No Hope (Elezar Joining Post)

[Elezar]

The soft sunlight raining down between the thick green canopy didn't do much to lighten up the speckled wolf's mood by even a little bit. He flicked a heated gaze from side to side, his pointed black horns waving along dangerously with every movement. A growl escaped from his throat when they caught on a low leafy branch of a thick gnarled oak tree, for the fifth time he set his paws on the soft grounds of this cursed forest. The thorn-like extensions on his neck raised in annoyance as he ripped the horns away from the oak, snapping the branch into wooden needles in the rough process. Elezar knew if he wanted to join a pack in this forest, he would have to get used to these surroundings, even if it didn't fit his vision of a pack territory before. He shook his head once again, wondering if he had made the wrong decision of even thinking of becoming a member of any wolf society.

The small sound of a rustle of leaves made his ears perk up in the beginning of a rush of hot adrenaline. Maybe there was a wolf to greet him this time. Another quiet snarl ripped out when something small and furry pranced out of the green bushes covered with bright flowers, nothing close to a wolf but not even bothering to run away from his presence. During the years of his travels, never was Elezar dancing on the edge of bursting out in any emotion like he was then. This forest made him feel something hot and unwelcoming boil deep inside his head, but he forced his spikes to lay flat again and took a deep breath, the scent of greenery wafting over his senses and calming them. He lightly tapped the tree with his horns, barely satisfying his desire to let his frustration rip out, and trudged on.

No wolf had revealed themselves into his sight from morning to noon, and his paw steps were getting heavy with the slow but steady loss of hope. Was he in the wrong place from the first time? Was there not a single wolf who would meed him with a friendly welcome? Did he even want that to happen-the first meeting of a 'pack' wolf in his entire lifetime so far? Maybe it was best if he was left alone? Elezar wasn't even sure he wanted the answer to those questions; he just walked and walked on mindlessly without the thought of stopping for a long time. Maybe a nap would do him some good-he didn't care if he was trespassing on pack territory. It would be even better if he did, since they would find him without the need for more traveling on his part. Groggily ripping some dry, springy moss from the base of a dark tree he had never seen before, Elezar carefully sorted the moss into an almost perfectly circular pile and patted them down a few times before curling up on the makeshift den, his emerald green eyes on the verge of closing.

[Reynard]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][tr][tr][atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Gifts/ReynardSoarTableMid.png] The noon sun filtered through the forested edge of the territory. A tall, lanky keiyou moved carefully through the underbrush. His great black wings folded neatly to his lean sides. He always liked doing his patrols in this area during the hotter times of day, kept him cooler, especially since he was unable to fly anymore. The old male turned to listen to the forest around him, deep furrowed scars raked across the right side of his face, rendering one eye cloudy. The other, a deep blue, scanned the area as he searched for intruders. His reddish body did not really blend in to his surroundings, though his black face and legs seemed to meld well enough. His tongue flicked across his greying maw. It wasn't long before he caught an unfamiliar scent. His thin tail raised up instinctively. Seemed he had a trespasser in his territory. He fluffed out his wings, another tactic for the tall keiyou to appear bigger than he was. He was aware that his breed was not first when it came to brawn. Now that he was half-blind, he was grounded for the remaining years of his life. All he had to go on was his charisma and genial demeanor. It came in handy while running a pack. So he moved to follow the scent, being careful not to miss details. He did notice a few scratches in one of his trees. Bear? That would be just great. Bad enough that he had calagris in his land, but bears were just as bad. It did not take long for him to come across another wolf. A yagi. That would be a valuable asset to his pack, but a potential threat if his intentions were different. The old male stood tall and looked over at the resting yagi. Not wanting to get too close, he paused outside of striking range and cleared his throat. He wanted to get his attention without startling him. "Hello. Are you looking for me?" It was safe to assume that most strangers were searching for the wolf in charge. Then again they might be lost, but he was not one to ask condescending questions to wolves that could potentially rip him in half.

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[Elezar]

The springy, soft moss, just moist enough to satisfy his sun-baked fur, made him quickly give way into a half-conscious, cloudy state of mind. Elezar hadn't even thought of sleep for a few weeks-it was a miracle the speckled gray yagi hadn't fallen into one of his 'sleep fits,' as he called them, before coming this far. Almost when on the edge of falling asleep, a small sound of movement alerted his senses. Slightly raising his neck-spikes to warn off any unwanted beings, Elezar snapped his head out of the shelter of his chest fur and looked up to the wolf that had alerted him with a cough.

"Hello. Are you looking for me?"

Instead of replying right away, Elezar gave a small snort of approval and relief. Approval, for there was no doubt the red-and-black keiyou was the leader of the pack in this forest. He had a natural aura of charisma and coolness surrounding him, and the scars across his face plainly showed much experience in battles. There was relief, because the leader hadn't attacked him right away on the sight of a trespasser. The signs of age and one fogged eye could have been an advantage to Elezar if it came down to a storm of teeth and claws, but he could bet his tail that the keiyou would have ripped off his fur if the fight lasted more then his horns could bear. Careful not to snag his black extensions on another tree, Elezar shook away the scraps of moss that clung to his gray, shaggy pelt and gave a slight dip of his head to the wolf standing before him as a gesture of respect.

"Yes, I was," He opened his jaws, the voice seeping out as cracked and rough. When was the last time he had even spoken?"You are the leader, or whatever your pack calls you, right? Not meaning to be disrespectful," Elezar added hastily, cautious of approaching a wolf with a high status in any pack. In fact, he wasn't really sure how to act at all in the presence of one. 'Maybe I should have bowed lower...?' he regretted, but it was too late to do anything more.

[Reynard]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][tr][tr][atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Gifts/ReynardSoarTableMid.png] The lightweight keiyou stood still as the new wolf stood and gathered himself. He looked over the yagi. The brute outweighed the keiyou almost four to one. The only advantage that Reynard had was height, standing ten inches taller than the well muscled yagi. Maybe he had speed in his younger days, but now it was up for debate on how quick the aging male was. He did not let himself be intimidated, not that he needed to be. The yagi was just as wary as he was, no big surprise there. A strange wolf confronting another while he slept. Despite the tension, though, the yagi managed to respond. He smirked a little at how he was addressed, " No disrespect taken. I'm Reynard, High Chief of the Children of Hvítur Ári. You are on the edge of my territory. My pack controls the Lumera Valley and the territories within. If you were looking for me, I hope it means that you wish to join? We could use some yagi in our pack." He wasn't usually so straight forward about accepting wolves, however not many wolves admitted to seeking him out personally. Most just stumbled into the territory and stuck around. He turned his head so that his good eye could see all of the large yagi before him. The spikes were different, he had seen a number of yagi, but their special adornments had so much diversity it was hard not to admire them. He relaxed his wings slightly, folding them to his sides to ease the atmosphere a little more. He did not want to appear aggressive, but welcoming and open to a bit of conversation. He did not go so far as to sit down just yet. He waited to see how his stance would affect the other male. ((I want to apologize ahead of time if I am slow on responding. I am moving starting tomorrow and may be sporadic for about a week. I will do my best to respond to you when I can. Just bare with me ^_^ ))

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[Elezar]

((I understand. It's fine with me Besides, I'm pretty slow, too.))
EDIT: Sorry if the post is too short. I just don't have enough time on my hands right now...

Elezar wanted to knock himself out for making such a stupid mistake. High Chief! He had heard the name plenty of times before-why hadn't it popped up earlier?

Before he answered to the keiyou's question, Elezar hesitated, his mind in a cool, calculative manner. Lumera Valley. Sounded like enough land to live in, even with a pack. The name of the pack rang a bell, but he couldn't exactly point out where he had heard about it. He shrugged slightly, trying to look nonchalant as he struggled to flatten the spikes still raised slightly, thankful for the loose stance the High Chief had shifted into.

"I was looking to join, actually," he nodded once, meeting the one bright eye that seemed to pierce through him and scrape his bones. This keiyou was...different than the other wolves Elezar had met before-an actual presence that made him cautious. " But is it that simple? I don't have any knowledge of how a pack actually works, or your ranks." 'Nothing involving using claws,' the words almost slipped out of his jaws, and he hastily clamped them shut, ignoring the dull ringing it made inside his skull. Not yet, maybe later.

[Reynard]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][tr][tr][atrb=background,http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Eldarwen5/Wonder%20Why/Gifts/ReynardSoarTableMid.png] The old male was curious about the yagi. The species as a whole seemed to avoid intermingling with other breeds of wolves as far as he knew. However there were a few that would seek out change and want a different rule set in life. He could respect that, and part of it made him all the more eager to accept such assets to his pack. The diversity of his pack was becoming a manner of pride, his newest daughters would be well-versed in the world with out having to stray too far from his protective gaze. His ears twitched at the delightful sound of a willing individual. A small smile creased his black lips. Good more numbers to add to the strength of the pack. He knew that he only had a few more years among the living, so he wanted to be sure he left a strong pack behind to help his children carry on his legacy. A firm foundation to help make the future great. The next statement caught him slightly off guard. He quirked a curious brow. A wolf with no knowledge of pack life? Being a part of a pack was something deeply rooted in the instincts of a wolf, even loners knew the basics. Or so he assumed. It seemed he was speaking with a statistical anomaly. "It's not hard. Just help out around the pack, earn your keep and don't cause trouble. Most of us are easy to get along with, but if someone does rub you wrong, I ask that issues with each other be sorted privately. If I need to I can mediate things. But nothing has really come to that. We have enough space here so that everyone can be comfortable." He knew that yagi could have tempers, so he wanted to make sure that anything like that was forgivable as long as it was sorted. He did not run the pack with an iron paw, he personally liked to keep a relaxed and laid-back approach to things, especially since he himself could have a temper. "As for my ranks, well, that depends on what you are good at or comfortable with. We always need hunters, but teachers are also welcomed. If you are more of a fighter we could use you as a protector." He looked the wolf up and down. To be fair he really needed to know more about the male before him to go into any more details. "Tell me a bit about yourself, and I can suggest a few things for you."

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