In Dire Straits

this is shit but OH WELL

Althea frowned as she walked, focusing on the beat of her paws against the ground. The constant, steady rhythm was one of the few things that kept her sane. It wasn't like she could babble under her breath or something of the sort to distract herself. Her constantly flaming anger and bitterness were certainly doing her no favors. So, she focused on the crushed grass beneath her pads and the damp air being sucked into her lungs. Traveling alone with no means of staying stable in the mind when there wasn't much other to do than walk was something Thea decided she didn't want to do anytime soon.

She supposed she deserved it. She had made such a big deal those years ago, announcing her independence when she was little more than an overgrown pup. Well, not technically announcing since she couldn't physically do something like that. More like playing a lengthy game of charades to get her point across. She had been in her rebellious phase, a phase of stupid decisions and pride that made her refuse to return to her home even when times grew tough. And now it was too late to return. She was not the kind of person to appreciate pitying looks.

Now, however, her nose caught a scent and she grinned to herself. Subconsciously, she did a quick double-tap of her back right paw before propelling herself into a short run. She had smelled a pack a ways back, but now it was certainly stronger than it was before. The lavender-eyed female followed the scent of some foreign group, aware she was being a bit enthusiastic. She didn't know this group, didn't know how they worked or their beliefs. Fuck it. It wasn't as if Althea had much to lose.

She skidded to a stop when she was met with the moat, nearly sliding right into it. The light of dawn bathed her honeycomb pelt in warm colors as she stared down blankly at the water below, curious as to why it was there. It didn't appear to be a river. But, even if it wasn't a river, wouldn't that technically make the land across the moat an island? If the moat ran all the way around, of course. Dismissing the thought, she followed the moat until she came to an odd bridge. Hm, weird. Deciding against crossing, Thea merely sat down at the base of the bridge, her tail thumping against the grass nearby.

Following the moat was closer to the internal packland than Connor usually liked to patrol. It felt more like a job of the Swords, or Orcrist if he felt like it. Connor was much more comfortable on the outer scent borders. It felt safer for everyone if outsiders were forced to interact as far away from the leaders as they could. Things tended to end more civil when neither side had an army to call upon if things went south.

It was a soft 'thump thump' sound followed by a lively trot that pricked the Page's ears up. Someone was making their way toward the land bridge, and so far there were no others appearing to stop them. Strange that no one would be keeping an eye on the way into their territory. But then, Connor supposed, how would the Pages show their worth if the Swords had to do everything?

Keeping his footsteps slow and light the small wolf nosed his way through the underbrush. His nose twitched at the sight of a golden pelt. Connor didn't know this figure, and she smelled nothing like Alteron. The Page was sure he would have remembered a pelt that colour. It was so easy to spot against the dark foliage. She was taller than him by a hair, but looked much lighter.

If it came to a fight Connor was sure he could take her. Still, no need to be openly aggressive without need.

The grey wolf stalked quietly out of the underbrush to the new figure's left, red eyes soft and open. It often took newcomers unawares that Alteron's Page turned out to be small and soft looking. If it wasn't for his scars, Connor was sure he would look completely harmless.

"Hello. My name is Connor, and I am a Page sent by Alteron. May I ask what your business is on our bridge?"

She looked to her left to see a gray wolf emerge, scars covering his features. Althea carefully scrutinized him with careful lilac eyes, her curiosity shining through. He was just the smallest bit shorter than her (a surprise, considering she wasn't typically considered tall) and quite a bit heavier. Striking red eyes appeared soft compared to her cold ones. She supposed she couldn't judge eye colors considering her own. His scars were one of the few things that concerned her if only a little bit. However, scars did not guarantee strength or aggressiveness.

She moved into a sitting position, shaking loose grass from her fur as she eyed the stranger. He spoke, his words monotonous when they met Thea's ears. Her eyes narrowed inquisitively, quickly picking apart the information offered by the male. So, the pack's name was Alteron. Interesting enough, she figured. And this figure was some sort of-what did he say? A page. She had no idea what the hell that was but figured it was some sort of rank in the pack she planned to join. She would learn soon enough if she was accepted, after all.

Then he asked her business on the bridge. She almost snorted. She wasn't on the bridge, she was just before its beginning. She was a stickler for details, she knew, but she couldn't help the snide thoughts. Pushing them aside, she lapsed into the usual game of charades that accompanied meeting new people and in this situation, joining. A new development, to be sure. Eh, more room for her to adapt and perfect her attempts at trying to be understood. She was glad she was comfortable at least, figuring she would probably be here longer than need be.

Before she began, she put on a pleasant smile in greeting. And then the game of charades began. First, she gestured to her throat, mockingly mouthing words without any sound coming out of her maw. Then, she shook her head. There's the obvious out of the way, she thought. Now, how the hell to convey she wanted to join? She gestured to herself as a whole, then pointing across the bridge. How the hell that was supposed to get the point across, she had no idea. She was still thinking up ways to convey her name, but her best guess was somehow getting him to relay the alphabet and her nodding when the right letters were spoken. Although it was quite tedious.

She would cross that bridge when she got there, quite literally.

The female was assessing him. That at least was something Connor recognised. The sweep of her eyes over his form, the careful lingering over Connor's scars, this he understood. Every creature that entered Alteron had to be assessed be they prey, enemies or possible converts. The lack of sound was somewhat disconcerting. Usually outsiders were either snarking or begging by now.

She was certainty a quiet one, choosing to shake herself out and began a number of gestures Connor had never seen before. A puzzle! If Connor was the type to openly emote his tail would have been twitching in excitement. Puzzles were something the Page greatly enjoyed. Completing them kept his mind sharp.

The first clue was the guesture to her throat and the lack of noise that emerged when she opened and closed her mouth. But what her silence a choice or a physical defect? It seemed unwise to refuse to answer the guards of a new pack, so the possibility of her choosing silence was a very low percentage.

The guesture to the centeral packlands was less obvious. She clearly wanted to enter Alteron, but for what purpose? A new recruit, another pack's emissary, or an enemy? Connor's ears twitched back toward the nameless female. Without certainty that she was looking for acceptance Connor did not have the authority to let her in.

This was a problem for a higher up.

Lifting his head Connor let out a series a howls and yelps that he hoped would bring him a second opinion on the matter. Keeping his eyes locked onto the pale female he began to once again speak softly, but with purpose.

"Without a higher ranking official to complete your claim, I am currently unable to allow you to enter Alteron. You may either leave now, or wait with me for someone with a higher point of authority to speak to you. I appologise for any inconvenience caused by the delay."

“Oh no, you’re not going to let her just walk out after all the trouble she’s gone through to find us, little Page,” Falco’s voice was low and smooth but loud enough that they would clearly hear him before he was physically upon them. He had the easy gait of any creature with impressively long legs, closing in on them in moments and casting the scarred page a dark look. “It isn’t welcoming.”

The Magus moved past Connor, past the little sand colored timber wolf, rounding her in towards his Kingdom like herding a sheep. Their bodies came so close their fur barely perceptively brushed against each other as he came around to face Connor on her side. Falco had to tilt his head slightly to look down at her, his sharp eyes intensely staring into her and the ghost of a properly wolfish smile tugged at his lips.

“Does my kingdom entice you, outsider?” Falco asked in a teasing tone. “I can’t blame you. Moths are drawn to flames. It’s in their nature, as it’s in ours.”

He noticed she wouldn’t have an answer to him, not in the way she would have liked to answer him surely. It seemed she couldn’t speak, a mute, but even Falco didn’t see this minor disability as anything particularly limiting in the grand scope of things. The Hierophant limped and ached, but her tongue was clever, and the people listened to her on her unique privilege of being the littermate of a freshly fallen ruler they had respected. Wolves could be powerful in ways that weren’t initially noticed by the masses, but the Magus had a clever eye for unseen talent. A mute she-wolf could never tell their secrets, could never weave complicated lies, and there was only one other thing she needed to offer to Alteron to secure her place.

“Let me see your teeth, don’t be shy,” Falco commanded. “Show them to our Page friend here. He’ll want to know if you can bite.”

Althea was a bit startled when Connor began to call for someone, initially confused for his reasoning. Had she done something wrong? She was being more polite than she normally was in the recent years of her life! And what if he was calling for help to drive her off or something of the sort? Shifting to her feet and moving away momentarily, her shoulders relaxed when Connor explained his actions. She breathed a sigh before nodding towards him, once more sitting and waiting. She didn't mind, especially since today she was in a good mood.

Someone was quick to appear, and to say Althea was happy was a true statement until she fully took in the stranger. She shied away from his voice, careful not to let her body language display her unease at his arrival. She listened carefully, narrowing her eyes when the foreign individual sent a dark look at Connor. It wasn't as if the scarred Page had been unwelcoming and he clearly seemed to somewhat understand her. That was more than what many could say.

It was when he crossed the bridge that she couldn't help herself, shifting to her feet and watching his movements as he began herding her towards the bridge. She kept moving away from him and each time he came closer, forcing her onto land to which she did not yet belong. She didn't like how small she was compared to him, even standing at her highest she didn't reach his shoulders. Not to mention that he surely weighed far more than her. If things were to go sour, she would fall if she could not run. It made Thea wonder what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into.

When the stranger spoke teasingly, her violet eyes narrowed. If these games continue, I won't find it so 'enticing' much longer, she thought mockingly, backing up just the slightest. She had little interest in getting into a fight today, even as her mood began to spoil. When he compared her to a moth, however, her pride demanded retaliation. She was no mindless moth, gliding desperately toward a fiery end. She had no intent to let her life be as ended as foolishly as that. To draw similarities between her and a suicidal moth was something she equated to a minor insult.

It was then that he demanded she show her teeth and Althea decided she was happy to comply, especially if it shut him up. Her lips peeled back to expose her pale teeth, stark against her pink gums. Her snarl was a soundless one, although she was careful not to show any other signs of aggression other than the tensing of her shoulders. The gesture was directed solely at the nameless newcomer before she snapped her jaws shut, attentively making sure her teeth audibly clicked together when she fell completely silent once more. Although through all her cautiousness, her lavender eyes still betrayed her unease as she gazed up at the male.

Connor refused to shy under Falco's words. If he had made a mistake in calling for a higher up then that was his burden to bare. The huge wolf could probably tear hum apart in an instant if that was what Falco wanted. If that was what the Magnus wanted there was little he could do to change his mind.

Show us your teeth.

The sandy wolf's jaws clicked closed with the sound of bone on bone. From what Connor could tell she was uncomfortable under the gazes of both a Page and their Magnus. It was a feeling that Connor for one reciprocated. If she had not been a mute it would have been much easier just to accept her and go back to his duties.

Falco was...intimidating to say the least. His size alone caused many a wolf to cower, yet the new female stood strong.

"If there is something you wish to be called by it would help us greatly for you to find a way to share it with us." Connor began, a little unsure of how to act under Falco's scrutiny.

He had been expecting someone a little further down the food chain than the Magnus himself.

Even so, it was time to do his job.

"You seem to have no problems communication, although more complex ideas may cause trouble in the future." Connor began, his head tipping to one side. "I do not believe you would be suited to a Page or Jack, but your willingness to follow orders is a point in your favor. An Acolyte may be willing to teach you their trade if you are willing to learn."

Falco’s laugh came rolling out from deep in his throat, the humor doing nothing to light up his stoic, hawkish face. The little she-wolf’s lips peeled back, a hint of defiance coloring her every move, and she snapped her teeth together displaying to both the Alteronians present that she could bite indeed. She was still under the impression that she was going to get a choice in the matter, never aware of the fact that the Magus had decided her fate; she would come into Alteron as an equal or she would come in as a slave and now that she had shown him her weapons he knew exactly what kind of bite to expect if he found himself having to drag her in by shattered legs. Fortunately it would never come to that, because she was smart and useful, and for that she had Falco’s appreciation.

"If there is something you wish to be called by it would help us greatly for you to find a way to share it with us."

Falco would give her a moment to formulate an answer, but regardless he would rather humorously add, “I suppose we could always come up with a clever nickname, if all else fails.” Because certainly she would want a nickname from the Magus, who she was proving to love so much.

“I do not believe you would be suited to a Page or Jack, but your willingness to follow orders is a point in your favor. An Acolyte may be willing to teach you their trade if you are willing to learn.”

“We’ll find a place for her,” Falco said as he began to walk away, letting Connor finish his job. “Eventually.”

althea

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althea

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