Zephyr Rill Leave A Whisper

@Judas | Broken Clouds 77 ° F, 25 ° C | Backdated to the day following Black Magic

She was wide-eyed.

The sight of the first redwood to appear, seemingly at random, had expressly caught her attention. But upon looking a little closer, off in the distance there was another, and another, and another. Almost with baited breath, the tawny girl pressed forward with some hope in her heart to find a few more, and when she'd finally come to be surrounded by the towering, ancient trees, well...she was incredibly at peace.

Kingsfall was no Sequoia Vale, but it was the closest thing she'd found since her departure from her father's pack. Everything about the place felt like a little sliver of home. Lyanna meandered slowly through at first, her gaze roving over the detail of the warm-hued bark on the trunks and the immense size of of the roots that were visible above the ground. She'd pause here and there to crane her head skyward and peer at the branches that stretched out far and wide to compose the immense canopy. Immersed in the grandiose feel of the territory, she had willfully lost track of time. All she wanted now was to get lost here for a little while, to soak up the familiar smell of sequoia sap and the quiet sounds that echoed.

Eventually her russet ears perked forward at the swishing and trickling of running water. She followed it until she'd found herself on the bank of the Rill - a picturesque stream that fit the forest perfectly. Stepping in, she lowered herself into the current and let the water flow over her skin and through her fur. Lapping up a good drink and feeling rather refreshed, she made her exit and slid to her belly atop the cool dirt. For now, she'd get a little rest.

(This post was last modified: Aug 05, 2018, 05:16 PM by Lyanna.)

i'll be watching

from the center of the hollow moon

Judas Archer moved through the dense Kingsfall forestry at a slow, lazy stride in typical fashion. It was further then he typically went as he had been content since the forming of Vigil Keep to stay either within the territory in navigate the large lake which is rested near. With such a vast body of water it was easy to take up your time though today he figured he would explore what was supposed to be the major part of his new Pack's hunting grounds.

It was quite a beautiful forest, he figured. Far more so then the burned Wildwood or the Ghastly Woods. Though the majority of his family reigned in the South amongst the space willows, lagoon and vast open meadows and fields, Judas was finding himself enjoying life up here in the north. It hadn't come without its trials either with how far the group had traveled to get here and with how many trespassers they had fought off while establishing themselves. It only meant to Judas that they had truly worked hard to get here and they deserved it and he would be damned if anyone stood in their way now.

These tree were towering so much so he could barely see the tops reach to the cloudy sky. So thick he could imagine if one were carved out he could make a spacious den within it. In the distance was the sound of a flowing creek cutting through the forestry. It was a thin slice of water, slow flowing and he moved into it, walking through and then soon dipped his maw down for a drink. He spotted a woman then, resting down stream along the edge of the water. He said nothing, silently lifting his head as those dark grey eyes looked her over curiously.

(This post was last modified: Aug 05, 2018, 05:21 PM by Judas.)

A young fawn has gotten separated from its herd. Hunt Opportunity, +8 Health

It hadn't dawned on her that she wasn't alone until an unfamiliar scent of of a wolf - intermingled with a fainted hint of pack - wafted to her in the breeze. Ears perking up, she looked over to find herself met with the pale gaze of a dark furred boy. Great, was her initial thought. Knowing her luck, it wasn't an unlikely possibility that she'd manage another run-in with another headstrong stranger before she even made it home. With a hint of caution in her movement, she pushed herself up to sit without taking her golden eyes off of him. She couldn't be too careful anymore.

Normally it would have been easy to amiably greet a stranger in a similar situation, but after her experience with the man from the Surge, Lyanna felt a bit guarded and for good reason. It wasn't lost on her that she didn't recognize the pack scent of this one, and was well-aware that Shallows Edge and Driftwood Surge had new neighbors relatively nearby - ones that Askan wasn't at all fond of. Had she happened upon one of them here?

"The water here makes for a good drink," she addressed him, neutrality present in her tone and body language, though the look in her eyes was inquisitive if not a hair skeptical.

i'll be watching

from the center of the hollow moon

It only took a single moment or two for the other wolf to sense someone else was near. Her ears perked atop her head and then it lifted, turning into his direction. Judas head rose more, regarding her curiously as that black leathery nose of his went to work. She didn't smell like one of those bloody Surge wolves. Good. However still she did smell of some group though it was unknowingly to him. He knew their was other packs nearby from the word of his leader, but exactly who and exactly where he was not certain. Politics weren't his thing and let's face it, he was still just a rowdy youth looking to get his kicks wherever he could.

As she lifted into a sitting position she kept her yellow eyes locked on him, her expression matching his own of curiosity and caution and her body language neutral. Judas tail remained relaxed behind him, his muscles working as they tensed and released. "It does..." He responded to her initiation to the conversation. "Looks like a much nicer forest then some in the south. Good place for our hunting grounds." He spoke in regards to his pack and also confirming that he indeed was just that, a pack wolf as herself. He wonder if hers, too, would be giving the Vigil wolves a problem.

To her subtle relief, the boy relaxed some before commenting about the quality of the forest and the notion that it was a good place for - as he'd put it - "our" hunting grounds. Say it wasn't so. Another pack wolf laying claim to another neutral territory for hunting purposes.

At this point she wouldn't have even cared or payed much thought to that, but these woods were a prime location for hunting, obviously - which is why she was here in the first place. The caribou herd she'd been tracking for a number of day had left their marks for her to find, had led her here, where their trail was much fresher than it had been in The Cougar Eye or near the southern shores of Turtleback Lake. The truth was, if this is where the herd was settled, she fully intended to bring that information to her Leaders under the pretense that the Edge wolves could and likely would come to claim a substantial meal of their own. And, after all, they couldn't hunt anywhere that would infringe on the rights of their allies.

And this wolf didn't belong to anyone she was allied with. So, the issue arose. Was it even possible to proceed from here without a confrontation, when it was her intention and duty to respectfully represent Shallows Edge - and its interests.

"I see. You must belong to the pack to the north of the lake, then?" She didn't even know what they called themselves, only that they'd apparently been causing problems. "I suppose its a good thing that Kingsfall is such a large territory - plenty of space for grounds worth hunting on," she remarked calmly, wondering if he'd catch her drift.

i'll be watching

from the center of the hollow moon

'I see...' Was the first bit he got out of her as she remained seated in her placement. She questioned if he was one of those pack wolves that had settled at the northern reaches of the lake and he nodded a moment before answering. "I am." He answered though didn't give the name of his pack. If she didn't know it on her own, oh well. At this point from his experience with other pack members around here the less they knew the better.

Then she commented about the hunting grounds, saying 'it was a good thing's that it was so large a space. ...Or else what? His muzzle crinkled in a twitch. Not only would they be avoiding hunting south of the lake and to the west, they would be sharing a forest with this pack too?

Judas took a breath. "Don't matter to me." He spoke with a huff, allowing her to know he caught her little remark that there was plenty of space in this forest for both packs to be able to hunt freely if they so chose. "So long as your pack don't have a fit should we come south trailing a scent all the same." After all, if they could come north here looking for food when they had all the fern forest and below to their exposure, then it should be the same case should the Vigil wolves follow a herd to the south into that red fern forest.

After he confirmed what she'd suspected she took note of the way his muzzle crinkled some at the thought of what she'd implied. She didn't suppose he'd liked that much, which was reasonable enough. He went on to say essentially that he didn't really care as long as her lot didn't mind his doing some hunting closer to their parts - which would be fair enough, though she knew @Askan wouldn't go for that. Not even close. His words echoed in the back of her mind. "...they'll get what's coming to them." And if what he'd insinuated came to reality, she had no doubt that her dark Leader's words would come to fruition.

Yet, it was the way her counterpart had concluded his statement that rubbed her the wrong way. All the time. Why did everyone have to be so absolute at every turn she took. And what a dry way to get a stab at her. This was the first time she'd been this direction trailing anything, and as far as she was aware, none of the Edge wolves had traveled to the area recently, either.

"That would be only fair, wouldn't it. Though, given our alliance with Driftwood Surge, I suppose it would make for quite a mess." She rose to her feet, her expression giving nothing away. "I guess I can't really say I speak for anyone else if I tell you coming anywhere near our lands is a bad idea," she blinked at him.

(This post was last modified: Aug 05, 2018, 11:36 PM by Lyanna.)

i'll be watching

from the center of the hollow moon

'That would be fair, wouldn't it.' The way she said these words made it very clear to Judas that while she knew it would be fair for his pack to move south for food if hers could move north, she had no intention of giving a damn. The pack to the south was just as selfish and self righteous and the Surge wolves had been to them whom had crossed their pack territory deliberately. It was obvious the pack to the north had not a single care when it came to respecting other wolves wishes and so, neither would Judas.

She admitted saying that with their alliance to the Surge wolves, allowing Vigil to go south in turn for them going north would likely not happen... And no ally of the Surge was a friend of the Keep. Well, if that was the case, then she had no business here. As she lifted, his body tensed, long legs side stepping out from the shallow waters. She would continue to push, suggesting going anywhere near her pack lands would be a bad idea and even the hint of a threat was enough to send the youth to rage. So they could hunt anywhere they pleased but Vigil could not? "Then I guess we're at an impasse." He spoke delicately, his dark grey eyes locking on her.

Judas paused, as though he was simply waiting for her to say something else before they went their separate ways, but then he charged. Long, lean legs closing the distance between them and like a battering ram went to slam his upper half hard into her, enough to knock her to the ground.

"Then I guess we're at an impasse.

She guessed she agreed. If nothing else, at least she'd been decent enough to warn him that his pack wouldn't be welcome further south. But how did that equate to Kingsfall, or at least part of it, being off-limits to Shallow's Edge, or any other pack for that matter? Having come to Relic Lore from further north than it even reached, she was well aware that the lowlands to the north of Turtleback Lake were far more expansive than any other part of of the ancient forest. Surely there was more than enough prey to hunt there, for everyone. Well, for a second time in a matter of days, that hardly mattered at this point, did it? The two wolves who stood facing each other weren't just strangers, but enemies by association. There was no getting around the notion that the situation they were in wasn't going to be pretty.

Lyanna wouldn't necessarily have turned to violence, but if she were even going to, it was too late now. Without warning her adversary charged forward, ramming her with everything he had. The force of the impact caused her to fly backward, his weight unfortunately causing her body to shift in the air so that when she landed it was nearly square on her back. The breath was partially forced right out of her lungs as she rolled once before catching the ground with the nails of her forepaws. Pushing herself up as quickly as she could with a shake of her head, a low growl lulled in her throat as she lunged for him with every intention of planting her teeth deep into the flesh of his shoulder. But, at the last second she faltered and missed her chance. Sidestepping to square back up with him, she didn't quite have a chance to land a another blow...