Stone Circle While on Patrol

@Birk Just going to post a chill start

---

The seasons were beginning to change and even though it was slight it was a welcoming feeling. Howl didn't appriciate the damp ground, but with the thought of less and soon no snow he tolerated it. Spring was comming around the corner, slowly, but surely and Howl was experiencing them first hand on his early morning patrol. Marking fading scent marks and making his scent known through the territory.

Though abandoning his night-patrol duties, while Valette was away scouting in other lands, had been a very tempting option, Birk's better half (and the selfish-part had something to do with it as well) made him keep his word. After all he had not been here long enough to make just the right amount of good impressions in order to make the climb in the ranks and eventually becoming a leader himself. From his point of view - he was nowhere near to achieving this goal this season anyway. 

Therefore around the same time Howl had set on patrol, Birk was returning from his, ready to take a well-deserved rest and sleep all through the day. Imagine his surprise meeting another one this early! He stopped, scrutinized the wolf, who he had seen around, but never approached to get acquainted and decided that this would be just as good day as any other to do the thing. Therefore he set off, approaching the other i the calm-confident manner and greeted him with a friendly bark. "Morning," he said, "everything right on this edge of the borders? Cause nothing interesting, where I come from." He beckoned towards the area he had covered during his night patrol.

He was only a few minutes into his patrol when he began to see the figure of a while male, finishing his own patrol. It was someone he had seen before, but never had the chance to speak with. And if he didn't at one point hear his name, he had forgotten it now. He recipricated the males greeting and nodded his head with a smile as he did, "Good morning."

He wasn't quite sure what the male was asking, his vocabulary and speak style was a bit different then Howl's much more casual. "Nothing outstanding to report." he declared. Wanting to become aquainted with this male finally Howl introduced himself. "I don't believe we have been properly introduced. I am Howl." he proclamed waiting to see if this male would introduce himself aswell.

"That's good to know," Birk registered the news, but really thought that this was boring. Where were the snow beasts to fight with, where were the bears, when you needed to show off you strength, courage and valour? Not that he wanted to get his handsome face scarred or any of his limbs (and other important parts) ripped off, but he found it hard to prove himself valuable, if only he had to do was to relieve himself on the borders. 

"Birk," he replied. "Since you are of a talkative kind - I believe that you are a recent addition as well?"

The white male introduced himself as Birk, before asking Howl is he was new. The way he phrased the question was a bit strange. What you his talkativeness have to do with how long he had been here? Or was the fact that he was talkative the reason he was asking his question? In either case, Howl wasn't too sure if he would still consider himself new to the pack, but it was something that might be a matter of opinion.

"I don't know if I would consider myself new. I've been here for alittle over 3 months now. Why do you ask? Are people here usually not as talkative?" he stated and asked.

"I believe that among themselves they talk frequently and at lenght," Birk said with a smile, noting that this fellow was in the category that did not understand word-plays and careful fit hidden in the sentences. Therefore any attempts to joke further along the conversation would be misunderstood or Birk would be forced to explain again, what he had meant.

"Not to me though," he shrugged, though this was not entirely so. Yet - for such a family oriented pack, he would have expected to feel a lot more comradeship now than he actually did. "But perhaps I am wrong and I hope that I am. So - Howl - where did you come from and what led you here?"

Suuper sorry for the wait.

---

Howl was starting to see where Birk was going with this. That he hadn't had a chance to speak with the other members of the pack, or at least to him they seemed to now want to talk to him. Howl found it hard to think that members of this pack would choose not to speak to one of their own members. It seemed to him that if they didn't like someone they wouldn't be in the pack in the first place. But Howl also didn't know this individual too well. "I don't imagine them "shunning" new comers. Just need to get yourself out there a bit and I bet you'll get someone to talk to." he tried to say encouragingly with a smile.

When asked where he come from Howl responded by saying, "I came from an allied pack known as Morningside. It's Northwest of us." he answered, "What about you?"

"Faraway North," Birk replied - by now he had said the same lines about his origins so many times that he was tired of elaborating on the subject. Because quite naturally people were curious about the land of ice and no sunlight for half-the-year, about the ice-trolls and white bears, tough wolves with nasty tempers and the ultimate survival of the fittest. And by the tenth time it was not interesting for him to explain again. 

"Hey, look at that!" he pointed out to Howl, spotting suddenly in the distance.

He nodded when Birk spoke about comming from up north. It didn't mean much to him other then that it was probably alot colder up there. When he thought of wolves from there he thought about them having thick compative coats, but throught nothing of mannorisms or temperments. There conversation was fairly average, nothing too exciting but they were keeping it going.

How wasn't sure what to say next, but it didn't seem like he would need to say anything more when he was alerted by Birk to look at something. Howl turned his head in the direction that Birk was looking but couldn't find what he was talking about right away. "What is it?" he asked usure if what Birk was was something dangerious or simply fasinating to him.

Birk was not so sure for himself, because the object that had caught his interest was some distance away. He cast a quick glance at Howl, inviting him to follow, and then set out to the land that lay beyond the borders. As he neared, the form of the moving creature became clearer, until they were facing a fully grown mountain lion walking through the plains and until the two wolves had made their presence known, it had minded it's own business. Now it stopped and turned to look at the two predators with a mild interest and no fear.

He didn't answer right away, but instead offered for Howl to follow. He did, carful not to make too much noise as he was unsure of what they would be approaching. Then, as they moved closer it was clear what Birk had seen. A mountain lion wondering too close to the territory for Howl's comfort. It looked in their direction and for not took no defensive stance, but it also wasn't quick to scatter, which Howl would have prefered. He didn't want to fight this mountain lion, but he needed it to get out of here and not feel that it would be welcome. "Hopefully we can just chase it off without a fight but... You ready?" he said ready to try and take on the lion.

Birk hadn't had any plan in mind regarding the mountain lion and was a little taken aback, when Howl actually wanted to do something about it. For a split of second he regarded the other man in a perplexed manner, then looked over his shoulder to the borders of Easthollow that weren't far enough to let the cat simply go.

"Oh well - what is the plan?" he asked the other, because he had more experience in avoiding predators his size than scaring them away.

When asked is plan Howl responded rather honestly, "Well, I hope that if we simply charge it together it will get the message that it isn't wanted and leave. But if it does come down to a fight I suggest we take opposite end. One in the front and one to the rear. Whoever is in front keeping the cat's attenting while the other goes for the back legs. What will most likely happen is that the cat will spin around and the roles will be swapped. Once that happens a few times the cat should simply get irritated enough to leave... If not..." Howl trailed off there. They would have to fight. "We could always call for help too if it gets really bad. But it's got to go one way or another." she said looking over at Birk to see what he thought of the plan. Howl was ready to execute once he saw that Birk aggreed.

Birk nodded in agreement, though Howl had spoken so much and at such lengths, that he had properly heard the first part and the last part, the rest had passed through his ears and mind and had not left a trace. Therefore, when they acted on the plan, Birk thought it safer to follow Howl's orders and adapt his own moves and actions according to them. 

You can summarize, what happened in your next post, and fade out. Thank you!

With Birk's nod Howl moved forward and so did his companion. The cat didn't move forward but simply lower themselves into a defensive stance. Howl didn't try to understand what must have been going through that cat's mind. It would have made sence to simply leave to him but his only goal was to have it leave. 

The spread out around the cat and with Howl being the biggest of the two wolves the cat's attention went to him. Howl beared his teeth and barked at the cat. The Cat hissed and growled right back and went to paw at Howl. He backed up just in time for it to missed and almost right after the Cat turned round. Birk had had a chance to bite the cats hand legs and get it's attention.

Waiting no time Howl did the same. This seemed to irritate the cat enough to slowly back away from the two before running off. A bit of an adrenaline rush but nothing the two couldn't handle. They spoke a few more words before parting ways.