if you can s t a n d me [Maya]

[Ϻinέrvă]

Aditi

<sup>A young she-wolf surveyed the territory in front of her. The multitude of trees and dense undergrowth made this place much more lush than her former haunts. The border here was strong and the space beyond it smelled of many wolves. Aditi prayed the rumors were true, or else she was walking into a death trap.

The rumors. They had trickled down to her as she was laying low in the lands unclaimed by any wolf. Dominors on their way to and from the Rock, pack members meeting on neutral territory; as they stopped to refresh and talk, she slowly pieced together their gossip to learn of an Alpha unlike any other. He was called Vernado and he was against the mistreating of slaves. Naturally, that would be very upsetting to the dominors. Who are they without their little puppets? Aditi thought bitterly, thinking of the scars he father bore and the haunted look of her mother.

If she had to live in a pack, it would be this Vernado's. Her parents had made her wary of Alphas, but the shady brutes and hungry nights of the free lands had forced her to come to the conclusion that she wasn't ready. As much as she loved them, Aditi had to admit her parents had never prepared her for life on her own. They had often drilled her and Moda on safe places to hide and ways to avoid an enemy, but other than that they seemed to have assumed she would stay with them forever. Aditi's muzzle wrinkled as she drew up her lips in disgust. The sheer embarrassment of being with her parents when other femmes were starting packs and having pups would kill her. Her expression quickly changed as she mused that she would endure even that if it meant she would know they were alive and well.

Stepping delicately over the border with her light paws, Aditi pricked her ears for any unusual sounds. No army of snarling wolves jumped out of the undergrowth to surround her, which was a great reassurance. She brazenly continued on, waiting for someone to stop her or question her. She tilted her head to the side as she tried to recall if she had ever been taught the correct way to ask to be taken to the Alpha. Nothing came to mind, so she decided to cross that bridge when she came to it.

If she ever came to it. The fae was quite a ways into the forest now and still no one had even come to greet her. Aditi sniffed. She might not be a dominor, but she deserved some recognition at least.

"Hello?" she called out into the woods, her words echoing oddly against the trees. "It's awfully rude not to greet your guests!" She paused. "Well, I don't want to be a guest, I want to stay, but . . ." A frown pulled on her muzzle. "Well, it's still rude!"</sup>

[Maya]

Vernado

Do you recognize the face in the [ m i r r o r ] looking back at you?[/center]

This wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t need the attention or the swarming rumors, the intimate whispers that were purposefully too loud for him to hear. The wolves were talking about him, spreading his thoughts and how he ran things at Regnen. They knew him by name and addressed him like he was scum, shouting out insults that would never sink into his brain. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing to prove. He was going to focus on his pack, no matter how small or how large it got, that was all he needed to rely on and to have. His pack is his family and family meant more to him than the wolves that didn’t have the guts to speak to his face of the male dawned in shades of gray. They were wasting his time and their breath by attempting to preach at him, trying to persuade him to their dark and evil path of dominance and control. He wouldn’t be surprised if their slaves attempted to escape and seek a haven here in Regnen. He was expecting fights to break out but so far peace had reigned supreme in the quiet forest he called home.

To label Vernado obsessed with how others perceived him would be a completely wrong label. He cared not for the sneers given as he trudged past others nor for the snickers and childish nicknames given to him due to his ways and how the slaves he would accumulate would not be touched by neither his claws or teeth or anyone else’s that would seek a home within the looming foliage around him. Slaves to Vernado was not a matter of proving himself superior above them like most Alphas did or thought, but he treated them with respect. He could relate to them, know what they endured far more than anyone of those idiots would realize.

Massive paws churned over the lands at a relatively fast pace, blurring into one another as they struck out at the earth. The creepers that twisted between trees attempted to slow the barreling male down. Strands of sinew flexed and contracted with use, causing the gray colored coat to become alive. Individual hairs were sent against one another at the pace he was moving in and for a rather hefty male; he was moving with a surprising amount of speed and agility. Eyes of a dark mocha locked on a distant figure that was bold and stupid enough to trudge past the borders of his land and daringly glare the male in the eyes. A look of anger flashed through his usually solemn face which seemed to be the easiest feeling to reveal along with rage and hate. The kinder emotions hardly ever surfaced but this wolf hadn’t announced herself or done any of the courteous announcements that they were here.

His pace slowed to an abrupt halt, practically almost sending him plowing into the female. His eyes glanced downwards upon her and his aggression sobered slightly. Within his eyes was a rather dubious look that maybe she didn’t exactly know what needed to be done in order to greet an Alpha. He would let it slide but the words that fumbled out of his mouth seemed rather harsh. ”And it is awfully rude to not howl when asking for acceptance and also rude to tread into a claimed land,” he stated coolly, gazing at her before exhaling heavily. So she was coming to stay rather than being a guest, he let his short and shallow breaths turn slightly audible as he soon spoke up once more. ”I will let this slide as it does seem that you have not yet been informed of such ways.” He attempted a smile that appeared rather awkwardly upon his lips before dissipating under the surface.

”I am Vernado and might I be graced with your name, miss,” he asked, permitting the inquiry to linger in the air and selecting silence as he sat down in front of the female with an unreadable face.

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[Ϻinέrvă]

Aditi

<sup>The brute appeared out of nowhere. As he loomed over Aditi, she couldn't help but compare him to what she assumed a bear looked like. He was just so there, taking up space and drawing the eye. His light fur almost canceled that out. The soft gray was a calming color, making him seem trustworthy. However, he was still a dominor and he was still very threatening. His tone with her did not place him as an exceedingly gentle wolf.

”And it is awfully rude to not howl when asking for acceptance and also rude to tread into a claimed land.”

Protocol would be her downfall, she was sure. One day, she would breach it and the penalty would be death. Or maybe that was just being dramatic.

"My bad," she murmured apologetically, though she couldn't see why it was such a bad mistake. So I forgot to knock before entering, big whoop.

”I will let this slide as it does seem that you have not yet been informed of such ways.”

"Oh. Well, thanks." Aditi had to admit she was a little surprised. Her parents had made it sound like anger an Alpha was a slippery slope that lead straight to a bottomless pit of despair. The last thing she would have expected was for him to "let it slide." He introduced himself, confirming her suspicions that he was the Alpha of rumor. Aditi liked the way he said his name. Not pompous, not looking for recognition, just stating a fact.

She wagged her tail and gave him a pleasant grin. "You don't need to call me miss; it sounds pretentious. I'm Aditi. You can call by a nickname, if you want. I've got several: Adi, Dee-Dee . . . There was something a creepy male yelled at me once, but I can't really repeat it." She laughed. "Oh, my mother would have a fit if--" Aditi broke off and wrestled her face into a sober expression. She didn't need to start discussing her mother in front of an Alpha.

She cleared her throat and swept her gaze over the forest. It really was a beautiful place, with the sun turning the leaves gold and dappling the forest floor. She bet it looked absolutely stunning in the morning. Her thoughts came back to her initial objective.

"I notice you haven't kicked me out yet. Does that mean I can stay?"</sup>

[Maya]

Vernado

Do you recognize the face in the [ m i r r o r ] looking back at you?[/center]

Vernado’s emotions or lack thereof, gave him a downside. He could easily relate to others but when it came to revealing how he truly felt, he struggled like a helpless child. His words, however, blunt and harsh they might have seemed weren’t necessarily to be thrown like darts to the wall. He meant no physical harm, nor mentally either, but his habits were hard to break and it seemed this young female was almost taken aback by the brashness in his tone. No matter if she were young or old, Vernado had to be on his guard. He knew he was being spoken of constantly, and curiosity had been piqued by many. He could very well be watched by now but so far no spies had eluded his merciless grasp. The thought of it almost made him cringe but he knew that within time, he would have to fight them back, or maybe they just didn’t care. He could only hope.

"My bad." Her voice was apologetic and yet, Vernado wondered if she even knew what could have happened to her if he wasn’t the way he was. She could have been ambushed, knocked to the ground and beaten senseless until the world began to fade out of her vision. She could have been killed and be worse off than she was now but Vernado was understanding, whether he proved to be that way or not. When he allowed letting her little slip up pass, she seemed rather stunned at that fact. Vernado wasn’t entirely mad, he was a little annoyed as he had every right to be, but he tried to figure out as to why she appeared that way. He wondered for a fleeting moment what her parents had said about Alphas, cross them and they’ll slit ones throat or challenge them every step of the way? It was intriguing to Vernado but such unimportant questions would be answered later, the young female permitting.

While most Alphas introduced themselves as ‘Alpha so and so, leader of a particular land,’ Vernado strayed away from. His title was not to be thrown in the faces of others for most wolves had common sense. Usually the first wolf to approach is the leader and even looking at his body language he was of a higher rank. He wasn’t egotistical, ensuring that every wolf called him by Alpha Vernado and nothing else, but when they did, he was quick to correct them. He was just Vernado, no more and no less.

Her sudden change in body language caught his eye, and he watched as she clearly displayed such enthusiasm or elation it seemed. Her tail was wagging as a grin placed itself upon her lips. His face remained solemn, studying her before listening to her words. He nodded, taking in her name as well as various other nicknames. He used formalities only due to his mother having ingrained such things into his mind. He didn’t care if he was Alpha, every wolf deserved to be treated with respect. Vernado watched as her face quickly shifted at the mention of her mother, and although he wanted to press the matter and ask why she had done such a thing, he fought it back down. What if her mother was dead as well? He knew that talking about his parents brought back memories of their death and made him relive the moment. Instead he decided it was best to let it lay untouched for now.

”I believe I will stick with Aditi for now; nicknames seem to be saved for wolves who know each other well,” he stated, meaning no harm by it. It would feel a little foreign to him if he just out rightly called her by a nickname but he was sure that he would get to know her as time went on. "I notice you haven't kicked me out yet. Does that mean I can stay?" Her inquiry brought him back to the task at hand and Vernado nodded his head once more. ”Of course you may.” His tone seemed lighter this time, brighter to release whatever tension might be coursing through her. His eyes began to cloud as a question came to his mind and he decided it would be best to ask it out right.

”Tell me, Aditi, do you have any skills that can be spared towards the good of the pack? Hunting or anything of the sort?” It was a simple question, a question that could, depending on her response, place her in a rank that suited her best. After all, she knew herself better than he did at this point, and if she no skills to give over, Vernado would gladly keep an eye on her to see if any did spring up.




Ooc: Sorry for the delayed response; my horse fell severely ill but he's better and back to normal. Thank you again for waiting!

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[Ϻinέrvă]

Aditi

<sup>”I believe I will stick with Aditi for now; nicknames seem to be saved for wolves who know each other well.”

"Oh, ok. That's fine." Unused to the formalities of the adult world, Aditi had offered the nicknames as a gesture of friendship. When Vernado chose not to use them, she saw it as a sign that he didn't like her. She was used to getting on people's nerves, of course, but he didn't seem angry or upset. Aditi was about to resign herself to heading back out to live on her own when he spoke again. Her tail wagged as he gave her permission to stay.

"Great! I'll be the perfect pack member. I mean, after I figure what I have to do."

Aditi felt like jumping in excitement. A pack, a real pack; something forbidden to her for so long and now she was going to live in one! She could only imagine the strange and new things she would encounter. And the best thing of all, she wouldn't be alone anymore.

”Tell me, Aditi, do you have any skills that can be spared towards the good of the pack? Hunting or anything of the sort?”

Aditi blinked at him. She had spent so much time thinking about what a pack had to offer her, she hadn't given any thought to what she could to for the pack. For a moment she was gripped by panic. What if she couldn't do anything useful? Would Vernado throw her out? Suddenly she remember something that no wolf would pass up.

"I'm a pretty good hunter," she said proudly. Every pack needed wolves to supply the food. "It's practically the only time I'm quiet, because I get so into it." She smiled sheepishly. "But I can be quiet other times, if you want me to."</sup>

^{Ooc-This is all kinds of crap. Dx I didn't want to make you wait longer, though.}