King Elk Forest We walk like there's nothing wrong

Being lost in thought could be a very painful experience. Nagi discovered this as she plodded absentmindedly through the unfamiliar forest terrain. In her meanderings, a thought had become more and more frequent. Maybe she could head back to her birthplace and her "family." She could request a meeting with her previous alpha and plead her case. "I've become a much better hunter and fighter. How could I not, when you threw me out in the middle of winter and left me to survive all on my own? Can my increase in "practical" skills redeem my place?" And then, if all went well, she would have a place where she would forever live in fear of being thrown out by the same wolves all over again. It wasn't ideal, but it sounded more tantalizing than wandering in foreign places all alone. 

A light breeze ruffled her fur, pulling her out of her train of thought. No, she wasn't alone! How could she ever think that? "Hey Sister Wind. I'm ashamed to think that I almost forgot you. You've been by my side this entire journey. I'm truly grateful that you accompany me everywhere I go." But there wasn't just Sister Wind. There were friends everywhere if one knew where to look! Nagi took a couple of deep breaths, grounding herself in the physical world around her instead of the hazy world of her thoughts. 

 "Hey Brother Oak!" She cheerfully barked as she walked up to the closest tree and pressed her nose against his bark in greeting. "How's it going for you today? Oh yeah? Of course you're proud that you can protect Sister Squirrel who has nested within your trunk. You're a tree after all!" 

Nagi remained standing there, her nose smushed into the rough bark and a friendly grin on her face. See? She didn't need to be good friends with any other wolves to be happy. All of the close friendships she had with the nature beings around her was more than enough! Well, at least that was what she was trying to convince herself of.

52°, currently it is cloudy and set during late morning. Located in Tuktu Hinterlands, king elk forest | ooc notes: omg Canadian buddies!!

Rumours had that the elk in this forest were wolf-killers. It piqued his interest more so than it should. The thought of going toe to toe with such a beast was thrilling, perhaps test himself against such a monstrosity and see if he could survive - if not kill the beast himself. That would be quite the feat, to kill a legend, to surmount it and claim its throne for himself. 

Without the duties of Aristos chaining him down, Rosencrantz truly felt like himself once again - that puppy back in the day who challenged everyone he saw, desired nothing more than to climb the ranks and look down on everyone beneath him. He no longer had that confusion that had settled in before he was trying to change... before he was prepared to offer his heart and soul to someone he now deemed as wholly unworthy of anything at all. 

With a keen eye searching the woods for any signs of the elk that claim these woods, he spotted something else in particular. Expression as lifeless as ever, he eyed the woman who had her nose pressed against the trunk of a tree - looking at it and presumably.. talking to it. She didn't seem like anything that would give him the thrill of a fight, more of an airhead really. With a soft bark, he demanded her attention. 

Have you seen any Elk? With a hardened glance, face carved in stone, his voice was oddly smooth for such a dense tone.

They are! They even have similar fur coats made for snowy Canadian winters. :)

Being a social creature by nature, there a small sense of relief when Nagi heard a soft bark that belonged one of her own kind. Silently, she told Brother Oak goodbye and turned to face the masculine voice. 

Her first thought upon seeing the white, muscular giant was the realization that he could easily overpower and kill her if he desired to do so. Nagi's next observation was that this stranger was paradoxically very similar yet completely different than her. In some ways, he was an exaggeration of her. While she was larger than average, he was HUGE. Where she had an almost white coat, he brandished a coat whiter than the purest snow. And her thick and fluffy fur that she was proud of? She lost in that category too. However, his prominent musculature and scarred up face hinted that he had a whole different set of life experiences than her. The expression on his face was particularly unsettling. Nagi would be lying if she said that his presence didn't make her feel slightly anxious. Not that she would let that show. 

So far, the male's primary interest appeared to be invested in elk in the vicinity, rather than her. Nagi decided that she was probably safe in his company, at least for the moment. So, she presented him with the overly friendly exterior that she displayed to everyone she met. "Hello! I'm Nagi." she greeted in a cheery tone. It was accompanied with a tail wag. Sometimes, a show of genuine friendliness was all that was needed to evoke similar feelings from another being. 

"I saw some elk." Nagi restated. "I passed by a large herd not too long ago!" She had had no interest in them at the time. Nagi knew what her skills were and being able to take down an elk all on her own was not one of them. So, she had opted to go way out of her way to not disturb them with her presence. There was no need to stress them out if it was unnecessary. Now, she contradicted her previous actions with the justification that disturbing them was ok if one was ultimately caught and consumed in the end. "Would you like me to show you to them?"

omg she's so sweet TAT if only he wasn't being such a mr grumpy gills right now! sorry your posts are so beautiful and im banging out these shorties :( he's fun, just not much going on in that head of his lately!

Rosencrantz. Their personalities completely clashed. Her open and friendly nature contradicted his stoic and stern behavior - especially as of late. Perhaps earlier he would have been excited to have met someone such as her, learned of where she hailed from, to have exchanged stories of the north and where they were, their customs, etc... but today, he had less than zero interest in anyone other than his primitive desires to fight. With his wounds from the sea beast barely noticeable now upon his hip, he was ready to take on the next beast. 

She approached with a friendly nature and his gaze hardened in response, a low growl rolling from the depths of his chest as a warning her not to come too close. He held no desire to fight such a creature as herself, but he would certainly teach her not to be too friendly to just about everyone she met in the near future. The last he had allowed to come close had shredded him to bits from the inside; he would not allow such a thing to happen again. 

Ears perked at her words that followed. She had spotted a herd a while back. Show me. He continued to demand, eyes focussing on the smaller woman and waiting for her to lead the way. Would there be the king elk present in the herd? Perhaps today he would find out whether the legend was true, or if it was a herd of prey just as any other.

Aww, thank you! And haha, no worries! The characters sure do have a mind of their own a lot of time. And if anything, your posting style reflects and enforces Rose's mood.

 

Ok. Someone wasn't looking for a friend. While she socialized with the intent to interact with others in a fun and positive manner, it definitely wasn't the same for Rosencrantz. She briefly wondered why they were so different. Nagi yearned for social interaction like an addict going through withdrawal. Meanwhile, Rosencrantz wasn't even enticed and made sure to make that very clear. She wasn't cognizant of it, but on a deep subconscious level, she was jealous. Jealous that he could simply reject it while within her, feelings of loneliness fought an everlasting war against the fear of getting close to others.

What Nagi was aware of, however, was a fleeting impulse. For a millisecond there was the tantalizing idea that she could use the situation to exert some form of superiority. She could agree to show him the elk herd, but on one condition--he didn't growl at her again. While she did have knowledge that would provide her some form of immediate safety against the winter monstrosity, Nagi recognized with a jolt that Rosencrantz could easily force her to yield the information by use of force if he desired to do so.  And besides, it just didn't line up with her moral code. One can never force someone to do something; one can only lead by example. 

As a result, Nagi kept up her friendly demeanor. "It's this way," Nagi woofed, only slightly less cheerfully. Unfortunately, "this way" was between her and Rosencrantz. However, she remained a respectful distance from him, making a large semicircle around him in order to respect his personal space needs.  

"Are you from around here?" she asked, attempting small talk.

Feel free to take this thread in any direction you want!!

Perhaps once, for a fleeting moment, he desired the company of others. To bask in a pack and work alongside one another as one cohesive unit; but after feeling set aside, tossed and forgotten, abandoned by the one he was opening-up to, Rosencrantz lost all desire to get close to anyone. To open up again and let others in to fill him with that same joy. To fall once again from grace was far too much of a reality. Relationships were a waste of time, friendship and romance nothing but a black hole of effort. His father was right, the way of his upbringing all made sense in recent days - the only thing that mattered was yourself.

She guided his way finally, keeping a proper distance, Rosencrantz followed. She was quick to learn when it came to personal space, that boundaries were necessary with some individuals, and so his initial threat had subsided. He relaxed in composure, smoothly following Nagi without error. He matched her pace and stride, carefully keeping the same distance as to ensure that he would stop as soon as she could. 

No. For a moment he pondered if he should continue in detail or end it here. Frankly, the knight wasn't quite interested in speaking, getting to know one another further than arbitrary names and part ways as soon as his target was met. But for the sake of keeping her compliant, he continued. I'm from a land far north of here. Come to think of it, he was far, far from home.

Nagi paused for a second, turning to face Rosencrantz without thinking. "Really? I'm from the north too!" She exclaimed. Then, she caught sight of her temporary companion and was immediately reminded of her previous conclusions. He was not here to talk with her. Her ears went back in slight embarrassment as she turned to face forward and continue walking. 

However, that didn't mean Nagi couldn't still have a conversation. She quickly reverted back to her normal, happy-looking state. He would receive his guide, and she would hopefully receive some socialization. A balancing act of needs. "Where was your home? Maybe I passed it in my travels."

Perhaps sometime before, weeks before coming across Nagi, Rose would have been more welcoming, inviting, and willing to talk of home, to know of her home and maybe get excited at the thought of speaking with someone who hailed from a similar area. For now, he kept quiet as her excitement rose and fell quickly, turning back on their trail as he padded behind her, never braking in his stride.

Though it seemed she would not be dissuaded so easily. Nagi continued on their travels but insisted on asking more questions. Should he even answer? For a moment he thought, completely uninterested in such fraternizing and simply hungered for the elk that called this forest home, Rosencrantz preferred to keep quiet. 

But a part of him had a feeling she would simply continue. To try and try again to get him to talk regardless of his silence.  A land called Québec. So he decides to answer anyway. It was a rather easy conversation anyway, nothing too personal or invasive, and so he chose not to take the chance with anything else that may follow it.