Still of the Night (Acceptance)

[kruger]

Ilkatja crept quietly through the snow-laden land, moving slowly by the faint slither of moonlight sliding gingerly through the towering black trees with harsh talon branches outstretched into the sky. Beneath her white paws, the snow crunched softly with every step, a faint rhythmic sound suddenly cut into by the loud snapping of a twig. With this, Ilkatja jerked to a halt, listening intently for any of the faintest sounds in the silence, hesitating to lift her paw from the thin broken wood beneath. The seconds passed with apprehensive opression before she chose to make her move in the relentless silence.

In the darkness and the stark, lonely silence, she felt surrounded. Among the deep and ominous velvet shadows could be any number of Wolves, observing... listening... waiting.
Still, Ilkatja wandered carefully on her way through the forboding eve, tail swishing lightly behind her. It was only when the world fell black that she temporarily shifted her focus away from apprehension. The moon had disappeared from the sky, there in its place came rolling black clouds, and then came the rain.
The light pattering of the drops relieved the ominous veil of silence lying over the land... but that wasn't the only sound to be heard...

[sarhea]

Orion padded silently through the dark forest, his large gray paws sinking into the soft muddly earth. Spring was coming, and already, the rains were beginning to replace the snow. Even this night, Orion could smell rain very close. He couldn't sleep, and had begun to find this a persistant problem the past few months. He'd begun to sleep when he could during the day, and do whatever needed to be done at night.

Tonight, Orion found himself unusually close to the borders of Arnlan. This was not habit for him. After his last encounter with outsiders at the border, and getting reprimanded for his attitude by Alpha Karolek, he was hesitant to venture to far out, but near the boarders he found himself.

As the breeze picked up and the humidity of coming rain hung heavily in the air, Orion picked up his pace; getting wet was not on his night's agenda. The dark clouds began to roll in covering the sky, thowing everything into an almost eerie darkness, and Orion could almost hear the sounds of the rain as it rolled in across the forest in the distance. He frowned as he turned to head back to the heart of Arnlan....but then a light foreign scent came to his sensitive nose....a scent not of Arnlan but definatley of a wolf. He paused. Not again. He did not have much confidence in his abilities in handling newcomers, but it was his duty to help protect the pack. He sighed, and turned back to the borders, following the scent until it came stronger and stronger.

It now began to rain, and so grew his frustration. As the drops hit his eyes, bluring his vision, he caught a faint sight of a creature in the distance. He shook the water from his eyes. Yes, there was an outsider there...female....He gathered his thoughts....and remembered last time. He would not come out overly defensive...the pack was in need of members....

He headed towards the gray and white female, trying to stay hidden as long as possible, observing her movements; Just as he was so close that he could have easily sprung a surprise attack if he'd wanted to, he stumbled upon a mass of dead leaves and twigs, making plenty of noise to have alerted the other of his presence....his head hung slightly as he shook his head in even more frustration...things just could not go his way....

He stepped out of the shadows of the brush from slighly behind the female.

"Strange time to go on a stroll," he spoke up, voice dry and mostly emotionless, expect for a hint of angry frustration.

"Do you know where you are?" he questioned, tying not to sound demanding, as much as he wanted to.

[sorry for the length...i get long winded on my first posts in a thread...]

[kruger]

Ilkatja turned her head towards the source of the sound, the crackling twigs and leaves attracting her attention with a light flick of her plum-tipped ear and a fleeting glint in the abyssal shade of her eyes. At the sound of a voice, she fully turned around to see the dark figure it belonged to.

Standing still, the words lingered in her ears, against her back lay the tatters of the once elegant black ribbon around her neck, made heavy by the rain. She could feel it like a serpent splaying over her spine and the atmosphere remained uncomfortable, tension that seemed to stand without release.

Still, she rose above her binding ties and voiced her answer;
"T'is a strange time indeed, Sir; and the awareness of my surroundings is full. I stand before you now within the land of Arnlan."
The sound of her vocals remained hollow as it had for so long, and still it reminded her of the emptiness within.

[Apologies for the lack of text, I've a writing block the size of Russia today...]

[sarhea]

[no problem! most of the time, i type too much...hehehe]


Orion stood alert, but kept his emotions in check. The rain was beginning to weigh down his thick pelt, not quite penetrating to the skin, but left it hanging in wet clumps. He noticed that this female seemed not to be bothered by all this wetness, which struck him as a good thing if she'd come seeking acceptance, for Arnlan was always constantly wet. He watched as she turned to meet his questioning gaze. His glance fell quickly to the thing around her neck, and because of the rain could not tell what it was....at first he thought rope, but then again, the female held no scent of humans....She remained calm, though he could tell she was uncomfortable, as was he.

"T'is a strange time indeed, Sir; and the awareness of my surroundings is full. I stand before you now within the land of Arnlan."

Her voice was emotionless has his had been, but carried no hint of malice. He relaxed slightly, as he felt she was not here to cause trouble. His ears perked forward in question at her response. She knew she had crossed into Arnlan territory. He stared at her for what seemed a long while. She was not a threat from what he could tell. Her eyes seemed to bare the look of a creature with a troubled past, almost of the look of a broken soul. He diverted his gaze from her to the ground, as questions rolled through his mind.

"What is your name, and what business do you have in crossing into our lands?" he asked, curiosity now mostly replacing the frustration, and clearly heard in his voice. His head tilted slightly as he waited to see what she had to say.

[kruger]

In meeting his gaze, Ilkatja noted the fellow Canine's glance towards the frayed black material around her neck and fought off all that wanted flood back; as he looked at the ground and spoke, she took relief in the nature of the inquiry.

"What is your name, and what business do you have in crossing into our lands?"

Her mind shifted back into the present and contemplations of a response were short; the rehearsed line finally made its way into sound, outside of the dream it was created in. She twitched her ears once more, bowed slightly and answered;
"My name is Ilkatja, one of the last of the Krüger bloodline." she began, surpressing a curse to the name, "My purpose within your lands is to find solace, to run with others as I may have in a peaceful life-time and to gain acceptance among your kind, Sir.[/color]"

There in the rain, she held her position and focused her gaze back on the dark figure before her.

[sarhea]

Orion could not suppress a slight smile. He felt oddly at ease with this newcomer; he sensed a wisdom within her, but also a strong sorrow, and she did a fair job of keeping it hidden. But he was becoming good at sensing these things.

"My name is Ilkatja, one of the last of the Krüger bloodline."

It was well hidden, but he picked up on the faint feeling of anger in her words.

"My purpose within your lands is to find solace, to run with others as I may have in a peaceful life-time and to gain acceptance among your kind, Sir."

His smile broadened at bit, and took on a more gentle aspect. He nodded as she spoke, the rain running down his forehead and into his eyes. She held herself strong and steadfast in his presence, and though he was just a mere subordinate, her strength in a uncomfortable situation caused him to have a respect for her.

"Ilkatja." he stated simply, as to remember her name. "I am Orion, member of Arnlan. Our alphas, Sofika and Karolek, are about these lands as I speak. I'm sure one of them will be along before too long, as they are the ones who ultimately make the decisions of accepting new members."

He glanced about as the rain began to fall harder, spotting a group of evergreen trees that would make for a better place to talk.

"May I kindly suggest we continue our conversation over there, under the trees, while we wait on the arrival of the alphas?" he suggested as a chill passed over his rain soaked body.

[kruger]

"May I kindly suggest we continue our conversation over there, under the trees, while we wait on the arrival of the alphas?"

With the sudden surge of rain, Ilkatja felt that it was a good idea. At the sight of Orion's gentle smile, she had come to feel a little more at ease and dropped her guard a little, still with the mention of "the alphas" dancing in her mind.
She glanced toward the trees and answered with a light nod;
"Indeed, such an option seems wise"

Still within her mind en route to the shelter were spinning thoughts of those who led the pack, she knew not who they were and was not one to trust old lore. Beneah the cover of the darkened trees, she could only wait but for once, she felt as if a new chapter in life had begun.

[[ Sorry for the vagueness, the english weather has frozen my brain! ]]

[sarhea]

Orion nodded in agreement to her statement and trotted eagerly towards the trees, the thought of getting out of this dreary rain was very much on his mind. Once under the cover, they were shielded from the now fierce downpour, except for the occasional stray droplet that managed to sneak through the leaves and brances. He could not resist the urge to vigiorsly shake his soaked pelt as another chill raced down his spine. Spring was on its way, but the winter nip was still in the air. He sat on the semi dry ground, and turned his head to glace back at Ilkatja. She held such an air of mystery about her that sparked his curiosity, but he restrained the urge to fire random questions at her, for it was not polite to pry into other's personal lives, especially those of strangers. But he was curious as from where she had come. That was important information to the pack, and what else did they have to do while they waited for an alpha to show up?

"I'm curious," he started. "What were the lands like from which you came? I have lived here in Arnlan since birth and have never been beyond our borders. Once a member is accepted, they don't ever leave, unless their a scout."

Orion loved his home and never even dreamed about ever leaving, but he was still young, and loved to learn about other places outside Arnlan lands. He thought it wise to know....

[dont' worry-your post was fine. now I guess Orion and Ilkatja just chat a bit until most likely Sofika arrives....]

[kruger]

The shelter from the rain was a welcome change and the cease of the weather's onslaught let Ilkatja slip into a momentary daze. A short revery broken by the sound of a voice and when she snapped back to reality, she remembered that she was in company.

"I'm curious; what were the lands like from which you came? I have lived here in Arnlan since birth and have never been beyond our borders. Once a member is accepted, they don't ever leave, unless they're a scout."

The land of origin and parting returned to her mind, the consecrated ground before the maelstrom. There came the vague, fleeting memory of the old Norweigian church-yard. In a distant tone, she answered;
"The lands from whence I came were awash with a sullen mist but also peace. The area met bouts of harsh weather but the abandoned work of man gave us shelter.[/color]" She paused as if to further recollect the appearance of her origins. With the vision in mind, she went on, "Its walls were high and there were strange pictures that let in light, only our elder knew what these were but cared not to tell. The lands outside were vast plains of grass and trees with stones sticking out of the ground in places. We had to leave there when the building started to fall apart in some very rough weather; since then, nothing's ever been the same." Finishing on a solemn note, Ilkatja gently brushed off the thoughts of her past with a subtle shake of her head.

[sarhea]

Orion listened carefully and with great interest as Ilkatja spoke of her homeland. When she mentioned humans, a chill raced down his spine, he did not like humans-he'd never seen one, but had heard stories of what they were capable of. He couldn't help but hear the distance in her voice, a hint of sadness and sorrow. He kinda felt awkward for asking the question.

But the female stayed calm, and seemed to shake whatever unpleasant memory running through her mind with a shake of her head. Orion admired the calm strength he felt from her despite the fact that he sensed she'd had a hard life. He thought that such qualities would be an asset to the pack. They needed strong members; members with strength of mind and strength of body.

An strange silence fell as Orion peered out into the rain, keeping a watch for the approach of any other creatures. He was struck at how the sound of the rain had calmed his soul, which had been in such frustration earlier. He couldn't help but smile at the thought.

[OK-i think now we just wait until an alpha arrives, unless Ilkatja has any thing in specific she'd like to ask...I wasn't going to bombard her with questions, cause most likely, the alphas would ask the same things...so you'll only have to answer once instead of twice.... ]

[kruger]

[[ Okay, we shall wait... *cue stake-out music!* or another Bill Bailey overdose ]]

[Sofika]

Sofika stepped silently through the calm, quiet lands of Arnlan. Only the sound of the rain dropping gently onto the soft, marshy earth could be heard in this ones ear. She had no real focus, was merely taking a moment to walk the territory and admire it's beauty. Despite the bogs and muck, it was in it's own respect a wonderous place. The smell of wet soil filled her nostrils, and she welcomed that smell, as it was one she had come to adore.

Against her soft plush pelt the rain dropped onto from the leaves growing on the dark trees around her. The shadows had come forth again as the day had darkened, and they seemed to follow the alphess as she moved over the land. There was no expression on her face as she walked, and she did not glance here or there. She felt secure in her territory that she felt no need to be weary of anything. There was one thing however, that caught her attention. That was the pleasant chattering of two wolves.

She was going to stroll on past, but curiousty got the better of the dark wolf, and she shifted into the shadows and made a steady approach towards the location of the wolves. Two scents registerd within her. One familiar- Orion, and the other unfamiliar- newcomer. Sofika smiled at this, and allowed her sense of hearing to direct her to them. There they were, sheltered by the very shadows and trees that concealed her. Sofika took a moment to watch the two, and listened as Orion expressed feelings for the world beyond the borders. Interesting.

Slowly, Sofika melted out of the shadows; the radiant blue spots on her muzzle would have given her away as she did so. Her eyes were covered by her veil of wet hair but her smile remained visible and a smile it held. Walking slowly to the two she pressed her feet slowly into the earth, letting the water run between her toes. She grasped the muck gently, and it felt soothing on her pads. " Greetings Orion," she said in a soft voice. It was obvious that she was in a peaceful mood today. "Who stands before me?" she inquired to the new female.

[kruger]

With the ill though gone from her mind, a slight of peace washed over Ilkatja and she became more relaxed by the pattering of the rain. Not a sound aside was to be heard, not a scent to be detected. Or at least that was so for a short instance.

From an indiscernable position came the scent of another Wolf, attracting her attention and causing her nose to subtly twitch. Ilkatja examined the unfamiliar smell and while her guard raised a little, she felt it too soon to judge any threat. There from the surrounding shadows, the scent became yet stronger and a light flash into her baleful blue eyes. From the deep shadows came a graceful figure, emerging in a sinuous movement as if a part of the darkness itself.

From within the sprawling abyss, Ilkatja noticed two round, light blue spots and to attention she stood. Slights of apprehension began to creep into her fascinated gaze toward the approaching Wolf. An air of secrecy and serenity came from the dark female as Ilkatja noticed the hair covering her eyes, at the sound of the voice, she pricked her ears in her peak of alert.

" Greetings Orion, who stands before me?"

At the address, Ilkatja bowed fully, her paws sinking slightly into the marshy ground as she did. Holding position, she replied;
"Before you stands Ilkatja Krüger; a long suffering cause and seeker of solace, Ma'am"
Following that, she rose once more to her full height and lightly kneaded the moist earth beneath the toes of her fore-paws.

[sarhea]

As the steady downpour tapered to a light drizzle, a light but familiar scent drifted in on the gentle breeze. At first it was so light that he thought it just a lingering old scent, but then it became stronger. He smiled lightly. His Alphess was about this wet night, though he did not know where she was; you never knew where she was until she appeared, materializing out of the shadows. He peered about the dark shadows of the night, and soon caught sight of the soft blue glow of Sofkia's spots, and soon the Alphess came into view, her thick black forelock wet but still always concealing her eyes. Orion lowered his head in greeting and respect as she came upon them, a smile on her maw.

"Greetings Orion" came his alpha's soft voice.

"Alphess,"he replied in a simple warm greeting with his head lowered respectfully, returning a slight smile. He was glad she appeared to be having a pleasant night. Then she addressed Ilkatja, and Orion listened with curiosity as to learn whatever he could from the situation.

[sorry kinds a funky post....Orion will just sit back and observe now, unless he is spoken to...lol]

[Sofika]

Young Orion was growing into a strong young wolf, noted Sofika as she smiled at his welcome. He himself blended well into the shadows due to his dark exterior. His fur colours contrasted well against that of his sister Pollux's fur which was bright and wild. It was amazing how the siblings looked so different.

As the new one bowed, Sofika did not look down upon her, but observed as she gave her name and her cause. The wolves who done this never ceased to please her because an immediant impression of knowing ones place is shown, which was always a good start. Nodding her head in thanks, the black female moved to the left a little so that she too was sheltered beneath the trees. Although it didn't provide much shelter because the trees were still bare, it was better than being fully exposed to the water. Temperatures were still fairly cold so one had to be careful not to catch a chill.

" Greetings Ilkatja Krüger. To clarify, you have come to this territory in hope of being accepted into the pack that resides here? "

One might mistake this territory as being empty, for it was so quiet. It was not silent; there was always noise if you listened out for it. The terrible state of the land from an outsiders' view would also bring this idea of abandonment about. Though the pack had a fairly decent amount of members, new wolves were always welcome. A glance was given to Orion as he sat patiently and she gave him a nod in thanks for attending this situation.