Greetings from Arnlan - Wish You Were Here

[Bandersnatch]

((NBBBBB... but I think anyone else is welcome after a little bit longer, yeah?))

Dusk.
Somewhere out beyond the ebony trees, a hint of pink lined the horizon, a memory of the sunset that had just come to pass.
The sky was painted in shades of gentle blue and purple, dusted with slowly drifting clouds. The forests of the dark lands, however - even just along its edge - remained perpetually black.

Tracks in the constantly replenishing snow revealed the path marched dutifully by one of the territory's loyal sentries.
It was rare that the gloom of Arnlan got to her. It was just... Everything of late had just been so... quiet. It was like the whole world had been immersed in darkness, and here she was drowning in the silence. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen a single other soul. Just marching. At times she had to question if the Alphas were still around. Perhaps Karolek had gone on one of his wanders, and Sofika...
With a sigh, Crow shook her head, a sad attempt to physically remove her cares. No, they would still be here. They probably lurked somewhere just out of sight. At least, thats what she hoped. Arnlan without Alphas - it just wouldn't be right. None she knew of could remember a time without them, and that's how it should've remained.

The sepia wolfess jumped in sudden surprise, startled by the sound of babbling watter. Had she really been that deeply lost within her own mind? She glanced quickly, remaining unassured that her work hadn't suffered for her daydreams. She cursed herself. What was she doing? Had she let some menace slip over the border whilst her mind had drifted elsewhere?
Regardless, she found her mouth suddenly dry and so the stream was not unwelcome.

She dropped her head, appreciative of the cool water she lapped up, quick to calm her thirst.
Was there anything out there at all to protect from? Or even to protect? Perhaps she had died, and this was some sort of bizarre and solitary afterlife? Perhaps the rest of the pack had died. Raising her head, she flicked her tongue across her muzzle to pick up the stray drops of water that remained. No, that couldn't be it either. She would know if something that dire had occurred. At least she was certain of that.
Unlike many who had been consumed by Arnlan's shadows, she thrived on companionship. Without such contacts she felt... empty, a sense of insecurity gnawing at her bones.

Refreshed but still light of mind, she subconsciously watched as a pair of sparrows flittered across the landscape, returning to their nest, low to the ground. So where was everybody? The faces of every individual she had ever met in Arnlan drifted through her mind. Turning from the birds, she found herself stuck on one particular brown and black face, markings so reminiscent of the creatures she had just been watching...

[nightblood]

Blood growled in her sleep, paws kicking at nothing as a dream raced through her mind. She was chasing a stag. Whenever she got close enough to bite, another, larger one would appear behind her and lower its antlers. It would ram her hind leg and the searing pain would cause her to fall and be trampled. Her last attempt brought out a huge black stag. Without hesitation, he lowered his rack and flipped her on to her back. He pinned her there with those sharp points digging into her skin. One quick movement would send her to the other side.

With a sudden jolt, NightBlood lifted her head and found herself back in reality. Her sides and ribs hurt where the imaginary antlers had pierced her in the dream, but the pain slowly subsided. She sat up and looked around. She was out in the open by a river. No she remembered. She had come here to get some peace and quiet. The sound of the stream must have put her to sleep.

It wasn't long before her eye fell upon the sight of Crow, her fellow Sentry.

"'Mornin'!" she greeted.

[Bandersnatch]

"Mornin'!"

Crow felt as though she had lepta 10 feet in the air. The voice had been so sudden, breaking the little world she had found herself immersed in to the point that her senses had been blocked from her mind. She could practically feel her heart thud against her ribcage. Shifting uncomfortably, she forced deep, controlled breaths in attempt to slow the effects of adrenaline. Frowning gently to herself, she twisted on the spot to face to the source. As they twisted she could feel the chill of snow between her toes now - that was a good sign. But still - she had drifted off again?! She was losing her touch, surely. Surprised as she had been to hear it, she recognized the voice. With some embarrassment, she offered a meek smile and a tail wiggle to Nightblood. She realized it had been clear that she hadn't been exactly aware of her surroundings, but doubted her compatriot would judge her on a momentary lapse. Even though many tried, no one was perfect.
It took her another moment to remember what she had been thinking about. Countless times she had wished that others could read her mind, to know the things she wanted to say. This, however, was one of those moments where she found herself quite glad that only she had that sort of access. For now, all thoughts of icy blue eyes and musical voices were pushed to the back of her mind.

The older sentry cocked her head, an inquisitive spark in her eyes. It could've been a number or questions she was posing, but the ones she had in mind were the most context-fitting, obvious ones: how was Nightblood, and what was the reason for her appearance?

[nightblood]

As was expected, there was no verbal response from the older Sentry. Blood had gotten used to this method of communication. Dispite the lack of words, NightBlood still felt like a pup in her presence. The knowledge that was held in Crow's head was more valuable than anyone's because it was rarely leaked. Blood could tell her that she hoped Archer would die and know that is was insanely unlikely that he would ever hear it from Crow.

As the fellow Sentry turned to her, NightBlood stood and bounded over. She had seen the glint in her eye. The sepia wolf had questions. One she knew was bound to come up in any conversation. She answered it without a word. After leaping over a small steam, NightBlood landed and pranced the rest of the way to her as a horse or deer would. There was a wide smile on her face to show that she was glad to see her. The black and redbrown wolfess then came to a stop and gave a small bow.

"I came here to get some peace. The river put me to sleep," she said, guessing the next question, "Sorry for the scare, if there was any."

[Bandersnatch]

Crow had little idea of the current unpleasentries in Nightblood’s life. Certainly the huge female didn’t act like it, her prancing almost seeming care-free. The sepia wolfess returned the smile of her compatriot – gentle and warm as always.
Had she been privy to the other‘s thoughts she would’ve likely been disapproving of the desire to see a pack mate maimed – but then, even if she was told such things, it wasn’t her place to judge nor interrupt (unless, of course, some regrettable action occurred). It was against her nature to for Crow to find faults in her packmates. But, as it was, for now nothing on the topic was common knowledge between the two of them, something probably for the best. As it was that she had yet to become aware of the absence of Ziko and Tricker. There was so much going on buried under the veil of Arnlan that she knew nothing about.

"I came here to get some peace. The river put me to sleep," she said, guessing the next question, ""Sorry for the scare, if there was any."

Crow shook her head quickly, jaw dropped in gentle, silent laughter. Nightblood needn’t worry about it. The company would be much worth a small jump and a little embarrasment. As would be the assurance that she wasn’t going insane.

The two seemed to have worked out, with little planning and likely only in recognition of the other’s patrolling patterns, . An unfortunate result was that it was a rare occasion that they bumped into each other anymore.
Crow shifted her position so that she stood tall and straight. Had she been human, she might’ve looked like a solider about to salute. She looked at Nightblood purposefully, somewhere between a gaze and a glare, hoping for a report.
She would never admit it (even if she could), but she loved a little gossip. Hey, it was an insight into what was happening in the pack, and what good sentry wouldn’t want that?

[nightblood]

NightBlood was just happy enough to see her fellow Sentry that she was just about to invite her to a game of chase. She was just about to jump into play-mode when Crow's posture stiffened into that of attention and authority. The seriousness in her face is what told the younger female what was up.

"Oh..." came her response.

Her ears pulled back, showing respect for the Sentry who held her rank longer than she had. She sat down but held the same alert and focused posture.

"Two males accepted since our encounter with... the orange and black male..." Blood couldn't help but trail off. She drew a breath, preparing to tell Crow about her assignment, "Alpha Sofika assigned me to remove Tricker from Arnlan with the assistance of Ziko... who was lost during the mission..." She faltered over her thoughts and stopped speaking. Her gaze dropped to the ground as she gathered herself, willing not to break down. She cleared her throat and continued, "The new males' names are Phineas and Armageddon."

She paused once more and fought the negative feelings back. She picked her ears up and looked to Crow with the same inquiring look she gave her earlier.

"What about you? Any new members or trouble on the boarder?"

It was a yes or no question. She hadn't communicated with Crow long enough to interpret all of her gestures. The most she could hope for was a number.

[Bandersnatch]

((Sorry I took so long. Inbetween working an extra weekday and my dad working on the home computer, the only time I basically get to go onw hen I have any thinking capacity is dad's 2 minute cigarette breaks >_> Our second computer died D:))

Crow’s militaristic look softened into a silent giggle at the other’s near-playfullness. Had she known the tale that was to come, she might not have felt so lighthearted.

"Two males accepted since our encounter with... the orange and black male..." Blood couldn't help but trail off.
Crow gazed carefully at the other, putting aside the information about . The way Blood’s words trailed were awkward at best, and not using Tricker’s name was odd. Before the smaller wolfess had time to search for her own guesses at what could be the cause, the younger sentry continued.
And so she explained what had happened. It was the concluding sentence, however that stood out.
" Ziko... who was lost during the mission..."
Her heart skipped a beat, the rest of the words dissolving into meaninglessness. Crow flashed Nightblood a look of panic, eyes widened in sudden distress, only to find the other staring at the ground. Ziko… lost. What was that supposed to mean?! Was he dead or missing? What?! Ziko, who when younger she had almost come to feel was her own. A tide of sorrow washed over her, so heavy that her legs weakened. A picture of filthy scavengers swarming over a small, lifeless black and red figure flooded into her mind. Her jaw dropped in a painful gasp. Clenching her teeth, she bitterly tried to push that away. Her features dissolving into hopelessness, she plonked her hindquarters down, head spinning and legs unable to take the weight anymore.

Sorrowful blue eyes looked hopelessly to her equal, whose strained gaze finally lifted.
"The new males' names are Phineas and Armageddon."
Crow nodded, understanding. Her eyes unfocused, targeted on some invisible thing in the distance. Everything had to continue on just as it had always done, and that included the pair of lookouts. Two new members for two old… Was it fair?

"What about you? Any new members or trouble on the boarder?"
The sepia wolfess shook her head quickly, making her dark bangs smack irritatingly at her face. No wolf on the border, no. There had been those mangy cats looking to poach Arnlan game, but in the end a few cats were never an even match to a pack of wolves.

She turned to the black and tan for the next cue, feeling all too like just crawling back to her den.

[nightblood]

{{That sucks. =( }}

NightBlood noted the distress in the way her superior sat down n the snow. She was not at all happy to be the one to tell her about Ziko's disappearance. Apparently the pup meant more to Crow than she had wagered. After she saw the answer to her question, she looked her dead in the eye with a somewhat comforting gaze. She wanted to tell Crow that Ziko was alive, but there was no way she could be sure. Instead, she told her all she could about the trip. Perhaps there was some clue in the tale that would tell them that the red and black yearling was alright.

"Ziko disappeared in Manor Cemetery near Dante's Pass, well away from Sallin territory. There were no gun shots that I could hear. If he was taken by humans, I doubt he's not alive and well. There's no reason to think the worst at this point. We will await his return. If he does not come back, then he is as good as dead to us."

There wasn't much else to tell her fellow Sentry. She couldn't promise his safety, but she had spoken the truth. It was unlike humans not to kill as soon as they spotted wolves. Those who captured them usually used them for breeding purposes or to guard their homes. Ziko was young enough to look like a good target for humans. Sofika shouldn't have allowed him out of the territory.

Blood kept her gaze on Crow, waiting for a sign that she understood.

[Bandersnatch]

Crow gazed back uncertainly at those fierce red eyes, pained but listening intently to what Night had to say.
The sepia wolfess blinked slowly, the heat that stung at the corners of her eyes warning that she was on the verge of tears. She supposed Nightblood was trying to be comforting in her own peculiar way. Her words, heavy and blunt, were full of truth, which in the end was worth much more than any feel-good unrealistic optimism. It didn’t soften the blow however. Crow quickly shifted to look over her shoulder as though she had heard something. In actuality, it was an attempt to obscure her face until she had regained composure. To the older wolfess, Nightblood had always come off as strong, c’est la vie kind of personality. But the mute… she had already shown a chink in her armor. There was no need for more. All this… this was life, part of the job – Crow, rather more conscious of other’s opinions, didn’t want to in turn be perceived as… weak, or in any related way unsuited to her position. It took a few seconds, just about as long as she could keep the façade up, but she managed to fight back the threatening tears and returned her gaze to the other, to find herself being watched.

With the straightest face she could muster, Crow gave a single nod, a symbol of understanding.
But – there was some chance. Some little ray of light that shone through. Ziko was not necessarily dead. There was the slimmest of slim chances that maybe she would see him again.

((Good place for someone to butt in maybe? I'm lame and can't think of anything to happen >_>))

[nightblood]

NightBlood ran over her words carefully as she waited for the other Sentry to collect herself. She never was the type to babble over meaningless consoling and comforting phrases. She was only interested in the truth. She did, however, choose to word it differently and make it sound not so blunt and hurtful. But it was always cold. That's how the truth was sometimes. There was nothing she could do to make Crow feel any better. The truth always stood as it was. Never shifting, never changing.

When her fellow Sentry finally returned her gaze and nodded, Blood's kinder instincts urged her to make some kind of contact. A comforting nudge or embrace of some sort. Her personality, however, wouldn't have it. She lowered her eyes for a moment, not willing for Crow's once tear-filled eyes to get her started crying. She had mourned enough.

"I'm sorry," she said, sincerely. Expecting a touch of comfort from the other party, Blood almost jumped up and backed away. She stood silently for a few seconds, allowing Crow to finish any mourning she had left and then began to wag her tail. She barked once and went into a play-bow. This was the first time meeting her fellow Sentry in a long time and she was not going to allow a loss to ruin her happy mood again.

She barked again, eyes darting around in the search for the best direction to run if they were to play a game of chase...

{{I don't mind if someone would like to join in. ^^}}

[Blackfeathr]

((May I join with RavenShard? I feel like having a little fun tonight ))

[Bandersnatch]

((Urg, sorry for taking so long NB D: Tonight, hopefully. Been busy with work. And go ahead, BF ))

[Bandersnatch]

"I'm sorry," she said, sincerely.
Crow shook her head dismissively. As she saw it, there was nothing the younger Sentry could have done to prevent these… mishaps. The past was what it was and nothing could change it. As strong as Nightblood’s defenses were, the hints of emotion were there. Crow shifted a paw with the intent of placing it comfortingly over that of the other’s. As Night jumped back, Crow did likewise in surprise. The initial shock at the sudden movement wore off quickly, and she gave the other a lopsided grin. Defenses reloaded.

When was the last time she had seen Ziko anyway? He could barely talk at that point. In truth, the Ziko she had known had probably been dead for a long time. And now… now the Ziko who was, was a deserter. They were forced thoughts, but somehow they helped, if only just the slightest. She sucked in a deep breath to settle the last of her rattled nerves. It worked well enough, the edge of the pain softening as she shoved the things she had just heard and jumbles of thoughts and emotions to the back of her mind. She couldn’t let this all break her down, prevent her from fulfilling her duties.

Bark!
After a moment, Crow’s gaze focused back on Nightblood, who she was surprised to find ducking down into a bow. The smaller she-wolf’s mouth opened slowly, brow furrowed in a questioning manner.
Bark! Ooh! With a grin she mirrored the posture, her tail wriggling gleefully. She jumped forward in attempts to prompt Night. Her forelimbs slapped the ground as she took up the same position on landing. And with that, she leapt up. She dove right past her compatriot-come-playmate and darted for the trees.
In a play fight, she had nothing against the black and tan’s muscle, but in a game of chase she’d be able to hold her own…

[Blackfeathr]

A voice in the distance.

A voice that strikes fear in the hearts of squirrels everywhere.



RavenShard, the manic monk healer wolfmage, weaved through the tightly entwined trees of Arnlan, singing. One could say her singing voice was beautiful, had it not been for the song she was singing, composed entirely of nonsensical words.

"A ram-sam-sam, A ram-sam-sam
Guli guli guli guli guli ram-sam-sam...." she sang and bounced and skipped through the dark shaded woods of Arnlan in a merry manner, going nowhere and doing nothing.

Suddenly she threw her front crimson-colored feet forward and stopped, leaving silence to consume her. She shifted the earth and snow with her claws for a second, then, whipped her body to the side and stuck her head in a gopher hole carefully concealed underneath foliage and bushes.

"A rafi, a rafi, guli guli guli guli guli ram-sam-sam!" she sang to the darkness in the hole.

A faint chattering could be heard. Surely the residents of this gopher hole would now be quite disgruntled with Arnlan and their acceptance policies.

RavenShard continued joyfully on her way, skipping along in the woods, bypassing a meadow.
"A ram-sam-sam, A ram-sam-sa--" Raven faltered into silence, hearing a voice ahead. It sounded familiar.

MORE FRIENDS.

With that gleeful thought in mind, she bolted ahead, narrowly missing trees and blasting through bushes as if they were spiderwebs. She skidded to a halt in a small clearing to find her new friend NightBlood. Her tail beat at the air, her hips swaying side to side as well.

"Compadre!" RavenShard happily exclaimed at NightBlood, probably utterly bewildering her and the other wolf now in interrupted conversation.

[nightblood]

NightBlood started at a lope after Crow, but couldn't keep her pace. There was no chance that she could ever hope to catch the fleet-footed Sentry. She was only grateful that her leg wasn't paining her. Blood's grin widened as she ran. She hadn't had this much fun since ShadeBlood had died. The pair of them weren't much for running, but they could fight up a storm when they wanted.

Blood tired quickly. A few yards at this fast pace had her overheating. She panted and slowed down a bit, but it wasn't enough for what happened next.

"Compadre!"

Blood had been running down a slight slope. She had gained momentum and speed from the decent and wasn't about to slow up any time soon. She attempted it, however. The Sentry lowered her heels and locked her legs to stop them from running. The snow, however, was not causing enough friction to stop her. Down the hill she slid, heading straight for the red and black mage she had accepted a while ago.

"LOOK OUT!"