Aurora Heights window shop

Join Heigen on some patrols! || Guardian demonstration 1/3 || Morning, Sunny, 16 ° F, -9 ° C

He had woken up early to shuffle towards the borders. A soft woof was given to let anyone who wanted to join him know they could. It would be no surprise if Iyes tagged along, though. The girl seemed to be putting herself right out there. No wonder she got along so well with the fiery leader. It made his mind drift to the dark-coated leader and Heigen felt like he should get in touch with him. They were the only two males for now. He wondered if his age gap with the youngins here would hurt of help his bonds with them.

As the large male shuffled along the borders his thoughts consumed him. It was becoming a bit natural for him to brush up or mark certain places. If this was to be their kingdom on the mountain then it was smart to protect that kingdom the best he could. It all started with making sure borders were safe before he moved onto things like caches then eventually making sure everyone was okay (or at least wasn't injured/dying).

Heigen yawned softly as his head turned around to see if anyone might be following after him. Tail swayed softly as he took in a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. This was certainly home. Even the sun seemed to be shining today. Aurora Heights was indeed a new start.

Guardian dem 1/3

Curled contentedly the inky yearling did her best to ignore the rise of the sun, opting for a happy and lazy lie-in. At least, that was her intention until she heard Heigen's woof signaling objective to go on a morning patrol. Though she very much did like laying within her own warmth, she was actually interested in learning how to do this whole pack thing right - so she unfurled, gave a languid stretch of her limbs, and set out after him into the frigid morning.

Trailing after the only other male in the pack with swift steps, Iyes took note of the actions he appeared to be taking to leave his scent along the reaches of their home. Dark brows raised as a glimmer appeared in her fiery eyes, both curious and quizzical. A youthful excitement bloomed in her chest just at the opportunity to mark the borders - something that she had never done before in her life. With her eyes trained on Heigen she swerved toward a nearby white fir pine, brushing up against the snow-dusted branches to leave her scent behind. It was not a perfect display -  she flinched when the sharp needles poked against her side and tripped over a knotted root that stuck up from the ground - but in the end the tree was left smelling like her, and her pack.

With a yawn Heigen turned his head over his shoulder and would find her come to a halt with a sheepish grin spreading across her muzzle. It wasn't like she was going to follow him in silence forever - she just hadn't quite managed to greet him yet. Loping forward once again she made her way to the tawny male, stopping alongside him to bump her shoulder against his in greeting. "Did you sleep well, Heigen?" she addressed him, trying to be polite. Formality was a ruse she couldn't keep up for long, disappearing as her tail began to sway where it rested toward her knees. She gave her inky pelt a rough shake, dislodging a few pine needles which had clung to her coat and possibly launched them in his direction instead. Tongue lolling innocently she met his brown eyes for a response.

(This post was last modified: Apr 20, 2017, 03:42 AM by Iyes.)

adopt thea?

Guardian demonstration 2/3

The dark form of their local yearling came up to him and he merely smiled. It was nice to see her out working already. He wondered if his soft alert when leaving might have played some role in that. The large second returned her bump with a soft one of his own. They were certainly different in size. Not that he exactly minded. Heigen wasn't one to pick on or even call out a size difference.

"Ah, I slept alright for the most part. Bit chilly so I'm happy the sun is finally coming around." He shrugged with a soft grin. "How 'bout you?" The large male returned her polite question with a tilt of his head. A soft point of his muzzle gestured for them to continue their patrol while they talk about whatever came to mind. He kept up the pattern of brushing against some of the pines here and there. It was like what he had done with Emrys in White Fir Notch. Border patrols may be finished quicker when alone but they certainly weren't as enjoyable alone.

His brown eyes looked over to the ebony pelted girl next to him. She was still young and had perhaps another year to decide but one question sprung into the older male's mind. "Have you thought about what role you'd like to work towards?" His voice was kind and curious. Heigen wasn't gonna push her towards working for something but he would be willing to extend a paw in the case she wanted help with a selected role. He had done a bit of everything. Except for healing..he could never find someone willing to teach him.

A soft chuckle expelled from between her teeth with a puff of vapor, confirming his observation that it was a bit chilly. Iyes tried to deflect her irritation with the never-ending winter by ideating that it was the altitude up here that kept the air cold - and to be fair, that might not have been an incorrect observation. But it was still kind of annoying waking up every morning with her nose like the stream that cut through the plateau - cold, and running. "About the same," she replied when he returned the question to her, giving an idle flick of her tail.

Catching the motion with his muzzle to continue their patrol Iyes happily obliged, her strides made with purpose but not urgency. The black-coated girl continued to follow Heigen's lead, usually doubling up on the scent marker and rubbing her side along the same trees he hit and occasionally straying from him to grab a few adjacent trees - just to make the point extra clear to anyone who happened to come by. Though she was a bit more mindful of the pointy needles on the firs this time, stifling her flinches when they poked and her giggles when they tickled.

She was content to do this in the older wolf's company with or without the chitchat - but the question he asked her brought Iyes to pause. With some difficulty she lifted her head to meet his gaze, difficult only because she was dwarfed by the wolf (as she was dwarfed by just about everyone else, really) and the proximity didn't really help. Though Iyes was finding she didn't mind the closeness of living with others, and would much rather risk a crick in her neck from staring up at everyone all of the time than put any distance between them. Tilting one dark ear toward the cold mountain floor she asked, "What do you mean... a role?" Naivety shone in her fire bright eyes as she tried to figure out what he was getting at - was there something more to this pack life than she'd expected?

guardian dem 2/3

(This post was last modified: Apr 25, 2017, 08:08 PM by Iyes. Edit Reason: bc i didnt put the guardian dem thing )

adopt thea?

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

Guardian Demonstration 3/3

The large male was content to mark the trees and stones all day. Their borders needed to be strong to warn others of their presence. While they weren't the least friendly group around, Heigen also assumed that everyone here could agree that they didn't want strangers waltzing through their new home. He was happy to see Iyes following his example. At least he was getting something right. If the Yearling kept following the good examples that were set then he was positive she'd be the perfect future for Aurora Heights. Well, truthfully, they'd all be the true future of the Heights. Heigen was the only old one around.

As he finished marking a tree he smiled at her question. "Everyone is expected to help with everything, just like right now." He motioned his head to the borders and how they were taking care of them. "But some are more specialized at one thing even if they still help with the usual jobs. Such as a Healer or a Hunter. They'll help out but are more fit for what their title is." He explained slowly in hopes that he wouldn't jumble his words. "Some roles require you to be a bit more well rounded like a Teacher or Advisor." Heigen started to walk around the borders again at a slow pace so they could make time for her to ask any more questions he might be fit to answer.

Everyone expected to help with everything - that much, she knew. They marked the borders. They filled the caches. This was how a wolf pack worked. But that was all the fine details Iyes was aware of, until Heigen mentioned healing. A memory of a white wolf an empty field immediately popped up in her mind and she felt embarrassed for having forgotten her conversation with Emrys. It seemed so long ago that they had spoken about listening to the plants, though it wasn't even that far in the past. He mentioned hunters, teachers, and advisors - but she remained quiet, only nodding a little bit as they started off on the patrol again.

Straying from Heigen for a moment she rubbed her side against a large group of rocks on the plateau, perhaps relics of an avalanche long ago, bumping her hip against it for extra measure while she contemplated. Healing was interesting, so maybe that could be cool... but she still didn't quite grasp the concepts Emrys had spoken of. As for teaching and advising, Iyes balked - her entire life was one teachable moment to another but she didn't have the articulation to divulge life lessons to anyone else, especially not at this age. Her muzzle wrinkled a little bit, discouraged at the options and how none of them called to her.

Coming closer to Heigen again she looked toward the sky, watching the winter clouds roll over head. "What I really want to do is protect Aurora Heights. I want to protect this land. I want to protect Kyna. And Greer. And you. And Ember. All of us." It seemed so simple and stupid to say, but that was all she cared about. Not plants or lessons. Aurora Heights was everything to the girl - she wanted to see it safe and sound forever.

Guardian dem 3/3

adopt thea?

guardian dem 4/3

She seemed to be a fiery little thing but he admired it. Granted he did feel bad for any wolf that happened to cross her path or do the Heights wrong. "I think you'd be a good guardian." He mentioned calmly and looked down at the small girl by his side. "If you take that passion with you to protect you could be better than the greatest some day." Heigen had trained great warriors back home, had even done his best to be one but he wasn't sure if he had met someone with such a drive as the ebony girl had.

He began their move around the borders again. The large male occasionally checked on Iyes to make sure he wasn't going too fast or leaving her back at the last mark. "I'd be willing to lend a paw or two in helping you if you need it." Heigen was unfamiliar with her background or experience but surely at such a young age (and any noticeable marks or a scrapper hidden) she still had much to learn about these things; guarding, spars, and the such.

The large male moved towards a tree and quickly rubbed against it before properly marking it. Once that was taken care of he began to move again.

Guardian. He only said the word and instantly it made a home in her heart, feeling roots of her own stem from the title and latch onto the gold ground beneath them. Guardian of this plateau. Guardian of these friends. Guardian of this home. Iyes wanted to be all of those things. She was both grateful and incensed to hear Heigen's evaluation of her - his encouragement setting a lively wave in her dark tail. "That's what I want to be," she responded resolutely.

She passed a tree and nearly shoved her shoulder through its trunk on a mission to mark the everloving shit out of it. If this was part of the duties of guardianship, then Iyes was gonna perform like no one had ever seen before. Ignoring the soreness that blossomed from the site of her overzealous site marking she kept up with the male, her dark ears perking forward when he offered to train her.

A gracious smile adorned her muzzle. "I do need your help," she admitted freely. "With uh- all of it," The second part came a bit quieter. True, she didn't know even the first thing about what it meant to have this role within a pack. But she wanted it, and so whatever help Heigen could give her to allow her to become the pint-sized Guardian of the Heights that she wanted to be she would be grateful for it.

She watched him lift his leg to mark the base of a tree and followed his example quickly. The next trunk she sidled up to she shamelessly lifted her own dark leg to the air and claimed the space with a strong scent marker of her own.

adopt thea?

A large smile spread across his face. Had it been his call he would have gladly dubbed her Guardian of the Heights. Instead he could do nothing more than perhaps put in a good word and train with her.

He watched as she marked a tree like a damn goat. She truly might as well have butted her head into the thing. The older male let out a bubble of laughter. "Be easy now. Can't go damaging yourself right away." Heigen couldn't hold back the almost father-like smile, he had never been a father but he had been a teacher (back in his Heartbreaker Col days) and surely there was some connection to the two? Not to mention he felt like this was how a father might feel. Watching the youth work so hard.

"I'll gladly help you then." His head gave a soft nod. "Patrols, spars, simple need to know tips." He listed a few of the things that he would touch base on. Of course, each of those things had more to them than simply a spar or simply a patrol. She would learn in time, though. Heigen didn't feel the need to cram her mind full of guardian knowledge right away.

He slowly adjusted their course to head back towards the den. It was up to Iyes if she wished to follow him or keep marking. Either way, Heigen wouldn't fuss.