Post by Akante on Feb 1, 2012 0:15:42 GMT -5
Punja said:
[he's not attacking anyone or invading or whatever. Punja is just exploring because why not]
The thing about these wolves were that they were always changing. It seemed that every other week there was some new pack or some pack had been disbanded or whatever. Punja didn't really care, it didn't really effect him, especially while Eschaton was still around. Though, if it fell, Punja would just have to be a wanderer and eat whatever the hell he wanted. And no one would want that, right?
But he wasn't feeling particularly hungry, he just felt like exploring. And exploring was what brought him to the borders of El Dorado, a pack he knew nothing about, but hey, maybe that could change? This pack was fairly new, yeah? Well, they'd just have to entertain a giant crocodile, otherwise this pack could become his new hunting ground.
Surfacing, he floated in the water, golden eyes watching, waiting. He wasn't trying to be stealthy this time, his large body was perfectly visible by anyone. If he could, he would've howled, but he wasn't a wolf, so this was obviously not possible. Instead, the crocodile simply hissed, not a noise that would have been as loud, but someone might have heard it. And this was a new pack, so they'd obviously be at their borders a lot.
Someone would find him.
Who could miss a huge ass crocodile like him?
Beckzilla said:
Fairah was used to the marshes, so crocodiles weren't a huge surprise.
However, as of yet, the croc hadn't surfaced, and so this day found the new female lying in some of the slowly dying sunshine. She had caught a rabbit earlier in the day and was enjoying eating it in silence. In packs, silence was something found rarely, and it was a valuable thing to Fairah. She had borne pups, and during those times, silence hadn't been in the books. And as the Queen of a marsh pack, there was always someone with demands on her time. Now, as a member of another pack, no one was racing up to her and begging for something from her. And, right now, she had no rank so very little responsibility.
Pack members in El Dorado hardly seemed to cross her path. She had, of course, spoken to her acceptor - a horse, surprisingly. And the next time she'd seen anyone, it had been when Captain Rita decided to challenge for more land. Fairah had joined the invading party with gusto. Then, she had encounter the alpha, obviously, and another wolf whose name was unknown to her.
Lonely?
No, not really. But some socialization to suss out her pack mates wouldn't be a bad thing. Then again, she could work out how to earn some of these "strips" that she'd heard mentioned, and which acted as a form of currency for the El Doradians. However, she was, as yet, unsure how to go about earning this strips. Fairah wanted these strips, and she wanted them badly. Her ambitions were large - although she no longer wished to lead a pack, she wanted a decent rank. Being a lowly "Sailor" right now irked her.
But, apparently, the world had heard her pleas for something to do. A sound reached her ears and she stood, nose twitching eagerly as she advanced slowly towards the sound. She stalked closer, using the surrounding undergrowth as cover for her movements. Pausing, she peered towards the water and then she saw the crocodile.
She knew to exercise caution, of course, but perhaps the croc wanted to be accepted. As far as Fairah knew, anyone could be a member of El Dorado - heck, they had a horse and (supposedly) a weasel. And so she approached confidently, but suspicion lurked in her mind. However, this caution was not present on her face. "Hello," she barked, tail flicking. She was trying to smell the crocodile to see if he had the scents of any other packs on him. However, swimming generally rubbed most of those scents off. And a crocodile could easily just swim through all the little streams and rivers in any of the marshland pack territories.
"You're at the borders of El Dorado," she continued calmly. "Do you seek acceptance?"
Punja said:
"Hello,"
"Well 'ello dere, wolfie." Punja replied, would give her a big toothy grin if he could. But he was a crocodile, so the most he could do was show his teeth and hope it looked like one. "Why don't cha come a lil' closa so ol' Punja can see ya betta, eh?" Though, if a crocodile a good ten or more times bigger than you invites you to get closer to him, you'd have to be mad to accept the offer.
"You're at the borders of El Dorado, Do you seek acceptance?"
"Naah," Such a casual answer. "I dun' even know what dis place is about. Already work fer one pack, Eschaton. Dey feed me pretty well, ehehe." Perhaps the other was fearing that he would attack, but he quickly continued before this pack presumed the worst.
"They dun' know I'm here. I'm explorin', y'see, cause ye wolves travel about so fast with yer packs. Wasn't dis some Keep's land?" The one that we invaded and then ate their Queen? She was quite delicious, big and fat, his favourite kind. "Wha's yer name, wolfie? I'm Punja. Ye wouldn't mind spendin' some time talkin' wit' an ol' croc like me now, would ya?"
It's been a while since he had actually had a conversation with a stranger. Perhaps he could come visit more often, surely Eschaton wouldn't mind. They had much more important things to worry about anyway.
Mama said:
"Grab me some reeds, Creek. Make them nice and long, Creek. You're not doing anything else, Creek."
The dun mare trotted through her home with disdane, thinking of the stupid reeds she would have to rip up to give to Little Deerscream. Stupid nagging human. If only she could figure out a way to explain to Deerscream she out ranked her now. Of course, she could always not get the reeds.
Yep, that was it then. She wasn't going to get no stinkin' reeds. She trotted her merry little tail to the water's edge, going for a well deserved drink. Creekypoo was runnin' stuff now.
"What's yer name, wolfie? I'm Punja. Ye wouldn't mind spendin' some time talkin' wit' an ol' croc like me now, would ya?"
Creek's ears perked up and looked in the direction of the sound. She couldn't see past a small deal of folage, but she soon went in that direction, crushing down plant life. Then, she smiled in maniac whimsy.
It was a crocodile. Freakin' crocodile. The biggest freakin' thing in the water. She wanted to meet it, and on a whim she wouldn't answer because it conflicted with her desire to survive, she wanted to see if it had as much power in its bite as she had heard.
"Hello, Fairah," she breathed out without ever taking her eyes off the crocodile. It was glorious and huge from what she could see of it. "He's huge..." She admired him--he was power.
Beckzilla said:
Conversations with crocodiles were not something Fairah was accostomed to, despite her years in the marshes. However, this particular croc (for the present time, anyways) seemed to want a chat, and wasn't concerning himself with eating her as an afternoon snack. She remained standing, though. Friendly as he appeared, his teeth were pretty damn big, and Fairah wasn't stupid enough to let her guard down and risk being be-headed or decapitated. The croc was baring these teeth in what could either be an attempt at a smile or a menacing threat.
So she kept some distance.
"Well 'ello dere, wolfie. Why don't cha come a lil' closa so ol' Punja can see ya betta, eh?"
A smirk touched on her muzzle. Yeah, that was likely. She took two steps forwards, lowering her head slightly towards him for a few moments before retreating back again. "There, you know who I am. Now tell me your business here," she demanded.
"Naah. I dun' even know what dis place is about. Already work fer one pack, Eschaton. Dey feed me pretty well, ehehe."
So he wasn't seeking acceptance? And he was already part of another of the marsh packs. Well, as far as Fairah was concerned, he had no right to be gazing into El Dorado territory. For all she knew, he could be a spy of sorts for Eschaton. However, although this wasn't an ideal situation, there was absolutely nothing she could do about his presence here by herself. Wolf verses a crocodile? She'd be an idiot to try and take him on alone. Jeez, even with the Fury bubbling deep down in her, she doubted it would be a wise idea.
"They dun' know I'm here. I'm explorin', y'see, cause ye wolves travel about so fast with yer packs. Wasn't dis some Keep's land?"
Fairah nodded - she had seen first-hand the swift exchanges of land due to challengers and alliances. Her own land of Duninch had been snatched from her most ungraciously. It had been a pack called Paradise, and now it was gone too. "Yes, this land belonged to Marre's Keep. As far as I am aware, we are now in allegiance with them." She paused, green eyes moving above the crocodile's head to gaze over the marshes. "Packs move on quickly here. If you don't pay attention, you'll miss what's happening." As was the ways of the marshes. Nevertheless, it stung when your pack disappeared, especially considering the pack which had thrown you out was gone too.
Nowhere was safe.
"Wha's yer name, wolfie? I'm Punja. Ye wouldn't mind spendin' some time talkin' wit' an ol' croc like me now, would ya?"
"I'm Fairah," she introduced herself. The next question, though, required a little more thought. Was she allowed to converse with a crocodile from another pack over the border? Surely something of this nature would be frowned upon by her Captain. Then again, Rita probably had more important matters to deal with. She was still getting used to the idea of following rules.
"Hello, Fairah. He's huge..."
The horse which had accepted her had arrived, seemingly awe-struck by the sight of Punja. Although she still didn't know this equine's name, she knew the horse held a higher rank. And the horse seemed to be happy to stand and stare at Punja, so Fairah would simply follow her lead. If this was against the rules, she could always say she assumed it was okay because one of her "seniors" (ugh, how she hated having a pony as her senior) was doing it.
Okay, in this case, having a lower rank than someone was acting as a helpful thing.
Rita said:
[[ takes place just before the challenge ]]
Everything had been going swimmingly.
She'd accepted a decent amount of members within the first day, and the domino effect took over from there. After those mongrels had gone ahead and recruited some more, she'd found it fit to promote them. Yes, my dear pups. Work harder, prove yourselves to me, show me what you can do. Fuel my empire, give it the proper wood in order to empower itself and grow above all others. There was no doubt in the bitch's mind of the potential that her pack, and her pack only, had. Surely she would bring this pack to one success after another. And, in proceeding with these thoughts, the realization hit her. She'd need more land, now wouldn't she? A smirk spread wide, a low chuckle echoing in her closed maw. Ah, now that wouldn't be a problem, would it? She had a dear friend to the south that she knew would thoroughly enjoy her company. She'd be sure to pay him a good visit, perhaps bring a neighborly gift.
Perhaps.
For now she walked along the borders, not sure whether she was planning on taking some recruits for herself or whether she was just going to watch over her new Watchmen. A shrug and the Captain dismissed the thoughts - whichever came first she'd probably tend to. The sun bore down on her territory, the chill in the winter's air mingling with the humidity causing quite a delightful scent. The marshes were at their peak during the colder seasons, at least in her opinion they were. Rita never was quite the fan of disguistingly humid, hot terrain. But where else would she go to in order to establish her promising empire? Her paws thumped against the solid ground, listening to the awkward sloshing of muck beneath the layer of soil that had been hardened by the cooler temperatures. This land would do... for now.
All in due time, dear fool.
"Naah."
A voice that was not one of hers...
"I dun' even know what dis place is about. Already work fer one pack, Eschaton."
Eschaton... Eschaton... Wasn't that in the direction of where Night had been headed?
"Wasn't dis some Keep's land?"
The Captain broke through some bushes, entering the conversation quite abruptly as she slowed her pace before stopping a few yards from the mighty reptile. Her eyes widened a bit, not having expected to see such a beast at her borders... "Oh..." Oh, indeed. Hi there... Relaxing her gaze a bit, she turned towards her packmates, as if asking what the hell was going on? Who the fuck was this? Assuming they'd answer her somehow, she turned back towards the crocodile, "Yes," To answer your question, "This was some of their land. It's mine now..." Plain and simple. Rita hadn't the desire to speak of the tedious alliance she'd set up with the Keep... to be honest she was almost embarassed to be tied to someone she felt was inferior to herself. But nevermind that, "Eschaton, that's near Imperium, yes? I expect one of my own should be crossing near there..." You better not hurt him.
Rita couldn't afford to be losing packmates already.
Wha's yer name, wolfie? I'm Punja. Ye wouldn't mind spendin' some time talkin' wit' an ol' croc like me now, would ya?"
"I'm Fairah," Hello Fairah, I don't believe I'm familiar with you. Most likely accepted by one of her Watchmen. A curt inhale and the mutt stepped forwards, ignoring the horse's comment temporarily as she moved to address their visitor. "Well Punja, it's certainly been interesting meeting you..." But... "As Captain of El Dorado, I would appreciate it if you were not to go past these borders... as a precaution. Surely you'd understand." nothing against you, of course... Unless you give me a damn good reason to order my packmates to beat your eyes out. A warm grin spread, taking up the role as the good hostess. "Though we do enjoy your visit. Perhaps a meal?" She'd rather voluntarily feed the crocodile than have it be ravenous and target one of her own. Or, even worse, herself.
Unacceptable.
Punja said:
"There, you know who I am. Now tell me your business here,"
These wolves were always on edge and so snappy. If Punja was like these wolves he probably would have lost his temper and eaten them by now. But he wasn't, he'd lived for 20 years so far and it was nearly impossible for a wolf to piss him off. So he sat there with that grin still on his face, and he chuckled at her.
Another wolf turned up, and she seemed rather shocked at his visit.
"Yes, this land belonged to Marre's Keep. As far as I am aware, we are now in allegiance with them.Packs move on quickly here. If you don't pay attention, you'll miss what's happening."
"Oh...Yes, This was some of their land. It's mine now..."
"Aaa, I'm surprised dey are still around. Y'see, I ate dere Queen. Big fat wolf she was, pretty tasty too, eheh." Spoken so casually about a situation that would no doubt be murder to the wolves. Of course, the part about Eschaton raiding the Keep was left out. Punja didn't really care much for it anyway, to him, it was just a big distraction so he could have a snack.
"Eschaton, that's near Imperium, yes? I expect one of my own should be crossing near there..."
"Aye. Wut's one o' ya own doin' near Eschaton, if I may be curious?" Eschaton was a rather violent pack. They probably wouldn't appreciate someone just walking through. He silently hoped his fellow members wouldn't do anything extreme, he'd hate to lose a place to visit.
"I'm Fairah,"
"Well Punja, it's certainly been interesting meeting you...As Captain of El Dorado, I would appreciate it if you were not to go past these borders... as a precaution. Surely you'd understand."
"Dun' worry, I aint got no interest on sitting on yer land. Got my own place to sit on if I got bored of the water." If she was talking about the water around her pack as being the 'border' than it certainly wouldn't do for the crocodile. He didn't appreciate people claiming his waters, after all. But the thought never reached Punja, cause he knew no wolf was silly enough to do something like that.
"Though we do enjoy your visit. Perhaps a meal?"
"Dat sounds lovely," But a weird creature caught his gaze, an odd looking thing that stood far taller than the two wolves. It seemed to stare back, shocked like the wolves had. " 'Ello, 'ello, 'ello. An' what might you be?" He had never seen a horse before, they weren't exactly something you'd find in the marshes.
Wasn't this just a lovely little group~
Mama said:
Always theatric and seemingly all-surrounding, Rita was here. The warmblood tossed her curly mane to pacify and cause patience to come to herself while the she-wolf spoke. Creek knew better than to speak over Rita; she would rather be on good terms with the Captain, same way the other wolves could be. It wasn't about who was strongest here--it was about working in a manner that kept some symbalance of order while allowing stuff to get done.
Rita provided it, for the low low price of complete obedience. This week only!
Then the croc spoke. He ate a wolf. He was so calm about it, so suave. (In Creek's eyes, at least.) The mare almost squealed at him, balantly infactuated with this cold blooded water monster.
Then finally, after agreeing to a meal, the crocodile, this Punja, spoke to her. Creek Dancer could have died on the spot. She pranced in place for a second before half calming down until only a wide, too excited smile was left on her muzzle. "I-I'm a horse! My name's Creek Dancer, mister! You, um, want a rabbit or something?" The horse was practically twitching as she turned to Rita, waiting to be told it was okay to go get their guest a meal. That meal would be all trampled if Creek got it, but hey. The horse was possibly the fastest of the group.
And if Rita so much as batted an eyelash in a way that seemed to say "yes, Creek, you can go get your freaky crush a rabbit, psycho" then the horse would be off in the blink of an eye.
Beckzilla said:
Punja seemed, for the most part, a friendly crocodile. Though that didn't mean Fairah trusted him.
"Oh..."
Rita's arrival and her pointed stares to the El Doradians demanded an explanation. Since Creek Dancer still appeared to be rooted to the spot, Fairah took it upon herself to answer instead. "This is Punja. He is visiting from Eschaton." Simple, to the point. She might have considered mentioning that he was exploring and curious as to the pack which now occupied their little stretch of land, but she sensed that Rita wanted a quick and direct answer, so she left that part out. Didn't want to anger the superiors, did we?
"Yes. This was some of their land. It's mine now..."
"Aaa, I'm surprised dey are still around. Y'see, I ate dere Queen. Big fat wolf she was, pretty tasty too, eheh."
A slight smile twitched on her maw. The way he just... said it. Like you munched down a Queen every day. Well, Fairah was at least glad that it wasn't her. The equine seemed about to squirm with excitement. A sideways glance at the pony displayed the female's... disapproval of the over-eagerness. Yes, crocodiles were interesting. Yes, he was strong and yes, he'd eaten a wolf. But El Dorado was strong too. It annoyed her slightly that the horse was acting like a schoolgirl over this beast.
"Eschaton, that's near Imperium, yes? I expect one of my own should be crossing near there..."
"Aye. Wut's one o' ya own doin' near Eschaton, if I may be curious?"
Curious as to what a member of their pack was doing in Eschaton, Fairah glanced briefly at her Captain. Why? She wanted to know. This was where her immense desire for a high rank stemmed from. If she had a high rank, she would know. Knowledge was key. However, it was, of course, not her place to ask. And she highly doubted that Rita was going to reveal this to an outsider. Green eyes moved swiftly back to Punja. She had to be cautious. She was required to protect Rita from the crocodile if necessary.
"Well Punja, it's certainly been interesting meeting you... As Captain of El Dorado, I would appreciate it if you were not to go past these borders... as a precaution. Surely you'd understand. Though we do enjoy your visit. Perhaps a meal?"
"Dat sounds lovely. 'Ello, 'ello, 'ello. An' what might you be?"
Creek Dancer began to speak to the crocodile. While the horse spoke, Fairah turned her head to look at Captain. "Would you like me to hunt something for him, Captain?" she inquired. Creek Dancer was also now looking at their Captain. Everyone was eager to hunt something, eager to impress Rita and to look good and willing to serve.
That was the aim of the game, after all.