DotW RP: The Real Informant

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Quailmix said the following:

When Sava had been told to go home, she had played the role of obedient daughter, scampering away and trailing behind her brother for a few minutes. He was always quicker than she was and didn't look back, so she let the distance get larger and larger between them until he was nearly out of sight before doubling back and heading towards the borders once more.

With her nose to the air, she searched for the other stranger which her father had left at the border. She found him easily enough for an inexperienced tracker, and bound towards him obviously so that he wouldn't be snuck up on. She didn't want to surprise him.

"Hey!" She called, "I could show you around if you want. Just don't tell my dad." She offered as she approached, tail wagging behind her and face plastered with a smile. "Where are you from? Is it far away? How many days did it take you to get here? Were there any other packs between here and there?" She couldn't help but barrage him with all of the questions she had wanted to ask in front of the group. Now that they were alone maybe she had a chance.

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Tazihound said the following:

Faust paced at the border, head point out ahead of him and tail lashing to the side. Every passing moment felt like a sting in his side, and the thought of Ira’s safety weighed heavily on his mind. He didn’t trust this new alpha, and he especially wouldn’t trust him with the safety of someone so precious to him. His mind ran over the red alpha female’s condition again, her fresh wounds apparent, and Faust bristled, the fur on his neck standing. If that was the condition of the alpha female, how were the other wolves? Were they faring well? Was this Stallion even capable of keeping the pack safe? He let out a frustrated grunt, the ground worn with his constant pacing.

A shadowy movement caught the corner of his eye and he whipped his head up. It was the dark little pup, Sava, loping for him, looking positively giddy. His stance eased slightly as she approached, her youthful innocence calming…until she opened her mouth. Faust blinked in rapid succession as the young wolf barked question after question. He had a mind to hoist a large paw up to her mouth to stop the rapid fire.

His ears whipped back and he started down at the youngster in skepticism, “Slow down,” he ordered. He wasn’t usually so blunt with innocent wolves but the whole situation had him irritated. Then a dark, forbidden thought crossed his mind, one he would never act upon but that was present none the less. Should these Blutwald wolves have any intention of harming Ira he could use this pup as leverage. He sighed. He could never do that.

He tried to control his rage as best he could, starting with a deep inhale, “Thank you for the offer, Sava, but we had better not do that, I don’t want you to get in trouble.” He wasn’t sure what kind of punishment the alphas would dish out, but he didn’t want Sava to be the brunt of it.

“I’m from way up North,” he said, pointing with his snout over his head, “where the land is always blanketed with snow and the wolves are fluffy, like me. And it took us weeks to come here,” he said with an arched brow and a smirk. He had to admit this Sava was as endearing as she was annoying, but that still didn’t mean he wanted to spend any time with her. He had to be on guard, so if Ira sent her signal he would hear and go to her in an instant. He perked his ears forward again. “Sava, will you answer some questions for me?” He asked, thinking how he could skew his words innocently so as not to besmirch her mind but still get the answers he needed

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Quailmix said the following:

Sava did her best to shut her mouth at Faust's command, even stopping her fidgeting and sitting square on he bum as if she was in a classroom. Yet, as he kept talking, her little head got closer and closer to him as her neck stretched out, her eyes got wider, her ears perked up more and more, as if even though she didn't want to invade his personal space she just wanted to be as close as possible to the words that came out of his mouth.

"Questions? Yeah, sure!" She said at his request, her tail swaying behind her and making a little wedge in the light layer of snow. It was funny that he wanted to ask her stuff, what could be interesting about her? From her perspective, there was nothing worth knowing about her or Blutwald. It was boring, and cooped her up, and she just wanted to know more about the rest of the world.

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Tazihound said the following:

Faust tilted his head to the side as he stared down his nose at the petite wolf. How was it such a defenseless creature could be so courageous? She didn’t know him at all, and he was a massive wolf, even bigger than her father, and yet she knew he wouldn’t lay a paw on her. How could a juvenile be so trusting, or was she brave? Naive? Faust flicked his ears forward to listen for a moment before returning his gaze back to Sava. “The other wolves in your pack, do they look like your mother? Are they hurt, injured? How did your mother receive her injuries?”

“The others…are they…happy wolves? Do they agree with your parent’s dominance?” Faust asked, frowning as he tried to make his speech gentle, his words simple. It was hard to do when the thoughts behind his tongue were laced with scorn. He wanted to demand answers. He wanted to know right now if Ira were in any danger. But of course Sava’s deep red eyes, full of curiosity and life, tamed him. He didn’t want to scare her. He couldn't take his own frustration out on her.

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Quailmix said the following:

Sava was a bit too young to notice the thoughtfulness behind Faust's eyes, and instead just smiled and waited for him to choose a question to ask. At the mention of her mother, she shook her head, "No, my mom was attacked by the borders by somebody who wasn't in the pack. That's why dad is so weird about strangers right now I think." Sava explained. It made sense to her, but also was sort of disappointing. Faust and Ira clearly weren't dangerous, or at least not crazy like that other wolf. "Only my sister was with her, it was really scary." She noted, looking sort of hazed over as she remembered seeing her mother dragged back to the den. "But she is doing better now, minus the leg." Sava smiled, joking a bit. It she couldn't joke about it, who could?

At his next question, Sava thought for a moment. "I don't know." She really didn't know. "I know they really didn't like the old leader but he died before I was born. Everybody's super nice to me though! I think they like my dad for getting rid of Roman." Sava tried to explain it as best she could. She didn't really get a lot of the politics, but to her childlike mind, everything was going great.

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Tazihound said the following:

Faust listened intently as Sava told what she knew of the attack on her mother. She seemed lighthearted about the incident, choosing not to dwell on the past. He nodded as she continued speaking, unwilling to press the subject further. He sat back down, head held high atop his neck as he gazed out into Blutwald. All seemed quiet and calm, sounds muted by the thick layer of fresh snow blanketing the ground.

“And you’re happy here, Sava?” He asked her directly, gaging her response. He didn’t want to force her to answer questions that betrayed her loyalty to her family, the ruling authority, and yet was concerned with the status of the pack, specifically the roles the females played. The display he’d seen earlier still scratched at his mind. Hurry, Ira.

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Quailmix said the following:

At his next question, Sava hesitated, readjusting herself where she sat. "I love it here." She said, looking at the ground for a moment. It was true, she did love it, but there was more to that statement that she didn't know how to express. She looked back up at at Faust. "I wish there weren't so many border rules. I wish I could go, but I don't think I'll be allowed to." She admitted with a sigh.

Then she had a thought. Here was this other wolf, from beyond Blutwald. Maybe he could help her. "Would you ever come back here?" She asked. Even the idea that she might have a visitor sometime, maybe that would make it less frustrating to stick around. "Maybe you could come tell me about all the places you go." She suggested hopefully.

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Tazihound said the following:

“The border rules are for your own safety, Sava,” Faust said, ducking so he was virtually level with her eye-line. At her next inquiry, he shook is head firmly. After this, he and Ira were to return home to Havir, if they were accepted back. He would only travel down to Blutwald if the wolves here needed help, and that would depend on Ira’s findings. He sighed reluctantly, hating to be the one to smother the juvenile’s dreams. He too had yearned to explore, so he had left. Why couldn’t Sava live the same journey he had? Maybe she wasn’t permitted to leave now, but what about when she was older and capable of making her own informed decisions? He knew with enough determination she’d be able to accomplish anything she desired.

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t do something,” He said with certainty. He admired her own wanderlust, it was the same fire that burned beneath his pelt. He frowned at Sava’s folioing words, then sighed and let his eyes drift back toward Blutwald.

Was there any harm in telling this juvenile something that probably wouldn’t happen, if only to keep her inspired? Maybe it’d give her something to look forward to. She’d likely forget about him and what he had said overtime, anyway. So he answered her question, whether or not it was the truth.

“Sure, Sava, I’ll be back.”