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[6dewdrops]

Tala

The white she-wolf proudly marched into the old oak area. Oak trees towered high above the soft grass. The ground was speckled with shade from the bright moonlight and dens were scattered in different areas depending on the wolf's preferences. Many dens were hugging the trees' trunks and roots, but a few were scattered in the empty areas and Tala could even make out a few in the tree branches. Tala decided to start digging a den in the roots of a nearby tree. Two arching roots made the perfect outline for a decent sized den. She started by digging the den deeper and filling the hollow with feathers and moss. Next, she began weaving twigs and branches to make a roof for protection from sun and rain. 

Tala placed all of her focus into making the new den. She was finished and stepped back to inspect the fruit of her labor. The den was a well disguised dome. Peaking inside, Tala could see the cushion of soft materials and was tempted to curl up and sleep, but first, she had something to deal with. Turning around, she spoke in a threatening tone. "Show yourselves."

[Deleted]

Ah, autumn. The beauty of this particular season went unsurpassed, although an occasional chill shook the atmosphere from time to time. Dried leaves splashed with yellows and reds and golds and oranges drifted from the branches of the mighty oak trees overhead. The plush grass's bright green hue was fading into a pale yellow, almost white. Multiple abandoned dens, scattered here and there, emanated a homely aura that enticed weary travelers near - namely one particular wolf named Reality. Falling memories. Like the leaves from the wind carried come the memories back. Scintillating, brilliant violescent optics were covered by closed eyelids as he reminisced about his uneventful life outside of White Wolf Mountain. It hadn't even been a moon since he first stepped paw inside of the valley, compelled by the silent siren song of the Power, so he still hardly knew how to navigate the many territories. Losing his way repeatedly was becoming increasingly frustrating. Fortunately, after an exasperating but satisfying day of exploration, he stumbled upon this grove of oak trees. His aching joints yearned to collapse and his mind was shutting down, so he took in his surroundings through bright, pulsing, gleaming, half-lidded optics to find a suitable den. Night had already pounced, and his circadian rhythm urged him to lay down and sleep the moonlight away. Soft sounds distracted him from his purpose. Wary, he hung back for a few moments, but his curiosity was overpowering. On silent paws, he avoided crackling leaves as he weaved around the trees towards the general direction of the sound. Real stopped behind one of the abundant oaks when he caught sight of a wolf, female as far as he could tell, standing in front of a den. She was pretty, but he couldn't tell how attractive she was since he had so little experience with the opposite gender. Wow, that made him sound lonely and pathetic, but it was the truth. The shelter was well crafted, and he was silently admiring it when the she-wolf spoke. His pulse quickened and he inhaled sharply. Instinctively, he stepped out from behind the tree, the tip of his tail dragging on the forest floor. So she had caught wind of him? Predictable. He was practically pawsteps away from her. "I-I'm sorry. Is this your territory? I can leave," he responded, his voice hushed and cautious. Although comely, there was an air about her that he distrusted.

[6dewdrops]

The male gray wolf stepped out from behind a tree. He looked normal for all except his eyes, which shone a beautiful purple. Tala started to move into a fighting stance until she noticed his nervous looks. She must frighten him. Oh well. Tala sat to relieve some of the tension. The wolf spoke and from his tone and looks she suspected that he was not part of Frigid Plague. She was only new herself so she couldn't be sure, so she decided to play it cool until she could get some more information from him. "Maybe it is, what is it to you?" That sounded good, cool. Tala silently made a victory motion in her head. Wanting to keep the tough image, she spoke before he could respond. "Wait, before you speak, tell me your name."

[Deleted]

Maybe it was a mistake to step out from behind his hiding place. Then again, it wouldn't have done him any good, as it wasn't exactly inconspicuous. He resisted the urge to step back and tuck his tail under his stomach as the female's hackles rose, then relaxed and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as she seemed to reconsider and sit back on her haunches. He was at a loss whether it was polite to sit down or if he should remain standing, so he wavered awkwardly in place but remained standing. His ears flicked, betraying even more signs of his social awkwardness. The way she eyed him felt perturbing, like she was shining a spotlight directly onto him and interrogating him. Maybe he really should have stayed behind the sturdy oak, where it didn't feel so overt. The she-wolf's words were slick, casual, but not without a hint of hostility. Or maybe he was imagining it? Reality always was overly cautious of others, so he couldn't confirm it with certainty. He filed his doubts away into the dark corners of his mind. Then, as he opened his maw to explain, she swiftly added a command. "Reality. But please call me Real." Please. He added the word please. How pathetic did that sound? "Ah. Well. I-It's getting late, and I'm wondering if I could stay the night here, if this isn't your territory. And you're fine with it." he murmured in response to the question she had asked earlier. He had always been eager to appease, and evidently it didn't change, even in his new surroundings. His ears flicked and flattened on top of his head, then swiveled back upright. He was beginning to lose his nerves in front of this curt and somewhat cold female.

[6dewdrops]

Poor guy. He was twitching and nervous. Maybe she should tone it down a bit. She was evil, but she wasn't cruel. The moon was high and Tala could understand the wolf's reasoning for wanting to stay the night. She remembered the first feeling she got when she walked in. It was a homey place, but she did not have the authority to let him stay. For now she would call Perjury. "I would help you, but I am not the Alphess." Tala howled at the rising moon. Caught up in the feeling that she was flying and free, she howled for a long time. She jolted back to reality-finding it funny that the wolf's name was also Reality-by a leaf falling on her face. She shook it away and glanced coldly at Real and smiled "warmly." To seal the deal, Tala chuckled, "Your fate for trespassing on the Frigid Plague pack's territory will be decided by Alphess Perjury." This should be interesting. 

(Cascade please!)

[Cascade]

The howl didn't take long to reach Perjury's ears, and her feet didn't take long to carry her to the den area where the call had originated. How refreshing, to hear her forest filled with sound and life again. Lord only knew how much taunting she would have to endure from her cousin if the Honovi out in the heath were more lively than the Frigid Plague.

When she arrived at the patch of oak trees, she looked at Tala and gave her a nod of approval towards her den. Sure may have offered to help dig one out with her power, but that didn't mean she didn't appreciate Tala's initiative, and the quality of her work was impressive. If there was any kind of wolf that Perjury liked, it was the 'pulling your weight' kind.

On the other hand...the grey male was the most timid-looking evil she had seen in her life, even if he was evil at all. She almost wanted to tell him to stand tall and show a little backbone, but that would be too much of a mixed message for an intruder. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at him and curled her tail over her back so that there would be no mistake about who was in charge here. "You'll have to explain something to me, because I am confused," she said in a very calculated tone, "I am the alphess of the Frigid Plague, so I have personally accepted every wolf in this pack. I have never seen you before, and yet you stand here in the middle of our territory as if this is where you belong. So tell me, wolf, is it that you are a member of my pack that I have simply forgotten about? You'd think my memory wouldn't be failing me at my young age. Or, have you simply shown flagrant disrespect for our border?"

[Deleted]

Oh. So this wasn't a solitary wolf's marked territory, but a whole pack's. As a loner, Reality did tend to involve himself in these kinds of situations, but he never faced an entire pack before. And their name, Frigid Plague, didn't sound promising either, as did the wolf  he just stumbled upon not too long ago. Not good not good not good. He cringed at the sudden, sharp howl the she-wolf barked out as she threw her head up, tilting it towards the brightening moon. Evidently, that was how one would summon an alpha or alphess of a pack. Foolishly abandoning his fear for the moment, he listened with perked ears until he caught wind of another wolf approaching. His panic returned, but at least he did well to conceal it. Except for the consistent twitching of his ears. Her smile wasn't welcoming, but it seemed to be an attempt of warmth and reassurance. It didn't work, especially when she uttered the next words. His aching, screaming joints froze and locked into place, and he couldn't move even to flick his ears. What punishment did they have in store for him? And he didn't even do anything wrong! Another she-wolf with specks of color on her haunches approached and appraised both wolves. Her tail arched over her back as she spoke with eyes narrowed into yellow slits. She spoke, and she didn't seem too pleased altogether with his actions. He stiffened at her last words. It seemed as if she was accusing him of a crime, something that he didn't do. Or at least mean to do. Reality dipped his head at a slight angle in a sign of respect, and hopefully not submission. Submission meant weakness. Weakness was not something he wanted to reveal in front an alphess of a pack with a hostile name like Frigid Plague. He resisted the reflex of tucking his tail between his haunches and considered his response. It had to be something cool, calm, casual, collected. "I'm sure she can tell you," Real finally answered, managing to keep a stutter out of his voice. There. That sounded pretty smooth, if he did say so himself.

[6dewdrops]

    Alphess Perjury was as beautiful and dignified as ever. Just her presence made Tala feel like she could take on the world, not that she could. She listened to the conversation quietly from the sidelines. Her mind wandered. She was tired and her bed was tempting her. The moon shone through the branches, speckling the soft bedding. She almost whimpered at the desire to curl up and sleep. It was only her first day in the pack and it was already exciting. Tala was trying to distract herself from the calling of sleep by cleaning herself, only half listening to Perjury and Real. Then what Real said made her freeze. So he was going to push this onto her, huh? She wanted to tackle him and scream. He was putting the spotlight on her in front of Perjury! 
    Tala slowly turned and resumed a somewhat presentable position. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. This was not turning out to be a good night. "I have nothing to do with YOUR explanation," she growled. Then she softened her voice and opened her eyes. Tala looked at Real. "You walked into this grove and I felt you watching me. I cannot tell the Alphess the reason for you being here. All you told me is that your name is Reality and you want to stay the night here."
    No longer wanting any part in the situation, Tala bowed her head to Alphess Perjury. "If that is all, I will be retiring for the night. Please excuse me, Alphess." She did not move, waiting for the Alphess to dismiss her. 

[Cascade]

This wolf certainly was unusual, but the respect he showed with his bow did not erase the disrespect of trespassing on her lands. The fact that he tried to pass the buck off to Tala was even more curious. "I did not ask her to tell me, did I? I asked you, and I expect you to answer." She nodded at Tala's request to return to her denm "You are excused, Tala. A den like that deserves to be slept in."

Turning back to the wolf, the corners of her mouth turned sharply down. "I can tell from the look of you that you aren't evil. If you are, you are the most poor example of an evil wolf that I have seen in all my days." She took a step towards Real and, in a flash, a hardened spike of earth burst from the ground towards him, stopping inches from his face. Focusing her power again, she let the spike crumble into dust. "Tell me, wolf, do you have any idea what you've even gotten yourself into?"

[6dewdrops]

Tala was relieved and entered her newly built den. She was very tired, but she wanted to see how this ended. Yawning, she spun three times and lay down in the cushion of feathers and moss. The view from her den was perfect and she could tell that this was about to get even MORE interesting. 

[6dewdrops]

(OOC:I'm gonna pull Tala for now. We'll just say she went out to explore instead of going to her den. This will be until @dance comes back)