Look way down the river

Feel It In Your Bones Post Promp.
@Evann -- surprise! <3

… what do you think I see?

Cinder Attaya had disappeared from the territory in the midst of a snow storm and, as her guardian, Maksim set off to find her. There had been a scent trail, guiding him through the expanse of the forest of towering trees. He passed snow dusted tree tops and ice riddled streams, careless of his surroundings as his breath appeared in wispy trails. Just as the agouti wolf was sure he would find her—the lingering smells of the Attaya girl were growing stronger—things suddenly turned sour. The scent disappeared right beneath his dark, quivering nose; there was no trace of the youngest Darkwater princess and, because of this, the Cut Rock king had failed her and her family again. He could not stop, though. No. He had to keep walking, he had to keep searching. If he didn't find her, what would @Quil and @Mace think of him? He had sworn to protect them. He had broken his promise once more.

He didn't stop though—couldn't stop—as he trudged on through sleet and snow drifts. The River leader marched on, head down and shoulders squared. Eventually, after he lost track of how long he had blindly searched, Maksim came to the banks of Heartleaf Creek, staring silently at the frozen water as if it held all the answers to his questions. Where had she gone? Had someone taken? How could he have failed them again? Was she safe? Mentally shaking his thoughts away, his lips pulled into a thin scowl, the agouti brute stepped forwards, testing the ice. He bounced on his toes, ears perked forwards, before he suddenly reared up onto his hind legs and brought his whole weight crashing down in a full force slam of his large paws. The ice cracked and the Baranski's bones almost shuddered. All this for a god damn drink.

He gave it another go. He rose up and then fell down, feeling the ice begin to give beneath his weight. Once more. Twice more. Crack. The frozen surface fractured, splinters running along the banks, and the shard Maksim had been stood on slipped under the rest of the ice, the River leader's toes becoming submerged in icy currents that stung his pads. Pulling his creamy paws away, the brute lowered his massive head, lapping at the water. He hadn't realised how parched he had been.

Nor had he realised that another wolf lingered not too far away.

(This post was last modified: Feb 23, 2014, 06:04 PM by Maksim.)

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Hello, I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to After yesterday, the brown wolfess was feeling a bit more optimistic about her situation, but she still wasn't ready to head home; Home... She had come to think of Hollowheart Keep as her home, a realization she hadn't had until she left it... The bony girl shook her head, she'd never been the great thinker, yet this break to center around her thoughts seemed to have brought about a strangely philosophic side; When the student is ready, the master appears. - She wasn't really sure she liked it. She lay at the banks of Heartleaf Creek, her stomach and paws pressed into the snow as she lowered her snout to a slim crack in the ice. Most of the, relatively docile, waterway was frozen solid, the precious water locked away in the cold, but after a little while of searching along the Creek, Evann had found this tiny sliver of trickling water. Deep brown eyes watched as the fluid flushed to the surface, seemingly out of nowhere, and streamed happily along for a few feet, before disappearing again below the ice; the continued movement of the stream faintly visible through the frozen cover. Even though the surface seems cold and dead, life still rushes below... She grunted and dipped her muzzle in the freezing water, an uncomfortable stab of pain rushing through her nostrils, then she started drinking eagerly, feeling the pain-mixed pleasure of stilling her thirst. It was just as she was returning her maw to the water, after having pulled away to breath, that she felt a shudder run through the ice. Ears perked in alert, she pulled back from the creek, looking around for the source of the tremble. When she didn't see anything, her nose slowly returned to the slick surface, this time with a careful curiosity, and, just as it touched the ice, another vibration rumbled through the ice; It would seem someone is trying to break through, further down the stream... She thought as she once more pulled back, snout tinkling from the contact with the shaking ice; Maybe it's an elk! Surely it was too good to be true, but she couldn't pass up the chance; FOOD! As silently as she could, the slender fae started stalking along the creek, ears forward, eyes narrowed. The cluster of trees, where she'd found the crack in the ice, was blocking her view, meaning that she would have to get close before she could even identify the ice shaker - the wind wasn't helping her, coming from a sideways direction, bringing with it only the cold, no scent. Slowly, body lowered so her stomach brushed over the snow, she neared the last trees, stretching to peak around them without bringing any attention on herself; Let it be eatable, PLEASE, let it be eatable! She leaned around the trunk, already imagining the taste of fresh blood, and her eyes fell on A WOLF! Evann straightened in disappointed surprise, eyes narrowly fixed on the stranger. He was large, muscular and still with a decent layer of fat despite the harsh winter; Pack wolf. She determined, and his smell, which she finally caught, confirmed it; And a high ranking one at that! Only a male at the top of the hierarchy would be able to sustain himself that well through the lack of food - her stomach rumbled at the mare thought. Eyeing his large head, lowered to the broken ice, she quickly guessed the source of the quaking ice. I sigh escaped her lips and she stepped out from her cover. "I th... thought you were a-an elk." She said flatly, positioning herself opposite the tawny giant, on the other side of the creek, her stance non-confrontational, but alert, ready to run, or to stand and fight; Suicide, in other words... Her eyes quickly traced over his bulky body, brushing the crushed ice at his paws; "Wa... was that r-really ne... necessary?" She then asked, inclining her head faintly in direction of his feet; adopting a lightly patronizing attitude, to mask her envy at the strength required to accomplish such a feat. Her tail flicked lightly at her hocks; If you make him angry, your dead. A sensible voice advised in her head. She flicked an ear and attempted to ignore it, but her heart was beating way to quickly against her ribs. Word count: 725 "Speech." Thought

He drank as though the water were wine and he were a drunkard. Though the snow was edible and, in turn, quenched thirst, nothing could beat the refreshing feeling of water slithering down his throat. Though a voice, stammering and stuttering, swiftly caused him to raise his head, ears perked forward at the almost mechanical chugging of her speech. She was in quite the state, that much was apparent. Skinny enough to pass as a sack of bones with a dusty looking coat of grey and brown. What stood out the most, however, was the scent she carried on the wind. She carried the stink of the wolves he had fought off his borders. He remained stony on the outside, though within he felt his anger rise up in his belly. It was almost as if he could open his mouth and spit fire at the woman, burn her down to ash. One thing and one thing alone stopped him from charging across the ice and tackling her where she stood: he wanted to know more about her pack, its name and who exactly led it.

He scoffed at her words, shaking his head as shifted his body weight. “If I were an elk, I would not fear a wolf such as yourself as you stand now: alone.” One skinny little wolf would not shake an elk and even if she called for back up, the beast would quickly flee. Prey were stupid creatures, but even they could not be so foolish.

Maksim questioned her intelligence as she asked whether it was necessary to break the ice to get to the water. “What would you have me do,” he replied, tipping his chin upward slightly, “have me search unnecessarily along the creek's length to find some pre-existing fissure?” The River leader hadn't the time, frankly, and the desire to drink had been far to great. He had not missed the patronising tone to her stumbling voice and, as soon as he had extracted what information he needed from the stuttering wolf, he would most certainly cross the ice to remind her to hold her flapping tongue.

He sniffed once, feigning an interest in the pack scent she carried. “Pardon the queerness of this, but you smell like an old acquaintance of mine,” he began, flicking his tail once. He prayed to whatever god rested high in the heavens that he would get some snippets of information. “Many moons ago, back when the snows had not fallen, she helped me to hunt. Sadly I never got her name, but I'll never forget her face.” Or the taste of her blood. “She was small, grey with dark markings. Bright amber eyes. Know her?”

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Hello, I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to She cared not for his tone, but yet she knew better than to show it; her only reaction to his venomous comment a flick of her ears. Tail still twirling, like a testy cats, she kept close watch of the giant, deep brown eyes searching his emeralds, trying to decipher his thoughts. He returned her condescendence in kind, arguing his method to be better than the one she had used; The words of a male with strength in surplus! She once more eyed his firm muscles before looking back to his eyes, silently remarking that her method had saved more energy, in the end, but choosing to leave the subject; Let him think what he will. His scent grew ever stronger in her nose, it's witness of power and numbers at his back feeling intrusive to her, in her lone position; That's what you get for leaving home to THINK! Teeth flashing in a silent sneer, she pushed the useless thought aside, once more focusing on her, statue-like, opposer as he spoke again; sniffing at the air in a mirror of herself. Her brows perked at the change in his approach, ears twitching backwards at the hollow-sounding politeness in his voice, and her eyes stayed wide at his inquiry. Mulling silently over his description, the brown-mottled fae moved slightly on the spot, lowering her frame a bit - she didn't trust the foreign man, and her instincts told her that this meeting would inevitably end in aggression; in which case she would need whatever advantage she could get. For now though, while she prepared herself to flee, she was intent on standing her ground. It would not hurt to learn more about this stranger - who she could only perceive as an enemy - nor was she ready to tuck her tail against a wolf whom she owed no allegiance, no matter his higher muscle. So she contemplated her next move, considering how to answer the agouti brute's question; Grey, with amber eyes..? The description could fit several of her new pack mates, none the less she wouldn't readily give out any information, no matter the pretense put forth by the asker; she knew of her pack's penchant for secrets, and she respected it deeply. Finally parting her lips, Evann lifted her head slightly, cocking it faintly to the side. With a continued, haughty attitude, she answered him mysteriously: "I might..." Then, after a short break she added: "I ca... carry the smell o-of m... many wolves." She hid a satisfied smirk, sending an appreciative thought to @Sagacity, who's mannerisms had rubbed off on the younger wolfess; Though she would hardly be proud of me... Once more, the brown lass ignored her unwelcome thoughts, staying her attention on the opposing force, who was showing interest in her pack. Word count: 468 "Speech." Thought

Apologies for the wait!
Grumpy Mak really wants to get something out of Evann.

The agouti wolf did not doubt that this scruffy looking woman's pack was a secretive one. Sneaking around and trying to steal food from other territories was hardly something you'd want to proclaim to the world. Honestly, in the Baranski's eyes it was something to be ashamed of and the brute saw them as nothing more than a group of coyotes squabbling over the pickings of an old kill site. They had been just as easy to chase away but, unlike the overgrown weasels, smart enough to not try their luck. When it came down to it, if Maksim saw them snooping around again he would not hesitate peeling the skin and fur from the ashen woman's flank again.

Maksim snorted at her sad little attempt at being mysterious. What, did she think that she was being clever? It was enough to make the River leader want to stride across the ice and bat her over the head. “Of course you do,” he drawled, staring directly at her, “seeing as you are a pack wolf.” His retort was blunt and sharp, somewhat condescending in its delivery. A suitably cutting response. He shifted his weight, rolling his shoulders slightly. He didn't care enough to continue his little charade any more, simply couldn't be bothered to converse with some degenerate, malnourished rat of a wolf. “I simply haven't time for your games.” If she wouldn't hand over the information he sought willingly then, unfortunately, drastic measures would have to be called upon.

Without another word, Maksim pushed all the strength he could in a huge leap forward. The creek wasn't that wide, luckily, so with another stretched stride he lunged for the woman, hoping to throw himself into her and catch her off balance. If she fell, he'd place his body over her, ready to grab her scruff.

(This post was last modified: Mar 02, 2014, 06:52 PM by Maksim.)

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

A fight broke out between two male mountain goats. Hunt Opportunity

And if I bleed, I'll bleed, Knowing you don't care! Her gaze had been drifting, trailing along the frozen creek, absently noting the few signs of activity on the snowy banks; but when the derogatory sound left the beast's jowls, her eyes snapped back to his, narrowing slightly. His arrogant drawl made the brown lady's spine tinkle with contempt; Typical bully! She thought, ears flipping backwards. She knew the type; all brawn and little brain, relying on their muscle to get through any troubles. Her loathing for the large man was only growing as he continued speaking, clearly very proud of himself to have seen through her little remark; Of course I'm a pack wolf, that was the point! She almost made a sharp comment about his sense of smell, or lag thereof, but she noticed the slight shift in his body and stopped herself. Alarm bells were going off in the wiry wolf's head as she saw his shoulders roll, her, tauntingly oscillating, tail beginning to tuck between her legs. She was in trouble! Her mind was just giving her legs orders to move, when he made his proclamation, hurling himself over the water towards her. As she spun on her heels, making a desperate attempt to get out of his range, an image of what would be left of her after a collision with the mountain of meat flashed through her mind. She was hardly anything but skin and bones, and under the taupe giant's weight she would be a pile of fur and dust. Weak as she was from her trek, the lag of food weighing her down just as much as a full belly, How wonderfully ironic! She stood no chance. Even though she had been somewhat prepared for the other wolf to attack, she was not fast enough to get away safely. His weight slammed into her hip, knocking her down, her face and shoulder smashing painfully into the snow; the same shoulder she had hurt a few days earlier in her tumble down the slope. A yelp escaped through her clenched teeth, a black veil encroaching on the edges of her vision; NO! I have to stay awake! If she passed out now, she would be dead. Blinking rapidly to fight of the dizziness, she could already sense the huge shadow, looming over her. With a snarl, that came out sounding a lot more pathetic than intended, she swiveled her head around, teeth bared, lashing out in a wild attempt to grab her attacker, hoping that a severe bite would drive him back.Word count: 419 "Speech." Thought

Ooc: To clarify - Evann is lashing out, pretty much blindly, hoping to grab onto Maksims left leg and cause as much damage as she can. It would be very likely for her to miss, at least partly, since she only has a vague idea of his position - especially if he goes on to grab her scruff to hold her in place.

- And again, sorry for the lateness, crappy week has been crappy :/