Hunting Party #1

Tessa's submission was all Coven had needed, so he released his grip on her, just as Sib kicked into gear and came in from the side. The hit was enough to shove the black wolf off of Tessa and to the side, and it served its purpose of putting the focus back on Sib.

The warrior had no more issue with Tessa, but her mate had proven himself possibly more arrogant than Coven, and certainly more rash. An attack hadn't been sprung this time exactly, so there was no instant retaliation from the black wolf, just a severely threatening snarl. No more goading now. Coven wanted to come out on top, of course, but he didn't want to send another wolf - and himself - to the healer's den again...especially since they really didn't have one at the moment. "Are we done here?" the wolf snarled, ready to spring at Sib but holding back for a moment, giving the white wolf a chance to rub his two brain cells together and figure out just what a bad idea a real fight would be, for Sib.

He felt a little bit of triumph as he knock the black wolf off her, only the land back on the ground, spinning to face Coven, hearing the snarl come from him. He was a bit surprised that he didn't attack him just then, he was expecting some sort of retaliation, but nothing. He glared at the male, making no sound. He knew that fighting this male wouldn't be at all a good idea, he knew he was far to weak in a fight to actually come out on top, but he bit Tessa, and that in itself wasn't to be forgiven lightly. Whether he won the fight or not, it didn't matter, he wasn't going to just back down and let this male think he was scared, oh no.
"Far from it! You really think you can just get away with what you did? You're more arrogant that I thought!"
He snarled, ready to charge at the male at the first sight of him moving.

Now the wolf's snarl was that of pure frustration. Really? "And you're even more idiotic than I thought," he spat, getting tired of this male's pig-headedness. But Sib hadn't moved yet.

"You all talk, Sib?" Coven smirked at the still wolf. "Maybe that's why Tessa had to step up for you. Either suck it up and get over here or go do your job and find Pravin." There were better things to do right now, but a fight was certainly starting to look a lot more appealing. Tail raised and teeth bared, the wolf planted a foot forward, ready to get this moving if Sib wouldn't.

Tessa remained still as Coven released her, still lying on her back and whining softly as he stood over her. But she flinched as Sib's form knocked the black wolf off of her, causing her to roll over onto her stomach and crouch under her mate as he snared at the other male. Her ears pinned back as she remained still, looking up at Sib and then over at Coven, silently hoping that they wouldn't really fight this out.

Xerxses snarled as the two males threatened each other. "Alright you idiots, we don't have time for this. I don't care who hates who more, we've got hunting to do." He snarled, stepping between the two and basically blocking them off with no way to reach each other. He was pretty huge, about Blitz's size, and there was no point in messing with him. "Now, one more snarl from either of you and I'll personally rip you apart. Understand?" He growled, looking from one male to another as he stood there. He hadn't had a problem with Coven showing Tessa her place, since he hadn't actually hurt her, but he wasn't about to sit back and watch a blood bath between these males. "Now, Sib, go find Pravin, he's looking for you for their hunting party. Coven and Tessa, let's go." He growled, eyeing the two males for another moment before turning and walking away, keeping an ear trained back to listen for their obedience or lack there of.

He let out another snarl as Coven spoke, ready to run at him until Xerxses stepped between them. He growled lowly as the male finally spoke, after just sitting there he decides to break in now? Wonderful, just wonderful. He let out a sigh, mumbling to himself slightly.
"A bit late to be cutting in, huh?"
He said, not being able to help a slight growl escape with it. Where was he earlier when it all started? Stupid.... and to think he expected him to just let Coven go, nothing but small lecture? Damned this, why shouldn't he go and attack Coven? This other male's idle threats really didn't seem quite serious to Sib, he was just sitting there after all, wasn't he? But, one point he did have was that they had to hunt, and that was important for the entire pack, to ensure they had food... and being injured again wouldn't help at all.
"Fine, but only since the pack needs the food, your idle threats and politics don't matter a bit, and I swear to you, both of you, anything happens to her, I'll have at both of your necks."
He growled lightly. He felt as if he was submitting, and he hated that feeling, giving Coven the satisfaction, damned him. He looked back down, licking Tessa's head,
"Don't worry, anything happens, or he does anything to get you mad, I'll handle it, I don't want you getting hurt alright? I don't want the chance of losing out pups."
He said quietly, gently licking her ear. It was dangerous for her to be doing things like that, and with the chance of her being pregnant by him, he didn't need this stupid feud to possibly end up hurting their pups.

Coven stepped off readily and fell back behind Xerxses, no longer snarling, but still on his guard. After Sib continued to rant, the black wolf relaxed more and shook his head silently at the incessant talking. Tessa didn't have anything to worry about, so the threats were pointless, but if Sib wanted to actually follow through later on, Coven would have no problem. He could only foresee this clash between them being settled one way - if Sib ended up backing down completely. But for now, it seemed all three agreed about the need to get going, and he stood ready to follow Xerxses wherever he decided to go to search for Laek.

((Fallon/Pravin continued from: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t83p15-consciousness#1411 ))

Pravin nodded at the tired Fallon, stepping forward in the direction Xerxses and Coven had gone in. He figured they had found Tessa, and in turn, found Sibirskiy. Even before they had reached the scene, Pravin could feel the commotion occurring not to far from his position. He glanced at Fallon as they went on their way, just to make sure she was still following him.

He walked until he saw the quartet of wolves, seemingly breaking up a fight. He slowed his pace as he approached, seeing Coven nearly disapproving of Sibirskiy's rambling. Tessa lay nervous underneath Sibirskiy, as Xerxses split the field in his giant build. Pravin hadn't met him personally yet, but he didn't think he was much like Blitz. Almost impatient, Pravin barked, "Come Sibirskiy! We need to get going." He then looked to Xerxses, "Where will you start your search?" Pravin planned to start on the opposite side of the pack lands. He figured they would efficiently cover more land that way. If they started too close to each other, chances were that they would encounter the other group more than once. Or at least, that's what Pravin thought.

Xerxses glanced over as Pravin arrived, nodding silently and stopping to explain where he was headed. "I am heading towards the mountains to see if any prey has wandered off that way." He said, ignoring the black wolf who had followed him. Coven's opinion did not matter to him at the moment. He knew Pravin would be hunting at the other end of the territory, so he really didn't think it mattered where went, one of them would find prey somewhere. Then he turned away again, glancing at Tessa who was still crouched beneath Sib, before walking off towards the mountains with Coven in tow.

Tessa frowned as Pravin arrived and Xerxses walked off. She slowly crawled out from beneath Sib and licked his chin, sighing softly. "I need to go. Don't worry, I'll keep my distance from Coven. Plus, once we find Laek, she'll be with me too. I'll see you tonight at the den." She said softly, speaking of the den they both now shared separate from the rest of the rank dens. It gave them more privacy, which she preferred. "I'll miss you." She said softly, licking his cheek and smiling at him before running off after Coven and Xerxses, casting a wistful glance back at her mate over her shoulder before they disappeared.

Fallon tilted her head at the group of wolves clustered along the path. There was too much information and effect hitting her for her to react to any of them. She was meeting Sib for the first time (thankfully, Pravin knew him), the Tessa and Sib deal seemed to be confirmed, and Coven was clashing again? Tessa and Coven were disappearing with Xerxses by the time Fallon had sorted out her head full of emotions, so there was only one to deal with. "Sibirskiy?" she repeated, once the other group had gone. "You're the brother of Rayne?" They couldn't leave just yet! Rayne was still at camp, and she hadn't gotten to see Sib yet...Fallon glanced up nervously but hopefully at Pravin, since now he was in charge of their expedition, not sure whether he'd be ok with the idea of going back for a second, just a second.

Coven followed Xerxses with long strides, the issue with Sib pushed to the back of his mind as the black wolf relished being able to take in the snow-laden trees as they headed toward the mountains, an area he never had explored before, since the little field trip with Fallon hadn't ended up very successful in actually showing him around. But that did mean this would be exciting...and it meant that everyone would have to pay extra attention, since none of these wolves really knew their way around well.

((Xerxses/Coven/Tessa continued: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t92-hunting-with-xerxses-jenn-roar ))

Sib grinned, nodding and licking Tess again before she got up to leave. He sighed, watching them walk away, glancing over then to the other female wolf, barely noticing her there. He grinned at her, sorta looking at her weird with his head tilted, how in the... how did she know of Rayne?
"Yah... how do you know?"
He asked, curiously, only to turn to Pravin, who barked for him to hurry, not really smart, Sib was still erked with Coven, and having another wolf rushing him, only adding to his frustration,
"Yah yah, I'm already ready, no thanks to any of you."
He growled. A bit of an over reaction, but he was still a bit erked. He turned back to The female, Fallon, waiting for her answer now. He wanted to know how she knew of her sister... and now that he paid more attention, why it seemed her scent was mingled with Fallon's... had Fallon saw here? Was she here?!

(hmm... I'll bring Rayne in in a moment lol xP, and sorry for the fail post here... d:)

Oh yeah, Rayne. Pravin saw Fallon's hopeful look, and gave her a nod. It would do well to their spirits to see the reunion before they headed off. But Pravin frowned as Sibirskiy growled his response. Shaking his head for a moment, he looked back to the now nearly confused Sib. "Sibirskiy, last night we welcomed two loners into the land. One is named Rayne, and she's right over there. You probably want to see her as much as she wants to see you. Come along." He motioned for Sib and Fallon to follow, as he led them to the probationary den. He stuck his head in, quietly speaking, "Rayne. I-we've found Sibirskiy." He hesitated, deciding to give Fallon credit for bringing it up. He'd completely forgotten.

Sib sat, listening, staring blankly at Pravin... that.. couldn't be... why, how could she have come? Did.. did she really find him all the way out here?! He shook his head, then looked back at Pravin, he didn't know how to react really.. sure, there was a bit of happiness, but, then there was that huge amount of shock that came with it. He didn't move really when Pravin started to walk away, having to take a minute to even get up, following quickly after him. He sat just outside then den as Pravin called inside, his eyes fixed on the entrance to it. Was t really her, and if so... why did she come?

Rayne gave a small sigh as she heard Pravin calling her, shuffling around a bit as she mumbled, still half asleep. She was, for the most part, quite comfortable. She forced herself up though, staring at his slightly blurry figure as she blinked a few times. Though, once she finally had a moment to process what he said, she finally jumped up to her feet, staring at him, her tail wagging, completely awake now,
"Really!! Where!! Is he here!!"
She barked, running out of the den, turning and seeing Sib,
"Br...brother!! it's, it's really you!!"
She yelled in excitement, almost tackling him to the ground as she ran at him.

Sib just stared as she came bounding out of the den, it really wasn't hard to recognize her, though it had been a while, she still looked the same in so many way. A small gasp came from him as she tackled him, stumbling a bit sideways, laughing a little, though still shocked for the most part.
"H..Hi sis. How, why are you here? How did you even find me?!"
He asked, not really knowing what else to say. Happy, yah, he was, but still, he could help but wonder just how she found him, and why she did.

Fallon wagged her tail and smiled at Pravin as he readily told Sibirskiy about Rayne. She pranced behind the male excitedly, peeking back at Sib every once in a while to make sure he was following, since he seemed more reluctant - perhaps because of shock? - than eager to follow. It didn't do anything to squelch her joy, though.

Pravin's inclusion of Fallon in his announcement to Rayne did not go unnoticed, even with the focus Fallon had on the siblings. It didn't take much to get back into Fallon's good graces, and Pravin had been heading there anyway. This just clinched it. The female shot a quick, grateful smile over at him just before Rayne bolted from the den.

Fallon couldn't help but laugh at the two, mostly Rayne, who's incredible joy was both touching and a breath of fresh air after the laid-back and reserved enthusiasm of the other pack members. Sib's reaction was not what Fallon expected, though, and her head tilted and eyes narrowed slightly as she waited for Rayne's answer, wondering if this shock phase of Sib's reaction would pass. As usual, if people didn't react to her expectations - as poor Pravin had figured out - Fallon had a hard time understanding.

Pravin watched the reunion occur and it wasn't what he imagined it be. Rayne was excited but Sibirskiy was just shocked. It was understandable, though. If anyone from Pravin's past ever encountered him, he'd be just as shocked. Especially here in Silverlight. Pravin wasn't phased by the reunion though, and laughed in his head at the confusion of Fallon. He walked off to the end of the pack dens in the direction of the forests, and sat himself down a short distance away from the other three. He sat and waited, watching the reunion.

Rayne sat, staring slightly at him, she could understand he was a bit shocked to see her, it had been a while, and plus, he probably didn't expect to see her at all here. She just smiled, looking up at him,
"I came to find you! It wasn't that hard... O.K., maybe a little, but I found you!"
She said, her tail wagging, as she stared at him. It didn't matter that it had taken so long, she was just excited to see him again after so long.

"Yah.. well, you shouldn't have, what if you got hurt or something? I would have never seen you again?!"
He said, grinning slightly, only then to give off a small sigh, smiling as he licked her,
"Never mind... I'm just glad you are here now... and I think we might need to talk soon, I've got a lot to tell you, but... we have to get hunting right now sis. Then, when I come back, we can talk, alright?"
He said, smiling, still mainly calm about it. He did want to tell her about Tess, and about everything else, but he didn't want to make them wait any longer, and besides, he was sure she would be fine for now, everyone was nice enough around here.

She smiled, her tail still wagging, ignoring the first part, the over protective brother in him was obviously there, she expected that,
"Alright! But I want to here everything! All of it!! And you better get back soon!"
She said excitedly, her tail wagging still as she glanced back at the other wolves sitting there. She didn't really want to wait for him to get back to talk, but, she knew him, and he would want to get this done first. She smiled, getting a nod of agreement from Sib, quickly pushing against him again.
"Please, just hurry back then..."
She sighed.

((Inferno continued from here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t83p45-consciousness#1474 ))

Inferno watched, slightly apprehensive, as Molly quickly drooped into a deep sleep. He cast a long, curious glance back at the rest of the little flowers, stunned at how potent just one was. That hadn't been expected. There wasn't anything that could be done if the dose was too much for the little healer, but after a few sniffs and gingerly nudged at Molly's ears, Inferno decided that there was no way that plant was going to kill her. She'd be fine sleeping here for a while.

Not completely satisfied, but having other issued to attend to, the beta slowly got up, looked over the female one last time, and exited her den to check on the commotion outside. Automatically, Inferno's ears pricked up attentively and his fur bristled defensively at the sight of the lively stranger white wolfess. Fortunately, Rayne wasn't actually tackling anyone at this moment, and all the pack members were either relaxed or...welcoming? Even familiar, in Sibirskiy's case, with the new female. When the beta next caught sight of yet another newcomer - this one sitting quietly outside the probationary den with a languid smile on her face - he had already come to the conclusion that something more was going on here than he, paranoid and protective as he was, had instinctively concluded. Right now, the only thing that was really worrying Inferno was the fact that Blitz wasn't out here.

"What's going on here?" demanded the beta as he walked over to the group. He was serious, as usual, but unlike in most cases of trespassers, there was little aggression in his demeanor. Thankfully, the whole situation with the newcomers was set up perfectly for it to look just as non-threatening as it actually was. There was no way Inferno could picture either Rayne or Eve as malicious. "Sibirskiy, Fallon - aren't you two supposed to be hunting with Pravin?"

Fallon caught Inferno's chiding eye and looked away quickly, understanding the non-subtle hint that they would be in trouble soon if the hunting party didn't head off now. The female gave a last smile to Rayne and called out a soft "See ya" to Eve who had popped up at the mouth of the den, and then Fallon finally trotted off quickly to join Pravin, standing behind him to wait for Sibirskiy to quickly explain the circumstances to Inferno and then come along. She hadn't spotted or scented KiRae and figured that the group was just better off leaving now and finding the silver male some other time.

Sib's head turned as he heard Inferno's voice, grinning slightly. Yah, they really should have left already... but the obvious trouble with Coven, and now seeing Rayne... it was sorta his fault for keeping them waiting. He gave a small smile, nodding his head to Rayne, nudging her slightly before walking over to the other's.
"Sorry, Inferno, it's my fault we haven't left yet."
He said, smiling, turning to Fallon, who was already trotting off toward Fallon.
"We'll be back soon, I promise sis."
He said, nodding again before heading off towards them. The sooner they left, the sooner they'd get back, and plus, he didn't need Inferno getting mad at them, last thing he needed was a conflict with another wolf here, Coven was enough, but Inferno? He'd really end up dead.

Rayne just smiled, nodding as she turned to see Inferno coming. He seemed quite serious, if not a bit... aggressive. It sorta freaked her out, at first glance he really did seem like a big, aggressive wolf. She glanced back, watching the other's leaving, letting a soft sigh leave her, then turned back to Eve, and slowly walked back to the small den. She didn't know what to say or do now, and, she didn't know whether to speak or not to this new wolf, Inferno, so she stayed silent as she laid down, half way in and out of the den.

Pravin looked up when he heard Inferno's voice. He knew they should have left by now, but their spirits would have done well here. And that goal seemed to be achieved. He watched as Fallon and Sibirskiy said their goodbyes, but Pravin felt as if Inferno needed an explanation to the strange wolves on their turf. Hopefully, he wouldn't get in trouble for bringing them there. He wasn't sure how they ran things here yet. Before, he was one of the latest newcomers. He stepped forward, "Inferno, we encountered two loners last night." He gestured to the two at the small den, he really didn't have much to say now. "C'mon guys, let's get off to the hunt." He turned and started off at a quick pace. He only looked back to see if they were following him, as he assumed they would.

Inferno cocked his head slightly at Sib's reference to the newcomer as 'sis'. Was this really Sibirskiy's sister? That would explain the light atmosphere surrounding that group. The beta was pulled from his scrutiny of the two new females by Pravin's voice and brief explanation. Inferno nodded in acknowledgement of the information and watched as Pravin took off, a grinning Fallon bouncing directly after him.

Eve watched as the three wolves of the hunting party left, the den area becoming noticeably still compared to the joyous commotion before. The elderly female tilted her head at Inferno, an ear flopping to the side as if it was too much to hold it up. Putting together the atmosphere shift that had occurred when Inferno arrived as well as the demeanor of the wolves, Eve quickly concluded that this wolf was probably one of those she and Rayne would want to talk to about officially joining the pack. Ears back, but smiling her small, calm smile, the female slowly approached Inferno as he turned his attention fully on the wolfesses and demanded their purpose in Silverlight.

"I am Eve," spoke the brown wolfess, standing now in front of Inferno. "My friend Rayne and I found each other while traveling - she looking for her brother Sibirskiy and I searching for a new place to call home. We desire to join this pack. It has been our aim for quite a while." Eve usually didn't speak much, but when it felt important, she made sure to be thorough and clear with what she was saying. A very good observer, especially of expressions and body language in other wolves, the female caught on quickly that Inferno needed more incentive to let them join. There was stress written all over his body, worry, and exasperation, as well as a general reservation toward her and Rayne. Eve knew what he wanted. "We both could add much to this pack - I may not be as strong or skilled physically as I once was, but spring is coming, and I am quite experienced at handling pups; there would be less need for more able pack members to stay here and pup-sit, which I know is quite a job, especially in lean times. And Rayne here," continued Eve, still smiling, though down to business, "is quite skilled with herbs."

Inferno had followed along Eve's talk in a fairly accepting manner. Truly, he had be concerned about the extra mouths to feed, especially after his talk just that morning with Blitz, but the female's defense was eloquent and thorough enough to simply impress him; no wolf had ever made that kind of plea for acceptance. But toward the end, the beta's ears pricked up and he shot a look over at Rayne with so much hope and intensity that his question to her came out in a harsh bark that didn't properly reflect his emotions. "You're a healer?"

Rayne stared quietly as she watched Eve approached Inferno, staying silent for the most part. She listened as Eve started to speak, telling him why they were here, and asked his if they may join. She sat up slightly, her gaze going between the two, not knowing how to judge Inferno's expressions. It also sorta surprised her how much Eve spoke, generally so quiet, but, then again, she probably figured this was a bit important, and it really was. she looked up at Inferno, her ears perked up a bit as her head tilted, the sudden bark of is question left her confused.
"I..uhh, yah, sorta.."
She muttered. She didn't know exactly how he mean't what he asked, it came out so harshly, and she didn't know if he was either happy about it, or simply something else, though she hoped happy... she could tell that Inferno surely wasn't one she'd want to be on the bad side of.
"Why? Is... is that a good thing?"
She asked, slightly tilting her head, wondering, hoping.

"Not just 'sorta'..." gently corrected Eve, though the soft words were mostly to herself. That was enough for Inferno, though.

"Yes," answered the beta seriously, mind whirring as he spoke. This was honestly too good to be true. Unfortunately, his outward reaction didn't convey his pure relief and almost exhilaration at this news. "We are in desperate need of another healer, as our current healer Molly is immensely ill. If you joined this pack, would you accept the position of healer, under the direction of Molly once she is well?" The pack needed a healer desperately, and even if Rayne had a quarter of the skill of Molly, that was enough to make a difference.

Eve wagged her tail at Inferno's words, watching Rayne eagerly. She was sure Rayne would be alright with this, and it sounded like Eve would be able to edge her way into the pack, thanks to the luck Rayne brought with them.

(bah.. sorry, mean't to post earlier, but got ran off the computer >.<")

She gave a small smile as Inferno seemed to show a bit more happiness, listening to him and what he offered. She was, in every way, happy to hear that, but, there was just one more thing she had to ask, something he hadn't yet made clear to them.
"I, I'd love to, but, does that mean Eve will be able to stay also? as a pup-sitter? I can't stay if Eve can't... as much as I do want to since Sib is here, I can't just stay while Eve leaves."
She said, smiling, turning to Eve. She wanted to make sure she keep to her word and made sure Eve was taken care of, that much was for certain.

Sib followed behind quickly, a bit eager to get out and hunt. He was really not in the right mind set to deal with anything else, the ordeal with Coven had left him stirred as it was, and now having Rayne here, his mind was going insane by this point. He was sure that a nice hunt would give him a chance to calm down. He glanced up toward Pravin, curiosity bugging him,
"So, where are we going, or do we even have a place we're headed to?"
He asked, tilting his head slightly.

Eve smiled gratefully at her white friend, licking Rayne's cheek as Inferno answered levelly, "Of course Eve will be able to stay. Truly, both of you will be a help to us." A burden at the same time, but how could Inferno turn either of them away? Especially if they'd made it into Silverlight, a feat that indicated that they needed to be here for some reason.

With that, the beta confirmed that both Rayne and Eve could join the ranks of the pack of Silverlight, Rayne as a healer and Eve as a pup-sitter. "I hate to put you to work so quickly," said the male, inclining his head and taking a step away toward the healer's den he'd just come from, "but it would be so helpful if you could come take a look at Molly. I've been trying to help her; she's recovering from a severe infection, but I'm not sure what else to do..."

Rayne smiled gently as she felt Eve lick her cheek, she couldn't help it, she had stayed with Eve this long, she wasn't going back on their promise now. She looked at Inferno, sighing in relief when he said that they both would be able to stay. That was more than a relief to her, she really didn't want to have to leave, she just barely found her brother. She grinned, getting up and slowly following Inferno, listening as he spoke. She didn't mind having to do something so soon, since she was going to be part of the pack she was more than obliged to do so.
"How long has she been sick? And has she taken anything? If so, what? And how long ago?"
She asked, running through what she would need to know. Obviously, if she herself was a healer, she had already done something, and Rayne didn't want to do anything that conflicted with what she had done.

(Shall we just move Rayne and Inferno to the healers den then?)

((Good idea. Inferno/Rayne continued here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t94-a-new-hope#1484 ))