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 Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:17 pm
 It was far far too early to be surrounded by happy-peppy barking and yips, and chatter. Try as she might, Mitternacht just could not crawl back into that nice, quiet sleep she'd been having just moments before. Her ears did perk as she scented the air to catch quite a few new smells around their area, but if they sounded so happy then it couldn't be anything threatening. Just her luck then.
Padding out into the fray, the red and black dogfox looks first for her team leader before even daring to try locking her eyes on any of the happy chatter. Yep, way way too early to be so peppy. There wasn't even a race planned for today.
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:37 pm
Prancer slowly gre less tense, now that he was certain that they wouldn't mistake him for an actual reindeer. The didn't mean they weren't going to attack, though, so he kept his guard up as always. The dog-vixen he was talking to seemed welcoming enough, and the leader of some of the others. "My name is Prancer," he said, as even more dog-vixens appeared. Were there any normal foxes on this mountain? Not that he added to that population.
Prancer pretended to ignore the incoming vixens, especially the one that joking called him prey. Jokes could go pretty far, and when one thing leads to another, Prancer just may end up within the cabin himself, instead of hiding underneath.
He did glance at them though, in passing, before looking back at Denali. "This Yukon Gang. What do you do, exactly?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:12 pm
 Golden eyes peered up what was left of the incline of the mountain; not too far away the owner could smell other foxes, but one fox smelled particularly familiar.
Except that it couldn't be, because the fox that smelled like that was dead, right? She had to be, after all that time alone in the storms...
Shaking her head, the tri-colored vixen began her ascent once again from the hidey-hole she had taken shelter in for an hour or two, just until the sun came up. She had no problem walking through the night and well into the morning, but she was well-fed (which, even after all this time, made her stop and remember when she hadn't been able to fend for herself, when she hadn't always had enough food) and didn't see the point in continuing walking if she didn't have to.
But now, Leigh had no excuse not to investigate the myriad of scents drifting toward her. If there were foxes, they would need to be met--and possibly dealt with, if they took a dislike to her. They wouldn't be the first. And besides, even if they didn't dislike her, it would be good to know who and where they were, just in case.
The vixen could take care of herself, if these foxes chose to attack. There was no choice but survival, ever. At least, there hadn't been for a long, long time.
Tossing her ebony mane out of here bright yellow eyes (and letting out a huff of annoyance when it fell right back into place), Leigh padded further up the mountainside, sharp claws digging into the tightly packed snow as a sort of hold. Climbs like this were what she was made for. She kept her head down and focused on each step, an automatic and easy reaction for her. Just keep walking and eventually she would find food or shelter or whatever she happened to need--in this case, the top of the mountain, so she could meet the other foxes. One step at a time, carefully but quickly, because even one misstep would send her tumbling down the mountain to her death. And that was not an option.
Leigh spotted a vibrant pink and purple coat at the crest of the hill, next to a darker, blacker form. It couldn't be Nika, could it? It wasn't possible...but how many bright pink foxes could there be, anyway? After her brief moment of surprised stillness, Leigh kept moving: she had to find out if that was who she thought it was...
Kicking into a faster trot, Leigh called out loud enough to be heard, "Nika? Is that you?" If it wasn't, and it happened to be another brightly colored Modidog, then she would bow her head in apology and continue on, leave this pack or team or collection or whatever they were to themselves and keep on; it wasn't that she was really consciously looking for Nika, just that she knew she'd be embarrassed if it wasn't her, and embarrassment was not something Leigh liked to handle.
Could it really be Nika? Leigh had thought all this time that the other vixen was dead...could she really have been alive all this time? Leigh didn't know what to think about that, if it were true: joy, of course, that one of her oldest friends was not dead, but also guilt and confusion. How had she given up on looking for her, even though she herself was starving? How had she survived alone--had she done what Leigh had, scrounged for food with wild strays and fought for other foxes' kills?
"Nika?" She called again, closer now. The pink and purple was so familiar...maybe it was her! Leigh quickly caught the bubble of hope that sprung forth in her chest; if it wasn't, she would not be disappointed. Nika was most likely dead, anyway: after all, there could be more than one bright pink and purple fox, right?
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:34 am
"There's lots of racing here," Nika chuckled. "We have three racing teams within the tribe, as well as a delivery team." The bright pink Elder to be looked over the newcomer critically, looking for any weaknesses.
"So long as you're willing to buckle down and do your job, you can," she nodded. "You look like a good option for the Crew. Denali's Lead Dog there. I'll introduce her to you soon so she can tell you more about the team and what she needs from you."
Before she could say more, a voice was calling out her name. Nika's ears pricked forward; the voice was damn familiar. But she'd lost Leigh in one of the storms, how on earth would she end up here of all places? Looking towards the vixen moving coming forward, Nika's ears pulled back in surprise. Even with one eye, she could tell who that was.
"It's me, Leigh."
"Well hello there, Pracer," Denali chuckled. She wasn't exactly on killing this one, he seemed decent enough. Ali looked over at Ayama and nodded to the deer carcass. "Take that inside the cabin for me and quarter it? I'm sure Mika would love to help." She offered her fellow Lead a teasing grin, then turned her attention back to Prancer.
"We're racers," she told him. "Ya know, like sled dogs? That's us. Some of our teams race competitively down the mountain, one does deliveries. We got some normal non-team members too, but mostly we live to pull sleds." She offered him a cheeky grin. "Now relax buck-o, no one's eating you today."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:46 am
It was Nika. Well, Deities be damned...
"How..." Leigh began when she finally reached the top of the mountain. She let the question trail off, though, taking in her old friend's new appearance. She'd gained an eyepatch and some scars...from after they'd been separated.
Leigh blinked, smiled widely and let her fluffy tail stretch out behind her, sharp teeth glinting in the early morning light.
"Nice to see you again, Nika," Leigh stepped forward to nuzzle her affectionately (and to make sure she wasn't hallucinating), but something gave her pause: the gathering of foxes around them. What was going on? Leigh tilted her head slightly to the right and thought back--Nika had been saying something about racing?
"Sweet little organization you got goin' on here," Leigh complimented weakly, a smile still on her face. She was happy, so happy, that her old best friend wasn't dead.
Knowing that there was much to catch up on but that there would be time for that later, Leigh simply sat down and grinned. "I want in."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:26 pm
 Nia walked up the mountain, stopping to check direction once in a while. She began to hear laughing and talking.
"This must be the place...."
She walked into the tribe. So this is what it felt like to belong... It felt good here, the low hum of chatter buzzed with exitement. Maybe the races are over... I wonder who won... Nia felt a little lost... Maybe she should ask someone.
Nia spotted a black, yellow, and white dog.
"Um, where's the Ketchikan Coalition...? Was that the team?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:45 pm
"Whatever you say, Boss," Ayame said, grimacing a little as she withdrew her head and picked up the leg of the deer. Dragging the thing up the few steps was kinda a pain, but her tough muscles handled it with little problem. That was the pay-off of the constant practice, tasks just seemed to get so much easier.
She got thing inside and drug it over towards the portion of stone floor, so the wooden bits didn't rot with any spilled bloood, and proceeded to pull it into more managable-sized pieces.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:31 pm
Rόis made a small sound when being picked up but other than that offered no resistance to Cari’s carrying her. She’s fast and knows were to put her paws so she doesn’t slip up on any ice under the snow. Rόis did her very best to pay attention to what Cari was up to when the vixen moved. I don’t know who these Nika and Mika are but I hope they let me stay near Cari. She is really smart about what she is doing. I wana be able to move like this in the snow one day. I wonder what she does in the tribe.
Arrin tagged along as fast as he could behind Cari. She was so confident when she moved. Arrin sneezed again shivering. The ice crystals in his fur weren’t helping him stay warm and he couldn’t feel his feet anymore. It is hard to walk when you can’t tell if where you’re putting your paws will end up in a hole or another river. Stepping as close as he could in Cari’s tracks Arrin looked up to see Cari looking back at him from time to time. He smiled. I’m glad she’s here. She would know what to do if I fell in a river again. Ahead there was a cabin and foxes in sight. Arrin's stomach felt even colder. Perhaps they wouldn't need him here in the tribe as useless as he was. No! I'm staying by Cari. Even if I have to live off of tribe lands I still wanna be near her.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 8:17 pm
"Miiika," Cari called out in a sing-song voice. Well attempted to call out, she still had a kit clamped pretty firmly in her mouth. So what she said sounded more like "Mmmauh!". The volume was there though, and no one in the gang ever had trouble spotting the bright and energetic female.
Even the company didn't really make her pause, even if she'd never seen a deerfox before. She set down the pale kit at her feet, panting happily and casting on of her crinkly-eyed smiles back at Arrin; she was pleased her friend had kept up. Her grin was wide as she turned to face the two Lead Dogs and deerfox. "Look Mika, I found an old friend when I was wondering in the forest! You remember I bet, I've mentioned Arrin before!" Which was quite possibly an understatement.
"And and," she continued, looking like she would start bouncing with excitement any moment. "This is RÏŒis! I dunno where her momma is but she says she knows she's wandering around somewhere. I thought I'd bring her too, cause the snow's pretty high and you never know what could step on you! And it's a looot safer here as well." Cari finished speaking, looking immensely pleased with herself.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 9:01 pm
Andere sighed again. She was still debating on what to do. Well it seemed the main population of her tribe was up the mountain near the cabin. There definitely wasn’t anything for her to do delivery wise because she would have been yelled at by now. Hunting was also out of the question from the smells apparently that aspect had already been handled. Ah well better see if there was something over there. As soon as she walked up the mountain to where her tribe seemed to be gathered Andere noticed there seemed to be a lot of new faces… and a fox deer; or was it a deer fox. Seeing as it was under control she just stared at everyone waiting for perhaps a moment when she was needed.
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 1:29 am
Prancer calmed down at Denali's reassurances. A bit. But more dog-foxes arrived and he didn't really know what to think. At her explanation of their life on the mountain, one part in particular, his ears perked up and he forgot where he was for a moment. "You pull delivery sleighs?" He repeated, the memories coming to his mind. "That's... very interesting."
It certainly interested him. He hadn't thought back to the old days in a very long time. Not since they had all decided to go their seperate ways. He wondered what it would be like, pulling a sleigh again. From one place to the next. He was happiest pulling things -- he didn't worry about dying, and he could just run about to his heart's content. Sure it was difficult at times, but it was much better than the life he led now.
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 11:17 am
Maiko's tail continued to wag as the new vixen talked about wanting to race and joining up with the tribe. As she sat listening, her mind wandered away from her and she became so distracted that she didn't even realize the other new vixen that had approached them until she was standing beside Nika.
"I can take her to Denali if you have matter's to attend to here, Nika." Maiko offered, smiling brightly at the dogfoxes around her. Finding Denali would be easy and Maiko needed something to do before she became distracted again. And it did seem like Nika had some catching up to do with the newest arrival.
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 6:13 am
Caprice could tell the pink vixen was sizing her up and she held herself up proudly. "I love to race and have fun," She said honestly, "but I am also very willing to earn my keep. Any job you or Denali need me to do, I'd be happy to do it." Caprice would too; she threw herself into any job with the same enthusiasm she did with her play.
A new voice called out to Nika and a black, white, and yellow vixen came up seeming surprised. Happy, but surprised. Caprice gave the newcomer a silent nod, giving her acknowledgment, but not interrupting the reunion. When Maiko offered to take her to Denali, Caprice moved over to stand next to the blue dogfox, smiling back at her. Still, she waited for Nika to give her permission.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 11:49 am
 ((Posting her as already in the tribe))
Mimoko opened a eye, ears flat against her head. The right wheel for Buckland Band had been watching the others, and doing so had dozed off. She was near Caprice and watching her talk to Nika, yawning as she stood and stretched. The strong vixen was a little taller than most vixens, and pretty strong, her muscles showing as she stretched. No wonder why she was a part of the Yukon Gang, pulling things was the only thing that could distract the timid fox from her fears, and she put her all in it.
She didn't speak to Nika or the newcomer, instead standing up and padding off to the side, to see if she was needed anywhere. Her eyes flicked between the multiple of foxes walking back, her curled tail wagging slightly. So, there was some new faces already? It made sense, it was the perfect place for her kind and people who wanted to show their strength.
She sighed inwardly, used to the life of being quiet and doing what she was told. She wondered when there would be a race, but kept her thoughts to herself, sitting down and watching the others quietly.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:37 pm
Nika momentarily turned her attention away from her old friend to attend to the matter of Caprice. "Don't take her to Denali just yet, Maiko. I sent her off with this morning's kill, so I imagine she's busy." She considered what to do instead for a moment, then nodded towards the outcrop of trees the sleds could be found in at morning, after some unfortunate souls had to finagle them out of the cabin.
"Show her the gear. Amaroq is probably with the sleighs, tell him I sent you." She looked over at Caprice to explain. "He is one of our other lead dogs. Not the friendliest of sorts, but he can show you the ropes aorund here."
She nodded in dismissal to Maiko, then looked to Leigh and raised an eyebrow, amused. "In? You don't even really know what this place is yet, Leigh. For all you know I'm running a slave encampment. But fine, you can be in. I need someone to balance out Amaroq anyway. He's our half-wolf, leads the less than pleasant crew. Could use some balance."
Now to handle the next newcomer and Mimoko. "The Coalition's scattered about," she told the red dogfox. "All of the crews are spread aorund in the mornings. But if you're lookin' to join, you came to the right place. Name's Nika, I'm Elder here."
And finally, Mimoko. "Morning Mimoko," she greeted one of her most submissive racers. "No racing t'day, I don't think. Too many newcomers. You're still with Buckland, yea? Why don't you go with Caprice and Maiko to see Amaroq, he might have a job for you."
Denali glanced over as Cari's muffled voice reached her ears and gave an amused smile. Leave it to Cari to find a kit and a lost male in the woods and come trotting back.
"Why don't you take 'em to Nika, Cari? She'll want to know they're here and figure out what to do about it." Chances were high Nika wouldn't turn them away, but she didn't like her members bringing others into their territory without telling her.
She gave her attention to Prancer again. "One of our teams pulls a delivery sleigh. The other three teams race." She tilted her head and exmained the male closely. "You have a strong build, you might actually be useful here."
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