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 Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:27 pm
((This is a private RP in progress for DDB and I, for our wilddogs. If you'd like to join please post an OOC request, or PM one of us. ^^))Tahja Estes Ujuzi narrowed her eyes once more at the retreating male as he paused, trying to further the insult he'd added to injury. She hadn't failed to notice the disappointing fact that this wild dog was supposedly the only family that Haiji had left, and thought it very disheartening that he would sooner abandon his own than conceed to compromise. Ujuzi did not see this as coincidence.
But the she-dog no longer held any anger or annoyance in her eyes, just pity. She looked at Dhati as if she was watching the hard-headed piglet that had wandered right into the lion's den: Completely deserving of the demise that he'd ignorantly broughten upon himself.
"Your arrogance will be your downfall..."
How long had Dhati actually been contemplating himself as leader? Surely, if nothing else, he'd obviously expected to lead Haiji from behind the scenes, if he expected her to blindly agree to any and every major decision he thought worthy of acceptance.
Ujuzi exhaled softly, what sounded like a small sigh that preceeded softly muttered words. "I certainly do hope that you can sleep at night with those words ringing in your ears when your blind, deaf, and naive acceptance lands you and others in the trouble you are bound to lead yourselves into."
Her concern was for Haiji now.... she'd walked away willingly from her family, but Haiji's mother had been taken from her at a young age and to worsen that, now her only remaining kin was abandoning her to chase after his own arrogance-blinded aspirations. She knew that Dhati's mind would have been made up even if she had not arrived on the scene, but still found herself briefly musing on "what if's".
She refrained from showing pity and sympathy toward Haiji. Concern, yes, but anything less than confidence in her intelligence and strength? No. She was stronger than, and deserved better than to be treated like an ignorant child.
She took a few steps away from the scene but paused when she remembered that Ujuzi was still with her. She looked back to the older dog, trying not to look defeated in any way. The loss of such a foolish packmember shouldn't be so bad... but he was still the only family she had left. Not only that but his disregard for her explainations, her reasons for making such decisions, made her wonder if she wasn't being rational. No.. she was. She thought over all she had said and still it made sense to her.
Did it to Ujuzi? She willed herself to look her now solitary packmate straight in the eye. There was concern there... but nothing in her expression conveyed confusion or embarressment of Haiji. The alpha sighed, indicating quite clearly that what was done was done.
"I... didn't expect that...." She admitted. "At least, not when this started. But he wouldn't see reason, even when I'd agreed to his request."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:50 pm
Ujuzi growled shortly before expelling her anger with a forceful snort of her nostrils.
"I highly doubt there was anything more that you could do, short of physical force to make him hear you. He seemed to already have his decision stuck firmly in that head of his."
Once again Ujuzi's eyes narrowed, but softly this time, as though calm.
"I believe that this may be for the better. It would seem that Dhati is not yet ready to follow anyone. He lacks humility and submissiveness, and both are necessary for compromise and teamwork. Without any of that you would not be leading a pack of wild dogs, but a band of boars... stubborn, easily blinded creatures that we all can be if we're not careful...
"... and Haiji, so long as you carry the desire for this pack's well being, and so long as the legend of the Hamaji remains it does not matter what Dhati or any others think. There will be other non-believers and critics, but they can't tell you or me what we are or aren't..."
She seemed satisfied to stop her opinion there, Ujuzi really was not one to speak so much normally, and now that the situation was drawing to a resolution she found that she was running out of things to say. She could not do more than offer practical advice and reassurance, anything more would begin to border on excessive babbling.
"Where should we head to now? If we linger for another day or so we may yet find other wild dogs in this territory."
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 8:46 pm
Haiji nodded slowly. "Yes... his mind seemed set on it already." Which meant she hadn't a chance of convincing him from the word go. Not her fault. But she didn't express this opinion out loud.
Looking back to Ujuzi, she listened to what she had to say. Humility, she knew what that was. And a willingness to compromise. Well she had compromised with Dhati, which made the previous arguement all the more hopeless from her point of view. And him all the more arrogant. "I'm starting to think so too. If he can't consider possible risks. If he can't even listen when I am trying to explain things to him... then he's of no use in a group. No one like that is. And it would be impossible to try and reason with him."
Thinking of it all now, afterwards, made her hate for him grow. It felt like a weight, like a stone in her belly. Not only had he gone, but he'd convince Mataka to go too. And another she'd not met yet. He had the upperhand with those two. Then he had the nerve to say she'd killed the pack! He was the one who tore it in two! It made a soft growl form in her throat. No, she wouldn't take him back even if he came to her begging. She'd passed her judgement on him.
The heat of her anger cooled quickly though, as Ujuzi continued to talk. Indeed, Haiji found herself amased the usually quiet dog was saying so much now. But she did appreciate it. "You're right... He was a disbeliever. And even with him here it would have made us weaker. Especially with that attitude of his. We're better off without his criticism and recklessness. I still believe I can make this work, and look after it once it does. And it doesn't matter whether our members have blood from the old pack or not. He's got that wrong. It's the idea... the spirit of the dog that makes them a Hamaji." Did not the old legends tell of how a manned wolf was allowed to join their ranks because his spirit was like that of a wild dog?
That said she stood up with confidence, her more usual, happier mood coming back. "Right... there could be some others about." She looked about the horizon. "The graveyard is not far in that direction... and boardering it is the Pridelands. It'd said to be a very fertile place. There may be others around there and at least we'd be able to find good prey. But we'll move slowly and stay in the Southlands a few more days. See if we find anyone out here."
(( Since I haven't got a map I'm trying to figure out where all the boarders of the different territories come together. The Graveyard is on the boarder of the Pridelands I know. But does it share a boarder with the Southlands?
And I assmued they were traveling not too far from the graveyard edge since Dhati has had a couple of rp with wild dogs living in the graveyard? ))
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 9:43 am
(( Mind if I time skip it a little? Meepy would like to join in and it'd be odd to run into her dog only moments after the pack shunk. sweatdrop Just to the next morning perhaps? And I'll ask another person I've been rping with in pm's if they'd like to join in a group rp too.
If that's ok with you, can you give me a little while to get the other's replies about if they want to join in here and then let me make a teeny-tiny post to explain? Haiji went off alone and found Haveo you see, so I just need to describe that and then them coming back to meet Ujuzi. And then Meep can jump in anytime she likes. whee So long as that's all ok with you Tahja. sweatdrop ))
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:39 am
((That's all perfectly fine with me, DDB! biggrin Looking forward to more people joining the game again!))
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 8:42 pm
While Haiji spoke of where to head to next and how long they would remain in the Southlands, she also decided that it might be better stay here for the night before setting off in the morning. But it was a restless night for Haiji, her mind still a swirl and her heart still feeling the pain of betrayal. She slipped off by herself for a walk in the early hours before dawn and it was during ths walk that she'd met Haveo, a wild dog who had been living in the graveyard.
They'd talked and now, as dawn was breaking, she led him back with her to meet Ujuzi. She headed for the spot where she'd last seen the older female, sniffing the groud occassionally to check she was on the right path and whether Ujuzi had wandered at all.
"Ujuzi!" She called out, with Haveo following near her. "There's someone I'd like you to meet!" After the rather upset and annoyed mood she'd been in the night before she now sounded alot more like her friendly self.
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 10:08 pm
((Allo! Ehto...Meet Haveo!)) Haveo was a bit weary from the long trip. The cool dawn air was refreshing but it still didn't hinder the aches that came with a malnourished body. Though the journey wasn't all that fast, he was slightly panting. The male wouldn't of lasted long at the rate he was going at.
He paused for a moment, hearing Haiji call out for her companion. His heart pounded harder in his chest. This was it, meeting the rest of them. His pack...well more so...his family. That what a pack was, no matter the blood, they were all family. This would be home.
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Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:09 am
Ujuzi had been aware of the absence of warmth at her side when Haiji slipped off in the early morning hours, but thought little in concern over it. Haiji had a rough day just yesterday, and might still want to mull things over on her own. Ujuzi certainly could understand that.
So the older female slept on half-dozing for a bit, before finally she heard her name being called. She calmly lifted her head and turned it in the direction of Haiji and Haveo.
Ujuzi couldn't help but smirk. Only the start of the first day and already Haiji had met another to invite into the pack. It wasn't any sort of replacement in Ujuzi's mind, just a healthy recovery from the blow they took in loosing two members the day prior.
Silently Ujuzi rose to her paws and shook out her pelt, approaching the two at a tame pace. As she reached the two she gave Haiji's shoulder a light nudge with her nose- a show of respect and happiness towards her alpha's return. She might as well start showing the proper signs of respect now so that others would know to follow the right example.
She then moved to greet the male with a short nod, wuffing under her breath and letting her tail wave softly.
"Greetings,"
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 9:19 am
Haiji paused when she spotted Ujuzi and turned to Haveo with a smile. It was then that she noticed him panting and with small signs of tiring. As a traveling dog he'd have to work at keeping up. But Haiji could tell from the state of his thin body that a good meal would put him on the way to upping his stamina. And she'd go easy at first. She wouldn't leave him behind!
"It's alright, catch your breath. We'll wait here a little while." She told him before turning back to Ujuzi as she approached.
Haiji welcomed the nudge and instinctively raised her head to touch her chin on Ujuzi's back. A returned friendly greeting, acknowledging the show of respect. Haiji didn't know exactly if that's how pack members greeted, but it felt right and natural to her.
She smiled at the pair as Ujuzi initiated the greeting between them. "Ujuzi, this is Haveo. We met just near the graveyard boarder. He's rather keen to join our company." She didn't want to say she'd found or recruited him. It wasn't like she was building the pack by force. No, no. She would try to 'win over' others but it would always be their own choice to join or not.
"And Haveo, this is Ujuzi - the other remaining pack member and a loyal friend of mine."
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Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 9:11 pm
Haveo bowed his head lowly, his tail slightly tucked between his legs. The tired male did his best to control his slightly labored breathing. "It is an honor to meet you. Haiji has told me much about you. I'm glad our alpha has such loyal and supportive friends." He hoped that he didn't sound like he was sucking up but he did want to make a good impression on this female. She was also on a higher status than he.
So far he had met two females. Though right now he was curious about how many females were in this pack. Being one of the few males might also determine his rank. Why was he thinking so much about status? Could it be instinct? Or were there some blurred memories that still held a strong impression on him?
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 6:32 pm
"Nice meeting you, Haveo."
Ujuzi simply gave an understanding nod of agreement, accompanied by those short, but polite none the less, words. She'd need to get to know him as well, because it prooved all too easy to say you were loyal, but it was even easier to contradict those words as Dhati had prooven the day before.
It was plain to see that the male was far more submissive than the two of them, much more so than Ujuzi would expect of another. She hoped that she wouldn't be the only one building trust as they traveled. Hopefully Haveo would begin to feel more at ease around them. Ujuzi would certainly prefer being able to read his thoughts clearly as opposed to how he might act out of fear.
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Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 7:19 am
It was clear enough from Haveo's body stance and words that he held great respect for the two females. Even fear? Haiji didn't think so but she came near them and gave the male a friendly smile.
"I haven't known Ujuzi a whole season yet, but she has shown her loyalty and has been very supportive of me in this time. I'm grateful she's with me. And now you too. It's good have more company again and I want you to feel welcome."
Since there were no other introductions to be made, Haiji felt she ought to explain. "At the moment it's just me and Ujuzi, and now you. So it's going to need more teamwork to hunt and look out for one another. Have you done alot of hunting yourself?"
She remembered his quick moves and reactions to the mouse he'd caught before they'd set off back to Ujuzi. They had been impressive to the young adolescent female and she was interested how he'd go with them in taking down something larger.
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Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:23 pm
The females did see them nice enough. Though who wasn't nice when you first meet someone? No. No doubts, no turning back. Haveo nodded towards Haiji's explanation. He smiled trying to reassure them that he did feel welcome and that he was a trustworty dog.
Haveo wondered what it was about this whole situation that got him to be so unlike himself. He was normally a proud, near cocky, stern wild dog. This wasn't something to be wondering about but this feeling of being so open was becoming unnerving.
He felt both females eyes on him and he straightened his form, trying to revert himself back to his normal state. Just the three of them? Well it would probably be enough to bring down some medium sized game. No wilderbeast or waterbuffalo though. The gazelles would fair well for the three of them for awhile. Unless one of them planned on having children soon.
A thought hit him. He was the only male among the mostly female pack. Well...that would be nice. He shook his head getting the thoughts out of his head. "Yes. I've hunted on my own. Nothing larger than an adolescent gazelle though." Anything bigger would of killed him first. His form showed proof that he didn't have enough strength to take on anything like that.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:10 am
Haiji gave an approving nod as the new male straightened up and looked a bit more comfortable and not so groveling. She had rethought her strategy about how to rebuild the pack. There was no point forcing others to join or making them too fearful or subservient. A pack wasn't like that. A pack was a team.... and eventually a family. They needed to respect her through their trust and good opinion of her. And that was something she had to gain from them too.
His other thoughts were hidden from her and she simply looked out to the horizon. "Excellent. Gazelle are fast prey, but a good size." She turned back to the others. "And should be large enough to feed the three of us without being too hard to bring down." She was sensible enough to know tackling something too big could seriously injure or even kill one of them.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 11:22 am
Ujuzi gave a nod of agreement, licking her maw briefly. She was about ready for a meal herself, after going without really eating since before the fight with Dhati errupted.
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