Ankyra Sound a drop of hell, a touch of strange

@Firefly

 

the young wildling had been pleased with his addition to their group. though the other wolf had been battered and he hobbled slower than others, illidan found that there was worth in his bones. it took a great deal to overcome odds the way that firefly had, and he felt as though it was something that they all needed in their midst. so, on that early morning, the dark-hooded young prowler had sought to catch a hare in the woods. his hunt had been a success and he had returned to the beach with the kill clasped carefully between his teeth.

with a scouting search for the figure of the sun-touched wolf, illidan moved across the terrain with an easy confidence in his steps. he held the hare out of the reach of the sand so that it would not retain the granules. moving closer to the water, illidan paused and searched the horizon. for only a moment, he allowed himself to wonder what it would have been like if he had stayed on the plateau.

After escorting the dark coated man off of the beach as far as he could, Firefly turned around and backtracked. His main desire right now (besides really needing to punch a wall) was to find Illidan and report to him what had just happened. He didn't want anything to happen to this new home he'd found for himself, and certainly didn't mean to cause upset between the kid's family and whoever-the-heck that guy served — so he needed to find him and hash out the details.

When he did, the kid was lurking around with something hanging from between his teeth; it made Firefly's stomach rumble audibly, which in turn caused his ears to slip back in a brief display of embarrassment. But he wasn't there to eat, he needed to talk. Hey, Ill — he started, but then his belly grumbled again and he lost track of his thoughts.

the familiar voice of the sun-touched male caused the boy to spin around. he fixed his sights on firefly with a slight smile along the edges of his lips. it was almost as though he had simply thought of the man, and there he was. prowling forward, illidan dropped the hare near to where the other man stood and dipped his head in a nod. “hey firefly; caught that for you,” the wildling remarked. there was a pleased expression that adorned his dark features before he glanced up and latched his sights on the pale eyes of his companion.

he wondered how the other was getting along on the beach, or if there had been troubles with getting around some of the areas in the territory. though firefly was – likely – a very capable wolf, in spite of his injuries, illidan still wanted to make sure that he did not have to struggle there. he had made a promise that the brute would have a home with a makeshift family if he were to stay, and he felt as though it was owed to him.

As soon as the hare hit the sand, Firefly was lunging for it; he didn't need the permission of the other wolf to tear the creature to pieces, although he gave a slight pause when Illidan was speaking and whisked his tail when he could conclude the meal was meant for him. Blood spread through the sand. Some grains got stuck to the carcass but that didn't stop Firefly from crunching bone or shaking apart bits of the hare, and soon the majority of the little meal was gone. 

He stood there, sinking back a half-step, licking his chops and feeling the familiar warmth of a fresh meal spread through his body. It was a far cry different from the shelled critters found along the sea's edge - much more familiar. Thanks, he drawled as he cleared most of the blood from his dark face.

Remembering what he'd wanted to talk about, Firefly went right in to the run-down of what had transpired earlier on the beach: So, I ran in to one of our neighbors. I assume. He watched the boy's face for a reaction but continued, This guy was pissin' all over the beach and when I confronted him, he said he had a message. I told him to piss off and he left. Had he done the right thing? Had he somehow pissed off an envoy that would've earned the budding pack an ally? Firefly didn't know but he paid great attention to Illidan, eager for clues.

the sun-touched male was quick to devour the hare that had been offered. though it was probably rude to gawk at the man as he ate, illidan did not look away even once in the entire feasting. his expression remained relatively open until firefly looked to him with pale blue eyes. only then did the wildling seem to fix himself, shuffling in place with a noise that sounded as though he was clearing his throat.

it was then that the other man offered illidan a fair bit of information on their neighbors. it seemed as though they had attempted to push them out by marking the territory for themselves. the thought of it caused the young man to bristle and for his brow to furrow over his eyes. he turned his sights toward the cliffs and overlooked their beach – so high from where they were. though he had not crossed paths with the wolves who resided up there yet, he knew that he would have nothing in common with them. they had made a bad name for themselves with how they had behaved.

“you did really well then,” illidan commented with a firm nod. “i think they might cause us some trouble in the days to come...” he then ventured with a sad frown and a shake of his head. he was grateful for the presence of the scarred male.

It was right, then, that Firefly had talked the guy down. He hadn't considered the man's presence to be much of a threat but when Illidan made his comment, a tense sensation ran through him. It wasn't unheard of for a pack to have rivals. They were such a new thing (at least to Firefly, who did not know of the Sound's history nor Caiaphas' involvement in the past), and composed of unlikely combatants, should anything occur that would invoke the wrath of Illidan's mother — he wasn't sure what would come of that. They did not stand much of a chance if the stranger's confidence in his so-called commander was true.

We'll deal with them, he said tonelessly, his expression freezing in to a look of seriousness despite the apprehension he felt. The last time he'd been in a fight, he'd been practically gutted, and wasn't sure he'd survive another one. What if these strangers came to try and chase them off their claim? Could he really be expected to put his life on the line for a group of strangers like that? Firefly didn't know himself that well right now; had he been any other person (or more like his old self) he would know the truth - that he'd do anything for the pack, because the pack was everything. For now, he found himself looking out at the seaside with a grimace.

even the boy did not fully understand the war that his mother had waged with the cliff pack. he had been foolish in his following of her – chasing because she was his blood, or perhaps because it was that she had given him his looks. whatever it had been that had torn illidan from the plateau pack and thrust him onto the beach, it had not been based out of a sharp mind. even the premise of a familial bond was not enough to truly sway him any particular way, but he had found a sense of peace with having left kavik and liri to the safety of their home. it was true that he didn't feel as though he belonged to the stretch of beach, but he knew that it suited him far better than the warmth of the plateau pack – possibly their members.

the tone that had been adopted by firefly was not missed. illidan swiveled an ear on his crown so that it splayed to the side. he felt a lump rise against the back of his throat that hadn't been there before. all that talk of war, and he hadn't once thought of how his pack mate would react to it. “you know that i'll fight beside you – for you – to the best of my ability,” the dark-hooded wildling remarked in a gruff tone. he was almost too afraid to peer at the sun-touched wolf; he did not know if those words were powerful enough to push someone into battle after they had already endured so much.

As if hearing the thoughts as they flit through his mind, Illidan's comments caused Firefly's expressin to soften, just a touch. He heard that pledge but didn't know what to do with it. They were still just aquaintances — bordering on becoming family because of their ties to the same spit of beachfront — but it came as a surprise to Firefly that the boy would pledge himself in such a way. It made him feel emboldened, strengthened, just in knowing he wasn't being forced in to any situation. If they did have to fight, Firefly would have the support of a pack behind him - and this boy beside him. He tried to get a look at Illidan's face but noticed he was trying to keep his attention fixed elsewhere, so the man gave up. He thought about the comments without replying for a moment longer, and stared up at the cliffs.

If we fight — he murmured in a conspiratorial manner, staring up at that cliffside where he thought he could see canine shapes looming, —When, rather, since it seemed the tension in the air wasn't going to abate, like the coming of a powerful storm, I'll defend you and your mother for as long as I can. He'd claimed to be a warrior when they'd accepted him after all. It seemed only right that, should it be necessary, he fall on that sword when the time came.

those conversations were difficult for the young ghost to have. he lacked a great deal of the social graces that he should have learned in his vital growth phase. he had found a safety in the silence that he’d adopted. it was as though he could keep himself from everything if he did not say a word. still, he had promised the scarred male beside him that he would have the strength of the pack at his back. he really only wanted to demonstrate that he had been serious. talk was cheap, though, and the wildling knew better than to simply make promises without having anything to show for them.
 
their time would arrive, and he would fulfill the vow that he had made.
 
in that, though, firefly seemed to adopt the same mindset. he spoke seriously and expressed that he would assist in defending illidan and caiaphas when the fight was upon them. there was a heavy sigh that sat in the back of the boy’s throat. he refrained from letting it free and instead turned to the sun-touched male with a wild expression. “would you like to practice with a spar?”

A battle was coming, and Firefly didn't know how he felt about it. Was it right for him to doubt? He did not know these people that well, yet swore repeatedly that he would aid them. They offered him a position within their family, food, medicine — it seemed only right. But was it really worth the risk? He didn't dwell on it for much longer, as Illidan brought forth a proposition.

He looked at the boy for a moment as he considered him. Sized him up. Illidan was a rangy creature (likely due to subsisting on a seaside diet) but he was quite a large fellow. With practice he could become a fearsome opponent, and it made sense to test his capabilities before battle. Perhaps that would put Firefly's mind at ease.

So, side-stepping away from the boy and pivoting, squaring-off, he nodded his head and said, Alright.

the brute agreed to the spar after a moment of searching illidan's frame. sure, he was still relatively young, but the boy knew his own frame well enough to put use to it. firefly spun himself around and squared himself off. at that movement, the young ghost did what he could to appear ready for their false battle. he moved to position himself so that he faced the dark male and lowered his head to keep the tender portions of his neck protected from any attack that would take place. he knew that well enough; instinct told him to keep his throat out of the reach of any fang.

then, the boy sprung forward with all the grace of a tree-climbing horse. his lean frame was well-aimed, but he did not have much experience in his life to know well what to do. illidan aimed his teeth and claws for the only thing he could think to be an easy target: the scarred shoulder of the other male. there was no intention to actually harm his friend. he merely wanted to impress the sun-touched male.

As soon as he was facing-off against the boy, Illidan moved to mirror him. It seemed obvious to Firefly that the boy hadn't been trained very much; he was slower, and more telegraphed as he began to move. However, he knew to protect his throat and his footwork wasn't terrible. He lunged towards Firefly — at his shoulder more specifically — and it was finally the right moment for a counter-attack. With Illidan focused on his shoulder Firefly could make a lunge of his own, but he angled his body a little lower so that he would arrive at the point of impact and push up, hoping to surprise the boy and cause him to falter without doing too much harm. His snout connected with Illidan's ribbed side; to make it less dangerous he did not use his teeth, but the hit was focused and would likely sting.

figure we can wrap up with ur next post <3

and it did sting.
 
the young ghost felt the jabbing of firefly’s muzzle against his ribs. he gritted his teeth, focusing so that he did not bark in response to the move. warriors did not cry out when they were not struck with a fang, he reminded himself. then, he swung his head back around and aimed to carefully bite at his sparring partner’s back limbs. if he could make his mark, he would have felt a moderate swelling of his own pride. if he did not, he knew that it was fuel for the fire within.
 
the two continued to spar on the beach until illidan felt that his limbs were too weary to withstand any more roughing around. it was then that he sought a place to rest and watch the light change in the sky. no matter how much he had impressed on firefly, it was a day that carried the winds of accomplishment on its tail.

It should not have been such hard work to keep up with him, but it was. The sparring took a toll on Firefly and he was glad for the reprieve when they finished. The boy had the start of some good habits and together, the two of them could make formidable warriors out of one-another. But that was for later - Firefly was just as tired as his friend, and when Illidan plonked himself down in the sand for a rest it didn't take any sort of invitation for the wounded beast to do the same. While Illidan was watching the transitioning sky, Firefly was watching him - etching his face in to his mind in case that were to suddenly fade away, but before long he was drowzing.