இ۵Ŗace Ågainst ₦atureஇ۵

[Soriams]

((Sorry to delay things once again guys... I've really go to get my life sorted out so I can get back to RPing regularly. I miss it!))

Wolf
Male | 20 | Straggler
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Wolf situated himself in the hollow that Attican had left, tucking his feet up close to his belly to warm them up. His response seemed to have drawn an odd reaction from Pilot, and for a moment he half wondered if he had said something wrong. After all, he had no idea if it was couth to ask about such things, or if he had mistakenly tread on the taboo. Perhaps families and former lives were frowned upon once you were part of the pack? Was that something they did to keep together as a cohesive group? Forgetting about those they knew before to focus on their new family. Curiously, whatever it was, was short lived and she soon moved on to telling him a story about her youth.

For this, Wolf presented her with his full, rapt attention. Ears perked and brown eyes bright, one couldn't ask for a more ready audience than the scraggly little Great Wolf. He literally hung on Pilot's every word, the scenes she painted in his mind were enough to give him enough new thoughts to keep his mind busy for weeks. Even something so simple as the place she had lived was enough. He knew ice well enough, the stuff seemed to be underfoot most of the year, but he never really considered that there could be an edge of it. Beyond that, Wolf had never seen an ocean, most definitely not 'the' ocean, nor did the word itself bring up an image to mind. Whatever it was, it sounded big, and grand and overall completely fascinating. He nearly stopped her there, opening his mouth to ask her to explain just what an ocean was, but quickly closed his mouth with a click. He very much wanted to hear the rest of her story first.

Listening awhile longer, Wolf further considered her words on being the only female in a group of boys. This too is something he had not considered, as most of the animals he normally observed kept in groups of mostly females. Not that it was always easy to tell mind you. However, she seemed to think it was entertaining, and no matter how he tried to puzzle out the meaning of her words, and his assumed imaginative abilities, he came up blank. However, he dare not puzzle on it too long lest he miss her next words.

From there it seemed as though things became worse for Pilot and her family, and Wolf felt some bit of sympathy for her. Though he didn't fully understand all she said, he could tell it had been difficult for her. The thought of something being able to swallow a cave, which in his mind seemed to be nothing more than a big hole in the first place was mind boggling. It must have a truly massive maw to devour a hole without just making it bigger. The next part at least made some sense to him. If these creatures brought murder upon others for a living, having those they sought to kill leave must have been difficult. Even this was new to him, and for that much understanding he felt a little bit of pride. It meant he had gleaned at least a little bit of knowledge from an otherwise confusing and exhausting situation.

Pilot's story deeply impressed Wolf and he shook his head. He doubted that he would have the courage to leave those he had always known to follow his own ideas. That took, what seemed to him anyway, a heroic act of courage and bravery. He's not sure he would have been able to do it, even as lonely and boring as his existence was, had his old life not literally burned down around him.

For a few moments, Wolf was silent, his mind reeling with all the information Pilot had given him. Three times he opened his mouth to speak, and then just closed it again, the words being too mixed up to come. Finally though, he managed to put a few together and say "That is… Amazing… clearly meaning every word. He had so many questions for her, and so many things he wanted to learn, but really there was one that had peaked his interest the most. From this conclusion, a broad smile grew on his face and his tail thumped behind him a couple of times, and he pulled himself closer to her, dipping his head to look up at her. "Could… Could you tell me more about the ocean? What's it like?"

Lani
Female | 57 | Hunter
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Lani let out a soft appreciative murr when Attican brushed the top of her head with his chin. It might have been a simple gesture, but the sweetness of it wasn't lost on her. Pulling back, she looked up at him, plainly admiring him even in the dim night. Her eyes were well used to seeking detail in the darkness, moon and stars giving her a well enough idea of him even through the gloom.

For what it was worth, Lani was profoundly happy with the situation as it was already. She might not have shown it, or really let on just how lonely she had been since Stok's untimely demise. The whole thing had come as a bit of a shock to her, and though she was not one to mope around, she had found a sympathizing heart in Attican. He had lost his mate around the same time as well, and if she felt lonely, then he surely did to. She had no idea the true depth of his loss though, and the painful memories her actions sometimes brought up were beyond her.

However, Lani was fully aware that the Keeper normally was only humoring her in her advances, not that it discouraged her in any way, and fully expected him to take off on her as soon as he could. This time was different though, and looking up at the sky he said something completely unexpected. His florid words brough a grin to her face, "Oh, is that so, wise Keeper? Well I suppose you would know best… Not that I'm not willing to comply mind you," she said, trying not to laugh through the middle of it.

Seeming a bit embarrassed, just the way Lani liked it, Attican turned around and stalked off, nose to the ground. Curious, she sat back on her fat haunches and watched while he sniffed around for a moment before taking to attacking the ground beneath a bush. At first, she was a bit confused, and got up to see what he was digging for, standing a bit to the side to watch. Soon enough, the white spray of snow turned dark with leaves and it suddenly dawned on her that he was digging a bed.

By the time the Keeper turned back to her, Lani was grinning again and she reached up to give him a lick on the chin. It was difficult for her to show it properly, but she was touched by the gesture. "Sure thing, sweetie," she said, slipping down into the comfortable nest. "Ah, how comfortable! Such a nice thing…" she said, beaconing him to join her with a wagging tail.

Ahote
Male | 46 | Fighter
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Ahote watched while Resin and Raka exchanged words, and though he was too far to hear, he knew from her solo return that she had not found them alive. The thought saddened him, but at the same time he was glad that the Alpha had been able to lay them to rest. Soon enough, she had scooped up the little black pup and made her way to his side.

Smiling a bit, Ahote welcomed her silently, making room for her to rest beside him. She too was quiet, and he assumed had she wanted to talk she would have, so he simply curled himself around her as best he could and left her to the grooming of Raka.

Soon enough, the warmth and comfort seems to relax her, and after her long and difficult night's work, Resin drifts off to sleep. Gently, Ahote sifts slightly and turns his head to her, licking gently at her fur to groom away some of the dust from her digging in much the same way she had cleaned Raka. For a moment, the pup too stirred and he paused to look over him, but he soon settled down to rest again. Smiling a bit, and feeling at peace with his makeshift family, Ahote turned back to his duties, cleaning resin and waiting for the rest of the pack to wake.

For the moment, sleep was still far from him, and though Ahote would probably tire early in the afternoon, he was not yet ready to sleep again. As it was, the days had been getting longer and the steadily rising sun brought with it a bit of life and he would pause every once in awhile to watch as the birds flitted from tree to tree.

[Resin]

((And with that, we're going to do a time skip. This will be a few weeks later. Everyone that was previously injured has had enough time to heal sufficiently enough to travel once more.
I hope to see you active again soon, Soriams! Damn life!
I'll write up the first post after the time skip in just a bit))

[BlackJaguar]

((Ah it's good to hear from you again Soriams! I understand the life thing, this summer has been a whirlwind for me. I'll be glad for the bit of a timeskip too, it'll let everyone "rest" while at the same time let us go ahead along with the plotline. I'm gonna be busy tonight (birthday!), but I'll post tomorrow. Love you guys!!))

[Resin]

((---Time Skip---))

~|Resin|~Alpha Female|~ 40 Summers|~

Weeks had passed. Kills had been made, feasting had been done. The pack was fit and healthy. Even those that had been grievously wounded were now fit enough to travel once more. They weren't at their peak performance yet, but they had already wasted so much time and the alpha's paws were itching to continue their journey.

"Come now, you lot." She called to them all one morning. Every single wolf seemed alert and happy. If she told them that they could stay here, she doubted that any of them would complain. that would not be the case, however. "We've healed our wounds and returned our bodies to the shape that they should be in. We have lived well here for the past several weeks, but alas, it is time to move on." She stopped for a moment, her citrine gaze alighting on each face to gauge their reactions. "This is not the place for us. Our journey does not end here."

There were some rumblings of agreement and others of complaint. They were tired of travelling and she understood that, but she would reach the red forest with or without them. "I'm going to scout ahead a bit. Be prepared to move out within the hour. Heed Ahote and Hrafn." And with that, she turned and made her way South.

The day was bright and slightly warm, though a cool breeze gusted every now and again. Her giant paws left a clear trail for the pack to follow. There would be no chance of snow covering them or of the sun melting them away. Her walk turned into a gentle lope. All seemed well for at least two miles ahead of the pack. She'd just turned and was about to rejoin the pack when an enticing smell caught her attention. Rabbit blood. Moving to the side, Resin's eyes lit upon half of a rabbit corpse, it's blood soaking into the earth. Who would let such a thing go to waste?

As she padded towards it, the world was swept out from beneath her. With a loud yelp, something encircled Resin's rear right leg and hauled her up into the air. She struggled, her heart beating loudly in her ears. What was going on? What sort of beast could do this? Resin fought to calm herself. Closing her eyes, she tried to even out her breathing enough to focus on her sense of smell.

Instantly her eyes were open again. The scent was faint, but it was there. Two-leggers. They had made this. Her paw had begun to throb and her hip was aching from the rest of her body weight. She tried to howl for help, but it came out much quieter and choppy than she planned. She doubted that anyone even heard it. Blood had rushed to her head and it felt as if her eyes would pop from their sockets. The last thing that she thought before she lost consciousness was 'I hope they reach me quickly.'

[Kawiku1]

Raigho
Male
46 summers
Packmate
Hunter
No crush
Tagged:
Open to
interact
with
Emotions:
Concentrated

Grimacing and holding back the urge to pad off with distaste within his amber eyes almost immediately as he listens to the whines and pitiful growls occur and echo amongst the slightly scattered pack, some closer to the back to chitter like nervous squirrels to whisper of their worries while the wolves near the front present themselves as true warriors or leaders only to cower back at the sounds of a wolf misplacing their paws onto a leaf, Raigho padded forward, merely thinking and mumbling towards the two wolves Resin appointed as leaders that he was to hunt in an area not to far from the pack.

The male continued forward, his bulky structure rippling with muscles as he slinked forward, his ear twitching to the occasional squeak of fear to the uneasy caw from prey that hid in the undergrowth which he easily went through to the high strange canopies he couldn't reach that resided birds that seemingly alerted the small animals that could possibly fall prey to the wolf passing through, Raigho spoke or showed nothing of the sort that showed the small creatures around and within the forest that he was interested in hunting them.

Still walking and padding through the forest in a smooth slinking manner, the wolf, about to turn his pace into a quieter and sneaky manner while starting to thrust his chest to the ground to turn his posture into one that would show any wolf that he was to hunt, the grey wolf with mixtures of chestnut and black, notes a mysterious and almost desperate call erupting to his left side. Raigho almost immediately noting that it showed vulnerability and the fact that she, the high pitch of the cry revealing its gender, is somewhat calling for help. Listening and waiting for the chocked out howl to reside, leaving behind nothing, but silence.

The male, still comprehending how it somewhat sounded familiar, slowly made his way to the source of the howl, seeing that a howl of desperation and leaving behind the wolf in danger is a cowardly move, just as much as suddenly going straight to cry without a second thought would be thoughtless. Quickly planning out his strategy to approach the she wolf, Raigho, finally coming close to what seemed like the source of the weak howl, the grey wolf slowly got his chest to barely touch the ground, keeping his rump up as he slinked over to what seems to be where the fae resided in.

Still slinking towards the call, Raigho suddenly stopped behind a bush as he was about to make his next action, hesitation overcoming his movements of approaching the cry, as if trying to see if what he will come will be a danger to himself as much as the desperate wolf trying to call for help. Trying to wonder if his stopping was a cowardly move, the grey wolf finally stood up, straightening himself and his forelegs as he slowly padded forward, his head still low as if trying to duck a swooping eagle while he kept padding forward, his tail wavering as he revealed his body and possible identity if this was a wolf form his pack, the scent strongly familiar now.

About to search for the she wolf that cried for help, Raigho stopped, suddenly noting a wave of rabbit blood and scent overflowing his nostrils and widening his eyes, finally raising his head up in the process as he was able to see what occurred to the fake. Noting his own leader, now hanging from a tree like a piece of trapped prey, her hind leg sticking up in the air while a strange thin, strong and long object twisted itself around Resin's hindpaw and hanging her entire weight off the ground, the grey wolf said nothing as he simply stood their, trying to comprehend what occurred, the grey wolf suddenly allowed a small growl to emit his maw as he said quietly,

"Is this two legger's work.."

Before raising his head to suddenly unleash a loud howl, one that spoke of strength as it echoed around him, and could be possibly heard by his pack, seeing that if he left the leader, humans will suddenly throw themselves at the hanging and vulnerable leader to do things he did not want to picture.

((Hello everyone! My name is Kawiku1, and just a few days/weeks ago, I joined Race against Nature. Excuse me if my intro sounded so abrupt or sudden. If you would like to know me better, PM me or just ask me here! Hope to make all of your acquaintances and possibly friends ))

[purpledirewolf2019]

Яακα
\ Male / Loner \ 1.5 moons / With the Pack \ Hrafn /

Weeks had past since Raka's incident, and he was just starting to get back to normal. Under Hrafn and Resin's care, the young black pup had regained a bit of weight and grew slightly bigger, as most pups do. Even though he was still shy around his new packmates, he had started to come out of his shell a bit, especially around Hrafn. The big black look-alike was the one Raka felt closest too, since that was who originally found and rescued him.

Raka had been resting with Hrafn when he heard Resin's voice. Tiredly he raised his head, blinked and perked his ears. He was still getting used to the way packs worked. He knew that this wasn't the place that the pack was meant to stay, but he didn't even know where they were going. After Resin left to go scout, he tilted his head to look at Hrafn. "Where are we going to go Hrafn?" he asked curiously. As he waited for an answer, he started to stretch with a yawn.

After a little while, his sensitive little puppy ears picked up a strange noise. It sounded like a weird howl, but it was choppy and very quiet. Raka froze as he ears swiveled to hear more, but nothing else sounded. Believing that it was just his imagination, Raka dismissed it. That was until he heard a much louder, confident howl. Now the black pup knew something was wrong. The howl came from the direction Resin had gone. "Hrafn! Ahote! Something is wrong. Someone needs help." he explained frantically to the nearest of the two. There was no way that he was going to lose a member of his new family.

[Keith-Kogane]

(Hey guys, I'm back! So sorry for leaving in the first place. I'm excited to bring back Xani. Also, if I say or type something wrong because of interactions I've missed, please let me know!)

Xani
- Female - 21 - Beta -

Xani wasn't sure how much time had passed since the pack's encounter with the two-leggeds, but it had been a good while. Everyone seemed happier and more in shape now, which almost brought a smile to the fae's face. She had become well-adjusted to her duties, and a bit more well-adjusted to everything in general. The time spent resting had done the pack good overall, though she had started getting antsy as of late. Now, her wish was granted and they were finally moving on once more.

As Resin stepped up before the pack, Xani turned her eyes towards the older fae. She listened intently to her words and huffed once, pleased to be moving soon. Hopefully nothing too drastic lay ahead to impede their travels. She was anxious to get moving. While the pack had rested in this area, they had managed to pick up a pup. So far, she hadn't really interacted with him. She'd been mostly on her own, just thinking and running guard duty.

Ever since her conversation with Hrafn about her past, she had been a bit on edge. While she now had someone to confide in and relate to, she felt rather vulnerable. If no one knew anything about you, they held no leverage to use against you. Now that he knew her more closely, however, she felt almost scared. He could use that knowledge however he wanted, though she highly doubted it would be in a way to harm her. Still, she had been tense and almost avoiding of the pack as of late.

Now that Resin had left and they were moving out again, she wanted to remain closer to the pack and be prepared to get them all going safely. As such, she found herself surrounded with the pack. Shaking her head, she hauled herself to her feet and moved towards the front of the pack where there were fewer wolves and sat herself down in the snow with a huff. Half of the wolves behind her seemed glad to move on, while the others seemed almost upset at the prospect of travelling once more. "I wonder what's taking Resin so long..."

Just as she said that, a howl came from up ahead. It wasn't that of Resin, which Xani knew rather well, but it still sounded like it was in trouble. Narrowing her eyes, she sprung to her feet and sought out Hrafn and Ahote. The new pup, Raka, was just pointing out the howl to both of them as she arrived. "Something's wrong. One of us needs to go see what's up. If one of you wants to follow, that's fine, but at least one of you needs to stay with the pack." Without waiting for an answer, the beta turned and bounded off in the direction of the howl.

[BlackJaguar]

(Welcome back Leo, we missed you! Also welcome to the story Kawiku!)

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

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Attican had been resting comfortably about 20 yards away from Hrafn and the higher ranked lot. His chest expanded and fell rhythmically despite the fact that he was only dozing. The time that had been passed in the clearing and the surrounding forests had done good work on the Keeper and the work that his body had to do had been given. His left side of his face had sealed completely now with only a single horizontal scar. A perpetual crooked wink in place of his lost eye. Through his own deliberation and with a tad of encouragement from Lani, he rejoined the face of the Pack not shortly after that one nighttime together and even had told a few stories during ScarPaw's resting juncture. In all it was just a hard thing to accept and tell others that he had been unable to serve them in 100% safety, but after hazing out any rumors and explaining things as they had happened all questions were absolved. At first the pups would cower, hiding behind each other or mother's and sitter's legs, but with a kind word and the enticements of a gentle story even they too came to accept their Keeper's new appearance. Overall Attican could not ask for any better outcome

As the gray brute rested sounds wafted their way into his ears, adding themselves into his self-conjured little daydream. Flashes of color and images played in his mind, a mixture of both reality and subconscious playing a part in his head. He was sprawled out in the snow, long limbs outstretched in a recumbent running stance, parallel to the ground. His nose twitched, scents from his eastern side blowing from a breeze.

"No thanks.." He mumbled, speaking to who-knows-what in his semiconscious state. He had laid down about a minute or so after Resin had left, figuring that it would be of best value to get any spare rest he could to make up for the probable lack of it that he would get later. He hadn't intended to slip into almost slumber this far, but with the ground all of a sudden becoming very comfortable it became instantaneously inevitable.

More time passed, the Alphess's scouting adventure extending much longer than what could mostly be assumed. Even in rest Attican's feelings became uneasy. Perhaps it was his experience in the past that told him that something was up, his ears potentially picking up the faint sounds of distress, or maybe his internal clock, but without much reasoning behind it his dreaming turned sour. A great wolf now stood in front of him, its coloration or other features essentially obscured from his vision, rendering him unable to tell who it was. In fact all he could really see was its outline. The figure paced a few times, taking a few steps before pivoting around and coming back the way it had been, tail flagging from time to time. Confused, Attican tipped his head, tipping it in the real world too. Finally, and with a touch of ferocity the wolf barked, white teeth gleaming sharply at the Keepers face. The action woke the Elder up instantly, his leg instinctively scrambling underneath him so that he rose. He blinked twice, his ears flattening to his broad head.

Something was not right.

Twisting his head backward Attican's amber eye quickly locked onto the mini group of Ranks. Xani was nowhere in sight but both Hrafn and Ahote were still there, accompanied with the new young pup Raka. Wasting no time to question his instinct he sauntered forwards, head low. A grovelly sound rose to his throat, but he left it there, instead clearing airway as he padded up. "Where's Resin?" He asked flatly, no definition in his voice. "Something is wrong and she needs to know."

Attican had no idea that it was in fact Resin who was the one in danger, but from the look on the other two brutes faces it seemed that they too had his same type of notion of awareness of something.

Pilot

32 - Fae - No Rank

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While the weeks of rest was good for many of the wolves of ScarPaw, it quickly became old for Pilot. While she could not complain at all about the safety and the wonderful convenience of being full and the healthy feeling that came with it, after her long time of travelling it was hard to comply with becoming completely stationary. It simply seemed impossible for the fae to stay still for so long. Oftentimes she'd fill her time with pacing the outskirts, unintentionally acting like a guard or sentry for the mass group. She'd had some interesting conversations with Wolf (who had a surprising amount of questions on the most basic things it seemed), which was always a welcome change of pace and good excuse to use her voice, but overall besides him and the occasional friendly exchange with Lani, the wolfess found herself preferring to be alone.

Whenever there was a hunt Pilot would be right there along with the Hunters, trying to fill her time the best she could with anything available to her. Being a packmember with no true rank she typically just filled in the gaps, lightly beginning to understand the quiet working solitude that Vali lived within. At times she wished to ask him about it, but as it was the thought was of course futile being as that he would not answer. More than a few times the blonde fae thought about asking others, but it seemed rather prying to be asking about someone else. Was that he simply wouldn't speak, or that he maybe physically couldn't?

Regardless of it all however the days passed and it couldn't come soon enough that the Alpha told them that she was scouting out a ways to see where their next line of movement would go. Despite the sooncoming facings of the unknown Pilot physically perked up at Resin's words, wishing that they could depart right then and there. A few more hours though wouldn't kill her and with the anticipation alone it was enough to keep her happy. Pulling herself up to her feet the fae shook her pelt out, the bits of snow that had blown on her back spraying themselves outward radially.

So what to do until then?

Most of the Pack was spread out in a loosely created circle, settled halfway between the clearing and the start of the trees. The snow was clouded with various pawprints, the skies having been clear of new snowfall for some time now. In fact in some areas of where the sun shone the most the white powder had melted just slightly, creating a thin crust on top. Her smaller paws crunched through this thin layer as she walked forwards spying a familiar white figure as she passed. Pilot's head bobbed to the female, continuing on her way towards the trees. She figured one more round would do her some good, warming up previously lazy muscles.

[Kawiku1]

Raigho
Male
46 summers
Packmate
Hunter
No crush
Tagged:
Open to
interact
with
Emotions:
Concentrated

After finishing his howl, Raigho quickly scanned the area of any wolves, a wolf at least, to help both him and Resin, whom remains unconscious, get the alpha female out of the trap. Opening his jaws, he emitting a small growl, slurred with a bark, in hopes of at least trying to wake up the dark grey wolf, his ear twitching uneasily at every sound that surrounded both him and the fae still hanging from the tree. Still a distance away from the female, as if in fear of coming closer and stepping into another trap, the male slowly stepped forward, his forepaw touching the ground almost gingerly as he scanned the area once more, including the trees around him, as if daring and wondering if humans will spring out to capture himself and Resin.

Despise seeing no danger, Raigho continued his technique, one slow step before scanning the area with caution, only to take another step. After finishing his very slow stepping, the male finally made his way in front the alpha, that still stayed hung by the strangely strong thin line. Tilting his head forward, now close to Resin's muzzle and closed eyes, he, then nudged the female while grunting out in his usual manner, hiding the concern in his gruff voice, Raigho said quietly," Resin, wake up." Saying his words, Raigho continued searching the area with caution, not wanting any humans to appear, but kept watching for his packmate, or even a rogue to discover them.

[Soriams]

((Yay! Welcome back Leo! And Welcome to Kawiku as well, that was a lovely intro post!))

Ahote
Male | 46 | Fighter
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Ahote climbed to his feet, and shook the snow out of his fur and took a few steps to stand next to Resin while she addressed the pack. Just that much was a relief to him, to be able to move his pelt without the scars across his flank hurting. The few weeks they had spent resting and eating well had done him a world of good, though it now appeared that many of the scars would be permanent. Great Wolves healed fast, and even after the few weeks had passed there were still places where the fur had not quite grown back. The rest of the scared skin had a coat of short, fuzzy hair that looked like the fuzz on a newborn pups' head. No doubt he had heard more than a few comments about his fuzzy baby-butt, but to these he could only laugh. Unlike Attican, Ahote had already been more than humbled once in his life, and saw fit to take the injury as it came. At this point all he could ask for was healing and to be of continued use to his pack.

Over the past few days, he could see the need to move on growing within his Alpha, itchy paws, he father would have called it. He knew better than most that the vision of the red forest was still strong within her, and there was no doubt in his mind that they would be moving on soon. Therefore it was no surprise that she roused the pack and left Hrafn and he to get the lead out and move the pack onward. As he watched her lope off into the melting snow, a small smile crossed his face and he shook his head. She always was one to take the lead, even if it meant leaving others to do the literal work of it.

Motion to Hrafn to go one way, Ahote set off in the other, nosing pups and speaking with elders, urging them all to their feet and to collect their thoughts as they prepared themselves to move forward. Closing the circle, he noted Xani, the Beta, who was doing the same and was grateful for her help. Wolves could be a painfully tedious creature to motivate when food wasn't directly involved, and the relative comfort they had enjoyed the past few weeks meant many of his pack mates were quite resolute in their wanting 'just a few more minutes' before getting to their feet.

Just about the time Ahote and Hrafn had finished their loop and were about to set off, a worried howl broke the silence and the pair was swamped with concerned wolves. First to pop up was Raka, who had been close to Hrafn to begin with, and the pup came running to tell them what they already knew. Then came Xani, who offered them sound orders and immediately set off to investigate. Looking towards the black wolf beside him, Ahote motioned for Hrafn to follow. "You go. I'm still not fast enough to keep up with her," he said, knowing well enough that his leg had yet to fully heal. Even now he tended to skip if he tried to move too quickly, and it would be a long time of working out the tightened skin before he would be able to sprint normally again. Swallowing, Ahote looked up to see Attican approaching them with much the same worried look on his face, and he turned back to Hrafn, calling out before he could get too far. "You bring her back safe, you hear?" he said, worry plain in his voice.

Ahote's affections toward Resin had only grown deeper over the past few weeks as they had time to speak with one another. With that too his worry for her safety had heightened tenfold, and already he was kicking himself for letting her go off alone. Not the could have stopper her if he had wanted to, but even she should know it could be dangerous to scout ahead alone.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Ahote turned to address the Keeper. "She has gone ahead to scout... But we all just heard an alert, so Xani and Hrafn are going to investigate," he replied, looking over Attican. Something had definitely disturbed him, and Ahote knew well enough to trust the Keeper's instincts. "Hopefully they will find her quickly and see that she returns," he stated, looking around at the now mostly roused pack around him. "But as it is, we should get this lot moving as well. Can you help me, Attican? With both Xani and Hrafn gone, I've no one left to take up the rear," he asked, showing a bit more authority than was normal for the middle-aged fighter.

Looking down for Raka, Ahote forced himself to smile a bit for the pup and gave him a lick on the head. "Thank you for telling us something was wrong, Raka. We're going to move now, try and keep with everyone else and let me know if you hear anything else," he said gently. He knew that the pup had grown quite attached to Hrafn, and he hoped that he wouldn't go wandering off looking for him.

Moving to the head of the trial left by the others, Ahote called the pack to attention, and let them know that they would be following the trail left by the others. "Keep together and move quickly and quietly. Remember, just because we haven't seen them recently, it doesn't mean those two-legged monsters aren't still out there somewhere," he said, remembering all to well the injuries they had inflicted upon Attican and the one he had fought. With that, he set off at a smart pace, a bit quicker than a walk, but one that everyone should be able to keep up with.

Lani
Female | 57 | Hunter
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Attican was sleeping, again, and Lani had wandered off to speak with some of the other females whom she normally liked to share gossip with. However, she was quickly growing bored with their banter, as it seemed no one had anything new to talk about. It was all just the same-old, same-old little rumors about the budding relationships within the pack. Did Resin really want Ahote to be and Alpha? Was Raka really just a lost pup that Hrafn just happened to find, or was he really Xani's and she wanted nothing to do with him? After all, the two did have a striking resemblance. And then there was the matter of that scraggly newcomer who followed the Beta around like a lost pup. What was the deal with him? One thing was for sure, he was dumb as a rock. He and the other newcomer, Pilot seemed to get along well enough, but what the two of them could talk about for so long was a complete mystery. All of it was old news, and Lani had heard it all ad nauseam. At least they had stopped clucking about Attican and Ahote's wounds. That was old before it even started. As it was, she was sure she and Attican were the topic of more than a few conversations, but that was almost impossible to get wind of. That was the problem with gossip: it was all juicy unless it was about you, and then you couldn't nip hold of even a scrap.

Luckily, Resin got up and announced that they would all soon be moving on, saving Lani from an afternoon of pointless banter. This set the group abuzz with great revelations and mutterings about where they were going and why, even whispers of visions and destiny. This was much more to her liking and Lani indulged herself for awhile, every now and then looking back to see that Attican was still resting and no one was moving yet. Pilot walked by, and Lani nodded to her. The little golden fea was a promising hunter, and they have had many interesting talks, meaning that she truly enjoyed her company. For a moment, she almost hoped that Pilot would join them, but soon enough she had wandered off. She couldn't blame her, even she was starting to get bored just sitting around waiting.

Suddenly, a worried sounding howl reached their collective ears, and the pack grew silent for a few moments. At once she recognized the voice as belonging to Raigho, one of the hunters she regularly went out with. The brute had insisted in going out hunting earlier, even though everyone had a full belly and they would soon be moving on. She couldn't blame him really, things were starting to get boring. It seemed to stir up Attican and all at once several wolves rushed the Ranks, as though they hadn't heard it too. Letting out a snort, Lani extracted herself from the group she was with to plop down not far from where Attican stood next to Ahote, and listen in on what they had to say.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much conversation to eavesdrop on, and soon enough Ahote had scampered off to the the head of the pack, calling for them all to get moving. Getting to her feet, Lani looked up at the head of the group, then back to where Attican was. Why was everyone going to look for Resin? Didn't they know that was Raigho calling out? With a huff, she got up off her fluffy rear and sidled up to Attican, running her body along the length of his then slipping past to flick his nose with her tail. She looked back over her shoulder at him then took off, running to catch up to Ahote. She knew full well that he had no time to play, she just simply couldn't resist teasing him a little.

Easily catching up to the patchwork brute at the head of the pack, Lani slowed her pace to walk next to him. "Ahote, you know that was Raigho, right? He and Pilot and a few of the other hunters are still out and about. I'm going to go round them up before we get too far," she said, clearly not asking for permission. On his end, Ahote already knew that it would be a waste of breath trying to talk Lani out of anything, and he simply nodded, sending the white Hunter scampering off ahead with her nose to the ground as she tracked the others.

The first scent she picked up was Pilot, and Lani ran after her, quickly catching up to the slim female. "Pilot, wait!" she called, as she ran up to her. "Did you hear that howl? That was Raigho... We should bring him in before he gets left behind," she said, as though she already knew Pilot would help her.

Wolf
Male | 20 | Straggler
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In a stark contrast to Pilot and Xani's life of traveling, Wolf's entire life seemed to be nothing more than one long idle monotony, and he quickly found ways to amuse himself when they decided to stay put. The current of which, was digging a hole. A massive, deep dirt-slinging hole. As the snow had begun to melt, so too had scents begun to rise up out of the thawing earth underfoot, and he had come across the m pst delightful smell the other day. Now, determined to find it's source, he had started digging for it. Before long, his claws had cut through the snow, and he was down into the black earth underneath. Oddly though, the smell still seemed to be beneath him, and he continued to dig in search of it.

Not so far from the pack that he was out of earshot, Wolf was at least far enough away to ensure that no one was spattered with the mud and leaves he turned up. By now, most of his upper half had been swallowed by the growing depths, and at the sound of Resinalpha's voice, he popped up out of it like a gopher, ears pricked forward while he listened to her talk. He was genuinely interested in what she had to say, as most of the time it seemed to be something important, like going on a hunt or something. Not that he would go on a hunt, or ever even consider helping them with that part of pack life, but he still liked to know what was going on.

This was something different though, and it seemed as though the group of them would be moving on soon. Listening, Wolf sat back in his little swath of destruction, and wondered just how it was they knew where they were going. Or rather, how Resinalpha knew where they were going, because everyone else pretty much just followed her wherever she went. However, there were no explanations for any of his questions, and soon enough she had leapt away, leaving the others to deal with the chaos that ensued.

Being the outside observer, Wolf had no idea what was going on or the intricacies of coercing unwilling bodies to move. So he just sat back and watched until a howl sounded somewhere off in the distance and everyone began to move towards it. Out of earshot of the other conversations, he simply assumed that it was the signal to leave, and he got up and shook out his shabby pelt before padding back into the group. Situated someplace near the middle, he followed the others as they slowly began to move forward.