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 Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 3:53 pm
Stopping by a stream to slack her thirst Penthesilea set off to the north hoping that this new direction would prove more fruitful than her last few days of searching. Although it had been several days since she found Thealia her hopes were still high that more would be found. After all these were well trained warrior and hunters that could certainly survive on their own for an extended period of time. She herself had been wandering about alone for several months before she came across Glacier and then not long after Thealia.
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:09 pm
She caught the barest whiff of a scent on a tree and immediately dipped her head to find it again. A meal would do her well, keep her mind focused and her skills honed. If she didn't have a task, her mind tended to wander, and the last thing she wanted to do was relive her choices. There was no profit in the past, after all. Victors looked to the future.
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:16 pm
Finding herself on a hill that allowed her to look a bit further than she would be able to from lower ground Penthesilea scanned the area. Any movement brought her focus until she was certain it was not what she was looking for. The odd critter here and there was spotted but so far no wolves - no wait, there was one. The red figure somewhat stood out a bit between the brown tree trunks and green foliage. Focusing on that creature the markings came a bit more - they seemed very familiar. That was either a warrior from the pack or a wolf who looked very much like her.
Letting out a howl in an attempt to get the wolves attention Penthesilea waited until the wolf looked her way before setting off towards her. This just had to be Hippolyta, she could feel it in her bonds. Another one of her pack sisters had been found - but she kept her happiness buried within her until she knew beyond a doubt that the wolf she saw was indeed who she thought it was.
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:23 pm
Hippolyta froze the moment the howl resounded, taking up a protective but aggressive stance as her eyes sought the source of the howl. It had been close, and with the wolf coming apparently towards her it wasn't hard to tell who had made the sound. Pol held her ground, making no friendly overtures nor any hostile ones, her back and legs tense and her head held high.
Something about this wolf reeked of familiarity-- literally. Pol took a deep breath, trying to catch the female's scent again as the wind carried it away from her. The head dress, the bracers, these were marks of her pack. It was clear that one of her warrior-sisters had found her, and Pol was torn between the adrenaline rush of an impending fight-- what if they had been of the other faction?-- and an odd swelling of joy. She remained in this state until she recognized the eyes.
"Penthesilea?" She asked cautiously, eyeing the stately headdress of feathers. Definitely from her pack. Even this many months later she couldn't think of Antianeira as a 'former' anything. Her pack was home, life, joy, the reason for her existence. "The Queen's Adviser?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:32 pm
Penthesilea smiled as the other wolf recoginzed her just as she recognized the familiar red wolf. "Indeed it is me Hippolyta." Coming to a stop near her pack sister Penthesilea lowered herself onto her haunches to show that she was not here to fight Hippolyta, but held herself high - after all she was much more than a warrior now. Tail curled around her paws as she took in her sister, Hippolyta still seemed to be in good physical shape which pleased her greatly.
"The Queen's Adviser no more." She replied, had Hippolyta not heard the news of Penthesilea's new rank? It did not matter, they had not seen each other in months and Penthesilea wasn't expecting all her old pack to know that she was now their Queen. "I have taken Marpe's place as Queen, it was her dying wish that I take her rite of caste."
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:56 pm
A bright smile lit Pol's darkly-furred face, but faded to surprise as she glanced at the headdress again. That's what that was about. Her new queen. She immediately sat so as not be any higher than Penthesilea, and hunched slightly to show her willing acceptance.
"The Rite of Caste? Then Antianeira is no longer disbanded. How many have agreed to Queen Marpe's choice without bloodshed and returned?" Hippolyta knew of several who would not have taken so easily to the change and would likely have demanded duels for Pen to prove her worthiness. Pol was not so eager to battle; she trusted her former Queen as she would trust this one. Penthesilea had been close to Marpe, and an Advisor. She was certainly wise and strong enough to be Queen.
"Have all old debts... been forgotten?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 5:06 pm
"Antianeira is no longer disbanded sister, and I will not let that happen ever again." That was a promise to Hippolyta and any other who rejoined the pack as well as new members. Never again would the pack fall into infighting over anything. Issues would be dealt with by the Queen and her advisers not with claws and teeth. Though that did not mean that Penthesilea would not fight should someone challenge her position.
"Those who were at Marpe's side when she died agreed with her decision. Though I fear it was only a small group of us left. None of the others have returned to the pack lands, which is why I am out here. I sent everyone out in search for our sisters to send them home if they agree to my ruling the pack once more." She fell into silence for a few moments, it had been quite some time since then as she wondered if others were having better luck at it than she was. "You are the second I have come across. I found Thealia a few days ago, she will return as a warrior like she had been before. An abandoned pup is also coming with me, he is young still but has learned his place quickly."
Looking off into the trees Penthesilea took a deep breath. "As for the old debts, they are forgotten by many. Though I am not sure they are forgotten by all." Her eyes returned to Hippolyta.
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 5:13 pm
The old sorrow swam into her face again, the black marks that slashed down under her eyes making the effect more pronounced. "No. I doubt any could forget easily."
She didn't know who had killed her mother and sister, but again, it was the past. She would not forget, but she wouldn't hold the grudge to her chest either. It was done, and as Penthesilea had said, the pack was reforming. Old matters should be left behind as best they could be. Still, they would be down many warriors who needn't have died at the hands of their own sisters.
"Even a small pack can be strong, and I have no doubt that if more of our sisters return we will be more than a match for any challenge." She smiled slightly. "I am glad you have been looking for us, my Queen."
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 5:37 pm
The sadness that crossed Hippolyta's face certainly didn't go unnoticed, but Penthesilea couldn't really blame the other wolf for showing such an emotion. Hippolyta had lost her family in the fighting, not something one could easily forget even after several months and certainly bringing her back home would bring these thoughts to surface once more. "All things will be forgotten in good times." She assured the red wolf with a smile. Time was one of those things that usually healed any wound - in a matter of speaking.
"Small and strong we shall be until others return. I have no doubt that one day we will be once again back to our former glory." This statement caused her to sit a little bit higher, for she would have a large part in this pack rebirth so to speak. "Let us hope that no others will challenge me. There has been far too much blood shed over this dispute already and I will not allow more of my sisters to fall."
Her smile grew a bit. "I could not sit around the dens any longer, I knew that I must go in search of my sisters. Marpe would have done the same were she still with us."
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 5:50 pm
Pol closed her eyes in respect for the dead and then nodded. "She would have. It is good to have another strong Queen. Life would not have been the same without our pack. Can we return to the dens? I would like to see Thealia and our first male, though he is yet a pup."
Home. That was a pleasant thought. She smiled again, pleased that Penthesilea had found her and that despite her emotional wounds she would still be an asset to the pack-- she would still be a great warrior. One of their best, if she had her way.
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 5:58 pm
"Of course, we have been using a temporary den for now. I have not planned to return to our pack lands until I found several members anyways. My hopes is that when we do return the others I send out will have come back with both old and new members." Standing Penthesilea stretched her muscles before looking upon Hippolyta again.
"The den is not far from here. We can go see them now." Turning she began to lead them in the direction she had left the other two in. Hopefully Theailia would have behaved herself, Glacier most certainly would have. A thought crossed her mind as she walked, Glacier would likely be getting hungry by now. "Some hunting may be in order on our way back though, I fear Thealia is not be best at keeping the pups hunger at bay."
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:43 pm
At the mention of hunting, Hippolyta smiled. She was an excellent hunter. With two it would be no problem to take down enough prey to feed four, especially if one was a pup. Many warriors were not good pup-tenders. However, three adults, even with them needing to seek out other members, would be able to take care of one male pup.
"We will need to strengthen our breeding group again. I doubt any of the old males are still around after our civil war," Pol mentioned. "Will we begin looking for some before or after our searching sisters return? I'm sure there are plenty of lones or unsatisfied males from smaller packs who would be glad for the chance at protection from stronger wolves." Although Pol had seen that not all packs functioned the same way as Antianeira-- which she had known before, but not seen firsthand until after her fellow warriors had left her to wander on her own.
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:52 pm
"Should we come across males on our journey who will fit into the pack then we shall welcome them into our ranks. However having many males with few females around is not what our pack is meant to be, and while breeding stock is important it certainly is not a top priority at this time." Penthesilea continued to walk along, alert to anything that could serve as a lunch for the small group, though the closer they got to the den the less their chances of finding prey became.
"Though some of our old males may return. Those who were loyal to Marpe will no doubt make their way back in time. After all they would not easily turn down our protection and a meal, some however may have moved on to other packs or perhaps will continue wandering until we round them up again."
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 7:11 pm
Pol nodded. Of course warriors should come first. It wasn't likely there would be any rebellion from the males, but in the event that the new blood somehow felt the need to bring their worldly views into the pack, there could be... issues. She supposed it was always that way, although this would be her first experience with a "new" pack, so to speak. Antianeira had been a fairly old pack, certainly far older that Hippolyta or even Penthesilea, she believed.
As the forest passed them by on their way to the temporary dens, Pol found her thoughts wandering, searching for a thought she couldn't quite latch on to. It was extremely annoying, but she pushed it aside. It would come in time.
There were no words needed for a good long while, and finally she looked over at Penthesilea. "Thank you. I have faith in your ability to be our Queen. We will prosper again. I am sure of it."
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Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 7:19 pm
The silence that fell upon the two as they walked was certainly not the awkward type of silence that could happen. There was so much going on and so much more to expect that one could not help but fall into a state of silent thought about it all. A soft breeze caused the feathers on Penthesilea's head to wiggle around a bit but they stayed where they were.
Her gaze moved to Hippolyta as the wolf spoke. "I am glad to head that. With a strong warrior like yourself at my side we will be able to accomplish much." Sure she had Thealia as well, but sometimes the green wolf was too occupied by her distrust issues when she was needed the most. Hippolyta was not one to fail because of trust issues, she was a true warrior and that is what this pack needed just as much as they needed their Queen. Eyes turned forward again, a smile crossing her maw. "The den is just up ahead." Soon they would be home, or at least at their temporary home until they set off back to their true home.
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