King Elk Forest This is new

Something had changed.

He hadn't been to this part of the world, the Teekon Wilds, in what seemed like an eternity. Once, when he was much, much younger he travelled through these lands. It was emptier then, not filled with the howls of wolves as it was now. He was curious as to why so many wolves flocked to the Wilds now and not then. Were they packs from nearby, driven towards the shore, or was it simply the ebb and flow of populations as the years went by?

The Wanderer nosed a bush as he lumbered by. He snorted. Atjiganngituk. The plants were not full and lush as they would be in summer; they were still growing as if it was spring! Tupilek snorted, continuing to walk deeper into the forest, sniffing and examining each plant as he went by.

      And so Nico wandered, his purpose gone. He did not have a pack to serve, nor a mission to fulfil, he'd lost his comrades to death and his family, gods he didn't even know who his family were anymore, given the fact that he hadn't seen them for a year and probably more now. And to be honest, they'd probably forgotten about him too. Either ways, it didn't matter, he was alone now, and living without some sort of purpose had caused the young Northerner to wander aimlessly, almost wishing he hadn't left his last pack. Almost.

      Nico prowled gracefully around the trees, sniffing at the undergrowth and the air for any sign of small prey. Instead, the wind blew him the scent of the bear, causing him to lift his silver crown up cautiously, green eyes scanning the forest around him warily. And then those words. He turned around abruptly, eyes landing on the pale creature as it lumbered by. "What is strange?" he inquired then, canting his head slightly at the bear.

He snorted, turning towards the wolf who spoke, studying the creature levelly. Tupilek, after 20 years, was largely wary of other predators. While he never liked to fight, others did. But this wolf responded with genuine curiosity rather than veiled malice. That a wolf would so calmly speak with a bear. He snarked, turning his body slowly and methodically towards the gray creature. My confusion refers to the youth of the plants. It is the middle of summer, yet most of them are blooming as if it is the middle of spring. He pawed a leaf with surprising gentleness given his large size. What has happened?

The bear turned around, fixing his gaze on him. Nico stared back evenly, he did not fear the other predator, despite his experiences with bears. He sensed that this one did not mean him harm, at least, not yet. "I'm not an ordinary wolf," he said with a seemingly cocky smile before lifting a shoulder in a shrug. "Who am I kidding," he snorted. "Nah, I wouldn't normally, but you were speaking a language I'm familiar with, and...well, some say I'm too curious for my own good." Apple green eyes twinkled with a gleam of amusement.

He cocked his head at the bear's words and then lifted his eyes to the sky. "I'm afraid I do not know how to explain," Nicolas said carefully. "I was trained as a soldier, not a naturalist. But in my time, I have seen such forests. They grow all the time, as if it's always spring. It doesn't happen everywhere, just specific forests, specific places."

The small pale creature prowled through the undergrowth a single ear flicking in the direction of voices. Unfamiliar voices from this distance, so they very well could be her own pack mates. Even so, Laika wasn't going to let it fly that easily. She crept forward, keeping hidden in the foliage of the undergrowth. Soon, she was close enough to clearly make out the voices. They were not the voices of any of her packmates and her hackles rose. She slunk even closer until she could see the stranger's frames through the branches.

Her gut twisted and her heart skipped a beat as blue eyes landed upon a very large frame. It was not that of a wolf, it was a bear. A bear's frame. Next to it stood an ordinary wolf, the the two were conversing. A wolf and a bear were having a conversation. She had never, ever seen this in her life. Perhaps she was going crazy. Her week of being in heat had driven her mad, dispite the tangle in the woods she'd had with her mate. Maybe seeing bears talking to wolves was a post symptom.

She shook her head and stood up to her full height. In truth, she was a petite wolf, and even at her full height she could not see over the bush she was behind. She pushed her way through it, revealing herself to the two. Head and tail were raised in dominance, hackles clearly visible. She glanced wearily at the bear, as he was still there, and very real. "Please state your business here," she told them, eyeing both strangers.

He too had seen such things, but the widespread newfound growth so late in the season suggested something else, something more. He hummed complacently, sitting back until he looked like a king on his throne, or more accurately, an old man on a couch. He scratched at his stomach, smacking his lips, ready to open another conversation with the gray wolf, when another arrived.

This land was filled with wolves, he knew. Their stench permeated the air, alerting him to the potential of encountering more than one of them in a day or so, and so far he was right. The pale woman's entrance was not without malice however. She postured herself, trying to look large and dominant, but Tupilek clearly outweighed and outsized her. Outweighed and outsized the both of them.

We, young lady, are having a conversation about the state of this forest. He growled, annoyed with her silly posturing. That you very rudely interrupted. With this nonsense of 'stating our business'! You wolves may be everywhere, but you sure as hell cannot own every single stretch of land.

The bear lowered himself onto his haunches and sat down. Nico watched, amusement flitting through sharp green eyes as the pale creature scratched his stomach, smacked his lips and was about to say something back to him when another one of his kind emerged from the bushes. Nico turned, sparing her a quick glance. She was from the pack nearby, petite but with her head and tail raised in dominance, no doubt either a high ranking wolf, or one who simply viewed all loners as below them, the latter of which was not surprising to him at the slightest, having met his fair share of them on his journeys. Her hackles bristeled, and Nico watched with barely concealed mirth as her gaze drifted to the bear, before asking them, or perhaps, more accurately, commanding them to state their business.

As if the deWinter answered to this female. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't even close to the heart of pack territory, he was not trespassing, therefore, he couldn't give two shits as far as this wolf was concerned. If she hadn't acted so bossy, perhaps he would have entertained her question, but really, he was starting to get a tad bit annoyed.

Nico opened his maw, ready to throw a sarcastic reply in her direction but the bear spoke first, obviously as annoyed as he was, if not more. Probably more. The pale bear browled a reply, stating that they were having a conversation before she so very rudely interrupted with the nonsense of stating their business as well as telling her that they couldn't own every single stretch of land. Despite being a wolf himself, Nicolas couldn't help but grin at the bear, "I second that," he said, casting his gaze back at her, his posture relaxed but carefully neutral. "My business here, as you so eloquently put it, is to have a conversation with this magnificent bear right here, as well as exploring. You know, being a loner and all that, it's kind of my job." 

Her stance was respectful, her face neutral, all until they started to talk back and taunt her. A low growl formed in her throat as she glared at them. She may be smaller then both of them, but she had wits and she was mad. Today was her cranky day, and she had woken up on the wrong side of the den. Now was not the time to mess with her. "Well, you both are on Silver Creek hunting grounds, and I am going to have to ask you to leave," she snapped. Saena had claimed it, and she would defend it. Plus, she even had @Casmir, @Spring and @Amber to aid her if need be. 

Tail lashed behind her slender body as she watched both the bear -- who did terrify her a bit, but she would nit let it show -- and the wolf. She would not tolerate them in these forest, and she would make it clear to everyone who tresspassed into it.

Tagging Spring mostly for refrence because she's away, Casmir and Amber feel free to jump in!

Oh, for Heaven's sake. The bear rolled his eyes. So territorial these wolves. Can't even let people pass 10 leagues away from their territory without starting a fight about them being "too close". He dragged himself up from his comfortable position (he heard his joints crack and groaned at the feeling), standing upright, towering above the small wolf.

I am a twenty year old bear. What kind of hunting do you expect me to do? I can barely catch a deaf and blind old moose, let alone an elk in its prime. He scoffed, annoyance turning into rage. He was no beserker, not even a warrior, but he could still pack a punch if he wished. I was merely passing through. I cannot say the same for this gentleman here, but what can one wolf do to ruin a pack? Quite a lot, he thought, his mind wandering towards some half-remembered story.

Nico watched, his countenance unreadable as a low growl permeated the air and a pair of eyes glared at him, at them. He was unafraid, however, despite the fact that he knew she could have her pack backing her up at any moment. In a way, he felt that he'd gone through so much that this no longer scared him. It was a bit cocky on his behalf, he knew, but he also knew that it didn't matter to him anymore. Life or death, he would take it in stride. The best part of his life, Nico believed, was over. Now, was just the time for relaxation, and a part of him thought that he could do well without it.

Those thoughts were stupid, naive on his part for he was still young, and in his prime. But the bitter soldier in him refused to acknowledge the truth, for fear it would mean betraying his fallen comrades, so he stood, brazen, stupid, yet unafraid of death.

The pale fae spoke of hunting grounds, and Nico wondered fleetingly if that was what packs had resorted to now. Greedy creatures, incapable of hunting their own food in their own claimed territory, they had to make sure no one else were allowed to be in a place which, while not officially their own, was still part of their territory. It spoke of selfishness, of greed, and disgust wormed its way through him, though nothing showed on his silver features. He might have been looking for a pack to join, but this pack was now permanently on the bottom of his list.

The bear spoke in annoyance, though perhaps, not for him. Nicolas did not mind; they did not know each other well, after all. Why should he feel offended if the bear did not wish to defend him? It was not his job, as far as he was concerned. So the soldier spoke for himself, his voice calm, his eyes guarded, "I mean no harm," it came out as a half-arsed sigh. "I do not have a death wish nor do I wish to provoke a pack. Like the bear, I'm just passing through. We'll be out of your arse as soon as possible, you have my word on that."