Palartok's Beginnings (closed)

......She had never been this far inland. Well, at least she was pretty sure she never had been, with all of her scrambled thoughts, she could never be too sure about anything, her brain often proving itself faulty.

......The area certainly didn't seem familiar, not a single thing really stood out to her. Her old family had always preferred to stay more on the outer edges of the world, rarely straying too far from the shore, and this certainly wasn't near the shore she grew up around, at least, she hoped that it wasn't.  If this was anywhere near her old life, it looked like she was going to have to keep chugging along, which  would really suck for her, as she had already been traveling pretty steadily for... well, she wasn't entirely sure, but she had been on the move for a while now, and was really starting to hope she'd find a nice little place to try and settle down in. However, if she needed to, she guessed she could keep going, all this walking was nice and soothing, to her mind, at least, not really to her legs and paws, but she could manage another few days worth of traveling if it came down to it. Besides, the challenge to push herself further and further away from her homeland was a nice interesting one.

......The little white she-wolf continued to weave through the impossibly tall, tightly packed trees, nothing more then a fluffy little ghost wandering aimlessly. Her little, slightly rounded ears were pricked forward, attentively listening to the chatter of the woods, her mind abuzz with singling out a certain sound and trying to see what the weirdest thing she could imagine making that sound. A chattering bear, the thought made her falter mid step, a little huff of amusement sneaking past her lips creating a little puff of vapor before her, her warm breath clashing with the frosty air of early winter. She continued to provide her own simple form of amusement, taking frequent breaks to stop and let out little huffs of laughter before continuing on her own little merry way.

......The forest was a little winter wonderland, each tree's branches were coated in a thin layer of frost along with the ground, it was a stunning sight to the she-wolf's dark fiery gaze. Perhaps this was the place where she could finally stop running and start trying to live again, just like she always wanted to after her... less then preferable past. This could be the place where she finally moves on and becomes the wolf she always aspired to be. But alas, she was surely getting in over her head, she didn't even know if there was a wolf around here for miles, so she did what she had been doing for so long now, keep running away from it all. She picked up her pace to a slight jog and continued to weave through the trees, heading to nowhere particular, just far far away from the shore, which was hopefully behind her now, in both senses, metaphorically and literally.

Inka
The cold harsh breeze of winter had arrived not long ago. At times it made the she-wolf doubt her sturdiness, for with every step she took the wind refused and made her fall back. For a month, it had become a game which she was regularly losing. Her usually warm-coloured coat was covered with the blinding snow, only specks of her fur being visible.

It was midday, and the female’s original plan was to head out and find some prey to hunt. She wasn’t searching for the big game, so she figured this area might provide some food as well as a good chance for her to check the border. So far this winter she’d ecountered more lone wolves than she could count – some already having died from the battle which the season was giving. Inka was not prepared to surrender, no matter what cruel challenges winter was to bring. If there was one thing which she was, she was determined. Yet she longed for nothing more but the warmth and serenity of home.

Diverting her direction and trudging towards the woods, she thought that perhaps there would be more security and peace there from the wind. Stumbling out of the clearing and into the enormous pack of trees, Inka let a number of repetitive puffs escape her. She threw her body from left to right, shaking the snow off herself furiously. The ground here was only lightly covered, meaning there was no more trekking for her today – she would return back into her territory through here. Why she hadn’t taken this route in the first place was beyond her.

But of course, a faint scent aroused the she-wolf's full attention. As there was very little gust, she could follow it to where it was going. Ah, but it was no sooner she began wandering when the female noticed the wolf’s trail was leading her straight into Palartok Territory. The last time she had bumped into Alignak they had left on good terms with no quarrels, however something ghastly was forcing her to stay in Yukon, so she listened to herself and chose not to pursue the female’s scent. With a sly smile, she realised that this wolf would either have to face Alignak or die on its way there.

Inka

The pitter-patter of the she-wolf’s quick light steps were the only thing breaking the silence between the tightly-packed trees and herself. As her brisk trot was allowing her to make rapid progress in returning back to the territory, Inka heard the faint and unmistakable voice of Alignak. Her mismatched golden-black ears perked as she abruptly halted, spinning her head around to find out the exact direction which the sound had come from. It was north-east from where she was standing – fairly deeper into the forest. She cared not to investigate, for it was declarable that the black male hadn’t taken his time in stopping the female midway. Inka allowed her lips to lift, seemingly as if she was to snarl, but instead she let out a number of barks - none too loud, none too quiet. Just enough for her to make herself clear to Alignak and let him know she was around, in a non-threatening manner.

Her jaw and face relaxed as she turned back around to continue on her way. She observed the icy frost which acted like a blanket to the trees as she padded away. At this the time of year, the woods here were a bare bare place, offering very little company of other creatures. Inka was alone, and she knew she’d be spending the rest of this season solitarily and getting by with very little food in her belly. Although, she did hope, that perhaps this very winter would be a lucky one, and some sort of pack would assemble before her. She already had a name for it – the Nanaimo pack. If for once, the female got her way, she believed that this was the one thing which would make her complete. Knowing that she would have a purpose and mean something to others was a cliché dream – but the only one she knew of.

Sick of this dull and tedious life which she had, the she-wolf let her emotions take over and a deep growl erupted from within. She cut it off early with a snap at the air, her teeth making a loud ‘clang’ as they closed and hit one another sharply with surprising force. Months of agony which she had kept to herself had been leading up to her suffering mental state, yet she persisted and ignored all the thoughts scrambling around her mind, waiting to catch her attention.

With a displeased gaze she looked to her right, becoming aware that she had neared the territory she’d now claimed as her own. The female’s scent filled the air, making any wolf which was lurking about know of her presence. Head down, searching for new tracks or smells, Inka slowly sauntered into her territory.

......She hated winter with a ferocious, savage rage. So much that it nearly undermined her intense fear of it, the key word being nearly. Yes, the all consuming anger that was currently pumping so loudly through her veins that she could scarcely hear herself think was nothing when compared to the feelings of pure dread poorly hidden below all of it. It was a surprising, if not unusual, fact about the she-wolf. One might expect that an Arctic wolf like her might actually enjoy winter, but nope, not her, she completely abhorred it, every little thing about it, especially its stupid constant need to show off its terrifying prowess over every living thing in the world.  

......Well, at least that’s what the she-wolf liked to tell herself, that it was perfectly justified anger pumping loudly through her body, not fear, heavens no, she was far too proud to admit that weakness to even herself. Nope, she stubbornly refused to believe that the cause of her pounding heart and trembling body was because she was scared. Nope, never, it was surely the cause of all the savage anger currently pounding through her body like a violent, rushing current of water. Yes, that was what was messing with her mind, making her feel so anxious and full of dread, not some stupid fear of getting a little cold, this wasn't even what she could consider the freezing point of her body, she knew what it felt like to be nearly freezing to death, and this wasn't the right temperature for it, not even close.

......She was rambling again, working herself up into some weird frenzy of panicked, messed up thoughts, something she had been trying so hard to not do for the past few weeks. She was so sure she had been avoiding the triggers so well, but she couldn't avoid the main trigger, which was the season itself. You couldn't avoid a certain season, no matter how far you traveled, she found that out the hard way, after spending a good few months going as far away as she dared to, but time and time again, she was scoffed and laughed at, told she was crazy for trying to run away from a natural occurrence. It took  some time, but she eventually very grudgingly admitted that maybe this was a whole new level of crazy  desperateness was not something too good for her already highly unstable self. So, here she was, trying and utterly failing to find herself a new little pack to settle down in.

......“Wolf! Stop!” The voice was full of booming confidence, loud and clear. Perhaps she spoke too soon? A voice that wasn't at all familiar was calling loudly, and it was seemingly directed towards her.

......Slowly, and very cautiously, the little she-wolf turned to focus all of her attention on this mysterious being who called for her. Before her stood a wolf, an absolutely massive one at that, she was probably only up to his shoulders, and he very obviously hundred percent male, with his tall, bulky stature and harshly scarred muzzle. He was certainly an interesting looking fellow, with his upper body, front legs and face consisting of dark brown hues, which then gradually faded to a greyish white colouration on the rest of his body. He was asking who she was, and what she was doing out here. That was somewhat surprising, as she was half expecting him to try and immediately start asserting complete dominance over her, he could easily fit the bill, but nope, he was acting mostly authoritative, but not crazily so.

......“Names Marlene,” she called back, just as loud and confident as he was, “who are you?”  She wasn't afraid of the brute, she was just curious, her little ears perked forward, listening attentively, not wanting to miss anything the male might say.

......“I'm looking for a pack to join, you happen to know any?” Came her reply, not having any interest in being all secretive over it, she wanted to join a pack, so she was going to, simple as that.

].....The male was certainly something, as he spun his own words into solid gold before her. He knew how to make solid deals, deals that were hard to resist, that much was obvious, he promised her a bountiful, easy life, and all he asked for in return was that he'd be the one with all the control. It seemed promising and highly tempting, she wouldn't mind if this wolf stole all the power, the fight in her had long since been brutally snatched away, and she didn't have any interest in getting it back. Besides, if this wolf turned out to be nothing more then some silver-tongued fool, she could just turn and start walking, she had no problem with being a coward and running away from problems, heck, she was doing all of that right then and there, so surely a few more bitter regrets couldn't seriously harm her.
].....“I'll take it.” the words rolled softly off of her tongue, breaking the quickly growing silence between them. She didn't see the need to change anything in this deal, she was done with being the top dog, and she just wanted to spend her last few years in some form of contentedness, and this would seem to be her one way ticket towards that dream.
].....“You hopefully know what you're getting into, leading a pack isn't as easy as you'd think.” The words came unbidden, slipping out past her lips quick and sudden, so fast she couldn't stop them, she didn't know what brought along such an afterthought, but it was far too late now to regret any of it. Slowly she tilted her head back to met his dark gaze, a simple little smile gracing her lips. Oh god, she hoped she knew herself what she was getting into with this male, she didn't even have his name.
].....The change was sudden and surprisingly fluid, just a quick blink of your eye and then bam, it was as if she was a completely different wolf. She took a few steps forward, closer towards the male, a foolish grin dancing across her lips, her tail wagging gently.
].....“Your kingdom awaits, your majesty” she said, giving a slightly awkward yet playful bow to the male before her. A second later, she was back on all fours, happily trotting away, following her nose to the faint, distant scent that was surely the male's own markings.
].....“You coming?” She had the nerve to bark at him, pausing briefly to peer over her shoulder curiously at him. Seconds later she was once again on  the move, trotting away, a slight bounce in her step. The deep snow was hardly a problem for her, her large and well-insulated paws made her instead float above it all, gliding effortlessly into the white abyss that lay beyond the both of them.
].....Excitement flowed through her body, making her feel weightless. It seemed things were looking up for once. She had found a decent male who was determined and ambitious in his acts, traits she adored, and all he wanted in return was her complete loyalty to him, a steal of a price, really.

Alignak grinned as his spirit lifted. He felt overjoyed, which his wagging tail and bright eyes showed immediately. This definitely wasn’t an emotion that Alignak commonly experienced, and part of him took a moment to wonder if it looked unnatural on him. Whether or not he looked attractive was beside the point, he quickly decided. What mattered to him at that moment was that he could finally start his pack. He almost couldn’t believe that it was happening.

“Thank you,” he said, smiling at Marlene. While his body language clearly showed his happiness, Alignak’s husky voice was something that would probably never change.  Marlene’s next few words were interesting. Was she implying that she had previously led a pack before? That didn’t make sense to him. Perhaps she had simply been told about it by someone who had been in that position. That was a good enough explanation for him, so he didn’t bother to say anything about it out loud. There was still, however, something important that needed to be said, and Alignak was surprised that he hadn’t mentioned it already.

“I must’ve gotten a bit ahead of myself, sorry,” he continued, "my name is Alignak-" It seemed that as soon as the words had left his mouth, Marlene had gone ahead and called him ‘your majesty’. Others might think that this was a bit over-the-top, but not Alignak. “That’s actually great. Feel free to keep calling me that,” he chuckled.

Marlene seemed impatient, but that was probably the excitement she was feeling. Alignak could feel it radiating off both her and himself. When she looked back to him over her shoulder, he gave her a clear nod and began trotting after her, before he eventually took the lead.

“I’ll take you to the main living area I’ve chosen for our territory,” he announced, “it’s a good place for a pack to live in. Also, I like the name Palartok. That’s what I’ll be calling the pack; I thought you should know.”