Iridescent Lagoon Drink With Me

ooc: For @Morganna. Dated October 11, 2015. Early morning, sunny, around 43°F.

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Dark chocolate-brown ears swivelled this way and that atop the shadowy agouti's head as he padded quietly through the trees. His movements were not those of a frightened man, nor his vigilance as he walked a symptom of unease. Peirus Asurn was a cautious man, yes, but that caution was a pragmatic one. No one who wandered carelessly came away from the experienced unscathed, and if he must waste time and energy battling an inferior opponent, he would prefer to have the element of surprise solidly on his side. Even a blind mouse may be lucky once, after all. A smirk twisted his lips for a moment. Surely the same must be true for worthless mutts. Logic dictated as much: Any dull creature with even the merest iota of instinct could be fortunate enough to deliver Peirus one day less to be living should he fail to notice them before their attack. Constant vigilance was merely another tool by which the mutts and all their fellow beasts were kept in their proper places beneath his creamy paws. Burning orange eyes took in the man's surroundings from beneath a perpetually furrowed brow as he paused for a moment to raise his head and taste the air of this new place. Good, there was water nearby. That was truly a fortunate turn of events, for Peirus had managed to choose a route that lead him near few sources of clean water, and his last drink had been several hours ago. Now his throat was dry again, and he doubted that the blood of whichever creature he brought down next would be enough to sate his thirst alongside his hunger. It was not much longer after he tasted the scent of the water that he found the source of its siren call: a gleaming, mirror-flat pond surrounded by thickly growing trees and foliage. The morning sky seemed to have found its twin in the undisturbed waters, and the sight was a lovely one even to a man who had little time for lovely things. Peirus allowed himself a brief moment to pause and take in the view before he tread down the the edge of the water and bent his head to drink, sending ripples scurrying across the surface. His seething gaze flitted out beyond the surface of the lagoon, joining his restless ears in maintaining his surveillance of the rest of this unfamiliar environment. It would be a foolish interloper indeed who attempted to surprise him here. He would hear or see them coming, and he now had a prize worth defending should the need arise. Black claws dug into the soft earth of the shoreline at the thought of the punishment he would mete out should he be attacked; his brown and black-carved tail wagged slowly in anticipation. Truly, a part of him nearly hoped the need would arise for him to rend and tear; it had been far too many consecutive days since the last time his teeth had met in another predator, and he was eager for the challenge.

Hello, little one. Would you like to play a game with me?

Her embarrassment of nights gone past almost forgotten but for the tenderness of her muzzle, she decided perhaps she was better off trying her luck at fishing while the sun shone overhead. With this in mind she had left the Willows with the sunrise, her wiry frame eating up the miles easily, flat terrain passing underfoot with none of the huffing and puffing that had driving her up mountains far to the north.

In a shorter period of time than she previously remembered she caught sight of the glistening lagoon, a fresh breeze neglecting any hint of the other predator that had made himself comfortable at the waters edge. Overconfidence would be her downfall one of these days. She had already met one predator here, what was to say the wind was even blowing the right direction?

Seemingly off in a world of her own she slipped into the water, eyes so trained on the surface looking for a glimmer that might betray fish that her only warning that she wasn’t alone, similarly to her last encounter here, was when ripples moved towards her in small waves. Lifting her eyes to scan the banks, they finally fell on the brown and black wolf drinking his fill. Perceiving the distance between them as a safe one (for now) she turned her eyes back to the water by her legs, the glitter of scales and a slimy brush against her leg distracting her enough to bring her ears forward with interest. Did she want to risk looking like a fool in front of another stranger?

(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2015, 07:54 AM by Morganna.)

It would seem Peirus was not doomed to a lonely drink, after all. One ear pricked forward, settling as his eyes did upon the shapely young woman across the lagoon. He did not lift his head yet; the woman had not noticed him, it would seem, and he was too thirsty to bother with her until she did. Only the ripples his tongue sent dancing across the water to her seemed to alert the darkling wolf to his presence, and the Asurn could not help but smile as her eyes finally came to rest upon him. Even still, he did not raise his head to greet her; it would seem she was considering trying her paw at one of the myriad fish that appeared to inhabit the water. Peirus sat back after another few laps at the water, idly licking away the lingering moisture across his lips and muzzle as he continued to watch this newcomer quietly. It was early yet to consider approaching any woman with the intent to woo her to his side, but that was of little concern to Peirus. The sooner he had some pretty thing eating out of his paws, the longer he would have to ensure she would bear him worthy heirs to strengthen his power. And the winter is coming on fast, ready to kill, he mused. Best to have strong roots set down before the frost touches the sapling. Of course, for the moment, all of this was speculation. He had yet to see how this woman before him fared with aquatic prey; though he was no expert in the capture of fish, Peirus saw this as a chance to monitor his erstwhile companion for any signs of speed or agility. An Asurn could not build his power on strength alone, after all. A very large rock rolled down a steep cliff was only dangerous to that which did not move more quickly. All the same, if the woman had neither speed nor agility to her name, perhaps there was some cunning there instead that might be worked with. The ability to sway the foolish with a pretty bromide here and there was another rather important trait for a worthwhile wolf to possess; if this woman was slow in the physical sense, perhaps she was swifter within her mind. Again, her attempt to snare any fish - should the attempt be made - could prove an invaluable insight as to whether this one was sharp enough to be worth his time.

Hello, little one. Would you like to play a game with me?

She had come here for a reason, she supposed and if the other wolf had no intention of scaring off her fish then she thought she had best get about her business. While the thought of ears and nose full of water may have wrinkled her muzzle she tried to recall just what the red wolf (@Pickerel) had done differently to her. She folded her ears back against her skull, angled her head ever so slightly and when the fish made another pass by her legs she plunged her head under the water, taking a snap at something far larger than she could have anticipated.

She didn’t even have the time to scream.

There was a mighty splash as the sturgeons tail broke the surface with an angry slap. As the young wolf leapt forwards towards the stranger it would seem the fish (which now was on her heels as she fled) was clearly at least twice her size. Her mouth was agape with fear, her heart thundered in her chest as she finally reached dry land turned to make sure the demon water-beast didn’t have feet to follow her. If the creatures wake was any indication, it swam up and down the bank where she had escaped several times just to ensure she had no intention of returning to the water. As she stood on shaky limbs, allowing the water to roll off her pelt without the aid of a proper shake she breathed several deep breaths. “Fuck tha-. I’ll leave th’ fishin’ ter the hunters.” she muttered breathlessly to herself.

Suddenly remembering the stranger (had she come close to bowling him over in her escape?) She looked about with wide eyes. “D’ yer know wot tha thing was?”

One thing was for certain, Morganna Archer would not willingly be entering the water again any time soon.

(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2015, 09:21 AM by Morganna.)

Peirus couldn't help leaning forward just a tad as he waited for the woman to make her move. He could just make out the shadow of a rather large fish - a sturgeon, if he had to guess - beneath the surface. If that was to be her prey, he would be well and beyond pleased to see any sort of success come of the other's venture. The beast of the lagoon appeared at least double either Peirus' or the woman's length, and likely had the muscle and girth to match. At last, the woman struck; Peirus scarcely flinched as the sturgeon's tail cleared the water in an angry slap, erecting a white wall of water and foam behind it as it thrashed in response to its attacker's ill-aimed lunge. Cunning and courage appeared to desert her entirely (if indeed they had ever been present before,) and the woman bounded free of her quarry and made her way clumsily to Peirus' side of the lagoon. Well... he had looked for speed as well as intelligence, and where she clearly lacked in the latter she had an abundance in the former. He had seen fish cross deep water like this nearly as swiftly as she did, and her lack of grace as she fled seemed to slow her down not at all. Finally convinced to move, Peirus side-stepped away from the area the woman steered herself towards, and managed to put at least the sturgeon's length between them by the time she finally dragged herself onto dry land on legs that shook. She stank with fear, and her breathless mutterings as she watched the sturgeon patrol the bank in her wake only served to further convince Peirus that both she and the fish were equally aware who had won that little... encounter. He finally allowed himself a quiet snort as the woman turned her wide eyes on him and voiced her question - no, certainly this one was not possessed of any wit. What sort of fool attacked something she could not identify? She had been closer than Peirus to the beast; surely she must have had the opportunity to sense, in some way, that it was an incredibly ambitious target for a single wolf to go after. He supposed this still could not be deemed a complete loss. Idiocy did not tend to be a dominant gene, in his experience, and the idiocy of whoever his future pup-mother might be could prove useful to actually getting pups of his own into this world. Speed, now, that could be useful; Peirus was stronger than he was swift, and his offspring could benefit from having parents who had a variety of physical assets to pass down. Very well, he would give this woman another chance - she certainly had the size of a timber, not to mention a rather lovely black pelt and suitably warm-colored eyes. Perhaps she was at the very least a swift learner. "Can it be you fear to die to a scaled creature with less than half a brain?" he teased, his voice light with good humor and his words nothing but bromide. "That, my dear, appeared to be a sturgeon - and a rather old one, at that. A more experienced huntress would not have chosen such a challenging target - even small ones can be difficult for more than a handful of wolves to bring down." He dipped his head politely as he continued, "My name is Peirus Asurn. Might I inquire as to yours?"

(This post was last modified: Oct 12, 2015, 09:57 AM by Peirus.)

Hello, little one. Would you like to play a game with me?

Perhaps she was too relieved to be alive to take offence to his comment, or maybe the adrenaline made her half mad. Regardless, she answered his question with a smile and a derisive snort of bitter laughter. “I scout. Small game, herbs, information. I’ve only tried fishin’ once before, just a few nights ago, didn’ come off so well then either. All I saw was a flash an’ thought ‘fish’, the sun musta’ helped ‘er hide in plain sight.” She shook her head, disbelieving smile still in place. She might not have got the meal she was after but the adrenaline rush might have been a worthy trade off.

Her heart finally slowing to a more reasonable place, she squared her feet in the universal language of move or get wet before she shook what remained of the water out of her thickening winter pelt. She almost missed his name, but his question about hers was clear. She allowed her tail to wave momentarily as she considered the wolf before her before she answered. “Morganna Archer, Willow Ridge.” She had dropped the princess from her name since she challenged her aunt for the rank she now wore with pride. It was habit that had her holding her head so haughtily and it was a comfortable confidence that kept her shoulders squared despite such a recent embarrassment.

“What brings yer this way @Peirus she enquired, wondering if perhaps such a well built wolf might perhaps be of use to her as a guardian, or fellow scout given the opportunity. She was sure her mothers pack would always have room for just one more as long as they managed to make themselves useful.

Definitely a fool, Peirus mused as he listened to the woman rattle on. If she was so terrible at fishing, why had she made any attempt at all? Although her lack of skill with the process certainly explained why she had thought herself sufficiently prepared to go after a fish she had clearly not taken the time to properly size up. He kept his thoughts hidden behind a polite smile and tilted his head to the side as he commented, "I suppose we all have our shortcomings--" He saw her shift and again moved out of the way, though this time he was not quick enough to entirely avoid catching more than a few stray beads of water. How lovely of her to give him no warning at all besides her own body language... oh, well. At least she still seemed happy to speak with him for the moment, and her idiocy and... interesting accent and speech pattern were all relatively minor barriers, easily overcome with a little patience. It was about time he saw how he might turn this encounter into something a bit more beneficial than the mere spectacle it had been thus far. He didn't mind having been entertained, of course, but he really should get around to addressing some sort of actual business. Once she had finished drying herself off, Peirus returned to his seat beside the young Archer and smiled again as her next question addressed his business here directly. Well, at least she knows enough to do her job properly... And yet not enough, it would seem, for any hint of caution to color her tone. He sincerely hoped she didn't expect him to answer her question honestly. She really was far too pretty for that sort of nonsense. "I am merely wandering, at the moment," he told her, making sure as he spoke to support the sincere tone of his voice with the calm behavior of an honest man. "I left my old pack behind when it became too crowded to support the lot of us." Which was not a lie, but neither was it the entire truth. There were reasons why he had felt he could no longer thrive in the original Asurn pack, and their size was only one of those. He sighed quietly and through his nose, allowing his shoulders to drop just a fraction as if weighed down by weariness. "It has been a struggle, I will admit." Gleefully so, were it not for the façade he needed to maintain at the moment. An in was an inn - or something of the sort. Some idioms tended to go in one ear and out the other for the Asurn... In any event, he had no qualms about pretending to need to support of a pack if that was the effort required to infiltrate one. "Still, I think I have managed rather well - as well as any lone wolf can, at any rate." Here he flashed another smile at Morganna, curious to see how well he was winning the woman over with his performance.

Hello, little one. Would you like to play a game with me?

The man seemed polite enough, which would no doubt go down well with her mother. She doubted Angier would complain about another potential rival for Skoll to contend with, although Morganna had no intention of encouraging any sort of blatant rebellion. Her brother would come above all others, she would see to it herself, what she wondered though, as she looked at the wolf before her, was what good he would be to her if she was successful in her bid for leadership. For a loner he was in pretty good condition, and his words seemed to imply that he was more than aware of the impending winter, and the threat that would pose to his survival. One more mouth to feed was one thing, but if it was a useful mouth it might provide far more for them than it took.

“Do yer fight?” she questioned with a tilt of her head, her brows drawing down in a thoughtful expression. She didn’t expect a demonstration by any means - a sentiment she hoped was conveyed through her own relaxed posture. “We’ve got plenty o’ hunters, but we need a bit more…” protection? insurance in case she found herself in the same position as her mother with pups in the open and a cougar on the rampage? “bulk.” she finally settled on. Come spring who knew what she would be needing from any man? A mere (perhaps obvious) momentary flash across her face and the train of thought was pushed easily aside. They had to make it through the winter first.

Peirus allowed himself to display no amusement as Morganna sized him up, and instead merely glanced towards the woman again as though he was waiting for her to respond somehow to what he had said. From the thoughtful expression on her face, she was clearly weighing something against the other behind those lovely eyes of hers. If Peirus had to wager a guess, he would put everything to his name on the odds that she was considering the benefits of having him as her pack's newest member. The next words out of her mouth seemed to confirm as much, and her leading question almost made him smile. Almost. Do I fight? Dear woman, is your life just one more lie? He kept the sardonic thought to himself, however, and patiently heard her out as she clarified what her pack seemed most in need of: "bulk," as she so charmingly put it. A newborn whelp would know what that meant; he wondered why she could not simply tell him they were looking for warriors. Perhaps her vocabulary was not broad enough to clearly state as much, the poor thing. Living in the company of mutts must have that effect on a wolf. "I do fight," he answered calmly, dipping his head again as a sign of respect. "I would even go so far as to say I am fairly good at it." Again he swallowed back the urge to grin at his own joke; she would not have recognized it for one, surely, and laughing over such a comment might ruin his chances of being allowed entry into her pack. He had taken note of her failure to indicate that she wanted him to demonstrate how well he fought; until she spoke further on the subject, he could not be certain whether that was the result of forgetfulness or of a weakness of the body. To that end... "However," he added, hesitating as if uncertain he should continue. "I have avoided getting into any tangles on my journey thus far for the sake of simple necessity; it would have been difficult to travel while nursing any serious injuries. I may have grown a bit rusty as a result - nothing irreparable, of course," he added, quickening his words just a hair to suggest concern that he had put her off of inviting him to her home. In the dark, private corners of his mind, he ultimately could not care less if she turned him away; there were always other mutts to beguile. "If I may," he began, and now he kept his voice low and careful, as though he was concerned he might be overstepping a boundary with what he had to say. "I have a great deal of experience acting as a guardian; it was my primary role in the pack I left." And with that, the bait had been set out. Now it was time to see if this little mouse would snatch it up or thumb her nose at it, instead.

Hello, little one. Would you like to play a game with me?

There could have been the tug of a smile at the corner of her mouth as she remembered Craw’s wise words to her on their first encounter. We have not met before. It seemed to be wise advice given the… circumstances. She wasn’t so sure of this one as she was of Craw so she would not give so much away this time. He was a touch arrogant, and possibly not nearly so suave as he thought (although that could have simply come down to the difference between them in years). He seemed harmless enough though, perhaps even a touch honest and one less wolf tied to blood loyalty was one less wolf she would have to worry about revolting when the revolution finally came about.

“Well yer seem capable enough.” she mused aloud, making a big show of weighing up the options. Let him think her young, inexperienced and in over her head. It would only serve her better down the track. “Yer’ll find us in the Willows. Keep goin’ east, if yer hit th’ hills turn north. Mother or @Angier’ll have th’ final say.” Her own gaze turned north. Sure, she could accompany this stranger home, but she planned on taking the scenic route and wanted to see if he was really as good as he seemed to think he was.