Sheepeater Cliff foglet

though dawn had come and gone, a heavy pillowtop of mist lingered over the sunpires in an oppressive halo, and what little greylight there was failed to overcome the sky-fallen miasma. stigmata descended the mountains with great care - intent on not being the fool who slipped and died because of a cold fog - but it was a slow and arduous process that took nearly all morning to complete.

when he had at last absconded beneath the realm of low visibility, he found himself standing just north of a few squat, impassable cliffs. he could see the pale coats of mountain sheep dotting the sheer rocks here and there, but they were the only creatures skilled and foolish enough to travel this area with any competency. the warhound shifted his gaze skyward as he heard a screeeee overhead; turning lusterless eyes to watch a massive golden eagle circling the cliffs ominously.

repost. @Kazimir, hopefully this spot is ok

She had been a fool to assume navigating the cliffs would be something she could add to her skillset. She had climbed up them and managed to get back down alright, but it had taken hours and had been excruciatingly difficult hence why she was now resting before she even finished the climb. The mist was horrible and made the visibility poor, so as she stood to proceed to climb down and bumped into another body it wasn't surprising that she gave a startled growl. 

please forgive the horrible post

to be more clear: he traveled to the cliffs beneath the fog, not in them :)

stigmata, having both heard and smelled the hybrid's approach long before he was finally noticed himself, snarled back as she threatened him with her growl. the audacity! to raise her voice at him - as if he had invaded her space - and without an air of an apology was blasphemous. "back off," the warhound commanded, once and irrefutable, without needing to shout. his eyes bulged, and lips trembled, as steam seemed to pool from his every pore; a dangerous ripple traveling down his long spine; and a mad gleam to his offended and wicked stance that begged her next step be tread carefully about this uncoiled basilisk.

Kazimir had indeed backed off, she had stumbled a few feet away and warily reguarded the male incase he chose to come at her in retaliation for her mistake. Where she was from (Russia was where she considered her home since she spent most of her life there) if you made the mis-step and bumped another you should be prepared for an immediate outburst of temper. While the man did not physically retaliate he did become quite rude and she stiffened, chin lifting as she smirked. She held her tongue for a moment, eyeing his demeanor, noticing that he looked so poised to strike like an angry snake. She wondered how much more it would take for him to spring. "Otvali" she cursed in her native tongue, a smirk forming. "It was accident, really. No need to get your tail in a bunch" her accent was thick, rolling off her tongue as she swished her tail and eyed him up and down as if calculating the maximum effort needed to take him out.

Otvali="Fuck Off"

his warning sufficed, for despite her up-tipped chin and mouthy demeanor, the broad she-wolf made no physical move to further antagonize him. stigmata wasn't so reckless as to be goaded by unkind words, even ones in another language, but there was only so much disrespect he was willing to receive in his presence before enough would be enough. she was smirking, but he didn't know what was so funny about any of this. "accident? so you are both blind and without a decent nose?" he scoffed, tucking his chin and clucking with disappointment. "pity. such a waste."

For a brief moment her eyes narrowed, flashing angrily at the words she was sure were meant to try to goad her into a riled state. Then her expression changed and she laughed at him, choosing to take the route that would have them both hopefully leaving without any injuries. "You have a point. I should keep my eyes on the path. Nose open as well." she forced the tension to leave her body and instead turned to scan the cliffs, the distant bleating of a mountain sheep gathering her attention. She took a few steps backward and lowered her chin, eyes sharp with humor and lips curling upward into a coy smile as she used her feminity to hopefully earn her an escape "Well, If I am waste as you say I will make my way off" she kept her gaze on him as she turned to the side, intending on heading off unless he had anything else he wished to say.

he watched her deflate, taking his sneer in stride as opposed to escalating, as he had entirely expected. stigmata could recognize when he had made a mistake - for the most part - or when he acted rashly, and he felt no shame in admitting when it happened, for he would always make it a point in himself to try and improve for future circumstance. it wouldn't do for the wardog to fly off the handle each time an accident occurred. that's how foolish wars started.

he sniffed after her as she went, and cleared his throat to call out. "you at least have the sense to preserve your body, as a lone wolf," he said, noting her lack of companion scents. "you are not a complete waste, then." he didn't mind if she continued on her way, but he did not let her go without acknowledging her incredible frame and the fact she'd made the right choice standing down. there was no doubt the two of them might gravely harm one another, and neither canid seemed to want that.

She paused as he called out after her, smiling and silently laughing as he complimented her if you could call it that. She took a moment to stop laughing and slowly turned, a playful glint in her eyes. "Let harm come to my body?" she asked with mock horror. "That would be a waste" there was a tiny bit of flirtatious there though it was clear she actually meant what she said. She would fight if needed, protect her home and friends but she would do her damned best to make sure her body was never messed up too badly.

her vanity, while unattractive to some, did not perturb stigmata in the least. possibly because it in no way compared to the sinful vortex that was his own sense of self-worth. he was a vainglorious tower of countless sins marked deadly for pride, and he had no mind to change any time soon. he wasn't the kind to be swayed by flirtations, but he could appreciate the sentiment behind it. the wolf thought himself desirable, if not to the naked eye, then to a fellow wolf's sense of security. he would make an outstanding ally - sociability not withstanding - and in his holy opinion, any wolf wise enough would try to take advantage of that.

now that she had shown something other than her good looks, just as it was with the problematic meeting of finch, the warhound felt inclined to take a second look. "i agree," the wolf opined, tail swaying thoughtfully. "allowing any fang to defile you would be criminal. which brings to question your scent: it is singular. why travel alone and put such a body in jeopardy?"

Kazimir almost thought he was flirting back but as she repeated his words in his head she realised he was actually serious. She definitely agreed of course so she didn't say anything and as he continued to speak, she turned around completely so that she faced him and lowered her hindquarters to the ground. She thought over his question for a few moments, her face going serious. "I am picky with who I ally myself with. I am not the most agreeable person and I detest silly, peaceful groups while also detesting groups who attack and slaughter without purpose. I want to find a place where I can pledge loyalty and actually mean it, not use them for the safety and warmth and food." she explained honestly, her orange gaze focused on him directly. "I have enough confidence in my ability to fight that i feel I can defend myself if someone tries to attack me. I do try to avoid most wolves when I am alone though. As for the cold, I grew up in a place called Russia where the cold is much worse than anything you can imagine here. I've learned tricks to keep warm." 

She explained this all without any boasting, she was actually confident in herself, not in the cocky, arrogant way most were. She truly believed she would be alright. Then her face took on a hesitant expression and her tone changed into a confessionary one "I do realise that I have not been alone during winter before and It will be hard. I will eventually settle I hope. Whether into a pack for the winter or a pack for life, I do not know" there it was. Her current fear. That she would have to stick with a group of wolves that she could not truly stand or get along with long term.

will fade this here for both our sakes lmao

stigmata listened, but couldn't help but feel distracted, wanting more and more to return to his sheep-watching rather than listen to the history of some stranger. she was interesting, he could give her that, but his goals that day were more on his empty belly than imperialism, and she was currently impeding the process. "i have business of my own at the moment," he sighed, tail flicking with mild annoyance. "but you seem more than capable, so i do not feel bad leaving you alone." he turned away to depart at angle that would allow him to keep her in his peripheral until she was out of range. "i do hope you find some place worth your time," he said to her in farewell, watching bemusedly as she went on her own way too.