Wolf RPG

Taqqiq trembled with fear as the human came toward him with its hairless pink paws outstretched trying to reach him. He'd never seen a human before and wonderer how anything could grow that tall. He turned tail and ran under a grey wolfs belly with the human stumbling after him on its two hind legs. He could just feel its pink paws touching the tip of his tail when his uncle Arrow lept at the human and unbalanced it.
Taqqiq skidded to a halt under the gnarled roots of a tall pine and peered out. Arrow had his teeth sunk into the humans hind leg and was it shaking viciously. Falcon and Samari where attacking a female human side by side as it ran out from a shiny blue hole.
Suddenly Taqqiq felt something thin tighten around his throat and he struggled to take in a breath. Looking up he saw a human standing over him. The human had a mop of brown hair on his head and a thin line of it running down both sides of his face. Taqqiq thrashed his head from side to side in an attempt to get free but the human pulled him out into the open and reached down with his hairless paws and picked him up. He frantically looked around for Arrow and spotted him close by "Uncle! Help!"

Taqqiq sulked behind Arrow, his ears flat and head low as he caught sight of Blood rushing towards him. He could feel her tounge rasp furiously over him and squirmed in her powerful grasp. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick about, don't you ever run of like that again!" She sounded angry but her green eyes soft and loving.

Blood was glad Taqqiq was home safe and without any injuries excepted for a small mark around his neck. He'd told her of how the human tightened something thin and burning around his neck. Kallik and Niru were also happy their adopted brother was home and kept asking him questions about the humans.
She noticed that the pack was getting extremely large and new Shadow wouldn't be very happy with extending the boudaries futher than they already where. Though the three new males looked like they could cause a lot of trouble for the pack if given the chance.

A few days past and Blood lay lazily outside their den with her pups crawling around her. Taqqiq had been extremely quiet since his litle trip with the patrol that had searched for Falcon and Feather. She worried a litle but was glad for a bit of peace and the hunting patrols hadn't had any trouble with him either. There was now the faint constant tinge of human in the air since a group of them had arrived to the territory.

Bear was relieved. Luna had been sneaking away to meet with him and he had been conveniently 'out' every time Midnight and Eclipse had come looking for him. They had quickly lost interest with his absence and had started flirting with Russ and River. They hadn't left their pack to join them yet, and even he had to admit they were probably still a bit young until spring, but they were taking enough notice to keep his brothers from driving him out or killing him.

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Shadow knew what her daughters were doing. It was Maia all over again... although thankfully this time the male wasn't a dog. She had to be content to trust their judgement though, they were almost dispersal age, even though Maia had only been a juvenile. The same standard would still apply though. If they decided to have pups before the males were accepted into the pack or before they left, they would be driven from the lands where they had grown up, and they knew that. She just hoped they had the sense to do the right thing.

Blood woke early one morning feeling restless, her pups where sleeping soundly beside her. She stood up, careful not to wake them and Dash, she stepped out of the den. Her breath billowing around her she shook her fur and headed for the trees. A fresh layer of snow covered the ground and Bloods paws froze in the cold going numb. She could feel the cold spreading through her limbs and started to run through the trees, trying to warm up.
Heading nowhere in perticular she found herself near the stream that ran through the territory. She hadn't been out by herself since her pups were born. She sniffed the air and a strange but farmilier scent wafted toward on the breeze. It was those three males. Blood thought they had taken Shadows warning and left.
She crept forward, keeping her belly to the ground as though she were stalking prey and found them in a small clearing near the edge of the territory. But what caught her off guard was that Luna was with one of the brothers.

Blood looked at the young she-wolf, her eyes pleading. She remembered a time when her older brother was sneaking around with a she-wolf from another pack. It didn't end very well for them both and she didn't want anything like that to happen to Luna.
Blood flicked her ears and nodded once, "don't worry i wont, but you can't keep sneaking around like this. Surelly you heard of what happened to Mia?" She started back toward the dens flicking her tail for Luna to follow. "And I'm sure you don't want that to happen to your sisters either. My older brother, Blizzard, was seeing a she-wolf from a neighbouring pack when he was the same age you are now. This went on for a while til his mate gave birth to three beautiful pups, but because they came from different packs, Blizzard want to be with her when she had them. She decided to meet him at the boarder and died having them because of the cold. My brother thought our parents would take them in but my father, Bone, had them exiled. Blizzard tried to hunt and keep them alive but they couldn't eat meat. So one by one they died and eventually so did Blizzard, but not of lack of food or hunger but of grief. He lost everything and so did his pack"
Blood looked at Luna and bounded forward, "Come on, my paws will drop off soon."

Name: Death
Gender: Male
Age: Seasoned wolf (5 years)
Colour: Dark midnight black with tinge of red fur, has unusual white eyes (most wolves that meet him think he is part blind at first)
Other: This brute is without a doubt the largest wolf in his pack. With powerful shoulders, large pads, and enormous muscles, he towers over almost everyone he meets, his vast stance is supported by sheer muscle enveloping his embodiment. His strong frame is best for sparring, he weighs more then most do so he can over power someone with little effort. He is also the leader of a band of four males (including himself) and three females, he is always looking for more to join his growing pack is looking for more to join his growing pack. Meeka is his mate.
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Name: Meeka
Gender: Female
Age: 5 years
Colour: Pure white with light sky-blue eyes
Other: Meeka is a small lithe wolf, she is the fastest and best hunter in the pack. She has a calm composure but can turn into a different wolf entirely when she is angered. She joined Deaths pack when the last of her family was killed. Meeka is Deaths mate and sister to Arithena.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Name: Phantom
Gender: Male (5 years)
Age: Seasoned wolf
Colour: Dark grey with white flecks, dark blue eyes.
Other: Phantom is Deaths brother, he has the same build as Death only he is smaller and faster, though any wolf that thinks he is weak wont make that same mistake again. He is loyal to his brother but doesn't mind challenging him from time to time.
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Name: Esylk
Gender: Female
Age: 4 years years
Colour: A rich coat of earthy tones; Brown's, tan's, greys and black, she has light, glacial blue eyes.
Other: She is extremely short, even for a female which makes her the butt of many jokes within the pack. What she does have that makes up for having such
a shirt stature is brute strength that is uncommon in a female. Her body is
rippling with muscular strength that makes it less likely for someone to pick
on her.
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Name: Arithena
Gender: Female
Age: 4 years
Colour: Light grey almost white, with green eyes.
Other: Beautiful lithe build, she looks like the youngest in the pack. She is fast and never backs down from a fight. She likes to trick males in the pack and is a bit of a 'flirt'. She is a very attractive she-wolf and most males fall for her, though she pays no attention to them. She is Meekas sister.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Name: Fang
Gender: Male
Age: 2 and 1/2 years
Colour: Dark grey with dark amber eyes
Other: He is the nicest and newest wolf in the pack, he doesn't like to kill innocent wolves but must learn to if he wishes to survive in the pack. He is the smallest wolf in the pack, due to his age, but has bulging muscles and has strength that almost matches his alpha Death.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Name: Scar
Gender: Male
Age: 7 years
Colour: light brown tinged red with yellow eyes.
Other: Large muscly build with many scars along his pelt from years of battles. He is the most experienced wolf in the pack and was one of the first to form the new pack. He has a big influence on the descisions made by the alphas

Welcome! I look forward to seeing how these guys interact with our massive pack! I hope you have had a chance to read and get to know Shadow and her clan. Sounds like her and Cannon are in for a shake up! :p

(Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I didn't receive a reply notification.)

That's fine Yer i did get to reading Shadow's pack history.
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Death stalked toward the cowering wolf, his dark body rippling with power. His large paws crunched down on the snow that blanketed the forest floor. The rest of his pack was surrounding the survivors, which were only two females and one pup.

He bared his teeth at the alpha male, whose small frame was crouched submissively. ‘So I’ll give you one chance and one chance only’ Death spun around, muzzle pulled back in an ugly snarl. ‘Brother shut that pup up!’ Death smiled in satisfaction when he heard the pup’s yelp cut short and the crack of snapping bones. ‘I’m sure you don’t want to end up like your son just now. So you can join my pack and accept my leadership over you, your females and this territory or, if you don’t like that, you WILL end up like your son, but I’ll make sure your death is slow and painful.’

Fang stared down at the pup’s broken body; his once beautiful golden coat was now stained with his own blood. He couldn’t tear his eyes away and felt something stir inside him. Ever since he had been forced to join Death’s pack he had seen this kind of thing happening a lot, especially when wolves refused Death. But Fang couldn’t work out why he had this pup killed; normally Death would be the one who always spared a pup’s life. It must have been the lack of food lately or he’s just still grumpy about Bear leaving. Bear was Deaths twin brother; only he was a mixture of browns, reds and black. Death started going funny when Bear left him for a rouge female he met a couple if nights ago.

Fang looked up when Death called his name, he’d been too busy staring at the young life that had just been wasted than paying attention to what was going on around him. But when he looked up he saw Death standing over the male with his paws planted on his throat. ‘Get over here!’ Fang nodded and padded carefully over, he was unsettled by the gleam in his eye. ‘You need to take your place in this pack, I want you to end him.’ Fang glanced at the wolf stuck under Deaths overly sized paws. He nodded once and Death sat back, Fang slowly peeled back his lips a growled deep in his throat. He bent down so that he could whisper in the wolf’s ear, ‘I’m sorry to do this but if I don’t it will be my life he will take as well as your own.’ He pulled back and looked into the wolf’s eyes hoping he understood and mentally sighed with relief when the wolf blinked once to show he understood. Without wasting any more time and not wanting Death to get suspicious he lunged for the wolf’s throat and sunk his teeth into the soft flesh.

OOC: Ok, it’s been a very long time so I am adopting Cannon until realprety comes back Shadow and Cannon will be posted under the one colour, they’ve been together so long they are pretty much both halves of a whole these days. I’m going to start off with just writing for the ‘parents’ (because there is no way I’m writing a separate paragraph for all 27 wolves!) and the others will step in as they see appropriate/have something to add to their own little plot lines...

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Cannon sat back next to his mate with a contented sigh as he watched his offspring frolic around him. He remembered when he had first met the powerful female beside him fondly, remembering how he was trying to avoid becoming an alpha, and this was where it got him. As if reading his mind Shadow chuckled and bumped against him playfully. Despite all the dramas with the rogue males and young hormones things were finally calming down. The fur had grown back thick and long where the collar had been wrapped around his mates neck, and a quite if cautious truce had been called between Shadow, Bear and his brothers now the threat of more pups had passed. It was quickly warming up so there was plenty of prey around, and now that Blood’s pack had been all but obliterated they were able to extend their hunting range to include the large open plains beyond the river. There were now twenty seven wolves in the pack, only the Druid pack were larger, and now that the youngest pups were joining the adults in hunting, they very rarely missed their target.


His mate bumped him harder, starting him from his daydreaming and before he knew it she was racing off. The heavy male followed his mates swerving tail. She was taking it easy and he knew it. He tackled her with a knowing smile and she playfully growled and pushed at his face with her large dark paws giggling. After a short tussle they both flopped to the soft ground and enjoyed the peace. They were making the most of the time between litters, it was extremely rare for them to have a chance to get away like this anymore.

As much as she loved her family, the numbers were beginning to worry her. The birds were chirping overhead and the breeze was dancing playfully through the branches above their heads, it was hard to feel worried when everything seemed so perfect. She knew there would be conflict if the family broke into two or more groups. Ranger was more than capable of running his own pack, but she was worried that Arrow might feel put out. There were so many strong personalities amongst her sons and daughters. As she caught the fresh scent of flowers and rain to come on the breeze she smiled absentmindedly and decided to leap that obstacle when she came to it...

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Striker sunk down, his white fur fanning around him and settling his grey stripe in a ‘S’ shape down his spine as he watched the younger wolves go about their daily routines. It had been many moons since he joined his sister and her mate in the woods. He sometimes missed the open tundra where he and his sister had been born, had raced and played together, and the pack his brother and his mate had destroyed.

He remembered when Dash and Ranger had been tiny little balls of grey and black fluff and smiled sadly. They had both grown and found mates, and had little fluff balls of their own, and he was still alone. He had thought there was a chance with Simone, but she had moved on as quickly as she had blown in. Some wolves weren’t meant for pack life...

He was loyal to Cannon and Shadow to the core and promised himself he would never leave his pack for selfish reasons like finding a mate, especially after all they had done for him. He would just have to hope the great mother decided to send an eligible female his way. If it was meant to be, it would be.

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Dash watched closely as the larger red Taqqiq, dark grey Kallik and almost white Niru romped in the stream, giggling and splashing and scaring off all the fish. The last thing he needed to worry about now was a bear or some other large predator threatening his pups. Blood was attempting to sneak up on him but he would know her scent anywhere and quickly turned with a smile, crouching low in an invite for his mate to play. The pups were really too old to need constant surveillance but the first time parents were anxious, even with the whole pack gathered at the den, but he still had nightmares about Maia...

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Ranger calmly supervised his younger siblings and the pups not romping in the creek as they practiced play fighting and hunting techniques. Although there was strength in numbers he didn’t want them becoming complacent. His time with Suka’s pack had taught him the importance of constantly being prepared for battle, even in times of peace and now his height and muscle rivaled that of his father and mother. Arrow had taken to following him around constantly and seemed to make it his goal to be as good if not better than his dark brother. It was a drive Ranger respected and admired in his slimmer albino brother, but Arrow could still beat him in a race. He had inherited their mothers speed and their fathers old fashioned manners, while Ranger had more of their mothers ruthless streak, and their fathers brute strength. The others hated to admit that their loving and doting mother was anything more than just a big softy but he knew that if there was ever a threat to her family his mother would tear out throats and enjoy doing it if it meant her family would be safe. Blood’s former pack were the perfect example and even though he was just a pup, he still remembered the blood soaked soil when his parents had collected them from the bolt hole. She was not a wolf he would ever want to cross.

OOC: Thats fine, I understand. I wouldn't want to write 27 different POV's
either!!!

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Meeka lay contently next to her mate, resting her muzzle against his dark broad shoulder. She was glad they had finally found a territory, even if it was small to begin with they could always extend it if they needed to. Meeka knew Death wouldn't hesitate to extend their new territory even if it meant they had to fight another pack for more land. Even though her pack might be small they have some excellent fighters that could probably take on a pack a bit larger than there own.

Her mate twisted his large head around and licked her muzzle, his ears pricked when he heard Scar, Phantom and Fang returning from their boarder patrol. 'Well? Did you find anything?' Death sat up shaking Meeka off him in the process, she flattened her ears and growled softly but Death took no notice of her. Scar sat down and motioned for Phantom to speak. He dipped his head in thanks and turned to the waiting alphas. 'We scented traces of a pack of about 30 strong wolves on our northern boarder, but other than that there was nothing.'

'A pack that big would have to have some young wolves in it, and if they do we could maybe lure some out to join our pack,' Scar added, twisting around to lick a fresh wound near the base of his tail. Fang shifted his paws on the ground, 'I also smelt a few lone males hanging around that packs territory.' He looked around a the other wolfs in the pack going on with their own business, not wanting to look at Death directly. 'Oh really.' He rumbled deep in his throat. 'We might have to make a visit some time soon, see if there are any willing wolves looking for a pack to join.' Scar and Phantom laughed alone with him and Meeka looked fondly at her mate.

Bear stretched languidly. They were now on peaceable terms with the alphas and were allowed to remain on their territory, but weren't yet permitted to sleep at the main den. River and Russ were also rousing from their morning nap and seemed to have similar thoughts to Bear. He was missing Luna terribly and couldn't wait for permission to move in with her.

The three brothers began their regular route via the southern border wordlessly. They had been together long enough that they didn't need to speak to know what the other was thinking. As they were on their patrol the three brothers froze. There was a new scent, a few hours old but not familiar wolves. They had been on casual terms with the neighbouring pack, each keeping to their own territory, but if there had been a hostile take over it could pose a threat to the pack they were hoping to join. They picked up their pace wordlessly and continued on their way, ready to report to Cannon or Ranger as soon as they managed to track them down.

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Cannon noticed the approaching males first and sat up attentively, he was ready to accept a challenge if one was posed. You could never tell with rogue males, even if they were courting his daughters. They all sunk low and posed submissively and he relaxed again, laying back down next to Shadow, planning to enjoy a quite day.

He growled low in warning when the grey wolf continued to approach, he was a leader of sorts among the rogues and while he seemed to have a decent head on his shoulders he was pushing his luck by forcing his presence on the large alpha pair.

"News..." The grey wolf whispered barely audibly. Cannon sighed and sat back up warily. News bought in by a beta was rarely good news.

He listened closely as Bear explained what the brothers had scented. It had been a while since another pack had moved into the area, and the land was fertile to the south so it made sense, it was a territory worth fighting for, but they already had more than enough to maintain them so never felt the need to expand in that direction. Ranger and Arrow had noticed the change in their fathers stance and came over to sit with their parents. "Ranger, up the patrol groups from twos to fours, and two at a time, I want the groups to be within earshot of each other at all times...at least until we figure out who these new wolves are..."

Blood pricked her ears in the direction of the small group of wolves that surrounded the alphas. She heard bits and pieces of the males report like "strange scents near the border" and something about a "territory take over". But she was too far away to catch the full conversation, curiosity got the better of her. She gently shook Niru, they smallest of her litter, of her flank and got to her feet. Sitting beside Ranger she asked what was going on, though only half concentrating on what he was saying because she needed to keep an eye on her pups. even tough they aren't as small as they used to be she still couldn't think of them getting hurt.

The small grey female, Luna, smelled something interesting near the border. She knew she shouldn't stray far from the rest of the patrol, especially not when two of her brothers pups were joining them for their first patrol. It wasn't that she didn't trust Solei to look after the two whiter pups, Aniu and Nanuq, but there was safety in numbers, even if Russ, River and Bear were trailing a short distance behind with Eclipse. The younger wolves had their mothers speed and had been told if anything was to happen they were to race back to the den to raise the alarm, and she had no doubt that would be exactly what they would do. She picked up her pace to catch up with the rest of the wolves when something large caught her full in the side and she felt a pressure over her throat. She attempted to whimper a warning but it came out muffled and quickly everything went black.

Solei was on high alert when Luna didn't return to the patrol as quickly as anticipated. He thought he could hear a short scuffle and his hackles rose. He gave the younger wolves the signal they had been taught back at the den and they continued to walk along as if nothing was amiss. They needed to draw their adversary out where they could see it or them. A stray branch cracked a short distance behind them and the two white youngsters took off at a speed that their mother would be proud of. Solei spun in time to be barrelled into by the muscly grey wolf, but he didn't know if there were more coming. Not liking his chances as a lone wolf he quickly turned and darted into the trees, weaving to throw his pursuer off his tail before he backtracked parallel to their regular route in search of the second patrol.

Shadow was pacing back and forth restlessly as she waited for the first patrol to return. Her hackles were up and her sons were watching her anxiously. They knew their mother did not take kindly to threats against her family, and it was taking all her self control to not race to the border and make boundaries clear. If they left her alone, she would leave them alone.

The large black alpha's both turned in time to see their grandpups return at a breakneck pace and Shadow didn't even wait to hear what they had to say. She tore out of the clearing with her pack on her heels, headed straight for the the place where the second patrol should be.

Bear looked up as Solei quietly picked his way towards them. He had deliberately picked a path that would allow the other patrol to scent him before they saw him to avoid any unfortunate incidents. Bears hackles immediately rose. "Where's Luna?" he whispered almost accusingly at the stocky black male.

"You know what she's like, she found something that spiked her curiosity and fell back... then we were attacked..." Solei whispered back with a tinge of guilt. He knew they were meant to stay together but he had let her fall behind. This never would have happened if his albino brother Arrow had been in charge instead.

Bear's hackles rose and his heart began to race with the possibilities. It had taken him so long to find her, to convince her (and her mother... that had been the hardest part) that he had good intentions and now he may have lost her?

He chuffed in frustration and picked up the pace with his nose to the ground. "The young ones?" he asked, hoping the answer was to plan and not as tragic as his missing mate.

"As planned." Solei replied with his nose to the ground.

Russ growled low and circled off to the side, following the strange scent. The rest of the patrol gathered around, hackles rising at the smell of the strange wolf on their territory. The group split in two, Solei and Eclipse, both as blending in perfectly in the shadowed surrounds followed the patrol route and the three brothers followed the strangers scent. They hadn't survived so long as rouges by playing gently with strangers.

Eventually the two paths collided and continued off into the undergrowth. Bear growled deeply as Shadow and the rest of the pack trotted up. Russ and River payed their respects to the alphas while Bear continued to follow the mingled scents until he saw the limp grey form of Luna. He bounded forward and sniffed her over, nudging her as he went. She was still breathing and was making small whimpering noises as he checked her over. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and his heart leapt into his throat. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and someone had hurt her. She tried to stand up groggily and fell back down. shaking her head to clear some of the wooziness she tried again. She was a little unsteady on her feet but finally managed to stay upright and take a few tentative steps forward. Bear stuck to her side like a burr and escorted her back to the rest of the pack.

Shadow sat on the border line, her pack fanning out around her. She knew they were an imposing sight almost thirty wolves strong. Cannon sat at her side as she scanned the area on the other side of the invisible line. She spotted a paler patch amongst the shadows, and a pair of blue eyes staring back at her. Shadow's golden eyes narrowed to a glare and she growled a low warning, the rest of the pack following suit. She continued to glare and spotted two more sets of eyes watching them from the cover of the thick undergrowth. When they made no move she snorted in disgust and the rest of the pack began to melt into the trees with the exception of herself, Cannon, Ranger, Suka, Arrow, Bear and Dash. All her best fighters remained at her side. When there was still no movement from the observing strangers she turned and kicked dirt over the border, scenting the border heavily with the scent glands in her pads and disappearing into the forrest with the rest of her family. If they tried to pull another stunt like that they would pay with blood.

The scent of Luna's attacker was all over the territory and it had Bear and his brothers on edge. Russ and River had approached Ranger with their plan shortly after the incident and he had smiled in wolfish anticipation. His pups had been on that patrol and it was his sister that had born the brunt of the attack. They would have fun with this one once they managed to get their teeth into him...

Arrow and Dash emerged from the tree line apparently unnoticed by the intruder. Arrows pink eyes narrowed in suspicion as they approached the day dreaming wolf. His albino complexion usually made him difficult to hide in the dark but this wolf clearly hadn't noticed him yet. As anticipated when he saw them approaching he turned tail and ran straight into Bear who attacked him a little heavier than anyone had planned. There was a sickening crunch as the intruder collided with a small boulder and the two brothers winced in sympathy. Their main aim had been to shake the poor beta up, not maim him.

Even though Dash was the older of the two he looked to Arrow questioningly, after their parents and Ranger, he was the next in line for the alpha role and Dash was quite happy to take a back seat on an issue like this one. If they dragged him back to the den, the strangers might think they were holding him against his will, or had killed him. If they left him on the border they could take the accident as a planned attack and retaliate. If they did nothing he could die from his injuries... It was not a decision he envied, and if Bear wasn't called off soon it may not be one either of them needed to make. The large male had taken the attack on Luna personally. His brothers had turned off Midnight and Eclipse, but were content to stay with, and protect the pack and their brother's mate. They had a good life here.

Bear was standing threateningly over the limp form of the invader and growled in frustration with the white wolf told him to stand down. He wanted to rip the stranger limb from limb and scatter his remains across the border and couldn't see the alphas disapproving if he did. He growled low and bared his teeth before Arrow stepped forward and he had to lower his head in submission and move back. He continued to bare his teeth and growl, but a sharp look from both his companions cooled his temper momentarily. There was no fun to be had tearing him apart while he was basically a corpse to start with. He wanted to hear him yelp like a dog...

Dash sighed at the hate that was evident in Bear's eyes. It was going to make the task at hand more difficult. He scruffed the stocky wolf and began to drag him to one of the bolt dens a short distance from the main den. They couldn't risk taking the stranger there.

Once they were settled they sent Bear to fetch Eclipse in place of their mother. Her temper was too short to ask what was needed of her and Eclipse had learned nearly all there was to learn from their mother, and to send his brothers. They were also annoyed that their brothers mate had been attacked but had more level heads about the whole situation. They also told him to update Ranger on the current situation.

Eclipse was such a dark grey she almost appeared black in full sunlight. At this time of night she was as dark as her mother, the only distinguishing feature the scar over her eye from the battle with Ice's pack. She trotted purposefully with the two large brothers on her flanks. It felt wrong to be escorted anywhere on her own territory but she understood the necessity. She took one look at the limp dark form and the blood matted fur on his head and her stomach flipped. It was worse than she thought. There was little she could do right now but try to keep him warm in an attempt to ward off shock. She dragged him under the cover of the hollow stump that served as an emergency den and curled herself against as much of his body as she could cover. His scent was unexpectedly pleasant and she began to feel sleepy. It filled her nostrils and settled in her fur. She hoped it would make him less likely to attack her if he awoke in a confused daze, although Russ and River were there to step in if anything untoward happened. She made a mental note of the closest source of willow for when he awoke. It had a terrible aftertaste but worked miracles on pain and fevers. Confident she could make a quick dash when the time came she settled down. Small shivers were passing through his body at an increasing rate and she grew more concerned. "Russ... Go grab some of that willow back near the last lot of boulders we passed... River, get in here... on the other side, as close as you can..." It was less than a thirty second dash to the tree and back, and then she dragged Russ in on heating duty too. Eventually the shuddering subsided and his breathing evened out. She banished the brothers back outside to keep watch and breathed a small sigh of relief, almost certain they were past the worst of it... She remained curled against his back, resting her head on his flank just in case... she told herself quietly, taking a mental note of where Russ had let the willow she had sent him to fetch.

Ranger snorted in frustration. Trust Bear to stuff the whole game up. He had a message to deliver. His uncle Striker and Solei came along side to the border. They sat in the open to wait.

A light grey and brown female came past on a routine patrol. "A moment if you please." He said rather formally. He stiffened when he realised his uncle was all but drooling at the small brown female. He attempted to ignore the distracted shuffling of the pale blanketed wolf at his side and growled a quiet warning that only the wolves at his side could hear. Striker stilled and the females were tense but seemed to be willing to listen judging by the questioning looks he was receiving.

"Your pack mate went for a wander and took a tumble. He hit his head quite hard." Striker continued with a grimace. "The pack are doing all they can to make sure he pulls through. He will be free to return to you as soon as he is recovered... If he recovers..." Ranger could feel the rest of the pack creeping up in the undergrowth and settling into defensive positions just in case things took a turn for the worst.

OOC: Just wondering, but what season is it?

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Fang slipped in and out of consciousness all through the night and following day. He always knew this would turn around and bite him in the tail, but it was just a matter of time until he got caught. He had dreams of the large wolf ripping open his throat or dealing worse injuries, but slowly making him die. He even had a nightmare that he hadn't had since a was a pup and it pulled him into an uncomfortable sleep.

Fang cowered under the roots of a large oak tree, his tiny paws trembling with fear as Death stalked up to his mother, his black fur rippling from the movement of his bulging muscles. He'd always been afraid of Death but never this much before in his life. His mother was crouched low to the ground, her dark belly fur fanning out around her. He'd never looked like anyone in his birth pack, his mother's coat was similar to Death's and the rest of his pack were browns, reds and only ever dark grey.

Death was nose to nose with his mother now, ears flat against his head and teeth bared. "I'll ask you one more time, why were you going to leave us. Your mate is dead now and we've killed all but one of your pups. I think he will make a great addition to my new pack when he's old enough." Fang's mother growled at Death furiously, her family was almost all dead, she gathered her hunches beneath her and leaped at Death clawing at his eyes. Her attack met her mark and her claws ripped at the side of his eyes. Death leaped backward howling with rage and swung an over sized paw at her, she flew to the ground and Phantom rushed over to her holding her down.

From the shadows Fang whimpered, he knew Death had heard him but he was to well concealed that Death couldn't see him. Death knew he was watching so he turned to Fang's mother and Phantom, he nodded and Phantom smiled sinking his teeth into his mothers throat. Fang howled and ran out of his hiding spot, barreling straight into Death.

Fang woke with a start and found himself whimpering, breathing deeply he calmed himself, laying his head back down when an unfamiliar scent hit his nostrils. Wait, what am i doing here. Suddenly he remembered being attacked by some wolves and then ending up here. Where's here? Fang jumped to his paws when he realized he was in another packs territory and one of their females was sitting at the entrance to the small den, she was accompanied by two larger males. Fang crouched low knowing he had to get out of here, but how. He leaped forward moving as fast as his clumsy paws would allow him to, which wasn't nearly as fast has he would have liked and barreled into the female, trying to leap over her but falling short and landing on her back. He heard her yelp with surprise and he tried to get up fast enough to get away from the males. He couldn't remember why he needed to get way but something in his gut told him to. Even with his surprise attack the two males were on him almost instantly, one of them growling at him. "Were do you think your going."

Dawn sat calmly three paces from the border watching the other wolves and looking at them each in turn with her golden eyes, Esylk wanted to go back and fetch Death, but Dawn only said he would react negatively and try to start a fight. She knew there were more wolves lurking behind these three males but didn't say anything of if. "He always was a bit of a wanderer." She looked over at Esylk, a knowing glint in her eyes. She turned back to the three males speaking to all of them but no one in particular, "Just send him back when he's strong enough." She stood not waiting for a reply and stalked into the undergrowth, a moment later she realized Esylk wasn't with her. "Esylk! Come, we have to get back and report to Death." She waited for the smaller female to catch up before she started walking again.

Death smiled when he heard the news. "I always knew he would come in handy." He stalked up and down in front of his den, where Meeka lay resting. "He's injured though, you say?" He stopped pacing for long enough to wait for Dawns response looking at her intently. He start pacing again when she confirmed it, "Well i suppose not everything can go well all the time. Did they suspect anything?"

"No, i don't think they did." She looked at the glow in his white eyes remembering the day when Fangs mother had almost blinded him.

"Good good, everything is falling into place, just as we planned."

OOC: I think its around mid autumn. Most of the pups are hunting and fighting now and learning the ropes, i know IRL it generally takes 2 years but for the sake of the story the pups generally take 1 year to be reasonably independent, but 2 years before they start looking for a mate, taking off etc.

Eclipse shook herself in frustration and spun around to glare at the dark wolf. She stalked forward menacingly forcing him back into the hollow until his rear haunches hit the back of the hollow tree. She looked at him with her best impersonation of her mother's stern face and huffed in frustration. "Chew on that." she motioned to the willow branches on the ground next to him. "It tastes terrible but it'll help get you better so you can go home..." she said shortly, feigning anger. "And hopefully you'll stay there." she muttered under her breath sitting heavily back in her previous position. She saw the suspicious look he was giving her and she rolled her eyes. "It won't kill you, look..." she said as she picked up a piece of the branch in her mouth and began to chew, narrowing her eyes a little at the bitter taste. It wasn't something she needed to take but she chose to just to prove it was ok. Once the branch stopped juicing she spat out the remaining branch and watched him pointedly. "Look. Once you take it you can come out, have a drink... take care of anything else you may need to then you'll have to come back here and rest. You are too far away from your pack to go back yet. You wandered quite a way over the line..."

She had mixed emotions about the stranger. He had attacked her sister, but she had seen him at his lowest point and it was hard not to feel protective of him. She had licked his wound clean on the second day between bouts of consciousness. At least while he was knocked out he couldn't feel the pain. She watched him waiting patiently. She was perfectly comfortable but she imagined he would be parched and in desperate need of a bush. She could wait for hours if she had to, and then she knew one of the brothers would step in if she needed a break. She added as an afterthought "I'm Eclipse...and you are?"

Striker gave himself another mental shake. The grey wolf had been beautiful sure, but it was the small brown wolf that froze him in place. When the wind changed direction and he caught her scent it had taken all his self control not to race up to her like a lovestruck yearling. It was only Rangers quiet growl that snapped him out of it and he remembered what a precarious situation they were in. He flopped back down in his den with a sigh. He needed to get some rest before patrols tonight, and his sister wanted to go and check on the rouge.

Shadows temper had cooled over the last few days as she had a chance to assess their current situation. She knew there wasn't really enough big game on the other territory to support a pack, and they had more than enough access to unclaimed hunting areas on the opposite border. She knew there would be some grumbling from the younger members of the pack when she made her decision known but it was the right thing to do and may help to ease some of the tension between the two packs.

She gathered her family at the den with the exception of those who were watching over the intruder and made her announcement. As expected there was some grumbling amongst the ranks but she bared her teeth threateningly until there was finally silence. She didn't necessarily trust the alpha male as far as she could throw him but the female may yet show to be more reasonable. She planned on making her offer to the strangers when they returned the intruder, who's name she still didn't know, until then, her pack would leave the area she had set aside alone and begin moving their hunting to the new designated areas.

Eclipse watched the stranger sleep concern painted clearly on her face. He had ignored her question about his name and danced around any subject relating to who he was. He was still a little wobbly on his feet but she had to concede he was probably strong enough to return to his pack. Something tugged at her inside and she gave herself a mental shake. She would be able to go home to her brothers and sisters. She would be able to hunt again and could stop playing nursemaid. It was for the best.

Striker strolled along with the patrol a little distance behind the others. As they approached the main length of neighbouring border he found himself scanning the surrounds almost anxiously, hoping for any sight of the small brown female. He saw a streak of brown and then nothing. He grinned to himself silently and paused for a moment looking straight at where the blur had stopped. It took a moment to pick out her small camouflaged form. Their eyes met for a moment before he continued on patrol. He shook his head with a small grin. If he didn't get a chance to talk to her soon he would drive himself insane.

It was the news she had been waiting for. She made her way to the border with Cannon at her side. She needed to speak with the alphas of the neighbouring territory. The intruder was well enough to return and would make his way back to them at his own pace, with a small escort of course. She made herself comfortable a short distance away from the border in plain sight and waited with her mate at her side. Eventually the other alphas arrived and she gave the smaller white female a grin. She had a feeling under different circumstances they could be friends. She met the large black males white eyes unflinchingly and turned her attention back to the female, choosing to address her counterpart instead of the male. After all the good of the pack and its offspring was more of a female concern than a male one.

"I am Shadow and this is my mate Cannon. Your wolf should be well enough to begin making his way home later today, but there may be some lingering...issues... He appears to have forgotten his name...or has simply chosen not to share it..." When there was no visible concern shown by the other alphas she continued. "There is a large area to the west of here that is frequented by large game. We looked to expand into your territory several times before you arrived but chose against it because it doesn't provide enough food to sustain a pack, let alone one as large as ours..." she took a moments pause to allow them to process what she was saying. "No matter how often we hunted there we struggled to put a dint in the population. We have moved our hunts to the other side of our territory. With pup season just around the corner the last thing you want to have to worry about is feeding your family. Feel free to hunt there as you need."

Shadow's eyes narrowed at the exchange between the alpha and the small brown female but her face was a calm mask by the time he turned back around. She knew Strikers position in the ranks and sighed internally. He had been moping about something for days and she had a sudden realisation of the probable cause. She watched the neighbouring pack return to their den and turned to do the same, but first she had to go and check on her daughter.

Eclipse paced back and forth outside the den waiting for her mother. She had to distance herself as much as possible. She was torn, but he already had a pack, and they were expecting him to return. She looked up as her mother approached. Words weren't needed. She stepped back resignedly and let her mother take over.

Her daughter smelled strongly of the intruder. It was to be expected after this many days but the only reason for it to be so strong was from close contact. It was getting worse by the minute. Her daughters were all strong willed, and her brother was naturally a troublemaker. He had been reigned in lately and had stepped into his role within the pack well since he had joined them but she always knew his true nature wasn't far from the surface, and never closer than she had seen this morning. Shaking her head in resignation she stepped forward to tell the intruder it was time to go.

The cowering wreck at the mention of returning home was the last thing she had anticipated. They had already told his pack he was returning to them, it had never crossed her mind he may not want to go. She thought for a brief moment. They were sure to have wolves waiting for him. "You will be escorted to the edge of the border by Russ and River who will either see you cross it or not. Eclipse will stay here until nightfall. Where you go from the border is your own decision." She would need to post extra watchers at his drop off location and advise them that if he turned back they were not to attack. She wasn't accepting him as pack just yet, but she wasn't going to run him off when it would clearly cause her daughter so much pain. She appeared a lot tougher on her family than she actually was. She exited the den to advise Eclipse on the new development.

If he returned to the small den she was allowed to show him the territory, but he was not to approach the main den yet. Where her daughter stayed was her own decision. She was old enough to leave if she chose to and Shadow didn't want to force that decision on her.

Exhausted by the days events already she turned back to her own den where her mate was waiting. The leaves were changing quickly and the winter would soon be here, and beyond the winter snows came pups. Given their large brood the previous year she sighed with the realisation that next spring would potentially bring a larger brood than last year.

Eclipse fought the temptation to follow the brothers to the border. Her almost white uncle Striker and blue-grey sister Samari were waiting with her at the bolt den. Her uncle seemed distracted, mostly facing outwards so all his nieces could see was the light grey blanket that covered his flanks and rump. It was almost as if he was waiting for something... or someone...

The small bolt den was far enough away from the main den that there was no risk of anyone who was staying here accidentally stumbling across it. It was well positioned, a short distance from several prime hunting locations, and close to a small stream that eventually, via several splits joined up with the small creek that passed the main den.

She fought the itch to run after the brothers and contented herself with catching up with her sister. It had been so long since they had had a chance to just talk.

Dash crouched close to Blood as they waited on the border for the intruder to make his decision. Bear had been ordered to watch the almost grown pups with Luna and the alphas. It was almost as if his mother didn't trust the new addition although his volatile temper had them all on edge since the night Luna was attacked.

It had seemed like forever since they had run together. Between the pups and patrols and the new pack on their border... He inched closer to the reddish wolf at his side and leaned against her reassuringly. Now the pups were getting bigger they would be able to start having some quality time together again. Once this drama had played out they would run and hunt before returning to the den. It was well overdue.

Blood leaned against Dashes side in the dapple sun, lazy and content. She smiled seeing her sisters pup play fighting with one from Shadows newest brood. Her red fur had started brightening from the darker browns it was turning and he was looking stronger every day. Kallik had also grown quite large and had put on a little muscle on since she'd had a growth spurt, while Niru was still small. She was more sleeker than her sister was and Blood knew she was going to turn into a beautiful wolf when she matured.

Both of her daughters had crowded around Taqqiq and the pup he was play fighting with, and so had the rest of the youngsters in the pack. Blood stood and flicked Dashes ear with her tail, beckoning for him to follow and they disappeared into the forest.

Shadow sighed deeply as she took in her soaked brothers fur. "Alright, bring them in. But if anything happens its on your head got it?" she said sternly. They were running out of den space and it might soon become necessary to move the main den, not a process she was looking forward to. The nearest suitable site was over a day away. Although they sometimes stayed there while they were chasing the migrations it would make defending this border almost impossible. She watched Striker disappear into the storm and settled herself down close to Cannon with a small grumble. It was turning into one of those events that left her wishing they could just run away together again, just the two of them, and start over somewhere new.

The rain was beginning to ease off as he approached the den but a second storm was on its tail. It was probably the only chance they would have tonight if they planned on going back to the main den. He walked in with another splitting smile on his face and Eclipse knew the verdict. He watched as she gently roused Fang and explained it was probably the only break they would get.

The four wolves bolted from the small den and reached the main clearing before the skies broke open again. Shadow nodded at the two new wolves in acknowledgement and then turned back into her den. There would be time for proper introductions in better weather. Striker watched as Eclipse lead Fang to her den and turned to Esylk. "Theres an empty hole over there..." he motioned with his head "Unless you'd like to join me?" he added trying not to sound to hopeful. Now he had her in his sight he was reluctant to let her out of it. Something deep inside him was urging him to get to know this new wolf better.

Eclipse laughed. "There are a lot of us, nobody expects you to take it in quickly." She glanced around and started with her sister who was still romping with the pups. "You've already met Luna. The one over there giving us the looks is her mate Bear. He was a bit hard to contain for a few days but he's calmed right down now. Just give him a bit of time. You've already met Russ and River, they're Bears brothers. Obviously mother is over there, and father too..." she smiled watching her parents groom each other. The two black wolves were imposing when they needed to be, but moments like this reminded her they were her parents as well as her alphas.

"Umm... the pups... The two tawny's are Bayak and Naira, they're my brother and sister. They stand out a bit, and the little white one with the black stripe is Aniu. Her brother with the grey stripe is Nanuq, and the little blonde is Kanosak. Chulyin is the other pup from their litter, the little black one, they belong to Ranger and Suka. Ranger is my big brother and his mate came from the snows in the north. She still smells like ice..." she grinned. Her big brother was as large as her father and his arctic mate with her mismatched eyes looked tiny at his side but she was a fierce fighter and speedy too. She was easily underestimated.

"Lets see... Oh, the two little greys, one almost white and the other one darker? They're Kallik and Niru, Blood and Dash's pups, and the bigger red? Thats Taqqiq. He was Bloods sisters pup, the pack decided to attack us because we had taken Blood in when she was half dead... It's how I got this... and I was only a yearling then..." she cocked her head flashing her scar with a smile. "Anyway, after they were dealt with Blood and Dash adopted Taqqiq, not realising they were having pups of their own." She was pretty sure that was all of the pups and their parents covered.

She then glanced around the clearing pointing out her litter mates. "They albino one is Arrow. After the alphas and Ranger he's the next in charge. You ran into Solei with the white pups on patrol..." She motioned to the stocky black male who practice wrestling with Dash. "The black over there with the bluish-grey is Midnight, and the blue is Samari...and of course you already know uncle Striker." She finished with a sigh and a smile.

Shadow motioned Arrow to her side and he quickly complied. "Take Bayak and Kanosak..." she had picked the two youngsters for their natural curiosity. "and have an adventure." she said with a small smile. Her son's confused look made her smile increase even further. "We need a new den site. One large enough for all of us that isn't a days travel from the nearest hunting ground or decent water source for half the year. Let them do what they do best." Arrow nodded in acknowledgement, a small smile on his own face as he went to round up the chosen yearlings. Bayak and Naira refused to let him leave without them and when Shadow nodded her consent the small party left the main den site. It seemed the new wolves were being accepted just fine so far. She gave her mate a small grin and leaned against his side. She loved when things just worked.

She watched the first patrol get ready to leave and she shook her head. They wouldn't patrol until later, and they would double their numbers if they were going to go. Half in sight, made up of their resident rogues, and half made up of the pack shadowing amongst the trees. They wouldn't be taking any risks until they knew the pack over the border held no bad feelings towards them, which she strongly doubted.

OOC: Hasn't been a reply for a few days and the youngsters are gnashing their teeth to get on with it so I'll continue on. Kike, hope you don't mind me writing in Taqqiq (feel free to take over )

Kanosak could hardly be contained when his uncle Arrow told them what they had been tasked with. Taqqiq had also quickly caught them up and the golden and red wolves raced ahead of the others. Kano was intent on being the one to discover what their grandmother had tasked them with. He was itching to prove himself an asset to the pack and hoped one day to rise amongst the ranks like his father Ranger and uncle Arrow to lead his generation as an extension of his grandparents dominance. The younger wolves hasn't yet had a chance to prove themselves so they hadn't yet established a pecking order.

They had been travelling for half the day and had stopped by the raging river for a drink. Kano scanned the area, the steep hill with its jagged cliff faces would make a great vantage point. It was completely by chance that he spotted the small fissure in the cliff face and his curiosity got the better of him, as usual. He approached the jagged opening and looked up, spotting several others at different heights, all accessible but invisible from a distance. He stepped into the first cave tentatively and breathed deeply. Nothing had lived here for a very long time.

As he explored further back he noticed a small tunnel leading further into the hillside. He couldn't smell anything threatening so proceeded further in, following it until he could see daylight streaming in ahead. The exit was slightly overgrown with brambles and he forced his way through, snarling branches pulling through his golden fur. When he emerged he found he was at the top of the hill. He could see one of their usual hunting grounds to the east and another across the river, and his family below, still by the river looked like mice in the woods. He threw back his head and howled to alert them of his location and smiled as the younger wolves spun in confusion and Arrow looked up at him and began picking his way to the hill.

Kanosak bolted back down the small tunnel and popped out of the fissure just as the rest of the wolves found him. His uncle seemed impressed and the smaller arctic cross puffed himself up with pride. Further inspections of the rest of the caves found similar escape routes in the majority of them. There was some evidence wolves had lived here once but they were now long gone. Arrow nodded his agreement that this would be a perfect new den site and they headed home, his pride only increasing with every step they took.

Shadow listened silently to the description Arrow gave her of the potential new den site and nodded her head in agreement. They would all go and check it out tomorrow. She smiled approvingly at the little golden wolf who had found the potential den site. He was growing quickly and while he and his siblings would always be slightly smaller than their other pack mates they were showing a tenacity and resourcefulness that she was sure they would all need in the very near future. Winter was coming and something told her it would be a nasty one.

OOC: So i thought I'd send another post just to get things rolling again:)

Fang felt overwhelmed by the amount of wolves there were in Shadows pack and he was now only realizing just how much Death's so called 'plan' wouldn't work out. At least not with the size of his current pack and with Shadows pack still in its prime. Death had lead many small packs, but they all ended up dying because they weren't strong enough for the things Death dreamed of. The closest he'd ever come to having a mega pack only lasted just over a year when poachers came through and wiped most of them out. The small pack they had now were only the remainders of the pack he once controlled.

"That's a lot of family you've got." He remarked. The only family he'd ever know for very long was Deaths. He'd been brought up by the black wolf since he'd basically opened his eyes. "So when are we moving?"