Northstar Vale green microfiber cloth

@Jazz !

It was a cold morning as he meandered among the trees, both the standing and the fallen, the latter of which he leaped over or climbed under, their icicle-laden branches grazing his spine. He knew not of the terrible twister and the wake of devastation it left behind in the wilds, but he was wise enough to know that it was the power of wind that bid the forest to lay down like this.

He approached a small stream, its surface distorted with a thin film of ice but beneath it the gurgling flow of its current could still be seen in the bubbles that drifted by, and the occasional bit of leaf. He bent down, touching the ice tentatively with his nose, testing it. His ears twitched to the faintest crackle. One slap of a heavy paw was all that was needed to shatter the fragile ice layer, and his muzzle descended toward it to leisurely lap at the exposed water. He enjoyed the cool taste as much as he appreciated the quenching of his thirst.

Sollie doesn’t care for the cold.  The wind is rough against her form, ruffling up her fur and making everything colder.  Sometimes she finds herself wishing for the wind, because then at least things would be moving.  The stagnant cold is the worst, though, when it’s confusing her senses, unsure of able to tell how cold it really is.  To distract herself as she scavenges and picks apart messes of leaf piles mixed with snow.  

Seeing the dark wolf up ahead almost goes unnoticed, putting him off as a shadow to something else but it’s much too far out of the ordinary.  Sollie blinks, freezing in her spot, as he breaks apart the ice cover the water.  She slinks back, lowering to the ground, waiting to determine whether or not she’s been spotting.

Fruitful scavenging days ago had given her a new burst of the energy to press into the mountains. She made steady progress, but it was cold, lonely work and not the most satisfying of travels.. considering there was no real destination. Jazz had been just tracking her next meal or quiet place to rest.

She'd made her way into the secluded Vale and found the scattered fallen trees strange. Noted, she proceeded with a bit of caution, but it seemed quiet here despite the disheveled appearances. After a while, she caught wind of fox scent. Not having anything better to do, she followed it since there the chance it could lead to something worthwhile.

It seemed like the trail was getting warmer, but she had no real confirmations as she stalked on with her nose low. But, the sound of ice shattering nearby, a noise that seemed amplified in the otherwise silence, startled her. Jazz paused with her hackles stiffened, and then redirected more towards the creekside out of curiosity. Once closer, she peered wide-eyed from the foliage cover to simultaneously reveal herself and see him in the full. He was not the fox she'd been expecting.

Please excuse any shifting tenses in my posts, after experimenting with present tense in another thread my brain is confused and keeps flip flopping around on me rofl

He does not notice the fox; his own languid lapping concealing the soft sounds that such small paws make upon the cold earth, and the wind does not drift properly for her scent to be carried to him. He lifted his head, a salmon tongue slipping out to catch the water that clung to his stout muzzle, though several drops escape capture and fall to the ground. It is then he picked up on movement, the appearance of a silver female. Had the fox been the one to move rather than crouching as a statute, he may have spotted her instead, but as it were he turned his back toward the undetected fox as he shifted to face the other wolf.

His brushy tail waved slowly, his shoulders and spine relaxed, strong muscles uncoiled with confidence and comfort. He noted her wide eyes, and his head canted slightly, his ear giving a curious twitch. "You seem surprised," he commented.

You don't have to acknowledge her at all if you don't wish to, but if you do I will reply.  Feel free to skip me otherwise. 8)

The fox doesn’t move while she watches the dark wolf, ears cupped forward and her front end bowed down and ready to spring.  She focuses on him while the other wolf shows up completely undetected.  Sollie takes a long shaky breath, swallows the lump forming in the back of her throat, and tries to take a few steps back.  Her movements are slow and careful not to disturb the earth beneath her, as she weasels back to try and get away without being noticed.

After her last encounter with a bratty mouth of youth, his smooth confidence was a welcome change of pace so far. She was still tense though, and still learning what to do with herself in encounters like these. A whole upbringing surrounded by her family and pack may have sheltered her more than she'd realized. Being out by herself had caused its own fair share of shifts in her as well. But, she was adapting.

She'd taken the opportunity to get a long look at the black wolf, but skirted her eyes aside before she could answer. Jazz stayed neutral in his presence despite still looked decidedly tense. Her tail was lax, ears swung back and with every exhale, she tried to smooth her ruffled furs. "I had thought I smelled fox.." And quite obviously.. he was not fox. But he would still be a worthwhile interaction, although she was still wary after the sourness the brat left behind.  "Do you know this place? This.. I don't know, region?" Followed with a vague gesture at just around, she'd need to see how informative he could be in helping her get her bearings. She didn't recognize his scents as noteworthy or pack-like, but the apparent easiness of his posture made her wonder.

He shifted his mouth at the mention of fox. He had not detected the red-furred creature, but did not doubt one might be near; he trusted that this wolf knew well the difference in the scent of a wolf and the scent of a fox, and knew also that as powerful as their sense of smell was, it was not so godly as to be able to draw the scent of everything around them. The wind in particular played a significant role in the efficacy of their scenting.

"You probably did," he commented, and to her question he shook his head. "I don't. I have not been here long, but I intend to change that." She is young, fit, though decidedly more lean than she should be, undoubtedly from the demands of travel. He not so subtly shifts himself so that he can catch her scent, though her question to him alone had more or less told him she was another lone wolf, another potential recruit.

Situated now at a different angle, his peripheral sight catches a glimpse of movement between the naked branches of the trees, and he barely has time to register the bright hues before it seems to disappear. His ear twitched and he hummed, "your fox might be over there," with a jerk of his broad muzzle in that direction.

She nodded slowly. He was right, and she knew the scent had been real at one point, but as to where exactly it would lead her should she go for it again, she couldn't say. The last time she had trailed after them, she'd at least found worthwhile scavenging -- although whether or not it was necessarily related to the foxes or not remained to be seen. She'd learned to not ask too many questions when any morsel was made available to her, so she didn't.

The distraction offered by him had effectively derailed her from such foxes, though, and her focus had followed soon after. She watched him carefully, even when he answered. "You've liked it well enough to stay?" she asked, squinting a little at him. There seemed to be a subtle indication of something more in his words and she didn't know him or this general area well enough to even begin to imagine the details. Jazz had only just got here, so she wasn't yet able to pass her judgements on whether or not this would become a home to her. She reasoned that it should, eventually, considering she had nothing else to do and winter was decidedly a pressing matter. "I've not seen much here yet," she decided to mention.

She hardly needed to hear half of what he said, and she shot a look towards the cover of the brush. Her eyes narrowed in the direction he'd indicated and her nostrils flared. The urge to chase it was not far behind and tensed her muscles accordingly.. but she didn't feel like she was done with the black wolf's company. Nor did turning her back on a stranger seem all too wise. There was a chance, an off one however, that he might feel the same. She shot him a questioning look, then turned to stride towards the fox's path.

The black wolf dipped his head with a soft mmm of affirmation. He was not a complicated sort that had an exhaustive list of requirements for him to find contentment in his surroundings. He had found food to satisfy his hunger, and he had found shelter to protect him from the wrath of nature, all within the mountains to which he was endeared. Now, he only needed wolves to meet his social needs and bolster their survival odds; he had already found a couple, and here was another with potential.

He was not concerned with the fox, but his eyes fell to the gray female as she peered in the direction it had vanished, and he could see the tension pull at her muscles, giving rise to a small smile of his. "I found a favorable spot in the mountains," he said as he drew to her side and shifted his shoulders, readying himself for a chase. "I've already asked a few wolves to join me there. You could be our resident fox-catcher," he winked, and would let the question linger, for in his next breath he woofed and swept his muzzle toward the fox's path. If she wanted to chase this fox, he would join her, and receive her answer before, after, or during.

If Jazz decided to chase, just tag Sollie so she knows :)

His affirmation was noted with a soft nod. She wasn't surprised to know this, since he seemed fit for the job of laying down a claim somewhere (and mountains probably suited him), but the subtle invitation offered did catch her off guard. Having literally nothing better, she couldn't help but consider this silently -- although she would hate to break it to him that her fox catching was not that good, especially lately when they'd outrun her more often than not. She opened her mouth to reply, but she was silent for a beat instead and only nodded again. The contemplation was clear, though, and she'd need a moment.

She was charmed by the idea of a pack structure, which meant fellow wolves and presumably a warm, dry place to sleep. But.. there? With him and whatever other strangers he'd collected? It couldn't be worse than whatever it was she could call her lonely travels. Although she couldn't know how loyal she'd feel to the cause if it didn't suit her in the long run, it wasn't an idea to discard. She decided to feel it out first.

"I'm Jazz," she offered in a quiet voice and began to redirect herself to the fox's trail. "Is it near here?" There seemed to be good share of mountainous terrain nearby, so she cold imagine. "I came from a valley pack, but it's gone now." she explained quickly before lowering her nose and lurking after the scent. Whether or not it was @Sollie he'd seen, she headed in the direction of the movement. Not knowing the terrain here didn't play in her favor, but she pressed forward and found encouragement in the dark male's company.

Mica, feel free to hop in any time, and also feel free not to if you'd rather not! In other news, it occurs to me that this thread was suposed to happen before he found the ridge, but oh well, now it happens after! Shifting timelines for the win ahaha.

He did not pressure her for a response, nor had he with any other wolf. He could see that she considered his proposal, and at this he smiled. He was far more interested in recruiting females than he was males, for reasons that were easy enough to guess, but he had run into far fewer, making any prospect more appealing to him. He was willing to put into that bit of extra effort thus, even if that meant indulging in a fox-chase.

To answer her question, he first swept his muzzle toward the ridge that loomed over the northwestern edge of the vale. "Up there. Lots of prey, lots of shelter, and a nice view." he summarized as his nose descended to pry the same scent that she now headed for. He said nothing more in favor of concentration, his gray eyes scanning the brush ahead for another glimpse of read fur or a flicker of movement while his nose continued to monitor the ground and the wind for scent.

ahaha i'm the worst at timelines so it's all good w/ me. i might toss up a thread  of her creeping on the ridge once i get more caught up <___>

He elaborated just enough. She licked her lips, and furrowed up her expression in a hard mixture of concentration -- both inward and outward. Admittedly, he'd struck far too many keywords and her interests were aligning frighteningly. Prey and shelter had become the axis on which she spun in order to scrape by.. and it was not always easy alone. But she worried how she may settle on such a whim and swallowed thickly, deciding to see this through.

Firstly, she'd need a closer look. The general location, noted, and of course she trusted she'd find his scent if he let it be known. "Sounds nice," she said. Most likely, she would drift that way soon to find out more for herself, although she didn't tell him that. Maybe in the most subtle of ways, she'd hope to imply it.

Since he had not pressed for an answer, she gave none, but hummed a low chuff of appreciation to have him joining the trail in her company. She knew she would do well to find success here, especially since his mention of food had reminded her of feeling perpetually hungry. Jazz set the pace at steady for now and shifted in full towards a hunt. Although the scent was there, underfoot plainly, she caught no sight of the smaller canine's reddish shades.

She laid down her ears and moved faster to no reward yet, even as the trail seemed to be a good one.

Sounds good! :)

The pair moved forward in silence, each plying their acute senses toward detection of the fox, but although its tracks and the scent left by its paws was plain to them, no glimpse of its red fur did they spot among the brush or against the backdrop of the snow. Even as their pace quickened, they did not catch up to the smaller canid. The black wolf surmised that the fox was aware of the wolves and was purposely staying ahead of them, but in the interest of recruiting this female, he would allow her to choose when the hunt would end. Besides, he could not know for certain that the creature they tracked knew it was being pursued. It could very well be just ahead, and if not it, then perhaps another fox, or some other animal they could hunt.

Taggarik had his nose dropped to snow, but his head snapped up and whipped around at a faint sound, almost like branches clacking together, not too far off to their side. His pace waned until he was stopped, staring in that direction in search of movement. The wind was not favorable to scent anything from that way. He could not anything immediately, perhaps it was nothing, or perhaps just a bird taking flight.