Colder weather;; [OPEN]

[Deleted]

Perhaps it was fate that Sinead’s paws had led her here, to the base of these massive hills. She’d been traveling for what had seemed like ages, avoiding heavily populated areas like the plague. Her journey had brought her up from the south where she'd briefly explored, further and further until she veered off her path, and somehow she had ended up here. It was autumn, the reds and golds of the leaves so beautiful beneath the glistening sun. She had wandered so far north that there was a telltale chill in the air, nipping playfully at the tips of her ears and the pads of her paws. She thrived here, her the khaki-gold hues of her multi-colored coat more prominent against the stunning autumn colors, much like her flashing yellow eyes, marred by flecks of magnificent sea green. Her mother had told her one that she had the eyes of a goddess, enough to make a brute melt where he stood. This, of course, had been the type of folly that mothers regularly spoke to their pups...but whenever Sinead caught a glance of herself in a stream or lake, she did admire her shimmering pupils.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sinead shifted through the scents in her mind, identifying each one quickly and accurately. The hills were clearly not a home that could be claimed – for who could ever claim such an expanse of land? – but perhaps she would camp here for a little while. She would be able to learn the trails and run them like she was fond of doing, and there were enough caverns to keep her adventurous side entertained for some time. Water was another story, and she could probably find a source later…but she was getting ahead of herself. First she had to play scout, had to ensure that there were no lurking cougars, or worse. Of course she knew that the caverns could not house her for long. With winter approaching, she would need to find a pack to call her home, as much as the idea unsettled her. Am I suited for pack life now? She pushed these thoughts away promptly. She was sure that she had matured enough to be of some use to one of the rumored packs, but for now, she would not think about it.

After a moment of poking around in the underbrush, Sinead discovered the beginning of a well-worn trail. As quietly as possible she began to climb, one step after the other, never faltering. Even when the path curved sharply or began to incline, she trudged on, up and up until she had to dig her claws into the rocks. Higher up she could see where the path plateaued, but she was in no rush; the burning in her muscles was both familiar and welcome. Her fur flashed in the sunlight as she moved, making her a beacon for anything to see…but Sinead wasn’t particularly worried about that.

Finally she reached a flat area of the path, where she paused to glance around. So far she had spotted no signs of large cats or predators, and as she stared out from her high position, nothing caught her eye. All was calm far below, still save for the occasional hawk that wheeled above before diving sharply. Breathing deeply, Sinead turned and continued along the path, passing scentless caverns as she went. Her steps were slower now, full of endless patience. She did not rush unless she needed to, and today she was thankful to have finally stopped. She had traveled for so long, farther than she’d originally thought.

On and on she went, further along the pass. The femme knew that eventually she would need to stop, to pick a cavern and rest...but for now, with the chilly autumn wind caressing her face and the sun high above, Sinead was as content as she could be.

WORDS: 654	TAG
NOTES

 

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[Deleted]

Seren's footfalls beat down steadily on the ground, crunching as they descended on piles of haphazardly strewn foliage. The path of her travel had carried her south from the inland, up along the river that would eventually flow into the ocean. About a week ago, she had made the decision to venture further into the mainland, but regretted it as soon as the terrain became unfamiliar to her. The north comforted her, she found, and there she would remain for the time-being. Thus, the hills of the Niall Caverns welcomed her once again, though she cursed them for tiring her out in travel.

Seasonal hues were splattered over most of the plant life - the red and gold tones similar to those of her own pelt. In fact, she might have been a large and wolf-shaped leaf, so similar were they. A snort passed her lips as the thought crossed her mind. She was unlike her long-lost brothers, in that respect. They both were coloured grey like their mother. Where might they be? It had been a long time since she had laid eyes upon them. Maud and Iros, her childhood playmates. She had found no such companionship since then.

A gust of wind suddenly assaulted her from behind, forcing her fur up in the wrong direction. Her head snapped in the direction, snout lifted. The scents entered her nostrils, and among them she identified the unique tang of another wolf. Her ears pricked up at the prospect, though she was forced to consider whether it was truly a good idea to seek out this mysterious figure, who was likely simply trying to mind their own business. Her immediate instinct shouted yes, but encounters with some unscrupulous characters in the past had caused her to become a hair more generally cautious. A moment of consideration brought her to the conclusion that she knew the terrain, and if the meeting was to turn sour, her chances of escape were certainly good enough to risk it.

Following what she could find of the scent at an eager trot, took her towards an old path that carved a fairly straight-forward route to higher ground. She surveyed the visible areas of where she thought the path should lead and thought that she caught a glimpse of flashing fur. With renewed vigour she snuffled around the undergrowth until she found a way onto the path. The steep incline punished her already tired muscles, but she forged on nonetheless. She knew that if she was to catch this possible companion, she would need to move slightly faster than them. Once she had reached a more flattened area, with a sigh, she picked up her pace from a quick trot to a moderately swift lope.

Hopefully, if she was noticed, her pursuit would not be taken as malicious. She could not explain that, however, until she had made some form of contact. Reaching the end of a long bend, she could make out a figure quite a bit further on. She expected that they would be looking for a place to rest. In her excitement, she barked a few times, hoping to catch their attention.

words: 534
tags: -
notes: Thought I'd just jump in if it's alright with you.

[Lalani]

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. It was monotonous. Lani’s paws demolished the dry leaves as she walked through them. They fell to pieces as if they were made of ash and didn’t put up any kind of a fight. Of course they can’t. They’re already dead. Lani supposed she could try and avoid the majority of the leaves but she didn't see much point. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. She was only doing a cautionary scouting. She didn’t technically own the place, so it wasn’t as if she were looking for trespassers. In fact, she was only scouting around to make sure nobody was nearby. If the others knew what she was doing they would probably think her silly, or maybe get offended, but she didn’t care. It was strange, having someone to look out for after being alone for so long. Lani had forgotten what it felt like to care about people. She had always an extremely strong protective instinct. Combine that with her possessive personality and she was a force to be reckoned with. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. It was a strange situation she had gotten herself into. She had entirely expected to be alone, to continue on her way as she always had, but instead she found herself with companions. Maybe even...friends? She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. She had always done things on her own. When she had been with her family, life was hell. Other than her brother, she had been taught to never trust anyone. Then she had met Anna only to have to leave her too. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Lani had never found any kind of piece with others. But she was taking another chance. She didn’t have much choice in the matter. She had started caring without having any control over it. The others had just managed to wiggle their way in in their own ways. So she was out here, checking to make sure that there wasn’t anyone in the near vicinity. If there was, she wanted to know about it and see if she could steer them away. After all, she didn’t want anyone sneaking up on them and having someone get hurt. It simply wasn’t an option. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Lani honestly didn’t know how this trip would go. When she and Eidus had traveled north, she had expected to find more packs, but this land seemed to be pack free. It was not wolf free, however. Because of the lack of packs, it was free range for any lone wolves that needed a place to be. While Lani could predict fairly well how a pack would act, a lone wolf was a toss up. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. While she could predict some outcomes, an individual wolf wasn’t governed by the whole, so therefore wouldn’t be thinking for the good of the many. No, a lone wolf thought only for themselves, and that complicated things. Some could go for self preservation and avoid Lani and the others, some could be curious and check it out. Some might even be friendly and join them, while others might have other desires. She could see the different outcomes but couldn’t safely guess who was who or which type of wolf would come along, so she was being cautious. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. It was always better to be safe than sorry. Yes she knew that the others were perfectly capable of defending themselves should anything happen, they wouldn’t need to if she could deter anyone from coming their way. Not to mention the fact that Lani and the others were lone wolves too, but had banded together. Who was to say that there weren’t other groups out there that had decided to do that same thing? If it came to something like that, Lani definitely wanted to know if there were any other groups in the area. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Seeing as winter was coming, they would need to continue their path south in order to find better prey and hopefully a warmer climate. It was why they had altered their path and headed toward the southern reaches. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Even though Lani had fully expected to spend the winter alone, she was lucky enough that she wasn’t. Being with others would make hunting easier. Hmm. I suppose if things got cold enough we could use each other for heat too. She didn’t think it would come to that, but who knew? She didn’t know what this place’s weather was like come winter. So, while she might not be used to the company or have been expecting it, there was an up side to things. She was pulled from her musings as a scent hit her nose. She stopped in her tracks and lifted her nose to the air, twitching away as it filtered through the smells of her surroundings. Wolf...and more than one. She couldn’t quite tell how many, though she could tell there were multiple, she wasn’t close enough to the source. Lani altered her path and headed in the direction that the scents came from. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. It wasn’t long before she reached a path and the base of a steep hill. The trail went up and wound around out of sight. Now that she was here, she could tell there were only two wolves, both female. They had been here recently, not very long ago at all. Looking back over her shoulder, Lani scanned the area, then began her ascent. As she walked, she realized the trail fluctuated and at times got very steep but she pushed on. She didn’t have anything particularly important to do or anywhere to be, so she didn’t see the harm in coming up here. Besides, checking up on other wolves in the area was pretty important. So she continued to force herself up the hill. Her muscles heated and started to protest her actions but she was able to continue on. Her days on her own had hardened her made her stronger. It was quiet up here.She noticed that the constant crunching of those damn leaves was gone. The path was mostly bare, the wind keeping it fairly clear of debris. Not as many small animals or birds were up here either. She could see some larger birds higher in the sky as they wheeled around on the breeze.The wind whistled through the caverns and rocks as she passed. She could feel it pushing at her and pulling her fur in different directions. A few particularly strong gusts made her wonder if it was even safe to walk this trail, but considering there was one, it must mean that others had walked it. Yeah, they walked up it, but no one ever said that they walked down it. She eyed a particularly sheer drop off to one side. They probably took the birds way down.

After awhile of constant uphill battles, the ground started to even out as it came to more of a level plateau. The females’ scents were stronger now, and as Lani came farther up the trail, she heard a few sharp barks ring out. They sounded much like a greeting or an announcement. Did they know she was here? They couldn’t possibly, she had only just arrived and the wind wasn’t blowing in the right direction. It was fickle though and she knew it could shift at any time. She crouched down, stalking forward so she could peer around the corner. Once she did, she felt like she had been it in the chest with a brick. The wolf closest to her was the spitting image of her friend Aideen. She might have even thought it was actually her if it weren’t for the size and the smell. Aideen was a red wolf, so she was rather small, and she smelled nothing like the female that was in front of Lani. She also noticed that this must have been the girl that barked because she was trotting forward, towards another figure farther up the path. She seemed friendly, if a little wary of the stranger. Hmm. So they must not know each other either. Lani felt a little relieved. At least there wasn’t another group of wolves that she’d have to deal with. But, she didn’t know what they were up to yet, so she might as well find out. She arranged herself into a more comfortable position, trying to hide her form from the other two and waited to see what happened.

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[Deleted]

Hunting in the North proved to be a hard a task to complete. Scents of prey were either too far to pursue or she just didn't find anything new. Akira trudged along, as a lone wolf it wasn't new for her to travel alone let alone hunt alone. Akira is a big wolf, specifically a Tundra Wolf and she was something not to be triffled with. Although Akira is gentle, but she can be aggressive and some take her kindness as an advantage. Akira continued to walk around, looking for something to sink her teeth in. Its been a few days before she has had something to eat and from the long traveling, Akira is exhausted. She needed a place to stsy and recuperate and probably she will try again later to hunt.

Akira perked her head and ears up and her tail was erected, signifying alertness. She responded to the noises of a crunching sound. Sniffing the air she took in a faint smell of another animal, but its smell was masked well from her nose to be able to identify it exactly. Curious too the fact of what it was made her trot after it. The possibility of it being prey was slim because it seemed the food here is low in supply, but the chance of it being another wolf was higher. As she was right, when Akira got closer she caught the smell of another wolf and was identified to be a female wolf. It began to move and Akita followed curious of where she is going.

As she followed the Femme she heard barks in the distance and Akira assumed it was her pack mates, so she continued to follow hoping to be included in their refuge tired from her traveling. As the wolf neared the location of the bark she caught scents of two other wolves and they both are female. The wolf she followed hid somewhere, whuch strucked Akira as odd because she had the thought that they were her pack mates, so im doubt she hid too.

[Deleted]

Further and further Sinead went, her legs moving repetitively, paws thumping a soft tune against the ground. She followed each curve and bend in the path, walking slowly, savoring the chill of the wind in her fur and the sunlight warming her flank. Autumn was so beautiful, with the elegantly royal colors, the crimsons and golds and sometimes even the browns. In all her many moons of traveling, in all of the regions she had passed through, fall was her favorite season in each place. There was no oppressive sun, no creeping winter with icy talons that chilled to the bone. All was well, and save for the sound of her own paws and the birds wheeling above, all was quiet and calm.

Until the barks rang out, suddenly and unexpectedly, echoing off the rocks.

During Sinead’s travels, there had been scores of other wolves; lone wolves, pack wolves, and those so unstable that she hadn’t been quite sure if they classified as either. She had learned one thing, and one thing alone: you could never, ever assume that you knew what to expect out of a total stranger. So when she whirled on the path, she brought her head up confidently, pricked her triangular ears forward, and bristled the excessive ruff of fur that ringed her neck. Alarm was clear in her bright eyes, and she waited with baited breath as the wolf who had quite clearly been trailing her came bounding up the path towards her. Startled certainly wasn't the right word for how she felt; to be called to abruptly, only to spot a fast-moving body…well, it was more than unexpected. Reeling backwards a few steps, she took a quick moment to evaluate the situation. So many times she’d had to think on her feet, and now was no different. The wolf was clearly female; Sinead could smell her scent now, and the barks had seemed friendly in nature, not at all vicious or angry. But if it was all a ruse, if this female wasn't friendly at all…

I’m being daft. If she wanted to maul me, she wouldn’t have made such a ruckus, she thought, frowning to herself. For all appearances, the stranger seemed to offer no trouble, but Sinead did not throw caution to the wind just yet. Instead she stood her ground, head slightly tilted, and waited until the female had come a little closer to speak.

”Hello,” she said simply, pausing to observe her once more now that she was nearer. She was a bit smaller than Sinead herself, both in height and weight, with a beautiful pelt that reminded Sinead very much of her favorite season. When no attack came, Sinead allowed herself to relax a fraction of an inch; just enough to smooth her ruff down and offer a smile. There was a brief moment where Sinead’s spine tingled, and she paused to peer around the female before her, towards the bushes and foliage. She felt odd, as if there were others near, perhaps waiting in the bushes to ambush her…but certainly she was only being paranoid. Snorting at her own ridiculous notions, she turned back to the stranger and tipped her muzzle down a fraction in extended greeting.

”My apologies for any rudeness, but you’ve startled me.” It took her a moment to remember proper etiquette; it had been some time since she’d stop to speak to another wolf. ”I hope I haven’t disturbed you, or intruded upon you somehow?” She knew that others would sometimes camp in the caves when they had nowhere else to go, much like she had intended to do, and perhaps she had wandered too close to the she-wolf’s cavern.

Or maybe she’s just being friendly. Don’t be a cynic.

WORDS: 627	TAG: @seren Lalani @akira
NOTES: Sure, glad to have you join in ^^

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[Deleted]

She had slowed her lope to a trot, the clacking of her nails on the rocky earth ringing out softly. The midday sun might have verged on uncomfortable if not for the breeze, and she noticed then how it cast her shadow, stretching to her left and then dropping off the incline of the path. Startled at the height that she had failed to notice she had climbed, her quick steps moved her a bit closer to the caverns' entrances. For a moment, her vision lingered on the drop-off, before flickering back to the other female. It dawned on her then that this stranger might not be all too glad to have had her path followed. It seemed that this last-minute revelation had proven true, as the wolf turned to face her in a flurry of a spin.

Her posture was suspicious, defensive even. Considering the idiocy that Seren had recently realised her participation in, she was hardly surprised. Closer now to the other, she could finally take in her appearance in its entirety. Their stature trumped her own, if only by a little, and she imagined that she would weigh something significantly less than the stranger. For a fleeting moment she worried about her physical inferiority, but resolved that it would mean little, seeing as she wished only to converse. Hopefully the feeling was mutual. Looking over her coat quickly, she admired the muted medley of grey, black, white, and brown, even if it was slightly bristled.

"Hello," said she then, seeming to wait a moment before relaxing her fur. Seren was certainly glad to entertain the smile that soon followed the simple greeting. She stood with her tail hanging just lower than parallel to the ground, swaying gently, and returned the smile, which she hoped would come across as sincere. Her new acquaintance seemed at odds for a moment. Seren felt it too. The uneasy feeling of being watched. It would be no surprise, however, if there were a few other loners wandering in the area. If they had deigned to watch this exchange, they were probably just curious, or that was what she hoped. ”My apologies for any rudeness, but you’ve startled me.", she paused, "I hope I haven’t disturbed you, or intruded upon you somehow?”

This polite demeanour encouraged Seren. "Oh, uh - no, no," she stuttered slightly. If anything, I have intruded upon you, she tried to explain earnestly, before it hit her that she had not yet returned a greeting. Good day. My name is Seren. It seems that I've let my curiousity get the better of me once again. I didn't mean to alarm you, I just -", what had she meant to do? "I suppose I just thought I would like to make your acquaintance." She sounded such a fool, but offered another timid smile. Loneliness weighed on Seren, and often assumed that others would be just as eager as she to find companionship. She did not often think about the fact that they might want nothing more than to be left alone. She wasn't about to explain all that in this predicament, however, and waited a moment before speaking again. "- And that I am pleased to do. Might I learn your name?"

The breeze brought her inklings of confirmation that she had been right about being watched. Perhaps even by more than one. Her head turned slightly and she rolled her eyes back so that she could make out some of the path without turning away. She was able to make out the figure of the one she caught some scent of, she thought. This certainly was turning out to be more than she had bargained for.

words: 623
tags: @sinead Lalani @akira
notes: -

[Lalani]

I'm guessing you guys didn't see this. I suppose I'll have to tag you. @akira @sinead @seren

Lani waited around the corner and watched the two females before her. The one farthest away was larger and was a mottled patch of greys, blacks and browns. The second and closer one was the one that reminded her much of her friend Aideen. Her fur was a brilliant mix of browns and reds. Lani watched the female nearest her approaching the one farther ahead. The girl that had been up here first was extremely startled by sudden barks coming from behind her. She quickly spun around to face the second female and took a few frightened steps backward before she was able to assess the situation. Her entire stance was wary and she was obviously prepared to defend herself. Lani probably would have reacted the same way. She wouldn’t have been too happy if someone had managed to come up behind her. The girl didn’t seem to have a whole lot to worry about though, seeing as the red female didn’t appear to be hostile, though who knew what her intentions were? After a few moments, the mottled female managed to calm herself and spoke. “Hello.” She had apparently decided that diplomacy was the best way to go about this situation. As the girl looked around, she stared in Lani’s direction. Crap! The dark femme tucked herself behind the bushes and closer to the wall. When she didn’t spot anything, the female snorted and went back to the situation at hand.

“My apologies for any rudeness, but you’ve startled me. I hope I haven’t disturbed you, or intruded upon you somehow?” The red fae didn’t seem phased by the other female’s previous standoffishness and appeared eager to keep things pleasant. “Oh, uh - no, no.” She stuttered out. “If anything, I have intruded upon you." The red furred girl seemed to backtrack in order to make her greeting and keep up the polite banter. “Good day. My name is Seren. It seems that I've let my curiosity get the better of me once again. I didn't mean to alarm you, I just -” Even she didn’t seem to know what she had been doing. "I suppose I just thought I would like to make your acquaintance." The girls words came out sounding nervous and the delivery was rather awkward. Lani could tell that she was trying to be nice, possibly even make a good impression. It appeared she was eager for the company. This was both familiar and foreign to Lani. She knew what it was like to want the company. Hell, she had realized just how lonely she had been when she had first met Eidus, but she hadn’t known until then. She had shunned others and kept herself separate from others. Lani hadn’t gone about, openly seeking the company of others like this girl was. It was another moment before she spoke again. "- And that I am pleased to do. Might I learn your name?"

Suddenly, the breeze shifted, now blowing from slightly behind Lani, propelling her scent right towards the to strangers. She tensed and silently cursed the wind for complicating things. It was just her luck though. Nothing ever seemed to work in her favor. Just then, she caught another scent on the breeze. Because it was coming from behind her, she was able to catch to smell someone coming up the trail she had just come from. “Damn it to hell.” She swore under her breath. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She either could stay here and avoid the two females ahead of her, and face whoever was coming up behind her, or she could step forward and meet the two girls and stop whoever it was from having access to her exposed back. Always choose the lesser of two evils. With that thought, Lani stood completely and walked forward onto the plateau with the other two. While there might be two of them, they had already shown that they weren’t overly aggressive. The one coming up the path however, Lani knew nothing about. She maneuvered herself so that her back was facing the rest of the hill and bushes, rather than the open trail. “Wow. It looks like one of those silly little meet and greets up here.” She said with a smirk. Now that she was standing, she could see that the mottled fae was slightly taller than herself but Lani was by far the largest of the three of them. She was longer and had more weight behind her than the others. “I must say, Seren, you remind me of someone that I knew.” She kept her tone neutral, not betraying whether that bit of information was a good thing or a bad thing.

Lani felt a little antsy as she stood there. She was just waiting for the other stranger to make an appearance. She had one ear facing forward towards the two females but one was turned sideways, listening for anyone that could be coming up the path. “Oh, and by the way, we have company.” Lani’s voice sounded rather irritated as she eyed the trail. She did not like the fact that they had tried coming up behind her. It made her extremely wary of whoever it might be and what their intentions were. “I don’t know how long they’ve been there or where they come from. The wind only just shifted.” How could I not realize they were there? You’re getting sloppy. She turned her pale, moon-like gaze back to the females before her. She didn’t know if they could smell the rest of Lani’s group on her fur or not, and if they did, she didn’t know what they would make of it. The most likely conclusion they would come to would be that she was a pack wolf. If they came to that conclusion, their reactions would be the thing to worry about. They might get friendlier, hoping to appeal to her, or the could grow more hostile because they might feel threatened by the presence of a pack. She didn’t know what they would do and only time would tell. Looking over at the farthest one, she said, “I’m Lalani. And you are…?”

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