Spring cleaning, first Calazehr pack meeting

[Tadec]

The sun was gone, replaced by a light drizzle of rain. Tadec didn’t mind— anything was better than snow. If fire poured down from the heavens, he’d still be happy, because it wouldn’t be snow.

The big black wolf trotted across the rock-strewn pass, towards the pack’s traditional meeting place. He’d never used the ring of rocks before: his meetings had always been conducted on-the-go, in convenient clearings snatched from the forest. Perhaps that was how the other packs had discovered his plans for invasion. However, spies would find the Mourir Pass meeting place a challenge, since the terrain surrounding it was flat and barren, devoid of any cover. And, of course, any wolf who might have tackled that challenge now belonged to the Calazehr anyway. Although he still disliked spies just as much as he had the day he killed Tahmores, Tadec would grudgingly admit that they might make valuable additions to the pack. He’d heard some pretty interesting stories about their alpha, at least.

The rain stopped as Tadec reached the jagged little mountain that had served as a throne for all the Zehr alphas before him. He considered the shadowy mound thoughtfully for a moment, head cocked to one side. Then, a grin flashing across his muzzle, he turned his back on the rocks and sat down on the damp ground.

Lifting his head, Tadec howled up at the thin grey clouds, calling for his newly expanded pack. As the echos of the howl faded, Tadec dropped his eyes to watch the horizon for his approaching packmates. Spring was a time for new beginnings: time to discuss the future of the Calazehr.

[Nyx]

Due to lucky coincidence Nyx wasn’t particularly far away when the call came. Well, it wasn’t all coincidence, she had sort of come across Tadec’s trail and was sort of casually going in his general direction in a very lack of purpose kind of way. She was very interested in the call, knowing it meant the first meeting of combined Calazehr. The rain didn’t seem to bother her, that inky quality of her coat was emphasised in the damp, her footfalls cushioned by the soft earth, and she passed like a rumour among the barren landscape. She just hoped it hadn’t stopped drizzling only to start pouring, but as she made her way upwards the weather seemed to hold.

Out of habit she kept to the shadier side of the pass, but if there was such a thing in this hazy weather, only Nyx could find it. The wet patches on the rocks broke up her outline, but Nyx wasn’t trying particularly hard. She felt it wouldn’t be polite, and certainly not wise, to appear to be sneaking up on the brute. Golden eyes wandered up the pass, seeing some sort of formation coming into view. She rather hoped the weather wasn’t going to be indicative of events that may unfold, because it didn’t seem promising at all.

Without any fuss at all Nyx appeared not too far from the throne-like rock formation, and her long legged pace shorted to something resembling an everyday walk. Shoulder blades slipped up through her damp-at-the-edges pelt like a cat’s would, and her auds turned on her head, looking for the others that must have heard the call. Golden eyes were quiet today, thoughtful, and watching Tadec without comment.

She stopped a few strides away, looking over the clearing, the rock formation at the centre, and Tadec, because honestly there wasn’t much else to see. Her expression was curious, and her stance guarded yet unafraid. She’d taken a very nihilistic view to her life of late.

[Vaishika]

Ever since the Zehr and the Caladur had come together, Vaishika had been decidedly ill-at-ease. She liked to think she took change in stride, and often she did; she'd barely cared when the Zehr alpha position had been passed so rapidly from wolf to wolf, not long after she'd joined. Her own rank hadn't been negatively affected - it had actually improved once Tadec took over - and so she had remained relatively unfazed.

But now her rank might be in danger, which would explain why she was uneasy about the whole situation. There was no telling what the pack's structure looked like, what with all these new, unworthy wolves mucking up the ranks. And she was definitely used to being second-in-command; now there was the former Caladur alpha above her, a wolf she didn't know and didn't trust.

No, Vaishika was not particularly happy with the way things were looking for her pack.

Fully expecting to spend the rest of her day avoiding all other forms of life, it took her a moment to register Tadec's howl, though she recognized his voice almost instantly. A meeting, eh? Well, she supposed it was about time. Maybe it would finally be made clear how things stood. Her alpha would surely waste no time in putting all of them in their places.

It didn't take terribly long for her to reach the pass. She had been here once or twice before, most notably when Ricko had accepted her into the pack, and her sister had left. But she hadn't thought about her sister in a long time, and she didn't plan to pick up the habit now, so she thought instead about the fact that she had been a member of the pack before Tadec and yet he had managed to rise above her in rank.

Oddly, she didn't mind.

She shook her head and sighed quietly as she reached the pass. There was Tadec, seated in front of the throne-like rocks rather than one them, and the night-black Caladur alpha...Nyx, she thought her name was. She gave the slightest nod of acknowledgement to them and then seated herself to one side, out of the way. She wanted to be where she could see the rest of the pack arriving.

((Terribly out of practice with Vaishika. >_>)

[Eclipse]

(bleh)

A dark pelt slipped through the undergrowth like a shadow, melting more perfectly being shades of gray instead of pure black. Moisture ruffled her fur and made it look unkept, wild. She raised her wet nose to the air, breathing deeply and letting her tongue hang from her maw as she walked. Eclipse had spent months, almost a year in the snow; she hadn't gotten used to all of this heat and humidity yet. Giving a thoughtful shake, the female moved off again, continuing on her trek towards Tadec. Her black ears had heard his call and she felt in the mood to humor him. Eclipse yawned, it wasn't like she had been doing anything anyway, the femme hadn't seen Makaro for about a week. Not too unusual, but still, it harbored a small fear in her heart that he may never return. Maybe he had found a more attractive and submissive female and she couldn't blaim him for not wanting to come back anywhere near Tadec again. Golden orbs turned to the leaf litter, she didn't have any clues, not a whiff to go by. Even if she went looking for him the chances were that she would never find him if he didn't want to be found.

Eclipse emerged from the brush and looked around the clearing, nose picking up the important scent information. She had been upwind, unable to smell who was ahead of her as she approached. A white fang flashed slightly now as she spotted a dark, shadowy female that reaked of Caladur. Even though the two pack scents were starting to combine, they still smelled foul, like mold. The female made a great show of avoiding Nyx, walking far around her before coming next to one wolf that she did know; Vaishika. The darker wolf bowed to the lighter as she came in next to her; even with the merge of the packs Vaishika was definetly a higher rank than her. Eclipse sat down, turning her ears to the big black male that centered in the field. Where exactly did she, or the old Beta stand now? Nyx definetly wasn't equal to Tadec, that much was obvious. The fae snorted, ears turning back slightly as her gaze drifted across to the trees. Maybe Makaro would show up on his own, after all. Going back to her previous thought, the female noted that the sly alphess, Nyx, probably wasn't below Vaishika, having been an alpha after all. A sudden thought made her yellow eyes dart to the older, pale female. Was it possible that Vaishika would kill Nyx for her old rank? Or even, maybe just challange her for it. A toothy smile came to Eclipse's face as she turned and glared at the shadowy dark female opposite her.

[Acarvus Craz Makaro]

OOC: Eh I think i'll be able to get back into his character given a few more posts

IC:
The cool damp breeze ruffled his blackened pelt. A slight flick of his aud made note of Tadec's call. Makaro really could care less about the Zehr, right now anyway. It wasn't like they had ever done anything for him except beaten him down and maimed him for life. Yet for that, he felt they at least owed him a home, therefore he still roamed the lands. With a slight sigh he veered off his path towards where the howl had originated. The scent of the Caladur made his nose tingle slightly and he wondered if they would be attending as well. Of course, that made sense. A merge meant they were technically part of the pack, even if Nyx still ran the freak show. His thought of the creepy crawling Caladur wolves were soon subsided though with a very particular scent that caught his attention.

Auds perked forward at attention and he paused mid step as the breeze carried Eclipse's scent to him like a punch in the face. He had been in a daze wandering the lands since the battle with the spirits. Particularly he had been avoiding most, yet he hadn't thought to seek her out. She was one of the only wolves he could stand to be around anymore. Everyone else was practically either on his hit list or his patience would not tolerate them. Moving his feel again he started back up, moving with more of a purpose then if he had simply been answering Tadec's call. Not that he wouldn't be oh so pleased to see Tadec and the ring leader of the freak show. After all a plan needed to be started soon enough or it would never happen.

Finally his tall slender frame slide from the tree line and his one pale blue eyes settled on Eclipse first. She was really here, right in front of him. He could have smiled, he could have simply walked over to her and greeted her. Yet this just wasn't his way of doing things. His whip like tassle gave a small flick from its neutral position as he slide over to where Eclipse had taken a seat a few feet off with a casual look cast in both Nyx and Tadec's direction. Call it a look of irritation, or perhaps it was just the fact that he was never really in a good mood. The fact that he had actually come to see what was up showed more initiative then he had ever really shown for Tadec or the Zehr since he had lost his eye. Quietly he observed the wolves already present. Eclipse of course, she was the reason for him being here in the first place. Tadec, he could burn in hell as far as Makaro was concerned. Nyx, where were the rest of her freaks? Makaro had been under the impression that they were practically attached, but here she was alone. A chance for the Zehr to finish off the Caladur leader? That'd be nice. Then there was Vaishka. He had never really liked her at all, even before she had helped in the removal of his eye he had gotten a bad vib from her. Though who was he trying to kid? Every wolf that roamed these lands lived in sin and enjoyed every minute of it. It was part of life here.

[Elias]

Things where about to get very interesting for the Calazehr. That was putting it mildly. The smoke grey female trotted through the lands, not paying any attention to Tadec's howl, he was nothing to her, much rather she was following the scent of the only wolf she really trusted. Nyx. The scent was keyed into her senses on speed dial. Her small dainty structure weaved in and out of the shadows as her raven nose took in deep breaths of air. Pin pointing Nyx's position rather quickly. She also took note to the fact that there where a few others there as well, mostly those of the zehr half of the pack. It didn't really matter to her that there was a merge, no Nyx was the only wolf she would ever obey, and even that was limited. Auds flicked around as she heard others moving in the same direction. Lowering her stance she watched him pass, it was odd to see someone else with a disability. Very odd for her indeed. Maybe she wasn't so much a freak. Pale eyes locked onto the male as he rushed past her towards the group, his stentch making her growl slightly.

After she was in the clear she stood her full height, which wasn't very much, and looked around. She didn't trust these new wolves that had come to reside under the same leaders (though she only considered Nyx her alphess). No they all walked around in a bad mood waiting for a fight. Pale eyes settled on the group and she picked out Nyx's frame easily and let a soft yip escape her excited maw. Elias was in a very good mood today, though that could have been because she hadn't seen her alphess since she had become ill. Auds pricked forward and she took the long way around to avoid contact with any of the others. It was true, she avoided most of the Zehr wolves like the pleague. As far as she was concerned they were just wolves living in their lands, not part of their pack or anyone she needed to know.

The smoke grey female let her tassle wave a few times as she came up along Nyx's side. Pale eyes gleaming exstatically, an excitment she had only shown over destroying her crows previsouly. This just went to show how much the Caladur had impacted her. Or at least how much Nyx had impacted her. Auds flicked to the others, her defected auds acting like a twin to its productive conterpart. Pale eyes settle on the group of Zehr wolves and she lifted a lip as she took a step closer to Nyx. Pale eyes looking anxiously to her alphess. Was this really called for? Couldn't they just stick to their half of the lands and leave them alone? They where stinking everything up.

[Tadec]

The rain had stopped, but dark clouds still clogged the sky. They wouldn’t last— spring had come at last, after an impossibly long winter, and soon every day would bring sunlight and warmth. But, as much as he like the feel of warm sun on his black pelt, Tadec was a winter wolf, and it was time for spring cleaning.

Few of his pack had deigned to answer his summons. Among those few were his despised former-ally, his respected, loyal beta, and Eclipse. He hadn’t known Eclipse as well as Vaishika or Makaro, but he’d had hopes for her. When she wasn’t around Makaro, she had more sense and initiative than most of the other Zehr members.

A disappointing turnout, but it would do. Tadec stood up. He gave his pelt a quick shake, dislodging a few stray droplets of left-over rain. He looked around at the assembled wolves. The split between the two factions of the Calazehr was painfully apparent. It felt almost liberating not to have to care about the feud.

“Nice of someone to show up,” Tadec announced. “Here’s what you came to hear: I quit.”

Tadec was tired of idiotic allies and even stupider enemies. He was tired of squabbles and diplomacy and trying to think about things larger than him, tired of protecting things.

“I played at being an alpha, but now I'm done,” Tadec repeated, just in case any of the listening wolves thought they had heard incorrectly. “I got my victory.”

This valley was too small. Tadec made the biggest fight he could out of it: every pack in the valley had allied against him, tried to stop him, and he had still won. But there was a wider world out there, and he was not going to let a patch of rock and a ridiculous title like “alpha of the Calazehr” keep him out of it. He wasn’t going to keep paying for Ricko’s death forever: the newly expanded Zehr lands would be his parting gift to her memory.

There were more fights to be had out there, somewhere— and, maybe, just maybe, a bit of satisfaction waited for him, off beyond the mountains.

But Tadec didn’t add any kind of explanation. He didn’t think he needed one.

Five long strides took him from the base of the large rock formation to Eclipse’s side.

“Watch out, Eclipse. Love’s a bitch,” he told her quietly as he passed, “and some pups grow up to be me.”

Another two strides brought him close beside Vaishika.

“You know how this would have eventually ended if I stayed,” he whispered so that only she could hear. She’d seen enough Zehr alphas meet their ends, and everyone eventually grows old and slow. A story should not linger too long, and a good legend ends before it becomes a tragedy.

Tadec walked away from Mourir Pass, looking for new snow.

[Vaishika]

When Tadec announced he was leaving, Vaishika's jaw dropped.

She composed herself instantly, at least outwardly, but the ice-cold shock remained. She felt like she'd been hit with a boulder. Tadec couldn't leave the Zehr. He'd made the Zehr. He was the Zehr.

It was a test, perhaps, to see who would protest and who would say good riddance. But that was hardly Tadec's style; if he'd thought he wasn't being respected, he'd have dealt with the problem directly, as he had with Makaro.

He was really leaving, then.

She watched, numb, as he spoke to the wolves in turn. Then he came to her, and whispered so quietly no one else could have heard:

“You know how this would have eventually ended if I stayed."

The thought of Tadec suffering the same fate as the former Zehr alphas knocked her back to reality. No one would kill Tadec, not while she still drew breath! He was her alpha; she would never desert him. But he was deserting her.

He left.

Silently, Vaishika stared at the wolves in the circle. This was all that was left, it seemed. No sign of Symick, who had been a tolerable sort of creature. Eclipse, who was generally a reliable and clever wolf, had been disturbingly preoccupied of late with thoughts of despised Makaro. And the remnants of the Caladur, well, she had no love for them, no reason to coexist with them, especially now that Tadec was gone.

Tadec was gone.

With a distant jolt, as if in a dream, she realized there was nothing left for her here. The only reason she had cared about the Zehr had been because it was Tadec's pack; now, she felt no attachment. Her loyalty lay with her alpha, not with her pack. She had never felt so fulfilled as she had at Tadec's side as his beta, his right paw, his ally.

She would never desert him.

She stood, giving only the slightest of nods to Eclipse, and followed her alpha away from her pack. Wherever he was going, whatever he was doing, he would need an ally.

And if she did nothing more than stand beside him for the rest of her days, she would be content.

~Vaishika has left.~

[Nalen]

The idea of being within packlands once again, gave her a jolt of nervous energy. It had been a long time since she had last been within packlands, yet now that she was here she was finding it rather homey. It was an odd sense that she hadn't been discovered yet, having been wandering the lands for a few days. Though she'd blame that on the whole deal with the spirits screwing with everything. Yes, that must be why everything wasn't running normally. The lands still held the scent of wolves, a few different scents but wolves none the less within the same territory. She wasn't all that sure what to make of three pack scents being within the same lands, but who was she to judge. It wasn't likely that it would effect her anyway.

The crimson colored pup stopped mid step as a howl dominated the skies. For a moment she just stood there, listening to see if there would be more. She had never been able to howl, so it was only natural that she was in complete awe of such a sound. After a moment longer she let her whip like tassle swish behind her silently as it fell into a neutral position behind her. There would be wolves gathering nearby. Turning around she slide into the comfort of seclusion as she silently approached the gathering. The young pup had spent alot of time on her own already, staying hidden was something she had picked up. Truth be told, she was no expert, but she knew the basics of the art.

Two clearly different scents began to dominate the area and she paused as a wolf passed her. Tensed muscles froze her small frame in its position until the black colored male had passed. Yet his scent was different from the next one was nearby, she hadn't been able to spot the other one but her scent was here. Silently she remained in her tensed position until the scent had passed. With a slight sigh the young female slipped from her spot and continued on her way. She wasn't far now, the scent of the others where causing her liver colored nose to tingle slightly.

A very large male moved from the group and she watched him for a moment, her small frame cringing back down into a low crouch, her tail tucking instictively. A few moments later a female followed and she remained where she was. Tiny heart hammered against the cage that confined it and she slowed her breathing to calm it. Nalen could never be sure why she feared others so much, but it was just the way things had always been, since her father had thrown her away anyway. As her heart rate slowed to a more exceptable level she crept forward and peered out from the seclusion of the shadows. The small pup crouched low to the ground and kept her tassle tucked close to her as she watched with her storm blue eyes. Her skinny frame hugging the earth to remain as small and insignificent as possible. The crimson and black of her pelt stood out from the fresh and newborn plants that where beinging to call this place home after such a long winter.

The storm blue eyes watched curiously, observing the two sides. Surely they had a kill somewhere on the lands, she would just have to wait to follow one of them to it. The loner scent clung heavily to her crimson pelt making her a dead give away should the breeze change course. Everything in life seemed to be left up to chance, and which ones you took. Or so she thought anyway.

[Nyx]

The shadow of a smile graced Nyx’s face as Elias made an appearance. True, the last time Nyx had seen Elias she’d been even more out of her mind than usual, but the little fae was a welcome sight all the same. Nyx looked now for some other welcome faces, her beta would be particularly welcome indeed, but never mind it.

Her auds flicked towards Tadec as he made his exit speech. It wasn’t very often Nyx was surprised, but she’d own up to it now. Tadec had worked so hard for this chaos and victory, and he wasn’t even going to sit around and gloat? Not even for a bit? Golden eyes watched him leave without comment. Her position had been precarious before, now she didn’t know what to make of it. She had a strong sense of déjà vu from when Caitra had disappeared. At least then it had been her pack.

Nyx didn’t know these wolves, but more importantly they didn’t know her, and now she was supposedly in charge. She could imagine her own reaction if some strange and evidently untrustworthy wolf showed up and started demanding lip service. She wouldn’t blame them for attacking on the spot, the situation really wasn’t fair. Nyx’s eyes turned to the beta, Vashika and with less surprise than resignation watched her get to her feet and follow Tadec. It was a mark of Tadec’s charisma, and hell, Nyx couldn’t blame her. However, it also removed Zehr’s last ranking member, and that wasn’t particularly good. They were bound to feel resentful, but this really wasn’t Nyx’s fault.

So she was right, the weather had been an omen after all.

She counted to three in her head, trying to ignore that nagging feeling of there being some other wolf here she didn’t know about. The worst of the shock should have worn off by now, time to sort this mess out.

‘Anyone else feel like walking out?’ she asked quietly, getting to her feet, tall and wraith like, inky black. Those golden eyes burned in her black face, and there was a sort of power about her. She wasn’t at all like Tadec, but he’d just walked out on his pack, so what did that say? ‘I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t blame you.’

Her ears flickered on her head, now that she was up and moving she was sure there was someone here who was not accounted for. All the comings and goings must have masked their approach. However, Nyx couldn’t afford to chase random wolves at present. If they were thoughtful they’d just leave and come back to be torn into small pieces at a more convenient time.