Sacred Grove Can't get you off my skin

<blockquote>Enough was enough. He needed time to heal, food to eat and someone to talk to. Rhysis might not be a social creature, but instinct told him that being alone for much longer was going to tip him over the edge. His hunting had been a little off lately, despite the increase in prey. With an injury to his front leg and a cut to the back pad he’d been getting more and more frustrated. Whilst the injuries were not serious and were healing nicely, he was beginning to feel the effects of little food. Winter had only just left the land, he was still under weight and hunger pangs had been gnawing at him for the last few days.

He had little choice where to try his luck. Copper Rock Creek were on high alert for him. Thanks to Kanosak’s warning, he had abandoned his plans to join them for now and made certain that if he ever bumped into Rolu again he’s shred their pelt from their still living body. Grizzly Hollow was where Valiant was hiding, biding his time and building his strength. It might have made more sense for him to try his luck there but instead he had found himself drawing closer and closer to the Swift River lands. He supposed there were two main reasons for his choice- Triell and Naira. Triell had been his lifeline this winter. Without him disclosing the location about the beavers, Rhysis wouldn’t have made it through the winter. The young black wolf may not have known it, but Rhysis was very much in his debt.
Naira on the other hand was still a mystery to him. All he knew was that after their last meeting, where he had shouted and ran, he couldn’t get her out of his head. Her scent clung to him, much stronger then ever and he was powerless to follow it. He had deduced that his innate instincts were the cause. His mind may be a powerful tool, but his body couldn’t be forgotten and instinct had never led him wrong before. He did want to see her again. It took a while for him to realise that, but he had decided to stop denying what his body obviously wanted. He didn’t have to touch her... but he could still be in her presence which may help quash the yearning in his stomach each time he was reminded of her.

So, he had spent the morning making final preparations to leave his beloved den. It was a shame to leave the felled log. It had been his shelter from the cold all winter and the woods were so natural to him. In his head however, he knew that the logical step required the support of a pack to continue. That is what he was telling himself at any rate and as he drew ever closer to the borders, he couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. He wasn’t sure what it was about the area, he’d never been here before, but it felt as if the very earth beneath him was humming. Radiating with life, energy and each step he took, well each step and half a limp, felt more and more inviting. Maybe this hadn’t been such a bad idea.

He reached the boundaries of the pack lands. It’d taken longer then usual but with carrying two injured legs the trek had been a little difficult. Still, he was a determined wolf and nothing had slowed him down... when he had smelt Naira in the air he couldn’t help but increase the pace. He had decided before he came here to just ignore what his brain was telling him, go with his gut. With a final deep breath of freedom, the lanky black wolf tipped back his head and released a soulful howl. With any luck... someone would be here soon.
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(This post was last modified: Mar 15, 2012, 08:53 AM by Rhysis.)

<blockquote>She hadn't strayed too far from home since her ramble to pedestal rock, significantly decreasing the chances she might run into the younger black male. It seemed like every time she wandered from her home she ran into the wolf regardless of what direction she travelled. The memory of that night still puzzled her. Thankfully she had made it home without the silvery male Valiant on her trail and was still thrashing emotionally about her now third encounter with Rhysis. She had been grateful for the help, but was sure she could have managed by herself, and his dismissal of her as merely being too important to her pack had cut her.

She just wanted to curl up in her den and hide until breeding season was over, then she could go back to being her usual level headed self. But even there she couldn't escape the thoughts, the little yellow flower, now beginning to shrivel and dry was still amongst the tangled roots that made the roof of her den come infirmary. However, if she gave into her wants, well she wouldn't be a very good second, and so here she was yet again, sulking by herself as she patrolled the borders, stopping her and there to venture further out and check for strange scents. So far it was all clear.

The tawny lady continued to casually lope along and daydream when she was interrupted by a familiar howl. She took a moment to stop and assess if it had been actual or imagined, then deciding to err on the side of caution she picked up her pace as her heart skipped a beat. Slowing as she came close to the source of the howl, her nose was assaulted with the familiar scent, her ears flicking forward with interest. Should she approach? Really? Well why not? She had never had to deal with such uncertainty before and it put her on edge. It was one thing to run into a wolf on unclaimed land but to have one come howling at your door? Why was he here? She distinctly remembered him saying he was perfectly happy on his own...

Enough delaying the inevitable. She walked forward, head up and tail high, after all, here she <i>was</i> the second. Her eyes squinted a little as the darker male came into sight. <b>"What is it you seek here?"</b> she questioned formally with a hint of suspicion. She <i>had</i> torn his friend up fairly well on their last encounter after all.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Mar 15, 2012, 11:43 AM by Naira.)

<blockquote>His nose was the first to detect her scent upon the breeze. The weather was peaceful today, cloudless and warm, but even though the wind meandered through the forest at a casual pace, her aroma was unmistakable. Rhysis didn’t know if that was because her scent had clung to his dark body since their last encounter or if it was just coincidence that he managed to detect her so far away. He didn’t want to dwell on the facts, he had to get focused and it wouldn’t be long before she came upon him. He knew she was coming closer, first the smell and then his ears picked up her footfalls gliding across the humming forest floor. Rhysis wasn’t afraid of seeing her again, he knew too well that he was going to go a little funny, probably do or say something stupid as soon as she came into view but he was going to hold himself together for the time being.

Time seemed to stand still as the female broke free from the forest and his grey gaze settled on her. She seemed devoid of any emotion. Normally she seemed a little happy, perhaps chirpy when they met but today she just seemed numb. The words she then spoke surprised him a little. Unlike Rhysis, she clearly hadn’t got over their last encounter. He didn’t really understand what had happened or how they ended up leaving on bad terms. He hadn’t had a chance to find Valiant since the scuffle and hoped he was well, but he knew the fluffy wolf would sort himself out and next time they met they would be on level terms... hopefully. What he hadn’t anticipated was how badly it would effect her. Sure, he shouted at her and ran away, again, but that was normal to him. Bad tempers was all he knew and he couldn’t understand why she had a reason to be so cold towards him. That was life, you had a fight, you move on... of course, that didn’t apply to his sister but that was another story.

<b>”What do I seek?”</b> he asked with a quirked brow. Her formal tone was so unnatural to him. She was usually chipper and making jokes, smiling. Instead, here she was showing her dominance and treating him like a complete stranger. He didn’t know whether to apologise, find humour in it or just be blunt about her attitude. <b>”Since when do you speak like a Lady?”</b> It was a feeble attempt at a joke, but as soon as it slipped past his lips he was reminded of his conversation with Kanosak, in which he had learnt that females sometimes took things the wrong way. Shit.

He offered a toothy smile then, trying to enforce the humour in what he said. Yup, there it was. His cold, hard manner vanished and he turned into a smiling, joking moron. Friggin’ female was going to be the death of him.
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<blockquote>Inside her was an emotional tornado, threatening to rip her apart. She didn't know whether to race up to him affectionately or chase him off, but she kept her conflicting emotions from her face. She wouldn't let her hormones get the better of her here, and keeping her space would play in his favour if he planned on asking one of the leaders to join. The first few moments dragged out almost awkwardly and when he finally responded, she didn't know whether he was joking or if she should be offended. With his awkward toothy smile though, she knew he was making an attempt at humour and she couldn't keep the quirk of a smile from the corners of her mouth.

<b>"Did your friend make it to a healer before he bled out?"</b> She questioned, still a little cautious if smug. He seemed to have put the little incident behind him so she had to assume his friend was ok, but on her pack borders was the last place she would have expected to find him unless something was terribly wrong. He didn't seem the sort to change his mind on such a huge decision... But who was she to make assumptions? She hardly knew him after all... or at least that was what she had to keep telling herself if she was going to remain impartial.

Her tail began to drop, a small wag causing it to wave from side to side. His scent, his voice... despite what her head was telling her, subconsciously it calmed her and completely by chance encounters, he was the wolf she had gotten to know the best since she came to these lands. Given the period of their separation, she probably knew him as well, if not a little better than her own brother.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Rhysis released a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding whilst waiting for her to reply. As the tips of her lips moulded into a little smile he felt himself relax. He might not been off the hook completely with her, but it was something and her frosty countenance had slackened slightly. He supposed he was grateful for the distance she kept between them. She seemed to silently understand that he appreciated his space, but that is what made the fact that she decided to lick him that little more significant. She knew his boundaries and she crossed them, so for the moment, he was appreciative that she kept back a little. Besides, he had hoped one of the pack leaders would arrive soon and it wouldn’t look very proper if they were too familiar with each other.

He shook his head in response and then shrugged his bony shoulder awkwardly. <b>”I haven’t seen him since... but I’m sure he’s fine. He deserved a knocking. His ego was getting way out of control.”</b> he said simply. It was true. Valiant would meet his match one day. There were only so many hearts he could break before he would get his comeuppance. Rhysis believed in Karma and one day it was going to come back and bite in him the ass... or the side.

Slowly, awkwardly and a little painfully he shifted to lower his rear to the ground. The cut on his back paw had healed nicely but was still a little sore in places, the main issue at the moment was his front leg. The joint at the bottom had been injured during a recent scuffle and whilst the skin had healed nicely, it still felt sore to put too much weight on it; thus he held it up off the floor even as he sat down. He was just fortunate that the injuries he received when he went swimming with a bunch of logs and debris hadn’t caused anything more serious then a few bumps and bruises and those were all but gone now. <b>”So... what would you say if I said I was thinking about joining your pack... if they’ll have me of course.”</b> he said with a tilt of his handsome head.
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<blockquote>He was clearly sore and she itched to tut over him and give him something for the pain but it wasn't her place. Yet. He had already called for the leaders, so she would not howl again. She was sure Corinna would be along shortly, perhaps even the ever illusive Indru and then when he finally voiced his intentions, her more usual cheeky smile crossed her face. <b>"I'd say you'd best have your speech worked out, mind your manners and be prepared to be rubbed up on... or had you forgotten that part?"</b> she teased with a small giggle. Scenting was probably <i>the</i> most important part of being accepted into the pack, it was the way the other wolves would know you belonged without needing to hold a pack meeting each time a new wolf was accepted.

<b>"Just don't go latching onto any ears ok?"</b> she continued to tease. She remembered the night with perfect clarity and as if to reinforce the fact she hadn't forgotten, she twitched her now healed ear to shoo a particularly annoying fly. Inside she was laughing. She managed to keep it from her voice but not her eyes. She could still detect faint traces of herself on his coat but then again, this time of year always made her feel particularly rancid. Even if it wasn't offensive to most, she prided herself on being clean, and in her mind she would never <i>smell</i> clean in spring. </blockquote>

<blockquote>He felt his skin prickle at the thought. He knew it was coming. His pack may have marked a wolf with violence and scars, he knew things were more peaceful here and a simple flank to flank contact was going to be needed. He didn’t like the idea, in fact he felt a little sick thinking about it in too much depth, but he knew that this was the best option to get himself sorted. He could manipulate any other wolf, so why not himself? He took a deep breath and shrugged. <b>”It’s either touch someone or starve to death.”</b> came his matter of fact response and a shrug. He tried to be cool about it, even though he knew that she was well aware of his little condition and that he was going to find it harder then he was letting on. It just had to be done.

At the reminder of his little nibble he glanced to her ear, the one he had been chewed on, he felt a little pang of something, but wasn’t too sure what it was. <b>”I’m prepared for it this time...”</b> he said with a another awkward shrug. <b>”And I doubt your leaders will turn around and lick me either.”</b> he said with a quick glance back towards her, still unsure as to what that was all about. He’d never seen such an action before. There was something in his mind, imprinted in his brain that said it was a natural thing, but that didn’t mean he understood it. He never seen it, never been taught it and to him, it was just strange.

<b>”Do you think they will like me?”</b> he asked, a little childlike in the way his expression flashed a brief glimpse of uncertainty. He knew he had a lot to offer a pack, he was a fearsome warrior, able mind and he’d keep his loyalty here until he was healed up. There was never any question about his pack loyalty, but it was going to be hard to keep himself on track. When he had thought about joining Copper Rock Creek he knew that he had to be on his best behaviour, all smiles and make friends with everyone but now he had a change to just relax, to be himself a little more. Maybe not all of himself, that wouldn’t work, but so long as he didn’t have to watch what he said and did too much he knew it would be much easier to fit in here... no matter how long his stay might be.
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<blockquote>She had been concerned about his weight the day of the dam collapse, and now she looked closer, he hadn't improved any since. She had almost considered trying to drag him back that day but she was so new to the pack she didn't think it was her place.

At his aversion to licking she once again questioned his past. She was sure she would get to the bottom of it one day, but today was not the day. Where she had grown up, licking was a common greeting, particularly of one higher ranked than themselves. Thankfully she had grown more used to physical contact since joining the River pack and was less inclined to lash out when someone unexpectedly came close. There were constant brushes and nudges in greeting, and it helped to reinforce the pack scent. She once again questioned whether he was truly prepared for the change he was potentially about to encounter.

She was taken aback by his question about whether he would be liked. Her brow furrowed in confusion. It was never really a question to her whether or not someone was liked, but whether or not they were useful and tolerable. <b>"Well, I like you, so I'm sure you'll be fine."</b> she admitted, even shocking herself a little. <b>"You have tried to save me twice now..."</b> she reflected with a small smile. She was still puzzled as to why he had on either occasion. Best not to dwell on it though. She found herself avoiding a lot of thoughts today...</blockquote>

<blockquote><b>”You like me?”</b> he asked, suddenly confused. He knew that they talked and worked together well, but he had never heard a wolf admit that they liked him. <b>”...Why?”</b> came his dumbfounded reply to the statement.

He glanced away as she spoke of his heroics. He might have bad blood but he knew the difference between right and wrong. He might not like females much, but he knew that what Valiant did do them was wrong. He might not be able to work out why, but his gut would always tell him what he should and shouldn’t do when it came down to it. He had saved her twice because it had been the right thing to do. He might not have understood why at the time, he might not even fully understand it now but he didn’t regret the decision to knock her off that collapsing dam or to jump in when Valiant over stepped the mark. He wasn’t sure if he would have done the same for any other wolf, but he didn’t dwell on that thought. He couldn’t allow himself to grow attached to any wolf, they would only cause him harm later on but he couldn’t deny the fact that he wanted to protect her from her own stupidity and from Valiant’s charms.

<b>”Well... if I hadn’t saved you we would have one less crazy female in the world. And we all know how much I need those in my life.”</b> he added with a low snort. However his luck had improved lately, he had no run ins with any other crazy wolves and he was beginning to think they had melted away with the snow- thank goodness!
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<blockquote>She shrugged dismissively at his question. He was smart, perhaps a little serious but that made it easier to tease him. He was a good hunter, and seemed to care enough to almost drown himself to stop her from getting her paws wet and stepped between her and his friend when things were getting out of control. She was in his debt for sure, but beyond that she simply enjoyed his company. <b>"You seem a lot older than you are, and you make me laugh. You're smart, easy to hold a conversation or hunt with..."</b> she shrugged again, looking over her shoulder and wondering where her leaders were.

He had referred to her as a crazy female once that she was aware of, and while yes, she had been foolish, she certainly thought herself a far cry from crazy. <b>"Could be worse..."</b> she muttered under her breath, remembering the wolf she had encountered that was having hallucinations about her dead family, and females weren't the only ones who were crazy around here. <b>"I've had my fair run in with nut-cases too..."</b> she sighed, remembering her encounter with Rolu and the way he had suddenly turned. She fortunately defused the situation but didn't feel comfortable counting him among her 'friends'. It was on that day that she first discovered pedestal rock. It seemed she was doomed to be attacked by males whenever she got near the place.

Mixed emotions had been dancing across her face during her little bout of daydreaming and she attempted to get her face back under control. She had forgotten to note in her little mental list that he was also observant and she silently cursed herself for letting her guard drop.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Mar 16, 2012, 02:32 PM by Naira.)