Friend or Foe?

@Coal

I took him three days. Three long days to leave the only constant source of water he had seen in months, to continue his travels.

It had been a gift from the heavens that he had found a deer corpse on his way. With a full stomach and renewed fervor, the large beast continued his journey. His body had gotten a well deserved rest before he left Cold Water Creek. He wasn't at the peak of his game, but he would soon get there if the Fates continued to bless him like they had done with the deer.

Miccah wasn't a very religious man, but he had to believe in something that cursed and blessed his life from the day he was born to now.

He had found a way to circle the mountain and was now at the foothills. Watching his step, the dark knight continued to think. He had grown up since the time he had seen @Ashanti last. Both physically and mentally. Would she think different of him? Would she be cautious of him? Would she be searching for that naive boy that had loved her so much when they were barely Yearlings?

At first, he himself was cautious of the feelings that had sprung up on him about the alpha's daughter. Was this some meager puppy love that would soon fade? But then he started noticing her differently. Besides the sway of her walk and her graceful beauty, he noticed the constant twinkle in her eye. Her talent and love for the art of healing, her kind nature, her skill in all aspects of wolf. That's when Miccah knew he truly loved her. That this thing he felt, this emotion, was the forever kind of love.

A gentle smile tugged at his muzzle as he lost himself in the memories of the days of his youth. The snap of a twig brought him back to the present with a jolt. One corner of his muzzle lifted, the scarred side, to show a gleaming white fang. His dark blue eyes no longer held that faraway look. They were clear and alert. Standing up to his full height, he let out a small growl of warning. Instinct was taking over as his eyes searched the rocky terrain for the wolf who he found as a stranger.

This place was less rocky than other parts of the foothills. Coal had traversed them easily enough but found the level ground a welcome relief to his sore pads and leg joints. For a while now he had picked his way around the sparse trees and boulders of Riddle Heights, not knowing, of course, the name of the place he had been traveling through for days. The air had a chill to it, like it always did in autumn, but it seemed stronger than it should have been making the cream and copper male wonder what winter would be like this year. By then he would undoubtedly be a part of a pack, but his sympathies went out to any who were forced to winter alone or even chose such a path. The sun was sinking near to the golden horizon painting a beautiful sky which the huge Bielski could not help but stare at. He loved beauty, was a romantic, even, but had given himself little chance to show his true nature to the pack he had once called his own. As a pup he wanted to be tough, as a yearling even more so. As an alpha, even though only for a short time, he had had to be so. Now, on his own, he was finally learning to relax and enjoy a sunset. Coal's footsteps were careless; he was not worried about hiding his presence, but instead liked to make himself known as a strong, independent brute well able to fight. Not many wolves were up here in the foothills but all the same he never stopped being prepared to meet one. A low growl broke the silence. Coal halted and peered forward, trying to discern the nature and source of the warning. A few hesitant steps brought him to an opening in the growth and he spotted a large black brute, hackles raised, staring at him. The Bielski's brows furrowed as he assumed a dominant pose and spoke. "Greetings, stranger. My name is Coal Bielski. Is there any particular reason you dislike me so before knowing me?"

(This post was last modified: Oct 11, 2013, 03:09 AM by Coal.)

Miccah's ears perked up as a scent came his way. Instinct was still overruling his logic. He had no reason to be defensive so early with a stranger, but he guessed it was because he had been caught off guard. He hated that.

But even after telling himself that he could relax, there was no immediate danger, his body was still prepared for sudden attack. His hackles had been raised, his muscles were taught, and his eyes and ears were alert as they could be. Suddenly, a large brown brute came into his vision, and Miccah couldn't help but let his growl become just a tad bit louder.

The words of the stranger drifted into his ears as Miccah's eyes caught onto his dominant stature.

"Greetings, stranger. My name is Coal Bielski. Is there any particular reason you dislike me so before knowing me?"

His tail, that had been raised high and taught, slowly lowered to a neutral position. His muscles slowly relaxed and his mind cleared of the raging instincts that were bombarding him earlier. His dark blue eyes that had been narrowed before, blinked and became his usual, open stare. The usual warm twinkle in his eyes began to form, and that's when he finally allowed himself to speak. His deep, soft timbre resonated through the sparse trees and open air.

"I apologize. Your approach caught me off guard. I guess you could say I had been a bit...distracted. Miccah Athesila is the name, and I apologize once again for my uncalled rudeness."

A slight smile tugged at his muzzle as he waited for the man, Coal, to speak.

(This post was last modified: Oct 11, 2013, 11:39 AM by Miccah.)

For a moment he wondered if this encounter would turn into a fight, for the snarl curling the brute's lips only intensified as the large copper brute came into his line of vision. Coal, though he was well able to put a strong wolf to right, did not find much enjoyment in battle and, were it not a question of dignity, would rather ignore the brute altogether if it came to it. His dark eyes narrowed for a moment and his muscles tightened to prepare, but the man did not seem to wish to bring it that far. Coal didn't know for sure if it was his peaceful speech or his obviously dominant bearing, but the black stranger lowered his stiff tail and relaxed, letting his growl fade into silence before speaking. The apology was well received and Coal also relaxed his positure to relate friendly intentions to him. He was not arrogant, or did not believe himself to be and found no reasons for others to do so either, so he let the matter slide and moved on to a different topic. He wasn't one to hold a grudge that wasn't worth anything. "No worries, my friend. May I ask what it is that you are doing out here, or where you might be going?" The Bielski's voice was characteristically low with a slight gruffness to it that matched his physical appearance, but could not be labeled unpleasant or harsh. As he spoke he moved closer to Miccah and sat, proving his forgiveness of the past.

Sorry I took so long! Stress of school.
@Coal

Miccah let a grin appear on his maw as his apology was sell recieved. The man's eyes watched as the equally large man came towards him and sat down. Miccah followed suit, planting his haunches on the ground. His posture relayed what he truly felt--comfortable and relaxed. Curling his tail around him, his ears pricked slightly forward, listening to Coal's words.

His salmon tongue made an appearence as the man opened his maws to tell his newfound companion an answer to his earlier question.

"Well, you could say I'm a man on a mission." A soft chuckle rumbled through his chest. Miccah lapsed into silence. He was forming his thoughts into words. He was in no rush, for he was a patient man. Finally satisfied in the direction of his thoughts, the burly man's deep baritone once again made an appearence.

"I'm searching for....an old friend? I know she's here in these lands somewhere. Call it a gut feeling, I suppose. What about you companion? Why are you here?" His questions were not made in a harsh tone, merely an interested one.

He wondered, what had brought Coal to these lands? Just plain curiosity? Family? Personal need? An old flame? A special lady? Of course, Miccah wasn't as rude to ask these type of questions. Privacy was special to him, that's why he wouldn't meddle in Coal's affairs. And that's why Miccah had been so evasive about Ashanti. Call it jealousy, pride, whatever, Miccah felt uneasy telling another man about her.

He supposed he would have to work on that. Ashanti was a magnificent lady, and no doubt some of her friends were were men. Probably special to her too. Miccah took a soft breath and exhaled, his attention never wavering from Coal even with his mental monologue.

(This post was last modified: Oct 14, 2013, 10:32 PM by Miccah.)

The dark male was relaxed, and he showed it plainly by his comfortable posture and the twinkle in his deep blue eyes. They were a strange color, one that the Bielski had never seen before, as even pups' eye color was light, sky blue rather than the dark shade this man possessed. They were pretty, he supposed. He listened intently as Miccah related his single reason for having entered Relic Lore, picking up on the need for privacy that leaked through his words. The name of the one he sought would not be easily given out it seemed. But that was just as well. The copper male had no interest in meddling in things that had nothing to do with him. Then the attention returned to him and he answered easily, conversation not being his strongest point but not his worst either. "I was alpha a little while ago, of a pack called Red Ash Gorge. Unfortunately my uncle wasn't at all pleased that the rank fell to me rather than him. I managed to fend him off for a little while but he is stronger and even a little bigger than me and eventually won." At this Coal felt slightly embarrassed; relating these things would do nothing to boost the certainty of his dominance or promise a good fight. Somehow, though, he trusted this stranger enough to speak freely of them. A chuckle escaped his lips and a lopsided grin turned them up. "I wasn't at all about to submit to him as the lowest in the pack so I did what any respectable wolf would do. I left. So here I am, wandering around. I can't say I'm dead set on finding a pack right away, but I plan to well before winter hits. I feel for any loner out there who has to brave the cold weather on his own." Coal motioned towards nowhere in particular, vaguely including all of Relic Lore. Then he wasn't really sure what to do. The two males had been well introduced, so no more formalities were necessary. Was it time to just up and leave? That seemed a little awkward. Instead the copper Bielski glanced hesitantly towards Miccah and rose to four feet, clearing his throat. "You hungry? Cause I'm hungry. Wanna catch something?" It was a blunt statement, right to the point.

Miccah listened as Coal spoke. An alpha? Interesting he thought. No wonder he had such a dominant stance in the beginning.

Miccah's attention turned back to Coal and listened. He wasnt that much in a rush to be in a pack either, though it was quite different feelings about finding Ashanti. He wanted to find her as soon as possible.

There was a silence after Coal finished that wavered between comfortable and awkward. And then Coal spoke the magic words.

"You hungry? Cause I'm hungry. Wanna catch something?"

Immediately a grin spread across his maw. It was easier to hunt with a companion than by yourself. "It's like you read my mind," he joked amicably. "What are you in the mood for?," he asked conversationally as he stood up on all four legs. Rolling his shoulders and stretching his body out to work out the small kinks that had formed as he sat down, he padded over to Coal.

His confident and authorative persona peaked to the surface as he nodded his head towards the woods in a 'follow me' motion to Coal. Taking the lead, the brawny brute headed in the direction of the sparse trees. "I had a sister and a brother, they were the youngest and I the oldest," he voiced distractedly as he lifted his muzzle to scent for something close. He'd let @Coal come to his own conclusions about that little tidbit. For some odd reason, he was beginning to feel a glimmer of trust for this man, enough to tell him about his deceased brother and sister, advertently as it was.

It seemed as though he had touched on something both of them could relate well to—food. Coal's stomach was indeed quite empty..too much so to be satisfied by a meager rabbit. A full sized deer would be nice, a delicacy really, an impossible catch by a single lone wolf. Even with two it would be an incredible feet to take a doe down without injury, but both of these males were big, and perhaps that would be enough to accomplish it. It was worth a try anyway; if it failed they could back out before anything went too far. It would still be wise to go after a bare-headed doe rather than a buck, as the latter acted rather feisty this time of year searching for mates and their head gear was very sharp. Does, on the other hand, as the rut neared, had begun to emanate odd smells which advertised their locations...not to mention the bucks who found it so necessary to urinate on their own hind legs. After all these things had been thought over the Bielski nodded (agreeable to letting Miccah lead the hunt) and followed the dark male into the woods, voicing his opinion. "Doe." Not too difficult of a target, he hoped. He figured that silence would accompany them as they moved towards prey, and therefore was surprised when his companion spoke again, and then confused as to the reason for saying what he did. It made little sense, as it was the type of speech to start off a longer one, not to simply say and then drop it. At first Coal did not reply while he pondered it, padding quickly after Miccah, eying him with curiosity. And then it hit him. The black wolf had not referred to them as currently his siblings, but that they once had been so. Unless he had disowned them, which was extremely unlikely since the subject would never have been brought up, they were dead. A frown overtook The Bielski's expression and he watched Miccah carefully, now wondering why exactly the man had so bluntly stated these things. "You speak as if they are no longer, my friend," he murmured gently and quietly, both for the sake of caution for Miccah and for staying quiet lest a meal discover their location and flee.

Sorry I took so long Ren <3

"Doe," was his companion's response. A corner of his lip tilted upwards, forming a small smirk of amusement. His friend couldn't have found a more difficult feat. With one wolf it was near to impossible, with two, the percent of victory didn't go much higher. But, what of it? Maybe, by some stroke of luck by the Fates, they would be able to take down the beast.

Lowering his muzzle to the rocky terrain that was scarcely covered with a bit of greenery here and there, he tried to find a scent of the meal they were to track down. Coal spoke low, but Miccah's attentive ears still took notice of the words coming out of his mouth.

His smirk of amusement dipped until it was now only a sad frown. Why had he brought this up again? Could it be that after so long, he finally felt the need to talk about those bloody events? Miccah almost snorted at his thoughts, but kept his composure. It had been a long time since he had spoken of those events, the last person he told being @Ashanti. He still remembered how he felt after that conversation. Hollow, empty, and emotionally drained. He had picked up his last shred of manly dignity and stomped it on the ground, because he remembered that he had finally grieved that day. Open and unabashed.

The memories made him take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He guessed he still grieved, but the pain was not as strong as it had been on that day. Opening his maw, he began to speak, soft and gentle to not scare off the prey.

"That is because they are no more my friend. Right when I was to become a Yearling, the betas overthrew the alpha's, my parents. My parents fought to the death, quite literally. The one's who I had come to trust destroyed me in one day. I saw my siblings die because of their protection of me, Coal. I'm surprised they didn't kill me too. They forced me out of the pack, and sent me, a kid who was barely a Yearling, on his merry little way." A small shudder coursed through his body as he spoke of those past events. He guessed he wasn't as over it as he thought he was. His tone, by the end of his mini monologue, had held slight anger, but nothing else. He had let go of that bitterness long ago.

While he had been speaking, his muzzle was still looking for scents, his body instinctively weaving through trees, and clambering over obstacles in his way. His eyes never wavered from staring forward, but his ears swiveled around, alert for any type of danger or sound that would direct him towards his prey.

And then it hit him. "You smell that, Coal?," he questioned. The scent of a herd hit him straight in the gut. They were getting close.

(This post was last modified: Nov 06, 2013, 12:38 PM by Miccah.)

An awkward silence followed his hesitant words, and Coal knew why. What confused him was why Miccah had brought up the subject that promised to be so painful in the first place. The dark male never stopped moving in his confident, sure way but anyone could see his mind spinning, searching for an answer, remembering, forming the sentences to speak of a difficult past. As he spoke Coal listened intently, his copper head tilted slightly and his ears perked, picking his way along behind his friend. His answer was silence also, for nothing could be said that would suffice in response to a story like that. It was short and simple, but even the huge Bielski could not comprehend the hurt and bitterness which backed it up. The anger which touched at the far corners of his tone. But Miccah did not seem to want to rest on the topic but instead brought Coal's attention to what they had been searching for. The faint scent of deer hit him just after it did his companion, and immediately a great sense of hunger followed. A fire lit in his dark eyes and his pace quickened. "Yeah. Let's bring it down." The herd could not be more than a mile away judging by the strength of the delicious aroma right here, and they could have a meal within the half hour. Now Coal sped ahead, excitement bubbling in his veins. He ran at a heightened lope for only minutes before the thickness of the preys' scent forced him to stop. It would be less than convenient if they scared the deer away before even sighting the beasts. Rather, the young male moved slowly until they had neared the very edge of the cliffs. He abandoned the cover of the trees at a low crawl until he was able to spot a small herd browsing below not too far away. The wind was in their favor, and the descent to level ground did not appear difficult. "This way," Coal whispered just as he turned from the sheer edge and made towards a path that would bring them down from the cliffs. As he put his weight on the path he slipped and fell, instinctively keeping quiet but still causing quite the avalanche of dirt and rocks. He could hear the thudding of the deers' hooves as they fled the scene, and an angered groan forced its way through his lips even as he lay half covered by dust and pebbles twenty feet below where he had lost his footing. "Forget it," he growled.