Secret Woodlands Search the graves while the camera spins

@Koda
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The meeting was dismissed. Nina had left already and the sound of Miccah's steps were fading. Her reciprocal smile slowly died as the black male passed out of sight.

She felt the air shift beside her. A rushing in of cool air against her flank. Koda had stood, moving toward her small den. Her head turned lazily to follow his movements, not rising from her own place. The ground was soft here, and warmed from the duration of the meeting. She had no desire to move. She mulled his question over, trying to remember if she had ever spoken directly to Anouke.

"No..." She said finally, drawing the word out as if not sure of her response until it was fully enunciated. She remembered him from that first failed hunt during the winter. The dark male that had shared her trepidation about entering the hunt. Beyond that she could recall nothing else. "No," She said, firmly now. "I never spoke to him at the hunt. I only remember his scent and his shape." Which was, really, all she needed to remember of him now. Iopah always thought poorly of wolves that had left them, she took it as the personal offense it was. Now she was free to administer punishment if he stumbled close enough.

Her words were clear and loose. It didn't occur to her pull the conversation to the side. Anouke was certainly common knowledge now and she was curious about the attack that had lead to him being banned. The facts would not change her "greeting" of Anouke. Miccah had been specific, and more importantly Nina had corroborated the request. Her faith and obedience of Nina was unconditional. Iopah would always side with Nina, no matter what side that was. She would follow's a request of Miccah's if it was for the good of the pack, or, if Nina backed up the request.

@Iopah

He sat comfortable on his haunches, the strong scent of her musk wafted through the entrance of her den, captivating his senses as he caught her gaze into his own. Deep interest could be seen through his green flecked gaze as he sat without interrupting her as she thought, her first answer did not convince him and yet she repeated the response with more confidence a second time, and he believed her. If he barely knew the male he was not surprised if she did not either. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if you meet him a second time can you do me a favor and not attempt to attack him alone...he may truly be dangerous." concern laced his features, his brows furrowed on his face and he searched her face with expectations of her obliging his request--they were equally ranked, he held no pull over her and Iopah was a stubborn woman. Strong and independent, he would not be surprised if she detested his request solely on the ground that she did not want him controlling her, but that was not the case, he truly cared for her safety and would do anything to ensure that no one of his pack was injured. Especially the one's he cared about.

Thinking back on their relationship, though brief and strained, he could not help but notice that they had come a long way. While he had only been back since December, their previous encounters had struck a nerve in him, he wanted his old life back; the old joyous, friendly, loving life he once had, and his current state was not that. He wondered how Iopah felt, he could remember the truth he'd learned about her past and wondered if at some point in her life she had experienced the loss of a loved one--his was a double edged sword-- and what she had done to get over her hump. Koda had recently made it though the pain still remained despite being forced to move on, she did not want him and he could no longer attempt to force her love--he would grant her wish. "could you do that for me?" he finished, head cocking to the side. Another more personal question sat at the tip of his salmon colored tongue but he would hold it for later...he wanted this question answered first.

(This post was last modified: Aug 13, 2014, 01:52 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Koda sorry about the multiple tags, technical difficulties...

She shifted in her claimed spot. The soft earth had been pushed aside revealing a worn stone. She wanted to find a position in which the point of her elbow did not push against it. The shifting stopped, momentarily distracted. Koda was watching her so intensely she felt that she couldn't turn away now. As Koda held her gaze she returned it unflinchingly, wondering what was so fascinating.

Avoid him, his plea said to her. Hide if you see him. Her eyes narrowed instantly. Now was a good time to dig the rock out. Ears pulled back and decisive, she stood and gave him an irritated look. She wanted to make him wait and patiently, slowly worked the stone out. It was dry, the thicket needed rain. As she dug the dust billowed and clung to her feet. While she was turned away and digging he softened his plea and her feet paused. Slowly she restarted, but the lines of anger that ran along her back had melted away and she quickly rolled the stone from her nest.

She sat, facing him in her bed of torn up earth, smoothing it out as her tail swept around to curl over her dusty forefeet. Searching his face and finding only concern she relented stiffly. "I will." Rest assured she would give him grief when she returned from that missed opportunity. "But, she started, "I have no intentions of leaving him in peace." She wasn't going to argue her ability to win a fight with Anouke; She didn't remember the dark male well enough for that. But she was definitely faster. He would never catch her no matter how much she pestered him.

(This post was last modified: Aug 15, 2014, 07:44 AM by Iopah.)

@Iopah!

He watched with renewed interest as she dug, the sound of churning dirt perked his square ears as he caught fragments of dust and debris fly from the entrance of her home. He hardly saw her target, the stone in which she was attempting to dig out, but he did notice the tension that built between them and he bit his lip in anticipation of her response; he expected stubbornness. When silence only followed his words he grew concerned but could not help noticing that her digging had slowed some, as though he were getting warmer with his plea and when she finally stopped he felt his heart lurch to his gut as the stone rolled so eloquently from her home and became lost in the meeting between them. Watching her tail wrap around her ankles he sat with anticipation of her response, what she said hardly surprised him, in fact he felt a tinge of a chuckle form at the base of his throat but he would not release it knowing how uncomfortable his awkward moments of happiness made her.

"I'm sure you'd be a formidable agitator," he started with a nod of his head, noticing the dirt along her paws and bits of it along her maw and the underside of her stomach. "Should we find a stream to wash you up in now?" he questioned with a rise of his eyebrows, his green speckled eyes watched her cautiously and he shook himself once to rid himself of any fall out of debris before gathering onto all fours. He would allow her to lead the way toward the nearest stream or watering hole, which came first, as his bush of a tail wagged slowly behind him. Happiness overcame him upon the response he'd hoped to gain from her, and at this nothing could spoil this moment.

@Koda

It was hard to tell if he was teasing or simply placating her with his response. Gold eyes searched over his face. His tone was earnest and gentle and her questing eyes softened and fell away. All of her former stiffness melted and drained away at his voice. It was getting harder to stay angry with him. She snorted a laugh and a small pile of dust eddied around her feet. When he rose to his feet, she was only seconds behind him. The dirt didn't bother her. It would blow away and then she would find another way to unintentionally dirty herself. But she didn't feel as damaged in his company. She would gladly humor him now to not feel so distanced. Koda, more than the long parade of male seconds, seemed her equal. They were similar in their past faults.

Her slipping past him was answer to his question. Now to find a stream. Or a spring, her mind supplied. Iopah had just shown the spring to Unitas. This late in spring it was low but clear and the way was familiar to Iopah. She stopped just beyond him and looked back, head tipping questioning. Coming? Easily she lead him through the thicket, the path clear in her mind and traces of her lined the way.

Something about their past exchange worried at her. The worry was concise in her mind, but the reason elusive and fuzzy. What if he was injured? The rational part of her was quick to explain away the worry. They could not afford to have an injured member. That was all her fear could be and candidly she said, "I hope you are careful if you meet him. I'm sick of all the new male seconds in the thickets." Her eyes, when she turned to see his reaction, were teasing and quick. Under her relaxed gaze and buried by the rational part of her was a deep fear. What if she lost him as well?

@Iopah!

She moved past him quickly and he increased his speed to keep up, on occasion his head would turn back toward her den to search for followers, he expected Anouke to show up in particular. It wasn't that he feared the male, he was quite sure of his abilities, instead he was cautious of being caught off guard and his position as Guardian often made him overly careful. He would not be taken advantaged of while in his own land, especially around his newest lady friend.

As they widened the gap between her den and the watering spring he relaxed, confident that the male would not appear on their claimed land. Snorting softly, his attention came back to Iopah who's speed was beginning to surprise him. He couldn't be sure if it was because of his age, his size, or the fact that she were the pack hunter, but she seemed quicker then he remembered and he worked hard to keep up. It didn't take long for him to get a rhythm about him and before long he did not concentrate on the fact that she were faster then him but instead that they were equals. Finally, he had made it near the top and it felt good to be sharing his company with his lady co-partner, he could only assume that they would make a great time; he could tell already.

Without recognizing the trail he followed and when her voice broke the silence his ears perked tall on his head, his green flecked gaze searched her before becoming softer, more charming as he spoke, "You mean to tell me you aren't tired of me already?" his head cocked to he side and his tail swished slow behind him, the teasing came easy for him but he could tell she were serious. Did she fear losing him as he did her? "don't worry, I'll call the rest of the pack if I need to so everyone can have a piece of the guy." he tried convincing her and he hoped it would work. He did not need her worrying over him, he wasn't the least concerned over his capabilities over the loner, no doubt he'd be weak and fragile by now unless by some strain of luck, he found a new pack. "So are getting closer to this spring?" he asked, thirst suddenly hitting him.

Koda!

There it was again. That sense that he was either teasing or placating her. For whatever reason it didn't seem to bother her. Whatever the tone meant, she was soothed by it. She turned to look at him, her equal, and merely snorted. That warm burst of air was all the response she could come up. Flustered by his sincere gaze she turned back to the path. "Good." She said earnestly to the ivy that grew along the way. She was mollified by the idea that she would be invited to take a chunk out of the banished male if Koda found him.

When he asked about the spring, she returned her gaze to him slyly. Her lips twitched at an amused thought. Without speaking her attention fell back to the path, but the smirk continued. Gold eyes shifted to watch him from the corner of her vision. "I think Unitas had more patience than you do." It was openly teasing and she watched him expectantly for a reaction, tail swirling around her ankles in amusement.

Before long the soft trickling reached her ears. The spring remained despite the warm of last week. Soon though, it's time here would be up. Nothing lasted forever. With their goal in only step away Iopah turned to look behind them though her den was far out of sight. No one. Delicately she padded to the water, toes splayed in the soft mud. A couple leisurely laps to drink, then she dipped her front feet into the water as it rushed away. It was cold and her ears flicked back sharply when the water touched her sun warmed feet. "I've met the Black Thorn wolves." She said to him, checking once more that no one had followed to overhear her admission.

(This post was last modified: Aug 25, 2014, 06:23 AM by Iopah.)

A chuckle released from his jaws at her words, ears pressed back loose on his skull as he turned to glance at her with disbelief; had he really that little of patience? Shaking his head, as the comment was meant as a joke, he thought of something to retort with, perhaps a witty response, but he could not think of any in return therefore his chuckle would suffice. It pleased him to see that Iopah had begun to loosen around him and find a moment or two to poke fun, it would do them well considering how stressful their current positions in the pack were.

He watched as she cantered toward the spring and slowed his speed to a leisure walk before dipping his own head toward the water to enjoy a few laps. It quelled his thirst as his attention once more returned to Iopah who had started to dip her feet into the water where mud slowly swirled with the clean spring water to rinse her feet. He enjoyed her better that way, clean and tidy, as the vibrant tawny of her coat now seemed darker as the water damped what remained of her silky coat. After producing a smile that crept the length of his mouth he also dipped his paws into the chilly water, allowing what debris that clung to his pale coat to float along the surface as his tongue lapped a few more times at the water. Finally content he felt his ears pull back on his skull at Iopah's words, she met the Black Thorn Down wolves...the name felt foreign on his tongue as he asked, "When did you meet them, and how many did you meet?" he was curious, as he had yet to venture further then the border of his home; being a guardian kept him close to Secret Woods. At her mention of meeting the wolves Koda found himself thinking, and wondered if the woman wouldn't mind taking another visit to Blackberry Fields where he could interact with one himself, he was curious after all, if the members were as bad as Nina had made them seem.

(This post was last modified: Sep 03, 2014, 03:13 PM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

@Koda! my fail,sorry for the wait!

The forest was not silent. The whole forest was alive with the soft scampering of squirrels; tiny feet racing through the undergrowth and their short bickering cries. Over head birds called forth and back to each other. Under her black wolf nose the water gurgled through its deep fissure in the earth. The water spilled over her feet and around water-worn stones to wind deeper into the thicket. All those sounds reassured her. The forest itself would warn of an eavesdropper. Soothed, Iopah watched Koda intently.

She was confused and disturbed by the instructions regarding the Thorn wolves. They lurked just beyond the edge of her ears and sense of smell. They hunted in her land, prowled too close to those she held dear. Now she couldn't even confront them, ordered to turn away from them. What kind of message did that send? She could never have this conversation with Nina without sounding like solid disagreement. It was a disagreement, but she would never voice it aloud to Nina. It was something a respected Second would never say.

Koda was her equal. He had seen her angry before. They had already disagreed. With him she did not have to conform to a rank as she did with the others. She wanted his opinion, if only to compare it to hers.

His response was a series of questions. Her damp brow furrowed for a moment and the water continued to sweep around her. It sounded like an interrogation. A thought occurred to her, Maybe he doesn't feel as I do. She was raised in a much rougher environment, this might simply be another point of disagreement between them. It wasn't a terribly concerning thought, and she replied calmly. "I meet Tokino at his border three days ago." It had been a cathartic 'meeting', and now it was the only confrontation she would have with them. It was too bad, she had more to say to them. "We argued."

Your fine! @Iopah

Although the scenery was alive with noise, Koda found himself too immersed in his own thoughts to take careful note of the scurrying creatures, the gurgling water, or the chirping birds that called overhead. He worried more about the future of Secret Woods and of the Black Thorn Down wolves Iopah had met not too long ago, and wondered whether the allies they developed would become strained if they bothered to get more information from the Thorn wolves. He found that his attention had traveled to the sensation of cool water at his feet and closed his eyes momentarily to soak in the feeling, once he had opened his eyes he found himself staring intently at Iopah with renewed concern and interest.

He could not help wondering what was on her mind, and why she decided to hesitant a moment or two longer after the question left his lips. Did she not feel comfortable telling him what was on her mind, did their ideas of the Black Thorn Down wolves align or were they polar opposites...only time would tell. He inhaled deeply when she finally spoke, her words were concise and he considered asking for her to elaborate but he would fair better figuring the details out for himself, it was apparent that Iopah had a lot of emotion toward the newest pack. "I'm sure he was quick to defend his reason for splitting from Whisper Caverns. It is hard to admit to abandoning the pack that once fed and protected you..." he trailed off, thinking of his own past and that of Iopah's before continuing.

"Did he have a valid reason for leaving or was he just eager to start his own pack? What of the area, did it seem that the herds there were plenty enough to provide them substance?" she was their hunter after all, and knew more about the health and abundance of prey then he did. He only wanted to know of their capabilities but a portion of him wanted to see the pack and it's members for himself. "I know we're no scouts, but you probably know the area well. Would you mind if I accompany you the next time you venture out?" and his head cocked to the side. The visit would be for pleasure and business; gaining information of their neighbors, and strengthening the relationship he was building with the woman he shared rank with.

(This post was last modified: Sep 20, 2014, 12:14 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.