Nighttime was when she found herself most active. The days were growing hotter and hotter, and her interest in days remained but in noons was nonexistent. By noon, the leader rested. By day and by night, she was patrolling, caching, and other miscellaneous activities. The leader lumbered around, investigating these caches with ample interest in them. She found a cache of herbs, and wondered if Iqniq had brought these, or if wolves of old who were no longer of this place had. None were herbs she knew; she only knew of the poisonous sort, and she knew them very well.
She presently carried in her mouth two plump rabbits that had grown fat and lazy. They were easy enough to catch, and given she had woken from a restorative slumber, she had plenty of expendable energy. Her tail waved as the scarred and healing woman deposited them in the cache nearest to her. After doing this, she thought to investigate the Spine further. Even still, she had much to learn.
Tonravik was about – Ivitaruk could sense her as well as any he called companion, and so the red wolf made his way to her side, announcing his presence with a soft growl before his shoulder brushed against hers in simple form of pack mate greeting. He was a large wolf – but he held himself low in comparison to their leader, and as the sun glinted above them, his gaze trailed over her, lingering upon her now healing injuries and not commenting upon them.
“Does the Spine feel like home?” It was a more imploring question he gave now, but he desired to know more about what her intentions were for their current residence.
Tonravik heard his approach, his heavy footfalls as telling as her own. Her head turned and she rumbled back, tail swaying behind her. It was always good to see him; his familiar face reminded her of the very thing he had mentioned, if ever there was an identifier to the word. Home was not the place, but the wolves. And although some were very different, there were many that were coming into their own, falling into her definition.
"In its way," she rumbles. Not quite yet. "I have much work to do." The Spine had once been lax in comparison to what she would make it. Tonravik shifts to attempt to bump into him, muzzle moving toward his shoulder so that her fangs could comb the furs there, the proximity solely to allow him to investigate the superficial wounds that would scar. The outsiders here were dumber, she found; perhaps that was why this place was right. To weed out the weak, to take in the strong.
It was companionship such as this that he had truly missed – he had scouted for her since his initial orders, and the journey had been lonely. Her acceptance of his presence had made it worthwhile, and as she preened at his pelt, the male was allowed a stolen glance to her own injuries, where his eyes remained riveted.
His nose would press gently to her, seeking to explore the areas with gentle calculation. Kerosene, the wolf he had not formally met yet, had done a good job, and he chuffed out his consent to the matter.. not that he held any form of say upon the matter.
“It will be so,“ he offered, his own tail swinging neutrally through the air. He remained uncertain to what she expected of him thus far, but if he even had a miniscule idea of his companion, he knew she would make this obvious within time and at her own pace. Perhaps, for now, it was simply his presence that was required to maintain the Spine’s takeover.
But these thoughts were for another time. The two were sparring partners.. but even the most basic of wolf nature would give way to another art form altogether: play. With a nip cast in the air to her, Ivitaruk’s nature changed entirely – gone was the serious discussion, and brought before her stood the large male, bowing his lower limbs down in a bow, a crooked grin pressing to his lips.
Tonravik nodded at him, agreeing. It would be. There was no doubting this. It was only a matter of time... His fangs emptily clacked against the air, and he dipped into a low bow, tail waving. She looked at him for a moment before lurching forward in a drunken movement, then slid downward herself, before pushing up and moving to swat him with a foreleg before bounding off.
To those that did not know mountains, they could be difficult. Down was down was down was even more down. And when you thought you had finished your descent, there was even more down to go. It seemed to never end, and when it did, it might abruptly go up. And your ascension would never end, and you would continue to go until you thought it impossible to go any further. But, no. There was plenty more miles up to go. Down was their direction now, and she barreled recklessly through woodwork. Her weight broke foliage in its center, or whatever part of it she hit, and her chest was littered with leaves and branches and plenty of thorns.
Tonravik could fight – but she could also play, and hard. His lips pulled back in a lazy grin, his tail lolling from his jaws as he gave chase. They crashed through the foliage of the Spine, their descent upon the mountain one of pure freedom. Paws thundered the ground and burs nestled firmly in his pelt a she brushed past bushes without care.
His creamy paws were swift in their movement, and a nip would be cast in the direction of his current playmate, toying with the idea of whether to tackle her or not. Liberation swelled in his chest, and with his banner swaying freely behind him, a growl of approval emitted from his muzzle as he moved to fan out upon her opposite side, waiting to see if he could encourage her to go even faster.
They ran. Tonravik did what she best to keep out of reach. But the Spine was a place she was still learning of, and obstacles that could not be run over caused her to adjust her course and slow. So when he reached for her, it was no wonder she felt him there. His teeth clicked, pinching flesh gently, and her ears cupped. When he fanned out, Tonravik followed suit.
And move faster she did. The wind howled past her ears, whipping her furs around wildly. Her head bobbed wildly as she surged closer to him, kicking dirt out from under her as her speed grew.
He felt her beside him – two souls, combined in forces as they chased nothing along the peaks that had come to rest beneath their paws. Tonravik’s presence soothed him – the only companion he felt he had in these strange lands, and as they chased the horizon for the passing moments, he allowed any concerns or worry to drift from his mind.
For the moment, he could only feel the wind upon his face, and the dirt beneath his paws. The way the swarthy beasts’ fur would brush against his own – the barest of embraces. The sound of their paws beating the ground seemed to disturb a nearby rabbit – whose silver fur glinted in the sun and caught the wolf’s eye as it darted only feet ahead of them, seeking out a crevice in which it could dash before their jaws would grasp it.
I m dumb, SORRY FOR LONG DELAY i will miss u ;_; i am worst awful
The freedom of their run was truly invigorating. Their paws drummed against the earth and they moved together, furs glinting in the light. Only the stray rabbit caused her attentions to stray... and she chuffed to Ivitaruk, tail waving, as she went after it. Their chase was a quick one, and though they were swift, on this day the rabbit was swifter. It found its crevice, and they lurked near the area for a while before moving their attention to the borders again. Together, they patrolled.