For Razo!
It had been a few quick days since Paarthurnax had joined the ranks of Swiftcurrent Creek. Although she longed to dive back into pack life and pursue building bonds with wolves who were to be her comrades, the russet beauty instead focused on learning the territory and sourcing herself a den. The one she found had been a little underground burrow deep in the woodland, perhaps previously owned by another small mammal, and had been vacant for some time. She dug it out over an entire afternoon, kicking out old leaves and dirt, covering exposed roots of nearby trees and replacing it with fresh dry grasses and sweetly-scented flowers to mask the smell of rotting foliage.
The sun still had some time before it set by the time her task was complete, and her ivory paws and chest were no longer pristine. Marred by grass stains and dirt, Paar exited her hollow and shook her feathery pelt free of debris. She looked over a slim shoulder to admire the job she'd done and, with a proud smile arching her lips, the nimble wolfess trotted off in the direction of the pack's namesake.
Coolness was welcomed as she paused at the river's edge and ducked to lap at its surface. She drank deep the crystal-clear liquid until her throat no longer burned with thirst and, lowering her haunches, Paarthurnax licked her sodden chops as she gazed over the glistening creek and at the land beyond to mull over her thoughts.
The land didn’t care about the tumultuous state of the pack that claimed it, which was why Razo took to prowling it alone as he had done religiously from the moment he’d been allowed a place in the ranks. The vast expanse of grassland and pockets of cool, dark woodland held no grudge and brandished no gripe, and whether or not he firmly acknowledged it of this particular place in the Wilds, he was at home in them for as far as they stretched. Imminently, he was aware that he would need to come to some sort of decision regarding the politics of the pack, and he had acquired enough experience in them in order to reasonably judge whether they were deserving of his loyalty, but the land asked no questions, and by default he preferred its company. For the moment, Razo Redefin didn’t have to answer a thing.
He roamed freely and kept his ongoing tabs on the herds and more notable hunting grounds, then happened to pass through one of the few swaths of woodland he favoured at the tail-end of the heat of the day. His rough-hewn paws quietly met the shaded earth in a remarkable manner for a wolf of his size, and it wasn’t until he came upon a freshly earthen-dug den that he paused in his slinky saunter and examined the site. Drawing closer, he keenly observed the female scent laden and carved into it, and the careful placement of grasses and wildflowers that accented the smell of the displaced raw earth. His brow furrowed for a moment, given he had no idea who had been there. He followed with the utmost in exterior nonchalance from where the scent left off and picked up again.
It led him away from the trees, and when he reached the bank of Swiftcurrent Creek he proceeded alongside the turbulent water where his avid nose caught her tantalising scent on a temperate breeze that ruffled his careless fur. He immediately found himself immensely interested in who it could possibly belong to, and decided without one iota of hesitancy that hunting for prey, for the moment, could be pushed aside.
He strolled close when he saw her, then paused in the middle of his naturally long stride with one large paw poised and partially planted in front of him as though he meant to keep walking, but he didn’t. I’m quite sure that if Fox was still here—
he casually intoned to the alluring wolfess, —you wouldn’t be.
A roguish gleam in his shocking yellow eyes construed exactly what he meant by this, but he wondered if she would catch on.
Tiny fish darted to and fro in the shallows, picking at stray aquatic foliage and seemily chasing one another in competition for the best insects that skimmed across the surface. Paarthurnax watched them intently, imagining what they might be saying among themselves. She knew she'd come to love this little bay where the river's pace slowed almost to a standstill, where she could easily waste her evenings curiously eyeing the marine life that it had to offer.
The arrival of an unknown wolf caused Paar's reddish ears to prick, and she shifted as to look curiously over a slim shoulder. She looked upon a tawny figure as he continued her approach, though she made no move to rise and aid in closing the distance between them. Paarthurnax simply watched, and smiled knowingly at the impressive pose her latest companion struck.
His electric eyes glimmered with familiar mischief. Paarthurnax was a natural, exotic beauty wherever she went, and it was never long before she caught the eye of the local males. Fully aware of her exceedingly good looks, and the fact that she was of age to seek a mate of her own, she often encouraged them in their attempts to impress her. This one was the first of Swiftcurrent to flatter her and, keen to see how this encounter would progress, Paar shot her pack-mate a winning smirk. "Would you care to elaborate?" Paarthurnax asked with a quirk of a brow, for although she was entirely unaware of who Fox might be, she did not wish to appear dumb or ignorant in front of this potential suiter.
With an invitation for the tawny male to settle by her side, she remained put while they discussed Swiftcurrent's former Alphess. The talk of Fox ended Paar's interest in Razo, as instead she questioned him further of the fiery female's departure for a time before she was forced to depart his company and assume her assigned duties.