Post by Therdde on Nov 24, 2008 20:04:09 GMT -5
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
Sketch - Female Dog
Felstride - Male Elder Wolf
- Maple Glade -
Running from those cougars and the subsequent walk along Lazuli's borders hurt Skel more than she thought it would. It has been two days, and her limp has not gone away. Their traveling has been slow. They have barely made any distance in the past day. Skelaghe is still hoping that her plan is working, though, keeping them safe. She has been causion that none of them have crossed any borders marked by scent, but they have stuck close, to limit the opportunity that those cougars might stumble upon them. Currently, she is just lying down, waiting for Vincent to return from his hunt, her gaze off to the south, where he went.
Sketch really did want to go with Vincent to assist in his hunt, and possibly to learn a thing or to while with him. Besides, it would have been a great opportunity to catch up with her friend, as they haven't had a chance to talk in private for some time now. But she knew she couldn't leave Skelaghe alone, with her injured condition and all. The two females wait in silence, with Skel watching for Vincent's return and Sketch watching just about everywhere else. It's rather foreboding, expecting to see two fierce cougars suddenly appear, and knowing that they probably will have both of the females killed in a matter of seconds. Sketch almost wishes that she won't see them coming.
His chat with Miakoda has raised the alert in the back of the wolf's mind. He struck out south down the river this morning, then cut back northwest straight through the pack's lands, stopping briefly at the densite to check on those around. Still heading north-northwest, he caught the scent of an unknown wolf and decided to follow it for a short while. He criss crossed the scent a few times, but unable to follow it clearly.. Felstride reluctantly continued northward. At the edges of the boundary, he again picked up newer scents and began to trail them. The familiar feel of the maple trees begins to close in on him, and flashes of the past, in the place they called home before their densite, come to the forefront of his mind. The old wolf steels his jaw and paces forward, tail held up in aggression, hackles raised, eyes set north.. the scents are getting stronger. He wonders what resides here now, overshadowing those old memories. The alpha male lifts his head and announces himself with a challenging chuff.
The noise, and the challenge in it, do not escape Skelaghe's attention. She turns her gaze in that direction, and fights back a sigh as she hauls herself to her feet. Of course, the wolves of these lands could not jsut leave them in peace for the time it will take them to pass through. She is no longer angry, though. She let go of that early yesterday. Now, she's just wary. She keeps her tail low, her back arched slightly. She cannot fight them, and she refuses to allow Sketch to be drawn into a fight.
The challenge is heard by the female Alsatian as well, though perhaps she doesn't recognize it immediately to be of lupine origin. Her first thoughts resolve around the terrifying knowledge that the cougars have found them again! But even as she turns around to identify the creature who made the sound, she realizes that no doubt the cougars would have stalked them and attacked in silence. Which leaves only one possibility, and as her eyes lock onto the approaching wolf, noting his obvious aggressive posture, she realizes with no small amount of concern that the biggest irony of all would be the wolves killing them, rather than the cougars. Well, she's not going to let them have Skelaghe, at least not without a fight from her, so she quickly trots over to place herself between the two lupines, though her stance could hardly be called anything other than a terrified, yet defensive posture.
No, they cannot. Felstride refuses to allow passage if it means danger to his own family. He was once a rogue, long ago, and knows what they must be feeling; but he has a family to protect, he has lands to guard. Skel' is the first that he sees, amber eyes narrowed slightly as he slows his progress toward the glade, halting just as he passes through the trees and enters the sunny outcrop. The older wolf squares his shoulders as he lifts his head, posture still dominant, forward, and aggressive, and his nostrils flare with the intake of both the wolf and the.. /dog/. Hmm. "You have already been denied access to my lands," the alpha says smoothly, his voice carrying across the open glade, "Why do you tred such a thin line by remaining here? You flee cougars at the expense of angering a pack on their lands. This is.. unwise." Poingant stare. He has no interest in killing, and he remains silent for a while as his eye lock on the young female.
"Get back, Sketch. This is not your battle." If it weren't for Skelaghe, the two dogs could be to safety by now. Well out of the range of this pack's influence. Besides, she would still like to get through this without bloodshed, and that seems more likely if she can limit how much the members of this bigoted pack will have to deal with nonwolves. After speaking to Sketch, and without waiting to be obeyed, Skelaghe turns her attention back to Felstride. Her tone remains calm. Civil. But she will not beg. "It is not my desire to anger or endanger you or those in your pack, but we have no wise alternatives. Our salvation lies to the south, and we are making our way there as quickly as circumstances allow." Circumstances made worse by a wolf she assumes to be this one's mate, though she avoids saying that. Had they only been allowed to travel along the river, they would have been well away from Lazuli by now.
If one could describe 'safety' as fleeing back to where the cougars are almost certainly waiting, then yes, Sketch and Vincent might have made it back to 'safety' by now. But, believe it or not, Sketch does feel a lot more safe here in Lazuli lands, despite the rather hostile reception they've faced so far. At least the wolves have been willing to talk, rather than simply come at them with fangs intending to tear out their throats. It's with great reluctance that she moves backward, though the canine doesn't retreat any farther than Skelaghe's side; her fear looks lessened slightly, though she still remains somewhat defensive. If this Lazuli wolf decides to attack, she'll be ready to defend Skelaghe, though probably not lasting long enough for the wolf to escape. If only Vincent were back from hunting...
With the river being their man eastern border, if Felstride knew their plans, somehow he'd doubt that logic. The male allows the wolfess to speak, eye occasionally flitting behind her to the other. Himself, he has no qualms with dogs; he does not harbour the same animosity that his mate does.. however, she is his alphess, and that is what matters. The wolf sighs quietly to himself, hackles slowly settling down along his neck, his tail flattening down and hanging still behind him. He examines them both, wolf and dog, his aggression gone but his dominance still clearly in effect in the manner which he carries himself. Felstride takes a few slow, purposeful steps forward, closing the gap so he doesn't have to shout so. "I have been told your are fleeing cougars, and your route south might be better served by heading further west." You know, /out/ of their lands. "There are cougars in the mountains do the south. Do you not think this is equally as dangerous?"
Skelaghe remains standing as the alpha approaches, meeting his gaze even though her posture never changes. She will remain just submissive enough to make it obvious that /she/ has no intention towards starting an attack, but she will not be rolling over for him, like his mate and that other female seemed to want. "Our /survival/ is best served by traveling no further than we must. I am injured, and my companions are young, but I know much of the cougars to the south. I have spent time with them every spring and fall since I came to these lands, and I have often taken this same route." She has dogs with her now, yes, and there are violent cougars to the north who pursued them far longer than they should have, but those are the only things to have changed.
Felstride's ears flatten briefly to the sides of his head, not appreciating the female's tone with him. The corner of his muzzle turns down slightly as he listens to the other wolf, and once she's finished his ears snap back to attention and he inclines his muzzle her way. "You are not of our lands, and I do not take well to your tone." Snort. "I am more amicable than those who you have already had the pleasure of meeting. I will not force you to stop your journey south. I will ask. If you refuse, if you continue to endanger my family, I will force you to take a different route." Amber eyes trail to the silent Sketch, holding nothing but an empty look toward the dog. "Please do not force me to do such," he asks tiredly. Then.. after a moments pause and a furrowed brow, he asks softly, "These cougars.. what do they want? Those in the mountain do not harbor ill toward wolves.. or dogs.. Why do they chase you?"
And yet, the vast majority of what Felstride is asking, Skelaghe has already answered. "I do not know what they want. I could not tell you how we upset them, or why they chose to chase us for so long. The only guess I could offer you is that they are new to this area, and looking to establish a territory for themselves, in which case, nothing I could say or do could affect your inevitable relations with them." Skelaghe takes a deep breath, and says, "What I can tell you is that there were only two of them. We lost them by running through dog territory. They won't pursue a challenge they don't think they can win. Present a united front, and your family is safe. We are not." Given, though, that this message was not relayed to Felstride, given how sore and tired she is and jaded about this pack's ability to handle species not their own... And given the wolves she knows to be current or former members of Lazuli who spend much time out of their packlands... She in uncertain about their ability to present a united front, and she will have to hope for the safety of her friends and their companions within Lazuli.
The longer this conversation continues, the less Sketch expects the male wolf to suddenly snap and attack them. If he really wanted to do so, he surely would have done so already. Thankfully, he seems to be quite a bit more considerate and less.. condescending.. than the two females they dealt with earlier on. Though she tries to remain alert, she can't help but listen in interest, learning a few new things that she hadn't known previously. Does Skelaghe really plan on taking them far south enough to meet up with /more/ cougars? Sketch isn't sure she likes that idea very much, but.. once again, she knows the wolf to be far more experienced than she. The idea of meeting /friendly/ cougars is going to take some getting used to. Assuming, of course, that they really are friendly.
"What a wonder it is, for a wolf to speak so," he murmurs, though he intentionally doesn't lower his voice, wanting Skel' to hear him. It's not wonder that Storm and Miakoda reacted the way they did. If he were a female, he probably wouldn't like her very much, either. Felstride closes the large gap between them, gaze focusing strictly on the wolfess.. as she seems to be taking care of the other, as it were. He eyes the wolf up and down, gaze lignering on the obviously injured leg. He knows a thing or too about hurt legs, by now. Felstride grunts, considering something, before he speaks again. "You will stay here no longer than is necessary. You will not travel farther south than this glade. You will hunt to the north or to the west. The other that is not with you, the male, tell him this, or I am afriad it will cost him his life." He sighs. "You will leave when your leg has healed. You will travel south-southwest." There are no questions. These are the rules. If she disobeys this.. well.. we'll see.
Skelaghe cannot say she appreaciates what Felstride says, even with the offer to remain exactly where they are until she is healed. Regardless, he gets what he wants. They will have to move soon, regardless of how it might hurt her to do so, because with the way this is going... If it takes them too much longer, she would be unsurprised in they deliberately decided to extend their borders by several miles. They want her further away from their borders? Fine. Skelaghe wants precisely the same thing. She takes a slow breath, then says, "I understand. You will not have to worry about us for much longer." There is a brief pause, during which time Skelaghe reminds herself that the wolves she has met here are only trying to do what they think is best for their children, after which she adds, "And for whatever it may be worth, I do wish you and yours well." Even the ones who have done what very few have ever done, who have inspired anger in her, within the past couple days.
He would not do that. Storm and Miakoda, sure, if they really wanted to, but he wouldn't. If he had young pups new this spring, he would be much more fierce in his demands, he might have attacked, he might have killed. With the lingering threat of the cougars positioned on his northern border, the wolf is still uneasy, though he does not let that worry cross his face. Having found this small band, having given them the parameters.. he can only hope they will abide by them. He will be sure to check the glade and the surroundings woods carefully in the next few days.. just to make sure. "Very well," the male says formally, inclining his head slightly. He does not head south where he came from, but takes a wide, stiff course around the glade's peremeter-- north. He stops once, ears flicking back toward the wolf. "Aye. Yours as well."
Sketch has never been one to do well at hiding her emotions, but even if she was, she might be hard-pressed to disguise her overwhelming surprise at the wolf's words. They will be allowed to rest here? Sketch isn't sure exactly where south-southwest will take them, or whether it's a concession on the male's part to let them travel through Lazuli lands at all, but from Skel's words it sounds as though they've just been given a beneficial and generous offer from the alpha, so she can't help but look grateful. Even if only a little. Her views and perception of wolves has definitely been greatly affected by meeting the various Lazuli members so far, but, perhaps thanks to this male, it isn't an entirely negative shift.
They will wait until Vincent returns, and then head out. Well, if he manages to bring food, they will first eat, then head out. She can assume nothing of this pack, but... Within a week, they should be in Amaranth, she hopes, and then she will not have to concern herself with it any more. /Then/, they can rest. Until Felstride is out of sight, though, Skelaghe remains standing, watching him depart silently and thinking about the trials they yet await them.
"You are an obvious exception," Sketch finally says in a low murmur as she watches Fel disappear from sight, "but I was beginning to think that all wolves are cruel and uncaring." The very thought of treating her with contempt just because she's a dog! She can understand wanting to protect one's pack and lands, but.. turning her away because she's inferior to a wolf? That hurt deeply, and it makes her all the more grateful to Skel for putting up with her. And once more, she can't help but wonder if it's really a distasteful thing for her friend to do.
Skelaghe sighs and lies down. It takes her a moment to respond, and when she does, her tone is subdued. "I might have thought the same thing about dogs, once, were I more inclined to judge. Where I come from, there were no human dwellings within many days' walking distance, and no dogs. This conflict remains foreign to me." Hopefully, that will always be the case. She can understand, after her talks with Jage, how wolves are reluctant to let rogue dogs run around their territory, same as rogue wolves. The depth of the animosity there always surprises her, though.
Sketch doesn't understand the animosity either, particularly because she hasn't had a whole lot of contact with any dogs she would consider antagonistic. Jolon, Jage.. would they really be spiteful to wolves to where this hostile relationship would be generated? Maybe Freyr, but even he doesn't seem like he would be particularly aggressive toward wolves in particular; his personality is toward all creatures, not just lupines. "At least I've got you, Skel." The female Alsatian finally smiles for the first time in what seems like forever. "I hope you don't ever change your mind about canines."
Skelaghe returns Sketch's smile with one of her own, then says, "At this rate, I think I'm more likely to change my mind about wolves." How long has it been since she has even seen one of her lupine companions? The surviving members of her pack are long lost to her, but even the others... She misses their company, but, yes, she does have Sketch, so not all is horrible. And maybe, should they encounter any Viridian wolves on their trip, the encounter will be more relaxed, more pleasant. She can't count on it, but there's always a chance.
Sketch grimaces, not liking the sound of that. It just seems wrong for her wolf companion to want to give up on her own kind, even considering what's happened to them so far here in Lazuli lands. There's an awkward and uncomfortable silence, so Sketch decides that now would be a great time for a subject change. "Tell me about the cougars. The friendly ones, I mean... they live down to the south? What's a friendly cougar like, anyway?" It's certainly a hard concept to imagine, when all one has to draw from is memories of oncoming teeth and claws.
What is a friendly cougar like? The question causes Skelaghe to keep her smile, and her tone lightens slightly. "The little ones are the most adorable thing you'll ever see." Maybe, /maybe/, even more adorable than wolf pups. Then again, it might just be because Skelaghe has seen cougar cubs more recently than she has seen wolf pups. "The members of the tribe we'll be visiting mark their fur with red, sort of like-" A glance at her own should reveals the marking there to be faded so much that she can barely see it. Oh. Her tone falling slightly, she looks back up and Sketch and says, "Well, they'll have red marks on their fur. They can be scary, but they are honourable animals. As long as you are polite and respectful, you should have no trouble making friends."
For whatever reason, Sketch has a hard time picturing a young and scary ball of fur, fangs, and claws to be anything remotely adorable, but she'll have to take Skelaghe's word for it. Polite and respectful? She can do that. Making /friends/ with those gigantic and terrifying cats? Hrm. That might be a little more tricky. Sketch wonders why any creature would feel the need to mark their fur up with anything, rather than keep it clean, but she supposes she'll just have to learn that when she sees it. Probably an impolite thing to ask, anyway. "How.. big is the tribe?"
Skelaghe has to think about that for a moment. She doesn't know all the members of Amaranth, not by a long shot. Actually, she doesn't yet realize it, but these days, she scarcely knows any members of Amaranth. All the same, though... "It's lands are large, but the cougars do not seem to live as close together as dogs or wolves. I would say there are probably at least ten cougars in the tribe. Possibly more. I don't know for certain, though." The last little will have been all grown up by now, or close to it. Will there be more cubs for her to try to entertain? If so, hopefully they will be more willing to listen to her than the one ball of fluff she met last time.
Ten cougars? Possible more? Sketch swallows hard, peering toward the south. And what if they aren't as friendly as Skelaghe remembers, or what if they've changed their minds about how to deal with wolves and canines? At least it'll be a quick death, no doubt. She sighs, more at herself than anything else. There's no doubt that she feels herself becoming rather pessimistic, and she doesn't like it. They had Vincent join them. They're being allowed time to rest so Skelaghe can heal. They've been given safe passage to travel to the south. So why so gloomy?
Skelaghe can't help but chuckles slightly at Sketch's reaction, and after a moment, she says, "Just wait an see. We'll be there soon enough, and you'll make friends. And where else to be safe from cougars than in the presence of cougars?" I'll see your two cougars, and I'll raise you ten! There in no doubt that the coming days will be rough, particularly on her, but one they reach Amaranth, they can all breath easily. It will all be well.
Where else indeed! Though Sketch can't help but wonder if they wouldn't be safer staying with a strong group of dogs. Yes, they aren't quite as intimidating as wolves, and certainly not like cougars, but at least they can /trust/ dogs, and that seems to be a rather high priority for her right about now. Can they trust these cougars to the south, friendly or not? What if these tribal cougars are friends with the ones chasing their small group? That would certainly be an awkward situation, and Sketch can't help but feel uneasy as to where their loyalties would lie. "I sure hope so," she finally mumbles, settling down to the ground. "I just want to feel safe again. For all of us." Now she's no doubt going to worry about Vincent until he returns.
There's a problem with that, though. Even Jage would not have Skelaghe anywhere near her territory. Skelaghe is still sporting the injury from the attempt to catch food to apologize for the last time she had to go there. Jolon has expressed how much he hates her well enough. And those are the dogs she /knows/. With the exception of Sketch and Vincent, who would have her? She would not hesitate to subject herself to the same humiliation that Sketch faced when she was confronted by those wolfs if she thought it would help, but if all it will do is get them chased from another territory, or convince some dogs that Sketch and Vincent are not to be trusted? No, Skelaghe will not do that to them. Answering in a fairly quiet tone, she says, "We will be safe again, soon. You have my word."
Sketch - Female Dog
Felstride - Male Elder Wolf
- Maple Glade -
Running from those cougars and the subsequent walk along Lazuli's borders hurt Skel more than she thought it would. It has been two days, and her limp has not gone away. Their traveling has been slow. They have barely made any distance in the past day. Skelaghe is still hoping that her plan is working, though, keeping them safe. She has been causion that none of them have crossed any borders marked by scent, but they have stuck close, to limit the opportunity that those cougars might stumble upon them. Currently, she is just lying down, waiting for Vincent to return from his hunt, her gaze off to the south, where he went.
Sketch really did want to go with Vincent to assist in his hunt, and possibly to learn a thing or to while with him. Besides, it would have been a great opportunity to catch up with her friend, as they haven't had a chance to talk in private for some time now. But she knew she couldn't leave Skelaghe alone, with her injured condition and all. The two females wait in silence, with Skel watching for Vincent's return and Sketch watching just about everywhere else. It's rather foreboding, expecting to see two fierce cougars suddenly appear, and knowing that they probably will have both of the females killed in a matter of seconds. Sketch almost wishes that she won't see them coming.
His chat with Miakoda has raised the alert in the back of the wolf's mind. He struck out south down the river this morning, then cut back northwest straight through the pack's lands, stopping briefly at the densite to check on those around. Still heading north-northwest, he caught the scent of an unknown wolf and decided to follow it for a short while. He criss crossed the scent a few times, but unable to follow it clearly.. Felstride reluctantly continued northward. At the edges of the boundary, he again picked up newer scents and began to trail them. The familiar feel of the maple trees begins to close in on him, and flashes of the past, in the place they called home before their densite, come to the forefront of his mind. The old wolf steels his jaw and paces forward, tail held up in aggression, hackles raised, eyes set north.. the scents are getting stronger. He wonders what resides here now, overshadowing those old memories. The alpha male lifts his head and announces himself with a challenging chuff.
The noise, and the challenge in it, do not escape Skelaghe's attention. She turns her gaze in that direction, and fights back a sigh as she hauls herself to her feet. Of course, the wolves of these lands could not jsut leave them in peace for the time it will take them to pass through. She is no longer angry, though. She let go of that early yesterday. Now, she's just wary. She keeps her tail low, her back arched slightly. She cannot fight them, and she refuses to allow Sketch to be drawn into a fight.
The challenge is heard by the female Alsatian as well, though perhaps she doesn't recognize it immediately to be of lupine origin. Her first thoughts resolve around the terrifying knowledge that the cougars have found them again! But even as she turns around to identify the creature who made the sound, she realizes that no doubt the cougars would have stalked them and attacked in silence. Which leaves only one possibility, and as her eyes lock onto the approaching wolf, noting his obvious aggressive posture, she realizes with no small amount of concern that the biggest irony of all would be the wolves killing them, rather than the cougars. Well, she's not going to let them have Skelaghe, at least not without a fight from her, so she quickly trots over to place herself between the two lupines, though her stance could hardly be called anything other than a terrified, yet defensive posture.
No, they cannot. Felstride refuses to allow passage if it means danger to his own family. He was once a rogue, long ago, and knows what they must be feeling; but he has a family to protect, he has lands to guard. Skel' is the first that he sees, amber eyes narrowed slightly as he slows his progress toward the glade, halting just as he passes through the trees and enters the sunny outcrop. The older wolf squares his shoulders as he lifts his head, posture still dominant, forward, and aggressive, and his nostrils flare with the intake of both the wolf and the.. /dog/. Hmm. "You have already been denied access to my lands," the alpha says smoothly, his voice carrying across the open glade, "Why do you tred such a thin line by remaining here? You flee cougars at the expense of angering a pack on their lands. This is.. unwise." Poingant stare. He has no interest in killing, and he remains silent for a while as his eye lock on the young female.
"Get back, Sketch. This is not your battle." If it weren't for Skelaghe, the two dogs could be to safety by now. Well out of the range of this pack's influence. Besides, she would still like to get through this without bloodshed, and that seems more likely if she can limit how much the members of this bigoted pack will have to deal with nonwolves. After speaking to Sketch, and without waiting to be obeyed, Skelaghe turns her attention back to Felstride. Her tone remains calm. Civil. But she will not beg. "It is not my desire to anger or endanger you or those in your pack, but we have no wise alternatives. Our salvation lies to the south, and we are making our way there as quickly as circumstances allow." Circumstances made worse by a wolf she assumes to be this one's mate, though she avoids saying that. Had they only been allowed to travel along the river, they would have been well away from Lazuli by now.
If one could describe 'safety' as fleeing back to where the cougars are almost certainly waiting, then yes, Sketch and Vincent might have made it back to 'safety' by now. But, believe it or not, Sketch does feel a lot more safe here in Lazuli lands, despite the rather hostile reception they've faced so far. At least the wolves have been willing to talk, rather than simply come at them with fangs intending to tear out their throats. It's with great reluctance that she moves backward, though the canine doesn't retreat any farther than Skelaghe's side; her fear looks lessened slightly, though she still remains somewhat defensive. If this Lazuli wolf decides to attack, she'll be ready to defend Skelaghe, though probably not lasting long enough for the wolf to escape. If only Vincent were back from hunting...
With the river being their man eastern border, if Felstride knew their plans, somehow he'd doubt that logic. The male allows the wolfess to speak, eye occasionally flitting behind her to the other. Himself, he has no qualms with dogs; he does not harbour the same animosity that his mate does.. however, she is his alphess, and that is what matters. The wolf sighs quietly to himself, hackles slowly settling down along his neck, his tail flattening down and hanging still behind him. He examines them both, wolf and dog, his aggression gone but his dominance still clearly in effect in the manner which he carries himself. Felstride takes a few slow, purposeful steps forward, closing the gap so he doesn't have to shout so. "I have been told your are fleeing cougars, and your route south might be better served by heading further west." You know, /out/ of their lands. "There are cougars in the mountains do the south. Do you not think this is equally as dangerous?"
Skelaghe remains standing as the alpha approaches, meeting his gaze even though her posture never changes. She will remain just submissive enough to make it obvious that /she/ has no intention towards starting an attack, but she will not be rolling over for him, like his mate and that other female seemed to want. "Our /survival/ is best served by traveling no further than we must. I am injured, and my companions are young, but I know much of the cougars to the south. I have spent time with them every spring and fall since I came to these lands, and I have often taken this same route." She has dogs with her now, yes, and there are violent cougars to the north who pursued them far longer than they should have, but those are the only things to have changed.
Felstride's ears flatten briefly to the sides of his head, not appreciating the female's tone with him. The corner of his muzzle turns down slightly as he listens to the other wolf, and once she's finished his ears snap back to attention and he inclines his muzzle her way. "You are not of our lands, and I do not take well to your tone." Snort. "I am more amicable than those who you have already had the pleasure of meeting. I will not force you to stop your journey south. I will ask. If you refuse, if you continue to endanger my family, I will force you to take a different route." Amber eyes trail to the silent Sketch, holding nothing but an empty look toward the dog. "Please do not force me to do such," he asks tiredly. Then.. after a moments pause and a furrowed brow, he asks softly, "These cougars.. what do they want? Those in the mountain do not harbor ill toward wolves.. or dogs.. Why do they chase you?"
And yet, the vast majority of what Felstride is asking, Skelaghe has already answered. "I do not know what they want. I could not tell you how we upset them, or why they chose to chase us for so long. The only guess I could offer you is that they are new to this area, and looking to establish a territory for themselves, in which case, nothing I could say or do could affect your inevitable relations with them." Skelaghe takes a deep breath, and says, "What I can tell you is that there were only two of them. We lost them by running through dog territory. They won't pursue a challenge they don't think they can win. Present a united front, and your family is safe. We are not." Given, though, that this message was not relayed to Felstride, given how sore and tired she is and jaded about this pack's ability to handle species not their own... And given the wolves she knows to be current or former members of Lazuli who spend much time out of their packlands... She in uncertain about their ability to present a united front, and she will have to hope for the safety of her friends and their companions within Lazuli.
The longer this conversation continues, the less Sketch expects the male wolf to suddenly snap and attack them. If he really wanted to do so, he surely would have done so already. Thankfully, he seems to be quite a bit more considerate and less.. condescending.. than the two females they dealt with earlier on. Though she tries to remain alert, she can't help but listen in interest, learning a few new things that she hadn't known previously. Does Skelaghe really plan on taking them far south enough to meet up with /more/ cougars? Sketch isn't sure she likes that idea very much, but.. once again, she knows the wolf to be far more experienced than she. The idea of meeting /friendly/ cougars is going to take some getting used to. Assuming, of course, that they really are friendly.
"What a wonder it is, for a wolf to speak so," he murmurs, though he intentionally doesn't lower his voice, wanting Skel' to hear him. It's not wonder that Storm and Miakoda reacted the way they did. If he were a female, he probably wouldn't like her very much, either. Felstride closes the large gap between them, gaze focusing strictly on the wolfess.. as she seems to be taking care of the other, as it were. He eyes the wolf up and down, gaze lignering on the obviously injured leg. He knows a thing or too about hurt legs, by now. Felstride grunts, considering something, before he speaks again. "You will stay here no longer than is necessary. You will not travel farther south than this glade. You will hunt to the north or to the west. The other that is not with you, the male, tell him this, or I am afriad it will cost him his life." He sighs. "You will leave when your leg has healed. You will travel south-southwest." There are no questions. These are the rules. If she disobeys this.. well.. we'll see.
Skelaghe cannot say she appreaciates what Felstride says, even with the offer to remain exactly where they are until she is healed. Regardless, he gets what he wants. They will have to move soon, regardless of how it might hurt her to do so, because with the way this is going... If it takes them too much longer, she would be unsurprised in they deliberately decided to extend their borders by several miles. They want her further away from their borders? Fine. Skelaghe wants precisely the same thing. She takes a slow breath, then says, "I understand. You will not have to worry about us for much longer." There is a brief pause, during which time Skelaghe reminds herself that the wolves she has met here are only trying to do what they think is best for their children, after which she adds, "And for whatever it may be worth, I do wish you and yours well." Even the ones who have done what very few have ever done, who have inspired anger in her, within the past couple days.
He would not do that. Storm and Miakoda, sure, if they really wanted to, but he wouldn't. If he had young pups new this spring, he would be much more fierce in his demands, he might have attacked, he might have killed. With the lingering threat of the cougars positioned on his northern border, the wolf is still uneasy, though he does not let that worry cross his face. Having found this small band, having given them the parameters.. he can only hope they will abide by them. He will be sure to check the glade and the surroundings woods carefully in the next few days.. just to make sure. "Very well," the male says formally, inclining his head slightly. He does not head south where he came from, but takes a wide, stiff course around the glade's peremeter-- north. He stops once, ears flicking back toward the wolf. "Aye. Yours as well."
Sketch has never been one to do well at hiding her emotions, but even if she was, she might be hard-pressed to disguise her overwhelming surprise at the wolf's words. They will be allowed to rest here? Sketch isn't sure exactly where south-southwest will take them, or whether it's a concession on the male's part to let them travel through Lazuli lands at all, but from Skel's words it sounds as though they've just been given a beneficial and generous offer from the alpha, so she can't help but look grateful. Even if only a little. Her views and perception of wolves has definitely been greatly affected by meeting the various Lazuli members so far, but, perhaps thanks to this male, it isn't an entirely negative shift.
They will wait until Vincent returns, and then head out. Well, if he manages to bring food, they will first eat, then head out. She can assume nothing of this pack, but... Within a week, they should be in Amaranth, she hopes, and then she will not have to concern herself with it any more. /Then/, they can rest. Until Felstride is out of sight, though, Skelaghe remains standing, watching him depart silently and thinking about the trials they yet await them.
"You are an obvious exception," Sketch finally says in a low murmur as she watches Fel disappear from sight, "but I was beginning to think that all wolves are cruel and uncaring." The very thought of treating her with contempt just because she's a dog! She can understand wanting to protect one's pack and lands, but.. turning her away because she's inferior to a wolf? That hurt deeply, and it makes her all the more grateful to Skel for putting up with her. And once more, she can't help but wonder if it's really a distasteful thing for her friend to do.
Skelaghe sighs and lies down. It takes her a moment to respond, and when she does, her tone is subdued. "I might have thought the same thing about dogs, once, were I more inclined to judge. Where I come from, there were no human dwellings within many days' walking distance, and no dogs. This conflict remains foreign to me." Hopefully, that will always be the case. She can understand, after her talks with Jage, how wolves are reluctant to let rogue dogs run around their territory, same as rogue wolves. The depth of the animosity there always surprises her, though.
Sketch doesn't understand the animosity either, particularly because she hasn't had a whole lot of contact with any dogs she would consider antagonistic. Jolon, Jage.. would they really be spiteful to wolves to where this hostile relationship would be generated? Maybe Freyr, but even he doesn't seem like he would be particularly aggressive toward wolves in particular; his personality is toward all creatures, not just lupines. "At least I've got you, Skel." The female Alsatian finally smiles for the first time in what seems like forever. "I hope you don't ever change your mind about canines."
Skelaghe returns Sketch's smile with one of her own, then says, "At this rate, I think I'm more likely to change my mind about wolves." How long has it been since she has even seen one of her lupine companions? The surviving members of her pack are long lost to her, but even the others... She misses their company, but, yes, she does have Sketch, so not all is horrible. And maybe, should they encounter any Viridian wolves on their trip, the encounter will be more relaxed, more pleasant. She can't count on it, but there's always a chance.
Sketch grimaces, not liking the sound of that. It just seems wrong for her wolf companion to want to give up on her own kind, even considering what's happened to them so far here in Lazuli lands. There's an awkward and uncomfortable silence, so Sketch decides that now would be a great time for a subject change. "Tell me about the cougars. The friendly ones, I mean... they live down to the south? What's a friendly cougar like, anyway?" It's certainly a hard concept to imagine, when all one has to draw from is memories of oncoming teeth and claws.
What is a friendly cougar like? The question causes Skelaghe to keep her smile, and her tone lightens slightly. "The little ones are the most adorable thing you'll ever see." Maybe, /maybe/, even more adorable than wolf pups. Then again, it might just be because Skelaghe has seen cougar cubs more recently than she has seen wolf pups. "The members of the tribe we'll be visiting mark their fur with red, sort of like-" A glance at her own should reveals the marking there to be faded so much that she can barely see it. Oh. Her tone falling slightly, she looks back up and Sketch and says, "Well, they'll have red marks on their fur. They can be scary, but they are honourable animals. As long as you are polite and respectful, you should have no trouble making friends."
For whatever reason, Sketch has a hard time picturing a young and scary ball of fur, fangs, and claws to be anything remotely adorable, but she'll have to take Skelaghe's word for it. Polite and respectful? She can do that. Making /friends/ with those gigantic and terrifying cats? Hrm. That might be a little more tricky. Sketch wonders why any creature would feel the need to mark their fur up with anything, rather than keep it clean, but she supposes she'll just have to learn that when she sees it. Probably an impolite thing to ask, anyway. "How.. big is the tribe?"
Skelaghe has to think about that for a moment. She doesn't know all the members of Amaranth, not by a long shot. Actually, she doesn't yet realize it, but these days, she scarcely knows any members of Amaranth. All the same, though... "It's lands are large, but the cougars do not seem to live as close together as dogs or wolves. I would say there are probably at least ten cougars in the tribe. Possibly more. I don't know for certain, though." The last little will have been all grown up by now, or close to it. Will there be more cubs for her to try to entertain? If so, hopefully they will be more willing to listen to her than the one ball of fluff she met last time.
Ten cougars? Possible more? Sketch swallows hard, peering toward the south. And what if they aren't as friendly as Skelaghe remembers, or what if they've changed their minds about how to deal with wolves and canines? At least it'll be a quick death, no doubt. She sighs, more at herself than anything else. There's no doubt that she feels herself becoming rather pessimistic, and she doesn't like it. They had Vincent join them. They're being allowed time to rest so Skelaghe can heal. They've been given safe passage to travel to the south. So why so gloomy?
Skelaghe can't help but chuckles slightly at Sketch's reaction, and after a moment, she says, "Just wait an see. We'll be there soon enough, and you'll make friends. And where else to be safe from cougars than in the presence of cougars?" I'll see your two cougars, and I'll raise you ten! There in no doubt that the coming days will be rough, particularly on her, but one they reach Amaranth, they can all breath easily. It will all be well.
Where else indeed! Though Sketch can't help but wonder if they wouldn't be safer staying with a strong group of dogs. Yes, they aren't quite as intimidating as wolves, and certainly not like cougars, but at least they can /trust/ dogs, and that seems to be a rather high priority for her right about now. Can they trust these cougars to the south, friendly or not? What if these tribal cougars are friends with the ones chasing their small group? That would certainly be an awkward situation, and Sketch can't help but feel uneasy as to where their loyalties would lie. "I sure hope so," she finally mumbles, settling down to the ground. "I just want to feel safe again. For all of us." Now she's no doubt going to worry about Vincent until he returns.
There's a problem with that, though. Even Jage would not have Skelaghe anywhere near her territory. Skelaghe is still sporting the injury from the attempt to catch food to apologize for the last time she had to go there. Jolon has expressed how much he hates her well enough. And those are the dogs she /knows/. With the exception of Sketch and Vincent, who would have her? She would not hesitate to subject herself to the same humiliation that Sketch faced when she was confronted by those wolfs if she thought it would help, but if all it will do is get them chased from another territory, or convince some dogs that Sketch and Vincent are not to be trusted? No, Skelaghe will not do that to them. Answering in a fairly quiet tone, she says, "We will be safe again, soon. You have my word."