wylla was here.
his heart was in each way elated and desperate and filled with regret, not that she should be here, but that in him now lived the black seed of another secret, and one more dire than any ill-gotten child. how ironic that he should have none of that this year, but something else.
the man paced through his beloved woodland, picking up the trail of
@Ephemeris and following it along.
rivenwood was strong.
mahler did not know how long he himself would be.
It was not often that he bumped into others, let alone was
followed by someone. Ephemeris had settled into his
night watchman role rather well. Lurked when the others slumbered, guarded their borders with a ferocity. As such, he was not the most social beast within Rivenwood.
Yet when he realized he was not alone, that another of his own was near, he could not deny the pull to them. Especially if he could perhaps badger them into some roughhousing. So far, that had not happened much.
Except when it is another
man — Mahler! — he was emboldened with a brutish son-like manner. Sought to greet the man with a bit of a rough headbutt into his shoulder, eagerly awaiting what would be returned.
Mahler's welcome to do anything in return, Ephemeris is not being proper so we accept consequences :3c
ok consequences it shall be >D
laurel's scent had mahler surging in blind instinct to quell ephemeris, not immediately recognizing that this was a playful sort of tumble. the man was younger, and in this a threat and a challenger for the ironweight's throne.
and so it came to pass that his head snapped 'round and he seized the surely penitent young man by the shoulder, throwing him against the ground with a heralding snarl.
lavender gaze softening very last after his expression changed from wrath to wondering; he let out a dry little chuckle and stepped back at once, secretly sickened that he had mis-stepped so firmly. "ve are daring today?"
He met the ground with a heavy thud. Not permanently hurt by the actions of the Graf, but currently feeling the sting of them. So he remained belly up for a few more moments.
A sign that he was good. That they were good. Everything was good!
Only when he was met with words did he rise. Shook free the debris from his coat, and faced Mahler with a crooked grin. Not at all bothered by the way he had been met in return. It was deserved, really.
Always.
He huffed, offering a gentler (apologetic) bump this time to the older male. A tussle like that is always worth a dare.
An attempt to lighten the way he had been greeted in turn.
their wordless little exchange brought ephemeris up several degrees in mahler's mind. he felt enlivened by it in a way he had not been for some time. this time he accepted the boy closer with a wave of his tail.
"are you up to more of it?" politely, amusedly; he would give the other back his points in favour of a good spar that might stretch the cobwebs from his tiring body, and reinforce whatever new limits age had given them. mahler should know such information.
His tail whipped like a banner at the offer, half inclined to play dirty and gain an upper hand before he agreed. Only he respected his elder male too much for that. So he nodded strongly before he took a few steps back. Some thoughtful space between them.
As long as you promise not to blind my other side.
He finally answered with wink of his cloudy eye, the scars a stark reminder of his boyish foolishness.
"a deal." watching as ephemeris took himself back in preparation, mahler stretched a hindleg and then began to snake forward as though he were cutting through dark water. to take the defensive was an easier strategy.
mahler wished to challenge them both; the scars upon the other's face loomed whitely as he cut up toward the younger wolf's left shoulder.
His fighting approach was just as foolish as his personality. Brash and brazen, not thoughtful in its motions.
Which meant he sought to meet the hit of Mahler on his shoulder. A clashing of the two of them, more akin to battling rams than mountain men. A hearty rumble in his throat that vocalized the excitement he felt at the shockwave through his body.
Enough to cause him to stumble back with a toothy grin on his face.
mahler, too, was invigorated. the boy reverberated back and mahler felt the bruise of their impact already welting beneath his summergrey pelt. it was a good feeling, a reminder that he was not as dead as the dry branch he had become.
again, circling, launching himself around this time to grapple toward ephemeris' hip, seeking to grab and to toss the boy over if he met his mark.
Ephemeris refused to go down.
Well, at least, by himself. Hackles prickled by the sensation of Mahler at his hip with such ferocity. He would turn and rear his head on the messy come down, wishing to grip the shoulder or chest of the older male.
Down but not out.
ephemeris toppled, but not before the sharp, precise seize of his own jaws overbalanced the older man. mahler stepped heavily back in a stumble to save himself, feeling the twist of a muscle deep in his thigh. while mahler did not yet fall, the younger man had proven himself a worthwhile opponent, and another writhe of ephemeris might well do him in!
for some time longer they sparred, calling a halt for a swim and a meal before parting ways.