Duskfire Glacier twin lions

The mountains were breathtaking, even from below. They rose up from the earth and pierced the sky without a single thing to impede them, save for the occasional cloud. The higher they went, the more white they got; no doubt these peaks would be dangerous in the winter. But for now, with autumn starting to creep through the trees, it was as if the fire in the sky had bled across the slopes and spires.

Njal had first noticed the change five days after their arrival. The trees seemed to become moodier leading up to the first pop of yellow within the leaves, and then as things progressed he was able to find a few spots of red as well. It would be a cold winter but it would be beautiful. Njal paced along the bottom paths of the mountains, knowing in his heart it would take days (maybe even weeks) to scale each peak, even longer to commit the paths to memory.

Was the glacier safe to explore?
There was no way of knowing - so the Alpha simply wandered amid the sloping ferns and great trees, investigating every nook and cranny of the places he could reach. Maybe it'd be a good idea to send someone to scout out the peaks? A mountaineer of sorts? But do we have anyone like that? He wondered briefly, but few names rose in to his mind.

Danica had been exploring, and as she did, her steps took her closer and closer to the glacier each day. As she did, she looked suspiciously up at its frosted apex, wondering. So far her searches for their interloping felines had been decidedly unfruitful, and not normally one to obsess, the warrior felt the frustration building. The damn things were taunting her, she just knew it. No one beat her like that... She'd outsmart them eventually. And her current belief was that, since she could not find them , it made sense that they had made their home on the icy slopes, for as far as she knew none of the pack had explored them yet.

She wasn't stupid, though, and enjoyed her unbroken status right now. She'd had enough injury for a while. Thus, rather than rushing up it, she was currently assessing the thing, trying to determine how easy it would be to make it around on it. Probably not very. She was relatively sturdy and sure of foot, but didn't have much experience with ice.

Hearing movement in the trees nearby, Danica's ears twisted and she let out a low growl of warning. It sounded too large to be one of the cats, but she couldn't catch a scent . Oh how she hoped it was though.

With so many things on his mind, it wasn't that surprising that Njal failed to realize he had company. He was too busy trying to settle upon one problem at a time. The sooner the pack had a noteworthy Beta in place, the better; then the troubles that brewed within him could be spread out among the others. If their ranks grew further then there would be more lives to care for, but more lives to put to work. The pack would become harder to manage (at least for him alone) but at the same time, the children would be safer. There were too many things to consider, and Njal wasn't usually so thoughtful; however, he had to be considerate of all the angles now.

He did not hear Danica as she drew close, he didn't even smell her through the thick vegetation. Their fresh scents were alien to his nose, which was adapted to the wide and sparse plains that had been left behind. It seemed as if both wolves were on a collision course - with Njal hiking across the roots of a few tangled trees, and Danica expertly prowling for the elusive lynx. The Alpha caught a patch of dull light which slipped across his body and landed in his eyes, and for a moment he was blinded, but his golden gaze illuminated. He caught sight of movement - heard the defensive growl which was familiar - and tried to duck out of the way.

Had he stumbled upon a bear, or something else sinister within this forest?

Danica stared intently in the direction of the noise, eyes studying the shadows beyond her immediate field of sight. Her growl petered out and she listened. The flash of golden eyes was all she needed to see. Immediately her body leapt into action, rocketing at the intruder with a snarl.

Even though she realized that the intruder really was no intruder an instant later, the shape distinctly lupine and the scent completely familiar once she got close enough to be presented with it, it was far too late to stop her momentum. Her snarl turned into a more surprised growl as she prepared for impact into the packmate (and the probable retaliation).

There was a tense moment of indecision as Njal ducked. But in that action, the light was briefly removed from his eyes and he caught sight of shining teeth flashing by his head; his reaction to this was instantaneous, as he gripped the soil with his claws and jammed his muzzle forward, as well as up. He dodged the teeth and heard them click shut just as his snout rammed in to something. This tactic was something he had used in his time within Kindred; however, it felt like years since the man had participated in any kind of spar. There was no way to know if the body he had contacted was friend or foe, at least... Not until the stranger's scent filled his nose, and something clicked in his mind.

Njal side-stepped next, breathing out with a sharp huff and then inhaling again; there was no mistaking the scent of Danica. He felt an instant grip to his chest as he realized he had struck one of his own - luckily not with teeth, and there would be no blood drawn - but it was still a shock to him. Danica! Njal blurted as he scrambled in to a better position, but he didn't quite know what to say, and was left with his mouth hanging open for a moment. The blinding light of the sun continued to filter down upon them from the thick canopy, causing a leopard-print of gold to catch upon both of their coats. I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was you. Are you alright?

At most she'd be bruised, perhaps winded if he had contacted her throat, but either way - this was not the way a proper Alpha ought to act.

Unlike her Alpha, Danica was in no way apologetic for the instance. Better to be upfront than to hesitate, for how was she to know Njal wasn't truly an enemy? In fact, all she felt was irritated. It wasn't so much the fact that his hit had landed (painfully, but she had managed to avoid it hitting her throat. Still, there would be a bruise there on the morrow.) It was the fact that she seemed to have somehow missed him completely, not landing a single hit on the (rather large) target. She shouldn't want to hurt a packmate, but damn if it didn't hurt her Warrior pride all the same. Chalk it up to overcompenstation... she hadn't done much fighting since her shoulder had healed up.

"Fine," she responded a bit shortly, then sighed, tone getting more friendly. She meant no disrespect to him. "I didn't realize it was you either. Thought it might be one of those cats, so wanted to get the jump." She didn't apologize, for in her mind there was nothing for either of them to apologize for. Each was only doing their duty. "You checking out the glacier as well?" she queried, making a guess that his reasoning for being this close to the base was similar to her own. She wondered if he was thinking of making the climb... someone would have to eventually if they meant to claim the territory. They needed to know what lay up there.

When it became clear that Danica was unharmed (for the most part) Njal breathed a soft sigh of relief; it was echoed in her own breath, although she sounded a bit more strained. The tense situation drifted away... And upon Danica's admittance of her own confusion, Njal's face lit up with a tired smile, and he chuckled. Me, a lynx? His rumbling voice didn't carry far.

You checking out the glacier as well?

Hm. He looked up at the great swath of white, suddenly contemplative, and then gave a small nod - yeah, that was one of the many things he was attempting to do. I'd really like to know whether those damn cats live higher up, or if they - he, it, whatever - lives in the lowlands. At the mention of the rolling hills and forested crags, Njal's voice grew a bit darker. The thought of the cats being so close was unnerving, leaving an implication that the children were not safe.

It wasn't a good thought. Neither was the thought that the Sveijarns had potentially moved their family in to a more dangerous place than the creek - so they might have made a mistake. Njal's next thought erupted from him quite suddenly. I should've explored with Tuwawi. Well, maybe, but someone needed to babysit. Or... Maybe just stuck to the creek. Do you think...

His voice dwindled in to a short huff of displeasure and frustration - there was no point in thinking about what ifs now. The Alpha didn't want to be known for his doubts. He was so convinced that they'd made a grand discovery when they had finally arrived here - but there was so much work to do. With a small shake of his head - perhaps to physically remove the rambling in his own mind - Njal turned his sunny eyes upon Danica. How are you doing?

As Danica got her irritation under check, Njal seemed unfazed by both her attack and the reaction. It was a good thing the alpha was somewhat easygoing with his subordinates, for Danica's sharp tone could have been seen as disrespect to some. They also knew her though, which helped.

"Honestly I didn't get much farther than golden eyes before I sprang. You don't exactly have a feline look to you." She too smiled at the mistake. He should take it as the compliment it was. Njal had the look and build of a warrior.

"Definitely they," she added , "though I have only scented two. There could be more. I had much the same thought, but couldn't figure out how the hell we were gonna get up there." If only she had more experience with climbing. She'd love to be the one to check it out, and would go gladly if asked. But she knew she wasn't the most qualified.

"You did all you could. This is what the pack is for, to back you up. Though I'm not going to say it was a good idea for children so young, that is how the timing fell. Now however we hunt." She flashed him a somewhat devious smile. She didn't mind the prospect of a fight, and the cats did not scare her. The only ones she feared for were the little ones, but with constant protection from parents and pack mates, the lynxes would have to be crazy to make a move on them. What was done is done.

"I am doing well. Been patrolling like mad, so haven't met some of the pack. Hatshepsut seems nice enough though." She shrugged. Her own life was as well as could be expected, and while she respected Njal, she didn't really want to share her problems with her alpha considering the nature of her thoughts of late. "Speaking of, I should probably get back to it." With a tip of her head, she continued on