Golden Glade Having so much fun together

Someone from Atautsikut? <3

Sovereign had never left the Strath before, not without Mother. 
But today she boldly decided to go off on her own whilst Mother wasn't looking.
Tail flagged high with confidence, the princess trotted through the trees and explored with a happy wag of her tail as she went. 
She didn't know until it was too late that she was lost. 

Close by though, loomed a great mountain. 
Sovereign's ears slanted with uncertainty as she looked around. There was the smell of other wolves out here, and other creatures too, but despite Mother's meeting with the Atautsikut wolves, she wasn't so sure at the moment that she was entirely safe... 

A hesitant whimper escaped her lips.

Have an Ensio! <3

A raise of the leg and a proud scrape of his paws finished the job of placing a territorial marker at the base of a tree. Creeping up on his first year, the Duskfire boy was riddled with mixed emotions. Protectiveness, duty, pride. But also conflict, yearning and a twinge of jealousy, now that new blood was within Atausikut. He mustn't jump to conclusions. He hadn't even properly met them yet.

He kept away, letting his instinct to guard his home take over. He tried not to think of the Glacier during this time. Of the promise he and Arius once made between themselves. Up raised his charcoal dipped crown, clutched firmly between his jaws, the remnants of a coyote that had fallen into his clutches, whilst he expanded his territorial net. Silver hackles flared, with a savage head toss, he rendered into the victim another time. The lesser canid resembled no more than a well worn, old and used pup toy.

Sovereign reluctantly continued to walk, going deeper into the trees until she spotted a boy. Much older, but still a pup, like her...
And between his teeth was a vaguely canid- smelling rag of fur. 

Ears twitching, the Princess straightened her posture some and approached a few yards, though not trying to get into his personal space... yet. 

"What's that?" She asked, curiosity glinting in her amber eyes as she crept another foot or two towards him. Bold, she was, but hopefully-obviously not a dumbass.

His notched ear swiveled, receptive to the sound of someone approaching. A glimpse of stark white fur, just at the edges of his vision. And a young, inquisitive voice. Raising his proud head as if he weren't in the least bit bothered by her arrival, he released the coyote from his grasp. His lips crinkled in a grimace as he tried to dislodge some stubborn, wiry strands of blonde fur stuck between his teeth with his tongue. "A coyote." He managed in between wrestling with the hairs.

Finally freed, he spit them free, covered in blood and saliva. Now he could look at her properly. "They are vermin. Lesser canids who pose a nuisance to a packs borders. And a potential threat to newborn cubs." He added, trying not to think of the newest additions to Atautsikut. This male coyote had left behind a mate and pups in death. If Ensio were hard pressed, he would track them down too. With what looked like an effortless flip of his paw, he nudged the body closer for her inspection.

Sovereign tilted her head with wonder as the larger boy dropped the worn body and answered while wrestling with something in his mouth. 

A coyote. Sovereign had never seen a coyote before, and would confidently scamper up to the corpse to give it a good several sniffs after Ensio nudged it her direction. 

"What is...vermin?" She asked, looking up at him "Does it mean annoying?" She would guess, tilting her head the other direction. She'd probably ask mom about it later, but in the moment, her attention was stuck on the boy, and his kill. 
She looked back down to the torn up coyote and decided to bite down firmly on the thing, giving it a good, hard shake before dropping into a play bow with it still in her mouth, looking at Ensio with open invitation: play? 

She was still a puppy, after all!

He looked down at the pristine white youngster, who was bold in coming right up to sniff the body. His form was imposing to many, purely due to his build and size. Add on his naturally severe facial looks and eyes, you had a complete picture. 

But the girl was only curious. He saw no reason to consider her a threat. "It does. Give them any leeway and they will gladly sneak into your home and empty all your caches." He smirked, hoping she got the message to watch her food stock. "Vermin is just a fancy word for creatures who are unwanted. To best be rid of. Eliminated." 

Now she had latched onto the body, shaking it with vigor. He watched intently, eyes fixed on her. He had been more interested in assessing her instinct to kill and maim, when she dropped into a play bow. His brows pinched and he considered the offer. Ensio could not recall the last time he had really played with anyone. He was serious; all business. Buut he supposed just this once he could entertain her.

He reached down, powerful chiseled jaws snapping with a click on the free end of the coyote. By the hips and tail. He jerked his head back once. It was a hard, sharp motion. He played rough. But first, he settled his eyes on her while trying to get a feel of her own strength.

Sovereign nodded in acknowledgement of his words.
Vermin were unwanted creatures...

She would remember this.

Her eyes sparkled with joy as the larger boy entertained her offer to play.
She was however not entirely expecting him to yank so hard!
The princess was swift to recover though, only stumbling a couple steps before she regained herself and yanked back, trying to be just as harsh as he was.

Granted she could only do so much right now, she would give it her all!

His ears pricked up as he saw her stumble back a couple of steps. He had to remind himself of the age gap between them. That and that he had hardly ever truly played. Smirking through the fur between his teeth, he decided for her that he would tone things down. But only slightly.

He lowered his body down onto the earth, all four legs folded beneath him. Neck outstretched, shoulders tight and jaws holding firm. Instinctually, he knew to let her, being the younger of the two between them, do more of the tugging and shaking. Adjusting his grip once, he growled low but playful to egg her on. Bracing to scoot back.

The Princess smiled back at him gleefully as he adjusted his grip and braced.
She wasted no time in jerking and shaking and tugging back on the coyote with all her might, growling as puppies do.

The coyote, already battered to hell and back, may or may not have started to tear in places from their play, but Sovereign wasn't sure if it was flesh or fur.
Still, she tried to mirror his stance and continued to keep a firm grip on her side of the carcass. 

Her tail waved behind her with joy. 
In her mind at least, she had found a friend!

In some small way, he almost felt renewed again, just by indulging this kid in a simple game of tug o war. He let his concerns be forgotten, all his mixed up emotions thrown to the side. And he just enjoyed himself, channeling his energy into something both fun and educational.

His tail waved happily, his muscles tested as she gave it everything she got with each mighty shake. Coyote skin and fur went flying and it was a marvelous scene. He growled again, approvingly. One day, he was sure she would grow into one tough woman. In a rare moment of exaggerated playfulness, the Duskfire dropped his walls by assuming a puppy-ish pose. Upside down on his back, hanging on for dear life.

10/10 wholesomeness <333

 

Sovereign giggled through the mess of Coyote in her jaws, watching Ensio with a bright, puppyish gaze even as he dropped on his back like a dead-weight.

She pulled and shook with a loud yet playful snarl, but eventually, her jaws grew tired from the strain, and she would give it a last good shake before letting the corpse fall. 
Her tongue lolled out the side of her mouth as she tested her jaws a little. 

"That was really fun! My jaws are a little tired though..." She said with glee, tail still waving behind her.
"My name's Sovereign. I live uh...that way." She gestured with her muzzle at the mountains that guarded the valley where the Strath was located. 
It wasn't an entirely accurate gesture, but hopefully he would figure it out if he wanted to come find her!