StarfrostedFox

The Way Of Wolves

Fresh powdery snow was beginning to drift in fat flakes from the underside of thick iron grey clouds hanging low in the sky, Coding the already snowy landscape with an unblemished layer of white. Between the snow, the frosty temperatures, and the way that each breath fogged in the air in front of mouths and noses, mother nature was giving the impression that winter was still lingering, though spring greens and warmer temperatures were beginning to blossom in abundance on the valley floor. Yet higher on the mountain's shoulders and head, winter still clung unforgivingly to the landscape.

As the moon hung heavy and full close to the western horizon, just managing to peek out under the lip of the cloud cover, two wolves threaded their way across the fresh powder in a winding line that threaded through the trees of the mountain forest, their lithe figures expertly maneuvering around snow laden bushes and frosty trunks, ears perked as they both seemed to be listening to a group of younger wolves farther ahead of them. Puffs of white fog erupted from their open muzzles as They kept up a steady ground eating lope, pink tongues lolling out as they panted With the exertion. The Larger leading wolf Was a shaggy thick coated male, his fur as blindingly white as the surrounding snow, but changed abruptly to black along each of his legs from shoulder and hip down to his toes and the majority of his face, save for the fringes of his cheeks and the top of his forehead, the color fading slightly closer to the edges, becoming a dark grey. A pale grey stripe also ran from the base of his skull to the middle of his tail, this raised high in the air behind him.

His companion Was a smaller and lithly Built creature, with ample Amounts of fluffy white fur That made her appear bigger then she actually was. But splashed unevenly across her back in a saddle pattern, tipping her bushy tail, And splashed onto each of her paws and ears As well as a streak above her pink nose was a russet brown. Then, As if this hadn't been enough, it appeared as if someone had taken paint the exact same shades Of her coat And randomly splattered the opposite color with speckles, creating a multitude of red speckles in her white areas and a handful of white within the red. If the way her tail kept waving In the air behind her was any indication, her personality was as sweet as the powdered sugar her fur resembled. At least, she was as much as she could, despite being a werewolf. Vivid gold eyes Sparkling with bright excitement, She somehow managed to bounce Forward and playfully nip at the end of The tail in front of her, erupting Into giggles as it brought her companion to an abrupt halt, his icy blue gaze falling on her And staring disapprovingly.

"Cassidy," he projected his thoughts sharply into her mind, releasing a loud huff, "This is no time to be playing games. You're old enough to know that, especially-" His ears turned back against his head as this resulted in further giggles that interrupted him, definitely not the result he had been hoping for. A small crease formed along his forehead, Making him look more worried than anything, especially not the anger that he felt bubbling up.

Briefly baring her white teeth in a wolfish Version of a grin, Cassidy seemed thoroughly unfazed as she bounced forward once again and swiped her tongue across the puckering in his forehead, probably because she knew she could out run the larger male if she needed to, The idea making her tail wiggle happily. "Aw, my dear brother Hutch," she chirped as she plopped her rump in the snow And began to create her own version of a snow angel with her bushy Appendage., "You're just grumpy because we have to plow through fresh snow." Her fur puffed up a little as she saw him open his mouth to refute her statement and she quickly added, "and the fact that no fresh game has shown up for the youngsters to prove themselves with." At this, she tilted her head in the direction of the three younger wolves, freshly turned and looking to prove themselves on a first hunt.

Hutch shut his muzzle With a soft click of his teeth, ears lifting Slowly as he regarded his Younger sister. She may not have been his full sibling, his father having found a new mate after his own mother had died, but she somehow had a softening effect On him that couldn't deny his fondness for her. And that was only part of the reason why he had asked her to accompany him. Her near perpetual sphere of happiness was just a bonus he was going to have to live with. Despite this, it didn't stop the small snort that escaped him in a cloud Of white. "I'm just... worried... What if I completely mess up this whole hunting assessment? I don't understand why my father asked the Alpha to give me this sort of assignment. I don't really... Connect with anyone else. ."

Cassidy's eyes lit up as if she had just accomplished something very difficult. Her brother didn't normally come out of his shell and admit so readily that he was worried, not even to her. "Exactly! You're so down and stressed that I can't help it. You should be happy that Father has spoken so highly of you to Thatcher. The Alpha is showing trust in the opinion of his second and in turn is trusting you with something very important. He would never trust me with something as major as testing young werewolves... Maybe he is trying to give you confidence to try and move up in the ranks." Cassidy piped cheerfully, Jumping up to her paws and shaking out her coat vigorously, dislodging any snow that had had the thought to hitchhike. "Why deny a bit of sunshine?" She asked brightly, once again turning towards the distant recruits and starting off at a trot, her tail held high.

After a moment, Hutch bounded After her retreating figure, gently biting at her neck as he passed by, prompting them into both running again. "It's night time Cass." He said with one of his rare chuckles.

"Exactly why it is called for!" The she wolf said in a matter of fact tone. "There's nothing quite like the happiness you get from making your brother forget his worries momentarily." Her head tilted back slightly, her mental laughter strong enough that a barking version of the noise escaped her maw, bubbling up towards the night sky.

"well if you want that happiness to continue, you better shut your mouth before you scare off all the prey on the entire mountain." Hutch growled over his shoulder, receiving a cheeky and completely silent grin in return that made him shake his head ruefully, but smile softly when he was sure his sister couldn't see him doing so.

But soon, sooner than he would have liked, Hutch found himself sinking back into his surly mood from earlier, his thoughts drifting back into all of his concerns. For if Cassidy was right and their father was trying to push him into challenging for a higher rank, a fight between them would break out inevitably. He wasn't concerned with rising in the pack hierarchy, content with living his life in the middle, showing his dominance just enough to not attract an endless amount of fights, but not giving into the pressure of becoming submissive and sinking to the bottom of the pack where he would be guaranteed to end up The target of someone else's frustration. Growl rumbling silently in his throat, the white and black werewolf pushed himself up onto the crest of a low hill, coming to a slow stop as the land fell away before him in a sheer cliff that looked out over an indentation within the side of the mountain where his people called home.

The village, Snowden, wasn't very large in comparison to the nearby Colorado city, but Hutch could have named every single soul that lived within its secretive boundaries. He had touched most of their minds with his own thoughts as they ran together as wolves. He could have counted the completely human inhabitants on one hand, something that would have been impossible within the city boundaries. The Alpha of the Snowden pack of werewolves hadn't wanted to put his family through The added stress of trying to keep their condition a secret from the humans by putting them in a city as other packs had chosen to do... He didn't want to restrict the changing of their shapes as they desired... He didn't want them to feel like monsters.

Releasing a slow controlled sigh, Hutch flickered his thoughts towards the new wolves, tasting some of the disappointment and anticipation from the emotions that they had yet to learn to keep from leaking over their thoughts with every connection. With that touch, the reminder of his task washed over him again, his body turning away from the village and plunging him back into the forest.

Hours had seemed to drag by as the wolves had steadily threaded their way down the mountain side, searching for prey that had fled from the storm. It wasn't until they were nearly to the ground level when they discovered a herd of deer grazing on tender shoots of grass, The younger wolves excitedly working together haphazardly to separate a large buck from the others, Hutch doing his best to guide their actions with comments and images, gaining additional insights after prompting Cassidy to do so. Finally, as the sky was beginning to lighten to a pale grey tinged with pink, Hutch at last allowed himself to feel a surge of pride as he watched the trio of newcomers overcome the struggling deer, The animal sinking to the ground amidst a mass of grey and brown fur.

Suddenly uncomfortable with the swell of emotions, the Black and white werewolf turned his head to look down at his sister, shuffling his paws. "can I trust you to watch them until I return?" He asked her, watching an expression of surprise cross her face before she nodded once.

"where are you going?" Cassidy queried curiously, tilting her head to one side.

He had to think quickly for a moment before he found his excuse, already turning towards the forest. "I am going to check the border while we're here, give the young ones a chance to enjoy their first kill without me watching over their shoulders.

The look of confusion that had been coloring her expression faded away at his words, her ready acceptance of his excuse refreshing. She blinked her golden eyes at him once before she sank to her haunches in the snow free grass, turning her attention back to the feast. One last thought was sent his way as Hutch vanished into the trees. "be safe.."

The quick snick-snicking of his nails over the surface of yet another mostly buried Boulder was the only company that followed the white wolf as he wove his way around and through the sea of ever thinning trees, his thoughts focused on unknotting the tension lacing The muscles in his back and neck. Despite the enticing shadows of the trees that were just starting to acquire their true colors, he seemed to prefer avoiding them and allowing the sunlight to dance over his glossy thick fur. For a moment, his vibrant blue eyes flickered towards the sound of fluttering wings and his body paused with one paw lifted in the act of taking a step. Head turning slowly as he watched the startled bird flee into the sky. Hutch then let out a soft snort before continuing his wandering.All at once, without any warning, the undergrowth and trees suddenly fell away into a large field of early spring wildflowers that were finally starting to bloom after the long months of winter. Blinking a few times, he stumbled to a halt and looked around slowly, giving his tail a few flicks before he approached cautiously, tilting his large ears forward. Once he was a foot or so away from the first of the flowers, he stopped again and tilted his head to the side, considering the delicate white and purple petals. Then he snorted, trailing forward into the sweet smelling mass and sank to his belly with a sigh, resting his chin on one of his heavy front paws before he closed his eyes, taking the time he needed to work the bubbling anger out of his system before he returned home.

Of Men and Elves (Siaya-Dragalorn x AutumnFrost)

Movement out of the corner of her eye caused Aeylisia's entire body to go rigid with alarm, snarls almost instantly muted into a low growl. Turning towards the figure that stepped into the clearing as far as she could, she felt her lips pull back from her fangs as the outline of a human materialized from the shadows. At first, she didn't immediately recognize the shape he lifted in his hands, so overcome with the desire to kill the stranger was she, but the glittering of moonlight off of metal distracted her from the violent urge enough to mentally take a step back from the situation and consider her position. Only then did she see the arrow pointed directly at her chest. Shock washed through her body, her thoughts suddenly racing, trying to untangle themselves from one another long enough to coherently try to comprehend the consequences of what she planned on doing next. But she didn't have time. The bow creaked as the arrow was drawn tight and before the human could let it fly she gathered her magic to her once again, pushing away The shape of her canine body, shifting into her elvin limbs and twisting her body up so that she could grasp the net within her hands.

"stop! Do not shoot me," she cried, her voice lilting and strangely accented as she used common. Her insides writhed with the necessity to beg for her life from a creature who's brothers had desired to destroy her forest, to reignite the flames of an old war. But she saw beyond her anger that she was at the mercy of this man, her body exhausted with the quick succession of spells she had been using that day, the miles she had run... She doubted whether she would be able to do anything substantial from within the confines of rope with so little energy. And who would be able to break her from the net if she had? No, she would proceed diplomatically until she was released... If she was released.

Prince Mononoke (AutumnFrost & Aims)

All at once, Kichiro lifted his head and look towards the east. Almost as if a voice had cried out, seeming to come from a great distance. It spoke of pain and loss, of death and rage... But then the sensation passed, leaving the young man with a feeling of confusion about why he had lifted his head in the first place. Ranna shifted with the changing of his mood, lifting her great head from her paws to look back at her brother, twitching her ears with curiosity.

"What troubles you Kichiro?" She asked softly, her nose twitching as she sniffed at the air in search of a threat.

"... I'm not sure." He responded slowly, shaking his head once before turning to gaze out at the falling rain. "Something has happened though. Something bad..."

A low rumble of a growl bubbled up in the wolf's chest, her muzzle wrinkling. "Are father and Ichira in danger?" Beneath her white fur, her muscles tensed, preparing to spring into action at a moments notice.

Kichiro hastily soothed his sister by running his hands over her neck and chest, giving his head a sharp shake. "No. I don't think so. I'm not even sure something is really wrong. Just a feeling I had..." He reassured, feeling the gradual relaxation of muscles beneath his fingers.

Ranna growled again, turning her own brilliant eyes outwards towards the storm herself, paws shifting uneasily. She didn't quite understand how her brother knew something was wrong, couldn't say for certain that he was telling the truth about their family, but she couldn't deny the taste of tension in the air, something carried to them by the storm's wind that spoke of ill tidings... "... Perhaps it is simply the great spirit tiring of all this rain." She murmured after a moment, settling her head back onto her front legs. After all, Kichiro said that he wasn't quite sure he had really even sense danger.

"Or perhaps I'm just tired of it. I feel as if I will never be properly dry again." Kichiro responded with a small chuckle, earning a rumbling of laughter from the wolf, instantaneously dispelling the uncertainty that had begun to saturate the mood.

The Sickness (Irell-starling x AutumnFrost)

Emptying some of the spices and salt into the water as she waited for it to begin to boil, Kaylia retrieved a bag with a handful of dried meat strips in it before folding herself down into a sitting position close to the fire. From the looks of it, Cainmere hadn't been too excited about the carrots after all, so she dug out one of the dried strips and offered it politely to the canine as she listened to Garris's response to her questions. She tried not to let him see the blush that colored her cheeks at his hinting words that she had purposefully gone wandering alone in the woods. He didn't give her the chance to refute the assumption, continuing on with his explanation. She let it go, there would be time later to correct the idea. Instead, she listened to his words and the happy crunching noises coming from Storm is he excepted the offered carrot. That was, until he mentioned the sickness.

The rumors are true! Her thoughts tangled around that revelation, her numb fingers dropping the meat with her astonishment as her eyes widened and her mouth partially fell open. Hurriedly, Kaylia attempted to cover up her reaction, smothering The sudden urge to scream and closing her mouth with a quick snap. She wasn't entirely sure that she had hid her reaction fast enough. But Garris had moved on to asking her about what she did for a living, so maybe...

Clearing her throat and snatching up the bag of vegetables to begin adding them to the simmering water to try and focus on something normal that would calm her down, she answered as naturally as she could, though her voice sounded a little high even to her ears. "I mostly deal in the breeding and selling of horses. I live on a ranch with a family that took me in and I return the favor by helping out with the livestock. I was out delivering a team of horses to a farm and foolishly thought I could make it back home before the sunset..." She waved her hand at the surrounding darkness. "My being here shows how well that plan turned out."

Secret of the Storms (themadhatter420 x AutumnFrost)

Sorry about the delay! I actually just got back from vacation. :-)

Secret of the Storms (themadhatter420 x AutumnFrost)

Relief washed through her at the sight of her other friends entering the castle, though Fluttershy couldn't help but let out a slight squeak of terror at the idea of encountering bad guys, as Rainbow had put it. Applejack nudged the yellow Pegasus affectionately, trying to give her comfort.

"I don't know if there are any bad guys..." Twilight admitted after she finished hugging Rarity in return, feeling warm at having her best friends by her side. "But I would like you to investigate something for me." Glancing back over her shoulder, the alicorn gestured for one of the ponies standing apart from the group to approach. "This is Eclipse, he's been helping me in doing research on the strange weather occurrences we've been experiencing."

Eclipse was a solidly built, but rather shy looking, unicorn pony. He was a dark, almost black purple in color, with his mane and tail a deep shade of maroon. His eyes, only a faint hue of maroon lighter than his hair, regarded the newcomers with wary curiosity. The cutie mark on his flank depicted a light blue crescent moon, The points of which nearly touched and cradled a five pointed red star. He came to a stop close to the others, though still keeping his distance somewhat, and Took a quick look at each of their faces before focusing pointedly at his own hooves.

Twilight smiled sympathetically at the unicorn, painfully reminded of Fluttershy when they had first met. She didn't push him to introduce himself. "Eclipse is quite gifted in understanding how spells are structured and has been doing endless research on weather spells performed by unicorns. We're not quite sure if that is what is causing the unusual storms, but it looks like that could be a possibility." Glancing back at her friends, she pointed towards the darkening sky outside. "I would like you four to travel in the direction those storms are coming from to see if you can find the source. There are a few others who would volunteer to accompany you, but I will let you choose who that will be. I would encourage you to pick at least two."

I'll Bear Your Burdens (Azel x AutumnFrost)

Though she wouldn't admit it out loud, Anise was thoroughly unsettled by Sync, Even if she didn't fully believe his threatening words. Her insides were wriggling uncomfortably, her every instinct telling her to take a step back, but she forced a calm expression on her face, lifted her chin slightly in A brave sort of way, and again reached for her back as if to pluck The doll from her back at a moments notice. She almost jumped at the touch on her shoulder, but just managed to suppress the instinct before glancing up at the Fon Master and giving him a smile. "Oh, I wasn't worried." She lied carefully, making her voice sound cheerful and sincere. "Thank you Fon Master. When do we leave?" She hoped it was soon, mentally crossing her fingers that she would be able to get some distance between her and the God General and herself. She would fight him, if it came to that.

Of Men and Elves (Siaya-Dragalorn x AutumnFrost)

After a time, when her muscles were warm and her breaths began to come in pants, Aeylisia became aware of an odd scent mingled in with the regular scents of the forest that made her nose wrinkle. Her steps slowed as her dark purple eyes swept The area around her, upper lip curling back away from her teeth as the smell stung The insides of her nostrils and the surface of her eyes. Unable to stand the sickly sweet smoke smell in her more sensitive nose any longer, she called on her magic once again, pushing the form of the wolf away from her and straightening up into her elvin body once more. Coughing A few times at the acrid taste the smoke had left in her mouth, she finally managed to form the words that would bring her clothing back, The light brown and dark green of the material appearing a moment later. Fingers flying momentarily over the folds of her skirts to smooth out the wrinkles, the elf Maiden took a steadying breath to adjust to her two legged form before hurrying forward once again in a light sprint.

"Aeylisia, Child, you have come at last. Come here."

The voice belonged to a beautiful male elf standing just outside of a small clearing, his tall muscular frame turned in the direction where the princess broke through a long clump of ferns. His golden hair framed is angular face, left loose in a liquid sheet that fell across his shoulders and down his back. His eyes, the exact same shade of violet as his daughter's, were intent on her face as Aeylisia approached, returning her greeting as she pressed her fingers into her right shoulder by touching his left.

"I came as quickly as I could Father. What is going on here?" Aeylisia asked calmly, though her insides were roiling with astonishment and anger.

The wave of heat trapped by the trees was a physical, as well as an emotional, slap in the face as Aeylisia made her way into the unnatural clearing to her parents, a small gasp just managing to escape from her lips at the inhibiting temperature and tightness of the skin on her face. Blinking several times, she fought past The feeling of wanting to stop, to turn back into the coolness of the forest and get as far away from this place as she could. Gritting her teeth together as tightly as she could stand, The redhead stalwartly continued forward, pressing her uncertainty back as she turned away from the raging flames consuming a portion of her beloved forest, Doing her best to ignore the uncomfortable prickling that doing so sent down her back, The trickle of sweat it triggered. She focused all of her attention on greeting her father, allowed her mother to approach and press a gentle kiss against the corner of her cheek.

A look of grim understanding crossed King Laein's face as he recognized the strong emotion in his daughter's eyes. He turned out towards the crude clearing, gaze drifting over the axes abandoned on the forest floor, The irregular shape of the cut and cleared trees, the fires that had been stoked in the hopes that The flames would be able to consume the felled branches and trunks, and finally coming to rest on the contorted shapes of the bodies laying near the impromptu weapons they had begun to use as the elves had come to stop their work. With a deep breath through his mouth that he then released in a sigh through his nose, Laein reached out to touch the tips of his fingers against his wife and daughter's hands.

"... It seems... that man is becoming less ignorant of our existence," he said carefully, feeling it when Aeylisia flinched with surprise. "They came bearing rather... crude drawings of our people. It seems the king of the land indeed wants one of us. Alive."

Aeylisia released a hiss of surprise, taking a sharp step back from her parents and staring up at their faces to see the varying expressions of alarm and outrage etched into their own features. Nostrils flaring, the elf Woman lifted her chin, determination lining her features as she finally spoke once more. "Father. I don't want the humans to destroy our home... Please allow me to inspect the borders for any sign of others attempting to destroy the forest."

Lady Olowin gasped, Her expression of alarm turning to one of fright at the idea of her only daughter attempting to confront a group of humans on her own, one of her hands flying up to cluch at her throat. "Daughter! You can't," she breathed, looking imploringly up at her husband.

Gazing for a moment at the panicked expression on his wife's face, Laein began to shake his head."... It is too dangerous-"

"please," Aeylisia interrupted desperately, clasping her hands before her. "I cannot sit idly by while my home is under attack. I must defend it! I'm begging you," she pled.

The King paused, eyes thoughtful and sad as he studied the determination and fire in Aeylisia's face, The way in which her jaw set in a stubborn fashion that reminded him so very much of her mother. Turning to look deep within Olowin's pale blue eyes for several moments, he finally released a long sigh. "I cannot stop her. She is far too much like you my love," he smiled, brushing his fingertips along the queen's cheekbone. "Let her go. She will be safe." Turning to his daughter once more, his expression hardened slightly. "Do not engage if you are outnumbered. Send word with the birds and we will come."

"Thank you father," Aeylisia cried, twisting her hand over her heart in a sign of affection for her parents before she whirled for The trees, allowing them to see her magic away her clothing once more and take on the shape of a wolf before she plunged into the forest, hoping that the reminder that she was not without weapons would soothe her mother. Digging her nails into the ground, she propelled herself forward at an immense speed, arcing her path along the edge of the forest, nostrils dilated is she breathed in the scents, searching for any telltale sign of smoke or freshly cut wood, ears perked attentively for the sharp sounds of chopping.

Miles stretched out beneath her flying paws as she ran, no sign of any living thing that should not have been there making it self evident in the quickly fading light. As time went on and the snarl that had curled her muzzle began to fade, Aeylisia allowed her steps to begin to slow, her head swiveling in time with her ears as she searched. Part of her wanted to refuse the evidence before her, the reassurances that there were no other humans attempting to invade her forest. She growled deep within her throat, annoyed at the idea that she wouldn't get the chance to sink her fangs into any of the murderer's flesh. Snorting with displeasure, she had just begun to turn away to head back to her family when the wind shifted and she froze mid stride.

'Blood...' She concluded, the rusty smell causing her nose to twitch and her muzzle to wrinkle.

Treading forward carefully now, Aeylisia slowly began to nose her way through the bushes at the base of a huge old oak tree, the tang of blood and raw meat increasing with each step. Sliding out silently from the clump of leaves and branches, fully expecting to discover a human Camp to lay on the other side, Aeylisia momentarily stiffened with astonishment at the lack of activity. Blinking once quickly, she glanced back over her shoulder as if to make sure she hadn't somehow walked past them, before sniffing intently to ensure that the smell of the blood was still in the air. Dropping her nose to the ground, she began to trace the scent across the ground, detecting faint hints of what she had been looking for. Human. Before she could fully wrap her head around the concept of someone entering the forest only to turn around and leave without taking fresh kill along with them, her paws encountered something that was unexpected among the strewn leaves and the soft Moss and had just bunched her muscles to Leap away from the braided cords of rope when The entire thing suddenly sprang up around her, knocking her off her paws with a surprised yelp and quickly enclosing her in a tight net of rope. After her initial shock, the red gold wolf began to struggle violently against the trap, snapping her teeth against the bindings and sending the net swinging in a way that made her dizzy. But no matter how hard she struggled, how sharply she bit, the ropes simply would not loosen. 'NO!' Her thoughts screamed, receiving only an aching in her teeth from her efforts that made her whine. With a renewed snarl, Aeylisia began to shake The rope fiercely between her jaws, Back-and-forth, hoping to break the binding and set her free.

Seeking creative, patient, and friendly partners!

Another bump! :3

Seeking creative, patient, and friendly partners!

Cupcake BUMP~~*