Ravensblood Forest mexican grand prix

For @Atreyu. Hope this location works!

She moved on from the glacier area one afternoon and largely without fanfare. There was much debate left as to whether or not she would have anything to do with them. There was much debate left as to whether or not she'd have anything to do with finding Tonravik, too. Today she rested heavily upon the latter, investigating places for the sake of saying that she had been there. She knew Tonravik was long gone from this place and that no manner of searching would reunite her with her aokkatti. She knew her well enough to have not left a breadcrumb trail to be followed. It wasn't their way; when they went, they certainly just up and went. They disappeared into the gloom of the hinterland without so much as a word to where they were going and why. Echelon had seen many do it in her short life.

By the time she had reached the thick forest of evergreens, a light snow had come cascading down from the sky. This she knew was bound to happen, however quickly it passed or not. That was the way of winter and weather in general. Like the wolves of Tartok, it was predictable but always keen on doing what it wanted. The snowfall brought a certain stillness back to the woods the further in she went, stirring a gentle fog that clung and lingered all about the thick and low boughs. A quick intake of breath told her that for the most part, this place was deserted. For how long it had been, she couldn't have said. It would have made a nice home for a pack no doubt, but it had been overlooked. The coast couldn't have been too far off, so perhaps that was it. What little she knew of the coastal pieces of the Wilds was that they were well inhabitated. They were territorial. Yet then again, what pack wasn't?

mogwai — mexican grand prix

Works great, thanks for starting! :D

It hadn't taken long for Atreyu to become re-accustomed to the stretch of beach that ran up from Stavanger Bay, his usual place to trek when he couldn't be bothered heading to the southeast, through the fields and forests that made up the wilderness there. He much preferred sticking close to the shore. It provided both a sense of comfort and familiarity, the rhythmic waves lulling him into an idle trance as he jogged up the coastline. Eventually, though, the dull pangs of hunger forced him out of his aimless drifting and the boy decided to head in the direction of the towering forest that bordered the beach.

Soft, tiny snowflakes started to waft down from the cloudy skies as Atreyu weaved in and out of the trees. He paused with a grin, tilting back his head to catch one in his mouth before heading onwards, ears pricked all the way forward as he tried to pick up the sounds of any sort of prey. Instead, what he heard was the footfalls of something much heavier and slower than any sort of rabbit he knew of. Canting his head at the sound, the Iota came to a stop, right ear swivelling as he tracked the creature's movements. It was difficult, with only one properly working ear and he eventually dropped his nose to the ground, deciding to trail after the scent the stranger had left.

As it turned out, he hadn't tracked a woodland critter at all. Instead, Atreyu eventually spied a dark form lurking through the trees, her figure almost invisible amongst the shadows. Although he himself stuck out like a sore thumb, the boy lowered himself to the ground and crept through the fog that swirled about on the ground, attempting to get as close as possible to the stranger without her noticing him. She wasn't a meal, but perhaps she could provide some entertainment.

No problem! Hope you don't mind me having him spotted swiftly, I couldn't miss the sore thumb remark in your post lmao.

Being in the woods brought her a sense of comfort that had been eluding her. Why it was in there that she felt comfortable was beyond her. Tartok's home in the far north did not boast nice forests like these. It was a barren tundra, ridged and pockmarked by erosion and more than a few centuries of earthen upheaval. Mountainous. She could draw up the memories of home easily, but chose not to. The past was very much in the past and that was an area she did not hold much interest in. She didn't put a lot of memory into remembering either, because it had been a trip and a half to come back to the wilderness she had found herself in. It had seemed so much easier when Tonravik had been with her, but Tonravik had always known the way. Not that she had known that.

Towards one particular dark grove, Echelon felt the unnerving sensation that she may have gone too far into the woods. It had become much more like close quarters of evergreens, stifling out the snow that lazily broke its way through the boughs. But it was more than just a sense of claustrophobia — which she didn't have — but just what? The feeling was indescribable to her, something new and yet familiar. It took her perhaps several moments too long, but she became aware that it was the feeling of being watched. She went on high alert quickly, blue eyes scanning through the woodland the best she could see. A test of the air only returned to her the pine and sticky tinges of sap, leaving her to mentally curse the damp. In a slow turn, she spotted the source of her unnerved awareness... and he was close by.

All she could offer him though was a not amused stare; the unspoken request for an explanation.

Hahah, all good! ^_^

His attempted prank was short-lived, as the stranger turned on her heel and blue eyes sought out her stalker. Atreyu lowered himself further to the ground and froze to the spot, as if he was a coyote that had just been caught stealing from a bear's cache. He didn't exactly have the chance to hide himself, though, for the woman quickly found him and shot him a pointed look that needed no clarification. He stared back at her, momentarily startled before recovering and lifting himself off the ground. He shouldn't have been all that surprised, with his light fur he may as well have been a luminescent ghost.

Staring back with mild annoyance, the boy gave a quick shake to rid himself of any stray leaves before stepping out into the open. "Hey, you weren't supposed to find me so fast," he complained, as if he were a pup playing a rigged game of hide-and-go-seek. He was usually quite sneaky! This woman must have the eyes of a hawk, he concluded, unaware that he was a stark contrast to the shadows that enveloped the woods. Sizing the stranger up, he regarded the patch of white on her chest with amusement before glancing up at her eyes. "Can't hunt anyone these days," he muttered to himself, deciding to change his antics following the failed jump scare.

Her stalker to speak didn't seem all that appeased that he had been found out. Echelon felt he should have been happy that he had bothered to make it that close at all, almost wanting to curse herself for not being more aware sooner. Another notch in the area that let her know that her skills were slipping. Perhaps she wasn't thriving as well as she would have liked after all, in spite of any minor successes in the days past. She huffed, wondering if the youth was worth the trouble of being angry with. He probably was, seeing how he dropped some mention of hunting in there.

"Your planning skills leave something to be desired," she told him, offering him a flash of teeth to go with. At least he was keeping himself grounded, not trying to get all up in her business like the quiet female she had encountered in the Vale some time ago. Despite her travel-weary state, Echelon had no problem taking up the esteemed role as the one in charge, throwing that dominant personality out into the open. If he wanted a challenge, she'd readily hand him one. If not, then obviously things were about to play out in a much different way. Just as well, as far as she was concerned; his first impression with her had already been shot all to hell.

Her reply and the show of her canines earned a soft but indignant snort from the boy as he disregarded the criticism. He personally couldn't find anything to fault in his approach — he usually could pull such an attack off. She had to be the one to go and ruin the fun. Maybe he smelt too much of the sea already? Despite how close the ocean was to the forest, the scent of tree sap and wet, mouldy leaves was almost pungent, especially here, so deep into the woodland.

At that thought, the boy drew forward slightly, nose wiggling as he took in the stranger's own scent. It was wild and scattered, no one distinct smell really standing out amongst the others. A loner? Or perhaps she was from a pack and just passing through, maybe out on a long Outriding mission? "Well, I tracked you this far," he commented with a casual shrug. Obviously, his tracking skills were sufficient, it was the foresight that maybe strangers didn't liked to be snuck up on that needed work. "You out hunting, too?" he then asked with an inquisitive tilt of his head, oblivious to his already poor reputation with the dark female.

Though she was tempted to refute his claim that he had been tracking her at length, Echelon knew she didn't have enough knowledge to really debate that. It wasn't like he couldn't have gotten the drop on her as soon as she had pressed her way into the evergreen forest. In spite of her stubbornness, she simply didn't have the energy to consider the possibilities. It was simply easier to seem not to care, and in his obliviousness it also seemed it wouldn't have mattered either way.

"No," she stated, turning away from him. It felt as though it were half-lie, half-truth, but she really didn't know what she was doing any more. It was a strange feeling, this sense of being adrift. She hadn't been instructed one way or another on what it was that she was supposed to do. Going home hadn't earned her much other than a fast track back out in the wilderness. Who was to say that Tonravik wouldn't have reacted the same way, even in light of their blood oath? An aggravated, bristling feeling wormed its way up her spine then; Echelon smothered every ounce of it drifting outward. She wasn't inclined to let on about her own troubles.

Nor was she going to linger there either. Abruptly, uncaring whether or not her tracker of sorts was going to follow, she moved on as though she had things to do.

No, came the abrupt reply from the dark female, before she turned and headed off without a second glance. Slightly taken aback, Atreyu canted his head to the other side, watching her leave. While it was painfully obvious that she wasn't quite one for conversation (either that or she had just simply had enough of the boy), Atreyu wasn't done talking. He hadn't met too many loners even when he was one himself; the only other wolves he had really conversed with were the other members of Stavanger Bay. Besides, she might also be from another pack! An aspiring Outrider, Atreyu wanted to know all about the other packs they shared the Wilds with, whether the stranger liked it or not.

Ever the sociable but obnoxious teenager, the Iota begun to trail after her, his footfalls loud and quick compared to the quieter ones of the female. Though she stated she hadn't been hunting, Atreyu was curious what she was doing, as if it were his business. She walked as if she were on some sort of mission (or perhaps she just wanted to get away from him). "So what are y'doing?" he started in an attempt to start a conversation with the impassive female. "You don't smell of any packs around here."

He wasn't going away, she soon realized. There was maybe a good half minute of silence between them, his footfalls settling in after her own. For a moment a streak of annoyance crossed her face visibly, soon replaced by stoicism as a guard. She couldn't afford to let his badgering beneath her skin, especially if he was simply curious. If he had a home somewhere beyond the woods, there were bound to be others lingering around somewhere. Too much attention had never bode well for her and truthfully, she had little desire to be drawing any more to her.

"What does it look like I was doing?" she prompted instead, wondering how best to shake him loose of her trail. Outrunning him wouldn't do her any good, mostly because she had a sinking feeling he was more than capable of keeping up. "Why are you out here following strangers?" The second question came swiftly, this time holding a bite of bitterness to it. She didn't like being followed, but short of whirling around on him and explaining that a bit more violently, she went a verbal suggestion.

He shrugged at her question, even though she probably didn't see it. Honestly, it didn't look like she had been doing anything — well, anything of importance, anyway. While it was entirely common for wolves to wander and explore, many had reasons for their travelling, and Atreyu generally took it upon himself to find out why. For no other reason than because he was curious. Or bored.

He shrugged again at her next question, noting the hint of irritation in her voice with a grin. "Dunno," he answered flatly, though there was an impish glint to his eyes. He stared at her swaying tail as she walked for a few moments before adding, "bored." Well, really, he was hungry, and this female looked to be pretty capable — he had half the mind to try and persuade her to help him maybe catch something. Though he kind of had his doubts that she would be up for that. "I'm from Stavanger Bay," he continued, as if she would care about where he lived. "Down the coast a bit."

So, that meant the entirety of the shoreline was their territory and he had every right to know what a loner was doing stalking around in it. Obviously.

I think this is the first time Echelon has been reverse-trolled and I'm laughing about it. This is great.

When he mentioned the Bay, Echelon had a jolt of memory. She remembered it well, remembered trying to cross by it down the coast. But she had been intercepted there, but by whom she hadn't bothered to remember. And though she did recall the event, she made no outward acknowledgment of it. At least that pack was still thriving, though it seemed most were. But she didn't know enough of the wilderness to know which packs were there or had been there, or were new and fresh. She couldn't have said which ones were desperate and needy for able bodies. She didn't care, frankly.

Leaving his statements unanswered, she jogged to the right a bit as the pathway opened up. This action was not to shake him loose, but rather finally give them the breathing room that the forest behind them had previously denied. It was better, not to have the towering evergreens stabbing at them with its long branches. She knew that eventually, she would have stumbled across a trail to follow. But where it went, she hadn't the faintest idea. It was well worn, obviously traveled at some point or another.

Rofl, I'm glad you're enjoying it! :D [size=-3]even though he's acting like an obnoxious 12-year-old sorry echelon[/size]

He was answered with silence, and he inwardly sighed as they continued on — him tailing close behind the strange female. Really, did no-one talk anymore? Maybe she was a spy. Or on some mission. His thoughts returned to the possibility that she was on Outriding duties, although her scent didn't hold any familiar pack smells. Did loners practice potential trades? He couldn't remember even knowing about trades and skills when he had his stint without a pack — he had been too busy just trying to survive.

Suddenly, the girl veered to the right and Atreyu quickened his pace, worried she was about to take off. He didn't really know if he would actually chase after her if she did — probably only for as long as he could be bothered. She wasn't so interesting that he would attempt to pursue her all the way across the Wilds. The pathway had opened up a bit with the change of direction, and so Atreyu drifted to her side instead of walking behind her like some sort of weirdo. "Are you lost?" he questioned, quirking an ear. "I can give you directions if you want." Perhaps he could point her in the direction of the shore where the sea lions lived. That would be hilarious.

She deserves it.

If she had been the sort to go about dumping her problems on the world, she may have explained that she was feeling a little bit lost. She wasn't certainly lost when it came to following a physical path, no, but on the grand scheme of other things, she was more than definitely lost. It was that sense of being adrift on a proverbial sea that troubled her, though Echelon could not have properly found a way to describe it that didn't make her sound weak and insignificant to herself. Instead she huffed, insulted by the implication that he thought she was lost.

"Why don't you get lost," she murmured, not so much under her breath. And then, louder: "I don't need your help. I'm busy." Just as she had been busy when he had come across her, stalking her like some cretin set on figuring out where she was currently housing herself. At that moment, Echelon had no qualms about likening him to a creep plotting to peek in her windows later on. If she had a home to go to, and preferably one with windows.

"Don't you have something to do be doing? Some pack border you should be watching?" Her questions came out cold and rough, wondering how long she could keep from whirling on him and giving him a reason to be hanging around her. Teeth set to tear a little flesh from bone would probably give him notion enough to head off. Then again, he could have surprised her and fought back. That notion was not something she was keen on investigating at length.

Her quiet retort made Atreyu curse his partial deafness. He had missed what she had said but refrained from blurting out a loud what in reply. The tone had been bitter; he didn't want her to suddenly turn around and pull his throat out. He wasn't even sure if the lithe stranger was capable of that but he didn't want to risk it. The boy had caught her second statement though, and chuffed slightly. Busy doing what? His curiousity nagged but, again, he kept quiet, letting an amused grin linger on his face.

Sighing, Atreyu shrugged. He supposed he probably had better things to do than follow this poor woman, but marking and patrolling borders wasn't fun. Intercepting strangers, now that was exciting! However, it was rare that others trespassed.

Judging solely by her gruff words, he could tell her patience was waning, though Atreyu was curious just how far he could infuriate her. Though not actively, of course, like a raven would by swooping already ticked off predators — he wanted to just slowly grate on her nerves. For how long he would be able to, though, was a mystery. "Eh, that's not my duty," he said. It was technically every pack mate's duty but, like the lazy youth that he was, Atreyu simply couldn't summon the effort needed. "Like I said, I'm hunting," he continued. Apparently he was doing a bit of everything; hunting, stalking, aimless wandering, attempting to give directions to lost souls. "You just got in the way."

i have no idea what i'm doing other than her trying to give him a reason to run away lmao; hence the shortness here, sorry! ;_;

His words were just another spark to the raw fuel that throttled through her. He would have been fine if he had avoided pinning any crimes onto her hide, but the fact that he was implying she was at fault for disrupting his hunt was a nagging sensation that tipped the scales effortlessly. Wordlessly, without warning, Echelon turned on him with a flash of teeth. It may have been comical to an onlooker, the way she bristled and snarled and intended to give him chase; her small frame almost seemed wiry with the anger that coursed through her.

Haha, that's okay! I was wondering if we should finish it up soon. Last post from me :D

Apparently his offhand accusation had struck a chord. Without so much as a word, the woman suddenly snapped and spun, white fangs bared and glistening. Feeling his stomach jump into his chest, Atreyu skittered backwards with his tail quickly disappearing between his legs. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed with a surprised laugh. He knew he was irritating her but hadn't intended for her to actually become that angry. The boy was still eager to see where she would wander, but her warning was loud and clear.

Taking another few steps back, he gave a grin and nod to the aggravated stranger. "Alright, alright, I get the message," he said, trying to act casual though his voice broke slightly, betraying his sudden nerves. Without another look, he quickly then turned on his heel and raced back through the path they had travelled down beforehand, silently praying she wouldn't give chase.

Sounds good to me! Thanks for the thread! <3

If she had known it would have been that easy to shake him loose from her trail, Echelon would have more than likely resorted to fangs out sooner. There was a moment where she got a taste of delight in the way he skittered and faltered about. If not for the energy it cost her, she would have given him chase as he tried to compose himself. Instead she snarled in his direction as he turned away, making it clear that the consequences could have been vastly worse.

And then she lingered for a few moments, making sure he was certainly gone.

When it seemed he wasn't going to be coming back any time soon, it was then that Echelon decided to resume her travel. She turned back to the winding path of the forest and heaved a sigh, feeling more weary now than she had when she had entered it. Perhaps somewhere to hole up for a bit was at hand, somewhere she would be left alone and hopefully, could rest. Finding a morsel or two of food wouldn't be such a bad thing either.[/align]