Lost Lake teeth on an unknown stranger

AW -- father and son doing a bit of exploration. ;)

At eight months old, the pups could no longer truly be considered as such – Takis bounced along his side threw the snow, his youthful figure nearly as tall as himself now, though traces of his age could still be seen in the glimmer of his son’s eyes and his lanky physique – ears too large for him, and paws that seemed to be twice the size they should be. He knew the boy would soon fully grow in to himself, but that did not stop him from being amused all the same.

He had agreed to go for a stroll outside the pack borders and further from the Plateau lands. While Phineas was not to foolish as to think his children did not explore themselves (he had noticed Celandine’s missing presence for the span of a few nights at a time) but as a fretful parent who did not want to shroud them in a bubble, nor did he want to allow them the space to get themselves hurt.. he only hoped they maintained a logical presence of them when they did follow their wanderlust.

The mountain was truly a vast entity – one that begged to be explored, and so, with light snowflakes falling from a grey sky, the young day would find the two white wolves trekking through the lands.. further and further from a place of true familiarity to them. Phineas was just as intrigued as his son – the mountains were not new to him, but had merely been a passage from one section of the valley to the other. Now, with a laid back ease in his step, the Argyris patriarch was able to take in the scenery about him.. and indulge his own sense of adventure.

Their journey became even more interesting when a scent of a nearby pack came to him.. and abruptly halting, the ivory regal ushered a harsh bark to his son, alerting him of the change before the youth bound off awkwardly in to claimed lands. Even more intriguing was that he seemed to recognize the scent attached to it.. yet he could not quite place it.

(This post was last modified: Feb 14, 2015, 01:37 PM by Phineas.)

While it would be argued by the youthful Argyris that his childhood had been stolen from him by the disappearance of his mother, it was stolen moments like these that Takis would instead choose to live in the moment rather than dwell on his insecurities. Phineas loped along his side – undivided attention for his son for the day, and Takis’ own paws blurred across the snowy landscape as he bounded forward, stopping every so often to inspect something that intrigued him. His sisters were perhaps more adventurous than he – but that did not mean that his own paws craved to move forward to new things and discover the potential that laid ahead.. on this day, it was a special treat to be able to spend that with his father.

 

They had left hours earlier, and the morning would soon wane to noon. In truth, the ivory boy had lost track of the time, despite his father’s pleas for him to carefully watch the shadows cast by the sun – for tracking time when away from your loved ones was important, he had determined. He did not want to wander so far as his mother did and make them worry.

 

His own lively pace was even met by his father at times – despite the fact he noticed how weathered the Argyris man was becoming, it would seem his own energy could spurn that of a youth’s, and at times, the two would zigzag each other’s paths through the snow.

 

Yet something changed upon the breeze, and Takis noticed this before his father even uttered a warning bark. His own pace slowed, his fiery eyes blazing toward the man with question – and even slight irritancy at not being given the benefit of the doubt to follow his own nose. Lifitng his muzzle up, the Argyris youth sniffed at the air – a pack. Blinking, he cast his eyes back to his father, a frown furrowing his brow. “I didn’t think there was another pack on the mountain,” he admitted – and given his father’s intrigued expression, Takis would gather Phineas had not known either.

@Phineas 

With the day young still and begging to be enjoyed the Fallen Tree alpha found himself abandoning his usual routine of patrolling the borders to freshen up his scent markers and instead made an easy paced b-line for the border closet to the mountain. Today was going to be one of those selfish opportunities Vesper took to set his crown down at his throne and seek the lands beyond his territory -which by now have become memorized like the back of his paw for a change in scenery. He was confident that his lack of presence for a few hours would not hinder the pack this snowy day as his golden gaze briefly tilted skyward to watch the light bombardment of fresh snow flurries. There wasn't a bone in his body that doubted Athena, his ivory queen couldn't handle his absence from her side. As of late the two had spent less personal time together than he un-admittedly would have liked, but that was what came with stepping up to claim the spot of king. There was no down time when running a successful pack and thus he now found himself slipping temporarily from the shadow of his position.

In his haste to cross over the border before someone could spot him his cream painted limbs picked up their pace to glide swiftly, carrying his lithe body in a zig zagging pattern between the pines that lay between him and in a sense his freedom. The border now laid only yards away and he would have gladly bounded over it if an unexpected sight hadn't caught his eyes and an equally unexpected pair of aromas teased his nostrils. Immediately his pace was slowed to a trot as his tail curled over his back to be displayed dominantly, ears pricking forward to further silently pronounce his position nearing the pair of pure pelted wolves who stood feet from his border. A deep inhale of the crisp winter air revealed the older of the two males - who held a fiery shade of orange for eyes to be a leader himself while the younger male held the same pack scent and left Vespertio to assume he was a pup of the other. The near identical image of one another was unmistakable as it was. So much for not attending to pack business today.    

Approaching closer his body remained rigid, chest puffing out until only the border separated the trio of wolves. So was this possibly the pack Anthem had messed with by getting into a fight with a member before coming to join the Cove? The thought briefly played across the forefront of his mind before he gave his throat a good clearing, settling his golden eyes on the fiery one of the taller man. "Is there any reason for your presence at my borders?" Vespertio asked in a firm tone, though by no means did it lack any form of friendliness. For all he knew this could have been a different pack all together from the one Anthem brought up. He did wish the stormy pelted man had offered up a name of said pack though to clear up any confusion that could occur in the coming minutes.

Their presence was detected quickly -- a sign, the patriarch, that the pack was well in tune with their surroundings. The breeze carried the scent of the other before he fully appeared, and while the ivory regal would have ushered his son back and away from the strange pack, he instead awaited, stiffening as the agouti male made his presence known. There was a stiffness in the stranger's tone -- but not one of true unfriendliness, for his own stance was proud, but non-threatening.

Making sure to skirt himself in front of his son, Phineas allowed his bright orange eyes to graze over the wolf briefly, noting the male was young, but could make a formidable opponent if the time ever arose. His nostrils flared once more, taking in the tantalizing scent that troubled him so.. unable to quite put his paw in place for it.

We weren't aware we had neighbors, he stated, amicable in his own stoical way. His eyes drifted to regard Takis briefly before giving a nod to the male before him. Our apologies for straying at your borders. My name is Phineas, and this is my son Takis. There was a pause as he refrained from pressing his pack's name from his lips -- he did not trust so easily in strangers, and was not so quick to give the location of his pack away.. though it was likely they had come across it already. Have you been here long? As much as he was unwilling to offer information.. it never stopped the Argyris from seeking it himself.

Takis was less worried than his father, though he could sense the uncertain tension emanating from the patriarch. Instead, his eyes would rivet themselves upon the approaching figure, and while his own figure was held with a more neutral stance in deference to his own alpha, he did tense when the stranger prowled even closer.

He was young, but he knew what a neighboring pack meant – shared resources, which was something the Plateau wolves had been keen on when staking their claim.

Much like his father, a stoical mask slid over the pup’s features. Even at a younger age, he was slowly being groomed for his future role within the pack, and indeed learning from what he considered to be the best – whether it was a leadership position he would hold in years to come was not something he truly thought about.. but a guardian or scout was certainly something that intrigued him for now, and he would take this moment as an opportunity to learn.

His left ear flickered in the direction of Phineas’ voice, and in turn, he remained silent. He noticed how the Argyris man did not give way their location – surely on purpose, and Takis felt a stir of pride in his chest. No matter what pack came so close to their doorstep, they would not be a match for the wolves of the Plateau. Not after everything they had given up in the past only to find themselves here now – primarily, Takis’ mother. Oak Tree Bend had not scared them, and surely, this strange pack would hold little consequence to them as well.

(This post was last modified: Feb 20, 2015, 11:55 AM by Takis.)

"We weren't aware we had neighbors." Was the pearl tinted man's remark, a single ear giving a slight twitch at the sound of his voice before returning to its alert position facing forward. The man before him then continued to offer the names belonging to himself and the pup beside him who he was right in assuming was the older man's son. Phineas and Takis. Shifting his gaze briefly between the two he allowed his mind to put both fur coloration, voice and name into his memory for future occasions, though the son had not yet spoken a lick. "Neither was I, but at least we meet on neutral terms. My name is Vespertio, lead male as i'm sure you are aware of by now." Just like the white man had refrained from, he too kept the name of his pack at the back of his mouth. Though by a quick whiff he could tell that the patriarch before him had the scent of many wolves on his pelt. Enough different aromas to double the numbers of the cove and then some. A formidable enemy should the two packs become rivals. This definitely put the agouti man on edge though he was keen on keeping his body from showing such signs.

A prodding type of question then fell from Phineas' lips that caused his paws to shift his weight momentarily. Had they been here long? In truth they had only had official claim to the lake for a little over two months now and barely held onto it with the lack of members that were back at the den site. "Not long, no. Your pack been living her long, or not?" He answered while turning the question back onto him. With each question shot at him he would fire it back. That way neither would leave with more information than the other, if it could be avoided. The last thing Vesper needed was a possible enemy with more members than he having the upper hand. That alone could be devastating.  

They danced around the topics – Takis looked up to him expectantly, seemingly curious as to why the regal did not offer more disclosure on the topic.. yet something about the scent that skirted along the borders held him on edge, and in turn, he remained distracted.

When the tawny wolf questioned his own pack’s longevity, a small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. We’re established, he offered in turn, ever more vague, and yet not a lie – the pack was not new in the sense of their formation.. simply their location. Magnolia Glen had barely been given a second thought – gone were the glory days of when the pack held a formidable loyal bunch. Inkheart, Zia, Lucero, Borlla.. he could recall them all quite vividly, but they were no more than ghosts of the past.

It was then that another ghostly figure entered his mind – her delicate white fur – fiery eyes, much like himself. Petite stature, yet fierce.

And one who had abandoned her child three times since he had come to know her. His small smile quickly dissipated in that moment, and his pelt bristled slightly. She was here. His form stiffened in that moment, his bright eyes drifting to study the beast before him more carefully. Not withholding his disgust, he gave a slight shake of his muzzle. Athena is here, he finally murmured, a snort following this simple statement. She’s laid claim to these lands. After a small pause, he decided to clarify his sudden outburst to the other. You realize that she-wolf is only going to abandon this place – she abandoned her son three times over since I’ve come to know her.

The boy took in the exchange before him – his father was weary of the pack’s presence, it would seem, and even more reluctant to give too much insight on Silent Moon Plateau. Takis took these notes with a hint of curiosity – but realized it probably unwise to offer too much information on one’s home when they knew nothing about the stranger before them. Vaguely, he thought of Magnolia Glen, and the brief utterance of a pack called Oak Tree Bend – from what he had gathered, the packs had not been on well terms.

When Phineas mentioned a name, the mirror-image to the man could feel his father stiffen as he spoke, and blinking his pumpkin eyes, he made to study the tawny man’s reaction, curious now to who this ‘Athena’ could be – he had never met the woman, and was uncertain as to why his father would be so distraught at the realization that she might have been within these very borders.

Ever dutiful, the young Argyris remained silent for now. He was at an age where he could certainly begin to offer his opinion more (though that had never stopped @Celandine in the past), but even more importantly, he was at an age that he was beginning to take these lessons as lifestyle. Phineas and the others at the Plateau were beginning to groom the near-yearlings for the day they would enter the adult ranks, and Takis knew his own sights would be set for a horizon that involved leadership.. much like his sister.

(This post was last modified: Mar 11, 2015, 11:21 AM by Takis.)

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Basically the same amount of information the Cove leader had offered the strangers at his borders was mirrored to him. Established. That was all the ivory brute offered in accordance to the length of time his pack had come to settle its share of the mountain. It was useless information to Vespertio and gave it not a second of thought before his mind tossed it out onto the cold snowy ground. But suddenly the brute's stature shifted as a glint of something, possibly recognition flashed across the fiery orange pools of his eyes. Ivory fur bristled, disgust evident on his muzzle that now shook after giving his tawny form another look over. With the change in body language the agouti patriarch grew tense in that moment, dull nails digging into the soft snow in preparation for whatever it was that came next. Whether it be a foolish barreling body of white or a lashing of words to his ears.

Golden eyes fixated on the brute intently it was the latter that happened. His ivory queen's name tumbling out of his mouth like he knew her followed by a snort then more words that spoke ill-ly of the woman he had come to grow feelings for. Deserter. That was the crime this patriarch was accusing his beloved Athena of. Abandoning her son whom he had no clue about, only briefly did he catch info of her having a daughter, but nothing was spoken of a son. This was new to his black tipped ears. Nonetheless the accusation caused the fur along his hackles to bristle, a snarl threatening to appear on the inky blackness of his lips. A flick of his tail a sign of his growing agitation. Little did the white wolf know that the woman had already deserted the lake like he foretold she would. Two weeks ago she and others of the pack had disappeared without a word or trace of their whereabouts. No scent trail or set of tracks to follow in hopes of herding his lost sheep back to the flock. But he wasn't about to let this man gain such precious information.

"You've got a lot of nerve to speak that way about her at our borders." he growled lowly in warning as his gaze shifted between the older man to his son at his side then back. At least the kid had sense to keep his mouth shut unlike his father. But with this new information it made the tawny man think. Was that the reason the ivory queen had disappeared? Had she deserted him like she apparently had done to others? Her own son for crying out loud. Whether or not that was the reason, it still left a hole in his heart where she had wedged her way in. Athena had melted the ice around it only to leave him cold and alone again. No, the man must be trying to fool him. To ruin the pack from the inside out by planting a bug in his ear so he could take the land for himself. Extending his own kingdom.