Bonesplinter Ravine finally getting to sleep

@Troy

under a grey and cheerless twilight an auburn wolf surfaced from a small dip in the terrain, her ears splayed as she stood on the rise and peered down the valley floor. a black gout of earth attracted her attention -- a scar that split the barrier mountains in the face of a cavernous and intimidating ravine.

but indra did not see intimidating - she saw shelter, isolation -- with nimble steps she cast down the slope, her footfall silent save for the occasional skitter of pebble across bedrock.

the gully that drew her was far less inviting in person; even from the cliff's height she could make out small interruptions in the earth below that she suspected might be bones. even in the colorless advent of dusk, that pale color was unmistakable. indra had never been here before -- and had she known the ominous name the ravine carried, perhaps she never would have visited at all.

twilight cast an eerie, grey glow over the teekon wilds the first night the lion realized he was out of his element.

massive paws gripped for nonexistent footholds as he slid his way down the side of the barrier mountain, brow furrowed in concentration.  he hadn't a clue how anyone made it down safely, but the steep cliff above determined there was no turning back now.

it was deadly quiet in the ravine — except for around him, where grunts of frustration were readily emitted and rock tumbled down and cracked against the jagged ground below.

by the time he reached flat and solid ground, his muscles were aching from use and though he was starving he figured unless lizard sounded good, he was outta luck.

the nord tracked the bone-splintered ground for some time until he found a relitavely unburied carcass and tore off a large bone to gnaw on later.

now time to find somewhere to rest (if that was possible).

indra had become accustomed to the relative silence of the ravine besides the wake of gravel in her passing -- so when grunts and the heavy footfall of another rung through the slab-strewn gulch, she felt the hair on her neck raise in alarm.

she was not by nature flighty, but without laurel, she was inclined to adhere to caution. had she the option to leave, she would have -- however, the stern face of rubble she had only just descended was prohibitive at best for quick escape. finding little option other than to rise to meet this stranger, indra rounded the cusp of rock -- only encounter what she could only describe as a leviathan.

she lacked the temerity to play casual - even the chilled rouse of her fur spoke well of her nervousness - and with a gulp, she announced herself to the white monster that was chewing some long deceased carcass (not puppy, indra hoped). "h-hello?"

His round ears swiveled the best the could atop his head as she called out a meek hello, and in return he let out a feral grunt, dropping the bone.  He would have stood over it, guarding it more posessively had the girl not looked so small and pitiful.

Running his tongue over his muzzle, he gathered himself. Greetings, he called, voice carrying to fill the distance between them. Don't be shy.

indra jumped back as the bone clattered against the floor. already she regretted calling out to the wolf - what if it wanted to eat her? what if it saw her as a threat? she felt herself shrinking against the ravine's wall, wishing she were but a fleet shadow that could part at the slightest hint of light.

for such a large wolf, it appeared he was not outright hostile -- indra's ears remained splayed in self-doubt yet she ceased her shrinking. don't be shy, the stranger instructed -- easier said than done for the trembling redleaf. "i'm ...always shy." she admitted, finding the way her voice bounced off of the gully somewhat reassuring. as if she were not small at all. "i'm indra. do you live here?"

He studies her for a moment, wondering if he had come off too forward for the woman's tastes.  He always had a way of being too much, it seemed.  But instead of turning on a dime and bolting, the red woman flattened herself and shook, taking the time to respond to him.

At least she hadn't run away.  Not yet.  A coy grin works its way through his large inky flews, breath falling out in plumes as a small laugh forced its way up from his stomach.  No, he assures her, I do not live here.  I wouldn't wish that on anyone.  But wait, does she live here?

He stretches, shaking the snow that clung to his fur and smooths his tongue over his muzzle.  What brings you to a place like this anyhow, little lady?  I'm Troy.

she was slightly reassured by his grin -- despite his massive features, the grin was genuine the way it loosely hung from his lips. indra had always been wary of strangers, but she did have a gift for detecting guile -- and it seemed no sort of dishonesty remained on troy's winsome muzzle.

she looked about them, her gaze trailing along the sunken walls where cracks and splits reamed through the faceless granite. a small laugh escaped her as she heard his comment - she wouldn't wish it on anyone either.  the bones and the half-rotted flesh were not exactly inviting and indra could not imagine them decorating the front face of a home decor magazine.

"i'm just wandering." she started, eyeing the countless pale bones that littered the hard floor. "i was from duskvale, but they're not around anymore. i was down here specifically for shelter, but i'm not sure if i like it here." she frowned, finding the grim decor most unsavory.

She seems to be comforted by his languid posturing and it soothes him a bit to know that he wouldn't have run his only company off.  This wasn't a place he was too keen on being alone in; who knows what might be lurking in a place like this?  

Even less did he like the thought of a timid woman being caught on her own.

I'm not from 'round these parts, don't really have anywhere to be.  Might find a place to shack up for the winter, but I'm not sure yet.

He rolls his shoulders in a shrug. Don't suppose you know anywhere?

indra shared the male's reservation for being alone in a place like this -- while at first she had been nervous by his presence, she was now at least somewhat comforted by it. he was big and most definitely male, two attributes that made most bad things stay at bay.

if troy had of asked her a year ago, she might have had answers for him. as it stood, her knowledge of what packs still subsisted was pathetic at best. she knew of blackfeather, and that was about it -- and even then, she didn't know the name. "i know there's a lot of packs in the valley to the west of us." she had traveled through only a few weeks before, finding her progress was often frustrated by the intermittent borders of various packs. "but i don't know their names, sorry."

Going back the way he'd came seemed less than ideal, and although a bit of his cheer dissipated in the night he still assured her. 'Salright, little lady.  I'm not sure if I wanna go back over there, though.  He threw his head back at the mountains as he talked.

He shifted, turning back to face her. Are you hungry or somethin'?  I'm not sure if I can find anything down here but it's worth a shot.

indra followed his gaze upwards, to the razor-backed mountains that flanked the cliffs. daunting, no doubt -- indra did not blame him for his reluctance to revisit their choppy slopes. she was not much a fan of mountains either. she found long hills taxed her energy dearly.

her expression grew hopeful as he mentioned food, and her ears cupped forward in attention. she did not want to be rude, truly -- but she was ever so hungry. bashfully she looked away and then looked back at the male again, struggling to find something to say that was between 'yes please oh my god' and 'that's very kind of you sir'.


"i'm definitely hungry," she admitted sheepishly, stepping forward to rouse the bones with her muzzle. "but i'll look too. if i find something i'll let you know?"

too bad it's not a seal

There was something about the way she turned from him in what he read more as coy than bashfulness that stirred something primal in him, but as always he shoved it down deep.  He was never the kind of man who used his size to impose himself on others, the kind to be overbearing and make women uncomfortable.  He never made the first move.

So instead he simply nodded in response and stuck his nose to the grindstone.  It was not the scent of the rabbit he was following that he ended up finding, though.  Instead, a mountain goat that had somehow fallen to its doom.

It wasn't quite dead yet, but its legs were crumpled underneath it in a sad, broken way and quickly, he ended its suffering and dragged it back to where they had met.

LMFAO oh my god thanks for the laugh again

indra was unaware of how he looked at her -- and even if she had caught it, it was so fleeting in its reality that she would have surely thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. mutely, her gaze followed after the large male as he forded down the split-rock. she had thought about following him and making conversation, but could not find words to say so stayed put. he was imposing enough she wondered if he even enjoyed exchanging pleasantries anyway.

her expression went from mildly sullen to overjoyed as he returned with something clutched in his massive jaws - curiosity overcame her and she skipped around him, nosing the ground with quick whiffs. goat. gratefully she stepped back and looked at him -- she would not eat first, for he had found it.

archiving <3

after the beast had eaten his fill indra fell upon the carcass. gingerly at first, she nipped -- as hunger consumed her, her bites became more forceful -- until she was ripping flesh from sinew and masticating with fierce abandon.

once finished she smiled and thanked troy profusely. she dipped her head and thought she ought to make it back home -- with bonesplinter vale fully canvassed, she headed back to laurel with fleet steps. it would be days before she returned to her sister, but the meal troy provided her supplied her with plenty of energy as she trevassed across hill and dale towards home.