Deepwood Weald To quietly pass me by

ooc: 30th December

Wraen had not been able to scare any other mountain lion in the valley (Ghost Lion Crag) and therefore the hare she had eaten remained the only decent meal she had had in a stretch of two weeks since she had got lost. However, even this tribute to the noble cause of having your inner wolf (read - howling and growling stomach) happy on content, counted. And therefore in a better spirits she continued her journey North.

While out in the open she had the uncomfortable feeling of being followed, though frequent stops and looks over her shoulder didn't reveal the invisible stalker, she was more than glad to disappear in the stretch of forest that lied in her way. It was an usual forest - trees tall and lanky, growing so that their crowns met above the lonely wanderer's head and let hardly any light through. Not only that - though there was not too much snow on the forest floor, there were a lot of dried up ferns, that did not make her progress any easier. 

However - despite this, the feeling of being followed, disappeared here, which Wraen took as a very good sign.

The scent of blood in the air had lured him out of the valley to the west, and yet no matter how far he traveled it never seemed to abate nor grow in intensity. The wolf had half a mind to stop wasting his energy - but if something was out there and it was injured, then he wanted it. In following the trail of that blood-scent he crossed from the valley in to a forest, but by this point the hare was gone and the wolf who had found it, satiated. Aquila was left to peruse the forest without any direction and without having accomplished what he had set out to do (chiefly, take the food which he had smelled and devour it himself).

Rather than find himself at fault, the wolf chose to pursue the path of the stranger. They were young (he could tell based on the way they traveled through the woodland; they did not hide themselves as well as an adult), and their inexperience made it easy to close the gap between their positions. He followed after her in silence and with many pauses, often so that he could overcome an obstacle or investigate one of the ancient burned-out trees.

Perhaps she could lead him somewhere worthwhile? If this forest belonged to her family then there was a greater chance of a meal than he'd initially plotted, and thus Aquila kept himself upon her path, cautious but filled with desire.

Wraen had got tangled in a web, what appeared to be made of spiky vines. They caught hold of her fur and skin and for a moment she was immobilized completely. She squirmed, she moved around, she gnashed with her teeth at the offending plants and eventually she got free. With some scratches on her face and some tufts of fur poorer than before.

"Now you are a bastard," she told the plant, which probably did not care. The young wolf turned to leave, but a sound nearby made her wary. The earlier suspicion of being followed had returned and was affirmed, when she caught sight of someone's back first and then the head and the rest of the attributes that belonged to it later. Wraen froze on the spot and ran through her options. The best one at this point seemed to run as fast as she could and not look back - but what sort of acceleration can you get in a forest like this?

Sneaking away and hiding were options number two and three. And for the lack of any better idea, Wraen quietly slid away, trying to make as little noise as possible and put as much distance as she could between her and the man.

The sound of the girl's frustrated voice made his ears swivel; he wondered if one day someone would say the same thing about him, or perhaps one of his progeny. It would be accurate either way.

She tried to slip away from him but Aquila's attention was thoroughly invested - he caught up almost to her exact position by the time she'd escaped the hold of the vines, and from there he had only to follow her scent. It was thick; she had left many tufts of fur behind when she'd tried to tear away from her captivity.

He could not hear her but Aquila was practiced in the games that women played. It would take time, but he had all the time and the patience that he needed - and eventually she would grow tired of the fight, and succumb to his advance.

The plan worked initially, though the downside was that Wraen's pursuer was just as good in this game "who is stealthier than who" and apart from the sound of the muffled footsteps in the distance that grew louder, as he advanced in her direction, told that he was also quite keen on finding her. 

Shit. Wraen cursed in her mind and bit her lip in frustration. She stopped in her tracks again and looked around. Perhaps seeing the invisible stalker would help at predicting in what kind of trouble she was getting in, but then again it did not really matter. Instinct told that there was danger looming and she should escape it at all costs.

Wraen let out a relieved sigh, when she noticed a path that was clearer and easier to tread on than fighting through the rest of the forest. She took it and ran as fast as she could, now caring little for the noise she made. Putting distance between her and the follower was the main goal at the moment.

Leaving it open-ended so you can decide if he catches her, or dead-ends himself!

Despite not knowing this place as well as a native might Aquila adapts quickly, and he does it well. The further he pursues the girl th emore adept she becomes at evading him, indicating that she at least knew some of the terrain's details. This might not have been her home, but she knew enough. Thus when he gave chase - his effort increasing tremendously - he was not surprised when she found a clear path and followed it. To an onlooker the escapade might have appeared scripted or staged - as if he were, perhaps, herding her somewhere, fully intending to correct her path before an escape could occur.

Aquila took a chance when he saw a break in the trees himself; although she was quick on her feet and dashing away, he took the liberty of zigging instead of zagging, picked up his pace through a patch of rolling forest, and then veered to cut her off.

ooc: since this is a back-dated thread, I am fine with any outcome as long as it does not end with permanent injuries, psychological trauma or her death. :)

Wraen finally caught sight of her pursuer - strong and fast male with agouti pelt, who despite his heavier build and larger frame moved through the forest with more ease than she did, while on the open path. Or that's how it appeared to her, when she saw him catch up with her in steady pace. 

The next moment he made a sudden turn in Wraen's direction and only missed her by the tail-end. She yelped in surprise, made a quick leap to the side to avoid the collision. After that she ran even faster than before, making her way along the path towards the place, where there seemed to be more light and, which would - hopefully - be an exit from this nightmarish forest.

Eventually she reached the exit and without a second look back kept running as fast as she could so long until she was sure that the pursuer was not following her.