Wolfs-Descent: On our way!

For

Just a little portrait of the current members of the Latreia Pack, minus the NPC's Yeager and Haruko. They are in the story bellow but will be drawn a little further down the line. The time has finally come where the two packs are splitting ways and moving out to their own new territories! Latreia members are heading southeast while the Astrapi members are heading northeast. If you are still working on the Side Task 1, that is perfectly fine. Just be sure to get your submissions in before the end of the month if you want to earn a couple extra Tokens! 






The Story:

After saying our farewells to our comrades from the Astrapi pack, the time had finally come for my pack and and I to move out on our own. The trail we would be taking was a slightly dangerous one, being as it led through an icy mountain path but it was the fastest way. It was a path I was familiar with and I wasn't worried. We would never have taken this path if I was not completely sure that my pack mates could handle it. After all, I had faith that they could make this journey and so we pressed onward up the steep rocks. The snow flurried around us as I gazed out into the distance; the clouds were rolling in fast and I knew it meant trouble. That blasted snow, always interfering with my goals. It was already hard enough trying to keep a bunch of young wolves in check, not to mention Yeager who may as well be a pup since he acts like one. The snow was just one more thing to add to my list of worries. 

My pack trailed behind me as the wind kicked up, howling lowly against the rocks we climbed over and making it hard to keep balance. I could feel the tense atmosphere building behind me, everyone was worried except Yeager and Haruko. Taking a glance back, I noticed that they all had their heads low and would avert any eye contact with me. I huffed out lowly in irritation; I hadn't exactly bonded with any of them yet. It was something I had always been so terrible at but I didn't want for the Lateria members to fear me. Rather, I would want them to have respect for me just as the soldiers of Oston who were under my command. But even the soldiers were wary of me at first. In order to earn respect, I needed their trust, and to earn trust I would have to form bonds with them. It would most certainly take some time but I was prepared for it. Doubt played across Ruru's face when he nearly slipped off a wet rock. The wolves were all exhausted and hungry; I knew they wanted to stop for the day but I couldn't allow it. The storm would catch up with us quickly if we stopped and we would be trapped on the rocks for who knows how long. With our supplies being limited, and prey being scare at high elevations, I wasn't going to chance it. Even at the discomfort of everyone else.


"Everyone!" I called out into the wind, "Please stop! We need to talk!"

The wolves suddenly became alert and crawled over the rocks towards me.  

"What is it Miss Moody? Is the snow finally getting to ya?" Yeager asked. "Betcha want to make shelter for the night, right?"

"No, I want to keep moving through this storm till we make it to the base of this mountain." I said giving a slight shake to my fur to clear the snowflakes. 

"Huh... Excellent choice. We will successfully be frozen to death within a few hours!" Yeager cheered, grinning with his jagged smile.

Everyone became noticeably concerned, their faces becoming grim. Great, just great. He always had a way of making things worse than they already were! My temper began to boil as a let a snarl rip out of my throat, taking an audible snap at Yeager. He dogged me quickly and lowered his head.

"Yeesh! Can't ya take a joke?! I was joking!" He called out nervously.

"Cut it out! I am so close to leaving you here on this forsaken-" I said harshly but cut myself off. I had to keep my cool. Haruko noticed that I was was about to lose it and quickly grabbed Yeager by the bandanna tied around his neck, leading him away from me. I breathed hard, as I tried to calm myself. 

"Are you okay Alphress Akantha?" said Ashura, the blue wolf's pale yellow eyes gleamed with concern as he approached hesitantly. 

I looked up at him and sighed, gaining my composure again. "I'm fine."

Ruru then stepped forward. "I think that Yeager is right, it's too dangerous to keep moving along these slippery crevasses! The smartest thing to do is take a break and regroup ourselves."

"I do enjoy the snow Miss Akantha, but this storm is beginning to become a little too overwhelming..."  Ava said softly, shivering as a breeze passed through her auburn hued fur. "Perhaps we should build camp now."

I nodded, taking everyone's opinion into consideration. "Listen everyone, I know I may come off as a hot-tempered brute but... I want you all to understand that I consider you all my family now." I said, looking at each member modestly. "Yes, I know that you are all thinking that coming through this trail was a terrible mistake but I promise you that I know what I am doing. This is the quickest way through to the eastern territory; my family has used this same path for centuries."

"They came through this same path during blizzards like this? Sounds a little ridiculous. " Ruru asked raising an eyebrow at me. He looked skeptical. I was worried about him, it seemed as though he had little faith in my abilities as a leader. He might be the hardest one to convince. 

"Correct Ruru, they came through here during worse conditions than we face now... I have been through a lot in my life, more than anyone my age should have to go through. I've had to do a lot of things I'm not proud of but these things have taught be how to survive. I have quite a bit of experience with these sort of situationd and instincts to match. You are just going to have to trust me on this. I have gauged all your abilities and I know we can make it because I know we are strong! I would never force any of you to do something I didn't believe you could do and I will never let anything happen to my family. You will be protected even at the cost of my own life."

The mood started to change with every word I spoke and a new determination appeared in everyone's face. Like they could literally conquer mountains! Even Ruru looked like he was having a change of heart. Now we just had to get through this mountain and we could rest. 

Yeager grinned brightly. "'Atta girl, tell 'em what's what." He said under his breath. I rolled my eyes but smiled at him.

"Alright, we better keep moving before the real blizzard catches us!" I announced.

"Right!" Everyone said at the same time. 

"Lets get moving! To our new home!" I called, my voice echoing.


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