The Cages of Destiny

"Music isn't your special magic trick Missy. And for your information; we can." she retorted coldly, her voice like ice. "Well, I can at least. If you've come here just to smirk down at our alphas, maybe you should consider leaving. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Blue/red eyes locked on the fiery orbs of the she-wolf, daring her to argue back. Oh, and Ayla loved dares, though she would not give the wolf everything she wanted.

The white she-wolf made the point to yawn while the ginger female finished speaking, her gaze wandering as though she were bored. Giving a small shrug she turned her gaze lazily back to the wolf, "You're right, music isn't my special magic trick, just one of many." With her tail swishing behind her as she had been taught, she looked the female up and down quite obviously, sizing her up and allowing a small smirk to cross her features with a secret only she knew. She had been trained since a pup to kill, and no amount of bravado from this wolf would lessen that skill.

"As for who I am and what I am doing here, I hardly see it as any of your business. None of the wolves here seem to be grovelling at your paws," she quite pointedly let her gaze wander to half the wolves that weren't even paying them any attention, "So stop sucking up to the alpha male over here like some love-struck puppy and try and keep some kind of dignity - mother nature knows it's all you've got - so why don't you toddle off now and leave the important stuff like who I am to the adults, hm?"

She reflected the same calm façade to the ginger wolf, cocking an eyebrow only at the end as she allowed a small smile to cross her lips as though asking her to leave was a nice gesture.

[[ I've added a new history and voice for Ayla if anyone's interested :3 ]]

Bataar was a sure-footed brute, and remained as steady as stone when the smaller wolf bumped into him. She leapt forward as though he'd bit her, apologizing profusely for what was little more than a light touch. His ears flicked backward confusedly, but the stern look on his face seemed frightening.

His eyes remained on Howie, and his features remained stern. However, there was a curious light in his eyes, as he watched the antics of Howie and his attempts to calm the nervous female. Then, for a moment, his attentions turned to the two alphas apparent, and finally came to rest on two females, prancing and strutting like combatants in a cage to his eyes. Each was scrutinized as a warrior would study any enemy. Words. Words words words, things he could not understand, tone that was dark, but still, words. No fangs, no bristling fur, no blood.

He lost interest in them quickly, turning his eyes to Howie at the mention of his own name. Nice, he was called. As though to substantiate this claim, Bataar allowed his tail to wag for a moment, but his face remained, while not stern now, serene.

Rubie risked a glance at Howie as he moved to lie on his back in front of her. At first she wasn't sure what he was doing, showing your belly was sign of respect to another wolf. No body ever showed her respect, it was she having to roll over to others, too weak and timid to do anything else.

Looking at Howie, she realised he was trying to make her feel better. Her heart began to slow, her fright being calmed. She glanced over at the male, he spoke of, Bataar. She wasn't so sure about him being nice. He looked rather frightening, with his stocky build and hard face. The only sign of niceness was his tail wagging.

Despite all this, Rubie kept her stance, unsure about everything, eyes darting across each of the wolves.

"Well ain't that the pot calling the kettle black*" Ayla muttered with a roll of her eyes as she was apparently called an 'arrogant brat', a smirk further resting on her features as she was informed she could be mistaken for a male. Her tall, lean figure was clad in toned muscle, but not the bulk attributed to masculinity, for she would be a rather dainty wolf were it not for her training. She raised a brow as the younger wolf lay down with a dramatic yawn, seemingly bored with the talk. The arctic wolf didn't blame her.

"You're boring me hun, come back once you've shown yourself to have at least one speck of importance here."

"Unless you've got the back-bone to back those words up with teeth, you're not even worth coming back to, 'hun'" she shrugged, returning her attention back to the two leaders as though the encounter had been naught more than a pesky fly. "You really ought to keep a tighter leash on your pups." she commented to neither of them in particular as her eyes again wandered over the others present. Always analysing, always. Where were there weak spots? Any visible injuries? Do they look particularly fast? She couldn't switch it off if she tried.

Her main focal point back on the di-coloured male and the dark female, she tilted her head and asked rather bluntly, "So, do you have anything to offer that's worth me staying a little while longer, or should I take the currently more appealing option and just keep walking?" She had little interest in staying more than a few days, and if interactions were going to be as irritating as that with the ginger female she felt even less pull to stay with them. She was brought up a solitary soul and had no problem leaving them far behind if there was nothing else to hold her interest.


*Let's pretend that's a saying not foreign to wolves xD
[[ uber lame - had no muse lately ]]

Howie grit his teeth in annoyance at these arguing females. He had never heard anyone bicker so much - and literally over nothing. He hoped they decided not to stay.

Rubie and Bataar, on the other paw, he hoped would stick around. Bataar seemed like he would make an excellent shield against the rudeness of everyone else and Rubie... Howie had to think about her for a minute. She was so afraid of everyone! Howie wanted to make her happy; the Mexican could hardly bear to see anyone looking so miserable.

He turned to both of his (hopefully) new friends. "So do you guys think you'll stay? I'm staying. I love this zoo so much, I don't know if I could leave it."

The male couldn't be alone again, either. These faces - however rude some of them may be - were the first he'd seen in months.


(uggghhhh this is so bad don't look at it. Writer's block, ow.)

An emaciated wolf silently picked his way around the cages and scraggly bushes. He tripped on an ugly strip of vine, but quickly recovered. His smokey muzzle rose, breathing deeply. Wolf scent was on the breeze, but still some way away. The tall wolf made no effort to go to where they were. He was a wanderer, Ysolt was, and company one way or the other didn't effect him. The green eyes flickered back and forth. He paused at the edge of a pit, a place where the chain link was long gone. Ysolt crept as close as he dared, peering down. It was too deep to jump out of, and in the corner were white bones appearing to be of some type of animal. Ysolt calmly turned away and kept going. He hadn't realized he was close to the wolves now. He could vaguely hear their voices. There was enough curiousity to make him go a bit closer. Crouching deep in the undergrowth, smokey fur blending quite nicely, his yellow flecked eyes studied the rag-tag group.

Bataar's eyes turned from his new little friends to the speaking female. Howie asked him whether he would stay or not. This female issued a challenge. She spoke quickly, with words her did not know, but he understood her meaning. "I stay." He said again to Howie with a nod. His tone was certain and had some force of assurance behind it. Having been a wanderer for some time now, it seemed a very brash and sudden decision, but Bataar's training was based on obeying simple requests, particularly from those he trusted.

Turning from Howie and Rubie, he focused on the leading female. To his expert eyes, her weariness was obvious. He checked himself against her, considering their matched strengths and weaknesses. He rarely spoke so certainly unless he knew how he would stand physically against another.

I am Bataar, a... hariyn, er, alone-er. And I take test." He said in his accented tone. He spoke loudly enough for all to hear. "In morning, you will to me talk of this pack." There was no fear in his voice, and a stern certainty in his face. His words were carefully picked, his language skills seeming to be lacking.

Ysolt shifted his gaze over to the speaking female. Even from her stance, her dominance was obvious. Although, from the sentences her harsh voice enunciated, Ysolt did not like her. She spoke of a challenge. Ysolt wondered what it was. The emaciated wolf was unsure if this was the place for him. The smokey male decided to stalk them for awhile, watch the test and then decide. His yellow flecked eyes shifted to the male. He seemed to lack fluent language. Ysolt titled his head slightly, studying him and looking over them all. Very rag-tag, different and were either bad, argumentative company or shy and submissive company, it looked. Ysolt resisted the urge to snort loudly. Wasn't this an interesting pack.

The orange red hued female's eyes darted fearfully between the arguing wolves. They looked as if they could attack one another at a moment's notice. And it would not be pretty. Her attention from the bickering pair was briefly drawn away thanks to Howie. Stay? She had hardly given it much thought. Looking around at the wolves, some not as nice as others, she wondered if she really wanted to stay with this bunch of wolves. It wasn't like she did very well in the company of others, especially if they scared her as the arguing bunch did.

Karma, the black female who had taken a dominant position with the white and black, Cole, was dealing with the arguing pair before addressing everyone. At her words Rubie felt her last meal jump into the back of her throat. There was a test? and worse yet one with dangerous impaling beasts!?! The female began to feel light headed, her body becoming too much for her paws to hold making them shake.

At Cole's bark she lost it and her mind went blank and her body went limp as she fainted for the second time in the same day. She didn't stay out cold long but stirring slowly she did not rise or even open her eyes, just lying there too frightened of being chucked into a pit with a creature that would tear out her innards.

((Lol this one's a fainter XD))

Howie groaned inwardly. Why did Cole have to yell? Suddenly, he heard a thud behind him. Turning, he saw Rubie collapsed into a heap on the snow. oh no He backed up to kind of stand over her, lest Cole ate her or something (really, Howie wouldn't put it past the "Alpha".)

He looked at the bi-colored male now.

"I'll stay," he said quietly. "I would prefer to stay in my zoo, after all."

The Mexican tried not to stress the word "my", although he wanted to. He didn't have enough courage to challenge Cole - instead he stared at his snow-damp paws.

The sturdy mongolian turned to follow the female, but paused as the smaller fae collapsed in fear. When he was a pup, he would have scoffed at her weakness, but now he just needed her to rise.

He butted her shoulder gently with his head. "Come." He ordered softly. "We take test together. Come and do not take test alone." Perhaps the fear of facing the unknown by herself would rouse her to follow. He looked on Howie with a serene gaze. "No fear now. Help her, and together we go." He said. He sounded authoritative, stern. He didn't want to leave them behind, but if they were to stay they would have to take the test.

Bataar's limp was masked but visible as he walked. He ignored the other wolves, the arguing females, the alpha male, and silently fell into step in the path the female had led him.

He kept an ear back to listen for Howie and Rubie. He didn't want to leave them, but if he went ahead he would be able to assess the challenge, and figure out how to get them all through it. Obviously, they would take the test together, but if there was danger, it would have to be strategically done.

-to the battle fields-

Howie nodded and took up stance on the other side of Rubie. Poor Rubie. She was so scared - Howie wanted more than anything in the whole world to make her feel better. At least they both had Bataar...

Suddenly the realization hit the male: they were going to the safari area! The fur on his back stood up in a straight line; Howie forced it back lest Rubie become even more scared. What, was Karma STUPID? She didn't know what lay in wait at the safari!

-derp short but we're going to the battle fields anyways.-

Ayla kept her blood cool as the other wolves showed very apparent annoyance at her and the other female's bickering. Just another problem with a pack, she thought bitterly, Nobody keeps to their own business, it's not as though we were disturbing them directly. She shed the thought though at a mention of a challenge, her ears twitching in interest as she tried to anticipate what it could be. As it was partially explained the smallest female fainted for what seemed the second time and the arctic wolf felt a large part of her scoff at the all too apparent weakness of the red canid, though a small part of her tried to fight those instincts that had been drilled into her and reserve judgement. The other two wolves came to her aid anyway and her gaze drew back to the dark female.

The call to rise to the challenge and even join the pack echoed as the alpha wolf began to lead the others away, the white female's lean muscle tensing with indecision. She had no pull to join a pack. She had been taught to fend for herself and that was that. None of this caring business. That same teaching pulled at her to take on the challenge and without realising she found herself rising to her paws and following after the others at a small distance, knowing her presence was not desired among them.

--super lame exit to the battle fields--

Ysolt waited for a few minutes for the wolves to get out of site. He was interested in seeing the test before he made his decision. If anything, the pack was dysfunctional. But entertaining. After a few silent minutes in the abandoned zoo, Ysolt rose from his hiding spot and silently tracked the wolves to where they were headed.

- Off to the Battle Fields -

Rubie felt the presence of a wolf stand over her. Inhaling she was able to tell that it was Howie. He wanted to stay and take whatever test the leader had in mind. The female peaked open her eyes to see Karma walking off. She looked over at the large male as she felt his head touch her shoulder. He was encouraging her to come along with him. She certainly didn't want to take the test alone. That would be far worse than spending time around other wolves, and so far Howie and Bataar had not been mean to her.

The two males walked off after Karma, soon followed by Kristla and the white female. Glancing at Cole she looked over him briefly before skittering off after the others. She was not about to be left behind with the seeming aggressive and loud male.

~Off to the Battle Fields