'Allo lads~ This is an Elder only RP. Any Elder can join in. If the owner of an Elder wishes to bring one of the tribe's guardians or the second-in-command of the tribe [if one exists] or something, that's fine, but I'd like to keep this RP small and limited to Elders only. Tribeless Elders are welcome to join, should they wish. Official tribes only, too; no Elder-to-bes here. Also, no 'Deities. This ain't their party~ ;p
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- The Elder laid against a sturdy tree bordering the open meadow, basking in the light of the sun as it crested the sky. It was a warm, pleasant day, a nice change from the bitter cold of the long winter. Harsh storms had torn across the northern tribes, their subfreezing temperatures, violent blizzards, and screeching winds forcing the foxes into their crude shelters for days at a time. Few dared venture out of the caves, even during the brief times when the tempests calmed; however, it was a necessity, for the tribe needed to eat. As such, many hunters left in search of whatever prey they could scavenge, perhaps a rodent scurrying to shelter or the carcass of an unlucky ungulate. Sadly, a few were never heard from again. She remembered when she herself braved the cold, the day when she had decided to search for her missing hunters. She had almost lost herself in the process; the storm could have easily swallowed her whole, enveloping her in a thick, white blanket, entombing her in the ice. It crossed her mind that this was the cruel fate of her hunters, for she never found any of them. She bit her lip as the weight of their loss pulled at her chest, tightening its vice around her throat. They had saved the rest of the tribe, her tribe. She had failed them, again. It seemed fitting that the tribe worshiping the Modeity of Disaster would find itself plagued with adversity of all kinds. Though her tribe did not have the best reputation, they were not too unlike the others. Calamities still hurt, and loss still carved a hole into all those affected. They were not heartless, though some might believe otherwise. They were known to be violent, uncouth, severe, and those were accurate descriptions of many of the foxes who found themselves at home in Akatsuki. The descriptions missed adjectives such as strong, resilient, hardy, loyal, diligent, and words of the like. Their patron 'Deity did not trouble herself with the weak; those who did could not persevere through disaster deserved to be dragged under. It was only natural, after all. It was a harsh reality, but reality nonetheless.
This period of calm made the Elder uneasy. She never believed that a situation was as good as it seemed to appear; she knew better. There was always something skulking about in the shadows, a sinister thing waiting for one to drop his guard, ever watchful, always prepared. She needed to be the same, for she needed to be prepared to deal with such malevolence at a moment's notice. This peace... this was unusual, and she could not bring herself to truly trust it. There was always a catch, some sort of trickery involved making one believe in the peace and ripping it away just as quickly. Nonetheless, she prayed this peace would last, that the tribes would flourish once more as they had in days long past. 'Be careful what you wish for, Konton.' The thought was not her own, striking her mind sharply through her temple, a verbal castigation. A light chuckle escaped her as she rested her head against the tree, gaze looking toward the sky. "My apologies, ma'am," she replied, flicking her tail. She was disaster, after all, a formidable, wrathful vixen, commanding of her followers. How on earth did she find herself under the direction of such a 'Deity?
Another mental jab, and another light laugh. She cast a sheepish smile up to the sky, deciding that she was not going to test her 'Deity any further. As she thought of 'Deities, she found herself wondering how the other tribes had fared. Perhaps they had survived with less loss than the Akatsuki. Kousetsu laid in the far north, and, even though they thrived in the winter, this one had been particularly severe. She had not heard from them in a long time, nor had she heard from Lunarie, Solarie, Bateau, Bamboo, or any of the older tribes. It troubled her, for, despite the strained relations with a few of the tribes, she liked to believe their lingering issues had passed, and that they could form more beneficial relations rather than detrimental. Whispers had reached her ears of newer tribes springing up in the south. She had briefly encountered one of the new Elders, a female of a tribe in the swamps, and she knew of the vampiric Elder raising the tribe worshiping the 'Deity of Shadows. She intended to meet these other tribes one day, after her tribe had fully dealt with the aftermath of the winter. Perhaps they could reestablish the old alliances and form new ones. It would take no small amount of time or effort, but it could be done, though she questioned how many tribes would like to consort with her own. They were not known to be cooperative, and Konton would never force a life upon her members that they could not live. They preferred to stick to themselves, for they were firm and independent foxes. Aside from Kousetsu and maybe Lunarie, she did not see them to be keen on making friends with other tribes.
She dismissed the thoughts dancing about her troubled mind, for this was a welcomed change of pace from the brutality of the preceding months. The tribe members were managing well without her, leaving her to her own devices for the time being. The sun was out, wind was whispering rather than screeching, prey was no longer a rarity; finally, life could be easier. For now, she could relax. She closed her eyes, emptying her mind with a heavy sigh, relaxing against the trunk of the tree, allowing the sun's rays to warm her. She lowered her head to her paws, shutting her eyes. This was nice, and she was going to enjoy this peace while it lasted. Now, she would rest. A long, overdue, well-deserved nap was in order, and today was the perfect day for it. Calm, quiet, warm, a perfect, pretty day.
Word Count — 1008
