Howling Winds

[IceQueen]

Kiara Kinsley
24
Female
Alpha
​

Another cloudy morning in Canada. It was nippy as usual. The smell of pine and rain flooded through the open door. There wasn't much of a balcony to her room, but she liked it out there. It was a good way to wake yourself up in the morning.

Kiara had been living in this room since she was a kid. Granted, it was a lot darker now. Mostly filled with reading material, and a computer. But now it was the Alpha's room. Well not really. The alpha room had yet to be touched in years. Ever since her dad left for another life, leaving her the lone alpha. It hurt too much to touch anything in there.

Fiddling with the necklace around her neck, Ki leaned against the railway. She could hear the distant sounds of packmates training in the morning air. Some got up early, most didn't. Currently Adrien and Maxwell were roughhousing outside the house in the lush backyard. Ashley watched from her chair with a pot of coffee in hand. Seeing his alpha, Adrien looked up and waved, causing the rest of them to turn and give their morning greetings. Giving off a short wave, Ki walked back towards her room.

Normally letting her pack see her in her pajamas was a no go, even though it was just a loose shirt and flannel pants. But this morning she was feeling extra depressing. She needed air to help her think through it. Air and a good shower. Ki walked back inside, grabbing a pair of clothes half hazardly and giving spike her wolf dog a good scratch on the head.

After a nice warm shower, Ki walked out of her room all dressed an ready. A pair of jeans plus a tight shirt helped her look like a bad ass. A fax fur tail hung lazily from her jeans. Not a common thing around these parts but something Ki liked to wear. Spike was on her heels. Bacon smell wafted through the house, and no one objected to Ki swooping in and stealing a few pieces as well as tossing some to spike. Her coffee was in a mug on the counter just the way she liked it.

"You're an angel Diego." She mentioned, picking up the drink and grabbing the leash for spike. Diego smiled. "Anything for you Ki. I'll make sure the food's ready by the time you are back." He added, nodding to her as Ki headed for the door. Collaring and leashing Spike, Ki headed out the back door, giving causal greetings to the rest of the pack as she started her run in the forest.​

 

[Space Cowboy]

Joseph
Mid-to-late 20's?
Male
Meat Popsicle​

Joseph drank from the tin cup he held gingerly in his hands, looking deep into the dying fire in front of him. The sun was streaming rays through the thick canopy of the forest over head of him as morning light touched onto the cold, Canadian wilderness, and he held onto the warmth the coffee brought him just a little more tighter.

He sipped again, ignoring the scalding heat that blanketed his tongue and coated his throat. Thoughts came back to his grandfather:

"Open your mind to them, join them." He had said, some of the final words he had urged Joseph before he had passed. It wasn't wrong of the old man to wish for his youthful grandson, not even out of his twenties yet, but for Joseph it was more than a daunting task. It was something wholly new in every way!

He ground his teeth, curling his toes in boots that had seen too many winters without proper repair. The cold bit his skin through the denim and furs he wore, and he shuffled his fold-out chair with faded lettering saying 'Seahawks' on it just a bit closer to the flames.
The young man--wolf-man, to be precise, in the parlance of witty language--let out a sigh and let one hand off his tin mug to rake rough and strong fingers through his mop of loose, ebon curls. The Native blood of his mother ran strong in him, his features betraying the ethnicity of his blood. But he also inherited more from her, which was properly educated him by his grandfather.

He shook his head, ridding thoughts of his parents as he brought himself back to the current state. The 'them' his grandfather spoke of. This... Pack. He was part of them, whether he truly wanted it or not, and they him. That was how it went, right? And this was his land by every right. He lived here, hunted here, fought here long before he caught their scent. His grandfather even told him it was his! But...

"Aw, hell," he grunted, standing up and tossing his black coffee into the dead embers. He threw the tin cup into the wide-open door of his broke down trailer and strolled into the woods, looking to rid his mind of the world's toils.

 

[IceQueen]

The sun had started to peak through the cloudy sky above, for a brief moment or two. It never stayed long in late summer. But neither Spike nor she cared. Their long traditional morning runs through the forest were key to both mental heath and marking territory. Ki loved to run her hands along the bark as her and Spike charged headfirst through the forest. Ocasionally when her mind got ahead of her she would change and run along in front of him, yipping and snapping her jaws like a pup. With Spike she could be free, and at the same time top dog.

She stopped herself in her tracks at the appearance of the lake. Broad and wide, it was a good place to relax. One of Ki's favorite morning stops. Taking a sip of the drink, she sighed, and picked a rock to sit on. Spike happily curled up on top of her legs, his chest rising and falling as they sat for a while.

The warm scent of cream and sugar wafted from the warm cup in her hands. It calmed her, along with the smell of pines in the forest, and the breeze that fluttered over the two forms. Spike was keeping her legs warm with his mass, and she set a hand behind his ears, giving her loyal subject a good scratch behind the ears.

But something felt off that morning. She couldn't tell what it was. She had been feeling this way since she had traveled to the edges of the area. It was something she would have to do again. And the feeling was going stronger. She could smell something on the winds. She almost lost it over the smell of her own coffee. But this scent was too sharp to be her usual dose of morning caffeine with milk and sugar, no. It was too harsh of an edge to be such a way.

Clicking her tongue, Ki stood from the rock, Spike at her side. She didn't even bother with the leash. Taking off running, Ki started after the scent, pausing to sniff the air every once and a while to follow the man's tracks.

 

[Space Cowboy]

Joseph was sulking like a teenager as he trudged through the forest, heavy, filthy boots stamping heavily into the foliage beneath his feet. He wasn't even traversing a tried-and-true path or trail anymore, he was just trampling through the brush.

He didn't care as his clothes caught brambles and weeds, making more mess and sound than he should have. He was too preoccupied with his current situation, too hard on himself and the circumstances. He kept thinking, What if? What if they try to fight me? What if I don't like any of them? What if I want them away, period? What if... What if... What if...

'Grandpa said they're my people,' he said to himself, words bounding in his mind. 'But my people are my mother's... Not this dirty, filthy group of... Or... Ugh.'

He stopped, coincidentally stumbling on a trail and looked at his hands. The dark shade of his skin betrayed his Native heritage, but he knew more blood than that coursed through his veins. Blood that transcended skin colour. Blood that transcended species! He wished he was better equipped for this. He wished sometimes he was something or someone he wasn't, like in the books his grandfather allowed him (and the few he didn't know he had), and the few his grandfather went out of his way to destroy, calling them nonsense.

"Fuck," he grumbled to himself, shutting his eyes and tilting his head back. It was then a strange scent hit his nostrils, not like the scent he had been tracking before. It was different. A hint of ... Sweetness...? Touched the edge of what could be morbid curiousity and... Something else.

Hair raising on end, he slowly began to edge forward-- not predatory, but definitely with caution on the forefront of his mind.

 

[IceQueen]

Ki paused for a moment, her form low to the ground. She had not expected to smell someone new this morning. It was an unwelcome surprise. She hated surprises, especially the wolf kind. Growling under her breath, Ki let herself lower even closer to the ground. The smell of worn out leather and straight coffee was pungent. Spike smelled it too.

"Forwards." She growled, pushing herself into a stride. Her form came easily with the knowledge of another wolfblood on her land. One that smelled specifically like South Wind. Bile rose in her throat. She was going to hunt down that son of a bitch if it was the last thing she did. Standing up, she looked at Spike. Getting on eye level she stared at him. It was almost as if he could read her mind. He tore off racing back towards the house.

Ki on the other hand kept walking. She could hear something in the distance. Her form shifted. White fur flicking through the wind, Ki growled under her breath as the man came into view. Darting forwards, Ki raced in front of him, hopefully to stop him in his tracks. Her necklaces clanked together. Claws hit the tree. With a twist in the air, Ki switched into her human form, landing on the ground. Leaves scattered around her.

"Why are you on my land." She hissed, her teeth barred as she looked at the man. He was tall, native American, and very much wild. Her lip raised in disgust. Her neatly combed brown hair ruffled lightly in the wind. "If this is some sort of ruse your pack has trying to fool me, it's not working. Get back to your land filth." She snarled, looking at him.

 

[Space Cowboy]

Joseph had not been taken by surprise. The scent of lavender had overwhelmed his nostrils, even before the smell of wolfblood was introduced and he was able to deduce they came from one and the same. He steeled himself for their approach, knowing instinctively which way they were coming from. He caught a second scent, that of a proper beast, and felt his hackles rise; was someone coming to fight him?

She shifted in front of him as she bore down at him at great speed. His hand fell to his waist, fingers idly tickling the elk-horn handle of his knife. The itch to fight sprang up, and while he was not one to seek battle, he was never one to shy away from it. He didn't smell bloodlust from her, however he did get the sense of antipathy. He didn't need a scent for that-- she stared at him with utter disgust!

"You're on my land," he answered cooly, his voice scratchy from non-use. He cleared his throat after the first few words, but continued. "All of you are on my land. Yours and... Mine," he said, the last bit a bit strained, almost confused. He wasn't keen on claiming the pack of wild ones that had made claim to this parcel of forest, but, according to his grandpa, they were his blood.

"So, you should be the one leaving." He stared into her eyes, his own black pools calm and reflecting the nerves of steel beneath. Only once did they flicker, long enough to gaze down and take her in as a whole. She was pretty, with petite features and an upturned nose. Still, there was nothing for letting that distract him.

 

[IceQueen]

Ki disliked the male from a mile away. He had a knife strapped to his side, something she had been trained to take off him. He smelled like the other pack, but the scent was weak. But as he continued the more she believed that he was as unaware as a cub that he had walked right over the territory line. The possibility of him being a spy from the other pack was unlikely at this point.

He hadn't used his voice in a while. It was as rough as the smell of his dark coffee. Snorting slightly, Ki rolled her eyes before training her gaze on him. "That weapon of yours is not necessary. However if you even try and pull it on me my entire pack will be ready to pounce on you in one go. And believe me a pack is a lot stronger than one wolf. You might as well be a cub." She stated, looking down upon him as much as she could. "To leave my land defenseless would be considered defeat. And trust me, I am not about to bow to a beta, let alone an omega. You smell like you haven't seen a good pack meal in days. You are in no shape to fight an Alpha." She growled, her tooth necklace bouncing gently off her ribcage as she shifted feet. Her hands were at the ready. "What is your name Omega." She said, referring to him as the lowest class. Most packs didn't even have omegas, especially not wild packs. They were not worth their time.

 

[Space Cowboy]

He was roughly familiar with the language she used-- alpha, omega-- by sheer factor he had heard his grandfather use words like that before. He was unused to the idea of eating as a 'pack,' or anything like that. He had always been raised alone, since as far back as he could remember. It was his mother and father, then his mother, and then she too was gone, to be replaced by her father, his grandfather.

A rush of memories came to him in the blink of an eye, and sadness would have overwhelmed him-- if for just a moment-- if he had been in any other scenario. He was facing down someone that was determined to be his adversary, however. Now was not the time for nostalgia.

"Joseph," he said, ignoring the jabs and the other words she used. "What do I call you, lavender?" he asked, his lips curling in the most faint of smiles as he condescended to her over something as simple as the way she smelled.

 

[IceQueen]

The jabs Joseph sent her way made her lip twitch, both with irritation and amusement. The wolf did have some bite. Alright then, phsycological game it was. Grinning, she crossed her arms.

"If I was going by Lavender, a more suitable name for you would be day old black coffee and grime. Ever heard of a bath?" She asked rhetorically. "Kiara, everyone else calls me Ki." she said, looking at him. "And for someone alone, you sure do have balls." She grunted, taking a step closer. Her confidence oozed out of every pore. "Since you don't seem like much of a wild man I can offer you at the least the warm hospitality of a shower. Maybe then you will smell like lavender too." She pointed out, looking him up and down. "And maybe a new pair of shoes."

 

[Space Cowboy]

He steeled himself as she both approached him and suddenly offered her hospitality. Why? Why the sudden warmth? Or was this just a formality? But what kind of formality? Was this a ceremonial murder?

Thoughts raced and raced through his paranoid mind. Finally he shook them away visibly; there was no basis on them! This was just him being a scared rabbit with the unknown. True, the unknown was most of the world and any and all other people, but still.

"Are you going to help me smell of lavender?" he asked her, hoping to throw her off her game as he non-verbally assented to her invitation with the hanging innuendo.

 

[IceQueen]

Ki stared at the man in front of her. The offer she had presented sure did seem to surprise him. Getting him into the pack house would be a challenge, or more of a process. She was going to enjoy the sigh of him almost being run over by her pack, or Spike. One of the two.

His joke didn't catch her off guard, in fact it ticked her off more. Mornings were not her time of day, he was lucky she even offered. "Don't push it Joseph, or you will have to change your name to One Eyed Joe." She said, her lip curling. A loud bark snapped to her right, followed by a growl. Spike was on the ground, lips pulled and ready to pounce on the stranger. "Spike, heel." She commanded, and he pulled back, plopping his butt on the ground and wagging his tail happily, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

 

[Space Cowboy]

What a loyal dog, he thought idly as the woman pulled her beast back. He was glad for it. The idea of killing a noble animal like that, for no reason but the spite of a stupid girl, was gut-wrenching and nigh towards nauseating. Grandpa had taught him a reverence towards nature and beasts to a level of religion, like his ancestors before him. Even without knowing other culture, he was thankful for the upbringing.

"Lead the way, I guess," he told her, a softer side of him coming out, though he was no less cautious. He was at her mercy for the time being, something he didn't mind too much, but now he was in a position of not knowing what would come next.

Maybe it was something good, he hoped.

 

[IceQueen]

Ki nodded at his response. "Be aware that the new smell might bring along some... less obedient pack mates. So I am giving you two choices. We go through the front door, or through my balcony. Your choice." she pointed out, looking back up at him before returning her gaze to in front of her. Spike trotted at her heels.

Ki took a moment to think of what the hell she was doing. She was being an idiot for inviting this guy into the territory, or talking to him at all. But he seemed ok for now. After the one joke he seemed to soften up a bit. Maybe she could try and sway him to join her. After all, they were still small in number.