these cold days ,, pod / raven / ody / ruki

[»Image]

K A S I M I R A

Beneath a sinking sun, a black wolf slid out from the cover of the forest and greeted the snowy meadow grasses that stretched out before her. They had finally, finally made it back to Irrsin. Kasimira's paws were terribly weary from the journey, and she inwardly cursed herself for somehow forgetting how far a distance the trek from Auktion Rock to home really was. Glancing back at the sklavin behind her, the she-wolf wondered vaguely how she'd remained quiet the whole way. Kasimira, who was not exactly friendly as it was, had been comforted yet confused by the silence as they'd trotted along. Had she no questions about her new home? Or was she actually mute and simply unable to express her thoughts otherwise? Slightly puzzled with the new acquisition, she stopped to mark the border once before moving steady further into the lands, black tail swinging high and elegantly behind her.

"This is Irrsin. Welcome." Her head was pridefully raised as she transitioned into a lope across the ground, and she threw her head to the skies and released a long, drawn howl to her pack. The noise thundered from her chest, wild and primitive in nature and she shuddered with excitement, kneading the ground as she waited for her pack to return the call. She'd been gone for only a few days, but the time seemed too lengthy now that she stood in her home. She'd missed Tortuga and all of his recently casual affection. She'd missed Zy's antics, Adali's humbleness, Dresna's growing steadfast behaviors. Even Adler and Lanze's play fights had been a thing of want. She had, quite frankly, missed her family.

As they waited, she turned back to her sklavin and surveyed her for a moment. Having yet to get a name out of her, Kasimira was slightly frustrated with the she-wolf and she narrowed her eyes in deliberation. Should she appoint her a name until she started talking? Or should she beat her until the name dropped out? After watching her at the Auktion Rock, and with all due consideration to the scars she already held, Kasimira decided that forcing the sklavin to talk would most likely prove useless. There had to be another way. Quirking a brow, Kasimira slowly formulated how the new wolf would be dealt with.

"I realize the horrors of what you have experienced and I will give you time to come around to us. Until then, we will call you 'Leaf'. When you talk, when you accept what has happened, then you will receive your name. You will then belong to this pack."

With thoughts of drifting, autumn leaves on her mind, the sooty she-wolf turned around to face her lands. "My name, little leaf, is Kasimira, Queen of Irrsin."

- - -

NOTE: I'm thinking that this thread will introduce Leaf to Tort, Adali, and Zy (we'll say this is before Tort and Kasi fall out since we haven't really gotten into that yet); later we can have a full pack meeting! | WORDS: 461 | TAG: Pod Ὀδύσσεια♐ ⋆Ravɛn ¿℟ᵿҝɸ

[Pod]

"no name"

The sun was disappearing over the horizon, marking the end of another day. Despite her horrible condition, the sklavin managed to keep up almost perfectly with the darker woman, cracked paws showing no signs of stopping without direct permission from her new dominor. The journey had been a long one, the two wolves having to pass through a decently good sized forest for most of it, up until they broke the treeline and entered a large meadow, possibly one of the biggest the sklavin had ever seen in her lifetime. And even then, with all the walking and pain she had been going through the entire trek, she still managed to remain silent, not a single whine or squeak slipping from those dark, dried lips of hers.

Head usually held low, the little female lifted it to glance at the meadows, taking in its vastness, wondering what it would look like once the snow cleared up and life was breathed back into the land. As quickly as those thoughts formed in her skull she would push them away and focus on the path ahead, ears twitching when the dominor marked a spot, signaling a border, her new domain. Irrsin the dark woman called it, bring a tilt of the head from the young female, finding it odd but would accept it and memorize the name, even if she couldn't say it... yet.

The sudden howl caused her to jump, back arching much like a feline and head pulling into her body in a moment of fear and surprise. At the realization that it was just her dominor howling, probably summoning her pack or maybe somebody she was close to so that they could inspect their newest addition. Till then the female turned to her sklavin, who now was calm and had been sitting behind but to the side of the woman, head held low and eyes on the grass, waiting for a task to be given to her.

"I realize the horrors of what you have experienced and I will give you time to come around to us. Until then, we will call you 'Leaf'. When you talk, when you accept what has happened, then you will receive your name. You will then belong to this pack."

For the first time since being shown on the auktion rock, the female would display a form of emotion at this news. A name... She looked so confused, surprised to be given such a privilege as a name when she had not even earned it yet with her, it was enough for a very faint smile to form on her lips. But as quickly as it appeared she had wiped it off, going back to a statue-like expression and nodding her head in understanding to all of this.

"My name, little leaf, is Kasimira, Queen of Irrsin."

Kasimira, Queen of Irrsin. Leaf would store that name in her memory.

TAG Ὀδύσσεια♐ ⋆Ravɛn ¿℟ᵿҝɸ WORDS 486

[⋆Ravɛn]

✝o r t u g a

The call, so familiar to him, had Tortuga raising his heavy head from his paws. It was a lovely afternoon in Irrsin, one that found the brute napping just inside of the dens, his sides rising and falling with each deep breath. Now, however…now he was wide awake. There was a moment of unbound joy in his chest, a natural reaction to the call of his mate. She had been gone for several days now, and her howl signifying her return had been much anticipated. His mouth stretching wide in a yawn, Tortuga got to his feet, shaking dirt from his pelt before bounding forward. Once outside he paused, tipping his muzzle towards the heaven to deliver a long answering call. Then he was off.

His muscles burned with his effort as the ivory brute streaked across the meadow, each step bringing him closer and closer to his mate. From the sound of it she’d just crossed into the territory, and Tortuga found himself wondering what she’d brought back this time. Kasimira was full of surprises, and it seemed that today would be no different, for as she came into sight on the distant horizon, it was clear that she was not alone. He could make out very little of the second figure from so far away, however. Pride settled in his chest at how quickly Irrsin was growing again, and when he finally came upon the pair, a smile had settled on his muzzle.

As he caught slight of the slave he faltered. It was only a fraction of a second, the tiniest change in his gait, before he recovered and continued. She was in rough condition to say the least, and Tortuga wondered what Kasimira had been thinking. Regardless he did not question her, for he knew that her judgment was sound – even if it wasn't very apparent yet. Striding forward, he moved to Kasimira’s side, burying his muzzle in the fur of her neck for a moment before stepping back.

”Welcome home,” he said warmly, standing and gazing at her with open adoration. He’d been trying to show her more affection lately, no matter how difficult it was at times. He had made mistakes, but he would fix them. Somehow, he would make things better. As he turned his head to glance at the new sklavin his gaze changed, adoration morphing into scrutiny and mild curiosity. She looked as if she might collapse at any moment, her face a mess of jumbled scars, one ear seeming to be missing and the other hanging on for dear life. In fact there didn’t appear to be very much of her left in one piece, and from his vantage point he thought that her tail was gone entirely, save for a nub. Her eyes, though…both of those were in working order, an amber-brown in coloration, so it was there that he focused.

”And what do we have here?” He rumbled, his tone slow and relaxed as usual, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

NOTES: | WORDS: 506 | TAG: »Image Pod Ὀδύσσεια♐ ¿℟ᵿҝɸ

[Ὀδύσσεια♐]

Adali

Adali should not have done it. The she-wolf had been sleeping under a small bush just outside the den sites when the flash of white had burst from the shadows and past her. Tortuga was on the move, giving her nothing of a glance as she succumbed back to the waking world. She shouldn't have stared when he rose his maw to the sky to answer the howl that had flowed across Irrsin moments before. Adali knew it was wrong, wasn't at all sure of her place in the peculiar event unfolding. She should have dropped her gaze back to the ground, should have remained curled in her spot where she belonged. She should not have followed him for the sake of her own curiosity. For the sake of her own affections luring her forward.

And yet she did despite her better judgement. Kasimira was back, calling, and Adali was sure it wasn't for her. But she went anyway, hopping up the moment Tortuga had disappeared over an incline in the earth and trailing in his wake at a crawl compared to his haste. It had been distant but there, near the borders. The sklavin knew her wonderment was misplaced but still her paws had her striding onward. The alphess had been gone for many days and though Adali was sure that all her efforts to gain her favor had been in vain she still wanted to see her, still retained some last flicker of hope that what would be on the return to greet the pack was a smile. She wanted Kasimira to smile at her. She wanted Tortuga to smile at her...

It took some time when at last she crested the slightest hill and paused to observe. She was till some distance away, only close enough to make out a sorrowful form mingling with the black and white dominors. She watched briefly as the white brute she'd grown so fond of greeted the black she-wolf she'd come to fear yet long for, before turning her gaze to the earth as if she didn't have the right to look at them in such a moment. Truly she did not. Her place was exactly where she sat and even that was bold. So she turned her yellow eyes back on the new figure, scooting a few paces down the hill yet not close enough to intrude if she wasn't welcome.

The stranger was small, pitiful if Adali were going to be honest with herself, and looked hardly like a wolf more than it did a lump that somehow gained consciousness. She'd never voice such a thought though and what came to the forefront of everything else was her sympathies. Even from where she was Adali could smell her as if they were side by side so strong was the stench, could see the missing ear and near nonexistent tail. What on the Gods names Kasimira intended to do with the little female she had not a clue. It seemed so unlike her to claim something so... broken. Even Adali had thought herself unworthy. Swallowing, she dared a glance back at the queen and her mate. I should have stayed at the dens.

❦

NOTES: lalalala | WORDS: 538 | TAGS: ⋆Ravɛn »Image Pod ¿℟ᵿҝɸ

[¿℟ᵿҝɸ]

I tried to sell my soul last night,

TEXT || TALK || THINK

It was a calm and cool day in the lands of Irrsin. The sky was clear of its usual winter gloom and the sun shone brightly across the slowly melting snow as it began its decent below the horizon. A few robins danced mirthfully in the air, appearing to relish the slight heat the distant star provided before heading off to bed for the impending nightly frost. All was tranquil in the world; all except Zy of course, who was busy mourning the loss of yet another of his creations.

There he sat in front of a globule of sinking slush, looking dejected and crestfallen as if someone had just come along and told him his little cowlick looked stupid. (He knew it was adorable and anyone who said otherwise was lying.) He picked up a nearby stick and began poking the mound halfheartedly; knowing his efforts to reconstruct it would be in vain. “Oh why must the good die so young!”, he dramatically bemoaned, thrusting his head upwards in a jerky fashion. “Hush my son, it’ll all be over soon.” With one theatrical motion he stabbed the remains of his sculpture, ‘ending’ its miserable existence. Before he had time to truly express his bereavement, a call rang out across the moors. His visage did a complete 180, going from funeral attire to giddy pup. “Oooh. Sorry bub, gotta go. It’s party time.” And with that he raced across the landscape towards his master’s call.

Even though he was sprinting, Zy wasn’t actually in any hurry to get to the edge of Irrsin and meet with the Ice Queen. It’s not like she really needed him there, but probably rather wanted to make sure the troublemaker wasn’t living up to his reputation while the others were away. He took a few round-about turns through mounds of snow, scattering heavy chunks of frozen water and enjoying the thrill of sliding across the frictionless surface. As he ran, the male spotted two moving white blobs off in the distance. He hated how now 3 out of Irrsin’s members were white coated, and so from a distance they couldn’t be distinguished from one another. Not to mention they could easily be mistaken for malevolent living ice sculptures coming back from the grave to haunt their inattentive creator.

As he caught up to the two loping shapes ahead, he realized they were Adali and Tortuga. He would have preferred Tortuga and Dresna, but one outta two ain’t bad. Gradually Kasimira herself came into view, as well as a rather mangy looking creature standing beside her. As Adali sat silently nearby, Tortuga approached his mate and .. companion. When he finally neared close enough to see the extent of the poor female’s scarring, he couldn’t help but be both startled as well as impressed. “Goddamn Kasi, the fuck’d you do to this poor thing.”

He was genuinely intrigued by her sorry state, but knew that his master probably wasn’t the cause. Her wounds were old and scarred; something like chopping off a wolf’s tail wouldn’t heal that quickly. In an unusual display of pity, he gave the slave girl a genuinely compassionate smile*. “Good on ya for still livin’ after all of that. Takes some real determination.” He paused for a bit, as if contemplating something serious before his typical mischievous persona flooded back. “So, like Tortle said, what’s this girl’s story?”

ZY || »Image Pod ⋆Ravɛn Ὀδύσσεια♐ || Dayum gurrrl, *=cue hiddle smile

Funny, he wouldn't even take a bite.

[KASIMIRA]

K A S I M I R A

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NOTE:  |  WORDS: 461 |  TAG: Pod Ὀδύσσεια♐ ⋆Ravɛn ¿℟ᵿҝɸ