Blackfeather Woods fight fire with fire

Tulimaq was unsure if he should follow the advice of the stranger he'd encountered, but he left the tarn in good spirits regardless of what the information would unfurl for him. It took a few hours of careful, cautious hiking to get through the rest of the wallow-like mud flats, and then he began his hunt for the river that would point him in the right direction.

He wondered all the while if he was making the right decision. It was not like him to doubt himself, and truthfully it wasn't his own abilities that he doubted — his mind was still stuck on the boy from Easthollow and what might unfold for him should he be left behind. Perhaps he would return to the standing stones, offer him a choice. He also thought of the rage that might bring out of the behemoth that protects the stones (Greyback) and it warms him to the core to consider the possible fight that would transpire; how mighty he would feel if he felled that beast!

Before long Tulimaq could smell water in the air, and within an hour or so he could hear it. He came upon the creek and followed it as it coursed its way, not even pausing to drink or to recover after his long trek through the foothills of the mountains; he only paused when he caught site of a black cloud overhead, but it was moving with more speed than he'd seen from any cloud before. It was erratic. He sniffed at the air, expecting that the wind would have summoned a petrichor, but there was no sign of rain or snow, the air was clear. The cloud was a solitary mass overtop of a distant forest, itself a black smudge on the horizon.

It seemed as if the traveler had told him the truth, Tulimaq mused. He did not linger there for long, choosing instead to head straight for the forest over yonder — and when he finally came upon its borders, he made sure to investigate the area as he went for clues of habitation. There weren't many, or if he'd found anything it was vague and difficult to detect. Either the pack had dissolved or it hadn't been here in the first place, and that brought some ire to Tulimaq, his blood running hot.

Then again, perhaps these warriors were more duplicitious than others. They might've been more skilled in hiding than in fighting, which meant they were useless to him even if they were present.

Kalganov had been in a dismissive mood of most and while he would have loved nothing more than to kick this loner aside, it simply couldn't be done. So he let out a strong huff and prowled through the darkness to the borders. His tail lashed behind him with obvious agitation and acid eyes stared coldly.

I assume you have a good reason for standing around without calling so what is it? He asked as he stared down the male. Perhaps Kalganov was not top dog around here, or even in high standings but it was obvious no one else was around to deal with their nosy problem.

It did not surprise him when he was finally found out, but the creature that found him did not appear well suited to the environment. They were pale, almost as pale as a fresh snowfall, and reminded him again of the north. Their scent wafted to Tulimaq through the trees just shy of his voice, and when that voice came Tulimaq paused; he looked to the stranger and then, feigning ignorance, around himself as if he had been caught completely by surprise.

His brow creased. It was this stranger's scent that had been dabbling through the trees, his marks on unseen borders. They were the freshest. Was he laying claim to the forest or was he merely a pawn to someone stronger - someone more challenging to face off against? Tulimaq had no knowledge of this pack beyond what the traveler had told him, and had expected more than one worthy opponent to surface.

He did not know that the pack that lived in the wood was in trouble, that their numbers were fluctuating, nor that their masters were either absent (in the case of Kove, often deep in the forest) or dying (in the case of Relmyna). All he saw was this solitary ghost among the black trees, and as intrigued as Tulimaq was by their relative health and evident strength, it wasn't that impressive.

Calling for who? He queried with a light tone, as you might expect from someone who accidentally knocked on the wrong apartment door.

was granted permission for kalganov to smell fire (redhawg) on tulimaq, lemme know if you want any changes

For anyone. His tail gave a heavy lash behind his form. Even the dimmest know better than to stand around on someone's borders unannounced. His lip briefly curled before it lowered. Kalganov had to keep his cool for just a little longer. Surely this stranger would get it if he had any brains — which Kalganov had reason to doubt.

Had he been human, he would have been slicking back his hair and telling himself deep breaths.

His acid gaze stayed trained on the stranger. Then it hit him. A scent awfully familiar and it seemed to rip open whatever angry pit he had covered up moments ago. Redhawg. His hackles raised. His tail even threatened to curl up behind his form. Who the fuck sent you?

Was Kalganov paranoid? Perhaps. As it should be known that not everything was right in his head.

He was amused by the way this creature moved, the tone of his voice, his clearly defensive posturing and all of that. He was mighty in some ways - Tulimaq could work with that, he thinks - and then the conversation turns and he hears daggers in the boy's words. He doesn't know why the creature is so antagonistic (he is but one wolf, more likely a lost rogue) but the words sink in and Tulimaq thinks back to his last encounter, the freshest scent upon his body.

Nobody sent me, boy. Tulimaq responded hastily, a sour note to his words. An eastward traveler told me about this forest. They said there were warriors here — so I came looking. But it didn't seem like the pack was all that mighty after all. Your own markings are the strongest, so I assume this is your pack - yours, or the dying woman's. The other scent, the one that layered with this youth, was something musty and sweet, something he could identify as female as well as notice the off-note of weakness, illness. Besides these, Tulimaq had not found anything of note. If there were other wolves here they kept themselves well hidden.

Still, he did not like the way the boy looked at him. He wasn't afraid of the darkness of the forest, nor of the pugnacious warrior.