Tears of the Moon (Semi-Lit Wolf Roleplay)

Rue || Female || Fire Opal Pack || Deciduous Forest

It takes a great deal of effort to not interpret Yarrow’s question as some form of insult. She had inherited her father’s temper after all, and chosen a mate of similar temperament to boot. She had, however, learned from her father’s mistakes. Rather than snapping at the other wolf she inhaled deeply and replied steadily, “No it is not.” 

“If your leader is willing to speak on it then we should meet on neutral grounds. You live near the river, you say?” she says, lifting her head towards the border. “There is a bit of unclaimed territory, a hill with a single tree, just north of here. We should meet there. They are welcome to bring a wolf or two, if they’d feel more comfortable that way. My mate will likely join me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some business that needs tending to.”

She dipped her head in bidding the other wolf goodbye. Not too low, she is an alpha after all, but she turned and moved with confidence towards her healer’s den.

Bone || Female || (Soon to be) Rapid Evening Pack || Riparian Woods

Bone scoffed at the other wolf’s childish outburst. Her stance remains firm and her continence unthreatened. If someone older or stronger was with this wolf, they would be the ones addressing her, not this pup. Still, she doesn’t deem the threats worthy of response, preferring to stand her ground and wait it out. 

She is more relieved than she lets on that the other wolf has decided not to fight. She doesn’t mind being told they’ll have to go. She doesn’t want to stay in this wet, sticky, stinky place a moment longer than she has to. 

“Deal,” she says, though she tilts her head at the questions. “What does that matter if we’re leaving anyway? You want to tell me your name and the name of this pack we’ve supposedly intruded on.”

Blood  || Male || (Soon to be) Rapid Evening Pack || Riparian Woods

Blood tilts his head in confusion at Jackdaw’s behavior. Her growling is no more threatening to him than a newborn pup’s yipping. It’s actually a bit cute. Can’t she tell that he’s not going to hurt her? Thankfully the other one seems to be more reasonable, though her questioning is a bit blunt. He laughs softly.

“Yes, well, I didn’t exactly walk my way here. The last thing I remember is a terrible flood in my pack’s territory. It must have washed myself and my packmate down the river.” 

He frowns internally. He really hopes everyone else is okay. The scent of his pack is not very strong. If he and one other were all who arrived here… does that mean everyone else died? 

“Anyway, my name is Blood! And if you’re willing to help me find my packmate, I’ll be on my way.”

Jackdaw That Soars 
Riparian Woodland
Rapid Evening Pack

The harsh red-ish wolf showed her teeth, hackles bristling. Badger may have been close to her right then, but Jackdaw was not about to be weak just because Badger said so. Badger was always the one who was stronger, why did she care? Her head lowered in a defensive, threatening posture, leaning back on her haunches to pounce.

However, he was... not huge, was he..? He was young, too. He was.. small. Like her. Her ears pricked upward again, dark lips faltering a bit. "A flood..?" She asked, looking suspicious. "I haven't heard anything about rain anywhere nearby."

Badger that Bites
Riparian Woodland
Rapid Evening Pack

Feeling a bit lost without the rest of her pack, Badger bristled with slight fear but forced her fur to smooth down. "It must be scary to lose your pack," she murmured, tilting her head. "It must have been far from here if it was in a time of intense rain... we haven't had any."

She felt... bad for this wolf. Badger lowered her tail and padded towards him warily, sniffing his fur. "You smell a bit muddy, alright, but you aren't exactly soaked... we can help you find your packmate." 

Smoulder || Male || Fire Opal Pack || Deciduous Forest

Weary lines etch themselves into the old wolf's face as he sorts through the herbal supplies for the seventh time that evening. No, once again he was sure of it. They were out of redwood sorrel, and without redwood sorrel, they were once again susceptible to pox. Again, the reddish wolf of the Fire Opal pack starts unbundling and searching through the neatly-arranged packets of herbs, as though he might have overseen something the first seven times. Still nothing... he'd have to find one of the scouts. No, this was more dangerous yet, he'd have to find Rue - though just as his thoughts wandered to her, so too did he hear her voice, and a call out for that one word that instantly put his paws into motion - Healer! He was already on his feet, making his way cautiously yet hastily to the cries of distress. He believed to hear a note of pain in her voice, but it was hard to tell - his imagination would run away from him if he didn't keep it locked down, and so he did, one footpaw in front of the other.

He could hear an unfamiliar voice. Had a stray turned up sick? He hastened his pace a bit, making for Rue and Yarrow, though only presently did his figure begin to become visible from between the trees. He approaches cautiously, having none of the warrior training of a hunter, nor the defensive tenacity of a leader - and yet at first glance, the danger did not appear to be great. "I heard you calling, young leader," he says, his voice warm and smokey, like the warm embers of a fire. He assumes a deferential pose as he approaches, worry in his orange eyes. "What has happened?"

Dances-in-Fire || Male || Rapid Evening Pack || Riparian Woodland

The spindly wolf stands atop an elevation, letting out a low whistle at the carnage the flood had caused. It looked like the aftermath of every flood - trees upturned, riverbanks swollen, prey driven from their burrows or found dead floating amongst the debris, the river transformed from a bounty of life to a disaster zone. Just like that, he thinks, and chuckles darkly to himself, prancing on his two light feet. Just like that, a flash flood could surge through the woodlands and take everything from you. The coyote-like wolf - his desert heritage clear on his markings, his scent bearing the traces of both his southern breed and the pack that had taken him in - had made up for his less-regional natural camouflage by being twice as light on his feet, staying twice as low to the ground, and being twice as springy in his step as he otherwise should have been.

With nimble paws, Dances-in-Fire springs from rock to rock, back down to the level of the forest, when the sound of raised voices turns one of his ears. Elevated voices, territorial, threatening... Bianca? Scarcely an adult - had the poor pup gotten herself in danger? With an obliging sigh, the long-legged wolf got his paws wet in the swampy soils of the woodlands - a sensation he'd long grown accustomed to after being taken in by the Rapid Evening pack - and weaves his way between the trees, towards the sound of the commotion. It would be best if he remained hidden, though thankfully the commotion of an upturned woodlands should more than cover the sound of approaching footfalls, or so he hopes. Peering from around a tree, he attempts to assess what Bianca has gotten herself involved with...

Starchaser || Male || Fire Opal Pack || Deciduous Forest

Deeper in Fire Opal's den, Starchaser sleeps restlessly. In his dream, the young wolf is large, full-grown, looming over the others in his pack. Arctic breeds tend to run big, and the young man was all too aware of how large his parents in the tundra had become in their full adulthood. The fact that in his dream, he was looking down on everyone, looming, built like a bear as much as a wolf - the feeling did not fill him with a sense of strength. Rather, he felt seen - miserably seen, monstrous in his largeness, cumbersome and feared as he turns over restlessly in his sleep. Pups fear him, the smaller wolves shy away, even Rue looks at him like a brute who made a good hunter, if not much else. But she's not like that! A part of his mind screams, but the nightmare doesn't yield to reason.

It wasn't only that he was large in his dream, but that he had never stopped growing. Day after day, his form grew upon itself, taking on height and weight until it became preposterous, until he was informed that he had to sleep outside because there was simply no room for him in the den, until his head hit the branches of the trees and the other wolves looked at him in pity and fear. Starchaser looks down at what he's become in his dream, at the monster that he was. No, he pleads mentally, and tears form in his eyes. No, no, no, please...!

The nightmare ends when the young adult snaps awake, heart hammering in the darkness. He realizes there's tears in his eyes, and slowly, the sounds of the night reorient him to his surroundings. He wasn't massive. He was barely a full-fledged adult. Starchaser shakes his head, chasing off the cobwebs of the horrible dream. It had not been many moons since he'd left the path of the adolescent behind him and become a fully-fledged member of a hunting team - apprentice and trainee no more, but a chaser! The thought of going out into the woodland alongside Tiana helped shake the last remnants of fear from his heart, and as he remembered that he was teaming with the capable huntress, his heart filled with a blaze again. The young adult got up, noting with some dismay that he now had to duck his head slightly to leave his old den. Perhaps he would be moving to a larger one soon. From the sound of it, he didn't seem to be the only one up - he heard a few voices. Curiously, the young chaser stepped deeper into the den's main clearing, attempting to get a good bead on what was going on. Rue and now the old man Smoulder were speaking with a third wolf, but... who? From the distance, Starchaser can't quite tell...

Bianca - Riparian Woodland:

"Certainly not," Bianca snarls, and allows her ears to flatten and lip to curl in open hostility this time. The nerve of this pup! "This is our territory and our hospitality you're infringing on, and you're lucky I offer to help instead of just chasing you away! The least you could do is show some manners, before I decide you're not worth the bother and toss you out on your tail"W. Now tell me your name, and perhaps I'll give you mine."

A bit too strong, but she'd had it with playing nice. It was exhausting. She doesn't know how her twin manages to exhibit such calm and patience all the time - well, that's why she's a finisher and he was still learning to chase prey. You need a bit of fire to deal the final blow.

She'd rather save her strength for fighting deer, though, and not a fellow wolf, so with an effort she relaxes her ears and hides her teeth. "Where did you see your packmate last?" She asks, giving a perfunctory sniff at the ground, though all the smells are sodden and heavy. No wonder this stranger was having trouble tracking. "We ought to return to my two packmates who came with me. We can cover more ground with more of us."

Yarrow - Deciduous Forest:

Yarrow tilts her head, trying not to be insolent but still faintly amused at being told off by such a younger wolf. Still, an alpha is an alpha, and being a scout couldn't all be solitude and adventure. Sometimes you had to play the diplomat.

"Very well, I will inform her," Yarrow inclines her head and even tucks her tail a bit to show necessary respect, and then turns around. Time to go home: Her duty was done, this seemed like more than sufficient 'investigating'. She'll leave the mysterious moon-dreams to the alphas and hopefully scout elsewhere, somewhere more sparsely populated, she hopes. Yarrow makes her leisurely way in the direction of the river, wondering if the hunting teams had brought back anything decent yet.

Rue || Female || Fire Opal Pack || Deciduous Forest

Rue could hear Yarrow’s steps retreating and anticipated no trouble from the scout. For better or for worse, the meeting had been set and she would have to think about which of her trusted wolves to bring with her should it prove a trap or something of that sort. She could not see why it would be however. The Riparian Wood is flush with prey, maybe even more so than her Deciduous Forestland was. So unless the pack in question was massive, there shouldn’t be any fussing over borders. 

The Fire Opal Leader was relieved to turn and find her healer and relative, Smoulder approaching. Somewhere during the course of her chat, she had lost track of the severity of her nightmare injuries. The sting of them drew a wince from her as she closed the distance between them. 

“Smoulder,” Rue offers with a wave of her tail and warm look in her eyes, indicating that such strict formality is not necessarily called for. “I have had another of those odd dreams. With the glowing forest. Only this time I came back with some injuries. My shoulder took the worst of it. I’m beginning to think that they are not just dreams.”

She pauses and tilts her head slightly as she catches the scent of a packmate on the wind.

“Starchaser…? Is that you?”

Bone || Female || (Soon to be) Rapid Evening Pack || Riparian Woods

Bone rolled her eyes slightly at the ranting of the other. She supposed that she had earned that, expecting a reasonable response from a pup not much older than herself. While she would like to believe that she would not be so easily run off, Bone is all too aware of how hungry, and tired, and cold she feels. This is unknown and inhospitable territory. Hardly the place to get into a fight.

“Alright, alright, my name is Bone and I’m of the River Valley Pack, are you happy?” she asked, unable to keep her usual sass in check even for this. Still, she doesn’t bear any teeth or change her stance. The other wolf seems to reign herself in as well. It wasn’t worth fighting over. At the mention of others, she tenses slightly. She is wary of meeting others in this wolf’s pack. What if they are equally hostile? But eventually, she determines that it’s better to take that risk than talk her way into a fight with this one. She pads alongside her, falling slightly back.

Blood  || Male || (Soon to be) Rapid Evening Pack || Riparian Woods

Maintaining his relaxed posture. They may be suspicious of him, but he no longer believes they are going to lunge without good reason. And he has no intention of giving them any good reason. 

“You haven’t…?” he asked Badger genuinely. “We must have been washed a very long way then...”

He wonders how far from home they are. These two don’t seem to be particularly aware of any valley packs. And with all these trees, he can’t see any valley at all. But surely if they just travel up river they will find home eventually. He just needs to find his packmate and be on his way. He turned his attention to Jackdaw and lowers his head, momentarily vulnerable.

“It is scary… But I’m certain that at least some of us must be okay. I’m sure that I smelled another of my packmates near by. Maybe they’ll remember what happened better,” he said, lifting his head and waving his tail slowly. “Thank you.”

With that he proceeds to sniff the air, and then the ground, attempting to pick up the scent again.

Jackdaw that Soars | Riparian Woodland | Rapid Evening Pack 

With a curl of her lip, Jackdaw turned, her ears flattening. She didn't like foreign wolves. They made her angry. What made her even more enraged was the fact that Badger was always so nice to them..! They weren't from around here. They weren't like them. Why did Badger entertain them like this?

"The sooner we find your packmate, the sooner you can go," she snapped, curling her lip. "So let's go find them." She turned on her paws, spinning around and pushing under a needled tree. 

Badger that Bites | Riparian Woodland | Rapid Evening Pack 

Staring after her close friend, Badger twitched her tail, wagging it slowly to try and reassure the stranger. "Sorry about her," she murmured. "She can be snappy towards almost anyone," she remarked with a little laugh. "Don't take it personally."

Padding forward, scenting the ground, Badger turned to look at him again. "Your name is Blood, right..? Mine is Badger. That's Jackdaw. Our pack's territory is here, so we should probably stick on the outskirts so we don't get into much trouble for letting you stick around... we're still young here."

Bianca - Riparian Woodland:

"River Valley? I've never heard of such a pack," Bianca had never heard of any other packs, as a matter of fact, as she'd rarely been outside the territory. But she wasn't about to reveal that. With a touch of pride, she continues: "I am Bianca, daughter of Basalt, and this is the Ra -"

She's interrupted, suddenly, by what's certainly the last packmate she'd want to see right now. Bianca's tail swishes and her fur bristles in irritation as the slender scout reveals himself. Of all the - Dances-in-Fire was almost certainly going to take all the credit for intercepting this intruder, and tell the others he saved her from trouble besides.

"Oh, shut up," she snaps at him, almost a little pleased to finally have a chance to unleash her anger. "Everyone knows Yarrow is a better scout than you, and we don't let you stud because your obnoxious jabbering puts off anyone who'd be willing in the first place! I have this situation well in hand - why don't you make yourself useful and go ahead to inform our alpha? You know, like a proper scout should?"

Druid - Riparian Woodland:

Druid chews pensively on an old bone, feeling it snap and splinter beneath the crush of her jaws as she mulls over the information Yarrow has brought her. So, she wasn't alone in having these dreams - if dreams they were: Her flank still smarts from the claws of that feline-like thing that had raked her.

She wasn't fond of consorting with other packs, as a general rule. She detested pack politics and petty quarrels; it was enough to deal with such things internally. In particular she found it tiresome to have to deal with other alphas, ones who thought themselves too good to listen to her instruction or too strong to defer to her authority. She'd truly rather just begin a fight than take so much trouble trying to command respect and settle tensions, when things almost always ended in fighting anyway.

However, this was a unique situation, and information had to be obtained, and so Druid prepares herself for a meeting with the leader of the Fire Opal pack. The important question is who to bring along. A wave of sadness passes over her briefly as she thinks of Basalt and Umbra, who each passed away last year: loyal packmates, imposing presences, and steady tempers, both. One of them would have always been the obvious choice. As it is, she is left with slimmer pickings: Yarrow brought the news to her, and the old wolf was crafty and experienced, but she was even less fond of other wolves than Druid. Irene was too self absorbed, Augur too easygoing. Perhaps one of her own children? They were good hunters, but not much for talking - or fighting, if it came to that. Bernardo, then? She sighs.

Tiana || Female || Fire Opal Pack || Deciduous Forest

It is early in the morning, pre-dawn, but Tiana likes it this way. She stretches and yawns, bracing herself for a good day’s hunt. Most of her team won’t be up at this hour, but that’s fine. She likes to warm up before a good chase. She needs her team to know that she takes leading it rather seriously.

She knows it can be hard for some, considering that she’s the niece of the leader who is not much older than herself. They’re practically twins in age, born the same season of the same year. They both inherited the thick lovely red fur of their former leader, but Tiana’s fur is more gray and Rue’s fur is darker red.

As a matter of fact, she spies that dark shade of red in the clearing, alongside her kin, Smoulder, and one of the newer chasers on her hunting team. She approaches loudly enough not to startle anyone. She doesn’t want anyone to think she was eavesdropping.

“Leader, Esteemed Elder,” she greets them, the over-formality being something of a tease, with an accompanying wag of her tail. “And Starchaser… This is not a party I was expecting to find. I trust all is well?”

Rue || Female || Fire Opal Pack || Deciduous Forest

She’s relieved by her healer’s easy acceptance of these strange dreams. She has kept them mostly to herself thus far. Being such a young leader, it’s all too easy to imagine the older pack members worrying about her fitness to lead. Dreams that can hurt you? It would be too incredible for them to believe. She supposes that in a way, she is fortunate that Smoulder is not an ambitious wolf. He may not be a direct descendant of her father’s line, but an older, wiser wolf still of true Fire Opal Blood would have its appeal to those uneasy with taking orders from a wolf only 2 years of age. 

“I thank you for your concern,” she says with a slight nod, and an amused glint in her eye. “But make no mistake, my kinsman, I am no stranger to a fight.”

All the same, she rises with the intent to follow him. She may have trained hard from puphood with her father, but all the training in the world would not spare her from a nasty infection. Smoulder will see to it that her wounds are cleaned and dressed. 

She is surprised by the appearance of the newer packmember, Starchaser. It’s still far too dark out for anyone else to be up. She waits and listens patiently to his exchange with the healer. His words about his nightmares were…. Concerning. Perhaps related to her own dreams? She is pleasantly surprised by the other’s offer to help. 

“No, she has not,” Rue replied warmly. “But even if she had, I would expect her to be past the border by now. There’s no need to trouble her, but thank you for the offer, Starchaser.” 

The arrival of Tiana could not be more perfect, though she was beginning to grow a bit concerned by how many of them were up at this absurd hour of the morning! 

“I got a few scratches in my sleep. You know how I toss and turn,” Rue said, giving her niece a meaningful look. “I’m going to the Healing Den to get them looked at. Happy Hunting to you both, Starchaser, Tiana.” 

And with that she vanished into the healing den.

Bone || Female || (Soon to be) Rapid Evening Pack || Riparian Woods

Bone represses the urge to roll her eyes. It is completely unsurprising to her that Bianca has never heard of her pack. She doesn’t know of any pack that lives in these mucky riverside woodlands after all! She regards the approach of another, older wolf, with apprehension. Judging by his scent, this is a packmate of Bianca’s. Still, her fur bristles a bit, defensively. He speaks in a very odd way… If Bianca was overaggressive, then this Dances-in-Flames was overly casual, speaking to her as if she is a welcomed guest. Somehow, his smooth and soothing voice feels even more dangerous than Bianca’s snapping does. 

“Do you mind if I just call you Dances?” Bone asks curiously, ignoring Bianca’s rudeness towards the scout. “If you’re really at my service, would you please help me find my packmate so I can get out of here? I don’t see any reason to bother a leader when I can be gone long before they hear about it.”

Blood || Male || (Soon to be) Rapid Evening Pack || Riparian Woods

Bone was a bit bewildered by Jackdaw’s insistent hostility, staring after her as she went, but Badger’s words soon put him at ease. He smiles and nods as he follows her at a semi brisk pace. He’s eager to see who’s come along with him after all. Hopefully a wolf who knows the way home.

“Well,” he says to Badger as he keeps pace with her. “She’s not all that different from my cousin, Bone then. Don’t worry. I don’t take anything she says personally either.” He nods to her, affirming that his name is Blood. “Jackdaw and Badger… Those are nice names I guess! And don’t worry, I’m pretty young myself. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. But I don’t want to leave without my packmate either.”

After a brief walk, he pauses, twitching his ears. 

“Hmmm, could that be them?” he asks. “Is someone else on patrol?”

He hears multiple voices. Mostly female ones. He worries… if his packmate has run into more territorial wolves of this pack, they could be in real danger.

Jackdaw That Soars | Rapid Evening Pack | Riparian Woodland 

With a snort, she turned her head, ears pricking. Most likely them, alright. The red-hued wolf trotted forward, lifting her nose to scent the air. It smelt... odd here. To Jackdaw, everything smelt odd, except for maybe the scent Badger left in her nest each day when she got up at the crack of dawn to stretch like some sort of weasel. 

No matter how much Jackdaw insisted that Badger annoyed her, the darned she-wolf would always nose her way back into her affections.

"There are always wolves on patrol," she remarked sarcastically back to Blood. "We are a pack, after all, and we want to defend our territory. Does your pack not do that?" She showed her teeth briefly, but after a look from Badger, she looked away and flattened her ears instead. "Come on, they aren't far. It smells like Bianca and Dances-In-Flames." 

Jackdaw's heart lifted as she recognized Dances-In-Flames's scent. The wolf gave her a sense of comfort, for some reason - he was interesting, and he had seen so much in his life, no matter how long it had been. She found him annoying, sure, but his curious past and attitude outweighed it sometimes. Sometimes.

Badger That Bites | Rapid Evening Pack | Riparian Woodland 

"Bone must have a stick up her butt then, because Jackdaw sure does," Badger remarked, glancing ahead at her friend as she made a jab at her. It was playful, and clearly, Jackdaw knew that, because she turned her head to show her teeth in a way that only Badger knew was playful rather than hostile.

"Yeah, that does smell like Bianca," Badger remarked. "Dances will probably be there, too." She snorted. The adolescent found him funny, and altogether very amusing, and liked to talk to him. Well, sometimes, anyway - she hated that Jackdaw practically idolized the wolf. There's nothing special about him, so what gives? He's just an ordinary wolf! It's not like she should trip after him like a lovesick pup!

Picking up speed and pushing past her friend, Badger raced into the trees, ears pricked. "Bianca!" She called, her voice loud and surprisingly confident. "We're here! There's another stranger! Don't worry, he's pretty friendly."