Getting to Know You [Open]

[Lynker]

Lynker was on border patrol. It was a rather long and arduous duty, but it came with the promotion to warrior, and he didn’t really mind it. It gave him time to think, anyway, and the steady rhythm of walking seemed to relax him. He was probably a tiny bit more relaxed than he should be, but he was up very high in the mountains – just below the snowline – and surely no intruder would bother to climb all the way up here when it would be much quicker to simply find a low point or pass to cross through. But in any case it was a duty that needed to be done, and Kiddo had made it clear that he had better things to do than wander around all day marking borders.

Suddenly a flurry of black feathers flashed past his eyes, and he turned, bewildered to see a large crow desperately flapping away from the mountain side. A frightened yowl rang out in the cool air immediately after, coming from just around the corner by the sound of it. Was that Ria?! The black wolf rushed forward, heedless of his own safety as he darted along the narrow ledge and around the corner. She must be in severe danger if she had made such an undignified noise as that! And yes, there she was, clinging to the edge of the precipice with wide blue eyes as she frantically tried to get a grip on the smooth rock. Lynker didn’t think she’d even noticed him sprinting towards her; she was so panicked. For good reason, too. Just before he could reach her, her claws slipped and the golden-furred body disappeared off the edge.

“Ria!” With a frightened cry the Amar warrior launched himself forwards, desperately snatching at the leopard with his jaws. Teeth closed down on something solid and Lynker felt a flood of satisfaction at the same time as another terrible scream pierced his eardrums. Then the weight came. The black wolf was jerked harshly forwards, and might have slipped of the edge and tumbled to his death with her had he not had such unnaturally long and sharp claws. As it was, they gave him the grip he needed and with a lot of effort he managed to pull himself backwards so that Ria could get a grip on the rock again and haul herself the rest of the way up. Once they were safe, they remained collapsed where they were for a long time, both panting heavily. Lynker’s heart was nearly bursting out of his chest with how hard it was beating, so he couldn’t even imagine how the leopard was feeling. She seemed a little shaky as she finally stumbled to her paws, eyes still cast downwards at the ground as if watching it to make sure it wasn’t going to disappear underneath her.

What had she been doing so high up here by herself? Surely hunting wasn’t that difficult yet. Of course, she held no loyalty to him and could wander wherever she pleased; Lynker had realised that the deal she’d made with the alpha was for her own benefit and that killing the bear was the most help she intended to give to the Amar pack.

A long silence stretched between them, and the arctic couldn’t tell whether it was companionable or awkward. Maybe a mix of both, he decided. It was good with him either way, and it had given him time to get his heart-rate back down to normal. That was one adventure he certainly hadn’t expected when he’d decided this morning to trek up into the mountains to do a tedious old border patrol.

“You… saved my life.” The leopard emitted a weirdly strangled noise as she said the words, as if she was struggling to get them out of her mouth. “Thank you.” She finally managed, but it sounded like she had an extremely foul taste in her mouth. It clearly pained her to admit her life had been in the paws of someone else, so Lynker knew that meant she was truly sincere. The haughty leopard would never allow anything to damage her pride.

“You won’t tell anyone about this.” It wasn’t spoken as a request, but there was a softly pleading look in her eyes, probably the most she could do without further injuring her pride. “Not even Curse or Astra,” Lynker promised, and he meant it.

Now that that was over and done with, Ria Asariel Azuri straightened herself up, resuming her dignified posture. He noticed then that she held her front left paw slightly up off the ground and that blood was dripping down it – that would explain why she’d made that horrible noise when he’d grabbed her.

“Did I hurt you?” He had to inquire even though he could guess what the answer would be before she spoke. “No. Of course not. It’s nothing. It will be right again soon anyway.” It was a small price to pay for her life but it certainly didn’t look like nothing and it might affect her ability to hunt. Maybe they should get Hadrian to have a look at it and see if there was anything the shaman could do (although he wasn’t sure how well that suggestion would go down with the independent feline).

Ria didn’t give him the chance to mention it though, speaking up again with a snarl laced through her voice. “I almost caught that dratted bird – missed him by a whisker.” She flicked her tail in disgust as her piercing blue eyes sharpened once again. Ria was back to her usual snappy self, but he got the feeling that something about her had changed. Perhaps it was her attitude towards him; she hadn’t seen fit to even talk to him after the hunt, preferring to slip away and do her own thing.

Lynker grinned. “Astra will be annoyed that you didn’t catch him. She’s been complaining about the crows around here.” The white gyrfalcon had seemed ferocious when he’d first met her but now that he’d gotten to know her he realised that she was actually rather shy. It must have been her mothering instincts kicking in when she’d attacked Curse that day but Lynker didn’t doubt that it had taken a lot of courage as well. He was glad that he had such good companions; all unique in their own way.



((OOC: For anyone who joins, I would rather your wolf didn’t witness the incident if that's okay ^^))

[Deleted]

Hadrian had spent much of the day thus far up in the mountains. It was an unusual place to look for herbs, but sometimes he got lucky. The cliff dwelling plants were a bit more resistent to the cold temperatures than what bothered to grow in the forest. So with Paisley on his back, the male had taken to wandering over the steep slopes and icy paths. He was careful with his paw steps, not wanting to send either of them over the edge. Unfortunately, beyond a few slips and bumps, the day was rather uneventful. Luck was not on his side.

At least not until the unexpected cry of a snow leopard rang out. The voice was feminine, a yowl, and for a brief moment fear seized the Mexican male's heart. It couldn't be... could it? He had not seen much of Lynker's leopard since the bear hunt had been completed. In fact, come to think of it he hadn't caught so much as the scent of Ria as he wandered across the territory. "Hold on, Paisley. Something is wrong."

Feeling the raccoon's grip tighten in his fur, Hadrian took off toward the sound of distress. Try as he might to keep his pace swift, it was difficult to do so without risking his safety. By the time he'd come upon the leopard and Lynker both were already safely settled on the cliff face, seemingly in conversation. The scent of blood was in the air though. Had it not been, maybe the brute would have let the two have their peace and quiet. It was not in Hadrian's nature to leave an injury unattended though. He had already let too many creatures die; he would not go back down that path.

"Lynker, Miss Ria." His head dipped in greeting before continuing, "Is there anything I can do to help?" Though he could feel Paisley tense on his back, ready to bolt from being surrounded by so many predators, the fact that the raccoon stayed put for now had Hadrian feeling grateful. Her presence could prove useful depending on what happened. With her fleet footing and opposable thumbs, the raccoon had proved to be an invaluable companion when it came to his line of work.

[Lynker]

Ria’s fur bristled as she let out a warning hiss, and Lynker turned to see Amar’s shaman walking towards them. The black wolf was surprised to see a strange creature clinging to the larger male’s back; maybe that was why his companion hadn’t recognised the silhouette. “Don’t worry, it’s only Hadrian.” He attempted to calm the leopard, but when he glanced at her again she seemed oblivious to the mexican wolf’s presence and was instead busy cleaning her paw.

At Hadrian’s question, however, her head shot up again immediately. “No. I’m fine.” The golden leopard glared with piercing blue eyes, daring him to argue with her. Lynker sighed and rolled his eyes. Curse and Astra weren’t this confrontational; why couldn’t Ria be the same? Surely her honour couldn’t be important enough to her that she would risk the wound getting infected and disabling the limb. Besides, the shaman was only trying to help and Lynker didn’t want his friend’s rudeness to put him off.

Thinking that Hadrian ought to get at least a little more information than what had been given, he expanded. “She hurt her paw while hunting.” That was true enough. He wasn’t sure whether he really wanted Hadrian to get a closer look at the injury though, as bite marks might raise a few questions which Lynker wouldn’t be able to answer without breaking his promise. The feline seemed annoyed enough by his answer as it was. “I said, I’m fine.”

The black wolf decided that a change in topic might be wise, as miss R.A.A. seemed stubbornly determined not to let a strange wolf treat her. His gaze fell once again on the raccoon Hadrian had brought with him. “Who’s your companion?” He hadn’t seen the creature around before, but the older wolf seemed to be acquainted with it. It was weird to think that he wasn’t the only one who made friends with animals of a different species; he’d never come across anyone like him before.

The arctic warrior glanced back towards Ria again, but she hadn’t changed her expression in the slightest. Even though he’d pretty much given up trying to help her by now, he was still worried, and he was pretty sure that Hadrian wouldn’t have teased her for slipping off a cliff.



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[Deleted]

The leopard's attitude was less than agreeable. She was challenging and confrontational. And unfortunately, though Hadrian was not unfazed by having a potentially difficult patience, Paisley was. He could feel the small raccoon trembling upon his back. She was a shy creature by nature, almost never speaking unless it was an absolute must. Predators scared her greatly. Now that it was winter, she was beginning to look more and more like a find piece of meat to fill someone within the pack's stomach. If it wasn't for Hadrian's protection, she was sure she would not survive another winter.

"If you are insistant on treating yourself," his voice was steady, calm, as he tried to look over the leopard's paw from a distance. He could smell the blood and had to assume she'd either punctured or cut it. Either way that would mean pain. He had a number of herbs squirreled away that would help her with the injury. The trick would be to get her to find and administer the medicine herself. "I can at least make a few herbal suggestions. I do not like seeing one of my pack mates suffering." The brute had chosen his words carefully, intent to show that he meant Ria no harm or poor judgement. She was as much a part of Amar as Lynker and Curse now were and given the bond he'd forged with Paisley, he had a much better understanding of compassion.

Too bad Ria seemed to be so stubborn. With a soft shake of his head, Hadrian looked towards Lynker for any sort of help or suggestion. The black arctic knew the leopard better than anyone else and if he was out of ideas, so was Hadrian. There was only so much he could do for someone who didn't want to be treated. Lynker seemed to understand this as well and plowed forward with a change in topic. Maybe the lack of pressure would allow Ria to come around. Either way, the sudden focus on himself almost made Hadrian startle.

Paisley had been trying so hard to hide upon him that he had planned on letting her be. Now it seemed all eyes were on the raccoon. "Forgive my manners. This is Paisley. I'm afraid she's rather shy." At hearing her name, Paisley peeked up and glanced at the others before trying to hide once again. Hadrian turned to give her a reassuring look before turning back to his pack mate. "I actually have you to thank, Lynker. Your understanding and acceptance of the creatures around us has taught me a valuable lesson, and it's brought me a rather skilled gatherer." If it wasn't for the raccoon's thumbs, Hadrian wouldn't have half the herbs he now did.

[Lynker]

"Huh." Ria huffed as the shaman labelled her a packmate. Unlike Lynker and his buddies, she didn’t want to be mixed in with that crowd; she was far superior to them. Far above any mere mortal wolf. She continued to ignore Hadrian until his attention turned elsewhere, and even then seemed to be absorbed in the gradual movement of the clouds above.

Well if she wanted to be like that, Lynker was fine just talking with Hadrian. He watched the raccoon curiously, hearing from the mexican male that her name was Paisley. “Hello Paisley,” he attempted to gently address her as she peeked up at him “My name’s Lynker. I’m a warrior for the Amar pack.” Lord, she was shy. Even quieter than Astra. He supposed it might be because she was a prey species; if he was that small he’d probably feel the same way.

“She doesn’t have to be afraid. We won’t hurt her. Will we, Ria?” He shot a glance over his shoulder. The leopard was staring at the cowering creature in disdain. “Mm. I would never bother eating those foul creatures unless I was really hungry...” That comment hadn’t been exactly what he was looking for, but he hoped Hadrian at least knew that they had no intentions of harming his raccoon.

“Well, I think she’s pretty” And useful too… why can’t mine be like that? Well, that wasn’t really fair – Curse was an excellent fisher and Astra could be their eyes in the air. He had yet to see what Ria could do, but she seemed perfectly good at looking after herself so at least she wasn’t a hassle...

Hadrian told him that it was his friendship with other animals that had brought he and Paisley together and Lynker nodded hesitantly, not really knowing how to reply. He was touched by the shaman’s words, but he was unused to this sort of praise and still didn’t know much about being a wolf. Of course he had improved greatly since joining Amar, but he was still rather different to the others and hadn’t really had the chance to learn how to act in social situations. There just seemed to be so much politics involved.

During the lull in conversation, Ria rose to her paws in a fluid movement and padded slowly across the stone, halting close to the two wolves. Lynker stared at his friend in bewilderment; nobody he’d ever met was so volatile and yet so serene. Even in anger she had managed to keep her feline grace. Perhaps her haughtiness was somewhat deserved; she certainly was a magnificent creature to behold. She held herself like a queen, with graceful regal power, however, he noticed that her paw was still held off the ground. As if her original conversation with Hadrian had never ended, the leopard spoke lazily.

“And… what would you suggest?” Abrasive attitude gone, her voice now held a hint of a purr, words flowing smoothly from her vocals. Startling blue sapphires disappeared for a moment as the leopard slowly blinked her eyes, apparently totally relaxed and composed as she casually conversed with the one who she’d snapped at just before. She had decided she could deal with this wolf; it was only those who forced their opinions on her that would receive her attitude. Ria simply would not tolerate lowly creatures telling her what to do, but there had been a long enough break that it was her choice now, and she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to hear out his suggestion. Then she could decide whether this ‘shaman’ knew what he was talking about.


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