Firmly Grounded {Semi-lit~Wolf Rp~Not Accepting, Open!}

[Rhapsodii___x]

Ḁṥṫḕṙḭḁ

“The dew was falling fast, the stars began to blink; I heard a voice; it said: `Drink, pretty creature, drink!'”

- - - -♬- - - -

ì ɑʍ ժօղҽ քɾҽէҽղժìղց
հօա Ӏօղց ҍҽƒօɾҽ ì ցҽէ ìղ?
ҍҽƒօɾҽ ìէ ʂէɑɾէʂ, ҍҽƒօɾҽ ì ҍҽցìղ?
հօա Ӏօղց ҍҽƒօɾҽ վօմ ժҽϲìժҽ?
ҍҽƒօɾҽ ì ҟղօա ահɑէ ìէ ƒҽҽӀʂ Ӏìҟҽ?
ահҽɾҽ էօ, ահҽɾҽ ժօ ì ցօ?
ìƒ վօմ ղҽѵҽɾ էɾվ, էհҽղ վօմ'ӀӀ ղҽѵҽɾ ҟղօա.
հօա Ӏօղց ժօ ì հɑѵҽ էօ ϲӀìʍҍ,
մք օղ էհҽ ʂìժҽ օƒ էհìʂ ʍօմղէɑìղ օƒ ʍìղҽ?

ɑӀӀ էհɑէ ղօìʂҽ, ɑղժ ɑӀӀ էհɑէ ʂօմղժ,
ɑӀӀ էհօʂҽ քӀɑϲҽʂ ì ցօէ ƒօմղժ.
ɑղժ ҍìɾժʂ ցօ ƒӀվìղց ɑէ էհҽ ʂքҽҽժ օƒ ʂօմղժ,
էօ ʂհօա վօմ հօա ìէ ɑӀӀ ҍҽցɑղ.
ҍìɾժʂ ϲɑʍҽ ƒӀվìղց ƒɾօʍ էհҽ մղժҽɾցɾօմղժ,
ìƒ վօմ ϲօմӀժ ʂҽҽ ìէ էհҽղ վօմ'ժ մղժҽɾʂէɑղժ?

The familiar sound of snow crunching beneath paws alerted Asteria, and her ears perked up although she made no effort to look up. Although the snow was loud, the owner of these paws barely made a sound as they walked in her direction. 'Must be a hunter.' She sniffed, instantly recognizing the quiet tread of pawsteps. And when a silky, feminine voice reached her ears, her suspicions were confirmed.

Callista, huh? Well, this was new.

Actually, it wasn't really that unexpected since they were both hunters, but Asteria had never expected her snooty packmate to invite her on a hunt. Though it wasn't a very amicable invite, Asteria had to give Callista some credit; it must've taken a lot of resolve to approach the "crazy star-gazer". Sure, some part of her was a bit annoyed by her...mental status in the pack. She was just as smart as the rest of them but just chose not to be so serious all the time. Where was the fun in that?

Speaking of fun, Callista was already trotting off and offered one last invitation before disappearing into the shadowy forest. For a few moments, Asteria stared after her, pale golden eyes twinkling as she thoughtfully observed the silent thicket. Would there be any prey out? Probably not. But if they were lucky, they could manage to snag a skimpy hare or two. With that thought, Asteria prepared to join Callista on her hunt and stood up, stretching her stiff muscles. However, as she turned to bound into the forest, a worn, raspy bark caught her attention, and she caught sight of Ajax snapping at her sister.

A small growl bubbled up to her lips, but she shook her head furiously and looked away. Althea could handle herself; what she really needed to be doing right now was bringing food for the pack. So, with one tiny glare at Ajax, Asteria took off across the snow, black paws skimming slightly above to untouched frost. It didn't take long for her to catch up with Callista, and when she did, she noticed that the fae looked unusually tense as though something was gonna pop out at her at any moment.

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" Asteria chirped, hopping out of her space in the shadows. Surely, Callista hadn't spotted her before; her black fur made her almost invisible in the dark. It was a cool trick, really. One of the main reasons she was chosen as a hunter. Though her eyes did give her away at times...

"Why are you walking like that?" Asteria tilted her head curiously, taking note of her packmate's bad posture and the way her paws loudly crushed the snow beneath them. "You'll scare off all the prey." She whined softly, stopping abruptly as a snow hare came into view. The little creature was digging around for food in a particularly open space, probably thinking that it's matching coat would hide it from danger. 'Not this time.' Asteria smirked, nudging Callista softly on her shoulder before slinking back into the darkness.

Slowly, pawstep by pawstep, Asteria made her way closer to the unsuspecting hare. Soon, she was only one pounce away, but something stopped her from attacking. The snow hare looked a bit too plump for starving; it must've been expecting! Pure white fur, pregnant. It reminded Asteria too much of Echo, and the thought of killing an expecting mother made her stomach churn uneasily. She faltered, stepping back on a small twig and wincing as the wood snapped beneath her paw. The snow hare looked up, alerted, and its beady black eyes landed on Asteria's golden ones before it raced off into the distance. It was too late now. The hare was gone.

'Good going, Aster! You just missed the chance to feed a whole den of elders.' The ebony fae snorted softly and shook her snow-speckled fur before trotting back to Callista. "Sorry, I missed that one." She admitted, bowing her small head in shame. I think...maybe you should make the next catch; I'll watch. Asteria sighed, hoping Callista wouldn't chew her out for making such a simple mistake, but the look in her packmate's eyes said otherwise.

[Temperance.]

════════════════════════════

════════════════════════════

Tɦɛɱɛ Sɵɴɢ: Here I Am
Gɛɴɗɛʀ: Mɑʃɛ
Aɢɛ: 4 Yɛɑʀs Olɗ
Ƥøsiʈiɵɳ: Bɛʈɑ
Mɑϯɛ: Saea
Mɵɵɗ: Cɵɴʈɛɴʈ

{Here I am next to you}
{And suddenly the world is all brand new}
{Here I am where I'm gonna stay}
{Now there's nothin standin in our way}
{Here I am this is me}

{x} {x} Zøɗiɛ {x} {x}

Zodie's ears twitched slightly at Ajax's snarling voice, but other than that he appeared to not even acknowledge the whiny elder. Frankly he wouldn't miss the old complainer when he passed on, maybe that was awful but the pathetic wolf did nothing but eat, sleep, and complain....about EVERYTHING. Forcing back his disdain, it wouldn't do to let it show, especially if he was going to take the leadership of the pack upon himself. Drawing himself back to attention Zodie drew himself up slightly, not trying to make the healer nervous in any way, he simply wanted to look the part of a strong beta doing what was right for the pack. Quietly he began to speak with Althea, a strange serenity and strength in his voice. He'd always been a bit of an easy-going joker, so this would be something new to Althea, to all of them really. But perhaps this was the cost of leadership, he had to become more down to earth and level headed. "As far as the pups go I really can't make a decision without Saea, its more her area of expertise." Zodie gave a wry snort, amusement twinkling in his eyes as he studied Althea, "But quite frankly I can't see it being a problem, you could definitely use the help I'm sure." He said with a nod, thinking somewhat guiltily of how that apprentice would likely be responsible in part for Ajax's care....not something he'd wish upon his worst enemy let alone a pup. Still, Althea needed an apprentice. Shaking his head slightly to clear out his cluttered mind Zodie took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, watching as his breath drifted away in the cold air. How did you tell a healer, or any wolf, that you wanted to take some responsibility for the pack and lead them in the absence of the alpha's? Guess the direct route is the wisest. He thought quietly to himself.

Steeling himself against her potential distaste for the idea, Zodie fixed a firm eye on her, hoping she could sense his seriousness. "Well, I wanted to discuss this with you and Saea together but....I don't want Ajax to come out here and snap off your tail if I ask you to wait, and my beautiful Saea deserves her rest so..." His eyes grew tender at the very mention of his mate, there really was no sufficient way to describe his feelings for her, but then, that wasn't what he was here to discuss with Althea. Forcing his attention away from his mate and back to the task at hand the young beta began to speak again. "The pack is getting anxious and...I think if Echo and her mate were here they would be furious to see that we let the pack fall into disrepair during their absence. So, I feel that perhaps me and Saea should step up to the plate and take on some of the alpha duties. Not to replace them, I could never fill their paw-steps anyways, but to keep the pack together until they return. I haven't discussed it with Saea yet and....I wanted to run it past you as well and see what you thought." His ears twitched slightly, betraying the nervousness he felt inside, he'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel a little anxious, rejection always hurt, whether it was intentionally done to wound, or simply out of gentle disagreement. What if she doesn't think I'm up to the task? What if she thinks I'm trying to oust the alphas? A million worried thoughts skittered through his mind. But suddenly, thumping his heavy tail once in slight anger at himself Zodie lifted his head proudly. No, he wouldn't cower like a frightened pup. The alpha had made HIM beta, therefor he was already suited to the task. He would not disappoint them, and he would NOT let this pack starve or fall apart.

His pack needed him to be strong, his mate needed him to be strong, and his pups needed him to be strong. And that was motivation enough, even if the entire pack turned against him he would see this thing through, and if they wanted him gone when the alphas returned, so be it. He could leave, happy and content with the knowledge that future generations would be able to live the safe and happy life they were entitled to. With his dilemma resolved he eased into a more comfortable stance, though if you studied him closely you would be able to see the slight change in the way he stood, more confidant and self assured. The way a leader would stand, and though Zodie wasn't consciously aware of it, something had changed inside himself as well, shifted, a part of the old Zodie was gone, replaced by a confidant and driven leader who would do anything to protect his pack. And though it was glorious to behold in this moment....it begged the question, what would that part of him do when the alphas returned? Curl up and go back into a dormant state, leaving him content as beta? Or would it drive him to challenge the authority of the two alphas he so dearly loved and respected?

Yeah, shame on me. I'm just sort of tired right now and have to go make dinner. So I'll probably have Calista and Ajax's posts up tomorrow. Sorry, and this one was a horrible fail too :C Try to ignore my pathetic attempt at a post XD

[chagrin]

ᴍᴏᴏᴅ: ᴄʀᴀɴᴋʏ | ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴅᴇɴ | ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sɴᴏᴡ

White freckles fell on the snow blanket. They joined with
the once that were quicker, they filled each other's gaps perfectly. One by one the they fell, adding layer upon layer of white powdery snow. The branches have kneiled under the weight of the snow that rested between their crowns. Winds carried itself trough the forest, lifting the freshly fallen snow of the ground, becoming one with the mist that has fallen from above and enveloped the home of the wolves.
If you were a human, you would most likely awe the powers of nature. Claim to be one of the most amazing sights you ever witnessed. But for a wolf it meant stuggle. The extreme temperatures pushed them to the limit of their survival. Herds moved further, some seeked shelter, others food. But the prey was scarce and their thick pelts are unlikely to hold off such cold weather. Althought a grown and mature wolf wil think first on that, the offspring of the creatures that howl on moonlight, the pups more accuretly will probably dash away from the dens when they see a chance. That is, a normal wolf pup.
But Kangee is not one of those. The small brute sat near the entrance of the den, watching as the snow fell down, leaving him shivering in the spot. The wind howled in the opening of the den, the cracks that were made trough the years let portions of the cold carry itself around the home of Kangee. If he didn't know any better he would say that his skelleton was about to be taken out of him. His hair stood up, his ears were pulled to the back, and a snarl was tucked on his snout. The faint growls that rumbled trough his throat and eventually left from between his teeth was unable to be heard from the "storm" going outside.
Three months since he was born. Three months of pointless living. He saw no real goal in life, and his entertainment was usualy found in the pain of others. Especially the partially deaf pup...Kade, was his name. Once his teeth are replaced with real fangs if given the opportunity he would snatch that weakling by the throat (not really). It would serve him right for being born with deformities. It would be the right thing to do, after all if it wasn't done he would become a burden to the pack, and all his life he would have someone to take care of him. And besides, who was he to take the spotlight out of Kangee. Opposite Kade he was a real pup worth mention and attention.

[Finally done! Three to go :3]