Sawtooth Spire set fire

For  trade with @Nanuk. P.S. is there no easy way to use MyCode to bring up that image?! D:

Several days of solitude and curling beneath the crisp mountain air had provided only misery. It was more than likely that the Eta had even lost mass while dwelling within the new territory labeled home. Callous nights curled shivering beneath the stars had provided only deprivation in rest and comfort. The wolf had taken to the warm springs, desperation wrapped around every nook and cranny to maintain body heat in such an unfamiliar location. 

Time would build a thicker hide. Time would manifest a desire to be near the coolness. Time took a really long damn time. 

The afternoon had been spent amidst the spire's tips, searching through little nicks in the grade where brown mouse-like creatures poked their curious heads from the rocks. Though it took a bit of trial and error, the Eta had been successful in acquiring two of the little devils. There was but a flash of guilt to eat them. It lasted for a fleeting moment before solitary nature swallowed their little bodies down. To nurture the pack one must nurture oneself first. At least with a tidbit to keep the engines stoked...

Their little skulls were packaged and wrapped in an old flap of bark and, just as the sun began it's descent, the Eta brought his gifts to the Pukulria.

Just recently, she had deposited bones here, the meat stripped free for the most part. Normally, she'd have gone another little while without visiting the mass gravesite but there was a certain scent she followed now, that of the dark male she'd brought into their fold only recently. Pleased with the fact that he was already actively exploring, Nanuk sought him out to jumpstart his involvement and the pursuant of his trades.

Approaching from an area behind him, the female butted her head lightly against his rump, a movement meant to displace his balance a shade and garner his attention. Once she had it, her body squared off to his, posture stiff and tense with the offer to spar, a grin flashing white teeth as her head ducked to protect her throat instinctively, playing around or not.

An ear twisted behind to catch the faint approach of another. Muzzle tipped to deposit the little trophies amongst the pile. While it was not an enormous offering, compared to the plethora of caribou and moose, it was something. 

The bump to hind end uprooted the Eta, a sharp jerk of forelimbs keeping the animal upright. A spin of sinuous body immediately sought to retaliate until dangerous glare fell upon that of his bear-wolf guide. There was a playful little smile cavorting about her features that was both inviting and formidable. The spider's face slid into a simper. Teeth gnashed into just one click, both ungainly and excited. 

Without much further conversation, posture edged away from the massive pile of bones, for a moment forgetting their importance. The shapely dip of the female's head rooted the inky male fully, taking some time to both admire and respect every little hair that graced a warrior's muzzle. Paws began a circle, edging to the female's left before a bold step forward delivered a small snap to the air. It was a warm up, a grappling process as each competitor considered their opponent.

He rounded to face her and she growled, a healthy rumble greeting him now. Gaze followed him as he moved towards her left side, her posture remaining stern and stiff. As he stepped closer, the beast mirrored him, shoving her mass into his personal space as his teeth sniped close to her muzzle. In a true fight, there was no warning or warm-up and so, she gave him none. Charging forward in the tight distance, Nanuk's teeth reached for his scruff in a tried and true effort to pin him to the ground as early as possible. A common movement for the Beta, and certainly her first resort, but it would give her an idea of how he operated in a violent setting and how he fought as an individual.

Truth of the matter was that it had been some time since the sharply-cut male had actually been in an altercation. As a drifter, the spider used wits over brawn in nearly every situation, providing lack of scarring, bloodshed, and broken skin. There was always something simmering beneath the surface of the beast but there was also intelligence of knowing when to fight and when to run. One had to conserve energy. 

The pummel to his neck was accepted without any effort to thwart it, curling body nonchalantly and folding inky body neatly beneath the female's rugged stature with a somersault. It was a motion of defeat, sincerely disinterested in revealing all cards on this first, intimate interaction. Jaws tucked into throat, ears propped upright in a cheesy stare of innocence. Spine and haunches cut into the harsh terrain, little padding there to cup the sinuous animal comfortably. 

As if lack of trying weren't insult enough, the spider flicked tongue over nose, hoping the action just-so-happened to touch the female's leg in a desperate attempt to taste the fur that lay there. Fiery stare held the face above him, intently sweeping the icy features there for the disgust that was sure to come.

She was surprised, to say the least, at the movement or lack thereof. That his body dropped so completely and easily didn't make her angry or disgusted with the underwhelming sensation of it but suspicious. Some wolves had different tactics and perhaps this one's was to submit first and throw his opponent off balance, or maybe he was actually submitting to her for some odd reason. Brows knit together as her teeth released him, golden gaze narrowing as she stepped back to observe him, out of reach from a second lick of his tongue for his first attempt had not missed. Her posture was still rigid, still prepared for anything but she was also curious. Why did he not fight?

She wound a tight circle around him now, more on edge in this instance than she had been when they had first met. It was now that Nanuk truly did not know what to expect and that both intrigued her and frustrated her. She did not know what to expect, and that was exciting, fueling that fire that burned within that threatened to combust in the presence of such adrenaline. She paused now, staring at him with ears thrust forward, waiting waiting waiting for him to make some kind of movement so that she could move in tandem, either against him or in defense of some attack. And that waiting was killing her.

There was no retaliation. No snaps of teeth on bone out of anger or disapproval. No, the silver bear-wolf just loomed like an omnipotent cloud, expression solid and calculating. The tip of serpentine tongue had touched her boulder-like limb, tasting the days prior travel and an assortment of other glorious stimuli. The hulking beta edged back, away from her heaping pile of soot and sinew. Fiery eyes followed comically, head pushing into ground to follow every move, every muscle, and every twitch. 

The inky male slowly righted, pressing belly to ground and casually eyeballing adversary. Ears flattened and legs crawled forward, as though asking to submit and pay tribute. There was a keen desire to display servitude and loyalty, to intensely signal the inky wolf was weaker, smaller, and no match for such a higher individual. Only when about a foot away did he strike.

A sharp cut of jaws snapped upwards, grappling for the female's chin while haunches jerked the inky wolf forward. Ears remained slicked back but body erupted upwards from the ground, removing the difference of heights with a savagery of a cat. Shoulders loomed left (her right), pulling body away from the front of the female in attempts to avoid a return blow fully to the face. It was easily to glance weight of something larger than brutally take it head on.

They watched each other, her stare glued to his form abased before her. In response to his submissive behvaior, her tail and head automatically rose, instinct ruling her in that moment. And it was the very mistake that allowed him to snake forward and grab her jawline with his teeth. Surprise took her, even as ready as she'd thought she'd been for his movement. A monsturous snarl erupted as she attempted to make a go for him, only to remember that he had her and that kept her mostly still. No matter. Ripping her jaws from his, Nanuk — Kroc (for deep down, that was who and what she was) displayed a moment of feral aggression, not minding the minor cuts she took for her actions. She had bled herself with his teeth and it was in no way his fault.

Enticed into retaliation, the pale female swung a heavy paw to knock him slightly silly if it connected. As she was not slight or quick enough to feint, she simply used the move as a distraction. Reared on hind paws now, her aim was for his thinner form, attempting to come down on him and trap him with sheer brute force of her weight. The chance of her success was not significant but it was still there, and she would take it even so. Nanuk was not a "safe" fighter, instead using any and every tactic she knew to overcome. No matter who won this, she would learn and that was exactly what she strove for.

The female's surprise had caused a wrench of her head. The spider's fangs razing flesh. Such events were not proper spar etiquette, nor had the Eta intended to maim his accomplice. A venomous snarl ripped from the bear-wolf's throat and whether it was her own actions or not, fangs released their grip and relented. Not that attention fumbled. A swing of paw thundered around too fast and hard to avoid. A nimble duck of head glanced it off the top of noggin but it battered an ear and stung. Enough weight was behind it that the spider stumbled sideways with its severity. 

It was, perhaps, good fortune that the beta rose to pounce, for the Eta was already coming alongside to thump shoulder to shoulder and knock the beast off course. Another snarl rippled from snout, head coiling back like a snake to strike for her cheek and neck. The blows were aimed for speed and accuracy, not wishing to latch on as before but aiming to pinch and go. Should they connect there was enough proximity between the two for a real battle now, the tender gap of bodies falling to an all out wrestle.

He was quick to recover and quick to strike, something she could appreciate with blood dripping down her jawline. They collided, though not in the way the leader intended. In a blur of fur and teeth, the female was pinched and aimed to pinch back where she could. There was no distance now, no way to maneuver between them except to grapple and grab. She attempted now to throw a foreleg over his neck, teeth groping for his ears to chew at, lightly though as they were such sensitive things.

A rumble left her, deep and coarse but friendly in some measure as well. He was pack and at the end of this, he would remain so. His standing would be slightly higher in her eyes, his ability to fight and hold his own earning him points others had not yet gained.

Bodies collided in a thud of muscle and sinew, heat welling between the pair as bites and nips drove into sooty ears. Neck wrenched head away, attempting to remove threat without displacing pressure and weight into adversaries side. It was a tactic to track her movements, every twitch resulting in triggers through skin and flesh. 

Fangs clipped at her forelegs, seriousness dwindling by the second before shoulder rolled towards the earth and body plopped uselessly at the bear-wolf's paws. Unusual tactics, perhaps, but also a display of reverence despite the bloodshed and pinches. Tail covered genitals and throat extended in blatant disregard for well-being. Point had been proven and, once again, there was reluctance to expose every detail so soon. Rather, hind legs thrust against the earth in attempts to slide beneath the superior, nibbling and nabbing at any flesh she chose to leave open and available.

His antics were becoming playful now, something that she didn’t immediately react to. Instead, she kept up her snaps and snips until he eventually ended up on the ground again. Even then, her teeth grazed his cheek and neck before she decided to mirror him. Much the same as she had when she and Iqniq had sparred, a point came when she let her legs give out and flop her down on top of him, unaware that he had moved at the same time. With an oof she settled where she was, twisting her head to let her teeth aim for his ears and muzzle again. Her attempts were gentle enough, if annoying. It wasn't often that she messed around like this, safe for in Iqniq's presence. Even then, it was quite rare.

The last few serious blows pinched roughly at ears and neck, landing the last few nips before the bear-wolf, herself, was felled in foolery. Her weight shifted to join the spider, toppling over onto the ground rough enough that a glancing huff emanated from windpipe. To this , the inky spider's ears pricked upwards, observing features upside down in case the fall had provided an injury. Seeing none, and receiving a few more comical nips, the Eta chomped heartily at the beta's chin.

Chomps turned to licks. Serpentine tongue lashed against the smooth fur there, razing the softer down in a unique tenderness before actions paused. It was a moment to relish this brief flicker in time. To adhere it staunchly to memory should times every call for a need of warmth. 

It lasted but a hesitation, nostrils inhaling the steady scent of superior to drown out anything else that permeated the airways. The steady lapse was met with a push of paws, righting the spider promptly. "Farewell," he murmured gently into the waning light, dismissing himself quietly and ruining the subtle moment of pleasure. Wide paws carried the spider off in a jaunty gait.

New thread? New thread! I'mma start us one!

He was a curious creature, that was for sure. She wasn't quite sure what to think of him yet beyond that he would do well here with the Spire wolves. She supposed, in time, other thoughts would form but for now, she gave a low rumble as he shared a moment of... something with her. She wasn't sure what, or why he was doing it but she moved to snip her teeth at him again, just as he rose to leave. Gold eyes watched, nodding as he bid her goodbye before she moved to stand as well. The borders called her, a patrol due in her own personal agenda now.

Thread Fade.