A Tale of Two Packs [reboot] [RP Play!]

[sunhorsestar]

OOC: Others later tonight!

IC:


Uciel | Hunter | L-Pack | Tagging: Lucas | Location: Forest


Uciel himself had never had love troubles, largely for fear of opening up to the one wolf he did feel for, but he’d seen many a wolf who did come home upset and brooding, or angry, or feeling lonelier than ever after a conversation with the interest of their unrequited love. He tentatively moved closer. If Lucas moved away, he would give him space, but Uciel knew sometimes just being with someone who cared could help one feel just a little better, so moved closer and gently nosed his friend's shoulder.

"Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. I wish it hadn't gone so wrong for you, whatever happened, but not everyone life works out like in the fairy tales our mothers told us when we were pups. Sometimes things go wrong and we're thrown off, and it’s never easy, but it’s a matter of letting yourself heal. Not right now, there’s always a period of grieving something lost, but one day, when you’re ready." The black wolf paused, blinking. Was that really what Lucas thought of himself? "What kind of question is that? Of course not," Uciel promised. "Maybe it just…didn’t work out because it wasn’t supposed to. Maybe there’s another path you’re supposed to follow, or this happened to help shape you, help you grow. I know it can be hard to see right now, but I don't think you’re unlovable. I KNOW you’re not."

[rottingsnakes]

Sandpiper | Lightning Pack | Hunter | Location: Forest | Tagging: Bian

Sandpiper sunk her claws into the soft, wet soil as she scraped to a halt once she'd leapt over the stream. She knew Bian could take it from here. She watched with glee and excitement as her huntmate swiftly paced out of the forest's growth, appearing from seemingly nowhere like a breath on the wind. The raccoon didn't have a fighting chance, and soon enough, found itself trapped within the unyielding claws of its greatest enemy. To no avail, it wriggled and grunted, scratching aimlessly at the air. As Bian brought their maw to the creature's neck, it fell silent with a muted snap. Sandpiper twitched once in reaction to the sound, but wasn't fazed by it and instead bounded towards her fellow lupine.
"Nice one! That thing sure had no chance against you." The she-wolf complimented, her voice bright and airy as she peered at the felled critter. Even though it no longer walked, the pungent smell still tickled her nose. Sandpiper's muzzle creased slightly as she did what she could do the block the dull stench.
As she raised her head, the huntress glanced at Bian's face, her eyes alight with satisfaction. However, this changed into worry as she spotted a welling of dark red on her huntmate's jaws.
"Oh no, did it catch you?" Sandpiper queried, taking a gentle step forwards to look at the scratch,
"Are you okay?" Her eyebrows creased slightly, but she did note that it didn't take a long time for it to stop bleeding. Sandpiper's muzzle cast a small smile once more as she glanced down at the still raccoon, thinking. She giggled for a second as Bian mentioned heading after a second raccoon, and she shook her head gently from side to side.
"Nah, I think I'll have to stuff my nose with leaves if we try to get another one of these buggers." The huntress joked, sticking the tip of her tongue out at said creature for sake of emphasis.
"A beaver would honestly be pretty cool. I'm somewhat less experienced in water hunting, but if we could find one and catch it it would make for a great meal for someone." Sandpiper answered sheepishly, flicking her ear once as she turned her gaze back to Bian.


Thessadowes | Lightning Pack | All-Around | Location: Forest | Tagging: Smoke, Risen, Nyx

Thessadowes inhaled, feeling the clean morning air swirl through her lungs. She felt tingles race through her pelt, dancing through her feet, urging her to move on. The All-Around nodded, an acknowledgement of the team's readiness, and moved to crouch in place of where she belonged. Her eyes darted from one side to the other in little motions, focusing on the unsuspecting doe. As much as she felt hesitation, for fear of doing wrong, she carefully ruffled her pelt and drew a slow, calming breath. Better now than never.
"Go!" Thessadowes bayed, kicking off from the soft dirt beneath and erupting from the growth and into the meadow. Her claws tore from the earth, churning up soil, and thudded against the sun-dappled grass as the deer jerked from her cry.
It began to leap ahead, trying its best to pick up speed and flee from the scene, radiating the sharp scent of fear. It was fast, but hopefully, the wolves were faster. Thess started to nip at the doe's hind legs, avoiding potential kicks to the face as best she could.


Tendril | Fire Pack | Hunter | Location: Forest | Tagging: Kassandra, Serafina

Tendril's feet swept quietly over the frosted forest floor as she listened curiously to the responses of her packmates with perked ears. Even if the morning was still young, and the adventures of the day not many, she enjoyed hearing what the others had been up to.
"Well, I'm glad I could join you on your first hunt of the day. A low prey pile is never a wanted thing." The she-wolf replied, genuinely meaning it. She'd managed to snag a rabbit for breakfast, but there wasn't much else.
"Not a lot, either. Talked to Mercy for a little before seeing you two preparing to head out." Tendril answered, flicking the tip of her tail at the other two wolves. She didn't have much to offer for the day either. The Huntress raised her nose the air, scenting for potential prey, and turned paths slightly once she caught a very vague smell of pheasant. She couldn't smell it very well right now, but it was better than nothing.
"Not sure if my nose is tricking me, but I think I can smell pheasant somewhere off to the left. Thoughts?" Tendril questioned, blinking a couple times as she trotted.

[belloblossom]

Enui | Fire All-Around | Location: Camp | Tagging: Max

Enui's ear twitched when it was revealed that Max had an ulterior motive in inviting her - had she done something wrong? As she continued to listen to him, she blinked in surprise. Her? The Beta? It seemed so abrupt, but... a slow smile - a rare sign from the she-wolf - spread across her muzzle.

"I am truly honored by your offer." While she secretly wanted to know how he'd come to this conclusion, she would never question her Alpha. "I humbly accept." She dipped her head. "I know that I will be able to serve you and the Fire Pack well, my Alpha."

[sunhorsestar]

Arian | Lead Warrior | F-Pack | Tagging: Erle, Kazue | Location: Border


"Kazue is right. Trust me, with our kind of numbers, I wouldn’t mind having some extra land to feed us or practice on, extra terrain taken from the enemy, but if we marked now and tried to expand without backup while they’re so close…well, I don’t doubt the strength of any of us, but I supposed it’s not the wrath of the Lightning wolves I fear, so much as that of our own Alpha, for laying claim without command." The mottled Warrior tilted her head to the side. "Propose it though. You’re one of the few wolves he sees as a friend. He may hear it from you and consider it," she pointed out.


Max | Alpha | F-Pack | Tagging: Enui | Location: Camp


Max wasn't opposed to company. Sure, there wasn’t a soul who would look at him and see the world's most social wolf, but he didn’t mind some company here and there. Yet at the same time he didn’t feel bad for having a motive beyond companionship for having invited Enui over either. Although her face betrayed little, the brief twitch of her ear suggested something somewhere between interest and concern that Max hoped to soothe. Then she was smiling, and it was so foreign and rare that Max couldn’t help but for once feel what he could only describe as a tiny flicker of…joy. Something he’d had last when Catania had graduated and before that, not since Moon had passed.

"Oh I haven’t a doubt in my mind," Max agreed. It made sense, he figured it should have been obvious from the start, he shouldn’t have NEEDED to think about it in the first place. "You’re a good wolf, loyal, brave, but sensical. You’re not the type to rush blindly in for the sake of action without reason. You’re a traditional Fire wolf too though. You have our signature defensive streak, you have the stubbornness and willpower I used to admire this Pack for in my father's time. Whatever it is, wherever you got it…we need more of it around here."


Blizzard | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Angel, Waterlilies, Mick | Location: Forest


"Maybe. Everyone HAS insecurities, it’s just a matter of when you let them show, and even more importantly, how it comes out when you do," Blizzard pointed out. He couldn’t honestly say that the argument hadn't been off-putting, but he’d dealt with worse conflicts, physical and mental, as a Warrior. "He didn’t try to become my mate, he allowed his interest to show. You’re the only one who's come directly on to me for the sake of a relationship, there’s a fine line between the two, and even so…while I do understand, if you try to jump in and defend what you see as yours at every turn, one day, you’re going to get yourself hurt and I…I can’t stand by and let that happen."


Leo | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Louve | Location: Forest


Leo sincerely hoped it was true. After seeing the anger in Lucas' eyes, hearing his voice raised at Leo for the first time he could remember, it didn’t FEEL like everything was going to be okay. When had Leo ever tried to be a downer though? So he lifted his head and forced a smile. "Yeah, I guess you’re right," he agreed. "We'll…I'll figure myself out eventually. I’m in no place to be pushing anything on you, or on myself. I’ll sort this out, take some time and then maybe…we can address the situation? Sort things out between the two of us?" He suggested. The idea of doing anything with the information of a mutual crush so soon after crushing Lucas made Leo's stomach churn, but life went on. Just as Lucas would have to move on, Leo couldn’t allow this to hold him back. Not forever.


Toby | Hunter | L-Pack | Tagging: Roque | Location: Forest


"If they don’t let you join hunting parties when you’re a Hunter, even though I won’t be your trainer anymore, I would still stand up for you," Toby promised. He did understand her though. He hadn’t been any different, and he had shared those exact same worries at her age. Maybe a little older. He nodded. "Okay. You know the basics on catching a bird. It’s just the same, as long as you get it out of the tree, bait it or shake it, and avoid the talons. Fish is a good bait, mice would be better, if you can wound them without making a kill. Predators tend towards live prey."


Kassandra | Hunter | F-Pack | Tagging: Tendril, Serafina | Location: Forest


Kass dipped her head. She tilted her head to one side curiously at the All-Around who hung ever so slightly behind the pair of fully trained Hunters. "Sera, dear, why don’t you come up here and join us? No need to lag." She understood why she did what she did, but there was no need for the hierarchy here, when they were all equals in the hunt. None of them were Leads or Betas or Alphas. She nodded to Tendril. "Certainly. On my way out, I saw Alpha Max, and he didn’t exactly look the happiest when he looked at the pile," she remembered. Pheasant. Always a treat, even as rare as they were, and hard to catch to boot! Though not so much as quail. "Go for it, pheasant is always a treat."

[belloblossom]

Lucas | Lightning Warrior | Location: River Border | Tagging: Uciel

Lucas didn't move away when Uciel came over and in fact leaned over onto his friend, shifting his body so that he could lay his head on the back of Uciel's shoulders. Heaving a sigh, he stared ahead of him blankly.
"I told Leo I love him." He admitted at last. "That's what happened. But Leo loves Louve, because she was the first one that welcomed him back." He mocked in a higher tone before growling softly. "He seemed to act like even though I was there, right beside him through all of it - even though we ALSO grew up together, he still choose the carbon-copy of his mother." He pulled back. "That's... really gross actually. Like, I was just saying they could be siblings earlier today with how similar they look. I guess that speaks for Leo's mommy issues, if he wants to mate with someone who looks like Shadow. Bleurgh." He scrunched up his muzzle in disgust.

Leaning his head back on Uciel's shoulders, he sighed.
"Well, I'm never going to not be able to think of that when I look at Shadow, Leo or even Louve again." He confessed. "He said it wasn't related to my gender... but it was because I wasn't white. Jerk." He huffed into Uciel's dark coat. "Anyway, that's pretty much it, I guess. He kept trying to make excuses, kept trying to be nice about it and then had the nerve to get emotional when he was ripping my heart into pieces - slowly, like a piece of prey!" Lucas had begun to tremble and silver lined his yellow eyes. "How can I ever meet his eyes again after this? How can I ever treat him the same way, after he had to be so cruel to me? And now he's back there with his own crush - and I know they're going to get together and..." He ducked his head forward, a shuddering sob racking his body. "I don't think I'll be able to handle seeing them together. Not now... maybe not ever. Uciel... am I going to have to leave the pack? Leo is Shadow's son - the Alpha's son - everyone sees how she favors him over everyone else! If I can't play nice with him anymore, she's going to throw me out - I just know it!" Fear and pain gripped at Lucas' heart as he began to cry into Uciel's pelt. "This isn't how it was supposed to go! This is all going wrong!"

[belloblossom]

Enui | Fire All-Around | Location: Camp | Tagging: Max

Enui certainly got her wish of getting to know all the reasons why Max seemed to think she was a fit for the Beta position - and she didn't even have to ask! She inclined her head towards her Alpha, accepting his compliments gracefully and when it seemed like he was finished speaking for that moment, she spoke again.
"Again, I thank you, my Alpha." She shifted her weight, placing one of her front paws delicately over the other as she looked at him. "Am I to call myself your Beta this very moment, or shall I wait until some manner of announcement has been made to the rest of the pack?" She inquired.

[sunhorsestar]

Uciel | Hunter | L-Pack | Tagging: Lucas | Location: Forest


The touch was reassuring. At the very least, Lucas wasn’t rejecting his company. Of course, even if he had, that’d be fine, Uciel told himself! But it would’ve meant he didn’t know how he could help, even if only in some small way. The way Lucas cuddled into his shoulders told Uciel with the gesture alone how heavy things were weighing on his friend's heart and truly, it made his own heart ache. His heart nearly stopped at the revelation. He wasn’t too late though, and in a guilty way, felt better, but his heart still hurt for his distressed companion. He had seen how Lucas looked at Leo. He truly loved him, and there wasn’t a wolf who could deny it, looking at them.

"Oh…" Uciel couldn’t quite find the logic in Leo's statement, but matters of the heart didn’t always have a reason. Sometimes one made things up so they had justification for the feelings that developed. He’d learned that. He didn’t know what was special about Louve to Leo, and he didn’t care. He was more worried about Lucas than some potential future couple of sappy, happy go lucky lovebirds. Despite the fact that Uciel didn’t particularly agree with the statement, he couldn’t help a flicker of amusement, but dared not let it show beyond a faint gleam in his eyes. Now was no time for laughing.

"It’s not fair," he agreed. Sometimes love wasn’t. Sometimes the WORLD wasn’t, and they just had to deal with the hand life dealt them, even if it was garbage. "He…He said it was because of your coat colour?" That couldn’t be right. It didn’t sound like the Leo Uciel had known, but he hadn’t been there. The black furred wolf breathed out heavily. "I don’t know, Lucas. I don’t think leaving would do you any good, caught in territory between warring wolves, with nothing but your thoughts for company. There’s still wolves who care about you here." He offered a tiny, awkward smile. "I know it’s hard right now, maybe it will be for a long time. I’ve always wished I could be a Healer, and…now more than ever, but not even the best Healer can mend a broken heart. Just know…I’m here. I know I’m not him. I’ll never be him, or anything close, but I’ve got you," he promised.


Max | Alpha | F-Pack | Tagging: Enui | Location: Camp


"Wait for now, or there will be questions before we have exact answers. Kassandra, Serafina, and Tendril were the last group to leave. Upon their return, when the majority have gathered, we'll make the formal announcement. The role is yours though." Max knew he was aging, and it seemed the months passed quicker and quicker. Faster than he would’ve liked. One day, he would need someone to take over in his place. He’d rather it be a wolf with a good head on their shoulders, someone who could do good for the Pack. "Just promise me, that in whatever you do as Beta, and one day, as Alpha, it’ll always be for the good of the Pack rather than any one individual. That’s the only way we can prosper."

[sunhorsestar]

Blizzard | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Mick | Location: Forest


"Maybe, but it happens to the best of us. This is ME you’re talking to. Me who has mood swings and temper tantrums on a fairly regular basis," Blizzard pointed out. Then he stopped, frowning in confusion. "Uhhh…you…you expect me to suddenly call in love because I got some compliments?" Blizzard asked. Only a truly shallow wolf would fall so easily. "If anything happened there, it was because there was attraction already, not compliments." Sky-dogs only knew how Mick would take that, but with all the drama, Blizzard just COULDN'T be bothered to explain his thought process.

[belloblossom]

Lucas | Lightning Warrior | Location: Camp | Tagging: Uciel

Lucas pressed his head a little harder against Uciel's fur and try as he might, he could not stifle his cries. Uciel was trying to be comforting, but -
"What if I have no choice, Uciel? Shadow won't pick me over her son's discomfort. If she sees that he starts treating me weirdly, after we were so close... I know she's going to make me leave. And then I will be stuck alone with my thoughts." He pulled his muzzle away at last and tilted his head back, howling bitterly at the sky. "It shouldn't be like this!" He howled and then panted hard as he lowered his head. "This is all so... The favoritism in the pack - Leo leaving in the first place, the war, my father, and now... all this messy love business." He looked to Uciel. "Don't fall in love until you know that the wolf is the one for you, Uciel." He advised suddenly and choked back another sob. "I don't want you to ever feel like I do. You're- you're a good wolf, nothing like this should ever fall on your shoulders or poison your gentle heart."

"I... Do you think the healers actually have something for me? At least f-for the nerves?" He glanced around. "I don't think I'm going to be very useful trying to go back to that patrol now..."

[Rae'tia]

★Bian⏵the insecure huntress
―――――――――――――――――
◄4 years｜Demifemale｜Lightning｜Demisexual｜tagged; Sandpiper ►

indentation They blinked up at Sandpiper, mildly confused but still gladdened by the praise they'd received. It wasn't like raccoon was a hard thing to hunt, but it was a rather clean kill. They mused, before returning their attention to Sandpiper. "Thankfully, it's not deep. I should be fine. Though I might visit the Healers later, to make sure it doesn't get infected. Bian assured softly with a huff. A soft chuckle rumbled in their chest as Piper complained of the smell, and grinned softly."There's more than one reason we don't often bring these buggers in, aside from the smell." Though it is good for covering up scent trails, and teaching and slash or assessing trainees. They added silently to themselves, before returning their attention to the conversation. Gaze widening as Sandpiper admitted they didn't have much experience hunting beaver, or maybe no experience at all considering she called it water hunting. Giving a moody huff, the dame shook her head "Let me hide this nearby, then we'll get going for that beaver." They responded before turning to pad a few steps into the snow, before finding an appropriate place to hide away the smelly bugger where no scavengers could get at it. A few minutes of digging later they placed the stanky thing in the hideaway, before they began to cover it back up.
indentation Glancing around they snapped off two smaller branches of a nearby bush and put them down over the hole where the raccoon laid, in a kind of "x" marks the spot kind of thing, so it was easier to find later. Shaking their head and sighing, the brown-hued wolf trotted back to Sandpiper. "Well, that's done." They started with an uncertain look around the area, "Let's get going to the River," Bian said, now how to I ask this in a non-insulting way? They wondered with an internal moan of pain. "So, when was the last time you went beaver hunting?" Bian asked with a curious tone coloring their voice.

★Kazue⏵the deathless warrior
―――――――――――――――――
◄6 years｜male｜Fire｜Demisexual｜tagged; Arian & Erle ►

indentation The thought of stealing some of the Lightning Packs Territory got his blood rushing, more so than the admittance or agreement of a high ranking wolf that he was right ever would. Kazue was plenty secure and confident in his position within the pack, but everyone wanted some encouragement every now and then. Honestly, Kazue blocked the rest of Erle's and Arian's short conversation out but kept his eyes on the sight of Lightning wolves in the distance. The male grimaced but hummed and acquiesced to the request - or maybe suggestion - that they keep moving. While, Kazue was admittedly looking for a fight, he wasn't confident they'd win depending on how many lightning wolves - and which ones of course - were there on patrol. Not worth the risk. He mused with a sigh, nodding as he once again started forward.