Cold Water [p]

[Moonbeam]

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[atrb=background,http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/2334/rivottm1.png] Though very much done with winter, the land had yet to diminish every little snowflake. The floor, albeit not covered in the white powder, was still taken in many spots with the ivory fluff. Very much a fan of the cold, the crimson and ebony male made his way through the frozen bits of ground, grinning as it crunched softly beneath large feet. It was much harder now that it was melting, making the top layers more ice than snow, but it was still very satisfying whenever he could feel it. The summer would be here sooner than he would like, and that would mean uncomfortable heat and a loss of most his pelt. Regardless of the shed fur, he’d still have to hide away; having past experiences that had proven to him that it was much to hot for his type of body. As the brute walked, he attempted not to think of the thing that kept him moving. He was in the direction of the Cerrac pack, and with every step closer, he felt more like a betrayer. If it had not been for the destruction of his late leader, Bret, this decision would never had to have been made. Alas, his fate did come to an end; which put Rivot in such an awkward place. Though the loathing for the pack was still very warm within his body, he knew he wouldn’t be able to live much longer without one. Every day out on his own forced him to recognize the struggles of a loner; especially with this sort of memory loss the had been happening to him as of late. Within sight of the waterfall, he paused. His royal gaze looked up into the waters, watching as it fell heavily from the top of the mountain. He knew there was a pass around here, had heard of it many times from loners and his old pack mates. Where exactly it was located, however, was always the question. So many had never been able to figure it out--that was what had kept the Cerrac so safe from the outside world. The little passes they had in, definitely were difficult to find. If luck struck him, he would find the pass in no time and just waltz right in. Gritting his teeth, he almost sneered. He didn’t want it to be so easy. He used to hate this place with such a fiery passion that it almost tore him inside to be here, standing at it’s gates. Grunting heavily, he glared at the water that was now tormenting him. Form what he could see, there were two choices here. A) Somehow find a way in, ask for admittance to the pack, and live easily with the pack members that already existed there. Then there was B) he could stay out here, as a loner, taking his chances day by day and perhaps dying a short while from now. Neither were honestly appealing. “I need a deal breaker...” He groaned within his head. Shaking out his crown, he drooped his muzzle so it pointed to the floor. With a deep huff, he figured he might as well stick around whilst he tried to figure this whole situation out. Stepping to the side, he walked to the river a few feet from the base of the falling water. Laying himself down in the half grass half snow, he dipped the bottom half of his jaw into the water and just let it soak.

[Meesh]

((And, just in case this takes a turn for the worse, permission to powerplay. The things I do to my babies o3o))

Wings were folded tightly in, paws closed tightly to body and tail stood straight out as she made the dive. The ground rushed towards her with an almost sickening dizzyness. As she neared the still oblivious Catek, orange feathered wings flared out, pulling the fae out of the dive with surprising speed. In the same movement that she flared her wings, her jaws opened and her heard darted forward, jaws snapping shut on a struggling Catek. By the time she had level out in the sky again, the Catek was dead.

Pleased with her catch, she began wheeling in slow circles towards the ground. Cerrac had enough prey, so this would just be a snack for her. She landed on the ground with a thump, paws scrabbling for proper holds on the ice before she finally steadied herself. Only in a mountain pack would we still have ice this late into spring Spottedblaze though to herself with a rueful grin. Ah well. Her fur kept her warm enough, and what her fur couldn't do, her fire made up for.

She glanced around at her surroundings, surprised that she had flown so far from camp, arriving at the Waterfall. She decided she might as well take advantage of the pleasant day and find a spot here to relax and enjoy her prey. The Waterfall was a gorgeous place, perfect for a mid-day meal.

A scent caught on the edge of her nose and she turned, surprised. Perhaps her own sense of smell had been muffled by the strong odor coming off the Catek, but she wondered why she hadn't noticed the male lying by the pool earlier. Spotty blinked, flicking an ear at the stranger. His scent was completely unfamiliar to her. A stranger? On pack land? She flared her wings slightly, not exactly sure weather to try and drive him off or go call a warrior. Emerald eyes glancing with a wide-eyed expression at him.

[Moonbeam]

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[atrb=background,http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/2334/rivottm1.png] The thick brute lay, making small bubbles in the water with his snout. One after another, always popping or floating away from his face in a matter of seconds. Every few moments, he’d tilt his head up just enough to get another fresh breath of air before dipping it back into the cold water. The chilly feeling it gave him was quite delightful; nearly the freshest waters in all land came from the waterfall. The only place it got any better than this was inside the pack itself, right up to that lake that controlled most the life in this place. From here, just the serene, crystal clear rushing wave was good enough. One larger bubble blew from the bottom of his snout now, causing a pause in the production of the rest. He watched it for a few moments as it floated closer to his eyes, going around his nose in the process. A bit of pride was felt about this one, noticing how round and perfect it was--and the fact that it was all created by him. A grin pressed up his mouth, hidden underneath the water as he still watched his precious little bubble. If it were in his nature, hell, he might have started wagging his thick fluffy tail. Too bad he just wasn’t that kind of guy. Then it popped. Right in his left eye, as a matter of fact. All of that glorious and magnificent, perfectly round bubble; gone, within a matter of fleeting seconds. He yanked back, splashing some water out with him as he did so. He held his eye closed for a moment, lifting his paw up to swipe at his eye. His front feet were dabbed in water, as well as the muzzle. Grumbling, he put his foot down, content with his eye wipe. Then, done with the water, he pulled back into a sitting position, turning his head at an angle away form the river. It was that moment another wolf had caught the very corner of his eye. Turning about, he looked at her head on. She had already noticed his presence, and it seemed that she was thinking about what to do with him. From the rotten stench of her fur, she was obviously one from within the pack. They certainly were quick about meeting wolves near their perimeters. Shaking his raven colored mane out a bit, he shook some of the water off of his face. From her position, he must have looked like a downright foolish idiot. Both of those discriminatory things, he most certainly was not. How could he change her opinion now? Taking the ‘asshole approach’, he lifted his head up and stared over at the slightly lighter wolf. “Can I help you, ma’am?”

[Meesh]

Her fur instinctively bristled at his tone. The wolf who had been previously sticking his head in the water was now standing, facing her. The catek still hug from her jaws like a trophy. She let it drop by her paws now as she opened her mouth to speak. Best to go for a more diplomatic approach. "It would be quite helpful if you told me what you were doing here, yes. This is Cerrac territory. ,

No, no. That approach was too aggressive. Spotty knew she couldn't outfight this male if it came to that- he looked stronger than herself, and besides, she was a hunter, not a fighter. She took a moment to give the stranger a once-over. Red fur, black mane kind of like hers, blue eyes. Hm. Had he chosen to introduce himself a bit more politely, she might even consider his looks appealing. But now wasn't the time to dwell on looks. She had to backtrack on the aggressive approach, and fast.

Adopting a more cheery tone, she rephrased herself "Ah, I'm sorry. Perhaps you just mistook the scent borders is all. This is Cerrac territory.". Allowing a hint of apology to enter her tone, she added "You know pack rules. Can't let strangers on our lands." There. It contained enough warning to perhaps drive the wolf home, but it wasn't directly threatening. Perfect.

Then again, perhaps this wolf was here for a reason. He smelled odd, but Spotty couldn't identify a pack scent on him. Maybe he was form one of the packs she hadn't heard of, or perhaps he was a loner. So, why did he come here? A message from another pack? A spy? A loner looking to join? A loner looking to cause mischief? Whatever it was, best to keep on her toes.

But being on her toes and being impolite were two completely different things. After a moment of hesitation, Spotty offered another grin, inching closer to the other wolf. "Have you a purpose for coming here then?" The tone was inquisitive and friendly, just barely containing a note of challenge underneath it. Now that she had fulfilled her duties to the pack, time to hear this male's answer

[Moonbeam]

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[atrb=background,http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/2334/rivottm1.png] He kept his royal purple gaze on hers, leveling his eyes so that they were staring into her deep emerald green ones. The food that she held so proudly in her jaws was dropped to the floor, landing still next to her feet. Although hungry, he resisted the urge to watch it, knowing that it would only make him want it that much more. Instead, he made sure that his face was locked onto hers; a solid and heavy gaze that showed nothing much disinterest and annoyance. The only time his purple orbs dropped, were when they looked to her black lips as she spoke. It was obvious she did not enjoy his tone one bit. Moving his eyes away, he looked to a nearby try; chuckling as he did. Rolling both shoulders in a sort of smug fashion, he gained some more composure and confidence. Then he turned back, head up even higher than before and body strong like a wall. He knew exactly what he was going to say to this young wolf, but not before she finished her spiel. Which, it seemed, had taken a totally different direction from her first tone. This time it was light and cheery, even apologizing for the way she had just spoke. He didn’t let the slight bit of confusion he just had show, but instead smoothly lifted one imaginary eyebrow. It was common knowledge that he had not crossed into the lands. Although the area around here did wreak of the pack, it was also a common place for many lone wolves to come to rest. Though he was unsure where exactly the borders did start, he had known that he was yet to be over them. From the way she had been showing herself, he assumed that she must have been new here, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. And that smell... she did not yet bleed every scent of Cerrac; she most certainly was newer... That underlining feminine, scent, though, kept his attention. He’d play along with her for now, try not to get her hopes up. Although, there were no promises of her not getting injured in the end. With a friendly grin, she took a few steps closer to him. Relaxing his forehead (you know, that imaginary eyebrow) he, too, took a small trot in her direction. Dipping his neck down a little bit, he took in what seemed to be an apologetic breath. Instead, it was him breathing in all those scents that some females carried at this time of year. Lifting his head back up, he looked into her green pools, smiling something friendly. With a very small and short wag of his tail, he gave a bit of a nicer aura. These next words were still stern, although not as rude as before. He took that as a good thing. “Awe ma’am,” he took a few steps closer, circling like he was going to come up to her side, “I’m sorry about that. You never know who to trust out here nowadays.” He stopped stepping now, and paused; he did not want to scare her off with his sudden approaching. “I’ve come for nothing more than a sip of water. The river is cleaner here. I do hope that’s alright.” Lowering his head, he tilted it in a sort of ‘sorry I didn’t ask first’ look. Offering a grin, he hoped his actions did not hurt him too badly in this lovely situation.

[Meesh]

He continued staring at her for a brief moment before his posture suddenly became friendly. Spotty paused, a wave of confusion flowing through her. She had been prepared for- perhaps an unruly sort who would try to drive her off, or a demand to take him to the alpha. But from his immediately relaxed posture, it seemed she had assumed wrong. His purple eyes gazed into her emerald ones, seeming to draw her closer. For a moment, her legs felt a tad wobbly, but she then shook out her fur. That annoying time of year...hopefully it'll settle down in a few days. Spotty had only began with her times-of-year recently, they were still a tad unsettling to her. She closed her eyes a moment to clear her head, then gave another apologetic smile to the male.

When Spotty made her step froward, the other wolf did as well, taking a deep breath of apology. Spotty flicked an ear in relief, it looked like this encounter would end a peaceful one, if he planned to apologize so soon. His tail gave the slightest of wags, and Spotty wagged hers cheerily in response. Ah, polite and friendly. She finally allowed the bristling fur along her neck and shoulders to flatten, forcing herself to relax.

His apology was meek, which surprised Spotty. Again, she had expected a more casual apology, if one at all. Perhaps this wolf, like some other she knew of, was just big on the outside but in reality extremely meek. Spotty sure knew wolves like that. She offered him an encouraging smile. "It's fine. I guess I was a tad harsh anyhoo"

Then he stepped forward, circling slightly so he was out of her main line of sight. She bristled again slightly- his meek personality made him seem more of a wolf who would back away rather than step closer. But no, best not to show him she was unsettled. Forcing herself not to turn and face him, but turning her head lightly so he was again in her line of vision. "So, I'm Spottedblaze. Spotty. What's your name?" She offered him a friendly smile, mentally pushing back another wave of passion. Shaking her head out once again to clear her mind.