Fireweed Rise Morning Breaks

Darkmoon breathed out slowly, his breath condensing in the cool air. The sun was only just beginning to rise, but it had not yet breached the horizon and so drenched the meadow in a cool blue light. The red flowers, normally vibrant and in stark contrast to the green of the grass, were dull in the poor light, their heads still closed in the absence of the sun's stimulus. He stood still as he surveyed his surroundings, his dark form silhouetted against the morning sky. He was quiet, waiting, watching for any sign of movement or life that would betray his prey. It had been a few days now since the wolf had eaten anything of substance, and he was growing desperate for a decent meal.
    A soft rustling sound caught his attention, and his head shot in the direction of the noise. His eyes were almost useless in this light, so he had to rely on his other senses to search out his quarry. His ears swivelled to catch any more sounds, while his snout, raised, tried to scent out any whiff that could betray the location of the secretive presence. He was certain the noise had been made by some sort of creature, not just a symptom of the slight breeze.

Darkmoon was a recent arrival to these lands, his coming a result of hunger and loneliness. It had been a few weeks now since he had become separated from Xolea, his only friend, who he believed had abandoned him. At the beginning he had felt lost and broken, but over time his heart had hardened and he had grown bitter, resentful, the shell of a wolf. However, with nowhere to go and no pack to turn to, Darkmoon was truly without support for the first time, and it had not been easy for him. Yet as he ventured farther north and the lands grew more lush and full of life, he had picked up increasing signs of wolf activity. He did not know if he was ready to meet another of his kind yet, but he knew where there were wolves, there would be prey, and the chance of any easy meal.

This was how he find himself in the meadow, stalking sounds in the morning twilight.
    Darkmoon flattened his body to the ground as he heard the rustling again, and he began to creep towards the sound, careful to step lightly in case he should give himself away. His body was tense and he tried to relax, but there was so much riding on this catch that he could not help but feel on edge. His placed his paws so very carefully on the ground, one after the other, but his inexperience inevitably scared the hare off, and he watched in disappointment as it scampered away, his position too far from it to give chase. His hazel eyes watched it careen over the meadow, hopping madly away, until it disappeared over a small rise. He sat back with a sigh, cursing himself for being so clumsy. He did not even know what he had done wrong!

(This post was last modified: Apr 09, 2016, 02:59 PM by Darkmoon.)

Hungry. Hungry. The clench of her stomach was what woke Morganna and drove her from the willows den. She could have simply raided a cache, done what she needed to and crawled back into the den to deposit herself between @Craw and @Waith, wedged in tight, limbs sprawling just as they had with Asriel and @Skoll when she was young. It was no longer just her slender frame they had to contend with, the butterfly flutter of her children's limbs stirring within her, soon her stomach would swell and ripple as they stretched and rolled. The pressure would grow so great that she would be certain that she might burst and then? Then they would make her wait some more.

With such a ravenous hunger where was the willows leader to go except out into their hunting grounds? She was sure with any luck she might manage to spot a late moulting snowshoe, stark white fur standing out like a beacon on such a moon dark night, barely a sliver lit before it faded to nothing tomorrow. A night to farewell the dying, a night for mourning, and then the next to celebrate new beginnings. Yes perhaps this was a night to put old bones to bed.

With the hint of a new dawn lighting the sky in minuscule portions, the dark wolf was pulled from her musings the frantic thump of large coney paws, thundering up over the small rise in hasty retreat. Brows drew down in a cross manner as she crested the hill to see just {i}what had her breakfast in such a tizz, cross brows clenched as peachy eyes narrowed at the sight of a stranger so close to her home.

Another sound broke the relative calm of the twilight, and Darkmoon instinctively dropped to the ground, crouching below the grasses. He held his breath as he waited and listened, daring not to betray his location. If it was another prey animal, he wanted to maintain the element of surprise. He realised, however, that the noise had been heavy, almost, not like the soft rustling the hare had made earlier, but whether it was a large herbivore such as a deer or something more sinister, he did not know. He tried to peer through the grass to see if he could spy the intruder, but the light was too poor to be able to make out any obvious shapes. Unless whatever it was started moved again, he doubted he would be able to see it. He knew he had no chance trying to bring down an adult deer, but if it were a separated fawn, then maybe.... Chest to the ground, he tried to sneak towards the source of the disturbance, careful to make as little noise as possible.
    A slight gust of wind blew towards him, and with it brought a soft, but familiar scent. It was, unmistakably, that of a wolf, and he froze immediately, ears flattened. He could feel his heart rate quicken, his breath coming out in short, shaky gasps. He was not sure why he had started to panic, but he felt very uneasy in the wolf's presence. He had the feeling it had seen him, too, and that only made things worse. How stupid he must have looked then, creeping towards it like some common prey. He tried to calm himself down, and took in more of the wolf's scent when he stopped trembling enough to do so. He learned that the wolf was a female, although she also carried a distinctly woody smell, and he assumed that she must have come from the nearby forest - although why, he was not sure.
    Slowly, Darkmoon rose from his crouched position, eyes pointed in the direction he guessed she would be. Sure enough, they fell upon a dark form, slightly smaller than his own. He relaxed slightly with this news, but he stayed on edge, his posture stiff and tail low, ever so slightly moving from side to side. He could feel his hackles begin to rise, but he tried to control his emotions, not wanting to display the fear he felt to her. A slight tension was forming in the air between them as he stared at her, daring not to make direct eye contact. The last thing he needed in his state was a physical confrontation with a wolf, no matter their size. Wanting to break the silence, he tried to speak but found he had no voice. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Who are you?" he asked, rather brusquely, but he cared not for formalities. A strange thought cross his mind, however, and he wondered if it was not his fault, after all, but rather she who had disturbed the prey he was stalking earlier. He narrowed his eyes at her, suspicious, and ventured further, "And why are you here?" He did not know why he was being so bold, but his hunger had made him cranky and short-tempered. Little did he know that he was speaking to an alpha, let alone of one of the largest packs in the region.

@Morganna (just in case, thought I might clear up that I know Morganna didn't scare off the hare xP)

(This post was last modified: Apr 10, 2016, 10:45 AM by Darkmoon.)

Who are you? Oh this one was bold. Her fur bristled at the tone, he might not be able to see her but surely he could smell her, and as a pregnant pack wolf there should be very little question around her rank, (unless they did things differently where he came from...). And why are you here? Oh Ho! Bold indeed. "My pack hunt 'ere," she answered bluntly, head rising to match her haughty tone as she dared to move closer, using her nose to guide her in the pre-dawn light. Finally a dark smudge was visible against such a dark backdrop, and she wondered if perhaps he could see her better now too. The flash of white teeth against a dark face should help him locate her, and offer a warning in the same instance. Don't be a fool. She had little patience for idiots.

As she drew closer, the rise at her back acted as a wind buffer she was finally able to get a better read on him. Alone. Well that did make her feel a little more secure. "Now since I answered yer question, you can answer mine. What're yer doin' so close ter Willow Ridge?" Oh she did dislike beating around the bush.

Her tone was strong and imperious, the reply to his questions short and curt. The emotion it carried made his ears flick back momentarily, and Darkmoon almost regretted what he had said, and the way he had said it. Her lofty posture suggested that she expected a certain level of respect from others, and he began to wonder just who, or what, she was. She definitely was no pushover, he thought, and he decided that it would be best to watch what he said from then on. He had little concept of superiority, having not grown up in a pack, and he found her attitude off-putting and strange. She had sounded almost offended, he thought, and along with her choice of words, an idea began to form in his head. Did she emphasise the word 'my' because she led the pack, and not just because she was a part of it? Even so, Darkmoon was not about to drop to the ground and grovel at her feet. She was not his leader, and as such had no power over him. Naive as he was, he did not understand the implications of angering a whole pack.
    "Huh, well I don't smell any scent markings around here," he grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes. Darkmoon knew it would not be wise to push his luck, but he could not stop himself - he had little self-control or tact, and often said the wrong thing at the wrong time. He watched her carefully as she moved towards him, his muscles taught, ready to spring away if needed. She only asked him, however, what he was doing so close to 'Willow Ridge' (whatever that was), but the snide remark was not lost on him. He huffed with annoyance but kept his cool, claws digging into the dirt below to help steady his emotions. "I am afraid," he began through clenched teeth, although quickly realising how it must sound, tried his best to relax his tone. "I'm afraid," he tried again, this time with better results, "that I do not know what you're talking about. I've never heard of Willow Ridge before, and I don't know where that is." If she was an alpha, Darkmoon thought, she definitely was no benevolent leader.

@Morganna

(This post was last modified: Apr 11, 2016, 07:08 AM by Darkmoon.)

Sorry @Darkmoon - things have been a bit crazy irl. Probably about another week of hell ahead before things settle down again but I'll make this thread a priority since a lot of my older ones should be getting archived in the next few days <3

Well I don't smell and scent markings around here. Then he must have a terrible sense of smell, she thought to herself with a smirk. It was true the trails could have seemed like random passings were you not familiar with the area though and so she kept sharp words to herself. His eye roll was missed in the dark (lucky for him), but his next words caught her completely off guard and caused her shoulders to relax and her tail to drop, despite a little voice whispering in her head, Damn right you should be afraid.

The air was still cool enough to fog with her heavy exhale. "Yer that new then." It was a statement, not a question. "Just a bit north o' here the fireweed gives way ter willows. We're hard ter miss, probably one o' the biggest packs in the area..." at the moment, but she couldn't keep the pride from her voice. The flutter of movement and the roll of her stomach reminded her why she had come out here to start with. "The melting snows've been giving us plenty of presents, I came out here ter see what the latest melt uncovered. Would yer care ter join me?" If there was nothing to scavenge perhaps they would cross one of the resident herds, and two wolves always stood a better chance than one when it came to catching anything worth eating.

(No problem at all! I don't mind waiting; I hope you get everything under control!)

The female's demeanour changed suddenly, and Darkmoon allowed himself relax slightly. It appeared to him that she had perceived him as a threat, until learning he was nothing more than a lost wanderer. His tail still twitched slightly in annoyance at her intrusion (she did scare his meal away, after all), but he tried to keep his outward expression neutral. He nodded at her comment, and noted the hubris in her voice as she spoke of her pack. This just added to his theory that she was, in fact, an alpha or of some high position, not just one of the hoi polloi. He had not been any further north than this, however, and knew nothing of the willows or the packs that lived throughout the land.
    She changed the topic before he could comment further, and began to speak of melting snow, presents, and...an invitation do join her to search these out?? Darkmoon was taken aback, surprised at her offer. He barely knew her, and she him; he was not used to such quick trust or acceptance of another. "Do you...do you mean food?" he stammered out stupidly, unsure what else to say. Hunger pangs racked his body at the thought of a meal, and he clenched his teeth in pain. If she were to help him find food...well, he reasoned, he could drop his guard too. Just a little bit.
    Darkmoon felt his tail begin to wag slightly, and he nodded at her. Still apprehensive as to why she had invited him along, he could not help but grow excited. While he continued to hold a sense of enmity towards her, he decided to go along out of desperation. Beggars were not choosers.

@Morganna

(This post was last modified: Apr 20, 2016, 09:34 AM by Darkmoon.)

Usually the wolves around these parts were too friendly, too talkative, so when he had been so bold as to answer her back in such a short manner (perhaps as she herself might retort had the tables been turned), he instantly stuck out. A little bit skinny (but most loners were), a little bit out of place, he had set himself up as a curiosity, and Morganna had a habit of collecting curios.

The wave of his tail was another promising sign as she decided to take him west towards the meadow. Of course she meant food. If nothing else perhaps it would help her to determine whether the loner was just hangry or a genuine ass. Either way, he was a welcome relief from focusing on how to bring her uncle down. "So what brings yer this way anyway?" Perhaps he wasn't the talkative type but everyone had a story. What drove him from his home? From all that was familiar? Was he taken by the season and caught up in trying to capture some ladies heart? Was all he had know swept up by some great disaster, leaving him displaced and alone? As anchored to her mothers sad willows as she was, it would be no surprise if her imagination got away with her.

 

Tell me of some distant shore.

Darkmoon rose to his paws as the she-wolf began to walk away, taking care to keep some distance between the two of them as he caught up to her. He still did not know how much he could trust her; few strangers offered to share their meals, and he was not about to follow her on blind faith alone. He looked at her suspiciously out of the corner of his eye as they walked along, but otherwise kept his attention on where they were going, eager to find these presents she spoke of. While she had not confirmed nor denied his question, he assumed that her departure was a 'yes', and at this point anyway, that was enough for him.
    The she-wolf asked him what he was doing in this area, and Darkmoon shot her a wary look. Why did she want to know? he wondered, but he supposed it was some common courtesy, a way to show she was interested in him or that she cared. Darkmoon could not care less for such niceties, and he guessed his companion did not have particularly warm feeling towards him anyway. He only gave her a grunt in answer, unwilling to extrapolate further. His purpose was his alone to know, or at the very least, they were not on such terms that he would tell her. However, Darkmoon was not even sure what his purpose was, or if he even really had one. He had just ended up here, after wandering aimlessly from meal to meal, but always northward. Sure, there were certain events that inspired his journey (and this he was definitely not going to go into detail about with a stranger), but why he had come here specifically, to Relic Lore, was unclear.

@Morganna

Perhaps it was the cold that was causing her nose to fail her or maybe there was just nothing left to be exposed by the fading winter. She wasn't looking forward to needing to actually bring her own food down, where something as commonplace as a stray hoof to the guts could undo everything she had worked so hard to achieve. No, in the event a boon was withheld this loner would be on his own while she retreated home to well stocked caches. Unless...

His grunt gave her very little to go off and she was quickly losing interest. Perhaps she should just cut her loses and slowly fade into the rising sun? "Real talker huh?" She finally threw over her shoulder, eyes focused further westward than she cared to travel today. "If yer keep headin' that way fer a bit yer shouldn't piss off any o' the guardians." This walk was proving entirely fruitless on all fronts. "I'd best be gettin' back before they send out a search party." Why she even bothered to excuse herself she wasn't sure. He clearly wasn't interested in discussion and it had taken the suggestion that there might be food around to line his gut. Selfish and surly - she had enough of that to last her the rest of her life.