Wolf RPG

A few days had passed since her entry to these lands and the rest had done a world of good for her.  She'd been sparing on her shoulder and it did not pain her as badly as it had, though it still had healing yet to go.  Apparently the wolf who'd help set it back had either known what she was doing or Roz had gotten terribly lucky - either way she might owe her, should they ever cross paths again.  Maybe.

It was about time she started making herself known to the pack, so for the next few days, she'd decided she would wander a bit more in order to do so.  She'd met only Frejya so far, but the meeting had shown how many she did not know even the names of.

While she made a slow and leisurely progress, she made sure to look at this new place she would now call home.  A mountain, which she had to smile at a little - there was a time she'd decided that she would never live in such a territory.  And with her recent fall, maybe this wasn't the smartest decision, but she was in no position to be picky.  She avoided the higher elevations, sticking to gentler slopes that she could manage with as little pain as possible.

Eventually she came upon a spot she had yet to see - the geyser field, though she didn't know that yet.

A lot had happened in the past few days, yet Wildfire didn't think of any of it just now. Each and every brain cell was currently preoccupied on the physical world around her, all of her senses thrumming as she tracked the porcupine through the thin trees just east of the geyser fields. This type of prey was especially challenging for obvious reasons. The trapper's blood pumped hot in her veins as she slowly, carefully trailed it while simultaneously formulating a strategy to kill it.

The scent grew stronger and stronger as she moved westward, leading her to the base of a maple whose leaves were already tinged with the fades of fall. Wildfire paused, sniffing among the roots, then tracked her eyes up the smooth trunk. There was a hole partway up the tree. Porcupines could certainly climb. It was probably tucked up there, safely out of Wildfire's range. Her jaw set in disappointment, her ears fanning backward as she realized this was a fruitless lead.

But then movement caught her eye and her amber gaze flicked to her left. She saw the porcupine at the exact same moment it saw her. It stopped shuffling and stared, then began loudly gnashing its teeth and rustling the quills along its back. Wildfire pivoted to square off with the prickly creature, though yet another movement beyond her quarry distracted her. The she-wolf squinted over the porcupine, watching as a dark figure roamed against the backdrop of geysers.

Ok now this place... this place was odd.  She'd seen mist before, but never a geyser, so the steam emanating from the ground gave her pause.  Narrowing her eyes, she put her nose down and approached one of the pools that lay within, curious of their nature.  Luckily she withheld her normal careless enthusiasm, or she could have added a scalded nose to the list of 'stupid Roz' moments for the month.  Instead, as she lowered her muzzle, she felt the heat and pulled back in surprise.

She didn't see the other wolf until she lifted her head and turned, but by then her nose was already itching from the shock of the heat.  She tried to stop it, she really did, but it wouldn't be stopped.  If anything the sneeze was even louder for being withheld, and as soon as it released, she fell back on her haunches at the sudden pain from the jolt.  Welp.  If they'd been stalking something, likely they weren't anymore, thanks to her.

The sneeze could have spoiled the hunt. But on the contrary, it caused the porcupine to startle and spin, its quills still shivering menacingly as it pivoted on a stumpy little leg. It seemed to catch itself mid-revolution and began to swing back toward Wildfire but the experienced trapper had already spotted the narrow window of opportunity. She was right there, belly slung low and a nimble leg striking out to sweep the overgrown rodent's feet from beneath it. With a frightened squeal, the porcupine was flipped onto its side.

Its vulnerable underside wasn't totally exposed but it was enough for Wildfire. She snapped her fangs, teeth slicing deep into the exposed flesh before she abruptly leaped backward to avoid any prickly retaliation. She was rewarded with another cry, one of pain, as she licked blood from her muzzle and retreated several feet. She was almost positive it was a killing blow but it would take a while for the porcupine to bleed out completely.

For a moment, she watched it attempting to curl in on itself to protect its slashed belly, though the muscles were torn and it couldn't quite manage. She then remembered what had prompted her ability to strike. Wildfire's amber eyes lifted from the dying animal to the wolf plopped on her haunches among the geysers. Her lips twitched into a playful smirk. Rosalyn? she guessed silently, not entirely certain.

"Hey!" she called. "Thanks for the assist!" She waved her black tail. "I'd be happy to share. It's the least I can do. Although this may take a while," she noted, voice lowering as the porcupine moaned and writhed weakly on the ground before her.

She was fully expecting a tirade, because with her luck she'd just messed something up, and was preparing to give some right back (excuse her for breathing).  But none came.  Instead there was silence, during which she deflated slightly from her puffed up defensiveness and instead turned curious.

She was just about to stand up and come closer when Wildfire called out.  Thanks?  Apparently her nose had been of service.  Getting past her surprise, she felt that same niggling sense she'd felt at the meeting.  Something about the leader's mate (lucky sod) seemed familiar.  Not enough for her to remember that they'd met, but enough that she once again looked hard.  "You're welcome?" She called back, finally getting up to come closer. Apparently she had been hunting, and been successful in it.  Porcupines were nasty prey, but she'd managed to give this one a nice chomp, hadn't she?  She felt her fur prickle with a bit of envy.

"Seems rather reluctant to kick the bucket, doesn't it?" She agreed, watching it squirm. "Don't suppose we could finish it off, though.  Not without a face full of fun times."

The other she-wolf moved closer, coming to stand across from Wildfire with the dying porcupine between them. "No," she agreed, "it's safest to let it bleed to death, even if it's a pain waiting." The corners of her mouth twitched faintly as they discussed the poor creature even as it lay dying in front of them. "Do—" she began to add, amber eyes flicking from the porcupine to Rosalyn, only for her voice to cut off abruptly.

She had heard about the new recruit and even seen her face at the meeting, from a distance, among the crowd. "Hang on," the Bandrona blurted as recognition registered. "I know you. I mean, we've met before. We hunted that goat on the summit. Then you helped find my Aunt Finley. Way back in the day." Her voice sped up with a little bit of excitement as the familiarity dawned on her. She smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner. I knew we had a Rosalyn, only it just now clicked. The whole Roz/Rosalyn thing," Wildfire said a bit stupidly.

She wasn't crazy after all!  After a couple of words Wildfire cut off abruptly, and Roz watched with renewed interest (and a little trepidation) as recognition dawned.  It took her a bit longer, but as soon as the word 'goat' left her mouth, Roz was back on a different mountain a ways back.  Well shit on a stick, it was mini red.

"That's right," she said, smiling as well now that finally the odd sensation had meaning behind it.  "That was a while ago."  Pre-Saltwinter.  She hadn't been Red's way in a pretty time, and hadn't seen this wolf in longer.  Apparently she'd moved on.  "Left the old stomping grounds behind, then?"  She almost asked after Red, but thought better of it.  "Gotten a bit more accomplished since then too, I see."  She indicated the catch, a light reference to the botched hunt where Wildfire had let her call the shots.  There was more than one reason Rosalyn hadn't settled on a trade line just yet.

"Yeah!" Wildfire agreed perhaps a little too enthusiastically, catching herself and laughing as she lowered her voice. "I was only a pup then. And, yes, I left the caldera when I was about nine months old. I lived with one other pack before coming here." Her cheeks ached as her grin stretched in response to the compliment. She laughed again. "Yeah, I'm a little better at hunting the small stuff."

She glanced at the porcupine. It was crawling slowly across the ground, leaving a smear of blood. Wildfire knew it wouldn't get far and refocused her attention on Roz, asking, "What have you been up to? And how'd you end up here?" There was an understated note of delight in her voice. She had no idea about Rosalyn's fling with her mother but it was somehow pleasing for someone from her past to pop up as her very own pack mate.

"Good on you," she responded heartily, meaning it.  She might not judge wolves for sticking close to home, but she did have a bias towards the wanderer's road.  A little culture and experience never hurt anyone, and there were so many experiences to be had.

"How'd I end up here? That's a bit of a tale."  What the hell.  Maybe she'd even jazz it up a bit; she always did have a bit of flair for the dramatic.  "I met this wolf, odd bugger and a couple sticks short of a bundle.  Called me Standards, even, seeing as I wouldn't let his rabbit play in my burrow.  If you get my drift."  She smirked at the recollection.

"Anyway, he was putting together a pack near the sea, and since he had a weird sort of charm, I went along.  Girls gotta eat.  Turns out the pack had this queen, though, real nasty sort.  No sense of humor.  We didn't hit it off so well."  That was mostly her doing, of course, but this was her story and she could imply what she wanted.

"Long story short; I got Vlad to assist and challenged her.  Too bad she had backup.  Few nasty blokes, big guys with a real nasty bite to them."  More like a few scrawny packmates.  "We barely got away.  Can you believe before that she ordered him to kill me instead? The nerve of some wolves when power gets at their head."  She shook her head, then focused back in on Wildfire.

Wildfire liked to think she had a good sense of humor and that her parents had gifted her with an appreciation for even the crassest jokes. But she shivered inwardly at Rosalyn's explanation for her nickname. It made her think of Goober, however briefly. In any case, the woman's story quickly moved on and Wildfire forgot all about Goober when a familiar name popped up in it: Vlad. Her amber eyes widened ever so slightly. Today really was a blast from the past.

The intrigue and drama of Rosalyn's tale was not lost on her. "That sounds like quite an adventure," she commented, smiling at her own anticlimactic response. "I met Vlad once. He has a crazy accent, right?" She paused to let the other she-wolf answer, then asked, "What happened to him? He isn't here, is he?" The yearling felt terrible but she sort of hoped he wasn't. He was a bit too weird for her.

Meanwhile, the porcupine gave a sudden squeak, then a long sigh and deflated. "Ah, dinner's up," the Bandrona observed with a wolfish grin and a lash of her black tail. She stepped closer to the dead animal, sniffing warily from a few inches away. She wanted to be absolutely sure it was dead before she put her face anywhere near that bushel of quills.

She took the story well, though of course she was older now, so there would be little admiration to be expected.  Rosalyn didn't mind much either way, how she was recieved, though she was glad she had found a familiar face here to be sure.

"Thats him alright.  And that's another bit of a funny part.  Guy just up and vanished on me, right before I left.  Guess he had better places to be."  There was an affectionate teasing as she said that, because theirs was a partnership that probably wouldn't have lasted long no matter where they turned.  He was a loose cannon and much as she boasted, she really was glad to have stability for a bit.  "Doubt we will see him anytime soon."

She too stepped forward to sniff af the creature, happy that lunch was here but ready to let Wildfire dig in first.  She was the dominant one of course, and the Hunter.  Not to mention she could probably kick Roz's ass (right now) if she wanted to.

It sounded like she didn't need to worry about Vlad. Thoughts of him soon vanished into the ether as Wildfire deduced that her prey was, in fact, deceased. She pressed her nose to the bloody flesh of its stomach and nudged it onto its side, then partially onto its back. She then ripped right into that soft, torn underbelly. The organs splattered out in a delicious slip-and-slide. Wildfire did her best to gobble the bits and pieces as they emerged, though many of the entrails still landed on the grass.

That was just as well. Wildfire felt full after devouring the liver and took a step back, motioning for Rosalyn to take a share. "Eat as much as you like. I'm full," she said before an unladylike burp burst out of her. "Pardon me," she said, amber eyes widening ever so slightly before she chuckled at herself and fell to her haunches to begin cleaning the blood from her face and paws.

Rosalyn wasn't too bothered by manners as Wildfire tore in; obviously, if her last pack was any indication, she was used to all sorts.  'Ladylike' was barely in her repotoire, though at times it was fun to pretend.  Until that got wearing, and that generally happened sooner than later.

Then it was her turn, and she dug in happily as well, nosing into the cavity Wildfire had started to get at whatever good bits she'd left.  There was plenty.

"Mmm, thanks."  She finally expressed, probing her teeth with her tongue to get a few stringy leftovers out.  She'd eaten through a good potion of the rest, and her muzzle was also a bloody mess from rooting around.  

"So, how's your old crew doing?" She asked while she proceeded to clean herself up as well, most curious about Red in particular but willing to hear about any.  And Kitten.  She missed his adorable face too, though she didn't actually remember his real name.

She smiled to herself as Rosalyn indulged her hunger. Feeding others brought Wildfire joy, she realized, which was a good thing considering she would spent the upcoming months feeding several hungry mouths if all went according to plan. Her smile widened at that thought as she finished rinsing the smears of blood from where they blended into her rusty red fur.

She was staring at the porcupine's quills, wondering if the commander or new Wocha might find them useful, when the Kru's question distracted her. Amber eyes lifted. "The Redhawks, you mean? They're doing good." It had been a few months now since her last visit to the caldera, though, which reminded her... "My parents and brothers are supposed to pay a visit sometime soon." Wildfire's heart skipped a beat at the thought.

"Hmm.  That will be fun for you," she said, completely casual despite the spike of interest.  Honestly she didn't remember if it was confirmed, but she had an inkling as to who Wildfire spoke of when she talked about her parents, and the idea of seeing Red was extremely welcome.  It had been a while since Roz had had a good shakedown, and hopefully the mother wouldn't be too preoccupied with family to disappear into the mountains for a bit of r&r.  Roz wasn't insecure enough to think it wouldn't be a welcome distraction for both partes.

"You had another fella, big white guy, kinda.... "  she paused, not exactly sure how to best put it.  "Sensitive?" It was the closest she could get.  She'd been young when Rosalyn and Kitten had met, but maybe old enough to know and recall?  "We met a couple of times, though to be completely honest, I'm shit at names."  

The Bandrona had no idea that Rosalyn was personally, even intimately, acquainted with her mother; she figured the question as merely polite conversation. Her amber eyes lifted from where they were studying the bed of quills to the Kru's face as she attempted to describe another of Wildfire's former pack mates. White. Sensitive. One wolf came to mind immediately and a soft smile arched the yearling's mouth.

"Pan? Pantaleimon?" she supplied, black tail stirring at the memory of her Papa Pan. She hadn't thought of him in a while but the feeling gathering in her breast was nothing but utmost fondness.

Aha, there it was.  "Sounds about right.  Don't suppose you've seen him around recently?"  From what she understood of Wildfire, the girl liked to roam, but perhaps that had changed.  Rosalyn intended to do her own fair share as well after recovering.

He was the only other one that Roz cared about in the area, honestly.  She definitely wasn't about to ask after the bitch whose life she'd saved, or the (fine) asshole of an alpha.  Specifics escaped her but she remembered neither encounter fondly.

A soft sigh escaped her and Wildfire shook her head. "Papa Pan—that's what I called him—was my father's lover. He disappeared. As far as I know, nobody ever saw or heard from him again. He just... vanished." She frowned, reflecting on how painful that must have been for her dad. "That was a long time ago now," she added, shooting Rosalyn an apologetic look.

After some further contemplation, Wildfire decided she wouldn't attempt to harvest the quills. It just wasn't worth the possibility of getting stabbed and jabbed. If someone else in the pack wanted it, they could go for it, as the Bandrona intended to just leave the leftovers here. Maybe birds or other scavengers would get to it all first. The she-wolf mused that the quills would make great protection for a bird's nest, though she somehow doubted any avian was smart enough to armor their little homesteads.

She blinked her amber eyes, surfacing from that train of thought to say, "What else are you getting into today? What were you doing before our paths crossed?" Wildfire was just trying to be conversational, though depending on how Rosalyn answered, maybe she could accompany her pack mate on whatever ventures she undertook.

She was disappointed, but that was the way things usually went, right?  So hard to keep track of acquaintances when she was constantly roaming around.  Roz would just imagine he settled down with some equally adorable mate and had a bunch of adorable (squared) children.  Guy had always had 'parent' written all over his face.

The quills weren't even on Rosalyn's mind (naturalist would never be her calling), but as she was imagining her friend's life, she too had to resurface.  Hmm.  What had she been doing.

"Just exploring the territory.  Hadn't seen this place before and figure I should learn as much as I can." Slowly but surely.

Although Wildfire didn't fancy herself a tour guide, she wondered if Rosalyn might want someone more familiar with the lay of the land to come along and show her all the territory's hot spots. "Would you like some company?" she asked, moving away from the remains of the porcupine and bending to lick a stray droplet of blood off her foreleg. "I can point out all the important places and whatnot," she offered with a casual smile and shrug.

Would she? "That'd be great.  Maybe we could start with here, actually."  She'd never seen a place like it and was curious of what the locals made of it.  Thuring had (probably) given her a bit of a tour on arrival, but this would serve the double purpose of letting her bond with a face she already knew here.