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 Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:36 am
Shalise had been at Aves for two weeks now, and aside from the pack hunt she had participated in, she had had very little to do. Mu’sha had worked the new females into the guard roster, of course, but that only allowed Shalise to meet a few of her fellow packmates. She found herself feeling secluded and alone, despite her shared den and the packmates all around her, and that drove her to wander through the pack that evening, looking for someone to talk to. She didn’t want to stop by the pup cave, although she knew there would be plenty of little wolves there, because she was looking for adult wolves to converse with.
Coming towards her on the path that led to the Aves shrine, was a hunter she recognized from the pack hunt and she stopped, waiting for him to approach her. The black stripes on his back and the large purple symbol on his shoulder marked him as one of Mu’sha’s children and she smiled.
“Good evening.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:40 am
”Good evening,” he repeated back to her. Var hadn’t expected anyone else to be making a pilgrimage out to the tree tonight, which was what made it a perfect time for him to go and think. The wolves from Clemens had stirred the pack up a bit. First a pack hunt, and then the welcoming meeting that he had kept well to the outside of, as was his choice. And the expectation, of course. Mu’sha would tell him that was silly, but he understood the way his pack worked. He grew up there, didn’t he? Quin was the only one who could look at Var without that knowing gleam in his eye.
“Something weighing on your mind?” He asked, to be polite.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 9:33 am
“What?” She asked, then laughed slightly as she realized what he meant. “Oh, no, I wasn’t on my way to the shrine. Although you seem to have had a purpose in that direction. Did one of the gods offer you some answers?”
She wished she knew his name. She hadn’t had a chance to learn them all yet, and there was no way she could keep track of some 30-odd wolves in the one night she’d had to meet them all. Oh well, she may as well just ask. “I’m Shalise. I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”
-----
Unsure of what she had been told about him, Kevarian tried to keep his reactions casual. Other wolves understood there was a wall between them, and so his reactions were simply par for the course, but if no one had mentioned his… deficiency to her yet, he didn’t want to come across as strange, or worse, unwelcoming.
“Kevarian, Mu’sha and Kalain’s son,” he introduced.
-----
“Nice to meet you,” she immediately responded, smiling slightly and receiving a nod and brief, hesitant smile in return.
They fell into uncomfortable silence for a moment before Shalise attempted to pick up the thread of conversation again. Jaqueline was probably still sleeping, and Shal didn’t fancy going back to being alone.
“It’s warm for an autumn. I guess your summers last longer here than at Clemens.”
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“Yes.” The word answered both her question and her statement. “It’ll get colder as winter comes on, though. Not sure how much colder Clemens is than Aves, but you’ll probably be fine.”
They fell into silence again. Var just wasn’t usually a talker, and it didn’t appear Shalise was either. The silence was growing awkward, and neither of them was really looking the other in the eye. Two wolves trying to be polite and carry on a conversation without knowing at all where to take it.
Trying to make it easier on her, Var searched for a topic of his own, “So, you’re settling in all right?”
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Shalise started laughing at how awkward the conversation had become, obviously startling the male with the response. “It’s hard when strangers meet,” she explained, and saw him relax as he came to the same understanding. “Yes, I’m settling in. Jaq, Iris, and I like it here. I don’t know how long Iris can stay tied down, but Jaq’s not one to move and I’m considering a long-term visit, if things don’t change and Mu’sha allows it.”
She shook her coat, her tail swaying back and forth with the sudden ease between them. Even Kevarian had apparently noticed the tension was released by her laugh, and his tail easily switched a few times as well. That was better. “How does it feel to be an uncle? None of my siblings have had litters yet. Few of them even have mates.”
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”I don’t see Cora or her pups much, but it’s a good feeling. She ended up with a large litter, and the numbers were fairly even. She and Gaias were blessed.” He nibbled at an itch on his foreleg very briefly. “Not too many who look like my mother, though.” He smiled slightly, to show his words had a joking quality to them. One could never tell who had a sense of humor or not. He’d had to gain one, being with other hunters as much as he was.
“So you focus on hunting, then?” He’d noticed her ability during the pack hunt. It hadn’t been hard to put two-and-two together. “We can use the extra hunters, especially come the winter.”
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"I’m good at winter hunting. Pale pelts are made for snow,” she said, repeating something her mother had said to her fairly often while Shalise was learning to hunt. “Are you also a hunter? Or do you fair towards the spiritual side of pack?”
She saw his eyes shift away from hers curiously, but didn’t mention it. It was a momentary spasm, and he was fine in a moment, easily responding to her. Still, it stuck with her and she filed it into her memory. She would have to see what that was about later.
“Of course. I’m sure I can talk to the Beta about what I can do for the hunting situation. I don’t mind helping busy parents feed their young, and pups always seem to be hungry.”
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“Hunter,” he replied, avoiding the mention of spirituality entirely.
“We’ll have hunts together in the future, I’m sure. The pack hunts once every couple of weeks, although in the interim parents hunt as needed. With the pups to feed now, though, that may increase.”
She spoke briefly again, sending him back at ease. A distant howl drew their eyes in its direction, and pulled both of them back to the concept of time. “I was on my way to see my sister, actually. Are you walking to the south end of the dens?” He asked. “We could continue our conversation that way.”
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The howl reminded her of home, and the rest of the pack. Most of them were likely awake now, unless they had day patrol or another reason for being up early and sleeping in the evening. It was more usual for Clemens to be awake at night than in the day, though days were shorter where they were anyway. Summer would be an eye-opener this far south, she was sure.
“No, actually. My den is north and I’ll need to get back to Jaq soon, actually.” It wasn’t an apology, simply an explanation.
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“Oh.” He nodded once. “It was nice meeting you then.” Var studied her face, taking in the faint gray on her ears and muzzle. Her eyes—yellow as they were—stood out in the darkness more than his pale pink. Still, the female had been entirely easy with him once the beginning awkwardness was over. Quin was the only one he usually had comfortable conversations with at this point.
Suddenly, he desperately wanted to talk with her again. He swallowed back a gasp that was rising in his throat.
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“It was nice meeting you.” The words suddenly seemed so trite, now that they were getting on well. “I’m usually around the dens. The Alpha hasn’t found anything for me to do yet but border patrol, so that leaves me a lot of free time.” She shrugged slightly and moved aside so he could pass. “I can only spend so much time with Iris and Jaq, and Rhiavet knows Iris is always off finding something new to get into.”
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“I should be around the den area tomorrow. I don’t have border patrol for several days. I could stop by early evening and I’m sure we can find something to occupy our time?” He caught Shalise’s eye as she looked at him, then she smiled and readily agreed. He smiled and said his goodbyes as well.
Kevarian walked away from the short encounter smiling, an easy lope to his step that these days was often absent when he was around the dens. And, better yet, he was fairly certain Mu’sha had paired the two together for his next guard cycle. She’d said something about him still needing to participate in the pack, about his missing companion not crippling him. He wondered what Jove had had to say about that. He winced the thought away.
It was nice to be treated as an equal again. He was recognized for who he was, instead of for what he lacked. A spirit companion didn’t make or break a wolf… as long as the other party was ignorant it was missing.
-----
Shalise turned to watch him go, distinct interest in her eyes, though she didn’t know it. It was always strange to meet another wolf as quiet as her, and it tended to drive her to talk. It had been awhile since she was the one carrying the conversation.
Well, he did keep it going for a bit, and it was easier. You can’t blame him entirely.
She looked back to the path he had come from, thinking of the tree in the dark, but instead turned and headed back towards the den she and Jaq shared. The other female was likely awake and anxious at this point, and Shalise didn’t want to make her suffer. She had promised they would spend time tonight, since Shal had been out so much since their arrival. Besides, this was a good time to start weaning Jaq away from her fear of males. Maybe, after she and Kevarian had spent some more time together, she could use him as a stand-in. He was quiet and unassuming, although the strength in his body showed him to be a hunter. He’d suit the purpose well, if he would agree to help.
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