Mountain of Dire Composture is Key

The mountians were relaxing to him. . .he had been training his own pads with them for who knows how long. Soon. . .this would be part of his home, the place that he would be. . .with his love, Treena. Nothing would be able to stop them from rising to the top to be next to her. . .anything to where they would always be equals. The light drizzle surronding him was relaxing and the stars in the sky shown brightly, showing that it was almost time for him to sleep. He was filled with the satisfaction of the rain. Washing away his worries, his doubts.

He was also filled with joy by the fact this his sister was gone. . .dead. He had murdered her, just as he had fantisized about doing and now. . .he was going to be joining Poison Path. . .any day now he would go over there to greet Athena's leaders and hopefully, he too, would become one of them. . .he could only wish and hope though. Athena had even mentioned that nothing was hard pack and tight yet, He would only have to wait until the okay. . .and then he would be able to see his love again.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>The darkening sky wrapped Tisa’s pelt in deep contrast as she drug herself up the steep mountain. The she wolf breathed deeply and occasionally a small whimper of pain escaped her maw. The open wound in her neck was on its way to healing thanks to a kind wolf’s help, but it was still fresh and tender. Ribs expanded and collapsed as her lungs pushed for air. The mountain was steep and hard to climb, but Tisa was determined. The mountain seemed to be calling her.</font>

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>It seemed a desolate place. Any scent of wolves was old and quickly fading. This pleased the silver wolf, who sought temporary solitude. She climbed skyward until night was in full swing.
As Tisa slowed her pace and sought a place to rest, she caught the sight and scent of a male not much farther from herself. She paused, observing the stranger for a moment. What had brought him to this desolate mountain? Tisa let out a quiet howl to alert him of her presence before inching closer. </font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b>“Hello, stranger.”</b></font>

The silence remained pure between himself and the sky as he sat there, determining what he could possibly do to pass his time. . .and then the answer seemed to come to him with a short howl that was brought to his attention. The brown brute's head snapped towards the voice of the howl and narrowed his eyes at the wolf. Female. . .and she didn't smell of any pack that he knew of. . .so for now. . .lone wolf. What was she doing in mountians? Was she seeking a pack? Ash's eyes flashed in slight curiousity. Why was she here? Surely she couldn't just be coming to the mountains for the fun of it.

Surely. . .the mountains here were certainly not fun. . .they would be the quite opposite in the least. No one could deny that, but now that Ash's pads had become rough with all the climbing he had been doing, the complaints died on his tongue. But the female in front of him quite impressed him. She seemed slightly straved and the scent of dried blood hit him. . .his fur started to bristle before calming down. There was no way this wolf had encountered Nina's body. . .surely she wouldn't have. To add to that she was starving. . .she probably had gotten into a fight.

As she inched closer was when he saw it. The wound on her neck. . .poor thing. . .looked like she was on the way to recovery but from the looks of it she wasn't having an easy time doing so. If he had any idea what had happened then he might have helped her. . .but he knew nothing so. . .when she spoke to him, he simply offered his name, "Hello, there. I am Ash."

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>The silver wolf wagged her tail gently. She held it carefully at half-mast as to not offend the other, although this was a neutral territory. She could detect on him the traces of others. Most certainly, he had a pack. Lone wolves such as herself were rare.</font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Tisa crept forward now so that she was only a few feet from the other. Her forelimb close to her would drug along the dirt. Although she had entered a stream to clean the wound it had leaked and blood had spread down her leg. The muscles beneath her torn hide were swollen and tender. </font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b>“I’m Tisa,”</b> she told the stranger, setting herself down before him. Tonight, she seemed much different from the manic wolf that usually manifested itself. Perhaps it was the wound that was making her mellow. <b>“What brings you to such a place?” </b></font>

When the female approached him closer he got a better glimpse of her. Torn up. . .the thought almost made him grin. . .she looked a little bit like how he had left Nina. . .only his sister had been worse and perhaps this wolf didnt deserve the beating she had received. Ash kept his face neutral though. . .calm. He would not let this wolf's appearance startle him. 

The female's words struck out to him. Tisa. She was older than him. . .probably a few years older and her gray fur didn't stand out among the mountains. A good resource one could use while being in the wilderness. Opening his mouth, his chest rumbled when he spoke, "I have come for a walk. It's a beautiful night. I could be asking you the same question."

Ash eyed the wolf through narrow eyes as if suspicious of the she wolf, which at the time he wasn't. He was merrily curious as to why such a beat up wolf would be coming to the mountains. Much more trying to climb them. Only a maniac would do that. That was. He hoped.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Tisa barked a short laugh at his words. The wolf was here on a walk? She looked at him and shook her head with a sort of understanding. Yes, she too was only taking a walk. <b> “I’m doing the same as you, wolf.”</b></font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>The cool breeze ruffled her fur. It felt queer across the exposed flesh and made her shiver. She studied the wolf before her and determined he was younger than she. He was looking back at her in a suspicious manner. Tisa was breathing deeply to regain her strength. Beneath her dull hide, a rumbling alerted the she wolf that she was starving. Tisa tried to remember the last time she had bothered to eat, or even the last time she had felt hungry, and failed. </font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b>“It’s been quite a walk, hasn’t it?”</b></font>

With one last glimse at the imponderable wolf he decided that she was definitely safe. She was already weak to the bone and starving. The small rumble of her stomach comfirmed his thoughts. She too seemed to be walking around. . .but why? Why would she come to the mountains of all places when she was injured for a walk? What a fool she was. . .but Ash knew he had to remain calm and of course be kind. . Smiling at her he nodded his head at her, showing that he was paying attention.

"That it has been. But it has been an easy walk. . .well, for some. . .perhaps I can offer to catch you a meal?" Ash's voice as calm and collected, asking a simple question.

The wolf he was talking to was obviously strong, for she had to climb up the mountains, injured and starving. Something that took much gut to do. Respect gleamed in the younger male's green eyes though. She had done what she did without any complaint, something that shocked him. Most wolves that he had met lately couldn't go for a few minutes without complaining about something. It was one of the reasons that he loved Treena. She hardly had anything to complain about, something that made his heart swell.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Ash was turning out to be just the sort of wolf that Tisa needed. He seemed intrigued by her abnormal manner and kind enough to let her stick around. A wiser wolf might have turned and run from Tisa. She wasn’t the kind of company to keep around for long. </font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'>The silver she wolf smiled at the other with gratitude. He would serve her well if she played her cards right. Even then, the nature of the other was proving to be so giving Tisa had to do nothing but sit pretty. She decided she liked this wolf, a rare thought in Tisa’s warped mind. </font>
<font style='margin-left:20px;'><b>“ ‘Easy’ is all relative, isn’t it? A meal sounds great, but let me help”</b> Tisa spoke, hoping he would agree. She would be useless hunting, she knew, but the other would be doing all the hard work. This way Tisa would not be caught owing the other any favors. </font>

What the hell? Let her come with him? Hell no. He would let her hunt for herself if she was confident enough to hunt with him, which if he had her along on the hunt he was pretty sure that he would lose all sign of the prey, which was scarce in the mountians. With a small shake of his head and watched the female with a seemingly boring interest. Opening her mouth lies slipped between them. Help him hunt? Hmph, the best way for her to help him would be to sit back and let him do the work. His favorite saying. . .how do you know when female's are lying? When they speak.

The logical thing to do would be outright deny her request, so that was exactly what he did. "No," he said before continuing, "if you can help me hunt I'm sure you can hunt on your own, which I'm pretty sure you can't. I suggest you sit there, and be a pretty little thing, while I go and hunt. . .unless, of course, you would like to hunt for yourself."

Unsurprisingly he said this in a deadpan voice, indicating that he had no common interest if he did either or. Which he honestly didn't. He had been hoping to have yet another day for himself. . .some time to think about his future, but this wolf here had ruined that for him. He wouldn't be rude. . .no. . .but he would definitely not go out of his way to be kind to her. . .even if she was injured.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.