PARTIZANSKAYA SENTRY

The terrain of Partizanskaya Sentry is familiar to most of the sentries, who will spend the majority of their days atop or around the great landmark. Aptly named, Partizanskaya Sentry provides a great view that sentries will benefit from when on duty. Its immediate vicinity is not necessarily grounds for hunting, but if one is lucky, one may find some prey here. As far as tigers are concerned, the existing one makes his home in the Oaken Forest. One is more likely to run into a black bear, which, if the bear makes its way to the den, can prove troublesome for pups and adults alike.

In the area of Sentry's history, the great sentry Utar fell to his death here. If one travels all the way to the top, you may see where the cliff face broke and shattered, sending the talented but unfortunate Utar to his untimely death. Now, a ritual exists among the sentries, new and old, where recruits are brought forth to the very top to both remember Utar and to commemorate their own rise as a sentry.

PREY: MANCHURIAN RED DEER (rare), MOUNTAIN HARE, RED SQUIRREL, SABLE
PREDATORS: AMUR TIGER, HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR

THE WOLF STIRRED FROM HER SLUMBER; the scent of another had drawn her upward. Could it be? She had been the last for some time; she found it remarkably hard to believe that another being had stepped within the vicinity. Vigorously, she shook the likeness of her pelt. Rain had claimed her that night, and she had not yet dried when she awoke. Approaching her elder years, she was nervous; if this wolf was to be hostile, she would neither have the means nor the motivation to fight. And yet, if this wolf was friendly, perhaps...

Perhaps the wolves here could be restored?

Such a thought had not dared to enter her mind for quite some time. When she was in denial of her packmates' passings, it crossed frequently then, and tormented her to no end. With the passage of time, however, she grew accustomed to being alone. But, now, the opportunity presented itself. No, she told herself, it will take more than one, and will take more than me. They must lead the pack forth; I shall only guide them.

I trot around, sniffing the air for prey. There are a few Manchurian Red Deer to the North, Mountain Hare west and Sable south; the way I just came. The squirells are everywhere. I head to the North, stalking the deer before chasing it down. My pads sweeping gently across the floor and my muscles drive me forward, I locate 50 miles off the weakest Deer. It has a bony growth on its leg, so will tire easily. I chase the group they all spread and I lock onto this one which as predicted slows easily and I ge an easy meal. As I begin to tuck in I smell a Amur Leopard. Growling I get him to back off but it doesn't work enough. I howl and he runs off. After I ate my fill I left to continue North. I sniff and smell an older wolf. One who has been here a long time. I trot over to the smell which becomes stronger. I then stop, there right in front of me is the older wolf; now believing I was trespassing I submit to her. "I am sorry for trespassing, please forgive me. May I join into your pack?"...

THE WOLF'S EYES SUDDENLY MET THOSE OF ANOTHER; she had not scented this wolf. The wolf who approached her so appeared to be female in nature, and quite submissive. Koa could smell blood on this stranger, and she guessed that this young wolf might have been hunting and might have experienced some success. Her surprise at this wolf's sudden appearance, nevertheless, could not be veiled, and she said nothing in reply to this stranger's pleas. She only lingered in thought, and wondered at the mass of smells which foretold the presence of other wolves. Why, now, had they come? And why so many? Perhaps, she thought, they were driven from their territories by starvation, and were pushed eastward. Then, breaking her silence, she said, "You may, but let us wait around for the others; I have much to tell you, and would rather not repeat myself."

ANOTHER STRANGER APPEARED, and the older female hastily swung her gaze around to meet this pallid female. She examined the newcomer with scrutiny, though she barred further judgement when she noticed how carefully the wolf spoke. Koa did not move to greet this animal; instead, she sat upon her haunches, and wondered of what to say. Then, an idea came to her. Let's see how driven this one is.

"If you are one of the others, I am assuming you know where the rest of your lot are. If you would be so kind as to fetch them for me, then I may tell you my story." With a grin, she paused, and, without waiting for an immediate response, warned, "I do not care if they are not interested in joining the pack; they should at least be advised of what this area has... to offer."

I'd rather not have daft wolves running around the outskirts of the territory like they own the place and know everything. That would create quite an unfortunate situation. For them, at least. It would moreso be a nuisance for me.

I hear her clear voice "Of course, I shall wait for you to speak, Alpha." Lupa resists the urge to be dominant and submits herself. "If you wish for me to say I shall let you know what I killed and how I stumbled upon this land?" I say trying to make conversation.

(@ Lupa - remember that your posts need to be at least/around 100 words in length. http://www.wordcounter.net/ is a fairly useful tool for checking purposes. Strive for that during the recruitment period; otherwise, your promotion may be delayed significantly.)

THE WOLF'S NOSE TURNED UPWARDS; she felt contemptuous towards this female's eagerness to please. Though she scoffed, in her heart she was grateful; perhaps, the eagerness of these wolves is what the land truly needed. Perhaps, her own bitterness and cynicism, which took hold of her after time had passed and that wretched day faded so, would lead her -- and the land -- nowhere.

Pondering, she replied casually, "You need not call me 'alpha.' I am the last of the 'ancients;' I am a mere relic of those that came before. If you need a title, call me that. But, that seems a little silly; Koa is my name, and would be more appropriate." Eying the stranger, she added, "Why don't you introduce yourself. Give me your name, but I needn't a novel of your history. A few words, such as from where you hail, would suffice. And, I'd like to here how you came here, and perhaps, what you killed. After the others arrive and we chat, perhaps you can lead us to the carcass and we could have leftovers."

Pavor moved quickly and silently. Her dark amber eyes darted across the area in case she ran into another. Her movements were cautious, and extremely careful. She could smell others, some closer, some farther away. She came across what seemed to be a den site. One seemed to catch her eye the most, as it seemed to be in charge. She frowned, and kept her distance, as she didn't want to crowd her, as there were others around her. So this wasn't any loners territory, it was an actual Pack. She smiled slightly at the thought of joining a pack once more, but who would want such a fragile wolf? This land could hold potential, but it could also hold threats she couldn't handle. Letting out a barely audible sigh of disappointment, she turned and made to head back out. Back out into the forest, back out into solitude, back out into a land she knew best, Nothing.

(Oh yes, sorry Koa)

"Sorry, Koa. I did not know. I shall explain myself." I stand up and look around. I start talking in a calm voice. "I am Lupa. I came across this territory as I heard of the disasters that happened her. I came to look for surviving wolves to join together and thrive. I killed a Manchurian Deer. She carcass is just over the brow of the hill. An Amur Leopard may be eating some. It was a full grow mature male so plenty for all." I sniff the air and sense the leopard is gone "The leopard is gone and the carcass has much meat left over." I wish to please 'the last ancient' so I submit myself again. I pace around a few times and sense the other wolves. They seem to he near "The other seem to be near to us, Koa." I await my leaders command, patiently then I ask "Please when we are all here could you explain how the disaster happened?"

She nearly jumped out of her fur.

"Greetings! I am Kaia. No doubt you are curious, as we all are, of this place.. The elderly female over there, Wishes to speak to us in order to explain things."

Pavor did her best not to look so frightened. 'She really wants to talk to all of us? I guess it won't be that bad, i mean, What could go wrong?' she asked herself. Before she could ask questions, Kaia was gone, and she only left her directions back to the elderly female.

"Well okay then, i guess i'll go." she muttered before heading back. Upon heading into the clearing, Pavor lowered her head. There was already another female (Lupa) besides the elderly fae, she was cautious, her steps barely leaving an indention in the dirt.

"S-Sorry for intruding. I was told you wanted to speak to our lot." She said quietly And cautiously. "And was told to come here, so, er, here i am" She glanced around nervously, and sat at a distance, but close enough to signify that she was listening to the Fae.

"THIS IS ENOUGH," the wolf whispered, eying all who had gathered at her request. "For those who have not come," she went on, "it is apart of your natural duty to pass this story along in some way to them, so that others may not experience the misfortune that I did."

"I was a young pup; I did not know many troubles. But before long, I would come to know them, and come to know many. I would come to know pain, and come to know its constant torment. And so would the rest of my pack. While this pain was now familiar to us, and apart of our lives, this pain had been a thing of reconciliation; in the context of past years, it was relatively new. The humans had retreated, and more deliberately ceased their hunts of a certain foe. For those who do not know, that certain foe is feline; it is orange in nature, and sports black stripes. Tigers, they are, and with the humans' retreat, they returned; they returned with a vengeance. Not only did our food supply over the years dwindle, thanks to their constant, haunting presence and large appetites, but our numbers did, too. Our kind fell often to their claws, and fell moreso during my time. While they recovered, we were caught off-guard. And while they prospered, we fell. Make no mistake; there were always more wolves than there were tigers. That is, until our kind could take no more; they either perished, or fled.

You might wonder why we are all gathered here. Perhaps it is by chance, and is a mere coincidence. Or perhaps, we have all met at the hands of fate. I do not know. But, I have at least encouraged some part in the likes of your muster, and so, I must explain myself. I am the last of the wolves here; unlike the rest, I did not perish, nor did I flee. But I am the last, mainly because of my carelessness. I led my own pack in my prime, and led the remnants of it to confront a great tiger that had been sauntering too close to the den, and too close for comfort. I'd rather avoid the details at length, but they all fell to the beast. In my cowardice, I ran; maybe I should have died with them. But maybe, my selfishness was not in vain, for maybe, I was meant to live, and was meant to guide you all.

In their memory, and for the sake of this land, I would like to see our kind restored here. We can indeed co-exist with tigers, but they must know their place, and, consequently, we must know our place. I give you all this quest. See me not as a leader, but as a mere guide. The true leaders of this pack will make themselves known, and thereafter shall be rewarded. We can all live here again, somehow. That I believe."

"I heard if the disaster, I came here to help. Right from the Rocky's in Canada. Our meeting was not of coincidence I sense. It was more of fate, by my judgement. You, Koa are truely amazing. Your story makes my wonder why things happen. I accept your mission and shall attempt to restore wolf life here. But how, are we surpassed to accomplish this?" I ask with apprehension in my voice. I begin to wonder Maybe we were destine for this? Maybe we are surpossed to be here. I lick my paws and my muzzle to clear it of blood. I then lay down in the hard ground, my ribs and chest pushing down on the hard rock. The wind whistles around my ears and my fur glistens in the morning sun.

I trot forward, away from the river. The river had been my home for years, and now I don't even know where I'm going. I fe like can't stop moving, I just have to keep going onward. Where am I going? Why am I leaving the river? The wind changes, blowing toward me now. With it comes a new scent, wolves. I freeze, as I scent the wolves just over a hill. I feel the urge to go toward them, but instinct holds me back. I sit down, shaking my head, trying to remind myself why not to go to the strangers. First, I can't even remember the last time I'd seen a wolf, let alone talk to one. I can't even remember the last time I'd even spoken.

Before I did anything else, a small flash of fur moved on the edge of my vision. A squirrel. I haven't eaten one of those in a while... yum. SNAP No more squirrel.

Anyway, I'm gonna try to talk now. "okay..." Wow! I have a voice. If I ever see those strangers, at least I could communicate. I lay down in a bush, and take a nap.

I sense another presence. "We have company.", I say before turning around. I trot over the brow of the hill "Hello--" I look again. Thinking I recognise the wolf. But no she is just another wolf. My past flashes before my eyes. My best friends howl drowns me. The faint reminders are everywhere. "W--what brings you here new wolf?" I say with a slight stutter. The memories are not a tough as usual for me. I fight them back. "If you are hungry there is a deer carcass, I killed it earlier." The wind blows my fur back and my tail is held slightly higher than the normal relaxed position, as I do not know this wolf and she is not the one who claims this land. I sense the older wolf The Last Ancient I say in my head. What a nice title... then I return my gaze to the new wolf.