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Arsenio
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1-2 Tribe wolves, please. :3
His limp was less prodominant; his gait was almost fluid and flowing again. He had broken his leg two months ago, and it was almost healed now. Gracie and Styx had assured him that it was not a very horrible break, something that would be easily mended, so he didn't worry. He waited. Up until now, that was.
He had heard stories. Stories of some sort of pack-thing living on the other side of Nova Mountain. He was adventurous to a fault, but he had always been rather intimidated by the hind side of the Mountain. It was more creepy than other places. But, now, fueled by these rumors, he ended up bursting on in the lands known by the 'locals' as Hó’nehe-htso’e.
It was more creepy than he had expected. His gait, heavy with the step, step, step, THUD of his make-shift splint, seemed to stand out heavily in the sluggish silence of the morning. Even the bugs and birds seemed to tired to sing and interest the world with noise. Unsettled, Arsenio began to have second thoughts...
Well, he was too far now. Stepped too far into the cave before realizing it was a lions' den, eh, Arsenio?
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Seot'a
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Seot'a's eyes popped open, rather suddenly and abruptly as though she had not expected them to do so of their own accord. Bright sunlight flooded into her previously darkened vision. Ouch. She had been lost in her meditation, her mind completely separated from the physical environment around her and off in a completely different realm that no one else – save for Zyanya, perhaps – would have been able to understand.
Generally though, it took quite a lot of distraction to break her meditation. Yet there was not a sound in the air save for the occasional gossip of birds in the trees around her, and this normally did not bother her. No, it was something far more subtle, far more minute than sound or presence.
It was a scent – a strange scent.
Rising smoothly to her feet, the dark-coated Vove-stomo shook her fur free of debris and determined where the scent was coming from. She was interested to meet some of these outsiders, despite her personal feelings regarding their repeated intrusions into her homeland. There was no time for personal grudges, for the spirits had a much greater purpose in mind for her and Zyanya. These outsiders were more important than anyone else in this tribe realized, and it all started here – meeting them.
Gliding through the territory, it did not take long for Seot'a to find the stranger. It was a young wolf, definitely an outsider, and he seemed to be cursed with a rather debilitating injury on one of his legs. She felt a flicker of sympathy for him. Being a lorekeeper and storyteller first and foremost, her subjects were most often puppies. Therefore, she had a natural soft spot for them, and she approached the youngster (though he did not appear to be that young anymore), her skilled eyes briefly studying his leg before moving up to his face. Her smooth, husky voice came quietly as she voiced a simple, yet friendly greeting. "Hello there."
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This post has been edited by Seot'a on Oct. 04, 2006 - 10:47pm
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Kuruk
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-murrs and squeezes both- Kuruk's getting one hell of a workout today xD
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The glowing light of mid afternoon was lost under the dense canopy of the forest above, the twisted fingers of the trees serving as both home and shelter for the silent observers that live within them. For a while his eyes had trailed upward, scratching at the distant height for any notable signs of life. As minutes passed his mere average skill of sight began to falter, the specters of above blurring into phantom shades of grey and black. His muzzle jolted from one side to the other when his sight could only guess at something staring back, the width of his pupils growing in their quest for knowledge. Eventually he came to the conclusion that if there were creatures up there then they certainly wouldn’t come to him and with a dismissive flip of his snout he redirected his eyes ahead and resumed his patrol.
Kuruk’s mind had been wandering all day, the fraying ends of his thoughts mingling with one another until he felt (understandably) bored of his single company. Lately his conversations had been drawn out with either frightened or boisterous foreigners and quite frankly his ‘smart ass-etude’ was scraping at the bottom of its barrel. It was at these times that he went looking for his lovely leading lady and her witch-craft methods.
And find her he did.
He was well aware of there being a stranger in the area, the curious, cautiously protective, tilt of his head spurring his large paws into a trot. For Seot’a he was no ghost in the shadows…he was simply Kuruk the bear. The wolf’s long-legged physique allowed him to gracefully cut between a think patch of previous undisturbed foliage before cleaving straight into sight, the gentle thrum of his feet easily giving away his presence. He stalled momentarily as he drew to his leader’s right flank, nudging playfully at her bottom as the rest of him came to a halt.
The male’s eyes wandered curiously along the slender crest of Seot’a’s shoulder to glimpse at the young Nova boy, the natural glint in his eyes softening in spite of his weary mood. Tenderly he washed his face into his charge’s pelt, cleansing his heart of all its contaminations; the lore keeper’s spiritual ways seemed to make her feel cleaner than the others. Even if this were proven false he’d still act this way…his actions always had something to do with the fact that he liked to simply touch her. Graciously he curtsied a near, but still polite distance to his mistress’s side, the blunt side of his cheek nuzzling his good will into the she wolf’s throat. A humble growl rumbled from his chest, the flourished expression of passive fatigue irking a small grin at the lean corners of his lips. His eyes turned downward again as he observed their newest trespasser, the natural rasp of his voice huskily indifferent and yet pleasantly calm. “Hi.”
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Arsenio
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Psst, Emy, it's more mid-morning than mid-afternoon.
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Anxiety and rumors are a dangerous cocktail. At first, when he had been abed with his injury and fed only rumors and words to ease his curiousity, he had heard of wolves coming to this place and seeing apparitions. Ghosts. The words buzzed about, making Arsenio rather curious and afraid all at the same time. Later, though, more rumors had appeared, speaking of not ghosts, but live wolves mistaken for them. That had been the final straw, and, thankfully, Arsenio had healed enough to go take a good look for himself.
But, now here in this eerie silence with his brain abuzz with apprehension and slight fear, even the most slight snap of a branch or the weird whistling of the wind would set him off. So, when the first stranger started to near and he heard it easily past the silence, he stood stock still, hardly daring to breathe. The breath that did escape him was quick and ragged, and he stood with his injured leg slightly brought up, as if ready to bolt. He looked around quickly with golden eyes, finally seeing the source of his fear just when it murmured...
"Hello." Woah, wait, hello? Did ghosts say hello before they ate your soul? Giving the ghost (or, rather, living, breathing wolf) a closer look, he made sure that it wasn't transparent. Actually, it was quite opaque, mostly black with highlights of brown and silver, and the scent portrayed an alien scent, along with the tinge of femininity.
He was just about to answer when another approached, this one of the same scent but male. Arsenio's fearful golden eyes watched the pitch wolf as he moved, finally speaking with a greeting similar to the first lady's. Scared and excited at meeting some of the 'ghosts' all at the same time, Arsenio scrambled to speak. "H-Hi. I-I'm so sorry if I trespassed! I w-was ju-just really c-curious," he stammered, his eyes tracing the ground near his paws. "I-I'm Arsenio Phase, f-from Nova M-Mountain."
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Seot'a
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Not long after she approached and greeted the young outsider, Seot'a was joined by her guardian, Kuruk. The black male's presence was as natural to her as her own shadow, and the only time she really noticed it was when it was not there. It was like...an accessory body part, almost. So accustomed was she to having it there that it didn't bother her one bit until it was gone.
This was not to say that she did not appreciate him being there, though. She loved Kuruk, with every depth and fiber of her being. Now, to what extent her love went, that was a more shady realm. But as he came up to her and expressed his adoration and devotion to her, she returned it with a smile and a gentle croon in her throat. An affectionate lick was placed on her onyx counterpart's muzzle and a joyful wave of her tail followed. She wanted to give him more attention – in fact, she rather liked the idea of curling up into his side for a nap – but first there was business to attend to.
The pup had introduced himself. Arsenio Phase, eh? It was a proud name, and the young wolf carried himself (in spite of his injury) with a natural air of dignity. Perhaps his parents were of higher status in his tribe? Cocking her head curiously, she replied, "Nova Mountain, hm?" She knew all about that pack. They didn't know it, but Seot'a's eyes were everywhere, including on them. In her constant quest for knowledge, the Lorekeeper extended her journeys far outside her own tribal boundaries and into those of others. "I have seen your people, led by a great black king. Your lands are near here, correct?" Many of the answers she sought were already common knowledge to her, but she was interested in finding out more about what the pup himself could tell her.
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Kuruk
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Mid-morning...gotcha =3
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The stammering faults in the pup’s voice brought a curious light to the black wolf’s features, the sudden pique of interest expressed by a full frontal flush of his ears that caught the trembling nobility in the small one’s purpose. His injury was not unnoticed either; a shallow finger of light glinted against his crystallized stare as it flicked keenly from the cub’s awe stricken face to his favored leg. Though it was not drawn to his petite breast Kuruk, a frequent participant of personal kills, could not be fooled by the faux weight put onto the injured limb. It wasn’t as though Arsenio’s condition made any difference to the wolf…brethren weren’t commonly selected as a possible food source.
Precious youth had been utterly vacant of cheer in Kuruk’s case, the study of their shrimpy foreigner’s innocent terror further encouraging the warrior to soften his rag-tag features so that their only outstanding attribute were the twin reflections of cerulean tint that were cast back on the pup’s figure. His mind wavered absently as Seot’a struck up an oddly accurate conversation, the pleasant trade of glances easing out a gentle smirk. You always seem to know too much. His muzzle turned to brush under the dainty crest of the she wolf’s chin, confident that she had this situation under control and was in no particular need of his assistance.
Where the wolf might have normally took his leave strained as more time dragged by, the resilient effort to disappear contrasted sharply by the quiet lull of the day. He wanted to spend some time with Seot’a…whether or not she needed him to. His mind rushed from one aspect to the other until he finally fell back to his heavy haunches, the whumph of air expelling all sorts of leaves and loose soil from the perimeter of his rear as the rest of his weight followed suite. His spine twisted under such pressure, its silent complaint compelling him to roll off to his side as his comically long legs stretched absurdly through the air. One paw hovered particularly near the ending curve of his mistress’s rib cage and reached out, poking the coveted ticklish spot once before settling comfortably to the earth. One eye closed while the other rolled up to stare at Arsenio in a sideward perspective, the honest rumble of his voice accentuated by a brief shrug of his shoulders.
“You gotta talk to her, Kid. I ain’t got nothing interesting to say.”
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Arsenio
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One word: Ugh. >< This post, however, was fun to write.
Arsenio, who was still quite stuck in the rut of being a young boy and thinking constantly of the feminine 'cooties', couldn't help but have a slightly blank look on his face as he witnessed the actions between the two wolves. Affection as a whole baffled him. Sure, his parents were like that sometimes, but he was used to it, he guessed. Seeing it outside the family was a whole different experience, and he had to get used to it for a minute. Still, his gold gaze was slightly dumb as he got over it.
He bobbed his head with childish obedience at her rhetorical question. He had a natural instinct that buzzed with the knowledge of danger lingering about. Whether or not these Tribe wolves would attack a puppy was beyond him, but he knew enough to at least be cautious. So, as the first wolf seemed to ponder his name, he suddenly realized with a jolt that they hadn't introduced themselves. He went a little bit more into panic mode, which was barely visible, but easy to see to the trained eye.
He paused when the first wolf asked the question of his pack, watching with a steady gold eye as the second seemed to just fall over. Blinking with confusion, he then twitched an ear as the second rumbled off a command of sorts. He oblidged. "Yeah – our lands are right over there," he motioned with his nose to where he had come from, "An' our Alpha's Sinistra; that's the black wolf y'mentioned."
It didn't occur to him that maybe he shouldn't be leaking information like this to strangers.
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Seot'a
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I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long. >_<
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The child was frightened. Even were it not so obvious to Sata's skilled eyes, she could almost smell the fear leaking off of him. She sympathized. So many wild rumors had surrounded her people and her lands that it did not surprise her that finally being up close to one of those mysterious "ghosts" could be terrifying in the eyes of a child. Particularly in the case of Kuruk, who was definitely no small wolf by any means. The towering black hulk was a frightfully large creature who cut an intimidating profile against anything that contrasted with his dark fur. Even Seot'a, had she not known him as well as she did, would have been fearful of him.
Softening, the Vove'stomo felt some remorse for not being a bit more friendly toward the youth. "Do not be afraid, ka'êškóne," though husky, her voice was soft. "We will not harm you." With the tension around the lands recently, it was hard not to be on guard all of the time, unfortunately. At least Kuruk was doing a good job of keeping it informal, as he was flopped over on his back with his long black legs stuck goofily up in the air. Sata looked at him and half-smiled, shaking her head in that "you're such a dork, but I love you" way, and looked back at the youngster before her. Drawing herself into a sitting position, she gestured toward her guardian and spoke, "That is Kuruk, my guardian, and I am Seot'a, lorekeeper and scholar of the tribe which inhabits these lands." She already had a fairly good basic knowledge of the Valley and of the packs that inhabited it (it was her job, after all, to know these things), but she figured that she might at least be able to get a better understanding through this puppy of their neighbours just on the other side of the Novan peak.
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Kuruk
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No worries! Short and sweet for me <3
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The man glanced from woman to pup, his disheveled appearance softening his usually regal build. The chilling seasons always teased his thick into an unusual fluff and he recalled faintly on his first winter with Seot’a when she was guilty of nuzzling deep into the velvet cloak of his pelt. He felt a pang of misery since he’d not appreciated those days as much as he would presently but shelved his emotions with a prompt toss of his muzzle, the thin mist of dirt and leaves smudging his onyx maw. He smiled at both of them, the husky sound escaping from the purse of his lady’s mouth lulling the great beast’s lids downward, a heavy sigh of breath indicating his extremely passive mood. Even if the youngster decided it was a good time to develop a sharp tongue with them it was unlikely that he would encourage Kuruk to do little more than growl unappreciatively.
“What she said, Kid.” The wolf nodded his muzzle a tad before reaching one frying pan sized foot out and batting oh-so-carefully against Arsenio’s shoulder, the potential power behind the touch surprisingly gentle and light. “We ain’t got no bones to pick with you so you can relax.” His cobalt eyes drew up to the underside of his mistress’s chin and squinting on the crest of an unaltered grin. We’re the good guys right Seot’a?
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Arsenio
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'S all good. :D
Arsenio blinked in reaction to the assurance of his safety, nodding robotically. Sure, he was slightly reassured, but you could never know, could you? Didn't the cat lead mice in for a snack before revealing the snack was the mouse itself? He settled down slightly, though, politely sitting before the wolf who named herself Seot'a and declining his head respectively. Arrogance would get here nowhere good here. "It's nice t'meet you, Seot'a an' Kuruk," he said, the names weird and foreign on his tounge.
He stood as still as he could when the Guardian of the Tribe batted him slightly on the shoulder, only reminded of how his father did the same at times. It was right then, when he looked at the ebony-colored Guardian, he realized that they really weren't going to hurt him. He loosened more, looking once again to the female, twitching his tail in a tentative wag.
"I never knew there was a pack b'hind the Mountain," he said, his tone soft with disbelievance. "Have you guys been livin' here long?" It sure seemed so, but he wasn't going to guess. Information was good, and it also was useful to his pack. The intelligence squad had been dispatched once more!
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Seot'a
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I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long. >_<
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Seot'a was biding her time, learning all she could. This child was not like the other trespassers. Those who had trespassed on the Hó'nehe lands before him had been smug, aggressive, and generally asinine in their behaviour and treatment of the land's residents. This child, however, did not make empty threats and demand to know Seot'a's reasons for being here, nor did he turn tail and run away as he had appeared to want to do. Instead, he had remained here and now seemed to be a promising source of valuable information. "Well, I will give you information," she began, her tone low and level, "If you will give me information." She glanced at Kuruk, knowing that every little bit of information they could get from the pup would be useful in determining their situation. Kuruk would agree. "We have been here only a few moons. We were unaware that the Valley was so...populated." She was tentative in her words, careful about how much she gave him. She wasn't sure if she was dealing with a friend or an enemy yet (for all she knew this child's pack could be out to destroy them, after all), so she was mindful to only give him so much until she learned more about him and his people. "We need to learn more about the Valley though, and the people that inhabit it. To avoid future conflicts, of course." She was silent for a moment, pondering her words, before she continued. "How many tribes live in your Valley?"
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Arsenio
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I'm going to powerplay Kuruk just to get him out of the picture while we finish up the thread. We can do so in... two or so more rounds? :D
Arsenio, though he wasn't blessed with too much common sense, knew at least not to barge into someone's territory and start acting like he owned it. He'd seen wolves do that, and the situation between Nova Mountain and Silver Creek was the product. Besides, he had heard there were ghosts here, he wasn't going to get all high-and-mighty on wolves that might as well be phantoms from another realm.
Her demands were simple enough — the simple equal-return thing. He was about to speak except for the fact that the black wolf, Kuruk, abruptly declared his leave and took so. Blinking in confusion as the icy-eyed male left, Arsenio then, rather tenatively, began saying what he knew on the concept of the Salvajes and its packs.
"There're four packs — er, tribes, I guess — here. I come from, as I said, Nova Mountain, which is the Mountain closest to this place. There's Silver Creek that's a little ways north from Nova Mountain, Mount Shadow which is the middle mountain of the northern range, and Strawberry Fields, which is also close to here — just a little ways east to the entrance to this place."
His knowledge of the area was sketchy and mostly based off of his view of the Valley from the mountains, but it was decent enough. He suddenly didn't have too much to ask of Seot'a. He knew they weren't as old as he had thought, only being around here for a few moons. "Um. I don't have too much to ask except what's the name of this place," he said.
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Seot'a
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Seot'a was rather suddenly surprised when Kuruk announced he had to leave, and then suddenly departed without delay. Looking after him with a quizzical look on her face, she nearly jumped up to follow him. However, she was more interested in what this young wolf was telling her and what she could learn. So, there were four packs in this Valley. That was an awful lot of wolves for so relatively small an area, and Seot'a wondered how they avoided conflict (of course, if what she heard was correct, there was indeed already conflict between two of the Salvaje packs). Nodding thoughtfully, she filed away the information to later pass on to Anasazi and Sakari. The young male asked her a question of his own, a simple inquiry for the name of them and their area, and to that Seot'a grinned and obliged. "We call these lands 'Hó’nehe-htso’e'." The words rolled smoothly off her tongue, though she imagined they might be foreign and clumsy to anyone of these lands.
She had other questions she needed to ask Arsenio, but she was concerned about Kuruk. He normally did not just get up and leave like that. Something was up, and Seot'a was uncomfortable not knowing what it was. Rising to her feet, she spoke, her voice still gentle and her general demeanor far from imposing, "Arsenio, I am grateful for what you have told me. I will pass it along to my leaders. I wish to know more, but I must find out what has captured Kuruk's attention so suddenly and it unfortunately means we must cut this short." She looked apologetic, though she figured a boy his age would not mind an opportunity to break away from a boring chat with an adult. Smiling, she backed away from him, giving him an opportunity to reply, before she turned to follow the path that Kuruk had taken.
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Arsenio
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Hó’nehe-htso’e.
That, to Arsenio, simply seemed like something you'd ask someone to "say five times fast". Not even trying to repeat it after the black-and-silver Tribe wolf, he simply smiled. He knew he'd butcher it and end up making a complete fool of himself anyway.
Their time, despite the fact of Kuruk's sudden disappearance, together was growing to a close. Arsenio knew that he'd be needed back home soon, so it was a good and relieving thing that he heard the words of Seot'a. He smiled and nodded, replying graciously, "I'm also glad for what you've told me, Seot'a — I hope I didn't take up too much o' 'yer time." Looking himself after the suddenly-departed black Guardian, he nodded, getting up to leave himself. "Nice seeing you," he murmured after her before, with a knowing smile of all the information he had discovered (and released), left the way he had come to go back home, to Nova Mountain.
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