Whitefish River between two points

Dante smiled grimly. "A place that was home for a very long time. And one that is now, thankfully, an unhappy memory." Atrix had been a true Commander, deciding everything from where they would stay to who they would fight and when they would eat. He too decided who got what of the spoils, for only those who earned the meal got to eat. It was why their pack had been a unit but never a family; life was harsh and only the strongest stayed on top. Atrix led by fear and intimidation, not love or even true loyalty.

"I am truly happy that you have never had to experience that. And I am glad to hear that perhaps that life is not as common as I had thought." Dante added, feeling more optimistic. "It does seem an awful lot of work."

So he had been through such an ordeal like that. Mordecai's expression was tempted to falter, but it held steady. "I think it's too much work, anyway. I don't even want to think what worst case scenario would make it logical." He smiled then, picking up the pace once more. "Besides, it takes more than giving out orders to be a leader. There's other things to worry about than what everyone is doing and when." At least that had akways been his take on things. He had watched his father go through the motions many times, as well as other wolves who had fit the leading type.

"Either way, I don't think either of us will have to worry about something like that here. Anywhere I've ever been has the same thing over and over. You earn your keep through your loyalty, and how you benefit the pack." That was why when or if Mordecai found himself apart of one, he definitely tried to earn his keep. It wasn,t specifically written anywhere that any pack had to take in the likes of vagrants.

Feel free to wrap this up whenever you like =] not sure how long you were hoping to get it!

Illogical. Dante internally snorted. He didn't think there was a single word in existence that described his father better. Yet, when he was a pup, it had seemed the best of logic. He would still be following, blind to what existed outside of that lifestyle, had it not been for his love of his sister. If Tarin had not existed, or had not been so different, he might be Commander of the Obscurum pack right now. He had no regrets whatsoever for where life had led him instead.

"That is true. There is also keeping a pack peaceful, and knowing in wisdom when to fight and when to compromise." That had always been his weak point. He could be a bit of a pushover when left to his own devices. That worked very well for him as a loner, but would work less so when the safety of others depended on the call.

"That part I can definitely handle. Makes more sense if the relationship is mutually beneficial. No one likes a freeloader." Doesn't matter what pack you went to, that fact would always remain the same. He liked that about it thought. It meant that everyone was always working towards the betterment of everyone else. It was that fact alone that made him miss being a part of it so much.

Tbh, I hadn't even noticed how long our thread is lmao. I've just been enjoying it! But if you want to conclude it we can too; maybe bring it towards an end here in a round or two? Otherwise I don't mind continuing on. Maybe they could find a cavern or something to explore?

Mordecai nodded his head in agreement. "I was always taught that no pack has to take in lone wolves. I figure if any pack takes them in, or even myself, I owe them. When winter's here they could just as easily leave us out to starve and fend for ourselves. Or attack us." And while he had been run off from a pack a time or two, Mordecai had always found a willing one to take him in. "Where I'm from, our pack was pretty much our family. My parents, my mom's parents, my cousins and siblings and so on. We had a few who weren't related but it was mostly us. Letting someone in made them apart of our family in a way. I wouldn't be surprised if things aren't that way in a lot of places. I know some of them are."

And he knew his famiky had never been jumping for joy when he made it clear he wanted to make his own way into the world. His father had tried to stop him many times before conceding, his brothers were also much the same. Perhapd there would have been high hopes for him in Sedona, but Mordecai had not been interested in them. He didnt even know if he would one day return to them either, having gone so far and out of the way to where he was now. Finding the scrub lands and desert brush of the lower Rockies seemed improbable. "If you find your friend again, do you think you two will stay? I would hate for this to be our only meeting, " he mentioned, coming to the realization that he was enjoying the company.

Lol, I don't mind keeping it up at all! Just wanted to make sure you were good =] I'm really enjoying this as well!

"Sounds like a nice setup. In a pack like that, with such a give and take, I'd definitely do all I could to earn my keep." Hell, he'd done so even in his old pack, and that had hardly come close. He shook his head at the wolf's question. "I'm not sure. I don't think she's still around, she may have gone back home."

He paused, thoughtful. "As to myself, perhaps. If I could find a place like that you describe, a pack that treats itself like a family rather than an army, perhaps. I probably will. This place is pretty wonderful, from what I've seen so far. And that hasn't been much." Dante grinned. He was glad that Mordecai was enjoying their conversation as much as he was. The other male was intelligent, good to hold a discussion with and hardly an awkward traveling companion.

"I think I'd enjoy crossing paths again, if the winds take us in that direction. Who knows? For now, though, might as well see what we can find down this direction. Doesn't seem to be anyone around to hassle us at least."

Oh yeah, I'm good. Feel free to have them stumble across something! I wasn't sure what they could find, but I think that's because I'm still half awake. @__@

Smiling, Mordecai nodded in agreement. It was probably pure luck that they hadn't been happened on, but in that present moment he didn't really care. Two wolves together were more of a deterrent for anyone wandering along to avoid, and not having the threat of being hassled was a bit of a relief. Not that he had encountered that in the Wilds yet. Mordecai only hoped neither of them would face too much of a hassle as they made their way across its grounds. And if they did… well, obviously they'd figure out how to deal with it. There was little question in his mind that neither Dante nor himself had been through a rough time or two while on the road.

“So far it seems like it's all just riverbank and forest,” he said, shrugging. “I'm surprised there isn't a pack lined right up along here with the waterway. Maybe it floods too badly during the spring.” That would be enough to keep most away, he thought. The banks were high enough in places, but there were the low gaps that strode out to the rocky patches of ground they were moving on. “I don't really think there's any packs out this way though. It was pretty quiet in the area last night when I came through and stopped to rest. Most of the noise came from further north than here.” And that information backed up what Dante had already told him about the packs. They were sticking closer to the coast.

“Have any of the packs given you trouble here?” he thought to ask then.

Lol! I'll throw something at them, let me know if it's no good and I'll modify it. I will let you decide though what, if anything, they find inside!

Everything that Mordecai said stuck true with what Dante expected and had himself discovered. "Suppose we should stick south then, huh? Unless of course you want some excitement." He shook his head. "I've not had any, thank goodness, and plan on keeping it that way. Been giving their borders a wide berth, just in case. I've heard tell of a few around who don't take so kindly to strangers." Not that Dante blamed them. What was the point of borders if one didn't defend them?

They were still traveling along the river when Dante stopped, eyes narrowing. "What is that?" he asked, changing his heading right a bit. He had spotted something through the brush that piqued his interest. Shouldering aside the brush, he found himself facing a small entrance that led underground. He wondered at it's presence here as well as if anything still called it home. Was it a burrow? Or did it open up into a cavern?

Curious, he looked at Mordecai. "What do you say? Do we chance it?" He couldn't catch any sort of scent, but that didn't mean much. It might have another entrance or the inhabitant might not have left recently.

I have my ideas, bwahaha. Also, so glad work is over. Crappy weekend was crappy. Seeing a few fireworks did not help. :C

It was probably a good thing that both of them had been giving the packs their own wide berth. Truth be told, the last thing that Mordecai really wanted to do was tangle with any of them. At least not without a good reason. But all those thoughts were once again locked down, as the discovery of something new captured both of their attentions and held them instantly. He marveled over the find for a moment, his tail lashing behind him happily at the prospect of venturing in.

“We should find out,” was all Mordecai offered, stepping in a little closer to the opening. “And at least we're together too. Safety in numbers, right?” If all else failed and something was at home in that cavernous chasm, at least one of them might have been able to give the other some warning. Or fend it off. It smelled vacant, but he too had his thoughtful reservations. Still, devout to the notion of discovery and senses working overtime, Mordecai took the first few tentative steps into the mouth.

Yay, good deal!

They seemed to be on the same page with exploring the cave. Normally Dante might have passed by but a companion at one's back opened up possibilities. Even if they found trouble two could probably handle what one might not be able to. Mordecai voiced his thoughts almost as he had them, also pointing out the merits of numbers.

Dante was suddenly very happy with the winds of chance that had led him to the river. This day was turning out to be one of his better ones since beginning his wanderings. "I'm in," he responded, stepping up to follow as Mordecai led the way. He had little fear of caves or the dark. Darkness had sometimes been his staunchest ally, in fact, helping him to avoid aggressors and prevail over prey on more than one occasion. Still he felt a slight thrill run down his spine as they entered the cave. It was the unknown, that was what gave him the shiver now.

As he ventured into the cavern, Mordecai found himself blinking in the absence of overhead light. Though dim in the opening, he could only see so far before darkness engulfed the majority. It was hard initially, but gradually getting better, to gauge just what they were on the verge of heading into. He sniffed at the air tentatively, letting Dante slide in beside him if he so desired. Only when his eyesight felt comfortable in the dim settings did Mordecai venture in further.

“Looks like it's a pretty good hole in the ground,” he said, trying to pick up from where the echo of his voice would come back to him. “Maybe I should rephrase that. It's a hole in the wall more like it.” It wasn't just a burrow of some sort, not by any generic measure. It was a cavern of sorts, but as he could figure it wasn't all that extensive. Instead of trying to logically figure out what they had stumbled into, Mordecai entertained the thought of it being a former central hub of some long dead pack. But the smells that met his snout were nothing wolfish at all.

“What do you think of it so far?” he queried.

Dante took Mordecai's given opportunity and slipped into the cave just after he did, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. Luckily the light from outside did filter in a bit so there wasn't complete darkness within. As he began to make out his surroundings, he breathed out a sigh. "Wow. Not exactly what I expected."

The cave was pretty small, but where he had been picturing something more like an earthen den, this was a proper stone hideaway. The air was stale and there was another scent on the breeze, not wolf, but something. "Definitely cool. I've seen the like before, but I didn't expect to find one here." He was more used to coming across such things in mountainous areas... not the side of a riverbank. He wondered briefly what, or who, had been or even still was inside.

"Do you reckon there's anything back there?" He asked, peering into the reaches. This territory was unclaimed, but he scented no strange wolves here. No packless wanderers then. Hopefully nothing too large. This would be some close quarters if it came to a fight and caves could be dangerous places if one wasn't careful.

Sorry about the wait, I was debating what they should find and my brain decided SHINY QUARTZ in the stone.

Pacing a few more meters into the darkness, Mordecai rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “If there was something living back here, it's gone by now. Smells kinda like a bear, or maybe, I don't know, like a lynx.” It would make sense why it was largely vacant now, because Mordecai had yet to spot either creature roaming the countryside. He was certain that they existed, but luck had not brought him to encounter either. If anything, the opening into the ground may have just been a fissure of sorts, left behind during the last tumultuous event that shook the earth.

However, right as Mordecai began to turn back to look to Dante, something caught his eye in the dim light. He paused, and turned his head back the other direction. There was something there… something being caught by the light. “Hey, come here,” he called. “Do you see this? There's something shiny back here.” But what, he didn't know. Mordecai had never seen anything like it.

Indeed it did seem that the cave was deserted, whatever lived here long gone. The scent was strong but stale... It must have lives here a long time, and he wondered what had happened to it. He too had yet to meet any other of the predators since coming here. He very much hoped that luck would hold out and was relieved that in this instance it had.

Dante walked towards the back, peering around. There didn't seem too much out of the ordinary. He was looking at a large crack in the stone near the back when Mordecai spoke. Turning, he came over, eyes widening when he saw the subject of Mordecai's words. "Any idea what it is? I've never seen the like! Seems to be a part of the stone..." He wondered for an instant if it was dangerous. Strange things like that sometimes were. He has never known stone to be poisoned or malign, but he had never seen stone like that either.

Sorry about the wait, work and not feeling good has made me go blaaaaaahhhhh.

When Dante saw it as well, Mordecai gave his tail a good wave. But then came the question of what it was… and that the tawny Ostrega had no real idea about. Moving closer to investigate it, he marvelled silently at the way the scant light was captured in prism-like ways. If prism-like was the proper descriptor, anyway. The piece was solid, from the gems embedded to the way the structure was rooted to the cavern floor. Mordecai made a questioning, but thoughtful noise as he pawed at it, as though he could really topple it over.

“It looks like some sort of gem,” he said, though it came out more like a suggestion. “I've seen shiny flakes of this in stones before, but never like this. This… this is a lot bigger.” It seemed useless to state such a thing, but he was truly amiss over it. “It is beautiful though,” he added on. He wanted to call it glass, though this was hardly the weather shards he had seen in his travels where man had been. No man had touched this particular place as far as he could figure, just as very few had ever wandered the reaches of Sedona because of the sands and extremities in weather.

Mordecai turned his gaze back out into the cavern, squinting in the darkness for a moment. “There's more than this in here, I'd bet.” Though the cavern was shallow in depth, it did seem larger than it suggested. For a moment, he wondered if the time of day would play some part in the cavern, revealling its secrets. But he lacked the patience then and there to find out. “I wonder how many others know about this place.” Perhaps none had been keen on venturing into dark caverns, but he supposed there weren't too many seasoned travellers that would not give it a second thought. It was satisfying to think that perhaps they had stumbled upon something that was for the time being, new and untouched by their kind.

it's no problem, I too am slightly slow. I apologize as we'll, I may be slightly less than sober ATM... My coworkers are crazy o.o

Not a particularly poetic wolf, still, Dante knew beauty when he saw it. Their find was truly a gorgeous sight. Appreciating the play of the light across the rippling stone, he stepped closer to get a better look.

"It is. I've never seen the like." Dante marveled. Unlike Mordecai he had never even seen flakes of the substance. He had seen gems, but always on much smaller scale. This was another story.

"I wouldn't suspect many. This territory seems relatively untraveled and those who so come through here don't seem to bother with this area." He paused. "I agree though. It seems there is more to this cave than first meets the eye." Looking at Mordecai, a curious glint reached his eyes. "Shall we go farther?" He wasn't sure what the other male's responsibilites were like. He'd hate to keep him from something more important.

Meanwhile, almost a month later... >_> Also, I'm probably later than hell, but congrats on the promotion! Dante's come a long way. We should probably wrap this up too, though I'd love another thread for these two to catch up in a way, bwahaha.

With a nod to affirm that they should go in further, Mordecai once again took those steps to move them along. While nothing too profound jumped out at him in addition, the cave was still a wonderful sight. He felt a touch lucky that they had happened on such a place, especially with it being deserted.

Or at least that's what Mordecai felt it was. He hadn't taken too many steps beyond their joint gathering when he absently kicked a bone out of the way. His eyes caught and tracked the movement as it skittered across the rough texture of the cavern floor. A foreleg, more than likely belonging to some ungulate that had gone astray some time before. It was only after that, peeking from the next outcropping of stone that he spied a much larger group of skeletal remains.

Another surprise.

“Guess something must have lived here after all,” he commented, and approached the remains to investigate. It seemed to be rather large, pushing the limits for what he could only guess as a bear of some sort.

Actually it happened like 2 days ago so you are right on time <3 thanks!!! I absolutely love that we got this past 40 posts, makes me really happy. These two will definitely have to catch up, they have both come quite a ways from their loner days!

This cave would have made an amazing den, had he intentions of sticking around in one spot long enough to need such a permanant living space. He was shocked that it was unoccupied, for shelter like this was sometimes hard to come by. They had been lucky. Dante's mind tended to run scenarios, a habit that kept him out of trouble more often than not, and he couldn't help but think: what if they had come across a bear, or a cougar, and cornered it in its own den? He shuddered to think.

The sound of the bone skittering across the stone made him look over to where Mordecai had moved. He tracked the sound to the bone's resting place, catching sight of the spot of white. Walking over, he noted that it was a leg bone of fair size, though somewhat yellowed with decay. Mordecai's words brought him to the male's vantage point, where he too looked upon the remains under the ledge. These were much larger and carniverous, likely the beast which had caused the first bone's owner's (likely violent) demise.

"Guess so. Though I wonder it has gone so long unclaimed." The creature had obviously died long ago, for there was no scent of death about the bones. If there had been they'd have detected it when they first entered. In fact, a couple of the bones almost appeared chewed. "Look at those." He indicated the larger creature's hip bone, tooth marks evident on the outcroppings of bone. What that meant didn't bode well, though Dante did not jump to conclusions just yet.

Lmao, I realized that like right after I posted that, too. But still! And this is probably the longest thread I've had in... well, a couple of years easy. I love that we were able to take it out this far! <3

This time around, Dante was the first to venture forth to investigate. Mordecai lingered back as the pale fellow examined what he found, only coming forward to gain a better look himself. It was then as he too looked upon the teeth marks that an unnerving feeling rose at the pit of his stomach. Were they canine? He wasn't so sure. Not feline either, which didn't leave too many other options for sharply fanged mammals. It was alien to him and perhaps disproportionate; Mordecai shook his head uncertainly.

“They're rather large,” he commented, stepping away from the hip bone to look over the worn state of the skeleton. “And there are more of them around here.” His statement was followed by a gesture to what he guessed to be the shoulders and neck, however disaligned and collapsed they were. Whatever had done this, well, he hoped it was long gone. The tawny Ostrega had no intentions of meeting his figurative maker in a cavern, and certainly not today.

“I don't like it.” His quiet words seemed engulfed in the cavern depths.

Same!!! <3

A spike of cold went down Dante's spine as he stared at the marks within the bone and an involuntary rumble threatened to break out in his throat. He kept it repressed, though, mindful of the other's presence here. "Nor do I, friend, nor do I," he stated, looking around intently. While there was no real sign of the creature, how were they to know that it was truly gone from this place? Would it come back?

"I would not much like to meet the thing that made them." He gave the bones a quick sniff, wrinkling his nose as the creature's scent hit it. It still clung to them, though again that wasn't much of an indication on the time frame. "I wonder what manner of beast it was? Perhaps bear, or something else." Not that he was curious enough to actually want to find out. Some mysteries were better left unsolved.

Mordecai had no real ideas of what on earth could have made the marks, but the speculation was tempted to run wild. He reckoned it was probable that the bones they were observing had been attacked by another bear. It seemed bear-like, but he couldn't have said he knew much about ursine creatures in general. He knew enough about them to avoid them, at least. The tawny Ostrega cast his gaze along the interior of the cavern, this time looking back to the thin thread of light that lingered beyond.

“If I had to guess,” he said, trailing off momentarily. “I wonder if a pair of bears lived in here. Perhaps one bear ate the other one. They got snowed in, or so I'd like to think.” Bears had never struck him as being overly intelligent, though he had been often told differently. He shook his head dismissively once again. “Either way, I can't say I'd want to meet them either. The bones seem to belong to a bear, though.” He turned back to Dante and shrugged, as though the action would shake the palpable discomfort that had settled over them both.

Half the reason this thread is still around is because it takes me so long to respond at times XD sorry! Dang a lot happened

It was a grim thought, but it made sense. Dante shuddered, thinking of the cold winter to come. He doubted he could do such a thing, even desperate, but one never really knew what they were capable until they were in the situation.

"Perhaps we should get out of here. Just in case." He doubted even the two of them could take down a bear, no matter how strong they were. He'd had a couple of run ins and all had ended with him, luckily, being able to outrun the angry beasts. He did not wish to meet one trapped like they were, for it would doubtless end much worse for them than for the bear.

It's OK! A lot of the same has happened with me, haha. I definitely love that over the time we've spent in this thread that they've both gone from loners to alphas, though. XD

At the mention of leaving the cavern, Mordecai gave a hasty, agreeing nod. He moved towards the way they had come slowly, allowing time for Dante to fall into step with him before making any moves towards the entrance. “I couldn't agree more with that statement. I think whatever was here is long gone, but there's just something that doesn't feel right about this part of the cavern.” It was almost as though they had stumbled across a grave, one that hopefully, they hadn't desecrated by any means.

But in the same stroke, he was willing to blame it on the low lighting too. Mordecai was not one to be easily unnerved by something, but there were exceptions to the rule. This time, it was one of those moments and he couldn't help but find his own pace matched it. With the sunlight streaming in through the cavern mouth in plain view, he beelined for it.

wow finally finishing this up omg sorry!

The feeling prickled at him as well, a sense that the place they were was somehow off limits and they were trespassing on something by being there. So much so that when Mordecai made for the entrance, Dante was right on his heels. When they had reached the sunlight, which was quickly fading, Dante put a bit of space between himself and the cave. "Didn't expect to find anything like that when you suggested exploring. Creepy." He glanced back at the cave, then to the fading light of the horizon. Soon he would need to find a place to hunker down for the night, and he sure as hell wasn't using that cavern.

Let you finish up with a final post? May as well get this to 50 posts... :P ALSO HAPPY THANKSGIVING CHICAGOLAND FRAND.

As sunlight poured over them, Mordecai breathed in the humid air. He let it out in a heavy sigh, turning to find that Dante had joined him as well. His hackles began to smooth once they were outside of the cavern, though upon a glance backward towards (what seemed now) the gaping mouth sent uncomfortable prickles up and along his Spine. Once he had ascertained that they were both in one piece and fine, Mordecai took a few paces further away from the cavern, certain that Dante would join him as well.

“That was certainly a trip,” he mused, finding much calmer ground then than ever. “No wonder this place is pretty well deserted, right?” Casting his gilded gaze back to his pale-colored companion, Mordecai also sensed that their brief journey was coming to an end. The day was late and his attentions were also beginning to turn towards the thought of hunkering down.

Dante briefly considered asking Mordecai if he would like to travel together, two being better than one, but dismissed the idea. He did not know if the other had a goal in mind and did not want to impress upon him. Besides, Dante knew he would need to choose a place to stay for himself when this was all over and likely he and Mordecai would separate in time anyway. Dante was exceptionally picky when it came to finding a pack and, as he was starting to find, this meant he got to say farewell quite a bit. First Tarin, now Helena. It was good that traveling alone did not particularly bother him.

"I'll say. I believe after this I am headed west. It was nice meeting you Mordecai, I hope we will run into one another again." After waiting a moment to hear any farewell the other may speak, he began the next leg of his travels, attempting to find a place to turn in safely for a short bit before moving on. It would need to be well away from here, that was for sure.