Firestone Hot Springs your blues are rapping, and it fits my mood

@Creature <3

arcturus kept from the spear a third day, knowing his absence was better than his presence in this moment. he roved, overcome by a basal instinct that drove him through field and fen under a curtain of heavy snow.

the springs were a good place to stop as any. arcturus did not sup from their banks, but instead followed a hidden path he knew well. it took him round the course of the little pools, and there, hidden by a screening of leaning douglas fir, was an old fox-hole he had visited many times.

the earthquakes had caved in much of it -- but arcturus set to work heaving frozen snow and dirt from stone, digging robustly into the permafrost with heavy grunts.

Wandering had become a hobby of his. He moved through the thick snow unphased, sniffing along the soft outer layer while following the trail of prey, in particular was the pale stench of fox. He didn't particularly like the taste of fox but the male's testerone was raging and fueled his desire for a spar or two--something or anything to blow off steam. He was met instead with the oversized figure of a dark wolf who was working tiredlessly to dislodge something or another from a hole--snow flinging everywhere. He paused, head cocking to the side as he approached Arcturus, but even from this distance he couldn't decipher what the male was doing but that hardly mattered, he had found an even larger partner for sparring. "You digging to china?" he asked with a sneer and sized the male up. Arcturus was huge and intimidating but so was Onyx, this meeting might just help him let off some of the boiling steam he was housing.

arcturus thought he heard, between the splattering of pebble and dirt, the step of a wolf approaching. he paused from his efforts and turned, and was met with the lurking form of a beast raw and intimidating. he was tall — perhaps taller than arcturus — made of rangy height and corded muscle that had Arcturus thankful in that moment he was yet to be aggressive.

he placed a paw on the pile he had made, and looked from hole to beast. China? he inquired absently, assuming this was a pack somewhere he was not aware of. never one to beat around a bush arcturus pushed forward with a wary question: you looking for something?

He chuckled when the male questioned his words, perhaps the male had never heard of the saying and he hadn't the energy or the patience to explain it to him, pushing the question aside instead and focusing on the real reason for his approach. Arcturus seemed to be a formidable opponent, if he of course was up for releasing tension, and in an effort to get his point across his posture turned to one more dominating and defensive, hackles raising ever so slightly. He was hoping to appear even larger than the dark male before him, and took a single step forward with a smirk. "I guess I came looking for you." he said, his voice seemed more deep and stern but without malice. He merely wanted to see if their strength was matched and he lowered his stance into that of a canine wishing to play--rump in the air and tail slowly swaying to boot as if to say come at me bro.

arcturus stepped from the hole, turning around to face creature in full. the beast did not explain 'china' further, leaving arcturus to assume it was some pack out of the wilds. what came next was a refreshing amount of honesty. arcturus stilled, sizing the male up with a lopsided grin that seemed to fade as he noticed the change of posture in the male.

mistaking it at first for aggression, he tensed -- but then noticed the rather regal playbow creature executed. arcturus' tail swayed lightly in rejoinder, for he recognized the universal sign for play. "should we put some ground rules in place? no blood wounds, no going for eyes. do you have preferences otherwise?"

already he could feel a sense of excitement crawling within him. early spring was the lone male's hour to prove ones' worth -- and his hour had come at last.

His company liked to talk. He stood in silence a moment, contemplating whether to respond but thought that his counterpart would figure out sooner rather than later that he was a man of short words, especially when it came to sparring. He eased into position once more, giving Arcturus the once over before launching toward him with the force of a raging bull, he aimed to ram into the shoulder of the male with enough force to knock him over but considering his partners speed the move could easily be dodged. His jaws were partly open, a playful growl eased out in a way that was fitting for the scene but he did not aim to inflict blood, taking into consideration the wishes and or rules of this fight.

no answer came -- only unnerving silence. arcturus was unsure how to react - did the male not wish for some rules in place? he had no time to ask, for the beast lunged at him like a hide-covered battering ram.

with a grunt they connected, arcturus' hind legs pushing back in the snow -- large tracks appearing as he was forced backwards, sliding. he rounded his shoulder towards the male's jaws and swung his muzzle towards the meat of his adversary's scruff, teeth sheathed but the movement clean.