Secret Falls Feint

RE:Askan, you find yourself out in the middle of a light, Spring rain shower.
All welcome

Askan wouldn't admit it but he'd missed rain. Though he didn't loath winter as much as his mate did, the gentle pitter patter of rain was a welcome change. One he just realised he had sorely needed. Things had been getting...stagnant, in the Shallows, he supposed. He'd been wallowing in grief and misery-everything had seemed so grey and lifeless. But now? It wasn't so bad, at least he was trying to kick his way to the surface, to struggle his way out of the rut he'd found himself in. Some effort was better than none, right? Probably.

And so he wandered the woods, some distance away from the Shallow's borders without a real destination in mind. Several of his subordinates had expressed an interest in becoming scouts, that was good, it pleased him to know they'd taken some time to think about their place in his pack. It was leagues better than the alternative, just sitting around and licking their privates all day....Askan's nose wrinkled at the thought, gross.

Though it hadn't been raining for long, the scents of the forest were dulled to his finely tuned nose, damp and soggy, as though he was wading through a bog instead of a boreal forest. There was a little something amiss though, something he couldn't quite put his paw on. His bright yellow eyes scanned the forest , roamed over the clusters of ferns and piles of fallen branches. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, the woods were as thick and as dense as ever but...

Whatever, Askan shrugged his shoulders, flicked his tail dismissively and strode on, continuing down the well worn path that weaved through the woods.

Askan & Reyes

If it wasn’t snowing, than it was raining. What happened to sun? Shit, what happened to dry weather? Did he move to a bog and no one told him? Did Reyes fall asleep only to wake up in a misty, moist hell that knew no end?

The alpha snarled to himself, ears pressed backwards as he stormed through the brush, determined to make it home before he was soaked – there was no such luck, of course, but that didn’t stop him. His teeth ground. His tail lashed. The Falls roared in the distance, and did nothing to improve his wet sour mood.

Only Askan’s sudden appearance change his course. “Hey, cabrón! The fuck are you doing out in this elk shit? Let’s go, huh?”

why don’t you set your wings on fire?

She hadn't planned to stumble upon the Edge's leading duo. It was by chance that she stumbled upon them, Reyes' yelling being the telling sign of their presence. Despite how desperately she just wanted to b-line for the territory due to the soaked condition of her pelt she instead weaved her path. She was gonna crash their shenanigans.

A bark of her own was released as she picked up her pace some. Hey! What are ya guys doing out here? Although her words were sharp (not nearly as sharp as Reyes' though) she meant them with good intent. The Selwyn couldn't let them be out here getting caught in the rain. What if they got sick? A cold or something. Sure they had a healer but that wasn't the point. Nothing is worth being out in this rain. She stated with a bit of a matter-of-fact tone. And ya know, I can't let one of you get sick. Her words were swiftly accompanied by a cheeky smile.

Hey, cabrón!

Askan rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. He paused and turned just so, his tail flicking from side to side in a lazy, if not earnest greeting, as he regarded his mate with a dry stare. A perfect contrast to the drizzly weather. He looked fine, he always did- but he didn't look exactly pleased by the rain. Moody git. But he was Askan's moody git, so it was fine.

"It's just rain. It's not even that heavy, I'm not going to drown Gabi." He rumbled, inching closer to graze his mate's nose with his teeth. Gently, he was only teasing.

He just happened to pull back in time for everything to seem normal when Hawthorne appeared on the scene, just as loud and as curious as ever. What a pest. But again, she was his pest. The weirdness was soon forgotten as Askan rolled his eyes once more, what was with them? Had they never stood out in the rain before? Spring showers were refreshing, a sign of better things to come and yet here they were, flapping their jaws as though Askan was standing directly beneath a waterfall.

"Is this why you two followed me, to complain? Sheeesh." Out of spite-and because he too was a pest- Askan shook out his fur. A grin forming on his lips as he wriggled and shimmied, it didn't amount to much as they were already wet but it felt good and that was enough for him.

"Anyway," he began once he'd settled, his posture sliding back into it's usual casual, if not proud stance. "I was just stretching my legs a little." And then he pursed his lips as a thought reoccurred to him. He glanced around once more, his bright gaze shifting from shadow to shadow."The forest seem a bit off to you?"

Perhaps in his moping he'd forgotten what it was really like, or that the transition from winter to spring had shaken things up a little. After all, he'd only ever been here in late autumn and winter, he wasn't familiar with this land in the warmer seasons. Perhaps thos was how it was meant to be, a little off.

Askan & Reyes

“You might not drown, but I’m gonna fuckin’ melt,” Reyes groused, ignoring the blatant use of very private information. Askan was only very, totally, and completely lucky that he’d used it before Hawthorne was within earshot. If the puppies ever found out—

Well. They wouldn’t. They couldn’t. No two ways around that one.

He huffed softly, silver eyes shifting from Askan to Hawthorne as they all bickered. His ears stayed as they were, trying to protect the delicate hairs from the sopping wet. “If by off you mean ‘it only snows and if it’s not snowing than it’s raining’, then, yes,” the oldest member of the trio grumbled, glancing around. He didn’t see anything. “Prey’s been a bit scarce. But the weather’s been shit, so I guess it don’t seem that weird. Why, you two seen somethin’ weird?”

He huffed. Surely they could be having this conversation somewhere warmer and drier.

@Hawthorne!

(This post was last modified: Apr 16, 2018, 01:02 AM by Reyes.)

Her face scrunched up in displeasure as Askan shook out his coat. It was the kind of think she would expect from Sachiel but not from the older Selwyn. Whatever. It wasn't like she wasn't already damp from the rain.

The question that was tossed up for debate caused a small hum to escape from her. She could side with Reyes on the whole rain-snow thing but she had half a mind to figure that Askan wasn't talking about the weather. I don't think anything's off but heard to smell anything new through all the dampness. The earth was richer smelling but most tracks were washed out with the mud. Maybe more passers-by as of late? I dunno. She said with a sharp shrug of her shoulders. Hadn't they had a new girl join recently? On top of that she had also bumped into Matheo. Hawthorne had to hold back an upset huff at the thought of the Falls becoming some sort of hot spot.

Askan sniffed the air again for good measure. Personally, he hadn't seen or smelled anything amiss, but he wasn't inclined to believe that he was making shit up. His senses were as sharp as his mind, if something seemed off then it probably was. But what? If it wasn't something blatant and obvious then perhaps it was a little more subtle, able to blend into the background, out of sight and out of mind. Scarce prey was never a good thing, animals didn't just vanish at first sign of rain. Perhaps if it was a torrential downpour then maybe but this? Nah, the more Askan thought about it the stronger his convictions grew.

"Hmm, lets head back." He suggested, pretending as though Reyes hadn't mentioned that prior. "If this...whatever continues we'll send some scouts out. Figure out what the hell is wrong."

If anything was, that is.

Askan had no interest in sitting idle and letting trouble drift their way, if it was possible then he'd do whatever he could to nip it in the bud. He was putting his paw down, they were going to figure out this shit one way or another. Still, like Hawthorne he didn't like the idea of a lot of loners roaming the Falls as though it was some highway. Whilst his pack couldn't claim ownership over the whole territory that didn't mean others were welcome to amble about as they pleased, if they were about Askan wanted to know about it. Good thing he had so many pairs of eyes and ears, it was high time he put them to work.

He glanced to his mate, idly wondering if he would appose his notion before he looked to Hawthorne.

"Don't roam so far from the Shallows, if you do bring someone with you." He assumed Sachiel wouldn't protest, if he did have any complaints then he was welcome to bring them to the leading pair. Bowing down into a stretch, Askan let out a huff then rightened himself. If he whacked Reyes with his tail then it was an accident, truly."Any questions?" He asked with a quirk of his brow. He doubted it, but clarity was always welcomed.

Askan & Reyes

(This post was last modified: Apr 16, 2018, 01:44 AM by Askan.)

“Thank fuck.”

His idea or not, Reyes wasn’t going to argue if Askan was suggesting it. ‘Who’s idea’ points were not important when it meant he could crawl into the pack den, curl up against the other puppies, and leech their heat like an oversized lizard. Dios mio, that sounded great.

Content to fall into step half a pace behind his mate, his silver eyes flickered back over to the yearling to make sure she was following suit. Or, should he say, almost yearling. Seriously though, it would be another month or two, and that was it. He wasn’t entirely sure Askan needed to be making her go out with a butt-buddy, but… Eh. Something was clearly eating at his mate. He wasn’t going to question it when they weren’t alone. Wasn’t good for pack unity, and all that.

He assumed they would be walking by now. Instead, he got a tail in the face. And here he was, being polite! Reyes snarled softly, nipping at the tip before shouldering past the younger male. Fine, if he was going to be a little shit. “Not interested in passers-by if they ain’t joinin’. C’mon, Hawth. Let’s go find a dry spot.”

@Hawthorne.

The girl listened intently, head nodding here or there to show she was following along with the Edge Lord's words. His last words earned a sharper nod. You got it. She answered with a few waves of her tail. Just meant more time for @Sachiel and her to do...whatever. It was rare that the duo actually had plans while going out into the surrounding areas.

A smirk pulled at her lips as Reyes spoke to her. She briskly jogged to catch up with them - not that she was really far to start with. Her tail waved behind her like a banner. If she could, she'd aim to run ahead of the duo and lead them on home. They could chat about alpha stuff or whatever it was while she was up ahead.

Hawthorne wasn't terribly dull and figured that perhaps the duo might appreciate some (somewhat) alone time. Even if it was only til they got back to the pack.

Askan's lips ticked up into a smug little smile at the sound of his mate's rumbly growl. If anyone else had done that to him the Selwyn would have returned it in kind, flashed his teeth as he spat some rather distasteful words. But Reyes? It was fine, Askan half expected such a response and in all honesty he couldn't blame the man. He would have likely done the same, or just rolled his eyes again. He was sure Reyes would warm up to him soon enough, after all it was as though he couldn't stay away. Damn sap.

Falling into step beside his mate, Askan watched Hawthorne trot ahead. Jeeze, he still couldn't get over how much she'd shot up. If they stood side by side he was pretty sure she'd be a smidge taller than him...which was totally unfair. Whoever her sire had been he must've been a giant, because her mother was certainly not.

Whatever. The rain continued to fall as the trio headed east, moving ever closer to the sanctuary of the Shallows. If something was amiss out here then it was more vital than ever to ensure their borders were well maintained. It was their first line of defence, so if something was wrong then it could prove to be invaluable over the coming weeks.

"Maybe I'm a little cagey." He admitted, his tone low and his voice quiet. His concerns were for his mate's ears only. "After all the shit that went down in the Field...I want to be safe rather than sorry." Inaction would not be the Edge's downfall, of that the Selwyn was certain.

That being said, he didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill (though he tended to go ahead and do that anyway). What if it was nothing? He trusted Reyes senses and he didn't seem to think anything was wrong, maybe Askan was thinking about this too much. Wouldn't be the first time he got all puffed up over nothing.

Askan & Reyes