The Betrayer was Betrayed; Home?

[Mari]

She lifted another foot, dragging on. Why was she here? Honestly, she had no idea. Truth be told, the maned wolf had never seen the country of her species' origins. But it was warm, and her thickest winter coat was not even coming close to keeping her warm.

Neutrals... just had to have their lands in the far frozen north. It was nearly enough to drive her back to her dark origins, if not for the stagnant relationship awaiting her there. And that was far better left unstirred.

So here she was. A maned wolf - a so-called 'fox on stilts' - trudging through belly-deep snow to find the Alphas and plead for a place to stay, at least for a little while. Until someplace better - and hopefully more warm - presented itself to her. She doubted one would.

Iscariotte, the betrayer who was betrayed, had come to the north to find a home.

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Chaos scents the air, dropping the bloody mountain hare. A new scent is blowing on the wind, perhaps another wolf to join the growing pack? Her heart races pounds as excitement grows in her at that thought. A smile covers her pup-like features, as she scrapes snow over the body of the rabbit. She'll return for that later. As she trots, a comfortable pace for her, the smile drops from her face, though she still feels excited. She runs the heads of her three wolf pack (counting her) in her head. As she does this, it hits her again at how small her pack is and that they are in great need of new wolves.

As the young arctic wolf nears the new scent, she slows to a walk. She walks the last 10 tails, tail slightly raised. She approaches the new wolf cautiously, giving the she-wolf her space. She keeps a calm face on as she looks over the wolf. She raises her tail in dominance now, and looks at the other wolf's forehead. The fur on the top of her muzzle wrinkles slightly as she pulls her lips back, just a bit. She doesn't want to scare away a potential pack member. Yet she also wants the newcomer to see that she is dominant and will not be bossed around, though she might let Youssarian do that a bit. You are in Stone Frost's territory. Who are you and what do you want? The growl slips through her teeth. She can't be sure that she can trust this she-wolf. After all, Chaos thinks dryly, Alphas do have to be on their gaurd.

[Mari]

Iscariotte lifted her head, looking the other wolf in the eyes. There was blood on the she-wolf's lips, and Iscariotte was suddenly aware of her sharp hunger. She made sure to keep her tail down and her ears back in respect, but her head stayed high. She really couldn't help it if she was so much taller than this other wolf. Who was obviously high-ranking, if not Alpha.

"They call me Iscariotte. I..." she stopped, taking a quick breath. She had to remember to be respectful. She didn't want to come across as too dominant. But she was a prideful creature, if nothing else...

"I would like... to make this my home, at least for a while." She exhaled sharply and closed her eyes for a moment. At least that part was over with.

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Iscariotte. Chaos flicks her ears, storing the name for further use in the future. So this wolf wants to become a part of the pack, temporarily, if not permenant. Mentally, she shrugs, no harm in that. The she-wolf looks the other wolf over, tilting her head up to almost meet Iscariotte's gaze. The newcomer's stance is respectful, and she doesn't appear to be too dominant, as in, one going to challenge her position. Chaos can't conjure up a reason as to why she should refuse the polite she-wolf's offer. Chaos nods, dipping her head. Fair enough. Welcome to Stone Frost, Iscariotte. I am Chaos, the Alphess, and you will meet my mate, Youssarian, when we return to camp. Her voice is calm, and her lip twitches in an almost-smile.

As Chaos turns, she sighs, barely audible. Perhaps she lets wolves in too easily in her pack. After all, Iscariotte being accepted took a matter of moments. Maybe she should think through things more, dig deeper. But she can't know what a wolf will act like until she gets to know them and watch them every day. If she takes them into camp and the wolf is for, she shrugs, maybe Ryker, trying to plan an attack, then the wolf would already know some of her land and the camp. It's a lose-lose situation. Besides, Chaos thinks she did right.

Her paws move swiftly across the land, slightly brush against the top of the snow. They are close to camp now, and the Alphess decides she might as well give Iscariotte a few options. She turns, looking at the other she-wolf with slight curiosity. Well Iscariotte, you may do a few things. First, you may hunt. Second, I can give you a tour of the land. And third, you may find a den of your liking in camp. Her bark is soft, yet commanding. She hopes she isn't putting too much preassure on the newcomer, for she would like a permenant pack mate out of her. Ruefully, she thinks: It will be nice to have another she-wolf around.

[Mari]

She nodded along, not really hearing much of what the Alphess said. "I think... I think a tour would be good, since I'll be living here and all. If... if that's not too much, or anything. I mean, you must be busy." Despite the stuttering of her words, her voice was cool and rather commanding. She double-checked her posture, making sure she seemed submissive enough.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her mouth twisted into a frown. This Chaos... She was obviously bred to live in this environment. Iscariotte's own black paws slipped through the thin crust on the snow, and she floundered awkwardly in the snow behind Chaos. But her pride prevented her from calling out to her new Alpha, asking her to slow down. She could do this.

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The arctic she-wolf shrugs, taking a relaxed stance. I'm not that busy. On the way back, I can pick up my hare... She pauses, then decides to add an explanation. Err... I was hunting. She nods. Well, a tour it is then. Chaos looks around, pin pointing their location on a mental map. They have stopped at the clearing at the end of Pine Tree Alley. She looks down the pathway made naturally by pines. Well, this is the end of Pine Tree Alley. From here, you can go just about anywhere from here. The young she-wolf pauses, looking up at the tops of the gently swaying trees. This is probably the most windy spot in our land, though it's not that windy now. Chaos pauses, letting Iscariotte register the facts that she has just told her. A minute or so, she continues along with the tour.

Climbing Stone is a stone that the wolves dare each other to climb to the top of. In their free time, competitions can be held here between individual wolves, but never over a fight. It is large, and fairly smooth, so there are not many footholds. This makes it challenging to climb, though some enjoy it. Sometimes, Chaos will offer a small reward to the rare wolf who manages to make it to the top. It is southwest of the clearing that they had left.

They move south. Chaos pauses every now and then, breaking her brisk trot. She is made for the snow covered mountains. Her fur is thick, protecting her from the cold that blows through the mountain. To tell the truth, she doesn't think the maned wolf belongs in the frigid mountains, for it has the shortest fur. So she pauses, letting the other she-wolf catch up, though trying not to upset her. Finally, she stops at the river.

This is the river, Chaos says, when they are together and standing on its bank. This is the main source of water. You are probably thinking: but it's frozen. Well, you have to break the ice to get to the water. The ice is thin, so that makes it easier. Watch. Chaos moves forward and rears up on her hind legs. Her forepaws come down on the ice, breaking it. Quickly she turns, trying to avoid landing in the water. The she-wolf turns back to drink the cool, refreshing moutain water.

Try not to get your paws wet, She instructs Iscariotte when she is done with her drink. It's cold up here and very easy to catch a cold. She motions with her tail for the maned wolf. You can drink your fill, and then we'll continue.

[ღE/m/i/l/yღ]

Youssarian heard his loves soft sweet voice and a very unfamilair one before he noticed the tracks in the snow and the appearance of two canines. The Alpha male had woken up from honey slumber when he felt Chaos's warm body leave the den. Normally, he would have kept sleeping and let Chaos do her buisness, but an adventerous feeling had swamped his sleepy heart and he had the urge to see what she was doing. A few dead daisies littered the edge of camp, and he passed them quietly, there unusual beauty striking as odd for some reason. He thought he should pick some for the Alphess, but he didn't want to insult her with dead flowers. Finding the canines he glanced at the new one quickly. "Hello," he said is his charmingly pleasant deep voice. "I am Youssarian. I'm expecting you are new to the pack?" A bit of joy course through his thick winter furred coat. The pack was growing considerably. "What's your name, miss?" He asked, smi;ling at Chaos as he glanced at the two of them.

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Chaos turns as the very familiar scent of Yousarian touches her nose. A smile is on her face and she says, I was wondering when you would realize I was missing. Seemed to take you a while... I had time to hunt. Her smile turns into a smirk, and her eyes show that she is joking. She looks at Iscariotte, not wanting to answer for her. Her mind strays as the gap of silence grows larger, and a though strikes her. Hey, why don't you two stay here and go through the introductions and such. I'll go retrieve my hare, and come back here. I'll be back soon. She nods at Youssarian before turning tail and running.

One could call it fleeing, but that would be a stretch of the word, very abstract. So she is running. Her paws lightly push off of the snow, making little imprints. As she pauses, looking down at her prints, she realizes that she has grown. Her paw prints are bigger, almost an adult size of one year. She looks down at her fur, which she has kept well-groomed, but never really paused to admire. Her white fur is thickening and growing longer as if to fit a bigger body. She is losing her puppy-like fur. She smiles and gasps, amazed at the subtle changes that have escaped her notice so far.

After a few more moments of admiring her growths, Chaos decides that she shouldn't keep Youssarian and Iscariotte waiting any longer. She hurries on. Trees pass by as she runs in a steady lope that any wolf could carry for days. She loves the freedom of running, feeling the wind rush through her fur, and the feel and noise of her paws hitting the ground. Ahead, she smells her rabbit, though she had covered it with snow. She puts her nose to the ground and soon finds the piece of prey. Eager to return to the other wolves, she picks it up and runs toward the river. She slows her pace as she nears the river, nose clouded by the scent of kill beneath it. The land ahead of her is obscured by the pine's brance, and a various needles. She thinks she sees the two wolves.