It had been a hot and humid night, the air was sticky and Weldering was finding it hard to get comfortable. He had ended up pulling himself from the woodlands up to the mountain side in the early hours of the morning. But now as red clouds covered the skyline ahead it was clear there was a storm heading straight towards Relic Lore and more specifically to him. It was dawn and the dim yet colourful light did not need an expert to work out there was about to be a bad turn in the weather. Even the birds had fallen silent that morning which was never a good sign. His pace quickened as the silver and black brute now moved with a clear purpose. He was heading away from the wind but would never outrun it, that was not his goal. Instead of racing down the mountain where the storm would be hard to bare upon out in the open of the steep rocky slopes he was actually climbing higher.


<b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"Aff." He muttered lightly under his breath as the first few droplets of ran were caught against the bridge of his sleek black muzzle. It was hardly a downpour but he knew it would not be long.

Rain always made a girl feel terrible. First, there was the mess it made on the ground. Having to waltz through the muddy puddles was not something you wanted to do if you wanted to keep your looks. Secondly, it often meant having to stay indoors with icky, sticky males. Oh, it was fine and dandy if the male was handsome, but not if you were stuck back in your pack with useless siblings. The rain had started to come earlier, although only now it started to show its ugly head. Ioni left as soon as the clouds had come, wanting to get far away from her home. All day she traveled, and only just came upon the mountains. She had climbed up the rocks, racing ahead of the storm, as if it was a game. Would the she-wolf be caught in the rain, or would she make it on time? Well, she did make it. It wasn't long before she found a large cave to shelter her for the night. Crawling up the rocks, slightly out of breath, Ioni clambered into the cave. With a huff she fell to the rocky ground, enjoying the coolness against her skin.


It wasn't long before another wolf decided this would be a dandy spot to shelter. Well, perhaps not. She only saw the silver and black of his head pop up, although he clearly had not seen the cave. She raised her head warily, sniffing the air. Although it was heavy with rain, she could pick up not other wolf pack scent on his body. Must be a loner. The rain has started to fall, hitting his silver pelt and dancing in unison. Her golden eyes watched him for a while, eyes studying his movements. "It's silly to be out in the rain. You may as well come in here and get dry," she called out to him, raising her body off the ground into a standing position. She would wait to see if he was hostile or not before she relaxed.


OOC: LOL is it just me or does this seem almost familiar? XD -pokes Traz & Calli-

While Weldering enjoyed the frequent summer rains this was something a little stronger and up on the wet rocks of the Dire Mountain with strong winds picking up, well it was going to get very dangerous. Already the breeze pressing against his fur lifting various stands of his thick silver pelt were stronger then normal. The drizzling rain gradually falling heavier until finally it was coming down in torrents of waves. His finely chiseled muzzle was lifted to look up to the sky, the dawning sun was barely even visible anymore yet red light seeped through cracks in the grey clouds turning them a wonderful pink in places. Down in the valley bellow there was an amazing light show that had just begun, bolt of lightning soared through the sky leaving rumbles of thunder shortly afterward. he did not even need to count the time distance to work out how close the storm was - he could see it was virtually on top of him now.


There was literally no time to hang around as he picked up his speed racing up the rocky mountain path towards the cave he had been heading for instead of going down into the valley. His muzzle was held low trying to keep the rain from hitting his face and eyes not even noticing he had walked straight past the entrance of the cavern he had been heading towards. It was only when he heard a voice over the rain did he stop to look up. Noticing he had walked past and that he was not alone he quickly scampered inside first stepping in behind Ioni and taking a few moments to shake his saturated coat dry away from her as to not spray the stranger before slipping in closer with a nod of his head. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"Thanks, I nearly walked straight past." He grinned. Now within such a close proximity he could detect the Tainn and Swift River scent upon her body, immediately he could feel his body tensing up with an awkward feeling. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"You're in Swift River, right?"

The moment she spoke the stranger's head whipped up, looking in her direction. The rain was falling down in great sheets now, soaking the stranger. When he saw her, and the cave she was in, he ran inside. However, he was polite enough to stand far enough away to not pelt her with rain as he shook himself dry. A few drops hit her paw, making Ioni lift it and shake it in disgust, but she made no comment to the silver and black wolf. His coat was quite amazing and unique; didn't look like most wolf pelts. After he was done he drew slightly closer, as if hoping for heat from her. A smile came to his face as he told her he nearly walked past the cave. I could tell that, she was tempted to snap, but decided not to. No need to get off on the wrong foot with a wolf she didn't even know. But only a second later she saw his body twitch and stiffen up, his eyes glittering a different way than before.


He spoke again, asking if she was from Swift River with an unusual tone in his voice. The brown female stared at him for a moment before answering. "Yes..." she said cautiously, as if treading on ice. "My brother rules the pack," she said with bitterness that she was sure he'd be able to smell coming off her pelt in waves. The thought of her having to submit to her older brother made her nauseating, but for now she had to act nice and put on a pretty face for him. She shuffled slightly closer to him, curious about this stranger. "How do you know about the pack?" she asked, trying to change the conversation. She didn't really want to think about her actual pack right now, not when her brother's been missing for a while.

The last thing he wanted to do was shower her with his soaking coat when he tried to rid himself of the heavy droplets of rainwater. The steady stream of droplets was now just a trickle as it fell onto the rocky floor of a cave now and he was satisfied that he would dry off much more easily. Though what was an odd twist in the conversation was actually how her bitter tone towards her brother caused him to feel more at ease, it helped the situation and confirmed who she was, least not by name but he knew now she was one of the Tainn kin, Indru's sister. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"Indru, yes." He added, also with a slightly bitter tone to match her own. He did not mind sharing with her how he knew so much about her pack either, there was not really that much to tell.


<b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"Well I've met a few of your brother's and sisters. I'm friends with Junai and Borlla. Though I don't exactly see eye to eye with Indru right now and Ruiko... well he's a little blunt but I guess he's ok." Now normally he would not have been so honest about his feelings towards the Swift River clan, especially in front of one of their members. But he was wet, tired and trapped inside the cave with her. Honestly was always going to be a good policy rather then pretending the whole day that he liked her brothers.

His reply, the word of his brother, ah it was like music to hear ears. She could hear the resentment in his voice as if he had told her he resented him. It caused an unnerving smile to appear on her face. Oh, but the wheels in her head were turning, thinking how she could use this to her advantage. The wolf started to say his relationships, and she drank in all his words eagerly. This made her smile even more, her golden eyes glittering coldly in the darkness of the cave. She did not know this male, but it did not matter. She would get him to help her. She always got what she wanted, no matter what. And Io saw potential in this male. He did not like Indru, and did not particularly like Ruiko either. The only two brutes that stood in her way to leadership. "Indru is nothing but a fool, leading a pack without a brain," she snarled, a growl in her throat. If there was anything Ioni knew, it was how to convince others. She decided the best way to start to win this male over was by insulting her own brother. Show him that she really didn't care for him either, that way he would hopefully open up more.


"As far as I am concerned, he is no brother of mine, merely an obstacle in my way," she growled, her voice pitch going lower, more foreboding. With a grin, Ioni slipped closer to the strange male. She did not have a name, merely a face to remember. That was all she needed. She was already the same size as him, if not slightly bigger. She knew if he tried anything she would be able to fight him. But no, she didn't want hostile feelings between them. Io wanted him to trust her, to open up. "Tell me," she growled, lowering her head and staring into his eyes, "what would you think about teaching Indru a lesson, once and for all?"

The thunder that clapped outside was distracting as he glanced over his shoulder every so often. The world outside lighting up rather beautifully. Weldering loved a good storm, though only when he could observe one in a nice warm and dry spot like the one he was in now. It was made even sweeter by the fact that he was in good company. Normally he shied away for she-wolves with timid bashful nerves. But when given a topic like Swift River and more specifically Indru to talk about he forgot about his usual predicament and delved deep into the conversation as if he already knew Ioni and the two were friends. Though having said that she was not as annoying as Junai or did not require looking after like Borlla. Congratulations Ioni you've just become Weldering's favourite Tainn in no time at all.


<b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"I totally agree. He's arrogant and doesn't know what he's talking about." Nodding faintly in agreement with the tawny she-wolf, a matching smile caressing his handsome maw. It was interesting to hear that she had disowned him, Weldering chuckled slightly. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"And to think he told me that he cared for all of his siblings. Pssh what a lie." He smirked for clearly Indru had neglected this sister of his. The Alpha had never mentioned that the other day and had been so sure he was the savior of all the Tainn's. Ioni slipped closer still though Weldering trusted her as they stood barely inches from each others muzzles. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"It depends, what did you have in mind?" It was true he had a grudge against the 'King of the Tainn family' but he did not want to turn into Indru himself, overly arrogant and hypocritical.

He was buying it. Which he should, of course, since what she said was true. She noticed he looked back often into the storm, so she allowed her own golden eyes to glance outside. There was lightning every now and then, but no thunder accompanied it. The sky lit up white, gray, or even purple occasionally. The first sentence the male said made her smile falter for a second, only a second. She did not see Indru as arrogant, but it was apparent something had conspired between the two males to have this one have such bad feelings towards her brother. But her smile picked up again after his second comment. "He does not care about us. When our parents died he took over as pack alpha merely because he was the oldest at the time. He even put one of our brothers at the lowest of the pack, making him crawl around on his belly with his ears flat and eyes rolled into his head like a disgusting rodent," she snarled, hatred twined together with her words.


His hesitation in his words made her flashed her eyes angrily in the dark before she narrowed them to golden slits. "He has been missing for a while," she said slowly. "If my corrections are right, my other idiot brother, Ruiko, will want to take over the pack." Stopping, Ioni licked her maw in thought before stepping away from the male, closer to the open to stare into the storm. "I will let him. He has no dominance over me, no matter what he would think. No, I would let him become alpha, which states he sees our brother as dead. It is then we shall attack." The brown she-wolf turned around, a grin across her face. "He would be our target. The option would be to drive him away from leadership. You help me accomplish this, and I will award you with the Beta position," she said, grinning to him. Moving closer, she once again moved within inches of him. "By the way, I'm Ioni Tainn, but you can call me Io."

Not just one thing had transpired between the two large males but several. They had bumped into each other countless times and over the past couple of months it had built up into a bitter rivalry. The pair of them clashed personalities, perhaps if they both were on the same side for once they would have gotten along nicely - very nicely. But no from the start Indru disliked Weldering after believing something had happened between himself and Junai when in fact they were nothing more then friends. After that Weldering had never been fond of the Alpha and tried his best to avoid him to prevent any trouble but alas they met time and time again. Now that he could hear and insiders opinion of how Indru ruled his pack Weldering was stunned. he knew Indru was a bit of a jerk but making one of their brothers into an omega for his entertainment? The thought was sickening, what kind of lesson was he teaching poor little Borlla.


He had not expected the hear the following news however, his ears rising upward ignoring the rolling thunder and strikes of lightning. Indru was gone? Brilliant! The young black masked male held his tongue however and listened to the plan. She was right on so many levels, Ruiko was next in line if Indru had gone but Ruiko.. was he really cut out for leadership? He barely said or did much and was far too grumpy. The wolf did not seem to care about anything so what hope did the younger members of their clan have like Borlla. Weldering was now stuck in a predicament of his own, did he help Ioni and interfere? After standing in silence for a few moments he finally spoke with hesitation. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"If Indru really is gone then yeah, I believe you would be a much better leader then Ruiko." He admitted with a soft nod of his head. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"But can I just say I'm going to help you for the sake of you and your younger siblings not because of a position of power. I just think Ruiko has even less consideration for Junai and Borlla." He explained, noting her name before introducing himself. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"I'm Weldering Darksidy, though you can call me Welde." Giving her his nickname as she had done with hers. Though he did have one question about the plan. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"What happens when we force Ruiko from the top? Are we allowing him to stay in Swift River?" Weldering would feel it would be slightly too harsh to exile him, he'd tasted that bitter-pill before in the past.

This strange male, he didn't even know Ioni and he was already claiming she would be more fit for leadership than her brother, Ruiko would. No doubt he could see the dominance flowing through her blood, even though she was only two years old. It made her grin, but pause for a moment. Indru and Ruiko had raised the rest of her family when they found their parents dead. Would the rest of her siblings agree with her on this? Well, it really did not matter. They would have a better life if she was alpha. At his next comment, her eyes gained a wicked glimmer in them. So, he would help because of her little siblings, and not for a position of power? Well, that was perfect! She always could use a follower that didn't need to be bribed. When he gave his name, it finally connected them together. They no longer were strangers, as they knew each others' names. "Pleased to meet you, Welde," she said, a dip of her head as a gesture she would show to another that is of equal rank. She also noted no more hesitation in his voice, which was good. He needed to be confident about their plan if he wanted to participate. He did, however, have one question for her to answer.


His question made her brow raise questionably for a moment before she lowered it again, a fake smile crossing her kissers. "Why of course he could. I would never be able to banish my other brother," she purred. In reality, she had no intention of letting Ruiko or, if he came back, Indru stay in the pack. They posed too much of a threat to her position, if she was to get it. She knew it wouldn't be long before they challenged her again, and she did not want that. But something in her told her that Weldering wouldn't help her if she was to banish her brother. So, she lied. Lied like a strategic wolf would to gain others on her side. "If that settles it, we can sleep here tonight and part ways in the morning. I must get back to the pack to see how things are doing. Let's meet here again, same time, next week?" she asked him, the thunder nearly drowning out her words.