Drooping Willows Growing Pains...

The over-sized russet male rose stiffly from his impromptu bed. He'd been looking for Nina unsuccessfully for two or three days now. He could use her help to check out his wounds and make sure that they were not infected, especially the one on the back of his neck. His opponent had been small, but tenacious. It hadn't done the whelp any good in the end, for Sloane had driven the point home on the end of his lethal fangs that Narime' was his Lady. It was not the first time that he'd fought, but it was the first time that the tall male had battled for the honor and affections of a female.

The pride he felt in himself and the love that he felt for his silver blue-eyed beauty more than made up for his current minor aches and pains. The dark little interloper was far worse off than he and, very uncharacteristically, that pleased Sloane. Perhaps, once Nari was by his side in the spring and all of the Lore knew that they were together, he would feel a bit less satisfaction at the other male's current state of injury. Maybe. Right now, he was still a young warrior reveling in victory. Yet, with Narime' off to complete her duties to her pack and Nina, who knows where, the large man had no one to share his joy with.

With a sigh, he reminded himself that he was being foolish and that he needed to focus on finding Nina and getting himself cleaned up. He was unfamiliar with the area, but he was just north of the Drooping Willows and he could hear the sound of running water. That was the direction that he headed in. At least he could soak the blood off the back of his neck, where it was hard to reach. He'd been able to clean the scratches on his front legs and shoulder, albeit a bit awkwardly. He licked at the gouges on his muzzle. They were clean, but a bit swollen. The back of his neck was completely matted with dried blood and felt thick and hot to him. Perhaps if he could find the river or stream, the water would sooth it.

Knight of Honor

Sagacity knew that there were packs in the area. It had been some time since she'd encountered an area with a few wolf packs in it and figured that this was some sort of wolf society, where the packs co-existed, acknowledging each other and yet lived together in peace. She certainly hoped they were at peace, naturally, given that she had absolutely no interest in living in an area, as part of a pack or as a lone wolf, where war brewed. Of course she could fight, there was no question about her strength, but would she? Not likely, as she had never given in to anger or fury. She couldn't remember the last time someone had picked an argument with her; that was the benefit of being so indifferent and unassuming. If you took no stance and made nothing of yourself, you'd get by unnoticed.

This was part of the reason why she'd been reluctant to join a pack. Other packs had wanted help, and help she could give, but did she really want for there to be expectations? What if she didn't meet them? She had the ability to impress others, but she was not aware of it. Some days she even seemed mystified by her own survival, as though her hunting skills had been a new gift from a deity, something she had not achieved by practice and hard work.

She had decided to find a stronghold for the rest of the Winter, however; she was not one given to practicing pseudology and would not lie to convince herself that nothing bad would happen to her if she continued to live a nomadic life. She would find a decent place to bunker down as long as it was in an area with running water and a good source of food. Shelter could be forged, though with the earth frozen, she would have to find something that did not require a lot of digging. Thus far there were a few possibilities, but nothing had caught her eye as far as a more permanent home.

The pewter and black wolf had found the stream before the male arrived, but as soon as she finished drinking she caught his scent. Mingled with the scent of masculinity was the scent of blood. Her black ears flicked back and she stood her ground for a moment simply because she was unsure of what she should do next. The good samaritan in her told her to stay and see if he was alright, but her instincts told her to leave. He could be injured and angry, injured and diseased- who knew. He could also have trouble trailing not far behind him, perhaps whatever trouble it was that had injured him. But she wouldn't know until she saw him, naturally, so she soundlessly moved back, cleverly stepping in her own pawprints so as to leave a single set approaching the stream where they then disappeared. Once far enough back from the stream so that her pawprints would not be seen, she leapt from her path to start a new track back toward the stream in a more sheltered area, where she hunkered down, pressing her body into the shadows and all but disappearing from sight as she peered through split branches toward the stream, trying to decide what she should do once she had a good look at him.

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2013, 12:51 AM by Sagacity.)

Avatars by Arla!

When the small flowing river came into sight, Sloane couldn't help wagging his thick russet tail. Once he'd started thinking about water to sooth his wound a powerful thirst had overtaken him and the cool fresh water was a welcome sight. As he approached the large stream, h hoped that it would be deep enough for him to submerge his neck. He lowered his head to quench his parched throat and caught the scent of another wolf nearby. His amber eyes swept the area and saw nothing, despite the scent being quite fresh. Whoever it was didn't smell of pack, merely the heavy scent of trees and earth mingle with that of a single wolf. He shrugged to himself and turned back towards the water. That was when he caught a glimpse of a wolf's trail leading to the water, but not away. Giving another look around, he decided that the wolf must have gone into the water themselves for their trail to simply disappear like that.

Not overly concerned with the mysterious wolf, Sloane fully slaked his thirst before making his way into the slow flowing stream. The water lapped at his belly easily, but that was only at the deepest part. With a sigh, the over-sized male moved a tad closer to the shore and simply lay down. Now his body was submerged past his shoulders and he was able to lower his head a bit to soak the fire on the back of his neck, just above his broad shoulders. After a few minutes, the dried blood was gently soaked and washed away in the current and the cold water began to numb the wound wonderfully. Grumpily he hoped the little black whelp that had thought to lay claim to Narime' had his own wounds burning him to remind him of his folly. Then he smiled. He needn't hold a grudge against the boy. He had won the girl and her heart was truly his, although there hadn't been a stitch of doubt in his mind, even then.

Relaxing, now that the pain in his neck was eased, Sloane soon realized that he'd been presented with an impromptu hunting opportunity as he was tickled by several fish swimming around his long legs on the bed of the creek. Now his bright amber eyes were fully alert as he focused on the shiny bodies darting to a fro in front of him. His timing would need to be flawless as he'd never tried fishing from a reposed position before. He'd always been standing, but here was a golden opportunity that he couldn't pass up. When one of the unsuspecting fish swam only a foot from his chest, Sloane struck with lightning speed. He almost missed, barely catching the creature by it's spiny tail. He gave a quick flip of his head and tossed the thing up to the dry shore where it flopped in desperation, gasping for breath. He exited the water and put a paw on the scaly thing to still it, before biting down and ending it's life, so it could nourish his own.

It had been a tasty treat, but he decided that he would try and catch a few more to sustain him until he could catch something larger. Small prey did little when you were a wolf as large as he was. Feeding himself was a never-ending chore, especially the last few months as he seemed to be thickening quite a bit to fill out his tall frame. He was a robust wolf now and far from the lanky youth he'd been when he'd first come to relic-lore. This time, he went out to the middle of the stream and kept to his feet, bright amber eyes focused intently on the water before him, waiting patiently for the fish to forget he was not a part of their aquatic world.

Knight of Honor

It was beginning to gorgonize her, simply peering through a few branches to watch and see what he was doing. Between the sound of water and the ripples on the surface she began to feel tired and being in repose as she was, it felt natural to rest her head upon her feet and rest. She kept her eyes open for as long as she could, watching through a tiny space in the bushes she lay behind. Every now and again he'd move into view and she'd catch a glimpse of his coat, and her breath caught in her throat whenever she saw a streak of drying blood amidst the tawny fur. She still wasn't sure how he'd been hurt, or if he'd hurt someone else in the process.

He washed and she watched shamelessly, finding no reason to condemn herself for watching him do so. He moved and she couldn't see him any more, but she felt sure that if he came to her side of the water that she'd see him coming...So she relaxed. Her eyelids drooped heavily and she breathed out a silent sigh before she left her eyes closed. She promised herself she'd wake up if she needed to...She wasn't going to sleep, she was just going to rest, doze a bit...Though she was quick to drift away into a shallow, dreamless sleep.

It was when she realized that she was asleep, interrupting a near complete absence of thought, that she awoke with a start and gave a small, muffled bark of surprise as she did so. She sat up then, forgetting momentarily about the stranger in the water, until her gaze settled upon him again- this time, as she was seated, above the bushes she had been hiding behind. Reflex crumpled her momentarily and she sank below the line of visibility, though she chided herself; she'd already given herself away, why duck back down?

She had to stop and think about what to do next. Slink away? Hope he hadn't noticed? She didn't like what she thought of herself as a wolf who would do either of those so instead she shrank away from the bushes and moved into view, toward the water. Play it cool, act as though you were just about to go for a drink- but that plan wouldn't work, she realized, when she saw how still he was being. His stillness froze her and she looked from him to the water around his sides. A flash of silver- a fish. He was fishing. Not wanting to be the obnoxious wolf who went ahead and got a drink, at the same time scaring away any potential meals, she crossed that plan off her list. But what to do next? Slink away? No, that was stupid. Engage him in conversation? Again, that'd lead to his failure. Then what? Coming up with nothing else, she sank back to the ground slowly, flattening her ears and putting her head on her paws so that she would cast no shadow and startle no fish. Her tongue daubed her black lips as she watched the water's rippling surface, hoping he'd catch something soon so she wouldn't have to stay hunkered down like this for long, looking like a complete moron.

Avatars by Arla!

He had already caught and eaten two fish and was currently frozen in position awaiting his third. Luckily, fish were not overly bright and seemed to be quite curious, since it took very little time before they were once more swimming cautiously around him. The bravest would occasionally dart in with lightning speed and 'taste' his fur to see if it was edible. The irony was not lost on the over-sized male. The shiny bodies surrounding him right now were smallish. He was hoping to get a larger catch to finish off his impromptu meal. He lacked Tempest's patience when it came to fishing. His sister could stand for hours, unflinching in pursuit of the scaly creatures. He was nearing an hour and that seemed to be his limit as he twitched the rusty fur along his topline in impatience.

When a large shiny fish started to drift his way, he refocused and stood as still as a statue, bright amber eyes focused with complete concentration. A sound caught his attention and he nearly turned, but instead he just flicked his ear in that direction to listen. All of his senses, save his sight, told him the story of the young fae finally emerging from the bushes. It had taken him a bit to discover her location, since he had assumed that she traveled down the small river, but the second time he emerged with his catch, a slight shift in the wind gave her away. She had stayed still and silent in the bushes and he felt that she either didn't want company or that she might actually be asleep and unaware of his presence.

He hadn't wanted to give up his prime fishing spot, so he'd ignored her... merely flicking the occasional ear in her direction. Now she had emerged, but kept silent. He mentally thanked her for her consideration in the stead of words since he didn't want to miss out on this whopper. He gave his thick red plume a couple of small waves as it was above the water to let her know that he was aware of her and to show that he would not be aggressive. Hopefully, she returned the sentiment, since he was taking a chance in not taking stock of her. Of course, there was little he feared from most wolves, given his size and power. And coming off of his recent victory, he was feeling rather confident to say the least.

Finally, the aquatic beast came in range and Sloane tensed, readying himself for the attack. His head lunged forward and downward, anticipating the fish darting away and he grasped it's slippery body between his teeth with a snap. As the huge fish thrashed for freedom, Sloane bit down harder and flung the thing as hard as he could towards the shore, where it landed far from the life-giving water. Unfortunately, the force of his toss caused him to lose his footing and his feet scrabbled beneath him, searching for secure footing and finding none. In the end he splashed into the water, all dignity lost as he came up spluttering.

He stood up and shook himself to clear the water from his face and ears. He gave a brief glare to the fish floundering and gasping on the grass, before finally looking at the young woman that had witnessed the whole show. Heat crept up his neck, but he gave a lopsided grin and chuckled as he said, "Well... that was embarrassing!"

Knight of Honor

She watched him placidly, focusing mostly on the water. Now and then she could see a fish here or there and they seemed to go pretty close to him. Frustration began to rise in her chest when she saw one fish after the other go close enough to him to be caught. Why couldn't he just settle for one of those? She would have gone for them, knowing that there was no sure way of guaranteeing that they would come back again. He seemed to believe that it was best to wait, though, so she stayed where she was, watching with a slight frown on her features.

He wasn't tuning her out, though, which meant that maybe he wasn't concentrating enough- maybe that was why he continuously passed up the opportunity to snag a fish. She had half the mind to say to him, even in a quiet whisper, that he should just grab one and go- but it wasn't her nature to do so. Instead she stayed where she was, dejectedly watching the water, regretting the decision she'd made to stay and lay in wait for him to finish. Perhaps she could turn and go away now, if she as quiet and careful...

But when he lunged below the surface she didn't need to slink away- she leaped backwards and into a wary crouch, startled by the sudden movement. His head emerged from the water with quite a fine fish in his mouth, and the catch was then tossed to the shore. Her ears perked as she saw the silvery fish fly through the air and land with a thud on the opposite bank. Part of her had hoped that he might toss it her way- she could then take it and run off. There was no getting past him now, not when he was much closer to the fish than she. A slight opportunity presented itself when he stumbled and sank below the surface for a moment but he was back up and on his feet, bewildered and soaked to the bone from his dunking. His loss of footing, for her, had presented a possibility- but his swift recovery made her somewhat disappointed. No fish for her.

As soon as he turned to look at her and speak to her, she regretted not leaving sooner. He made light of the situation, but she didn't seem to find it very funny. She wasn't one to brabble so she didn't agree or disagree. In response, she shrugged one shoulder and turned her head away a bit, as though to admit that she didn't really judge him for it. She looked longingly back at the water again, then to the fish, and then back to the water. No hope for her to catch anything now- he'd riled all the fish up. She couldn't help but lick her lips wistfully, before she gave a fleeting glance to him to see if he was ready to leave the water and let her approach. She wasn't going anywhere until he was on the opposite bank.

Avatars by Arla!

The other wolf didn't look impressed either way, good or bad and he gave a slight 'hmmph' to himself. She looked away for a moment and then he caught her glancing between the large fish flopping on the shore and the water. Maybe she wanted a chance at catching her own. The fish had all scattered of course, when he'd taken his dunking, but they would return soon. Sooner if he got out of the water and let it settle down. His prize fish started flopping more frantically on the shore, making progress closer to the water, which galvanized the rusty man into action.

Not wanting to stir the remaining fish, he calmly made his way to the far shore and out of the water. He gave a big shake, sending water flying in all directions. He moved over to the fish, who's efforts to save itself were weakening. He placed one of his large paws on it's tail then lowered his head and bit down, ending it's struggles. Instead of eating it, he lifted his head and looked at the female on the other side of the water. She was probably about his age, but looked quite young due to her small stature. She had a silver pelt with black tipped ears and tail and a most unusual strip of black gracing the top of her nose up to her forehead.

She had been looking at his fish as if she was hungry too. He gave her an encouraging smile and said, "I'm sure that the fish will return soon. Thankfully, they forget easily and quickly." The young woman seemed tense and he wasn't really sure why. He hadn't been threatening and now he was even on the far bank. The only other thing to do to put her at ease would be to leave, but he didn't want her to dislike him for no good reason. So he simply watched her silently and gave her a friendly smile.

Knight of Honor

The white fae was tired, but worry for her young friend kept her moving. Narime' had fallen into a trench or something and was trapped below ground. She'd had to hurry home to check in with her pack and mark borders before she was once more headed towards the meadows. She was so focused on where she was headed that she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going and she nearly barreled into the largest wolf that she'd ever seen, except maybe that silent brute that was keeping watch over Narime'.

Cali pulled herself up short, only about six or eight yards away from the tall male. A mild panic shown in her emerald eyes, but it was quickly gone for the worry for her friend. A year ago, she'd had had a heart attack coming on a huge stranger in such a manner, but he seemed friendly enough and as second of Swift River, she was no longer that fearful wolf. Likely he was as startled as she was since now she could see that he'd been focused on a young fae on the other side of the stream. Neither of them had been here when she'd passed by hours ago.

With a glance and a quick smile at the wary looking female, Cali turned back towards the male on her side of the small river. "I'm so sorry! My mistake for not looking where I was going. Please forgive the intrusion, but I really must be on my way." She waited for a moment, still dripping wet from her swim across their border river. She hadn't even taken the time to shake herself dry. She did not want to be rude and just run off, but she really was anxious to get back and see how Narime' was faring. She hadn't known her for long, but she'd liked her instantly and she was also a pack mate of her friend Elettra.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

Sagacity's skepticism kept her from immediately moving into the water to try and fish after he'd spoken. She didn't particularly want to fish- she wasn't even thirsty. There'd just been nothing else for her to do and now it seemed as though he expected her to follow through on what she'd made it seem as though she wanted to do. She felt dumb now, and looked up and down the stream as though to show a bit of doubt that the fish would return after his splashing. Deciding not to be too rude, she finally rose to her feet and tentatively approached the water's edge. She went in only toe-deep with her front feet and peered into the water. It would take ages for the fish to return and become brave enough to come close to her, she figured. She shook her head. "Too cold."

It seemed like an opportunity had finally popped up for her to turn and leave, but only a moment later they were interrupted- if there was even much to interrupt- by a pretty white female who felt it was necessary to excuse herself even when she hadn't been a part of their conversation. She was a stranger- so why did she feel as though she needed to do that? Sagacity eyed her with a frown and wondered why she didn't just excuse herself and then leave, rather than waiting, with that smile on her face. The silver female sighed. She didn't want to just take off, did she? She wanted to be invited to stay with them.

Tired of this complex boustrophedon, Sagacity pulled her two front feet from the water. "I'm going." She said, and after she gave a somewhat less than pleasant look to the female she'd perceived as being fake and air-headed, she glanced once to the otherwise friendly male, gave him a brief nod and showed the female how excusing yourself was done- quick and without hesitation. It was only a matter of seconds before Sagacity disappeared into the wilderness.

Avatars by Arla!

Sloane was a bit surprised when the white fae came out of nowhere. He'd been quite focused on the wary one across the water. The wolf on his side of the river seemed flustered and quite concerned, stammering out an apology and claiming to need to hurry on her way. He wondered what had her so concerned and was about to ask if she was all right when the darker she-wolf gave the newcomer a rather rude look, nodded to him and took her leave. Well, then. Now he felt no disappointment at not getting to know her any better if that was her attitude. No matter.

It was then that the snowy wolf moved into the river and managed to slip and dunk herself about midway. He quickly moved towards her with great concern intending to help, but she recovered quickly and made it to the other side safely. She seemed quite tired and there was a definitely a sense of urgency about her. Once she had stopped panting so hard, he asked, "Are you all right? You seem worried about something." His deep voice held only concern.

Knight of Honor