Pookastone Scowle so the days float through my eyes

Random Event: Snowmaggedon! A foot of snow has fallen overnight! For @Malien only.

It had taken him several days to properly pull away from @Loach, this time with a fitting goodbye and a promise Clouse had never made to another before; that he would return. This had kept him away from @Rashina for more than a week now, and he was anxious to find her again. What if they left her alone with some kid again, had anyone fed her again since? The sooner he was back at her side, the better.

Still, this journey wasn't short. By the time he reached the Lagoon's now-familiar shores, Clouse was tired and needing rest. He found shelter amongst the passages of what had once been the Scowle, strides growing lazy and eyes threatening to drift shut before he'd even scuffed out a proper bed. If he'd known who was nearby, he wouldn't have been anywhere near as lackadaisical. As it was, the thick snow all around seemed to muffle everything from sound to even vision. From ice to stone it was all just a blur of grays and slates.

(This post was last modified: Mar 03, 2023, 06:38 AM by Clouse.)

And that is a scent he was hoping had been drowned and washed ashore only in hell. It brings adjectives like bone-chilling and wet to mind, and Malien scowls down at the wolf tracks he's come across in the whiteout. They're fresh - have to be, with the torrent of snow having blanketed the land in the recent hours. What is he doing here? Malien's taken to staying on this side of the Peaks to avoid them but it's like he can't get away. He's haunted by them.

Feeling somewhat petulant and also annoyed he follows the tracks, rather surprised that when he finally spots the small, dark wolf they're settling down to rest in the snow. An unexpected blessing, perhaps, if Malien wanted to take him by surprise. It could be so easy...

A quick burst of violence, blood on the snow, a long, dark rest.

But he doesn't do that.

Instead, he just keeps on walking, appearing like some specter out of the surrounding white. "I dropped you at death's door," he says, looming. "Perhaps I should've knocked harder."

There's no threat in his voice- no malice. If anything, he just sounds .. pensive. "What are you doing here?"

Clouse had found his place when the wind brought in Malien's scent, something he'd never gotten a proper whiff of given the frigid water he'd been dumped into. Instead of recognizing the other for who they were, his mind showed him a different, mildly familiar face.

He almost spoke Artyom's name aloud in a question, but a voice that could not be mistaken took to the air first and the pretense he'd been approached by a friendly face shattered. Clouse turned to set eyes upon that cold metallic face.

Was that an admission the whole event had not been a mistake, or simply an expression of his anger at being duped? Clouse mused on it a moment, while also considering his surroundings and the precarious position he was now in. Far from having the Scowle mentally mapped out, he couldnt know where the path now to his back led. Not that running would be a first recourse.

"What a coincidence, I'd hoped to have killed you too."

His tail began to lift behind him, a warning should Malien draw too close. As for his activities here, what business was it of this asshole's? He certainly wasn't about to profess to having loved ones around...

"I'm definitely not looking for you. What do you want?"

"Sorry to disappoint," he responds without a single trace of remorse, noting Clouse's warning but stepping slightly too close anyway. He sniffs lightly, as if Clouse is, after all, somewhat offensive to be around. And he kind of is- he dumped Malien into a freezing cold river, after all. Hardly polite.

His own pose remains somewhat unthreatening, but sort of intrusively curious- ears forward, tail neutral, eyes sharp. "To bother you," he answers bluntly, sinking down on his haunches in the snow. He's still ready to spring into action at the slightest sign of violence, coiled tight. "Why aren't you over there?" His muzzle points in the general direction of the Split, the others, the interlopers in Malien's paradise.

Clouse's eyes narrowed further, not entirely sure what to make of this wolf but confident that he was unable to trust an inch of him. In some ways, he reminded him of a few particular family members, ones known to be cutthroat. There was something starkly different there too, however. He refused to yet take a step back, but it was clear he was unhappy about the stranger continuing to push unspoken boundaries.

Then the other sat, and Clouse scoffed softly. This was not how he wanted to spend his time, but the Archer was too stubborn to simply take his leave. Not so easily, at least.

The man mentioned the stretch of forest they'd both apparently left, and he felt his heart skip a beat as @Loach's eyes passed through his memory.

"Some dense fuck shoved me into rapids, so I got the hint."

(This post was last modified: Mar 14, 2023, 08:03 PM by Clouse.)

Maybe this isn't very .. thought-through. Like come on Mally, not even you are stupid enough to believe someone you attempted to get killed (quite hands-on, too) would just sit down and have a cordial chat with you just because you've suddenly decided you're curious about his tenacity. This is obviously not a fond reunion, tea-and-cakes, this is tense tails and close to bared teeth.

So his plan has, in a way, both worked and backfired. And here they are.

"Or maybe your fat ass fell in all on its own," he retorts, expression flat. What else is he supposed to say, or do? Attack him? Walk away? He feels committed but he's not sure to what. Just like.. there's something he wants here, that he can't just leave things the way they currently are.

The response seemed to come effortlessly to the other, and its delivery along with his chosen turn-of-phrase roused an amused snort, much to Clouse's chagrin. The humor didn't otherwise expand to the rest of the younger wolf's features, eyes still cold and lips held flat. It would take far more for him to warm up to this character, even briefly.

"Then it wasn't an accident?"

He would take the moment to dare Malien to come clean. Denying intent by saying he'd nothing to do with it rather than taking the opportunity to claim it had been unintentional could mean something, or it could just be Clouse wanting it to have been purposeful. Either way, he was curious enough to know what explanation this nameless acquaintance really had, if he was willing to give one at all.

Oh? What's that? One of Malien's ears twitch at the amused snort, eyes glittering. So however fucked their relation - kinda what happens when you attempt murder - they're not past the point of being funny. He decides it's a good thing. Leaves more doors open, see.

He decides being put on the spot like this is less of a good thing, though. Levelly, he meets the cold eyes of the other, his a heartless gold.

It's the million dollar question, isn't it? And what he's been asking himself ever since he did it. Because it was in his paws- he could write the story the way he wanted.

But perhaps it is his silence - not hesitation, just silence - that gives him away. Robs him of all credibility, were he to offer anything but the truth. So his lips briefly peel from his teeth to let a single word into the air between them.

"No."

Clouse grew all the more certain with every second in-between their voices, and then the other confirmed it. He couldn't help the self-satisfied, toothy smile that spread over his muzzle. While he would have insisted he'd been right to teach the guy a lesson even if it truly had been mere mishap, now it was indisputable; Moon-and-stars here had been the bigger asshole.

"So we're even."

It wasn't a question or proposal, but rather a decisive statement. Of course, the Archer wasn't naïve enough to think that the other would necessarily mind this fine line. He could hope, though, that the stranger's surviving didn't mean he'd now have to constantly watch his back. Being trapped in a revenge cycle, especially over something so senseless, didn't fit into his plans for the future regardless of how open he strove to keep them.

(This post was last modified: Mar 16, 2023, 07:27 AM by Clouse.)

What sort of wolf looks pleased at being told the attempt on their life had been deliberate? Malien's expression doesn't change, but he wonders about it. Piques his interest more, see. And who, then, calls them even for what they'd done - rather than blame Malien and claim self-defense? He blinks (slow, steady).

"I suppose," he agrees after a short moment, not quite reluctant, but thoughtful. He can't help but feel like Clouse is selling himself short in this deal, essentially letting Malien off the hook entirely, all for the simple pleasure of having attempted to drown him in kind. Why? Is it just another ruse to get him to let his guard down?

He sniffs slightly, as if Clouse is still somewhat distasteful to his senses, then yawns. Hugely. Showing off all those pearly whites, or just letting go of tension? His jaws close again, and he licks his lips a few times. "I'm Malien, by the way."