Wolf RPG

It had barely been a day since Rixton had stumbled into the unknown territory, new pack scents bombarding him from all sides. He had come from the north, along the ocean with the scents of salt in his fur, but as soon as he saw the familiar tumble of mountains in the distance, he had to venture inland. Every once in a while the sun would peak through the cloud cover and warm his sandy fur, but the higher he climbed, the colder the air became.

He lifted his nose to the sky, sniffing for any pack scents that were threateningly close. Noticing only a few that were a good distance away, he continue his way up the mountains. He enjoyed the way the crisp air stung his nose and soon enough he came to a more rocky outcropping where he could sit and look out on the new land. It would be amazing if it could all be his.

He'd paid his very first visit to the ocean. It was a vast water; one that extended far beyond his wildest imagination. It was a sight to see, the shore, and while it was a view to behold, it wasn't a place where he saw himself long-term. He was an inland wolf, he'd discovered. He didn't care much for the taste of salt on the air nor the large quantity of water he couldn't drink. He much preferred a place where he could feel clean. Vain as that thought might be, his fur felt matted down with the salty air. He'd need a place to wash off soon. 

Already north, Kero ventured further inland. He rounded to a small summit of mountains where he figured he might find a little bit of snowmelt towards its base. Mm. Nothing. Nothing but the smell of packlands around the rise. Ugh... and another place he'd ventured once before, but strayed away from. Kero frowned. There was no avoiding it. He'd travel down the narrow line between territories and hope he was crafty enough to remain unscathed. 

It appeared, he had quite a bit of stealth on him as he managed it without any sort of encounter. With that small mercy behind him, he decided on exploring the next ridge to see if anything would strike his fancy. He didn't catch the scent of water, but he did pick up on wolves. Several of the scents were similar enough that he wondered if something would soon become of this place, but until then he was free to roam and wander. 

He climbed, seeking a higher vantage point to get a better view of this land. Nearing the summit, he had this sinking sensation he wasn't alone. His eyes narrowed as he lifted his nose, scenting the air for anything nearby. There it was. Something. Kero turned, changing his course so that he might encounter the individual who was sharing this space. Found him. Just there. 

A golden wolf sat upon a ledge. From where Kero stood, it appeared as though he'd found a nice view of the surrounding area. He approached, more eager to share the view than anything else as he drew nearer to the wolf. "Quite a spot," he greeted, tossing his voice to the wind to alert this wolf of his presence if he'd not discovered Kero already. "Looks like you can just about see forever from there."

A voice from behind somewhat startled Rixton, but he tried not to show it as he slowly turned his head to see the newcomer. He had a sandy pelt, similar to his own, and golden eyes. He gave the wolf a nod of his head before turning back to the view. "It definitely is somethin." He replied, his gaze sweeping the area. 

If this wolf was going to interrupt his time alone, might as well make him useful. He slowly turned back to the wolf, dragging his eyes away from the dazzling scene before him. "I'm new around here, I know just about nothing. Got any tips?" He asked curiously, tipping his head to the side to look curiously at him.

Mm. And something it was. Kero turned his eyes to the distance and regarded the endless expanse. This world was a marvelous, wonderful thing filled with far many more wonders than he'd ever have the opportunity to see. What he'd seen thus far? He smiled contentedly as the wind ran her loving fingers through his fur. He had more memories already than he knew what to do with.

The wolf's question lifted upon the air. Kero's grin slipped into something of a smirk as a small puff of air fled his nose. "Eat when you can," he said jokingly, even though there was plenty of seriousness to be held within those words. "Or join a pack fast." Some wolves weren't meant to hunt on their own, but finding food was important. It didn't matter how those meals came.

As for him? He was fine on his own. He was coping well enough without a pack even though he knew full and well he'd have to find one before winter rolled around again. Lucky him, he had plenty of time to check them all out and learn whatever it was he wished to know before making a final decision. "Seriously though," he changed the mood of this conversation. "It all depends on what you're looking for."

God, she hated this place. Everything about it. It was cold. The land was barren. What animals she found often wanted to wait for her to die so they could pick her remains apart. As for the plant life? Bah. Minimal. If the earth wasn't covered with a sheet of ice they were all drunken trees or various other things that were useless to her. She grumbled.

And she hiked. Higher, up towards the top of the ridge so she might get a better view of the area. Last she knew, her prince was interested in claiming this particular terrain so she figured she might as well get used to it. Her eyes flattened, as she huffed, pulling herself towards the summit only to cast eyes on a fiery red male. Great. She had company.

"What are you doing here?" she asked flatly, staring at him as she took a few steps towards him then stopped. Maybe he knew where life was. "If you're looking for plants, there aren't any up here." Not the best intro, but whatever.

The boy drifted away, growing bored with everything and venturing off. Kero let him and found contentment with letting his gaze drift towards the north. He'd not been that far in the colder directions, but based what he saw from where he sat, he had no particular desire to wander further north. It seemed... as though it didn't offer much. No... After this he'd head south once more. 

A tumble of rocks sounded behind him and was quickly met with a voice. Kero turned and glanced at the brown female. Thick. Burly. She had this sort of gruffness to her that suggested she was big boned rather than fat, but definitely a heavyweight. She asked a question and followed it with something about plants. What? Why did he keep meeting all these women who couldn't think before they spoke. They were making his head spin.

"Sitting," he stated, since that's exactly what he was doing. She could see that for herself. As for plants? "I've seen a few here and there growing between the rocks. Small things." He shrugged. "If you're looking for plants, you might want to head a little more south, past the mountains in the distance. There's more to choose from in those parts."

Her lips twitched. She could see he was sitting. She wasn't blind. Ears folded atop her crown as she stared back at him while he kept talking. Fine. Points for him. He'd found those scrawny little mountain ferns or weeds or whatever, but they weren't what she was used to and they weren't what she was looking for. She shifted on her paws, saying nothing because she wasn't about to admit he was right in once more pointing out the obvious.

"They're wimpy," she admitted, which was why she'd dismissed them in the first place. "And not what I'm used to. Starting from scratch sucks." She over shared, but who cared. If he knew anything about these plants, awesome. If not? No harm done. She knew how to figure it out for herself. 

What she didn't know was that tid-bit about south. Or rather, she'd forgotten as she'd originally passed from that direction. "What kind of foliage?" she asked, curious simply because whatever information he could provide would save her time in the future. "Climate?"

Wait... Starting from scratch? Was she? "Are you a healer?" he asked, quickly connecting the dots before he had all of them. And he was going to guess she was new to this place which sort of explained all the cryptic questions about the local lands.

He shifted, turning around so he could gaze out towards the lands to the south this time. He'd finished with the north. Now he could reflect a bit and turn his focus to the south. "That ridge there?" he indicated, pointing with a paw. "The one in the distance that seems misty?" He glanced at her, checking to make sure she was still following. "If you skirt that or happen to find a pass through there, the lands to the south are more forests. Warmer. You'll only see snow in the peaks. There are far more rivers and springs in that direction. Might be home to more of what you're familiar with."

Kero was somewhat vague in his description, but he hoped it was enough to give her an idea. "how does someone such as yourself start from scratch?" She'd mentioned it. He was curious.

Um. Yes. Yes she was. She'd all but said it out loud and he felt the need to confirm it. Fine. She could do that. "Yes. We call them medics where I come from," she said with pride as she watched him turn towards the south. She followed his paw with her eyes and watched where he was pointing. Orienting herself with the direction, she made note of it and promised herself to explore further that way in the future.

What he described seemed far more suitable for her tasks. Warmer. Wetter. All terrain that sounded as though it would offer far more variety than plants that were only suited for harsher conditions. While she was sure she could find quick fixes here and there, the promise of distant landscapes gave her the slightest bit of hope. Enough so that when he asked his next question, she was so inclined to share what she knew. 

Citali moved towards him, standing next to him as she turned her eyes towards the distance. "It's not foolproof," she admitted, "but if there's a plant you can't identify, crush its leaves to expose the damp insides and rub it against your lower lip. Leave it. If the plant burns don't use it. If there's no effect, try experimenting to see what properties it affords." It was the best solution she could offer. "You can also look at a plant to see whether or not it's being used by other creatures. If they've been eaten and you don't find any corpses around, try the chin test, then consider it safe-ish until you can get a better idea bout it."

Medics. Healers. Tit for tat, it was the same word. What he cared more about was how good this one was and whether or not she knew anything useful that might make for interesting learning. Turns out she did.

She explained a quick way for testing plants that didn't seem entirely foolproof, but at least allowed for a decent start. He'd not known about the chin thing and now that she'd pointed it out, examining the way other creatures interacted with a plant in question made a lot of sense. Some things were avoided for a reason. At least he had a place to start if he ever decided to start eating plants.

"So not foolproof, but worth a shot?" he asked, back, glancing at her as he attempted to confirm whether or not he was following correctly. "Seems... like a long process." And healing often was. It was far easier to break things than put them back together. 

"Anything else you want to share?"

Who was this wolf? She'd already said it wasn't foolproof and proceeded to elaborate on how necessary it all was! She glanced at him sharply, a bit perturbed by his habit of repeating most of what she said. "Yes. That's what I said." There, at least now he knew he wasn't being the least bit helpful beyond the effort it took for him to point south. Fine. That was actually helpful.

It was his next words that clipped her. She bristled again, lips curling as she forced herself not to snarl at his scrawny looking hide. "No," she snapped. Thought about it, then decided to add a little bit more to what she said. "But scram. You're not wanted here."

Whoops. Looked like he struck a nerve. Grinning silently to himself, Kero shifted on his paws and gave the female a little bit of breathing room. She seemed to think highly enough of herself that he likely wouldn't last long if he continued to undermine what it was she said. Alas, he didn't think there was much room for further conversation until she opened the door for it once more.

"Not wanted?" he repeated, no doubt striking another chord with her. "I was under the impression this was neutral territory?" Ignorance at it's finest, though truth be told he had caught the scent of a few frequent visitors to these parts. Either the area was popular or it was well on its way to becoming a no-wolf zone for those who did not belong. Lucky him, that hadn't been decided yet.

Did he have to question everything!? Seriously? She shot a look at him, but he appeared to ignore it, instead grinning like the smug little bastard that he was. Well fine. If he wanted to remain blissfully unaware of life she could continue to inform him. The prick.

"Not for long. They'll soon be claimed by another. Now off with you." She waved a paw at him, dismissing him from this place. She could stay, and would, but it was time for him to be going now. He'd over stayed his welcome and Citali did not wish for him to happen upon the stores of food here and there her prince had been cultivating. "Run along, now."

Heh. And it seemed he'd weaseled out all the information from her he was going to get. These lands were claimed and destined for someone else. Good riddance. He wouldn't wish this terrain upon anyone in the world. Nope. It was more than time to head south once more and continue on from there.

"Pleasure meeting you, Miss," he said with a charming tip of his head as he bounded away from the area. Just one little encounter and he'd discovered so much about this place. Far more than he ever dreamed of. All the same it was a nicety for him to muse upon as he continued his adventure.