Crius paced his way through the meadow, birds chirping, insects buzzing, his favorite time of year was rapidly approaching, SPRING TIME!. He loved Spring back home in Wyoming, the hot days, the beating sun, and the color shift the land would take on, it'd be a lie if he said he didn't miss the Wyoming wilds. Though he missed his home had no time to be homesick, he still had far too much to do in this new territory.
The titanic wolf needed to find food, a shelter to make his own, and he needed to figure out what sort of game roamed the area so he could have a consistent source of prey.
Crius stopped his pacing and sat down in the middle of the meadow; he took in a breath of that warming spring air that he enjoyed so, and laid down for a spell just to sunbathe a bit, and then he would continue his mission.
Spring was in the air, and Cicero enjoyed the warm glow of the sun as it warmed him as he wandered through the meadow. His thin fur made for cold winters, so Cicero liked the warming weather. He had not expected company, but when another wolf was lazing around, seemingly enjoying the sun and promise of spring, Cicero decided to approach despite the fear that still lingered in his gut.
The Blackfeather wolf approached tensely, though there was no threat in his step. His tail hung long and his expression was neutral upon approach. He waited at a safe distance and chuffed to announce his presence. "The promise of spring is nice, no?"
Not expecting any disturbance, Crius' ears perked up at the sound of a distant voice. Almost like he was on cue, Crius quickly staggered up and turned into the direction of his verbal assailant. Being the overly-friendly type, instead of questioning this stranger or even running away, he gave this new wolf a warm smile. "Hiya!" He beamed from afar, why were they so far? Crius thought, tilting his head. Did his odor offend his new acquaintance? Well, Crius would have to fix the distance, smell or not!
Trotting forward the large wolf attempted to close the distance between him and the stranger, though unorthodox, what's the worst that could happen? "One sec! Let me come to you!" He bellowed, paws thumping against the ground with each clumsy trot.
When the male got to his feet and approached, Cicero took a step backwards. He looked defensive, ears folded back against his skull. When the guy came too close for Cicero, his gums peeled back to reveal teeth. At the guy's seemingly cheerful attitude, Cicero felt guilty creep up on him for being so afraid. He wasn't going to do anything. Nothing was going to happen.
"What do you want?" he asked, and the darkness to his voice frightened Cicero; because he realised that he was only fueling Sheogorath with his irrational fear. "Is the wolf new here? " he asked, collecting himself somewhat, while he hoped that the guy had stopped at the warning signs.
Stopping in mid-stride, Crius tilted his head, this guy sure was intense. It'd probably be best to stay a few feet away and advanced when the darker male's tensions lessened. "What do I want?" Crius chuckled lightly, through a crooked smiled. That was a funny question, he asked him what he wanted, but he was the one who came up to him. Maybe wolves 'round these parts had those sorts of
This male was either going to attack Crius, or he was simply displaying a few hollow warning signs. "Well, I was just trying to catch some rays, and then maybe find a watering hole." The dusky-brown wolf asked, sitting a few feet from the stranger his wiry tail happily wagged though the stranger was obviously not up for a close encounter.
Was the wolf new? How could he answer that... He was new but, was he talking about him or himself. "The wolf is new to this place, is the stranger of this plain?"
Cicero's tension melted when the wolf kept his distance. The patchwork wolf himself tried to keep at least a few wolf lengths between himself and the stranger, although he sensed that the chocolate furred wolf was of little threat. He reminded Cicero a little of Goober, what with the uppity attitude, and saw no threat in him (if only he knew). It frustrated Cicero that he was so frightened these days; he did not even know whether the white wolf had taken him by force or if it had been a mutual agreement made with Sheogorath. It lead Cicero to wonder who he was really afraid of; the white wolf or other males that could take what they wanted from him, or the shadowed beast that slumbered within Cicero?
Trying not to focus on Sheogorath, Cicero shook his head and looked mildly apologetic, though he did not apologise, for it would only make him appear more confused and less sane. Cicero nodded and said: "Cicero is of Blackfeather Woods." He gestured his nose in the Woods' direction. "It is a dark forest near the mountain ridge that splits the Teekon Wilds." He awaited introduction, and in the meantime suggested: "Blackfeather Woods is a dark sort of place where the wolves look after one another. Cicero could tell of other packs, if the wolf wishes." Cicero didn't really think this wolf would be very suited for Blackfeather Woods, truthfully, but he was eager to find out more about him so that he could at least assess whether he would be valuable to it, now or in the future.
There he went again talkin' in that strange tongue. Who is Cicero? Is he Cicero? Did Cicero eat his food or somethin'? An obsession? Crius just nodded his head and smiled, he was confused, unaware of third person perspective. 'Blackfeather woods? Sounds like a beautiful little forest, I should check er out sometime' he thought, just as the tense male finished. "Sounds interesting, I show wouldn't mind seein' it, up close I mean." Crius' smiled descended just in case the other male thought he was overly-cheerful or maybe even annoying.
"Other packs?" Crius asked aloud, "Could Cicero tell the other wolf of his pack and the other packs? My names Crius by the way, just in case you mean mean me by the otha wolf ."
The wolf toned himself down a little, which felt better for Cicero. He allowed himself to relax a little, and listened as the wolf said that he wouldn't mind seeing it up close. He then introduced himself as Crius, after saying he wouldn't mind hearing about the other packs as well as Blackfeather Woods. Cicero nodded, and he offered a narrow smile for the first time, feeling more at ease now that he felt more confident that this wolf wouldn't want anything from him that he wasn't willing to give.
"Does Crius see any other wolves here?" Cicero asked with an amused grin as Crius seemed confused about who 'the other wolf' was. Finally he allowed himself to loosen a little and he continued on speaking of the packs, as requested: "Blackfeather Woods is dark, and Cicero would not recommend Crius to pay its deeper territories a visit if he is not intending to stay in the pack. The wolves of the Woods all have a darkness to them, however. They are not... evil, or wishing poorly upon others, but they do not take shit from others." Cicero wasn't usually very foul-mouthed but he could find no other way to describe Blackfeather Woods — they just didn't take shit from nobody. Yes, some were assassins and spies and it was dangerous to mess with them, but it wasn't like that was an outside sort of knowledge. Cicero didn't intend to give this Crius wolf a guide of 'welcome to the Dark Brotherhood', or anything.
He elaborated on other packs: "Other packs are often more light hearted, but most other wolves that Cicero has met are alright. The best way to choose a pack is to simply feel which were to fit best with Crius as a person. Socialise." Which was what he was doing now, of course — but Cicero was only the beginning. Cicero had only ever been a part of Blackfeather Woods so in that regard he was lucky, never having to choose much, but he did feel that if he would look for a different pack, a fit for life, that he would simply visit packs and meet wolves of other packs to see what fit best.
Crius' eyes widened father with every word Cicero spoke, this Blackfeather place sounded, dangerous, fun, exciting, dangerous, spooky, DANGEROUS, and um... DANGEROUS which to Crius translated into FUN. A small crooked smile formed across Crius' lips when Cicero explained that his pack doesn't take 'shit' from anyone. Why that was exactly how Crius lived! Sort of... He took a lot of shit back home, but when the going got tough, he didn't take much, or at least he thought.
The darker male seemed slightly loosened now, this was good as the last thing Crius needed was for this other wolf to summon his pack and if a simple 'hello' was enough to make Cicero snarl, who knows what the rest of the pack was like. Would they give Crius a chance to run? Maybe let his go with a warning and a few broken ribs? The thoughts made him cringe; it'd be best to play nice simpleton for now. "Ah, so if one were to travel into the Blackfeather forest, and ran into your pack, they'd be bound to your pack? That is neat, real neat." he complimented.
"So, if I may ask, were you born into your pack? Maybe adopted as a youngin'?"
Cicero did not believe that this wolf was really as dumb as his comment, and guessed that he was really just joking. A grin painted his face briefly, for he could only imagine the chocolate wolf's comment as a sick joke. "Their bones would be bound to the pack," he said, tacking onto the existing joke with a bit more morbidity than Crius himself had shown.
As for his other question, Cicero answered, "Cicero was born in Blackfeather Woods." It intrigued him that the wolf would ask if he was adopted, and so the spy could not help but ask, "Was Crius adopted? This is not something Cicero has ever heard of." And he hoped that Crius'd elaborate about his experiences with it so that he may learn more of it.
Crius arched an eyebrow, bones bound to the pack? What sort of sick gang was Cicero in? Wait, what if this was an ambush... What if Cicero was just a distraction while one of his pack mates sneak up on and... No, that's ridiculos... Or is it? Crius' beady eyes darted around the area; no one seemed to be around. Maybe he was just paranoid. "Ha ha, that's a good one Cicero." Crius awkwardly laughed.
Cicero had then asked Crius if he was adopted, well that was a hard question to answer. Crius had been alone his entire life, or so he would like to think. "No, Crius is not adopted, Crius has been alone most of his life. Adopted of course is just being taken in by a family when you have none, but you knew that ha ha. But yes, I've been on my own since... Um... I was born? Technically I guess you can say someone raised me for a few months, or else I wouldn't have survived long alone."
A sly smile spread across Cicero's face as he noticed the other wolf's awkwardness. If only he would be more useful for information, perhaps he could've been of better use. But alas... He started to ramble about adoption and how he had been alone since he was young, and Cicero had little time or patience for that. Everyone had their thing, and while Cicero was interested in secrets, he disliked how easily they slipped off this one's tongue. This wolf would do no good in Blackfeather Woods, that much was clear, except maybe to decorate its borders.
"Well, if Crius feels up to it," said Cicero, a toothy grin on his face while he started to slip past Crius, away from him, heading southwest. "He is welcome to plead his case at Blackfeather Woods' borders, to the southeast. The dark forest before the mountain ridge." Cicero started to trot off then, assuming that the other would not follow him, since he'd seemed nervous, and knowing that he would unlikely ever appear at Blackfeather Woods' borders.
Well, that was a relief, the other wolf made his way back into his freaky little forest. Obviously, he wanted some dark, looming figure for his pack, or else he wouldn't have brought them up at all. Luckily for Crius, his interest in the pack had diluted after the whole "bones" fiasco. It was rather rude of the guy to up and leave, in fact, Crius felt insulted, what kind of condescending nonsense was this? Like Cicero's pack was so lucrative and mysterious.
"How about I see this pack that seems oh so dark, though if they're like you, they must be a bunch of delightful little bunch of angels." Crius beamed, pacing beside Cicero. Apparently this puzzling wolf has never met someone from Wyoming, Crius was just as mentally strong, if not stronger than this dual colored eyed mystery.
It wasn't often that Cicero didn't get along with someone else. It wasn't even really that he didn't get along with this wolf; he just felt that he had a painted outlook on the world, and if he had grown up mostly alone it probably had not done wonders for his social life. When the chocolate wolf started to follow him, Cicero felt fear tighten his throat and he quickened his pace, but mister bright and sunshine didn't give up.
The chocolate wolf said some things about him and Cicero felt blinded by the fear. Instinctively, he peeled his lips back into a snarl and asked, much like the start of their meeting, "What do you want?" He strafed to the side, hoping to create distance between them, while he crossed the meadow, continuing due southwest and continuing to quick the pace of his trot by the second. He felt ridiculous being afraid of this wolf, but he really just wanted to be left alone.
What did Crius want? Not this again... "I want for you to keep running! This is great exercise!" Crius picked up his pace as well, something inside of him was slipping, slipping quickly, a toothy hysterical grin found Crius' mouth. He thought he could just run away? That he could just up and end a conversation? Oh no, Crius was going to get more out of him, even if he had to pounce on him to do so.
They were heading south, probably towards Cicero's pack lands. In their game of cat and mouse Cicero had strafed to the side, Crius followed with a shift of his massive frame. "You think you can just end a conversation without saying goodbye?!" The dusky-brown wolf laughed madly, his psyche was slipping and he loved every minute. It had been a good while since he had a game of chase.
Cicero's heart thrummed in his chest and the fear was beginning to spread further and further as the male followed him. Shit. Everything he said and did was a trigger — continuing to follow made it clear to Cicero that he was getting a sick sense of satisfaction from Cicero's fear. I want you to keep running echoed this behaviour and the way he must feel perfectly.
But the worst was when he said, You think you can just end a conversation without saying good bye. Cicero halted in his tracks, realising that he wasn't going to be able to flee away (though he might've been able to, had he been more dedicated to this approach; but he was running in a different direction than his pack, so where was he going to run to?).
There were only two options left; fighting or acceptance.
Tail was tucked tightly between hind legs as he stared at the male, torn. Then he realised that acceptance was worse than losing, for it meant that he allowed the fear to win; he would just let anything be taken from him if he accepted it himself, because he was too afraid to have it taken by force if he did not.
Then he parted his teeth in a snarl and lunged at the male. He was not afraid of pain, and while it was pure fear that drove his actions, he intended to grab whatever he could if the male would not move out of his way and take the hints he had been dropping.
The smaller male had halted and Crius kept his pace. Maybe he finally came to his senses and was going to bid Crius a proper farewell. It wasn't a huge issue to Crius, but rude manners shouldn't be justified by where you're from. "It's a good thing you stopped; I haven't gotten a good run in since..."
Crius continued his pace; he was a good three wolf lengths away from the dark male before Cicero completely snapped and lunged at him. With a pinch of luck, Crius slipped under the lunging male. He shot up after the other male went over his head. "Boy what's the matter with you? I just wanted you to bid me a proper farewell? You got a death wish or something'? Lunging at me like that... If you gone be like that, I'll leave you be." Crius barked. That was insane...
Cicero felt guilty and stupid for snapping at the other wolf, but his fear didacted that he defend himself. It worked, it seemed, for finally the chocolate wolf said that he'd back off. Cicero did not lunge again after that statement, his hackles raised and body posture defensively dominant, since he said he would leave.
Cicero waited for him to leave, then, saying nothing; he had nothing to say. He felt bad, but he felt that showing any sign of weakness would only prompt his assailant to take what he wanted. And so he said nothing, afraid to trigger the chocolate male.
Crius obviously had three options here, leave, attack and teach Cicero some respect, or just sit here. It was pretty compelling to lash out ring this crazed male by the neck and drag him a few hundred wolf lengths until he was at the very least humble. Crius' mind tried wrapping around the behaviors of this wolf before him. He interrupts his nap, snaps at him, runs away, snaps at him again, and lunged at him, even though he was outgunned and possibly out strengthed as well.
It would probably be best to leave, but then Crius would be showing cowardice of his own, ain't no way some random wolf was going to intimidate him like he was some scared little pup fresh out of the den. Nah, Crius had to show that he wasn't afraid though there was something off about Cicero. He seemed almost fearful, of Crius, which was silly but possible. Was Crius that intimidating? He was big, but he wasn't all that aggressive.
Maybe Crius could just let him go. After a brief silence, Crius stood his ground. "You can go ahead and go, but be sure to tell your pack what happened, and say that I'll be here if they're interested in Crius."
The wolf did not leave, and they were at an impasse for a moment. Cicero feared for what might come, but he was determined to fight to the death to prevent himself from being taken like before. He would rather die than give up another piece of his dignity and sanity.
Finally the wolf told him to leave. Cicero felt empty on the inside, like he'd mucked this one up, and he turned around, his posture flattening again while he started to run as fast as he could. Only when he was far away from the chocolate wolf he allowed himself to rest again and slowed down his pace. He was not sure he would tell his pack about this wolf when he did come home, for he was too ashamed of his irradical behaviour.
Crius only smirked to himself, apparently he was pretty intimidating. He turned his head and watched Cicero high tail it.Thst was probably the strangest fellow Crius had ever met. It was sort of funny too see him scamper off like a rodent barely escaping the claws of certain death.
Crius lazily laid back down and basked in the sun.
It was not death that Cicero feared; he did not value his, or anyone's, life that much. There was something deeper there. He had never feared anything; not until Sheogorath had reared its ugly head. Cicero was relieved to find the guy didn't follow him. He trotted on, eager to get away from the guy, and continued his mission.