Kintla Flatlands born unto trouble

Open for anyone!

Sunrise split open the day, stretching the colors through the sky with reckless abandon. Echelon had come down from the mountains, narrowly snaking her way past the territories with their boastful claims. Someday soon, she suspected that Tartok would be among them. But as to where they would set up their claim she did not know, let alone ponder. Tonravik would know where to go, as she always did. Echelon was merely there to scout ahead, perhaps come back with some bit of information that would further affix what it was that Tonravik would decide of them.

Though she had been inclined to stir trouble with the neighboring plateau to her north, the inky creature had chosen to keep her distance. They had already stirred things at the glacier, having left Njal behind to face whatever demons he felt he needed to handle. She wondered, if they cast him out, if he would come crawling back to Tonravik. Perhaps the glacier would spit them all out, she thought demurely, spit them out and set them loose in the four winds. But her thoughts of her former desire were vanquished, now conquered by the pressing need of less eyecatching designs.

In this case, she had come across prey. More importantly, the leftovers of such. The old elk had succumbed at some point to the elements and though it had been thoroughly gnawed upon, she found some morsels left for the taking. In behaviors almost befitting of her scant coyote heritage, she picked and plucked after the food, tearing after tattered remains and tossing them about gleefully. It was the rarest of display in her behaviour, a clinging remainder of a youth she had never had. Her form of play, alone, with something that would not play back. Something that would promptly cease if she were discovered.

bill elm & woody jackson — born unto trouble

o hi!

This was the farthest from the Spine that Lotan had traveled yet. On the first day, he had lingered in the Heartwood, even going so far as to find a nest in which to sleep for the night. Surprisingly, he woke refreshed, and instead of pointing his paws back towards the mountain range that he called home, he continued to the north.

He forged across a river just on the opposite side of the forested area, then paused long enough to shake the water from his pelt. He was thankful in that moment for the warmer temperatures; the stream hadn't been nearly as cold as it would have been even a few weeks ago, and it wouldn't take much time for the sun to dry his fur.

An expansive plain lay ahead of him -- wide and flat and beckoning him to run. So, with little hesitation, the Ostrega stretched his legs and galloped across the gentle terrain. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a black smudge in his peripheral vision -- the she-wolf playing with her food -- and it was only the hunk of meat tossed into the air that nabbed his attention enough to make him slow his pace. He wouldn't attempt to take the meal from her, but he had to wonder why she was throwing it around; he made a questioning noise as he ground to a halt a good ten yards from her.

gasp, a kim! lotan and mordecai need to meet someday as well. for now, you have this jerkass lmao.

Initially, while she had been paying attention to her surroundings, Echelon soon became caught up in the game of her own design. In turn, it took her much longer than it should have to notice that she was being watched. When she did — more importantly, it should be noted that when she decided the wolf watching her wasn't Tonravik — the game ceased immediately. The chunk of meat became swallowed whole.

She stared back flatly at the intrusion to her surroundings, some tawny fellow that could have passed for any other countless figure she had come across in her lifetime. A hot rush of breath escaped her muzzle in a quiet composure as she waited. Would he stay or go? He was far enough out that the ball was still in his court so to speak, but she wasn't about to resume any sort of action until she was sure he had decided.

And if he was there for the food, well, she'd have a word or two about that too.

Yes, we definitely need to have a long lost Ostrega thread!

The girl's play went on for a moment or two longer, until she noticed Lotan's presence. She then abruptly disposed of the meat, clamping her mouth around it and forcing it down the hatch as her blue eyes landed on him. There were no words spoken to break the relative silence -- just a cool, icy look, neither beckoning him closer nor bidding him to get lost.

So Lotan decided to approach. He padded towards her, the tip of his tail brushing the backs of his knees to show his neutrality. He was, perhaps, a bit too naive -- as Ostregas of his father's line tended to be -- but remained a friendly and outgoing individual, constantly looking for the best in others.

He stopped again, leaving a comfortable amount of space between them, and then tilted his head quizzically at her. "Do you always play with your food?" he asked, the inquiry meant to be playful -- but he wasn't sure how she would take it. He couldn't exactly read her expression.

Maybe the next time Mordecai heads that way... unless Lotan is venturing up the river or something! He could come by the Plateau!

When he didn't seem to move on and instead came closer, Echelon could not help but position herself somewhat defensively over the carcass. He didn't strike her as being a threat, but the response came as naturally to her as his interest in others. His query dangled between them for long moments, her own expression churning and twisting about at what his intentions were for wondering. Did she always play with her food? Her immediate response was no, but the more feisty side of her prompted another answer.

"Don't you? You're missing out," she answered, settling her own features for more of a look at this guy, he's totally out of the loop. Even she knew that the behavior was a bit silly, but if he believed her and went about doing it himself, then… unintended mission completed. He could look a fool later.

Maybe I'll send him up that way! :D

Her defensive stance was not surprising; it was perhaps odd that he wasn't attempting to take the food away from her. Had he been hungry, he might have -- but since he was a pack wolf with caches to return to whenever he pleased, he was a bit more relaxed. His goals as an outrider were to acquaint himself with the territory and its occupants, and he preferred to do so without pissing anyone off.

He couldn't help but smirk as she replied in kind, her words taking on a teasing tone. Lotan shook his head as he replied. "Can't say I ever have. Mind if I give it a try?" He took a single step forward; he was pushing the boundaries, surely, and there was a prominent chance that her playful demeanor would disappear. But his intentions remained innocent, and he tried to convey that with his expression -- ears pricked, eyes focused on the she-wolf rather than on the carcass.

Yesss, do it! :D

His question surprised her, but maybe that was in part to the reactions of others she had been fishing for in former times. Echelon had been hastily carving an angry streak across the flatlands, ranging from her distant torment of pack borders to full on starting nitpicky quarrels. In was in her personality to do so, taking some glee out of it. But here, in light of his seemingly passive behavior, she saw little point in it. Yet the debate that raged inside made her inclined to not relent.

She turned her head for a moment, thoughtfully considering things. He was a larger creature in comparison to her; she supposed if he wanted to take her find he would have some moderate success in getting something. And truth be told, if his behavior was a ruse, she wasn't all that inclined to have a chunk or two taken out of her. So fairly enough, Echelon removed herself from the defense of the carcass, and gave him a shrug.

"Have at it."

In the next few moments, after some careful consideration, the female offered him the perfect opportunity to take off with her find. Lotan could have easily seized the meat and high-tailed it back to the Spine. But that wasn't what he wanted to do. Instead, he stepped forward as she shrugged, shifting his copper gaze from her face to the carcass.

He reached down and took a small piece in his mouth, his ears pointed towards the she-wolf. And then, with a sudden snapping motion, he reeled backwards, his front paws leaving the ground and his neck craning. Simultaneously, his jaws released the food and it was sent in a spiral over his head, landing with a plop on the ground a few feet away.

Lotan turned to look at the meat where it lay, then glanced at his companion. The whole situation was a little ridiculous, but what was life without some fun? "Not bad," he agreed with a nod, his tail moving in a slow loop behind him.

He threw the meat and for a moment, Echelon had the urge to go after it itself. But she withheld on the hopes that he would catch it, though it became very apparently quickly that wasn't going to happen either... as the meat sailed somewhere well behind him into the underbrush. Echelon snorted at his attempt, finding it partially humorous. It may have been a waste of good meat, though she wasn't disinclined to be picking it up off of the ground and eating it either.

"What, just one attempt at it?" she prompted, wondering if he'd have another go of it or simply give up while he was ahead. "Don't throw it so high." She hadn't been tossing it into the heaven by any stretch, but it was probably safe to assume that Echelon had done the very mistake that he had made moments ago.

Lotan's brows raised slowly as she indicated that he needed to throw the meat again in order to get the full effect. He grinned, then shrugged; he wasn't going to turn down an opportunity to continue their play. He, too, briefly considered the fact that they were potentially wasting perfectly good food, but being a wolf he had no qualms to eat it even after it was covered in dirt.

"Not so high, okay," he said, turning to select another portion from the pile. His original pick was somewhere in the bushes and he didn't feel like searching for it. This time, he held it more loosely and moved in a pivoting motion, winging the slab horizontally. It spiraled a short distance and then hit the ground with a sound just as satisfying as the first one.

"Better?" he asked, his voice taking on a teasing tone as he shifted his gaze to meet hers.

He flung another chunk and this time, Echelon had higher hopes for this toss than the last one. She found it even harder to resist the urge to go after it herself, even shifting in her stance long enough to imply that she had considered it. But like the first one, this one hit the ground with a much heavier plop, and her eyes left the meat swiftly to meet those of her tawny counterpart.

"You're supposed to catch it, not just let it hit the ground," she explained, ears folding back. He was getting the toss down, sure, but was missing the truly fun point of the whole thing. Sighing, she moved in this time to tear her own piece from the carcass, and flung it skyward immediately thereafter. As it spiraled up, her attention rested fully on it like some trained bird dog waiting for the fall of its prey — as it came down she adjusted for it and sprung to meet it before it came too close for the ground. A showy tactic, but one that ultimately demonstrated what it was that she had been doing all along.

"See?" she said, once she had swallowed the quarry.

So, it turned out that Lotan was missing an essential piece of the puzzle in order to truly understand the joy that the she-wolf gleaned from his activity. His nodded slowly, his lips forming an "o" shape as she explained and then demonstrated. Best of all, once she had captured the food in her mouth, she very nearly swallowed it in one bite.

Without another word, Lotan grabbed up a hunk of leg meat. He reeled back onto his haunches once more, sending the food spinning into the air -- but this time, he kept his gaze trained on it. He shifted his paws to the left and then to the right, trying to anticipate where it would land; and then, when he thought his timing was on target, he stretched up onto his back legs with jaws wide.

He was rewarded with the squelch of the meat against his lower teeth and tongue, and quickly clamped down on it as his paws returned to the earth. Triumphantly, he gave it a vigorous shake -- as though it wasn't dead enough already -- then began to chew, sending his snack quickly down the hatch.

Swiftly, he gave another hunk of meat a toss and this time, she found minor delight in the fact that he caught it this go around. But it was a fleeting response, for Echelon was not keen on sharing some of her concealed emotions with uncommon fellows. Instead there was something of a pleased flicker to her features, perhaps the ghost of a smile or some otherworldly gesture.

"Now you have it," she said, as though to draw their play to a conclusion. "How was it?" Had his interest in watching her play turned out as interesting as his own? Perhaps he would find her toying around to be a little on the dull side now, and if it were the case then she would find herself not surprised. It would not have been the first, but chances were, it would be the last. For a while, anyway.

We can wrap up if you want, and I'll throw him at Mordecai soon!

"Satisfying," he replied as he dropped the meat, fixing her with a lopsided grin. He wondered how silly it would have looked to an outsider, to see not one but two wolves playing with their food. That didn't matter, though, for there were no other entities to be seen in the immediate vicinity.

Suddenly growing curious about this strange she-wolf who made a habit of turning her meals into a game, he asked, "Do you live around here?" She didn't smell like any particular pack -- he couldn't identify every scent, but he had come across enough wolves to slowly begin cataloging the groups in his mind.

Feel free to fade this out if you want; I'm not unbiased at all at continuing for a bit. And since Lotan is meeting/has met Harlyn... perhaps that could be why he seeks Mordecai out? :O

Satisfied with his conclusion of playing with his food before eating it, Echelon considered fleeing the scene just to be done with the conversation. But he stopped her with another question, drawing her interest elsewhere. She regarded him once more, doting upon the finer features that she had overlooked. But he belonged somewhere — the smattering of musks to his overall scent told her that much. Aware that Tonravik would more than likely be looking for lists of recruits, she merely noted it. Even wolves attached to their packs could have been swayed.

"No," she answered, a half-truth. She didn't belong to a pack there, though she did have somewhere to be. "Do you?" The answer was obvious, but she hoped he would impart some information to her. Little did she know that she had skirted the borders of his home once before, though the name of the little ringlet of squat mountains and firs was lost to her.

Yesss, I thought it was perfect that Harlyn mentioned Mordecai's last name in that thread! We can keep going for a bit, this post didn't turn out to be a fade, lol. <333

Edit 4/13: I am gonna go ahead and conclude this, because I'm wrapping up Lotan's threads and then pulling him out of the game. My free time is dwindling, haha!

As he suspected, it seemed that the she-wolf was something of a loner, though she didn't elaborate at all upon giving her answer. Instead, she turned the question back to Lotan. "Yeah," he replied with a twitch of his tail, "my pack is called Ouroboros Spine. It's the mountain range back that-a-way." The Ostrega gestured with his snout over his shoulder, indicating the shadowy peaks that rose in the distance.

He then looked back at the pitch-colored female, narrowing his eyes slightly at her -- though not in an accusatory way. "Do you need a place to stay?" he asked, wondering both for her benefit and for his own gain. Surely Cara would approve of recruitment, since she was so eager to replenish the pack's fluctuating numbers.

When she responded in the negative, there seemed to be little else for the two young wolves to talk about -- so they soon parted ways, though not on unpleasant terms. Lotan had rather enjoyed her company, and hoped to see her again someday...though as he departed, he realized that he had failed to get her name.