Pasque Flowers

[talajay]

Tala

A soft wind rippled my pearl pelt and I lifted my nose to take in every scent in the vast landscape before me. A small blanket of snow covers the ground, sparkling in the early morning sunshine. In the distance dark clouds are rolling in preparation for the next snowfall. The short Summer was behind and the Fall comes with a mixture of winds and a few snowfalls, sometimes even blizzards.

The winds gave me many scents, some animals and plants I had never even scented before. The most familiar were the rabbits, deer, and the different plants that hibernated under the snow. My ears swivelled to catch the crunching of small feet on the snowy blanket. Hunger, however, was not on my mind, so the snow hare could contently continue to dig for fall grass seeds and leaves in peace. What was on my mind was the last scent, a female wolf. It was the one scent that was most prominent and not too far away were several boundary marks warning off rival packs. This female was young and strong, and by the scent, she had magic as well.

Having been travelling for a long time I want to find a place to call home. Possibly meet new wolves and become a trusted member within a pack. To be able to care for the injured or sick, the young and the old, that would be the happiest place for me. I had tried settling into several different places, but they all felt wrong, and the wolves never truly accepted me for who I was. I had felt used for my powers, and envied for them because others thought it made me a favourite of the Alpha's because I was useful. The jealousy and envy I can not stand, so I left. Then, on one occasion they tried to haul me back, trying to force me to stay. It's a good thing I don't just have healing power, otherwise who knows if I'd ever would have escaped.

Enough about my past though, there are more important things happening in the present state. The female wolf is not too far away, by the way the wind is blowing back and forth softly she shouldn't have too much scenting me. I would not want to scare he right off the bat.

I pick up a relaxed trot and cross into the femme's territory. My pads melt the snow ever so slightly with each footprint that I leave behind. Each footprint will re-freeze soon and leave behind a memory for several weeks, or they will be covered up in the next snow fall, whichever comes first. A yawn spread over my muzzle and I could not contain the long tongue lagging inhale that my body so needed. Sleep had been hard to find last night, maybe tonight if I got a good vibe from this femme and she let me stay for at least tonight I might find a sleeping root.

Nearing the top of the hill I slowed to a walk and decided to have a little fun with the Alpha. It was my hopes that through this little magic I could see what kind of personality this female had dependant on her reaction. The snow would now allow me to blend into my surroundings better now. Laying down as flat as I could go and settling my wings closer to my body I sneaked up to the very top of the hill. High chances were that she already knew I was here, but it was not a deterrent.

As I peaked over I saw her down the hill a ways away. She seemed to be taking a nap, as to whether she was truly asleep or merely pretending to see what I would do, I was unsure of. Either way, I closed my own violet pools and felt the ground beneath me and listened to all the seeds and plant life humming their sleeping tunes, it was so mesmerizing, and I was very tired, that it almost put me to sleep. My mind was becoming heavier and heavier. I can't though, I have to finish this. So, I tuned into the ground further and felt the other wolf like she was a little flea on my back. Closer I listened to where the little flee lay asleep, her heart twittering gently against the ground, her ribs pushing down into the soil with each slow breath, the soothing warmth emanating from her body melting the snow ever so slowly.

Finally I found the little seed that I was seeking. A small Pasque seed was almost a foot away from the ivory wolf. I gentle hummed a sweet tune in my mind asking the flower to come out, that I would care for it well so that it could spread it's seeds and many more may grow at the beginning of spring. In reply it hummed a sweet song, and in my mind I saw it flourish fast and strong. I give the flower my own energy to grow so fast and beautiful so that when I open my eyes a beautiful flower has grown from the snow. It stands at only 6 inches tall, with eight soft purple petals leading to the bright yellow centre of the flower. It's stem and leaves are fuzzy with little tendrils of hairs.

This flower, as beautiful as it may seem, is just proof that one should never be judged by it's cover. The Pasque flower or Prairie Crocus is actually quite toxic and can cause plenty of problems, and even death if too much is ingested. Beautiful none the less, and harmless to wolves as we do not eat flowers anyway.

If my scent, and my creation did not give me away, then the trembles of my tail wagging against the ground should definitely alert the Alpha. I lifted my head and put on my best wolf grin.

Words: 995
Muse: sleepy
OCC: I'm excited to get back into rp'ing!!! Yays

[Forte]

Nunavik lamented the departure of summer, her favorite season. Many wolves also loved the summer because of its abundance of food, but Nuna also loved it because of the explosion of life, both new and returning, it brought to her otherwise-inanimate territory. In summer, the rodent population erupted, the caribou arrived, the musk oxen dropped their calves and thousands of birds flocked to the tundra to lay their eggs where so few predators survived to prey on them and their young. This in turn brought out the predators that did call the tundra home: foxes, bears, owls, falcons, wolverines, and of course, wolves. Nunavik had not seen a wolf for months. She figured that they were often drawn further south where prey was more plentiful. Nuna could never leave the tundra, though, it was her home. She had been born and raised here, her family had died here.

Now summer was dying. The young of the smaller animals had grown up: the rabbits, the foxes, the lemmings, the ermines, the birds had all left the nest. Only the caribou and musk oxen calves remained calves, and of them, only the oxen were sticking around, as they always did. And as they always were, even the calves were next to impossible to kill. Impossible indeed, for a lone wolf. She had barely survived this past winter on a diet of hares and carrion. Nunavik needed a pack. She would be able to bring down prey large enough to really feed her throughout the winter.

Now, however, having eaten and buried a store of extra rabbit carcasses, caribou shanks and the like, Nunavik was preparing her den for the coming winter, although in truth there was nothing wrong with it. In past it had collapsed once, and a few times snow had found its way inside with strong wind, but this year it seemed she had perfected it. The tunnel leading to the chamber curved sharply to keep out wind and snow, and the entrance was small for the same reasons and to keep heat from escaping.

Truthfully, Nunavik got bored easily this time of year, when food was becoming more scarce but there was still a lot left over in her underground store from the plentiful summer months. All of the small animals, whose tiny, subtle squeaks and scuffles entertained the wolf to watch, were gone. With a sigh she gave up and left her den.

A sheet of snow had fallen the night before and despite its signal that summer was ending, Nunavik liked the snow. It allowed her to blend in almost perfectly with her surroundings. Right now her fur was not quite quite yet, still showing hues of brown and gray, and it had yet to thicken for the cold season ahead. Nunavik shivered and laid down near the entrance to her den for a nap.

She was nearly asleep when she picked up some very quiet sounds. She opened her eyes and as she watched, a small purple flower pushed its way out from under the layer of snow and bloomed, lovely. Nunavik was dumbstruck and she lifted her head, staring as the flower's growth slowed and stopped. She looked around, thinking perhaps this was magic, and she noticed another wolf, whiter than herself, sitting nearby and smiling at her in a friendly way. Startled, Nuna realized for the first time that she was upwind of this wolf. Not that there was much she could do about which way the wind blew, but she wondered if the stranger could smell her food buried close by as well.

The alpha wolf stood up slowly and shook her fur, then took a few regal steps closer to the other wolf. First impressions were everything and Nuna wanted to make a good one this time. She stood a bit taller than the stranger, but not as tall as she would have had she been eating well. A limited diet had stunted her growth over the past few years. "I suppose that's your doing?" Nunavik said, trying to sound both impressive and non-aggressive. "It's quite pretty."

[talajay]

Tala

Butterflies welled up in my stomach as the beautiful flower blossomed. Even more came up as the napping female watched the magic unfold and the smile as well. It made my heart soar that others could appreciate the beauty of nature the way it was meant to be appreciated. The femme smiled at the flower then found me. She looked directly at me and I held on for a couple seconds to hers before looking at her chest. You had to find that delicate balance between the dominant and the submissive. Hold on too long and it's a threat, drop your eyes too fast and you come off as someone who is too submissive. I was more dominant then submissive, but I had no interest in being the alpha.

Everything was balance in life, the cycle of nature, even the balance between good and evil. Throw it off and you had a pretty big problem. A pack was no different, too much dominance will cause too many fights, just as too much submissive behaviour would conflict the well being of the pack. A balance of the two makes the best packs.

Her eyes were quite beautiful though, it was like looking at pure water seeming endless in its depth. They were vibrant and healthy looking. The light reflected gently through them showing me the intelligence behind those pretty eyes. Her coat wasn't like snow, but in the sunlight it flashed like silver. A cloud started dimming the sunlight and the silver faded to a slight off white color.

I stood up as the other did and kept my head slightly below hers in a sign of acknowledgment that she was alpha of these lands and that I had no desire to fight with her for them. I liked the look of these lands and would like to try calling this place my home. I got a good vibe from the femme. Still looking at her chest I saw the thrumming of her voice within her throat. She seemed unsure of herself, I had always thought myself an open book, so it surprised me with how uncertain she sounded. She was trying so hard not to sound aggressive, but still dominant at the same time. She should have realized however that the voice of an alpha had an extra pitch in it. Trying to sound the way she was doing I couldn't help but close my eyes and grin, but then felt guilty and so I licked my lips in a way to show my apology.

My own violet pools glanced at her mouth as she spoke. "I suppose that's your doing?" I nodded quickly. Then the femme spoke again. "It's quite pretty." I closed my eyes and smiled. My wings twitched slightly in my delight. Upon opening my eyes I glanced at the eyes of the alpha of these lands and walked right past her. In was in no way ill willed that I did this, but the risk I took anyway. She could let me go, or take it offensively, as I was moving towards her den, and attack me. I was hoping for the former. I had promised this flower something, and I had to finish it. I admired my creation with one long last look and then lay down beside it and closed my eyes. Beneath my paws I felt the snow melting as energy poured from me scouring the ground and soil. Focussing on the flower once more I pushed my energy towards it. In my minds eye I saw the flower grow and fade and seeds spill out from it's empty husk. When I opened my lids again the seeds were evenly spread on the ground around the empty shell of the flower. The end and beginning of the cycle, such wonders never cease to amaze me.

Sitting up I looked over at the femme and smiled at her once more. "My name is Tala and I came to...." I never managed to finish my sentence either. My eyes went wide as a large sound erupted from my stomach. My whole face felt warm from embarrassment. Though I was not hungry before, magic, any use of it, tended to make me vey hungry. Though it may not have seemed like I did big magic, it was big enough. To grow a flower in spring is not very difficult, to try and grow one at the beginning of winter was much harder. The seedling was protected in its shell and really had to be couched out with so little warmth and sunlight. "I, ehm, I'm sorry." I grimaced and opened my wings slightly in frustration. Then shook them out as well as myself. "Mind if I have some of your storage? I'll replace every ounce by tomorrow, you have my word" Patiently I waited for the alpha to make her decision. She had every right to refuse me, and if she did then I would simply ask permission to hunt on her lands. If she refused that too, well at least I was only about a fifteen minute trot away from one of the edges of her territory.

word count: 863
Muse: okay

[Forte]

This other wolf's posture confused Nunavik. She seemed to have a tendency towards being a more dominant character, and she was not doing very well at trying to submit. In this harsh landscape it was essential to know who was in charge so that everyone could know whose orders to take. Though Nunavik didn't actually ave a pack, she had had experience in a very successful one, and the alpha had been very strong. Nunavik had to be strong now.

The challenge of having this strange wolf on her land would give her more experience; the next time, if there were to be a next time, that a wolf who sent mixed signals came onto her territory, she would know what to do.

While Nuna's first impression of the wolf left her wanting to kick her out, she refrained in the knowledge that she badly needed a hunting partner and even a friend. She had come to accept that first impressions were often misleading, and she believed that this wolf who grew flowers might yet become her friend.

However, Nunavik was left seething when the purple-eyed wolf walked right past her toward her den. A low growl sounded in her throat. There was another sign of dominance that was so in contrast with the image she was trying to present. A submissive wolf never turned their back on a dominant one unless they were familiar. That she was walking toward the den didn't bother Nunavik in light of the fact that she was also walking toward her store of food, which was near the den. Nunavik rose and assertively placed herself between the white wolf and her food, then was surprised to see her lie down next to the flower. She watched curiously what would happen. Before her eyes, the flower transformed into its seed-bearing stage, wilted, and died, which left the seeds on the ground. Nunavik snorted condescendingly. Surely a wolf with power over plants should know that flowers had to be pollinated before they would make new plants.

Finally Nunavik learned the name of the stranger, but she seemed distracted. She asked for food and needless to say, the alpha didn't like that one bit. She had worked very hard to gather enough food to last for at least a week, but Tala's promise of making it up again reminded her that this would could become a hunting partner.

"I suppose you can," Nunavik said reluctantly, and went over to a spot where the dirt was still loose. She began to dig, invoking her magic to help her, and the earth began to fly from the hole beneath her as if she were two or even three wolves instead of one. It took mere seconds to uncover her store, and she sifted through the carcasses, looking for one in particular. She chose a rock ptarmigan that had broken its wing and not been able to escape. It was not one of the more choice bits she had, but that suited Nunavik fine. She didn't like this wolf much, and if she was lying when she said that she could return the favor, Nuna woiuld not have lost much. She placed the bird near Tala, then went to fill in the hole again. When she had finished she returned to lie down next to Tala, hesitating before she spoke up. "So what else can you do with that magic?" Perhaps a bit of conversation would reveal more about this traveler.

[talajay]

Tala

My ears were no more deaf then hers. It was obvious she did not like me from the growl that had rumbled low in her throat. This irked me, I had shown her no disrespect, besides walking past her. Giving her some respect by not looking directly in the eyes, but that does not mean I was going to grovel on my back begging to be let into the pack. Not much of a pack anyway, this harsh land was not fit for every wolf. By the scents it did not appear that there were any other wolves around.

A soft sigh left my nose. If I wasn't bullied or wanted I was shunned. It sometimes made me wonder if I belonged anywhere. I looked at the seeds, they would become beautiful flowers in the spring. Though normally a flower needed to be fertilized, in this case if the wolf knew the process and knew his or her own magic well, then that process could be skipped. Though there was always a 75 percent chance that the seeds would be a dud, that, however, was just the way nature worked. In the end though, was I just too dominant for this alpha? I had thought that I had shown enough submission to appease her, but it was possible she just didn't like strangers who weren't submissive. I was debating on remaining the way I was, or showing more submission.

My head swiveled in mid thought at the sound of the nameless femme's digging. Cocking my head slightly at the tingle of magic hitting my pads through the Earth. The soil sang out in happiness at her touch. It would do anything for this wolf. Never in my whole life had I felt the Earth so happy to work for someone. Usually the soil was most happy when I worked with it, not in this case though. This alone made me more curious about who this wolf was. Maybe this wolf deserved more credit then I gave her before. I let my ears droop a little in hopes my slight apology would be accepted. I had made a promise to the flower and I was adamant on keeping it as it was much too cold for the little one to be comfortable in the slightest.

The alpha came back with what would be barely enough to quench my hunger for now. It was obvious she didn’t trust me, and I would have to work my butt off to earn it too. It disappointed me that she showed so little hospitality, but I suppose it was hard enough getting food when you were a lone hunter. She dropped the little bird beside my left paw, but I waited politely until she was finished covering up her storage again. She surprised me by lying quite close to me. I stretched out my neck and grabbed the tail feathers of the ptarmigan and pulled it over my paw and placed it in between my paws flipping it onto its back in the process. It was funny, most wolves who had no feathers always tended to make such a mess of feathered food. Having to clean feathers had its benefits, you learned quickly how hard you had to pull to take out your own feathers, just a little painful too. You also learned how not to eat feathers. Before doing anything I closed my eyes for a minute and thanked the little one’s life and wished it a grand next life. Then with ears slightly drooped I glanced at the femme’s feet. “Thank you for the food, I understand food can get scarce during this time of year so I appreciate this spare food you were able to provide” That statement could be taken in so many ways, I sincerely hoped my tone came across the way I had intended it too. I was truly thankful, as little as it was she could have easily said no to a stranger, such as myself. However, I’m sure we both knew that we can both sense the Earth beneath our paws. Maybe I might teach this wolf a trick or two as well. With how much this land loved her she could easily ask it to hide almost anything.

Efficiently I removed the feathers from most of the bird’s stomach and proceeded to eat the bird making sure no blood was spilt. Blood contained so much of the energy, so much of the life force, it was sad when others spilt so much. The other white wolf watched for a little bit and hesitated a moment before speaking up cautiously, but in a friendly conversational tone. “So what else can you do with that magic?” The one question I was not expecting, it stopped me in mid bite. She could have asked any number of questions about me, yet that was the one she picked. I smiled, looked at her eyes for a heartbeat and said “I like you, you get straight to the point.” My eyes traveled around the landscape and I took it all in then spoke up again. “As with anyone with magic, including yourself, you know well that to divulge all your power to a stranger can be dangerous.” Again I looked at her eyes, holding it a little longer, but not in a way to challenge or threaten, more to see how she would react to my statement. Flicking my ear I looked away again and continued talking. “I will tell you a little about my magic though. I’m a healer, I work with plants to help the sick and injured. I have extensive knowledge about plants. Such as the Pasque flower I grew.” I looked down at the seeds beside me. “The flower helps with headaches, anxiety, and depression, but if you eat the flower the way it is, it will burn your mouth, and the possible chance of it being a potent flower can cause the heart to slow too much.” I chuckled softly. “I’ve never seen that happen though, so it’s a worst case scenario, most likely you’ll just sleep until it wears off. I can grow flowers and trees and if I’m nice to them they’ll do things for me. I’ve never really tested the distance of my power, so I can’t tell you. I never use my powers during hunting, as I find that not fair. How about you? Would you mind telling a stranger the basics of you magic?”

Licking my nose I felt the soft breeze hit my wet nose. Cocking my head sightly confused, back at the edge of this femme’s land I’d estimated that with the current wind and direction the faraway clouds shouldn’t have been here for at least half a day, but the upper current seemed to blow harder, so the snow filled clouds could be here in an hour or so. A sigh left me. “Looks like it’ll snow in a hour or two. We still have time, but I may have to leave a little sooner then I wanted to. May I enter your lands again tomorrow? Oh and may I know your name?”

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Word count: 1,197
Muse: good
OOC: Sorry for the long wait. I made sure you had lots to reply to

[Forte]

Tala's gratitude surprised Nunavik, who had not been expecting it. It greatly pleased the alpha and she smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said, and watched the other wolf pull feathers from the bird. Nuna felt some relief in the knowledge that at least Tala had potential to be a subordinate.

Nunavik listened quietly as Tala described her magic, then gladly indulged in telling her own. It had been a long time since she had had a conversation and she found herself not wanting it to end. "My magic is more subtle than yours," the alpha began. "All it does really is change the soil and the landscape--or waterscape, even--when I ask it to. You saw how quickly I uncovered the meat, that's an example. I've also been able to flatten hills, create ice patches, increase and decrease distances, and things like that. Sometimes my magic even does such thing without I ask it to, when I'm not paying attention. It helps me when I need help." Nunavik had a hard time describing her magic, since she didn't even fully understand it. Many times she had asked her magic for something and had fulfilled her request in a way she had not expected. It was like it had a mind of its own. Maybe it did.

Nunavik didn't notice the snow clouds rolling in until Tala pointed them out, seeing as she didn't need to stay aware of such things. She had a great den nearby and quite enough food to last through a snowstorm. She was not worried about surviving.

She had forgotten to introduce herself. "Oh--of course. My name is Nunavik. And yes, you may come again." She stood to see off Tala with a friendly nod.

[talajay]

Tala

My ears turned to her as the femme started to speak. Just as she had patiently listen to me, I did the same. It was amazing how, even though we both controlled the Earth element they were so different. Just as each wolf was unique, so was every magic, like a snowflake.

Closing my eyes and nodded in agreement. "I understand how you feel. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by what our surroundings do for us. You know, these lands absolutely adore you. Just a word of caution, be careful with your emotions, if you get angry or upset at another wolf, things may just start happening that you regret."

My violet eyes glanced at her colorless ones before smiling again with closed eyes. "Nunavik, such a unique name, it's very pretty" I lifted my body up but my wings automatically flung open to help balance. Everything felt like it went in slow motion as my eyes went wide and I jerked my head towards where my left wing was heading. My breath choked back into my lungs as I used all my effort to pull the wing muscles back towards me. I was just able to pull it the right way to prevent the joint from smacking the alpha square in the face. I could not prevent the tip of the feather swiping by her cheek. I swallowed hard and took a step back. My wings drooped onto the ground beside my feet, I had pulled a muscle in my left one and was weary of pulling it up.

My body shivered without my wanting it to even though I was not cold. "I...I'm so sorry Nunavik, I did not hurt you did I?" However, before the other femme could so much as blink I turned 180 degrees on my back feet and ran with my wings dragging on the ground, the soft snow allowing it to act more like a sled. A few sharp rocks beneath the snow pulled a few feathers were pulled loose and I winced. Not once did I look back. Only once I reached the border of her territory did I slow, my breath came in deep, full and fast inhales and exhales. Even though my body as slowed, my heart kept on racing. I trotted through the forest that resided just past her territory. The femme would not follow me here tonight, especially with the snowstorm approaching.

-----------------------------------------------------
The next day

With a good size rabbit in my mouth and my wings carefully tucked on my back I stepped over the border once more. The rabbit had taken a long time to follow and then kill, but I had had a few mice to fill my stomach. I have never broken a promise, just because I had high-tailed it in fear of being bitten yesterday did not mean I didn't have to repay my debt. My heart thumped loudly in my chest with nerves. I really hoped that with a night to fume the femme would not be near so angry with me as she most likely had been last night when I narrowly avoided knocking her into a coma with my wing. The rabbit, though much larger then what I had been given, was as much repayment as it was an offering for forgiveness.

With my tail low and my ears lowered in apology I neared the top of the last hill to where her den would be. I was not looking forward to seeing the femme today. She very easily could try killing me on the spot for attempted murder. However, with what I had seen yesterday, I did not believe that Nunavik was the killing type. I hoped I was right though. Carefully I walked down the hill, staying a far distance away from her den to not be intrusive. Lowering my head I dropped the white snowhare in front of me and sat down, patiently waiting for Nunavik to show up, as I wasn't quite sure where she was. I didn't want to ask the soil, it most likely would not tell me anyway. My ears drooped further in sadness, I had so hoped to live here, but I guess that was probably not going to be the case anymore. I sighed deeply and waited.

Word count: 722

[Forte]

((Ugh. I can't do this. I'm sorry, Tala, I'm just so not enthusiastic about this thread or even my character. I had been thinking of deleting her for while before this thread was started. I hope you don't resent my pulling out of this thread. If you want the territory, either for Tala or a different character, please don't hesitate to say so. I feel like I owe it to you if you want it.))

[talajay]

really too bad that you have no muse for Nunavik I thought the thread was a lot of fun.

I'd really love to have the Tundra. It's an amazing territory
Tala seems like she'd make a good alpha for this place. Ehm, so what's the story behind her death? Snowstorm? moose? a rogue wolf?

[Forte]

Nunavik's? hm...I guess it doesn't matter to me. Freezing, trampling, starving, it's all the same. Feel free to make up whatever you want.