Riddle Heights far too young to die [BWP]

Midday, Broken Clouds, 69.8°F, 21°C. Located approx -79.10509, 10.19531. All welcome.

---

It was around midday when Máni decided that she’d had enough. The small female had been traipsing her way along the mountain ridge for hours, weaving her way from one shaded area to the next, but now as the sun reached its highest point in the sparsely clouded sky Máni found that she could no longer avoid the heat that beat down onto her back.

The female swept her tongue anxiously across her parched charcoal lips as her copper eyes continued to scan the large rocks and sparse vegetation that dotted the mountain trail she was currently following. When she failed to spot anything worth investigating, her gaze drifted down, away from the trail and towards the forests below. Máni had been hoping to avoid breaking away from the main path heading north, but now the female felt she had run out of other options.

Gritting her teeth together, pale paws crossed over as she turned away from the well-worn trail and proceeded to tentatively clamber her way down the mountainside. The large rocks and boulders made the descent trickier to navigate, as Máni was forced to snake her way between them whilst also trying to avoid slipping on areas of less stable sleet and rubble. Of course, the female could not avoid them all, but a few slips and tumbles later Mani finally found herself on firmer ground.  

Already, the denser vegetation and increased number of trees lower down the mountain provided the female with some relief, casting dappled shade across her pelt as she loped onward in search of some place suitable to rest. It was as she rounded a sharp bend in the cliff-face that her copper eyes caught sight of a great cavity in the side of the rock, one which would provide her with ample shade, away from the sweltering heat of the midday sun.

Picking up her pace, pale paws scrambled quickly over the last few metres of dirt which remained between her and her newly discovered sanctuary. Stepping beneath the large overhang, the relief she felt was almost instant. Carefully, she picked her way between the rocks that lay beneath it and eventually settled upon the cool surface of the largest boulder. Flopping her head down, her pale limbs sprawled out beside her as Máni lay on her side, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she panted in an attempt to cool down.

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2018, 07:34 PM by Mani.)

Even if he got plenty of sleep, it never was quite enough. He felt like he was doomed to be eternally exhausted. Or cursed. The idea that he was cursed had been something that he'd originally made up to excuse his adopted mother's lack of love for him. But as the months wore on, the idea that there was some curse over his head felt more tangible. Thinking back, all of the other wolves around him seemed to be dealing with life much more easily than he. Even that loner, @Vaken had not seemed weighted down by the world. He had not thought he was doing anything wrong, and as such, he was cursed.

Laurel's head hang low as he walked, jaws parted as he panted and walked. Today was particularly hot, and the sun beating down on his scars and wounds particularly bothered him. He was uncomfortable, and regretted leaving the cool lake he'd seen up north. But alas, he could not stay.

The yearling didn't know why he couldn't stay, but felt like it was true. He wasn't looking for anything, or anyone. He had no trail to find his mother — his first mother — and had successfully lost @Sahalie and @Kino 's trail. He had long abandoned the idea of finding out the origins of her. His father dead, his old pack missing, and coyotes and death following him everywhere he went.

Laurel tried hard to not think of that little pup, but she kept reappearing in his thoughts.

He had tried to stay in the shade, but the sun was above him and beating fiercely down his back. He heard pawsteps and panting and instantly went on the alert. He hated the feeling of panic, he hated how it felt like a constant for him. But it was just a girl in the last patch of shade until the sun continued its journey across the sky.

Without acknowledging the girl, Laurel joined her in the shade to cool down and pant. He watched for more coyotes.

No longer forced to suffer beneath the sweltering heat of the midday sun, and with seemingly no one around – at least for the moment – Máni finally felt like she could relax. Sprawled out casually atop the smooth boulder, her side pressed up against its refreshingly cool surface, her dark lashes fluttered shut as she continued to pant. Given half a chance, the small female would have most certainly drifted off to sleep. However, the scent of another wolf and the sound of their approaching paw-steps caused her russet ears to prick up cautiously, and a second later, her copper eyes to snap open.

Straining her head up off the rock, Máni was just quick enough to observe the younger male as he joined her beneath the shade of the overhang. The boy seemed to ignore her entirely, even as she attempted to greet him with a gentle swish of her tail. The small female remained silent, her pale brows furrowing softly as she watched him with a mixture of mild suspicion and curiosity as he proceeded to pant, much like her, in an attempt cool down.

Máni released a soft sigh before flopping her head back down on the cool stone, though her tired copper eyes continued to observe the boy as he seemingly kept watch of the territory around them. Whilst he might not have been very sociable, Máni was appreciative of his quiet presence. It made a nice change not be alone, and even though she did not know @Lauraceae, in some strange way he made her feel that little bit safer. She was in unfamiliar territory after all, and if the scars which littered his silver pelt were anything to go by, he was not afraid to give as good as he got.

He had fully anticipated the girl to greet him with his words, or maybe to talk about the obvious. Hot out today, isn't it? Lauraceae waited for the words, for a greeting, or a growl, or for her to push him away. But, surprisingly, she didn't. He had ignored her, and many wolves didn't take kindly to being ignored, but instead of reacting, she just... didn't. There was no way he could thank her for the silence, and for the time being, he didn't want to ruin it. The cool rock beneath his paws was a relief, and with no words between the two, nothing but the sound of their panting and a fly or two buzzing around filled the air. Laurel even relaxed a little, slumping a bit. But not fully, the coyotes would be there soon er or later, and probably sooner.

He sniffed the ground, expecting to get a strong whiff of coyote. Nothing. Anxiously, he shifted from paw to paw. Finally he looked down at the girl and felt a pang of jealousy in his chest. How could she be so relax? How did everyone else seem to be doing better than he was? His tattered ears swiveled around, he licked his scarred nose and then finally allowed himself to fully lie down. It felt nice, the cool on his belly. He mirrored the girl and finally let himself get comfortable. His eyes closed and he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief, pushing away any thoughts of coyotes or dead puppies.

A smile crept onto his face and he peeked an eye at the girl. "Hot out today, isn't it?"

You encounter three coyotes marking a nearby tree.

Some might have thought it odd that Máni had not taken offence to being ignored, especially as she had allowed the stranger to share the shaded space she had found. However, the way Máni saw it, there was far too much energy wasted in putting up a fuss. She was much too hot already, which was evident by her heavy panting, and the female did not wish to make her temperature spike any higher over something as petty and pathetic as a proper greeting. Instead, she chose to tolerate his presence, and would continue to do so until @Lauraceae gave her a reason not to.

The female’s expression softened as she watched the younger male settle down to relax, taking up a position much like her own. Dark lashes slid shut again, feeling confident enough about the boy and his intentions now that he was no longer standing and alert. At the sound of his quiet sigh, Máni beat her black-tipped tail softly against the cool stone, pleased that he too seemed to feel somewhat comfortable around her.

She would have been content to remain silent, allow the sound of their combined panting to lull her into a state somewhere between asleep and awake. However, equally, Máni could not say that she was disappointed to hear the boy’s voice reach her ears. The corners of her dry charcoal lips curled upwards into a small smile at his words and her bright copper eyes blinked open as she tilted her head over a little to peer back at him. “Too hot.” She agreed with a sigh. “Luckily f’us, we had the fortune of finding this place though, eh?” She added with a half-grin. Of course, she had been the one to find it first – or so she thought.

A sudden change in the wind brought with it the unmistakable stench of coyotes, two or three at most if Máni had to guess. Going by the potency of their stink, they were almost certainly close by too. The female’s nostrils flared and her muzzle wrinkled briefly in irritation as her gaze drifted away from the boy and towards the territory that surrounded them, her ears alert. Coyotes were nothing more than an annoyance, pests to keep an eye on – but, if they dared to stray any closer in their direction, Máni would by no means be inclined to tolerate them in the same way she had her young male companion.

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2018, 07:48 PM by Mani.)

He didn't know if it was too hot or not, but he could probably take the girl's word for it. Laurel sort of liked the heat, after what felt an incredibly long winter and an annoyingly cold spring, for a little while he could enjoy it. Especially after the relief of splashing in some water... or in this case, finding a cool rock and decent company. His eyes were heavy and he grunted in agreement, concentrating on slowing his breathing. He could fall asleep if he let himself. He hadn't taken a nap with company in a while, and it usually felt like he was being waken up.

When he caught a whiff of the coyotes, he jumped up as if he'd been struck by something. Laurel's face scrunched up and fur bristled. What did they want now? He glanced around Mani and hoped to see something to sacrifice — food, a stick, something. Instead it was just her, which meant that the coyotes were going to bother him just to bother him. Bother felt like an understatement. The coyotes were relentlessly harassing him, making sure he had little to eat, no sleep, and was in a constant state of alert. He was tired of running from them.

Lauraceae wanted to fight.

His company might have been different. Perhaps she had not been targeted as relentlessly as he had. With her near him, though, it only meant that she was a target, too. Laurel stepped from the shade to sniff at the air and try and pinpoint where the rotten creatures were. He thought of the one he'd killed and had a strong desire to do the same to any others that wanted to approach them. They deserved nothing but to suffer.

He looked over to Mani to try and gauge how she wanted to handle the situation.

Whilst the scent of coyotes nearby had certainly irritated Máni, for the last thing she wanted to do was waste her energy chasing the scavengers off, @Lauraceae seemed to take their presence much more seriously. The female had barely moved, save her lifting her head up off the cool surface of the boulder to peer past the male – meanwhile, he had jumped up onto his paws almost immediately and bristled his fur to appear larger and more intimidating.

Catching her companions orange gaze, and sensing his distress, Máni released a bark and finally shifted her weight onto her paws and swiftly clambered her way down the pile of fallen rocks and boulders to his side. Russet ears pricked, forwards and alert, and her black-tipped tail lifted to wave assertively behind her as she joined him in attempting to determine exactly where the coyotes were.

Their scent had grown stronger the few minutes it had taken her to climb down from the shaded rocks, which only meant one thing. They coyotes were closing in on them. Dark nostrils flared as Máni took a few steps forwards, her head waving from side to side as she tried to work out the direction they were approaching from.

West.

Máni moved to bump against her companion’s shoulder, her muzzle directing his attention towards the trees, where the sound of several paws steps could be heard moving towards them. The female began to snarl, dark fur rising to bristle along her spine, as her tail lashed out aggressively behind her in warning. If the coyotes were smart, they would get the message, tuck their tails and run away back to wherever it was they'd come from.

The boy followed her as she climbed down, looking this way and that. He wanted to apologize to the woman. She'd been so kind, especially more kind than @Birtie had been when coyotes had shown up. Granted, Lauraceae hadn't snapped at her with his first words, and he'd only been looking to get a bit of rest in the shade. His shoulder still sore from his run-in with Birtie, Laurel did his best not to make a peep when she bumped it. His jaw clenched and his face scrunched up in pain, but the pain quickly faded and he could focus on the task at hand.

Mani pointed out the coyotes, of which there were three. It was always at least three. He followed her lead and snarled at the coyotes. They didn't get the hint, because when did they ever get the hint? Even when all Laurel had was a cool, shady spot under the rocks and good company, they wanted that too. Anger boiled within him at each step the yotes took and feeling more bold with the presence of an ally (and perhaps his first ally), Laurel took a confident step forward.

The coyotes, not unlike Lauraceae, were confident and stupid. One charged for the injured male and still exhausted, sent him to the ground. It was clear he'd done this before, because Laurel went right for the coyote's throat.

Dark lashes squeezed tighter together as her copper glare narrowed on the three coyotes who soon appeared out from between the nearby trees. Mani held back, side-eyeing @Lauraceae as he took a confident step forwards, before her attention returned to the intruders. The bridge of her muzzle wrinkled and her dry charcoal lips lifted to reveal a sharp set of pearly-white teeth. Whilst neither she or her young male companion were the largest, most intimidating wolves in the wild – surely, she thought – the coyotes would know to back away now…

Eyes widened in both horror and surprise as one of the coyotes charged towards the injured male beside her. Mani flinched as the silver male was forced to the ground. Though no sooner had she thought to charge forwards, her jaws aiming for the scruff of the attacker, the male had already wrapped his own jaws around the coyote’s throat. Mani still moved to clamp her teeth around the coyote’s scruff – an action that in hindsight left herself exposed – holding onto its squirming body for a moment to allow her companion to finish it off.

Russet ears flickered atop her head at the sound of scurrying paws and a second later a sharp pain began shooting through her left hind leg, then her right side. The other two coyotes had turned on her in defence of their own. Mani immediately released her grip on the first coyote, a snarl ripping out from her throat as she quickly swerved around, jaws snapping wildly as she frantically tried to bite and kick off the coyote that clung to her right leg.