Ouroboros Spine first to rise

@Kroc

Kodiak spared no time to rest after his long trek, resuming his duties and attending to matters of the pack as though there had been no pause and he had not just been accepted into a different branch of Tartok altogether. On this morning he rose before the birds, just prior to the first rays of dawn touching the tips of the spine. And it was across the territory backbone that he traipsed, his shrewd eyes taking in all before him, his sensitive nose keen to detect any intruder.

He was naturally drawn to the high point of the packlands. From here he could observe the territory on its grandest scale, which drew a base map in his mind, the details of which would be filled in as he wandered. This gave him a working understanding of the territory, an instant familiarity, for his sharp mind did not need to look at something twice to remember it. And so he strolled, his pace broken only to breathe deeper the scents on the wind or inspect something closer.

Here we go! Sorry for the wait!!!

Well wasn't this interesting. After her spar with Echelon, Kroc had mostly ignored any kind of bone she'd come across, instead opting to chew on an antler she'd found somewhere in the territory. That was until she'd discovered the treasure trove today, a tall pile of bones that made little to no sense but the pale creature couldn't have cared less how they'd gotten  there. Mystery wasn't exactly her 'thing'.

Being the wolf she was, Kroc set about moving closer, struggling her way up the pile that rose above her own head, her large paws carefully picking a way up the unsteady, unseemly mountain. The clack and clatter of old, mangled skeletons made some sort of music, their tones varied and ignored, overall. Instead of music, Kroc's focus was on the tibia that say, of course, at the top of the pile. 

Flopping onto the peak of the pile, the pale Warden to-be took the tibia in her jaws, chewing on it for a moment before she let it rest between her paws. Boredom pushed at her though and she loosed a short howl, enticing any of her pack mates to come play King of the Bone Hill with her, unaware that the newest wolf, the Tartok male, lingered close by.  

As the brown bear patrolled, he came across a stray bone, laced in the scent of a coyote who had drug it from some carcass (or so he assumed). A low growl rumbled in his throat, an instinctual response to the smaller predator. Not many wolves were content to allow a coyote among them, least of all the territorial and aggressive Tartok wolf. They were smaller than wolves but as a family unit they could take the prey the pack depended on, like deer, and were unapologetic raiders of caches and fresh kills. None of which was tolerable.

It was not a particularly fresh bone, but nor was it so old that Kodiak had no interest in seeing where it had come from. Had the coyote scent been fresher he would have tracked it to see where it had went, to hunt it down and kill it, but it was at least a day old and it would take too much of his time to follow its trail. There would be another opportunity, but for now he traced its path backwards, seeking the source of the bone.

What he found was an unmistakeable bone pile, an assortment of bones ranging from fresh to many seasons old that were stacked high. It was a rather odd feature, and he stepped carefully upon the bones at the base of the pile, nosing around, a cross wind making him oblivious to his packmate scaling the other side, and her to him. Just as the brown bear tilted his muzzle back to call to any nearby packmates, his ears were greeted by the howl of the pale female in a simultaneous moment that caused the briefest of confusion.

His head whipped around, catching her form atop the pile, and he grinned. That she was already here reminded of his previous home, where the dutiful Tartok were always scouring their grounds and a fellow packmate was never far. He chuffed to her from where he stood, his tail waving.

Kroc's head immediately turned, gold eyes settling on the dark form of the Tartok wolf she'd met at the borders. Curious that she hadn't noticed him before but there was no irritation that rippled through her visage. Not yet, anyway, and considering that she'd put a call out too, she figured she could deal with her presence. 

"Yo." Her greeting was short and simple from atop the pile. His tail waved amicably and hers did the same for a moment before it fell still once more. Kroc was not the friendliest of creatures though she had her moments where she showed hints of pleasantness here and there. Fleetingly so, but they were there all the same. "The hell is this shit?" She asked as if he knew, as if he'd have an answer. If he didn't... Well. She'd leave it alone. That was easy enough.

So... while I was laying in bed last night about to fall asleep, I was suddenly jarred when i realized I never responded to this thread. I remember reading the reply, but somehow, I just forgot about it until last night. Lol.

The hell is this shit? she asked, and the brown bear glanced around. It was obvious what it was, a pile of bones, what was not so obvious is why they were here. The pile was not situated at the bottom of a cliff and so it did not seem plausible that a host of a dumb animals had fallen to their deaths on this spot. Someone had placed them, although if their scent still lingered it had become shrouded by the scent of coyote, bear, and the scent of decay and the bones themselves. Kodiak was unconcerned. The pile was just a feature of the territory.

"A fine collection of chews." He shrugged as he nosed the pile, pulling free a rib bone that he snapped easily between his teeth.

LOL oops! No worries <3

He appeared to take her seriously, looking around as if he'd find an answer to her question. She knew what it was and he knew she knew, so what was he doing? Gold eyes watched him reach in to snag a bone and Kroc moved, rising to head down, the bones sliding away underneath her as she created a small, clamoring avalanche. She growled playfully as she met him, nose inches from his own as her tail moved in an amicable manner. 

While she was not in the mood to spar, keeping him on his toes was a good thing, a paw waving in the general direction of his face to see how he'd react. 

why is it that's when random ass thoughts like that strike you? lol

She, and a scree of bones with her, cascaded toward him. The brown bear held firm, his own tail waved and he sported an impish grin as her nose leveled with his, separated by mere inches. Even as she waved a paw at his face, his unblinking eyes kept their focus upon her. She could have struck him, and still he would have stood. In this way, he was submissive to females, but that was the mere tip of the iceberg, an understated summary;

He would have enjoyed it.

Kodiak still held the splintered rib between his teeth, and before she had a chance to retract he leaned forward, shifting the rib in his mouth so that he could flick his tongue against her nose. "If you want my bone, just ask."

Gold eyes narrowed, examining the Tartok with something of a frown. Her heavy paw flashed out once more, fully intending to box his ears for the comment. It wasn't like she was offended but Kroc, to date, had never been a sexual creature. She had not birthed children, and truthfully had no intentions to. They were parasites, brats that needed constant tending, something she did not have the patience for and likely would never develop. To bone meant to eventually bare children and that was just a flat out no.

"Lick me again and I'll fuckin' rip out your tongue." The threat, though not idle, wasn't an angry one. It just... was. Threats were like air for the pale tank; as she lived and breathed, the threat of violence was always humming under her skin. "And these are my bones. So touch another one and I'll sit on you." This threat, much more playful, was simply an invitation to a game. She breathed such things as she did air and they were just as normal for her.

She cuffed him by the ears, the rib bone dropping from his mouth. Still he grinned at her, though it settled into an amused smile as she threatened the tongue that licked her. She meant it, and although a part of him wanted to test her limits, he was rather fond of his tongue and decided he'd rather keep it. The brown bear liked it rough, but not so rough that he would be parted from large pieces of himself.

Fortunately, she had not been completely soured by his flirty gesture, and followed up with a more playful threat. Once more he grinned. "Only sit on me?" he said with a tilt of his head. "Damn. I was really hoping you'd bite me." The moment the last word left his lips he sprang away, casting her a wink as he bent to grab another bone, a weathered and sun bleached femur. He flicked his tail at her, in the manner of come get me, as he fled around the side of the pile.

He wasn't too shaken by her smack but that was okay. It had simply been to warn him off making such allusions, after all. As it should have been, Kodiak simply let the threat roll off his shoulder after adjusting his behavior accordingly. "That can be arranged," She replied, her voice lowering into a guttural snarl, bounding after him as he darted away. Teeth snapped at that tail, ready to yank him to a halt and rip the bone right out of his mouth. She'd have to catch him first, though.

It was on.

She chased, snapping at his tail when she neared him, and he ran circles around the pile. "Come on, try to bite me!" he taunted, words distorted but understandable as he spoke around the bone. He wanted to be caught and wanted to be bitten, but he would not make it too easier for her, less she grow bored of this game and of him. So kept a swift and steady pace, but after a few more laps around the pile he suddenly shifted, bolting away from it on the perpendicular, knowing full well that this change of course gave her the advantage to close distance on the diagonal.

Ugh sorry on the wait haven't felt like posting the last few days. Forcing myself to write so this might be total crap. 

While she was not a fast wolf, Kroc was smart, pacing herself as they circled the pile, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. If he wanted to invite her teeth to play, she would certainly oblige, the monster lurking beneath her skin a happy thing at the notion. Indeed, she did cut a diagonal to snap teeth at him, sharp clicks sounding when her jaws snapped together. She aimed for his haunch, his side, anything she could reach before she plowed into him, fully intending to do exactly what she said she would and sit on him. Maybe gnaw on his ear or face. Maybe a paw, if he hadn't stepped in shit recently. Wouldn't that be her luck?

np!

She did exactly as he expected her to: cut the diagonal and close the distance. In a blink she was there, her teeth snapping at and landing on his haunch and again on his side, and in another blink she was upon him. She was a strong girl, and whether he welcomed it or not (he did) he was going down with her when she slammed into him. The brown bear was thrown completely off balance, sprawling onto his belly as he crashed into the ground amid a spray of dirt and turf. She wound up on top of him, sitting on him just as she had promised. Somehow, though, he managed to hang on to the femur, and grinned around it as he turned his head back to look at her, a look of playful challenge in his eyes.

Her head lowered to snap teeth in at the bone he still clung to, growls and snarls accompanying her attempts to snatch it from his. These were hers and not his, so the only logical thing to do was to take it away from him. Of course, to do so, she rose from her position atop him and moved, engaging in a tug-o-war like game between the two of them, a low snarl rippling out of her throat. He wanted to start this game and she would engage, gladly. Even if it was just to win.

omg. How did I keep missing this for a week. I had even been checking my threadlog. O_O; Sorry! Give me a slap in chat next time this happens!

He would humor her for a little while, clenching his jaws around the femur and growling back at her. When she rose from him, he stood to meet her, leaning back and tugging on the femur with his forelegs digging into the ground in front of him. His tail flicked from side to side. Though he may have looked like he was making an honest attempt at hanging on to his prize, he was playing his own game within the game. After a few minutes of tugging back and forth he slackened his grip, which would allow the pale female to rip the femur from his grasp.

This is gonna be total crap. I am at work and i need a distraction so here you go lmfao.

With her teeth gripping one end of the bone, she watched him rise to mirror the act. Their weights pitted against one another, the back-and-forth between them was truly entertaining. Had she been any bigger or he any smaller, she would have yanked him off all four paws. As it was, he released the bone suddenly, causing the female to stumble back, very nearly losing her footing to crash to the ground. 

Righting herself, Kroc dropped the toy and lunged for him, teeth seeking his scruff or shoulder, anything she could latch onto in hopes to give him a good rough-and-tumble dose of her version of fun. And yes. She had every intention to sit on him again. 

Wrap this up? :)

The bone was pulled from his mouth and she, with so much force behind her, stumbled as she took it. He grinned broadly, amusement evident on his countenance. But in the next moment she had dropped the prize and was lunging for him again. She managed to sink her teeth into his scruff and pull him down. Before he knew it, not that he had any interest in getting away, she was sitting on him once more. "Well here we are again," he commented dryly.

Will do! Thanks for the thread!

"Damn straight." She was top dog here and had no problems showing it, both in play and in reality. Eventually though, she got off of him only to fetch the bone they'd struggled over, pointedly carrying it back to her den. It was hers and it would stay that way.

Thread end!