dear child of wonder

open your eyes

Lapis liked to imagine that she was a decent hunter. More than decent, actually, and to be quite honest, it was no lie. During her life as a nomad, she honed her skills in hunting many diverse species of prey alongside many diverse wolves. It became a second nature to her, her instincts honed through time and practice, through failure and success. Since when did all of that become useless? She thought to herself, a sharp pang in her chest as yet another fish slipped past her, leaving her muzzle wet and her stomach full of a whopping zero fish. 

While the female found water to be relaxing, enchanting even, its inhabitants were nothing but annoyances. She had never been good at hunting fish and the like, although to be fair, she had only tried once before. To her great misfortune, the second time was anything but the charm; it was just as embarrassing as the first. Thankfully, no one was around to watch her utter failure as she splashed around, chest heaving and eyes darting around, following the salmon's movements. "Damn you," She muttered under her breath, watching as the finned devil maneuvered through the ravine's river like a torpedo. Frustrating was an understatement. 

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TAGS: N/A
WORDS: 205
NOTES: Another open thread! I realized my last one was in pack territories, so Lapis wouldn't be able to meet anyone else

THANKS ANNECORDELIA

i wake at the first cringe of morning

and my heart's already sinned

The air was cooler in the ravine, the humidity stifled by the cool breeze that blew cooler still through the shadows cast by the high stone walls. For Brett, the cooler temperature was a relief. It was always cooler here, which is why she bothered to travel here in the first place. The female simply couldn't take anymore of the heat bearing down on her double coat. She was sniffing along the edge of the inside of the ravine as she traveled, always weary that someone was waiting to ambush her. It was Ezra that she was afraid of. It had been a year, but she had no doubt that he, or Jace, were skulking about, crouched and hidden behind every bush just waiting for her to come along so that they could reclaim her as their own. The thought was ridiculous of course but, in truth, they probably were searching. She wasn't sure if Ezra would ever give up on trying to find her. That was why it took her so long to find a home. She wanted to make sure that she was well away from him. The loss of her brothers was something she had to endure.

Completely lost in thought as she was, she barely even noticed the scent of another wolf and it took her longer still to recognize that it was not Silver Mist scent. Suddenly, the large female stopped dead in her tracks, hackles half raised as she searched the area quickly. She saw no wolf, so the scent must have been further up. Sniffing again, she realized that she also smelt the river that winded its way through the ravine. She made the decision to explore the scent immediately and began moving forward toward it.

Being upwind of the wolf, she knew that it would be a miracle if the noticed her arrival, unless she made it obvious that she was here, which she didn't want to do immediately. No, she wanted to check the other wolf out first, gauge the level of threat that they imposed before she made herself known. Closer inspection revealed the strange wolf to be of Night Shade, another pack from the area. From the looks of her, she was more hunter than warrior, which all worked out quite well for Brett. Even so, she honestly wasn't look for any trouble and even if she was, they were in unclaimed territory. As far as Brett was concerned, the ravine was neutral ground until her Alphas said otherwise. So, she decided to step into view, tail even with her body as to not impose a threat on the other female. "You're from Night Shade," she inquired, ears perked and attentive. She did her best to seem non-aggressive, but most didn't see her that way at all given her large size.

TAG: Beta Lapis | WORDS: 472 | NOTES: Her first post, yay!

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY

dear child of wonder

open your eyes

Preoccupied with her fishing mishaps, Lapis hadn't noticed the arrival of another wolf whose scent was lost among the water that filled her nostrils, lingering just out of her reach. It was the voice that snapped Lapis back into reality, low and calm as it formed a simple question‒ or perhaps it was a statement, rather. Either way it was correct, and as the she-wolf regained her senses, her movements paused. Still as ice yet relaxed in stature, Lapis slowly turned to face the stranger of silvery fur, blue eyes curious yet piercing as any trace of her previous struggle and frustration vanished; she was no longer the wolf splashing around in the river like a child, desperate to catch the fish that so easily evaded her jaws. Like the flip of a coin she stood tall, her head high and her stature confident as she assessed the foreign wolf whose scent was nothing like her own, yet it wasn't one she hadn't crossed before... it was familiar, but where...? 

Ah, the midnight brute she'd run into in the forest, that's what it was. Hosi? Perhaps they were from the same pack. Lapis had heard rumors of another nearby, though with this, she might as well confirm them as true. Nonetheless, the large female didn't appear to harbor aggressive intent, but even so, Lapis kept her guard up and her wits at paw, although she too offered no outward implication of violent potential. "That, I am." She confirmed, her voice cool and smooth as her head tilted slightly. "Might I ask where it is you come from?" The lands remained fairly knew to her, and every bit of information helped her find her place within it. "I've met another whose scent reigns from the same pack; a 'Hosi', if that rings a bell?"

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TAGS: Brett
WORDS: 303
NOTES: exciting! :D I'm still not over how pretty she is ngl

THANKS ANNECORDELIA

i wake at the first cringe of morning

and my heart's already sinned

When the strange female paused, Brett's ears folded back to lay semi-flat as her head tipped to the side ever-so-slightly and then righted itself all in one fluid motion. She had been curious about the other wolf, but now she was just a little concerned about her mental health. When Brett first saw her, she had appeared rather carefree if not a little frustrated; now, she seemed very different. Perhaps it was because Brett had caught her off guard and she was being defensive now. That was the obvious conclusion, so that's the one she decided to go with. She still seemed as if she meant no harm. Not that it would truly matter one way or another. When spoken to, the warrior wolf cleared her throat and prepared to answer. She was careful to keep her head level with the other females. She considered this neutral ground, but her new acquaintance might not and she didn't want to give her the wrong idea here. Her being friendly with strange wolves was not a weakness that she intended to allow anyone to exploit.

"Hosi! Yes, he is our Alpha," she confirmed, giving her head a single nod. "You've met him before?" Hosi had certainly never mentioned it; not that he was prone to mentioning anything to her at all. She liked to think that they were friends after the year that she'd been with them. She managed to make decent friends with his mate and she most certainly admired the male. They were a lot of like but also very different. He was protective, strong and mostly quiet unless he had something important to say. Mostly, if he were to chat at all, he spoke with Remi. Hosi was certainly a challenge, but she enjoyed his company all the same.

Snapping back to the moment at paw, she spoke once more. "I am of Silver Mist. I have never met a wolf from Night Shade before now. Do you come here very often?" The Ravine was a place she came to think, mostly about her past and the brother that she left behind without a second thought. Now, she felt nothing but remorse. She had honestly tried all that she could to get him to join her, but he just wouldn't and she couldn't stay where she'd been any longer. There was no telling what Ezra had done to him over this past year. 

TAG: Beta Lapis | WORDS: 404 | NOTES: Thank you!

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY

dear child of wonder

open your eyes

Silver Mist. So her suspicions were correct, then. From the dominant behavior Hosi had exhibited that day in the forest, Lapis could have assumed him to be something of the like. The role suited him, or at least whatever bits and pieces that had been revealed to her after a single, chance meeting under the cover of fog. "Once." Lapis recalled, unsure of how much she should say about that encounter. 'I found him stood over a bloody elk'? Or perhaps, 'Why yes, I watched as the apex predator joyously snapped its neck'. Neither seemed horribly fitting for the situation though, and she settled with a simple, "It just so happens that our paths crossed by accident, that's all." She didn't know much about the salt and pepper female before her, thought she bore a similarity to Hosi in body structure‒ broad and sturdy, and it made Lapis wonder if the rest of Silver Mist followed suit. "He was... an interesting character, I suppose, though he did radiate the aura of a very, err, strong leader." A very dominant and borderline bloodthirsty one more like it, but Lapis kept her tongue to herself; she wasn't out to make enemies so soon. 

Knowing that another pack took residence nearby, Lapis briefly wondered what Night Shade's relations with them were like, but if this wolf hadn't ever met someone from her pack, it must mean that at the very least, they weren't out for each other's blood. "I hope I make a decent first impression, then." She stated with ease alongside the hint of a courteous smile. Speaking of first impressions... Lapis could only pray this wolf hadn't witnessed her dastardly performance in the water. All things considered, this was her first time to the ravine, and after that experience, it was likely her last. Not that she would say it, though. "I can't say I do, unfortunately. I suppose it was curiosity that drew me here today, nothing more." Definitely not the promise of a wholesome meal in the form of slippery fish. Of course not. Although the female seemed much more at ease in the terrain than Lapis did, which led her to offer up a question of her own. "What of yourself? You seem much more familiar with the territory than I, Miss...?" Lapis prompted in hopes that the wolf of Silver Mist would be willing to share a name. 

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TAGS: Brett
WORDS: 400
NOTES:

THANKS ANNECORDELIA