Fantasy The Wolves of Winter (Fantasy Wolf, Open)

[Freydis]

The Wolves of Winter

Winter has always been hard, but this has been one of the worst in history. It’s gone on long beyond the time for new life, and even in to the heating season many a time over. New pups are growing up without ever knowing the fresh sweet scent of new life nor the decaying scent of the falling time. All we have is cold, and more cold.
Snows fall rapidly, and what was once a nice open den at night becomes nearly impossible to escape in the morn, blocked by drifts higher than a wolf can see over.
We have had to change, had to adapt. The Wolf struggles in this time. The Direwolf can thrive.
We were built stronger, fiercer than our smaller counterparts. But this does not make food any easier to find. Brother turns on brother, and mothers forsake their pups in favor of a warm meal. Bonds are swiftly broken as the long winter claims all in its wake.
It is within this cold we try to survive. Packs are gone, and the prey is swiftly moving towards oblivion. But there is hope... There is always hope.
The moon goddess, the great wolf Lupa came to us in our dreams, her chosen wolves. To lead the others, she says, to a Paradise. To a place where it is eternal spring, where the prey is plentiful and pups will flourish. No longer will we starve, no longer will we sleep in fear that our pups will not wake in the morn.
“Let the moon be your guide, my child,” Lupa spoke. “For you are my chosen, to bring my children to salvation.”​

---
​

Roles-

Direwolf-

Chosen Male - hostage
Chosen Female - Akela Freydis

Future Dire Alpha (not in play yet) - Lenny2000

Female Direwolves -
Asena Freydis
Arlynn wolffang4

Male Direwolves -
Shikamaru Freydis
Jyddrasyl


Wolves -

Chosen Male - Striker wolffang4
Chosen Female - Rexcaliburr

Future Wolf Alpha (Not in play yet) - xXSunnyXx

Female Wolves -
Prayforthewickedeveryday

Male Wolves-
Garmr Freydis

 

[Freydis]

The forest was nearly silent, barely an animal stirring in its great reaches. The full moon shone bright ahead, and for once the sky was clear, not a flurry of snow in sight. The Mother Wolf, Lupa, looked down upon her many children from her place among the stars in sadness. She hated to see her children suffer so. But powerful as she is, she knew she could not change the weather for spring. She could only give them hope.
The Goddess Wolf sees all. She saw a place even beyond the edges of her vision, a place with hope. It was a place where the weather changed as normal, not this long winter that has yet to end. She ventured through the stars to gaze upon this place of plentiful prey and warm winds, a place where wolves will not starve, where pups will not freeze in the middle of the night, never to wake again.
She swiftly overlooked her children, searching for those with the heart and character to pull through, who might have a chance to lead the others to paradise. They were not the most dominant, nor the most strong or quick witted, but she saw something in each one that drew her to them.
So she drifted down from the sky to appear in their dreams. "Hello," she said softly. "Hello my child, and do not fear. There is a place where prey is plentiful and the lands are warmed by the ever changing seasons. It is there you must go, and you must gather as many of your brethren with you for this journey. I have tasked four of you, my sons and daughters, Wolf and Dire, to bring all you can save to salvation, to Paradise." Lupa bowed her head and rested atop the wolves, basking them in her beautiful silver light.
“Let the moon be your guide, my child,” Lupa spoke. “For you are my chosen, to bring my children to salvation.”


---

Akela, Direwolf Chosen

Akela woke with a start, the grey pre-dawn light slipping through the trees. She shivered, as she swiftly stood and shook the falling flakes from her auburn coat. Despite the cloudless night the night before, the flakes were falling fast now.
Akela sighed and sat on her haunches, noticing her sisters were gone. Out looking for food, most likely. Despite her strange dreams, Akela felt better rested than she had in ages, although her fur still clung tight to her thin frame. She looked over herself with a measure of disgust. Her ribs protruded through her pelt, as did her hips and shoulder bones. Her once fluffy, bright auburn pelt was muted and clung to her form in almost stringy clumps. Akela desperately tugged and licked, trying to bring back some neatness to her coat. But this was not something a bit of grooming could fix.
They were starving. Slowly, they were becoming husks, and soon, she feared, they would wither away to dust.
Akela thought back on her dream. The mother wolf, the goddess, Lupa...
Paradise! It came to Akela with startling clarity, the fog in her brain from exhaustion and hunger lifting as she recalled the Wolf Mothers words. "Paradise," she murmured. "I wonder if its real... or just a hunger dream..." Akela had many dreams recently, of chasing fat prey, her body strong and whole once more. Of sunlit streams and new green leaves, of life. Not this pitiful existence they scraped by with now. Not this terrible all consuming feeling of foreboding, like their time was running out. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if maybe these dreams were of the paradise Lupa had spoken of. But would food guarantee peace? Would it end the wariness she felt meeting other wolves, other dires especially? How was she to peacefully gather wolves when she didn't even trust them herself?
Akela shook the thoughts from her head. "Nonsense," she murmured. "I have the goddess to guide me, and I will find a way."
It was then she noticed that she had been sitting thinking long enough that a layer of snow was building on her pelt, and her sisters had still not returned.
She stood, shaking herself, and tried to distinguish their scent trails in the falling snow, which was no easy feat. She was just about to head out when a small movement caught her eye. She could tell by the way the bird was glowing as if made of starlight that it was not real, not edible. It tilted its head at her, then shuffled its wings, before taking off, heading south.
"A sign?" Akela wondered out loud.



Asena, Direwolf

Asena had woken long before dawns light. Akela had been sleeping the most restfully of them all, and for what seemed like the first time in forever. Like any morning she rose first, she checked to make sure her sisters were breathing, that they survived the night. Finding them alive, Asena sighed with relief and gazed around for any sign of new life, or less snow. Flakes began to fall, crushing her hopes. So the she wolf silently left under the fading stars to look for prey. She ranged far and wide, looking any signs of life. But as dawn approached, and the clouds came back to completely cover the sky, Asena felt despair. She laid down, letting her body sink into the nearly six inches of snow on the ground that was rapidly growing higher by the moment. But the she wolf couldn't find it in herself to care. When was the last time she had food? When was the last time they had seen anything living? They were living this life like prey, stripping the bark from trees to try and gain any measure of nutrition to keep their withering bodies going. It was meager, and no life for a predator.
Asena wasn't sure how long she lay there. She began to feel the cold down to her bones, and only the thought of her siblings and their sadness at finding her gone roused the she wolf from her position.
She stood, stiffly, stretching out stiff joints and muscles. She tried digging down in to the snow, to try and find the earth beneath, perhaps there were some bugs? But all she found was frozen ground and frozen debris. Nothing edible.
She began her search, hoping to find some of the trees that held their green in the cold. Her relief was short lived, for she found a northern white cedar tree that still had some edible bits. They had learned the hard way when winter began that not all leaves or trees were edible. Back when they had been a pack, there had been many wolves. Now only she and her sisters remained. One of the elders of the pack, in desperation, had begun trying different trees leaves and spines that stayed green. Some he was able to eat, some made him violently ill, and he finally came across a tree that killed him within the hour.
Asena was glad for the knowledge, but it was tough surviving when there was nothing to eat. Not even some leaves or bark. She knew they needed to move on soon, the area was barren now.
So she with tail tucked headed back to camp.
She heard Akela murmuring to herself.
"A sign about what?" She asked curiosity, slipping from the brush and licking her sisters ear affectionately.
Akela turned to Asena and gave a soft, but not all there smile. "A sign from the Wolf Mother. I had a dream and she spoke to me last night, sister. She told me of a Paradise where prey was plentiful and we could thrive. And I think I just saw a sign from her, that we have to travel south!"
Asena felt concern, and gave her sister a thorough look over, looking for signs that she may be ill or fevered. "Are you feeling okay, sister?" she asked in concern, but had to admit to herself, Akela was full of more life than she had seen from her sibling in a long time.
Akela's ears flicked back. "I'm telling the truth!" she said with a bite to her words. Asena flinched slightly, and Akela instantly felt bad, and licked her sisters cheek. "I'm sorry, I'm just... I feel hope Asena. For the first time in a long time, I feel hope."



Garmr, Wolf

It seemed the previous nights fortune had deserted him. Garmr rose, casting red eyes to the sky in an accusatory way. But the morning was just beginning, more snow was falling, and in the trees at the edge of the meadow he had rested by, it was already quite high. The snow, at least a foot deep here, unhindered by the trees, made it hard for Garmr to walk. But none the less, he trudged forward, desperately trying to warm his cold bones despite the freezing snow he was plowing through. It was tough, and slow going, so the male had an idea. He tried leaping up lightly, hoping to land upon the top of the snow, hoping it was packed enough to hold his weight. And for the first couple steps, it did. That was until he fell through with a "oomph!" and got a mouth full of snow.
"Blasted, bloody snow!" he cursed, spitting it out. It was then he heard the sound of a desperate struggle, and sensed life.
It appeared that in the night, the snow had buried the entrance to a rabbit warren, and Garmr couldn't thank the goddess enough. He quickly dug through the snow, following the sound, until he came upon a half starved young rabbit. The kill was quick, and for the first time in nearly a moon, Garmr ate. The meat was stringy and tough, but it was hot, and fresh. Not some half frozen remains he found buried in the snow. He ate until there was nothing left, which wasn't long. He cleaned the blood from his maw in the snow, leaving the red stained snow behind with the bones of the rabbit and a few scraps of pelt as he made for the safer, less snow filled forest.

Shikamaru, Direwolf

The direwolf popped his head out from the rocky overhang under which he had rested the night before. The cliffs that rested just beyond the forest where barren. But they were a good place to rest if you didn't want to wake up buried in snow. Granted, you sometimes had to dig yourself out, but there are worse things in life. The large wolf stood taller than most dire males, so his long legs easily carried him up jumps and cliff edges that many wolves wouldn't be able to climb with the ease he did. His white coat blended easily with the gray and white background around him, perfect for hunting in this weather. He lucked out, a skinny mouse and a few safe berries awaited his efforts.
Shikamaru sighed, sitting upon the highest rock after he had finished his meager meal. He hated to do this, but he needed to stay in good shape to survive. He had seen some wolves in the distance, and had run in to a regular wolf not long ago. They were all starved. The wolf had begged shelter, but died in the night. Shika didn't even know his name.
It killed him to do it, but Shika fed for a few days from the body.
Shikamaru sighed, as he closed his eyes and reached out around him to the meager bits of life. A bit of brush that was stubborn and tough was all he found. He sent up a prayer to the Goddess for forgiveness, as he stole its life. He felt the strength and resilience fill his body, and he sighed.
He couldn't help but think about the wolf that had died, and what Shika had taken from him. The dignity and honor of a proper burial, the peace of knowing they were returning to the ground as they were made, a wolf. Not a bit of bone and some fur. In comparison to that wolf, Shika looked great. He was still relatively fit, although his bones were outlined, and his coat was still rather thick, but dull and lifeless. But it was better than wasting away. ​

 

[hostage]

Amarok: Chosen Dire

He was on the verge of collapse. Running did nothing. The world moved fast, even the largest mountain range was nothing but a blur of grey, but he could feel his paws moving as if caught in a sinkhole. What was the huge wolf running from? He didn't know. There was only a growing sense of fear, panic, terror. Suddenly, he was enveloped. He saw only darkness, heard only lonesome howls of the damned wolves who had been sent to Lupa knows where... but through the horrifying darkness, a shaft of light sliced through. His legs propelled him forward, to the light. A clear voice cut through, straight to his consciousness, and directions were given.


Amarok woke with the voices of the old wolves swirling around his mind. A clear cut path to clarity through the confusion of his thoughts and the memory of his dream lay in the words of... Lupa? The wolf shook his head. Despite his rejection of the gods, he knew he had heard the Mother. He could recognize her aura and nature anywhere. And he, Rok, a once forsaken direwolf with no certain future, was chosen to lead all lupines to paradise.


With a new sense of purpose, Rok trudged through the snow. Mounds of it had gathered on him as he slept, leaving the massive figure wet and cold. His stomach rumbled, and he paused to lift his broad muzzle and scent the air. To the left. A scent hit him like a truck. Caribou.


The bones were almost stripped clean. Only bits of flesh left by the original killer were left, perhaps too much of a struggle to scrape them off. Rok settled back on his haunches, pawing at the carcass. Ever so often he would snag one with a large claw and finish stripping it of meat. After he was finished with the bones, he pressed his shoulder against the side of the hide, pushing up and rolling the dead creature over.

The sight that met his eyes almost made Rok howl with joy. Under the carcass was the almost untouched stomach of the caribou. The organ, although filled with brittle grasses and shrubs, was a delicacy for a starved wolf. Rok shoved his muzzle into the newfound meal, rooting through the inedible plants and licking up the outside casing of the stomach.

When he was finished, Rok allowed himself to groom his fur. The thick mane around his head and neck was matted and dull. He knew that he was unrecognizable, though he hadn't looked at his own reflection in moons.

After getting his pelt as clean as possible, Rok tipped back his head and howled a song of thanks to Lupa, the deep tambre of his howl echoing around the cliffs to the north of him. His verse consisted of pride in being chosen and excitement for a better future, but held an unmistakable note of foreboding, informing wolves that he could lead them, but warning others that he was not one to be trifled with.

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[Rexcaliburr]

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[div class=background]

[div class=textbox]Artemis. Goddess of the Hunt, that was her namesake was it not? In this harsh, slashing winter, even her usual prowess in the hunt did not always do her well, but it gave her the tiniest of an edge of speed and scent. She could feel life in the woods, but it left her feeling more alone than ever most of the time when she felt no one around but her. Still, her speed helped her to catch the odd bird or unlucky squirrel once in awhile, and at one point, she found a burrow of bunnies to which she had a delightful meal, but the smell of warm rabbit was but a distant memory now in this striking cold where she wandered aimlessly with only her snarling stomach accompanying her.

But then there was the dream. Herself, Mother of the Wolves, the Goddess Lupa. She spoke to her in the dreams of Paradise, a place where no wolf had to starve, no wolf had to leave their pups behind to save themselves, no wolf had to turn on each other for food. How the dreams felt wonderful. They were warm and fuzzy, and they left her with renewed energy to keep going. She, chosen! Imagine that. Chosen to lead wolves to Paradise! But where would she find them, and earn their trust? And where was this Paradise, if there was one at all?

Maybe it was just the cold and her hunger talking, filling her with false senses of hope. Among her doubt there was the seed of hope, a howl of power and delight. She stopped in her tracks. A howl. A howl! More wolves! She didn't know if she was just making things up in an attempt to make herself feel better, but she followed where the wind blew, carrying the howls of someone else to her. It didn't matter how long or how far, for hope powered her on to find this possibly-imagined wolf's calls.
[/div]
[div class=minibox]ARTEMIS. M: Rok
[/div]

[/div][div class=credits]credits RI.a [/div]

 

[Prayforthewickedeveryday]

Ginger;Regular Wolf;Mid-morning
Ginger wakes up feeling warm, a weird feeling since it was below zero. Then she realizes she could be dead. She opens her eyes and hops up, seeing all black and a white light far away. 'Ginger.... Ginger... Ginger..' multiple voices call from the bright light. "No... Nononononononono... I have a pup to take care of.. Goddess you can't take me now..." Shadow wolves come torwards her and she backs away, snarling, "Goddess... I have to be there for her she wont survive on her own..." The wolves all jump on her, snarling and ripping away her flesh in painful chunks.... Thats when Ginger really wakes up. This time when Ginger hops up, she sees snow outside of her cave-den and her beautiful pup, Lavender. Lavender was awake, playing with a roundish rock by rolling it around and chasing it. "Morning Mommy!," Lavi greets her, throwing herself at her mother and licking her affectionately. "Morning Lavi! How did you sleep my pup? I hope you weren't too cold.. I tried to cover you with my body.." "I slept good Mommy, and you almost smothered me with your warmth. I woke up a little bit ago and saw that it was snowing again! Can I go play?," Lavender asks, hope glowing in her beautiful amber eyes. "Honey you know how dangerous a time like now is... Food is scarse and Dire-Wolves are very dangerous when their hungry..," Ginger says, sad that she has to take the childish hope out of her beautiful pup's eyes. "Mommy I had another weird awake dream... It was of four wolves, two normal wolves like you and two dire-wolves like daddy was. The four wolves took us to a very special place with warmth and prey everywhere..," Lavi says, excitement glowing in her eyes. "And my awake dreams always come true..." Ginger sighs, hating the fact that she had to ruin this for her daughter as well, "I think your just hungry.. I should go see if I can get us some prey. I'll create a small fire here so you can be warm while I'm gone. Stay in the den. Thats an order!" "Okay Mommy!" Ginger creates a small fire in the back of the cave, far enough that predators won't be able to see it. Lavender curls up by it and falls asleep as Ginger leaves, hoping she wouldn't let her pup down once more.

Lavender;Pup;Half-breed;early afternoon
Lavender looks at her mother, wishing they lived in the time mother had described; when prey had been plentiful and warmth had been always. Her mother had even said sometimes it got so hot (a unknown word in Lavi's vocabulary) that they wished it would get cold. That reminded Lavender of her vision. Her mother didn't like that word since visions are what killed her sister. Visions drove Rosemary crazy until finally Rosemary jumped off a cliff. So while Lavender called them awake dreams in front of her mother, she called them visions privately. Lavender knew it would happen. She just knew it would.. But her mother wouldn't believe them.. Not at first.. Then when- Lavender shakes, trying to prepare herself. Only when Lavender almost gets killed by a dire-wolf, and not just any direwolf.. her father, will her mother believe them. Thats when the journey really begins.​

 

[wolffang4]

Arlynn, Direwolf

Arlynn awoke to find Asena already gone, probably to hunt early. she looked over to Akela, making sure she was still alive, she looked peaceful. Arlynn sighed with relief, it was nice to see Akela looking peaceful. She shook her coat, riding herself of some of the snow. Arlynn took off, to look for prey. Times were hard, as she walked she couldnt help but feel pain and fear. How much longer can we live like this? She thought. If something didnt change soon... She shook her head. Thoughts like that wont get us any closer to surviving. She grew tired and laid herself down in the snow, wanting to rest. Arlynn closed her eyes, trying to remember a time when things weren't so bad, the snow wasnt so heavey and her sisters weren't starving. She ached.
She laid there for a while and eventually stood. Shaking off her pelt she decided to head back to her sisters, make sure everything was okay. Maybe they would have better luck than her. Arlynn made her way back to hearing them discuss something "Akela, Asena, what are you two going on about?" She asked them.

---------

Strike, Chosen Male Wolf

Striker awoke, somewhere in the deep snow under the early morning light. He stretched out, and stood slowly. He was alone, as usual. His black and white coat was wet, and covered in snow. He shook, dusting himself off. He looked at himself, sighing at the sight. No time to waste he thought, and started out for some kind of food. This was life now, nothing to eat, cold, bitter, hungry... He shook his head. Its hard to imagine there was ever a better time, yet some days this all just feels like some kind of bad dream to him... dream... He remembered.
He stopped. "The dream" he thought. The Goddess came to him in his dream, he remembered her words, the feeling of hope, the feeling that maybe.. maybe this isn't the end.
Maybe he was losing it. It had been a while since he had eaten anything besides a few bugs, and he was growing more and more tired but the day. But there was something about this dream... something he couldnt shake. He needed answers. He continued on his way, searching for any signs of life anywhere in the cold wasteland. He heard a distant howl, turning to face in that direction he wondered if he should travel that way.

 

[Freydis]

Akela, Chosen Dire Female & Asena, Direwolf Female

When their sister finally appeared, both Akela and Asena gave a sigh of relief. It was always worrisome when one of the trio was gone so long. Who knows what might happen in these woods?
"I had a strange dream, sister," Akela said, shaking her coat as if trying to shake off the weight of the dream. "The Mother Wolf came to me and told he I was chosen to lead the others to a place where there is food, and warmth. Where we do not fret for our lives in the dead of night. Where there is safety, and a future..."
"And I think you are just having hunger dreams, Akela," Asena said gently, but with a hint of annoyance. Both the sisters were on edge. They were hungry, cold and tired.
"It wasn't just a dream! It felt so real! Besides, if its a message from the Mother Wolf then who are we to disobey?" Akela defended, but even she seemed to have doubts in her eyes. An end to this endless winter? It seemed too good to be true and yet...
"I have to believe its true, can't you see? This could be the future for us all! We could be happy, and full, and never have to worry again!"
"Then you are even more prey-brained then I thought," Asena huffed angrily. "I'm going back out to see if there is anything to eat. I suggest you do so too, since at least one of us slept good."
"You believe me at least, don't you?" Akela asked Arlynn, hope in her eyes.
But then Akela watched sadly as Asena stalked away, her head lowering. As she walked away, it seemed a howl came to them on the breeze. Another wolf? Akela felt a sense of hope again, slightly, but knew deep down she would never leave a sister behind.
wolffang4

Asena, Direwolf

Asena stalked through the trees, trying to come to terms with what Akela had been saying. A place where they could live in peace? Dung. If there was then the prey would not be dead or dying, they would have simply moved, and the wolves would have followed. They would have all gone together, yes. But if a place existed they would not have stayed, and died, one by one, by either cold, hunger, or another wolf. Nor would the wolves have remained. What "Mother" let her children starve?
Asena snarled softly as she paced through the trees, not really paying attention to where she was headed. All of a sudden the snow beneath her gave way, and she felt herself falling.
With a startled yelp, she hit the ground and slid, ending in a small gully. The fall had disoriented her, and she felt herself shaking from shock and adrenaline. She stumbled back to her paws, noticing a sharp pain in her right forepaw when she tried to place it on the ground. With a sharp intake of breath she lifted it, holding it up as she hobbled away from some of the snow that was still falling from the hole she had fell through.
As she gazed around a cold pit formed in her stomach. She realized she had no idea where she was, and the sides of the gully seemed too steep to climb with a hurt paw. Sure, if she was in prime condition she could easily leap. But half starved to death, weak with hunger and injury, it was a risk she wasn't willing to take. Failing and hurting herself worse could easily mean death. By fall or by starvation, either one was equally bad.
She tried to get a bearing, but with the gully walls and high trees above she couldn't make sense of which way was which. So she just picked a direction, and started limping.

Garmr, Wolf

Garmr soon found himself in a swath of forest that seemed devoid of life. The snow was less deep here, that was true. But there were no signs of other living creatures. He sighed, a sharp cloud coming from his maw as his warm breath met the air. "I don't know how my breath is warm enough to form mist," he muttered, "When my body is as cold as the snow!" He sighed, and began to lope forward, trying to keep his body moving and keep his damp coat from forming ice. The plunge in the snow made him cold to the bones, and he knew instinctively if he stopped moving right now he may die from it.
As he loped he heard a howl, and he paused, momentarily. Wary of a trap, he scented the air, and shook his head. He didn't trust it, especially not when the a wolf was just as likely to turn on you and try to eat you as they were to greet you. Plus, if it was a direwolf... He stood no chance.
He continued to lope on, angling away from the howl. But it wasn't long until he heard a crash and a yelp, faint in the distance. Or closer, he thought to himself, if it were muffled by the snow.
"Well isn't the forest just alive with wolves," He muttered almost sarcastically. He readjusted his direction once again. The concerns of other wolves were not his. ​

Shikamaru, Direwolf

The sound of a howl interrupted Shikamaru's musings about life and death and what it all was worth. His ears pricked with interest. It had been so long since he had heard another wolf! He felt fairly confident that he could hold his own if the wolf was hostile. His once hated powers now were the only thing keeping him alive. Well, relatively alive.
He began to pick his way down the cliff, agile as a goat, not that he had seen one in many a moon. When he reached one of the lower outcroppings, he tilted his head back, and howled in response.
​