Larkcall Lowlands Armistice

for @Craw and @Morganna 

- Midday - Moderate snow, -7 ° F/-22 ° C

Oh he was not excited about this. When he and @Jessie had first come to Larkcall, there had been no signs of other wolves for several days traveling north. It had been a none concern, the lands were plentiful enough for multiple packs to feed off of, and none had yet to actually claim part of the Lowlands exclusively. However, in the time it had taken for the silvering man to gather enough wolves to be comfortable staking a claim to the Fields, a group had settled on the large rock formation up north. He honestly hadn't cared, he hadn't thought it would be a problem. Clearly he had been wrong. @Askan budding heads with these northerners was one thing, though multiple incidents had left Drestig miffed enough to send the rascal south, while he cleared things up with the opposing party. After having received or beaten and cowering @Adelayde a few days earlier though, his disposition had gotten a lot more grim.

Clearly it was time to set things straight, so early that morning, before the sun was even peaking above the horizon, the leaders of Wild Rye Fields had left their land, trusting @Icicle and Ade to watch over their daughter while they were gone. Drestig didn't like leaving her and the territory with so little protection, but he thought it best that both of them went to these rock-dwellers to establish, what he still hoped could be peaceful relations. The last thing they need in their new home was trouble with the neighbors. So they walked, mostly in silence as they did best, freezing winds ruffling their fur as snow fell steadily all around. With everything blanketed in white, the change in the landscape was invisible to the eye, but it could be felt under their paws, as the crunch of grass gave way for a more unyielding surface. Soon after that, the cliff-formation came into view.

Looking up at the remarkably shaped structure, Drestig wrinkled his nose slightly, trying to imagine the decision of settling there. Admittedly, there was sure to be a great view of the Lowlands from those heights, but there wasn't a tree in sight, and the roaring winds we sure to be even harder and colder up there. Sighing lightly, he came to a halt as they reached the warning scent markers, brows furrowing as he paused for a moment, breathing deeply. Then he raised his head, calling out in a strong voice, for the lords of this castle. There was no begging in the howl, and only little humility, though he didn't exactly demand a response, he made it clear that he expected one, and was not here beggar. Lowering his head, he muttered to the grey woman by his side: "Now let's just hope this doesn't get worse."

Word count: 468

"Speech" Thoughts

i never did what mumma said,
i went and played with the ganster boys instead

Morganna Archer

Morganna had risen before the sun to make a round of the borders before returning to the top of the Monadnock to rouse her children and set them to work. If they were going to make the terror they so craved, they would want to make it well and while they may rely on safety in numbers while they were still so young that would not last forever. They would need to hold their own.

 

Odin tackled his lessons with gusto, cornering @Lorcan whenever opportunity presented, and Morganna had every intention of pairing @Kara with @Saradathia - the white woman's age should provide her enough experience to avoid the worst of the larger pups blows, and pairing Kára with someone with the stamina to outlast her was bound to test her patience - something the girl would need to develop if she was ever going to last long in the big wide world.

Happy that everyone was occupied meaningfully, she had begun to make her way towards the rock where @Craw was gnawing on his twisted stick. She barely managed to wrap her jaws around the stray end to try and playfully drag it away when the summons came. Her playful growl quickly turned into one of annoyance as she abandoned their game and looked to the narrow track that lead down to the lowlands, hearing Craw jump down to answer it as well. They walked down single file but approached the strangers standing flank to flank. It was clear this pair weren't here to ask to join so Morganna held her tongue, drawing patience she usually lacked from the steady rattle and wheeze of her mates breath.

Her own encounters with their southern neighbors had all been second hand, but she had crossed the scent often enough to be on guard. Had they come to repay Lorcan for saving their child?

@Jessie

The stick was proving surprisingly resilient. He estimated that he would need a new one come spring, for it would likely be destroyed by then, but whatever branch @Saradathia had chosen was a pleasingly hard wood. It was an excellent temper-soother, and got most of its action after one of @Kara's hijinks - mostly because he wasn't able to take out the worst of his frustrations on the girl herself, otherwise her legs would have looked similar to his old pig's bone.

Craw glanced up as Morganna approached, growling with a playful warning as he sensed her own mischief. It was no wonder where Kara got it from. As she grabbed the other end Craw prepared to tug of war over it when the both of them were distracted by the summons, a long, confident note which communicated a great deal. This was no loner, come to grovel for a place in their thriving pack. The stick forgotten, Craw hopped down off his rock to fall in step with his mate, and together they made their silent way down the goat track to where their company was waiting.

The sight of them waiting at the bottom, one dark and one silver, meant nothing, prompted no recognition. It wasn't until they were close enough for the strangers' scent to be noticable did realisation strike - and Craw's tail twitched up, lips curling in a cold smile, at the significance of it. He knew their musk well, having poked about their little territory for himself a few times. He could tell from the subtle cues in Morganna's body language that she had come to the same conclusion, but she kept quiet.

Craw, on the other hand, could not resist.

"So this is the legendary 'boss' I've heard about," he rasped, hardly trying to hide the sneer in his tone, casting derisive looks over the pair of them. They were far too old to be so naive about where they had settled - he might have forgiven a pair of youngsters who knew no better, but what was their excuse? Stupidity? Broken noses? Not to mention all the other complaints he could lodge against them and their rabble, one of which he knew would be on the tip of Morganna's tongue. "You finally realised you have neighbours."

She had known that it was only a matter of time before their peace was disturbed. When Askan returned after butting heads with their neighbors, she thought it would be best to leave well enough alone. They had not been provoked and the male Second had returned home unharmed. Of course, nothing went as Jessie hoped. When Adelayde returned to them cowering, Jessie knew that enough was enough. The woman did not particularly mind that she had to go on this trip but she was annoyed and not particularly looking forward to who they were going to meet. The pepper-and-salt colored woman truly missed going on these kind of excursions, becoming a leader meant not venturing out as much as she used to. Drestig and Jessie traveled in silence, not unfamiliar to them, but the woman could tell that her mate was uneasy going on this trip, after all, it was their pack on the line. This was completely different than going on a run for Triell or Corinna. Truthfully, Jessie was impressed that their peace had not been disturbed for the amount of time that it was. It came as no surprise to her that someone had to ruin it. As they arrived at the border, shoulder to shoulder, Jessie’s ear flicked at the broken silence. No doubt the leaders of the pack would soon arrive. Movement from her peripherals caused her head to return towards her lover, ear flicking when he spoke. The woman snorted softly in agreement, knowing that being enemies with another pack would not be good news for them, especially with their numbers so low. The other leading pair arrived together and stood opposite of them. The alpha nodded in greeting to the two of them, keeping her posture neutral. Jade eyes immediately turned towards the male, his smile off-putting.  When he spoke, Jessie could feel her muscles tense but she forced her jaws together so that she would not say anything rash. However, as the male continued, Jessie could not help the retort that fell from her lips, ”Don’t worry, we knew. We just felt it was not necessary to meet with you until now…and you clearly did not think a greeting was needed.” The woman’s voice was not patronizing, simply business-like, taking on the familiar role of Scout. She would not allow their intelligence to be called into question. After she said her piece, she allowed Drestig to take the lead, directing her gaze onto the woman who had yet to speak. She was sure that he was just dying to bring up why they were present. Jessie Tainn

feainne-stock & Dawnthieves.de

He supposed a situation like this was bound to happen for any pack, but he would have liked it much better if they'd at least been able to get through their first winter in peace. The sun given in answer to his comment proved that Jessie felt the same; There's still a chance… There had to be, he didn't want to be at odds with anyone, certainly not wolves that they would be sharing their hunting grounds with and were sure to run into regularly. These hosts didn't take long to show up, walking down from their fortress one behind the other. Drestig studied them closely as they made their approach, careful not to show a single thought on his face. In front was the female, similar in size to him and with the same dark pelt, though hers was marked by vibrant strands of reddish and cream, instead of his silvering. Behind was the male, Craw, a hulking creature of grey and black, Drestig hadn't seen either of them before, but he easily recognized the man from Askan's descriptions.

They came to a halt side by side, across from their visitors, clearly giving them similar inspections. The Rye king held his ground, carefully neutral, his tail held in a straight line behind his back; He knew perfectly well he had no rank here, no right to assert dominance, but at the same time, he refused to cower, not letting his rear dip even a hair. He met the bright yellow eyes levelly, keeping his own face straight, even as the opposer's cracked in a smug grin. The words, rugged yet filled with scorn drew Drestig's lip into a thin line, but he remained silent, waiting to hear the brute out. His second comment was even harder to swallow, but surprisingly, Jessie was first to retaliate. Her matter-of-fact, yet cutting retort loosened her companion up a bit, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

Full attention turning back to the grey beast, Drestig added in a similar tone of voice: "We have closer neighbors who did not throw a tantrum because we didn't visit them right away." His eyes drifted to the woman, a full, almost pleasant, smile adorning his face; "But now that we've remedied our impoliteness, maybe you would be so kind as to stop harassing our pack mates?" His voice trod a careful line between sarcasm and cordiality, tail starting a light wave behind him. He might not be able to completely swallow his distaste, but in the end he had come here to make peace, not escalate the conflict; Is that really s much to ask?

Word count: 440

"Speech" Thoughts

i never did what mumma said,
i went and played with the ganster boys instead

Morganna Archer

She held her tongue to give them a chance, and there they went burning bridges before they had even made it back home. The old were meant to be wise but they didn't hold a flame to her mother. What a dissappointment.

Morganna's fur was bristling from the very first word that left the strangers mouths, a sneer working its way onto her face before she outright laughed in the old man's face. "Stop harassin' yer pack mates? Tell me old timers, what's yer daughter's life worth?" She didn't even bother to try and mask that this was the measure of the debt and that the threat of further retribution remained. Pale tips of teeth were revealed as her own tail inched higher. "If yer subordinates can't fend off a pair 'o children yer gonna have bigger problems than a little retribution once th' snows really set in." She snorted, what a fucking waste of her time. "By my measure, we haven't even started ter reclaim the debt yet," and perhaps it was about time she started going out of her way to do so.

There was no point to her remaining here, yet she wouldn't leave @Craw to deal with them alone. If there was a fight to be had she planned to be in the thick of it, and since first impressions were rarely wrong, by her measure this meeting was done.

(This post was last modified: Dec 24, 2016, 07:09 AM by Morganna.)

Oh dear.

The condescension on Craw's face melted into something darker, something more resembling pity and disappointment almost from the first word directed their way. True, his greeting had hardly been welcoming - but they had come here, and, he assumed, with something meaningful to say. His introductory words might have been laced with sarcasm, but they'd held nuggets of truth - if they had finally decided to try and settle whatever tensions were going on between the two packs, then he respected that. It was the responsible thing to do. It was also, as far as Craw was concerned, their responsibility, as the ones who had failed to properly establish a wide berth for their territory before claiming just anywhere. Was it not polite in this part of the world to allow for more than a day's travel between territories? Did that rule just not exist? Did they think it a guideline which did not apply to them?

Watching the other pair watching them, hearing the heavy patronisation in their choice of words, seeing how they held themselves with what they thought was a careful but strong dignity,  Craw's tongue clucked quietly at the back of his mouth in the shame of it all. A younger version of himself, a more hasty, wild version, would have given his verdict then and there - and it would have been harsher than Morganna's, who nevertheless let loose a fairly vicious tirade of her own. He did not bother to hide his thin smile as she dripped venom in their direction, did not move one muscle to try and stop her. He agreed with every word. In his opinion, they got off lightly. He knew what her temper could be like.

Then it was his turn. And when he cleared his gravelly throat and took a step forward to draw attention back to himself, he was composed and calm and out for blood.

"Morganna," he cooed, his tone condescending but Morganna would have known him better to think that he was really speaking down to her - he'd hardly dare. "Let us not lose our temper. Clearly they have no idea what they are doing, so we can't treat them as though they're aware of their insults." He looked to the silver-ticked male, to the grey woman at his side, and his smile was sickly sweet.

"I'm going to graciously ignore the entire problem with our packs' proximity, and pretend that this is just you coming here to smooth things out. When you summon the local lord and lady, as a lord and lady yourselves, it's polite to introduce yourselves before leaping into demands. Allow me to demonstrate. My name is Craw, and this is my mate, Morganna Archer. Welcome to Whitestone. Until now I have had little reason to see your troupe as anything other than a gaggle of loners, you've been lurking in that forest for so long without claiming it, so forgive me if I do not give much regard to your packmates. When I come across a free scavenging opportunity in my normal hunting grounds, I take it. Speaking of your subordinates - what my mate means, regarding your daughter, is that one of our wolves saved her life - and was assaulted for his trouble by one of yours. If you are unable to look after your children and subordinates, then do not hold us accountable."

He licked his lips, but he wasn't quite done. When he looked at this pair, he did not see warmongers or deliberate troublemakers, did not see malice or active hostility - just naivety. He knew what it was like to gaze into the eyes of the malevolent and cruel, and these eyes were neither. He just saw arrogance.

Like looking into a mirror, perhaps - but as the hero of his own story, Craw felt his own was rather more justified than theirs, and was discouraged not one bit.

"Now that we've cleared that up," he wheezed, manner still cool, "did you come here for peace, or to see how big a tantrum we can really throw?"

This was not going well. Jessie should have kept her level-head but she knew that once she went off to the races there was no stopping Drestig. Sure enough, after her statement the dark silvery man was quick with a witty one of his own. Perhaps if they were subordinates within Oak Tree Bend it would not have been as dire but the Tainn had to remind herself that this was not what they were doing. The other female was the first to respond, her voice breaking through like claws. At the mention of their daughter, Jessie felt her heart clench, immediately steeling herself against the worst. The woman continued and the grey woman’s eyes hardened. So she was going to threaten them. The Tainn felt no desire to stay. Had they been friends, Jessie may have considered their packs working something out but they were not and she would not work to pay anything forward to them. These two were nothing to her. However, when the male spoke emerald eyes immediately shot to him, green eyes narrowing. While it was sweet of him to tell his partner to not be such a bitch to them, in his own way, there was something twisted in the way that he did it. Throughout all of this, however, she remained silent by Drestig’s side, reminding herself that they did not want to make enemies and she needed to be a diplomat. The male made introductions and while Jessie did not recognize him, she certainly recognized the name Archer. Related to Elettra then, perhaps? What a disappointment. While her thoughts briefly wavered to this, her ears were pricked and remained trained on Craw, listening to what he had to say. Insult after insult she took, not wanting this to escalate into anything more than it had already become. She felt the anger coursing through her but as she had learned at an early age, she kept it in. The woman did not know what came over her at the beginning of the meeting but she knew that it could never happen again. It was what could have cost them their lives if it was more than just these two lurking around the borders. Not only did Craw continue to insult them but he also ended in a threat. The pepper-and-salt colored Tainn’s eyes flashed, eyes cold as they stared at the pair. These two wolves were not and would never be their friends, she realized. They best look for those someplace else. When her jaws parted, her words were calm but the rest of the body said otherwise, ”We want peace. I suppose we should start with our deepest apologizes. I will be sure to take care of our subordinate.” This was paining her to say but she knew it had to be done. The woman paused before continuing, ”I am Jessie Tainn and my mate is Drestig Avalon, what is it exactly that you want?” Her gaze landed on the other woman at this. Jessie Tainn

feainne-stock & Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Dec 28, 2016, 09:09 PM by Jessie.)

Apologies again, Drestig has... very low thoughts of Craw and Morg. Please don't take it to heart x/

Apparently so. The bitch certainly didn't waste time in spitting fresh threats at them, and at the mention of Percy, an icy cold crept along Drestig's spine. Anger flared in his chest and flashed in his ember eyes, teeth clenching hard behind carefully closed lips. He wanted to kill her for that threat, even if it was not directed squarely at his daughter, anything that dared to bring danger to her should be destroyed immediately. He hadn't felt such white-hot fury in years, and it physically hurt him to have to swallow it back. But as angry as he was, he was not stupid enough to attack another, no matter how arrogant or undeserving of her power, on her own land; That won't solve anything..! Her wretched gang of mutts would come to her aid and he would get himself killed, maybe Jessie too; That won't protect our family. The only thing that could was truce.

That didn't stop him from calling out the shrew, there was only so much he could hold down. "Hypocrite," he snarled lowly, meeting the woman's gaze levelly; "You threaten us for protecting ourselves and insult us for staying passive in the same breath!" He pitied her subordinates, having to serve under such a changeable queen, no wonder this pack was so messed up. He might have had more choice words for her, but her partner stepped in, drawing back attention to his ugly mug. Damn these two were a piece of work; He spoke to the shewolf just as he had the guests, leaving Drestig to wonder exactly how they had ended up together, if this brute could offer neither looks nor charm. But his words to her were brief, before he turned on the Rye couple. His speech send wave after wave of anger coursing through the older man, teeth again grinding as they were insulted in everything, from the very tone of this bastards voice to the way he spoke about their pack. And then he had the nerve, to not only talk down to them from his ugly, high rock, but to pose the prospect of peace, lazed in a threat, like they were the wronged party here.

Oh Drestig could have given him amble retort, but Jessie beat him to it, and her words were shocking. She was apologizing! He couldn't keep from glancing sideways, utterly stunned by her response, he knew she had to be just as enraged as him. But she was swallowing it back, for the good of their family and the Fields. Once again, she was proving to be stronger than him. He wasn't able to bite back all his animosity, though he managed to mold his voice into a similar, honey-sweet tone, to the spider's; "You don't expect us to take all your insults without giving back..?" He cocked a brow, silently continuing to tirade this monstrous creature. There was plenty he could call him out on, his claim was to this god forsaken rock – Who knows why? – Yet he acted like all of the Lowlands were under his command. Did he honestly think himself in good right to treat every wolf he came across out here like he would a trespasser on his own territory? Was he really so full of himself that he thought it right for everyone to stay more than a day's journey outside his borders, at all times? He was looking at them like they were the arrogant, ignorant ones, when he had started this feud, when he was the one who thought the bounty of the Lowlands was his and his alone? The whole thing made Drestig taste bile in the back of his mouth.

But once again Jessie was the reasonable one. Spilling all these accusations at the Whitestone idiots would not help anything, even if it was in response to their own; We came for truce..! So he breathed in deeply, banishing the spite, if not from his voice, then at least from the words themselves; "Clearly, we have heard two very different versions of that story." He eyed Craw alone, knowing that he would not be able to keep calm if he as much as glanced at his bitch; "As Jessie promises, we will make sure to talk to him, so that it won't happen again. Now can we consider each other even? As far as I understand, no one was seriously injured." He waited, every muscle in his body still tensed, he would not trust these wolves over a hair, no matter what agreement they might come to.

Word count: 763

"Speech" Thoughts

We want peace. At least someone around here was reasonable.

The ice in her eyes was worn plainly, her displeasure and dislike evident, but despite it, her words were the antivenom needed. Such a shame her good manners had needed to be coerced out of her so roughly. If her first words had been these rather than the unfortunate ones she had actually chosen, he would not have felt so compelled to give them a lesson. To her credit, @Jessie Tainn had clearly listened.

Drestig Avalon was still a... a work in progress.

The spider's cold gaze went to the man as he spoke up, unable to compose himself as his mate had, and the more he said the more Craw could feel @Morganna tense beside him. He knew all the signs, knew her body language better than anyone, and was forced to make a quick decision.

He moved a foreleg just slightly, just shifting it forward and to his right, a small gesture meant to cut off Morganna's attack before it happened. He hummed a low note in the back of his throat, brief, private: not yet.

"You would do well to heed the wisdom of your partner," Craw wheezed, watching Drestig with a gaze just as steady and cool, before letting his eyes slip back to Jessie. He liked neither, and half suspected she was only saying what he wanted to hear, but so be it; that was best for ensuring peace in the here and now. While he was not adverse to conflict, he was wary of being too hasty... and if the peace was not to last to the long-term, he would much rather break it on his own terms than let it crumble in front of him now so that both sides were fully aware of it, prepared for it.

"We are also willing to put past hostilities behind us." Askan had attacked Lorcan, but Craw himself had been present at the assault of their own female, had encouraged Odin and Kara's aggression. He had not realised her ties until too late, but in truth did not feel remorse either way; it had been a valuable lesson for all three of the inexperienced wolves. He wondered if it might prove prophetic for how a conflict might go between the two packs. Weak and easily defeated by those half their age. He still failed to quite see this gaggle as a real pack at all, for it acted more like a ragtag bunch of the clueless and foolish. They had introduced themselves but still not their pack, after all, and he had pointed it out for them so bluntly. Even they knew that they were a shambles.

They hardly deserved the respect of a civil exchange but he did not do it for them. He did it for Whitestone. He would not make any hasty mistakes.

This was clearly over. Askan would get whatever punishment they saw fit, and it would be ten times lighter than the one Craw would have inflicted upon the man. Ear twitching back, tail stiffening and lifting, balance shifting, his body language plainly displayed his dismissal of them, but there was one thing yet to clear up. "What are we supposed to call you?" He was going to have to hold their hands throughout this entire process, wasn't he?