இ۵Ŗace Ågainst ₦atureஇ۵

[Resin]

((You have no idea how much I've missed you. I'm glad to know that you're still alive and kicking. (: Life kicks your butt sometimes and you just have to roll with it. I hope things shape up at work. Deaths... are hard to deal with, but it gets easier. I'm always here if you need to talk about it. (:
Once I'm finished with this essay, I'll reply to your lovely, insanely long posts!))

[BlackJaguar]

((Ah miss Soriams, it is absolutely wonderful to hear from you once more! What gauntlet you have been through, wow. I congratulate you on your abilities to get through it all. As Resin offered, I too would be happy to talk if you ever so wanted it.

Your writing hasn't suffered one bit though, that was amazingly done! I am very inspired to write now.))

[Resin]

((I'm rusty as nails, so bear with me. So excited!))

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

The Keepers reaction to her statement did not go unnoticed. She quirked one dark brow, but listened to his explanation. "Mm.. yes. But not like you. I could not take another mate." With a soft chuckle and a little grin, she shook her head. Had she expected a different answer? Honestly, she knew in her heart that he would never take another mate. Annu was the one for him. That didn't mean, however, that he had to be alone forever and she voiced that thought. "I'm simply happy that you've found someone to spend your time with. It makes me happy to see that you aren't alone. I believe it would make Annu happy as well."

Resin had begun to speak again when a noise up ahead caught her attention. In case it was danger approaching, the big female pulled herself to a seated position, sulfur yellow eyes trained upon the area before them. A gentle breeze wafted the scent of 'pack' towards them and the Alpha settled herself. "We have company," she said softly to her companion. A glance was spared through the corner of one eye. How would he react to this visit? He wouldn't be able to run forever.

Lani broke through the trees and, as was her way, stalked up and instantly chastised the old Keeper. Resin couldn't help but laugh when the small white female informed the big brute that his bath was waiting. She tried to cover the laugh with a cough, but the smile was impossible to hide. As the line of wolves poured forth, all of them bringing an offering for their Keeper, Resin scooted back, leaving the spotlight on the older wolf. This was his time to shine. The words of the young pup made her smile and when the last of the wolves had made their offering and left the area, Resin rose and stretched.

Licking the back of Attican's left ear, she padded slowly away. "See? Nothing has changed, Keeper." The tip of her tail swept up his shoulder as she walked away. Coming to the place where Lani sat, she smiled at the smaller white wolf. "Well done, Lani. He needed that." Then she walked past her as well and spoke through a soft laugh. "He may be ready for that bath now." And off she went. There was another that could quite possibly use a bath.

Resin was prepared to walk back to where she had left the sleeping Ahote when she saw an added pair of pawprints beside the ones that she'd left prior. "Hmm..." she said to herself. Turning, she followed the prints back to the clearing where the pack lounged and snacked. Her gaze drifted over each wolf. And there he was. A small smile tugged at the corners of her maw and she lowered her head and loped gently towards him. The pups giggled and opened a space for her. Stopping before the patchwork brute, she pressed her forehead against his then licked his cheek. The female pups squealed in delight. The love for romance hit them early these days.

Pawing up a bit of snow, the black and grey wolf deposited herself beside Ahote, her side pressed against him, but careful to not touch his wounds. "I wanted to return before you woke. You slept so deeply, I just assumed you'd be that way for a while." She worked her head beneath his chin and rested her head upon his forelegs. "Attican needed a kind word. He's unsure of himself due to his new...disfigurement."

An oddly warm breeze drifted through the clearing and Resin made a soft questioning sound in her throat. The weather seemed to be changing. It was snowing less and the days were growing longer. Again the warm breeze blew and this time she didn't question it. She was simply happy to be here, with her brute. With her pack. "If life could stay like this forever, I would be happy. Here, with you, with them... I am content." She didn't wish to think about the journey that still lay before them. They wouldn't be leaving for a long while anyway. She wouldn't move the pack until both Ahote and Attican were capable of moving comfortably. The mammoth wouldn't last forever, so another hunt would need to be organized soon, but for now, they would all enjoy this carefree time.

[Resin]

((Welcome to the team, PurpleDireWolf2015. (: Cavalia should be joining soon as well. ))

[purpledirewolf2019]

(Hello there, I'm PurpleDirewolf2015. I'm very excited to join this rp. My character, Raka, is on the front page, but he is a lone pup who's parents were killed by a bear. He's open for anyone to find and is not far from the pack)

Яακα
/ Loner \ ~1 month / Lost \ Alone /

The world had changed dramatically for the poor black pup. The once spoiled bundle of joy was now on his own, hiding in bushes and tall grass most of the time. Although Raka was not suckling anymore, he was still not capable to hunt for himself and had not eaten enough in the two days it had been since his parents were killed. The pup never wandered too far away from where the incident happened, in case a miracle happened and his mother woke up, but his hunger drove him to at least try to find something to eat.

Raka studied other animals, watching what they ate. Some ate leaves, some ate berries, some even ate bugs and worms. On his own the pup tried those things too. The leaves and flowers left a weird taste in his mouth and although the berries he found were slightly better, there were just not enough to satisfy his hunger. Insects took the most work for Raka to get. Every time he found one, it would either fly, jump, or scurry away before he could catch it. Eventually he tried digging for worms. It took him a little while to actually find one, but after eating it, he decided it wasn't too bad. It was the closest thing he had to meat that he could get on his own.

Even with his diet of berries and worms, Raka was still hungry. However, his hunger wasn't the only thing he had to worry about. There were other animals, larger than he was, that could attack him, just like the bear had. Every little noise had the pup on edge. He rarely was able to fall asleep, and when he did, nightmares of the attack just woke him up again. He stayed in the den his parents had made, even though it was too big for a single pup. The nights were cold and lonely, sometimes bringing tears to his eyes, but the scents of his parents comforted him, even though they were fading. Some times before the nightmare woke him up, Raka cried aloud for them. He knew it was his fault they were gone. He should have not wandered off. Now the guilt was eating him alive.

One morning, Raka decided to try to catch one of the insects again. He had been practicing and had been getting closer to success. He learned that his best chance of catching one was to sneak up on it, hopefully catch it by surprise. This morning, he had found a beetle, and he was determined to catch it. His black pelt made it easy for him to hide, but his stalking technique needed some more work. He either stepped in a leaf or kicked a pebble, and each time the bug scurried a little farther away. This time though, Raka followed it, much farther than he had wandered before. After what seemed like several hours, Raka finally got everything right and his reward was the crunchy bug.

It was the best thing he had tasted in a while, but after he had eaten it, Raka realized he was in unfamiliar territory. The new scents flooded his nostrils. There were scents that smelled sort of similar to his parents, but different. Maybe it was some large predators lived in the area. The pup quickly tried to find his way back to his den, but very quickly got lost, and instinctively yelped for his parents, only to realize afterwards that they could not help him anymore. Not knowing what else to do, he began to dig. The snow was soft enough that it was easy for him to dig out a small burrow for himself quickly. Raka soon hid himself within the makeshift burrow, hoping it would protect him until he could find his way back.

[BlackJaguar]

{{Okay, I will be honest and say that this post has taken me two days (... TWO DAYS) to finish. Obviously not my best work, but still something nonetheless. Need to get my writin' fingers back! Welcome Dire! If no one else does or if you'd wish I could have Pilot find Raka. (: }}

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

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"I'm simply happy that you've found someone to spend your time with. It makes me happy to see that you aren't alone. I believe it would make Annu happy as well."

Despite everything Resin's words caused the side of Attican's mouth to curl a bit, hinting at the ghost of a smile on the healthy side of his face. His head nodded politely, understanding what the Alphess meant. While perhaps he didn't see it the same as she did, the intent of it was good and kind and kindness was something the Keeper could use a lot of at this time. It was not easy for the brute to be away from the Pack, his energy fed off of being around and helping others. It was his purpose after all.

Sitting for a moment in silence Attican too heard the sudden rustling of foliage behind them. Not knowing of who or what it was he also stood up, ears swiveled directly to the sound. However the waft of 'wolf' quickly came to his nose and despite his wariness to face anyone, he relaxed. Besides, the smell was distinct - Lani.

Sure enough the white female's face popped out not a second later, her eyes lighting up the same way they did whenever she saw him. He also noted the chunk of meat.

"There you are! You had us all worried sick."

A sheepish look pulled across his face.

"You make sure you get some rest and heal up, ok Keeper? I still owe you a bath, and expect it to be repaid as soon as you're ready."

Sheepishness quickly turned into embarrassment, Attican still being aware of the Alphess's presence behind him. Their conversation only moments before was still ringing blatantly in his head, causing the blood in his ears to only get warmer. Yet instead of the typical balk back to her licking, the Keeper sat still, accepting the small token of affection. Perhaps Resin's conversation with him had some weight after all... However the moment was short lived and before he could say anything about it, Lani had turned herself around and retreated her way back into the bushes. Wait what? That wasn't normal Lani behavior.

Tipping his head to the side in bewilderment, his good eye spotted the left chunk of meat now laying neatly in front of his paw. Thoroughly confused, the Elder bent forwards, sniffing the morsel. Obvious teeth marks cut through the muscles and tendons, making the piece rather flat and limp and pliable. To be honest it looked like something you'd give to a weaning pup to teach them how to eat off their mother. "Uhm," he piped, sniffing it. The simple smell sent his stomach into pathetic groans, begging its owner to please feed it. Attican was just about to turn around to Resin when another disturbance met his eye.

To be honest it all happened so fast that the injured Keeper had no real chance to react before Lani's plan came to fruitation. Before he could even sneak around a tree the same wolfess that had startled and questioned him earlier walked out from the foliage, also carrying a sampling of meat.

"S-Sorry for startling you Keeper… We've all missed you… Come back soon, okay?

Her eyes were bright and wide, an almost pleadful manner within them as she spoke her bit. While Attican's mind begged to leave, his Keeper side wished to comfort and help her. Surely she didn't feel bad right? This was not her battle to share after all. It was not her fault that he was acting so flighty. But again before he could react (it has seemed to rather become a theme of the hour), she too left and the silent Vali replaced her spot.

One by one this continued, wolf after wolf after wolf approaching the Elder and putting in a word before leaving a softened morseling of food in front of him. His heart pace hastened, forcibly repressing the urge to hide away. Instead the Keeper turned his face justly, trying to hide what he could of his healing scars. He heard Resin speak something within this time, but what it was he couldn't hear. Yet each packmember was met with a murr or nod, the constant barragement of kind words acting like cannonballs to his walled mindset. At first it seemed that they simple bounced off, being deflected by his pride, but over time one would chip at the top, the next crumbling a bit more, and again, and again... It continued on until the last wolf approached, finally the last tail disappearing. It was then that the brute realized that he had been holding in half a breath.

Exhaling, Attican's ears flicked before he laid himself down. It was like his head was humming, unsure of what to do with all the unsorted new events and how to feel or how to handle it. Lani. Lani had to have come up with this. Even at the thought of the female the Keeper looked around, half expecting to see a gleeful and wide-toothed grinning Hunter staring back at him. But instead his one amber eye spotted nothing. Laying down brought the aroma of food back to his nose and hardly without thinking his tongue poked out to lap at the meat. It was soft and pliable, giving deep temptation for him to try and chew it... Was this their intent?

His tongue ran over a canine, sighing out loud. So they now knew he was injured.. and now they've worked together help him. Again the struggles fought. Half of him knew that he needed help, but the other side wanted to ignore the fact that it was so. He was grateful don't get him wrong, but it could not be helped that the feeling of 'invalid' also came into play. Without the help of the Pack and their abilities to hunt and now apparently help, Attican had a very high chance of being a dead wolf walking. And to admit it was a tough pill to swallow.

But all the same here it was and the emptiness of his stomach caused instinct to his actions. Regardless of whether he wanted to accept the 'offering' or not, at some point the Keeper was given no choice, at this point chewing and tearing regular meat for himself not being an option until his muscles had chance to heal more.

Unsure if anyone was still around, the Keeper took one last look over the pile, finally submitting to his hunger and selecting a smaller portion. He nosed it out, placing the piece between his paws neatly. Mutinizing his pride he began to lap diligently at it with his tongue, rasping small bits away and swallowing. Okay. So far so good. After licking perhaps half of it away just by persistence he then took the bit into his mouth, simply swallowing it whole. Admittedly, the feeling of filling his stomach was a wonderful sensation. Biting still proved to be difficult, even despite the mastication treatment that his meal had already received. However he did what he could, acting much like a pup trying out their newly budded incisors for the first time. Slowly but surely the pile was lapped, swallowed, and carefully chewed away. It diminished until he had only three pieces left, the ones on the bottom that had been sitting on the snow. Unfortunately the cold had made them stiff, once again making them difficult to eat. Not wanting to push his luck he simply licked his maw, letting them to rest.

For a few minutes the 73 year old brute simply laid there, his thoughts continuing to process themselves. The actions of the Pack was thoughtful and he was definitely appreciative. However one did stand out of them all. Belly mostly full, the Keeper stood up, set on a point to look for one particular white female. The rest of the Pack would just have to wait a little bit longer.

Pilot

32 - Fae - No Rank

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By asking if Wolf's name was actually 'Wolf' Pilot had no idea that she had set him off into a deep mental war of a self-searching existentiality crisis. If she had she would've never asked in the first place. Instead she ended up sitting there unsure of what to do as the brute was lost in thought. Licking her maw she looked around, spying Lani talking to quite a few other wolves in the distance. However the golden female couldn't look too long because just as she was beginning to focus on it her companion spoke up again.

"Well, so far as I know anyway… What about you? What's your name?"

So far? A name was always your name, was it not? While thoroughly confused the fae let it go, spying the brute's intentive and anticipating look as he waited for her name.

"Me? My name is Pilot." She nodded her head before stopping and scrunching her face. "Well, actually the full name that my mother gave me was 'Pilot of the Stars' but it's always been simplified to Pilot-"

"Pilot, and whoever you are, I know the two of you haven't been in the pack long, but I'd appreciate it if you'd go visit the Keeper with us. Don't stay long, and bring him a little gift if you'd like. Just be sure to say something nice…"

Out of nowhere a particularly frazzled looking Lani came out of the blue, requesting assistance in an idea she apparently had been hatching. This surely had to be what she had been speaking about with the others?

"Uhm, okay.." was all the blonde female was able to say before the eccentric Hunter was off again, leaving the two wolves with nothing but unfulfilled questions in their heads. Poor Wolf, if he wasn't confused before he certainly was now. Already the brute typically had a bit of a puzzled look about him, but now it looked like someone had told him that in fact they were all squirrels and and were about to launch themselves off a cliff in order to grow a pair of gills and swim their way their new home.

"Uh… What do you think? Should we go?"

"Uhm. I guess so." Pilot wasn't so sure herself to be honest. Actually Lani was probably the wolf that she had been in contact the most since her addition to the Pack, well, her and Vali, but again the lack of speech thing made communication difficult. However just as Pilot was gonna go and stand up she remembered a potential obstacle.

"Hey, are you okay to carry some of the meat? ..Or I can if you'd want?"

She didn't understand what issues Wolf had with meat, but remembering his previous episode with it at the carcass she didn't want to push the already concerned-looking brute to do something he didn't want to.

[purpledirewolf2019]

(Anyone can find Raka, So if you'd like Pilot too then by all means! (: )

[Resin]

((I'm getting ready to throw Hrafn back in the story as well. Leo hasn't logged in in a long while and he's too good a character to let rot. Finding Raka might be a good way to throw him back in the story. Your post was lovely, Jag. As always. (: ))

[purpledirewolf2019]

(I fixed up Raka's itro to be a bit more accurate with tundra/arctic environment. And with Raka, whoever wants to find him is welcome Pilot and Hrafn can find him together if they want. Just know that he is just terrified right now )

[Soriams]

((Welcome, Purple! I'll be more than happy to have Wolf tag along with Pilot and discover Raka on their way towards Attican, if that is alright with you and Jag. He'll have no idea what to do with a pup... Should be hilarious. Anyway, I hope my long absence didn't cause us to loose Leo. :'-( Oh, and thank you all for your kind words. Mom passed in 2006, so it's not a new hurt, and she was very ill before she did. Honestly, it is worse seeing my dad alone than it is thinking of her, we had nothing but good memories.))

Wolf
Male | 20 | Straggler
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Wolf watched Lani go, and couldn't help but feel a bit of relief at seeing the boisterous fea go. As a creature who was accustomed to only the company of himself, she was quite simply overwhelming to him. After a few minutes, Pilot, as she had introduced herself, seems to come to the conclusion that they should follow, and he looked back to her. "Hummm... Ok then," he replied, sounding a bit uncertain. Normally, he would have been fascinated to learn more about the pack and what was happening, but as it was, he was tired and hungry, and had been looking forward to finishing their conversation. He actually quite liked her name, and found it fascinating that it had been given to her by someone else. 'Pilot' and 'mother' both pricked parts of his mind he had not used in a long time, the words stirring up associations of comfort and guidance that he couldn't quite place.

Getting back up to his feet, Wolf stretched out his gangly limbs and yawned, his long ears nearly meeting behind the back of his head. Just as he was righting himself, Pilot brought up something he hadn't even considered, and all of a sudden he finds the bile rising up in the back of his throat all over again. Shaking his head, he looked down at his paws for a moment as he tried to collect himself, "Um... Do you think Keeper would like something else? A nice pinecone maybe? The nuts around here are pretty good..." he asked, not sounding particularly hopeful.

As they started to move away, Wolf ventured to glance back at the carcass behind him and was immediately met with the scent of fresh blood and entrails. Quickly looking away, he snorted to get the scent out of his nose, picking up the conversation once again to keep his mind off of the mess. "So, who is Keeper, anyway? I'm not sure I've meet... them," he said, attempting and failing to cover the fact that he didn't even know how to properly address them.

Pacing along the outskirts while he waited for Pilot, Wolf came upon a trail of tiny paw-prints, days old and bouncing in and out of the underbrush at the edge of the woods. He found it a minor curiosity, as even the pups within the pack didn't seem to have such tiny feet, and these surely held a similar scent to those he had met. The more he thinks about it though, the stranger it seems, as he didn't think any of them had passed this way before. With a shrug, he pushes the curiousness of it aside and looks back towards Pilot. After all, there are many here he hasn't met, and this little one could quite simply be just another face he has yet to know.

Lani
Female | 57 | Hunter
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Sitting like a plump white ptarmigan on her nest, Lani watched the members of ScarPaw as they walked back and forth through the now well-worn trail to Attican's hiding place. She gave hearty thank-yous and encouragement for those just making the trip, falling easily into the roll of traffic cop. Soon enough, a familiar dark shape emerged, and Lani offered Resin a toothy grin as she approached, her tail bobbing in the snow behind her. "Well, that boys got to eat sometime... And I'm not about to let him pout about it all day," she quipped in reply to Resin, though it was obvious that even Lani preened in the Alpha's praise.

Proud and more than pleased to see her plan working well enough, Lani kept her place until everyone had come and gone, working herself into a comfortable little depression into the snow. Though she was itching to go back to Attican and make sure he was alright, (and maybe to gloat... just a little) she was determined to give him some time to eat. Thus, she waited as patiently as she could, watching while the others settled themselves back down into their beds, drawing friends and family close. Just the way it should be within a wolf pack.

Just as Lani's hard-fought patience was running thin and she was considering moving back into the woods, she heard a soft crunching on the snow. Ears perked, she got to her feet just in time to see Attican emerge from the safety of the trees. Smiling broadly, her tail circled behind her as though it had never known stillness in all its life, and she happily went to meet him. Padding up to him, she lifted her nose to lick the side of his muzzle before plopping herself down in the snow in front of him. "Ah, there you are. Glad to see you out in the light again," she said, her voice gently teasing.

For all her spirited talk and what seemed to be a complete lack of brain-mouth filtering, Lani could not have asked for anything more than this. In the end, all she wanted was for things to be like they always were and to be surrounded by her family, the ScarPaw pack.

Ahote
Male | 46 | Fighter
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"So, what happened to you, 'Hote?" the little pup he had been playing with asked him, gently sniffing at the scars across his back, and Ahote looked at her seriously for a moment. They had all seen the fire, and there was no reason to lie to her, but at the same time, he didn't want to make more of it than it was. Already he was trying to move past the terror of that night, and though it may haunt his dreams for a long time to come, he refused to let it rule his waking life. At least not now.

That meant not taking himself or the scars to seriously, and Ahote pressed a smile onto his face again. Reaching over, he nudged her with his nose. "Well, you know what? I found out the hard way that the sun is hot, something every little pup should know. It should be a reminder to you to always listen to your mama," he said playfully, causing the little one to roll her eyes at him. He swatted at her playfully, and she giggled again, dodging his big paws to snuggle up against his chest and nip at his chin.

From behind him, another of the pups let of a happy squeal, and he picked up his head to see Resin heading towards them. Smiling genuinely now, his tired tail thumped as best it could behind him, the tip curling up just a bit. He gratefully returned her warm greeting, reaching down to lick the fur between her ears as she placed her head on his paws. "Ah-hum... Well I'm used to waking up and finding you missing by now," he said, his voice holding much of the same playful chagrin as it did when he teased the pup. "But no, I'm glad you went to him. Of all the wolves in the pack, I know he needs your acceptance the most."

The warm breeze that flowed over them did not go unnoticed by Ahote, it brought with it the smells of warm earth and grass. Things he had not smelled since he had left his old pack. Next to him, Resin sighed contentedly and he licked her ear while she spoke, making it twitch away from his breath. "Anywhere you are is my home, Resin. And for that I am eternally happy..." he said, trailing off. He knew well enough that the red forest could not be far from her mind, but there came a time for when things were to be left unsaid, and even he could see that this was one of those times. Contented, he lay his head across her neck for a moment, holding her close.