Firefly Glen Waiting, chewing through the ropes

Setting: Early in the night
Tagging: @Arcturus
Notes: Mercenary trade

As much as Āzoniol wanted to wallow around in his self pity and paranoia, the white wolf certainly couldn't go on living with this persistent feeling of emptiness. He'd made a promise to Judal before escaping; to create a new life for himself and never turn back with even a lick of regret, so what good was that promise if Āzon didn't even care enough to nurture his own wellbeing? May it be because for so long, it was his brother that was the only motivation for laching onto some form of sanity — but now that he might never get to see him again, Āzon needed a new purpose in life. The sire was free to do what ever he pleased and no longer had to carry the burden of following his family's pre-written destiny. Better make use of that now than later....

The night was young and the air was warm — as it should be during the summer season. Āzon could be found sitting near the edge of the glen, ears occasionally flickering back and forth in the stillness of the atmosphere. The only noises that hadn't been absorbed by the canopy's thickets were the sounds of crickets and water softly rippling through the streams beneath him. A moment of rest in solitude was just what the male needed to think for himself — think about what's been going on for the past few weeks. And maybe he could use this time to envision what his new future would look like too.

sorry for the wait, and thanks for starting <3

if arcturus had learned anything about what to do when he was on edge, it was to put that energy to good use. walk, until his feet were tired. run, until his body was out of breath. climb, until he was greeted by the crispness of the night sky, and his mind was suddenly full of clarity.

recent upheaval in the firebirds had left arcturus sorely needing peace of mind. he came into the glen at a heavy trot, ignoring the burning of his hocks and the tiredness of his throat; Āzon was not yet seen, though the mountaineer would become aware of him soon enough.

on he continued, and when the ground opened up to some form of levelness arcturus kicked off into a lope. he wound his way through tall tussocks of timothy grass and cattails, drawing a serpentine through the glen while the stars winked overhead. on his second loop he saw a giant form out of the corner of his eye. a preliminary inspection stilled the sudden panic in his heart that this was a moonspear wolf; the wind carried no affiliation from the man's pelt, and at current, it appeared he was simply sitting while the world spun around him.

arcturus slowed to a wary trot, keeping his gaze on the man should he hail him.

No problemo <3
Sorry if this reply kinda sucks, not feeling too well today

In the dead of the night, everything seems still, quiet, tranquil — even dinural animals that fill the wilderness with noisy banter leave that job up to crickets and owls during this time of day while they snooze away. So when someone decides to disrupt the night's ambience with their presence, it isn't that hard to tell...

Approaching foot steps; soft and heedful enough to be counted as sneaking, were headed straight towards Āzon's direction. Whatever the reason for a suprise visitor who didn't want to make his presence known did not matter, because his heart still slammed in his caged chest like a drum. He was able to make out the approacher's movement out of the corner of his eye, but they were far too difficult to visualize because of how well they'd blend into the shadows.

Āzoniol stood up, white hackles bristling on the back of his neck in alarm, and looked at them with one widened eye. He did not face them fully, but only side-glanced them while one side of his face watched cautiously and his frontal body faced the water. The only thing that was remotely visible was a tall outline and a pair of fiery orbs peering through the darkness. No words were spoken, only sharp and panicked breathing left the pale brute's lungs.

arcturus did not expect the reaction that came from Āzon -- either he had unwittingly taken the beast by surprise, or the ghastly-white wolf desired little in the way of company.

in response, arcturus drew back with a sharp gesture, at first misinterpreting the male's rising posture as aggressive. he scooted to the side and then planted his feet firmly, gaze traveling the length of the ghostly druid's frame.

what was his intention? arcturus would spend no more than five seconds studying the features of the wolf, and should he turn aggressive, arcturus would be on his way.

lmao @ the gif

The fur on the back of Āzon's neck bristled even higher when the dark wolf hopped sideways, and his widened eye never missed a movement.

What were they doing now? Going for a blind spot to catch him off guard? Āzon was on high alert to what might happen next yet couldn't seem to move a muscle in his damned legs. T'was not aggression that Āzon showed in his body language — but fear, uncertainty of whether or not to fight. A suprise attack during the night was not an ideal position to be in right now, and in a state where his musculature had been greatly weakened, he was at a disadvantage for an attack.

A few moments of tense silence was few too many — Āzon would finally have had enough of this anxiety and spoke up. Firstly, the brute wanted to know who they were. An aggressor? "Who...." a dry muster resembling a whisper; his throat was still a bit dehydrated. "Who are you? What are ya approaching me for?"

u skairt him

arcturus was even more on defense now that the full of the man was visible; he was huge, a towering goliath that stood over him like the rounded arch of some heavyset mountain. the tradesman took a wary step back, keeping his tail stiff and gaze firmly on the silvery monolith.

tension filled the air, followed by terse words. arcturus' ears cupped forward, cradling the scarcely whispered words in interest. "i'm arcturus." these are my father's lands -- but what father? arcturus' throat constricted; were his father alive, surely charon would be enraged his wayward son dared evoke his legacy after abandoning it. "i didn't see you." arcturus expanded, realizing now he had mistaken fear for aggression. his stiff tail fell.

The wolf, with a pelt the shade of night which blanketed the sky above them, strangely didn't go in for an attack. In fact, all they did afterward was lower his guard after Azon questioned him. 

Did that mean....he wasn't planning a sneak attack? Now the brute was just confused. Other than meeting up with Clarence by the lake, Ignis was still not very accustomed to random acts of kindness without a possible motive behind them. Mabey it was simply his irrational trust issues getting to him, but that still did not change the fact that Azon was a runaway rouge in a strange place. Anything was possible if he wasn't careful enough. And being in the shape he was in now made these situations ten times more dangerous.

He'd introduced himself as a man by the name of Arcturus — so Ignis would cautiously exchange his own name in return. "Azon..." he responded raspily as he turned to face them. "I wasn't aware I'd be treadin' on someone else's territory..." a pack was nearby — that could be a possible assumption as to why he was being approached.

so im an idiot and i forgot this was for mercenary trade.. umm.. hm.. arcturus could offer some pointers?

even with names exchanged, it didn't seem the stranger was entirely at ease. arcturus supposed it was natural to be protective, defensive even -- especially in these woods.

"it's not claimed." arcturus found himself supplying prickily. there had once been a time he would fiercely and possessively defend the glen from interlopers on his deceased father's memory -- but that prideful stupidity had long since faded away from the mercenary. now, he picked his fights far more wisely.

"but that doesn't mean you're safe here." his gaze trailed up to the mountain. cold. once-home. now it just looked miserably empty and cold. "if you stick around, you might run into someone from moonspear."

Lol I don't mind! I didn't even know that would count for the trade, but I think it would be cool if Arcturus gave him a few tips! :D

This Arcturus man -- so far, nothing about him particularly struck Āzon as "Dangerous". He even started warning him about the danger that was actually around, which made the pheonix start to question whether he was the one overreacting. Only time could tell if Arcturus was trust worthy or not, but for now, the he-wolf decided to lower his barriers temporarily just to hear the ebony male out.

"Moon........Spear..........th'hell is that?" Āzoniol pondered weakly, groaning with the nausea that followed as soon as he lowered himself into a seat. He'd been in such a weakened state at this point that even the slightest of movements risked a collapse. "I'm guessing you know a lot about it since you've brought it up. Yer pack or somethin'?"

arcturus did not dwell on moonspear's uninhabitable slopes long before the snowkissed wolf spoke, his voice hoarse and filled with fatigue. maybe he was sick, and that was why he'd been so defensive -- arcturus made note not to sit too close.

that the wolf did not know of moonspear struck a chord in arcturus. despite him shrugging the cloak of duty from his shoulders, moonspear had been his birthplace -- his legacy -- it somehow stung that someone who lived in its shadow had no idea how great it was.

his lips tensed. "that is the mountain behind us." he gestured up the glen's channel. "no, not my pack." not anymore. "if they catch you here, they will chase you out. i know a few backroads you can take to leave here undetected."

Āzon did not mean much offense in his wording, it was simply genuine confusion about the unknown pack. He was still new to the Teekons afterall, so the pheonix did not have the (assumed) extensive knowledge of packs that Arcturus had.

His movements gestured towards the rocky mountains just behind him and what he assumed to be "Moonspear" just beyond those visible heights. There were many scents drafting down the glen now that he'd thought about it....

"I had no idea..." was his response to both the male's claims -- would be his response to a lot of things others might correct him on. And if he were to survive out here at all, Ignis would need to fix that. Now that he knew the situation he was currently in, Āzon had now choice but to slowly stand back up and prepare to leave. "I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of leaving, since I can't afford to stay. Still....what do you gain from aiding me?"