Totoka River if given a knife and a hand in which to hold it, the mind would eventually eat itself

@Embry

further and further he trekked until he felt that he had fulfilled his wanderlust for the day. with one glance over his shoulder, the dark-hooded savage peered back to where he knew the sound rested and breathed a heavy sigh into the winter air. the further that he extended himself, the longer it would take him to return home. illidan did not want to venture far, or for too long, with the threat of the cliff wolves looming over their heads. he knew that they could crawl down from their perch and into the sound without remorse; they would take what they wanted, just as they had before.
 
the more that the wildling thought about it, the more he felt it rile his spirit. so, he cast it from his mind and turned his attention to the river that branched out before him. on lean limbs, he moved toward it and stepped into the chilling grasp of the water until he had numbed the sensation of distrust from his body. only then did he peer down the coast toward the land that he had not yet explored. it seemed as though the seaside stretched forever and there was not enough of him to know it all.

The shoreline was grey and seemed to shimmer in the chill of the winter morning. There was a brisk wind, familiar to any proper oceanside, that buffeted Embry as he progressed along the sandy strand. He had awoken earlier in the day than usual, and so his only viable activity to employ himself with was patrolling this wild land he called home.

He was moving carefully but with a particular intent to reach the inlets of the Sealion Shores when he first spotted a potential intruder. It wasn't hard to detect the dark coat against such light ochres. Immediately, he felt an overwhelming sense of hostility - not so much towards the wolf itself but the reason for which it was even near Stormrift's territory. 

With a grunt, he started into a smooth stride; tail raised and flowing like a banner as he moved. As he neared, he slowed his pace and scanned the male, searching for scars or any telltale sign of trouble. He would try to avoid an outright attack, but if need be he was more than prepared.

"Who goes there?" He called, noting now the lean build of the male he encountered. "And what permits you to trespass on our bit of paradise?" Embry could smell the scent of other wolves faintly on him, though it eluded him as to what pack in particular he originated from. Nevertheless, Embry stood on the edge of the river steadily and gazed with a pacific charm at the newcomer.

illidan made his approach like a gunslinger ready to draw his weapon. his eyes were latched tight on the burly figure of the male at his front. the words that had been thrown to him did not make sense to the dark-hooded youth. he furrowed his brow over his hawkish gaze and glanced from side to side at the river that stood between them and the sands that rested on either side of the flowing water. there were no scent markers that far out, were there? the wildling certainly wouldn’t have been foolish enough to miss something so obvious, no matter the thoughts that plagued his mind.
 
the young ghost opted to take a risk and narrowed his sights back on the stranger. he scoffed softly, drawing his brows into a knitted line over the sharp yellow of his eyes. “i’m not on pack land. you drink too much sea water?” he grumbled to the male. he knew that the brine in the ocean was enough to drive a person mad if they were to attempt to drink it like the water inland. he had made himself ill when he’d lapped at it as a young boy and had never forgot the retching that ensued in the days after.

Embry frowned. The wolf approached him like some sort of haunted creature, prepped for the attack. Himself, Embry stiffened his muscles in preparation for a blow. 

That's when the boy spoke. Embry furrowed his brow; drawing himself to his full height and casting a flinty stare at the stranger. He didn't like being scoffed at, and he especially didn't like it when the sea was involved. He didn't let the vexation overwhelm him, but it was evident in his sudden hostility. There was a hint of disappointment, too, in his pale blue orbs. 

"You're close enough," he remonstrated tersely, ignoring the sea-water comment. There was a challenge in his voice, as well. It slid across the air as though daring the mantled nuisance to test him.

haunted he was, as well as prepared; illidan trusted nobody. the wolves on the cliffs had caused enough harm to his body as well as his psyche to leave him with little humanity to spare for anyone else. the thought that he was being harassed by this brute when he was nowhere near the scent of claimed land was absurd, and he was not prepared to let it slide. close enough wasn’t close at all if he couldn’t even smell the bastard’s piss on the terrain. the young ghost was going to make it clear that he wasn’t budging because of some brute’s territorial nature.
 
“eat crow; i’m nowhere near your turf. you need to lay off the oysters,” the hooded youth snapped back with a violent curling of his dark lip over his fangs. as if to say that he was not eligible for bullying, the ghost drew his head upward and straightened his shoulders to show the taught muscle of his frame. he did what he could to hide the lacerations he had received from the wolves of drageda.

Embry was a patient guy. He didn't rise to anger quickly, and when he did, it was by dint of being piqued. Standing there, with the wind and the river providing the only movement amidst his eerily statuesque body, he found that this wolf was bothering him. And he simply would not stand for it. What was he, anyway, if he could not teach this boy a lesson or two about manners and respect? It was one thing to be rude, and another to continue being so.

Himself, Embry was looking forward to a good tussle. He was always up to learning new positions and strategies, and he found that the more he fought, the easier his muscles took to a mind of their own. Plus, the river would provide ample opportunity to refine his aquatic combat capacities.

Without much more preamble than the bunching of his muscles in preparation for the motion, he made a leap into the swift current.

well, illidan felt like he had to have struck a button somewhere. then again, he hadn't been acting at the height of politeness. he was sick of being pushed around by strangers who had no place. even worse, he was tired of the constant need for others to demonstrate that they had claimed a land by inserting themselves wherever they wandered and shoving it down people's throats. it was like they didn't get enough pleasure out of simply having their own turf – they had to make sure the rest of the world knew it too.

the coffee-colored male seemed to have found the last straw. he bunched his muscles and leaped into the river in a powerful display of his capabilities. the initial reaction had caused the young ghost to tense quickly and lower his crown to protect himself. the only thing he could manage to do was to defend himself from the incoming attack. he reeled his dark lips over his glinting canines and allowed for the jagged hairs along his neck and back to spike dramatically.

The ocean was still fresh on Embry's mind, and the passion instilled for his new home was not easy to quench. The more he dwelled upon the notion, the more he felt a surge of pride. This energy fed upon his protective nature, overbearing as it might be at this moment. One of the things he had learned along the shore was to never hesitate; not even so much as a hair's breadth. If you weren't certain with your decision, you simply waited. 

Embry was surprised by the youth's defensive aptitude, having counted him to be more of the contrary sort. Somewhat humbled by the sight, Embry didn't completely unleash the wrath of his fangs. He would at least make this worth while and drag it out. 

The river tugged at his fur as he moved, straining his muscles with the effort of resistance. As soon as he neared, he stretched out his arms and pushed through the weight of the water; making to tackle the boy with his large paws spread wide.

no matter what he had attempted to brace himself for, the weight of the stranger was far too much for the young ghost to withstand. he felt the sharp sting of the other wolf's paws as they struck his frame, and no amount of willpower would keep him on his legs. instead, he grunted from the force of it and toppled into the sands with a pained umph and a searing pain that erupted through the wounds he had garnered from the war with the wolves of the cliff. he would regret his decisions at a later point; in that moment, illidan was keen on keeping himself alive.

the wildling did what he could to prevent himself from being tangled up in the limbs of the larger brute. though he had grown considerably in the last few months of his life, he was still not done. there were many months ahead of him in which he would find his body stretching out to fill the extra space that was there. as much as he wished he was, illidan was not indomitable. so, he kicked with his hind legs and aimed to strike against the stranger. his hope was that he could push enough to get back to his feet.

Up close, Embry could smell the fresh tang of dried blood on the boy's flank. The idiot's wounded, he thought with a twinge of dry humor.

He enjoyed the smooth thud of contact that tremored through his body, noting how the sand somewhat palliated the full strength of the blow. In the tendrils of his mind, Embry knew what he was doing: he was going to give this dark fellow a chance to actually learn something in a fight. 

He felt legs clip at his lower portion and responded accordingly, keen to protect the layer of flesh between the world and his organs. Instead of completely backing off, though, he dove straight for the checkmate. He needed to get some sweat into this guy; make him really squirm. No more just pushing. This was survival. And he was aiming for the neck.

wounded more than just physically, the young ghost had been ravaged his entire life by the circumstances that had unfolded. he had been torn clean open from the inside, and he thought that he could feel the leaking of his kindness in every passing moment. it was as though he had been born with a leak, and all of the good things that had once existed inside of him were gradually drizzling to the earth and disappearing forever.

illidan's eyes were wild as the brute seemed to pull back slightly. he wriggled something fierce, but there was a distinct moment in which he believed that he would taste his own blood in the back of his throat, and that the other man's fangs would sink deep into the tender flesh of his neck. ”no!” the wildling barked desperately before flinging himself upward and attempting to headbutt the sandy brute.

Embry suppressed a wry smile as the boy reacted. He half-expected a powerful thrust or some attempt at a roll from the veiled youth, and yet what he was given was something that struck Embry off-guard. He saw the origins of the motion before he shut his eyes tight, anticipating the collision of their craniums. 

There was an odd thumping sound before the sand and sable bodies split. Embry bit back imprecations as drums clashed within his temples; a cold and pervasive pain that sucked the breath from his lungs. Perhaps there could have been more strength behind the blow, but what made it truly impressive was the precision behind it. Right between the eyes is where it really hurt. 

He wheeled backwards and tried to shake the spotlights flashing through his retinas. Every motion was marred by watery vision and audio. He shifted into a defensive stance, relying on his muscles to guide him to a familar position where he could prepare for an offense.

Embry would remember that one. It was (literally) stunning.

yes! but, god... that was painful. he felt the crunch of his skull as it smashed into the other male's and all at once, stars erupted into his vision. he was sure that he'd bitten down on his tongue in the process, but it seemed to have surprised the brute just as much as it had rattled illidan's brains. the boy watched him take a few staggering steps to adjust himself, shaking his head to clear the ringing. in that moment, the wildling took the opportunity to rise to his feet and take a defensive stance that would protect his throat.

through the entirety of his scuffle with the stranger, the boy could not stop seeing the battered figure of his father on the shore of the lake. he couldn't remove the images of the broken jaw or the scavenger birds that had landed to feast on the remaining bits of flesh. he did not want to end up like his father – not yet. he did not want the birds to flutter down to tear away at his skin. this sandy stranger would not be allowed to take his life.

illidan made an attempt to appear stalwart and capable, but he could feel how close the other male had been to his throat and he knew the danger that he possessed. it had not been wise to snap at him, but he was tired of being treated as though he was a plague. he was capable, damnit, and he was going to show them that he was.

As the pangs subsided, Embry caught a glimpse of his opponent moving hastily to his feet. Good, he thought, bitterly. All it took was a bloody migraine to get some sense knocked into his skull. 

But he was genuinely relieved, because he could spot a subtle change in the youth's demeanor, and it garnered a twinge of pride; stale though it was.

Not allowing any time for futher prevarication, the tawny brute initiated a second assault. This time, he dove for the shoulder; pearly whites bared in a menacing flash of natural blade. He knew this would be the best way to get a feel for the boy's fighting style.

i rolled to see how badly illidan would get smashed and got a good high role, so that's the only reason he didn't get toppled again! here's a link to that: https://i.imgur.com/W603fCV.png <3

the stranger did not seem to want to waste any more time. just as illidan had found his footing in the sands, it seemed that his attacker was aiming to land a strike against his shoulder. the same flood of adrenaline that had poured through him before seemed to have returned to his frame. he shook against the weight of his body and the wounds he had already sustained, but somehow was grounded.

that did not stop embry from finding a mark against his shoulder. illidan snarled in response to feeling the sharp pain of it, but he did not falter. this was surprising for the youth, who had imagined that the weight of the other man would send him back into the sand. instead, he endured the pain that was administered to his shoulder and swung his head around in hopes that he could latch his teeth to something that would soften the blows.

aw, geez! I trust ya, man, no need for the evidence. But thanks for taking the time to do a roll - you're awesome :)
*holds up gun* now give me some of that luck

There was a satisfying sensation of teeth against skin, and yet, to Embry's surprise, the contact was rigid. There was a shudder from the muscle of one to another, but aside from this he gained no more leverage than to merely stand there as though dazed.

It would be false to assume that Embry was in no way amazed by the brute strength of this stripling. In fact, he was inspired. It was invigorating, after all, to witness this revolution taking place before him. Before their paths diverged, Embry would need to get this man's name.

For the time being, he resorted to plan b and planted his paws hard into the ground. He was unwilling to retreat at this point. His muscles were gripped by adrenaline; tense in a manner well-known by the fawn male, who had learned in youth the value of fine positioning when in such tight situations melee encounters so often induced. It was then that he felt the convulgence of his opponent's shoulder sinews within his mouth. Upon instinct, he recoiled - only just in time to escape the brunt of the other's probing fangs, but not without a couple new threads of inky, sanguine blood to accompany him as he withdrew.

the strike against him was brutal and he could feel the fangs of the brute tear against the flesh of his shoulder with precision and intent. there was something to be said for the way that the other man fought his battles; there was something to learn there. illidan only hoped that he would know how to take what he needed from their fight. he hoped that he could leave that beach and return to his home with newfound knowledge that would change him into an immovable force with ravaging fangs.

the stranger pulled back. blood dripped from the young ghost's shoulder and provided him with a stinging reminder of what battles would cost him. he should have cared more for the safety of his frame, but he was more fixated on the idea that there was a creature out there who was truly capable of something that he desired. in spite of all the rebellion that flooded his frame, illidan wanted to learn from him.

“enough,” he panted after a moment. his hawkish gaze latched tightly to the features of the other man with a wild intensity. “enough...” the haunting sound of his voice was sign enough that he could not withstand another forceful assault of that magnitude. he did what he could to limp a few feet away – to place space between them – and drew his crown upward. his limbs quivered violently from the weight of his wounds, both new and old.

“you fight well.”

Embry sniffed as his saturnine adversary receded, blue eyes trailing the contender with judicious reticence. He raised an eyebrow as if to suggest upon the undisturbed air, I have played all the cards I care for the time being. It's your turn to pull a few. 

His brow only lifted further at the sound of the stranger's voice. Enough, eh? He scanned the boy and, as he spoke, began to offer a small nod in assent. Slowly, he met that wild gaze with an equable constancy. It was clear that both were diluting copious amounts of energy in this interaction, and Embry was well aware that even before he had touched the male, a fair deal of trauma had been present upon his battered flanks. Still, he was hesitant to officially conclude their skirmish, for he was only just beginning to gain a sense of traction. 

"Only when I want to," he tipped his head with a sense of approbation, though his features remained otherwise impassive. This was still a hostile negotiation, whether he liked it or not, and he had a duty to these shores above all else. Nevertheless, Embry was not one to neglect a fellow warrior, and he likewise retained a civil composure. 

"You look a bit hapless - not that it's much better than myself, I suppose. No doubt I haven't been the first of your tangles..." and he paused to watch the boy; grateful that he did not flee. Indeed, he had redeemed himself from his brusque introduction by standing his ground. There was no better indication of a potential mercenary than the sheer refusal to simply turn tail and escape. 

"I won't attack again so long as you render no provocation," his tone softened, but it did not reach the oceanic depths of his gaze. He could hear the waves in the distance, calling him home. Embry hoped he had served his mentor justice today in reciprocating the didactic nature of the seas. "Perhaps one day - granted, upon more affable terms - we might meet again for a good spar. Should you make a fracas again near these shores, tell whomever confronts you to notify Embry." 

the boy thought it odd that the sandy wolf only fought well when he wanted to. why would he not wish to fight as well as he possibly could in any given moment? surely, there was a reason why he might hold back some of his strength, but illidan wasn’t entirely capable of understanding such things. then, the boy cupped his rusty ears forward with furrowed brows at the comment that had followed the stranger’s first.
 
he’d said that illidan was hapless in his fighting. part of him took offense to that. had his head not been cloaked in a hood of ink, it might very well have been possible to see the red fire that rose to his cheeks and flushed him out. still, the other male made mention that it had seemed as though their scuffle hadn’t been the boy’s first. that was a fair assumption, and an accurate one. illidan nodded his head in response and attempted to swallow the lump of embarrassment in his throat.
 
“we were not met kindly when we moved into our home. the wolves next door thought they could force us out by stealing one of our members and torturing her,” he explained in a gravely tone. “we tried to infiltrate their pack to get her back, but it only broke out in war.”
 
again, he was reminded just how much he hated the cliffside wolves. they had given him a fire that could not have been doused unless he had found a way to enact his revenge on them. he knew that he was only one body in a sea of dozens, and that if he could not even manage to win a scuffle with a stranger on the beach… well, it wasn’t likely that he would find a way to make the cliff wolves pay for what they had done. at least, he didn’t imagine it was possible to do it on his own.
 
“could you teach me… to be better? at fighting?” the boy inquired to the wolf called embry.

Embry's brow furrowed when the boy spoke. The shadowy youth might as well have painted his emotions across his flank for how visible they were. Embry was well-acquaintenced with such sensations - zeal, ardor, ire and the like. And he could understand how this wolf must feel; truly and deeply in his heart and in his mind. The entire situation was satisfying, like the snug clip of a jigsaw fracture slipping into place. Finally, Embry felt as though he was learning. Learning the backstory behind this stranger, who only so many minutes ago seemed like nothing but an irritable flea in his fur. He was so young for the age he portrayed in his words and in his thoughts. Oh, life. Ever indecisive.

 As he listened, Embry assumed a thoughtful countenance, though he was careful not to let it morph into sympathy. There was no worse a poison than the sudden commiseration of a former foe. When he was asked to teach, however, his entire atmosphere shifted. It was similar to the breaking of a wave, in which the great blue crowns of the ocean are split by brilliant white lines of foam. He looked the boy hard in the eye, and only when he saw that sincerity - resolute and yenning - did he stir. This was what Embry had always yearned for - the chance to be a part of someone's story and change it for the better. He could see that this youth was in pain; pain for his pack and his home. 

He nodded and closed his eyes, sensing the stranger's fervor even beyond the darkness of his lids. As if he had read the youth's mind, he parted his maw, "It would certainly be difficult to do alone." And his blue orbs probed the boy for his response, for he knew exactly what had been his intentions. 

"It would be difficult to learn, that is. To learn alone," and he chuckled drily, recalling the recent head-to-head exchange. "Perhaps you might teach me a few things, as well..." 

Embry shook off what former tensions the two shared, hoping to make the situation more amicable by disregarding his former stolidity. "If the water doesn't bother you, I'd love to share what knowledge I have."  

illidan had been in pain for a very long time. it was the one constant that he knew well enough not to doubt. while he was still young, he had aged enough to know what he was made of. pain was one of those things. it lived in the very marrow of his bones; it slithered through his bloodstream like a poisonous snake's venom. once, he had hated it more than he'd hated his own circumstances. it had only been since returning to his birthplace that he had started to wonder...

the pain had grown to be so much a part of him that he was not certain who he would be without it. it was so carefully interwoven in his frame, that if he should rid himself of that... wouldn't he just cease to be? surely, that was how the world worked. it crafted you into what it wanted and if you should deny it, it would deny you. the boy did not share these thoughts with the sandy wolf. he held them locked away like a precious secret.

“i'll do what you ask of me,” the young ghost offered with a nod of his head. he needed to become better at his trade. “the water doesn't bother me much at all.” that was true enough. while the ghost had grown to be more fond of the terrain that rested inland, he had been born of the sea. this meant that he belonged to the ocean just as much as he belonged anywhere else.

with a careful gaze, illidan drew his sights upward to latch onto the penetrating blue of the other brute's eyes. “i'll travel down here if that makes it easier...”

This sounds like it could have potential :) Maybe fade soon and begin a new thread for their first practice?

I'll do what you ask of me. "Good." Embry tilted his head as the boy met his gaze. There was a momentary lull in the conversation - now a common occurance on the riverbank - before he stood and shook droplets from his coat. The liquid didn't have the same effect as that of seawater; it lacked the flavor, he supposed.

"Nonsense," Embry clipped when his companion mentioned travelling. "We should vary the terrain so you can get a feel for the different battlegrounds." He gestured toward the nearby sand of the beach with his nose. The fluorescent scene was enhanced by the saffron glaze of the sun upon the water. 

"I will try to meet you halfway where I can. But you are right - the majority of the time we should converge near the ocean." Embry peeled his eyes from the distance at the sharp pang between his eyes. It only just occurred to him that the two were fresh out of their skirmish. In the scattering light, he noticed just how extensive this wolf's injuries were. He wanted to inquire more about these cliffside wolves - he assumed Dragoncrest - but he was especially interested in how the outbreak transpired. 

"We can begin whenever you would like. My schedule is flexible as of late," he pushed his curiosity to the back of his mind. There would be ample opportunity another time. "I would offer to start now, but" - he winced at the throbbing of his temples - "it seems we're both in need of recovery. Any warrior worth his claws knows when it's time to retreat." 

yes pls <3

the ghost’s breath still fell heavily, but he had been wounded even before he had been faced with the beach roamer embry. it was doing little good for him to further the damage that had occurred, but he felt as though he had learned something in that moment. he could carry that with him until he was faced with a new opponent and learn something newer still.
 
fortunately, the sandy wolf agreed to teach him how to fight. illidan breathed a soft sigh of relief at the sound of it. he even mentioned that they would fight on different terrains so that he could adjust how he would react. this was something that he had never thought about himself but realized to be a very intelligent thought. then, it was decided that they would meet somewhere in the middle – in the land between their two packs. the ghost nodded his head softly at this. he was grateful that he did not have to travel very far for his lessons.
 
“i will return here after my wounds have healed and call for you,” he offered with a canting of his skull. the sharp yellow of his gaze searched the features of the man in front of him. he wondered if this would be suitable for embry. of course, illidan could have set a time… but he did not know how long it would take for the worst of his injuries to heal and allow him to move freely again.

Embry was elated. 

Not only had they dispersed their former animosity, but he would be given the chance to build a relationship with the young man and watch him grow. This would be his first encounter with mentorship and counseling, and he fully expected there to be fluctuations in what proved beneficial and what should remain omitted. 

Embry allowed only a small gimpse of this alactrity to scratch the surface of his oceanic orbs. His thoughts had spiralled quickly at the boy's words. It was true, what he said - his wounds were extensive and would need time to heal completely. Quite a few moons would pass before they would again meet like this.

He smiled, anyhow. Smiled because they would be different then; older and, perhaps, changed. "I look forward to it," Embry met his gaze, hoping he could convey this pretense. After a few breaths, he pivoted and fully turned his back on the shrouded wolf. It was a sign of trust in the Wilds, and something among warriors that set a distinction between them. He wasn't bothered that he knew not the name of his pupil. He could easily have asked as he withdrew, and, yet, names were a gift. He would wait for their first lesson.

Embry did not look back. He never did, either - he was a man heading forward. But as he walked, his tail brushed in content pendulum against the trailing blood and dust. And, that day, the bridge between peace and war was only an inch in length.