Kingsfall The Stone Coven

@Galen

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Shivering from the cold, Toklo felt like he was stranded and lost as he slowly made his way through the thick tree line. Barely any of the light from the sky made its way down to the ground from the clouds and the trees. He saw in the distance that there was a small dugout cave carved from the side of a boulder. Thinking that this could be a good spot where the chilly cold wind would be blocked, the malnourished and sleep deprived wolf slumped down. He slept for a couple of hours, but was soon startled by a twig snapping in the distance. His ears perked up at the sound and Toklo stood, ready to stand his ground. "Hello? Is anyone out there? I mean no harm, I just need food and shelter." He shouted.

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(This post was last modified: Feb 13, 2024, 11:22 PM by Toklo.)

Ever since the meeting Galen couldn't help but feel the never ending tension that clung to the air once Magg and himself brought attention to the pressing matter of getting word back to the cove about their situation for the umpteenth time. Of course the timing may have been in poor taste, but how much longer were the duo going to be forced to sit by and wait as nothing was done?

Much like Magg's brewing anger, Galen's anxiousness was brewing as well and fed into the tension that caused his paws to acquire that familiar itch only motion seemed to ease. Thus the swarthy yearling found himself stalking through the thickness of the trees just beyond the outskirts of the Falls under the guise of a mock nighttime darkness. His ebony fur blended into the shadows with a certain ease, uncaring in the heaviness his paws exerted on what little foliage and branches remained free of snow.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

Only the sound of an unfamiliar voice managed to drag him out of his thoughts and back to reality with ears pricked forward in full alert, pausing mid stride to narrow golden eyes against the darkness ahead in search of the voice's owner. "Hello?" He called back out almost hesitantly. What if all their waiting around had served to provide Magg's assailant the time necessary to come finish the job?

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Toklo could see the new wolf now as they came closer. He could smell that other wolf was a male, about a year old. His dark black fur made him almost look like a flat shadow against the brilliant white snow. His bright gold eyes stood out against his ebony fur.

Toklo walked over to the yearling wolf, keeping his head down, and said "Hello. My name is Toklo. I am in desperate need of shelter. I'm being hunted by a large cougar by myself. I know that if the cougar smells me in the midst of a pack, it will run away. Is there anywhere that I could rest, even for a night?".

Toklo showed submittance to him by rolling over on his back, trying to show him that he wouldn't harm him or his pack.

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Ebony ears pricked forward to hone in on any form of noise that followed his call, silence initially following suit until the sound of twigs snapping under the weight of something getting closer began to grow louder and louder. Golden eyes narrowed against the darkness to focus on a silhouette that shifted about, eventually a form likened to a smudge based on the combination of creams and smokey greys emerging from the thick treeline.

Galen took a step back as the stranger continued to approach, albeit their demeanor submissive and nonthreatening toward himself which was quite the strange sensation to experience. Given his age and low ranking in the pack it was typically the swarthy yearling that had to adopt such submissive behaviors to appease the adults. Regardless, though, the young boy listened to what the other male had to say, taking in his scent to decipher he was older in age and smelt of nobody else. Nor did they resemble the appearance of the assailant Magg had described to him on their initial trek to the Falls.

It was probably that factor alone that served as enough for Galen to relax his posture and uptake a seated position, eyes scanning their surroundings for signs of this cougar he claimed to be hunting him down only to find nothing. Much to his relief due to his disdain for the stinky felines. "I don't see any signs of this cougar, but I may have a place you can get the rest you need." He started, dropping his gaze to the man belly up. "Paradise Falls. It's the pack I'm temporarily in and I'm sure they will offer you the same sanctuary they did myself."

I loved that you said "stinky felines" haha

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Toklo was relieved to hear that the mountain lion hadn't followed him here to this innocent pack. "Thank you," Toklo said, "I promise that if the pack leader lets me have sanctuary here, I will be a valuable resource for the pack." Toklo took pride in the fact that he was a skilled hunter. He originally had been training to become the highest ranked hunter in his family pack before he left.

Without even thinking, he marched forward not realizing that he had no idea where he was headed. Embarrassed, Toklo stopped and looked back to Galen. "Oh-um, where is the pack den?" He said, producing an anxious chortle at his mistake. Galen seemed like the kind of wolf that he would want to impress, so making this mistake made Toklo feel even more awkward.

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Galen listened closely to the promise that spewed from Toklo's lips and frankly he found he didn't care if this guy did manage to keep his promise or not should Finley accept him into the pack. The Falls weren't his home, nor could he bring himself to imagine it as such. Magg and himself had discussed that they would be leaving soon anyways since it was made blatantly obvious that not only was there nothing more they could offer in regard to her damaged leg, but that their predicament sat far too low on the totem pole of things worth getting to. If this guy claimed to make himself a valuable resource, so be it. He could take his place amongst the ranks.

Once more wrapped up in his turmoil of thoughts, the initial mistake had gone unnoticed by the swarthy yearling until the other boy stopped in his place and spoke up once more. "Huh?" Golden eyes blinked to rid the distraction that was his thoughts, blurry eyes coming back into focus as they settled on the two toned boy before his brain caught up with what was going on in reality. "Oh, um. It's this way. Follow me." Galen paused to rise and turn himself about, setting paws into motion toward the path he had just come from to lead his unexpected recruit to the borders where they would wait for Finley to pass her judgement on the bloke.

To pass the time while they traveled back he tossed a glance over a swarthy shoulder toward Toklo. "So, you good at anything in particular?" If this fellow wanted to stand a fighting chance at making a good impression it couldn't hurt to share what hidden talents he may have up his sleeves.

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2024, 05:36 AM by Galen.)