Horizon Ridge trailmix

For @Caiaphas - if you're interested!

This was the greatest distance Pura had ever put between himself and the Plateau. Normally, time away made him nervous - his recent sabbatical from life had not taken him much further than the stream that bisected the flatlands below.

But today, leaving home felt good. Things were changing quickly, and Pura hated the feeling of disorder and uncertainty. Junior was gone, Peregrine had left home, and Saena was in a volatile mood. Pura's family was disintegrating, and it made the base of his tail itch uncomfortably. He wanted stability. Routines. Missions.

When he reached the eastern base of the once inhabited Ridge, it was raining. The freckled teen slunk into the shadow of a naked tree to wait it out, starting out - fascinated - at the vast, grey-blue ocean.

Caiaphas too had been caught unawares by the rain -- and unwilling to wash the blood of the Sound's most recent sacrifice from her pelt, the frail-boned waif held back under the mighty arms of a sequoia. Sulkily she engaged herself by counting the downed boughs in the forest -- until her eyes fastened on not a fallen tree but a creature.

Reluctant to betray her advantageous position, Caiaphas considered her options. On the one hand, she could just go home and avoid this stranger -- and this was a favorable scenario -- however, Caiaphas could not sit well seeing and knowing a stranger was so close to Ankyra without receiving scolding.

Deciding at last it was best to approach this bespotted wolf, Caiaphas rose and followed the tree-line, gingerly avoiding puddles and rain until she was very obviously in front of Pura.

We can forward-date this if you want - I see in your footer that Phas is unstable.

Before Pura could catch so much as a whiff of the sea wolf's scent, she was in front of him. She was lean and on the small side, unremarkable in colour save for the mask of black that covered her entire face. It was as though she had dipped her face in oil, and forgotten to wash.

Pura found himself staring unblinkingly into a pair of bright, yellow eyes. "Do you live here?" he asked.

Caiaphas regarded the bespeckled wolf quite plainly, wondering what anomaly in his family had contributed to his unique fur. She had never seen a spotted wolf before -- and the markings of Pura's pelt quite captivated her.

Of course, she was unaware that she too bore unusual markings -- so used was she to her helm of black she oft did not remember its presence on her pale coat. She shifted backwards and peered coldly through the frigid rain, a frown dousing the corners of her jaw. "Near here." She admitted, disguising well her reluctance to betray the existence of her pack. "You?

"No," he replied without delay, but did not elaborate. They eyed each other with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. Pura was not entirely certain what custom dictated he do next, so he posed another question. "Are you the Alpha?" She had a discernible air of confidence, and the unwavering stare of a dominant wolf. Pura had only ever known such wolves to lead packs.

Similar to Pura, Caiaphas had no grasp of what to do next -- yet unlike him (or perhaps not unlike him) she felt no indecision or uncertainty about the silence that threatened to stretch between them.

His question took her off guard, but she tried her best to sheath it. "No." She answered with the expert tone of a deft liar -- a knowing smile pressed against her lips and she stepped closer, her sharp features accentuating the ugliness behind her expression. "But I plan to be. What about yourself?"

"I plan to be."

Pura stared at the shrewd little face that was suddenly too close for comfort, and took a step back. He dwarfed her, but it didn't matter - something about her stare suggested to Pura that she would be able to take him out regardless. "I plan to be too," he responded, a little perplexed. Would she take it as a challenge, and start a fight? The cords that bound the youth's limbs tightened in anticipation.

The spotted male was quick to increase the space between them -- Caiaphas, overwhelmed by delight, instantly wriggled closer. His utterance was a delightful prospect and her countenance lit with excitement. She offered a weaselly smile as she spoke. "How delightful." The trill was enunciated in the most insufferable pitch, and she whirled about him with interest.

"Do tell." While she had very little interest in the lives of the inland wolves, the wolf before her had inadvertently promised a most interesting story -- and she wished very much to hear it.

Was she trustworthy? Most likely not. A better wolf would have recognized Caiaphas as being more than a little bit unhinged, but Pura - being neither a normal wolf nor a better one - saw himself in her eerie, penetrating stare. He retreated - she crept closer like an oversized rat. Pura's pushed his forelegs against the ground and locked them, head raised away from her as though struggling against some giant hand that wanted the opposite. "I'm going to eat the babies," he revealed in a low tone, watching her for a reaction.

last post from me!

He was going to eat the babies. Caiaphas sat back, as if slapped by his deliverance. But it was not shock that grew unruly on her countenance -- not even surprise -- what delved across her muzzle was a sheer look of delight. She cackled loudly, an earsplitting noise -- the high raucous call of her amusement sounding not unlike the shrieking snigger of a coyote.

"And eating them makes you Alpha?" She queried lazily, a snigger bubbling in her throat. This one was mad -- much worse off than her. She slapped into the sand a singular paw and rose, swaying away from him as if drunk off of his hilarity. "You're funny. I am sure I will see you again." With a final giggle issued his way the skeletal Queen strode off, her spirits delighted by the prospect of juvenile bloodshed.

Not for the first time, Pura's very serious revelations elicited mad laughter. He watched the coywolf go, perplexed, leaving him to ruminate on her parting words. And eating them makes you Alpha? Pura stared through the curtain of rain, drifting into his own thoughts. Why was he so desperate to see an end to Blue Willow's pups? Did it really have something to do with the throne, or was this masculine urge to lead a clever masquerade for something else?

His actual thoughts were not so introspective. Mostly he just saw foggy images of bones, and felt a sensation of uneasy in the pit of his belly.

Thanks for the thread!