walking up the rocky path

*Shadow* · (This post was last modified: August 18, 2014, 10:35 AM by Shadow.)

The silver wanderer prowled along the rocky paths of Gyrfalcon's Peak, hunger nagged at his stomach even having eaten a freshly-slain rabbit sometime before. He didn't have time to eat though, there was so much to explore here. Ears swiveling forward as shrill cries of gyrfalcons rang out to one another across the mountain, he flicked his tail as he chose a path and continued his journey.

The trail swerved suddenly as it ascended further up the mountain. He climbed up the steep slope with sturdy paws until it opened up into a meadow surrounded by conifers with a rocky ground. He sniffed the air, wondering if there were any rabbits or squirrels nearby that may end up being his lunch.

Stopping in this meadow to hunt and rest before continuing on his journey sound rather refreshing to the sterling outrider.

*RIP Atreyu* · August 19, 2014, 12:00 AM

Thanks for starting! :D

His encounter with the savage, white-furred female some time ago had instilled a slight fear and wariness around mountains, a feeling Atreyu wasn't used to. He thought himself fearless, especially when it came to conquering unknown lands. Growing up by the sea, he was used to nature flippantly toying with his life, dumping him under waves and testing his resolve with wild storms. Yet he didn't come to fear the ocean — instead, he revered it. However, that was not the case around the mountain that he had come across today. Cautiously, the boy slunk around its outskirts, eventually forcing himself to go up a pathway. He recalled being here once before, when he had met Finn under that strange sun-and-moon phenomenon in the sky.

Trying to force the unease out of his mind, the juvenile continued at a slow, almost unwilling, amble, only perking up when he came across the scent of another male. It was faint but certainly there, growing stronger as Atreyu followed it. The stranger seemed to take a sharp turn as he hiked up the mountain and, eventually, the boy found the source of the smell in the form of a large, dark grey wolf. For a second, he thought it was Finn and wondered why the womaniser liked this mountain so much but the stranger held a distinctly different scent. It seemed...fresher than the usual scents of the ocean. Still being a ways off from the foreigner, Atreyu clambered over the rocks that formed the outskirts of the meadow before standing atop of one, letting loose a small bark to get the man's attention.

*Shadow* · August 19, 2014, 12:48 AM

:D

His ears twitched as a scent drifted by. Young, probably a yearling, male and a distinct scent of Stavanger Bay. His tail flicked in annoyance as a small bark came from the youth, he continued to sniff the air for a moment but there was no scent of squirrel or rabbit nearby. He turned, a flicker of annoyance passing through his features before vanishing into the usual impassive look he wore.

"Yes? What do you want?" he said impatiently, platinum gaze cold as he stared at the cream colored youth. He wanted to explore this area as soon as possible but it seemed that fate had something else in store for him today. His cold silver gaze locked with the other's eyes as he waited.

"You didn't interrupt me for nothing did you?" his voice calm and even though it was edged with ice. If there was something about the silver prince that you should know was that he usually didn't outwardly express his anger. Usually he would become extremely cold and sarcastic and that he was slowly trotting down that path.

*RIP Atreyu* · (This post was last modified: August 24, 2014, 06:03 AM by RIP Atreyu.)

Atreyu could almost sense his annoyance from where he was standing. The monochromatic stranger turned and fixed his strange grey eyes upon the boy, who in turn stared him down with his own gaze, brow lowered as he mimicked the man's stony glare. Shrugging at his question, Atreyu leapt off the rock he was perched on before trotting casually over to where the male was standing. Although he was slightly put off by his size and initial greeting, he wasn't afraid of the man — he didn't look too feral.

Grinning, Atreyu looked around the area before glancing back up at his company. "Well...yeah. But you didn't look like you were doing anything too interesting," he commented with a tilt of his head.

*Shadow* · August 24, 2014, 07:27 AM

"Well...yeah. But you didn't look like you were doing anything too interesting," said the wolf with a tilt of his head.

He took a step forward, platinum gaze harsh and cold. "I suppose you thought it was amusing to interrupt me in the middle of doing something important to me? Even if it isn't for you." he said softly, tilting his head in a curious manner as he regarded the cream colored male with silver eyes.

He smirked at him coldly, "Why?" he tone mildly curious now, although the ice was still audible in his cool voice. He flicked his tail as he awaited the youth's reply, he smelled familiar, of the sea, of Stavanger Bay. He wondered how many Stavanger Bay wolves he would have to meet whenever he journeyed towards the sea.

*RIP Atreyu* · August 24, 2014, 08:42 AM

"Well, yeah," Atreyu said again with another shrug. He did lean back slightly when the male took a step forward, wary despite his nonchalance. He smelt of foreign territory but if that meant the stranger was from another pack or was simply a loner was unknown to the boy. Not that there would be a much of a difference, though. Perhaps if he did attack it would be easier finding him if he belonged to a pack. Atreyu was not planning on being mauled today, however.

He shot back a mischievous look in response to the male's own icy glare. "'Cause I was bored," he said. He tore his eyes away from the silvery gaze of the stranger's and turned to the meadow before them, a pretty scene in amongst the craggy cliffs and screaming falcons above. "What are you doing anyway?" he said, side-stepping away from the male and putting a short distance between them — just in case. "You don't smell of the sea."

*Shadow* · August 24, 2014, 09:20 AM

He watched, satisfied as the youth leaned back when he took a step forward. A flash of amusement went through his icy gaze as the cream colored youth flashed him a mischievous look. "'Cause I was bored," He let out a short bark of laughter at his words. "What are you doing anyway?" said the youth, side-stepping away from him and putting a distance between them.

"You don't smell of the sea." He tilted his head. "Of course I don't, I do not live near here. I live in Rising Sun Valley which is about a week's travel from here. I'm from Swiftcurrent Creek and you are from Stavanger Bay, are you not?" he stated, it wasn't really a question, just a sentence of confirmation that he was indeed from Stavanger Bay.

*RIP Atreyu* · August 24, 2014, 09:51 AM

As he answered, Atreyu kept himself busy by turning his nose to the ground and sorting through the scents in the area — a strange mixture of salty sea air, the stench of birds, stone and conifers. It was a rather high area and the boy wondered if it ever snowed here in the winter, being as close to the sea as it was. He knew, at least, sometimes the edges of the shore froze in the colder months. Perhaps it would only receive the lightest touches of frost? Of course, at the moment, there was no hint of that happening at all, the grasses and flowers that dared make an appearance in the small meadow dull and brittle. Atreyu grinned as he crushed a leaf underfoot, ear twitching as he savoured the crackling sound.

He then turned to the man as he finished his assumption, to which the boy nodded. The stranger had dodged his question but Atreyu knew he would have plenty of chances to pester him further about his activities. Perhaps he could report back to Ragnar about the stranger lurking around the coast? Would the Jarl even care about such reports? "Swiftcurrent Creek," he repeated, locking the name away and then cocking his head to one side. "Is that your pack?" He wondered if this man was an Alpha, which made him question what he was doing so far away from his pack if it really was a week's worth of travel away. "Why are you so far away from your home?"

*Shadow* · August 24, 2014, 10:34 AM

"Exploring, I'm an outrider and I love traveling. That is why I am so far away from the Creek." he answered. "I was hunting, before you interrupted. Are you hungry?" he asked calmly flicking his tail in a friendly manner. He had decided that the cream colored youth was no threat to him just yet. He had every right to be here, these were unclaimed lands and he wasn't even by their borders so there was no reason for the youth to be angry.

He sniffed the air, willing for the scent of prey to drift towards his nostrils, ears pricked for any sign of prey movement. His gaze wandered as he searched for food, he was hungry and his hunger had to be satisfied before he moved out and continued on his way home. Taking the longer route home.

*RIP Atreyu* · August 24, 2014, 11:22 AM

The juvenile's right ear perked up as the man spoke — one word in particular standing out among the rest. Outrider. It stirred his interest as the man had stated he was one and had mentioned exploring and travelling along with it. Was it some sort of special position within a pack? Like how Thistle was a healer and Julooke was in charge of prey and hunts. Staring intently at the grey-toned man, Atreyu crept slightly closer, right ear flicked forward with keen interest. His question if the boy was hungry was a strange contrast to his initial attitude but received a happy wag of Atreyu's tail, yet he pushed it aside for the moment.

"Wait, wait, what's an Outrider," he said the word with reverence, testing it out. Oh yes, he liked the sound of it. "You're an explorer, too?" Of course, Atreyu wasn't officially an explorer quite yet, he had really only stumbled upon the lands that surrounded the coast and, even then, had not wandered too far into them. But that did not quell his adventurous spirit, serving only to make him want to explore even further.

*Shadow* · August 24, 2014, 12:27 PM

"Wait, wait, what's an Outrider,"

"An Outrider is a trade, they are in charge of exploration, ambassadorship and relaying messages, they're also recruiters." he explained. "And yes, I'm an explorer too. I like traveling. What about you?" he asked the youth curiously. He didn't seem to have thought about what trades he wanted to go for when he became a full fledged member of his pack.

"Are you an explorer too?" he asked, flicking his tail. They might as well have a conversation now that he found something that the cream colored youth was interested in.

*RIP Atreyu* · August 24, 2014, 12:45 PM

Atreyu listened intently as the man explained the term. It seemed to be self-explanatory, only a little bit cooler sounding than explorer. They also relayed messages? The boy wondered what sort of messages packs exchanged amongst each other — surely they wouldn't have many reasons to communicate aside from the usual stay out of my territory and reprimanding wolves who hunted too close to their land. And recruiters? Perhaps Chrysanthemum was going for the trade, too? But she had only greeted him at the borders when he was already intent of joining the Bay.

Atreyu's mind swirled with this new information, excitedly thinking over the many possibilities that it brought along with it. This meant he had a legitimate reason to go explore and he could earn some respect in the Alpha's eyes in the meantime. "Atreyu the Adventurer," he barked, bowing forward theatrically. Soon to be Atreyu the Outrider, he thought with a grin. It had quite a nice ring to it. "So you haven't been down to this part of the coast, then? You're out exploring? I can show you some good spots to hunt!" Truthfully, he really only knew as much as the stranger about the territory — perhaps even less so — but the boy liked to pretend he knew everything.

*Shadow* · August 25, 2014, 02:12 AM

"Atreyu the Adventurer," the cream colored youth barked, "So you haven't been down to this part of the coast, then? You're out exploring? I can show you some good spots to hunt!" He laughed and shook his head. "I think I'll hunt and rest here for a bit before following you to the good hunting spots. I should go back home now so it better be quick." he smirked at Atreyu.

He sniffed the air, hoping that there would be some prey scent so he could hunt and eat, his hunger satisfied but none met his nose. He flicked his tail in irritation but continued sniffing the air.

*RIP Atreyu* · August 26, 2014, 05:53 AM

The stranger's response was met with a slightly disappointed frown from Atreyu, his ear flicking as the man smirked at him. He was leaving? But he had only just met him! And the boy still had many questions to ask of him about the Outrider trade. Perhaps someone back at Stavanger Bay knew more about it? At least he knew where the man hailed from and, if no-one else, Atreyu could still track him down and pester him for more information (despite the fact that his home was on the other side of the Wilds).

As the grey male then turned to sniff the area, Atreyu did the same, eagerly thrusting his nose into the air and taking a few steps forward. He, too, could not find any prey scents around and the shrill cries of the gyrfalcons above distracted him. Looking up at where they nested he gave a small snarl and then turned to his company. "Too bad we can't eat those falcons," he said with a laugh though he did wonder how hard it would be to scale the cliff-face and maybe steal one or two eggs — he had never tried falcon eggs before. "Maybe a mouse," he murmured to himself, lowering his snout to the ground again and sorting through the dry grasses, trying to find a fresh trail before looking up to the man again with a question gaze, wondering if he had found anything.

*Shadow* · August 26, 2014, 07:47 AM

Wanna wrap this up? :)

"Too bad we can't eat those falcons," He laughed, "Yeah, I know right. I wonder how they taste like." he smirked, still sniffing the air for any prey. There didn't seem to be any here, and he wasn't really hungry, he should be going back to the Creek now and perhaps on the way there would be some rivers where there will be fish to eat.

"I should be going now, Atreyu, nice meeting you." he grinned as he regarded the yearling thoughtfully. He would make a good outrider.

*RIP Atreyu* · August 26, 2014, 08:37 AM

Sure thing, thanks for the thread! Feel free to either reply once more or just archive :D

The man's reply caused Atreyu to look up at the craggy cliffs again, brow furrowing as he personally took on the challenge to one day scale the mountain and steal an egg or, perhaps, even a gyrfalcon itself. And then he'd travel to Swiftcurrent Creek and inform this man of what they tasted like. He nodded internally, accepting the challenge he just set himself, as if it was his responsibility to find out the taste of a falcon.

It was then the actual Outrider excused himself and Atreyu turned back to him with a small smile. He was saddened that he had to go but figured he had been gone for a long time and maybe his pack would be missing him. Was he on any sort of mission? Was Atreyu holding him up? With a nod, the boy quickly strode past the man and trotted back to the rock he had initially perched upon at the beginning of their meeting. Leaping up onto it, he then looked over his shoulder and offered a wide grin.

"Well, see you later, then," he farewelled before hopping off the rock to head back down the trail, disappearing from the man's view. What an informative interaction that had been.

*Shadow* · August 27, 2014, 03:34 AM

Last post! :D

"Well, see you later, then," he watched the cream colored youth vanish before sniffing around the area, trying to see if there were any scents of prey. Finally giving up on this area, he made his way forward, deciding that he would hunt on his way home. If there were any good places to hunt or rivers. Fish would make a good meal.

Tail flicking in the air, the male began on his journey back to the Creek, thoughts swarming his head.