Bramble Falls rooftop view in london

<i>anybody welcome! :)</i>

It hadn't been long since Niija and the others had returned to the pack. She was settling into her newfound rank, happy to live amongst her siblings and the wolves that she knew again. It had only taken a day or so for her curiosity to at long last be piqued, and she felt she had to travel to where the water was fed into the river, by the luxurious cascade known as Bramble Falls. She had taken most of the day to lazily wind her way around the woods, crossing the river every now and then as though in play, skipping along the rocks youthfully, and following the path the river carved until she had reached her destination.

The falls. There they stood before her, grand and magnificent, overlooking the Wildwood. Niija held her breath for a moment, enjoying the tranquil scene of water crashing from the rocks, allowing a vaporous mist to gather at its base. She had seen this place many times - but time and time again it amazed her, enthralled her. With her shoulders set back, Niija glided gracefully through the snow and found herself hovering at the edge of the stream, where, beneath the frozen surface, water rippled graciously downriver. The girl expelled a breath and delicately placed a paw atop the surface, applying greater and greater pressure, until it cracked and exposed the stream beneath. Pleased, Niija lowered her head and positioned her jaw at the opening, drinking her fill of fresh stream water.

The air seemed to lack a certain mansuetude, Alexander had noted these past few days. There was a discourse around the forest floor, it hardly worried him. With the water back, he wondered if many of the Tainns had returned. Of course it was none of his business that they'd gone. In fact, he hardly even went down to land nowadays. There wasn't much point. It was just him and Borden, company enough. But it was hard not to notice a sudden lack of activity below. Now that he'd gotten this feeling of activity vibrating in his paws, he felt the need to investigate. His first destination was Bramble Falls. It was closest to the mountain, just in case he needed an escape route. He wasn't worried that a fight would break out, per-say, but...Well, maybe he was worried. He'd hardly met any of the Swift River wolves. He'd have no problem defending himself against one, but two or three...Maybe not.

He'd obviously been up on the mountain for far too long.

It was freezing cold, though the temperature rose a bit as he made his way downward. It was hardly noticeable. Snow still continued to coat the ground, though as grass formed beneath his paws, it was a little easier to walk on. Less slippery. Finally on the ground, he paused, shaking out his fur, allowing it to fluff out, and then he made the short walk to Bramble Falls. It was mostly frozen over, though the falls were still easily heard. And just like it was meant to happen, there was a Swift River wolf at the shore. Alexander took a breath, making sure he was correct, and when he was, he moved forward. The scent was faint on this female, and he wondered what her relation was to them.

"Hello, miss." Alexander paused at the shore, though a few feet away from the girl. He bowed his head politely, and copied her earlier movement. Placing a massive paw upon the water's surface, he gave it a slight press, and listened to the satisfying cracking sound, before leaning down to take a drink of his own. It lacked something that the mountain water had...But was delicious just the same.

The scent of water was too much to ignore, and the sound of the rushing water had crossed a hunting path she had picked this morning. Her trek hadn't granted her any game as of yet, but perhaps the water would give up its own game. In this cold, if any fish were floating near enough to catch, they would be sluggish, slow and easy prey. The female had entered the river following the falls at a shallow crossing, having had to stop every step or so to let herself adjust to the temperature. She'd found the best way to find a water-bound meal was to feel along the bottom for deeper pools in a shallow area and chase the fish into them.

Without the insulation that a healthy wolf had, the white female was shivering even before her stomach touched the ice above the river- and the swirling liquid below. However, she knew like most did that as soon as you adjusted and submerged, you stayed warm as it was the cold air making it seem colder. Soon enough, she was up to her chest and slogging through the ice and the current, her tail streaming out behind her like a flag. The going was slow, but before she knew it, she had come close to the two wolves enjoying the refreshments. Despite the proximity, Vlar's attention was completely on her task and she hadn't noticed the two - nor was she within speaking distance.. Which over the sound of the rushing water was closer than normal.

The she wolf stopped after having found her deeper pool and began digging at it, the water swirling up in a muddied mess and splashing around her sending bits of dislodged ice swirling down the river as well to join the broken trail she had forged. The mud tended to disorient her prey and make them even easier to catch. Since the river was moving fairly quickly, she had to move fast, and threw any semblance of grace out the window. As the wolf leapt above the surface with her forepaws, she did her best to crash down with enough force to try and stun the fish as well as herd them to her little pool. Each time the female rose from her position on the river bed, the water streamed off her coat, causing it to cling to her form and show just how thin she was. After a few missed movements, she was standing in the swirling water and panting, her tail simply flowing along the water behind her.

After a moment of rest, the wolf began again and this time she only had to jump twice before her tactics landed her a decent sized Salmon. Using her paws to send the stunned fish to the shore, she bounded after it, slogging from the water and lowering her head to gulp the fish down. A good shake sent water flying every which way, but she barely took notice because of the meal in front of her. She'd have to eat three more of this size to have any kind of a meal, but there was also the pup to feed - she'd have to just bring him back some as well - made for a long fishing trip.

After gulping down three hurried mouthfuls of her meal, she noticed the other two wolves and froze, lifting her hackles as much as they were able due to being soaked. Her lips had pulled away from her teeth, putting them on display as the low warning growl trickled from her throat. Despite having no pack of her own, the female held herself with poise, her sodden tail lifted like a flag behind her. The posture clearly said "This is my meal, and I will defend it."

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2011, 10:16 PM by Vlarindara.)

idk if Niija knew of what happened with MP, just guessin' here XD;

The cool water trickled gently down her throat, allowing the female to ease slightly, feeling her shoulders lean back and her eyes begin to close. Despite the cold wind blowing in from the skies above, she felt herself at peace. The late afternoon sun was shining its luxurious golden shine through the barren canopy of twigs and branches around her, speckling her tawny coat with an aureate glow; and in was much appreciated, for the woman could never produce such a radiance of her own. Not that such a thing had ever been a concern in her mind. Had she ever considered beauty in herself before? Certainly in others, yes, but Niija felt she could safely say that she had never been too engrossed in her own appearance, at least not enough to be considered vain.

With her thirst satisfied, the female raised her head again, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine through the bitter cold of winter on her back. Then, she opened her eyes, slowly, allowing the light of the afternoon to gradually seep into sight until finally she was able to behold the river in her gaze once more. It wasn't until a sweep of her head to the side brought her attention to the wolf nearby, in time to hear his low, rumbling greeting. Niija remained motionless for a moment, a mere moment, before her lips gently arched in a warm smile. Good afternoon. She greeted, her voice lofty as a feather on the wind, and yet strong enough to resist its tempting pulls. Niija turned away from him briefly, looking back to the frozen river, and pulling herself upright, curling her tail around her haunch. Then, her eyes flicked back to him. He didn't smell like her family. Though, he did smell... vaguely of Honijo.

The woman parted her lips again, to utter another word, when her attention was again whisked away, this time by movement further down the river. Niija remained silent as she observed the white wolf thrash about in a pool of exposed water and eventually come out victorious, salmon in jaw. In truth, Niija was impressed - and as she caught herself staring, she returned her gaze back to the male. But, again, her eyes drifted back to the female, to catch the protective stature she took over the meal that she had just earned. The woman allowed another smile to grow on her lips. Fear not, sister. I, at least, have no desire for your prize. The tawny girl spoke softly, and looked back to the male a third time. Pardon my curiosity, sir - but... do you know of Honijo and his pack? She asked, blinking at him.

Having water around again was spectacular, to say the least. He wasn't sure how much longer anyone would have survived without it, though he supposed they all could have eaten the snow. A small bubble of pride always swelled up in him though when he remembered that he was the cause of the water coming back. He and Amelie. The bubble popped at that thought. He hadn't seen her in ages. Since the water was back, he'd seen more and more wolves arriving again, but he wondered if she'd just left. He'd certainly miss her if she had, but thinking about it wouldn't do him any good.

He pulled his muzzle from the hole, and shook slightly, trying to rid it of the freezing water before it froze to his muzzle. Facing the she-wolf again, he smiled, prepared to return the greeting before some rather loud splashing interrupted his thoughts. A rather vivacious female was fishing further away in the pool, and it seemed that she'd had some luck. Alexander watched her over his shoulder, then his brows furrowed when she seemed to get defensive. The other girl reassured her, and Alex just shook his head, "No worries." He was, indeed, quite hungry, since hunting up on the mountain was sparse, but while he was down here, he'd probably grab a few rabbits or a small deer for him and Borden.

Again, he turned his attention back to the female that he'd first addressed, but it was too late to return any kind of greeting. Alexander hadn't actually expected her question, despite the fact that she probably was a Tainn. "I do, miss. I lead it now," He looked a little embarrassed, and his ears turned back. "Honijo, I thought, had gone with the rest of you. But I suppose I was mistaken. I took his place as leader of Midnight Plateau, but I fear that I'm not quite doing him justice." There was a rumble in his throat as he thought about the lack of food and the lack of wolves upon the mountain.

It was only after both assured her that they weren't after her meal that she returned to eating it, devouring the fish before cleaning her chops and slinking back to the river. Her coat had dried slightly, leaving her look slightly larger than she really was, still abysmally small for a full grown wolf. The female waded back into the rushing water and returned to her hunting, but this time came up empty handed and waded out before she was too tired to get back. She shook herself clear of the water, sending freezing drops everywhere, and settling her coat back to some semblance of order.

When she returned to her catch, she lay back down and began crunching down the remains of the fish, including the head and tail -pieces generally left for their lack of nutritional value. It was obvious that she could take anything she could get, her frame showing the same need for food that most of the wolves were experiencing this winter. Though there were also scars littering her back and haunches, made more obvious by the matted fur - leaving the larger one over her shoulders visible as well.

She lifted her head from finishing her meal and cleaned her mouth, turning to watch the two wolves with interest. Her crossings over the forest hadn't brought her within view of them, not yet and she let her eyes get their fill so she would recognize them later. She began moving down the river, pawing at the bank and letting her nose follow the different smells - a rabbit here, a deer had come down for a drink there... All the while, she had looked over her shoulder at the two wolves, keeping an eye on them as she returned to her hunting. It wouldn't do for them to sneak up on her now.. wouldn't do at all. She knew most wolves tended to run out the outsiders from their home ranges - especially when the winter was causing the game to go into hibernation or migration.