Arbol Rosado Good Gone Girl

The glinting red of the shiny fruits had long since vanished beneath a blanket of snow. This the tawny woman knew before she came, but it wasn't food she was seeking in the cherry orchard. No. She was seeking the same wolf she had been seeking from the start. Elusive as ever, she caught no sight or scent of Rhysis. She needed him, now more than ever, and yet... He simply wasn't there. Had she lost her mind? Had he never existed to begin with? Were her children the result of immaculate conception or simply another figment of her imagination. At times, she feared she was going mad. Her legs were aching, she couldn't remember the last time she had stopped to rest, and so, as her eyes fell upon the bare branches of the singular tree atop a small rise, she couldn't resist the urge to go and seat herself at its base, and allow her thoughts to wander. She had come through the wildwood and thought she had smelled traces of him there, but she was not game enough to venture closer to Swift River than was necessary. Perhaps she could check with Triell to see if her large and friendly friend had seen sight or sniff of him. Could she lay on him that burden? Probably not. He was never a fan of Rhysis to begin with. Which drew to her mind a second thought. What if... What if indeed. She had caused the River wolves enough pain as it was. She could not bring herself to force more upon them. With a weary sigh, she slid down to her stomach, the snow dampening her thick coat, but not enough to cause a chill. Her undercoat saw to that. Her stomach niggled in protest, but she was no stranger to hunger. She could last a few more days yet.

(This post was last modified: Dec 28, 2012, 08:43 AM by Naira.)

A shadowy figure passed over the blanket of white that had settled upon the ground. The trees were not familiar with this male, he was not of these woods, or of Relic Lore at all. He knew his scent was rank in complete contrast with his surroundings, but he was not light afoot. Long legs left a distinct path in the snow with the tip of his tail following behind. He was relaxed and curious making his way among the trees, his eyes burning a rather odd shade of yellow in the reflection from the snow. Faol's surroundings left much to be desired with nothing but an expanse of dead orchard stretching for miles ahead. This place didn't distinctly stink of pack smell but he had passed some on the way and felt good to be out of their midst.

A group of crows hassled him from the safety of the tree tops. Scavengers here to pick from what might be left of the hibernating trees. He did loathe them so. As they called and shrieked at him Faol emitted a deep, chest rumbling growl, his eyes glowering at them from a distance. His teeth glistened from under his mug and with a quick swat of his tail and low snarl he sent them in a chaotic frenzy into the air.

<b>"Low life pieces.."</b> he cursed them, but was stopped from the sudden realization that he wasn't alone.

In the distance he caught the figure of another wolf, sleeping perhaps, and completely unaware that he was anywhere close. They lie atop a hill under the branches of a single orchard tree. Curious by nature he couldn't resist himself.

Slowly he meandered his way in their direction, his large body breaking from the tree line and blatenly out into the opening. As he closed the distance between them he could smell a distinct scent on her fur, but unfamiliar with the area, he assumed she belonged to a pack somewhere around here. You could always tell a pack scent. Too many smells all mingled together. It burnt the insides of his nose. Steadily his eyes watched the figure as it did not stir as he approached. Stopping in the snow, he looked around, slightly uneasy about the situation. A small branch lay in the snow to his right and taking a paw he pressed until a crisp snap echoed throughout the stillness that surrounded the two figures.

(This post was last modified: Dec 05, 2012, 04:25 AM by Faol.)

Her eyes had drifted almost closed as she merely focused on the scents around her, the songs of the crows a hint of a potential snack should she find the energy to raise herself and seek them out. But their shrieks rose in a cacophony as something, or someone, chased them off, their caws fading into the distance with any hopes of an easy meal. She still did not open her eyes though, far more content to simply be a part of the landscape, even though this time of the year her fur was completely the wrong colour to blend as it usually did. The scent of pack was slow to fade from her fur, predominantly laced with the scent of her son who had remained at her side, the others still lingered, too freshly departed from their presence for her true status to be evident. She would take whatever little protection it managed to offer though. You never could be too careful. She could scent him moving towards her, the still air working neither in her favor nor against it. The deliberate crack of a branch, however, demanded attention and her eyes slowly opened, warm topaz meeting amber before sliding off to rest less threateningly on the strangers shoulder. Laying down was hardly a safe way to greet a stranger and so she stood, allowing the snow to rest where it was, her tail held limp between her hocks. She was not a queen again - yet, and she most certainly did not rule here. Her time in the wild had left her scarce on words, and now that she had removed herself from the presence of a pack, there was little need to hold on to them. This was a delicate dance, and he had chosen to lead, so she would wait for his next move, and continue to conceal her hand.

(This post was last modified: Dec 28, 2012, 08:44 AM by Naira.)

After the initial snap of the twig, the female had risen before Foal, her posture held no display of challenge and he remained silent. Her eyes met his only for a moment before she nonchalantly moved them away. For the moment they connected he felt no rouse in them. The females eyes held no avidity within them, which only mirrored the tail that lay between her back legs. Faol took a moment to crane his neck as to smell the air passing him but he caught no scent of sickness or injury. His brow furrowed as he turned back to her, his head dipping as to see her facial features better. He was certain that she wasn't of any position of power and quite frankly neither was he. His fearless nature allowed him to watch her face intently as he spoke.

"What would someone be doing out here all alone?" he asked, his voice firm in tone.

Of course he was out here too, but it was his first pass through these lands. Although the scent on her fur was faint he couldn't imagine why a pack wolf would be all the way out here alone if not for a reason. Normally he would have moved on without creating a disturbance, but seeing the dark mass of fur beneath the tree seemed more interesting than what these lands had offered so far. The snow that clung to her fur was bright against her natural colored fur, and she didn't even opt to shaking it off, but she was indeed easy on the eyes. Faol himself looked like a dumpster mash of colors. Black underfur tipped tanish-brown and fading to gray along his legs and chest. His face masked in the gray stuffs with hard yellow eyes peering back at her. This female could simply be a wanderer like himself, but her posture, and even more so his gut feeling, was telling him that this wasn't the case.

 

Golden eyes narrowed at the stranger wolf's question. Was it really any of his concern what she was doing here alone? For once, the words were not a garble and for a moment, it even confused her. Usually her understanding was the first thing to slip. There was no time to dwell on it now.

Carefully, steadily, she inched forward enough that the tree was not at her back. Should she need to flee, she wanted an opening at her rear. His coat was like none she had ever seen before. Growing up under the thick canopy of her home forest and surrounded by mostly black wolves, she was an oddity among her family. She allowed the silence to stretch between them as her tail instinctively twitched upwards. She was far from a pushover and not entirely sure of the strangers motives as yet, she wanted to show that she was not a wolf to be messed with.

And yet, she did not growl a warning nor allow her hackles to rise. "A fine question indeed." The words slipped from her dark lips without thought, was this a game he wanted to play? Or was he simply curious? "I am searching." she stated rather cryptically, for what, she would leave up to the strangers imagination. Her mate, a pack, justice... All could be true, and yet, it could also be so much more...

The meeting between the two wolves was turning out to be unnerving to say the least. Neither were asserting dominance nor submission, but they seemed to be walking a very thin line. The female had stood and moved away from her original position under the tree, but the distance between them did not close in the least bit. His question was one simply uttered out of curiosity. He thought that she might be a wanderer like himself, but what they were searching for could be two very different things. His yellow eyes watched her carefully in case she wanted to make any quick moves.

"Doesn't seem like there is much out here to find," he said, referring to the large expanse of white blanketed land. He simply had come looking for a quick meal. In hopes of finding something trying to find shelter within the trees of the orchard. He could guess that this place was very alive in the summer months with a bounty of life, but in the winter things changed drastically. However, being a lone wolf for so long he could have guessed. Running into this snow covered female he didn't."I thought you were dead," he said flatly. I mean, what else was he to honestly think? Faol kept his stance the same, not wavering either way, because he couldn't read the woman's motives. Quite frankly he wasn't in the mood for a scoff, and he wouldn't wound a female unless seriously provoked, so he waited to see what she had to say.

His blunt replies were refreshing. She was hardly the type to throw words about anymore, she was something less... or more? She was a wolf, not some lap dog with nothing better to do than idly chit chat with the neighbours cat as it perched on the fence grooming itself. A wry smile crossed her face as her tail and the rest of her body relaxed. She was still wary, but she didn’t feel cornered anymore.

She allowed herself a moment to shake the snow from her fur, still bemused that this stranger had thought her dead. Did he plan on eating her if she was? After all the life of a loner was hardly an easy one. There had been times, when she was away from the Lake, trapped on the far side of the mountains, that the thought had not been below her. Survival was all that mattered in the end.

"And what would you have done if I was?" She almost teased. It was an unusual mood for Naira to find herself in, but then again, what was ‘usual’ anymore? His words had however, drawn her back to her original task and a slightly more serious expression found it’s way back to her face. "I am looking for a wolf... who doesn’t seem to stay in one place long." After all this time she was still searching for Rhysis, but if she didn’t find him soon, she would need to move ahead without him.

The path to Heaven lies

Faol Bayard

through miles of clouded Hell.

After shaking the snow from her fur it made it easier for Faol to see her figure. They were almost in complete contrast in color, but their demeanor the same. When she asked him what he would have done if she indeed were dead, he caught the hint in her voice. A small yellow gleam burned in his eye as he let loose a throaty chuckle."I would have moved along. No sense in tearing apart such a fine specimen," he said, a black curl barely forming at the edge of his maw. However, after meeting her he didn't think that a wolf such as herself would just allow themselves to die. She seemed secretly intelligent, but her aura caused him to be cautious of what he said. She was not a fool. Her body relaxed and Faol read her body language like a book. The follicles along his back relaxed and allowed his black hairs to once more lay flat, his tail ceasing to flick back and forth like a flame teased by the wind.

Indeed the female was looking for something. Someone in particular. His interest was sparked at once, but no emotion crossed her face. It was caused more or less by his lack of understanding. Her own expression had turned more serious, and so told him that this someone must be someone very important to the female. He couldn't find common ground with her on the subject, for he never had been looking for someone. Never for anything in particular at all. His time on this Earth had been spent alone, wandering, and his harsh experiences reflected on his face like a mirror. Her predicament shuffled through his head and he spoke again."Hm, sounds like this devil doesn't want to be found," he said, his deep voice rolling from his gray chest. He gave her a somewhat sideways glance, his mouth turning down and cinching at the corners. A nonchalant shrug lifting his broad shoulders.

OK if you reply once more that makes our 10 and we can claim LP. Sorry for the hold up!

A smirk graced her lips at his witty, yet charming response to her veiled question. This was an interesting encounter to say the least and on any other day she would have given it more time, but there were things to be done, ghosts to be chased, and troops to be rallied... It did cross her mind for a moment to wonder if he would be willing to join her in her venture but she thought better of it. There were enough strangers in the mix but perhaps one day she would bump into him again, and have far more to offer him than promises. Words. She doubted they would hold his interest as much as a genuine offer concreted with proof, and her plate was full enough with other tense encounters.

She had to agree with his observation and a dry chuckle left her chest, cracked and hoarse from disuse. A sideways glance confirmed there was little to fear from this male still and she allowed her gaze to wander further north, to the woods where she hoped Tenzin would still lurk. "It would seem that way yes. But when you make your own fortune there are always others willing to fill the void..." her voice was almost pensive as she turned back to the dark male, smirk still painted to her muzzle. "If you ever come to the mountain, perhaps we will meet again."

No names had been exchanged, very few words at all. But something told her that was part of the magic of it. With a casual flick of her tail she headed towards the looming forest, almost certain she would meet this man again.

The path to Heaven lies

Faol Bayard

through miles of clouded Hell.

The small smirk that played upon the female's face after his response released a little flicker in his yellow eyes. As mysterious as this stranger seemed she wasn't completely armed to the point of taking his words for granted. As he stared back at her, intent as ever, he caught the notion that something was crossing her mind. A question perhaps? However, she seemed to let it pass and Faol took the notion that their time here was borrowed and she had business to attend to. The large male himself had felt no emotion with the other wolves in which he met, but this one was different. Her mystique pulling on the strings of his curiosity. Her words seemed to flow effortlessly between them now that the barrier of sudden distrust had been equally lost. The female's tone once more caught his ears and they swiveled forth, one dark brow lifting in joint effort with his smile to let her know he understood.

She didn't let him know exactly what, or who, she was looking for, but she was heading to the mountains. A dire place if he did say so himself, and he almost chased the thought of heading off with her. What have he here to keep him back? Silently he pushed the thought from his mind, and returned his eyes directly upon hers. "I hope you find your devil," he said as she turned from him. Her last sentence made his jaw clench. The massive wolf watched as she turned from him to return to her path, her statement ending with a small flick of her tail. Before she was completely out of earshot his smile twisted further, "I hope we do," was all he muttered darkly. Once more he was left standing like an umber upon the white. Just as still and lifeless as the trees surrounding him.

{exit}

(This post was last modified: Feb 22, 2013, 05:41 AM by Faol.)