through the mists of morning

The body hurt everywhere. The soul didn't even have to speak for them to realize the same of them. They were so intrinsically connected that the miniscule way the snake's scales coiled told them everything. 

They lay on the ground, the body was emaciated just as their death when they'd fallen and not been able to get up. But now... There was new energy but they knew not where they were. It was foggy, the trees were simply dark shadows above them. Like a wailing ghost, the sound of an elk trumpeted in the background. 

The body's ear twitched towards it but still they did not rise. There was a sadness within them. It permeated their soul but unlike before it felt... Bearable. Still he was not here, their pups were not here, The Pack was not here. What were they to do but lie here if they were all alone?
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The pack had gone further inland for the hunt. Spring was upon them and prey was aplenty. A herd of deer had gotten close to the mountain side and one of the lead hunters had driven them further south where the cliffs became dangerous and Seageda could easily reach when one turned into a fatal fall. They were hungry that morning and more than ready to devour.

 Thuringwethil, as young as she was, was ready for the game.

 She broke off from the group as instructed, her guard in tow shortly behind her. She was growing stronger and bigger every day. Her daily training built muscles beneath a thick pelt and though she’d been part of hunts before, it was the first time she was with one as big as this. If they were lucky, more than one deer would drop from a mistake and she was thrilled to help drive them.

 The pair broke off into the forest, smelling scents here and there, and waiting for the call in the distance for setting up. She could see the eight-point stag between the trees, unaware of the looming presence as the coastal wind drove their scents in the opposite direction. Thuringwethil looked over her shoulder as her guard hovered, equally focused on the task at hand, before she looked back and settled into position. Muscles locked back, ready to launch at the first call.

 And then there it was—

 Thuringwethil took off. Her guard wasn’t far behind but they weaved through the wall trees, immediately causing a start in the stag that sent it running in the same direction they were going: toward the cliffs. It wouldn’t take long and the rest of the herd would follow through, unaware what sort of demise awaited them. Thuringwethil spun around one tree, and another, before the deer disappeared from view. Her brows knit together but she didn’t give it thought, continuing to run through the weave of foliage even as the scenery around her changed. Soon she realized her guard was also nowhere to be seen and she was running after nothing.

 The child slowed their run and came to a stop; her chest heaved as she began to catch her breath and scan the area. It was unfamiliar to her. The trees were different, the ground’s foliage was thicker, and up ahead was an elk.

 An elk.

 “Weron don yu kom? — Where did you come from?” she mumbled to herself, sniffing the air. There wasn’t a trace of deer at all.

 Or her guard.

 Okay, weird.

 She took a few careful steps forward with eyes on the elk in the distance. She knew better than to fuck with creatures that big. It didn’t seem terribly disturbed by her presence, either, clearly king of this particular forest. There wasn’t any sense to be made so she began to try and gather her bearings and work her way out of the forest so she can tuck tail (so-to-speak) and find her way back to Seageda. But, of course, the world had different plans for her and a lump of a thing was on the ground and on that lump was a snake coiled around its neck.

 Presumably dead, and the snake trying to eat it, Thuringwethil sniffed ahead to see a slow rise and fall of its chest.

 Not dead yet.
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"You are in Elkshire lands." How could she not notice the stir of the birds that cawed in the morning, and the movement of the elk that swept away from the nearby area. Wary of predators as they always have been, and even herself they look with fright - all except for the King of course, and his subjects who wish for their own herd on another day. The males looked and huffed, the females scattered further away to protect their young..

Appearing from the shadows of the nearby trees did the Queen emerge, her smile without a touch of warmth and eyes flaming with a curiosity, but perhaps a mockery. She looked firstly to the standing wolf who spoke a language that Célnes did not recognize, but she was too far to truly understand the words if it something familiar. English was the forte', but vaguely could she understand a few. Speaking though, was something new altogether.

Eyes wandered to the fallen one, and hought to call @Rosemary, but at the same if the wolf that was standing before the other was the attacker.. She would need @Remus or even @Vengeance if they were still nearby.

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 They could hear the approach, or was it elsewhere? The sound of others on the horizon. Was it The Pack? Had they followed them here? They closed their eyes, lying motionless as they waited for punishment... but it never came. Their eyes opened again when they heard the words on the air. Both sets of eyes turned as one, looking at the pup and then slipping past to the guardian. They were uncomprehending, not understanding what was being said to them. Even lying down as they were, their tail attempted to tuck and fold between their legs.

 The snake's tongue flicked out and caught the scent of another. Their heads turned, looking into the distance and saw another. Were they all together? Were they to be punished again? Should they run? Could they? Clumsily, they rolled to their paws but lay crouched in submission as they eyed the three newcomers with some confusion. The snake's voice spoke, giving voice to their concern, "We apologize... we mean no harm..." The wavering of the words, mimicked the clear fear in the wolf's body language.

 They didn't know that their awakening had caused them to intrude on another's land. They only knew of what happened previously in their dead-life and now that they might still be in trouble because of it.

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You are in Elkshire lands.

 In Thuringwethil’s confusion—and interest in the half-dead looking wolf—she hadn’t noticed the approach of another. Or the fact she might be in claimed land. She was just chasing a deer in open territory. Any pack claiming this land was encroaching on Seageda and she would be forced to do something about it.

 Of course, doing something about it meant taking as much information as she could muster and going back to Heda with that she found. It didn’t matter that this land was suddenly unfamiliar. She’d just been here hunting, tracking with the others. She just didn’t remember this exact spot.

 “Land not claimed,” she assured the woman that emerged with grace. Her eyes narrowed and she shifted. The common tongue wasn’t unfamiliar to her but she was not proficient in it. She would be, eventually, as she continued her studies and training. She had to be prepared to talk to wolves outside her domain and this was prime practice. Thuringwethil rolled a shoulder, looking back toward the wolf with the snake rolling on the ground into a semi-upright position. “Our hunting ground. You too close.”
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Célnes did not respond to the fallen snake charmer who mentioned of no harm, rather now, their presence was ignored. Instead she focused a squinted smile upon the other wolf, claiming to be not Elkshire land, but their hunting ground. Rather words may be misunderstood, but the Queen would not take chances. She was no fool to even attempt to fight two, if the other would happen to join the stranger on her woodlands..

Her head beamed upwards as she called forth those she knew of the Elkshire claim, @Thistle, @Corliss, @Remus, @Ellinor, @Teodora, @Flynn, @Florence (if planning to), @Rosemary. If she was lucky, then there would be @Vengeance that was still lurking around and would be back-up to this now new threat. She assumed he may be near the mountains due to the previous mission at hand finding an enemy, but at the moment, Célnes had her own.

"You are unwelcome here."

An eye toward both of them - regardless how holy they may be, at the moment she held little patience toward someone questioning her claim. The first troubles always brought newer ones rather quickly, and the Queen knew it was best to put out the fire before it became worse.

Not to mention.. Even if against a child it seemed too much to call the pack itself, it was a good warning for the possibly nearby enemy. As someone who was without mercy as a child, she can understood how age means little to the gruesome acts they commit. Moreso, the pack that the other may claim to.

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^^

Luckily for Célnes, Vengeance was indeed nearby to hear her call. Hastily the brute cut through the woods faster than he had previously come before. Perhaps another time he would have pretended to be too far away to have heard it, however... with his recent request for backup against the possible another mercenary group lurking nearby, well, to him it seemed like a poor choice to ignore her call for aid this time around.

And so, he doubled back with only mild annoyance flashing in those crimson eyes.

Thundering paws made as quick of work to arrive where she stood, his bulk slowing him down but he would arrive in due time, hopefully, the King of Elkshire could hold off until then.

^^

---

He will arrive next post! Give him time to get here |D

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They could see the grace of the other, the anger. The claim. The pup and their guardian were not backing down. There would be a fight. They wanted no part. Their body language never changed until it did. They attempted to flee.

They would help no one, they wanted no part. Their fragile bodies would not take conflict. 

---

Whisperer is attempting to exit

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The new land, the new forest, the new life was still a thing to grow accustomed to. But all the Agosti cared about was the fact he had found Teodora and had now resided in the unknown with her.

Serpens was stalking the grounds of their now-assumed home territory, a place led and protected by a woman of earth and autumn. Mint eyes scanned, trailing off in the direction his nose could smell Célnes. It was easy, to avoid her - to leave her to whatever it was she was doing. And with it, he spun to leave the opposite direction. 

Until... a call. Its urgency was low, but still present. It was enough to bristle his guard hairs, a curling lift of his lip was sneered in the direction. Elkshire and the territory was one thing, enough to be protective of. But this was where Teo was. Where she was meant to be safe and happy and thrive. Serpens wouldn’t allow anything to disrupt that. 

The hulking beast of blue began to head that way, his pace quickening the more his mind envisioned a stranger daring to near his precious little miss Teo. 

A growl, thunderous and sharp, announced his arrival. The blue wolf was bristled and tense, his teeth unsheathed and displayed for the two unknown figures that stood ahead of Célnes, one seemingly on their way out. The Agosti emerged from the trees, like a shadow of the queen that stood between he and the others.

Serpens was a clam wolf, diplomatic and charming - a sweet, southern man. But Teodora was to be guarded, to be protected - his aggression knew no ends when it came to that.
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You are unwelcome here.

 Thuringwethil straightened her shoulders and clenched her jaw. Unwelcome. Ha. No, whatever this woman had in store was not going to end well, no matter what she thought. Fos goufa might be nothing more than a single wolf in this woman but there were warriors behind her.

 Somewhere.

 She would regret her words.

 The child shifted slightly as the silent wolf on the ground began to stir, the woman started a call, and Thuringwethil’s ears fell back instantly. As much as she wanted to protect her home land, she wasn’t stupid. She’d been trained from a young age. She had a whole future ahead of her. It was not her time.

 Thuringwethil took a step back. The call was met quickly and the silent wolf was gone as quickly as the others began to come. She inhaled a sharp breath and though fear did not grip her as it had the first wolf she laid eyes on, she knew better than to stand against an entire pack of wolves trying to claim land if she was alone. Seageda warriors would come down and wipe out the pests slowly growing in numbers. The child swallowed a lump in her throat and turned on her heels, heading in the direction she only hoped home would be.
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She knew the call was the right choice, even it was over-the top to but a child and a guardian. She didn't truly know if the two were associated or met by sheer coincidence, and even apart of her assumed they were plain walkers.. Though with her wolves coming through the forests walls, shadows beneath the large trees - they left. A fleeing prey from their forest, though she did not know if they would leave for sure.

"Make sure they're gone from the territory," Célnes flickered her tail, to any one wolf who came to hear her call. She aimed the words near @Serpens, but truly did not care who took on this task. As long as the two were surely gone, and away from the Elk's Crown, and the claim they have. She wasn't satisfied if they were even near, finding that factor they claimed her territory as a mere' hunting ground was a irritable right. While promised with the elk that roam, it wasn't but some mere' place anyone could hunt. Protected, as so.

"Their group could be nearby - keep a watch for any," to any who came, the warning was clear.

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^^

Too distant to make it on time it seemed as when the behemoth thundered in, a wickedly twisted face expressing his displeasure of backtracking as he did - all he caught was the tail end of what he assumed to be the reason for the call. Liquid rubies turned their attention to the King of Elkshire, nearly demanding a reason for the summons as there was already a man at her side to which she was ordering around...

Strange, this one held colors that Célnes was not fond of, he wondered what the reason was for that one being here.

He turned to Célnes alone, his lips falling flat as his hardened stare only lingered after the quick jaunt here. He remained silent for now, letting his stance and expression do the talking for him. Demanding "why was I called" and somewhere along the lines of "can I go now?" since there was still much to do and no threat in sight for him to be aware of immediately.

^^
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Remus was busing himself nearby, marching up and down a hill, honing his physical strength. When finally it came; the call to hold up his end of the contract.  

Making quick work of the terrain between the call and his current position he eventually caught the scent of many unfamiliar to him. In fact this was the first time he believed he had met some of these wolves. 

Remus walked confidently from the brush, up to the left of @Célnes and adjacent to @Vengeance.  
"I was called."
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Florence did heed the call, of course not before the excitement ended. He approached the group - many of them, most likely belonging to Elkshire. Florence wouldn't have been the right one to call into battle, but as he came closer, he did notice that there was no fight to be had. Only lingering scents of wolves that seemed to have left. It didn't smell like any of the wolves were injured either, so Florence wouldn't be much any help for this. Still, he didn't turn to leave. Instead the young healer got closer, one working eye shifting across the entire group once, twice, before relaxing his shoulders.

"What happened?" It was spoken in a high-ish piched voice, faux worry.

It was clear from the get-go that he had nothing to worry about, not as the cow elk moved to protect their young and the males huffed in anger at enemies long gone.

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A small gathering arrived, many of them after the figures had vanished into the distance, only their scent lingering on the wind. The blue man shot a glance towards Célnes as she began to speak, his head nodding a her words. Should he find them, or anyone else near Teodora’s home, their last breath would follow quickly. 

The male began to head back into the trees, his dark coat blending into the shadows of tall plants and low hanging branches. With his head lowered, he tracked the borders of Elkshire’s land, seeking any scent that didn’t belong. 


•Consider him exited•

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As more appeared to her call, there was a pride within her heart, on how many that came. She didn't take note though, on those who did not come as it was not urgent, nor' a meeting to be, "There seems to be a group that claims this forest as their mere' hunting ground." Her very voice was filled with a toxicity, while such smooth words were spoke she hissed at the matter that their claimed land was pushed into but someone elses hunting ground. Not even a base of operations, but just a small part, and that brought an anger toward the Queen.

Her voice was directed at all, but in particular looked at Vengeance, as she offered a smile of a wordless apology. She could see the irritation, the desire to leave, like she was but an exaggeration to what had been done. Though Célnes, took quite seriously at the fact of this group she did not know of, attempted of this claim, "they smell of sea-salt. Be wary." A pumpkin gaze to the rest, a reassuring look that the issue was solved, but not the problem.

Her tail flickered, a silent dismissal of those who desired to leave after her warning.

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^^

More bodies appeared just as quickly, at least here, he could see what Célnes was working with. A small group but certainly there were others who lingered and didn't answer the call or who would arrive later after his departure. Soon enough his frustrations were answered by the King herself, explaining to not only him, but the others as well for the reason behind the summoning.

So it seemed that she too might have some troublesome neighbors. As she excused the group, he lingered just long enough to offer a nod before walking off again. Sea-salt, he would remember that description should he encounter any who hold such a stench on their coat.

^^

---

Exit!

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Remus, catching the tail end of this encounter was frankly, embarrassed that he had not been in position to fulfil his duty from the start.  He would have to stay closer next time. 

There was little point in worrying about it now, because it seemed all was well.  He didn't feel the need to speak, staying nearby his patron, taking note of the multitudes showing up to the call of conflict.  Remus was pleased to see that the small gathering was starting to look more like a small nation. He would stay on guard as the rest dispersed back into the woods of the Elk's Crown.
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