Pookastone Scowle This is survival of the fittest

It was nothing more than a mixture of sentimentality; though the Archer would never admit it aloud, and muscle memory that guided the young boy's paws to once more traverse along the snow-dusted crevices and weave about the cedarwood trunks of his birthplace. Since the day his mother had deemed Claw well enough in his own capabilities to fend for himself their time together had dwindled down to almost nothing, both parties thriving in their renowned sense of independence. His mother chose one direction and he another now that his dependency on her was null. It was a simple enough concept and he had no qualms, in fact, he found he rather enjoyed the solitude.

The stillness of the Scowle was shattered by the sound of Claw sighing heavily once his ebony-dipped limbs came to a halt, emerald gaze scouring a particular set of crevices and the snowy mounds at its feet once the cloud of steam from his exhaled breath dissipated.

I wonder if you're still here.

He pondered over the likelihood of her still laying there beneath the mountain of snow, once swarthy fur now dilapidated to nothing more than ivory bone after the vultures and other scavagers had picked her clean. He almost dared to dig and find out, convinced the grave she received was not one she deserved, though, internally he still held firm to his belief that it was her own weakness that befell his former sibling.

Claw soon found himself scoffing at having gotten so caught up in old memories, pressing onward after giving his pelt a good shake. He needed a drink. He needed a friend.

Word Count: 275

Hi! Phone post so hope it’s not too shabby as I’m a bit rusty.

Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. This place was a maze and she wondered how long it would continue. The tall walls of stone seemed so unnatural, even covered in snow. What made rocks stick out of the ground like that? If they had all a will of there own. Mother would have an explanation for it. Torrent didn’t need one. These rocks were stupid no matter how they got here.

Unfortunately, there was little scent in this deserted place. It was empty of her kind. She wasn’t surprised because she just couldn’t image wolves treading here with ease. Maybe she should attempt to get higher and find a way out. Changing perspective. The idea of miscalculation wasn’t worth it.

For gods’ sake! She ground her teeth, briskly moving forward. She wasn’t underground even if it was fairly dark. She was certain there was a large body of water. Yes, this maze ought to end. Water wasn’t the only thing she could smell. There were little creatures here she could catch. A poor meal, but do the job all the same. She needed to maintain her weight even if it was a bit poor. What she’s give to see a wounded deer. Even a carcass because at least the bloody cold was good at keeping such things tasty.

Wait. Was that?! Could it be?!

“Hey!”She called out unbelievably. ”Do you….live here?” The crazy notion, but hey maybe he knew the way out by where he had come. She slowed her stride when there was a distance of six wolf lengths between them. He might not be the kind of fellow to shout out. If he did live here he could certainly want her out. Then she’s be in deep shit. Why she’d never admit it she made a silent pray for him to be alone. She couldn’t get chewed up and spit out. She couldn’t go back to her mother either.

(This post was last modified: Jan 22, 2023, 05:36 AM by Torrent. Edit Reason: Typos )

No worries, glad to write with you again! Don't mind Claw, he's being a butt xD

Claw hadn't been entirely aloof to the fact there was a strange scent on the air as he leaped over snowcapped rocks and followed various dips in the ground on his way toward the nearest edge of the lagoon. The scent of this stranger sparked no true interest from the Archer until the sound of crunching snow not caused by his own paws began to breach the forest's still silence, indicating that now the young boy was being followed. What could they possibly want with him?

Gradually the speed of Claw's paw steps slowed to allow this stranger to catch up to him easier, refusing to stop his intentions of getting a drink completely for the sake of their inability to keep up. Up ahead emerald eyes could see the glistening surface of the lagoon and the marbled boy was about to take another step until the forest echoed with the sound of someone shouting, shattering the silence completely. In response, he had no choice but to halt now and cast his gaze over his shoulder to peer at whoever wanted his attention so badly. From what he could make out between the distance that lay between them and what little personal bits the wind carried his way, this stranger was female and bore a grey pelt with various points of black and white. Honestly, she was quite pleasing to the eyes...

Meh, her company couldn't be all that bad today.

Claw chuffed in casual greeting before lowering his rump to the ground to sit, minimalizing his large growing size that warded off most visitors. Afterward, his ebony ears pivoted forward curiously at the question she posed. "Depends considering I was born here, but I live wherever I like." He responded, turning the question then onto herself. "You, miss...?" His voice trailed while quirking a wolfish brow in mild curiosity, prompting her to drop some type of moniker to fill in the blank.

It wasn't until after I posted t I was like oh Sunshine is Ashbash.lol Good to write with ya too. :3 His pictures are badass by the way. No worries still figuring this girl out.

Why she wasn't entirely believing, the stranger had stopped! She catered her dark head just so, as he looked upon her. There were no wrinkled lips, or pointed teeth. There was intelligence in his green gaze. So boldly, she strode closer, her tail faintly tipping back and forth. It was neither high nor low, as she had no qualms for now.

As he sat it was then she noticed his unique cream markings. Interesting, but again she didn't need to gawk. After all, they didn't mean anything just like the bright stars the other night. Why she did draw closer so he wouldn't need to turn his head more, she reminded herself to keep her guard up. Within range of his large stature, she didn't think it would slip her mind.

Dark ears twitched, intrigued by the idea he was born here, but he was definetly not calling it home. Was he like her? Existing not by love but circumstance? Most wolves claimed a place, had a family, and it remained their home even if their children moved on. This place was damn empty.

"Torrent," she offered, not being able to help the smile that slipped on her lips. He was younger than her, but no toddling cub. "I'm doing the same." She wasn't going to be a nobody from nowhere any more.

"You look like you were headed out, you wouldn't mind if I tagged along? This place...it's a bit of a maze to me. Did you live here long?"

     

Emerald eyes intently watched the dark-coated stranger approach, their demeanor upholding a neutral stance as they settled at a reasonable distance from where he sat. Much to the relief of Claw's craning neck that had begun to ache from the awkward position he put it in, shifting to look at the unknown woman head-on. Well, formerly unknown he should say granted the moniker she finally offered the marbled boy.

Torrent.

The name was memorized swiftly and tucked away mentally for future reference should their paths cross again after their meeting today, offering her only the faintest signs of a friendly smile in an attempt to mirror the one that tugged at her own lips. Unfortunately, due to his rogue upbringing and lack of socialization outside that of his mother Claw wasn't the greatest at expressing common manners when greeting others. Apparently, she too was in a similar boat to the young Archer, although the exact details that tied their two tales together remained unknown. Not that Claw felt a need to pry such information for it mattered not to him.

"Name's Claw." Delayed, but his own moniker was offered nonetheless before ebony ears honed in on the next bout of words she had to say. Did she really want to tag along with the likes of him? Then it clicked for the boy, his shoulders rising and falling in a wolfish shrug. "Makes no difference to me. I was about to head to the lagoon there for a drink." His maw tossed gently toward the glistening surface of the lagoon he mentioned, shifting his attention back to Torrent as he rose to all fours again. "Some months, but was always on the move." Rarely did the duo hole up in the same location for more than a day or so at a time.

"Been here long?" He asked, a cream-tinted brow quirked in mild curiosity.

There was the slightest twitch of her ears. Claw. "There a reason for it?" She was curious if there was, and if he'd tell her. A test of sorts, though not highly important.

She didn't let his indifference bother her. Or at least she tried not to. He either didn't care or didn't want to appear eager. Hmm. It might be fun to see, but she didn't hold the idea long. "A drink sounds great." Silver eyes noticed this lagoon he was speaking of. She had avoided it because she wasn't fond of water, and under the circumstances she didn't want to take a cold bath by mis stepping. A creek was much more forgiving. Rising as he did, she was looking for anything she could count as a landmark as they walked but nothing would quite stick in her head. "Know that too well," she commented dryly. "The glamorous life of a nomad. Little to eat, but lots to see, and run from." If her mother saw a sunrise or sunset that was too red, or no color at all they had to move immediately even if they needed to rest. If the morning was especially pink, they needed to remain. Or she could have been remembering wrong because as she grew, she had a harder time believing her mother was right about her reasons.

"No, just a few nights." So far, she planned to remain. There was plenty of prey here, and she felt she had one friend. "You could tell me is there any where I should avoid? Packs, sinkholes, or onery bears?" There was a playfulness to her questions while her silver facade appeared serious. She was wondering if he was one of those things, but why she couldn't say.

     

What reasoning did they have for it? While his mind tried to figure out a response to her question, no answer readily jumped to the forefront of his mind while his limbs slowly began to set in motion towards the lagoon and usher his newfound companion to head in the same direction while they carried on their casual conversation. "Can't really say there was any logical reason behind it other than to keep ourselves safe." At least, that was the only reason he could think of.

Claw allowed a small amused chuckle to pass over his lips in response to Torrent's comment about the nomad lifestyle. She definitely wasn't wrong about that. This place definitely had plenty to see, but little to eat if you ended up on the short stick of life which the young Archer believed he just might be nowadays. An ear twitched to let her know the boy was still listening as he continued to guide the duo toward the edge of the lagoon, shifting his gaze once more toward her darker complexion with a mild shrug of his shoulder while the corner of his lips curled into a faint smirk.

"Oh yeah, plenty of onery bears that won't go back into their dens." There was sarcasm that laced his words before it flittered off into a more serious tone as his words continued. "As for packs, though, if you keep north from here you're bound to run into one of them. Don't know much about them since I keep my distance."

"Hmm," was her quiet reply as they ambled on. She believed him, but didn't have anything to add.

He humored her in turn about the bears and told of one pack."You plan to remain a nomad?" It was a casual question he could deflect if he wanted. She realized maybe she should answer it first.

"I don't exactly want to be a loner, but I don't want to be working for a bunch of idiots either. They expect you to hunt, patrol, and pupsit. If you aren't busy, they start wondering if they should toss ya. Even though they couldn't catch an elk to save their life."

She'd left a pack like that and was wary of becoming part of one again.

"This leader he thought everyone should worship him, like he was a gift from the gods. He was good looking, but he couldn't even track a rabbit. Everyone did his bidding for him and was happy too." She crinkled her muzzle in obvious distaste of the memory of the guy. Since they were at the water, it soon slipped away as she took in a nice long drink. It wasn't food, but it was satisfying all he same. She cleaned her lips, taking a moment to look across the lagoon half wondering what was on the other side. "You ever been to there," she pointed with her snout. She had other questions, but was trying to keep them to a minimal.

     

For the most part, it would seem that Torrent was content with the bout of information the young boy was able to provide her about the general area, but she pressed on a little further about his chosen lifestyle. While the question in itself was but a casual one, it was still able to get Claw's mind churning in depth about what his plans were. Truthfully, he never really gave it much thought before.

With a casual shrug, he was about to provide his answer when she began to provide her own. Claw couldn't help but allow his curiosity to be genuinely piqued as he listened to the provided first-hand experience of what pack life was like, something he had never known unlike most pups his age. It sounded like a right shit time, frankly.

Much like his travel partner the skin that lined his muzzle wrinkled to form a look similar to having bitten into a bad piece of meat. "Sounds like a bad time to me. I know I wouldn't want to listen to a jerk like that." His voice filled the silence that had fallen as she paused to take a drink, doing the same shortly after voicing his opinion on the matter. The instant chill that graced his mouth once his tongue pulled the liquid inside was a sweet taste of temporary relief, a few droplets of water dribbling off his chin as he lifted his head back up to focus his attention on the opposite side of the lagoon.

"Honestly, no, and not sure why I haven't since I have nothing but time on my paws." During his extensive stay around the lagoon, he had yet to investigate its entirety. Often times he favored the portion they currently stood on if he wasn't nestled somewhere in the willows further north from here. "Where do you plan to go from here?"

Now it was the young Archer's turn to ask some casual questions.

@Claw If you'd like to wrap it up with them parting ways I'm down with that and we could have a newer thread. Whatever you'd like to do. :3

She wasn’t surprised he wasn’t certain. He was young and had choices, and if he hadn’t experienced pack life she could understand he wasn’t about to sign up for it either. She probably didn’t paint a good picture, but it wasn’t like she was making it up. It was just how life could turn out. Just like she might find wolves she wouldn’t working and living with. Maybe, she had met some definite individuals she liked.

“Yeah, I wish someone would have challenged him, but guess no one saw a problem with it. But some wolves be like that.” Yes, fighting could be deadly, but she thought being sloth was far worse. Really she was certain all anyone would have had to do was really scare him, and he'd go belly up. She just couldn't see why anyone was satisfied with a life like that but she didn’t see life as something one just had to get through. There should be more to it than that, to really live even if it scared you.

”Hmm, well if its’ a maze like this I definitely would not,” she answered. Especially in the snow, unless it was a known place where animals died or something it wasn’t worth the walk. Maybe, when things melted away it would be more tempting. ”I think I’ll head east a bit, just trying to map the area and prey. See if there's any opportunities. ”There was faint smirk, as if winter held so much promise, or she'd find something special here. If she didn't believe she'd never know.