Treading Carefully

[Fierfly]

((Any Midnight Silence peeps really, let's make sure we're all still live ))

Venus:

The coarse powder of white still sprinkled the barren landscape. Winter had come and gone and one valiant snowdrop testified of the coming of spring, but at these altitudes and with the poor soil, the cheerful little plant she'd spied that morning would not last long.

The day was slightly overcast, the sun was (thankfully) not glaring on the diamond-like crystals of ice and they were only moderately blinding. A brisk, unforgiving breeze blew down from the higher peaks and sent the icy chill right through the thinning pelts in the valley, and though Venus shivered somewhat pathetically (since leaving home her coat had begun to shed almost prematurely when her winter shag was replaced by her spring one), she braved the cold water with determination. Never mind that there was still the odd chunk of ice riding the surface as it boiled and surged it's way down to feed the Amoux, it was still spring, it was still water, and she still needed to clean up.

Despite her perfectly trim figure and attractive pelt, Venus was not particularly vain over her appearance. Truth be told, she detested her looks: but no one was really interested in opinions out here, and one should never throw away any edge one might have had for there could easily come a day where it would be extremely useful, so, she maintained it. Surely it wasn't a typical practice of evil wolves to spend so much time in the early morning cleaning their teeth and fur and "washing up", indeed, it was more a sign of honor and victory if you constantly reeked of death and had blood dripping from your maw and sported new scars or were so mutilated you hardly looked like a wolf at all, but again, that was there edge, this was hers.

She dipped her slender little paws into the cold water, shivered pathetically, rolled her eyes at her own weakness and lowered her head and splashed the frigid water over her face. Brr! Her eyes popped open and she involuntarily let out a gasp. She sucked in a desperate breath, and plunged her head beneath the surface. She held it there a few minutes, then came back up gasping again, biting her tongue against any more undignified gasps as the frigid water ran down her back and hit a particularly thin spot and bit her skin. She rolled over into the water, properly wetting her back and running out of the water onto the rocky bank. Ooh! Drat! She shook herself vigorously and immediately began soothing her ridiculously chilled skin with a warm tongue and teeth as she combed and preened her fur back into order.

[Meds]

Acribus;

Though he was by rights the Beta of Midnight Silence, when he wasn't on border patrol, Acribus often didn't play the power card. Fjord and Skia were more than capable within their own territory. Acribus mostly did what he was told, fought when he could, and in general lived out his existence. He still smelled of the Beta rank of course, he still held his gaunt frame with an air if pride and power—but he didn't always draw attention to it. Interactions were often more organic if the other parties weren't trying to impress the other; or better yet, if a hostile wolf didn't realize they were speaking to a Beta, fights were more likely to ensue, rather than a meek apology. Acribus lived for that. Whatever other sorts of black tar flowed within his veins, the love of fighting surely outweighed all else.

So it was that Acribus was watching over the RiverBanks that day. There was a network of smaller streams that fed into the larger bodies, all eventually down to the Amoux and Kai Lake. Acribus knew them well, for any wolf worth his salt knew where to find water. But today he wasn't alone.
A few others had come and gone—thirsty from the long winter, no doubt—but only one had lingered. Acribus mad no measure to hide himself while the female doused herself, but the wind was in his favour, and he wasn't moving. He happened to find himself in a shaded part of the trees as well, and with a pelt so grungy it could almost be grey, he didn't exactly dazzle.

"Venus," He croaked after the female had yelped in surprise at the—no doubt—frigid water. His voice grated on the otherwise pretty surroundings; a constant reminder of his Mother Dearest. Acribus and Venus had never officially met, but she had no doubt heard and seen him, and she was familiar. In any case, he knew her by sight, if not by familiarity. "Now what would my coat look like, if only I gave it the care you do yours." His eyes glinted. He was not necessarily making fun of her. No, there was no need to mock Sisters within pack land. He was simply making an observation.
The wind blew softly as he spoke, but even the slightest breath was enough to part his thin fur and flash the skin underneath. Acribus didn't shiver, but he did look in the direction of the gust with animosity in his poison-purple gaze.

[Fierfly]

Venus:

A grating, husky croon came softly from over the bend in the water as she yelped and tripped over the sharp stones to a perch on a rock large and flat enough for her to sit upon. She made it and whirled, feeling strangely embarrassed to have been caught bathing. Not violated as she'd used to, but it was a petty habit and she was sneered at enough for preening and keeping her pretty looks, to be caught bathing and being so diligent at maintaining her appearance was a trifle embarrassing, especially when it was the beta. The flustered feelings persisted for only a moment. She was still dripping wet and she looked a mess and confused anyway, he knew she hadn't been watching, let him take that as he would. It was at times like these where the most vile language could come out of her delicate little mouth to curse her deficient hearing, but she hadn't gathered the beta to be much of a talker anyway, and he blended in fairly well with the lifeless scape, the chances of her spotting him even if she had heard him were not really in her favor if she was speaking realistically.

He did lightly tease her about her grooming, (she didn't quite catch all of it with his hoarse voice and her slightly deaf ears) but it was not a sneering jab, and she could have sworn his eyes twinkled even though the corner of his mouth did not turn up. She took it as a good sign and nodded a greeting. "Sir," she licked a paw, scrubbed it down over the bridge of her nose, back over her ears like a cat and combed through her head and cheek fur to at least get that presentable and professional looking. "How might I serve Midnight Silence today?"

He turned to balefully eye the breeze, she kept her keen blue eyes on his mouth. If he spoke an order, she was not going to miss it.

[Meds]

((Oh! Is Venus still a pup? I'm happy to age her up—I just realized on Midnight Silence's page she is still listed as a Little Sister. I'm going to go ahead and write this reply as if she's an adult or a young adult, but just let me know xD))

Acribus;

She seemed as surprised as was to be expected. Acribus didn't move from his position, but his head tilted slightly as she looked around herself momentarily as if embarrassed. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her quickly regain composure, then eventually nodded a hello to him.
Sir she called him. Acribus felt an eye-roll surface, but held it at bay. No matter the form it took, he was glad to be given the respect he deserved without too much show. Such formal titles had never really been his taste, but it was said almost as an after-thought as she cleaned off the last of her fur. He made no comment on it.

How might she serve Midnight Silence that day, she then asked. Interesting... all manner of ideas presented themselves in his head at once. Giving a wolf such as him such power over an interaction was always a risky idea. His eyes traced the length of her, then eventually found her face again. Ah, yes. She was watching his mouth quite keenly. Wasn't this the one that was deaf, or some such? Or perhaps near enough that it made no matter.
"That depends what you're doing here in the first place," His gaze flashed green, as it sometimes did when the light hit it just right and highlighted the venomous highlights within. "Is your time being put to good use, or is it being use-less?" He rose slowly from the bushes and stalked toward her.
When he was closer he bent to drink, keeping her in his eyeline. The water was refreshing on his throat. The pain had ceased long ago from the scar his mother had left—but somehow water always seemed to ease that which wasn't there. Perhaps it was the coolness of it, and Acribus' throat ran a little hotter than others due to the scar tissue... he didn't know.
In any case, when he was satisfied he straightened and leaned back onto his seemingly skinny haunches.

[Fierfly]

((She'd be two or three by now, but she hasn't undergone the Rage Ritual for reasons as she'll explain here))

Venus:

He hiked an eyebrow and his eyes flashed as he turned her question back to her. What could she do to serve the pack that day? It all depended upon how she was spending her time at that instant.

"Useful," she answered promptly, "I've always found keeping inconspicuous to other parties advantageous, whether they be good, neutral or evil. Admittedly reeking of blood and sporting the Mark of Silence do deter from that vision: inconspicuous." She let her words sink in for a moment, shrugged, and turned her attention to grooming again. She'd found an old tree branch that worked as a comb for her back and flanks, but it was back at her den, she wasn't about to turn her back on or walk away from the Beta. She fixed her voluminous, wet brush in front of her and diligently began working at it, taming down the knots in her fur and smoothing the heavy mat of soaking fur and skin down to a silky sheen.

He stalked toward her, smoky blue eyes flicked up. He stooped and drank from the river, she propped her brush up and nibbled the end to smooth the long, fly-away strands. He erected and she straightened and returned his look. "I, like you, value the element of surprise." she lowered her gaze for a moment to assure him it was not a jab or a dig at his authority or methods. "Might I ask your plans for the day?" another particular swipe along her brush or two, and eyes back up to read his lips.

[Meds]

((Oh, ok!! That's definitely adult as far as I know xD I consider three to be adult. We could actually get that ritual poppin' pretty quick if you want ^^ Acribus will discuss it here, and then if you want to see in your plot board if anybody has any expendables for her to rage on or something...?))

Acribus;

Venus was quick to explain that her time was being well-spent. Acribus hadn't been sure, what with the grooming and everything, but she had been smart to tell him so. She explained that smelling of blood and being marked as one of the pack gave away any sort of advantage she would have of blending into the crowd. Then she shrugged and went back to brushing herself. Ohhh, if she was but a Loner, he could kill her for that shrug... no, no; alas, she was not. So he let it slide off his dry-furred back.
When he was finished his drink and had stood up again with a clear head, he saw her eyes on him once more, ready to read or watch—however it was that she 'listened'.

"Well you're one up on the competition then," Acribus rasped to her, referring to being both covered in blood and hosting the Mark of Silence. For as far as he could see, she was not marked for the pack. He had heard that a few Little Sisters had not yet gone through the ritual. His purple eyes dragged over the length of her, obviously. "The element of surprise is certainly worth the trouble," He agreed as his eyes found her face. Acribus was a wolf that knew of this surprise more than most. To look at him, he looked like a starved, half-dead, forgotten creature. But that was how he won most of his fights. Nobody expected the skinny wolf to be as strong as he was. But that was their folly. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he could even surprise wolves that he had fought with before. Normally, nobody that knew him or had seen him fight before would ever underestimate him—until, of course, they did.

He gave his head a light shake to bring himself back. Now was not for fighting—though he loathed the truth of it. No, Venus was not his next target. Such things would be entirely foolish.
"I think my plans for the day should center around your Ritual of Silence. Why it hasn't happened yet, if you're willing, when you want to do it..." He purposefully let his wheezing voice turn up at the end as if he wasn't finished speaking.

[Fierfly]

Venus:

He seemed dubious of her claim to spending her time usefully with the preening at first, but as she explained he nodded stiffly and begrudgingly admitted that she was one up on the competition. She assumed he meant in comparison to the rest of the pack, she was very diligent in her efforts not to become bloodstained or too dirty otherwise and had put off the ritual for quite some time. It was no wonder her membership in the pack was occasionally questioned: she simply didn't look the part.

Which, of course, was exactly what she was going for, and she fully intended to keep it that way.

To her question of what he would do with his day, Acribus cooly answered that it should center around investigating and preparing her for her Rage Ritual...if she was willing. Whether it was intended as a dig or not she couldn't tell, but she felt it. She sat back and pursed her lips thoughtfully, one of the few ways the slight artificial smile blooming around her mouth changed to a neutral expression. It didn't change very much, the oversized canine teeth still thrust themselves out a little too long for her mouth, and because of that it was very difficult to actually purse her lips, so it turned into more of a thoughtful bite on the lower one, not too hard or else she'd draw blood, but it helped her think.

She'd intended to put off donning the Mark of Silence as long as she possibly could, maybe even forever. She'd also intended to petition Alpha Fjord for this privilege by suggesting she be an unmarked spy and lurk around, but that had not happened yet (obviously) and she found the fancy leaving her a bit. Not entirely...though she didn't relish the idea of being presumptuous to the alpha, she'd always been a low-profile type of player, but it would be nice to get out and stretch her legs, prove she could hold her own in this pack and finally be recognized an adult. The Mark was the real deterrent. She was't too squeamish about the Ritual, it was the Mark that gave her pause, for once she was marked, she wasn't nearly as easy to dismiss: maybe it wouldn't matter to a simpleton who didn't know the Valley or its packs but for a Secluded Sunrise member, or any other party who did...maybe she could still wear the tattoo of the pack.

She looked around, a nanny mountain goat was staring at her on the opposite ridge and there was two ganders and a goose further upstream. Wasn't one of the options to kill anything bigger than a rabbit? There were two options...the easy way out sure, and intended probably more for the smaller pups, but she wasn't aware that anyone older was banned from opting for that challenge. "Is the Mark required the be on the shoulder, or could I ask for it...somewhere else?"

[Meds]

Acribus;

Something was going on in that deaf little head of hers, Acribus could tell. His purple eyes bore into her, wondering what exactly her thoughts were. She was far above a year old, and that was when the Ritual was supposed to happen. Acribus did not know each member inside and out, but he was fairly sure that she had never failed the Ritual before. Her pretty coat wouldn't be nearly so whole if she had failed. Any of the options would leave marks when failed, surely.
Then she spoke, and to his slight disgust, her only words were about the scar and where it might be placed. Of course she was worried about the look of the thing.
"Worried about the attention a scar can bring?" He spoke in his whisper-rasp, flipping his chin up and making a point of the pure-white fur growing against his murky coat. He had never been one to worry about appearances of course (one look at his seemingly near-emaciated form would confirm as much), but that particular scar and the memory of his mother left a bad taste in his mouth. "The Mark goes where it goes," He continued, eyes flashing over her once more. "Though if you're capable of making an argument for yourself, perhaps a conversation could be had about placement."
Really, he could care less what was important to her—and he knew Fjord would feel the same—but she was still a Little Sister, and that had to provide some sort of leverage.

He followed her eyeline to a healthy goat a ways off. Ah, perhaps she was in a hurry to get it done, then? Well clearly not, for she was so much older than others completing the Ritual, but the idea of her getting flustered and rushing to complete it almost brought a smile to Acribus' mouth.
Wolves in a hurry were wolves that made mistakes...

[Fierfly]

Venus:

Acribus was less than impressed with her query. Honestly, she was beyond caring what he thought of her, as long as he knew better than to write her off completely. So she did not dignify his dig about her visage or form being marred by the Mark of Silence with an answer. She'd just been over this with him: her goal was inconspicuousness, and a symbolic mark glaring out from the shoulder deterred from the vision of being able to blend in.

He wasn't enthusiastic about her interest in moving it to a less obvious location, but said she might take it up with Fjord if she were really capable about making an argument. She wasn't that stupid, she wasn't going to go and ask for protection from big, bad Acribus and pit the Alpha and Beta against each other. And yet...it might have been a gamble she was willing to take. Not her typical style to be sure, but it wasn't necessarily one she was going to completely disregard either. She did have a very good reason and advantage to pursue this career of "unmarked", with a skill that was not easy to come by: several really, but you didn't brag yourself up to the alpha. Besides, several of them could be achieved with practice, one though was gained purely through experience, and it was on her side.

She decided she was going to get this settled today: she needed something to occupy her morning at the very least and she could take up marking with Fjord after she completed the Ritual. It would be more impressive though if she killed a wolf before making the request she was about to, hrmm...she stood, shook herself over, shuffled her paws in the dirt and scratched her neck, shedding the dust over her freshly clean coat. She stood and bowed her head. "Well then, it would seem I have my work cut out for me. Excuse me while I go acquire a skull for this purchase. I should be back...likely before nightfall, the day is young yet. I'll report to you and Alpha Fjord when I return." she turned to plow through Amoux, but paused, if Acribus was going to comment on this, she needed to make sure she got the entirety of the message.

[Meds]

Acribus;

A good many thoughts rolled around in her pretty head as Acribus watched on, he could tell. Wolves were so generous with their facial expressions—even if they did not intend it. A slight backing of the ears told him that she wasn't entirely pleased with his reaction, though an even slighter setting of the jaw told him that perhaps this wasn't such a big deal after all. Clever wolf. He could speak and speak all day, until the very wind tired of hearing his whisper, but at the end of the day it was all Fjord. Acribus knew this. With subordinates, he could be a god if he chose—but that illusion would last only as long as the Alpha remained aloof.

"Go then," Acribus croaked at her as she began making her way. "Nightfall. A skull. We'll be waiting to mark up that pretty coat you have there." His purple eyes bored into her for a breath, and then he turned to leave first before she had made her exit.

-Exit Acribus-