Sacred Grove Real Men

@Vespertio Sorry for being so late! My internet died, and I only just got it back.
Late afternoon. Light snow on the ground.

Apparently, Titania had taken a U-turn. Or maybe, Riddick wasn't as good at tracking as he might've like to think. Either way, the rather upsetting turn of events convinced the Faye to take a small break. So he caught a hare. He would've liked two, but Iddi didn't want to upset whatever spirit had settled within this part of the forest. It bore down on him like a dense fog, yet sent chills up his paws like the moment when lightning struck the ground. Whatever rested here, it was powerful and demanded respect. So when he prayed over the rabbit, Riddick had also prayed to the forest from which it came, thanking it for providing a plump snack and safe haven while he figured out where he should go.

Titania was a smart gal. It would be dangerous to go over the mountains, hoping for a safe path in less than ideal conditions. Even if Flyn had hopped over, Riddick doubted that she would follow suit when it would be best to hunker down for the winter with other wolves.

Gnawing on the ear- an old habit from his puphood- Riddick made up his mind to go southeast, in a general direction. If he was going the right way, then Titania's scent was bound to get stronger. What was interesting though, was the fact that Riddick could smell Seraphina as well, here in this forest- it was faint, but got stronger the more he traveled toward the mountain. A small part of him wished to follow the scent, to find Phina and....and....

To be honest, Iddi didn't know what he would do once he saw his eldest sister. However, he was sure he would be happy to see her. It should have been peculiar, to see his sister's scents going in two opposite directions. He didn't make any conclusions right away, but it looked like his hunch about Titania had more of a chance to be true.

@Riddick Its all good :)

Searching. Learning. Those were the two things that constantly kept the newly appointed lead male of Fallen Tree Cove busy during the past week as his paws traveled along his territory boarders and the surrounding areas, learning every square inch he passed over while keeping a keen eye open for possible recruitment opportunities. If he wanted to be a successful king within his kingdom he needed to know not only his lands like the back of his paws, but the lands that connected to them. Which paths led where, what were the best escape routes come times of trouble and who staked claim close to his lands were all pieces of vital information one should know and was the exact reason why he had found himself away from the safety of his domain, immersed within a grove of sorts different from any he had ventured through before. This place screamed power without uttering a word and demanded respect with the gentlest of touches from the dense fog that collided and separated with each step the mighty Vuesain man took.

A peculiar scent then tickled the man's nose the further he trudged through the fog and light layer of snow that covered the floor like an ivory blanket, the muscle responsible for controlling his nostrils giving a small twitch. Lone male, no pack loyalties and enjoying a meal of something rodent like as the rustic scent of blood mingled with the wolf's odor. That fragrance alone was enough to cause the pink of his tongue to slip past the onyx coloration of his lips and glide over his chops. Perhaps a little social interaction outside of his estrogen fueled pack would do some good. Even a lady lovin' man such as himself needed a break from the day to day drama that followed women anywhere they went and if anything this stranger may help spread the word that a new pack was on the rise. So on Vespertio went, his direction changing to follow the trail of blood and rouge to wherever this male resigned to enjoy his snack.

Minutes of silence passed until the scenery before him changed, a brown tinted blob appearing just off to his right up ahead with something nearly equal in color clutched between his paws. There was no mistaking the scent of rabbit heavy on the air and the outline of the long ears which this wolf contently and oddly gnawed on. A peculiar wolf with a peculiar scent. Fitting. A light woof then erupted from his chest to warn the tawny man of his presence as the distance slowly diminished. "Well you're a welcomed sight." He spoke as a faint smirk toyed with the corner of his lips at his own statement. With the little amount of wolves he had come across he was almost in denial that males aside from himself still existed. He couldn't be more glad to be proved wrong.

Riddick's ears swung towards the warning bark, the corner of his eye catching the image of an approaching wolf. He was a little caught off guard- chewing on ears was something he hadn't done in a while, especially in front of other wolves. As the other got closer, the Faye didn't bother tensing up- if the stranger had wanted to attack him, he probably wouldn't have let out a warning call. Though Iddi couldn't imagine why the stranger would go out of his way to talk to him- another stranger- he supposed a conversation was a welcome thing.

Turning his head to face the stranger, Riddick could see that- in short- he was rather handsome looking. A wolf such as he would not be unwelcome in the Rapids, if his courage matched the magnitude of his appearance. With a small snort to himself in amusement, Riddick could very easily call up the image of his female family members fawning over the newcomer.

The way the stranger initiated the meeting put his mind at work though- what happened to Stranger that he would be a welcome sight? In all honesty, Stranger looked well- probably part of a pack. But what harm was there in talking? For amusement, Iddi decided to play along; "I'm glad my visage is welcoming. Though, quite honestly, I'm not the most handsome guy out there." The rabbit ear flopped out of the side of his maw- Riddick was not about to let go of his nostalgic habit quite yet.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Now that the distance between the males had closed to a respectful distance, Vespertio allowed his golden gaze to truly take in the features of the stranger as it scanned over his medium build that was by no means lean. His pelt was made up of different hues of browns with shades of black rimming his forehead to make up a good portion of his mask in a way similar to himself. If it wasn't for the darker mask this male had one could possible confuse the two for twins. A pair of devilishly handsome twins, that is. That thought nearly brought a smirk to his lips and instead a small twitch toyed with the corner of his mouth before his features returned to their neutral position, tail swaying slightly behind him in good nature.

His ears then swiveled forward to catch the words the stranger spoke in reply to his previous statement, an amused chuckle breaking the surface of his lips while a single brow quirked. "Yeah handsome I don't know. I've been the reigning champ of that with the ladies for quite awhile." Another light chuckle paused his words, haunches lowering to rest upon the snow clad ground. But as odd as it is for me to say this, i'm glad to come across another male. I'm the only male within my pack so it gets kinda boring listening to the women rave about their day to day issues." Emphasis lined the word issues as it fell from his lips as a hint that he meant the little quirks that came with women. Sometimes while the women voiced their obsolete problems to him his mind would dabble in zoanthropy believing that he was a bird soaring in the sky void of the problems his wolf self was having to endure. If only he really could take on another animals body. Vesper's gaze then dropped down to the half munched rabbit between the strangers paws. Except a rabbit. That was one animal he wouldn't want to be. Ever.

As Stranger sat down, Riddick gave a wistful smile- he rather missed the normalcy of listening to family rant and complain about the little things. Of course, it could get annoying sometimes- but it meant that they were safe, and had no other worries. It meant he was doing his job. With a sigh, the Faye voiced his thoughts:" I have to say, I wouldn't mind switching places with you- I miss being settled down with other wolves. Normal wolves. You wouldn't believe the things you encounter away from home."

It had been a rather odd event- Brother Bear didn't even seem to be invested in the conversation. Though Ridick supposed, If you can talk to a bear that follows you everywhere, you don't have to pay much attention to other wolves.

Happy to find a wolf interested in conversation, Iddi let loose the ear he had been chewing on, and introduced himself, as was proper. "The name's Riddick. And I'm sure you have a name other than Stranger Handsome. Though, it would add a dashing bit of intrigue, wouldn't it?" There it went again- without even giving it a second thought, Iddi had given a nickname to someone he barely knew. As with Charcoal and Nanook, the process wasn't even noticeable. Someday, the habit was going to get him in trouble. Or not. Thing were out of balance lately for the Faye- yesterday proved that pretty much anything could happen at this point.

...It felt really weird to have a rabbit between his paws, but no ear between his teeth. Extremely weird.

(This post was last modified: Dec 04, 2014, 07:31 PM by Riddick.)

Ah, so the male had belonged to a pack once upon a time as he spoke of missing the formalities of his home wherever it was on this earth. Yet as he mentioned Vespertio not having a clue what you could encounter being away from home another amused smile found its way to his lips. In truth he actually did know the things one could encounter. Many of times he had scuffles with other loners over food, nearly been killed by a mother bear last spring when he wandered too close to their winter den and even ended up picking a fight with a grumpy old badger that claimed his temporary den for himself. That was a gnarly fight if he did say so himself. "Actually I do have an idea. I've only recently come into my alpha position. During my rogue years I may have picked a fight or two with some grumpy badgers." A wink then followed his statement.

Riddick was the name he was now able to call this strange male as well as acquiring a quirky nickname for himself. Stranger Handsome. It was the first nickname he had ever received other than the shorting of his birth name to be easier for others to pronounce. Vespertio was a bit of a mouth full to say all the time so most just settled with calling him Vesper. "Well its nice to meet you Riddick and indeed I do have a name other than Stranger Handsome as fitting as it is." Shifting his weight briefly for a moment to become more comfortable in his sitting position Vespertio gave a small dip of his head in a true greeting before offering up his name in return. "I go by Vespertio, but most can't pronounce my full name correctly so I usually just go by Vesper." Then his head gave a curious tilt to one side a fraction of an inch. "What brings you out here?"

Badgers. Stranger Handsome liked to pick fights with badgers. The mental image sent a smile splayed across his face."Well, congratulations on reaching the top!" Even if he got there by default it was still something to admire. His two eldest siblings had vied for the top spot. And Seraphina had left when the rules didn't allow her to play- that was also admirable. Had Titania never left, Riddick doubted he'd be out here, but it would certainly be a treat to check up on Phina. To tell her that she made the right choice.

But what did he know of leadership and it's requirements? Riddick was happy to stay where he was- no lower nor no higher. The role of guardian suit him just fine. So Stranger' name was Vespertio. Veeeeessss-perrrr-tiiiiii-o. Iddi let it drag on in the confines of his mind, getting a feel for it. It was a nice name. Made him slightly jealous.

And then he asked the question. To be fair, it was a rather innocent question- comparable to 'how do you do?' and 'how was your day?' But the answer Riddick had would put a damper on the light-heartedness of the conversation. And Riddick was enjoying it. However, with a grim sigh, he stuck to what he was taught and answered the question in truth. "I'm actually here to find my sister, and to hunt down my cousin. Flyn-" There went that growl again- "I suspect he killed my brother-by-mateship. Titania had left to find him, and I'm afraid she doesn't know what she's getting herself into."

Riddick proceeded in congratulating the newly crowned alpha which Vesper responded with an obnoxious puff of his chest followed by a devilish smirk before chuckling lightly at his own foolishness. That was until the conversation went from light hearted to heavy as soon as this new male answered his question. So he was in search of someone? Well more like someones as the dark saddled man listened patiently to the words that fell from Riddick's lips. He was in search of his sister Titania he gathered and his cousin Flyn that apparently wasn't on good terms with his kin. The growl emitted from his lips upon mentioning the name was sign enough to clear any confusion.

It was an interesting predicament this guy found himself in, but family drama did little to keep Vesper's attention. The Vuesain man had enough of his own family drama that kept him glancing over his own shoulder more often than a wolf should out of pure paranoia. It had been far too long since his banishment for his brother to keep on his trail with intent on ending his life and Vespertio knew that Valfred would not veture too far from the pack to fulfill his mission, but that didn't ease the sense that crept up at night that he was being watched or rid the nightmares that plagued his mind at night in his sleep. Though they occurred less frequently now, they still came from time to time to pay him a harsh visit. With a brief flick of an ear to indicate he was still listening, his voice trailed on after Riddicks. "I'm sorry of your loss. I have yet to come across wolves holding those names, but I shall keep my eyes and ears open for any news regarding them."

Had Vespertio held remnants of his old self he would have pried further for more information about the killing and these relatives of his, but today he skirted around the temptation and instead settled with the easy-going conversation until his nose gave a small twitch when the scent of deer reached his nostrils. Should he take the hunting opportunity and stock more meat in the pack caches before winter brought all hunting to a standstill? It was a tempting idea and surely Riddick wouldn't mind helping out and getting a free meal out of it. A rabbit alone did little to soothe any form of hunger.

In some guilty way, Riddick was thankful to Vesper for being brief with the news- he didn't want to dwell on it for long. Though there more wolves he told about Flyn, the less trouble that the cur could cause. But this- sitting here, talking- was nice, however guilty he felt. It was like the rabbit's ear- he was loathe to give it up. "Thank you." he said sincerely. He tried to think of ways to turn the talk to a happier tone- something exclusive to their own gender; hearing about those badger fights certainly wouldn't fail to disappoint. The tawny fellow was just about to ask when something caught his nose.

Like full on snatched it from where it hovered, and rammed it through with unforgiving force. Perhaps it was the happenstance of only being able to catch a rabbit, or stress from pursuing Titania with unyielding vigor, but Riddick was suddenly hungry. There was no denying the smell of deer, and though a small part of him cried out with protests, he wanted deer and he wanted it now. The prospect of such a meal made him rise to his feet and look at his new companion. Surely Vesper would help, yes? He had a pack to think of, and naturally once an opportunity like this passed, the new alpha was going to have to wait till spring to receive it again.

"You smell that?" Of course he did. Iddi's tail wagged in anticipation. "Why don't we check it out?"