Post by Curiosity on Nov 25, 2008 20:18:16 GMT -5
Characters:
Storm, female wolf, Lazuli alpha
Haze, male wolf
Cyrus, male adol. wolf
Shikoba, female adol. wolf
=== Deepening Woods ===
Haze has been skirting the boundaries of Lazuli territory ever since he and Larkspur arrived, still not comfortable enough to just settle down in the midst of the pack's den. Hearing a howl in the nearby woods, the brindle-furred male decides to investigate, padding up from the east, ears pricked as he listens for other noises that may clue him in as to what's going on. Almost immediately, the sharp tang of blood hits his nose, and the male wonders if Lazuli's gone on a hunt. If so, he doesn't want to potentially scare off their quarry, so he softens his steps as he approaches, peering through the tall grasses between the trees as he attempts to locate the caller, amber eyes searching.
Storm knew that howl well, so much so that it bothered her. Felstride was not known for howling unless there was trouble or he was trying to find one of the pack. The aging alpha is moving as quickly as she can through the forest, slipping through underbrush as she works on picking up her mates scent. It doesn't take her long to catch the thick scent of blood, which startles her and only quickens her pace. She doesn't recall a reason for it, no hunts where planned, even so if Felstride was the one who howled he would surely not be hunting.
Haze pushes his muzzle through a clump of heavy brush, and the powerful smell of fresh, hot blood almost makes his mouth water - until he focuses on the limp body not a few yards from himself, and his eyes widen when he recognizes the bloodied form as that of Larkspur's father. Oh no. His eyes flit about, trying to see who or what did this to the old alpha, and the only flash of movement comes from the hindquarters of a cougar right before it slips into the heavy foliage towards the south - and the heavy scent here confirms it. But Haze knows better than to go off and try taking on a full-grown cougar by himself, and he knows the best thing to do in this situation would be to just tell another of the Lazuli what's happened. He lifts his maw in a howl, calling for help...though it doesn't appear anything can be done for the elder male at this point.
At the Deepening Woods, Haze howls.
The other alpha is mere steps behind Haze, Storm caught sight of him an turned to follow. She goes to say something but only pauses at Haze's side, the thick scent of blood is here and then.. then there is something else her gaze lingers upon. Fear grips her form as she stands still, but soon her head lowers and she slowly creeps forwards, towards her fallen mate. Even covered in blood she knows very well who it is, an also knows she's too late. She's seen plenty of death over the years, many wolves she knew in the past died painful but this, this is something she never expected to see..
He'd left Eclipse to actually speak to his father about something, however on his way he'd heard the howl from his sisters mate and caught his and his mothers scent. Curious, the growing wolf decided to follow, he could just talk to his mom. Tail twitching behind him, Cyrus is hit with the familiar metallic stengtch of blood. A frown creases his face drastically and its when he arrives on the scene behind his mother and brother-in-law that he stops, frozen cold. Steele eyes never leave the bloody mass upon the floor, he knows who it is.. but it can't be. He eyes his mom as she edges forwards and whines pathtically. Mommy? ;_;
She had been contemplating her life, the future, and everything. Until she was alarmed by the howling, and the betas' daughter had dropped what she had been doing to immediately make her way in the direction it had come from. True distress does not well in her until she gets near, and a fresh, unmistakable coppery scent seeps into her nostrils. That is blood... wolf blood? She's never smelled it so thickly before. A step closer; she can see the blood now. And another step; there's a body. What happened? Who is...? She steps nearer still. No. That can't be right. Shikoba stares from a small distance, past the other wolves, not able to comprehend what she is seeing.
Haze whimpers softly as he watches Larkspur's mother crawl towards the lifeless form of her mate, his tail curling down underneath his body, ears swept back against his skull at the sad scene. He doesn't know what to say to the Lazuli alpha, and so errs on the side of caution and doesn't say anything at all to her yet, just letting her mourn. As more of his mate's relatives meander into the area, the Viridian-born wolf's head just hangs low, the pack's collective sorrow tangible in the thick air.
Voices, whines, whimpers, nothing reaches Storm as she slowly sinks down next to Felstride's form, almost as if she struck down herself. Her head lowers to let her cheek press against the fallen wolves shoulder much like she use to in the past when he was alive. It bothers her to find him still warm, a sharp whine soon escapes her. It just happened and she couldn't do anything about it. Her eyes close as she lays there, ignoring all who might be around her.
He takes a protective step forwards as he watches his mother, ears flattening and tail tucking almost at the same time as Haze's. Blue eyes flicker to Shiko' as she arrives before flitting to his sister's mate. Cyrus' dispare grows and its when he turns away from the scene that the coppery smell of his father's blood is barely interupted by the musk of a scentmark.. Cyrus takes a small step torwards it, nostrils flaring. Cougar. He noticed more now that it was everywhere. That one of them /dared/ mark his father's land, /his/ homelands. The fur along Cyrus' figure bristles as a growl of pure fury rips through his throat. His body seems to shiver, to convulse, as fifteen different plans run through his head, all having one thing in common - to Kill Them.
How ironic is it? That this happens after everything she had said the night before? She was not particularly close to Fel, but he was the Alpha; in her eyes, God. With an unbelieving and detached sort of calm, the young she-wolf inches toward the scene. Her nose takes in everything, trying to piece together and make sense of all this. She's not blind; looking at the state Storm and Cyrus are in, she dares not say a thing to either. Haze, in their place, draws her gaze and she slinks around the others to him. "What happened?" Her voice is low and devoid of emotion.
Haze glances over at the younger female as she pads towards him, a grimace tight across his maw. This one doesn't smell like one of Larkspur's family, but she's doubtlessly a Lazuli member nonetheless. "I...don't know. By the time I arrived, it was too late... I saw a cougar heading south, which matches the scent it left behind, but I didn't see his face or any distinguishing features." The scent alone tells him it's male, but aside from that, there's nothing more he can learn from the marking left behind as further insult, especially the question that's on all of their minds - why?
Storm remains at Felstride side, nothing an no one could pull her away from this very spot. The voices are caught behind her but she makes no sound, not real attempt to listion. Cougar is the one word that she does catch, it rings in her mind and she remembers the wolf and the two dogs days before. The strange wolf was so sure cougars would not harm the pack, so sure the pack could stop them. She was wrong and the only thing she can figure out is that the cougars that chased the trio must have done this, what others would dare or even want to? "I'm sorry, love." Is murmured out quietly to Felstride. She should have been with him, but then the pack would have lost two leaders for sure that day.
Cyrus's growling turns into a heart-wrenching wail as he looks back to his mother. He begins to pace anxiously from side to side, not sure what to do, not sure any of this is even true. Two steele blue eyes are locked on Haze as he speaks and the faint growl from his throat is the only answer from the peanut-gallery. He drops his head, pacing from side to side before he can't take it anymore, "We have to do something! They have to pay for this! We can't just.. he wouldn't just... UGH!"
Shikoba thinks back to what little knowledge she had regarding the cougars. She had some vestige of unease, but it was overpowered by her faith that nothing like this could ever happen to /their/ pack. "I... I see." She whispers, looking away from Haze and again at the body. He's dead. One of the alphas is dead. She still can't believe it, even with the corpse right over there. What's going to happen to them now? Shikoba looks pityingly at Storm, and then turns to eyes Cyrus. She opens her mouth with the intent of saying... what? Nothing? She snaps it shut again, retreating back into her whirling mind.
Haze doesn't have a place here yet, other than the foreign mate of the alphas' daughter. And so, until his opinion is specifically requested, the male lets the Lazuli pack proper figure out what to do, Cyrus' angry words soliciting no response from the brindled male aside from a concerned glance his way. He's content to just provide silent moral support in the meantime.
Storm seems utterly lost as she lays there, fur tinged red in some places and she cares little about it. Even after Cyrus's outburt it takes what seems like forever before the alpha even speaks. "Cyrus." She bearly speaks, her voice almost a whisper. "Your father died to protect us, we will not go and start charing after cougars.." The alpha slips quiet after this, oh she would take great enjoyment into ripping into the cougar who did this it would make her feel better for a little while but it would not bring Felstride back. The pack will be looking to her for guidence once more and she is unsure what she could off anyone of them in the state she is in at the moment.
His growling is cut short at his mothers soft words and he can't help but drop his head forlornly. Ears droop and Cyrus lets his eyes focus on the ground. The ashen male whines pathetically, haunches sagging and shoulders stooping. He suddenly wants very much to see Eclipse, however can not bring himself to leave the side of his mother and his fallen father. From here on out, Cyrus falls quiet save for a few mournful whimpers here or there.
Drawing in a long, deep breath, the young she-wolf steps toward the grieving alpha. She swallows, willing herself to speak clear and unwaveringly. "Alpha Storm?" She doesn't get too near, so as not to bother the family too much in their mourning. "Shall I tell the rest of the pack?" She feels useless here. There's no comfort she can provide, and the sight of Fel's body is making her both terrified and nauseous.
Storm ears twitch forward slightly as she hears Shikoba's voice, she can only wonder how the younger wolf feels seeing this mess, or for that matter how her son must feel at this moment. Past memories of when she was there age cloud her mind for a few moments, her sister dead and she alone. Now it is different, the heartache and pain is there as if something stabbed her but she isn't alone. "You may go tell them Shikoba.." The alpha finally says before rubbing her cheek against Fel's shoulder. Her head soon lifts and she lets her gaze rest upon Cyrus.
Cyrus doesn't meet his mothers gaze, at least for a moment. He can feel her looking at him and he finally tares his eyes from the ground to look up at her. Steeley eyes soften as he sees his mother, ears twitching where they're pressed back against his skull. He finally pushes himself up, braving the smell of his fathers blood, and rushes to his mothers side to press his nose tightly against her neck. He drops down to his belly, eyes closing as his figure tenses. "I love you mom.." Its all he can think to say, at least right now.
Shikoba peels her sight from the two alphas. She glances only briefly at Cyrus, before staggering away. The queasiness she can take no longer, and the adolescent just makes it to the brush when she can vomit where the acrid smell will be obscured. When everything she had eaten that day is done being forcibly evicted from her system, Shik licks her muzzle and takes off to find the her packmates. This is going to be a dark and sleepless night.
Storm watches Cyrus a few moments and soon presses her head back against his shoulder. The smell doesn't bother her for some reason, perhaps she's losing her sense of smell or perhaps the pain and saddness have over taken her so much that she just doesn't notice it. "It will be alright Cyrus.." It took a long time for those words to escape her, as if she had to find the courage and willpower to say them.
The only answer to his mother is a pitiful whimper, his ears tucking back and tail tucking behind one leg where he lay. He keeps his eyes closed, refusing to look anymore, and whines. He hopes his mother is right but.. how will anything be alright in a world without his father?
Storm slips quiet as she presses her head against Cyrus's, shielding him from the sight of his father's form. She doesn't blame Cyrus for not wanting to look, she wishes she didn't have to see it either that everything could be back the way it was. The thought of leaving does not cross her mind though, not now at least. This where she belongs at the moment and this is where she wants to be.
Storm, female wolf, Lazuli alpha
Haze, male wolf
Cyrus, male adol. wolf
Shikoba, female adol. wolf
=== Deepening Woods ===
Haze has been skirting the boundaries of Lazuli territory ever since he and Larkspur arrived, still not comfortable enough to just settle down in the midst of the pack's den. Hearing a howl in the nearby woods, the brindle-furred male decides to investigate, padding up from the east, ears pricked as he listens for other noises that may clue him in as to what's going on. Almost immediately, the sharp tang of blood hits his nose, and the male wonders if Lazuli's gone on a hunt. If so, he doesn't want to potentially scare off their quarry, so he softens his steps as he approaches, peering through the tall grasses between the trees as he attempts to locate the caller, amber eyes searching.
Storm knew that howl well, so much so that it bothered her. Felstride was not known for howling unless there was trouble or he was trying to find one of the pack. The aging alpha is moving as quickly as she can through the forest, slipping through underbrush as she works on picking up her mates scent. It doesn't take her long to catch the thick scent of blood, which startles her and only quickens her pace. She doesn't recall a reason for it, no hunts where planned, even so if Felstride was the one who howled he would surely not be hunting.
Haze pushes his muzzle through a clump of heavy brush, and the powerful smell of fresh, hot blood almost makes his mouth water - until he focuses on the limp body not a few yards from himself, and his eyes widen when he recognizes the bloodied form as that of Larkspur's father. Oh no. His eyes flit about, trying to see who or what did this to the old alpha, and the only flash of movement comes from the hindquarters of a cougar right before it slips into the heavy foliage towards the south - and the heavy scent here confirms it. But Haze knows better than to go off and try taking on a full-grown cougar by himself, and he knows the best thing to do in this situation would be to just tell another of the Lazuli what's happened. He lifts his maw in a howl, calling for help...though it doesn't appear anything can be done for the elder male at this point.
At the Deepening Woods, Haze howls.
The other alpha is mere steps behind Haze, Storm caught sight of him an turned to follow. She goes to say something but only pauses at Haze's side, the thick scent of blood is here and then.. then there is something else her gaze lingers upon. Fear grips her form as she stands still, but soon her head lowers and she slowly creeps forwards, towards her fallen mate. Even covered in blood she knows very well who it is, an also knows she's too late. She's seen plenty of death over the years, many wolves she knew in the past died painful but this, this is something she never expected to see..
He'd left Eclipse to actually speak to his father about something, however on his way he'd heard the howl from his sisters mate and caught his and his mothers scent. Curious, the growing wolf decided to follow, he could just talk to his mom. Tail twitching behind him, Cyrus is hit with the familiar metallic stengtch of blood. A frown creases his face drastically and its when he arrives on the scene behind his mother and brother-in-law that he stops, frozen cold. Steele eyes never leave the bloody mass upon the floor, he knows who it is.. but it can't be. He eyes his mom as she edges forwards and whines pathtically. Mommy? ;_;
She had been contemplating her life, the future, and everything. Until she was alarmed by the howling, and the betas' daughter had dropped what she had been doing to immediately make her way in the direction it had come from. True distress does not well in her until she gets near, and a fresh, unmistakable coppery scent seeps into her nostrils. That is blood... wolf blood? She's never smelled it so thickly before. A step closer; she can see the blood now. And another step; there's a body. What happened? Who is...? She steps nearer still. No. That can't be right. Shikoba stares from a small distance, past the other wolves, not able to comprehend what she is seeing.
Haze whimpers softly as he watches Larkspur's mother crawl towards the lifeless form of her mate, his tail curling down underneath his body, ears swept back against his skull at the sad scene. He doesn't know what to say to the Lazuli alpha, and so errs on the side of caution and doesn't say anything at all to her yet, just letting her mourn. As more of his mate's relatives meander into the area, the Viridian-born wolf's head just hangs low, the pack's collective sorrow tangible in the thick air.
Voices, whines, whimpers, nothing reaches Storm as she slowly sinks down next to Felstride's form, almost as if she struck down herself. Her head lowers to let her cheek press against the fallen wolves shoulder much like she use to in the past when he was alive. It bothers her to find him still warm, a sharp whine soon escapes her. It just happened and she couldn't do anything about it. Her eyes close as she lays there, ignoring all who might be around her.
He takes a protective step forwards as he watches his mother, ears flattening and tail tucking almost at the same time as Haze's. Blue eyes flicker to Shiko' as she arrives before flitting to his sister's mate. Cyrus' dispare grows and its when he turns away from the scene that the coppery smell of his father's blood is barely interupted by the musk of a scentmark.. Cyrus takes a small step torwards it, nostrils flaring. Cougar. He noticed more now that it was everywhere. That one of them /dared/ mark his father's land, /his/ homelands. The fur along Cyrus' figure bristles as a growl of pure fury rips through his throat. His body seems to shiver, to convulse, as fifteen different plans run through his head, all having one thing in common - to Kill Them.
How ironic is it? That this happens after everything she had said the night before? She was not particularly close to Fel, but he was the Alpha; in her eyes, God. With an unbelieving and detached sort of calm, the young she-wolf inches toward the scene. Her nose takes in everything, trying to piece together and make sense of all this. She's not blind; looking at the state Storm and Cyrus are in, she dares not say a thing to either. Haze, in their place, draws her gaze and she slinks around the others to him. "What happened?" Her voice is low and devoid of emotion.
Haze glances over at the younger female as she pads towards him, a grimace tight across his maw. This one doesn't smell like one of Larkspur's family, but she's doubtlessly a Lazuli member nonetheless. "I...don't know. By the time I arrived, it was too late... I saw a cougar heading south, which matches the scent it left behind, but I didn't see his face or any distinguishing features." The scent alone tells him it's male, but aside from that, there's nothing more he can learn from the marking left behind as further insult, especially the question that's on all of their minds - why?
Storm remains at Felstride side, nothing an no one could pull her away from this very spot. The voices are caught behind her but she makes no sound, not real attempt to listion. Cougar is the one word that she does catch, it rings in her mind and she remembers the wolf and the two dogs days before. The strange wolf was so sure cougars would not harm the pack, so sure the pack could stop them. She was wrong and the only thing she can figure out is that the cougars that chased the trio must have done this, what others would dare or even want to? "I'm sorry, love." Is murmured out quietly to Felstride. She should have been with him, but then the pack would have lost two leaders for sure that day.
Cyrus's growling turns into a heart-wrenching wail as he looks back to his mother. He begins to pace anxiously from side to side, not sure what to do, not sure any of this is even true. Two steele blue eyes are locked on Haze as he speaks and the faint growl from his throat is the only answer from the peanut-gallery. He drops his head, pacing from side to side before he can't take it anymore, "We have to do something! They have to pay for this! We can't just.. he wouldn't just... UGH!"
Shikoba thinks back to what little knowledge she had regarding the cougars. She had some vestige of unease, but it was overpowered by her faith that nothing like this could ever happen to /their/ pack. "I... I see." She whispers, looking away from Haze and again at the body. He's dead. One of the alphas is dead. She still can't believe it, even with the corpse right over there. What's going to happen to them now? Shikoba looks pityingly at Storm, and then turns to eyes Cyrus. She opens her mouth with the intent of saying... what? Nothing? She snaps it shut again, retreating back into her whirling mind.
Haze doesn't have a place here yet, other than the foreign mate of the alphas' daughter. And so, until his opinion is specifically requested, the male lets the Lazuli pack proper figure out what to do, Cyrus' angry words soliciting no response from the brindled male aside from a concerned glance his way. He's content to just provide silent moral support in the meantime.
Storm seems utterly lost as she lays there, fur tinged red in some places and she cares little about it. Even after Cyrus's outburt it takes what seems like forever before the alpha even speaks. "Cyrus." She bearly speaks, her voice almost a whisper. "Your father died to protect us, we will not go and start charing after cougars.." The alpha slips quiet after this, oh she would take great enjoyment into ripping into the cougar who did this it would make her feel better for a little while but it would not bring Felstride back. The pack will be looking to her for guidence once more and she is unsure what she could off anyone of them in the state she is in at the moment.
His growling is cut short at his mothers soft words and he can't help but drop his head forlornly. Ears droop and Cyrus lets his eyes focus on the ground. The ashen male whines pathetically, haunches sagging and shoulders stooping. He suddenly wants very much to see Eclipse, however can not bring himself to leave the side of his mother and his fallen father. From here on out, Cyrus falls quiet save for a few mournful whimpers here or there.
Drawing in a long, deep breath, the young she-wolf steps toward the grieving alpha. She swallows, willing herself to speak clear and unwaveringly. "Alpha Storm?" She doesn't get too near, so as not to bother the family too much in their mourning. "Shall I tell the rest of the pack?" She feels useless here. There's no comfort she can provide, and the sight of Fel's body is making her both terrified and nauseous.
Storm ears twitch forward slightly as she hears Shikoba's voice, she can only wonder how the younger wolf feels seeing this mess, or for that matter how her son must feel at this moment. Past memories of when she was there age cloud her mind for a few moments, her sister dead and she alone. Now it is different, the heartache and pain is there as if something stabbed her but she isn't alone. "You may go tell them Shikoba.." The alpha finally says before rubbing her cheek against Fel's shoulder. Her head soon lifts and she lets her gaze rest upon Cyrus.
Cyrus doesn't meet his mothers gaze, at least for a moment. He can feel her looking at him and he finally tares his eyes from the ground to look up at her. Steeley eyes soften as he sees his mother, ears twitching where they're pressed back against his skull. He finally pushes himself up, braving the smell of his fathers blood, and rushes to his mothers side to press his nose tightly against her neck. He drops down to his belly, eyes closing as his figure tenses. "I love you mom.." Its all he can think to say, at least right now.
Shikoba peels her sight from the two alphas. She glances only briefly at Cyrus, before staggering away. The queasiness she can take no longer, and the adolescent just makes it to the brush when she can vomit where the acrid smell will be obscured. When everything she had eaten that day is done being forcibly evicted from her system, Shik licks her muzzle and takes off to find the her packmates. This is going to be a dark and sleepless night.
Storm watches Cyrus a few moments and soon presses her head back against his shoulder. The smell doesn't bother her for some reason, perhaps she's losing her sense of smell or perhaps the pain and saddness have over taken her so much that she just doesn't notice it. "It will be alright Cyrus.." It took a long time for those words to escape her, as if she had to find the courage and willpower to say them.
The only answer to his mother is a pitiful whimper, his ears tucking back and tail tucking behind one leg where he lay. He keeps his eyes closed, refusing to look anymore, and whines. He hopes his mother is right but.. how will anything be alright in a world without his father?
Storm slips quiet as she presses her head against Cyrus's, shielding him from the sight of his father's form. She doesn't blame Cyrus for not wanting to look, she wishes she didn't have to see it either that everything could be back the way it was. The thought of leaving does not cross her mind though, not now at least. This where she belongs at the moment and this is where she wants to be.