He might have been a man today, but that didn’t quell his hunger. It’d been a few days since he had anything substantial and with the beavers hot on his case, they were a little more scarce then usual. He hadn’t been back to check on the hog he and that female... what was her name? N... something, had brought down the tusky beast and dined until they were both barely able to walk. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t returned, it would have been a good meal for one of them and his mind refused to acknowledge the fact that maybe he had left it for her to eat instead. Despite her fluffy coat, she’s been a little thin and looked like she needed it more then him.
So, with an outward sigh he had left the safety of his den and headed off to search of something fishy to eat. With spring now upon them, he was just waiting for the rest of the animals to wake from their hibernation so he could feast on little babies and the like. Spring was always a good time for food and he looked forward to the warmer weather too. He might be cold on the inside but outside he still didn’t much like the temperature. The downside however was that with the warmer weather soon upon he’d begin to shed his winter coat; up until now it had disguised just how skinny he really was and he was going to miss looking more bulky then he was in reality. He had hoped that his coming of age would suddenly put meat on his bones, make him stocky like Valiant or Valtyr had been; but it appeared he was always going to be tall... tall and skinny. Were it not for his handsome face, he’d have been almost comical looking.

His paws continued on the path he had trodden so many times this winter. The snow was still present in places, but the trees were already beginning to grow their buds. Grass contrasted the white and brown patches of the earth in small parts and he noticed how much the area was already changing. He’d only seen it in winter, so it was interesting to note what changes were occurring; tree watching was clearly something his mind found interesting.

He had been about to head down towards the creek when something caught his eye. He left his path and headed a little further into the thicket; a place he hadn’t been for some time, not since he stole the den from Rebecca. There, hidden within a rather prickly bush was the first flower he had seen. He had no idea what it was already doing out; the air was still so cold and spring had only just begun a few days ago now, but there it was, bold as brass- a single, yellow buttercup. Perplexed by the idea that something could have grown so soon, he sauntered forwards and lowered his head to simply look at the bright flower. ”How strange...” he whispered to himself and with his rear sticking in the air, and nose to the ground, he stretched out a front limb and thrust it into the prickles as he tried to touch the flower... just to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.

She had no idea what drew her to the thicket that day. By all rights she should probably have been patrolling the borders but with the onset of spring she felt the need to travel and scout out the best areas for collecting her various medicines. A familiar scent wafted on the breeze and she couldn't stop her tail from wagging. Rhysis... She proceeded cautiously so as not to startle the younger male, but then remembered that he owed her a lesson in hunting beavers, and some gossip of his own.

She stumbled across him looking rather comical with his rear in the air. She took a moment to observe before approaching. It would appear that he hadn't eaten much of substance since their hunt together and she fought back a worried scowl, wondering what it was that had him so enthralled. She came up by his side and looked at what had grasped his attention so. A buttercup, this early? It truly was a find.

"You know, once they've been dried out, they are great for aches and pains, bought on by old age and burns... but if you eat too many, they can make you terribly sick. Sometimes if a wolf loses their fur you can rub the petals on the bald spot to alleviate some of the pain but if they have to be partially dry. If they are too fresh they can worsen the condition. Pretty little things...but potentially dangerous." she finished with a small smile. She carefully shifted back, unsure of how he would take the change in her scent.

"If you needed a hunting partner, all you had to do was call." she said trying to mask the accusation and mild hurt from her voice. She had decided she liked the male the last time they had met, and she wasn't about to let him go and starve himself to death to avoid inconveniencing her, or whatever silly reason he had concocted in his brain to keep her at such a distance.

His toes had been just an inch short when he heard the approach of another behind him. His nose had let him down and dropped his guard whilst it too had been observing the scent the tiny flower had given off. Startled, he yanked his paw back quickly and tripped backwards, landing with a thump on his rear. As soon as the female started talking, he recognised the voice and held an inward smile. Of course it would be her to find him in such a position. Yet, she didn’t tease and merely gave him a lecture on the plant- a lot of it he knew, having been dragged up to survive they knew of the herbs and concoctions you could devise if you eat, squashed or covered a wound in them- but he was a healer for no one but himself and he’d never let out that he too know just how valuable a pretty little flower could be.

”I didn’t realise you knew so much about plants. I bet you come in awful handy for that new pack of yours.” he said without turning to look at her just yet. Her scent had been the second thing he recognised, after he voice of course. It smelt as she had done those weeks ago, but was now muddled in a fusion of a pack. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was the same scent that Triell had when he’d first met the black wolf. So... she’d joined a pack. From within, he felt a little wave of nausea sweep over his stomach, though he put it down to being another reminder that his body was hungry... not that he was gutted she’d been snatched up by another pack rather then his own.

At her second comment, he did then look at her. She didn’t really look to worried about him and it wasn’t her place to be concerned with his eating habits. He didn’t need a hunting partner... he wasn’t dead yet after all and had survived winter almost completely alone... alongside a few large kills with wolves he’d met along the way. ”I do just fine.” was all he could offer as a reply; though he was obviously feeling the effects of not having a pack life, he’d been so long without one now that skinny seemed to be all he would ever amount to. He guessed his stomach had shrunk, so small now that it only needed moderate levels of food, proven by every time he did make a kill he could barely finish the lot without feeling the need to sleep it off.

He was being a little short with her, and so far she’d done nothing to annoy him or wrong him... oh yeah, apart from join a pack. Typical female- running off and looking after herself properly. Psh. Women.

She was hurt he was almost treating her like a complete stranger, but she did a good job of covering it up, only her eyes betraying her true feelings. "I haven't had to use them yet. Thankfully." she responded honestly. She had only had a few minor run ins, mostly fixed with willow or a little catnip and lobelia. "You know, a little pain relief, a silly woman who tried to force herself into someone else's den in a snowstorm and caught a cold..." while she liked Nina, she had to admit, it was a silly thing to do. The forest held plenty of shelter if you just knew where to look.

She could see he had the potential to fill out nicely but he couldn't do it alone. Taking a new course of action she decided to tease him a little. "So I've decided I should take you up on that beaver hunting lesson...if there are any left. From the look of you it's all that has gotten you by with the exception of that boar." The sadness washing from her eyes replaced with the cheeky twinkle that came with her teasing remarks. There was no point to being upset. If he genuinely had no desire to see her they could part ways on amicable terms. It would only hurt for a little while.

Rhysis had been looking back at the buttercup as she spoke. He didn’t really want to look at her, the smell of her still made him feel nauseous. He couldn’t explain why- they’d only met once before and whilst he was able to tolerate her company, he didn’t know anything more about her. In truth, he had thought of her sometimes since they had first met, but he still couldn’t pinpoint her name- her face he couldn’t forget, but that name continued to elude him. Still... she was just a female after all, not important, he used her for a free meal... right?

His ears began to twitch as she told him the brief story of the wolf in a snowstorm, it couldn’t possibly be the one who had been stupid enough to challenge him, yet he couldn’t help but put the pieces together. He shot her another look, his ghostly grey eyes met hers as he spoke. ”Let me guess... her name was Nina, right?” he said matter of factly, sighing aloud in his hear whilst he refrained from rolling his eyes. Why was it no matter where he went those crazy bitches haunted him. No doubt this female had helped her, she seemed to like helping others... something one could almost admire, if you were into that sort of thing of course.

He’d not forgotten their discussions of beavers and gossip. Whilst he would never normally follow through with a promise to a stranger, he had been heading that way anyway and it made sense to have two sets of teeth rather then one. She’d been useful enough as it was before hand. He supposed he could use her one more time. ”Yeah... they’ve started to catch onto me now. I suppose I could use another surprise...” was all he said and he glanced back to the buttercup. It seemed a waste to leave it there... especially if she could make some use of it. He said nothing more as he lowered himself once more, rear in the air and face to the ground but this time he pushed himself further in, closing his eyes as he let the prickles dig into his closed lids. With an outstretched paw he blindly clawed at the soil until the roots of the flower got caught in his paw. He retracted it carefully, slowly and once it was free from the thicket he turned and flung it towards her. ”Here... no point letting it go to waste if you can find a use for it.”

He said nothing more, but walked on past her, avoiding eye contact and he headed back towards the trial he had left to get here.

A giggle escaped her mouth as Rhysis named the very female she had been referring to. "Yes. Not wise, can't say I agreed with her tactics... she had quite a nasty cold, possession of the herbs to treat it, but refused to take them for herself." She had been frustrated with the other woman initially but she had eventually seen reason. "I suppose it's best you didn't turn up like I was hoping to help us hunt. Apparently it may not have gone down so well?" she said with a small smile. Perhaps she would do best to distance herself... but she wasn't sure she could.

She was taken aback at his offer of the buttercup and she delicately picked the pretty yellow flower up and carried it dangling from her mouth, the yellow complementing the earthier tones of her coat and reflecting in her honey yellow eyes. "Thank you." she said quietly. Her concern was growing, the dark male seemed sedate, almost as if she was missing something important, but she couldn't let it get to her.

As she followed a short distance behind she took a moment to think. Not only had he left her the larger portion of their kill, despite the fact he clearly needed it but he had also risked the thorns to retrieve the yellow flower now dangling from her mouth. Confusion washed over her again. She always hated this time of the year. Despite her logical side cautioning her against doing so, she inched closer, enjoying his scent, but maintaining enough of a distance that she wouldn't accidentally bump against him. After all, he did seem to like his space.

Rhysis felt her move closer, but she was smart enough to know to keep her distance. Her scent continued to tickle his nose, he didn’t like it one bit. She should smell like him he had decided; earthy, woodsy and free. It didn’t suit her to smell like a pack wolf but he couldn’t deny the fact she seemed happy about her position. He didn’t know she was the second, for all he knew she was the omega but she seemed content with her place now and she had put on a bit more weight which was quite becoming on her.

His ears listened to her words- his suspicions had certainly been right, as usual and he felt his skin prickle at the memory of the brief encounter. He was being far too soft, letting all these troublesome females flee before he had a chance to drink from their throats. He didn’t think this female would appreciate that knowledge though, she liked to help and save it seemed and it was no doubt going to be their downfall. ”Yeah she had a screw loose... I offered her my old den but she still wanted to try and take mine from me... No doubt I came off the bad guy, right?” he said with a smirk- he knew full well she would think he was evil but well, he didn’t like to share, especially not with psycho females.

He ignored her comment on the hunting. He was doing just fine by himself and he had been a loner for so long now that it was his way of life and he was happy with the choice; the only reason he was waiting to join Copper Rock Creek was to seek revenge upon his sibling and after that, his own pack only served the purpose to keep his belly full and his bloodline going...eventually...maybe. They were so very different, different in every possible way. He was everything she would hate, cold, hard, merciless and found pleasure in hurting others, whilst she, the delicate thing that she was, cared far too much for others and not enough for herself. She was too good, for him and every other wolf she’d ever meet; he was certain.
”So... beavers.” he said, changing the subject to the matter at hand before his mind wandered off elsewhere. ”They’re quite slow but only on land, you can’t give them a chance to reach the water. You gotta watch out for the teeth, they’re huge and these guys can chew down a tree. The claws are pretty sharp but they only have little arms and legs so if you can get behind one that’s the best place to strike.” he carried on, not really thinking about what he said as his path twisted and turned through thicker parts of the thickets. He wasn’t even sure if they would be around but he supposed two noses would do a better job of finding one then just a single nose.

"To be honest, she didn't go too far into it." She responded, inching closer again maintaining her innocent facade but still keeping enough distance that they wouldn't accidentally touch. She found herself wondering how he would react if she did brush against him. She was usually against anything of the sort but found herself growing curiouser by the second. Internally she was berating herself, but her dominant half just didn't care.

She listened intently to his explanation, his smooth southern drawl drawing her in. She felt safe with him for some unknown reason and she didn't care to think too far into it right now, after all, she hardly knew him. She had to give herself a small shake to focus on exactly what he was saying. "So in a way, they are similar to boar. Stay away from the pointy front?" A pleasant smile crossing her face. She only finished with a question in the hopes that he would talk some more, but they were drawing close to the water, she could hear the water trickling as if impeded... perhaps there was a dam nearby?

The water was ahead, and there was a dam of sorts, but no beavers in sight. She foolishly raced past the male, almost brushing against him as she leapt on top of the piled logs, nose down to pick up the scent of their prey. They hadn't gotten too far in their construction yet, so chances were the beavers were out chewing down trees as the dark man had pointed out earlier. Her tail was wagging at a million miles a minute and she didn't feel the logs shifting beneath her weight until the dam began to leak...

He simply nodded at the first reply. In fairness, nothing had really happened. He said no to sharing his den, that was his right and as soon as he had prepared for a scrap, she bolted. The same had happened a few times over but word had reached his ears that lies were being spread about the various incidents. It was going to be a problem, but one that he could deal with at some point in the future; all he needed to worry about now was getting a meal and avoiding a bite.

He felt the distance between them close and without thinking about it his skin began to prickle. There was still enough space so that they didn’t touch, but he didn’t like how close she was and made an effort to shift his weight further away. He tried to make the move look as casual as possible as not to make her notice. He nodded at her response; he supposed he hadn’t really thought about that. Most animals were dangerous from the front- even he could be taken by surprise with his back turned... he actually felt a little silly for not having realise that sooner but he had never really sat down and thought in detail about the evolution of animals, still with her there pointing out the obvious, he felt suddenly embarrassed and ensured to keep his face stoic and turned away from her.

The tinkering of water soon tickled his ears, they were getting closer and his path had been laid out upon the ground with the times he had travelled it. They would soon reach the den of the beavers and discover that they were out of luck. As the sight of water came into view, the female raced past Rhysis and scaled their dam without thought or care.

Time seemed to stand still as his ears first alerted him to what was going to happen. The wood began to creak, it was obvious to him it was unable to hold her weight. His eyes next noticed as the logs and twigs shifted slightly, unpacking themselves one by one, tumbling care-freely into the icy water below. ”Naira!” he cried and threw himself forwards. With a mighty force he ploughed himself into her shoulder, knocking her onto the opposite bank and safety of the shallow water which ran beneath it just as the logs gave way... with Rhysis on top of them.

He didn’t make a sound as the dam gaveway and he was dragged beneath the water by the fresh current and the debris which fell atop him. The icy cold water soaked through his winter coat and the bitter cold liquid burned his skin. Rocks, sticks, mud and goodness knows what else pelted him over and over, knocking the wind out of him as well as a few brain cells he was certain. Beneath the water he kicked his legs, placed his paws upon the logs as he tried to climb higher and higher towards the surface but it seemed hopeless. His energy was fading quickly, with the mix of cold, being battered by the dam materials and fighting with the current but he was a fighter and wasn’t going to go down just yet and with a final burst of energy, he managed to get a foothold on the bottom of the water and kicked upwards. Time had gone from standing still as the dam broke, to flashing before his eyes as he was tossed this way and that beneath the surface, but as the sun became clearer and the water not so boggy; it seemed to reach its original equilibrium.

The tip of his black nose broke free first, followed by his head. He took a large gasp and a look around for the shore, but didn’t have time to take too much air as another large log headed his way and collided with his shoulders from behind and dragged himback under. With a wince and a last breath, he ducked beneath the water again and began to swim towards the bank which he had seen from above the surface. It wasn’t far and he had been lucky in that sense, but tiredness made the short swim drag on forever.

He’d never felt such relief as when his paws could touch the floor and he could pull himself at a slow walk up the bank. As soon as the top of his body was clear of the water, he flung himself to the floor, resting just a moment to catch his breath.

”Fucking... crazy... females.” he panted.

She knew she was in trouble as the dam began to shift under her feet. She gritted her teeth, ready to face the frigid water when she hear Rhysis call her name and was sent flying by a sudden impact to her shoulder. Expecting her companion to be the last to forcefully charge her she spun in time to see the dam collapse with the younger dark male atop. Her stomach dropped. She had been stupid. The sudden rush of water and debris pulled him under and she turned to race along the banks, trying to catch sight of him.

She had never seen a dam before, the structure had seemed study enough, perhaps she may have even been able to make a retreat, but apparently the weight of both wolves was too much. There! a dark nose broke the surface and she moved forward, ready to throw herself into the water if necessary when a larger log floated downstream and pushed him back under. She cringed and began to frantically search again fussing about in the shallows, for the first time in her life at a loss of what to do.

Finally she spotted him, dragging himself out of the river. The sudden wave of relief almost knocked her off her feet. She wanted to race over and nose at him to make sure he was ok but his panted exclamation convinced her it couldn't be too bad beyond being wet and soggy, and she decided that she liked her face where it was... No point risking provoking him. She had to fight back a giggle. He was drenched and she felt terrible, but then the worry kicked back in. It was still cold, and he was alone. Why had he done that? If she got wet she was sure she could find a pack mate to help keep her warm but he was alone... She bit back the tirade that was building in her system and faced the fact that she was too conflicted at this point to comment on anything.

"Thank you." she said quietly, settling in her resolve. "But now you're drenched and cold and I won't have you taking off to be alone in this weather." She was attempting to remain stern but she was struggling. "Shake yourself off and get over here. It's my fault you're drenched anyway." she tried to remain gruff about it but it was impossible to keep the care out of her voice. She expected him to fight every step of the way but she wasn't about to take no for an answer.