The Higher End Of Semi Literate || Wolf || Aproved Players

[Soriams]

Ollie

Ears tipped forward and practically shaking from the effort not to turn back and run, Ollie lifts her head nearly standing on her toes to get her nose high enough to reach the air as a gentle breeze blows the scent of other wolves towards them. I can't quite make out just who it is... There are so many smells on the wind here, it's impossible to tell which belong to those closest. Letting her head return to a more neutral position, she looks back to Sijac who is looking at her expectantly. The excitement she can see in his golden eyes, and the barely contained eagerness of his posture tell her that he is waiting for her to relay any information she was able to gather. Sijac has come to respect her skills at the hunt, and while his nose is keen, he cannot deduce nearly as much information as she can. His expression of elation would certainly bring a smile to her face, if it wasn't for the fear that grips her. "It's hard to tell who is out there. There are so many scents on the wind, I think there are at least six individuals in the pack, at least two males and three females... The other is difficult to pick up. They must not mark as..." She cuts off abruptly as a loud bark of laughter issues from the direction of the earlier splashes. The siblings freeze in place again, a perfect pair of nearly identical statues standing motionless in the undergrowth, all senses straining towards the direction of the voice. Almost as though some deranged god placed them amongst the leaves and forgot to breath life into his creation.
"That laugh is definitely female... So at least one of the feas is close by. And unless she is just laughing at herself, we can pretty safely bet there is at least one other wolf with her." The wistful hope Ollie hears in Sijac's voice brings an upwelling of sadness in her, and she dips her head. She knows that the life they have shared over the past year has been a lonely one for her brother. Unlike her, he has no reason not to want a pack, to share the company of other wolves and perhaps find a mate. Oh Sijac... You're so used to my scent you don't even know what's wrong with me, do you? There is no way a pack would want me to stay, I'd be useless to them. You should have left me long ago to start your own pack, sweet brother. Her thought hurt, even though she knows they are true. Yet, is very grateful that he has stuck by her side through all that has happened.
Ollie's head pulls up again, the sound of heavy paws passing over the soft loam not far away catching her attention and pulling her out of her brooding thoughts. The gentle two-beat drum of their pace means the others are approaching at an unhurried lope. Unconsciously, she backs up a few steps, putting her brother between her and the approaching pack wolves, as the footsteps come to an abrupt halt, snippets of conversation reach her ears. "Sand, we should call for Rose..." "Hush, Kipcha." She meets her brother's eyes as he looks back to her, a bit of concern finally growing in his eyes as well. Nose twitching, she is now able to pick out the approaching wolves' scent as she speaks to her brother in a whisper, You're right, there are two of them. A male, Sand from what I can hear, and the female is Kipcha... Hopefully knowing their names will give us a bit of an advantage, I doubt they will be expecting it. Rose must be a higher ranking wolf of some sort... Her voice fades as it soon becomes apparent that one of the speakers has had enough of waiting and the sound of rushed footfalls begins, glowing louder as they crash through the tender plants on the forest floor.

Sijac

Sijac stiffens at the sound of voices, close enough now that the words carry to his ears clearly. HIs coat fluffs out a bit of it's own accord and he shakes it out, trying to calm the excitement and trepidation that battle in the pit of his stomach. He nods to Ollie as she speak, admiring her wisdom at picking out their names from the distant conversation. Very good Ollie, you always were the clever one... That will be important information to have for what is sure to come. As the sound of a running wolf reaches him, Sijac setting his feet firmly on the most earth beneath him and lifts his head, readying himself for whatever is to come crashing out of the forest.
None the less, he still startles when Kipcha bursts from cover and skids to a halt in front of him. Though she rounds on him immediately with teeth bared, Sijac can do nothing but stare wide eyed at the female in front of him, head still high but tail dipping a bit behind him. Neither of the siblings have ever encountered such a creature, though similar in stature to Ollie, this wolf is definitely more commanding. As her fur raises on her hackles it sends ripples of light glinting off her nearly solid pelt. All of the other wolves that he has ever encountered had a very similar coat to his own, though in different shades of grey, they were all dappled with black and cream. The variegated genes are so strong to the south that solid pelts had all but been eliminated from the packs. In Sijac's eyes the creature in front of him resembles nothing so much as a fox, the clever canids that have often flanked them during their journey. Taking in a deep breath, he pulls in her scent, a wooded smell deep and strong of this place with something distinctly aboreal about it. As a deep growl forms in her throat, she begins to speak, still menacing though Sijac is far too surprised to truly recognize the threat. "Who are you and why have you crossed our border without permission?"
Behind him, Sijac can feel Ollie react, her ears are pinned flat to her head and she bares her teeth back at the aggressive female, though her tail is firmly tucked between her back legs. Taking a step back, he presses his flank into his sister's chest, trying to give her some silent reassurance before letting out a little huff to clear his throat, calming his mind enough to speak. "Uh... Kipcha is it?" He asks, regaining a bit of his confidence as the words form his his mind. "I apologize for the intrusion, but how exactly does one get permission to cross a border without coming in to meet the occupants?" He smiles to her then, dipping his head a bit in an attempt not to look too presumptuous.
Feeling a bit more confident from her brother's reassurance, Ollie steps forward a bit then. Her expression relaxes as the snarl leaves her face and she eyes the other wolf with more than a bit of uncertainty. Her nose quivers as she sniffs Kipcha taking in her scent, the expansion of her chest as she breaths sending ripples down her dappled coat. Though the threat of her teeth are now hidden, the rest of her posture doesn't change as she still slinks low to the ground.
Their heads shoot up again, looking in the direction from where Kipcha appeared when Sand's howl sounds off in the distance. One really would think they were twins, the way their interested expressions perfectly mirror one another. As Sand's voice carrys through the trees, echoing in a solum melody, Sijac looks back to Kipcha, ducking his head to her a bit again. Calling for the rest of the pack. I hope this goes well...

[Emberwood]

[[OoC: A little bit of a different template now xD Not as much material cause I didn't want too much to happen before you're pups got a chance to reply. Rose can either come in before or after you answer - I was a little vauge on her timeline to give you room to interpret.]]

Kipcha

The startled expression on the.. twins? faces gave Kipp an enormous sense of gratitude. She was very rarely feared or held in awe, and she decided she liked the feeling. The amount of time the male took staring at her made her feel wary of him. Did he not understand it was impolite? Did he not know basic manners at all? And the female.. She tried to be aggressive in some way, but only from behind her brother with her tail tucked like a whimpering pup who'd wandered too far from home. The pair were so strange. It made her wonder about their background - like who taught them? Their manners, and mannerisms, were so very strange. Everywhere she'd been, wolves generally knew the same behavior. But these two.. I don't know.. Her ears flicked back in distrust, then forward almost painfully to appear dominant - which, on these lands, she was. "You respectfully stay outside the border and howl an inquiry. Have you not been taught at all?" Honestly she didn't mean to be so blunt towards the end. She was just curious - they seemed utterly clueless as to basics. She couldn't get over it.
The synchrony of their movements unnerved her, and she displayed a minimal flinch. It seemed unnatural to her, and she rudely and mean-spiritedly wondered if they were somehow connected. The thought was stupid, she knew, but she wasn't feeling very gracious towards the two.

Sandstorm

His message over, and sensing Kipcha's mood, Sand sped over to the threesome, slowing before he came in to sight. He was still wary to approach the female, and rushing in was not a good idea. He slowly showed himself, a little at a time with his eyes on the male, purely to give the female time to adjust and to not spook her by staring - whether she'd take it as aggression or attraction, Sand imagined that she wouldn't feel comfortable with either. He arrived in time to hear Kipcha's tactless retort and almost groaned. His odd colored eyes swung to the red and he frowned. "Polite." He turned the aqua gaze back on the male, pausing on the sister briefly to at least acknowledge her. Speaking to both, but looking mainly at the brother, he continued. "Please ignore my friend, she's not the best diplomat. Yes, it is custom to stay on the fringes of the border until you call and someone answers back in some way, shape or form. But I've called for Rose, our Alphaess, and she'll be here shortly to greet you and decide from there. As you already know, this beautiful girl at my side is Kipcha, and my name is Sandstorm. Would you care to share your own names?" He did wonder how they knew their names - for he had no doubt that they knew his as well. But to ask would be to look incompetent, he supposed, and he didn't like for others to think less of Rose's pack. He knew that, at least the female, would have been able to detect the meaning behind his strange smell. He didn't yet know that the sister was a better scenter, but he figured that she would be able to tell due to her own abnormality.
His eyes took the pair in subtly. They were quite similar, but had a few nuances to tell them apart by sight. Scent would always be a clear indicator and he placed a lot of trust in his nose. The young female was clearly frightened. The male however was excited to a silly amount. It was interesting to see the two's subconscious and causal interactions. They were very close to eachother, obviously, and Sand liked that. Siblings should stick together, in his opinion.

Black Rose

Rose had been having a lazy day, by her standards. She'd run for an hour in the morning, on her own, as per usual. Afterwards she found herself lakeside and decided to swim to the other side. Normally a wolf would tire, but she'd grown up by the sea and used to swim farther than most. She smiled fondly as she remembered her mate Fitz's reaction. To him, swimming was weird and the sea's salty residue was unnatural. Oh, Fitz, I do miss you..
After her swim, she went to the closest border at trotted back around towards the dens. Once there she and Kenji had yet another meeting, this time with Balkar, and she sent her son away yet again. He'd been running her errands - reconnaissance, mostly - for the past several months. He searched for food, came back to tell her, and she either said don't bother or she sent him, along with Balkar and Toni to herd some back. It was a great strategy to keep her territory well stocked and peaceful.
Towards the end of the meeting, she head Sand's song rise out. His voice was a beautiful one, and once again she herself mourned the loss of his never-to-be pups. He'd be a great father. But now, his voice told of two strange wolves at the end of their river territory, and she sighed. The dynamic of her pack worked well now, but since it was a brother sister pair, there was a chance that the male would either be interested in Toni or Kipp, and it might release tension of Kipcha's and Balkar's relationship. Then again, the female could catch Balkar's eye as well, causing more drama. I left everything to avoid drama...
She finished up her meeting - resulting in the decision to send Kenji out again and leave the herd alone for now. "But stay for a bit - you'll need to meet these two and maybe help out if they choose to stay."
"Alright Ma. Want me to come with you?"
Rose looked at her mirror image with warm fondness. "No need, Ken, but thank you. I'll be back soon." She looked to Balkar and nodded at the both of them, "Until later!" She turned and sprinted off, her gait a little lopsided due to the odd mass of scar tissue on her front leg. Once there, she slowed too and walked forward, stopping slightly behind Sand, who was handling it well enough. She enjoyed seeing him in a dominant setting. It was rare enough. But she knew that he'd continue until she stepped in. He wasn't one to pass off responsibility.

[Soriams]

(( Sounds good! I normally overlap my posts with the one before me a little bit anyways. I think like the last one the end of my post will probably match up with the end of yours again.))

Sijac

Sijac listens to the howl, letting the echo die down in the distance as he studies the wolf in front of him again. Strong, beautiful, confident and... Very ticked off about something. While he and his sister are quite obviously capable of taking care of themselves on their own, it has been a painfully long time since either one of them has been in a pack situation. Oh, they know very well how to behave themselves, to be polite and to respect those who are ranked above them, that was all part of being introduced to the pack as pups. However, they were orphaned as lanky yearlings, months before they were to be accepted into the pack as adults. They never marked territory and only know if it through listening to the patrols report when they returned, nor did they have any part in running off interlopers. In truth, they had only just become efficient hunters by the time the hurricane hit.
Sijac lifts his head, ears tilted forward in a curious manner when she begins to speak again, "You respectfully stay outside the border and howl an inquiry. Have you not been taught at all?" His expression shows that, rather than hurt by her demeaning words, he is actually interested in what she has to say. Behind him, Ollie is apparently over the aggressive nature of Kipcha, deciding that she is not going to arbitrarily attack them. Their conversation is making her curious as well and she takes a few steps forward to stand beside her brother. Still nervous, her tail is still pressed against her but not quite as tucked, she listens intently.
Feeling a bit heartened to see that Ollie might actually be able to do this, to put aside her trepidation and at least try to interact. He speaks to Kiptcha in a humble, if yet still elated voice. "My lady, forgive me if my sister and I have offended you, but we have travelled a long way, and things are... Different here. It seems as though wolves are becoming something of a rarity near the River, and this is the only pack we have encountered on our journey." There is something odd about the way he speaks, as though the little stream burbling down the rocks is the only river in existence. However, Sijac brings up a sad truth. Wherever there is water, the humans are sure to be. Sending their creations of floating sticks up and down the wider channels and diverting the smaller for their own uses. The delta's boggy peat had been too soft to hold their heavy dens so it had been a wilderness paradise for the delta pack, until the sea rose up and swept them away. In between, the siblings has passed through many of the two legged creatures habitations, creeping along the river's greenway by night, an odd habit built from a child's reluctance to leave the last thing they knew behind. It also pretty much ensured their solitude until now.
Ollie speaks then, her words clear though her gentle voice wavers a bit with her apprehension, adding a bit to her brother's blunt story: "All we wanted was to find another pack... We've been on our own for two winters now and I suppose that hope got the better of us and we forgot our manners." She gives her brother an accusatory look before looking back to Kipcha.
Sijac rolls his eyes at her, though his gentle smile belays an appreciation for his sister's carefully chosen words. He looks as though he is about to say something else when the sound of another set of running paws reaches his ears and he pauses, listening as they slow to a walk. He looks up, lifting his head high to see past the undergrowth as he feels Ollie quail and back up behind him again. She has obviously picked up on something beyond me... He thinks, sarcastically chiding himself for not noticing whatever it is that has reached her senses. Preparing himself to stand his ground again, he shuffles his feet for a moment, but all his efforts are for naught when Sandstorm comes into view. Yet another stunning wolf, of a color Sijac had never imagined for a wolf's pelt, his jaw drops slightly as the male locks eyes with him, Sand's eyes are the color of a summer sky and they freeze him in place. The impressive scarring on the right side of his face marks him for a warrior the likes of which he nor his sister have ever seen. Just surviving the attack that gave him such a mark says more for his skill than any opponent's testimony ever could."Polite." Sand says, obviously addressing the red female. Sijac is finally able to blink and take a hesitant step forward as his nose works on trying to decipher Sandstorm's scent.

Ollie

When she picks up the sound of the male's approach, Ollie throws her head back and dances backwards, her eyes rolling to show the whites of her eyes for a second before she coordinates her efforts and backs up into nearby tree. Pressing herself into the trunk, she crouches, almost resting on her elbows as she dips her head towards the ground. Her mind whirls as she takes in the sight of him, memories threatening to overwhelm her control and force her to run. Yet, this wolf is so different from Sirius, the way he holds himself and his beautiful flecked coat the color of a beach, where the ocean has lapped away all impurities. There is something more about him, something that her subconscious is screaming at her to notice but she is so taken by his eyes and calm expression that she can't understand what it is trying to tell her. Breathing deeply, she pulls in his scent and her lips curl for a moment in a grimace as she overwhelms her sensitive nose. Leaving out a snort to clear her head, she sniffs again, golden eyes wide as Sand speaks to Kipcha, his soft melodious voice a surprise to her. Of course Ollie is not so naive to think that all brutes will act like Sirius, her brother is a shining example of that. However, he is also the first male she has seen since Sirius. There is something so strangely calming about this wolf... His scent reminds me sharply of something I just can't figure out what. And those eyes! Amazing!
The care he takes with his posture and soft words soothes her a bit, and her curiosity begins to take over. Ollie slinks forward a bit, still close to the ground but ears forward now as she listens to him speak. "Please ignore my friend, she's not the best diplomat. Yes, it is custom to stay on the fringes of the border until you call and someone answers back in some way, shape or form. But I've called for Rose, our Alphaess, and she'll be here shortly to greet you and decide from there. As you already know, this beautiful girl at my side is Kipcha, and my name is Sandstorm. Would you care to share your own names?"
By the time Sand has finished speaking, Ollie has managed to master herself enough to step up and stand next to her brother, only then standing up to her full height. Sijac seems to have recovered from his surprise as well and he smiles to the tawny wolf, his gaze taking in both Sand and Kipcha. "My name is Sijac, and this is my sister..."
He noses her gently in the shoulder, and Ollie speaks up, once again her voice soft but clear. "Ollie." She licks her lips a bit, the nervousness that she still feels showing as she leans forward subtly, taking in his scent again. His warm smell, almost like that of when the sun hits the sand and causes the heat to rise is mixed with an earthy, sweet smell similar to her own. He is older than she first thought, and for some reason she finds that comforting. This is a wolf who has known the world and survived, not some heedless pup bumbling through life. Though he holds his head in such a way as to make the scars less visable, Ollie still feels for him. Her own scars hurt when the weather turns, and she is certain his own still pain him.
In remembering the marks on her neck, something in her mind finally falls into place and Ollie is able to decipher Sand's intricate scent. Sterile..? She blinks, feeling her eyes water though Ollie barely understands the complex surge of emotions the rise up in her, it is surely not out of sadness. Hope that perhaps, if this pack is willing to accept someone who will never sire a litter, they may be willing to accept her.
"Thank you for the introductions, Sandstorm. And I apologize again if we have caused a problem for you and your pack." Sijac was speaking again, but Ollie only catches the end of it as she was so wrapped up in her own thoughts. Swallowing, she stands straighter, letting her posture relax again by her brother's side. A new scent reaches her, the wind bringing the scent of another female to her and she takes a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. Trying to let go of her fear and the heaviness that weighs on her insides. There is no doubt in her mind that the approaching wolf is Rose, their Alpha. Even as far as they have come there is something indescribable about the scent of a leader. As though the character of their strength and knowledge had physical form, an utter sense of conviction that was palpable on the breeze.
Once again, the siblings move in tandem when they hear Rose approach, turning their heads in unison to look at the Alpha as she silently pads up behind Sand.

[Emberwood]

[[OoC: I lol'd when Sijac called Kipcha 'my lady'... especially since they're the same age xD ]]

Sandstorm

Sadness; it rolled over him in waves. At the reaction his very careful and measured actions had on the young wolf... and to have her cowering in front of him made him realise just how fresh her memories probably were. Sand could see the sheer panic in her eyes. It made him recall his own past and similar emotions, and he tried to keep the residue off his face as the dam broke and visions of Trinity sprang forth. A tiny wolf, barely three to his then-four, and shaggy. She was the color of milk chocolate, with mocha and caramel swirls along her legs and face. Her back claimed a black stripe from the base of her skull to the very tip of her tail. Her eyes were the color of the sun, an almost pure yellow without tints or shades. She was amazing. During his time with the Traits, he was introduced to the beautiful chocolate girl. She found the pack with her mother, and they saw it as a refuge from a horrid fire. He was bestowed within seconds, and she with him as well. Sadly, it was only after they left his sight that he realized what would happen. The wolves were not pure black of pelt, they didn't have amber eyes.. they would not be deemed acceptable wolves to breed. They would be... "fixed", so they couldn't produce pups. The yellow wolf was appalled he hadn't remembered the rules earlier. He'd only just healed a few weeks ago from his own "fix". A golden pelt was no where near black, and his true blue eyes were always thought of as a defect - weak. A male's "fix" was a lot bloodier than a female's, but they were both forever devastating. The next time he saw Trinity, her tail was pressed to her stomach, her whole stance shying away from everyone. At the base of her skull, and the start of her black stripe, she was still bloody. She glanced from side to side, her eyes never settling. They glanced at Sand and skipped right by, just like everything else. At first he thought she didn't see him, so he called out. The little brown fae flinched so hard she almost flipped over, dropping to the ground and shaking. Sand froze in his steps, then turned and ran. The last time he saw her, she had just killed yet another wolf and was laughing with two other brutes about how easily it was accomplished. The change in her broke his heart, and was the final straw that pushed Sandstorm to leave the cult-like Traits.
Sand pulled himself back. Inside, he was almost gasping. Outwardly, however, he just closed his eyes and gave a quick shake of his head, as if a fly were bothering him and not his nightmares. He was so good at controlling himself it scared him. It was unnatural, and made him immeasurably sad to have lost that part of him.
As Sand came-to, he took notice of his Rose. Her black pelt had once made him furious with her, but her green eyes looked like a cool heaven in contrast to the fiery red-amber gaze of his torturers. He decided he loved Rose - and Kenji - all the more for it. His tail begin to sway happily and his cheeks bunched in the slightest hint of a smile. The two old wolves leaned on eachother a moment, a ritual acted out at each of their chance meetings.

Black Rose

Rose's nose immediately picked up the familiar strand in the female's - Ollie's scent. She spent an exuberant amount of time next to her buddy Sand that every nook and cranny of his smell had worked it's way into her heart. Which was perhaps why she immediately liked Ollie. She was a poor sweet thing, and brought out Rose's mothering instincts. The male, Sijac, was a little more.. er, frisky. But he seemed honest enough in his excitement. "No problem at all, Sijac. We need a little spice in our life every once in a while. Keeps us young." Her eyes remained on the pair, but her hip swung heavily into Sand's as the yellow huffed out a laugh. They two were the oldest, Sand at seven and Rose at almost double that with thirteen. The two often talked about side effects with age, both good and bad, and actually had a list of things that kept the pair 'young at heart'. "My name is Black Rose, or just Rose if you wish. I am supposedly the alpha here, though everyone knows that I'm just a pretty figurehead. All my wolves are very capable on their own. Anywho, what's your story, pups? It's a wonder why two wolves such as yourselves stick to this river here, and for what seems to be quite a while."
She honestly wondered about their story. Why would a brother/sister pair set off on their own.. together? Ususally they would have dispersed from the pack seperatly to look for another. And why would they bother to follow the source of water? There were many streams, especially in the mountains. Briefly the fae wondered if she'd encountered their pack while traveling here. She'd stopped and stayed with a few packs to build up her strength, but most were farther South. Still, Kenji might recognize the scent of the two's home pack - he'd seen more of other wolves than she had recently, due to his scouting. I guess we'll just wait and see, then.

Kipcha

Kipcha watched in silence. The two were getting less on her nerves now. She saw how oddly Ollie acted with Sand - she doubted she'd be any better with Balkar. She was dismissed as a possible threat in Kipcha's mind almost immediatly. The male still started, but this time at Sand. Had the two never seen other wolves before? She didn't even apply that Sijac might be looking at their coloring. Through her time in this group, she'd forgotten that her coloring was weird. She had forgotten that Sand's coloring was abnormal. She'd forgotten that Kenji was strikingly handsome, and that Balkar was quite deadly when worked into a rage. She'd forgotten that Tonrar had to kill a wolf when she was less than a year old in self defence and the defence of her youngest littermate. She'd forgotten Rose moved with a limp and whined in her sleep. The pack made her and everyone else feel insanely secure, and everyone's temperament was so incredibly well matched, that they forgot about strange things in the other's appearance or bearing because it simply didn't matter.

The perplexed wolfette studied the creatures before her as Sand, and now Rose, spoke with them. She saw the subtle differences between the two. Ollie was tan where Sijac was closer to Kipp's color up along their faces. Ollie's ruff lay less smooth than her brother, giving her a rakish look. She was slimmer where Sijac was not, and he was a tad bit taller. But their eyes looked too similar to be normal. The red stared at Sijac's eyes, trying to find flecks of another color, something to differ from his sister's for Kipp's own piece of mind.

[Soriams]

((Heh... Yeah it was the best I could come up with. I wanted him to address her respectfully but by something other than her name as a little bit of flattery but... Ah-hem... Well you see the result of that line of thought. XD ))

Sijac

By the time Rose appears, the siblings are starting to overcome their initial shock. After being on their own for the better part of two years, then being confronted by a pair of wolves so drastically different in coloration from what they are used to, it simply took awhile for it all to sink in. That this was all really happening and that it wasn't some strange dream, a netherworld populated by wolves patented after the rising sun. In a way, seeing that the Alpha was of a darker color, though still solid pelt, was a bit of a relief. The color of her eyes is impressive though, and Sijac can't help but look at them for a moment before it occurs to him that he is being disrespectful. Dropping his eyes, and ducking his head, his gaze comes to rest upon her front right leg. With the amount of scaring and damage, it is amazing that she isn't crippled. More scars... This pack had had a hard life. The thought brings a bit of worry into the pit of his stomach, and he glances sideways at Kipcha again, the only one he has met so far that seems untouched by whatever horrors were set upon the older two wolves. Far from being debilitating though, their scars seem more like badges of courage, a fortitude unrivaled by anything in he or his sisters experience. As though their memories are so strong they can't be contained only in the mind, and are carried for all to see on their pelts.
Ollie seems to be recovering as well, because her reaction to the impressive Rose is nowhere near as harsh as it was to Sandstone. If they only knew the truth of her past, they couldn't blame her for her reaction. Sand was the first male wolf either of them had seen since they left him, his life bleeding out into the frozen ground. Kipcha's welcome didn't help either, in that it put them both on edge. In all, Sijac is very proud of his sister. To have overcome all that has been thrown at them, the pain she endured, and still hold onto who she was inside is no small feat. Though she still shies a bit at Rose's approach, she stays by his side. Glancing over to her, he gives her a little smile and to his surprise, she returns it. Her tail swings slightly behind her, and apparently there is something about Rose that Ollie likes. To this point, her sensitive nature has never led them astray and her acceptance heartens Sijac, erasing any misgivings the scars from their past may have given him.
They listen to rose as she speaks, and seeing the way she interacts with sand as well as her gentle, almost sweet voice soon has Sijac's tail wagging slowly behind him as well. "My name is Black Rose, or just Rose if you wish. I am supposedly the alpha here, though everyone knows that I'm just a pretty figurehead. All my wolves are very capable on their own. Anywho, what's your story, pups? It's a wonder why two wolves such as yourselves stick to this river here, and for what seems to be quite a while." Her humor appeals to him and there is just something about her presence that exudes security, a sense of home. Thus, Sijac needs no further coxing to share their story.
"Black Rose... A true pleasure to meet you and your pack-mates, Kipcha and Sandstorm. He says, smiling a bit and looking at each of them in turn. "My sister and I were once wolves of Delta Pack, from the lands to the south of here where the River meets the sea. The land is all very different there, so I guess I should explain a bit. It may seem small now, but if you were to follow it, the River grows until you can't see the other side. Delta pack lived where the River splits, forming many channels that slowly make their way to the ocean." Lifting his head a bit, it is obvious by his expression that Sijac is proud of his heritage and speaking of their homeland still holds some warm memories for him. But as his mind travels forward, his happiness fades, replaced with a sense of loss. Ollie nudges him gently, urging him to continue though it is almost not necessary to know that what comes next is far from happy. "In our second summer, when Ollie and I were a year and a half old, the sky over the ocean became angry. An enormous storm blew in and it's raging winds ravaged the delta and our pack. It kicked up the sea and sent the saltwater racing in over the lowlands, sweeping many away..." Sijac pauses for a moment to swallow before continuing. "To my knowledge, we two are all that is left of Delta Pack."
Sijac pauses again, shaking his head and receiving a tender lick on the ear from Ollie in encouragement. From their interactions, one can plainly see that just as much as Sijac is Ollie's white knight, she is his rock. The thing that keeps him grounded and pointed in the right direction. "For awhile, we tried to stay in the fenlands, but then winter came and..." His voice trails off abruptly and he turns to look at his sister, meeting her eyes questioningly for a long moment.

Ollie

Ollie meets her brother's gaze, almost as though they share something between their golden eyes that the others cannot hear. She then turns back to the others, actually looking at each of them for the first time. Her expression is stale and dark as she picks up Sijac's story exactly where he left off. "And we decided we couldn't stay on the delta any longer. There was no one at all left for us there and nothing to hold us back. So we left, and began to follow the River north, away from the sea." There is no doubt that there are things left unsaid about their first winter, but from her expression it is obviously painful. "We have been traveling ever since, and that was two winters ago now. Always sticking close to the River and sheltering on it's sandy banks. We haven't seen another wolf since before the storm. So when we came across your border, we thought it was a sign... Like we were meant to find you." Next to her, Sijac smiles when she steals his words from earlier, enjoying it like a personal tirumph. Ollie continues quickly, not wanting him to gloat too much. "I think the humans are what keep wolves from the water, there were many of their stone dens along our path. Sometimes foxes share these places with them, but having experienced them, I can see why wolves would want to stay away. Though when we passed through the grasses just before finding these hills we smelled the traced of the smaller dogs... Coyotes? I think mum called them? We used to share some land with them on the delta..."
Ollie realizes that she is rambling now, her anecdotes adding nothing to the story. So she trails off, looking a little embarrassed from her long speech. She smiles weakly, looking back to Sandstone before ducking her head to Rose again. Neither one of them can bare to think of Sirius as a wolf. In her mind, he was nothing but a monster, something better left for dead than worthy of the title wolf. Like her brother she is heartened by the sight of rose, for Ollie, the thought of being granted shelter under the likes of such a strong and kind fea sounds perfect. Under her rule, one such as Sirius would never be tolerated.
Despite the fact that Rose is nearly twice the size of the largest wolf Ollie has any memory of, she immediately likes her. Perhaps she can sense the mother in her, or it is just that seeing a fea who is respected is balm to her bruised soul. Either way, most of her fear has ebbed away through the conversation, and she stands taller now tail in a neutral position, showing a hit of the smart, capable young wolf that has traveled so many miles with her brother.

[Emberwood]

[[OoC: SOOO sorry this took so long. I got distracted by nighttime zip lining, and also, I started this thing three times, and my computer kept diing cause the battery is poop. ]]

Kipcha

Kipcha was a little bored with the two new wolves. She was the first two see them, now she wanted to go tell the pack about them. Besides, they were a little strange, especially this Ollie character. She had a cowardly reaction to Kipp’s appearance, but her episode once Sand came up was just confusing. After hearing that they’d been alone so long, the foxy little fae imagined that they were just under socialized. Not my problem… Once they finished their combined speech, Kipcha turned to Rose. ”I’m gunna head back and make sure we’ve got food available. I think Balkar has a fresh cache buried close that we can dig up.” She waited for Rose’s nod before bounding away, glancing back once more at the two newcomers. They did intrigue her, but she still disliked adding such wildcards to her perfectly serene life.
Minutes later the silken fae arrived back at the dens, exited to share about the new wolves. The three others were waiting, milling around, for Rose to return. Kenji stood immediately, tail waving. He did like the slightly older fae as another sister, just as she liked him as a brother. Though Kenji was a year younger, Kipp looked to him as an older brother. He was so much more worldly than herself. He was so mature for his age, as were all of Rose’s offspring. Though they didn’t live with the pack, they did travel wither her to make the pack, and then gradually they left for their own adventures, so Kipcha had met them all at one point or another.
At the same time, Balkar lifted his sleepy head and thumped his tail. He’d been busy lately and hadn’t seen her in a while. The big brown brute was so oblivious to her feelings for him, his reaction to seeing her usually made the whole thing worse. Because he did generally like the girl, but he couldn’t see her as a possible mate. So his greetings were usually sincere and excited to see her, and she just…took it the wrong way.
As to Toni, she glanced up at the smaller, older fae. She knew that Kipcha didn’t really like her, and she knew it was because of Balkar. But she didn’t want one wolf’s opinion to dictate her friends, and she harbored a few negative feelings for the red wolf for that reason alone.

Sandstorm

Sand knew immediately when the incident happened, just from watching Ollie and Sijac’s facial expressions. His tail lowered and his eyes glanced away, away from all the others. He let out a small but audible sigh. Oh little girl… It was strange, he supposed, but Sandstorm felt extremely protective of Ollie already. Maybe it was because she reminded him of Trinity, or maybe just because he felt bad for her, or sympathized. He knew that Sijac was probably even more so protective of his sister, but he doubted the young male knew exactly what his sister lost. Sand doubted that even he himself didn’t fully comprehend. Yes, he knew the loss of pups, the disability of passing on not even his own genes, but those of his parents whom he greatly admired. Sand’s siblings – just four of them – never made it out of infancy and his parents never produced again. After he was born, the alpha of their pack found a mate and it was only those two who had pups since. Sand’s parents were now dead, and Sand was the last of their blood. It would die with him, now, and he hated that his parents would die with him as well. Ollie still had Sijac’s genes to represent her parents. But for females, pups were much more than continuing a line. They were part of them, they grew inside of them. They were nursed by the mother, taught by the mother. It was much more than the joy of seeing mini wolves with their father’s eyes and their grandmother’s pelt. He couldn’t describe what exactly it was for them, because he nor any male would ever know, nor did they ever expect to. So some would say it wasn’t the same loss – that of a sterilized male versus a sterilized female. But it was close enough, and Sand’s own loss, which he’d previously thought he delt with, was refreshed by just the presence of the female. Perhaps that’s why he felt so strongly about protecting her, emotionally at least. Oh, he knew she was probably capable defending herself, but so many wolves were insensitive to the subtle smell that told all.
When her eyes glanced over him, his ears relaxed, his tail lowered in the slightest, and he gave a very slight, toothless smile. He did everything he could to seem non-threatening to her. For some reason, her wanted her to feel safe with him. He could tell she felt at ease with Rose already, and he knew she sensed the same nurturing instinct in Rose that he did when he first met her, fresh and bloody from his escape. He’d had a nasty infection in the gash along his throat, and he was almost delirious with fever. She nursed him back and almost adopted him – they traveled together from pack to pack before settling. He was with her when she first met Fitz, he was with her through eleven births. Her children were like his own. They were incredibly close to each other, and he liked that Ollie saw the better part of Rose. Once upon a time, Rose was one nasty character. She pushed everyone away and loved to pick fights. But as she grew older, she matured. She could still kick some butt, but only when something of hers was threatened. When Kenji, Toni and the rest of Rose’s first litter were born, Sand saw what happened to an interloping wolf. The wolf, a female, wanted pups badly enough to try and steal one of Rose’s The wolf barely walked away with her life. He knew Rose still had that in her, but it didn’t show up all too often. He was glad that Ollie already felt comfortable with the large female. Maybe it would make her feel.. stronger, knowing such a wolf had people completely dedicated to her, enough to lay down their own lives in order to preserve her’s.

Black Rose

Rose followed the pair’s story, knowing they were leaving out details. She didn’t know that Ollie was attacked, just that she was sterile, so she didn’t think of it. As soon as Ollie finished, Kipcha interrupted. Since she actually had a polite idea, Rose sent her back despite knowing she just wanted to gossip. She then glanced at Sandstorm for his reaction to the tale. She found him with his eyes on the girl, and Rose found that odd. She knew Sand would have no interest in her as a mate, as he’s told her several times that he’d never take one, so she wondered about his interest. He glanced over at her then, sky and grass meeting, and she saw his approval. She was still iffy, though. The pack as she had it was close to perfect. It was small, manageable. All the members worked well together. She didn’t want to mess that up, but she liked the girl, and she saw Sijac as possibly an extremely valuable asset. One can never have too many young wolves. ”Well my dears, it seems as if you’ve had a rough time. You’re more than welcome to either pass as you wish and follow the river, or you can stay with us. We’re not very large, but we’re pretty close-knit. If you want, Sand and I can show you the way back to our den and introduce you to the others. It’s up to you.” She smiled, her tail waving invitingly. She supposed the wolves needed a break from their trials, and her calm territory was just the place to relax.
She hoped she made the right choice. She knew the three back at home would like them – why wouldn’t they? But Kipp’s reaction could turn out to be problematic, and Sandstorm’s was just puzzling. Sand’s probably bothered her more, because in the years that she’s known him he’d been pretty unflappable. He very rarely showed his true emotions, and never before had Rose seen through him easily enough. It concerned him, and subconsciously some of her trust in Ollie receded just by that alone.

[Soriams]

((Oh! Zip-lining sounds fun! Yeah, I know how it is to loose crap on the 'puter... Stupid things, can't live with them and if you live without them people look at you funny. >_> Anyway, a bit more overlap in this post, so I hope it isn't too confusing...))

Sijac

Listening to his sister finish their story, Sijac has to chuckle a bit at her rambling. It reminds him of when they were pups, because every time they got in trouble Ollie would ramble on in some impossibly long story out of nervousness. They very seldom made sense in the end, but did seem to have a disarming effect on the irritated adults. Either they found the pup's grasping at reeds just to delay the inevitable punishment amusing, or they were so confused by the end that they forgot what it was they were angry about in the first place. This time though, she actually seems a little embarrassed by it, perhaps because her mouth just got away with her. Sijac nods to her, his gentle smile giving her his appreciation for finishing the story, and looks back to the pack wolves to see their reaction.
No sooner do his eyes return to Rose than Kipcha pipes up. ”I’m gunna head back and make sure we’ve got food available. I think Balkar has a fresh cache buried close that we can dig up.” He meets her eyes again briefly as she receives permission and bounds away gracefully in to the woods and disappears. He looks at the spot where he red tail vanished for a few moments before bringing himself back to the two wolves still standing before him. Such a beautiful pelt, a fiery color that no doubt matches her personality. I wonder how many wolves there are in this pack? Sijac, being young and naive from his time spent traveling, simply doesn't understand the fae's reaction. In his mind it is just because they are interlopers and he doesn't see the fact that she quite possibly doesn't like them. At all. Thus, he is rather interested in speaking with her again.
Looking back to Rose and Sandstorm, he notices the soft-spoken brute's eyes on Ollie. Sijac subconsciously puffs himself up a bit, but then just shakes out his coat. He really seems to have no harsh intentions, and honestly did take some care in his approach. Just the same, Sijac studies him, his gold eyes lingering on the equally golden wolf for a long moment before moving on. After all, Ollie is his sister, not his mate. He really has no intentions of keeping her from speaking with whomever she chooses. However, he was more than ready to defend her should she attract any 'unwanted' attention.
It is then that Rose speaks, breaking him away from his musings. ”Well my dears, it seems as if you’ve had a rough time. You’re more than welcome to either pass as you wish and follow the river, or you can stay with us. We’re not very large, but we’re pretty close-knit. If you want, Sand and I can show you the way back to our den and introduce you to the others. It’s up to you.” By the time she finishes, Sijac's tail is wagging behind him, earnestly and openly excited at the thought. "Yes! We'd love to come with you to the den! ... Well, I mean if Ollie wants to anyway..." He stops, looking a bit embarrassed and glances back to Ollie who lets out a snort of laughter and nods her approval to him. Grinning, he looks back to the Alpha and takes a step forward, his posture submissive, but betraying the joy he feels inside none the less. See Ollie? I TOLD you this was a good idea! I mean, look at them, this is a strong pack and they are even going to see if there is some food for us. Isn't this better than running from dusk 'til dawn every day? My poor legs will finally have a rest! His sister steps up beside him, tail wagging a bit as well and Sijac practically dances with anticipation.

Ollie

Ollie watches the fox-pelted female disappear into the forest. Towards the end, she had actually seemed to be rather reasonable, but her greeting left something to be desired. What a temper! I wonder if there are others in the pack that share that trait? She ponders the thought for a long moment before dismissing it. The three wolves she has met so far have no blood relation to one another, and it is unlikely that there would be too many others in the pack that don't follow their alpha's line. Glancing sideways she sees Sijac watching her leave as well, and it makes her smile a bit. Good for you, brother. I know I have keep you from seeking out another pack for so long... I hope she is a bit kinder to you in the long run.
Turning back to the others, her ears tip forward again and she looks at Sandstone with a curious expression. Despite her trepidation, and the general uneasiness that wells up inside her being this close to a brute again, he makes her insanely curious. In the devastation that followed her realization of just what it was that Sirius had taken from her, some childish part of her had been convinced that she was the only wolf in the world who would never be able to have a family. A broken thing, an abomination, something abnormal that just plain shouldn't exist. But now, here stands a male, a beautiful and handsome brute, though perhaps a bit rugged with the scars crossing the right side of his face, afflicted with the same disgrace as she. Her nose flares a bit as she takes in his scent again, savoring it as she unconsciously rechecks the information she had already deduced. That childish pup still lurks inside her somewhere, telling her that what she thinks of Sand can't possibly be right. Though she is dying to speak with him, a sudden upwelling of shyness makes her look away when she sees his soft smile. Why should he want to talk to me anyways? It's probably only out of pity that he looks at me anyways. Conflicted inside, she is confused as to what to think and how to feel. Seeing him gives her hope, but at the same time she can sense the sadness in him and that just confirms her loss.
She lifts her head when Rose starts to speak, her tail beginning to swing slowly behind her. Sijac's excitement is contagious and she holds back a laugh. He's acting like a pup, invited to go hunting for the first time. Her resolve breaks though when he blurts out his desire to go with them and she laughs. Happy if for no other reason than to see the joy on his face, she nods to him her agreement and steps forward as well. Doing her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach she stands next to him, playing off his excitement and smiling.

[Emberwood]

[[OoC: Haha it was very fun! And no, this wasn't confusing in the least. Is Sijac crushing on Kipp just a bit there? xD ooooh... lol And now I'll get to introduce everyone else! Oh boy.. Once again, not much to go on, just because I didn't know how to go about getting you to the site xD lol I dunno]]





Black Rose

Both Sand and Rose laughed at Sijack's excitement, their warm chuckles blending like a melody. Maybe this won't be bad at all... The salt-scented black fae whisked her tail before turning to Sand. "You're good with this too, with..." her voice trailed off, but Sand knew what she was taking about. Rose truly didn't understand Sandstorm's reaction to Ollie, but he'd had almost none with Sijac. Either way, Mr. Sandy, you and I are going to have a private chat... and soon! The yellow brute nipped his alpha on the jaw, admonishing her for being rude. She flicked her ears back in apology and turned towards her guests yet again. "In that case, follow me back to the main site. I can't wait for you to meet everyone!" She turned and loped away, knowing they'd follow. She didn't know if Sand would, too, but she supposed that wasn't of any worry, so long as he didn't go missing for a week again.

Sandstorm

Sand's ears perked at the sound of Ollie's laugh. It was the first he'd heard it, and it made him laugh too, as well as Rose. His tail began to wag behind him until Rose turned to him and asked that ridiculous question. Hmm.. perhaps I've been a bit obvious in my curiosity. Fact in point, he did see Sijac swell when he caught the yellow wolf watching Ollie. Well, wasn't that slow of me... Suddenly the wolf gave his entire body on giant shake, his fur flying comically. He pranced a step or two in place, watching Rose lead back to the den. He turned to the two and began speaking softly. "You've met Kipp, and there's one other female, Toni, who's Rose's daughter and just a bit younger than you. And then her brother, Rose's son, Kenji, who looks exactly like his mother. He's a bit smaller now, but there's no doubt he'll grow larger very soon. He's very kind hearted, though, a little playful but harmless to friends. And then Balkar, a nice-sized brown male who's, I think, four. He's very quiet and very loyal." The male was doing his best to prepare the two, but mainly the girl. The two males he mentioned were pretty intimidating before you get to know them. He didn't know what the brute who attacked her looked like, but with the wide variety of colors in this pack, there was a greater chance of hitting on it. He wanted this to be a safe place after years of running. He glanced to where Rose was slowly disappearing. His eyes followed her a moment and, with a happy wag of his tail he trotted after her.

Kenji

Kenji looked up from his paws when his mother came in. Kipcha'd briefly told them about how odd she thought the new wolves to be, then convinced Balkar to show her where he'd burried the remainder of the deer he and Kenji'd found. It was a bear kill, but the bear had left, so the two wolves drug it back and burried it. Kepp and Balkar were on their way back with the meat, leaving Kenji and Tonrar to themselves. While they were waiting, the siblings had caught up with eachother. Kenji'd been gone for a few weeks this past time, and he was leaving again soon.
When he saw his mother, the big wolf stood, his tail wagging, and bent to lick under her chin. He was possibly the worlds biggest mama's boy, which off-set his looks dramatically. He was a big shaggy black wolf in his prime, and he was riddled with battle scars. Due to his 'job', he often ran into other wolves, and most were not very friendly. Being the favorite son of Rose and Fitz, he learned how to fight, and do it well, early in life. His lips were scratched with scars, and his ear had a few holes torn in. He didn't have any dramatic looking marks like Rose or Sand, but he definatly had a very powerful feel to him, and did intimidate others easily. From what Kipcha said, the girl had a pretty intense reaction to Sand - the most gentle male he'd ever known. Maybe she was as shy to all males, or heck, maybe even all other wolves, period. Konwing Kipcha, she probably went in blazing as bright as her fur and didn't give the girl a chance to react. But Kipcha's description of the male almost made him want to meet him standing up. She said he seemed a little full of himself, and in Kenji's experiance that got old fast.

Tonrar

Tonrar enjoyed spending time with her brother. Before they moved here, the two had been almost inseparable. They ran around together day and night and where ever one was, you were sure to find the other. But since coming here, Kenji'd been going out for weeks at a time and only staying with the pack for a couple days in between. She'd missed her brother and the two caught up while waiting for the newcomers. With a stretch, she, too stood at the sight of Rose coming through the thick bushes that surrounded the den site, and knowing that the new wolves were close behind only made her wag her tail in excitement. Toni didn’t put much stock in Kipcha’s report. She knows what a gossip the fae is, and how she plays up to Kenji and Balkar each. She also knew that she didn’t like the thought of other females around the two wolves, and that her judgment might be clouded from that. Toni’s plan was to pretend she’d heard nothing about the two and just judge for herself. It’d been a while since she met other wolves outside the pack, outside family.

Kipcha

The little red wolf was quite content, at the moment. Yes, she was preparing to introduce two new personalities to her life, but she figured she’d either like them or be able to ignore them. But the main point was that she was happily dragging back a nearly full dear with Balkar right beside her, gripping the still-connected doe just half a foot away. Their shoulders brushed against each other’s with every step, making Balkar chuckle, which made Kipp laugh too. Her fluffy tail waved fast and high, while Balkar’s swayed with contentment. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and sighed. He truly was a handsome wolf, mostly brown, with faint black markings along his face and back. His chest and stomach were lighter, and his nose had just one corner pink, but you couldn’t see it unless you squinted just right. He had a small tooth mark in the tip of one of his ears, just tiny tinny teeth, and to her it looked like puppy teeth. She wondered about the story behind that one.. He had muscle upon muscle, more beefy than lean. He just looked.. male. A sweet shiver made it known in her bones at the thought. But sadly, just then she broke through the barrier of the bushes to the dens, and she knew her time alone with him for today was up.

Balkar

The big brown wolf was truly a happy creature. He always had been from puppyhood and it never really went away. Oh, he was a fierce competitor, but only because his trainers made it into a game. When it was spelled out for him, he could become serious and intense, but he never was the brightest animal. He was sweet, he was fun. But he seemed to have his head in the clouds most of the time. He was never complicated, but one hundred percent loyal. It took a lot to get him riled, but once he was, he was truly a sight to see.
The thing about him, though was his hidden past. He’s been with this pack less than a year, and before that no one knew him. No one knew his past, or the people from his past. And they assumed it was nothing special, due to his low watt light, but he’d been through quite a bit. Perhaps the reason why he didn’t look at Kipcha as a mate – or Toni, for that matter – was because he’d blocked himself off from that thought in his mind. Tried it once, didn’t work, over and done with.

[Soriams]

((Heh... Common, you can't blame the boy! He's been stuck on a road-trip with his sister for two years, he's bound to be a bit goo-goo eyed for just about any skirt! You have to admit Kipcha would be quite striking to a wolf like him. LOL Anyway, I'll try to add on a bit to this one so you're not stuck picking up right where you left off again.))

Sijac

Sijac watches Rose and Sand for a few moments, curious about their half-finished conversation. Humm, I wonder what that was about? Us no doubt, but it seems as though Rose expects Sand to have some point of contention? Sijac might be young and inexperienced, but he is clever enough to know when something is up. Beyond that, his mind is on overdrive reaching and grasping at the tiniest of things just to try and learn a bit about this... No, hopefully his pack. When Rose turns and begins to address the siblings again, Sijac hops forward a bit, excited to meet the rest of his new family. "In that case, follow me back to the main site. I can't wait for you to meet everyone!"
He would have bounded off after her, practically stepping on Rose's heels if Sand hadn't turned to speak with them once again. "You've met Kipp, and there's one other female, Toni, who's Rose's daughter and just a bit younger than you. And then her brother, Rose's son, Kenji, who looks exactly like his mother. He's a bit smaller now, but there's no doubt he'll grow larger very soon. He's very kind hearted, though, a little playful but harmless to friends. And then Balkar, a nice-sized brown male who's, I think, four. He's very quiet and very loyal." Sijac listens impatiently to his descriptions, ears turned to the side, his eyes constantly flicking away from the yellow wolf towards the hedge-line where Rose's form was slowly disappearing from view. In all, the most Sijac really gleans from the whole spiel is that there are about the same number females in the pack than there are males, and that there is no alpha male. While that does make him rather curious, he is far too excited to dwell on the thought for long. As sand finishes, he nods and charges off after Rose in step with Sand as the older wolf decides to head in the same direction.
Not of a completely impetuous nature, Sijac catches his stride to match up with Sand's and keeps in time so that his nose is even with the other's shoulder. Behind him, Ollie dances on her paws for a moment before following the other two, close on her brother's tail as all three trot lightly over the mulch and clinging moss. Following Rose's trail, Sijac's ears swivel back behind him, listening not only to his sister as she easily keeps up with the two brutes, but the slowly receding sound of the river as well. He knows that by their current course, this will be the first time they are out of earshot of the river in a very long time. Though the thought makes him a bit nervous, he is far more interested in meeting the rest of the pack and cant be bothered to dwell on the thought any longer than a passing moment.
As they come to the dense screen of sumac and currant bushes, Sijac pulls back a bit, waiting for Sand to lead the way through the brambles. Squeezing in behind him, he slips through the leaves and comes out into the den site. The canopy is much less dense here and he stands blinking in the sudden light. When his eyes finally adjust, he can see Rose is already being greeted by what looks to be a mirror image of herself. Doing a bit of a double take, he lifts his nose and takes in the scents of the area. Far too intermingled, and lacking in the knowledge of the individuals who live here, the entire area is quite simply saturated with wolf-scent to his nose. Beyond the pair of black pelts, he can see another silver she-wolf with markings similar to his own though without the reddish tinge they are in the colors of smoke and storm clouds. Her tail wags in excitement and that brings a smile to his face again as he takes a few more steps out into the light. Somewhere off to his right and slightly behind him, Kipcha and another large brute appear, dragging in the carcass of a deer. It appears that this end is the main entrance, as the other three sides are rimmed with high hills, their sides dropping steeply to the ground at the edges of the den.
A bit overwhelmed from all the activity, Sijac pauses for a moment, just taking everything in. Ollie makes her way up next to him, leaning on him heavily for a minute. Turning his head, he licks her cheek, letting her bury her face in his ruff for a moment. "You ready, Ollie? We should go meet the rest of them." He asks her in a quiet voice, doing his best to curtail his anxiousness to reassure her. Somewhere beneith his fur, a soft voice answers him meekly. "Ok..." With one final nudge of encouragement, he walks over towards Rose and her son, tail swaying excitedly behind him. He tries to contain himself and approach respectfully, but his joy is plain on his face as he smiles to the alpha and the other black pelted brute. Dammit, what did Sandstone say his name was again? Drawing a blank, he ducks his head, tail still wagging as he waits for Rose's cue.

Ollie

Ollie smiles happily when the other two wolves laugh with her. However, her smile fades as they turn to speak to each other. She literally holds her breath until Rose turns back and invites them to follow her back to the den. Letting out her bated breath in a ragged sigh, Ollie does her best to psych herself up to look strong and confident. Ok Ollie, you can do this! Don't go in there with your tail tucked, looking like some weakling pup... They're just wolves. Plain, normal wolves like mum and dad were, not some crazy loner. Rose wouldn't have that kind of wolf in her pack! No way! Besides which, you silly fea, what the heck are you afraid of? You have nothing they would want anymore anyways! Her chiding always seems to evolve into some sort of putdown, but at least it has the desired effect and she takes a few steps forward next to Sijac, who is looking ready to bolt after Rose before Sand started to speak.
Her ears tip forward and she listens intently as he describes the rest of the pack, barely moving in her concentration. Two more males and Rose's daughter... So six total in this pack. Listening to the descriptions, she does her best to memorize them in the short time she has before Sand turns and goes to follow Rose. Sijac is practically on his heels, and she has to run to catch up to them. Loping close behind them, just about the only thing Ollie can hear is her heart thumping in her chest. Now closer to Sand than she has ever been, his smell reaches her in waves, somehow reassuring but at the same time a painful reminder of the past. She wants to turn away, save him from the pain she feels even though she knows it is impossible.
Before she finishes her thought, Sand has disappeared into the sumac and Sijac with him. Standing where she is, she can pick up the combined scent of the pack, Rose and Sand still fresh on the leaves in front of her. The rest beyond the thin screen of leaves, though they have all passed by here recently. Steeling herself up again, she takes a breath and pushes her way through the hedge. Ok Ollie, you can do this... She recites the entire speech in her head again in the time it takes to pass under the bush and come out the other side.
Opening her eyes wide, Ollie shies a bit from the scene in front of her. There is no doubt in her mind that the large brute greeting Rose is her son, Kenji. From his puppyish greeting it is obvious that he is still young, and yet he is huge. He is three quarters the size of Rose herself and still growing. A ruckus sounds in the brush to her right, and Ollie's head snaps around to the source of the sound. Nose flared, she backs up pressing herself into the bushes when another large male appears with Kipcha. Though the food they are dragging in smells wonderful, she is far too overwhelmed to be hungry. She squeezes her eyes shut, searching for some some last shred of strength to hang onto.
She opens them just in time to see Sijac take a few steps forward, and she spots a friendly looking she-wolf who wags her tail and smiles to them just beyond Rose. That must be Toni... Focusing on the silver fea, Ollie finds enough courage to join her brother in walking into camp. Once at his side, she buries her face in his fur, breathing deeply to take in his reassuring scent. He lets her lean on him for a long moment before coaxing her to move with him and she agrees. She pulls herself up, trying not to slink as she follows Sijac towards rose. She does a reasonably good job, but her posture belays her skittish emotions and her tail stays tucked. Though to her credit, she does manage to force a smile to Toni, her tail wagging gently beneath her. When Sijac stops next to Rose, she is immediately at his side, pressing her tail to his side and ears swiveling in every-which direction as she looks on.

[Emberwood]

[[OoC: Lol wow.. yeah, I suppose that's true. And yay! Lol I'm sorry for the wimpy last post. They were all just kinda milling around, waiting for your guys to catch up..]]



Black Rose

Rose turned to look behind her when she heard Sand and Sijac break through the foliage. She waved her tail, proud to show off her family. Moments later she saw Ollie hesitantly step through, but she was side tracked by Sijac's rather enthusiastic behavior. It made her chuckle. "Haha, alright, alright. Settle down, now.. Sijac, Ollie, this is my son Kenji, and my daughter Tonrar. You've met Kipp, and the big ole brute with her is Balkar. Everyone, this is Sijac and his sister Ollie. Be nice!" The huge fae nipped her son's neck to get him to speak. Once he started greeting the new wolves, Rose smiled and walked over to Tonrar. The grey fae gave her mother a lick on the cheek in greeting. "Toni, I think we might need to keep an eye on Kipcha's reaction to the siblings. She seemed awfully jealous while I was greeting at the river. I don't think she'll do anything horrible, but you know how sharp her tongue can be.." The two looked at each other with a little worry. Kipcha wasn't really rational at the best of times, and as she was the last to join the pack, Rose had no clue how she'd react to new wolves. So far, it wasn't going very well. "I just hope that everything will settle down and they'll get to know her in a normal setting. Except to you, she'd really not that bad. She's just jealous because you hang out with Balkar more than she does." The two chuckled knowingly. It really was true - to everyone else in the pack, Kipp had really good qualities. It was just insecurity that made her a little neurotic.

Kenji

As soon as his mother introduced him, the friendly brute turned to the newcomers and smiled. His eyes and nose took them in, finding differences immediately, but also a strand of familiarity. Maybe he'd crossed their scent trails a time or two - it was possible. He'd been a lot of places lately, and crossed many trails in his travels. He also caught that strange scent on the female, and, like his mother, he knew what it meant. He just didn't know she was attacked.
Either way, if his mother approved, they had the potential to be great. He grinned and waved his tail high in the air behind him. "Hey there. I'm Kenji, obviously. I'm actually not around much on a day to day basis, though, but I will be for the next couple days, so we'll see each other a bit. I'm usually out of the territory, urm.. scouting, I suppose." He didn't really want to explain his activities at the moment. Some thought of them as underhanded, but he worked hard to help his pack. He reported back all wolven activity within a certain radius around the territory, and prey herd-movement patterns as well. When they were running low on large game inside the territory, he and maybe a few others grouped up and chased a herd into their territory. They made sure to never hunt on someone else's territory, mostly taking animals from no-man's lands, but he did admit to stealing a portion of a herd from the neighboring pack a time or two. If it helped his family, he’d do it. No matter what.

Tonrar

Toni watched and listened as her mother introduced the two. She could see the female.. Ollie.. was very skittish, but not nearly to the extent that Kipcha described. She returned the smile the wolfette sent her, tail waving. Dramatizing, again.. She was about to head over to them when her mother came up to her. The silvery fae smiled and greeted Rose – she loved her mother very much, and tried to emulate her at the best of times. When she began to speak about Kipcha’s unstableness, Tonrar grew concerned and her eyes sought out Ollie. She could easily see how Kipp could destroy her. She was already a little unsteady here, Kipp could tear her apart. Toni vowed then to try her best to keep Kipcha away from the new wolfette. She nodded to her mother before trotting way and towards the group gathering. Kenji stood facing the two wolves, the female standing just behind her brother’s shoulder. Behind them, by the bushes, stood Sand, who hadn’t moved since coming through them when he led the siblings back. He looked almost like a body guard, a tall blonde brute with a few nasty scars standing still behind them. It made her wonder, a little bit.. but not much. The sweet fae smiled at the pair, her tail waving. ”Hey there! I’m Tonrar, but call me Toni. I’m Rose’s daughter, Kenji’s sister. Welcome home!”

Balkar

The sweet brown wolf cleared the bushes with his eyes closed – he’d had them poked enough to develop the habit. Immediately he saw the new wolves, and he waited a moment before dropping his portion of the doe to the ground. With one bunny-like hop he leapt over it, landing lightly on the other side before trotting over just as Tonrar welcomed them. He grinned and turned to her, ”Beautifully put, Toni.” His huge shaggy head swung back around to face the others. He wanted to introduce himself as well, but had a feeling that the girl was a bit overwhelmed. He lowered his shaggy flanks to the ground, and smeared the dust behind him with his tail. The sun caught on his chocolate fur, lightening it just a few shades and bringing forth undertones of reds. The tiny line of white on his chest was the only thing breaking up the solid coloring. From his recent activities, the smell of fresh Earth, dead doe and the surrounding bushes. There were also undertones and hints of the ferns he’d been laying in, in the forest behind them.

Kipcha

The red’s head jerked down a bit when Balkar suddenly dropped his side of the meat. She immediately dropped her side as well, bouncing back on her heals to avoid it landing on her feet. He was gone before it landed and she frowned as he made his way over to the group.. including both the new girl and Toni. Her lips pulled up in anger, but she saw Rose glaring at her, and she dropped them. Her fur, which had been rising, smoothed out. She focused on the five wolves in front of her.. well, six, including Sand, who stood somewhat away from them. Only she and Rose were away, but Rose was slowly making her way back to them, her limp making her gait no less graceful. With a huff, the slinky auburn fae sat down and began licking her chest and legs, her back turned to the rest of the pack. She didn’t like the addition of the new wolves, and she planned to make it obvious.

Sandstorm

Though the golden wolf was large, compared to the majority of the pack he looked skinny. He was easily as tall as Rose, but his choppy fur lay thin along his sides. He’d always been a thin wolf – he grew up the runt, but he did grow tall and long. While other’s fur was shaggy and almost puffy, his was course and thin. His sides were skinny – his rib cage went almost straight down, only curving at the very tip, while others grew outwards, full and round. His legs were longer than normal wolves, but not obscenely. He just had a lanky look about him. The scars along his face were obviously very noticeable – a huge disruption along the side of his face, and almost his entire right ear vanished, but his thicker neck fur did a fair job of hiding the mass over his jugular. Another scar stretched down the inside of his left hind leg, up to his stomach. He looked formidable compared to anyone, but with this pack – especially Rose in the same area, he didn’t look all that tough.
His eyes quietly took in everyone’s reactions to the two. What he saw made him proud of his pack. All but.. He sighed as he made his way over to Kipp. He swatted her back with one massive paw, making her turn around with a quiet snarl, which cut off when she saw who it was. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off, his voice low and serious. ”You will be nice to them, Kipcha. At least be civil. Get to know the two of them, then make decisions. Please.” The fae nodded, and Sand smiled. The two turned back towards the group and joined in, standing between Rose and Tonrar. Sand knew that Rose wanted the whole pack together for this, so their scents mingled and declared them. His bright blue eyes peeked out from the dark mask he wore, eyeing the young wolves interacting. He leaned his shoulder into his alpha, his best friend, and she leaned back. She reached up and licked his ruined hear, and he shook his head at her antics, smiling quite contently.