tagging
@Serem for reference since she's with him now, its up to Vilkas whether she can post or not!
Nikan had apparently lost track of time and by the time that they'd descended to the lake the first light of dawn began to show. His body ached still and it showed as he seemed to be favouring the left side of his body where his side and shouldet had come down hard upon the rocks. He kept check on where Serem was beside him and found that he enjoyed the company and feeling like he lead the girl. Slowly he was beginning to feel like his place was as a leader and the desire to ultimately form his own pack grew.
As his large paws sank into sand he spotted a wolf up ahead, red furred back turned away from them. The scent of fish made his mouth water and he licked his lips, turning to eye the water. He thought for a moment on whether it would take more time to fish or steal this man's catch and Nikan decided the latter wouldbe more enjoyable anyway.
"Stay back. Try to catch yourself a meal." he told her and headed toward the stranger.
Slowly he made his way around toward the front of the male, ears perked forward and head lowered, lips curled up though no growls could be heard. He made his threat clear and stood close enough to the other to lunge quickly but far enough to be able to react and defend if need be.
Nikan watched with narrowing eyes as the male responded with expected hostility, the warning clear though the raise in posture set off Nikan's temper. He lifted his head and flattened his ears back, legs stiffening and lips curling back to reveal sharp teeth that parted in a sharp snap to the air paired with a low growl of defiance. He would not be backing down, he intended to make this spot his. To make this clear he stepped forward and then began to circle, muscles tense. Once he reached the front again he lunged for the fish, angling his body so that he shoulder was blocking the path to his throat.
As he had lunged for the fish (which he hadn't actually looked at in detail) it became apparent that it wasn't even worth the trouble. A few bites were all that remained, not enough to even provide an hour's worth of energy for the large male. Nikan grunted as the other's shoulder slammed into him, knocking into the injured side of his body and causing the throbbing pain to flare up again. This was enough for Nikan to stumble backward with a pained growl, raising his posture again and studying the male with sudden eerie calm. The curling of his lips stopped and his narrowed eyes opened as he just seemed to stare. A fight was something he hadn't had in too long, he hadn't tasted the blood of another on his tongue in quite some time and he craved it. This triggered another wave of aggression, this time the plan being to further piss off and trigger the defensive male into a fight. He snorted and shook out his fur, circling once more and eyeing for a good spot to lunge in.
Then all at once he remembered his current purpose and his ears picked up the sound of the waterfall behind him. Zula... he stiffened and stopped his predatory circling, eyes moving to look toward Serem for a moment before he turned toward the red furred male once more. He gave a low rumble and backed away, no sign of submission in his still aggressive stance but still he retreated farther away. He couldn't afford to waste his time quite yet, he'd fight when he was sure Zula was safe again. He wasn't yet sure why he gave a damn about the woman but he wasn't so foolish as to deny he cared. "Serem, we'll go farther downstream. Maybe we can fish and rest there." he said coldly, eyes still on the man he had wanted so badly to stir up.
as the thread feels like it's reached it's natural conclusion to me i went ahead and wrapped it up + archived it. :-)
vilkas's attack finds purchase: his shoulder collides into the side of the unwelcome stranger's body and the other male stumbles backwards with a growl of pain. vilkas becomes vaguely aware of a dull ache in his own shoulder but he rolls it as he takes a predatory step towards the other male whom straightens his posture. his head lifts as the stranger stares then and ceases his movement. seaweed green gaze flits across the other male's body as he automatically assesses all the places he could attack, all the places exposed to him; some of which were more fatal than others. yet, the stranger begins his retreat with a posture that refuses to submit. it couldn't be considered a spar by any sort of standard really but whether the other male was submissive as he retreats or not didn't matter to the firebrand. he saw the retreat as submission and the aggressive posture as a pathetic attempt to hold onto dignity. and despite that vilkas was left disappointed by the buildup and then sudden and uneventful release of anticipation he does not pursue. it was clear that he doesn't need to and thus he returns to finish what little was left of his fish; keeping an ears and an eye open just in case the other male and his female companion decided to return.