Ravensblood Forest head-rush

Hunting thread #2! Possibly a sub-territory discovery?

The forest was dense in so many places. Too dense for his round-edged figure to squeeze through, despite being a bit smaller than the average wolf. Nassim had never questioned his size before and had always been a happy little carnivore; devouring whatever food was laid out before him. He was active enough in his natal pack to keep the fat off of his body, for the most part. And then when he went on his adventure, he had slimmed down even further — but the bulk of his fur, being dense and double-coated in a way that hearkened back to his hybrid ancestors, always made him look like a ripe black cherry.

In the dark of the forest, he was a squishy, fluffy mess. Nassim had spent a few hours scouting the area and getting acquainted, but all he had to show for it was a mess of tangled fur throughout his belly and throat (where his grey beard grew long and shaggy), while brambles, twigs, and crushed bits of leaf-litter had somehow found their way in to the red hair of his dorsal side. He hadn't managed to find much aside from a few mice, which he selfishly had gobbled up on the spot. If Nassim was to prove himself, he'd have to find something big! Something grand! Something that would show everyone (who he hadn't met yet, the dummy) that he meant business!

Serious business.

Not the best hunting partner, but she will try her best :)

Olive drifted quietly through her forest, head in the clouds. She was still rather amazed at the novelty of the whole thing – Teaghlaigh, her new brothers and sisters, her home.  With her comfortable amount of free time now, her racing mind often settled on thoughts of her family. Where were they now? Would they be proud of her achievements… or disappointed in the fact that she had succumbed to the conformity and lack of liberty that resulted from pack life? Olive held her head a bit higher as she pushed the last though from her mind. The mistress was a Comhairleoir. She was assisting her fellow earthlings in the most intimate way possible. That alone was a great achievement.

Olive noticed a form in the distance and she felt silent, stopping in her tracks. Even her internal thoughts hushed as the strangers moved ever closer, but seemed preoccupied and unaware of her presence [though soon her scent would give her away]. Olive crept aside so that the trunk of a fir tree concealed her from the other wolf’s sight.  If they were to meet, Olive wanted it to be on her terms.

However, the male scent was layered with that of the forest – as if he had been here for a few days, at least. A wolf so new to the area would have wafted in foreign smells… but it was not enough to convince her. Olive suddenly felt the weight of her responsibility to Teaghlaigh on her shoulder.  Olive briefly thought of Arturo and Furiosa and how they would handle this situation.

Summoning unforeseen courage, Olive took a heavy step out from behind the tree. “Halt!” She bellowed, a bit more harshly than she intended. She immediately feared the forced deepness of her voice would cause male to see through her tough façade. A little more softly, she continued.

“Who are you?”

Sorry! I've been so tired from work but I'll try to reply faster

He didn't have to lurk for very long before he found something. Or rather, something found him! They came bursting from the forest's obscurity with a bellowed command, and at first Nassim let it slip from his mind that he had pledged himself to a family — the family — and couldn't help the nervous energy that lifted his phoenix-feather spine. His tail squished against his rump, the bushy point curling under his belly in a rare moment of complete surprise and nervousness; then, when he finally got a good look at the stranger decked out in a coat of platinum, he couldn't resist smiling broadly, and promptly forgot his job.

I'm Nassim! You're really pretty. The boy pointed this out with pure sincerity, not thinking about how unprompted the comment was, nor how it could be taken. Whatever apprehension he felt upon being discovered had been swiftly replaced by a dogged glee for having found a new face. Who're you? Are you another, uh, cam... come... cramlake? No, that's not right, he blew a small raspberry through his lips and frowned, becoming disgruntled by the difficulty of the word. How had he already forgotten it? Ah, but Arturo had given him another word to use! Associate! That's what Arturo said I was. Are you that?

His tail has slipped away from his bottom by this point and had started swaying between his hocks, probably around the point where Nassim had been thinking hard about his pathetic linquistic skills, and now fanned happily behind him.

No! Please take care of yourself :)

The male offered her a mixed reaction of alarm and exuberance - Olive had felt such an emotion before, but it was brought forth in the presence of the almighty gods and not a finite, earthly wolf such as herself - and it was not her desired response.  His tail immediately curled in fear, a movement at which Olive’s heart sank deep into her chest - she never wanted to command fear from another living being… only respect. With haste did the stranger drew a smile upon his maw and in response, and Olive felt her tense muscles release their grip. No, forceful guardianship did not suit her and Olive prayed that particulate responsibility to Teaghlaigh would never wholly fall upon her peaceful shoulders. 

The fae learned two things right off the bat: 1) his name was Nassim, and 2) she was pretty. The pale woman felt a rush of warmth to her cheeks and she canted her head to one side, suddenly unable to look straight at the coffee-colored stranger. Olive, a wolf who easily gauged social cues and found it easy to anticipate others’ next moves, did not expect the forward comment [especially after her theatrical entrance]. In truth, Olive sought to never overvalue a wolfs physical presence as their emotional and spiritual presence were priceless. Beauty faded with age but geniality, purity and discipline persisted long after the physical body died. These values were held steadfast, but the femme couldn’t help but feel pleasantly lauded.

Olive remained silent as the jovial male tried [and failed] at pronouncing his place within Teaghlaigh. The grey woman exhaled audibly - Nassim wasn’t a trespasser to be punished, but a friend to be groomed into family. A grin that matched his own drew upon her lips. “Comhlach,” she spoke sweetly and easily, in stark contrast to her bellowed commands. Olive placed one petite, creme-dipped paw in front of the other as she took a step forward. “It is the utmost pleasure to meet you.” One leg curled under her chest and she bent forward in a shallow bow - Nassim was not yet part of the family, but he was an associate and was afforded the formalities as such.

“I am Olive, Teaghlaigh’s Comhairleoir.”  The word spilled from her tongue with hardly an effort - evidence of her time spent practicing the word over and over and over again. “For all intents and purposes, I am the family’s advisor.” 

“This forest is not as large as one may believe - how is it that I had yet to meet you, until this day?”