Mountain of Dire exploration for knowledge

The Leader strayed from his home less and less now; his duties kept him within the borders and when he was not marking or patrolling he was with his mate. Yet the numbers of the pack were growing, and in turn the regal male knew the pack food stores would need to be replenished faster than they were now, especially with spring and mating season on the horizon. With thoughts of the pack meeting that needed to occur, and a pack hunt, the tawny wolf began to scout the lands close to their home in search of prey worthy of a large hunt.

This brought him to the steep slopes of the mountain; Copper Rock Creek’s neighboring land that seemed to shield them from any eastern openings. The mountain, despite it’s dark secrets and dangers, acted almost like a guardian to the new pack, though there was still large predators to contend with upon the mountain’s slopes, and even the stray rogue that was looking for a quick escape from the rocky terrain.

With his nose pressed to the slick mud and snow on the trail he currently wove, the Tainn’s gaze fell upon hoof tracks. They were smaller in comparison to the elk and fallow deer he was used to sighting in the heart of Relic Lore, and the tawny male could only assume they belonged to a resident mountain goat of the mountain. Never having hunted such a creature in his lifetime, the large male prowled forward, his gleaming eyes cast upon the rocky terrain as he looked to spy one of the creature’s his father had only ever described to him.

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this Alone, she could not hunt large game on her own. But that did not stop her from searching the area for anything that might be weak enough for her to catch on her own. Rabbits and hares, of course. But occasionally a larger beast was injured or ill and therefore weak enough to take down. It rarely happened, but if there was even the chance then she was willing to take it. Of course, even an injured or otherwise weak animal could be dangerous and she had to be careful. After almost five years of life, the last year spent as a loner, Anyu was very well educated on hunting techniques. However, she had never seen the hoof prints of the animal that she was stalking now, and she couldn't even give it a name. If it had hooves then surely it had to be a prey animal, but what kind? Perhaps a small type of mountain-dwelling deer? It was too small for elk or caribou, that was certain. She sniffed at it lightly, testing the weak scent, which had been diluted by the mud and snow mixture in which she had found the tracks. Her white fur was covered in patches of mud and dirt, almost making her look pied. She hadn't bathed in some time, and there was a lot of mud thanks to some of the warmer temperatures the area had been having. She continued to study the tracks with her gray-green eyes, not sure if she should follow them or search for more well-known, easier game. She didn't notice that there was already a wolf following the tracks, or that he was headed in her direction.“Speaking.” i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

(This post was last modified: Feb 21, 2012, 04:42 AM by Anyu.)

His gaze remained steady upon the beast before him, studying the strange creature with mild interest and a sudden pang in his stomach. It was tempting for the male to test the prowess of the mountain goat, to see just how hard those horns could hit – yet his audacious attitude was lightened since he had met Aeylen, his desire to begin a family and grow old with his mate taking a portion of his reckless personality and burying it.

Lifting his muzzle to release a call to the pack – perhaps Kanosak, Kinis or Volkan would join him for a hunt, his peripheral vision was met with a pallid figure, and canting his muzzle slightly, Ruiko Tainn finally noticed the presence of another. It seemed her gaze was focused upon his meal’s tracks, and the regal wolf felt himself bristle at the possibility of a brawl over who would claim the beast for themselves. Releasing a low growl, his lips curled back threateningly, revealing both his presence and his intention to claim the goat as his own – though his sudden interruption of the silence notified the beast that it was no longer alone.

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this Anyu flinched at the growl from farther down the path and turned to face the sound, fear coursing through her for a moment because she had been so startled by the sudden noise. She calmed down quickly and turned to see what the noise had come from. Her eyes quickly spotted the larger male, who was obviously in much better condition than she. The mountain goat was well beyond her skills and physical ability right now; it wasn't not injured or ill from what she had seen. However, the reaction of this wolf made her feel as though she needed to defend herself. How could he not see that she was clearly unfit for hunting anything like the strange creature he was stalking? She drew her lips back, baring her teeth, and pulled her ears back against her skull. She lowered her head, but not in a submissive pose. Rather, it was poised as if to protect her vulnerable neck. Her tail was out straight and her hackles were raised. She let out a growl, slightly louder than his. She would not submit to some stranger on the mountain side. Loners were under the control of no one and, as a former leader, she would not be walked all over by someone who was potentially a loner. The thought occurred to her that he could be a pack wolf, similar to Indru, but even then, these were not his lands. She did not try to block him from his path to the goat, which was already aware that it had been followed because of the sounds from both herself and him. No doubt it would be gone very quickly. To her, that didn't matter. She wasn't strong enough to hunt it. She could be as loud as she liked. If he wanted to try to catch the mountain goat as it escaped, he could go right ahead. She wasn't about to stop him. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

The beast heard the rumbling growl’s from either wolf, and with an instinct that served its species well, it bounded up the mountainside, its hooves calculating each step with an ease that Ruiko could only ever hope to accomplish. The she-wolf’s threatening posture in return bristled the male’s hackles, and his eyes only momentarily followed the creature with disapproval.

The goat was gone, and Ruiko’s snarl only loudened, but now directed to himself than the she-wolf. Noting to take either Kinis or Volkan with him next time, the male began a loping prowl down the side of the mountain, his bright eyes now focused upon the loner who dare challenge his dominance. She was a scrawny thing, but that did not mean she was to be underestimated. Ruiko had witnessed wolves desperate enough for a meal to do almost anything.

He did not have to move far, his paws following the path with careful ease. Holding back the scowl that threatened to storm across his features, Ruiko gave an idle flick of his tail. “The mountain is a dangerous place for lone wolves,” he warned lowly, realizing the statement could have also been taken as a threat and yet not entirely caring.

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this Anyu watched as the loner moved closer, refusing to submit to someone who could well have been just another loner. He had no authority over her. But there was no anger and defiance in her eyes. All that showed in her gaze was her desire to move on and get away from there; she needed to either go back to her den or find something that she was capable of hunting. “The life of a lone wolf is dangerous,” she retorted, failing to filter out the irritation from her voice. She also backed up a step or two, keeping a steady posture but clearly not interested in fighting when she was in such a sorry state. “You'd have had that thing if you had left me alone,” she added in warily, stating in a vague way that she had not been interested in taking the hunt from him. It was clear that she was also challenging his foolish reaction when there had been prey around - prey that was precious in the winter months. Perhaps that more applied to loners, but she figured that it did apply to pack wolves to some extent. And he was clearly a pack wolf. He was not underfed as she and other loners were and she could smell other wolves on him as well. For some reason the scent was somewhat familiar to her. “Do you want something from me, or can I leave now?” she demanded, her voice still wary. He was a threat, and that was all she knew at that point. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

Sorry. He just wouldn't stick around and talk to a lone wolf he wasn't really tolerant of.. He's a jack ass like that. :\

The she-wolf blatantly refused to pay the male any respects – a rebellion that went against wolf law rather than pack law. As a dominant creature, the tawny male bristled at the she-wolf’s lack of care, more for herself than him. His eyes swept over the thinning creature without much thought to how the life of a loner was treating her; he had lived the lifestyle himself not many moons ago, though he had traveled with his companions.

“Rogue life must have made you crazed to believe you can take a mountain goat down alone,” he mused with his low rumble, his tail giving an idle flick. Perhaps he should have let the girl continue her way to the beast with a fierce kick and horns – it could have been rather amusing.
“I’m not sure why you’re asking my permission,” he responded darkly. With one last glance, the leader prowled around the she-wolf, his figure weaving his way down the path and toward home. For now, he was more interested in seeking out a hunting partner from his pack to come back and help him store the caches.

you come to me with scars on your wrist you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this Anyu snorted in response to the male. “I wasn't planning on taking it down.” She wasn't that stupid. But she had never seen a mountain goat (as he called it) before and she had been curious as to what it was or if it would be edible in the future. It had some nasty looking horns, but she felt that a couple of wolves could take the beast down. Determined to continue the conversation - though not sure why - she followed him as he headed down the mountain path, keeping a distance behind him. “You smell familiar. Like you belong to the same pack as Kano and Kashi,” she mentioned casually, simply saying what was on her mind. His scent was being blown back to her and she recognized the same scent of pack that had been all over the two males. “So you're a pack wolf. No wonder you seem to think you're so much better than me.” At this point she was just spouting off whatever was popping into her head with little discretion. But a feeling of longing suddenly filled her heart. She missed little Kashi. Perhaps if she followed this jerk then she could find Kashi somewhere nearby. i just came to say goodbye didn't want you to see me cry, i'm fine

No sooner did the regal wolf skirt around the girl than did his ears flicker back to the soft sound of paw pads. She stayed behind him, and his eyes cast behind his shoulder briefly to regard her as she spoke. The pale she-wolf mentioned Kanosak and Kashikoi – though he was not surprised, both were openly friendly wolves who seemed to make friends wherever they went. He did not respond to her statement – he did not need to clarify to the stranger where he was from.

Her next words stirred the male’s eyes to the sky in a roll, though it was likely she would not have seen it as she was behind him. “I thought you were leaving,” he queried darkly, uncertain as to why he had suddenly gained a follower. He also never made a move to correct her in her words – at this point right now, with her childish musings of requesting his leave and then blatantly stalking him down the mountainside, he did consider himself better than her. Such a sensitive little lone wolf, she was.

With those last rumbling words, the male cast the she-wolf one more glance before his prowl down the mountainside found him alone. It would seem she had left him alone after all, and swiftly, Ruiko made his way to his pack to seek a hunting partner.

(This post was last modified: Apr 21, 2012, 12:49 AM by Ruiko.)