Sex: MaleHis paws ached to visit the Secluded Springs – to seek out Copper Rock Creek and even stay there for a few stolen moments. He resisted this urge and instead found his way upon the mountain once more. The behemoth of a terrain had never intrigued him prior to now – as a cub, it could be seen in the distance, but it had never truly gained his interest.
Yet here he was. Spring had warmed the lands thoroughly.. but the chill in the air upon the great heights was stubborn. A tilt of his muzzle behind him would reveal the lush lands of Relic Lore below him, and with nervous hesitance, he wondered if @Vaeta was down there, somewhere. His expression was somber when he turned away, and quickening his pace, the Tainn male began to skirt around some brush, in hopes of avoiding too many cuts on his paws.
It was perhaps his distraction at the thought of his sister, or perhaps his inexperience with the landscape of a mountain. But it came as a surprise to the ebony male as his paws slid – a collection of loose rocks piled together that he had stepped upon – and before he could react and twist away, his limbs flit upward and his body hit the ground hard. He could hear the crack, rather than feel it, and as he stilled, his body slid down upon the slope for only a few seconds, stirring grey dirt within his once unblemished pelt. Blinking, on his back and now staring up at the sky, a frown crossed the male’s features before he had to shift and push himself back up. The pain that shot through him from his forepaw kept him from continuing, and he stilled for a moment, trying to catch his bearings.
He needed to clear his head – and it seemed, the best way to do that was to avoid the situation altogether for a few stolen moments. Aesire’s scent was well pronounced across the pack, as it should have been.. but Aponi’s secret would be revealed any day now. The swell of her belly was indication enough, but her scent was also changing as well – and he needed to figure out what to do with it all. He would not turn her or his unborn children away.. but he had a feeling that the Plateau wolves would not take kindly to her pregnancy. His children would be heartbroken – Borlla had not even left them a year ago, and here he was.. having puppies with a she-wolf they did not even know. Aesire and Ace would disprove due to their own situation.. and Tannis? Hell. Tannis would simper only to those he thought it would please the most for the time being.
Distraction would come to him through the sound of tumbling rocks. One rolled past his careful paws then, and with a frown, the regal cast his eyes upward. A small rock slide? He would have cast it off as such, dismissing it as unimportant and continued on his broody walk, had he not seen the shift of a black lump of fur.
Bristling, the ivory male prowled up the slope, quickening his pace. As he came closer, it would become obvious that the ‘lump’ was instead a wolf, who seemed rather stunned as he lay there, blinking. "New paws, or are you always so clumsy?" His words were a light drawl as his fiery eyes moved over him. He smelled familiar though – Narime.
He laid there, losing count of the seconds that passed. Whether he was down for a matter of seconds, minutes or hours, he was not sure. Instead, his body became aware of the pain he felt.. especially upon his forelimb. A voice sounded then -- male, and deep. Feeling his lips curl at the sudden intrusion and the mere thought of another witnessing his fall, Nios shot a dark look to the ivory creature, studying the wolf who had come upon him.
He was large -- his fur blindingly white, spare for a saddle of ebony that seemed to streak upon his back. It was the male's fiery eyes that silenced his initial snarl, and breaking a stoical mask to lift his wolfish brows upward at the comment, a derisive snort escaped the Tainn. "Not my finest hour," he agreed, and gave a slight pensive pause before he made to roll forward and push himself up.
This would prove to be a mistake, and his teeth ground down fiercely upon each other as he lifted his paw -- the true indication that he was injured, though an outward wince was barely withheld. "Can't say I'm a fan of this mountain," he determined then, trying to press the topic of his foolish injury aside, as if the regal male would not notice. Yet the way those orange eyes struck upon him, he knew it was obvious -- Nios Tainn had done some form of damage to his forepaw, and now he would be hobbling around like some wounded little fawn.. assuming it even healed without the aid of a healer.
'cause its home, but it's gone
It was within the beasts nature to take his leave after such small talk -- he cared for little, spare his family and pack.. and yet he lingered. His bright eyes swept over the swarthy wolf, noting the potential within him. He might have been maimed now.. but he would be of use in a few weeks. "Phineas Argyris, leader of Silent Moon Plateau," he offered then, new intent seeming to reach his eyes as he shifted now, closing more of the gap between the two wolves.
"My pack does not have a healer.. but we have stocked caches and a peaceful setting for rest. You are welcome to join us -- but only if you promise one thing," he determined ten, deciding there was no point in beating around the bush. There was little to be lost in a moment like this -- if the wolf was untrustworthy, it would reveal itself in time, and the alabaster regal would deal with the consequences then. Instead, he waited quietly for his companion's answer, eyes locked upon the wolf before him.
Like a viper, the ivory wolf before him took the conversation one step further – offering salvation.. but at a cost. The Tainn was a proud beast – his father would have scoffed at such an offer.. his mother might have calculated between the choices she did have. Nios, rather than limp away from the white regal before him, blinked instead, canting his muzzle only slightly as he kept to remaining aloof. “And what is that?” There was no point in turning down the deal without hearing it first, and the black rogue waited, shifting his weight and withholding a wince as pain shot from his forelimb straight to his forehead.
His goal was becoming more apparent to himself – the revival of Copper Rock Creek awaited him, but he could not do so without followers. There was even no point in doing so without a mate – and so, he was at a crossroads in life.
One, that perhaps the leader before him, could aide him in without even realizing.
'cause its home, but it's gone
One ear flickered forward to the ebony man, and without skipping a beat, the ivory Argyris shifted his weight, his features stern. "Your allegiance in these lands belongs to me, my son, and my two daughters. Not to the lead female, though you will do as she requests." He paused, allowing the silence to stretch between them for a moment, as if the stranger would need a moment to absorb exactly what he was saying. Trust could not be given or taken within only a few moments of meeting -- but if he was going to take this wolf back with him, he wanted to make something very clear. He did not include Aponi in to the equation -- as it stood, she was ignoring him now anyhow. "And if something happens to me, you will see to it that one of my children takes the helm of this pack."
,blockquote>He felt a sense of hesitance flicker through him, and casting his amber eyes down to his injured limb, he briefly wondered if he was simply able to hobble away from the man's imposing request. What mess was he about to walk in to if he said yes? And yet.. where else would he go? His family seemed long gone -- he had left Whisper Caverns in hopes of doing a bit of exploring and rounding up wolves before claiming Copper Rock Creek once more.. and now he lay, tattered only days after, before a nonsensical man who was bartering his injured limb for unwavering loyalty only to him during his stay.
"You've my word," he offered then, pushing himself up to a stand then. he winced lightly as his leg shifted, and as the man studied him over once before giving Nios a nod of final acceptance, the swarthy male would limp after the large beast -- his own stocky form clumsy in turn.
A part of him wondered if he had just made a deal with the devil.
'cause its home, but it's gone
