Wolf RPG

Her side tweaked for a few days, though the instant Wildfire felt better, she decided to go out on a scouting expedition. Before she set out into the wilderness, she checked in with Floki, letting him know she was headed out for the day. She invited him to come along out of politeness but both acknowledged Wildfire's unspoken desire for a solo flight. With a smile and wag of her tail, she turned and left the confines of their mountainous home, venturing directly northeast.

She wound up at the top of a canyon carved into the earth just past the burnt wreckage of the Heartwood. Wildfire peered down at the water below. She could see places where the shallows had frozen, yet the rapids defied the freezing cold temperatures. Although she didn't mind the winter, the sound of running water made her feel queerly nostalgic for warmer weather. It also made her suddenly aware of her burning thirst.

The youthful explorer located the head of a narrow trail and began to pick her way down into the frigid canyon. Within moments, she was below ground level and the sound of the water echoed off the rock walls surrounding her. Wildfire licked her lips, taking great care to move slowly to avoid stumbling. A fall here could spell broken bones or even death.

Anwyl nearly tripped, and it wouldn't have been the first time he'd done it today. He had decided to take a little trip to the south, to explore more of Teekon and maybe even meet some more wolves. He'd  pretty much seen all that Porcupine Ridge had to offer, landscape wise, and it was time for a change. He had come to an icy ridge, below a river raged on. The icy ridge caps had proven harder to navigate than he'd thought, but he would make it.

The young male looked down into the canyon below him, watching the frigid water flow like a winter storm below his feet. That's when he noticed her, a red orange wolf making her way down towards the river. His eyes widened and he became worried. He had always been a cautious one, risk wasn't his forte. And her adventure through the canyon looked rather dangerous. He barked down to the female, Hey! Wait! The silver male sped quickly to the nearest route down and began to make his way to her. It took him a few minutes and a lot of courage, but he made it. The sound of the river had seemed a lot more intimidating from up top, echoes sure do make things scarier.

He stopped before her, looking her over while catching his breath. She was small, and she looked young, possibly around his age with yellow eyes and rusty orange fur. She seemed friendly enough. What're you doing down here? What if you tripped? You could get hurt He scolded, but not in a rude way, more of a worried and protective tone. He felt the need to help everyone he met, even if they didn't need help.

Suddenly, a voice shouted from overhead, echoing off the nearby rock walls and causing Wildfire to start. She jerked her head upward, squinting against the glare of the pale sky. A figure began moving toward her and the she-wolf tensed, fur prickling uneasily. He swept right up to her, a handsome young fellow with powdery gray fur and striking eyes. She quickly realized he meant her no harm, though his loud approach and concerned words earned a head tilt from Wildfire.

"I'll admit I can be a klutz," she replied lightly, "but I promise I'm being careful." She paused, quirking a brow and giving him an impish smirk as she assured him, "I'm no damsel in distress. My name's Wildfire. What's yours? If you're really worried, you can spot me," she added, starting to move again as she talked, brushing past him to keep climbing down into the canyon. "Because I'm dying of thirst and nothing's going to stop me from getting a nice cold drink."

The female tried to reassure him that she'd be fine, but Anwyl was still nervous being so close. Lots of bad things could happen. But he trusted the girl that she'd be alright. It was more that he didn't trust his own clunky paws. He couldn't help but smile when she made jest at him. Ok well if you say so. I'm Anwyl, nice to meet you. He nodded his head respectfully to the sun colored female as she continued walking towards the river.

The big baby whimpered a little, kind of scared to follow, but he planned to anyway. If he was so thirsty he would've went and found a puddle or some dew from a recent rain. Not climb down into a canyon to drink from a river. But she intrigued him, she was sassy but friendly, and she smelled of pack. This might be his chance to learn about some of Teekon's other packs. He sped up a little to reach her side, being careful all the same. He came to be by her side, he was taller but she seemed more dominant and perhaps even stronger. 

So why are you out here anyway? Are you on a mission or something? Anwyl realized it may have been a stupid question, but it was a question he'd like to know the answer to. He wanted to know more about Wildfire.

The sound of a whimper caused Wildfire to glance over her shoulder, an eyebrow playfully arched, but she quickly faced forward again to avoid tumbling to her death. Slowly and carefully, she led the way deeper into the canyon, the air darkening around them into a sort of false twilight. At long last, they reached a rocky ledge perhaps a foot clear of the river's surface, overlooking a small, frozen eddy. If she wanted to get a drink here, she would have to bend over quite a ways.

She peered at Anywl, wondering if would mind holding onto her tail. The thought caused her to grin lopsidedly at him. Before she could possibly voice her question, he posed one of his own. He seemed quite hung up on her being here, which amused her. They didn't know one another at all, yet he was very clearly concerned about her well-being. He was a bit of a white knight, wasn't he?

"I'm a scout by trade," she informed him, "but, no, I'm not on any particular mission. I'm just exploring. I like checking out new places, getting a feel for the lay of the land." Wildfire blinked at him, expression saying, Make sense? "What about you? Why are you out here? Hey, mind holding onto my tail?" she pinned on there at the end, dropping her anterior to crouch over the edge of the shelf.

The two wolves finally made it to the river. And Awnyl was relieved to have finished the dangerous trek. He'd never felt like such a wimp before, then again he'd also never climbed down into a canyon before. He straightened his posture into a more relaxed one. Wildfire's relaxed posture also made him a little more off edge. He sighed giving one last fearful glance at the turf before turning to listen to the girl.

Just exploring. Ok. He thought as she justified her reason for being there. He too enjoyed exploring, that was why he was there after all. He nodded to her, showing that he understood just fine. She asked him a question in return, and then asked if he could hold her tail. Oh yeah of course! He smiled and bent down to grab her tail in his mouth. He held on tight, but not enough to hurt in any way. Through a mouth full of fur he responded, Ye I'm exshplurring thoo. It didn't come out right, but at least he tried.

He obliged her by both latching onto her tail and replying to her question. Wildfire chuckled at his muffled words, then quickly craned her neck downward to lap at the water. When she leaned forward, she felt the pressure of her new acquaintance's teeth tugging on her tail. If he let go for any reason, she would fall headfirst into the frigid waters. But she placed her trust in him as she quickly lapped at the surface of the ice, drawing the freezing liquid into her mouth to quench her thirst.

When she was done, she slowly slithered backward and motioned for Anwyl to let go. "Thanks," she said while licking cold water from her chops. "Tastes kind of metallic," she reported, glancing at their surroundings. "I bet there's lots of mineral deposits in the water because of the rocks." She was no longer a naturalist by trade, yet she still knew a thing or two about basic geology.

Looking at Anwyl again, she wondered, "You up for some exploration down here?" The rock shelf was narrow but they could stick to it, traveling with their flanks pressed against the stone wall. If they went right, they could even jump across. The river turned a corner up ahead, narrowing significantly so that they could rather easily leap to the other side. If they went left, she could see that the waterway widened. That's where the rapids seemed to pick up quite a bit.

After surveying their options, Wildfire leveled her gaze on her company once more. "Which way?" she asked, leaving the choice up to him, if he was game at all.

Anwyl held tight as Wildfire dipped down into the water for a drink. The water looked alright, but according to her it tasted metallic. Well that only made Anwyl want to taste it himself, but he didn't because Wildfire was already moving again. He jumped to his paws with a smile, his tail wagging behind his head. Yeah sure! I'm up for it. He stood back and watched the female analyze the path ahead of them. She was very clever, she seemed like she was probably a great tracker as well. She popped him a question, leaving their route up to him. She was very fast paced, and kind of hard to keep up with. Spicy.

Right. Right looks good to me. In other words, right looks less scary. He took the lead from there, he wanted to prove to her that he wasn't really a scaredy cat. He could be brave too. He scooted his way along the rocky ledge, his clean silver flank becoming filled with a sooty color of dirt and mineral. He wanted to learn more about his companion so he decided to make conversation as the went along.

So your from a pack? I'm just guessing, you smell like one. He glanced back at her, his icy blue eyes flashing a hint of curiosity before they swiveled back to watch his paws.

He decided to go right, then immediately assumed the lead. Wildfire didn't mind at all, waving her black tail agreeably and then falling into step behind him. The path was narrow, forcing them to walk single file, though it didn't affect the flow of conversation. Anwyl guessed correctly that she was from a pack.

"Yeah, I'm from Moonspear. How about you?" she bounced back. He smelled like other wolves too, though she couldn't place any of the scents. Wildfire made a mental note to maybe work on that skill: memorizing the ways certain landscapes (especially known pack territories) tended to smell, so that she could attempt to pinpoint others' allegiances before they even opened their mouths. Wouldn't that be a neat party trick?

Moonspear, that sounds cool. Anwyl thought, while continuing forwards. He would've liked a more detailed answer, but a brief answer could've only been expected. They had only just met anyways. She returned his question onto him, and he was more than willing to respond. I'm from this new pack, called Porcupine Ridge. It's that way, He jerked his head in the direction he'd first come from, not sure which way was east or west. I like it a lot, my pack mates are really nice, and fun. But I do miss home.

He was tempted to tell her his whole life story, but wasn't sure if she's really care. Most people didn't, it was something that this Chatty Cathy had learned to deal with. He only bring up more if she asked. They came to the fork in the path where the river narrowed. Anwyl worked up his bravery, and then made the leap. For a moment he felt like a bird, soaring through the air. It lasted about two seconds and then he landed in a not so graceful tumble. He shook his head and then turned back to Wildfire with a grin. Come on then, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. He added reassuringly, though he knew she didn't need reassurance.

Huh, Wildfire thought when he named Porcupine Ridge. She had never heard of it, which made sense, since he said it was new. But even as a scout, she never hoped to keep a running tally on the packs around here. They came and went so randomly that it would be an impossible task to keep track of them all. With that said, she always liked learning about a pack other than her own and would definitely like to hear more, if Anwyl was willing to share.

But before she delved into the subject of Porcupine Ridge, she couldn't help but inquire, "Where's home?" When he made the leap, she quickly scrambled after him, momentarily forgetting her innate clumsiness. The rock was damp and slippery and she nearly slipped right off the edge. Fortunately, she caught herself just in time, then made the jump carefully, her smudged snout bumping into her companion's hip when she landed.

"I'm from Redhawk Caldera originally," she shared, hoping it might make Anwyl more open to sharing his own story. Not that he needed to be coaxed; he seemed quite conversational so far.

Anwyl watched as the dhole leaped across the river, booping into his butt when she landed. He laughed a little, they were both kind of clumsy. Where's home? She had asked, then told a bit more about herself to coax and answer out of him. He was glad to have someone who listened and cared about his past. His closest friends he'd made so far, well one didn't understand speech at all and the other was indecisive and was more a an all mouth no listen type. Wildfire on the other hand seemed open to learning, so Anwyl was open to sharing.

I came from a pack up north called Uisce Fuar Glen, cold water grove in English. We were Celtic, so that's where the crazy name came from. Anyway, I had 3 brothers and my parents were betas. Everything was good, winter was harsh though and this other pack moved in and started taking our prey. And my uncle and his mate had recently had a couple pups. So we couldn't move cause they wouldn't risk the pups dying, so we were trapped and starving. I'm no use when it comes to fighting so I was just another mouth to feed. So I left. 

Anwyl paused, thinking about his pack. How were they now? He'd thought about them many times, should he have stayed? Capriccio said he'd made the right choice, so he had to keep believing that he had. He sighed, looking away towards the sun above. It was really pretty there, especially in spring. Flowers everywhere, enough food for everyone. It's nice here too though. He turned back to Wildfire with a smile, pushing down his sad thoughts. So Redhawk Caldera. Why'd you leave?

Wildfire listened without interruption even as they continued to slither along the canyon wall. The river gradually began to widen again. She glanced ahead to ascertain the terrain beyond her cohort's shoulder, noting that the ground opened up slightly. Her black tail waved, though she remained focused on Anwyl's voice, listening to every detail of his story.

"That's rough," she said when he finished, "but I can totally relate when it comes to fighting. The sad thing is? I was raised to be a warrior," Wildfire shared with a slight note of sheepishness in her voice. "It was a requirement in the caldera. Not long after I left, I realized it was actually a really bad fit. But I'm a pretty good scout and hunter to make up for it."

"I left..." she began to answer Anwyl's question when something else captured her attention. "Hey, look," she said, tapping his hindquarters with a petite red paw to get him to stop and look sideways at a long fissure in the stone wall. It was about ten feet long and three feet deep. It was a bit like a cave, though so shallow that it fortunately didn't trigger Wildfire's claustrophobia. "The water probably used to be higher," she noted aloud, ducking her head to peek inside.

She withdrew, amber eyes flicking to the other wolf's face as she continued her earlier reply. "I left because I really wanted to be a part of Moonspear. It was a difficult decision but I'm still on good terms with my family, more or less. I haven't gone back home for a visit yet but my mom came to see me recently," Wildfire shared, smiling at the memory.

Anwyl chuckled a little when Wildfire mentioned that she wasn't much of a fighter either. He was glad to have stuff in common, it made him feel more comfortable. Yeah me too. My brothers were like, ultimate fighter gods. I always felt more like the 'hey let's talk it out' kind of guy. She continued on, telling him about why she left her birth pack. Kind of similar reasons, which made him feel a tiny bit better about his decision to leave. He felt a soft prod at his hips and he turned his head to see what she was pointing out. A small cave in the wall, who knew how far it went back.

The silver male scooted forwards more as she stuck her head in to peek. He did the same, ducking down to get a look. Nothing too interesting though, just water. He pulled back out, repositioning himself so that he was facing his companion. She continued on with her story, and he gave her his undivided attention. He knew how good it felt to be listened to, so he wanted to return her kindness. He was glad to hear that she was still ok with her family. It made him smile as well. He wasn't jealous of her, that would be selfish. Instead he joined in her happy memory.

Well if your mother came to visit you, then that means she must care about you. I'm happy for you.

He pointed out that Fox must still care about her, to which Wildfire bobbed her head. "Even though we live in different packs now, I still love my family and they love me," she said confidently. Stories like his made her realize how fortunate she was to have had a normal childhood and family nearby. "I'm sure your family loves and misses you still," she added with a gentle smile.

Content to stay put for a moment, Wildfire slowly reposed on her slim red haunches, peering out over the water. She tipped her head slightly to look upward. The sky was a pale ribbon above, brighter than the surrounding air. Wildfire dropped her amber eyes then, which roved over the nearby rock walls. This was a really cool place. She was glad to have discovered it.

She was also happy for Anwyl's company. "So what's Porcupine Ridge like? What made you decide to join that pack instead of the others around here?" she asked curiously.

Anwyl smiled as Wildfire added more encouragement. She was very thoughtful, which he liked. He hoped they could become closer friends. Thanks. He nodded his head respectfully towards her. The two wolves took a moment to look at their surroundings. It made him feel happy, a bit nervous every yet, but excited and happy. Exploring was fun, especially when you meet people along the way. His little scouting expedition had proved to be totally worth it. He stared up at the blue sky, a few clouds slicing into the bright canvas. The sun's shimmering shape bounced off of the water where it calmed and disappeared where it was rough. This canyon was beautiful.

The yearling's icy gaze shifted back to Wildfire when she asked another question, intent on learning more about him. He gave an embarrassed chuckle when she asked, and answered with a sigh. To tell the truth, I was starving and freezing cold and they were the first pack I found to accept me. I'm glad that I joined them though. They're really nice, an odd bunch but a friendly group nonetheless. Not bad odd, we're all just different. But our first pack hunt was a success, we all worked really well together. I'm the youngest but you know. I've always been the little brother. Oh and I made friends with this one guy who doesn't understand speech whatsoever. I don't even know if he has a name! But he's cool, might even be promoted to beta soon.

Anwyl had gotten a little carried away, but finding someone interesting to talk to, especially someone his age finally gave him someone to relate with. It felt good to let it out, unload all of his stories and have someone care. Plus he loved talking. This trip had been a total win.

He admitted that he had more or less just joined the ridge pack because it was there. Wildfire smiled at this. It was so different from her own story. She had taken a painstakingly long time to make a decision about moving to Moonspear. Of course, the circumstances had been quite different. Anwyl had been on his own until joining forces with Porcupine Ridge. It had probably been less of a choice and more of a necessity, really, especially when he cited himself as the "little brother" sort.

"I'm glad you found a good home with them," Wildfire said genuinely. "How does he communicate? Body language?" she guessed, intrigued. "What do you call him? 'Hey you!'?" Like the dweeb she was, she chuckled at her own joke.

Anwyl smiled back and nodded respectfully at Wildfire's comment in a thank you sort of way. She was genuinely nice, and he liked that. Some wolves he'd met hadn't been so kind. He chuckled at her inquiry about Farstep, but then she brought up a valid point. He had no idea what to call his friend. Did the brown Gamma even have a name? He wouldn't know, the male couldn't speak. Yeah, we just communicate with like, barking and jumping around and stuff. You know, like pups do. I don't really have a name for him. Hey you is alright, but I prefer 'you there'. He too, being and awkward dweeb, laughed.

So does the Moonstick have any special wolves? Yes, the Moonstick. He wasn't trying to be rude, just making a joke. Hopefully she wouldn't find it offensive. He had joked about the name of his pack when he'd first arrived. Porcupine Ridge. He'd found it silly, until he met a porcupine, then it was much more menacing a name.

Jokes aside, Wildfire was fascinated. She wished she could meet this wolf and see how effectively she could communicate with him. Of course, all wild wolves used body language but most relied on verbal cues as well. She tried to think of whether she had ever had a purely nonverbal interaction with another wolf. Wildfire couldn't remember.

"It's Moonspear," she corrected politely, automatically, before she caught his goofy expression and realized it was meant as a joke. She twitched her lip at him, then cocked her head as she pondered his question. "We've definitely got some special wolves," Wildfire replied, simultaneously applying several different meanings to the word, "but nobody's mute or anything like that. Although... my dad and my brother back at the caldera, they're both, er, disadvantaged." They would hate that term, she knew. "My dad has a bum eye and Nightjar has a bum ear."

Her dad and her brother, both of them had disabilities? The thought made Anwyl feel a bit lucky. None of his family had ever had  anything like that. They'd been healthy. Though, who knew how they were about now. He nodded respectfully, intrigued and curious about how her dad and brother got around. Especially her dad. He couldn't imagine only having one good eye. So can they hunt? I bet it's hard hunting when you have bad depth perception. No offense to him or anything. The silver and white male added in, hoping not to offend. Anwyl looked down at the smaller female a offered up a charming smile, as if to say 'sorry if that was rude'.

Naturally, he was curious as to whether her father and brother could hunt. "Oh, yeah. My dad's actually a quite masterful hunter. It took him some time to adapt—he lost his vision a few months ago—but he's still a killing machine. Nightjar was born without hearing in his one ear, so I don't think he really feels like he's at a disadvantage." He had never known the difference and, as far as Wildfire could tell, it hadn't hindered his ability to bring down prey or contribute in plenty of other ways, for that matter.

Thinking of them made her a little homesick, not for Moonspear but for the caldera. She couldn't go back there, of course, but it was probably time to head back to the mountain. She had promised Floki she could be back by evening and she had a significant amount of traveling to do before night fell. She glanced around, satisfied with the day's efforts, amber eyes eventually coming to rest on Anwyl.

"I think it's time I head back," she said, a quiet apology in her voice for drawing their meeting to a close. "How far away is the ridge? Moonstick is several miles southwest of here," Wildfire mentioned, lips curving at their now inside joke. "I told Floki I'd try to be home for dinner... by bedtime, at the very latest." As she spoke, she climbed to her feet, physically and mentally bracing herself for the climb out of the gorge.

"You walking with me or are you gonna stay down here a little longer?" she asked, black tail waving patiently as she eyeballed her new friend.

Anwyl enjoyed hearing about Wildfire's family. It sounded like she had a good relationship with them, and that was good. He was surprised to hear how good they were at hunting, but it made sense. If you're born with a deafness then you wouldn't even know what you're missing. Wildfire looked around for a moment, obviously thinking of something. He gave her a moment, wondering what she'd been thinking. But she soon turned back to him and told him she was leaving. He snickered at their inside joke, feeling clever. But something she said caught his attention. Floki? Who's Floki? 

The silver yearling leaped to his feet and bounded to her side. He would've left her alone if she wanted him to, but since she's offered, he wouldn't mind leaving the area either. He took another look at the little crevice they'd found, mentally mapping its location, then turning to look at her. Aahhh, I'll walk with you. He wagged his rusty tipped tail and began up the rocky climb. Yeah the ridge isn't too far. Well it is I guess, maybe a day's walk? But it goes by fast when you're having fun. He shrugged, looking at his paws as he walked. 

So who's Floki?

He opted to walk with her and Wildfire felt comfortable enough to give him a gentle bump with her shoulder before she began ascending back up the stony pathway that would lead them out of the canyon. Only now, as they began to climb out, did she start to feel the slightest bit claustrophobic. When her breath tightened slightly in her throat, Wildfire forced her amber eyes upward, to the yawning sliver of open sky overhead. It calmed her a little, though she began walking faster.

She honestly missed Anwyl's answer to her question, though the sound of Floki's name effectively snagged her attention. Forgetting her mild anxiety, Wildfire looked over at him, the corners of her mouth twitching. "He's... a special friend," she said, snorting at how juvenile that sounded. But it was more or less accurate. He wasn't officially a boyfriend, lover or mate, but neither was he just a friend.

They reached the lip of the canyon and a ragged exhale escaped Wildfire. She hoped that Anwyl hadn't noticed or that he simply thought she was out of breath from the climb. Turning to him, Wildfire reached up a petite paw and clapped him on the shoulder. "Was nice meeting you, Anwyl. I wouldn't mind bumping into you again someday. If you're ever near Moonstick, come say 'hello.'" She offered him a bright smile, a dip of her head and a wave of her black tail before turning to make the trek home.

Anwyl walked along with Wildfire enjoying the sights of the canyon. She had suddenly gotten tense, the same kind of tense he had been when they'd first went down into the canyon. Anwyl smiled to himself, finding this amusing. Wildfire then answered his question about this Floki. A special friend? Definitely a boyfriend. He nodded, from the way she had acted Floki and her probably had something going. He was happy for them. Maybe someday he'd find a female of his own. They continued on up, dropping the topic seeing as she didn't seem to eager to share.

Finally the two scouts reached the top of the canyon wall, it was time Anwyl turned back. He turned to the red wolf as she clapped his shoulder, he touched his nose to her paw as acknowledgement. Nice meeting you to! I will, and if you're ever by the ridge then just bowl and I'll be there. He gave her a friendly smile, then walked as she trotted away. Back to the Moonstick. Back to the ridge. He thought, before turning and bounding away to continue his journey.