Blacktail Deer Plateau gore & gold

@Siqsa

The sooner she had gotten off that mountain, the better. Not only did her heavy stature risk a chance of twisting a paw, but the snow that had begun to pelt down doubled the instance in which she would slide down and snap her neck. Both were not something she was going to stick around for. In all honesty, Rhaenys wasn't entirely sure where she was going but she decided that the further away she got, the better in all regards. They wouldn't have followed her this far, would they? The girl didn't put it past them to show that case of stupidity. Upon leaving the mountain, she set her sights upon a river; upon reaching it, the amount of snow had nearly doubled.  And yet this was a miniscule amount compared to the trenches of snow that bounded the place that had birthed her.

What a bastard she was - a mutt if you will. Too tall to dance across the snow like her ancestors had and too flashy to make headway in a hunt. That place was not for her, it never had been and never would. Here she didn't sink on to her stomach, here she didn't have to hide in hopes of snagging a rare meal, here wasn't all too bad. Still, she knew better than to throw herself at possibilities. Her heated breath wisped into the cold air, her tongue running over her teeth gingerly. A tank she was and somehow she still managed to silently cross the distance - experience, maybe. 

Alas, she had found herself at the river at last and, following it up, discovered an intense amount of trees that were decorated with white flakes; barren with buds just barely peaking through. Never had the girl seen a flower or anything actually grow - for a moment she paused, staring at it. What would it grow into? She had never been the talkative type but if she had been, perhaps she would ask why it only grew here. But it didn't matter much. This question would not haunt her years from now and so she would not utter the phrase that young wolves so often spoke.

The river ran through the trees before branching off to the right and following that too, Rhaenys finally found herself at a creek. The edges were frozen. Slowly she began to move toward it before stopping just at the edge and, with one quick movement, placed her paw over the thin layer. Pushing down, a sickening crack resounded in her little area. Sure, she easily could have picked a different part of the lake where the end of the winter-chill did not quite reach it, but the familiarity was comforting to her. Rhaenys knew how to survive in the wilderness and to finally put the skills that she had (she would give them this) learned from her family, eased some knot in her stomach.

Finally, she leaned down and began to drink.

---

He had excused himself from a comforting nap within the seclusion he had with Liri and Sorin. And by 'excused', he simply got up, briskly shook himself and mumbled a quick "I'll be back," to Liri bfore just taking himself from their presence and a bit further off.

As all wild things came and went, he needed a moment to wander, to feel the strings of fate on him once again. It was a thrill, being away from safety, you know? Just rollin' with the lazy tides of life until something came and pulled you under. Or until it tried to, atleast. He hadn't been killed yet- he had been brought back from the resolute emptiness that sought to claim him time and time again. Liri kept him tethered firmly to this world, breathing life back into him through her random rituals of saving whenever illness struck him or if he somehow survived some freak accident or incident. A fucking Elk kick straight to the shoulder- how had he not been left to die in that field? The Flu- herbs she had kept stashed had pulled the heat away before the alphess had handed him over for treatment from-

Gritting bony jaws together, he kept the woman's name far from his head. He wouldn't dwell on the past. As Liri had told him, as she was trying to teach him, the past was over with. Done. What mattered was his pack family, and what he could do for them.

Through the thinning helm of trees, he followed down the sloping mound of ground was cold, he noticed, as thick pads of black lethargically plodded over the crisp ground, carrying over one hundred and twenty pounds of mackenzie mixed muscle, covered in a sheet of inken abysmal black fur, some near mystical sheen of metallic blue roving a wave through each ripple of muscle in the light that broke overhead. Crown forever downcast, burly shoulder muscles seemed to be completely headless until you noticed the low skull  that kept his garnet gaze primarily ground-bound. 

It was a nice day. He'dve preferred it a bit more gloomy, but who was he to complain? He was alive. And he had to honor that, atleast. By killing something else. And bringing it back to camp. But just as his trail struck true to a mulling partridge, another trail led a much more fresh and much less mouthwatering path towards a river he knew would basin off further down the south. It was clearly a recent wolf, and knowing it was better to try and make friends than it was enemies, he would follow this path. Or atleast use them to forget his past, somehow. That would be a fucking miracle.

The water chilled her throat and numbed her teeth. Cold. It had always been cold. She could not bring herself to imagine it any other way and - if she did, would it be just as satisfying? Her tongue curled to intake more water, the liquid running down her throat eagerly before sitting in the hollow of her stomach. Her paws dug into the snow-laid ground around them, the gentle flurries continuing their descent from up above. Perhaps it was snowing or maybe it was just the wind in the trees that was dislodging what snow had been adorned in their branches.

Rhaenys moved slowly, lifting her head up from its lowered position; droplets of water fell from her lips and the fur of her chin. Orange eyes flickered to the right and then the left before finally narrowing in on a position that, as the wind turned to her in favor, announced the arrival of an individual who had yet to appear before her. She would not be snuck up behind again. The girl was eager to forget that she had been successfully snuck up on just as much as she wanted to move out of the forest.

'What are you looking for, girl?'

She couldn't come up with an answer. Something more than this - but what was 'this'? Would she continue to spend eternity wandering until she found out what 'this' was? Her ears pivoted forward, her glare intensifying subtly as she shifted her weight to her other leg. 

Rhaenys would wait.

---

Trudging the path as he did, the beastly mutt found himself closer to the tral's origin enough for him to pick his gore goblet gaze up from the forest floor enough to see the one he pursued was already staring square at his ass as though he had called her. Seems his sneaking was still impeccably terrible.But then again, his lazing ass wasn't exactly trying to sneak. Idling his sway, he stood almost sheepishly infront of the brunette who eyed him like he was a walking turd on four legs of flies. Well, he was a piece of shit, but he was trying less to be an asshole, nowadays. Whether it was successful or not, he had no idea. But now's a better time to test than never, ain't it?

"Hey, What's good?" he asked, trying his paw at being polite. His voice, he tried to keep light, casual, unassuming about this whole situation. He had walked up on her, after all. Baritones of sinful depth came forth again to rumble between them. "Name's Siqsa." That was a bit decent. Nice and nonchalant. Keepin' it easy. 

The brisk breeze here near made him want to submerge himself in the river, but Liri had warned him against the baskings, saying that was what led him to habitual sicknesses. Initially he thought his immune system was just shit. He always just felt hot inside, and swimming made him cool long enough to feel normal. Were all wolves hot inside too? Him being mixed...it almost made him feel as though it was just him. He had yet to meet another hybrid, after all. 

The Damned brough his glittering gems to seek the face of the met company, and almost interestingly enough, they were the brightest he had come across. Well, they were in a glare, at the moment- topaz gold was kinda pretty to him. And it matched the scheme of colors on her, whereas his family was mainly composed of blacks and reds. but his dad had golden eyes. Well, no, there was still some red in there somewhere.

It didn't take long for whoever it was to leave the secluded protection of the densely forested area. Dark pigments glided like a shadow across the trees before taking up a form - mangled, inquisitive, hauntingly intimidating to those who cowered. The inquisitive nature did not suit him, but Rhaenys would not comment on it. At his words, in fact, she tilted her head slowly - fractionally; it was barely noticeable from far away. Titian eyes flickered over his body, the way he held himself in her presence. At ease. Casual. The northern girl was far from sitting down and having an unceremonious interaction with a stranger and so, with a hum that reverberated in her chest, she couldn't help but feel curious about he hadn't raised his head yet. 

Remaining where she was positioned, Rhaenys decided to finally respond - perhaps he would be of some use. "Rhaenys," She offered slowly, her glare turning more into a cautious squint now. "There's a lot of wolves in this land." Less than her home, of course, but she had been sheltered from the idea that anything existed from it in the first place. So this, as new as it was, was increasingly interesting to see what else was out there. In her mind, the girl couldn't help but wonder for the briefest of moments where her future lied. "Do you know where there are more?" While Rhaenys wasn't much of a talker, she knew that she would have to surround herself with wolves to become anything - to belong.

---

He gave a slight chin-raise to her intro, feeling the ‘less words were better’ vibes pretty damn quick. Wasn’t nothin’ wrong with being cautious- hell, he was cautious of everybody, himself. More ‘talk shit, act quick’  than ‘stranger danger’. He’d be cautious too if some big ass black wolf came out the woods trying to be ‘friendly’.

”Yea. They’re basically everywhere, and I’m not all that good of a vocal map, but if you wanna roll, I can show you where my Sister’s band is.” @Liri was in fact allowing those who needed a pack sibling in, and Siqsa, while basically ghosting through their travels, hadn’t forgotten his sister deserved to be an Alpha, again. So long as it wasn’t leading backstabbing bastards and lying heartthrobs. 

With his head coming to center, he still seemed slouched forward. But wasn’t really no fixing that. The bulk of his shoulders kept him align, well enough. “Guessin’ you not from around here.”

Well duh. But how else was a conversation supposed to go on?

The russet girl smiled tightly at his offer - he sure did talk a lot. Not that it was a bad thing but after being solo for so long, she couldn’t help but feel as if it was too much. The drastic change from quiet to a full conversation was something that Rhaenys found admirable; especially since she wasn’t a talkative type herself. 

“I’m not ready to settle down right now,” She said clearly, ears pointed forward. The silence filled the void once again, for the briefest of moments, before Siqsa broke through it with ease. “No, I’m from the North. Place called Rhaesuial.” And while the name left a sour taste in her mouth, it still rolled off her tongue as if she had said it many times before.

---

A cascade of ebony blue shoulders rolled a nonchalant shrug. Wasn’t really about that, was it? Why was everybody looking to try being a badass? Loner life wasn’t fun for shit. And these wolves from these other places- this alien place she mentioned- they were picky fuckers. Well, should she come to see that a bear can kill you just as bad as hunger can, then that’s on her. 

“Didn’t say you had to settle down. Just said you could roll with us if you wanted.”

Garnets went to the river she stood her back to, and with eased motion the Ntima went to drink. He hella wanted to swim in it, but he wouldn’t be out long enough for it to dry on its own, and it wasn’t warm enough for it to dry quick. He didn’t plan on trying his paw at lying to Liri, either. Her new and improved Bullshit-Meter was pretty good at catching shit.

”She and Sorin pretty chill.” That was all he could really say. And those five words on their own were a lie- he hated Sorin. He knew the dude was moving in on his sister, but he had gotten reprimanded by her once for trying to get between the whatever-it-was going on with em. And it wasn’t as though he could pull me apart- she was letting him make those moves. Siqsa knew pride, and that muthafucka was stepping all over his. 

Just regular guy things. He had just come to realize he hadn’t even drank any water yet- he was ankle deep in it. It was there, and so very close. 

Couldnt he just say he waded to cross a river? Couldn’t it be just that easy? 

No. She would know, regardless. 

Damn.

Rhaenys didn't understand how someone could eagerly take in someone without even knowing them. She could have been a thief or worse; wolves in this land were far too trusting it seemed. The first had simply stumbled in front of her and seemed pleasantly surprised that she had almost snapped her face off, this one was offering her a place to settle or 'roll with', as he put it. It was too easy. The slightest bit of a smirk drifted onto her face before she dipped her head; "I'll keep that in mind." Her eyes flickered to his paws as he moved closer and, soon enough, was standing in the water. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something (similar to 'the fuck you doin', it's freezing still. there's ICE.') but she remained quiet. 

Best not to think of it too much. He obviously didn't. 

Sighing, the girl reclined into a seated position, her warm breath escaping her lips as she inhaled the crisp, cold, spring air. "You're starting a pack?" The wolves he spoke of seemed to be in a small group of sorts; she would be lying if she said it didn't pique her interest. The quicker she could map out the general area, the quicker she could begin on relaxing into her own footing. 

---

He wish he could. To just get a whole group and just like like the same kingpin his dad was, keeping bastards in check with absolutely fear and respect. That’s what he was made for. That’s why he was as big as he was, as fierce as he was, as stubborn as he was. He might not be good for conversations or even being a companion, but he was resilient and he had heart, shit. “I wish,” he started before shutting that tangent down. He wasn’t worthy of it. Hell, he got his ass beat by Flicker, Minori, who the hell else next? This bitch? Shit, how come he could snatch up on a dude, but when it came to girls, he was a fucking wimp? His broken pride bore fangs in the ripple of reflection in the river, but luckily his back was to her. He wasn’t no use to Liri always getting in fights- she had to have been tired trying to take care of his idiot ass by now.

”Nah,” he concluded, lowering lips back over dagger teeth. “I wouldn’t do much good in one, anyways.” Maybe it was good he wasn’t so tight knit in the little band they had- he would give everything to see his packsister prosper, but...
No. He couldn’t just leave her like the rest of em. He was better than that. 

She huffed in amusement before inhaling a large amount of air so it expanded her lungs to its extremes. "You sound like me," She mused, her eyes flickering to the right so she wasn't staring directly at his ass. Releasing the pent-up air, she found herself relaxing slightly but she still couldn't be too relaxed around Siqsa, sure, they were on the first-name basis, but that still didn't give her much to work with. "I left my pack in search of something more." Rhaenys finally stood back up from her lounging position to take a few steps forward him before, at last, pausing just before her paws touched the water. 

"Not sure what that is yet." Her breath affected the water as she leaned down, creating small ripples and hitting the ridges of ice before eventually fading into a tranquil scene. Rhaenys found herself suddenly lost in her reflection, deep in thought; of what was unknown. She wasn't sure she wanted to find out, in all honesty. The mystery kept her moving, kept her determined to find whatever it was that lured her here - there had to be a reason, right? 

Breaking the silence in the atmosphere, the girl rose her cranium to look at Siqsa. "What happened to your neck?" Surely he didn't think that wouldn't come up, did he?

---

He turned to her, feeling some kinda idiot smirk come to his lips that mighta been either lopsided or charming. “Foreal? Mine kicked me out.” He watched her come near, and it wasn’t until she did that he decided to get his ass out the water. Woulda been kinda awkward for him to try having a convo with her with his ass in her face. 

“Was told sometimes you gotta let tha good come to you, rather than searching for it- but they tell you how fuckin’ long it takes to get there.” Coming to drip a little stream of his own from wet ankles, the Demon came to stand a bit away from her, but not far enough to where either of them would have to yodel the distance. 

Ears pulled backas he found the topic she brought up a slight smart to his pride. But he was honest, atleast. Even through a bitten cheek. “Hot into a fight with a bear- it bit the back of my neck and flung me- messed up the muscle and it didn’t heal right.”

Well, so much for honesty. That just got shat on. 

She didn't comment on his words regarding how he came to be here at this very moment. Instead, she watched him move from the water and distance himself, which, in all honesty, Rhaenys didn't mind. Distances were safe. She snorted at his next words then, "Who told you that?" her words held some sort of venom, but they weren't directed at him entirely. Shifting her gaze to the water, she huffed; "There isn't any good in this world unless you make it. From the day you're born, this world has you in a fuckin' chokehold." Ears flattening, her sights set on something that wasn't quite there; a reminiscence of her past. At last, she broke from the mental jail and looked back at him.

"If the good ever came to you, living would be too easy." 

Also, wasn't it suppose to be spring? The snow that was thickly padded on the ground almost agreed with her statement. The day that the world gave them a break would be a day in history, indeed. Letting out some pent up frustration with an exhale, Rhaenys listened to his words. His accent, something she picked up on early on but never commented on it was something new entirely. Perhaps he was a native here and everyone else was just trespassing - or maybe he was the trespasser just like every single other wolf in this land. Were there every truly 'natives'? 

Rhaesuial definitely was a native land - you didn't just stumble upon it. 

"Sounds painful." She commented, finally.

---

Besides him being a piece of shit, selfish and lying individual, Siqsa couldn’t imagine what led her hostility to his sister’s point of view- but the lying and selfish piece of shit wanted to know more. “[font]My adopted sister did- but she couldn’t call a snake bad if it hit her in the face[/font].” His brow rose at her heated return, and interest threatened to bore into his nonchalant baritones. “Who shat on your rabbit? Cuz you coulda killed ‘em with that state you just had.” It wasn’t a negative accusation- it was actually making him more involved in this conversation, and in turn, her. He didn’t participate in his sister’s whack ideals, because either way, he ended up fucked. Tried to call himself being a good pack mate and trusting Kavik, only to see the Alpha fucked it all. You screwed the pooch with Siq, wasn’t really no goin back. He even tried to forgive, but seeing how the dark man only sidled underneath another broad when Liri had come back, it was clear who was wrong. And through Liri wasn’t that known to him then, they were right now- and be damned anything happen to her, again. However with Rhae, he felt some kinda what- commonality? between the two of em. He wasn’t gonna tell her that shit, but should they make it out of this spot and see eachother again, he wouldn’t have a problem with it. Well, unless they fought, and she manhandled his ass, then he’d have to limp back to Liri, then he wouldn’t be too cool with that.

But she was chill. 

“Yea, I feel you. It’ll get your ass, eventually, seems..” Well, it would. Life and death didn’t play that shit. You fucked a girl, she’d get knocked up. You ripped somebody’s throat out, they weren’t gonna just stand there and not bleed out. Liri told him to be on his shit when it came to living, to not be an asshole unless it called for it. But if you didn’t bite back, who was gonna stop shit from biting you?

”Yea, it was. Had to play dead for him to fuck off.”
Whyd he suddenly feel bad?