Sacred Grove There's a revolution coming

Rochus, you notice a pair of tracks in the snow that have been following you… For Isla only please! <3 Midday
*Backdated to January 13th

There was a strange thrumming beneath his paws as he slowly meandered his way into the grove. It almost... tickled, and was not unpleasant in the slightest. Merely unusual.

Rochus simply glanced at the deer prancing by in the distance. He wasn't hungry, and had no intention on trying to take it down himself anyway. Plus he was feeling a little lazy in his older age - chasing after food didn't seem as appealing anymore. The younger pack mates could deal with that; he felt like he had earned his right to rest more often.

He paused for a few moments, eyes closing momentarily to take in the quiet atmosphere. It was nice here, and no pups or yearlings in sight to bother him. His head swung around to glance behind him, wanting to make sure he was alone before perhaps settling in for a nice nap against one of the trees. But he frowned, eyes squinting at the sight of what appeared to be a second set of tracks behind him.

An ear twitched, trying to pick up any unusual sounds that would accompany something following him. He wasn't in the mood for games, and let out a warning snort to whatever it was that decided to follow him.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2023, 07:33 AM by Rochus.)

She had not meant to follow him, for the record. It just...sort of happened. Why did old uncle Rochus want to go beyond the Backwater?

Occasionally she weaved off his path, sniffed around the grove. Surely there had to be something out here. Anything that the Backwater didn't have. It hardly seemed like Rochus was the kind to just go for a waltz, take in the scenery. Maybe she had pinned him as the wrong type of wolf. Maybe he wasn't hardy at all.

When he offered a warning snort, she showed herself. Silent still with one raised brow. The curiosity was clear on her face.

The second pair of tracks appeared haphazard, veering off suddenly out of view and then back on the path he had been walking. He didn't have to wait long for the offending body to poke her head out and reveal herself. She even had the gall to appear curious.

Rochus snorted again, though this time in exasperation. It seemed wherever he went Isla was just there, and while he was content to teach her certain things as per their deal, he also would like to have private time to work on his own plans. He raised a brow of his own in return, wondering what exactly she was up to. She always seemed to have something on her mind.

"You here for a hunting lesson? Your tracking skills are... unique." She had followed him well enough, but given the state of her route, focus on the prize was something she could use a bit of work on.

Would you believe me if I said I wasn't here for any lesson? Her lips twisted into a snarky grin, but clearly she meant well enough. Otherwise she would have ribbed him more, harder. Been a true and proper brat.

Was just wondering what would bring my Uncle Rochus away from the Backwater. Get bored of all the lame faces there? She mused with a soft bite of laughter. Then flopped down onto her rear, content to stay there. Mainly because she had already grown bored of walking so much lately. Who had she become?!

Ugh, she hated that her plans involved physical work.

He let out a soft chuckle at her snarky response. Well at least he didn't have to put effort into teaching her something; she was prone to pushing back and making him work harder to get his point across. It would have been a good exercise in his mental fortitude if she wasn't so brash and had such an attitude. But he'd work with what he was given.

Rochus sighed and also sat back, sensing that he wouldn't be able to get out of conversing with her as easily as he would have hoped. While she didn't exactly want anything from him, clearly she was looking for something. Unfortunately that involved him.

"Can an old man not go for a peaceful stroll by himself?" He smiled at her, but there was no genuine niceness to it. If she was paying any attention at all she would get the hint that he wanted to be alone, and he was not in the mood to play nice to her whims at that moment, their deal be damned. If she wanted him to play ball then she would have to actually sit and learn something from him. He had to earn the title of teacher one way or another, after all.

No. She clipped back quick. Because like you said, you're old. And even though the word was strained on her tongue, she, for once, had no real malice in it. What if something happens to you?

She said nothing else now, prepared to be met with either bitter words or a shooing off of her. It could very well be both!

Yet she also wondered what his response would be to her bluntly stating the elephant in the room. That he was old. Older than her dad, older than most of the other adults. Even her grandpa.

Did he really think she wouldn't bring it up when he had so kindly laid it out first?

Had he been younger he might have risen to the bait, perhaps scolded her for daring to call him old and frail. But he was starting to accept it, as well as the perks that came with it. As an older wolf he would be seen as fairly harmless, and that was valuable given the recent change to his plans. Instead, he let a faux look of appreciation cross his face, making it look as genuine as he could, at least for a few moments.

"I had no idea you cared so much Isla, it's touching, really." His words were dripping with fake gratitude, as well as the obvious hint of sarcasm. It didn't matter to him if she actually cared about his wellbeing, and he was sure even if she did it wasn't for his sake. Or at least he hoped not, he figured he would have taught her to be only out for herself well enough in their first lesson.

"What would you have done if you had found me in a bad state?" He turned the conversation on her, expression morphing back into his regular somewhat annoyed look, with just a touch of curiosity. It was a test for sure, but he did wonder what her plan would be if she found his old body in a predicament. Would she actually do something about it?

What would she have done?

Depends, I guess. A shrug of her shoulders. Are you sick? Injured? Do I care enough to do something? She snorted sharply with a dull laugh. Why was it her job to do anything about it? Couldn't he just call upon a medic who would care more than her?

Also...if he had been in a bad enough state to not call? Well, that didn't endear her to him anymore than she was now. Which was already an incredibly small amount.

She also doubted that he wanted to hear a grisly answer about himself... She wasn't really in the business of telling those she had a target on. He hadn't made that list even. Yet.

Her response was about what Rochus would have expected, and so there was no surprise or affronted reaction from him. At least she was using her head to think instead of blindly reacting to a situation.

"Well I am neither sick nor injured, so you don't have to worry." Not that he thought Isla would worry to begin with. Rochus figured Viorel likely would have had something to say about her apparent lack of care for others, but to Rochus is was simply a way of life. Even the best of intentions from others couldn't always be relied upon.

He inhaled deeply, holding the breath for a moment before slowly releasing it, all the while idly gazing at Isla. She seemed intent on keeping an eye on him, as bothersome as she could be. "But if you don't care enough to do something... why are you even checking to see if something has happened to me?" Surely by her logic she should simply let him be and let whatever would happen, happen. Right?

Blah, blah, blah. Yeah. As if she'd ever worry.

Because we have a deal, right? Which means I gotta watch you. Duh. A playful roll of her eyes this time. Wasn't he smart? Didn't he know these things? She could hardly afford for him to go waltz off into a river or slip and drown. Even if she didn't care, she still needed her part of their deal.

But I didn't track you out here for a lesson. She snorted, regardless of their shared words about their dealings. Just wanted to see. A nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. As close to genuine as she could ever be.