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Post by Larka on Aug 29, 2009 18:56:29 GMT -5
Larka stepped tenitively into the Amber Moor Packland. She didn't want glarm them into attacking. Hearing nothing, she began to run towards the smell of wolves. She would soon be entering the woods so she stopped for a quick bite. Dispite the snow, a plump Rabbit was hopping along. Larka lept, missing but entering chase mode. Her long legs and slim body gave her an advantage over the fat rabbit. Larka killed it quickly, thanking the gods for the meal. The sky was dark by the time she thought to start moving again, so she dug a small hole in the snow to sleep in. Before she went to sleep she howled. Her howl was filled with sadness and overcome with joy. Larka fell into a deep sleep as she world around her wished for more of the howl.
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Post by Unalaq on Aug 29, 2009 22:48:37 GMT -5
Unalaq had traveled at a steady lope, the cold winter air stinging his nose. He was completely lost by now and his paws had started to bleed, leaving a painfully obvious trail in the snow. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, his eyes scanning what appeared to be an endless length of territory. There were wolves around, he heard random howling. Longing was what laced most of them. When he finally slowed, he whimpered quietly to himself as an old pain resumed in his joints and gimped across the frozen moorland. He had come through some dark territory, farther south, and he couldn't make sense of what lived there. It was something abnormal to his nose and he didn't like it. So somehow he had ended up here.
During his journey, he had done a lot of thinking.
Mostly though, he thought about Sakari, his mate, his reason for living. She was gone and it not only angered him, but it gave him doubt that he could possibly move on after this. She had been his everything. He shuddered as a chilly wind brushed through his fur, knowing that he had least inherited the arctic traits of his mother and was better off with them. He stopped in his trek then, tail being pushed gently by the wind to sniff the air. He had seen the occasional deer here and there, chewing on the bark of trees or pawing at the frozen snow, but it would be no use to try and take one down himself; not only was he but a single wolf but he was smaller than most as well.
His mind redirected to his paws when they started to ache and he lay down in the snow to lick them. Sometimes you had to feel the pain just to know your alive . . . he had come to this conclusion three emotion filled weeks ago.
But he couldn't stop here, he was going to have to keep going.
Unalaq wasn't sure of what possessed him to do it, but he scouted around the whole territory, like he used to do in his old pack, making sure loners or unwanted rogues were kept out. He never wanted to be leader before, but now, he thought that maybe he could do it. Maybe this was his calling. No female would stand beside him, he determined, his Sakari had been his one and only. But his mind had already made up positions in the pack, he had laid out how it would be run. He had the knowledge of a Beta . . . perhaps he could do this. Start all over.
Make a new beginning.
He pushed himself to his feet, once more subject to the chilling winds. The sky had grown dark, but he had successfully scouted the entire territory. It was his for the claiming, there was no one else here. . .
Then he heard the howl.
It was feminine in essence, filled with sadness, yet some joy as well. Had he been wrong, or was this his first potential pack member?
Could he do this?
He reverted back to those days with Cross and the pack, when you had to do what you set your mind to. It was about survival these days. Turning, he kicked his lope into a full run, ears pricked as he picked out the direction of the call. He did not call back, in case this was a game of cat and mouse. He was not in the mood for games.
He slowed to a stiff trot when he neared the river, stumbling slightly as his gimp returned. His nostrils flared as he caught the fresh scent of another and his hackles rose instinctively. Yes, he determined, this land was his, he was not giving it up. He had been in plenty of fights, if it was a dare to take the land, but in this weather he didn't think it would be. This was only enforced when he stopped suddenly, nearly tripping over the white female lying in the snow, very much asleep.
He trained his hard gaze on her for a moment, her white form neatly blending in with the snow around her. Had she just howled and then gone to sleep. He slowly turned his head to the side and blinked and then heaved a sigh. Well, staring wasn't going to wake her up . . .
“Hey!” he said gruffly, his deep voice crisp in the air.
He nipped gently at her shoulder, not intending to cause harm, but simply calling her to his attention. If she wanted acceptance, she would need to do this right, as he had to do. He raised his tail and stood proudly so she would have no doubt about his position. Though his hackles were still slightly raised, he kept his face calm and accepting, though his were stoic. He needed to see her position first, because he had questions.
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Post by Larka on Aug 30, 2009 21:16:10 GMT -5
Larka jumped, awakened by a sharp pain in her shoulder. She looked up at a large male, quickly jumping to her feet, hackles raised.
"Who are you?" she snarled, taking a tenitive step towards him. He was quite handsome and strong, he had the look of and Alpha, but the feeling of a Beta.
She wasn't afraid of him, if it was a fight he wanted he'd get a good one. She was a strong fighter, but he looked stronger than her.
At once, their eyes met and Larka's heart melted. She didn't car who he was, her fear was replaced by love. She wanted to know him.
"I'm Larka. Do you have a pack?" she asked, though the real question she wanted to ask was "do you have a mate." Larka held back that question. She hoped he was feeling the same about him.
Even though she had told herself no male would be standing with her after her mate died, she couldn't help it. She needed him to feel the same way.
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Post by Unalaq on Aug 30, 2009 22:29:16 GMT -5
Unalaq continued to stand still, even when she jumped awake, hackles raised. He couldn't blame her, he would have done the same, startled out of sleep. She was quick to respond though, this slender, white female. He turned his head slightly when she snarled at him demanding his name. The corners of his maw turned up into a smirk and his eyes bore daringly down as she stepped toward him. Was this a challenge? Any other circumstance he might have nipped back; he wasn't exactly yearning for social atmosphere that pack life provided. But being alpha would be different, or so he had convinced himself. He took a deep breath and waited to see what else she would do.
He felt better when her eyes seemed to soften slightly and her introduction came out less harsher than her demanding question.
He was sure now he had just startled her. This was a satisfactory conclusion, he decided. He didn't want to fight, in the cold, if he could avoid it. He didn't like becoming the fierce monster he had to be, back from his young life as a human's hell hound.
"I'm Larka. Do you have a pack?”
The question hung in the air, sounding so strange and foreign to him. She was hardly intimidated by him, he found. She could lead, she had strength. His bright eyes shining, he vaguely nodded.
“Larka . . .” he said her name with purpose, slowly so that he would remember it. It reminded him of the bird, or the plant called larkspur. It reminded him of home.
He realized he had let his stoic features falter and quickly resumed them.
“I am sorry for startling you, Larka and as for your earlier question, my name is Unalaq.” he heaved a quiet sigh and lifted his voice lightly. “I trust you wont use it with a snarl from now on?”
He chanced to take his off hers for a moment, looking up into the full moon light as it rose over the moorlands. The way it sparkled off the snow made him feel at peace, despite his dislike of the cold. Was this home now? Would he be happy here? There would be many places, despite the vast open space, that he could get away by himself if he had to. The wind brushed his ragged, dusty fur and he turned back, eyes bright from the moonlight, blinking down at her.
“A pack is family, and as it is, I have neither. But I have claimed this land as my own, this moorland.” he squared his shoulders, preparing himself for his first alpha-like moment. “But if you join me, then yes, I suppose we have the starting of one, don't you think?”
Unalaq's memory quickly revisited his past. He had first been ranked as Omega when he joined, but the pack had been bigger then; if he was start something from scratch, he would need order straight away, he would need high rank to help keep unwanted guests out. That much he had for sure learned. He walked towards her then, his body language willing her not to move. Her first test would be easy. He bumped into her, testing her resistance and strength, doing a complete circle before burying his nose into the scruff of her neck, holding his tail high, sniffing quietly to remember her scent. He waited for her reaction, hoping she wouldn't fight his dominance.
When he back off finally, he allowed her to keep eye contact.
“You have the spirit of strength and will and the makings of a leader.” he raised his head above hers. “And if you join me, I will allow you to hold the rank of a Beta, my right hand wolf. With it will come responsibility and burdens, but I trust you will not falter. Something in your posture tells me you've been through this before . . .”
He said the last part quietly, as though it were a thought he had not meant to be spoken. Now he waited, again stoic and still, anticipating her response.
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Post by Larka on Aug 31, 2009 21:04:16 GMT -5
Larka snarled dispite herslef as he baired his nose in her scruff. She backed away, eyes still soft but her voice harsh with domanince., though she didn't want to dominate.
" Unalaq, I'd be honored. But to be a pack requires trust, I trust you, do you trust me?" she asked, drinking in his scent. She would remember it, there was no way she could forget it.
She again stepped forward, looking straight into his eyes.
"And yes, I've been through this before. Except I was an Alphess." she said the last sentance with longing and looked deeper into his eyes.
She wanted to love him, she wanted him to love her back. Her feelings were plain in her eyes. She didn't know how he felt, his expression was hard and guarded. Could he see how she felt, or was he oblivious?
Her paws brushed his as she sat, a tingling sensation shot through her. It was now her turn to test him. She circled the Alpha, tail lifted. She was fearless as she growled unexpectidly, testing his reaction.
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Post by Unalaq on Sept 2, 2009 22:36:57 GMT -5
Unalaq’s nostrils flared and he snarled as he heard snarl, licking his lips and eyeing her hard when she backed up. Her voice was still harsh but her eyes were soft. She held a dominant tone with him, yet still she continued to offer no sign or intention to fight him for the position he claimed. It confused him, but he kept the thought from showing on his face.
Females . . .
“Trust is something earned not given.” He said this heavily, slowly removing the snarl from his maw. He waited a moment or two before speaking again. “But as it is, to have you at my heel, I trust you enough not to tear the fur from my back. A pack does require trust, even of their lowest ranked members. As a Beta, I do trust you. And I hope we have the chance to build on that.”
He blinked as the wind blew into his face, rustling his fur, though the fur that had once been continuously pressed down by a dog harness stayed plastered to his skin. He hardly noticed it, so used to the feeling by now. He grunted as snow blew up around him in a soft wave and then settled again. He hated the cold, even if he did get his mother’s artic coat.
His ears pricked when Larka began speaking again and inhaled sharply as he was surprised by her sudden step forward. He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. His legs were stiff and his head just inches above hers. He was not expecting her to be this bold . . . but as he reflected on his old pack, he tried his best to mimic his old alpha. He would not back down. This was his position and he was not giving it up. He let her look him in the eye, long enough until he stepped forward and nudged her back a step.
“Yes . . . well, I am Alpha now.” He could see the longing in her eyes and pondered over it for a moment, studying her features.
She couldn’t possibly be expecting him to simply step down, could she? He snorted in a half laugh.
“I’m not backing from my position, but if you are willing to take the Beta position, I would gladly give it to you. I want a pack as much as you.”
He hardly noticed when their paws touched, though his tail flicked. The way she kept gazing into his eyes was slightly unnerving, like there was some sort of secret she was trying to force his way. He shook his head quietly. Now it was just getting annoying. He wasn’t sure he liked the intensity, it reminded him of something.
Of what he wasn’t sure.
Unalaq stiffened again when she began to circle him, raising her tail. Was she serious? He raised an eye as if to ask that very question of her, always the quiet one, communicating with body language more than words. His hackles rose when she growled, boldly continuing her “test.” Finally, he decided this was enough.
He turned, quick as a whip, and snapped disapprovingly at her snout. His alpha did this to tell others when they had over stepped their boundaries; it wasn’t meant to harm, only to warn. He snarled loud and strong, his body rippling with the strength of the noise, his mind flickering for a second to his days with the dogs where he constantly had to fight off other mouths from his food. He watched her testily, his patience thin due to the cold. There was the slightest of shivers to his shoulders, but he otherwise kept all else hidden.
“I am Alpha,” he snapped. “You do not have the room to test me.”
Perhaps he was being too harsh, but she was confusing him with her obscure body language. She said she was honored, which had, above all else, relieved him. He had been doing something right. But then she seemed to want to dominate . . . but not . . .
Were all females like this?
His Sakari never was . . .
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Post by Larka on Sept 5, 2009 18:59:38 GMT -5
A small stream of blood flowed off of Larka's nose. She snarled back out of habit. Her claws slid out dispite herself, she didn't want a fight. Her hackles were raised to full extent, she looked at him. He didn't look like he wanted to fight her.
"I would never ask you to back down, it's just their is always room for TWO Alphas." Larka hinted at her feelings, hoping he'd FINALLY catch on. She could tell he was starting to get it, he had a glassy look in his eyes.
She finally noticed the blood when it hit her paw, staining her pure white fur, a crimson red. She dug her muzzle into the snow, never taking her eye off of Unalaq. The snow was stained red when she lifted her muzzle up.
"Anyway's considering you are 'Alpha' but have no pack, I can test you. I want to see whom I'll be running with." she growled, the inner Aplha in her comming out now. She pushed it back down, lowering her head respectfully.
"I'm sorry, Unalaq. You are Alpha, I had no right to do that. Forgive me and I will stay." she said, her gaze now meeting his, love flooding through her eyes.
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Post by Unalaq on Sept 6, 2009 12:43:21 GMT -5
Unalaq couldn’t help but remain stiffed legged and stern the entire time she spoke. He glanced half heartedly at the blood on her nose, pondering her words as she realized the blood herself and stuck her snout in the nose, still keeping eye contact with him . . .
Bold . . . bold . . . bold . . .
Two alphas; she had said that so strongly that it struck a chord with him. It confused him again, even further, but he was starting to see something beyond her dominant fight. She didn’t want the position . . . at least . . . she wasn’t making him give it up to her . . . Unalaq’s stoic face returned as she listened to her state her reason why she could test him. He felt his patience slipping even further . . . he was not going to be told how to do his job or what was acceptable and what was not. He would take suggestions maybe, but all she did was anger him. It was the alphess in her . . . he supposed he couldn’t blame her. He had already decided that if he could not be alpha, he would remain a loner. He did not do well with authority.
It surprised him when she bowed her head to him, finally averting her eyes respectfully. He relaxed only slightly, keeping a stern gaze on her. Before he could say anything, she spoke again. An apology this time and he let out a quiet sigh.
“I forgive you,” he said gruffly, touching her head with his nose, and then abruptly, his voice softened. “I suppose I was a bit snappish myself. I’ve never been partial to the cold. And I don’t blame you for wanting to know some about the leader who will be giving you orders. Ranking down is never easy, I’ve seen it happen.”
His hackles and stance relaxed as one and his eyes turned soft almost, glittering in the moonlight.
“Thank you, for not leaving.” He shook his coat of the snow that had gotten trapped in it and sat down. “Let’s try this again, shall we?”
“I am Unalaq, claimer of this land. I promise to lead my pack as best I can. I will not ask my pack members to do anything I wouldn’t and will be open to all ideas. I do not wish to dominant ruthlessly, but openly, though with a stern grip on order. I ask you to be my Beta because I see your leadership as an asset to the pack. I hope you and I will become great friends in the following years, as Alpha and Beta should. You may ask questions of me, and I will answer them as honestly as possible.”
He remembered hearing something similar from his former Alpha and had always vowed to live by, especially now when he ranked so high. He would ask questions of her as well, but later, perhaps, when she was more comfortable with him. He needed to know that she was sure of her choice in pack and position.
"I would never ask you to back down, it's just their is always room for TWO Alphas."
Suddenly her words came flooding back to him, and the look in her eyes said it all. It was so abrupt and so . . . so . . . so sudden that literally came to his paws, his eyes a million emotions. Sadness . . . fear . . . even a mere spark of anger. He spoke again before she could say anything more.
“Larka, what you said earlier . . .” his eyes searched the ground, ask though trying to see the answer buried in the snow. “Two alphas . . . I know there’s room but . . .”
He stopped, aware that his voice was starting to shake. He closed his eyes and mentally cursed himself. Sakari would be laughing at him right now, about how he was making a fool of himself in front of his Beta. She would see this as a weakness, if she could even see why he was acting this way. Unable to let the past go . . . never a good sign. He growled lightly when the wind picked up and he looked away from her so she would know the growl wasn’t directed at her. He didn’t want to fight again. His eyes spied the bright moon, the range of moorland, the spattering of trees . . . He wanted to just run . . .a very un-Alpha thing to do. So instead, he took in a shaky breath and composed himself before looking back to her, his eyes once more stoic, though the expression was mostly a mask for himself than for her.
“In this pack, there will be only one Alpha.” He said this as evenly as possible, no anger, no resentment, nothing. It just a statement, a simple fact. He looked into her eyes and saw, now, what her feelings had been and felt a slight twinge of guilt with a little sympathy. He lowered his voice to a soft whisper as the wind died down again. “You don’t want to love me, Larka.”
He waited a long time, not liking how the statement ended, unsure of what to say next. When he spoke next, he cast his eyes to the ground so she couldn’t see the pain in them, knowing full well that an Alpha shouldn’t avert their eyes. But he couldn’t help but have at least this must trust in her that she wouldn’t mark him down for it.
“I have already loved and lost.”
Lost so . . . so much.
He shook his head, shaking off the feeling as though someone had strapped him to a harness again and was tugging him in several directions with only one command. Now he was very frazzled but he couldn’t afford to be distracted, not now. He stood again, strong and proud, or so he seemed. His eyes hardened into their natural state. He wasn’t upset with her, he hoped she sensed that. But he wondered what questions she would ask of him . . . who had been his mate? How had she died? What were the impressions on his body from? Likewise, it would lead to questions he had . . . did she know what dogs were? Humans? Had she ever smelled gun powder?
He waited quietly, knowing full well that he had gone and opened a door.
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Post by Larka on Sept 6, 2009 13:14:33 GMT -5
Larka lifted her head, eyes blazing. "But I do want to love you, Unalaq. I to have lost so much, but do tell me one thing...what was her name and how did you lose her?" she asked softly sitting next to the Alpha.
She had just began to notice the impresstions in his fur, 'Where did you get those?" she asked, pressing her nose to the impression. It smelled of Human, she held back a gowl when the smell hit her.
Larka grabbed a small stick out of Unalaq's fur, " Moving on is a good thing, Unalaq. I know you've lost and you're hurt, you can move on and by happy, but not forget the past. She probably doesn't want you dewlling on the past." she said looking at him, hope in her eyes.
She wanted to love again, she needed someone to help ease the pain. She loved Unalaq and nothing he said would change it.
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Post by Unalaq on Sept 7, 2009 18:14:01 GMT -5
Unalaq flinched at her gaze, not wanting to face what was coming. He turned his head away as she spoke, though was still slightly intrigued when she said she had lost much as well. He gave her a sideways glance. Could she possibly understand? His heart thumped hard in his chest as she asked what her name was, and how she died. Could he face the past again? He didn’t think he had spoke Sakari’s name aloud since then. It took him so long to answer that he didn’t realize at first that she had gotten closer, jumping slightly when she pressed her nose into the impressions in his fur. He had been afraid of this . . . but at least a distraction. Cautiously, he stood and stepped back.
“Those lines are harness marks.” He said with a heavy sigh, hanging his head with a small amount of shame. “I was born in captivity, not among wolves. My parents were force bred, or so my mother told me. I was the weakest among my siblings, and not good enough for whatever testing the humans wanted. I was sold to another man, the one that stuck me in a dog harness. I spent most of my time in a kennel surrounded by other dogs, some half-breeds, except for one other.”
He studied his paws in the snow before continuing.
“The man was what was called a musher. He named me Tank. The only other “tame” wolf there was an old brute called Cross. The dogs hated him, as they hated me, but their feared him as well. He told me my purpose was to help sire strong sled dogs. I found it sickening really, and I didn’t blame the dogs for hating me. But I pulled weight all day; I learned human commands and could pull nearly five times my weight by the end of training. I was fast and strong, and Cross taught me the strengths of being a wolf.”
He paused again. He could do this . . . one story only led to another anyway.
“I didn’t spend much longer with the dogs than I had too. I never sired any young either and Cross helped me prepare for an escape one night. That’s when I met her . . . she set me free.”
His voice was on the cusp of breaking so he coughed to cover it, swallowing past the lump in his throat.
“The little vixen,” he surprised himself by smiling slightly, remember her slyness and her bright eyes. “Her name was Sakari, the only daughter of the Alpha. You can imagine what he thought of me, the new Omega, having eyes for his daughter. But I pulled my weight in the pack. She taught me what it was to be a wolf and then in the end, she excepted me as her mate.”
He flicked his ears to the sky where the snow fell softly down.
“She was pregnant that spring and just about to give birth when she was shot and killed . . . and I couldn’t . . . save her. The smell of gun powder . . .” he voice was on the verge of hysteria. “Have you ever smelt gun powder? Do you know what humans are? Or dogs? I’ll never forget it . . . it took from my life . . . everything . . . my mate and what would have been my own young.”
He remembered looking so forward to being a father. It had been one more step into ranking into an alpha position, especially as her father aged. But his master had not only killed her, but his young as well.
Unalaq watched her pull the stick from his fur without much interest, his eyes glossy now. If she wanted more information, she might as well pry now, he thought. He looked at her emptily as she spoke about moving on. She was right. Sakari would be nipping him in the butt by now, telling him off for putting his life on hold. But he had made some progress. He had given up his loner life at least. He looked at Larka, uncertain, pained. There was obvious hope in her eyes . . .
How could he love after Sakari?
He sighed and shook his head.
“You’ve only known me more for a mere few moments.” He said softly. “How can you possibly know that I wont hurt you in the end?”
He allowed her to get closer, simply because of the wind, or so he told himself. It was cold. He looked away again; a tale for a tale. Had she lost as much as she said?
“So . . . what was his name, if you don’t mind sharing?” he assumed she had lost a mate, by the way she acted; he could be intuitive when he allowed himself to be. “Not to mention you seem familiar with the area. Are you from these lands?”
He had come from father north, this land was new to him, strange, and interesting as well.
Anything to distract him from Sakari’s memory.
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Post by Larka on Sept 7, 2009 18:52:35 GMT -5
Larka looked Unalaq straight in the eyes, " I don't know, but I trust you Unalaq." she said softly, "And I'm so sorry Unalaq." she said, licking his ear. She cringed slightly as he asked about him.
"His name, dear Unalaq, was Thor. He was killed by his best friend in a fight. You see I lived in a small pack before this, the males fought often though they rarely escalated to the degree this one had. " Larka's voice cracked noticably, as emotion flooded through her.
"I was the Alphess and Thor, the Alpha. I had hoped to one day carry his pups, for a loving family was something I was deprived of very young. The Blood Fang pack killed ,y family when I was a mere pup and I survived only because of this small, angry pack." She said, studying the far off mountains that now sparkled with snow.
"Thor and Akais had been fighting over a piece of kill, which then turned into a fight over me, which escalated to who would be Alpha. Thor had been wounded a couple of days before in another fight and was in no condition to be in another one. In any case, Akais killed him." She growled, digging her claws into the hard packed snow.
"I almost ripped his throat out, Unalaq, and I'm not one that likes to fight. I left him, terribly wounded in the cold end of the season when the leaves change. I think I might have killed him, then I met you." she said looking up at him, anger sizzled into Love as their eyes met.
"I lost a family, a pack, a friend and a Mate, dear Unalaq. And yes I'm from these lands. My family lived just outside of Blood Fang Territory in the Unclaimed. The small pack lived just south of Sun Crest. I know these lands well."
She moved closer to Unalaq, shaking slightly from the cold. She moved closer partly from the cold, but mostly out of love, she wanted to be close to him . Larka finally noticed the small amount of blood flowing from Unalaq's paw. "Unalaq, your paw!" she said, bending her head down to lick the small bleeding cracks.
As she did so, she realized she had never spoken so openly with somebody before, she had told him everything. She trusted him, she LOVED him and now there was no getting past it.
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Post by Unalaq on Sept 10, 2009 19:01:22 GMT -5
He allowed her, her time to share her story. Listening intently, he related his own life to hers, intrigued by the dramatic downfall of her love and life. So she had been part of these lands . . . had actually been alphess of these lands. He thought this through.
Another asset.
When she had finished her story, his heart went out to her. He knew what it was like to lose a mate, but he had left his pack behind. Sakari had been his life, and now, this was his life. Being a pack Alpha would change him dramatically, he knew that. But how much would it change him?
He glanced at her when she expressed her anger. The urge to kill had been a strong one all his life. He looked away; the difference between them was that he had killed . . . killed his once master, and he had been merciless about it. Did that make him a bad creature? Did it make him vile and evil?
“Sometimes our emotions cannot be trusted,” he said softly, more to himself than to her. “The fact is that you didn’t take a life, and thus that vile weight does not rest on your shoulders.”
Make of that what she would.
He allowed her close contact for a few moments. Shivering off the cold that had nipped up under his fur. How long until spring came, he wondered? How would these lands look? Would other wolves arrive? His attention flicked back to Larka, her white fur rustling under his nose. His eyes however, were on his surroundings. He would need to know them better. She had mentioned the name of another land called Sun Crest. Another pack, maybe? Were they still here? He would need to know. Did this land have a name? It was a moorland. That’s all he could he really make out from it . . .
“Unalaq, your paw!”
He jumped a little, coming out of his daze when Larka bent down and began to lick the frozen limb. His calloused skin had finally broken and blood was seeping through it. Her warm tongue chased it away though. He hadn’t noticed it before. Everything else hurt, why should he have noticed it? He lifted it up to better examine it, seemingly unimpressed. With a sigh, he gently nudged Larka’s muzzle away with his own.
“It’s fine.” He said sternly and then softened again.
“Larka, I have heard your story and I can empathize with you on so many different levels. But my life has never been stable and I thought that, for once, long ago, it might be. But it isn’t, nor will it ever be. I am sorry for what has happened to you, and I will do anything in my power to help you heal your wounds. Trust me, I will never tell your hurts to others but . . .”
He sighed, flicking his ears back. Why was this so hard to do?
“I have just begun to move on.” He said, gazing into her eyes. “I am not yet ready to love again. I will just hurt you more. You don’t want that, and I don’t want that.”
Besides, if he accepted her as a mate, he would never see her. He would see Sakari, or the ghost of her. It would just make things worse for the both of them, and then for the pack as he gained members. An unsteady pair made the pack weak.
He stood and stepped back from her then, fearing the contact might make it harder for her. Would now be a good time for a subject change? He had never been good with females.
“What did the wolves of old call this land?” he said distractedly, looking off towards the range she had called Sun Crest. “This moorland?”
He felt respectfully uncomfortable now and took in a deep breath of crisp, cold air to calm himself.
Please don’t be mad . . .
His mind repeated the phrase over and over. He had seen upset females. It hurt . . .
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Post by Larka on Sept 11, 2009 20:38:52 GMT -5
Larka looked at unalaq as he pushed her away, she knew it wouldn't be ok, if that paw got any colder then it was he might never be able to move it again. "No, Unalaq it's not fine!" she growled in a dominent tone as she bagan to lick his paw again. She listened to his words and knew he had killed someone, but she didn't judge him, she might have killed Thor.
She looked at him, "Oh, but Unalaq, I think I might have killed him and not knowing is worse." she said, a look of desperation to know blazing thorugh her eyes.
Larka gazed across the Sun Crest Territories, willing it to give her strength as it always had before. Her heart beat quickly as he stepped away from her, obiously uncomftable with what he said.
"Unalaq, the only thing that would hurt me would be if you didn't love me back and I know you do. Your body language is saying that but you're blocking that feeling out of your mind, you have to let if flow. Otherwise you could never hurt me." she said, staring him in the eye, hurt, saddnes, love and slight anger in her eyes. She knew he loved her back, but she didn't think he'd ever show it.
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Post by Unalaq on Sept 13, 2009 21:14:26 GMT -5
Unalaq’s face squished into a disgruntled look as she took a dominant tone with him and began to lick his paw. So the pad was cracked a little; it had happened before. Her tone had taken him by surprise however, and so he let her continue . . . for now. Females were so odd sometimes.
As she spoke to him again, saying she might have killed the wolf that killed her mate, Unalaq glanced away. She suspected, or rather knew, that he had killed. But it was a human, what did it matter? Humans killed his kind all the time, and in less than merciful ways. At least he had locked his jaw on the man’s throat in one, quick snap. It had been a quick kill; painless? He didn’t know. But it was quick.
He followed her gaze to the mountains; they seemed to hold so much meaning within them. If only he knew what their purpose was . . . if only he knew what and who resided within their depths. Allies? He would have to find out. A tightening in his stomach suddenly brought him to his feet.
It was dark, it was cold, but he needed to move. Perhaps a hunt.
He turned back to her as she spoke again, his eyes growing hard and cold as she spoke again. He stared unblinking into her gaze, willing her to look away. He didn’t love her . . . how she think that? When she finished speaking, he studied what he found in her gaze and stretched his neck so that his head was above hers, though he kept a hard stare on her.
“Then I’m sorry,” he said tersely, letting his scarcasm slip through when his silence was finished, turning his shoulder to her. “But I guess you’ll have to suffer in pain a little.”
He didn’t let her respond, but simply began to lumber heavily away, large paws sinking deep into the snow. He wanted to limp from the one but forced himself to remain steady.
“We need to hunt,” he said, as though she hadn’t even spoken before. “Now that there’s two of us, my guess is that we can take down an injured doe; we won’t have speed and antlers to worry about. I’ve seen some deer around here, and some elk farther south.”
Farther south was also where he had passed through those dark woods and had gotten the strange feeling of something evil watching him . . . but he’d ask about that later. He sniffed the air, gaining nothing but squirrels and birds . . . and his own blood. He blinked up at the full moon.
Mostly, he just needed to clear his head.
Expecting her to follow, he slunk on, amber eyes flashing in the full, bright moonlight, giving him the look of the predator that man kind had taught him to be. His ears were pointed forward, his foot falls quiet. He liked the openness of the moorland.
It made him feel like he could escape if he had to.
He scented the air again and sighed.
Nothing!
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Post by Larka on Sept 14, 2009 19:20:44 GMT -5
Larka's heart sunk at his coldness, all of the sudden she felt as if she wasn't wanted here. As he got up she stayed were she was, trying to decide what to do. She could stay with him or leave, but Larka didn't want to be alone again. She ran after him, shouldering him out of the way.
"This is called The Amber Moor, RABBITS are the main food sorce, deer rarely come around here, they mainly stay in the small section of woods over there." she growled just as coldly, pointing her nose towards the woods. Larka's eyes were cold and hard as she looked at him, seeing that he wasn't prepared for this information she continued.
"That's were we should probably have the dens and the camp over in the woods. I could teach you how to fish when the Shadow season is over. The rabbits will be scrawny and weak and easier to catch, but we'll have to catch a lot of them."
Larka no longer cared if his paws got frozen to the point of never working again. She no longer cared if he satrved or froze to death. Larka knew the feeling of abandoment was tainting her blood and she responed with feelings of hate. The love stopped flowing through her, hate replacing it and chilling her to the bone.
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