⌘ Tyrs härd pack Lore and Extended wolf bios ⌘
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⌘ Tyrs härd pack Lore and Extended wolf bios ⌘
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Posted 2021-04-08 01:58:27 (edited)
Wolf bios are too short so hence this thread. How to read: 1. Choose a wolf 2. Read their bio on their wolf page 3. Follow the link at the bottom of the wolf page and continue reading here in this thread Where can you find more? If a wolf is mentioned by name in a bio, they most likely have a bio themselves that you can check out. If a wolf is particularly old, it probably has a bio. Most adult wolves in my dynasty have bios. All stories are interconnected, especially the original alpha, Tyr, has a story that is spread out over a lot of bios, albeit from different wolves perspectives. Have fun piecing together the puzzle! I'm constantly updating the bios so if you find a favourite one you can probably expect more to come. Want to subscribe to a specific wolfs bio, or all of the extended ones? Send me a PM! I will put you up on a list and send you a message when I have updated the bio! If you want me to write something for you or colab on something, send me a PM! |
 ⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2021-04-09 15:12:41 (edited)
Tyr "Ull, he reminds us of the bright days ahead. Skade, she reminds us of the dark days we leave behind. There are things to appreciate in both the bright and the dark, as there is in the sun and the moon, the day and the night." As she and the rest of the pack howled, Tyrs beautiful spring born pups now had their official names. - "You were right, I should've listened to you," Tyr sighed, and she almost felt ashamed, "so I will take your advice now instead."Tyr laid her paw gently on the stone and looked at her name inscription with soft eyes, reading it quietly to herself despite knowing full well whos stone it is without even looking. Räv had been dead for a while now, Tyrs two pups were adults. Tyrs daughter, Skade, had two pups, but Tyr feared their personalities did not suit that of an alpha, which she kept to herself. Tyrs son, Ull, was having trouble concieving healthy pups despite him wanting a family with his mate. All the while, Tyr was getting older and worried about the future of the pack. It was time for Tyr to have another litter. And on the first day of winter, another litter did come, four daughters! Tyrs biggest litter yet, and hopefully her last. Everyone loved the girls, especially Ull and Skade, who doted on them and cared for them and taught them everything they knew! But four daughters was a lot, and Tyr already had a very big pack.The announcement that Tyrs heirs would not be allowed to produce more heirs was not taken well by her granddaughter, Hel, proving her inadequecy for leadership, and Tyr made her first enemy. "Gerd, she represents protection, which a leader can give their pack, but the pack can give their leader as well. Vår, she represents the promise a pack makes to their leader, as well as the promise the leader makes to the pack. Together, loyalty and protection creates a home where everyone can feel safe. Both are equally important and can't exist without the other. These pups is a reminder to you all to care for eachother. Their names are also to remind themselves that a sibling by your side is a gift." Tyr looked up at Ull and Skade, both looking proud, and of course sitting next to eachother. They had been inseparable since birth, hopefully these pups would be, too. - When Rävs grandpups were abandoned by their mother, naturally they went into the care of the pack mother, the alpha, Tyr. She took care of them just like she did any other of her pups and adoptive pups, until a few days in they had a surprise visit. She hadn't heard his voice speak to her in so long, and it made her remember the time before all this responsibility was put on her. The life she could've had, with him and their pups.. "I'm sorry to come barging in like this, I know you are in care of them, but I just.. had to see them," Gull bowed his head for the alpha, who looked up at him with a strange expression. It had been so long. "That's okay, I don't mean to keep your grandchildren from you," she was composed but her voice was soft, "I was actually going to send for you.. I, I named the girl. Rävlill." "That's beautiful," Gull said, and he sat down when the alpha came to sit next to him, and they looked at the two reddish pups together. They were playing outside in the grass, and they were playing pretty violently, and Gull chimed in, "I hope they didn't get that from me." The alpha couldn't help but chuckle, "Well.. I know you meant a lot to Räv, so I wanted to ask you to name the little male?" - Both of the grandpups of Räv then grew up with Gull and Tyr as their parents Gull was the morfar of the pups, he decided to raise them together with Tyr, and they quickly became friends again. Rävs descendants grew up into adolescents, and Tyr and Gull kept spending time together. "Maybe this is how it was always supposed to be," Tyr looked at Gull, who turned his soft eyes toward her, "just you and me, starting a family together." Despite Tyr not wanting to use her last heat, she had a litter of summer born pups, and they reminded her so much of her first litter. No, not Ull and Skade, she had a litter before them, a litter which she doesn't enjoy thinking about, as they left the pack as young wolves. They had been a brown female with orange eyes, and a brown male with brown eyes, bearing gulls yellow back. But even so, those pups had something that these didn't. Yes, both of her first litter of pups had inherited Tyrs blaze. And every one of Tyrs pups after that had blazes too. But her last litter.. did not. "Asguld and Asynja.." Tyr whispered their names, and looked away from Gull, "I wonder what happened to them. Should we name these.. in honour of them?" "I don't know, maybe it's best to leave the past behind," Gull nudged her. "Gull.. they have no blazes," she whispered again. Maybe this litter was a mistake. "What about it?" Gull asked, and Tyr responded, "All heirs have blazes." "Maybe they don't need to be heirs. Maybe they just need to be.. loved," his soft words made her finally look up at him, and she smiled. - "I can see perfectly fine," Tyr said, sitting in front of Ragnvald, the herbalist, and his daughter apprentice. Gerd cleared her throat and gave her mother a look. Tyr sighed, "..out of my left eye." There was nothing to do about it, and Tyr knew her time was soon up anyway, so it didn't matter too much to her. - "Mamma, pack your essentials," Gerd came barging into Tyrs cave one morning and started packing for her mother. "What's going on, pup?" Tyr stretched her stiff legs and jawned before shaking dust out of her fur. Tyr observed her little daughter, well, she wasn't so little, Tyr realized Gerd may in fact be bigger than her. Gerds eyes looked into Tyrs. "I'm taking you to northland." - When Tyr heard this she couldn't help but become excited like a pup, she was packing all the while being sceptic and interrogating her daughter. Appearently, Gerd had already made everything ready for the trip and assigned leader duties to Skade and made sure Ull would keep his little sister in line and everything. When Tyr became insecure and remarked about how harsh the trip was to make the first time she did it when she was a young wolf, Gerd said "You won't be alone this time. I'll make sure you make it there." Tyr suddenly felt vulnerable, in a good way. She was this wolfs mother, but now she was the one being taken care of and protected. Tyr felt like a pup and a very old wolf at the same time. They said farewell to everyone, and started their journey. The way to northland is far. First you have to make your way north until you can smell the big northern sea, then you head west. And west. And west and west. The environment is scarce and a little bit lonely, but mostly safe, until it isn't. Tyr was having a rest when she heard a crack and a splash, she was immedietly on her legs, and before she knew it she was in the cold water pulling Gerd by her neck. They were in a current, stuck under the ice, and Tyr didn't even understand how but suddenly she had managed to pull Gerd out of the water. Gerd coughed up cold water and then huddled in close to her mother. Maybe despite her age she was still a mother and protector. She nuzzled her pup and whispered softly a lullaby. The lullaby was the same that Tyr had sung to all her pups, yes. When troll mother has put all her pups to bed.. - West, west, west and finally, Oh god finally, south. Tyr felt the moss beneath her feet and the trees surrounded her like an embrace. They arrived in northland. After showing Gerd everything she could think of, water falls, trails, old trees, paintings. Gerd was intently listening the whole time. Tyr woke up slowly after a nap, but when she opened her eyes she heard a sharp gasp and a sigh of relief, and saw Gerds face very close to her. Gerd looked away. "Is something wrong, my puppy?" Tyr said and rolled over to her stomach. Gerd looked embarrassed and shook her head. "Tell me." "I was scared that you.. um.." Oh. Tyr sat up "I'm still healthy and alive, pup," Tyr gave Gerd a big kiss, "And I have slept wonderfully on this moss!" This day, Tyr showed Gerd the way to the bear kingdom, as she called it. It may have sounded scary, it wasn't, they saw some bears but they were super friendly! This is where Tyr was born. "We can't stay in this area for long. It's dangerous," "You're joking, the bears are no threat, especially since I have you with me!" Gerd had never seen her mother without the scars she gained from her fight with a bear. "It's not bears." Tyrs voice was very serious and Gerd immedietly changed her expression and became worried. Tyr sniffed around, she led her daughter in under a fallen tree and almost into a cave, and at last she found what she was searching for, and excitedly showed Gerd. On the rocky wall in the half cave, there were scribbled scratches, they were very childish but clearly depicted a little wolf and a bigger wolf. "Oh mamma, I didn't know you were an artist," Gerd sat down to look at the scribbles, taking in the history before her. - In the evening, Gerd decided to lighten her heart. "I've been thinking about how long we should stay here.." Gerd begun, and Tyr looked a bit confused, "I have heard you singing that song. I wanted to bring you here while you still had one healthy eye. But if you want to stay, whether alone or with me, that's okay." Tyr took a deep breath and looked around her. "This is my homeland. To walk on this land feels.. right," Tyr looked back at her daughter, illuminated by the soft moonlight and the dark blue sky, she was nodding, "But it's a doomed land, too dangerous for wolves to live in. That's why I had to leave. And as much as I love this place, it's not my home anymore. My home can't be where my pups aren't." Gerds eyes looked up at her mother, who was smiling softly at her. Gerd huddled in next to her. "Let's head back home in the morning," Tyr rested her head on top of Gerds back and closed her eyes. - They made it back and Tyr spent her last months around her family, telling everyone as often as possible that she loved them 
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⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2021-05-02 12:20:37 (edited)
Skade Ouch! Who knew tiny pup paws against the gut hurt so much? Skade decided to keep sleeping until.. Argh! Skade shook her head and the pup, that had stepped on her eyeball, fell down. "Alright pups, what do you want to do today?" Skade yawned at her little sisters "River!" The pups responded in unison. At least they always agreed. Skade took them to the river and watched them closely, there was a violent rapid with sharp rocks further down this river, so adult supervision is important. If they had only gone to the lakes instead, it would've been safer and Skade could've taken a nap, she thought as she laughed at the top of her lungs after being tackled during the water splashing war. Appearently having bigger paws is cheating! Skade didn't actually want to nap or not spend time with her sisters. She loved them and did everything they asked, even bringin them to the glacier and the rainforest and the riperian woods. She brought them anywhere they wanted. - "At some point the two of you will have to talk again," Skade sighed at Gerd. Gerd just looked away, "You used to get along so well." |
⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2021-05-05 13:21:42 (edited)
"Hmm.. ugh I don't know," She threw herself on the ground, dirt and sand flying up in the air, and rolled over on her back looking up at Gerd, then smiling a devious smile, "I know that.. Björn is handsoome! No no I'm serious, he is, that's his strength!" The sisters laughed and Gerd let out a loud "ugh!" "Okay let me think. Lusse is kinda mellow, he's not around much is he? and Hel is scary! Ygg and Agi, do you remember when we babysat them when we were younger? I liked Hels daughter, is she still around, I haven-" Vår saw Gerd shaking her head. Right, Hels daughter left the pack, "Oh I love our family, I want to paint murals of everyone, what do you think?" As Vår flipped over and onto her feet and started drawing in the dirt with her claws, Gerd first felt like dismissing her but remembered that big fight they had years ago that made them stop talking. So Gerd instead decided to see the good in her sister. She usually didn't talk this much, only with Gerd or Mamma when she was alive, and thinking of this Gerd felt honoured. She still felt like Vår might not be the best at helping with leader duties, she knew even less than Gerd did. There has to be something that her strengths could help with too. As Gerd walked to Vår she saw the drawing she had made. It was two ablazed wolves faces next to eachother, looking happy. It could've been anyone in their family, all of them had blazes, but Gerd had a feeling it was the two of them. - She was pacing back and forth muttering to herself. "Gerd, what's the big problem?" Agnar tried. When the pregnancy couldn't be seen or felt, Agnar had taken Gerd to the scrying stone to see if it was a false pregnancy. The idea that she had a false pregnancy felt humuliating to her as the alpha, but when it was revealed that she actually had one pup in there, a whole different issue surfaced. "There is supposed to be at least two," Gerd muttered at Agnar without looking at him. Agnar made a confused sound so she continued, "It's tradition.. Mamma always had litters of two. And then Skade had Hel and Lusse, and then Lusse had Ygg and Agi. We are always supposed to be two!" "There's nothing you can do about it, love," Agnar approached her, putting her pacing to a halt by being in her way. "The pup will be all alone, with no sibling," Gerd looked annoyed, "and I will be an alpha whos lineage breaks the tradition. I'm a failure." - Gerd and her sister, Vår, had been born during the winter, which is not the best time to be born to say the least. Vår became accustomed to the cold and loved it, but Gerd was freezing a lot. When she was a young pup her mother put a coat on her, but after some time Gerd started hiding it. She acted like normal, but actually she felt cold in the snow. It was embarrassing. After coming home from her trip to northland with their mother and Gerd became the alpha, she couldn't hide it anymore. Gerd was peacefully watching her two - yes, two - beautiful pups play. They looked absolutely nothing alike, because they weren't related, but they still played like siblings. Suddenly Vår barged in, put something on the ground and proceeded to bounce around excitedly. "I got a gift for you!!" She exclaimed, and started playing with the two pups out of excitement. Gerd unfolded the fabric and felt her heart warm, "It's soon winter, I figured you needed something to warm you, no?" - First it was Mamma who died, then Skade died, then Ull died, it was like everyone in Gerds family was just dying, and for a while she was back in her dark cave all over again. The wolf who stuck around to help her was her mate, Agnar. Gerd didn't even notice, in her depression, that Agnar was getting old, too. One day, he also passed away. One could assume this frail, mopey alpha would completely break at this, or maybe she would jump off a cliff into the stream? Yes, Gerd had heard how Vår had snarled at people and muttered as she came in to the cave, but refused to tell Gerd what it was all about. Gerd knew it was about her, and her failure as an alpha. But when Agnar died, and Gerd felt like she was losing everyone she loved, she realized something. She realized that there were wolves who she loved, who weren't dying. They weren't leaving her. And they needed her. So it was time to step up and be the alpha they needed. After Skade died, her son Lusse - who was older than Gerd - had started showing his face around Gerd and Vår more often, and once Gerd had decided to stop lying in her dark cave, she realized how happy she was to have him around. Appearently, after Ull died, Björnstjärna had started spending time with Lusse too, and so both of Gerds nephews were often around her just hanging out, and they spent time outside among the pack, and things started to make sense again. As Gerd observed Björn and Lusse, she couldn't help but smile as she saw that Ull and Skade weren't truly gone, they lived on in their children. Gerd looked over to her own daughter, who was starting a fight with someone for fun over by the path to the meadow, and her heart filled up with love. Agnar would also live on through his pup. And Tyr lived on through them all. - Summer, the eleventh year, Glacier trip Jag har bestämt mig för att ta med flocken till glaciären. Det ska nog vara nyttigt för oss alla, föra oss samman som en enighet? Vår blev förvånad, hon påminner mig om Skade när jag tog med Mamma till Norrland. Lusse och Björnstjärna var entusiastiska! Dags att packa. "You're finished writing in your silly journal?" Vår met up Gerd as she was leaving the alpha cave. "Good morning, grumpy," Gerd walked right past her, but Vår followed. "I'm sorry, I got kicked by a moose last night, I guess I'm a bit rusty with the finishing, I'm sorry for being grumpy, will you forgive me?" Her rambling was as usual, but she spoke slower, she must be tired, and Gerd forgave her. They reached the hoard to help pack the food for the journey, this would surely be the trips biggest challenge. Some wolves from the hunting teams were tearing the meat off of a large moose bull to wrap up in cloths, as Gerd had instructed. It will be easier to carry food if it can be packaged smaller and carried on each wolf. Rotting wouldn't be a problem, summer in the mountains wasn't overly hot and as they travelled north it would only get colder. Vår smirked and chippered, "I did a little more than kick him back though." |
⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2021-10-10 10:42:17 (edited)
Fjäll"Fjäll, don't-" Myr started, but Fjäll met her concerned eyes with a stare. Myr looked down, and nodded. Wordlessly, she led Fjäll out into the forest. A flickering light between the trees caught Fjälls attention. Lanterns were hung in two trees, Fjäll could hear excited voices and fierce snarls. This must be the meadow. Myr stopped and turned around. She looked so meek, nothing like the bold and confident friend Fjäll had grown up with. "They moved the fights here," Myr said as she started walking back where they came from, "someones tail caught on fire." Fjäll nodded at Myr, then she turned her attention to the meadow. As she approached, the snarls and growls grew louder. She could see the wolves now, and here they were illuminated by moonlight instead of firelight. It was beautiful out here. But the mood was different. She pushed past some of the cheering bodies, and exclaimed to them, "I'm next!", getting ready to challenge the winner. They let her past, some even laughed at her! She knew it was because of her small stature. But they'd see. She'd won her fair share of fights, and now she had been training and was even stronger. This would be childs play. Fjäll got to the front row and looked at the fighters. She could tell by the smell, they were two males. But then she saw his face. Oh no. "Orm?" She said it in disbelief, not loud enough for the crowd to hear, but somehow he heard his name and looked up. Their eyes met, and his opponent became confused and looked at the crowd, too. Orm snapped back to it and went for the neck. He had a good grip, and the opponent struggled, but couldn't escape. After a few minutes, the fight was over. The opponent surrendered, and when he was released Fjäll could see he was bleeding, and coughing. These fights were more serious than they had been before. "New opponent!" Someone shouted in the crowd, almost immedietly, a wolf beside Fjäll chimed in, "This little girl volounteered!" He yelled, and Fjäll was pushed out of the crowd. She stumbled, caught off guard. The crowd rumbled, some were laughing. Fjäll looked around her, instinctively looking for who was laughing at her, ready to attack them, when Orms green eyes caught her attention. He was at the other end of the meadow. Fuck. There was no going back now. She walked slowly as she tried to figure out a plan. The big meadow was making her uneasy. Before, when the fights were by the fire, the fighters would be completely surrounded by other wolves. If the fighters moved even three steps, the crowd would have to move out of the way. This.. This was an open field, at least fifty steps across, and the crowd was standing on the edges of it. Fjäll felt naked, observed. Orm moved towards her, too, and they met in the middle and started circling eachother. "Why are you here?" He spoke quickly, but quietly. Fjäll looked around, but it was clear no one could hear their whispers at this distance, especially with all the chattering in the crowd. "I," was all Fjäll got out before changing her mind, "don't bother and you'll live longer." Fjäll hinted a smile on his lips. A far too innocent smile. Fjäll was tackled, and they both tumbled over and got back up on their feet again. Fjäll nipped at his tail, then grabbed his neck and pushed him away. They fought back and fourth a bit, until Fjäll was on the ground. Orms fangs were burrowed softly in the fur on her neck. "Fight me," he whispered. "I am fighting you," Fjäll hissed and kicked him away. They circled to the center of the field again. "Fight me for real," he growled. Fjäll sighed and looked at him with pleading eyes. She didn't want to hurt him. He attacked and got a hold of her tail, when he yanked it, an uncomfortable feeling ran up Fjälls spine. She snapped at him instinctively. "You're playing dirty!" She snarled. Orms eyes locked onto hers as they circled eachother once more. Suddenly, Orm was on her other side and Fjäll fell to the ground, her leg was in Orms mouth. Fjäll breathed heavy and clenched her teeth. "That's what we do here," he said quietly as he walked past her, "you better keep up." That's it. Fjäll tackled him and grabbed the skin on his neck to use as a handle, she threw him to the side before he could respond with an attack. Fjälls heart was beating hard, and she acted as if she was in any normal fight. The adrenaline took over and she barely had time to think her actions over. Suddenly their fight was taken into the middle of the crowd, but then it became quieter around them, and then they fell. She heard leaves rustle past her ears, and then a splash followed by cold water seeping into her fur, tingling her skin. Her sigh turned into a breathy laugh, then she opened her eyes and looked up into the green that was his. He won this time. "You, my lady," he breathed heavy, but smiled "have a bad temper." His eyes were so soft, she looked at them for a while, and he looked back. Their eyes were locked on eachother, and Fjäll felt her heart beat faster. She was ready to kiss him, when he blinked his eyes and got off of her. "We need to leave, quick," he helped her out of the water and they ran off into the forest. Suddenly Fjälls questions bubbled up. "What is going on in this place, Orm?" Her words made him stop and turn around, his gaze was familiar, she sighed, "are you going to tell me to not come here again?" "No," he said, frankly, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to get you involved." "So you were trying to keep me away against my will?" She pryed, and Orm snickered and shook his head. "If I wanted to do that I would've told your brother, he would've sent body guards to follow you everywhere," he smiled a cheeky smile. Fjäll scoffed at him. He led her into some bushes next to a cliffside by the river, "first of all I want to thank you for getting me out of the meadow." "What do you mean?" Fjäll was confused, "didn't you want to be there?" Orm took a pause and then explained, "I was challenged, and the winner keeps fighting until it loses." "Someone specifically challenged you?" Why would anyone do that, Orm was so kind. "Well, umm.. I was announced a fighter. If someone wants to start a fight but doesn't know who, they challenge a fighter." "Why were you-" Fjäll got cut off "Ugh you're making this so difficult," Orm looked away and seemed pained. "What's difficult?" Fjäll stared at him, but then she realized, "are you still trying to "not get me involved"?" "No, I mean," Orm shook his head again and looked embarrassed, "Alright, Fjäll, just let me explain." "Go on," she demanded. "The sort of leader in this area, he.. he had some kind of plan for you," Orms silent words reached her and it strange, "I'm not sure what exactly. But I do know he courted a friend of yours and then had her invite you over. That's why I didn't want you to come here anymore." "Continue," Fjäll was surprised by this new knowledge, information regarding her own life, that she herself didn't know of. But she wanted the full story. "After our first fight, and you eventually disappearing from here, wolves thought I had ruined the plans by courting you, and word got to the leader," Orm looked flustered, probably about the courting part, "They named me a fighter to punish me." "Why didn't they just throw you out?" "They can't afford to lose members," was all Orm had time to say before Fjäll cut him off. "You're.. a Member?" She suddenly felt scared. "No, no, I mean yes but it's.. It's more to it," his eyes were pleading, and he suddenly talked fast, "I joined a long time ago, and I got roped in. Your brother is my friend, and I would never betray him. I told him about my situation and he said it would be valuable to have someone on the inside." Fjäll nodded slowly. But then she shook her head. "Betray..? What is this place?" "It's Himles territory. He's trying to start a rivalling pack to Tyrs." "Himle..? Is that the crazy wolf that Borg banished a while ago?" Fjäll was a bit confused by all of this. "Yes, that's him. You've met him, too, do you remember?" Orm asked, and when Fjäll didn't seem to recall, he continued, "you went into his cave once." "The scarred wolf is Himle?" Orm nodded at her question, and Fjäll felt even more confused. The wolf she met, he was so kind and calm. Nothing like the psycho she had heard about. - Fjälls ear twitched in Borgs direction, and she felt almost like her mind was waking up. She continued laying still, as if playing dead, but more because she couldn't bare to move. "What do you mean?" She asked, and she could sense Borgs relief at hearing her speak. "He needs you, you're his mother," Borg explained, "and it recently dawned upon me that both you and I are.. getting old. He will be very sad when you leave him, you should spend more time with him, you know." Fjäll lifted her eyes toward Borg and inspected him. Yes, his chin had some grey hairs, didn't it? Borg noticed her looking at him and his eyes almost sparked like a flame. Fjäll understood he had been sad to see her this way, but she couldn't help it. "You're.. getting old," Fjäll mumbled and lifted her head. She looked at the ground and pondered, "I don't want that." "Magne doesn't want you to die either. It's sad but it is what happens to us all eventually," he was looking at her still, she could feel it. But wait. "Magne," Fjälls mind was working hard after being shut down ever since Orm died a month ago, and she started thinking about her son, her only son who had no one but her, "you won't be there to help him, he will be all alone.." Fjäll looked up at her brother, who looked very sad, and Fjäll realized it was because of her expression. She got up on her feet, and Borg almost gasped. "I won't be without you for so long, but he will be alone forever," she looked at Borg with determination, "If I don't do something about it." |
⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2021-12-08 09:02:29 (edited)
Borg"Oh gods, you're okay!" Fjäll yelled and ran up to him, followed by Orm and some others, "Where have you been? We were searching for you!" "I hit my head in the stream after falling down the cliffs, there was nowhere else to go. I was washed up on the shore and-" Borg thought of telling them about the wolf he'd met at the shore, but he figured she wanted to stay hidden, "I was too ill to go anywhere, I had to stay there and rest." "You were that injured? We should get you to the herbalist," Orm started. "I've already been. Now tell me the situation, what happened last night?" "We did it, Borg!" Fjäll exclaimed. "Alpha, we managed to scare the enemy off," Kastanj informed. "We were all happy about our victory until we thought our alpha had died for it.." Glöd sounded somber. "Well, good job, everyone, and as you can see your alpha is just fine. Tonight we celebrate." And celebrate they did, but Borg mostly watched from atop his alpha hill, and thought about the mysterious wolf he had met. He couldn't get the memory from this morning out of his mind, the memory of her white fur brushed up against his black fur. She had been soundly asleep and he was careful not to wake her. He hadn't had a wolf sleep so close to him before, not since he was a puppy coddled by his mother. Times were peaceful for a bit, and Borg knew he had to go visit her soon again. - The greatest sorrow Borg had ever felt. Borg had suggested Fåk should move into the pack for safety, but Borg had been spending a lot of time at Fåks riverside cave and he knew this was a good life, this was a life he wanted for himself even if he couldn't have it. How could he refuse Fåk this, how could he refuse his own pups a better life than his? One of his pups could become alpha.. or they could live a peaceful life, free of war over territory, free of responsibility over a whole pack. They could. But their lives were cut short. Borgs mind went blank and his heart cold. His mate disappeared, she wasn't in her riverside cave anymore, and she left a note, one written in the special way only she and Borg wrote. She needed time to think, it said. Borg didn't know what to do with himself. For some time, he laid in his lonely alpha cave. Reports started coming in of more injured pups, and Borg knew who was causing it. He barely thought, he felt like he didn't control his own actions, but he wasn't fighting against them either. He went to Himles stolen territory, and he started attacking every wolf in his way, and that's the last thing he remembered before waking up with the sun in his face. He yawned and stretched, and he felt much better. Birds were tweeting. Had everything been a dream? It felt like so long ago. He thought of his lost pups, and it tugged on his heart, but then he thought, maybe they were just a dream, too? He tried to stand up but his legs wobbled and felt weak. "Borg, thank the gods! How come you survive just about anything?" Orm embraced his alpha, and then shook his head, "Fjäll is pissed at you." "What happened?" As Borg spoke he felt the dryness of his throat, his words came out all raspy. He noticed a carefully placed bowl of water next to him, which he started gulping out of. "You've been out for a week, well, in and out, you woke up sometimes talking nonsense," Orm explained. Borgs head felt heavy and he rested it on the ground. "How is Fjäll? How is the pack?" He had been gone for a long time, if the war was still going on, that must mean they were struggling. Borg wanted to rush to help them, but he felt so tired. "Well, Fjäll is really not happy with you.. I think she's just scared. I should go tell her you're awake," Orm stood up, but Borg still wanted to know about the pack so he raised his head to stop him. Suddenly, a cold cloth was placed on his head. Borg looked up to see his herbalist, Skivling. As he looked around him he realized he wasn't at his alpha hill like he had thought. There was steam and different flowers everywhere. "The pack is alright," Skivling said calmly and nodded towards Orm, "I'll take it from here." Skivling pushed forward a bowl towards Borgs face, wanting him to eat the goop inside. The smell was stingy and the taste more so. "I talked to Björnbär, she told me Himles pack suffered a nightly attack. Some wolf came from the shadows, scaring off nearly every member of the pack. Some said it was a winter solstice demon," she let the words sink in while she was stirring some herbs in another bowl. Borg felt quite speechless in her prescence, maybe it was the fact that she was incredibly wise that made him want to listen. Skivling looked up from her work again, "In any case, the pack is scattered. The only ones remaining are Himles family and a few old members of our pack." "Himles family?" He asked, but Skivling just nodded. She was looking out for her older sister, Borg understood it. If Björnbär revealed too much information, her life could be at stake. "So my pack is safe? How are they doing without an alpha?" "They still have a Beta," Skivling smirked, but then her expression became serious and her eyes felt like needles into Borgs, "Now tell me, why did you go alone to fight a whole pack of wolves?" "Focus on your job, herbalist," Borg groaned, meaner than he knew he could be. "The body can't be healthy if the mind is unhealthy, so talk to me," Skivling ordered, and Borg thought maybe this is why she chose to live so far from the pack. This is her land, she makes the decisions. - Spring rolled in and among all the snow slush, a familiar face showed up as well. Borgs heart raced. He barely had time to think before she was in his embrace. As she started apologizing for leaving, Borg cut her off. "I understand, you had to process everything. I did, too," Borg looked in her eyes and thought of their lost pups, the memory still stung but the world wasn't cloaked in darkness anymore, "do you think we can survive this?" "I want to move into the pack," Fåk said and looked him in the eyes. "You don't have to. It wasn't your fault, my love," Borg wanted to comfort her but realized she didn't look hurt. "I know, I want to move here because.." She looked down at the ground and Borg realized how much he had missed her shy demeanor, "because I don't want to be away from you anymore." And so she moved in, and times were peaceful, they even had another litter of healthy pups! - As they watched the northern lights dance across the sky, and in the reflection on the river, Borg couldn't help but voice his concerns. "They shouldn't be this strong this far south," the pack lived in the mountains and enjoyed the cold, and they could usually see some green on the sky during winter, but not like this, "do you think it means something?" "What would it mean?" Fåks fur looked green, just like the snow around them did. Borg looked at her with tenderness, and then shook his head. He did not know what it could mean. But this winter was special to his family, because they all caught wind of the fact that a heir for the throne must be born soon. But there was something else to this winter, it seemed magical and foreboding. A female in the pack seemed to start having visions. - "Stay strong," he wanted his words to pierce through her skin and become one with her blood, he wanted them to have impact, but she just sat there. Her eyes were dull like a cloudy sky and she watched the ground. Losing a mate is hard, Borg knew this and he was sad too, he had lost his best friend. But it pained him much more to see his sister like this. No love was reaching her, it was as if she couldn't even hear anymore. Borg knew how his little sister worked, he knew that the spark in her life would be to brawl with someone. But these were peaceful times, there was food and everyone was safe. She wasn't an irrational wolf, there's no way she would fight someone without reason to. Borg thought about it, he thought about angering her in order to get her spirits up. He knew that if Orm was here, he would have done just that. But Borg couldn't. He couldn't think of anything bad to say about his baby sister. "She's just a little girl," he muttered to himself while watching her laying by a tree. Borg and Fåk had forced her outside to enjoy the sun a few days ago, and they knew they weren't going to get her to go out again if they brought her inside the cave so Borg slept and ate outside with his sister. "She's not so little anymore, Borg," Fåk nudged him. Borg looked at his sister and he could see nothing but the same little pup he had been watching over almost his whole life, but it was true, she was six suns old. Borg shook his head, grabbed some meat from the storage and went over to Fjäll. He ripped the meat in two and placed one half in front of his sister, who sniffed the meat wordlessly. Borg sat next to her and watched some pups playing over by the cold coals of the campfire. When he heard her sigh his ears pricked up more than usual, it was his first glimpse of her voice in weeks. "We were supposed to have pups," her voice came out in a whisper, "I was in heat but I told him, we already have a beautiful son, and all our cousins are having pups to compete for the alpha spot and I think we should wait until next heat to give them more room. It would be crowded with so many wolves the same age." Borg furrowed his brow. "I wanted more pups with him. I shouldn't have waited all those years," Fjäll laid motionless and she spoke a lot, like she usually did, but much slower and quieter, and then she started sobbing, "it's not fair." Borg laid down with his head next to his sisters and licked her cheek to comfort her. - "Yes, all the cousins are breeding like crazy trying to make a good heir," Magne explained, panting as he had just came back from a hunt. When he noticed Borgs confused expression, he continued, brash as ever "you'll die soon, and everyone knows a wolf should be two years old when they become alpha. Some idiots are hoping you'll be merciful and pick a younger wolf." "I'll die soon.." Borg wondered to himself. He didn't feel old. "Yeah, you're running out of time, old man," Magne laughed and Borg looked at him. While the nephew was indeed a bit straight forward with his words, Borg could sense Orms presence in him. "Why aren't you seeing your mom?" Borg asked, thinking that if Fjäll was missing Orm, then spending time with Magne must be the cure. Magne looked uncomfortable. "I don't like seeing her like this," Magne sighed, "I miss pappa, too. I guess I can feel her pain.. but.. I don't know." Borg nodded silently. It must be hard. Borgs own mother never showed any weakness, he didn't know what it would've been like. "I noticed you've been taking care of her," Magne said and Borg nodded, "I'll do that from now on, don't worry." - Magne was a wolf of his word, though Borg stuck around anyway until the day that Fjäll felt better. "I can't do this," Borg sighed as Fåk sat down next to him, "I don't know who would be a good alpha." "I know who you should pick," Fåk looked at him with teasing eyes and Borg knew exactly who she meant. "I can't, everyone will think badly of me, they'll say I'm picking out of favourization rather than what's good for the pack," he said sternly and Fåk sighed. "Fine," she said and paused to think, "how did Gerd pick?" Borg hadn't heard Gerds name in a long time, and he was surprised Fåk even knew of her. "She picked me because she.. well, I don't quite know, but it happened after I kicked some bad wolves out of the pack," he responded. "Sounds like she picked you because you're a wolf of action," Fåk teased again and Borg couldn't help but laugh, Fåk continued, "how did Tyr pick?" - "We don't have a single sibling pair with the right eye colour and blazes," Skugga complained and the rest of the council members sighed audibly. "The beta needs a blaze too?" Borg knew it had always been that way but he didn't think it was required.. "Yes!" The council was agreeing on this point, appearently. "Well," Borg started but then he paused. Magne, he could do it. But Magne is Borgs nephew. Borg scanned his councils faces. They wouldn't approve of Borg choosing such a close member of the family, despite Magne just gaining a little sister with the right eyes and blaze. His pause was beginning to be too long, he had to say something, "so you have no suggestions then?" They looked around at eachother and then shook their heads. The meeting was ended and when everyone left, Skugga came up to Borg and spoke quietly. "I know we want to follow traditions, but I have been checking out what each family has to offer," Skugga didn't look at him, but rather at where there might be someone who can hear, as if this was very secret, "In Gerds, there's a male of the right age and get this, he looks exactly like Tyr." Borgs ears pricked at this. "He has no littermate, but his younger sister looks I swear, she looks just like Gerd. Anyway, in Ulls they've had trouble with pups as usual, but recently Lillan had a bunch of pups with blazes, and of course we have Siglivs daughter who is of the right age. And in Skades.. I don't want to sound bold, but my son is one of the options. Härje had two pups who are adults now, as well." "Thank you," Borg nodded, "I must tell you Skugga, I didn't want to say anything to the others, but in Vårs we have some really good wolves as well.." Skugga looked at him, concerned. "Be careful with that," she said and after some silence she continued, "Himle has been dead for quite some time, but my family is still so hostile to our cousins by the river. They come from Skade just like us, and they had nothing to do with the death of my father or anything.. There has been peace since Himle died, hasn't it? So they don't desire any wars.. Did you talk to Björnbär before.. um.." "No," Borg responded, he didn't want to hear that word. Björnbär died in the enemy pack and Borg didn't have the chance to see her before, and it hurt his heart. - He hushed her as he felt her presence, of course Fåk would find him wherever he went. He kept watching the dancing wolves below, as Fåk sat down next to him. "What are you doing here?" She whispered. No question about who these wolves are or anything, she probably already figured it out herself. I.." he stopped himself, remembering what he once did to these wolves, and then he let out a sigh, "as I think about it, it's dumb and it would probably be scary for them, but I come here sometimes to see if they're doing alright. I can't help it, I just feel.." He couldn't get the words out, but he felt responsible for them. He was the alpha, and they were his family, his brothers, sisters and his pups. He was the father of the whole pack, not biologically of course, but that's how he felt and it was how every alpha before him had felt. Fåks head softly leaned against his shoulder and Borg sighed. Fåk understood him without words, and they sat there listening to the lively song being sung down by the river. "What are they singing?" Fåk whispered. She knew their tongue well enough to communicate fluently, but when the words were silent or muffled she couldn't make them out as well. Borg listened closely. "They're singing about family and.." Borg glanced at Fåk, "and freedom." She nodded and as the verse started over, Borg whispered with the words for her; Have you ever seen the sea? Even just a piece, bigger than the tears we've shed. Have you ever seen the mountains? Colours of moonlit granite, heavier than the stress that we've felt. - The last time he felt the rivers water streaming around him, Magne and Fåk had brought him there to fish. Borg had started feeling his age now, and it was unpleasant, he wouldn't be able to stand in the stream without Magne and Fåks help. Borg thought of all the times he'd had with this river. Some of times it had tried to take his life, maybe it wanted to now as well, but - he looked up at Fåk and her glowing white fur - many times it had been a joyous place, too. "Come on, old man," Magne snickered as he helped Borg walk out of the river. Then it caught Borgs mind, the rocks over there, that's- "That's your old cave, Fåk," Borg remembered all the times he had seen her in this location. Oh, it was years ago now. "Hey, you're ratting out my hideout to Magne!" Fåk laughed, and so did Magne. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Magne smiled at them both. That evening, Fåk and Borg stayed in her old cave, and Borg cried because it was the perfect evening to die, so he was convinced he would. But Borg wasn't ready to abandon everyone he cared about. "It's okay my love," Fåk comforted him, and then she sang him to sleep. Borg woke up in the morning, and when he saw Fåks white fur mingling with his own dark fur, it brought him back to their first night together. But this time he wouldn't disappear without a word. - "It must be you," Borg said to Magne. He spent most days just lying on top of his alpha hill, resting his joints while watching over the pack. Borg saw a lot of things from atop his hill, and he had seen the way Magne helped out in camp, led the wolves and brought up the mood as well. Without a bard since Skald died, the mood could get a bit sorrowful. Borg understood it was because of him and his age, so to see someone fixing that problem, well, he couldn't help but see it as a sign. Magne must be the next alpha. "Don't say that," Magne whispered, "I can't replace you. I can't." "I believe in you," Borgs voice was raspy now, maybe he had talked too much today, but he continued anyway, "when I look at you, I see two of the best wolves I have ever met. You have your mothers eyes and her fire, but your fathers looks and kindness." "That's not enough to make a leader, alpha," Magne sighed, "did you ever meet a third best wolf?" "Yes," Borg could see the hope in Magnes eyes, and Borg smiled, "my mate." Magne sighed and went silent. - Borg knew he didn't have long left, so he moved his pack to a safe location with plenty of food so that they would be okay without him. He spent the rest of his days staying close to his sister, his mate and his pups. |
⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2021-12-08 16:35:25 (edited)
Lög"You told me we were safe here!" She growled, "You told me you would protect us!" Lög had proposed they move away from this place, to somewhere that wasn't bordering on others territory, but her father had refused, and now they had suffered the worst attack this far. No one had seen or smelled the enemy, even though they were so close to their border. No one had died, but the area was now emptied, they weren't loyal enough to stay, only three wolves that weren't Himles direct family remained. The pack had no army anymore and were more vulnerable than ever. Lög followed her father outside as he ignored her. "We need to move away from here now," Lög finally said, "It's over, we have no chance to win a war." "It's not over, as long as I have my granddaughter," Himle said, and Lög became confused. Lögs puppy wasn't even old enough to have been named, how would she help? Himle seemed to gather what was left of his pack. "I have a plan, don't you pups worry about anything," he turned to Lög and Håkan, "you two will follow me to get revenge on the alpha. After he is dead, we take over the throne as advisors of the new alpha." His gaze fell upon the little pup standing between Lög and Håkans paws. Lög stood still and quiet, and didn't mention anything about it until later that night, alone with Håkan. "What is his plan? It's time you told me," she demanded, and Håkan sighed. "He wants to take over the other pack, they have a rule that only descendants of the original alpha, with the mark of the alpha, can become an alpha," Håkan replied, and Lög was surprised by his willingness to talk. Lög looked at the pup sleeping soundly next to Håkan. The mark of the alpha? Her eyes focused on the golden blaze on her forehead, and she looked up at Håkan, who also sported one. Neither Lög nor Himle, or any other wolves in the pack had that marking. "Are you a descendant of the alpha?" Lög asked, confused. "No, Lög. You are. You and Himle. I lived there before, there are four royal families and you stem from the one called Skade, that's all I know," Håkan spoke softly to not wake the pup. The pup.. "He wants our puppy to be alpha?" "He wants his own blood to take over the pack, I thought it was a fine idea, but.. then he started talking about the alpha being able to change the rules," Håkan looked away. "He wants to become alpha himself? He needs our daughter to become alpha so he can?" Lög exclaimed in shock, "He's gone crazy, he's nearly eight suns old, he won't live to make any decisions." "I think he wants it just so that he gets to take revenge at them for exiling him. That's why he wants to kill the alpha, and that's why he's been targetting the packs puppies." "The puppies?" Lögs eyes met Håkan and they shared unspoken words. Yes, Himle was killing pups. Pups who had mothers and fathers. She thought back to last night during the attack, when she grabbed her pup and ran inside the cave, the scariest moment of her life, protecting her pup. She imagined the grief their parents would feel, and even that was unbearable. - The alpha was missing, no spies could find him, so the assassination was postponed. Perfect, Lög thought. It gave her time to finish her own plans. - With Himle gone, the years went by peacefully. Lög took over the pack after her father, and while she wanted peace and safety and was a good leader, she was a singular one. She didn't take advice from anyone, and she isolated her pack from the other pack, hoping they would never meet again. Because in Lögs mind, they were evil, they had attacked her family, traumatized them and threatened their lives. But her father was evil as well, he had been lying to her her entire life, he had been killing puppies. Lög wasn't old but she was mature now, she knew no one could be trusted. She wondered if her mother could be trusted, but then she remembered that her mother left her and never came back, and she decided the only one she could put her trust in was herself, not even her mate. After Håkans lies and secret keeping, she kept a distance from him and started seeing him in a different light. All that had happened when she was a young wolf had been seen through her immature and naive eyes, but they could be interpreted differently, she realized. - Their pack was peaceful. Håkan was dead, which she enjoyed. Another herbalist joined them from nowhere, and her hunters were bringing home meat. She didn't know the meat was gifted to them, she was just happy her pack was fed. But Lög felt a nagging in her heart. One night she saw a grey female covered in scars, and she looked very sad. Lög asked her what was wrong, and at first the wolf was scared, but then she seemed to recognize her. "Who are you?" She tilted her head. "My name is Lög, why?" "You look just like my mother," the female smiled a shy smile, "I miss her a lot." And just like that Lög found her long lost sister, and she brought her home. - The letter read Alpha is chasing wolves, resource issues, beware Lögs memories from the night when they were attacked came to her, and she gathered her whole family and hid deep in the woods, leaving her pack behind. It wasn't worth it, not again. Lög was old, and there was another male threatening her leadership, and she was over all of it. Her pups were more important. |
⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2022-02-01 14:10:47 (edited)
Fåk"Oh gods, you have to tell me what's wrong," he looked so worried, "do you not want me to be here?" "I, I," she stuttered and then she let it out, "you shouldn't be with me." "Why not?" His voice became stern, demanding an answer this time. Fåk took some deep breaths, not wanting to blubber in front of him. "You're an alpha," she whispered and peeked up at his eyes. His gaze softened a bit, but he still looked determined. "I am," he said, as if she already knew, as if it didn't matter at all, and when she didn't respond he continued, "what of it?" "You wouldn't want me," Fåk whispered again, which might have been a mistake, because he came in closer and made her heart beat faster and her face feel warm. He licked her cheek, removing the tears from her fur and she felt like she was in a dream. He looked at her gently and his ears pricked up. "I already do." - "It will be the last heat I'll ever have with you.." Fåk sighed at the thought of her mates old age. Borg nudged her. "Don't be sad, it's the way life works, isn't it?" He smiled gently at her, "and we had many great years together, didn't we?" Fåk smiled back at him, but then she looked down again and sighed. "Wait, now I see what's bothering you," Borg exclaimed. "Huh?" Fåk was confused, she was bothered by exactly what she had said, she looked up at his eyes. "You think I've gotten so old that I've forgotten how to do it!" He dramatically turned his face away, "frankly I am offended!" A smile crept up on Fåks face, oh, he was just being silly. "Yes, yes, that's it," she humored him, "such an old man can't possibly conceive." He looked back at her but this time he looked mischevious. "I knew it. I guess I'll have to show you how wrong you are," he said before throwing himself onto her and giving her the most romantic kisses. - Fåk sat alone on top of the hill, watching their so-called enemy pack dance and laugh by a fire. They seemed to be alright.. right? Fåk looked at them intently. There were quite few of them. Fåk went to see Skivling. "Your sister used to be the herbalist in Himels pack," Fåk said frankly. "So Borg snitched on her, did he?" Skivling said without looking at Fåk, she was busy crushing some herbs. Fåk almost growled at her, she shouldn't speak like that about their dead alpha, but she composed herself. "So who is their herbalist now?" Fåk asked. "I don't know," Skivling replied. "Please Skivling, will you visit them and make sure they're not sick?" Fåk begged, and Skivling turned around, looking at her with an uninterested look, so Fåk begged some more, "Please?" "Ugh, fine, I'll pay them a visit. You better hope they don't kill me." - Fåk had a litter of pups, one of the pups was sick and couldn't leave to find another pack. She was so small and fragile, Fåk forgot about everything else. Soon, the pup was an adolescent and Fåk herself was very old. The enemy pack that Borg had been so protective of had almost been forgotten, the new alpha didn't care. She visited her old mates family, where her adult daughters lived. "There are so many things that need to be looked after," she told her daughter, Arla, the head of Vårs family, "I can't do it on my own any longer." To her surprise, Arla looked her in the eye with determination. "What do you need?" |
⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2022-05-13 13:51:10 (edited)
Hjördis"Don't be sad, sweetheart, I'm here, okay?" He stopped looking sad, now he had a gentle voice, "let's go do something fun. Are you hungry?" "Dont touch me," Hjördis backed away, because he was getting close. His demeanor changed again, he looked angry. "Come on-" he growled, but then he stopped and he looked at something behind her. "That's enough," Månes voice felt like an angels. Hjördis had told him to go home, that she could handle it by herself. Thank the gods that he stayed. Hjördis felt relieved, but her eyes were stuck on the other male, and she was frozen in place. The ginger furred male started snarling. - Hjördis felt so guilty for causing Måne to get hurt, she decided to stay away from him. Life went on. She spent time alone for a long time, until the alpha ordered her to follow him on his missions. It started calmly, they just walked around the area, but each time they went further away from home and saw more and more strange things. Hjördis didn't notice herself growing bolder, her and the alpha had eachothers backs. One time she came back with a limp, she tripped while getting food for them. "I shouldn't have sent you, you've never been here before," Magne scolded himself as if she was on the brink of death. "Don't baby me. I could have said no," Hjördis told him off, "I chose to do it myself!" Magne looked up at her and smiled, and his eyes reminded her of Månes. - Magne appointed her a hunting team, he said they were headed toward glacier and she was the only one who knew the way. Who was the leader of that hunting team, if not Måne? It made sense now that she saw him, why would Magne send any other hunting team than Månes? She met his gaze and he looked away. The journey was long, they were forced to travel all the way, hunt and most likely fail, then go back home to report, before going all the way back. After an evening of camping before starting their hunt, Måne had made jokes at the campfire and Hjördis had laughed. Their eyes had met. Now Hjördis was sitting by the bay, looking out over the open ocean and the midnight sun glistening on it. She had come here to apologize to Måne, but he had opened the conversation and it felt so natural, there was no need for apologies. Hjördis wouldn't remember what they had talked about, but she would remember her warm cheeks and the butterflies in her tummy as their eyes met. - "Sorry," Hjördis excused herself and turned around to leave. She hadn't seen Måne for months, and ran into him by the river. "Wait," his voice called for her and she looked back, he seemed to stumble on his words, "I was just leaving anyway.." They nodded at eachother as they passed. Hjördis didn't understand what had happened to their friendship. It started raining, tiny droplets made sparse rings on the water. She walked along the shore, jumped on the rocks and enjoyed the rain kissing her fur. That night she met him after the nightly bonfire. His fur smelled familiarly like smoke and sweat. - Months passed again, but this time they were friends. One evening they watched the sunset together, and when she looked at him his eyes were already on her. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" He said and Hjördis felt her face go warm as she dismissed him, "it's true, your fur is so brilliant it reflects the sunset." She shook her head and smiled. "I don't know what to say," she said quietly. "You don't need to say anything at all, I just wanted to express my feelings," he looked back out over the trees. "Feelings, huh?" Hjördis whispered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say anything like that!" Måne seemed scared he had upset her, "It's okay if you don't feel the same way." Hjördis looked up at him, and could only muster to respond with a quiet "okay", which he nodded to. After some moments of silence, Måne spoke again. "I like meeting you like this," he nodded to himself, but seemed somber, "but I'd like to meet you more often, too." Hjördis understood what he meant, he wanted them to be a couple and not only meet alone, almost as if in secret. "I.. I'd like that too," she stuttered and felt flustered. She was looking down, and she saw his tail starting to wag. - His eyes locked on hers and his lips curled into a smile that made her blush as he sang about blooming lilacs and dreams at the bonfire. Hjördis giggled like a little pup and Åsa rolled her eyes. He came up to them in his break. "How's the show tonight, ladies?" He sat down next to Hjördis and gave her a subtle kiss on the neck. "It's great, you have the voice of an angel," Åsa smiled, "but I have to go pee." As Åsa went up and left, Hjördis turned to Måne. "She's very straight forward," he smiled. "Yeah.. um.. I.. how do I say this," Hjördis started gnawing on her claw trying to figure it out. "What's wrong, love?" Måne immedietly sounded concerned. "I think I'm.. you know," Hjördis hid her face, and couldn't see Månes confused face. "What," his reaction told her he understood, but couldn't grasp it. She looked up to his big eyes and nodded carefully. He almost smiled, then he cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "With um.. With who?" "Are you stupid," Hjördis sighed jokingly, "who do you think?" "How are you sure?" His question made her eyes dart away and she tried to compose herself. "You were my first," she whispered quickly. "That was a long time ago, you couldn't possibly have gotten pregnant then and be telling me now," Måne was deducting her story and she sighed again. "Keep it down," she hissed and then whispered, "I never mated with anyone else after either." "Really? Why not?" "I almost did but I decided against it," Hjördis groaned, "now, why are you embarrassing me? I already know about your escapades, that you've had others." "Not since that night by the ocean," Måne whispered softly and Hjördis felt his head on her back, "since then, I never wanted anything else." |
⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |
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Posted 2022-06-20 14:59:37 (edited)
Arla"You know what, you're too obsessed with these traditions," Måne sighed. "I thought you didn't want your pup to be alpha anyway?" She almost growled at him, which felt strange for her and made her question why she was so passionate about this. "I'm not saying I do or don't. It's up to Magne to decide," Måne said and turned around, ready to say goodbye. "Yeah, of course," Arla lied, "Magne will choose the appropriate heir." - "So, what was the second eras defining characteristic?" "Peace and calm times, but also they were a bit poorer," Natt responded. Arla had taken her in as a student, not because she was going to be the alpha but because Hjördis knew her daughter loved history and wanted to learn more, and Arla couldn't say no to Hjördis pleas. "That's it for today. Tomorrow we begin our tour of the different families, we start with Skades family so if you have any questions for Mörka and Ivar, you better write them down so you don't forget," Arla reminded before Natt nodded and ran away to play or something. Arla went straight to Mörka to prepare the lesson. They drank tea while Mörka, the oldest living relative of Skade, ran over what she was going to say and show. "That's great, I love the rundown of the family tree, but can you not mention so much about Himle?" Arla asked. "She needs to learn about the biggest traitor the pack has ever seen," Mörkas eyes squinted a bit. "Of course, of course, but I feel like she should learn things a bit.. neutrally at first," Arla responded, trying to be considerate, but the two wolves got into an argument. As the sun rose, Natt was already outside Arlas den, ready to learn. "There's been a change of plans, puppy," Arla sighed as she stretched, "we're going on a field trip." - The trees and bushes were dripping as they traversed towards their old territory. It had been some moons since they moved, against Arlas will, and she knew she had to get there before she could find their old enemy pack. As they walked and the sun shone through the wet leaves down onto this excited puppy, Arla started thinking, maybe this was a bad idea, but she shook that thought out of her head. Arla sniffed the air. She felt the same scent that she had felt an hour earlier. They were being followed. "Natt, listen close," Arla whispered, and the pup immedietly looked at her, "follow me until I give you a signal, and then stay put and don't make a sound until I come find you." Natt nodded. They started walking like they did before, until Arla saw a rock covered in moss next to an old gnarly tree. Arla pushed the puppy toward the space between the rock and the tree, and she saw her sitting down before she was out of sight. Arla walked for another ten minutes, keeping track of whether the scent was still following her, then she started running. It's hard to feel a scent that's behind you while you run, so Arla slowed down to see where it went. "Wait, please!" A voice huffed from atop a hill before a young female poked her head out. "Who are you?" Arla couldn't sense any other wolves around, just her. "I'm.. I'm Gunnveig," she said as she tried to catch her breath. This wolf was clearly not a threat, so Arla started walking back towards Natt as Gunnveig explained, "I heard you and Mörka talk last night." "How? You're not a member of our pack." "Well, I have sort of been living with them.." Gunnveig sighed, "they took me in, I actually come from Himles pack." Arla stopped and turned to the youngster. She looked scared, but determined. "They've been keeping it a secret, because.. well they were scared I would be evicted." "That's a valid concern with this alpha," Arla responded, "so you wanted to follow us back to your family?" "No, I was going to try to keep you safe, but now that my cover is blown -" "It was always blown," Arla interrupted. "I don't think you should go there.." Gunnveig shook her head, "No, I mean, I'm not letting you, you can't go there." "Natt, you can come out now," Arla called out to the rock and saw her little head poke out and peer at them through the moss, "it wasn't anything dangerous, let's keep going puppy." "I'm serious, it's a bad idea, really bad," Gunnveig went on, but she didn't seem to dare to actually stop Arla, so Arla continued her journey. "You did a good job hiding, puppy," Arla told Natt. "What's a bad idea?" Natt asked. "You're headed to a very dangerous place," Gunnveig answered her. "She's just interrupting our lesson," Arla sighed and helped Natt duck under a twig. "Will you at least let me explain?" Gunnveig pleaded. "You can talk however much you want while we walk." "Okay," Gunnveig took a breath, "my family.. My old family, they're not nice. Maybe they were back when you knew them, when Lög was alive, but now they are something else. They're irrational and dangerous, I had to flee from there when I was young. I just don't think they will appreciate a visit from you." Arla slowed down. If it's true, then this wouldn't be a good lesson at all. Arla wanted to teach Natt a different side of the story before Mörka went on her rant about evil. "Damn it," Arla sighed, "I'm sorry puppy, we'll have to go back home.. But first I'll show you the place you were born!" She couldn't just take Natt on a long journey with nothing to show, so they went to their old territory in the mountains, a place that Natt didn't remember. They had lived there for so long, there was a lot of history there, and it was - Arla sniffed the air - very close and.. wait.. Inhabited? Arla ran up to the oh so familiar hill and looked down upon her old home. A group of wolves were chatting and dancing around a fire. "It's them," all of a sudden Gunnveig whispered so closely to Arlas ear that Arla flinched. Natt had stuck her head up over the edge as well. "They look nice," Natt said as she bobbed her head to their faint singing and smiled. "Theyr're not," Gunnveig ensured. "I can't believe they took our home.." Arla murmured to herself as she watched them. Arla had never wanted to leave the mountains, she was born there and she wanted to stay there! Now that pesky river separated her from her home. Or, her old home. These intruders home, appearently. Arla sighed, "let's leave." - Maybe Arla had been getting old and grumpy, she thought. She had been sitting there, listening as Mörka told her story to Natt. It sounded terrifying, but Arla knew Natt would be unfazed. What bothered Arla was that she had let her listen to this biased story, and Arla had thought that they deserve to be depicted this way. And for what? Just because they stole Arlas home? Well.. Yes, that was exactly why. She was in the forest, being grumpy about the world, when the pup ran straight into her. Scripture paper flew all around her. "I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going!" Natt exclaimed and started fumbling to put ehr things back in her bag. Arla reached down to help her, then she saw what was on the little pieces of torn paper. Drawings. Drawings of familiar looking wolves. "Where did you get this?" Arla asked and Natt looked scared. "Ummmm.." she sounded as she looked left and right for an explaination. Arla rolled her eyes. "Whatever, move along, puppy," she ordered, and Natt ran off. Arla held onto that drawing, and decided to keep a closer eye on Natt. Now, where had she seen this face before? - "That's prepostorous," Magne said, "not her. She's.. she's illoyal and irrational, independent!" Arla couldn't take it anymore, she stood up and looked the council in their eyes. "He's the one being irrational, and I know you can all see it! Listen to him!" Arla paced around her spot at the councils rock and gestured towards the alpha, "you can tell he's not talking about her!" The council members lowered their heads in thought and Arla glanced at the alpha. He looked down as if he had forgotten who he was, and that wasn't very unlikely either. She turned to him and spoke lower. "Magne, you're thinking of the wrong wolf, you know Natt," Arla pleaded but he still seemed confused, "the puppy who has been hanging around you? Bringing you fish for breakfast? You know who she is!" "Fish.." Magne mumbled as he pondered, but then he looked up at Arla and his face turned sour, as if he had eaten a particularly boney fish, "black eyed wolves can't be trusted." Arla stormed off, she ran to the river where she let out her frustrations by smacking the water and snarling. Magnes memory loss had made him despise her. Arla sat down. She couldn't understand why. - "He keeps saying his son should be the alpha," the council was finally holding a private meeting. "He doesn't have a son," Arla growled. Ivar cleared his throat. "I think we must wait until he suggests someone who actually exists," he said shyly. "We're waiting for him to randomly choose some wolf?" Tore sighed, and Arla liked that this wolf had become more assertive. She moved her eyes and saw Måne looking at her from across the table. He looked into her eyes as if he wanted something, so she furrowed her brow. He looked away, opened his mouth but then closed it again. "We'll figure something out," Arla said and ended the meeting quickly. She saw Tore and Ivar squabbling a bit as they walked away, before she ran up to Måne and looked at him intently. "I, well, I've been thinking," Måne seemed unsure. "Out with it." "About what you said," he was avoiding eye contact, "but she's so young, and I don't know if Hjördis would accept it." "I know.." Arla laid down in defeat and stayed silent for a bit until she said, "it's not your fault, or your responsibility. Don't worry about it, my friend." "But if Magne dies and there's no heir, the pack will dissolve, or there will be basically war over the position," Måne groaned. Arla sighed and sat up, looking up at the stars. "I'll make sure everything goes okay. I'll help your family, I promise." "What do you mean, Arla?" Måne sounded worried. "Maybe it will be fun, a change of pace, to have the pack dissolve?" Arla smiled. "You're avoiding my question." "I'll make sure the war isn't too bad, alright?" Arla got up and started walking away, like she always did when someone she cared about was asking too many questions that she didn't want to reveal the answer to. - "How dare you speak of your alpha that way?" Arla growled and the wolf, despite being a fully grown adult, immedietly pulled his ears back and pressed his body closer to the ground. Arla huffed at him and left before she could say something she would regret. She could hear him talk to the Beta, who was wondering what had happened. "I.. I called this the era of darkness," he stuttered quietly. Arla looked back as she heard him let out a yip, the Beta had smacked his head, seemingly not very hard. "Watch your mouth!" Dag, the beta, said before running up to Arla. "Where are you headed?" Dag asked nonchalantly. "You don't need to shadow me everywhere," Arla sighed, "I'm going to the river to take a swim." "The Alpha told me to keep an eye on you while she's away," Dag stated proudly, "I'm keeping an eye on everyone else, too, of course, hah!" "It must be difficult nowadays," ever since the fateful day that Natt became the alpha, the pack had been divided. Even now, after Magne was dead and gone, they lived scattered. Arla had chosen to stay close to the alphas cave, while her family lived a bit away, in a meadow in the woods, and the wolves that didn't belong to a royal family had spread out over a big portion of land in between the four families, "where did everyone decide to settle down?" "You still haven't visited them?" Dags question drew a growl out of Arla and made her decide to answer the question instead, "Skades family is up north by the Moonpond lake, Ulls family is south by Sinewy river, and Gerds family I think have gone up the mountains and settled down by Craggy valley." "That's good, none of them are too far away from the alphas hill. Thank you, Dag," Arla said and walked away. She didn't plan to see them, she was still angry at them for abandoning Natt and the pack. At least Måne was still coming in almost every night to hold the bonfire and sing, it drew in the rest of the pack as well. Arla had always known there was something special about Måne, even though he was related to the herbalist line. And his family was the one she was least opposed to meeting, so it was good they were the ones who had chosen to live by the river that Arla visited almost every day. |
⌘Tallbarr⌘ #29379 |