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 Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 5:23 pm
Pale eyes stared, reflecting nothing but the hues of the differentiating stones of the cool cave. Auburns, crimsons, rusts and even various specks of emerald green sparkled in the otherwise dull orbs. They peered only half open, seeing hardly anything while taking in everything. Their keeper? The large animal lay loose on the cool stone, reveling in its pleasures lazily while nothing of the earthly world disturbed him besides the usual ponderings on subjects outside the conscious. The solipsist, if he could be called that, crossed on black paw over the other, making it easy for himself to shift his hips onto another side, relieving the pressure previously on right hind. Dark strands fell about those limpid eyes; his expression was stoic.
It was often that the strange creature lay contemplating the sins of his existence while so cautiously calculating what he had managed to obtain through his rather short lifetime. Damnation seemed the only answer. Lives were spent at his fangs, assassination was his forte after all, and this alone gave him the reason to wonder just what would be his prize, or rather punishment, for stealing away a soul from the body. Maybe in the end he would be praised. Usually the objects of his jobs were tyrannous idiots who deserved nothing less than what they got. But who was to judge? Certainly that wasn't his place, that instead was left to his employers whomever they might be, and it was only his duty to see their wishes through. Was this indifference, this lack of justice and lack of injustice enough to save his sorry soul or was it just enough to condemn him?
This questions plagued him often and many a night he lay awake listening to the voices of those he had murdered. Aguta had always been obsessed with the dead (the name Aguta itself meant gatherer of the dead in the Inuit language). Visions on the pale eyes glowing so dangerously close to him haunted his dreams, while the spectral bodies of those felled moved about him, growling and cursing his name. Always these dreams appeared before him after a job was completed and each took place in the same field filled with red poppies and a bright harvest moon hanging above. Aguta did not understand the relevance of them but nor did he care. It was the fact that he saw those faces that enthralled him, forcing him to question his previously solipsist views and if there was something out there he could not control.
A sigh escaped him. A small breeze whistled into the cave, richening off the walls creating an eerie leering sound that flitted past as soon as it had came, leaving Aguta once more alone. But something was brought with it. Lifting his head the large male sat up, staring outside of the cave into the pale light of the late evening fading into the tree line. A scent was cared along with the sweet wind, the scent of another male wolf wandering beyond his solitary cave.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:40 pm
But a loneliness lingered inside the wolf, and so he travelled constantly now. He missed his friends of long ago, and wondered if they ever thought of him like he thought of them now. His old mate, Ketei and the elder wolf Mingan, and even the skittish femme Whisper. He felt they were lost to him now. There seemed to be no end to the terrain in the world, and it had been only by sheer luck that he had ran across his father the last time. He wouldn't hold his breath hoping for another encounter with his father, much less his friends.
The wolf paused to pick a thorn from his paw, biting at the tender area carefully. His rust-colored pelt was wirey and heavily mussed and caked with mud in a lot of places. He smelled strongly of musk and the mud itself let off a pungeant odor of water and earth. Blue eyes matched the odd blue vines on his forelegs - a mark from his father's genes - whereas the rust and black came from his beloved mother. Thoughts of family caused him to look further down into a lonely despair. He felt as thought he had lost everything in his life, and gained nothing. Any lovers he took on either stabbed him in the back or turned out to be crazy. His family was dead - except his father, again - and his friends had disappeared.
And so he wandered, thinking that perhaps there was a pack suitable for himself out there somewhere.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:05 pm
The large male remained still in his damp home thinking for some time as to whom the stranger was or if they had yet discovered the shelter. That scent was strong, not so much wolf as forest, but tired and alone as well...Aguta's powerful sense of smell was not able to detect another scent from his far distance but left open the option of more wolves knowing full well he was capable of mistake. Would he approach him? Did it seem appropriate to waltz out in order to confront the passing male? Any usual alpha would have taken the chance to drive the male away when a threat was possible, after all, this was Aguta's territory and he was set on keeping it his. The only problem was that he was unsure of this wolf's motive and did not want to attack someone who was simply passing through; someone whom he was sure had run into his scent at the boarders of the territory not to long before.
After some time he heaved up, sighing briefly before shaking the dust from his already dusty colored pelt and carefully moved to the mouth of the cave. His powerful eyes bared down the small slope that branched into the dense forest beyond where the stranger was positioned. Aguta didn't bother taking on a defensive. Giving a slinking, streamlined pose was far more comfortable and expressed his personality rather than puffing out like a pompous alpha which was often found these days. He had no reason to scare off this newcomer. There was no guarantying his sheer size would accomplish as much anyway.
When his eyes met with rust, Aguta started for the other male unsure if he had been noticed. His tail was hung at a normal out position, balancing him as he padded. Now what to say to address the male?
"Traveling alone?" his voice was a mysterious baritone, not rising with interest nor lowering with scorn. It was just.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:54 am
It occurred to him that this might be a pack's lands he was traipsing along. He really didn't much care at the moment. Maybe this was the best way to go about joining a pack in the first place. He wasn't particularly harmless, but he also wasn't about to go trying to seem like he posed a threat to any reining alpha in this neck of the woods.
Rochir heard the incoming body before he saw it, and stood waiting to see what would happen. It could be just a random passerby, but when he caught sight of the approaching male, he somehow had a feeling that this wasn't exactly the freelands anymore.
Taking in the words, Rochir nodded. "I am." he responded, lazily flicking his ears, waiting for the next words to be spoken. "Are these your packlands?" he was too curious to let that mystery sit unanswered. And he was sort of excited, anyway. There could be a chance of him gaining some sort of friendship, a sense of belonging. Maybe even, down the road, a mate who wasn't completely insane.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:39 pm
The calculating eyes watched the other male with scrutinizing detail, taking in his movements, his expressions, his scent and every little thing that the senses could portray. Even beyond the five, he used the canine sixth sense to read off his emotions, as horrible as he was at picking them up, and listened to his words as he spoke his reply. This stranger seemed to pose no threat, regardless, Aguta was cautious. The fur of his neck was still on end while his expression stoic and his stance rather relaxed. The tone of the other male was intriguing enough to cause a mild interest in the large cave themed alpha.
"Yes," he murmured, giving a small nod, "Yes these are my lands." The pale blue traveled off the stranger for but a moment, surveying the land at the black paws and beyond, stretching through the trees and the darkness beyond.
"Or at least I hope them be. It is difficult for a lone wolf to keep a patch of land to themselves when hunting is needed to be done. A pack would bond this land to those inhabit it and that is my aim." Closing his maw he turned back to Rochir and stared him directly in the eyes. "I presume you do not belong to a pack?" That question was easily answered, but it was Aguta's aim to draw conversation from the male drawing words away from himself. It was often that the male lay silent, preferring the sound to that of anything other than nothingness and so he had grown accustomed to not speaking which in turn harmed his ability to converse with others. He preferred for the other party to talk while he answer the occasional question or sentiment.
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:52 pm
The rusted male's tail swished lazily, and his ears kept twitching. He was a bit nervous, having not had contact from other wolves in forever. But this male seemed calm enough.
He noticed right off that he other wolf was quiet, and was thankful for it. It was harder for him to tolerate louder, more overbearing wolves. He caught the stranger surveying his self-claimed land, and felt a connection in longing. This male wanted to start a pack on these lands, and Rochir could definitely relate to that idea - though he himself had no desire to rule over a pack.
He nodded in return, listening to the stranger. "I do not, no. I am a wanderer, though I am seeking a pack." he admitted, figuring that now was as good a time as any.
He wondered if this male had any others interesting in helping him form a pack. He could go out and find recruits if he was asked, but sometimes it could be hard to find interested wolves, much less wolves that would be right for a certain pack.
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 2:08 pm
The calmness of the stranger reflected onto Aguta who took into consideration his answers and the way he said them. It seemed to him this wolf would be a valuable addition to a pack if started, and he wondered just how he would behave in one once other wolves would be introduced. This few moments were not enough to gather any inclination from and Aguta found he wanted to see more from Rochir. His hips shifted, growing more comfortable as he stepped to stretch a leg. The large male was otherwise still, still watching and listening.
The answer seemed to be the very thing Aguta had wanted to hear. Inwardly he was smirking, but expressed nothing but mild interest outwardly. "Then you may have found yourself a pack," he commented looking him over before glancing away briefly. Of course, just looking for a pack did not make Rochir a good candidate for the pack Aguta imagined. He would have to interrogate him softly.
"Tell me...do you live as a free wolf or a wolf with responsibilities?" it was an odd question that could be interpreted a myriad of ways and that was how Aguta wanted it. He wanted to see how the stranger would interpret it and the answer given as well. Wolves were known for their freedom; after all, they were not tamable like the human's dogs. And even if he meant freedom as though asking about a pack there were still responsibilities that lone wolves had to abide by.
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Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:41 am
Rochir's head canted slightly at the mention that he may have found himself a pack. This pack wasn't even formed yet, but he wasn't too suspicious. The bigger male might have other interested wolves already waiting for things to get rolling, or...
The question was interesting, and packed with intrigue. "I live as a free wolf, with responsibilities." he answered truthfully. If further explanation was requested, he would be willing to give it.
He wasn't going to throw in all sorts of empty promises stating that he was willing to take on responsibility or that he was willing to submit to a higher power. That sort of thing should be implied by any wolf wanting to join a pack - but again, if more were asked of him about the question, he would answer willingly.
Pink tongue flicked out momentarily over a blackened lip, and the wolf's ears dropped a bit. "I mean no disrespect, would you mind if I took a seat?" the wolf asked suddenly. He wasn't too terribly old - it hadn't been long since he had got used to his adult body - but ever since the strange happenings with a fire shaman, his heart would flutter occasionally and leave him short of breath, sometimes feeling weakened for a short time.
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Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 11:48 am
The answer was exactly what Aguta was looking for. In fact, he was just listening for a reply and needed not an explanation, but soon discovered that the answer he was given was intriguing enough in and of itself. A free wolf with responsibilities was an intelligent reply. Maybe this fellow was a good candidate, but first Aguta would have to learn more about him and didn't object to doing so. His eyes watched him, taking in his movements and listened as well.
"Of course, make yourself comfortable," he told him, giving a nod at the request. It made no difference to him if Rochir stood, sat or sprawled out on the ground. It was just one of those things he cared not to take offense with.
"Tell me of your travels. Why is it exactly that you are looking for lands to settle down in?" he asked suddenly, wondering what had brought the interesting marked wolf to his corner of the woods in the first place. Shifting, the large cave marked canine grew impatient with his previous position and instead moved his weight onto his left side. His tail hung limp while his ears were both forward and sideways in interest.
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:08 pm
Rochir nodded, considered the answer a moment, and carefully situated himself in a more comfortable position, his tail neatly tucked around his left haunch. That was much better, and now he felt he could answer any number of questions that this wolf would ask him.
"My travels have been... interesting." he weighed his words carefully. He doubted the wolf wanted to know every detail of his life - as he had no memory of most of it - and didn't think that it would make for an interesting evening to speak of everything anyway.
"What caused my travel to this particular location, however, was a wolf that claimed to be running from a malicious pack that he had escaped from. I gave him use of my den for the night, and realized that I wouldn't be happy in a den, alone, waiting for that pack to track his scent to me."
"Simply, though - " he began, taking the second question into consideration. "I've realized that it's time to find a pack to which I can belong. Besides my birth pack - which I was forced from at a very young age - I have known no other alpha as my own." he sighed at this, remembering tidbits of memories from those days long ago. "I do not wish to rule, but I could also not tolerate being on the bottom of things." he spoke truthfully.
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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 10:21 pm
With the settling of the other wolf, Aguta took this time and the liberty to sit back on his haunches while his tail wrapped around his hip, moving ever so softly before becoming still. Those attentive eyes traveled every now and again, searching through the woods before returning to their guest, knowing full well it was foolish if not straight idiotic to not have his attention both on the stranger and any potential enemies outside of their conversation.
It was good that he established a position for himself in the pack directly. Not at the top but not at the bottom. That suited Aguta just fine. Besides, he felt this would be the ideal location for a wolf of Rochir's stature as well as potential.
And his answers were eloquently spoken. It was just the right amount of information, the kind of straight forward storytelling that the cave marked wolf appreciated most. His stance took up a taller, prouder position as he nodded, giving enough to show that he had heard him and understood. "Tell me, what contribution could you add to my lands? I'm a freelancer, a mercenary of sorts and often travel outside. What sort of position, or rather career, could you hold in this setting?" Wraith waited patiently, looking forward to the reply based on how his others were answered.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:33 am
Rochir laughed heartily at this question. He wasn't mocking the other wolf, but exclaiming his mirth at the situation. It was exactly the life he wanted in a pack setting, basically.
"I could contribute a nice bit." he considered making a joke that his presence was contribution enough, but didn't on the simple fact that this wolf wasn't close enough to him yet to joke that loosely with. "As a lone wolf most of my life, I've become pretty good at taking down small to medium prey items on my own, and I've no doubt I could easily help to take down bigger prey."
He paused a moment, to scratch an itch behind his left ear, and settled back into his former position before continuing. "I'm also not afraid of a fight. I'll defend my territory and my alpha to the death." he spoke grimly this time, noting the seriousness and truthfulness of his claim.
He also wasn't afraid to take a lower position in times of great need. He would watch over puppies or guard den sites of whelping mothers if needed as well. It was all within his range of capability, and he wasn't afraid to do anything he was asked to do.
He took this time, now, to look over the lands he was currently occupying while he awaited a response from the other wolf.
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:38 pm
Aguta seemed to sense that the laugh was not meant to be as an insult, for if he had presumed it was he would have retorted viciously, not tolerable of insult especially from someone within his territory. Instead he watched him, allowing him to react as he pleased as long as he got a reliable answer from the wolf who already proved articulate, which he had no doubt would give him a good reply to what he believed was a serious question. And the reply he received was appreciated if not gratified.
The alpha listened to his words, hearing with them not only what they spoke, but the wolf's emotions with them. This was enough to tell him that Rochir was serious and quite capable of providing for a pack. The backbone of the camp it would seem...and there could be no pack without a strong structure within. His proud muzzle nodded as he heard his last words and started a reply in return.
"That's good. I don't doubt your abilities, nor do I really question your allegiance," he could sense that the wolf was ready to settle down which was enough to know. Rochir would probably assert himself, but Aguta sensed in him also a respect for authority with good reason, and the alpha knew he would always provide reason. Lone wolves were the ones feeding into the pack, and there would be more to come, so naturally most would be accustomed to living on their own following their own rules. But it seemed that this wolf would have no problem following the cave marked male.
A hunter sounded, so far, to be the best position. Or a duel career as a hunter as well as shield for the pack when needed sounded a fine suit for the finely gray-blue marked male.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 4:32 pm
He was happy that the stranger seemed to realize that he meant no insolence by the laugh. It was a good thing that he could be light-hearted around this male and not be punished for it.
Rochir had his own little tests which he performed subtly while Aguta's were more obvious.
He nodded at the other wolf, unsure of what to say next. It was easy for him to sit quietly while others spoke, as he had been doing it much his whole life. It wasn't so easy for him to out and start a conversation, but he figured time in a pack with constant contact would heal that.
He wondered about others in the pack. Looking around, using his nose and ears, he couldn't sense anyone else nearby. "Are there others that swear allegiance to you, yet?" he spoke finally, his curiosity getting the best of him. It would be nice to meet other pack members if there were any - but equally nice to go out and find more if the task was necessary.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:03 pm
This was a fair enough question and it was answered honestly. "There is one other, a lone male such as yourself. The pack is just in the beginning stages and slowly progressing. If you're searching for a place to settle down, I wouldn't mind asking you to stay here in the Tomkin territory," Aguta paused for a moment, finally asking if it was the wolf's purpose to join the pack. But first, there was just one thing missing.
"But first, may I ask your name?"
The cave marked male's attention stayed on his guest, but his ears swiveled every now and again to pay attention to his surroundings. His thick tail, rested at his hip before flopping to the left against the soft ground. The name was of great importance to him, after all, a pack of assassins needed to keep names concealed for obvious reasons, but he also wanted to know the true name of each member of his pack, as he would offer his own. An alias was a safety precaution, but it was bonding to truly know the wolves you were to put our trust in.
"I am called Aguta, but outside of these lands and around strangers, I request that you refer to me as Wraith."
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