Masquerade

The hybrid form of Masquerade trotted cautiously to the edge of the territory, she could sense the others that were or had been here before her. Maybe this territory's leader would give her a home. She was lonly and needed someplace that would accept her as she was, because as her mother always told her "Masque, it is always better to have a home than to be roaming the lands alone." She was right, Masquerade had tried living alone and it did not go over well. She sighed then and sat at the borders where she sent a mournful yet hopeful howl into the air to catch anyone's attention, hopefully the leader who could tell her yay or nay.

Soleda

The presence that greeted Masquerade's arrival into the terra was perhaps less than welcoming. Soleda, the alpha femme, wasn't precisely a sweet creature. Matter of fact, truth be told, she was downright cruel. There were only five soft places in her heart: one belonging to Abamacho, her mate, and one each to their four pups.

But as per her duty as the alphess, the deep-gray fae roused herself from her thoughts at the sound of the other female's howl and trotted toward the sound, and her gaze was not completely unfriendly as she spoke. "Yes?"

Masquerade

Masque's blue eyes roved the terra before her as she looked fora member of the pack. Her eyes latched on the shadow that was trotting toward her. Masque watched as she approached and then lowered herself to a submissive stance. "Lady, I am Masquerade, but Masque is my true calling now. I was seeking a home and wondered if this could be it." She said never faltering in her stance as she awaited the question's answer.

Soleda

The striking pale blue eyes were leveled on Masque as she spoke, darkly pleased to see that the female knew to submit without being told. So many of the loners were so prideful these days, refusing to show proper respect to alphas and still seeking a home amongst them. Among a race of creatures growing ever more useless and stupid in Soleda's eyes, Masque's way of holding herself pleased the alpha femme, enough that she quirked a half-smile in the other fae's direction. "Very well, Masque. You are welcome to stay. I am Soleda, alphess of these lands, and my mate is Abamacho, who is about the terra somewhere. I'm sure the pups are about too."

Masquerade

Masque lifted her gaze a little, but never rose farther than that. This fae was an Alpha, she was an Omega. "I thank you Lady Soleda. May I come across the borders?" She asked and waited as she watched the Alpha fae before her. Masque was half surprised at herself, she had not been in any pack for a while and still knew what to do in the presence of an Alpha, maybe it was instinct, maybe one never truly forgot it, even when they have been alone for a long time.

Soleda

Again, the steel-gray female was impressed by the degree of respect Masque gave so freely, and the smirk that had darkened her face vanished, leaving the ghost of a real smile behind, as rarely as that was seen on her face. "By all means, join me... and I will show you the bounds of our home."

Masquerade

Masque smiled and stepped across the borders. She was slightly smaller than this Alpha female. She stood to her full height and still hovered beneath this fae. "I thank you again Lady Soleda." Masque said with another smile as she waited for the alpha to take the lead. One never struck a path ahead of the Alpha. That was disrespectful, and you were bound to get injured if you did such a thing. Her pale blue eyes watched the grey Alpha before her waiting.

Soleda*Azarael*Zevachya

Soleda moved ahead of Masque reflexively, as if she'd done it all her life, but noted in a satisfied way that the female remained respectfully behind. As she began to give Masque a tour of the terra, two sets of paws sounded across the snow.

A streaking black form was in the lead, ramming into Soleda with a force that sent him tumbling back in the snow, full of chuckles. Azarael hopped to his feet, laughter flashing in the green gold eyes. He was at that awkward age of adolescence where he had begun to grow, but in a long, gangly, gawping sort of way.

The second set of paws moved at a more moderate trot, their thicker fur blowing and shifting with the movement. Zevachya was shorter and smaller than his brother, and would be very small for a male, at only around 90 lbs, and it showed. He looked almost... petite. And the silvery white face was composed as he moved forward and nuzzled his mother's leg, turning his good ear toward her. "Good morning, Mother." There was a slight something to his speech... something that was not quite a slur, but not normal, either. Well, that tended to happen when one was deaf in one ear.

And Soleda smiled upon them and spoke to Masque. "My sons, Azarael and Zevachya. Where are Soul and Archangel, my dears? We've a new lady in the terra that they should meet."

"Da took them off for a hunting lesson," Azarael parroted obediently, but this was a code phrase that meant, They're gone.

Soleda repressed a sigh, but controlled her face. Her mate was more often gone than not these days, and often took his son and daughter with him. But she turned a smile to Masque. "Another hunting lesson, no doubt. They've shown great potential, fast as they are."

Masquerade

Masque smiled as she watched the young ones plow into their mother and had to laugh a little bit. "A hunting lesson hmm? A good thing that. And it's nice to meet you young ones." She said with a dip of her head. She never moved closer to the alpha's side, and did nothing more than to greet the young ones before falling silent once again. She knew her place, knew what she had to do. She remained upon her feet, you never sat before an alpha did, even if your paws were killing you.

Soleda*Azarael*Zevachya

Soleda also laughed quietly, a musical sound, so unlike the smirks and scowls that usually graced her haunting, pretty face. And spoke softly to her two sons, "And the two of you have not even greeted our guest! Where are your manners?" She turned to Masque. "I promise, Masque, that I have trained them better than this."

Zevachya immediately favored Masque with the deep nod of a pup greeting an elder, which was respect of a young thing to an older without knowledge of the elder's rank. He said nothing, but his silent presence was steady, not awkward, as if there was something more solid to little Zevachya than to his more outgoing brother.

Azarael also nodded to Masque, with an air of jester as he was wont to do, and his tail waved as he did so. "We are pleased to meet you, and welcome you to the home of our parents." He spoke, as he often did, for both his brother and himself, since Zevachya was more often silent than not.

Masquerade

Masque smiled as she watched the pups Zevachya and Azarael introduce themselves and show her the respect of a pup to an elder. A small smile creapt to her silver maw. "I thank you both for the gracious welcome." Then she looked once again to her new leader and smiled as she dipped her head again.

Soleda*Azarael*Zevachya

Azarael waved his tail to Masque before moving over and pawing at Zevachya, but his brother, as per his usual, did not respond to the invitation to play.

With a soft, musical laugh that hadn't been heard from the female in a long time, Soleda moved toward the shelter of a spreading oak tree, laying down to assume a comfortable position, and a motion of the head inviting Masque to join her as Azarael once again moved to gain his brother's attention. "So... tell me Masque... where did you come from before this, and how did you happen to come here?"

Masquerade

Masque watched the pups and smiled as she joined Soleda beneath the oak. "To tell you the truth, I don't remember much about it, but I'll relay what I can, the way my mother told me." Masque moved to a comfortable place and began her tale. "I was born under a full moon, or what would have been had it not been a stormy night. My mother was a family's pet, a beautiful silvery-white husky. My father was a wild wolf, or so mother said. He was a Native American's half pet, grey on grey with evil intentions. Mother happened across him when she went out for her nightly walk, and of course she was alone, the worst way to be." Masque said as se took a breath and continued, " 'Hello wench.' The monsterous brute that was my father said to my smaller mother as he came leaping over a fallen log. 'I beg your pardon?' My mother asked as she raised her hackles facing him. 'Ooo, fiesty. That's good.' He said as he moved to her side. Mother wouldn't have it, she and the brute faught for a while, my mother sadly lost and the brute did what he wanted and left my mother alone and pregnant. She ran home whimpering and our people quickly took her to the vet, and found out what had happened to her. They took her home and they made a tie-out for her, she wouldn't be allowed to wander alone. As she was tied out one night, the brute returned. 'You must be getting close to whelping.' My mother rose angrily and glared at him, 'What do you care?!' She growled as she snapped at him. 'Well, now I feel dumb for what I did.' The brute said with a snarl as he turned forever from my mother. The next day, mother knew we were coming, she could feel us moving and arguing over who would be first. She yelped loudly and our people came running to her side to help her." Masque paused again thinking about what her mother had told her and continued again, "I was the last pup born, and also the only one that really looked more wolf than husky. Our people weren't sure they wanted to keep me at their home, but mother and I had established a strong bond, and so I was allowed to stay. I grew and grew and by my year and a half age I was taller than mother. Our people then recieved news that our master had gotten a new job in the city and they made plans to move. At the end of my second year, they left me, taking mother with them. They figured since I had wolf blood I would be fine alone. I was, but I was heart sore when they all left. Eventually after crying out at the moon for a few nights, hoping mother would hear me, when she didn't answer my pleas, I finally turned from the only home I had ever known and went exploring, and that's when I found my way here." Masque finishes and looks to the Alpha and waved her tail a little bit.

Soleda*Azarael*Zevachya

Soleda listened quietly, nodding in all the right places and managing to look sympathetic. Ordinarily, she wasn't this sweet, or this patient. Perhaps it was because her mate and two pups were missing, and she was lonely, but the usually ugly-tempered lady just couldn't bring herself to cut Masque off rudely, as she usually would have done. Instead, she listened quietly, only adding her comment after Masque had finished. "That's two-legs for you. They're a love 'em leave 'em type of species. My father had a history with them, but he would never speak about it to me, other than to warn me against them. I've never had much contact with them myself."

By this time, Azarael had finally managed to entice his brother into play, which Zevachya did in the same careful way that he applied to everything he ever did. The way he reached up to take Az's ear in his teeth was very methodical.

But Soleda was now lost in thought. Her father... she'd not thought about him in quite a while. She'd abandoned her family and come here with Abamacho when she'd been a nine-month old pup, and hadn't seen hide nor hair of her family since. Why should she be thinking of them now...?

Masquerade

Well, Masque had told her tale, and now she thought she could have time to think about what had happened. Then Soleda spoke once more to her That's two legs for you... "Indeed it is Lady Soleda. Love 'em and leave 'em, that's the two-legs' motto." Masque shook her head again, she couldn't help but wonder how her mother was, or even if she was still alive. Masque looked to Soleda again and waited for any more questions or replies from her, she lay her head on her forepaws and waited.

Soleda*Azarael*Zevachya

To her response, Soleda smiled, and her tail softly beat the ground. "Now we're not going to get anywhere with you calling me 'Lady' all the time. If something were about to fall on me, you couldn't get out both title and name before I'd be crushed. Just the name will do, thank you. And I will call you just Masque, if that is okay."

She was startled at herself for being so pleasant, but something about Masque's sweet nature spoke to her in a way that her own sister's never had. And even as she watched her two sons tumble, she found herself explaining her own history to Masquerade. "I came from as humble beginnings as you. My parents were members of a pack nearby here, my mother a sweet, loving lady with a fiery temper, my father an awkward, good natured fellow with a past he didn't like to discuss. Life was good, for a time." Her voice was almost singsong as she began the tale. "I can still hear him humming to himself..."

Suddenly her face darkened. "Then, things went wrong. My parents began to scold me for ridiculous things, such as playing with Abamacho, who was a dear friend of mine. My sister... insufferable. Every little thing I did, she reported to them, giving them more excuses to punish me for that which I had not done wrong. I swear, if I ever get a hold of that little heathen wench, I'll...!" Her voice had gotten heated, and so she stopped, breathing slowly to calm herself, before she continued on.

"I left there with Abamacho, my love, left behind all those who chose to misuse me. I've never heard what happened to any of them, nor do I care. And my mate and I have made a life here for ourselves, free of their... restrictions." The voice grew soft and pliable as she spoke Abamacho's name, the only sign of how painfully she missed her mate.

Masque

Masque smiled toward Soleda. "All right Soleda." She said as she shifted to a more comfortable position to rest in. "And no I don't mind you calling me Masque." She told her with a smile.