Blacktail Deer Plateau beneath the sun (joining)

The day had started off warm, unlike so many others before it. Frost and snow still clung to shadows as winter was not finished. The air remained crisp despite the suns rays, and the bushy Savas girl clicked her teeth before setting off at a quick paced trot. She had spent the evening before beneath the stars, eagerly recognising the constellations she knew, and making up new names for the ones that she did not. The Savas youth enjoyed taking time for herself in this way, and could often be found wandering at night peering up at the sky.

Aysun wandered aimlessly along the border of the plateau before finally finding a decent outcrop of rocks to scale. She had spent much of her first few days on the patrol around the outskirts of the territory, making sure to stay on the correct side of the packs borders as she travelled, and also to watch for signs of other wildlife, both good and bad. Her father had taught her well, and she was observant -- taking also her mothers knowledge and noting the plants that grew and had medicinal qualities. Aysel, her twin sister, had a memory for those sorts of things, and Aysun suddenly wished that her sister had joined her instead of returning to the pack their parents ran, Sadakat.

From her place atop the rocks she scanned the horizon, her fiery eyes flashing eagerly beneath the sun.

With Hawkeye so close to the beginning of her heat, Peregrine was hard-pressed to leave her side. He tore himself away, though, with the promise of returning with some breakfast. Between their frequent lovemaking and all their other duties, the pair of them were in dire need of some hearty meat. His stomach even growled loudly as he loped through the forest, though he ignored all the stockpiles he himself had packed to the brim. The virile Alpha male wanted fresh game for himself and his lover—and the pups that would soon grow in her belly.

As he searched for trails, he came upon the scent of a she-wolf he didn't recognize. Although much less threatened by females than males, Peregrine paused his hunting efforts and tracked her instead. He ended up at the foot of a small outcropping just beyond the borders, gazing up at a cream-furred female with yellow eyes that glittered in the winter sunlight. She was a pretty thing, though Peregrine was not the least bit interested in anyone but Hawkeye, the mother of his future offspring.

"If you're trying to play king of the mountain," he called up to her, "the spot's already taken." He tilted his head suggestively, as if to say, By me. Peregrine's eyes gazed at her shrewdly, wondering if she had an actual purpose here. If she didn't have business so near the plateau's borders, he would have to ask her to leave.

In truth, Aysun knew very little of what it meant to live in a pack that did not consist of pure family. Her parents had lead by example, her older siblings were equals -- and the youngest children were protegés. Aysuns creamy fur thrust back as a cool breeze crackled through the air, rattling branches of far off trees. She blinked, flicking her ears against her skull as if to avoid the cool air. A lone bird cried out against the clouds before shooting over the territory of Blacktail Deer Plateau, and Aysun could only watch after it with a soft flicker of longing.

The voice of another wolf had her visibly sharpen, her ears moving to catch the masculine voice before her eyes found him. Her lips twitched in a half smile as she leaned towards the male wolf -- a tall well built creature who had obviously been well fed over winter -- her own sides were shrunken, though not noticeable under a still thick coat of winter fur. She raised one eye brow and flicked her tail idly, "I did not come to conquer," she mused, her voice almost amused at the notion, "I wouldn't be a king anyways."

She gestured with a long pointed nose, her flame colored eyes settling on the territory that lay behind the way the man had come, "Is that where you come from?"

Edit on 02/10: I'm going to narrate a conclusion, since Aysun's been removed...

Without missing a beat, he replied, "Well, no shit." When she gestured behind him and asked about the plateau, he said, "Yes, that's Blacktail Deer Plateau directly behind me. I'm its Alpha male and I'm wondering what you're doing this close to the borders. Mind shedding some light on that for me?" His was a quick tongue, sharply sarcastic, although lacking malice. With that said, he gazed at her pointedly, wanting a good response... as well as for her to come down and join him so that he could posture accordingly.

Perhaps off-put by his attitude, the stranger she-wolf simply shook her head at him, then turned and hopped down the outcropping, only to lope away when she reached its bottom. Peregrine watched her go, tail twitching, and only when satisfied that she was far enough away did he turn and dutifully resume his quest for fresh meat.