Wolf RPG

With the sun peeking over the Sunspire range, Phoenix Emberwood was beautiful. Just the right amount of that early split light touched the leaves, lending the entire forest a gentle green glow while still being awash in deep shadows. The wind brushed the leaves ever-so-quietly so that a hushed whisper seemed to travel through the wood, reaching the perked ears of Saena as she plodded through a clearing to the east of the forest's heart.

She paused to savour the rustle, reminiscing briefly of the plateau before returning to her walk. Exploration of the maplewood would come in time but she wanted a head start on it. There were surely treasures hidden within the depths of the wondrous forest, treasures like the beloved waterfall she and Reek had lost at the rise, and she was determined to find them sooner rather than later.

She followed the line of a tumbling river until it formed a small pool, and from there, spilled out over the tiniest fall she'd ever seen. It was almost like a stone slab split in two, with the river bisecting it, and it fell in such a gentle sheet that the very surface was undisturbed. The sound of trickling water was quieter here even than in flatter sections of the river, no doubt because of how it followed the contours of its bank. She smiled to herself and moved closer, picking her way carefully over rocks slick with water and thick, wet moss.

Slowly, Arion was getting used to living underneath suffocating canopies and bumping into trees while he hunted. By slowly getting used, he meant that he no longer felt the urge to rush out the nearest exit and rage at the world for this terrible decision of living in a goddamn forest and that he was now slightly more accustomed to waking up to towering trees that blocked both his path and the open sky above. It didn't mean he was no longer angry; because he still was. It just meant that the Greek was now a bit more tolerant of this new terrain.

Forests had never been something he liked. Sure, Arion hunted regularly in the forest of the former Redtail Rise and quite enjoyed it to be honest. But that was only because the rest of the territory wasn't completely covered in those road bocking pillars of wood. He was a creature of speed after all, and how was he to succumb to the most mundane of his desires which was to run until his limbs felt like collapsing and he was out of breath without the fear of crashing into one of those trees and dying? Or worst, to lose his memories?!

Arion scowled and continued prowling through the woods silently, reminiscent of a feline. Unbeknownst to him, Saena who was currently in front of him, had also decided to follow the river while she explored. He caught her scent in the wind, and knew she was ahead of him, but he made no movements to let it be known. Arion wasn't sure whether or not he wanted Saena to know he was there too.

The bank wasn't very long, but still it took Saena a decent few minutes to get down to the edge of the water. The rocks were almost greasy with water and vegetation and her feet almost betrayed her more than once on the way down. It was worth it, though, for at the very edge the stone was exposed and easy to stand on. The water rushed over her toes, burbling as it encountered this new and unnatural obstacle. A whorl began to form behind her left foot where the current tried to double back on itself; lifting her paw would quell the chaos for just a moment.

She sucked in a deep breath and sighed, content for the first time in what seemed like months. It was only a few weeks ago that Redtail Rise burned to the ground, but it felt like ages, and the weight on her shoulder had been there even before that. Now, she almost felt light. Like she could drift away into the sky, break through the leafy veil overhead and soar away.

That was preposterous, but the feeling was there. The alpha female let herself daydream about that and then, with a shake of her head, she stepped across the stream and began to navigate the further bank. Here was where her balance failed her and a misstep caused her upper torso to slide toward the water. Her hips followed and with a splash and a surprised giggle, she tumbled right into the stream.

Arion paused in his footsteps, debating whether or not to simply turn around and go back the way he came, therefore avoiding the encounter with Saena. Seeing his leader was inevitable, as she, and her jokester of a mate were the soon to be leaders of this land. And as he was one of the subordinates who inhabited this land, one of the subordinates who filled the caches; patrolled the lands; fought of intruders, encountering Saena was inevitable. Even a stubborn wolf like Arion knew that and accepted it, albeit rather reluctantly.

Father would be upset with him, the stallion knew. Coward. Running away from such mundane troubles; he wasn't worthy of the name Acheron, much less being Janus's son. However much of a womanizer his father was, at least he was somewhat honorable and courageous. Something that Arion seemed to lack right now. The Greek sighed, pawing the grown in frustration as he battled with himself inside his head. Continue forward; double back. The stallion hissed through gritted teeth, blunt claws digging into the muddy earth as he came to a decision.

He wouldn't be a coward. Besides, what had he to fear if he did talk with Saena? Arion was being irrational, he was being extremely unreasonable. Seriously, had the god of stupidity taken over him just now? Little fuckers...

Arion continued forward, chocolate coated paws silently bringing his tall, lithe form forward. It wasn't long before he arrived at where Saena's scent was the strongest; he was just in time to see her tumble into the stream with a giggle. The warrior stood there like an idiot for a second, before he walked forward and showed himself. The faintest trace of a smile played at his lips as Arion stepped into the water and offered her a paw to help her up (if wolves could do that).

"Need some help?" His fathomless eyes and inscrutable countenance betrayed nothing as he spoke in his lilting baritone, "Was it a bit too hot for your liking?" Why else would she be in the middle of a stream? Arion's question, or statement for that matter was not spoken disrespectfully or unkindly. It was spoke in an even, serene and courteous manner with a slight touch of amusement.

The water burbled loudly as it swirled around her, and though the slip was wholly unintentional, Saena didn't lift herself immediately. She relished the cool water sliding through her fur for about half a minute, and just as she was rising, the telltale splash of another stepping into water bid her to turn her head.

She was surprised, but not unhappy, to see Arion. Although her confrontation with him at Redtail Rise had sullied her opinion of him somewhat, Saena had mostly forgiven it since the fire. There was no sense in dwelling. That was a lesson she was learning as she aged. The fire had brought the pack together, and she had no inkling of his thoughts on their choice of home, so in her opinion, everything was forgiven. Not forgotten, but forgiven.

"Slipped," she said through a grin, waving the stub of her tail as she jovially shook her fur in a playful attempt to douse the stoic Greek wolf. "It feels good though, you should try it!"

Saena turned and saw him as he waded through the water with his leonine gracefulness and stopped just in front of her. She grinned at him and informed the Greek that she had apparently slipped into the river. Arion suppressed the urge to ask her if she had always been this clumsy, instead inclined his head in an imperceptible nod, a mixture between a smile and a smirk playing on his lips as she shook her fur, trying to soak him.

Arion merely stood still, allowing the water droplets to cascade down on him. But even that playful attempt to drench him wasn't enough to garner a reaction or words from the stoic warrior for it barely even brushed the top of his coat and he quite liked water anyways. So he remained there, his countenance still inscrutable before he decided to answer. "Nah," Arion said, his signature crooked smirk on his face. "It's too early for a bath."

He lifted a forelimb and roughly shoved it back into the stream, causing water to splash both of them. The stallion grinned lazily at his leader, as if he had all the time in the world. "Feels good?" teased Arion.

There was a moment where Arion had no reaction, and like a few times previous, Saena found herself nearly incensed by it, but then a crooked grin spread his lips and he replied. She smirked back. "Oh yeah?" she asked, sauntering a step closer and flicking her tail pointedly, "but... what if you stink?" she trailed off, peering coyly up at him. He didn't stink, of course, but it was a good lead in. All of a sudden, she reared onto her hind legs and aimed to wrap her forelimbs around his neck to drag him down into the soothing water.

She was laughing while attempting this, surely throwing herself off balance in the process, even though there was a good chance, she thought, that it would piss Arion off more than anything. The guy needed to have some fun, though. They all did. Maybe things would go back to normal if they just had a day of enjoyment and nothing more.

She smirked at him, saying 'oh yeah?' in reply while she sauntered closer to him, flicking her tail as she did so. The crooked grin remained firmly planted on the Greek's features, in fact, instead of faltering when she asked if he stunk, it grew wider and a mischievous gleam entered his piercing falcon-like honey golden gaze. "Nah.." Arion drawled lazily, then gazed down at her. "Unless we're talking about you, of course."

But before the Greek got to follow up his words with actions, Saena reared up on her hind legs and attempted to wrap her forelimbs around his neck. Instinctively, he took a step back and stumbled, losing his balance as he did so. "βάλλ' εἰς κόρακας!" Arion cursed, struggling to regain his footing. "ανάθεμα!" Then an idea entered his head, and with a mischievous smirk, he threw himself forward, aiming to topple both of them so they both fell into the water.

Success! Her sudden motion was enough to throw Arion off balance. He stumbled and she wrenched her body, trying to toss him into the water, while he sputtered foreign curses at her chest. Her ears preened forward and she hesitated. She was on the verge of asking what language he was speaking when Arion got his bright idea, so she wasn't ready at all when he pushed forward. Her balance tilted precariously backward and then failed her, and she tumbled ass over tea kettle into the water, presumably with the Greek following.

She gasped as water rushed into her nostrils from the sudden impact and shock, and then spent the next half a minute sputtering and coughing. Her whole snout burned inside from snorting water. Her limbs flailed for at least half of this time as she tried to orient herself again, but eventually she was able to still her lungs and body. She was laying in the stream, soaked to the bone, and her chest was tight from expelling all the inhaled water from her lungs.

She whipped her head around in search of Arion, ready to (playfully, at least) give him an earful for trying to drown her.

Arion's signature crooked smirk was plastered on his pace when he successfully pushed Saena forward, she lingered at the cusp of falling before gravity took hold and she, along with him, tumbled into the river. The cool water quickly soaked through his fur and drenched him, his thick chocolate coat stuck to his rangy and lean muscled frame; before, he had a tank-like look but now, he simply looked like who he was. A tall, lean and agile wolf, the opposite of a tank.

Unlike Saena, Arion had been fully prepared on landing in the water so he managed to stop himself from choking and spluttering like an idiot and emerged from the water as gracefully as a water. A chuckle rumbled from his chest as the stallion watched Saena with glittering golden orbs as she coughed and snorted, limbs flailing around, looking completely hilarious to the Greek. Obviously, Arion knew that it wasn't really nice at him to laugh when someone was choking, et cetera, et cetera, but...it was too funny. Really.

When his leader whipped around, searching for him, the Greek didn't bother backing away. Instead, he grinned almost apologetically at her and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry," he told her, golden eyes gleaming playfully for a second before they turned serious. "Well...not really for that. I mean, it was funny, you gotta admit that. I...just wanted to apologize for my....uh...inexcusable (he winced slightly when he said that) behaviour at Redtail Rise. All of it. I was a complete arsehole, I was rude and inconsiderate and caused stupid troubles when you two already had a billion burdens on your shoulders."

Arion lifted his head and gazed at her, sincerity shining through his eyes for the first time since he arrived in Teekon Wilds. "I really want to apologize for all the trouble I gave you and Reek. I promise I'll try to be the best subordinate and packmate I can....and the wolf you respected before, if you..would like that." Velvety chocolate brown ears flattened back against his skull as he glance uncomfortably around, not knowing what to do. Apologising was not something he was good at....at all.

Arion apologized and Saena smacked the surface of the water with a foreleg, but she wasn't able to conceal a grin when she declared, "you're an ass!" He was right, though. It was funny for him and she appreciated seeing some humour in him once more. It was much better than the attitude he'd had previously: one of aloofness and potential aggression. She'd felt nervous around him before, but now he was showing signs of being his old self again. Saena knew better now than to trust that he would always stay this way, but he surprised her by not only acting differently now, but acknowledging verbally that he'd been a bit of a prick.

"We should've paid more attention," Saena said, though she wouldn't outwardly apologize for not seeing the signs that Arion was in trouble. Leading a pack was a lot of work and she'd meant it when she'd told him there were more important things to do than to keep an eye on him. Still, Saena knew she and Reek could've done better by their friend and she would acknowledge that. "I forgive you," she told him, "and I would like that a lot."

As if to commemorate Arion's change of heart, she rose and slapped a paw broadly across the water, trying to splash him again. This time she dropped her chest toward the water and waved her tail high in the air, daring him to fight back with splashes of his own.

Saena grinned and declared that he was an ass. Arion debated whether or not to spin around and show her his butt but in the end, decided against it because he was getting into a more 'serious' mood and he knew for a fact that if he showed his ass to her, he would lose his hold on his 'seriousness'. So he simply grinned his crooked smile and proceeded to say his apology, managing to say all he needed to say without acting insincere.

Saena surprised him by admitting that she and Reek should both have paid more attention. He knew that leading a pack was a lot of work and with the Redhawk Caldera thing going on back then, they had better things than to babysit him but he still appreciated how she admitted that because he knew he wouldn't. It wasn't in Arion's nature to apologise, so this was a rare occasion. A very rare occasion. He knew if Chiron was here, his golden companion would be staring at this scene with his mouth wide open.

A smirk played at his lips when Saena forgived him and told him that she would like it a lot if he became the wolf she respected once more. Arion knew he should be thanking her profusely for forgiving him, but thanking someone? Again, it wasn't in his nature. Thankfully, Saena saved him from making a decision and initiated a play fight. He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, but he too slapped the water, hopefully successfully splashing her.

For a second or two, the yearling half-expected Arion to tell her she was lame and walk away. His expression almost suggested that she was being childish, and a flurry of self-conscious feelings took up residence in her breast when he raised a brow. C'mon now, it seemed to say. She nearly straightened. She nearly let herself feel foolish. But she lingered just a second longer, and Arion proved that he wasn't thinking anything poor about her at all when he finally slapped the water in return, sending it directly into her face.

"Hey!" she spluttered, shaking her head and blinking away the droplets. She was quick to retaliate by rearing on her hind legs and then bringing both forelimbs down into the stream. At least some of that water was certain to hit the chocolate Greek, right? That was her plan anyway, but before she could really tell if it worked or not, she charged him with her tail whipping drops of water to and fro as it playfully wagged.

Arion did the unexpected and bolted into the forest with one last flash of his trademark smirk. Saena grinned and followed, engaging him in a brief game of tag before they each decided to do something a little more productive than chasing each other and headed off their own ways.