Post by crescendo on Jul 6, 2011 17:30:54 GMT -5
Hilltop Vista
Hinto, m. wolf
Sabin, m. wolf
Shawnee, f. wolf, Ute Alpha
Wachiwa, f. wolf
A rare moment of peace; the pups are asleep, and someone else is watching them; which gives Chewy the chance to lay, sprawled, out in the grass on her side, half asleep and just enjoying the wind and the warm sun. Oh man, this is the life; ever since the Alpha's deaths she's been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to take care of the pups, so a day where someone else is watching them is golden.
Hinto is a bit in the same boat, pup-wise. Who knew Ishara and Aeron could be such a pawful? Not that he doesn't love them or anything, but at his age, it's hard to keep up with their antics. Lupin seems... different, somehow, though Hinto has chalked it up to motherly insticts and maybe a splash of hormones. He's back here now, thinking maybe he could get some food to bring back... and maybe some moments of peace.
Ears twitch lazily and though for a moment she seems relaxed, seconds later Chewy is suddenly leaping to her feet, bristling head to toe, rudely awake by the sudden notion that there's another wolf nearby. .. But upon finding the scent familiar on second thought, and spotting Hinto lastely, she loosens, her fur lanks, and she shakes her body free of the sudden angry feeling, before giving him a semi-friendly whuff of noise. "Hey Hinto.. Long time, no see. I guess my brother's pups are keeping you three busy, since I haven't seen him around either.."
"You could certainly say they are keeping us busy. It also doesn't help we're currently outside of the pack's territory." Hinto says, casting his eyes about for a kill. "Lupin asked if I could come bring some food back with me, but I'm not in any hurry."
"Sad to say we haven't had much time to take down any big kills lately, Hinto," says Chewy with a sigh, "We've all been a bit on edge because of a bear.. and another wolf.. and a fox.. and other stuff.." She sighs with a whole body sag, before she mms, "But I can try and bring some rabbits by later if you tell me the general direction of your den. Assuming I can get someone to watch the pups here for a while. Being a pupsitter isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes!" She laughs, but smiles warmly anyway: "Still, I love the little guys so it's not bad."
"I suppose I should ask what has happened. Sounds like all kinds of mayhem have been keeping Wyanet and Hahtalekin busy." Hinto says. "Is Askuwheteau still angry about what I did at the border?"
At mention, Wachiwa winces, and sighs. Oh, yeah, that. She sighs. "Hinto.. At the moment, we've got other things on our mind more important than silly little jokes played at the borders. I.. Dunno how to tell you this but.. Wya and Haht are dead... And Skah and Shawnee have been made the Alphas, as was their wishes. The reason we're so on edge because of a bear is because it was a bear that killed them... and we're still trying to make sure it's no-where left on the lands." She sighs, and then looks briefly to the den, and back. "And since the stronger wolves are all out looking for the bear, I've been staying behind taking care of the pups." She smiles slightly. "Teaching them how to eat solid food.. teaching them to talk.. Y'know?"
Hinto most certainly had not expected this news. Nothing even resembling this kind of news! They're dead? This is the second time since he's joined the pack he has seen them get new alphas. To him it almost feels like a personal loss, a failure to keep their leaders. "They're... dead?" Hinto says. "So much has changed recently. "
A nod, and a sigh, "Yeah... Tala is taking it the worst. I'm worried about her, I can't get her to eat, unless I practically force it on her. Ikuna's taking it a lot better.. But.. He's been effected by it too, you know? And on top of that, we've got this rogue wolf wandering around who's .. I dunno, he makes me feel very nervous and afraid. And there's a very troublesome fox, too; I had to chase him off the other day because he was trying to cause trouble for Asku by telling lies." She frowns. "If you see a fox around, be careful, he may twist your words to others."
"Do we have the name of this fox?" Hinto asks, curiously. "Sounds very worrisome. And this taken along with... other bad news. Seems the tides of change have risen over the Ute once again."
Sabin steps silently from the direction of the tree. He catches the words from Wachiwa just barely and frowns hoping the rogue mentioned is not himself. Clearing his throat to allow it to be known that he is present, of course he keeps his distance while settling to his haunches.
Ears twitch at Sabin's announcement of presence, and Chewy turns, wagging her tail slightly. "Hey, Sabin. Hinto, this is Sabin, he wants to join the pack, but Skah and Shawnee are busy right now, so he's just hanging around till they have a chance to talk to him." She smiles slightly. "He's a good wolf. As for the fox.. I don't know. I just call him Fox. I know him when I see him and I know his smell.. and I assume he's in cahoots with this bad wolf I saw, who keeps saying horrible things about the Ute." She frowns and sighs, shaking her head. "I don't care if they say horrible things about me, you know? But I don't want the puppies hearing things about their parents being bad because.. well... y'know."
"I wouldn't stand for it either." Hinto says. At this moment he does seem a tad less... playful... than he usually is. Probably the weight of the past season is still on him, though he no longer holds the actions of Mori or Lupin against them. If anything, Mori actually gave them what they wanted. Still... There is strain there. "It is not a good thing for them to hear false ills of the dead."
"I'm sure the Great Spirits will have a plan for that fox, and the wolf," says Chewy softly, as she sits slowly, and bows her head a bit in thought, "I just hope they will spare the Pups any more tragedy in this; it is bad enough to lose your parents at so young an age, to have to suffer through more..." She shakes her head, and sighs. "I asked the spirits once, why.. And I got no answer. I got better answers when I asked them what I should do... They told me I should stay here, I should stay with my family, and try to help them pick up the pieces. So that is why I stay."
For all Shawnee is trying to keep on top of things, she's just a wolf like any other and news have to be relayed to her when she's not there to experience things firsthand. Her disaccord with Skahla also plays in on her ability to be as watchful as she wishes she could be, so when she approaches the densite dragging a young deer and feels an array of scents both familiar and unfamiliar, she immediately becomes watchful and gets a new stalking quality to her gait. The dead deer (that Shawnee found with a broken leg) is left just at the edge of the area around the den and the alpha licks her lips to clean them before she approaches the other wolves, eyes moving between them. She knows her own sister and Hinto, but there's a third wolf she hasn't seen before and it's him she pays the closest attention to. "What's going on here? Who's this?" she says in her as-of-late demanding way, eyes mainly on Sabin but occasionally darting to Wachiwa or Hinto.
"I just met him. By the name of.... Sabin, I think." Hinto says, looking over at the new wolf for confirmation. "Chewy here tells me that he's a hopeful future member of the Ute." Hinto remains solemn. He's still trying to cope with the changes in his own life, now changes in the Ute as well.
Sabin ears perk to the voice and he looks around assuming this to be the Alpha. Not rising he simply nods towards Hinto, "I am Sabin." he answers as if asked.
Gurp. Chewy winces at that tone-- it's the tone of the dead alphas Wyanet in Shawnee's voice, which slightly unnerves Wachiwa some. She turns, then, and greets her sister with tail wagging, and whimpers for forgiveness, and a sudden crawling stance on her belly. "Shawnee, you're here, hiii! This is Sabin, he wants to join the pack. He is very very nice, and he is also very respectful of our lands.." She half flops to her side, half crawls along, tail patting the ground anxiously. She gulps, and though feeling silly for this instinctive behaviour brought on by those tones.. she daren't rectify her posture.
Shawnee looks at Sabin with obvious mistrust, not yet able to keep her feelings to herself like maybe she ought to in this situation, in her position. Her silent assessment of the male wolf is interrupted by her sister's display of submission, something which she finds completely confusing and somehow annoying at the same time. For all she's been a dominant person from puphood, she's definitely not used to this kind of display and it unsettles her. Especially from her sister. "...Wachiwa, get up," she eventually mutters with half a growl, her ears flicking back for a moment.
Hinto looks down at Chewy as she submits to her own sister, then over at Shawnee. He admits he hasn't spent that much time with her. And has been spending even less time around due to recent events in his family. Being out of the packlands isn't helping things, either. "So... who is still around, then? Who among us isn't considered strong enough to go look for this bear?"
A gulp.. and then Chewy leaps up, though her backside continues to hang in a low poise as if afraid she may be beset upon. "Shawnee," Chewy starts softly, "We need to talk, if you have time. I mean, if you have time, and only then, please..? I mean.. We haven't talked as sisters in so long.. and now you're the Alpha, and you're so busy, and I'm pupsitting, and always busy and... Please?" She gives Shawnee a pitiful look of eyes, and obvious attempt to fight the urge to back into that submissive posture again.
To Hinto, Shawnee gives her attention first after making sure she knows where she's got the stranger wolf. "For all we've determined so far, the bear isn't a threat for now. We haven't located more than its scent within the packland borders, even if it's strong in places. As long as it's not a direct threat, we have... other things to worry about." Her supposed conviction and confidence falters some at the end of her sentence, but she nods as if to confirm her words. There are things to worry about that are closer than the bear, even if the thought of it always looms. "Some of us are getting old and the puppies are obviously too young and will need someone to watch over them. There's a lot to think about other than hunting bears." As Chewy speaks up again, Shawnee looks at her with a hint of softness in her eyes, even if her stance is still tall and set. "I've brought some food," is her reply to her sister's request. "We'll talk when we've seen to that it's been properly distributed and my attention isn't needed elsewhere." She really doesn't mean to be so short with Chewy, or anyone for that matter - she's just taking after the former alpha, since that's all she knows about her new role, and her own insecurities do the rest of the job.
Hinto seems to pick up on this insecurity pretty easily, byt he way she speaks, he sits and smiles calmly. "Take a seat, and a deep breath. You appear a bit unprepared, and I cannot blame you. At the very least, dear leader, you should put on an air of confidence so the pack knows there's someone who can lead them. I've never been an alpha. This old wolf is, well, too old to be an alpha. But I've known my fair share of leaders, and I know the kind of leader I would like to see serve this pack. For every fierce word you have, you should balance it with a kind one."
Ears lay slightly back, and Chewy nods, looking at the deer that Shawnee brought with her.. and sighs. Well, at least there's food for the adults now, and chewy will hunt down some mice for the pups later. She looks from her sister, to Hinto and back, nodding softly. "Shawnee.. Maybe we could talk now... I.. I'm admittedly worried. You're not being like yourself lately, you're being.. scaryish. I mean, we both know this is how Wya was.. But.. you're not Wya... You should try ... being yourself, in your way. Yeah, you can be firm! But ... But be yourself and less.. scary, please? And Skah is.. worried about you... you might be trying to take on too much right now.." She says, softly.. before she actually dares to try and lean in and lick her sister's face in a familial manner.
Wait, this wasn't in the plan. Admittedly, Shawnee's plan so far has been 'keep an eye on everything and be a leader' and she's admitted a number of times in the past few months that she doesn't know what it means to be a leader. She was supposed to learn that from Wyanet and Hahtalekin. With the two familiar wolves suddenly questioning her (with all right, even if she doesn't want to admit that just now) she quickly grows uncertain. Ears fold back against her head and a growl grows in her throat, but then Wachiwa using the word 'scaryish' causes her to cut the sound short. She looks confused and cornered and her eyes momentarily move over to Sabin - no fun feeling like this in front of a stranger! "I don't know... how to cope with all this in any other way," she eventually mumbles reluctantly through barely moving lips, her neck fur bristling. The tall stance has turned into a defensive one by now.
"Please. Please relax. I am your friend, am I not?" Hinto says. "I'm old, it makes my bones ache thinking about standing all the time, all intense. What Chewy says is right, don't do what you think Wyanet would do. Wyanet is... no longer here. You're in the place she is now, but you are not meant to go all the places she has gone."
"... That's okay though, Shawnee. You're not supposed to.. We're supposed to still be puppies, we're barely even old enough to.. have puppies of our own." Wachiwa says, softly, trying again to nuzzle her sister, this time looking about her face and throat , lifting her snout to expose her own throat at the new alphas with instinctual manner. Attempts to pacify Shawnee's worries and fears. Chewy's never been the smartest wolf.. but she knows she's got to help her sister out because, like, seriously, SISTER. "... Just.. take things slow. Let Skah handle some stuff for a while, like patrolling the borders. Or delegate that job to others, like Asku.. or Hinto, I bet Hinto could help with that. So could Sabin, if you two accept him into the pack... And I'll do my best to keep the pups in line."
Relaxing isn't the easiest for the alpha right now and when Chewy nuzzles her, Shawnee visibly flinches. Then she at least stands still as her sister's nose touches her neck, even if she doesn't immediately return the action. Looking at Hinto, she gives a short nod. "You are," she says, before trying her best to at least straighten her body out of the defensive stance. It's not comfortable and she feels exposed, but both Hinto and Chewy speaks true. "Skahla can't..." she starts in reply to Chewy's words, but then recalls what Skahla said a few days ago and her face softens, almost in shame. Obviously he was right, both about Chewy and himself. She gives Chewy a quick nuzzle, the best she can manage at the moment. "You can... I can ask for help?" she asks as if she wants to confirm the idea.
"What's a pack but a big family? If you can't ask a packmate for help? Whom can you? I'll do my best, though try to keep in mind I have pups of my own as well." Hinto says, willing to help so long as his family doesn't, well, not ever see him again.
Sabin has stayed settled to his haunches while simply observing the others. He wasn't used to seeing so much closeness between others. Ears flattening back a bit he sighs looking to his paws feeling rather out of place, especially since the rouge family he hails from was never that close.
THAT gets an explosively happy wag from Chewy's tail, and she smiles warmly, "You can always ask for help, Shawnee! And I'll always be there to try and give it to you if I can. In fact, please ask for help more often, because I hate to see you so ... so.. stiff and unlickable!" She attempts to headbutt her sister in that ever friendly way she used to as a pup, adding, "You're my bestest big sister, anything I can do for you, I will in a heartbeat. .. Well, y'know, a'ssept maybe eat snow, c'os snow is SOOooo yucky, but still..."
"O-of course," Shawnee says, nodding. "I don't want to keep anyone from their family. And you're... you're welcome here any time you want, you and your family." At least that is Shawnee's opinion and her opinion matters now, right? As Chewy butts against her, she wobbles slightly before regaining her balance and giving a slightly more heartfelt nuzzle to the other. "I'm your only sister," she mumbles, but there's a friendly tone to her voice now. "You won't have to eat snow though," she promises her. Shawnee still feels out of place, not yet ready to relax, but she looks over at Sabin again with decidedly less mistrust than earlier. "So you're looking to join the Ute?" She's never done this before, she doesn't know the proper procedure..!
Hinto sits back and lets the Alpha take care of her business. He'll be good and stay out of this. Perhaps maybe take some of that kill back to Lupin and the pups.
"Well, psh, yeah, but that still makes you the bestest," says, Chewy with a silly grin, blue eyes dancing. The she-wolf then considers and says, "Since Hinto and Lupin and Mori are all.. well, okay, mostly pack-ish members.. why don't we have Lupin and Hinto move their pups here, Shawnee? So Hinto won't HAVE to be away from them all the time. I guess I can forgive Mori for being a stupidhead if he'll at least try and help out with the back. And uh.. There's also the matter of Ahiga, but since you need to talk to Sabin first, I'll go rip some of the deer up for Ikuna and Tala to eat, and stuff." She sheepishly grins, wiggling from head to toe again in that ever-excited full-body wag of hers, before she turns for the deer Shawnee brought, and tarts dragging it out of the way of growed up business. "And I'll give Hinto a leg for him and Lupin.."
Sabin ears perk as he is addressed and his head raises to meet Shawnee's gaze. Rising up to his paws he dips his head low, "I humbly ask for a chance to join your pack. I was born a rogue and that is the life I have led. But.. I will submit to learning the way of the pack and do whatever is asked of me."
Having just unwillingly displayed what an inexperienced leader she is, Shawnee is almost surprised to find that Sabin still treats her like someone to be respected in such a way. Had she been allowed to continue on her fierce track, she'd likely have cross-examined the rogue wolf, but now the one question that comes to her mind is, "You're not the wolf who attacked Skahla, are you?" She narrows her eyes ever so slightly, not even considering the fact that Sabin might not even know who Skahla is.
Hinto has to really think about that. Bring the pups into the heart of the pack? He certainly should speak to Lupin about this.
Sabin blinks taking a step backwards, "Wh..who? I have not attacked anyone." Ears laying back against his skull, "I would never attack anyone for the sake of doing it. Only in self defense would I ever fight anything. But this name.. I heard it spoken as the male alpha but have never met him."
Ears perk, and Chewy looks up from where she's taken to ripping bits of meat from the deer's neck and shoulders for the pups to eat later, staring at Shawnee. ".. A wolf attacked Skah? Well I guess that explains why he was so sore, but.. Wow." She frowns, ears laying back though. Considering that Helaku guy... she wonders if that could be the wolf who attacked her leader, now.. And she starts to open her mouth. "You know, Shaw, there's... "But stops, remembering Skah's words. Not to tell Shawnee. She licks her mouth and then tries to cover. "... Aaaaaa really good place in the marsh to hunt for frogs if you want to come froggie hunting with me later? Or we could go chase dandelions in the field. Just take a moment to relaxe an' stuff.."
Looking over at Chewy for a moment, Shawnee shakes her head with a sigh. "He got into a fight anyway, but he refuses to tell me the details." Then she looks back at Sabin, but before she can continue their conversation, Chewy chimes in with her comment about hunting frogs and Shawnee looks at her sister yet again, frowning. "...Could we discuss frog hunting after I've done this?" she asks, obviously perplexed. "Anyway," she says in Sabin's direction, "Skahla is the alpha alongside me, yes. You will have to speak to him as well, but..." She seems to consider how to go on. "The old custom of the Ute is to allow all creatures a home and protection and I wouldn't be a very good leader if I didn't honour this. I say you're welcome to stay, provided that you do your part. We're going through rough times even with the summer, so I barely want to think about the winter..." She stops and clears her throat. "You're welcome," she summarizes, "but you'll have to get Skahla's permission as well." There, short and straight-forward, right?
"... Sorry, Sha'nee," says Chewy with an embarrassed wag of tail, using her old babydrawl for her sister out of habit more than anything. Once she's ripped enough meat from the dear to carry to the den, which she does in short order, she turns upon the dear, and goes for her favorite parts-- the ears, which she rip, yank, tugs off, and begins gnawing on as she lays down. She considers, tail wagging. "Yay! Sabin can stay, that's so cool, Ikuna will be so happy! Ikuna really liked him when me and Asku were supervising their meeting before that stupid old fox tried to upset Asku by telling all those liiiii-justsaidsomethingIshouldn'thave."
Sabin settles again to his paws and then nods his head, "I understand. I look forward to meeting him." at least he hopes Asku gets to put in that good word with him. "Ikuna is a cute kid." he grins while flashing a light look towards Wachiwa before looking back to Shawnee. Bowing his head forward, "I will do well by you."
Shawnee even manages a smile at Sabin before Chewy's words causes her to turn her head towards her sister with a sharp twitch of her neck. "What fox?" she demands immediately, before remembering what her friends have just told her and shaking her body to try and rid it of tension. "What fox, Chewy?" she asks in a less harsh manner, eyes on her sister over by the deer. "What did it do to upset Asku?"
Ears flatten, and the guilty Chewy shrinks against the ground a little, beforeshe uhms. "Well it was this really mean fox, and it had said it knew Asku, so I thought it was a friend of his, so I welcomed it to come visit. But then it came WAY too close to the den and the puppies, and refused to leave when I told it to at first. And then Asku showed up, and it started telling lies about things Asku had said, saying that Asku was leaving the pack, and that Asku had claimed to be better than Skah, which, like, I SO knew wasn't true, because Asku would never say stupid things like that even if he IS sometimes a little dumb." She pauses to puff a bit of fur out of her eyes, then says, "And I told it to leave, and so did Asku, and it wouldn't, so did what Mom used to do to us when we'd get out of line, y'know, chomp our mouths and shove us to the ground.. and he started accusing me of using violence, but I didn't do ANYTHING to hurt him, just tried to treat him like the stupidhead he was being, and then he like, went off."
Sabin listens as now the two females engage in conversation. Tail lightly tumping the ground behind him he tilts his head at the mention of the fox. "I offered to remove him if they wanted me too. but I think his mouth is bigger than anything else."
Listening attentively to both Sabin and Chewy, Shawnee silently scolds herself for not knowing about this earlier. It'll take her some time to adapt anew and she's slipping into her 'alone and strong' mindset by default. "A loudmouthed fox, hm? I know there are cougars not far beyond the borders, but lying foxes I haven't come across yet." She sniffed at the air, but there wasn't a strong scent of fox. "If it comes back again when I'm not around, I want to know. Immediately," she adds with a meaning look at Chewy. "It didn't actually get into the den, did it?"
Head shaking, Chewy replies: "Nope, I wouldn't let it. But Ikuna wanted to investigate it till he noticed me and Asku were angry, and then I also asked Ikuna to go back closer to the den and stay away from it. And Asku told him if he ever sees it here again he's supposed to run and find one of us adults to let us know." She grins proudly of herself, then drags the other ripped off deer ear to her with a paw, chewing on that, too. "Also, Shawnee, if you want, if someone will watch the pups later, I'll go try and get a bunch of hares for the pack, and bury them somewhere so we have something in case times get worse?"
"Perhaps if I can move the pups soon I might be able to. No guarantees or promises, however." Hinto says quietly, his mind back in the state of thinking. It might be good to bring in the pups to make some friends, and maybe become good pack wolves.
Shawnee feels mildly comforted by the fact that the fox was dealt with and that the pups have been taught well - something she didn't even think of herself - and lets out more tension in a sigh. Walking over to the dead deer, she lies down with a 'thump', her body finally getting a little relief after being so on edge. She rests her head on the dead herbivore's hindquarters as she watches Chewy going over the ears. "We could go together," she suggests, Chewy's words about missing sisterhood echoing in her mind. "If we find a babysitter. Maybe Crescendo can relieve you for a while?" She also looks over at Hinto, giving a nod. "You're welcome, as said. Discuss it with Lupin and see what works the best for you. I'm sure the pups will get along. I can't say the same about Mori and some of the other packmembers, but... the offer still stands, regardless of how you want to approach it." Ugh, grown-up stuff. They way Shawnee's been going about it is definitely tiring. With another sigh, she then sinks her teeth into the rump of the deer with the intention of eating her share of the kill.
Another cringe, and Chewy murmurs, "Shawnee... I.. Think Crescendo's thinking about moving on, too. I think Wya and Haht's deaths kinda struck her worse than it did any of us kids. I'd rather see Cressie be happy if she's... going to leave, than see her stuck watching puppies all day. Like, we should bring her something nice to eat. Maybe a bone or two. And let her know how much we love her and stuff." She smiles weakly, tail wagging against the ground, before she adds: "... And we also need to figure out what to do with Ahiga... Asku and I think.. well, we think the bear might have got his mum, too, before moving on, maybe even before it got Wya and Haht.. I think he should live with us. I invited him to stay at the den, and I said if there's any trouble, I'd take the heat for it."
Shawnee pauses in her work on the deer, looking slightly crestfallen. "Cres is leaving?" Her own babysitter who taught her many things, much like Chewy is doing for the new pups - she's leaving? Shawnee can't help but give an 'it's not FAIR' kind of huff and works with a bit more force at the deer as Chewy goes on. "If Sabin can stay, Ahiga can stay," she declares between chews and tugs at the deer flesh. "Everyone is leaving, so why not let the ones who want to, stay?" she mutters, mainly to herself before she manages to rip of a decent piece of meat. "I'm taking this to the pups," she states as she gets to her feet, grabbing the deer meat and moving towards the den. "I'll talk to Cres later. And Skahla. And... everyone." UGH, grown-up stuff.
Hinto nods. He'll need to talk to her about it. But it feels like the right decision. At least as far as making friends goes. "Looks like I have a lot to bring back to Lupin."
Sabin sits watching as it seems everyone is going their separate ways for now. Looking around he knows surely he can find some way to entertain himself. Getting up he trots over to a stick. Picking it up he then settles down to his stomach with it. -clack clack clack- he begins to chew.
Hinto still has to get some meat together for his mate. He knows Mori's been mostly providing food, and Hinto's been trying, himself, but at his age it's more miss than hit. "Meat, I need to get some meat."
Hinto, m. wolf
Sabin, m. wolf
Shawnee, f. wolf, Ute Alpha
Wachiwa, f. wolf
A rare moment of peace; the pups are asleep, and someone else is watching them; which gives Chewy the chance to lay, sprawled, out in the grass on her side, half asleep and just enjoying the wind and the warm sun. Oh man, this is the life; ever since the Alpha's deaths she's been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to take care of the pups, so a day where someone else is watching them is golden.
Hinto is a bit in the same boat, pup-wise. Who knew Ishara and Aeron could be such a pawful? Not that he doesn't love them or anything, but at his age, it's hard to keep up with their antics. Lupin seems... different, somehow, though Hinto has chalked it up to motherly insticts and maybe a splash of hormones. He's back here now, thinking maybe he could get some food to bring back... and maybe some moments of peace.
Ears twitch lazily and though for a moment she seems relaxed, seconds later Chewy is suddenly leaping to her feet, bristling head to toe, rudely awake by the sudden notion that there's another wolf nearby. .. But upon finding the scent familiar on second thought, and spotting Hinto lastely, she loosens, her fur lanks, and she shakes her body free of the sudden angry feeling, before giving him a semi-friendly whuff of noise. "Hey Hinto.. Long time, no see. I guess my brother's pups are keeping you three busy, since I haven't seen him around either.."
"You could certainly say they are keeping us busy. It also doesn't help we're currently outside of the pack's territory." Hinto says, casting his eyes about for a kill. "Lupin asked if I could come bring some food back with me, but I'm not in any hurry."
"Sad to say we haven't had much time to take down any big kills lately, Hinto," says Chewy with a sigh, "We've all been a bit on edge because of a bear.. and another wolf.. and a fox.. and other stuff.." She sighs with a whole body sag, before she mms, "But I can try and bring some rabbits by later if you tell me the general direction of your den. Assuming I can get someone to watch the pups here for a while. Being a pupsitter isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes!" She laughs, but smiles warmly anyway: "Still, I love the little guys so it's not bad."
"I suppose I should ask what has happened. Sounds like all kinds of mayhem have been keeping Wyanet and Hahtalekin busy." Hinto says. "Is Askuwheteau still angry about what I did at the border?"
At mention, Wachiwa winces, and sighs. Oh, yeah, that. She sighs. "Hinto.. At the moment, we've got other things on our mind more important than silly little jokes played at the borders. I.. Dunno how to tell you this but.. Wya and Haht are dead... And Skah and Shawnee have been made the Alphas, as was their wishes. The reason we're so on edge because of a bear is because it was a bear that killed them... and we're still trying to make sure it's no-where left on the lands." She sighs, and then looks briefly to the den, and back. "And since the stronger wolves are all out looking for the bear, I've been staying behind taking care of the pups." She smiles slightly. "Teaching them how to eat solid food.. teaching them to talk.. Y'know?"
Hinto most certainly had not expected this news. Nothing even resembling this kind of news! They're dead? This is the second time since he's joined the pack he has seen them get new alphas. To him it almost feels like a personal loss, a failure to keep their leaders. "They're... dead?" Hinto says. "So much has changed recently. "
A nod, and a sigh, "Yeah... Tala is taking it the worst. I'm worried about her, I can't get her to eat, unless I practically force it on her. Ikuna's taking it a lot better.. But.. He's been effected by it too, you know? And on top of that, we've got this rogue wolf wandering around who's .. I dunno, he makes me feel very nervous and afraid. And there's a very troublesome fox, too; I had to chase him off the other day because he was trying to cause trouble for Asku by telling lies." She frowns. "If you see a fox around, be careful, he may twist your words to others."
"Do we have the name of this fox?" Hinto asks, curiously. "Sounds very worrisome. And this taken along with... other bad news. Seems the tides of change have risen over the Ute once again."
Sabin steps silently from the direction of the tree. He catches the words from Wachiwa just barely and frowns hoping the rogue mentioned is not himself. Clearing his throat to allow it to be known that he is present, of course he keeps his distance while settling to his haunches.
Ears twitch at Sabin's announcement of presence, and Chewy turns, wagging her tail slightly. "Hey, Sabin. Hinto, this is Sabin, he wants to join the pack, but Skah and Shawnee are busy right now, so he's just hanging around till they have a chance to talk to him." She smiles slightly. "He's a good wolf. As for the fox.. I don't know. I just call him Fox. I know him when I see him and I know his smell.. and I assume he's in cahoots with this bad wolf I saw, who keeps saying horrible things about the Ute." She frowns and sighs, shaking her head. "I don't care if they say horrible things about me, you know? But I don't want the puppies hearing things about their parents being bad because.. well... y'know."
"I wouldn't stand for it either." Hinto says. At this moment he does seem a tad less... playful... than he usually is. Probably the weight of the past season is still on him, though he no longer holds the actions of Mori or Lupin against them. If anything, Mori actually gave them what they wanted. Still... There is strain there. "It is not a good thing for them to hear false ills of the dead."
"I'm sure the Great Spirits will have a plan for that fox, and the wolf," says Chewy softly, as she sits slowly, and bows her head a bit in thought, "I just hope they will spare the Pups any more tragedy in this; it is bad enough to lose your parents at so young an age, to have to suffer through more..." She shakes her head, and sighs. "I asked the spirits once, why.. And I got no answer. I got better answers when I asked them what I should do... They told me I should stay here, I should stay with my family, and try to help them pick up the pieces. So that is why I stay."
For all Shawnee is trying to keep on top of things, she's just a wolf like any other and news have to be relayed to her when she's not there to experience things firsthand. Her disaccord with Skahla also plays in on her ability to be as watchful as she wishes she could be, so when she approaches the densite dragging a young deer and feels an array of scents both familiar and unfamiliar, she immediately becomes watchful and gets a new stalking quality to her gait. The dead deer (that Shawnee found with a broken leg) is left just at the edge of the area around the den and the alpha licks her lips to clean them before she approaches the other wolves, eyes moving between them. She knows her own sister and Hinto, but there's a third wolf she hasn't seen before and it's him she pays the closest attention to. "What's going on here? Who's this?" she says in her as-of-late demanding way, eyes mainly on Sabin but occasionally darting to Wachiwa or Hinto.
"I just met him. By the name of.... Sabin, I think." Hinto says, looking over at the new wolf for confirmation. "Chewy here tells me that he's a hopeful future member of the Ute." Hinto remains solemn. He's still trying to cope with the changes in his own life, now changes in the Ute as well.
Sabin ears perk to the voice and he looks around assuming this to be the Alpha. Not rising he simply nods towards Hinto, "I am Sabin." he answers as if asked.
Gurp. Chewy winces at that tone-- it's the tone of the dead alphas Wyanet in Shawnee's voice, which slightly unnerves Wachiwa some. She turns, then, and greets her sister with tail wagging, and whimpers for forgiveness, and a sudden crawling stance on her belly. "Shawnee, you're here, hiii! This is Sabin, he wants to join the pack. He is very very nice, and he is also very respectful of our lands.." She half flops to her side, half crawls along, tail patting the ground anxiously. She gulps, and though feeling silly for this instinctive behaviour brought on by those tones.. she daren't rectify her posture.
Shawnee looks at Sabin with obvious mistrust, not yet able to keep her feelings to herself like maybe she ought to in this situation, in her position. Her silent assessment of the male wolf is interrupted by her sister's display of submission, something which she finds completely confusing and somehow annoying at the same time. For all she's been a dominant person from puphood, she's definitely not used to this kind of display and it unsettles her. Especially from her sister. "...Wachiwa, get up," she eventually mutters with half a growl, her ears flicking back for a moment.
Hinto looks down at Chewy as she submits to her own sister, then over at Shawnee. He admits he hasn't spent that much time with her. And has been spending even less time around due to recent events in his family. Being out of the packlands isn't helping things, either. "So... who is still around, then? Who among us isn't considered strong enough to go look for this bear?"
A gulp.. and then Chewy leaps up, though her backside continues to hang in a low poise as if afraid she may be beset upon. "Shawnee," Chewy starts softly, "We need to talk, if you have time. I mean, if you have time, and only then, please..? I mean.. We haven't talked as sisters in so long.. and now you're the Alpha, and you're so busy, and I'm pupsitting, and always busy and... Please?" She gives Shawnee a pitiful look of eyes, and obvious attempt to fight the urge to back into that submissive posture again.
To Hinto, Shawnee gives her attention first after making sure she knows where she's got the stranger wolf. "For all we've determined so far, the bear isn't a threat for now. We haven't located more than its scent within the packland borders, even if it's strong in places. As long as it's not a direct threat, we have... other things to worry about." Her supposed conviction and confidence falters some at the end of her sentence, but she nods as if to confirm her words. There are things to worry about that are closer than the bear, even if the thought of it always looms. "Some of us are getting old and the puppies are obviously too young and will need someone to watch over them. There's a lot to think about other than hunting bears." As Chewy speaks up again, Shawnee looks at her with a hint of softness in her eyes, even if her stance is still tall and set. "I've brought some food," is her reply to her sister's request. "We'll talk when we've seen to that it's been properly distributed and my attention isn't needed elsewhere." She really doesn't mean to be so short with Chewy, or anyone for that matter - she's just taking after the former alpha, since that's all she knows about her new role, and her own insecurities do the rest of the job.
Hinto seems to pick up on this insecurity pretty easily, byt he way she speaks, he sits and smiles calmly. "Take a seat, and a deep breath. You appear a bit unprepared, and I cannot blame you. At the very least, dear leader, you should put on an air of confidence so the pack knows there's someone who can lead them. I've never been an alpha. This old wolf is, well, too old to be an alpha. But I've known my fair share of leaders, and I know the kind of leader I would like to see serve this pack. For every fierce word you have, you should balance it with a kind one."
Ears lay slightly back, and Chewy nods, looking at the deer that Shawnee brought with her.. and sighs. Well, at least there's food for the adults now, and chewy will hunt down some mice for the pups later. She looks from her sister, to Hinto and back, nodding softly. "Shawnee.. Maybe we could talk now... I.. I'm admittedly worried. You're not being like yourself lately, you're being.. scaryish. I mean, we both know this is how Wya was.. But.. you're not Wya... You should try ... being yourself, in your way. Yeah, you can be firm! But ... But be yourself and less.. scary, please? And Skah is.. worried about you... you might be trying to take on too much right now.." She says, softly.. before she actually dares to try and lean in and lick her sister's face in a familial manner.
Wait, this wasn't in the plan. Admittedly, Shawnee's plan so far has been 'keep an eye on everything and be a leader' and she's admitted a number of times in the past few months that she doesn't know what it means to be a leader. She was supposed to learn that from Wyanet and Hahtalekin. With the two familiar wolves suddenly questioning her (with all right, even if she doesn't want to admit that just now) she quickly grows uncertain. Ears fold back against her head and a growl grows in her throat, but then Wachiwa using the word 'scaryish' causes her to cut the sound short. She looks confused and cornered and her eyes momentarily move over to Sabin - no fun feeling like this in front of a stranger! "I don't know... how to cope with all this in any other way," she eventually mumbles reluctantly through barely moving lips, her neck fur bristling. The tall stance has turned into a defensive one by now.
"Please. Please relax. I am your friend, am I not?" Hinto says. "I'm old, it makes my bones ache thinking about standing all the time, all intense. What Chewy says is right, don't do what you think Wyanet would do. Wyanet is... no longer here. You're in the place she is now, but you are not meant to go all the places she has gone."
"... That's okay though, Shawnee. You're not supposed to.. We're supposed to still be puppies, we're barely even old enough to.. have puppies of our own." Wachiwa says, softly, trying again to nuzzle her sister, this time looking about her face and throat , lifting her snout to expose her own throat at the new alphas with instinctual manner. Attempts to pacify Shawnee's worries and fears. Chewy's never been the smartest wolf.. but she knows she's got to help her sister out because, like, seriously, SISTER. "... Just.. take things slow. Let Skah handle some stuff for a while, like patrolling the borders. Or delegate that job to others, like Asku.. or Hinto, I bet Hinto could help with that. So could Sabin, if you two accept him into the pack... And I'll do my best to keep the pups in line."
Relaxing isn't the easiest for the alpha right now and when Chewy nuzzles her, Shawnee visibly flinches. Then she at least stands still as her sister's nose touches her neck, even if she doesn't immediately return the action. Looking at Hinto, she gives a short nod. "You are," she says, before trying her best to at least straighten her body out of the defensive stance. It's not comfortable and she feels exposed, but both Hinto and Chewy speaks true. "Skahla can't..." she starts in reply to Chewy's words, but then recalls what Skahla said a few days ago and her face softens, almost in shame. Obviously he was right, both about Chewy and himself. She gives Chewy a quick nuzzle, the best she can manage at the moment. "You can... I can ask for help?" she asks as if she wants to confirm the idea.
"What's a pack but a big family? If you can't ask a packmate for help? Whom can you? I'll do my best, though try to keep in mind I have pups of my own as well." Hinto says, willing to help so long as his family doesn't, well, not ever see him again.
Sabin has stayed settled to his haunches while simply observing the others. He wasn't used to seeing so much closeness between others. Ears flattening back a bit he sighs looking to his paws feeling rather out of place, especially since the rouge family he hails from was never that close.
THAT gets an explosively happy wag from Chewy's tail, and she smiles warmly, "You can always ask for help, Shawnee! And I'll always be there to try and give it to you if I can. In fact, please ask for help more often, because I hate to see you so ... so.. stiff and unlickable!" She attempts to headbutt her sister in that ever friendly way she used to as a pup, adding, "You're my bestest big sister, anything I can do for you, I will in a heartbeat. .. Well, y'know, a'ssept maybe eat snow, c'os snow is SOOooo yucky, but still..."
"O-of course," Shawnee says, nodding. "I don't want to keep anyone from their family. And you're... you're welcome here any time you want, you and your family." At least that is Shawnee's opinion and her opinion matters now, right? As Chewy butts against her, she wobbles slightly before regaining her balance and giving a slightly more heartfelt nuzzle to the other. "I'm your only sister," she mumbles, but there's a friendly tone to her voice now. "You won't have to eat snow though," she promises her. Shawnee still feels out of place, not yet ready to relax, but she looks over at Sabin again with decidedly less mistrust than earlier. "So you're looking to join the Ute?" She's never done this before, she doesn't know the proper procedure..!
Hinto sits back and lets the Alpha take care of her business. He'll be good and stay out of this. Perhaps maybe take some of that kill back to Lupin and the pups.
"Well, psh, yeah, but that still makes you the bestest," says, Chewy with a silly grin, blue eyes dancing. The she-wolf then considers and says, "Since Hinto and Lupin and Mori are all.. well, okay, mostly pack-ish members.. why don't we have Lupin and Hinto move their pups here, Shawnee? So Hinto won't HAVE to be away from them all the time. I guess I can forgive Mori for being a stupidhead if he'll at least try and help out with the back. And uh.. There's also the matter of Ahiga, but since you need to talk to Sabin first, I'll go rip some of the deer up for Ikuna and Tala to eat, and stuff." She sheepishly grins, wiggling from head to toe again in that ever-excited full-body wag of hers, before she turns for the deer Shawnee brought, and tarts dragging it out of the way of growed up business. "And I'll give Hinto a leg for him and Lupin.."
Sabin ears perk as he is addressed and his head raises to meet Shawnee's gaze. Rising up to his paws he dips his head low, "I humbly ask for a chance to join your pack. I was born a rogue and that is the life I have led. But.. I will submit to learning the way of the pack and do whatever is asked of me."
Having just unwillingly displayed what an inexperienced leader she is, Shawnee is almost surprised to find that Sabin still treats her like someone to be respected in such a way. Had she been allowed to continue on her fierce track, she'd likely have cross-examined the rogue wolf, but now the one question that comes to her mind is, "You're not the wolf who attacked Skahla, are you?" She narrows her eyes ever so slightly, not even considering the fact that Sabin might not even know who Skahla is.
Hinto has to really think about that. Bring the pups into the heart of the pack? He certainly should speak to Lupin about this.
Sabin blinks taking a step backwards, "Wh..who? I have not attacked anyone." Ears laying back against his skull, "I would never attack anyone for the sake of doing it. Only in self defense would I ever fight anything. But this name.. I heard it spoken as the male alpha but have never met him."
Ears perk, and Chewy looks up from where she's taken to ripping bits of meat from the deer's neck and shoulders for the pups to eat later, staring at Shawnee. ".. A wolf attacked Skah? Well I guess that explains why he was so sore, but.. Wow." She frowns, ears laying back though. Considering that Helaku guy... she wonders if that could be the wolf who attacked her leader, now.. And she starts to open her mouth. "You know, Shaw, there's... "But stops, remembering Skah's words. Not to tell Shawnee. She licks her mouth and then tries to cover. "... Aaaaaa really good place in the marsh to hunt for frogs if you want to come froggie hunting with me later? Or we could go chase dandelions in the field. Just take a moment to relaxe an' stuff.."
Looking over at Chewy for a moment, Shawnee shakes her head with a sigh. "He got into a fight anyway, but he refuses to tell me the details." Then she looks back at Sabin, but before she can continue their conversation, Chewy chimes in with her comment about hunting frogs and Shawnee looks at her sister yet again, frowning. "...Could we discuss frog hunting after I've done this?" she asks, obviously perplexed. "Anyway," she says in Sabin's direction, "Skahla is the alpha alongside me, yes. You will have to speak to him as well, but..." She seems to consider how to go on. "The old custom of the Ute is to allow all creatures a home and protection and I wouldn't be a very good leader if I didn't honour this. I say you're welcome to stay, provided that you do your part. We're going through rough times even with the summer, so I barely want to think about the winter..." She stops and clears her throat. "You're welcome," she summarizes, "but you'll have to get Skahla's permission as well." There, short and straight-forward, right?
"... Sorry, Sha'nee," says Chewy with an embarrassed wag of tail, using her old babydrawl for her sister out of habit more than anything. Once she's ripped enough meat from the dear to carry to the den, which she does in short order, she turns upon the dear, and goes for her favorite parts-- the ears, which she rip, yank, tugs off, and begins gnawing on as she lays down. She considers, tail wagging. "Yay! Sabin can stay, that's so cool, Ikuna will be so happy! Ikuna really liked him when me and Asku were supervising their meeting before that stupid old fox tried to upset Asku by telling all those liiiii-justsaidsomethingIshouldn'thave."
Sabin settles again to his paws and then nods his head, "I understand. I look forward to meeting him." at least he hopes Asku gets to put in that good word with him. "Ikuna is a cute kid." he grins while flashing a light look towards Wachiwa before looking back to Shawnee. Bowing his head forward, "I will do well by you."
Shawnee even manages a smile at Sabin before Chewy's words causes her to turn her head towards her sister with a sharp twitch of her neck. "What fox?" she demands immediately, before remembering what her friends have just told her and shaking her body to try and rid it of tension. "What fox, Chewy?" she asks in a less harsh manner, eyes on her sister over by the deer. "What did it do to upset Asku?"
Ears flatten, and the guilty Chewy shrinks against the ground a little, beforeshe uhms. "Well it was this really mean fox, and it had said it knew Asku, so I thought it was a friend of his, so I welcomed it to come visit. But then it came WAY too close to the den and the puppies, and refused to leave when I told it to at first. And then Asku showed up, and it started telling lies about things Asku had said, saying that Asku was leaving the pack, and that Asku had claimed to be better than Skah, which, like, I SO knew wasn't true, because Asku would never say stupid things like that even if he IS sometimes a little dumb." She pauses to puff a bit of fur out of her eyes, then says, "And I told it to leave, and so did Asku, and it wouldn't, so did what Mom used to do to us when we'd get out of line, y'know, chomp our mouths and shove us to the ground.. and he started accusing me of using violence, but I didn't do ANYTHING to hurt him, just tried to treat him like the stupidhead he was being, and then he like, went off."
Sabin listens as now the two females engage in conversation. Tail lightly tumping the ground behind him he tilts his head at the mention of the fox. "I offered to remove him if they wanted me too. but I think his mouth is bigger than anything else."
Listening attentively to both Sabin and Chewy, Shawnee silently scolds herself for not knowing about this earlier. It'll take her some time to adapt anew and she's slipping into her 'alone and strong' mindset by default. "A loudmouthed fox, hm? I know there are cougars not far beyond the borders, but lying foxes I haven't come across yet." She sniffed at the air, but there wasn't a strong scent of fox. "If it comes back again when I'm not around, I want to know. Immediately," she adds with a meaning look at Chewy. "It didn't actually get into the den, did it?"
Head shaking, Chewy replies: "Nope, I wouldn't let it. But Ikuna wanted to investigate it till he noticed me and Asku were angry, and then I also asked Ikuna to go back closer to the den and stay away from it. And Asku told him if he ever sees it here again he's supposed to run and find one of us adults to let us know." She grins proudly of herself, then drags the other ripped off deer ear to her with a paw, chewing on that, too. "Also, Shawnee, if you want, if someone will watch the pups later, I'll go try and get a bunch of hares for the pack, and bury them somewhere so we have something in case times get worse?"
"Perhaps if I can move the pups soon I might be able to. No guarantees or promises, however." Hinto says quietly, his mind back in the state of thinking. It might be good to bring in the pups to make some friends, and maybe become good pack wolves.
Shawnee feels mildly comforted by the fact that the fox was dealt with and that the pups have been taught well - something she didn't even think of herself - and lets out more tension in a sigh. Walking over to the dead deer, she lies down with a 'thump', her body finally getting a little relief after being so on edge. She rests her head on the dead herbivore's hindquarters as she watches Chewy going over the ears. "We could go together," she suggests, Chewy's words about missing sisterhood echoing in her mind. "If we find a babysitter. Maybe Crescendo can relieve you for a while?" She also looks over at Hinto, giving a nod. "You're welcome, as said. Discuss it with Lupin and see what works the best for you. I'm sure the pups will get along. I can't say the same about Mori and some of the other packmembers, but... the offer still stands, regardless of how you want to approach it." Ugh, grown-up stuff. They way Shawnee's been going about it is definitely tiring. With another sigh, she then sinks her teeth into the rump of the deer with the intention of eating her share of the kill.
Another cringe, and Chewy murmurs, "Shawnee... I.. Think Crescendo's thinking about moving on, too. I think Wya and Haht's deaths kinda struck her worse than it did any of us kids. I'd rather see Cressie be happy if she's... going to leave, than see her stuck watching puppies all day. Like, we should bring her something nice to eat. Maybe a bone or two. And let her know how much we love her and stuff." She smiles weakly, tail wagging against the ground, before she adds: "... And we also need to figure out what to do with Ahiga... Asku and I think.. well, we think the bear might have got his mum, too, before moving on, maybe even before it got Wya and Haht.. I think he should live with us. I invited him to stay at the den, and I said if there's any trouble, I'd take the heat for it."
Shawnee pauses in her work on the deer, looking slightly crestfallen. "Cres is leaving?" Her own babysitter who taught her many things, much like Chewy is doing for the new pups - she's leaving? Shawnee can't help but give an 'it's not FAIR' kind of huff and works with a bit more force at the deer as Chewy goes on. "If Sabin can stay, Ahiga can stay," she declares between chews and tugs at the deer flesh. "Everyone is leaving, so why not let the ones who want to, stay?" she mutters, mainly to herself before she manages to rip of a decent piece of meat. "I'm taking this to the pups," she states as she gets to her feet, grabbing the deer meat and moving towards the den. "I'll talk to Cres later. And Skahla. And... everyone." UGH, grown-up stuff.
Hinto nods. He'll need to talk to her about it. But it feels like the right decision. At least as far as making friends goes. "Looks like I have a lot to bring back to Lupin."
Sabin sits watching as it seems everyone is going their separate ways for now. Looking around he knows surely he can find some way to entertain himself. Getting up he trots over to a stick. Picking it up he then settles down to his stomach with it. -clack clack clack- he begins to chew.
Hinto still has to get some meat together for his mate. He knows Mori's been mostly providing food, and Hinto's been trying, himself, but at his age it's more miss than hit. "Meat, I need to get some meat."