rapanthem

Note he's not too close to the borders yet but is slowly heading that way 'cause he's a dumb c:

Further and further, the white-furred youth explored the forested surroundings that greeted the sea that he had left behind. He was too far away from the shoreside now to see it, so far inland that the thick scent of pine and stone invaded his senses. A slight headache had formed and he swore he could feel steam rise from his coat as the midday sun beat down from above. The day was cloudy, yet the clouds lined the horizon, almost seeming fearful of the glowing orb in the sky.

Exploring wasn't at all what Atreyu had thought it would be. More often than not, he found himself yearning to be back home, even though he wouldn't admit to it. These new lands were confusing and strange - he was still shaken from that odd occurrence from a few days before where the sun had been blocked out and plunged the world into darkness for a few minutes. Though, the wolves he had met so far were friendly enough, he supposed. Travelling just seemed to take forever to get anywhere exciting.

Relishing as a small breeze ruffled his scruffy coat, the boy raised his head and stared along the rocky path he was following. It cut through the rugged landscape, scraggly bushes on either side and seeming to go on forever. The forest below taunted him, promising shade and possibly bubbling streams however, there was no safe passage down the rocky slope that led to it - and Atreyu was not accustomed to mountains. Surely if he attempted the slope he would slip, fall and break something. Sighing, the boy continued to walk along the path, unknowingly heading towards pack territory.

They're very territorial.

Jinx glared down the mountainside at a small white figure making its way brazenly toward her borders. Had she already moved the pack, the female would have potentially left it alone, or waited until it was closer to the falsely marked borders to attack it... But for the time being, this was still their home. She believed firmly in culling the weak and stupid from their population, and for this mutt to wander on despite the very clear scent that would waft on the breeze from the pack's outskirts, he had to be pretty damn stupid.

She began to move down the slope like a bulldozer, wasting no further time allowing him to dally near her pack. The Alpha had had enough of lone wolves and mutineers alike, and had come to call them all by the same name: alien. Atreyu was alien and he was in her buffer zone, and therefore he was to be eliminated.

She emerged from the scrubland nearing the mountain's base like something out of a nightmare: her fur spiked into sharp ridges, her mouth bared wide open in a menacing and threatening snarl, and her paws slamming against the ground without end. Her momentum was unstoppable, and her fury peeled off her in waves. Atreyu might have the most innocuous reasons in the world for approaching her pack without respect for her scent saturating the breeze, but Jinx already considered him an imbecile and so he needed to leave or die.

I figured D: All good, though, I was planning on this being a short thread!

It seemed the wind was beginning to pick up. Dust and small leaves swirled around his paws as he trailed along, head bowed to avoid the sunlight glaring off the cliff-faces. The strong mix of stone and dirt almost stung his nose as he was so accustomed to the salty scent of the sea. How anyone would be able to live here, he had no idea. It was just so dry. Granted, it was summer, perhaps in winter it would be more tolerable. Atreyu gave a glance to the forest the path overlooked, wondering if it was any different to the forest he had almost entered before meeting Ragnar. So enamoured by the foreign landscape, when the pungent scent of urine carried by the breeze hit him, he overlooked it.

The clicking of claws against stone and the rustle of bushes also went unheard by the ignorant boy until the sharp smell of female demanded his attention. "Huh," he grunted, confused by the sudden scent and looked up, confronted with a sight that made his heart leap into his throat. A white-furred woman, easily as large as the Alpha of the Bay was barrelling towards him, lips pulled back into a savage snarl. Eyes widening, the boy immediately flattened his ears and lowered himself to the ground, yet fear held him in place, freezing his limbs even though every instinct he had told him to run.

The male's reaction seemed to be one of surprise. This reality only reinforced Jinx's belief that he was mentally handicapped, and motivated her to move faster. Atreyu threw back his ears and crouched in a clear sign of partial surrender, but the Alpha female wasn't buying it. It had been a while since the warrior had stretched her muscles, and she had no intention of stopping her headlong charge just because he submitted.

When she had drawn near enough she lunged, aiming roughly to rake her teeth across the side of his face. It was a warning shot more than anything. A test of his will. A smart wolf would turn and run after realizing that she could call her entire pack, but a strong-willed wolf might stand and fight. Especially if said wolf was hungry.

And this was why he never ventured too far from the ocean. Atreyu berated himself silently, cursing his adventurous nature. He wasn't even entirely sure why the female had chosen to attack him - as that was surely what she was planning to do by the looks of it. Had he been a bit larger and a little more headstrong, the boy would have readied himself for a fight, to test his worth against the enraged stranger. However, Atreyu was not a warrior and had already decided that the mountains were a dangerous place, in more ways than one.

Still foolishly holding his ground for no other reason than pure terror, the boy watched as the Alpha reached him in no time and suddenly sprung into the air, sharp teeth flashing. Although the boy ducked his head, he was too late, feeling pain erupting from his forehead to his temple where her fangs had grazed him. He let out a sharp yelp and finally found his legs again, back-pedalling quickly. "W-What the hell?" he hissed, incredulous, and possibly cementing Jinx's belief of his lack of intelligence.

It was clear that he had done something to set the female off and, already wounded, Atreyu wasn't about to stick around to find out why. Quickly turning on his heel, the youth decided to brave the steep slope that led to the forest, hoping the territorial foreigner wouldn't follow.