Wolf RPG

Wildfire stood back, eyeing the head of the path warily. It reminded her a bit too much of a tunnel, what with all the boulders and trees enclosing it. She sensed something interesting lay at its foot, something alluringly mysterious, yet the young she-wolf hesitated. She glanced over her shoulder to catch Gavriel's eye, wondering if he was interested in exploring the trail and where it led. He wasn't a scout by trade, though, and as far as he knew, they were supposed to be heading straight to the caldera and back. So far, he hadn't complained about the ranger's scenic route, though.

"Should we—" she called out to him, only for an ominous, distant buzzing to cause her to cut off abruptly. Wildfire squinted, glancing up at the sky. It was clear and refreshingly blue. Her gaze dropped back to earth, scanning her surroundings even as the droning continued and a sense of foreboding came over her.

Gavriel knows little of the teekon. The furthest he'd traveled before this trip had been the edges of the Maplewood and only to scout as the rest of the wolves were led to battle. Wildfire knows her way around and Gavriel puts trust in her to take the route necessary to reach her destination. There hasn't been much chatter between the two, they hunted once, but their conversation had been limited. His duty is to protect the smaller girl, whether or not she needed it, and he follows along and keeps to himself for the duration of the trip, albeit only a few yards distance between them.

He looks over in her direction when she speaks, ears forward as he hears the same sound. Lifting his head, he looks around, and easily closes the distance between them as the same feeling settles deep in the pit of his stomach. Unsure of the origin, Gavriel knows it can't be good, and he glances questioningly at his companion.

The white noise continued and Wildfire licked her lips nervously. But nothing came of it, even after a long period of staring around and exchanging quizzical glances with her companion. It was still very unsettling and the she-wolf sensed something very amiss with the situation. She wasn't sure what to do about it, though, or if it should affect their travel plans.

"I've never heard anything like it," she said after a while, head tilting when the pitch of the noise seemed to lessen slightly, only to crescendo again. "It makes me think of a beehive." But she had never seen a swarm of bees, so that thought didn't even cross her mind. Wildfire let out a breath, squinting mistrustfully into the middle distance.

Then she abruptly remembered the mysterious hidden path and she asked, "Want to check it out?" Wildfire motioned toward what could only be called an entryway, idly deciding she wouldn't let the weird droning affect their plans unless something came of it.

She doesn’t offer any other information and he frowns. The uneasy feeling in his stomach nearly doubles, but he’s distracted long enough to hear the proposal and with a quick nod of his head, he closest the last bit of distance between them to keep up and let her lead the way. Whatever the humming, Gavriel feels the desire to know and not know all at the same time, wondering idly if ignorance would be bliss in this scenario, but he knows he has more to consider than just himself. He swallows the lump in his throat and points with his nose, encouraging her to continue leading the way.

Gavriel definitely showed signs that he shared in her apprehension, yet he seemed just as unlikely to let it deter him, at least for now. When he gestured for her to lead the way, Wildfire passed her tongue over her lips, gave the sky one last critical glance, then ducked into the passageway made of massive boulders and towering conifers. She tried to decide if it felt more peaceful or creepy in this nature-made tunnel. She hadn't arrived at a decision by the time they reached the other end, which afforded them a view of an outspread plain, a small, snaking river and some more forestry off to the side.

There was a strange scent on the air that distracted Wildfire from the picturesque scenery. "Do you smell that?" she whispered to her companion, her red fur prickling instinctively. For a moment, she couldn't place it, and then she had a sudden and vivid flashback to the battle with the bear back at Moonspear. "Oh, sh—" she breathed, teeth pinching into her tongue to cut off the epithet even as her entire body froze in fear.

Wildfire picks up the pace and, trusting her direction above his own. When she leads him into a tunnel, he tries not to let the weird feeling deter him. It’s dark, and he sticks close to the girl’s rump. Lost in his thoughts for a moment, with the weird buzzing still overhead, he finds himself surprised to run into Wildfire’s rear. Stammering back a step or two, he catches on to her words, and with a big inhale, he realizes her concern. “Uh,” is all he can offer, eyes widened in surprise. “I think we need to go back,” he offers, quietly, as his eyes narrow to try and clear up his vision.

Gavriel appeared to recognize the smell too. He warned her that they needed to turn back. Wildfire said and did nothing for a moment, then eventually thawed her body enough to nod vigorously. Her interest in exploring this area had evaporated. The bear's (or bears') scent seemed to fill her nose and buzz in her brain. Or maybe that was the dull background hum.

"Yes, let's," she agreed through clenched teeth, keeping her voice low, just in case. She nudged against Gavriel, amber eyes sweeping over the picturesque little valley once more before turning to retreat back through the nature-made tunnel.

Aside from stumbling over a tree root, Wildfire managed to scramble back out of the hidden valley without incident. Once she burst back into openness and sunlight, she swung around to make sure Gavriel—and no bears—was right behind her.

Wildfire doesn't move at first and the fur along his neck bristles, uncertain whether or not he's going to have to shake the girl of her concentration or if she'll snap out of it. He inches closer but she shimmies back so much he has to move to allow room for her to get by. He scarcely misses her words before she turns and makes her way out. Gavriel quickly follows suit and quickly retreats from the tunnel until he can see a clearing on the other side. 


"So, long way around?" he questions then with a twitch of his ears. He glances back to make sure they haven't been followed before he nips her shoulder and encourages her to move, just in case something shows up late.

Not only was he right behind her, he was directing a nip at her hindquarters to urge her to move farther away from the potential threat. Wildfire immediately obeyed, scurrying from the valley's mouth in a generally western direction. A forest rose up in the distance, deep and dark, and even from this far away, the yearling caught the scent of wolves. Without a word, she glanced over her should to catch Gavriel's eye, then steered them both due south. From the open plains there, they could move west again, making their way around the mountains and toward the caldera on the other side. With every step, the landscape grew more and more familiar to her—these were the outrider's old stomping grounds, after all—and the anticipation of catching up with her mother effectively drowned out the chronic and ominous droning still vibrating the air.

Once they are away from the passage way and somewhere where he feels they could slow down, he glances back to find their trail untapped. A breath of relief escapes him and he continues alongside his charge. Her gait becomes confident and sure of herself and with that, he gives her room to lead as she sees fit. He could offer little in their travel, except for his purpose of keeping her safe, and follows along behind her.