;; grass is greener

[arbie]

Spring! A time for pups, a time for love and romance. For one wolf to admit their feelings to another and let those feelings bloom. For a family to expand and siblings to gain more! How exciting it all was, especially within a pack. Receiving new pups would be a blessing to any pack. Just a few more mouths to feed, that was all! But the good outweighed the bad in Iris’ eyes. However, unlike Dancing Stars or Falling Moon, she didn’t have a pack to share that with. Goodness, she didn’t have a mate, and there was no male within the valley she would pick any time soon. Iris was happy to be on her own though, and she would be sure to check up on her father and siblings to see if they would be expecting any. As the alpha, Duke most likely was. Little brothers and sisters. Iris smiled at the thought, traipsing through No Man’s Land, making sure to keep to the shadows. She was a naïve wolf, sure, but she was smart enough to know to keep out of sight in a place like this. She still wasn’t sure what kind of wolves lurked around out here, and the thought of being in a very unfamiliar place unnerved her, especially when she thought of Taku.

Oh Taku.

Iris decided not to dwell on the thought of her own pups. It seemed to drag her down, and she was in such a good mood. Her belly was full and the sun was up, though it being Spring, it wasn’t as hot as it could be. Iris moved to a clearing and the tickling grass brushed against her legs. Her smile slowly returned and she lay down, letting her guard down for the moment. Closing her eyes, Iris let out a long breath before opening them again and rolling to her other side, gazing around the clearing. It was completely empty! Surprised but pleased, Iris lay her head down again. Surely a wolf would turn up soon enough, most likely to hunt. She had probably scared off all the prey by now! Though she couldn’t help but not feel bad. There were lots more places to hunt. Resting her head back down, another pleasant sigh escaped her as she relaxed completely. Life was good again.

[Fire]

What was so great about Spring anyway? Pups were a nuisance, and love was overrated. All this lovey-dovey nonsense just didn't roll with Taku. Where was the fun in having to be nice all the time? Ugh, what a drag. Nope, Spring was not his season. Come to think of it, he didn't really like any seasons. Summer was too hot, Winter was too cold and Autumn was too...Well, Autumn was too leafy, that's what Autumn was! Taku was in a particularly bitter mood today and even the weather was annoying him. It wasn't because it was too extreme, but because it was so boring! It was sort of, luke warm. It was warm, but there was a cold nip to the air. Yeah, if the weather were a wolf, he'd show it a thing or two.

Fortunately the weather was the weather, and wolves were wolves, and Taku found himself in a beautiful clearing in the middle of No Man's Land. Sometimes he wondered what life would be like if the Earthquake had never happened, and his siblings were still around, and he could've rejoined the Falling Moons. Somehow he didn't really think that would've happened. His mother was the reason he didn't want to go back to the pack. He liked being in the same place as her, even if he didn't see her very often. It comforted him that he could protect her more easily that way. That, and he was a little bit scared of his grandfather.

He blinked a few times in the sunlight, soaking in what warmth he good from it, hoping a breeze wouldn't pick up. As he gazed out at the clearing, his mood cautiously close to being good, he caught site of anothr wolf in the distance. Another wolf? Here of all places. Couldn't they just leave him alone? Annoyed, he began walking towards it, the tall grass tickling his underbelly. Perhaps he could start a confrontation, but he'd have to decide that when he saw who it was. He didn't want to go picking a fight with Duke, for example.

[/size]

[silverlight]

A refreshing sigh emitted as he began to creep quietly through. The clearing looked beautiful, what with all the various hues, reds, yellows, and violets. It seemed to make it explode with color, one of the reasons Silver loved this season best. As he continued on he picked up some unfamiliar scents as his nostrils tasted the slightly cool air. He knew from experience it was a male and female both and decides to more and try to avoid his adversaries, not knowing where they were.

As he slipped back the way he had come at a slow paced canter he happened to look back. The flower buds caught his deepest attention within his subconscious and he felt drawn to them. He literally tried to stop himself from a canter, causing his legs to lock, which resulted in him falling back upon his haunches, slowly sliding to a abrupt halt.

He quickly stood heading back towards the middle of the clearing, the very same he had been seemingly running from, and stood in admiration of the miracle of spring. He mad forgotten the whole purpose of his haste earlier and he seemed almost withdrawn from reality as he stared reality and nature down. His subconscious told him to run, yet he ignored the urge and sat back upon his haunches nearly still at the far edge of the clearing.

[arbie]

A scent came to her nose, and it was oddly familiar. She smiled and raised her head, looking round at the source. Her heart leapt when she spotted the recognizable face before she jumped to her feet, grinning. Tail wagging, she barked to gain his attention. It was rare to find Taku in such a large area, so she was fond of their meetings now and again. Smile as wide as it could be, canines exposed, Iris made her way towards him at a leisurely pace, eager to see how he was. And also to make sure he wasn’t hurt in any way; however, she wasn’t sure what she could do if he was harmed. He was a strong wolf though and could handle his own. At least, that’s what she liked to think. Though his mother wasn’t too strong physically, she was sure Caerwyn was. He was also charming… Too charming. But he was gone, leaving Iris alone. And that’s the way she preferred it now. She felt much freer without thinking the wolf would return.

Deciding not to dwell, Iris licked her son’s muzzle in greeting.
“Taku, it’s so good to see you.” she said warmly. Her voice was also soft, which was what it was like most of the time. Turning her head, another scent came to her nostrils and she took in a long breath. It was unfamiliar, and so with her son around, she was already cautious. Eyeing the surroundings, Iris finally stopped when she caught sight of a mostly silver wolf. Her first reaction was to smile in greeting, as he didn’t seem very vicious. He was sitting, so he wasn’t even challenging Iris or Taku. Tilting her head forward slightly, she lowered her ears.

“Hello!” she called, not wanting to leave this wolf out. She smiled lightly, “Are you alright?”
She wasn’t sure what else to say to him, but leaving it to just ‘hello’ seemed odd. She was quite sure he wasn’t hurt, but it was always safe to ask. It was also an open question, not just pertaining to emotions.

[Fire]

She had obviously recognised him before he could figure out who the wolf was, but as soon as she stood and barked, Taku knew straight away. At the site of her face, his body filled with a warmth that the sun could never provide for him. He rarely got to see his mother, and when he did it made him feel so much better. There weren't many wolves that he trusted. Heck, he barely even saw the rest of his family nowadays.
Smiling warmly as she greeted him, he was about to ask her how everything was going when he caught the scent of another wolf. Scowling, he looked around to see who was interrupting his family reunion. Taku didn't take kindly to meeting wolves at the best of times. He much preferred his own company.

His mother on the other hand, was far too welcoming. Sometimes he found it hard to believe they were related. It made him quite protective of her because he always worried that one day she'd be far too friendly to the wrong wolf and he'd take advantage of her. Instinctively, he moved closer to her as she spoke gently to the new wolf. He looked closely at the newcomer sitting at the edge of the clearing. Raising himself to full height, he dug his claws into the ground and narrowed his eyes. He almost hoped the brute was hostile. It'd be more fun that way.

"What're you looking at?" he growled irritably.

[silverlight]

Silver held his position realizing the others were right in eachothers plain of sight. His face flushed with nervousness as his audits dropped. They had perked however at a friendly greeting, but had dropped back upon hearing the males harsh words. He stood to his paws quickly thinking the male was going to hurt him, however hackles continued to stay lowered. He knew how to remain calm and knew now was the time. He didn't growl and just stood his ground, not daring to come any closer.

As he stood once again his cranium slunk forward so he didn't have to look at them completely and his audits swiveled over towards their position to better hear them. His orbs downcasted and had no intention of ascending. He barked back clearly, "I am fine," yet seemed to cut off abruptly as if he wasn't used to company at all. He had mainly kept to himself and even talking was a bit awkward.

He mainly ignored the male hoping he would just leave him alone, although the male may have taken his silence as a challenge. Silver wasn't thinking and turned his attentions completely on the female ignoring the male, which left him open if the brute did want to attack him. He would not just sit back once the first attack had, most likely, succeeded. Instead he would just try and save himself by injuring the other just enough to at least get away.

[arbie]

Iris could feel hostility radiating from Taku as soon as he spotted the other wolf. She tensed, looking at her son then back at the silver wolf, hesitating. She wouldn’t have her son scaring off any possibility of a friend, and as far as she could tell, this wolf was friendly. He wasn’t challenging him back, nor did he even get angry when Taku barked at him. Unsure about how Taku would take that, she wagged her tail and nudged Taku in hopes he would calm down. Why was he so agitated? She would need to make sure he was alright later, once this wolf moved on. Turning her head again, she smiled warmly at Silver and moved toward him curiously, being sure to look as welcoming as possible. She didn’t want to scare the poor wolf off; he seemed awkward enough as it was. She stopped a few feet away, glancing at Taku, wondering if he’d join her before looking at Silver.

“You’re not from Caden Valley, are you?” she inquired. His scent was different, and while Caden Valley was new to her, she had seen most of the wolves that had stayed behind. She wasn’t entirely sure about the situation with the previous pack, but she knew the new alpha of Dancing Stars was from this valley. The thought of an unfamiliar wolf taking charge of any pack was worrying for Iris, and she would be offended if someone did that to the Falling Moons. But her opinion of the Dancing Stars was kept to herself. She sat down comfortably opposite Silver, leaving Taku for now. Hopefully he would join her and try and be friendlier.
“What’s your name? My name’s Iris.”

Iris was probably the most friendly of her siblings. It was also why she didn’t fit into the pack properly, but she would never turn away from Falling Moon completely to join Dancing Stars. Dancing Stars did seem appealing, she knew they would be similar to herself, but she couldn’t do that to her family. She loved them, and they loved her(though it was difficult to tell sometimes). It also had something to do with Taku: he seemed to be growing too fierce for the likes of Dancing Stars. She wasn’t surprised, but was a little saddened.

[Fire]

With his mother being one of the only wolves he cared for, it meant she was one of the only wolves he would actually listen to. He glared at Silver bitterly for a few moments more, as if trying to intimidate him, before he looked at his mother. She nudged him and he knew she wanted him to act nicer. As much as he adored his mother, she was far too soft. It was hard to believe she was Duke's daughter to be honest, the way she acted. Sometimes he didn't believe she deserved to be his offspring. If Taku had been Duke's son, he would've followed his every order, carried out every deed that needed doing. Maybe even have inherited the Falling Moon throne when Duke died.

Now there was a thought. He forgot all about the strange silver wolf and his mother's overly nice behaviour, and wondered instead what it would be like to be the alpha of the Falling Moons. The respect, the authority, the power. His mouth practically oozed with saliva, swimming lustfully in thoughts of being an alpha. He stared at the grass greedily, as if it were a huge dead carcass and he'd not eaten in weeks. Imagine it, though. Taku, the most powerful and feared wolf in all the lands. Nobody would dare to cross him. He'd probably be revered as some sort of wolf-God.

His mothers voice grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him back to reality. He frowned resentfully, wishing he were back in his daydream instead of being sucked into a polite conversation with some ugly bastard wolf and his goody two shoes mother. As soon as he'd thought this, he felt bad. His mother was wonderful, regardless of her friendly nature. It wasn't a bad thing, after all. She was caring, and that was a quality that surprisingly Taku was very fond of. She'd brought him up, all on her own, and he would never stop being grateful. Surely he could sit through a few minutes of mind-numbingly dry conversation with this wolf.

He stepped forward and stood proudly next to his mother. This wasn't his way of intimidating the wolf, it was just habit. Although he was a coward, he was extremely proud of his size and strength and liked to show it off as much as possible.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, champ" he lied with a painful smile, his voice dripping in sarcasm. He hadn't meant to, but it'd just slipped out. Hey, he was trying his best.

[silverlight]

Silver's maw pursed tightly together a moment as both wolves approached. He continued sitting as he tilted his cranium off to one side, 'Oh great they are coming over,' he thought to himself insecurely. He shifted yet stayed, readying himself to run should he have to. As he heard 'Caden Valley' his audits perked and he almost wanted to say he wanted to join the Stars, but instead kept this to himself to hopefully not raise any tension in case they were Moon members.

His mind was shifting and torn in those next few moments and he found himself taking the chance anyway, "I am thinking of joining the Stars," he said somewhat smugly, tassle swaying lazily upon the ground. Upon finishing the sentence he had forgotten to introduce himself, "I am Silver, Iris."As he emitted he had stood to his paws quickly readying to run should he have to.

He had ignored the male that appeared to be the female's son, but now he appeared a bit more cool, aside from his attitude. He decides to include him now and even 'try' and be nice despite the other's apparent lack of manners. He answered back politely, "Why thank you," and wanted to go on but stopped himself he was very conscious when a fight could be started. He was morea preventer than a starter. He only fought when another started it.

[arbie]

It's a pleasure to meet you, champ.

Iris glanced at Taku. She wondered if Silver would catch on to his almost condescending nickname - she sure did - but the stranger appeared to be ignoring it or it sailed straight over his head. Iris was pleased to meet another lone wolf, it meant someone she could bump into now and again. Every loner was mostly neutral, and that’s what she liked in friends. Being forced to choose between Falling Moon and Dancing Stars was, at times, almost difficult. She didn’t enjoy the fighting. The battles. The rivalry. It was tough on her.

At the mention of Dancing Stars, Iris glanced at Taku. She vaguely knew about his thoughts on them, as he was heavily influenced by her father’s position and pack. Iris believed Taku maybe even wanted to join Falling Moons, but she wasn’t sure. She didn’t feel like speaking to him about it either, in fear of an argument turning out.

“Dancing Stars?” Iris repeated, offering him a tired smile, “May I ask, why not Falling Moon?”

Iris wasn’t about to try and make him change his mind. He was free to do what he wanted, and if it was to join Dancing Stars, then he was free to do so. Hopefully Taku wouldn’t try and influence him to Falling Moon either.

[Fire]

He was beginning to realise that patience was really not his thing. He watched with vague politeness as the two wolves conversed, talking about what bloody pack this Silver bloke was going to join. Oh, you're thinking of joining the Dancing Stars? Well I'd be careful around me when I'm hungry because I eat Dancing Stars for breakfast! He smirked a little at the wolf as if he could actually hear him, trying not to chuckle at his hilarious ideas.
Wait. What was that? He noticed the smug tone of voice that the wolf had and sat up a little straighter, his thoughts of eating this wolf for breakfast vanishing. Scowling, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to protest. He didn't know much about this wolf, but joining the Dancing Stars was a big mistake, in his opinion.

However, he glanced at his mother and immediately he deflated and let out a sigh instead. Well now, he didn't want to offend this wolf, did he? He looked back at Silver and forced a smile, which actually looked more like a grimace, and waited until they'd finished talking. If this wolf joined the Dancing Stars, he'd be a laughing stock! In Taku's opinion, all Dancing Stars should be mocked anyway. He didn't know much about them really, but he imagined they were weak, and probably walked around tripping over their own feet because they were too busy gawping at how pretty the rocks were. He smirked a little, amused at his own joke. On the other hand, if he joined the Falling Moons, then he'd probably be torn apart. Deciding to bestow this wolf with just a sprinkle of Taku's infinite wisdom, he opened his mouth almost as soon as his mother had finished speaking.

"You know, if you want my advice, I'd just stick around No Man's Land." He shrugged a little to show that he really didn't care whether this wolf followed his advice or not. It made no difference to him. "No offense, fella, but you don't exactly look like you'd survive two minutes in Moon territory," he commented, puffing out his chest proudly before realising that what he said might've been offensive and glancing quickly at his mother. "Erm, what I mean to say, is that- well y'know-" he wasn't the best with words, in all honesty, "-they might tear you apart," he finished with a grimace and another small shrug. He was completely aware that what he had just said was probably neither helpful nor articulate, seeing as this wolf had expressed no intention of joining the Falling Moons.

"And as for the Dancing Stars," he quickly added, just so that he had all areas covered. "Well, they're just a bit naff really. They'll probably make you star gaze or...or something."

[silverlight]

Silver listened intently feeling a bit more welcomed by Iris. He began to sit back upon his haunches wanting to explain he had been following the 'war' from a distance for quite a while and he, himself was a more peaceful wolf. It didn't mean he should be underestimated upon the battlefield though. He knew Taku was right about Faling Moon and for prides sake decided to stay away from the topic, he couldn't take a whole pack by himself. He could take probably two moderate fighting wolves, but that was about it.

His audits split swiveled between the two till Iris had finished then they seemed to stay right with Taku. He brushed Taku off almost completely but did feel some sympathy for the 'blind' wolf, "You don't realize that the Stars have had to defend their land plenty," he said, and then adding quickly, "I actually in time want to become a fighter for them." He ended with a bit of pride and puffed his own chest out a bit to show he wasn't as weak and bad off as the wolf had thought.

Silver could handle his own and as he thought more he realized it was time for him to give the reasons why he wanted to join the Stars. He first had apologized for taking so long to answer Iris's question, "Well I wanted a more peaceful pack, that way you don't have to watch your back." This answer was kinda a tease back at Taku for calling him champ and was even emitted some sarcastically back at the wolf with the mouth.

[arbie]

Iris raised her head as Silver spoke in favour for Dancing Stars. She looked at him with a sort of suspsion now, feeling a rumbling in her stomach that wasn’t hunger. Was it anger? Iris didn’t like using that word, she preferred to call it irritation. And this wolf was certainly starting to irritate her. Her father’s pack weren’t bloodthirsty ruffians that attacked each other for no reason! She felt herself becoming more agitated, and then felt the need to say something in honour of her father.

“Falling Moon wolves don’t just attack each other.” she stated firmly, “They attack strangers to defend their lands and to defend each other. They are not just blood thirsty creatures that attack each other, they trust and look out for each other, just like Dancing Stars. They just have a bigger bite and a harsher bark.”

She wouldn’t have anyone speak to her son in that way, either. Silver seemed to be becoming a bit egotistical in this meeting. Was it because they were loners with no pack? Was it because they were younger than him? Iris didn’t even know that, but any assumption soon came to mind as to why Silver was being so… so much like this! However, it never came to mind that perhaps it was because Taku was being just as bad. No, she didn’t care what Taku did.

“And don’t talk to him like you’ve been here all your life.” she continued, referring to Silver’s first statement, “Falling Moon have had to protect themselves just as much. Do you know where these packs even came from? I have a hunch you don’t, so don’t go walking around as if my son knows nothing. You’re both on the same level.”

Taku may even know more than Silver, as Iris enjoyed trying to tell him little history facts about Empyrean Valley and things about both Falling Moon and Dancing Stars. That included wolves she knew that were part of those packs, and she often pondered aloud whether they were still alive or not. She knew most of the living Falling Moon, but Iris tended to avoid Dancing Star wolves, just for the sake of her father. She wasn’t entirely sure if people knew she was the daughter of Duke or not, either. This made her wonder if people avoided her too.

[/size]

[Fire]

Again, he was about to retort angrily to Silver's comments about what Taku considered to be his 'family', but stopped for his mother. Although this time, not because she would disapprove, but because he didn't want to interrupt her own angry rant. Of course, he hadn't taken Siver's words that way at all. It was almost a compliment. He enjoyed being a part of such a strong and possibly violent pack, it made him feel like he had a good reputation. 'Street cred', that sort of thing. Never-the-less, he whole-heartedly enjoyed his mothers speech, and stood smugly next to hher, looking at Silver with an irritating smirk, like when a pup watched someone else get blamed for something they did.

As his mother spoke, his skin prickled and he felt a strange pride swell up in his chest. It wasn't the normal kind though, the one he felt when he got to tell others that he was Duke's grandson. No, this was different. He felt suddenly like he was part of something great. His family were strong and ferocious wolves who commanded respect, and he felt humbled to be a part of it. Then again, it might be a bit of indigestion. He had eaten a bit more than he needed to yesterday. Regardless, the thought of reconnecting with his family stuck in his head. His fear of Duke would surely be vanquished when Duke saw his beloved grandson, and welcomed him back with open arms...right?

At the last part, Taku chuckled arrogantly. "Same level?" he snorted, his voice so infuriatingly superior that it's meaning couldn't be missed. This wolf was certainly not on the same level as him, this wolf was an idiot! A bumbling, silver idiot who needed to learn to be respectful when in the presence of royalty like his mother and himself.

[silverlight]

Silver hadn't meant to be as cocky as he had been, however being somewhat prideful he felt as if he had reached a 'point of no return.' He was going to try to get out of it, yet he wasn't the best wolf for giving in to others opinions either. He backed up a minute sitting down upon his haunches, 'I really don't know all that much,' he reasoned with himself, 'but if I say it out loud I will look like a complete idiot.' He thinks for a long time sitting there deciding to at least let them know that he actually didn't know all that much.

He gulped quickly the fear almost stopping him in his tracks. As he gulped he quickly emitted, " Your right I don't know everything," he admitted adding quickly, "but I do know some." He knew he probably looked like an idiot but he tried somewhat to redeem himself in both of the other two wolves eyes. He hadn't talked to another in quite a while so it was expected he was going to be rusty with communication skills. He didn't want anyone to know, however, that he was a bit lazy and anti-social. Through his behavior it was apparent he was anti-social.