Icarian Dreams

The silence that filled the room after her words eventually brought Daliah’s gaze up to the man’s face. She couldn’t read what was going through his mind, but somehow she did sense the intensity of his stare, even if she couldn’t quite discern where it was coming from. She shifted uncomfortably at the sensation. It made her feel… exposed, in a way, even though there was really no malice or judgement in the stare she felt. More like a quiet assessment, a predator waging his chances… or perhaps something even different. In fact, she didn’t feel any threat flowing from the man, it was more like… reflection. So she just watched him quietly, not wishing to interrupt him in this moment, and unconsciously, found her own thoughts wandering as well. They were no strangers to exchanging growls and barks, neither did they ever hold back from critiquing each other in an open, often practically insulting fashion. And yet, throughout the years, she couldn't help but feel that this underlying sense of… respect between them both had built. A quiet agreement, that perhaps, despite their shortcomings, there had been some merit to be found in each other’s judgement, or… even though Daliah didn't quite realize it herself... maybe something in them recognized that even with a pack full of people around, there was still a certain shared... loneliness, that they both had experienced. "Perhaps... Then... You are correct." Daliah's head rose from thought to the man’s tired voice, for a moment unsure whether it was just her own mind twisting what her ears have heard, but quickly realizing that, indeed, Auvunux had been speaking to her, and that her senses stayed true. She found herself opening her mouth without really a word to say. For once it was an answer she didn’t expect, and she found herself feeling… a number of things. Surprise, obviously, but also… disappointment, and almost anger that this was the conclusion that the man came to. “You're sure…?” Her own voice shook as she asked, feeling the doubts gather in her own brain. Was this really an act of wisdom? Or just another retreat of a man hiding in a mansion, failing to balance on the edge of two extremes? But... he was not wrong, and she agreed. How distant were the times when the pack truly ruled the forest? When the warriors would come back home boasting their kills and not just with scars and empty hands… if at all? A part of her wondered if it was ever the case. If maybe it was just the wonder of her childhood imagination that made her see things better than they actually were. “Morale will suffer. The warriors walk in your steps. They won’t appreciate you taking one back.” She replied quietly, raising herself from the couch. Moments ago she would have done so with anger, but now there was little more than just resignation in her movements. Slowly sliding one leg ahead of the other, she strode over to the fireplace. “One mating season won’t solve that either. We’ll need something to take their minds off of this.” She sighed herself, looking deep into the flames. "I don't like it either, Austin. Not any of this. We were not meant to be prey." She found herself cutting her speech short, as a wave of shame ran through her body. Who was she to say this - she, who could not even remember when the last time she bloodied her teeth in battle was...

He lives!

No worries at all, take your time! Though... you may find that one of your current partners has gotten banned...

Well, I'm obviously inclined to propose that Daliah would be the one to get him to open, especially since they already have some inkling of trust between them, and I honestly quite like having the narrative of the leaders having to grow closer together for the pack to begin to flourish, but definitely understand if you wouldn't want to put all your eggs in my basket though. The others deserve some of the spotlight as well after all! That said, I think I'd like, at the very least, for the Daliah/Auvunux relation to mend mostly due to their own efforts. Not saying by any means that other characters can't try to help. but I feel it's something they mainly have to figure out on their own.

Absolutely! I can very well see that dialogue the other way round Love the dynamic and contrast that the two have, I feel they're definitely much more similar to each other than they'd want to admit.

Truly, we're all Alicia's thralls.

Daliah held a groan as the Alpha interrupted her. And she was the one getting called the snake in this relationship. She shook her head ever so slightly. At the very least she had the manners to treat him with the respect adequate to his position – even if she wasn’t meet with the same from his part. She relaxed her lips from the tight line that they pursed themselves into, and intentionally waited a longer second before picking the topic back up again, trying to take a tone seemingly unfazed by this interruption. Thankfully, he had enough common sense not to disregard her in the matters of the pack… ...She flinched at the sound of Auvunux's bones crackling when he heard the news, feeling the hairs on her neck stand and her shoulders raise instinctively in a defensive manner, relaxing slowly only when she got to breathe out and calm herself down. So many years she knew him, and she still couldn’t stop herself from shivering every time she saw him tense up. The fact that he was three times her size and could possibly snap her in half if he only wanted to was likely some justification, but she still despised herself for not being able to control just that one tiny instinct. At least she could take some comfort in that her words did seem to have an effect on the man as well, even if all the reaction she got was a slightly more intense stare from the pair of his hazel eyes. But there was another reason she was worried. His reaction was sharp and brazen, and… exactly what she had been expecting from the older werewolf. For all the might he had, he still acted brash and hastily all too often. And after all the scuffles they've had in the past with him, the vampires surely realized it too. This was dangerous territory to tread. “Or, Auvunux, they’re trying to provoke you to do just that.” She voiced her concerns firmly, moving forward in her seat as if to emphasize her words. “A direct counteroffensive would definitely do great for morale... until we charge headfirst into an ambush,” she exhaled, trying to keep her tone away from mockery. It was not the point here. Her eyes turned towards the bookshelves behind the man as she considered the possible solutions herself. She spoke up just a few seconds after. “I say we take things slowly for the time. Shadow the patrols. Have them call for aid if they spot anything suspicious. Chances are we’ll catch one of those bloodsuckers by surprise instead. Beat them at their own game.” Her gaze returned to him again, and glazed over for just a second, another thought entering her mind. She took a deep breath, not sure whether she should even voice it at all. She already knew what his answer would be, after all... “But what if we are sending the patrols in too deep? Going too far, spreading too thin. Our strength is in the pack after all, and it's not like we can't regain control during the day.” She sighed, not really believing these words herself. These vampires were like rats. once they let them in, they’d never get them out. They were sure to conjure some harm one way or another. But... the pack’s strength was dwindling, and the next mating season was not that far away as well. If they lost more warriors now, they were at the risk of simply getting ran down once the vamps realized. Maybe it would be wise to just take a step back for now.

Ah, I do feel that's a bit too over the top for my tastes. Definitely not trying to discredit your idea, but my personal preference is honestly to keep things rather subtle, especially on the werewolf side. This gets a bit too animesque for my tastes, if you know what I mean, especially if every single werewolf had a quirk like that. What @VenariWulf99 says is a bit more to my liking, even to consider as simply the werewolves knowing the terrain better and being able to rely on each other more, magic aside. I'd say the more supernatural stuff, like what you mention, could be performed in larger rites. I mean, what's a better excuse to have an orgy than a "bonding ritual"?

Pull out their guns (which makes me really wanna make a gunsmith character now) But agreed, between this, magic, and thralls, the vampires do have a lot going on for them at the moment. I'll admit, I'm not entirely confident I understand what your idea with the passives was. Some sort of physical/biological "quirk", I presume? Maybe it's my lack of creativity speaking, but I can't really think of many that would work right now. I do absolutely dig the idea of having something to make each werewolf a bit more unique from another.

This also raises the question of the power difference between werewolves and vampires. To my mind, an average Vampire could potentially handle two, maybe three Werewolves. It is the more experienced ones (who have lived for over a millennium) that would probably have little problem dispatching even up to a dozen. Magic does make such calculations complicated though. Do werewolves have any kind of magic? There's certainly a spiritual side to them, and I do feel there could be something to that. Perhaps not as flashy as what the vampires have, but I definitely see some divination or general shamanism involved.

That's a very good question and discussion to be had - there's a huge difference in losing three scouts whether the pack has 30 or 300 members. I was thinking the pack has maybe 60 members, and the vampires about a third of that (not counting thralls), but now I'm realizing I really have no idea what would be realistic I've also presumed that not all of the pack may live directly in the mansion - that there could be maybe a small encampment around the building as well, so there could be a bit more members. But don't take my word on any of this

”Ah, there you are-” There was a note of clear impatience in Daliah’s voice as it broke the silence of the mansion’s library. The Beta had managed to quietly slip into the room, with perhaps only the faintest of smells of sweat, herbs, and… just a bit of blood, carefully masked with incense, betraying her arrival to the pack’s Alpha. She took a moment to assess the situation as she walked in, letting her eyes scan Auvunux’s form up and down carefully, feeling a familiar tension build in her muscles as the pack-leader’s frame, even from afar, easily towered over her lithe figure. She exhaled a controlled breath, not betraying the uneasiness she felt to the werewolf, and wordlessly shuffled into the room, finding her attention pulled to the few carefully arranged books that currently served as a backdrop to the Alpha’s titanic figure. Fantasy, Auvunux? A careful smile danced on her lips at the thought, and she retreated her gaze back towards the werewolf. I never would have though. “Alpha-” She tasted the ever-bitter sound on her tongue, keeping her eyes pinned inquisitively on the man while she gave him a gentle, reserved nod of respect. Her steps took her to the old cushioned couch, placed right next to the flickering fireplace, and she sat herself down onto it, lightly crossing one leg over the other, and feeling herself relax slightly as the heat of the flames warmed her pale skin, still cold from the time spent out in the chilly night. Her slender hand almost mechanically slid towards a tiny leather pouch near her hip, with a seemingly practiced motion coiling her fingers into the tight confines of the container to pull out just a small pale pill, one that the woman promptly raised towards her firm lips, pushing the drug right in-between. After a second of quiet that passed when she swallowed, her words resounded once again, not letting the silence around her get too uncomfortable. “Another patrol failed to report today. A third this month,” she informed in a strangely monotone voice, shifting her back deeper into the sofa. The thick material of the furniture’s covering barely even budged under her meager weight. “The vampires are growing bold. We’re getting picked off on the edges of our own territory. If this keeps on going, we’ll lose this fight before it even had a chance to properly begin.” She grunted with discontent, taking a moment to look at the gloomy forest behind the window. The faint rays of moonlight bathed the outer contours of the trees in a gentle, silvery light, gilding the leaves with almost eerie kind of glow. “And I can’t help but feel something larger is brewing. There’s something… strange in the air tonight... You would have felt it too if you left the mansion.” She adjusted the fine crimson robe that flowed down her shoulders, not even bothering to try and veil the accusation nested in her words. It would hardly have been the first time she let the Alpha know of her distaste regarding his… more seclusive tendencies.

Well, I'm open to have a scene involving Daliah and Austin, if you'd be interested in starting with that. Perhaps just talking about the state of the pack or strategizing for the future to ease ourselves in. Don't have anything particular in mind, really.

Gotcha. I'd probably note that under the image if I were you. Will save new people some confusion Also, not sure if intentional, but you left the age blank. Just something I noticed. Provided the ages of the werewolves we have, I think it settled itself that lycans (at least most of them) have a more human lifespan. Still, it's obviously Kitsuyumia's call. Oh, while we're discussing this, could we discuss the "hybrid form" werewolves? I think someone mentioned in their character's bio that hybrid forms are really rare and that they were born of one human and one lycan parent. That's... a pretty significant piece of worldbuilding that I'm not sure everyone here agrees with (nevermind follows). I'd appreciate if we could get the admin's call on that too tbh

@BladeRunner Just making sure, you are aware that this is a modern setting, right? That... viking pic kinda threw me off.

Afaik, Gamma is open, and you shouldn't have trouble getting the position, I presume @Kitsuyumia might have simply missed your post if you didn't get a reply. The specifics are in the Werewolf/Vampire character threads, the first post is a template.

What do you think if instead she were sent by her master to spy on the werewolves - as a favor or mission in return to getting turned into a vampire? Perhaps still under some controlling spell to make sure she doesn't run rampant, but otherwise left to try and build trust in the pack. I feel that solves some of the issues regarding the vampire perspective, and makes the entire idea a bit lighter in tone too, whilst maintaining the same core storybeats. It still hinges on the hope that the werewolves would keep a vampire around (most likely as a captive at the beginning), but if posed more as an offering from some single vampire trying to curry favor amongst the pack, rather than being a general gift from the coven, I think it could be plausible.

Hahah, the idea comes from before Darion, it just turned out that the stories were really darn similar. Well, I'm still refactoring the idea a bit. Still like the core idea behind it, with a vampire being "gifted" to the werewolves, but I just really need to get the circumstances right.

The idea was to likely keep it under the radar, without Miana's knowledge as far as possible. I imagine turning a thrall into a vampire would be something of a faux pas. TBH, I'm considering some slightly different options too, I'm not big on the whole mind-breaking thing. Shit gets dark way too quickly.

Speaking of triggering Darion’s PTSD, I do also have an idea for a thrall-accidentally-turned-vampire character, who would end up… basically being gifted as a pleasure pet to the Midnight Moon pack (as her turning into vampire would likely be rather problematic to the coven). Meaning Darion would find himself in a situation pretty much opposite to what he’s experienced in the past, when he was a servant to the vampires. I do admit I’m a bit hesitant about posting her though, considering she’d be in many ways a fetish character for me, especially near the beginning of the storyline, when her mind would still be rather considerably warped after the period of thralldom under the vampires. I’m not sure how comfortable the rest of the group would really feel about having a compliant vampire sex-slave in the werewolf pack (or the kind of lewd scenes that could stem out of that). To be honest, if you folks could let me know how you sit with that, I’d very much appreciate it.

@KanDaKnight Thank you! I certainly encourage that you do; We can always use new, capable members in the pack after all ^^

Aaand my werewolf lady is ready! If anyone's looking for scenes, I'm down to drop her in somewhere. Perhaps she could greet the most recent arrival to the group and/or scold the pack's warrior for so carelessly mating with an outsider like that. @VenariWulf99@Kitsuyumia Would also be down to have her and Alicia meet, considering they both share an (al)chemical interest, at least as of recently @Chiyako. Not sure about the context so far, but there's potential to have a larger alchemical conflict in the future

[Inactive] Name: Daliah Winterfield Age: 32 Sex: Female Gender: Female Sexuality: Bisexual Role: Beta Personality: It's a secret to no-one that Daliah has been gunning for the position of Lead Luna ever since she joined the pack, and had taken it rather poorly when she had been denied that position by the other Beta the last time that the leader had died. There's still a lot of bitterness and resentment held within her heart, both for the one that superseded the previous Alpha, and for a number of other members of the pack with whom she had her quarrels in the past, but no matter how you feel about her or how questionable her intentions may be, there's no arguing that her contributions have always been to the good of the pack and she had never yet stepped out of line - despite toeing on its edge plenty of times. Appearance Details: Tall and slender, there's a certain, almost snakish grace in Daliah's movements, which, combined with the longer, flowy robes that she tends to wear, gives an illusion of her almost gliding when she moves throughout the room, only emphasized the quiet of her step. She maintains a well-groomed and dignified aesthetic, dressing in clothing fit for her vanity by appearance whilst keeping the werewolvish sense of functionality in its looseness. Her robes often take the hues of deep purples or reds, contrasting well with the paleness of her skin and the platinum white hair that rolls down her shoulders. Her beastial form retains many properties of her usual visage, staying rather lithe when in comparison to most of her kin, and in fact somewhat struggling to keep up with the speed and physical fitness of the rest of the pack. It is by that reason that Daliah rarely turns to her canine form or finds herself on the frontlines. When she does, however, her wolven shape is coated in short, timber fur, with a wavy, long-haired mane coiling around her neck and back. Other Details (Optional): Daliah had been born and raised in the pack to a warrior mother and an unknown father. Rumors say that she used to be a Gamma Minor once in the past herself, but for some reason rejected or was denied a position of Gamma, even after her training had finished and her mentor had retired. Whether that's true or not, she does possess a number of skills usually expected of a Gamma, dabbling in spiritualism and alchemy, even though she lacks the unearthly connections herself. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon to see her meditating in the sacred groves or calling upon the names of the ancestors if she finds herself in need. Recent times she's been known to have been working on psychedelics that would aid the warriors during their transformations, bolstering their pain thresholds and reaction speed of the fighters.

@Kitsuyumia A quick question: Does the mate Alpha/Luna hold any position of power within the pack? Or is it more of a "decorational" rank, simply acknowledging that they are the leader's mate?

Woohoo, more werewolves! Looking forward to seeing you around! ^^