Wolf RPG

With the onset of spring freeing the waters from the prison of a winter freeze, Luke was eager to get back to dining on his favorite prey: fresh caught fish. A winding river beneath the shadow of a great plateau was the restaurant he had selected this comfortable afternoon. As drool began to form at the mere thought of a succulent dinner, a blue tongue slipped out across his lips to whisk it away. Delicately, the white wolf stepped into the river, scarcely a ripple forming around his limbs. He stood there a statue, silent and immobilized, as silver eyes darted to and fro at the fish nearby. Gradually, a school of trout came near and Luke's jaws parted, readied. When one such fish came close enough he lunged with impressive precision, seizing the wriggling meal between his teeth. Quickly, he jumped ashore, lowering the fish to the ground and using his paws to hold it while he bit into it with delight.

With the passage of time beginning to escape him, Mordecai dared to venture out beyond the borders of the Plateau for a change. Though far from healed, a certain restlessness prompted him all the same to continue on. This time, he decided that he wouldn't push himself too far — there'd be no cross-country adventure today — and the river seemed like a likely place to go. Perhaps a dip in the current of cold waters would alleviate some of the ache he felt in his body, though he didn't know if it was a viable remedy or not.

As he made his approach, another figure began to rise above the brush of the flatlands. The hoisting motion of the other revealed that he had caught a fish and that action alone was enough to prompt the Ostrega to steer himself further out from the path he was originally on. He wasn't looking for the trouble and denied himself the interest, instead steadily come up to the shoreline well over a stone's throw to drink from the rushing waters. And in spite of his denial of forward interest, he kept a gold eye trained on the figure of the pale-colored wolf. It was doubtful that the wolves of the dark woods would find themselves this far north and at that, he didn't consider them fishers in the slightest.

And so, he would linger.

Luke devoured the fish without pause, gulping it down by the mouthful until only tattered bones remain, which he discarded with several jovial tosses into some brush behind him. With his belly not quite full, he stepped carefully into the water again, his attention so trained on the fish that he did not notice another wolf down the river come forward for a drink. It was not until he had another fish in his jaws did his gaze fall on said wolf, and he's ears perked forward.

Ever the social butterfly, Luke carried his catch right over to the other male, dropping the fish between the two of them. His tail wagged and he peered expectantly at the russet and gold fellow as he asked him, "do you like fish?" Luke's head tilted to the side and he sported an amiable smile.

Mordecai watched as the male had finished his meal and returned to the crisp waters after another. It was clear that the wolf had some expertise in fishing, because in a very short while he had come hoisting another trout from the current with ease. It was then that their attentions crossed one another; discretely, Mordecai turned his gaze back to the waters as though to feign his interest. But it was too late to feign it really, because the steady approach of the other was marked by the placing of the watery prey between them in a matter of steps.

This time, when he looked back to him as he finished his drink, Mordecai saw that he was at least friendly. It was a genuine friendliness, bringing him to the thoughts that he had come to be just a touch distrusting. Normally, he would not have shied away from free company, but in lieu of his own wounds healing he found he was willing to tuck himself well away out of the sight of others. "It's not bad," Mordecai commented when prompted, "though I'm afraid I don't have the skill to catch them like you do." He found in spite of his misgivings of the present, a smile still came to his face easily.

"Not bad? Fish is awesome!" Luke replied enthusastically to the other fellow. Taste buds being what they were - varied and entirely individual - it was beyond a wolf like Luke to comprehend how someone could describe his favorite as prey as simply 'not bad' when he salivated at the mere thought of it, his mouth coming alive each time he took a bite. It did not matter which fish either, they were all delicious and that there were so many kinds with their different flavors and textures only made fish all that more of a prize food to him.

"All wolves should learn to fish," he nodded. "It's really not that hard, just takes some practice. I can give you a few pointers if you want." As he spoke he used a paw to nudge the fish toward the other male as a gentle invite to eat.

The fellow's enthusiasm definitely marked him off the list as being a wolf from Blackfeather; Mordecai didn't think those wolves to have a sense of humor at all, if the ones he had met were anything to go by. There was little doubt in his mind that this fellow was more than just enthusiastic about how good fish were, as his fishing prowess had shown itself just a short while ago. To be hoisting a pair of fish out of the water not that far apart took skill, which Mordecai could admire.

"I can't say I'm much of a fisher, but a pointer or two might come in handy," he said with a chuckle. He didn't disagree that all wolves needed to learn to fish. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'm in much of a shape to be doing a lot of fishing. Care for a demonstration?" If anything, the pointers could have been shown to him versus him trying to actually do them for himself. Not to mention that with an offered dinner, he was bound to get dinner and a show.

It was not until his companion said he was not in well enough shape to fish did Luke take notice of the other male's mending wounds. His brows furrowed for a moment with consideration, and he would make a point to ask about the injuries, but for now he had a demonstration to give. "Ah, no worries. I am happy to show you." Luke gave a nod and stepped to the water's edge.

"The first trick is to enter the water quietly. You can hunt from shore sometimes, but a lot of times the fish just don't quite come close enough," he said as he gingerly stepped in a ways. "Try not to splash or disturb the stream bed. For one, it scares the fish, for another, it can stir up dirt that clouds your view." Luke paused, glancing a look back at the other wolf. "Then you wait, quietly. If you're still and silent enough fish will usually swim right by." Luke raised his paw to his muzzle, giving a wolfish gesture for shhh. His gaze focused on the water.

It took a few minutes, but a school of shiners were the first to swim by. Luke would normally wait for a larger fish like a trout but for the purposes of his demonstration a shiner would work. Quickly, he thrust his muzzle in the water and his teeth clamped around a larger one, about 5 inches long. Luke tossed it in the air playfully as he stepped back out of the water, catching it again and swallowing it almost whole after a few quick chomps. "Nothing to it!" he exclaimed, looking to the other wolf. "You have to aim where the fish are going to be, because they're never quite where they are. The water is a bit funny like that. You'll get a feel for it if you do it enough."

As the fisher returned to his stream, Mordecai reached for and dug into the fish he had offered. And just as he had said, he found it to be an all right meal. It was a pleasant change from the other game he had been after, though it had been a short while since Mordecai had truly gone for a decent hunt at length. He watched and listened, staying quiet well before the wolfish gesture. This part, he knew from experience alone, but truthfully he never quite managed not to stir the silt from the bottom of the stream. A murky fishing experience was still a bit of experience, though.

And what seemed suddenly to him, his companion hoisted yet another fish out of the waters about the time Mordecai tore away a strip of bone clinging to flesh. His interest piqued itself as the fisher jovially tossed it into the air and caught it. It looked to Mordecai that he more or less inhaled the fish, but at the same time he knew better than to think that. "Well done," he said, a smile breaking across his face. "Seems like you've got quite a knack for this fishing business." He made it look easy, when in reality Mordecai thought it was anything but easy. It required more patience than he was willing to give, at least some of the time.

"I have been fishing for a long time," Luke replied with a warm smile. "For most of my life I have lived near the water and I am not keen to change that now. I love the water and I love the fish that swims in it," he shared. "Seems you thought it was pretty good too," He regarded the remains of the fish that he had offered the other fellow, his tail wagging. Luke was not the selfish sort and had never found himself in such periolous condition that he could not share with someone else, and it pleased him to do so, especially when he was sharing something that he enjoyed as much as he enjoyed fish.

"So what's your name, friend?" The blue-nosed wolf asked. "Mine's Lukas, but most everyone just calls me Luke." He was still itching to inquire about those wounds, his compassionate curiosity getting the better of him, but Luke saw an introduction first to be more appropriate

Though he still picked away at the fish, Mordecai wasn't about to turn down a gift. It was impolite and in light of being in pleasant company, he wouldn't do any wrong if he could help it. And since a little history rolled out across their proverbial table, Mordecai couldn't help but not be surprised by such a thing. He wondered though, did the wolves along the ocean try and fish as well? It had never quite occurred to him before, but then again, he had never lived along the coastline at any point in his travels.

"I'm Mordecai," he offered in return when their introductions came about. "And like I said, fish isn't bad. It's actually kind of a nice change from my usual fare of meals." And as of late, he hadn't really been hunting for himself. There was a modicum of guilt lingering for simply taking from caches rather than contributing to them, but Mordecai didn't feel entirely comfortable yet trying to test out the limits of his worn body. Rest came first and foremost, which he had been acquiring copious amounts of.

"So are you from around here, Luke?" Though he couldn't discern any trace of a pack on him, Mordecai chalked it up to the fact that his new found companion had been in the cool waters at length. If nothing else, water was good for washing out the lingering traces of where they had been, and at times, where they came from.

Luke nodded as Mordecai spoke, responding in turn. "Nah, I was born up north and I have been sort of wandering southerly since then." It was a broad, truthful summary of where he came from and Luke was not intentionally trying to be guarded by not expanding into more detail about how he had not been a lone wolf always and had in fact settled down in a place on his way south. But one's life story was often a bit too long to share in one sitting and probably more appropriate for closer friends.

"What about you, eh? And I can't help but ask, where'd you get them wounds at?" Luke could not contain his question any longer, but the gentle look on his face would surely let Mordecai know that he asked not to be nosy but because he was a caring soul.

With the return to spring to the Wilds, it would have seem that plenty were hitting the road again to travel. He couldn't help but smile a fraction when Luke mentioned that he was heading southerly, as just a few weeks ago, Mordecai had been in the same situation. It had been a bit of a jaunt to go south again, but nothing out of the way. Going too far north only meant that the cold would continue to linger for weeks to come. Thankfully for them and where they were, the greenery would only continue to return with a flourish.

And naturally, it did not surprise him either when Luke inquired to the injures that he had received. This time, his smile was a bit more on the wane side of things as he considered the overall damage he had accrued; the full extent was truthfully unknown to Mordecai. He couldn't see most of it for its placement alone. "I've done quite a bit of traveling in the past, but at least until winter's all the way through, I'm staying at the Plateau behind us," he said first, drawing a common link between them.

"And as for the wounds, let's just say you might want to steer clear of some woods to the south of here. Can't miss them, you'll hear the birds long before you see the density of the place. Unfriendly folk there." He figured if nothing else, he could try and steer Luke clear of Blackfeather Woods. He didn't have to allude to how he had gotten roughed up; saying they were unfriendly was probably enough, as he hoped that his companion could tell he hadn't gone looking for the fight in the first place.

"Oh," Luke replied when Mordecai indicated that he was staying at the plateau behind them, his gaze moving up from his companion to the packlands. Where some wolves were naturally inclined toward the mountains, the blue-nosed wolf with his affection for water never felt himself drawn to high elevation, though he had seen some beautiful waterways in such places.

Next the russet fellow warned Luke to keep his distance from the southerly woods, and reflexively his gaze was then drawn to look the way. "Unfriendly, hm? Sounds like you're putting it light," he said with a small shake of his head, drawing the natural conclusion that these south wood wolves were the ones that had inflicted the wounds on Mordecai. "I'll give that place a wide berth." Luke's nose wrinkled a bit, not at all liking the thought of hostile wolves.

"What's got their tails in a twist?" he wondered aloud.

Satisfied that the bluenosed fellow would give the place a wide berth, Mordecai could not help but speculate what it was that made the wolves there as vicious as they were. He had a few things to draw such from, interestingly enough, among those being what had been said to him.

"I think some of them just enjoy inflicting pain on others," he mentioned with a chuckle. "But I can't say I know for certain. I really don't want to find out either," though that may have been a half-truth — Mordecai wondered if Meldresi had founded that pack and if she had, whether she was still there. But he didn't know her well enough to decide if that was really how she had been. Sometimes the potential of others was a hard thing to gauge.

"Well that sounds fun," Luke replied sarcastically with a snort and roll of his eyes. He was quite welcoming of others' ideas of a good time and was more than happy to try new games or things, but harming others for the entertainment? Absolutely not. "I like a rough romp from time to time," he chuckled, winking at his companion, certain the other fellow would know what he was referring to, "but intentionally hurting someone like this is downright sick." Luke shook his head again, as if by that simple action he could rid his mind and the world of such tasteless ideas.

"I'm sorry you had to meet them," the blue-nosed wolf said, sincerely. "I should like to bite their asses for you," he was serious, giving an emphasizing single nod, but there was a playful gleam in his eyes that soon curled his lips into a smile and his tail wagged once more.

Mordecai couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. He would have liked to go back and bite their asses too, but it wasn't going to happen. He found he was not an overly vengeful creature; it was easier to avoid the trouble than rush headlong into it. There were many paths around the dark woods and if he went back to the south, those were the paths he would take. It had been easy to miss the forest before and would be easy to miss again.

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I suppose they are better left alone." He said this not because he thought Luke would make good on his statement, but rather than it was better to let it go. He did not forgive his assailant by any means, but Mordecai felt that it would sort itself soon enough. "What do you plan to do now that you're here? There's many places to explore in this area, if you're among that sort." And he supposed if nothing else, he could exchange the pointers he received himself with information he knew.

Luke agreed wholeheartedly with Mordecai's sentiment. He knew, too, that some battles were best fought by walking away. Furthermore if the wolves were as sick minded as the sounded then it was not likely they would be persuaded to act any different by a set of teeth in their rumps.

"Plan?" Luke laughed softly. "My friend, I am not much of a planner," the blue-nosed wolf added. "I know I'd like to settle down somewhere, but that's as far as I've gotten. I'm not a lone wolf at heart but I also like to go where my paws take me." He spoke honestly to Mordecai. Luke's very nature was to be impulsive, but he could hardly make much of a plan anyway not knowing who or what packs lived in this neck of the woods. Luke was not tracking down errant family members or old friends, he was following his own meandering path.

"That's not to say I am stricken by wanderlust," Luke clarified. "I just think I'll find my place when I run into it. But I do like to explore."

And it would have seemed that they had another thing in common — they weren't planners. There were few things that Mordecai planned in his life; he simply rolled with things on the fly as they came along. But it would have seemed that Luke was interested more in settling than Mordecai was. For all intensive purposes, the Ostrega hadn't put much thought into the idea of settling down. It was as though there was a world and a half left out there to explore and he desired to follow that wandering path through and through.

"Well, this place has plenty of opportunities to explore," he commented, "I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Perhaps once I've healed up, provided you're still around, I'd be happy to show you some of the vistas." With a wave of his tail, he hoped that the prospects and luck of the future would bring them together again, if only for the fact that he itched to explore again. Once he had healed, of course.

If wanderlust had not classically meant so much time alone, Luke would not have entertained the idea of "settling down". The affectionate blue-nosed wolf was too much for the company of others to imagine a life for himself where he stayed only briefly in one pack or the other before moving on, despite his enjoyment of seeing new places and experiencing new things. It would be a different story if he met someone who wished to travel with him, and who knows, perhaps that would be the very next chapter in his book. He could not be, and would not want to be, certain of the future.

"I haven't been so far," Luke replied with a smile and a wag of his tail. "Until we meet again, Mordecai, heal up!" The white wolf gave his companion a friendly wink, also ruminating on thoughts of exploring side by side as he strolled down along the river's edge.

Watching as Luke bid him a farewell and started off down the riverbank, Mordecai could not help but smile faintly at the fellow. He was an interesting sort, including his appearance, and he certainly hoped that they would meet again. Once the blue-nosed wolf had faded from view, he gathered himself. Mordecai picked up the remnants of the fish and started back to the plateau, figuring if nothing else he'd have something to chew on later.