The Wildwood around the bend

Baron had been doing perimeters of his small piece of claimed land for the past couple days now, hoping to ensure that the other residence of the area were aware of his presence and would offer him some small form of privacy until curiosity got the better of them. He had marked out for himself almost a rounded triangle about a cluster of trees and his thicket near the water and slowly probed outward in search for prey, for other wolves, for anything to occupy his time.

Today he knew he would have to catch himself a meal or he felt he would go hungry another two days. For some time now his sharp, yellow eyes had noticed the progression of a mouse from the water to somewhere not far off in the wood and he followed it with interest. There was no way to be sneaky when such small prey was involved, they would feel the vibrations of his steps as he approached, so the Dryden boy hoped for one thing; pinkies or fuzzies to temporarily quench his appetite. He approached the small, straw nest low to the ground, his muscled shoulders rolling up and down with each step. The adults had already fled and he nudged at the nest with his moist nose, slowly breaking it down until his treat was revealed, licking them up quickly leaving him hungry once more.

The protein would give Baron a small amount of energy, more energy then he had before, and he would be able to go just that little extra further when chasing larger prey. He stood straight and shook his cream and black-gray saddled figure, cinnamon bordered eyes looking about with the peaked interest of his ears.

Baron had decided today that he would follow the river south, closer to the territory of the wolf pack he had chosen to live so near, to prove he was no threat. It was a slow progression, no show of strength or dexterity, but caution and respect as he grew closer and nearer to these strangers home.

(This post was last modified: May 25, 2012, 04:13 PM by Baron.)

Cali was growing a bit weary of her never-ending cycle of patrol, patrol, sleep, patrol. She really didn't mind the activity, but she really needed to break it up. It was a beautiful day, despite some clouds filling the crisp blue skies. The need to do something a bit more exciting to get her blood pumping became overwhelming. A hunt just might do the trick. She knew the borders of the Swift River pack well now, but she hadn't hunted more than the occasional squirrel or rabbit since she had arrived.

Cali wasn't familiar with where to find something a bit more entertaining to hunt, so she decided to seek out Marsh. It was strange, she was closer to him than any of the others and he'd never said a word to her. In fact, there closest interaction was their sparring match and that had not exactly been jovial. Nonetheless, she was on the lookout for the scarred male to see if he was in the mood for a hunt... <i>or something</i> to get her legs moving.

(This post was last modified: May 26, 2012, 07:04 PM by Cali.)

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

Some PP's of Cali done, let me know if it's too much, Jen <3 Didn't want to have to keep Mel waiting. If there's not enough to respond to, let me know, I can edit :D

<blockquote>It would not have taken long for her to find him, for Marsh's tracks were always strong and he never made any effort to hide his whereabouts. He needed to be easily locatable to all his packmates, after all, and any potential trespasser would <i>benefit</i> from the reminder that his scent would provide.

He had turned towards the sound of her approach, ears forward, and watched as she came to him and offered her respects. He accepted her presence without complaint, gently taking her muzzle in his own as affirmation of where they stood. It was a friendly ritual, one that spoke of his acceptance of her. She must know that he was pleased with her diligence; his actions spoke as loudly as her own.

He had been contemplating a hunt, and with the two of them... well, it was a nice opportunity to test her skills beyond sparring and defence of the borders, even if all they did was track. In his silent way he commanded her to follow, and together they made their way to the borders, where he stopped and stood for a moment, nose in the air. He was prepared to gesture for her to follow him once more when the nearby scent of a young male came to him, and he hesitated a moment longer, gauging its threat level. It was no strange thing to have wandered pass near the borders, but this was no totally strange scent, for he had noticed it lingering in this area for a few days. Not close enough to warrant concern (though he had made sure to patrol this area heavily) Marsh had let their lonely neighbour be, but perhaps now was a good time to investigate the boy who had set himself up so close by.

He glanced back at Cali, a wicked gleam in his eyes, and with a low, encouraging rumble in his chest, motioned them onwards. Crossing through the river with practised ease, he shook dry and then padded on, making to follow the direction that the young loner had gone - he was close, Marsh could sense it.</blockquote>

(Nope, not too much. You got it just right as to how she'd act!)


Cali was more than relieved to have found her target so quickly. Although it was an easy task, she was in dire need of a distraction. His greeting upon seeing her was less tense than it had been in the beginning and she took that as a sure sign that the silent male was pleased with her progress and behavior. As she had yet to run into Indru since joining the pack, this male's opinion mattered greatly to her. It seemed that she was slowly winning his respect.

He indicated that she follow him and she did not hesitate to do so. He led them towards the edge of the territory and she feared that it would yet again be a border patrol. Since he didn't speak, she had no way of knowing for sure, but she would always do as he asked. Just as she was resigning herself to a continued pattern of patrol Marsh paused and lifted his nose into the air. She shortly followed suit and detected the scent of a strange wolf. He was not in their territory, but he was near enough to be clearly located.

Just then Cali saw a mischievous look cross Marshes face. <i>Uh, ohh.</i> He gave her a rumble just prior to entering the river. Having no reservations, she followed closely behind him. She wasn't quite as ease in the flowing water as he seemed to be, but she managed. She'd only ever been in still water so the feel of the water gently tugging at her was foreign to be sure! When they reached to other side she was a bit behind him and got more wet as he shook. She shook herself but finished the motion a few moments later than he did. Meaning that she splashed him. She hung her head and gave him a sheepish look. <b>"Sorry," </b> she whispered. Then her attention returned to the scent of the stranger, her whole body at attention.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

Would you like to finish this thread anyway, with a hunt, or end it early and then have a more up-to-date one? <3 We could have 'em heading off to hunt and then fade to black, as it were... risqué implications aside xD

<blockquote>Her soft apology fell on deaf ears, for he was not precious about being splashed and had barely noticed. He had lived here far too long to care about a little water, after all. Subconsciously he shook again as he stalked, though the motion did not make it much past his shoulders, and then he was completely in business mode; that lingering scent needed to be investigated - and if necessary, dealt with.

Focused as he was, and as close as the boy was living, it did not take long to locate an extremely recent scent and follow it. He trusted Cali to be behind him, and spared not a glance to check on her as they moved.

The boy was rather careless, really, and it did not take long at all for the pair of Swift River wolves to catch up to him. Thin and obviously alone, it was confirmed that he was no threat, but when the yearling's instinct was to act defensively, Marsh decided that he would have no patience for the child; teeth bared and full dominant display offered, the boy decided that it was not worth it and decided to vacate the area himself. Almost instantly Marsh smoothed back to a more normal stature, snorting at the yearling's retreating rear, but the choice satisfied him. He would come here again later to make sure that their neighbour had gone for good.

Now they could get on with it. Licking his lips, he finally looked back to Cali, his manner casual, as if all of this was nothing to him - which it was not, really. Chasing away potential troublemakers was all a part of the deal. Now he was hungry, and fancied something fresh.</blockquote>

(Sure! A fresh thread would be fine!)

Cali was indeed right behind Marsh as he ferreted out the scent of the young male. He hadn't trespassed, but he had camped out awfully close to the borders and there were pups on the way. Had he wanted a home, he would have sought out a pack wolf and not squatted nearby. Once they came upon the young male, he made a quick exit before the aggressive older male and that was that. It was good to see Marsh in action and she caught a glimmer of satisfaction on his face. That was probably about a close to happiness as the male ever came, as far as she could see.

They watched the fading form of the young male for a moment together and she was fairly certain that he would not brave their borders again any time soon. Then she turned to Marsh, waiting for his next cue. While she was learning the ropes, she decided that sticking close to the stoic, experienced male was her best bet. As long as he would tolerate her presence, she would study his actions and behavior. She would never be like him, but she could certainly learn much from the older male.

Keeping silent, she waved her tail at him and waited to see if it was back to border patrols or if they might hunt together. That would be a nice change. She was getting a little tired of rabbits and squirrels and she'd not had the chance to hunt with others of the pack as of yet. Yes, a hunt would be nice!

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...