Broken Boulder GPS me to the center of the earth

That morning was brisk and Ratio was still chilled from the night before - exposed, sleeping between two close-growing trees. He never slept without something against his back and he preferred a closed den. He couldn't be choosy - he just didn't have the resources. The cold settled deep into his pelt and stayed there. It wasn't enough to cause him to shiver but he felt like he was made entirely of frost.

Snow crunched under his paws as he stepped into a clearing, head low and eyes cast forward. He saw the strange boulder almost immediately and shifted to move around it without much thought. It was when he drew close enough to notice the strange way it split at the base, the tops leaning against one another like old friends, that he stepped to the rock and stared up at it with mild curiosity. 

Leaning forward, he began to sniff tentatively, walking around the base as he did so. It seemed innocuous enough and as he stopped at the other side of the split and poked his head between the two halves he began to scrape snow out of his way.

He wandered.

Further than might have been advised but it had become painstakingly clear that they needed more. More bodies, more mouths, more minds.

So there is some pleasure, in this desolate wasteland, that he finds somebody else. A man. Large. Working away at the snow.

For a moment, this reads as a threat. As if this man intended to make home here. But he is only one and perhaps he is simply looking for something. Lost.

Prophet offered a low chuff, tense as he awaited whatever reaction he got.

Ratio was preoccupied and not being of a paranoid or skittish nature, he didn't keep a particularly close eye on his surroundings. He was sure if a bear came crashing through, despite winter, he would certainly hear it. Beyond that, he was uninterested. He never heard the wolf approaching him until he made a small sound and Ratio raised his head from the crack, turning to angle his body toward the male.

His eyes met those as red as his own. Not unheard of, but it caught his attention. It made him quiet for a second. Then, he realized, he was simply being looked at. Flicking a single ear in irritation, Ratio asked with clear annoyance - "Yes?"

Was this the wolf's den or something?

Despite the tone, Prophet appreciated the man was simply blunt. Little words to mince or dance around. It was always easier this way.

Why do you work here? Are you making a home? Questioned with a command in the back of his throat.

If this man intended to set up any sort of claim here, Prophet figured he was fit enough to end it before it began. The Rise did not need strangers or competition in these times.

Ratio was very accustomed to the bark of a command and it did not bother nor halt him - he was a follower by nature, even if he did not seem it. He appreciated the blunt request for information. He would rather not chat and he was much less irritated by the knowledge that the male did, indeed, have some reason for standing around and staring at him. 

"A home, no." he had no intention of staying in one place. Not for now, at least. "A den for the next cold night, yes."

He saw potential here, carved from the man's size and the seemingly aloof nature that surrounded him. It could be worked with, it could prove useful.

Do you wish for a permanent place for cold nights?

There would be things needed in return, but he would gauge the situation as his questions were answered.

Ratio was taken aback. Was there an offer? Did he want the offer? More information was needed. He supposed the short answer was that he was not...or that he was not looking yet. He frowned. It was more complex of a question than it seemed. A place to settle for a while was more ideal than wandering long term, but what did that mean to this wolf?

"Maybe. It would depend." he thought a moment, then elaborated. "I am not looking but I am not completely opposed. Do you offer something?"

A home. Food. Protection. You need not worry about where you'll go on the coldest, hungriest of nights.

What more did wolves need? Especially when offered so little in the life of a loner. He had been lucky Avi had scooped him from the Taiga's grasp when she had.

All that is asked in return is either your skills as a fighter or hunter.

It is as simple as it is complex.

ooc; I only don't have him go because I have threads where he wandered north after this. I need to account for those, otherwise, he would have accepted here!

Those were things he wanted. In the simplest, most basic terms. Balto was gone. Dead. There was nothing to be gained from Ratio's continued jaunt. He would not find his lost friend in another, nor a companion of the like - there was no such thing. It was a fluke, his bitterness had convinced him of that. There was no longer anything to be found in his lonely wandering. Why was he hesitant?

"Fighter." he clarified. He could hunt but he was bred for fighting and that was his preference. 

This male. He liked him. He liked the way he spoke - so little. He was an imposing figure, not a wretch begging for help. Ratio didn't know the group he was referring to, perhaps there were some who did need help from those like him. He wasn't against that, either. Yet, there was a pang in him that asked him to keep walking. It was foolish at best, he felt that - he knew that. But it called him. 

"Do I need to accept right now?"

completely understandable! :D i am always open to more threads with these two in the future as well if he ever changes his mind!

A fighter.

Prophet wished to scoop him now, drag him back to the rise and toss him before Avi. Prove that she had not done everything just for their numbers to be picked apart by death.

But the man was hesitant and it wounded the ego of Prophet. Not enough to show, but there is a dip in the pitch of his voice.

When you are ready, Intentionally not an if for he hoped to coax the man back still. come to the rise near the tangled woods and peak. Call for the Berserkr.

Ratio felt a relief that he had not expected when the wolf was agreeable to his hesitation. The Berserkr. Ratio would remember that. He felt a pull to this wolf and he imagined he would not ignore it for long. 

"I will." he said and his tone was sure - a promise.

last from me! thank you for such a great thread :D

He had wished to come home with another body, but this was as good as anything he supposed.

Prophet would offer a firm dip of his head with a polite rumble. One last long look at the scarred, red-eyed man.

It would be hard to forget him.

ooc; Same! I'll figure out how to archive it and get it done. Thank you, this was awesome! :D

Ratio nodded back.

He was no longer entirely interested in spending another night here, curious rock or not. He turned away and headed south, though he had no reason to do so. He would continue his little wander, get it out of his system, and then...then, he would come back.