Wolf RPG

After his trip to the lake, the boy had spent some extra time loitering around the areas close to it. It was like he was trapped in a state of limbo, his body being pulled in several directions all at once. He didn’t know where to go next, or what to expect from whoever he might meet. Traveling was still quite new to him, and he wasn’t entirely sure how to go about doing it. He enjoyed the act of exploration, it filled him with a feeling that was otherwise unobtainable, but deciding where to go each time was an unpleasant task to complete. The lay of the land and the sights it had to offer were unknown to him, as were the dangers that lurked outside the pack’s territory—though the dangers weren’t a big issue in his mind. It left him with nowhere to start, and forced him to rely on his instincts and the scents that called to him. Too bad for the young Inuit, however, for it seemed every place imaginable had something to say to him, and their scents were usually as alluring as the voice of sleep once was. On rare occasions, the attraction was even greater, but the second he’d take a step in the direction from which it’d come, another fragrance would drift in from a different direction and assault his leathery nose. It was irritating, more often than not, but for him to give up on the idea of wandering altogether was something of a crime in his mind.

When Alexander had finally decided to take a break and return to Blackfeather, he hadn’t made it far before running into his father. As soon as he’d taken his first step over the boundary line, the ghostly figure had revealed himself, having been out on a patrol. Of course, the boy had viewed the elder’s appearance as the perfect opportunity to try and get some information out of him, seeing as the man had lived longer and seen more than himself. Things could never be simple, though, especially when the son attempted to get tips on exploring out of his father. It wasn’t uncommon for the albino to be brushed off and told to simply go see the world for himself, to let his legs carry him anywhere and everywhere. After a bit of bribery, combined with the love a parent has for their child, Kove had eventually given his clone directions, but not a name or a description to go off of. Knowing that was the best he would get, Xan had accepted the words, given a quick goodbye accompanied with something along the lines of ‘I’ll be back soon!’, and then left the pack’s land once more. Never did he feel bad for leaving, as he was still young and curious of the world around him. Besides, with Meldresi gone, that meant Burke was the solitary leader of the dark woods, and he’d already made it clear that he didn’t like the Apaata boy—nor did Xan like him. Therefore avoidance was the only logical solution, or at least the only one the child could currently come up with.

This time around, he’d needed to travel farther. Not only that, but cross through a mountain as well. It wasn’t the first time he’d done so, though, since he’d needed to cross one when he was younger in order to reach Blackfeather with Kove. In fact… the more he trekked along, the more familiar things started to look. He had only vague memories of his journey to his current home, having been younger back then and rather exhausted throughout most of the trip. Still, the memories were there, and were slowly being dragged to the surface with each step he took. Finally, he came to a stop within a wooded area, the canopy similar to his home in the sense that it allowed little light to reach all that lived beneath it, but it wasn’t nearly as effective. Despite that, he did not turn tail and head back for the forest he enjoyed, but instead pushed onward through that which he was currently within. All around him lingered a strong odor, one that he knew belonged to foxes thanks to his run-in with one some time back. That thing had been a serious jackass. So much so, that the mere thought of the vulpine had him twisting his face into a look of disgust, before the expression fell away and he was left walking through the shaded woodland with a look of resignation. He didn’t know to where he would go from there, but chose to try and enjoy his current location before continuing on to the next. Perhaps he could attempt to hunt down a fox or two—surely returning home with a couple of those bothersome beasts would put him in everyone’s good graces. With that notion in mind, his body moved forward not absentmindedly, but with his nose directed towards the ground. There was no way in hell he’d not be able to catch one of those things.

Day after day, she continues. Sometimes west, sometimes more northward. Sometimes during the day and sometimes at night. Never really with a plan, whenever or wherever it was. Just away. Far away, and to wherever it was safer. That was all she would need. With her resolve steeled and one foot in front of the other, the rest of her went too.

But with enough time, hunger catches up and it bites hard. She's spurred into a honed focus when a forest's shadow sprawls around her. Surely, if a touch of luck shone on her and she searched hard enough, there should be food here. Even just a bit of scavenging would do. She found she could get by on surprisingly little if she had to. Eventually she would get to gorge herself again when the time was right. Jazz was determined to not let a handful of winter weeks snuff her out without a fight.

Like so many places before her, she has no idea what to call this place. Only that it was here, so was she, and nothing was stopping her from delving deeper. So she proceeds without a second thought, and moves on at a slow, weaving trot.

Soon, the scent of fox was burning her nose. It came on sudden enough to make her snort, then shake her head. An impressive, distinct reek, certainly, and one that could mean food nearby -- or that was where her focus went to, with hunger nagging at her every step. She gets moving again and regroups just in time to see the wolf's silhouette ahead. It looks to be coming her way, so she freezes, alert and bracing for eyes on her.

Hunting we not a strong suit of his, he’d realized. When he was younger, it was an easy task. He’d chase after the voles and then pounce upon their frail bodies as if he were a feline, ending their lives in an instant. It felt as if ages had passed since he’d last did that, and the truth of the matter had, unsurprisingly, become apparent to him—pouncing on a vole and killing it by accident was nowhere near the same as actually hunting something down. It had discouraged him significantly at first, knowing there was little chance he would succeed. However, the second he would hear a high-pitched yip taunting him from the shadows, he’d be revived by a whole new sense of determination. Once upon a time, a fox had attempted to attack him, and though Xan had been the instigator at the time, he still viewed it as an act worthy of revenge on his part. He doubted the very same fox would have travelled so far away, but who was to say that those within the forest weren’t related to his enemy in some way? Such thoughts inspired actions to be taken, and blood to be spilt.

Fueled by a need to balance out the scale between him and the foxes, as well as a desire to prove himself to be a valuable member of the pack, the albino made his way through the woods with his head down and ears erect. Having not expected to run into anyone else during his self-given mission, the appearance of another individual caught him off guard. Of course, being Xan, the only logical way to respond was by raising his hackles and letting a growl resonate from his throat. His age could easily be noted by his appearance alone, potentially lessening whatever threatening display he’d attempted to put on. Though his quest was still fresh in his mind, he’d yet to piece things together and realize that he could acquire assistance from the female. That instead of trying to act all high and mighty, he could take advantage of her presence—and possible experience—in order to assure he’d leave with at least one fox.

When his growling had finally died away, it was not due to his being struck with a brilliant realization, but by a distant memory. The first trip he’d ever taken to the borders of his birth pack, where he’d seen an outsider for the very first time. It was that male who’d made his interest in the outside world so overwhelming that the boy hadn’t been able to wait for the day he could explore it. For that very reason, he straightened himself out as he stared the stranger down, queer eyes roaming over every inch of her that was visible. The gesture wasn’t recognized as being rude in his mind, thus he made no effort to hide his visual exploration of her body. “Where’d you come from?” As the question left his tongue, his gaze found its way to her own, mildly curious of the girl. Perhaps he might even ask her to assist him, if he felt her worthy enough to remain in his presence.

She stayed stark still. Her eyes were wide and stare intent, it was clear she was uneasy -- even her tail was held stiff and puffed up. He then came closer and she watched, remaining perfectly statuesque herself. He had adopted a look about him not long after she'd realized him, and his included raised hackles and a growl. In response, she prickled up more too and felt a surge of new wariness welling up. At least he looked young, so she wasn't immediately as intimidated as she might have been of an adult coming at her like this with hackles up on strange turf. She was still feeling very much out of place here though.

Then his eyes were on her. All over her. She scrunched her muzzle, stayed stiff beneath the scrutiny of his investigation, and stared back. She readily met his light eyes and noticed the oddity of their shade as she did. She'd match him for his subtle rudeness, if this was how it'd be. "Far from here," she answered. Even if it wasn't really that far away. It felt further to her just because in her hurry to flee the scene of it all, she'd covered a lot of distance and the days had bled together afterward. All that was important now was that she'd come from a place that had nothing left in it now.

There was no longer the warm comfort of a home waiting for her anywhere. "Are you looking for something?" she asked, finally shifting enough to cant her head. Jazz tried not to cringe at the sound of her voice, either, all tired and unused like it was. She still hadn't moved significantly, and seemed rooted to her spot while she wondered if he'd catch what she'd tried to sneakily call him out on.

No specific details concerning her previous whereabouts were revealed, resulting in the boy growing annoyed. He had wished to know exactly where she’d originated, not just a generalization of an area—even calling it that was a stretch, for summaries often gave at least a hint at what the terrain was potentially like. Her answer gave nothing, not a single clue, at where she might have come from. Again, a growl started to rise in the back of his throat, but he was quick to smother it. He was beginning to come to his senses and think more rationally, which prompted him to wonder what he might get out of frightening her. If he were to chase her away from the unclaimed land, that might give him an interesting story to share with his father or Nemesis, but nothing else really came out of it. Tiring out his body and sealing the outcome of his hunt were the only results he could see stemming from any immature behavior on his part, which served as a good reason to place a lock on his temper. If he were to keep himself calm and think from a strategic point of view, that would heighten his chances of leaving with what he’d come to collect.

Silently, and without any indication of him doing so, Alexander accepted her answer. ‘Far’ could mean a number of places, but he forced himself not to think too much into it. Luckily, his attention was able to be focused elsewhere as the woman shifted, her coarse voice filling the air. It was a question, but one he debated answering. Slowly, his mouth parted as words began to form on his tongue, making it clear that his conscious-self had no say in whether or not her query was responded to. “My father taught me to be mindful of the intentions of others,” he began, voice calm but devoid of any actual emotion. “I was told examining them would be my safest bet, that way I can’t be taken off-guard.” Kove had also mentioned something about being discreet, but the boy was too blunt to even consider hiding his wandering gaze. Besides, it wasn’t as if he’d see the stranger again after that day, so making a good impression wasn’t at the top of his list of priorities.

“You seem decent enough, probably incapable of actually fighting,” the Inuit proclaimed, a slight shrug of his shoulders accompanying his words. “Not a threat, but possibly useful.” Xan gave her a hard look then, his expression revealing his plan before he’d even the chance to say it aloud. Still, that didn’t stop him from speaking. “Prove your worth by helping me hunt down a few foxes. If you do well, I’ll reward you with half of what we kill.” He was confident in his assumption of what her answer would be, having already figured out that she was a loner. The scent that surrounded her was distinctly her own, possessing not even a hint of a pack’s aroma to it. Knowing that, he doubted she would pass up the opportunity to acquire a meal, especially with winter already upon them.

Her answer didn't seem up to par, somehow. His indications were few, though, so maybe it was more suspicion on her end than anything else. She stiffened her furs, a little annoyed that somehow it should be his business.. for it was not like she came from nearby enough to matter, or from a place that even existed anymore. As far as she knew, they were all dead and cold by now and she'd yet to feel inspired to explain these details.

He spoke of his father, prompting her ears to tilt back. Her father had taught her plenty, too, and somehow this inspired a bitter taste in her mouth. This lucky pup probably still had his, considering his age and all. Probably still lived with him too. She felt her tail stiffen. "Okay.. well, fair enough, but do you have to do it creepy like that?" she drawled, mustering her emptiest voice for it since that was what he'd given in the first place. It ended up a little more mocking than she'd planned for it to..

He went on and her ears slicked down now, forcing her to wrinkle her muzzle up enough to show the tips of his teeth. She was surprised by his arrogance, and decided swiftly that she didn't like the taste of it much. She was hungry, tired, and her feet hurt. Listening to him insult her with a hard look of his reddish eyes grew old fast, and Jazz rolled her own eyes with an exaggerated scoff. While she liked the thought of a warm meal quite a lot, having to be rewarded with half as he so kindly phrased it, after she'd help hunt didn't work for her. "Uh, no. Why do I have to prove anything to you, some whelp I've never seen before? How do I know you're not the shit hunter here just trying to leech off me?" she bristled. Anyway, she could probably find dirt to eat with a better flavor than something ~gifted~ by his highness here.

There were many things the boy understood, having been born something along the lines of a prodigy child, but interactions between himself and others often left him feeling uncertain. Of course, he would not admit to feeling such a way, his pride was far too great for that, but ignoring the situation did not make it go away. To him, he had simply been looking the woman over, taking in her physique and pinpointing what—if anything—made her a threat to his safety. He had not intended to give off a 'creepy' vibe, and was quite surprised, yet also pleased, by her accusation. If he had given someone the heebie-jeebies without even trying, then that left numerous possibilities of what he could do if he did try. As satisfying as her claim was, however, he was still struck with the need to correct her mistake. "I wasn't being creepy," the boy stated, confident in his belief that he was in the right. "Maybe you're just a Kuatsâk posik." He wasn't entirely sure if he'd said that right or not, but it didn't really matter. He smirked anyways, hoping that would get what he meant to say across to her without any complications.

Alexander caught sight of her muzzle wrinkling, which made his muscles tense up. He could not see her attacking since it would not be a smart move, but then again, he had learned not all loners possessed intelligence (that much was clear by the blood that marked Blackfeather's borders). Luckily for them both, she did not lunge forward, but chose to talk—no, to question him. It was a valid query, really, and upon realizing that he shot her a glare just to spite her. "Because if you do, you'll get a meal out of it," he stated, not caring to elaborate any more than necessary. He felt it was a simple exchange, and that she was just making it more difficult for herself. She would hunt to prove herself worthy of living, then be rewarded with a meal so she might not starve to death—simple. As if questioning him wasn't enough, she then went on to insult the boy, earning her another growl. "I am the best at everything," Xan proclaimed, staring her down with a death glare. "I could hunt down and kill more foxes than you would think to even exist in this forest. You would be the one leeching off of me, but I figured I would be kind and offer you the chance at a decent meal." By the time he reached the end of his sentence, he was seething with anger. There he was, trying to perform an act of kindness, but she just wouldn't accept it.

"If you want to starve, then that's fine by me," he huffed, ready to discard the idea of having her assist him. It was stupid to have believed some loner was wise enough to know who she should listen to. "You can stay here and die, meanwhile I'll be enjoying some nice fox meat." Without waiting to hear what else she might have to say, he started walking once more and pushed past her, not caring about what issues might arise from the action. Whether she chose to follow or not was up to her, but he wasn't about to stop and convince her to help out. It was her life on the line, not his, so he didn't care either way.

Blatantly, she rolled her eyes when he denied being creepy and then went off with claiming her to be some strange word that she couldn't help but scowl at. Coming from him, it was probably offensive in one way or another so she just grumbled at it and left it at that -- knowing he'd probably find a way to make it into her being stupid for not knowing the word (if it really was one at all..).

He gave her plenty else to think about, though, and decided to point out the quite obvious to her. As if he was oblivious to the facts here that annoyed her. "I can get a meal without you," she boasted with a low growl, although she doubted he'd hear -- he went on about how perfect he was at everything and she knew better than to try to get through to him.

She groaned and shook her head, trying not to hear everything that he explained in quite a bit of detail but just his voice alone grated viciously on her nerves. It only seemed to be worsening by the second. "Oh my goddd..." she drawled as he spoke on with a big, ugly sigh that was drawn out far more than necessary. He was impressively disillusioned, by her call, and she did find some odd humor in it. But, it was an annoyance first and foremost.

She then bristled anew at the sight of him, angered as he was, and stared right back at him unabashed. The silver Eyre thought about devoting the next few hours to scaring every fox out of this forest, just to be rude. Something about potentially seeing him fail did bring an ounce of joy to her, although she knew it was petty and that for survival's sake, she had better things to do than harass this whelp. At best she could aspire to kill them before he could.

As he saw it, he'd leave her there to die.. which she saw it differently than he did, unsurprisingly. She growled as he so boldly suggested that he of all beasts was key to her survival. When he swept by her, she snapped her teeth, although refrained from lunging outright. "I ought to ruin every one of your hunts here just for that shit." Jazz hissed with her teeth barring between words and a dark glower settling onto her expression. She glared an ugly frown at the back of his head, watching him to see where he'd go from here...

Though he'd heard teeth snap near him as he'd passed her by, he'd refrained from reacting. For a quick second, the fur along his back had risen up, but he'd settled it back down once it was noticed. She was just some loner, after all, not a threat or someone worth fearing just for the hell of it. She was definitely older than himself, that was a given, but age alone wasn't enough to have him behave any differently towards her. If she was unwilling to prove herself to him, he would leave her there to starve. Every fox would be his to claim—or chase away from her if he could not get his jaws around it quick enough. The immaturity of such actions mattered little to him, of course. He was still a child, despite the attitude he possessed.

The words that had followed the snapping of her jaws had him pausing in his steps. He stared ahead for a moment simply to add a dramatic effect, before glancing over his shoulder. "You must be a terrible hunter," he concluded, the sly look on his face revealing that he was only attempting to rile her up. "I think you're only mentioning ruining my hunts because you'd end up ruining them without trying. You can't hunt, which must be why you're alone. No pack wants someone that can't pull their own weight." For a moment longer, he stood there, staring at her as his words were left to sink in. Satisfied by what he'd said, he'd turned forward once more and began his trek to a deeper section of the woods, one he believed would be plentiful with foxes.

She kept her furs prickled and held fast to her ugly face. He at least made that easy.

What wasn't so simple was holding back. Just looking at him, watching him react and hearing the words he spun really, really inspired her to lunge to clamp that mouth of his shut at the very least. But, even if her blood ran hot, she couldn't afford it right now. He'd probably fight back, and one bad wound and she'd wither and die -- then, her impressively blind fleeing away from everything she'd known would have been for nothing. And she wouldn't let him do that to her. Now just wasn't the time.

She snarled loudly at him and swallowed down her retorts -- since he made so little sense to her, she could muster up plenty. But instead of mouthing off in return (despite the massive urge to), she spun on her heels and took her leave, then sped off into the darkness of the woods. She couldn't waste her energy on him.