Far away from you [Odyssey/open]

[⋆Ravɛn]

TORTUGA

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The moment he stepped over the boundary line and into Irrsin, Tortuga let out a deep breath. He and Adali, the Sklavin he had picked up from Auktion Rock, had made good time. In fact, the sun was just beginning to set when he glanced up at the sky. Satisfied, he glanced back at the fellow Arctic wolf behind him before continuing to trot forward. The scents of the other pack members enveloped him, but the strongest of all was her scent. Kasimira's. He smiled just slightly, satisfied as he veered to the side.

He walked in silence, much like the rest of the journey as he moved across the meadow towards the stream in the distance. He had remained true to his decision of allowing Adali to bathe before presenting her to Kasimira. So far, he had been failing at being a 'tough leader'. But Adali had proven to be obedient, so he didn't exactly have cause to be tough. Had she been out of line and snarky, maybe then he would have thrown rank. But no. She was...quiet.

Once they had come close enough to the waters edge, Tortuga stopped, glancing over his shoulder at Adali. He motioned to the stream with his muzzle, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"I know it's going to be very cold, but if you'd like to wash yourself, you may," he said, wondering if she minded the chilling bite of winter. He himself didn't, and would gladly had dipped into the stream himself had he needed it. But his own coat looked well enough, so he stepped away, lowering himself into a sitting position. Then, he tipped his head back and howled, calling to Kasimira and anyone else who may be interested in meeting Adali.

He lowered his skull, glancing sideways at Adali. "While you're bathing, a few of the pack members might arrive, if they decide to come. There are a few other Sklavin. Then there's our Beta, Kyren. And you'll certainly be meeting Queen Kasimira, my mate and your Alpha," he smirked slightly, a twinkle in his cerulean eyes. "Be prepared for her. She's a bit...fiery, to say the least. But I don't think you'll have any problems."

For perhaps the millionth time, he wondered how Kasimira would react. He had done this completely out of the blue, gone off to Auktion Rock and returned plus one. Would she be proud that he was finally starting to go off and do pack business like this? Or would she be angry? The thought of her anger made his smirk grow. She was like a forest fire, and he sincerely hoped that Adali was prepared to deal with that. He glanced over at her, watching her silently as a million scenarios ran through his crowded mind.

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Adali[/u][/size][/URL]

There hadn’t been a word shared between the two on their journey. Both seem satisfied to keep their silence, and Adali was grateful he hadn’t hounded her with any questions or demands. Except, at the same time, it made her feel a little useless. She was far to used to having orders barked in her face. Simply following her new leader was peaceful, but such an odd change that she was itching to do something. Couldn’t she catch dinner for him or something? The female wasn’t the best hunter in the world, but with her long legs surely a rabbit wouldn’t be any problem-

"I know it's going to be very cold, but if you'd like to wash yourself, you may,"

She was brought out of her thoughts when he spoke, and it took her a moment to fathom what he meant. Coming to a halt beside the stream, she stared at it for a long moment. He was letting her clean off? This surprised her, which was obvious by the look that took over her features. She couldn’t really fathom why he would let her do such a thing. Her old leader would of just laughed at her filthiness and called her disgusting. Was she disgusting? She was sure she certainly appeared it, with all the grime stuck to her coat.

Adali shook her head a little to herself as he howled. With one quick glance at her leader to make sure he hadn’t changed his mind, she sprung into the shallow stream. It was freezing, causing her to instantly feel numb. But oh, it felt so good. Like heaven on this messed up earth. She felt free as the water enveloped all but her head as she sank as deep into the shallows as was possible, washing away most of the dirt and who knows what else that had clung to her fur. The female couldn’t remember the last time she’d been allowed to take a swim, and was as thankful as ever to the one sitting on the shore.

"While you're bathing, a few of the pack members might arrive, if they decide to come. There are a few other Sklavin. Then there's our Beta, Kyren. And you'll certainly be meeting Queen Kasimira, my mate and your Alpha,"
"Be prepared for her. She's a bit...fiery, to say the least. But I don't think you'll have any problems."

As he spoke, she looked over at him, looking more awake than ever. Though that was mostly because of the cold. All sounded fine and dandy to her ears… until he mentioned the queen and her personality. Instant fear struck through her at the mention of this queen’s fiery ways, and she was springing out of the stream before one could even blink. She was frightened this other leader he spoke of was as bad as her last, and wouldn’t approve of her feeling so… free.

After a good shake off and a newly gleaming coat, she lay on the dying grasses, head resting on the ground with her paws on either side as she began to cower once again. Her ears were back, eyes wide as she shivered and resisted the urge to let out a worried whine.

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KASIMIRA

Kasimira's black body laid sprawled over the snowy ground, her pelt warmed by the sinking sun. Long streaks of pale crimson spun across the sky, blending into softer oranges and mild yellows She'd spent the day deep in her thoughts, contemplating the previous night that had been spent with Tortuga. They'd flirted deeper, slightly differently before and all she could think about was the words he'd whispered to her. They'd pacified her musings then and taken her further; it was a new connection to the male, a new thought that transcended through her upon seeing his pale fur and blazing blue eyes. She felt attached to him stronger somehow, as if threaded through his heart by golden strings. It was a beautiful, lightened feeling and she embraced it in the sun's slipping rays.

Lazily, the female rolled onto her opposite side, playfully scraping the wisps of clouded sky with her paws. It was the pup inside that urged her to leap and run and dance beneath the sky; only her dignity as pack leader held her steadfastly to the ground. Flicking her muzzle upside down, Kasimira blinked in surprise as she watched two blurs of white dash into the meadow. They were roughly two rolling hills away from her current position and quick about their business. She'd barely noticed them and only because of the intense difference in their stark white coats and the vague last melting of snow that stubbornly held to the faded meadow grasses. The days had been getting warmer, which in turn made the ground wetter; disgusting.

Kasimira flipped slowly onto her stomach, licking a paw to run over her ear in thought. It looked as if the first white figure was leading the second. They'd disappeared over a rise in the land; just about where the stream cut through the southern border of Irrsin land. With a sigh and a huff the queen lifted herself off the ground, ears flicking distaste. For starters, she had been thoroughly enjoying her slumber and reminiscence over the previous night's events. And secondly, she'd have to scare intruders off looking like a river beast because the ground had left her coat soaking and muddied. Ugh. Might as well get this over with.

Black legs reached greedily over the land as Kasimira loped toward where she'd last seen the white figures, her mind beginning to pick up speed as she ran. She only slowed her gait when she heard murmured talking; too soft for her to pick up exact details of the conversation, yet loud enough to detect over the surface. Boldly, she strutted forward over the moor side, her tail raised to show authority. To her surprise, however, Tortuga's unwavering gaze met her as soon as she showed herself and she attempted to blink away the bewilderment in response.

"I thought you were in the den, love."

Kasimira let her expression and stance soften, coming to lick her mate's muzzle with unrestrained ardor. He was the soldier returned, she the wife with settled worry.

There had been two. Slowly, Kasimira turned her gaze to the other wolf behind Tortuga. Her eyes narrowed, at the scent of female and she hesitated her affections, pulling her muzzle from her mate's instinctively. By stance she was a lowly skalvin; that much was certain. But why was she here? Quirking a brow, Kasimira stepped back and eyed the two wolves, her expression guarded.

"And who might you be?"

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[⋆Ravɛn]

TORTUGA

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Tortuga watched Adali closely, observing her, practically studying her. When she leaped from the water he chuckled but said nothing, staying where he stood. As she laid down, beginning to cower again, Tortuga glanced to the side, wondering how long it would take for their presence to be noticed. He paced away from Adali, slowly moving from side to side as he waited, his mood slightly lifted.

A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye had him turning quickly. And there, slinking towards him, was Kasimira. Almost unconsciously, Tortuga allowed his lips to pull upwards, forming that familiar half smirk. He slid towards her, meeting her halfway and humming as he licked at his muzzle, he words as soothing as cool water would have been to a burn.

"I thought you were in the den, love."

His maw parted, a response on his lips, but before he could utter a word, Kasimira took notice of Adali. She stepped away from him, looking uncertain as she questioned who the strange Sklavin with her mate was. Tortuga imagined that it must have been quite odd; him sneaking off and returning with a female, Sklavin or not. Shaking his head and snorting slightly, he moved to Kasimira's side, nudging her softly to reassure her. "I decided to take a little trip to Auktion Rock," he murmured in her ear, cerulean eyes wandering to where Adali laid. He straightened slightly, posture relaxed.

"I've brought you back a surprise," he informed his mate, glancing at her coyly as he shifted, his body close to Kasimira but his eyes on the Sklavin laying before them. Once more, he felt as if he had done an adequate job, but would Kasimira feel the same way? He certainly would have been surprised if she had snuck off with night approaching, only to return with some strange wolf. Hopefully she would understand that he had meant no harm or insult; quite the opposite, in fact. He had hoped that by helping the pack grow, he would please Kasimira. He also knew that females were tricky; it was very difficult indeed to decipher what would upset them and what would make them coo happily. Often times he had made attempts to woo females, only to have them snap and snarl at him. Other time, he expected a quick nip only to be rewarded with a flirty smile. It was hard to win such a difficult game, especially with a female as fiery and spirited as his Kasimira was.

Glancing once more to Adali, he gestured to her quickly with his muzzle, tilting it upwards sharply in her direction. "Go on," he began, speaking in as calm a voice as he could muster, not wanting to make the situation more stressful. "Tell her your name."

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It didn’t take long for the queen of which he spoke to arrive, yet it somehow felt like hours to the ever worrying Adali. The appearance of the other female sent her head reeling. She was so… so pretty. Black fur so luscious and soft looking. The perfect body and such stunning eyes that Adali felt like she’d ruin them by simply looking into them with her own plain ones. She lowered her gaze to the ground, and immediately started comparing herself to the goddess like wolf that stood before her. Adali didn’t have the eyes, the luxuriously soft fur or the build. No, her eye color was more commonly found, her fur only mildly soft to the touch, and her body looked as if it were permanently stuck in the awkward lanky stage only juveniles went through. She suppressed a whine, and reminded herself that of course a sklavin such as herself would never be so stunning.

At the sound of the other female’s questioning and Tortuga’s encouragement, Adali forced herself to look at the queen. Her eyes didn’t meet the others though. No, she simply started at her chest. What was she to do? Simply lay there where she was? All she knew about her new alphess was that she was ‘fiery‘ as Tortuga had simply put it. What if she made the wrong move? Said the wrong thing? Used the wrong tone? She took a deep breath. “Adali” she spoke so softly that she could hardly even hear herself. Immediately, she felt stupid and mentally kicked herself. Maybe she was the type to hate mumbling? “My name is Adali, miss” she tried again a little louder so she was sure the other could actually hear her. “It’s truly an honor to meet you, and serving you will be my greatest pleasure” she tried, hoping to make at least a decent impression. The whole situation felt awkward to the white female, and she resisted the urge to tremble under the black wolf’s gaze.

She lowered her eyes again, staring at her queen’s paws. Even those were pretty. Every single thing, appearance wise, about this other female was awe worthy to Adali. It was difficult to resist the temptation to tell her how beautiful she thought she was. Certainly Kasimira didn’t want to hear such a thing from a lowly sklavin such as herself. What did Adali’s opinion matter, anyways?

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KASIMIRA

"I decided to take a little trip to Auktion Rock,"

At the touch and nudge of her mate, Kasimira lifted her lips, the black gums showing as she warded Tortuga away. His comfort soothed her inner misgivings and yet something still seemed awry and out of place. Roughly, the thoughts were roused from within her, the soft whispers of the night before. He'd been with other females, he'd admitted it himself. Maybe this vixen was no different, a cooing lover to idle his time away with while his mate slept on previous fantasies. She was the sweet mistress of the sunlight and hidden times, slipping from the queen's view in the trees. Kasimira cast a narrowed glance at the other female. She wasn't even that pretty. Hmph.

She was jumping to conclusions much too quickly. Huffing, the black vixen tried to calm her fraying thoughts with simple logistics to pacify her. What had been his true intentions in bringing her back a sklavin to her, and a female at the very least? The queen tried futilely to disregard the oddities of the meeting and focus instead on quivering she-wolf before her. She needed to think beyond the subtle lingerings of her sexual mind, needed to accept that her mate had only wished to please her. Grudgingly, Kasimira let the musings fall away, moving to plaster her blue gaze on the scrawny female.

"I've brought you back a surprise,"

Kasimira slowly blinked thankfully at Tortuga, her eyes still shimmering an ounce of personal doubt. The more she surveyed the female the more inadequate she seemed, becoming less of a threat as the moments passed and Kasimira broke down the flaws. Her fur was unnaturally spiky where water had dried it into clumps, her amber eyes wide with a certain apprehension. Almost gleefully the ebony female realized that a hint of fear was flickering in her opponent's eyes and in a glow of arrogance rose inside her. I'm beautiful, watch me. It was her egocentric behavior flaring, with the stabbing, dragon-hearted comments flying from her mind like daggers.

"Go on, tell her your name."

It was only with nods of encouragement that the pallid female opened her mouth to speak; even then, she seemed reluctant, the words caught in her throat. Kasimira's ears twitched irritably as she waited, eying the sklavin for any sense of vocal return. She took the time to daintily settle her hind legs more comfortably against the wet grasses, wrapping the bushy tail around her paws as a final touch. Perfect. Kasimira cocked her head to show a sense of authority, her muzzle turned slightly up, as if demanding. Just because Tortuga found her worthy of the Irrsin pack didn't mean she would receive any less treatment.

When the alabaster fem finally opened her mouth, the queen leaned forward to catch the words only to find them drifting uselessly on the wind. Spit it out already. Kasimira knew meeting an Alpha would be slightly intimidating to a shy sklavin, but this seemed ridiculous. She let her breath slip off her lips louder than before and with a slight emphasis on her apparent exasperation.

“My name is Adali, miss. It’s truly an honor to meet you, and serving you will be my greatest pleasure.”

Adali. It was a pretty name, and it had a certain ring to it. Besides that, she certainly knew he place. The wait had proved to be mildly worth it. Kasimira had always thought that a sklavin who knew their rank without having been informed was a blessing from Eperna herself. She had enough to do without handing out an order for every wolf that dared step out of line under her rule. The black she-wolf swiftly dipped her head, letting the blue eyes settle into Adali as she spoke.

"I'm sure Tortuga's already told you; name's Kasimira. You'll call me Lady or Queen, anything that holds respect will do. Never my first name."

With a soft smile at Tortuga, she paused before continuing, the hostile thoughts slowing. She tried to lessen the usual briskness and harsh vowels of her voice this time, her eyes flickering a subdued interest. A feeble, yet well-meant attempt to somewhat befriend the previous female she'd mistaken for a mistress.

"I hope you find yourself welcome in Irrsin. We'll have a pack meeting later to introduce you to everyone. I'll expect you to clean up fully before then."

Initial good intentions went south quicker than she realized; Kasimira just couldn't help but add a snide remark at the end. Tortuga's present had turned out to be interesting and Kasimira's heart fluttered quietly in her chest. She slipped a quick glance at her mate, mouthing words silently to her lover.

Thank you, darling.

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[⋆Ravɛn]

TORTUGA

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When Kasimira's lips pulled back to reveal her teeth, Tortuga was momentarily stunned. Had he displeased her by bringing back Adali? Perhaps Kasimira hadn't wanted a new slave. Or was that worry that he saw gleaming in her eye? What did she possibly have to be worried about? Tortuga cast a glance at Adali. Yes, she was pretty for a Sklavin. But did Kasimira of all wolves have anything to worry about? Of course not. Snorting softly, Tortuga kept his distance, allowing silence to caress them for a few tense moments before Adali spoke.

“My name is Adali, miss. It’s truly an honor to meet you, and serving you will be my greatest pleasure.”

Ah, Tortuga thought, a small smile of satisfaction causing his lips to twitch upwards. good girl. Tortuga cast a quick glance at Kasimira, wondering how she would respond to this. She gave no reaction, other than dipping her head to speak to Adali.

"I'm sure Tortuga's already told you; name's Kasimira. You'll call me Lady or Queen, anything that holds respect will do. Never my first name."

Then, finally, Kasimira smiled at him, and the ivory male felt himself relaxing as he returned the gesture. She no longer seemed angry, and that was a very good thing. Although Tortuga found her wrath rather appealing, he also enjoyed when she was pleased with him. It made him feel accomplished, as if he had truly done something spectacular by pleasing his Queen. He lifted his head a bit higher, watching silently as Kasimira continued to speak to Adali.

"I hope you find yourself welcome in Irrsin. We'll have a pack meeting later to introduce you to everyone. I'll expect you to clean up fully before then."

Her ending comment did not go unnoticed to Tortuga, but neither did the silent thank you that she sent his way. Cerulean orbs flickering with amusement, he dipped his head low before turning to face Adali. "If you didn't finish up in the water, you may do so now," he said, as an add-on to Kasimira's closing comment. He glanced towards the water, feeling like a swim himself, but that could wait until later that night. Many times he had slipped from the den to bathe, feeling as if he hadn't enough time between daily activities.

"If you're done, however, that's fine. Would you happen to have any questions I could answer?" As he asked this, his eyes roamed, always drawn back to Kasimira, his voice sounding..pleasant yet bored. It was a constant thing with Tortuga; his voice either had an amused undertone, or a bored one. And rarely, angry dripped into his vocals like poison, but that was seen less that usual in Irrsin. He found that home had a way of...calming him.

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She sat so gracefully before her, a statue of pure perfection that Adali couldn’t help but gaze admiringly at. This wolf… she was everything the light cream female had never been and would never be. Mixed emotions were swarming through her. On one hand, she wanted to serve this queen to the best of her abilities. To be approved of by this majestic creature. On the other hand, there was a foreign feeling swelling within her. One that made Adali begin to dislike her at the same time that she loved her. It took her a moment of sifting through her muddled mind for the right word; Envy. She was jealous. While she wanted her approval, she wanted to be her at the same time. Instantly the lanky female knew this was not an appropriate thing to feel, and so she tucked it away, hiding it where nobody could find it even if they tore her to pieces. “Yes, my Queen” she spoke softly yet audibly, staring at the ground between them as if the dying grass was suddenly very interesting.

The deeper voice that came after Kasimira’s orders reminded the female that Tortuga was still there. She looked at him, feeling less intimidated by his presence than she was with her queen. But she didn’t keep her eyes on him for long, and instead let them drift to the stream she’d thrown herself out of several minutes before. “I don’t have any questions” she mumbled. While Tortuga made it seem like an option to clean up a little more, Kasimira made it sound like there was no other choice. That she was expected to.

Keeping her body low to the ground, she slinked back towards the water and sunk herself back into it’s freezing shallows with no hesitation. She even went as far as to dunk her head in this time, her amber orbs squeezing shut as she had momentary brain freeze. The cold was a shock, but she did it anyways, letting the moderately paced current wash away any filth that may of still been stuck to her fur. Anything to please her queen. Anything.

OOC: Meh short and a bit sucky. Kind of feeling rusty atm. I assume this can be the end of the thread.