All Alone {Open}

[Verboten]

The Lyxxus female huddled into the crevice, her teeth chattering as her scrawny form shuddered again. Her crimson and orange coat was drab with flecks of earth and mud, and it had lost its luster and shine from before she’d joined the Empire. A small, thin jackalope skeleton—practically picked clean—lay splayed in front of her, a few bones broken or missing.

Her ears were perpetually pinned back, and defeat glazed her eyes. She was Unranked, barely even worthy of the Novus’ attention. Or, so she thought. The Empire’s acceptance of her had been sketchy at best, the Emperor acted strangely and chasing her before he’d spoken to her.

Verboten sniffled, the onset of a cold already coming to light.

“Damn it,” she growled weakly, her voice thin and
reedy. The kills—for her—had been meager and hardly a bite at best. “And I’d so hoped for a position of power,”

She growled, unsheathing her claws and slapping the bone-carcass away. She strode towards the entrance, scrambled up it, and out into the day. She winced at the light, bowing down in submission at some of the actual members.
An outsider, she hissed to herself, That’s all I am to them.

[Cypress]

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[atrb=background,http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac298/Wonderwhy_wolves/cypress-1.png] The day was bright and cold, the fresh snow glittered in the sun, reflecting back into the eyes of the unprepared. The former Empress was ragged at best herself. She had finally recovered from the attack physically, however mentally she was a bit scarred. Her mate had lost his mind and left her to go hunt his estranged son. Her eldest son had taken over the Empire with barely a thought to her. At least that is what she assumed in her depressed state. Her young ones were old enough to be doing their own things, not needed a mother to watch their every move. With being ousted from her leadership role, routed from motherhood and denied time with her mate, she had far too much free time. She had kept to herself that past few months, healing her wounds. Her pelt was not as shiny as it used to be, the scar on her side seemed more visible, the fresher ones pink with new skin growth. She had defected to her original role in the pack...a hunter. However she was only hunting for herself. Her fiery green eyes were more like smouldering embers. She could feel her age coming to her, the cold pointed out that her joints were achy and stiff. However in her jaws was another old beast. She had hunted an old fox, her prize after hunting all morning. Perhaps Cedrus taking over was the best thing for the pack. He was young and strong with a good heart. The logical side of her was trying to push through the gray clouds on her brow. She would remain to consul her son, help him lead if he asked. She came back into the snowhills, dragging the bloodied meat in her powerful jaws. Her lithe horns were swept back and glistened with dark blood. She would have to remember to clean it off with snow before it dried. Her eyes fell upon another haggard figure....a lyxxus. She noted the submissive state of the female as she kept walking toward her. She paused, she herself felt like an outsider these days. Maybe they two of them could bear the weight together. Her motherly instincts made her drop the meat and growl a slight greeting, "You look like you could use this as well...." She gestured her snout down to the fresh meat. "Please, take some." Her voice was hollow, but inviting none the less.

[Verboten]

The submissive Lyxxus' classic emanating blue eyes shone dully in the sun, the usual healthy luster gone since the start of the winter. A shudder racked through her, her pelt fluffing up against the cold, her breath becoming weak and momentary ghosts as they escaped her lungs. The Yagi coming towards her was immediately recognizable- the Former Emporess, Cypress. Even though she was old, she still had remenants of her previous youthful beauty, and her aging body still encased a powerful spirit, though it weakened by the day.

"You look like you could use this as well.... Please, take some."

[/i] She said, her voice hollow and seemingly husky. However, it seemed...motherly, a tone and manner the Lyxxus had missed for years. It made her come out of the submissive pose slightly, no longer on her belly, tails tucked between her legs and ears back while her eyes were averted. She met the wolf's eyes for a brief second, then flashed down the rather large male fox. Her four tails came up in a way Verboten thought she'd forgotten. Almost the same flirtatous way she raised her tails when a male came around, when she was a loner, like that one lyxxus.... Naughty? Naught? Something like that, she remembered him well, handsome features and a sure-fire flirtation that had threaded her heart strings.

"Ma'am?" Her voice was still high and ready, so she cleared her throat, "Really? You would let me eat from the kill? You don't want to eat first?" Disbelief colored her now still weak, but strong voice; the paradox sounded strange- like quiet power, it seemed impossible, but it was something the Yagi had.

Without waiting for a reply, she crawled forwards, grasping the fox's limp leg and pulling it closer to her, and she felt blood rush through her again. The fire that had long since burned out was now rekindled.

Maybe Verboten's life wasn't over, maybe it wasn't even close to an end...

Maybe it was a beginning.[/blockquote]

[Cypress]

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[atrb=background,http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac298/Wonderwhy_wolves/cypress-1.png] Her fierce eyes followed the lyxxus posture almost curiously. It was good to show respect to other wolves, but it was also a necessity to care for ones self. Maybe this female just didn't have luck as of late. Winter in the tundra was not easy. The pack may be small, but it needed to be close knit to care for each other. The strong flourished here, but that didn't mean some weaker ones couldn't also thrive given the right circumstances. She shook out her earthy colored pelt, the slight movement shook a few ice crystals from her body. She allowed the lyxxus to take the meat, she herself was hungry, but the younger one seemed almost starved. Her endurance would allow her to hunt again later. For now she just gave a slight smile, "Eat, I'll get a little later." She lowered her head toward a small mound of snow to her left and began to rub her horns in the cold powder. She saw streaks of pink where the blood had washed off absorbing into the white snow. When her head movement no longer left behind small trails, she knew her horns were as clean as they could be. She watched the smaller wolf dig into the flesh she provided. Her heart was glad that she could still help out even if she was not quite in her prime anymore. She slowly lowered herself onto the ground and began to clean her paws and pads of the snow that clung to it. She pulled great clumps off with her teeth and spat them aside. The sun was weak today, but warm enough to be nice against her face and back. Her ears flickered now and then at sounds around them. However the most prominent sound was the feeding wolf near her. Her ears went back at the realization that she did not remember the wolf's name. "Forgive my memory....but what was your name again?" She was not going senile yet, she still had at least three years before that happened, but a lot had been going on lately and she may have overlooked the pack more than she would have liked. She felt guilty, she had worked so hard to keep this pack alive, yet now she could not remember the names of the members.

[Cedrus]

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Cedrus was as lost as he could be. After traversing the Tundra in a bid to find a more hospitable area for his newly acquired, dwindling pack, he had gone and gotten himself puzzled in the white landscape. He was not fearful, no, for what he found in his travels still sent excited chills through his shivering body and new breath from his maw.

Oh but what a treasure he did find in his concentrated confusion, pride swelling through his heated chest when his ruby optics lay on it for the first time. The hidden caves sheltered and safe, large and foreboding on the mountainside. Smooth rock would line its walls, and the instant warmth it breathed had made the Emperor pant ever so slightly.

It had taken a day to explore all that he did, and even then- there was much more! He couldn't say when this hidden gem ended, or what other possibilities it held. Of which he already new about, dozens of clear-water streams flushed life and hygiene throughout the cathedral of earth, running off into small heated springs or mud pools. Sparse, large holes in the stone above allowed for light to enter the massive areas, with plant-life able to grow and flourish like fine pieces of art along the roof and walls. He couldn't wait to show it off, announce it to his pack mates of a much more inviting area of which many could stay, and not those just suited with strength and brawn.

The rhythmic crunching of his paws driving into the snow soothed him and helped him forget about his agonizing surroundings, a technique he had learned from enduring the terrain from birth. But his tranquility was interrupted by the scent of familiar upon his nose. His heart stopped, ears swiveled to get a better sense of the things around him. His mother was close, and so was someone else.

"Mother? Mother! You must see this!"

He barked out over the snow, rump flying two and fro with excited wags of his rounded docked tail. He looked just like a pup, ears drawn back and his lower half just could not remain still. He might be the Emperor, but he still felt it was right to still treat his mother the same. In rank and everything else.

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Table by Eldarwen Image · Image · Image[/font][/sup][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Xiomara]

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[atrb=background, i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd415/Somatra1/xback-6.jpg] "Speaking" Xiomara walked across the Tundra, eyes peeled for any sign of prey that might provide the large female yagi with sufficient nutrition. Game was sparse, but the rebellious wolf much preferred a challenge and the satisfaction of knowing she could survive in a harsher terrain, it was the whole reason she had chosen to join the Empire. That and she knew whole heartedly that she would be able to enjoy solitude without being disrupted and that if upon the rare occasion she wanted company then she could seek it out to her own guise. Today had not been one of those days and when she had first woken, shaking out the snow that covered her charcoal black pelt, she had been set on a healthy day of hunting. Perhaps the yagi was so rebellious that her mind sought out to contradict what it wanted for upon crossing the Empress`s scent she had felt a stirring of almost kinship for the other female yagi. To her Cypress would remain Empress, the yagi had a rather intense respect for the female and did not wish to meddle into the other female`s affairs. It could be noted that if anything Xiomara was incredibly proud of her yagi heritage and whether or not she cared for a fellow yagi`s personality mattered not, they were as good as family as she had been raised to believe that the strong stuck together. Other species remained another matter entirely, mostly she did not take much note of them, preferring to spend her energy elsewhere and she had no trouble scorning a wolf for its lack of skills. The harsh wolf was of the belief that if you wanted to live then you had best do something about it or die and get it over. This unmistakable tough luck attitude was not entirely as frosty as the female`s demeanor might have suggested, in fact Xiomara was certainly not above offering assistance, but she refused to do it to a wolf that did not fight for itself first. This brought a rueful smile to her maw, that was the rather fortunate thing about the wolves that lived in the Tundra; they were survivors. Her mind drifted back to the last wolf she had encountered, Cedrus whom had taken reign over the pack after his father`s…odd behavior. Xiomara was not entirely sure what to make of the whole matter, and she was not about to try and piece together the puzzle that was the royal family. As far as she was concerned Cedrus seemed a rather more level headed bloke in comparison to his father, and perhaps a more stable wolf was what the pack needed. She thought back to the hybrid`s words that had struck up the former Emporer`s temper and gave a sharp toss of her antlers. Truth be told she would have enjoyed harpooning the insolent bastard for showing such disrespect to his Alpha, but it had not been her place. The Hybrid was part yagi by the looks of his horns and this brought a scornful glare to her face, what yagi would spoil their lineage by mating with another species? It seemed barbaric and entirely unnatural, and had she considered the matter more it would have brought bile to her throat. Stopping short she lifted her head to sniff at the air, noting the proximity of the scents from other wolves, two of which she recognized and the third unbeknownst to her. Shrugging her shoulders she tossed her mane and moved on, nearing the small gathering of individuals as her steely gaze rested on Cedrus. He was a handsome enough wolf, there could be no complaining there and he seemed to have a rather pleasant disposition that most wolves appeared to get along with, unlike Xiomara`s own personality. Burly and aggressive could describe her on her more pleasant days, though she had not always been this way. But that was neither here nor there for such thoughts generally triggered unpleasant memories. Walking up to the trio she bowed her head to Cypress and Cedrus in respect before laying her gaze on the lyxxus. Brother, this one looked in a rough shape, she thought derisively, and it seemed Cypress had already attended to the small wolf. “Greetings Cypress and Cedrus, how do you both fare today?” She twitched her nose as she glanced down at the lyxxus, “I am Xiomara, are you in any need of healing?” It was straight forward to the point of being blunt, which was generally the way Xiomara operated, but she knew that the other wolf was pack and therefore felt the responsibility to offer assistance if the lyxxus required it. X i o m a r a' s . S o n g

[Verboten]

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[atrb=background,http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h329/Whosie/verbotentablebackground.png] It seemed, with the meal, the very unearthly glow of the eyes that the Lyxxus possessed grew brighter, the food replenishing her in ways bones and scraps could not. Truth be told, interaction with a wolf who wasn't bullying her was also very, very good. Knowing she was stealing a perfectly good meal from the Former Empress- something she could hardly process- Verboten flung an apolegitic and thankful, but awkward smile up to the enormous female. Her tails wagged gently, the smile crooked and pulling up at one end more then the other. A faintly quizzical expression remained on Verboten's face, but the green-eyed female in front of her seemed nonplussed, and completely comfortable. Returning to the fox, which was polished off in a few more minutes, she licked her jaws and watched as the Yagi cleaned her bloodied horns. Then the Empress spoke, her voice questioning. "Forgive my memory....but what was your name again?" This question took the Lyxxus by surprise, but she then quickly recovered herself. The Royal family needn't concerned themselves with wolves in ranks akin to the Omega. Clearing her throat, her raspy voice answered in a piping tone. "I en't taking no offense, madam; nor should you. I thank you for the food... I'm the Lyxxus Verboten, from south-eastern territory, somewhere in the depths of I'iken forest." Of course, this was true, but the Lyxxus was unsure if Cypress knew the I'iken forest... it was very much south-easteren, beyond the edges of this land and into the fringes of another. Her four tails waved happily, the food a welcome change. The scent hit her right before the beast stepped out, the enormous pointed horns- like his mother's- prominent on his head. Her heart stopped, then pumped rapidly, to fast to be healthy. Almost before he spoke, she was on the ground, her belly down and ears pinned back. The four tails crammed down and she glanced up through her delicately-lashed eyes. She did not want to commit a solecism, especially infront of the Emporer. "Mother? Mother! You must see this!" He said boisteriously, seemingly ignoring her. Cedrus was rather handsome, not too shabby to look at, though she immeidately averted her gaze when she realized she was staring. Verboten came out of the submissive pose slightly. Then, a moment later, another Yagi popped out, and Verboten recognized her as the Alma Llameante, a lucky and powerful female Yagi who she respected. Her blunt question confused her for a moment, but then she answered, slowly, "No, madame, I en't in need of 'ou're help," Her mild accent made her omit several letters, making the words seem weird an otherworldly, especially in her cat-lupine-like voice, albeit a bit scratchy. "speechtest"

[Cypress]

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[atrb=background,http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac298/Wonderwhy_wolves/cypress-1.png] Cupresus listen to the sounds of feeding, as well as the strange words of the lyxxus near her. She listed her head from her now clean paws with a curious gaze, "I'iken forest? My travels have been more of northern lands than southern. I can't say I have heard of your homeland, but I am glad that you have found a home here." She was about to open her maw to continue the conversation when a familiar voice hit her ears. She turned and began to sit up as her son came bounding up to her. She could not help but smile. He was still young at heart, despite being five inches taller than his mother. They were roughly the same size, weight wise, which was something Cypress felt was her fault. She herself was a runt, and she passed it to her eldest son. Her poorly docked tail wavered in response to his affectionate greeting. "You have something to show me?" Her green eyes danced over him, he didn't seem to be carrying anything with him. Perhaps it was stashed somewhere else. She looked back at the lyxxus, making sure that she was still doing alright. It seemed like only seconds passed before another yagi entered the picture. Xiomara. Cypress, at first was jealous when such a specimen came to her lands, however it quickly faded when she saw how useful she had been to her son. Despite the female towering over the yagi family, she had been respectful and dutiful. Cypress remained seated, not wanting the lyxxus to feel small or out of place among the three yagi. She licked her sons face, before turning to respond to the arrival of Xio. "I fare well enough, yourself?" She knew that she was not one-hundred percent yet, however she saw no need to let the others know that. She was a stubborn and strong willed individual, she would weather through. Her ears flickered a little when Xiomara addressed the lyxxus bluntly. She waited patiently for the others to return their curtsies and greetings. She glanced back at her son though, taking a moment to be proud of how much he had grown in the past few months.