Atlas listen to the dark blue wolf hopefully, if they had a healer that was willing to help them then their pack just might be saved. He could only hope that if they did have a healer they could find a cure for this illness. Atlas was so glad when Vaia said that her pack had a healer, an expert one. But he had his doubts of going to this strange wolf's pack, he would be an outsider to her pack. He would not likely get a warm welcome. He could barely get his father to see eye to eye with him, much less an entirely different Alpha. But he had to try. "Ok, could you take me to your pack?" Atlas asked, looking to check on the storm finding only a wall of vines. "When did that get here?" Atlas said incredulously. Was that what had stopped the wind and snow? That would explain why he didn't freeze, but he couldn't helping wonder where it came from.
Seeking Myths | PAFP | Just because we're not around doesn't mean we're gone
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”I will show you the way up the mountains. The storm isn’t as bad up there.” The she-wolf explained briefly scooting aside to let him through. Vaia nodded her head and was about ready to part the wall of vines only for Atlas to almost go crashing into them. She mentally chided herself for not taking down the vines as soon as he came to. If he was going to meet her pack there would be no way to hide it but, she was hoping to not have to reveal her secrets just yet. ”That would be mine.” Clearing her throat the dark blue wolf touched her nose to the wall, it wriggling and withering away from her touch to show a small hole to the blizzard still outside. A few of the vines uncurled themselves from the wall and stretched down towards her. Wrapping around her paw her eyes carefully watched the other wolf’s reaction. She wondered if he believed in the stories that were told about them. It might seem absurd to him. If he hadn’t heard the stories growing up then she would have a lot more explaining to do. She held up her paw to let the plants inch back up on to the wall.
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"Your pack lives on the mountain?" Atlas asked wondering why any wolf would want to live in the mountains rather than in a forest. In a forest you could run free but in the mountains you could easily fall to your death; the forest seemed more optimal in Atlas's opinion. He was confused by her words when she said that the vines were her; did that mean that she put them there and if she did how did she manage that? He was proven wrong as some of the vines moved according to Vaia's will, some of them going toward her and then back. Atlas stared at the vine wall for a few seconds with a straight face before it finally kicked in. This she-wolf just made plants, no the very Earth bend to her will and move as if it were a part of her. It looked so easy for her to do it. "Are you an Elemental?"
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”Yes it’s the only place we can live safely.” She explained briefly. They had been chased out of the forest and gone to the only place they could think of to stay safe. Vaia had lived on the mountain her entire life so, it hardly bothered her regardless. Lapsing into silence, she watched him seeing the wheels turning in his head as he stared at the wall of vines. She quickly nodded her head when he guessed that she was an elemental. ”Yes actually I am. A plant elemental.” The elemental wolf explained seeming to brighten up knowing that he had heard of elemental wolves before. Her eyes seemed to light up. So, you’ve heard about us? ” With a bright smile she looked him over.
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Suddenly her living on a mountain did seem so bizare, it would be safer for them there; no one would be willing to go up there to look for them. They would view it as too dangerous. When he heard that she was plant based he wondered what other kinds of elementals there were and what they looked like. Would they have exotic fur colors like Vaia or be deformed by their own magic? "Yes, I've heard of the Elementals." Atlas began. "My pack doesn't believe the old stories our Elders tell. As a pup I loved the stories of the Elementals, magical wolves that used there powers for the benefit of others. They were peaceful pacifists who lived to help others, until they became hunted for their powers. These magical wolves vanished without a trace and they past into myth. Just an old fairy tale told to pups to teach them the importance of nature. I am the only one who believes in the Elementals. To me they, you, were never gone just lost."
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Vaia quietly nodded her head when he explained the stories that the packs told about them. It was a strange feeling hearing about stories the non elemental’s told about them. That now they were just stories and nothing more. ”Really?” Blinking Vaia wasn’t sure how to react. It would probably make most members of her pack happy, they wouldn’t have to worry about any pesky non-elementals coming to try to hunt them again. Vaia seemed a bit disheartened by this news. ”I guess it’s good to know someone still believes in us.” She said seeming to brighten up again. A thought crossed her mind that made her tilt her head to the side. ”If you didn’t know where we had fled to, did you go running into a blizzard hoping to bump into one of us?” Blinking her light pink eyes she was stared at him in disbelief. Granted, Atlas’ plan did actually work but, still there was good chance he could have gotten himself frozen to death.
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Atlas had been thinking and regretting his decision to leave the pack to look for help ever since he had left and Vaia's words only drove home what could have happened. He was lucky, more than lucky in fact, that he had come across Vaia otherswise he would have died.He had been blinded by that fact that his pack was dying and was unlikely that they would survive just as much as he would have. "I've always believed that the Elementals were real but I was actually hoping to run into anyone who would help. My father refused to let me leave so I had to use the storm as a cover for me to leave. By the time the storm is done I will be gone. It would make them harder to find me, if I waited I would have been found and driven back to our camp. My father and I often have disagreements. I guess it was lucky that you found me."
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The she-wolf blinked as he admitted that the storm was the only way he could get out of camp without his father noticing. The situation must be dire if he was willing to charge out into a blizzard for the vaguest hope of finding help. ”It might have just been luck or it might have been fate. It used to be my pack’s duty to help others after all. There’s a lot of old tales about elemental wolves appearing at other’s greatest hour of need.” She didn’t seem convinced that this was entirely just a coincidence. It was rare for the elemental wolves to come down the mountain at all but, she had ventured down at just the right time. She perked her ears up not able to hear the wind as clearly now through the thick set of vines. Making a hole in the vines she peaked through and smiled to herself. ”I think the storm should be clearing up enough soon.” Vaia informed Atlas stepping aside to let him see for himself.
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Atlas found irony in her words; he had long since given up on destiny, fate and religion. Why would any God ever let their people suffer and die horribly? He could agree that it was luck that led them to meet, but what ever it was he was glad; his pack would have some help after all. She was right, Elementals did have a habit of appearing at times when they were needed most, but that was before the 'vanished' into hiding. When she said that the storm was dying it made him wonder how long he had been in this outcropping alone in the freezing cold; he could have died, he was glad he didn't otherwise he would never have known that he was right. The Elementals weren't gone just hiding. He moved over to the hole she made in her vine wall and looked out at the blizzard that was winding down outside. They could probably move through this weather and back to the Elementals' camp in the mountains; though Vaia would have to lead the way. "Do you think it would be safe to leave yet?" Atlas asked moving back to his original spot.
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Vaia was wager to get moving again. She didn’t want to leave her father and pack to worrry about her out in this weather. ”I think we should be safe to travel if we leave now. I knokw how to get up the mountain without much trouble.” With a reassuring smile she slowly started to let vines wilt away from the rocky outcrop. Even though the storm had died down, the cold wind still sent a shiver running down her spin. Once the plants had fallen away there was no protection from the harsh wind. It tugged at her dark blue fur. ”Come one let’s get going if you’re ready.” The she-wolf took her first steps back out into the snow. Trotting out into the snow she glanced towards Atlas hoping he would be able to keep up. It shouldn’t be a hard climb even with all of the snow but, it might be harder for the male wolf since he had nearly frozen to death. The elemental female lead the way towards the Northern most territory and back up towards the mountain.
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Atlas watched as the vine wall fell away, returning back to the Earth from where it came. It seemed graceful as he watched them return to the Earth. With no protection against the wind, it returned in full force with a vengeance. Once the vine wall was fully down Atlas stepped out from under the outcropping and into the wind. As he stepped down a sudden gust of wind rained down on him, angry that it failed to claim Atlas' life. Atlas trudged after Vaia's dark pelt through the wind and snow, it would be hard to transverse a mountain but Vaia would know where they were going so he just had to trust her. It was unlikely that she would let him die, after all she was the one who saved him. He still felt apprehensive about meeting the rest of Vaia's pack, would they attack him with their magic or just throw in off the mountain? He hoped that they wouldn't do either. He was also interested in what kinds of Elementals existed but he was sure that he could ask later.
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Vaia flattened her ears against her head, squinting to see against the driving snow. Even if the storm had died down considerably it was still going to be a difficult trip up the mountain. She set a brisk pace as she started up the slope fighting against the cold wind. There would have been no way for Atlas to find the correct path to get to where the Primal Pack was hiding. With one last look over her shoulder to make sure he was keeping up. Once she turned back she began to pick her way up the stone face. Her dark claws scraped against the rocks. She had to be careful to keep her balance the rest of the way up the mountain. After carefully weaving up the mountainside, through half frozen trees and shrubs, the wind seemed to die down rather suddenly. It was getting warmer rather quickly as well. The snow was only a light dusting over the ground. There was a small footpath that she was able to follow. ”It’s not far. We might run into a patrol soon.” Vaia yipped before pausing to shake the snow off of her pelt. It probably wouldn’t take long before other members of her pack would come looking for her. Hopefully she could explain the situation without too much trouble. With one last smile she continued on, having a much easier time traveling the less severe weather.
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Atlas followed Vaia as precisely as he could, making his paws follow her's in the snow. He wasn't sure of where they were headed but he trusted the shewolf in front of him. It was hard to keep his balance but he somehow--like a miracle--kept it. After passing several frozen shrubs and bushes covered in snow and ice, the weather suddenly changed. The wind stopped, the snow died and the temperature rose. Atlas stopped and looked back, seeing the large amounts of snow behind them and less in front of them. He shook out his grey fur, snow falling in waves letting his dark fur become visible once again. He began to follow Vaia again noticing that there seemed to be a path that they now followed. The scents here were foreign to him, once they had crossed what seemed to be the border, Atlas caught the scent of death. He hadn't seen anything that was dead but it was there. He also smelled freshly picked wildflowers and garlic.
The two wolves had indeed been spotted by a patrol. The dark shadow elemental and his patrol were renewing the scent markers along the border. Fallon was glad that the border they sent up daily was able to keep out most harsh weather and keep them safe. Fallon's orange eyes narrowed, he recognized Vaia, the pack's princess and Alpha's heir, but he didn't recognize the other. Fallon sprinted over toward Vaia and the outsider, finding satisfaction when the smaller wolf recoiled away from him. His sudden departutre stunned the other 2 wolves he was with, leaving them to follow after him. "Vaia, you must have noticed that this" Fallon paused, nostrils flaring. "outsider followed you?"
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This was a case in which Vaia wished she hadn’t been right. Before she could react she saw the hulking black and red wolf, Falllon, came barreling right for her and Atlas. She could see the white of his eyes and his nostrils flaring out in anger. Her first instinct was to throw up a massive wall of vines in between the two male wolves. ”Fallon calm down.” She said trying to put as much authority behind her words as she could muster. ”He came looking for help for his sick pack. I invited him to plead his case to my father. So, he is my guest.” The she-wolf said firmly before slowly letting the vines down from between them. Even though Vaia was not half as large as Fallon was she stood. Shifting a little she waited for him to calm down. She looked past him to the two other wolves that had come running after Fallon. ”Now, let us through so that we can go see him.” The heir insisted already moving to walk around the other wolves.
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Fallon snarled at the vine wall that was thrown up, blocking his view of the grey wolf. He turned his head away from the wall as she spoke, shocked by the authority behind her voice. "Sick? Good, they deserve it! They hunted us into extinction, this is way pasted due for them." Fallon said, but it sounded like he was talking mostly to himself than to anyone nearby. If Vaia had indeed invited this wolf then Fallon had no right to stop her, she was the Alpha's heir and he couldn't attack her without facing the Alpha's fury. "You know talking with Guko will end with this wolf's death. I hate outsiders but he's even worse. He won't get a chance to even say hello." Fallon warned the Heir, his words also serving to scare Atlas now that the wall was gone. Atlas stuck close to Vaia, not trusting these legends to let him be. At least one of them had proven to be violent already. The other wolves moved out of Vaia's way, unwilling to get in her way. She may be small but she did have power. They weren't about to disobey an order from the Alpha's daughter. Seeing as they let her go, Fallon had no choice but to back down. "Fine, let's go see the Alpha." Fallon said, deflated.
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”That was generations ago. No one deserves that.” Vaia grumbled under her breath as she marched right on past the patrol. She sighed softly flattening her ears. She knew Fallon was right at least about Guko’s view on outsiders. She could only hope that her father could be reasoned with. Leading the way she kept a close eye on Atlas as they passed. She paused and looked over her shoulder. Despite being able to use her title to get him this far she couldn’t stop Fallon from tagging along. The she-wolf lead the way back towards the pack camp already bracing herself for the reactions to seeing the first outsider to come into their camp since they had gone into hiding. They might react just how Fallon had reacted. They had every right to be hostile towards him but, she had to do what she could to get him the help his pack needed. As they approached the camp she took one last look at Atlas before leading the way into camp. Trotting briskly through camp she went right for the Alpha’s den ducking inside. ”Father, I brought someone who needs to talk to you. He’s from the outside. I found him frozen at the base of the mountain. His pack needs help.” The she-wolf went right into explaining herself hoping that he would listen to her before reacting.