Wolf RPG

Hmm, what was on the agenda for today? Elwood. Somnia had to apologize to Elwood for how she acted when she was delirious with hypothermia. Nothing necessarily said she had to, but she still would. So that's why, when Somnia got up that morning, the first thing on her list was to seek out Elwood.

Not too hard of a feat. Just walk around the Caldera with that pace that states you have a purpose until you find a strong, recent, whiff of Elwood's scent. That was accomplished after a small bit of searching.

The next step, would be for Somnia to track him. A few minutes of loping in the direction that the scent got stronger, and there was the grey figure of Elwood. See? Wasn't that hard.

With a bark to alert Elwood of her presence, Somnia trotted over. "Hey Elwood." She greeted him verbally, a small tail wag for the physical counterpart.

Elwood was still getting used to his new title, although nothing had really changed for him. He continued to patrol the borders and tend to the pack's caches, and -- aside from harassing Finley more than usual -- there hadn't been any major additions to his responsibilities yet. He supposed that he had a bit more authority when it came to intercepting loners who wished to join the pack, but he didn't want his position to alter any of his friendships with wolves like Somnia or Ashton.

Luckily, he still seemed to be approachable, for Somnia tracked him down easily and greeted him. He spun to look at her, his tail waving behind him. His yellow gaze roved over her briefly, and he was happy to see that she appeared to have recovered from the hypothermia that had occurred after her fall in the caldera lake. "Somnia! How are you feeling?" he asked, promptly stepping closer to her and gently touching his nose to hers.

"Thanks, pal," he replied, beaming as she congratulated him and asked how he was doing in his new role. "It's kind of weird -- I mean, I didn't expect it at all. It's...surreal. But I want to live up to Peregrine and Fox's expectations," he continued, speaking slowly as he sorted out his thoughts. He hadn't really talked to anyone about the promotion yet, but it would take some getting used to.

Somnia then took the conversation in a different direction and apologized for the way she had acted after falling into the frozen lake. Elwood smirked. "Oh, you mean you're sorry for thinking that I was a dirty traitor who tried to drown you?" he said with a chuckle, reflecting on the situation. He hadn't seen the humor in it until afterward, once he was sure that Somnia was okay and that she was going to recover. Ashton had taken good care of her. "Are you sure you should be apologizing? I mean, maybe it was all part of my plan..." he quipped, tilting his head at her. If he had fingers, he would have drummed them together evilly.

Somnia gave a sympathetic nod as Elwood explained his feelings on his situation. "I'm sure you'll do fine!" She reassured him, adding in a smile as the statement was genuine.

"Oh, so you're trying to say that I'm actually a queen, and the whole pack are my subjects, yet the whole entire pack took advantage of my delirious state to convince me that I'm a normal member that joined a month and a half ago? I mean, if you really want me to believe that, I can push you into the lake for revenge." Somnia challenged as she dropped into a play bow. Her tail and butt wiggled, for adrenaline and excitement shot through her in preparation for whatever playful antics they would engage in this time.

She was quick to reassure him as he confessed his worries about being the pack's new Beta male. Peregrine and Fox were not putting any extra pressure on Elwood -- they simply believed that he was the best wolf to fill the role -- but he still wanted to make sure that he upheld the standards of the pack to their liking. Either way, it was nice to hear that Somnia believed in him, and he smiled in return.

His thoughts quickly shifted, though, as she addressed her fictional position as queen of the pack. Elwood laughed; when she laid it all out like that, it did sound pretty convoluted. He couldn't help but make a jab at her final comment, that she would turn the tables on him and throw him into the lake. "Come on, can't you come up with an original punishment?" he teased. "That one's been done before." He then crouched, his own tail lashing the air as he prepared for action. He feinted towards her, snapping his teeth just inches from her ear, then jumped back defensively.

"Now that's original," Elwood quipped, in response to Somnia's plan to bury him within his own den. He didn't remember that she had mentioned that during their first meeting, when they had discussed the finer points of building a structurally sound burrow. Had her words sparked his memory, he might have asked about it -- it seemed to be a strange thing to bring up on two separate occasions.

He didn't say anything else on the subject, though, as she soon started delivering her own offensive attack. Elwood danced backwards, leaping from paw to paw in a series of evasive maneuvers that resembled some sort of crazy interpretive dance. "You've got to catch me first!" he quipped, though he didn't turn and run away; instead, he continued to dodge her nipping teeth, his own mouth split wide in a grin.

Elwood laughed as Somnia assured him that she would be able to catch him. He continued to hop from foot to foot, his paws crunching in the dry powder as he continued to avoid her. For a few moments, they settled into something of a routine as their steps became more predictable -- but then Somnia was the one to shake it up.

Rather than snap her teeth in his direction, she lunged with the intent to knock him to the ground. The sudden movement caught Elwood off guard and ensured Somnia's success. Her paws connected with his shoulders, and they both somersaulted backwards, sending up a shower of snow as they rolled down the slope.

He let her pin him, wriggling beneath her weight but not moving nearly enough to unseat her. He would play along with her tricks -- for now.

"I'll never go willingly!" Elwood cried, thrashing his shoulders left and right in a half-hearted attempt to escape. "I won't let you rule this kingdom with your iron fist any more! Someone needs to stand up to you!" With that, he gave an upwards thrust with his body, hoping to propel her off of him and free himself.

"Why? What's in it for you? Does someone want to become the new king?" Somnia mocked him as he struggled. Then, Elwood did a different motion that threw her off. Time to let the game take a plot twist.

"Fine. I give up. What are you going to do to me?" Somnia just sat there, staring at Elwood. Did he actually have a plan for what would happen if it got to this point, or had he planned on the playful fighting and banter to be the main aspect of their fun? She rolled over onto her side, another sign of defeat.

Truthfully, Elwood hadn't thought about once he would do once he had the upper hand. So when he successfully tossed Somnia off of him, he whisked quickly to his feet, looking triumphant. His grin slowly faded, though, and was replaced by a frown. She was right; what was he going to do?

"No, I don't want to be king. But I must seek revenge for all of those you have wronged," he said, gathering steam once more. His mind raced as he tried to think of a proper punishment for the evil queen. "You...you will be banished to...a lifetime as a snowman," he finally said, using his paws to pack snow onto Somnia's exposed side.

Somnia couldn't help but grin as Elwood blanked for a moment with the unexpected twist. Even though she was losing in their little role-playing game, it felt like a playful victory to throw him off guard.

When Elwood did manage to come up with a response, Somnia burst out laughing. He was going to make her into a snowman! That was the best he could come up with? At least it seemed like he would follow through with the poorly thought up, albeit a bit comical, punishment. Elwood was already starting to pack snow around her sides. Well then, maybe it was time to throw him through another loop?

"But what if I get hypothermia from the cold snow?" A reference to the recent experience might make him think twice. But, Somnia still refused to break character. "I mean, if you turn me into a snowman and I die of hypothermia, how will my kingdom know I surrendered the crown? They'll think you just murdered me by turning me into a snowman to die of hypothermia, and you'll get thrown into the prison!"

Elwood set to work piling snow onto Somnia, scooping up a pawful and then patting it down gently into her fur. He paused, however, when she brought up a good point: what if he caused her to contract hypothermia again? Though she addressed it from a playful standpoint and referenced the repercussions for freezing a queen, he thought about it a bit more logically. Maybe this wasn't the best idea, since she had only recently recovered from her fall in the lake. Ashton would probably kill him if he caused her to get sick again.

Sheepishly, he began to brush the snow off of her, letting it fall to the ground with a series of soft thumps. "You know what...maybe I'll just...be going..." he said, getting to his feet and pretending to slink away. He only took a few steps before he looked back over his shoulder and said, "I guess you're destined to be the queen forever. I've tried twice to defeat you, and I've failed both times." He then stuck his tongue out at her.

The evil queen wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily; as soon as Elwood's tongue poked out of his mouth, she started shouting again, determined to punish him for his actions. He grinned despite himself, though his expression quickly melted as she scooped up a pile of snow and shared her intentions. She was going to smash it in his face!

He gasped. Not only was she going to throw the cold, wet powder at him, but she also simultaneously owned up to being the wolf who had flung pumpkin at him at the last pack activity. The scene had been so chaotic that he had never found the culprit, but it was all so clear now. Of course it was Somnia! As she tossed the snowball in his direction, he attempted to duck but didn't move quick enough. Her ammo hit its target, splattering against his cheek.

"Now you've done it!" he yelped, dragging both forepaws through the snow and sending up a spray aimed at Somnia. He didn't waste time making snowballs; he wanted to hit her with as much snow as possible!

Elwood laughed as his snow shower landed on Somnia, coating her grey fur with sparkling powder. This was a fatal mistake, however; he should have continued to dig and throw snow in her direction. Instead, he let his guard down, and she attacked while he was weak.

His head was tilted back and his eyes were closed, in the midst of his laughter, when Somnia body slammed him. Though she was smaller than he was, she still packed a punch and knocked the wind out of him. He toppled over onto his back once more, falling into a snowbank and taking the brunt of her snowy attack. He was covered in flakes from tip to tail, but he kept chuckling, simultaneously gasping for air. "You win! You win!" he cried, finally waving the white flag in their long-fought battle.

"You're just a natural-born winner, I guess," Elwood replied, his giggles slowly subsiding as he righted himself. He rolled over onto him stomach and then propped himself up on his elbows, attempting to blink the snow out of his eyes. Somnia had definitely managed to succeed in covering him with powder; he shook his head, loosing the particles from his fur and sending them drifting on the breeze.

Next, she proposed that they grab a bite to eat together. Elwood was quick to agree; he had worked up quite an appetite during their playtime. "Yeah, let's do it," he said, simultaneously getting to his paws. He gave his whole body a shake, sending snowflakes spiraling in every direction, then led the way back up the slope of the caldera.

Elwood agreed to getting a bite to eat. With a shake, he sent most of the white powder flying off to him. Then the two of them then made their way up the caldera to the nearest cache. Unluckily, frozen rabbit was on the menu, but choking it down wasn't too hard when they had each other to distract them from the task. After that, they each went on their ways.