Charity With a Price (Grim, open) || Complete

[Cy[un]banned]

Loch and Liath

The Wayward Pack

The rather tedious journey back to her camp had been mostly relaxing, on Liath's part. If nothing else, she was just relieved she hadn't been forced to fight. Her weariness began to settle in as she approached; her muscles ached and her paws felt like lead, but the walk was done, and her packmates stood up and stopped what they were doing - which wasn't much.

Loch was the first to reach them, and she greeted Liath as a friend, licking her cheek and hugging the grey wolf with her neck before spotting the other wolf over her friend's back and stepping around to get a better look. Her ears pointed forward and her heterochromic eyes scanned the lean she-wolf as she silently sized her up. The grass beneath her paws was scorched, and smoked a little without catching everything else on fire as she continued to stand. "Hm... You were making quite a bit of noise, earlier. Glad to see you are alive. Welcome."

Liath glanced back at her new-found tag-along then walked on to her original resting spot, being greeted by a few wolves of a myriad of sizes and colors. They all licked her chin and whimpered happily, backs arched and ears low, and some even spoke. The alpha politely greeted them back then sat down, facing the newcomer and Loch.

Loch

Liath

[Deleted]

GEISHA
I can do bad all by myself.

All this tedious walking, and on three legs at that!
Now she was starting to regret her decision to act
with a lame leg. It couldn't be helped. Geisha's eyes
shifted to the other she-wolf, reminded that even
though she was sour she had been successful. A 
few times the girl had to bite her tongue to keep
from asking how much longer this trip would take.

Suddenly more foreign scents filtered into her senses.
If she were to take a wild guess it would be that their
destination was close and with in reach. Thank lord!
Everyone in the camp paused ; all eyes on them. 
Geisha didn't miss the way her company was greeted,
like someone important; dominant. Well, even if this 
wasn't a pack- it sure acted like one.  White ears perked
at the greeting, chuckling. "Yea well, lucky my guardian
angel was around." Sarcasm lightly tickling her words.
"My name is Scarlett, who are you guys?" Scarlett was
a an alias Geisha used often when dealing with strangers.

[Cy[un]banned]

Loch and Liath

The Wayward Pack

"Aha well," Loch chuckled mainly to herself, as though some inside joke had just come up. She gazed back at Liath without really looking at her, deep in thought, then returned her attention to the cloud white wolf. "Good to meet you, Scarlett. Call me Loch." The tall, black and cerulean wolf smiled warmly, taking a step to the left not only to welcome the new wolf further into the camp, but to get her paws off the incredibly burnt ground. Looking down, she sighed and wondered how it was she ever stayed alive, away from poachers, hunters, the like. Sure, she could make the burning stop, but it didn't. 

The camp was rather simple, with a few sparse but chilled provisions piled up by a tree, and a scattering of trees throughout and around the area. A small circle of tightly packed stones surrounding a gathering of ash and crisped sticks was placed in what could be called the middle of camp. Liath, who was sitting a few paces off from the unlit campfire, spoke up after Loch was done introducing herself. "Welcome again. He will be your guide," she nodded in the direction of an oblivious auburn and orange wolf with massive feathery wings and a similar wiry build to the spicy she-wolf, "around the camp today." A trace of a humorous smile touched her lips, her voice cool and professional, but not uninviting.

"Please remember to keep all limbs, tails, heads, paws, and other protrusions such as wings-"
"Horns-"
"Baby bumps-"
"Spikes-"
"and any strange growths otherwise unmentioned, inside the tour-space at all times. And remember, have fun," Loch finished, beaming at Scarlett. The few other wolves around were either snoozing or going up to Scarlett to greet.

Loch

Liath

[Deleted]

GEISHA
I can do bad all by myself.

Loch's soft laughter made Geisha feel more at ease. Her cherry
bomb eyes followed loch's gaze. Geisha's paws were slightly
scorching the earth. she could stop it if she absolutely wanted-
but running on cooler temperatures made her uneasy. As the
new female moved to the side it allowed Geisha to see inside
the camp; a flood of faceses she didn't know.

Liath's voice tore the white wolf from her thoughts, she
looked over to the orange wolf with massive feathered wings.
As the pair continued their odd musings Geisha responded,
 "No offense but I don't feel much like walking around at the 
second- my body hurts and I'm feeling a little nauseated." 

[Cy[un]banned]

Loch and Liath

The Wayward Pack

Laughter and mirth danced behind both wolves' eyes as they barely contained their howling. Liath was better at suppressing it, and Loch was willing to let it out anyway at the risk of being considered a bit rude. She did not, however, and simply grinned at Scarlett for a moment and giggled, not trusting herself to speak.

"Of course, of course," Liath replied, voice straining to stay even. She, too, let a low, quiet, chuckle out before standing up and walking over to a cold carcass with most of the flesh still clinging to the bones. Dragging it over to the rather well-toned wolf, she briefly wondered what Scarlett wanted. A fleeting thought, to be sure, one which she almost felt bad thinking. Internally shrugging it off, she politely offered the carcass. "Hungry, hot tamale?" This time, she said it more affectionately, and even added a faint welcoming smile. "We don't have anything for nausea, but hopefully sleep will help. Feel free to hurl in the fire pit."

Loch rolled her eyes.

Loch

Liath

[Deleted]

GEISHA
I can do bad all by myself.


A look if curiosity danced across Geisha's face
as the pair of females giggled, mostly in silence,
between one another. As Liath grinned in
the she-wolfs direction she raised a brow, as if
to say what? Iron and rust danced through her
nasal cavities; blood. "Oh am I," she grinned up
the grey female from underneath blonde lashes.
"Want to keep me company while I eat?" The words
slipped off the tongue like melted chocolate. The
bleached female pressed her left front leg onto
her meal to hold it still, tearing a chunck of flesh free.

Maybe Geisha should feel bad- but she didn't. In fact
she was content and cozy. Food, water..company.
Yea, this was the life. Geisha was unsure for how long
she would be staying. Probably until there was nothing
else she wanted or needed. "Oh, who knows. I might
sleep on some coals." She snorted, flicking her tail and
glanced about. "This is a nice set up."

[Cy[un]banned]

Loch and Liath

The Wayward Pack

Loch was not impressed; she may even have been a tad jealous. A pang of something shot through her chest, and she was most definitely not having a heart attack. Liath always did this. She couldn't help herself, it was like flirting, and it was cruel. But enough of that, train of thought. Jumping on another track, Loch sat and silently observed Scarlett interact with Liath. 

"Somehow I cannot imagine you needing the coals," she smirked and sat a few feet away, wrapping her tail around her paws as she diverted her gaze to a nearby tree, not really focusing. She remembered nearly every instance of recruitment into her pack. They were all so desperate. Some had just begun running, some trying to stop. Others still hadn't begun at all and, like Scarlett, had been out alone and asking for aid. None of them were required to tell their stories, but all did, eventually. Now, the she-wolf found herself once again in the position to potentially show a little of that ice-encased heart nobody saw much of. Flirting aside, Liath was a sucker for wolves in need. She considered this her one weakness, but Loch would disagree. "Weeks of getting it down to an art have paid off. Camping like a human... As much as I despise them, I must say sometimes what they do works. So, were you headed in any particular direction, before?" She was not very good at small talk, but sitting there just 'keeping her company' as Scarlett had mentioned, was also slightly awkward. It was times like these when Liath wished Loch were actually willing to interact with wolves other than herself. Her friend was even more reserved than she was. 

Loch

Liath

[Deleted]

GEISHA
I can do bad all by myself.

Liath was running this show, that much was clear.
Geisha let her eyes travel further meeting the leering
gaze of Loch. Her eyes narrowed slightly, swallowing
another mouthful of meat. White ears rotated as Liath
spoke rousing a small chuckle from Geisha. "Probably
not." Her black tongue lapped over her nose, cleaning
the blood away. Again Geisha made herself busy with
the kill in front of her, ripping away a piece of juicy back
strap. Humans were odd beasts. "They're dangerous-
and smart but.. not all that skilled in some ways."

Yanking her head hard to the side she tore the chunk of
meet away, gnawing on it. Where was she headed? Geisha
mulled over the question as she chewed. Swallowing, she
answered "Wherever I wondered I guess. Maybe the desert."
It would be nice and warm there, though..little water. Maybe
she wouldn't go there. "I never really thought about it really." Geisha just knew she was never really staying anywhere; at least not for long.

[Cy[un]banned]

Loch and Liath

The Wayward Pack

Loch and Liath had another telepathic exchange, this time specifically about Scarlett. The grey ice elemental nodded and hummed in agreement as Scarlett remarked about humans. "They taste good, though, and I usually find it satisfying to kill them slowly." Killing for sport was not against her code, but she still usually ate what she killed, these days, unless it was another wolf. Killing wolves on purpose was against her code entirely, even in a fight.

To the desert... What an odd choice, but then, Scarlett is an odd wolf. Not that we aren't all, really. Liath never liked deserts. She had never minded the heat, or even the dryness, but she always felt less secure. They reminded her of lonliness and hopelessness. "You are a wanderer, hm. Well, should you choose to leave, feel free to wander into my camp wherever it happens to be. Someone has to warm the place up," she glanced back at Loch, who narrowed her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly. Liath snickered and returned her attention to Scarlett, her eyes flicking down then back up as the wolf ate. For some reason, it was always satisfying to watch things being ripped apart and consumed.

Loch walked over and sat by Liath, wrapping her blue-tipped black tail around but not quite to her paws. She was slightly but noticeably taller than Liath was, but built pretty much the same. Her muscles flexed as she stretched her front legs forward, making light singe streaks in on the ground, and she laid down without saying a word.

Loch

Liath

[Deleted]

GEISHA
I can do bad all by myself.


With her belly filled Geisha stretches, a yawn
stifling her jaws. For the first time in a long 
time she was satisfied and comfortable. The
corner of her dark lips twitched, small laughter
curling on the tip of her tongue. "That I am." It
was almost surprising how easily the woman 
had the white lass pinned. "I'll probably stay a 
day or two, though I'm sure from time to time I
will pass through here again." She stood, remembering
to balance on only three legs. Geisha turned her
snout to the ground below her, charing the earth.
"I'll make sure to stop by and say hello."
She coiled up on the heated patch, tail tip to nose.
For now she  would get some sleep and disappear
before anyone awoke the next day.

[Cy[un]banned]

Loch and Liath

The Wayward Pack

Once Scarlett had settled down to sleep, Loch laid her head down as well and rolled onto her side. Liath watched them both before walking a few more feet away and sitting down by a tree to keep diligent watch over her guest and the small portion of her pack whom she had urged to accompany her into these woods. It was her job as the alpha to keep her pack safe, even if it meant staying up while they slept.

The missed nap earlier did her no good, but she powered on as time passed and the sun and moon continued their slow dance in tandem through opposite sides of the sky. Gazing up at the stars, Liath inhaled deeply, various familiar and foreign scents wafting through the air and hitting her nostrils, and she smiled. How tranquil this forest is, though a tad devoid of life. The birds she heard few of over the couple days they had been in the woods were sparse, yet still managed to annoy her with their shrill early-morning chirps. Were it not for the Balance, Liath would have destroyed all the birds she could find. Loch didn't like them either, but her patience was not as thin. Both wolves had a long way to go before they could really settle. As she exhaled, the female ice wolf laid down on her stomach and relaxed on her elbows, head resting lightly on the ground and ears perked for any sound of mischief or danger. 

Loch

Liath

[Deleted]

GEISHA
I can do bad all by myself.

Sleepy beauty had opened her fiery eyes, blinking away any former traces of sleep. It was dawn now, pale light brushed through the trees. She found that her gaze swept over the unaware snoozing camp. Eventually her eyes found Liath. She wasn't so sure if the woman was asleep or awake. Quiet paws venture near the exit where they halted casting a glance over her shoulder. Yes, liath was still awake. Geisha was ready to leave now, flicking her tail "I'll see you around wonder woman." With that the canine retreated into the grey distance.

(Exit post)