There is no end to how cold it is getting, and there is only more winter to come! With the cold season comes extremes of ice and snow that can be painfully sharp on the paws in the north, even for the thickest pelts. Snow has been spotted in even the southern region's woodland cliffs and marshes.
Time was passing quickly, and it was very possible that every creature could feel it in their bones, but it was for the good. The icy touch of winter’s kiss was fading ever so slowly, and spring’s warm rays and rainy nights were quickly approaching. The sweet aroma of sprouting green buds filled the days, while strands of grass peeked from the stale earth, but change was not only happening in the world around. Within many beasts, new life stirred, and it was evident with the females. While the male counterparts of the plump creatures were in a frenzy to protect, the scent of piss was everywhere.
The borderlands of the Vargo were quickly becoming a nuisance, to one particular creature. Each move the lanky wolf made eventually brought him to the border. Deep in his gut he knew, he had to stay. Terramorn had yet to arrive, the same went for Caprina, and he hoped there was nothing holding them back. The idea of having to rush into another territory, to claim them as Nix’rio wolves did not sit well in his thoughts, but it continued to dwell there. Of course, it was his fault entirely, if they were lost. He had led them on a chase, unbeknown to him that he may have lost them in his game. A sigh left the brute’s pursed lips as he lingered at the Northern border, allowing his tail to stir the air.
”Terramorn, Caprina, let me apologize,” he practised aloud, clearing his throat several times in attempt to keep his voice clear. With puberty on its race to the finish, Aku was left with a boyish voice that was far from butch and masculine, like his fathers. However, his voice had its own richness and unique tune. ”I thought you would have followed right along! I stopped, momentarily, to mark.. I just.. I just.. What?” he asked himself seriously. As his brow furrowed and he seated himself upon his haunches, he peered into the distance with visions of hope. ”If she doesn’t come..” he mumbled softly, leaving it at that. ’I’ll be doomed to boredom and loneliness!’
She giggled from behind him, having watched for a period of time. One couldn't be certain whether she was scaring him from behind on purpose or not, but she didn't seem to mind or be intent either way. Perhaps she wasn't even aware of it- it certainly seemed that way.
Bright, yellow eyes looked a little wonderingly at Aku, curious and interested. She got up, perhaps a bit cleaner since they had first met. Ever since several encounters between their first meeting and this one, Terramorn had become only a little bit stronger, personally. She had stumbled upon an overwhelming need to help others, which only served to strengthen her wish to follow Aku, whose company she quite enjoyed. At the same time, her weakness made her unhappy, and she was taking steps to become a wolf that could support herself when the time came.
She wasn't quite there. The young one had hurt her left paw during the last week or so, accidentally stepping on a rather large rock while she was chasing down prey. Though the wound was mostly cleared, and had been treated with herbs, it was still sore because she rarely stopped traveling.
Still, she looked better than before, and her puppy-like form was almost gone, giving way to the form of an adult in mini-form. She was a growing adolescent, after all. Older than Aku though she was, she still managed to be smaller than her- something that sometimes was quite irksome.
Rising from her sitting place, she trotted good-naturedly to Aku, tail wagging a little lazily. Terramorn stopped in front of him, a little apart, and cocked her head to the side. Though this movement usually had no bearing on other wolves, except to show curiosity or interest, it had almost always drawn adoring sounds from humans.
"So this is the border of your pack?" She said with a smile.
Lugnugget
179 IC Posts
Cadmon Phelan, Onixlan Lunari
79 Points
AWARDS COLLECTION
Are we going to assume that Onixlan is already captured? Or will we just say it's before that?
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Caprina stumbled behind Terramorn. A huge scaly bass hung limp in her mouth. Caprina, trying to establish good relations with this pack, had been diligent in fishing for the largest bass in the willow pond. She wanted to make sure that she caught the prey well away from the pack territory in order to avoid confusion. The willow pond seemed like an ideal place. Caprina could fish for something, and she was well out of the way of the Nix'rio territory. She was kind of annoyed that Aku hadn't led them efficiently to the border. Any other time she could have easily gone along with the confusion, but not when she had a huge bass weighing in her jaws. But it's worth it, she thought. Besides, she was used to fish. It was their main course for almost every meal back at her own past.
She could smell the territory line. Her fur stood on end as she registered what she was about to do. She was going to enter a pack. Moreover, she was going to enter a pack that she didn't belong to. Adrenaline and fear leaked into her heart. Every instinct in her told her to run and stay away. On the way to the territory, she wouldn't even look at a single piece of prey she was so afraid of the pack. And when Caprina's eyes flicked to Terramorn, she knew she couldn't do that. Her protective instinct the was ingrained her wouldn't allow it. She dropped the fish and looked to Aku, ready to ask a question. Suddenly it struck her how young the wolf was, yet how old he was at the same time. Caprina still seemed to want to call him a pup, but she knew he was older than that. The conundrum reminded her of her own brother. She couldn't stop her face from looking a bit somber at the idea. Onixlan would be around Aku's age now, and Caprina wouldn't be able to see it because she left the pack. That had to be the one thing Caprina regretted the most: not being there for Onixlan. The two had been as close as any brother and sister could be. Caprina had always protected him and Onixlan had always played games and explored with her. What would he be like now? Still adventurous? Still curious? Her self-exile had brought on this oppressive loneliness, and with a sigh, Caprina knew she must bear those punishments. She had left and this was her price to pay.
She returned her attention to Aku, "This is the place? What do we do from 'ere?" She then looked at the dead animal that she had dropped at her feet. "Yer pack'll like fish right?"
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It hadn’t been that long since Aku had seen Terramorn, but considering her appearance as she popped out of thin-air, she looked different. Of course, the young male did not realize this until he whipped around and bared his teeth at her. Even though he knew it was her, Aku still bristled and stood immediately. As she smiled, he returned the gesture goofily, crossing his eyes and nipping at his lolling tongue. However, as she approached him with a question, he dropped the clown face and nodded solemnly. ”Yes. In the Vargo the Nix’rio strive!” he stated with pride, and as he stopped to gaze around, he hoped the girl would as well.
However, before he could remark on the beauty of the land, as well as the wolves of Nix’rio, a familiar scent approached. As he shifted his gaze to the lady called Caprina, Aku had to fight the urge to run to her and lick at her chin. Such a gesture was to be saved for his father, or for his aunt, not for someone he had just met. Besides, he had just eaten. With a sniff, Aku looked back to Terramorn with a wag of his tail. ”I was just about to tell Terramorn about Nix’rio,” he said casually, looking to Caprina once more. ”Azren is King, my auntie Nahrus is his mate and Queen. My mother was once Queen, but she went missing.. And then we found out she died.” the words fell from his lips before he could stop himself, but once they did, he was silent; his pale gaze wandered to the sky.
As a gentle breeze tickled his ear, Aku shook his head. ”Only thing different about our pack is.. We take prisoners.” as he said this, his eyes seemed to darken as he looked to Caprina. ”I don’t understand the benefit of having someone who fears us stay with us. Besides, the last girl Azren called a captive was saved..” his words trailed off and he seemed to think of something else, and soon a frown furrowed his brow. ”Come to think of it, I have not seen the King since the captive escaped.”
Terramorn was excited to become part of a pack. She flinched at Aku's initial reaction to her sudden presence, but found his goofy expression afterwards made her giggle. She did look about as he did, admiring the beauty of the scenery and gauging how well the land would feed a pack. Things seemed promising. She was only worried about actually meeting the pack. Not all groups took the presence of strangers with a smile.
The young wolf was quite taken in by his next words. She wanted to meet his family- well, truth be told, she'd have to if she wanted to join Nix'rio. But the idea that his mother had once been Queen, but had died, was strange to her. She couldn't help wondering if she was murdered, but the thought was so unpleasant and unbidden that she shoved it away violently, shaking herself physically, as if to clear off a layer of water.
It was interesting, too, the names the pack used for positions. She was used to Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Such were the basic terms. She had been told- by others who had actually lived in packs before- that each one had their place. The young one could only assume that 'King' and 'Queen' were the equivalents of the male and female Alphas. She wondered what the other positions would be called. This was such an interesting pack! Except-
"They take prisoners?"
A part of her became nervous. An image of aggressive wolves surrounding her, ears down and teeth bared, suddenly sprang into her vivid imagination, and her wish to join depleted greatly. The part of her that was not a coward, however, decided that this might be a perfect time to prove herself. If she was to be a pack, she would have to be worthy of her part- even if she started at a point below even the bottom.
"The leader hasn't been seen for a while?" She inquired, suddenly worried about the pack. "Did something happen after the prisoner was..." Terramorn hesitated here, choosing her words carefully. "...um, after they escaped?"
Lugnugget
179 IC Posts
Cadmon Phelan, Onixlan Lunari
79 Points
AWARDS COLLECTION
Caprina Shayla Lunari
442
words for
Aku & Terramorn
ooc://
Caprina is not thrilled lol
Caprina's ears drooped upon hearing how Aku had lost his mother. Losing family was one of the worst things that could happen to a wolf. She had simply left her family, and she was starting to miss it. Her father had died when she was younger and the whole family grieved for months. It was never good to break up a group of wolves with such strong ties. Back at her old pack, they strongly upheld the values of family. A wolf's honor was to defend the family. The pack was seen as a huge family. Or at least, that's how it was supposed to be. In retrospect, Caprina didn't feel close to the others in the pack. She felt closer to her own family. When she thought of the good parts of her pack, she only thought of Onixlan and her mother. Sometimes her older siblings had their golden moments, but really her mother and brother were at the core of her own thoughts of family. She hoped that Nix'rio held up good family values, but she also prayed that the pack didn't make the same mistakes her old pack had made. Captives of war was no way for a pack to...
"What?!" Caprina dropped her fish which landed on the ground with a plop. "What do ye mean ye keep pris'ners? What kinda pack do ye 'ave 'ere?" She began to advance on Aku. This was the last kind of pack she wanted to meet. It was just like her old pack with the exact same problems. "An' let me ask ye this, Aku. What 'appens when some'un trespasses on this 'ere territory? Are they captured? What 'appens when they try to run away? Are they killed? What 'appens..." but she trailed off when she saw the look on his face. He didn't seem to enjoy the idea that they kept prisoners either. His next statement confirmed this impression. Caprina exhaled, trying to release all of her former rage. She didn't like packs that acted as such, but she could see that Aku had nothing to do with how the pack conducted their business with prisoners. "Sorry. I just 'ave bad sentiments 'bout packs like that." She listened to Aku's next words. He eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Thank the dear Creator that wolf escaped," Caprina muttered. She really didn't care if Aku heard, but part of her was still worried about the wrath of this pack. "What do ye mean ye 'aven't seen yer pack leader since the pris'ner escaped?" Caprina addressed Aku's next point. She was beginning to think this might not be the best pack for Terramorn.
I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined. I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned. Staring at the blank page before you, Open up the dirty window; Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find. Reaching for something in the distance So close you can almost taste it, Release your inhibitions! Feel the rain on your skin, No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in; No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken-- Live your life with arms wide open, Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.
There is no end to how cold it is getting, and there is only more winter to come! With the cold season comes extremes of ice and snow that can be painfully sharp on the paws in the north, even for the thickest pelts. Snow has been spotted in even the southern region's woodland cliffs and marshes.
Here we are;, [P] Terramorn, Caprina, Alphas 
