just one move puts me by myself
#1
For Claudius! Unatsi is gonna tell on Vessie. And this post sucks.
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[/html] It was strange being so deep in another pack territory, and the scarred coywolf found herself on a constant swivel as she sat within the lands. Her single good ear twitched at every sound, and she frequently lifted her had from the small stream she’d been lapping at. Most of the time it as only the wind stirring the foliage, and once a rabbit, but the last time she had seen a wolf staring at her, and she was close to springing at him to defend herself before she remembered her place. Vesper might be the Centurion of Inferni, but this was not Inferni, and she’d best remember it.

The wolf gawking at her was rangy and ruddy-furred, and he opened his mouth to spew very intelligent (read: blatant and stupid) remarks about how he thought she didn’t belong here and that he was going to get a leader. She shrugged a shoulder, reclining by the creek as if she could care less, and watched him scramble off.

Truly, the coyote didn’t know why she was lingering—except to see if Jacinto was around, and if he intended to ever return now that he had a snot-nosed bastard brat to look after, or if he was just going to pretend he wasn’t Lykoi anymore. Gemma giving her a tour of the place had given her the impression that she wouldn’t be chased off, but now that the snowy-furred woman’s attention was taken by her puppies, Ves was unaccompanied and probably pushing it a little. She scowled, crossing one scarred foreleg over the other and waiting.
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#2
's fine! :}
324.
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[/html]Claudius had been tending to the crops as best he could when he saw Unatsi barreling down the rows of planted vegetables. Their three sisters were doing very well: the old ways of planting still worked, even in this soil. Although many of them would not survive, as they had started late and this summer had been very warm, he thought that the hardier plants would survive. He was excited to harvest them, but he knew that he couldn’t rush it, especially since farming was not his specialty.

He straightened up as Unatsi came forward. Hurriedly, Unatsi explained that there was a coyote trespassing in the territory. Claudius felt his chest constrict when Unatsi said she was a coyote – “maybe,” he’d said, obviously uncertain – because it could mean that Inferni was here to spy on them again. Perhaps they had found the traitor Matteo. He wondered if he might be able to persuade the Infernian to trade them Matteo if he threatened to lock her up. He shook his head, thanked Unatsi for his help, and then set off to find the trespasser. That was going too far.

He shifted into his secui form as he walked, wasting no time, and pausing only when the shifting and clinking of his bones made it impossible to keep moving. He had to pause for a few minutes eventually when he realized that it was really infeasible to walk and shift at the same time—obviously.

It was not hard to find her. Her scent stuck out as the one that did not belong and he immediately discovered that she was in fact from Inferni. Once he was closer, he called out to her.

“Huh-hu-hello,” he shouted to get her attention. “Yuh-you ca-a-an’t be huh-here. Thuh-this i-i-is cuh-claimed tuh-territory. I wuh-will ha-a-ave to a-a-ask yuh-you to luh-leave,” he said. Despite his stutter, he tried to look as serious as possible. If only she would take him seriously.[html]
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#3
+317
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[/html] Not long after the tattletale scampered off, Vesper went back to staring at the ground and generally ignoring common sense. She had gotten the impression that AniWaya extended some hospitality to visitors, and the fact that they had accepted Jacinto’s sorry ass formed the impression that they were relatively laidback. That didn’t mean one of their warriors wouldn’t attack her if they thought she was a threat—but the small coyote made sure she was in plain sight, lying on her belly, and more or less peaceful-looking even if she didn’t belong. That was all she could do until she decided to hunt for the former Infernian or his mistress to ask them straight-up what was going on, or until Gemma came back again.

It did not take long for another wolf to appear, and Ves regarded him lazily from her place in the grass. His pale fur was splattered with funny tan markings, and his blue eyes fixed seriously upon her as he opened his mouth to, no doubt, berate her for her choice of a lounging spot.

The male stuttered out an order, and a sharp-toothed smirk flashed across her narrow snout. Oh, he would be easy prey if she felt like being mean. Luckily for him, she didn’t, and she rose onto all fours to incline her head to him (only the amount a leader should incline her head) and respond smoothly.

“Does AniWaya have guest laws? Gemma had been escorting me, but her puppies claimed her attention. I will leave if you truly need me to, but otherwise—could I trouble you for some answers?” The scar above her left brow lifted. “I am Vesper, the Centurion of Inferni, if you need my name and title.”

Okay, so she was being a little sarcastic and mean, but he should be glad that she wasn’t endlessly making him repeat himself. That would be funny.

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#4
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[/html] Claudius frowned when the woman spoke up. If he hadn't smelled the scent of Inferni thick upon her fur, he might have mistaken her for a lone coyote with her brash talk of 'guest laws.' Perhaps she was simply a little stupid--Attila hadn't always been the brightest in the bunch and Noir had held onto her innocence for longer than necessary. Some apples just didn't turn out as nicely as the rest, he supposed.

When she inclined her head, Claudius was left wondering how she could understand one instinct, but not the other. Unflinching, he was silent as she settled on four legs and then spoke.

"A-ani-wa-ya i-i-is a puh-pack, luh-like a-a-any o-other. Wuh-we have bo-o-orders fuh-for a ruh-reason." He frowned as he explained this, wondering if perhaps she had some sort of learning deficiency. This was instinct for all canines, not something he should need to explain. "If Guh-gemma i-is nuh-no luh-longer... wuh-with you... yuh you... must leave... like any puh-pack, Vuh-vesper, of Inferni. I wuh-will escort yuh-you out. Perha-aps I wuh-will answer your quest-tions... buh... but... I do... not thuh-think... yuh-you a-are the wuh-one... to buh-be asking... them," he expanded. He moved to walk beside her and indicated that she ought to follow.[html]
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#5
(+310) Ves can be a stupid jerk sometimes, but she's been too gooey lately anyway. 8D Hope it's okay that she smells the Aston-smell and makes connection; just tell me if not!
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It seemed that she had misjudged the stuttering male, who didn’t yield to her hints (which was a long-shot anyway) and instead stood firm on his point. Her mangled ear twitched, and had it been full it would have laid back with frustration. She couldn’t help but wonder if they really were this prompt with kicking unattended guests to the curb, or if it was because of her affiliation with the big bad coyote clan. Judging from the spats she’d had lately with wolfy outsiders, she was inclined to think the latter; she was just cynical like that.

“Oh, Inferni knows everything about borders,” she quipped, her dry humor failing to touch her eyes. She doubted he would appreciate it, anyway.

The secui wolf addressed the possibility of questions anyway, although his note that she shouldn’t be the one to ask made her scowl. Having already pushed her insolence (even a former loner knew where to draw the line), she complied with his request and padded beside him, giving him a sidelong look as she spoke more coolly. “It is regarding one of my members—or former members. The problem is, I’m not sure what the case is anymore. He seemed to need to come here to care for some illegitimate child, and I need to know if that claim is legitimate.”

He might have asked a number of questions about that, and she went over the possibilities in her mind. Did she not trust her clan mates? Did she have a problem with fatherless bastards? She worked on answers as she walked, but her breathing teased a familiar scent toward her, and it took a second for her to realize that it was only the male walking beside her.

Blue eyes flashed, and she looked at him in a slightly new light. “Are you—what is your mother’s name?”

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#6
That is good! She will have to be extra gooey because Claudius thinks she is spying on him and will tell Salsola! :O If she opens up, he'll fess up though! (WC: 333)
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[/html]When she responded that Inferni knew ‘everything’ about borders (which was highly unlikely) Claudius had to wonder again if she really was suffering from some sort of disability. If Inferni knew all there was to know, and she implied that she was well-versed in such knowledge, than he was doubly confused as to why AniWaya’s own laws confused her in such a manner. Perhaps it was difficult for her to be confronted with such rules outside of her own home, where she had to abide by them rather than enforce them.

Luckily, she only scowled at him and fell in line as he began to lead her to the edge of the territory. When she spoke up again, he found himself frowning. He wasn’t sure why she would come all this way to ask about the parentage of another canine’s child. It seemed a bit odd, and honestly, rather intrusive. He considered the questions for a few seconds and weighed his thoughts. Yes, Io was pregnant, and yes, a former member of Inferni, Jacinto, had recently joined. He said he was there to care for Io’s child. That would mean that his claim was correct, though it also meant that Io was being unfaithful to Jaroslaw. Claudius wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

He was about to respond with something appropriate and questioning, but she jumped in and asked another question. He was about to stop her when he realized just what exactly she was asking. This time, he frowned and then looked away. When he looked back at her, his frown was gone.

“I-I-I duh-do nuh-not thuh-think either… o-o-of… thuh-those… kuh-quest-tions… a-a-a-re… re-e-e-leva-huh-ant,” he replied. “I fuh-feel ba-a-ad you cuh-came all this wuh-way to… find thuh-these answers, buh… but… why-y-y-y duh-do yuh-you wish… tuh-to nuh-know?”It was not so much that Claudius was paranoid (he was) but he wasn’t sure why he ought to answer either of these questions. The first, he did not think mattered, and the second mattered too much.[html]
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#7
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She realized that, while she did feel her questions about Jacinto were justified, the last one came out of the blue and likely wouldn’t sit well with a stranger. Her mangled ear twitched, its large twin falling back against her slender skull as he looked at her, asking her for an explanation behind the questions. The coywolf allowed herself to slink backwards a step and lower herself in a partially-submissive crouch, the instincts on her father’s side finally catching up with her sharp coyote mind. He’d earned her respect, at least, proving to have good sense underneath that terrible stutter; and it didn’t hurt to play nice, anyways. What was the saying about honey and flies?

“I just—” Vesper got out, and cut herself off abruptly as she tried to collect her thoughts. “I’m a friend of an arctic wolf named Tayui, and—you smell like her.” She shrugged a shoulder and averted her gaze slightly. “I didn’t know if there was a connection; it was probably presumptuous to think so.”

Her pride did not allow her to remain so cowed for long, though, and she went on even if she didn’t rise from her slight crouch. “I do think the other question is relevant, though. Inferni has seen enough betrayal in the past, and I want to make sure Jacinto really is caring for a kid or if he’s just making up excuses.” She paused, frowned momentarily, and finally straightened. “I won’t hurt him if he has just left; he just won’t be welcome back with very open arms.”

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#8
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[/html]Claudius felt a sanctimonious grin threaten to cross his face when Vesper lowered herself to the ground in deference to his authority. As a member of Inferni traipsing around on these lands, this should have been the first thing she did. Although AniWaya had its own expectations and social constructions crafted into their way of life, ultimately, they were still all some sort of canine and all canines should respect natural law before making any assumptions. Perhaps in this manner, Claudius was too strict and too traditional, but he had good reason to be suspicious; he had been bound, forgotten, and eventually traded; he had been forced to request his tribe's warriors back; he had lied for a wolf who had later betrayed them; and he had seen his mother come and go with gruesome tales of battles past. He did not mind using natural law if it was appropriate and it certainly was here.

When Vesper revealed that she knew his mother, apparently well enough to recognize their similar scents. Although this was worth mention, it was not difficult to trace lineage by scent, so this did not satisfy him enough. Perhaps if she proved herself trustworthy, he might reveal that Tayui was his mother, but not yet.

"Yuh-yes, i-it was," he replied, in reference to her comment about it being presumptuous. And to address her second comment, he replied: "A-a-a-ni-Wa-ya... has seen... be-e-e-tray-al fuh-from I-inf-e-e-erni... too... so i-if he w-w-as wuh-worthy o-o-of our... suspicion... he... wuh-would... nuh-not be-e-e here," he replied, somewhat crossly. Although he did not directly say it, he did answer her question, while indicating that he was quite aware--and very displeased about--Matteo's crimes.[html]
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#9
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This stuttering wolf was beginning to get on her nerves, although it was largely her own fault. Vesper didn’t like to play by other’s rules, and she didn’t like showing deference to those she didn’t believe those worthy of her respect. The male had proved himself strong as far as stubbornness was concerned, forcing her to submit to the latent canine instinct, but she wished that they were Inferni so that she could strut around like the leader she was. It wasn’t as if she’d done something wrong, anyway; she’d just been abandoned by her escort when Gemma had something else to attend to, and she’d come seeking information on one of her members.

Vesper could lie to herself all she wanted, but her hubris hadn’t changed much from when she was a kid.

Laid-back ears pinned tighter against her narrow skull, but she held her tongue as the Aston (she guessed) spoke on about betrayal from Inferni. She couldn’t help the disbelief that flashed across her scarred face, and she was about to bark out “When?” before memories trickled back.

“Oh, that albino bastard?” Vesper asked contemptuously. “If that’s not who you’re talking about, then I’m afraid it must’ve happened before my time as subleader. If it is—I hope he got what he deserved. I don’t trust anyone who betrays their pack, not even if they want to pretend they’re spying for us.” She licked an invisible scar on her leg. “Asshole attacked me, anyway, and I never heard any ‘information’ from him. He just wanted to traipse in and out of our territory and have tea parties with friends.”

She shut her mouth then got up, walking away from the man—but toward the borders as they had been, and slow enough that he could catch up. She hoped that her outburst didn’t seem fabricated, because she really did hate that ugly albino son of a bitch, but she doubted that the AniWayan would see it that way. Really, she didn’t care. She shouldn’t have come here in the first place, and she just wanted to go home and see Myrika again—and be glad her lover didn’t have the same attitude she did.
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#10
302.
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[/html]Claudius was taken aback by her tone. He hadn’t expected her to guess who he was talking about, and even more, her response was completely surprising. Although he supposed if he thought about it, it made sense; no one trusted a spy, even if they were supposedly spying for them. He knew that he would always suspect that the spy was actually a double agent. He didn’t think that he was a naturally suspicious wolf, but perhaps many things had happened that caused this. Even so, he had taken Matteo and Gemma for refugees; not liars. While Gemma had seemed the one in need of protection, she had shown far more promise. He was glad that she had remained, even if Matteo had proven to be both untrustworthy and problematic. Claudius could trace their tensions to that day when the Anathemans had come demanding information about them. Claudius had protected them, but that hadn’t been the end of their disputes with the dark pack. So, Cladius thought he was quite justified in being wary of Vesper. She was abrupt and didn’t seem to believe in following the very rules her own clan so judiciously enforced.

So, when it came his turn to reply, at first, all he could do was snort in derision. He had not liked Matteo at all, but he wasn’t comfortable with Vesper to explain what else Matteo had done to deserve his anger.

“It suh-seems nuh-not a-a-all a-a-a-re wuh-what thuh-they seem, thuh-then,” he replied, with a pointed look. “I nuh-knew Tuh-tayui wuh-once. Wuh-why a-a-a-re you luh-looking for her? I-i-is it fuh-fuh-for the suh-same ruh-reasons as Jaci-i-intuh-to?” If this woman was this uncouth he was concerned that his mother had somehow attracted her ire. If anything, he still wanted to protect her even though she was no longer here.[html]
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#11
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[/html]Vesper met his gaze when he looked pointedly at her, hoping that he might realize that that statement could be applied to everyone and through several layers. She might seem suspicious and uncouth, but she was only a leader out of her element with some trust issues, not necessarily an evil spy who wanted to eat Jacinto’s baby’s heart, or something. There was no point in voicing this, though, and she only averted her eyes quickly.

“Like I said, Tayui is my friend. I don’t really need to know where she is, since we’ve only ever crossed paths a few times, but if I were looking for her then it’d be only to know that she was okay.” Vesper shrugged a shoulder. “I fought for her cause, once.”

That seemed like everything she thought she could pull out of him, and so she faced forward and kept quiet until they reached the borders of AniWaya. It was all she could do not to break out into a sprint and leave these stupid tribelands behind; she didn’t want to seem like she was being chased away even if she was being escorted by the stern pale wolf.[html]
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#12
351
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[/html]She met his look, but did not question it. For a moment, he wondered if she was trying to tell him something in return, but the moment passed and Claudius was a little confused as to what had just happened. He wasn't dense by any means, but he still found others' habits somewhat perplexing. Even if he thought he knew what they were talking about, perhaps Vesper had other ideas, too. She didn't voice them, though, and instead pounced on his question about why she was looking for Tayui.

Claudius was torn. On one hand, this was an opportunity to protect his mother from those who were looking to hurt her; but on the other hand, he could easily see Vesper as one of the canines that had fought alongside her. Even more, Vesper's abrasive attitude would probably amuse his mother more than it did Claudius (especially since she would have been a loner at the time).

Claudius mulled this over for a few moments, wondering if he trusted her. On one hand, if she really was Tayui's friend, than he could understand why she would be concerned. The last time he'd spoken to his mother, she'd told him that she was moving to Vinátta with her partner, Anu, and Anu's son. He also knew that if Vesper was truly Tayui's friend, Tayui would find a way to contact her to let her know that she was all right.

Slowly and carefully, Claudius replied at last: "Tuh-Tayui is my... muh-mother." He paused when he realized that he wasn't looking at Vesper. He turned his head so that he could watch her reaction. "I a-a-a-am suh-sure... if yuh-you... a-a-are... tuh-truly... fuh-friends, shut-she wuh-will... conta-a-a-act... yuh-you," he replied. He supposed it was not so much a danger to reveal that Tayui was alive; Vesper was quite obviously a member of Inferni and not of Salsola. Although he had his own paranoia that she might sell the information to Salsola, he had to take a chance; he knew of the sorts of friends his mother kept and Vesper certainly seemed like one of them. [html]
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#13
Can end with your post, or mine, doesn't matter. :O And we can have a Tayui/Shiloh thread relatively soon, I think, since I'm getting caught up. Smile +349[html]
[/html]Vesper weathered the silence gladly, beginning to get a better picture of why this man wasn’t so fond of her, and just wanting to go home into Myrika’s arms more than anything else. She half-closed her eyes, remembering their night together, remembering the unhurried cuddling when the heat died down, the love she was afraid to put into words so soon. She barely registered his voice when he spoke, and she glanced at him quickly when he confirmed that he was related to the Aston woman—her son. She couldn’t say that she was surprised, but her eyes did widen a fraction, and she nodded.

The pale wolf said that Tayui would contact her, and Ves wondered whether she was particularly worried about whether she did or not. She thought of herself as the woman’s friend, of course, but it was a different kind of friendship than she’d had with others. She didn’t have to know what the older woman was doing all the time or even now, even if she would always look forward to seeing her again.

“Whenever we run into each other again, I’ll tell her that her son has a good head on his shoulders,” Vesper said with a small grin, a truce of sorts. She faced forward and couldn’t help but wag her tail when she saw the fencing come into view. She turned to him, wanting to just prance away and run north until she reached the skull-lined borders, but tried to contain the energy. “Thanks for—” She tilted her head, deciding she didn’t really have a lot to thank him for, and so she finished dryly: “Not eating me for loitering on your territory, I suppose. I can’t say I’d want us to meet again, either, but if that’s the case I hope the circumstances aren’t like this. I only want what’s best for my clan, as do you your Tribe, and of course for the child.” She tried to make the half-truths come out more full, knowing that she’d be cross if Jacinto, if not his spawn, didn’t come back.
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#14
Ooh yes, on the new board? Big Grin
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[/html]Claudius was somewhat surprised by the woman's words. He hadn't expected her to praise him, even if it was rather offhanded and casual. In the end, though, she had been in the wrong and Claudius had been trying to move her out of the tribelands without turning it into a scene. He didn't want any trouble here. So, knowingly, he nodded slowly, accepting her words as gracefully as possible. He just hoped that the leaders of Inferni wouldn't be as foolish as to try such behaviour if they ever came to visit. Claudius had nothing against Inferni; but they did have a tendency to be a bit rude and pushy. He didn't like either of those things.

Claudius nodded once more, more or less agreeing with what Vesper said. "Yuh, yes. If I-I-In-fuh-fuh-ferni... has a... an... ambuh-bassa...dor... o-or duh-diplomat, wuh-we wuh-would... nuh-not tuh-turn thuh-them away. A-a-a-aniWa-ha-ya... ha-as... been... pushed tuh-too... fuh-far... ma-a-any... times... a-and all... wuh-we want... nuh-now... i-i-is... puh-peace... o-o-r... at least... neutrality," he explained. He knew that some things could not be forgotten or even forgiven, but at best, they could learn to tolerate one another. That was all he wanted and he hoped that Vesper would relay this message to her leaders. [html]
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