bigger and better things // Yiska [OPEN]

[KaiNaium]

[bg=04ce63][atrb=border,0,table][atrb=width,399,table] She sat straight-backed at the foot of the largest tree she had ever seen, looking up for its leaves. She could not discern the leaves of this tree from any of the trees surrounding it; instead of being a single tree, it was a whole forest. The very concept astounded her. She looked all around her, and thousands of trees stood, all alike in dignity. She returned her gaze to the tree in front of her. What made this tree so special? Of the thousands upon thousands of trees in this forest, she looked upon this one as if it was the only tree she had ever seen. Her curiosity was overwhelming. In a sudden movement, she stood, jumped, and latched her claws to the soft tree bark. Her pack paws helped her to steadily work her way up the tree to the higher, sturdier branches. She jumped gracefully from branch to branch, utilizing her long, steppe-wolf legs and small body mass. She burst through the final layer of leaves with a huff and beheld greater a sight than she could ever have dreamed. Green, stretching from one horizon to the other, was the first thing she saw; an overwhelmingly beautiful sea of green. The second she noticed was the open air, with nothing above her but sky. This was more clearer a sky than she remembered against such a green tapestry. No clouds hung in the air, the sun free of their inhibitory shackles. Perhaps the most breathtaking element to such a view was the birds. Birds of all shapes, colors, sizes; they all sat up there, trilling their tune to one another. They noticed her after her initial 'huff' upon entering the scene, but she easily soothed them with sing-song thoughts and emotions sent through their disproportionately intelligent minds. The time afterwards was spent in pure awe. The wind blew, cooling her face from the normal water-heavy air of the forest floor and blowing aside the fur around her face. Her eyes closed in enjoyment and the faintest of smiles indented her face. She sunk back beneath the tree tops and onto a wide branch below. As she opened her eyes, she noticed that her immersion had left a significant hole in the canopy. Content, she sat and watched the sun set, her mind spread out among the forest to identify ill-meaning minds. As the sun set, stars emerged. She thought as she lay there, It seems so small down here, because everyone's so close. She sighed. Up there, she smiled at the stars, everything's bigger. She thought back to a time, so long ago she hardly remembered, when she lived in a place quite contrary to Cascadia. The Steppe was a much more open place. Everyone was spread out, so the landscape seemed so large. It seemed so large, in fact, everything else seemed so small. Here, she thought, I'm small enough to think, but large enough to matter.

[/color] [/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center] [/right]

[Forte]

Through the underbrush that surrounded this giant tree leisurely, yet purposefully, trotted another wolf. His fur was brown and plain but for hundreds of specks of color that gleamed green, yellow and blue like eyes sometimes did at night. His eyes were blue at the moment. Around his neck hung a small sack that seemed to be bulging with something, and two feathers fluttered near his shoulders, held there by strings that seemed to be tangled into the wolf's fur. This wolf's name was Yiska, and he was humming absentmindedly.

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. He had smelled something. Prey? Danger? Another wolf? Yes, a wolf, that was it. A female. A traveler. And there was something else, something else...something less tangible...the wolf's eyes widened. Magic? Excited now, he traced the scent. It was very recent. He found it near the base of the tree, and it led him toward its massive buttresses, and then...up the tree? What? He cocked his head, confused. Was that her magic? Maybe. Or maybe not. Yiska looked harder at the tree trunk and saw scratch marks in the thin film of moss that covered it. Considering his affection for this particular tree, its injuries bothered him surprisingly little; he had not encountered another wolf in his forest for some time. He had to investigate.

Yiska had never climbed the tree for fear of harming it, but the stranger's scratch marks proved to him that the bark was tough enough to withstand a half-hearted attack. In the name of socialization. He surveyed the trunk and noticed that where the stranger's claw marks were, were indentations and knots that could be used as pawholds. The brown wolf backed up a few paces, then lunged at the tree, scrabbling to get up. But he still felt guilty and tried too hard to keep his claws from penatrating the bark. Still he was determined. Again he tried, and this time he made it to the lowest branch. From here it was just a matter of leaping from limb to limb, rising ever higher...and then he broke out into the sunlight.

Sunlight? You're kidding. Sunlight in Cascadia? Where it rained more days than the trees grew? Impossible. But there it was. And not only was the sun making a rare appearance, but there was actually not a cloud in the sky. Yiska marveled. He had seen few days so clear. Too bad he had missed it: the sun was already near the horizon. He had gone all day without noticing the clear weather. "Shows how much the trees know that you don't," he muttered to himself.

Then he noticed the brown wolf on the tree branch. "Oh--my apologies." He greeted the female wolf with a nod. "I hope I didn't startle you."

[KaiNaium]

[bg=04ce63][atrb=border,0,table][atrb=width,399,table] As she lay, spread openly on the great arm of the tree, her mind was spread throughout the seemingly endless forest. Small thoughts, the thoughts of tiny creatures and the endless supply of birds, made up most of the activity. Here and there, she sensed deer-thoughts, snake-thoughts, and other, more sophisticated presences. And then she sensed another wolf. Her first reaction was flight; she didn't know him. He could mean harm. Immediately, she searched his thoughts and emotions. Surprisingly, she sensed concernedness, but not for her. She chuckled inwardly a little bit. He's concerned... for the tree. Then, amidst the massive about of worry, was curiosity. He had sensed her now, and was carefully making his way to the first branch, the way she heard it in his mind. Her ears caught the light scratching of claws-on-bark. Deciding largely that the male was no harm to her, she sat up and waited for the male to emerge. He burst through the last layer of leaves and entered into her previously-solo sanctuary. His monitored thoughts reported: he was amazed. He had never seen such sunlight in this place. He called it by... Cascadia. She liked the name, it fitted somehow. Then, he called forth words. "Shows how much the trees know that you don't," he muttered. She wouldn't have been able to hear it, if he hadn't been thinking it as well. Then, apparently noticing her, he exclaimed, "Oh-- my apologies." He nodded at her, formally greeting her, and said, "I hope I didn't startle you." Startling her was a hard thing to do, but of course the male didn't know that. It was times like these when she wished there was a way for her to hide her powers. Projecting her thoughts into his head, she said, "No, no. No startling occured." She stood, stretching her front legs and shaking out her brown coat. "I just hope I'm not intruding."

[/color] [/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center] [/right]

[Forte]

The smell of magic was stronger now that Yiska was nearer to the wolf who possessed it. He could smell the other places she had been, too. Surprisingly, her coat was quite similar to his own. He had not expected a wolf who was not from around here, to have fur so similar to that of the other wolves he had met. Wolves in Cascadia typically had brown or green fur to camouflage them in the thick plantlife.

Yiska's curiosity about the wolf's magic was soon satisfied: Telepathy! he thought with a smile. His own magic was nothing like hers, so while his question had been answered, the answer opened the way for many more. "What interesting magic. Do you hear others' thoughts as well?" Yiska sat down on the rough bark and admired the pretty, if rather boringly-colored, sunset. The absence of clouds did have its downside. But the landscape itself was magnificent. His forest stretched as far as the eye could see, and not so very far away in the east, two huge mountains rose side-by-side, the guardians of Cascadia. Yiska had always hoped to visit those mountains some day, to see his forest from their point of view, but the thought of leaving his home always hurt the wolf, who had lived here since he was born and felt an attachment to the place that, apparently, none of his siblings had felt, for they had left in search of greener pastures...metaphorically, speaking, of course. Cascadia was certainly green enough for anyone who loved the color.

The brown wolf turned away from the view of the forest toward the other brown wolf, happy to have company after being so long alone.

[Valitrix]

NIARA

Niara flew, breeze rippling her brightly colored fur, sun beating down on her back. Below her a sea of green that most would call a forest, passed by quickly. She had no home, and instead traveled around aimlessly, stopping to hunt here and there. Her wings and small size allowed her to travel quite quickly, and she had seen many different places in her short life. This was a new place though, a very lush forest by the sea, that beckoned for her to come and explore it.

Not even trying to fight her urge, she twisted, and was soon diving down into the trees. Soon she could see the forest floor, and veered up to glide to a stop like a pro. She landed lightly on her feet and shook her hair back into place. Smiling widely, she turned in a full circle to see this new place she could explore, however, she stopped half way when she saw two wolves standing nearby.

Her smile widened, and she bounded over to them. "Hi!" She said cheerfully. "I'm Niara, and it's a pleasure to meet you!" Her voice oozed cheerfulness. Some might find it a bit annoying, but Niara had a bright personality to match her bright pelt. Before she could continue her cheerful introductions, she saw a skunk waddling around nearby. She had only seen a skunk once before, and was very interested in watching it. She was careful to keep her distance though, as last time she'd gotten to close to one of the plump black and white animals she had greatly regretted it.

----------------------------------------------
words --- 266 , tagged --- kenai/kainaium & yiska/forte
notes --- needed something to write about, so I threw in a skunk

[KaiNaium]

[bg=04ce63][atrb=border,0,table][atrb=width,399,table] Telepathy! The thought rang through her mind like a clap of thunder, making her wince, Yiska being obviously unaware of the sensitivity her mind had to others' thoughts. She replied, "Yes, telepathy,"

[/i] in a rather bland tone, the emotion inside of her residing in the thoughts she forced between Yiska's own thoughts. The male's name she had diverged from the intricate thought patterns and tags within his mind, tagging himself with the phrase, 'Yiska.' She could only assume that was how he called himself.

Yiska spoke, "What interesting magic. Can you hear others' thoughts as well?" With a gentle smile, she replied, "That and more, Yiska." The moment before she replied, there was a slight conflict between logics about revealing more of herself before she knew more from Yiska directly. She saw everything she needed to know in the male's mind, but his past and his thoughts didn't define who he was. It was the thoughts and feelings he let through to the world outside his mind that determined him. Therefore, she concluded, there would be no major harm done in revealing minute details until he received the big picture: she didn't come here for no reason.

As her final thought wrapped itself up inside her head, another presence entered her mental radar. This mind, too, was foreign to her. Instantly, she set to work diverging the being's meaning in the visit. Once she determined that the she-wolf-Niara-with-wings meant no harm to her, or the male that sat in front of her, she relaxed again.

The she-wolf approached, her bright pelt illuminating her in the dark canopy and a kindly smile lightening her face. "Hi! I'm Niara, and it's a pleasure to meet you!" The female thought bright thoughts, had a bright pelt, and a bright smile. The cheeriness was... refreshing. She smiled in response to Niara and watched as she eyed a nearby skunk. The skunk was calm, so she hadn't minded it. She sent calm thoughts to the skunk, just to be on the safe side.
[/blockquote]
[/color] [/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center] [/right]

[Forte]

((Sorry!))

Yiska was momentarily taken aback by the stranger's knowledge of his name, but his curiosity only grew because of it, and he began to settle down in preparation for an intent discussion about magic, and probably other things too. But the wolfess suddenly seemed distracted, a distant but focused look having come into her eyes. Yiska glanced over his shoulder in search of an interruption, but there was--Oh, there it is. It's--what is that? The evening light backlit the strange creature and made it hard to see, but Yiska got the impression of a coyote or fox...with wings? Again, the wolf was more naively curious than prudently afraid.

The creature seemed to notice the two wolves when it landed and Yiska, now aware of the possible danger he was in, stiffened as it approached--but his fears were unfounded. Its body language said that it was friendly, and now that it was closer Yiska could see that the newcomer was actually a wolf too, albeit a very small, radically-colored, and mutated one. But the Shaman had never been one to judge others. He smiled as the rainbow-colored wolfs friendly greeting confirmed her friendly disposition, and he wagged his tail as he returned her greeting. "It's good to meet you too, Niara. My name is Yiska."

Which reminded him....He turned to the other brown wolf. "I have yet to learn your name," he told her simply, not asking, but simply stating, implying that he would like to know.

[Valitrix]

NIARA

Niara quickly grew bored of watching the little creature, and turned back to the other wolves. Both were very ordinary in coloring, simply brown like normal wolves. Not one speck of bright color could be found. Not that Niara cared, they were new, and she loved meeting new wolves, no matter what they looked like. How the acted on the other paw, made a difference in her opinion of them.

At that moment, but wolves seemed friendly enough, one smiled while the other introduced himself as Yiska. Before asking the third wolf in their party what it's name was. Niara quickly turned her attention to that wolf smiling at her with an expectant look in her eyes. She wanted to know this other wolf's name as well.

----------------------------------------------
words --- 127 , tagged --- kenai/kainaium & yiska/forte
notes --- finally got around to replying

[KaiNaium]

[bg=04ce63][atrb=border,0,table][atrb=width,399,table] Greetings were said, pleasantries exchanged, and she looked on with dignity. Such things were the way things operated, at least in a smooth and well-lubricated society, the kind of society worth living in. It was in those kinds of societies where she had mastered the art of watching carefully and waiting for the correct moment to do or say-- well, sort of say in her case-- something. Timing was everything. So, when the two looked over at her, expecting a name of some sort, she knew the time had come to enter into their world, their society. She knew it was time to begin. She launched her thoughts into both wolves' minds, so that they could understand her, "Yiska, Niara, I am Kenai. And it is a pleasure to meet you both." She ended with a little, polite bow, and thought, I suppose I should let them respond. So, she sat quietly and waited.

[/color] [/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center] [/right]

OOC: tiny, two-paragraph reply... *apologies*

[Forte]

Yiska could feel his heart lift as the socializing began. He had long been aware of a yearning in his heart--faint, and sometimes abated by the company of more intelligent animals, but present all the same--for companionship with other wolves. And now he had it, for the time being at least. It felt good to talk to others on his level. Other animals were hard to talk to: prey were often defensive, birds hyper and chatty, and lynxes and bears were just plain scary. He hoped these two wolves would stick around a while.

He smiled at Kenai after she introduced herself. "Good to meet you, too." He returned her gesture with a nod of his own--something that made him feel both silly and correct. He had never made such gestures in greeting before, so while he found hers curious, he was happy to try it out. "So," the Shaman began, "what brings you both to Cascadia?" It escaped him for the moment that these two wolves would probably not know what Cascadia was. As far as he knew, he was the only wolf who called it that. Not that he would object to others doing the same; in fact, he would be delighted to share the identity he felt with his homeland.

[Valitrix]

NIARA

For a few moments Niara thought she was going crazy. She heard a voice in her head, introducing it's self as Kenai. She finally realized it was the voice of the other wolf. She was transmitting her thoughts into Niara's head. She was so amazed by this it took her a bit to register everything said, and she remained in awe for at least a few minutes, almost completely missing Yiska's question. Shaking her head once, she fist smiled gleefully at Kenai. "That's so cool! How do you do that?" She questioned the she wolf with a huge grin on her face. She must have looked like an idiot, but Niara couldn't have cared less, she really just wanted to here all about how Kenai could do such an amazing thing.

Of course there was still Yiska to answer. Niara was a bit confused though. Was this land she was in called Cascadia? It must have been so, by the way Yiska talked. So she simply assumed it was so, and answered the male. "Well, I think it's great. It's really pretty, and there's an amazing view from the air." As always, Niara's voice was happy and cheerful, exactly as it always was. There were very few times you could find her angry, sad, or disappointed. She just let things roll of her back and keep on going, either that or she was oblivious to what was going on, and so it had no affect on her mood. It was dangerous though,
Niara could easily be tricked, or made fun of and not ever realize it. What she really needed was someone to help her along in life, and see the reality of things. Sometimes she spent far too much time in her own little world.

----------------------------------------------
words --- 196 , tagged --- kenai/kainaium & yiska/forte
notes --- yay, i'm finally replying in a timely fashion lol

[KaiNaium]

[bg=04ce63][atrb=border,0,table][atrb=width,399,table] "That's so cool! How do you do that?" She mind-chuckled a bit, transmitting her outward thoughts into both of their minds. "Yes, it is a rather useful ability. I was born with it, actually. It's hereditary. My grandfather taught me how to use my ability when I was his apprentice, Niara." Then, the first wolf, Yiska, asked, So, what brings you both to Cascadia? Niara's reply was rather generic. "Well, I think it's great. It's really pretty, and there's an amazing view from the air." She hoped hers would be a tad-more in-depth. "Actually, that's what I've been meaning to say. She paused a second, correcting herself with a mental-chuckle, "or, think. Cascadia is rumored to have been a beautiful place, which is obviously true. But, I've also heard rumors that the pack wherein is in need of a Chief. She paused again, and continued with a reassuring smile, Or, in my case, a Chieftess. I would be delighted to assume that position.

[/color] [/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center] [/right]

[Forte]

Yiska nodded, pleased with Niara's praise of his home. Most wolves didn't find it as beautiful as he did, due to the rain; actually, the Shaman had doubts that Niara had even been here very long, for that reason. Maybe she hadn't seen the rain yet.

A grin spread across his maw as Kenai next revealed her reason for coming. "Ah, yes," he confirmed. "This forest used to be teeming with happy wolves, all part of the same pack. My mother was in it. Unfortunately, a disease took them. My mother was pregnant with me at the time and fled early on, fearing for herself and her pups, and she settled nearby, and I've lived here all my life. My siblings have all moved on and my mother died recently, so now I am the only survivor of the Cascadia pack. So yes, that position is open." He considered Kenai for a second. So far she had come off as level-headed and observant, which were important qualities for any wolf to have, but especially a leader. He nodded. "I would be honored if you would join the pack as Chieftess. Your duties are mainly to keep good relations with other packs." He chuckled. "Not that we really have any at the moment...although I'm sure with the inactivity of Cascadia, others will have encroached on the territory." Yiska checked himself. He was rambling, excited to have another wolf finally come to his home, interested in actually living there. Actually joining his pack! He became more serious. "I am the Shaman. I heal injuries, mainly. I am one of the leaders, along with you." He refrained from mentioning the Hunt and War Chief position, for fear Niara would want it and he would have to let her down. He could already tell that she was not the kind of wolf who would be good at strategizing during war time. But he turned to her with a smile. "You are welcome to join the pack too, Niara."

[KaiNaium]

[bg=04ce63][atrb=border,0,table][atrb=width,399,table] The position description sent chills through her spine and sent a gentle smile to her face. It sounded perfect. She inclined her head, a smile still alight on her visage. "It would be my honor and pleasure." She gathered herself again, considering the entirety of the situation she was now in and all that it entailed. She considered the numerous amount of lives she would now have to account for and the goodness of all would be her responsibility. But, with Yiska by her side, she knew she was not facing this unforeseen future alone. A thought caught her. "Are there any other positions or resident wolves I should know about? Any rivalries; any political myths or others of the sort that I should be informed of?" She caught herself beginning to sound worried and quickly procured another reassuring smile. "I only wish to know whereof we stand."

[/color] [/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center] [/right]

OOC: Sorry, kinda short, but I thought I should get it out there.

[Forte]

Yiska smiled at Kenai's question: it was still further proof that she would fill her position perfectly. "There are indeed several other wolves in the pack. Four, excluding yourself and I and Niara here. One is rather shockingly colored," he chuckled. "They all joined very recently. You will meet them soon. As for other packs, as you know, Cascadia has had little interaction with outsiders lately, so I imagine we are a rather mysterious bunch. But we are growing in strength and should immediately begin better enforcing our boundaries. Another thing: I don't know if you're aware of the trade routes between packs. Cascadia has so far abstained from participating, but we need to, so to speak, put ourselves out there. There are many potent magical medical herbs that grow solely in our territory that the other packs will no doubt be eager to obtain." The shaman was now standing, pacing, thinking. His excitement was growing and his smile and his plans for his pack were getting bigger every moment he spoke. He looked up. "Let us depart. I'll show you the densite and you can meet your packmates."

[KaiNaium]

[bg=04ce63][atrb=border,0,table][atrb=width,399,table] She sat quietly as Yiska began informing her of the intricacies of Cascadian life. Her chest swelled at the mention of her now-packmates, but at the mention of the phrase 'mysterious bunch' she made a mental note to herself to bring that up with Yiska at a later date, in a more private area. Of course, she could send an individual mind message to Yiska, but his reaction would most likely reveal her actions and therefore defeat the purpose of her attempted secrecy. At, 'enforcing boundries' she immediately wondered who would be in charge of such a thing; certainly not her. She thought to bring it up, but the phrase, 'and another thing...' caught her attention and drove the subject temperarily from her thoughts. "I don't know if you're aware of the trade routes between packs. Cascadia has so far abstained from participating, but we need to, so to speak, put ourselves out there. There are many potent magical medical herbs that grow solely in our territory that the other packs will no doubt be eager to obtain." She nodded. Cascadia seemed the type of place to house such desirables. Yiska's thoughtful movement across the treetop certainly reflected on her opinion of him, and generally improved it. She was a generally thoughtful person, so she was in good company. "Once I acquire relations with other packs, trade relations should follow suit." In a decisive response, Yiska turned and gestured toward the forest floor. "Let us depart. I'll show you the densite and you can meet your packmates." A grin caught her visage, and stepped out beside Yiska with a new pride in her new pack. Of which you will help lead, she reminded herself, which only bolstered her spirits.

[/color] [/size][/td][/tr][/table][/center] [/right]