Blacktail Deer Plateau the oncoming storm

He left behind the crossing rivers and went further north; the idea was to follow the river until it terminated and then, perhaps, head east again so that he could complete the circuit around the mountain range. That way he could kill two birds with one stone: check out the region as the traveler had instructed of him, and perhaps return to the valley (although he had grown to dislike it) so that he could make some decisions. Perhaps the warrior would reunite with Phoenix, or Merrit, and convince them both to abandon their sub-par existence. He was hopeful, but knew it was naive.

So, yes, he was going north. The mountains were black smudges on the horizon at the best of times, impressive at the right angle, but Tulimaq was more concerned with the river and what was immediately around him. Eventually he was so far north that the air was thick with saline; it reminded him of home, and he felt a pang of regret for having left his branch of Tartok for the Wilds. Certainly he could find something that compared to his more feral brethren — and if not, he would be left to his own devices when winter fully consumed them. It was not the worst thought but it was not Tulimaq's goal to become a leader - he was here to earn a name, not a title. Not land. Nothing to root him here for good.

He was furious with his thoughts, but forced himself to calm down and ignore many of the plots that rose in his imagination. He needed to relax, but to do that he needed to find someone of a similar mind to himself - someone to fight, someone to challenge. It was fortunate, then, that the beast would come upon a hillside (south of the plateau, near a ridge) which smelled strongly of many wolves. The layered scent that denoted a pack - good. He did not breach the territory's fringe but he came close, testing the response of the pack that lived just beyond.

They'd be here soon if they were keeping proper guard, and that meant he could finally let off some steam - test their guard, have some fun.

This thread basically has Corvus' name on it, so -snags it-. :3c

He was just leaving the territory to stretch his legs elsewhere when he detected an unfamiliar scent — a male, and he was extremely close to the southern border. If he wanted something, why hadn't he gone around to the north end where the pack was more easily accessible? The man also hadn't howled for anyone. Suspicious, the mercenary changed his course to head for this stranger.

Once a speaking distance away, he asked, What brings you so close to our border? He kept his demeanor nonchalant, posture utterly relaxed if not apathetic in appearance. But really, Corvus was prepared for anything. He studied the man's appearance, finding his size and build the same as his own. From what he could tell, the stranger was alone. The mercenary awaited his answer, highly curious as to what he was up to.

i should be getting ready for school but uhhh

his time away from the plateau hadn’t done anything. he was still frustrated. corvus and minori were always in the back of his mind no matter what he did. but that didn’t stop him from trying.

he was patrolling the borders when he caught wind of someone unfamiliar. his lips peeled back. great, something to keep him busy. maybe a good fight was all he needed.

issun sulked forward and saw two forms. corvus, who added more fuel to the flame, and a loner, who was way too close to the border. if he wanted leadership he would’ve called already, so issun saw him as a threat.

“get the fuck out. now,” he growled, moving past his packmate. perhaps liri and kavik would’ve been more forgiving in this situation, but he was very different from them. if the nomad didn’t obey, he’d meet his fangs.

She was patrolling - a habit she fell into often as of late - along the southern border when the wind shifted. She tucked her head at the fierce chill of it yet, her head lifted suddenly as the rogue scent reached her. It smelt of male, nothing about it was familiar and it was entirely too close to their borders. 

Without pausing a moment longer, the Alphess hastened to reach the source. 

It made her proud to see Corvus and Issun already on the scene, nodding her head to them as she halted by Issun's side. Her dark gaze was cool as it swept over him but there was no denying her claim over these lands - ears pricked towards the suspicious stranger, tail lifted and small form held as if she were as tall as a tree. 

"I suggest you explain yourself." 

His patrol had been pretty uneventful so far; he had moved along the southern borders, noting the scent of his packmates along with his own and marking wherever he thought needed it. His quiet work was soon interrupted by the fresh scent of a stranger. He had not heard any call from the borders, and the scent was fairly new, so he immediately began tracking it to its source.

The alpha eventually came upon the part of the borders that began to run flush with the mountains and found Corvus, Issun, and his mate already confronting the stranger. Kavik came to stand beside Liri, ears falling a little in irritation. The wolf smelled lone, and he grew suspicious of his motives. His body tensed a little, and he studied the male shrewdly, his inky brow creasing some. It is not wise to lurk near a pack's borders without first calling for an audience, he threatened, emerald gaze never leaving the stranger.

Just in case we're unclear - not tresspassing! "He did not breach the territory's fringe but he came close, testing the response of the pack that lived just beyond." But I'm sure he's happy to see so many warriors~

The scent of the territory border was powerful, and he knew to keep back from it but he still wanted to know more about the pack that resided on the plateau - or in the forest, he had no idea where they really lived as he'd just stumbled upon the area. Tulimaq paused in his strides to dip his head and investigate, but he didn't get a chance to inspect the marks too thoroughly before he was confronted by a number of wolves; they appeared swiftly and without fear, each carrying themselves defensively (as if a solitary wolf was really that much of a threat); had he been in a better mood he might've smirked, been charmed by the antics, but that wasn't going to happen. He raised his head back to its naturally poised position on the level with his shoulders, showing no bravado but also not backing down as two black wolves - and a pale female - showed up. But even then, he was silent and watching.

He listened as the first brought forth a question - one he might've answered, if not for their companion who cut in with their own appraising tone. This second wolf answered for him, and while that made Tulimaq's spine tingle he would not lash out. His gaze shifted from wolf to wolf, until the pale woman took hold of the situation, and then -- as if they didn't already have enough bodies gathered, a large black wolf lurched in to view, stopping by the pale woman. Both the large male and this petite white wolf held themselves with some esteem.

It was finally time for him to speak, or do something, he assumed. No other wolves came out of the woodwork but he lifted his head a little, craned his neck, as if to look around and behind the wall of wolves milling just on the other side of those markers he had begun to investigate. His tail frisked behind him once, as if to channel his frustration and expel it before he say something sharp-tongued.

After the final arrival spoke - something about an audience? As if he was here on purpose or had been waiting here for someone to find him, which was ridiculous - Tulimaq let the air go silent. He listened with tilting ears to the shifting of their bodies, to the sounds beyond them, and when nobody said anything he finally cleared his throat for use.

Oh, is it my turn now? He murmured, looking from wolf to wolf with a slide of his eyes. He was tempted to state answers to all their questions as pedantically as possible now that he was at the forefront of their attention and given leeway to speak, but instead he swept his eyes around those gathered and focused on the last to arrive, the clear alphas. I'm just a rogue. I came upon the scents in the forest that told me there was a pack nearby and I was curious. But if this is how you react — accosting mere travelers when they're nowhere near your home — I'll be on my way. Hell, they obviously weren't hurting for members.

Tulimaq had hoped to test them, but he was immediately dissuaded when faced with a wall of territorial garbage. The only wolf among them that looked even vaguely like they might be worth fighting was that larger male - the black-furred Alpha - but he wasn't about to issue a challenge.

Corvus was prepared for anything on the stranger's end, but he was not prepared for Issun storming up to venomously tell the man off. It wasn't often he got angry, but that did cause irritation to prick at his nerves. Their own personal issues aside, Corvus utterly disagreed with his reaction to a wolf causing no harm and not even trespassing, at that. If the man weren't hostile, he could become so now, thanks to that.

Fortunately, the male did not attack. Relax, he is not trespassing, Corvus said to his bristling packmate, tone calm as he could force it. Soon afterwards, Liri appeared, followed closely by Kavik. They weren't nearly as hostile as Issun, but the pair was not as warm in confronting this stranger as he was used to — as he felt they should have been. The man was just that: one man. With how severely outnumbered he was now, he served little threat, and that was assuming he ever was one in the first place. Corvus felt no need for alarm, and it showed in his posture, which was the same as when he first arrived. He made sure not to let his irritation show, but it was there and building fast.

He allowed the man to speak, and he was understandably upset. Corvus had found himself in a similar situation twice before in these wilds, and both ended in bloodshed. Fortunately, it didn't appear that would be the case here today. Still, this wasn't something he was going to just sweep under the rug. That is understandable, Corvus replied, forcing his tone to remain even before adding, I don't believe hostility is necessary here. His amber eyes slid over to Issun, where his gaze was more intense than intended before moving on to his alphas. Corvus hoped they didn't take his words as disrespect, but reacting so aggressively in this situation reflected poorly on the entire pack, in his opinion.

400th post :D!! feel free to skip him after this! he won’t be doing much

his abrasive method wasn’t well met. corvus’s words did not stick well with him. he grunted impatiently. this stranger had no reason to be snooping so close to their borders, how could he not be upset about that? his reaction was valid in his eyes.

when liri and kavik came, issun kept quiet and let them converse. he caught corvus’s gaze for a moment and saw the sharpness in his gaze. he didn’t like it one bit.  

Her gaze remained indifferent to his jab - Liri had not been on the scene to witness Issun's aggression nor did she think her own greeting rude. He was a stranger lurking around her home without bothering to announce his presence. As far as the Alpha was concerned, that either made him dangerous or stupid. 

Liri ignored Corvus, for this wasn't even close to hostility. She simply wasn't having any of his rude attitude - not when she merely stated he explain why he was so close.

"We treat travelers - those who can actually smell the borders - with hospitality. I don't care if you're technically on neutral land, you're practically upon our threshold." Liri pointed out. She was surprised another pack hadn't ripped him apart already if this was common practice for the male. 

"I don't know exactly what you expected but if that's how you go about investigating packs then maybe you should move on." She gestured to the wilderness he had threatened to return to, waiting calmly to see if he had better manners waiting on hand or would truly take his leave. 

Skipping to move this along.

The wolves were bickering and it wasn't what Tulimaq had anticipated, nor did he enjoy it. He'd hoped to face off against one of their warriors, not be accosted by the entire pack when he wasn't even crossing in to their territory. Some of the wolves that had gathered were quick to silence themselves, others appeared almost apologetic for the enthusiastic display; but the beast only had eyes for the leaders, and while the alpha male appeared stalwart he was silent. It was the pale woman that spoke — and her comments made his ears lance back across his head in a brief show of irritation.

He cleared his throat, spine bristling a little as he directed his attention upon Liri.

As I said, I did notice that your pack was here. I didn't cross the border — didn't even get close, and had no intention of doing that. I stopped because I was curious, and the next thing I know — you know what, screw it. I don't need to explain myself to you. He hadn't done anything wrong. His desire to test their mettle had evaporated within moments of the pack's collective arrival and the amount of overkill they displayed made things pointless. The comments of the alpha female got under his skin more than they should have as well; she seemed adamant that he was doing something wrong by passing by, but if Tulimaq had really wanted to hurt anyone he wouldn't have stopped here — he would've charged right through the forest, followed the scent until it was stronger, and confronted someone for a fight.

Perhaps that's what he'd do next time if he wanted to get in to a brawl; right now he was outmatched by sheer number, and wasn't interested in lingering. Once his comments concluded he turned away from the pale woman and began his departure, removing himself from the situation before his ire got the best of him.

I'm going to archive this on 12/13, so get your replies in if you want to add anything else!<3.

He wasn't particularly irritated with corvus' words, but he respectfully disagreed. The stranger may not have trespassed, but he was certainly too close for comfort and without calling for an audience; that was the alpha's biggest issue here. He had no problem with harmless curiosity, but why wander so close and not inform the pack that he was here? It seemed a little weird to the normally very trustful leader. 

He had no issues with his mate's words. He felt she was pretty much right in her reaction. He had wished that Issun had kept it together a little better, but he appreciated the male's protectiveness. 

The stranger began to explain himself, but stopped in the middle, clearly not feeling like he owed them any kind of explanation. That was certainly his prerogative, and since he had not actually crossed over their border uninvited, the alpha let him turn and leave, not wishing to further escalate the situation. If anything, it was clear that they were protective of their claim, and that was not a bad thing to get spread around. 

He turned to his wolves after the man had presumably left, and nodded. Let's keep an eye out for that one, he suggested. The last thing they needed was some wolf with a point to make coming and causing more problems for them.