Blackberry Fields Blind like the three mice

<blockquote>She seemed outlandish. The way her voice coincided with her slipping out from beneath the bushes. it reminded him of his previous adventures, though none he had met thus far had carried her particular dialect. His head had inclined slightly, absently in response to her own; the acknowledgement that he was willing to stand about and play the bear should it come to teeth. Of course why he felt inclined to do so was a matter that he had pondered upon more than once. He was always willing to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. It was something that he had done even before he left his family. There had been those who had done it for him, when he had been too ragged to stand on his own feet, and the impression had stuck with him. The idea that there were those out there that would stand up for something bigger. Even when there were no connections that existed beyond being the same species.

He had found the other's question as odd as the female's. Perhaps the question in itself wasn't all that odd, it was merely the manner in which it had been asked. Rather bluntly, but then, Teo had his own experience with bluntness. He favored it in a different way. In counter, the female's demeanor seemed to have slipped from crushing herself against bushes to phrasing herself in a coy manner. He hoped she wasn't making the mistake of thinking Mateo was there to throw himself into a fight that was over stupid actions. He had a hard time distinguishing the difference when it came to others, but he wouldn't step in unless he felt he needed to. At this point, it would go either way, but really, he was jumping ahead of his game. This Aksel character could be merely as curious as he stated he was while the female could be the manipulative one. Really, it was all in a matter of reading beyond what someone put out for others to see. Which, at this point, was a hard game to play.

Perhaps he was just better going slipping off into the woods. He was already becoming uncomfortable with the amount of back and forth. One wolf was quite alright. Two and he started to feel shifty. Any more than that and he could get unpredictably nervous. All this trying to sort out their intent coinciding with their actions was tiring.

His gaze slipped back to the male, hearing the words he spoke in a detached sort of way that seemed to be less vibrant than the bodies that stood before him. He absorbed what Aksel said, but in his own time, and it was only as the male spoke of the female's pack as though it were already his own that the detachment cleared and his attention balanced between observing the body movements of the others to hearing what they were saying in present time.

It was a curiosity to him that other wolves often assumed that a wolf was in a pack merely based on the scents that were on the surface of the fur. While it was true that it might never seem to occur to most wolves who were in packs to wash away the scents of their companions (their family, protection, home, etc) as specifically an informant to others about who they were, it was possible to rid ones self of those scents on purpose. Or add them in a friendly group setting. A lone wolf might be particularly social, for instance. Mateo didn't make it a habit of assuming a wolf was a part of a pack based on scents, though it might occur to him to actually ask. Either way, the statement had caught his attention and he was something like lingering on it. So much so that it prompted him to speak even before he was addressed directly.

<b>"Why assume she is from a pack? Or for that matter, assume that the pack you assume she is from is one that you would wish to join if you are questioning her intent by being beyond that pack's boundaries? If she was beyond it's boundaries for negative reasons, wouldn't it stand reason that it would be a pack you wouldn't want to traipse into based on the information of one individual, who may be under threat and unwilling to say negative things about that pack?"</b>

It was probably the longest string of words he had said in years. But he was genuinely curious, and until his interest was satiated, he would likely continue to play as the devil's advocate.

<b>"I didn't offer it."</b> And he hadn't. It wasn't something he was accustomed to offering unless someone was asking for it. He certainly wasn't about to anti up information about himself to a wolf he knew nothing about. Since the issue was being addressed, however, he was willing to give the wolf something. <b>"Vrikstein."</b>

This wolf had almost as many questions as Teo did.

<b>"There are two packs that I'm aware of, currently, near the middle of where I've traveled from. Between the foothills of the mountain, near a forest of willows, and here. One borders the mountain in a small forest, the other lays across a small expanse of field some other forest. Their borders are strong, though I've scented some older ones, which suggests they've been around for some time."</b> He paused for a moment, considering how his days were spent. <b>"Don't go ambling across any borders if you don't want to be met with bared teeth and eat when you can, where you can, what you can."</b> Perhaps he should have added 'make friends' or something along those lines. That's what they were supposed to do, right?

It was interesting, how aware one became when there was the chance of a predator, or prey, on the horizon. Aksel caught the breeze before it reached Mateo, and with his attention diverted, he caught it as the breeze began to shift past him. This meeting would undoubtedly turn interesting if they lingered in their current location, though the bear could just as easily ignore the small group of predators and keep hunting berries (or whatever else it was doing). It was an early riser, from the time of spring it was, and it was likely either just out for a stroll or it was beginning it's attempt to fatten itself back up. Likely, it was a male. Females would still be inclined to be snuggling in their dens with their offspring. He needed another whiff to be sure. They would have a mild advantage, if it came down to it, of it being early spring and male, as his bulk would be significantly lower than usual. If it was a female, which he highly doubted, no amount of weight taken off her would be an advantage in the face of her instinct to protect her cubs.

Mateo's gaze turned towards the scent, ears alert and face stoic. He didn't have the energy to waste on tangling with a bear that only wanted to eat just as much as Teo did. If it attacked, it would be because it had to, not because it was seeking some adventure. Teo was of a like mind. Go away, Mr. Bear.


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(This post was last modified: Apr 18, 2012, 08:32 PM by Mateo.)

Pakuna blinked in surprise at the mouthful of words that Mateo seemed
to come up with. This was turning into something interesting. She grew
rather shifty, her paws kneading the earth and preparing for flight if need
be. Looking to Mateo, she dipped her head towards him. "Ye ask too many
questions, ye know." she said simply, speaking to Aksel but still looking
at Mateo. She was interested in this massive beast. Slowly and lazily bringing
her head towards the curious wolf, she parted her jaws once more. "I be
Pakuna. Aye, ye best bite yer tongue 'round wolves, I tell ye. Dunno what
they are to do. Not all are friendly. Count yer blessings that I be kind."

She chuckled lightly, shoulderblades rising up and down with her titter. She now
sighed gently, looking to the sky. The scent of the bear did not bother her, for
she knew it was most certainly busy looking for food after its hibernation. Although
it was likely that it would not bother them, she still would look back to it every minute
or so.

Pale eyes flickered from one brute to the next, and she stood still- almost completely
motionless. She could tell that Mateo was shifty as well, and he had all the right to be.
Although Pakuna meant absolutely no harm at all, she did not know the intentions of the
other wolf, Aksel, and the meaning of his constant questions.

Her chest rose up and down steadily as she calmed herself from emerging quickly from
the shelter of the bush she was beneath. She felt overly vulnerable beneath it, thus slipping
out swiftly. With the way Mateo acted towards the other male, she did not know if a fight
would break out or not- she hoped it wouldn't. She avoided fighting as much as possible,
and did not enjoy watching others in the act of it, either.

(This post was last modified: Apr 18, 2012, 08:52 PM by Pakuna.)

The bear wasn't showing itself and as it lumbered somewhere in the distance among the blackberry bushes Aksel turned his gaze back to the wolf. One of his ears turned, following the she-wolf as she moved to position herself nearer; he didn't like her circling. He gave her a mild look when she stopped as if to reprimand her gently, though it had a hint of humor. Vrikstein gave him a lot to think about and was usually after Aksel had made an impulsive decision that he find time to think about what he was doing. This never helped since he would usually find himself belly deep in trouble by the time his mind was suggesting that his plan hadn't been a good idea. They were looking at him oddly and he was pretty sure he was in one of those situations again.

But there was a problem. Vrikstein was right. He was being careless and letting his impulses control his decisions. He eyed Pakuna. Was she in a pack? He had guessed that she was but now that he examined his line of thinking, it was not very concrete. Aksel smiled, though his lips barely moved, and then sighed heavily through his nose. Vrikstein was clearly a very thoughtful wolf and Aksel could appreciate. It made him interesting.

<b>”You're right. I'm being hasty. I've been on my own for a while and want to find myself a pack before I feel like running off. I feel... bored.”</b> The simple confession made him feel a little more relaxed. That's what he wanted, he wanted a pack and other wolves to talk to and hunt with. Being a lone wolf didn't soon him and his mood was improving drastically even if Vrikstein had nearly taken him to the ground. His advice was good and he made a note to himself to go sniff around some borders if the she-wolf didn't become friendlier.

While it may have seemed obvious to most wolves that crossing borders was a bad idea, Aksel had found himself drawn over many borders on his travels here. Most had ended in a scuffle or a chase and he was lucky that he hadn't had anything worse happen to him. It wasn't entirely his fault. Sometimes he would simply become too curious. But learning this lesson had made him wiser now, though he was inclined to sneak across a border if there was a pretty she-wolf. <b>”You haven't been invited or are you avoiding packs?”</b> It was another example of how direct he could be. The question could have been too personal for strangers but he felt it good information to know. Vrikstein was a calm wolf that Aksel was quickly growing to like. If he was avoiding these packs perhaps he had a reason that he should know about.

The she-wolf decided to speak then and he turned his brown eyes to her. She wasn't looking at him so he wasn't sure if she was talking to Vrikstein or himself but either way it was a negative comment. His lips tightened when she continued. She hadn't answered him. Again. Instead she informed him that not all wolves are nice and to keep his mouth in check. This made Aksel bristle somewhat and he eyed her silently for several long moments. His fur gradually smoothed and he snorted lightly through his nose as he allowed a larger smile to curl crookedly across his muzzle. <b>”I'll be sure to watch out for the bad wolves, Pakuna. And yes, it does seem that I'm very lucky you're kind. But I wonder why you're avoiding my question? Vrikstein may have knocked me to my senses yet again about coming with you directly, but I am still curious. I guess I will try to make it as simple as I can; do you belong to a pack?”</b> His tone, unknowingly to him, had become somewhat patronizing. That she was being so difficult bothered him. Aksel tried to be patient but it was difficult for him. He was beginning to wonder if he should just let it go. But then, he was also stubborn.

A quick glance out over the field revealed that the bear still hadn't come out but he was still alert. He wouldn't be found dozing when there was a creature like that around. He frowned and quirked his ears thoughtfully. Now that he had found some wolves, he didn't want them to go. But he knew that they would. The urge to keep them close baffled him but he decided not to let it show. He'd just been lonely, that was all. He'd settle down once he found himself a pack.