Porcupine Ridge snow white

Any packmates welcome! :)

The ridge was nicer than Terich-mir had expected. At first, when Capri told him where she wanted to settle, Terich had been afraid. From what he knew about mountains and ridges, they were much like where he was born and where part of his family perished. He didn't want to relive that again, didn't want to deal with the flashbacks or the phantom pains. But he would do anything for Capriccio, and well she knew it. So far, the world upon the ridge was calm. They had settled into their temporary ranks so far - Capri and Taggarik at the helm - yet soon Terich knew there would be changes, challenges, and shifting within the pack. Terich wasn't much for challenges, but if someone challenged him, he'd hold his ground.

They had claimed the land and yet their scent was still rather sparse, so today Terich-mir was rounding the borders along the glens and hollows and small fields, strengthening the scent there. He wasn't a leader (and really had no intentions of becoming so, but who knew what the world held for him), but every wolf's scent made up the pack scent, and marking the borders was part of his job as a member of this pack. Already he saw Taggarik as family, and Capri had always been so since their youth, and he hoped soon he would learn about the others and become family with them, too. For now, he was scent-marking on this cloudy and chilly day, trying to keep the blood warm in his body with his patrol.

Just gonna swipe this thread if you don't mind xP

Anwyl marched along the borders of the new territory. He had been doing a bit of patrolling and border marking, but mainly was getting to know the groves and glens down below the ridge peaks. Forest was his favorite place to be. His ideal lazy day was to relax in the shade of a forest, the buds of spring sprouting here and there, 50 shades of green coloring his view. The forests at the base of the ridge were very nice, considering it was winter. Anwyl knew he'd be spending plenty of time down here.

At this particular moment however, the silvery white yearling had spotted a rabbit sniffing at the ground. Anwyl's tongue came out, as it always did when he was focused. He was gonna catch that dumb rodent, for sure. He crawled forwards on his stomach, eyes fixated on the rabbit. He wasn't hungry, and he didn't need to eat, but he was in a good mood, and a little game of chase would be fun. He burst forwards like a bullet, the rabbit leaped to its paws and ran. He chased the rabbit for a few moments, partly toying around with it. But it was time to make the kill.

He increased his speed, coming up to overtake the small creature. Unfortunately for him, the 'dumb' rabbit turned a fast corner and disappeared to the right. Anwyl tried to turn with it, but hit a frosty patch of earth and slid down a small incline, nearly barreling into a grey male wolf. He managed to stop before completely crashing and burning and gave his head a quick shake. He looked up at the male he'd almost pancaked and gave an embarrassed laugh. He recognized the male's scent as that of the ridge pack. That meant he'd just made a huge fool of himself in front of one of his new pack mates. 

I'm so sorry, I was chasing a rabbit and it hit some ice and... I'm Anwyl. I think we're pack mates. As if that was any better, the boy bit his tongue trying to stop himself from further humiliating himself.

Terich was sniffing at a particularly dry patch of earth and was in the process of lifting his leg to spray it when a crashing sound made him turn his head. Panic set in almost immediately as the grey patch barreling toward him materialized into a wolf. Terich barked and back-pedaled to avoid a crash, but thankfully the other skidded to a halt a few feet from him. The other laughed nervously and stood, shaking himself, before introducing himself.

The other - Anwyl - was young and inexperienced, but reminded Terich much of himself when he was younger. Truth be told, there were still times when Terich did stupid and silly things just for the sake of doing them. "It's okay, Anwyl. No harm, no foul." Terich smiled, trying to release some of the tension that hung thick in the air between them. He took a step forward, his body slightly taller and stronger than the other's, but without aggression or dominance in his posture. Anwyl was still basically a pup, after all, and his place should have been obvious. "I'm Terich. Did you see where the rabbit went?" He wasn't hungry, but maybe they could scout out a rabbit warren for later use.

Anwyl was relieved when Terich spoke to him. He wasn't able to tell up until that point what kind of wolf his pack mate was. Would he be snappy and grouchy, or laid back like himself? Lucky for him, Terich seemed kind, and ha him a small smile. When the other grey male came forwards slightly, Anwyl assumed his usual position of submission. He was yet to meet a wolf in his pack that was of a lesser rank than him, but he was fine with that. Maybe someday he'd rise to a higher rank.

The yearling boy gave Terich a quick sniff, getting to know his scent and analyzing him all the same. Terich asked him about where the rabbit went, Anwyl nodded his head back up the hill in the general direction of the creature. It went that way, I could show you if you want. I'm not the best tracker but I'm sure we can sniff it out. Anwyl wasn't one to brag, in fact he was a great tracker. He just didn't want to come off as rude. Being thought of as less amazing but more kind and happy was better to him than the vice versa.

The younger boy trotted back up the small incline, leaping off of a root and scrambling the rest of the way up. The winter's ice made it hard to climb simple obstacles like this one, Anwyl didn't like that very much. He preferred spring, the perfect balance between hot and cold, and he could catch rabbits without slipping. He stuck his nose to the ground, many different scent trails filling his nose, but the one he was looking for was the most prominent. He marched on, following his nose until he came to a small burrow under a rock. The burrow smelled a lot of rabbit, so it must've been where the animal went.

Anwyl turned back to Terich and barked, Here it is. This must be it. He was proud of his findings, and let his downy chest puff out a little. He couldn't always be a humble little angel.

Terich smiled and indicated for the boy to show him where the rabbit went. They scrabbled up the icy hillside, finally making it back up the incline. Anwyl put his nose to the ground and followed the rabbit's scent from where it had deviated earlier, and after a few moments of silent tracking, found the hollow beneath which it had escaped. Terich-mir inspected the area, noting that there was not a visible exit on the other side, but rabbit warrens were notoriously cavernous and had many exits and entrances.

He noted the boy's puffed out chest and smiled. "Very good! Have you ever hunted a rabbit in its warren before?" he asked softly, turning a warm blue gaze on the younger wolf. Terich was about two years older than Anwyl, but that meant worlds of difference in their experience as hunters. Terich was an expert fisher from his years spent at the creek, but he knew a thing or two about rabbits as well.

Im so sorry for the wait! Hectic week!

Anwyl smiled at Terich's praise. His beta praising him on his skills? The little tracker felt pretty good about himself right then. No I've never in its warren before. But when I was on my own I used to hunt them all the time. I usually can catch up to one when its running, but all this snow makes it much harder to get places. He replied with a sigh, turning to look up at the older male. He liked Terich, the two of them kind of looked alike. And they had the same kind of laid back mood about them. Anwyl could get used to hanging around the guy.

Then he had an idea. Maybe Terich will teach me? It's worth a shot. He thought, then giving the blue eyed beta a grin. Hey will you teach me? It'd be a nice skill to know, and it'd be fun! Anwyl was always up for a good time, and if it meant getting to know his beta better at the same time then it was all the better.

Terich smiled, appreciating Anwyl's honesty. "You're right, this snow does make things harder." Then, after a moment, the younger boy asked Terich if he'd teach him how to hunt rabbits in their warrens. After another moment of silence, during which he thought about it, Terich finally nodded agreement. "Sure, I'll teach you, Anwyl. Rabbit warrens are notoriously complicated and have many passages. We'll have to find this one's center and then branch out from there." Terich then used a paw to sweep away some of the snow and lowered his nose to the rabbit den's mouth, catching the scent and remembering it.

"The trick is to remember the scent of the rabbit so you don't get lost chasing a different one later. Sniff here and try to remember it. Then we'll move onward up the burrow and see if we can find the center." Terich encouraged the other with a smile and stepped back to allow Anwyl the opportunity to sniff at the rabbit's den. This wouldn't be a one-day deal; it would take many days to master this art. But it would be good practice sifting through multiple scents and catching onto one in order to follow it to its source. Already Anwyl seemed adept at scenting, so perhaps this wouldn't be too laborious for either of them.

Anwyl waited in silence for a moment as Terich thought about it. He hoped the beta would agree, Anwyl was excited already. Finally Terich broke the silence with a joyful nod. Anwyl smiled and dipped his head in gratitude. Thanks! He had opened his mouth to say something else, but Terich had leaped down into the snow to sniff out a den. Anwyl flinched a little, startled by how quickly Terich had moved. He had expected to maybe talk about it first, but the beta male seemed eager to begin. Anwyl didn't mind, he was eager as well. 

Anwyl turned to look at Terich, giving him his undivided attention. The older male stepped back, giving him room to sniff the warren for himself. Anwyl crouched down and stuffed his nose into the snow around the hole. It smelled greatly of rabbit. He tried to get around the fact that rabbit smelled like rabbit, to find some more specifics of this one's scent. From what he could tell, it was possibly a male, and it smelled healthy. The faint scent of pine needles mingled in its trail, which would help some in tracking it. Ok, I got it. I think it's a male, and it smells like pine trees a bit. It's nest is probably filled with them or something. Anwyl was a great tracker, his nose and sense of smell was his strongest sense. It ran in his family, tracking did.

Sorry for the delay! <3

Terich stepped back and observed as Anwyl sniffed at the entrance to the den, and came up with a noseful of snow and rabbit-scent. He smiled, thinking to himself that teaching was quite natural and comfortable for him, and wondered if the ridge might need use of a permanent one. Anwyl explained what it smelled like - male and pine needles - which Terich heartily agreed with. "Good! Now let's see if you can find the center. Where do you think this tunnel leads?" 

The older male nudged Anwyl, hoping to give reassurance, as he waited for the boy to start. Terich would help if needed, but truly he wanted Anwyl to do the "heavy lifting" so to speak. Anwyl was the one who needed to track the rabbit, to learn of their cavernous and confusing warrens, but Terich was there to provide advice and support if he fumbled.

Anwyl smiled at Terich's praise, then took a moment to think about his question. Where would it lead? To the rabbit I'm hoping. The silver younger mumbled before walking forward, sniffing at the ground. He did his best to follow the scent. Rabbit, male, pine needles. It wasn't too much to go off of, but enough for him. He weaved past trees, all the while following the trail, until finally he came to an area where the scent was strongest. He took a moment to walk around the pocket of scent, making sure he was in the correct vicinity. Once he was positive he turned back around to Terich and nodded happily.

I think this is it. Am I right? He asked, cocking his head a little and giving the older a big puppy dog smile. The boy was a goof, but he meant well and really did want to learn.

Terich chuckled at Anwyl's humor and followed him quietly as the younger wolf tried to follow the rabbit's pine-needle scent. Terich himself ducked his nose to the ground a few times, to make sure they were indeed heading in the right direction. Even if they took a wrong turn, he wasn't going to tell Anwyl so until he was prompted to. They paused near a tree and Anwyl searched the area, making sure his nose brought him to the right scent, and turned to him with an expectant look. Terich smiled warmly, proud of the youngster.

"I think you're getting the hang of this, Anwyl." Terich nosed the ground again, pawing away some of the snow, before using his own senses to follow the scent to where he thought the rabbit might be quivering beneath the earth. "I think you're right, too. The rabbit's close." Terich looked over to the boy and smiled again. "Do you want to try to catch him today, or wait until we find him above ground again?"

Oops this thread is really far down on my thread log I didn't see it so sorry! Last post for me!

Anwyl smiled, me too. He thought, proud of his skills. Then Terich asked if he wanted to hunt the rabbit now or find it later. He thought about it for a moment, but made his deduction quickly. I think we should wait. It's not really fair to just go into his house and take him out. I'll wait until it's fair. But it's good to know where he is, just in case. Thanks Terich! Every life mattered to Anwyl. Right and wrong seemed obvious to him and he stuck with his morals. They may have seemed childish, but he wouldn't grow out of them. 

He gave his mentor a respectful nod, and then stood again, preparing to depart for his den. It was getting pretty late, and they'd spent long enough working on tracking skills. Well I better get going, but I had a great time. Maybe we can meet up here again soon and see if he's come out or not. See ya later. And at that he turned around and trotted away, white tipped tail wagging behind him. Time for a nap, a looooong nap.