o the potential of trees

[Forte]

It was spring, and Raika wanted nothing more than to finally find a home. She was tired of traveling, traveling, traveling, no destination in mind. Pretending to have a goal ended up making one feel unfulfilled. So, when the black wolf had heard of a secluded forest full of mind-bogglingly gigantic trees, she had naturally been very curious. She was sure her magic would feel quite at home in such a place.

And she had been right. Only a day ago Raika had reached the place a stranger had spoken of, but already her magic, which before then had often felt ornery and stubborn, was now cooperative and powerful. The very feel of this place made her joyful. The entire forest was alive, not just the trees and the birds, but also the streams, the rocks, the ground; the very air seemed to tremble with vitality.

Raika was convinced: she was home. Now all she needed was a house. That shouldn't be a problem, she thought, seeing as her magic could essentially grow her one. She was in no hurry.

She came upon a small, open meadow and the sound of water drew her to the base of a small cliff where indeed she found a stream. She drank and, as she had done each time since arriving here, marveled at the coolness and cleanness of the water. Then the wolf's stomach growled and for the first time in a while she realized that she was hungry. She had forgotten that her body did not draw its nourishment from the happiness and harmony of its surroundings.

Thinking that sometimes deer might come to the field, Raika looked around but found that the grass of the meadow was too high for her to see much, so she stood and walked a few yards to where the cliff became merely a steep slope, climbed that, and what she saw before her took her breath away.

She had stumbled upon a grove of trees that, even in this extraordinary forest, stood out as taller and larger than anything she had yet come across. It would have taken a hundred steps to walk around the thinnest one. The trees grew in a semicircle, and in the middle of this was a sapling only a few years old. Raika had found her home. This place was absolutely perfect, and, overjoyed, she bounded toward the grove and the sapling.

"Now, how can I do this?" she wondered. Such a young tree had so much potential and she would be devastated if her magic destroyed it, which she knew was possible. What she was about to do could not be undone. But she would be careful. Raika looked around at the other trees near her and imagined what she would like in her house. A small entrance at the very base, perhaps hidden between two buttress roots. Yes. And a cozy room inside. And a ramp or stairs, leading to an opening and wide branch that she could sit on and see far. Yes, that's perfect, she thought, and turned back to the oblivious sapling.

It took several minutes of meditation for Raika to adequately relax her mind for the task ahead. Only on very rare occasions had she used her magic to this extent. It was very difficult. When she was ready she stood back several feet, closed her eyes, took some deep breaths and began.

Immediately she felt the ground begin to quiver a bit too hard; the tree was growing too fast and she slowed it down, still focusing on the image of her tree house. After a few minutes of loud rustling and groaning she felt that her house was complete and she opened her eyes and stopped the tree growing. It was not quite tall enough to get much sunlight but she had to make sure everything had gone right before fixing that.

Excitedly she approached the hole between two roots, just as she had imagined it: tall enough to let her in without making her duck but only just. Inside was a short tunnel which opened into a room, completely dark, and she opened a window in the side of the tree to let in some light. The room was the perfect size, and on one side some stairs led upward. She bounded up these, opening small windows as she went, and soon reached the balcony she had wanted. The branch was low and short, and the foliage bent downward so that she could see to the meadow beyond. Everything was perfect. Yelping for joy the black wolf returned downstairs, closed all the windows and proceeded to grow the tree a bit more so that it could catch enough sunlight. She gazed at it proudly. "So much potential in young trees," she marveled joyously. Had she used her magic so extensively on one of the other trees, it would have died. She could feel that this tree, having grown about three thousand years in only five minutes, was still alive.

She had her home, but now what? Her stomach spoke up right on cue and Raika grinned. "Right," she said and returned to the cliff to watch for prey to appear.

[memento]

~Sheena

See Sheena

A soft whine ripped through the fine built ivory creature, pale tears springing to the captivating emerald eyes as she raced, hackles up, and teeth bared. A few looks from the elders forced a stiff growl from her paining throat, and they nodded, understanding. Minutes before, the news had came the Cheshire was gone. Her lovely Cheshire, a pack of Mountain Lions bearing down on him, had fled. No one knew when he would be found, if he would be found, or if he would return. To Sheena, the story would have been better if he had been dead.

The she wolf snarled as the white dove fluttered to her shoulder, pale wings quickly blended into the females equally snowy coat, tiny claws clinging to her. The thing cooed softly, aiming for reassurance, but Sheena tossed her head, teeth grazing the being before it could fly. "Only trying to help." The soft, high and grazing voice of the bird called, before taking flight, stretching its pure wings to the dark blue sky.

Several weeks later, the female was found curled in a ball, pearls chomping at the coloured necklace around her throat. The colours- Chestnut and White, represented the pairing of the ever fiery Sheena and the handsome, noble, Cheshire Cat. He had been lead for a while, but since he wished to mate with the wolf who was only one of the fighters, he had to drop his position to be with Sheena. At first she had hated him for it- how dare he degrade himself for her? But quickly found it made no difference, as Cheshire had always been so stubborn. Tears dripped down the arctic cold face, dripping to her pink nose. Warily she rubbed her beige backed ear with a soft brown tinted paw of the same colour, the only part of her coat which was not pure white.

Sheena had never wanted to live in a pack, and now she regretted her choice to enter the group of hunters and guardians, despite the fact she was one of the best of her lands now. Joining the group of elite females and males had been wonderful for a while, learning to trust despite her ingrained caution of all that moved canine, and bringing down prey with the
co-operation of other. Of course, now she had to live through the ordeal of loosing her Cat, her big red love of her life. She cursed loudly, and threw her head in the wind, howling loudly. She was deeply surprised to hear returning barks.

After a few days of pondering her sour existence, the accomplished wolf got to her feet and began to trot, tail high and eyes keen. She was hungry, fingers clawing at her belly, thin frame intensified so that ribs might be felt. The wolf crouched low as she found a leading trail, pools pinpointing a group of deer not far of. Not only was it dangerous to hunt such big animals on her own, she was most likely doomed to fail. Leisurely licking her lips, she silently crept to the back, giving them a wide berth and acknowledging her prey. On her quiet paws, they only twitched their ears, letting the sounds of the forest keep them in ignorance.

Emerald embers gleamed as she spied a target, silently thanking the goddess of luck. A fat, short doe was hindered by a tangled and paining leg, the wound fresh and not yet pulsing festering poison into the delicious body. Her ears twitched, narrowing in on the scent of blood, pumping through a large heart, through thin veins. Mouth watering, she knew she must rely on her exquisite speed to bring down one creature, and not to get injured on the way. Swiftly she loped to the front of the herd, her chameleon magic working, She held her breath as not to take the scent of the other world, which held her invisible, into her nostrils. She was now a metre or so in front of the stag at lead, who had heard her now, but thought her behind. She growled, and the creature not being able to see behind him, and only in front, charged forwards. He worked into her hands, and the limping deer behind struggled to keep up. Removing herself from the revolting magic, she lashed out at the harmed mammal, teeth sinking into her uninjured hind leg.

Promptly she twisted before the screaming deer was down, and threw herself at its throat, keen to end the misery. She could feel someone watching, and her jaded eyes searched the heavens. Quickly she saw the pestering dove, and its horrified expression. She chuckled to herself, and watched as the bird fluttered into one of the huge trees.

The food was great, moist meat, dripping crimson, and deliciously fresh. Sheena preferred not to eat if all that was on hand was scavenged cuisine, which she detested. The wolfess got through her favourite bits, the little meat under the throat, through the neck where the carcass was soft, and the under sides of the rump and belly, basically leaving the outside of the deer. Precariously she licked her mouth. She normally was careful not to get any blood on her coat, but she had been so hungry that she hadn't cared. Whining softly, she caught the scent of a fellow canine, and perked her head up.

She needed allies, and so she made the decision to prepare to share her kill with this wolf, but she was unsure. Despite her slim build, Sheena had a lot of strenght, and amply dragged the body towards the stench, and now sound, of dog. Sure enough, she began to hear the soft voice of a female; "So much potential in young trees," The ivory wolf tilted her head, holding back a snort. Trees? Was this fellow creature in the right state of mind? She shrugged, knowing wryly that she wasn't. Cautious as ever, the vixen crept in a place where she was still slightly hidden, far enough from the female to be able to drop her meat and run like a greyhound till she was out of reach.
"Would you like to share my kill, fellow wolf?"
Sheena rumbled, her voice as throaty and rich as always. To make the picture complete, the stupid dove decided to land on her shoulder, cooing gently into her ear.

Word count: 1066
Muse: Good?
OOC: I forgot how much i love her O.o

[/justify][/size]

[Forte]

At the edge of the cliff, Raika watched for prey. The twitch of a nose or bat of a lash. Anything. And she listened for crumpling grass, swishing fur, but the babbling of the stream below was getting in the way. She saw nothing and heard nothing. After a while she began to wonder if it was just a slow day for prey or if they usually stayed away from this area. Such a lovely meadow, she had thought, would be sure to attract other animals. She began to worry that she had chosen a bad spot to live for the time being. That brought her to wonder what she would do if this forest did indeed turn out to be a bad place for prey. She was now beginning to regret magicking up that tree. If she couldn't hunt here the tree wouldn't be of much use to her, all that magic would have been wasted and the tree...well, who knew what the tree wanted, but she didn't doubt that it would have liked to remain unaltered.

Soon the black wolf was distracted by her growling stomach by a commotion in the nearby forest. Fist came a burst of rustling grass and leaves, and then a thud and the eerie half-whine, half-scream of a deer, which was then abruptly cut off. Raika was on her paws now, staring intently in the direction the sounds had come from. She was startled, frightened even, and poised to flee into her tree. The sounds had been those of a hunt, but she didn't know what animal was the predator. She was upwind...there was another thing to make her nervous. Whatever it was, it surely knew that she was there.

Raika heard no more noises after that, and gradually she settled down and returned to watching for prey in the meadow, although she doubted there would be any after that ruckus. She herself was still wary, glancing around occasionally to scan the forest for anything or anyone else.

Soon the rustling started back up, more calm now but clearly the result of movement of some large animal. She stood again, watching in the direction of the rustling, which was the same direction from which the sounds of the hunt had come. After a moment she caught a glimpse of white and she cocked her head. Very few large animals that she knew of were white. Only wolves. Indeed the creature turned out to be a wolf. It remained partially hidden as it called out in the familiar language, and immediately Raika relaxed. She took her time answering, pondering whether she should or shouldn't accept the offer. Emboldened by knowledge that she had powerful magic, she called out, "Yes, thank you stranger!" and approached the edge of the forest. As she neared the other wolf she noted that it was female, about the same height as Raika, and that a dove seemed to like her very much. The black wolf nodded a greeting. "My name is Raika. It's good to see another wolf." She sniffed the kill, noticing that many of the good parts had been taken, but still she was grateful for the food and tore into the shoulder.

[memento]

Sheena

With a good full belly, and a relatively clean, and soft mind, Sheena began to feel the need to rest a little before she continued on her way. But, at the sight of a fellow wolf, all her cautious barriers went up, hackles slightly raised, and she was immediately awake. Any wolf, in particular in these lands, could pose a threat. Magic from other wolves was not a new experience for the vixen, and she was always wary of those who held particular strength with it. While her ability was limited, her fine trick of concealing herself was quite a remarkable thing.

Some would say Sheena looked like a ghost, apart from her sharp eyes which were oh so vivid. With her trick which literally dumped her in some other place, somewhere for the dead, it would only make her a source of speculation. Little knew about the unique talent she possessed, for the most bit she would say she could simply cloak herself. It was so much more than that. Licking her ivory teeth, she bared her fangs slightly at the thought of a stranger. But for once, Sheena would be the one to approach, rather than the other way around.

She dragged the fat body of the doe, stripped of most the good parts, towards the lone black figure. The other canine was possibly her height, with the build most the same as well. Twittering nervously, the dove on her shoulder clung, trying to immerse itself in Sheena's silky coat. She chuckled richly, throwing her head to the side to pant meaty breath on the bird. Despite the fact she never had offered it the ride of her back, she wouldn't harm something that trusted her so dearly. It was simply wrong.

Instead of annoying the little creature perched on her, the wolfess kept her attention front and centre, focused mostly on the dark animal while she kept herself tense and knowing about the environment around her. It would be a catastrophe for a rogue large creature to belt her a blow without the vixen being prepared- which didn't happen as she always was. Sniffing the air she pedantically breathed in the scent of the new animal, and finding it relatively pleasing, she trotted forwards, barely harried by the corpse.

Her tail was up high enough, not to exactly push for dominance, but to show Sheena was not one to mess with. The white essa seemed friendly enough, reserved perhaps, but that was how she was. Sheena was an excellent leader, and it showed in her posture, dignity, and aura. She wasn't sure if others could pick up she had magic, but was able to sense her comrades easy enough. That classified her as powerful, and ears wavering, she wagged her tail a little to show she was keen to meet the female.

Dropping the heavy body, she proceeded to watch the female, and feeling a little at ease that the fae had come out of her own way to greet her, relaxed slightly as she lay down on her belly and cleaned her face slightly. Emerald eyes didn't miss a thing, and with her speed, surely she would be able to run away if it was needed. Even if this wolf proved to be an enemy, she had no wish to fight when she was in such a contented mood. In fact, she pondered wearily, would it be possible for her just to rest a little while this ebony animal ate her fill, and possibly, guarded her back while she did it? Stretching with a little yawn, her state grew softer, less tense.

However she remained awake and alert despite the nagging need for sleep, this deep forest did little to ease her stress. Huge, tall trees that seemed strangely out of place towered over her, mostly concealing the light she was not fully happy in. Despite the lack of sun which she detested, it was too cool, and too secluded with no where to run to for the female to like. Sniffing, she lifted her head from the moss as her temporary companion spoke. "Yes, thank you stranger!"

With another rumbling chuckle, and a soft coo from the bird still resting on the female, she spoke, stretching her jaw for the other canine to witness her teeth before she did, shaking away the weariness. "Your welcome, fellow stranger." She nodded, speaking in her gravelly, twisted words that seemed ancient. Despite being a rather young wolf of three winters, she seemed wise in her slight years. She wouldn't give her name before the other creature did- it was again, her way.

"My name is Raika. It's good to see another wolf." A soft smirk on the ivory wolves lips, she replied, gently shaking herself before she did. " I am Sheena, Wolf-Raika. This"- She paused, turning her head to the bird on her back. She did not know the pestering things name, but if it was content to be her companion, she guessed you would have to learn it. In softer tones, she crooned to the bird, a melody in her voice. " Friend- bird, what is your name?" After looking slightly flustered and pleased that she had asked, it called back in its tiny voice. " Friend- Sheena, my name is Cloudsong." Fitting, the pale wolfess mused, and turned back to speak to the female. " This is Cloudsong. Pleased to meet you acquaintance Raika. Take what of my kill you want, for i may just rest for a while in your company."

Word count: 924
OOC: Sorry if this sounds dragged out.
Muse: Not as good i am afraid.

[Forte]

Raika was not bothered by the posture of the white wolf. It was a neutral stance, just like Raika's always was. That was the black wolf's default: neutral. Not being from a pack, Raika had never really had any experience with body language, so while she tended to play it safe and neither threaten nor submit with her posture, body language just didn't mean all that much to her and she didn't pay attention to it really. Living her own life, she was free of a hierarchy. She didn't need to know where she stood on the social ladder. She didn't need an alpha.

Another thing Raika noticed about the white wolf was the way she addressed Raika. She had never encountered someone who put a descriptor before the name. She also noticed that Sheena had called the bird "friend" and Raika simply "wolf". This was a foreign concept to the black wolf. Everyone was her friend if they wanted to be, and Raika had always held dear the concept that a stranger was just a friend he had not yet met.

Focused on the food that she had been so lucky to come across, Raika had failed to notice the dove until Sheena started to introduce it. The little creature blended so well with Sheena's coat. Raika looked up from the carcass and smiled at the both of them. "I'm pleased to meet you as well. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your generosity," she addressed Sheena, then settled back down near the white wolf, only picking at the meat so that, in the conversation she was about to induce, she would be able to reply if she needed to. "Are you travelling, Sheena?"

((Sorry, heh...))