Grell
Cub
No night is so dark, no situation so dire, that the intervention of the gods cannot make it worse.
Posts: 60
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Post by Grell on Aug 13, 2010 20:17:51 GMT -5
//open - quickie before wolfbane's war if anyone's interested//
Life on the river was easy and pleasant. Lazy days were spent lounging on warm sunny banks, or in the cool shallow waters when it was hot. Fish and small game were both dumb and abundant, and neither required great skill to catch. Dark, hidden caves pockmarked the lands between the river and the lake, providing perfect subterranean shelter for this lone bachelor. And, to top it off, the bristling woods that edged the river were homely and quiet — most of the time.
The daily peace had been broken by snapping twigs and angry grunts, followed by a warm bovine odor that saturated the pine-scented woods. Grell, who had been lying contentedly on a large, flat-topped boulder near the river, was instantly awake and alert. Or, he was mostly awake and alert. When he first laid eyes on the giant smelly creature, he thought he was being attacked by Wolfbane himself, and summarily fell from his rocky bed into the shallow water below it.
A cool splash and splutter managed to fully awaken his senses, and when he clambered back ashore, with his grizzled fur plastered unceremoniously to his slender body, he realized it was not the wolf demon who had come to gobble him up, but a much more egregious creature: the water buffalo. A rare and unscrupulous beast, whose big eyes, big teeth, and big hooves were what scary legends were made of. They could just as easily crush his skull with one swift kick as they could crush the grass between their large flat teeth. Grell often wondered, when he watched them graze from afar, if they really were just monstrous vegetarians, or if wolf sometimes made it on their menu.
He gave the beast a shifty glance. It was several tail-lengths away, far enough that Grell felt relatively safe, and it was too busy drowning itself with great, heaving gulps from the river to have noticed him yet. Taking opportunity of its ignorance, Grell shook himself until he was mostly dry, and then sat among the smooth, white-washed pebbles and bone bleached logs to stare gloomily at the great, smelly Lera. It was only a matter of time until it spotted him and then started chasing him, its big glassy eyes mad with the lust to smash him beneath its hammerlike hooves. If he tried to run now, Fenris would undoubtedly trip him up and then send the burly creature after him to fulfill its dark purpose. So Grell decided he would simply wait for the inevitable. No need to scuttle off into the wilderness and attract attention. If he was lucky, the wolf god and the bovine would both get bored and leave.
"And maybe I'll be made Dragga of the free wolves, and be fed delicious meat until I'm fat and happy, and be smothered with love by beautiful drappas for the rest of my life," he mumbled. But there was a tug on his neglected, dusty heart at the thought of she-wolves. There was only one drappa he cared to see, and she was long gone from here. He doubted he'd ever see her again, except, perhaps, in death.
Further down the river, the water buffalo continued to drink; the sun continued to shine; the day remained a lazy, albeit beautiful one; and life on the river went on.
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Post by Linnaea on Aug 15, 2010 5:54:20 GMT -5
A howl ripped the beast’s attention from the wolf he was about to crush. It stilled with an angered and worried expression – where there were two wolves there were probably five or six, maybe even ten. And no Lera thought that ten hungry wolves was a good thing. The song dissipated and the great buffalo pawed the ground, lowering his horns as if readying for another charge when another song broke the unease and a shadowy outline of a wolf appeared on the rock Grell had been on only moments before. The voice from above spoke, “Leave you ill tempered brute!” and though the buffalo could not understand what the wolf above snarled, he did not care as his main aim was to protect the herd – and well, he might be a little upset today. “You idiot Lera don’t you know when a wolf doesn’t want to eat you?”
The figure leaped down, distracting the buffalo’s anger and moving it to this new and more threatening figure: a tri-hued she-wolf with the Earth in her eyes and a snow covered rump – just like her father. Her lips pulled back, ears pinned, shoulders hunched, head down, and stance ready for anything she moved carefully around the hulking form, but he kept his eyes on the spindly and lithe female now for she was almost at his back. He had seemed to forget about poor Grell, who had only moments before been ready to accept death. Seemed he was rescued from such a fate today.
Her tail flicked back and forth, once, twice, and then she snarled lunging towards the beast only to veer off a second later in the opposite direction of the, probably very confused wolf who had been under attack. She vanished into the bushes with the buffalo on her trail, but unlike the rage filled Lera, the sly Kerl immerged from the brush, a smirk on her face, and a chuckle in her mouth. “Stupid beast.” She growled to herself, approaching the male without hesitation and glancing over her shoulder at him. “It’s best to move further away from this herd, lest you want more of tho-…”
Deep in her mind recognition clicked, how many times had she seen this face before? Fifty times, one hundred times, more? No it couldn’t have been so many. She moved closer without any respect for his personal space, looking him directly in the eye (a taboo for any wolf) but fleetingly as she pressed her nose to his shoulder and inhaled deeply, but softly. “Such a familiar Varg you are.” She commented. “But we can settle that once you are away from them. They don’t like you for some reason, probably because we are wolves.” She smiled and trotted towards the tree line which she was about to step behind and follow the river downstream, where the rapids grew and the water got deeper. She flicked her tail as if to tell the mann to follow.
//i flock to your theads, i'm sorry if you're getting bored of me. XD
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Kehré
Cub
Ge-Rad's Warrior in Training
.:Keeper of her mother's eyes:. [br]-Product of a taboo- [br] Question of Location
Posts: 27
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Post by Kehré on Aug 15, 2010 22:43:11 GMT -5
//I hope no one minds a third party //
Life in the Transylvania summer wasn’t the most pleasant at times, especially in the dry forests where the air stood still and heavy. The foliage in most areas have turned brown and crumbled, forcing most if not all lera to migrate towards more permanent body of water. Sure, there was the occasional shower- only enough to wet one’s whistle for a day, before the humidity made the air feel ten times heavier. The same went for the pack of Ge-Rad, or at least half of it’s members as far as the young warrior knew. While some of the members had started their travels towards the West, Kehré decided to turn her own secluded travels towards the East.
It was these banks of rock and mud that silver paws delicately trodden on was Kehré’s intentional destination. The young fae had traveled these lands before, and knew exactly where she was going- not to the waterfall or lake but to the more calmer banks of the river, where the water wasn’t so stirred up. She didn’t know why, but for some reason it brought her a sense of peace and comfort. Fenris didn’t seem so harsh here, and the trees and brush were full of thriving life. Slowing to a halt, parted silver lips came together to form a smile as blue green eyes gazed upon the gentle current of the cool water. “Serenity,” the fae breathed to herself with relief.
Serenity, what a funny word. No sooner had she let it slip from her lips had the gentle breeze wafted an ungodly stench in her direction, making the fae shake her ivory in great distaste. The first thing that came to her mind was some moose or deer carcass had lay on the banks further down, decaying under the toasty sun. Taking a few steps back, Kehré was ready to turn around but instead her curiosity got the better of her as she found herself traveling towards it. Something told her this wasn’t some kind of carcass, but something knew she had never encountered before. Lo and behold, not long after traveling two miles down the river was the smelliest, largest, oddest creatures Kehré had ever laid eyes on. Surely, this was the rare buffalo she had herd her father talking about before, but never before seen with her own eyes- she had been warned to stay away from them, and with good reason too. Compared to such a petite frame (or any varg big or small), just one behemoth could easily trample any varg to death.
Paws once again slowed to a lanky walk at a respectable distance, moving further towards the tree lines and out of any potential danger. Aquamarine eyes managed to catch the movement of something else- something much smaller in comparison that was now lounging around the banks of the river. A varg, a mixture of earth colours painted his coat much unlike her own. But surely, if there was one- there was more lurking about, right? Maybe. Kehré decided to travel further up into the forest, half debating on whether or not she wanted to interact with the varg, or just continue being an isolated traveler. Either way, moments later her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden disturbance that made the she-varg jump and hackles prickle; a threatening bark, a disturbance of the river, of what exactly caused the disturbance Kehré did not see. Stepping closer to view the river bank under the cover of foliage, yards away stood another wolf in the company of the first. Curiosity getting the better of her the fae decided to casually walk towards the two; licking her lips she questioned the duo with only one word spoken in earshot. “Troubles?”
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Grell
Cub
No night is so dark, no situation so dire, that the intervention of the gods cannot make it worse.
Posts: 60
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Post by Grell on Aug 15, 2010 23:52:14 GMT -5
// never! ;) I thought you would be tired of me actually; glad to have you aboard Kehré! //
It would have been wiser to continue the time-honored tradition of running away. Unfortunately, Grell had no where to run to. The buffalo had him fixed squarely in its sights, ready at any moment to pummel him into the dust. Only a miracle could save his sorry hide from this predicament.
Said miracle arrived barely in the nick of time, her booming howl clawing at the sky and echoing through the trees. Grell flinched, utterly unprepared for her arrival. The buffalo seemed equally surprised by her sudden appearance. Her scathing voice and threatening snarl enraged the bull, but Grell was both startled and intrigued. It wasn't often he was defended by what sounded like a great and terrible warrior. Actually, this was the first time he'd been defended at all, despite his allegiance to the sun-god. And what should have been Fenris' job was being fulfilled by a she-wolf, no less! Grell sniggered.
She jumped down, as lean and graceful as a mountain leopard, and stood courageously between Grell and his would-be-attacker. He was surprised for she seemed awfully familiar - but he had no time to question her before she disappeared into the woods with the buffalo on her heels. Grell could almost imagine the bovine shouting countless obscenities in its snorting language as it lumbered awkwardly after the sprightly drappa. He would have laughed, had he not still been shocked by his mysterious and timely rescue.
"That was… unexpected," he said aloud, very bemused. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long for his savior to make a second appearance. Evidently she was as clever as she was beautiful. Grell smiled graciously as she trotted to him, preparing to humbly thank her for the rescue. He was also dying to remember who she was and get a proper introduction, for he shared the general forgetfulness of all Lera and could not place an identity to her face. He was positive they had met before. He was positive they'd been well-acquainted. He was positive…
…positively unnerved by her intense stare. Even though her eyes were gorgeous, he hadn't expected them to be right in is personal space, staring him down as if she intended to eat him. He flattened his ears and tried to look inedible... When she released his gaze a moment later, Grell visibly relaxed. Despite her reckless forwardness, however, he enjoyed her company and was grateful when she invited him to follow her downriver. He stood, padded quietly behind her, and with his furry ears up and bushy tail swaying casually, he said, "Thank you, by the way. I would have been dead back there if you hadn't come along."
No sooner had he spoken when a third face appeared. This drappa, however, was definitely not one he'd met before. Which was just as well, for Grell would have felt very confused if he'd met her before too. Actually, it was more likely Fenris was the one most confused by this turn of events, for Grell had not only cheated death but was now in the company of two lovely drappas. The young Varg wanted to howl.
He grinned and shook his head, instead. "Nothing she couldn't handle," he replied, pointing his muzzle at Linnaea. Her name tickled his memory, just out of reach.
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Post by Linnaea on Aug 17, 2010 5:50:18 GMT -5
Another wolf joined the party, a lanky yearling. Linnaea wondered for a moment if she should be with her pack instead of with two Kerl. Well, the more the merrier and it had been ever so long since she’d had much social interaction, it would be refreshing. “That’s right, I saved his hind end.” She responded to Grell’s grin and comment, and she flashed her own cheeky smile back at the both of them. Then she glanced at the tree line, ears cocked and alert as though she was checking to make sure the buffalo was still confused and disoriented in the woods.
“We need to move, unless you want to get crushed under their hooves.” She flicked an aud and then her tail and began to trudge through the loose dirt, her pads making impressions as she moved forward at a trotting pace. She wandered in the opposite direction of the herd, crossed the river in its most shallow end, and slipped just past the trees, constantly pausing and checking for the others to be in tow. It was no trouble to her really, if they didn’t follow. Getting crushed was their business.
Once she felt they were comfortably away from the herd – and their trails masked by the cool waters – Linnaea stopped completely, turned, and lowered her snow splattered rump to the ground. White tipped tail wagging slowly and contentedly. She smiled a lazy smile and regarded her two companions. The three were fairly different, not so much the male from her as they were both fairly brown, but the other female was quite pale and ghostly. “Well then, that was an interesting happenstance. I suppose that the beasts get more edgy the longer the sun bakes their brains.”
She let out a peal of laugher that rang clear like bells and took a deep breath. “I suppose, also, that introductions are in order.” She didn’t rekindle the thought that the male was familiar to her, she figured with names out of the way the matter would be settled in one manner or another. “I am Linnaea, formerly of Deor and daughter of great Dragga Chalos.” She had nothing to hide, besides, she was proud to be the long lost heir of the brave pack. Wasn’t it an honor to be known as a deserter or as a missing child who couldn’t find her way? Almost like she was some sort of princess.
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Kehré
Cub
Ge-Rad's Warrior in Training
.:Keeper of her mother's eyes:. [br]-Product of a taboo- [br] Question of Location
Posts: 27
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Post by Kehré on Aug 18, 2010 22:27:46 GMT -5
The petite young fae had cocked her head at the response of the earth toned male. “Nothing that she couldn’t handle,” he had said nodding towards the she-wolf. “I suppose it was your barks I heard earlier then,” Kehré muttered under her breath more to herself, making sense of the events played out moments ago. Kehré licked her lips in silent amusement, the way that Linnaea responded almost looked as if the two were old acquaintances who happened to cross paths again after many seasons. She had contemplated about commenting on this observation, but thought it best if she didn’t. With her luck, she would just end up making such a situation more awkward than warranted. “I’ve never seen beasts like these before- but have been told about them. They charge instead of run like other herla-like animals,” Kehré chanted to no one particular, feeling rather foolish after the words left her maw. “Yeah, I’m with you,” the ivory-silver fae agreed. Taking one step forward, she took a glance back at the larger male as if checking to see if he too would follow.
Joining the other she-varg, halting a few tails from her Kehré bowed forward stretching her back and front legs, clawing the dirt as she yawned widely. She had been traveling for suns, and hadn’t realized how anxious upon encountering the two she really was until she saw the snow-spotted varg settle down comfortably. In general, Kehré wasn’t shy around others- it was more that she was used to traveling by herself than sparking conversation with random vargs she happened to come across on her journeys. Feeling a bit lighter, the fae let her rump settle on the cool, shaded ground.
“Deor?” Kehré repeated, cocking her head again as she flicked her tail. She knew enough to know that Linnaea’s pack- or ex pack were in alliances. Last time she checked, anyways. “I’m from Ge-Rad. Er- sort of,” the fae mumbled sheepishly, folding back her audits and dipping her head. ‘Seems like I spend more time in unmarked lands rather than the lands she grew up in.’ What could she say? Even though she was no longer a cub, she had a curious mind and liked a land without boundries- the definition of ‘young and rebellious‘. “M’names Kehré, by the way,” the fae added quickly after a moment.
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Grell
Cub
No night is so dark, no situation so dire, that the intervention of the gods cannot make it worse.
Posts: 60
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Post by Grell on Aug 19, 2010 11:14:47 GMT -5
"We need to move, unless you want to get crushed under their hooves."
Grell hurried behind the two ladies and tried not to think of that image. Every moment or so, he would look over his shoulder to make sure the trio weren't followed. But Linnaea had done a good job losing the buffalo bull, and they crossed the river, padded over cold stones, and threaded their way into the trees without incident. Still, Grell wondered if he should put a bit more space between him and the herd, just to be safe. A few hundred miles or so should suffice.
But Linnaea deemed their position a secure one, and Grell was confident in putting his trust in her decision. After all, she had just saved him a moment ago, proving herself a skilled and intelligent warrior. Or perhaps that's reason enough to doubt her decision. What might be a danger to me would be nothing but a nuisance to her.
"Ah, yes. Introductions." Grell sat down and grinned. Here was the moment he'd been waiting for. The moment that would confirm her identity. He tried not to look creepily attentive. And finally it came. Grell's eyes widened, his ears shot up straight as an arrow, and his jaw might have dropped a little. Linnaea. Dierdre Falls. Sita. The memories came back in a rush. She was older now, and seemed to have lost the lankiness of her early years. She was sprightly, lean, and strong. She was… beautiful. But, of course, that was nothing new. He was just surprised he had failed to recognize her from the start.
"M'names Kehré, by the way." Grell's ears twisted toward the pearly white drappa, and his eyes followed a moment later. Had she spoken before this? He wasn't really sure. He hadn't been paying attention. He bowed his head respectfully, but casually. He might have said, "Good to meet you," but he wasn't sure if the words really left his mouth. What was racing through his mind was this: will she remember me? His tail was wagging across the dirt slowly, tentatively, and his honey eyes were smiling. His whole face was smiling. He wanted to rush up to her and lick her muzzle and smell her fur and greet her properly as an old friend, but he was afraid she had forgotten him in all her journeys and through all her adventures. "I can't believe you're back! I thought you left! I thought I'd never see you again! Oh, Fenris… Linnaea, it's Grell. I'm Grell…"
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Post by Linnaea on Aug 22, 2010 3:29:46 GMT -5
“Yes, they’re terrifying beasts indeed.” Linnaea had mused to herself on the way to where the three now stood. Terrifying indeed, charging instead of the natural fear for the wolves, possibly because it was not wolves who hunted them originally. Linn liked her lips as she looked at her two companions; she spent more time lingering on the tawny earthen Varg than the silver ghost. Though her attention would immediately change when the fae started talking. She nodded at Kehré’s questioning comment. “Good to see an ally, if it’s true that they are still aligned. Though as a Kerl I don’t really worry about pack discrepancies.” She remembered when she was still growing up in Deor and how often she’d leave once the proper age had been reached. “It is also good to meet you.”
Her auds twitched towards Grell then, she was anxious to know who the mysterious familiar face belonged to. Did she really know him, or was he a look-a-like? Her tongue moistened her lips again; she might’ve even looked a little tense. To be fair for his surprise she’d changed a lot. Where she had been so much more brown years before she’d now begun to turn white, the darkness of her pelt was ebbing away to become snowy – at least percentage wise she was now about fifty five percent white from before when she was maybe thirty percent.
But suddenly he spoke; his words were so rushed and filled with such joy they almost didn’t register in her mind. What was that? He thought she was gone for good? Well she had been, sort of, but something had brought her back, he might not have seen her again if she’d agreed to mate with the Dragga up north. But what was his name? Grell? Yes, that was it, the name was recognizable, a treasure in a dark place, Deirdre falls… A smile slowly moved up her face from the corners of her lips and slips her mouth into a grin. Her eyes glistened brightly, as if suddenly a light was shining directly into them as opposed to the freckles of sun that rained upon the three.
She would have to apologize later for ignoring Kehré at that moment, for the only thing she could do was standing immediately on all fours and bound to Grell, her tail wagging furiously back and forth as she pushed her nose into his side, closed her eyes and remembered everything. She whined softly, happily, if she could cry there would be tears in her eyes. This was the pup who had been her first real friend, the one who she’d made a promise with so long ago. “How could I forget you? We promised to be friends forever!” She was filled with such euphoria that she forgot where she was for a moment, snuggling her head under his chin, she felt like a pup again, like she’d just snuck away from daddy for the day and was exploring what was beyond her known home.
When her eyes opened the first thing she saw was Kehré, probably looking very confused. She pulled away from Grell, a little reluctantly and feeling a bit like she’d left something behind, and flattened her ears apologetically. “Ah, I’m… sorry for that outburst. I just – we haven’t seen each other in a very long time, years really. It’s amazing that we meet like this, who would’ve thought?” She smiled fondly at her friend then to the snowy girl with azure eyes. “Normally I don’t believe in divine providence, but out of the millions of Varg I could run into, and one of them being Grell, it really does seem the work of Gods.” She might have to remember to thank Tor later tonight – even if she didn’t believe in any of the deities.
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Kehré
Cub
Ge-Rad's Warrior in Training
.:Keeper of her mother's eyes:. [br]-Product of a taboo- [br] Question of Location
Posts: 27
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Post by Kehré on Sept 7, 2010 19:29:17 GMT -5
//Internet is back on, hurray! Sorry for the delay. Not the best but I figured I owed you something to reply two//
Giving a small toothy grin, Kehré hung her head a little and gave a nervous chuckle. “Yeah- at least, I’m pretty sure they are. Last time I heard, at least-” What a fool she was, speaking before thinking. Kehre never really paid attention to politics within the pack, the only reason why she heard of such an alliance was because she had heard her father talking to her granddragga when she was just a den-bound cub. That was almost two winters ago, though it certainly didn’t seem so long.
The sudden almost wild outburst from the tawny wolf Grell has startled Kehré from her lingering thoughts of the past, and actually made her hackles prickle in surprise. Her audits perked in interest, Grell had indeed known Linnaea from times earlier; quite a coincidence she thought. He ran forward greeting his old friend formerly, as Linnaea even more excitedly it seemed greeted him back, her body language and tone full of joy and disbelief. Kehre parted her silver maw letting her tongue roll out of her mouth in a more relaxed pant, observing the bittersweet moment between two lost friends. How envious Kehré found herself feeling for the two, but there was no helping it. The young female had found herself thinking of the other cubs she played with when she was younger, her brother and Sorcha to name a couple. Surely, they’ve grown up and led their own life by now, especially Kenjo- he had left as soon as he could fend for himself, since for reasons why Kehré could never understand. He made it very clear several times he didn’t approve of their parents’ relationship. For most packs, it was considered a taboo for a beta to make with a sikla.
As Linnaea rubbed up against Grell, Kehré adverted her gaze to the ground, she had to admit she also felt a bit awkward, obvious this was a very precious moment. She did have half a mind to give the two their privacy, but decided against it when was addressed. “Heh- don’t worry about it, I completely understand,” Kehré replied to Linnaea. “Indeed, that is quite a one in a million chance, but still pretty cool. I guess Tor works in mysterious way,” she spoke with a smile on her maw, not that really believed in Tor. “By the way, I’m just a little curious- did you two both start in the same pack or just- meet?” looking back from Linnaea to Grell and back, Kehre finally asked after much contemplating. "But of course, you don't have to answer," the young ivory fae added cautiously.
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