Allegiance (Kahvie (Sonny and Nisse?))

[nightblood]

A fog laced through the trees, quietly as a caterpillar creeping over a leaf. About the only thing that wasn't quiet was a dark figure dashing through the undergrowth. Deymon sprinted over rocks and under logs like a bat out of hell. He wasn't being chased by anything. The Geeran Alpha just wandered how fast he could run on such flat terrain. It turned out to be a little faster than he had imagined. Those days of dashing uphill had proved to be helpful. Little had he known that he had secretly been training himself for speed the whole time he had been there. So secretly, even he did not notice.

Slowing to a halt, Deymon began sniffing at the air. He was near the border. Not his own, of course. No where in Geera was there this much of an expanse of flat ground. No, this was the edge of Synl, or so he was told. The pack he had heard of was similar to his own. It housed strays like himself. About the only thing different was that this pack was not as keen on accepting wolves like he was. From what he'd heard, he didn't blame them. It was said that the female alpha of this pack had been attacked by wolves in the pack she had previously belonged to. Although Deymon had no such history with wolves, he respected their reasoning for distrust.

Now at the Synl border, Deymon looked around for prying eyes. He had heard of another pack in the area, one known as Sallin, who had deemed itself the enemy of all dogs. They were the very reason Deymon found himself outside of his domain. He had come to the land of Synl seeking an alliance with the dogs here. If Geera ever found itself at the receiving end of one of Sallin's attacks, it was unlikely that they would survive. Even if they did, there would be little hope of continuing on and Geera would be disbanded. If they hoped to take shelter in Synl, they had best become friendly with them.

Lifting his head, the large mutt gave a baying howl. It was authorative, but not demanding. He knew he held little rank over the members of Synl while he was not on his own soil. He did not expect nor require much more respect from Synl than they would give to any other dog that came to their border. He only required an audience with their high ranks.

As he sat down, Deymon took note of the surrounding area. In the coming autumn months, Geera would look like a dieing forest. It seemed that the air clenched the trees of their life here first. The wine-colored leaves fell all around him. His tail wagged slightly behind him as he spotted a large pile of them under a giant maple tree. Restraining the desire to jump into it, he focused his mind at the matter at hand.

[Addie]

Somewhere in the wine forest a small border collie mix lie sleeping amongst the foliage, her brown and tan body curled into a tight ball. Having fallen soundly asleep between the large roots of a tree many hours earlier, her still frame had given the maple ample time to lay its dead leaves to rest upon its dozing guest, providing a crude form of camoflauge. Only the occasional twitch or deep sigh gave any indication of the mutt's presence. She'd predicted this, of course. While scent would no doubt give her away to a passing wolf or malicious canine, she knew the location of her resting spot would allow the makeshift blanket of brown foliage to cover her frame over time, thus blending in with her chocolate coat and keeping her out of the sight of any humans (rare as they were in the area) who might do her harm.

Passing enemies were really the last of the mutt's worries, however. With an unexaplainable fatigue having plauged her the past few days, all she cared about was being able to sleep. She normally suffered from regular fatigue of course, but lately she had been groggy, her eyes hurting as she had tried to keep them open during the day. So, it was understandable that when an unfamiliar howl roused her from her dreams, she simply uncurled herself and flopped over onto her back, one hind leg coming to rest up against the tree's root as she did so. As she tried to once again reach the point of sleep, the howl echoed through her head. Something about it bothered the dog. Despite her clouded mind, she had become conscious enough recognize that the bay seemed to be requesting an audience with someone. Someone in charge...the alpha.

...She was the alpha. Damn!

Stiffling a yell of frustration through clenched teeth, Synl's leader flopped back onto her stomach, slowly managing to bring her tired body to stand clumsily on wobbly legs. While she was still in the process of reviving her mind fully from the grip of sleep, the dog already knew that her slumber had not succeeded in making even the slightest dent in her fatigue. Any other time she probably would have just ignored an inquiry in such a state and gone back to sleep, but unmotivated and drained as she was at the moment, the mutt knew she had to investigate. Synl was weak and any attack from an outside force, especially Sallin, would destroy the pack. Of course, the dog didn't take the whole pack dynamic seriously - she just assumed the position of leader, as that is how she had been seen by the desperate dogs of Råknu. Synl could fall in name, and she probably wouldn't have cared. However, a pack has members, and it was the members of Synl that she cared about...Synl was a shelter more than anything, and if it's inhabitants had nowhere to go or were harmed because of her apathy toward her leadership status, the alpha would forever hate herself (much more than she already did).

Leaves still clinging to her soft fur, the mutt began her trudge through the thick fog that covered the area. The sun had yet to rise, and it probably wouldn't for another few hours. And as much as the dog prefered the gloomy early hours, it was now proving to be an obstacle. Unable to see clearly, she would buckle every now and then as one of her paws would hit a deep puddle, the slimey mud staining her tan paws. At one point she was unable to catch herself and fell under her own weight, chin and part of the right side of her face and body landing in the muck and splattering even more of the stuff onto her.

So much for appearances...

Luckily, the Synl territory was small, and the dog had been fortunate enough to find herself close to the source of the beckoning howl. Not having been walking for more than ten minutes, she eventually began to catch a scent that no doubt belonged to the dog she had bothered to wake herself to see. However, she paused when the dark outline of the individual came into view, as just at that moment she also caught the scent of a wolf. Now alert, the alpha raised her head and bared her teeth. She was sure the figure knew of her presence by now...there was no running. Deciding it best to keep a fair distance from the other, she forced a demanding warning bark to rise from deep in her throat, her breath feezing in front of her eyes as it came in contact with the cold air.

"You...wolf! What do you want!?"

[nightblood]

"You...wolf! What do you want!?"

The hostile greeting made the mutt jump. Just as suddenly as surprise gripped him, he calmed down. It was the Alpha of Synl who had addressed him. She must have caught scent of the wolves he had let into his pack. It was true what they said about this one, then. Very wary indeed.

"I guess I look the part, don't I? I was told I had the peltage similar to a female of that sort somewhere in Kloteck," with a smile, the scared Alpha inclined his head in a greeting bow, "I assume I'm in the presence of the Alpha of Synl. I am Deymon, Alpha of Geera."

Bringing his head back up, the mix looked over the female. She was almost a foot shorter than him, but by no means did this show that she was any less in charge. He pulled his ears back, telling her that he was not here to attack.

"I come seeking an alliance with your pack."

[Addie]

Despite the cold, the mutt felt a hot wave wash over her body as the male announced himself. Great going idiot, you just insulted the alpha of a neighboring pack. Now thoroughly embarrassed and pissed off at herself, the female lowered her head and relaxed her leaf and mud-covered body, ears and scraggly tail hanging in shame.

"I, uh...guh, I'm sorry. I smelled a wolf, and you um...kinda look like one from here."

Deciding it was safe to approach the other canine, the mutt did so somberly, head and tail still hanging, although now more from fatigue than embarrassment. She kept her gray eyes focused on the ground lazily as she trudged, only bringing her gaze to look up at the male when she was within a few feet of him. Now able to see his features more clearly, she took note of the scars showing through his black coat. Obviously not someone to start a scrap with. Fighting back the urge to ask 'what in the hell happened to you?' she plopped down on her rump a few inches from Deymon, a few leaves falling from their position on her muddy coat as she did so.

"Uh...but yeah, I'm Kahvie...the alpha. One of 'em, anyway. I'm, uh, not very professional...obviously. Sorry." She paused for a second or two, one of her dark ears twitching to pick up a small rustle made by a passing rodent scurrying underneath the thick foliage behind her. "I know the basics about you guys, but nothing detailed. Talk of Geera is pretty rare around here...er, no offense. I'm all for an alliance, but to be honest, we probably wouldn't be too much help if you are looking for warriors. We, uh...we're pretty pathetic in that area, as you can see just by looking at me." The mutt brought up a muddy paw to scratch above her eye as she paused once more, realizing just as she did so that it'd no doubt left a huge smudge of muck where she'd itched. Sighing, she continued, "We are a shelter, for the most part. Everyone pulls their weight around here, and we are far from helpless, but all in all, we aren't much for raw combat. Tactics maybe, but not brute strength."

[nightblood]

"I, uh...guh, I'm sorry. I smelled a wolf, and you um...kinda look like one from here."

"No trouble. I'm flattered, actually," Deymon said reassuringly. Some of his best friends were wolves, after all.

"Uh...but yeah, I'm Kahvie...the alpha. One of 'em, anyway. I'm, uh, not very professional...obviously. Sorry."

"Neither am I. At least you have a second Alpha. I have a Beta who... is basically running the show."

At that statement, the male couldn't help but give a little chuckle. It had seemed that Tak had taken very well to pack life. Well enough to push Deymon to the side in matters of discipline. Everyone was more afraid of her than they were of him now.

"I know the basics about you guys, but nothing detailed. Talk of Geera is pretty rare around here...er, no offense. I'm all for an alliance, but to be honest, we probably wouldn't be too much help if you are looking for warriors. We, uh...we're pretty pathetic in that area, as you can see just by looking at me."

"We have plenty of warriors. Perhaps we can send some your way if you're pack is in need of more muscle."

With a kind smile, Deymon bowed to Kahvie. She was obviously very tired. Perhaps there were some stressful things going on in the pack. Whatever the matter, he was sure it would work out in the end. It always did.

"The best way to describe Geera, I think, is a melting pot. We house a wide variety of individuals. No one dangerous, though, obviously."

"We are a shelter, for the most part. Everyone pulls their weight around here, and we are far from helpless, but all in all, we aren't much for raw combat. Tactics maybe, but not brute strength."

"We've come to a battle plan, then," Dey laughed, "We'll supply the strength, you tell us where to go."

[[Sorry for the wait! D8 }}

[Addie]

One of the mutt's ears twitched at the mention of alphas and betas. "I can't say I wouldn't be happy to have a beta that 'ran the show.' My brother is second in command here, but he's never around. We had another beta a long time ago, but she was part wolf, and I didn't really trust 'er. Who knows where she is now...we do indeed have a second alpha as well here, but like me, he isn't very professional. I haven't seen him around much either, though."

As Deymon went on to describe Geera, Kahvie tilted her head to the side to show he had her full attention, albeit a groggy one. The way he had put it, there would indeed be wolves in his pack. This wasn't a problem for the mutt, but she knew that a few of Synl's dogs were very skittish around them due to past experiences. Still, in the case of Synl and Geera combining to fight off an enemy, she figured her pack's canines would at least realize that Geera's wolves were on their side. Shouldn't be a problem.

"Sounds like a fair deal to me," the mutt said with a weak, yet sincere smile. "Shelter and first aid for strength and numbers." The mutt's smile faded as she looked past Deymon and into the darkness behind him, eyes shrouded in thought. "What are your thoughts Sallin?"

[nightblood]

By her words, it sounded to Deymon that they had reached an agreement. Now to not spoil the deal. Easier said than done.

"What are your thoughts Sallin?"

Deymon let out a sigh. They had to come to that subject sooner or later.

"To be frank... I fear for my pack's safety. We have some big dogs, but not nearly enough to defend ourselves against the likes of those crazy canines... or so I'm told. I haven't encountered any of their kind, but we keep our noses to the wind for their scent. At the very least, we'll be able to send quick warning to you should the border be crossed."

Deymon paused. What he was saying was not puting his pack in good light. Perhaps this would be a good time to reveal their Plan B. At least they could say Geera was resourceful.

"Passing loners have told us of a friendlier wolf pack. After I rest up for a day back in my territory, I was planning on taking a run up to their border to propose an alliance with them as well. Word is that they're very warry of Sallin and preparing themselves for battle."

[Addie]

"You mean Arnlan, right?" The mutt raised an eyebrow as she questioned the male. "I don't think they'd be classified as 'friendly.' Actually, I don't know if anyone other than, well, themselves really knows anything about 'em. The alphas are pretty, uh, enigmatic, too. No one knows how old they are, or even how the pack originated. All I know is that they are twins or something. Also, supposedly nobody has even seen their eyes except for Nightshade. She freaked, or so the story goes." The dog smiled to herself at the thought of Night's face as it might have looked when she flipped out.

When it all came down to it, the mutt, knowing as little as she did about Arnlan, was honestly afraid to travel north and cross the border into the mysterious pack's territory. Not to mention the fact that she'd need to make a huge curve around Sallin's border and through Hallow in order to get there in the first place if she wanted to try and avoid trouble. Lacking strength and not having anyone to travel with her, the little dog would be lucky if she made it there in one piece. And even then, what if the pack she sought was hostile? All of these hesitations brought Kahvie to take a second look at Deymon. He'd said he planned on traveling to Arnlan...not to mention the fact that he looked like someone who could take a few wolves down...

"Hey...uh, y'know, I figured it'd be a good idea for Synl to make it's willingness to ally with Arnlan known too. Maybe I could, er, go with you?" She wagged her tail weakly a few times and cocked her head as she waited for an answer from the other canine.

(OOC: Lulz, I figured them traveling together could give the two a better chance to get to know each other. You can say yay or nay for Kavs to join Deymon, it's all up to you:P.)

[nightblood]

As Deymon listened to her story, his interest was suddenly peeked. The twins' eyes must be something unnatural if it was enough to spook the Queen of Sallin. He chuckled at the thought, wishing he'd been their to see it.

"Hey...uh, y'know, I figured it'd be a good idea for Synl to make it's willingness to ally with Arnlan known too. Maybe I could, er, go with you?"

"Certainly!" he answered eagerly, mirroring her wagging tail, though his might have been a bit more frantic, "And if these twins have such a negative effect on NightShade, I think it'd be wise to at least attempt to get on friendly terms with them."

Getting up, the battle-scared male turned toward where he thought would be the best direction to head for Arnlan. He took a few steps before stopping abruptly, suddenly taking note of the female's tired physique. He turned, pulling his ears back.

"Er... Did you want to leave now or would you rather meet with me some other time? You could come though my territory when your prepared for the journey and we could go from there, if you'd like."

He hoped with all his heart that the Synl Alpha did not take offense to his concern for her well being. He knew how proud others could get, afraid to show any weakness at all, especially leaders who were afraid that their pack would be attacked if they themselves were unwell. Deymon cringed, waiting for a rebuttal of the worst kind. Though he half didn't expect it from this female, he could never be too sure. He had just met her, after all.

{{Sounds good to me. X) }}

[Shantik]

(Hey, this post still partially up? Just checking to see where I should send Sonny.)

[nightblood]

{{Pretty sure it's still going. Sonny's fine by me. X) }}

[Addie]

(Yep, it's still going. Having trouble coming up with a good reply though, sorriesD:. Um...if Kavs takes off, I'm thinking Sonny should stay behind and watch the territory, since nobody else is really around to keep an eye out. You are welcome to have him do as you like though/bring him into this thread, in any case:3)

[Sonny]

(Kay, kay. ^-^)

"Hey, Kahvs, have you seen...!?"

The voice paused midway as the borzoi bounced quite without warning nor tact into view. He really hadn't taken much a moment to check for other scents. The question he had to ask the other Alpha was top priority. Er... well, it had seemed so, at least. Until he caught sight of the... wolf? Dog? Wolf-dog? Huh.

Sonny blinked wide eyes, cocking his head to one side at the stranger, ears successfully flopping to one side when he did so. He cautiously padded closer to Kahvie, though his wary, all-curious gaze remained on the... dog. Pretty sure it was a dog. He didn't have the scent of Nightshade's mix of blood and dominance, so he canceled out Sallin. Which put him into that category of not-quite-friend-but-maybe-ally-sort-of-dog. Yep, dog. He didn't smell as much like a wolf now. But his size was giving him less like-points. Solution: stay close to Kahvie. As both reassurance for himself and possible protection for her. Whoever the stranger-dog was, he wasn't of this pack, and that meant he could be a threat, no matter if he was dog or wolf.

Whisking his tail behind him, Sonny watched the stranger-dog, but his question was meant for them both. "What's goin' on? Did I come at a bad time or something?" Then again, he might've come at a 'good time' for them... which might very well would mean 'bad time' for him. Because it would very well mean more irritating authority and Alpha-business. And much less free time and thus... playtime. Sigh.

[Addie]

"Certainly! And if these twins have such a negative effect on NightShade, I think it'd be wise to at least attempt to get on friendly terms with them."

As Deymon finished his reply, the mutt nodded in silent agreement, her serious expression failing to mask the worry she felt about the possible journey ahead. Obviously having made the decision to leave for the North, the male stood and began to depart. However, he stopped after a few steps and turned to look back at the mutt. From the expression on his face and the tone of his voice as he questioned the dog's readiness to begin traveling, Kahvie knew Deymon had picked up on her fatigue. Not that she had tried hiding it, of course. She gave a lighthearted smile in an attempt to reassure the male.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Believe me, I can rest for as long as I want and I'll still look like a tired-out bag of crud. I'll just go ahead and follow you."

Just as she finished her sentence, another voice edged it's way into the area. It was largely familiar, yet it was also a voice that the female had not heard in what seemed like ages. Perking up suddenly, the dog was immediately up on all four legs, tail wagging more furiously than it ever had so far in Deymon's presence as a scraggly borzoi made his way toward her. She pulled her ears back in a friendly gesture as he reached her side, showering him gentle yet enthusiastic licks. No doubt she looked like an overgrown puppy to Deymon, but after not having seen Sonny in so long, she really didn't care how she looked at the moment. She backed off after a few seconds and settled down, allowing her friend to speak up and question the situation.

"Uh...Beav, this is Deymon. He's the alpha of Geera, and doesn't have a very high opinion of Sallin either, if you catch my drift...we've been talking and we've made a mutual decision to form an alliance in case of an attack. We're gonna travel together to Arnlan to try and get them on our side as well, so since I haven't seen Nisse in a while, I was gonna ask you watch over the pack..."

The mutt's ears became limp as her words trailed off. She felt guilty asking Beaver to stay behind, but she knew he was stubborn to the point where if he really wanted to tag along, he'd let her know. However, while she'd used the excuse that the pack needed watching over, Kahvie also knew the borzoi was none too friendly around other males, and the last thing they needed was the Beav pissing Deymon off with his puppy-like aloofness. Oh, well...maybe Sonny would know better if the two had to spend a prolonged period of time around each other.

Shaking the worry from her head, the dog snapped back to reality and, body still turned in the borzoi's direction, looked at Deymon and gave a small nod to communicate her readiness to begin traveling.

[nightblood]

"Nah, I'll be fine. Believe me, I can rest for as long as I want and I'll still look like a tired-out bag of crud. I'll just go ahead and follow you."

Deymon chuckled at the female's statement. It seemed that they were similar in their ways of 'leading'. She seemed as easy-going as he was. Perhaps she even had a Beta similar to Tak.

"We can go straight through my territory. It'll cut the time to get there," he said, starting to head toward the familiar hills of Geera.

He hadn't taken more than three steps before another voice came to his ear.

"Hey, Kahvs, have you seen...!?"

Deymon turned to view the new arrival. Like Kahvie, he was much shorter than himself. Unlike Kahvie, he seemed to have gotten a bit more sleep. Tired as she was, the Alpha female greeted this new mutt as if she hadn't seen him for a few months. Perhaps he was her mate? Suddenly very lonely, Deymon pulled his ears back and dipped his head in respect for the lighter colored male.

"What's goin' on? Did I come at a bad time or something?"

"Uh...Beav, this is Deymon. He's the alpha of Geera, and doesn't have a very high opinion of Sallin either, if you catch my drift...we've been talking and we've made a mutual decision to form an alliance in case of an attack. We're gonna travel together to Arnlan to try and get them on our side as well, so since I haven't seen Nisse in a while, I was gonna ask you watch over the pack..."

Nisse must be the Beta, Deymon thought to himself and he smiled politely at the other male. He sat back down, knowing there'd be a few more moments of talk before they would be on their way.