King Elk Forest And they all fall down

Snowy, slightly windy. Located on the northern border of King Elk Forest.

Tagging @Auriel! GLAD YOU’RE BACK!!

Kynareth went to King Elk in search of their neighbors with the odd deer religion. The attractive siblings that lead the pack seemed to have dispersed. For when he comes to the borders they are noticeably not as strong as they once were. So he risks stepping into the old territory. 

His paws fall heavy onto the grass as he scouts around for any signs of life. Perhaps he even wants to investigate why they left.

The snow was paw deep, the windswept snow whipped up into the golden figure's face as she travelled east along Silver Creek. As soon as autumn had started browning the leaves she had fled west to escape the incoming snow and rain. Being a beast of the desert, both hot and cold weather did not bother her. It was the damn snow and rain. Oh, how she despised it. The she-wolf known as Auriel was back in the Teekon Wilds, though she had never planned to return. A certain curly-tailed wolfdog had been on her mind since the summer, and although she had missed out on this breeding season she still had plans to enthral him. Donovan.

Auriel halted just inside of the western King Elk forest, the wind now blowing in behind her to whip up her fur and freeze her bones. It flowed to the North, she had hoped to keep her presence hidden until she found the status of the Saint's to be intact. However, with the wind carrying her scent into the Wild's it wouldn't be long until she was found. Stupid snow. 

The golden she-wolf stopped to shake the snow from her paws, then from her sunny pelt. There were faint scents of other wolves in the area, not strong enough for a whole pack. A good place for a quick hunt, the journey had left her skinny and starving. This snow made it hard to pick out the weaker prey scents yet soon enough the female had found herself on the trail of a young rabbit.

@Kynareth Deagon

Just as Auriel had thought, someone caught her scent flowing through the wind. It just so happens to the the curly tailed beast she has been looking for. Though when he smells the fresh scent on the wind he doesn’t instantly recognize it. It is the freshest scent among faded and dead ones though. So he decides to point his nose in the direction he assumes it comes from and follow it. 

It leads him further into the territory but soon enough he’s seeing another form moving about in the white expanse of snow. Their pelt is tan, reddish, with hints of blonde, black, and white. Though upon further inspection he feels like he’s having Deja Vu. 

His hawkish eyes squint, brows furrowing in thought he continues onward. Clearing his throat annoyingly loud to alert her of his presence he comes even closer. Moving at a loose trot when he gets a fair foxhole of meters between one another is when it hits him. 

It’s like a light bulb goes off and explodes in his mind at the recognition he finds in this wolf. It’s Auriel from so, so long ago. He can’t help it, his tail wags, sweeping off the layer of snow that collected in his hips and lower back. 

“Auriel?” He questions with wide eyes and a bright toothy smile. “That can’t be you is it?” He asks more unsure of himself now.

The young rabbit is new to the world, freshly departed from its mother and nibbling on a stem of grass it had unrooted beneath the snow. It was blind and deaf to her creeping slowly towards it, body low against the cold layer of white. It seeps into her belly fur and causes her a silent shiver. Even so, the prey does not move, it continues the eager eating. Just as she is about to pounce a loud cough echoes in the silent forest, causing both her and the rabbit to jump.

It flees, and she pursues, a flash of gold against the white. Both sets of paws disturb snow to send it skittering into the air, but only one set skid out. Auriel rises to her feet with a huff of hot breath, ears pinned to her head as she rounds on the intruder with a snarl. It is caught in her throat. For a moment she seems struck with shock, the odds of the one hybrid she was looking for finding her here were humorously low. 

"Donovan!" Instantly she is jumping around him like an excited pup, tail wagging so fast it is a blur. Auriel dropped into a play-bow, looking up at his handsome face with bright ocean-blue eyes. The joy she felt was immeasurable, the hunger in her stomach withered away with the force of it. Her grin is huge, stretching cheek from cheek. "It is! I have returned to you and your Saint pack." Her voice was raspy, it was clear the journey had put a strain on her already dainty body. The she-wolf's broken English had not improved either, there were not many friendly wolves west of the Teekon Wild's.

He is almost worried when she comes whirring around with a snarl in her face. He had no idea she was even hunting or he might have even decided to be quiet and help her catch them a meal. Yet, her snarl turns to one of content rather than malice when she realizes who he is and it has him ecstatic.

Donovan! She yells, throwing herself at him and bouncing around as if he’s the best thing she’s seen in some time. Her elegant, but thin body drops down into a play bow and his tail wags even more aggressively. 

He indulges her, hopping up into the air and pouncing towards her and goi down into his own play bow before moving to lap at her face. 

“You have?! You’re lying.” He teases with a witty smile. “I would be so glad to have you back, darling. The Saints have moved and we’re actually only a few hours away from our new homestead.” The Saint informs pleasantly.

Seeing his large form jump and whirl like a pup is amusing, she yaps a clear happy sound as he begins to lick at her face. She had not expected such a welcome from the one she had abandoned. Do not think of that. She is home now, all that was in the past can be laid behind her. 

Auriel turned her golden head to nuzzle against his cheek, along his flank, ending with a nip to his tail. Just as she used to do, pressing the length of her body against him as she circled around. Her gaze absorbed his entire form, the scars Nemesis had left burned fury into her mind. 

"You have moved? Was there trouble?" Her tone is troubled, anxious that some grave fate had befallen her pack. My pack? Yes. They were hers, and she was theirs. The she-wolf would never leave them again. "I missed you." This time she spoke quieter as if she hardly wished to be heard. Maybe she didn't. Auriel's mother taught her love was a weakness, and she had lived by those teachings. Until now.

It’s a moment of calming ecstasy as they danced and yipped at one another joyously. Yet, it becomes another thing entirely when she moves her sleek body against his and a pant of want erupts deep in his belly. A smirk appears in his maw as he watches her circle him, but is chased out of his reverie when she speaks of their move sounding fairly worried.

He waves his paw casually and laughs smoothly. “No nothing to be worried about, dear. Just planning a war. Nothing I havnt done before.” He says casually. 

Then his smirk becomes positively delicious when she admits the few simple words I missed you. His eyes soften align with his smile as he comes closer to her. “As did I, darling. It’s been too long.” He hums quietly, reverently. Moving himself to press their chests together and hook his head around her neck in a type of loose embrace. Pulling back only slightly to lap at her ear and cheek softly.

Donovan hasn't changed at all, she can still rile him up so easily. It would be amusing if she were not almost starving. The joy had begun to wear off, it had left her with a gnawing pain in her stomach. 

The wolf-dog's casual tone soothes her greatly, her worries about her pack melt away like the snow beneath her feet. "A war?" She questioned, watching him with a sultry gaze. On her travels, she had found males and even some females who had tried to approach her. None had impressed her quite as much as Donovan did, they all paled in comparison to his strength. 

He's gentle, as dangerous and huge as he was one would assume this hybrid was not capable of softness. Auriel loved this part of him just as much as when he tore Nemesis' head from her shoulders months ago. She'd love him still, no matter how many heads rolled to her feet. Her blue eyes slipped shut as she nuzzled her cheek along his, stepping back to admire him once more. "I wish I could stay here with you longer and bask in the sun, but I am very hungry. And excited." She sighed. "I have missed my packmates also." 

A war? She questions and Kynareth smiles mischievously, almost maliciously. “Yes, a war. With out old hardly allies Ursus. Merrick and his raven.” He hums easily.

Then as he enjoys the warmth of her embrace, she’s pulling back to gaze up to him with those beautiful eyes of hers. She admits that she is excited to see packmates and he understands with a deep nod. “Then we shall be off to the Strath, my dear.” He soothes her with a deep voice and a smirk. 

Offering one more lap of his to tongue across her muzzle he begins trotting, looking back at her expectantly to follow him. “It’s not so far.” He hopes it would ease her anxiety. “I will show you the ropes and gather food for us when we get there. Perhaps we can spend an hour or two together.” His attract baritone becomes hopeful and soft at the end as he looks upon her.

Without allies. "Who are we fighting against? What happened to our alliance with Ursus?" If one could even call the turbulent relationship between the Saint's and Ursus an alliance. Donovan seemed so at ease, though she supposed war was what he was used to. Auriel was still young to the ways of packs, let alone the complicated ties within and between them. 

The Strath. The pack's new hideout, it would take a while for the she-wolf to grow accustomed to this new territory. "Do you not miss Warrior's Heart?" The winding labyrinth the wolves once called home had been so comforting to her, she had felt pride deep in her bones every time they stepped into Warrior's Heart. 

Not far. At least that was some small comfort as she followed the striped male at a brisk trot. Immediately her tone takes on a playful hint, leaning against him with a wagging tail. "Doing what, exactly?" Auriel was not an easy she-wolf, sure she adored him, but she would pick her time and place. Playing hard to get was thrilling, especially when playing with such a dangerous hybrid such as Donovan. Picking up her pace in her excitement, she barked happily. It was good to be back. 

(Is this a wrap-up? Or are we inviting in new peeps so she can meet the pack?)

He barks out a harsh fit of laughter when she asks about what happened to Ursus. “One of their disrespectful ass kids attacked Nyra. She put him in his place and then shit got out of hand. Now we have to show them that the Saints aren’t to be fucked with.” He hums simply, his face shows how entertained and unworried he is about the war. As if Ursus has absolutely no chance at gaining an advantage, even if Moonspear doesn’t ally with the Saints. 

Yet at her sentimental mentioning of Warriors Heart he sighs. A soft smile replaces the harsh, teasing one. “Of course. I think about the Canyon almost every day.” He sighs. 

Then he carries onto her next almost suggestive question and he laughs once more. “Whatever you’d like. Hunt, eat, talk, sleep, spar, play.” He lists a few of the options even suggestively. His hawkish eyes meeting hers.