For a good handful of days, the dark female had been mountain-bound and in turn, rather quiet as she maintained her duties here and there. But, the day that dawned was warm and fair, even a little less humid than the ones before it, so she decided to trek abroad and stretch her legs some. Although, she knew her progress may be slow. Roughhousing with the silver Swiftcurrent wolf (as doing such with their company was quickly becoming a favored past-time) had left her sore, but not enough to be fully trapped in one place.
Her nose pointed towards the smaller mountain not so far from her home, the one marked in curious contrast with one lush side and the other scarred by time's harsh hand. While she had only caught wind of the legends that spoke of fire, packs crumbling, and destructive rock-slides, there was no telling if there was truth in it. She decided to explore it some, maybe scout out the hunting, see if any interesting plants took root there, and otherwise.
Ame moved lightly up the slow incline, having approached it from the western side where for all intents and purposes, it seemed like a normal mountain. If her explorations allowed, she would check out the other side, just to see for herself up close what it was all about.
Even she had not spent much time on Apikuni; with the Creek nearby, there had once been more wariness.. which was now fading. So long as she stayed away from their territory, not everything within a fifty mile radius as Fox had been wont to enforce, her paws could roam freely. So she traveled at an easy pace with her senses keened, pressured forward by the lure of curiosity.
![[Image: 5ifpFkc.png?1]](http://i.imgur.com/5ifpFkc.png?1)
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
It was rare for Týr to venture too far from the mountain side that Tuwawi and Njal intended to claim for their pack. He did not wish to miss the fire kissed Queen's call for him when the time came, having pledged his loyalty to the pair. His tentativeness to form roots had nearly dispersed with the knowledge that he would be there from the very start, that he was to play a vital role in the creation of their and his own legacy. He desired to shed the title 'Ragnarsson' in favor of something with much more meaning to him. He was so much more than just Ragnar's son, destined for greatness beyond his father's own. To keep a hold on 'Ragnarsson' was to limit himself. He desired to take Ironside, as it was the name that he had felt he had earned but remained hesitant. He had not done anything to earn his own name, yet. That would come later and in time.
Týr had, finally, succumbed to his boredom of doing nothing but the tedious repetition of hunting and filling the caches he had made in preparation for the day when Tuwawi and Njal would finally claim the territory that Týr had been trying to inhabit in their absences there. After all, he didn't want another wolf coming in and thinking that the territory was up for grabs when it wasn't. It was true it wasn't, exactly, claimed yet but Týr had no intentions of letting anyone who wasn't supposed to be there waltz around the territory. He was too devoted to the Sveijarn pair's cause, surprised with how quickly he had taken to them and their soon-to-be fledgling pack. Nevertheless, the Rekkr allowed himself to explore a bit, to stretch his legs knowing that he he was allowed to do so. He wasn't tethered to the mount but he wanted fiercely to prove his loyalty and devotion to his soon-to-be Alphas. He wanted them to know they had not placed their trust wrongly in him.
Lately, it seemed that Týr that he had taken a liking to mountains, with no real explanation of why. His body remembered the regal way in which he had once moved upon Tartok's treacherous slopes even though his mind did not. As far as the Rekkr was aware he had never before stepped a paw on the craggy lands, having lived his life on the mostly flat-lands of Odinn's Cove, right on the coast. It was his supposed new found love of them that had drawn him to Mount Akipuni, where he lounged against a lower crag pf the mount, chocolate colored body stretched out. Crystalline blue eyes scoured the lands below lazily not paying very much attention to what was happening below him, allowing his mind to wander in the peace that the mount afforded him.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
She moseyed on easily, drinking in the sights, sounds and scents as they came to her. This mountain was like many others, but of course, with its own personal nuances. She was not here to become well-acquainted to its landscapes, though, and was just doing a casual skim-over of it all. While she knew it was likely she could return at any time, without distinct purpose keening her attentions, she was feeling more apt to take it as it came for today.
The pack of her home did well even without her constantly working towards its gain. The arrival of the pups did necessitate the need for more guarding and caching but they had a solid core of wolves capable of getting it done. She decided she may make sure to take back some sort of catch -- or a scavenged meal should she stumble across one. But it was not a major priority of hers. Or so she did not feel it to be one; it was not always easy to muster the spare altruism for the strangers among them. She was more invested in personal explorations, honestly. Regardless of how selfish that may have seemed.
It was about then that a scent touched her nose. She focused, ears now pricked and eyes scanning until her forward motion brought her within sight of him -- a chocolate furred wolf and not one with an identity she could place.
Feeling vaguely amicable and at ease even with this minimal knowledge so far, she decided to approach calmly with a relaxed posture. Ame did pause about a stone's throw away from him. The wind was not in her favor to allow her much else information, so she would be patient in gaining more. Enjoying the view?
she quipped in greeting. I had thought I may be alone here today,
not that knowing otherwise was a bad thing, though.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
It was easy to get lost in his thoughts, allowing his attention to wander in the small pocket of security the craggy, treacherous terrain that would keep those who did not harbor the courage to brave the climb heavenward had given him. Whether said feeling of security was an illusion borne of confidence or truth Týrr did not know but had no intentions of studying with any sort of detail. He stretched out, sphinx like in his positioning, muscles quivering beneath silken coat of chocolate brown, enjoying the onslaught of the sun as it heated each individual tendril of fur that it touched, reminiscent of a lizard sunbathing. Left forepaw hung lazily over the edge as the Rekkr took in the landscape, never ending such as the sky and sea, ears slicking back to his skull as a yawn eased from betwixt his jaws parted wide to allow the inhale and exhale of the involuntary breath, despite his lack of tiredness. Sunbathing gave him a feeling of indolence that he rarely allowed himself on most normal occasions and was a smidgen ashamed of. One little vacation day was warranted, he thought, and not going to hurt.
Týrr's ears cupped forth at the sound of approaching footfalls, too heavy to be a prey animal of any sort, and sure enough he caught the scent of the woman on the soft winds that tickled along his spine like the caress of a lover's fingers. She scented of The Sunspire, and had no reason not to believe that she was from Ferdie's pack despite that he had no sort of confirmation upon it. He had nearly joined with them but could not subject himself to the way in which the Von Pelt man decided to run his pack, having not liked him much the first time he had met Ferdie and so Týrr had moved on to bigger and better things. If it was not for him deciding against The Sunspire he might have never had the chance to join Njal and Tuwawi in their endeavor to begin their own pack and that would have been a shame. He admired Njal a great deal but Týrr admired Tuwawi in an entirely different way than he looked up to Njal.
Tucking those thoughts aside the Rekkr focused his eyes and turned his attention to the Sunspire woman as she spoke, leaving an adequate measure of distance between them. Quite,
Týrr responded with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he studied her from his perch. I had a similar notion,
Týrr admitted to her. Company isn't unwelcome, however.
The heathen prince spoke inviting her forward if she wanted with a subtle gesture of his muzzle. I am Týrr.
He introduced not knowing any other way to start off a conversation.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
She studied him from here a few moments longer before edging nearer. Amekaze was unaware of his history with the Sunspire. Their paths had never crossed properly there and that past was of no consequence to her right now. Here and now, he was simply another wolf on this mountain.
Same here,
she responded smoothly to the notion of company. I am Ame,
she replied after he provided a name, one with an accented manner which she could not place either. Just like much about him. It was why she did not go well out of her way to say too much yet. He had already likely smelled her pack on her.. Saying it out-loud would only be redundant, and she never offered a surname or anything else by means of her name -- even to pack mates. This would do.
She did not move significantly closer to him and instead left him to his perch. The Sunspire female settled nearby, but just down a little ways on a separate outcropping so she was comfortably within earshot still. Usually here it is quiet though.. not that I spend that much time on these slopes. Have you seen the other side of the mountain?
she asked, pausing to sniff at the winds and consider all they offered.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
Týrr's body shifted against it's craggy perch, dispelling a couple of loose pebbles from the outcropping of rock as his weight moved from his left to the right half of his body, pulling his forepaws back having once allowed them to dangle over the edge as she edged nearer so he could better study her. The ebony woman spoke that she, too, did not find company unwelcome and then offered her name in an introduction following his own. It is a pleasure Ame,
His responded with a small dip of his head, watching as she moved to settle a little bit away from his perch. For a moment his ears tucked back to rest at half mast against his skull sheepishly at the notion that his continued pose — laying sphinx style against the heated dark brown slap of rock he had climbed his way on top of — probably made him appear lazy, or might have even impose an arrogance he did not feel.
Still, though, he was comfortable and his initial sheepishness was not enough to cause him to rise, despite that she had taken another outcropping of rock for herself, within earshot and eyesight of him.
No, I haven't,
Týrr responded to her question with a soft honesty. I do not venture very far from the territory that my soon to be leader intend to claim.
Týrr admitted. Granted, he had been in the Wilds before but he had a tendency not to venture too far from whatever pack he pledged to be with. Even when he had headed south west to speak to his father he had not ventured further than needed, nor too far out of his way. Not when he had a goal in his mind. He liked to see things through before he allowed himself the joys of exploring.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
She nodded subtly in turn, her silent version of "likewise" to his polite words. Amekaze could appreciate company of his sort -- not too intense, nor overly demanding on her patience in any way, and they met in a way that inspired no obligations between them. Their paths would likely only cross for this short while and these were her favorite sort of encounters.
I do not blame you, for this side is much more.. picturesque. With its oddly scarred landscape, the other side has a different tale to tell,
she said. A mountain of two differing sides was not unique and while she could only garner so much information from observations, there had never been anyone she had met that knew for certain exactly what had happened. She was led to believe it had occurred too long ago, perhaps even a handful of generations before any of the wolves that lived here now. She could only imagine.
But before she gave too much attention to the other side of the mountain beneath their paws, she had caught the mention of his pack situation -- a new pack? Her curiosity was keyed into this. Ah, an admirable pack wolf habit, then. Your soon to be leader should appreciate it,
she smirked. Is it nearby here at all then?
She was leery of any settling too close, naturally. After the incidents with the Creek, it was justified. However this was the first she was hearing about it so she was not suspecting it was overly close. An aspiring Sunspire outrider would have stumbled upon it if it was that near to their doorstep. Little did she know it was essentially a splinter group from the Creek as well.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
Týrr's head tilted ever so slightly to his right, ears cupping forth to hear her when she began to speak once more. She spoke that she did not blame him — according to her the other half of the mountain was scarred. Despite the promise that it was far from beautiful, the Rekkr was intrigued; struck with the sudden urge to cross over to the ruined half, to explore it and feel the scars under his paws, wanting to see and hear whatever story the land had to give to his imagination. Inquisitive crystalline blue eyes studied Ame subtly as he contemplated it. Imagine the story it has to tell though,
Perhaps because he came from a land where scars were not hideous, in fact they were intentionally created with random scratches that were claimed to resemble something in honor of whichever god the wolf dedicated themselves too. Each scar had a story and Týrr did not feel that the earth was any different.
I was sure that they might think me an anti sociable hermit, actually,
Týrr joked with a slow smile tugging effortlessly at the edges of chocolate colored lips as he shifted his body once more so the sunlight focused on the other half of his body, giving the right half a break from the onslaught of relentless sunlight. No. I am further than I would like to be,
Týrr spoke honestly. He had ventured a bit too far, but he figured as long as he retraced his steps it should not have been much of a problem finding Duskfire Glacier in time to hear Tuwawi's howl when she called for him. We are a good few days from The Sunspire and from Swiftcurrent Creek. More than adequate distance from any pre-established pack.
Týrr assured her. He understood the concern, but knew that Tuwawi and Njal would not have ever claimed territory close to another pack.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
She had not spent extensive side on the mountain's uglier half, but even from that alone it was plain to see it had seen some traumatic events. Fire was likely one, and she suspected rockslides too, or perhaps just a whole crumbling mountain-half. It was all settled now and greenery did grow anew, so it was not like it was recent, but the lasting effects remained. Mhm. One may only hear faint whispers of the story by putting their paws to it. If only any who.. had seen it happen themselves still roamed here,
and if they did, she had not crossed their paths. Then again, it was probable that whatever had happened had not left any survivors to tell the tale. Maybe none lived to say, though..
she mentioned with an impassive glance its way; she'd never know for sure.
She then chuffed a low laugh. Personally I would see nothing wrong with that,
she replied in turn. She was rather introverted, though, so her opinion may be biased. In my homeland a hermit was a highly-regarded wolf, synonymous with sage in a way.. so, granted, its definition went a little deeper than what you mention..
Her expression furrowed and she fanned her ears. There was not much else she would say about it. Her honored mother's traditions did not always translate well into simple explanations.
Listening on, she nodded slowly and soaked up the warmth of the sunlight. Ah, I see. I have not known many to settle north of here.. yet. But times have necessitated it, I know..
With winter coming, hunting would become a bigger issue. She was curious to see how it would fare with Swiftcurrent nearby, and then the Plateau in the other direction. Amekaze fancied having the Sunspire maintain some vague control over the Vale for hunting when the goat herds thinned, but that was assuming their strength allowed them. Last winter there were far fewer packs -- only a small handful, to my knowledge. I am curious to see how it shapes up, or if tensions will run high.
His pack may be wise for settling a good distance away. If their hunting was good to the north, they may avoid trouble (if it comes to it) entirely.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
The fate of the charred half of the mount was a sad one, when put in the context that Ame had spoken it. For a moment, Týrr felt a pang of sympathy for the wolves that had inhabited it when he considered the fact that there might have been a pack that had claimed it. Or maybe no one had gotten injured in the fire. They did not know and it was very likely that they never would. Really?
Týrr inquired when Ame admitted that in her birth pack being a hermit wasn't seen as socially unacceptable. That's quite fascinating,
The young Rekkr breathed sincerely with a curious tilt of his head. Despite his curiosity, however, he did not inquire further for the simple sake of not wanting to be impolite. In Odinn's Cove there was only one wolf that could have been considered a 'hermit' and that was the Seer. He was a wretched old wolf, cursed by the Gods to never die (or so the story went, anyway), and had the blessings of being able to communicate with them directly. Týrr could never explain the feeling of unease that the wretched creature had given him, even as an adult, but his words were revered and Týrr had never been anything but respectful even when Ragnar had challenged them. Týrr did not wish to invoke the wrath of the Gods, and that fear had kept the young Rekkr docile and biting his tongue when he desired something else.
Mhm,
Týrr murmured in agreement. Even in the few months that I had been gone from these Wilds more wolves have come and the Wilds have expanded,
It had been a little disorienting at first as the layouts of the Wilds seemed to change to accommodate the influx of wolves. Nothing had changed land wise, really, only wolves adventured further and claimed re-found lands as apart of the Teekon Wilds. Survival of the fittest,
Týrr concluded in a grim tone. It is how it always is.
It was how it would always be.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
There was no way to know if there had been a pack here before, or if ever. Or if wolves had even inhabited the nearby territories when whatever had happened had transpired. When she had first arrived in the Teekon Wilds, packs had been few and far between with the lands practically untouched as far as she could tell. But it could not have been like that forever?
On several occasions she had wondered if something had happened to make it that way. Famine? Natural disaster? Several bad seasons? It could be any number of things, truthfully. Packs could dissolve into nothing, leave entirely, be killed, ran off, or whatever else. Either way, she had arrived in the region at a point of fresh start. It had only just begun its revival when she had set paw here.
Traditions of my honored mother, more specifically: yamabushi -- or 'one who lies in the mountains', those close to mysticism and strength of nature. Very respected there,
she mentioned and left it at that. It was his interest that gave him that much. While her mother had been the only one to fully achieve the title in Amekaze's lifetime, she had always spoken of others doing so in the past well before her time. It had inspired her in many ways, though.
Indeed, it has grown. I wonder how much larger it may become, or if a limit may be reached at some point..
she replied, thoughtfully smirking. She believed the Sunspire to be establishing itself as a steadfast group, one with a solid, strengthening core. While they still had a ways to go, she had her confidence. The fittest will always prevail, and among them, some balance to be struck.
The key facets of nature, to her thinking. Balance and strength. The mountain range here has only just found a semblance of peace among its residents. I assume wintertime may strain it, but perhaps with the packs growing, changing, and shifting may eventually help ease it.. or just make it worse. Time will only tell.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
Týrr gave Ame his rapt attention interested in culture other than his own, if because there were so many out there he knew. She spoke a word that he didn't understand though he assumed it had something to do with her culture. Despite his curiosity there were times when Týrr would shy away from inquiring further in regards to other cultures or religions. Mostly it was done out of what the young Rekkr thought was common courtesy though Ragnar would not have, would his father have been there. I suppose we will find out,
Týrr mused thoughtfully, falling to the silence that took over as he contemplated it and if it came down to them versus nature how Duskfire Glacier would fare. He had been keeping up with the two caches he had started before the pack lands had been officially claimed and while two caches was a fair start it would not be enough. Not near enough when Winter came upon them in full force.
So long as they worked to make the preparations Týrr was confident that they would be fine.
I would like to explore this mount a bit more before I head home,”
Týrr spoke, breaking his own endeavored silence. Would you care to accompany me?
He inquired of his ebony companion. There was no pressure for her to say 'yes' or 'no'. It had simply been an invitation and was entirely up to her what she decided to do with it.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
Amekaze lapsed into peaceful silence after a soft nod; they would have to find out. The weeks would turn into months and before they knew it, winter would grip the lands and as they had both agreed, the strong would triumph when times grew more difficult. Amekaze was curious to see how it would unfold, and somewhat eager in helping to support their pack to success.
Her ears flicked forward towards his offer. Mm, perhaps for a bit, at least until the Spire beckons me back,
she answered. I intended to do some more sightseeing, anyway.
she switched her tail alongside the words, then gestured her muzzle towards him as if to say lead the way.
As she said she would, she would accompany the male for a little while longer over the mountainous terrain. She was plenty content to trek in silence, for while she did enjoy the spoken word and a knowledgeable conversation partner, the quiet suited her well. Amekaze took in the sights, and when the time was right, she bid him a farewell to let him continue his investigations and then likely head back towards the north where his pack-to-be planned to settle. Their paths may or may not ever cross again but she left his company contented, and turned her nose towards the peak of the Sunspire.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」