Blacktail Deer Plateau The Gathering of the Clouds

Timeline = ???????? but assuming nothing explodes then it'll go in this chunk of time. XD

Honestly he hadn't been thinking most of the way over -- he'd been thinking about what to do with the way things had gone.  Perhaps he needed some perspective, though he wasn't going to go and climb all the way up the mountains to do so -- the plateau would probably be enough, so he started up the trail he'd taken once before, but it felt like so long ago now... And really, had anything changed?  Mal was still free of any fortune, or really much positive beyond figuring himself out... And even that was questionable.

It was there on the uneven terrain that he started paying more attention... Wait, were there wolves here now?  He blinked a few times blearily, not 100% sure he was smelling it right.  Like at the very least there were quite a few camped out, but it seemed new enough that he wasn't sure if it was an actual pack or just a group resting for a while before going on a longer journey.  Maybe he should just turn around...  Mal shuffled in place a bit, trying to figure out what to do.  Like every other time, he wasn't too keen on actually talking to a pack (packs were often jerks, duh), so scramming sounded better.  He turned a shoulder to the plateau, trying to find a path where they hadn't gone along the lower slopes that didn't seem to be claimed, but it wasn't looking too positive.  Just a glance, then he could head back.

Raleska too searched along the lower region of the plateau, presently unaware of Mal. Her daily forays took her further and further from the rendezvous, for food here seemed scarce as hen’s teeth.

Darting past a collapsed pine, Raleska caught a flash of something almost grey in the distance — the fleeting form of a wolf prowling. She did not hesitate to intercept; while her interest was largely self-motivated, Raleska also needed to know if this wolf presented as a danger to the displaced Rusalkan band.

Coming to a walk some fifteen feet away, Raleska cast the mosaic-pelted wolf a wary glance. His dark markings reminded her of her mother, at least in part — but the rest of him was very different. Calling to mind Caiaphas stung Raleska ever so slightly, for it was a bitter reminder her family had up and left her in the reeds (or was dead), Illidan included.

Keeping her posture neutral but her gaze affixed, Raleska spoke up from between the tangle. You looking for something?

Maybe he should just dare to go up and if he found an actual border then he could just scram...  Or not.  He'd been spotted by someone, and he paused his investigation to find out who that was.  

She was the owner of one of the scents, and he wasn't sure what to read into her pose.  Did that mean they were just camping out here and would move on?  Surely if it was a real pack she'd have been more assertive or something -- Mal would be, at least.  Instead, he'd keep himself neutral too instead of just skulking off or whatever he'd otherwise do.  He probably had more trust in wolves that belonged to a pack or group being always unfriendly than he had hope of them being cool.  He wouldn't push his luck because it was easier to leave that way.

I was looking to uh.  Look.  How else could he explain it. Blink.  That's your family or whatever? nose point uphill, he still wasn't sure if that was the right term either, and his mild confusion probably was easy to see, but if it was maybe not a pack... There used to be nobody here, I wanted to see around from farther up.  He pretty much expected she'd tell him to just piss off and suddenly try to march him farther away or something.

The hunting was sparse here, and that was putting it nicely.

It was abysmal, the worst of any he had ever seen. With the approach of winter snows already dipping down to their coastal region and further inland, things suddenly felt a lot more grim than they should have. He still needed to pathfind a way up the mountains that the plateau butted up against, but he needed food too. It had been a while since anything substantial had filled the hollow he felt.

Voices pulled him out of the fruitless venture—he heard Raleska, but did not recognize the other. It did not take long to set his icy gaze on the pair, but Valtari kept his distance where the forest would allow him proper cover. This wolf was not of them, but curious enough to have come close. He missed the former half of what he said, but caught the reason he was where he was within the plateau. Had the smoke drawn him in too? Or perhaps it were the quaking earth, the churn of the sea as it ate into the coast.

Valtari decided to continue observing.

a cameo unless y'all wanna spy his stark white ass

Raleska wasn’t sure how to make out with the male’s explanation. Looking didn’t seem particularly suspicious to her, but how often had she let her guard down only to let someone she let in walk right over her? Better to play it safe. 

She didn’t catch Valtari in the trees — at least not immediately. His pale frame stood out crisply against the autumn-fire backdrop, but her attention was largely riveted on Mal. She didn’t want to give him too much information - not unless he somehow proved he wasn’t a threat to her and hers’. It is. Raleska exhaled, deciding not to lie even if she wanted to. We’re Rusalka, and we were displaced from the Sound by all the... She gestures around her as if it would help. .. crazy waves and shakes, and stuff. Are you here to tell us to leave? Her gaze flashed with a resilient defiance — her family didn’t want to be here anymore than she did, but they didn’t have much choice. Part of her wished she had gone to Elysium instead — but she would later learn it was better off this way, as Elysium stood no longer.

The two probably operated on a similar wavelength, or at least were doing so when you combined recent events, histories.  Whatever.  Mal had been walked over his whole life, was done with it, and was suspicious of everyone and then some.  It made him the awkward and at times awful person he could be sometimes.

A sound to him is just a noise, and Rusalka meant nothing to him.  That didn't help him at all -- and it was probably a good thing because he thought living at the ocean = psychopaths just because of his one earlier interaction.  Nah, right now he just frowned a bit.  Totally useful on his part too.  Still, she wasn't telling him to leave.  So now what?  Did that mean he could go do the thing he wanted to?  However, he looked both confused and offended at her next suggestion, Uh, no.  I just wanna see if there's some reason I can actually see to explain why jerks keep crashing through my territory, ignoring borders and stuff. I'm tired of it already.  Mal's muzzle scrunched up in distaste at the thought.  To him, a border was a sign to go the hell away, no matter how many people stood behind it.  They had no excuse for barging into his home.  None.

He didn't notice the other guy.  Mal was too busy trying to read her expression to see if he should scram to pay broader attention to things that were just beyond his periphery.

There was a flash of something - perhaps disappointment- that stole across Raleska’s features when Mal showed no recognition of the Sound or Rusalka. But why would he? Rusalka’s empire had collapsed in on itself — and now was a shadow of its former self. 

She looked around her uncertainly as Mal mentioned “his” home — was this it? Had they unknowingly trespassed? She hadn’t detected a whiff of claiming on these grounds, and told herself as such to avoid feeling any sting of guilt. This is your territory? Came her rough interjection, still too focused on Mal to see Valtari in the distance. We’re just here temporarily. Raleska reaffirmed, her suspicions gone to defensiveness at the idea of uprooting again.

He thought he'd been clear but apparently not. Not that it was particularly surprising, this was Mal and he hadn't really taken a class in communication. Perhaps that was part of his issue. And so, he looked at her, confused and a little irritated because she totally hadn't listened to him, No, I just said it's not.  I live down there, quick flick of his muzzle to point. But if I can't get those idiots to stop coming into my home this would be like.. I dunno. The backup area. But I'd rather stay in my forest. Maybe there was just like a 85% chance of chicks being totally dumb. That would explain a few things in Mal's eyes.

Cue the white-man-blinking-gif from Raleska, who hadn’t been prepared for the riffle of annoyance that came from Mal’s tone. Her jaw hardened, ears sweeping back in response. Maybe she had misunderstood, for she thought there was a difference between asking someone to leave and whether or not they lived here; after all, Elysium had that open border policy (not that Raleska ever understood the appeal in that). 

Bristling still, Raleska couldn’t help the cattiness in her voice. Have you tried marking your claim? Good job smoothbrain — now you’re really going to set him off. She hadn’t caught a whiff of neighboring borders — but maybe she wasn’t trying hard enough. Tit for tat though — if he was going to make her feel stupid, she was going to do her best to make him feel inadequate. That’s how things worked, right?

Take that gif and turn it right back at her, because man, she totally hadn't been listening to a word he'd said, had she?  Like one time in a row he could kind of dismiss, but two... Were her ears for show?  Had she been dropped on her head as a puppy a few too many times?  Had he somehow started speaking a different language and not realized it?

At this point he was a little bit more befuddled than irritated, though a good deal of both, Hang on, I'll say the thing I just said again, maybe you'll hear it this time, cleared his throat theatrically.  Then he continued with particular focus to the enunciation, Dum-dums no care about marked borders!  Me go up hill, look to see if giant hole in ground or other thing make them go that way.  Back to normal, aside from the, 'what is wrong with you,' undertones, Like really, get your head in the game -- the world's gone nuts and if you're this out of it you're gonna get hit by a giant rock or tree or something.  She was gonna be no help.  Maybe he'd be best just trying to get a view from wherever he could at this altitude.

Coming from a long line of professional antagonists, Raleska could only smile that crooked smile in rejoinder to Mal’s outburst. Clearly in her mind if wolves were trespassing so frequently the fault wasn’t in them — it was in the borders that she assumed must be in terrible disrepair. 

If it’s one, honey it’s them — Raleska stood a bit taller, already feeling vindicated in spite of his insinuation she was stupid. If it’s two, honey it’s you. Her singsong voice had an edge of insufferable recital to it — how many times had Caiaphas said that to her? And now here she was, reciting her dam’s knowitall preachy rhyme to some undeserving (ok maybe a bit deserving) sot?

She hadn’t even known there was a pack nearby. So clearly it wasn’t on her since no one else had known either.  That was her story and she was sticking to it, true/logical/real or not. Sounds like your borders aren’t obvious enough. Maybe make your members do a better job or something. Just trying to help you is all, you don’t gotta get all emotional on me. Classic Eyjolfur move there — poke and poke and poke and then when you get a reaction, blame it all on them.

The exchange was interesting but turned amusing swiftly. He hadn't anticipated Raleska's directness, nor the way the other drove his complaints home. Perhaps the real amusement was his complaint about his claim at their doorstep—Valtari could not resist letting a chuckle slip from where he lurked, and knew it would give him away if he hadn't been seen already.

"Perhaps you should try setting your teeth to them," he offered as he joined the fray, harmlessly clicking his together for effect. "I would gladly tear the unwanted from here if I found them." But he was built for such a thing, had been taught to protect hearth and home and kin from the beginning. And this fellow? Perhaps not, but the fire was there and Valtari sought to stoke it.

With a pointed gaze at the two-toned wolf, he went along.

"They cross your borders because they have no respect for you. Give them reason to be wary and they will stop, and perhaps they'll rally to your claim. Winter comes," and he didn't feel the particular need to mention the ominous events.

And he replied with a look of sarcastic pity, Yes, I realize now that your ears really are just for show, but you don't have to keep repeating yourself, I know that problem solving isn't your strength either.  She was the equivalent of tech support asking if you've tried turning it of and on again.  Of course that's already been done!  Mal wouldn't be calling support all the way over here if he didn't need to try something different!  He was about to say something more when the other guy apparated out of nowhere, sort of.

He didn't seemed shocked by it -- wolves seemed to love appearing randomly around him when he was being snarky, so that was old hat that someone would be creeping around the shadows just waiting or something.  Mal had more respect for that guy than he did for the metaphorically earless wonder because at least he was suggesting something other than Tier 1 tech support.  Only problem was he'd be a corpse if he tried it.  Now, Mal wasn't gonna let on his primary skill was bluffing, as if he was forced to learn to hunt on his own, it was no wonder nobody taught him to fight either, and that was before you added on extenuating circumstances, Yeah, if it was just some loner, that's a solution, yeah.  But some of these freaks would love that opportunity -- showed up one time thinking it was just some thief kid, except that kid was bait and had their whole damn goon squad hiding in wait for me in hopes I'd do something.  You can't call for anyone else if you screw that up, you'd be dead way before they got there.  These are not normal people with their heads screwed on straight -- maybe the earth shaking drove them insane, I don't know, we were fine there for months.  As far as Mal could tell, they wanted you to do something so they could have the moral high ground when they killed you.  Maybe the Nightwalker edgelords wanted that too (since apparently this thread happens after that too) but he managed to catch them before they could try anything. 

And now we can't even back away from them because you're suddenly here.  So just let me go see if there is anything to see and then I can go back home and try to find a solution that actually works.  It was probably unsurprising that the more he talked the more he was stressing himself out -- if suddenly the earth started shaking, the majority of your pack just up and disappeared and hadn't returned, and weirdos started showing up inside your house all at roughly the same time (oh and btw, your backup plan is probably nixed), wouldn't you be stressed?  Couldn't the world give him a break just once?  Probably not.  Mal was doing everything right to protect himself and his home, but the world didn't care.

Raleska already had the solution for Mal: be less abrasive.

Of course, that retort was held on the tip of her tongue as she reeled from the boy's diatribe. Yeesh -- he hadn't specifically said this wasn't his land until she had asked -- and he hadn't been specific on where his territory was, either. No wonder Raleska felt confused and now angered-- she wasn't a mindreader.

"And being likeable isn't your strength either." Raleska fired back, already finding her patience for humoring this miserable person at zero. It wasn't her fault he wasn't clear.

If Mal had of been a bit less sarcastic, and a bit less barbed in everything he had said (oh -- and if he hadn't insulted her not once, but several times now), Raleska might have been inclined to let him pass and see the world from whatever vantage he wanted. But, he hadn't been nice -- and she wasn't going to be nice either.

Placing her body firmly in his way, Raleska's tail upturned. "No." She said, having absolutely no fear that this boy would push back. Oh, he might run his mouth at her, but Raleska assumed he had used most of his vocabulary already -- he wasn't going to fire off anything she hadn't already heard.. Besides, with Valtari at her back, Raleska was even less likely to do this boy any favors. Treat strangers poorly, and they were apt to be inclined to do you no favors -- it was just that simple. Now he was the one with no ears -- hadn't she already been specific that her family was in the Plateau? She wasn't going to let any of them have to unfairly endure his presence. "You can fuck off."

Their suggestions did little to quell their company's ire, not that it had ever intended to anyway. If anything more was to be inferred from such to Valtari, it was that the fellow had tried and exhausted his options... which left the pale sentinel wondering if perhaps he simply had chosen a poor place to settle with all that was happening.

But it was Raleska who emboldened him by putting her foot down when his insistence grew to an annoying peal; her very annoyance was more than crystal clear at that point, but amusement still lingered across the features of her pale companion. The smile that had played on his lips did not twist, but his teeth did flicker from behind dark lips; his hackles prickled as she told him off simply.

Hadn't he just said that he had no problem removing the undesirables?

sorry mal, looks like your neighbors are mean and crazy too

If he had known Rusalka was the home of some of the maniacs he'd encountered on the coast, Mal probably would have bailed long ago.  Instead, he just got more evidence that he was better off on his own.  Every pack he came across that wasn't right next door to Elysium was full of people who probably thought they were the best thing out there.  No, he was better making his own pack because there was no way he'd tolerate this behavior in people if they were supposed to be his friends.

Really, she was gonna go and claim he was unlikeable? Had she looked in a mirror recently?  His single-word reply was almost a laugh, Hypocrite.  Need he say more?  He had listened, he had been reasonable, but this stupid chick acted like he was an idiot before he retaliated in kind.  Sorry Mal tried to ask you to look down from your hoity-toity throne, but it turns out you were useless anyway.  He turned to start downhill and head home.

She was so caught up in her own little world that he did now hope a rock beaned her on the head.  Or a tree.  You know, whichever was more likely.  The other guy was more of a disappointment, if only because he seemed to be that fool's pet.  What weak-minded creatures.  Whatever. At least he didn't have to deal with them again... Though maybe he could encourage some of the local freaks to go harass them instead, hmm... Something to think about on the way home.  Man, that'd be glorious.

He would remember him, if only for the inexperience his age lent him. Not that Valtari was particularly one to talk—he had only left behind his adolescence with the spring thaw. It took restraint not to chase him then and there, to simply let himself run wild and snap away at retreating hocks. If he wanted to whine about savagery, then Valtari would show him it ideally.

He stewed in the meantime.

The wolves of Rusalka were still new to him, however they looked upon him. The uncertainty that Raleska would back him up kept him tethered with words burning on his tongue for just went the wolf had finally receded out of their view altogether. His gaze turned to Raleska, questioning: "Other than a waste of time, what do you make of him?"

Definitely not a friend or worth any more breath, but was he a contender for the winter ahead? The lack of prey was a concerning thing and with smoke still to blemish the sky he could not help but wonder after what other sorts may have been lurking just beyond their reach.

It took Raleska a fair bit of restraint, but she did not chase after Mal. She didn’t care in that moment that she was being hypocritical— she was still processing the many ways their conversation had all gone to shit.

Frankly, with her pride stung, Raleska was not a wolf to be reasonable — it just so happened Mal experienced the end of that sharp lash. Her eyes bored into him, but Valtari’s question brought Raleska back from her hateful staring. A prick. She said with a huff, ready to completely dismiss his memory. Do you think he will cause us trouble later?

His lips upturned into a smirk briefly; amused.

"I doubt it," he answered in earnest, "but if he does I will set my teeth to him." Again those teeth made their display in an instant, flashing and flickering with a distinct click as though he really needed the help to get the point across. It was a natural response for him, a learned behavior ingrained. There were young here, a mother, and he would ensure their safety without question unless dissuaded.

"Do you worry he would be trouble for us? We could put an end to him now; he couldn't have gotten far away," and that suggestion came just as quickly on the heels of his clicking teeth. His eyes made for the path that the stranger had taken, but they swung back to Raleska imploringly.

Raleska too would see to it her fangs found the boy’s hide, if he ever step foot near her again. She hoped for her own personal sake that was the last she’d see of him — gods, she found the boy positively insufferable.

Her gaze swept slowly to Valtari, noticing the way he looked almost imploring. Darkly, Raleska briefly entertained the idea. She was just angry enough still that she wouldn’t feel bad about roughing him up.. but killing...

Erzulie would be staunchly against it — as would Rosalyn — and the Rusalkans had enough trouble on their plates without inviting more. He deserves it.. but I don’t think it wise. Raleska frowned,  wishing just once that things were easy and simple rather than convoluted and hard.

Disappointment flickered across his features in the way that the wind tousled his coat, there and gone in an uneven sway. It would have been wise, he thought, taking out the competition before it had a chance to better group itself and infringe upon them more. But it would have been just as unwise to invite the trouble, least of all anything that would set him loose in the wilderness in the state it was in. So he let silence fill the void for a moment left by Raleska's decree; he would obey, if only because the cons outweighed the pros.

"Another day then, for him, and for us." It was a quiet, stark statement.

"Were you patrolling before?"

Raleska saw — and chose to ignore — the disappointment that spanned Valtari’s muzzle. It was a fair reaction, but she did not want to risk inciting Erzulie’s rage. So far being proactive had been bad for Rusalka’s future — Raleska imagined that it’d be hard to explain that they roughed up a stranger just because he was mouthy. 

Even if he deserved it. 

Nodding in response to Valtari’s question Raleska began to move off. Yeah. Probably a good idea to continue, right? She waited briefly for the stark-furred male to follow, and then was gone to the hinterlands to patrol.