Wolf RPG

Kato trotted cautiously through the tall grass and cattails that grew near the lake. He had been following the bank of this body of water for two days, and now he had finally found the end. The banks that framed the water were much closer together here, and rose up in steep cliffs and rugged mountains. The lake's water was a much clearer, icier blue here due to the run-off that fed the lake. Stopping, Kato quickly drank from the frigid water.
He did not enjoy the hot weather as much as others, so the cold water was very welcome. Even with the brisk breeze that swept the mountains, it was still quite warm for his taste. Kato had never enjoyed the summer months to any great degree. They were really just something he simply tolerated because he had no choice but to live with it. He preferred the fall months when the leaves were changing color and it was cool, but not freezing cold as in winter. Not that he didn't appreciate winter in all it's snow-bound beauty, but it was very hard to hunt when the powdery snow rose above his shoulders.
Indeed, fall was the most welcome season. For now, however, it was most certainly summer and Kato simply had to make the best of it, which is why he had traveled into the mountains to begin with. That and to move away from the many wolf packs that made their homes in the lower altitudes.

The lean wolf lifted his head from the water and twitched his ears, alert for any sign of another wolf. Kato had been a loner a long time (some would say too long) and was very cautious around others of his kind. For most of his life he had been wandering on his own, going wherever his paws saw fit to take him. Though he would never admit it, he was beginning to grow lonely, always pushing away anyone he met. Subconsciously Kato had been craving the comfort of a pack, of a friend, of a home.

Pointing his body up the mountain, he left the water behind and loped over a small ridge and found himself in a gorgeous mountain valley. As he traveled farther into it, he could smell the scent of wolves. Yet, for some unknown reason, he did not turn around, but kept pushing onward, careful to stay outside the strange pack's borders, but remaining within sight to see if he might be able to catch a glimpse of this pack.

She was often on the fringes of the mountain in recent days, carefully contemplating what to do from here and enforcing their borderlands with much . The Sunspire was plentiful, hunting was good, and yet, with the departure of some long-term wolves that had become central to the Spire's life, there was an inexplicable funk on the air. Maybe it was just her (and perhaps Jace too, at least he had a better excuse since it was his sister that had gone), but she was trying to not let it overcome her.

Amekaze had decided to head closer towards the flatlands today to gather more for her small herb stocks -- as she noticed about a week ago that certain flowers were just now coming into bloom, the ones that were the first of the summer plants. Soon, other herbs would follow. She had done well to collect anything she could from the springtime crops, and now as the days grew even longer and nights balmier, there was still more to do.

On her way down, she saw another with a path aimed for her mountain. He was on the smaller side, and dressed in tawny furs. From here, she could not scent any affiliation on him -- a loner, perhaps? Regardless, she approached smoothly and absolutely within her element. "Greetings," she offered first once her strides drew her nearer to him. Her tail was lifted, although not fully flagged, and posture confident with her eyes and ears focused onto him alone. The next move was his, and she was eager to see it.

He trotted smoothly up the faint mountain trail, occasionally hopping playfully over scrubby bushes and rocks that lay in his path. He was often this way when he was alone, relaxed and energetic. It was when he was around other wolves that he became most reserved and even aggressive. But as he made his easy way up the slope he was happy and relaxed, especially since the air had cooled considerably from earlier in the day.

As he hopped easily over a bush a small bird darted away from it. On an impulse, Kato swept after it, his powerful jaws snapping shut just inches from the bird's body. He stumbled slightly, but quickly regained his balance and continued on his way. The tawny wolf allowed his tongue to loll and the breeze to happily muss his summer coat.

It wasn't until a moment later he noticed a black she-wolf padding towards him from the mountain. As she drew nearer he noticed a powerful scent that clung to her ebony pelt. She was obviously a member of a pack, presumably the pack whose borders he was skirting. Kato halted and allowed her to approach. Her body language was completely confident, it was likely she was a high-ranking member of her pack. Kato, however, kept his body neutral, not wanting to appear as a major threat, nor a submissive coward. He kept his tail lower, but his weight forward on his toes, ready to move quickly if need be, and his eyes and ears mirroring the she-wolf's, focused intensely on the wolf before him.

He suppressed a low growl when she halted nearer to him than he would usually like. He narrowed his eyes slightly as she spoke. Kato was naturally very defensive and skeptical, always finding reasons not to trust or even like someone. So when this wolf spoke to him in such and easy manner, he couldn't help but immediately assume she was up to something.
"Hello," his voice was nearly a growl, but he did not allow it to become overly aggressive. He watched her intently, searching for any sign that she might attack him.

She paused near him, although looked poised to take to motion again soon, and took him in. As suspected, she still smelled no packs in particular on him, and his wariness of her proximity was probably another good indication of his lonerhood. Amekaze's tail swayed slowly as she regarded him, all while fighting the urge to circle him -- which she guessed that wouldn't make him feel any less skeptical of her. 

His greeting was simple. More tense than her own, of course, and he looked prepared for anything at this moment. She took the signs he offered and nodded slowly as she considered the route to take to find out more about him.

"The mountain interests you?" she asked, and gestured behind her with a flick of her muzzle. Judging by his path, something had lured him this far. Either he was enjoying the scenery, looking for someone, or coming with otherwise ill intentions, she would find out soon enough. Visitors weren't frequent here, after all, so she was also a little terse about it if pressured, but she was also willing to let those worthy see the Spire for themselves.

He kept his senses focused solely on the she-wolf before him, studying her body language. From her level of confidence he thought it was safe to assume that she a high-ranked member of the pack the resided on the mountain. Kato, however, was very tense and on edge. For some reason, this wolf made him uneasy. Though, that was usually the case with any wolf he met.

Her question made him even less trusting of her. Why was she asking about him? Why would she care? Sure, it was her home, but he hadn't trespassed on her territory, so what reason could she possibly have to find out more about him?

Keeping those questions to himself, he simply shrugged. "I came up here to get out of the heat," was the clipped answer. There was no reason whatsoever to give her the entire truth. She didn't need to know that he had come up here to avoid having to face others of his own kind, but when he discovered a pack on the mountain he had stayed in hopes of meeting one of them. And now here was one of their ranks standing before him and he had no intentions at all of telling her anything.

His tension was very prevalent. She wondered why, exactly. If it was just wariness or something more. He also seemed to be a closed-book when it came to a great many aspects, for his answer came simply and he offered no accompanying questions of her in return. She could accept that he had come here for milder temperatures -- he was wise to do so, especially when the valleys could be unpleasant on balmy afternoons, but much further up the path and he'd be running into contention on her boundaries. For now, though, things were neutral and he could truthfully loiter as he pleased, and this was not a place for her be outright defensive of in full. That didn't excuse her curiosity any.

"I see," she hummed, then leaned some of her weight onto her hind paws but did not fully relax yet. His tenseness wouldn't allow it, although she did seem practically at ease in comparison to him right now as she stood coolly confident before him. She was still ready in case this went south and she did manage to push him too far. "The mountains seem to help curb the humidity some, too.. if you are on the side opposite from the sea," she offered as a tidbit of insight in case he was as new to the area as he smelled. "Summers do tend to be muggy here," She personally preferred to just wade in the creeks to cool off or do much of her ground-covering during the evening hours -- at least in the heat of summer, anyway, which was still to come to the Teekon.

"I am Ame. From the Sunspire," she said with another gesture its way, to see if this may cause any sort of response from him besides the ones she had received so far. She could see him on his way and steer him away from her home if needed, but she wasn't quite ready to leave him alone.

Kato knew he was probably being a bit unreasonable being so wary, but experience had taught never to trust. In the past, that rule had served him well and helped him out of many precarious situations and he wasn't about to change his ways. Part of him wondered why the heck this she-wolf hadn't gone on her way? But then, why hadn't he? Maybe she subconsciously sensed what he was so unwilling to admit; he wanted, maybe even needed, a home.

His body language told of disinterest as she described the summer weather in the area. He really had no interest in standing around chatting about the weather with a stranger. It simply wasn't his style. Kato couldn't stand idle chat, and now was no exception. He twitched his ears, becoming distracted by a pair of birds flitting about a few feet away.

Kato blinked and returned his full attention to the she-wolf when she introduced herself. From Ame's gesture, he assumed that this mountain would be the Sunspire, as she called it. He momentarily allowed himself to admire the massive tower of rock that rose high into the sky behind the she-wolf. "I'm Kato," his voice was a half-growl. He had never been overly interested in introducing himself to strangers. So why was he doing so with this stranger? Was he becoming soft? The tawny wolf growled quietly in frustration.

She liked to believe she knew how it was. For many moons before settling in the Creek and then eventually the Sunspire, she had existed as a mere traveler and learned the nuances of one very quickly. It was for survival, and a careless loner who was too eager to share made for a dead wolf, and even now, she never liked being too forthcoming with the personal details. A piece of her name and a title for the obvious pack scent on her fur was generous enough.

He didn't seem to be warming very quickly, but she wouldn't jump to the offers herself. While the mountain could use new blood, if his interest was not in them at all, she wouldn't force it into happening -- especially without knowing if he possessed the capabilities of a useful wolf for the mountain (which she was curious to see, if he had it in him). Sight and scent alone said only so much, and at least he looked generally healthy for a nomadic lone wolf. His attitude in so far just didn't give her much to think about.

She did get him to growl back a name. She nodded slowly and flicked an ear. Kato. Simple, and off-hand, she wondered if there was a surname to match it.. or if he lacked one entirely. "So. Besides cooling off, are you only passing through? Or do you plan to stick around?" she squinted. If not right here, near here, or was he on his way to someplace else. Frankly, considering his tension, he could probably do with a good rest if he had been traveling for a long time. "You seem bothered," she pointed out while toying with a brief smirk. Frustrated, tense, peeved, probably tired.. or just the fact alone that she had intercepted him with questions on his forward path towards the Spire, it was making his displeasure evident.

OOC: Sorry he's not giving you much to work with, but I don't know Kato very well yet and I'm still working out his personality. But it is a large part of his personality to be short-spoken and distrusting.

IC: He rolled his shoulder in a small attempt to relax his rigid muscles, but he honestly didn't give a damn whether she thought he was tense or not. Not only had he been a loner for the vast majority of his life, which, even on it's own, gave him a very good excuse to be distrusting of anyone and everyone, but the wolf he had trusted most in the world had turned on his family and slaughtered them. Call it what you like, but the truth was plain and simple; Onan had completely shattered Kato's confidence in his own species. If one moment someone could be so kind and so good and the next turn into a power-hungry, blood-thirsty monster, what was stopping this she-wolf before him from doing the same thing? What was stopping any of them from treading that path?

Yet, he longed for companionship. It was a part of himself he wished he could leave behind, but the feeling persisted. For some unknown reason he had felt drawn to this mountain, the Sunspire. It was a subconscious feeling to begin with, but Kato had known when he reached this valley that he didn't have any inclination of leaving.

Her questions were no surprise by now, as he had come to expect such things from her in the short period of time they had been speaking. "I am unsure. I wouldn't mind sticking around, I suppose," his voice was low, but not the same growling tone he had used previously. "It is a beautiful place," he added, almost as an afterthought. He quickly shrugged off her second (technically third) question, "How could one such as myself possibly be bothered?" his tone was light, but his eyes were sad as he spoke, "Me? Who can roam where he chooses when he chooses without a single thread tying him to anything at all? What could possibly be wrong in that picture?" He fought to keep his face straight and calm, when he was nearly breaking into a shattered pieces on the inside. Kato felt as though his heart wasn't even whole anymore, that a massive, essential part of it had been killed along with his family. And what was left was barely held together by sheer force of will. With a great inward effort, the lean wolf swallowed his feelings and met Ame's eye with a slightly bitter half-smile.

On the offhand consideration, she wondered if her inability to read him well was what kept her curious. Maybe it was simply something she was not meant to understand in full. But even so, he did answer. Undecided, somewhat cryptic, then it became hinted with sorrow as he (surprisingly) spoke even more. Ame's ears threatened to splay and she focused on attempting to read between his lines.

She chuffed softly in response first and canted her head subtly. "A life enviable by some, but one of constant solitude does not suit all," she replied lightly alongside half a shrug. She had roamed alone for more than a year herself; it was taxing, and not without its share of difficulties -- even for a sometimes reclusive wolf like she was. If he had been alone for that long, he would need time to settle if he did decide to stay around and join up with a pack. She had been there herself... "If staying at the mountain would perhaps interest you, I could always tell you more about it," she offered, but her tone suggested that unless he indicated as so, she wasn't going to bore him with the details in plenty. He seemed so unwilling to outright say it, so she hoped to make it simple enough. "It is a quiet pack, but we have our strength. I would not be wise to turn down capable wolves." She peered at him curiously. The mountain could support more growth and their need of new blood was obvious.. especially with Vienna and Sumayl gone.

Kato flicked his ears in an off-handed manner. Maybe the life of solidarity wasn't for everyone, but he felt as though he had done fairly well for himself. Yes, there had been times when he had questioned his own sanity in choosing to live alone. Yes, there had been times when he had wished he someone to keep him warm on bitter winter nights. Yes, there had been times when he desperately wanted a companion. However, looking back, Kato knew he would do it again. He had learned many worthwhile lessons from having to be completely self-sufficient. Maybe now though it was time he learned a new set of skills and became part of something bigger than himself.

The small wolf furrowed his brow and looked at the ground, "True, the life I lead is not for all." Lifting his eyes to the magnificent mountain before him Kato tilted his head and murmured, "Maybe it's time I followed a new path..." He swallowed nervously, he hadn't actually meant to say that. There was no real reason that should make him upset other than the fact that he barely knew this she-wolf and now it was as though he was spilling out his life to her. At least, that was how it seemed to him.

He suppressed his sudden urge to turn tail and flee this mountain as quickly as possible and looked again at the peak of the Sunspire. Would it really hurt to stay, if only for a couple days? Taking a deep breath, Kato looked into Amekaze's green eyes, "Do you think I could meet the rest of the pack?" He attempted to steady his voice, but couldn't help it from shaking some.  Terrified that she would say no, but also petrified that she might say yes, Kato shifted his paws and awaited her answer.

His answer made her wonder. Since there was little on his outward appearance that suggested he was worn down by anything about being a loner, she suspected it may be different than just an empty belly or no real place to settle in. That unspoken drive for companionship that even the mightiest of beasts could bow their heads to had eventually led her to a pack as well, and oftentimes she wondered how different it could be if she had only quelled that need back then. She could have just as easily continued wandering into distant horizons but instead, she had opted to follow a friend.. and it had eventually led her here, so far removed from what it had once been that it was bittersweet.

When he spoke, she listened, and watched him gaze up towards the Spire. She studied the curvatures of his expression and looked for answers.. all the while, he seemed distinctly underlined by something holding him back. A strange sorrow? Uneasiness? Something else? Amekaze could not place it, but she let herself nod. "Perhaps," she answered readily. "If you are worthy of the mountain," she added more lightly with a smirk. But, her look was a pointed one and her stance just a little taller. He had only shown her bits of himself, and she was suspecting he was a wolf unafraid to show his dominance when needed. Here on this mountain, it was she who reigned. "Come. For a closer look," she gestured and spun on her heels, hoping he would follow as she glided into a trot.

Assuming he did, she would take him a little closer just to see how it would shape up from here. Maybe some motion might help soothe his nerves some. Or, alternatively, the mountain's presence may just make him all the more nervous. She would see, and kept an ear angled his way. Neither he would come, or back out now.

OOC: Sometimes I feel like he's bi-polar the way his mood swings are, lol

IC: Her answer to his question made him curl his lip just a touch. Worthy of a mountain? How could one possibly be unworthy of a mountain? A mountain was, essentially, an inanimate pile of rocks. The tawny wolf nearly scoffed but checked himself just in time. He was about to give some sarcastic comment when he realized that this mountain was Amekaze's home. And, potentially, his home as well if he decided he was willing to stay. Yet he could decide nothing until he had met the pack. If the wolves were hostile towards new-comers there would be violence. Kato was certainly not one to roll over and tuck his tail between his legs at the first sign of a threat. No, he would stand his ground, just as he always had.

When her stance became taller and slightly more dominant, Kato mirrored her just out of sheer habit. Maybe it was this she-wolf who reigned on the mountain, but they weren't on the Sunspire yet. He was ready to defend himself when she suddenly commanded he follow and spun away. Brow furrowed in it's usual way, he quickly swung into an extended trot to keep up with her longer legs. His pace brought him shoulder-to-shoulder with the she-wolf. It was a small display, but one that suggested that, for the time being, they were equals.

Normally he wouldn't have followed any wolf anywhere but he was curious to see into the heart of this mountain where the Sunspire wolves made their home. He was curious to see if it was possible for him to somehow find a place within their ranks. Taking a deep breath, he let his mind wander to the possible outcomes of this trip and very few of them were pleasant. He considered turning back, but no, it was too late he had already committed. With a low growl he kept on, his legs stretching long to keep pace with Amekaze's.

She knew well that her words may have seemed strange. Yet, they were perfectly founded. All of her years of living on a mountain afforded her that much, and simply, not every wolf was suited to the life of the slopes. The mountain could nurture strength unparalleled for those capable, though. It was worthwhile. Her experience had taught her this as well.

He did follow, and soon came to meet her at her side. She cast him a sidelong glance, then took that as a sign he accepted and quickened her pace steadily, even as the elevation began to climb towards the Sunspire. She was pleased to see his stature lend him good speed, and naturally, she enjoyed the run.

Amekaze lapsed into silence for now. He still had the chance to divert his path and never come by here again, she gave him that much as the borderlands began to loom closer with every stride. But, here he remained. She wanted to see what he may shape up to be.. if he could integrate, or if the flow of the Sunspire did not work for him. They could always use able, strong wolves, and while he seemed rough around the edges, she was curious enough of him to keep at it. Some new blood would do them, and her, well.