look at this crappy fail delayed post >.<
@Falwasi
He could sense she wasn't far away- why should she be, after their playful battle? Dovev lifted his head, straightening his posture as he lay, strewn against the short, dry grass. It was chilly, with the air nipping at his leathery nose, but Dovev had created a small space of warmth where his body touched the earth. Several trees waved in the early morning, their shadows long and murky against the hazy sun. Clouds, thin as cotton but plenty in number crowded the sky.
It being late autumn, Dovev had the pleasure of witnessing many of the mountain faces turn bright white as snow covered them, sometimes dumping a foot onto the ground below. But it hadn't reached the temperature in which the fluffy stuff would stay, and the male couldn't help but feel his displeasure when the storms held back and instead drizzled freezing rain. But as the seasons progressed, the days got colder and Dovev was more active, trotting against the wind.
[size=x-small]Sparring thread or catching up thread? Set after she has returned from the Glacier :)[/size]
It was morning, and Falwasi was alone, and she was fresh. She trotted at a brisk pace up the Creek, feet barely touching the ground as she effortlessly worked her slender body that was starting to thin out again. The Glacier had taken good care of the three wolves, and her stomach had been full, and almost round. On the contrary for the Creek, they had low stocked caches, and the outlook on winter wasn't so good.
She caught a familiar scent nearby. It was Dovev. Halting in her tracks, she changed her direction and pointed her nose towards the scent. Falwasi then trotted forward again, at the same pace. She was so energetic today. Why was she so energetic? She'd just come back from a long trip. Maybe she was happy to be home.
Nearing the arctic's scent, she spotted the white creature lounging across the ground. The off-white legged girl sighed, taking in a breath of the thin, crisp air. "Enjoying the weather?," she said sarcastically as she waited for him to get up.
The grass around him rustled and flattened as the male clambered to his paws to greet the approaching female. Eying Falwasi, Dovev returned her sarcastic comment with a lazy grin.
I enjoy slothing around in it. After their brief, playful battle Dovev had watched as the tawny wolf departed with several others, bound for a nothern pack. Star had said something about a former Creek pair creating the new clan, called Duskfire Glacier, but Dovev didn't know the purpose behind Fal's visits, asides from pleasantries. And it shouldn't be a secret mission, for it was well known the trio had set off a week ago or so before.
Stepping away, Dovev allowed himself to inspect the heady aroma of the dead grass at his feet.
How was the Glacier? he prompted, wondering if his fellow packmate would be so keen to share.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as Dovev responded to her sarcasm. He stood up, his shoulder no more than two inches higher than Falwasi's. He looked fine. It seemed the Creek hadn't changed much at their departure, luckily.
The alabaster wolf asked her about the Glacier. She looked at him serenely, "Bazi's back," Falwasi said tonelessly, not fully answering her peer's question. She searched his eyes for some sort of reaction, although she didn't know whether or not Dovev knew of the former alphess' return. It was a pretty good place to start; she was sure he knew how different things would be.
Falwasi wasn't sure how the other pack mates would respond to the news, though she was pretty sure they would be ecstatic at Bazi's return. She hadn't abandoned them — she was injured, and it was physically impossible to make it back to the Creek alive. She wasn't guilty. But there would be that one, ultimate question on every wolf's mind: what next?
It had been about a month since Fal and Dovev had that fateful encounter with a couple bullheads; a wolf and a bear. He couldn't help but still feel an angry comedy at the whole situation, but at least Dovev had come out of it with the only the superficial scars of the bear to show for it. Sometimes the cold would find a way to make the clawmarks irritable, but for now, Dovev felt lucky enough that he wasn't an invalid.
Bazi's back.
Lifting his eyes, Dovev cast a suspicious glance at the greyling female, lsitening to her remark.
He didn't believe it. Leaders came and went- but when they went, they stayed gone. The arctic female had returned. Her absence had been unannounced and Dovev felt like Scimitar might've been scrambling for an explanation to keep the pack pacified. Everyone had trumped through it, seeing little difference in the change of the leadership mantle. Only Dovev had watched with silent gray pools, biding. If Falwasi was right, then Bazi was a returning obstacle. Still, things were going well, and he had plenty of time. Now it was time to let that drama play out. Combined with Paarthurnax's kids and the increased aggresion of the Bypass, this winter could turn out to be very interesting.
How is she?
His tone was borderline careless, no spark of concern or joy flickering in his eyes. Dovev had been greeted by Bazi into the pack, but had hardly seen her since. They could've had a far different relationship if not for her disappearance. And now, the male's opinions were set.
Dovev cast a wary glance at the hunter. He seemed reluctant to believe her — maybe he thought that Bazi had left for good. Falwasi didn't blame him for thinking this; she guessed the thought had crossed each and every single one of the Creek wolves' minds. Including Scimitar.
The ivory beast asked how the former Alphess was, his voice hinting no life or consternation. Yeah, there was some bitterness there. It seemed kin to Falwasi's opinion towards Fox, however more intense and personal. Should she feel this way, too?
"Weak," she said, cutting off her thoughts from further developing. "You on the contrary look vigorous," Falwasi continued, a sly look crossing her features as she spoke the lighthearted words that contrasted with her previous dialogue. He did look healthy, and free of his limp. The reminder of the bear, however, was forever imprinted on his flank.
Far off, a cloud of birds lifted into the late day's chilly grasp, black silhouettes against the hazy sun. He was left briefly to mull over the happenings of the group. Dovev had little leeway in the set of his plans and what he wanted, even if that meant time. A valuable, scarce essence, it was something he wasn't willing to give up. And the tense undercurrents were beginning to vibrate within the pack as his packmates witnessed further unfoldings. He hoped they weren't unknowingly hanging by a thread in fate's eyes.
The grass made a soft chuff sound as Falwasi stirred, responding to his question. He almost berated himself for sounding so mighty and righteous- yet he wasn't the one who had stepped away from a position of leadership unannounced.
That's one way to put it, he grinned. How was your expedition to the Glacier? I didn't hear much about it. Dovev had no qualms about whatever their Alpha decided for missions; in fact, it was necessary with their growing numbers and the threats that matched it. And it seemed Falwasi was growing to be a trustworthy member, a good title for her strong demeanor.
"That's one way to put it." With that, the topic of Bazi the ex-Alphess was terminated and replaced with the Glacier as its new spotlight subject. Although the trio had stayed within Glacier territory for no longer than a week, Falwasi did not make any wolf interaction until it was their time to leave. She had been far too busy exploring their lands to do such a tedious thing.
With a pensive expression, Falwasi wrapped words around her thoughts quickly, thinking about where to start. Luckily this was easy to do, as the Glacier consisted of, well, the glacier, and nothing much else. "Malachi, their Alpha, welcomed our stay until Bazi recovered enough to travel," she said, "I didn't talk to anyone; I was wandering instead."
Falwasi found herself to be far more suited to woodland and vegetation populated lands. Even with the snow that caked itself so thickly across the lands, it was easier for her to manoeuvre — it seemed as if every tree carried its own story, and she could remember exactly where she was with a quick glance at its roots, bark and leaves. The Glacier, on the other hand, consisted of expanses of white and a shrub or a cluster of trees if one was lucky. Falwasi would not want to lose herself in the snow desert if she ever returned.
He had seen glaciers before; in fact, they were a dominating part of the northern landscape. He didn't remember if he had come across Duskfire when he was a loner, and it was unlikely given that Dovev had entered the park late last fall around Otter Creek. His movements had been hardly variegated. Dovev had heard tales of the wolves that lived in the far west up against the sea, and he had no interest in mixing with them. To him, they seemed alien... just like these wolves were before.
The amount of xenophobia among his natal people was astonishing, and parts of it still trailed Dovev's thoughts. It was the cause of many skirmishes and battles that the Tuq found themselves in- sometimes just because of the way their opponents looked. Strict breeding regulations had led Dovev's family home to evolve into a certain stature of a wolf, with stark white fur. There were wolves that far north who still carried silver and brown pelts, yet his people drew in so isolated from everyone else that a simple passerby became, in their eyes, an alien.
And sometimes bands of Tuq would retreat to the glaciers hidden among gray, rocky hills. The ice provided numerous benefits, sometimes none over than the revelry in the power that was frozen water. He too, enjoyed those times, and felt a little jealous that Falwasi had the opportunity to see such a thing in the recent days. But the look upon of her face conveyed no excitement or wonder that was Duskfire. Thoughtful, if anything. With a twitch of his ear, he recalled a previous conversation.
Your obviously didn't fall in love with it, he said, referencing Fal's little expedition of the glacier. Dovev could remember that the female said she was raised around some mountain or forest or the like- far different from his glorious tundra that he tried so hard to imitate on the plain surrounding the creek. He wondered if his packmate had any longing to return to her birthplace.
The aspiring warrior studied Dovev with a slight rise of her brow. His appearance as a whole was a constant reminder of his heritage — the tundra. Glacial, sparse and exquisitely pure, his home was as distant from the Wilds as winter is to summer.
"It was different," she finally announced matter-of-factly, "I didn't hate it." Falwasi wondered whether the arctic creature felt any longing for another memory from his home; even just a glimpse of the sky. The chamoisee wolf felt this way, however she was unbeknownst to the feeling of displacement, and this made her wonder if the change of taste was Dovev's real reason to part ways with.. the Tuq, she recalled.
She then looked away, squinting slightly. "Do you ever.. miss the Tuq?," she asked hesitantly. What she was really searching for, however, was, is it wrong to miss it? Falwasi did miss her past home, but not as a whole. What she really missed was her brother, so much so that it twisted her gut with an aching pain. It seemed as if with every passing day, her memories with him were fading and she feared one day she would forget him entirely.
Even though he respected Falwasi as a unique and powerful female in her own right, her answers were anticipated. Glaciers and ice were symbols of winter and cold, a season many, he had found, did not hold in high esteem. Dovev still didn't understand the hatred of it all- snow had countless benefits... namely it's ability to trap and freeze prey in their tracks. It was the season of feasting.
There are some things to miss, and there are things that I do not, Dovev said after a pause. For instance, the constant bickering.
The Tuq band he had been with when his daughter was born had been quite a comical experience in Dovev's eyes. The old matriarch had long since lost her wits and most of the days were taken up of the females vying for the old bitch's position. And whilst Dovev and the others were caught up in providing for the pack, his own mate-to-be had slipped away soon after their child was born. It became a hassle and wear on his nerves.
Again, he was reminded that he and Fal had a similar conversation in the past. She was the one of the few who was let on to parts of his past, a history that when he shared, made it seem all insignicifcant and pointless.
A past a boring thing to talk about. It seemed that he was saying that more to himself then his partner.
They had fallen silent, and Dovev realized that their time spent talking could be better spent patrolling. With a nod, he rose to his paws, relieved to get past the point of sharing lame back stories and onto the present. With a mutual nod, the pack wolves separated and went their own ways, off to pursue the daily chores that came with their lives.