Post by Curiosity on Feb 5, 2009 22:43:16 GMT -5
Characters Involved:
Haze, male wolf, alpha
Cyrus, male wolf, beta
Eclipse, female wolf-dog, beta
Echo, male wolf
Poppy, female adol. wolf
=== Isolated Oasis ===
Haze is rather fond of this little pond of water that serves to hydrate the Lazuli while they're in residence around here -- it's not nearly as dangerous as the river is that borders the forest territory. Larkspur can't get swept away in this, at least. The valley-born male may be phobic, but it's certainly within good reason, given his history with running bodies of water -- but nonetheless, he doesn't seem to mind lounging about on the banks of the waterhole here, away from the den where Larkspur and her pups are currently sleeping. It's his first full day as alpha, and he's still getting used to the idea.
Talk about getting used to an idea, Cyrus never saw himself as being Beta. Ever. The black-sheep of the Lazuli family wanders into the area, his blue eyes flicking towards the den where his sister lay with her pups. A curious incline of his head is given to see if he can see anything from outhere before the ashen male gives up and instead focuses his gaze on Haze. His tail twitches as he alters his course to near his new alpha, a dip of his head given respectfully along with a deep chuff, "Evening Haze."
Seems others are out at the Oasis, one Eclipse in fact. The hybrid looks to have actually be in the water at some point as her thick fur is still actually dripping with water. Her ears flicks forward, gaze drifting towards Cyrus and then Haze. With a few sways of her tail she shifts and starts moving towards the two males. As to this whole Beta and Alpha deal she hasn't caught every bit of detail involved with it. Mostly the part where she is Beta as well actually.
Like backwards twins, or something. They must be. Following closly behind his litter mate is the silent Echo, his paws padding swiftly and rythmically on the dry soil, a small cloud of dust a few centimeters above the ground trailing in his wake. His breath puffs out evenly, steadily, though he's hardly tired, and his tail sways lightly behind him. Catching up is easy, and the white wolf siddles up next to the darker Cyrus and shoulder bumps him playfully, lifting his muzzle and gnawing at the other male's ear in jest before easing off on his fun little greeting. He snuffles through his nose, and tips an ear Cyrus' way, 'S'up?' before his bright, happy eyes notice Haze and the approaching Eclipse, and he sneezes in greeting to both. 'Heya!' Tailwag.
Poppy has been curled up into a tight ball of fur, a pale shape nestling in a patch of wildflowers by the water's edge and waiting for the day's heat to dissipate. She doesn't yet know the identity of the others, but her blue eyes scan their faces, almost as if she's trying to read something from their expressions. She stays still, the only hint of her presence the slight swishing of her tail. She keeps quiet, uncertain how these others, if they have even noticed her, will greet her.
Haze glances up from the water when he hears another greeting him, shifting himself up into a slouchy sitting position to properly meet the visitor. Taking a careful look and smell, he's able to place this one as Cyrus - he's still trying to place names and faces to the large (but still very close-knit) pack, but he can at least recognize his own beta. His casual position doesn't change, however, as he returns the greeting with a similar salutation, tail wagging briefly before falling limp again. "Hey. I guess we're a team now, huh?" he says with a bit of a wry grin, before his eyes are drawn to the sight of other pack members tagging along behind the beta male. He isn't sure he recognizes either of the other two, hoping that Cyrus will think to introduce them without him having to embarrass himself by asking. The unfamiliar she-wolf isn't yet noticed, Haze's eyes focused on the trio in front of him.
The arrival of his mate and Echo are greeted with a lupin grin. He nuzzles the wet Eclipse lovingly, "Hey sweety.." the ashen male murmurs before his attention shifts to Echo and the male laughs, headbutting him fondly. At the ear tip Cyrus shrugs a shoulder, "The usual," he informs Echo. Haze's somewhat lost look is noticed and Cyrus comes to the rescue, "Indeed, we're deffinately a team now. Haze, my mate Eclipse; your other beta, and Echo. He's Thorne and Mia's son," he informs the new Lazuli alpha, smiling gently. Poppy is noticed but Cyrus doesn't really think about it just yet, there were still a few in the pack he'd yet to meet himself upon his return not too long ago.
Eclipse wruffs softly, in an almost dog like fashion while she nuzzles Cyrus back, which gets him a bit wet in the process, though this only makes her grin. Her ears perk while she looks to Echo and offers him a smile and nods. "Hey Echo." Soon enough her gaze turns Haze and she hums faintly thinking for his name, which lucky Cyrus says. "Nice to meet you Haze.." She pauses and glances to Cyrus a moment, maw twitching. "Beta?" Is questioned to her mate, well she never expected someone to include the word beta and her name before.
Echo inclines his head at Cryus' response, and wrinkles his nose, eyes dancing toward Eclipse and he snuffles out humerously. 'The usual, sure' Eyebrow wiggle. Festivities over with, the male turns his attention to Haze and bobs his head lightly, tail slowly easing until it's fallen still behind him, respectfully curbing that pupish demenour around his littermate. Aw. Darn. It'll take some getting used to, what with his mother not semi-in charge anymore, but.. that's okay. Still, another scent drifts by his nose, and the wolf looks to one side, away from the rest, to spy the young female nearby. Well, she's too old to be Larkspur's, but she's not his sister, or Cyrus'! Mm. Echo chuffs through his nose, a breathy noise, and takes a delicate step Poppy's way, curious.
Poppy observes the various greetings; it's not certain from her expression just what she makes of the cameraderie which grows more evident by the second between the other wolves. Her head rises just above the level of the flowers, and there's not a trace of nervousness in her stance...until, that is, she is approached by one of them, and then her eyes widen fractionally. She assumes the group must be part of the pack Helios, who's been protecting her, is a member of, and she offers a tentative, shy smile as Echo approaches, ducking her head in greeting.
Eclipse! Haze places her name as soon as he notices the affection between the new beta pair, but Cyrus clears it all up for him. "Very nice to meet you too, Eclipse. At least I'm not the only newcomer here," he adds with a grin, before his eyeridges raise at her questioning of the title. Guess Storm didn't tell her yet. His nose catches on a slightly different scent among the rest of the lupine musk, however, and it twitches as he scents a little closer at Eclipse, trying to figure it out. Maybe it's just because she's not originally part of the pack? He probably smells different too, being from the mountains. He's never met a dog, so he wouldn't know what one even smelled like in the first place.
The male gnaws on Echo's tail as he moves away from him, Hey! His new title doesn't mean he's going to be any different then he used to be. Cyrus was Cyrus and would always be that. The males attention however twitches back to Eclipse as she questions him and he laughs, "Mom didn't tell you? I'm beta now Eclipse.. which means.. /your/ Beta too.. Not bad for a future huh?" He chuckles leaning against her happily. Haze's curious glance in her direction is noticed and Cyrus clears his throat. If Haze was going to be alpha then Haze needed to know, "Eclipse is a hybrid Haze, half wolf half dog. The pack has accepted her however as one of its own and my mate." His attention shifts to Echo now, "Echo is mute.. he talks in signals and by touch.." he also explains before in looking to Echo he notices the new face, an ear twitching as his head tilts curiously.
Eclipse hasn't picked up on Poppy yet, though with Echo moving away and towards another she lifts her head just enough to look over and see where he is heading. "Who's that?" Though her attention goes back to Haze and offers him a smile and nods. "Well I suppose so.. Its not a bad place to be really." She looks to Cyrus curiously a few moments. "Me?" Well she doesn't have a problem with it, just didn't expect to actually be beta mind you. Seeing how she isn't a full wolf. Her tail sways about smacking into her mate a few times before she leans back against the wolf at her side. "I dono what to say.." Hearing Cyrus she looks to Haze pondering what his reaction might be after all that was just said. "I was born and grew up in the wild though.."
The tail gnaw is met with a quick backstep, so maybe Cyrus gets a nice buttrub to the /face/, and at the mention of his name Echo glances over his shoulder toward the young alpha, ears twisting forward in agreement. But now his curiosity's piqued, and the white wolf takes another tiny step towards Poppy, tail wagging lowly behind him both in response to her subtle nod and to Eclipse's question behind him. Echo tilts his head, questioning, though... not too sure if the girl will be able to read him; no one knows him quite like his mother, but Cyrus does a pretty good job if someone's completely clueless, at least. His muzzle parts in a gentle smile, blacklined lips hard against his white fur. 'Hello.'
Poppy's eartips flush pink, swiveling forward to pick up Eclipse's question. There's something...slightly different about that wolf, Poppy is certain, but she can't quite put her paw on it yet, not knowing the history. Echo's quietness is certainly reassuring; she is not, of course, aware that he cannot speak. Her own tail, a plumy white, swishes in tempo with his as he approaches her. His unspoken question is met with a quiet tone, betraying none of the nervousness she feels--after all, her ears do enough of that, pinkening even more when she realizes that they must be wondering about the stranger in their midst. Surely, though, Helios mentioned to them that she was staying here...Poppy pushes these thoughts to the side. "I'm Poppy," she says in answer, canting her own head slightly as her glance returns to the assembled group. "Are you all Lazuli wolves?" A slight tinge of apprehension creeps into her tone. If she doesn't have permission to stay, then...she leaves the rest for the moment.
Haze ohs at that explanation, glancing up at Eclipse as he considers this new information briefly. "I've never seen a dog myself...heard 'em talked about by you guys, though." He rolls his shoulders in a shrug and offers a smile; no experiences means he has nothing to judge her on prematurely about, even if the wolf was prone to prejudices. "S'fine by me, o'course." His amber eyes then shift back to the white wolf indicated by Cyrus, storing this mental note before he, too, notices the other she-wolf -- he -definitely- knows he hasn't met her yet. A hindpaw lifts to scratch behind his ear, and then he shifts onto his paws, slinking up behind Echo as he moves over towards the strange female. He nods in response to her question, though he's at least got a smile on his maw. "We are. Who are you?"
The male leans over and nips at his mate happily, "Wasn't so bad now was it.." he chuckles. She'll make a wonderful Beta, but he'll tell her that later. The male moves to follow after Haze, settling comfortabley near Echo and eyeing the female curiously, a soft smile tainting his muzzle, "Relax, we mean you no harm unless you've done something." The grin remains as he winks at her jokingly. But seriously. The male remains mostly quiet however except for an idle nip at Echo.
Eclipse offers a friendly smile and nods to Haze, her tail swaying about a few times. "Thanks." is offered to the new alpha before she looks to Cyrus and wruffles softly and nibbles out at his ear. "No, it wasn't bad at all." She takes in a breath and soon follows after the three males over towards where Poppy is. A smirk crosses her maw at what Cyrus says. "Just ignore him.. We all do." This said with a joking tone and grin.
At Haze's approach, Echo stops his advance and places his paw on the ground, settling back comfortably on his haunches, tail still swaying the best it can. To her question of lineage, the white wolf swells his chest proudly and tips on ear in salute, 'Yep!' but the rest of the pack answers the question for him in the meantime. Oh, well. He turns his head to glance at Cyrus as he plunks his fat butt nearby, and returns the nip with a heavy headbutt to the shoulder, a grin plastered across his face in a rather goofy display, bright eyes flitting again toward Poppy. Eclipse's response is agreed to with a decidedly amused grin melting into a silent laugh that causes his tongue to loll from the side of his mouth. 'Totally.'
Poppy's mouth curves into a grin, and her eyes gleam with bemusement. Her own experience in packs allows her to pick up on the fact that Haze seems to have the respect of the others, and she addresses her comments to him at first. "I am...well, was, part of a pack further to the south." She glances away briefly, something unreadable flickering across her expression. If anything, it is most closely related to sorrow. "With my parents...we were separated during the floods. I thought I caught their trail, but it lead me through the territory of some cougars..." She shudders slightly at the memory. They chased me and, well, I ended up here, having no idea it was your land." The bashful look returns. "I was told I might stay here until I was able to keep searching for them. I hope I'm not troubling you." She manages a faint grin through her shyness, and chuckles softly at Eclipse's observation; she understands the other is joking.
Haze's ears pick up on the mention of cougars, having been with Lazuli during those fateful events in the recent past. "Cougars? What sort of cougars?" he presses further, wanting to know more about the ones she ran into. He can't be too safe -- especially if he's now responsible for the entire pack's safety rather than just his family's. "And no, you're not troubling us...what's your name, though? I'm Haze, and I'm--" he pauses, remembering that yes, he is now-- "I'm one of the alphas of the Lazuli pack. My mate, Larkspur, is the other."
With the mentioning of the Cougars, Cyrus' entire body goes rigid. Echo and Eclipse, those being closest to him, could either feel or sense this change. The male listens intently as Haze questions Poppy about the characteristics of the cougars and the male leans heavily against Eclipse to ease himself. As Haze introduces himself Cyrus waits before speaking just yet, bad memories flooding into his brain.
Eclipse tilts her head while watches Poppy, her ears lowering at the talk of cougars and she even half glances around the area as if expecting a certain pair to come crashing out of the shadows at any moment. She takes in a slight breath and presses her shoulder back into Cyrus once he leans against her. A faint churr escaping her to show its alright. Her head lifting to nuzzle and nose against her mates neck. Cougars an this pack do not have a good past that is for sure.
Cougars. The white wolf huffs out his nose, an unhappy noise, but his reaction is not as strong as his pack-brother's. The male frowns and glances at Cyrus, nosing at his friend's shoulder lightly but backing off and letting Eclipse work her womanly magic. Still. With everyone acting all hostile, Echo can feel the thick pool of tension around him and he stands, shaking out his pelt. Though Haze is in charge, the mute wolf takes a few steps forward towards the young female and tilts his ears forward, maw dropping open slightly and he breaths out gently, 'It's fine, don't worry.'
Poppy scuffs at the earth with a paw. Clearly, she's loathe to talk about the experience, particularly with the varied reactions of the others. She does take some reassurance that at least they haven't sent her away yet, and apparently she's reading Echo well enough, and she gives him a small, grateful smile. Poppy decides to start with her name; that should be easy enough, after all. "I am Poppy," she relates to Haze, keeping her tone low and respectful. "And well met." She dips her head in a lupine version of a curtsy to the alpha. "...as for /them/," she continues, knitting her brow in concern, "I do not know much about them except that they make their home near some eroded wells." That slight tremor returns while she speaks of the cougars.
Haze tilts his head slightly to the side with an expression of confusion spread across his maw, obviously not knowing where she's talking about. "Where's that? Up by the forest? Or somewhere else?" He glances around in all directions, wondering which area she meant - the lowlands expand further to the south and the east, and the forest is back towards the north, while the incredibly large mountain ridges lie to their west. "What happened with them?" He obviously can't assume just any cougar is responsible for their former alpha's death, but he does need to gather as much information as he can.
The new Beta looks almost as if he's about to rush off in search however he remains where he is, smiling thankfully to Echo and nuzzling Eclipse warmly. Cyrus listens intently as Haze continues and Poppy tells her story, blue eyes worried and yet full of interest in what the young female had to say. As for anything else, Cyrus falls very quiet, ears twitching back and then forwards as he listens.
Eclipse snuffles faintly as she ponders about where Poppy has been. "There are cougars off in the mountains.." She finally offers while lifting her head slightly. "I wandered near by there lands a few times but never close enough to pass there border." When she was on her own she wandered all over the place because it was easier to do then dealing with wolves and dogs that didn't like her kind. She looks to Cyrus and nuzzles softly at his neck.
Echo listens, like always, one ear swiveling to Haze and Poppy, the other to Cyrus and Eclipse on his other side. The wolf tilts his head, considering for a short while, before his tail begins to sway gently and his clicks his teeth in a gentle note to Haze regarding his imminant departure. Hmm. The younger female is given a soft, cheek bunching smile and a head tilt, before it turns into a sly little grin as it moves to Cyrus and Eclipse. Bowchica, brudda'. Echo touches his nose to each of the aforementioned's shoulders, eyes lingering on Eclipse's face for a moment, and he winks. Mwah. Ceasing to mack on his pack-brother's girl, 'cause that's bad form, and what not, the ghost wolf moves off quietly, lifting his nose in an attempt to catch his mother's scent. He should speak with her... /HA/... and those gathered are given a final tailwag before he trots off.
Poppy's ears flush again at the attention to her recounting, and she dips her head, the motion graceful. It occurs to her that this pack must have some particular interest in the cougars, and she has an idea from her conversations with the one member she has met previously why this is. She gives another sweep of her tail and determines to give as many particulars as she possibly can. It's the least she can do, after all. With a nod, she indicates a westerly direction. "There were some natural pools of water there, and, well, I was so parched I didn't even consider that it might be occupied territory." She looks slightly embarassed at the confession. "Then, when they started to chase after me, I was so frightened it was all I could do to keep running; I don't have a very clear memory of what land I passed to come here."
Haze remembers meeting Larkspur when he was just a pup...and how she was rescued by a cougaress named Maulisho when she almost drowned in the river, and the two became life-long friends after. He's pretty sure Maulisho lived among the cougars in residence up on the mountain alongside his own family's pack, but surely none of them were responsible? After all, the Viridian never had any trouble with them, and their territories nearly bordered one another. Even so, the new alpha knows he has a responsibility to at least follow up on this lead - anything that may bring them closer to finding the cougar (or cougars) responsible for Felstride's death is important enough to consider. He turns to the now-silent Cyrus, easily able to judge his current feelings from the way his body is positioned, and then his eyes turn to each of the other Lazuli wolves in turn. "The mountain's not far from here. We could go check things out in a few days, if you think it's a good idea." He doesn't say anything further yet, merely seeking the pair of betas' opinions on the matter first.
Cyrus speaks up right away, though his words are thick, "I think it's worth being investigated.." Which means yes, but to a degree. Cyrus would want to go and would promise not to cause any trouble in the process. As Echo turns to make his leave the male catches his expressions and rolls his head, nipping as he passes, "Catch you later Echo," the beta rummbles, grinning crookedly to his litter mate before turning back to Haze and Poppy, ears twitching forwards.
Eclipse blinks as she looks to Echo and chuckles softly while offering a smile and she almost seems to blush at the looks Echo gives her.. Darn males. Her gaze turns to Cyrus and she winks at him before looking to Haze and nods while her ears perk forward slightly. "We could do that." She doesn't have a problem with confronting cougars, and out of the pack she is the one that knows at least one of the cougars responsible for everything that happened with the pack. She had to deal with them personally after all.
Poppy's demeanor becomes troubled, though of course it isn't her place to speak of what the pack should do. She merely looks at the Lazuli alpha, her glance reflecting concern. She blinks at Echo's abrupt departure; the male has left as silently as he came. Giving a small shake of her fur, she returns her attention to the others, quietly observing, "I am sorry to have disturbed you with all this. It could be that they're not the same cougars Helios told me about...after all, they didn't harm me; I think they only meant to scare me, and I did wander across their territory, though I intended no offense."
Haze nods to both Cyrus and Eclipse at their agreement, tail swishing in thought behind him. "I want to talk to Larkspur first, before we go," he adds, the brindle-furred male indeed having a few things to speak to her about, especially before he just up and leaves, since she can't accompany him while their pups are nursing. He turns back to Poppy when she speaks again, nodding at her words with a light smile. "I know. I honestly hope they aren't -- less dangerous that way. But we might as well get to know our nearest neighbors a little better, no?" He remembers that this female is no less familiar to him after their conversation, and pulls himself up a little straighter before speaking again. "Anyway, you're welcome to stay here until you find your family again, or decide to move on to somewhere else. We're visitors here too. Just keep away from the mountainside -- I've got pups there, and while I'm sure your intentions are honest, I'd rather not have strangers so near to them."
When the other mentions his brother Cyrus' interest peeks and he peers at Poppy curiously however says nothing for now. He'll be awaiting Haze's instructions on when and where they'll be traveling to meet these felines and until then will settle nearby as protection for his neices and nephews as well as to be near to the Alpha. Cyrus leans lovingly against Eclipse, head settling on hers as his blue eyes slide shut for a brief moment.
Eclipse nods to Haze. "Of course." She says with a smile as she takes in a slight breath before looking to Cyrus to see how he is. A faint smile is offered to him while her gaze turns to Poppy. "So you've meet Helios?" Well at least that is another piece of the puzzle, as to who said she could stay. She looks back to Cyrus and presses closer nuzzling against his chest a moment. Hopefully Haze will be right and the cougars that did all the damage to his pack will truly not be there.
Poppy inclines her head. "I am grateful to you, and I wouldn't dream of trespassing on your den. Those feelings are understandable." After all, they don't know her well, and she looks at Haze with increased respect, glad that he's taking wise precautions in this instance. Her ears turn pink again at Eclipse's question. "I ran into him shortly after my encounter with the cougars, and he's offered to help me find out what happened to my kin. It was so kind of him..." Realizing she's prattling far more than she should, she abruptly falls silent.
Haze considers his duties finished, and the brindle wolf so used to relative isolation after so many months definitely feels ready to retreat to the quiet of the den for a while. He turns back towards the east, dipping his head briefly to the beta pair as he begins to pad off towards the mountainside. "I'll come find you two in a few days when I'm ready to leave. Until then," he concludes in a farewell, tail flicking once before he starts to trot away from the pond.
As Poppy continues to speak Cyrus chuckles, "Helios is a kind soul.. he's my brother.." Cyrus informs the other before nodding his head respectfully to Haze as he departs. The ashen male slides down to his belly, paws tucking themselves under his chest as he settles his head down upon the ground, mind reeling with the thought of visiting cougars.
Eclipse murmurs softly. "True.. But your cuter then your brother." This said with a teasing tone to Cyrus while she looks to Haze and nods with a friendly smile. "Alright, we'll be ready." She looks to Cyrus and nuzzles softly at his neck while she settles down next to him and presses close nibbling softly at his cheek to try and help him just relax. "Everyone here is friendly Poppy, if you ever need anything just let someone know."
Poppy's smile reasserts itself; she pricks her ears forward, and something in her look hints that she's not only heard Eclipse's quiet words but would disagree with her assessment. Noting the tenderness between the couple, she suddenly feels like a fifth paw and decides to give them some privacy. She gives a polite nod, dipping low in respect, and excuses herself. "I appreciate that, and I will be certain to do so. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll see about finding something to eat." She quietly pads off, leaving the two alone.
Haze, male wolf, alpha
Cyrus, male wolf, beta
Eclipse, female wolf-dog, beta
Echo, male wolf
Poppy, female adol. wolf
=== Isolated Oasis ===
Haze is rather fond of this little pond of water that serves to hydrate the Lazuli while they're in residence around here -- it's not nearly as dangerous as the river is that borders the forest territory. Larkspur can't get swept away in this, at least. The valley-born male may be phobic, but it's certainly within good reason, given his history with running bodies of water -- but nonetheless, he doesn't seem to mind lounging about on the banks of the waterhole here, away from the den where Larkspur and her pups are currently sleeping. It's his first full day as alpha, and he's still getting used to the idea.
Talk about getting used to an idea, Cyrus never saw himself as being Beta. Ever. The black-sheep of the Lazuli family wanders into the area, his blue eyes flicking towards the den where his sister lay with her pups. A curious incline of his head is given to see if he can see anything from outhere before the ashen male gives up and instead focuses his gaze on Haze. His tail twitches as he alters his course to near his new alpha, a dip of his head given respectfully along with a deep chuff, "Evening Haze."
Seems others are out at the Oasis, one Eclipse in fact. The hybrid looks to have actually be in the water at some point as her thick fur is still actually dripping with water. Her ears flicks forward, gaze drifting towards Cyrus and then Haze. With a few sways of her tail she shifts and starts moving towards the two males. As to this whole Beta and Alpha deal she hasn't caught every bit of detail involved with it. Mostly the part where she is Beta as well actually.
Like backwards twins, or something. They must be. Following closly behind his litter mate is the silent Echo, his paws padding swiftly and rythmically on the dry soil, a small cloud of dust a few centimeters above the ground trailing in his wake. His breath puffs out evenly, steadily, though he's hardly tired, and his tail sways lightly behind him. Catching up is easy, and the white wolf siddles up next to the darker Cyrus and shoulder bumps him playfully, lifting his muzzle and gnawing at the other male's ear in jest before easing off on his fun little greeting. He snuffles through his nose, and tips an ear Cyrus' way, 'S'up?' before his bright, happy eyes notice Haze and the approaching Eclipse, and he sneezes in greeting to both. 'Heya!' Tailwag.
Poppy has been curled up into a tight ball of fur, a pale shape nestling in a patch of wildflowers by the water's edge and waiting for the day's heat to dissipate. She doesn't yet know the identity of the others, but her blue eyes scan their faces, almost as if she's trying to read something from their expressions. She stays still, the only hint of her presence the slight swishing of her tail. She keeps quiet, uncertain how these others, if they have even noticed her, will greet her.
Haze glances up from the water when he hears another greeting him, shifting himself up into a slouchy sitting position to properly meet the visitor. Taking a careful look and smell, he's able to place this one as Cyrus - he's still trying to place names and faces to the large (but still very close-knit) pack, but he can at least recognize his own beta. His casual position doesn't change, however, as he returns the greeting with a similar salutation, tail wagging briefly before falling limp again. "Hey. I guess we're a team now, huh?" he says with a bit of a wry grin, before his eyes are drawn to the sight of other pack members tagging along behind the beta male. He isn't sure he recognizes either of the other two, hoping that Cyrus will think to introduce them without him having to embarrass himself by asking. The unfamiliar she-wolf isn't yet noticed, Haze's eyes focused on the trio in front of him.
The arrival of his mate and Echo are greeted with a lupin grin. He nuzzles the wet Eclipse lovingly, "Hey sweety.." the ashen male murmurs before his attention shifts to Echo and the male laughs, headbutting him fondly. At the ear tip Cyrus shrugs a shoulder, "The usual," he informs Echo. Haze's somewhat lost look is noticed and Cyrus comes to the rescue, "Indeed, we're deffinately a team now. Haze, my mate Eclipse; your other beta, and Echo. He's Thorne and Mia's son," he informs the new Lazuli alpha, smiling gently. Poppy is noticed but Cyrus doesn't really think about it just yet, there were still a few in the pack he'd yet to meet himself upon his return not too long ago.
Eclipse wruffs softly, in an almost dog like fashion while she nuzzles Cyrus back, which gets him a bit wet in the process, though this only makes her grin. Her ears perk while she looks to Echo and offers him a smile and nods. "Hey Echo." Soon enough her gaze turns Haze and she hums faintly thinking for his name, which lucky Cyrus says. "Nice to meet you Haze.." She pauses and glances to Cyrus a moment, maw twitching. "Beta?" Is questioned to her mate, well she never expected someone to include the word beta and her name before.
Echo inclines his head at Cryus' response, and wrinkles his nose, eyes dancing toward Eclipse and he snuffles out humerously. 'The usual, sure' Eyebrow wiggle. Festivities over with, the male turns his attention to Haze and bobs his head lightly, tail slowly easing until it's fallen still behind him, respectfully curbing that pupish demenour around his littermate. Aw. Darn. It'll take some getting used to, what with his mother not semi-in charge anymore, but.. that's okay. Still, another scent drifts by his nose, and the wolf looks to one side, away from the rest, to spy the young female nearby. Well, she's too old to be Larkspur's, but she's not his sister, or Cyrus'! Mm. Echo chuffs through his nose, a breathy noise, and takes a delicate step Poppy's way, curious.
Poppy observes the various greetings; it's not certain from her expression just what she makes of the cameraderie which grows more evident by the second between the other wolves. Her head rises just above the level of the flowers, and there's not a trace of nervousness in her stance...until, that is, she is approached by one of them, and then her eyes widen fractionally. She assumes the group must be part of the pack Helios, who's been protecting her, is a member of, and she offers a tentative, shy smile as Echo approaches, ducking her head in greeting.
Eclipse! Haze places her name as soon as he notices the affection between the new beta pair, but Cyrus clears it all up for him. "Very nice to meet you too, Eclipse. At least I'm not the only newcomer here," he adds with a grin, before his eyeridges raise at her questioning of the title. Guess Storm didn't tell her yet. His nose catches on a slightly different scent among the rest of the lupine musk, however, and it twitches as he scents a little closer at Eclipse, trying to figure it out. Maybe it's just because she's not originally part of the pack? He probably smells different too, being from the mountains. He's never met a dog, so he wouldn't know what one even smelled like in the first place.
The male gnaws on Echo's tail as he moves away from him, Hey! His new title doesn't mean he's going to be any different then he used to be. Cyrus was Cyrus and would always be that. The males attention however twitches back to Eclipse as she questions him and he laughs, "Mom didn't tell you? I'm beta now Eclipse.. which means.. /your/ Beta too.. Not bad for a future huh?" He chuckles leaning against her happily. Haze's curious glance in her direction is noticed and Cyrus clears his throat. If Haze was going to be alpha then Haze needed to know, "Eclipse is a hybrid Haze, half wolf half dog. The pack has accepted her however as one of its own and my mate." His attention shifts to Echo now, "Echo is mute.. he talks in signals and by touch.." he also explains before in looking to Echo he notices the new face, an ear twitching as his head tilts curiously.
Eclipse hasn't picked up on Poppy yet, though with Echo moving away and towards another she lifts her head just enough to look over and see where he is heading. "Who's that?" Though her attention goes back to Haze and offers him a smile and nods. "Well I suppose so.. Its not a bad place to be really." She looks to Cyrus curiously a few moments. "Me?" Well she doesn't have a problem with it, just didn't expect to actually be beta mind you. Seeing how she isn't a full wolf. Her tail sways about smacking into her mate a few times before she leans back against the wolf at her side. "I dono what to say.." Hearing Cyrus she looks to Haze pondering what his reaction might be after all that was just said. "I was born and grew up in the wild though.."
The tail gnaw is met with a quick backstep, so maybe Cyrus gets a nice buttrub to the /face/, and at the mention of his name Echo glances over his shoulder toward the young alpha, ears twisting forward in agreement. But now his curiosity's piqued, and the white wolf takes another tiny step towards Poppy, tail wagging lowly behind him both in response to her subtle nod and to Eclipse's question behind him. Echo tilts his head, questioning, though... not too sure if the girl will be able to read him; no one knows him quite like his mother, but Cyrus does a pretty good job if someone's completely clueless, at least. His muzzle parts in a gentle smile, blacklined lips hard against his white fur. 'Hello.'
Poppy's eartips flush pink, swiveling forward to pick up Eclipse's question. There's something...slightly different about that wolf, Poppy is certain, but she can't quite put her paw on it yet, not knowing the history. Echo's quietness is certainly reassuring; she is not, of course, aware that he cannot speak. Her own tail, a plumy white, swishes in tempo with his as he approaches her. His unspoken question is met with a quiet tone, betraying none of the nervousness she feels--after all, her ears do enough of that, pinkening even more when she realizes that they must be wondering about the stranger in their midst. Surely, though, Helios mentioned to them that she was staying here...Poppy pushes these thoughts to the side. "I'm Poppy," she says in answer, canting her own head slightly as her glance returns to the assembled group. "Are you all Lazuli wolves?" A slight tinge of apprehension creeps into her tone. If she doesn't have permission to stay, then...she leaves the rest for the moment.
Haze ohs at that explanation, glancing up at Eclipse as he considers this new information briefly. "I've never seen a dog myself...heard 'em talked about by you guys, though." He rolls his shoulders in a shrug and offers a smile; no experiences means he has nothing to judge her on prematurely about, even if the wolf was prone to prejudices. "S'fine by me, o'course." His amber eyes then shift back to the white wolf indicated by Cyrus, storing this mental note before he, too, notices the other she-wolf -- he -definitely- knows he hasn't met her yet. A hindpaw lifts to scratch behind his ear, and then he shifts onto his paws, slinking up behind Echo as he moves over towards the strange female. He nods in response to her question, though he's at least got a smile on his maw. "We are. Who are you?"
The male leans over and nips at his mate happily, "Wasn't so bad now was it.." he chuckles. She'll make a wonderful Beta, but he'll tell her that later. The male moves to follow after Haze, settling comfortabley near Echo and eyeing the female curiously, a soft smile tainting his muzzle, "Relax, we mean you no harm unless you've done something." The grin remains as he winks at her jokingly. But seriously. The male remains mostly quiet however except for an idle nip at Echo.
Eclipse offers a friendly smile and nods to Haze, her tail swaying about a few times. "Thanks." is offered to the new alpha before she looks to Cyrus and wruffles softly and nibbles out at his ear. "No, it wasn't bad at all." She takes in a breath and soon follows after the three males over towards where Poppy is. A smirk crosses her maw at what Cyrus says. "Just ignore him.. We all do." This said with a joking tone and grin.
At Haze's approach, Echo stops his advance and places his paw on the ground, settling back comfortably on his haunches, tail still swaying the best it can. To her question of lineage, the white wolf swells his chest proudly and tips on ear in salute, 'Yep!' but the rest of the pack answers the question for him in the meantime. Oh, well. He turns his head to glance at Cyrus as he plunks his fat butt nearby, and returns the nip with a heavy headbutt to the shoulder, a grin plastered across his face in a rather goofy display, bright eyes flitting again toward Poppy. Eclipse's response is agreed to with a decidedly amused grin melting into a silent laugh that causes his tongue to loll from the side of his mouth. 'Totally.'
Poppy's mouth curves into a grin, and her eyes gleam with bemusement. Her own experience in packs allows her to pick up on the fact that Haze seems to have the respect of the others, and she addresses her comments to him at first. "I am...well, was, part of a pack further to the south." She glances away briefly, something unreadable flickering across her expression. If anything, it is most closely related to sorrow. "With my parents...we were separated during the floods. I thought I caught their trail, but it lead me through the territory of some cougars..." She shudders slightly at the memory. They chased me and, well, I ended up here, having no idea it was your land." The bashful look returns. "I was told I might stay here until I was able to keep searching for them. I hope I'm not troubling you." She manages a faint grin through her shyness, and chuckles softly at Eclipse's observation; she understands the other is joking.
Haze's ears pick up on the mention of cougars, having been with Lazuli during those fateful events in the recent past. "Cougars? What sort of cougars?" he presses further, wanting to know more about the ones she ran into. He can't be too safe -- especially if he's now responsible for the entire pack's safety rather than just his family's. "And no, you're not troubling us...what's your name, though? I'm Haze, and I'm--" he pauses, remembering that yes, he is now-- "I'm one of the alphas of the Lazuli pack. My mate, Larkspur, is the other."
With the mentioning of the Cougars, Cyrus' entire body goes rigid. Echo and Eclipse, those being closest to him, could either feel or sense this change. The male listens intently as Haze questions Poppy about the characteristics of the cougars and the male leans heavily against Eclipse to ease himself. As Haze introduces himself Cyrus waits before speaking just yet, bad memories flooding into his brain.
Eclipse tilts her head while watches Poppy, her ears lowering at the talk of cougars and she even half glances around the area as if expecting a certain pair to come crashing out of the shadows at any moment. She takes in a slight breath and presses her shoulder back into Cyrus once he leans against her. A faint churr escaping her to show its alright. Her head lifting to nuzzle and nose against her mates neck. Cougars an this pack do not have a good past that is for sure.
Cougars. The white wolf huffs out his nose, an unhappy noise, but his reaction is not as strong as his pack-brother's. The male frowns and glances at Cyrus, nosing at his friend's shoulder lightly but backing off and letting Eclipse work her womanly magic. Still. With everyone acting all hostile, Echo can feel the thick pool of tension around him and he stands, shaking out his pelt. Though Haze is in charge, the mute wolf takes a few steps forward towards the young female and tilts his ears forward, maw dropping open slightly and he breaths out gently, 'It's fine, don't worry.'
Poppy scuffs at the earth with a paw. Clearly, she's loathe to talk about the experience, particularly with the varied reactions of the others. She does take some reassurance that at least they haven't sent her away yet, and apparently she's reading Echo well enough, and she gives him a small, grateful smile. Poppy decides to start with her name; that should be easy enough, after all. "I am Poppy," she relates to Haze, keeping her tone low and respectful. "And well met." She dips her head in a lupine version of a curtsy to the alpha. "...as for /them/," she continues, knitting her brow in concern, "I do not know much about them except that they make their home near some eroded wells." That slight tremor returns while she speaks of the cougars.
Haze tilts his head slightly to the side with an expression of confusion spread across his maw, obviously not knowing where she's talking about. "Where's that? Up by the forest? Or somewhere else?" He glances around in all directions, wondering which area she meant - the lowlands expand further to the south and the east, and the forest is back towards the north, while the incredibly large mountain ridges lie to their west. "What happened with them?" He obviously can't assume just any cougar is responsible for their former alpha's death, but he does need to gather as much information as he can.
The new Beta looks almost as if he's about to rush off in search however he remains where he is, smiling thankfully to Echo and nuzzling Eclipse warmly. Cyrus listens intently as Haze continues and Poppy tells her story, blue eyes worried and yet full of interest in what the young female had to say. As for anything else, Cyrus falls very quiet, ears twitching back and then forwards as he listens.
Eclipse snuffles faintly as she ponders about where Poppy has been. "There are cougars off in the mountains.." She finally offers while lifting her head slightly. "I wandered near by there lands a few times but never close enough to pass there border." When she was on her own she wandered all over the place because it was easier to do then dealing with wolves and dogs that didn't like her kind. She looks to Cyrus and nuzzles softly at his neck.
Echo listens, like always, one ear swiveling to Haze and Poppy, the other to Cyrus and Eclipse on his other side. The wolf tilts his head, considering for a short while, before his tail begins to sway gently and his clicks his teeth in a gentle note to Haze regarding his imminant departure. Hmm. The younger female is given a soft, cheek bunching smile and a head tilt, before it turns into a sly little grin as it moves to Cyrus and Eclipse. Bowchica, brudda'. Echo touches his nose to each of the aforementioned's shoulders, eyes lingering on Eclipse's face for a moment, and he winks. Mwah. Ceasing to mack on his pack-brother's girl, 'cause that's bad form, and what not, the ghost wolf moves off quietly, lifting his nose in an attempt to catch his mother's scent. He should speak with her... /HA/... and those gathered are given a final tailwag before he trots off.
Poppy's ears flush again at the attention to her recounting, and she dips her head, the motion graceful. It occurs to her that this pack must have some particular interest in the cougars, and she has an idea from her conversations with the one member she has met previously why this is. She gives another sweep of her tail and determines to give as many particulars as she possibly can. It's the least she can do, after all. With a nod, she indicates a westerly direction. "There were some natural pools of water there, and, well, I was so parched I didn't even consider that it might be occupied territory." She looks slightly embarassed at the confession. "Then, when they started to chase after me, I was so frightened it was all I could do to keep running; I don't have a very clear memory of what land I passed to come here."
Haze remembers meeting Larkspur when he was just a pup...and how she was rescued by a cougaress named Maulisho when she almost drowned in the river, and the two became life-long friends after. He's pretty sure Maulisho lived among the cougars in residence up on the mountain alongside his own family's pack, but surely none of them were responsible? After all, the Viridian never had any trouble with them, and their territories nearly bordered one another. Even so, the new alpha knows he has a responsibility to at least follow up on this lead - anything that may bring them closer to finding the cougar (or cougars) responsible for Felstride's death is important enough to consider. He turns to the now-silent Cyrus, easily able to judge his current feelings from the way his body is positioned, and then his eyes turn to each of the other Lazuli wolves in turn. "The mountain's not far from here. We could go check things out in a few days, if you think it's a good idea." He doesn't say anything further yet, merely seeking the pair of betas' opinions on the matter first.
Cyrus speaks up right away, though his words are thick, "I think it's worth being investigated.." Which means yes, but to a degree. Cyrus would want to go and would promise not to cause any trouble in the process. As Echo turns to make his leave the male catches his expressions and rolls his head, nipping as he passes, "Catch you later Echo," the beta rummbles, grinning crookedly to his litter mate before turning back to Haze and Poppy, ears twitching forwards.
Eclipse blinks as she looks to Echo and chuckles softly while offering a smile and she almost seems to blush at the looks Echo gives her.. Darn males. Her gaze turns to Cyrus and she winks at him before looking to Haze and nods while her ears perk forward slightly. "We could do that." She doesn't have a problem with confronting cougars, and out of the pack she is the one that knows at least one of the cougars responsible for everything that happened with the pack. She had to deal with them personally after all.
Poppy's demeanor becomes troubled, though of course it isn't her place to speak of what the pack should do. She merely looks at the Lazuli alpha, her glance reflecting concern. She blinks at Echo's abrupt departure; the male has left as silently as he came. Giving a small shake of her fur, she returns her attention to the others, quietly observing, "I am sorry to have disturbed you with all this. It could be that they're not the same cougars Helios told me about...after all, they didn't harm me; I think they only meant to scare me, and I did wander across their territory, though I intended no offense."
Haze nods to both Cyrus and Eclipse at their agreement, tail swishing in thought behind him. "I want to talk to Larkspur first, before we go," he adds, the brindle-furred male indeed having a few things to speak to her about, especially before he just up and leaves, since she can't accompany him while their pups are nursing. He turns back to Poppy when she speaks again, nodding at her words with a light smile. "I know. I honestly hope they aren't -- less dangerous that way. But we might as well get to know our nearest neighbors a little better, no?" He remembers that this female is no less familiar to him after their conversation, and pulls himself up a little straighter before speaking again. "Anyway, you're welcome to stay here until you find your family again, or decide to move on to somewhere else. We're visitors here too. Just keep away from the mountainside -- I've got pups there, and while I'm sure your intentions are honest, I'd rather not have strangers so near to them."
When the other mentions his brother Cyrus' interest peeks and he peers at Poppy curiously however says nothing for now. He'll be awaiting Haze's instructions on when and where they'll be traveling to meet these felines and until then will settle nearby as protection for his neices and nephews as well as to be near to the Alpha. Cyrus leans lovingly against Eclipse, head settling on hers as his blue eyes slide shut for a brief moment.
Eclipse nods to Haze. "Of course." She says with a smile as she takes in a slight breath before looking to Cyrus to see how he is. A faint smile is offered to him while her gaze turns to Poppy. "So you've meet Helios?" Well at least that is another piece of the puzzle, as to who said she could stay. She looks back to Cyrus and presses closer nuzzling against his chest a moment. Hopefully Haze will be right and the cougars that did all the damage to his pack will truly not be there.
Poppy inclines her head. "I am grateful to you, and I wouldn't dream of trespassing on your den. Those feelings are understandable." After all, they don't know her well, and she looks at Haze with increased respect, glad that he's taking wise precautions in this instance. Her ears turn pink again at Eclipse's question. "I ran into him shortly after my encounter with the cougars, and he's offered to help me find out what happened to my kin. It was so kind of him..." Realizing she's prattling far more than she should, she abruptly falls silent.
Haze considers his duties finished, and the brindle wolf so used to relative isolation after so many months definitely feels ready to retreat to the quiet of the den for a while. He turns back towards the east, dipping his head briefly to the beta pair as he begins to pad off towards the mountainside. "I'll come find you two in a few days when I'm ready to leave. Until then," he concludes in a farewell, tail flicking once before he starts to trot away from the pond.
As Poppy continues to speak Cyrus chuckles, "Helios is a kind soul.. he's my brother.." Cyrus informs the other before nodding his head respectfully to Haze as he departs. The ashen male slides down to his belly, paws tucking themselves under his chest as he settles his head down upon the ground, mind reeling with the thought of visiting cougars.
Eclipse murmurs softly. "True.. But your cuter then your brother." This said with a teasing tone to Cyrus while she looks to Haze and nods with a friendly smile. "Alright, we'll be ready." She looks to Cyrus and nuzzles softly at his neck while she settles down next to him and presses close nibbling softly at his cheek to try and help him just relax. "Everyone here is friendly Poppy, if you ever need anything just let someone know."
Poppy's smile reasserts itself; she pricks her ears forward, and something in her look hints that she's not only heard Eclipse's quiet words but would disagree with her assessment. Noting the tenderness between the couple, she suddenly feels like a fifth paw and decides to give them some privacy. She gives a polite nod, dipping low in respect, and excuses herself. "I appreciate that, and I will be certain to do so. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll see about finding something to eat." She quietly pads off, leaving the two alone.