Whispers of Scarborough
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Posted 2021-06-03 12:15:07
The Meeting Kuma looked upon the young pack leader with a slight tilt to his head, yet retained an otherwise stiff posture. It was less a matter of training and discipline but more one of discomfort if one could chance to notice the way his claws dug into the earth. He was not good at dealing with people, it seemed-- a fact made evident by the slight bristling in the presence of strangers. An aggressive nature needn't be a malicious one, some things were simply inherent to the soul and the experiences that shaped it. That, of course, may be harder to realize when stared down by a giant. Perhaps that was why the smaller male was never quite far from the aged hunter, it was a difficult task to see one as a threat when they were quite so tolerant of their packmate's affections. "You will need them," Kuma said, "and any packs willing to aid you. Even if they are not good neighbours, they should be able to realize that they'll become targets if they don't join you here." He sighed, fully aware that what others should do was... not always so clear to them. More wolves should've left Sablja along with him too, yet this was the situation they were in. "Wither's a pain. If you present a unified front at once, he might turn his attention elsewhere... but he'll get worse if you do a lacklustre performance and shame him somehow. If he suffers some losses, he's going to be out for vengeance-- and not for the wolves he's lost." Saving face was inevitably something most pack leaders had to do to some degree, which was perhaps why he turned to stare at Neith in puzzled silence when he saw the she-wolf bowing her head once more. "Neith?" Mekani was the first to speak. He shifted his weight off the giant's shoulder to look towards his lover, then lowered his head to observe her more closely. After a moment, he tucked his own ears back with uncertainty. "I apologize." A grey ear twitched in Packleader Amaranth's position, though Neith's green eyes had fallen out of view. "Your pack has a counsel so perhaps you'll understand but this is not a choice I can make alone. We're a small pack with many pups and few adults... some of which hail from Sablja by birth. I can neither ask nor order my packmates to sink their teeth into their flesh and blood. I cannot give you an answer, not yet... but I can give word of your plans to my pack and tell you what theirs will be," she quietly said. Kuma, oddly, seemed to bristle at the thought. "We made that choice willingly," he barked. Perhaps some wounds still felt sore, whether or not they were marked upon one's flesh. "You can't make that choice for others!" the packleader snapped back at him with a snarl. "You left Sablja to avoid being forced to fight at the whim of others, I'll not start it with my pack now." Team Spring "They just said they were!" Rosehip countered in dismay. She flattened her ears as far back as she was able, then huffed at Thorn in passing. "Are you going to tell the pups that too?" she muttered more than spoke. It didn't seem worth arguing over properly, in truth. They weren't listening! What if the puppyhound drew danger towards them? Was... was it going to be her fault in the end? For not going through his neck when she grabbed it? Ah... but she hadn't killed a wolf before, even if he wasn't quite a... wolf. He was close enough to make her bristle and paw at the ground uncomfortably. What if she made a mistake? What if someone got hurt because of it? Why in the name of the Spirits were they not concerned over it? She was eager to prove herself! Alas, that came with a degree of insecurity that made her falter inwardly. By the time she looked back at Sunset, Rosehip lowered her head apologetically and flattened down her fur. "I know you are," she sighed, "... I'm sorry." The words were quieter than she'd meant them to be, yet audible over the warm breeze. It carried with it a soft smell of something small, it was only when she glanced aside that she spotted a little field mouse fleeing into its hole. Too little for a snack even just as an apology, a shame. "... Do you want to take a walk?" she asked her teammate hopefully. Whispers' Densite Katja was comparatively quiet. She padded her way towards the other wolf with slow steps and a patient eye, never quite raising her voice or rushing the she-wolf. By the time an answer came, it was greeted by a small wag of her tail and an almost palpable sense of relief. Good! Good... she may not necessarily know how to be of aid but wasn't it a welcome change to see Gemini open up like this? "I'm glad... but are you alright?" she whispered. The grey and cream wolf crept closer, to sit beside the pack's Second-in-command in an effort of creating a more companionable mood. "Oh..." Her tail took a dip just there. she drew a small breath, then draped the long appendage over Gemini's. Silence may be awkward but then, whoever said finding words came easy to either of them? "Isn't that... good?" She clicked her teeth, evidently dissatisfied with how that sounded. "Not that, er... Hum. I'm bad at this," she decided in a somewhat merry tone. "Look, you... you know who you are now, don't you? My pack wasn't Sablja but I left for similar reasons to you and Kuma, I think you could think of it as a chance. It... might be much to try and make amends all at once but you worked hard on yourself, right? You're a better person than you were. And you'll be better tomorrow than you are today!" Uplifting words perhaps deserved a matching tone, yet would not find one here. Instead, there was a sheepish lowering of Katja's head and a gentle touch of her forehead to the other wolf's. "Lurk's better at this whole comfort thing but... you're not alone, you know? We all want you here. I don't think Neith would ever allow something like that to happen... and I'll bite someone's ears off if they try anyway, alright? I'm pretty sure Kuma would chase a bear alone if it looked at you wrong," she laughed. After a few moments, she rose her head to meet Gemini's eyes easier. Her own, icy pair held a warmth that failed to match their colour. "You might not even have to meet her! And if she does cause problems, we'll just... deal with it later. I think we all agreed to that when you and Kuma joined, didn't we? We help each other as we need it." |
 Flower #3196 |