Post by maka on Jan 22, 2010 14:03:34 GMT -5
Hilltop Vista
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In the midst of the grassy fields, a high hill rises smoothly above the ground, about a hundred feet tall at its peak. The climb to the top is an easy one, affording a breathtaking view of the local scenery. The hill is a verdant green year-round, though in the spring and summer a myriad of vibrantly-colored wildflower blooms cover its expanse. At the base of the mound, the entrance to a den can be seen, a start contrast
of brown dirt against the green grass covering the hill and its surroundings.
-----
Skelaghe, Female Wolf (Ute Alpha)
Maka, Female Adolescent Wolf (Ute Member)
-----
For Maka, her first days as part of Ute have been a mixture of the adventure of a new place, and the confusion of new ways of behaving and being. Moreso than normal, she's been mulling over the questions that threaten to overwhelm her adolescent mind. So, the young wolf wanders up towards the pack's den, her feet dragging slightly as her tail droops without it's usual boyancy. She mouths to herself, as if rehearsing something, her ears and brows moving along with the staged conversation. Then, as she draws closer, the girl seems to come back to herself, ears perking as she skips up the last bit of the incline leading to the top of the hill.
Skelaghe is lying just outside the den, head on her paws as she stares off. Whatever is on the alphaess's mind, it has her well and truly occupied. She gives little more than a twitch of her ear as she first hears someone approaching. She remains relaxed, at least outwardly. peaceful. As such, it would be easy to assume that whatever has her occupied can't be very unpleasant. Only once she can tell that the steps are actually coming at least almost directly toward her does she pull herself from her thoughts.
"G'day Alpha." Maka offers, her voice light and curious, "Or do you prefer to be called by name?" She asks, glancing over her shoulder once, as if she were worried that her sister might cuff her for asking such a question. Luckily, Wyanet is nowhere to be seen, so Maka seems comfortable enough with trying to figure out just how things work in the pack. "Or... I can go if you'd prefer to be alone with your thoughts?" Her tail sways lightly behind her, head tilting a little bit. "I just have a question or two, if you have time." Hadn't she already asked two? She keeps hedging, apparently not quite sure just how strict the Ute Alpha is.
The beta may or may not have reprimanded Maka, if she were here. Skelaghe intends to do no such thing, though. Once her eyes focus on Maka, she greets the girl with a smile and sits up. "You can call me Skelaghe, and I would be glad to answer any questions you may have." There will be time enough for her to be alone with her thoughts in her remaining years. Rarely will she turn down company.
The relaxed attitude of the Ute Alpha seems to put Maka at ease, a smile pulling up her muzzle as she bobs her head once in a nod. "Skelaghe, then." She slowly settles to her haunches, tail swishing against the nearby grasses. "Just don't get too mad if I ask anything stupid, alright?" The girl's ears twitch back a little and her head ducks, as if she knew that at least one of her questions may fall under that category. "It's just that... I was out with Abel and we saw Rowtag? I think that's the name he used." Her brows draw together in thought before she nods again, affirming the name in her mind. "He's... your pup, right? I guess I was wondering... I mean... err. Is there something -wrong- with him?" It's clear that her attempts at rehearsal have failed miserably, so she stammers in quickly to correct herself. "I mean, he doesn't look or smell like a normal pup. He isn't playful or curious or anything..." She trails off, like someone who realizes they are only digging themselves into a deeper hole.
Better than Maka should be here, asking Skelaghe, than off saying something that might upset Rowtag more than the pup is already usually upset. "I confess myself somewhat surprised Wyanet has said nothing to you about him. My second litter was not conceived with my mate, but rather with a dog who... Well, though it was his right to take something from me." When she had this same conversation with Wyanet, it started out and remained more tense than this one is, as much because of Kezu's presence as because of Wyanet's.
"A dog?" Confusion momentarily flickers in Maka's amber eyes as she tries to make sense of such a thing. Even in her travels, she hadn't had much experience with dogs beyond stories other wolves had told of 'lesser canines'. Her nose crinkles slightly, but then relaxes again as she shakes her head. "That would explain it, I guess. I've never heard of such a thing, though." Her expression remains troubled, "Is that why he acts so strangely? Because he's not quite wolf? Abel is more playful than Rowtag, and he's my age."
With that, Skelaghe grows a little more somber. "He acts that way because he wants to be with his father, but there is a reason you've never heard of such a thing. It doesn't happen often, and when it does happen... it is not, as a rule, amicable." There may be some wolf and dog pair out there who were both willing in their pups. It is not Skelaghe and Vincent, though.
"I can't imagine so. I would never want to let a dog anywhere near me. I've heard they smell terribly." Maka's pink tongue lolls out and she gives an inward little shiver that causes the fur on the back of her neck to stand on end. "I am surprised, though. You are the pack's Alpha, and yet this dog still lives?" Her head tilts slightly to the side, her ears perked forward. "Or perhaps you allow him to live for the pup's sake, if they cannot handle pack life?" She's pulling at straws trying to find understanding in all of this.
Skelaghe is silent for a short while. She does not appear particularly upset. Nor does she say that she would not, at this point, stand in his way, should Teketa decide that Vincent deserves death. No. When she finally does speak, all she says is, "I've allowed him to live because we've all had enough death in our lives, already. Because I have faith that he will, sooner or later, pay for his crimes, and it is not my duty to ensure he does so. So long as he is not a threat to my family, I would prefer to minimize the number of crimes that, one day, I shall have to pay for."
So strange, and so very different, these wolves of the Ute. Then again, Wyanet had easily enough found her place among them. Maka's head lowers a little bit, "The elders taught that nature ends us all the same. Predator, prey, good, bad. Do you really think the spirits keep score?" So full of questions, is young Maka, trying to twist her brain around to a different way of thinking. Luckily, she's fairly open-minded, which works to her advantage. "But, I think I understand." Her tail swishes just once as her head lifts again. "Do you think Rowtag will leave to find his father someday?"
"I think that the things that we do have a way of coming back to either haunt or bless us. One way or another." Skelaghe looks away after that sentence, back towards the den, where her boldest pup slumbers. "So many of my children have left me. I can only hope that Rowtag will not be one of them, when he gets older. Even if I suspect he will be."
One of Maka's ears flops over to the side even as the end of her muzzle purses a little. "It must be hard." Some sympathy lingers in the young wolf's voice. "But I guess that's part of being an Alpha female. Having pups and watching them grow up and find their own way of things." Maka leans to the side and begins to scratch at the scruffy fluff around her neck. "It's really strange for me. To be part of Ute. Totally different ways of seeing the world. Like that black wolf... the one with the marks on his shoulders?" Maka lightly paws at the ground beneath her, looking downward at the little groove she's making in the dirt. "His pack sounded downright ruthless. He thinks they sent him on some quest, but it just sounds to me like they wanted him to fail so he could be disgraced. He wanted to go marching back as cheerfully as if he were going on a morning romp."
Skelaghe knows precisely who Maka is talking about, and it causes her a bit of a frown. She doesn't respond immediately, though, as too many thoughts occur to her, all at once. "To be part of Ute, these days... Seems /only/ to mean being different." Of course, she is glad to provide a place for those who could not find it, elsewhere, but it has caused her strain in recent months. "Though Snow Eyes claims to know something of the old Ute traditions, I could never abide by the rules of the pack he came from. As I suspect more wolves could not."
Maka shakes her head from side to side, "I think it's plain old stupidity." She snorts, plainly speaking her mind on the issue. "I don't know if he intends to stay or go, but going back there is suicide." She lowers herself down into a laying position, although the twitching of her tail implies that she's not quite ready for sleep. "And if there is such a thing as a crime of nature, that has to be on the top of the list." Slowly, the girl sets her head on her paws, with quite a bit to think over. "Still, even if we're all different, we're now all Ute, right?" She asks, amber eyes looking up towards Skelaghe. "Family, of a sort. We just have a few more oddballs than most."
Yes. A family full of oddballs. Skelaghe does her best to rid herself of her frown as she nods. Then, she stands, stretching as she does. "Speaking of family, I believe I should probably try to find something for mine to eat before they all wake up. I don't suppose you would be willing to stay here and keep an eye on the pups, would you?" Skelaghe has never forced anyone to watch her children, and she never will, but neither does she hesitate to ask, as she did right after the wolfdogs were born.
"I don't mind." Maka replies without a moment's hesitation. She casts a glance towards the den, and then gives the faintest inclination of her head towards Skelaghe. "I'll keep an eye on things." Her tail swishes again, and then tucks against her side as she wiggles about a little, trying to get comfortable.
Skelaghe thanks Maka with a smile, then begins walking away.
=============================================================================
In the midst of the grassy fields, a high hill rises smoothly above the ground, about a hundred feet tall at its peak. The climb to the top is an easy one, affording a breathtaking view of the local scenery. The hill is a verdant green year-round, though in the spring and summer a myriad of vibrantly-colored wildflower blooms cover its expanse. At the base of the mound, the entrance to a den can be seen, a start contrast
of brown dirt against the green grass covering the hill and its surroundings.
-----
Skelaghe, Female Wolf (Ute Alpha)
Maka, Female Adolescent Wolf (Ute Member)
-----
For Maka, her first days as part of Ute have been a mixture of the adventure of a new place, and the confusion of new ways of behaving and being. Moreso than normal, she's been mulling over the questions that threaten to overwhelm her adolescent mind. So, the young wolf wanders up towards the pack's den, her feet dragging slightly as her tail droops without it's usual boyancy. She mouths to herself, as if rehearsing something, her ears and brows moving along with the staged conversation. Then, as she draws closer, the girl seems to come back to herself, ears perking as she skips up the last bit of the incline leading to the top of the hill.
Skelaghe is lying just outside the den, head on her paws as she stares off. Whatever is on the alphaess's mind, it has her well and truly occupied. She gives little more than a twitch of her ear as she first hears someone approaching. She remains relaxed, at least outwardly. peaceful. As such, it would be easy to assume that whatever has her occupied can't be very unpleasant. Only once she can tell that the steps are actually coming at least almost directly toward her does she pull herself from her thoughts.
"G'day Alpha." Maka offers, her voice light and curious, "Or do you prefer to be called by name?" She asks, glancing over her shoulder once, as if she were worried that her sister might cuff her for asking such a question. Luckily, Wyanet is nowhere to be seen, so Maka seems comfortable enough with trying to figure out just how things work in the pack. "Or... I can go if you'd prefer to be alone with your thoughts?" Her tail sways lightly behind her, head tilting a little bit. "I just have a question or two, if you have time." Hadn't she already asked two? She keeps hedging, apparently not quite sure just how strict the Ute Alpha is.
The beta may or may not have reprimanded Maka, if she were here. Skelaghe intends to do no such thing, though. Once her eyes focus on Maka, she greets the girl with a smile and sits up. "You can call me Skelaghe, and I would be glad to answer any questions you may have." There will be time enough for her to be alone with her thoughts in her remaining years. Rarely will she turn down company.
The relaxed attitude of the Ute Alpha seems to put Maka at ease, a smile pulling up her muzzle as she bobs her head once in a nod. "Skelaghe, then." She slowly settles to her haunches, tail swishing against the nearby grasses. "Just don't get too mad if I ask anything stupid, alright?" The girl's ears twitch back a little and her head ducks, as if she knew that at least one of her questions may fall under that category. "It's just that... I was out with Abel and we saw Rowtag? I think that's the name he used." Her brows draw together in thought before she nods again, affirming the name in her mind. "He's... your pup, right? I guess I was wondering... I mean... err. Is there something -wrong- with him?" It's clear that her attempts at rehearsal have failed miserably, so she stammers in quickly to correct herself. "I mean, he doesn't look or smell like a normal pup. He isn't playful or curious or anything..." She trails off, like someone who realizes they are only digging themselves into a deeper hole.
Better than Maka should be here, asking Skelaghe, than off saying something that might upset Rowtag more than the pup is already usually upset. "I confess myself somewhat surprised Wyanet has said nothing to you about him. My second litter was not conceived with my mate, but rather with a dog who... Well, though it was his right to take something from me." When she had this same conversation with Wyanet, it started out and remained more tense than this one is, as much because of Kezu's presence as because of Wyanet's.
"A dog?" Confusion momentarily flickers in Maka's amber eyes as she tries to make sense of such a thing. Even in her travels, she hadn't had much experience with dogs beyond stories other wolves had told of 'lesser canines'. Her nose crinkles slightly, but then relaxes again as she shakes her head. "That would explain it, I guess. I've never heard of such a thing, though." Her expression remains troubled, "Is that why he acts so strangely? Because he's not quite wolf? Abel is more playful than Rowtag, and he's my age."
With that, Skelaghe grows a little more somber. "He acts that way because he wants to be with his father, but there is a reason you've never heard of such a thing. It doesn't happen often, and when it does happen... it is not, as a rule, amicable." There may be some wolf and dog pair out there who were both willing in their pups. It is not Skelaghe and Vincent, though.
"I can't imagine so. I would never want to let a dog anywhere near me. I've heard they smell terribly." Maka's pink tongue lolls out and she gives an inward little shiver that causes the fur on the back of her neck to stand on end. "I am surprised, though. You are the pack's Alpha, and yet this dog still lives?" Her head tilts slightly to the side, her ears perked forward. "Or perhaps you allow him to live for the pup's sake, if they cannot handle pack life?" She's pulling at straws trying to find understanding in all of this.
Skelaghe is silent for a short while. She does not appear particularly upset. Nor does she say that she would not, at this point, stand in his way, should Teketa decide that Vincent deserves death. No. When she finally does speak, all she says is, "I've allowed him to live because we've all had enough death in our lives, already. Because I have faith that he will, sooner or later, pay for his crimes, and it is not my duty to ensure he does so. So long as he is not a threat to my family, I would prefer to minimize the number of crimes that, one day, I shall have to pay for."
So strange, and so very different, these wolves of the Ute. Then again, Wyanet had easily enough found her place among them. Maka's head lowers a little bit, "The elders taught that nature ends us all the same. Predator, prey, good, bad. Do you really think the spirits keep score?" So full of questions, is young Maka, trying to twist her brain around to a different way of thinking. Luckily, she's fairly open-minded, which works to her advantage. "But, I think I understand." Her tail swishes just once as her head lifts again. "Do you think Rowtag will leave to find his father someday?"
"I think that the things that we do have a way of coming back to either haunt or bless us. One way or another." Skelaghe looks away after that sentence, back towards the den, where her boldest pup slumbers. "So many of my children have left me. I can only hope that Rowtag will not be one of them, when he gets older. Even if I suspect he will be."
One of Maka's ears flops over to the side even as the end of her muzzle purses a little. "It must be hard." Some sympathy lingers in the young wolf's voice. "But I guess that's part of being an Alpha female. Having pups and watching them grow up and find their own way of things." Maka leans to the side and begins to scratch at the scruffy fluff around her neck. "It's really strange for me. To be part of Ute. Totally different ways of seeing the world. Like that black wolf... the one with the marks on his shoulders?" Maka lightly paws at the ground beneath her, looking downward at the little groove she's making in the dirt. "His pack sounded downright ruthless. He thinks they sent him on some quest, but it just sounds to me like they wanted him to fail so he could be disgraced. He wanted to go marching back as cheerfully as if he were going on a morning romp."
Skelaghe knows precisely who Maka is talking about, and it causes her a bit of a frown. She doesn't respond immediately, though, as too many thoughts occur to her, all at once. "To be part of Ute, these days... Seems /only/ to mean being different." Of course, she is glad to provide a place for those who could not find it, elsewhere, but it has caused her strain in recent months. "Though Snow Eyes claims to know something of the old Ute traditions, I could never abide by the rules of the pack he came from. As I suspect more wolves could not."
Maka shakes her head from side to side, "I think it's plain old stupidity." She snorts, plainly speaking her mind on the issue. "I don't know if he intends to stay or go, but going back there is suicide." She lowers herself down into a laying position, although the twitching of her tail implies that she's not quite ready for sleep. "And if there is such a thing as a crime of nature, that has to be on the top of the list." Slowly, the girl sets her head on her paws, with quite a bit to think over. "Still, even if we're all different, we're now all Ute, right?" She asks, amber eyes looking up towards Skelaghe. "Family, of a sort. We just have a few more oddballs than most."
Yes. A family full of oddballs. Skelaghe does her best to rid herself of her frown as she nods. Then, she stands, stretching as she does. "Speaking of family, I believe I should probably try to find something for mine to eat before they all wake up. I don't suppose you would be willing to stay here and keep an eye on the pups, would you?" Skelaghe has never forced anyone to watch her children, and she never will, but neither does she hesitate to ask, as she did right after the wolfdogs were born.
"I don't mind." Maka replies without a moment's hesitation. She casts a glance towards the den, and then gives the faintest inclination of her head towards Skelaghe. "I'll keep an eye on things." Her tail swishes again, and then tucks against her side as she wiggles about a little, trying to get comfortable.
Skelaghe thanks Maka with a smile, then begins walking away.