|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 2:37 pm
She took a deep breath and turned around, heading back the other way with strong, steady steps. Eventually, she was going to have to start conversing with the other members of the pack beyond the brief conversations she usually let Shalise or Iris mediate. Not that she saw Iris very much, especially now that she had taken up with Elysion.
Her tail was drooping. Jaq glanced around furtively to make sure she wasn't being watched and quickly corrected the error. She would keep practicing here until she could think without losing the confidence in her step. Or until someone showed up. Or until the sun began going down and she returned to the den before Shalise got back.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:50 am
Eventually, though, impatience overrode propriety and Jove stalked forward at a brisk pace - large ground-covering strides which showed that, despite the fact he was getting on a bit, he was still a strong, healthy male wolf. He'd been asked to officially invite her and her more colourful companions along on the next hunt - it was to be a ritual harvest hunt - celebrating the peak growth of prey before winter set in. Hopefully, if they were lucky, they might catch several of the fat, plump animals and store them away in ice-caches in the snow which was already an ever-present decoration on the nearby peaks.
Day by day the sun was setting earlier, day by day the snow and ice crept closer. Jove liked it. This time of year reminded him of how it was like back home - the heavy sullen summers here were uncomfortable in his thick coat. Spirits rejoice it was finally back to a decent temperature!
Coming up behind her, he noted she hadn't seemed to have seen him, so intent was the little female on her task. He wasn't sure how great an addition to the pack a wolf would make who couldn't hear his deliberately heavy steps... She'd definitely need more training - things must have become lax back home since he'd left.
When he was right behind her, the big male announced himself with a loud, phlegmatic "ahem".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 6:29 am
As if the cough was the sound of a hoo-man's firestick, Jaq burst into a flurry of running steps and then whipped around, her feet sliding on the frozen mud, so she could face her attacker. She naturally slid into a pose with her head hunched down into her shoulders, and her tail swept under her as soon as she had stopped moving. Her ears were perked forward at the perceived trouble, her kohl-lined eyes wide, but when she saw the Beta her ears immediately pinned back and instead of fright in her eyes there was distinct panic.
Her yellow eyes met his long enough to notice they were bi-colored, and then she redirected her gaze to his chest and paws. Right. Because the practice had clearly helped her.
Wait? Had he said something to her? Had she said anything to him? The silence was running on!
"Good afternoon, Beta," she said softly, and attempted to ease her pitiful look by lifting herself somewhat from her hunkering stance. With her head mostly out of her shoulders, at least she could pretend to look like a gamma instead of a flighty female. She didn't even bother trying to untuck her tail; she could tell it was going to be glued there until he left.
"Can I help you?" Well, maybe he wasn't there for her. But what else would he be doing at the lake in the middle of the afternoon? Maybe looking for a quiet spot, the same as she was? Maybe a lot of other things. She probably shouldn't be presuming that he needed her, specifically.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 6:41 pm
"You've not bad reactions, once your ears start to work" he chuckled as she scampered around. He had no idea of her shyness and might have been a tad lighter on her if he had - but not much. He was a trainer, he was strong, he was confidant and he wasn't entirely sure of wolves who were overly skittish - sure most youngsters were a bit nervous when they first started on proper hunts but competence begat confidence and usually it wasn't long before they lost their shyness.
He wasn't holding himself particularly formal with her - she'd been part of his old pack and, even though they did not really know each other, he thought of her as 'family' and not another southern visitor to be 'wooed' nd he'd expected a similar level of familiarity back.
He raised a fuzzy eyebrow at being called 'beta' - noone called him that, ever. Hunter, maybe Master Hunter if they were trying to get something out of him, but more usually just Jove. If he'd had to guess at her rank right now he wasn't sure Mu'sha would have tolerated him calling their new pack member it.
"It's Jove" he said as if reminding her of his name, in his usual grumbly way "and you're Jaqueline, isn't it?" despite getting on a bit in years, Jove's mental acuity was just fine and he had a better memory for names and faces than many younger than him.
"And aye, I was looking for you and your friends - though you alone'll do if you can pass the message on, too, save me hunting wolves instead of prey. Mu'sha would like you all to come along to the harvest hunt - it's a little earlier here as, though the prey is rich, it can also just walk off the mountain when it fancies and we can't get down there ourselves in winter".
His duty done, Jove relaxed a little, looking around. "Picked a nice spot for an er... walk?" he said, curiosity as to what in the world she'd been doing overriding his fear that it might have been something he didn't want to know about.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 3:32 pm
Jaq's ears eased back to a normal height at the praise, but she continued to regard Jove's chest warily. Her name rolling off of his tongue brought her eyes as high as his muzzle, and she smiled slightly despite the tension in her shoulders.
"Yes. Jove," she added for good measure. Why was he so... male? Argh, and in control. It wasn't a forthcoming concern now, but later she was going to wish she had just a pinch of his confidence so she could at least talk to males like a normal person. His invitation-- well, Mu'sha's invitation-- drew her ears back into a perked expression. She could hunt! Not well, but pack hunting was something she could do. One of two things she could do, actually, and was pup sitting really a "skill?" Jaq didn't think so. Anyone could watch a bunch of pups, but maybe she would offer herself to Mu'sha for pupsitting. ... Sometime. A few days from now. In the future. When Mu'sha was alone and not with--
Jaq took the risk to glance up at Jove as he removed his eyes from her to look around, her gaze sweeping and attempting to memorize his face in the brief moments she had. "Yes. I didn't think I would disturb anyone here." Really, she hadn't thought she would be disturbed, but it was true too. She didn't want to trip over someone else. That would be mortifying. And the dens, even with half the wolves sleeping and most of the rest out of their dens, was just too public.
She moved her eyes back to the rippling waters of the lake. "It was quiet."
The explanation came across wrong to her and she winced, her ears going back briefly. "No no, I mean, it--" She stumbled and then stopped herself. Shalise had told her she needed to slow down when she did that. So instead, she held her breath and after she had let it out she glanced apologetically up at his muzzle and gave him an uneasy smile.
"Sorry. That's not what I meant. It was... no, um, yes, it's good for a walk." Jaq glanced back at the dens, then took a second risk to meet Jove's eyes. It didn't last long before hers slid away, but her heart gave an extra hard thump of excitement. She usually couldn't do that at all!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 7:33 am
Amazing, she'd actually made eye contact. He hadn't realised until then that she seemed to be avoiding it, but a flash of her golden eyes, outlined in black were pretty enough to make him realise he'd not really looked into them before. Maybe there was a bit of fire in there, afterall?
She seemed happy enough at being told of the hunt, too. "So, I can tell Mu'sha you'll be there... and you'll pass the message on to Iris and Shalise?" He wasn't the type to leave important things unsaid and on assumption - he was too thorough for that.
The big wolf looked around as her voice faded, taking in a deep breath and smiling. The tiniest tinge of ice ran through the air and, as he looked around, he could almost see the landscape as it would be in a month or two - buried in ice or blanketed with snow. At the moment, though, autumn leaves were thick on the grounds and were even scattered onto the shore of the lake from the nearby forests. The sun was low already and shimmered off of the mirror-still lake and many birds used the last of that light to find their supper.
"It is quiet, aye, and it'll be a nice night for the hunt if this weather holds - evening like this usually means a cloudless night".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 8:57 am
"I will tell Shalise and Iris, if I can find her," Jaqueline promised, then added, "No, I will find her and tell her. And I'll be there." Dominant males liked directness; they liked to be answered honestly and with no fooling around. Well, some dominant males 'played with their food' as it were, but Jove didn't fall into that class of male.
Jaq took note of the time of day and calculated when Shalise would be back from her patrol. It was still warm here, compared to what it would have been back home, even for evening. Without even noticing, the timid female relaxed fully out of her ducked stance as she watched the ripples of wind-blown water warp the reflection of the sun. Her tucked tail was the only sign of her earlier skittishness remaining, but she had been right when she thought it would remain tucked until after Jove left. Chances were very good it would be.
Her eyes traveled from the lake to the sky, but she searched for the moon instead of the sun. She still had to blink away the almost painful light as she found the three-quarters full coin. "The moon will provide us light, then."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 3:49 am
Good, she was thorough. He wasn't the sort for 'trying my best' types. He found that wolves who used that excuse usually, well, weren't. No, he liked to make sure people pushed and strived towards the true limits of their ability - he held himself to that standard and wouldn't let anyone else not do the same. It was what made him an excellent tutor - he wasn't mean or petty with it, he knew how to use encouragement as well as how to chastise with simply a look or half-joking word.
He found himself looking at her differently than he had perhaps only moments before. She was flighty, for sure, but there was an undercurrent of competence in it. Shyness, perhaps, was holding her ability back. He didn't think shyness was a virtue. Modesty, sure, if you were the type - but in his hunts everyone knew where they stood in relation to another. Of course it was different for the acolytes - a fuzzy minded lot if ever there were any - but he hadn't seen Jaq hanging around with them, either.
He'd have to watch her whilst they hunted, get a better guage of her abilities. As she spoke he realised he'd been half-squinting and sizing her up. Well, what of it - he did it to most pack wolves. It was practically a beta's job, wasn't it? Why did it make him feel a tiny tad red under his fur then? With a grumpy bluffness to disguise his slight discomfort he replied.
"Aye. Hopefully not too much light so they see us coming. We can use the shadows it'll cast to our advantage, but they'll see us as soon as we come onto the plains if there's no clouds". Talking about hunting always made him feel more at ease and he took refuge in it now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:03 am
Jaq picked up on the shift in Jove's tone and she hastily glanced sidelong at him and took a semi-casual, uneasy sidestep towards the lake. Had she said something wrong? It was the moon comment, wasn't it. Drat. She always stuck her paw in her mouth, even when she wasn't trying.
"I'm sure everything will go off without a hitch," Jaq soothed unintentionally, trying not to look as fidgety as she felt. She really didn't want him directing any unforeseen anger in her direction. Maybe if she assured him of their competence... "Although it will be the first hunt we new wolves have with Aves, I know we all know what to do and how to take direction. You're an excellent hunt master." The compliment was true and, well, Jaq certainly knew how to take direction. With very few exceptions, she rarely made any decisions that might affect others. Sometimes she didn't even make decisions for herself, though she liked to think that she did possess some control over her life.
"The hunt," she added quietly, "Will be a success, moon or no moon." Wait, why was she bringing up the moon? She was supposed to be distracting him from it! Rhiavet help her, it was as if she didn't have two thoughts to rub together.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:21 am
Trying to reign in his gruff tone (he'd be warned about that by Mu'sha sigh) he nodded as Jaq asserted that the hunt would go well. The compliment helped too. He knew he was good, he was not hunt master for nothing, but an uncoordinated pack who didn't know each other well could cause foul-ups that would make even a bunch of spirit-talkers laugh. He felt that the pack had become more oriented around those whose connections to the spirits were more important than putting food in mouths and he wanted to bring pride back to his own 'profession'.
Still, Jaq was maybe right - the new wolves were of the Aves, after all, not foreigners or mystics! The thought actually brought a little smile to his lips, his eyes beginning to show a hint of the keen and sharp intensity they often did when he was hunting. He was keen to stretch his muscles, keen to be on the hunt already, keen to prove his ability and worth.
"You're right. It's the harvest hunt, the prey is plentiful and Jaitain will help us get our bounty before he claims his own in the winter." He might not be a 'mystic' or spirit talker but Jove did truly believe in the gods and their effects in his life. It was just a fact to him - like breathing or eating - even if he sometimes cursed in their name. He just didn't see the need for a personal communion with them himself... in fact the thought rather creeped him out.
Let the spirit-talkers do their thing afterwards- tonight was the hunters' night!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:36 pm
Jaq saw the gleam enter Jove's eyes and although she felt a small flare of panic, she tried not to let it show. Her tail was already tucked up against her body, so the one give away she had was missing. However, she did keep her eyes down respectfully and stick to intently inspecting his legs.
He had said she was right. Jaq relaxed slightly and allowed herself to inspect his chest instead of his legs. She was slowly working her way up. Just a bit more time and she could make it to his muzzle. If he would just stop looking as if the most exciting hunt of his life was about to begin, she might even be able to manage another glimpse at his rather unique eyes.
"Harvest hunts are usually the most plentiful. Jaitain seems to grant us extra prey so we can help him clear out before the first snows."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 8:50 am
Jove nodded in agreement. "It's been a good year, too, so we can go into the winter with full, round bellies" he added. Despite the high number of pups and young to adults, of spirit-talkers to hunters, his small team had managed to pull things together enough to provide well for the pack.
"Did you or either of your friends hunt with seriousness in the north? With pride?" it was a not-so-veiled way of asking what he'd been wondering earlier - now he felt a little more comfortable about asking as he was beginning to view her less and less as a stranger - if she or the other two were true hunters or spirit talkers or... something else.
It would be good, after-all, to know where he might need to pair a lesser hunter with one who was a little more experienced, for example, to make sure their prey could not bully its way past an inexperienced hunter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 8:05 am
"I've hunted since I was old enough to. I have never missed a pack hunt." Jaq may not have been a leader, but she was no lazybones. She took pride in one of the few things she could do for her pack, and there had been nothing yet that could keep her from hunting with her brothers and sisters. She thought she understood where the hunt master was leading the conversation and her shoulders briefly tensed. This was what came of being too quiet! "I am a good hunter, and Shalise is as well. We won't be a burden to the hunt."
He had a right to question them. Even coming from Clemens, there was no guarantee they were any good in a hunt. If anything, the fact that they had left the pack might imply to him that they were no good for hunting and had left to escape their shame. Jove would never let a wolf ruin a hunt, but Jaq had participated in several hunts under his guidance before he had left to pursue Mu'sha to this southern land. She thought she was fairly good in a hunt, and from what she remembered of Shalise's hunts, the other female was good, too. Iris was the only wild card there, since, at most, the three had hunted small game together for meals on their journey to Aves.
"I haven't seen Iris hunt with a pack, but she took care of herself on the way here. We won't lose prey." Her eyes glanced over his chest, still unable to reach any higher. If he ducked his head and she was looking at his muzzle, he might catch her unaware and she knew she would do something stupid. It would be best to avoid that if she could help it. He wouldn't be very confident in her abilities if he noticed that she jumped any time he paid her attention.
I'll just have to show him during the hunt that I'm good enough to stay a part of Aves. I can be useful sometimes, at least.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:51 pm
Jove didn't miss the tenseness and appreciated her candor in explaining that they would not be a burden to the hunt. Of course he wouldn't be able to entirely be able to take her at her word and they'd see how things went at the actual hunt but it was not common amongst the Aves to lie about ability such as this - or at least it was frowned upon more than it might have been in other packs.
Falsely claiming ability was as bad as being overly modest to Jove - a wolf should be able to look at themselves and see where they were in relation to others, where they could improve. Being able to asses themselves was something Jove tried to instil in all of his pupils but most didn't learn it until they were a few hunts into adulthood - no longer playing with just the other yearlings but with adults who'd been honing their abilities for seasons.
Perhaps that's why he was having a harder time figuring out if Jaq was as competent as she was telling him - she didn't seem to act as though she were worth anything much at all, come to think on it. Perhaps she just wasn't that talkative - he couldn't be accused of being very good at the chatty nonsense himself, to be fair, so he couldn't much fault it in another.
It was getting late either way - he'd have to get back to make arrangements so that there could be a hunt at all.
"I'll see you all there then" he said with an almost-smile. It hadn't been so bad, he supposed, to have had to come and pass this message on. He felt he'd at least learned a little about the newcomers and his realisation that they were practically family had reassured him somewhat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:39 pm
The sort-of smile on his face was unnerving her, though the logical part of her suggested that he was likely just in a good mood about the upcoming hunt. It was not a sort-of smile that meant he was humoring the homely female or suggesting anything negative in any fashion.
"Of course. Good evening," she answered quietly. She wasn't about to abuse the use of his name, even if he had said she could. There was such a thing as propriety and she was worried that if she said his name it would just draw more attention to her. She wasn't a coward, really she wasn't. She just... she didn't work well with wolves. Male wolves. Dominant male wolves. ... Particularly.
Jaq inclined her head at him for good measure. The lake would be a safe haven again once he left, though she got the feeling her practicing was done for the night. This encounter had been more practice than she had wanted to participate in when she came here earlier in the evening.
Still, the thought that if she walked back now she would have to walk with Jove would have stilled her even if the thought of him leaving the lakeside empty hadn't. She remained where she was after her good-bye, hoping she didn't look as submissive as she was feeling.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
