Wolf RPG

The ghostlike female made way from the normal cold glacier all the way to the hot springs on this cloudy day. Even though Scarlett was getting adjusted to her pack more and more each day, she also like to wander around. The hot air and curious smell of the hot springs made her come this way. Her mind had been occupied with so many curious happenings. First of all she had met the most wonderful wolf. He was big, strong and super handsome. Scarlett didn't understand what Raziel saw in her but she was going to enjoy every second of his attention. She might even smell more of him than of her pack. Then also the mountain lion attack at Greatwater Lake had frightened the female. Oh how she worried about her friend, Kove. She was extra keen on sniffing out those cats and staying far away from them, forever.

The female could use some warming up as her home was more ice anything else. Even a northern wolf liked some warmth from time to time. Plus she had a good excuse, her white coat wasn't as white as it should be. With careful steps the young female stepped into the warm pool of water. Slowly she lowered herself in the more shallow bank of the deep pool. Scarlett welcomed the warmth into her limbs. All her muscles slowly relaxed, it even made her eyes flutter close for a brief moment. She was definitely going to remember this location. How wonderful was this place. Her red eyes slowly opened, looking through the steam coming from the warm waters. She wasn't going to be as reckless as she was before, her ears rotated on the top of her head to catch any sounds that were unusual. Her nose had a harder time at this place. The steam also masked quite a few scents.

A good night's rest and a hearty breakfast gave Swordfish the energy he needed for today's travels. He covered quite a lot of ground in just a few hours, bypassing a steep, mountainous ridge and then following a winding river onto some sprawling plains. He paused now and again to take a drink or lick his paws, which were getting a little chapped from the cold, rugged terrain and constant running.

Through a stroke of luck, the traveling Beta found himself wandering into some hot springs. Swordfish sniffed the air, taking in the strange scent, and paused at the edge of a small, steaming pool. He dipped one forepaw into the water and sighed. Quickly, he waded into the shallows, happily soaking his sore feet. He just stood there, eyelids drooping and tail waving as he enjoyed the pleasant, soothing warmth.

A while later, he stepped out of the water and began to explore the immediate area. He caught the scent of a wolf and, of course, seized the opportunity to introduce himself and possibly further his mission. He had yet to locate the wolf for whom he searched, though he was far from throwing in the towel yet. Swordfish would keep looking and asking around until he found some sort of lead.

For now, he followed his nose, which was made slightly more difficult by the sulfurous air. Swordfish came upon a white she-wolf bobbing in yet another of the pools of water. He did not walk up to her immediately, instead lingering in plain sight and waiting for her to notice and acknowledge him before making an approach, particularly because she seemed rather alert to any disturbances.

The albino's mind wandered after checking her surroundings. her red eyes concealed behind her eyelids. The warm water soaked her fur, it would be hard to get out of the water. The air would always be colder than this perfect temperature. Honestly she liked the winter, not because her white coat had more coverage but because it was easier to regulate her temperature. She could always warm herself up in her den or at this location. In the summer is was ridiculously hard to cool down. Her Northern Wolf line made sure she always had a thick fluffy coat. She stretched herself out lazily and let out a yawn. Once her opened she was startled by the sight of another wolf. The pale female immediately sat up and drilled her red eyes onto the other wolf. I was in no way a dominant stare. That wasn't in the female's nature.

Her blood red eyes studied the other wolf as she rose into a sitting position. Her ears popped up curiously. Scarlett wasn't sure if this male was of good nature or not. She did like that he respected her space. "Hello?," she greeted questioningly. She pulled herself out of the pool and shook out her fur. It was still rather wetted but at least it was dry enough to keep her body heat trapped. Another shake of her body left her even more fluffy. Her coat had no pigment in them, pure white as an appearance. The albino stepped before the younger male. "It is a rather nice place, isn't it?," the female then socially chatted. Her tail let out a friendly wave to let the wolf know he was allowed to come closer.

She stood and shook out her coat, which looked even more luxurious than his own. Swordfish still did not move, not until she looked at him directly and offered a greeting. His tail waved in response and he shuffled closer, his demeanor entirely neutral and amiable. He kept his copper eyes on her face without looking her right in the eye so as to avoid presenting a challenge. Swordfish did notice the lack of pigmentation in her own gaze but still resisted the temptation to look closer.

"Hello. Sorry for disturbing your bath," the timber wolf said politely. "The warm water is very nice. I was just soaking my paws; they're sore from traveling. The smell isn't my favorite, though," he admitted with a light laugh. "I'm Swordfish," he added, then fell silent, allowing room for her own introduction.

Scarlett noticed that this wolf knew the right etiquette, which was surprisingly pleasant for once. Her stance was just as neutral as his, which made her relax more. There would be no conflict. She kept her caution. Scarlett wouldn't like to have bad memories of this location. "Ah yes. You actually did but no worries. I might have stayed there all day if you didn't," she spoke with amusement in her voice. "Ah traveling. Are you all by yourself? That must be hard. I had my fair share of the traveling life and I wasn't a fan of it. Every wolf its own opinion of course," she added.

Scarlett shared that light laugh. "Yeah. My fur gets clean but I won't smell so nice afterwards," she admitted. "Luckily I have a pack that will sort me out and give me the right scent again." Scarlett made a bow with her head in greeting. "I'm Scarlett from the Duskfire Glacier Pack," she introduced. The female was officially in the ranks now. She had to behave a certain way. Maybe even give a home to his lonely wolf, if he was lonely in the first place. Maybe this Swordfish liked being alone.

"Well, then, I saved you from turning into a prune," he quipped with a smile. "I am alone, though I'm not a lone wolf. I am a messenger and scout from a pack a few days' travel from here: Thief River Falls." For the moment, he did not elaborate, allowing her to speak in turn.

"It's nice to meet you, Scarlett. I think I met a pack mate of yours: Sen." He paused. "Some of my pack mates—my Alphas, actually—used to live around here. They were part of Swiftcurrent Creek," the yearling shared. "More recently, yet another wolf from these parts joined us, albeit somewhat... involuntarily." His lips pursed but then he smiled again. "That's why I'm here, actually: I'm looking for a family member of hers."

Scarlett chuckled at the stranger's humor. She liked it. "Oh yes lets not have that, otherwise I might get eaten by my own prey animals," she bantered back withs one playfulness. She stepped closer so she could see the male better through the steam clouds. "Oh," she spoke in realization. "Sorry for assuming. I couldn't smell your pack because of the steam clouds in the air," the female apologized politely. Her red eyes like beacons in the moist clouds.

Her nose scrunched up a bit. "Oh yes. I do know Sen." Scarlett wasn't a big fan of the black female but she wouldn't talk bad about her packmate, or just a wolf in general. "I hope she was at least polite towards you?," Scarlett wondered. Her ears turned into his direction so she could listen to his story. Swiftcurrent was Raziel's pack!! She was immediately more interested. "Oh I am afraid that I just got in his area. I cannot help you with what you seek since I do not know that many wolves just yet," she replied. "I do want to help though! What are their names? Maybe I can have an ear out for you, if you like that?"

Scarlett didn't seem to be Sen's biggest fan and Swordfish could understand why, recalling the dark female's standoffish demeanor. The albino spoke no ill of her, though she seemed curious as to whether Sen had treated him politely. He bobbed his snout noncommittally, then shrugged as if to say it didn't matter much to him.

She said she was new to the area and apologized in advance if she didn't know enough to help him on his mission. Swordfish shook his head and assured her, "No worries, Scarlett. Even if you can't help, it's a pleasure getting to meet you." His eyes sparkled with genuine warmth. Swordfish really did enjoy the opportunity to get out and meet new folks.

But back to business. Scarlett asked him to provide some names to see if she could help in any way after all. "Well, I'm actually looking for Blacktail Deer Plateau. I'm pretty sure I'm traveling in the right direction but would you happen to know its location?" he began, unaware that it was within plain sight to the north of their current position.

When Scarlett didn't get a direct answer from the other wolf if her packmate had been polite she knew more than enough. Luckily for Scarlett this wolf hadn't been affected by Sen's behavior and treated her with no ill. She was glad. Scarlett would heavily dislike a stranger being rude to her because they met Sen first. Ah well. For now the male was still friendly. "That is very friendly of you to say. Likewise, Swordfish," she returned with the same warmth as the male had. She could tell they were both kindred spirits, meaning no ill.

Her ears popped up at that. "Oh! You are actually really close!," she spoke with glee. This she knew. Scarlett liked to help. "If you walk to the north you will come past a river. It is on the other side of that!," she explained and turned to face north. The steam wasn't helping with the view but she knew it was in that direction. "Hopefully you find the wolf you are looking for!" The female then turned to the male. She wanted to give him the advise to not bluntly cross their borders but somehow she had the feeling this male knew that already. "Once you cross the rive you are in their territory so beware. I would dislike it if you would be wounded for trespassing."

His ears pricked and he stood at attention when Scarlett declared that he was actually very close. She mentioned heading north, then crossing the river. Evidently, it lay on the other side, which was somewhat ironic because he had been on that side originally, only to cross earlier in the day. Swordfish looked up at the sky, then turned to face north based on the position of the sun. Now that she said it, he could see the great flat rock jutting into the sky. His heart skipped a beat.

He wanted to head there directly, find the wolf in question, pass along the message and then head back to Thief River Falls to tell their guest of his completed mission. Most likely, he would also have a response to give her; at least, he assumed her loved one would want to send back some sort of correspondence. Swordfish knew Ira and Bones would also be pleased with his timeliness and success.

"Thanks so much, Scarlett. I'll keep that in mind," he replied when she warned him not to misjudge their borders, which were evidently based on the riverfront. "I hope I find her too. Are you familiar with the plateau wolves?" he wondered. Although he was eager to go there, he did not want to rudely cut off the conversation. Scarlett was rather pleasant company.

A sense of joy filled her when the other wolf looked so eager to go. She smiled, because thanks to her help a wolf had to roam less on his sore feet. Her tail wagged more in excitement. "You are very welcome, Swordfish. Hopefully your feet can travel a bit more," she encouraged. Her fur was still a bit damp but not uncomfortably so. "Oh yes I have! Now I come to think of it. His name was Koda and he was their Gamekeeper. A very nice wolf. At least to me," she returned.

She thought of what else she could advise him. "But other than that I am as clueless as you I'm afraid." The albino let out a wag with her tail. "I see your eagerness to go. Please, do your duties, Mr. Swordfish," she smiled. "Maybe if you return to his area we can meet again. I think you would make a good friend," she complimented. Her red eyes had a glint of happiness in them. It was always so pleasant to meet a nice wolf. It gave the female such a peaceful mindset.

Koda's name was not familiar to Swordfish and he was not the wolf he needed to locate. Nonetheless, he absorbed the information and gave Scarlett a grateful smile. She had proved more helpful than either of them had anticipated. The yearling couldn't help but wish she wasn't already part of a pack, else he might have invited her to come back to Thief River Falls with him as a recruit. He wondered what she would think of following such young Alphas, though he let the train of thought fade into the background, since none of it mattered.

"I will seek you out if ever I'm in the neighborhood again," Swordfish promised genuinely. "You were not at all 'clueless,' Ms. Scarlett. You were enormously helpful. Thank you and take care." The yearling bowed his head, complete with a dip of his muzzle, then waved his tail to the albino she-wolf and turned to find his way out of the hot springs. He would cross the river here, then make his way toward the distant plateau.