Wolf RPG

The cold was coming.  She could feel it in her core, the anxious press to get moving.  Her tail softly beat the deadened grasses behind her with an unusual air of unease, but it was the only indication that gave voice to the decisions weighing upon her.  Her pose as she lay was relaxed as usual, an interesting way to rest in the open for a lone wolf without a claim, but there was no one near as far as she could tell.  A brisk breeze whipped up and she sighed irritably.  More than one downside to resting with no cover.  She'd forgotten how damn cold the wind could get, and it was only going to get worse.

She'd weathered worse, but when the time came, she wasn't sure if it would be worth the hardship sticking around.  On southern shores the wind blew much sweeter through the winter months.  Maybe she should get going now, before the warmth was gone and the snows started.  Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the thought.  Rotten stuff, snow.  Pretty to look at, but that was the length of it.

Another wind kicked up and it wrinkled further, irritation and the biting chill forcing her to her feet.  She'd passed a rise on her way to this flatland that might offer a bit more break from the chill.  As she did so, a few fat drops fell to land between her ears, and her eyes shot skywards just as a light drizzle began to fall.  Perfect, she thought wryly, shaking her head and slowly starting off in the direction she'd come, raindrops gently dusting her coat as she went.

He was finally himself again. Bright, chipper, and lively.  He even reveled in the nip in the air and the frigid chill of the wind that rippled through his fur.  Apart from feeling like he was going to cough up his left lung at periodic intervals, Reek was feeling like usual. Hell, better than usual. He was traveling again and it seemed the flu had not quelled his deeply ingrained sense of adventure.

The dried mud of the marshlands still clung to his legs in matted chunks. He had yet to return to the Maplewood, instead he took a long arch around their allies at Jade Fern Grove to explore the areas around the valley that he had yet to see. His adventures led him east, across the Mudminnow and back towards home in a haphazard semi-circle. He walked heavy with the weight of the water that clung to his pelt from crossing the river and it chilled him to the bone. That's when the rain began. He quickened his pace through the Cuesta but he was miles from home and his efforts to escape the rain were to no avail.

By the time she was halfway to the rise, the drizzle had her soaked, and she flicked water off of her tail half-heartedly as she jogged.  Well, she needed a bath anyway, didn't she?  It was past time.  It was too bad it was a chilly rain - if she caught a chill, she'd kill something.  Not sure what at the moment, but she was sure something would present itself for punishing eventually.

You wanted to see the world, remember?  She laughed inwardly.  Honestly, she'd been hanging around this area so long, and why?  She wasn't sure.  True, she'd met a few... aquaintances.  But nothing to hold her chain here.  She didn't do chains.  That was rule number one, remember?

She'd weathered last winter in a nice coastal forest far south of here.  True, she'd still had a few of the old crew to run with then, but she was willing to bet they'd moved on since then.  Maybe she could start over there.  The idea was an attractive one with the chill as drops of water slid down her spine.  So very attractive.

It took her a few minutes longer than it should have to realize she had a shadow in the rain, another form moving in a similar direction that she was.  Squinting, she couldn't quite make out the other individual, but she could tell they didn't look familiar.  They were neither red nor white, pretty much the extent of her allies gained during this little staycation.  "Well well," she muttered softly, now watching with interest.  Had they noticed her?  And if so, had she stumbled too close to a claim by accident?

No matter how fast he walked or how long his strides, the rain was inescapable. Nevertheless, it made no difference as he was already soaked to the bone from crossing the river. A little more water wouldn't hurt him, but it did make him pine for the Maplewood to which he hoped was still dry. But, as he walked parallel to the rise of the cuesta, he felt the inkling feeling that he was being watched. It was subtle, nearly instinctual, but the suspicion did not make him defer from his path.

After a few moments, Reek gave in to his suspicions. There was a noise, a murmur— barely audible amongst the pitter-patter of rain. He turned his head and looked behind him to see a brown wolf... just as soaked as he was. Reek smiled toward the stranger and kept his body language unassuming and inviting. In neutral territory there was no need to feign dominance, it was a tiring act. He beckoned for her to walk with him and continued on his path (albeit slowly, so that the stranger could catch up) in order to find a dry place to weather the storm together.

He noticed her, but seemed friendly enough in doing so that with an internal what the hell she picked up her pace to join him. "Lovely weather we're having today," she said, tipping her ears and wrinkling her nose a bit at the sensation of water running across them. Eesh.

"If you happen to know a spot we could hole up, I'm all ears," she added, twisting them to illustrate and grinning congenially. She hadn't done much exploring around here and doubted that the windbreak she'd been heading for would do much for rain. Unless it had some ledges? Better to go with experience than guess.

After a short spat of walking alone, Roslyn finally made her way to his side.  She had a friendly air about her; far more welcoming than the pouring rain that soaked though Reek's pelt and dribbled all the way down to bare skin. Initially, he regarded her with a friendly nod while continuing his endless trek across the cuesta. "Fucking beautiful," he replied in a dry wheeze, nearly shuddering from the damp chill that lingered in the air.

Shelter was number one on Reek's short list of priorities.  Despite being completely unfamiliar with the terrain, Reek assumed there must be an overhang somewhere along the ridge.  He strained his eyes and squinted through the nasty haze; and low and behold, and outcropping of rock would grant them a small opening.  Gesturing toward the opening in the side of the ridge, Reek chuckled at circumstance. "Would'ya look at that Ears... Speak of the devil."

It was way too long before they found shelter and Rosalyn felt positively waterlogged. "All Ears," she corrected with a twist of her lips. "I don't even know your name yet, after all. Nice girl like me can't get too comfortable with strangers." Because she definitely hadn't gotten done so with Red. Too rich.

She ducked inside without hesitation, assuming he'd follow. Taking a look around, she took a few good whiffs. "I don't smell any objections. What about you?"

Eagerly, Reek followed Roslyn into the chasm where he shook his soaked pelt until he was reasonably dry. He settled to his haunches on the dry, dusty floor and yawned.  "Names are stupid," he mumbled. Despite his usual fixation and fondness of names and meaning, he wasn't particularly fond of the one he sported.  It sounded too harsh and was always difficult to explain. "You can call me whatever you want... But, I think I'll call you—"  he squinted as he tried to find some feature on her form she could use. She was attractive, well groomed despite being soaked to the bone, but no prospective names came from what he noticed. "—Fuck it, I'll just keep calling you Ears then," he continued with a chuckle.

"I think we're good here, so no objections from me." Their small shelter carried no suggestive smell, and a wolf's nose never lies.  They would be safe, but most importantly of all— dry. "So, uh— what's your reason for getting stuck in the rain?" he asked, hoping to make idle conversation.

Stupid, eh?  She quirked an eyebrow at him, but couldn't completely disagree.  Self-given names were much the same, and so much easier to remember after.  There was really only one monicker that stuck in her mind when she looked at him, and it gave a shit-eating tilt to her lips.  Ooh, he might like that.  He reminded her a bit of a spider, lanky legs and a slighter build.  But he lacked the mean look that others (like Spooky) seemed to wear naturally.

"Alright, Legs.  I won't argue with you there."  She'd been called far worse things than ears in the past.  "I'm just out wandering."  She was vague, keeping the reasons to herself for the moment.  Now that they were out of the wet, she could catch a scent, and the smell of other wolves sparked her interest.  "What about you?  Pick the wrong time to leave the cozy homestead?"  As she asked, she shook some water from her pelt, quite possibly spraying him with a portion of the runoff.

"Legs," repeated Reek with a delighted smile.  "I like that!"  He had always been fond of nicknames; they felt more personal than the ones assigned at birth, especially in Reek's case. He had a habit of a divvying out these names in secret so he could refer to the familiar wolves in his life by them in the context of his own thoughts. For example: Arion had taken the name Admiral Agitator... Citali, she was female Arion, Pantaleimon was Pants, the list went on and on.  Now, Ears would would worm her way into this list.

His tail wagged behind him a playful manner and Reek's expression remained jubilant, unphazed by the shower of droplets that Ears intended on soaking him with. Despite the rain, he was still on vaction after all. A slight chuckle took him. "Same reason as you really. I lead a pack North of here, I needed a break, so I'm taking a vacation," he answered with a friendly grin. "I'm just out to have a good time, see the world, all that jazz." It had been a time to decompress, and decompress he did. He felt loose and happy, finally devoid of stress.

She was glad he was pleased, though she would have kept on with it regardless.  He had asked for it, after all.  Nicknames were a natural state for her as well, and she kept hers less internal.  Kitten, Spooky, Red.... She didn't think there was a wolf she'd met yet she actually thought of in name terms.  

Fancy.  "Big bad leader, eh?  Why the hell would you claim way up here?"  Ick.  She might venture up here every so often but Roz was a southern sort through and through. What possessed some to settle so far north was beyond her reckoning.

A dry laugh blossomed from the raggedy alpha.  "Surprised?" he asked with a playful grin.  Reek was hardly the alpha type: stoic and proud, infallible in his decisions.  He was an imperfect man prone to rash choices and numerous mistakes... yet still, his pack chose to follow him for some reason unknown. "It surprised me too... I guess, some things just sort of happen. Like, uh, one big cosmic fluke."

Fluke as it may have been, he had grown quite partial to leadership in his reign.   It was strange how one could live their life without the desire for power, but once granted a taste, one would hold tightly to preserve the status quo.  The throne of the north belonged to Reek and his wife alone.

"The north's really not so bad," he continued. "It's private and we can keep to ourselves.  We've had some trouble with southern packs before, so we try and stay away."  

Thunder boomed and light briefly poured in to their rocky shelter.  "I think we're going to be here for a while," he quipped. "Better get comfortable."

"Well, you can keep it. Freezing my ass off doesn't tend to agree with me," she said with a quirk of a grin, amused. She didn't doubt they would have trouble - packs flooded these lands like some sort of ruddy paradise, and she hadn't quite caught the appeal. But she hadn't left either. So maybe they had captured her after all.

"S'pose so." She lay down nearby, crossing her paws before shooting him an appraising look. "I need to worry about any jealous lady-alphas taking my 'ears' for being here?" she asked, a teasing lilt to it. She was curious... the guy was funny-looking, but decent. He didn't seem the type to have gained such a position by his own volition, though she'd been wrong in her estimations before.

"Fine by me," he returned over the sound of pouring rain. While 'Ears' seemed to be good company, Reek wasn't particularly keen on strange wolves wandering around the north. He valued his seclusion, however, there was something to be said about having a conversation with a stranger. It was an unfettered thing, fun and free from consequence. Reek found great joy in banter and as long as it remained far enough from his borders, he was happy to continue in jest.

"What? You find this ugly face attractive," He shot back, followed by a coy tisk, tisk. "You know, most wolves get to know me and my charming personality before they want to jump my bones. No judgement though." Reek's quip was ment to be taken in jest, as he had no intentions on actally following through with real flirtation. He was a married man after all, and his heart belonged to his wife, but that didn't mean he couldn't have some good natured fun.

"But, alas..." Reek shook his head. "I'm a claimed man." A shit-eating grin spread across the ragged alpha's face... if all else, he thought he was absolutely hilarious. "I'd be worried if I were you," he continued to joke. "She can be pretty scary sometimes." It may have been phrased jokingly, but there was an intensity to Saena that bordered on the fear inducing.

"Sometimes the face has nothing to do with it," she threw back, winking suggestively.  There were... talents... that could make almost any girl overlook whatever unfortunate mug he may have been cursed with.  It wasn't like he was deformed.  She'd seen worse amongst the castaways she used to run with.  "But no matter what we do or don't do - I'd hate to give the wrong impression." Such an angel, with such a pure reputation to uphold. Hah. More like 'I'd hate to get my face eaten before you could explain.'

"Well, if she comes, I'm just your long lost cousin who needed rescue from the evils of the weather." She said, not at all put out by his status. He seemed a nice guy, but that meant there wasn't much to gain by jumping his bones. He'd help her without all that it seemed.

Reek quirked a brow in response to Ears' retort. He would be lying if he said the the thought of taking her in a lustful manner within the safety of their cave hadn't crossed his mind. Ears was an attractive woman— attractive enough that Reek felt an unhealthy draw to her. The cave was readily concealed from prying eye; far from the Maplewood. Who would ever find out? Reek certainly wouldn't tell a soul.

He inched close, allowing himself to draw near. Wherever the night led him, it was up to his nameless companion. Either way, it was going to be a long night.