Wolf RPG

Aching muscles were the least of her worries as she came recklessly down a slope a bit too steep — it was part of the danger that came with travelling such varied terrain. Truth be told, she had little problem with the navigating of such places; Echelon truly did not have a large comfort zone and spent most of her time out of it. With patrols done along the borders and nothing new turning up and nothing old coming back, she allowed herself to slip towards something that was almost like boredom.

But it wasn't really boredom that drove her down the squat mountainside. She had a feeling she knew where to find her aokkatti and if anything, disliked the time that she had been spending out of her company. It was to be expected and truthfully she tried to accept this, but in the end it lead her to careening off into the woods whenever she thought she had picked up on Tonravik's trail. And this time she was very certain she had, bounding through with every anticipation that she would find her in the mix of budding new trees and undergrowth.

And seeing how she had been trying so hard to pick on anything else she came into contact with, to say that she wasn't seeking out her aokkatti to do the same was beyond it. A little teasing had never hurt before, though she was more than willing to entice Tonravik into a little rough housing now that they had begun to settle and gain control.

She lumbered throughout her territory, getting to know the nooks and crannies of the place. There was plenty of land to cover, and a lot of land to learn. Presently, she traced the tracks of a herd. The ground was slick from the previous nights rainfall, and now and again, she could find a large, cloven imprint in the earth where stone gave way to grass and dirt. She was determined to hunt and find the herd to assess their health.

But the sound of another distracted her. Tonravik heard Echelon, and her tongue lolled out of her mouth in a pant. The weather was warmer, and she despised heat. She moved toward a woody area, not looking back to Echelon, knowing her aokkatti well enough to know she would follow. Fortunately, the trail led to said wooded area, and so her search went on.

Against the foliage at long last, she spotted Tonravik's hulking figure moving through. And though she saw the evident loll of her tongue to suggest her weariness to their warmer climes, it did not stop the way in which Echelon bounded towards her. They were alone in the dense wood for now, leaving the much smaller shadow to shed any ruse she was willing to put on. At first she bumbled on behind her with her tail swinging wide, beating against saplings and shrubs and grasses alike.

And then she closed in that gap between them, nudging her aokkatti roughly with her snout. Echelon drew in the scents that stirred off the thick hairs, snorting at the medley that she found there. So many other smells, so many strange ones to her. Tonravik had been nothing short of busy. She had been around many wolves; likewise could have been said of Echelon as well however. And Echelon dared to find out where all she had gone in spite of having a fair idea of such, snuffing and sneezing her way along Tonravik's side.

She was certain Tonravik would tire of the investigation swiftly.

Tonravik was content to let Echelon nose at her and investigate for a moment. Their time together had been spread apart some given the circumstances, but Tonravik would prevent too much time from passing. Echelon had stuck by her side since the very beginning, and no bond she shared was like the one with her aokkatti. But the weather was hot, and Echelon's nearness became suddenly stifling.

The leader picked up her pace, not yet resorting to snapping at Echelon; but surely, the tinier Tartok wolf suspected that would come if she kept instigating her. Tonravik's ears cupped and fell backward, listening for Echelon even still.

When Tonravik allowed her investigation to go on, Echelon could not disobey the urge to wave her tail merrily behind her.  Surely now if someone came upon them the sight would have been disastrous for her, but the pair was wily enough to keep from being seen.  For the most part, anyway.  But her enjoyment in pestering her aokkatti was cut short when the bearish female picked up her pace, leaving Echelon to trail behind once again.

Insistently, childishly, she pulled at Tonravik's tail.  Wait! it seemed to suggest, as though she were truly being left behind.

At the feeling of Echelon's fangs brushing her plume harmlessly, Tonravik reacted instinctively and stopped, so that the other could pull at it no more, and let out a low rumble. Let go. She turned so that her body was arched and she faced Echelon, able to see her tail in the others mouth. Tonravik wrinkled her muzzle and showed a single, yellowed canine to Echelon.

Tonravik took another short step forward, then moved to attempt to place her broad paw upon her subordinates face. 

Tonravik halted, but Echelon did not cease in the hold of her tail. Even when her leader raised a single dark foot and placed it to her face, Echelon merely continued her antagonizing with a wave of her tail. She had a feeling that she knew what would come back and she welcomed with, ready and able to roll with whatever suitable action was borne of her annoying childishness. Perhaps beneath that large paw that covered her narrow countenance was a smirk, but Echelon paid her own response no mind.

When Echelon did not release, Tonravik pushed downward with her paw. Tonravik let out a slow growl before lifting the large, broad foot of hers before moving to thawp it heavily against Echelon's jaw, careful to do so to the side so that the cuff would not cause Echelon to grip her tail any tighter. Tonravik wanted her aokkatti to release her plume before she acted any further, but the growl escalated in volume. 

It took the smack from Tonravik before Echelon released her hold, but it was just a means to progress her actions. She sprang forward to bump roughly against her aokkatti, growling right back. Though she tried to parade an imaginary status, Echelon could hardly puff up her body to come to equal stature with the towering Tonravik. At best her chin brushed across the muscled back of her superior, the thick guard hairs sticking through her thinner coat. She nipped at the flesh there, making her own desires clear. It had been a long while since the pair had sparred and while she was needy of the attention she could muster from Tonravik, it was also something that she missed.