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 Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:09 pm
 The months had passed swiftly and the time had come to bring Casimir and his pups to their new home. The Queen was sad to see them go but could not deny the fact that this was the better place for them and perhaps Casimir as well. She had done all she could to reign in Varia's anger towards the males but with each passing day it was harder and harder to keep her head warriors anger at bay. The pups had grown up strong thanks to Seraphin's care and love, and spending the rest of their lives here in YMCA would ensure they had the best chances possible.
"It is not too far now." She said to her traveling companions. They were now within the borders of their new pack and it would only be a matter of time before whichever wolf was currently on patrol would come across them.
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Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:06 pm
 He thought it felt good to be finally leaving, for the most part. Terrifying, but at least the interminable waiting was finally coming to an end - he had been stuck waiting, for one awful thing or another, from that unfortunate encounter in the night onwards, and even the boggling prospect of leaving Antianeira for good had begun to look sunny compared to hunkering down in his den, trying to be a dad while waiting, always, for some vicious blow to come from behind. Casimir grimaced, ambling along amid his quiet brood, and wondered if he could remember how not to be so afraid all the time. Django was not really clear on what was going on (they were moving, apparently, but he had not been clear on what that could possibly mean). Walking around with his dad was always great, but this trip was starting to drag, and the big wolf leading them really put a damper on the amount of fun they were allowed to have. He huffed to himself; aside from Seraphin, being within sight of a female was more or less a guarantee for boredom.
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Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:29 pm
 Galahad was been told a while back that the pack was expecting a few pups from their ally pack to the North. So he always kept an eye out for their arrival while on patrols. While he was unsure of exactly when to expect their arrival he had been told it would occur before winter set in. Well there was a growing chill in the air each day, a clear indication of winters approach. So when he left for his patrol this morning he headed north first to check the border there.
When he spotted the tan Queen follower by an interesting looking male and a few pups he knew the day had come. Tipping his head in greeting as he came close to them bringing his paws to a stop. "Greetings Queen Penthesilea." His eyes roamed over her traveling companions and gave them a nod in greeting as well. "I see you have brought our newest members. Welcome to YMCA." He addressed Casimir.Penthesilea came to a stop the moment she smelled the approaching male. "Galahad." She remembered meeting him on one of her trips here, Chivosi had spoke of him as the male who had saved one of the packs pups from a bear attack a few months back. "Indeed I have brought you some new members. Casimir," She motioned to the maned male. "And his pups." Her eyes looked down to the pups, they looked a bit tired and perhaps a bit bored from the long walk but otherwise were in good health. "Perhaps we can take them to the dens, it has been a long journey and I'm sure they would appreciate a rest." Vercinix looked up as a brown male came up to them. Honestly he had expected a female to be the one to greet them based upon his old pack, but father had said they were moving to a pack that was different than their old. So perhaps this was the way things were here, at least he seemed nice enough. But looks could be deceiving, he knew that well from his old pack.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 4:51 pm
Watching the new wolf move toward them, Cas was again reminded of the gravity of this transition - right from the start, he could tell this male would never be mistaken for a Slave; even with his deference to the Queen, it was clear that he was an outsider. Except...what did you call an outsider when you were outside yourself? He cleared his throat, and tried to quell his nervousness with a little stamp of his forepaws. Here were the last few moments of his slavehood, ticking by.
He ducked his head and smiled politely as Galahad addressed him. "Thank you very much for taking us in," he replied, as sweet and timid as if he were addressing a Sister; it didn't feel unnatural, but he saw Django c**k his head to stare at the brown and white wolf in bewilderment. He fixed his son with a stern eye, shutting down any impudence there that might be budding, and remained still and quiet as his superiors talked.
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:50 am
"Of course." He said to the Queen with a tip of his head. Eyes swiveled to meet Casimir's. "It is our pleasure to allow you and your pups to stay here. Our borders are always open to those who need a place to live. But come, let us move towards the dens, your pups can rest there while you get acquainted with the pack." He glanced over the pups quickly, but they seemed to have enough energy to finish the rest of the journey under their own power. Motioning with his muzzle he began to lead the way towards the dens. "Many of the members are out attending to duties right now, so there may not be too many around to welcome you. But once they get back I'm sure they will wish to meet the newest members."
The Queen made sure that all the pups were following before falling into step beside Galahad. He had certainly found his place among the pack and she could only hope that one day Casimir would feel at home here even if she did not wish to lose another member of her pack. But they had to do what was best for the pups at this moment and right now that was sending them all here. With a glance back at Casimir she could see a bit of uncertainty in the male wolf, everything in his life had and was still changing, and it would take time for him to adjust to things. "Do you have any questions you wish to ask about the pack?" She questioned him, hoping that perhaps a bit of conversation would ease him a bit.
Vercinix watched in silence as the adults conversed. It was weird, this male, Galahad, didn't act at all like father or the other males of their old pack. He held himself high, spoke to the Queen while looking at her from an equal level. He caught his brother giving Galahad a long look and then saw the look their father tossed Django. That ended any more curious looks from Vercinix for now and when the large male began to lead them further into the packs lands he followed along, though he kept a respectable distance from Galahad and the Queen.
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:15 pm
The maned wolf nodded his head in understanding as Galahad spoke, keeping his eyes cast down and his mouth shut. He was concentrating on keeping track of his sons when his Queen addressed him, and suppressed the urge to gulp at the sudden lump in his throat. Questions?
"Ah..." Oh crickets, he was going to come off like an imbecile. YMCA was so different from Antianeira, he couldn't even find a place to begin. Why hadn't he talked to Iosef about this! "I would like to know the duties that are expected of me, I suppose," he managed quietly, catching an awful glare from Django in the periphery of his vision; of course he had at least two dozen other questions that needed answers, but they were all so woefully ignorant he couldn't bear to ask them - particularly in front of his sons and Penthesilea.
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Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:24 pm
Galahad looked over his shoulder at Casimir. "The work here is divided relatively equally among all the members, you will help with hunting, border patrols and even watching over the pups. As times goes on you will be given a few more responsibilities, but we will allow you and your pups to get adjusted to life here and the territory." They continued to walk along a well worn path and soon enough they had reached the dens area. He brought his paws to a stop and turned around looking towards Casimir. "This is where the majority of the dens are, there are a few scattered about the territory as well. And your den," he motioned with his muzzle and continued to walk a bit.
When they came to the den that had been allocated for him and his pups he stopped again. "This is your den. It is spacious enough to fit all of you."
Penthselia walked along in silence, occasionally glancing back to make sure none of the pups had wandered off. They were all so well-behaved right now, so she had little doubt they would run off, especially in a strange place. She also allowed Galahad to answer this and any other question Casimir might have. Galahad knew more about this pack than she did, though her knowledge was pretty good by this point. Her eyes fell to Casimir and awaited his response to it all.
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Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:38 pm
Cas resisted the impulse to c**k his head incredulously at the notion of going on border patrols...honestly, they might as well tell him he could get pregnant, too. His mouth ticked upwards in a ghost of his old self-amused smile, but a joke hardly made the prospect of taking on all that responsibility less daunting. it had occurred to him that he would be no one's servant at this new pack, but he had never realized the other side of that fact, that in no longer being inferior, he now had a more difficult set of standards to live up to. He swallowed dryly, padding behind the other wolves without much regard for their surroundings, and remained silent until they reached what would be his den.
Goaded by his father's reticence, Django trotted past his father as he stopped before their den, his bearing erect but eyes kept respectfully down. His little heart rapped swiftly against his chest: the tense seriousness of his father and Iosef had kept him well in line back at home, but the pale-coated pup had a better inkling for change than his sire, and even through his fright he felt a wealth of new opportunities spread in front of him. So, he spoke - in front of his Queen, and this mysteriously authoritative male. "How big is the pack? Iosef says we got cousins here, where are they?" Tail waving, he looked back at his brothers, as if to lead them into this new, unfettered life by way of interview.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:50 pm
Galahd didn't mind if Casimir chose to be quiet, it would be a huge adjustment from his old life and if the wolf had nothing to say at this moment then so be it. In time he was certain that the other male would warm up and become a full part of this pack. When one of the pups spoke Galahad turned his attention to the young male. "The pack is fairly big, about thirty strong I believe. And yes you have several cousins here, though they are out either hunting or doing border patrols with the others at the moment. They should be returning soon enough."
He fell silent for a few moments looking between the faces of the pups and then spoke once more. "You know, there's this great game I know of, perhaps we can play it together sometime, though I think it's best to wait for your cousins to come back first as I know they enjoy it as well." He would keep the details of what they game was a secret for now, if only to keep the pups exciting and anticipate when it would start.
The Queen remained silent, taking in each of the reactions from the pups as well as Casimir. So far the move had been going better than when Thealia's pups were brought here, but then again these pups had been saved from their mothers brashness but their post-birth abandonment. The fact that they were talking and showing signs of happiness was a step in the right direction. But there was other business to attend to while she was here so Penthesilea decided to let the males converse while she would see to these things. "I must go speak with Chivosi and Terreis." She told them once the conversation had died down. "I will swing back here before I leave." Her attention was focused on Casimir. "Galahad will be sure to provide anything you or the boys need in the mean time." Turning Penthesilea padded off to converse with the other Alpha and one of her previous Sisters.
While not fully sure on things Vercinix was enticed by his brothers boldness to speak up, the wagging of his tail and more importantly Galahad's mention of a game. "What kind of game?" He asked hoping to pry a bit of information out of the larger wolf. He barely noticed the Queen leaving having had his attention on Galahad but he did wonder, once he noticed she wasn't standing there anymore, what she was going to talk about with those other wolves. "Can we play the game?" He finally asked his father, giving him a pleading look.
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Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:22 am
Anatto had been trailing behind the others in silence for all of the journey, his thoughts straying off elsewhere. He stayed a wolf's length behind, just near enough that the queen wouldn't worry that he was about to bolt. His eyes held a sort of glazed-over, contemplative look, and any wolf around him might think he was traumatized by this whole situation. Traumatized, or perhaps just totally oblivious. What was going on in his thoughts? What was he thinking about so deeply back there? His face was inscrutable.
Did Anatto even realize what was going on? Surely he must. He wasn't so young, after all, and he wasn't stupid. He could feel his father's uneasiness on the air, thick like humidity. He could feel the awkwardness of everything around, the way conversation tilted and lifted and faded, the way bodies shifted and shuffled, the way uneasy glances were cast and defiance and boldness mingled.
He was aware of all of it -- hyper-aware, even. He just didn't seem to care.
He realized that the others had stopped, and he brought himself to a halt alongside the others, his ears flicking forward in the first sign of interest he had shown all this long walk. "A game?" He said, fixing his eyes curiously on Galahad. "I like games."
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Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:54 pm
Casimir nodded deferentially to the queen, watching her go with a poignant little sting of longing. What a good Queen she was! His loss of the pale wolf as a leader overshadowed the threat that lay back in Antianeira for a heady moment, and the big male swallowed back a little whimper of grief, trying to redirect himself with his boys. There were a lot of tails wagging down there, and Django was already mouthing off to Galahad, who didn't seem to mind.
Django, incensed by the knowledge that Galahad was withholding information, was clearly agitated. He bounced momentarily off to the side, unsure of what to do. "But you said they were out hunting and stuff! What's the game?" His golden eyes gleamed balefully.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 4:20 pm
Well that certainly got their attention. Nothing perks a pup up more than mentioning a game. "Indeed a game." Turning his attention to Django, who seemed to be the boldest of the pups he smiled. "Yes, I did say they were out hunting, though they should be returning shortly. Will give you boys plenty of time to explore the immediate area." His eyes ticked up with Casimir. "They will be plenty safe to wander a bit, plus it will do them go to learn the lay of the land." Returning his gaze to the pups his smile broadened. "Plus knowing the area may help you out in the game." He gave his tail a few wags as encouragement and to entice them to do so. Galahad could see that Casimir was feeling a bit well...he didn't look all that great especially now that the Queen had left. "I'm sure the others will be looking forward to meet you and your boys once they have returned. There are plenty of friendly faces here, and we look out for each other." He hoped that would reassure the big male a bit and allow him to relax.
Vercinix listened to Galahad's words and immediately thought he had an idea of what game they might be playing. "I bet we'll play hide and seek!" He announced to his brothers with a wag of his tail. "And I'm going to find the best hiding spot." Though he looked to his father, waiting for permission to search for said hiding spot.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 10:10 pm
Anatto tilted his head, considering this. His eyes narrowed shrewdly, and he nodded. "So we have a head start?" He said, his tail giving a slow wag. "...I like head starts, too."
Pleased with this turn of events, and no longer interested in anything else that might happen with his family, the patched wolf turned and made his way away from the gathering, nose to the ground.
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:37 pm
Cas was not so despondent that he missed the barest glance Django gave him before tearing off into the territory; what on earth was conspiring in that kid to make him so...retaliatory? Even so, it did not feel good or natural to let his puppies disperse like this. Galahad was the one in charge here, though, and there was little he could do but try to adapt. Smiling wanly at his one attentive son, he nodded in assent, and watched his progeny begin their reconnaissance of their home.
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