Lost Lake What did I get myself into?

Note: based a couple days after she met Minka

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her paws rythmically pounded against the soft earthen floor beneath her as she ran. Inali shook her fur and weaved through the trees. She had needed the release and freedom that running always gave her almost desperately. She hated the confines of the small space that was her den that she had been forced to be trapped in, in the last few days. The weather had been truly awful in those days.

Storms, never-ending storms. Constant rain and thunder all day and all night.She shuddered slightly just thinking about it.

The steady rythm of her paws soothed the last of her anxiety and she slowed herself down to a slight jog. The day was truly beautiful indeed. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and she felt happier than she had in months. She took a deep sniff of the spring air and plopped onto the ground contently.

Inali took another sniff and suddenly stiffened. The scents engulfing her senses were no longer of the fresh flowers growing around her and the general smell of spring. It was something else entirely. It was the scent of animal. Of wolf. It wasnt just any scent of wolf either. Taking another sniff of the air around her, Inali stood upright. Oh, Im really screwed now, she thought. The scent now engraved in her senses threatened to catapult her into deep set panic mode, but she took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

She had just walked into a wolf pack territory. And an unfamiliar one at that.

(This post was last modified: Jun 04, 2013, 01:37 AM by Inali.)

Large paws padded evenly across the rough terrain that matched him so well. It's harsh and unforgiving nature was a mirror to his own soul and he found that over time, the brutal land appealed to him, called to him even as no wolf ever had. Athena had asked him here on some strange whim and despite his better judgement, he had accepted and pledged his loyalty to her. In a strange way, he'd pledged his loyalty to the land as well and he found his restless nature soothed by the endless patrols that he assigned to himself on top of those doled out by Ash.

The weather was on the cusp of changing. Despite the freezing weather, technically Spring was here and new life beginning, for he had scented the change in his white Queen. There would soon be more Poisoned wolves to protect... and to avoid. He had nothing against them, really. He just liked his solitude, plain and simple. With a grunt he thought wryly, the Lone Pack Wolf. That's what he was. None, but Jade had ever managed to worm their way into his heart and spark even a small spark of emotion. She was gone and so was his only semblance of emotion. An image flickered in his mind of a snowy fae, taking the extra step to aid him when he'd all but destroyed his feet came to mind. He squashed it with a low snarl at himself. That meant nothing. All that was left of him was a cold hard robot-like wolf that performed his duty without fail. And that duty was to guard the borders.

A rustle of sound caught his attention. His nose worked to scent anything, but the wind denied him any clues. His stormy blue eyes scanned the surrounding foliage, intent on finding what was out of place. At first nothing appeared to him and a low rumble of frustration vibrated his broad chest. Then a flash of brown caught his eye and he focused in on the form until he could make out a wolf of varying shades of brown a small distance away. The stranger was frozen, like a deer spooked and trying to decide which way to run. Good. They realized that they were in the wrong place. His burly black and white form moved towards the wolf with a silent growl, his piercing eyes never leaving the other. He knew the terrain and moved fairly silently for a solid wolf such as himself. He needed to get closer to send the message home. Don't mess with his pack.

When he was less than ten yards from the wolf, a fae he could tell by her scent when the wind shifted ever so slightly, his hackles raised to full height, his head lifted slightly staying low enough to protect his neck should she foolishly decide to attack. His tail raised tall and proud and his long lethal white fangs were bared with the lifting of his lips. Even before the low growl emitted from his maw, one merely looking at the burly beast would be afraid. His hard eyes held no emotion and every fiber of his being screamed attack. Not a word escape his muzzle, for his actions spoke clearly enough. You do not belong here.

Inali was frozen to the spot, literally. It was like her body didnt aknowledge what her mind was screaming at her to do.

Run! Run and try to escape! Her legs wouldnt listen. It was like she was a deer, frozen in fear because it knew it's impending future, which was death.

A low growl snapped her out of her reverie. Her brown head whipped about until she locked eyes with a burly black and white wolf. He was large but not larger than her father. His eyes were completely emotionless as he stalked towards her.

The movement of his legs heading towards her broke her little spell of non-movement. She found herself locking eyes with the wolf, her head and body rising slightly. It was like her fear evaporated. A year in her father's company had taught her to never show hurt or fear. She wasnt stupid enough to atagonize the large wolf though. As she aknowledged him with her eyes, she bowed slightly, showing that she knew he was superior to her, & lowered her tail in a slight relaxed posture, showing she was no threat.

Inali had recieved his message loud and clear. She did not belong here. Even though her actions and posture showed respect and that she was no threat, which she meant entirely, her eyes showed slight defiance. She didnt mean to cross his borders.

She was not just some nobody, at least in her eyes. She was Inali. Inali Wayha.

As she stood upright once again, she locked eyes with the male wolf. She sent her own message. I will not mess with you and you will not mess with me.

Inali knew she was probably pawing at death's door by now, but she was tired of wolves just treating her like a meaningless speck of dirt at the bottom of their paw. If she died today, at least she would die with her new-found self-respect.

(This post was last modified: Apr 27, 2013, 01:46 AM by Inali.)

Steel walked forward, closing the distance between he and the stranger, anger welling in him at her presence on the wrong side of the borders. When she finally looked his way he thought he saw a flash of fear and it gratified him, but it vanished almost as fast as it appeared. Her brown-toned body shifted to acknowledge his superiority and he was almost mollified, save two unyielding facts. She had not removed herself from Poison Path land and there was a look in her eyes that did not match her posture. His brows furrowed and his eyes darkened to midnight blue as he glared at her, fangs still bared.

He still said nothing and his deep growl rumbled as his continued forward. If she did not back away, then she would face his fury. As long as she remained on Poison Path land, the Guardian would be forced to attack. He would if he needed to, but she didn't seem to want that to come to pass any more than he did. He simply wanted her gone. All he knew was that she only had a few seconds to react before he attacked her and taught her what crossing the borders under his watch really meant.

The growl grew into a ferocious snarl to get her feet moving. He didn't know what he would do once she was on the other side of the border, but he did know what he'd do if she stayed where she was. Her pretty neck would be between his lethal fangs.

Inali stared into the wolf's darkening eyes, his fury so palpable that she could almost taste it. Her eyes ran over his defensive posture and her ears picked up his incessant snarling. She knew he would probably attack soon if she didnt move from his lands.

She did not want to fight him. She knew even with her skill and swift feet as an advantage, his size was a bigger advantage & also he had help: his pack. Even with all of that, Inali had a sixth sense that he could very easily take her down by himself. That was not a pleasant thing to think about.

If only he would stop snarling, she thought exasperatedly. It was really grating on her nerves. A flash of anger and irritation passed through her eyes and she slowly started backing away, her eyes never leaving his, not letting the anger, irritation, or him, get to her.

As her feet crossed the border and back into safety, the anger and irritation faded away and her lips spread into a small smile. "You know, I would've gotten off your land way faster if you had just asked," she spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice. It was probably dangerous teasing him after getting him so worked up, but what was the fun in being safe anyway?

(This post was last modified: Apr 28, 2013, 02:20 AM by Inali.)

He wondered at what was going through the girl's mind as she seemed glued to the ground as he approached, although he could clearly see the building worry in her eyes. Why didn't she go? Wasn't he being clear enough? He knew that every fiber of his stout form told her to go, from his bared fangs to his bristling fur to his angry snarling. Finally, she began to back away and he was relieved that he would not have to take his warning to the next step... an outright attack. Not because he thought he couldn't handle a little thing like her, but because it would be a bother.

At last her smaller form passed over the unseen, but well-established borders. Instead of turning, tucking tail and running as fast as she could she made a flippant remark about him asking her to leave. Asking her to leave their lands. Not likely. His reaction had been as close to asking as he would ever come to someone on their lands. She was just lucky that he'd warned her at all before redesigning her lovely coat. His lips, which had begun to lower with her exit from their territory rose once more for a final snarl before he glared at her, blue eyes blazing and ground out. "I did." In his world, actions spoke much louder than words.

The burly male couldn't help wondering what this woman would do next. The fact that she was still here both surprised and impressed him. He knew himself to be quite fearsome and not at all pleasant to be around, even under the best of circumstances.

Inali watched with a mix of amusement and fear as the burly wolf gave her one more snarl and his blue eyes glared at her. A small laugh escaped her lips and she sat on her haunches, her body still upright. As the wolf responded to her comment, she could feel another small chuckle bubbling up. She didnt think he would like another sign of her amusement shown so soon so with effort, she swallowed her laughter and rolled her eyes a bit as his response processed in her mind.

She could clearly tell that conversation was not his strong suit. He was probably a man of not so many words. She opened her maws and spoke, sarcasm dripping from her tone, "Yes, of course. Like snarling and glaring is totally considered asking, let alone a full-blown conversation." Shaking her head slightly and her eyes twinkling in amusement, a small smile spread across her face.

She stood upright once again, on all four legs. Stretching her body as she crouched she spoke once again, "What do you think Burly?," she asked and smiled a little at the nickname she bestowed on him. "Is it time for introductions? My name is Inali. Inali Wayha." Despite all her efforts, for the life of her, Inali could not stop the full blown grin on her face as she stood back on all four legs and stared at the wolf expectantly.

(This post was last modified: May 17, 2013, 11:57 AM by Inali.)

He could see her fear, but it was quickly melting away, replaced by another look...amusement. He did not think that he'd done anything amusing in the least and her reaction baffled the simple man. He was not stupid, by any means, but he had not been raised around other wolves. Even now as second and Guardian of his pack he rarely interacted with others. This girl should be trembling in terror or fleeing for her life. Instead her rightful fear was fleeing and she was laughing? at him. His lips twitched in agitation, showing another glimpse of his long fangs.

He listened to her words and supposed that she might have a point. He may not have asked politely, but that was not his way. Words were simply not his way. He wondered if Ash would have politely asked her to leave and somehow he doubted it, although perhaps he would have been a bit less snarly once she had left. With a shrug of his shoulder Steel replied bluntly, "Better than chewing your face off first." He might lack manners and civility, but he got the job done as she was no longer trespassing. She was even in one piece.

When she introduced herself, tagging him with 'Burly', he was torn between snarling at her and smiling at her cheekiness. It was not something that he normally appreciated, but it was the rare wolf that stood up to him. Especially one that he could eat for breakfast without breaking a sweat. The end result was a nearly undetectable twitch at the corner of his snowy muzzle. He tipped said muzzle a fraction of an inch at her name and simply stated, "Steel Kaldorr. Guardian." Those three words summed him up about as good as anything. He could have done it with two. Steel matched his hard personality to a 'T' and Guardian was his job, his life.

"Better than chewing your face off first."

Another smile slowly appeared on Inali's face as she heard the male wolf's reply and she laughed softly. "You are right about that. As much honored that I am that you are actually contributing to this conversation, that would've been very insulting. And painful, let's not forget painful. The young she wolf laughed once again.

The male finally introduced himself to Inali and her lips drew into a small smirk. She responded, "Steel Kaldorr, huh? Suiting name, and a Guardian? You really are a perfect placement for the job now that I think about it." Inali smiled, amusement clear in her eyes.

The young she wolf continued and said, "Your large, I'll give you that. And you have the intimidation act down pat. I mean, if I was any regular female, I probably would've hightailed it out of here faster than a...come to think of it, I don't know what, but I would've been long gone for sure." Inali chuckled softly and shook her head.

Taking a breath, she spoke again. "Talking about being long gone, I should probably take my leave. It was nice knowing you Steel." With a friendly wag of her tail and a nod of goodbye the wolf turned around and sauntered off towards the woods. But just as she was about to enter the trees and dissapear completely, Inali turned around once again and faced Steel.

As she walked slowly backwards into the trees she spoke clearly, with a small knowing smile on her face. "Next time, who knows? I'll maybe even turn that little twitch into a real smile. And maybe, a couple of years down the road, I'll even make you laugh. But that would be a miracle in itself, don't you think Steel?" Winking at him teasingly, the young she wolf turned around to finally enter the trees surrounding her. "Bye Steel," Inali called out as she slunk into the forest all around, intent on heading home.

{Exit Inali}

I think with one last Steel post this thread could be completed:)

(This post was last modified: Jun 02, 2013, 05:09 PM by Inali.)

He could only gape at her slightly as she answered. Her cheekiness was a revelation to the serious and oh-so-stoic male. She certainly wasn't turning tail and running in fear, although he'd seen the respect and realization in her eyes that he could indeed have caused her great bodily harm. Although he kept his interaction with others to a minimum, he could say with certainty that he'd never met another wolf like her. Now that she was safe on the other side of the border her perkiness reminded him of the traitor Rais when he'd first met him as a loner. Luckily she had much more sense and manners than the young upstart had. That boy had certainly pushed all of his buttons.

Strangely, when she mentioned needing to be on her way, he felt an inkling of disappointment which confused him. Normally he only felt relief with the departure of others. He did feel that as she was making him feel odd, but the disappointment was woven in there as well. Then she spoke of making him smile and he gave a snort of derision. Not likely. All the smiles had been beaten out of him as a pup. But he found himself wondering if he would ever see this enigmatic young woman again. Also not likely, but one never knew what the world would throw at you. Of course that was one of the major reasons that he was a creature of habit. He didn't like surprises. Normally....

He remained silent as she said her goodbyes, merely nodding his head a fraction of an inch at her departure. He stared at the trees long after the young fae had vanished into them still feeling off kilter, his normal stoicism mysteriously vanished for the moment. Giving a low grunt he silently said a single word with a bemused expression upon his normally hard countenance, before turning back to his pack and making the border markings even stronger. "Inali..."