It's the end of the 19th century and the end of an era. Humankind begins to expand into Mother Nature's domain, leading to disastrous consequences for the natives of the land. Many grow desperate to maintain their territory or stake their claim in any land in any way they can. As human settlement continues to threaten nature, the wolves of the five western states face a grueling decision: survival by all means necessary or die trying.
We are a semi-realistic, liquid-time, sandbox-esque wolf roleplay very loosely based off of the world of Red Dead Redemption II. Vestige offers a variety of diverse regions spanning five different states to explore, an automated shop, and user-led packs. How will you leave your pawprints on the world of Vestige?
WEATHER Snow finally arrives to the West with the arrival of winter! Ambarino's nights get colder and longer, while the states of West Elizabeth and New Hanover get their share of snowfall. New Austin and Lemoyne are spared from the frost, but there is a distinct, wintery chill in the air.
EVENTS Rumors spread of NEW PACKS FORMING throughout the five states. In addition, canines in the region of BIG VALLEY, WEST ELIZABETH are having more frequent run-ins with hunters seeking out prized commodities: wolf, coyote, and fox pelts to trade.
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Post by Maximilian on Aug 20, 2021 14:21:55 GMT -5
The sturdy-built, imposing male leaned precariously and desperately onto the redwood tree beside him, his breaths consisting of heaving, struggling gasps and pants. His tongue lolled from his muzzle with droplets and lines of blood following suit onto his teeth, jaw, and the forest floor, painting them all a gruesome crimson. He spat, releasing the pool of metallic-tasting blood watered down by his saliva gathering in his mouth onto the earth along with dark-colored fur that differed from his own pelt. His gaze shifted over to the trail scampering off into who-knows-where that was made up of blood and fur, neither of which his own.
This was not a situation he expected to be in. But times have changed, and so had he.
His entire body ached and burned as though he had danced with flames, but his eyes held a different fire - a victorious spark, a flame of sheer energy that contradicted his exhausted physical state. He won. As of this final dispute, this land amongst the redwoods belonged to Maximilian Niko Caputo. It was an investment that he paid for in his own blood and energy for weeks on end, far from a one-off confrontation that would grant him sovereignty in the territory of Tall Trees. As a bountiful location marked by dense woodland, he anticipated a pack to have situated themselves in this region, taking the spoils for themselves. But in his time staking out this territory, he found nothing of the sort. Instead he found loners not dissimilar to himself looking to fill their famished stomachs by any means, and this region did just that for many. Most of these loners came and went as he did, but there were a few that lagged behind, setting up their makeshift densites alongside and around the Lower Montana River, refusing to budge from this plentiful land. Maximilian understood their tactics, being a resourceful loner as they were, but he also understood the necessity of group survival.
Plentiful as this land may be, he was no stranger to the human population of the state of West Elizabeth that began to increase in recent years. The wolves of this state were by no means alone, and trying to push through as a lone wolf could prove more and more perilous. It was with this mindset alone that he sought to claim a home for those who needed it, those who would pull their own weight to feed and defend both themselves and their fellow wolf. He took the lands of Tall Trees not for himself, but for a cause he was willing to fight and die for, a cause open to all. It was along the Lower Montana River that he would establish the Burning Creek Pack.
The chocolate-colored male released one final huff before rising to his feet again, his muscles screaming in protest. He ignored their calls and pushed onward - he may have won this battle against the former-resident loners of the region, but his duty here was far from over. He could only rest once he knew his new home's borders were in place. Until then, he would have to endure just a little while longer.
// Anyone is free to reply to this thread as a presumed-existing member of the pack, as a loner willing to join the pack, or just to interact with Max!
All she knew was that she had to run. Ears flat and tail tucked, the reddish wolf bolted from the field in no specific direction except away from that horrible sound, that horrible smell. She couldn't tell where she was going, nor where the noise was coming from exactly. It echoed unnaturally, and roared like nothing she had ever heard. Ever since ending up here, the scents and the sounds had begun to change. Several times, the thin creature tripped over some stone or root, nearly losing her footing all together but being propelled forth nonetheless by her momentum. At least once, she went sailing face-first into the dirt, and got up limping where her front paw had gotten caught on something and been injured.
It must have been daytime, she could feel the warmth of the sun on her back, the heat growing more oppressive and the humidity really coming into play. This land was very dissimilar to her homeland, but that was gone now. She could never go back. Plus here, or rather where she landed, there were fragrant flowers and soft grasses and nice trees that shaded her from the blazing sunlight. Fleeing the tenuous safety of her new home, Toxx panted and twitched her ears. The noise was moving away, but she still heard it. She stopped for only a moment to prick her ears and sniff the air, gather her bearings. Something was ahead, the breeze brought scents of leaves and bark and fertile soil. Despite not knowing where in the world she was, the wolf headed over to the denser trees, carefully picking her way across the terrain now, and limping slightly from the previous trip. She hadn't made it too far when she smelled the telltale scent of territory markers. Soon after that, the distinct odor of blood and a male wolf wafted over to her nose, and briefly she paused. What if there were others? What would they do to her if they found her so near the pack land? Toxx was lost and confused, still jarred from the horrifically loud sound back from whence she came, and just wanted to rest. Her night had been long, and it was around this time that she typically napped, anyway. She was exhausted; so after a few more strides inward, she crept carefully to the nearest tree trunk and flopped over against it, hoping not to be seen or killed for a while. Her breaths were agonizingly loud in her own ears, but she was unable to control it, she had just run for a while in the heat without water, and needed to catch her breath in the shade.
Post by Maximilian on Aug 24, 2021 20:19:51 GMT -5
The canine had hardly noticed someone traverse his newly-set boundaries, and he only found himself pressing onward to finish the job and mark his land with no regard of who might've crossed over the new border. He was slow to realize until he made his way back towards where he started from, his paws growing ever more tired and his muscles begging for a mere minute of rest. The godforsaken heat helped no one, either; he was of course more content in the tree-covered mountains of West Elizabeth than, say, the murky swamps of the east, but the humidity got to Tall Trees either way and was just enough to tire him out quicker on certain dog days of the summer. Max often preferred to work and do business at night, where summer conditions were more forgiving and the piercing sun was out of sight, out of mind, but today he found himself kicking and energetic in the daytime. By now, though, whatever he had in his energy deposits was all but depleted, and with his work on borders being complete, he had but three things on his mind: sleep, shade, and maybe something in his stomach, all of which his body began to scream for. He shook his pelt once more and kept moving.
But it was around where he began that he noticed a peculiar scent belonging not to him nor the poor loner he had previously challenged. No, this was someone very different. The fuck? Already? In the distance, he could just barely pick out a figure within his borders, and in an instant, called out, "You! The hell are y'doin' here?" Typically he was a little less confrontational with those that weren't immediate threats to him, but right now he just wanted to take a damn nap, and someone already wandering into his territory only aggravated him further. At the initial lack of response, he grumbled a string of irritated swears under his breath and began to march over to investigate.
Truth be told, Max couldn't see more than a mere silhouette from where he had previously stood, but upon closer look, the male realized that the wolf before him wasn't another fellow loner out to scrap with him over food or a particularly pleasant piece of land, but it was rather someone whose energy looked to be wrung out from them, struggling to stay awake. It was a female, one who looked like she had run or fought for ages and the miserable heat was getting to her. He couldn't tell her story or origin just yet, but all he knew was that she wasn't a threat. Not at this moment, at least. "Hey. You alright? Where'd'ya come from?" Max asked, his voice considerably softer in tone now than the frustrated shout earlier. He was unsure how to handle this - he couldn't evict her now, could he? After all, if something nearby posed a danger to her, it could be a danger to him too. For now he would remain inquisitive and see what her story was.
She licked her nose and had just begun to relax when a sharp voice yelled out from somewhere further on. Immediately her ears laid back and she shut her mouth, simply breathing heavily through her nostrils now as she lowered her head. Maybe he wouldn't see her? Toxx as unsure how tall the grass was here, or if there were lots of bushes... Or even if there was any underbrush at all. The patch of grass she currently laid on was nice and the tree she had flopped beside gave good shade, and that was all that had mattered a few moments ago.
Unable to give a response, she simply lay there on her stomach with her tail between her legs, eyes wide and unseeing, nose twitching. The wolf approached her, his pawsteps hard and intentional at first; as he drew nearer, however, she could hear his footfall soften. Perhaps he relaxed a little more, then he paused. Was she all right? Things certainly seemed tumultuous lately, the she-wolf had not been in this land long before bolting straight off from where she thought she could call home. Now, she found herself on the border of a pack's territory, cowering on the ground. At least the male wolf's voice seemed softer now. In response, she opened her mouth as though to speak, then closed it once more and began to paw the ground, as though digging but with only her pads. This moved pretty much her whole front-end, causing her head to bob with the motion of her shoulders going back and forth and her legs lifting slightly and pawing down in alternation.
Though not completely sure which direction she was facing, she was fairly certain it was at least in the general direction of the male. The she wolf began to gradually scoot forward, sniffing and lapping at the air, then stopped when she could feel the other's presence much more clearly now. Had she the ability, she would be emitting tiny whimpers, but as it was, she could only huff and lick and roll around on the ground.
Post by Maximilian on Aug 25, 2021 22:55:01 GMT -5
Max could only watch in silence as the female before him pawed at the rich earth in response to his inquiries, twitching a nicked ear as she scooted closer to his direction. It was a fairly simple question - was she just messing with him? It was at this closer distance that he could take note of the peculiar colors that adorned her pelt, colors and markings he had never before seen on another wolf. She was most definitely not from around here, she just couldn't be; her entire being exuded an aura of unfamiliarity yet perhaps a hint of curiosity. He also managed to catch a more attentive glimpse of her wide blue eyes, which were visibly cloudy. Blind. At least she definitely didn't pose a threat. She can't see. What's that gotta do with her mouth?"Cat got your tongue?" he grunted, though his body stiffened immediately after at the idea of her potentially being deaf as well. Maybe she just couldn't hear him?
"Can y'hear me, at least?" he asked, the volume of his voice raised slightly louder than before in case she was indeed hard of hearing as he possibly suspected, though not necessarily a shout or anything angry-sounding. At this point he was very clearly trying to understand her situation and nothing more, but he was at a loss for procedure and all he could do was mentally cross out his presumptions about the strange loner the more he spoke to her. "You can nod or shake your head if you don't talk much. Somethin' like that." The idea of her being a mute only recently crossed Max's mind as well, and he figured he could extend the offer to her so they could at least have some basic form of communication if she would refuse to speak (or in fact couldn't at all).
The pawing stopped and she tilted her head to show she was listening as the first question came, spoken in a slightly sarcastic but still friendly enough tone. Ears pricked and eyes wide, she slowly sat up, walking backward with her front paws to ease herself into an upright position. Dirt and grass clung to her soft belly, and where her saliva had moistened her chin as she panted, soil now formed a pseudo-beard around the underside of her muzzle. She licked her nose and huffed softly, her tail thumping gently on the ground simultaneously. She was listening. With a nod, the rusty wolf seemed to smile, and her whole demeanor shifted. Where she had been fearful and restless, she began to relax and show signs of cheer at the other's voice. Whomever he was, she sincerely felt that he was good. He exuded a certain energy, a calmness and assertiveness which she appreciated.
Toxx had certainly had interactions before with others, but she had not been so hopelessly lost in some time, and she knew that without this male's help, she may very well just be dead. First she needed to establish an acquaintanceship, something much easier thought than done. Hopefully the pack would allow her to visit, should this interaction go well. As a wolf, she was a very sociable creature, but being who she was, she also liked the solitude from unseen gazes, pitying expressions, and misunderstanding attitudes. Her mentor had taught her well enough how to survive on what she could find, and the rest she had learned on her own.
Post by Maximilian on Sept 6, 2021 12:22:32 GMT -5
A nod. Excellent. The male felt the muscles of his maw twitch into something resembling a half-smile when he saw the other canine respond with a smile. She was calm now, and responsive in her own way. Mute, then. Max didn't make an effort to be insensitive and cold, but most of the time it was understandable how he could come off as such: easily angered, sarcastic, sometimes too blunt with his choice of words. But in recent times, especially in this situation, he figured it would be better to speak less, listen (or, in this case, see) more. If he was going to be a respectable alpha, he would have to do so, lest his prickly self would be alone once more.
"My name is Maximilian. Max," he said, though he doubted introductions would matter if she couldn't respond with her own alias, or call for him by name if she needed it. She's mute but not dumb - I'm sure she can put a name to a face."Alpha of the Burning Creek Pack. You're, ah...in our territory."Our as if anyone else lived here. He made a brief gesture with his forearm as he spoke. Regardless who it was, he figured it would be vital information to know if you were encroaching on a pack's territory or not. He doubted it mattered nearly as much in this case, considering the female could barely considered a threat. What did matter at this point, though, was figuring out how she even got here in the first place. Her demeanor was distinct of someone who had never wandered into this part of the West before, and the sight of her heaving upon a tree gave the impression that she was running from...something. Something that could hurt him, too, if she came from someplace close enough, but he had his doubts based on how strange she appeared. I didn't know they make 'em with purple. Maybe I'm just sheltered.
The chocolate-colored wolf would still press on with the push of his piqued curiosity. "Can you tell me where y'came from? Is someone trying to hurt you?" he asked with a flick of his ear once he realized a critical error in his words. Dumbass, her tongue's chopped off."Tell, hah. I mean, can you point to the direction you're from?" He hoped that giving the female a decent amount of instruction could benefit this conversation - he had never interacted with a silent wolf before, and when someone was silent, he would have to beat them into speaking. But that was only in certain situations, ones that looked nothing like this. In this case he just needed to know if she was safe and if he would be safe, so long as whatever threat was far enough from them both.
Toxx nodded along as the wolf, now known as "Max" self-proclaimed Alpha of Burning Creek pack, introduce himself. She lowered her ears and head a little when he mentioned that she was in their territory; she wanted to say sorry, but in the back of her mind she knew this was forgiven. Max continued, asking about where she came from. To be perfectly honest, Toxx herself wasn't sure... She tried her best to explain.
Standing up slowly, she sniffed around the ground, passing over roots and rocks and stepping through warm grass until she ever so slightly touched her nose to a wild, weedy flower. This was what she had been searching for. Her tail swayed and she appeared to perk up, happily nudging the flower with her large moist nose. One of the reasons she had made her home in -- wherever it was that she had come -- was for the abundance of flowers, which she adored. Not all were created equal, but every flower did the soft wolf love. She hoped that Max understood. In the event that he didn't, she would return to the tree, marking her paces, and gesture with a large peachy paw out into what she assumed was the sunlight. Honestly, she was already a bit turned around. She really could've been pointing anywhere, and if Max had moved, her only guaranteed frame of reference would have to be adjusted.
Post by Maximilian on Sept 13, 2021 18:25:18 GMT -5
At her voiceless response, Maximilian's ears once again pulled back, almost in embarrassment. Right...blind. He watched the female's vague gesture into the sunlight and nodded with a huff, annoyed only at himself. "Right. Sorry." These interactions were ones he would need to get used to if the wolf before him had any intentions of sticking around. She did seem to like the place, after all; the male watched her sniff at the flowers that bloomed up from the forest grass. He enjoyed the scent as well, though it could get a little powerful the closer one was in proximity to the neighboring Big Valley region, where thousands of flowers and lavender plants thrived. They were a pretty sight indeed, something tiny that he could appreciate about the landscape. He was thankful to have secured a domain here instead of, say, some plot of desert shrubland in New Austin south of the river.
He began to worry less about where she had come from and more about what the next step was from here. Would she have any idea where to go? It felt off to evict her from this land now, when she was so blatantly disadvantaged in the skill of navigation and was more than likely chased off into some biome she had never once entered before. He developed a fear of his empathy getting the best of him, but in these situations there would be no harm. "Look, do y'know what you're gonna do once you get outta here?" he inquired. "You can, y'know, just stay here for a while. Get some rest. You look like the light's been sucked outta you." In his eyes, this could be the best course of action. He could only hope that time would prove it truly was.
Muscles so defined that each one appeared to have been chiselled into his lean, long-legged frame rippled his raven hair under a stray shaft of golden light. His stride was long and nonchalant, powered by a quiet confidence that did not deign to silence his footfalls through the coniferous forest. Gelled together by dried blood that had been inflicted by fangs and collected from flesh of others, his pelt could be counted among the recent conquerors of the region. He, and unseen company, had united under a Maximillian NIko Caputo to clear their surroundings of competition. It had taken them weeks to seize the territory which lone wolves had utilised before their arrival and still their objective remained unachieved: the recently formed pack had yet to gain control of the borders and resources within them. Such was his intention, to establish borders by marking them alongside his packmates.
It was not long before Fang Hennigan realised that someone unknown to him had encroached on his pack's recent claim of the region already and so his melanistic features melted into a blurred flash of movement through the undergrowth. It was her scent that led him to the paler flank of Maximillian, a fellow lone wolf that had ensured his survival recently, where Fang leaned his shoulder casually against the sunny surface of a boulder as it became clear that the trespasser could hardly pose a threat. Her clouded orbs and unusual gesturing influenced the slightest smirk to stir one corner of his lips. If her ears had received his arrival, they may have been able to discern the neutrality of his posture if not the coolness of his demeanour. As for the other male beside him, there appeared to be an almost imperceptible uncertainty about him: almost.
His head tilted aside slightly, slowly, so that his nearest eye settled on Caputo and looked him over silently, lingering on the warm shades of brown that painted his features. Fang did not doubt the objective nor the resilience of the self-described alpha male but did consider the possibility of Caputo feeling reluctant about endangering the pack by welcoming a trespasser into its refuge. That was a conversation for another time, he supposed, if at all. As if to lend his confidence and support to the other male, he returned his gaze to the presumably blind stranger before them. He parted his bloodied lips and licked them before speaking, breaking the silence that followed the hospitable offer.
"Your borders have been established," he addressed Caputo at first but did not withdraw his emotionless, indecipherable eyes from the trespasser; "so I have time to hunt for us, and her if that's our intention." He looked her over once, and still he had not spoken his first words to her.
By the time Max spoke up again, she had already stepped carefully back to where the flower was. One could assume - understandably so - that Toxx would be a helpless, timid little girl unable to see where she's going or say where she had been; this would be a complete miscalculation. Already, the young she-wolf had begun to measure out the pawsteps between various personal landmarks and to map out in her head what little bit of this territory she had encountered thus far. Every movement was intentional, every step taken was recorded. The flower was her most prominent marker, at this juncture, since Max would be a moving variable. Between the tree and the flower, Toxx had also upturned cool, rich soil which provided a fresh earthy scent while it lasted. As lost as she may ultimately have been, she most certainly was gathering her bearings quickly.
While she thought about her options, what her next move would be, whether she should stick around for much longer, she felt, heard, and smelled the presence of yet another. Before this additional entity even opened their mouth, Toxx figured it would be safe to assume that they were part of the pack, as well. When he spoke, it was not directly to her, so she mostly disregarded the conversation though she kept her ears pricked and her usable senses alert as always. In the heat of the day, through panic and fear, she had foolishly streaked from her new home to find herself on the threshold of a foreign packland, exhausted and dehydrated. All she really wanted was some water and a good long nap, and all she really needed was for someone to help her back on her way... She sat down next to her flower and turned her wide, unseeing gaze toward the two males who now existed nearby. Their distinct scents wafted together in the breeze, the newly arrived one must have been standing very close to Max. Ears drooping a little and lips drawing taut, she began to pant.
Now that she was sitting and feeling much less frantic, the soreness and exhaustion overcame her like sand suffusing a pit of small pebbles, and the dehydration was becoming more apparent as her tongue began to feel as though all the moisture had evaporated in the summer sunlight. In this moment, she looked and felt hopelessly displaced.
Post by Maximilian on Sept 15, 2021 18:10:43 GMT -5
"Your borders have been established, so I have time to hunt for us, and her if that's our intention."
A familiar tongue prompted the male to turn his head, his brown gaze falling upon the melanistic gray wolf that made his way over to join them. He was in far better shape than Max had first found him; no longer was his face covered in his own blood, touched by the bitter, sharp knives of mankind. The Alpha dwelled on the matter for a moment before he snapped back to the more pressing present situation. He nodded to his comrade in acknowledgement.
"Let's fill our bellies a little, Fang," he remarked in agreement to the warrior's statement. The life that had been seeped out of him through the scores of loners defeated beforehand seemed to be making a return; the light in his confident eyes sparkled once more and his muscles no longer begged for him to halt. He supposed that stopping for the trespasser gave his body a chance to recover a little from the strenuous tasks prior, but he felt that the group would be quite disappointed if they believed he had the strength and energy to take down any big game. Regardless, to feed a few people, two of them participating in the hunt, he had the idea that they wouldn't need to chase down a bull to keep their stomachs content. Maximilian moved back to the panting female and added, "Yours too."
He fixated his attention on her for a bit longer if only to see how she was faring. She was certainly calmer than she was when he first found her upon the outskirts of his newly established domain, but her exhaustion was most definitely still present. He couldn't begin to imagine how long she had been pushing forward. A dry tongue lolled past her lips, and each pant of hers was heaving. In any case, they all needed a bit of hydration, especially in this blistering summer heat, but it was beyond question to him that she would need it just a little more. "Come with us. We'll look by the river for sum' to catch - get yourself sum' to drink there if you have to." His gaze was still upon the female, but the statement was intended for both her and Fang, who suggested they go look for food in the first place. It was likely best for the loner to join the males on this expedition, even if he doubted that she would be able to secure a catch for herself at this moment. Or ever. Well... There had to be some way she provided for herself, but Max figured that debating her capability to survive was far from the most pleasant thing to do. As of now, he was happy to provide her with the relief she needed and get her back on her feet if he could.
The nameless trespasser settled her colourful figure onto its haunches, deliberately beside a flower, whilst Fang held her inside his unemotional gaze. Her cloudy one, although lacking the sense of sight, appeared to be paying him and his companion attention from her seat. When her ears wilted and tongue lolled out from her maw, revealing her fatigue to him, he bestowed a sideways glance onto the other male whose features had faced him by then. He quirked an eyebrow cheekily once their similar orbs met and then he allowed his own to wander down Caputo briefly, lingering on a blend of cocoa-brown hair and fresh blood along a lean, tall musculature that had become familiar to him. The nod and further response from Caputo returned him to reality.
Looking up from the form of the other male, into eyes that glittered with a renewed confidence, he cracked the slightest smirk to acknowledge that light. He had never placed Caputo on a pedestal like some of their travelling companions might have. He had never expected the other male to remain strong nor take charge at every turn. He had stuck around to repay Caputo for keeping him alive, and perhaps establishing Burning Creek had repaid that debt, but nothing about their interaction felt obligated.
"Yeah, cowboy," he answered the other male comfortably; "let's do that."
Then, as Caputo looked towards the trespasser, he followed suit. His light brown orbs, cold despite being sunlit, settled on her face slowly as they awaited her response together. Hardly a second happened before Fang pulled his Herculean shoulder from the boulder beside him and stood upright to advance through the forest in search of tracks for their hunt, leaving them to follow him at their leisure.
"Haven't spent much time in Tall Trees," he remarked on his surroundings to Caputo, since the female could not hold a conversation with either of them, scanning the undergrowth ahead for signs of life and the forest floor for footprints and other hints. In other words, he did not know his way around the region. "Met Death soon as I arrived and woke up to your mug," he recalled, fondly if one listened closely enough to the smooth edge of his cool tone. "Haven't been far from it since then."
The two males seemed like pals, and for the briefest moment in time, Toxx felt the pang of loneliness. Her own world was often so void of intimacy, and forever would it be dark. She really had no concept of color, though the occasional passers by would stop to chat with her and sometimes remark upon silly things like beauty and colors. Being blind for her entire life, she had no reference for such visual ideas, but she strongly associated scents and sounds with certain supposed visuals. Beauty, to her, was the smell of lush grass and the aroma of dozens upon dozens of flowers wafting around in the breeze. Softness was beautiful, the gentle whisper of leaves and the kind caress of petals were beautiful. Sometimes, Toxx wondered if the touch of another would also be beautiful.
Max drew her gently out of her reverie, his peculiar but inviting accent filling her ears and soothing her anxieties. She could tell he was weary, but the duties of a leader were upon him and he must find some strength in that. So he pressed on. While both the others started off toward food and drink, Toxx stood and shook off, kissing the flower with a touch of her nose to its soft little head, then followed diligently. The one whose name was apparently Fang sparked up a conversation, in lieu of her own ability to do so. She was content with this, and she listened idly while in her head she continued to create connections and mark reference points. Toxx tried not to pant so much, having just become painfully aware of every sound she was making. Her footfall was practically silent as she carried herself carefully forth, and her constant soft sniffing of her surroundings helped keep her maw shut while she collected her bearings. Other than her heated draw and exhale of breath to cool herself down, the skinny female wolf was relatively quiet, but she couldn't shake the guilt.
Putting her full faith into Max and Fang, Toxx carried on with them further into the terrain they called their own. Birds twittered overhead and would sometimes take flight, on their own paths toward happiness. In Toxx's experience, birds were easily distractible and one of the most chatty beasts. They always had something to say, usually in a shrill, intensely angry sounding tone. She had grown used to the constant barrage of insults they seemed to throw, both at each other and at her; at least she wasn't a squirrel. As much as she had enjoyed the company of her squirrel mentor, they were the exception to the rule. Squirrels, whose many disorganized paths she could smell throughout the grass, were rude and harsh. They tended to radiate an air of superiority, perhaps because they could climb trees and escape dangers easily. Sometimes they even threw their little acorns. Toxx was not a fan. But at least the acorns made for a nice little snack.
Post by Maximilian on Sept 19, 2021 14:26:46 GMT -5
It was decided, then. The silent loner would join the packmates on their hunt. Maximilian's pawsteps led him onward beside Fang through the welcomed shade of the towering redwoods that gave Tall Trees its very obvious name. Shit, they are tall. The region's title spoke for itself in many ways, and he found it to be a quite beautiful place. The flower fields of Big Valley nearby were also enticing to the male, but he figured the open landscape wasn't as suitable a place to establish a pack's densite. Then again, he may have developed a bias in the process of his travels throughout West Elizabeth, as he generally took up residence along the Lower Montana River quite frequently. With that being said, he figured that the territory could be a bit daunting to become familiar with upon the first few visits, which is something he took from Fang's statement. "Something to get used to wit' time," the Alpha replied. "Only way I know these trees are from experience walkin' beneath 'em. They become home eventually."
He snorted at the warrior's next words. "Shit, that's unfortunate. See Death's face and then wake up to somethin' even uglier," he remarked, a faint half-smile cracked upon his once serious expression. It was true that Fang hadn't moved from him much since the incident, though he hoped that their time laying down the boundaries of their new domain helped to familiarize him a little with distinct landmarks and locations of the region. Max had failed to interrogate the melanistic male about the events that led up to that fateful day when he saw him and a human bleeding out alongside each other, their attacker nowhere in sight, for it seemed that the human on the verge of meeting Death was not the one who inflicted the lacerations he noticed upon Fang's face. He took care around the human regardless for fear of it attempting to attack him even with the several bleeding wounds upon its body, but he managed to get away with Fang and take the male to safety without any altercations. Luck was on their side that day. He never asked why or how it all even happened, but it was less that he didn't care and more that with their current mission, he didn't have the time to. Now that their borders were established and the loners they spent weeks in combat with were clearing out of their new home, perhaps that was a subject he could inquire about soon.
The female with them was still just as much as an enigma to him. Maximilian would occasionally throw his head over his shoulder to glance back at her, ensuring that she was still with the group. He figured her hearing wasn't impaired and that she could listen to him and Fang's banter and pawsteps to pinpoint their location and distance from her, but with how silent she maneuvered through the forest, there was no harm in checking to see that she hadn't disappeared altogether. At least, he heard a crucial, unmistakable sound: running water. As they pressed onward, he could see the outline of the Lower Montana River through the limbs of the redwoods. He turned back to the female once more. "River's not too far. You can head down there, get a drink. We'll be nearby." This part of the region was bound to hold a good amount of game, anyway, so stopping by the river wasn't the worst detour they could've had.
Burn (guest): Hello, just thought I'd say that this is a really awesome idea for a roleplay! Wolves and westerns are two of my favorite things; I'll definitely be stalking this! Best of luck with your roleplay ^^
Aug 12, 2021 14:06:24 GMT -5
psy: Thanks Burn! Feel free to hop in our Discord if you're interested in keeping up or if you have any questions ^^
Aug 12, 2021 18:02:29 GMT -5
Sacred Hearth: so i can't seem to post in affiliates as a guest. I already added your button to our website (sacredhearth.proboards.com) Was trying to get you guys to do the same
Aug 16, 2021 18:01:31 GMT -5
