A New Season

[Sohtoh]

Characters: Roscoe & Tix

Setting: Maple Glade


Already the transition between Summer and Winter had faded, leaving the ground with another layer of ambers, oranges, yellows and reds to tread upon. The majestic maples that made up the buck's territory had all but lost their leaves, only a few stronger stems remaining clung to the branches for dear life. Alas, all it took was a swift, chilly gust of wind to bring more of the plantation to it's fall, and take it's place among the ever growing leaf litter of the glade. Mostly bare, the glade provided much less shelter than it did the previous summer. Though this particular male preferred winter highly over summer, he did enjoy the shelter that the maple canopy provided. Now, there were only great, yet bare branches.

A light snow began to fall upon the land, very light. Hardly even sticking to the ground at all, as the earthen temperature was still above freezing. With his winter coat, the snow didn't bother the Prince at all either. His hollow guard hairs caught and trapped the snowflakes from melting too much along his back. He was warm in his winter coat, and that was always a very good thing.

Treading through the faintly white area of the glade, Roscoe's attention was caught as he glared over towards a tree that he'd forgotten to scrape. Though his scraping activities bordered on obsessive and obnoxious, as there was only one other buck in the area.. and he wouldn't dare try to claim the land. The does, perhaps.. but not the land. So Roscoe's antler scrapes were like salt in the wound to the other male. Precisely why he continued.

The calcium-rich crown of his scraped loudly and roughly against the bark of the dying tree, the buck's red eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling of his antlers being scratched. Though by now there was very little shed velvet still clinging to the beams, it still felt relieving. But what he really wanted, was to be in the company of one of the does. It was late morning by now, and he hadn't seen any of them. He wasn't worried at all; he'd given up on worrying about such things. What good had it done him so far? Apathetic was the best word to describe his feelings toward the whereabouts of the females.

So, within a few seconds after the tree was mutilated further by his antlers, the Prince shook his pelt rather aggressively, and continued on his way through the barren-looking glade.

[Reply]

OOC:: I do forgive taking a while to reply. Since starting Uni, we've been kept on our toes in order to utilize our skills and make friends. A lot of hard work.

------ IC ------

Garbed warmly in a royal coat suited for the colder months, Tix huddled beside one of the leafless maples around the border of Roscoe's territory. Her eyes were dull and sleepy, ears faintly twitching when a flake of cold snow landed on her sensitive senses. Her entire pelt glistened with a layer of the melted substance, only adding more times in which the doe would shake herself off. Even the branches seemed to fail at saving her from the elements.

Ever since the start of the Winter, emotions had been.. Different. Each time Tix had spotted the Prince, he had been obsessing over dragging his fine antlers against the bark of trees. She had grown to admire them at this point, now that all velvet had vanished from tines and branches. She was yet to see them lock into another stag's pair of antlers, but for that matter, she had only met one other stag whom was easily overpowered by Roscoe.

Lifting her slim head slowly to gaze upwards at the falling snow, a sudden speck landed on her wet nose. Sneezing and shaking her head, she opted for perhaps a bit of grazing to take her mind off things. Although cold, the vegetation in the Glade had always been perfect for Tix. Raising one leg forwards, and then the other, Tix began a slow walk outwards from underneath the shade of the maple tree, her head lifting high and her senses kicking into action. Although she could not hear nor see him, Tix could definately catch Roscoe's scent upon the breeze. Almost instantly an urge to see the Prince filled the doe, and her legs picked up into a light jog in the direction his scent radiated from.

When the Prince did finally come within sight, Tix slowed herself to a graceful pace, her ears perked, head held high. Approaching Roscoe slowly, Tix awaited for him to spot her as she moved towards him, her winter coat speckling white with the falling snow surrounding them.

[Sohtoh]

OOC: No problem! I've been pretty busy myself lately as well. Fall is lame when it comes to schedules.

------ IC ------

Male agressiveness in full swing, the buck let out a rather challenging snort as he shook his head proudly at the sight of the scrape that had been carved into the tree. Yes, the glade was his. The lengths he went through to proove this were quite comical in all honesty, and even he knew this. But the rut was serious business. He couldn't risk giving the other male even the slightest chance of claiming his land. That young buck was unpredictable, and he didn't like it at all.

Red eyes glowing in the ever growing monotony of the winter-like scene, Roscoe's large ears perked up at the side of his head at the sound of someone or something coming his way. Lowering his head in an attempt to stare down any competition, his ears instantly pinned back, waiting to see Chanson or even another random buck pass by. He was in a fighting mode, so any company would've been accepted; even just that--a fight. But, it wasn't a fight that was coming his way. No, it was one of the does. The favored one of the bunch, Tix.

Immediately, the Prince perked his ears once again, lifted his head proudly, and gave an overall look of joy to see her. And he was very happy! It'd been quite some time since he'd actually spoken to her, and though the tension of the rut was in the air, there was no reason that he couldn't at least be civil. After all, the scent of the other buck wasn't around at all. There was no reason to be hasty over even a simple conversation. Shaking a few more droplets of snow from his pelt in a final effort to make himself look more presentable, Roscoe jutted his crown proudly up in the air at Tix's arrival, taking quite the elegant, princely step towards her. Oh, Roscoe and his vanity.

"Tix, good to see you around these parts," he said smoothly, as if impressed that she would stick to an area that she knew belonged to him. Though, the situation was a bit more awkward than he would've liked. He found himself mentally stumbling over words that he'd said with ease in the summer previous.. but he just couldn't seem to spit it out. "..How are you?" he practically sputtered, and this annoyed him. A furrow of his brow was given, and he took a few more steps toward the doe. "I've missed you." Flattery was always an option as well.

[verdalas]

Tix had long become accustomed to Roscoe's proud flaunting. Not that it bothered her one bit! Each time he presented himself with a proud pose and his antlers held high, the doe found herself almost like an obsessive teenager fawning over the latest hunk in town. Perhaps it was easy to impress her, perhaps not. What was clear though, as he finally spoke, Tix's legs began to shake although not entirely from the cold winter.

"I'm well.." Her voice broke into a sigh of relief, pleased to know that the latest tree-scrape hadn't been sparked by anger or annoyance. In fact, she could pick up on his tone that he was just as happy to see her as she was him, regardless of spluttering. Ears perked and her legs picking up, the winter-pelted female hopped through the fallen leaf foilage across to close the gap between them. He was going to get a nuzzle and that was that! As Tix's damp head brushed against Roscoe's neck, she couldn't help but feel even more attatched with his flattering words. Of course she'd lap it up! ".. I missed you too." She mutters softly, taking advantage of his pleasant mood to gain affection. And it was a good job too, since she wasn't likely to share him with the other few does he had picked up.

"The weather's not been too harsh yet. We might have a nice spring ahead of us." Tix finally began to speak after her moment of nuzzling ended. Satisfied with his company, she took up a position against his larger frame for warmth. "I haven't seen Niabi or any other doe-.." She quickly cuts off before the word is finished, but she knows it's too late. Tix had wanted to avoid bringing that topic up, but perhaps Roscoe wouldn't mind? After all, he was a Prince and right now he had a Princess with him, right?

[Sohtoh]

A smirk formed, like the smirks that he'd constantly given during the seasons that weren't the rut seasons. It was the first time he'd smirked and actually meant it since late summer. He knew that Tix was glad to see him, and he was legitimately glad to see her. She was definitely a sight for sore eyes, someone that he'd been trying to find for a while. Being with her now was like a relief, and it was all the more relieving that she was actually enjoying his company.

The nuzzles that came from the doe went unreturned for just a moment, as if he had to just stand there in the half shelter of the glade that was now full of bare trees and some evergreens. After his eyes moved from a specific pine tree to Tix, he finally returned the nuzzle, the underside of his chin meeting her forehead quite lovingly. "Glad to hear that you're well. I was worried about you." He said this almost robotically, but she should forgive the buck's lack of adequate responses. How long had it been since he'd actually spoken to anyone? Honestly, he'd gone through the entire season of fall with little more than angry snorts and grunts. It was a very primitave time, what could he say?

A playful scoff was given, and the male quirked a brow. "Not harsh? This is hardly even a considerable winter! It's disappointing at best." Though he didn't want to put a damper on the reunion, he couldn't help it. Winter was something he'd learned to enjoy. It was a test of survival skills in the cold lands, and he enjoyed being able to gloat by just .. still existing. To have such a mild winter was almost an insult, frankly. He could only hope that it got just a tad more dangerous as the season passed on. Just enough to further proove his dominance, and all that good stuff.

The mention of Niabi didn't go unnoticed; he hadn't seen her either. He knew that with the falling leaves of autumn came the humans, intruding on their territories and killing the animals in the forests. Harvesting, he supposed. Didn't mean that he understood. Humans, hunters.. he wondered if they were to blame for the cow's disappearance? He certainly hoped not. But he didn't dwell, and didn't want to frighten Tix. "I'm sure Niabi is just fine. Maybe she met a nice bull of her kind and.. wandered off?" he thought aloud, and tilted his head in a rather comical fashion. "There wasn't much keeping her here, was there?"

And ah, the mention of other does. The others that he knew well enough, Velia, Mehira, Sequoia, Notch, Aspen, Tippa -- was that her name? Come to think of it, he didn't know any of them half as well as Tix. The young one, Mehira.. the one that he and Tix had both travelled with at one point, he grew concerned about her for a moment, but didn't verbally address this. Instead, he merely shrugged. Survival of the fittest, he assumed. And the lot of them seemed to not want to be in his company anyway. A bitter thought, but it served them right. Tix was perhaps the only smart one. Yes, he still had his Tix. Another random nuzzle was given, and he let out a heavy sigh.

[verdalas]

It wasn't as if Tix herself would mind if the Prince had been genuinely happy to see her not, since right now she was just content with his presence. As the nuzzling session carried on, the doe's curious eyes drifted to a close and she shivered lightly. It wasn't -that- cold, but the breeze was enough to cut through her speckled winter coat. All the more reason to cuddle up to Roscoe!

Eventually, after a short while, Tix opened her eyes once more and turned her sights also onto the dead foilage and remaining green plantlife. Memories of her first winter were clear in her mind as she remembered frolicking in a layer of snow. Where this had happened exactly, was unclear to Tix as she furrowed her brows, trying to remember. Ah well, it couldn't have mattered. The past was the past!

"Worried? About.. me?" Blurting out a response at last, Tix moved her head away from the underside of the Prince's chin to gaze at him directly, trying to determined whether or not he was speaking the truth. Realising that the reason may very well have been because of the season indeed, Tix shook her head and then flicked her ears backwards. Of course it was the hormones talking; Roscoe didn't want to worry over her finding another buck. That had to be it.

"Well, this is the second winter I've had to take care of myself.." Tix changes the topic as he does, looking back out around the depressing glade. ".. I suppose the weather is being kind to me this year." She smiles awkwardly and gives herself some distance from the buck, letting her long legs carry her a short distance away from him. Would he follow? Surely if he was really in that hormone-fueled mood, he would! "And maybe the weather is the reason Niabi isn't here?" Tix suggests as she finally chooses a spot to stop, near her favourite tree as of late. Why the cow elk would leave because of better weather wasn't really considered, but who would know?

[Sohtoh]

The shiver that came from the doe had shifted his attentions a bit, and he blinked, looking down at her momentarily. Narrowing his eyes for no real reason, his ears flicked and once again, he turned his head away. Something, apparently, was keeping his attention in the air. Or maybe he just liked the cold winds. Yeah, that was it. They reminded him of his old home, and he was quiet as he thought of the Northern lands. However, when Tix spoke up, she had caught his attention once again.

Nodding his head and speaking lowly, he replied. "Yes. I was worried." Thinking about it, his eyes widened just a hair, and he let out a very quiet chuckle.d "Not that you can't take care of yourself, I just.." he paused, trying to think of a good way to get what he was thinking across in words. "..Feel responsible."

So, as she flicked her ears back and seperated herself from him, his head raised and he stifled a yawn. He'd been wandering around again, and the winter weather was wearing him down. Though, he'd never admit that. As she moved away, Roscoe paced not far behind, following her. Now that they were both in the same area, he wasn't going to leave her, and if he had anything to do about it, she wasn't going to leave either.

Keeping close behind, his ears perked forward, and he didn't bother to answer the question about Niabi. He had no idea where she was, and wasn't going to form opinions on it, either. If she came back, then she came back. Until then, as far as he was concerned, the Whitetails had more grazing grounds.