Fable - Ask Laws of the Pack

[The Kimber]

"Yes, yes you can. I'll go with you in case something happens."

She nodded softly as they headed in search for water. They found a stream and she got to her knees quietly, lowering her head to scoop up the water and take a drink to make sure it did not taste bad. It was fine, her instincts told her and she drank from the cup her hands made silently before lowering the waterskin into the running water and filling it. She stood, cupping her hands again and walking to him, offering him a drink from her hands, curious if he would take it.

When they were done she picked up the waterskin and headed to him. She bumped him again slightly, lifting her hand to gently rub his back for only a second before pulling away, not wanting to over step her bounds. She said softly "I am sorry for your losses today..." and then fell silent again as they went back to the group. She smiled softly as she walked to each survivor offering them a drink. Then she moved to the alpha slowly to offer him some. Realization dawned on her that she probably should have offered him first drink, and she got very nervous very quick as she walked towards him, holding out the waterskin carefully.

"Are you thirsty sir...?"

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

She nodded softly as they headed in search for water. They found a stream and she got to her knees quietly, lowering her head to scoop up the water and take a drink to make sure it did not taste bad. It was fine, her instincts told her and she drank from the cup her hands made silently before lowering the waterskin into the running water and filling it. She stood, cupping her hands again and walking to him, offering him a drink from her hands, curious if he would take it.

He simply stood back to let her do her work, gathering the water as she had come to do. He had been looking around at the surrounding trees, so he was caught off guard when she offered him a drink from her hands. He looked at it a moment before smiling at her thankfully, and taking the drink, lowering his muzzle into the cup of her hands and drinking up the life-giving liquid. "Thank you."

When they were done she picked up the waterskin and headed to him. She bumped him again slightly, lifting her hand to gently rub his back for only a second before pulling away, not wanting to over step her bounds. She said softly "I am sorry for your losses today..." and then fell silent again as they went back to the group. She smiled softly as she walked to each survivor offering them a drink. Then she moved to the alpha slowly to offer him some. Realization dawned on her that she probably should have offered him first drink, and she got very nervous very quick as she walked towards him, holding out the waterskin carefully.

"Are you thirsty sir...?"

The hand on his back felt nice, it's comfort clearly present and he almost missed it when it left. Then she spoke, expressing verbally her condolences and he turned to face her, "Thank you, for your sympathy."

The alpha, when approached by the newcomer glared in mistrust, and her offer of water was grunted away, "I don't need any now. It is only thought I now need. Tend to the others, they will need nourishment before I."

 

[The Kimber]

She felt his warm nose touch her hand for a fleeting second as he drank from her hands and she smiled softly. When the water was gone he thanked her and she smiled softly with a gentle "of course."

"Thank you, for your sympathy." he said as they walked back and she spoke her few words. "You're welcome" she replied lightly as they returned.

"I don't need any now. It is only thought I now need. Tend to the others, they will need nourishment before I." the alpha grunted at her as she offered him water. She nodded softly and moved to the few that hadn't already gotten water. The alpha reminded her somewhat of her father and the idea that she was stuck under the weight of another like him unnerved her slightly.

When everyone was watered she moved back to Baraek carefully. She sat slowly besides him, she had touched him earlier, he had drank from her hands, perhaps he trusted her some. She slowly reached behind him once more, rubbing his back as a sign of friendship and caring, lightly. She could feel his strong muscles beneath her hand, tense, tight and ready for a fight. She took a slow breath as she looked around, just trying to sooth his tension slightly. The other wolves looked at them on occassion but paid little mind. When the alpha looked to them though, she stopped rubbing his back nervously. Putting her hands back in her lap and looking to them silently.

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

When everyone was watered she moved back to Baraek carefully. She sat slowly besides him, she had touched him earlier, he had drank from her hands, perhaps he trusted her some. She slowly reached behind him once more, rubbing his back as a sign of friendship and caring, lightly. She could feel his strong muscles beneath her hand, tense, tight and ready for a fight. She took a slow breath as she looked around, just trying to sooth his tension slightly. The other wolves looked at them on occassion but paid little mind. When the alpha looked to them though, she stopped rubbing his back nervously. Putting her hands back in her lap and looking to them silently.

He paid little attention to her sitting down, he'd expected it to happen after all. He was slightly surprised by the return of her hand to his back, the slow up and down rubbing along his back a welcome comfort. Her warm touch oddly soothing, and she'd be able to feel the muscles in his back relaxing, going from feeling like compressed springs to feeling more like sacks of flour, hard and tough but not tight.

The alpha clearly unnerved her, and that was fair. But the alpha no longer had any concern about her, she'd have gone with the encroachers if she were one of them, and now they were her best chance of survival, he knew that her loyalty was at least temporarily secured. So he didn't spend long looking at her.

The wolves began to go quiet, steadily falling asleep. Baraek let out a tired yawn, then said to her, "You should sleep, I don't think we're done walking yet."

After that he laid against a tree and closed his eyes.

 

[The Kimber]

She smiled as he relaxed a little at her touch, at least she could help soothe his sore muscles, since she couldn’t take the pain of what happened away. The alpha did not waste much time watching her and as the others began to lay down and fall asleep Baraek yawned and too, settled to sleep. She turned her sapphire eyes to him quietly as he settled against a tree, closing his eyes.

"You should sleep, I don't think we're done walking yet."

“I will keep watch…” She said softly, against her aching desire to sleep. She stood, to stop herself from also falling asleep, shaking her head side to side slightly to smooth her fur. She lifted her eyes to the moon for a moment as she moved to lean against the same tree Baraek rested against. There were no abnormal sounds in the woods, so, much like he had the night before she slowly began to relax and she moved to sit besides him. She kept her eyes open as long as she could before they got heavy. She wished she could shift, sleeping in her pure wolven form would be much more comfortable out here, but the collar prevented that.

She rose her fingers to the collar slowly, trailing the pad of her fingertip over the craftsmanship as she drifted a little off. She startled herself awake slightly as her hand fell and she leaned a little towards Baraek, looking around. There was still no noise. She shifted how she sat slightly, letting herself lean against his sleeping form just slightly as she let her eyes close and she slipped into sleep.

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

She told him that she'd keep watch, normally he'd argue, saying that being on watch was the duty of the man, but he didn't have the energy to argue, and he fell asleep soon after. She stayed awake, other than her there was only the alpha who remained sleepless. He stayed up, moving silently around the outskirts of the "camp" made by the sleeping wolves, ever dutiful.

The pack would begin to stir around midday, as they had stopped in the early morning. Baraek woke up about an hour before that, and found her sleeping beside him, head on his shoulder. He had no idea why but that just brought a smile to his face, along with the urge to make this sleeping woman feel safe.

He'd wait for her to wake before finally moving.

 

[The Kimber]

She felt the warmth of the sun as the woods warmed slightly, the sound of the other wolves stirring woke her up. Her eyes parted and she realized her head was resting on his shoulder. She moved slowly, turning her eyes to see if he was awake, and he was. "Sorry...." she said with a faint laugh in her voice. Her muzzle parted as she yawned, blinking tiredly and looking slowly around.

She had slept well, considering all things. Soothed by the strong male besides her, his scent so close soothed the animal instincts deep within her. She smiled softly, putting her hands on the ground besides her and pushing herself slowly to her feet. She offered him a hand should he want it before stretching, her tail wagging just slightly as she looked to him with a smile.

She tore her eyes from him and looked around at the others slowly, her eyes stopping on the Alpha for a few moments, cautiously.

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

"Sorry...." she said with a faint laugh in her voice.

"Sorry? What for?" He asked, genuinely curious as to why she felt she should apologize.

She had slept well, considering all things. Soothed by the strong male besides her, his scent so close soothed the animal instincts deep within her. She smiled softly, putting her hands on the ground besides her and pushing herself slowly to her feet. She offered him a hand should he want it before stretching, her tail wagging just slightly as she looked to him with a smile.

She tore her eyes from him and looked around at the others slowly, her eyes stopping on the Alpha for a few moments, cautiously.

He'd get up just as she did, so he'd already be on his feet by the time she started to offer her hand. He himself did a few stretches of his own to limber up for the day. Mostly his back, chest, neck and arms. Once that was done he'd take a look around, see if anything had changed, nothing had. The alpha remained watchful, but he looked physically tired, though also forcing himself to keep going.

She had been wrong to think the alpha to be like her father, the alpha's primary concern was his pack, and while he was past his prime, he was a strong leader who was determined to see his pack survive.

 

[The Kimber]

"Sorry? What for?"

"Sorry for laying on you.. didn't know if it made you uncomfortable..." she replied softly as she watched him stretching.

She stretched as well, mimicking Baraek slightly as she did so. She picked up the still partially full waterskin and attempted again to see if the alpha would drink. She had little to no experiences with the male, and the little she had he came across as rough and mean, though it was true she really knew nothing of him nor his pack, nor how they should act. He acted like an old, grumpy man, like her father so she had nothing else to judge him against.

She tentatively walked to him, holding out the waterskin as she had before.

“Sir, you should drink a little, please. It has been a long two days and I have not seen you eat nor drink. You do well for your pack by taking care of yourself as well as them…”

She watched him, hoping she did not overstep her boundaries. She held the waterskin to him patiently, hoping he would take some.
Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

“Sir, you should drink a little, please. It has been a long two days and I have not seen you eat nor drink. You do well for your pack by taking care of yourself as well as them…”

The alpha did not respond at first, then he gave a dry chuckle, "I may have misjudged you. You are far bolder than I gave you credit for." He took the offered waterskin, "Thank you."

He said nothing more, he took a drink, and gave it back to her. Then he returned to what he had been doing before, planning. A good portion of an hour later, and the rest of what remained of the pack began to wake up. Almost an hour after that, they began moving again. A similar cycle would follow for the next few days, until the forest shifted from a mix of various kinds of trees, to almost exclusively evergreens. It was there that they finally began to rebuild.

First, the alpha instructed that they hunt big animals, very big animals, like trolls or ogres. Their ribcages would serve to support their homes and their bones would prove valuable materials, not to mention the tough leather and meat they'd get.

So they split up to cover more ground, it was a hunt after all, and as usual, Baraek and Sephrenia were paired together. So they went to hunt trolls, or ogres, whichever they found first. On the way, Baraek questioned, "Ever see either of those creatures before?"

 

[The Kimber]

Though he ignored her at first, she held her ground and finally he chuckled and his wall broke, if ever so slightly and he spoke, taking the water."I may have misjudged you. You are far bolder than I gave you credit for. Thank you."

She nodded her head, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her maw, a slight battle won in her acceptance to the pack.

The days carried on as the travelling in search of a new home continued. After some days the pack seemed to settle amongst a large clearing of trees. It was beautiful, she was pleased with their newly chosen home, though her opinion only mattered slightly. She spent the entire time travelling attached to Baraek’s hip more or less, not leaving his protection. Now it was deemed time to hunt and her and Baraek were paired up as usual.

"Ever see either of those creatures before?"

“I have only seen Orc and Trolls in books, never in person, with the exception of their ribcage… I assume.” She laughed softly, referring to his previous den. She had her bow ready, double arrows also already ready to fly though they were not tipped in her blood as it would need to be fresh. She would sink these two first before reloading and doing what needed to be done.

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

“I have only seen Orc and Trolls in books, never in person, with the exception of their ribcage… I assume.” She laughed softly, referring to his previous den. She had her bow ready, double arrows also already ready to fly though they were not tipped in her blood as it would need to be fresh. She would sink these two first before reloading and doing what needed to be done.

this earned a short laugh from him too, "That was an Ogre ribcage that I used. The Ogre, at least the kind used to hold my old den, is a fifteen foot tall, four-armed monstrosity, you really can't miss them. They are cave dwelling creatures, only really venturing out at night to hunt, so if we want an ogre, we'll need to go towards the mountain. Trolls are more versatile, to the point where I can't really describe one without being completely wrong about every other troll. I say we go for an ogre, they tend to be bigger and provide more material. Which would you prefer?"

 

[The Kimber]

"That was an Ogre ribcage that I used. The Ogre, at least the kind used to hold my old den, is a fifteen foot tall, four-armed monstrosity, you really can't miss them. They are cave dwelling creatures, only really venturing out at night to hunt, so if we want an ogre, we'll need to go towards the mountain. Trolls are more versatile, to the point where I can't really describe one without being completely wrong about every other troll. I say we go for an ogre, they tend to be bigger and provide more material. Which would you prefer?"

She shrugged faintly but then replied, "You want an Ogre, so we shall get an Ogre." She smiled softly as they continued. "Question becomes, where is there a cave to find one in? I am not too familiar with these lands."

As they trotted through the brush, on occasion she'd playfully bump and hip check him. She'd grown fond of her new found friend and having a wolven friend like her was comforting and she was starting to relax in their company, even in the Alpha's.

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

She shrugged faintly but then replied, "You want an Ogre, so we shall get an Ogre." She smiled softly as they continued. "Question becomes, where is there a cave to find one in? I am not too familiar with these lands."

"Well, checking individual caves will take too long, we simply need to find an area of woodland with signs of ogre activity. Think signs of a bear but ramped up in size and frequency." He informed her.

Her bumping his hip with her own had become commonplace, and he was trying to think of a way to properly get back at her. Something fun, teasing in some way. But he couldn't think of anything. But he wouldn't stop thinking about it, he'd find a solution, and he'd "punish" her properly.

Her relationship with the rest of the pack had grown considerably. She might not yet be considered a member, but she was one of them now.

 

[The Kimber]

"Well, checking individual caves will take too long, we simply need to find an area of woodland with signs of ogre activity. Think signs of a bear but ramped up in size and frequency."

She nodded softly at his description, scanning the area for signs. She relaxed her grip a little on the nocked arrows, letting her arms relax a little to prevent them from getting tired. She looked to Baraek quietly and smiled.

"I assume you were born in this pack? Are you related to the alpha?"

She asked curiously. She sensed some tension between them, but she was not sure where it came from. As she looked around she realized how hungry she was, she pondered for a moment.

"Should we stop and eat something?" She asked lightly

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

"I assume you were born in this pack? Are you related to the alpha?"

"I was born into the pack, yes. And yes, the alpha just happens to be my father. It's nothing special truly, most alphas have a lot of children. I am the only one of my brothers left though." He told her, he likely wouldn't have shared this information with her before the attack, but he trusted her at this point, and it wasn't as if it were a secret.

Should we stop and eat something?" She asked lightly

"If you're feeling peckish, sure, I see no reason why not."

 

[The Kimber]

"I was born into the pack, yes. And yes, the alpha just happens to be my father. It's nothing special truly, most alphas have a lot of children. I am the only one of my brothers left though."

She nodded softly, that explained the tension somewhat. She was curious as to more information, but she did not want to ask too much.

"If you're feeling peckish, sure, I see no reason why not."

She lifted her head to the air, sniffing slightly. She didn’t think they needed much, a rabbit would suffice for her at least, she was unsure how much he would eat if anything.

“Are you hungry as well?” she asked softly, if he too was hungry than a wild pig maybe better for the pair of them. She stopped walking as she sniffed the air, her ears perked. She smelled something that did not smell very good and she looked around. The scent was far off and she caught only the tail end of it, but it was a foreign smell to her. She looked to him…

“Do you smell that… It is not a smell I am familiar with…” she said, wondering if it was a troll or Ogre possibly.

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

“Are you hungry as well?” she asked softly, if he too was hungry than a wild pig maybe better for the pair of them.

"Not particularly, I could stand to eat sure but I don't need to right this moment." He said calmly.

She stopped walking as she sniffed the air, her ears perked. She smelled something that did not smell very good and she looked around. The scent was far off and she caught only the tail end of it, but it was a foreign smell to her. She looked to him…

“Do you smell that… It is not a smell I am familiar with…” she said, wondering if it was a troll or Ogre possibly.

He sniffed the air too, and grinned. "It looks like lunch will have to wait. That's an ogre, and by the smell of it it's male. Be ready for the fight of your life. Ogres, especially the males, are a lot tougher than most other creatures. But that's why we hunt in groups, to take down prey much larger than ourselves."

He withdrew his own bow, and nocked an arrow, he doubted that arrows alone would kill it. They'd have to spear it somehow, swords weren't hunting weapons but they could serve them that purpose. He stalked ahead of her, motioning for her to stay down and quiet, an ogre was no walk in the park.

They'd find it, a thirteen foot tall gorilla-like creature with porcupine-like quills for a mane. It's shoulders were almost five feet across and it had four arms. It was quite obviously a male, one could see why that was, and it had a mouthful of curved, vicious teeth. Obviously not to be taken lightly.

He glanced at her, "You ready for this?"

 

[Sephrenia]

"It looks like lunch will have to wait. That's an ogre, and by the smell of it it's male. Be ready for the fight of your life. Ogres, especially the males, are a lot tougher than most other creatures. But that's why we hunt in groups, to take down prey much larger than ourselves."

Seph looked to Baraek quietly as he readied his bow and they proceeded closer toward the ogre. He motioned for her to stay low and be quiet, and she did so, her sapphire eyes scanning the area rapidly as the broke the distance between them and the beast quickly. When she saw it, she froze for a second. Was he serious that they were going to attack this thing? Her ears pinned nervously against her head as she looked around for someway to make this a little easier.

"You ready for this?"

She drug her tongue over her muzzle slowly as she looked to him, frowning a little and giving her head a slight shake symbolizing "no" before proceeding forward. As she walked forward, crouched to stay as hidden as possible, she watched the ogre's movements closely, searching for any weakness she could possibly see. The creature was massive and horrifying and she was really beginning to doubt the sanity behind this idea. But, obviously this pack had done this hunt many times and lived to tell the tale, so she would trust in that.

She un-nocked one of the arrows she'd readied and drew the sharp tip along the forearm as she had done hundreds of times, letting the sharp edge bite into her flesh, spilling her own blood. She dipped both arrow tips into her blood before renocking the arrows and aiming, waiting for his order to shoot.
Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

Once they got within ten feet he whispered, "Shoot it's legs, aim for the ankles and calves."

He drew his own bow, not really seeing her blood magic so he had no idea what she was capable of just yet. He took aim, and let fly the arrow. It bit behind the creatures knee, making it drop briefly, leaving it's other leg out behind it and exposed, a perfect opportunity to shoot.

 

[Sephrenia]

"Shoot it's legs, aim for the ankles and calves."

She nodded softly pulling the bowstring taunt. She felt her blood heat, the wound on her arm throbbing slightly. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she aimed. Baraek's arrow found solace in the creature's leg, just behind the knee, causing it to falter and drop. She released her bowstring, her two arrows sinking into the flesh of the Ogre with a sickening thud. One arrow ending in the achilles heel of the ogre, the other having just missed the creature's lower spine. She quickly reached back to her quiver, grabbing another arrow, dipping it in her blood and moving from where she hence shot from, hoping to confuse the creature slightly.

"Ulcus” she said as she had said during the fight with the encroachers, the spell that would control her own blood as it began to overtake the creature's blood, racing through it's veins with each thudding beat of the creature's heart. Her sapphire eyes had darkened slightly upon her saying the words, her concentration not only on her aim of the blood soaked arrow that she nocked, but also concentrating on her bond to her own blood which seeped through it.

Again she released the arrow, aiming for the ankle of the beast as she had been ordered. The Ogre spun in anger at the twang of the bowstring and the hiss of the arrow. She rolled to the side quickly to attempt to get away. Her body temperature rapidly increased to an uncomfortable limit as she whispered “Ulcus” again, feeling the connection also heating, the blood in the ogre starting to burn in its veins as she forced herself to concentrate on it. The heat was uncomfortable for her and she was used to being overly warm, for the ogre, the temperature increase would cause a variation of minor issues that would be distracting at least to begin with. The blood heating would increase until a splitting headache would afflict the beast with pain and the more of her blood that got into its veins, the worse it would become.

She took care to stay a step ahead of the beast, but she was highly unqualified to fight something quite so large and it swung at her. She jumped over it’s fist but her foot got clipped and she tumbled to the ground, rolling away as quickly as she could, getting a tree between herself and the Ogre for a few moments while her sapphire eyes searched for Baraek.

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

Baraek's arrow had lodged itself in the creatures flesh, the powerful bow driving the arrow into it's heavy flesh. And despite it not being a mortal wound, it would still make it absurdly painful to move that leg, which is exactly what they wanted. It had already been effectively crippled, now they just needed to kill it, one way was to bleed it out, which meant attacking it's neck.

He watched her barely dodge a punch at her by the creature and saw her reach cover, she was safe, so he got into position to shoot it's throat, preferrably the throat or artery/vein in the neck. He let his arrow fly, and it struck just below the adam's apple. The creature would soon choke on it's own blood. He made his way quickly over to Sephrenia.

"Are you alright?"

 

[Sephrenia]

Seph's eyes caught his moment as he released another arrow, sinking it into the Ogre's throat. She flinched slightly at the sickening sound, turning her eyes back to the ogre, watching it grab at its throat as it choked on it's blood, which flowed quickly. She clenched her jaw slightly and turned her eyes back to Baraek as he asked if she were ok.

"I am fine" she said with a soft smile, standing and nudging her muzzle lightly under his for a second as a comforting gesture. She shook the leaves and dirt from her pelt as she watched the Ogre as it struggled. The fight seemed, too easy, though she was thankful for that, something being easy was a nice change. She waited for Baraek to tell her what next to do as she rubbed the slice in her arm slightly for a moment while it healed.

Uhfred

 

[Uhfred]

"I am fine" she said with a soft smile, standing and nudging her muzzle lightly under his for a second as a comforting gesture.

"I'm gla..." He stopped the moment she put her muzzle under his own. It was a sweet gesture coming from her, and he returned the gesture, going so far as to rub her upper arm. "good."

He looked at the choking beast. "now we just wait for it to die. Believe me when I say hunting ogres is only dangerous if you don't do it right. The best way to do it is the way I just showed you, cripple it, at least temporarily, then bleed it out. Fighting it is not recommended, so don't go in with a spear, but if done right, it won't take long."

He sat down. "Once it's dead, or at least dead enough to get close to, in which case we'd kill it, we will go, cut it into pieces and carry it back one piece at a time. Simple enough?"

He gestured for her to sit with him, it had become commonplace for them to rest together.

 

[Sephrenia]

"I'm gla..." she had thrown his train of thought off slightly, she avoided chuckling as he word choice changed. "Good." he said softly as he rubbed her arm for just a moment. She smiled, she’d grown comfortable around him and enjoyed his company the longer they were together. She thought less about making him and the pack mad and began listening more to her animal instincts, and less to her human upbringing. Her eyes followed his gaze as he watched the Ogre choking.

"Now we just wait for it to die. Believe me when I say hunting ogres is only dangerous if you don't do it right. The best way to do it is the way I just showed you, cripple it, at least temporarily, then bleed it out. Fighting it is not recommended, so don't go in with a spear, but if done right, it won't take long."

She nodded, listening to his words, learning. He lowered himself to the ground, sitting slowly and she followed suit per his gesture, though she glanced at the Ogre quickly before sitting, cautiously.

"Once it's dead, or at least dead enough to get close to, in which case we'd kill it, we will go, cut it into pieces and carry it back one piece at a time. Simple enough?"

“Simple enough” She said with a sideway glance at him, the corners of her muzzle raised in a smirk. As she settled she leaned slightly against his side, watching the ogre patiently, her ears perked forwards. She tilted her head and looked to Baraek curiously…

“Does your pack use howls to communicate at all? Will you seek out others to help bring the kill back as they will also be using parts, or do you bring your own kills home completely alone? And if the later is the case… has your pack ever thought to, possibly tame other animals to help? Such as cattle and horses?”

She’d used animals growing up for many a thing and it surprised her that this pack did not have some simplicity added into their lives by making use of such things. She did not know if it was a choice or they just did not know of these things.
Uhfred