Spectral Woods the river and the mountain

For @Arlette. ♥ Sorry it might not be much to go on, but I hope it's enough.

I know your insides are feeling so hollow...

November 8th; Morning; Light snow; 28° F/-2° C

Arlette Lyall was here. Really, how could he have missed that? Fenru was in a whirlwind of emotions - revelation, shock, relief, and excitement all in one. Had he been too blind to see? Too ignorant to question the faintest hint of her scent around the territory? Too proud to even stop his patrolling and attend to his other duties concerning the pack's members? Maybe even too withdrawn from it all to reorient himself? Either way, the young Tainn had been, as per usual, following in his Uncle Triell's footsteps through the trees, mulling it all over in his head while hoping that he would have the chance to see her again.

How long had it been since they had last seen each other under the cherry-laden branches of the orchard trees? Had the cloud that had been over her head passed? He hoped so; his still lingered but the shadow it cast on him barely made him sullen anymore.

Neutral. Everything was just in a neutral state until he was provoked... and, he would have liked it all to stay that way... if it were not for the subtle scent that now filtered through his olfactory senses.

Breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, the masked man strolled slowly beneath the gnarled trees, his amber eyes alight with an anxious energy. While he dared to even think about calling to her in the middle of the morning, he held his tongue. The light snowfall was sure to muffle out the loudest bark he could manage. It also wasn't as if he wanted to demand her to come to him; he wasn't a Leader after all, and he merely sought out her companionship after having been away from her for so long. He might not have felt like he had changed, but something within him was certain that even the slightest shift was enough to spark something new... if only he could talk to the girl from Grizzly Hollow at long last.

...and it's a hard pill for you to swallow

(This post was last modified: Nov 08, 2013, 09:56 PM by Fenru.)

Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

,3 thank you this was enough to help me.

When it gets cold outside

Greeted by a grey sky, Arlette found this morning more chilly than the last. White hair bristled around the nape of her neck, and base of her throat, she still had a smile on her face. The clouds were heavy with the promise of snow. White, sparkling flakes she had adored since childhood. None were falling yet, but it did not discourage her. Shifting from the slim oak she headed to the scents that marked the territory of the Bend.

Yes, she was aware it would snow there, instead wanted to find a place where it was unlikely she would be spotted. This caused a pinch of guilt. Once more avoiding the others, but her paws did not slow. She had her reasons. One being catching snow flakes might make her appear more strange than she was. Two...

It wasn't that she didn't like her new home, or the wolves. No, it was quite opposite. There was admiration, and likeness. The thing was she was afraid to get attached. When she grew attached to things they had a great way of hurting her in turn. Merlin would return and it would be easier for her to go without having to cut their hearts, and hers. If they didn't like the pale yellow eyed wolf, they would not miss her.

The white flakes begin to lazily fall, becoming a faint curtain of white. The lady found herself just on the outskirts of home. Maybe, she didn't get as far as she thought, as she wanted. When raising her dark nose to catch a tender flake, in the end it was decided it did not matter. Who could hide forever?

(This post was last modified: Dec 07, 2013, 02:09 AM by Arlette.)

Look Out!

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +7 Health

But if I fall for you...

The crunching of freshly-formed frost nearby caught the young Tainn's interest immediately. His ears perked up and instinctively he drew in a deep breath in hopes of picking up the scent of who or what was nearby. He stepped through the trees, his plume-like tail held aloft in utter curiosity when the metallic scent of blood stung at his nose. He came around a large tree to find a kill site flocked by feline tracks. A rather intimidating growl left his throat and chest as he surveyed the cramped clearing, only partially certain that the hunter, a lynx or bobcat if his memory was serving him right, was no longer around. The bloody trail in the snow that led away from the small deer and its telltale signs of struggle proved it, but just staring at it all made his tail and the fur about his neck warily stand up.

As if to make sure that the clawed-being had gone (by the looks of it, it had done well in consuming what it could before making itself scarce with a full stomach), Fenru let out a singular thunderous bark. He waited until the world fell quiet before approaching the now frozen deer carcass. His stomach reeled as his senses started to kick into gear - the sight of blood had his heart hammering in anticipation, the smell of the fresh kill made his stomach grumble and cramp with hunger pangs, the taste and sensation of cold flesh on his tongue made a shiver run from the back of his skull to the base of his tail. Regardless of whether or not anyone else might have been watching, the Oak Tree Bend Guardian was going to savor the moment. The sinew practically melted in his mouth, and it was with a rather noisy and ravenous fashion that he seized the deer's exposed stomach and attempted to empty it for the sake of enjoying the texture of the lining within.

...I'll never recover

Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

When it gets cold outside

A snowflake landed on her nose, but a gruff, loud bark near by disrupted her thought, and it melted before she could see. Who was that? Why the bark? Pale eyes begin to search, looking past the flakes. Was it the the dark wolf? What had his name been. Tr-e-el l? He seemed nice enough, but didn't everyone? Purposefully taking a deep breath, clamping her eyes shut, suddenly the white lady raised her chin and began walking forward. The gait of her steps was marked with hesitation because if it was not a Oak Tree wolf she was a bit concerned what she would do. Knowing she should figure out what they were doing, and why so close was the right thing to do. Airing on the side of caution, dark nose began to wiggle, and she forced her ears to stand up letting her senses reach out for answers first.

The blood of the kill filled her nostrils, making her mouth slightly water. It was tinged with a scent in her mind that went along with danger. A cat, smaller than a mountain lion but enough to make her white muzzle crinkle. If she was going to meet it she was not going to be that frail pup. Stalking forward, eyes sweeping quickly over the whitening landscape she could hear someone eating. Great. If it's not a cat, it's a loner who will not want to be chased from the kill. Fear became a reason the white threads along her neck began to rise, hackles following, but there was also the need to find her courage. Be the bigger, scarier thing. Someone who wasn't afraid. Raising a lip, not quite able to growl she bounded quickly to the remains of the kill.

Whoever it was had come the other way, and looked to be filling himself on the stomach without a care. Half disgusted she only saw his shoulders, and before she could lose face she manged to growl, "You need to eat else where." To back up her words, she widened her stance, finding her muscles stiffen, hoping she appeared as threatening as she had seen Elettra,Trisden, and Jayse all those times they had needed to be.

If I fall for you...

Here and there the deer's last meal, along with what little stomach acid remained, went scattered into the pristine white snow, and it was with relish that Fenru swallowed the slimy organ in three long, uneven pieces. He just about ready to help himself to the rest of the deer's innards when a voice stopped him in his tracks. The sight he was faced with was nothing short of startling. Her size might not have been intimidating if he really, really had the chance to look at her, but her display of clenched teeth and how she had quickly drawn close as if to ward him away from the kill site had him sold to her tactic. He stepped away only to spin around and throw out his own bluff.

While he was merely a few inches taller than her, she nearly matched him with her fur upright; when he, too, lifted his shoulders and allowed his fur along his spine to bristle, he felt as though he could have towered over her once more. Her growl was not forgotten on his rust-colored ears but he merely thundered back at her. "I have every right to be here," he growled, daring to stare squarely into her face. He showed off his own teeth, fighting the urge to snarl at her, when his ability to recognize those pale yellow eyes kicked in.

Lucero? Arlette.

As if smacked in the face and stung several times in the limbs by an invisible bee, he awkwardly stumbled backwards, tripping over both the deer carcass and his own large paws. He fell onto his side and before he could right himself, he cautiously peered over the deer's untouched spine and shredded shoulder, his auburn ears tentatively level with the top of his head. Would she recognize him as he had her? He could only hope. To think of what he could have possibly done to her if he had thought her to be some sort of stranger had him wanting to bite his tongue while gnawing at his inner cheek in reproach. He might have - could have - easily injured her by instinct alone.

"Wait," he breathed, the taste of blood still on his tongue. "Wait."

...I'll never be the same

Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

When it gets cold outside

First it seemed she would not have to take further action, and relief lightened her chest. How wrong she was. Sure, he had stepped away, but only to meet her head on. Suddenly there was only her instinct telling her to try to land a bite, and run like hell. What else was there to do when one was matched with someone she didn't have to look over to know they were larger? And mad.... Yes, she hadn't quite thought this all through.

Face to face what felt like a roar cutting into her ears, even if she could have moved she was held in place by hard gaze of fire. No longer was she thinking about snapping at that face, and running. What should she do? Blood on his breath burned her nose, never being quite so close. She knew who he was. What had just happened?

Soon as the threat had arrived, it only seemed she had to blink once and the picture of white teeth disappeared. It was replaced with a much different image. One of someone who had just made her heart freeze tripping over the very thing that had hidden him. The pale wolf began to laugh at herself, and perhaps a little at the rust and gray colored man she had moments ago told to get out of here. Why she tried to settle the soft twinkling sound, he peered so cautiously from his meal as if she may continue her charge another wave of laughter hit. Raising a paw in certainty, she steered closer to the deer, giving a shake of her head. No longer amused, instead concerned, her white brows etched downward over yellow eyes. "I'm an idiot...are you okay?" She had thought he would stand up now. Apparently, maybe her act had been more believable than she thought and he was muttering.

"Fenru?" Frozen to the ground she waited for a sign, not daring to go any closer. "I..I didn't know it was you," she began to explain.

I know we're only half way there...

She laughed and it made Fenru wince and inquisitively tilt his head. Did she realize who he was? Was she laughing at him for tripping? The dark triangles under his face stretched and wrinkled on both sides of his muzzle; her chuckle wasn't as hearty as he had initially expected. He stayed on the ground, staring up at her as she continued to peer down at him with worried yellow eyes.

"I'm an idiot...are you okay?"

That voice definitely belonged to Arlette. Slowly, he nodded. "Fenru?" she questioned him. He took it as a sign to make a move, sitting up at first before trying his hind legs. They folded beneath him from the surge of adrenaline and shock that had been presented to him in the form of a terrifying snow-like guardian. "I..I didn't know it was you." she clarified her reason for her behavior.

"Thaaat's okay," he consoled her, his tail wagging slowly behind him as his words momentarily got caught up in his throat. "I... I don't usually go this far out away from the borders." He attempted to give her a sheepish smile, what manifested on his ivory maw was something more along the lines of an embarrassed grin, something that wholly made up for his decision to be away from home. "Is everything okay?" he questioned her in return. The deer in front of him had already been forgotten, his interests instead turning to why Arlette had reacted in such a way if or when she had heard him filling up his stomach nearby. "I didn't startle you, did I?" For a second he averted his eyes, everything about his facial expression apologetic before he returned his gaze back to Arlette. "Sorry if I did..."

...but you can take me all the way

Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

When it gets cold outside

No longer could she keep her ears from tucking back against the dip for her white crown. Three beats of her heart and she thought about running away again. An unsteady swallow, soft yellow gaze dropped in time to miss him sitting up. Now her tongue felt like stone.

The rhythm of his voice drew her chin up a degree, eyes finding his masked face higher than before. All she could do was offer a nod, and a half smile that was rather fragile. As he explained faint brows twitched, a curious tilt to her chin. Did he never leave home? Lettie tried to mask the question, hoping her pale face appeared to be listening intently. A grin appeared on his dark features and she felt the tight rows of her stiff muscles relaxing, the tips of triangle ears shoot upward. She was perfectly fine, well now that he was speaking in return. Maybe, her eyes were still a little wide because her manners were still cautious. "Yes. I only thought it was a loner eating near by and I was afraid what would happen if your brothers came wandered this far..." They were not in Oak Tree Bend, but this time a year a loner would be rather desperate to keep a meal.

For his next question, a second there ears point back. What would she admit, and what should she deny?"Sorta,"she began. "It reminded me a bit how we first met, when I thought you were going to eat me." She tried to keep a light tone so he would not think she was serious. Oh, the look on his face, and the apology she already wanted to grab the words and throw them away. An attempt to convey how she really felt she entered the space before him. This time with face cast down, yellow eyes were searching with every intent to hold his stare. Worried it wouldn't be enough, cold nose reached out for the side of his cheek."Then I realized as scary as you can be, I'm lucky your my friend..you know who can go from beast, to tail wag in three seconds flat." A grin lit up the edge of her muzzle, and tail gave a steady wag. "Next time I better request your backup. I was half convinced if I bite this guy he'll probably double in size again." As her voice faded, the silence began to drum in her ears and she felt she had said too much....did too much. Quickly she began to shuffle away, thinking about which way to run.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2014, 03:01 AM by Arlette.)

He found comfort in the way she told him that she had reacted in regards to keeping Sceral and Serach safe from a ravenous rogue. It made his smile morph into something more than just a simper and his tail thumped against the ground twice when she said that this encounter had reminded her of when they had first met. Then, all too soon, he watched as she began to scuffle away, shuffling back in the snow, and looking as if she had said something... wrong? He remained seated, treating this delicate situation between them as though he were trying to coax a startled cub to keep close to him for safety.

"I dunno if you know this," Fenru started, hoping against all hope to keep her from running off, "but, you really are brave, Arlette. More than you believe you are." He beamed at her, hoping that she, too, would recover from the initial shock of countering one another. "That was a really good defensive stance you had. Heh," he kept his tickled chuckles contained in his windpipe, allowing a smirk to make up for its absence. "I mean, you had me good..." The expression on his face reduced into a silly, puppy-like smile with his eyeteeth poking out on either side of his chin.

"Stay," he then offered, remembering that he had noticed her start to draw away. "You're welcome to have some... some..." Fenru had to stop a moment to glance down at the frozen corpse on the ground, to discern what it was he had exactly stumbled upon and made a feast of. "Deer," he declared, still all smiles. "It's nice to be able to eat most of it myself... but I couldn't possibly think of being that selfish." Before he could even think of trying to strip the frigid hide from a part of the deer, it occurred to him that Arlette could have been in the middle of something, namely, a patrol. "Or, er, maybe I can save some for you for later... when you're done making your rounds. I... I didn't mean to distract you."