Divided We Stand (A Packs Roleplay, OPEN and ACCEPTING)

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Interest intensified with his answer, too many points of his story left blank for her to deny the allure of mystery that it held. Emily half wished that she had in fact come across such a loner that fit his description, if only to see what kind of brute could be at the other end of this one's tracking. She gave a faint hum in response, unfitting but needed as she had no way of amounting her interest into speech just yet. They were both aware of his reluctance to divulge further information to her, which she pointedly thought of as silly. What good would being secretive do for him? There was nothing she could offer that would hinder him, in fact anything she gave would very much be an aiding force.

"I hope he is enjoying his time while he still can then." she mused lightly, casting a careful assumption that the brute in question had days that were numbered. There was no way that Jesse could be looking for someone to simply bring back to wherever they hailed from. Their species did not do well on the ends of leashes. A lightening in the trees had her ears flickering again, and she let her head tip gently to one side in a motioning nod for him to continue following beside her as she veered from their path. The gentle crush and kiss against her paws of the unmarked forest floor rustled faintly with her steps, and there was a distinct heaviness in the air that bode of the silence brought on by the greater forces of the forest being close at hand in the area. It would not be long before they would have to be making conversation with beings other than each other.

[*~WolfSoul~*]

Jesse felt a distinct touch of relief when the fae's only response was a noncommittal hum, hoping that the topic would not be pressed further. If she hadn't seen anyone fitting Beau's description, then the usefulness of giving her more information greatly dwindled. Against the cost of discomfort that came with trudging through memories to give replies, it simply wasn't worth it. Another dryly amused snort escaped the heavy brute at her next comment, following only with a noncommittal hum of his own, rumbling low and husky in the depths of his throat, though he undisguisedly tilted his face away from her line of sight so that his expression was hidden, the flicker of bitterness and sadness playing out over his face invisible to the dove's eyes. It lasted but a heartbeat, then he was turning his face again to catch Emily's cue for him to follow as she veered from their path.

He made no further comment on the subject, eyes peering through the trees ahead even as he gritted his teeth faintly against the irritating brush of leaves against his shoulder. "What's your Alpha's name?" was his change of subject, pale flank ghosting closer to his escort for a half-beat as he avoided the outstretched claws of a twig that would have otherwise swiped at his wound.

(Heading to bed now, good night guys!)

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A blink and you miss it lifting of a lip was her reflexive response to the brief nearing of his flank to her own, whereas previously they had maintained a distance that had neither been shrunk nor widened out of anything other than a loose connection of their walking almost vaguely together. It was a voiceless snarl, and she was glad that it had occurred on the side of her face that was angled away from him, for there was no time anymore for misunderstandings between the two. Emily lifted her chin in an appraising little glance his way, the quickness of it letting him instinctively know that she did not encourage getting nearer to her than she had allowed, even as no true ill will was put forth for the motion. The fluff lining her ears felt heavy with the backward flick of the appendages as he voiced a simple enough question, a brow arching in mild self reflection rather than in reaction to him. "Gemini." she answered, voice holding a certain curtness in her soft rasp that neither built up the baron in question, nor spoke down of him.

Her dark lined eyes could cut out the irregular figures out of the light ahead of them through the trees, and she felt a faint cold finger of decision making slowly stroke its way over her spine. Dark paws slowed to a simple stop, and her head lifted to allow her once again regal look of observation as she allowed them both a moment to catch the flickers of darker moving bodies ahead of them in what she knew to be their dragging of the moose carcass. It was still too unclear to see how many there were, for they were more shadow than concrete beings, but she could still pick out the smokey undertones of her Alphas scent playing against the spiced richness of the moose. "I think.." Emily's gray depthed eyes again flashed their lightness over to her companion, and she regarded Jesse for several long heartbeats with half narrowed eyes. "I think I would like you to wait here." she finished, extending her head in a slow dip of a single nod as she voiced this as more of a gentle request than any kind of order. Gentle in the sense that it was diplomatically spoken, leaving room for him to argue against it.

She had no doubt that the hunting party could very much already be aware of them, but she was counting more on her own return to the more home-based area of the territory to sway whomever the party could be from them collectively coming forth. Emily would much prefer getting her own announcement of returning out of the way before also coupling it with introducing Jesse, more for her own prides sake than anything else.

((in limbo then))

[*~WolfSoul~*]

In response to the quick but not ill-willed jerk of Emily's chin in his direction, Jesse returned the favor in a very mildly exasperated look of his own, recognizing that she held no grudge in her knee-jerk reaction yet conveying in the faintly impatient raise of one brow that his mistake could hardly be helped. The expression was one of most mildness, hardly a purposeful response but seeming more an automatic reaction that he must have been used to giving to someone he was far more comfortable with than Emily. All the same, the next time a branch threatened to brush close to his shoulder, he ducked around it the opposite way instead of nearer to his escort.

Gemini. Jesse found it odd how impassive the dove's voice sounded when she spoke her Alpha's name, his own ears accustomed to some emotion coloring the pronunciation of a leader's name, be it admiration, respect, hatred, fear or some other variant in between that gave a name a connotation. His pale paws stopped then in time with her, white toes standing out against the soil, still dark with dampness from a storm. His eyes flicked in her direction briefly though lingered nowhere in particular before the muscular baron swung his gaze back around to peer through the trees at the shadowy movement of company ahead. At her next words, Jesse found himself surprised by the distinct pliability of Emily's announcement, ears perking forward to center on her as his grey eyes focused on her quizzically. A beat of silence, and then the foggy hue of his gaze sharpened as he narrowed his eyes, casting another look at the flicker of movement through the trees. A thoughtful hum rose from the depths of his chest, the sound of it so thick and low that it faintly resembled thunder as the light falling through the canopy above played over the statuesque stillness of his face. "Alright," he rumbled at last, voice low and hesitant only because he failed to guess at her motivations for wanting to go ahead on her own, though he could see no real reason to press for a different course of action.

((A reward post for me, since I got Stuff done today))

[Nellas]

((All my other replies are partially done atm))

Clarence wasn't actually surprised to find himself pleased with the strength n'Obi clearly possessed, not when he regarded out of the corner of his eye the stranger's strong-shouldered frame. As they continued, despite the concentration required to haul the massive body of the moose in any cohesive direction, even with help, part of Clarence's attention remained on the two wolves at his side. At the admittedly unexpected slowing of their pace as n'Obi stopped and let go, Clarence transferred the weight of the carcass he was carrying to the ground and brought his deliberate gaze up just as n'Obi laid a very large paw on Gemini's thin shoulder.

Immediately the air was charged with tension. His muscles tense and the angle of his dark mouth set firmly as Clarence consciously stopped himself from an instinctive baring of teeth. Instead, his vibrant blue eyes shone across the barrier of Gemini's back as if they were capable of piercing n'Obi's hide. There could be no doubt as to the sharp intent of warning and protection in the beta's deadly serious expression.

There was a breathless moment, and then all n'Obi did was smile and give a murmur of advice. Clarence's ears remained pulled forwards as his gaze slipped downwards to Gemini's face, upturned in n'Obi's direction. After another beat, Clarence's gaze flicked back up to n'Obi again, seeking to meet his eyes, searching his features for any perceived ill intent. There seemed to be none. Paired with n'Obi's earnest earlier behaviors and his current smiling, relaxed-seeming impression, the threat Clarence immediately jumped to was not apparent.
Clarence's demeanor loosened almost imperceptibly with his slight exhale of breath, though the stranger's paw in contact still with Gemini kept the tension in the air; in such a position and with such a size difference between the two it would be all too easy for him to harm Gemini. Still in a pause, his gaze dropped warily to Gemini's gold brushed features, trying to gauge what his alpha's comfort levels were before taking any action, the pause a luxury he felt he could hardly afford. Clarence had learned long ago that impressions and assumptions don't necessarily make themselves true.

[*~WolfSoul~*]

((Oh gosh, if this is Clarence's reaction to smiley N'Obi laying a good-natured paw on Gem I am so not ready for what he thinks of Jesse XD ))

[The Royal Mirage]

((Oh em gee <3 I'll have to reply to this tomorrow when I have the time, probably after my test.. but damnnnnn. Just grinning ear to ear here))

[Nellas]

((Wow, thank you <3 Clarence seems to be 'just a bit' protective of Gem, poor n'Obi))

I so look forwards to Jesse and Clarence interacting btw. I think it'll be very interesting))

Sparrow's hyacinth-kissed gaze followed Maia thoughtfully, appreciating the subtlety of the alpha's careful lope. Sending a connective glance in the direction of Lilith, the tracker waited until the other had started moving after her sister before falling into step herself. Though her muscles were growing increasingly towards fatigue at the long trek they had made, and protested faintly as she followed along, her reserve of energy was not worn out quite yet, and the natural skill showing through the smoothness of her silent-stepping tracker's lope was still apparent. Ears perked alertly at the top of her head, her nose lifted subconsciously to keep a constant attention and driven focus on the mood and position of the elk herd. Though aware that they sought not to hunt today, only to gather information for the nearing migration of the pack, Sparrow couldn't help the flippant rumble of her stomach as she caught wind of the elk's distinctive scent, of dusty, warm hides and bruised grass and wind. There were a handful of half-year calves with gorgeous full coats, and compared to the rest of the herd they were the most appealing. However, as always except on rare occasions, it was safer and more reliable to go after the older or sickly elk, and unwise to impede the growth of the herd.
As they advanced closer, Sparrow's attention was only hindered by the noticeably ample presence of crows. Curiosity well-piqued by the beating of their dark wings some distance away, she knew without thinking that their concentrated presence spoke of something decaying.

As the trio of wolves settled down again, crouching furtively in a stand of grass, Sparrow met Lilith's questioning expression with a motion; her eyes cast out across the herd to land on an older looking cow who had no trailing calf to speak of, designing for Lilith to follow her line of sight. The chosen elk seemed in fair health for one of her apparent age, but her very age would end up partially impeding her movements, making her an appropriate choice, as well as her calflessness. Sparrow was additionally glad to see that no bulls seemed to be around, knowing the added danger the presence of one would add during a hunt. Turning slightly to include Maia, Sparrow met Lilith's gaze again with a returned look of question; an acceptable choice? Of course, many things could happen in between now and when they returned, but Sparrow felt optimistic about the knowledge that a nearby herd was only a bit away, hoping it would make their potentially arduous journey down that much easier.


~

Quinn didn't fail to notice the flicker of Lilu's expression; her head tilted a hair's breadth as she tried to interpret its meaning. The warrior's lips parted briefly with a small intake of air, possibly to add something, before her bright gaze flickered down distracted as the poppy seeds were placed carefully in front of her. Showing more finesse with her paws than one might have expected from the usually vibrant and expansive energy of the young warrior, she pressed her toe pads onto the seeds, then lifted a slender foreleg to her mouth where she was able to lick them off. They tasted mostly of nothing except for a vague, faint flavor she couldn't quite place. Her injured side twinged ruefully with the up and down movement of her foreleg: her paw was set down with a certain amount of relief when she was done. A grateful green glance flashed to Lilu at her side as the medicine wolf began to tend to her worst of wounds. Lilu's comment had Quinn's lips curling in a good-natured self-deprecating response, her expression speaking of a certain brand of regret at choosing such a fierce opponent... one that was probably more than she could chew. Yet at the same time, at the memory of the battle and her eventual victory, her eyes couldn't help their narrowed slant of pride at the realization that she really had won, she had bested the wolverine. It already felt very far away, if only the hurts of her battered body were the same.
Suddenly it occurred to her that she had a wolverine pelt now to treat; it was bound to be damaged as a result of the injuries Quinn had inflicted upon such anopponent, but a wolverine pelt, even damaged as hers likely was, was valuable for its frost repellent properties. It would be fantastic to show off at the southern camp in the winter. Her thoughts came back to herself when her eyes caught on the movement playing on Lilu's face as the medicine wolf smiled, and Quinn's musings retracted, focusing again on the scene on hand as she returned a quip of a smile. Her nose wrinkled at the scent of some strong smelling ingredient Lilu had begun laying out, unused to the scent of it, but her ears perked in curiosity at what the medicine wolf was doing.

[The Royal Mirage]

Face still warm, Gemini gazed up at n'Obi and took in his advice, subconsciously reading his face not for ill intent, but for trickery. It wouldn't be the first time the young alpha had been fooled into trying something ridiculous. But at the other brute's sunny eyes smiling down at him, their glint mischievous in nature and not intent, his own amethyst orbs smiled back, the smallest of grateful smiles curving at his lips. Turning his gaze back to the moose, Gemini took an experimental hold on it and pulled, this time following n'Obi's advice; his thin muscles bunched and strained as he attempted to transfer the weight of the carcass down his body and into his legs, the wavelike motion sending him back unexpectedly. It moved! Only a little, but he had managed to do it, all on his own. With a surprised laugh his sharp fangs unhooked from the carcass, gaze immediately flashing to his other side, wondering with puplike anticipation if Clarence had seen it.

N'Obi's grin widened at Gemini's returned smile, moving his paw back to the forest floor as the alpha reached for the fallen beast. At the motion, his gaze came up to that of the shadowy beta, his entire body seeming to freeze for a moment. The look on Clarence's face, subtle as it was, radiated fiercely over the unknowing barrier of Gemini - his deep blue eyes seemed to cut through the light of his gaze, and the tribal brute swallowed audibly. Perhaps for the first time since he had arrived in the forest, the brute's smile was wiped from his face, expression gravely serious. It would be best to avoid touching Gemini again, at least until he was well trusted in the pack.

((I know it's not much, my mind is elsewhere. I'll head out and prepare for my test, then I'll be out tonight and baking up a storm tomorrow, then hosting a Christmas party on Sunday. Soo if I can't get something up over the weekend, I'll try to answer more on Monday))

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((Actually fell in love a little bit with Jesse's reaction to Emily being weird about him getting closer to her))

Emily lifted her head in a faint backwards nod of agreement, letting her head fall forward again that little bit as she half turned to face away from him again. There was another short pause in her body language as she tilted her head almost thoughtfully, watching the shadowy figures for a heartbeat more before she was ducking her head down again to pick her way through the brush. "Back in a moment," she murmured, voice more husk than anything else with the lower register of it. Her pale eyes were narrowed now as she cut her way closer to the hunting party, steps mildly noisier than her usual quiet trek as an extra flag of notice to them if they were paying attention enough.

Slipped from the thinning trees with ease, Emily's ears pressed forward abruptly with the sight that she was greeted with. As predicted, she could immediately make out the slip of her alpha nearly in Clarence's shadow as she ghosted nearer, though she arched a brow at the sight of a new wolf completing the trio. The strong scent of the moose was enough to have her gaze directed at first to the carcass again, before she was looking up to regard the others in stillness as she took pause several feet away; as carefully aloof as usual when dealing with her own pack members. Head raising again to her full height with her stop, her ears flickered as she tugged her attention away from the moose, fixing first Clarence with a glance of notice, and then letting a mildly puzzled frown to pass over her features as she spared a glance to the new baron as well.

It was clear though that she didn't care for either of those barons attention or time, as her ghostly green eyes instead came to rest abruptly and completely upon the gold dusted alpha. "Gemini," she enunciated his name much the same as she had when telling it to Jesse, though this time it was faintly calling as it communicated her gentle request for his company, yet still enough of a greeting not to be rude as she added a slow extension of her neck in a nod. She had already been rapidly approaching her own entitlement of being a full fledged warrior when the dark baron had been born, though this was mainly because of her own work ethic; and while she was not truly that much older than him in the bigger picture, it had always felt at odds with her to converse with him directly. Instead they did not interact very often, and when they did it was more so on her part to inform him of things she had come across whilst tracking around the territory, rather than anything that related to personal affairs. And only then did she go to him rather than Clarence if she could not find Clarence readily at hand to deliver the information to.