disappear

Backdated to the time of Ton/Iq's arrival back. This is not a mandatory packtivity, but participation is advised!

Two nights ago they had returned. Tonravik kept to the borders now, early enough in her pregnancy to not fret too much for the lives within, and not yet experiencing anything but frequent urination. Two weeks along, and that was the only sign of note; there was no nausea, or vertigo, or anything else. Everything was normal and calm, at last; it was something she was grateful for, despite her proclivity for violence.


But the peace was quick to end. Blood and fur littered the borders, and a scent that caused her lips to turn into a quiet snarl. Nearby was a mountain lion, she knew; but what else? It was clear there was a struggle. Tonravik smelled Ivitaruk, and she threw up her head, howling for him. Location. She waited. Five minutes passed. She called again. Location. Silence.

Her eyes panned back to the scene, and she followed the blood. Tonravik howled now to the pack, to assist in this search. For him. For the culprit.

They'd returned. Their trek away had gone on for far longer than he desired, but there was a part of him that believed that time away had been worth it. Back now, he busied himself with reacquainting his senses with the status of their borders, replenishing their caches, and checking in on each of their wolves in turn. It seemed Tonravik was doing much the same. She'd called for Ivitaruk. Kero hadn't seen him since they'd been back.

Not long after a second howl went up, this one for Ivitaruk again. His ears flattened as his paws immediately shifted direction to join his mate. Something wasn't right. Ivitaruk hadn't howled back and as far as he knew, Kroc hadn't said anything about his venturing away. Had something happened? He pressed closer still. A third howl. This one for the pack. Something was definitely amiss.

He came across the scene and found his mate with her nose to the ground. Blood. He could smell it on the air. And mountain lion. That, he discovered when he lowered his nose. Putting two and two together, his mind leapt towards a conclusion, but didn't settle there. He was hopeful, but in the back of his mind, he was realistic. Blood, a mountain lion, and a missing wolf were three coincidences too many.

Ooc - short post here to get this in while I'm on the phone 

The first howl was all she needed to adjust her direction, heading towards Tonravik. She covered a good amount of ground before the second call went out and Kroc's expression turned grim. Ivitaruk was a loyal creature and even despite his disquiet, she knew he would not leave without saying anything. She put on the speed now, soon arriving on the bloody scene. 

The pungent smell of feline was thick in the air, and it was relatively fresh. A growl started low in her throat, having been vacant from this section of the borders when it had happened, obviously. Immediately, she began to scent the ground, looking for any hint that she could find 

Only Iqniq and Nanuk came. That was enough. He responded to none of her calls, which could only mean that he was no longer around. Tonravik did not think he would flee without needing to; but Ivitaruk would also have warned them of the danger in any way he could have. It was unlike the ruddy man to go quietly... which caused her to assume the worst. There was no body. Not of his own, not of the cougar. Only blood and tufts of fur could be found here and there... but none of it put a map together. It was intermittent, and strange. No true conclusion could be gained in the moment. Tonravik gleaned that her subordinate was dead only because he had not called to them to warn them of dangers... then again, the scents were but a day old. Perhaps he would return.

In any case, this threat existed still.

They would need to take it out, if Ivitaruk had not already. If the creature was alive, it would give the alpha female her answer. In this fight, she understood that one would die and the other would live. The dark woman could not see Ivitaruk letting the creature survive after the fight had begun... she hoped to find a camel-coloured corpse.

They scoured the area. Noses to the ground and air, they sniffed at scents and tuffs of fur and splashes of blood as they all tried to make heads or tails of the scene. They didn't need much in the way of confirmation as to what had happened. There was a scuffle between their wolf and a mountain lion. Both were missing. The scents were a day old and fading fast. There was little more to go off of. The question was... what would happen next? Go after the mountain lion and hope they find their wolf in the process. Hope the mountain lion was dead. Hope their wolf just needed to be nursed back to health.

The fading tracks and prints didn't not lead back towards the Spine. They'd encountered nothing of the sort any closer to the heart of their home, which suggested the creature had been run off or their fight had been taken further from their borders. Nose the the ground, he kept searching and happened upon some brush that looked trampled underfoot. Broken branches. Scents that were fuzzy beneath the natural oils of the plant when it had been crushed.

He let out a chuff to alert his pack mates that he'd found something of a lead. Between the three of them, they'd be certain to track down the rest of this struggle.

@Tonravik @Iqniq can we wrap this one up soon?

They spread out, searching in earnest for their wolf. That he had not earned them struck her as odd, as well and her gut told her that things must have escalated fast, suddenly for him to not do so. Likely, the feline had gotten the drop on him, if that was possible. While Kroc did not want to consider such a thing, she knew she had to. It wasn't an option to assume otherwise, because Ivitaruk was not a foolish wolf. Had he led the attack, surely he would have called for assistance. 

With the lead SFB found, she spread out from there, searching tirelessly as they followed the supposed path of the struggle. As the trio moved, Kroc let a tone rise out of her throat, seeking an answer from the wolf again, much as Tonravik had not long ago. She paused, earls perked to listen.

*sux bad*

The sound of Iqniq prompted Tonravik to move in that direction without delay. She shuffled to the side of Nanuk with a lifted head, ears preened forward as she looked to the broken area that showed signs of something occurring. While there were no direct answers yet, Tonravik lowered her head to inhale deeply. The scent of Ivitaruk was surely there, and her jaw clenched.

Tonravik took two steps ahead, sniffing. Nothing there... but perhaps westward... Tonravik looked back to the red male and then to Nanuk. If her comrade had survived this, there would be a time he would return. Perhaps he had not, to lead this adamant beast away... if he lived, she wondered if he would return, or if he would report to another branch as sometimes would happen. Tonravik did not desire to think of if he was dead. But if he was... he was sure to be avenged.

Whatever lead they found was quickly explored. All three of them scoured the area, turning their noses to the ground and wind to see if there was anything else to be discovered. Nothing. Little more. It seemed they'd found something of a dead end and the rest could only be left to speculation. What had happened to Ivitaruk? The world might never know.

Nanuk's howl was fruitless. No cry was returned. The scents they followed could lead no further. Iqniq lifted his head, turning his eyes elsewhere as if the trees would somehow give him the answers he was looking for. No such luck. It appeared as though their wolf was gone and whatever happened to him after this scuffle was purely up to fate.

He turned his gaze back towards his company. He had no idea what they were thinking, but unless they discovered something he missed, he didn't see any reason to pursue this further.

@Tonravik Ready for a closer!

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No scent, no answer, no lead. Was he dead? It was a solid possibility, one that she considered heavily. She also considered the fate of the feline, and she hoped it fell in a pit and died a miserable death. Her gaze went to Tonravik, and then Iqniq with no question in her eyes. Ivitaruk was lost to them at the moment, and the question of his return would go unknown until he showed up on the borders alive, or his body turned up somewhere else.

Their lack of success in finding the body of Ivitaruk did not dampen her spirits, but lift them. And while there was no sign of the feline she liked to think it had perished. Her ears flit atop her head as she stares into the distance, and only when she feels the gaze of her beta did her attention break. While she was disappointed nothing concrete could be found, that the cinnamon male might still live yet was enough for her to feel strangely content. He might be alive yet. Tonravik hoped that this theory might be proven rather than disproved in the coming days... but they might never know it.

Her eyes fell then to her mate. They had combed through the land for a while, but could not leave their home together for too long given their standing. Especially if there did happen to be a cougar out there. If that thing survived, it surely could scout out their home if it so desired. The woman turned to loop behind her mate and arrive at his side before attempting to nudge him forward, her touch light as she breathed him in. Possessive as she lingered there. The alpha female wished she could know of the status of her comrade, and was reminded of mortality and its unexpected end. Tonravik chuffed to Nanuk and moved toward her in turn, thankful for her assistance and existence. She swept her gaze back to her mate, and gestured to her side. Her hormones were wild within her, despite being in the early days of her pregnancy. Her gaze lingered upon him, firm yet soft as she comprehended her unwillingness to lose them.

They were all in agreement. There was nothing left to see here. Their wolf was somewhere out there and alive. Unfortunately, that also probably meant the cougar was too. They'd tighten up the defenses on their borders and keep an eye out for the beast. Beyond that, he didn't think there was really any more they could do on their end.

He glanced briefly towards Tonravik when she nudged him. He didn't understand what it was for. She did the same to Nanuk and he turned his gaze towards the Beta. Catching her eyes, they shared a glance before they all turned and ventured back home.

-fade thread-