Spectral Woods This version of the facts

@Campion, anyone else is welcome as well! Deneb is in the northern reaches of the woods, at the stream.

A huff escaped from Deneb as he lifted his muzzle from the muddy bank of the stream, scanning the brush around him irritably with yellowed eyes. Clouds hung in the sky above, breaking apart the summer blue with splotches of white and grey, and the air felt humid and still, pressing close enough to make the smoke-white male feel positively claustrophobic. And so, he had left behind the confines of Magnolia Glen today, wishing to be away from his brother, from the pack's new pups, from, well, all of it. He was hoping to forget his current worries, and the scent of a small band of deer heading southwards away from the borders had provided him the perfect excuse. He had followed the winding course of a small creek through the thickening forest, the air only managing to grow warmer and more still as the hours wore on.

Now he had lost the scent. This displeased Deneb greatly, for tracking was really one of his fortes... he had boasted to Phineas when he came to the Glen of his talents, and not without due cause. Not everyone could have followed another wolf across countless miles during the cruelty of winter, undeterred by dead ends and set backs, to finally locate their quarry in the end. It was a skill he was quite proud of... and yet now it seemed that mother nature had gotten the best of him. The tantalizing odor of the deer had faded abruptly into nothingness at the water's edge, and no matter how many times he wandered up and down this stretch of bank, he could find no sign of where the deer had left the stream again. It was enough to make one question themselves... unless that one was Deneb Cygni. Instead the stained ivory male was huffing at the trees and water, irritated with nature and the little trick she was playing on him.

At least this journey wasn't entirely in vain - he still had some time to himself, away from it all, to think. Stepping back into the shallows, he lowered himself until he was lying in the gentle tug of the stream's current. The cold kissed his skin, pulling the tension from him to a degree, making the man feel a little less claustrophobic. When was the last time he had simply relaxed and enjoyed himself like this? He couldn't even remember, which meant that such solace was certainly overdue. Ah yes. Peace. Solitude. He had almost forgotten what it was to erase his cares and schemes from his mind, to simply be. It was rather nice, actually. Perhaps he should make a habit of it. Yeah, right.

Don't forget there's a price you can pay,

deneb cygni

because I am the game and I want to play...

(This post was last modified: Jul 02, 2014, 09:02 PM by Deneb.)

Campion had been laying underneath the damp undergrowth, sheltering herself from the oppressive humidity. She was especially tired that day, and had decided to rest before she continued on her way. The dark wolf never had profound stamina, and the lack of quality resources- mainly food- had caused her journey to be even more challenging. While Campion didn't strive with the, hopefully temporary, circumstances, she was able to sustain herself.

Her sense of tranquility didn't last long, the scent of a wolf wafting in her direction. A spike of irritation spawned within her, not in the mood for a visitor. She pondered for a brief period of time, wondering if she should reveal herself and get it over with, or stay hidden in hopes that they would pass over. Both had their advantages; if she was found, she could easily be killed due to her vulnerable position, but there was a chance she could be missed. The plants did hide her scent to a certain degree, but it still would not be difficult to detect her scent.


Campion settled to unveil herself, partly because her hunched position would put her at a disadvantage if the other did decide to attack. She crept out from underneath the vegetation, narrowing her amber eyes in the stranger's direction. It was a large male, one that was much more healthy than her, by the looks of it. In spite of his obvious physical advantages, she held her ground. "What are you doing here? Who are you?" She demanded, huffing at the male with a quality that seemed much more exhausted than aggressive, even if that was not her intention.

So unaccustomed was he to the art of relaxation that the embrace of the stream lulled him into a sort of stupor - his head sagged downwards toward his submerged paws, and sleep had almost managed to sneak up on him when someone else had the same idea. Luckily, the interloper announced themselves, bringing Deneb's mind back to the present. His head shot up, triangular ears flicking forward in an instant and bright eyes snapping open.

His hackles were dancing on his spine at the shock of finding himself, well, not alone - his normally plush tail raised stiffly behind him, looking rather pathetically drenched as he pushed himself to his feet. For a moment, he chose to ignore her question, instead trying to answer his own curiosity. A single step was taken forward, and his muzzle stretched out in her direction, testing the still air to better take in her scent. Bright eyes, momentarily round with surprise, narrowed as he composed himself and studied the she-wolf standing before him.

Deneb knew there was another pack around here somewhere, but this wolf didn't look or smell as if she belonged to a pack. On the contrary, she looked almost as bad as he had that winter, when he'd been on his own. Feeling that his suspicions were confirmed, and that she was most likely a vagabond, he flicked in ear back in amusement. "Me? I am who I am, and I'm here because I want to be. What about you?" After the words left his jaws, he gave his pelt a brisk shake. Be they vagabond or not, Deneb was hardly a wolf to greet anyone while looking like a half-drowned rat.

Don't forget there's a price you can pay,

deneb cygni

because I am the game and I want to play...