Drooping Willows Song of Storms

Day three of the new land. But today looked dangerously dark, sky clouded with dark grey. Alphinaud licked his muzzle wet, anticipating the storm that was inevitably coming his way. Although he had hoped on a hunting day, he would have to cancel that plan. Rain was not an element you wanted in a hunt, especially if you only had yourself to work with. His stomach was feeling the emptiness, but Phin figured he could last a bit without. Maybe the weather would lighten up after it had barfed all the rain onto the land. In the meantime, he might want to move his paws to something more sheltered. Unless he felt he would be a fitting fish for his next life, but he would prefer something grander. Like a bird, he wouldn’t complain if he could soar through open sky and watch from above. Food for thought.

Alphinaud moved past the field of fire, Fireweed Rise, to find the flowers make room for water and willows. The subtle change in the landscape was stunning, almost breathtaking if he didn’t smell the same scents more regularly. The artic one halted in his steps, thunder growling above his head. The signs were clear, territory ahead. He shook his head and went further on his search for shelter. But careful, spring had been just around the corner and he didn’t want his throat ripped apart the second day of his adventuring.

It was only mere minutes later that the sky let rain fall as if it was mourning a lost son. Thick fat drops of rain had him soaked a few more minutes later. Shelter seemed still a bit far away but with a coat already heavy from the soaked water and his ears drooping down to keep the rain out, Phin cared little for shelter. Instead he was biting towards the water drops, shaking his pelt to make more rain. Since he was already wet to the bone, better make something good out of it.

(This post was last modified: Aug 19, 2015, 11:08 AM by Alphinaud.)

Pelting rain began to descend from above as darkened clouds opened up their floodgates. Each leaf lining the willow boughs gradually increasing in weight from the collection of water until it became too much to bare. Trickles of water cascading down their veined lengths like miniature waterfalls to fall atop the already drenched soil below. Puddles of muddied water forming now along the rooted bases of surrounding trees and sparse grassy areas. The booming war cry of thunder echoing just over yonder and causing ebony audits to swivel forward then sweep back in response. Enoki halted beneath the thickest willow she could spy to escape the downpour. Patch work fur given a hard shake to fling the excess water that weighed her down.

Mere hours ago the woman had returned to the ridge after exploring the land, the weather nothing more than a drizzle then. Disappointment burned behind smoldering amber eyes as the chance of hunting became thwarted. Rain washing away any scent of prey that may have once laced smooth bark, or prints left behind in softened soil. There was nothing more the huntress could do until mother nature reigned in the sorrowful tears above. Even a tenderfoot of a hunter knew better. Adjusting to turn away from the meadow nimble paws swiftly carried her lithe form away toward a place where flowers bloomed like flames of a fire, ivory patched frame maneuvering through the maze like trunks of the weeping willows. Dark furred limbs halting at a peculiar sight that greeted her arrival.

In the distance there was no mistaking the snowy outline of a wolf returning from the very place she had planned to go. At first her mind jumped immediately to Piety - a member whom she knew off hand with a coat to be so pure - and lips quivered to unsheathe awaiting canines at the brief bit of information Morganna had revealed. During her absence the eldest prince, Skoll, had had the unfortunately accident of breeding with the young girl to produce the first grandchild of Elettra, breaking pack law in the process. Something Enoki took seriously and it was then she had decided Piety was to be knocked in rank. But it was with another scrutinizing glance that confirmed this wolf was not the girl she sought to dominate. The build on this stranger far too masculine to be so.

Nonetheless, it was a bemusing spectacle to see. Jaws snapping pointlessly at empty air and falling rain. The piebald woman would have enjoyed to sit in silence and continue watching, but the truth was this stranger was heading straight for pack borders. Unknowingly, or not. Emitting a loud chuff to compensate for the low drum of the rain she stayed where she stood. Respectfully waiting for the other to acknowledge her presence before engaging in anything further.

Rain fell on his face, into his mouths and ears. It felt good to have a little carefree moment. He had spent some good time alone, travelling through unfamiliar places with even more unknown faces. It was a life of constant alert, always prepared and tiring. But it were moments like this where he got his energy back. To deal with the tough elements that came with being a rogue, by being alone in this world. Everything would end sometime, and so his little carefree moment was shattered with a loud sound. It came from a wolf, a female of black and white. It was a bit hard to see from this distance but the bright contrast gave a lot away, even with the curtain of rain between them. Alphinaud tilted his head slightly to the side. Who could this wolf be? Miskwaa informed him about a pack not too far from Fireweed Rise, but had he passed the borders in his obliviousness? His nose moved slightly as he sniffed the air for pack scents. The rain was a huge blockade for the scents in the air. Rain, mud and just earth were dominating scents that seemed to jump to his nose. He did catch a pack scent, although he was close by fortunately he hadn’t crossed the borders. So, this wolf might be from the pack that resided here. Anyhow he wondered why she had notified him of her presence, besides just being a possible guard.

Only one way to find out. The Artic male approached female but kept his respective distance. Also because he noticed that she stood on the pack territory. He lowered his head slightly as he came to a stop.  ‘Thank you for the warning, in my carelessness I came dangerously close to your border.’ Alphinaud spoke in a serious tone. Of course he had not broken any rule or trespassed their lands. But he didn’t feel like it was right for him to give a nonchalant attitude. ‘I can assure you it won’t happen again.’ Yes, he nodded in his mind as he observed the female. Next time he might not be this lucky, any other might have observed him and watched for the right reason to put their teeth in his neck. He was warned.

382 words

{ ooc notes - -
regular text -

thought text

- talking text

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

On cue the ivory man's attention was ripped away from the falling sheets of rain he attempted to eat, or something, moments prior. Arctic pads bringing the heavier set wolf closer to the awaiting Timber while deep amber optics watched cautiously upon this approach. Stopping at a respectful distance, his skull came to lower before apologetic words flowed off his tongue. In truth she had a right to apply tooth and claw to his colorless pelt for straying so close to their territory. Especially with a young litter of cubs tucked within the heart that were entirely defenseless by themselves. White paint dipped tail swung idly at her hocks as she contemplated how to proceed with this rouge. Physical altercations were not Enoki's ideal way to go about things, but again this would need to change when she squared up with the pack harlot. Words alone could not secure her above Piety. Perhaps he could be used as a sparring partner to aid in her personal quest?

Posturing herself into a more dominant stance; although a foreign thing for the Ashrelle, she glanced down her snout at the male with audits swiveled forward. "You're wise to have decided to eat the rain where you did." She recalled the spectacle upon which she first lay eyes on his ghostly silhouette. "Another foot closer and you'd be deemed a trespasser of Willow Ridge." Enoki pauses then allowing Alphinaud to absorb the weight of the words spoken by the pack subordinate. "What business Mr...brings you this far south?" Another purposeful drawl after Mr. left to indicate he was to inform her of his name. Common exchanges were to be had first before Enoki could delve into asking for a personal favor of this stranger. Should he be of use in the end, a pleasant word may be ushered to the ruling pair should he seek a home now, or another time.

The ebony beauty stood strong as she showed her dominance in the land of her own home. Her pelt had a curious pattern that intrigued him. Never before had he looked at such a pattern, the contrast between ebony and white was rather stunning if he could say so. Dark amber looked down on him as she spoke, Alphinaud noticed the scars that marred her muzzle. It was hard to miss the three stripes of imperfection and the white male couldn’t help but wonder. How did the woman gain such scars? Yet it was not his place to ask such personal questions. Instead he chose to smile as she described it actions as ‘’eating rain.’’ Definitely a way to describe it, yes.

Ah, so the pack Miskwaa was talking about was called Willow Ridge. You didn’t have to be a genius to guess where the name came from. The ebony female was right, he had been rather careless that could cost his head. The white Artic was fortunate that fate hadn’t played out. ‘Alphinaud Lothaire, is the name.’ He said as he looked up into the dark amber pools. ‘I’m a newcomer and came from the South. Currently I’m exploring what these lands have to offer.’ Alphinaud tilted his head slightly to the left as he looked at the Willow Ridge wolfess. It seemed like he would come off right this time. If she was willing to do this introduction. It did make him wonder though, what would she want from him. She could have simply chases him further away from the borders. To make him turn around or travel further. Who knows, he was willing to wait it out. ‘How may I call you Miss…?’ He mimicked the slight pause with a little glint in his eyes.

299 words

{ ooc notes - -
regular text -

thought text

- talking text

Smoldering amber optics watched closely as the lighter amber of her counterpart took interest of her mismatched pelt. An odd and extremely rare happening in nature that set her apart from others and one Enoki was aware of. Their looks of awe and bafflement never went unnoticed, much like the ones Alphinaud now expressed as he absorbed the sight of her uniqueness before his eyes shifted to glance at the raking of scars across one side of her muzzle. A result of defending a pup of the previous year's litter, Deacon, from a wolverine disturbed from its burrow. Both wolves receiving wounds while the wolverine lost its life to become a rug for Elettra and Angier.

As new information was granted to the ebony woman, swarthy audits flicked attentively to each word offered. Alphinaud Lothaire, male loner from the south, white fur and amber eyes was the miniature file created on the stranger to be tucked away in her mental file cabinet of faces she has come to meet since her time in the lore. A hint of smirk adorning her darkened lips upon the mirrored paused he now used to obtain her name. "Enoki Ashrelle. A subordinate of Willow Ridge hoping to secure a hunt or practice sparring, but the rain seems to have other plans today." The woman casually dropped her intentions as ivory dipped tail swung with slightly more vigor behind her. It would be up to him now if he would just so happen to fall for the dangling bait before him. "You can't hunt when the rain offers such a hindrance to tracking and scenting prey."

The ebony woman with her rare pattern didn’t dart around her business. It was nice that he finally had a name to the face Alphinaud was sure to remember. Especially since she was the first pack wolf he had met. She might be able to do a good word or two in the future, if his name was written on the good side of her book. It never hurt to have good connections with more than one pack, he figured as he saw a slight twitch on Enoki’s black lips. It seemed to form into a smirk but the hooks just didn’t curl enough. Alright, he had two options. He would either assist the woman in her training, give her this favor and hope she would remember it. Or he would move on, content with the new information he had right now. Alphinaud snorted inwardly, of course he would do her a favor. It was not ideal weather to spar, everything would point out to muddy and dirty. But he wasn’t a wuss, just a bit of dirt would wash away with a few dives into a random river.

‘I haven’t sparred in a while now. Would be interesting to see how rusty I became.’ He said lightly as he took a few steps back. ‘Although the weather is everything from perfect. If you’re not afraid for mud eating, I would say; let’s give it a shot.’ His black lips turned into a full smirk as he took a steady stance. ‘Ladies first.’  

253 words

{ ooc notes - -
regular text -

thought text

- talking text

The ebony woman with her rare pattern didn’t dart around her business. It was nice that he finally had a name to the face Alphinaud was sure to remember. Especially since she was the first pack wolf he had met. She might be able to do a good word or two in the future, if his name was written on the good side of her book. It never hurt to have good connections with more than one pack, he figured as he saw a slight twitch on Enoki’s black lips. It seemed to form into a smirk but the hooks just didn’t curl enough. Alright, he had two options. He would either assist the woman in her training, give her this favor and hope she would remember it. Or he would move on, content with the new information he had right now. Alphinaud snorted inwardly, of course he would do her a favor. It was not ideal weather to spar, everything would point out to muddy and dirty. But he wasn’t a wuss, just a bit of dirt would wash away with a few dives into a random river.

‘I haven’t sparred in a while now. Would be interesting to see how rusty I became.’ He said lightly as he took a few steps back. ‘Although the weather is everything from perfect. If you’re not afraid for mud eating, I would say; let’s give it a shot.’ His black lips turned into a full smirk as he took a steady stance. ‘Ladies first.’  

253 words

{ ooc notes - -
regular text -

thought text

- talking text

@Alphinaud So sorry for the wait and crappy reply!

As luck would have it, this Alphinaud character was willing to get his paws literally and figuratively dirty in order to assist the two toned woman. Teeth sinking wholeheartedly into the displayed bait. A couple exchanges of words and the ivory clad man was shifting his body to uphold a more steady stance in preparation for the show that was about to begin. "Ladies first." He continued with the black lining of his lips curling to adhere to a smirk Enoki's own swarthy lips had yet to form. "Such a gentleman, but i'm not afraid of a little mud." The corner of her lips now mirroring the smirk his portrayed. 

Tensing muscles, the piebald woman prepared herself for the first attack as droplet after droplet of rain slithered down patchy shoulder blades that now shifted forward into a hunched position. Smoldering amber optics narrowed to a more protective half slit while the onslaught of rain continued to course like miniature rivers down her brow, leathery lips curling upwards to reveal the row of stained daggers ready to clench onto skin with an iron grip. Ivory tipped tail held rigidly out behind bristled hackles before a snarl erupted from her throat.In a flash Enoki was airborne with jaws splayed open, intent on obtaining a solid hold on the first bit of skin to reach her teeth. Their aim honed in on the bulky shoulder of Alphinaud's left side. With any luck despite her lack of proper sparring her attack would find purchase.