Posted July 6, 2017 Storm was still laying in the snow outside when her ears picked up on pawprints walking closer. She shifted her eyes to see it was Kiji walking out of the cave. She didn't move for she didn't want to draw any attention to herself. Even though her jet black fur made her stick out like a sore thumb against the white blanket of snow. She wanted to make sure he was ok but she respected his wishes. She closed her eyes again, listening to the soft howl of the wind and the silence that the snow brought. Rayne wandered the cave looking for anyone to play with. Quinn ran off after the deer, disappearing into the forest. After waiting patiently amd taking every step meticulously, she lunged at the deer, taking it down with one snap of the neck. She began feasting on the deer while it was still fresh. She couldn't stay long do she had to fill up quickly. For if she stayed, she risked the chance of attracting other lone wolves who would kill her on the spot. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 It was a short trip until Rayne came upon Arcum, who was slowly moving towards Storm. He stopped in his tracks, looked down, and tilted his head, "...hello little one." It had been forever since he had seen a pup. The lifeblood of any pack, treasures to protect and teacher as the future of their way of life. He laid down so he came eye to eye with her. "What is your name child?" Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 "Maybe you should have Lily look at it soon to see if she can do anything more to it to make it more comfortable and for it hurt less," Kim said in reply before looking over at the bear carcass. "I actually meant patrolling instead of hunting because now that I look at the bear that you and Storm caught yesterday it looks like it'll last us awhile and we won't have to hunt again for some time. I'm a bit embarrassed to have made that mistake. Would you still like to go with me?" Dakota woke up when she heard Frost move out of his makeshift den with Vokun after defrosting g the entrance. She followed them at a distance before getting something to eat for breakfast a short distance away from where they now were. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 (edited) Kiji continued to walk, heading up the mountain further to an outcroping of rocks. There he sat and looked down the mountain as emotions slowly built up inside. He suddenly snapped his head back and howled in anger, sorrow and guilt. Weak, pathetic runt. his mother's words echoed in his head as he howled. Born an outcast, always an outcast. It's in your blood. Be a brute like your brother, he'd be alpha one day, and you'll just be the one they take their anger out on. She was right on one thing, outcast pack runs in his blood, pure as far as he knew since the crystal broke. What if he turned on them? Was he even capable of that? And if his brother did attack them, would he be too weak to face him again? Kiji hasn't showed his neck to anywolf since his incident at eight moons old. His howl twisted into a scream of pure anger and frustration. He then jumped down, landing face first into a snow drift, buried up to his rump. The cold of the snow helped him think. He was good at getting out of situations like this, so he was fine, he just needed to cool off a bit before he headed back. He had to control himself. If his emotions got the best of him, he'd create a storm and hurt anyone who tries to come close. ((Humming let it go as I reread this)) - Lily heard her name, looking up from the bear ears twitching looking for who spoke it. She finishes eating and sat a little distance away from Acrum and Rayne watching the two interact with a little tilt of her head and a happy twitch of her tail. Edited July 6, 2017 by AroaraAngelwolf Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 (Ha! Idk why I laughed so hard reading that while playing that song in my head) Rayne wagged her tail with excitement as another wolf have her attention. "Hi, I'm Rayne", she smiled. Storms ears picked up when she heard Kiji's howl/scream. She couldn't hide how worried she was for him any longer. She got up and started running after him when she saw him jump. She stopped dead in tracks when she heard cracking beneath the snow. 'No... Not this... Anything but this. Please.' She knew that sound anywhere. The cracking sound continued. It was exactly what she had feared- the start of an avalanche. With the unsettled fresh snow and Kiji's howl, it wasn't hard to believe. She knew she had to act quickly. She bolted for the cave, stopping at the entrance. "Avalanche!!!" She yelled in a serious tone. "Everyone out of the cave this is not a drill!!" She knew there were only two options; get everyone out of the cave and race to the top of the mountain so they don't get snowed in, or Arcum could possibly help. She saw Arcum with her pup. She had to trust her pack to use their best judgement to protect her pup as well as each other. In an instant, she had turned back, now running towards Kiji. She felt the snow already shifting beneath her feet as she ran. "Kiji!!!" She pushed herself to run faster. He was already buried in snow, if the avalanche covered him, it'd be near impossible to find him. She kept sliding and falling. She saw herself getting further and further from him even though she was running directly towards him, the snow was sliding her down the mountain. Tears started rolling down her fur as she pushed herself harder. Her biggest fear was failure. When Rayne heard her mom yell to the pack she got closer to Arcum, unsure of what to do. Fear struck her eyes as she'd never experienced an avalanche before. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 Eclipse smiled. "Well of course I'll go with you," he said. "But yes, let me go back to-" "Brother, Kim! Avalanche!" Lunar said. "We need to go!" Lunar had her ears flat, worried about what was going on. "You think you can help me Kim?" Eclipse asked urgently. He would need both her and his sister to help. --- Solar paused, sniffing the air to smell blood. Following the scent, she soon discovered a deer carcass with another eating away at it. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 Arcum immediately stood up as he felt the earth shake. Not even a day and the pack had to deal with a disaster. Arcum was ready to bolt out of the cave until he remembered the pup that was not against his leg. He needed to get out there, use his power, and stop this. He picked up Rayne and set her on his back, "Hold on Rayne..." He raced outside, the snow was coming down hard, but as it neared his body, it split and moved to the left and right of him. His eyes glowed a deep blue as he exerted his ability. He saw the two wolves outside. Kiji near the top, and Storm tumbling down. He needed to act fast, knowing in his condition, he couldn't go for both. "Loyalty to the Alpha..." He kicked himself mentally and began to focus his energy on the fresh snow. He needed to freeze it solid... turn it to solid ice. His body still protected Rayne from any excess snow that would have fallen on them. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 (edited) ((Dang it Kiji, can't get a Break. You had to start an avalanche)) Kiji had heard the avalanche and kicked his feet trying to worm his way deeper into the snow. His howl caused this. Stupid, stupid idiot. He did what he feared, put his pack in danger. 'Kiji!' he heard storm. Go, leave me. I'm weak and cause trouble, let me be buried. He thought. No! His pack cared for him. His loyalty was unyielding, he was nothing like his brother. If anything, he was stronger. Enjoy explosion of snow and Kiji was out, flying down the mountain, snow in front of him parting and being whipped behind as the storm winds whipped around him. This was his fault and he'd fix it. He whipped passed Arcum and Rayne, Lily and the others who were heading out of the cave, leaping with help of the wind and snow, landed behind storm grabbing her scruff in his mouth as his claws found ice and stopped the fall. Eyes glowing brightly, he started heading upwards, unlike the splitting around the ice wolf, Kiji focused intensely on keeping the wind in front of him, creating a pressure bubble that the snow would hit and flow over him and storm. With help of the ice, he made it up to the cave again and started past it, the way being cleared by both him and Arcum as the avalanche continued to build. ((Hope its okay, I can edit too.) ------ Lily helped warn the others before heading outside to see if anyone needed help. She froze as she saw snow racing towards her, tail tucked in fear. She whimpers and just stood there like a mouse in the eyesight of a snake. --- Yakuza heard a rumble and looked up at the mountain, seeing the start of an avalanche. He didn't react, being near the base where there was little to no snow, simply picking up his fish and walked to a dry spot to eat them. Edited July 6, 2017 by AroaraAngelwolf Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 Rayne held on to his back, petrified. She had never seen such a sight. She clung to him for her life. She could see her mom and Kiji ahead of them. She whimpered, afraid of one of the wolves getting hurt. She kept her head low and her eyes closed to avoid the snow getting in her eyes. Storm was half way buried in snow, still attempting to track up the mountain when she could feel the snow getting thicker to walk through. Arcum's powers were working as the snow began to harden. She was stuck in the snow as it was freezing up, thinking she had failed to rescue Kiji and the others. Her tears had froze to her fur before they could fall. Suddenly she felt someone lifting her from the snow. She looked up with fear stricken eyes to see it was Kiji. There was a moment of relief. As he dragged her upwards, she tried to pull her own weight. Her paws were near frozen, making it hard to walk. Still, she pushed herself to walk. She glanced back, making sure everyone was getting out of the cave safely. Quinn picked up on the scent of another wolf in the distance. She growled softly as she continued eating, swishing her tail back and forth as a warning. She didn't want a fight but she wasn't ready to stand down either. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 Arcum calmly walked on top of the ice as the avalanche ended, the ice changing under him into packed snow. He made his way to Storm and Kiji, "You are both okay? I have stabilized the ice here... it should not fall again until we move on." He lowered his body so Rayne could get off to be with her mother. "Not even a day and you life has been in peril twice Alpha. Perhaps we should move away from the mountains?" He cocked his head. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 Solar gritted her teeth, the wolf was wagging her tail as a warning. She stood at a respective distance, licking her lips hungrily, staring at the carcass. She inhaled sharply, lowering herself flat on her belly and crawled forward to see how close she could get. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 "Okay and sure," Kim said in reply with her own smile before she heard what Lunar said about the avalanche. She quickly moved towards the entrance but hen stopped to wait to see what Eclipse needed her help with. She thought it might be the bear carcass but she wanted to be sure first before she assumed anything. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 6, 2017 Eclipse was leaning on his sister for support. Lunar was trying to get Eclipse out of the cave as fast as she could, but he was still injured and couldn't walk as fast. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 (edited) Storm stood weakly as she did a visual headcount while listening to Arcum's advice. It wasn't her first choice to be on the mountain but she had to follow the crystal. She looked down at the Xenon Crystal around her neck and saw that it lit up when she faced the peak of the mountain. "We need to continue heading up this mountain, it's where the crystal is leading us. Who knows what lies on the other side of this mountain but I don't think it can get any worse. We're on the shaded side, hence all the snow. The sun is hitting the other side of this mountain, meaning there'll probably be minimum to no snow once we reach the other side. Which also means, plenty of animals to hunt and there is likely more water sources. I know everyone just woke up but if we can make it to the other side we can hunt for food and water", she said realizing most of the pack was probably hungry. She herself hadn't eaten this morning and she trembled lightly she had clumps of ice now frozen to her fur, especially on her paws. She turned to Kiji, "What were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed! And what's worse, you put the entire pack in danger," her voice cracked as she wasn't yelling at him out of anger, she was yelling at him because she cared. Tears started to form in her eyes but she refused to cry. She turned away, fearing she would start crying if she looked at him again. "I lost my parents before I could open my eyes. I lost the one person who raised me, my mentor. I'm not losing anyone else!" The pack was the only family she knew. She started walking towards Arcum and Rayne. "Thank you Arcum, for keeping her and the others safe", she said as she reached for the fur on Rayne's neck. Rayne barked loudly at Storm when she tried removing her from Arcum. She clung tighter to Arcum when he went to set her down, refusing to get off his back. Storm growled, "Rayne, what has gotten in to you?" Rayne buried her face in Arcum and in a muffled voice she said, "I don't wanna go with you! You keep leaving me! Just leave me alone, it's what you're good at doing!" Storm flicked her tail as she became overwhelmed with everything happening. 'You did run to the source of danger twice, leaving your pup behind both times'. She sighed, "If Arcum doesn't want you bothering him, then you are going to walk with Kiji or me". She turned away from everybody. "Everyone keep up!" she demanded in a frustrated voice. She walked ahead of everyone but climbed at a slow pace so everyone could keep up. Quinn watched the wolf and grew confused when she didn't attack. The wolf almost seemed submissive. 'What is she doing? She should be attacking me right now! Wait...' it all started to make sense to her. 'Has growing up with the Outcasts really impacted me this much? None of these wolves want to attack you. You were taught that from the Outcasts. Why do you think that other wolf let you sleep in his den? And you're here ready to snap someone's neck off over food'. She could't help but feel ashamed of herself. This wasn't her, this was what being with the Outcasts had shaped her into. She immediately stopped growling and lowered her ears and head, backing away from the carcass. "I-I'm sorry. Please, help yourself", she said to the wolf. Edited July 7, 2017 by cattygal210 Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 Kim saw what Lunar and Eclipse were doing and sighed with very light pink cheeks. "I'm sorry guys. I must be really out of it today," she said just before going to his other side and helping Lunar support him while they walked out of the cave entrance. When they had made it out, she heard everything that Storm said and nodded in understanding before turning slightly towards the path that would lead up to the mountain's peak but waited for Lunar to do the same since she wanted to walk with the former simultaneously. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 Kiji already had his head low and tail between his legs. "I know.. I'm sorry... I'm stupid and weak and take the blame for this. " He muttered avoiding to look at her. He was exhausted and would move slower then the rest. "Please, take the ice off first to avoid frostbite in your paws." He offered weakly as she was walking away. He winced as she told the pup to stay with him or Arcum. He moved after her, staying behind, head down, tail dragging the ground as he stumbled upwards, power having drained him and made his legs like a newborn fawn's shaky and threatening to give out from under him. Lily looked back and saw eclipse struggling. "I have more herbs for pain, and can heal the wounds more today." She offered to him before moving with Arcum, feeling safer with him, although her paws slipped on the ice beneath them. She kept her nails short for healing and dealing with wounds, so she wasn't good on ice. ---- Yakuza finished his fish and went looking for another meal, thinking it was an injured animal he smelled he went towards it, stopping when he smelled the wolf from last night and one he didn't know. He paused, tail swishing behind him. Should he approach? He didn't like to fight. --- As frost approached the mountain base with the pup he saw the crystal flash. So, it was up there, or... in it possibly. The snow is difficult for those who aren't used to it to maneuver, and he was going to suggest a different route that still went around the mountain however.... He looked back at Slade with a wide, wicked grin. Oh to see that hot headed wolf struggle through the snow turning to slush at his feet. Pay back for his remark last night and challenging him of all the wolves. His exact opposite. With the two powers canceling each other out, in a test of strength and strategy, he'd be most likely to win. Up there, was his sanctuary. Snow and ice. To see hot paws out of his comfort zone would be a wonderful show to watch. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 Eclipse couldn't blame Kim. "It's alright," he said they moved along. "I know this trip has everyone out of sorts." His ears perked up at Lily's words. "Why thank you Lily." He would definitely need the herbs whenever he got into a good spot. Lunar didn't say anything, she wanted to just focus on getting her brother into a safe spot. ~~~ Solar tilted her head at the wolf's thoughts. Outcasts? Now that was interesting. She stayed put until the wolf backed off and told her to help herself. "Thank you," she said as she moved to eat. "What are the Outcasts?" Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 (edited) Storm dismissed his concern for her by saying, "I'm fine... My paws are numb anyway so it isn't bothering me." She struggled to stay ahead of them as her paws were in fact numb, so with each step her paw would bend and cause her to lose balance if she wasn't careful. She pushed herself harder as she could see they were almost to the top of the mountain. She would look back every so often to make sure the group was together and that nobody was falling behind. She caught sight of her pup who seemed happy talking to Arcum. As she continued trudging upward, she thought, 'I know you don't wan't to admit it, but she needs a father figure in her life. You can't keep doing this on your own. She's only going to be little for so long. You don't want her growing up hating you because she thinks her mom cares more about the pack than her.' She was conflicted because she never had a mate before. She was all too often independent and didn't know how to let anyone in. Distracted with her thoughts she lost her footing and slid down the mountain a couple of feet. She became frustrated as she picked herself up and began trudging back up. She felt bad seeing everyone struggle to climb up the mountain, but if they could make it to the top, they could take a break. Quinn tilted her head as she grew confused. 'I don't remember saying any of that out loud' she thought as she looked back at the wolf. "Wait, hold on, how did you- Did you read my mind???" She asked. She then picked up on a familiar scent nearby. When she turned her head she saw the wolf that had given her a place to sleep. She layed down submissively as to make herself seem non-threatening and nodded her head for him to come join them. She looked back at the she-wolf. "You don't know who the Outcasts are? They're a horrible pack of wolves who are after the Xenon Crystal", she sighed, "I can't believe I was one of them...", she said in a softer voice. She had flashbacks of her brother. Even though he treated her poorly, he was still her brother. She would give her life for his even though she knew he wouldn't even think about doing the same for her. Slade narrowed his eyes on Frost as he caught him smirking at him. He resisted growling and starting a fight. He caught up to the pack and looked at Frost, "So what's the plan?" He asked un-enthusiastically. Edited July 7, 2017 by cattygal210 Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 Arcum turned his head in surprise at the young pups words. He gathered himself with a sigh, and with a quick motion, plopped Rayne onto his back once more, "...I understand your anger Rayne... but you must understand that she never wants to leave you. Her responsibility as Alpha is very overwhelming, and as such, she has to give equal time to all members... yet she finds a way to make you priority. She has us keep you safe so that when she returns from the danger, you are there for her, and she is there for you..." He looked at the sky, "We are a nomad pack Rayne... unless we settle down in a single place, this trend will most likely continue until you are old enough to fend for yourself." He smiled a a small poof of snow covered Rayne's head, "That mean as long as I can carry you on my back, you need to trust your mother, respect her wishes, as well as always love her. Do that all make sense?" Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 Kiji stopped beside storm when she slipped down and struggled back up in front. He was breathing heavily, eating snow for water to keep his jaws from sticking together. "Numb paws, first......" He painted, legs giving out and he struggled back up, his prints wobbly, like he ate fermented berries. "Sign of frost bite." He stumbled again "So tired....." she easily surpassed him, as he steadily grew slower. --- Lily nodded and walked with Arcum. "He's right. Your mother heard you barking in the storm where we nearly lost you. Your mother, despite her injuries was desperate to get back to you to make sure you were safe and secure. You're her everything. " Lily added slipping and smacking her nose on the ice. She got up with tears in her eyes. "That really hurt..." --- Yakuza walked over to the two females. "I one too, before Alpha killed by skull wolf. Left young, I wanted to join packs. They kept me for I am very strong, and very fast." To demonstrate, he gripped the deer's hind leg in his mouth and with a tug, tore it clean off, breaking the bone of the leg part between his jaws at the same time. He dropped the leg in front of solar for her to eat. --- "The jewel says it's up there, so.. we go up." He said with a cold laugh. "This will be fun, for me at least, a little cold doesn't bother me anyway." He turned and started up the mountain with the pup. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 Rayne huffed as she wasn't getting her way and was still too young to fully comprehend what Arcum and Lily were saying. "But she's my mom. Nobody else's. And if she loved me, she'd let me have a daddy. But she won't let me have one which means I need more attention." She whimpered as she saw Lily hurt herself, "Are you okay miss?" Storm was more concerned with Kiji's condition than her own. She shook her head. "No, I worry about you first. We can take care of my paws later. If we stop now the pack is going to freeze." She trembled as she purposely slid behind Kiji and used the last of her strength to help push him up the rest of the way. Once she had managed to push him to the mountain peak, her body collapsed as she layed on the snow. She lay between the peak and the remainder of the pack. She would wait there to assist any of the wolves if they needed help reaching the peak. Arcum, Lily, and Rayne were coming up her way. Trailing them was Lunar, Kim, and Eclipse. Quinn watched silently as he demonstrated his strength. She could smell water nearby which reminded her of how parched she was. Slade sighed as he began to trek up the mountain. It wasn't hard since the heat he focused on his paws melted the snow at a such a high temperature that he was able to melt through the snow and get through to the dead grass under the snow, which helped his traction. He knew that once he got further up the mountain where there was feet of snow, he would have to conserve his power for it would be too deep to melt through to the actual mountain and if he tried using his power to gain traction he knew he would just create a meshy slush and slide. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 7, 2017 Kim nodded when she heard what Eclipse said before continuing to help Lunar support him as they walked up the mountain. She smiled a bit at Lily when she came over to them to interact with Eclipse regarding his injuries and what she could do more for him before the former had caught up with Arcum and little Rayne. She could see that her group of three was trailing behind the former three and that Storm and Kiji had already made it to the peak. She didn't mind that they were slow because that just meant that they could take their time especially on the super slippery spots where the ice was more prevalent. After Dakota had finished eating, she followed Slade, Frost, and Vokun towards the mountain and started the long trek up it. The cold didn't bother her either but she didn't say anything as she continued to walk up it. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 8, 2017 Kiji flopped to the side, fighting to stay awake, he crawled over until he was three feet from storm, before his head hit the snow, blacking out from exhaustion. This time, his sleep was deep without any dreams. Laying on his side, he had pink paw pads, save for one that was black and smooth on his hind leg. ---- Lily nodded and winced. It felt like she had been kicked in the brain. "I'll be fine dear. Let me put it this way, she is your mom yes. However sweetie, she is responsible for our lives. It's what she was trained and raised to do. And what you'd be trained and raised to take her place. She's like a mother to all of the pack. When we argue like little ones, we turn to her to solve the issue, if we're in trouble she saves us, if we cause the trouble, she scolds us. As for a daddy... well, she needs someone she can trust to watch you, the pack and herself too. " ---- Yakuza smacked his lips together. "But it makes me thirsty and really hot..." He muttered walking off to find water. -- Frost carried the pup on his back, freezing the snow beneath him and walking on top without leaving a print behind. Share this post Link to post
Posted July 9, 2017 Arcum nodded in agreement with Lily, "That is correct... but... if you are patient, perhaps we can convince her to give you a responsibility in the pack, do something to not only occupy your time, but help the pack. Doing that would also have you interact with the others of the pack all the time." He smiled, "Are you okay with me carrying you still Rayne? I'm sure someone warmer would carry you if you wish." Share this post Link to post
Posted July 9, 2017 Rayne looked at Lily, "I can help mommy. I'm brave enough to protect the pack", she said as she wagged her tail. She then looked back at Arcum, "I wanna go hunting! Mommy says it's too dangerous though," she huffed. "I wanna be with Kiji!" She said as she jumped off Arcum and rushed over to Kiji. She whimpered when she saw him passed out. She would curl up on his side for warmth as she stayed beside him, as he was her favorite in the pack. Storm saw Kiji and grew worried. She watched as Lily and Arcum passed her and began making it to the top. As she waited for Kim, Lunar, and Eclipse, she drug herself to where Kiji was and rested her head on him to keep him warm. When Kim, Lunar, and Eclipse got close enough, she would start to nudge him up the hill. Rayne would have a little scruff of Kiji's fur in her mouth as she wanted to help drag him up the mountain too but she was so little that her efforts were useless. But Storm let her think she was helping. She was able to push him to the peak again. There, Storm continued laging next to him to keep him from freezing. She was relieved when she got to the peak and saw the sunlight hitting the side of the mountain. This side was covered with plenty of trees and vegetation. Storm would lick Kiji and whimper softly as she whispered, "we made it". She would put her frozen paws in the sunlight. She could no longer feel them but she watched as the snow melted off her fur. Quinn watched as he walked off and she stood and walked off in an opposite direction. She wasn't used to being on her own and being able to go wherever she wanted to. Share this post Link to post
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