Whitefish River radioactive

i hate first posts with a new character >.< It was the sound of the rushing water that beckoned the hybrid to the river, pointed ears pinned forward as he pursued the source. Pads were dry and cracked from constant traveling, skin stretching over his bones as he pushed himself forward. Although he was usually well-fed, the yearling still appeared malnourished due to the coyote blood running through his veins – his body was much leaner than that of a wolf with sharp, angular features. He was growing desperate for the nourishment that the river provided, large paws thudding against the ground as he quickened his pace and ignored the dull ache that radiated from his toes. Water splashed against his paws, relief flooding his body as he lowered his muzzle to take a drink, claws curling into the soft sand. He was not sure exactly where he was, but it did not matter – his mother had wanted him and his siblings to explore on their own, and that was precisely what he was doing. Styx preferred it this way – he had been the constant reminder of a mistake that his mother had made. She had been blinded by the false affection that a stranger had given her, which resulted in the birth of Styx and his siblings. Unlike his siblings, who wore the tawny coat of a coyote, the shadow was the spitting image of the father he had never met. Styx was not bothered by the fact that he would never speak to his father – the stranger did not even deserve that title. The hybrid knew that, in time, he would eventually forget about his former life and the memories that came along with it. Dragging himself away from his thoughts, the boy glanced around nervously, nostrils flaring as he searched the air for any strange scents lingering around the river. A frown creased his dark lips as he lowered his hindquarters to the soft ground, a sigh falling off his tongue and staining the silence that surrounded him. With water sloshing around his gut and the sun warm on his back, the mutt could feel his energy being replenished. Styx would be back on the move again soon, each step putting more distance between himself and his past.

Although Spine had come to adore the mountains, she had been curious of the territories to the west of the range ever since she and Koontz had spoken. This land was far more varied than the one she had called home for the majority of her life thus far, and it seemed to hold within it all the wonders her grandfather had told her of—if only she could just push beyond the veil that shrouded them. For though she was growing steadily more certain that the otherworld existed, she had only heard and felt whispers.

So, though she felt the deepest connection with the high peaks, Spine ventured beyond them to see what she might. Perhaps, she thought, the fey in the lands to the West would be more outgoing. She passed easily through the Flatlands, intending to explore them in more depth upon her return to the Sunspire range, and decided to rest at their edge before pressing further. The sound of rushing water made it clear that a river was nearby, and she felt a sudden thirst.

As she rounded some foliage, she was greeted by the figure of another across the water. Moving closer to the river's shore, her posture friendly, Spine gave a small woof of greeting.

The sound of bubbling creeks and rushing rapids was oddly soothing to the young hybrid, and he frequently sought out the comfort of water during his travels. He preferred to travel alongside rivers when he could, but would often abandon the route when he began to scent too many wolves nearby. Due to his coyote appearance, the lanky youth tended to dodge crossing paths with other wolves as much as possible – he would deal with conflict if it ever arose, but preferred to avoid it. Although his long, thin legs made him taller, Styx definitely lacked the strength that most wolves possessed – he was sure even the scrawniest wolf would be capable of kicking his ass. A low ‘woof’ caught his attention, brows furrowed as he focused his gaze on the body attached to the voice. He mentally cursed himself for not noticing her scent on the wind, but kept his seafoam eyes locked onto the young female. Remaining where he was, the hybrid offered her a crooked smile as he decided whether or not he should leave before they had a chance to start a conversation. Females were definitely more fun than running into males, but Styx wasn’t sure if he was in a chatty mood or not. Cocking his head slightly to one side, he remained where he was but kept his dark lips glued shut, although he did not waiver his gaze from the striped female.

Well, though he didn't seem particularly friendly, he at least hadn't responded with hostility—so Spine took a chance, careful to keep her posture non-threatening, and stepped into the river. A conversation would be too difficult to carry over the rapids upstream, and it would be rude of her to expect him to come to her side of the river if he didn't want to. She tested both the depth and current of the river carefully with each step, knowing such bodies of water could be deceptive in their appearance.

She was nearly halfway across when she lost her footing on a particularly slimy rock at the river's base, and before she knew it, Spine was underwater and being spun around in the current like a sock in a washing machine. Scrambling to regain balance, the female finally did when her lungs felt like they were just about to pop. Dragging herself onto the other bank, she gave a very unladylike snort of her nose in attempt to expel some of the water there.

When she was finished, Spine flashed him a grin and said, "Sorry about that; I just thought it was as good a time as any to flush out my sinuses."

sorry for the delay! <3 The hybrid had hoped that the lack of greeting he had given would had discouraged the female, but instead she stepped forward into the rushing water. His previous smile was taken hostage by a thin frown, seafoam eyes not wavering from the determined female as she crossed the river. Instead of stepping forward to aid her like a gentleman would, the slender male remained where he was with a peculiar expression blemishing his sharp features. It took every bit of restraint that the male had to keep a bubble of laughter from falling off his tongue as the girl slipped on an unseen rock, her tawny body disappearing underwater for a moment. Still, the yearling remained where he was, only a flicker of concern flashing across his face as he waited for the stranger to resurface. Ten, if I count to ten and she doesn’t reappear I’ll do something… One. Two… Three? With that, her tawny head broke the surface as she struggled to pull herself onto shore, and the hybrid exhaled a small sigh of relief. He didn’t feel like being very chivalrous today so he was thankful that the female had managed to rescue herself. Another smile finally cracked his lips as she snorted suddenly, excess water bubbling from her nostrils before she excused herself. He shrugged indifferently, although the smile remained, before responding to the tawny stranger. “As long as you can breathe now you don’t need to apologize.” He paused, a pointed ear twitching softly before spitting out another comment: “How was your bath?”

No worries. As you can see, queen of delays right here!

At his words, Spine gave a few purposeful and careful breaths to test her lungs—a cheeky gesture, as she had already proven she was capable of speech. "I'm fi—" she began, only to be interrupted by a fit of coughs. "Er... I'm fine, see?" Spine gave him a sheepish grin, apparently indifferent to the water dripping down through her fur to the ground. In reality, she was fighting the urge to shake... after all, splattering him with water droplets would be really rude, wouldn't it?

"My bath was great," she answered his second question with a wag of her tail. "I feel nice and squeaky clean, inside and out. My name is Spine, by the way." She sat, then, clearly desiring some type of conversation. She was used to being around wolves back home, though conversation was something that even home lacked—it always seemed like there were too many other that were occurring, or that her siblings and cousins were too busy with other things to actually talk.

While he preferred to keep to himself and not speak to anyone, the spider-legged hybrid could never turn down a conversation with a female. If they had not already crossed paths, Styx would never actively seek out another wolf – he would only ever succumb to conversation when he was (unwillingly) forced into it. Short and sweet: that’s what he preferred. If they were too long they led to the sharing of names and life stories and ugh. No thank-you! Styx did not want friends, nor did he need them. He was just fine and dandy being on his own – there was no reliance on others, no drama, nothing. It was marvellous. The response that came from the strange, agouti female caused a smile to crack across his lips as he seafoam gaze remained on her slender frame. Well, at least she had a sense of humour – that would make this meeting somewhat bearable. “Maybe next time I’ll join you,” he joked with a cocked brow as he allowed his gaze to waiver, studying the meandering body of water behind her. Perhaps when they parted ways he would take a bath of his own… “My name is Spine…” Ugh, here we go – introductions. Gross! Holding back a roll of his eyes, the mutt drew his attention back to the yellow-eyed female. “I’m Styx.” Was it time for him to leave yet?

He seemed friendly enough in his words and expressions, a smile splitting across his dark muzzle—that was a good sign, if not an inviting one. For the moment, thoughts of the fey and otherworld escaped her... it was nice to have a normal conversation, and perhaps abandoning her obsession wouldn't be such a terrible thing. Spine's mind and spirit could then rest, and perhaps be more receptive to the world that seemed just beyond her grasp. "Well, I don't know about that," she told him, laughing slightly. "I think I'd have to know you better, Styx."

If she had notice that he had grown more... aloof? tense? ...at her introduction, Spine might have ended the conversation and moved on to find some friendlier company. It seemed that the dark hybrid was an excellent pretender, however, and so she remained to glean what information about the area she could. Styx smelled of himself, alone, and so she did not bother to ask if he hailed from a pack nearby. She could, however, ask, "Do you know if there are any packs around here?"

The hybrid found it was always easier distancing himself from those he met – he didn’t want any connections or anything tying him to a specific place, and frequently acting as though he was disinterested was his best defense. He had chosen not to travel with his siblings precisely for that reason; the less attachments the better. It was also why the nomad was so animate about not joining a pack – that was just one big attachment he did not need. Since birth his mother had drilled into her children’s minds that packs were bad and would never accept the tainted blood of a hybrid. However, Styx knew that wasn’t the case as it was just his mother’s bitter response to being rejected by the wolf who had stolen her heart. While he knew that there were still some packs who would not accepted mutts like himself, Styx Constantin was still uninterested in joining any pack. There were rules and he would actually have to learn (and remember) names – yuck! Her response caused a thin smile to crack across his lips before she questioned him about local packs in the region. With a soft shrug the coywolf’s bright gaze drifted away from her slender frame, brows narrowing softly as he examined their surroundings absentmindedly. “I’m sure there’s a few, but I haven’t come across any pack wolves since arriving.” Since he started exploring the park there was an abundance of different wolf scents, so the hybrid was positive that there was a pack (or two) lingering nearby. “I also have not searched for an, as I’m not particularly interested in joining a pack,” he added with another shrug as his seafoam gaze returning to the agouti female.

His response startled her somewhat—how could anyone survive without a pack for an extended period of time? But she supposed she could relate. After all, it was the very reason she was here rather than at home with her entire, tiresome family. Despite that, Spine never imagined her self-inflicted exile would (or could) last forever. Eventually, hunger would strike over and over in her belly until she had nothing but a desperate choice. It would be the way with this male, too, but she made no comment about the matter. If he starved, it would be his own stupidity that allowed it to happen—and though her heart ached slightly at the thought of anyone dying, it was the way of nature. She would not step in to save fools that believed they could live without the support of others.

"Ah," was all she could find to say, before falling silent. He had confirmed that there were packs in the area, though they were tricky to find. Spine began to wonder if she was better off leaving this male to his lonesome self. It was becoming clearer that his particular quiet and lack of conversation was not mere shyness, but disinterest—he made no moves to really continue a deeper conversation. "Well, I think I may try to go find one for myself," she told him as she began to rise to her feet. As a courtesy, she offered, "If you want to come, I wouldn't say no to the company," though she did not expect the invitation to be taken.

The clock was ticking and the hybrid was beginning to grow anxious as he spent more time in the company of the agouti female. It wasn’t that he did not enjoy her company – he always enjoyed the company of the opposite sex – he just was not a conversationalist. He did not like swapping information with strangers and sitting/standing still for too long; a born gypsy, the boy constantly felt the urge to move and explore. Styx preferred to avoid talking to others as much as possible, but when it was inevitable he would ensure that the discussion would only last a few moments. As silence settled around them the mutt was about to announce that he was going to depart when Spine finally coughed up some words and beat him to the punch. He nearly sighed with relief as the words fell off his tongue and the yearling gave his coat a quick shake before side-stepping away from the young girl. With a lazy smile Styx responded coolly before turning away to explore the rest of the territory: “I’ll have to decline, but perhaps next time I’ll take you up on your offer. It was nice meeting you, Spine.” Without waiting for a response he turned quickly on his heel, bright eyes focused forward while he put as much distance as possible between himself and the striped female.