Swift River dividing soldiers from the fishermen

<i>Clear — Current Temperature: 32° F/0° C </i>

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. And there was the river. The swift river. With a half-heard keen Ice turned his back on it and padded the other way, his breath misting into the already moist air. It rose in puffs in pace with the heaving of his sides, and despite the relatively cool temperature he let his jaws hang open. Ice had thick fur, and had been walking for quite a while, so there was no chill in his muscles. With something akin to a sigh, the large male gave his head a shake and rolled his massive shoulders, and padded across the ground. Dead leaves made a thick carpet, covered in a thin blanket of snow. It'd been warm for a couple of days, but now it was getting cooler again, and he was thankful for it. Ice loved winter, especially nights when the sky was inky black and the stars cool, cold dots. Now, however, it was afternoon and a pale sun in a pale sky sent spears of light down through the naked branches. He guessed this place was rather awesome in summer, but right now it was as barren and desolate as any other forest. Someone of the pack ought to be close by. Corinna had led him here and he'd promptly taken up hiding on the borders or lurking in the Wildwood. Social interaction had never been his forte, for his tongue tripped up in his mouth and he said all sorts of weird things. Dimly, he recalled calling Corinna "sir" at one point, and grimaced. His body knew how to interact, and when faced with situations of body language it interjected appropriate thoughts and behaviors into his conscious - but most of the time, he was left confused as to why things were that way. But, he guessed that they just were, and had tried to accept it. But for once, his thoughts strove deeper, and in a fit of brooding he'd wandered straight into the main den site, and nearly into the river. Without even one of his characteristic yelps or sideways glances at the deadly water, he'd just turned the other way and begun to paw it the way he'd come from. Physical motion gave motion to the mind, and somehow his thoughts seemed different when he moved. It was like getting a whole new perspective on things. Another sigh escaped him and he paused for a moment, his large frame still, like a sentinel, and he cocked his head. It was rather queer, to be part of a pack and yet unknown to them - he liked to imagine that he still smelled faintly of Indru, and more of the random scents he'd picked up in this place, but little of the individuals. After all, at any sign of company, he'd melted away, too shy and terrified of making a fool of himself to really dare open up to them. Frustrated, Ice tossed his head to the side, snarled, and lunged at a particularly mocking branch lying on the forest floor. It was with a rather startling speed that he exploded towards it, picked it up - it crunched in his jaws, but he didn't break it - and flung it aside. It bounced against the floor and he growled at it, dipping down his chest until his fur teased the ground; hips up, tail swaying, he engaged the inanimate object in a rather one-sided play. Action drove the troubling thoughts from his mind, and with another growl rumbling deep in his chest and his lips peeled back to bare his strong teeth Ice lunged at the fallen branch, his paws pinning it to the ground as he savaged it with bite after bite. It was nothing short of a wonder that he got no splinters piercing the flesh of his mouth. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Afternoon, for Indru at least, always seemed like the slowest part of the day. The activity and hustle and bustle of the morning passed and it often just felt like a waiting room for the evening, when the night would re-energize the pack once more and bring them closely together in gatherings in the dusk. It was a thrilling feeling, the darkness enveloping them, and so rather than patiently snoozing his afternoon away Indru felt unrest and unease in his eagerness for the day to pass.

Coming from the western side of Relic Lore, Indru had made a quick, loose patrol of the pack's boundaries before he entered the lands, checking the strength of the scents it was his duty to leave behind (along with those of his pack), taking comfort in the unyielding, musky scent that clung to the trees and spoke of the strength of the pack. He had been content—his scent was clearly dominant and Corinna's own had under-currented it, complimenting his own and showing the unity between the leading pair. Sharp, short growls echoed towards Indru as he neared the centre of the territory and though his ears twitched with curiosity he felt no concern—the scent of Ice's recent passing hung clear in the air, his own intermingled with the male's as a leader's should be, along with Corinna's own perfume. Frustrated, Ice? The lead male chuckled, his posture and expressions friendly, yet even so he instinctively rose his tail and head in a pose to mark his rank, his eyes watching the male expectantly as he waited for the counter submission.

Perhaps, he began after the wolves had greeted, a mischievous smirk on his face, you should fight someone your own size, Ice... Me, perhaps? With a playful growl Indru adopted the age-old play bow; resting the front on his body down onto his elbows, his rump held in the air with his stretched hind legs, though he kept his tail erect as a flag pole as he waved it, a clear sign he was still dominant in this game as he waited for the wolf to respond.

Kala shivered slightly as a cold winter wind buffeted her fur. Frost was beginning to set in over the forest. It was another cold winter afternoon. The winter sun was pale in the gray sky. The cold bit at her paws, but she continued on. She was getting to know the territory, having already explored Bramble Falls. The Falls were definitely beautiful. She liked seeing the silver cascade crash downward and onto the rocks at the bottom. The river was freezing, but it still provided cool refreshing water for any wolf.

Kala 's ears perked as she heard the sound of a wolf scuffling somewhere nearby. Curiosity got the best of her and she went to check out what was going on. Kala slithered through the undergrowth. Frozen leaves were crushed underneath her paws. Kala detected a wolf scent before she found the wolf. She saw a young wolf pacing around with an angry expression. It was a male with the scent of Swift River upon him. Kala watched as he stood still for a few moments. Kala could tell he was deep in thought. Then a caprice occurred as the wolf suddenly attacked a branch. Kala observed with an amused gaze as the wolf tore angrily into it. She wondered why he was so angry. It wasn't any of her business, but Kala was still concerned. She walked towards him while thinking of something assuring to say.

Then Kala smelled another wolf approaching. This wolf also held an air of authority. Kala wondered if this was another leader of Swift River. She turned to see a dark furred wolf approaching them. Kala bowed her head respectfully and introduced herself. "My name is Kala. I'm the newest pack member." She saw the wolf raise his head in a gesture of dominance. Kala lowered her head and bent into a submissive gesture. After greetings were made, Kala straightened herself out and watched as the dark furred wolf spoke to the first one, which she now knew was called Ice.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. It actually felt good to break the stick between his jaws, all the power of a full-grown wolf's jaws going into cracking it like bones were cracked after a hunt. Somehow, it was soothing to feel the power of the body, to find comfort in knowing his own strength - and proving it. In a sense it might be strange, but to so completely demolish something was soothing. After all, he could hardly crack the bones of his pack mates, and hunting small game... well, they didn't put up the same sort of resistance as an old, thick dry branch did. With growls escaping him as he made kindling of the branch, Ice continued to worry it and worry less about himself. Things happened, to ponder and brood didn't exactly solve the problems. Drawing his lips back in a truly aggressive gesture, he pinned the mostly dead branch's largest whole section between his large paws, and had just locked his jaws around it when one - no, two - scents hit him. Ice froze where he was, silvery eyes shooting up as he scanned the grove around him. One of the scents he wasn't so familiar with, knowing only that it carried Swift River as its trademark, and the other - well, that was Indru. Feeling rather foolish with his frozen posture and a freaking stick between his teeth, he flinched and spun around when he located the leader. There was nothing excessively filiopietistic about the meeting ritual of wolves - it simply was. Even as every thought roared to life in Ice's head, bombarding him with the question of why, the large wolf sunk down. His ears fell back, eyes averted themselves, and still with the branch in his jaws he sank down, nearly onto his belly - and his unruly tail promptly disappeared from view. Quickly, he glanced to the side, to the other wolf - ah, a young female. For a moment, his mind clamored at him again. How the hell does one act when there's one wolf you want to absolutely crawl around whenever in the presence of, and one you want to stare down? Sighing to himself under his breath, Ice let go of the branch and began to stand up again, his posture neutral - lower then Indru's, but a certain edge to it to mark his superiority over the yearling female, Kaala. Then things began to happen quite fast. Indru was dropping down in a play-bow, and for a moment Ice felt astonished - something that was, perhaps, a testament to his rather solitary upbringing. Then, he threw a quick glance at Kaala, before following Indru's example. Briefly he wondered if Kaala would dare to join them, or simply watch. Perhaps it wasn't fun to be mauled by two large males, but hey! A wolf's life is rough, and Ice didn't plan on treating any of his pack mates as he had that branch. With a grin that carefully covered as much of his teeth as he could, he bowed down and felt his chest nearly touch the ground. Being of a similar size as Indru and in a very similar position, it was hard to not sink down any lower with the hips, but his tail was effectively signaling his submission by having a rather low, though waving, tail. For a moment he held still in that position, feeling his pulse pick up in anticipation. He wasn't entirely certain he dared to do a full-out mock attack, but after holding still for a moment, his nose dark and twitching, he bounced forward a little bit, still bowing, watching, waiting - waiting for Indru to really start it. .ice aesir

I'm not 100% on wolf greetings yet, so blame any oddness on Ice's general oddness ;D
I also found this when looking for videos of wolves playing. Isn't it the most adorable video ever? ;~; <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOuYikjfSiI' target='_blank'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOuYikjfSiI</a>

let the stars above shine in your soul

A female approached not long after him and after a glance in her direction Indru's attention settled once more on Ice, his muzzle curling into a very wolfish grin as he watched the light furred male copy his posture—with a few adjustments to mark his lower rank. Curiously, and perhaps in a slightly (friendly) vindictive way, Indru waited and he watched Ice with a small amusement, the other male's surprise soon vanishing into anticipation. Ice hoped forward, and Indru uttered a quick barking growl in response, his raised waving tail still showing his good intentions and shuffled lightly on his paws. Then, deciding he had let the male stew long enough, he leapt up and bounded forward towards him as quick as he was able.

It was nice to tussle with a wolf more similar to his size for once, opposed to his delicate Corinna who he was always wary of hurting and of course his cubs, which he could easily squish if he was not careful. While he and Ruiko had once used to brawl rather often (and not always quite as harmlessly as this) it had been a while since and Indru had missed meeting a similar sized individual and not having to worry about leaving injuries easily. With a growl Indru snapped gently at Ice's ears, hoping to give them a quick tug as he whipped past, his real intent being to barrel into him and try and grip his scruff and turn the game into a bit more of a wrestle. Indru was always into those contact sports.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. It seemed the female was content to stay out of the fray, for she kept to the sidelines and watched as the two large males began to hop on their paws as if the ground was scorching hot. Ice's eyes were bright, mouth half-open, and he nearly decided to charge Indru himself when the larger male closed the distance between them. Light on his paws despite his weight, Ice braced himself and leaned forward, expecting an impact that was overshadowed by the sharp pain of teeth on his ear. Giving something halfway between a yelp and a play-growl Ice rocked back a little, absorbing the shock even as he aimed a nip towards Indru's furry shoulder. Most thoughts of rank faded away as his mind lost itself in the simple pattern of moving - playing. How strange a concept after years as a loner. Teeth found something akin to a grip on his scruff, albeit a shifty, crooked grip. A momentary fear gripped him, entire body tensing up for a split second before his reeling thoughts came back into some semblance of normality and reminded him it was only Indru, only play... Another unconvincing growl slipped out from his chest as he ducked his head, trying to tear free of Indru's grip even as he attempted to shove his head in under his chest and push against him. If Indru wanted contact, he'd get contact, and Ice would have to trust his body to know how to play nice. He doubted he could, even unknowingly, do serious harm to Indru, but the patterns of play were somewhat unfamiliar to him - though, now was as good a time as any to learn them. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

He felt retaliating teeth against his shoulder in response to his ear tug, but with his memento carrying him past Ice's teeth they did little to slow him down and merely ended up as a nip against his thick fur. Indru's intended target was a success and he growled in a playful delight in between a mouthful of Ice's thick fur, mindful even in play not to keep too hard a grip as to cause his packmate any pain. The white male dipped his head forward to try and escape Indru's teeth and with his soft grip (so not to hurt) he offered little resistance and released a bark of breathless laughter as he felt the fur pull from his muzzle.

As he felt Ice begin to shove against him Indru leapt to his feet, effectively removing any resistance, and instead tried to clamber over the male to enable himself to stand over the top of him and give himself an advantage. Normally this gesture was a dominant one, used both to reassure and to give discipline, but instead this time it was intended purely in play.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Fur slipped through his teeth as his muzzle slid past Indru's body and into the free air once again. No surprise there, still it felt good that his nose had briefly bumped against the solid form beneath before slipping away. Soon enough the light grip on his scruff was released, and even though Indru loomed near and could likely re-attach himself any second, it felt as if all the light and space was allowed back into the world, a shuddering exhale of relief leaving the paler male's body. The air tasted sweeter, the snow was brighter, the winter birds sung their songs in stronger voices - and he could breathe, breathe freedom. It was freedom of an excessively short-lived brand though, for Indru took the moment to remove himself from Ice's pushing head and to rear up over his subordinate. With a playful growl Ice shuffled sideways across their irriguous home turf, but still the tawny male landed across his hips and Ice grunted as he paused, spreading his weight to accommodate Indru's added weight. Stupid his mind muttered, for even though this was just play, the experiences could easily be useful in a real fight. In a real fight, Ice wouldn't want someone lying across his hindquarters, and with a rumbling growl that betrayed a little of his inner annoyance but still being only a mock-growl Ice twisted sideways and snapped in the air towards Indru's front legs, before trying to twist away enough to send the other male back to the ground. Chances were he wouldn't let go, though... .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Success thrummed through him as he felt himself land on Ice as even in play Indru couldn't his slight competitive streak coming out—especially fighting with a similarly sized opponent. He and his brother Ruiko had whittled away the days in similar duels, most being as playful as this but something with a more darker and determined intent, under the guidance of their father and uncle. It felt good to test himself again and besides it wasn't a bad idea to play fight your pack members, if anything happened which required the pack to be defended they'd work better together knowing how each other fought.

Though Ice grunted under his weight, Indru know that it would be unlikely to wind or damage him as it would a more commonly sized wolf, but even so he pushed his legs apart to take some of it off his pack brother, it was play after all and he didn't want his family hurt. He felt Ice twist suddenly sideways (perhaps easier now with less weight on him) and then snap at his front, feeling the teeth tug at his fur and grab a hold of his shoulder, but the teeth caused no more damage than any of Indru's playful snaps had. Indru shrugged his shoulders trying to dislodge the hold Ice had, hoping the softer hold would perhaps make it harder to hold on, and continued to wiggle forwards to plant himself more firmly, slowly controlling the more weight he added back onto the white male, give up yet, Ice? Indru laughed, though it was good naturedly and the playfulness was still clear in his voice. However, though success felt near, Indru was not stupid enough to be careless, too many times he had asked Ruiko for submission and soon found his brother had a burst of energy, so instead while he waited Indru kept his legs tense and strong, trying to hold his weight steady on the very top of Ice's back.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Again the tawny fur came between his teeth, but this time he had more to hold on to. Still, it wasn't a comfortable position with his neck twisted like that, and as Indru began to shrug, he let it go without a fuss. Though... damnably enough, Indru had a good grip on him, effectively holding him in place as he began to put more weight on the lower River wolf. Thick and sturyd as he was, Ice didn't have any problems carrying both of their weights, simply spreading his legs and bracing, but it limited his options and movements. He gave another grunt, toying with the idea of just falling over on his side and declaring it a loss on his part, when Indru made the mistake of speaking. The playful voice danced about Ice's ears, and he gave a short bark of laughter in return. "Never!" he shot right back at him, the playfulness evident in his tone despite his defiance. Though, part of him wondered if he was stupid for "challenging" Indru's dominance, even in play, but he shoved that part aside. If it truly bothered Indru, he'd probably just chew Ice up, and all would be well again. Instead, he decided to try something. If it went to hell it did, and Ice would be beaten and no one would be said. If it worked, it'd just be fun. Grinning smugly, Ice swung inwards, towards Indru, as fast as he could in an attempt to get more or less head on. His scrabbling paws tried to get firmly onto the ground as often as possible in order to hold both of their weights and not collapse, legs quivering with the static tension of his position. With Indru's front legs up on his back he'd not have much of a resistance there, and if his leader had quick enough footwork he'd be able to stay on top of Ice, either from the side as previously or across his head, but if he hadn't, chances were he'd slide off... Still with a grin, Ice tried to thrust most of his head and shoulders in under Indru's chest, intending to barrel in under him and fling him off. It was sort of now or never, for despite his strength, his tense muscles needed blood in order to keep functioning, and the static pressure was building up. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul