இ۵Ŗace Ågainst ₦atureஇ۵

[purpledirewolf2019]

(I think Resin is going to have Hrafn go to find Raka, but Wolf could go too.)

[Resin]

((Even though it was a while back, sometimes it still hurts like it was yesterday. So my offer stands. If you need to talk about things, here I am. (:
Also, Leo hasn't been around for a long time. She was in other RP's too, so I doubt it was just this one being on standstill. Aaand I'm still working through writer's block, so this won't be fantastic. I'll add a post for Resin soon.))

~|Hrafn|~Hunter|~ 46 Summers|~

Large black paws crunched through the snow as Hrafn patrolled the area outside of where the pack was currently staying. He had become tired of resting and wished to move, but he didn't want to go too far just in case he was needed. There weren't too many healthy brutes at the moment to ward off danger. Granted, females could be pretty scary, but he believed there was no force that compared to that of an angry male Great Wolf.

Every now and again Hrafn would stop to inspect something interesting. A scent, a hole beneath a tree, tracks, spoor. He was full of mammoth still so hunting was out of the question. It felt good to be so full after running for such a long time. The rest of the pack chose to laze about, and that was fine, but Hrafn needed to be active. Not only would patrolling be beneficial to the pack, it would help him digest the delicious meal that was threatening to burst his belly.

As he moved along, a tiny set of tracks caught his eye. At first the big black brute believed that they belonged to a tiny snow cat. Upon closer inspection, he wasn't so sure. Lowering his muzzle, he inhaled lightly, filing the scent away in the office of his mind. "Wolf pup, eh?" Had one of the females had pups since they'd stopped? He shook his head and scoffed at himself. There hadn't been enough time. Especially for one to be up and walking about. It seemed that there were other wolves in the area. Might as well say hello.

Hrafn followed the tracks, but after a while they weren't needed. The smell of fear wafted through the air and was easy to track. A yelp up ahead spurred the black male into a lope. Not many wolves could deny the tiny 'help me' screams of a pup. Breaking through the treeline, Hrafn emerged just in time to see a tiny, jet black puffball wiggle himself into a dip in the snow. Dark amber eyes scanned the area, looking for signs of adult wolves. There were none. This little guy must have wandered off.

A slow approach would be the best bet. Most wolves taught their pups to distrust strangers. Hrafn made himself look non-threatening as he padded towards the lone pup. "Hello there, pup." Even his voice was softer than usual. "Are you out here all alone? Where is your pack?" Hrafn was closer, but not too close. He seated himself in the snow, curling his tail around his side. If this pup was alone, what was he going to do with it? He wasn't exactly a female and he didn't have those mothering instincts. Fathering instincts, sure, but those were a bit different. He waited for the pup to situate itself and answer.

[purpledirewolf2019]

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

The white snow did little to hide Raka's pitch black pelt, but the makeshift burrow was surprisingly warm for him. However, the warmth was not enough to help the lost black pup relax or even calm down. His widened eyes were trained on the view of the forest that he could see from inside the burrow. Although he couldn't see much, the strange familiar-but-not scents were all around him. He knew whatever the scents belonged to were nearby.

Raka didn't have to wait long for one of the creatures to show up, but it wasn't a strange creature. It looked just like his father. Maybe his father had woken up and came to find him. His small tail started wagging in pure happiness and he came out of the burrow slightly, but then stopped. This wolf couldn't be his father. This wolf's eyes were the wrong color, and the chest marking was different.

Fear took over the small pup again and he quickly backed himself back into burrow, not that it helped since the other wolf had already seen him. He tried to back up even further, but instead the makeshift burrow just collapsed on him. Raka quickly shook the snow off but he now had no hiding spot. His eyes soon fell on the other wolf again, watching him with his ears back and tail between his legs. He didn't look scary, but neither did the bear cub he had played with who's mom was the reason he was alone.

Soon the other wolf spoke to him with a soft voice which made his ears flick. It was a greeting but Raka didn't reply back. He didn't need to though, the other wolf asked if he was alone and if belonged to something called a pack. As the other wolf sat down, Raka forced himself to speak up. "M-mom and dad were attacked by a bear and have been sleeping for days." responded in a shy voice. "I don't know what a pack is, but I'm sure I don't have one."he added after pausing for a moment. Having spent his short time with only his parents, Raka had no interactions with other wolves before.

[Resin]

~|Hrafn|~Hunter|~ 46 Summers|~

Initially he thought it would take more to pull the little wolf from his hiding place, but the pup had guts. The pups answer made Hrafn visibly wince. Asleep for days, huh? The big black wolf lowered his head, getting closer to the pups level. "It gets cold out here alone. If you come with me, there's food and warmth. I'll show you what a pack is. There are other pups, too." Hrafn tilted his head a bit. "We'll keep you safe until we figure out what to do about your mom and dad."

Trying to make the pup feel more at ease, Hrafn dropped to his belly and crossed his paws. "You're a handsome little pup, eh? We look a bit alike. And if you look like me, then you're a good looking wolf." Hrafn laughed softly, a smile in his eyes. He had always liked pups. He felt an instant liking to this little guy. Probably because they did look so much alike.

Glancing towards the sky, Hrafn noticed the the light of the day was slowly fading. "My name is Hrafn, pup. If you'll tell me your name and you'll walk with me, I'll have you fed and warmed by the time it's dark." To further hint that the small wolf should accompany him, he added. "You said that there were bears about. They're dangerous as you well know. My pack can protect you from bears and anything else that comes along. You'll be safe with us."

The big wolf rose from the snow and shook the flakes from his black coat. "We'll do all that we can to help you, pup. My Alpha will make sure that you're safe and that we find out what happened." Turning back the way he came, Hrafn looked over his shoulder, his almost orange eyes falling upon the small black ball of fluff. "What do you say, little wolf?" Without waiting for an answer, Hrafn moved away at a very slow walk so the pup could easily catch up.

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

Piles of pups bounded around them and Resin buried her muzzle against Ahote's chest. It wasn't that she didn't like pups, it was just that they made her a bit uncomfortable. They were small and breakable and... she didn't have the best sense of patience. She was capable of tolerating them, but she would never have her own, so it wasn't too horrible of a fate for her. It wasn't common knowledge that she was barren. At some point she would tell Ahote, but this wasn't that time.

Night was beginning to show her face. The warm breeze continued to blow, so making a beeline for shelter wasn't necessary. Everyone would be quite safe sleeping out in the open. The older wolves were getting a head start. Small piles had begun to form and from one of those piles a loud, raucous snore erupted. Gradually the pups wandered off to rejoin their parents and settle down to sleep. Soon, the pair was alone.

"Have you ever wanted any of those?" She motioned with her muzzle towards the last tottering little wolf. Ahote got along so well with the little wolves. They seemed to love her. Whenever the pups got a chance, they bounded around her paws and pulled at her tail. She tolerated it, but she never knew how to react. She just didn't have that mothering instinct. Despite her discomfort, she would protect them all to her last breath.

Lifting her head, her sulfur yellows roamed his face."Are you hungry? Do you want me to bring you a bite?" It had been some time since she'd eaten and she was quite hungry. As soon as she posed the question, her stomach growled loudly. She couldn't help but release a soft laugh. "I... am hungry. Would you like to come with or would you like me to grab something and come back?"

[purpledirewolf2019]

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

As the small pup answered his much larger look-alike, he watched the wolf's reaction. It was when he said his parents had been asleep for days. He saw it in the other's wolf's expression that his parents were never going to wake up. The realization made his head and ears droop. If only he had not wandered off that day, then he would still be with his family and not in an unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar wolves.

Only when the older wolf started lowering himself closer to his eye level did Raka look at him again. He never really explained what a pack was, but he said there were other pups there. He said there was food and warmth and even safety. It sounded like a pack could provide a lot to a wolf, but Raka was more interested in the food and warmth over everything else. He didn't even know if he could handle being around so many other wolves.

As he thought everything over, the big black wolf had laid down. Raka could tell that this wolf was trying to get him to relax a little bit by saying how handsome he was, and how similar they looked. The black pup looked at the white mark on his chest and then back up at the older wolf. It was true, they were nearly identical, but Raka's eyes were what was different being that they were blue. That and that the chest marking was slightly different, but other than that, Raka was like this older wolf's mini clone. The thought brought a small smile to his face.

After all that, the wolf finally introduced himself as Hrafn. Raka was about to do the same, but he let Hrafn finish explaining how he would feed and warm him up before the sun sunk, and how there were bears roaming the area. Just mentioning bears sent shivers through his small body. Soon Hrafn stood up and turned towards where the pack must be. He wasn't sure what an Alpha was, but Raka could only guess it was another wolf. Nodding, Raka trotted after the older wolf just long enough to catch up and then slowed to walk, although it was harder for him that the older wolf in the snow. "My name is Raka."

[BlackJaguar]

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Quietly Attican made his way through the trees, leaving the little spot that he had been residing in for the better part of the day. His broad pads left perfect imprints in the untouched snow, the Keeper deflecting to a different route that the rest of his packmates disappeared on. He would face them, yes, but right now was not the time.

The brute was just beginning to delve into his thoughts when a familiar overeager shadow came from his right side, his good side, tail whipping profusely around like it was trying to cause her to take flight. "Lani." He said warmly, just a twinge of tiredness in his voice. As could only be assumed her tongue met his face, causing him to instinctively pull his head up a bit in case an errant lick would hit a sore spot.

"Ah, there you are. Glad to see you out in the light again."

His lips pulled a bit, air escaping his nose. "Yes, so it seems that I am." With a light tip of his head Attican motioned for the younger Elder to follow him, knowing full well that she'd follow like a pup waiting for a surprise from its parent. Carefully he walked partially back into the foliage, having to crane his head back and forth quite a few times to check that he did not run into any sort of tree or bush as he stepped. Already he'd had to accept help, he at least wanted to prove that he could walk on his own without failure.

Locating a quieter, untouched spot only just out of view of the Pack the Keeper stopped, setting himself down on his haunches with a slightly given up, yet contented enough sigh. "First of course I realize that I should thank you miss Lani, I will admit that I needed that." It was true, with his belly 3/4 of the way full after having been empty for days throughout all the ordeals, already his head was put in a better place just thanks to nourishment alone. "But I do think that I need one more favor from you..."

Inwardly the Keeper of the Past sighed again, one of those what-the-hell-am-I-getting-myself-into kind of sighs. He smiled.

"I think I need a bath."

Pilot

32 - Fae - No Rank

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pilot waited patiently as Wolf deliberated on whether or not he wanted to carry a portion of meat. As it already was many of the wolves of the Pack had already readied and given their portioned gifts, Pilot and Wolf becoming straggling latecomers. It was fine though, better late than never right?

"Um... Do you think Keeper would like something else? A nice pinecone maybe? The nuts around here are pretty good..."

Wolf's reply was slightly shaky, marking it obvious that he was uncomfortable with the idea. While the fae did not understand how a Great Wolf could possibly be afraid of touching and the consumption of meat (and still be alive), she bobbed her head all the same in agreement. "Okay." She replied simply, taking the task of meat preparer. "I guess any sort of gift is as good as any.. perhaps he'd like a- uh, pinecone too." Her face pulled a hopeful half smile, trying to look kind. "Give me just a moment..."

Trying to be quick about it, the blonde wolfess loped her way to the carcass, grabbing at the first bit that she could get. Thankfully the piece came rather easily, half of it already having been gnawed and eaten away by ScarPaw members. Hastily she began to chew the meat, trying to masticate it without completely tearing it apart. It actually wasn't that easy. Her jaw worked diligently, trying to get it from every angle. With a newfound appreciation for mothers with weaning pups, Pilot ran her way back, not wanted to leave the gangly brute for too long. He had only wandered slightly off from where she had left him and it only took a few spare moments for her to close the gap and take the lead in direction.

Being mindful of her smelly package she walked alongside him once more, her ears swiveling towards him when he began to speak once more.

"So, who is Keeper, anyway? I'm not sure I've meet... them."

It was actually a good question, one that also newcomer Pilot didn't know that much about. Slipping the meat to one side of her mouth, she attempted to speak on the other.

"You know, I'm not too sssure on that mysself Wolf." Her words were slurred a bit, but overall she was actually pretty proud that she was coherent at all. Scrunching her brows she thought, trying to remember anything that she could about the brute in question. "I only came here a few dayss before you, but Keeper did tell everyone a shtory. I think he'ss like the wissdom guy - like da keeper of the sstoriess... or ssometing."

The trees grew thicker, Pilot ducking her head under a low hanging branch. She followed the footprints that everyone else had laid, using them as a tracker. However, as she pulled through she was left with a blank scene. Hmm. No brute, no anything. In fact all that there was TO see were a few pieces of now frozen meat.

"Huh," she huffed, plopping on her rear. Obviously the two were late to the party.

[Soriams]

((Thank you again Resin, you all are wonderful friends.
Raka, is so cute, I can't wait to see him interacting with the pack!))

Ahote
Male | 46 | Fighter
>>>–––———<•>———–––<<<

Ahote snuggled close to Resin, enjoying her closeness. For his part, Ahote was perfectly happy to be surrounded by the pups. Beyond being the future hopes of ScarPaw,their little voices warmed his heart and the laughter they inevitably brought with them always made him feel safe and at ease. It was like coming home again. Content, he continued to smooth over Resin's thick pelt with his tongue, worrying out the tangles and errant pine needles that clung to her.

Night slowly began to creep up on them, the skies over the rim of the cliff warming with a pale yellow glow that seemed to settle over the resting pack like a warm blanket. The other end of the sky was darkening quickly, the deep blue-velvet of twilight giving way to a deeper shade, punctuated by stars. Ahote raised his head, watching as the tiny points of light slowly winked into existence one by one. One among them caught his attention, far brighter than the others, it seemed to pulse gently, as though urging the rest of its kin to emerge. It wasn't until he noticed the position of the other stars around it that he recognized it: Polaris, the steadfast. All of his life, that great unmoving star had been directly overhead, and never before had he seen it so close to the horizon. A very real and irrefutable reminder of just how far they had come.

Next to him, Resin stirred and Ahote looked down from the sky to smile at her. He had been oblivious to her discomfort around the young ones, and her question caught him more than a little off guard. Not having the full knowledge of what she spoke of, his mind immediately went in other directions, and he flushed. "Honestly, I haven't ever met someone I wanted to try with," he said, his voice a bit shy and reluctant. "Until now..." he added quickly, not wanting to put her off by his embarrassment.

Resin lifted her head and met his face for a moment, and Ahote couldn't help but smile back at her. Gruffly, he cleared his throat, "Besides which, I think I have a bit more healing to do first," he said, using humor to disarm the conversation. Much to his relief, she suggested getting something to eat, and he eagerly moved on. "I'd like to come with you, if that's alright... I think I've had enough laying down today to last a lifetime," he replied, and stretched out his legs before beginning the arduous journey of regaining his feet.


((Ah, Jag caught up with me while I was typing... I'll post for Wolf and Lani tomorrow.))

[Resin]

((Hello, lovelies. I have a paper due tomorrow, so I won't be able to post until I have it finished. I'm so glad to have everyone together again!))

[Soriams]

((Good luck with your paper! I hope it is a fun topic at least.))

Lani
Female | 57 | Hunter
>>>–––———<•>———–––<<<

Lani smiled a crooked smile, amused as always by Attican's reaction to her greeting. There was just something satisfying about pushing the big brute out of his comfort zone. True, she cared for the Keeper deeply, and at heart all she wanted was to be close to him. However there was still a part of her that enjoyed teasing him, not so far as to utterly torment him, but just enough to keep him on his toes. Besides which, the face he made when embarrassed was absolutely priceless.

Attican motioned for her to follow, and curious, Lani eagerly followed. Soon enough, they passed back into the underbrush, weaving in and out of the tangled branches until they came to a nice secluded open spot. Attican's bobbing and the crane of his neck went completely unnoticed by the hunter, her eyes were solidly fixed on his nice, long, bushy tail. As such, she wasn't quite paying attention to where they were going, and at their sudden stop, she found herself blinking as she looked around the little clearing, wondering what they were doing there.

As the Keeper situated himself, Lani too took a seat facing him. Smiling a bit, she simply nodded at his expression of gratitude, shrugging it off as nothing more than a matter of course. "'Twas nothing, and you deserve nothing less," she said, her smile growing wider, "Besides which, you didn't really think I'd let you starve, did you?" she finished, barking out a laugh at her own rhetorical question.

Attican continued, his request for another favor stilling Lani, and drawing her attention keenly on him. There literally wasn't anything in the world she wouldn't do for him, assuming it was in her power, and she was eager to give. However, what followed next took her by surprise, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. All these years of teasing and harassment were finally bearing fruit, and the quiet and resigned manner in which the grand culmination of it all came to be left her momentarily speechless.

Such a state was not natural though, and soon a broad and genuine smile spread across Lani's maw, and she let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "Yes, yes you do. You filthy thing..." she replied in a gentle manner, and got to her feet. Tail swaying behind her, she sidled up to him, running her cheek across his shoulder until she stopped, pressing her forehead into his chest. "You know I'll take good care of you. I always will, I promise," Lani said before pulling back to grin up at him.

Lani slipped her paws under him, and gently pushed Attican to the ground. Then, seating herself next to him, she took to gently cleaning his fur, smoothing it down and gently massaging his sore and tired muscles.There was no part of him that would not receive proper attention, and the utmost care from the white hunter.

Wolf
Male | 20 | Straggler
>>>–––———<•>———–––<<<

Keeping out on the outskirts of the clearing, Wolf waited patiently for Pilot, doing his best to not think too hard about anything in particular. When he was on his own, he had never realized how much time he spent thinking. Now that he was surrounded by other creatures with which he could converse, it became much more apparent just how easy it was to get lost in his own thoughts. Luckily, Pilot returned rather quickly, with a fresh bit of meat in her mouth. Oddly, it didn't bother him so much to see her with it, separated from the creature it came from, it somehow disassociated it with the death in his mind. Even the smell of it wasn't so bad.

The two turned towards the forest where they had seen the others disappear, and Wolf listened closely to what she had to say, finding it a bit difficult not to laugh at her slurred speech as she tried to talk around her gift. Some of it perked his interest thought, and he turned to look at her, a bit of excitement in his eyes. "So, then his name has something to do with what he does?" he asked eagerly, and was just about to follow that up with another question when they reach the end of the trail.

Unless Keeper was invisible, or some sort of idea only, it was quite apparent that they had missed him. With a huff, Pilot plopped down on the ground and Wolf squeezed past her to sniff around. With so many wolves coming and going, the spot was a kaleidoscope of scents and tracks. That combined with the delicious smell of frozen meat, it was a little dizzying to him, and after a few he took a seat in the bed only recently vacated by Keeper. "So... What now?" he asked, dipping his head to nibble on a corner of frozen meat. This was much more what he was used to, and even though it came from the same animal, his stomach associated the hard-as-a-rock flesh with food rather than murder.

[Resin]

((The benefits of video games on adolescents. Not the greatest topic, but there weren't too many options.))

~|Hrafn|~Hunter|~ 46 Summers|~

Thankfully the pup followed the big black brute. Hrafn sighed in relief. He hadn't wanted to leave the pup there, so he would have had no choice but to scoop him up by the scruff of his neck and take him against his will. It was good that he made the decision on his own. It proved that he was a thoughtful wolf and he saw the benefits of Hrafn's words.

The pup gave his name and Hrafn smiled. "Raka, eh? A powerful name. You'll grow to do great things." The pair walked along in silence for a time. Luckily, the pack and the mammoth weren't too far away. Soon enough they entered the site where various piles of wolves were settling down for the night. Darkness had indeed fallen, but the full moon was bright and shining. Hrafn looked up towards Mother Moon, then glanced back towards Raka. "Just like you, pup. The moon at full glory."

Heads rose as the pair of black wolves entered the area. No doubt they wondered where Hrafn had picked up such a small wolf. The big wolf led the smaller directly to the mammoth carcass and motioned with his head. "Fill yourself up, Raka. I need to speak to my Alpha and then I'll come right back for you, ok?"

Without waiting for an answer, Hrafn turned and, after asking about Resin's whereabouts, started towards her. She and Ahote had just begun walking towards him, so he didn't have far to go. "We have a bit of a problem..." He started off. He followed up by explaining his discovery and about the pups parents. When he was finished, he looked at both Ahote and Resin. "What do we do? I promised to keep him safe."

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

Resin visibly winced when Ahote said that he hadn't thought about pups until now. It would definitely be something that they'd have to talk about. She wouldn't want to trap him in a relationship where he'd never have pups, especially if that's what he wanted. Rather than speak about it now, she held her tongue and helped him as he stood. "Lean against me if you need."

As they began walking towards the carcass, a dark shape came their way. Hrafn approached and Resin nodded in greeting. "Hello, Hrafn." She listened as the black brute told her all about the small pup and his 'sleeping' parents. The Alpha furrowed her brow and glanced towards Ahote momentarily. "The pup will have to stay with us. I won't allow any wolf to die if I have a choice in the matter." She shook her head, her thick black ruff swaying with the motion. "I know that everyone is still exhausted, but we must find out if his parents are still alive and are severely injured or if they're dead."

She started forward again. Meeting the pup and insuring his safety was her intent. She could also grab a bite to eat before she left the pack again. Everyone was exhausted, as she said. She wasn't in top shape herself, but if something needed to be done, she would do it herself. She would investigate while the pack slept and they could take charge in the morning while she slept.

Arriving at the half eaten mammoth, it was almost difficult to pick out the tiny black form of a wolf pup. "Hello, Raka. My name is Resin and this is Ahote." She motioned to the patchwork brute beside her. "Hrafn tells me that you're going to be our guest for a while." Despite her discomfort around pups, they seemed to like her. Hopefully this situation would be the same. "We will keep you safe, little wolf. Hrafn will look after you, okay?" She settled her large grey body beside the little wolf and began pulling off pieces of frozen meat. Her stomach was quite happy about being fed. She only took a few bites, however. There would be time later for feeding.

Standing, the grey and black she-wolf shook the snowy debris from her coat and looked down upon the young wolf with her bright, sulfur yellow eyes. "I'm going to search for your parents, Raka. If they are alive, I will bring them back. If the worst has happened... I'll take care of it and lay them to rest." Hesitating but a moment, she licked the top of the black pups head. "You're safe here."

Turning, she nuzzled into Ahote's chest. "Life is never easy." Pulling away, she padded slowly in the direction that Hrafn had indicated. As she moved, she pulled the tip of her tail across his cheek. Before long she had melded into the darkness and was gone again.