Wolf RPG - the will of water

Seeking Lone Wolves and displaced pack wolves. One or two only, please. In Ravensblood Forest, where the Totoka River runs through it.

At times, the song of the Sea grew loud in his ears, and the shine of the Sun grew strong on his back, and the concerns of building his newly founded pack from the ground up began to press upon his mind unduly. At these times, Akhlut craved to reconnect with forest and soil and primordial earth, and it was to a wide silvery crescent of river that his paws carried him to do so. The river bisected the vast redwood forest, dwarfing even those giant trees in its very wideness, and the river was as calm and serene as the Sea could be crashing and wrathful.

Akhlut's dark lips curved into a smile as he dipped his head to drink from the river's mirrored surface, and when he straightened again he took a moment to survey himself in the water. He reflected that he no longer looked the half-boy half-man who had left Echo Cove in search of both his sister and things greater than himself. He was growing into a young wolf in his prime, and in another turn of the seasons he knew he would be an adult in truth and not just in yearning. It was ambitious of him, seeking position and prosperity as the Alpha of Horizon Ridge, and yet the prospect of leading so young excited him. He knew that his half-sisters had done it, and at a much earlier age than he, but still he wondered if his ambition would bear fruit. When he thought of Alphas, he still pictured the Warchief and the Siren Queen, near mystical figures in his mind, yet still, unchangeably, his mothers. If he ever had half of their ability to command and to lead, Akhlut knew that Horizon Ridge would flourish.

Amekaze hardened in the face of winter's brutality. Her wild fur thickened and every movement came with purpose. Nothing could afford to be wasted and insofar, she stood on level footing with this foe, but it was not easy.

And today she ranged in search of resources or information that she could gain from. Her travels little further out than her normal but it was not like she had a home to return to nor a place to keep her anchored, so she let a lengthened trot carry her along the banks of the river. She traced its meandering path and followed it into the depths of an impressive, towering forest.

In this unfamiliar turf, she sharpened her senses. Was hunting decent here? How many other predators lurked these woods? She narrowed her focus and thought about the forest itself as well. It had seen much, surely.

But then, ahead, a figure appeared. Another wolf shared the river's edge, although it seemed he was more stationary at the time than she was. Unsurprisingly, she did not recognize this being, but what was his purpose here?

Amekaze slowed up to take him in fully and her focus shifted with ease. Encountering him could prove to be interesting, or, alternatively, this could end poorly. She would take her chances and see what would be gained. His smell reminded her of water... and something else she could not recognize with his dark fur and sizable countenance. She halted a few lengths from him, poised with coolly neutral confidence, and tipped her muzzle in greeting. Her eyes remained trained on him to measure his reaction.

She was a feminine mirror of his own form, lacking the brush of snow on his underside, and Akhlut watched with interest as she approached and dipped her head. Her expression was neutral and her poise was as well; the gesture had asked no questions, invited no particular conversation, and had carried no veiled message. And yet Akhlut was intrigued, for the woman carried the scent of no pack he knew upon her tangled mane of dark fur, and her gaze was split green and violet and had captured his own icy blue eyes with rapt attention.

Lifting his tail just faintly, Akhlut let it sway gently. He felt all at once a bit shy, and very much the young male he was, scarcely out of his awkward teenagehood, but he stood tall and straight and proud, hiding his discomfiture. "I came to look upon the water, but I think I'd rather look upon you. " With another male it might have sounded a contrivance, but Akhlut 's words were the honest and earnest truth. He wanted to fill his eyes with her, and so he did, watching her openly, because he was growing used to getting what he wanted.

He made her wonder. The subtle lift of his tail, especially, had inspired its share of questions. She tried to decipher the smells on him to their fullest in an effort to understand his pack situation but.. all she could recognize was water. Strange water, too, not like the river here or like the lakes to the east. He did not smell like anyone she knew.

To his words, her immediate response was a quizzical squint. Really, she responded, nearly deadpan in tone. Her tail remained lax at her heels while her neck was lifted just enough to incline her muzzle appropriately: Amekaze's default stance, neither overly defiant or submissive, for now. Although, she was swiftly getting the sense that maybe he intended to command power in some place or time. He was not afraid to let her see his pride it seemed. I realize I am an impressive sight to behold to some, but even I can never rival the water's strength, she said, sarcastically dry and with a soft 'tch' sound to punctuate the end. Her lips twitched into a fleeting smirk, too. Nothing rivaled the beauty of raw power.

I do not know your smell, she went on to remark after stepping a few body lengths closer. Now that she had been able to get a good look at him, she guessed he was not all that much older than her and similarly marked in many ways, despite the more whiteness to him.

Don't mind Akhlut's hormones.

...even I can never rival the water's strength. Akhlut's eyes fell shut as the woman's words called to his own love of river, stream, and sea, and her next words made him wonder if she'd ever seen the ocean. They weren't far from it, but he'd known so many wolves who'd lived just the other side of a mountain range who had never even considered that such an expanse of water and wave and ocean could even be that the dark wolf wanted instantly to usher her to his seaside home. A selfish part of him, the boy who still had boyish urges and demanded instant gratification, wanted to have her all to himself. But the selfless part of him, the man who now led a pack, who was determined to give to it everything he had, wanted to coax this woman to Horizon Ridge as another to add to it's numbers. She appeared young, strong, and healthy, with a quick tongue and, behind it, a quick mind. If having her in Horizon Ridge also meant he could see her every day, well then, it was an added benefit.

"You wouldn't know it," he acknowledged. "I and a few others have laid claim to Horizon Ridge, beyond the rainforest, near the coast. It's a beautiful place, overlooking the Sea." There, and he'd lain the bait. If she knew of the Sea, surely its beauty and power would tempt her; if the word was a new one to her, then he would be delighted to show her the ocean's grace. He fell silent, for she'd taken a few steps closer to him, and he wished to breathe in her scent and learn it well enough to know her anywhere. For if she didn't wish to accompany him to Horizon Ridge, he still wished to seek her out. Unlike his mothers who had followed their hearts, Akhlut was a male of two strong lineages who wished to follow his most primal urgings that told him that this yet unnamed woman would be a suitable mother for his offspring. He did not know what told him this, except that they were of an age and she was beautiful in her wildness, and drawing her into Horizon Ridge was not even, apparently, a prerequisite. The most beautiful birds should never be caged.

:}
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There were few superior powers that Amekaze willingly bent before, but nature was unquestionably one of them and to her, the waters of the world were one of her most revered. Although she had only ever known them as rain, ponds, creeks, rivers and lakes, it had always been more than enough to her. She had never known why, exactly, but understood it as an important part of who she was. Whereas her father had always drawn his strength from the deep stretches of forests and her mother had loved mountainsides like no other she had known, Amekaze was the winding waterways and the spring downpours.

Yet even so, she had never seen the ocean. Or thought much about it, for all she knew were brief mentions of it by her parents, and she squinted at him curiously when he spoke of the sea. So that was what she smelled, perhaps. Although unwilling to show the full length of her interests, she raised her ears and peered readily at him. I have not been, she said. This spot on which she stood now was as far west as she had trekked.

I did not know the sea is nearby, she added after another beat. It had never come up before. Nor did I know of any claims west of here. Yours is news to me. She tilted her head, hoping to draw him into sharing more. Amekaze did like hearing of new packs, especially when none so far had inspired any earnest interest in her. She had handled winter with relative grace so far but it was not without a share of difficult and lonely times.

Akhlut's tail swayed with more eagerness now as he warmed both to his subject and to female he spoke with. She was not familiar with his coastal home, but she sounded at least intrigued, and it was a start, however tentative. "These tall trees go on for a ways, but they give way to a rocky coastline. The river winds the whole way through and down to meet the sea. Walk a fair distance north of the river and you'll find a great ridge overlooking the shore and the ocean itself." He smiled, thinking of the many iterations of the horizon he had yet seen, and told her, "From Horizon Ridge you could look upon the Sea and the rising and setting sun, and never would the same scene greet you twice. The colors are always different, ever changing, and always spectacular, reflected on the waves."

His love of the place was as primordial as the draw he felt towards this woman, like the moth to the flame, and he wondered if he could feel that his passion towards his newfound home could as easily become a passion for this newfound female. Love, it was not, but desire and instinctual urging it surely was, and perhaps love was not at all a necessity for the latter two needs to be met. "Will you come and see it? I would take you myself. I would rather not be a stranger to you. My name is Akhlut Kesuk-Nereides." The introduction ended in an expectant pause for her to share her own name. Akhlut's blue eyes shone, the eagerness in them betraying his calm facade.

He described the landscapes and she listened, for very likely, she would see to them soon enough. The more eastern territories had served her decently but ranging beyond them could never hurt. Amekaze could afford to expand her horizons.

He spoke well of these places and his Ridge. She could see it plainly on his expression, his smile, and just the way the words flowed together. These places were meaningful to him and a desire to know them herself was growing steadily.

She was silent still until after he had introduced himself, double surnames and all. He was likely proud of his heritage. She was too. Although her secretive tendencies outweighed the pride on this matter. Ah, I am Ame. She was tight-lipped as ever with her name and added a pointed look that was meant to say maybe you'll get the rest of it later. No one here knew her as anything but Ame, so it worked well enough by her standards.

Then she stole a second's pause to mull over his question. She had intended to go investigate further anyway. His company could not be so bad. In the end, this could be in her best interests I will come. I trust you can make it worth my time, she quipped and watched him expectantly. She had little to lose and not many offered something that could prove to be interesting.

Would you like to bump this into the present?

"Ame," Akhlut tested the name on his tongue, and it sounded rather French, like Aimée. His voice had deepened and softened, without any concious volition, and warmth suffused his words as he spoke again, so pleased was he that she would come and see his home for herself. "It will be more than worth your time. I think you won't want to leave." After a pause, the male admitted with a secretive smile, "I'm not certain that I'll be able to let you leave."

Would he? Surely his conscience would demand that he should, but the yearnings of heart and of nether regions protested and argued he should keep her with him, guard her zealously, once he got her back to his own home, the lands that were marked with his scent and his urine and all the pheromones and chemical messages of his kingship. And perhaps the allure of youth, confidence, and power would keep her there of her own accord. Akhlut hoped it might, as he turned and made to lead her back to Horizon Ridge, moving to touch his nose gently along her flank as he passed.

i mentioned her having met akhlut in a thread with pied but besides that i'm flexible :}

Her ears shifted although she stayed silent as he tested her name. She was used to it, and preferred being just called Ame here -- and on the timbre of his voice, it sounded almost.. pleasant? She fought the oncoming splay of her ears and focused.

There were times when she wondered if she ought to share more of her name, like surname at least, but did it truly matter? It had not yet and then his words were very quick to redirect her focus. The subtle smile of his that came along as well had her all the more curious. In response, her head tilted subtly and she felt a smirk tug on her own lips. You think? she quipped. Well, she fancied a challenge. She silently dared him to live up to his words, as she decided she might like to see him try.

You sound so sure of yourself, she remarked quietly and stilled underneath his fleeting touch, for even that she considered.. reasonably brazen. For a beat afterward, she didn't move, and considered a suitable retort although fell short watching him step away. She suddenly felt unaccustomed to this sort of attention. He was neither family or enemy, and a little more than the average stranger. He was potentially valuable to her -- a possible alpha, something she had been looking for and falling short. None seemed.. right. That, or they had vanished.

Amekaze lowered her lifted muzzle and took to motion too, following after him onto unfamiliar planes of forest and otherwise.