Mountain of Dire mountain blues

<blockquote>The Mountain was as unkind as ever today. Summer sun beat down upon her black hide with few winds to divert the heat, despite the altitude at which the Poisoned Second-in-command was climbing. The easy path she had found in the springtime had been blocked by some recent rockfall. Ava considered merely taking the time to scale the blockage, but the strain would not be enough to satisfy her ache for hard work.

Ava had worn her depression like an <span class='word'>integument</span> before and while it did not make her <i>weak</i>, it certainly had grounded her to the Lost Lake. Her adventures had been far and few between, and border patrol consisted of just that - patrolling the border around their packland, which was just a sizeable selection at the bottom of the valley, not the mountains as she did like to pretend was their bounty as well. Her muscles, lean and solid from the constant mountain romps, had gone unused for too long. They desired to be tested once more, and an easy fall of rocks would not do the job. She turned her dark head to size up the unbeaten mountainside with hungry amber eyes, though it did not take long for her desire to become needy. An almost jovial snarl tore from her lips as she launched forward, away from the easy path and on to the treacherous terrain that made the high-rising Mountain of Dire.

With each push of her paws she felt the pull of physical limitation in her limbs but denied it. Mind over matter; and all that was on Ava's mind was regaining what she had lost in the weeks of drowning. No longer did she soak herself in such misery; now was the time for her stone-loving truth to fully shine. In all honesty there was no where Ava would rather live than the Lost Lake. No home could be more welcoming. No mountain could be more challenging. No water could be more sweet. This was where she belonged, always and forever. She was a shadow no more; now a black wraith, a tangible being that thundered through the protrusions and skeletal trees. A fiercer fire had never been lit in the depths of her stare as she wove through the mountainside, each step undeniably proud. This was what she lived for. And that, she would not forget again.
</blockquote>

art - threads

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 250px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Border patrol was highly mandatory in Poison Path since the pups were born, and he would do anything it took to protect his new family. He had yet to see young Ava since he joined the pack and he was hoping that soon he would see the young girl again. His path was leading him towards the mountains as he marked the boundaries, but another scent teased his nose. It seemed as if luck was on his side on this day as Ava’s scent slowly filled his senses. Her scent was barely there though, as if she had been moving fast. His eyes then scanned the area, until they made their way to find the large mountains. What was she running from? Was she in danger?

Ash instantly took off after Ava’s scent his green eyes darted around, looking for any sign of danger. His nose was working hard, tracking his pack mate carefully. It seemed she had indeed been climbing the mountains and Ash started the climb of his own. His muscles flexed beneath his pelt as he climbed the mountains, his now roughened paws moving easily over the rocky terrain. A snarl was soon echoing off of the mountains and Ash’s paw steps quickened. When he was on slightly even ground and could scent Ava again his jaws parted in a yowl, "Ava!" He called out in worry for his little friend. His nose was poked into the ground as he ran, only hoping he would find his pack mate.

If anything were to have happened to her, Ash would have felt terrible. He wouldn’t have found her in time, and Poison Path would have lost another trustworthy member of the pack. His own claws were gripping the hard ground, making his paws bleed. The thoughts that were coursing through him terrified him, and if anything had hurt Ava then he would tear them limb from limb until they would beg him for death. If something would have happened to the small black girl, he would not be happy, and neither would the offender if he found out who it was. His tail lashed angrily as his search continued for his pack mate.

<blockquote>The sensation of stone beneath her paws and wind against her dark face was almost overpowering enough to drown out the sound of her packmate's voice, but not quite. Through the mountain top she heard her name, shouted with an urgency she could not ignore. She swung her head to Ash's voice, squinting against the beating sunlight to try and find his brawny figure approaching. Her ample bounds came to a quick halt, tall legs trembling from all the effort she had miliseconds previously exerted. The rage of her muscles was easily ignored as her dark ears twisted and she fought the worry that began to knot in her chest.

Ava could smell him - he was certainly nearby - but there were rocks and protrusions and all kinds of winding loops on the path she had been taking. Her footsteps had been anything but consistent, so she understood that if he was trying to find her it would take quite some time to track her leaps and tumbles and spirals and turns. As much as she felt the magnetism of the unbeaten path on her black-pelted back, Ava could not ignore the call of her pack-mate. To make it easier on the both of them, she planted both feet firmly in the ground and angled her maw to the sky. In a clear, calm tone she called to him in response - making her location entirely clear and the status of her safety similarly so.

Then she dropped her head and awaited him, a quizzical gleam in her bright amber eyes.</blockquote>

art - threads

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 250px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">After many more moments of searching and turning up with nothing, a piercing call cut through the air. He knew in a moments notice that it was Ava’s voice calling out to him. His head turned back to where he had been headed and turned his body around with it. How odd. . .Ava must have been running an awful lot if her trail led everywhere. His mind was at ease, however, because her call had screamed safety to him. She was alright and she was nearby. The large brute’s body moved forward effortlessly as he made his way towards his pack mate. It was always good to see another, even though he hadn’t seen here since before he had joined. As he walked more thoughts whispered in his mind.

Why would Ava want to burn so much energy running, if she could have been hunting or watching one of the pups. His tail wagged slightly as the familiar, strong scent of the black female entered his nose. And soon enough the black angel came into view. She looked as though she had ran a marathon with the way her fur was sticking all over the place. His head tilted and his mouth opened as he asked a question, "Are you alright?" The question was not one of her well-being, for he could see that she was physically fine, he was just wondering, if in general, if something was bothering her or not.

<blockquote>It did not take the male long to find her location. Ava stood in wait for a short few minutes before the figure of Ash broke at her line of sight. He moved casually, now, as opposed to the urgency of his call, which struck her as odd. What had been so important before that was now of next to none? The confusion did not run her ragged, though, which lead her content to watch his approach in one of her first days free of depression. The easy wag of his tail was returned by Ava, a slim smile falling across her maw as she maintained composure while the heavy beating of her heart slowed. Then, just as kindly as he had come across her, he asked,

<i>Are you alright?</i>

It was a question to which she would have lied without a second thought, had this been any day in the month prior. It was the easiest to slip a false answer to - <i>yes</i>, such a simple word. One syllable, almost programmed with a monotonous tone to fly from between her teeth whenever the question was prompted. A lie, it had been, most always. The first law of survival was not to show weakness and admitting one's defeat was especially harmful to a lone wolf - and following that, Ava had desired with all of her heart to prove herself to Rhysis and Naira, and therefore she expressed great digression before divulging any of her problems. The Lady Gang was quick to form and it was easily dropped - but such a habit continued with those whose acquaintance she did not have well enough, such as Ash.

Amber eyes studied him closely for a moment, recalling how eagerly she had distrusted him before hand and how little Athena had cared at all for his familial relations. Whatever oddities he had displayed on their first meeting seemed to have disappeared. He seemed genuinely willing to work for his place in the pack and his question, simple question - are you alright? - had seemed honest as well. Ava had finally given herself another chance at this life - Ash would deserve the same.

Her pale smile growing, she nodded firmly and responded, "<b>Yes, finally.</b>" Her tone lacked the kind of attention-needy invitation to ask her what had been wrong purely so she could complain about her problems. Nor was it entirely a sound of absolute and utter relief. Rather, Ava's words came calm - she had accepted the tragedy and the sadness and lived through it and now, it was simply behind her. But the itch to move hadn't quite been quelled like her blackness had, and she turned away from the male slightly. With a raise of her chin and a little eye contact she begged the question - <i>walk with me?</i> and began again on the untamed trails of the mountain, though this time she adopted a leisurely pace.

Providing that he followed Ava would glance at him from the corner of her curious eye and return with a sly grin, "<b>And what of you, Ash? Enjoying the Poisoned life?</b>"
</blockquote>

art - threads

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable2.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top:10px; padding-bottom: 215px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;">

As he patiently waited for his answer, his tail twitched slightly as he watched the small girl. She was slightly bigger than Athena but much smaller than he was. When she finally answered his head tilted slightly at the answer. Finally. . . Finding some rest at peace, huh? It was a shame he had interrupted her, but he had been worried about the female and it was his role to make sure his new family was going to be safe. When she turned away from him, he assumed that she didn’t want to see him, but when she looked back at him, he took it as an invitation to go with her, and so he did. He followed beside her black form in a pace to match her own and he took his steps carefully on the mountains, his roughened pads allowing him no troubles as he walked. When he was spoken to, his large head trned towards his pack mate. How was he doing?

His throat cleared and his low voice rang, "I am doing quite fine. I have been given the role as one of the first guardian‘s in Poison Path." He spoke this with a straight face, his voice not giving anything away. He was not bragging, just stating simple facts to his friend. His tail wagged behind him slightly and his head turned back forward, voicing his own question, "I heard about your former leader‘s. . .how are you dealing?" He didn’t want to make the female edgy or upset her, but he was just generally concerned for her. He wasn’t sure if she welcomed that or not, he just wanted to show that he cared about how she was doing and that she did matter to him.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

<blockquote>While the majority of her patrols through the mountains were taken solo, Ava found it almost refreshing to have another body at her side. Everyone liked their me time - time for themselves and their thoughts, hashing out their troubles within their minds through the chilly foothills. Company, on the other hand, served a tangible purpose. How could you feel alone with another right beside you? It was a comfort, especially when one's thoughts began to overwhelm, and interestingly enough Ava found Ash to be a welcome addition to what was previously a soul-purging sprint through the Mountain of Dire.

"<b>Congratulations,</b>" Ava responded to his new title, the meaning of it genuine. When was the last time Poison Path had seen a wolf promise to protect and follow through? She could hardly remember. Athena was the last, actually, that she recalled having the desire to learn to fight and serve. Back then Ava had been soft - she did not wish to live to militantly, only desired to run and be free and belong and hunt. How times had changed, since then. But she did not remark so bitterly. Turns out for as enigmatic as he was, Rhysis had been right. A pack needed to be tight, to be close, to be protected. Ash was a blessing.

Of course, then he brought up their still-recent abandonment and Ava fell quiet. For a moment she considered lying. <i>I'm fine.</i> of course. <i>Never been better.</i> was another one she threw out every once and again. <i>This event has had no impact on my emotional or mental stability and I have gotten a good night's sleep every moonfall.</i> was probably pushing it. Of course, she had overcome the tragedy some short while before and now she waded through the aftermath. The black she-wolf had figure dout by now that she need not do it alone, but figuring out if she had any desire to speak of her innermost turmoils was another story.

But what was a family if they were not close?

Almost reluctantly the she-wolf divulged, "<b>It threw me, for a while. How two wolves who had pressed loyalty and service so relentlessly could just up and leave without a single word about it. I'm sure they had their reasons, but <i>fuck</i> their reasons. You can't just do that.</b>" Realizing her words were becoming more heated than she had intended she paused and let her fire-touched gaze rove the sky for inner peace. After a second, she continued. "<b>I'm no longer drowning in the disappointment and hurt of such a careless decision... but I suppose I might be a bit bitter forever.</b>" Yet despite her words, Ava could not help but allow a smile to tug on her lips. Nothing she could do about it, she supposed. They did what they did and she felt what she felt. Life was always changing, and yet so unchangeable - the irony.</blockquote>

art - threads

Sorry it is so short. :/( I feel like him giving you nothing to work with,.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable2.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top:10px; padding-bottom: 215px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;">

His paw steps became shorter as he walked beside Ava. Though she was much smaller then he, Ash was pretty sure she could beat his ass if she tried hard enough. His tense attempt at making sure she was alright had turned into a peaceful stroll on the mountains, and Ash couldn’t complain one bit. One of his favorite things about the mountains were the cold dry weather. They were on the rain shadow of the mountain, something Ash had been quite happy about, though the way Lost Lake had come to be was a complete mystery to him.

He nodded his head briefly as his companion as she spoke of congratulations to him. A small smile remained on his face, though a frown danced its way onto his face when she spoke again. His ears twitched as he listened, his lip slightly arching upwards when she spoke of the past leaders. Naira and Rhysis it had been. . .the names meant nothing to his mind besides now they were a danger to the pack and it would probably be wise to attack on sight. Though, he did not know what they looked like, it didn’t matter. Things would come around.

He snorted at her last words, his paws thundering heavily on the ground. His jaws soon opened though, wrong words escaping them, "You don‘t have to be bitter forever. There are things that can happen. Good things." His large shoulder muscles flexed beneath his coat, his canines flashing as the sun smiled down upon them. He averted his eyes from the sunlight and instead focused on his paws.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

<blockquote><i>Good things can happen</i>. For such a generalized statement it threw Ava for a good moment, pondering if such a blanket idea could really be true. After all, when was the last time a good thing had happened to her? Many months ago was the last time she could recall ever feeling joy truly lighting in her chest. Even though now she was far less unhappy than she had been, would she call this <i>happy</i>? Could she honestly say there'd been a <i>good thing</i> to come her way in any recent time? Ava immediately wanted to say no.

But she hadn't hauled herself out of the black lagoon just to dip back in.

At the very least she was alive, and well, in a pack with friends who worried for her sanity (with good reason) and wished her to be better. Athena and Chantille had been there from the very beginning - Treena was her friend, too, and now Ash was letting her know that he was no exception at all. Ava could not ignore that the family she had found high in the mountain was a good thing, indeed, even if it was all she had left. And it was her fault, really, that she had so little to her name any more. A self-placed exile did not find her on many adventures; if only she would finally suck it up and force a playful grin, would <i>good things</i> come around again? Probably, yes.

Ava sighed a little, mostly exhaling her own negatively, and pondered aloud, "<b>Sure, sure they can. It gets exhausting waiting for one to come around, but I suppose if I lower my standards I might be able to count a few more.</b>" A clean grin broke across her dark face, proving her humor might've been dampened but it still hadn't been drowned. Her smile waned slightly as her thoughts absorbed her for a moment more, amber eyes set dead-ahead at the rise of the trail. The world inside her mind was so different and yet out here the stone beneath her paws remained unchanged. It metaphorically and literally grounded her from what wilderness often overtook her within her head and the fire of her eyes ignited once again.

Then to prevent reabsorption of her physical presence into her wild world she prompted casually, "<b>I don't suppose you've heard anything interesting from beyond the Mountain?</b>" It'd been some time since she'd left her hole in the earth - as reluctant as she was to accept the change that had happened to her, she was quite curious as to the state of the others out there.</blockquote>

art - threads

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable2.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top:10px; padding-bottom: 215px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;">

His stroll with his partner seemed to be a long awaited one…he had not exactly been close to her when they had first met and if anything she had teased him. Though that was certainly not his thing, having others mess with him and him not able to do anything back. Now with their ranks of the same playful banter would be at every turn…perhaps even though some lone wolves every here and there. He would not let her fall, however, just as he would not let anyone else in Poison Path fall, they would all stand high and tall, proud to be in the family that they had been accepted into. Ash would make sure they would get their worth out of staying with them, as long as they did their work…by the end of the day some of them may even be bleeding, but it would always be for a good cause. Whoever joined their pack better make sure they had their priorities in check and know that they should die, if it should come to it, for their family.

His paws thudded heavily on the ground when Ava spoke to him, her sweet voice covering his ears. Green eyes quickly surveyed the area, not allowing him to miss an inch of land that they would walk on. Any danger he saw would immediately be reported to Athena…and, of course, a warning to Ava. Their pace was mostly even with one another, him making sure he never stepped a place out in front of her. His head was lifted proudly as the two wandered the mountains. When she finished speaking all he did was nod his head as they continued to walk, silence reigning over the two of them. When she spoke again, Ash’s ears flicked silently, wishing her could answer her question better.

Shaking his head, he sighed, “No… Sorry Ava, I haven’t left the territory much since joining…too busy with the boundaries and what not.” His tail flicked slightly, his back arching as he continued to walk. Perhaps one day he would accompany her on a hunt. He would offer the words up to her…but whether she would want his help or not remained up to her. It would surely help with the larger prey when it came down to the final point…and he felt he should mention that to her. Ava was a wise woman though and he knew all he had to offer was his assistance. ”If you ever want a partner for hunting I’m free to call…after I finish my border runs.” His last words were laced with amusement…but he was being utterly serious.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.