Mountain of Dire A Lonely Road

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>A tawny she-wolf padded silently along the mountain trail. Scents of the surrounding forest flowed in and out of her nostrils. Fallen leaves were gently crushed under the wolf's paws. The path was worn by the pawsteps of many other wolves who had taken this route before her. She glanced up at the sky, which was blocked by a canopy of trees. It was a warm morning, and Kala was making steady progress across the mountain.

Soon she noticed an outcrop nearby. Curious, Kala left her path and went to the outcrop. The amazing view took her breath away. There was green for miles and miles ahead of her. Kala could see a stream cutting through the forests, and she heard the sound of a crashing waterfall. Kala thought this was a good place to enjoy the view. So she decided to take a break from traveling and just enjoy the breathtaking scenery before her.</font>

His paws seemed to caress the rocky slopes of the mountain as the large male wove his way up. The day was warmer than the past week had been, and the golden male cast his eyes up briefly to the winter skies. No sign of a rolling grey cloud could be seen, and the male took relief in the fact that he would avoid another snow storm before trailing back to the River pack.

It was rare the regal wolf would explore the mountain, even when his uncle had resides upon it’s dangerous slopes. He had never enjoyed the treacherous heights, nor the biting wind that one was met with as altitude increased, nor did he have the patience or desire to ever reach the peak. Still, every so often it was a welcoming change of scenery, and that was what had brought him here today.

Casting his eyes back to the path ahead of him, Ruiko then noted the slender she-wolf not far from him. Her own eyes seemed placed upon the landscape that spanned out below them, and the Tainn could note her age; she was a yearling, just like Kinis. Uttering a low ‘woof’ of greeting, lest he scare her otherwise, Ruiko blinked lightly in her direction, more open to a conversation with a stranger than he had been before.

Kala was listening to the sound of rushing water when a new scent wafted under her snout. Under the roar of the river, Kala heard the soft footfall of a wolf nearby. She turned her head to see a wolf with much darker fur than hers. It was a male with gold eyes. Kala met the male's with a curious amber gaze. The male emitted a soft bark of greeting. Kala studied the male for a moment before responding,

"Hello." The she wolf turned herself all the way around as to face the male wolf. She lowered her head in greeting and introduced herself, "My name is Kala, a lone wolf. I apologize if I am intruding in your territory." Kala hadn't picked up on any border scents on her way up the mountain so far. Still, though, she wanted to be careful. Besides, the male had the faint scent of other wolves upon him. He was most likely already in a pack. Even so, Kala didn't sense a dangerous aura about the male wolf. She didn't think she needed to be too guarded at the moment.

The female caught his presence before he could warn her of it, and his ears swiveled forward as she voiced her own greeting. Stoical eyes swiftly flickered across the she-wolf, his muzzle canting as she apologized for potentially crossing over his borders.

“No need to apologize – these aren’t my borders,” he informed, his own tone gruff. He didn’t even have any borders… yet. “I’m Ruiko,” he offered in a return introduction, his tail giving an idle flick before his muzzle gestured toward the mountain. “Best be careful up here. There’s rumors of mountain lions up in this part of Relic Lore.”

The she wolf's shoulders relaxed slightly. She hadn't trespassed on anyone's territory. Kala studied the male once more. Now she could give his wolf scent a name, Ruiko. Kala detected the hesitation at the end of his sentence. Kala sensed that the wolf was hiding something, but she knew better than to pry into the wolf's personal business. Then Kala's ears perked at the mention of mountain lions.

She had never seen a mountain lion. She definitely didn't see any lions on her way up this mountain. Kala wondered if the wolf was trying to scare her away. Her amber eyes slightly narrowed in a disbelieving expression. However, Ruiko didn't seem to be bothered by Kala's presence. Her gaze lightened and she nodded.

"I can take care of myself," she said with a confident tone. She was silent for another moment. If this wolf was in a pack, Kala wanted to see if she could join his family. After all, she was on a journey to find a pack. Kala kept her gaze on Ruiko while considering this. Then she decided that it would be safe to ask.

Kala then spoke, "So are you in another pack? You have other wolf scents on you."

The mention of mountain lions seemed to grasp the girl’s attention, and the exuberated confidence from such a young girl almost drew a small smirk to the male’s lips. Blinking stoically at her, the wolf lifted his shoulders in a shrug, commenting no further on the topic of such predators. He had given her a fair warning; hopefully she would heed his words and be careful during her travels along the dangerous slopes of the mountain. After all, the Mountain of Dire had its name for a reason.

Her question caused his gaze to cast into her vision for a moment, noting how the lone wolves he stumbled across the past few weeks were curious to the packs of the area. It seemed winter was placing some pressure on the rogues. “Swift River pack,” he commented, his muzzle inclining down the slopes to the direction of his brother’s pack. “For now, anyway.”