The M.I.S.F.I.T.S. (Feather/Sivvy)

[Sivoncé™]

The night was unbearably thick with heat. The darkness seemed to be solid without the moon's light cutting through the night; it had vanished with the emptiness of a new moon. Through the bodies of woodlands, three wolves moved in the dark, breathing heavily and sweating under their pelts. Two were femmes, one colored brown and the other russet. Their companion was a cream-and-brown male and slightly bulkier than their lithe frames. Tails swatted irritably at insects that strayed too close and were suddenly paired by a chorus of voices fierce with annoyance.
Suddenly, the three came to an abrupt halt.
Tentatively, the male took a step up the tall slope of the toweirng hill.
A paw flashed in the air as sister swatted at brother. The brown femme hissed furiously. "No, Kasparr! We can't go back there!"
Kasparr's voice was cold and unyielding. "Why the hell not, Trianna? Nowhere is safe for us. We're either dodging the packs or Blood Mist or hostile loners....we weren't cut out for the roamer lifestyle! We don't know the workings of the worlds outside of the packs. We barely got away from the angry grizzly the other day -- Autumn nearly died. Enough of our family are died that I'm not willing to risk you and Autumn. This is the only way we can hope to come back from all that's happened to us."
Trianna laughed bitterly. "Neveria is brainwashed, and the Yozorans are falling apart. Our family has been brutally assasinated in front of us. There is no coming back from that!'
Softly, the third sibling, Autumn, sighed. "Trianna," she woofed gently, "I know it's because of Flisk that you don't want to go back."
Trianna whipped around and snarled at Autumn. "Don't you dare say his name!"
"Enough of this!" Kasparr pushed his way in between them. "Decide, Trianna -- you're either with us, or you're not!"

[featherswift]

Eyes pierced through the darkness that the night through into the woods. Only faint moonlight revealed the form of what was padding through the forest. It was a dark wolf, eyes burning amber. Something was bothering it relentlessly. The alpha of his pack had been injured after the battle, but had been no where to be seen until later that night. Now even, Bain, the alpha, kept leaving the camp without saying a word. It seemed even the Beta, Pernille, didn't know. He was only a warrior of his pack, Yozoran, but this was a problem he couldn't leave to the higher ranks.

Jolon didn't agree with a lot of things Bain did as leader of the pack, but leaving the pack without knowing who was dead and such didn't sit right with him. Now, he was walking through the territory to clear his mind. He was going very close to the edge without knowing. A sudden noise caught him dead in his tracks.

Looking around, he realized he was dreadfully close to a slope of a hill that led out of the territory. That wasn't the problem though, he had heard something or more like someone below near the border. Straining his ears to hear, he could make out voices of at least two wolves from their dialect. He creeped towards the top of the ridge and allowed the bushes to hide him as he listened.

From what he heard, he was surprised by the name he heard at the last, Trainna. It seemed she was upset and he could guess why. Flisk had died in the battle. She'd disappeared along with two others of his pack afterwords. It seemed they were unsure of what to do, perhaps he could welcome them back? But it seemed they didn't want to either. This was a mess! What was he supposed to do. H

Jolon decided to merely step out of the bushes at the top of the ridge. "That's a hefty choice to lay on her," he woofed while looking down at the group.

[Sivoncé™]

"That's not fair!" Trianna was fuming. The world was spinning around her, and everything in her surroundings seemed tinged red with her anger and bitter, biting loss. Has everyone I've ever trusted betrayed me? Is everyone I love going to ask me to choose? Just as she couldn't join Flisk, because of what Blood Mist had done to her family, she could not join the Yozorans when it meant she may encounter her sister and love as enemies in battle. This is impossible...

Just then, a familiar face emerged from the shadows. Yozoran scent wafted over them in a fresh wave. None of the three had forgotten it, but they had traveled far from their homeland in the month following their departure from the pack. Their homeland scent had all but disappeared from their pelts completely. All three siblings turned to gaze at Jolon as he entered the conversation -- or rather arguement.

Autumn sighed softly before the bristling Kasparr could get in an angry retort. "It would seem we're all faced with hefty choices now that Blood Mist is really back, Jolon. Before...I mean, sure, they were here but...not they are a solid, palpable force. It gived everyone a lot to consider." Slowly, Kasparr and Trianna relaxed, though each of them kept an eye on the other.

"How is the pack, Jolon?" Kasparr looked up at the warrior with gentle curiosity. How many casualties had been suffered after they'd left? Surely they'd seen enough blood flowing before they'd gone to suffice a hundred battles, and then some.

[featherswift]

His paws took him forward to join the group of conversing groups when he was satisfied they wouldn't attack him. It was good to see these few again, but sad to have met again at such an occasion.

He listened well to his old comrades. All he could do was furrow his brow and nod. It was a tough time with all the tensions rising within every territory. Blood mist wasn't helping it die down at all and it disturbed him that the living dead were residing right next door with a permanent home to reside.

Watching the two fighting wolves calm down was a nice plus to the conversation. Then Kasparr asked a question that made his pelt prickle. "It's not doing so well, Kasparr," he admitted while his ears lowered just a tad. "The constant feeling of doom is wearing everyone down."

His chest suddenly felt tons of pressure being applied and he knew that he had to tell these three about his concern. None of the pack actually shared his fears just yet. They blamed it on paranoia due to all the stress. Jolon put all the wolves into his gaze and lightly said,"Plus, I don't trust the alpha, Bain completely."

[Sivoncé™]

Kasparr and Autumn seemed apalled at the news that Jolon had for them, but Trianna, however, seemed unmoved by their former packmate's confessions. It wasn't necessarily that she had anticipated what he was going to say, but it wasn't out of the ordinary anymore, really. Everything was falling apart, and the feeling of doom, as Jolon described it, was simply everywhere. There was no avoiding their fate...outside of the Yozorans, or in it. But at least on the outside, we'd have something of a fighting chance, wouldn't we?
And then, a memory prickled at the back of Tria's mind. She'd been speaking with Bain himself, just before Pernille had announced she would remain beta rather than step up to the alpha position....and Bain would take on the leadership role that would've been hers. He'd understood her, sympathized with her even.
"What are you talking about, Jolon? If anyone can get you guys through this mess, it has to be Bain; he's the strongest mind the Yozorans have left!" Despite her own sureness, there was an uncomfortable apprehension that prickled at her thoughts.

Autumn's brow furrowed in confusion. She'd never seen anything unusual about Bain, either, but...then again, the three of them had been gone for well over a month, maybe even two. They knew from first-hand experience that a lot could happen within a couple of minutes. If they'd been gone that long, then what could've possibly happened in their old home? She looked fearfully at Jolon, her pleading gaze asking him, can it really be true?

Kasparr glanced sharply at Trianna from the corner of his eye. Trianna was not on the same wavelength as he and Autumn were; until now, Autumn had kept the peace as best as she knew how, but he could sense Autumn's horror at the idea. Trianna glared at Jolon defiantly, but he knew his sister well enough to recognize the slight doubt, perhaps invisible to Jolon, that her protest hinted at. Trianna was far away, in her land of denial; it was Kasparr's job to seek the truth that they were all privately scared to ask for. "Tell us, Jolon...why do you think Bain is...untrustworthy?"

[featherswift]

Jolon looked at the now recovered lost band of wolves. They looked lost, bewildered, and outright defiant of his words. Trianna looked as if she was about to bite his face off, Autumn was confused, and Kasparr appalled. Summing that up wasn't enough until Trainna exploded at him with a protest. His ears moved forward to catch her tone.

Jerking his head to rake his eyes across her face, he only gave the defiance back through a glare and a shimmer of sadness. The dark wolf couldn't believe it either, but he now was slowly trying to piece everything together, only to stumble back to that one belief: Bain was the right alpha for the job.

Kasparr finally dispelled the silence that ensued after Trainna's outburst. Jolon lowered his ears a bit to show that he had no means of trying to go against his pack leader in disrespect. Everything else remained strong and stable like a tree against a blizzard doomed to fell the forest.

Gathering words together, he began. "I have never really agreed with Bain's tactics or how he fights in battle, allowing many more wolves to fight him than necessary. That really isn't why I say he is, as you say, 'untrustworthy'."

His eyes rested on the forest floor, trying to catch the scrambling words and put a meaning to them that would make sense to these wolves. Jolon's amber eyes came back up and held certainty as he continued. "Our alpha has been going missing in times of need, weakening the pack. He will reappear out of nowhere, stinking of herbs and the prey he has brought back. Bain issues news and calls hunting parties to cover his absence over full bellies, causing no alarm. In the middle of the night he will be gone from a nest long cooled and yet again no one knows where he has gone."

"I ask you this, does this not seem suspicious for an alpha that needs to strengthen the pack as much as he can at this time of crisis for all the packs?"

[Sivoncé™]

Autumn's lower lip trembled; the femme was utterly distressd. She blinked anxiously back and forth between her siblings and Jolon. Tears watered in her eyes. I have to go back to them. Even if it means leaving behind the only sister I really have left. But...even if Trianna did come back...she'd come back for revenge for what they've done to our family. I....I don't want revenge. I want to fight and live for what our family has fought and died for. I want to make sure they didn't die in vain.
She knew all of this was true, and yet, she couldn't bring herself to say it just yet.

Kasparr's eyes grew wide, and defiance brewed in the young wolf. "We're at war! Wolves are dying left and right, his pack is deteriorating, why in hell's name isn't he doing something about it?" Suddenly, Kasparr was deep in thought. "Jolon....have you ever followed him when he goes off on one of these...excursions of his? If you really think something's up, that would be a place to start..."

Trianna brewed with anger as her siblings devoured Jolon's news like a pup scrambles for its first taste of meat. This is pathetic. He's only telling one side of the story. There are three sides to everything that happens; the two opposing perspectives, and the truth. "Just because Jolon says so doesn't make it true," she muttered to Kasparr and Autumn. "Who would you trust more, some random warrior, or the alpha of the pack? This is ridiculous, you can't be seirous about follwing him, Kasparr!"

[featherswift]

Jolon watched with interest as the trio took in the news that had just left his lips. He waited for their sides, to see if they opposed him, if they agreed, or if they just thought this poppy-cock. Autumn's reaction mad him think about what was going through her mind. This band had gone through a lot in the last couple of months.

Kasparr quicky vocalized his feelings and Jolon turned to look at him. He dipped his head to the ground with twitching ears as he listened to what Trainna yelled as well. When he was sure that she was done, he put his head back up and locked them into his gaze.

"You speak wisely, Trainna. I haven't any proof to show you that he is what I say. Only my eyes have proven it to me and I do not have any physical evidence to miraculously show you right now." He lowered his ears in despair that they wouldn't believe him. If Trainna thought he lied, what was not to make the others follow suit?

"Kasparr, I haven't gone out to follow him yet. I didn't want to jump to conclusions and wanted to believe my alpha was true. Now though...," sighed Jolon. "I guess it is the only way to know for sure at this moment." His eyes looked at the three wolves thoughtfully.

[Sivoncé™]

Autumn, bottom lip trembling, saw her chance to vocalize her feelings on a more neutral plane. Trianna wants proof, and Kasparr wants to go and get it....I suppose it could work, couldn't it? Anxiously, she glanced at her fuming sister from the corner of her eye. Would solid proof be enough to make Trianna bend? Or...or will it be the final straw to push her away and make her say we've spent and lost too much in this bloody war of ours? Autumn thought she knew the answer already; it was the latter. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat, mustered the last scraps of bravery she had, and made her proposal. "Well, then, it seems the logical thing to do is to, indeed, follow him and see if there is any substance to these claims." She blinked with hard, unyielding eyes between her two siblings.

Trianna sighed huffily, refusing to meet her sister's gaze. "It won't change anything. If anything, it'll just make you all hypocrites; you think your alpha is a traitor, but what does all of this make you?"

Kasparr's eyes narrowed. "That's where you're wrong, Tria. This makes us honorable -- fighting for what's right. It's what every member of our family has done since the beginning of time except for you. You're a coward, Tria." He turned away from her angry, burning eyes and nodded to Jolon. "I'll go with you if you're planning to follow him."

[featherswift]

He listened and was glad to see Autumn have her courage come wafting up again. A lot more of this would be needed in the future for sure. Jolon blinked at what Trianna had said and felt his heart lowering. She had a point. By doing this, he was also untruthful to his pack...no! He was untruthful to his alpha! There was a difference and he knew for sure that it was the right thing, warning these three. Kasparr name-called Trainna, but volunteered to help him. He would have said something, but he decided better of it and left it to a family thing.

A smile played upon his muzzle at this. "Kasparr thank you for the offer. I'm glad to have you by my side to follow the plan as Autumn has said is logical."

(Sorry, not very much muse at the moment o.o )

[Sivoncé™]

Autumn blinked gratefully at Jolon. Kasparr was a little too zealous and it was rubbing Trianna the wrong way; at least Jolon was staying calm and logical through it all. "I'll go with you. We'll have to roll in something strong like...garlic, maybe, and it'll mask our scents even if the winds are not in our favor. Whether it is for the good of the pack or not, if he's wandering from the often, especially in these times, it would be nice to have some sort of an idea why, whether the reasons are good or bad."

Trianna scoffed a them, tail twitching in frustration. "Why do we have to do anything at all? We're not part of the pack, anymore, remember?" Autumn sighed softly at Trianna reared up the ugly question once more. Her sister's spiteful eyes dared them to claim otherwise, and thus push her to make her leave.

Kasparr opened his mouth to respond, but allowed Autumn to cut him off. "No, we are not, Trianna, but these are friends and family we're talking about. They need us now." Both bristling siblings fell into silence; remarkably, Trianna looked crestfallen, the fire finally smoldering in her eyes. Kasparr looked away from them both in a poor attempt to conceal the smug expression of victory on his face. "Trianna, if you really want, you can stay here or stay behind and keep away any interferences that might crop up, but we're doing this," Autumn barked firmly.

(Happens to all of us =/ I'll try and keep my posts a good length so you have something to work with)

[featherswift]

Jolon wagged his tail a bit as he saw Autumn and Kasparr agree to help him. When Trianna dared them to give her reason why they should help, Autumn surprisingly met her head on and won. Trainna needed to learn that they weren't the only ones effected by misfortunes, every wolf was. He was glad to see Autumn finally stand up to the the other female.

"Good plan. I agree, understanding Bain's actions would do the pack good and hopefully keep us from further disaster," he barked.

His eyes met Trianna's with a daring stare. "What are you going to do, Trianna? We don't have time to mess around with excuses. We could be saving Yozoran pack for all we know, but I need to know for sure what you plan to do," he said quietly but demanding. His tone almost called her a coward in their own way, daring her to follow them and not be one.

[Sivoncé™]

Sniffing indignantly, Trianna tilted her heads and engaged Jolon with a searing glare of her own. Her lips curled back in a slight snarl. "I'm not a Yozoran anymore, don't think you can tell me what's what," she hissed. "I won't stop you, but I'm sure as hell not helping your little mission, either." Pointedly, she turned away from Jolon and adressed her siblings in a tight voice that had a burning undercurrent of anger just below the surface. "I'll stay in the area and meet you back here at this time tomorrow. If you're not here, I'll assume you've gotten yourselves killed." With that, Trianna pivoted on her heels and stalked off into the dense darkness.

Autumn watched her go with a pained gaze, but she made no motions to stop her sister. Kasparr, beside her, was bristling. Anger akin to the fire that had flickered in his sister's eyes was now blazing in his. Muttering darkly under his breath, he turned frocefully away from the woodlands to the situation at hand. "All right, then; where do we start with this? When does he usually disappear?"

Autumn's eyes rested a little longer on the dark backdrop of the forest before she was able to tear herself away. Heavily, she sighed, still feeling some reluctance in her heart. Every inch of this situation is wrong; things weren't ever supposed to be this way.
"Remember the garlic -- we'll have to roll in it before we go to carry out whatever plan we come up with," she added dryly.

(( We'll probably have to arrange a thread with Wolfie ))

[featherswift]

((Most likely You want to do the honors?))

Jolon watched as Trainna responded coldly. He blinked and shrugged his shoulders. The warrior couldn't do anything to stop her, she was her own, plus she was no longer Yozoran. Autumn and Kasparr weren't either, but he assumed that even so, their loyalties were still to the edge of the pack. Trainna then puffed off and he wagged his tail, not that she looked to see if she had gotten any good-byes. Isn't she lovely, he laughed to himself.

His eyes darted back to Kasparr's bristling form as the male began to speak. Autumn quickly took up the conversation afterward and he nodded his understanding. Jolon thought over Kasparr's question a bit and twitched his ears.

"Well, Bain usually leaves when everyone is asleep or after a hunt. Every couple of days he does this, or so that's what I've figured out," he said thoughtfully.

[Sivoncé™]

((Sure ^^ I'll talk to Wolfie an make up a thread either in one of the Yozoran territories or something like the Twilight Clearing/Twilight Lake ))

"Nighttime," Autumn nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Then we'll have to be prepared to follow him at the next dawn. I'm guessing he doesn't just stroll out of the camp, or more wolves would notice and start talking, am I right?" She paused for a moment. There was an uncomfortable aspect to this situation; she was truly an outsider. She'd been gone from her pack for a very, very long time -- long enough where she didn't know the ins and outs of what was truly going on or the general attitude of her brethren after the battle. "Unless there are others that have noticed something like yourself?"

For the first time, a crease of concern crossed Kasparr's face. "Tria said she'd be back tomorrow night...we might miss her." He looked out into the woods, sorrowful yet solemn. "If we're gone long enough to not be here when she comes, we'll have found something or run into something out of the ordinary. And then, we'll have no choice but to stay anyway, won't we? We can't let them fight this on their own."

Autumn nodded, but did not speak. Soft tears formed in her eyes; tears for a family that had been slaughtered.
They can't have died in vain. We have to stay.