Madaidhean-Allaidh's pack lore
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Madaidhean-Allaidh's pack lore
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Posted 2023-09-07 11:07:08
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Albae #104425 |
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Posted 2023-09-07 11:14:29
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Albae #104425 |
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Posted 2023-09-07 11:18:28 (edited)
Ailyn's death lore, from Possum's POV:The shadows between the trees seemed to have grown since her last visit. This land didn't feel peaceful anymore. Something had changed. With a bad feeling making her stomach ache, Possum headed for the ravine. It had been so many years, but the path was still clear in her memory. She simply couldn't forget about it, that was one reason why she hadn't come back sooner. A huge male was sitting by the entrance of the ravine. He stood up and groweld when he saw Possum. Was that... a guard? They didn't have guards last time. Damn, maybe she was too late? Maybe Ailyn wasn't around anymore? She surely wouldn't have assigned a guard. The thought gave her the same feeling like that one time she drank water out of a lake close to one of these loud, giant human dens. It was now that Possum realised that all of this time, she hadn't been scared of coming back here and face her weird unexplainable feelings for this place. She had been scared to come back and find that it wasn't the same anymore, that it was an ordinary pack now, and most of all, that she'd come back and Ailyn wouldn't be here. Other wolves joined the guard now, one of them calling out: "Leave her be, Anubis. She's trustworthy." Possum had been called many things in her life, but trustworthy?? And this voice... She knew this voice. She had dreamed of it too many times. But the wolf this voice belonged to? Only on second glance, Possum recognized Ailyn. She still wasn't bigger than a just-aged-up yearling, but that was all that had stayed the same. Her fur wasn't black anymore, but light and glistening with an eerie light, her once blue eyes had turned dark, shining with the memory of things that should never have been seen by a mortal. When Possum had imagined her meeting with Ailyn, she always had planned to say something cool, cold enough not to let it seem like she cared. But all she could bring out now was: "What happened to you?" Ailyn sighted and came towards her while the other wolves went back to their dens, besides the one Ailyn had called Anubis, who relaxed and sat down again. "Let's go for a walk, shall we? I'll explain." They trotted along side by side, staying silent for a while, lost in the memories of better days. At the top of a hill, Ailyn sat down, looking down at the woods below them. When Possumsat down next to her, she started to talk. "About one year after you left, a portal opened. A portal to the Faelcu world. Some of them came through, and they started to abduct wolves of all packs they could reach. Puppies, adolescents, adults... even elders. Anyone they could lure into their realm. Many packs lost their leads, their hunters or their heirs. We had quite some losses, too. But that was only the start. When a portal is opened and worlds that should be separated connect, it also changes the flora and fauna. We had strange new plants growing everywhere, and there were animals around I've never seen anywhere before. They looked a bit like ours... just not entirely. All of this had huge consequences on the prey animals. They poisoned themselves eating from plants that shouldn't grow here, or from predators that shouldn't even be here. A famine spreaded fast, closely followed by a harsh winter. There were so many deaths... When we finally managed to close the portal, I had to help a friend on her last journey. Her spirit had been lost in between worlds. I was able to guide her on, but I nearly didn't make it back. That's why I look like I do now. Mortals are supposed to stay in the mortal realm, our bodies aren't made to exist far from here. But I don't regret it. I'd do it again." She paused for a moment, her eyes clouded with pain and sorrow. Then she took a deep breath, and continued: "It took years for the land to recover. We got lucky, but most of the other packs in this area broke apart, died out or were at least severely weekened. Things had just started to become normal again when a huge pack from the north attacked us. They killed off anyone they could. We were flooded with refugees, the pack is surely three times the size now than when you left. But it's only a matter of time until they'll try to get rid of us, too. They haven't found our den yet, and I pray to the gods they won't any time soon. We have been able to fight off their scouting groups until now and I have guards on watch at all times, but if they find us and attck us full force, I don't know if we'll be able to fend them off." She looked at Possum, and the worry in her eyes revealed her deep feelings. "You shouldn't stay for too long, Possum. I couldn't bear having you here when the time of death comes." Possum swallowed the lump rising in her throat, simply nodding. She had no words to express what was going through her mind, but she edged closer to Ailyn until they sat shoulder on shoulder, enjoying each other's presence and warmth. To make Ailyn smile, Possum started to tell of her travels. And for some hours, it was like no time had passed, like they were still young and just about to start their stories, not nearing the ends. One more time, they spent the night together, right there on top of the hill, trying to forget the world around them still existed. The next morning, Ailyn accompanied Possum to the border, to make sure she'd travel on safely. When they neared the edge of the forest, Possum stopped, looking at Ailyn. "Come with me.", she pleaded. Ailyn's gaze softened, and for a moment, it seemed like she was about to say yes. But then she answered: "I can't. They need me. They rely on me. I can't leave them. I am not free to do as I choose." They touched noses, softly, unspoken but still known words between them. "Go no, my friend. Farewell. Maybe, we will meet again. At a better time, in a better world." When Possum left, she didn't dare to look back. This time she knew she'd never return. Because even if she did, Ailyn wouldn't be here anymore. And this place would be just an ordinary place, like so many others. Her greatest fear would come true, and there wouldn't be a day she's be ready to deal with that. But as long as she didn't know for sure, as long as she could still pretend she could come back, she didn't have to. Despite knowing better, Possum hadn't gone far. Up the mountains, until she found a nice, small cave with a good view over the Coniferous Forest. Of course Ailyn's territory was too far away to actually see anything, but this way Possum had the feeling of still being close to her. For weeks, nothing much had happened. The air smelled of blood every now and then, and the wind carried the screams of wounded wolves. Fights were going on down there. But tonight, there was something out there. It had woken her up in the middle of the night. A terrible sound, the roar of something large and angry. And the smell of smoke following suit. Possum couldn't believe her eyes when she stumbled out of her cave to see what was going on. The nightsky was filled with the red glow of a large fire. The entire forest seemed to burn, the flames roaring high into the sky, and even from up here Possum could feel the heat. Next thing she knew she was running at full speed towards the fire. "You're crazy!", a part of her said. "Turn around!" "I can't let her burn.", the rest replied. "If she's down there, I need to get her." She had never done anything like this before. Possum was no hero, and she never intended to be. But if she knew one thing about Ailyn, then that she wouldn't get herself out of danger before the last one of her pack was safe or confirmed dead, meaning with something like this, it would be far too late for her to get away. And whoever set this fire must have known that. "Who says anyone sat this fire? It could be just a normal forest fire!", that nasty voice tried again. "It's been raining for weeks. No way this is a normal forest fire.", she held against it. She nearly reached the foot of the mountains now, the earth under her paws felt warm already. Going into this was insane, she knew that, and still she couldn't turn around. Running right into the fire, she avoided falling branches and tried to get around the worst flame sources while hoping she'd still head into the right direction. Everything looked different now, consumed by the always hungry flames. Her paws hurt from running over the way too hot surface, but Possum ignored it. Her lungs and eyes burned from the smoke, but she kept running. She nearly fell into the ravine, arriving at it from a completely different angle than she had intented, but she caught herself in the last moment and hurried down to the entrance. Over the sounds of the dieing woods, she hadn't heard the battle she stumbled into now. Wolves were fighting left and right, and in the chaos Possum couldn't tell who belong to this pack and who didn't. What in all hells would make wolves fight in a fire like this? All of them should be running for their lives. A bit longer and there'd be no escape from the fire, everyone still here would die. "Ailyn.", she thought. "Focus on finding Ailyn." With all the wolves around her, darkened by soot and blood, that was way easier said than done. Good thing Ailyn was so small, that gave Possum at least one thing to go after. Possum felt like a ghost, walking through the battle as if she was in trance. Nobody seemed to notice her, and she couldn't do anything to help anyone here. Under those conditions, nobody could know if they were fighting a foe or a friend, it was pure madness. Finally, there was a hint of Ailyn's smell in the air. Possum followed it as good as possible, and to her surprise it led her away from the main battlefield, into one of the caves. The deeper Possum went, the cooler and darker it became. There were voices ahead of her; a deep, male one and the well known, lighter voice of Ailyn. When the tunnel took a final turn before opening into a small chamber, the walls covered in crystals. Possum didn't know the place, but she suspected it was one of the sacred places the shamans used to connect with the ancestors. To the right, the massive shape of a male wolf lay on the floor, throat ripped open, but as Possum looked at him, the wounds vanished and his body faded, until there was nothing left. Nearly nothing. Possum had to take a step closer before she recognized it. A tiny puppy, the size of a newborn was lying there now, squealing for warmth and milk. "You weren't supposed to come back. But I'm glad you did." Ailyn's voice was weak, broken. Possum whipped around searching for her, spotting her at the other side of the chamber, her shape fading just as the other wolf just had. "What's happening? Hold on, okay, I will help you. Just tell me what to do!" Possum hurried to her side, examining the wounds all over Ailyn's body, looking for something that would give her a clue what was going on here and how to stop it. Maybe it was something with the crystals? "Oh Possum, I'm so sorry. There's nothing you can do. The deal is sealed." Possum stared at her as it slowly dawned to her. "What deal? What have you done?" Ailyn shivered, looking up to her. "I'm cold. I didn't know I'd feel so cold." Fighting back her tears, Possum snuggled next to her, terrified by how her shape overlapped Ailyn's a tiny bit before she could feel the body. "Listen, I don't have much time anymore. But I need you to do me a favor.", Ailyn said, her voice shaking a little bit. She was scared, Possum could tell that much. And that frightened her more than anything, because the Ailyn she knew wasn't afraid of anything. "I'd do anything for you.", Possum whispered. Ailyn sighted with relief. "Eons ago, a wolf was born in the realm of the gods. They named him Fenris. He was quite powerful, and because they were scared of him, they cast him out and locked him away. If he'd ever break free, he'd destroy all worlds, starting with the mortal realm. That's what they said. And with the way they treated him, they created a monster. And when he broke free, the rage that drove him made him fulfill their prophecy." "Why are you telling me this?", Possum interrupted her. "Because Fenris was the wolf leading the attacks on us. He can control other wolves, that's the only reason he could gather such a gigantic pack. He made them fight, and I had to stop him. I had to free them from his influence to save my pack. But he doesn't deserve death, Possum. The way he was raised and conditioned was not his fault. So I made a deal with the ancestors. In exchange for my life, he will be reborn. He'll get a second chance." "No. No no no. What about you, Ailyn? When do you get to be happy? You always sacrifice yourself for others, and now you even throw away what's left of your time to save a murderer? You can't be serious! How do we revoke this?" "We can't. A deal with the ancestors can't be broken. But please, hear me out. I need you to get Fenris out of here. Be his mom. Teach him what it is like to be loved. I know I ask a lot of you, but I know I can trust you, and you're the only one who will be able to raise him right." "You can't ask that from me! The only thing I ever asked for was to be with you, and now you want me to love the one who'd responsible that I never got that?" Ailyn gave her a sad smile, while the last bit of her shape faded. "I love you, Possum. I always loved you." Then she was gone, all of her, forever. Possum howled in despair and pain, she howled until her throat was sore and her voice broke. Tears blurred her sight as she turned to leave the cave. And yet... That thing was all that was left of Ailyn. It carried her soul, fused together with the one of the god-wolf. So Possum turned around, grabbed it roughly by the neck, ignoring it's little yelps, and took it with her. "How could you do this to me?", she wanted to scream. But at the same time, she knew. She knew because from the start, it had been Ailyn's mission to create a home for the homeless, give love to the outcasts and heal the broken. It had been in her nature to do this, and as much as Possum hated it, she couldn't hate Ailyn. That was the one thing she had never been capable of. She'd get this darned little pup to safety, and she'd raise it, because she couldn't hate anything that came from her. When she stepped out of the den, she was surprised to see that she apparently had been gone for way longer than she thought. The fires had died, everything was covered in ashes, and there was nobody else around. "Better this way.", she thought. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Heading back towards the mountains, it doomed to her that nobody could ever know who this puppy truly was – they'd never forgive that he took their leader. |
Albae #104425 |
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Posted 2023-09-07 11:21:43 (edited)
Fie's lore:The flames had raged on for days. Even now the ashes were still warm. Fie nearly didn't recognize the ravine, though it had been her home ever since she was born. There were no shrubs anymore, no soft moss, no ferns or ivy. All that was left were the coal black trunks of threes, and many of them had fallen as well. Fie had led a few survivors back to the den, to gather whatever might have been spared by the flames and to look for her mother. So far, they had managed to gather a few supplies, but it would only last for a few days. Arya stepped out of the tunnel Ailyn had last been seen at. Fie rushed towards her, even though she already knew the answer. "She's not here. I searched everywhere. I'm sorry." Arya sounded exhausted, devastated. She and Ailyn had been close for years. Hearing this from her was something entirely else than just assuming it. Fie felt like the weight of the entire world would crush down on her. For a moment it was hard to breathe, and tears burned in her eyes. "Don't cry. You need to be strong. They need you to be strong.", she told herself. For the first time, she understood what her mom meant when she told her that being a leader puts you in a cage more than any other role. Yes, you get to make decisions, but it's also an awful lot of responsibility. Fie took a deep breath, then straightened up and said: "We can't stay here. The entire territory is a wasteland now. It will take years for the plants to grow back and until then, there won't be prey. We'll starve when we stay." Arya nodded. "You're right. We found enough food to supply us for a few days, but in the long run, we need a new territory. Do you have a plan?" Fie grit her teeth. She had an idea, but she knew her mom wouldn't have approved. And neither would the pack. It was dangerous, but at least they'd be safe there. "Blackfang Mountain.", was all she said. "You can't be serious!" Arya looked at her as if she had just grown a second head. "Your mother -" "My mother is dead." Fie interrupted her sharply. "I am the leader now, and you will obey me. Blackfang Mountain isn't too far away, we have too many wounded, pups and elders to travel far. It's not taken, other packs will avoid it so we don't have to worry about anyone trying to take the opportunity and attack us while most of our warriors are down." Arya held her gaze and for some heartbeats, Fie wasn't sure if she went to far. If the ebony female would turn against her, others would as well, especially since Elysium left. But then Arya relaxed her pose and looked away, submitting. "Fine. But there are reasons nobody gets anywhere close to that mountain. If there is a curse, you doom us, and you will have to take responsibility for that." Fie wanted to reply something when there were shouts of distress coming from one of the caves. Had some of the enemies survived? Running towards the cave as fast as she could, images of all the terrible things that could have happened crossed Fie's mind. But when she and Arya caught up to the scouts in the cave, they had cornered something none of them had ever seen before. It was a small being, with wings like a bat, scales and overall shape reminding of a lizard, with sharp looking spikes and horns. The creature let out a screech that could have been intimidating if it wouldn't come from something slightly smaller than a cat. "What is that? Should we kill it?" Asked one of the scouts who had found the thing. "No, don't. I think that's a dragon.", Fie replied, slowly moving closer to it, watching it carefully. From behind her, a huff. "A dragon? Dragons are from fairytales for pups. That must be one of those wretched creatures who came through the portals." "Stay calm.", Fie admonished herself. As much as they respected her mother, to them Fie was no more than an inexperienced yearling. "Faelcu were believed to be from fairytales as well before they broke through.", she answered, her voice deep and warning. She would fight each and every one of them if that was the only way to get it into their heads that she was to be respected as well. "Dragons aren't even from another realm, they're just incredibly rare. It's one of many things the ancestors taught my mom, and she passed that knowledge on to me. For a dragon to be born, it needs three things: A fire, awoken not by natural forces, the willing sacrifice of an innocent soul to safe someone's life and an emotion burning as bright as the fire. The dragon's color and end size will depend on the emotion. Green is for hope if I recall correctly, blue for grieve, red is for anger... Considering this one is red and black, he must be born from anger and love." "Love is black? But I thought black stands for death in ancient lore." Arya eyed the dragon with both interest and distrust. Fie nodded. "When our ancestors first came to these lands, they were only few and survival was tough. Pack members were supposed to bond with whoever would increase the strength of the pack, and love was seen as weakness and endangering the other, as choices made from love aren't always rational. Wolves that were caught being in love with anyone were chased away from the pack at best, far more often killed. A leader in love was sentenced to death, it was seen as a major break of trust to the pack and unforgiveable, because a leader should always put the best of the pack first and could risk everyones lives with emotional decisions. That's how black became the color of love and death alike." She could feel how the others shifted behind her. That kind of knowledge belonged to a leader. They looked at her differently now. Pleased that her plan had worked out, she put her full attention on the dragon. Sensing that she wasn't hostile, the little creature let her come closer, watching her through flaming golden eyes. Something about it felt familiar. Fie reached out, touching the little snout with her nose. The dragon let out a little grumble and came to her now, climbing up on her leg and snuggling into the fur on her back. "That's right. I'll take care of you.", she mumbled to him. "Let's go get the others. We should start moving today.", she said to the wolves watching her, and they obeyed. They'd always compare her to her mom, she knew that. But she would walk her own path and let her own light shine, instead of trying to live up to the image of a legend. Blackfang Mountain would be a new start for everyone, and eventually, they would understand that Fie was her own person and not just a shadow of Ailyn. Blackfang Mountain had been the home of weird creatures a long, long time ago. The ancestors had showed Ailyn some memories about them. She said they only ever spoke of them in fear, like they were some kind of monsters. At first, she didn't understand them. What they showed her were ape-like creatures, walking on two legs like birds, with weirdly fur of many colors and peculiar textures covering only parts of their body. They didn't look intimidating, no sharp teeth or claws, not even skills that made them anything special. But when the ancestors showed Ailyn more of them, she came to understand why the wolves had been so frightened of them. They controlled all kinds of monsters and magic and they killed without reason. Who came close to their selfmade caves was doomed. And Blackfang Mountain had been one of their gathering points, before they lost control over their magic and it destroyed every last one of them. In places like this one, where they had stored and nurtured it, you could still feel it's power. It was in the earth, in the water, even in the air. And who stayed around it for too long was changed by it. That's why the mountain was off-limits, no sane creature went there volunteeringly. The pack had been reluctant to follow Fie, some had decided to rather run off and try to get through on their own. And maybe they even had a chance, a healthy lone wolf had the chance to be taken in by another pack. But the majority wasn't healthy, they were either too young, too old or wounded and their only chance was to trust Fie's judgement. If she was wrong, she'd lead all of them to death. Or worse. As soon as they reached the mountain, Fie sent out hunters and scouts. "Stay together, nobody goes anywhere alone. But we need food, and we need a safe place to stay over night. We'll wait here for you. Be back by dusk.", she had told them. All of them returned, successfull even. Successfull, but disturbed. The prey didn't show any fear, it didn't seem to recognize wolves. They had spotted a deer with two faces, bunnies with too many limbs, and birds unable to fly. But nobody had turned down the food, they were far too hungry. With every day, Fie led them a bit more up the mountain. She didn't know exactly what she was looking for, but they needed a safe place to stay - a new home. They had been up on the mountain for a week when she finally found it. A hillside, a little secluded, not easy to reach. The trees growing here were ancient, giants reaching for the sky. "Anyone strong enough, dig burrows among the roots. This is where we'll make our home.", she ordered. It would take a while to make this place comfortable, but it would have to do until they could return to their true home, to the ravine. Fie sat by the entrance of her burrow, taking a break from work. "Where are you, mom? You should be here with us. I need you.", she whispered to the winds. But like any time she had tried to reach Ailyn's spirit, there came no answer. Anger filled Fie's belly like hot water. After everything her mom had done for the ancestors, she deserved a place among them. She deserved to be able to cross the veil to the mortal realm. And yet, nothing. Saiutri had refused to tell Fie what happened to her mom, she only confirmed that Ailyn had sacrificed herself to protect them, that she wasn't alive anymore. But since then, Fie hadn't had any contact to the ancestors. Maybe they still feared this place. And maybe, that was a good thing. They were heartless, and Fie had no intention on listening to them when they wouldn't even let her talk to her mother. But one thing she knew: If there was anything left of her mom, Ailyn would come to find her. She wouldn't abandon her pack. She never could. And Fie would wait for her, however long it would take. |
Albae #104425 |
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Posted 2023-09-07 11:22:48 (edited)
Arya's lore:Nearly three moths had passed since the attack on the ravine. By now, Arya had to admit that going to Blackfang Mountain had been a good decision. Though they had seen many weird animals around here, nothing bad had happened to any of the pack members yet. Their wounded were healed now, they had gotten the hang of digging burrows and were about to settle down here. They had mourned their losses, too. Yesterday had been the last night they had gathered around Theia to listen while she the story of a lifetime. Ailyn's story. Right afterwards, the Shaman's had started to perform the rites to make Fie the official new leader. Tonight, if everything went well, she would take on Ailyn's legacy. Arya was a little worried of course. Fie was strong, but whatever the Shaman's did to her right now, if she wasn't approved by the ancestors, she wouldn't survive it. Who attempted to become a lead wolf and failed had to die, that's how it always had been. "You look like you've swallowed a snail." Leaping Cholla had caught up to her with the kids. Arya and her partner had given birth just one day apart, and they had both agreed to raise these pups the hard way. While the other litters stayed at home, Arya and Cholla took their little ones out scouting as soon as they could walk. They were slowed down a lot of course, but it was worth it. No way Arya would let someone else raise her puppies. "She got her moms blood. She'll make it.", Leapind Cholla said as if she could read Arya's mind. It happened more and more, they didn't need words to understand each other. Arya gave her a fond smile. "You know me to well. Now, shall we give the kids some swimming lessons?" Cholla grumbled something, slightly miffed. She still didn't like to go near water, let alone taking a swim. But the pups begged for it, and there was nothing she could do against these big, sad eyes. In the evening, back at the den, Leaping Cholla and Arya joined the rest of the pack out on the clearing after haven a stern talk with their offspring. All pack members would be present when Fie took her place, even the pups. They had been excited all day already, but Arya had seen to it that they would be on perfect behaviour. This ceremony was highly important, disturbing it would be a crime against the ancestors themselves. Not even a puppy would be forgiven such a mistake. The clearing had been full of soft murmuring before, but now it suddenly stopped. All turned to the cave of the shamans. Out of the darkness, Fie emerged. Arya's breath stopped for a moment. Ailyn's daughter had changed. She had grown quite a bit, from being slightly smaller than Leaping Cholla to being the size of a fully grown male. Where Ailyn's fur seemed to be glistening with light, Fie was now the exact opposite, it seemed just like the darkness sticked to her. With slow, dignified steps, Fie approached the middle of the clearing, then leaped up at the large rock right at the center. Now, she was the leader, and everyone stared at her in awe, waiting for her to speak. "Wolves of Nemos!" Fie called out. "From today on until the day I die, I am your new lead. As the tradition requires, I will now tell you what I plan to accomplish with my reign, and you will have the chance to leave the pack without punishment until the sun rises. I want to make us strong. I want to assure that what happened down in the ravine will never happen again. To achieve this, I will change the way we live. First of all, I will not tolerate any males inside the borders of my territory." At this statement, the murmer returned, louder and sharper than before. This was entirely new, no pack had ever lived without males. Arya pricked up her ears, impressed and intrigued by this drastic step. Fie waited until the attention of the crowd was back with her, then she continued: "I know you have many questions. I will answer them as good as I can. In my experience, males are less reliable and loyal than females. Sure, not all of them, but many. And when there's a rotten fruit in your hoard, you have to take it out or the rot will spread until it has spoiled everything around it. Starting tomorrow at dawn, I will enforce a kill order on any males who are still on my territory, and on any setting paw on it. If you can't live with that, you are free to leave." "But how will we mate? There's no future for a pack without offspring!", someone from the pack called. "You are allowed to leave the territory to meet a lover when you're done with your daily work. Until they are one year old, your sons are allowed to stay at the den. If your daughters wish to stay, they may seek me out on the day they turn one year, and if I approve of them, they will be allowed to join our ranks. The second big change I will make is to assign each of you to a clan. Your clan mates will be your family, you will raise your puppies together, you will live and sleep together and share all aspects of your lives. In battle I want you to defend each of your clan sisters as if they were your own blood. I want you to treat each other as you would treat your mate, thus forming a loyalty deeper than blood. And when it comes to choosing a mate, you won't be bound to your own clan. The third change will be that I am not only your leader, I am your queen. I underwent ancient rituals nearly forgotten because they haven been performed in decades, and I am now of royal blood. The ancestors allowed me to form a dynasty and they will secure my legacy. Only someone of my blood will be able to take the lead after me, nobody else will be approved by them. And last of all, as we had to leave Nemos, from now on we will be called Madaidhean-Allaidh. I will guard our old territory and ensure that it will be able to heal until one day, we can return. I will now leave you to discuss all this with your loved ones. When the sun rises, this entire mountain will be my kingdom." Right after Fie had left the clearing, it seemed like everyone started to talk at once. Only Arya stayed silent. She had respected Ailyn and admired her, but Fie... Fie talked to her heart. And in this moment, Arya knew that she would never serve another leader. She felt how Leaping Cholla watched her, and it took only one look for them to settle the matter. Arya wanted to stay, so Cholla would as well. |
Albae #104425 |
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Posted 2023-09-07 11:24:29 (edited)
Fenris's lore:This day didn't start out well. Many packs didn't like it when a stranger went hunting on their territory, but most either simply chased her away, or they decided a hare or grouse wasn't worth a fight and let Fenris have it. So yeah, she had been aware that she was on pack territory, but she hadn't expected to be attacked, blindfolded and brought to some secret location. As far as she could tell, they were bringing her to the top of the mountain. They had been walking uphill for hours and Fenris's paws hurt from stumbling over roots and rocks and whatnot. At first, she had tried to talk to her capturers, but they simply ignored her. Rude. And a situation like this had never been part of the lessons her foster mom had given her (or maybe it had and Fenris simply didn't listen again, she'd never know), so Fenris had no idea how to get out of it again. There'd be a way, sooner or later. If they intended to kill her, they'd do it right away. The ground evened a bit, but it was even more tricky to walk here. They seemed to be leading her over some kind of rubble slope. Fenris could smell a wolf here. She recognized that smell, it had been at the border and it was all over her capturers as well, so it must belong to their leader. Suddenly, one of the wolves threw her to the ground, pinned her down with a paw on her neck and ripped off the blindfold. Fenris blinked, the sudden light stinging in her eyes. She had been right about the slope, this seemed like some kind of narrow basin, with a large cave at the far end. "We caught this thief in the woods pretty far down." The wolf holding her down said to someone out of Fenris's field of vision. "I'm not a thief!"Fenris justifed herself. "I was hunting!" "Hunting our prey, on our land. You're not trying to tell me you have overlooked our marks, are you?" That voice was sharp as fangs and cold as ice. Fenris stopped trying to free herself from the wolf still holding her down. To have a voice like this their lead must have a dark soul. She had met wolves like that before, and if she wanted to get out of this alive, it might be safer not to anger them. "I haven't." She reluctantly admitted. "I just didn't think you'd mind when a traveler takes one rabbit. Your territory is full of larger prey more suited for a hungry pack." "Oh, it's not about the rabbit, it's about the concept. We don't want strangers wandering around our territory, much less hunt here. We state that by marking our borders, and you chose to ignore that warning." Fenris had to grind her teeth to avoid saying something very impulsive and very rude. She came across so many traces here, even if every single traveler out there would take one rabbit, this pack wouldn't be anywhere close to having a single pack member go hungry for a day. Finally, the wolf holding her down stepped away and let her get up. Fenris shook the dust out of her fur and looked around. Between the rubble, the ground here was littered with bones, pretty big ones at most. She couldn't help but shudder when she recognized some of them as wolf bones. Then, she looked up. Above her, on a ledge, lay the lead wolf. Seeing her, Fenris instinctively took a step back. That was probably the largest she-wolf she had ever seen, wearing armor and accessories made out of bones, leather and the fangs of wolves. The head piece was made out of a different skull, unlike any she knew. Fenris would have taken it for a deer if it wouldn't have fangs. What kind of hell creature had that belonged to? The dark aura surrounding the wolf overwhelming, making her seem even larger. Fenris realised she had been staring, and the smirk of the lead wolf and the other females surrounding Fenris told her that she wasn't the first one taken aback by this impression. It made her angry, but she bit her tongue and swallowed a snappy comment. All of them were well fed and seemed to be made out of pure muscle, picking a fight now wouldn't be wise. "You're lucky you're not a male, you know? We would have killed you right away. But since you're female, you get to make a choice. Join us, and I'll let you live.", the lead wolf said. "And what if I'd rather leave?" She didn't manage to hide her anger entirely, and the eyes of the she-wolf narrowed. "Then you'll participate in a race. When you get off our territory before Sgiathan catches up to you, you're free. I have to admit I'd prefer if you'd take that option. I can tell you're a troublemaker." Fenris huffed. Over the years she spent with her foster mom, she got a good feeling for traps. And this appeared like a trap to her, even though she couldn't tell why. A race sounded fair, it wasn't much different than being chased away. But still... there was something telling her that this would be a very bad decision. "And can I see my opponent before I make my decision?", she asked, mainly because she wanted more time to figure out how to get out of this again. "You'll see her when you race."; Fie replied. No matter how she turned it, Fenris couldn't find the catch. But there had to be one, her gut told her so and that feeling had never been wrong before. What would it hurt to stay for a few days? She'd figure out a way to escape later, when she knew who that Sgiathan was. "I'll stay.", she grumbled. The lead wolf seemed a bit disappointed, but it was hard to tell under that armor. "Very well. Bring her to the pupsitters, Rikash. And have an eye on her. She's dishonest. When she runs, you know what to do." As it turned out, a few days weren't enough to escape. The guards had brought Fenris to a den that she first expected to be the pack den. Only later when she talked to some of the other wolves there she found out that this pack didn't have just one den, they had multiple all over the mountain. This one was the place where they brought most of the newcomers, where their skills would be evaluated before they were given roles. They called them Ùr-Thighinn. Close by, the pupsitters had a den they used only during the day, where the mothers could dropp off their puppies before attending to their roles and pick them up when they were finished. No one talked about where the other clans had their dens, and since they were all rather new here, Fenris doubted many of them knew. But without that knowledge, the chances to be caught were high. Besides that, it was impossible to get information on the patrol schedule from here, none of the newbies were trusted enough to be assigned a guard role. Fenris couldn't help but admire this strategy a little. This pack was nearly impossible to attack successfully, they couldn't be caught in one spot and could get support troops from pretty much anywhere. They were also hard to infiltrate as the most trusted roles were only given to members from specific clans, you could get someone in as pupsitter or denkeeper or maybe even a hunter, but they wouldn't be able to gather much information when they were placed in a spot where nobody really knew what was going on. And then there was "Sgiathan". Fenris still hadn't been able to find out who that was, only that they lived at the top of the mountain with the leader and that everyone looked absolutely terrified when she mentioned that name. "You wouldn't believe me even if I'd tell you.", was the only answer she had ever gotten from one of the others. Fenris huffed, discontent with herself. There had to be a way out of here. "Don't look so grumpy, it's a nice day." Samhain sat down next to her. The grayish she-wolf had arrived just one day after Fenris, but she had been looking for this place, joined because she wanted to. "It would be even nicer if I'd have my freedom.", Fenris mumbled. "Oh, don't be like that. We have full bellies, a warm and dry place to sleep and only a managable amount of work each day. And we are protected. There are worse ways to live than this.", Samhain replied. Fenris growled. "I still like my way of living better. We're allowed to leave the territory to meet with a mate, right?" Maybe she could sneak away that way. "Yeah, but you rather lay low for a while. It's surely better for you." "Why's that?" Fenris's interest was piqued. Maybe Samhain knew more about this places than the others. "You don't know?" Samhain seemed genuinely surprised. "You're called like the wolf who killed her mom. Did nobody tell you that?" Well, that was unexpected. "They didn't talk much to me. The whole thief thing and all. But how do you know this?" "I had relatives in the pack. They lived down in the coniferous forest, a pretty cool pack. A safe space, where everyone could come and go as they needed. Until they got nearly wiped out when wolves came down from the north, led by a male called Fenris. Their leader, Ailyn, was one of a kind. There were many stories going around about her, even more after she died. But that was before your time, you're what, two years old? Must have been around your birth then." Fie didn't reply anything, she was too lost in thought. Ailyn. That name was very familiar. Her foster mom had told her many stories about someone with that name. Could it be the same? But to believe that the hero from her childhood stories had a daughter like this... A deafening shriek interrupted her thoughts. It came from someplace uphill. Then, for a short moment, something huge raced over the skie, darkening the sun for a short moment. Fenris's jaw dropped and she had the urge to hide away under a bush, only that her body was frozen in fear and she couldn't move at all. "Seems like someone picked the race option.", Samhain said, shuddering. "Wait, that is...?" "Told ya you wouldn't believe it if I told you." Fenris had to sit down. Now she knew she'd never get away from here. No matter how far she made it before they discovered she was missing, they had a damned, huge, faster-than-a-falcon, live dragon. |
Albae #104425 |
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Posted 2023-09-07 11:24:58
The only option Fenris saw to maybe get away from here was to fake her death, but even that proved to be more difficult than she first thought. She was never really alone, and there were no deep rivers here, just shallow streams. The rapids could actually be dangerous, but as soon as the water calmed down, it was as clear as a crystal. No body could vanish here. So Fenris waited. One day, there would be an opportunity. She just had to be patient and fit in, she couldn't raise any suspicion. And while she waited, she got to know more and more members of the pack. Lissala, Fie's youngest sister, was one of her targets. Fenris didn't want to befriend anyone here, as she didn't plan on staying, but Lissala was a high rank officer, the Head Hunter. She was close to the queen and therefore would know anything that was going on in the territory. It was pretty much the middle of winter now, and when Fenris crawled out of her burrow, the snow cover had grown again and she sank in deep. Shivering from the cold, Fenris hurried to find the rest of her hunting party. She'd be warm soon enough when they found some good prey. Lissala, Lamashtu, Firna and Regina already waited for her, but they seemed unusually excited, as if hunts in deep snow like this wouldn't be a hell of an effort. "Finally!", Lissala called to her. "Are you ready to go?" "Sure!" Feris grumbled, wishing for spring to finally arrive. To her surprise, they didn't pick up their usual quick pace, and Regina wasn't looking for tracks. They just went downhill, on a path that many paws before them had paved through the snow. Fenris caught up to the others and asked: "Are we not hunting today?" Lissala laughed. "Oh, I forgot this is your first time. No, today we won't hunt. Tonight is the night of the winter solstice festival, and we help preparing it. Sgiathan will hunt for us today, while we gather wood for the pyres and get everything set up for the guests." "Guests? What guests? And what do we celebrate?", Fenris asked, honestly curious about this festival. "Well, tonight and at the summer solstice festival, strangers are allowed on our territory. Or rather on a certain, well marked part of it. It's an opportunity to meet a mate and get to know wolves from the other clans that you might not be in touch yet. It's rare that the whole pack comes together like this. We celebrate through the longest and darkest night of the year, the shamans are performing some super old rites to bring fertility to us, our lands and the lands of everyone who attends. There will be hundreds of wolves here tonight.", the Head Hunter explained. Fenris had her doubts about this. "If it's so important, why have I never heard of it? I know of no other pack that celebrates at the solstices." Lissala shrugged. "You know, this kind of knowledge had been long forgotten. You need someone who has been anointed queen by the gods, best would be with a bound partner, a king or another queen who acts as counterpart. Since for a long time nobody dared to try become a king or queen, these rituals couldn't be performed anymore, lost their use and with that, the knowledge about them was lost. When Fie spoke to the gods, they demanded she'd bring back the old ways, festivals and sacrifices alike. They gave her the knowledge she needed, and she taught the shamans. It is successfull already, how elkse would we be able to satiate Sgiathan's hunger, but if my sister would finally choose a mate, it would be way more effective." And here it happened again, Fie did something Fenris had to admit she respected, but she hated herself for it. She didn't want to give that self-righteous, egocentic wolf any credit. It's easier to have a grudge when you don't respect the one who's the reason for it. Besides that, Lissala was right. This territory was unusually rich with prey. Fie didn't have to go hungry even a single day here, not even in winter, and neither had anyone else she knew of. The puppies were born strong and healthy, they grew fast and the average size of the wolves here was noticeably increased. "So what exactly are we doing now?" "Well, first of all we gather large branches for the pyres, while some of the others set up torches along the path the guests are allowed to use. When we're done, we reatreat to our dens while the shamans prepare the pyres with special herbs and do whatever else has to be done, I don't know the full procedure. When the sun sets, the clans come down here together. By nightfall, the pyres and torches will all lit at the same time, and from then until the fires go out, anyone who likes is allowed to join us in the valley where we hold the celebration. We will dance and sing and the smoke does something with you, it all starts to feel surreal and goes by like a blur. You won't remeber everything tomorrow morning, I can tell you that. Nobody does. But it's exiting and wonderful, all feelings get more intense." Just as Lissala ended, they reached the valley. There were already a bunch of wolves running around, arranging the firewood and organizing the newly arriving teams. The day went by quickly, they were busy gathering wood for a good part of it. When they were finally done, Fenris felt so tired that she didn't know how she was supposed to stay on her paws all night, but she didn't want to miss out on something as special as this. So she went into her burrow right when she got back, to take a nap before dusk. When the sun set, just as Lissala had said, the other woke her and they went back down to the valley. More and more wolves gathered there, coming from all directions. Only now Fenris realised how big this pack actually was, it was astounding how this many wolves could live in one place without destroying the ecostystem. As soon as the last rays of sunlight faded and the sky turned bright blue, with a loud roar the pyres and torches burst into flames, rising high as if they were reaching for the sky for a moment before falling back to a soft, joyfull flickering. The clans, sitting together before, started to mingle now and soon after, there were voices on the marked path. One group after the other joined them, it seemed like and endless stream of bodys slowly filling the valley. Fenris started to feel light as a feather, not tired at all anymore, and filled with an exitement unlike anything she ever felt before. She got up and dived into the crowd, evryone around her seemed to be a stranger. She danced with the others close by the fire, howled until her voice was raspy. A large male approached her, with fur in the color of cinnamon. "A beauty like you shouldn't dance alone.", he said, smirking at her. "Leave me alone." She wasn't in the mood for company, at least not male company. In fact, she had never taken interest in males before. But instead of leaving, he came even closer. "Oh, don't be like that, pretty girl. I know you want to dance with me." The exitement turned into anger, and she growled. "I mean it. Leave me alone." "You're so cute when you're angy.", he replied, suddenly grabbing her and trying to get on top of her. Before Fenris could even react, a shadow leaped out of the crowd and threw the rude wolf to the ground. Fangs plunged into skin, a throat ripped open. The dancers around them stopped, suddenly frozen in fear. Fie stood tall and faced them. "Nobody touches any of my girls without their permission!", she bellowed, her voice carrying far. The dancers turned to each other again, continuing as if nothing happened, in the knowledge they were safe and wouldn't fall victim to her teeth next. Only Fenris couldn't go back to how things were before, the thrill that the smoke had caused before seemed to have suddenly vanished. It was hard to make out Fie's impression under the not-deer-skull when she asked: "Are you okay?" Fenris nodded, still a bit in shock. It wasn't so much what Fie had done, it just started to sink in what that wolf had been about to do. When turned, Fenris forgot her grudge for a moment. "Can I walk with you? Just for a bit?" Everything seemed better than being alone right now, and everyone else was still caught up in the daze of the smoke. Fie glanced over her shoulder, thinking for a moment, but then she nodded. "Come along. Let's get you away from the crowd, shall we?" Without her, Fenris would probably never have found an way out of the crowd. But before Fie they parted, if intentional or not wasn't clear, making it easy for her toget forward. Fenris just had to follow her closely, before the path through the masses closed again. Nobody really seemed to take notice of anyone around them or anything that was going on. Close by the tree line, there were many couples seeking out some privacy, and Fenris looked down at her paws, trying to concentrate only on the path in front of her. She really didn't have to know what was going on there. Fie led her uphill, until they reached a ledge from which you had a good view over the entire valley. The air was clear, and the last bit of fog lifted from Fenris's mind. She sat down next to Fie, suddenly just feeling grateful, overwhelmed with the whole situation and vulnerable. "Thank you.", she said quietly. "For saving me down there." "You're of my pack, no matter my personal opinion of you, so I will protect you. It's not a big deal, really.", Fie tried to brush it off, but Fenris had the feeling that she was a bit flustered. "Aren't you supposed to look for a mate down there?" The thought had suddenly crossed her mind, and at first she didn't even realise she had said it out loud until Fie replied: "There's nobody down there who'd have the courage to take me on, anyway." "Maybe you should try again when you took off your amor?" Fie laughed. The sound gave Fenris a weird, warm feeling. "If they're all that impressed by a few skulls, they're really not worth my time." Fenris couldn't help it, she had to smile as well. Maybe the smoke still influenced her after all, because she couldn't really feel her usual anger. Instead, this felt nice. "You have a point.", she admitted. "But out of curiosity, do you take it off? Like, ever? I always only see you with your armor." "Does it matter?", Fie asked. She seemed to be so much calmer and open tonight. Maybe that was the way she reacted to the smoke. "It matters to me. I'd like to know what you look like. Or do you wear it because you're secretly super ugly and want to hide that?" Fie gave her a strange look. "You're either very drunk from the herbs they burn tonight, or you have a lot of courage." "Both, honestly. Mix it with a bit of foolishness and sprinkle recklessness over it, than you've got my character." Fenris felt exhaustion crushing over her like a sudden wave and she rested her head on her paws, eyes already about to close. Fie watched her and if she wouldn't wear that skull, someone could have witnessed the tender look that crossed her face. "We'll see about that in the morning.", she whispered. |
Albae #104425 |