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Dawali's just taking a walk, I was thinking they could randomly encounter one another? :]
Word Count: 340
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Red-furred legs lined with white took powerful strides forward as Dawali's mind was digesting thoughts of grave importance. In fact, his face was stern and wrinkled from all of this thinking, brows furrowed and his body tense. He was not angry, nor was he happy; he was neither. He was worried. The never decreasing weight on a leader's shoulders, worrying if his actions were right, if they endangered or protected. Some told him that his worry was unneccessary, but after learning that their ally, Phoenix Valley, were opposed (though not openly) to Inferni, naturally the male had to think the situation through, considering every possible outcome. Should their ally pack become involved, AniWaya was obliged to support them with both supplies and fighters; a situation he wanted desperately to avoid. He was a wolf that strived for peace more than anything else. He had had his brush with violence, and he had buried many, many warriors, children, and women. None of their lives had been extinguished out of need; he deemeed it all unneccessary. Any blood spilled from violence was unneccessary, and he would dread it for the rest of his life.
His stride was not silent and he was oblivious to his surroundings as he charged on, spending his excess energy while thinking, as if to wear himself out. His feet made a wide track in the hard ground that was littered with a mixture of rotting and dead plants, the remnants of snow and winter, all mixed in a slush of moisture and the fallen elements of the forest. While the past few weeks have brought with them many poisitive news and several new faces and assets, the pressure of winter was still on him. Still, there were many issues that kept him awake at night, and he had begun taking these walks to think in late autumn. It was likely that he would not stop until it was spring, should not crisis strike at them and cause him to miss the arrival of the warm season altogether.
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OOC: thanks for wanting to help, if the post is too hard to respond to just tell me and I'll change it.
For the first time in months, the gray-white wolf was in her Optime form, re-adjusting herself to it's shape and new, higher field of view. Being unaccustomed to the way her body moved in this form she walked around slowly, and kept her gaze searching her surrounding to make sure she wasn't in danger (even though it wasn't exactly helping her keep her balance or add to her much lacking grace). As her gaze went over the surroundings, her foot caught on an exposed root and she fell, resulting in her fur becoming drenched in the slush and nearly causing her to yelp in surprise. After barely managing to keep her voice down, she pulls herself back up and starts to brush the bits of detritus off of her fur, before hearing approaching steps and turning to see what was coming.
Seeing the red-furred wolf approaching, Aria blinked in surprise and started to hide behind the tree, not trusting the males of her species after her past experiences with them... That was until she saw the ornate hat on top of his head, and realized that he was probably the pack leader, which sparked a reaction in her resulting in the nervous Aria to get on her knees with her ears down and tail lowered in submission, as a precaution. She enjoyed being in this pack far better than being alone and having to find a new place to sleep each night. Looking ahead to the Kalona, she thought worriedly "Is this male like the last leader I had... if so I'm probably not going to come out a lucky..." but then she remembered how Ember had been relaxed and relatively happy so she pushed the fear into a back corner with some effort. She silently prayed that everything would end well, while she shifted and shivered more from fear than the cold.
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I'm very late, as I have been with everyone but the joiners. I'm very sorry  ( University has stolen all of my energy lately.
Word Count: 313
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
His walk was interrupted by a rather peculiar sight. Here was one of the new females (Ember had told him of her arrival and he had seen her at the pack meeting, but had not yet met her one-on-one), but kneeling on the path in front of him. He stopped and studied her for a moment, spotted her drenched fur and her submissive posture. She said nothing, and Dawali's one ear moved as if uncertain. Most of the time, Dawali was not a leader to be feared — quite the contrary. Unless one was an unruly youngster that refused to take orders, that was, though Attila was not on his mind right then. Taking a few steps closer, he still stopped at a comfortable distance, speaking calmly. His voice was dark and rich, the voice of a speaker, the voice of a leader, but it was kind, as well. Yellow gaze sought the eyes of the female in front of him, and he almost bent down, as if that could aid him in catching it. "Aria, right?" He gave a small smile, mouth closed, but not tight. "There's no need to sit in the dirt, come on; stand instead." Waiting for her obedience (for judging by her display she was either very used to having to offer absolute submission, or just afraid, and either would make her do his bidding), he stood still, calmly watching her. His posture was his usual one, standing rank but not necessarily dominating. He was lanky, and since almost two years of leadership he probably took on a slightly dominating pose automatically, though no true display of dominance was present in him. "You are relatively new here, yes? Have you found yourself a suitable den, yet?" Small-talk was a decent ice-breaker for anything, also when trying to convince someone that he was not about to go nuts on them.
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OOC: it's fine. school first, and other high priorities, then rp-ing. ^^ and of course college is supposed to take away energy. it's another form of the abomination we call school. oh and sorry for the sucky post... I know it's not much but hopefully it's enough to make replying easy enough.
Kneeling there, the female kept her eyes from meeting the leader's, not wanting to cause an incident and have less than joyful events occur. The gray-white wolf nervously gripped the fur on her legs while the Kalona watched her, which lead to a shiver to crawl up her back, despising situations like this for the unknown of what many of the members are like, and the way it reminded her of her past. Her ears twitched when the red and white wolf's words and raised her gaze, if only slightly. Aria listened intently to the tone and carefully played all possible meanings behind his words, ready to run if any dark intentions were noticed (though it was doubtful she could get away in an unfamiliar form such as this). After running everything through her head for a couple seconds she stood up, and put her hand on the tree next to her for balance. "Yes, sir. It is." She stated at the question the alpha had presented to her, about her name.
After she answered, Aria observed the higher ranking wolf's posture, unsure if she should trust him even though she didn't see anything hostile or dangerous about the way he carried himself. When he spoke again, she turned her ears towards him, careful not to miss anything while still searching his words, and holds back a wince when he mentioned if she had found a den yet. Steeling herself she answered as respectfully as she could without raising suspicion "Yes sir, I am. And yes, Ember helped me find it... Is.. there a problem, Sir?" Aria bit on her lower lip, unsure of what to do in this situation, and hoping/praying that the situation wasn't heading in the direction her fear was telling her it was.
The female kept herself ready just in case things started to spiral downward...
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Yeah, also there's a winter break now (I'll be gone from Tuesday to Saturday), so have to try and get stuff done before I leave! Short post, sorry, no time for thinking ><
Word Count: --
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
She kept her nervous posture, but rose when he told her to, supporting herself to the tree beside her. He searched her face for signs that there was more than fear that caused her behavior, but he could not interpret what he found. That was, if what he found was something at all, and not his imagination playing tricks on him. Her wet fur seemed not to bother her, in fact, she was acting as if she had much greater worries in the world than being covered by mud. Her voice rang, and her words revealed insecurity and worry. He very nearly sighed, sort of resigned, when she asked him if there was a problem. It seemed someone had scared the hell out of this one before, otherwise she would not worry so over simple small-talk. Smiling instead, he tried to reassure her, voice still calm and pose nonthreatening. "No, no. I just wanted to know how you're settling in." He paused and allowed her some time to (hopefully) relax a little. "You're completely drenched — did you fall or something?" If she needed assistance, Dawali was more than happy to offer it. Most that knew him knew that he took any chance to help anyone, especially the members of his tribes.
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OOC: it's fine, I'd rather you not worry about stuff like this while you're at winter break, I hope you enjoy it. And don't worry about the short post. I barely got this one out... (stressful events that I'd rather not elaborate on.) I hope this one isn't as bad as I feel it is... this feels like the worst post yet...
With eyes observing the surrounding area, looking for any and all escape routes, and marking them in her head, Aria tried to keep her intentions disguised and following her old instincts that she had obtained from her past pack leader (to his dismay when he (the previous leader) found out). She shivered from fear again, though the gray-white wolf hoped it appeared as though it was from the cold. Sighing mentally, she resigned herself to whatever fate beheld her, though she would fight it if she had to.
Hearing the leader speak again, she listened and closed her eyes, having learned not to trust what others said and to look beyond to what the possible motivations could be. Her fear filled minds gave her ideas that resulted in the taste of bile in the back of her throat. Aria knew she was vulnerable in this form and hated it, but knew she couldn't do anything to change it fast enough to matter should worse come to worse. Forcing her voice out in an emotionless tone she responded with "I'm fine, it's just my first time using this form..." The gray and white wolf didn't like revealing that information but knew (or at least thought) that she'd be in trouble if she didn't tell everything. "If Ember, told you what I told her..." she left the sentence unfinished, not wanting to replay the story again.
Ears lowering, Aria stepped back a little, worried and having little trust for any male, even one who seemed to just want to help on the outside...
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Word Count: 404
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Her nervousness lingered, and she seemed somewhat suspicious of his actions. He was not offended: some just needed extra time before they could find trust in another being, but he was concerned about it anyway. After all, he was this tribe's leader, and if she could not trust him, then she was in the wrong place. Dawali needed to know that his friends (for he did consider them friends, more than subordinates) would trust him enough to do his bidding, when it was required. Perhaps one day fate would have it that he needed to ask a tribe's member to do something strange. If they could not trust him, then he could not trust them, and they could not stay. Still, of course, time was a tool for many things. Even if it took many, many meetings before this one, Aria, could trust him, he would be patient with her. It was obvious to him that she was suspicious out of fear, and this was distrust that was curable. Smiling gently, he waved his hand as if to dismiss her awkwardness, and replied on the subject on her drenched fur and shifted form. "Ah, don't worry — it happens to the best of us! I was afraid you had perhaps hurt yourself. You see, I am a medic; I am always thinking of such things." He realized his words could seem over the top for someone who did not trust him, someone who could be afraid of being deceived, but he would just have to continue being himself, and eventually she would realize that he was not about to deceive anyone. She did not look comfortable at all, and when she asked him about some information Ember had, he interrupted her before she got far enough to reveal anything. His hands were lifted with his palms outwards towards her, signalizing that she did not have to speak further. "I don't know what you told Ember, but you don't have to tell me. I trust her; if she thinks you should be among us, then she is right. Your history is your own, and I have no need to know anything other than that you are here." It was true; he did in fact trust Ember that much. For all their time in these lands, no AniWayan had come to him with a single problem on a social scale. No crimes had been committed other than by outsiders. All in all he believed they were strong, and trust was what bound them together so tightly.
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OOC: sorry... this one sucked... v.v
Aria gnawed on the inner side of her lip, trying to make it inconspicuous, while she watched the leader observe her. She was knocked off guard, mentally, when she realized that his gaze wasn't lecherous but rather concerned. The female blinked in confusion and kept her guard up, but inside she was confused, having never seen such worry since her early childhood before... "No!" she chided herself mentally "Those times are gone..." she shook her head to keep the grief at bay. The gray-white wolf looked up at her alpha and observed him, wondering what he could be thinking. She forced herself to not show her surprise and amazement when Dawali told her that he was a medic. Her previous leader had been abusive and had everyone else do the work. She glanced into his eyes for a moment to see if he was lying, but quickly lowered her gaze again, knowing it to be disrespectful and not wanting to give any reason for punishment to be brought down upon her.
Breathing slowly to calm herself, Aria simply nodded at the male's words, knowing that her voice could easily betray her and reveal her uncertainty, and would rather not take the risk. She noticed the over-the-top quality in his response but had no idea of how to process it so she brushed it aside mentally and watched him. She moved back a little when the male brought up his hands but stopped when she realized when it was a harmless gesture. Aria's ears turned to him when he spoke and carefully followed his words. Surprised she accidentally blurted out "You mean you trust the pack even though you don't know everything?..." and winced, wishing she had kept her mouth shut, sure that she was going to get punished for certain (if her past was anything to go by, which in this case wasn't). Aria sat there and awaited the punishment...
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Sorry for the wait ><
Word Count: 385
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
She responded to his explanation with something that seemed like a concerned glance, quickly letting her eyes dive towards the ground again. Dawali wished to sigh, but he knew he could not. She would take it the wrong way, the way she was looking for signs that he was going to betray her. He understood this function; he understood why individuals had trust issues, but somehow he could never really get over it when people couldn't trust him. After all, Dawali knew that Dawali was an all-right kind of guy. Of course, it was not magically imprinted on him, and he would give her the time she needed. But sometimes, just sometimes, it would be nice if the new ones did not fear him. Slowly, they all came to realize that he was not a tyrant. He hoped Aria would reach this conclusion sooner than some had.
Her surprise got the best of her, and Dawali chuckled as she blurted out a question. Still, it was quite clear that his chuckle was not of the mocking kind; more of the endearing kind. Of course, he knew that she might not like that, and regretted his action the minute he realized what he had done. It was a reaction he could not help, because the question seemed somewhat naive to him, just as he seemed somewhat naive to her, apparently. Or, that was what he interpreted it like. She had not meant to ask him this, and he had not meant to chuckle. Now they were even. Smiling now, ignoring his little mistake. "No-one can know everything." Pausing, he moved his head and glanced at the ground before continuing, as if suddenly uncertain, though only for a second. "I have faith in Ember's judgment, and I believe everyone are entitled to having secrets. After all; I have secrets from you, right? It's only fair you keep secrets from me. As long as they don't interfere with our life in the tribe, I don't see why I should know them." Of course, if her secret was that she liked to kill others or something like that, he'd like to know; but in such a case, she'd have been better at hiding it. No, Dawali did not fear Aria, and he hoped she would cease to fear him.
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OOC: no worries. I don't mind. I'm just having a hard time keeping her in character and not offending you with her behavior. >_> and it's hard. hope this post is decent.
She knew that, while she was monitoring his actions (and trying to know what he was thinking), he was doing the same to her (though on his side of it, it was just him trying to gain her trust though she wouldn't see it as that innocent). Her ears and eyes focused on him, though her eyes stayed away from his face to avoid problems. Aria's distrust of others was something she had lived with for most of her life, and it would be doubtful if she ever learned to trust anyone easily... though there was probably plenty of people who would try to earn her trust. She had simply grown used to not trusting others because it had been the safest way to live for just under two-thirds of her life. The female still saw it as the safest route, even if it wasn't the most convenient one, and it kept her from worrying about betrayal... You couldn't be betrayed by those who you didn't trust/rely on... right?...
From the demeanor of the leader, it seemed like he was holding back what he truly wished to do, though whatever he wished to do was not anything to worry the female. From what the way the leader spoke and behaved it seemed to Aria as if he truly cared, and it greatly confused her. For the majority of her life, those higher than her had only cared about what they could get from her, never for her. Unnerved, the gray-white wolf's eyes seemed to gain a distant look in them as she tried to understand why the people in this pack seemed to care so much about a lowly member like her. When she heard the leader speaking, Aria snapped herself out of her contemplations enough to listen carefully and gave a "no-duh" stare mentally, practically kicking herself at the way the question had sounded that had resulted in this unexpected answer. After listening to the rest of his answer she nodded and thought on it for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond. She managed a simple "Oh..." and tried to think of something more appropriate to say but failed, her mind clouded from her confusion.
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Sorry for the wait ><
Word Count: -
come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
She responded vaguely, and Dawali stood silently, observing her with a curious eye. He never thought of himself as intimidating, but after years of leadership one probably became that way without knowing. He always thought he was kind and caring, and not one to be feared. He hated being feared, for he would hurt no on unjustly. He would never intentionally be mean just to make a point; if his people respected him for his kindness, it would not be necessary. This was his plan, to be a good factor in everyone's lives. Through their acceptance of him, through their respect and all of their mutual love, they would be strong, and they could withstand most things. Their loyalty would be different than the loyalty of a pack based on fear and strict violence. And so, in that sense, this one's fear of him broke the plan, and it rendered him uncertain. He was not as used to this, even if many newcomers did behave similarly, they usualyl got over it before they encountered him (luckily for him). This uncertainty paired with her vague response, made him suddenly awkward, and as he spoke there was a particular lack of his usual self in his voice. "Uh.. but of course you could tell me if you wanted to," he paused. No, not good. "You can consider me, eh, like a friend?" Like a friend that gives orders? Not any better. Now he was ashamed, and this male who so easily blushed once more thanked his crimson furs. They always hid his blushes, which was good; there were many of them.
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