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 Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:17 am
 There was nothing particularly distinguishing about the grizzled old female that lay on a patch of moss growing at the base of the close pines. She was terribly thin; her once dark brown fur now mottled through with the grey of wisdom. Her snout was long and slender, grey eyes sunken in her face. Fur - once thick and glossy in youth - was dull, dusty and slightly unkempt, matted at the ruff and tangled with burrs. Look closely, however, and one would notice the leather strap looped around her neck, a strap that held a shining disc. It was this disc that individualised her, though its meaning now was long lost.
Lost to all but the old female herself.
It had - long ago - been a symble of the moon, waning and dying in the night sky. It was also long ago that she had been known as The Crone, or Ola. The pack that had held all her beliefs, values and purpose was gone and now the elderly female was alone. She was, apparently, not doing very well as a lone wolf which was not a surprise considering her age and that she had never suffered this lifestyle before now. In truth, it was likely that she would have died long ago if she had been left alone. But, luckily for her, she was not alone...
Lewana - once known as The Maiden - had not been able to bring herself to leave the elderly wolf. A deep sense of loyalty had kept her firmly at Ola's side, even now, many turns of the moon since the event. However, it was also guilt that kept her there, for deep down she blamed herself for what had happened (no matter how silly that was).
She had been The Maiden, charged to be pure and innocent until her youth had left her. But she had defied rules. She had fallen in love with a male and though the relationship had never moved past anything other than hushed whispers and secret meetings to discuss fantasies or running away and leaving the pack, she believed that they had been punished for her disobedience. She was never to have even looked at a male in that way. Now...now she was free of such bindings and still she clung to tradition, afraid of disappointing Ola, afraid the old female would send her away.
And she didn't want that...
But the male was gone now and they were likely to never see one another again. Lewana had not gone with him, instead punishing herself by forcing herself in a different direction altogether. Perhaps he had blamed her, too, for he had not tried to convince her otherwise.
And so it was, with light steps, the albino wolfess moved towards the spot she had left the elderly one, dead rat hanging limp from her jaws.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:37 am
 Sindre had taken to wandering.
It wasn't that he was unhappy with his family -- far from it. It was only that he felt as though he were missing something in his life. When they had first left on their little exodus, the two small families joined together as one, there had been others nearby, expelled from the same pack, refugees from the same life. And though Sindre's parents had never been eager to be around them, the pup had always been extremely curious about them.
Now there weren't so many. Oh, sure, he still caught Hushidhe from time to time, snatches of sad melodies on the air, and Sindre tried to sneak out to comfort the older wolf when he could. But for the most part, Sindre recognized that his birth pack was very much gone, and for some reason that saddened him.
He had no reason to be so bothered by it. His family, certainly, didn't seem to mind; indeed, there was a sense almost of relief. And they raised him well enough, treated him well enough. It was nothing of that.
It was just...in his heart...Sindre had a deep-seated need for....spirituality? Something he could hardly name, or give words to, and yet there it was, a constant driving force in his soul.
Sighing to himself, the teen -- already large-bodied for his age, heavy-boned and muscular -- wove through the trees, pausing occasionally to sniff the air for signs of something, anything, that would help define this strange melancholy that clung to him.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:16 pm
The sound of another approaching alerted Ola - who grumbled when she realised the wind was in the wrong direction for her to scent the approacher. With a groan, she forced her stiff joints to move, dragging herself up into a sitting position. Certainly the wolf must be Lewana. She was almost completely one hundred percent sure that they were alone here amongst the pines.
Blinking away the tiredness, she squinted through the foliage and gave a slightly louder grumble.
"Lewana?" Her voice rasped dryly in her mouth. "Lewana, child, is that you?" She canted her head, drawing both ears forwards.
She would find out within moments that it was not the white she-wolf at all.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:37 pm
Sindre had caught the scent of another -- being lucky enough to be coming from up-wind -- and found himself following it without giving second thought to his motive or what might happen if he found whoever it belonged to.
He paused, then, actually caught off-guard by the sound of another's voice. He hadn't realized he was so close! Then again, tracking had never precisely been the young wolf's forte.
"Pardon me, ma'am," he said, addressing no one in particular as he sought out the sound of the voice, eyes darting about as he padded forward until she came into sight. He stopped, then, hesitating, feeling terribly as though he were intruding.
He said nothing further for awhile. Sindre was a wolf of few words, and those he did use were generally chosen with care and spoken slowly and in a nearly lyrical deep, booming voice that seemed far too big for a young wolf. After a bit of consideration, he added, "I'll go, if I'm intruding."
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 1:41 pm
She did not look particularly startled or angry to discover that it was not Lewana. In fact, her expression was blank, though perhaps thoughtful. She was silent for a long moment and then, finally, interest registered. Squinting to help better her sight, she drew both ears forward and gave her tail single wag, thumping it against the ground. She scented the wind, drawing his scent in through her sensitive nostrils and - eventually - gave an approving growl in the back of her throat.
"This land is not mine, child." She spoke, her voice rattling with age. "So long as you come with peaceful intentions your presence here will not be questioned." The grizzled wolf stood slowly, winced at the pop of old joints and then resettled herself on the ground, tucking her thin tail around her hindquarters. If she seemed worried about being alone with a large, strong adolescent male who could harm her if he wished it, she did not let on. Ola had never been one to fear anyone and death was what she had symbolised. To fear it would be to fear herself.
"Your scent is familiar. Tell me, what is your name, boy? My sight is not what it once was."
The swift tread of Lewana's paws would be heard the moment the words left Ola's mouth.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:16 pm
He nodded respectfully to her. Sindre was polite by nature, and that she was both an elder and a female elevated her to a status deserving of his very best behavior. "Thank you," he said, and seated himself on his large, bony haunches. One day, when he filled out from this teenage growth spurt, he would be a very large and imposing wolf indeed.
"My name is Sindre," he said. "My parents are Sauda and Tirin." He looked over her, curiously. She was Good Colors, and something about her seemed familiar although he knew perfectly well there was no way he could have met her before.
He considered saying more, but realizing that another wolf was approaching, he fell silent and waited for her instead.
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 1:58 pm
The name of his parents had her head snapping upright, ears drawing forwards to attention. She recognised the names and the only way she would recognise a name was if they had once been part of the pack she herself had once been a part of. Was this a young male, then, who had been born around the time of the dispersal? If so then this could be a fine meeting indeed. Ola did not suffer the companionship of most, but an ex-member of Sanctity would always be welcome.
"I believe that--"
The young white female, small and delicate in appearance, pushed through the undergrowth at that very moment, cutting off the elder's half-formed sentence. The albino's eyes snapped to the she-wolf and in the next second she threw the rat in her direction, grinning proudly, tail wagging. A rat was not a great meal for a wolf, but something was better than nothing and they were both unused to hunting without a pack. Life as lone wolves was proving quite a task for the pair, one being too old and the other too young and innocent. A second later and Lewana noticed the seated male, her eyes widening in surprise. "Ola! Ola, who is this?"
"Sindre." Ola replied; introducing him in a tone that sounded as if his arrival should not at all be a surprise. She turned her nose to the male and bobbed her snout. "My travelling companion, Lewana."
The white female had crouched a little, crawling forwards curiously towards him. "You know one another?"
"I recognise the names of his parents. Sauda and Tirin. Do you?"
The white female blinked, shaking her head. "So...he is Sanctity, too?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 1:01 am
"Only barely," he said, with a shy sort of smile, nodding to Lewana. "I was born there, but the pack disbanded shortly after. Now we are wanderers."
He looked between them, his thoughts slowly forming in his head, and then his eyes widened and his ears swept back in recognition. The old grey wolf...the young albino...traveling together...familiar with his birth pack...."You're not...you can't be? The Maiden and the Crone?" His tail thumped. They certainly matched the description. "I don't believe it! I've heard all about you, but I never actually thought I'd MEET you."
He dropped down in something of a bow, assuming a position of complete submission before them. "It is such an honor. Is there anything I can do for you?"
He fell silent then, looking very uncomfortable. He wasn't used to doing so much talking.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:30 am
At his recognition, Ola drew her head up proudly, clearly happy to be given the title she had held and - in her heart - still held. On the other hand, Lewana seemed rather embarrassed to be named by her title, dipping her head and ears sheepishly.
"So, it seems that your parents passed on some information to their children, despite the disbanding. It pleases me to hear that, child. Pleases me very much that at least some of our values have not been forgotten."
Lewana flustered as his submissive posture and waved a paw at him, attempting to wave of the 'honour' as nothing more than a meeting between wolves who once shared a home. "We're not what we once were, Sindre. There is no pack now. We're just lone wol--" She cut herself off at Ola's narrow-eyed stare and fell silent, moving to sit between them, head held low.
"It is partly true that we are no longer what we once were. There are no teachings and the Mother is gone. We are incomplete and the followers have gone their separate ways. The thing we seek is something I do not think you or your family could help us with, though thank you for the offer, Sindre." The old she-wolf gave a rattly sigh and cast her head up to look at the sky beyond the canopy of trees. "Just seeing you here, today, has lightened my spirit a little."
"We seek the old alpha female. She disappeared long ago, perhaps before your family came to the pack." Lewana explained. "Some think her dead, but we think otherwise. The Ira was a strong female. She left with a half-breed to seek some vengeance but never returned. Things went downhill from there." The white wolf sighed. "I miss her. Orphen was a good leader."
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:27 pm
He smiled sheepishly. "Yes. I was raised to respect the moon, and the goddess, and all about the good colors. By my parents and also my friend Hushidhe."
He looked from one wolf to the other, feeling very much as though he had somehow stumbled across some treasure trove, some great thing. Truth be told, Sindre was much more interested in the old ways than nearly anyone he knew. It seemed like it was the plae he belonged, though he had spent so little time there.
"Where might she have gone?" He asked. His ears folded back thoughtfully. "I can help you look. You must have traveled far."
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 4:29 pm
"It lightens my heart to hear that, child." Ola replied. "The alpha was...never much of an open wolf. She went seeking another, though who this other was, I do not know. Nor do I know where she went."
"Me either..." Lewana lamented.
"But the world is smaller than we think. We call to her each night when the moon rises and one night she will answer our call. Of that I truly believe. Until then, we travel from place to place, never staying long, hoping to cross her path. It is all we can do with so little information. But it is better to travel with purpose." She blinked her silvery eyes. "That is our purpose."
Lewana shifted, folding back her ears. "We wouldn't say no to help, Sindre." She admitted, briefly making eye contact with the old female. "But...what about your family? Would they not worry for you?"
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 1:41 am
He hesitated on that point, uncertain. Turth be told, he hadn't really meant to offer his assistance so willingly; it had spilled out of him like an overflow of rainwater rising over a riverbank. "I...I'll talk to them about it," he said, and smiled a confident little smile.
Truthfully, he didn't know if he would talk to them or not. He wasn't sure they would understand. They were not so eager to return to the old ways as he was, after all -- the way the events of the pack had gone had soured them somewhat -- and they likely would think it a fool's errand to run off with a pair of females he hardly knew.
Still...the fact was, Sindre was not a puppy anymore. Nor was he a grown wolf, but that detail was one he was willing to set aside. Here, at the crossroads, a potential for something amazing and profound was being offered to him, and it was foolish to turn away from it out of fear.
"...But supposing I am able to come," he said. "If...if you can find her. What then?" Excitement shone in his eyes. "Would the pack be rebuilt? Better than before?"
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:45 am
Sindre's question had Ola shaking her head slowly from side to side. The little white female visibly flinched, curling a lip briefly over a fang. The discomfort was quickly smothered and the white wolf moved closer to the older female, tucking herself in against her side.
It was Ola who spoke first. "I do not know, child. My heart would dearly love to see the pack restored to what it once was. But...age has made me a cynic. Even if we find Orphen...there is no telling what she might do or say. She did abandon us after all. Who is to say she would wish to return or that she would not do it again?" The grizzled face seemed to age even further. "But I must try. I must try to live and die doing what I believe in."
Lewana whined, long and low in her throat. "Don't speak of death, Ola." She leaned her head against the old female's bony shoulder, her pale pink eyes watching the male.
The young white female said in a low voice: "Maybe...maybe the pack is...not meant to be rebuilt."
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 1:13 pm
He nodded, his ears drooping a bit. "Maybe you're right," he said. Well, no, they probably were. What did he know about it? His knowledge of Sanctity was a few fleeting infant memories and pieces sewn together from stories from his family. He hardly was an expert on the subject and certainly not one with any right to speak up to these two.
"I'll still help you look, though," he said, with a firm smile. "I don't like the idea of you being out in the world unprotected."
Because, naturally, women-folk could never take care of themselves without the likes of him hanging about.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 5:59 am
The she-wolves both seemed heartened by his offer of help and after exchanging a short look, the old female got to her paws and shook her head, the fur on her ruff scraggly and unkempt. "Then we will accept. Your help would be appreciated. We have far to go and...if by chance my paws cannot take me all the way, someone will need to be there for Lewana."
The white wolf gave a sad whine, moving in against Ola and shoving in protectively against her side. "We'll make it. We'll all make it."
She turned hesitant but smiling eyes towards the male wolf and nodded slowly. "It's...good to make new friends."
The grizzled she wolf lowered her head. "Go speak with your family. We'll not be straying far from here. Just call if you need to find us."(( sorry for the long wait, hon ;; ))
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