Cover From the Storm
#1
OOC: September 23

She had felt the weather grow worse, and had prepared to move home. It had gotten worse much more rapidly than she had expected however, leaving the young coyote stranded. Fighting against the storm Pride had ended up blown off course. Instead of reaching home she came again to Inferni's borders. The skulls seemed to mock her desperation, grinning down. The pack inside was probably safe from the storm, while she was left struggling outside, unsure if she was going to be able to make it through this.

Desperate Pride wrapped her hands around the stiff poles, feeling them shake in the wind. She doubted they would be standing for much longer. Lifting her head Pride howled desperately, a thin voice that was whipped about in the wind. Would anyone have heard that? It sounded so small. It had probably been taken away by everything. She had to hope though. Maybe there was still a patroller out looking for stragglers that would hear her cry, and take pity on her.
#2
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Vesper is by Sie!

(338) Lupus form and junk. Big Grin

Vesper found herself unexpectedly homeless after the flooding began, but with the storm unrelenting it was all she could do to stay outside and patrol. It was, perhaps, suicidal to be out in the midst of the hurricane, but she was fretting too much to let herself remained cooped up inside. She didn’t want to go back to the caves, and the mansion terrified her, and so only the schoolhouse was an option, but she didn’t want Myrika to see her panicking like this.

Patrolling, as always, made her feel better. It was an addiction, a drug that calmed her even with the torrential rain and forceful winds pelting her from every side. She walked along and kept an eye out for anything: for one of the horses that had broken free, for a comrade in trouble, even for a psychotic wolf taking advantage of the storm to do some damage. She was careful, staying away from any structure (including trees) that looked ready to topple, and she avoided the marshland and anywhere else where the ground wasn’t solid under its coat of mud.

Ves found herself wanting Stark, missing his presence, but she wasn’t going to ask the bird to fly overhead when he was liable to get his wings torn off by the gales. She knew she needed to go check up on them again, perhaps find a building for them to nest in until the storm had passed, because who knew what damage could occur in the ruins with—

A thin cry, barely perceptible with her good ear strained, reached her and cut through her thoughts. Without thinking she ran toward the call, four thin legs working hard, and skidded to a halt as she saw a Luperci clinging to the border stakes. It was impossible to smell what pack the other belonged to, but Vesper didn’t even care: she saw a coyote, a young one, and so she immediately leaped forward to help, a harsh yap breaking through the howling winds.

“Come with me!”

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#3
A ragged grey coyote materialized out of the storm. Pride pressed down to the ground, whining softly as she pressed her form closer to where the four legged female was. She couldn't express how glad she was to see her. Nodding her head Pride pressed forward against the storm, crossing over the boundary. Claws dug into the landscape, just hoping that she'd be lucky and not end up blown away. She was proud of her coyote heritage, but it did mean she was smaller, and such storms were tougher to navigate.

Her optime form was heavier than the lupine form her rescuer had, but she still moved on four legs, long limbs stretching and adopting a lope of sorts that helped carry her across. There was so much dust being blown up, tiny whimpers occasionally escaping from her. She probably shouldn't have returned to this pack after her disastrous attempt at approaching those within it, but what choice did she have with this storm? At least this grey coyote wouldn't hold where she came from against her.
#4
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Vesper is by Sie!

(400) Ves is all maternal and junk, whaaat? Also powerplayed them walking to the caves so they'd have a quieter/drier place to talk; lemme know if that's not cool! Smile

The pale coyote nodded graciously and began to slink toward her on her arms and legs, pressed close to the wet earth as the storm raged around them. It reminded the Centurion of Zalen for a moment, but she didn’t question the odd posture; it would be odd to stand upright in Optime with the winds threatening to topple even the trees over. She waited until the young female was near before daring to move again, her good ear managing to hear the whimpers even over the constant patter of the rain. She frowned for a moment, hesitating, then reached out to nudge the girl reassuringly behind the ear. Her scent under the wet fur marked her as an Anatheman, and as something else, too, but she didn’t care right now.

Drawing back, Vesper looked out at the territory then trotted in the direction of the Grimwell Caverns. Had she been more Luperci than not, she might’ve taken the girl to the D’Neville Mansion instead, but the place didn’t seem safe to her even after the repairs done to it; old buildings frightened her, especially in weather like this. Even though many of the caves had flooded, she believed that there would be some protected from the rain and far enough away from the underground river to remain dry and far sturdier than old wood. She was also sure that the girl, being from Anathema, would find the caves a more comforting place to dwell anyway.

Once they reached the caves, Vesper was quick to nudge the coyote into the mouth of an unoccupied done. She stepped inside shortly afterward, padding a polite distance away before shaking herself, trembling from the cold wetness seeping into her thin fur. After she’d shaken off most of the moisture, she glanced at the outsider. “As the subleader, I give you permission to stay here for as long as the storm lasts,” she stated, taking a seat. “If anyone has a problem with that, tell them to take it up with the Centurion.” She doubted that anyone would care, especially as there were other extreme matters at hand, but she’d be happy to tear up anyone who did.

Once these formalities were out of the way, the scarred tawny coywolf huffed and dropped down to sprawl out on her stomach, exhausted from the trek through the hurricane. “Anyway, what’s your name, kid? I’m Vesper.”

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#5
It was humiliating, having this older stranger turn to give her a comforting nudge. Pride lived up to her name, and didn't like needing help from anyone. She did her best to learn how to be independent, and the fact that the storm scared her didn't mean that she had to accept anyone's comfort. Even if it did make her feel better. Pride drew in the damp scent reassuringly and continued after her, the young coyote's frame close to the ground. She was lucky that there wasn't too much debris in the air, even with as bad as the storm was.

They headed into some caves, a lot like the ones at home. That immediately relaxed Pride, hunching over and gently shaking herself to get some of the water out. Her cloak was removed and wrung out before she stretched it. Hopefully it would be dry by the time the storm ended. Pride smiled thankfully at the grey coyote, tipping her head graciously. Thank you centurion. Pride looked over her, taking in the scars and pride in the other's form. This was a useful contact to make, even if she hadn't been looking to do such a thing. My name's Pride Tormenta. I had decided to come visit the neighboring packs by Anathema. I chose a poor time to head out.
#6
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The pale coyote seemed glad with the choice of shelter as Vesper had suspected, and she went right to work removing her sodden cloak and shaking herself. Every once in a while glancing up to watch the girl, the Centurion licked the moisture from her forelegs.

She smiled briefly to acknowledge the gratitude then went back to licking, craning her neck to get to her shoulder before the girl introduced herself as Pride Tormenta. The surname wasn’t one that she recognized, and she realized she’d sort of been expecting something else, but she didn’t question it. Instead, she chuckled at her last statement. “Yeah, seems like you did.”

Vesper grinned again, then, looking her over. “But it works out; you’re here visiting Inferni. Any particular reason you wanted to come?” She knew she could easily be a scout simply looking for news, a diplomat looking for an alliance, or even just a kid curious about the surrounding packs.

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#7
Pride smiled wryly, not caring that she looked foolish for her choice. She was fully aware of the mistake that she had made. It relaxed the female as well, so they were both on even grounds. Pride had even managed to make herself look humble with that action hopefully. She hoped to make a good impression on Vesper. Pride had failed at making a good one on her own kin, which left her worried about how one of the leaders would react. She had assumed that having kin in Inferni would make it easier for her to approach and deal with.

Shrugging she looked back into the torrential storm. I realized that I knew very little about the packs surrounding my home. I thought it'd be best if I got to know them for myself, so I could prove myself. I didn't want to rely on secondhand accounts. I thought Inferni would be easy to approach, but I was wrong. Pride didn't hide herself. She was wet, miserable, and Vesper had already seen her whimpering out in the storm like a scared pup. She didn't think it was worth the effort to lie, and it wouldn't gain her anything.
#8
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The pale coyote explained why she had come to the packs on her own, and the Centurion smiled as if she was a pack pup who'd answered a question correctly. "That's very wise," she agreed. "A good scout draws her own conclusions and forms her own opinions." She flattened her ear as she realized how she was sounding. This was not Nathaniel or Wraith, she had to remind herself; this was another pack Luperci, and an adult in her own right.

Pride went on to say that she'd assumed Inferni would be easier to approach, and Vesper smiled. "Because you're a coyote?" she asked, before her brow furrowed. "Wait, you visited here before?"

so short ;_; sorry

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#9
The grey female smiled at Pride's choice. She didn't think much of it herself, as it had left her to be caught in the storm and she'd ended up fighting with her kin. If she had understood Inferni better, or known what words to use, then it could have been prevented. Her words were reassuring. Pride managed a small smile, accepting the praise. Things do change after all. She felt the need to stay abreast of what was there, and to learn what she could. She doubted that she would be gaining much information here though.

Nodding her head Pride hunched down. It had been a complete failure, this mission. It wasn't because I'm a coyote. I have kin in this pack. I thought that the blood ties would allow me to approach the borders and discuss things to understand it better. Instead they chased me off, hating the connection I shared with them. It seems their anger at my mother has transferred over to me. Sighing she gazed off, wishing that she had something better to think on than the fact that she wasn't as skilled as she wished to be.
#10
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Pride stated that things changed, and Vesper had to agree. Pack dynamics were constantly shifting as a result of members leaving and leading or simply changing their opinions steadily as a group. It was what made the scouting tier one of constant work, keeping an eye on all the other packs of Nova Scotia as well as their own borders and lands close to home. As much as she loved to fight, anything more complicated than a one-on-one match wasn’t her forte as much as scouting was.

The near-albino coyote hunched slightly bringing up her earlier trip to Inferni. She explained that she had kin in the pack, and something sparked in Vesper’s eyes as she sniffed again, drawing in the scent of the other’s wet fur. Her brow furrowed slightly as she mentioned being chased off by her family—and if they were who Ves thought, she couldn’t quite imagine it. Then again, she did have high opinions of “her” little brood of young adults, and she guessed circumstances might have been strained.

“Are…” Vesper frowned. “Are Wraith and Lucilla and Nathaniel your siblings, then? You smell kind of like them—the family scent, maybe a bit more like the girls.” It was a bit strange to distinguish under the reek of rain and Anathema, but they were close enough relatives that Ves could tell. She shook her head. “That makes your mother—I forget her name, but I’ve met her once before, I think. Did they not like you because you were in Anathema?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure it out, and then she realized she was quickly dropping all the other topics in favor of this.

“You don’t have to answer,” the Centurion said good-naturedly, a bit abashed of her pointed interrogation. “If you want to be left in peace, that’s fine too.”

+309

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