Porcupine Ridge simmer down boy

AW slavi is travelling and would love some company :D

There is an odd thing about thoughts, that you only ever think about when doing a lot of thinking. When you aren't around others, your thoughts can go to the strangest places. One minute it's your love life and future, the next its wildfires and how damn scary they are. As Slavik made his way through a strange and mountainous terrain, in a particular territory with little to no trees, he found himself thinking ironically about wildfires. He had never seen one himself, but his father had. Rontwul once told his children about how when he was young, a great fire had spread across his own grassland home, and his pack had been forced to move. When puppy Slavik had asked what fire looked like, his father replied, fire is like the sun, but angry and on the ground.

As Slavik traversed the spiky ridge which he'd come upon, his train of thought changed tracks as quickly as a squirrel crossing the street. From fire, he somehow got to foot prints, and how cool they were. Each footprint was unique, even though from his perspective they all looked pretty similar. He dropped his head to the ground as he walked, and watched his own paws make prints on the dusty ground. He stomped his paws harder to that they would dig deeper, and make better prints. He looked silly, but it was amusing to the young male, then again anything can be amusing when you've spent a while on your own.

the conscious mind was strange indeed
burdened, yoked, pulled taut as rope
by memories pressed deep and
fleeting as empires, or smoke on the water.

he thinks he is done thinking of her,
and the funny thing about thoughts is
often they are rudderless things,
swirls of sunmotes or dandelions on the breeze.

he is drawn to a stop by a wolf
who swings down hard on dusty ground
again and again, a hammer of paws
as choking dust settles about his shoulders

maul pauses as a tan screen rises
between them, and then drifts off
and thinks it fun; with a jump
he drives his own limbs to the dry earth.

love this love this love This love this

Slavik continued to play his game, throwing his paws on the ground to make deep tracks, throwing dust clouds up behind him and watching them dissipate. He got into a rhythm, a beat he could hear clearly that was satisfying to his ears. So when he heard a faint percussion stomp not on beat, he was puzzled. And then there it was again, another drum that did not follow his rhythm. He whirled around, his head down in reflexive defense. His sun ray eyes snapped to a silhouette, dark and large, surrounded by its own clouds of dust. 

At first he was wary, who was this guy and why was he following Slavik? But his thoughts changed when he realized that the other was mimicking him with similar amusement. Slavik softened his stance, then barked, his voice a friendly greeting. Once he had the other’s attention, he would swipe his front paw towards the ground, sending another cloud of dust up. It was a playful gesture that he hoped would be returned.

oof sorry for the wait!

sometimes it is good not to forget
the small child in every being, left
behind as the body grows
and childhood leans far behind

maul still found joy in play
in small wonders like the surprise
of a green inchworm dropping in for a visit
or the song of rushing water over stone

some things should not grow
or be forgotten
and maul knows this
as he pounds dirt and smiles

he mimics the sunny sweep of a forelimb
his eyes meeting what appears as two bright suns
housed under a cheerful dome of
wide grins and clean teeth

meanwhile the dust settles quiet like snow
piling
maul pauses in the dusty air
"what are you doing?"

It's all good!

The dark silhouette mimicked Slavik again, and the young male's tail waved through the air above him. The dark one paused, then asked a simple question. Slavik shrugged, feeling giddy for some reason, and sent up another cloud of dust with a sweep. I don't know, having fun I guess, he said as he watched the dust reflect the sunlight with childlike wonder. He waited for it to completely settle before resting his eyes back on the other male. What're you doing? he asked.

the gold-plated wolf says he is having fun.
maul thinks of fun
and how one is obligated to outgrow it
how life grinds and pushes against you
takes all joy from you,
and finally leaves you alone with exhaustion.

exhaustion is a cold, sharp fanged thing,
neither quick nor kind
but merciless and sapping.

enough about the troubles of the world; maul looks up
and smiles at those young eyes
benevolent, kind eyes
that hold the sun ostensibly in them.

"just joining in." he says with a shrug
but the smile remains and his tail
has never stopped wagging.

Slavik returned Maul's smile, and gave a nod of approval to his response, Awesome, he commented, then leapt down into a play bow. He wasn't always this playful with strangers. Friendly - he was, eager - that too. But he didn't often enjoy an entire game before even introducing himself. Today was different however. Since Rannoch, this was the first other wolf he'd met that seemed interested in fun. He was very excited to indulge frolicsome mood.

Just for extra measure, he slapped his large front paws on the ground again, with a joyful smirk.

I wanted this thread when it was first made, glad I get another shot at it. :D

Rue was exploring the corners of her new home, and it seemed that she had reached the edge of the world. Her pack's scent had long since faded into the distance, but even so she knew that this would be a spot she would continue to visit. From her position at the edge of the ridge, the mountains fell away into a tremendous, breaktaking valley. Unknown to Rue, her alphas had attempted to settle in that very same valley before running into difficulties and instead relocating to Blacktail Deer Plateau. Just one small twist of fate, and that could have been the place she called home. 

The arrival of the stomping hulkmonster thouroughly startled Rue. She couldn't see the creature rounding the edge of the ridge, but she could certainly hear it thudding closer. Anything that walked that heavily would make short work out of the diminuitive Rue. The girl glanced about wildly, knowing she only had precious moments to escape from view. In a stroke of luck, she looked over the edge of the ridge and discovered a small ledge. She hopped down onto the ledge and crouched. 

Soon the thudding ceased, and Rue breathed a sign of relief. Perhaps the coast was clear? She started to lift herself up, but then she froze once more as she heard voices. Wolf voices. Before Rue could contemplate her next move, the thudding began once more. Dirt and rocks fell away from the overhanging ridge and rained down onto Rue. She ducked her head between her paws for cover, and that was how she noticed the crack that was forming in her ledge. As scary as the hulkbeast was, the thought of ledge breaking and dropping her a thousand miles down into the vale scared her more. She tried to stand and pull herself back onto the ridge, but the shift in weight only deepened the crack. She crouched once more, panic mounting. 

"Help!" she called out, her voice strangled with fear.

thanks for saving!

Slavik and the other male played for a little while longer and then the darker one was drawn away. Slavik continued on his path alone, occasionally stomping his rhythmic tune into the dusty ground. The mountainous ridge led to a cliff jagged cliff like area, and when Slavik began his descent he heard a cry. A voice riddled with fear, Slavik only hesitated for a moment. Hello? he called out, ears perked and hoping to hear the voice again. He looked around wildly, hoping to spot her.

Rue squeezed her eyes shut in fear, as if refusing to watch the crack deepen would somehow make it go away. A responding voice met her ears-- a wolf voice, thank the heavens, although right now she would have taken the help of anyone, including the hulkbeast. 

"Down here!" she called out. "Please hurry, its--" Rue's voice dropped away as she glanced down at the growing crack in her ledge. Unable to find the words to explain her situation, she simply finished, "--It's really bad!"

again a voice cried out, down here. Down where? All that was below him were some crags and slopes! Why would anybody be down there?! Slavik looked pretty confused for a moment, but the idea that someone might actually be on those crags and slopes brought him back to reality, and he leaped into action. Ok umm, I’m gonna come help! Hang in there, no pun intended, he began his descent. Carefully he made his way down from the ridge path he was on to the ledges below, until finally he saw a gray furred girl, standing on a crackling jut.

He started towards her, but the rocks she stood of cracked further at this. He was stumped as to what to do but he wouldn’t give up, not until she was safe on his side. Can you maybe like crawl over here? I’ll grab you when you’re close enough, he said, remaining cool under pressure in hopes of making her feel better.

Ruenna looked up at the voice. Her rescuer's pelt was a startling shade-- the color of the flatland grasses in summer-- but his size was the part of his appearance that most occupied Rue. He was so very large, and he was moving toward her ledge. Her tiny, breakable ledge, which was already cracking under her much-less-significant weight. 

"Careful!" she gasped as the cracks in her ledge deepened. She nodded at his suggestion and dropped back down to her belly to wiggle forward. When she was about half a wolflength from the sunny boy, an ominous cracking sound propelled her to leap forward with the prayer that the stranger would catch and steady her. The piece of the ledge she had been standing upon moments ago crumbled away.

Careful! the woman called out, causing Slavik a moment of panic as he looked down to hear the splinters of the tone at his feet. He winced, eyes shutting out of reflex, as if it would help at all if he fell. He waited tensely, and when his ledge seemed to settle he gave his full attention back to the silvery woman. Finally he was able to coax her into his plan, though it likely wasn’t all his doing. The rocks beneath her crackled a few threats and she took her chances, leaping towards him just at the right moment.

She landed on his side safely, but Slavik reached out and grabbed at her nape. Quickly he began to tug her away, urging her to keep moving up to more steady ground. He glanced back as he moved, at her ledge, which crumbled like a pastry. A wave of discomfort crashed in his stomach as he imagined his or her body falling along with the rocks.

Teeth buried into her nape, and Rue gasped at the feeling. Her entire body froze as her heart exploded in terror. Logically she knew the boy only wished to help her, but her body reacted as it did on that day-- that horrible day she only wished she could forget. He was attempting to tug her along, but the feeling of teeth on the back of her neck, of insistent tugging, of a man's hot, ragged breath against her skin... it was all too much. Rue crumpled to the ground, yelping piteously each time he tugged at her, refusing to budge. If she had been able to articulate herself, she would have asked the stranger for some space... but as it was, all she was able to emit were cries and whines.

Slavik continued to pull at her scruff, eyes locked on the falling crag that had almost been them. He was completely spaced out for a moment, in terror but of a different kind than hers, but he was jolted back to reality upon noticing- they weren't moving. He looked down to the girl and saw her struggling against him, fear in her eyes. Somehow his heavy breaths had drowned out her whines, and he hadn't noticed the horror she was in.

He didn't know what he'd done, but he was afraid he'd hurt her. He let her go quickly, and stepped back, one of his hind legs nearly buckling. The cacophony of events was scrambling his brain, he turned and scrambled up the remainder of the slope, hoping she would follow.

The teeth vanished from her nape, and instantly Rue felt like she could breath again. Her heart still hammered wildly, but she only needed a few steadying breaths before she was able to shakily follow the golden boy up the slope. 

Rue had never felt to happy to be on flat, solid ground. "Thank you," she managed to say to the boy through barely-controlled breaths. "Sorry I... that I.. um, panicked." Her amber eyes flicked up to the boy momentarily before she cast them down once more, embarassed.

The earth beneath his paws was solid, there was not a single tremor, at last they were safe. Slavik still let out heavy breaths, dropping his head and trying to regain a collected and steady state. He glanced up when she gave her thanks, and gave an exasperated nod, You’re welcome, was all he could manage back. She then apologized for her panic, though Slavik missed her embarrassed look. He trotted towards her a few steps, sniffing for some sort of injury. He’d thought maybe she’d freaked cause he’d hurt her, but he didn’t smell blood.

It’s ok, are you hurt? he asked, a little puzzled as to why she’d resisted his aid.

The boy seemed shaken, and Rue couldn't blame him. She winced inwardly, disappointed in herself for putting the boy-- hardly more than a pup-- in such a dangerous situation. When she had called for his assistance, she hadn't realized he was so young. 

"No, no.." she denied any injury with an insistent shake of her head. With every intention of changing the subject, she asked, "Did you hear that.. that thing? There was something stomping around... it.. it sounded so big and.. that was why I hid on the ledge." Now that she was trying to explain, it sounded ridiculous.  Her ears flattened. Would there be no end to her embarassment today?

The woman insisted she was fine, leaving Slavik to ponder the cause of her panic on his own. Whatever it was, it was over now, and things seemed to be fine. His fears were quelled and he relaxed, his ruffling sunbeam pelt lying flat again. She then changed the subject, to what he wasn’t quite sure. Something large stomping around? He couldn’t imagine what that might be. Hu-uh, what direction was it coming from? he asked, somewhat intrigued by this phenomenon.

How could he have not heard it? The thing had been so loud, and terrifying... hadn't it? Rue lifted her gaze reluctantly to answer the boy's question. It felt like their roles were reversed, with him playing the part of the reassuring adult and her the child afraid of monsters. She swallowed. "Up there," she said, gesturing with her muzzle in the direction from which (unbeknownst to her) the boy had just come. "I.. heard voices up there, too.." she admitted, voice even smaller, feeling like she was only succeeding in sounding crazier and crazier.

The woman seemed pretty confused as to how he could have possibly missed the sounds, and then it occurred to him. And she said she heard voices too! His own was the only he’d heard, but how could he have missed that... Then it clicked, maybe she was talking about him. Oh damn, he sure hoped not, he’d feel really bad if his stomping and talking had scared her into almost dying. Did he actually sound that scary.

With a nearly embarrassed look he asked, Did it umm, sound like stomping? It might’ve been me actually, my bad, he said awkwardly, glancing down at his paws.

"Oh," Rue murmured, just as embarassed as Slavik if not moreso. They both looked bown to their paws for a brief moment. Rue took in a deep breath, deciding to try everything over again. 

"Well.. I'm glad it wasn't really something... big and scary.." Her eyes lifted from her paws as she chanced a small smile. She supposed the boy was big, and he could certainly be scary if he tried... but she would give him the benefit of the doubt. He had helped her escape the ledge, after all. 

"I'm Ruenna," she offered, still speaking a little shyly.

There was a brief moment when both wolves were embarrassed, shuffling their paws awkwardly and wishing it would pass. Ruenna was the one to break the silence, with a comment and a smile. Slavik’s eyes widened then smiled back, recovering quickly from his guilt. Though inwardly he still couldn’t believe that his antics had almost quite literally killed someone, ouch. She introduced herself as Ruenna, a little shyly. Slavik normally would’ve winked, and gave a charming line but right now he wasn’t feeling in that mood.

Hi Ruenna, I’m Slavik, he replied politely, with a slight chuckle.

For everyone's reference, this thread takes place before Rue joined BDP, when she was a lone wolf.

Thank the stars, Slavik seemed willing to let go of the events that had led to their mutual embarassment. 

"Slavik," Rue repeated as she let out a long breath. A little more warmth lit behind her smile. "You're part of a pack?" she prompted, sounding a little more sure of herself.  Polite conversation, this was safe. Predictable. She could do this.

The boy was a bit young to be all on his own, and he smelled of others. Rue could only assume that somewhere nearby, there must be packlands which Slavik called home.