Cedarwood Forest vultures

<i>Can't seem to shake these vultures off of my trail. Power is made by power being taken, so I keep on running to protect my situation...</i>
-- John Mayer; <a href='http://youtu.be/L_zRDchkDXg' target='_blank'>Vultures</a>

<blockquote><i>Early morning/Middle of the Night; Clear; Current Temperature: 50° F/10° C</i>

Borden awoke with a start, immediately sitting up after stiffening his limbs, which had been flailing about as though he had been running away from something or someone. He held his breath in attempt to calm his drumming heart. Instinctively his eyes went to the den opening, straining to peer down into its depths and make sure Jaysyek and the pups had not been disturbed. For the time being, it seemed they were all right and he exhaled slowly in relief. He cast his eyes about the clearing, inspecting the rest of the pack, whoever had chosen to make a sleeping site close to the old bear den. Closing his eyes momentarily, he rose onto all fours then wearily dragged his feet toward the trees and away from the clearing.

At first his pace was leisurely, allowing himself sometime to fully awaken. Nightmares had been a near-constant in his life but for some time they had ceased. Tonight, though, they were different. Where the horrifying dream of dying under some masked wolf's silhouette should have been, a more paralyzing one had taken its place. Tonight, Borden had found himself fighting against a stranger with bright yellow eyes... His irises were so bright they seemed to glow in the dark, even as he eventually skid to a stop on the shores of the Iridescent Lagoon and stared up at the villain before everything went dark. The last thing that he could remember was the rogue whispering to him that his beloved daughters, even though all three were fully grown, were no longer safe... <i>without their father to protect them.</i> His left shoulder brushed against the side of a tree and he cursed under his breath. He took a second to regain his bearings and shake his head a second time.

His eyes had healed since his ambush on the reckless bobcat that had visited the territory a couple of weeks ago but the scratching of his left cornea seemed to have left him with a rather irritating blind spot. Even though it was small, it still proved to be slightly hindering; and, paired with the lingering grogginess, he had almost run into the forest giant straight-on if he hadn't been fully paid attention. Realizing he had wandered far enough from the den, he stretched out his legs and relieved himself with a tired sigh. He shook out his hind limb then scanned the forest about him. Nothing but nightfall. The sound of the slight wind in the trees and the comings and goings of the usual, unimposing, lesser nocturnal creatures.

Borden took one step forward, blinked a few times then gave into his primal side. Something within him, according to his dream, was restless again. A quick sprint through the forest ought to wear it out, or so he hoped... So deep into the Cedarwood, he ran... down one of the several memorized paths he took on a daily routine, down along the babbling creek, through the woods and past marker after marker after marker. He ran until he could no longer run and his lungs burned within his chest. Coming to a halt, he panted, yielding to the ache that gripped his arms and legs. As much as he hated to admit it, "running away" from his problems usually quelled his anxiety. To bottle up his fear and put up a brave face for all to see just... <i>worked</i>. There was no need for anything medicinal or talking about it, running was just as <span class='word'>demulcent</span>. In his mind, he figured the night terrors had returned because of the Hollow's recent trespassers. That was it. Seating himself at the base of a boulder, he took another deep breath and patiently waited for the endorphins and adrenaline to fully embrace him.</blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

I could not resist aftet that yellow eyed wolf dream. Timing this after Hotei / Burn meets with Idala and Rhysis.

The tree's were alluring. Burn had always enjoyed a brisk walk
through forested areas. Especially after a confrontation with asshole
wolves. The dark man favored quiet places where his form could sometimes
disappear under the shadows of the trees. Cedarwood Forest was the perfect
place for him to just relax. Even if there were wolves about Burn would simply ignore
their scents and travel around them so as not to provoke a friendly greeting from
them. It would also prevent a fight if the wolves in question were dickheads who only
wanted to show off their brawn.


However, Burn fully enjoyed the forest at night because he could hide himself
from others quite easily. His black fur slid through the shadows quickly as the dark
wolf shot through the trees. The scent of another wolf came upon the burned man which
caused him to slow down to a lazy walk. He needed to figure out where this other male wolf
was so that he could move around him without a problem. What irked Burn a bit was that this
wolf had a pack scent on him. So he wanted to avoid the fellow even more than normal.


The wind whistled through the tree's as Burn scented the air. He figured out that the wolf
was somewhere's to his right. So the black wolf began walking a wide arc around where he
believed the pack wolf was. However there was a small patch of open space through the
trees as he was walking around that Burn could see straight through. He saw the male
sitting in front of some boulder looking all agitated. Great another agitated wolf. Hopefully
this one doesn't start blabbering stuff all crazy like the last one did... He remembered
the rogue back by Bramble falls. Burn did not want to get into that situation again.


Watching the male silently from afar with bright yellow eyes Burn hoped that he wouldn't
turn his head and see him. Not like he would be able to see much with the darker
wolf being under the deep shadows of a big white pine.


Theme Song

<i>Aaaaahhhh! That song just set the mood for this thread. Thank youuu. :D</i>

<blockquote>It had been sometime since Borden had settled when the sound of footfalls caught his ears. His eyes immediately snapped up from staring at the forest floor. There... across the clearing, a golden-eyed stranger <i>stared</i> at him. A chill shot up his spine but he remained firm in his decision that he would not give in to whatever weakness fear brought with it - worry, anxiety, desperation. Death was always somewhere behind everyone, following them through time, and Borden was no different. Death came in the form of this stranger. <i>No, wait...</i>

The Lyall took a second to recall that he had been as far as the Lagoon. He had not even left the forest yet, though he had left Grizzly Hollow a good distance behind him. <i>Had he miscalculated?</i> His brow creased. Even when it had been the <i>masked</i> stranger the setting had been different, at first he had dreamt of being thrown from the ledges of the Mountain of Dire, then drowned somewhere along the Swift River, and lately dying under the open skies of Whisper Glade. Perhaps the dream was just an advanced notice... that the Reaper had come to speak with him, a warning of sorts. His mind flashed to Trisden and her younger siblings and how history could very likely repeat itself in his absence. Well, at least Kade was still around to keep Jaysyek company...

His fur bristled slightly at his shoulders and he stood up, every fiber of his being comfortably numb, <b>"Show yourself!"</b> His voice barked across the clearing, bold, assertive, and more importantly, unafraid. Rather than finding himself to be the one running from his demise, it seemed that it had the gall to just <span class='word'>rollick</span> outside his door where it could find the masked leader. <b>"Why are you here?!"</b> There was no harm in entertaining <i>Death</i> with a brief chat, right?</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Sep 08, 2012, 07:36 AM by Borden.)

Well, what do you want from me?

Thats my theme song for real life too. . *evil laugh* >:)

Burn flinched as the wolf turned his head and stared up at him.


Dammit...


Growling slightly the dark wolf wondered if he should just run off
without answering the fellow. At least he wasn't spouting nonsense.
With yellow orbs still set upon the stranger Burn began to pad forward slowly
toward the stranger. He stopped a good number of feet away keeping his head
and tail in neutral positions. The dark man hoped this would be quick so he could
rollick about in the forest.


"I have no need to tell you why I am here." He answered unafraid of the
alpha that stood before him. Burn showed no aggression to the male, keeping
his ebony fur flat against his back. Instead he showed only minor annoyance with a few
flicks of his tail. "You just need to know that I'm passing through." He answered coolly
then his face lit with a cunning smile. Why was this wolf so bothered by him? He
didn't show fear directly with a lowered tail or head. No, but the wolf was speaking to Burn
so loudly and with that assertive voice no less? They were not on packlands. He had no
right to speak so disrespectfully to a loner who was just passing through.


Then he is bothered by me in someway.. But why? Burn was intrigued now.
He knew that he'd never met this wolf before. So why would the wolf be agitated by him?
The dark man did in fact want to find out. Maybe staying here and chatting for a while might
answer his innate curiosity of the pack wolf. Then again maybe not. I would just be
wasting my time here if he proves to be just another wierdo.. Burn sighed then sat down
showing the male that he was comfortable enough to leave openings to the other male.
Then maybe he would calm down some more was what Burn was thinking.


Theme Song

<i>:D</i>

<blockquote>Borden listened attentively as the rogue, this <i>shadow</i>, informed him that he was not obligated to tell him anything and that he was only <i>passing through</i>. So, his assumptions had been right, even though something about this character was somehow not particularly similar to the wolf he had seen in his recent nightmare. The smile was off, <i>unfamiliar</i> to a sharp degree and nothing like the sinister, triumphant grin his killer donned. The Lyall simply stared back with a hard glare. A sigh was uttered and it made Borden flinch. Though as the dark male settled down, the leader tried to do the same, sitting at first before relaxing his face and letting the scowl smooth out.

<b>"If you're just passing though,"</b> he began, staring into the stranger's face. <b>"Are you searching for something? For someone?"</b> His heart thumped in his chest, even if the eyes possibly didn't belong to the wolf from his dream, their color was still unsettling, even in the dead of night. <b>"Why travel at such a late hour?"</b>

His ears cupped forward and his own eyes drifted along his companion's pelt, noticing the imperfections in his fur, the places where his coarse coat kept old scars hidden from plain view. Death? Adorned with scars? Decorated with imperfect patches of hair? It didn't make sense. The longer he gazed upon his newfound companion, the more it slowly dawned on him it was basically a 50/50 chance of this personality being the one he had seen. His pursuer had always been cloaked in shadow before the very last minute when the world went dark. His personification of Death had always been <i>clean</i> and unworldly. This wolf was the exact opposite. As though he couldn't hold the question back, his voice spilled over his lips in a concerned tone just above a whisper, <b>"What... What happened to you?"</b></blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

Listening...
It was all the male did as he sat there. He listened.
He listened to the males questions. Then Burn thought about
whether he should answer them fully or not.


A bat swiftly flittered about overhead munching on the bugs
that scattered themselves throughout the night.
Burn turned his head to the sky and looked at the night. The stars
were bright for once, glittering in the massive sucking darkness that
was space. Endless space. A place where Burn might get peace from this
utterly depressing world. The dark wolf sighed then turned his bright yellow
gaze to the stranger.


"I search for no one... Not anymore." He closed his eyes remembering
the faces of family gone by. He remembered how the faces were always
a mixture of pain and being frightened as the flames tore through the forest.
Then the dark man remembered the scent that was still clinging to his pelt.
Indru's scent. Indrus pack. Some of his family were still alive. But why in the hell
did he go there and look for them? It shouldn't matter if they were alive or not.
His old way of life was over. That's the way it should be. Sure you can be glad to
know a family member still lives, but trying to be with them and live in their life
when that time is over was not the right thing to do.


Thats why Burn was so confused right now. He had no recollection of how he'd
gotten into Swift River. Nor meeting Indru. He didn't even want to be near family when
he didn't deserve to be loved by them. He had left them in their time of need. So why?
Burn realized that he'd spaced out a bit. He wondered if the other wolf really cared or not.
"I'm just looking for a place to think about things..." He smiled a crooked smile and
narrowed his eyes gazing at the stranger. "I think you know what I mean." He referenced
to how the stranger had been simply sitting in front of the rock thinking when Burn had first
seen him.


When the male asked about the dark mans pelt Burn could not hold back his
irritation. His lips curled over into a snarl and the remaining fur around his neck and
back bristled while he sat there. Trying to get a grip on himself Burn forced his fur flat
then turned his head and gazed back up at the sky and the stars. His snarl slowly turned
into an amused smile as he stared at the inky heavens.


"Forest fire.." Was all he said. It would be the only thing he'd say
for a while after that.


Theme Song

<blockquote>The flight of a bat above them couldn't even tear the leader's gaze away, but as this personification of Death replied that he was no longer seeking anyone Borden blinked. This creature was <i>not</i> the one that he had been expecting. <i>Couldn't even be</i> the slaughterer that haunted his dreams. <i>"I'm just looking for a place to think about things... I think you know what I mean."</i> The smile that followed the statement made Borden release a soft sigh and quietly nod to purvey that he thoroughly understood what he meant. What happened next caught the leader off-guard and in response to the stranger's sensitivity he stood up almost immediately.

The rogue's lips curled and the Lyall bared his clenched teeth. Watching as he remained seated opposite of him, though, made Borden tense. His stance stiffened and his joints locked even as his companion began to gaze at the stars, donning an entertained grin.

<i>"Forest fire,"</i> he answered.

The masked man tried hard to calm himself, sealing his lips as he swallowed and allowed the tufts of fur along his back and shoulders to fall back into place. <b>"Oh,"</b> he sounded under his breath, suddenly succumbing to the idea that the conversation unfolding between them was taking place within yet another dream. <b>"Sorry."</b> The tip of his tail twitched and his eyes dared to leave the brute for a few seconds to drink in the shadows around him. <i>Maybe this was a test.</i> This man might not have been Death himself but something about him was still not <i>right</i>.

One of Borden's ears swiveled to the side before turning forward again. <b>"If you search for no one,"</b> he slowly began, his eyes growing wide enough to reveal a slight amount of white. <b>"Then I suggest you leave as soon as you are through with <i>thinking</i>."</b> This part of Cedarwood Forest, he was aware, might not have belonged to him, but he still felt the need to make his point clear. His voice came out in an unwavering, firm timbre, <b>"There are many things that go <i>bump</i> in the night here; a man like you may want to beware. The wolves here do not take kindly to outsiders with coats as dark as the shadows themselves, you see."</b></blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Sep 12, 2012, 08:34 AM by Borden.)

Well, what do you want from me?

Was this male stupid? Burn couldn't figure out why the hell he was
being so rude. It sounded very much like the guy was threatening him
And here I was being all nice and shit... Stupid fuck.. His previously
stoic face had once again turned into a crooked smile as the gray male spoke
about having himself leave once he was finished thinking.


Not like I technically have to leave... His smile weakened until the
black wolfs face was once again a serious one. Who was he to say that
Burn should leave this forest? This was no wolfs territory. If the dark wolf
wanted he could go right on ahead and mark up the whole area around the stranger
and call it his own territory. Fuck that shit.. Burn stood up and rolled his now calm
shoulders. Twisting his head a bit the shadowy wolf yanked it to the right and
cracked his neck good and loud.


"My friend.. I don't think you are necessarily allowed to tell me to leave. Even
If you were an alpha in some pack. This land is neutral. " He continued to gaze out into the
woods not looking at the gray pack wolf. " I will however respect your need for privacy
and leave you be.." the edge of his mouth twitched into a tiny smile then disappeared.


Padding further up the slope the darker wolf stopped about five feet away from
the gray stranger and turned to stare him down with blazing Tainn eyes.
"I could throw that warning right back at you, ya know? Things that go bump
in the night..heheh.." He let one of his fangs droop over the bare skin of his lower jaw
just for kicks. Then he raised his head continually watching the male for any sign of attack.
"I'm one of those things that goes bump in the night..." Burn had a witty smile
plastered onto his face. He still hadn't figured out why the wolf was so agitated by him, but
who cares. He got a few silent laughs out of it.


His dark fur was already starting to melt into the darkness of the tree shadow
that Burn was currently standing under. The only things really visable wer the wolfs eyes
and the lighter gray patches of skin where old scars lay bare to the moonlight.


Theme Song

One more post for him after you then we can end this creepy meeting. >:)

(This post was last modified: Sep 13, 2012, 02:48 AM by Hotei.)

<blockquote>Borden's glower didn't budge from his face, even as the brute attempted to put him in his place. <b>"It wasn't an order or a warning,"</b> he countered. <b>"Just a suggestion."</b> He watched as the stranger continued to roll his shoulders and donned the slightest of smiles before turning somber again. The leader's face hardened and he stood his ground, still watching the <i>burnt</i> man with wary eyes. It seemed like he was on his way out. <i>"I could throw that warning right back at you, ya know?"</i> The laugh that accompanied the statement after made him clench his teeth.

Without anything else to say, warn, or do for the sake of keeping himself in line, the masked patriarch observed how easily his companion slipped away into the shadows. Almost immediately the images of coal-pelted wolves popped up in the forefront of his mind, prowling closer to the perimeters of the old bear den, emitting sparks and billowing fumes as they gradually make their way into the underground sleeping quarters and <i>smoking out</i> his family. With the rogue contended with for now, or so he hoped, the monarch of Grizzly Hollow limped back into the depths of the forest without even second glance. If <i>Death</i> had meant to set him up and track him down, then so be it. To stalk back into his realm deep within Cedarwood, fearless and determined to further protect his pack, was more than enough. He could only hope with all his might that tomorrow would not be the end and that even with his uneven step and imperfect vision, the Reaper would see at a glance that this Lyall would not go down without a fight.</blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?