Greatwater Lake The Hanging Tree

Everyone is welcome, preferably someone from another pack or a lone wolf, even wild fauna . More than one can reply to this I don't mind

The days following his stay with the Blackfeather Woods pack, Akela needed to still an itch he had. He needed to move, all this time on the road, it made him foreign to being anything but a nomad wolf. The move he moved, the better he felt, because he disappeared in the woods, ran with his ancestors' spirits and just emptied his mind from the ghosts that keep following him, slowly torturing him, now that he saw all this life bubble around him back at the pack's current location. It was true that Burke was right, that the life in a community made got him to calm down, and think no the less of past years, when happiness had been embodied by Catori.

The mere thought of his dead mate made him run faster, faster and faster until he reached a big lake. He knew that area for having crossed it on his way. Slightly panting he looked around. There wasn't much going on, he found this area of the Teekon wilds to be quite too silent, nothing was moving, even prey seemed in a state of not wanting to disturb...maybe it was the aftermath of the storm. A longing to normalcy. The wolf took the time to drink from the lake. There he thought he saw the shadow of Catori again...running in the light between the trees. He chased her, as he always did. She always brought him where he needed to be. That path led him to a hanging tree, ..or well it was not hanging, it had grown on a verticallly on a rock, which gave it an impression of hanging. Some branches were hanging from it, he frowned as the game between light and shadow made it appear as a wolf hanging from that tree. Maybe he was losing his head, maybe not. A sound to his right made him raise his ears and tail, alert.  This could be a mountain lion, or worse a bear, or best case scenario a wolf.

Hope you don't mind me! Also ohshit I didn't even realize his mate was named Catori until I read the post like a third time. WELP HERE WE GO

What a harrowing experience. Her path here hadn't been terribly bad one, but it had been long and at times, lonely. She supposed that was the nature of being a lone wolf but it didn't make her miss her family any less. Then again, she'd had an idea of what she'd chosen to do before she'd even left the Tribe so this was her own doing. Catori had wanted to experience the world and what it had to offer, and learn from those she met. Perhaps one day, she'd return to them but for now...

She looked around, bright eyes taking in the trees surrounding her, moving to take a step forward but freezing on the spot when she heard something. Silver tipped ears erect, she listened and waited for something to come into her vision, which was perhaps not the smartest course of action now that she thought about it. Without another thought, she ducked behind the large tree near by and made sure her silver coat was draped in shadows so as not to reveal her location as she peeked out from behind the tree and watched for whoever — or whatever was nearby.

omagad, this is going to be interesting

Akela remained perfectly still and roamed the area with his ears, nose and eyes. He could feel that soemone was near. It was that tingling sensation in the back of your head to be watched.  He did not really like it, because those remaining in the shadows were usually predators, and were usually waiting for the right moment to snap.  He was not planning on being anyone's food today.  However, Akela did not leave the area, nor did move.  He thought he saw something move by a large tree, but maybe it was just his imagination , the dance of light and shadow.

To make sure however, and to calm himself down, he tried to bluff.  "You know,  I see your tail " he spoke out, loud enough for anything and anyone to hear.

He saw her tail? Her head turned to look at the silvery appendage limp against her hind quarters. Looking back at him, Catori remained quiet for a moment, thinking of how she would respond. If she said nothing, he might go away, but his bluff intrigued her. Was he trying to scare her? The female wanted to find out, which was against her better judgement. Then again, she has struck out on her own to experience the world and the beings in it.

"And I can see through you." The counter was vague but she meant it to mean she could see through his bluff. She was unafraid of his reaction, inheriting a strong and courageous heart from her parents. No doubt, this would get her into trouble one day but for now, it served her well.

Akela frowned. Wow, that did work. He was impressed with himself. Whatever the reason to move, the other wolf had moved.  " Believe it or not, you are not the first one to say so.  I'm like an open cracked carcass. " he replied with a sly smile. The female that had presented herself in front of him was quite the sight for sore eyes.  He learned that the wolves being in the south had quite strange reasons to be in these lands.  His body language was not aggressive, only neutral, with a slow waving tail and an upright position.  He had inclined his head a little to take her in with more sharpness since his left eye was only half working.  "What is a lovely wolf as yourself doing here on her own ? " he asked.

Bright eyes examined him, watching the inky, scarred wolf as he spoke. The idea of an open carcass put her mind to food for a brief moment and she made a mental note to go hunting soon. Though, why should not believe him when he had said she was not the only to say such a thing, Catori wasn't sure. First or not, she had still seen through his bluff; she had simply revealed herself to find out why he tried such a method.

Her posture mimicked his, parroting his behavior as he posed some sort of question that almost sounded like a thought rather than an actual question. "Reasons that are neither here nor there," She responded, unwilling to tell him that she was here simply because. A loner was she and if he smelled that on her, then so be it, but it was still information she would keep close to her chest. "Your statement was false; I was fully hidden." Her light accent could not be masked as she made her observation but then again, Catori made no effort to do so, proud of her heritage and origin. "Why lie?"

Akela smiled far too charming. "If you knew it was a lie, why did you come out of your hiding spot ? " he asked back. Answering a question by a question was not something he often did, but in this case, he was just shoving the fact that his tactic had work.  He had called into nothing and an echo had responded. She might have seen through him, but she still made her presence known.  "I felt something ... see it as if saying  hello anybody there after having a sensation of being watched or hearing something.  Maybe it wasn't you, but you're the one who reacted to it, not because you were busted, but I'd say you wanted to give this a go. "

He came closer.  " Reasons neither here nor there....I can relate to that. " he spoke, the female clearly waking an interest in him.  He liked smart, he liked smartass with humor.  "I've been in your paws until not so long ago... you're hungry ?"

A valid question, of course. She could have just slipped away in almost-silence and let him think there was something lingering around him when there was not. "I like to know the reasons behind what others say and do." An honest reply, as she had no reason to lie or hide anything. Similarly, she admitted that she had been the one to make him feel like he was being watched, if only because she had been. "I was watching you," It was a simple statement, the color of her eyes roiling like the clear ocean waters they imitated as the tribal wolf regarded him.

With a step taken closer, she took a step back, as if in a dance. She was not frightened of him, no, but she had no knowledge of who this wolf was and had no trust for him; which was not to say that trust between them could not be had, but simply that there was none yet. Her ears were perked as she spoke, listening to the words he said, the intonation of his voice, the inflections and questions wrapped in his vocal range. "Is a lone wolf not always searching for their next meal?" Truly, she had done as her mother had bid and let the prey lead her where she would go. The girl kept an eye on flocks and herds and whatever else she could to make sure that she stayed healthy and strong.

But this time, there was no herd in mind as there was a school. She volleyed a question back at the dark male, simultaneously accepting the offer of his company and someone to hunt with. "Do you fish?"

"You're a cerebral wolf. But do not search for reason too much with me, you might get mad trying to understand just what motivates me " Akela commented.  He wondered what had decided the female to come out and engage a conversation with him, . He tilted his head.  "Did you now?"  he made a pose .  "Was I fabulous ? Attractive ? Haaandsome ? Mysssssterious" he cooed with a sly smile and his tail puffed like a movie star, not that he would know what a movie star was. Her eyes so crystal blue reminded him of just how haunting Catori's were. It took him a little off guard.  She was an attractive wolf, smart, yet not giving him her trust that easily.  He liked that.  " Not always ....when it's not food, it's shelter. "

Akela smiled at her question.  "I do. "   He could have gone on on how he had tried to remain on a piece of wood, to float in deeper waters to get fish, and how he fell into it.  Funny times.

Cerebral. A curious word, one hat the girl didn't know. She held her tongue until he finished though, manners important to the younger female. "What does cerebral mean?" She found no shame in asking, silver dipped tail flicking idly behind her. She would not learn unless she asked. While she had no reason to "get mad" and knew she did not, Catori found no importance in arguing that point with the dark male. If he didn't want to tell, she would get learn from the rest of his actions, gleaming what she could about his personality and drive.

The striking of his pose threw her off, brows furrowing a little bit smoothing out as she answered this. "You seemed different." A simple answer but true. at the mention of shelter, she smiled, a pleasant and warm expression. "I am partial to sleeping under the stars, myself." The silver female found little use for shelter unless it was against the cold or particularly dangerous weather. Not all wolves preferred this though, and she understood this.

"It smells as though there is a watersource nearby. We can what the local aquatic life has to offer." She was self sufficient, mostly, and there was a heavy amount of unfairness of she did not assist him in securing a meal for them both and so had every intention to assist.

"It means you reason more than you act on impulse or instinct. " he explained naturally. He did not mock her or replied with arrogance, it was simply explaining.  Language was not something easy, a lot of wolves did not talk or very little, simply relying on body language. There was no shame in asking for something you didn't know. That's how you learned.  Beings who stated otherwise were plain stupid themselves. He meant it as a compliment, to be honest, he preferred wolves who knew how to think before they did something. In his years on this earth, he had encountered many , only few had he granted his will power to endure their company.

"Ah, thank you for noticing, I work very hard on not being as everyone else. " he spoke coyly and wiggled his tail. He was silly, truly, but life was too serious to be serious.  He had learned that the hard way.  "I'm a cuddle monster, it's incompatible with being a loner. Or well I cuddled trees for a while ... delirium of  starvation"

The wolf nodded.  "That is correct. There is a lake nearby, if not fish, we'll surely find another meal to share. " he spoke. He moved into the direction of the lake, stopping to make sure she was following.  " May I ask your name , darling ? I'm Akela. "

So he didn't want to be the same? That was interesting, if only because the girl thought that a tribe consisted mostly of wolves who thought, acted, or believed similar things. Could you still be different from the majority if you were in a tribe too? Thinking on it, she supposed it was possible. Her brothers had been a little more oriented on fighting and leading than she had been, which had set her apart apart from many wolves in her tribe. She had no desire to lead or participate in competition, aside from that of survival. It was something to think about later, when she was alone again.

"So you're a tree hugger? Literally?" She asked, lips curling slightly at the corners of her mouth into another faint smile. "The lack of one thing can make you appreciate the presence of another," She offered, perhaps trying to find a reason he had devolved into a cuddle monster when he had been starving. When she was desperately hungry, she found her way to a forest, instinctively knowing that there was wildlife there, even if it hid and eluded her. Sooner or later, she had caught something and had started improving from then on, thanks to the presence of the trees.

As he started to lead her away, her small paws carried her forward after him, nodding in agreement with his words before answering his inquiry. "Catori. Well met, Akela." Bright eyes looked ahead of them, scoping out the lake that began to reveal itself. Without warning, her stride opened up and she sprinted ahead to close the distance between her and the banks, smiling as she peered into the water's depths. To her delight, there was quite a large school of fish swimming there, oblivious to the fact that the silver canine prowled nearby, settling her excitement before she stepped into the water, careful not to spook them now.

"Literally...which is not so bad, considering it just made you smile. " he spoke and winked.  The male shook his head.  "Wile your words are true, I would give up on finding reason for everything that unfolds in this life or in me. You'd get a headache before the end of the day. " he warned and teased at the same time. The reason behind things. It had driven Akela mad. He was still trying to find a reason behind what had happened to his mate and their unborn pups, how he ended up here, so far from his native home, how he had been forced to leave everything behind for her. Life was a strange path , and became even stranger when she finally revealed her name.

The wolf stopped, frozen into place while she passed him with a  sprint to the lake. Time stood still for seconds on while the wounds in his heart just ached with a new more aggressive pain. His pack believed in the native American "religion" , particularly the tribe that believed that a dead's name should never be spoken out , because it could just bring the spirit back, because it was called. Yet here she was, with Catori... from afar she did look like his mate, no ? He shook his head. He was losing it again. He was sure of it. Quietly and slowly he approached her, unable to take his eyes off of her. He stopped at the bank, to watch her hunt the swarm of fish she had probably seen.

The wink took her off guard, her smile widening a little sheepishly, before adamantly shaking her head. "I'm not the type to give up." She never had been, a headstrong young girl that kept her parents' paws full. There was a brief moment of pain but she masked it, by now spouting off her name and running off to the lake in the distance. She hadn't noticed that he'd hung back, immediately focusing on her newest task, her tail wagging lazily behind her as she examined the water's surface.

Now though... Now, she stilled, movements careful as she attempted to get the jump on her prey. One step, then another, and another, all movements controlled so she didn't disturb the water. Once in place, it was only a matter of time. Except... Where was her companion?

Turning her head, she looked for him only to find his dark form on the shores still with an odd look in his eyes. She frowned. Had something happened? At this possibility, she gave in on her endeavor and turned from the fish to pad up the banks and meet him there. Bright eyes traveled his body to see if he had been harmed, but there was nothing. Confusion write across her features. "Is everything alright?" She asked, unaware of his hesitation or what could have caused it.

Akela had lost himself in the memories of the past. On the surface of the water, he saw old flashes go by, of a time he had tried so many times to forget. Fate had a way to be cruel and slap you without warning. He could not describe what he was feeling, the pain mixed with that emptiness that he was feeling since his Catori had passed. Worse, it was slowly filling with the same guilt he felt when his teeth had brought death upon her. Swallowing thickly, he snapped out of his morose daydreaming and looked at Catori with a strange distant and saddened gaze. Still under the emotion of what had happened, of what that name had triggered.

"Everything...is fine. " he replied and forced a smile on his feature.  "The name your bear was also the one of someone I held very dear to my heart...it...you....remind me of her." he confessed and cleared his throat.  "Anyway...those fishes won't wait for us" he moved on not wanting to stick too long on that topic. He knew how he got when letting himself swallow in it all.  So he walked to the waters, to get that fishing going.

There was something in his eyes, something she had seen in her mother's eyes at times. What it was, exactly, she couldn't be sure but she knew it wasn't a pleasant look. Concern wrought her features, tail hanging limply behind her as she waited for him to answer. She was close to calling his name when he seemed to snap out of it, giving her an answer that she did not believe for a moment. But she also wasn't one to pry, and would have left it be if he had not gone on to explain a little.

That she shared a name with someone surprised the girl, though she did not comment on the fact that she thought her name rather rare. Perhaps the other female was or had been of the same origins, the Great Spirits connecting them in some way. She opened her mouth to say something but the words didn't come. To be honest, she wasn't sure what to say past a heartfelt "I'm sorry..." She had not meant to upset him, after all.

The dark wolf turned the subject though, walking into the lake that she had just been standing in. For a few seconds, she stood and watched him, knowing that she would let it drop without another word.But that didn't mean that her thoughts wouldn't reach out to the Spirits around them and implore them to give the man some sort of peace. She did just that too as he paws carried her forward now to his side, her movements slow and careful once more. The silence shifted now as they waited for their aquatic prey to swim as close as they had before she come out of the water to see to him.

"Life sometimes, my dear, is highly unfair, but you make it worth for a while. I thank you for your concern he spoke, when she joined him in the water. He was not that rude to just abruptly change subjects, but she could understand, if she made the effort to. He did not move then, remaining perfectly still , an eye on the water and any movement. Fishes were sneaky to get, especially when you were waiting on them.

It took a couple of minutes before he saw the shimmering of scales. His body tensed, like a bow ready to fire. Focused on the prey, he waited, and waited, then shot for it. Head first into the water , teeth ready to grab. He managed to catch it in extremis by the tale and lifted his head.  The fish was literally bitch slapping him as he got back to the bank and moved his head several time near a rock, so the fish hit it until it lost consciousness. He then let it go and shook himself from the water.

Make your life worth while. It was a fascinating concept, something she'd never quite thought about. Yet, she didn't say anything more on the subject, allowing it to well and truly slip away, even if she did have questions. She wouldn't do anything to make him uncomfortable or unhappy. It didn't matter that they had only just met, for Catori cared for all things and all wolves. The Spirits did the same, forgiving even those who wronged another if they simply atoned.

Instead of speaking, she arrived at his side, coming to a stand still in the water. The fish weren't terribly put off, it seemed, his teeth quickly snagging on out of the water. She thought his method odd, beating it against a rock but to each their own. She was more the one and done type, watching the waters for her own target. When the moment came, her head snapped forward like a viper's, teeth grabbing their victim to crunch down and punch through scales. The tail slapped her muzzle once or twice in its dying throes before she pulled herself out of the water, dropping the fish on the shore to give her fur a good shake.

With a slight smile and a glance to his darker form, Catori teased him lightly. "For a moment, I wasn't sure who'd get knocked out first. You or the fish." Her words were playful and light, aiming to help shed the weight from the previous turn of conversation.

There were surely other methods, but Akela liked his fish a certain way.  Plus he was aiming for more fish, causing the blood to flow was just filling them with water, he did not like that.  He left the fish on the rock and glanced at Catori.  A chuckle escaped his lips. "That was the idea actually" he teased back. "Of course you would have saved me if the fish was that mean, right ? " he added.

He looked at the lake again , debating if he was going to go back or not, but decided that one was enough for now. "Let's feast then" he stated. Once they were done. They parted ways.

- Fading end -