Spirit Wardens Lore [DNP]
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Spirit Wardens Lore [DNP]
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Posted 2022-04-15 18:41:15
Will add some kind of index in here soon |
Silver Ink #66330 |
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Posted 2022-04-15 21:04:00 (edited)
 Prologue  Before arriving to the territories So long had gone by since the she-wolf had left her pack behind, many days…she had lost track. Murmurs of her past life haunting her, with memories of the unforgiving swamps she used to live in for so long, to murky waters and poisonous flora, a place where prey could easily turn predator and where even the youngest pups had to learn how to fight for survival from day one. Savages, feared in the eyes of many, but for those that knew better, respected and their primitive behavior justified… Since she could remember, she had been different, like a stranger looking in. She was never a fan of the aggressive practices that reigned over the pack, even if she understood the reasoning behind them. She simply saw the world under a different light, and sometimes her own ways clashed with those of the wolves around her. She learned so much, she overcame many trials…but in the end she had to admit that her place was not in this pack, but somewhere else, far beyond the horizon where she had seen the sun set so many times before. After a ritualistic ceremony, she was willingly stripped of her place in the pack, stripped of her name, stripped of any bonds formed with them, be by blood or otherwise. After saying her goodbyes, she allowed her paws to carry her to that unknown destination, guided by that unseen force that tugged at her heart. To say she never doubted her choice, that she never considered to turn back and return home with her tail between her legs, it would be a lie…but she had learned to never surrender to fear, no matter how hard it could be, and the tug was always there…and so she carried on, braving the unknown. 
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Silver Ink #66330 |
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Posted 2022-04-17 01:37:07
Pre-Pack Era 
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Silver Ink #66330 |
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Posted 2022-04-17 01:53:13 (edited)
 A Friendly Welcome  First time in the territories The warm summer sun slowly lowered itself into the horizon, a multitude of reds, oranges and yellows caressing the figure of the she-wolf as she approached a shallow stream, lowering her head to lap some of the cool flowing water and give her now complaining throat some of the hydration it had demanded so passionately for the past several minutes. Letting her tongue hang out while anting could e a marvelous way to cool down, but it didn't help a lot to keep one's mouth and throat from drying up after some time. She closed her eyes as she drank, thanking the spirits of her ancestors for the respite as she had always done since she could remember. Yes, she might've left her pack behind long ago, but their ways traveled with her…at least most of them. For a couple days, she had found herself lost, the tug on her chest that had been her guide had vanished overnight, but she was unable to settle down and try to put her thoughts together like she would've liked. Bears, cougars, coyotes…sometimes even groups of wolves more willing to chase her out from their hunting grounds than to talk, they forced her to keep moving. While she was grateful for the training received in her former pack, as she was sure that was the ne thing that allowed her to carry on and survive these multiple attacks on her own, she couldn't help but wish she could just lay down and breathe, not having to worry about potential ambushes. A breeze of fresh air ruffled her fur, but it was not the nice cooling sensation that dragged her attention, but the smell that was dragged with it. Droplets of water were sent flying as she quickly raised her head, the fur on the back of her neck raising as if full of static, white fangs revealed alongside a red tongue that came in and out of her mouth like a furious snake as her lips receded and her ears went flat against her skull. Her previously relaxed body quickly taking on the battle pose she had learned since puppyhood as a low, guttural growl left her throat. Her bright yellow eyes quickly met their match as her gaze met that of a black wolf…female, judging by scent, who had somehow sneaked up on her until only the stream separated the two. If it wasn't for the breeze, she most likely wouldn't had noticed her at all. Usually she wouldn't be as aggressive upon first meeting another wolf, but her previous experiences had made her wary. Much to her surprise, though, the black wolf didn't bare her teeth back, or reacted at all. It was as if time itself had frozen over as they looked at each other, unsure of what to do…until the stranger broke the silence. "Another newcomer" She cooed. This caused the she-wolf's growl to die in her throat and her lips to relax lightly, half-covering her fangs. This was the first time she wasn't attacked on sight, and that was already something…but it was to early to lower her guard "You should come with me. I'm Tala, and I help wolves like you. This place is vast. You won't survive long on your own". The she-wolf raised her head a bit as her ears perked up, blinking a couple times. Well…her words were not exactly reassuring even with the gentle tone they carried, but she could pick on the hint of wisdom and experience behind them. She knew what she was saying, and wasn't about to smear her words in honey just to cater to a random outsider like her, which was fair enough…but was she really willing to trust this 'Tala'? As if guessing her thought process, Tala relaxed her posture to appear less threatening before cocking her head in a way that almost caused the she-wolf to smile…it reminded her of the playful pups back home in a way "You have nothing to fear from me. Many wolves have come before you and many will come after you. I help them all" Well…that was a bit more reassuring…plus, at that point in time, she was willing to lower her guard just a bit, longing from the company of other wolves after being forced into solitude for so long. She walked closer to her, making no attempts to jump the stream nor find a dry way around it, not minding the chilly sensation that came when her paws and lower legs broke the surface of the water that had just quelled her thirst. Tala laughed, a laugh so sincere that it caused the tail of the she-wolf to wag lightly in a friendly manner in return, but tried to remain calm and polite "Let's us begin with introductions. Who are you?" At that, the she-wolf froze. Since the ritual that allowed her to leave her old pack behind, the ritual that stripped her of her old name, she had been nameless…just another wolf trying to find a place in the world. The thought of finding another name sometimes came to her, but it never became a priority…until then. Her ears lowered as she looked down, unintentionally meeting the gaze of her own reflection on the crystalline waters, the last sunrays of the day giving the edges of her fur an almost mystical look due to the optical illusion of a halo of light around her. Her tongue licked her nose as her mouth opened almost on its own.  "A-Ayla…I am Ayla" Her voice was raspy, though she couldn't put her paw on if it was because of how dry her throat had been early, or the fact that she hadn't talked to any other wolves for a while by now, her interactions mostly reduced to barks and growls, and the occasional whimper when she was being chased off between bites. She wasn't sure of exactly why she had picked that name right then and there…it simply seemed to be the right name, she couldn't explain it even if she tried."Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Ayla, I'm Tala, as I said before. We must be quick now. There are decisions to be made" And with those words, she turned around, leaving Ayla somewhat confused. Decisions? What kind of decisions? Wait…could it be… "Come on" The voice of Tala interrupts her train of thought, she hadn't even noticed that she had already started to walk. Not wanting to be left behind, Ayla made haste, trying to keep her excitement down. It was like something in the back of her head knew exactly what was going on…the loss of the pull she felt, the encounter with this friendly wolf, the potential decisions that were waiting for her…but she didn't want to keep her hopes up in case she was only hearing what she wanted to hear, only to be let down right after. They walked together for some time, Ayla's tongue loosening as she grew comfortable around Tala. What started as a silent walk soon turned out to be a lively chat…or well, almost a chat. Ayla was doing most of the talking here, eager to finally have someone to talk to and share her experiences with. Tala, on the other paw, only made small questions or expressions to let Ayla know that she was listening but seemed to be more comfortable with listening for now. However, their chat came to a halt when they reached a crossroads, the look on Tala's eyes letting Ayla know that this was important "You have a decision to make, Ayla. Your future home lies ahead. It is down to you to pick the place you will raise your pups. Each place has its merits…And its downfalls. But most are stable. Perfect to start your journey". Silence fell upon the pair as they looked at the three options that the crossroads presented to them…the open rolling grasslands…the dense forest…the large mountains "You will live in one of these places, and hunt your prey here. Chose wisely". Mixed emotions bubbled from the depths of Ayla's chest once more…excitement, hope, illusion…knowing that somewhere, in these vast fertile territories, she would find what she had been looking for, the very reason she left her pack in the first place…but also fear, anxiety, doubt…the challenges ahead would be great and there was no guarantee of victory…did she really have what it takes to achieve this goal, a goal that so many failed to achieve in the past? She carefully approached the end of the crossroads, her senses on overdrive as she tried to evaluate the pros and cons of each territory. The open grassland…no, she knew that she would never feel comfortable there, she would feel so…unprotected. The mountain offered better protection and interesting challenges, but while she was not afraid of heights, she also couldn't help but feel wary of the dangers it presented. And so, her paws led her to the trail that led down to the forest…the shadows that covered the ground, and the undergrowth that could provide such a good way to stalk prey, as well as protection from the elements and material to build nests and dens with. She turned to look at Tala with an unmistakable glint in her eyes. No words needed to be shared between the two, the message was obvious. Ayla had finally found her way home. With a smile and a nod, Tala led her deeper into the forest, this time there was no chatting. Ayla was clearly distracted, looking around, her ears moving, her tongue hanging, her nostrils twitching. She was trying to take it all in, while still wondering if this was real, or just a beautiful dream from which she would wake soon, forced to continue her journey. "You must choose a name that your pack will be known by. Whether it is a name that will strike fear into the hearts of rival packs, or one that will inspire tales of greatness and awe…Choose the name that you will lead from" Oh, dear ancestors. She knew that she would need to pick a name eventually, but not so soon. She licked her nose a couple of times absentmindedly as she thought, looking around as she tried to come up with something…anything…luckily for her Tala didn't seem to be in much of a hurry, giving her the time to think about this through. The more she thought about it, the more she went back to her old pack. The ways they had, she didn't want to fully leave them behind, and while she could appreciate the battle mentality and would agree that fighting was more than just helpful, she didn't want her clan to be another aggressive warrior pack that seemed to be constantly preparing for the bloodiest of wars even in the most peaceful times. If anything, she would rather have other wolves see them as guardians, protectors, instead of building the same ruthless reputation. As the thought about this, she caught movement from the corner of her eye…her ears almost immediately perking up as she raised her head to look at it. Time seemed to come to a halt as between the trees, silent as a shadow, with a step that exhibited elegance and confidence she had never seen before, the ethereal figure of a large wolf she had never seen before came into view. Eyes that reflected wisdom unattainable for any living wolf locked on her own for a couple of seconds before they raised their head and let out a long, beautiful howl that sounded so distant, yet so close and caused a shiver to run down her spine…before they faded with aa bone-chilling breeze. Her eyes then landed on Tala, who was looking at her with a tilted head and some confusion in her eyes. Did she not see the wolf? Or listened to them? Once more, the words seemed to roll effortlessly from her tongue, words that she knew to be true and the right ones even if she couldn't exactly tell why "From this day forward, we will be known as the Spirit Wardens!". Tala's brows raised and her ear twitched a bit, taking a second or two before talking once more "Spirit Wardens? Hmm…I like it. I haven't heard of anything like it before. You will be a unique pack indeed. Perhaps pups will tell stories and legends of your pack, and wolves will dream of joining you" 
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Silver Ink #66330 |
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Posted 2022-04-18 02:22:41
The Voice of the Forgotten  First time in the Spirit World The sound of the undergrowth crunching under her paws as she ran as fast as she could was Ayla's loyal companion as she traversed these strange lands. Everything had a strange glow to it, things turned blurry and full of strange ethereal colors the further away you were from them, bathed by a warm, pleasant light that would remind one of the sun if it wasn't for the multicolored refraction that came with it, almost giving the illusion of tiny iridescent crystals dancing around the whole place. Everything was so surreal, and yet Ayla felt perfectly comfortable and at home as she chased some semi-translucent butterflies with iridescent wings that left a crystalline trail behind them, all through the ethereal trees that somehow resembled the Deciduous Forest. She felt free and without any kind of worry, not really caring where her paws carried her. She eventually reached a clearing of green grass and multicolored flowers, more butterflies started to surround her and flutter around her in spirals, going up and down randomly, encouraging her to stand on her back legs and start spinning playfully with them… The sound of a wolf clearing their throat dragged her attention, allowing her to fall back on all fours, the butterflies around her quickly scattering and flying back into the forest. The ghostly wolf that she saw before approached with the same confident and elegant step. Her tail and head dropped once they were at touching distance. Not only this wolf was larger than she originally expected, at least doubling her size, but he gave off a powerful intimidating aura that demanded respect and was impossible to ignore. "Hmmm…It has been a while…" His voice was raspy and carried with it the weight of years upon years of experience and wisdom "Your previous pack trained you well, young one. I'm guessing you took on the rites of the spirits?". Ayla licked her nose, forcing herself to raise her head so she could try and look the older spirit in the eye when talking back to him. It was then when she noticed, surprised, that unlike his voice or even his looks, the eyes of the spirit didn't reflect his age at all…they didn't even appear to be the eyes of a long-dead ancestor…they were just…so inexplicably full of life, lit by a fire that refuses to go out even in death. "I-I…" She cleared her throat, trying to dig for the words in her completely blank mind "Yes…yes, I did, but not…I-I tried out the path of the shaman once, but I didn't go too far" She still remembered that time in her old pack. She tried so many roles back when she was still trying to try to fit in…but none stuck, no matter how hard she tried. "Ah…yes, that explains it. Few are those with connection to the world of those that no longer breathe, I'm surprised the practices survive to this day even if in a pack that far away…I believed them as dead as my old bones for generations…" The large spirit sat as he started silently reminiscing of the times when he was still alive, small chuckles leaving his throat as he did. This caused Ayla's ears to drop and look around awkwardly, shuffling her paws, unsure of what to do. Would it be a good idea to interrupt this spirit? Was she meant to leave? Would that be rude? She had heard of the spirit world and its inhabitants from the shamans of her old pack, but they never went into detail about etiquette when dealing with them… Luckily for her, the spirit wolf seemed to notice and let out a slightly embarrassed chuckle at her insecurities "Oh, forgive me…I guess I just grew too used to my afterlife…Oh! That reminds me! My name is Ulfr, The Faded. I already know your name, so you have no need to introduce yourself to me. I would dare say, I'm the oldest wolf you will find in this place…so old in fact, that the colors that used to decorate my pelt have long faded, and my very form has adapted to this spiritual realm to a point where I've started to become see-through…soon I will look just like the wings on the butterflies that guided you to me". [UNFINISHED WIP]
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Silver Ink #66330 |