Wolf RPG

With a full return behind her, Echelon settled back into the Spine as easily as she could. Though she had been brought back up to speed on all that had come about, her attitude in that particular moment betrayed that there was anything going on. She milled about in the hazy, hot afternoon and stayed low in the basin where the shadows were as long as they were wide. One particular place that she had enjoyed was pukulria, that weird little unquestionable mound of old bones and as she was discovering, new ones too. There was no doubt to her that the others had found it by now, equally no doubt to her that Kroc had also found where she had produced a femur some time ago.

As she dug through the pile a little, Echelon thought fondly of that femur. It had been a fun little toy. As it were, she had discarded it one day to give something else chase, and subsequently forgotten it. Someone else had probably chewed it through. This deep in the territory, she carried no qualms about making racket as she unsteadily climbed the pile; the scattering and shifting of bones beneath her creaked and skittered. They groaned and shuffled about. Some rolled down the pile in her wake. She assumed she would be left alone for a time and perhaps it would be so; no doubt to her everyone was gathering themselves at the borders to keep them safe.

She would join them too, eventually.

Now was the time to associate herself with home once again.

They'd finally come home. After all that wandering through the wilderness and conversing with the local packs here and there, their impromptu journey to show the plains wolves how seriously they took their borders had finally come to an end. He'd circled their borders, double checking all the scent markers and thickening a few of those that weren't quite strong enough for his liking.

It pleased him to learn that the Spine had been quiet during their time away. Kroc was doing well in her new position as Beta and it was nice to have someone he could trust at their backs. Tonravik was pregnant now. The signs of that were becoming clearer and clearer each day. While he was certain motherhood wouldn't put her totally out of commission, it was still nice to know the pack knew how to function as a pack in their absence. The Spine was strong. They proved it over and over again every day.

Satisfied with the borders, Kerosene turned inwards. It had occurred to him that he and Tonravik would need to pick a den soon so he took to roaming the lands looking for any kind of natural area that would be safe for pups and work as a central hub for the both of him. As far as he knew, both he and Tonravik simply slept wherever was most convenient for them. They wouldn't have such luxuries in the future. They'd need a place that was a little more... definite. Something that didn't change from night to night.

He kept his eyes peeled as he roamed through the territory and made mental notes on this that and the other place. He'd share his thoughts with her later, but for now he decided to take a break. He circled back towards the all too familiar bone pile to find something he could distract himself with. Focusing on anything aside from the hot sun was a blessing. Gnawing on a good bone seemed like just as good a solution as any.

He rounded the bend and shifted through the trees only to set his eyes upon the pile. He neared the bottom of it and landed his eyes on an antler that had fallen from a buck earlier in the season. He wrapped his teeth around it and pulled, oblivious to the petite wolf who lingered elsewhere in this pile of bones.

She thought she had found something at first — another femur — and had set to grasping it when the distant rattle of bones elsewhere gave her pause. Echelon more than likely would have looked foolish for several seconds, muzzle reaching out with jaws splayed to grasp said bone with her attention elsewhere. It was a reaching action that never finished as she turned quietly on the stack. Moving towards the sound quietly was another feat that she ultimately failed, as loose tangles of ribs and joints were kicked and scattered out of her way. She would not sneak up on whoever it was, though the thought occurred to her. Her footing simply wasn't favorable.

Curiously for a moment, she peered over the ridges of spine and shoulder-blade of some long forgotten creature, spying out a half-familiar figure in the mix. She knew she had known him at some point, but the where and when were lost to her. Perhaps he had been apart of their one of many assaults on the coyotes. Perhaps he had been someone she had accosted at the borders. Maybe he was just some transient figure that didn't mean anything, that only bore resemblance to many of many she had met. Echelon chuffed to him, as though asking what he was finding for himself. As though she couldn't tell he had clutched an antler from that pile... and as if that wasn't any more concrete evidence that her bone pile was no longer hers.

She kicked a vertebrae at him instead, feigning oops. How's that for hello, how are you?

Bones scattered, but not where he was. Kero's ears flicked, turning upon his head to listen as bones rattled and rolled over one another, shifting beneath the movement of...yup, those scatters had to be something like footsteps by the way they were spaced out. He ignored it, listening, but otherwise pulling on an antler whose twines were stuck in and around other bones. But he wanted it and he would have it, so he continued to tug all the same.

The bones stopped rattling and a shadow loomed, he turned his eye upward with his teeth still wrapped around the bone and stared into the dark figure of the wolf whom Tonravik warmly referred to has her "battle buddy". Ahh. It seemed the wolf was back from whatever mission Toni had sent her on. Good for her. Good for the Spine too. It was always nice to see a familiar face back in this neck of the woods even if he didn't know her personally.

Or maybe not so nice considering the bone that just nailed him in the rump. He froze for a moment, shifted his hips a side, repositioned his grasp on the bone and gave it a final good tug. It pulled free, and caused the pile she was standing on to avalanche as the bones shifted underneath her. Kerosene stepped back, avoiding the rest of the bones as they fell to put some distance between the pile and his new prize. He set it down on the ground and stood over it somewhat protectively, looking towards her. "You're back."

The bone made its mark for the most part and it would have seemed his applicable response was to send her cascading down the pile as he freed his own quarry. She slid along with the bones, balancing as well as she could as they shifted and rolled in their different ways. The only real stumble came when the pile settled again; the gradual stop was enough to give her reason to continue the momentum and join him on the ground floor, so to speak.

At least there, she could study him properly. Scent alone was enough to place him — this had been the wolf she had smelled upon Tonravik. And while there were many secrets left to be told by Tonravik, why he had been there was as much questionable as it was curious. In truth, she knew why, but for whatever reason held off from letting the thought come into existence.

"How astute of you to notice," she replied coolly, never short of some off remark to hand out. His reddish coloration had her attention, something about it just as familiar as the musk he carried. It was not only of Tonravik he smelled of, but the wilderness beyond. He had gone away with her as well. "Your trip, how was it?" She had picked up what Tonravik had divulged with her, but she was curious of his take as well. After all, he had been chosen hadn't he?

The bone pile scattered. She managed the avalanche well enough sliding along with its momentum until she landed on the ground. He looked towards her, lifting his nose a bit to scent the air around her. Tonravik had seen her already. No doubt his mate had made a bee line for the wolf the moment she'd scented her. Fitting. He'd had a feeling she'd missed this one, so it was good to have her back.

The last time he'd seen her was when they'd fended off the coyotes. He'd been fresh to the pack and hadn't lingered long enough to introduce himself. Kill the coyotes. Drop their bodies on the borders. Not much room for small talk in between. Here and now? Things were fairly quiet. Perhaps it was time to finally make those introductions.

"Echelon, right?" he said, overlooking her quip, but keeping her sass in mind. She'd spoken, which meant she was slightly less instinctual than Tonravik and a little more social. He could work with that. "Enlightening," he replied, not bothering to go into detail as he was certain Tonravik would have filled her in on as much as she felt was important. "How was yours?"

Nodding as he spoke her name, she merely affirmed that she was who he figured. But he didn't go about divulging any extra information about his joint trip with Tonravik either. Fair enough, she supposed, and it was just as easy for her to return what was important to him. "Successful." He must have known all that he needed to know as well. And all she could hope for was that there would be no desire anywhere to pull her out of the Spine, and most importantly away from Tonravik again. She would not allow it to happen again.

Especially not with all that was brewing on the horizon beyond them. Whatever, or whoever those wolves were who were arrogant enough to continue to breach their borders would be put in their place. And if that didn't work, they would certainly be put down like diseased hounds. What she would have gave to have been there when they had gone... but Tartok's duty extended here and there when it needed to. It was the price of their expansive reign, and of the family that had all found in one another.

Heh. It seemed as though they were keeping things clipped and short. He grinned, laying upon the ground as he gathered his chosen antler between his arms and lowered his teeth to gnaw on its edges. He gave the bones a few good chews as he contemplated. Decided, he glanced up at her. "Learn anything while you were gone?" He supposed questions were the only way to keep this from being a rather short and uncomfortable meeting.

As for him? He could share a with her about their excursion, but he didn't wish to repeat anything Tonravik, Kroc, or anyone else might have shared with her. Instead, he asked another question. "How much do you know about what happened while you were gone?" If she could tell him what she knew, he could easily fill in the blanks and catch her up to speed.

He settled in to gnaw on his choice antlers right then and there and for a moment, the fiendish thought of trying to take it from him crossed her mind.  It had been a while since the opportunity had presented itself; her time away had not allowed her to partake in the follies that she would have normally carried on with.  But she held her ground, neither swaying nor bringing herself to rest on the damp earth.  And where she thought he would begin to lose interest with her lack of conversation, he instead continued it with questions of his own.

But had she learned anything?  "No," she answered.  She knew that Tartok would continue to spread.  That as they covered new ground and made claims of their own that they would always have those that would come to their aid.  After all, there had been the wolves who had rallied beneath Tonravik, their common bond shared by one place or another.  And they would continue to draw in those that were worthy, that they could make use of.  That would hold their ideals.

"I know of the troubles that occurred here while away.  That Tonravik desires their blood for their ignorance."  Absently, she licked her chops.  These were things that she wanted as well.  They were meant to be strong and savage, to come and conquer.  And yet there were the feeble who persisted in testing that boast.  "We will make an example of them."

"No." Well then. Seemed she'd been sent out into the wilderness for nothing. No matter. She was back and they could all sleep more soundly for knowing one of theirs was able to return to the fold. If there was information she wished to divulge, he hoped she'd do so. But if there was nothing to share? "I hope you enjoyed your travels then." He certainly enjoyed his time away. It helped ease his natural inclination towards wanderlust.

From what she spoke of, it seemed as though she knew well enough of what had happened. Their rules held true. "No mercy for any wolf who tempts our borders." There would be no trifling with the Spine. No games or taunting. They would make themselves a force worth taking seriously. "We've expanded our patrols a bit. Watch the fields and the forest." With pups on the way, they were taking no chances.

As for the rest of packlife? Hmm. It seemed she'd been gone for the last pack meeting too. "Warrior and Warden skills are required. How are yours coming along?" As Tonravik's battle buddy, he had a feeling she did well in that regard, he just didn't currently know where she stood with them. He didn't know much about her at all.

What he spoke of, she already knew to do. But perhaps there was a small part of her that was humored rather than annoyed. At least Tonravik had chosen someone who seemingly knew what they were doing and perhaps did not discriminate upon ties at all. But she had been born a wolf of Tartok, had been raised to their ideals and to their laws. She knew what needed to be done. The awareness that he did not know her other than what Tonravik had divulged did not occur to her. So when it came to his question of how well her skill set was put together, Echelon visibly huffed at the inquiry.

"Would you like to find out?" Though such a question sounded threatening, it was not the intention. She sought no reason to threaten him, but rather desired to shrug off the prodding. To her it was simple — if he wanted to know, then why not test her?

Perhaps she knew. Perhaps she didn't. Either way, there was no harm in repeating information for the purposes of keeping it fresh in one's mind. He was simply recalling events in which he knew she'd not been present for. Then again... she was of Tartok. There were things that went unspoken them and did not require words. Other times? It didn't hurt to speak one's thoughts out loud. Communication was far quicker that way. Certainly easier than Tonravik's version pantomime; something he was learning and quickly.

She spoke towards none of that until he mentioned the required trades. She'd not been present for that meeting, but he had few concerns over whether or not she was qualified. He highly doubted Tonravik would pick a wolf without skill to be her battle buddy which meant, her fighting aptitude likely  retained a little bit of the spunk that riddled what he was beginning to know of her personality.

He grinned. He didn't used to be quite this uptight. He also didn't used to have things he cared about on the line. Alas, he was home and with family of sorts. Kerosene lifted a paw, pushing the antler beneath him towards the rest of the pile as he abandoned it there. Wouldn't want to accidentally fall on those points now would they? He laughed lightly as he shook out his fur and lifted his tail behind him. "Enlighten me, little wolf," he teased, "then let's see about those borders."

And he had no more come to stand erect beside the sprawling bone pile before she struck.

Moving swiftly, Echelon proceeded towards him with jaws agape, willing to snap and snarl and wildly nip at the warm flesh beneath his shedding coat. Yet it was not a drop of blood that she sought as she moved to go after his shoulders — if she could help it, she would not injure her packmate. These were not times to go about hurting one another.

She barely let him finish speaking before she lunged at him. She was a quick little thing. Zipping in without any lingering hesitation. No wonder Tonravik liked to fight with her. He could already see how this one complimented her own technique. But this was not the time for thinking, this was the time for moving. He stepped to the side, pressing himself between the dark wolf and the pile of bones. She graze his shoulder, but mostly missed as he moved to counter his opponent.

His teeth snatched, seeking out her scruff as she passed, but she was quick upon her toes. His teeth clashed down upon the air and he turned his hind quarters to square up against her once more.

In spite of her getting the drop on him, her first mark missed. While she heard the distinct click of his teeth meeting behind her, Echelon was undeterred as she gave them berth to turn. What loose bones littered the terrain between them were kicked and skittered out of her way as she came back. Like a bull she charged in again, wanting to shove him firmly into the bone pile — but this time, she tripped on the scattered remains of other creatures, stumbling towards him ungracefully.

What the? He backed up, taken back by her sudden misfortune of a good stumble. Good, in that he had easy access, bad in that he was half tempted to help the girl up and let her try again. Then again, if this had happened in a legitimate spar, he hoped the girl would be able to defend herself when down. Among pack mates where it was common courtesy to keep these spars friendly? Made for good practice.

So he moved, stepping above her stumbled form to go for her scruff once more and give the girl a good shake.

This time the touch of teeth to her nape brought her to bunch her neck against her shoulders. In the same motion, she drew her muzzle up to pinch at the flesh at his collarbone roughly, feeling the necessity to grip him as he gripped her. While the tripping had come about suddenly, she was quick to recover and show that she was capable of putting him in an equally poor predicament.

Eeep. That could have been thought out a little more. He'd inadvertently given her access to his body and helped her to her feet in the process. And dayum. Girl had a good bite to her. He shook himself, pressing deeper into her jaws for a moment before twisting and rolling to the ground while snapping at her paws. Another miss, but at least he was well on his way back to his paws.

His momentum brought her along swiftly — as he went to the ground Echelon was upon him, moving in to seize his throat to cement the error of his ways. While he was something strong and fierce akin to the bearish and boarish of Tartok, her confidence suggested that he had much to learn from them all. Though the same would always be said about her, as her small frame was not meant to hold down and overpower. It was bold, but it was her gesture of dominance towards him in spite of his leading status.

INTERCEPTED! Her teeth went for his throat and connected. Damn it. Rookie mistake. Except... From this angle it also put him in the position to do the very same. He reached up for her own throat with his own jaws, lifting his head from the ground as he kicked at her muzzle with his front paws while curling his back to bring those hind paws in for the assist. Those dew claws had to land somewhere fun, if not, he still had plenty of gnarly nails to land somewhere around the region of her face.

Her grip on his windpipe did not deter him in the slightest. She was pleased by his unwillingness to give up or in and not at all surprised when his own muzzle twisted around to grab for her own. But it was the kicks that came to land first; the sting from his calloused feet smarting along her muzzle as she let go of her hold on him. A hind leg swooped in then, distracting her before the grip of his jaws around her throat closed in. Echelon thrashed then, caught in a place that she did not fathom enjoyable at all with the way he had her. Blindly she struck out, trying to return the kicks he had delivered to her.

And his feet landed. It was a lucky move, but effective as she backed up blindly and began to kick out at him in return. His teeth loosened around her throat only to snap again and snag an ankle. Holding it within his jaws, Kerosene rolled, bringing her downwards as he dragged her foot upwards when he returned to his paws. He released it then, quickly turning on his heels to go for her throat once more.

Fangs hovered above that tender place, but didn't sink in. He'd won this round, he knew. She knew. Another time, the outcome might be different, but for now, he was content with the results. He ceased his snarls and turned to lick across her nose. A playful gesture, but their rawr grr time was over. "The borders then, shall we?" He prompted, stepping aside so she might rise once again. "Let's see if those wardening skills got rusty while you were away." A tease, but based on the fire in her earlier? She could take it.

It was over in a flurry of moves and she had not quite come out the way that she would have wanted. But all in all, it was a good summary of their skills. As she climbed to her feet and gave her coat a rough shake, Echelon decided she would keep him in mind for further practice. In spite of his larger size, he could handle himself well. There was no doubt in her mind that Tartok was all the better for having him in their ranks, and rightly so she assented to the idea of heading to the borders.

And hopefully, for the sake of outsiders, they would be quiet today.