The Eruption

We're starting with this one for now. Sorry I haven't been doing too much lately.


Credits to Strafe for most of the plot.

Plot:
You are returning back to your pack from (some kind of) trip. Suddenly, the ground starts to shake and open up under you. You reach the camp in time, and see everyone staring apalled at the summit of the mountain. As you look up, the sky suddenly turns hard, and a major earthquake hits the land. You fall to the ground with the sudden movement. Red liquid starts to spew out from the peak and slowly flows down to the camp. Old and young alike were howling in fear, scattering, finding a place to hide. You manage to climb on higher ground where the red-hot liquid will not reach you, but those more unfortunate are scorched to death.

After a few days, you must find the other survivors and rebuild the area. But how? You have been bound to traditions by defending the territory you and your pack owns. How able are you to set aside differences to let the wolves thrive again?


Currently RPing:
Torque

OOC: Do you mind if I start it off? I figured I should finally get out an RP reply with Torque, haha.

...................[cmnd=START]

It had been a relatively normal day, the sun was throbbing with heat at its usual position at the top of the expanse of skyline despite the swathe of dark clouds beginning to form. It almost seemed as if a thunderstorm was approaching. The season read early summer, much too late for a spring storm and much too early for the summer showers that sometimes accompanied the dry season. Torque weaved through the rocky terrain, holding a small corpse in his tight jaws, only a rabbit but it could serve as a good energy boost. Truthfully he felt more at peace simply guarding but when hunting sprees were needed he would dutifully carry it out, albeit his lack of speed compared to some of the hunters.

He failed to care much, tossing the small thought aside as he paused for a moment, letting his eyes scan the area. Slightly unfamiliar territory. He could catch scent of his camp, but he was coming from a different direction, usually finding himself at the west flank of the base but now coming along the rear side of the territory. A slight quiver of the earth under his paws failed to go unnoticed as Torque lowered his head to the ground, his interest piqued. The rumbling from the earth was different than the usual movement of the earth beneath his paws, it was erratic, violent. It was alien. Torque's ears swiveled back for a moment as he silently assessed the trembling of the soil and rock which was quickly growing in magnitude. His eyes widened as he dropped the small rabbit carcass, the body dropping with a soft thud onto the soil before a small crack appeared under it.

Torque cursed, quickly backpedaling as the ground in front of him slowly spread and parted, the noise of cracking tree trunks like claps of thunder to the guard's ears. The sky darkening quickly, actual bursts of thunderous noise accompanied the snapping wood, branches falling in awkward and unnatural positions all across the ground, before trundling into the chasm underfoot. Torque bolted right, making a sprint for camp, his heart thundering in his chest. His thoughts scrambled to get into order. Breathe, run, breathe, run, turn left, avoid rock cluster, turn right, over trunk, breathe, run, run, breathe, turn slight right, breathe. Run. His legs hammered against the soil like individual pistons, bolts of radiant lightning accompanying the rumbling howls of thunder. Torque skidded, pulling a very hard left as he sprinted into camp, finding his home in general chaos.

His breath was strained and his voice came out hoarse and raspy over overexertion. "Shit..." The word was a near-whisper in the middle of all the howls and cries and yelling. He looked around for his alpha or beta, but they were nowhere to be found. He turned his head in time for an colossal upheaval to send his frame hurtling back into the ground, his frame recoiling from the shock of the tremor. He exhaled sharply as his body collided with the rock and earth, as he scrambled to his feet. A sharp pain panged with ache from his left side and he judged a rib or two to be strained. He grunted, the noise wet with fresh pain as he looked around, seeing torrential floods of magma cascading down the peak of the summit. Deep rumbling timbres resonated from the mountain as smoke the color of pitch billowed from the apex, the smell of burnt and liquid rock hitting Torque's nose.

He stood silent as others ran screaming and howling in fear, the incredible heat from the explosion as well as the acrid smoke bringing tears to Torque's eyes. He turned and ran, his breath practically exploding from his throat as he yelled at others to get to high ground. His paws beat upon the earth, bringing him to a minor mountain at least two miles from his home, the lava slowing exponentially over the next few hours and barely making it a quarter mile from his camp. Torque surveyed the damage from the peak, slowly lowering his head and contemplating the situation. Stay? Was that even an option? He had barely a clue where he was, especially concerning the smoke that was still burning his throat. Despite his immunity to most fire, the ash still irritated his eyes and lungs, and he wished for nothing more than a pool of water to wash off his body. Ash and dust and detritus sat on his fur and covered him in grime, making him appear almost grey-black in the dark.

Maybe a day or two had passed since the eruption, and Torque sat where he had first arrived on the peak of the foothill, lifting himself gingerly up from the powdered floor. He shook his head and sneezed multiple times, ridding his nostrils of the ash and smoke that had collected there. He looked around at the group of wolves around him, a motley of different types and ages and from different packs as well. Torque looked down, pawing at the soil as he wondered what course of action they would take. "'S like th' end of the world, yeah?" He drawled, exhaustion and pain slurring his words slightly. His clipped manner of speech was only made worse by the dull ache that pervaded his frame.

...................[cmnd=END]


[>WORDS: 819]
[>TAGS: N/A for now]
[>NOTES: N/A for now][/list]

OOC: That's fine, Kite/Torque

BIC:
The gray-and-red alpha lay on the rock that towered above the Cináed camp. He had been observing the routines of his wolves' daily lives. It was the same as usual: hunters coming in and out with food in their mouths; guards poking their nose into every suspicious hole in case of surprise attacks; mothers keeping an eye on their pups tumbling around on the ground; trainees practicing what was taught that day. It was all the same. And everyone was happy. The sun was shining, only a few fluffy white clouds dotted the sky.

Thom suddenly felt a movement under his body. Shocked, he climbed to his feet and placed his nose to the ground. Another rumble. It was stronger this time. He heard a sudden roar and the sky darkened instantly. He saw pieces of rock start to rain down on the camp. Everything was in chaos. Thom shouted, trying to get everything to calm down, but there was too much bedlam for his voice to carry around the camp. Mothers screamed and ran to protect their children from the hail of rock. Thomassen saw red liquid start to spill down from the mountain peak. He remembered the stories the elders had told him when he was a pup. Stories of where fire-liquid would cover the side of the mountain and replenish the life that was already there. Now, it was real. And the elders' warnings? Get to higher ground.

"Get higher!" Thom yelled, coughing as smoke and ash entered his lungs. "Get to higher ground!" It didn't work. Everything was loud and quiet at the same time. He could only hear himself. The wolves' screams seemed to dim. There was no use trying to get everyone together. He himself was in trouble. Suddenly, the ground opened before him. The rockpile where he addressed everything going on in the camp was starting to break apart. Stuck with nowhere to go, Thom jumped off the back, landing neatly on the ground. It started to open up, a big dark hole waiting for him to fall deep down to the darkness...

Thom leapt to the side in horror. This large abyss would split the camp in half. He looked back to the Rockpile. It was gone. How am I going to keep us together now? Thom wondered, aghast. He could only save himself now. Thom found another way back into the camp. It was empty, surprisingly enough. He decided to quickly check the dens for any stragglers. Guards place: empty. Hunter's place: empty. Elders Den: empty. Nursery? Thom poked his nose inside to see a couple of pups inside. Fral and Brek. Their mother was gone. While these pups were currently the eldest pups, they still needed the support of their parents.

"Come on, guys," Thom barked. "We have to go. Now."

"But what about Mother?" Fral whined. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. But we have to leave immediately."


Thom backed out of the den with the pups following. He helped them to higher ground, gently picking on up and placing them carefully when they could not reach the height. They were soon at the top of the small foothill.

"Let's rest, guys," he murmured. He lay down, letting them curl up close to him. He then closed his eyes and dozed off.

***

They stayed up there for a few days with barely any food or water to intake. The pups whined for food. Thom could only give them what was left in his food storage. Their throats and their fur were clogged with soot, making even breathing a difficult thing to do. Thom had tried his best to smack out the soot, but to no avail. He had managed to clean off most of the ash that gathered on the pups' coats, to his distaste. They needed honey, which only existed in the lands of the Aátamos. There was no way he could break the boundary laws as an Alpha. And he had no idea how to get there, with almost half the land on fire. They were constantly coughing, the soot trapped in the lungs.

After two days, Thom wandered the rock, inspecting the small pack of survivors that had gathered there. The pups stuck close to him, not wanting to lose another pack member. He thought he saw one of the Cináed guards and walked over. It was Torque. The wolf with a bad accent. Torque looked extremely fatigued. Tired to the end of his wits probably, Thom remarked inwardly. He looked as bad as the pups, his coat matted with dust, ash, and bits of rock. He raised a paw and swiped off some dust from Torque's back. He broke into a hacking fit, when the throat-trapped soot interfered with his taking a breath.



[Word Count: 810]
[Tagged: Torque]

...................[cmnd=START]

Torque was lost in his own thoughts for some moments until a familiar figure slowly loped into his peripheral vision, the flicker of red, grey, and black an easily recognized palette to his weary eyes. He bowed his head fluidly, still managing to keep form and honor intact even while the world around them was engulfed and drowned in fire and ashes. The air tasted of sulfur and heat, the slightest scent of ozone still lingered in the air from the thunderstorm that occurred over the peak of the eruption, the massive shift in heat and pressure triggering bolts of lightning to appear from the ominous gathering of dark clouds, heavy and thick. These clouds had all but evaporated back into the atmosphere, but the sky was still dark from the clouds of ash and rock that had plumed from the mountain. "Alpha. You are unhurt?" He asked, his voice solemn and monotone, Torque's mind sacrificing warmth and concern in an effort to conserve energy and to keep his mind clear of unneeded emotions.

Emotion caused adrenaline. Adrenaline caused mental blockage. Mental blockage meant his thought process would dull to keep his reflexes and instincts more honed. Instinct, while useful, would not keep him alive longer without water or food. His eyes flickered quickly onto the two small pups flanking Thomassen's side, small pockets of ash still powdering their neutral-colored pup fur. It appeared as if his leader had cleaned them off as best as he could, despite the dead, chalky taste of the ash. He let out a small wheezing cough, the noise short and unclean, clogged with debris. Torque felt the massive paw of his alpha brush across his back in an attempt to rid some of the undesirable matter that had turned his tan and black pelt into something that resembled a large pile of grey, fluttering snow. Hearing the ghastly, wracking cough that emerged from Thomassen's throat, Torque winced a bit, the spasm of hacking coming on quickly and without warning.

Torque shook his fur out, having neglected to do so before, his mind so occupied on an escape plan and the probability of dying in the next 2 weeks. "We need to find resources, sir. Water." Torque said, the act of simply standing up exhausting him. The lack of energy was like a tangible weight on his shoulders, pushing his body into the ground until he finally sat down, his haunches feeling relief almost instantaneously. His mind flittered through all of the possible ways to find resources. Their old camp was nigh demolished, and who knew how the other packs were faring? For all their knew the water in the Nereid lake was contaminated, and the Aatamos were usually secretive to the point that Torque hardly knew where their camp was. The boundaries were thicker than blood and magma, however, so the ominous possibility of tension was in the high percentages. Torque hummed in thought, looking around at the ragtag bunch of wolves sifting through the debris. All exhausted. The light in their eyes was waning quickly, fading among the drab and muted landscape.

Torque grunted, looking at the pups for a moment. "How many do you suppose made it out?" He asked towards Thomassen, the mere thought of having to count losses already tiring him. It was necessary though, the pack needed to reunite even after the cataclysmic happening. Torque felt a headache burgeoning beside his left temple just thinking about the diplomatic impossibilities of this situation. He rolled his neck, hearing a liberal amount of pops and cracks resonating from the cartilage. He sighed, his eyes wandering across the plateau then eventually back down to their camp, once teeming with life. It had been more than two days according to the regular darkening of the sky, even though daytime was clouded with a fog of ash. Two days meant the lava was probably solidified, even though some heat still coiled off of the substance. Torque tried in vain to clear his throat, feeling the harsh grating of detritus against the skin of his throat. He coughed once, putting great pressure behind the wheezing noise, the offending particles quickly being expelled from his system.

He sighed, feeling irritation crawling into his mind like dark ink spreading over a canvas. Why stay? Why not just run over to Nereid land? Torque cussed under his breath, before looking up and speaking at his alpha as well as a few others. "Why don't we move to the one of the borders? This is a great plight. The borders must be removed." Torque said as sternly as he could, albeit the inklings of doubt surfacing. Great dangers lie in awakening old tensions, and the borders were almost as old as the land itself. How easy it was being a loner in times like these, just moving back and forth without a care in the world. Torque was reminded quickly of his old band, feeling disgust and nostalgia coexist in the neutral habitat of his thoughts. Now was not the time for useless reminiscing. It was the time to plan, then act. Torque kept silent and still, waiting for anyone to speak up.

...................[cmnd=END]


[>WORDS: 864]
[>TAGS: Thomassen, ]
[>NOTES: N/A]

[[OOC: Damn, I should reply now.]]


[START]

Thomassen turned to gaze at the pups, who had flopped down beside him and fell asleep. He wished he could have their carelessness and the belief that he would be safe. But he knew that he had to help his wolves first before himself. It was his duty. He sat down heavily.

"I be all right, Torque," Thom woofed quietly. Then hastily, he added, "Don't worry about me."

Torque suddenly stood up, and Thom quickly backed away to avoid being pelted by the rocks the large guard had shaken off. But at the mention of water, his mind refocused.

"Where can we get water, though?" Thom wondered aloud. "After all this ash and smoke, there'll be only murk water to intake." He stood up and began pacing, as he always did when a difficult situation was at hand. "We still have to see who's here and who's not. Most of the wolves I see gathered here, I've never seen before. And imagine how many adolescents and pups will be down there under all that debris."

"Why don't we move one of the borders?" he heard Torque say. He whipped around instantly.

"If we move the borders, it will cause more chaos. We can't think about that right now. Besides, what could we do with extended territories? The other packs will be coming up with ways to take that land back." Thom snarled and swiped his paw at a stone.

"I'm sorry, but now isn't the time."

Thomassen turned around to study Torque's face. It was obvious the guard was exhausted. Who wouldn't be after all this panic? He sighed and lowered his shoulder fur. "You rest for now, Torque. You look half-dead. I'll keep watch." He sat down and pulled at a stubborn piece of mud stuck to his paw fur. It took him a while to get out, but after a few lickings and bitings, it came out.

Thom's eyes raked across the area, scanning to see what wolves were here. He smelled Cinaed wolves, probably only because he was standing next to a few. There was a faint trace of Nereid wolves, but a heavy scent of Aatamos. Suspicious, he drew a sleeping pups a little closer to him. They whimpered, but did not wake. Thom raised his head to the sky defiantly, his mouth forming a circle, and howled. He broke off suddenly when a piece of soot caught in his throat and sent him coughing.

Ark was rudely awakened by a loud rumble and clattering of boulders. She opened one eye in disdain. What is going on out there? she thought irritatedly to herself, getting up and walking out slightly unsteadily.

Met with a scene of discord, Ark surveyed the fracas with cool efficiency- wolves running about in a panic, other animals fleeing from the mountain's summit.... Wait. What?

As her eyes were drawn onto the mountain's top, Ark felt a small quiver in her chest. Oh no, she thought briefly, closing her eyes. It's exactly as the Elders predicted... We have to get out. NOW.

Summoning her strength, Ark ran swiftly up to the highest cliff in the immediate area, where she could see clearly over the whole territory. In accordance to her guesses, smoke was indeed belching out of the mountain at a furious rate, and through the trembling of the ground the Alpha could feel a rumble... and the heat that threatened to erupt at any second. Drawing in a deep breath, she roared, "Silence!"

Immediately, all of her pack froze, looking towards the leader. She remained calm, her face set as she quietly directed the pack into one unit, and sighed in relief as everyone swiftly prepared for departure. Well, she thought slowly, at least everyone is safe for the time being...

However, her prediction proved to be untrue. As she headed out, a Hunter ran up to her, barking," Ark! There seems to be someone stuck in the mountain!"

Ark's blood ran cold for a moment, as one thought ran through her head: I must save that wolf, no matter what- it is my duty, even if it will kill me and possibly endanger the whole pack...



[will post more later]