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 Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:47 am
 It was intoxicating. It was distracting. It was delicious and heady and it made her want to roll all over it until her fur was saturated with it. Until she could carry it with her as though it were her own. But above all, it was maddening, if only because she enjoyed it so much. It was a scent. The alpha’s scent, to be exact. Hephaestus’s scent. As she caught a fresh whiff of it and forgot if she was supposed to be doing anything important, Tisiphone was forced to admit that she might have a minor obsession with that particular smell. That could prove problematic.
Although Tisiphone and her painted wolves had only been living in Acropolis territory for a few weeks, it had already grown so familiar to her. The scent and the territory, both. It felt like home. It was almost frightening, how right everything about Acropolis felt to her. Of course, her wolves seemed to be doing well here, as well. That alone would be enough to make her happy. However, eating away at that happiness was a terrible nagging sensation. Guilt, perhaps, though she would not admit it. Guilt and fear of what she was feeling, or rather, of what she might be able to feel once again.
Indeed, the alpha was causing more than a minor obsession for her. Beyond his scent, the male himself was catching her interest. He was kind and he was fair, but he was also strong and perfectly able to protect his territory. All of that, and so much more. Hephaestus was a good alpha, and worthy of her respect. If the though ever crossed her mind that he might be worthy of more, it was quickly banished with thoughts of Cith, whom she had yet to avenge, even if she had secretly commissioned a search for his killer. Well, that was another matter entirely. For now, she need only concern herself with the present. And that included this damnable scent.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 4:25 pm
He was patrolling, as usual, but this time, he'd given Deimos leave to be with his mate. Hephaestus needed time to think, and his rounds of the packlands was the perfect time for such things. As he sniffed and marked and scratched, hunting down strange scents and ignoring others, he thought.
Accepting these painted wolves into the pack had been a gamble, for many reasons. For one, they were strangers, and all strangers he usually kept at bay until he knew their intentions. The past had made him wary of strangers, but these wolves....Something about them was different. He didn't know what it was, but they didn't scream "betrayal" whenever he looked into their eyes.
For another, their little band swelled the pack number to over 21, a massive family. Such a large pack was safe and secure, and he doubted that any threat could defeat them now, especially with all the pups grown. But 21 wolves was a lot of mouths to feed....Winter would blow its chill wind soon enough, and then things would get interesting. This land he patrolled and kept ever vigilant over was a fertile place indeed, but would it last?
So caught up in his thoughts was he, that the alpha didn't notice Tisiphone's scent on the ferns, nor see her paw prints in the dirt. He almost ran into her and didn't even lift his head until his paw hovered above her tail, just shy of stepping on it. He lifted his head, blinked, and seemed to come back to the here and now.
His ears went back a little and he seemed chagrined as he looked at her. "Forgive me. I didn't smell you. Or see you, for that matter," he added as an after-thought, rebuking himself in his head. He wondered what he'd missed on his patrol if he'd missed her entirely.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:25 pm
Tisiphone started, not having noticed his approach. Here he was, now, as though her thoughts had summoned him. The source of her torment. The source of the scent. Hephaestus. Her new alpha. And his paw was still hovering over her tail…
“Not at all,” she reassured him, trying to act normal despite her own inner frustration. It would not do to snap at the alpha. “My thoughts were elsewhere, as well.” She cast around for a safe, neutral topic. Something to keep her mind off of him and the scent that was slowly taking over her senses.
“You’re on patrol?” Because that much wasn’t obvious. She cursed herself. “Find anything interesting?” There. That was a little better. Perhaps she would be able to manage an intelligent conversation, yet. For that matter, she twitched her tail out from under his paw. Dignity. Wits and dignity. She needed to focus.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:42 pm
"Nothing interesting," he replied automatically, still deep in thought. He couldn't seem to shake his worry, even with one of his new pack members sitting right before him. The big male sighed, stretched like a cat, one paw at a time, before he arched his back and fluffed his fur.
Finally settled, his thoughts clearer, he smiled at her warmly, eager to finally have a chance to talk to her. She had seemed intriguing, if a little....acidic. Finding out why appealed to him, and he sat on his haunches before her.
"How do you like these lands so far?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:58 pm
Oh, god. He was sticking around for a conversation. Tis eyed him warily and could have whimpered as his scent enveloped her. Luckily, however, she refrained from any such embarrassing act and instead focused on keeping her expression and voice as neutral as possible. Must not be rude to the alpha, even if she did want to snap at him for smelling too good. b*****d.
“They seem nice enough,” she said. “You have plenty to hunt. A lot to sustain your pack with, though I wonder. Will there be enough come winter? We are many, after all, and resources are not endless.” She could have bitten herself. Why give him any reason to drive them away? She liked it here. More importantly, her painted wolves liked it here. She did not want to take that away from them, and certainly not for her insecurities.
In truth, she found this territory to be lovely. It was truly something of beauty and more, it reminded her of another place: the only lands that she had ever called home. In fact, those lands were not so very far from here. Odd, that she should have settled so close to the place where she had lost so much. Indeed, her life was full of bitter irony.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:24 pm
He nodded at that, his ears flicking back. Funny how she voiced the exact concerns in his head, and he eyed her a little bit more closely.
She was a beautiful wolf, sleek and strong. The fur of her ruff was a little longer then most, spiky, but it suited her just as it did his nephew. She had dainty fangs peeking out from her lips, and he found that he liked the exotic look her paint gave her, and how striking her green eyes were amidst that black of her fur.
"We are careful hunters, making sure to take only the old and dying. These lands are fertile, and many does have twins here come spring. The bounty usually lasts for 3 to 4 years, and then there is a harsh winter, and many deer die. We usually make do, but this year will be another rough winter. And we have many more mouths to feed."
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:42 pm
b*****d. He even managed his food well. Was there no flaw in him?
She flicked her emerald eyes over to his mismatched ones, considering his last statement. Was that a veiled jab at her? At her wolves? The thought had her bearing her fangs ever so slightly. Was his kindness a ruse to hide his true nature?
But no. She knew that was not fair. He had never been anything but straightforward with them. Subtle jabs and veiled threats were not his way. That much she knew. The problem was, whether she would admit it or not, she was trying to find something in him that she did not like. Something she could grab on to and use as a shield between the two of them. Anything to keep them distanced, so she did not have to consider that there might be something about this wolf that drew her to him. Something more than leader to leader, something female to male.
Tis twitched her ears back in annoyance. Enough.
“And we have only brought more mouths to your territory,” she said, forcing her thoughts away. “But we can hunt. I assure you of that. Winter might be harsh, but we will not let the pack starve if we have any say in the matter.”
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:01 pm
He smiled. "If I thought that would happen, I would have never have let you join. There are options. The lands below our plateau are filled with game, but it is extremely dangerous to get down there. The waterfall is the only way."
Pondering, he settled into a more comfortable position, stretching out in front of her. It felt nice to be off his feet, and he took a moment just to lay in the warmth.
"My thought is that I will send the best....climbers....as it were, down there for their food if things get tight. Adrastos and Maera have already gone down there. I'm sure Phrixos, and even Deimos could make it as well. Even your Zanza'jin.
"It is only a thought right now, but it is a plan if we ever have to use it."
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:13 pm
Tisiphone hesitated. Zanza’jin was a fair climber, to be sure, but Heyoka was something special. She hated to send her foundling out hunting without her, especially when it involved something as dangerous as braving a cliff and waterfall in the winter, but the reckless girl did seem to have an unorthodox level of luck. Despite her best attempts, she had yet to kill herself on her reckless endeavors. She sighed.
“If it comes to that, I would suggest you send Heyoka, as well,” she offered. “She is light on her paws and skilled in such risky ventures.” Her young daredevil would have to grow up eventually. As much as she wanted to, Tis knew that she could not hover over her forever. “Zanza can keep an eye on her,” she added, somewhat to herself.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:46 pm
Glad that she seemed to agree with the merits of his plan(why else would she offer her gray wolf?), he wagged his tail and let his tongue loll in happiness. "There will be a formal hunt soon. We do them regularly, so that we can run as a full pack and strengthen our bonds. I expect all of you to be there," he said with a wink, rising to his feet again. He stretched, making a happy sigh.
"Are you busy?"
He knew full well she wasn't, considering her position and pose, but it was always polite to ask.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:03 pm
A formal hunt? Well, the idea certainly made sense, but she wondered how practical it would be with a pack this size. Surely that many wolves thundering across the land would scare even the stupidest game away long before they were close enough to give chase. Of course, it might not be a very politically savvy move to mention that bit. Well…it was surely the hunt itself more than its success that mattered, anyway. That in mind, she decided to ignore the whole thing for now.
“Ah, not at the moment. Why?” She replied, wondering just what he had planned and whether she could weasel her way out of it. Assuming she even wanted to…
Wait. Just what was she thinking. Of course she did not want to spend any more time with this wolf than was strictly necessary. She had absolutely no reason to. None at all…except that he was the alpha and therefore in a position to dictate the lives of her wolves, to a degree.
As Tisiphone rose and shook out her long ruff, she consoled herself with the fact that she was only doing this for her wolves. It had nothing to do with her interest in the male before her or his intoxicating scent…or his strength or strong jaw. Nope. Nothing at all.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:56 pm
He tilted his head, wondering why she seemed so closed off all the time. She didn't even look particularly comfortable sitting here, talking to him, and yet she did. It confused him, but then again, he was constantly around the females of his family, and they always let him know how they felt. It came from being their uncle/grandfather/son, and so forth.
"Well, I was going to invite you to walk with me while I finish my rounds. I usually end at the northern border, and run amongst the clouds on my way to the den. If you haven't seen them yet . . . Today is a perfect day."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:07 pm
Actually, that sounded…lovely. So much so that Tis was not entirely sure what to make of it. It was uncomfortable close to something that Cith would have surprised her with. Still, it was an innocent question, right? He only wanted her to come on his rounds with him, and she did have some small weakness for pretty things. She could scarcely imagine what it would be like to run amongst the clouds.
“I…have not seen them yet. I will come with you.” She agreed? Why had she agreed? Because it was perfectly innocent, that was why. Nothing wrong with accompanying the alpha as he finished his rounds.
“Shall we?” And before he could reply, she trotted off in the direction he had been heading. Toward the northern border.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 7:41 pm
Bemused at her sudden shift in demeanor, he nodded his head at her and followed, tail raised high. This was a fine mood to be in, he pondered, following a pretty lady around the border of his bountiful land. He hadn't done such a thing....well, since Daeny had died.
He stopped for a moment, realizing it had been years since her death. He had never forgotten the anniversary of it, but to think that so much time had passed already, and not once had he looked askance at a female....
His paws started moving before he could think longer on it, and he trotted after her, more excited then ever to finish his patrol.
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 2:23 pm
Hearing him follow her, the she-wolf glanced over her shoulder to see the great alpha holding himself tall and proud, yet also radiating an enthusiasm for life that she had rarely come by. It was refreshing. Fascinating. Knowing that she was part of it all was…well, it was something that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. It was almost like she could belong again.
Realizing that she was staring, Tis whipped her head around to watch where she was going, her ears flattening and a small scowl gracing her maw. Still, for now, she could just forget about her past, her revenge. For just a moment. Just this moment, while a small, infectious blossom of warmth spread within her. Her scowl softened into a shy, little smile. Who knew what the future might bring?
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