The Deep Forest thought gasoline was on my clothes

Just a little more semi-tetchy Niles... This time for the lovely @Castel~

July 29th; Early afternoon; Cloudy; 65 ° F, 18 ° C.

When the rain had turned Niles' sleeping place into a mud pit, it also turned Niles into quite a clay monster. His fur had matted on the side he laid on the night before and his once-black-brown fur had become completely brown. He didn't mind. The rain would come again, he was sure, or he would return to the Brook and give his coat a good shake. Until then, though, the clay and mire stuck. He had other things on his mind; the first on his mental list being Castel and what she was up to. Yesterday, he had let her go off on her own. Today would be different.

However, when his soiled paws had found their way into the heart of Quaking Vale, they did not stop. He found himself trailing further north than he intended. Something in the air had piqued his interest and set him on edge. His ears were fully forward, perfectly tall triangles atop his head and his tail was bristled so that the fur on it stuck out in all directions. Every so often, his muzzle wrinkled, flashing his clenched teeth as he sniffed.

He dared to let a growl loose from the caverns of his chest and, just for good measure, he let out a low bark, just in case his little love was within earshot. If something was out there, he wanted her close and well away from harm.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Thank you for making this <3 @Niles

Today was a bad day. Cas couldn't put a paw on it, necessarily, but something in her was so deeply disturbed that she was on-edge. Which was completely out of the ordinary for Castel Noor, who typically took things as they came in a day-by-day sort of fashion. It was those primal instincts that she wasn't quite so used to as most wolves that were going off, telling her that there was something wrong, and she wasn't going to ignore them.

She wondered if there was some sort of threat in the territory, and her mind went straight to Laurel and Sachiel. Because, if there was something out there, Quaking Vale had two defenseless pups that needed protecting. The only reason she did not think of Niles first was because the guy was positively massive and had a much better chance at defending himself from whatever-the-hell had her nerves on fire in the way they were. Though, she supposed that there was the possibility that there was nothing wrong and she was just overreacting.

But she didn't think that was the case.

Her paws took her north, up from the heart of the territory. It was part of her job, as the temporary leader, to make sure that the territory was safe and secure, and if that meant putting herself in harm's way, then so be it.

Luckily, it appeared that she was not alone in her suspicions. A low bark caught her attention, from up ahead, and she made her way through the bushes to find a mud monster standing rigid, staring off into the forest. At any other time, Cas would have teased Niles for the clay coating on his fur, and probably would've helped him clean off, but not at the moment.

"Hey there, mudman." Okay, she would only tease him a little bit. The girl approached him, heading over to his side and peering up into his eyes. "I'm guessing we're probably here for the same reason. You feel it too, huh?" And smell it, apparently, because as soon as she used her nose, something oily and rancid crept into her nostrils. Her muzzle wrinkled in distaste.

Also, she didn't think she imagined the sound of pawsteps up ahead.

"Hey there, mudman."

The only part of Niles that moved was the ear closest to her, rotating like a satellite dish in her direction. True to character she yammered on, guessing that he had been out here for the same reason she was. "You feel it too, huh?" He shushed her as soon as she uttered her last word with a curt, "Shh." His ears returned to mirroring one another and he crept forward, eyes focused on the wooded terrain ahead when he heard the heavy footfalls ahead.

The fur along Niles' spine stood on end. Now that he was on high alert, he could sense that strange smell. Had he been as cautious as he had been since after his skunk encounter last spring, he might have turned tail and left it all alone. He was older now, though, and bigger too - and, that only meant that he was a little more level-headed than before. With two young cubs nestled safe within the Vale, he had to step up.

His voice was brusque and he didn't dare take his eyes off the shadows he was keenly eyeing to look at her, "Don't. Move." His tail drew up further as he prowled two steps forward from where the shuffled sounds had come from. If there was one thing Niles was built for, it was this. If not intimidation, then for protection - by any means.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Okay, so apparently this was an issue of utmost importance. And, somewhere in her mind, she knew that. She'd just been trying to lighten the mood a little bit. But, as she had been reminded of many times before, sometimes the mood just didn't need to be lightened - and this was one of those times. Cas supposed that she didn't take enough things as seriously as she needed to sometimes.

She shushed when he told her to, and turned her attention to where he was staring. The shadows seemed to be encroaching, menacing. Not that she was afraid - no, sir. Fear was for the weak, and she was absolutely not weak. Actually, she'd been feeling extremely good lately, compared to how she'd felt when she first entered the Lore. Draven had helped immensely with that, and she would be forever grateful that he was so willing to help. Though she felt terrible about taking up so many herbs just to feel okay.

But if it helped her to do her job, then she couldn't complain.

Well, she could, especially when it seemed that Niles had just taken to bossing her around. It didn't matter what their ranks were - Cas wouldn't have appreciated that anyway. Hell, he could've been the alpha and she could've been the omega, and she probably still wouldn't listen. Which was stupid, yeah, but she couldn't really help it.

Particularly when that shadow that Niles moved toward seemed to move.

She launched forward at the exact time the shadow did, and the both of them stopped with about a wolf-length between them. She had no clue what the hell it was, but it was snarling and growling and holy crap was that another one in the darkness? It was nearly as big as she was, but the size didn't deter her. Because amidst the snarling and facing off and circling around with the unknown creature, Cas still had the state of mind to toss back at Niles,

"Do not tell me what to do!"

(This post was last modified: Jul 30, 2017, 12:03 AM by Castel.)

Castel didn't listen. Niles should have expected that. Coming from a girl with such a bright and fiery spirit, he shouldn't have expected anything less. The creature lurking about in the darkened parts of the Copse was not one he was familiar with. It looked heavy and its forearms were stocky with wide paws. The head of it could have belonged to a wolf cub whose milk teeth had all been replaced (he only had this sort of comparison thanks to his age-mate nephew Sven). Its ears were bearish, though, and out of place if he was contrasting the snarling predator before him. The Leader of the Quaking Vale disobeyed him, took charge, and faced the beast head on before he could even make a warning sound of his own.

She circled around the offended animal, the fur of her coat seeming to add bulk to her usually petite frame. From the corner of his eye Niles had seen the other shadow, which was just as bulky and as heavy-footed as its partner. There were two of them... If that was the case then it would be a fair fight, but the Lyall was determined to get his mate ushered off the scene lest he allow her to hurt herself or fall into harm's way on his watch.

He growled now, his stormy eyes reduced to slits as his teeth snapped at the air in front of him. He had heard Castel counter him with what he shouldn't have done, but he was much too concerned about how close the pair of carnivorous freaks had come to their territory. While she kept her eye on the male wolverine that had noticed Niles first, Niles stared hard at the second, slightly smaller female. Perhaps it was good that Castel had come around. If they could ward off one, perhaps they could discourage the other from acting out on its own. He stalked closer to the smaller creature, another snarl drowning out her own. She was not welcome to advance further south into wolf-claimed territory and neither was her mate...

(This post was last modified: Jul 29, 2017, 05:36 PM by Niles.)

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

These things were really freaking ugly, and yet... kind of cute? It was like a bear cub mixed with a wolf pup and some kind of weasel. She'd have to ask someone what these things were after they were done driving them off, but for now it didn't really matter. Because, obviously, these things were on their territory, and they were aggressive - big teeth and claws that could easily rip a pup apart. Or, perhaps even a grown wolf Castel's size, but she didn't want to think about that at the moment.

Another one ran out of the underbrush and Niles took it on - perhaps they were a breeding pair. That was absolutely not good, because they should not be having pups on the edge of Quaking Vale territory. What if they decided that wolf pups were a viable food source? They couldn't risk something like that happening to them, whether that be Sachiel and Lauraceae, or any other pups to come next Spring. The only options were to chase these things off or kill them.

Her fur stood on end as she and the wolverine circled one another, exchanging growls or snarls or snaps of teeth one by one. The odd creature struck out first, lunging forward awkwardly - but with surprising swiftness - and Cas twisted to the side in order to dodge the bulk of the attack. It clipped her shoulder with its claws, and it hurt, but only briefly before adrenaline took over and the silver-brushed female sank her own teeth deep into the animal's haunch as it lurched past her. She elicited a weird yowling sound from the beast, who did not take the attack well.

It twisted and dislodged Cas from its rump. She rolled a bit and only had a half second to regain her footing before the creature was on her again, teeth flashing and aiming for her neck. The young leader was too wrapped up in dodging the assault that she had no time to spare to check on Niles, as much as she wanted to.

Not gonna lie, fights, most especially where there so much is going on, are not my favorite. x( If something is unclear or if I need to change something, let me know~

From his peripheral, he could see and sense Castel continuing her circling. The female wolverine squared her shoulders and did not dare cease her hissing at Niles. He clicked his teeth at her and might have assaulted her, ruined her mates chances of continuing his bloodline, but action on Castel's end took priority. The male lunged at her; Niles twisted around, turning his face away from his initial opponent to dive after the brute. When Castel dodged, Niles' jaws snapped at the air, also missing the wolverine's tail. He thought he saw it scratch her but she fought back.

Sandwiched between two wolves, the male wolverine was trapped. Castel's teeth clearly made contact by the sound of the yowling. At Niles' back, the freak's mate had quit with her bluff and rushed Niles. It allowed Castel and her adversary more space and, behind him, the fight continued.

It happened too fast. There was a pain inching up along his ribs - little sharp teeth nipping along his side until it found purchase along his nape. Niles gave his coat a shake, shrugging and rolling his shoulders as he backed away. Her claws dug into his arm and the Lyall winced, "GET OFF!" The feral woman growled and gave her head a violent shake, determined to get the wolf onto her level.

Niles spun around, his jaws agape and pulling at the fur at the back of her neck. It hurt. She was gonna put holes in his hide; he could feel it. When he was able to remove those jaws from his pelt, their noses briefly touched and she took the opportunity. Niles felt those needle-like fangs find his nose. He scrambled away, cursing at the top of his lungs and lifting a paw to rub his pads over his bleeding nose.
"HAAAAAAA....FAAAAAACK!" She gnashed her teeth at him, her body language suddenly unreadable as she stood still.

When the Lyall had partially recovered, he watched her as if in slow-motion as she sprang to assist her mate. Niles' heart dropped, "NO!"

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

I suck at fight scenes xD You're totally fine! But poor Niles' nose!

Ah-ha! This wasn't as hard as she'd expected it to be. Well... okay, yeah, it was still pretty damn tough, but she wasn't dead yet, which was a plus. Her speed and agility were definitely on her side in being able to dodge parts of the ferocious creature's attacks, and land some light blows of her own. Behind her, she heard Niles swear (loudly) and almost found it a bit comical. Niles almost never swore, much unlike her own potty mouth. But she was concerned, and she wanted badly to turn and check on her mate, but the wolverine was relentless and she couldn't risk turning around to check.

Instead, Cas redoubled her efforts on the wolverine she'd been fighting initially, her tail raised aggressively over her spine as she sank her teeth down into the skin on the side of its neck. In return, it clawed at her shoulder, and the two of them had hold on one another for just a couple of moments. At least, until the thing's mate came up from behind and barreled into Cas' haunch, successfully knocking her off of the male wolverine and digging her fangs into Cas' flank.

The silver-brushed alpha yelped and stumbled on the forest floor, sliding to the side under the velocity of the assault. On the bright side, it did tear the other wolverine's claws from off of her shoulder. On the bad side, now there were holes in her hide. Fortunately, the adrenaline helped take the edge off of the pain from the wounds - which she was sure to feel more later on, after all of this was over. "Shitshitshit!" she snarled instead, whipping her head around and snagging hold of one of the female creature's ears, ripping and jerking her head until the aud tore off of the thing's skull and it released her flank.

Paws scrabbled for a foothold on the dirt beneath her, and Cas regained her balance. The wolverines looked as angry as ever - though a bit worse for wear, which was nice. Perhaps that meant that they were winning. Except now both of the creatures had their eyes locked on her, and Castel had to look over at Niles - to check if he was alright and also to shout, "A little help would be nice!"

For a man his size, it was obvious that Niles was not fast. His breath refused to leave his chest; he saw Castel become overwhelmed by both wolverines. "CASSIE!" his mind had recovered but his actions were staggered as he willed his limbs to work. The scent of blood drew stronger but he was unsure at this point if it was just his or if more had been spilt. It wasn't until he saw the ear in the Leader's mouth that his stomach lurched. He lumbered over, his vigor restored as he saw her regain her balance.

He was one step ahead of her, rushing around as to stand in front of the pair of Gulo gulo and shield his Leader and mate from their view. This was it, he had had enough. Blood had been drawn. The wolverines had audacity but, in the end, he and Castel had to win. She had wounded and Niles had the intimidation (for the most part, anyway).

"GET OOOUUUUT!!" he roared at them as they bared their teeth in reply. The female had backed off some, her head shaking from the amputation of her ear. One had to wonder if maybe she was trying to discourage her own mate from pressing their luck; their territory boundaries would have to end well away from this place. Niles had the gall to snap at the male's whiskered face. The male bit, but Niles' was just a tad faster, nipping at that dark muzzle and anywhere else he could reach until the brute stumbled back into his mate.

"SCRAAAAM!" the Lyall continued, tail raising high over his back as he glared at the two intruders. "YOU TOUCH 'ER AGAIN, I'LL KILL YA BOTH!" It had never occurred to Niles that the other species probably didn't understand him, but he knew his tone would be perceived loud and clear.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Her mate had been approaching before she even had to shout for him, and Cas should've expected nothing less. Her brows shot up when he got between her and the two wolverines, bellowing furiously at the creatures. "Huh," she remarked, watching the brown beasts back off under Niles' rage and teeth. That was... oddly attractive.

The female wolverine seemed to coax the male away, and soon enough both of them were retreating into the undergrowth in the opposite direction of Quaking Vale territory. A smirk settled on Cas' maw, the adrenaline beginning to eek away. It felt like all of that energy was just seeping out of her into the ground beneath. "Didn't know you had it in you, mudman!" she chirped, though her sides were heaving from exertion and her wounds were starting to burn.

Still, she stepped forward to check on her partner, scanning him up and down for any severe wounds. His nose was bleeding, and there appeared to be a chunk missing from his side, which had to hurt. But he looked as though he were going to live. Cas, herself, had a few gashes on her shoulder and a hole in her flank, alongside some more superficial cuts on her cheek and clumps of fur missing from her chest. Who knew something so small could be so unforgiving and relentless?

Cas hissed slightly as she sat down, beginning to feel the extent of the injuries. "Battle scars," she reasoned aloud, giving her shoulder a couple of quick licks. She'd need a couple days to fend off the damage done, but she'd just have to take it easy for a while. No wild activities like this, especially. The young leader tilted her head up to fix blue eyes on her mate. "You okay, Ni?"