Windsong Fjord When you have a bad day

For my beloved @Lorcan and @Sahalie

"Come on. Hurry up." Askan grumbled, casting a sour look over his shoulder as he stomped along, leading the way. The journey back certainly was taking a toll on Askan. And it showed. His eyes were narrowed in a seemingly permanent scowl and his lips were pulled down into a thin grimace. His shoulders were hunched and tense, and his exhalations were long and dramatic, like sighs. To put it simply, he was throwing a strop. And as petty and as annoying as it must have been to witness, his company didn't seem bothered in the slightest. Not at all. Not even a little. What the hell was wrong with her? He understood that they'd been travelling for days, even he could feel the slight burn in his muscles, but that wasn't an excuse to stop- for what felt like- every other minute to take in the scenery? No! No it did not. Yes, this was pretty. Yes, that tree was a nice colour. Yes, the view from here was amazing. But why oh why, did Sahalie insist on stopping, just so she could rattle on about how beautiful everything looked coated in snow? If he hadn't been following his alphas orders, Askan would have abandoned her days ago. Yes, that's right. He'd been putting up with this for days. And it was driving him around the bend- and back! "If it weren't for you'd we'd already be there. Days ago."He grumbled to himself. "But no, I want to check this out. Ohhh? What's that? So pretty. Don't you think so Askan?" He mimicked her, with an overly squeaky voice and he batted his eyelashes in mockery. "Stupid. You're finding your own way home. Screw taking you back." Askan huffed and came to a stop, so Sahalie could catch up. He glanced out over at the Fjord and allowed himself to take a deep breath, to calm his frayed nerves. Even with her slowing them down- to what felt like a snails crawl- it wouldn't be long now. He'd be back home and he could drop this tiny menace at Drestig's feet and get on with his life. That's all he wanted. He had stuff to do, being a glorified babysitter could not and would not be his lot in life.

Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Dec 30, 2016, 11:58 PM by Askan.)

Askan made no habit of concealing his disgruntlement as some sort of principle, though Sahalie was not sure that his desire to hurry to get home was founded in anything real. Sahalie, too wanted to get back to Oak Tree Bend and make sure things were as okay as they always were, but also it was hard to keep her mouth shut as the landscape opened from the close-grown trees into a wrinkled carpet and impossibly high footfills. It was always strange for her to see the sky, and the snows on the ground made everything so bright and shimmery that it was a lot to take in all at once. She never made Askan stop with her and told herself she was only allowed to dilly-dally for things she had never seen before and never for longer than a few minutes. But this was not enough to please the dark man because he would not let himself be pleased. She shrugged, smiled, and continued onwards.

"'M sorry ...I got... short legs...," she apologized again as she came up to his side with heaving breaths that fogged the air, "Makes it hard ...to catch up to you... sometimes." The girl was not entirely sure any way that Askan did not sometimes purposefully speed up in his own way of quietly reprimanding her. She took another deep breath and then followed the man's eyes down the gorge that sank into the ground and a snaking river below that.

"Wow" she said, finding it hard to breath again. The air was so much thinner up here in the north than it seemed down in her southern lowlands. It was bizarre to think how far she had come.

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Lorcan had risen early, abandoning the warmth of the communal den just as the sun had risen in the sky and ignited the monadnock in a brilliant fiery glow. The agouti male had slunk quietly out of the pack territory and began the journey towards the fjord. He had kept to a comfortable jog, allowing his muscles to warm up gradually with each yard that he travelled so that he wouldn’t injure himself in the harsh winter environment. The slightly slower pace also allowed him the opportunity to take a bit of extra care as he moved as he kept an eye out for patches of ice. A single slip in the wrong location could spell death for a careless wolf in winter.

As Lorcan reached the fjord he immediately darted across to begin to ascend up the steep rocky slope which ran along the side of the river. It was only from up there that he would gain a descent view of the surrounding terrain. He hoped that he would be able to spot the movement of prey from up there, or if that failed, the circling ravens which signalled a carcass. As his paws carried him further up the slope and along the worn path that had been engraved into the stone, his nostrils flared at a familiar and unwelcome scent. The dark fur bristled along his spine as he slowed his pace and lifted his nose to the air again. Another scent caught his attention, one which was distinctly foreign to the Whitestone subordinate. Black tipped tail flicked in curiosity. Why would anybody willingly hang around with that brute?

It was then as he stepped forwards a few more metres that he noticed two figures ahead of him. Remaining silent, he paused to observe Askan and the younger female from a safe distance.

(This post was last modified: Jan 09, 2017, 08:59 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Askan eyed her short, chubby frame with contempt. "Hmm, I suppose." It wasn't exactly Sahalie's fault, but that didn't mean that Askan wasn't going to blame her. And yes, maybe he was walking faster than he usually would, but that was because he was desperate to get this over and done with. The sooner they got to the Field, the sooner Askan could pass her off to someone who actually wanted to spend time in her company. As callous as that thought was, it was the honest truth. Or at least, Askan would claim that it was so. If really pushed to admit , he would suppose that there were worse candidates for travelling companions. Funnily enough, all those that sprung to mind where Whitestone wolves. Ha, what were the chances of that? And speak of the devil! Askan's nose twitched at a familiar scent. It had to be him, didn't it? One annoying wolf wasn't enough clearly, so the universe or perhaps even the Gods themselves decided to throw in another. Just for good measure. He couldn't see Lorcan, but he didn't need to. The Whitestoner was kicking up such a stink it would have been impossible for Askan not to notice. Askan came to an abrupt stop and cast a look over his shoulder to Sahalie, who still seemed to be distracted by the view of the fjord below. "Sahalie. Wait here a bit, okay?" Without even waiting for a response, Askan stepped forward with due care as he glanced about for the tawny male. "Lorcan, I know you're here. You been following us? And don't think of lying, cause I'll know."That was a bluff, he had no idea whether he had or not, but it seemed like a good idea to check. And as blunt as it was, asking seemed like the most direct way to find out. "Why don't you crawl back to Craw huh? Like the good little subordinate you are." He hissed, the words tasting bitter as they left his tongue. Askan had no idea how things stood between the Whitestone pack and Wild Rye Fields, but that didn't mean he was going to be all nice and lovey towards Lorcan on the off chance that they had come to an agreement. He'd sooner chew off his own tail than be nice to Lorcan. Blah, the thought alone was enough to make him want to gag.

Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Dec 31, 2016, 12:49 AM by Askan.)

:c short. sorry. @Lorcan

"Hey," she barked when she noticed him staring at her pudge, as if to indicate that it had less to do with the length of her legs or how much she had to carry on them, "At least I'm not starving, okay?" Sahalie had never saw a reason to limit her late night snacking and did not feel like she was missing out on being svelte like @Aponi or at least proportional like @Kyna. Spieden had been her role model and that had been just fine for the girl. "You ain't so thin your—" but before she could drop her own sick burn, the man cut her off told her to stay put. He looked quite serious about it. Her golden eyes blinked. Askan was trotting away.

Her eyes bulged as suddenly he began shouting abuse at some Lorcan. Sahalie was so utterly confused. Askan had not struck her as a madman. Her head whipped about—she had been too busy defending her weight that she had not noticed or smelled another wolf—and now she saw him, Lorcan, some tawny wolf with muted tones on his coat. Even from a distance it struck her how good-looking he was, though she so rarely saw the range of straw-spun, tan and cream colors of his fur back home. Everyone she knew was some variation of black. But apparently there was something wrong with him. Her forehead creased in concern: Lorcan didn't seem to be doing anything particularly wrong, he was just standing there, not even particularly close. She wondered, with a little startle, if maybe he had been following them from down wind.

Thoughtlessly, the girl sidled back up to the safety of Askan's dark, protective figure, "What's going on?" she whispered, "How'd you know this guy?" It was pretty clear that this was not the kind of talk between packmates.

He'd hoped that @Askan wouldn't have spotted him, that he'd been too caught up with talking to his younger female friend than to notice his scent in the air, but apparently that wasn't the case. It only took a few moments for the swarthy brute's behaviour to change. In an instant he had charged forwards and began calling out for him, demanding that he show himself. Not wanting to anger the male any more, for it was way too easy to do, Lorcan stepped paced forwards to stand higher up on the small ridge of the fjord to reveal his entire form.

Russet ears flicked forwards and he stood there silently for a moment as he tried to figure out what had brought Askan to the immediate conclusion that he must have been following then. His white brows furrowed and his ears fell back against his head anxiously. "No. I was just hoping to catch something for the cache out here." He replied simply. Too late. Askan hissed an insult towards him and Lorcan took a single step back, unwilling to get into another confrontation with the male.

His golden eyes caught movement behind Askan then, and his gaze shifted onto the younger female who had moved to stand beside his neighbour. Ears perked up as he offered her a quizzical look, head dipping slightly in silent acknowledgement as he eyed her up and down as she whispered something inaudible into Askan's ear. "I don't want any trouble Askan, I'd just like to get past." He stated finally, muzzle pointing to the side of the pair of wolves before his golden gaze settled back on Askan.

 

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Askan glanced between Lorcan and Sahlie. As annoying as the Whitestone wolf was, Askan didn't exactly perceive him as a threat. He was a pest, a brown nosed, boot licking mongrel, the lowest of the low. A cowardly fiend with no pride, who pissed himself at the prospect of being told off. But by no means was Askan under the impression that he would go out of his way to hurt Sahalie. He didn't know her, he had no reason to and if he even tried Askan would stop him dead in his tracks. The Rye wolf harboured little affection for Sahalie, but he had promised to bring her to the Field, so if that meant he had to draw some blood he was okay with that. There was no need to worry about such things though, as he doubted it would come to that. Lorcan was making it quite clear that he wasn't out here looking for trouble.

But still, he was rather close to the Field's boundaries and a long way away from the Whitestone's lands.

Askan's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "He's a neighbour." He told Sahalie, without looking back. "And he's pretty far out to be looking for food for caches. Figured you'd wanna stay closer to your lands and away from ours. Considering how things are, and all."

Perhaps this behaviour wasn't warranted, they weren't too close to the field after all, but Askan couldn't help but feel a little prickly. The thought of Lorcan sneaking around, nabbing all the prey that should be theirs for the taking. If the Rye wolves did the same to them, then surely they'd get all pissed off about it. So in his eyes, Askan thought he was being completely fair.

"Maybe you should head back and hunt closer to your lands. Just in case you start giving us the wrong impression." Askan suggested, his tone biting.

He better appreciate the fact that Askan was giving him some good advice here, or at the very least he wasn't spitting insults anymore. See, he could be reasonable. He doubted that Lorcan would see it that way though, he always had to make it seem as though Askan was the bad guy.

@Lorcan

Lorcan was supposed to be a neighbor but, Sahalie noted with a curious—maybe even a little concerned—glance back towards the nervous posture of the man on the ridge and Askan's accusatory tone, there wasn't a neighborly feeling to go around. This seemed a good a place as any to hunt, but then again Sahalie had no idea how close or far she was from either pack. Virtually alone in the lowland valley back home, the girl had never given a second thought about where she hunted. For several days in any direction no man's land surrounded Oak Tree Bend. Sometimes she went a long ways trailing a herd, and others she was lucky enough to find a meal close to home. Unbidden, the girl gave a sympathetic, confused shrug in response to Lorcan's nod.

How were things, though? Askan seemed to be implying that the situation between these two packs was a little more than just tense. In fact, Sahalie was starting to believe that Wild Rye Fields and Lorcan's pack might not be friendly at all. It made her a little worried for Jessie and Drestig, even though nothing about Lorcan indicated that he might be a threat. He seemed exceptionally harmless, and as a result Sahalie felt a little bad for him. If anything, Askan was the one opting to escalate the circumstances.

The last suggestion sounded awfully like an ultimatum, and this was where Sahalie drew the line. "C'mon Askan he's not doing anything. It's free land, after all," her muzzle swept around the wrinkled land, honestly not even sure that it held any bounty worth fighting over, "There's no need to be rude." It didn't matter what Lorcan might have done before, he certainly wasn't doing anything now.

(This post was last modified: Jan 17, 2017, 02:21 PM by Sahalie.)

Remaining still, Lorcan held his ground and remained were he stood as Askan and the younger female spoke privately. However, Askan’s voice was loud enough to carry on the wind and the agouti male perked his russet ears forwards as he listened in to their conversation. White brows furrowed at the swarthy brute’s second comment to his female companion. As it happened, Lorcan quite often ventured out to the fjord in search of prey and herbs and more so recently as the lowlands seemed to be less abundant in prey in the freeze of winter. His black tipped tail flicked in annoyance, irritated at idea of being misunderstood, but he refrained from saying anything in case they should take a disliking to him listening in.

When Askan turned back to look towards him, a frown was still etched on Lorcan’s face as he awaited the inevitable insult or snarky comment. His pale paws shifted slightly as he pressed them deeper into the stony path to ground himself and make known that he was not about to back down. Lorcan’s chin tilted forwards in a questioning manner as he stared down the male, golden eyes flicking briefly across to the younger female to silently request her support. “You know as well as I do that this is neutral territory, Askan.” Lorcan stated, fur bristling. “I have done nothing to wrong you or any of your fellow Wild Rye wolves.” How could he? He’d never met any of them apart from the man standing before him.

The girl stepped closer then and piped up in his defence. Lorcan offered a small smile towards the girl for her assistance. “You should listen to the girl, she seems to have more sense than you.” Lorcan added coolly. Then, with the words of @Craw echoing in his mind, Lorcan decided to proceed and ignore anything else that the insolent male had to say to him. Stepping forwards, the agouti male moved brazenly past the pair of wolves. On his way past he offered a small nod to the girl. No such curtesy was offered towards Askan though, before he continued onwards, trotting down the fjord path in search of prey with his tail curled a touch above his spine.

-Lorcan exits-

(This post was last modified: Jan 19, 2017, 11:14 AM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together