Wolf RPG

@Floki!  :)


It was not really very late, but it was dark. Mason could hardly remember the late balmy eveings of summer, he had been so young. It felt like all he had ever known was Autumn, changing into a Winter that encompassed everything with harsh winds and snow. He had found a sheltered spot in his quest for knowledge of the Wilds, and he was currently snuffling his way along the valley sandwiched by two mountains. He was lingering right in the centre, so as to not get too close to the pack of Moonspear. He could see its slopes thanks to an ethereal light, but it was hard to discern anything besides a mass of rock with trees jutting out.

The light appeared to be coming from the early-rising bloated moon of winter. The moon had a pink tinge to it tonight, and this caused the glow it bounced off the altar of twilght to be even more unreal than usual. Mason looked positively ghastly – his grey-white fur caught the light until he turned a mangy pink, mottled with brown and black in places. He looked like the mutilated survivor of a raging forest fire, from a distance

Unknowing of his post-apocalyptic appearance, Mason sniffed his way down a scent trail, looking for a vole. He expected it was asleep by now, as the trail was old. He kept his eyes on the surroundings and suddenly looked up, unnerved. The moon’s light bobbed and bounced, and Mason turned a slow pirouette to see whether his eyes agreed with his other senses. He had seen half of the territory so far, but unwilling to delve too close to Moonspear, he did not want to go much further. Mason peered into the darkness, breathing deeply in an attempt to bring forewarning of whatever it was he had heard. He hoped this odd feeling wasn’t going to end in another cougar attack…

Finally, Floki felt confident slipping past Moonspear's borders once more. Or, at least, he had enough assurance to do it after hours; he had spent a full day patrolling with Charon, learning how to respond to various situations that could arise along the borders. Once the sun started to set, his brother and Alpha had dismissed him. But rather than retiring alongside Wildfire, he roved until dusk was upon the wilds.

He hesitated at first, but his adventurous heart eventually got the better of him. He was a Beta now, but he was also an outrider -- and Charon and Amekaze had never indicated that he needed to stifle his desire to explore. Rather, his trade seemed to compliment theirs, as they were both wolves intent to guard the homestead. He could operate as their second-in-command and as a scout, however that benefited them.

So the boy's heart was light as he loped southward, into the valley adjacent to Moonspear. His confidence suddenly drained when he spotted a rather ethereal-looking figure; and, being young and immature, he quickly convinced himself that it was a ghost of some sort. With hackles standing on end, Floki came to a halt, his blue eyes fixated on the ghastly wolf, unaware that it was an adolescent from another pack who felt just as apprehensive as he did.

Of course! Excited for this as they seem to have a lot in common! 

Mason spotted the other young man well after the fact; by the time he had spun in Floki’s direction, Mason was feeling thoroughly unnerved. The other – was it a wolf? – came to a stuttering halt nearby, all fluffed up and angry-looking. Mason’s thoughts were led by his instincts. Flight or fight or freeze, though? Even his instincts weren’t sure what to do with this cotton-ball of grey-pink and bright blue eyes.

“Hello?” Mason whispered into the still quiet of the moonlit air. He felt almost like he could reach out and pass through the other wolf in this weird, ethereal setting. “Can you hear me?” Mason added in a slightly louder voice. His own hackles were on end, but he kept his posture low and careful. The other male was of a similar size, although taller thanks to Mason’s stunted legs, and undoubtedly would be better in a fight.

Floki didn't move, except for a twitch of his eyelids as he blinked against the eerie light. The snow seemed to glow under the moon's haze, making it even more difficult to discern what, exactly, he was looking at. He prepared to slowly back away, lifting one forepaw and leaving it dangling in midair, but halted once more when the ghost called out to him quietly. "Hello? Can you hear me?" it asked, and somehow Floki doubted that a specter would speak that way.

The fur on his shoulders gradually flattened and rather than retreat, he decided to move forward. He took a few tentative steps, squinting at the pale wolf -- for it was a wolf he was looking at, not a phantom. Feeling relieved and a little embarrassed, Floki paused some distance from the other, his nose wriggling as he tried to gather more information.

"Yeah, I can hear you. You're not a ghost, right?" he said with a faint smile; it wouldn't hurt to double check.

The other moonlit male stepped forward after the Silvertip male had spoken. It appeared that they were scared of each other. When Floki’s hackles beat a hasty retreat to flatten themselves against his neck, the would-be Beta of Silvertip relaxed a bit.  

 

Mason chortled a nervous little laugh that held a hint of fear still. “Er… no I’m not a ghost. I’m a Mason. A wolf I mean, but yeah I’m called Mason…” he was doing spectacularly. At least his bumbling attempts at conversation probably proved he was not a malevolent spectre.

 

“I’m scouting the area, because I want to be a Scout, you see. And you’re from that pack up there, aren’t you? Moon-deer?” Mason looked around them, and stepped a couple of paces closer to Floki. Now that he had discerned this was no ghost, he felt there was safety in numbers. Who knew what else was out there?

 

“I  think I should have come during the daytime,” he admitted with some embarrassment.

As Mason spoke, Floki's fears were further quelled. Not only was the pale wolf not a ghost, but he appeared to be about the same age. In addition to that, he was scouting. That word alone was enough to pique Floki's attention, and his body language became much more relaxed as he moved to close the gap between them, his tail swinging freely between his hind legs.

"If you're a Mason, then I'm a Floki," he replied with a good-natured grin. "Yeah, I'm from Moonspear, and I'm actually a scout, too!" He didn't mention his rank, feeling it unnecessary, but if he had he would have discovered another similarity between himself and Mason. His nostrils flared as he inhaled Mason's scent, cataloging it into his memory, and he noticed that the smell was strangely familiar.

"Where are you from?" he asked conversationally.

Mason could see that the other boy was being put at ease too by their mutual conversation. Mason let out a self-mocking sort of chortle when Floki gave his name. Mason wanted to say ‘huh, weird name’ but he caught himself before he made this social faux pas – he had gradually come to learn the sort of things you don’t say to someone you have just met.
 
There was certainly something else he could say instead: “Oh cool! I’m from Silvertip Mountain, I was hoping to see someone from Moonspear, since our packs are so close n’all.” Mason grinned, turning to fully speak with Floki now rather than gazing around. In light of this newfound friendship (yes, he already considered Floki a friend) the lands didn’t seem so scary.
 
He looked at Floki’s pink-tinged face. “So who’re your leaders then? I think Dad said someone called… Char-don? Do you have any puppies? I have never met a tiny puppy but Dad said they would start coming once winter arrived, for the packs with mates. I wonder if puppies are boring.” Ramble ramble ramble.

"Oh, I met someone else from Silvertip recently," Floki replied when Mason revealed the name of his pack. He thought back to his encounter with a friend of Aesop's at Stavanger Bay. "His name was Alastor," he added, searching Mason's face for recognition.

It was nice chatting with someone of a similar age. Though he had Charon and Wildfire -- and Tevinter and Kaylan, he supposed, though his relationship with both of his brothers was strained at best -- he had never had many acquaintances that he could relate to in such a way. Mason was still essentially a stranger, but he already felt comfortable in the other boy's presence.

"Charon and Amekaze are the Alphas," he confirmed, nodding at Mason's mispronunciation of Charon's name. Then, because it seemed like the right time to do so, he added, "And I'm actually the Beta male, as of a few weeks ago." He said it without any pomp and circumstance; Tevinter's reaction to his promotion had thoroughly squashed most of his excitement. Besides, he didn't want to seem like a braggart. "We don't have any puppies. There aren't any mated pairs right now, so I'm not sure if we'll get any in the spring," he replied. He did wonder if Charon and Ame would reproduce, but it seemed more like it would be a business transaction than anything else.

Mason grinned when Al’s name was mentioned. They hadn’t spent much time together recently but he knew the male quite well; he had been with Silvertip for as long as Mason could remember. “Yeah, Al’s cool, he helped teach me how to hunt!”
 
When Floki admitted he had just been made a Beta, Mason blinked and looked more deeply into his face. Surely he was the same age as Mason? Mention of puppies and mates fell by the wayside as Mason thought over what Floki said. He was ‘The Beta Male’. The Beta Male. Like there could only be one.
 
Did that mean maybe Sted and himself had it wrong? Would they have to battle it out?
 
Maybe Floki just meant he was the only one right now. Attempting to still his heart, Mason admitted to Floki something that only a handful knew: “Dad is our Alpha, and he wants me to be Beta…” Mason looked off into the ethereal light dancing on snow. “But he has a mate now and she isn’t a massive fan of mine, so I said I would take time to think…” Mason looked back to Floki to ask: “Have you found it hard?”

His pale-furred companion confirmed that he did know Alastor, but as soon as Floki mentioned his recent promotion, Mason's expression sobered. Floki briefly wondered if perhaps he had said something wrong or had offended him -- sadly enough, he wouldn't have been surprised, after how poorly Tevinter had taken the news. He knew that others in the pack had questioned his quick rise in the hierarchy as well, but no one else had actively spoken out against him. Feeling a bit subconscious, Floki hunched his shoulders slightly, feeling warmth in his cheeks.

But when Mason spoke a moment later, his ears pricked and he felt relief and curiosity. As if this encounter wasn't strange enough already, it turned out that their lives were following an eerily similar path -- Mason's father, the Alpha of Silvertip Mountain, wanted him to step up as Beta. And, like Floki, Mason had expressed a desire to consider the offer before accepting it.

"No way. Really? Charon is my brother and he wanted me to be his second-in-command, and when he asked me I had to take some time to think about it, too," he said, giving a reassuring wave of his tail. "It hasn't been too hard. He and Ame have been teaching me, but so far I've mostly just been patrolling the borders. It feels different, though," he confessed. It almost felt as though there was an actual weight resting on his shoulders, although it wasn't so heavy as to be unbearable. Then, casting his eyes downward briefly, he added, "My brother isn't too happy about my promotion, though. He's jealous, I guess."

Mason smiled at Floki when he explained Charon was actually his brother and this was one of the reasons he wanted to promote him. A familial connection, just like Mason at FitzDutiful. And Steady too, for that matter. Mason listened carefully, ears cupped towards his companion, his tail swishing excitedly from side to side behind him. It was a relief to hear that Floki had done exactly what Mason had done – he had asked to think. It was amazing how similar they actually were.
 
The mood lowered a little bit when Floki admitted his brother didn’t feel so happy about the promotion. Mason considered, because this was something he had never had to deal with. June and he had always been so close, and they accepted each others’ accomplishments with open arms. She knew herself she could not be a Beta, though, so maybe that had helped with any lack of jealousy?
 
“I’m sorry Flo…” Mason looked at his new friend and thought for a moment then added: “did Charon not explain why it was you? Did you manage to have a talk with your other brother, or is he just not listening?” Mason was a bit awkward in this capacity, but he felt a need to try and help. If leadership was about keeping the pack strong, he was sure Floki would be upset about his brother’s dissatisfaction. “Maybe he will feel better in time?” Mason added with another few wags of his tail, hoping to brighten the mood.

Mason was instantly sympathetic, which Floki appreciated. It only served to strengthen the inexplicable bond he felt with this near-stranger. Sadly, Mason was more supportive of his new role than Tevinter had been; that realization felt like a knife twisting in his gut, though he quickly disregarded his emotions. He was becoming a pro at bottling his thoughts and feelings.

He listened, though, as Mason attempted to discuss the problem with him and offer solutions. He nodded his head, considering his companion's words. "Well, it's a long story, but basically Charon and I have just been there for each other our whole lives, so I guess he feels like we would make a good team if I was his Beta. Tevinter is my twin, but he went missing when we were very young, so we grew up separately," he explained. It sounded like even more of a mess when he tried to simplify it, but he didn't want to bore Mason with the whole tale of the Lodbrok clan.

"Anyway, yeah, I hope Tev will come around eventually. He and Charon kind of seem to butt heads, but Wildfire -- my girlfriend -- thinks things will resolve sooner or later..." He trailed off, failing to notice that he had, for the first time, referred to Wildfire with an official label. He tilted his head slightly and asked, "Do you think you'll accept your dad's offer to be Beta?" Although he hardly knew Mason, he kind of wanted the boy to take the step up into leadership -- perhaps they could be there for each other as they matured into adulthood.

Mason understood instantly when Floki spoke of Charon – this was Floki’s June. A sibling with a close bond who had been there from birth even when parents, perhaps, had not. “I see” Mason murmured, but he did not understand. If the brother who had scarpered off on his own had stuck around, he would probably be a Beta by now too, or at least in the running. Mason didn’t understand this sort of selfishness, because he had been brought up as the prodigal son, and yet his father had taught him to share everything with his sister. His personality clearly helped.
 
Floki didn’t seem to want to dwell on it much more. Mason was more than intrigued that Floki had a girlfriend. Mason had had no luck with women so far in his young life. “I’m sure she’s right and it will be sorted out. Tevinter maybe just feels angry that by the time he came back you and Charon had formed a sort of club, and he maybe finds it hard to fit in.” Mason spoke inadvertent wisdom when thinking of how he had felt when Zaria had trundled off with his Dad to make happy families.
 
“I am going to say yes, yeah.” Mason’s tail wagged and he smiled. “It helps a lot know someone like me… I mean [size=xx-large]you, who is someone kind like me, is in a similar situation, and is doing well.” With that confusing sentence exited from his mouth Mason looked around at the ethereal glow surrounding them and added: “What’s it like having a girlfriend then? My crush… chose someone else.” Perhaps he would divulge that story in due course, but it was more drama than he wanted to consider right now. Instead he wanted to hear about a successful love story.[/size]

He was glad to hear that Mason would be stepping into the Beta position. The other boy's excitement was evident in his body language. "I feel the same way," he replied with a bob of his head. "It's nice to meet someone my age who gets it," he added. He and Charon were close, but the Alpha was older. And, as he had already mentioned, he and Tevinter were not currently on speaking terms. Although he hadn't spoken of his other brother to Mason, Kaylan was far too feral to confide in. He hoped that would change, but knew that it would probably take a long time.

Mason's next question caused Floki's lip to twitch into a smile, though it faded quickly when he added that he had feelings for someone who didn't return them. "I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe she'll come around," he said. "Or you'll find someone else who likes you back. Wildfire and I...well, I guess we're not really official, but we spend a lot of time together. It's just easy to be around her," he continued, attempting to describe his relationship.

It was good to know that someone out there shared his feelings on being a young Beta. There would be times when he would feel like stepping down in the future, but Floki’s statement of solidarity would resonate in his heart. There had been a wild lack of women on the mountain, and Mason had (until recently) never experienced wanderlust. As a youth he had had no chance of meeting someone his age besides his beloved sister; his relationship with her was unconventionally strong, but it was not incestuous.
 
Mason found Floki’s comment humours – a sign that he was indeed over Zaria. After Floki divulged the ins-and-outs of his relationshit, Mason admitted: “Nah, the lady I liked, she’s with my Dad now. But she wasn’t really easy to be around. I don’t know how Dad copes with her, and I don’t know what I was thinking.”
 
Mason looked up at the distant slopes of Moonspear. “I’m glad you found someone like that, who is easy to be with. I’d like that too… someday. Did you meet Wildfire on your mountain?” Mason was intrigued. Perhaps Moonspear had a wealth of women.

Floki's brows shot up. Mason's crush had ended up with his dad?! That certainly was not what Floki had been expecting to hear, but the other boy addressed it casually. Rather than press for more information, he simply shrugged his shoulders. It sounded like Mason was getting over it, anyway.

He was happy to share a few details of his relationship with Wildfire, however. "She's actually from Redhawk Caldera. She was born there, and we met one day when we were out exploring. She ended up deciding to move to Moonspear," he said. He could have added that she migrated to his pack to be with him, but he knew that wasn't the only reason. She was also good friends with Charon.

Casting a quick glance over his shoulder, Floki said, "I should probably get back before it gets too late. Let's hang out again sometime!" He had truly enjoyed Mason's company, but wanted to return to Moonspear to catch a few hours of shut eye before rising early to patrol with his brother.

Yes we will :)
 
Mason listened with interest about the location of Wildfire. He hadn’t really got a good impression of the females from Redhawk when he had met Finley – she had been pretty but extremely dense. Perhaps he would just try other packs. His memory lingered on Desna. He was so caught up with remembering the soft slope of her shoulders  that he started when Floki said he better get back.

“Oh yeah, crap, me too!” Mason admitted, and like a creep in the shadows  the tiredness he had been holding at bay suddenly descended upon him. Mason yawned, wagged his tail at his new friend, and promised to come and see him again soon (as well as extending the invitation to Floki to come to Silvertip). He then gathered himself up and loped off in the direction of home.