*me being vague* (
@Jace @Echo feel free to be with her/in the area or whatever checking it out too if you want, i left that open ended considering the meething thread isn't done yet <_<)
It was only natural that it caught her eye. Even silhouetted in the present full moon's light, the mountain cut an impressive figure with smaller peaks shadowing it further south. Perhaps it was a range that spread on south, maybe even veering towards the coast; she wasn't sure, but it was high time she kick her explorations into overdrive to find out. Somewhere out here in the wilds was bound to be a place worthy of moving to, and a place they could potentially find a new home in.
She approached the nearest peak head on, feeling the ground of the glen slope and shift upward already as what looked to be tangled woods began to approach. Not far away loomed the mountains comprising the Spine, narrowing the passage between the two more than she had realized. Interesting, and purposefully noted.
Amekaze hoped she was correct in smelling Charon and a few others having been here recently. Perhaps him and his pack mates had explored it already -- which must have meant his wounds had mended well and his news had been received decently enough. While she'd eagerly await their summaries once she'd rejoin her path with them (which needed to be very soon), she was hungry to find out for herself. She breathed deep, wondering if that was the subtle scent of the seabreeze she was finding on the winds, and aimed her path for the edge of the dark woods on the lower reaches of this mountain.
Anticipating the canopy of trees up ahead, she stole a habitual glance skyward and was drawn towards the bright harvest moon. It seemed smaller, a slivered piece missing. She took a moment to pause and watch, and indeed, it peeled back to darkness further still. An eclipse? Also noted, and with a satisfied smirk. She continued on steadily, content and looking to see everything she could.
Fellway, unaware that a group of someones had set their sights on the mountain, was lurking in the aforementioned wood. His coat offered no protection from Amekaze's eyes - in the yellowish haze of the night's unusual moon, he glowed white and obvious.
She, on the other hand, was a shadow. The northerner did not spot the approaching stranger, nor smell her - the wind did not favour him, and Fellway was too busy digging down to keep up with changes in his surroundings. "Oh - fetid fecking arse-nuggets, he swore colourfully, hitting stone and ceasing his digging. Whatever delightful smell was concealed by the earth was apparently not good to excavate.
Along with Charon and presumably his group, there were a few other scents sprinkled here and there -- some older, some newer. Probably a place of steady enough traffic, she reasoned, but it was likely to decrease the further in elevation she climbed. Such was the nature of a mountain.
She delved deeper into the shadowy darkness. A stark contrast against the night ahead caught her eye and it lined up with a vague scent or two she'd found. She approached, unhesitating and undaunted by his superior size, although her ears slicked back at the sound of his voice. It was sharp and unecessary against the otherwise quiet of the night.
Amekaze slid into his proximity, lurking closer slowly. Although she did nothing to specifically hide herself besides blend naturally, she did not announce her presence besides stare intently at him and attempt to get a good read on his scent. He was digging, but for what? She'd let him find her and she didn't doubt he would -- so long as he extended any awareness past the ends of his fur.
It took Fellway a few moments to notice that he had company - Amekaze's dark colour and distinct lack of bioluminescent properties kept her off his radar until she was close enough to do for the throat. The brutish wolf only looked up from his dig when a fly-away gust bright the scent of lady near his nose. "Well hey there, handsome! " was the response when he finally did clock her presence. Dirt reached past his knees, but it was indistinguishable from shadow in the dark. "You're not settling here, are you?" He didn't elaborate.
Amekaze edged in closer than she had suspected she might. When he reacted, her ears fanned aside. Interesting enough as it was, she decided it was better to just not draw attention to it since he'd need to do more than that to get a rise out of her anyway. In return, she chuffed back softly instead and looked him over, dirtiness, robustness, and all. His question did strike her as a bit unexpected, especially with her intentions in mind of finding a new place to settle. Thankfully it was still a vague enough sort of question that could mean more than that, precisely. She did not believe she had been that obvious in her plans here tonight. "Mm, undecided still," she answered truthfully while leaning towards his digging spot for a glance in past him, then took to a slow circle to his other side. While there was still much more mountain to see, so far it was meeting her criteria. It could possibly be their new claim or not. These explorations were just truly getting underway. "Are you?" she asked.
She crept closer, her progress sleek and cat-like. Fellway watched her thoughts play out in the movements of her ears. Undecided, she said. The male peered at whatever it was he had unearthed, and shrugged. Why bother the lady if she was undecided? "Well I'm flattered that you think lil' old me can claim a mountain," he replied, reaching forward with both paws - the pile of dirt tumbled back into the space from whence it had come. The wolf stepped over his work and finished the job with his rear paws, scratching at left-overs until the hole was completely filled. "And you? Are you a lady of leisure, or am I talking to a Big Boss?" he asked whilst he worked, grey eyes searching the contours of her dark face.
While she didn't personally see the flattery in it, she let him have it anyway. She watched, silent, with just a quirk of her brow for now. She too only appeared as one wolf, not obvious in the fact that others did back her up -- even if they were only a handful for now. Although, she knew she was keying him into something by his questions. A year of alphaship had evidently left a distinguished enough mark on her.
"Boss," she answered and provided an accompanying smirk. "Of a different mountain, currently. Looking for new.." were the most details she could provide readily. Nevermind that it would involve a potentially delicate fusion of two pre-established packs. "So if it is not settling, what has you here?" Besides the obvious of this business with this digging and consequential hole, to which she glanced at when he gave it the finishing touches.
"Well well!" Fellway exclaimed, settling down next to his now filled-in hole. She didn't hold herself like a wolf that lacked confidence, but his guess at her rank had been just that - a guess. "Fancy that. Pack getting too big for your current rock?" He asked her, stealing a quick glance at her sides. She didn't look pregnant, but there were other reasons to move. Competition, lack of prey, boredom.. all reasons why Fellway kept moving. In the back of his mind, the northerner knew himself to be in his twilight years, but it was not something he thought much about. He hoped to go out with a bang!, not a wheeze.
"Just having a look," he answered truthfully, patting the earth. "And a dig. Cathartic, you know. There're actually bones down here, but they were picked pretty clean, so.. I'll be having fish!" The bones had looked very wolf-like, but Fellway did not share this information. It could just as well have been the body of an unfortunate coyote. "So is there a Mr. Boss, or are you alone up there on your mountain?"
She fought the splay of her ears. "Something a little different," she answered vaguely. While they had not outgrown the Sunspire in sheer number, it was similar to that sentiment in a way. Or rather, she felt that to be true. Truth be told, Jace and some of the others probably would have stayed if it weren't for her placing this idea in front of them. It had been high time to force some change into happening.
The pale male was informative in his own way, detailing his hole and intentions for a meal and all. She idly wondered if the fishing was decent near here, even if the season for it was not the most favorable. "Ah, on that note, how is the fishing here..?" she asked. Of course, the sea was nearby so there was always that but she was more interested in the mountain itself. Fishing was mediocre on the Sunspire.. on a good day, that was. Then, he'd asked if there was a counterpart to her leading. Her head canted and she mulled over how to respond. All of her answers were only bound to inspire further questions -- and she knew how it sounded, but it wasn't quite like that. "There is not now, but there will be. He comes from another pack, and this new place will be ours."