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Cochise
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Woo, here we go! :D
Nightfall was a notorious time to be out, or so she figured. It almost seemed sinister to be wandering around by the moonlight, and being as dark as she was she felt very much like a wraith streaking through, amber eyes focused on a single pinpoint that in the twilight vision that she had (or any wolf had) that lied on the horizon. It wasn’t uncommon that she moved in the darkness because generally it was a dark kind of place where the Hó’nehe lived, the kind of place that had a sleepy, sombre tone to it. That was what she had generally thought as a child, but Cochise could never think about it like that now. It was an alluring place with everything that they needed to survive, and because it was a less travelled place, they had access to a lot of game that had been chased over the mountain by anything and everything.
The placid, glass-like pond was one of her favourite places just to be near. She found it hard to be angry when she was there, or feel as though with all of the recent traffic into their ancestral grounds that they were being invaded, or infested and tainted by the curious wolves from some unknown world. That ‘unknown’ world was a place where Cochise had said goodbye to her siblings (and some friends), and even at one point her parents had ventured out there. Not her, she wasn’t really interested in what was out there because they had everything that they needed right there. It was for that reason that she was suspicious of those that lived on the outside, it couldn’t be helped. What went out there simply didn’t seem to come back.
Standing on the cool, muddy banks of the pond she almost hated to disturb its quiet waters when she had lowered her muzzle to get a drink, but at some point it would go still again so in a way it didn’t matter. The fish that lived there wouldn’t probably care because generally it was only the wolves who disturbed their water in the late night; sometimes even another creature did the same. With her sated fill of the water, Cochise planted herself right there on the edge of the wild grass that grew along the edge of that muddy bank and let herself relax for a change. Perhaps she was being foolish for being on edge so much about those new wolves poking around in her home, yet she wasn’t ready to approach them alone either. Eyes shutting, she sighed.
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Sakari
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Yay! Thank you for starting! <3
When will these strangers ever learn? Sakari had confronted a few rather than sitting back in the darkness observing in silence but seething at their disrespect – no longer would she or the other tribe members tolerate such acts of deliberate intrusions. A few half-hearted attempts had been made to excuse themselves for entering the sacred land, but the one which stood out most indicated the valley creatures’ lack of sense and smell. How could this whole pack be missed? Though they might not have marked the territory as vehemently as the pack wolves did outside, their individual trails were noticeable. There really was no justification whatsoever for being here uninvited, and the female had been stressed, angered, and impatient more in the past few weeks than she could ever remember.
Prone to wander when thoughts littered her mind in mass jumbles like so, Sakari found herself traversing the Hó'nehe territory for the sake of relieving some stress by concentrating on something else – such as listening to the song birds singing of the day, watching the tree branches sway in the afternoon breeze, concentrating on one single browned leaf drifting lazily to the ground as it was snatched greedily away from its womb. It was her release, something she had taught herself to do whenever emotions overran her and threatened to spill past the containment level. Recently, she walked so much it was a wonder her paw pads were not sore from the overuse.
But she was strong enough and sturdy enough to continue day and night if need be. Tirelessly the tribe had searched for the whereabouts of the next Me’ko, leaving their ancestral homeland to settle here in this little nook of a place in the valley with the promise of finding that individual soon. As much as she was displeased at the multitude of foreigners flocking inside their boundaries, she had to look on the bright side that at least one of them would be the heir; it made the possibility even better by going through the process of elimination. Only time would tell, however, when the leader would be found.
The scent of a member drifted along to meet her ebony nostrils and as she took a tentative whiff of the odor, Sakari’s tail began to wag at the familiarity. Not too far off and with her naked eyes, she could see the back of one of her better friends sitting there, simply gazing into the water. Having grown up beside each other for the majority of their life, Sakari thought of Cochise as nearly family. If her family had not left her behind, the Naa’eve could have very well been an in-law. However, such hopes were dashed many months ago, and life continued as always.
Ambling up behind her silently, she made a point of tackling her from the back as a surprise before woofing out a genial greeting. ”Cochise, what’s so intriguing that’s got you looking so intently in the water?” She leaned over the dark female to have a look see for herself but found nothing out of the ordinary other than a few remnants of ripples, though soon to still.
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Cochise
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You're welcome. :D
She knew Sakari’s footfalls through the grass pretty well because it was a sound that she had grown accustom to after having known her for years. It was probably logical for the medic to recognize the sounds of her Tsehata’a approaching after so long, and it brought a warm smile to her face. When Sakari came to a halt next to Cochise, the dark-haired wolf merely wagged her tail; her amber eyes had opened long before her friend had arrived beside her.
“Well, I did have my eyes closed, but for now… I suppose it’s just the stillness. It’s calming in a way, isn’t it?” she asked, turning her dark-haired head to look over at Sakari. That stillness made things seem a little less chaotic right then and there in the tribe. She wasn’t sure what there was to think about when it came to those unknown wolves who had been mysteriously lollygagging on their grounds. Yet they had generally shied away from the lot of them for whatever reason, but Cochise knew why she had — she was wary of them. Maybe they were a threat, although they had never seemed to be trying to track any of the Hó’nehe down, or so it seemed.
Her eyes left Sakari and went back to studying the lake for a moment, and then she turned her head a little skyward, marvelling at the patterns that those burning dots of lights gave out. “Sakari… what do you think of those wolves who are coming through? Do you think that they’re a threat?” Did the Hó’nehe need a reason to be hostile with them? So far they had done one thing that positively bothered her, trespassing. Cochise thought that they had all been raised better than that, but perhaps they were savage, sickly creatures with a general lack of respect and knowledge. The modern day cave-wolves, hah!
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Sakari
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At her aunt’s words, she nodded her head, agreeing whole-heartedly, though words were not necessary. Just as the Native Americans revered Mother Nature and that of Her creations, the Hó'nehe had learned from their ways and made it their own many years ago. She had simply been one of the few who had learned later on, taught by her father and surely to teach her own children in the future. Though times had changed, their culture had not, and while families came and went, the Hó'nehe remained steadfast to the family tradition, intent on finding the true heir that would ultimately take them back to the days of old when all would be well. She believed in that cause, and while her mother and siblings did not, at least there were a few who did, Cochise included.
However, their tasks had veered slightly off track, going off of schedule and not as previously planned. The intrusion of pack wolves had been the cause of their delay, and now they had to deal with the issue that should have never been an issue. The tribe had been alone for more than a year, leaving the valley wolves to their own agendas and leaving them alone. She had thought they would return the same courtesy and bestow upon them with kindness as the Hó'nehe wolves had shown them, but no; they disappointed the tribe. The question that all members were surely wondering about, Cochise had voiced.
Sakari remained silent for a few moments, simply gazing at the water surface. The ripples had slowly died away, now gone as the lake regained its peaceful image. Soon, she knew, something would come along and disturb it once again for nothing remained the same forever, just as the tribe’s peaceful days in the Salvajes seemed to be over. ”I don’t know yet, Cochise. Only time will tell … Most of them come because they’re interested and intrigued. Don’t they know that curiosity also could kill canines?” She sighed heavily, dipping a forepaw into the chilled water to once again create the ripples to occupy her eyes while mind worked continuously. ”Have you met any of them?” She had, and it had been way too many.
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Cochise
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-tries to catch up to with posts! fist shake- THERE YOU GO, MISS I POSTS ALOTS. XD <333 Hover over that shiny Cheyenne word for a translation. :O
The Hó’nehe medic studied her niece’s reaction and listened to her response whole-heartedly, just because she did care about what Sakari thought of the matter. Since they didn’t have a Me’ko, looking to her niece as a leader (and Cochise’s brother as well) was the next step. The Naa’eve cared about those opinions, because she knew that she was a support to them. “Aye, that is true,” she said, knowing that those that had ventured out into that vast unknown that was outside of the Hó’nehe tribe hadn’t returned. Or if they had, then they weren’t relatively pleased with what was out there.
“I’ve gotten close to them, but stayed out of their view. It’s hard to decide if they’re hostile or not, the way that they’ve been stomping around on the grounds. I think some of the oeškesos have been stealing my herbs.” She sighed, looking down at her legs for a moment before she shook her head. “They don’t seem to come around at night though, at least not yet,” she said, then with a slightly pause; “maybe they’re afraid of us.” She concluded her thought with a dry laugh that was short, but pleasant. In light of the irritating matter, they had to laugh because laughter was a medicine — and at any rate they couldn’t help that rage overcome them.
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Sakari
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Is that what you’re doing?! XD *sticks tongue out* =P
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Indeed, it was difficult to tell with these pack wolves whether they were hostile or simply curious. So far, none had seemed very threatening, but she knew one couldn’t judge a book by its cover. It could be a tactic used by the outsiders to trick the tribe into becoming docile, then striking when they least expected it. Send a child here, a female there, an unsuspecting male next. The next time they knew, the whole place might be overrun with the foreigners and then their whole family would be trapped, their cause lost, and all hope vanished. It was not something Sakari wanted to see happen, not when she still had breath in her body to do something about it. She made a mental note to keep closer watch on the entrance, the tunnel that every wolf seemed to have discovered lately.
At the mention of some stealing herbs, the female’s head whipped around harshly, the first time hearing of such a thing. ”Are you certain?” It was an unforgivable crime, and it was a big disappointment to hear that they would resort to stealing upon another’s pack land! Not to mention, the herbs were for the tribe and the tribe e alone, not to be shared with the others. They only had a small corner to themselves; not all the necessary herbs grew in such a small area. However, the pack wolves had the run of the whole valley; why would they even come to this place to steal theirs?
Cochise’s assumption matched that of a few reactions she had gotten, frightening looks and then remorseful ones, not sure which way to go in order to get themselves out of the situation. Chuckling as she thought about a comment made earlier by a stranger from Mount Shadow, she revealed what the outsiders thought of the tribe. ”They believe us to be ghosts, Cochise. Isn’t that something?” She still couldn’t figure out why they would think spirits had scents of their own.
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Cochise
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Was she certain? Cochise had no real proof that the wolves who were visiting were actually making off with her herbs, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t. She hadn’t seen them up close and personal but the proof did lie in the pudding, or at least in the cache of herbs that she had. She was familiar with where they grew in the lands, and now in places they had been uprooted. Was it the work of a wild animal? Possibly. “I feel that I am, but even there is a significant chance of error. I’ve smelled them around the places where they grow. Sometimes they are missing when I visit those places.” The dark-haired wolf bristled slightly at the thought that she would be wrong, but even at that, Cochise relaxed a bit.
“Ghosts? How silly, can’t they tell that we’re of flesh and blood?” The question was awkward, given that they already thought of them as ghosts. Sakari probably didn’t have the answer, but she also felt like ghosts would have been sort of transparent. She had never seen one before, but knew that they existed because of those that could communicate with them. Hó’nehe did have it’s mediums, throughout time. She paused thoughtfully, her brow kinking for a moment. “Perhaps we should act as ghosts. We should scare them, perhaps?” It was a mean thing to do, but if kept them away… well, the end would and should justify the means, she assumed. No harm, no foul.
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Sakari
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She had no doubts when it came to her aunt, and even though Cochise said she might not be sure, Sakari did not reprimand or otherwise say anything to forget the incident. Rather, it was emphasized further on how much they had to keep an eye on their lands now, more than ever. ”We just have to make sure we watch everything. Too many things have changed so quickly and so many have come around, it’s hard to go back to our peaceful days.” If they could ever go back, that was.
Cochise’s question had been her own as well. How could the scents not tip the strangers off that there were live wolves living within these lands, a territory present just as theirs was claimed as well? Cypress had revealed that their scents were much different from the pack wolves, and that had boggled her a bit. What did he mean by .. different? ”Cochise, do you think the strangers smell different from us? They say they can’t tell if we’re wolves or not!” Was that an insult or a compliment, that they could hide so well it was unknown to four packs within the region?
As for trying to scare them off with ghost antics? She shook her head. ”I think we’ve tried that a few times, or some others have at least. We’re quite evasive, you know. It simply piqued their interests.” If only things could be solved that easily, they would have found the Me’ko by now.
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Cochise
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-PLAYS CATCH UP.- ;_________; H8z on u. (I mean, sorry about the wait, wtf. :D)
“Different? Well, of course they do. They don’t smell anything like they belong here,” she said, at first probably not getting the question just right. “But they do smell like wolves, if that’s what you mean.” They didn’t smell like they were dogs or coyotes or anything strange like that. They had certainly fallen off of the same apple tree as the rest of them, but they probably belonged to their own groups.
The medic wondered if it was possible that they smelled different. Most of them hadn’t ever ventured outside of the enclosed frame that was their home. And why would they ever need to leave? They had everything that they needed right there — food, water, family and friends. Then again, that had been the growing trend with the inability to stay in a place that was safe and provided everything that they needed. Cochise thought grimly of her siblings, but didn’t linger on the memory for just more than one reason. “Some of them are being hostile,” she said quietly, frowning. “Or so Seot’a has told me. I’ve had my run in with another who’s behaviour was a little… unnerving, to say the least. Kuruk was with me then.” Originally, she thought that Kuruk had been instigating the whole thing, but it turned out that really and truly, Kuruk was simply doing his job. He was slowly earning his trust with her, for that.
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Sakari
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LOL! Sorry for the wait!
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She nodded at Cochise’s words, not quite sure if that was the answer she had been seeking. Afterall, she didn’t even know if her question made any sense or what she was looking for by even asking it. Thus, it was the best either one of them could come up with, so she supposed the pack wolves simply had not honed their skills of smell to their advantage, now finding that there were scents they could not and did not even register. Sakari just wished they would go away, scents or no scents. They had the whole of the valley to themselves; couldn’t they leave this corner to the tribe wolves or did they have to claim it as their own as well?
At the mention of wolves being hostile, she frowned, trying to think if there had been any who had attacked or caused any sort of conflict within the tribe. Of course, by them being there was to create conflict, but would it be made to the degree of hostility? Perhaps she ought to speak with Seot’a sometime soon to find out what was going on. ”I’ve met a few wolves who had quite the attitude and were rude …. They obviously think they’re all that and we’re simply a primitive tribe living in the corner with nothing to live for.” They couldn’t be more wrong than ever. "What do they have to be hostile for?" Was there a reason behind their actions or was it simply a guess or a fear of the unknown?
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Cochise
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"Nothing that I can think of," she said passively, not even thinking about it. "We've been here longer they have, I can reckon." The Hó’nehe had been around for a long time from what she knew. After all, bits and pieces of her disjointed family were apart of that — including those that had been adopted in, more or less. "They get hostile when we get hostile, but at least we have solid reason, wouldn't you say?" she inquired, hoping that in the event that they had been hostile that it hadn't been out of line.
Cochise didn't think that they needed to be nice to a bunch of wolves who were trespassing their little heads off, anyway. "I certainly that nothing bad spurs out of this, I have an inkling of a feeling that compared to this... valley, outside of the mountain that we're vastly outnumbered. I've seen far too many different wolves coming and wandering through lately." It made her uneasy, and this she clearly expressed on her face. She had family that had wandered out there... what had become of them? She almost wanted to think that just perhaps they were savage creatures through the tunnel, but at the same time the medic knew better than to think like that.
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Sakari
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Ending the thread here, unless you want to reply once more. =)
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Cochise brought on good questions and comments, ones that Sakari herself had considered many times before. The tribe was in a delicate position, unsure of the leader’s whereabouts or identity and being in a completely strange land where many wolves populated the area and outnumbering the tribe members four to one, quite possibly more. It was not looking good for them, but she knew not what to do other than to be patient and try their best to find their Me’ko. However, even patience could wear thin and it would appear that time was running out. It was difficult to see what route to take next, seeing how she had never known the tribe to be without a leader until now. This was new territory, untested waters, and she was diving head first into the darkness.
But it was all she could do. There was nothing else to be done except that, whether she wanted it or not. For the sake of her family and the tribe, it had to be done and she would try her best to fulfill the seat her father had vacated and hope to make the right decisions to make things right. ”I understand your concerns, Cochise. Perhaps it is best we speak with the tribe first and see what ideas the others have.” It was due time for a gathering anyway. With a light nudge to her aunt’s side, she turned away momentarily before twisting her head back to speak once more. ”We’ll find a way, somehow.” They had to.
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