Thicket of Secrets They hung the jerk that invented work

Iopah- You discover an unguarded cache and feast to your heart’s content!

Her day started the same as any other. It was still dark when her gold eyes blinked open, dawn would not come for another hour. With each passing day the sun took longer and longer to rise into the sky. It was tempting to curl up and wait for the sun, but she pulled herself from the den. The sun was also setting earlier and she could not waste the daylight. Outside of the den her breath billowed white in the cold air. Her steps were quiet, the way so memorized that the dark was not a hindrance. In the graying gloom she checked in on her pack mates. Pausing just long to see each sleeping soundly before continuing.

The thicket was heavy and quiet, so she headed to the border. By now the sun was beginning to creep over the distant mountains. Weak rays of light stretched across the ground as the hunter set her nose to work. She sifted through the scents the night had left behind, going through the cacophony of sweetly-decaying leaves and rich earth to pull out a single instance of rabbit. It was the same every day. The silence was a habit, the pale wolf traveled along with nose fixed to the trail and eyes trained out the undergrowth. A large smear of blood laid over the leaves and when her nose came up to it she hesitated. Iopah was a practiced hunter, she knew how much blood-loss was too much for most animals. The trail continued, now spattered with blood, so she continued.

The sight that greeted her was like no other. There was her rabbit, awkwardly shoved in a gap between two large rocks. Under it lay an assortment of similarly bent animals. Her eyes widened and she glanced around, sure to find something watching protectively. Nothing shifted, no eyes stared back at her. Delighted now, she poked her muzzle into the unguarded cache. If it wasn't for the glassy-eyed fox wedged inside she would have assumed it was a fox cache. She set about pulling the pile apart, much like a child pulling everything out of a toy chest.

Once it had been up-ended, she went back over everything. Soon four squirrels, three rabbits, a pair of robins, and the single fox were spread out around her. Her lips curved into a smile. She laughed aloud, a sudden happy sound in all the silence. It was all hers now. The rabbit was still warm and greedily she pulled it to her. She was going to have an early breakfast this morning.

(This post was last modified: Nov 29, 2014, 02:27 AM by Iopah.)

@Iopah hope you don't mind

I feel you creeping up again in my head

A warm breath whirled from his nose, swiftly dissipating, while he pulled in another bite of the cold air. It was neither terribly chilly, nor perfectly warm. Some where in between as his sharp golden eyes took note of the still dark indigo sky. Since Ren had never been one for sleeping in, with dawn not yet at hand he was all about getting something accomplished. Food, first and foremost was on his mind. Eager to be on the move, cream legs pumped in a smooth rhythm, rapidly working his blood through his system. The rogue had it in his mind to go north, as he felt it best to search beyond the cedar forest today. He wouldn't necessarily mind, leaving his scent all over the realm, he was not ready for a real confrontation. The next best was the Thicket of Secrets. It had been a thrilling, maybe even a little spooky for him as a boy. There always seemed to be many a thing lurking in the entanglements there. The vegetation crumbling, it may be an easier find.

The large brute came upon it, he could catch the off scents of the pack. Shit. Was there any where he could go without feeling he was tramping through a trail already paved? Disgruntled, the Lyall, let out a short, yet gruff sigh. Grinding his teeth, his black nose shifted long, making sure there were no trespassing signs posted. Far as he could tell they simply came this way. Attempting to bury his annoyance, a sharp twist of his tawny tail, he tried to focus on what else had wandered by.

Renier met no sudden joy. Every trail he found faded, or wanted to lead him deeper in. A bit suspicious of this place he by no means wanted to be lost in it. Some aggravation the rogue turned his course, for awhile just ambling onward. There was more to his anger, than an empty stomach. In denial he was all about reality catching him, instead of facing it.

Off to his left,there was an odd sound. The man paused, lifting his head, attempting to decipher what he was hearing. Whatever it was had to be a bit further, and he could not tell. Mildly his russet ears cast back, but he moved forward. Then the blood hit his nose. It wasn't just one creatures blood, but seemed to be a few. Puzzled, nostrils flared, trying to be sure he wasn't about to stumble on a bear and its feast. It was mostly rabbit, and...[/i]squirrel?[/i] The thought of such a treat made his tongue slick. What would leave such a prize unguarded? Willing to find out, he focused on pinpointing the location.

The feminine laugh of a wolf had him stalling in his tracks. Apparently it wasn't a prize to be claimed or was it?

A second of hesitation was all he had before he cleared his throat, revealing himself to the lady. Eyes craved to look upon what she was feasting upon, he only glimpsed her face before submissively peering at the ground. "Quite the breakfast." His way of "testing the waters".

@Renier Perfectly fine, sorry i took forever with this!

The rabbit was gone now and the weak rays of light were now fingers of delicate yellow and brilliant copper. Iopah shifted, eyes roving over the new-found collection, and the colors danced on the pale creams of her coat. She was certainly lucky today, to have a days haul and breakfast handed to her. Some poor beast was going to be decidedly unlucky later, having been shown the stupidly of leaving their cache so close to pack borders. There was a smirk at the irony, but no hesitation in her actions. She was fiercely loyal to a fault. The pale wolf would throw herself in front of a bear to protect a pack mate, while simply watch a rival wolf torn to pieces.

She was debating starting on the robins. They were small, hardly worth the trip forth and back to deposit them in a cache. Or, she mused, I could just eat them and save a trip. Open jaws were lowering to the feathered creatures when someone cleared their throat. Her head rose with her hackles, more startled than aggressive. A pack mate wouldn't have cleared their throat as introduction, and she didn't recognize the pitch of their voice. He was young, with a deep range of earthy hues. Iopah watched him silently, black nose flaring as the lips that covered her teeth tensed to pull back. He looked down quickly and Iopah's facial expression relaxed, but she didn't look away immediately in turn. He was vaguely familiar, an old encounter. Something to do with... a rabbit?

He commented on the meal that lay at her feet and she glanced down at the two remaining rabbits. "It is." She said warily, not sure what he was trying at. At one point she may have shared with a stranger, but that point had long since passed. If he was trying for a meal, he would have to do better than that. He wasn't a pack mate, ergo he got nothing for free. She spent a second looking at him, pondering what to do, as her hackles smoothed down along her pack. Finally, she simply asked, "Do you happen to be lost?" It was the most polite way Iopah had of asking 'What are you doing here and how can I show you on your way?'

(This post was last modified: Nov 17, 2014, 07:22 AM by Iopah.)

The lady did not snap at him. This he took for a good sign. Neither did her voice indicate he was exactly welcome. Light brows scrunched, and decidedly he sat where he was. It was best to keep his distance. Now, as the rogue dare look closely at her, he realized they had met before. When he was much, much smaller. Then she had offered him a rabbit for nothing, and he had foolishly declined. It was another indication how he had changed. Yet, was he so different from the reserved cub he had been?

"No," he smoothly answered, not wanting to admit he didn't exactly know where he was. It didn't mean he was lost. He did know the way out, there just wasn't exactly a "home" to go to. The boy in him wanted to ask in turn why she had no intention of sharing with him today, but he did not feel it wise to say. Instead he tried what most wolves did when they met. "I never did get your name, when I was a silly pup," he began, "I'm Renier Lyall. You must be part of the pack that lives here?" He carefully tried to meet her own golden eyes, while ears tipped sideways, curious.

(This post was last modified: Dec 04, 2014, 01:59 PM by Renier.)

@Renier!

Her tone had not been pleasant and Iopah was mildly put-out when Renier sat down at her pointed question. She still wasn't sure exactly where she knew him from, but for the moment, she was too caught up in his self-assurance to care. Her breath came out in a quick puff of white that curled around her narrowed eyes. Didn't he know they were still nearly within spitting distance of her borders?

Apparently not, for as she waited, he began to study her. Decidedly she shifted, keeping a dark shadow over the treasure trove at her feet. A sigh fell heavy from her lips, making it clear she was beginning to lose patience. She blinked at his response, not expecting his off-hand statement. So he recognized her too? Just as he said 'silly pup', Iopah had it. She remembered the evergreen forest child and the rabbit he had refused. The wolf before her stood taller and sturdier. He was taller than her now, but that didn't deter her from confidently meeting his gaze. It seemed he had changed in more ways than that, having tentatively proposed a conversation. Her responding nod was even, the Lyall surname meant nothing special to her, but the irony was not lost on the Barberi hunter. Here was the same woman, the same boy and another rabbit (or two) all together again. A succinct dip of her blood-stained muzzle while gold eyes fairly danced with wry amusement.

In a roundabout way, he'd asked for her name. She had no intention of deliberate rudeness and answered comfortably, "Iopah Barberi," Gray tail curled partway around the find as she settled in. "I've been in the thickets since we first met."

Head cocked to the side as she appraised him again, slow enough to make it obvious. "And you, not living in the cedars any longer?" It was a leading question. Of course, he wasn't. The cedars cast a distinctive and lingering scent while he smelled of... willows? It seemed a long way to come in search of a free meal. Maybe age would make him more forthcoming? Maybe....

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2015, 04:50 AM by Iopah.)

It was not his intention to upset the lady, but it appeared he didn't need to try. His presence was probably just an annoyance. This would usually cause his own temper to flair, but surprisiling it had yet to rise. If their places were exchanged, he probably would have been displeased. A stranger acting all at home while a great feast was at his paws, and they wouldn't take a hint to leave. Still, believing this and instead proved Renier Lyall was terribly aching for company.

Kindly, she did return her name, and statement confirming she had always been here. Again, this seemed to confirm he was probably wasting both their time, this gave him a little hope. Or at least enough that if he could not possibly get food he could gain more knowledge of sorts. "I'm glad it withstood the disease." In truth he was, and while he wanted to ask if they had changed after all this time, he had an inkling she would not exactly wish to share such things with him either. The young man remained silent.

The way she looked at him, made him cast his sight upon the ground again. Usually, the rogue didn't feel all submissive just because someone was older, but Iopah spoke with far more than words it did not seem wise to do other wise. Roughly he shook his head in response. "No, we left soon after I met you. My parents were worried when the sickness came to the forest." It hadn't made a lot of sense to him then, but it did now that he understood more of the past. He shifted his weight between his paws. "Now it seems another pack has moved in." There was no masking the bitterness in his low voice, or golden stare even though he was gazing at a near by stone. Boldly he did dare ask,"Do you know much about them?"

@Renier
how to deal with defensive Io? dangle another target in front of her...

Presence of family to her back and scent of a meal rising into her nostrils, Iopah blinked down confidently. She thought she'd put it all together, the response she was expecting to coax out was a confession of wanderlust. Last night Renier had belonged to the willows, and yet here he was scavenging the thicket borders far to the north. Two springs ago the same man had belonged to the cedars. With all these facts Iopah had came up the assumption that Renier was simply a free spirit. A more tactful term for someone who couldn't hold loyalty.

She followed his gaze to the ground, seeing the gesture as denial of the question and wanting to force the issue with her sharp expression. He couldn't come knocking and then refuse to speak with the natives a second time. Expecting such a different answer and being so full of righteous pride, she could do nothing but gape at the offered truth. He had not left alone, creeping into the night as imagined, but with parents who'd given up a home for their children's sake. The stark contrast hit home in more than one way and Iopah had to turn her own gaze away. "I'm glad," speaking with meticulate precision as proof of sincerity, "that all your family survived." If only her parents had done the same for her years ago.

She heard the shifting of paws, a slight crackling of frost crystal that chimed loudly in the early morning, and turned as he spoke again. Brows drew together in a scowl at the information. No, she had not known. The hunter shook her icy coat as if it was an accusation of laxity. She listened to the croon of his voice and understood the hardness of his stare. He wanted them gone. "Have they taken up your old borders as well?" The connivance of that idea was enough for her hackles to bristle sympathetically and she glanced in the direction of the brambles. "I've had my own neighbors to deal with this year." The word neighbors was uttered with a flash of her teeth, leaving no question as to how she wanted to deal with them.

OOC:I'm going to be about. So maybe we can spree day to day instead of me just sucking. :|

There was no certainty of Renier's loyalty. If he was that sort shouldn't he still be with his family? It was a lot more complicated, least in his mind. He loved his family, he was protective of each and every one of them,and felt he owed them everything. Yet, he had left. He was starting to understand why. It wasn't he didn't want to take care of them, or necessarily lead. There was not a time he wondered how his mother was taking care of father, and what his siblings were up to. The problem was he felt forced. If he had to be the head of the family. He alone had to take care of everything. It wasn't a choice. It was a great amount of responsibility to be crushed with. So, maybe he was just trying to avoid it. Get out while he had a chance. See if things did get better, if someone else would be better. Worthy of the role. A little part of him wanted to raise the pack that once been. So far he felt his time was wasted. Grizzly Hollow was dead, and it would take more than a wish to revive it.

The change of her voice easily drew him from his silent inflictions. Bringing a simple smile to the edge of his cheek. Perhaps her heart was something more than she liked to show. Either way he was grateful, for the lightness that came. The simplicity of it that she should care. Did that mean she had her own losses?

When her tawny face was suddenly marred by his news, he figured it meant she didn't care for the pack either. It made him eager to know why. He had been part of it for a short time, but in that time he hadn't found reason not to like them. It was only their location that tore at him the most. The fact he had never gotten answers. "No, they are more north than my old home. I doubt they would care for such close neighbors," he answered, voice hard, as he eyes bore further into the ground. The motion of her hair, he curiously lifted his chin, soon understanding their common ground. "Who are they? How close?" The questions quickly fled his lips. He suddenly clamped his mouth, feeling more of a curious child who didn't know better.  "If you'd care to share. The Ridge and the Woodlands are allies after all?"

(This post was last modified: Feb 09, 2015, 05:20 PM by Renier.)

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

@Renier

Iopah was still every bit the daughter her parents had raised five years ago. Pelage a dead ringer for her mother, and personality not much different. Eyes the exact same shade as her father and just as expressive as his had been. Those had been difficult times. Land was the same as life. There were too many wolves living on their slice of South Dakota and her parents were the most resistant to leaving. They had fought horribly for land and the prey it offered. They had stolen a child, and lost an only son in turn.

Even though she'd been too young to participate, it was deeply ingrained. Territoriality was as much a part of her as her coat and shade of her eyes. She was still a Barberi hunter, even after all those years, and was fiercely protective of her land. It showed in the way her body stayed arranged diagonally to Renier now. The alignment was unconscious, but purposeful. She understood his anger intuitively. He'd found a kindred spirit, an ally of sorts, in her. His enemy was instantly disliked for the transgression they'd committed.

North meant closer to her. Eyes narrowed to glittering gems, sharp with displeasure at the news. They had even fewer reason to be allies with her now. Iopah disliked neighbors much less than Renier did.

He invoked their alliance. Tense muzzle loosened instantly and she snorted. It was a light and amused sound, her eyes were sly as they turned back to Renier. Her dislike of them wasn't a secret, why should anything else be? She would give them away in a heartbeat, for less than a song. "I'd be happy to give them away." The ominous promise was one her mother would make. "Idiots. Less than a day from our borders." She wanted to ask something she shouldn't. Her tongue wet her lips as she considered how far Nina's decree stretched. And how to word it? Too harsh would make her barbaric. Too soft and she would be indecisive. "I wonder how many it would take to chase them from your land?"

*twiddles thumbs* So, Io REALLY wanted to ask, but this doesn't have to go anywhere

(This post was last modified: Feb 10, 2015, 05:21 AM by Iopah. Edit Reason: Sorry for double tag, Switch. Table broke. )