Redsand Canyon wellp

Charles had been very aloof and distant since the move. He didn't like being closer to Easthollow again, didn't trust that, and the pack was... different. He hadn't seen Whrist in practically forever, and was Lotus gone?? How could a pup just be gone? Or had he just not seen her for a while? Did he just miss her every time? Honestly, Charles didn't really want to go and discover that. He wasn't too sure he wanted to know. Besides, too much time had passed now. If he'd go find Nyra and ask now it would just be awkward and he'd seem like a deadbeat dad who didn't even notice his child was gone for forever.

So lately, Charles had the strong itch to run away again. To go somewhere, anywhere but here. He wasn't sure where it should be. He just... didn't like here. There had been a moment in time when he had been kinda happy here. When Lotus had been presented to the pack and he and Nyra had been spoken to by Aerin while Lotus weaved through his legs, he had felt like he belonged somewhere. Now, though, everything just seemed bleak and he was walking on eggshells because honestly? For each their own reasons — Nyra reminding him of Lotus, Kynareth, well, Charles wasn't too ready to admit — Charles just didn't want to see his pack's leaders and was afraid he'd run into them.

The coywolf was trying to figure out life, but the more he thought about it, the more running away seemed like the most viable option. He just didn't know what to do with himself anymore, and it was painfully obvious now that Whrist had played a big part in keeping him together.

War hadn’t been too present after the move her huge russet figure had kept to herself and she couldn’t remember moving at all at this point. She kept forgetting everything, everything seemed close but so far away. Like she knew she forgot something but didn’t know what it was or how she had forgotten it. How could she forget something as big as moving landscape and scenario? She didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to dwell on it now. No point, she had to prepare herself for the upcoming war, the war that they all knew was coming.

She was ready. She had been jogging in the sand this morning, not a hard run but just enough to tire herself out, hopefully making her able to sleep tonight. She shook her fur after finishing the run, to get excess sand off her. She had no emotion or relation to this new territory. It didn’t matter to her where she lived, if she had a strong purpose, a good alpha she needed no more. She began walking around the canyon, fully aware she didn’t know that many of its residents, though it was painfully obvious the numbers were dwindling.

She came across a brown male, small. She was completely unaware she had seen him before, her memory completely failing her in that retrospect. She came closer to him and sniffed the air lightly. The scent was familiar, but not familiar enough to trigger her memory. ”War.” She introduced. This was her second time in doing so to the other, and she had no idea what kind of confusion that might bring to him. He must have thought her dumb or a simpleton. Though these thoughts never occurred to War. She was so far off emotions that these things never occurred to her.

She didn’t sit or wave her tail in greeting or in any other way indicate she was about to small talk to him. She simply didn’t know how to do so either. She looked away from her and off into the canyon. If there was to be any kind of conversation the male had to lead the way for her. She had no idea how to socialize properly.

Thankfully for War, Charles had completely forgotten all about meeting her before, too. The coywolf startled visibly when he happened upon her, unsure if he was in any sort of trouble. That's the thing when you totally avoid your leaders; you don't really know what's going on, and whether they think anything of your absence from their lives. Anyway — soon he received a single word. War. Charles was unsure whether she was telling him that they were having a war, or if that was like... her name or something?

Uh, hi, Charles said, blinking owlishly and clearly unsure what to do either. War, presumably, just stared away into the canyon and the coywolf felt incredibly awkward. Nice uh, view, huh? he asked uncomfortably. He wasn't very good at small talk, much less awkward small talk.

Just like Charles, War was not much for small talk either. She didn’t get it, didn’t understand it. So when Charles spoke of the view, she gave him a very puzzled look instead. What did he mean? It was nothing but sand? Did that occur to him as a nice view? “No.” She was looking away again, it wasn’t a nice view, she didn’t think he would oppose her saying that. Not sure how it mattered at all.

She turned her face toward him again and looked the odd looking wolf over. She wasn’t an expert, but he did look quite odd for a wolf. His features were a little different than what she knew off, but perhaps he was a kind of wolf she had yet to see. She wanted to test him out.

“Spar.” It was not a request.

She lunged at him her huge body forcing it’s way forward, moving rather slowly he had a lot of time to react, but she snapped her fangs toward him, attempting to get a hold of his neck and force him into the ground with her entire weight. She didn’t bite to hurt, but to control. Dominate.

Should he move out of the way she would lunge again, same strategy as before to get him into submission.

Charles blinked owlishly when War just answered 'no'. He wasn't too good at small talk, or talk in general, but he knew that it was impolite to just say no when someone talked about the view being good. What a rude bitch. The coywolf did not share any of those thoughts, of course. He didn't want to get pummeled, and she already looked at him like she was going to tear him a new one.

'Spar' was a word he had learned in his time at the Saints and he knew the answer to that well enough. No, I— but before he could politely decline, War was already lunging towards him. Charles tried to dash out the way, but he was so completely caught off-guard that he was too late. As War's much larger body collided with his Charles curled up into a ball, paws over his face, and he loudly screamed SORRY!, even though he was unsure what it was exactly that he'd done wrong to deserve this. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop.

What was wrong with this pack?!

"No, I—"

No?

There was no such thing as saying no to the upcoming battle, somehow War was getting tired of hearing this. The small female had said the same (she was gone now), Charles seemed to not understand the seriousness of things around here. You couldn't politely decline an enemy, they wouldn't listen, wouldn't respect it.

She watched as Charles curled up and covered his face "SORRY!" at this War growled. She tried to grab him by the scruff and get him back up on his feet. "No." she exclaimed. "Don't" Being sorry wasn't going to help him when the real fight was on, when things turned nasty was he going to curl up again and hope for the best?

"Watch." She spread her legs apart to a defensive stance and expecting him to copy it. If he didn't she would tell him to. "Do this." She watched him with care to make sure his pose was correct. She would make a warrior out of him, sure he wasn't as large as her, but anyone could fight, and everyone should.

War was coming.

Her assertive way of speaking only made Charles feel more cornered and uneasy. He didn't uncurl right away, staying on the ground and breathing heavily for a moment. Then War told him to watch and he un-hid himself a little; just enough to see what she was doing.

Then she told him to... do 'this'? What was 'this'? Was it the same thing that she was doing too? Charles blinked owlishly and he hesitantly got to his feet and somewhat mimicked War's pose. Like.. this? he wondered out loud, though he still had no idea what he was doing.