First Contact [closed]

[Deleted]

Amora Crested the small rise, the threshold into the Canopied Clearing. After simply sweeping her eyes around the clumps and copse's she found who she assumed to be Kanga, Manaaki's brother. The wolf was a hulking brute, around the same size as his brother. His fur, quite the opposite of Manaaki's flint and silver, was a vivacious russet with flecks of darker brown and brighter ginger. He reminded her somewhat of the red soil near the Ruins of Abeytu. This, Kanga, was stretched upon a tree, nearly vertical, straining to snag a claw on a pesky raccoon; who was, at the same time, reaching for s birds nest full of eggs. Either Kanga wanted both the raccoon and the eggs for himself, of he wanted to save the eggs. amora couldn't be bothered to care all that much about who won the struggle, but for the sake of carrying out a conversation with the clay-hued wolf, she ended the battle herself. With her botany ability, even from this longer distance, she bent the wood of the tree, just so, making the raccoon easily within Kanga's reach. She turned to Manaaki, smirking slightly at his apologetic expression.

"Kanga." She barked out, eyeing him with her stubborn gaze. she wanted to test out Kanga. To see how he reacted as opposed to his brother.

[Meds]

Manaaki, Kanga;

As Manaaki approached, Kanga either smelled him or sensed him, because his tail flicked and he smiled in greeting without taking his eyes off of the pest. Manaaki slowed his big paw falls as the tall tree began bending in a very unnatural way (towards the massive weight stretched against it instead of away). Manaaki cast that same slow smile over his shoulder at Amora. He had a feeling she was doing it, and his grey eyes pulsed within their brown ringlets.

Kanga, on the other hand, hadn't realized Amora was there. Suddenly, though he wasn't quite sure how, his lethal claws had raked down the spine of the raccoon and brought it plummetting to the earth. It began making a horrible sort of screeching sound, but Kanga ended that with one swipe of his powerful paw. He was about to gobble it up in one fell swoop, when he paused and considered how the tree had moved. He looked up suspiciously, his mouth still open as he considered it.
Kanga, however, was never one to get lost for words, and if he was surprised or disturbed, he didn't show it.

"Huh..." He said, more in comical-wonder than anything. Manaaki snickered behind him, but just then the russet twin turned at the sound of his name. It had come from a voice he didn't recognize. There, on the crest of the hill, was a black and sunset-coloured female. Kanga wasn't at all impressed that she knew his name. She and Manaaki had obviously come together.

"What?" He said, equal parts abrupt and sarcastically mystified, lifting an eyebrow and jutting out his thick neck slightly. So she knew his name. That was wonderful news.
Whether she had spoken his name as a greeting or as a statement, he didn't know, but he replied as if it were the latter. Kanga blinked silently, and yet for all of his attitude, he wasn't being agressive towards her—he was more purposfully uninterested, if anything. Manaaki considered that a plus.
Kanga's big head dropped an inch or so then.
"You only have three legs."

Manaaki closed his dark-ringed eyes, the polar-opposite of his brother's, and sighed. Well, he supposed Amora did have three legs... Kanga probably could have said something worse.
The brawnier red twin turned and fixed his lither brother with a big vacant grin. Any thoughts Manaaki may have had about a normal introduction were probably gone by now. That'd show him.

[Deleted]

Amora smirked back at Manaaki's smile before joining him at the base of the small hill. "You're Welcome." Amora swung her tail sassily, her eyes rather devoid of emotion, but there was indeed a small spark of a challenge there. Challenging him to interact, to expose himself by conversing. She blinked dryly at his blatant observation. Three legs? Not quite. "Five actually," The she wolf sniped slightly tossing her head indignantly. "My wooden one,  and the one i left in the ruins included." Amora approached the stranger. "I'm Amora, apparently your brother lost you this morning," She sat, turning to the silver male. "You could invest in a leash, but i have a feeling he'd chew right through that." Amora had no shortage of remarks for this interesting russet male. She didn't take kindly to being ignored or flippantly put aside as not worth conversing with. She held herself in high regard afterall. Others should at least hold her to some standing.

[Meds]

Manaaki, Kanga;

"Five?" Kanga echoed before she had finished, revealing his goofier side in his confusion and pure curiosity at what she had said. She could bend trees, who knew what else she could do? She then explained however, and Kanga's ears flattened despite himself and he regained his distance.
She had left a leg back at the ruins? Saying it like that made it sound like she had had a choice in the matter. Kanga shivered, something Manaaki did not miss. The twins were no strangers to self-mutilation within evil packs. Manaaki smiled though, wondering if Amora had noted the difference in how they had each reacted to her. While Manaaki chose not to say anything about her wooden prosthetic, Kanga had blatantly pointed it out. Classic.

"Well, sorry," Kanga said, huffing slightly, staring openly at the wooden appendage. "Not about what I said. About having five legs. It seems pretty inconvenient." He shrugged easily and sauntered away from her to sit at his brothers' side. The two of them, when seated side by side, were almost like huge creatures carved out of a dream. They were impossibly big, and even though Kanga was slightly more bulky and Manaaki was more suited to speed, neither dwarfed the other. They were both just gigantic specimans.
"What do I know, though?" Kanga continued and yawned. He stretched exaggeratedly, reaching his front legs out in front of her and pawing the earth below, smacking his lips together.
Manaaki's eyes glittered as his brother showed off, and in one fluid motion he had stepped forward and casually stomped Kanga's inner elbow, on the same side that Amora's prosthetic was on. With any other size of wolf, such an action could have easily broken their leg—but not with Kanga though. Manaki turned and winked kindly at the their new aqaintance.

Kanga flinched and rolled away from him, cradling his leg and snarling and snapping his teeth. Manaaki lifted his own lips at his brother, and for a moment the two held each other in a show down. Fantastically large and curved teeth shone in the afternoon sun, glistening with saliva. Their eyes burned, and they held each others' gaze, unmoving.
Then, as almost always happened, they both dropped the bravado at the same time and smiled easily. Such large wolves were bound to concern anyone when they displayed like that; however, neither felt threatened by the other, and though they often did brawl (teeth, claws and all), now was not the time.

Amora added then that Kanga had been lost like a loose pup, and then pointedly suggested to Manaaki that he ought to get Kanga a lead. Manaaki gave a barking chuckle, and even Kanga laughed, the deep bass rolling out of his chest in viberating waves. He wasn't so proud as to take a slight at that, and the older twin knew that as well. Kanga wagged his big head slowly from side to side, the ruddy fur catching the light.
"If I didn't happen to chew through it, it would certainly make things easier for the responsible one, wouldn't it?" He eyed his brother in good fun. "I'd probably still try though." And then, just like that, Kanga was more at ease. Amora had snapped back at him verbally and shown him that she wasn't just some flounce that was shadowing his brother. She had a head on her shoulders, and if anything, Kanga could at least tolerate her.

[Deleted]

Amora rolled her eyes, the struggle was real. "Tell me about it." She agreed with the strange male about the inconvience of having so many legs, stretching her false one in front of her for inspection. Kanga, after stating his blatant opinion stretched out before her, his incredibly large shoulders rippling as he extended his forelegs. Perhaps he thought that by showing off he would gain favor in her sight? What kind of favor was to be received by her? For surely if the wiser brother had not known her status, his spontaneous sibling could not have. Besides, he couldn't be interested in her in a romantic way, Amora just didn't feel that vibe about him. Manaaki, swiftly put an end to the display by crashing down on his legs with nonchalant power. Kanga with drew with a glare to his brother, moving back to nurse his leg. With a shrug she moved on to the next facet of the developing conversation. 

Kanga took her own sass liberally and replied in a satisfactory fashion, musing about actually having a leash. With all seriousness she added on. "I can make you one. I can't guarantee Kanga proof material though." She replied with a sort of curious, quizzical look to the russet brother before again turning the conversation. "What brings you to a pack anyhow, from what I've gathered you don't seem like wolves that would settle down anywhere."

[Meds]

Manaaki, Kanga;

Amora watched as Manaaki stomped his brother's leg without so much as batting an eye. Perhaps she hadn't understood. That may have been for the better. Manaaki, however, who knew Kanga all too well, knew exactly what his purpose had been. That had been Kanga, stretching out two perfectly good legs in a would-be casual way. He had massaged the dirt with his flesh and fur, right in front of the (to him) stranger who did not posess the same front-legs as he did. Ever cocky, ever an idiot. Manaaki had even used some claw in his stomp, just for good measure.

"Kanga-proof?" The russet brother answered, and fixed the silver with a look of deep-seated concern. "Is there such a thing?" Manaaki twisted his head around to look at Amora and grinned.
"Oh, I think we could try." He laughed, glad that any sort of tension was gone. That wasn't something he had wanted to deal with that day. Amora seemd able to spar with Kanga reasonably well, a trait Manaaki had not missed. It was impressive, and commendable.

Then she asked them what had brought them here. Both boys' heads were instantly filled with memories of their old pack. Of Kanga, ever-labelled as a curse, being in danger every moment of his waking life. Of Manaaki, the blessing, and how he had not been able to stand by while the pack-mates tortured his brother, both mentally and physically.
They thought of the long, hard road to something better amidst loners and harsh conditions—on their way to a new life lived in safety and happiness, together.

Before the hesitation went on too long, Kanga shrugged, playing down his emotions as only he could do.
"It seemed like the right choice," He rumbled, and Manaaki nodded, beside him. "Our home-pack wasn't the greatest. We've travelled for basically our whole lives, sometimes in packs and sometimes not... this one seems like it will stick, though."
Kanga didn't usually offer up so many words. Manaaki was impressed. This Amora character couldn't just verbally spar with him, it looked like she could get him to open up, too. Even when he was staying safely on the surface of their past, Kanga often didn't mentioned their original pack at all, let alone hint that it was as bad as it was. It was a positive thing. Then, Manaaki caught on to one part of Amora's question and smiled.
"'Settle down' is a pretty broad term." He looked even more like his brother when he smiled.

[Deleted]

Amora smiled at the idea. A leash would end up lookign quite strange on such a free-spirited wolf like Kanga. She gently shook her head and chuckled. "We could certainly try, but I think it would be an extraordinary waste of time. After all I think you two are too handsome to wear a leash." She spoke with a sarcastic tone, commenting on their handsome phisiques and pleasing faces. Amora may not be particularly romantic, but she could appreciate good features. Turning back to the subject of their pilgrimage, she listened intently, eager to hear the words from Kanga that didn't coem along with jokes and snide tones. She raised an eyebrow as he spoke about his old pack. Wasn't the best, eh? Amora kept calm, not showing her innate interest in the curious story of their past. However, due to their hesitation and vagueness of their reply, she chose not to push the topic. "I used to wander this valley not long ago, though I decided that i'd have more fun here in my mother's pack. I think i could really help improve the place." As she spoke she swung her gaze around the grove apraisingly, her eyes glinting as if she was imagining how the territory would look after she was done with it. "Not to mention wandering was a bit hard with three legs. It's a good thing Epsilon and I cut down that sapling."

[Meds]

Kanga, Manaaki;

When Amora complimented the boys' appearences, a cocky grin split Kanga's jaw. He looked mutely to Manaaki, everything unsaid reflecting in his words. It's as if he was saying 'see?!'. He closed his eyes happily and took a large breath to say something, but Manaaki knew anything that came out of his mouth after something like that would just pain him.
"Leashes," Manaaki said quickly, cutting his brother off before he had a chance to say anything. His accented words were more noticable when he rushed to speak without thinking. "Would indeed clash with our fur." He winked playfully. Kanga huffed quietly at being cut off, only loud enough for his brother to pick up. Manaaki bit back a smile.

Amora was interested in their history, both of the twins could tell. While Manaaki himself wasn't worried about it, he watched Kanga from the side of his vision, and saw his brother tense as he realized how much, and how little, he had said. Manaaki would never share more than Kanga wanted him to, but it was quite a different story when the idiot started prattling off on his own. Manaaki didn't know what to expect from his twin, and for a minute he was on high alert. Would Kanga run off? Challenge and ruin any chance of friendship the three had?
But then he just shook out his mane and sat heavily. Manaaki felt the ground shudder with the impact—a familiar, safe feeling. Amora continued, unaware of what had almost happened, and began sharing a bit of her own story. For a moment, Manaaki forgot about his brother. His ears flicked and he watched her raptly. She hadn't originally stayed in her mothers' pack—but stayed in the valley? That spoke volumes.

"I think I could really improve the place."
There it was. She was driven. She had dreams and goals.
Manaaki smiled broadly, and even Kanga's eyes twinkled. There was just something special about a wolf who knew where he or she wanted to go and what they wanted to do. It was as if the twins could see what she was seeing—an improved pack land. Manaaki saw plenty of small fresh water streams running by the dens that they could redirect by taking down growth (that were small enough never to flood), openening up fields for hunting, and protecting forests for shelter. He grinned, nodding in appreciation. Kanga grinned also, but all he saw was an abundance of prey and females.

"Epsilon!" Kanga shouted when Amora named their only other shared friend. It would only make sense that Epsilon had met Amora, but it was still interesting. Manaaki smirked. They hadn't seen Epsilon since that fated day where stupid Kanga almost stupid died. He nodded.
"We've met Epsilon, as well." Manaaki said, his deep voice more purr-like as he settled comfortable to his haunches. "You could say that Kanga owes his life to him." Kanga snorted and spoke aside to Amora, as if they were old friends.
"It would be a gross exaggeration if you did."
Manaaki grinned and shook his big head behind his brother, mouthing the word 'nope'.

[Deleted]

Amora smirked slightly at the brothers reactions, and was slightly curious to see how the cocky Kanga would've replied. But Manaaki likely saved himself and his brother from embarrassment. The silver male agreed with her on the leashes before falling silent once more as she spoke. Amora noticed the bright looks on both if the brothers faces, smirking at their reactions. It was nice being with wolves who could accept her and banter back with their own sarcastic verbal attacks. It was almost like having friends. Epsilon was her friend, but having more than one would definitely be more fun. Amora liked having attention, she couldn't deny that. But she needed love too, something she didn't know she needed. Something she had been denied most of her life. Whether she refused it, pushed it away, avoided it, or never had the chance to find it was completely accidental; Amora not knowing what pain she was causing herself.

At the mention of Epsilon the two immediately perked up, the excitement of a common accquaintance. Manaaki explained that Epsilon had saved Kanga's life. Amora scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Wouldn't surprise me. Epsilon's quite capable."

[Meds]

Manaaki, Kanga;

Amora reacted pretty well to hearing that Epsilon technically saved Kanga's life. Manaaki smiled. It turned out that she was a reasonably good judge of character, as well as a clever conversationalist. Anybody who spent a reasonable amount of time with Kanga would be correct in assuming that a near-death experience wasn't entirely rare.

Kanga shook out his mane, the russet shining out from the brown above, as it always did when he moved.
"How did you two meet?" Kanga asked. Epsilon had mentioned he wasn't very new to the pack, but it hadn't seemed to the twins like he had exactly formed a niche there, yet. Hearing that Amora was Blaise's daughter, Kanga guessed she would know most of the wolves that came to the valley within her lifetime. "I sort of got the feeling that he wasn't...ah... popular with your mother, perhaps?"

Manaaki considered what Kanga had said. He wasn't being too nosey, and at the same time he was voising a question they had both been wondering about. Epsilon had seemed happy enough with the pack itself, but when asked why he had been in the Amphitheatre that day he had tensed and brushed off the fact, skirting around the question.
The twins didn't forget, and they were highly observant. It woudl be interesting to know more about their friend.

"And you," Manaaki said, his ears flicking and giving a flash of silver. "Might I know more about you?" He had meant to say 'might we know more about you', but that wasn't quite what had come out. He was curious about her, he wouldn't lie. He hadn't meant to pry; after all, they had only just met—but the daughter of the alphess that had only reacently rejoined her mother's pack had him interested.

"Yea, how did you lose your leg?" Kanga asked. He did mean to pry.

[Deleted]

How did she meet Epsilon? The first question borne of the excited twins. "Well..." She cast a sideways glance to Manaaki, winked at him ans then continued. "He was the one digging. I helped him out with some annoying roots...discussed the pack and...er...family problems on my part." Amora shrugged moving on to the next question, liking the rush of questions, feeling like she was part of an interview, famous perhaps. Hearing the next question, however she was unsure. It wasn't her information to hand off. But perhaps he had already discussed it with them? She would play it safe, and tell it like it was. "That's not my information to give away," She raised an eyebrow and hardened her gaze slightly, giving the ask-er a stern look. "Besides, Epsilon worries too much." She added on, hopefully closing the door to that area gently. Luckily, Manaaki turned the questions over to her. He asked if he could know more about her. At such a statement, her heart fluttered dangerously, making her stomach flip is a dizzying way. Amora didn't know how she felt about what his statement had ignited in her. Admiration for such an amiable, accomplished wolf was surely there. Manaaki was a careful, clever wolf, not without his humors and quirks. What was there not to admire? Surely that's all it was, admiration and respect. Of course. Kanga added on in such a way as to make her forget momentarily all her whirling, dancing thoughts and troubled emotions. His question wasn't entirely welcome, and she grimaced slightly before a smile twitched back onto her muzzle. "As I said before," She used her power to add another leathery plant-strap onto her leg, tightening the vise grip of her prosthetic self-consciously, terrible memories ripping through her mind. "Family problems." She looked down at her mismatched paws, and dug in her claws, wooden and real into the soft earth.

[Meds]

Kanga, Manaaki;

Manaaki blinked slowly, realizing just how many questions they had flattened her with all at once. Perfect—that was all he needed. Why was he being so talkative and exciteable? If he didn't know any better, he would think he was acting more like Kanga than himself. He shook out his gray fur and decided to hold his tongue, a descision he had never had to conciously make before. Amora answered the questions as best she could in the time frame that they were fired at her.
Epsilon seemed like a touchy subject; or at least, one that she wasn't comfortable discussing with aquantances such as the twins. She brushed it off and didn't say much more about it. It probably wasn't that big of a deal. Kanga could have guessed as much. He hadn't really even been sure there was any sort of tension between his friend and the alphess in the first place—there had just been a flash in Epsilon's eyes when the boys had asked what he was doing that day. Kanga must have connected the two and blown it all out of proportion. Not that he had ever done that before.

Manaaki watched as Amora strapped another vine around her leg self-conciously. He looked hard at Kanga, who lifted a lip at his older twin. She mentioned family problems, and Manaaki sighed, knowing this would fill Kanga with even more questions. Fill him it did, and Manaaki actually saw his chest raise with a breath to begin the tumolt once more.

"Actually," Manaaki started abruptly, cutting his brother off once more as only he could. "We should probably be going. He," A shove at Kanga's big shoulder to get him standing. "Actually needs to dig out his own den, now. He's much too big for me to dig it out for him. Move, Kanga." A playful smile at Amora, so rare on his usually solemn face.

Kanga knew it was time to go—why fight it? He snatched up the raccoon in his mouth once more and and took a few quick steps away. As he started heading back the way Manaaki and Amora had come, he called over his shoulder.
"Nice to meet you, love." Cocky. Cheeky. A word play on her name.

Manaaki turned to Amora as Kanga sauntered off and gave her a half-joking and half-apologetic smile.
"So that's Kanga. And—" He paused, unsure of what to say. "And I'm sure I'll see you around. I'm a pretty big wolf—hard to miss." His deep bass faultered for a few moments, then fell silent. He gave her a quick wink, and then trotted after his brother.

-Exit Kanga and Manaaki-

[Deleted]

Amora frowned slightly in disapproval of her own insecurities. She wasn't one to display her inner workings to just anyone, and what's worse, it seemed she had scared her new friends off. While she was reluctant to see the two males leave, she knew that it was time to. They needed to get going, conversation material was dwindling, and she needed time to think. Reflecting on her thoughts and experiences was a good way for her to keep everything in order, under control. Amora despised not knowing what would happen next, or being unable to control her fate. If she couldn't keep her own thoughts and instincts under reign, someone else would take advantage of that. Who would, she had no clue. But she knew that someone would. She watched them go with a smile, sending a playful, silent snarl Kanga's way, winking at Manaaki, then sending them off, over the rise with a bark of farewell. She stared after them long into the evening, their large silhouettes imprinted in her mind.

Manaaki was a careful, respectful wolf, always making sure his brother never dug himself too deep, and was there to help him out if he did. It was admirable the was he cared, so selfless, so unlike her. She could tell that the silver male always had something on his mind, always a stream of thoughts prancing around inside of him. Amora was intrigued by him, he was open and friendly, yet mysterious and secluded. His brother Kanga was a different matter. While she could verbally spar with him nearly as easy as she could with Manaaki, their verbiage was much more playful. They interacted as good-natured rivals or old friends.

She didn't know what was to happen between them, but she knew something was happening...And so she left the area, lost in thought, wondering what butterflies in her belly had migrated to her heart for.

-Exit Amora-