Ribbons of water were streaming down from the highlands, conjoining at the pastel blue known as Whitefish River. The tributary was oddly reflective in the cool daylight, and the pines on the opposite side wavered, suspended by the mirror-like surface. There were still clumps of snow hidden under the enveloping shadows of the brushy conifers, where it was chilly enough that the snow didn't melt in this odd warm spell. Ivev had steadily limped her way to Whitefish, gazing across the river at the rising forest. She could smell the pack border from here, but was more interested in the reflections of the pine trees then trying to forge the river and explore. Ivev knew she would probably drown with her mangled back leg regardless.
Her heat had kicked in last night, of all times. Of course it had to happen when Koda was probably mad at her as well as being M.I.A. Since nature had to throw that at her along with everything else it could muster, the chocolate female had decided that she needed to get away. So even though she found the river a precarious place to be, she had followed all the way here. Wherever here was.
A light rain coated her thick pelt with tiny droplets of water as she padded along rather uncomfortably. The dampness combined with her current condition made her extremely grouchy. She had been down this way before, when she had run into the tan wolf named Runt who was a member of a forming pack, but this was a different area. Here instead of looming cliffs surrounding the river, pebbly shores littered with drift wood lined the icy water. Little clumps of mushy snow dotted the area and every once in a while, Kesuk would set her paw in one only to pull it out grumbling about how dumb the snow was.
"Why can't you just melt already? Instead you turn into disgusting mush." she mumbled, shaking some clumps of slush off her paws. It made them wet and cold and even more uncomfortable then they already were.
There was a cool mist drifting down from from the mountains, pushed in by the drizzling clouds. It was one of those rains that soaked her pelt, no matter how had she tried to stay dry. It made Ivev feel old, because her bones and muscles would ache with the murky atmosphere.
Ivev had retreated back into the canopy of pines when she saw another wolf padding along the embankment. The stranger's voice reached the Spine female before she could really make her out- and the chocolate creature was grumbling about how mushy the snow was. Normally, Ivev loved snow, but she couldn't help but agree. The white patches on the ground had lost all their form and texture, and were sad little husks of their usual glittering selves.
It is a little damp out, isn't it? Ivev called out in a friendly response, stepping onto the pebbly shore to reveal herself. But her nose twitched then and she could smell the sharp aroma rolling off the stranger. Halting, the white wolf wavered, one paw in the air, realizing the awkwardness of it all. The other female was in season- and Ivev hoped she wouldn't be too grouchy and lash out.
However, Ivev had questions. She had originally thought a wolf's heat coincided with cold temperatures... and it was rather muggy out.
Kesuk looked up from her pile up snow-mush and into the eyes of a stranger, feeling a bit embarrassed she had been caught talking to snow. But the females words were friendly and nothing about her stance was aggressive so Kesuk let her guard down. She saw the girl falter, her nose twitching. Kesuk knew she smelled, that was the whole reason she had left, to get away from everyone who thought she was awkward and more especially, the males. When a female was in heat, the males were either very grabby, or very awkward. At the moment, she really didn't want to deal with either of those personas.
"Tell me about it. It's like living in a cloud." she agreed with a light smile. "Sorry I stink. she apologized quickly, thinking it might feel awkward for the other female.
Ivev didn't think she had ever come into heat before- she had turned two last April and had expected one before then, but nothing happened. But the arctic female had been so focused on surviving in her former pack that stress and behavioral suppression might've led to her body forgetting about reproduction. And Ivev had little need to get pregnant- for although she had learned plenty about it, the wolf had no plans to be mated anytime soon.
I would expect it to be snowing right now! It is the middle of winter, after all.
Her quip was followed by a response of the chocolate wolf's embarrassment, and Ivev shook her head in lighthearted dismissal. It wasn't uncomfortable for her, just unexpected.
No, it's a part of nature. I just wasn't expecting anyone to come into hea-... Ivev looked a little sheepish as her brazen words trailed off.
Sorry. It's not the most cordial subject, is it?
Kesuk nodded in agreement to the fact that it should be snowing, not this miserable rainy mush that kept appearing. She laughed a little as the other female stopped herself from saying anything about Kesuk being in heat. Kesuk being quite a blunt mouthed person herself, didn't really care if she mentioned it, it was just part of life after all.
"It's fine, you can say it, I don't mind." she assured her a with a friendly smile. Sometimes it was better to talk to stranger about these things because you really had nothing to loose.
She felt the pebbles moved under her feet move as Ivev shifted her weight, relaxing a little as she smiled. Hopefully if this wolf was comfortable enough, Ivev could take some results about the whole situation and learn more about the breeding cycle of wolves.
I'm just intrigued by the cycle, that's all. Her shoulder shrugged.
I'm Ivev. Her nose lifted to the air and glanced back into the trees. Over their tips a mountain range rose, and behind that was Ouroboros.
I live that way.
The stranger had an odd scent about her, underneath the pervasive heat-aroma. She was lean but had naturally long, warm brown fur and blue eyes, and carried the smell of a pack that Ivev could detect around Whitefish River. She was more likely to be a native of this place than the arctic female was.
Kesuk's gaze followed the white female's gesture towards the dark, squat mountains that lay to the south west of the river. She had heard of a pack that lived south west of them, but had never actually met a member of it. She smiled a bit and took a seat below some nearby pines, happy to get out of the drizzle.
"Yeah, it kind of sucks though, all the guys are pretty grabby and sometimes they even follow you around." she explained, crinkling her nose. "But at least a lot of the males in my pack are friends with my mate, so they don't give me a lot of trouble." there was no telling how thankful she was for that. Just the other day, Finn had followed her all the way out to hell knows where, only to be embarrassed he had been tracking his buddy's girl. If she wasn't mated to Koda, she was sure that encounter would've ended very differently. It would've been bad.
She nodded her head up stream, motioning in the direction of the plateau. "I live in on a plateau up stream a bit." she explained. A lot of wolves knew about the plateau, as it had been one of the largest packs until some of its members branched off to create the caldera pack.
im just going to pretend kesuk introduced her name already xP
Following Kesuk's movements, Ivev went and took a seat under a pine also, arranging herself so that her torn leg was resting comfortably against the cool ground.
At least they have the decency, it seems, she said, flicking an ear as she imitated the chocolate wolf's crinkled facial expression. Then again, Ivev didn't think she had the experience before, and was only privileged to learn about it through observation.
What's the plateau called? Ivev knew the pack went by names that justified the commanding landmark in their territory, and often added adjectives to it. She could see the sloped, tabletop mountain off to the right, across the river and up the steady rise of pine forest.
Lol yeah, same for Ivev xD
She nodded at Ivev's comment about them being decent. If it wasn't for the protection of being mated, she didn't know what she would do. Just thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable. She shook the thoughts from her head as Ivev asked about the plateau. That was something she was even better at answering, seeing as she loved the plateau.
"It's called the Blacktail Deer Plateau." she answered happily. It was a perfect place to live, but she sadly thought that it was most likely that her pups wouldn't get to grow up their, seeming it was already rather over populated. But she supposed that only time would tell.
"What is the place you lived called?" she asked in turn, wondering if she had visited it on one of her many outriding trips, but Ivev didn't smell like any wolves she had met, so she assumed otherwise.
She hadn't seen much mesas- or any sort of mountainous terrain until she had come to the park, as glaciers had carved vast peaks and valleys. The flat-top mesas looked like regular mountains that had the upper rock sliced off.
A mesa? Ivev pondered aloud. They always look like they're missing their peaks- like someone snapped off the top. Since their lives were so short, a blip in time, a wolf would never witness the gradual yet powerful change nature held. It was possible that millions of years ago, Blacktail Plateau had been partially submerged and carved by ocean currents.
I live over there- her nose was tilted upwards, through the pine trees. There were several openings in which rain dripped through, but enough of a space that the southern mountain ranges, a dark gray in the dreary weather could be seen. Ouroboros Spine.
She tilted her head questioningly when Ivev mentioned something called a mesa. Maybe it was the same thing as a plateau... She gave her a nod, pretending she knew what the white female was talking about. Maybe she really did have more exploring to do.
She followed Ivev's motion to the ring of squat peaks that she explained to be Ouroboros spine, her home. "So in the mountains?" she questioned. They definitely looked like mountains from here, but she wasn't sure if they lived directly on the mountains or in the valley bellow them.
Yes- I've just moved in, but it's more than enough to call home. Ivev returned her gaze, a sudden realization sparking in their jewel depths.
Am I keeping you from something, like patrol?
The white wolf had wandered close to the Blacktail border, and was lucky enough that she had only encountered the friendly Kesuk, and not a string of aggressive creatures looking to create some tension between their respective packs. Ivev would never forgive herself after the incident with Shadow, and had left quite a few issues between a few parties. Wounds were taken, hateful words were exchanged, and even if it wasn't a war, the dispute had caused pain for all. She avoided pain at all costs- who couldn't, when there was the world of dreams and bliss to turn to?
She rose to her paws, leaving the warm spot she had created conversing, a gratifying look in her eyes. Kesuk had humoured Ivev enough that the white wolf could consider her more than a contact in another group. And she had learned some things too, and would one day hope to reciprocate to the chocolate-hued female.
I'm trying to build my healing practice, Ivev explained. I only came this way looking for a few things, but it's quite a walk back to the Spine...
Sorry for the delay! Last post for me, thanks for the thread :D
Kesuk shook her head at Ivev's question, a smile lifting the sides of her lips. She usually didn't meet anyone on her little adventures, so this had been a pleasant surprise, meeting someone she could hopefully consider a friend.
"No, not at all. But your right, it must take a while to get back." she nodded to the squat mountains looming in the distance. She was lucky her home was so close.
She followed the snow-furred female's actions and stood up, shaking any excess moisture from her thick fur.
"Well, I wish you good luck on you're medicine practice, and on your way home, but I should probably be heading home as well." she said with another light smile, giving her a nod and flicking her ears in farewell. With that she turned towards her home, turning back for one last smile before trotting towards the plateau.
thanks, good thread!
Ivev flicked her ears in agreement. It would take awhile to head back to the Spine, but the walk had been beneficial. Even if this bone-chilling rain wouldn't let up.
Have a good day then, Ivev returned in parting, dipping her head as Kesuk said her farewells and started off back towards Whitefish River. Ivev would have the sanctuary of some trees as she walked back towards Ouroboros, but she hoped to reach the pack within a day or so. She didn't want to be trapped outside of pack borders in case this freezing rain turned to ice or snow.
Her paws directed the young ivory female into the shadow of the pines, heading off in her own direction.