Fireweed Rise From the North

The early morning brings a soft and subtle breeze to his nose, his ears rounding to sit prim at the top of his head as he discerns the soft difference of rustling leaves and branches and the flutter of a nervous song bird. The air is warm as it snakes through his pelt, a little lighter than his winter coat but still shaggy, thick, and cloying, and it twitches his shoulders. It's like the feeling of being watched but knowing that there's nothing there -- right now, anyway. The overcast skies threaten rain or thunder, but as of yet he has heard nothing and can only feel that strange tingling sense of what might be. The male's ears swivel around to the sides, detecting nothing but the breeze, and he casts his dark amber eyes in a slow circle, calculating...

Despite his distaste for his sire, his pack instilled in him certain habits which have proven more than useful thus far, even if he is no longer within the protection of a pack itself. He was born a soldier and... it is difficult... to rid himself of that sometimes. He is purposeful in his examination of the trees, though they are so different from the tired, ancient pines of the north; these are rich, fertile trees, thickly canopied and seeming alive in a way that is strange to him. Perhaps it is the trees who are watching him, then, their sentience expressed through each rustle of their leaves.

Pfeh.

The young male snorts quietly, his muzzle twisting into a soft grin.

"Aye, right," he drawls to himself, eyeing one tree at his shoulder with an amused but slightly distrustful air. He pauses in his observation to sit back on his haunches, his hind paw scratching at his belly while his face contorts in to a look of sheer, idiotic pleasure. Satisfied, his pitch black nose flares, drawing in the warmth of the summer air deep in to his lungs, maw parting as he tries to scent out another creature.

He's at it some time before, with little more than a stoic blink, he alights to his paws and begins a measured, trotting gait through the trees, ears erect, head high, on a distinctly heightened alert for possible danger. He didn't think he crossed in to pack lands, not yet, but that doesn't mean another creature isn't nearby.

The thought and feeling of something following him surfaces again and he squirms mid-stride, ears splaying to the sides in a momentary show of discomfort before the male resumes his pace as though nothing happened.

It has been two days, nearly three, since he entered this strange realm of young, fantastical trees, yet as his paws bring him ever southward he notices as they begin to thin. The majority of the bird song is behind him, the scattering of smaller creatures through the undergrowth growing distant. Through the trees ahead he can see the crystal blue sky opening up into... something he's never seen before.

Tyr pauses, one paw lifted, his tail stiff behind him as he examines a vast expanse of tree-less grass, a sight wholly alien to the mountain born wolf. He licks his chops nervously and, for a time, can only stare, and listen to the gentle shush of the grass, and taste the strange smells on his tongue. Cautiously, as if approaching a poisonous snake, he treads into the open, head low as he sweeps it from side to side, wary and distrustful of the newness.

And then a second sight, a further expanse of flowers like he has never seen, painting the field as though the sun were setting blood red in the west,,, They sway and undulate with the wind and their pollen almost begins to overpower his nostrils, causing him to sneeze curiously and pause again in his travels. The dark hued wolf freezes then, out in the open, his senses dulled by flowers, suddenly on alert; has he traveled in to pack lands, did any thing see him, should he keep going, should he turn around?

Questions and indecision reign as Tyr narrows his eyes, thinking...

(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2013, 10:45 PM by Tyr.)

@Tyr

The young Scout was lounging near the birthing den. It had been a nice day so far, relaxing even. Though she knew she would have to do something productive soon. There was much to do, and not much time in a day to do it.

She was surrounded by the small cluster of forest that hid her pack from a normal wolf's view. Though, from her current position she could clearly see who entered the Meadows, and who left. A nice advantage, especially now that she saw a dark wolf appearing in her line of vision. He was a large man, and seemed a bit cautious from her point of view. He was still as a tree. Inali cocked her head and her eyes showed a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

The man looked like he had never seen lands like the tree-less one before him ever before. He probably never had since the lands of Relic were one of a kind.

The man started to move forward once again, east. She could tell he was heading towards the red-filled lands that many wolves knew as Fireweed Rise. Making a split decision, Inali stood up quickly. Stretching her legs, the young fae set off in a brisk jog. Her paws moved swiftly but silently through the familiar terrain of small hills and tall grass. Her body weaved through the dense greenery easily, as she made sure to not lose eyesight of the wolf. For some reason, she found this wolf intriguing.

Inali stayed back enough not to look suspicious, but near enough that she could follow the sounds of his moving paws.

They had reached Fireweed Rise now, and the wolf suddenly stopped. Inali stopped with him. He was frozen-like once again, and Inali decided to make her appearance known. Cautiously, her paws moved forward.

Her head aligning with her spine, the petite woman asked curiously, "Who are you?"

@@Inali

There was something... odd about this place; the whole place, in fact, ever since he set his paws among the trees further to the north and particularly here, now, surrounded by a thick field of flowers and their cloying scent on his tongue. He ran that tongue along his dark lips once, considering something, then cringed at that particular feeling between his shoulders as it rose to pester him once again. This time, the heavy scruff at the base of his neck began to prickle and through the soft eddying and rustle of the grass came a sound too methodical to be the wind. One ear canted back a moment before the voice reached him.

"Who are you?"

The dark wolf spun quickly, his head neither high nor low, his posture neither dominant nor submissive. He was tense, to be sure, silently cursing his lack of attention to details, his poor scouting, being so caught in the open like this without the slightest knowledge that there could be other creatures nearby -- other wolves, at that.

He saw it was a female a moment before he smelled her, his nose flaring, his eyes roving quickly -- assessing. It was important for this once solider to glean all that he could from his first impression, her stance, her posture, whether or not should could conceal well enough that she had others hidden away nearby and ready to attack -- it was all possible and he didn't like a single bit of it.

Still.

The young male blinks, releasing a held breath slowly through his nose, cocking his head to one side and adopting a rather roguish air, his muzzle curling slightly as if in jest.

"Oy, lassie," he admonishes softly, tsking his teeth, "Y'nearly startled me out of m'skin sneakin' up on me like that!" His voice is heavy and thick as he speaks, but behind it there is a lightness to its cadence -- perhaps charming, alluring, or simply misleading and misdirecting -- he can't be seen to have been frightened and caught quite so easily, can he?

Behind him, his thick tail sways low and easily, and he rolls his shoulders in the barest of shrugs.

"A wolf, same as you, I s'pose," he replies, knowing full well he did not answer the question that was asked of him. But, perhaps, this fine young lass won't notice and will let him on his way. Tyr refrains from rolling his eyes, lest the female take it as an action against her. It won't get out of whatever mess he's stumbled into that easily, surely.

(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2013, 11:23 PM by Tyr.)

The lithe woman didn't bother to hide the small, amused grin as the wolf spun around quickly. It was clear that she had caught him off guard. Not what she had wanted in the beginning of her little expedition after the man, but amusing nonetheless.

Her blue eyes watched as his own amber orbs quickly roved around the surrounding area. As if checking to see if another unexpected wolf would pop up into his vision. She watched all his actions curiously. From his tensed shoulders, to his roaming eyes, to him releasing air out of his nose.

What came next was surprising, to say the least. "Oy, lassie," "Y'nearly startled me out of m'skin sneakin' up on me like that!" She didn't let the emotion of surprise seep onto her face though, but she did let another look of amusement show on in her eyes. "Your accent," she mused. "It's nice to hear something different here and there."

The look of amusement in her blue orbs didn't disappear as the next words left his mouth. "A wolf, same as you, I s'pose,"

Shaking her head in amusement, she started to circle the wolf slowly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Your a clever one aren't you?," friendly warmth and amusement lacing her tone. She had walked halfway around the wolf already, and with one small paw she flicked his rough tail playfully. "I didn't ask what you were. Were both wolves, I already know that." The pretty woman continued to circle around the wolf slowly as she continued to speak. "I asked who you were."

By now she had made a full circle around the larger wolf, and was face to face with him once again. "I'll go first, if it makes you feel better," the young woman spoke with a smile, continuing with her playful antics. "My name is Inali. Now you go, what's yours?" She dearly hoped he would play along. It was no fun if you played word games alone.

(This post was last modified: Jul 13, 2013, 12:52 AM by Inali.)

@Inali

He cannot help the slight narrowing of his eyes, it's only in his nature to be so wary, particularly after what he'd been through not so long ago. The gesture only lasts a moment before fading away into that subtle grin playing across his muzzle.

"Your accent... It's nice to hear something different here and there."

He tips one ear her way in a silent salute but doesn't allow his attention to waver any further than that. As coy as she might be, it could be a ploy to surround him with other members of her pack and that... that would just not do.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You're a clever one aren't you?" At this, Tyr's grin widens slightly, replying with a curt bob of his head.

"Oh, aye, I'd like t'think so," and then falls silent as she goes on. Her movements are followed and calculated, his posture remaining the same while at first only his eyes go after her, then he tips his head to keep her in his field of view. He is distracted, momentarily, by the resurgence of the thick scent of the flowers, wrinkling his nose in slight distaste, the idea that the scent could be hiding something a little more malicious than the female in front of him setting his mind further toward unease.

Instinctively, he flinches at her paw swipe, his back twitching, his back leg muscles taut and ready to bolt but he manages to smooth the reaction away with a brisk shake of his head, the aforementioned tail ticking quickly one way, then the other, before lying still. One ear cants back around to her approach, deep amber eyes sliding across his shoulder as he turns to watch her, his body still.

"I didn't ask what you were. We're both wolves, I already know that. I asked who you were."

Tyr manages a polite chuckle. "Oh, aye, didje'?" He feigns surprise, brows perking slightly, his eyes flitting to the sky in mock thought. "Pardon, lass, I must've misread ye'." He still has no intention of giving up what's his so easily, though, particularly when he doesn't know what this female is after... if, of course, she's after anything at all. Somehow, Tyr doesn't think that most creatures are just out for pleasant conversation. Everybody wants something; it's just a matter of finding out exactly what that something might be.

"I'll go first, if it makes you feel better. My name is Inali. Now you go, what's yours?"

How he feels about the information is irrelevant, but the female, now named, seems to be rather playful for whatever reason. But she is a female and they are a rather crafty bunch and so the young wolf attempts to remain stoically indifferent as best he can, yet his grin and slowly relaxing posture give him away. A solider he may be but he is still young and really rather experienced out in the world beyond the mountains -- a world where he is on his own.

"Oh, aye, much better, surely," he offers, as if simply trying to fill the silence that follows her with something significant that isn't his name. But when he looks at her, a coy smile on her muzzle, her posture relaxed, it in turn relaxes him -- slightly.

"Y'can call me Tyr, if y'like." There. Hoping that she's satisfied with that, he chances a glance to the left, to the right, and over her shoulder in the distance. He can't, or won't, risk a look behind him but his ears slick back for a quick check but all he can hear is the wind in the grass, the wind in his fur, and all he can smell are those stinking flowers mingling with Inali's scent.

Bah... what now?

The dark coated male considers something for a moment, his eyes landing on the wolf in front of him and remaining there as if trying to discern her whole life story in a single stare, before he ventures, "Did I stumble on yer packlands?"

I apologize for this crap post Jenna:p

Inali chuckled softly at the young man's answer to her teasing. "Oh, aye, I'd like t'think so," She could feel his eyes on her as she walked around him, and saw the swivel of his head continuing to trail her from her peripheral vision.

She watched his movements curiously as she flicked his tail with her paw. He had flinched, and had seemed to turn tense once again. She didn't want that, the young fae wanted the exact opposite. It was clear that it would take a bit more work and fun for this wolf to fully relax around her. And she was up to the challenge.

The she wolf was once again face to face with the larger man. Of course, she had to tilt her head up a bit to look at him directly since he was more taller. She smiled playfully as the wolf seemed to relax and played along to her verbal game. Her tail wagged lazily as her ears pricked up so she could catch his next words. "Y'can call me Tyr, if y'like."

Tyr, the young woman mused. So that's his name. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?," she teased with a coy smile on her muzzle. Her blue orbs shined with curiosity as they watched @Tyr glance to the left, then to the right, and finally to some point over her shoulder. Taking a look back herself to see if he had seen something unusual, she missed how he had tilted his ears back to hear his surroundings.

Not finding anything that caused for suspicion, her muzzle sniffed the air. The only things she could decipher were the pungent, sweet smells of the flowers all around, and Tyr's scent coming off his pelt. Before she could ask what he was so paranoid about, he unconsciously answered her question before she even spoke it out loud.

"Did I stumble on yer packlands?" "Is that what you've been so paranoid about all this time?," she asked, slightly incredulous. Lifting a paw up to her muzzle, Inali tried to stifle her coming laughter. "Oh Tyr, there's nothing to worry about! No, you didn't stumble into my pack's lands! All you did was stumble into Hush Meadows, the grassy lands with the small hills."

Now able to control her amusement, the young woman continued to speak. "Hush Meadows is where my pack currently resides. You obviously didn't see me, as I followed you all the way here, and you were so shocked when I did appear. Since were currently on the subject of you not seeing me, you should really begin to fix that. You never know, some stealthy rogue could be able to attack you one day." The young Scout finally sat down on her haunches, completely relaxed around this man now. Her tail curled around her, and with merry eyes she awaited the man's response.

@Inali: Not crap at all XD

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

The dark male's ears twitch, as if arguing with her statement. Her amusement is suspect and it doesn't put his mind completely at ease; she could be up to something and perhaps that something could be dangerous to his personage. In any case, when she laughs, it is all the wolf can do to not balk at her outright, his maw dropping open slightly as he stares, brow knitted and slightly confused.

"Is that what you've been so paranoid about all this time?"

"Have I not a right t'be now then, lass, eh?" Tyr's voice is aghast, as if he couldn't believe that this female would find his caution so funny, his paranoia at being killed so amusing. This is not how a solider acts and, therefor, this girl is clearly no solider. "Walkin' in t'a land y'don't know would give any creature pause then, don't y'think, aye?" But he stops, then, considering something in the back of his mind, and tries to allow himself a moment to simply relax. This is not his father's pack. This is not his father's lands. Surely not all creatures are like Akh -- if they were, frankly, the world wouldn't last very long, he thinks. His attention is arrested away from his thoughts when Inali speaks again.

"Oh, Tyr, there's nothing to worry about! No, you didn't stumble into my pack's lands! All you did was stumble into Hush Meadows, the grassy lands with the small hills."

His dark, warm eyes travel through the grass from where he came, his broken trail from before all but lost and covered up again with the continuous undulating grass.

"Hush Meadows is where my pack currently resides. You obviously didn't see me, as I followed you all the way here, and you were so shocked when I did appear. Since we're currently on the subject of you not seeing me, you should really begin to fix that. You never know, some stealthy rogue could be able to attack you one day."

His incredulity returns. His darkly masked face contorts, nose wrinkling as her opens his maw to speak but doesn't find much to say at first. Her nonchalance at his clear folly is more than a little wounding to his rather male sense of pride, and he sputters once, twice as he races for some kind of come back.

"Well, I, tha' is, I thin' you, well, t'say tha'," his accent rolls thick off his tongue as he stalls for time, his words becoming shorter, choppier, heavier as he sinks back into his colloquial background. "I thin' I've every ri' t'be a tid paranoid, don' ye' thin' so, aye, y'should now, an' listen 'ere lass, are you the spy? Are y'gwon rouge t'rouge wit' me, aye' that'll be a ri' sight t'see, wouldn'it?"

It would be highly impressive were she to follow his words to the letter, though when she settles back Tyr plunks his hindquarters unceremoniously in the grass as he goes on his unintelligible tirade and though his words might seem offended, his relaxed posture and lopsided curl to his muzzle suggest a joviality at war with his speech. When he finally does stop speaking, he stares back at the femme, wide eyed and looking a little abashed suddenly, as though he realized that he doesn't make a tid bit of sense at all and she probably thinks he's gone quite mad.

"Eeeeeech," Tyr begins, lifting one fore paw and lolling it about in a small circle as if to articulate his lack of knowing what to do or say. "Nevermin', lass, nevermin'," the male replies at length, his grin returning with a cock of his head, eyes flitting down at the smaller wolf. His speech is much slower, much more understandable, as though he is trying very hard to speak in such a way that even an earthworm could understand him. It almost blankets him in a foolish sort of charm. His tail even manages to thud-thud-thud against the grass.

"'Ush Meadows? Ain't very quiet, is it what with that wind, then?" Ah, topic change, yes. That should do the trick nicely.

Argh, so hard to write in the morningxD

Inali's ears pricked as they heard his words. "Have I not a right t'be now then, lass, eh?" "Walkin' in t'a land y'don't know would give any creature pause then, don't y'think, aye?"

She supposed she should heed his words. She found truth in them. When she had first stepped into Relic Lore, she was a cautious one at first. Nodding absentmindedly, the woman spoke. "I guess you are right on that point. It never hurts to be cautious and alert when entering new, unfamiliar lands."

Inali tried to contain another spurt of laughter, and failed as she heard him sputter about. "Well, I, tha' is, I thin' you, well, t'say tha', She didn't think he sputtered and was at a loss for words often in his life. "I thin' I've every ri' t'be a tid paranoid, don' ye' thin' so, aye, y'should now, an' listen 'ere lass, are you the spy? Are y'gwon rouge t'rouge wit' me, aye' that'll be a ri' sight t'see, wouldn'it?" Inali's mirth slowly diminished as her head cocked to the side, trying to follow the thickly-accented words. The gist of what she had regained were that he had a right to be paranoid.

Shaking her head, and aligning it again with her spine, she opened her maws to speak. But he spoke first, telling her to basically disregard everything that he had just said. Good naturedly she responded, "Great, because I didn't understand a word of it."

"'Ush Meadows? Ain't very quiet, is it what with that wind, then?" That was much better than his earlier ramblings, she actually understood what was coming out of his mouth this time. A small chuckle rumbled through her, as she thought of a way to describe her home. "Well, your right. I don't think it got it's name by how quiet it isn't. It's the wind mostly. As the wind passes through the tall grass, it's like someone breathing out a soft sigh. Kind of relaxing, really." With a soft smile, her tail wagged lazily.

It was time for him to ask the questions now. She had noticed that at the end of their little verbal disputes, she was always the one to ask a question to continue the flow of conversation and to add ammunition to their continuing fight of verbal wits. It was time to see what this large beast was capable of.

@Inali

"Great, because I didn't understand a word of it."

Good. It's probably better that way. Slowly, imperceptibly, the mountain wolf was relaxing, his shoulders rolling back easily, his fur laying flat against the base of his neck. If anything, his only discomfort now was the steady heat of the July morning as it progressed toward the afternoon, and, at one point, the male found that his tail, its mind its own, swishing lazily through the grass of the meadow.

"Well, you're right. I don't think it got its name by how quiet it isn't. It's the wind, mostly. As the wind passes through the tall grass, it's like someone breathing out a soft sigh. Kind of relaxing, really."

Tyr's ears slowly curl forward, cupping to catch each and every word through the noise of the ever sighing grass. His grin widens a little bit at her explanation and he allows his eyes to drift away from Inali's form, scanning the grasses with a different sort of look than he did before. At first it was caution, verging on paranoia, but this time it was appraising, studying his surroundings in order to learn to appreciate them rather than just learning about their dangers. He grunts appreciatively, though he can't help but think that even though it could be relaxing it could be perfect for an ambush.

It's a while before Tyr realizes that she's said nothing else, and he slides his amber optics back to meet her own blue; a bright and crystal color that was in stark contrast to his own. The look that she's giving him is strangely expectant, as though she'd asked him a question and required an answer, but the male was fairly certain she'd said nothing else after her musings on the meadow. It causes him to falter a little bit, shifting uncomfortably on his hind quarters back and forth, one fore paw picking up then setting back down into the thick grass.

"Eeeh, well then," he begins, again at a loss to fill the gap that she seems to want him to and equally confused as to why she seems so interested. Although, he supposed any wolf would be curious about a stranger in their territory, but his experience with that has been quite different. Her playful nature is unknown to him. His sister's certainly never acted like that for, if they had, their father would have stopped in immediately. But, as he relaxes, Tyr finds that the interaction isn't wholly terrible. At least no alpha has come barreling in to run him off.

Yet.

"Y'said your pack resides here now? Must be quite a big territory; I didn' see nor smell any others 'til you..."

(This post was last modified: Jul 14, 2013, 05:05 PM by Tyr.)