[Malachi]

The long truck resting upon a meticulously decorated tusk, his ears lazily flapping on his head. The large beast could scent the water from miles away, but he could also smell the thick stench of wolves. It had been the unmistakable call that had carried across the dry winds of the desert. There was a pack that had chosen to live somewhere around here, and smell of them, they were doing rather well.
 
Years of fighting had left a myriad of scars along his hide, their dark color a stark contrast against his white skin. His time with humans had been less then pleasant, the weaponry the adorned his tusks and front legs a constant reminder. Why they had sought mammoths for their wars was not lost on Malachi, the larger the animal the more effective it was in defeating other packs of two-legged numbskulls. Tusks were used to displace men, campsites, and other smaller animals, his hulking body a battering ram. There had been few forces that the mammoth had come across that could hope to best him.
 
Sure, there had been other animals of his kind, but they had been young, stupid, and entirely too gentle. They knew nothing of the violence of war, and he had seen them break because of it, had their freedom stripped away, and once they had reached the end of their use they were left to die. A pity, really. But who was he to say differently, it was only until the massive mammoth had been able to escape during one particular battle, he smashed quite a few heads together, and made sure that he had caused enough damage before he ran to prevent them from following.
 
Rumbling growls made its way past his mouth, the deep sounds would travel far, sending vibrations into the ground. The white beast never favored being silent, he wanted every creature around him to know where he was at all times. The better to keep them away. In most cases, Malachi was more than triple their height, and no doubt weighed at least fifty times what they did. He was massive, and he was sure as hell loud.
 
Smoothly he rose his trunk from its resting place, reaching it forwards as he sniffed the air again. There was a tunnel coming closer and he understood that the scents were concentrated around there. He had found them. The closer he got, the noisier he became. There was nothing more ominous then such a tunnel, so with trumpeting he would announce his presence. Malachi had heard once before on how wolves appreciated strangers making themselves known. It was purely in good taste that he announced himself in such a way, no one could deny that he had gone unnoticed.
 
The large mammoth paused as he stepped a foot or two into the tunnel, his nose extending forward to give the area in his reach a good sniff, yes, this was the place that he sought. While he couldn’t deny he was a solitary creature most of the time, the enchanting tunnel only seemed to pique his curiosity further. Yes, this place would do nicely.

[Nova]

suCH A GOOD POST

[Crocuta]

speech ☄ ☄ Profile

Crocuta never truly came close to the tunnels anymore. Not after the Southern valley had started its re-opening. For some reason, the Folk had been more active today. She'd heard their mournful screams echoing throughout the valley. Had they spotted something? Were they warning them? Did they just take up singing for the day? She couldn't tell, but something had made her come this way.

Stretching each leg in turn as she walked into the tunnels, taking a deep breath as she caught every scent she could within. Checking each layer as she strode through them for any signs of intruders, let alone if anyone had patrolled them recently. She must keep her family safe, right? Once they had the southern valley open...She didn't know if she'd have the time to check after that, she'd be focused on hunting down what livestock or prey could be left alive within the valley.

It was the rumbling, ear-achingly loud trumpet that made Crocuta's spine arch and hackles raise. Her fur stood on end..She knew that sound all too well. Mammoth.

Green eyes darted around for a moment before she went trotting towards it. Head low, ears up, she took each step with swift-footed caution. She only hoped it was calling for peace...Not war. There was no way she could take one down by herself, even at her size. She could try, but one wrong move...She'd shudder a little. She'd do anything for her family, even if it meant throwing away her life.

As she approached, it was far too easy to see the lumbering, white giant. His tusks made her jaw gape for a heartbeat before she clenched it closed.

"Aye, big guy!" She'd call, her tail rising as she forced her fur to lie flat. "Whats the racket for? You come for blood or for peace?" She'd rumble, narrowing her eyes as she shook her head, the glowing paint on her face almost giving her a demonic look as it blurred with her movement. She moved her head around a lot, just simple movements, a display almost. She wondered if he'd feel it as a threat, be intimidated or just roll his eyes at it. A singular test of curiosity. Most prey items stood dazzled at the display, giving her time to make the death blow; but, mammoths were different. They always would be.

☄ ☄Soldier keep on marchin' on
Head down til the work is done
Waitin' on that morning sun
Soldier keep on marchin' on☄ ☄

[Malachi]

The large mammoth felt her approach before he saw her; the vibrations of the earthy tunnel tickling his feet. Compared to most other wolves he had seen in his travels, this one was obviously different, and he tried to recall if he had ever seen one so peculiar before. His musings were cut short as he noticed the various trappings that rested on her frame, had she been in the hands of humans as well? Filing that thought away for later, he focused on the way she approached him.
 
A curious display, moving her head around like that. While it might have worked for others that were more her size, it did little to dissuade his approach. It was all rather cute, dare he say. That aside, he did his best to appear as uninterested as possible. Not that he worried about setting her off with careless gestures that could be mistaken as threatening, he wasn’t one for close quarters, and he figured that neither of them wanted to duke it out in this place. Withdrawing his trunk back towards himself, “Worry not,” he carefully enunciated. “I mean you no harm.” But only for so long as their conduct remained the same.
 
Mal vaguely recalled his mother trying to teach him some measure of decorum, but alas, he was separated from her long before any such lesson stuck. But regardless of his lack of tact, he wanted to remain a neutral party until their dealings drew to a close. The wind from beyond the tunnel smelled of snow, yet the scent of water still called to him, except at this point it was very loud and bouncing off the insides of his skull. Soon, he reminded himself, he had no intentions to allow himself anything but entry, going back out into the desert sounded absolutely dreadful… 
 
Remembering his place, he spoke up. “I am called Malachi,” His name had little bearing on its actual meaning, for he was no angel. He was lucky enough to even receive a name, one of the older bulls had given it to him. “I was traversing the desert, when I scented your dwellings. I thought that perhaps it would be a nice place to live, that is, if you would allow it.” There was always something that other would require in return, such is the natural order of things. Malachi had little use for going to war, although his appearance said much the opposite.
 
There was only so much human filth one could wash off, he had been able to rid himself of the saddle, and its annoying occupants, everything else that remained were simply trophies. He had won his battles, and would not fight again unless he had to.

[Gévau]

Being as they were in the tunnel's entrance and he was on shift right now, he decided to wait and watch. As an immigration officer, it was his task to intercept anyone that sought refuge and garner their intentions. At the same time, a dark gal came rushing to see what exactly caused all the noise in their home's entrance. Gévau had initially been surprised to find a mammoth coming in from the direction of the desert but he supposed it was the only way to come from so it made some sort of sense...

He seemed big, they always did, but he wasn't menacing. That was a good first sign, another would lure Gévau from his hiding place. 

Next they began to speak and the behemoth explained he was no threat and even though this wouldn't normally be enough to grant the Bacchus Dire's trust, the fact that his body language and respect for their border policies as wolves told him a lot. He was big but a pack of wolves lived here and they had felled many mammoth, it was their way. And yet here he came still, it spoke volumes. 

Gévau nodded to himself and stood, trotting out from his cover along side the gal. He looked up at the brute, along his snout, eyes narrowing slightly. "You want to live with a pack of wolves Malachi?" His voice had the slightest hint of bacchus accent. He sniffed cautiously at the creature, normally they'd test entrants, see if they meant it but having such a creature in their home, defending it, would prove more than useful. "We have rules, a way of life, if you want in, to make this home and reap the benefits, you will need to work, provide and be loyal." He tilted his head and nodded at the beast. "Wolves rule here, you will be part of our citizenry, part of our world."

If he didn't like the sound of that, two wolves could hold off a single mammoth until more came.

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, Gévau was just getting the hang of his job!