Spectral Woods Explorations and Salutations!

A week had passed and she had stuck close to the pack lands, trying to learn her way around. She had chosen to get up early one morning of her second week in the pack and range farther north than she had ever done so in the past. Spectre was not sure what lay to the north, but she wanted to find out. After all, the world had to be much larger than the surrounding areas she had come to be slightly familiar with. She would not say that she knew the areas surrounding Pitch Pine like the back of her paw, not even close. But she knew enough to get around. It was curiosity that drove her north in the wee dawn hours of the morning, when her breath just barely misted from her lips, and dew still gathered on the leaves.

The white female ranged far north, much farther than the boundaries of Dragonfly Fen. Farther than Umbra Copse, the forest she'd been found in by Shade. She moved at a steady, ground eating trot, pausing near mid-day for a drink of water from a passing stream before shouldering on. Spectre was not sure why she wanted to go so far away from her pack lands, or why she had to do it /NOW/. But she did.. and as night fell on the first day, the wolf turned, looking over her shoulder to the south, where she knew the pack would be bedding down for the night. Would she be missed? As a newer member, she doubted so, but even then, it was on her mind. Turning, the female found a small copse of trees to take shelter in and curl up for the night, tucking her tail over her nose to sleep.

Dawn once again found the female traveling north, her pawprints leaving a trail in the damp earth behind her. The trees began to shift, the forest changed from the Umbra Copse to what the local wolves called Spectral Woods. Though, Spectre herself did not know the name of the place. She found thirst high on her list of priorities, and followed the sounds of a stream. Finding it was easy, as was taking a drink. Managing to force herself not to play in the cool waters was another thing entirely. Spectre leapt into the stream and carried on for about an hour, chasing the fish without success, but more for the enjoyment of the game before she turned and followed the current.

As the heat rose, she found it pleasant to remain in the stream for the trip, the water allowed her instant gratification to cool her throat, and it kept her fur wet to boot. She meandered down the stream, occasionally hopping completely out of the water, and splashing back down for no reason other than spontaneity. Before she realized it, she was within meters of the borders that surrounded Oak Tree Bend, but with the water so close, it masked the floating scents of the pack.

Finding deeper water, Spectre paused, standing stock still and focusing on the fish swimming around her paws. She waited for the right moment, then dunked her head under the water, snapping at the fish without success. Each time she rose, she shook her head and snorted, dislodging water from her nostrils, only to repeat the motion.

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Fenru Tainn, since learning that he still had family nearby (namely Borlla's pack and family), seemed to put him in an overall better mood. It occurred to him that he had started to smile just a little bit more since he had bid his aunt goodbye and good night and he found, bit by bit, that he was exactly where he needed to be at this particular time in his life. For a while he followed the happily babbling creeks through the woods, knowing very well that eventually he would stumble upon a familiar group of rocks or one of his pack members' scents somewhere within proximity of it - a sign that he was due to come upon the borders of his homelands in a matter of minutes. When his feet and pads had had enough of being chilled, he opted to travel forward and parallel to the running stream while his limbs dried. He had been humming along to a cheerful tune in his head when something that sounded like someone coughing up water... or drowning.

He poked his head through the trees and stout hedges, his bright amber eyes immediately falling upon a white and lissome figure in the creek. Her head plunged downward again and the Tainn's head canted to one side. @Jessie had tried to teach him how to fish a few weeks ago, but he was still on the fence about whether or not he truly liked the idea of getting all wet and spending his energy dunking his muzzle in the water while trying to chase something that was much faster in an element he was not very fond of. A part of him still wanted to give it a shot, but he was not willing to embarrass himself. It was apparent in how she was craning her head about underwater and standing very still that she knew what she was doing.

Certain that he couldn't straight out call out to her over the underwater currents and the splashing of the few fishes that were attempting to avoid her grasp, he casually strode onto the bank just upstream from her and lowered his head to lap at the water and quench his thirst. He took in a decent amount of water, all the while staring at her as his head went through the list of names that belonged to all the white wolves he knew. Pure logic alone already had his hopes up. If he had bid farewell to his aunt in the north, then she couldn't have beat him here. If it wasn't Aunt Borlla then this woman before him was very much likely Lucero or Arlette, but he could not be sure until she came up for air or straight out looked at him. Filling his stomach with much needed water, he started to feign taking a drink, often leaving his tongue submerged for seconds at a time.

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She was so intent on her stomach that Spectre realized far too late that another had come to stand nearby. Lifting her head from her latest attempt at fishing, the wolf shook herself, flinging water every which way, and taking a moment to blink her vision clear. As she took note of the darker wolf drinking, her nose quivered in an attempt to scent him across the waters. Sadly, she was unable to do so and ventured closer, keeping her tail near her hind legs, in a relaxed state. In a show of mild submission, she held her head lower than it might have been otherwise, but her ears remained forward and ice blue orbs alertly focused on the stranger.

Spectre allowed the silence to stretch between them as she approached until she stood in the center of the river, a few yards from Fenru. When she spoke, it was a softly uttered greeting, his relation to her pack, or with her pack unknown. He was much larger than herself, and she knew without a doubt that if he chose to go on the offensive, she would have no choice but to tuck tail and run. Perhaps, her form built more for speed would be able to outrun the muscular male, but she doubted it. These lands were foreign to her. "Good afternoon.."

The wolf remained standing in the center of the river, knowing that she would prefer to have the distance to escape should it be warranted. She hoped not, Spectre was not exactly what one would call a fighter. She may eventually find herself in a dominance match, or attempting to wrest control of a rank from another, but when it came down to it, she would much rather run than stand and fight.. Unless she knew the odds to be in her favor.

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His patience seemed to have paid off and, though he froze when their eyes met, Fenru drew his tongue back to its proper place behind his teeth and sealed his lips into a slight smile. It looked as though she had been possibly intimidated by her. It wasn't at all surprising, taking into consideration just how large he had grown over the past year (getting used to towering over his mother and even Ice had taken some getting used to). An inquisitive tilt of his head was his best attempt to prompt her into conversation. Then at last her ears came forward and she stepped to the center of the creek.

It was then he realized that she had blue eyes. Oh. He averted his gaze for a split second, recomposing himself as he remembered that Lucero and Arlette each had irises that were striking shades of sunshine yellow. His tail gave a genial wag, and just as he was just about ready to say 'hello,' she spoke, issuing him a more formal greeting. The corners of his mouth edged upward and he dipped his muzzle briefly in return, "Afternoon."

He swallowed idly, straightening himself into a sitting position after he quickly shook the water from his muzzle and chin. His attention was drawn back to the moving shapes at her elbows and knees and his eyebrows rose before going back to her face. "Any luck so far with fishing?" he asked, calling out to her. "I hear the minnows are pretty hard to catch. They, um, start to hide at daybreak."

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His comment of her going fishing had her thinking back to what she must have looked like when she had not realized the other was there. An internal groan had her wanting for nothing more than to hide in a hole and pretend not to exist. The white female shifted somewhat nervously and shook her pelt free of water before she began to climb out the side of the bank that Fenru was on. However, when she got closer to the dry side of land, she scented the markers that spoke of a pack and reversed direction, instead moving to the other side of the river and climbing out. The last thing she needed was to be caught on the inside of a packs borders.

Once again on dry land, the female turned ice blue eyes towards Fenru, then back towards the river she had been standing in. "I have had very little luck fishing. But I do enjoy the taste of fish, the Salmon especially." She offered a congenial smile before she shook herself dry, now on the other side of the river and safely away from pack lands. Did that mean that Fenru belonged to the pack across the river? "I am Spectre...Of Pitch Pine Trail to the South..I do hope that I am not intruding on your lands.." She did not think so, but the river had a tendency to wash away any scents.

Careful not to sit where her fur would end up dirtied by the ground covering that would stick to her wet backside, she remained standing, her tail held in a relaxed fashion near her thighs. Wedge shaped head remained lowered, but not submissive, simply not trying to challenge the other to any sort of duel. She was standing on what she hoped was neutral land.. But that did not mean that their packs were.. friendly to one another.

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"I've never tried salmon," Fenru remarked in hopes of further provoking her into lighthearted conversation. At least she smiled, and that in turn brought the Tainn to smile fully back at her. When she offered her name, he returned the sentiment by giving his, "Fenru." He withheld his last name and pack affiliation after remembering what had happened with the small pack of wolves he had encountered some time ago. Assumption alone egged him on to consider the idea that the small pack had grown to become Pitch Pine Trail. He might not have remembered the scent of the woman who had tried to protect little Karpos and Adsila, but if the woman dared to come close enough to him, he was certain he might have the chance to remember the distinct cologne that had belonged to the dark patriarch.

She was smart, climbing on to the opposite side of the creek and such, but Fenru had to bite his tongue in regards to whether or not she was trespassing. He had not been given any clear reason as to dislike her just yet. At least she seemed respectful enough as to apologize first rather than claiming she didn't know she was near territory borders. He idly snorted the statement that left his mouth came out much bit harsher than he had originally intended, "No. You're not."

He fought the urge to raise his tail, to make a stalwart attempt to let her know just who she was speaking to. "You're close though," he lent. "But not close enough to give me reason to chase you off." The expression on his face hardened the more he thought about the possibility of Pitch Pine Trail having ties to the small black pup he had found alone outside a well-hidden den. "Your... pack," he slowly brought up again, hoping to keep her engaged. "They're... close by? Are there... Do the Leaders have two dark cubs?" He slowly stepped forward to bring the water's edge up to his forearm, "One boy an' one girl?"

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She gave a smile to his remark about salmon, her expression thoughtful. "Well, if I catch one while we're standing here, I shall give it to you.. You really should try them." His words that she was not trespassing gave her heart, but the sudden dominant display and his warning of her being close had Spectre frowning, pausing with one paw lifted. She'd intended to slog back into the water, but his words made her wonder if the River was part of the territory of his pack. "Is...the river part of your territory, Sir Fenru, or am I safe to attempt to catch you a snack?" Her tone was light hearted, ears attentive, but her stance was as neutral as she could manage.

Silver fur ruffled in the wind as she waited for his answer, but another question fired at her followed on the heels of her own, and it had her placing the paw back down on the dirt and stepping backwards, suddenly extremely nervous. That accurately described the pups of the alpha, Shade. Swallowing, Spectre's ice blue eyes glanced left, then right, gauging the clearance she had on either side. She had not made it this far by being stupid, or that is what she figured. She still did not remember much of her past. However, the wolf much preferred to put distance between them if the situation turned hairy. Fenru was the first wolf she had met outside of her own pack after all. "They....do...Yes.. We live to the south.."

Spectre's voice was tentative, soft as she lowered her head, still watching the other intently. "If something has happened between our packs to cause this conversation to become scabrous, I will gladly take my leave...Though I do wish to know what it is that would cause such trouble. I have only joined Pitch Pine Trail in the last few weeks, and you are the first outside of my pack that I have met." She was loathe to run now that she had met someone she did not know, but she also had no intentions of having him tearing into her hide for crimes she did not commit, either.

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She was also generous and kind, that was for sure, but Fenru Tainn was not certain that he wanted to share a meal with her. He could fish for himself if he only tried hard enough and did as Jessie had once instructed him. She immediately reacted to his voice, the underlying tone of possessiveness obviously seizing her, as she paused with one forepaw lifted off the river bank. The mention of his name pronounced after the title of "Sir" brushed his fur the wrong way and he visibly scowled at her, even more so as she informed him that not only did the pack remain close by - by how close or how far south, he could only assume, but he made a mental note that he would return to the old makeshift den as soon as he was finished here - but she associated herself with them.

The ivory woman lowered her head and she opened her mouth once more to speak, her voice coming from her lips softer than before. The Tainn could barely make out the words over the soft babbling of the creek. It made his fur bristle and it took all the nerve he had to smooth out his hackles as best he could. After all, she had just bestowed upon him the official name of the rogue band of wolves he had discovered. "When I last saw them, they were just too close for comfort," he stated, his conscience crying out from the corners of his skull that he shouldn't lash out at the woman; she had not been one of the few who brandished curled lips and vicious growls in his face. Corinna had taught him to be better than this...

Doing his best to neutralize the fire in his glare and relax his shoulders into a more casual position, he slowly paced along his side of the river, his eyes dropping to scan the water's surface. "You don't need to leave," he said finally when his gaze lifted to meet her icy blue eyes. "Ask anyone in my pack and they'd prob'ly tell you I'm much too territorial for my own good. We've only just arrived here, my family and I, and I merely look out for them. You, um... You also look like someone I know that's why I... I kinda engaged ya. I didn't mean to come off as intimidating or anything."

(This post was last modified: Aug 07, 2013, 09:26 AM by Fenru.)

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The reaction to her words had Spectre immediately reassessing her position in the water. Despite the males attempts to smooth over his initial reaction with an explanation of over protective instincts, she still suddenly felt quite unsafe with him nearby. Spectre moved, removing herself from the babbling of the river so she was positioned on the opposite side of the landmark from Fenru. Once there, the pale Pitch Pine second shook herself vigorously to remove most of the water from her pelt, then turned ice blue orbs on the male to look at him. To /truly/ look at him. She had to admit, he was handsome, in a way. The markings were almost pearled into one another. But she knew better than to pine over a member of another pack. Especially a member of another pack that seemed to dislike her own so much.

>"I see.. Well if it would please you to know our location, we live in Dragonfly Fen. Not so terribly close as you might suspect.. And...we are few in number for the time being, and concentrated more on caring for the leaders pups than causing trouble with other packs nearby.." While she was tasked with the hunter rank in the pack, Spectre also wished to do things that a scout was expected to do, so she decided to pry a little into the information she could glean about his pack, interested to see if Fenru would indeed spill something of use to bring back to Shade and Anastasia. "I forgive you, then.. You are only doing what I would to protect my pack mates, though we are not family.. If it is not too bold of me to ask, what is your surname? Perhaps I may know some other members of your family." Though, she doubted it considering she had only just arrived here and knew those taht were in her pack alone.

Spectre let her eyes wander the area they were in, taking note of certain features and landmarks. If she was to bring any information at all back to the alphas, she would have to make sure she had as much information as possible. It was obvious that Fenru had had some problems with the pups of her pack before, and she swallowed, nervous about asking the next question. "Perhaps, you are thinking of Anastasia, our alphena.. To my knowledge she is the only other blue eyed pale female in our pack.. The rest are all of darker coloring.. or far too young to be causing trouble." At least, that was her hope - that the rest were far too young. Spectre had not met everyone in the pack, but she knew that of those she had met, her words were truth. Her tail was held passively between her thighs, ears pointed towards the other male attentively, but her fangs were dutifully hidden behind her ebony lined lips. She knew little of this wolf, but Spectre also knew how to play the information game. Give some, and take what the other offered. She would not tell Fenru the true strength of the pack, but she would give him an idea.. unless he of course gave her a true number.

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To Fenru it might have been foolish of the woman to disclose where she lived, especially when the two of them had established that the packs they were from were not particularly on the best terms with one another. But, perhaps, it was the right thing to do; if he wished to avoid the area, he now knew where not to go, just as she knew just how close she had come to the borders of his home. "I forgive you, then.." she said. "You are only doing what I would to protect my pack mates, though we are not family.." Oh, how Fenru wanted to outright glare at her, to brandish what was left of his disrespectful, adolescent ways. To be fair, he had always been a 'good kid' and a 'good son,' but Fenru could count on his digits when he had, on occasion, snapped at @Kisla, his uncles and even Ice to stay away from him when he was in such a mood. He fought the urge to tilt his head and address her with sarcasm, to tell her that he did not ask for her forgiveness, but all it took for him bristle his fur even further was the utterance of her next question and request, "If it is not too bold of me to ask, what is your surname? Perhaps I may know some other members of your family."

"Aesir," he gruffly pronounced for the woman, mindful of stating it loud so that she could hear him over the playful babble of the river. Fenru might not have been an Aesir, but until he could prove to himself that he could restore the Tainn family name to its former glory, he was not ready to identify himself with it. Not until he was convinced that he could fully undo what his father Indru had done. He swallowed hastily, his lips pursing into a hard line from one end of his snout to the other. For now, he was busy bubble-wrapping himself, hiding under the courage and confidence that his step-father and mentor's name held.

While the Tainn was unsure whether or not Ice often strayed from Swift River's borders to make allegiances and strike negotiations out of short trips, Fenru went ahead and threw out a sliver of an impatient statement, "You don't know us, we're new here on this side of the mountain and we're here to stay." He overlooked the name that the rogue had given for now, while he still remembered it and it was fresh in his memory, he would let @Ice and @Corinna know that an @Anastasia now ruled the small and previously imposing pack that he had found on the edges of their portion of the Spectral Woods.

While he had previously mentioned that she did not have to leave, now that she was suddenly asking for information that he was not willing to part with or share, he decided on a whim that it was high time that she leave his part of the forest while she was already out of the water. He gave her another unimpressed glare, it made the mask on his face seem like it had darkened, accentuating the fiery hues in his eyes. "Look, I'm going to check and make sure that you haven't touched something very precious to me hidden around here and if I come back and you're still here, regardless of whether it's gone or not, I'm coming after you, so you better get gone." He didn't wait to hear what she had to say, if she had anything counter him or confront him with.

He disappeared behind one of the dark, twisted trees...

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