LOL! That's Ember! (Frith-love-her) Not sure I recall Draiko. Newer guy? I do
hope Syb's not too miffed at him. Leaving one's mate alone with one's pups is
not a very wolfish thing to do. x.x

When are the TBL Chats again? Saturdays?

I have applied for alternate employment. Hoping that comes through for me and I
can get outa here! Then I'd have weekends (whatever those are)! I'm off to that
soft thing I pass out in for hours.

*melts and soaks into the carpet just before reaching the bed* Oh snap! x.x

Hello, old friends, new friends, or friends I don't even know (as the case may
be)! I am sorry it has been so many-many years (decades?) since I last PAT'ed. I
would like to try making a reappearance if possible. At least I miss being a
regular TAB'er!!

I barely even recall who I was. Wasn't I Fire-Eyes? Is he dead? If so, has he
been so long enough for him to make a brand new (re-)entrance? XD I've got a
rougher IRL life, but have become much better at managing my time.

Peace, Love, and Balto-dreams to everybodeh!
~Arctic Wolf <---Morney1

OOC:  Yeah, we could do a new chapter and characters can reset where they are
again.

IC:

The she-wolf relaxed a little, this "White Ember" was a stranger to her, but he
did not smell of the Tharadra'al and so she doubted he'd be after her children. 
It was true, the pregnancy and birth had not sat well with her and the shedding
of her coat was not adding to the overall impression.  She was a medium sized
wolf, under fed and smelling of birth, but right now adrenaline was lending her
a great deal of strength and her muscles showed clearly, though, to be fair,
there was not a great deal for them to show through.

"You want to help? There is a wolf outside of this town, a large black male who
goes by the name of Aranok.  Kill him and rid this land of a monster, that is
how you can help."

She was not by nature a violent wolf or overly prone to confrontation, but she
was in a strange town and she was already berating herself for leaving her
younglings alone.  The Malamute's assumption of authority would have made
perfect sense to her before, this was after all, his territory.  Now however she
turned to him and stared the dog right in the eyes, her hackles raised, her
meaning was quite clear, if he wanted to direct them, then he would have to
prove his worthiness.

OOC: Gaargh, no, I haven't done anything with TAB in ages. x_o The club's fallen stagnant yet again and I just haven't had the grit to kick it back into gear again. We did try to move it to an EZboard or Invision-eqsue forum at one point, but there were split opinions about it from the start and in the end it fell through anyway. Sheer fact of the matter is, members have to post, and currently there are so many members who've left that their characters are entangling those of the members who've stayed. We need an almighty great time advance, only by a week or two, so that every single character here has a nice, fresh starting point to play from, without being stuck in limbo in a scene that's left unfinished. Who else is in favour of that? Ember's return can mark the beginning of the new timeframe, set a week or a few weeks on from the previous set of posts.

Do drop me an E-mail though, Ember, definitely! Stay in touch, you slippery muppet. X-D And yep, I'm still in touch with the others. I haven't chatted to Sparf in a while now, but I catch his posts on Livejournal and I do know he still believes in TAB. <=) Tracker's in university now but I'm still in touch with her, too, though I don't catch her online much nowadays. And oi, do I keep in touch with White? *Pulls a Lion King on Ember and noogies her* We're married, ya plum. She's living here with me now. :-D You'd have been invited to the wedding if I had any means to contact you, but you'd dropped off the planet. :-P

BIC: The wolf was backing away, slinking into an alley, though it seemed it was out of wariness rather than following Cobalt's advice. Well whatever got the animal out of sight was a good thing, in this present climate. Clearly the guy had no clue about the deaths in town that had caused such a fearful timbre to decent on Nome. Every dog knew, when a human gets scared, they're prone to act unpredictably, often rashly. Since the sled dog practically owed his life to the more benevolent wolves outside of town, the last thing his sense of duty would allow was a member of that pack to get his brains blown out in the town that had hosted him these past months.

To help, or perhaps hamper, matters, the female wolf whom he'd seen at the vet's had come running up to investigate the howl as well. She'd never looked in a very strong state, and though Cobalt had never taken the opportunity to talk to her, he had assumed she was from Omara's pack. Clearly though, either he was wrong about that, or wrong about this male wolf here, since the two of them obviously didn't know each other. And, more to the point, she was now exposing herself to the attitude of the town as well. Jerry most certainly would have his hands full explaining this to the two-man police force if the wolves were traced back to the surgery. She needed to duck out of sight too, quickly.

The malamute listened to what White Ember had to say, anxiously shifting his weight from paw to achy paw. He knew about the bitch's cubs? Their scent must have been heavy on her after just having come from the vet's. "I see," he responded swiftly, glancing up and down the street, which luckily were still empty thus far, "I'm Cobalt, technically just passing through, but we've been held up." He snapped his attention to the female, "Listen marm, please get out of sight, you're in as much danger as this guy."

Cobalt had been lead dog of his team, he was used to giving orders, fair ones, and having them obeyed. Not out of sheer authority, but because his teammates saw the sense in them, and trusted his judgement. In this precarious situation, his sled dog instincts were kicking in again, and without properly intending it, he was giving out orders to the pair of wolves. As the only domestic dog between the three of them, wearing his broad mushing collar, he was the only one not at risk of being shot if he was seen.

Apologetically he turned his muzzle back to the male. "There's plenty you should know, pal, but you sure picked a risky place to find it out. Humans have been killed by wolves here. I was almost killed by a wolf. I don't know where my musher is, but his teammate was killed by a wolf and he himself is probably still in danger." It was a lot to get his head around, even now. Pete's slaughter at the hands of that huge black bitch in the alley, not far from here, right before the attack by Aranok, another huge black wolf. Something was going on. "Something about those pelts..." he muttered, punctuating himself with a frustrated swat of his tail.

-John

OOC: John I love what you've done with the place. It's nice to see that some of
the old posters havnt left their post. ^__~ i'll send you an email. Do you still
talk to Night Tracker, Artainis, White Wolf or any people from a looonng time
ago?

IC: Ember whirled around to face the two dogs and backed into a dark ally. A
place where he could defend himself on one side if need be, if they had friends.
He lowered his head submissively. His eyes glowed in the shadows.
      "I dont recognize either of them,"White Ember muttered. The bluish gray
huskie appeared to have a terrible limp but Ember was no stranger to battle in
these parts. "Were these the bad guys?" he wondered. He took note that the other
dog that had showed up,the new mother judging by her condition, was on edge.
      "I'm not here to hurt you...or your puppies." He added alittle
sardonically, looking each dog reassuringly in the eye. He came out of his bow
and wagged his tale alittle."I use to live around here, I use to know others who
were also inhabitants of Nome. My name is White Ember and I have travled far to
be reunited with what I have lost. You two appear to have troubles, is there
anything that I should know? I would gladly help with anything anybody needs.
I'm an excelent hunter with an acute nose and a sense of what is good and pure
and what is worth the lashing of my fangs."


-WE

She shook her head and did her best to clear it of the mewling voices that had
begged her to stay.  It seemed she had been in that human place of illness for
an eternity and she had not been able to carry her cubs out.  Still sore and
heavy with milk she had squirmed out of the vets office, trying to convince
herself that her young would be better protected where they were than out here
with her where their pursuers could take them.  Still she needed a plan, her
children couldn't remind trapped there indefinitely.  She knew that they needed
her protection, to a new mother, the world was full of dangers.

It seemed an ironic confirmation of her fears when she heard the howl.  Of
course if she had listened carefully she would have heard the subtle resonances
and timbre.  She would have known that it was not the voice of the wolf she
feared, but a stranger.  However her mind was full of thoughts of attack and
abduction.  Almost unconsciously her legs began to move her with all the speed
she could muster towards the source of the noise.

Arriving in a flurry of snow and raised hackles she looked at the cause of the
sound.  Seeing not only a wolf she had not expected and did not recognise, but a
dog from the vet's, she relaxed, but only slightly.  Looking over the dog and
his injuries, she turned to the wolf.

"Who are you? Why are you here? Has someone sent you?"

She was a competent fighter it was true, but not as strong as many she had come
across, still if this wolf was here for her cubs then she would use every ounce
of strength, every iota of skill to defeat him.

OOC: Rar! Ember! :-D Welcome back! Don't disappear again! You don't update your
Livejournal or anything now, it's so hard to get in touch with you. What's your
E-mail address, you crazy furburger? If you don't want it on the public board,
you can drop it off to john.w.pullinger at gmail dot com.

BIC: "What in blazes?" Cobalt's dark-furred head pushed out of the
veterinarian's dogflap in the back door of the building. He'd heard a wolf howl,
right here in the middle of town. That either meant that one of Omara's wolves
had thrown caution to the winds, or one of those black-furred bastard wolves had
acquired a positive deathwish. Either way, the charcoal-and-grey Malamute had
business with whoever this was, and he hoped he got there on his mending legs
before any humans did with guns.

White Ember couldn't have known about the recent developments. How Cobalt's
musher had been attacked by Aranok, and an equally dark female, in and around
Nome. Actually _in_ the alleys in the town. People were scared, there had been
more than one death by fang and they wouldn't stop to ask questions if they saw
a big wolf pacing fearlessly along the road.

The animal's pawprints were easy to follow, and in an awkward and painful lope,
the sled dog managed to catch up with this oblivious lupine, worming his way
through a gap in a wooden fence to reach him. It wasn't one of the black wolves,
which to Cobalt's mind meant this wolf was one of the decent ones, park of the
pack he owed a debt to. "Get out of sight, you idiot!" he barked, hobbling
across to the large white wolf, still not fully recovered from his fight with
Aranok, "D'you want to get shot??" He caught glimpse of a few curtains twitching
in the windows further down the street

-John

OOC: Hi everyone. I am White Ember one of the co-founders of this once
active and prosperous group. TAB has been in my heart for years and I
have been thinking of starting up again lately. Anyone interested? Lemme
know.

IC: Ember trotted through the streets, he had abandond his post with his
friends and left to patrol the streets of Nome. His paws left a trail in
the snow that encased the town. Every step was high and proud. His tail
was raised and he stopped to shake his fur in exhileration. It was a
sunny day and his white coat was shining. He sniffed the ground looking
for a fresh trail. This time he was not senting for food or to kill he
was hunting for a different kind of reason. He was searching for friends
he had lost and looking to the next generation of members to populate
the town he had once felt guardian to. His leathery nose grazed the
ground and he thought there was a faint wiff of somthing. A stranger
perhaps? Only fate could tell.

He lowered his tail and raised his muzzle to let out a mournful howl
that carried to the ears of all the inhabitants of the town. The sound
echoed far into the distance. He sat and cocked his head to the side in
a curious motion and flicked his ears listening for a reply.

OOC:If i dont respond to this right away i'm sorry i'm still in college
at the moment. I'm still an awful speller. Apologies.

GO BALTO! ^__^

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, ash rae <lupinedementia@...>
wrote:
>
> I know we have all been really busy with life. But I'm curious how
everyone is doing. I'm doing a bit better, working out more and
getting healthier. And getting surgery soon that will hopefully
correct some issues. I'll try to be more active as a member, just let
me know when you guys are ready to start up again :) no rush though,
life is life!
>  
> -Ash
>

I'm good, though I would love if we could start an rp soon. I don't
mind the wait though :)

I'm new here, are there any new stories starting up yet?

:3 Thanks, glad you like it. XD Have you actually joined the SFF? o_O;
I don't think I've seen you around there.


~Zeki

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "wolfwing04" <foxfly04@...>
wrote:
>
> Wow, Zeki. I had no idea you were responsible for SFF's layout. I've
> always loved it :D I'm not nearly creative enough to make my own
> layout :P Thank you for the support, dear <3
>
> And thanks to everyone, too! Don't stress yourself out too much
> Nighty. Take your time :) I appreciate the offer, though, and I look
> forward to bugging you about that, haha!
>
> Anyway, with everyone getting back to school and getting life back
> into order after summer vacations and whatnot, I imagine things will
> be slow for a while. I'll do what I can in the meantime. And, as
> always, send me any suggestions you may have.
>
> Thanks guys!
> -Mandi
>
> --- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, zekiwolf <no_reply@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I still hate this idea more than I can put into words, but I do
> > practically live on invisionfree and made the layout and most
> graphics
> > for this forum: http://s7.invisionfree.com/Silver_Fang_Fanhouse/
> >
> > If you need something done, I can do it.
> >
> >
> > ~Z
> >
> >
> > --- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, ash rae <lupinedementia@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > I like it alot, not sure what to suggest on the layout. I guess
> > something that represents the feel of the RP. I used to roleplay
> in a
> > forum that was mostly black and read because it fit the morose
> quality
> > the RP was. So i like the blue and grey thing but i wonder what
> other
> > lay outs can be put in there to make sense to Nome *hmms*
> > >
> > >   -Ash
> > >
> > >   graywolfgirl <graywolfgirl@> wrote:
> > >           It looks quite nice. Am already there. :)
> > >
> > > ~Ara/Gray
> > >
> > > --- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "wolfwing04"
> <foxfly04@>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > All right! I finally got around to getting this up. It's in
> the early
> > > > stages, but unless there are requests to do so, the forums that
> > are on
> > > > it right now will probably be the only ones there for a while.
> About
> > > > the only thing that will change now and then is the forum
> skin :) I'm
> > > > still not satisfied with it. If anyone has any experience (and
> a good
> > > > art program) in making skins for InvisionFree (or even just
> icons to
> > > > match the one i've got now), please let me know! I could
> probably
> > > > manage, but all I have is MS Paint, haha.
> > > >
> > > > Please give me feedback and opinions on what I can
> > change/add/whatever.
> > > > I want to you all happy :)
> > > >
> > > > So, without further ado:
> > > > http://z10.invisionfree.com/The_Aurora_Borealis
> > > >
> > > > Enjoy!
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Wow, Zeki. I had no idea you were responsible for SFF's layout. I've
always loved it :D I'm not nearly creative enough to make my own
layout :P Thank you for the support, dear <3

And thanks to everyone, too! Don't stress yourself out too much
Nighty. Take your time :) I appreciate the offer, though, and I look
forward to bugging you about that, haha!

Anyway, with everyone getting back to school and getting life back
into order after summer vacations and whatnot, I imagine things will
be slow for a while. I'll do what I can in the meantime. And, as
always, send me any suggestions you may have.

Thanks guys!
-Mandi

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, zekiwolf <no_reply@...>
wrote:
>
> I still hate this idea more than I can put into words, but I do
> practically live on invisionfree and made the layout and most
graphics
> for this forum: http://s7.invisionfree.com/Silver_Fang_Fanhouse/
>
> If you need something done, I can do it.
>
>
> ~Z
>
>
> --- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, ash rae <lupinedementia@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I like it alot, not sure what to suggest on the layout. I guess
> something that represents the feel of the RP. I used to roleplay
in a
> forum that was mostly black and read because it fit the morose
quality
> the RP was. So i like the blue and grey thing but i wonder what
other
> lay outs can be put in there to make sense to Nome *hmms*
> >
> >   -Ash
> >
> >   graywolfgirl <graywolfgirl@> wrote:
> >           It looks quite nice. Am already there. :)
> >
> > ~Ara/Gray
> >
> > --- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "wolfwing04"
<foxfly04@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > All right! I finally got around to getting this up. It's in
the early
> > > stages, but unless there are requests to do so, the forums that
> are on
> > > it right now will probably be the only ones there for a while.
About
> > > the only thing that will change now and then is the forum
skin :) I'm
> > > still not satisfied with it. If anyone has any experience (and
a good
> > > art program) in making skins for InvisionFree (or even just
icons to
> > > match the one i've got now), please let me know! I could
probably
> > > manage, but all I have is MS Paint, haha.
> > >
> > > Please give me feedback and opinions on what I can
> change/add/whatever.
> > > I want to you all happy :)
> > >
> > > So, without further ado:
> > > http://z10.invisionfree.com/The_Aurora_Borealis
> > >
> > > Enjoy!
> > >
> >
>

I still hate this idea more than I can put into words, but I do
practically live on invisionfree and made the layout and most graphics
for this forum: http://s7.invisionfree.com/Silver_Fang_Fanhouse/

If you need something done, I can do it.


~Z


--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, ash rae <lupinedementia@...>
wrote:
>
> I like it alot, not sure what to suggest on the layout. I guess
something that represents the feel of the RP. I used to roleplay in a
forum that was mostly black and read because it fit the morose quality
the RP was. So i like the blue and grey thing but i wonder what other
lay outs can be put in there to make sense to Nome *hmms*
>
>   -Ash
>
>   graywolfgirl <graywolfgirl@...> wrote:
>           It looks quite nice. Am already there. :)
>
> ~Ara/Gray
>
> --- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "wolfwing04" <foxfly04@>
> wrote:
> >
> > All right! I finally got around to getting this up. It's in the early
> > stages, but unless there are requests to do so, the forums that
are on
> > it right now will probably be the only ones there for a while. About
> > the only thing that will change now and then is the forum skin :) I'm
> > still not satisfied with it. If anyone has any experience (and a good
> > art program) in making skins for InvisionFree (or even just icons to
> > match the one i've got now), please let me know! I could probably
> > manage, but all I have is MS Paint, haha.
> >
> > Please give me feedback and opinions on what I can
change/add/whatever.
> > I want to you all happy :)
> >
> > So, without further ado:
> > http://z10.invisionfree.com/The_Aurora_Borealis
> >
> > Enjoy!
> >
>

It looks quite nice. Am already there. :)

~Ara/Gray

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "wolfwing04" <foxfly04@...>
wrote:
>
> All right! I finally got around to getting this up. It's in the early
> stages, but unless there are requests to do so, the forums that are on
> it right now will probably be the only ones there for a while. About
> the only thing that will change now and then is the forum skin :) I'm
> still not satisfied with it. If anyone has any experience (and a good
> art program) in making skins for InvisionFree (or even just icons to
> match the one i've got now), please let me know! I could probably
> manage, but all I have is MS Paint, haha.
>
> Please give me feedback and opinions on what I can change/add/whatever.
> I want to you all happy :)
>
> So, without further ado:
> http://z10.invisionfree.com/The_Aurora_Borealis
>
> Enjoy!
>

It looks quite nice. Am already there. :)

~Ara/Gray

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "wolfwing04" <foxfly04@...>
wrote:
>
> All right! I finally got around to getting this up. It's in the early
> stages, but unless there are requests to do so, the forums that are on
> it right now will probably be the only ones there for a while. About
> the only thing that will change now and then is the forum skin :) I'm
> still not satisfied with it. If anyone has any experience (and a good
> art program) in making skins for InvisionFree (or even just icons to
> match the one i've got now), please let me know! I could probably
> manage, but all I have is MS Paint, haha.
>
> Please give me feedback and opinions on what I can change/add/whatever.
> I want to you all happy :)
>
> So, without further ado:
> http://z10.invisionfree.com/The_Aurora_Borealis
>
> Enjoy!
>

Yay! Joined. ^_^ Looks nice as a start off, and once I get the new
tab pic finished, itll look even better. :D

When I have time to dig around and remember codings for invisionfree,
ill send you an email, miss Mandi. :) And ive got all the artsy
programs like PSP and Photoshop, if you want something done, I could
probably do it. :)

Until then, I prolly wont be to active over the next few days as ill
be moving from here to the dorm building starting saterday.

Nervous hen, guys. ^^;

~Nighty

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "John Pullinger"
<j.w.pullinger@...> wrote:
>
> That looks excellent, Mandi, it'll serve as an ideal foundation to
> build up from, putting on skins and transfering the archives there
from
> Yahoo, adding character profiles etc. Well done for taking the
first
> steps to realizing the forum, it'll be easier to add content now
that
> the prototype is up.
>
> As far as the archives go, I have them on my computer up until
about a
> year ago, and the remaining posts between then and now aren't too
hard
> to put on manually, that wouldn't be too time consuming. Is there a
way
> to add batches of posts to the archive, rather than having to do
each
> individually? Some kind of FTP service, for example?
>
> -John
>

That looks excellent, Mandi, it'll serve as an ideal foundation to
build up from, putting on skins and transfering the archives there from
Yahoo, adding character profiles etc. Well done for taking the first
steps to realizing the forum, it'll be easier to add content now that
the prototype is up.

As far as the archives go, I have them on my computer up until about a
year ago, and the remaining posts between then and now aren't too hard
to put on manually, that wouldn't be too time consuming. Is there a way
to add batches of posts to the archive, rather than having to do each
individually? Some kind of FTP service, for example?

-John

All right! I finally got around to getting this up. It's in the early
stages, but unless there are requests to do so, the forums that are on
it right now will probably be the only ones there for a while. About
the only thing that will change now and then is the forum skin :) I'm
still not satisfied with it. If anyone has any experience (and a good
art program) in making skins for InvisionFree (or even just icons to
match the one i've got now), please let me know! I could probably
manage, but all I have is MS Paint, haha.

Please give me feedback and opinions on what I can change/add/whatever.
I want to you all happy :)

So, without further ado:
http://z10.invisionfree.com/The_Aurora_Borealis

Enjoy!

The large femme's hard eyes narrowed as he mentioned the skins that lay scattered still, back on the white. She gave a quick, full throttle snarl deep from her entire body and glanced upon him in a most disagreeable way.

"Drive me away..? Hah." Her cool, cold laugh broke the one sided conversation and, enriched with a fine mockery all her own, the DarkWolf countered Aranok's coldness with her own, turning her shoulder to him, she slid over to glance over the edge of the cliff face, looking down onto the town that now lay in a twisted mess of chaos and mystery. Oh the rumours and high tales the dogs were probably telling one another. NightTracker grinned and turned back to him.

"Omara would not dare take my home. She is to kind hearted. I do not go because that is not my pack. Your pack is not my family." With this she gave a twitch of her thick tail and rolled her shoulders in a shrug. The bitterness in her voice never faded, but if possibly, only grew stronger with such a venom one could wonder if she held any possible compassion at all. With those frozen pools, she watched the yellow fire of his own and somewhere there, held herself. They were almost identicle. Sun and Moon, Yin and Yang. So much heart ache. So much sorrow. The DeathBringer had not been able to protect her family. In a way, she felt an intolerable envy for Aranok. She wanted to lash out and shout at him, instead, she only woofed, though still tinged with malice, it was softer, even a little bit sad.

"Atleast you still have your family."

She brought her head back up, and snuffed toward the Dog wolf and shook herself. She couldnt shake the feeling of fearing he would just turn away and leave. Leave her alone, alone again to wander aimlessly in her past and to pace endlessly in her desolate isolation. Endure.. indeed. She endured, alright. And what exactly was she enduring? Her seclusion? No, she was being ruled by her anger toward herself. She was enduring her own fears. Damn this wolf! He was, unbeknownst to him, bringing very bitter thoughts to the surface. She wanted company, a pack. She wanted that safety, that love, that tenderness. Though she doubted anymore she could feel such strong emotions. She wouldnt blame him if he went away, look at how she was treating him, but.. she didnt want him to. And thinking back again on his question of why she had not accepted his Alpha's invitation, she told the truth.

"I lead, Aranok, I do not follow."

If this caused her to walk alone until eternity, then so be it, but the Dark femme was not one to grovel, beg, pin ears and tail or whine at another's maw. She almost wanted to ask him if he wanted to stay with her.. to start the pack she so dreampt of sometimes at night when she wasnt plagued by nightmares, but as loyal as he was to Omara, Hell itself would freeze over before he left such an allegience, and NightTracker felt herself a great fool for even thinking of such a thoughtless thing to ask. And now, she knew not how to go on with this, and so, stood watching him, with an idle twitch of her sharp sonids, pressed forward and alert atop her wide head, and her tail inching this way and that, straight out behind her.

She'd never felt so confused in all her life, and it was all due to the yellow eyed black dog before her. How wonderful her life was.

~NightTracker

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, silverdraiko <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> The late afternoon was slowly but inexorably fading to evening. The
> sky turning to a deepening blue and the first and brightest stars
> twinkling silently in their lonely brilliance. The evening breeze
> held a frigid chill and Aranok was grateful for his thick pelt. The
> town of Nome was clear from here, a festering blight on an otherwise
> wondrous landscape. The manhunt had awakened something within Aranok
> that the huge black wolf had been ignoring for so long. The victory
> had been hollow and none of his fallen pack mates had returned. He
> was the protector of the pack but there was no protection form humans,
> they appeared to be experts in dealing death wherever they went.
>
> He was drawn form his reverie by the heady scent of the wolf who had
> joined him in the hunt. He heard her growl and snarl, but he did not
> look around, his body, always ready for attack, did not move and only
> when she spoke did Aranok turn to regard her. His gaze was steady,
> piercing and critical, it was the gaze of a wolf who is well used to
> finding and anticipating threat. She truly was an unusual wolf,
> Aranok had never encountered a male to match his size and yet here was
> a female that did just that. The only differences between them, those
> of male and female.
>
> "Your land?"
>
> His voice was deep and his tone was even, there was no mockery or
> mimicry in his voice.
>
> "You are a lone wolf NightTracker the remnants of your pack lie strewn
> and torn alongside an overturned sled. I know you are formidable in
> battle, I have hunted with you, but if our pack chose to take these
> lands do you think you could fend us all off?"
>
> He shook his head, Aranok had never been a very comforting wolf and
> some might think him cruel, but with everything except himself he saw
> what was there and not what it was believed was there or what was
> wished was there.
>
> "So the question you should really ask is. Why are you still here?
> My alpha offered you a home and a family and you refused it. Is it
> some self imposed punishment you compound upon yourself, no wolf is
> made to be alone so I do not believe it is something that you enjoy,
> but something that you endure."
>
> And why was he here? Aranok had come here to try and deal with his
> grief. He had always used it to feed his rage and hatred, but now it
> seemed pointless and so his grief, unheeded and un-experienced for so
> long was causing him great pain and no matter how much he wished to
> draw himself from it, it bogged him down and clung to him. He knew
> that if he did not search within and find something upon which to
> fasten then his heart would break and he would be lost in a selfish
> wallowing of his own devising.
>

The late afternoon was slowly but inexorably fading to evening.  The
sky turning to a deepening blue and the first and brightest stars
twinkling silently in their lonely brilliance.  The evening breeze
held a frigid chill and Aranok was grateful for his thick pelt.  The
town of Nome was clear from here, a festering blight on an otherwise
wondrous landscape.  The manhunt had awakened something within Aranok
that the huge black wolf had been ignoring for so long.  The victory
had been hollow and none of his fallen pack mates had returned.  He
was the protector of the pack but there was no protection form humans,
they appeared to be experts in dealing death wherever they went.

He was drawn form his reverie by the heady scent of the wolf who had
joined him in the hunt.  He heard her growl and snarl, but he did not
look around, his body, always ready for attack, did not move and only
when she spoke did Aranok turn to regard her.  His gaze was steady,
piercing and critical, it was the gaze of a wolf who is well used to
finding and anticipating threat.   She truly was an unusual wolf,
Aranok had never encountered a male to match his size and yet here was
a female that did just that.  The only differences between them, those
of male and female.

"Your land?"

His voice was deep and his tone was even, there was no mockery or
mimicry in his voice.

"You are a lone wolf NightTracker the remnants of your pack lie strewn
and torn alongside an overturned sled.  I know you are formidable in
battle, I have hunted with you, but if our pack chose to take these
lands do you think you could fend us all off?"

He shook his head, Aranok had never been a very comforting wolf and
some might think him cruel, but with everything except himself he saw
what was there and not what it was believed was there or what was
wished was there.

"So the question you should really ask is.  Why are you still here?
My alpha offered you a home and a family and you refused it.  Is it
some self imposed punishment you compound upon yourself, no wolf is
made to be alone so I do not believe it is something that you enjoy,
but something that you endure."

And why was he here?  Aranok had come here to try and deal with his
grief.  He had always used it to feed his rage and hatred, but now it
seemed pointless and so his grief, unheeded and un-experienced for so
long was causing him great pain and no matter how much he wished to
draw himself from it, it bogged him down and clung to him.  He knew
that if he did not search within and find something upon which to
fasten then his heart would break and he would be lost in a selfish
wallowing of his own devising.

The older hybrid felt the need to explore his surrounding's a bit, as he had not jumped ship to head home quite yet, and wondered idely how long it would actually take Lisa to come back to Nome to search for him.

In his wanderings, however, he had seen and learned quite a good deal about the going's on around this little town, adn that the small city's innocence was something long passed. It seemed to be a breeding ground for fights, bullies, and mysteries. Something the old dog would have found exciting and worth every ear to the door when he was a young scruff, but now at nine years old, he was getting up there, and he wasnt about to have his ears ripped off to find a good bit of gossip for himself.

However, as he was walking back toward the Veterinarians, taking the scenic route as he was known to do, thanks to the strong wolf blood that ran in his malamute veins, the large earth coated dog swung his black head around as he heard the hiss of a cat, something break, and then angry voices turning into quiet, then loud again. As he drew nearer, he suddenly stopped and every gaurd hair on his aged body stood on end as the wolves had howled. He couldnt help a shudder at his wild cousins, and wondered why, idely, they were so full of sorrow. He knew of a human's death, and of injuries to others by what poeple were saying were wolves and to tell the truth he didnt want to beleive his ears. His Father was a wolf, and Maker rest his soul, always taught Kamakazie, then called by another name by the pack, that wolves never came near humanity. That wolves feared man. So why, if it were true, were these wolves suddenly turning man-killer?

For a moment he thought of rallying up the polce, he'd made friends with one of them and liked the older chap, though he thought it to long out of his way and upon catching the slight descussion of accusation among his cousins, and Conrad's obvious confusion, the wolf-dog trotted briskly over, and then into view of the who the speakers were.

There he was met by a weird sight. A bulldog, a cat between its paws, and two sled dogs, a male and a female. Kamakazie blinked before trotting over, tail straight out behind him, and spoke, his tone deep, aged, and smoothe.

"They do if their mad, little one."

He came into the side of the circle and stood, looking each individual up and down, this an automatic responce from the old sledder. He could tell emidiately by the tone of their bodies that the two huskies(I cant remember if they are huskies, 'mutes, or one of each) were sled dogs, and current ones. He had heard about a dog sled team and musher gone missing from the dogs in town muttering rumours left and right, and what bits he had heard upon entering their earshot, these were some of the sled dogs from that team. Deciding he wouldnt bring up that sore spot, he instead looked to all of them.

"And if it were wolves who attacked and possibly killed these men, what then, would dogs do?" Kamakazie was ofcourse, not being the least bit cocky, but asking a simple, truthful question. What could a few dogs do against who knows how many wolves?

~Kamakazie
God, I so wanted to bring him into the thread, he just called to come back. :p I dont remember where he was, or if I even sent him back to Lisa yet. ^^;;; lol. But, hes back now, and hes in a thread again, whoo! *loves her wolfdog*

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "wolfwing04" <foxfly04@...> wrote:
>
> OOC: Jersey is on Conrad's head? xD I must've missed something, haha!
>
> IC: With having his silent appology accepted, Conrad's whiptail
> swayed back and forth, dragging against stone and mud without much
> care. He could read their bitter hatred for Jersey in smallest inches
> of their being, and started feeling self-concious about the cat
> sitting on his head. Standing up, the large bulldog shook his body to
> get Jersey off of him before sitting back down.
>
> Despite his size and appearance, Conrad was still a puppy at heart.
> Innocent, even though he'd seen things beyond his maturity level, and
> kind, despite the trials he'd faced. So when dogs reitterated their
> appreciation for his - and Jersey's - help (though Conrad was certain
> they were far less willing to accept anything Jersey did, good or
> not, as "help"), Conrad felt pleased to oblige. His tail wagged a big
> faster, then stopped completely when Spot's voice uttered some
> sinister tragedy. His ears perked when the distant song of their long
> lost ancestors danced through the wind.
> "A wolf?" he piped up, his voice quiet in surprise, "You saw it? I
> mean... the wolf?"
>
> Conrad felt his bottomless stomach do sommersaults. With Jersey
> having just talked about White Ember, Conrad had been excited to see
> the wolves. Now he didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was
> going on or why this was happening. And he was afraid that if he
> helped Spot and Fuzzy, that bad things would come to White Ember and
> the other wolves he knew.
>
> "Why would they do that? Wolves don't just go after people!" he said,
> almost angrily. He frowned and focused his amber eyes at something
> intangible and distant, trying to think of what would cause something
> like this to happen.
>
> >
> > BIC: Fuzzy, smeared with mud from head to tail from his tumble off
> of
> > the shack roof, and grumbling curses to himself, came padding back
> > around the corner and sat down by their new friend, the brown and
> > white coloured dog who seemed half at home and half at a loss in
> this
> > town. Spot joined him, eyeing him up carefully to make sure he
> hadn't
> > injured himself in the fall, but he was a young dog, and looked
> fine.
> > They both gave Jersey a muted but vengeful stare, eyes narrowing a
> > little, and were convinced she'd sprang out of some undiscovered
> crack
> > in the fabric between Nome and Hades. And so two more dogs had met
> > their match in this backwater settlement, unwilling amusement for
> the
> > cat who toyed with every inhabitant here.
> >
> > Neither of them wanted to take a snap at her while she was perched
> on
> > the head of a dog who liked like he could wring their necks with his
> > pinky, however, and it became clear that they knew each other.
> > Disgruntled and defeated, the soiled Malamute conceded. "We'd
> > appreciate the help," he made himself say, twitching a little, "Our
> > friend's name's Thor. Ginger minger, bit of a chauvinist, quite big,
> > and a jackass." Grimacing, Fuzzy started to clean his fur. Oh why
> > couldn't he have landed in some snow. Ah yes, that's right, spring
> time.
> >
> > Spot gave a small sigh, looking to Conrad and accepting his apology,
> > though really he had nothing to say sorry for, it was all that pesky
> > feline's doing. Oh she was evil. But they did need help finding
> > Thor,
> > and their musher. Now that Cobalt was dead... What would they do?
> She
> > could do this, it was too much for her, being lead dog. Though
> > admittedly her team consisted of only one very dirty Malamute right
> > now. Thor wouldn't challenge her for dominance, either, the
> scoundrel,
> > he'd let her lead and take responsibility for all the mistakes,
> while
> > undermining her and stripping her actual authority with his
> insolence.
> > A rogue, that one. Still, the task at hand, locating him and Tony,
> > that's what they had to do.
> >
> > "Our musher, too," she contributed calmly, staring up at the cat on
> > Conrad's head, not knowing how the guy could stand it, "The man who
> > shot at you, if you remember. He was attacked by a wolf, we have to
> > find him." As if haunting her words, the solitary howl of that
> primal
> > species drifted faintly through the town, followed by another,
> joining
> > it, and filled even to her domesticated ears with a raw suffering
> > calling out of the distant past. Two wolves out there, two black
> > wolves wherever they were, had caused her life to be turned upside
> > down, and now here she was wandering the streets of a strange town
> > with her naïve companion. Somehow, one day, she would see justice
> done
> > to them.
> >
> > -John
> >
>

Having stalked, run down, and killed a young caribou calf after her grueling manhunt, the large DarkWolf had successfully sated the bloodlust that held her shadowed form like the icy grip of death. Licking the remnants of splattered crimson from her maw, the jet black form moving effortlessly across the white and fresh green seemed a seemless monster from some dark fairytale, with blood upon her and her ice blue eyes shining like some nightmarish reaper.

She shook herself as she entered the fringes of her territory, and started up the ragged, jagged slopes that would lead to the cliff's edge where she could look over and across to the little town of Nome. Nothing but a speck among the vastness of the tundra. Slowly emerging above, she soon spotted a visitor among the old rocks. A very, unwelcome, visitor. It was Aranok.

At first NightTracker snarled, and her hackles rose almost emidiately. Her nails click clacked over the uncovered granite as she made a half circle around the other black wolf. The only one she has seen, other than White Ember himself, who equaled her stride for stride. Lupine maw wrinkles into a malicious, vicious grin. Come to play with the devil? She seemed to say with eyes glittering like cold fire. Then an itching, like an old wound scratched at the back of her mind.  Dont attack him... it whispered. Remember what you are..

Somewhere, deep inside herself, her borne instinct was trying to call her back into the world of the living. Of the sane, of the true wolf. Somewhere within that writhing, black mass of confusion, sadness, and unfathomable hatred, there lay a wounded wolf looking for forgiveness, for compassion, and for love. Somewhere deep inside, her heart was straining at the chains she had placed around it, at the meer sight of the other before her. Perhaps it was that the two had something in common. Or perhaps it was just her previous nature of wanting to have a pack. To lead, to hunt, to love and to nurture.

Shaking her head, her growling had ceased and her head rose to a proud hight, yet her sharp ears drew back along the crevices of her crania in a deep, uneasy thought. Her body said she was relaxed, her stride held confidence. her eyes, held almost a type of sorrow.

"Why are you here, Aranok.. this is my land." NightTracker's voice was deep and dark, twinged vaugely with regret for the way she spoke, but posture denying she thought twice.

~NightTracker

OOC: Jersey is on Conrad's head? xD I must've missed something, haha!

IC: With having his silent appology accepted, Conrad's whiptail
swayed back and forth, dragging against stone and mud without much
care. He could read their bitter hatred for Jersey in smallest inches
of their being, and started feeling self-concious about the cat
sitting on his head. Standing up, the large bulldog shook his body to
get Jersey off of him before sitting back down.

Despite his size and appearance, Conrad was still a puppy at heart.
Innocent, even though he'd seen things beyond his maturity level, and
kind, despite the trials he'd faced. So when dogs reitterated their
appreciation for his - and Jersey's - help (though Conrad was certain
they were far less willing to accept anything Jersey did, good or
not, as "help"), Conrad felt pleased to oblige. His tail wagged a big
faster, then stopped completely when Spot's voice uttered some
sinister tragedy. His ears perked when the distant song of their long
lost ancestors danced through the wind.
"A wolf?" he piped up, his voice quiet in surprise, "You saw it? I
mean... the wolf?"

Conrad felt his bottomless stomach do sommersaults. With Jersey
having just talked about White Ember, Conrad had been excited to see
the wolves. Now he didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was
going on or why this was happening. And he was afraid that if he
helped Spot and Fuzzy, that bad things would come to White Ember and
the other wolves he knew.

"Why would they do that? Wolves don't just go after people!" he said,
almost angrily. He frowned and focused his amber eyes at something
intangible and distant, trying to think of what would cause something
like this to happen.

>
> BIC: Fuzzy, smeared with mud from head to tail from his tumble off
of
> the shack roof, and grumbling curses to himself, came padding back
> around the corner and sat down by their new friend, the brown and
> white coloured dog who seemed half at home and half at a loss in
this
> town. Spot joined him, eyeing him up carefully to make sure he
hadn't
> injured himself in the fall, but he was a young dog, and looked
fine.
> They both gave Jersey a muted but vengeful stare, eyes narrowing a
> little, and were convinced she'd sprang out of some undiscovered
crack
> in the fabric between Nome and Hades. And so two more dogs had met
> their match in this backwater settlement, unwilling amusement for
the
> cat who toyed with every inhabitant here.
>
> Neither of them wanted to take a snap at her while she was perched
on
> the head of a dog who liked like he could wring their necks with his
> pinky, however, and it became clear that they knew each other.
> Disgruntled and defeated, the soiled Malamute conceded. "We'd
> appreciate the help," he made himself say, twitching a little, "Our
> friend's name's Thor. Ginger minger, bit of a chauvinist, quite big,
> and a jackass." Grimacing, Fuzzy started to clean his fur. Oh why
> couldn't he have landed in some snow. Ah yes, that's right, spring
time.
>
> Spot gave a small sigh, looking to Conrad and accepting his apology,
> though really he had nothing to say sorry for, it was all that pesky
> feline's doing. Oh she was evil. But they did need help finding
> Thor,
> and their musher. Now that Cobalt was dead... What would they do?
She
> could do this, it was too much for her, being lead dog. Though
> admittedly her team consisted of only one very dirty Malamute right
> now. Thor wouldn't challenge her for dominance, either, the
scoundrel,
> he'd let her lead and take responsibility for all the mistakes,
while
> undermining her and stripping her actual authority with his
insolence.
> A rogue, that one. Still, the task at hand, locating him and Tony,
> that's what they had to do.
>
> "Our musher, too," she contributed calmly, staring up at the cat on
> Conrad's head, not knowing how the guy could stand it, "The man who
> shot at you, if you remember. He was attacked by a wolf, we have to
> find him." As if haunting her words, the solitary howl of that
primal
> species drifted faintly through the town, followed by another,
joining
> it, and filled even to her domesticated ears with a raw suffering
> calling out of the distant past. Two wolves out there, two black
> wolves wherever they were, had caused her life to be turned upside
> down, and now here she was wandering the streets of a strange town
> with her naïve companion. Somehow, one day, she would see justice
done
> to them.
>
> -John
>

InvisionFree sounds familiar. I may have played on a IF board before.
^^ Sounds good! I cant wait till its up and we all get in there and
start rummaging about and making it look awesome. Im still working on
the new pic off and on, so hopefully that will be done in time too.
Spending lots of time on it so it'll look class. :D

As for being morbid about the battles and wars? Haha, not at all, im
sure we are all like that after being here since this place's start.
Wars are fun! :p

Cant wait to see your post too, Mandi! :3

TAB is becoming somewhat lifeless again. :( (and look, IM still
checkin! XD)

~Nighty

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, "wolfwing04" <foxfly04@...>
wrote:
>
> OOC: Oh boy! Wars and other tragedies really bring out the best of
my
> creativity. It's a bit morbid xD
>
> But anyway, the forum idea sounds perfect to me. I certainly
wouldn't
> mind putting together something on InvisionFree (unless anyone has
a
> preference. i have more experience with InvisionFree than with
anything
> else, but do let me know regardless :) ). I'll put a link up here
as
> soon as it's somewhat presentable and give admin access to John and
NT.
> If anyone else has experience with IF/whatever we use, let me know!
>
> Aaaaaand, I'll post for Conrad tomorrow hopefully :)
> -Mandi
>

OOC: Oh boy! Wars and other tragedies really bring out the best of my
creativity. It's a bit morbid xD

But anyway, the forum idea sounds perfect to me. I certainly wouldn't
mind putting together something on InvisionFree (unless anyone has a
preference. i have more experience with InvisionFree than with anything
else, but do let me know regardless :) ). I'll put a link up here as
soon as it's somewhat presentable and give admin access to John and NT.
If anyone else has experience with IF/whatever we use, let me know!

Aaaaaand, I'll post for Conrad tomorrow hopefully :)
-Mandi

--- In TheAuroraBorealis@yahoogroups.com, silverdraiko <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> OOC: Sorry it's taken me so long to get a post up, but now that I'm
> back I should be a lot faster and more active.
>
> IC:
>
> As his Sooru greeted him and he felt her weight against his bulk, he
> realised that any problems he had, seemed to melt and flow from him
> until all that was left was the two of them.
>
> "You vould not have found me, my master needed my help, but no longer
> so I came seeking you."
>
> He hummed contentedly, Lsombra had also noticed the coming of spring
> and was more aware than ever of the summer dog's light and
> intoxicating scent. Although he was uneasy at being so close to the
> bear, which, in Lsombra's experience, were unpredictable and fickle in
> their moods, Sooru seemed to be at ease, still Lsombra remained
> vigilant. His mind was brought back to the subject that spring often
> prompted and he spoke in his deep tones.
>
> "I vould be a very bad father, I am uncomfortable around things that
> are so dependent and small. I have never been good at being tugged
> and bitten and pulled."
>
> He knew it was something he should have said before, but they had been
> together for such a short time that it had seemed inappropriate, but
> it would eventually become an issue and he felt he needed to tell her
> so she could understand.
>