Hush Meadow I've Given and I've Taken

Around midnight. The rains are finally stopping...

The massive paws of the man stepped upon emerald blades of grasses as he brought himself into the silent meadow. A break was needed from the mountains. The rains had been harsh; pelting the stones mercilessly all day and all night...for how many days? It seemed too many. The pouring water was now reduced to a light sprinkle, finally having mercy upon the Lore and all its creatures. It seemed even the foliage had enough. Tlarx's eyes brought themselves to the half moon, which did not seem to care what the weather was like. Whatever the weather, it'd always be there. With a quiet sigh, he seated himself toward the edge of the meadow, eyes scanning across the open area. There was a slight rustling, and he turned, only to see a squirrel leaping and fleeing up the trunk of a maple tree. Rolling his eyes, the leader shook his head, looking back to the moon. As he did so, it seemed the raindrops had stopped- or were they just fooling him? No, it actually seemed to stop raining, With a surprised look upon his face, the man froze, awaiting to feel the droplets of water fall upon him once more, but there was nothing. Almost laughing at the surprise, Tlarx noticed the slow fleeing of clouds as he continued to sit in the meadow. It was so bizarre yet so fascinating...

Iopah padded softly through the water-drenched forest. All around her the forest was alive with the sound of the rain. It slapped onto the leaves in the canopy above her; trickled softly down the trunks of those same trees. Small pools of water had formed, and the raindrops rang out clear as they struck the surface. Iopah inhaled deeply, drawing the damp, cool air into her core. She bared her teeth in a wolfish smile. She felt alive. Invigorated by the rain.

The silent wolf paused as she approached the meadow. The weather was changing. She tilted her head back and studied the canopy. The rain had stopped? A pale moon shone down on the surprised female. She glanced about the slowly quieting forest. Soon animals would come out of hiding and begin their nightly activities. Iopah stepped into the meadow and shook the water from her tan-hued pelt. Her ears flicked with mild interest at the sound of small prey animals. She was not overly hungry, having taken a woodchuck yesterday. Now that the woman was not constantly travelling she had gained some weight back. Both ears swept forward in surprise when she finally noticed the large male.

While Iopah was becoming comfortable with the land in the southern portion of Relic Lore, meeting other wolves sometimes reminded her of things she would rather forget. She snorted in irritation, it would be rude to simply walk back into the forest. Iopah picked her way across the meadow towards him. She stopped several wolf-lengths away, a comfortable distance for Iopah. Sbe regarded him curiously. Like all of her blood relatives, this male had a saddle marking. She had not seen the familiar pattern on any of the wolves she'd met thus far. Her voice carried clearly across the still meadow. <b>"'Evening. Good thing the rain stopped. I'm not much of a swimmer"</b>

She raised her head towards the man and inhaled. The pack scent hit her immediately, strong and overwhelming. The woman's pale feet shuffled nervously in the damp, lush grass. However, the male had no authority over her in this neutral place. Her gaze met his evenly.

The moon seemed to grin as the clouds departed, leaving the meadow softly lit by its face. With the light of the moon came a voice- a female. The large white man turned his head, brown gaze falling upon the average frame of a wolf. She padded toward him, then paused a few lengths away. How polite. With a small smile, he dipped his head to the light tan woman. "I had thought I'd been growing gills and scales for a few days...." He released a small titter, shaking his head. With a fluid motion, he turned counter-clockwise, his body rising up as he did so. Massive paws gripped into the moist earth; the grasses and soil were soaked. He felt like one wrong move would send him sinking into the underground. The male's tail swayed slowly in amusement as he gazed at the wolf now before him. "A lone wolf, I presume?" The female was of good weight, but there was always that look about the lone wolves. He had been that way for awhile until he had ran into the wolf that became his future mate.Thinking of his lovely Athena, he looked to the moon before back toward. Iopah. "I am Tlarx."

Iopah stood watching the male cautiously. Around them the drenched meadow began to come alive. An owl called at the far end, nearby a chorus of frogs. Her tail lightly brushed along the damp grasses as she waited. The man's relaxed, friendly greeting put her at ease. Her head titled slightly, she slyly grinned. <b>"I'lll keep my fur, thank you."</b> The man rose in one powerful movement. Iopah was not a small wolf, but, nonetheless, she felt dwarfed by the large male. A lone wolf? Iopah snorted quietly. Was it that obvious?

Iopah drew herself up. She was not ashamed to be a lone wolf. It was her preference. <b>"Yes, I am."</b> She watched him expectantly. She was waiting for the speech meant to change her from her errant ways. Make her run for the nearest border and roll in the dirt at the feet of whatever alpha was closest. Irregardless of whether that alpha was competent to lead a pack of wolves or not.

<b>"I am from the Black Mountains. I started north six months ago. You, your coat, reminds me of quite a few of my family members."</b> She looked into the dripping forest, hoping. <b>"But I don't think any of them made it this far north."

"My name is Iopah."</b>

(This post was last modified: Oct 03, 2012, 10:19 PM by Iopah.)

The large wolf tilted his head before thinking. The Black Mountains. It sounded familiar, yet no image was conjuring itself within his mind. "Any reason you left the mountains?" he asked, tones questioning. His curiosity was broken as a few geese broke from the nearby waters; their honking loud and obnoxious. Taking a step back, the man's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. "Those birds..." he mumbled almost inaudibly. It seemed they were everywhere he was.

Recovering quickly, he continued to carry on conversation with Iopah. "I too come from the mountains, but far north of here." With a nod of his head, he smiled softly. It was always nice to relate to another mountain wolf. "I thrive in the mountains here now. If you ever travel up there, you may run into some of my pack mates..." His voice trailed off, and he allowed his black shoulders to rise up and down casually.

"I am the alpha of Poison Path." He wondered silently if the woman before him was looking for a home. If so, he was not to convince her to join him and his brethren. It was her freedom; her choice.

(This post was last modified: Oct 03, 2012, 02:11 PM by Tlarx.)

Iopah took a step back at his unexpected question. Her brown ears flicked back and forth as she fought to control her memories. Her agitation only lasted a few moments before she turned to Tlarx. <b>"There was a famine. I had to leave."</b> Iopah gazed at him silently, hoping there would be no more questions about her past.

A flock of geese chose that moment to launch into the air and pass over head noisily. Tlarx murmured something rude under his breath. Iopah grinned impishly at his reaction, thankful for the interruption as the white wolf spoke again. Iopah's interest was piqued. This wolf lived in the mountain range. She had not had a chance to the mountains, was not sure they even had a name.

A pack in the mountains? Of course there would be. Iopah had wanted to explore and she had been hoping there wouldn't be a pack in the area. It was still possible, Iopah mused. Now she knew to be careful.

"I am the alpha of Poison Path." Iopah stared after him. Slowly, a smile spread across her face. She shook her head in amusement and gave a soft laugh at the joke. Her head raised to see the male regarding her seriously. Oh shit. The tan and gray female winced inwardly. <b>"You're serious."</b>

Iopah frowned and glanced in the direction the mountains lay. He was a long way from home. Her gold eyes narrowed suspiciously. She took a step back. <b>"In my experience an alpha does not stray so far from his pack... unless there is a problem."</b>

(This post was last modified: Oct 08, 2012, 02:34 AM by Iopah.)

Tlarx felt his right eye twitch at Iopah's words. His tail rose and flicked as he cocked his head, speaking "I believe it is not your place to speak such words." It was all he said. He was not going to argue. He needed time to clear his head; the return of an ex-leader from Poison Path had his mind clouded. There was no way in hell he was to reveal such information to a wolf he had just met. With a grunt, the massive man turned, eyes following a flock of geese in the distance. A burning had started within his chest- aggravation- but he pushed it away.

With a snap of his head, his brown eyes were peering back at the lone wolf. "Be wary of where you lay paw, Iopah." Ears flickering, he turned his body slowly back toward her. Large paws pressed into the soaked soil before he parted his jaws once more "There are many packs about. This year has been....stressful for all of us." Yes. Stressful. That was the word.

Iopah should have anticipated the reaction her tactless words would cause. However, it wasn't until he spoke that she realized with a jolt. A chord of anxiety strummed through her body at his change in demeanor. Instinctively her tail dropped, wagging slowly in appeasement. It dragged along the wet grass, creating a soothing rustling that broke the silence between them. She forced herself to relax. She hadn't come here to fight and she had genuinely not meant to upset the male. The tan and gray wolf stretched and gave herself a slight shake. Her voice was calm and even. <b>"My apologies. I didn't mean to start an argument. I should not have said it like that."</b> Iopah paused, taking the opportunity to collect her thoughts and organize them.

<b>"May I explain myself?"</b> Her eyes met Tlarx's then lowered. <b>"My last alphas deserted their pack; left their half-grown pups. We weren't able to pull ourselves back together. I would have killed to protect my alphas and they abandoned me."</b> Another glance to Tlarx. There was no way for Iopah to know that they were floating along in a similar boat. <b>"It broke my faith in others, and... it's not something I would wish on any wolf, friend or stranger."</b> Her voice died down. Iopah closed her golden eyes, mentally pulling her damaged self together. There was only the sound of water dripping echoing eerily from the still forest.

Price made her reopen her eyes, She drew herself up as much as she dared in the alphas presence. Her voice was soft, but carried clearly to the male. <b>"Just because I am a lone wolf does not mean I don't obey pack law. I would never be arrogant enough to pass pack boundaries without invitation. I have lost my <i>faith</i>, not my sense of right and wrong."</b>

Iopah shook her head sadly, this meeting had started out so peacefully. <b>"You know, I have come and gone from so many places, without knowing where I've been. Does this meadow have a name?"</b> She watched Tlarx carefully, hoping he would accept this change of conversation.

Tlarx watched and listened in silence as the woman before him pressed through emotions. Blinking, he shook his head "It is fine." With this, he decided to go along with her change of conversation. Perhaps it was for the best. "Hush Meadow" he said, nodding his head slowly now. Eyes scanned across the dying grasses before returning to Iopah. "Rarely do I get to venture outside the mountains. It is a nice change." With a small smile, the wolf continued to speak "My paws are certainly thanking me."

With these words, Tlarx gave a small chuckle, peering down at his paws. They were rough. They healed well after the small rockslide that almost took his mate away. He was about to relate to her pack situation, but he kept himself quiet. There was no need to back track in conversation. With an almost inaudible sigh, he looked to the sky. "I hope this winter is not too harsh." It was casual talk, but he enjoyed such.

Iopah gave a smile at his response. <i>Relief.</i> It was silly to start a disagreement over something as intangible as pride.

Hush Meadow. An appropriate name. The grasses rustled soothingly. Iopah sighed contentedly as she listened. <b>"I am hoping to see all of the terrain in this land. Assuming it's still habitable in the winter."</b> An unreadable expression came upon Tlarx's face. Iopah waited for him to say something, but it passed without comment. A single gold ear twitched in reaction, Iopah said nothing. She simply scanned the meadow; noting the subtle changes the season had already caused.

At his mention of winter the<span class='word'> acephalous </span>wolf swung around quickly to face him. Winter had been weighing heavily on her mind. Worried her, though there was nothing she could, or would do. <b>"Are the winters here usually bad? It seems the further north I go the more severe it becomes."</b> The gold and gray female padded forward a couple steps before sitting down again. Iopah didn't want to miss anything Tlarx might say. She hoped the more prepared she was the better chance she stood. She glanced to the side. Her concern plainly evident in her posture. <b>"This is actually my first winter as a lone wolf. I'm not looking forward to it."</b>