thing. He'd grown up with two brothers, after all. But, that was a long time ago, or so it felt. He'd already done some exploring, but he'd not gone very far into the territory. He was more of a fringe explorer, testing boundaries, not depths, whther they be the boundaries of a land, or of his own strength or intellect. He was big into challenging himself, though, and getting to better know the territory, going on an adventure, even one so close to his new home, could prove to be interesting.
As the breeze ruffled his fur he turned his gaze to the sky. The clouds seemed to be darkening a bit. Fine for him, he who would hve been better off being born a fish, but he knew that others could be unfond of torrential downpours. Stretching out his left hind leg, the longer one, he groaned slightly. At least it wasn't cold, or he wouldn't be able to unbend his knees at all, the way they had decided to start hurting at that moment. "Who tendedyour injuries?" he inquired, as he watched how she held herself. She was recovering well from whatever ordeal it had been. Secretly though, he thought to himself that he probably could have done better. (Tending her wounds, that is.)
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Geneva smiled thinly at Vukasin, touched by the fact that Vukasin seemed so concerned with her health. She found that being in a pack was beneficial for that, at least. She didn't seem to be doing a very good job looking after herself. She was very lucky to be surrounded by individuals who were kindhearted and able to see outside of themselves. She wanted to work on that, so she could be worthy of the pack mates she was lucky enough to be around. She found herself inspired despite the tiredness that felt bone deep. She smiled a bit wider, showing a hint of white teeth in her gray muzzle as she looked at Vukasin warmly.
"DaVinci, our subleader, helped me back to the ranch," Geneva explained her green eyes tracing the structure that sheltered them from the cold drops of rain. It was her haven here, the place she ran to when she was hurt or afraid. She didn't know why, but man-made structures often gave her that comfort. It was probably because she had grown up in a city and had always felt safe as a child within buildings. She was glad to find that this was not a strange occurrence in her pack. It would have been a huge change, and Geneva always struggled with change.
"He helped me clean up...but I kind of chased him away," the grey wolfess fessed up, feeling embarrassed. "I was stubborn and ashamed. I'm lucky that I'm healing cleanly." She had never been hurt that much before in her life. She had never imagined that she would ever find so much trouble before, either. But she was coping, and growing past the incident to the best of her abilities.
"Oh..." Since she seemed to be torn up about the DaVinci thing, he didn't say anything about the somewhat shoddy work. Oh, well. She was healing well, though, so it was okay. Thinking for a moment, he nodded. " I know what you mean. I'm too proud to let people help me, most of the time. I'm not even sure whether I'd let someone help me if I were dying," he joked humorlessly. It was true, though. His horse/mule/ass-headedness caused him internal complications fairly often.
Shivering a little as a drop of rain managed to soak through his caot to his skin, he laughed. "Some weather we're having, huh?" Chuckling, he lay down, letting his right forepaw dangle over the edge of the porch and into a shallow puddle. He loved water. It was so soothing. It never sounded angry, and it rarely hurt people. But, then, the same could be said for many inanimate things. Water was just the best. "Almost makes you want to go crazy, because there's nothing to do but watch the rain fall..."
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Geneva nodded in silent assent. She could identify with Vukasin. Perhaps it was pride that would keep him from seeking aid. She knew she was a fool, but it wasn't pride, but shame that arrested her thoughts and actions. She felt it burning through her blood, dull in the pit of her stomach. It was a silly thing to dwell on. It was stupid to let it motivate her and dictate her actions. It was something that she would have to face within herself, she realized glumly. Here even a virtual stranger could sense that it was a weakness within her. She was grateful for the insight that her new pack mate provided. She would have to work on this. "There's a lot inside," Geneva said, brightening. There is a library. Medicinal stores. A fireplace. It really is extraordinary." She was surprised to hear the pride in her voice, realizing the warmth spreading through her as she spoke of aspects she enjoyed of her new home. Home. Phoenix Valley was becoming home, as surely as Crimson Dreams had been home to her. It was a cheering revelation.
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Her words piqued his interest. A library, medicinal stores, and a fire place. Hmm. Sounded nice. Then he did a double take. "In there?" he asked, motioning towards the door with his muzzle. The place looked so small... But then, he'd only seen it from one side. If it was the typical ranch house, it probably had a couple of wings to it, for ranch-hands, laundry, and such. "It looks kind of small from here. I guess it's just the vantage point?"
When she'd brightened, her face had changed. She looked... Happy, comfortable. Proud, even. She seemed to be settling in better than him. Pheonix Valley still felt like just a pit-stop for him, as many places had. Now that he thought about it, not once in his life had he felt eny stimulus that made him understand what someone meant when they said a place felt like home. It wasn't that he never stuck around, usually when he stopped somewhere, he stuck around for at lest a little while. Almost always long enough to at least get to know people. MAybe it was his childhood. Maybe it was how different this place was from Death Valley. Maybe it was just who he was that made it hard to feel like he belonged.
Geneva flicked her ears against her head as the wind howled, picking up and sending a scurrying of sound crashing through her ears. She hunched her shoulders for a moment, wincing when thunder rumbled in the sky. She would never admit it, but she hated the sound of thunder looming in the storm. It had frightened her as a child. And as an adult, she had never come to enjoy it. She could tolerate it, somewhat, but she still had the tendency to jump if she wasn't paying attention. Perhaps it had to do with instinct, perhaps just innate character. Either way, Geneva hated sudden loud noises.
The wolfess cast her eyes back to look at the ranch, turning her head over her uninjured shoulder. She loved the building. She appreciated solitude, but loved that DaVinci, Addison, and Jefferson were frequent visitors or inhabitants of the ranch house. It made her feel useful to be around the place. And it made her secure to know that there were others around. Even though she was avoiding the Patriarch, the knowledge that he would close made her feel much better.
"I especially like the library," she confided in Vukasin. She could sit for hours and read. She also loved to write in her journal, reflecting on her experiences. She nodded to the newcomer. "Have you ever lived inside a human built structure?" she asked. She had grown up in a city, and had lived in a far different building. Even the ranch had taken some adjusting to, but she found that she liked it.
He laughed at her mention of the library. He was fond of books, though he really didn't read very often. There were other, so much more exciting things he could do. Like swim. Or fish. Or explore. There was still so much of this region he had not seen. Honestly, he'd hardly seen any of it. He nodded as she asked wether he'd ever lived in a human building before.
"Many times. I was born in a small shack in Death Valley, and then I spent a couple of months in a small town in Louisianna, moved on to Georgia for a couple of weeks, spent a little while in a bungalo in Maine with a buddy of mine, and, then I found myself here. I've actually spent more time sleeping indoors than out!" he said with a laugh. He was very much what his brother Sora would have called an "enlightened wolf".
[html] The lime-eyed wolfess was delighted that Vukasin didn't find their customs at Phoenix Valley strange. It seemed as though he had experienced a myriad of different things during his times of travel. When she had journeyed to Nova Scotia from New York, she had been rather timid and had not enjoyed her time. She had been overly cautious and nervous of every shadow that crossed her path. She had had every reason, though. At that point in her life, she had experienced the darkest situations she had ever weathered. Her heart and her body had been battered.
"I was born in New York," Geneva told her new pack mate, to keep the conversation going. She was familiar with the names of the places he had been to, although she could not picture them clearly in her mind. She knew those names from reading them off of maps and out of books. Otherwise, they remained abstract within her mind. "Did you enjoy your travels?" [/html]
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