Secret Falls borderline

March 9th, Northern Secret Falls, Late Night, Cloudy, 0°F, -32°C

He explored a little further from the pack lands this time. His small frame was rather speedy across the terrain with his stamina holding up. Granted the boy wasn't going far. The moment the woods became rather unfamiliar he slowly turned around. He had little interest in going much further. The night was upon him too and he knew well enough he should have been back at the Surge by sunset.

His paws slowed to a halt, leaning against a tree as the sound of water reached his ears faintly. It was tempting to go explore and perhaps it would do him well to go get a drink before turning around.

Yellow eyes glanced around, trying to make sure he was alone before he slowly trotted off. As the sound of slow moving water (he figured the water here must be frozen too) grew louder his tail gave a small wag. Awkwardly he shimmed his way down to the edge of the smaller river he had found. It must have been a split-off from the main source. No wonder there was plenty of ice covering it.

His tongue lapped gently hoping to either melt some ice or get enough of the freezing water to quench his thirst.

The night was her time. She weaved through the Shallows most of the day before escaping from the pack's borders and heading north. Hawthorne was feeling a bit restless. Nothing of true interest had happened lately. No strangers to snap at and no unwelcomed creatures to jump at. Not to mention with everyone seeming to be under some sort of extra grump spell, she had no interest in pestering the ruling duo or anyone else.

Perhaps someone or something above had heard about her boredom for she stumbled upon a fresh scent of a wolf. Her long legs took quick strides to catch up with the stranger. It seemed as though something malicious was lurking just under the surface in the peppered girl. Or maybe it wasn't even malice. There was the chance that Hawthorne didn't know just how brash she truly was to outsiders. For her clipped words and roughhousing never seemed to be met kindly by those who were not part of the Edge.

She paid those things no mind, though. Her orange gaze settled on the stranger with interest. He was small compared to her. An easy target. She gave nothing more than a brief bark before launching herself at the fellow child.

He had only managed to turn his head around before he felt the stranger on him. Caelean easily collapsed both due to her beefier form and due to the sheer panic that overcame him. The boy had no idea what he had done wrong. He had smelled no markers to warn him of this being claimed land. She smelled of others, though. Unfamiliar scents filling his brain and only causing further panic. What if someone else showed up with the same power that she did? He could not handle the thought of it.

Whines escaped him at all sort of pitches, his fur half soaked with the cold water from the river. He was fully convinced now that she was a killer. The female didn't seem to be interested in letting him go. What could he do to plead his case?

She felt him crumble with ease. This was no fun. His whines filled the air as a frown crossed her features. "Fight back." She hissed. In her mind, she was encouraging the boy not terrifying him. Hawthorne did not understand why he hadn't even said anything. Had he hit his head on the ground so hard?

Her jaws parted as an eagerness filled her. Ivory teeth swiftly found the boy's nape. She gave a firm tug but was careful to not break the flesh. Hawthorne simply wanted to haul him up onto his paws and even out the playing fields some. But he felt like dead weight between her teeth, unwilling to go along her plan.

"Get up." Her tail lashed behind her as dark brows furrowed. A click of her teeth and shove to his shoulder was given.

A game of cat-and-mouse was no fun if your mouse was dead.

He couldn't bring himself to follow her orders. His paws sought stable ground but one set of them could only find ice while the other sunk into slush and snow. He was attempting to squirm away when he felt teeth on the back of his head. Any thought of getting away was wiped away by her persistent tugging.

A low whine left his throat as he heard her teeth click and the pressure seemed to build on his side. He had not seen his attacker yet, only heard and felt their presence. Maybe it was the feeling that he was going to die that made him want to see her. To know that perhaps they had a good reason.

So he swung his head around but the closeness of the other made things...difficult. He felt his head quickly collide with hers in a rough fashion. Instead of getting a look all he saw was a dark blur before he began to crawl across the earth to escape what would surely be more anger.

He was no doubt dizzy from the conk of heads but if he was truly meant to survive this he would escape the riverside and flee.

slight mature post? a small bit of violence at the end

She must have spurred something within in the male. Despite his whines he seemed to be more lively, legs working underneath him. She had done it, she had cheered and encouraged him enough to get him moving again. Now they could truly play.

Hawthorne had moved close to offer another nip but his head swung and met her own. There was a soreness from the rough contact on her skull. She briefly stumbled back as a laugh tumbled forth from her. Had she really egged him on that much? Even Plant Boy wasn't so aggressive with all of his jumps and pounces.

What the girl didn't know was that she and the stranger were not on the same page. She saw this as a splendid chance to liven things up around the falls. Of course, she had no idea of knowing what was going through his head. Perhaps it was the same soreness she was feeling on her forehead.

When she regained herself she noticed that he had managed to move away from the riverside. She looped around the trees, wanting to stay behind him for now. Eagerly she trailed after him in hopes it would distract her from the pain building. Hawthorne was not done yet which meant her company could not leave so soon.

After minutes of following him around, panting and orange eyes seeking out his dirtied pale form, she knew what she was going to do. Her larger form launched out from the foliage. With teeth bared she aimed for his shoulder.

It was only then she thought that just maybe she was crossing a line. But something in her whispered to keep going, to continue the unfair game until one of them lost. The sinking of her teeth into her flesh fueled the newfound fire in her. She knew she had truly broken skin by the sound that came from the boy. The taste that lightly touched her tongue was familiar and foreign all at once. It was not the same as the prey she ate, that much she knew.

She pulled back for a moment with his fur and skin still between her teeth before releasing the smaller boy. Lively orange eyes stared him down wondering if he'd continue in his efforts to flee or if she truly had crossed a line with him.

He had known this whole time that the world was not as good as it seemed. That monsters just like the girl were very very real. They didn't exist in just stories anymore. No matter how nice everyone seemed he had known better than to trust anyone all along. She kept proving his point with her harsh tendencies.

It was only when he felt the breaking of his skin that he let out a loud but brief whine followed by a sharp yip. He did not know how to fight back properly, he struggled against her hold until she released him. When he turned to face her there was no more hitting of heads. Despite his want to see his attacker he could only focus on those unholy orange eyes that seemed to be hidden in fur just as dark as the woods around them.

Instincts told him to attack, to do anything to make sure he could ward her off enough to get going. Caelean wanted nothing more than to disappear forever. He did not feel like going back to the Surge. As childish as ever he desperately wanted his mother. No friend or caretaker - no matter how kind - could help the boy feel better after the actions that had transpired tonight.

After a moment or two of staring at each other, he awkwardly moved with jaws parted. He did not know where to land a blow and with his indecisiveness and her more prepared defense he found himself with a hold on her cheek. He broke the flesh and tugged in return but unlike her, the Balik could not enjoy it. He felt his insides squirm and his ears fall back as he caught a glimpse of the maroon color.

He could only hope that would be enough to distract her as he ran off into the forests.

-caelean exit-

(This post was last modified: Mar 07, 2018, 06:50 PM by Caelean.)

She felt the sting on her cheek despite attempting to move out of the way. A growl left her despite knowing she had deserved every second of it. It was not enough to leave a scar but she knew it would take time to heal. Just like the mark she had left on the boy's shoulder.

Hawthorne had got what she wanted, though. The boy had fought back after enough encouragement. She watched and listened as he disappeared away from the forest she called home. It felt like hours despite it only being perhaps ten or twenty minutes. Her adrenaline slowly died down and the ache in her head and on her cheek grew. A small frown settled onto her features.

That had not been exactly what she had been looking for but she no longer felt the boredom and restlessness. The wetness of her own blood would serve as a reminder until she washed it off. With that in mind, she turned to head back to the river she had found the boy at in the first place. When she arrived there she noticed the obvious signs of some sort of struggle. All the displaced snow and slush told a story that only she and the boy would know about.

She let the thoughts run through her mind as she dipped her muzzle into a broken section of the ice, the coldness waking her up and washing off her cheek. She still had a long night ahead of her.

What the hell was going on? Askan wondered as he stared out into the darkness of the night, his ears pressed back to his skull as he stalked through the snow and slush. He wasn't usually awake at this hour, he'd merely gotten up to go for a piss but instead his ears had been assaulted by screeches and the sound of scuffling. At first he had assumed it had been foxes, coyotes perhaps, but the sound was too close for comfort and he was in too bad of a mood to let it slip.

And so he continued on, till he came upon- Hawthorne, covered in blood that may or may not be her own. He took in the sight of her,his gaze sharp as it roamed her form, noting her raised hackles and wet fur. Perhaps if he had been in a better mood, less tired, he would have been worried, would have rushed to her side with concern. Askan merely stood his ground  as his lips curled back into a sneer.

"The fuck are you doing?"He all but snarled. She better have had a good excuse, otherwise things weren't going to end well. For her at least.

(This post was last modified: Mar 07, 2018, 07:14 PM by Askan.)

She didn't turn her head to look at the familiar voice, tension flooding the air around them. She pulled her muzzle up from the cold waters, the crimson dripping slightly along with the water. Her gaze didn't meet his face as she still stared out at the water. Her tongue moved out to lick up the droplets.

"Was fighting off some loner who was sticking his nose in my business." It was a lie but it flowed naturally from her. Inwardly she was a bit shocked that she let the words slide so freely. "I'm fine, though. Thanks for asking." She said with a wry smile. Despite his aggression, she wasn't changing her usual mood. Hawthorne didn't stink like everyone else and she wasn't sticking her nose in places it didn't belong. So why was he so snappish with her?

She wasn't the bad guy (or gal) here.