Heron Lake Plateau Golden Oldies

@Teemu :D

Burke had crossed their river on the southern side. He had not explored the grounds next to their lands in this direction. He knew the sea was to the north and a dark forest to the west. His family had arrived from the east side. The male followed their river for a few miles until he went more to the east. His ears caught a lot of commotion down this way and he was rather curious to see what made such a sound.

His hearing was somewhat lesser than it was before, but he barely realized it. The male was showing more lighter grays in his fur than he had as a young adult, within a few days the male would become seven years of age, stepping into the role of a true elder. The male liked to think he was still as fit as he was a few years ago, but even he realized he had to take more rests during his tasks.

The alpha reached a big lake with all types of waterbird. His eyes caught how a flock of deer ran, probably alerted by his presence. It was the birds that made such commotion. The male sat down and watched then curiously from the waterside before lowering his head and going for a quick drink. Perhaps he could even bring back home a waterbird for Malice. Hoping a meal would make her feel better.

I'm here finally! Sorry, life's been nuts this week :)

Teemu had given up trotting a mile back, after an unfortunate incident involving the soft webbing between his toes and a surprisingly large thorn among the thick pocket of trees he'd been traveling through. The birds that inhabited the area had appeared to find great joy when he'd stumbled, but a nasty snarl in their direction sent them scurrying out of reach. Although he'd tugged the thorn from the sensitive skin, it continued to sting for a while after, eventually giving way to a dull ache. As he wandered out of the treeline, the older wolf questioned whether the pain had truly dissipated or he'd simply grown accustomed to the sting. Nevertheless, Teemu continued to move wherever his nose led him.

It wasn't long before the sights, sounds, and smells of the wetland met Teemu. The enormous number of birds fascinated the wolf and he approached as quietly as possible in order to observe the wide variety of feathered beings. A flock of long-legged birds took to the skies at the sight of him. Pausing, he watched their wings stretch and flap, lifting him higher and higher, carrying them west, where, Teemu was amused to see, they merely settled on the water's surface once more. With a sigh, the old wolf approached the water's edge. A few ducks watched him warily, swimming out of his immediate reach, but didn't seem to mind his presence. It was a surprisingly warm day for Autumn and the cool water shimmered invitingly in the sunlight. Teemu took one step, and then another, slowly wading into the cold lake until the water met his sides. He lapped as he went and even attempted to splash playfully at a duck or two when their kicking legs brought them near. As he'd hoped, the water soothed his sore paw.

Movement beyond the lake caught Teemu's attention. A herd of deer ran together on the opposite side of the water. He noted their raised tails and alert ears as their narrow bodies leapt away from some unseen danger. Deer, he thought with a smile, always afraid of something.

Despite his nonchalance, Teemu sniffed at the air, inhaling deeply and attempting to sort through the multitude of scents. Plants, birds, critters, and the deer, of course. Only when the breeze shifted slightly did one scent in particular come to light. It was another of his own kind, much to his surprise. Slinking from the water, Teemu pulled himself back onto the muddied banks and gave his thin coat a quick half-shake. Holding his head low, the old wolf slithered in and out of the tall wetland grasses until the source of the scent came into view. A dark-coated male. Teemu stopped, allowing distance to remain between the pair. With his head still low, he cautiously called out, "Uh, hello there?"

Not to worry!

Burke noticed that his tactics of catching water fowl had been out dated, it was that or his own body was becoming a bit out dated. As he tried to catch a few of those ducks they eventually knew not to return and leaving the older male empty handed. He realized once again how lucky he was to have a pack of his own that could hunt larger game.

Another types of aquatic birds came a bit closer but were far quicker than the ducks he previously chased in the water. They were clearly in his element where Burke was not. He did know his way with fishing, but these fast feathery things that could take fight were out of his league he realized. The male stood half into the water, most of his side wetted from previous action.

His sides were moving in and out as he was lightly catching his breath. His ears turned towards the sound. Burke's ears perked up when he was a male, surprisingly around his age. That was what Burke assumed. He lifted his muzzle a bit and his docked tail too. The other was carrying his head low so Burke moved his head and tail into more of a neutral stance. "Greetings," he returned to the male.

Burke's dark grey mask on his face was having more and more lighter stings of fur running through it, but he liked to think that he was still young as ever. For once Burke was interested in a stranger, perhaps only because this male seemed like he had already some life experience on him, which could prove to give a refreshing conversation. Her was twice the age of his own wife! Talk about age gaps. "Are you traveling?," Burke asked.