Stonewatch Timbers At a great expence

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70 ° F, 21 ° C

The soft crunching of snow underpaw, that’s the noise he missed. A small white shape trotted out onto the rocky outcrop overlooking a vast expanse of timbers below. A gentle sigh escaped the white muzzle of the arctic wolf as he looked down in frustration. Trees...everywhere, as far as he could see, all he could see were the massive towering trunks. The small wolf’s mind drifted back toward the expanse of snowy plains he had called home for to the north east. {i} Is it really home if your not welcomed?{i}

As he moved down the rocky slopes, Rai’s mind mulled over the events that had led up to him being here. The hunt with his sister. Her sudden and unexplainable death. Being called a traitor and oath breaker. It had all happened so quickly, He had gone from a stable life to the vats unknown and uncertainties associated with becoming a loner, banished from the snowy plains he had grown up on...and forced to traverse these thick forests as he searched for a new home.

“One mistake, that’s all it takes.” He sighed as he moved under the cover of the trees, the cloudy sky and morning sunlight dancing through the broad and exposed canopy, casting the trees in a even semi balance of shadows and light.

(This post was last modified: May 17, 2016, 04:20 PM by Rai.)

Askan was so hungry. It was all he could think about.  The gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach was constant and painful, and it felt as though fangs were tearing up his insides. He had never felt hunger like this before.  Back in Yukon, when he lived with his pack he had never gone hungry like this. His family were renowned for their skill at hunting caribou. The skills and know-how had been passed on from generation to generation,and yet that knowledge was useless to him now.

 It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to hunt,  because he had, more times than he could count. It was just wasn't very good at it. Askan was strong, undoubtedly so, but he wasn't a fast wolf. So no matter how hard he pushed himself he just couldn't catch up to the prey he was chasing. He was so accustomed to hunting in a group that he simply couldn't cope on his own. 

With that being said, he wasn't just going to lay down on his back and expose his belly to the world. He wasn't going to submit, he wasn't going to die here. Askan still had so much to live for, he still had to fulfil his destiny. He didn't know what his destiny was yet, but he was certain that he was bound for greater than this. Anything had to be better than this.

It was then Askan spotted a white wolf standing on a stony outcrop.

The white of its fur did little to camouflage it in the greens and browns of these strange, rugged highlands. If anything, the wolf stuck out stark and bright like a moon in a dark sky. Askan cursed and pressed his belly to the ground in an attempt to blend in with his earthly surroundings. After all, if he could see the wolf from where he was, it was bound to be able to see him. In his mind, Askan scolded himself just as his father would all those weeks ago. He had been a fool, a reckless and naive fool. What did he expect? Did he really think he would be safe wandering around on his own without a pack to support him?

 The white wolf was small, smaller than he was at least, so Askan believed that if it came down to it he would have had a strong chance at defeating it in a fight. After all, he was the strongest wolf in his pack, stronger than Father even, or so he would claim.  But despite his bravado, he didn't want it to come to fight. He was starving, wasting energy on a fight was pointless. Especially when he could have used said energy trying to hunt.

Askan didn't know what to do. He was a stranger to these woods, so he didn't know the terrain and he certainly didn't know this wolf. So he did the only thing he could think of. He continued to hide,held his breath and waited, prayed that the wolf would just pass on and leave him be.

(This post was last modified: May 18, 2016, 03:01 PM by Askan. Edit Reason: Noticed a typo. Opps. )

He moved slowly at first as he stepped under the unnatural shade of the large trees, the wolf’s amber gaze drifting up toward the sparse canopy. Rai swallowed as he could barely see the sky between the trees, it wasn't right, he was made for the wide open plains, the sky should always be visible, not this, not some leafy barrier between him and that vast expanse of bleak grey. A soft sigh escaped as a low rumble emitted from from his stomach. Rai had little luck recently in hunting, that hare he had devoured days ago seeming like only a faint memory as he suddenly stiffened.

It hadn’t been sight nor sound that gave away the other wolf's presence, but scent. At some point the breeze had shifted direction, blowing the scent of an unknown wolf toward the white loner. As he stood rigid, ready for an attack, his head moved slowly as he sought out the source of the smell.

There, less then a few meters away a dark shape sat.

Rai debated quickly on what to do, if it came down to a fight, he was positive that he could outrun the larger wolf, he was small and stocky, but he wasn’t slow, infact running had been one thing Rai had been able to take pleasure out of back in Nunavut, but here, with all these trees and overgrowth it’d be much tricker.

After a few moments of staring off with the other wolf, Rai realized that maybe, just maybe this wouldn’t turn into a hostile confrontation. He simply wanted to get out of here, to continue on his own way, but that’d be impossible when he clearly in the presence of another wolf. What could he do? Turn tail like a coward and run? No, that was far out of the question, so for the time being, he continued to stare at the darker shape, bidding him to make the first move.