(This post was last modified: Apr 21, 2012, 02:11 PM by Indru.)
With death comes life and with life comes hope.
Usually up at the break of dawn, the tawny male found himself lingering closer to his and his mate’s den this morning after a quick search along the borders. A rabbit hung heavily from his jaws; a morning meal for Aeylen. The day offered little to be desired; the coldness of winter was bitter, and the regal wolf knew he looked forward to the melting of the snow that brought upon the spring.
As he neared his den, the wolf’s gaze fell upon the newest of their recruits; Kashikoi. The yearling’s name stuck to the beast, only because the gaunt appearance of the young wolf had appeared to be more dire than he had seen in awhile. Prowling forward, his tail lifting in dominance, the large male dropped his kill to the ground, his eyes studying the other momentarily. “Good morning,” he offered, curious as to what the wolf was up to and how he had settled thus far into his home.
The yearling was polite enough, and his submission clear. Relaxing slightly, the male’s ears preened forward upon the other tawny wolf’s words, his bright eyes regarding the younger wolf momentarily without emotion. Of course, it seemed strange to the male that Kashikoi had not sought out Kanosak for such a thing, for the two males seemed to know one another well, but he was not willing to surpass a moment to get to know his fellow pack mates. With a nod, Ruiko bent his muzzle down to clamp at the small meal. “Let me drop this off first,” he offered, his tone slightly muffled as his jaws grasped the rabbit.
Prowling forward, the regal wolf swept in to his den briefly, setting the prey far enough in to the den for it to be protected from prying eyes. One quick glance around and the tawny Tainn noted that his mate had left the den for now.
Turning, the Leader once more strode out of the den and to Kashikoi, his muzzle giving a light nod in the direction of the land around them. “What did you want to see?”
The young male made his request and the regal gold wolf gave a nod of approval. He was happy to see any of the pack members becoming acquainted with the pack borders; guarding and marking their land was a task he believed every member should be accustom to. While Copper Rock Creek might have been a pack that was highly numbered with yearlings, each seemed to be eager to settle to their new home and into pack life.
“This way,” he motioned with a tilt of his muzzle, his large figure stalking past the yearling to the direction of the Creek’s pack borders. Glancing back to make sure the young male was following him, Ruiko wove through the foliage of the land before veering on to a path that scented strongly of the pack; the borders. “What’s your story, Kashikoi? Where are you from?” After all, Ruiko knew very little about the youth, spare that Kanosak was very fond of the boy.
Ruiko’ ears flickered to the sound of the youth’s voice, his wolfish brows lifting slightly in response to the mention he had lived a rather harsh life. It was a pity to hear – a wolf of only the age of one considered his entire life to be hard, and upon explanation, Ruiko gave a light nod in agreement. He, of course in four years, had heard stories far worse than the one the young male offered to him now in confidence, but that did not make his sympathy towards his new pack member any less. Every wolf seemed to hold a tragedy; his had been the day his pack and parents had died during the forest fire that struck the Wildwood.. but Ruiko hardly considered it a hardship of life; he hadn’t endured this pain the entirety of his life. Kashikoi had.
“You must miss her,” he noted with a quiet rumble. The male was stoical and cold – but he was not heartless, and he knew to leave ones only friend in life must have been a challenge. Rounding a corner of the land, Ruiko’s muzzle nodded to where the red colored rocks jutted from the frozen creek. “These rocks are what inspired our namesake,” he offered informally to the youth.
The male was quiet for only a moment before stating what he believed, and the tawny male gave a nod of acknowledgement to his words. Should the youth firmly believe that, then Ruiko held no reason to doubt him; after all, it sounded like he only got the short version of the story that was Kashikoi’s past. His own youth had been a content one, fulfilled with family and as much love as any pup could hope for. His youngest siblings could not say the same, and at times Ruiko wondered how different they would be had Riahel and Lani raised them rather than Indru and himself. Would Borlla have stayed? Would Kinis have exuded more confidence? Would Triell feel more at peace with the world and in place in it?
Ruiko’s tongue licked his dry lips before stopping just before the creek edge. Bending down, the regal male quenched his thirst from the water with a few quick laps before pulling himself straight once more. Lifting his muzzle, his bright eyes fell upon the youth before stirring back to the rocks, water droplet’s forming upon his chin and dripping down to the winter ground. “Just rocks,” he answered, holding back the amusement he felt at the question. “The color likely comes from the mountain not far away, the minerals that forged these rocks.” Pausing, the male gave a light nod before trailing along the creek edge, his eyes shifting to fall upon the steep slope that began the mountain. “That is the Mountain of Dire,” he rumbled, his paw steps slowing. “There was once a pack that lived in its heights called Midnight Plateau.”