Neverwinter Forest run as fast as you can

Winter had enveloped the land in a silent blanket. The solitude hen felt was akin to that of Tuatha De, high atop the mountains, and yet it was also very different this time. Chakra's scent was as strong as ever -- her make upon the borders predominant and meaningful. She was going nowhere, and in turn, he and Luka has chosen a home well this time, it seemed.

He hadn't seen the swarthy male since their arrival, but he knew he was still lurking about, likely acquainting himself with his new home. Scimitar in turn was doing the same, his stocky frame loping through the snow, spraying flurries of powder white out from his sides as he had to move through drifts along the outskirts of the forest, pausing only every so often to leave a mark of his own for any potential trespasser.

The day was overcast above -- the grey clouds threatened possibility of snow, but it did not hold the rumble of a storm.. if anything, it would be but a few flurries. His bright eyes fell from the sky, taking in the landscape before him. At times, he was unsure why he had felt the urge to leave Dal Riata and wander.. now, as he stared across the expansive land before him, sheltered by the trees if his new home, he had no regrets.

The dark she-wolf limbered from the steam of the hot springs, a chill encasing her body, sending a shiver down her spine. She shook her coat and glanced at the cloak of white wrapping the once grassy area. The forest lay ahead of her, and nearby, so she continued her trek into the equally white, dense land of another.

It seemed as if a light sprinkle would dust the lands all around soon. Hawkeye did not prefer the clouds to hang above her head, the brightness almost burning her precise eyes. As she grumbled silently to herself, she spotted a male to her left, seemingly deep in thought. She let out a "woof" to alert the male that she was standing behind his tawny body (and possibly in his territory).

One ear flickered to the direction of the bark, his bright eyes blinking as it lulled him from his thoughts. Stiffening, the agouti male shot his muzzle in the direction of a swarthy female, who was seemingly traipsing within the borders of Neverwinter Forest. Stunned momentarily not only at the sudden appearance of the other (had he truly let his guard down that badly?) but the brazen trespass, Scimitar bristled slightly, his tail arcing higher up as the unfamiliar scent of the she-wolf came to him then.

"You're on Neverwinter territory," he rumbled darkly, his large figure lifting to his impressive height. Striding forward now, the cinnamon wolf's ears slid back to his skull to reveal his agitation, his tainted lips pulled back to flash his fangs at her. Entering marked lands was a taboo among the wolves he had grown up with from home, and he held no doubt that Chakra would welcome upon her lands who thought it a good idea.

She narrowed her brow momentarily, then smoothed it. The male before her had interesting eyes. "I apologize, did not sense borders near where I came in." Silently, she wondered whether he was the Alpha here, but when an angry no shot from Sos' mouth she jumped. "I am Hawkeye, Alpha of Blacktail Deer Plateau. I have come for pack relations. And you are, turquoise eyes?"

Noting his stature, she raised herself to her full height as well. She was a very large wolf in size, and did not take well to being challenged by the male.

The borders were where Viinturuth most often lurked, and it was there where he'd spent most of the afternoon. His pale eyes scanned the snow for signs of any other creatures - prey or trespasser - that may have passed through recently, and he paused from time to time to raise a hind limb and leave his scent at the base of a nearby tree. For hours he saw no marks in the ivory blanket that lay across the outskirts of Neverwinter Forest, but when he did his tail rose at once.

He paused in his tracks, and followed the trail of an unknown wolf's prints with his gaze. Lowering his massive crown, the raven Frostfur twitched his nose and sniffed the ground then deeply breathed in the crisp air as he rose his head once more. Those paw prints did not belong to a wolf of Neverwinter, but not a loner either. Abandoning his patrol, Viinturuth swiftly head off in the direction the stranger had gone with his hackles bristling at the frustration he suddenly felt.

When he arrived on the scene, the strange had already been found. Viinturuth moved in to support the tawny male- who he acknowledged briefly with a sideways glance - before easing to a halt nearby to pull his rugged lips back and reveal his impressive fangs. He did not like how this wolfess stood so boldly in their presence, now the attitude with which she spoke on Neverwinter territory, and a deep growl rumbled within his breast. "You might be an Alpha elsewhere but here you are not," the dark brute announced, silently daring the stranger to meet his eyes as he fixed her with a firm glare. "So I suggest you lower yourself, before we make you."

Her words stirred a sardonic snort from the cinnamon male, his eyes regarding her skeptically. "The smell didn't slap you in the face when you skipped past them?" His words were harsh and cold, and in turn, his figure loomed ever closer, closing more distance between them as his pelt bristled dangerously.

While agitated that another could be so idiotic and disrespectful, it became more apparent as she spoke, daring even to lfit herself and attempt to place herself higher than him within his own home. A bubbling snarl escaped him then, his fangs flashing fully as he closed enough space between them now, his own large figure standing between her and the heart of the pack lands. His own stance met hers for dominance, this time his muzzle lifting high as his eyes stared her coldly in the face -- a straight challenge. Before he could respond in turn, another melted from the shadows. At first, Scimitar had thought it to be Luka's dark form, but as the scent drifted to him, he realized he was unfamiliar with this wolf.

It did not matter -- he was of Neverwinter and in turn, a brother to the dark agouti male. As the newcomer spoke, Scimitar continued to stare at the trespasser levelly, withholding a malicious grin. "As he said, you are no Alpha here. Pay respects to the lands you walk on." He ignored her demand of his name -- she was the one dancing on his pack borders, she held no right to question him.

I'm helping! I think @_@;;
--

Was he already nearby? Or was he following her? Maybe he'd just happened upon the situation. Such details were unimportant. All that mattered in the calamity was that he appeared when she most needed it...right at the precipice of each guardians' temperamental flare. Idiot he couldn't help but think as golden hues found her standing toe to toe with two mightily agitated patrollers. What was she doing? Was she high?

His apparition was wordless; he came between the bristling bodies of Hawkeye and the two others and offered a flustered sound that gargled in the back of his throat. His spine was hunched with catlike rigidity but he hunkered despite his size...tiptoeing on the foreign soil of a region that may have now just become his enemy. It'd been a while since he'd felt so utterly cowed by a random occurrence.

"We are sorry," he murmured with weighted eyes shifting toward Hawkeye, glowering pointedly with an unspoken message of YES WE ARE SORRY NOW DON'T BE BRASH. His whole face screamed it at her, begging her to understand, to just hold her horses for a second. He needed her to understand. To agree. If only to keep from turning his ass into rawhide. Tension built from the stalwart silence and he shook off a delicate shiver that pinched between his shoulders. "There are no excuses for this," he said. Nothing, not even his added intrusion, could hope to explain how it was remotely appropriate for an alpha of foreign lands to be challenging the natives. He could imagine only that she had suffered a mental lapse...or perhaps traditions were starkly different from the land she'd hailed from.

Either way rules were rules. They were unbending and ever present. The two Neverwinter wolves, callous as they were, had simply assumed their natural roles as pack members. But...rules were rules. That went both ways. All actions caused equal reactions. They needed him to give something in return for their trespass.

He decided to give them exactly what they wanted.

His limbs gave out and he flopped to the earth. A pale belly flashed - his own personal white flag of utter surrender. He was humiliating himself -prostrating to two fellow men- and his eyes lost their focus on trees to the distance while brows furrowed with the shame that gnawed at his insides. "We praise you and your dutiful guardianship of these beautiful lands," he said with automated tribute. The wild glow of his eyes betrayed his desperate hope that perhaps his intervention wouldn't severe the thin wires that thus far had kept the situation under control.

Hawkeye sighed. It was not her fault that the borders she entered had the scent dampened and covered by rain, sleet, and snow. For what she knew, these lands were not claimed. But, here she was. Back home, you could enter anyone's lands as long as you came on good terms to forge bonds between the two packs. Obviously, things were different here. And that pissed her off. Was she truly to blame for her family's vastly different customs among bordering packs? Shame should not be the feeling that encased her at the moment. She now felt bitter towards her family and their laxed ways of doing things.

When Ariston showed himself, and practically begged her to follow his lead with his eyes, she felt sorry for both him and herself. Maybe she should have taken cue from Akhlut waiting outside her borders; and the same from the sandy male who now rolled and showed submission. Maybe she was charitable as he had mentioned before. If someone entered her lands without permission, they would be asked why they trespassed and led out if they did not mean business, not greeted in such a way that she was. The black female was an Alpha and wolves that would surely be under her if they were a part of her pack were demanding that she bow before them? She nearly laughed.

But she lay on the ground, searching for words that apologized. Her pride -- was it really hers to call her own at this moment? -- was sagging from her chest. What words would make this right? Red filled her vision in anger at the situation.

She held her breath a moment and then spoke. "I am sorry to intrude your forest. Things are handled differently where I am from. I do not mean to cause harm to to your lands or any possible bonds that may be forged between packs." The Alpha hoped her calm words would be enough to appease the tense males. In her opinion, they were being a little overly show-y, but it was their lands and she supposed it was not her place to judge others' traditions and ways of life.

He stood strong before the too-bold wolfess who refused to submit, his tail slung dominantly over his hindquarters and his sterling guard hairs on edge. Viinturuth glowered in silence as he awaited the trespasser's response following his pack-mate's additional comment. She did not speak, but this did not matter - another approaching wolf roused another rumble within the dark male's throat and he parted his jaws to once more release the ferocity in his toothy snarl.

Apologies spilled forth, and soon both strangers were sprawled at their feet. With the two on the ground before him, Viin remained solid by his tawny comrade's side in wait of what words the first foolish trespasser would decide to form. When they came, he was far from satisfied. Her ways, and those from where she'd come from, were not wolf law. Instinct overruled everything, as he had discovered on leaving his own vastly different culture back in Samarkand.

He pitied the she-wolf's follower, laying belly-up in the snow, and found himself admiring the sheer loyalty he felt for his Alpha despite her stupidity. Viinturuth sincerely hoped she'd be rewarding him greatly for his display in her defense, though he much doubted she would bother. In the very short time they'd known one another, he was seeing her clearly as someone purely arrogant.

Viin remained silent, his anger dissipating somewhat now that proper submission was shown, and cocked a raven lobe in the his superior's direction to await his judgement on the matter.

Her pride was clearly an issue -- an unimpressive one at that. Dominance and submission was such a natural instinct for the wolf, that to feel cowed for something so natural was beyond his understanding. One was either dominant in a situation or submissive.. when traipsing about a neighbors grounds, the mere notion that she had attempted to claim dominance over him was laughable. To follow such a fool was beneath him, and as another came on the scene, showing his Alpha how to act, he could only feel sympathetic to the male who chose this she-wolf as a leader.

Viinturuth's own frustration at the situation was noted -- the air was charged with the arising conflict and Scimitar's own muscles remained tensed. Once the two had followed his demands, it still did not appease to his usual good nature.

Sensing his ebony companion was awaiting his words, as the higher ranked in the group, the cinnamon agouti male cast a frown to both, though his growls ceased. "Leave." He spoke, his voice not hinting at a discussion to this matter. "Whatever 'bonds' you had hoped to forge between packs has been shattered by your idioticy and insolence. I will pass this visit along to my Alpha." There was nothing more to truly be spoken -- he would not waste Chakra's time to come to this end of the borders and listen to a deranged woman attempt to discuss pack matters when she truly did not even understand the life or customs of a pack. If she wanted to discuss the matter with them in the end, Scimitar would deliver the message himself.

Ax is out (if this thread continues on just assume he stopped just beyond the boundary waiting for Hawkeye to join him) =D

Uneaten and unmaimed...two of the best conclusions to this debacle that he could've hoped for. A sudden change of heart and bro-hugs all around would've been awesome as well but, given the circumstances, he had a lot to be thankful for.

"Leave." It was not a notion that left room for negotiations. Ax was immediately on his feet, all too happy to get the chill of snow off his back, and he tucked his plume in a simpler sign of submission for the Neverwinter guardians. "Our deepest apologies for wasting your time," he replied in turn. Upon his face was a thin veil of irritation - surely directed at Hawkeye for her actions - but overall he maintained a facade of false calm. Time (and a lot of it) would be the only thing to heal these diplomatic wounds...the off-white wolf would not try to tidy the situation with even his prettiest of words.

He lowered his head, turned his eyes toward the distant boundary, and took off at a slow canter in obedience to Scimitar's command. And even though he wasn't going to entirely abandon his alpha by riding of into the sunset he didn't exactly linger behind and wait to see whether or not she'd try bartering with the border bouncers.

set by Emy

Hawkeye rolled over and sat for a moment, the blood rushing to her head. She rose to her full height while holding eye contact with the first male, but showed no expression on her face.

Then, she laughed. It was more of a malicious chuckle, as if he were the one to make an unknowing mistake instead of she. Turning away, she flicked her tail as the large body moved away in a strut. She had been embarrassed, but still had her pride.

*edited to take out that she left since Viin replied*

Sorry guys, I can't imagine Viinturuth letting Hawkeye disrespect Scimitar once again and let her get away without this sort of reaction. :X

Believing that the paler of the duo held every intention of keeping the disgruntled Neverwinter wolves' tempers at bay, Viinturuth gave him minimal attention as he offered one final apology and slunk off in the direction he had come. Instead he focused on the female who still remained, his fierce gold eyes never straying far from her features. What he observed made his pelt stand on edge again, bristled along the length of his neck and spine, and felt as though his blood was beginning to boil with uncontrollable rage.

The large wolfess shifted so that she could pull herself onto her paws, but she did not do so in the correct manner. Instead of lowering herself in shame as Viinturuth expected, the arrogant wench straightened herself completely, lifted her head with pride then held the gaze of her tawny greeter as though he were lesser to her. His upper lip twitched then peeled back, revealing the impressive pristine fangs beneath as he silently reminded himself not to flip tables.

But then she laughed at them. Laughed, as she prepared to leave the scene like the cat who'd gotten the cream, and Viin could no longer contain himself. Everything became a blur, and if Scimitar hadn't already moved in to assert his dominance over the trespasser, Viinturuth did so for him without hesitation. Silently, aiming not to give off his position by snarling as he so wanted to, the sable Frostfur swept forth on swift paws. His jaws parted with every intention of sinking his teeth into the soft flesh on Hawkeye's nearest haunch, and holding on if he could. He'd had enough of her arrogance on their land, and she wouldn't be getting away without knowing her place.

Short-ish.. but wanted to get this in before I had to go.

While the pale wolf was only too eager to follow Scimitar’s demand, the she-wolf in question was not. It hardly came as a surprise – she rose to her paws once more, lifting herself as high as she had before, and before her eyes even locked on his own in a challenge that went as far along his ancestors to the beginning of time, the agouti Lambda felt his pelt bristle and his hackles lift.

She gave a laugh and a flick of her tail, making to move away, and just as Viinturuth leapt forward, likely as insulted as he, Scim was beside him. His companion moved to grab her haunch, and with a leap of his own nimble paws, the cinnamon regal made to leap at her side, his own shoulder rolling out in an attempt to connect against her body and slam her harshly, if not knock her down with the potential grip of his pack mate. A snarl bubbled past his lips, and his eyes flashed as he arched his nape, protecting his throat. Her insolence had pushed his limit, and he would not let her leave now without fully submitting to the Neverwinter wolves.

A snarl escaped Hawkeye's throat as the swarthy male dared to connect his teeth with her left haunch. A small amount of flesh tore away and an even louder growl flew from her throat. As she tried to dodge the other male, her feet became tangled and the turquoise-eyed wolf nearly knocked her down, making her stumble into a tree and knocking the wind from her.

She inhaled deeply, wincing at the pain in her chest. Two again one wasn't very fair, and she backed up putting more space in between them all.

"You will regret your actions this day." She spoke, feeling as if the voices of Loa were coming from her, overlayed with Sos' voice; of course, it was only her spitting out the words, but her mind formed what was happening in her own, special way.

Seeing red, she desired to fight; but a little voice that she thought had disappeared told her run, you fool. She turned her body and dashed through the trees to find Ariston, panting heavily from the pain that shot from her body.

table by houkie

When Viinturuth felt his fangs connect with flesh and fur, he let his jaws clamp down. The dark female snarled and, bracing himself, Viin fully expected her to swing around and attempt to bite back. Instead, she simply tried to free herself, but the force of Scimitar's slam forced her sideways and she gasped at the force of breath being knocked from her. Still clinging to her hindquarters, the swarthy brute yanked his head to the side as Hawkeye tried to find her feet once more, but her struggles and the tearing of her hide made her slip free of his grasp.

Blood stained his muzzle, and as he parted his jaws to reveal his teeth once more in a vicious, glistening red snarl. Face-to-face again, the wounded Plateau wolf's breaths were laboured as she back-pedaled from her attackers, and Viin made to sweep forward and not leave much distance between them. It was then that the she-wolf issued a warning, that apparently the Neverwinter males would regret their actions, and Viin ignored the threat.

She bolted from the scene, leaving droplets of her blood on the snow and, determined to further shame her and see her clear of the borders, Viinturuth followed her closely. Only when the offending wolfess was beyond the territory outskirts did he ease to a halt to observe her retreat and, when she was gone, turned his crown to look upon his tawny pack-mate (assuming he followed too, derp - if not, assume that Viin returned to Scimitar). "Well, that was..." he paused, licking blood from his jowls. "Interesting."

While he had not pushed her to the ground where he would have forced submission on her, the alternative would have been hilarious had he been standing on the sidelines and not so intent to taste the blood of the intruder. The ebony female swung in to a tree as she stumbled from his attack, and while she inhaled sharply, seemingly gaining her senses about her, the cinnamon male took the opportunity to crouch lower, his creamy muzzle thrusting downward to protect his throat as his hackles bristled.

A dangerous snarl bubbled then, erupting past his tainted lips and perhaps overtaking any threat she had tried to make – none which he took seriously. He lunged forward then, and just as he did so, she swiftly rounded past him. Enraged, his teeth clamped down to nothing but air, and Scimitar spun then, his paws dancing upon the snow as he raced after her at the side of his companion.

Sense seemed to knock itself to her, and while the sight of the fleabag fleeing their territory in panicked flight than her supposed pride warmed him, he only stopped when his pack mate did, when she was far past the borders of their home. Scimitar inhaled sharply then, attempting to calm his nerves as his tongue slipped over his fangs. The other’s words interrupted his thoughts, and only when his bright aqua eyes befell the ebony Forest wolf did his gaze soften slightly. “Very,” he rumbled, his gaze drifting back to the direction of the two outsiders. “Interesting way to meet though. I’m Scimitar.”

Viinturuth's heart thrummed hard within his chest, adrenaline pumping throughout his veins as he inhaled a deep breath of crisp Winter air. He smiled rather mischievously at his pack-mate as he spoke up, and he felt pretty satisfied the way whole experience had panned out. Together they'd defended their territory from a foolish intruder, and maintained their pride in doing so.

He followed the mahogany male's gaze toward the retreating frames of the trespassers, and he snorted in amusement at having seen the arrogant Plateau alphess flee from the scene with her tail between her legs. He sincerely hoped she learned from the day's event, rather than letting her wounded pride take control and plotting something she would regret. "I'm Viinturuth," the dark wolf offered, when Scimitar provided his own title.

Thanks for the thread everyone! Exit Scim. <3

The other introduced himself in turn, and while the potential prospect of bonding had arisen, his eyes would drift to where he had seen the bitch flee to, waiting to see if she was stupid enough to return. With a sideways glance, he gave a nod in the direction they had gone – she had trespassed on lands, refused to submit, and then directly challenged them a second time – survival was clearly not a high priority of hers. “I’m going to follow them a bit and make sure they actually left,” he rumbled then, his ivory paws beginning to lead him in the direction they had disappeared. “Want to join me?”

Scimitar did not wait to see if his companion joined him – instead, his pace quickened to a lope, and soon, the elation as the wind whipped past his fur as he raced after the two took over, and thought would be erased. Until he was certain they had not circled around and returned, the cinnamon male would not rest.