Sacred Grove Silence Is Golden

OOC: I ninja-d you. <3

The day was warmer than it had been in a long, long while. It was nearly 45 degrees! The sun had risen to a certain point in the sky, just high enough for it to peek over the lush green trees and shine brightly in the keen yellow eyes of Kanaii Kokki. The Eastern Timber Wolf/Arctic Wolf stretched himself out on his side along the ground, his massive paws stretching far in front and behind him, black claws flexing comfortably at the front of them. The giant white wolf let out a yawn, revealing experienced ivory fangs. Kanaii was quite an interesting sight. He was absolutely massive, first off. A thick white-cream pelt hang from his huge frame. Intelligent yellow eyes and big, alert white triangles at the top of his head made any wolf absolutely sure that they didn't want to mess with him. Was it true? Probably. The young Kokki had been through a rough life, just like the other Kokki pups. He was born massive, just like he was today. Just like the other Kokki yearlings, he grew up very, very close with his family. Mostly, he remembered curling up close to his cousins and mother. He remembered watching his father stare at him after the pup did something grand, something that Kanaii himself was proud of, and simply nodding his black head. Little did Kanaii know, his father, Aadte, was actually very proud of him. But, because he didn't know, this was probably what cause Kanaii to try so very hard at everything he did; to please his father. Now, he was very successful. When the guardians left, the three pups had been devastated. Kanaii had been more mad than sad at first. How could he leave me? After everything I do? he had thought at first. But, he eventually began to miss his father and the silence of him began. After Makita, his small tawny cousin, was swept away in a tornado, Kanaii remembered gripping Kauda tight and sobbing in her dark shoulder as she cried in his light one. And then, of course, he remembered leaving with Kauda and her friend, Akita Dashameer, on their quest to find Makita after the storm. That was when he was truly silenced - when he nearly died. As the three were sipping from a river, Kanaii slipped and fell in. The only way he kept his self from drowning, his will to survive, was that he kept his muzzle barely above the surface. When the waves calmed, he pulled himself out and shook himself off. He was traumatized and was never the same. Now, as he laid in the sun, he hadn't spoken words in a very, very long time. Every time he saw someone, he would just watch and wait, occasionally escorting them to a stream or prey, something to help them, from the goodness of his heart and then simply left or waited for them to leave. As he had became silent, his ears became very keen and he grew aware of all the sounds around him. It also came with peace as the birds chirped happily in the air. But, it was odd not to hardly ever hear his own voice. Yawning lazily, Kanaii let his ears swivel around, pushing himself up from the ground quickly. Someone was there. Maybe they weren't near, but they were there. Narrowing his yellow-golden eyes, he curled his lip up a bit, making sure that if it happened to be a threat, they would know that he was not the one they wanted to mess with.

<blockquote>The thin threat was somewhat poorly judged; Marsh had not meant to take anybody by surprise, and certainly wasn't too impressed to be met with the sight of teeth. There was a decent distance between the two wolves, but nowhere near enough that Marsh could not see the tension in the young wolf's body. Had they been a little closer to Swift River lands, the matter could have become a lot uglier a lot faster but, considering the technical neutrality of the area, the older wolf chose to give the younger the benefit of the doubt.

There was slight hesitation in initiating any hostilities, sure, because the boy might have been a child but he was large, and, in some cases, that could make up for inexperience. A charging bull doesn't need practise to knock things out of his way. Similarly, it could work very much against the yearling, and, if he continued with his aggression, Marsh was not afraid to knock him down a peg or two. He had not come here to be antagonised by some pup, and though he was quite capable of walking away, he was not comfortable with leaving this potentially destructive free entity so close to his home.

His tail stiffening and raising just a little (he had no direct authority, sure, but there were damn close) he took a few steps towards the huge white wolf, ears forwards, eyes alert but, most importantly, teeth covered and manner neutral. If it was just a show of panic and defence, then he would deal with that and move on - but if the lad was a genuine threat... well, he'd need to be dispatched.</blockquote>

OOC: Sorry for the bit of powerplay in the first post... Won't happen again. :)

Kanaii flexed his claws beneath his massive white body, narrowing his keen yellow eyes. He certainly didn't want to be taken as a threat, but he didn't want a threat to mess with him either. Dark lips remained curled up over ivory fangs and large white ears perked up cautiously, ready to either fight or relax in an instant. With his hackles raised high in alert, he finally saw the wolf that he was sensing. It was an average sized wolf, smaller than the giant wolf, so Kanaii let his hackles relax slightly. He most certainly didn't want to stir up a fight, though he still didn't know if the wolf was a threat or not. The male's fur was a mixture of a sort of auburn, grey, and tan, and Kanaii noticed that the grey matched the slate color of his eyes. The massive white wolf let in a breath, seeing what scents he could take in from the other wolf. Scents of a nearby pack, who's scents he had picked up at the boarders not far from where he stood, wafted into his nose to tell him that this wolf was a pack wolf. Messing with him could possibly mean messing with others, if they happened to be nearby as well. Kanaii's tail fell slightly and his narrowed eyes watched the wolf, trying to decide if he was a threat or not. In the past months that Kanaii had spent alone, he had become an expert at using body language instead of his voice. All of the days spent alone.. all of the sleepless nights.. They silenced him and he had become.. well, what he was now. His lips fell back over his teeth and his hackles lowered very, very slightly. His tail stayed above his rear, however, and his bright yellow eyes remained keen and alert with big white triangles perked on the top of his head. Then, he gave a small nod to show that he wasn't a threat and that he didn't plan on attacking any time soon. . . Unless, the other made the first move, however.

<i>Naw, I don't mind when it's in the first post like that! It's a good way of jump-starting threads (:</i>

<blockquote>So, it was just a misunderstanding; Marsh easily recognised the way in which the boy calmed significantly, and thus he could overlook the remaining tension in the large child's body. It was understandably stressful being alone, but, of course, Marsh would need to get closer in order to learn more. All outward signs pointed to that conclusion, though. Keeping his manner neutral (in terms of hostility; his tail remained stiff and high, for he wanted there to be no doubt about whose lands were nearby) he continued to approach the large white boy fearlessly, obviously far from cowed by their difference in size. He fleetingly wondered if the child often used his bulk to intimidate, and thus would not take kindly to Marsh's forward approach, but put the matter out of his mind; if the lad was too tense for a harmless meeting, then he was damaged goods and probably not worth putting any effort into rehabilitating.

Eyes alive and curious, he intended to walk right up to the boy and place his muzzle alongside the other's, both investigating his situation and testing his temperament. Even at this closing distance, he fancied some recognition of the boy's scent. Did he have family around here? Despite his intrigue, Marsh remained patient and calm; all would be answered in due course.</blockquote>

OOC" Suckyish post ever, but oh well.

Kanaii let himself relax a bit, seeing that this wolf was obviously of the nearby pack and wanted to stay in charge, show who was boss. The large white yearling let him be the dominant one, as he could be messing with more than one if he chose to mess with the wolf in front of him. Keen yellow eyes followed the wolf, whose tail was risen high. The tensity in the air between the two was obvious. Then, the male moved towards Kanaii. Being a yearling, it was hard to know what to do at that point. Was he supposed to snap and fight? After a minutes thought, he decided that was a bad option, as the wolf had not proposed to be a threat just yet. Was he supposed to let him just come and do whatever? No, he could get close and prove to be a threat. Narrowing his eyes, Kanaii remained still, his tail raising slightly as well, showing that he wouldn't be messed with either.

<blockquote>Though the boy remained tense and uneasy, he didn't lash out, and Marsh calmly brought their muzzles beside one another. The raised tail was a small red flag, but nothing that stress couldn't explain away, and thus Marsh paid it no heed for the moment. Stepping back, to reinforce the boy's personal boundary, the older wolf pricked his ears and tilted his head, openly curious. His tail, still held high, gave a single wag, and the wolf yapped once in cautious but friendly greeting. There was no need to fight, and every one of Marsh's instincts told him that the yearling's standoffishness was only due to discomfort.

As Swift River's Second, Marsh felt extra obliged to serve his pack to his best, and recruitment of strong individuals was part of that job description. Though still unsure if the boy could be completely trusted, for his high tension could be an indicator for darker personality traits, Marsh nevertheless felt an instinctual liking to him. It probably helped that he didn't blab his face off; his communicably silence immediately put him in good stead.</blockquote>

Kanaii watched the darker wolf carefully, remaining tense as he took a step forward. Of course, the wolf could possibly just be getting a closer look at him or doing something friendly. He could also be preparing to attack him. An attack would be stupid. Kanaii thought to himself. The massive white wolf would defeat the other simply from size and experience (too much experience for his age, at that). This Kokki was a successful fighter simply because his father never really approved of him, and if he did he never showed it. This caused Kanaii to try extra hard, so today he had experience in lots of stuff. However, the male did nothing terrible. If anything, his actions were admirable, a lot better than Kanaii had expected. He took a few more steps towards Kanaii until he was standing just beside him and then reached out his dark muzzle. Oh! Kanaii thought, and let his hackles lower with his tail as he relaxed a bit. Though he wasn't sure he was completely trustable, this was nice. The massive white wolf stretched his muzzle out a bit to meet the male half way, then rolled back onto white haunches as the other stepped back away. It was when the other let out a friendly yap that Kanaii realized it was pleasurably silent. Throughout their whole meeting, there had been no words. Usually, the other wolves he met would've already been trying to get words to slip out of his not-yet-scarred muzzle. This one, howerver, did nothing of the sorts. Oddly, Kanaii like it. The other's silence was quite enjoyable. Kanaii let his head bob once in a small not and returned the cautiously friendly noise. By this time, Kanaii had relaxed a whole lot more. Whoever was standing nearby (if standing nearby) and the other male knew now that he wasn't a potential threat. His ears were no longer pasted to his furry white head, but mirroring the other's in curiousity.