Delicate Steps //open//

[Yelæ]

White mitts trailed the land that she knew and loved. The land that she called her home, forever her home, and no place else could receive such a title from the Sikla, despite her placement upon the pack's hierarchy. Here, she was loved, at least by her mate, or so she hoped. After all, she had been rather reclusive soon after her cubs were born. Gosh, how many years had that been...

Her cubs must have upped and left the pack already, some mother she was.

Breath clung to the bitter air, for the night breeze had picked up, chilling her to the bone. Her white pelt appeared rather ghost-like in the dim moonlight of Tor that hung peacefully in the sky. Her trademark orange-red spot was faded so much so that it was nearly not there, for her coat was still thick with winter.

And she pressed onward, father into the territory, without even announcing her presence. Perhaps a stupid move on her point, considering it had been awhile since she was home, not to mention perhaps the pack had moved on without her. Not that it mattered, for she was only a Sikla, nothing more.

Despite being the mate of a Beta...

"Shako..." the name of her mate clung to her throat as she spoke aloud, ears tipped back in a demure manner as she continued her trek across the territory, feet carrying her wherever the pleased. Her thoughts about her mate were restless. How was he? Did he move on without her? Was he ali...

Of course he was alive. Why would he be dead? That's a silly thought.

Angry with her? Most likely. What kind of mate was she? Upping and leaving the territory without a word, trying to discover herself and failing miserably. Hopefully he wasn't too angry with her...

Hopefully they still remembered her...

Shaking her head, the Sikla stopped, placing her bottom upon the ground as she sat upon it, deep in thought. Blue-green eyes closed as she did such, and she flopped her body down on the ground, suddenly feeling rather tired.

I've got to stop worrying myself sick over things... mused the she-Varg.

[nio]

Although the frosted snow crusted out any wolf there, Nio stilled saw a shape of the wolf in Ge-Rad, his new home. He picked up the scent of a female Varg. She looked very nice in his view, so he picked up his tan-opal body and edged closer to her. She was an ivory wolf, and her plet was pure ivory. She looked almost camofluge, but her flaming blue eyes gave her away to him.

When he got to her, he barked sternly, but trying to be nice, "Why did you say Shako? Who is that? What is that name, and who is it? Is he your mate?" He smiled when he spoke the word: mate. He never had one, and never will have one in his life. Or so he thought he wouldn't have one.

He perked his eager, brown ears to listen for any sounds of the reaction that she would make so far. He picked up his opal-tan body, and trotted closer to her. His gray flaming underside flowed smoothly when he did so. His mooning body shined as Tor gave her light out to them, the two wolves, male and female, sitting together, doing nothing.

A snowflake dropped on his black nose. He shook his head to shake the thing off, but it sticked on. He sneezed to make the snowflake go off, and finally, it blew of into the cold world . . . . .

(Uh. I'm so sorry for the shortness)

[Yelæ]

The scent of a foreign male came to a surprise when the she-varg inhaled, green-blue orbs widening. For it was not the fact that he was a complete stranger, but because the scent that clung to his fur was that of a Ge-Radian. Oh dear, she had been quite inactive for awhile, hadn't she? The starn bark alarmed the Sikla, and for a moment, she quivered. For despite being a long-time member of the pack, and this was just a newbie, her status of omega made her lower despite this mann's status of being a rookie Ge-Rad. Even though there were really no problems in this pack with being a Sikla, she still had to keep up her status, and she did so well enough, for her tail was between her legs in a less-than-dominant stance.

The new male started to ask questions, which were relatively similar in the long-run. Ear tilted back slightly, she regarded this male in fascination. This new Varg was rather...interesting. And slightly hyperactive. Blinking in alarm as he started to approach her even more so, she took a tentative step back.

"Shako...he's the Beta of this pack. You never heard of him? Considering you're a member of the pack if your scent..." her ears folded down slightly, and she shook her head, stopping herself in mid-sentence. Might as well not go into that. "Yes, he's my mate..." Her voice trailed off, as did her eyes.

Feeling the need to say something extra, the she-varg opened her maw once again to address the male, her voice still in its demure tone. "I am Yelae, and...um...if you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

[nio]

He cocked his opal-tan head as she continued about who Shako was. I barked to the female, his gold eyes flicking with annoyance, "I know who Shako is, I just didn't know that he was the Beta Male of Ge-Rad. You must be lucky and famed to have a Beta as a mate." He sat down, then layed down on his dark gray stomach. He tucked his paws under his flaming chest, like he just enjoyed a heavy meal. He opened his ears eagerly, eager to learn more about this wolf. "Do you have any pups? That is one thing that I would like to know." He turned his gaze at the wolves lovely orbs that shined brightly in the moonlight. He lifted his gray chin, suddenly proud that he had a pack of his own, a pack to call home. He was a member of Ge-Rad, a full member, and he was very pleased to be one. Some wolves just had to be Kerls, rejected to the life as a pack member. Some wolves in any packs had their own jobs, but he didn't have one, and that his why he was happy. He never wanted to have a job, because that would be hard for him.

Then a thought slapped into his mind. What would happen if he became the Alpha Male of this very pack? That would be so scary to be an Alpha of any pack. Oh, how would that happen? he thought softly and scaredly. He would never, ever want to be an Alpha Male of any pack, ever. Another thought hit him, then he thought to himself, That would be cool if I was a Ge-Rad Alpha. Then again, I would want to be an Alpha . . . .

[Draeg]

“And that’s quite enough out of you!” Calloused pads trekking across the first signs of budding vegetation he emerged, descending upon the pair and regarding both varg in silence.

Turning his sights to Nio he regarded the red and gray varg with mild curiosity and more then a little scorn, he had accepted the flaming dragga into his pack only because Ge-Rad the pup had shown an interest in joining and the pack needed more members. He had hoped to let Shako tutor the new recruit in the ways of the pack and take him under his wing but the ivory beta had needed to deal with some personal matters and was currently absent from Ge-Rad along with Krystal, Kaemon, and Ayasha. Unfortunately that left only Draeg and Shayla to see to Nio, a task made all the more difficult by the presence of Sorcha whom needed constant care and supervision. Needless to say Nio had probably been left to his own devices for a while, something Draeg had desperately wanted to avoid. While he had to admire the pup’s enthusiasm over handling intruders Draeg felt that Nio was being a bit too forward with his approach, the fact that he didn’t seem to mind prying into Yelae’s affairs didn’t improve the situation either. “There is a big difference between questioning someone and interrogating them, her mate and personal life are none of your business!”

Amber orbs falling immediately upon Yelae he regarded her carefully, warm smile forming along his battered muzzle at the welcome sight of Ge-Rad’s red breasted sikla. It had been moons since Draeg had last laid eyes on the loveable fae, why she had taken it upon herself to leave the Ge-Rad or where she had gone he did not know though he was certain Yelae would tell him if he asked. Her departure had been swift, taking the rest of the pack by surprise and often leading them to wonder what had become of the kindly sikla they had grown used to housing. Out of all of them Yelae’s disappearance had hit Shako the hardest of all, luckily his role as beta and single parent had kept him from grieving for very long.

One thing that concerned Draeg was the apparent absence of Kenjo, after her disappearance most of the pack had simply assumed that Yelae had taken the young pup with her and left her remaining offspring, Kehre`, in the loving care of her mate. Kenjo’s absence raised more concerning question, specifically what had happened to the tri-hued wolf. Had he simply chosen to strike out on his own or had something happened to him during his time away with his mother? For a moment Draeg considered asking Yelae about his whereabouts but decided to hold off until she had settled back into the swing of things. “Welcome home.” he growled warmly, offering her a simple bow. “I trust Nio isn’t bothering you?”

((bah, the beginning sucks))

[Yelæ]

//Sorry about the big delay. Jet Lag is still getting to me, so let's hope this post doesn't entirely suck.//

Green-blue eyes blinked in surprise at the strange young male, and at his bark, the rather jumpy Sikla flinched a bit, ears folding back on her head even more so in a nonthreatening manner, acting as a recessive member would. Ge-Rad was perhaps one of the only packs in the Transylvanian land who had an Omega as the mate of a Beta, although it was rather obvious Yelae was to receive such a position, considering her demure and less-than-powerful appearance. Part of the time, she pondered if Shako was ashamed of her less-than-satisfying position, but then again, that was just her neurotic and low-self-esteemed nature speaking. Truth be told, she knew Shako loved her with the bottom of his heart, and Yelae loved him back in the same manner. The proof was the two cubs, Kehre and Kenjo.

The white Varg missed her cubs as well. At first, when the white Sikla had departed from the pack to try and find herself, Kenjo had tagged along with her. For although her son appeared to be embarrassed by his mother's lowly position, with his growing age, his soft spot for his mother (which was always there) had shown, and worried about her leaving the pack without a strong, dominant male with her made him follow her around. Of course, part of this was an excuse, considering a little over a month of traveling with his red-breasted mother did the young Kenjo leave to find a placement in the world by himself. And though it had been hinted at, the young dragga had left without a word of goodbye to his mother. Thus, Yelae pondered the happenings of her daughter.

The white-one's jowls seemed to be glued together as Nio went on questioning, nervousness clearly showing through her clear eyes. However, a familiar voice caught her ears, perking them up from their down position, and the figure of her Dragga brought forth a feeling of nostalgia and warmth, and her attention was brought away from the stranger and into the eyes of a familiar. She was thankful for his rescue (although it seemed a bit harsh in the motherly Sikla's eyes), and she rose, although not losing her diminutive posture in the presence of the highest of authority in the pack.

A smile rested on her features, and her tail wagged slightly, somewhat forgotten silver tip catching the dim light of Tor as her banner waved to-and-fro. "It's good to be home, Draeg," she stated, her voice hushed as usual, not to mention taken aback by the slight bow, although it was extremely flattering, it was not in her place to receive bows, as little as they were. But then again, this was Draeg, who had been extremely kind to her, even when she was bequeathed the position of Sikla. The red-chested varg returned the bow, although her's was much more lower and a lot less slight in comparison to Draeg's, showing her utmost respect and recessiveness to the dominant male of the pack.

Eyes shifted back to Nio upon the Alpha mentioning him as the Varg returned to her standing position, and she blinked once again, shaking her head. "No, he just...caught me in surprise." the Sikla stated, voice quivering upon thinking what to say. "It's always a pleasure meeting new Varg, so he isn't being bothersome in the least..." Truth be told, Nio was being rather prying, but she had no right to state such things.

"It's nice to see that the pack is growing..." continued the female, trying to avoid a negative conversation.

[Shakó]

Tor shone over the chilly lands of Ge-Rad, as the bitter winter breath combed through the brush. Lera seemed to huddle into their nests, as the night creatures didn’t venture far from home for their prey tonight. Or so, was observed by one particular grizzly white male.
Limping through the forest, Shakó found it a habit to patrol the grounds of Ge-Rad at the time of Tor. Well, not so much patrol, as for something to do. His daughter Kehré was also coming and going at her leisure, exploring lands and varg new to her. Shakó didn’t exactly take to the fae’s curiosity, but didn’t hold her back either. He admitted he liked looking over her and having her around for company, but what kind of father would he be if he was to deny her freedom? After all, Kehré was no longer a cub any more, but an adolescent who was quite capable of making her own decisions.

Mind on matter, the large male made his way through the forest with little ease. Every now and then he would let out a small whine and then turn around to lick his hind leg; a wound he sustained some time ago hadn’t healed because of the fact that he hadn’t exactly left himself to rest after he initially sustained it. Sure, canines were said to do well with only three legs, but Shakó was so large that he couldn’t help but hobble on his injury. In turn, it made the wound swollen and inflamed, not to mention painful to the touch. Biting his lip, the mann continued on, the pain was only a fly on his shoulder now.
But in fact, Shakó wasn’t exactly as large as he was several months ago. It was not only because of this injury that kept him from hunting accurately, but the fact that he continued to grow weaker from an internal sickness. For almost a year now Shakó had known about this visceral abnormality, but kept it a secret none the less. After all, it wasn’t completely noticeable that there was something wrong with the male, that was directly connected to this internal malfunction. He just looked a little thinner and listless, was all.

Looking up at the moon let a flutter of excitement jump in his chest. Shakó didn’t know why, but something tonight had excited him. He had covered more land than he had in the past few months, and was determined to get to the source of this unexplained anxiety. Shaking his white coat, the male took a few more steps forward before stopping with his hackles raised. The male had soon caught the sound of a deep angered growl, one he knew to be Draeg’s. Curiosity burst in the young mann’s chest, as he silently proceeded forward, trying to figure out what was going on at such an hour. After all, he didn’t hear a call, did he? Not that he could remember, at least. The mann would often zone in and out of his own daydreams, occasionally blocking out his surroundings. With a sift motion from his tail, Shakó leapt forward into a kind of trot before laying his own golden oculars upon a trio of varg. His heart skipping a beat, for the first time after sustaining his injury Shakó was able to run properly without an impaired gait. Standing in front of him was a fae so white and form so perfect it even made him look like a dirty and unkempt chow chow.

“Yelae!” The mann called out in breathlessly with sparkling gold oculars, his tail wagging like a pup who saw his master. Skidding to a halt, the mann couldn’t help but nuzzle the ivory fae with a greeting of reassurance. “I’ve missed you, my love.” After a moment, Shakó looked up at his Dragga, and back to a newer varg named Nio. “Is, er- something going on?” Shko said sheepishly, now sensing a little tension from Draeg toward the pup.

//Getting back into character, next one will be better ^^;//

[nio]

A thunderous voice boomed, "And that’s quite enough out of you!” Nio guessed that the thunder-like voice was the ivory female beside him, but he never heard of a female speak loudly like that. Could it be the Alpha Male, Draeg? Nio wondered, a cold chill racing along his spine to the very tip of his golden-yellow tail. In an instant, a harsh voice shouted in his mind, "Go down, you dumb wolf, show some respect to your Alpha! Go, now, you dumb, filthy dog!" Dog. The word made Nio growl, not half-heartedly, but full of shame that he, he, Nio, was part dog. He spat out the word from the mind, then went down to the ground. He looked up at his Alpha, afraid that he would send him out, back to the life as a Kerl forever, telling all the other packs to never ever let in a spiky tan-opal wolf that had a firey gray chest, paws, and belly. He gulped at the thought, shivering the sin away, unaware that another wolf coming for him. Is it a wolf that my Alpha has sent to eat me up? Nio pondered to himself, looking up with those same soft brown eyes like when he looked at his sister's remains of her bones. The decaying of it all . . . . the thought hit him, the thought that no wolf wants to think about in his life. What if I'm like that? What if I'm like my sister? Nio pondered, as he gulped once more.

Nio got up, and shook his ruffed fur out, he was making it soft and smooth to show the older male, the Alpha, what he was made of, what he could do. He barked, "W-what brings y-you here D-draeg?" Nio shuddered, then wished that he could pull the words back into his fat mouth. Nio wished that he could grab the words, but he couldn't, because he couldn't shift back into time. He regretted those words, to he changed them, "So sorry, Draeg, j-just that I never expected YOU to be here at this time . . . ." And with that, he regretted those unbelievable words that he stuttered. Will my fate be good? Nio wondered, thinking about the gor. The blood would be horrible sight, even for a strong male like the Alpha. No one on earth should like a part-dog that sometimes lies sins, right? Nio, the wolf-shepard, was a goner, and his fur would have to go to the rats.

"There is a big difference between questioning someone and interrogating them, her mate and personal life are none of your business!” Draeg scolded Nio, or told him, but Nio couldn't tell which. “Welcome home,” Draeg barked to her. Draeg sounds so sweet when he is around her, Nio thought. When Nio was going to stutter, "Sorry," the ivory female barked to the Alpha, "No, he just...caught me in surprise," she barked warmly, like milky sweetness. "It's always a pleasure meeting new Varg, so he isn't being bothersome in the least..." she barked again, sweetly like Tor herself. "It's nice to see that the pack is growing..." she barked on last time. Close one . . . . Nio thought, as he sighed, happy that the female had been there to help him a little.


"Yelae!" the newest voice barked to the female, the one called Yelae, Nio suggested. The ivory male muttered something else, but he couldn't hear. Then the wolf -Nio thought that he did this, because Nio was looking down most of the time- looked up and around. “Is, er- something going on?” he barked, or stuttered in his opinion. "Yes, and I am so glad that the Alpha could be here . . . ."

(Hehe, trying to impress Draeg with the long post . . . .)