Turtleback Lake truce

@Eidolon <3!
and subterritory discovery~ name & description will be edited in, just wanted to get post up first c:

early morning, cold cold cold, party cloudy, snow on ground (just not in pictures :x)

Snow crunched between his toes as he crossed the tundra, leaving the looming monadnock behind. The sun had just started to poke its head above the horizon, chasing away the inky night sky with rays of gold. Truthfully the shadow preferred to scout the neighbouring territories under the cover of darkness, but he had a soft spot for sunrises. And it wasn’t just because the sun reminded him of @Kyna’s fiery pelt…

Unless he was instructed by the silver spider or his sister to scout a particular area Greer never had a destination in mind. He went wherever his paws took him and stopped whenever his deer-like legs grew tired. While he had explored most of the expanse there was still so much that remained undiscovered. Initially the shadow had been intimidated by the exposed terrain—he had grown accustom to the comforting, sweeping branches of the willows and the surrounding forests in the southern eden. But now he was beginning to realize how suffocating the company of branches had been. Despite the vulnerability of the lowlands the Whitestone wolves were able to see most of the territory from their vantage point atop the monadnock. Their claiming of the rock had been out of necessity and desperation at first, but now Greer could not imagine them living anywhere else.

He headed east, skirting the forest claimed by the river wolves, and headed in the direction of  the lake separating the lowlands from the vale. Thoughts of swimming to the floating forests crossed his thoughts but he dared not venture into the frigid water. He would wait for the warmer months to return before attempting the swim. The shadow did not feel like dancing with hypothermia today.

As he hovered around the edge of the lake a large, tortoise-shaped rock caught his attention. The shadow maneuvered over tree roots and smaller stones to get closer to the structure, his brows knitted together as he studied the oddly shaped stone. Without further hesitation Greer flung himself at the rock, using his long legs to pull himself to the top. He folded his hindquarters against the cold stone, his mercury gaze fixated on the three islands that prevented him from seeing the opposite shore. 

(This post was last modified: Jan 05, 2017, 04:06 AM by Greer.)

@Greer Thank you for starting the thread!

Eido was not much one for traveling at night, but since she had come a bit further north, she was all too excited to explore the landmarks and locations harbored in the northeast. It was so much better than the southwest - except, perhaps, for the Iridescent Lagoon; she had liked it there very much, - with all of its trees and underbrush that she could weave around and feel much safer in. She still preferred the fiery colors of the Red Fern Forest, as she felt like she blended in much better there, particularly with all the snow. She would blend even better in the spring and summer, when her own fur darkened up a bit and regained more of its ginger tint. As of now, she almost looked like a pure white Arctic Wolf, save for the light reddish ears and tail.

But no, the young female had not slept the night prior, and did not particularly want to, either. The first rays of dawn were just washing the dark from the sky, and Eido liked to watch the sun rise. Neel had always hated her for being an earlybird, as she occasionally had woken her littermate up specifically to see the sun rise. She supposed that she got that trait from her father; the dark red male had loved that Eido would get up in the early mornings with him to watch dawn break over the horizon.

As she trotted along on her merry way, the pale-furred little wolf was shocked to see what looked like a running shadow making its way through the forest just ahead of her. The fur along the back of her neck and her spine rose in fear - a ghost was the first thing that had popped into her mind. The second thing was, the spirits from Spectral Woods must have followed me! I'm haunted!

Against her better judgment, however, Eido was highly curious. She had never actually seen a ghost before, though she was sure that the blue forest a bit south of here was filled to the brim with them. So, though it terrified her to her core to think about, the fact that there was a real, genuine, moving ghost in front of her piqued her interest. So, she decided to follow at a reasonable distance, and to hone her own skills in being silent in order to follow the inky black figure as it breezed toward the lake ahead.

Whilst she was trailing behind the figure, however, she noticed several things. One - she could both hear and see evidence that the creature was disturbing the ground; the snow was crunching and there were paw prints in the snow. Eido had heard that ghosts floated. Two - she could smell not only the creature's own, very alive, wolf scent, but she could discern that it was a male. And three - when they finally reached the lake and the black phantom had taken a seat on a suspiciously-turtle-looking rock, Eido could see billows of white steam coming from its muzzle as it breathed. She knew ghosts didn't breathe.

That only left one possibility - this ghost was actually a living, breathing wolf. Not a ghost at all. Eido's fur laid flat against her back and she relaxed. Living wolves she could deal with. While she was concerned now, because some wolves were quite cruel creatures, she at least was in her element and understood that this creature could not hurt her in a supernatural way. So, pushing aside all fear that she felt - for she really needed to get over this fear of meeting new wolves - Eido stepped forward, out of the brush. She still kept her posture low and her ears pressed to her head,  and she wagged her tail a little as she approached. Look as non-threatening as possible.

"Good morning," she called to the shadow, her voice wobbling a bit at the end and betraying how scared she was of the situation.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

@Eidolon <3!

Solitude was difficult to come by as Whitestone began to swell in size. Occasionally he would stretch out his scouting missions in order to steal a few more minutes to himself. It was a struggle to adjust; to adapt. The shadow was growing comfortable in the north and the idea of the monadnock being nothing more than a temporary home was quickly dissipating. Greer still fought with himself on occasion, for the idea of settling and committing to the silver spider and his sister was daunting. Craw, however, had surprised the shadow, and he was intrigued by the older male. The spider was constantly scrutinizing his surroundings, silently calculating and plotting—but for what?

A sigh caused his shoulders to fall, mercury gaze focused on the morning sun reflected in the still water. The air was cold and undisturbed—just the way he liked it. The shadow still distanced himself from his packmates as he fulfilled his duties. He had even found a suitable den, away from the others, in order to achieve the isolation he desperately craved. Craw and his sister did not seem to mind. They respected his desires to be alone, and in return, he preformed his duties, often doing more than what was expected of him. He wanted them to know he appreciated the space they gave him and that he would not take advantage of the loosened grip they had on him.

He smelt the stranger long before she spoke. At first the shadow hoped she would pass by without acknowledging his presence, but Greer quickly realized how foolish that was. She was nervous—he could smell it coming off of her in waves. A frown creased his dark lips, brows knotted together. Her voice was small; frail; uncertain. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting the girl’s orange gaze with a single, silver iris. No words came from the shadow. Instead, he offered a sharp exhale from his nose as a greeting, the steam dissipating quickly as it met the cold air.

@Greer This was way shorter than I expected it to be; I am so sorry about that. The next posts will be longer, I promise.

Eido paused for a moment when the black wolf looked at her. Upon closer inspection, with his fur the color of spilled ink and his eyes like pools of mercury, he was almost the exact opposite in coloration from the pale wolf, especially in the wintertime, when her fur was nearly the color of snow itself.

She wagged her tail when they made eye contact, but perked her ears when he offered no verbal reply. That was... unexpected. She didn't think that he was being rude by simply sniffing in an answer, and his body posture wasn't threatening, so she took a few pawsteps forward, until she was at the base of the turtle-rock. She looked up at him and tipped her head to the side like a confused puppy. And then, she offered him a smile and decided to speak again. "My name is Eido." Her voice was calmer now, as she was feeling less of her initial nervousness and anxiety upon meeting this new wolf. Him not turning and immediately trying to kill her really helped in that respect - not to mention the fact that he was not a ghost, and that was a relief.

"Do you have a name?" she asked, and regretted it almost immediately afterward. Of course he had a name - all wolves did... right? Eido was almost positive of that. She just found it a bit odd that he hadn't responded verbally to her thusfar, and though it didn't bother her - necessarily - she wanted to know if he were able to speak at all, or if he was completely mute.

Her mother had told her about wolves who couldn't talk. In fact, one of her older brothers had been mute for the first several months of his life, she had said. It was not something to shame wolves over; in fact, it was their choice to speak or not speak, and her mother had even claimed that some wolves who chose not to speak were smarter than those who spoke too much. Eido had to wonder if her mother had been talking about herself when she had mentioned that - Eido was quite the chatterbox, particularly when she was a pup, and she sometimes said stupid things. So, no, she would not judge a wolf for not speaking, whether it was their choice or if they were just completely unable to at all.

(This post was last modified: Jan 05, 2017, 06:31 AM by Eidolon.)

@Eidolon !

Greer never asked for names—even as a small tuft of black fur. Collecting names was something that did not interest him, for he never planned on meeting the same wolf twice. Unless, for whatever reason, he deemed them important. The scarlet wolf who made her home south of the lake was an example of this unlikely exception, for he yearned for her presence. Her name was something he hoped he would never forget.

The girl did not seem bothered by his nonverbal greeting. Rather, she seemed intrigued by it. A single brow raised as he watched the small girl step forward, nearing the edge of the water that separated the rock from the mainland. His tongue lay heavy in his mouth, reluctant to move. She introduced herself, her calm voice distorting the silence he had (briefly) revelled in. Eido. His lips tightened as he turned slightly in order to study the pale wolf with both eyes. The girl was far too meek to be an asset to the Whitestone wolves—but, she wasn’t injured, so she was of more use than the white wolf Lorçan was tending to. An amused expression flickered across his dark features, disappearing just as quickly as it arrived.

Another exhale came in response to the girl’s question, his tongue pressing against the back of his teeth. The Archer did not understand why names were so sought after. He had frequently toyed with the idea of giving a new name with each introduction, or introducing himself as the last wolf he had encountered. But he never committed—mostly because he did not care enough to. “Greer,” he answered after a pregnant pause, his right ear twitching as the word dripped off his tongue. 

@Greer

She felt strange, being studied as the black wolf seemed to be doing. The silence and staring was uncomfortable, but she was quite interested, so she decided to tolerate it for the time being. Besides, she recalled once more what her mother taught her about wolves who did not speak being wise. So, perhaps, instead of being rude, this male was just wiser than most. Perhaps he could not speak at all. Now, Eido was paying more attention to his body and facial language instead - she herself was quite good at telling what a wolf was feeling just by looking at them, and she was willing to bet that this one was a bit annoyed with her presence. However, she was not worried about that so much. As long as he wasn't hostile, she believed that she was fine. For the time being, anyway.

An amused expression crossed the ink-black wolf's features before he spoke. Greer. It was... an odd name, but then again, she supposed Eidolon was not quite so usual and common, either. So, she did not judge. Rather, she quirked her muzzle in a smile and wagged her tail a bit. "So you can speak." She placed her paws up on the rock that he was sitting on, but made no move to get on top of it. It was more for something to do, really. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Greer," she continued, before letting the conversation lapse into silence.

Well, for a moment or two, anyway. Eido was never one for long silences, so she decided that she could probably talk enough for the both of them. Until he either explicitly told her to leave or chased her off, she assumed. She cleared her throat before continuing on, as though the talking thing were no issue at all. "I thought you were a ghost, you know. I've been to Spectral Woods, and even though I hadn't ever seen a ghost there, I thought one might have come to haunt me." She let out a single laugh. "But you look like a walking shadow - you really spooked me. I guess that's a little silly, isn't it? I'm not a puppy anymore, so I probably shouldn't believe in ghosts at all."

She was a bit concerned that she was bothering the male with her presence, and even more so with her talking, but slightly sleepy and left in an awkward silence was a bad combination for Eido, so she decided that she  would just chat away.

@Eidolon !

Perhaps he should not have spoken.

Perhaps, maybe, he should have maintained the silence.

Once his name rolled off his tongue the loner lit up like a summer sunrise, a smile stretching her lips as she placed her paws against the rock—his rock. His tail twitched at the movement and he found himself leaning away from her. The Archer simply nodded at her words, his tongue resting comfortable in its damp home, protected by a fence made of pearly canines. Yet, for whatever reason, it seemed that his silence only intrigued those he encountered and encouraged them to speak more.

And Eido was no exception.

Once the silence had settled she disrupted it once more, words no longer dripping off her tongue but falling, one after the other. She mentioned something about ghosts, which caused his brows to immediately furrow. Ghosts. While Greer was undecided on whether ghosts were real or not, he was dumbfounded that the girl thought following a ghost was a good idea. He blinked, his head tipping to the side as he listened to the word vomit expel from her small body. Truthfully, he was not sure what she was going on about, but she seemed to be more comfortable filling the silence than embracing it. Most wolves were for they did not enjoy being alone with their thoughts. It was when the demons came out to play…

Greer offered nothing more than a smooth roll of his shoulders in response to her rambling. Even if he did not mind speaking he wouldn’t know what to say. The Archer did not fair well with chatty individuals; small talk had never been his forté. Despite his preference for silence he would comply to others talking at him—if he was in a reasonable mood, of course. He was also not afraid of walking away if he was not interested. Fortunately for the pale loner before him, he was content with being her verbal punching bag for the time being. 

@Greer

It did not take long for the young wolf to notice that the shadow was uncomfortable with her being in such close proximity - his leaning away from her was telltale proof of that. So, as soon as he began leaning away, she backed off again and brought her paws off the stone. Instead, she cleared her throat awkwardly and sat down on the bank of the lake. It didn't take a genius to realize that the shadowy male preferred silence. She was sure now that he could talk, but rather chose not to. It occurred to the pale loner that she had literally just imposed on the poor male's peaceful morning, and she felt her pelt burning with embarrassment at her actions.

"Sorry," she told him, lowering her head and laying on her stomach in front of the vast expanse of water. She could see the shine of ice where at least some of it had frozen over, and she pressed a paw absently to the slush at the bank. "You're right to be quiet; nobody really likes to talk this early in the morning. My mom used to say that all the smart wolves were quiet, anyway." The young loner let the last sentence hang in the air like the fog that hung over the lake. The black wolf had put up with her chattering for a time, so she was content to put up with his silence.

As she lay there, watching the sky come alight with pinks, purples, yellows, and blues as the sun began its ascent, she found that it wasn't really silent at all. There were birds chirping, frondescence rustling with either the wind or perhaps a small animal, trees creaking, and the sound of the two wolves breathing. She was quiet when she had to be, yes, but Eido was the type who would rather talk to herself if she was forced to be alone rather than go about her day with no sound - it was something she'd done ever since her pack had all died. But, now that she was listening to the background music that the forest around her provided, she wasn't unsettled. No, in fact, she found herself enjoying the symphony of sounds that emanated from the woods.

Perhaps this is what mom meant, Eido thought to herself, but did not say anything else. Rather, she rested her chin on her paws with a soft sigh and let her eyes drift halfway shut. She wasn't going to fall asleep - not with a strange wolf right next to her - but she felt comfortable enough at the moment to relax and enjoy the early sunlight as it warmed her fur.

i am so sooo sorry for the wait @Eidolon <3 :c

It appeared that the younger wolf has begun to notice his reluctancy to engage in conversation—and that she was infringing upon his personal space. She withdrew from the rock, folding her legs beneath her as she pressed her pale stomach to the ground. His ear twitched at the gesture. At least she had recognized what she was doing caused him to feel uncomfortable. Most did not.

Her words filled the space between them once more, but this time they started off with an apology. The shadow’s brows narrowed at this. What an odd creature. As she continued Greer wasn’t quite sure if she was talking to hear herself speak, or if she was actually talking to him. He did not mind. The Archer was getting quite good at learning to tune out those he encountered—unless they provided information that was beneficial to him and the Whitestone wolves.

Once the last words dripped off her tongue silence consumed them once more. He welcomed it with a soft smile. Without hesitation he returned his mercury gaze to the mirror-like surface of the lake, his features smoothing as he relished the serenity of the morning glow. Despite being a wolf of the night Greer did not shy away from first light. He had recently found a quiet perch nestled in the fjord to watch the sun rise, but the lake offered a view that the ridge could not provide. He never grew tired of watching the rays of light mirror across the smooth surface of the water. The warm colours would stretch above the tree; reaching for the remaining strands of black and chasing away any lingering stars. There was a little more noise at the water’s edge but he did not mind. It was peaceful in its own way.

His toes curled against the rock as he glanced at the pale girl out of the corner of his eye. She was taking her own moment to enjoy the silence; he dared not disturb her. Instead, he returned his attention to the changing colours in the sky.