Post by Lacey on Feb 24, 2013 13:19:33 GMT -5
Loki stood in the middle of a clearing, staring up at the starry night sky and the waxing moon hanging heavily in their midst; the full moon would be upon them the next night. In the distance he could hear his family and friends talking and laughing loudly, celebrating the successful capture of some poachers that had been tormenting the forest’s inhabitants for months. It had been a group effort between him and his four siblings and their friends from the Crossroads Inn, something that the rest of the pack was not thrilled about. True, almost everybody was friends with the Crossroads staff, it was hard not to like the friendly, laid-back group, but in ruffled the fur of several of the existing Elders and their supporters that the family would ask outsiders to help with what they considered to be a pack problem, never mind that the Inn housed several shifters and weres that were then put into danger when they ventured into the forest.
It was that very situation that had him out on his own while the rest of the group celebrated, seeking solace from their Moon-Mother’s peaceful presence. As an Alpha and the eldest child of his family, it was his duty to assume the role of Elder when his father was no longer able to adequately carry out the role, which meant that he would have to deal directly with pack politics instead of simply doing as he saw fit. Of course even when he did as he pleased, what the Elders didn’t realize is that he was still considering his role in the pack, both present and future. He simply worried more about the consequences of his actions than his methods most times.
A stray breeze caught at his hair, teasing the long blonde strands into his face. Brushing them away, he looked up as a large black shadow tried to eclipse the moon for a moment before fluttering to a nearby limb - Tiffany’s huge raven familiar. Tilting his head, he barely caught the sound of her soft footsteps before she entered the clearing, her dark gaze sweeping over the area instinctually before joining him, slipping her hand into his as she leaned against his larger form.
They remained quiet for a long while, simply basking in the moonlight and enjoying the peaceful night. Finally, she spoke, not bothering to look at him. “You shouldn’t let the old men get to you like this. Tonight’s a night for celebrating, tomorrow the pack will be chasing the moon and you know you’re going to get challenges from the young idiots that think we’re all a black mark on the pack, never mind all that our family does for them.”
Loki chuckled at her disgruntled tone and looked down at his sister, squeezing her hand gently. “Now why would they ever think that, just because father married some strange human woman who decided to name us after deities that none of them had ever heard of. Or maybe because of my uncanny knack of drawing chaos and absolute disregard for their hidebound decisions.” He couldn’t help the absolutely wicked look that crossed his features as he smiled broadly. “Then again, it could be from the twins chasing after their little human mate who, like you, had the audacity to be born human to wolf parents. Or maybe it’s Fen’s fault for not only working in town with the humans, but chasing after a <i>cat</i>. You have to admit Tiff, when our family decides to be different, we don’t do it by half measures.”
Her light laughter floated through the night air, quieting the night animals for a long moment, but warming his heart. “Well, if you want to look at it <i>that</i> way. But seriously, anytime something needs to be done, who do they call on in the end, despite all of their objections to our methods? We’ve all been doing our part for the pack since we were old enough to understand what our roles were, and we’ll continue doing them until we’re finally incapable, at which point we’ll probably pass them on to our own children.” The two siblings shared a grin at the thought of any future children from the five of them and the utter chaos that was sure to follow in their wake.
Tiffany squeezed his hand before stepping away. “Don’t worry too much about the Elders, Loki, they’ll have passed on their roles to younger, more flexible minds by the time you have to think about dealing with them. It’ll be alright, and regardless, you’ll have all of us backing you.”
He laughed, reaching out to tug playfully on her braid, ducking her swatting hands. “I think you’ve been hanging around Caelyn too long, you’re starting to get pretty good at this counseling stuff.”
“No, just a lifetime of learning to deal with stubborn older brothers.” Stepping just inside the treeline, she turned back to look at him. “Don’t stay too long, the others want to see you.”
He simply nodded, watching as she disappeared into the dark forest, only the silence of the wildlife giving proof of her passing. Turning his attention back to the brightly shining moon, he stripped out of the loose, flowing pants he wore and knelt gracefully in the dew slick grass. Head tipped back, hands resting palm up on his thighs, he let his gaze fill with the site of the moon, until it was all he could see and all he was aware of.
In its light he remembered the first full moon he had been allowed to chase with the pack, the strength he had felt filling his young body, the knowledge that there was a greater calling for him. And sure enough, the next morning, with the sun just barely having risen and the world peaceful and still, his father had taken him to the side and explained about being an Alpha, everything it entailed, not just the extra strength and power that came with it, but the duties as well - to look out for family and friends and pack, to protect those weaker than himself and defend against any who would cause them harm. And then when he was old enough, when his father was no longer able to fill the position, he would take on the role of one of the Elders of the pack, to help lead them, to share the wisdom and knowledge he had acquired through age and experience.
Oh, he knew others his age didn’t look upon their roles the same as he did, looking only at the benefits and not the duties that were associated with them. But for him, he could still remember the feeling on that first full moon, like he could do anything, and the moments when he was first introduced to each of his siblings, and then each of his friends, and he knew with the same clarity as he did that first night that he had a larger role to play. It was his sacred duty to watch out for them as big brother and friend, as Alpha and future Elder of the Luna’s Bastion Pack, and he would fulfill his role to the best of his ability, in the best way he saw fit, and gods protect anyone who stood in his way.
Feeling himself filled to overflowing with the presence of the Moon-Mother and the strength and support She offered, he shifted to wolf form between one breath and the next, tipping his head back to release a triumphant howl that carried throughout the forest only to be met with six more jubilant howls from behind him.
Yes, he knew his place in the world, and he had the support of all those that mattered to him, it was time to celebrate.
It was that very situation that had him out on his own while the rest of the group celebrated, seeking solace from their Moon-Mother’s peaceful presence. As an Alpha and the eldest child of his family, it was his duty to assume the role of Elder when his father was no longer able to adequately carry out the role, which meant that he would have to deal directly with pack politics instead of simply doing as he saw fit. Of course even when he did as he pleased, what the Elders didn’t realize is that he was still considering his role in the pack, both present and future. He simply worried more about the consequences of his actions than his methods most times.
A stray breeze caught at his hair, teasing the long blonde strands into his face. Brushing them away, he looked up as a large black shadow tried to eclipse the moon for a moment before fluttering to a nearby limb - Tiffany’s huge raven familiar. Tilting his head, he barely caught the sound of her soft footsteps before she entered the clearing, her dark gaze sweeping over the area instinctually before joining him, slipping her hand into his as she leaned against his larger form.
They remained quiet for a long while, simply basking in the moonlight and enjoying the peaceful night. Finally, she spoke, not bothering to look at him. “You shouldn’t let the old men get to you like this. Tonight’s a night for celebrating, tomorrow the pack will be chasing the moon and you know you’re going to get challenges from the young idiots that think we’re all a black mark on the pack, never mind all that our family does for them.”
Loki chuckled at her disgruntled tone and looked down at his sister, squeezing her hand gently. “Now why would they ever think that, just because father married some strange human woman who decided to name us after deities that none of them had ever heard of. Or maybe because of my uncanny knack of drawing chaos and absolute disregard for their hidebound decisions.” He couldn’t help the absolutely wicked look that crossed his features as he smiled broadly. “Then again, it could be from the twins chasing after their little human mate who, like you, had the audacity to be born human to wolf parents. Or maybe it’s Fen’s fault for not only working in town with the humans, but chasing after a <i>cat</i>. You have to admit Tiff, when our family decides to be different, we don’t do it by half measures.”
Her light laughter floated through the night air, quieting the night animals for a long moment, but warming his heart. “Well, if you want to look at it <i>that</i> way. But seriously, anytime something needs to be done, who do they call on in the end, despite all of their objections to our methods? We’ve all been doing our part for the pack since we were old enough to understand what our roles were, and we’ll continue doing them until we’re finally incapable, at which point we’ll probably pass them on to our own children.” The two siblings shared a grin at the thought of any future children from the five of them and the utter chaos that was sure to follow in their wake.
Tiffany squeezed his hand before stepping away. “Don’t worry too much about the Elders, Loki, they’ll have passed on their roles to younger, more flexible minds by the time you have to think about dealing with them. It’ll be alright, and regardless, you’ll have all of us backing you.”
He laughed, reaching out to tug playfully on her braid, ducking her swatting hands. “I think you’ve been hanging around Caelyn too long, you’re starting to get pretty good at this counseling stuff.”
“No, just a lifetime of learning to deal with stubborn older brothers.” Stepping just inside the treeline, she turned back to look at him. “Don’t stay too long, the others want to see you.”
He simply nodded, watching as she disappeared into the dark forest, only the silence of the wildlife giving proof of her passing. Turning his attention back to the brightly shining moon, he stripped out of the loose, flowing pants he wore and knelt gracefully in the dew slick grass. Head tipped back, hands resting palm up on his thighs, he let his gaze fill with the site of the moon, until it was all he could see and all he was aware of.
In its light he remembered the first full moon he had been allowed to chase with the pack, the strength he had felt filling his young body, the knowledge that there was a greater calling for him. And sure enough, the next morning, with the sun just barely having risen and the world peaceful and still, his father had taken him to the side and explained about being an Alpha, everything it entailed, not just the extra strength and power that came with it, but the duties as well - to look out for family and friends and pack, to protect those weaker than himself and defend against any who would cause them harm. And then when he was old enough, when his father was no longer able to fill the position, he would take on the role of one of the Elders of the pack, to help lead them, to share the wisdom and knowledge he had acquired through age and experience.
Oh, he knew others his age didn’t look upon their roles the same as he did, looking only at the benefits and not the duties that were associated with them. But for him, he could still remember the feeling on that first full moon, like he could do anything, and the moments when he was first introduced to each of his siblings, and then each of his friends, and he knew with the same clarity as he did that first night that he had a larger role to play. It was his sacred duty to watch out for them as big brother and friend, as Alpha and future Elder of the Luna’s Bastion Pack, and he would fulfill his role to the best of his ability, in the best way he saw fit, and gods protect anyone who stood in his way.
Feeling himself filled to overflowing with the presence of the Moon-Mother and the strength and support She offered, he shifted to wolf form between one breath and the next, tipping his head back to release a triumphant howl that carried throughout the forest only to be met with six more jubilant howls from behind him.
Yes, he knew his place in the world, and he had the support of all those that mattered to him, it was time to celebrate.