Wolf RPG

The ocean fascinated her.

High cliffsides greeted them as they had come from the far reaches of the north, and gradually they had followed the coast in their descent. At first Echelon had marveled at it, having never seen the ebb and flow of such a large body of water. Her life had consisted of the mountains and valleys, lined with rivers and lakes. But never something so vast, something so incredible. Days later, while the intial impact and novelty had worn off, she found that the awe was still there.

But now her focus had turned to the wilderness ahead of them, from the timberline to the faint etches of mountains against the rainy backdrop. The ocean, while its allure remained strong, served as a muffle of her steps against the cool, marshy grounds. She had scouted ahead in the early morning in the cover of rain, but so far had not found much. Weaving in and out of the forestry, she moved towards the shape of a large stone and lingered. Tonravik, she hoped, would not be far behind by now. Though their time apart had been miniscule since their departure, the Tartok youth already longed for her aokkatti to meet her. Nothing in her outward expression suggested this however, and she proceeded to investigate the obscure stone that stood alone before the drift to the shore.

Tonravik had seen the ocean.

She had been born upon the Mountain, but moved upon the coming of another litter. That was her mothers way. Still, in her growing, she had been brought to the ocean to be trained. To fish, and to move against forces other than wind. There had been times she had almost drowned. Her mother would have watched her. The strong survive. The weak die. It was as simple as that.

The Tartok woman had remained a little longer with her mother before being sent away again. More progeny would come, and Tonravik was a competitor to Siku particularly this time around. Tonravik hungered for power, but even she was not insipid enough to attempt to dethrone her mother then; even with her age, Siku was the essence of pure, raw power. Tonravik had now fought wars and battles, had killed and seen death of foe and Tartok alike. She was a changed woman, now. Better prepared. And ready. Certainly not to overthrow Siku, the matriarch, a leader who might not have even reached her prime or the pinnacle of what she was meant for but could not be bested or ruined, but to begin her own reign.

Tonravik was Tartok. One of its many successors. And here she would become its successor, its next-in-line. There were many who vied for this, desired to rule, continue her mothers fierce legacy... but Tonravik would destroy them. Make them know as her mother would that she would rule, until her dying breath.

She had found her aokkatti on her journey and together they traveled. The woman sent Echelon ahead, so Tonravik could scout and scavenge and garner information. She could only note one pack, and was none too worried. Tartok would come. Her wolves, her brothers and sisters, would come.

It was difficult to find Echelon's trail. Just as it would be difficult to find Tonravik's own. But her mother had been Siku, who had been a tracker as well as a warrior. It took time, but less than it would take any other if only because of the skillset she had acquired from the bear. And in hours, Tonravik found her upon a Coast. The sight was... strange. Soothing in its familiarity, but haunting just as well. Before her aokkatti stood a large stone, and Tonravik thought this fitting. Even more a comfort than the quiet waters that ebbed and flowed.

Tonravik did not pause in her approach, and did not hide it. The bear of a wolf sauntered to the woman's side and rumbled deeply, though she was sure the woman now of her blood would simply have known regardless of her sounding off. Tonravik kept her head high, and her dark eyes looked around them. Nothing.

Her eyes fell to the rock, and then to Echelon. Her left ear flicked and then she proceeded to move forward.

They would move on. Find themselves a mountain. They were Tartok.

In her wait, Echelon pulled at the mosses that clung to the dark stone. Their taste was salty and bitter, but much to her liking. Somewhere in her periphial she spied the dark shape that could be no other than Tonravik, but she played as though she didn't notice for the longest time. Instead her feet carried her forward a bit around the stone, and her nibbling ministrations did not cease until the deep rumble of her bear-like packmate stirred beside her.

Attention broken, she fell into step along with her, with nothing more than a returning rumble from deep in her chest. Words did not need to be spoken between them, because their goal was shared. They would travel together now. The absence of hostility here did not put Echelon at ease. If not for the ocean roaring beside them, it would have been too quiet for her liking. But for the most part it would provide them with the cover that they needed… if they needed it.

“There are more tracks ahead,” she said after some silence, letting Tonravik come to the conclusions that she had for herself. There was life here, and plenty of it. But as far as she could tell, no packs along the watery shores. “Mountains to the east as well. We'll see them past the bend up there.” It was mountains that they were after, though she had not scouted past the shore yet. It was a simple ploy, a gauge, and she waited to hear what decisions her superior would have.

As they moved on and spoke of many things, Echelon found herself tasked with scouting out suitable regions. The young canine was obedient to her perceived superior, though for deeper reasons than rank or relation. She departed from Tonravik once they had scouted the coast appropriately, and headed off towards the east in to begin her tireless exploration of the wilderness beyond the damp shores and rough seas.