Jasper Rocks you don't know my heart

Being vague about this thread since it's not finished and don't know the outcome, but Pip is still a little shaky from the previous day's events and is looking for a bit of quiet time to herself. <3

Pip truly felt grateful to be confined to the medical den with @Veho for the first time since her injury. While she enjoyed her Alpha's company immensely and had slowly grown used to resting comfortably beside him at night, she was glad to have the excuse to retire away from everyone else. The events from the previous day had been stressful for the meek yearling. The coastal wolf had never been fond of attention, and yesterday, all eyes had been on her in the midst of the most stressful tension of her entire life. Though she was happy and relieved to know her siblings were alive and well, Pip had imagined a far different reunion.

She slept in this morning; well past the time the spot beside her had lost Veho's warmth. She was avoiding everyone, she very well knew. If the problems of the pack were to be solved today, the mute decided they would have to figure it out without her. While it wasn't her nature to shirk pack duties, Pip needed the peace and quiet.

As quietly as she could manage, the lithe female limped from the medical den, careful not to draw anyone's attention. Her leg was more sore today than usual. In the excitement of the day before, her brother had inadvertently stretched the healing skin and now it was oozing blood and serum from lowest puncture wound. Rather than seek out Veho for treatment, she forced herself away from the dens. Despite the trek, Pip made her way to Jasper Rocks where she found a warm boulder bordering one of the small falls. There, she stretched out in the sun that the trees couldn't quite block out. With the recent fall in temperatures, the sunbathing kept her warm enough to be comfortable.

The soothing sound of the gurgling stream lulled her into a light sleep while the singing of birds gave her some of the serenity she'd been searching for.

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((OOC Info: Icicle smells like a male, but not fully, due to a lack of hormonal production, he lacks the scent of testosterone))

Ears pricked as the large white wolf caught the faint murmur of running water, judging by the faintness, it had to be a creek or stream and a salmon pink tongue ran over a white muzzle as the male stepped carefully through the trees. His movements were slow and deliberate as he scanned the the ground in front of him for any kind of obstructions. Eventually he came to the edge of the forest and found the small stream before him. He raised his muzzle to the air and sniffed one, having expected to only smell the scents of the flora around him, his head cocked to the side a little as he detected the scent of another wolf Female..He thought to himself as the small blurry shape came into focus just beside the stream’s edge.

Suddenly though his light pink nose twitched as the coppery tinge of blood drifted up from the female wolf, from this distance Icicle was unable to tell if she was breathing or not. Worry started to fill the phantom white wolf as he slowly stepped out into the sunlight, his eyes becoming narrow slits of pink as he focused on the shape, keeping his eyes down to try and reduce the sensitivity. If she’s dead well….she deserves a proper burial, if she’s alive...then we can try to help... Icicle was prepared to do either if the situation called for it and slowly, carefully he started to make his way toward Pip, his pawsteps giving a rhythmic thump on the pebbly shore.

ThoughtIcicle’s dialogue

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Idiot! she thought violently to herself when she heard the crunching of disturbed gravel under paws. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Pip knew better than to fall asleep out in the open like this, away from pack territory and protection. Jolting into a sternal position, she blinked wearily at the wolf and immediately sobered. It could have just as easily been a wolf from her own pack as a stranger, but now her heart truly did give an anxious flop as the possibility proved true.

Her tail quickly flipped between her back legs, tucking tightly against her belly as she limped herself into a standing position. Though she was physically up higher with the rock she stood on, the yearling did what she could to lower her head by crouching as much as her already abused leg would allow. With all the stress of recent events, she even wrinkled her lips up anxiously as if to ward off the white wolf.

Though it wasn't in her nature to stare at the eyes of another wolf, Pip found herself doing it anyway. Rather than doing it out of some drive for dominance, the agouti female instead found herself mesmerized by the wolf's pink irises. She'd never seen eyes that color before...

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A small sigh escaped Icicle as the small female suddenly came to life. Her quick actions seemed to cause her to limp into what seemed like a submissive position? It was hard for the large wolf to tell as he stepped closer, she slowly came into focus. Well, she’s not dead, that’s good. Icicle mulled over the thought, but the scent of blood became stronger. He stopped a few feet away from the Agouti female and slowly he lowered himself onto his haunches, a soft grunt escaping as he tried to make himself seem less threatening, she was injured, that much was clear, but exactly where or how badly the colorless male did not know.

“I’m not here to hurt you.” he murmured quietly as their eyes locked onto each other. He did really take this as a threat or sign of dominance because right now he didn’t care which of them had the bigger attitude. his concern rested on the smaller wolf’s injury, the scent of blood as very strong now. “Are you ok?” he asked quietly, slowly narrowing his eyes to slits, not as a sign of aggression but simply because the sunlight was starting to hurt them yet again.

ThoughtIcicle’s dialogue

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(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2016, 12:55 AM by Icicle.)

Watching him warily, Pip carefully lowered herself back onto the boulder, though she kept her right hind leg folded neatly beneath her to help her shove up fast if need be. His quiet words of reassurance weren't completely trusted, but the Grizzly Hollow wolf honestly didn't have the energy to continue standing awkwardly on guard. If she had to suddenly run, Pip doubted she would make it very far. And because of her lovely idea to avoid her packmates, she was far out of range of pack territory where her chirps would be effectively heard.

When the albino asked if she was okay, Pip nodded, her orange eyes still observing his every movement carefully. He seemed nice enough, though the yearling didn't make a habit of trusting strangers right off the bat. Unless of course one considered Crystal (@Yvly). Within several minutes, Pip had been up her fur like she was a long-standing blood relative. In hindsight, Pip realized she should have sought her friend out instead of avoiding everyone in the pack since it was clear she wouldn't have her peace and quiet regardless.

Since the male kept his distance, Pip took a moment to reach around to her injured limb and lick away the trickle of blood and serum that had dried crustily in her fur along with the fresh dribble that began when she stood suddenly on the wolf's arrival.

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@Icicle

Taking inventory of her domain, it was odd to find Pip's scent meandering outside of the borders. Perhaps it was nothing, but the Whitebark woman was protective of her comrades, and knowing there was little Pip could do to call for help, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to check in on the yearling.

Trekking out along familiar trails to Jasper Rocks, the smell of an outsider caught her senses along with Pip's. Her pace quickened, bringing her towards the creek. As she arrived she found the girl sitting atop a boulder, a much larger male seated on the ground before her.

"Pip," She said by way of greeting as she approached, her eyes sweeping over the tawny girl and the seeping wound that still occupied her haunch before settling on the male with a hard gaze. Something looked wrong about him, his eyes and nose an unsettling shade of pink, like bare skin or an open wound. His scent was off, sickly and thin.

Oula's small brown ears pricked forward, her pale legs squared beneath her as she came to stand between them, short tail swept straight out behind her as she faced the yearling.

"You had better not be harassing my subordinate," She threatened dryly, the hard line of her mouth making it clear she wasn't kidding around. She knew what males wanted this time of year, and while she couldn't see into his mind she did not have the best assumptions at heart for him.

 

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

You don’t know how strong you are, until being strong is all you have left

His colorless white head turned toward the new arrival, a female smaller than himself but not by much. Noting the air of dominance and the scent she carried, Icicle realized that she must not have only been the unnamed female’s pack mate, but possibly her Alpha. He would have tried to take note of the approaching wolf’s pelt but from the distance, she was quite a greyish blurr. Pip…He repeated the name that Oula used before turning his muzzle toward the smaller wolf “A lovely name to have.”

As She positioned herself between them, Icicle realized that there was little he could provide for little Pip that her packmate couldn’t. At her comment on harassing her subordinate, thus confirming that she was indeed the Alpha, or at least a high ranking wolf. Icicle shook his head slowly before speaking, his tone was soft and wisely kept neutral in tone  “No ma’am, I wouldn’t think of it. I came for a drink of the creek and the smell of blood led me here, I was worried that is all. As her packmate is here, I’ll take my leave, please, have a pleasant day, both of you.”

The large chalky wolf slowly raised himself up before dipping head head to both Oula and Pip as he turned, stopping briefly at the creek’s edge to drink his fill before returning to the dark shade of the forest behind them.

ThoughtIcicle’s dialogue

(This post was last modified: Mar 07, 2016, 03:05 AM by Icicle.)

The yearling flinched guiltily upon the arrival of her Alpha. Russett ears fell back against her head and she slowly set her chin on her paws to make certain she was as low as possible. Given the events from the day before, Pip wasn't certain if @Oula would be cross with her. Her interruption of the gray female's attack was a blasphemous action on Pip's part, but she couldn't stand to see her reckless brother hurt.

But Oula made no move to reprimand her for being out on her own in the company of a stranger. When she even came to physically place herself between the male and herself, Pip even let her ears flick towards her with interest and lifted her head to watch. She was...protecting her. So maybe her superior didn't have such a poor view of her after all. Either that, or it was a ploy to show solidarity in front of a stranger. Oula's next words only confirmed Pip's assumption that she'd come to keep her safe from the potential threat before them.

Not that he was much of one. He seemed...ill. Pip couldn't pick out exactly what it was - his coloring, or the way his fur fell sharply across his shoulders and hips? - but she felt certain the gray wolf could take him down if it came to a fight. Whether she could or not, the yearling hoped for no more fights... She was stressed enough as it was. Thankfully, the stranger politely excused himself after saying her name aloud to himself and complimenting her on it. Too anxious where she lay, she offered no wagging tail or soft chirp to bid him adieu and continued to watch him until he was out of sight.

With just the two of them now, Pip lowered her head once more and even went so far as to roll onto her side should her Alpha feel the need to assert herself. She'd yet to have the chance to come to know the female and preferred to start out appeasing her rather than appearing as if she wanted to challenge her authority in any way.

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@Pip

Oula's eyes narrowed as the ghostly wolf commented on Pip's name, the edges of her cream lips pulling up to reveal toothy points in a warning sneer. Was he trying to butter them up? Well, it wasn't working. Her tail lashed stiffly behind her as he wished them a pleasant day, giving no indication that she'd heard him but staring hard as he turned and walked away, her steely gaze following him until he finally disappeared through the trees.

Once she was confident that the male was gone, far out of sight and out of earshot, she looked back to Pip. The little wolf was rolled over on to her side, nearly belly up. A respectful gesture, but one that was unnecessary. She knew there was fire in the girl, perhaps not a roaring wildfire but a fire none the less; after all, she'd put herself between two wolves on the brink of an all out brawl, that took some guts.

"There's no need for that here," Oula said, trotting closer to the russet female. Her bushy tail swished, casually draped at her hocks now that the threat of the stranger was gone. She glanced over her shoulder, peering off into the woods before returning back to Pip. "I didn't like how he was looking at you," She said, "The scent of blood is a powerful thing."