Willow Ridge Crossing boundaries

Mid-day, just above freezing, hail.

It was approaching mid-day and it was still snowing. It had been snowing all morning and Xander had hoped to wait it out, curled up warm beneath the shelter of a fallen oak tree. But he was getting impatient and growing more irritable by the second. Amber eyes focused upon the moist black tip of his nose, watching with child-like curiosity as a single snowflake drifted down to settle there before melting into a perfect droplet of water almost instantly. The young male let out a huff in irritation as a sigh slipped like smoke past his onyx lips, forming white spirals that snaked away into the cold icy air. His dark fur bristled with the play of hard muscles as he reached out to stretch his front limbs, and then clambered languidly up onto his feet. A rough shake was given of his fur, sending thousands of tiny snowflakes and debris soaring through the air like shards of shattered glass.

Pink tongue swept casually across his lips. They were dry, he was parched. A small wrinkle creased up the bridge of his muzzle as he contemplated on searching for water. He couldn’t remember passing any water source on his journey towards Grizzly Hollow territory, this meant he had to search the water out which unsurprisingly would probably take twice as long. His amber eyes scanned across the horizon in the opposite direction he had approached the pack lands. It was as good a guess as any that water may lie in that direction. With a decisive flick of his tail, the young male set off, once again walking into the unknown with no idea what lay ahead.

He kept his movements fast and fleet-footed, maintaining a steady pace that would not tire him out too quickly in wake of such a cold climate. He made his way gradually through the woodlands, only bothering to memorize notable landmarks such as the odd fallen tree or large boulder so that he would be able to find his way back to his temporary sleeping quarters. Glancing ahead, he could begin to make out the vague view of a lake. His russet ears perked with interest as he momentarily quickened his pace .. And consequently lost his footing on the icy leaf litter, sending the male skidding and sliding in a blur of limbs and fur straight towards the water’s edge.

He halted suddenly with a crash and a bump to his face, opening his eyes to find himself planted headfirst into the trunk of an old withered willow tree. Ego bruised, Xander stumbled back, shaking himself free of the twigs and leaves that his fur had picked up in the collision. Pushing the incident to the back of his mind, his attention turned to the lake. Sauntering up to it with feigned confidence, his nose touched the surface, but did not break through. The water was frozen. Ears flattened back against the arch of his head as a low growl of frustration and annoyance rumbled in his throat.

As if to spite him, it was at that moment that the lightly falling snow turned to hail. Large shards of ice rained down on the wolf, plummeting against his pelt then shattering to the ground. A small whine whistled past his lips as he spun around, desperately seeking shelter. The weeping willows would not do, their long stringy branches provided almost no protection against the angry torrent of water and ice. Circling around, he made a sudden dash towards a more rocky area, sprinting full speed towards the cave that emerged into view. Darting into the dark depths of the cave, Xander paused to shake his coat dry. Only then did he notice the stench of pack wolves and it quickly become apparent that he had ran right into a pack’s den. A held back a nervous whimper as he scanned frantically around him in the foreboding darkness.

No one was around, or so it seemed. He would take his chances and hold out here, at least until the hail receded – or a pack member discovered him.

(This post was last modified: Dec 28, 2012, 06:55 PM by Xander.)

His time in Willow Ridge had been a quite comfortable one. Every one in the pack had made him feel welcomed and he had enjoyed every second of it…perhaps it would have been better if he would have his sister by his side once again though. He couldn’t wait until her joining process would be complete…it would put his own mind at ease for quite awhile. He was glad she had found their little brother though, he knew it would have brought her great joy to see their kin. He too had been happy, though he might not have shown it much at the reunion…shown emotions wasn’t exactly his thing, only his sister really knew what he was up to, for he never let many wolves get close to him, in fears that he might hurt them in the end. It was more of a physical hurt he was worried about, considering how most of the wolves he had seen so far were smaller than him. It truthfully scared him, but it also gave his pack an advantage.

Today, it seemed, the weather would not be on his side for going on a patrol, though he did still do so. It was hard to see…but Guiness’s nose would not deceive him, he had spend enough time in Willow Ridge to know where the lines were and where to mark them. He had done the whole round and was now returning to the den. The hail was coming down, though not too heavily, and with the large bulk that the man possessed, it didn’t bother him much, especially with his thick winter coat. The day seemed to be going by completely peaceful, until an unfamiliar scent tickled his nose. Immediately the large guardian’s body tensed and his paw steps grew more urgent, his lips pulling back to expose his fangs. All of his paw steps were light, barely whispering against the ground, considering his large form.

His tail lashed behind him and his fur along his spine bristled as he approached the other male. His golden amber eyes filled with aggression. This male looked extremely smaller than him, but right now size didn’t matter. This boy was on his territory and that made Guiness furious. As he got closer, he could only hope that the other male hadn’t heard him, and almost silently, he sprung, aiming to get on the other male’s back so that he could crush him, and if that succeeded his jaws would aim for the other’s neck to disable him from going much damage to the large guardian.

Pillar of Strength

Within the dark solitude of the den, Xander settled down nervously. The scent of the pack that lived here was like smelling smoke in the air, it sent chills down his spine. He crumpled down and curled his body into a tight ball, tail tucked deep between his legs and his limbs pressed up tight against his abdomen. His head, however, remained upright and alert – not daring to drop his guard completely should a pack member discover him. With a muffled huff, the young male steadied his breathing, trying to remain calm whilst lying in the enemy’s bed. His amber eyes scanned the darkness with fearful suspicion, praying that he would not be greeted with the menacing glow of wolfish eyes or the stark flash of fangs. Russet ears twitched apprehensively upon his head, listening out with dire concentration for any sounds of movement. Blind in the darkness, behind enemy lines, the only company Xander had was the fervent drumming of his own heart.

Tentatively, he took the long moments of calm to shake his coat before spending a few minutes to groom, licking his paws dry whilst all the while glancing anxiously over his shoulder. The moments where he lay undiscovered didn’t last long though, soon enough through the eerie underground echoes of the cave, the foreboding sound of light footfall become just noticeable to Xander’s trained ears – but from which direction, was unclear. The sound bounced across the stone walls and left his senses confused and bewildered. Slowly, the young male rose to his feet, daring not to make any sudden movements should his exact position be given away. The approaching wolf was a male pack member; he could tell that from the musky scent that clung to his pelt. As to his size or his intentions, Xander was clueless, but he could make an educated guess. He guessed that the next few moments were not going to go all too well. With baited breath, the young male waited for the inevitable contact.

A force struck him from behind, slamming his hind limbs down to the ground with monstrous force. The pressure was unrelenting, crushing down on his hips so that his hind legs lay spread out flat to the ground, and his tail caught somewhere in the mayhem. It was like gravity had just slapped him across the arse. He felt pitiful. A sharp, shrieking whimper erupted from his mouth as Xander desperately clawed forwards with his front paws. The sound of his nails scraping against the stone was like the high-pitched grind of chalk on a blackboard. Scraping himself forwards the few feet that his strength would allow, the young male’s tactics turned defensive. He dropped his head flat to the ground, hopefully out of reach of his attacker, saving his vital throat from violent mutilation. From the corner of his eye he watched the sharp curve of fangs lunging for his neck. He might have been trapped for the moment, but he was not helpless. Curving his head around in the opposite direction, Xander snapped his jaws together violently; ferociously snapping with speed in the direction of the male’s left shoulder. He had every intention of drawing blood.

Still struggling beneath the heavy weight of the male, Xander strained to stand, his muscles tensing as he tried desperately to drag himself out from underneath his attacker and face his opponent.

(This post was last modified: Dec 28, 2012, 10:33 PM by Xander.)

OOC: Sorry it is short...not feeling well.

The other male didn’t seemed to have noticed his presence until he was crushed underneath the large male. Though speed might not have been in his category for skill, stealth and strength were on the top of his list. This fool deserved to feel pain…he shouldn’t have come close to the borders, much less cross them when they were obviously heavily guarded. It would take someone who didn’t have a nose to not know of such a thing. Unfortunately, when his jaws clicked together he met air…not fur or flesh…he wanted to make this male bleed and pay for being dishonorable. Fangs brushed against his shoulder and digging into his tough muscles. A nasty snarl erupted from his muzzle, his paws digging into the flesh beneath him.

Anger was coursing through him…this male had decided to settle down in their territory…without any permission from Elettra or anyone else. His growled again, going to throw the other male off, snapping his jaws together to get the male off of him. Considering he was a loner he was well fed…but perhaps not as well fed as Guiness. He growled…even if the other male would not be shaken off of him, he would bleed. Large jaws opened and lunged for the man’s back, his claws curving into the other’s skin, hoping to draw blood. If his fangs would come in contact with the male’s back, then perhaps Guiness would be able to throw him out of the territory without spilling anymore blood.

Pillar of Strength