Post by Clemintine on Oct 16, 2020 21:41:20 GMT -5
You stumble through a forest, paws aching with every small muscle movement. The darkness has practically consumed you; it’s been days since you’ve been on the outside of this dense woodland. Hasn’t it? If not, it certainly seems as such. You keep going, pushing through the pain, the longing, the pressure coming in against you from each side… and then you see it. Light shines in your eyes, nearly blinding, making you blink frantically so that they can adjust. Ahead, a clearing: bright, warm, inviting. Perhaps it holds what you need: not only water, food, and shelter, but what has been pulling you towards it all of these days: peace. You bound closer, using the last of your energy to rush towards this place, this paradise -- and yet, as you draw closer, a figure appears, blocking the warm light from your fur. A strong, proud silhouette - you gulp and skip in your tracks, looking up at the wolf in both restrained anger and unadulterated helplessness. "Hello, wanderer.” A break for a lazy smile that you can barely see in his outline. “You've come a long way. I'm surprised, honestly; most don't make it this far." His voice is calm, despite the fact that you are both strangers and he stands between you and what will free you from this sorry state. It's almost as though he's a long lost friend, but it doesn't go unnoticed that his voice was practically taunting you about surviving. You’ve gone days, weeks, eternity for all you know without having seen another wolf, and the first you do see taunts you for being alive. Your stomach pangs with hunger, your ribs protruding out as a sign to the world. Your mind slowly slips back into a safe place you’ve thought of all the while, but now it is characterized by the warmth and light of the clearing beyond; you eat, you stretch in a cozy field of grass and flowers, you lap up water from a bubbling stream. "-ey... hey! It's very rude to ignore someone, especially someone who is trying to help you." His eyes are squinted, and his ears are laid back in a disapproving glare. Your fantasy disappears and your ears fall flat on your head. He does not give you much reasoning to actually care, but you keep your mind open. He sighs and straightens, letting his annoyed glare become a collected smile. "My name is Timothy, but I suppose you can - or rather, should - call me the Gate Keeper." He chuckles lowly, clearly proud of himself and as though he were indulging in some inside joke you had no idea the context of. He turns without warning, nodding for you to follow him as walks just past the trees that have imprisoned you for days. The warm light touches your fur… and you decide in that moment to follow. |
You perhaps should have debated longer on following this… eccentric, to put it nicely, wolf. You were stopped from even considering the alternative when remembering the hunger, ache, loneliness, and impending doom (for lack of a better explanation) in the woods you were coming from. You quickly catch up to the wolf, walking ever so slightly behind him on his flank. He begins to talk again, and you listen intently. "You're new to Alpas, and there's quite a lot you'll have to learn about this place. Though you seem like the independent type, so I'm sure you'll figure everything out on your own, in time." He stops and you mimic his movements, trying to keep your head tall and regal. Feeling the sun warm your fur makes you lose this composure, however; the blinding light in any other context would, perhaps, be annoying. The heat going deep to your skin, the buzzing of cicadas and the bubbling of water, the soft swish of grass with the calls of birds… it was enough to make you excited for the future. You crane your neck higher, trying to enjoy the sun as much as you can. Laid out before you are a series of lakes with rolling hills. You can see other forests in the distance, and perhaps the tallest mountains you've ever seen. You're overwhelmed with a feeling of solace, of the peace you’d dreamt of and longed for. Your mouth gapes open while staring across the landscape, but a throat clearing to your side makes you snap it shut. "It's pretty great here, but I suppose most could call me biased." The wolf smirked now, looking out at the land, his eyes full of pride. "Though I'd love to brag on these lands for days and tell you everything, it is not my place to do so. I'm afraid my place is to stay here in these woods and wait for more like you." You looked over at him, confusion clear as the sunlight on your face. He was a strange wolf; he had only walked you a few steps, and now he was saying that's all he could do? "Meet my brother, Koda." |
You look away from Timothy and back towards paradise, only now there was a wolf walking towards the both of you. He was large, his fur a little bit rougher around the edge than Timothy’s. His gait was entirely different and instead of the proud, regal, somewhat strangeness of Timothy’s movements, Koda’s were strong, stable, and calculated. You quickly assumed he was a hunter, or perhaps even a warrior within a pack. You don’t feel the same sense of familiarity with this wolf as you had with Timothy; you feel uneasy, vulnerable, and antsy. But surely you wouldn’t find such a place only to be hurt upon your entrance? "Koda.” He says simply as an introduction. “Welcome to Alpas. I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here." His face hardly moved and his tone was monotonous. His words, calculated and cold, however… he seemed more friendly than any malicious intent. You give a quick nod of your head in acknowledgment of his words. "This place is vast. There are many places you could find to call home, either with a pack or as a Roamer." He turns and starts to walk away. Does everyone just expect you to follow them in this place? You turn back to look at Timothy, but he is gone. You quickly scan the treeline, searching for any sign that he had been there at all. When you see no sign of life, you hesitantly follow after Koda, hunger creeping back up on you once more. If you were to die here, at least you may get a meal before. He was at least kind enough to wait for you to catch up before continuing his lecture. "I am part of the Council, otherwise known as the Kith. It is my duty to come and show wolves like you the lay of the land and tell you about our history." The Council? For a pack, they sure did have a pretty intense name. You follow side-by-side with the intense wolf, feeling less intimidated by his status and more scared you won’t be able to keep up with his long legs. "Kith is the oldest living pack here. They are the founders of this land and have done everything in their power to make sure it thrives. We watch over the lands, we keep them safe. If not for the Kith and The Council, what you see now would not resemble this in the slightest.” Your eyes trail from Koda to the land beyond. The light catches on the snowy mountaintops, a golden hue that instantly calms you. Your shoulders relax and your tail wags freely behind you. “If not for the Kith, I and many others would not be here.” You wait for him to continue, but that is all he says. "There are many lands here other than those the Kith preside in. It would take many days to explain the intricacies of these lands and those who live upon them, and many more to traverse between them all. I'd imagine you are capable of discovering them on your own. If you are ever lost, follow the rivers upstream; almost all rivers in Alpas lead back to the Kith." He stopped now, though you kept walking before pausing to look back at him. You were too wrapped up in the information he was giving, you hadn’t noticed him stop. "You may decide to even make your own pack, if you desire. Your duty to your pack is a serious thing. The friends or enemies you make could decide their fate." His eyes bore into your own, intense and serious. Finding it hard to look away, you think over his words. You hadn't thought much into it until now. Besides the brothers, you had yet to meet another wolf. Creating a pack wasn't high on your to-do list. In fact, you really just wanted some food and water; maybe a place to sleep every night if you were so lucky. |
You feel something hit your paws and look down. The smell hits your nose before your eyes can reach the object, but looking down you are still somehow surprised to find a plump rabbit at your feet. Freshly killed, clearly, although you don’t know where Koda was hiding it. You don’t even stop to ask if it was for you before leaning down to eat it, taking large chunks out of it regardless of if it were fur or bone. Normally, you would have inspected the carcass beforehand; eating food someone just threw at your paws was never a good thing. You don’t care for now, however. As you gulp down the rabbit, you hear Koda’s paws shift. You only lift your eyes to see him walking further away from you. You don’t expect an explanation, but he simply states. “They’ll be wondering where I am. I believe you can figure the rest out on your own.” You quickly gulp down the last of the rabbit and lift your head, but that quickly Koda is out of your sight. Where to go now? |