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 Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:30 pm
You know? Cas was getting the hang of this. He felt really good about it, sometimes - when he smiled and wagged his way through a conversation with a female these days, more often than not it just felt nice, no worries of if he was being out of line and if he was pushing the submissiveness thing too far, far less of that nervousness, that nagging dread that he was going to mess up and, out of nowhere, there'd be hell to pay. He was getting better with males, too, although his record was patchy. More than once he'd been subject to that cloying undercurrent of disgust and pity, the look that meant he was some broken thing, hobbled down to what amounted to less than a male, a shivering eunuch, and it still made him square off and shut down a little. Sometimes. But really, so many of the wolves here were just nice to him, no matter their opinion, just wanted him to feel at home here, and he did. Even when it was his duty to go on patrol, a laughable thing, sending his big bad self out to keep a stern eye out for intruders. He chortled to himself, trundling along on his path, and then snorted as he imagined himself with the bold, broad stride of a Sister. Hilarious!
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:51 pm
Busy busy busy! Was that a squirrels' scent, there? Maybe. Not worth it at this time of year though - too small to start with and lean in spring. No, it'd need to be something bigger. If it had just been herself she could have maybe taken the squirrel but Constantine was a big wolf and needed more than a mouthful. Of course, he'd insisted he would find prey, too, he was kind like that. Not like Helios, he actually tried to help... but at the end of the day he wasn't little, like her, and seemed to practically crash through the forest to her sensitive ears - scaring off much of the little mouthfuls which could have gone to making a meal. That was one of the reasons she had suggested they split up to find food.
She'd found looking after the boy soothing - a reminder and a penance for the good done for her by his father, Ouranos, but just living had become hard again like it had been in the old days. She'd enjoyed pack life, for an all-too-briefly happy time, but here she was again, out in the world, scrounging for every mouthful and living day to day in a different place for fear of violence by pack wolves...
The little female froze as a scent caught her nose. Not prey. WOLF.
Oh no... Her heart leapt, beating a mile-a-minute as her deep morning glory eyes scanned the forest for a safe hiding place, an escape route, something!
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:51 pm
Honestly, Cas really could have been doing a better job than he was. He had a fine nose, but he lacked the suspicion it really required to case his route properly. Even walking downwind of a wolf, it took his subconscious a good long while to clue into that particular scent, and bring it up that such a smell deserved some special attention. It hit him with a jolt that he'd been walking along another wolf's trail - an adult, a female, who knew what else? He began sniffing in earnest, trying not to get too unreasonably afraid at this find: it did not occur to him that he was capable of cutting a suitably daunting figure, if he could only supply the right attitude. She must be close...and she must be trying to be quiet. Casimir bobbed his head up, the white on his muzzle making his pursed lips into a caricature, and tried to supplant all of his worries with the easygoing confidence his pack would want. He had to amend his words with their proper prefacing in his head. Ah, excuse me..."I'm on your trail," he called, still sounding awfully apologetic. "Would you mind coming over here for a moment?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:47 am
Erin almost panicked, almost fled but there was something in her, deep inside her psyche which drew her to follow an order - even ones given so warily. Her tail curled under her, her ears flattened back, her body became a picture of contrition and wariness. She scooted forward, towards the voice, eyes looking to the side, but flickering forward to see what kind of wolf had called her.
He was big, like Helios, but his colour was dark and striped. His stripes seemed unusual on a wolf. Unnatural... but that was Calliope's voice in her head and she hated that she'd internalised some of that she-wolf's hate for the unusual. That was all a distraction, though, so that she didn't have to think what might happen to her. Was she to come under the yoke of another once more? Would he beat her up and throw her out of these lands which his pack must hold claim to?
Constantine! She could try to call for him, yes! But all that escaped her lips was a faint whine, her throat clenched on what would have been an 'inappropriate' response. When she was within a few feet of him her eyes flickered briefly up at his and she managed a weak "Y...yes?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:16 pm
Oh, well, this was a confrontation scaled more to his abilities - she was just a little thing, disconcertingly meek, and so nervous! Cas tilted his head and wagged his brushy tail, his bright eyes gleaming with a desire to appease her nervousness. "Hello," he peeped, all sunshine and daffodils, "I didn't mean to worry you! This is hardly hostile territory, but I guess you do need to keep an eye on who's coming and going, regardless..." In his effort to put her at ease, he had managed to barrel slightly off-course. "But, um," he glanced searchingly upwards, "I'm Casimir." Here he paused a moment, smiling and trying to see whether this stranger was becoming more or less comfortable with the Cheerful Treatment. Nearly always a winner with dour Sisters, slightly less effective in its other applications. "Are you just passing through?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:51 am
A little smile broke on the small wolf's face - just a glimmer of ease through the veil of fear which seemed to radiate from her. He's like Ouranos, she thought. Well, as Ouranos was. A tinge of sadness ate at her, thinking of the good friend, a second cousin, and Constantine's father who had saved her from Helios' machinations and who was also a big, fuzzy, friendly giant like this one.
"I uhm yes" she said, softly. Realising that wasn't really very informative and feeling self-consious that this male was trying to be friendly so she added "I.. I'm Erin, it's nice to meet you, Casimir, not all wolves are so friendly when we pass into their territory" all the while mostly staring at the ground or his feet. W..we've been travelling a while, looking to s..settle or at least to stop off for a w..while". She wasn't normally so bad with her speech - just with strangers the slight stutter came out - a nervous tic she'd actually picked up relatively recently. After the fire...
She'd almost taken it in her mind to look for Ouranos, or Ovid - the only two wolves she thought might also have not been within the packlands before the flames had raged through leaving every last thing crisped but she knew that was an unlikely goal and she was tiring of this long trek. The last few packlands they'd skirted, Constantine had gone into alone - finding only suspicion and, at one nearby, being chased off near the border by what he called a 'psychotic, rabid she-bear of a wolf'.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:40 pm
A visible tremor of delight ran through the big wolf at the sound of her name; he just couldn't help getting excited when things like this went well! But his head quirked as she dropped the "we" - he was not quite innocent enough to assume that she was traveling with someone just as shy and sweet as herself. Still, he listened intently, almost studiously, until she finished speaking, no hint of recognition at her stutter. "It's very nice to meet you too," he began, in his odd and almost effeminate way. "And...assuming your companion is even half as nice a wolf as you are, I think you've finally made the right turn in your travels." He squinted, trying to get the required knowledge in order. What sort of tone did YMCA deserve when explained to visitors? "The pack here is a sort of sanctuary, I suppose, among other things. I think the whole point of it is that it's open to every good-intentioned wolf in search of a home, so we host all kinds of visitors and take on new members left and right. You should come meet the alpha and have a rest for a few days!" Cas's tail could not help wagging a little - he loved his alpha! He loved helping! He had to remind himself quite sternly not to come on too strong.
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Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:13 am
"O..oh! Constantine is nice" she proclaimed, not really hearing the implied compliment about herself and worried for a moment she might have scuppered their chances at a spot in which to rest. "H..he's my cousin's son, a good b..boy" and he really was - his nature was good, if a little brooding, and despite what had happened to them both he tried to keep upbeat - she suspected he did it partly to keep her hopes up and she was secretly greatful that he'd even think to do such a thing for her. She might have felt she was looking after him, but he was not so little now that he couldn't look after her too.
The pack as Casimir described it sounded kind, and if he was any judge of the type of wolf therein then Erin didn't feel she'd have too hard a time getting over her usual fearfulness regarding strangers. If they were used to welcoming others often then they wouldn't make too much fanfare of it or be otherwise uncomfortable around those they did not yet know - the glen had been rather insular and untrusting to those it did not know.
The thought of meeting the alpha made her ears lay flat once more, though, and a slight shiver passed over her - she was never to keen to be put in front of a more powerful wolf and preferred to scuttle by unnoticed but she figured that, in this case, it was a necessary evil. "Perhaps... maybe you could come with me to this alpha of yours? Is he a kind wolf?" she said, assuming that it must be a male because she had not yet come across a pack where the alpha was not male.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 1:53 pm
Cas was no stranger to fear, and Erin's little tremor did not escape him - really, it seemed to crack his heart open like an egg, that such a nice little lady should feel she had to be afraid! It was wrenching. He ducked his head beseechingly (again, a strange pose for a wolf so large facing a wolf so meek) and patted the earth with his tail. "She, actually - she might be the kindest wolf I've ever met. Which is a wonderful surprise, really, because there's no doubt she's an alpha." Casimir's face was swept up into a look of marked adoration; from his perspective, there was literally no way to make Chivosi more incredible than she already was. He was so lucky to have her! "And of course I'll come with you! I promise, you'll love her, and she can probably make you feel better about stopping by than I possibly could." He hopped to his feet, looking awfully peppy. "Now, Constantine, I suppose he should come along as well?" His head tilted, and his sunshine seemed to dim just a bit; he had yet to shake the trepidation that mired him at the prospect of meeting any new males.
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 3:06 pm
Cas's friendly nature really was reassuring - it was hard to be completely worried in the face of such generalised niceness. A female alpha wasn't something Erin had come across before - but she didn't assume that meant she'd be 'softer' as being an alpha was a position which brought with it responsibility and needed a strong hand - she'd met females like that before.
"Th..thank you" she managed another small smile. "I... I suppose Constantine should yes though.. I.. will it be ok if I call out to him, I won't... won't cause any trouble?" she was a strange wolf in a stranger's territory and the idea of calling out and bringing others down upon them seemed needlessly reckless. 
Unlike his female companion Constantine was not so shy, nor so easily frightened. He'd had the benefit of growing up bigger than most of his cousins and the hardships in his life had taught him to be wary and slow to anger. Where family was concerned he was defensive, though, and Erin was, as far as he knew, the last of his family.
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Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:01 pm
The maned wolf was visibly startled by Constantine's appearance - he might have been sent out patrolling, but he had never learned the knack for hearing important sounds among the usual noise of the forest. On top of that, his tenseness, and his hard stare, served to push Cas in a direction of discomfort reserved for dealing with other males; in Antianeira, there was never call for one Slave to give a look like that to another, and he had continued to struggle to find his own method of dealing with this sort of thing. An ear flicked nervously, and he ducked his head and smiled for a moment at this daunting stranger. "You must be Constantine," he chirped, still uncomfortable. "I was just telling your wonderful companion about the pack that lives here, and, I thought you two might like to come visit." Unsure of himself, Cas shifted his gaze to Erin, then back to Constantine. "It's a very kind pack. We host a lot of visitors."
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:53 am
Erin almost jumped out of her skin as Constantine seemed to come out of nowhere. She hadn't expected him to be so close. "Constantine, it's ok" she said, quickly but gently. "This is.. is Casimir" he gaze shifted to the large brown male and back to Constantine quickly - it felt inappropriate to be calling him by his name so soon after they met, to be making 'introductions'. She was used to others taking the lead when new wolves were met - Helios had rarely allowed her to make first contact... or any contact for most of the time, truth be told. Even amongst the Glen pack she'd had a hard time with newcomers, those she didn't know.
Constantine was family, though, and younger so he was one of the few males, perhaps, who she felt reasonably comfortable around.
Constantine maintained his wary look but gave a nod in greeting, his eyes taking on a slightly on a less suspicious tone, giving him a more gentle look overall. "Yes, I'm Constantine, it's a pleasure... Casimir". The name sounded oddly similar to his own, in a way, and would not have been out of place, he felt, in his home pack. That wasn't always the case with foreign wolves and for some reason that thought soothed him - as though there might be a kinship inherent in the wolves of these lands.
He reappraised Casimir now that he had the leisure of time, trying not to be too overtly threatening about it. The first impression of a big wolf was somewhat tempered now by the gentle words and apparent kindness of this stranger to invite them to his home. His uncertainty gave Constantine a little cause for concern, though - was he leading them into a trap? Wariness reasserted itself - he'd never met a male wolf who was so seemingly wary, quiet.
Erin was a quiet wolf, and not good at dealing with meeting others for the first time but she was not bad at reading reactions and seeing where things might go. She nudged Constantine gently on the shoulder as assurance. "We're looking forward to meeting them" she spoke for them both in her gentle tone. She was terrified of the idea, but she had to be strong, she told herself.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:05 pm
As much as anything else, seeing the timid female gently check Constantine's intimidating stare gave him considerable comfort - something to the tune that, much as things may seem unpredictable and foreign, sometimes the world still does work according to its natural order. Cas beamed gratefully in return, pranced a little, and whisked his tail. "Really, really, I think you'll like it here. It's not half an hour's walk this way." He turned, shyly beckoning them to come along. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what has you looking for a pack? Have you always been lones?" His bright eyes flicked shyly from one wolf to the other, and it was notable that the big male actually seemed, genuinely, quite interested in the answers to these questions.
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