@Atticus for your Warden Trade. ^_^ Set at the Whitefish River where it borders BDP. Also, as a funny thing, I used the word "legs" in this post, and then stared at it for too long and it stopped sounding like a word in my head so I had to look it up to make sure I was speaking English still. >.<
Majesty was overtaken by wanderlust yet again. He did his rounds on the Isle, went hunting to fill the caches, climbed the cliffs on the west side of the island and ate a few eggs for breakfast, took a long drink of water from the inlet near his denning site, and then he was off. Because he was nearly always leaving the island in the morning, he never really had to worry about the sandbar being submerged past his mid-legs. He looked up at the sky. The temperature was fairly hot already, and it was partly cloudy out. There was barely any breeze, which meant that if it didn't pick up soon, it would definitely be hot today. However, even with the threat of being hot hanging over his head, he still had the urge to go for a run.
Majesty tried to pick a direction he had never really been in before. He ended up following his side of the Totoka River into the Ravensblood Forest, making sure to steer clear of Horizon Ridge's borders, and came out the other side unscathed. He made sure he was well-past the packlands before he turned and met up with the Whitefish River. It was here that he noticed the river was bordering a plateau. He stared up at it, and noted that there seemed to be a forest up there. He also faintly smelled a mix of male and female wolves. A lot of them. Which meant a pack. Hoping he wasn't trespassing, as the river was technically neutral territory, he continued on, running along the river, with the shadow of the plateau at his side.
Thanks for starting! Your note about "legs" made me giggle, heehee. :)
In recent weeks, Atticus had taken to guarding and protecting their packlands with a fervor that surprised even him sometimes. With his brother's recent injury and inability to fend for himself much, the protective instincts he'd had since the birth of the puppies had only grown stronger and more aggressive -- particularly since his fight with the trespasser from Silvertip Mountain. He paid no attention to the healing cuts and scrapes that littered his body as he tracked the stranger who now moved along their western border. He would add more injuries to his collection if he had to.
The stranger was a tawny-coated male, handsome and healthy in appearance, and a subtle shift in the breeze brought Atticus the distinctive scent of the ocean. A soft growl rumbled almost inaudibly in his chest as he loped along through the trees, keeping up with the other wolf but remaining some distance behind him. As long as the stranger kept moving, everything would be fine. If he attempted to cross the river, however, there would be bloodshed.
The other wolf didn't go away; rather, he was drawing nearer, entering the water and lying down in its cool, gently rippling embrace. Atticus wondered if the wolf's nose worked at all, for him to venture so close to claimed lands without realizing it. Or maybe, like the wolf from Silvertip Mountain that Atticus had recently fought, he simply didn't care…which was a disturbing prospect.
This was unacceptable. He was too close to the lands, and Atticus couldn't tolerate it any longer, even if the other wolf's intentions seemed harmless enough. Moving into sight of the wolf on the opposite bank, Atticus stopped when river water lapped over his ankles and gave a short but authoritative growl. "You're encroaching on my packlands, stranger," he said, his tone very straightforward. Though he was not gentle about situations like this, he was not overly aggressive or hostile either. He didn't want violence, after all. In any of these cases, he just wanted the intruder to leave.
Normally Majesty would just turn and leave at a request like that, since he doesn't want trouble, but we need to get this up to at least 10 posts, so... I'm having him be kind of a little bit nosy... maybe.
Majesty stood up the moment the other wolf came into view. The other male was big, with a sleek coat of black and piercing ice-blue eyes. He listened intently as the male told him to leave, a soft growl in his voice. The alpha of the Isle bowed his head slightly in respect and backed up out of the water even though he wasn't technically trespassing. Still, he would respect the other's wishes, since he knew that there was most likely a pack up on the plateau. The smell of many wolves wafted down the mountain to his nose, and there were at least a dozen scents on this wolf alone.
"Forgive me," Majesty called across the river, his sonorous voice remaining calm and respecting. "But might I ask you about your pack before I leave?" He nodded his head towards the plateau. "Up until today, I was not aware that there even was a pack up there. Is all well within?" He could not help his natural curiosity, and hoped the male wouldn't mind his questions. He asked them with the best of intentions.
Slapping a quick conclusion on this so it can be archived rather than dead-threaded.
The stranger responded positively to Atticus's words, which surprised the Beta and pleased him as well. He was not a violent wolf by any means and did not enjoy confrontation, especially if it involved bloodshed. He watched with wary stoicism as the other carefully drew away from the river, asking questions of the plateau pack as he did. After a moment of consideration, Atticus decided it couldn't hurt to give the other wolf a little information. Perhaps learning more about his surroundings would help the stranger be more cautious in his travels in the future.
Crossing the river, Atticus fell into step beside the stranger and they walked along the shore. Atticus told him of their pack, though he didn't divulge any information he felt was sensitive. The other wolf told him a bit about himself as well and the pack he was from, which was interesting to the Beta. Up to that point, he hadn't realized there was a pack out at Wheeling Gull Isle. The two males talked for a while before they reached the far end of the plateau's outlands and Atticus said goodbye, sending his new acquaintance -- named Majesty, he'd learned -- on his way.