subtle emphasis.
[ o o c: do you want to start a separate thread, Sierra?? :) With Omni and Skyscraper? ]
Her pack mingled as old friends did, casting smiles easily as sunshine that bore all the radiance of the promise of pack life. Omni almost had to squint at the brilliance of them as they bore forth from one façade to another, beaming each time Tamlin murmured the welcome words to yet another stranger. For some strange, uncertain reason of origins teetering precariously between heart and memory, the repetitiveness and the forced alertness of his rigid, uncomfortable stance on the edge of the clearing reminded him of his first pack. That would be, his first pack ever. Not Saw Tooth, where love had been kindled into the fiercest of flames until its intense heat had driven him away. Even beyond the time he had been a nomad, wandering around with only his sister beside him in the wicked chill of winter’s curse and the boiling, parched summers of endless travel. His stature stiffened at the thought of General, although at the same time a ghost of a smile slipped over his lips. The General had been he and his friends’ nickname for the alpha of his pack, and had a name of which Omni had never familiarized himself with. His parents had died shortly after the birth of his litter, and Sombra accompanied on his flee immediately following.
There was a thrill to the tension that curved muscles when they knew they were doing something they should not. His paws flexed at the simple memory of peering out of the bushes, turquoise eyes doused in shadows, tongue limply brushing the sand that clotted his pure white fur. Now here he was, in a similar position. But this time the delta was not cowering in bushes waiting for an escape. He was here because of choice and loyalty, he stood proud because he could, and he met the glance of his alpha with an empty affirmation that what he was thinking was exactly right, if Omni had gauged his thought processes correctly. There was no longer any sun, any word, any action that could diminish his heart of its burdens, because they were no more than he deserved and newsflash: Omni wasn’t running away this time.
As a pup it hadn’t been his responsibility to stay at his home, but as a nomad some core beliefs had been instituted in his gut about right and wrong. It had been wrong to abandon them when they lost key members in their betas; his parents. He would not let the past repeat itself, because if it did all was lost. There would be no other Satowra, and if there was he would surely die of the heartbreak that would follow another separation. This was the stag breaking a cycle; standing up for his own welfare. So when Tamlin began to speak, after shooting a curious eye over the looks of the rest of his pack mates, he listened closely and his ears flattened slightly at the implications of his name in the situation. With Raylen still not in attendance, he would be the sole watcher for a short while. A rippling shrug through his shoulders shook off the heavy thoughts, and he nodded stately to his alpha in acceptance of the task.
A female whose name he had missed broke from the inner sanctum of the ranks rallying around Tamlin, pacing to the edge of the clearing with a slightly amused smile alit upon her features, carefully eyeing the same tail that seemed to have set the beat for the entire meeting. If he had known of the pain she was concealing he would have left her well enough alone, but the girl looked exhausted and if Omni had anything to contribute at all, it was a sound knowledge of the terra he had traveled so long. Stretching leisurely, he stood for the first time since arriving and carefully wove his way towards her, blinking softly in case she looked up and became alarmed at his approach. Sitting down next to her, he murmured distinctly: “Greetings, I’m Omni Cader.” Pausing for a beat to allow her to introduce herself he flicked his ears towards the forest at their backs. “If you need a guide, I’d be happy to help. There are only so many places you can comfortably sleep without ash in your nostrils.”
Step one to protecting: making others feel safe in their environment.
"To manage your mind, know that there is nothing, and then relinquish all attachment to nothingness."
[-Lao Tzu]
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