Qeya River like blood to a vampire

This dirty, stinky wolf needs a bath :p

Blood still clung to his fur. Despite his best efforts, the male had so far been unable to lick all of the crimson, metallic-tasting liquid from his coat. Niall had spent the last three days feasting, gorging himself on the remains of the elk doe he had taken down in the heart of the valley. Now though, it was time that he get himself properly cleaned up. 

Salmon-pink tongue swept ravenously across his blood-stained charcoal lips, his mouth watering at the iron-tang they still possesed. It had been a long time since he had last devoured such a heavy meal, and now he physically felt heavier with the weight of meat he had consumed. Despite his slightly bulging belly, the male appeared confident and unashamed as he sauntered boldly through the valley of bitterroot blossoms, startling the wildlife as he went. He no longer cared for the prey that bolted away from his honeyed form, his hunger having been satieted for the time being. 

The only scent that Niall was on the trail of now was that of fresh water. He had caught wiff of damp ground to the west of were he'd taken down the elk, and so to the west he wandered, following his nose until his ears alerted him to the sound of rapidly moving water — Qeya river. Now he stalked along its rocky banks, moving slowly as he took care not to slip on the wet boulders which contained the violent, frothing rapids.

She had surprisingly, never been this far up river before. It was beautiful, and she found herself cresting the top of a rather large Boulder, abandoned by a glacier long ago. 
A gust of wind brought the smell of blood and she pricked her ears, excited. "Santiago? Is that you?" She yipped happily, charging towards the scent...but stopped when she was in front of the male. This was not the wolf she had expected, and she stared, wide eyed. 
"Oh...uh...I-I'm sorry...I thought you were someone else." 

Niall meandered along the rocky river bank, occasionally swerving closer to the rapids to to hang his neck over the water. He tested to see how strong the river current was, gauging its strength by the amount of liquid that licked and sprayed at his chiselled chin. The river was much too violent to take a dip in, and so the wolf continued moving, traipsing further along the snaking river in search of calmer waters to bathe in. 

Just as he bent over to test the waters again, did a voice call out to him. The name cried for their lips was not one familiar to him and so he quickly assumed it was a case of mistaken identity. Still, he did not move from his position, instead he merely lifted his head so that he could inspect the female that was now racing towards him. 

She was darker than him in her pelt, fur of black and brown with a pale chest and undersides. Her eyes, he came to learn, were a deep saphire blue, which stared at him with a widened gaze as she lingered before him awkwardly. Pale brows furrowed into a frown as the female apologised to him. Niall licked his lips, tasting the elk blood that still remained stained into his fur, before he reclined onto his haunches. "I'm sorry to disappoint you." Niall drawled, not really sorry at all, but he wanted her to like him enough to give him the information he desired in that moment. 

"Do you know of a calmer part of the river I could visit?" He asked, quickly dismissing her case of mistaken identity. "I am in need of a bath." He added, his sharp silver eyes narrowing on the female as he licked his charcoal lips once more.

The other male is absolutely covered in blood. Not wolf blood, thankfully, by the smell of it, but she wonders if he had snuggled himself inside a carcass for there to be so much. She chuckles at his request. 
"I can see that. You are either a particularly messy eater, or make a habit of Rolling in your kills..." Her expression showed her amusement and distaste, but she continues. 
"This way. Further down river. There's a stream, but my pack owns it...and Artyom wouldn't want me just walking you in. So...this way." 
She marched determindly forward, leading him through the tundra and scrublands, and after a few hours walk they came to a quieter, calmer piece of the river, made moreso by a large pool cut off from the main flow by a few large boulders. 
"I'm Aphrodite. And you are?" 

Niall's brow quirked at the female's comment. "I just don't like to waste anything." He corrected her, before giving another lick of his muzzle. He had worked hard for the meal and so he had made sure not to waste anything when devouring it. He had not wished to leave any picking for the scavanging ravens and coyotes. 

The honeyed male's ears pricked up when the female pointed him in the direction of calmer water. He was not surprised to learn that she was part of a pack, he had thought her scent had smelt faguely familiar to him, though he had been unable to place it immediately. Still, pack wolf or not, if she was willing to be helpful he didn't care where she chose to reside — she could live under a prickly bush for all he cared. 

When he had decided to follow after her, he wasn't aware that their journey would be so long. He had wanted to question how long it would take, but he had held back his tongue and decided to see just where she would end up taking him. He had nothing better to do today anyway and the female could at least provide him with some company and entertainment for the time being. Eventually, after following her through the scrublands, she led him to a large pool of still water, fed into by the same river he had found her by. 

Immediately Niall quickened his pace and brushed past the female, not caring to pause as she introduced herself. "Grateful for your service." He responded coldly, between mouthfuls of cold water. He did not bother to look up to her before stepping forwards and letting the water rise up to his neck.

He was a man of few words, apparently. "And yet here you are covered in muck and a beacon for any scavenger or bloodthirsty creep." She snorted, shooting a retort to his insistance he wasn't wasteful. "More likely, you're greedy. Or sloppy." 
After leading him to the river she frowned when he ignored her greeting. She waited, giving him some privacy and gathering some clover and purple dead nettle from the bank. Finally, frustrated, she turned to him. "You know when a lady offers her name, the polite thing is to answer." 

"—or nosy pack bitches, apparently." Niall quickly interjected, flashing the dark-haired woman a daring grin. The honeyed male just gave a dismissive shrug of his shoulders at her next comment, not bothered enough to insult or correct her on her assumptions of him. Besides, he was rather enjoying toying with the fiesty female. A female who he suspected was all bark and no bite, going by her intial timidness towards him. She was harmless and Niall would be too, as long as she gave him what he wanted.

And she did. 

The cool water sent a chill down his spine as he sunk deeper into its crystalline clear depths. He paced around a little, his paws scratching at the rocks and pebbled which had settled upon its floor, before he found an area of the river bed to stand comfortably without slipping. Once settled Niall began to groom himself, turning around to lick and preen at the blood-stained fur upon his white chest. He had almost forgotten the female was still there until she snapped at him, seemingly offended by his unwillingness to offer up his own name. 

"I did. I just didn't give you the answer you wanted." Niall replied coyly, finally turning back to glance back over his shoulder to her. He gave a mocking sigh, and dramatically fluttered his dark lashes. "If I have offended you, you are under no obligation to stay. Leave, if you want to." He said coldly. He was done with her anyway.

She bit back a growl at what he called her. He was rude! 
at his scathing dismissal she glared at him, indignant and frustrated. "Your mother should have taught you better manners. And I should have let you freeze to death or drown." She snapped. "Speak to the wrong wolf that way and you'll have your tail ripped off and handed to you."  Her soft saphire blues had turned Icy, and the Umbre female stood her ground. Just because she was gentle and soft spoken didn't mean she would tolerate disrespect.

She didn't take the hint.

The dark female started whining and snarling about how rude he was and—he let out a sigh, shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes dramatically before turning his back to her. 

Silently he groomed himself whilst bathing in the icy cold water, all the while sensing the prickily heat behind him radiating off the cheeks of the woman he'd scorned. Niall's honeyed ears remained upright as she continued and fell when she finally fell silent. He breathed it in, dark lashes closing over his silver gaze as he enjoyed the quiet for a long drawn out moment before he finally glanced back around again. 

"Oh sorry.." He began, his eyes soft and almost apologetic. "Are you still here?" A dark grin pulled at the corners of his lips as his eyes narrowed on her, eyeing her up and down. The crystalline clear water of the lake had begun to stain a blood-red colour around him, turning the water dark and murky. 

She could gawk at him and whine at him all she wanted, but it was about time he took his leave. 

Slowly he stepped his way back towards the shore and emerged from the water a shade or two lighter than when he'd first submerged himself. He strode confidently towards the woman, leaving a deliberately placed wolf-length bentween them, before he paused. In one rapid motion he shook his pelt clean of the dirty, bloody water, spraying the woman with crimson droplets in the process. He then sauntered onward, attempting to leave her there without another word. 

Niall will exit unless physical contact is made

Her words fell on deaf ears and, and for a moment, Aphrodite faltered. She had never seen a wolf like this before- one so cold and cruel. After she had done him a favor no less! Bristling with anger she watched him approach her, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Oh, now you want to act like I exist!" She growled, and was interrupted by a spray of bloody, stinking water. 
"YOU....YOU... Absolutely uncivilized, rude, obnoxious, pompous-" She shreiked at him as he trailed away, before giving a frustrated huff and turning to slip into the water herself.