@Jagger (Raven's gonna be near between BlackFeather, because thats her destination, but runs into you along the way. This is your practice thread, so no need to worry over crappy posts. Just practice. :3)
Raven awoke to a start. Usually, it was Syver that woke her up, his rough nudge that told her it was time to resume their travels farther away from Stavanger, the place where they were ordered to leave, unless they wanted death. Yet, the unexpected happened, and Syver went with her on her short made exile, exiling himself, as well.
The white warrior had taught her many lessons in her limited time she spent with him, and she remained grateful, to this day. But a simple sniff around the bedded down leaf fauna told her all she needed to know. Syver wasn't comming back. He had been gone too long. And with a silent prayer to Azarartha, the dark girl hoped her Jarl had not gotten killed, for he was the only strong one she knew.
And honestly, she hoped he would return to her side one day, and tell her she was foolish for believing that he had forsaken her.
Raven cast her silver hued frozen gaze around her. The apparent situation was that she needed to find a place to stay. And the only person that had given her that shred of hope was the sister-resembling hellion, Meldresi. A flutter of relief coursed through her at the remembrance of the ebon, and with a single glance over her shoulder to her mentor's previous resting place, Raven faced the front, and began making her slow yet determined trek to the dark and unfriendly looking patch of woods she recalled the xephic eyed female had spoken of.
Halfway to the shadow enveloped woods, Raven took her a rest. Her legs did not require rest, yet her stomach did. With keener eyes than before she had ran with the Scandinavian, Raven honed in on the burrow of a rabbit family. The musky scent of newly hibernating rabbits arose to meet her nares, and with no hesitation did the girl begin to dig her way onto their home. A mother, a father, nestled together. Raven took both paws, scooped out the sleeping duo, and slammed them swiftly on the cold earth, killing them peacefully.
Gracefully, she lowered her jaws to the warm bodies, and dragged them back to her decided camp for the few minutes she chose to rest. The midnight colored hellion took the time to tear a piece from one of the rabbits, and bury the offering in the winter dirt. A sign of gratitude to her goddess Azarartha, who had given her the insight and clear mind to obtain her prey. Not too long after the smell of the warm blood touched her sense of smell, Raven set upon the rabbit, hungrily devouring everything that composed the poor mammal, within minutes.
Jagger awoken from his much needed rest by the sound of his grumbling stomach. He knew that now was the time to find a nice hardy meal to satisfy his hunger. As the sun reflected on the snow, it blinded him for a small second. As Jagger collected himself, he looked out of the cave and smelt the air for any small game in the area. He collected the smell of a fresh kill in the area and went to investigate. Not knowing what, or whom he was going to encounter, he proceeded with caution. As he approached the smell, he noticed a female wolf who was devouring two small rabbits with ease. Not knowing how she should would react to his presence, he left the area without her noticing. Jagger wasn't scared of the situation, he just wasn't prepared physically for a possible fight for two small, half devoured rabbits. As the day drew longer, the snow hardened and his stealth became more obvious to other game. Eventually, Jagger caught and slain a meaty squirrel and gathered some berries as well, which he brought back to his cave for safe keeping. Tearing open the squirrel and eating his clean kill was quite satisfying to Jagger. Although, one thing never left his mind. The female. What would have happened if he approached her? Where did she come from? Will he ever see her again?
Raven had not noticed the sound of any other living thing near to her, besides other prey, so the sounds went unregistered in her mind. Yet the girl looked up swiftly to the sound a squirrel made the second before it died, the horrible little squeak-chatter they shrieked, before the vocal was replaced with the eerie silence that death was solely capable of. A faint breeze came her way, the icy chill of the light rain causing the scent to become more and more muddled, yet Raven comprehended the smell.
Another wolf.
Questions rang through her mind as she pondered the reasoning of this wolf. Had he spotted her, or had she gone unnoticed? Had the other wolf attempted to contact her, or were they too mute to speak?
Whichever the reason, curiosity flowed into her thoughts, and before she had realized her actions, Raven had already grabbed the fat rabbit in her ivory lined jaws, and made her way toward the scents original direction. A couple more whiffs by the most recently touched area gave Raven an insight on this stranger. A male, packless, mateless, and around her age. For some reason, Raven found this not too surprising, and pondered the whereabouts of this mysterious man. About 8 minutes worth of travel insured her she was on the right path, as her nares brought her to a wide set cave that could have obviously belonged to a bear, one time or another. Yet, the smell emminating from the dark hole, was the same as what she scented in the wind.
The dark girl dropped her catch, and released a low bark, giving her presence away, along with it requesting if anyone resided in the massive home.
"Hello? Does anyone live here?"
Jagger was huddled around is kill still gnawing at the little bits when he heard a soft yelp. Jagger's charcoal ears perked up and responded with a large bark and a growl afterwards.
Not knowing who had just found his cave, Jagger was prepared for anything. As he leaped out of the shadows to approach this mysterious creature, he found out that it was the female he had seen from before. Scanning her, he noticed she had a small rabbit with her.
Now seeing encountering this female for the first time, he lets out two loud barks.
They translated to, "Who are you?" "Why have you come here?"
"I am Raven, and I found it a bit more friendlier to speak to you, rather than to spy on you. I brought a bit of food, because i had no idea whether you would be hungry or not."
Raven had no intention on giving more information about herself to this russet, her icy stare sparkling in secrecy. Had there been one thing she recalled from her previous lifestyle, it was that disrespect was frowned upon in these Wilds, so she nosed the dead rabbit to the company.
"Why do you not travel with a pack? Has the life of a loner taken you hostage, as well?" she inquired.
Raven knew she didn't ask this male for his name, and as much as she found it unlike her to admit, she didn't care what his title was. All she cared about was whether or not he had plans for his future.
Jagger looked at the rabbit and then back at Raven.
"Thank you for your generosity, and I am sorry for being so hostile, but I've never encountered another wolf outside my family before", Jagger said. "For now, I do not have a pack, I am surviving on my own trying to find my way."
Jagger went on to say, "I am making plans to scout the area for any remaining wolves in this area who might tell me about any nearby humans. Will you join me?"
Jagger waited patiently for Raven's response.
Raven examined him in an honest way.She would have wondered why he stuck to the life of loner, when she had been following on the same path. But, unlike him, she had interacted with other wolves. The dark girl was puzzled as to why he thought humans resided in Teekon Wilds, for the very ground was an animal preserve.
"There are no humans in this land. This is a land where no 2 legged's walk. However, as for packs, there is a pack I plan on joining a pack that resides pretty near to us. The name, if she stuck to her plan, is Black Feather."
With that, Raven pointed her muzzle in the direction of the ominous woods that loomed about half a days worth of travel to the south.
Turning back to the agouti male, Raven murmured,
"If you wish for a place to stay, I do believe Meldresi can possibly give you a chance."
Looking down at humiliation, Jagger had to expain his past to Raven on how he escaped from a human's cage along with his parents. Telling her his backstory and how he was new to this land and that he did not know anything about the terrain.
"Now you know why I am ashamed of my past. I thought there would be human's here, but obviously, I was wrong." Jagger turns away from Raven due to humiliation.
"This pack, Black Feather, why do you want to be with them?" "Are you afraid of being apart of the lone wolf lifestyle?"
(The laziness is real with you. xD Just all da lazy. All of it. )
Raven head no idea why he felt him telling hos life to her was at all important, but she respected him for the decision, regardless. Raven knew she had no sad soon story to speak upon to rows man, yet she applauded him for his own.
"I find it saddening that you had to live in the den of a two leg, but thankfully, you made it out to your real home. ", she responded, her soft melodic voice making its slow way towards him.
"I am visiting an acquaintance there. She was in the process of making a pack, last time I saw her. I am curious as to how she fairs, now. "
Jagger had acknowledged the invitation, but stood there scanning Raven. This is a new wolf he had just met. Should he trust her? Should he try to join a pack? So many thoughts rattled in Jagger's mind, and eventually, he would have to answer them.
There wasn't a reason not to, after all, Jagger had just lost his family, he needed to find a purpose again.
With the swoosh of his black and brown patterned tail as a sign of acceptance, Jagger replies, "I will gladly accept your offer, on one condition."
Raven had the notion to scoff at this russet offering her conditions. But again, humility pressed her forward, and she asked (axed),
"What is your condition? "
Ears flicked in his direction, pinpointing her intrest in the conversation. She had nowhere else to be, but if he desired to keep wasting her time by talking, she was going to have to leave him.
It wasn't a hostile move, yet she had to reach these woods as soon as she could. Who knew what lay for her at the Black Feather?
She wouldnt be able to find out, if she couldn't get there.
Knowing that she was becoming annoyed by his questions, he quickly got to the point. Looking at her, he said:
"As you know, I am not from around here. I am still a domestic wolf and I need to be trained otherwise. If you are willing to train me, I will accompany you along your journey. In return, I will offer protection for you, along your journey from any undesired creature."
Knowing that this is a lot to ask for, Jagger did not get his hopes up.
"If you do not accept these conditions, I'll understand."
Herself, a mentor? The very thought of having a protectional companion caused a shiver to recede down her limber spine. She had never thought of herself as a teacher, for she usually was the follower in most situations. However, if she used what her own menotr taught her in their time together, Raven figured it would not be as hard as she suspected. The dark girl had no other option in her mind, as his propsal registered as 'Assist him, or lead him to death', so with a curt nod, she agrred.
"Alright, but you must stick close. We have much to accomplish, and I have destinations that must be reached. You know how to hunt, yes?"
Without hesitation, the male nodded his large black and white patterned head in agreement and said, "To some degree, yes..." Hunting was in their nature, every wolf knew how to do it, but Jagger knew that there was more for him to learn. There always is.
Stepping into the fresh snow that blanketed the earth with his large webbed white paws, Jagger started to walk in the general direction where Raven had pointed with her long black snout. Not knowing what Jagger was getting himself into, he put his full faith and confidence into this new wolf. For Raven, this journey would get her into a new pack. For Jagger, this journey would hopefully allow him to make new companions and be able to prove his loyalty.
What drew Jagger's attention about Raven the most, wasn't the scar the resided on her shoulder. Or the fact that her eyes couldn't make up their mind on what color they were, blue or silver. But it was the fact she had a troubled past, and he could see it on the look on her face. It was clear as a dark summer night with all the stars lighting up the beautiful sky. He wanted to ask her about it, but considering that he's asked her so many questions already, it was best to save that conversation for another time.
Once again, Jagger perked up his dark charcoal ears to take a listen, and noticed that he was the only one making crunching in between the snow and the earth. He looked back to see midnight coated female just standing there looking at the rabbit, as though she was meditating. Jagger let out a concerned yelp saying: "Hey, are you coming?"
Raven broke her stare are the dead meal, instead choosing to pick it up and devour it quickly. She knew not how to waste food, for it was disrespectful to the animal that had given its life for you.
"BlackFeather is close. That is our destination. However, Meldresi only knows me, not you. Once I receive entry to her pack, I will double back, and return for you. Then, once I get you initiated into the pack, I will give you more important lessons than just hunting and surviving. With her, I'm sure she has several mysteries to be kept, so I will do what I can."
With that, Raven trotted past him, in direction to the dark woods that lay before them.
Raven knew she had to help him now, for she had gone far enough to where she was obligate to. As long as no hostility was met, she would honor her promise.
Watching Raven trot past him, Jagger says in a loud and firm manner with a concerned look on his face, "Wouldn't it be easier if I went along with you?"
It wasn't the fact that he was worried if she would keep her promise or not, he had complete faith in this new wolf. It just didn't make any sense to Jagger. Why would this wolf go and make two separate trips when they can just make life simpler and do the one. Although Jagger was a domestic wolf. He was unaware how things worked in "the real-world". Maybe this is how they did things out here, but alas, Jagger swooshed his large black coated and white tipped tail, and awaited for her to answer.
Raven stopped in her tracks, her ebony tail quirked in the air. Why had he questioned her on something she already had thought over? Hadn't she just told him why he couldn't come? Was he deaf?
"If you come, you have a lower chance of receiving entry, as well as I, however, you may lurk in the shadows and observe the meet I have with her. Shortly after she accepts me, make your move to join as well, so she may accept you."
Raven hoped she had cleared that up to the agouti.
Turning to him, her frosty stare landing on him, Raven contemplated where his own capabilities lay.
Was he to be trusted?
Witnessing this wolf as she stopped dead in her tracks, Jagger knew he had fucked up. And after hearing her explanation, he now felt like a dumbass. But if Jagger is willing to ask this new wolf to be his mentor, of course Jagger was going to have many idiotic questions.
After her brief explanation Jagger trots up beside her and nods his large head in agreement, signaling that he will obey the wise wolf's commands. Later Jagger asked, "You are willing to take me with you upon this journey, and yet you don't even know my title, why is that?"
Raven thought back to when she had begun her following of her own mentor, and how he didn't give his name until much later in the evening. Perhaps he had an insecurity issue? Or he just didn't trust her? Syver was a mysterious wolf, but a wise one, regardless of his abandonment of her. And she'd like to think she would see the Scandinavian again, some day. Perhaps this vanishing was a test he was trying on her, or some sort of offstage visual. He could be watching her this very instant to see if she applied any of the rules and methods he had taught her. A test. He could be anywhere. And she would never know.
A sigh escaped her maw at the thought of the only an she had ever gotten remotely close to. Why had he left? Was there something she did incorrectly? Had she pushed him away without knowing it? Just like she had done the rest?
"Names mean very little to me. Simply knowing you're you is enough to satisfy my acknowledgement of your prescence."
Surprisingly, this made a lot of sense to Jagger. He appreciated the fact that he didn't have to overly present himself just to make his presence known to her. She liked to keep things simply and that couldn't mean more to him.
With the journey ahead of them, and now trotting evenly with the female, Jagger glimpsed over and stated, "You are very confident about getting into this new pack, why is that? Does the Alpha of this pack owe you this privilege?" Jagger knows these are risky questions to ask, but he just wanted to know her future intentions.
For the second time, she stated,
"I know her."
But then proceeded to elaborate.
"I met her while I was with my Jarl, and she offered me a place with her in her beginning to make her new pack. But because I was caught up in staying side my side with my own mentor, I declined her invitation. But because of the kind soul she has, she has never dropped the offer, so still standing, I will give her myself, as an added member."
Turning to the russet, she asked a simple,
"Why did you ask?"
Jagger pondered for a moment to find the right response and eventually stated, "Ever since I met you, you've shown interest in this pack. Whether or not I was willing to come with you was up to me, but you always seemed very anxious to get to this pack leader and join. I was just wondering why." Jagger hoped this explanation was enough to satisfy the female. If he was going to be her apprentice, he wanted to know as much about her that he could acquire.
He didn't wanna prowl like some child, but he did want to let down a bit of his guard for her. If she did him this favor, it was the least he could do for her.