Redwood Fortress [Cas,Gyll]

[Deleted]

Time of Day ♦ Dawn | Weather ♦ Light Fog

Participants

1. cascade as perjury
2. gyllbane as vanitas
3. samf as malice

Note ♦ I'd prefer at least two posts each player per day. More would be better.
Slots ♦ Thread closed to all except those listed above. Thank you!

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The night had indeed been quiet, and Malice had spent his time acquainting himself with the borders of the territory. There had been far too much excitement within the past day, and he found that resting longer than a few hours was proving to be difficult. In his restlessness, he -at the very least- decided to be productive. Malice wasn't sure how long he'd spend wading in shadow of that fallen oak, but at least he got a small brown hare out of it. It wasn't as impressive as he'd like it to be, but it would have to do. Food was difficult enough to come by in the cold seasons.

Large paws quieted a calm approach to the western half of the territory- a place he'd waited until last to visit. If there were other wolves nearby, he certainly couldn't tell just yet. The light mist didn't obscure his vision of the nearby burrows, but from where he stood, there was no telling if any of them were occupied. Malice decided to approach a young tree nearby and set his hare gently upon the thawing soil. Once placed, he lifted his muzzle to the canopy and drew his ears back as he let out a low bellow of a sound, informing his location to those nearby, and perhaps a 'hey, here's something to eat'!

[Cascade]

Perjury had awoken from the most restful sleep she had enjoyed in weeks. The stress of uncertainty had melted away in the cool embrace of her familiar den, although when she awoke to find herself alone she felt an odd sense of sorrow. Why, she did not know. It had been far too long since she had lost her family for her to expect anything else. The feeling was bitter in her mind, but she pushed it back down into the darkness where it belonged.

Eager for any distraction, Perjury emerged from her den when she heard Malice's howl. It could only be his, as the voice was comfortable, but barely familiar. "It's good to see you, Malice," she said as she revealed herself from behind the trunk of one of the massive trees, "I am glad the forest of love did not prove so seductive as to draw you away from your humble home forever."

[Gyllbane]

The unfamiliar sound reached Vanitas' ears around the same time that it did Perjury's; he'd rested well enough before his and the alpha's chat the night before, and so had awoken prior to the noise. If anyone asked, he'd been biding his time awaiting Malice's approach; in truth, he didn't relish the thought of returning to the cold air once more. But the howl brought him out of whatever thoughts he'd been immersed in almost immediately, and he pulled himself out of the den in short order to go inspect the source of the noise.

He arrived barely after Perjury, on the tail end of hers and Malice's first interaction - he made no effort to hide himself, trotting out from behind the alphess, sizing up the wolf before him. He could find no fault; Perjury had done well in her excursion out of the forest, and he awaited a pause in the conversation to make himself known.

[Deleted]

Malice leveled his head with his shoulders once the pale wolf entered his vision. A low-hanging tail swayed at the sight of her, "And a good morning to you, Perjury" came the gentle reply, as slow and calm as the thin fog around them. His mouth opened to continue speaking, a heavy grey paw padding at the unmoving hare beneath him, but then she mentioned the forest she had subliminally guided him to the other day. His maw shut briefly and his ears swiveled sideways. "The 'Forest of Love'. Yes, ...I learned that much from one of the hysterical pups trouncing through," his tone didn't seem displeased nor pleasured. "I cannot say that such a flamboyant place rests will within my personal preferences, but it is at least one less location to be ignorant of."

A new form emerged from behind the alphess, brown and unfamiliar. Another member of the pack, to be sure. Malice dipped his nose in the other male wolf's direction. "Greetings."

[Cascade]

"Ah yes, it is not the only magical place in these forests, but it serves popular among a certain population." Perjury shrugged at the idea, spotting Vanitas out of the corner of her eye as she whisked away the thought of an evil finding his soulmate in such a place. "Good morning," she greeted him, noting the subtle signs of approval in his body language. Her unlikely encounter had made a fine addition to the pack so far. Of course, the real work had not yet begun.

Perjury waited for Vanitas to make his own introduction, having learned long ago that it was a beta's job to introduce himself. The intricacies leadership were always practiced in mixed company; Perjury felt it was important to maintain a level of formality appropriate for her position. Vanitas had seen her in a more relaxed state when they were alone together, but only Treason knew what the truly candid Perjury was like. At least, she was the only one alive who knew.

[Gyllbane]

"Greetings." He dipped his head to Perjury first, as was customary; Malice recieved a similar gesture. "You must be the wolf Perjury informed me of yesterday. Malice?" He lifts his head a little higher, remembering his position - he must look the part if Malice is to respect him in his vice-leadership position.

"I am Vanitas, beta of Frigid Plague. I formally welcome you amongst our ranks, as I'm sure our alphess has already done." He looks to her, briefly; she was a much different creature when assuming full leadership, which only made him respect her more. In truth, he still wasn't quite sure how Perjury had managed to convince him to formally take on the title of Beta; he'd never considered himself much of a leader. It wasn't out of some percieved fault, though - he merely lacked the conquer-and-control drive that Perjury - and most other alphas - seemed to possess. He had no qualms with being a follower, as long as his leader was equipped for the job.

He turns his attention back to Malice. "She has assigned us border patrol. Unless there are more pressing matters to attend to, we will do just that."

[Deleted]

Malice kept his head and tail low as the beta spoke, keeping all of his senses trained on the pair before him. "It is pleasing to meet another member of the pack, and to make your acquaintance, Vanitas." He raises his just a bit at the mention of a border patrol and nodded his head towards the alphess. "Certainly." Malice was compliant, and reasonably unsure of how their relationships would blossom later on. But that was for their future selves to decide. The grey wolf lowered his nose to the hare's still-warm body, and briefly flipped his ears back as he looked at Perjury once more. Malice slowly moved away from the corpse, then looked to Vanitas expectantly.

[Cascade]

Perjury noticed the slain hare at Malice's feet, "As you were, Malice. The border is long, and you'll be wanting a full belly before you take the patrol. Intruders are rare these days, but not unheard of." She looked to Vanitas briefly, wondering how much she should really caution the newcomer about what was likely to be a routine and uneventful patrol. Her propensity toward utmost preparedness for worst-case-scenarios did not always go over well with the rest of the pack. "Nothing too great to handle though," she said, erring on the side of optimism for once, "...most likely." Very nearly erring on the side of optimism.

[Gyllbane]

Vanitas noticed the hare as Malice gestured to it - he's half tempted to take it, but with the remains of a felled roe deer still ruminating in him from a couple days prior he figures it's best left to the newcomer, and he gives a short shake of his head, pleased with his show of respect. "You'll be needing your strength. No doubt there will be more to catch along the way, as well." He'd await the end of Malice's meal, turning to Perjury briefly.

"Should we be expecting a visit from the Honovi alphess soon?" He settled himself onto his haunches, tail tucked to one side. "She'll want to be informed of our new members, I would guess."

[Deleted]

Malice's tail waved at their charity, and he quietly re-approached the hare. A large paw held the corpse in place as he lowered his nose to its belly and began ripping  skin from the muscle beneath. He downed the rib meat quickly and nosed his way deeper to get to the good bits. Needless to say, his muzzle got a bit messy as the listened to the higher ranking wolves' conversation.

[Cascade]

"With any luck, she will be too busy with new members of her own pack to concern herself with us." Perjury responded, thinking of her cousin and the state of the Honovi. A few months had passed since a litter of pups had been born among their ranks, so perhaps their position was even more advantageous than her own. Perjury couldn't help but make note of the fact that every one in the Frigid Plague was in their prime...perhaps it would have been a good thing for Malice to have found someone in that forest.

She banished the ridiculous thought from her head, although the niggling feeling that her own hereditary line was in jeopardy persisted in shadows of a whole idea. "It should not be long before we see her. She knows just as well as I the importance of keeping up-to-date with an ally." The alphess turned to Malice, realizing that he may not be fully knowledgeable of the conversation at hand, "Treason is a member of my own family, she grew up as the beta heir of the Frigid Plague. She is now the alphess of the Honovi, and we keep in contact to maintain the allegiance between our two packs. We have supported each other for generations, so this relationship is very important."

[Deleted]

When it was clear he was being spoken to, Malice raised his head and regarded his alphess with an attentive gaze. "You did mention an allegiance.." A wide tongue came across the front of his muzzle as he listened to her speak. "So, close family, huh?" His ears swiveled backwards, then forwards again, unsure. "Would it be too much if I asked why she left?"

[Cascade]

"So you've noticed, then? I didn't want to worry anyone, but you're sharp as ever, Perjury."

The alphess got a wistful look on her face for a moment, but her brow furrowed and her serious expression returned before she could look too foolish. Or, at least what Perjury considered foolish in front of all but her closest friends. "Evil was in Treason's blood, but it was not in her heart. If she had stayed, she would have never lived up to her full potential. The Honovi are neutral wolves, and they were her true calling. It was an extraordinarily simple matter once the difficulty of admitting her ill-fitting in this pack had been overcome. Leadership of the Honovi was ceded to her immediately...it was her proper birthright."

Perjury shot a glance towards Vanitas, hoping fairly confidently if he would pick up on her desire to steer the conversation back towards border patrol. She was nearing the edge of sentimentality in front of this newcomer, and that simply wouldn't do.

[Gyllbane]

Vanitas dipped his head in a light nod at Perjury's words; though he had arrived at the Frigid Plague borders long after Treason's exodus, he had come to know her as a strong leader in her own right, though he still much preferred Perjury's particular brand of leadership. He catches the alpha's look, though, and gives her a similar one before turning his attention back to the task at hand.

"Indeed, and for as long as I've been here I've seen no evidence to the contrary. Perhaps we'll even catch her on her way in, if she decides to pay us a visit today. Their lands are past the northwestern border." He points with his muzzle in the indicated direction. "If you're finished, we can begin."

[Deleted]

The grey wolf's ears pitched ever forward as he was given the brief history, and when she seemed finished, he brought his tongue across his nose again. It was a story he'd briefly heard before- one he'd even questioned- but it seemed much more real now. Malice's expression remained unreadable as he continued to measure Perjury's temperament. Vanitas eventually drew his attention, and his nose turned to the other male's direction. "I'll look forward to meeting these worthy allies of ours." He kept his head and tail low as he addressed the pair, and nodded when Vanitas questioned his readiness. "Ready." A limp paw gestured to the hare's remains. "I'm sure the ground will.. soak up the rest of that." Malice grinned lightly to himself, but only for a moment.


As he rest his paw back on the ground, he waited for Vanitas to lead him onwards.