Sleepy Fox Hollow las olas de mi mar

@Iqniq

Trees were a welcome change for the Sawtooth spider. Every inch of the thickly wooded area had a type that had begun a slow change in color. Colors varied in stark contrasts between oranges, yellows, and reds. Greenery still covered the forest floor in the form of ferns and grass-like overgrowth. Wide paws made little sound within the damp terrain, coiling through the thicket of life in a flippant exploration of new terrain. While this particular location was not technically claimed by the Spire wolves, it was close enough to be considered as such. As if to punctuate this meaning, leg hiked up against a thin tree with peeling bark. 

After marking had been complete, the spider continued onward at a lazy pace, taking time to inspect low hanging branches that still carried a tuft of fur.

Sorry it took so long for me to get to this thread! I am here now!

The Spire was wooded, but sparsely. Trees flourishing amidst the snatches of soil and stone were a difficult thing. They had cover, but it was not nearly as thriving as their neighboring forest which was safely tucked away in the valley of neighboring mountain peaks. He was a forest wolf, truthfully. His pelt was far more suited for the vibrant reds and yellows and oranges of the leaves that painted every deciduous forest in flame this time of year.

He'd spotted the hollow from the distance. He'd traveled there once before as a lone wolf, but hadn't visited again since. Feeling somewhat nostalgic, he ventured in that direction and eventually picked up on Aasivak's trail. Their spider was crawling. What webs was he weaving this time?

Curious, Iqniq followed their spider's scent. Here and there it was thicker with the remains of still-drying urine. Scent marking. A pleased rumbled sounded from within as he took a few more paces and hiked up his own leg. Why not let the world know these areas were encroaching on the lands of others? They lined the corpses of their enemies on their borders. Further warning would serve the domain that was the Spire well.

More stalking and he eventually joined the wolf. Iqniq nosed Aasivak's scruff briefly in greeting before they continued on within the silence of this thriving wood.

Don't be silly! ♥

Whatever had traipsed within these woods before had left their shed guard hairs. Nostrils traced one curiously, finding it to be that of some deer. Nothing too large and nothing too bold. An ordinary doe, perhaps, from the Spring time birthing. 

The alpha approached. Inky ears swiveled to capture the sound of paws within debris and a flicker of light exposed the russet swathes of fire amongst coat. The leader was a welcome sight, gaze pulling across healthy features for any semblance of harm or malady. Finding none, the spider dipped head to accommodate the higher ranked wolf, a twitch of tail and dip of neck accepting the physical greeting. With a smooth pickup of paws, the lanky creature fell into line beside the Spire wolf, to accompany the silence with travel. 

A pause allowed more urine to sprinkle amongst the trees, unwilling to share the lands that surrounded the mountain. Ears twisted towards the leader at this thought. During fishing at the Springs outside their doorstep, the sharply-cut wolf had sensed another pack within the wooded terrain just at the foot of their territory. Their closeness was competition for resources. A huff of air tumbled from flared nostrils, nasal passages surging an inhale afterward reflexively. "What of the pack in the woods next door," he wondered out loud, unsure how the Sawtooth did not see them as threat. According to Tonravik, the Spire held no enemies. Gaze darkened, fiery glimmer flitting briefly across the leader before another pause prompted a scent mark against a sproutling.

A brief greeting and the wolf was quick to remember his place. This pleased him. There were no questions or qualms about their place in life. They simply were. Sawtooth wolves. Family in their own right. Capable of far more than they let on as their pack secrets were held close and not shared with outsiders. They were transparent in that their mountain was claimed, but they kept to their upper reaches and prowled when necessary. Even then, not a word of their own was shared unless an outsider was accepted into their fold. They kept to themselves. Mostly.

Today they patrolled, slipping down into the recessed valley between the folds of the surrounding mountains. The fox hollow. The forests here were rich and protected by the peaks which rose around it. This place was something of a sanctuary those looks themselves were deceiving. He'd never pick this place for a home. Enemies crawling up a mountain were slower than enemies rushing down. He preferred to catch a wolf in their tracks than to trap them after they'd already invaded. It was easier that way. Less intel lost. Curious that their spider was contemplating similar things.

"The pack to the west?" he asked. "Blackfeather Wood?" There were more packs beyond that, he knew. The rest of which were settled not in the woods. If there were others, he knew not of them. His knowledge of this land spread across the plains towards the ocean. Since the storm, he'd only ventured to check on the wolves of the plains. That pack had been enemy to them once, but they were no more. His children were safer for it.

The close proximity of the forest wolves bothered the spider. The Eta had not witnessed any within, nor what they had titled themselves. The only information gleaned was that Tonravik did not mention them as enemies yet their borders were obnoxiously close. Having no prior knowledge of any territory in this particular section, the soot-colored spider could only stew on how everything happened about.

Their name caused a tilt of jawline, neither caring for it or allowing the sound of it to be displeasing. It simply was. A nod ascertained that, yes, this had been the proper location in query. While the Sawtooth were perfectly content on their spires of cold rock, the woods below the spire peaks were a constant reminder. Perhaps the recent interaction with an aspiring new pack was to blame for the sudden interest. 

Another pause allowed urine to spritz onto a small shrub, paws kicking a bit of soil across from in in an effort to imprint toe pad scent within the earth. Gaze crept upward to scout the ragged ridge of the mountains that cupped this location, wary and cognizant of potential spies.

A glance towards the spider was met with a nod. Iqniq returned the expression. He understood. They were on the same page when it came to which pack was in question. What of them? "They are nothing." Not a bother to them. A nuisance to all of these wilds perhaps, but nothing all the same. They were wolves who dreamed of being bigger and badder than they were capable of. They spatted curses that were false and spun yarns of their wicked ways. If any such things were true, he'd seen no evidence of it. Only rumor. Only talking. Words were wind.

He pressed himself against the lower barks of a tree and rubbed the oils within his coat upon its base. Had he encountered those wolves? Once or twice. One who was insane and spoke as though that pack were something to be feared... but she had later foolishly appeared on their former borders while pregnant and had been chased away with gnashing teeth. Lusa... Another one had been a slave to them and later a member of the Spire for a time before absence drew him away. The rest? He knew not of them or they were of so little consequence he spared no time in thinking of them.

His gaze drew higher, tracing the horizon lines of the mountain tops in the distance where the trees parted enough to steal a glimpse. Nothing appeared to be out of place, but eyes often lied. If they wished to know more, they'd have to ascend and inspect the place more thoroughly. He pressed forward, continuing in this patrol before he paused and looked towards his shadowy companion. Any questions? he seemed to ask. His response had not offered anything by way of explanation.

Nothing. Nothing was terribly close. Even if it was nothing. It wasn't the answer that the inky Eta wished to hear and silence was taken as the two set about their duties. Nothing else was added to the conversation. The Spire wolves, unlike the spider, were more keen to mind their own and adhere to the mountain. While there was much to that pact of solitude, there would always be a little deviance for the inky wolf. He liked trouble.

The silent question of whether or not there were questions was met with more silence. Reluctantly, for now, the Eta would give them their peace and stick to torturing those that wished to lay claim to a southern forest outside the mountain range. No physical reassurance was given of this topic, dropping it completely with a flick of gaze and attention. 

Leg lifted upright to sprinkle a mark or two against some grasses, the undisturbed location, by now, was thoroughly saturated with the Sawtooth claim. While it was not considered part of the territory, there was plenty warning that this quiet sanctuary was frequented by the neighboring pack of carnivores. It was a resource even if others did not see it as such.

He could not help but think his response had not fallen well upon the ears of their newest wolf. No matter. The wolf was new. He was learning and adjusting to their ways. It would take time in order to garner some form of understanding. He'd been equally as rebellious as first. As questioning. As unwilling to accept the way of things. Time had tempered him. Time had taught them Tartok did not invite war unless provoked. Perhaps in the future there would be reason for that to change. But for now and with the location of their home so new? It was far better to remain unknown and unseen. Their marks were better suited for their infant borders than the rest of this land.

Iqniq paused, lowering his nose to scent the hollowed base of a tree. The scent there was fading. Not of wolf, but of fox. A creature the Spire took great care to exterminate. Aasivak marked. Here too, Iqniq pissed upon the place a lesser canine had lain and frequently. It'd best not return. He'd warned it off for now, but foxes, he was learning, were a particularly stubborn bunch who picked up the pieces where coyotes did not. They were equally as annoying.

Unrelenting in this particular discovery, the russet wolf turned, shifting find and flush out those foxes with a fire of his own.

The fire-twinged leader gave a pause, attention dwindling to that of a tree. Flippantly, the spider paused as well, observation toiling over the small den there and the overwhelming aroma of fox that came with it. A species, apparently, that the leader did not take kindly to. A tasteless mark was delivered to the doorstep and, apparently, more were to be had. How the Blackfeather roost could be nothing was beyond the Eta. 

The spider followed, if not at a decreased pace. The hunt for the tricksters was only pertinent if the leadership thought it so. Wide paws clipped into a small ramble, plucking up an easy lope that tailed his alpha with little to no effort. Only a few meals and the inky drifter had more energy and aspirations than before. There was an uncertainty of where, exactly, the pair were headed and whether or not the dashing alpha even desired his darker company. In any event, he followed sullenly, nostrils to the air in desperate search of a trail or other such information.

His strides were purposeful, long and true as he prowled. His nose shifted, reaching to the skies and falling to the earth; passing back and forth between the two as if he would somehow find the answer he was looking for. The fox den. He wanted to find it. In his persistence, he stumbled across the hole. The scents were still stale. Whatever had lived here had moved out and relocated. If it was anywhere near their lands they would be found. If they'd moved further away? Their departure might have saved them.

He snorted, his nails raking over the ground as he lifted a leg and left a stream of piss to serve as a healthy reminder towards any creature who might see this empty burrow as an opportunity. He'd keep an eye on the spot in the near future, but for now he was content to turn back and patrol elsewhere. In doing so, his eyes fell upon their spider. There was something in his countenance that screamed in disappointment. The Blackfeather thing? The wolf had gone silent after that.

"A coyote killed one of our own last month," he said, turning his paws back in a slightly different route from which they'd came. "A yearling wolf new to our ranks. We were new to the Spire and they ambushed the welping den when the pups had barely opened their eyes. Our claim then was fresh and lacking. Our claim now is thick and riddled with the bones of those enemies." Coyotes. Foxes. Whatever reminder they so chose to disperse as warning to any who might come too close.

"The pack in the woods? We moved in next door to them. We are the unknown threat to them. They know nothing of us and are therefore nothing to us. Rest assured, if they grow too curious or draw too near they will become something and we will not hesitate to prove we, in turn, are something to fear." He turned his heavy gaze towards the spider. "We are no longer the strangers we once were to this mountain. It is ours. It will stay that way."

Poor Iqniq is like STOP BEING SUCH A BABY GEEZ

Perhaps noseblind, it took the fire-cloaked alpha stumbling into the densite to even alert the spider, attention shifting suddenly for fear that this was an ambush. Ears jolted upright suddenly, skin bristling with adrenaline before realizing nothing was actually amiss. Dawdling sulking had done little to keep cool composure. Attention turned to the concave hole in the ground, following the stream of piss from the leader with a kick of soil. Paws raked earth into the opening, rudely filling it in to squash out any attempt to invite new residents.

Perhaps sensing irritation within the Eta, the alpha elaborated. The understanding sank in, the solemn tone soothing any worry of bloodshed and retribution. The Sawtooth were, in fact, the new arrivals, poised upon their mountain to overlook the Sunspire range. Jawline lifted, heaviness of this new found information sinking into chest and absorbed. Fiery eyes hesitated on the stalwart warrior with respect and admiration. A nod bade confirmation that this was understood, remaining silent but much more informed on the subject. It would no longer be a bone of contention. 

They were nothing. 

The looming silence was lifted of angry tones, yet an awkwardness filled it. "Is the coyote dead?" he asked pointedly, curious if the animal even made it past the dens without suffering greatly for its mistake.

OMG. He's like, "WE'RE NOT WEAK I PROMISE. WE HAVE OUR REASONS." -pets them-

His monologue complete, all that remained was a stretch of silence as they wandered through the autumn wood. These trees were not yet painted with the frozen stillness of winter, yet even as they began to die to this present season there was a hollow sort of promise held within the vibrant colors of these leaves. They'd fight to hold on. Then they'd fight to forget.

His own thoughts drifted. There was a tightness to his jaw and tension within his shoulders as he found himself walking more swiftly than he intended. Realizing this, he forced his pace to settle and slip into a more even tempo. He'd thought he'd recovered from the failure that had been Kanik's death. It was clear now that loss still weighed heavily on his shoulders.

A question rose. Iqniq's gaze narrowed, his line of sight drew more focused as he pressed back towards their mountain home. "I took its head." Even now that coyote's skull was something of a plaything for his kids, a trophy of sorts, and a bitter reminder that safety was only ever an illusion. The rest they'd destroyed as a pack until that unusual group of coyotes was no more. All of them dead.

His thoughts had darkened and he found himself requiring solitude. He glanced towards the spider once before he slipped through the corridors of trees and disappeared.

-Iqniq exits-