A Cautious Ally [Aspen & Ketchup/Dew]

[Juice]

@aspen 6dewdrops CursedErin

It was the middle of winter and the snows had blanketed the meadows with a thick and heavy powder. A black and white she wolf was loping through the snow at a leisurely pace with her companion who was black and silver in hue. She was thankful that her pack's territory was not far from this one and was surprised about how anxious she was to arrive at the site of her old home. Would it look different now that new wolves had settled there? Did they dig out even more tunnels in the underground den area? What would these new wolves be like? All these questions swirled around like angry bees in Ilana's head but she made an effort to quiet them. She had to be on her guard at all times when meeting with this new pack. After all, she was on their territory now.

The pungent and sharp smell of urine reached Ilana's pink nose and she knew she'd arrived at the border. It was almost difficult to tell where the established borders were now that all the snow was covering the lush grass. When it had been her land, Ilana had done her scent markings in a ring around the territory so thoroughly that the grass wouldn't grow as tall from all the hardy urea that saturated the soil. Perhaps this new pack had a differnt way of portioning the territory but it didn't matter now, this was no longer her home. The she wolf had come there with a purpose and she threw her head to the skies and bellowed a loud howl summoning the alphas to her location. She stood still and waited and mumbled to her compnaion "Be on constant guard, we don't know what these wolves are like."

[Deleted]

Bane

I was thankful that the old territory wasn't too far away from the new one or the journey Ilana and I were making would have been far worse. The snow was deep and cold but it was powdery which meant it didn't stick in clumps to my fur. I was thinking about Tye almost the entire trek towards Longrass and wondering if he would be alright. I kept reminding myself that Aspen and I had been left alone at an even younger age when we were pups but...our pack was definitely more unorthodox than Dark Donoma. I decided to worry about it later as we finally came to the strange new pack's borders. I took a deep breath to catch some oxygen after the long run and nodded when Ilana told me to be on my guard. I took a moment to center myself and became totally focused on my surroundings. I was here to make sure Ilana would be kept safe at the first sign of danger.

A Streak of Silver

[CursedErin]

Xenia had finally quieted down her new pups and gotten then asleep as she heard the howl from Ilana bellow out across her territory. "New members..? No.. Something doesn't seem right.." she said quietly to herself before grooming her pups one last time and emerging from the dens to race off in the howl's direction.

After a few moments of running, a golden crown could be seen in the distance from the two, but not much else as Xenia's white pelt let her blend into the snow, but the gold birthmark gave her away a bit. As she approached closer and closer, her bi-colored eyes became apparent to Bane and Ilana, along with an outline of her body. The queen of Camelot slowed her pace down as she made her way closer and closer to the two.

"Greetings, I am Xenia, Queen of Camelot. What brings you here?" she questioned as she scented the two wolves from a distance. Something flicked in her mind, it was the same scent that used to be in Camelot's dens. 'Dark Donoma..' she thought to herself as she wondered if her mate and King was on his way.

[6dewdrops]

Uther

    The large white wolf had been patrolling the borders when he heard a howl. He rushed toward the sound, but proceeded with caution in the event of hostility. As he approached, he saw Xenia. She was supposed to be with the pups! Uther sped to her side and licked her in the snow. "You should not be out here. You are still recovering." He looked at the wolves standing just outside of the border. Two wolves stood a respectable distance from the border. One looked very important and the other looked prideful, but still under the command of the other. They both smelt of the Dark Donoma that once occupied their land. Uther raised his head and took a seat in the cold snow. "Greetings. I am Uther, King of Camelot. What business do you have here?"

[Juice]

Ilana watched as a form appeared seemingly from nowhere. It took her a moment to realize it was a wolf because this particular creature blended so well into the snowy landscape. She could tell by the wolf's stance and gait that she was a high ranking member, probably an alpha wolf. Finally the female came to a halt in front of the previous owner of the land and told her she was the queen of these lands. Ilana gave a respectful nod and was about to begin speaking when she smelled yet another wolf.

Again, seemingly from nowhere, a white form appeared. This wolf was larger than the first and male. Judging by the way he greeted Xenia he was most definitely her mate. Ilana noted the look of concern he gave his mate and blanched at the thought of Rhett treating her like that. Ew. But no matter these wolves were not evils, or at least she didn't think they were considering the intel she had on them. "Greetings Queen Xenia and King Uther." Ilana said bowing her head. She kept her tail at half mast to show respect but to also let it be known she was no mere subordinate. "My name is Alphess Ilana of the Dark Donoma pack. Perhaps you have heard of us?" Ilana smiled, knowing full well her pack was beginning to gain a small amount of recognition within the valley. "This territory used to be my home. I am glad to see that it has come into capable paws. I am not here to discuss the lands however." Ilana turned her head in acknowledgement of Bane. "This is my Beta, Bane. He is merely here for my protection." she didn't want these wolves to get the wrong idea about why she'd brought reinforcements.

"I have come to seek an alliance with your pack. From the whispers heard on the wind, you are neither explicitly light nor dark. Dark Donoma is a strong, and growing pack. It is home to many strong, and powerful warriors. A few of my subordinates have even been blessed by the White Wolves themselves." Again the black and white she wolf smiled as she thought of her newly acquired subordinate with the power of telepathy. "I also know from the whispers that your pack is beginning to grow and become established and-" she now looked directly into the eyes of Xenia. "It seems you have pups that need to be taken care of. It is my belief that our alliance could become strong if you'd accept it. Being in a smaller territory means you are more likely to be attacked for land or be subject to border skirmishes. If you ally with us, Dark Donoma will be there to help you in your hour of need should the time arise. That is not to say that we would not value you as allies as well. Do you believe an alliance between our packs is plausible?" Ilana glanced from Xenia to Uther, wondering what the answer would be.

[Deleted]

Aspen

I simply watched as a white figure approached us. I kept my stance as neutral as possible but I was still on guard and ready for anything. Then another wolf began approaching and still my guard was up but luckily both wolves were not immediately hostile. They were the leaders of the territory and mates by the look of it. I stood still and merely nodded when Ilana acknowledged me and remained silent. This was not something I needed to get involved in unless Ilana asked me to do so. I had to admit I was curious about these wolves and their pack and I perked my black ears forward eagerly to await their response.

A Streak Of Silver

[CursedErin]

Xenia was a bit startled when the Evil pack had showed up, she assumed that they might have been wanting to quarrel for the land. As Uther showed up, Xenia sighed with relief, not wanting to deal with two wolves if they should turn hostile. "Sorry my King, I had no idea where you would be as I heard the howl from these two." she replied to her mate, licking his muzzle happily and slowly sitting herself down beside him, keeping close to him and laying her tail on top of his happily.

Ilana quickly reassured the queen that the land was the least of their worries. Watching Bane, Xenia had a bad feeling about him for some bizarre reason, thinking that he might be a dangerous aspect, after all Camelot had no reason to attack wolves who crossed their borders, as long as all resources stayed. "I have indeed heard of you, while we were just becoming mates your pack began to leave and settle in to the Hidden Glade. As a harsh storm rolled in we found shelter in what you had left behind, and soon we decided on starting a family, followed by a pack soon after." she replied to Ilana, speaking first over her mate.

"As for your offer, alphess Ilana, I see no problem with it. I am slightly hesitant in siding with a dark pack, as I planned to keep us neutral, but you have given good points." she said, thinking a bit before she looked up to Uther and then sighed softly. "I plan on getting blessed by one of the White Wolves myself to add more strength to Camelot, and if my King is alright with it, to the alliance as well." she added, finally giving her approval of the alliance as long as it was okay for Uther.

As time passed, Xenia wanted to run back to her pups, she knew they wouldn't stay asleep for long, and she didn't want to leave them be for long either, but she knew if they caused a ruckus that Egypt would take care of the pair of boys.

[6dewdrops]

Uther

    The large white wolf stayed silent and listened to his mate. All that she said was true, although he had been surprised to hear about her getting a power. It wasn't a bad idea, he had just never heard of it until now. Uther nodded to everything Xenia said and watched the other wolves. Allying themselves with a big pack like Dark Donoma would be a good idea. The fact that they already knew the land gave Camelot a disadvantage if they ever had to go to battle. Better to be on the safe side and make them allies. Uther gave Xenia a nod of approval and waited to hear Ilana's response. 

[Juice]

Ilana was still standing, refusing to allow herself to relax just in case but these wolves were smart and they knew the best option for the betterment of their pack. To reassure Xenia that it would be quite alright for a dark pack to ally with a neutral, Ilana brought up the Honovi. "I understand your hesitation with allying with us as we are most definitely not neutral. However, the neutral Honovi and the evil Frigid Plague packs of the north are allies. In fact, there have been many generations to pass that have seen and withheld that alliance." Ilana paused for a moment to allow Xenia to continue speaking. She smiled wide, her chipped front fang glinting in the the bright light of the sun. The black she wolf turned her purple eyes to Uther to see what his response would be and was glad he agreed with his mate. "Excellent. Then it is settled, Dark Donoma and Camelot will be allies. Your wolves are welcome to visit our land in Hidden Glade at any time but I do request you respect our borders, only for the safety of the visitors. Some of my border patrollers are...a bit over zealous in their duties. Is there anything you wish to further discuss?" Ilana looked for Xenia to Uther.

[Deleted]

Bane

I remained silent through the whole exchange not feeling any need to say anything. I was glad that Camelot would now be our ally, it always paid off to have friends to come to your aid when necessary. I simply nodded along with everything Ilana said but before she asked the alphas if they had any questions, I took a step forward and bowed my head. "I, Bane, offer my services to you both should you ever need them." I wanted to make it known that I was not merely some underling to Ilana but the beta of Dark Donoma. I had authority as well and desired to be involved in the alliance. However, I did not feel the need to say anything more and took a step back to my original position at Ilana's side.

A Streak Of Silver

[CursedErin]

Xenia smiled happily as Uther accepted the agreement of an alliance silently. "I'm glad you all have decided to ally I with us. May we both prosper well from this deal." she said as she let her eyes go from Ilana to Bane, and then back again. Her eyes snapped to Bane as he spoke. "Thank you for the offer Bane, I appreciate it." she said, her tail wagging happily.

Xenia lifted her head and licked Uther's muzzle, "I have no questions, and I must be getting back. I look forward to meeting you two again sometime. My King, I will be back at the dens." she said, her head falling back to Ilana and Bane, and then looking up again to Uther. She gave her mate one more gentle lick before slowly standing herself up and beginning to trod off through the snow towards the dens.

[Juice]

ooc: Dew gave me permission to skip her and post next

Ilana nodded in appreciation towards the new alphas that were officially allied with Dark Donoma. She simply remianed silent when Bane spoke and was proud of him for doing so instead of simply sitting by like an obedient pup. Obedience and loyalty were two things that Ilana required of all her pack members but that didn't mean she wanted them to be drones and it was good to see Bane act on his newly acquired position. Ilana watched as Xenia loped away to look after her pup and took that as her cue to be on her way. The black she wolf nodded politely to Uther and said "We must be on our way as well King Uther. I look forward to a long and prosperous alliance with Camelot. Until we meet again." and Ilana turned and made eye contact with Bane before sprinting away back home.

-Exit Ilana-

[Deleted]

Bane

As Ilana turned to leave, I gave a small bow to the alphas and also turned and followed my alphess back home.

-Bane Leaves-

A Streak Of Silver

ooc: sorry about the short post