Wolf RPG

She had found a resting Tonravik tucked away in some bushes, not at all bothered by distant grumbles of thunder. If anything in spite of the pick up in humidity and the unbearable heat, the promise of rain to the wilderness would also mean cooler weather. And for as much as she knew her aokkatti hated the warmth of the lands they had come to, it was a necessary evil to work in if they wanted to operate there. In the heat of the day, Echelon did all but rest except when she needed to, when exhaustion threatened more to put her down or force her to drink from the muddy streams.

Of course, she realized as she snaked away from stumbling upon Tonravik, this would have also meant that perhaps Iqniq was near. The thought of him was enough to entice her to go into pursuit of him. Though truly a wolf of Tartok now, she set upon finding him perhaps more easily than she would have her dark-haired leader. But there was no telling just how far away he was and with the wind picking up and shifting about the basin, the scents were just as scattered. But she would find him in due time.

Tonravik slept. He'd half a mind to curl up with her save for the none too subtle reminder that this season was a hot one. And getting hotter. He had no intentions of adding to her misery by throwing his own body heat on top of her own. Instead he lingered as he had during their time in the wild, watch and waiting as she slept. A silent sentinel.

There was little use for it now, not in their homelands. The recent influx of wolves to the Spine made him weary, but those silent precautions were cast away as time slipped by. Eventually he rose, moving through the forest towards the river that cut through these lands. Once there, he lowered his head to the waters and lapped at its surface.

The cool, refreshing flavor of the water chilled him from the inside out. It was a nice reprieve cut short only by the pitter patter of footsteps nearby. He lifted his head, turning his ears atop his crown as he picked out Echelon in the distance. He woofed a greeting from afar.

As she spotted him, he spotted her. Not too far at all away it would have seemed. Far enough to give their issumatar the space she desired to rest, but never too far that they would be out of earshot to her call. She smiled paper thin at him for a moment, picking up her pace to join him at the narrow stream where he drank. She knew this patch of ground well, having loitered in its presence for a time or two. But she did not pause to drink, instead pushing her way into the running water where it was swallow with a tense wave of her tail.

"Come," she said simply. As it was though she had something to show him, but it was far from it. She desired a different playground for what came to mind now that she had found him.

The petite female caught sight of him and turned her course in his direction. Iqniq lowered his head to lap lightly at the waters once more, further quenching his thirst as he mentally prayed for a breeze to sweep through his basin and give them some kind of relief. No such luck. Instead, he moved ankle deep into the water and let the cool stream chill him from the bottom up. It would do.

She marched past him, moving further into the river with a splashing of her paws. He glanced upward at her, catching that wave of her tail as she bid him to follow. Well alright then. He turned his ears briefly in the direction of where Tonravik slept before he followed his mate's battle buddy into the stream.

Her march into the water was slowed significantly where the muddy waters made seeing the path ahead impossible. The last thing she wanted to do was go and break an ankle in water that wasn't that deep, or trip and go falling face first into the water. Which admittedly, the latter would have probably worked to cool them all down, but they were hardly wolves that went lazing about in tepid waters.

She crossed the river, pausing briefly to shake her coat out where the waters had brushed against her. Deeper than she anticipated in places, but nothing that she hadn't crossed before. There she waited briefly for Iqniq to join her, and pressed ahead into the dense growth of the forestry on the other side. Her progress into the foliage did not go far, steps calculate and slow. She wanted to keep him close for untold purposes, though the revelation of her intent came as swiftly as she deigned their venture to have gone far enough.

Echelon turned on him, a particular glint to her cool gaze as she appraised him. She itched for something to pass the quietude and sprang forward to him brazenly — she wanted to spar with him again. But she would not repeat the folly of her previous tactics here, her feet stopping and turning her as she snapped at the air before them both. He'd pick up the message soon enough.

She pressed onwards through the water. Iqniq picked up his feet and moved after her, wading into the shallows and picking up his feet to swim and let the water carry him a little ways downstream as he crossed. He landed lower on the riverbank than where she eventually emerged, but where she'd fought against the sand bottom, he'd drifted on top of it. The lapse in time allowed him a moment to pad back up the river's shore and meet back up with her as she shook herself dry and continued into the forest.

Following her lead, Iqniq freed the water from his pelt and padded after her. She guided them deeper into the forest on this side. His ears lifted, curiously scanning the sounds in the area around them as he waited to reach their final destination. Where that would be? He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling she'd let him know whenever she reached the spot she had in mind.

It didn't take long. When she'd gone far enough, she turned on him with that gleam in her eyes that let him know she had something more in mind. A knowing grin slid across his face as his stance shifted, widening to steady his center of gravity and give him more room to shift and move and react to whatever she wished to throw at him. Which was nothing. Just a feint as she darted inward and snapped at the air before turning out of the way. He lunged, reaching for her tail with snapping teeth so he might pull her back within the range of his arms and wrap her in an aggressively playful wolf/bear hug.

He was ready for her, she realized in an instant.

Affectively, Iqniq started things off by seizing her hindquarters and dampening her chances to speed away. In her mind, she let him grasp after her like some questionable creature after something else. Only she moved to arc her body around on itself and reach out for his chin. The action in itself was rough and destined to be mean, pinching roughly at the skin that was there. But if anything, she felt it would be enough for him to let go and let her run loose, instigating far worse responses that would have come had they been anything other than kin.

Eep. He'd forgotten for a moment quite how feisty she could be. The coywolf spun on him, nipping at his chin that caused him to jerk his head away and lose the possession he held on her nimble frame. He removed himself from her and stepped aside, lifting one paw to rub beneath his chest before he lunged back at her again. Teeth snapped, reaching for her hind heel only to fall closed upon the air. Damn it. He'd thought he'd gotten the jump on her, but it seemed as though she was the one who'd manage to find the edge on him.

She rushed away, but not quite as far as she would have any other time. It was far enough to turn around and dive back in, snapping away at the fur and flesh along his spine. She grasped after the skin, at first lightly teasing it before clamping down somewhere near a shoulder. For as nice as it would have been to go for the neck and try and haul him down, Iqniq would always have the size advantage on her. She'd just have to tire him out.

What a zippy little biter. He could certainly see why she did well as Tonravik's battle buddy. Her nimbleness, speed, and that spunk of hers complimented his mate's heavy-hitting instincts. Unfortunately, his own fighting style was closer to Tonravik's. He was heavier; slower. He hit harder, but that meant he had to catch her first.

She spun on him. Her teeth ran across his spine and sank somewhere near his shoulder. He growled, the sound escaping as she made contact with his flesh, but at least with her so close, he could get at her.

Iqniq lifted a paw, cupping it over her back to spin her rump in his direction. If he was lucky, he might could shock her into freeing him where he could go for her own scruff. If not he'd content himself with landing his teeth on a hind flank.

His course of action was enough to cause her to let up her grip, as the motion of her body both deigned it foolish and hazardous to try and keep. She felt the rush of strength come hauling up over her pint-sized frame and tucked her head, trying to roll him over her with whatever momentum would allow it. Sure, it was about as likely to work as it was to fail, but Echelon wasn't about to give up to him so easily. He was brazen enough to go for her scruff and while she was equal in that decision, she moved to clasp her jaws around his muzzle.

At least, in whatever way she could get it.

He'd been seen. Hmm... Perhaps she'd remembered a thing or two from their earlier spar which meant he'd have to switch things up a bit if he wanted to land anything at all. But first? He had to free his muzzle from her mouth. Those teeth bit across his nose, scraping against a number of scars as he stared back at her with heated eyes and fought for his escape. Paws lifted, pressing at her skull with the hopes to force her off.

He was uncertain as to whether or not it would work, but until he was freed, he was powerless to do much more. Her teeth bit like a bitch and as much as he still desired to pin her, now was not the time.

He couldn't get free of her grasp and that alone was enough to give her a boost of confidence. She torqued his muzzle around how she wanted it, trying to render him prone against the ground. A different sort of pin, but one that she was willing to believe would be effective. His feet against her skull only rallied her resolve as she added just a little more pressure to get her point across. That would show him, right?

She pressed his muzzle to the ground. Those teeth biting into his nose were a damn nuisance... and now that they were fast upon the earth, Iqniq figured he might as well try something a little outlandish to try to shake her. He rolled, flopping against her to leverage his body weight like a giant whale as he twisted and attempted to land on top of her. It worked, and he effectively sat on her. Or layed on her while she still held his muzzle. Whatever.

They reached an impasse. She let go. He rolled off of her and nipped at her whiskers with all the affection of a packmate. With a giant paw to her shoulder, he pushed her and rolled back to his feet, nipping at her haunches to lead her back towards the water where they might continue in their play and escape from the heat.

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