Big Salmon Lake in the corner with the scarlet letter

For @Finley and OMG IT'S BEEN FOREVER SINCE WE'VE HAD A THREAD AMIRITE.

The day brought a late summer resurgance of heat and humidity. If Mordecai had understood weather better than he did, he might have thought there was a storm brewing. The weather had made the day seem sluggish and slow, and he had left the cover of the Spine behind him once more to make a venture out into the vast unknowns beyond. He intended to be gone no longer than what was necessary; his legs needed the stretch. And so he had run and run, and ran a bit more after that when the ache had turned his legs into what felt like liquid fire.

The downtime between travels and living with the former Silvertip wolves had wore at him. Running unbridled, free to every whim that struck his fancy had become more than a nagging sensation at the back of his mind. He missed it, more than he realized as he broke across unfamiliar ground. It was yet another attempt to work through things he didn't want to consider, weigh and balance decisions that he didn't want to make. Oh, he tried to stay out of the politics of what was and wasn't when it came to the Spine, but when it all boiled down to it, he was concerned most of all about his own survival. And right now, that survival was precariously hinged on whether or not their pack survived.

Some time later, as he stood chest deep in the cooling waters of a lake he had never seen, those thoughts had left him entirely. Muddied and at rest, his strides were slow and long. Off-key and out of rhythm, he listened as the frogs scattered in the shallows and continued their song elsewhere. He had half a mind to try for a fish, but was simply content with being; a feeling that had long escaped him for lengths he could not fathom.

odesza — say my name

OMG URSORITEIMSOEXCITED<3<3

A storm was coming. Finley could taste it in the wind; the air was thick with it. While that might send others running to their dens, it was like a whistle beckoning to the fiesty Blackthorn to come out and play. She absolutely loved storms. The harsher the better. It had been many years (omh my dog just laid her head across both of my hands forgive myt poor spelling_ since the day she had seen her first funnel cloud, but every storm since then she had been out fighting the rain and wind, forcing her way through to a good vantage point where she could watch the sky and wait to see that incredible sight again thank god my dog moved.

Fin didn't think this storm would be good enough to cause a tornado, but she wasw still a fan of watching the lightning streak across the sky and getting to howl along to the thunder as though it were the bassline to her melody. She trotted merrily along the riverbank, eager to make her way to the lake before the rain began. It was the perfect place for her song. The patter of rain drops upon the surface of the water would add a nice timpani. She'd have herself a veritable symphony by the time she was done.

But that's when something distracted her from her plans completely. It seemed she was not the only wolf prepping for a lakeside show that day. Fin stepped up to the water's edge, watching him all the while. He was a rather handsome thing. Tall, muscular, pretty-faced (from what she could see of it). His colouration was not a unique one, but Fin didn't mind. If he kept wagging that tail of his, showing off that bum, she'd forgive him all sorts of things.

"Hot day, huh.." Fin commented casually, eager to see what was going to come of this interaction.

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EXCITEMENTTTTT

Unaware that a storm was brewing far to their west, Mordecai continued his saunter through the shallows. The only thing that stopped him from going on too much further was the appearance of another wolf along the banks. She stood out from the lengthy grass, her coat muted against the yellowing greens. Looked friendly enough too, and he watched her as she watched him with remote interest. His steps gradually took him to her and he offered a friendly return of her words with a broad wave of his wet tail, not minding the slinging of water that followed it.

“It's warmer than it probably should be but… I'm not complaining.” If it wanted to stay that way for a while more, he wouldn't complain then either. Whatever staved off the winter, that seemed appropriately comfortable to deal with. Whatever stopped the herds from venturing out of their respective territories and into the great beyond was fine with him as well. “The water isn't too bad either, if you came looking to cool down a bit.” Offering her a smile, he gestured to the water to invite her in.

Finley watched with pleasure as he took notice of her and turned to converse. A prickle of optimism crept through her mind. She hadn't had a "fling" in a while and the only other candidate was one she was blissfully in denial over. Well, except for that one other guy who actually carried a similar scent to this wolf--maybe they were packmates? Maybe she needed to find this pack of theirs if it was so full of nice looking boys.

I'm not complaining either... Fin responded deviously in her mind, her tail flicking idly at her side. She grinned at his invitation, but scrunched up her face as though uncertain. "I don't know... It looks a little wet," she said with a smirk. For one who flirted often with men, she wasn't actually all that great at it.

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Ugh I have ADD so bad tonight. And it's my last night off lmao. ;_;

The face that she made prompted him to flash a smile of his own. For all her coy behaviors, he couldn't help but think she was just being hard to get. But that talk was also a two way street, and Mordecai rolled his shoulders in a furry shrug as began to stride past her in the shallows. “Have it your way,” he said, the smile still clear across his muzzle. Perhaps if he had known her better, he would have made a play to pull her in, given his own good mood. But that was one thing he could have always counted on about the wilderness — he couldn't guarantee what kind of creatures he would encounter from day to day.

“But you know… you'll never know just how wet it is until you jump in either…” His voice trailed as he made a wider trek from the bank, treading into slightly deeper waters in the process. The pockets of colder water were more available there, but beneath the warmth of the early autumn sunlight, it felt just right. There would not be many more days like this that he could take advantage of, and the summer's opportunities had been long squandered in favor of other things.

Fin pulled her head back and quirked a brow as he replied the way that he did. Have it your way he said. Swimming away now he... did. Well, apparently she had herself an opponent here instead of prey. That was fine by Fin. She loved a challenge. In fact, there was little that she loved more.

"That's a fair point," Fin replied, pulling herself to all fours to walk slowly along the shore, kinda maybe on purpose sorta angling herself so as to show off her slender figure. "But what happens if I get into the water and I start swimming around, splashing, laughing, getting all wet... And we suddenly discover that I..." she stopped and turned to face the handsome wolf, "...am a better swimmer than you could ever even hope to be?" A grin slipped across her muzzle, eyes twinkling with mischief.

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They held one another's attention well and he found that he was unknowingly thankful for the distraction. Her words were rather coy, the sound of her voice easy to listen to midst the seeming cacophony of the world around them. And that's how he was viewing it right then and there, as a cacophony. Background noise, if nothing else. As she trailed off, he cast his gaze back to her petite form curiously. A smirk on his face turned into a small smile briefly; his amusement with her statement was very clear.

“So far all you're showing me is that you like dry ground,” he quipped, perhaps even teasingly so. If she was prompting him for a challenge, then she had better make good on her word. “Swimmers stay to water like fish. Right now I'm betting you'd be better at flopping.” He didn't mention that it would be like a fish out of water, either, but the implication was there if she took it that way.

Ohhhh he really was good. Very good. Her eyes narrowed as a playful frown danced across her lips. A similar look was shining across his, which served to further ignite her ...we'll call it playfulness. Yes, he was making her feel very playful. Very playful indeed.

"Well who are you to talk?" she quipped back at him, "Are you afraid if you go in any further you'll drown?" Fin chortled at the thought of him taking a few more steps towards the deeper end and suddenly flipping over and flailing and crying. As she continued, she began to stride out into the water to close the distance between them down to only a few feet. "You talk big game for someone kicking their widdle feets in the shallows."

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As she spoke, he gave their surroundings a once over, only chuckling. It was only when she had begun to join him in the shallows that Mordecai allowed his glided gaze to rest back on her with interest. Her lithe figure snaked through the water more streamline than his lazy meandering, and he felt the smile growing on his face as she came near to his side. He had no fears of drowning in the waters, though he couldn't have said that he did much in the way of swimming. He certainly didn't fear drowning when he wasn't alone.

“Now what kind of a gentleman would I be to have a head start?” he asked, his very smile turning more into a mischievous one. “Besides, I wouldn't want to get too far away in case you went belly up on me.” Not that she seemed the type in need of a white knight anyway; Mordecai was perhaps several pegs beneath that status. Curling his toes slightly in the muddy bed beneath them, he waited curiously on her reponse.

Fin kept her eyes on the male as she began to wade in a circle around him, snickering as he referred to himself as a gentleman. That was a quality many females wanted in their men, but if that was the case here, then Fin was out. She had no desire to meet a nice guy. Nice guys tricked you into falling for them, and once that was done, they left. No, Fin had no intentions of ever falling for a nice guy again. She knew very well from experience that not a single one of them could be trusted.

"That's a good point," Fin replied, stopping mid-orbit, "I guess you'd be no kind of gentleman at all. We wouldn't want me to go getting that impression, now would we?" She quirked a brow at him as she smirked, a little fire dancing behind her eyes. She allowed him view of it only long enough for a glimpse before she whipped around and charged out towards the center of the lake, giving him a good splash in the process. Fin paddled swiftly away, giving a laugh over her shoulder, "Too bad there's no such thing as a gentlewoman!"

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Up close, she certainly had an allure to her that he did not resist. Mordecai could have said the same of others he had met along her persuasion too. He allowed her to circle him as she seemingly appraised him, only coming to pause as she replied to his comment about being a gentleman. He had been ready to open his mouth in a response when she opted to take that moment to plunge ahead, leaving the copper-tinged Ostrega soaking at their so-called starting point.

Mordecai didn't bother with shaking the water loose from his coat, only dove in behind her with a bark of laughter. She already had a considerable lead on him, one that he did not seek to draw to a close swiftly. He did not expect to overtake her in swimming anyway, as the very sport itself was something that Mordecai was admitted not the greatest at. He could swim well enough, but speed had never been one of his finer points on water. The closest he could manage, or really the closest he dared to manage was enough to nip at her tail jokingly. The very action in itself was as though he suggested she swims! She swims!

Fin paddled as swiftly as she could manage, which was a little quicker than average for her species. Her thin frame and strong legs made it easier for her to cut through the water like the blade of a knife. If she had wanted to, she could have easily left the clunky male far behind. As it was, she rather liked the little nips she felt upon the tip of her tail. It sent little tingles along her spine that made her giggle like a child. So, she slowed herself just enough so that she remained within his reach.

Just when she decided he had come close enough, the silver mockingbird spun around in the water to face him. With her front legs, she kicked hard to send wave upon wave splashing towards his face. "You're invading my bubble, buddy!" she laughed, her eyes sparkling mischieviously as the light sparkled in flecks off of the drops that flew through the air.

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Before he realized it, she whirled around to face him in the deep waters. He brought himself to an awkward, sharp stop as she hollered at him and sent waves of water in his direction, all of which he took in stride. Staying still and float was a bit tricky, but he managed it well in spite of everything. Clearly, she was definitely the swimmer of the pair. Her laughter was infectious though, and soon he found himself laughing right along with her. Though not precise, Mordecai attempted to splash her right back with a well placed slap at the water.

“Careful now, I wouldn't want to have to pop your bubble,” he teased with a growl. “Though that must be how you have the edge here, floating and flitting about.” His sly smile stretched a bit more long the length of his muzzle, and for a moment he considered trying to pull her under for the fun of it. But almost instantly, he thought better of it, wanting to preferably not be the one who got left behind beneath the surface of unfamiliar waters.

Fin laughed and turned away as he sent a wave of water over her head. Her eyes narrowed as she turned back and began paddling off to the right, still keeping herself facing him to full way.

"Ha! Cause that's the only way a woman could possibly be better at this than a big, strong man like you," Fin laughed, sending little splashes his direction as she went. It was a little hard to stay afloat as she attempted to position herself the way she wanted, but no one ever would have noticed considering the way they both were splashing about. When finally she found herself in the right position, she kicked hard with her back legs to launch herself towards Mordecai's shoulder and a playful yip, hoping to land on him and push him under (just cause he didn't want to do it to her didn't mean she wasn't allowed to do it to him).

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“Oh, is it now?” he countered as she returned a hefty splash to him. But he didn't really get the chance to find an answer or a rejoinder to his query as she closed in on him. He hadn't seen it coming from the water she cast over him, so needless to say her attempt and driving him under was beyond a success. The intake of breath was halfway knocked from him as his head went beneath the surface of the cool water, and instinct forced him to strike out with limbs in search of the bottom that was not readily there.

So instead, Mordecai sought to pull her in with him, his muzzle reaching for her limbs gently.

Fin was in the middle of laughing at her own cleverness when she suddenly felt jaws closing upon her forearm. She had just enough time to widen her eyes in surprise before she was suddenly being pulled under the surface of the lake. Water filled her mouth and her nose, causing her movements of self-preservation to strengthen. She spun at an odd angle under the water, kicking out with her back legs and (luckily) finding that they landed squarely upon Mordecai's shoulders or stomach or leg or the ground, she didn't know. Whatever the case, she shot back towards the surface and broke above it with a gasp that was soon followed by another jovial laugh.

She pushed herself backwards, away from the Spine wolf to give him room to resurface. The mischief still glinted in her gaze, but she allowed it to lessen--some inner voice reminding her that they were in the water where one of them could never surface again. She'd wait for him to prove to her that he was perfectly alright before attempting again to make him not so alright.

He thought perhaps he would sink like a stone towards the bottom of the water. It was pure foolishness however, as only moments ago it seemed that he had been floating right along the surface without concern or care for what lied beneath. Though he had succeeded in pulling her down with him, it was a short-lived victory when she thrust him further out of reach of the surface. Midst the flurry of chaos that turned up from there, he lost track of her in the depths immediately and found himself alone for the briefest of moments.

Pushing up towards the surface, Mordecai emerged somewhere completely different than where he had initially been pushed under. He coughed sharply at first, getting his bearings while drawing in the sweet, water-free air (which actually wasn't all that water-free). He spied her as he settled back on that surface, her back turned to him for just a single moment. He had no thoughts in his mind about getting petty revenge for the sake of fun, but then again he probably didn't have the time to consider them either.

Fin paddled in place just to keep herself afloat, looking back and forth to try and spot the wolf so that she could move in quickly the moment he broke the surface. Unfortunately, her inability to use her senses to the same advantage she could when she was on land made it so that she was completely turned around when he finally did emerge, completely behind her. Fin flailed her arms to spin around to face him, looking eagerly to see if she still had the opportunity to strike. She was quick to consider herself at the disadvantage though as she struggled to position herself, and instead decided to beat a hasty retreat back to the shore.

With an excited an faux fearful yelp, she paddled away from the wolf as quickly as her tired legs would take her. Willing the handsome male didn't catch her, her goal was to get herself back on dry land where she could continue the tussle on more equal footing. That or collapse for a little bit to catch her breath, she'd decide when/if she got there.

She sped away. Mordecai would not have anticipated many other responses from what he was learning about her. She was coy and charming in that way, her mock yelp of fear and speedy paddling took her well out of his reach in short time. He floundered behind her for a moment, getting up the rhythm to keep himself afloat as he made a much more lazy attempt and heading towards the shore himself.

Now once they were on the shore, he had no idea what their folly would delve into. Perhaps she would speed away from him on more level terrain, or maybe she would find it more fun to try and keep him in those waters. But somehow he was willing to doubt she wouldn't let him out of those waters, and as he made his way towards the shore, his feet soon found purchase of the muddy bottom. It became easier to tread then, and a sly smile emerged on his stoic face as he neared her.

Fin sped up onto the land, spinning on her heels to face the male after a moment and falling into a playful crouch. She was perfectly content with him making his way out of the water, grinning in fact when he did so and stepped towards her. A large part of her wanted the chase to be over, but at the same time, she had a competitive streak that didn't really want to lie down and take it.

"So..." she said with a smirk as he approached, "We meet again..." She laughed softly, mixing in a playful growl. Her tail lashed back and forth across the air as she waited for his next move.

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When she didn't move to push him back into the water, Mordecai rose out from it swiftly. The solid ground felt wonderful beneath his feet, but the sodden nature of his pelt did not. He gave it a rough shake, expelling the water from it as his companion bolted away. Almost at the moment he finished, he found her whirling around and striking a playful bow. He snorted with amusement, springing away to meet her. But Mordecai did not give her chase like she may have anticipated; instead he dropped swiftly to his elbows in a mocking bow, his tail meeting the wave of her own with excitement.

“I guess we're in a standoff,” he told her with a laugh. If competition was what she was after, Mordecai could have certainly gave her something to run for. But he was just as content with the thought of a passing playmate, as though they were really children once again. Sometimes, the mundane deserved a break for something a little more entertaining.

<3 Last post for meeee, but we'll definitely have to thread these two again sometime!

Fin found herself mesmerized as the male stepped up onto the shore. His fur clung smoothly to the muscles upon his frame and the Blackthorn found herself tracing the well-defined lines with her eyes. Her gaze found its way up to his, which was smirking playfully at her. She couldn't help herself--she returned the smile instantly and gave a playful growl.

She laughed as he responded, admiring his humor. It was actually a little reminiscent of... Fin froze for a brief moment, her smile disappearing as suddenly, it was Mordecai she saw playfully bowed before her, but her silver doppleganger. She shook her head and it was the wolf of the Spine again, but the damage had been done--Fin had been spooked.

Fin pulled herself out of the bow awkwardly, her brain scrambling to come up with something to say. She forced a devious smile as she looked at him one last time. "I guess..." she started, then stopped and switched gears, "Until we meet again." And with that, she turned and sprinted off in the opposite direction, no idea where she was headed, just knowing she needed to get out of there.

Definitely!

Something changed then; for a moment it was as though his playful companion saw through him, or at the very least saw past him in such a way that gave him pause as well. But before Mordecai could address it, she had snapped back to normal… slightly. With just a couple of mere statements to him and that devious smile, she had taken off at speeds that he had no hope of pursuing her after with, beating a hasty retreat into the swallowing depths of the tall autumn grass.

Mordecai's expression fell with a mix of concern and disappointment, and he wheeled around to peer behind him as though he would see what had given her cause to take off. Nothing revealed itself in the moments that he took to survey and pick through the scenery, and his concern shifted fully into disappointment. He wondered why she had chosen to abandoned their play like that, but discarded the thought. Something had startled her, something had driven her away, but he didn't believe it was himself who had done it.

With a quiet whine to himself, Mordecai decided to return to the Spine then, and left the scene of their joyful grounds behind him.