The humidity was enough to suck the air from his lungs, but Ruiko cared little. Ranger’s disappearance had made the rogue search harder for a place to claim as his own, and after his discussion with Kinis, the male had scourged the lands of Relic Lore, looking for the one place he wanted to call his. He wasn’t sure what he desired in a pack land, but Ruiko was a wolf that would know the minute he found it.


The tawny wolf’s large paws strode through the Marsh, his stoical features drinking in the land before him. The creamy fur of his limbs remained slick with the wet and mud, while the consistent buzz of grasshopper’s stirred his annoyance. The land was far too open for his liking – he wanted to settle the pack in a place where there was plenty of shelter for their safety, and so far the Thicket stood out in his mind. Ranger had loved it there, and just for spite, Ruiko was tempted to just plant one big ol’ pack there.. and when she came crawling back, he would send her right back out on her ass.


With the sun beating down upon his golden fur, the male felt summer was just around the corner. He was finally ready to settle down, and he intended to do it before the next full moon.

His eyes were intent upon the ground now, scanning the wetter patches of grass and sad with minor interest. It seemed strange to him that this place would hold plenty prey, and yet he could see fresh hoof tracks that argued pointedly against his theory. Feeling a light pang within his stomach at the thought of a meal, the large beast was about to follow the prints to see if the creature would lead him to anywhere of interest when a flash of white caught his peripheral vision.


Guarded, the hefty male swung his muzzle to the side, his bright eyes catching upon the somewhat familiar figure of an ivory she-wolf. His pelt bristled lightly at the intrusion, and by instinct his figure shifted to reveal his dominance, despite the neutrality of the land they stood upon. It took a moment to place her, yet his features remained perfectly guarded as recognition settled upon him. She was one of the two wolves that had stumbled across him in the Springs not very long ago. “You’re protector seems to be missing,” he spoke dryly, his muzzle canting slightly.

She was submissive to him; a posture that he had not seen in what appeared to be time enough since his reign at Swift River had ended. A rumbling growl of pleasure escaped his muzzle as his eyes blatantly raked her slender ivory figure, not realizing how much he had missed the position of dominance until now. Ruiko, scenting her fear and stirred by it hungrily, prowled forward, his golden limbs moving with fitting stealth for his size and strength. He moved to her side then, his figure only a hair’s length from her pretty form as he intimately curled his side close to hers – not quite touching, but his breath flickering the hair along her nape. “How did you entice a male to be so protective over you on a first meeting, temptress?” His question was spoken dryly, though bemusement briefly flickered in his eyes. He ignored her apology – their interruption to his meal had barely ruffled his feathers.. mostly, Ruiko had been more interested in testing the other male’s challenge then anything else. Now, he had the pleasure of toying with the she-wolf the male had been so adamant about protecting earlier.

It had been awhile since the tawny regal had felt this liberated – Ranger had stolen a part of him that had subdued his usual nature, and while Ruko had always remained his dark and rugged self, without her by his side, he no longer felt the need to hold himself back towards others. In this very moment, the shying form of the delicate ivory she-wolf before him only stirred his desire to prove that he was the wolf in charge.


But she was not so submissive as to maintain his almost touch, and as the girl shifted backwards with obvious defiance to his presence, Ruiko could barely contain the grin that threatened to pass across his inked lips. Her steps were like a skylark -- a graceful dance of frolic. She intrigued him. Her words only stole a sardonic snort from his flaring nostrils, and the tawny male gave a casual shrug of his shoulders, not attempting to close the distance between them again. “I have yet to fully understand the female mind,” he decided aloud, his tail giving an idle flick as Ranger once more stole in to his thoughts. No, he would never understand why she had played him so, only to leave once more. “But I suppose that’s because we were never meant to.”

With each passing moment the girl seemed to become more and more assertive; her fear slowly shriveled to nothing as her tail unfurled from beneath her legs, fanning out behind her like a proud banner. Ruiko’s hackles bristled to her motions, but he was also pleased; it seemed she was far less the pushover that he had initially envisioned. “No, it doesn’t,” he bluntly responded, his muzzle canting slightly at her words. “Why should it?”


His initial thoughts of intimidating the girl who’s protector was missing vanished as he became far more interested in studying her. A scar ran angrily down her muzzle, and the male’s gaze became fixated upon this blemish for a second too long to be considered polite. Glancing back to her eyes, Ruiko straightened himself. “You smell of cedars. Are you from Borden’s pack?”