Post by Tyr on Sept 5, 2011 18:41:01 GMT -5
Players:
Tyr, male wolf
Anu, female wolf
The heat at the end of the summer was oppressive and it wasn't something that he was used to at all. The unending cold he could tolerate but the sticky, heavy heat that clung to his fur was unbearable. He sought what little relief he could find under a large and spreading oak, but even here the ground under his paws felt damp and the trunk seemed to radiate that same sickly heat. The wind did him no good, either. The boughs seemed to sag with the weight of the unmovable air. Tyr snorted -- and that's almost all the effort that his body would give. His eyes trailed lazily up into the leaves and with a squint he watched a silkworm dangle on an invisible thread, suspended in the air as it dropped down, down, down. Feh. He could feel his temper begin to seethe underneath his coat and that made him even more uncomfortable. The dark wolf fidgeted, stood, shook himself, and canted his ears forward to try and catch a hint of running water.
Anu is being smothered by the heat. It's making her much surlier than usual, and she makes sure to snap crankily at the birds that have the strength to sing. What are they so bloody cheery about, anyway? Ugh. One paw in front of the other. March march march. She craves the snow that nearly killed them months ago. The wolf sighs, feeling the warm air of her breath scrape through her dry mouth. She grimaces. At last she finds a nice, shady collection of trees. Finally! Some peace and qui-- oh. Tyr's already here. Her expression automatically molds into the one uniquely designed for her brother. Part distaste, part disinterest. She groggily pads over to the dark wolf, hoping that she'll better if she gives him a shove. Maybe the movement will create a breeze. Her heart lifts just thinking about the possibility of a breeze.
That... is not the sound of a river. It is a lazy stride fit for the lazy weather. They are well out of any pack territory and he has three distinct options: his brother, his sister, or a stranger. A stranger would be much more cautious and would have announced their presence, most likely. If they meant him harm he should've felt that. His brother would have had less of a sure stride and so the only possible solution is -- Tyr is highly displeased at their contact. His sister's shove elicits a very dark stare and a cough of annoyance. The grimace on his face proves how the air between them seemed to grow even more oppressive in that moment. As Anu passes by, he snaps half-halfheartedly at her hindquarters. Thanks. He is not in the mood to give chase, either. He trots a few paces away, resuming his quiet stance in a desperate search for a lake to jump in -- or to push his sister into -- and without the energy to muster the effort to even think about going and looking for it, plunks on to his hindquarters. "S'hot."
She was right! She does feel better. Anu disregards the tension between them, too busy relishing the small happiness she gets from roughing up her brother. She scoots out of the clutches of his jaws almost without thinking. The she-wolf copies her brother, taking a well-deserved rest in the shade. It's....tolerable. Giving her fur a shake, she tries to force the oppressive heat out of her follicles. No luck. As her brother speaks, she barely has the energy to roll her eyes. "Brilliant deduction. How long did it take you to figure that one out? Better be careful, or you'll overheat that brain of yours," she sneers. She's kidding, for the most part. Teasing! Sort of. The whole concept is still a little foreign to her. This might be why she has not indicated, with her voice or her body language that she means anything in jest. But she knows she's just joking around, in her own way! That's enough, isn't it?
If looks could only kill. Slowly Tyr turns his head to eye his sister, and she might learn just then what a mouse might feel like as it stared into the eyes of a cobra. But there is a distinct glimmer in his eyes that might be reflecting her jest but he turns away from her before either of them can linger too long on whether or not he was kidding. He rubs his muzzle against his foreleg, chews his paw, then looks blankly through the forest. "Wot d'you suggest, then, genius sister-mine?" he responds with a sigh, his voice lacking any sort of conviction though he does edge a little bit of bite into it, "Shake yer tail 'round an' see if rain comes crashin' down, ay?" Put that fat to good use stays unsaid, but the wide grin spreading across his muzzle indicates his private joke.
Anu watches Tyr right back. Guess /someone/ can't take a joke. Hmph. She blinks slowly in the heat as the dark wolf grooms himself. Before she can suggest any of her excellent plans for cooling off, she snaps her jaws at her brother. A warning. Ha ha. Very funny. She'll see if he's still laughing when his skin is between her teeth. Stretching sluggishly, she shrugs. "My plan was to relax in the shade," she says flatly, "but you quickly put an end to that." Frowning, the she-wolf's ears swivel this way and that. Hmmm. Nothing interesting about. It's too hot to catch anything, anyway. Too hot to be hungry. Too hot to put up with Tyr. Anu snorts. "Now I think my best bet is to find a shallow pond to drown you in. I think there's a stream that way that might do the trick-" she gestures with her muzzle. "Then again, this heat may have dried it up by now." Her optimism never fails.
"Not enough shade f'yer hide t'hide under," Tyr quips, snorting at the continuation of his previously silent jest. Not that Anu's much bigger than he is, but at least it's something he can throw at her that doesn't involve his teeth around her neck -- though there's a thought. Her mention of a water source, just what he was looking for, has him up on his paws and trotting swiftly in that general direction, his head up, eyes alert, and ears erect. He doesn't care at this point if it's reduced to a muddy slop, he'll take it. Anu can rot in the shade for all he cares, his bearing and his lack of any glances back proof the sentiment.
Anu barks angrily in protest, and she opens her mouth to give him a piece of her mind-- but....it's too hot. She knows there will be another fight on a cooler day. She'll get him then. She's quick to charge after the other wolf, and even quicker to laugh derisively. "Look at you, fearless leader! You don't even know where you're going!" It seems she will not be rotting anywhere just yet. The she-wolf drags together enough energy for a slight burst of speed, trying to put herself ahead of her brother. She knows the way! "I'm going to get there first!" she taunts, forcing her heavy paws to go even just a little faster.
"Fine, then y'can die of thirst first an' leave the rest t'me." Tyr shrugs, a difficult motion while walking, but with a flick of his head feigns disinterest. But he does alter his course, slightly, trusting Anu only marginally to lead them in the right direction. She could be leading him straight off a cliff for all he knows. Wouldn't that be something? Tyr wonders as his pace eases a little, how long it would take a wolf to learn to fly before he hit the ground? Not soon enough. It causes him to chuckle, his sour mood seemingly gone though with his sister present that could change in an instant. He barks gruffly and bounds closer, his gait still lazy in the heat, snap-snap-snapping at her tail in play. Play, right? Sure.
Anu lopes easily now, finding a rhythm is the awful heat. She just as easily ignores her brother's comment. If they got all offended every time one threatened the other, they'd never get anything done. The wolf weaves through trees and around prickly bushes, keeping track of their surroundings. Yes, they're going the right way. The sound of sloshing water is almost so distracting that she doesn't notice Tyr's teeth until the last second. Flicking the limb out of reach, she attempts to swat him with it in the next instant- but there's no way she can accurately judge his position without looking behind her, and she doesn't want to waste the effort. It only takes a moment more, and she's bursting forward. The final push for the last leg of the race. The air is thick with warmth, and it tries to drag her down. The work is well worth it, though, as she leaps over the miniscule bank and lands neatly in the stream. The she-wolf relishes the small splashes that reach her sides. It's only a few inches deep, and there's barely any current to speak of. The water cuts a fairly wide path. Two wolves cold comfortably stand in it, if they wished, and if those two wolves didn't happen to be the epitome of sibling rivals.
Wisps of fur scrape through his teeth and Tyr makes a note to pull out a chuck of that fur while she's sleeping; that'll teach her. He matches Anu's push to the end, like the final burst of adrenaline before the end of the hunt, and neatly splashes into the stream moments after she does. He keeps going, though, seeming intent on taking his sister into the tiny river and its muddied bottom with him. A noise rises up into the air, and were he not her brother, another wolf might mistake it for a challenge; but it is a playful, if somewhat insistent noise, and the long limbed Tyr grapples with Anu in the shallowest of shallows.
Anu snaps at him, trying to catch his forelegs in her teeth. It's not malicious, really- she's not trying to break bones here. Just trying to deter him from all this wrestling nonsense. The stream is shallow, but it makes for slippery footing. She wobbles as she defends herself. "Tyr!" the wolf barks, trying to dissuade him with words /and/ actions. This is ridiculous. The female attempts to slam her head solidly into the dark wolf's chest- that will teach him!
"Ah-- ow! 'ey!" Tyr stops his assault with a final shove, sucking in the heavy air with great relish, as if it didn't hold enough oxygen in it. He throws her an injured look before sniffing derisively and moving off, chomping at the shallow water a few times before settling to lap greedily at the surface. He watches the broken reflection of his eyes move across the stream's stones, then seems to practically fall into the water, stomach first, rolling around like a pup in his first snow. He barks excitedly, a high sound, and lolls his tongue involuntarily. He can't help it. Refreshing!
Anu romps after her brother, intent on dousing him with lukewarm water as punishment for his crime. He's such a child. If he's so set on acting this way, she might as well treat him like one. The moon knows she hasn't gotten anywhere treating him like an adult. The female bats water toward him with her forepaws and muzzle, kicking up tiny waves to cover him in. She did say she was going to drown him, after all.
Tyr rolls around in the shallows, perfectly content to be a fool; after all, if the world doesn't expect much from him, what a surprise he can have in store. It's almost the perfect cover. Almost. He's gotten used to have been treated like a fool, though in the north it both succeeded and backfired for him at the same time. The nearly black wolf chomps at the tiny sprays of water that come his way, and quickly he rolls to his feet and bows low, tail waving high in the air as he lunges at Anu. His 'play' growl is deep but when he slams his paws down in the trickle of water to try and tag his sister with it, he laughs loudly.
Anu makes a show of rolling her eyes as he bows. It's like he's never played in water before. Sigh. Well, she hasn't played in water, really. Their childhood was not very focused on play, so much as winning. Ah well. Her musings are very wetly interrupted. "Tyr!!" she splutters, using a foreleg to clear the soggy fur away from her eyes. She growls in return, now, rushing back to him with as much aquatic retaliation as she can stir up.
His laughter seems harsh, but it's real. Having goaded her into it, for it really never takes that much, Tyr resumes his wrestling match, adding the much needed water to his arsenal of weapons. He bounds closer then retreats back, lifting his paws and splashing them down heavily, swishing this way and that way, trying to avoid Anu's splashes though he stirs up even more in his attempts to keep out of her reach. The game doesn't last too long, though, for the air and its thickness is too much on the lungs, and eventually Tyr is left panting with his muzzle nearly planted in the water, lazily licking up droplets between gulps of air.
Anu hates to admit it, but trying to teach Tyr a lesson is tiring work. She's fairly drenched now, and sits heavily in the water, quickly lapping up the thick air. At least it feels less hot now. "You're impossible," she pants. "You're a child." This is thrown at him in an accusatory tone-- clearly being childish is an unforgivable fault. Nng. If only it wasn't so hard to breathe.
"Aye, that--" And that's as far as he gets. From behind him, a flock of birds rushes up from the trees, issuing startling cries and the flutter of their wings suddenly sets the male on edge. Dripping with water and mud, he whirls, taking one backward step to place Anu at his right shoulder. They're close, almost touching, and though he might look like the pup his sister accuses him of being, whoever it is stirring up the woods behind them may find out how wrong that perception is. He doesn't say anything to the wolf at his side, only leans his shoulder against hers slightly, and points with his nose. She obviously saw and heard it, he doesn't have to ask the question, but he waits there and watches, unwilling to move until he knows more about what's going on.
Anu is on her feet instantly. Her fur would be on edge if it wasn't so wet. She doesn't even mind her brother's proximity. Something big just scared all those birds. A bear, maybe? Her keen ears pick up a rustling- the beast, or whatever it is, is coming closer. Maybe it's other wolves. Either way, she doesn't like their chances. They could be outnumbered. Maybe they're closer to a territory than she thought. The idea of running away is almost as loathsome as defeat. She shifts her weight uneasily, trying to get a reading on what is advancing on them.
Tyr cocks his head, a motion that's almost unnoticeable, trying to pinpoint-- He snaps his head to the right a little, Anu's muzzle in the corner of his vision but he is looking at the flash of fur behind the ferns and tree trunks; swift but... hesitant. The wolf blinks, his paws allowing him one step closer and no more. The male lifts his head, nose straining to pick up a scent in the thick and motionless air, his eyes trying to keep tabs on the creature that refuses to show itself. If it had just kept going he would have turned and moved on, but he keeps seeing movement, brief but there, and then there, and there again. He doesn't like this game. Tyr eventually finds his voice, at first just a low warning rumble; either come out or go away, they are in no mood to play with a stranger.
Anu's body only gets more and more tense as she senses the creature darting around them. It's too fast to be a bear, and there's some relief in that, but the wolf is not letting her guard down for an instant. Her growl joins Tyr's and she scans their surroundings with calculating eyes. Another rustle here- then there! She finds herself hoping it's nothing but a cowardly fox. Oh, she'd love to teach a fox a lesson for getting them this worked up. Finally, she sees something rustle just to her left, just a few feet away from Tyr.
Tyr turns, his head low as he swings it around to his left and his growl is fiercely-- cut off. Half way into what might have been menacing, even authoritative, Tyr is cut off in surprise. It is another wolf, unfamiliar and lacking a pack behind her. No one ever taught him that it wasn't polite to stare, but he can't help it. The stranger looks at them both, muddied and dripping wet, with a mixture of timidity and dominance as if she can't quite decide how to act around these strangers. Her pelt is like the sun, or the color of wheat it October, dappled with darks and lights that the male finds simply astonishing. He opens his muzzle to address her and finds himself gaping, then to his sister. For the first time in a long time, Tyr is speechless.
Anu is not speechless. She's not in awe, she's not impressed by this dripping stranger. "What's your business?" she snaps, her posture still tense. This wolf is clearly not in charge of anything here, or she would not be so timid. If she can't make up her mind, Anu will make it up for her. /Anu/ is the dominant one , here, so this stranger better cooperate. Now.
The Other only sits on her haunches, her eyes going from one to the other briefly before she responds, "I have none." That seems simple enough. Tyr manages to rouse himself a little, pick up his head and snap his jaw shut, though he is hard pressed to take his eyes off her. He does, if only for the shortest of glances to his sister, eyes darkening, and he steps in front of her. It would be easy for this stranger to see their dominance battle. "Wot m'short tempered sister is tryin' t'say," Tyr speaks, "is we don' like much bein' spied on." He lifts his head a little higher, trying to familiarize himself with her scent, but the air carries nothing to his nose though he is certain he never saw her before. "Then you should have paid more attention," is the she wolf's response, followed by a placid blink.
Anu growls. She has no business? Arg, she speaks in riddles, like Tyr. She's no more fond of it coming from this stranger. She's stunned when Tyr places himself between them. What is he--?! She has half a mind to grab his fur in her teeth. For once, she refrains. Instead, she jostles forward, far less than content to hide behind her brother. She's ready to drive this strange female off. "I'll pay plenty of attention when I watch you leave," she barks.
Tyr chuckles, though he is cut off slightly by Anu's untimely butting in. His tail wags. I like her; can we keep her? His eyes seem to glisten that half-challenge as he looks at his sister, casually leaning over and nipping at her shoulder. He would have loved to make that bite more potent. This interrogation won't go very well unless one of them wins their little tiff today and since Anu seems intent on driving her off, Tyr simply strides forward and ignores his sister completely. The Other doesn't seem to flinch away from either sister or brother, looking from one to the other with that strange serenity in her eyes. "Y'don' act like a pack wolf an' y'don' smell like more than one. I ain't smelled pack lands fer sometime now." Here he pauses and shakes out water from his thick coat, flicking his hind legs back at his sister to flick her with droplets for good measure. "Anu don' like y'too much but aside from startlin' my 'eart a few years older I ain't got nothin' against ya'." The golden wolf nods, stands, glancing warily at the other female. "I'll be on my way," she says a little nervously, to which Tyr shrugs and glances over his shoulder. "Now look what y'did, Anu. Y'manners stink."
No, he cannot keep her. The last thing they need is another mouth to worry about feeding and protecting. Two wolves traveling together is one thing. Three is worrisome enough. But four? They will meet serious trouble with the packs when they run into them. She wants to take a chunk out of her brother's shoulder for nipping her like that. "Go on, then!" she shouts, trying to ignore her freshly splashed fur. Her anger is starting to boil, but there will be some satisfaction in seeing this she-wolf driven off. "Manners are for the weak," she snaps, echoing a family motto.
The stranger ignores them, save for one final glance over her shoulder before disappearing into the woods again, and Tyr can't quite tell if she is heading in the direction she came from of continuing on her journey which they interrupted. He seems to have no reaction to Anu's taunting call after the other, but immediately he bristles at her last words. He turns on her with bared teeth and shouts, "THEN GO BACK NORTH!" His words seem to hang in the air, weighted in his anger, and his eyes burn.
Anu flinches at the sudden noise. Her senses were on full alert with the stranger, and Tyr just flooded them. She snarls at her brother, issuing a rumbling challenge before she snaps, "What's your problem? You want another mouth to look after? Are you trying to piece a pack together? Do you even /have/ a plan, or are you too busy staring with your mouth hanging open?" The she-wolf is ready to fight-- almost eager for it. She hates Tyr. Hates him. Hates him and his stupid riddle-talk and his stupid affection for a wolf they don't even know. Stupid Tyr.
"Wot business is it of yours?" Tyr bites back, furious. "Do y'live now just t'follow me around? t'fight wit'me? Rot yer teeth, Anu, and go back t'die in the snow!" His muscles bunch, but instead of lunging at her he puts on a burst of speed and with all he can muster, flees. He just runs. Away from Anu. Away from the river. Away from the golden stranger. He doesn't care anymore. He'll run himself dead for all that it matters. Stupid Anu.
Anu's reply is cut short by his retreat. She won't follow him, not now. If he wanted to talk, he would have spoken. If he wanted to fight, he would have attacked. No, Tyr wants to run, and his sister is in absolutely no mood to give chase. It's much too hot. They'll cross paths later. It doesn't matter if they fight or talk, then- either way, something will be resolved. She pauses a moment, making sure he's really gone. Then she pads along the stream, keeping her paws cool as she makes a retreat of her own.
Tyr, male wolf
Anu, female wolf
--
The heat at the end of the summer was oppressive and it wasn't something that he was used to at all. The unending cold he could tolerate but the sticky, heavy heat that clung to his fur was unbearable. He sought what little relief he could find under a large and spreading oak, but even here the ground under his paws felt damp and the trunk seemed to radiate that same sickly heat. The wind did him no good, either. The boughs seemed to sag with the weight of the unmovable air. Tyr snorted -- and that's almost all the effort that his body would give. His eyes trailed lazily up into the leaves and with a squint he watched a silkworm dangle on an invisible thread, suspended in the air as it dropped down, down, down. Feh. He could feel his temper begin to seethe underneath his coat and that made him even more uncomfortable. The dark wolf fidgeted, stood, shook himself, and canted his ears forward to try and catch a hint of running water.
Anu is being smothered by the heat. It's making her much surlier than usual, and she makes sure to snap crankily at the birds that have the strength to sing. What are they so bloody cheery about, anyway? Ugh. One paw in front of the other. March march march. She craves the snow that nearly killed them months ago. The wolf sighs, feeling the warm air of her breath scrape through her dry mouth. She grimaces. At last she finds a nice, shady collection of trees. Finally! Some peace and qui-- oh. Tyr's already here. Her expression automatically molds into the one uniquely designed for her brother. Part distaste, part disinterest. She groggily pads over to the dark wolf, hoping that she'll better if she gives him a shove. Maybe the movement will create a breeze. Her heart lifts just thinking about the possibility of a breeze.
That... is not the sound of a river. It is a lazy stride fit for the lazy weather. They are well out of any pack territory and he has three distinct options: his brother, his sister, or a stranger. A stranger would be much more cautious and would have announced their presence, most likely. If they meant him harm he should've felt that. His brother would have had less of a sure stride and so the only possible solution is -- Tyr is highly displeased at their contact. His sister's shove elicits a very dark stare and a cough of annoyance. The grimace on his face proves how the air between them seemed to grow even more oppressive in that moment. As Anu passes by, he snaps half-halfheartedly at her hindquarters. Thanks. He is not in the mood to give chase, either. He trots a few paces away, resuming his quiet stance in a desperate search for a lake to jump in -- or to push his sister into -- and without the energy to muster the effort to even think about going and looking for it, plunks on to his hindquarters. "S'hot."
She was right! She does feel better. Anu disregards the tension between them, too busy relishing the small happiness she gets from roughing up her brother. She scoots out of the clutches of his jaws almost without thinking. The she-wolf copies her brother, taking a well-deserved rest in the shade. It's....tolerable. Giving her fur a shake, she tries to force the oppressive heat out of her follicles. No luck. As her brother speaks, she barely has the energy to roll her eyes. "Brilliant deduction. How long did it take you to figure that one out? Better be careful, or you'll overheat that brain of yours," she sneers. She's kidding, for the most part. Teasing! Sort of. The whole concept is still a little foreign to her. This might be why she has not indicated, with her voice or her body language that she means anything in jest. But she knows she's just joking around, in her own way! That's enough, isn't it?
If looks could only kill. Slowly Tyr turns his head to eye his sister, and she might learn just then what a mouse might feel like as it stared into the eyes of a cobra. But there is a distinct glimmer in his eyes that might be reflecting her jest but he turns away from her before either of them can linger too long on whether or not he was kidding. He rubs his muzzle against his foreleg, chews his paw, then looks blankly through the forest. "Wot d'you suggest, then, genius sister-mine?" he responds with a sigh, his voice lacking any sort of conviction though he does edge a little bit of bite into it, "Shake yer tail 'round an' see if rain comes crashin' down, ay?" Put that fat to good use stays unsaid, but the wide grin spreading across his muzzle indicates his private joke.
Anu watches Tyr right back. Guess /someone/ can't take a joke. Hmph. She blinks slowly in the heat as the dark wolf grooms himself. Before she can suggest any of her excellent plans for cooling off, she snaps her jaws at her brother. A warning. Ha ha. Very funny. She'll see if he's still laughing when his skin is between her teeth. Stretching sluggishly, she shrugs. "My plan was to relax in the shade," she says flatly, "but you quickly put an end to that." Frowning, the she-wolf's ears swivel this way and that. Hmmm. Nothing interesting about. It's too hot to catch anything, anyway. Too hot to be hungry. Too hot to put up with Tyr. Anu snorts. "Now I think my best bet is to find a shallow pond to drown you in. I think there's a stream that way that might do the trick-" she gestures with her muzzle. "Then again, this heat may have dried it up by now." Her optimism never fails.
"Not enough shade f'yer hide t'hide under," Tyr quips, snorting at the continuation of his previously silent jest. Not that Anu's much bigger than he is, but at least it's something he can throw at her that doesn't involve his teeth around her neck -- though there's a thought. Her mention of a water source, just what he was looking for, has him up on his paws and trotting swiftly in that general direction, his head up, eyes alert, and ears erect. He doesn't care at this point if it's reduced to a muddy slop, he'll take it. Anu can rot in the shade for all he cares, his bearing and his lack of any glances back proof the sentiment.
Anu barks angrily in protest, and she opens her mouth to give him a piece of her mind-- but....it's too hot. She knows there will be another fight on a cooler day. She'll get him then. She's quick to charge after the other wolf, and even quicker to laugh derisively. "Look at you, fearless leader! You don't even know where you're going!" It seems she will not be rotting anywhere just yet. The she-wolf drags together enough energy for a slight burst of speed, trying to put herself ahead of her brother. She knows the way! "I'm going to get there first!" she taunts, forcing her heavy paws to go even just a little faster.
"Fine, then y'can die of thirst first an' leave the rest t'me." Tyr shrugs, a difficult motion while walking, but with a flick of his head feigns disinterest. But he does alter his course, slightly, trusting Anu only marginally to lead them in the right direction. She could be leading him straight off a cliff for all he knows. Wouldn't that be something? Tyr wonders as his pace eases a little, how long it would take a wolf to learn to fly before he hit the ground? Not soon enough. It causes him to chuckle, his sour mood seemingly gone though with his sister present that could change in an instant. He barks gruffly and bounds closer, his gait still lazy in the heat, snap-snap-snapping at her tail in play. Play, right? Sure.
Anu lopes easily now, finding a rhythm is the awful heat. She just as easily ignores her brother's comment. If they got all offended every time one threatened the other, they'd never get anything done. The wolf weaves through trees and around prickly bushes, keeping track of their surroundings. Yes, they're going the right way. The sound of sloshing water is almost so distracting that she doesn't notice Tyr's teeth until the last second. Flicking the limb out of reach, she attempts to swat him with it in the next instant- but there's no way she can accurately judge his position without looking behind her, and she doesn't want to waste the effort. It only takes a moment more, and she's bursting forward. The final push for the last leg of the race. The air is thick with warmth, and it tries to drag her down. The work is well worth it, though, as she leaps over the miniscule bank and lands neatly in the stream. The she-wolf relishes the small splashes that reach her sides. It's only a few inches deep, and there's barely any current to speak of. The water cuts a fairly wide path. Two wolves cold comfortably stand in it, if they wished, and if those two wolves didn't happen to be the epitome of sibling rivals.
Wisps of fur scrape through his teeth and Tyr makes a note to pull out a chuck of that fur while she's sleeping; that'll teach her. He matches Anu's push to the end, like the final burst of adrenaline before the end of the hunt, and neatly splashes into the stream moments after she does. He keeps going, though, seeming intent on taking his sister into the tiny river and its muddied bottom with him. A noise rises up into the air, and were he not her brother, another wolf might mistake it for a challenge; but it is a playful, if somewhat insistent noise, and the long limbed Tyr grapples with Anu in the shallowest of shallows.
Anu snaps at him, trying to catch his forelegs in her teeth. It's not malicious, really- she's not trying to break bones here. Just trying to deter him from all this wrestling nonsense. The stream is shallow, but it makes for slippery footing. She wobbles as she defends herself. "Tyr!" the wolf barks, trying to dissuade him with words /and/ actions. This is ridiculous. The female attempts to slam her head solidly into the dark wolf's chest- that will teach him!
"Ah-- ow! 'ey!" Tyr stops his assault with a final shove, sucking in the heavy air with great relish, as if it didn't hold enough oxygen in it. He throws her an injured look before sniffing derisively and moving off, chomping at the shallow water a few times before settling to lap greedily at the surface. He watches the broken reflection of his eyes move across the stream's stones, then seems to practically fall into the water, stomach first, rolling around like a pup in his first snow. He barks excitedly, a high sound, and lolls his tongue involuntarily. He can't help it. Refreshing!
Anu romps after her brother, intent on dousing him with lukewarm water as punishment for his crime. He's such a child. If he's so set on acting this way, she might as well treat him like one. The moon knows she hasn't gotten anywhere treating him like an adult. The female bats water toward him with her forepaws and muzzle, kicking up tiny waves to cover him in. She did say she was going to drown him, after all.
Tyr rolls around in the shallows, perfectly content to be a fool; after all, if the world doesn't expect much from him, what a surprise he can have in store. It's almost the perfect cover. Almost. He's gotten used to have been treated like a fool, though in the north it both succeeded and backfired for him at the same time. The nearly black wolf chomps at the tiny sprays of water that come his way, and quickly he rolls to his feet and bows low, tail waving high in the air as he lunges at Anu. His 'play' growl is deep but when he slams his paws down in the trickle of water to try and tag his sister with it, he laughs loudly.
Anu makes a show of rolling her eyes as he bows. It's like he's never played in water before. Sigh. Well, she hasn't played in water, really. Their childhood was not very focused on play, so much as winning. Ah well. Her musings are very wetly interrupted. "Tyr!!" she splutters, using a foreleg to clear the soggy fur away from her eyes. She growls in return, now, rushing back to him with as much aquatic retaliation as she can stir up.
His laughter seems harsh, but it's real. Having goaded her into it, for it really never takes that much, Tyr resumes his wrestling match, adding the much needed water to his arsenal of weapons. He bounds closer then retreats back, lifting his paws and splashing them down heavily, swishing this way and that way, trying to avoid Anu's splashes though he stirs up even more in his attempts to keep out of her reach. The game doesn't last too long, though, for the air and its thickness is too much on the lungs, and eventually Tyr is left panting with his muzzle nearly planted in the water, lazily licking up droplets between gulps of air.
Anu hates to admit it, but trying to teach Tyr a lesson is tiring work. She's fairly drenched now, and sits heavily in the water, quickly lapping up the thick air. At least it feels less hot now. "You're impossible," she pants. "You're a child." This is thrown at him in an accusatory tone-- clearly being childish is an unforgivable fault. Nng. If only it wasn't so hard to breathe.
"Aye, that--" And that's as far as he gets. From behind him, a flock of birds rushes up from the trees, issuing startling cries and the flutter of their wings suddenly sets the male on edge. Dripping with water and mud, he whirls, taking one backward step to place Anu at his right shoulder. They're close, almost touching, and though he might look like the pup his sister accuses him of being, whoever it is stirring up the woods behind them may find out how wrong that perception is. He doesn't say anything to the wolf at his side, only leans his shoulder against hers slightly, and points with his nose. She obviously saw and heard it, he doesn't have to ask the question, but he waits there and watches, unwilling to move until he knows more about what's going on.
Anu is on her feet instantly. Her fur would be on edge if it wasn't so wet. She doesn't even mind her brother's proximity. Something big just scared all those birds. A bear, maybe? Her keen ears pick up a rustling- the beast, or whatever it is, is coming closer. Maybe it's other wolves. Either way, she doesn't like their chances. They could be outnumbered. Maybe they're closer to a territory than she thought. The idea of running away is almost as loathsome as defeat. She shifts her weight uneasily, trying to get a reading on what is advancing on them.
Tyr cocks his head, a motion that's almost unnoticeable, trying to pinpoint-- He snaps his head to the right a little, Anu's muzzle in the corner of his vision but he is looking at the flash of fur behind the ferns and tree trunks; swift but... hesitant. The wolf blinks, his paws allowing him one step closer and no more. The male lifts his head, nose straining to pick up a scent in the thick and motionless air, his eyes trying to keep tabs on the creature that refuses to show itself. If it had just kept going he would have turned and moved on, but he keeps seeing movement, brief but there, and then there, and there again. He doesn't like this game. Tyr eventually finds his voice, at first just a low warning rumble; either come out or go away, they are in no mood to play with a stranger.
Anu's body only gets more and more tense as she senses the creature darting around them. It's too fast to be a bear, and there's some relief in that, but the wolf is not letting her guard down for an instant. Her growl joins Tyr's and she scans their surroundings with calculating eyes. Another rustle here- then there! She finds herself hoping it's nothing but a cowardly fox. Oh, she'd love to teach a fox a lesson for getting them this worked up. Finally, she sees something rustle just to her left, just a few feet away from Tyr.
Tyr turns, his head low as he swings it around to his left and his growl is fiercely-- cut off. Half way into what might have been menacing, even authoritative, Tyr is cut off in surprise. It is another wolf, unfamiliar and lacking a pack behind her. No one ever taught him that it wasn't polite to stare, but he can't help it. The stranger looks at them both, muddied and dripping wet, with a mixture of timidity and dominance as if she can't quite decide how to act around these strangers. Her pelt is like the sun, or the color of wheat it October, dappled with darks and lights that the male finds simply astonishing. He opens his muzzle to address her and finds himself gaping, then to his sister. For the first time in a long time, Tyr is speechless.
Anu is not speechless. She's not in awe, she's not impressed by this dripping stranger. "What's your business?" she snaps, her posture still tense. This wolf is clearly not in charge of anything here, or she would not be so timid. If she can't make up her mind, Anu will make it up for her. /Anu/ is the dominant one , here, so this stranger better cooperate. Now.
The Other only sits on her haunches, her eyes going from one to the other briefly before she responds, "I have none." That seems simple enough. Tyr manages to rouse himself a little, pick up his head and snap his jaw shut, though he is hard pressed to take his eyes off her. He does, if only for the shortest of glances to his sister, eyes darkening, and he steps in front of her. It would be easy for this stranger to see their dominance battle. "Wot m'short tempered sister is tryin' t'say," Tyr speaks, "is we don' like much bein' spied on." He lifts his head a little higher, trying to familiarize himself with her scent, but the air carries nothing to his nose though he is certain he never saw her before. "Then you should have paid more attention," is the she wolf's response, followed by a placid blink.
Anu growls. She has no business? Arg, she speaks in riddles, like Tyr. She's no more fond of it coming from this stranger. She's stunned when Tyr places himself between them. What is he--?! She has half a mind to grab his fur in her teeth. For once, she refrains. Instead, she jostles forward, far less than content to hide behind her brother. She's ready to drive this strange female off. "I'll pay plenty of attention when I watch you leave," she barks.
Tyr chuckles, though he is cut off slightly by Anu's untimely butting in. His tail wags. I like her; can we keep her? His eyes seem to glisten that half-challenge as he looks at his sister, casually leaning over and nipping at her shoulder. He would have loved to make that bite more potent. This interrogation won't go very well unless one of them wins their little tiff today and since Anu seems intent on driving her off, Tyr simply strides forward and ignores his sister completely. The Other doesn't seem to flinch away from either sister or brother, looking from one to the other with that strange serenity in her eyes. "Y'don' act like a pack wolf an' y'don' smell like more than one. I ain't smelled pack lands fer sometime now." Here he pauses and shakes out water from his thick coat, flicking his hind legs back at his sister to flick her with droplets for good measure. "Anu don' like y'too much but aside from startlin' my 'eart a few years older I ain't got nothin' against ya'." The golden wolf nods, stands, glancing warily at the other female. "I'll be on my way," she says a little nervously, to which Tyr shrugs and glances over his shoulder. "Now look what y'did, Anu. Y'manners stink."
No, he cannot keep her. The last thing they need is another mouth to worry about feeding and protecting. Two wolves traveling together is one thing. Three is worrisome enough. But four? They will meet serious trouble with the packs when they run into them. She wants to take a chunk out of her brother's shoulder for nipping her like that. "Go on, then!" she shouts, trying to ignore her freshly splashed fur. Her anger is starting to boil, but there will be some satisfaction in seeing this she-wolf driven off. "Manners are for the weak," she snaps, echoing a family motto.
The stranger ignores them, save for one final glance over her shoulder before disappearing into the woods again, and Tyr can't quite tell if she is heading in the direction she came from of continuing on her journey which they interrupted. He seems to have no reaction to Anu's taunting call after the other, but immediately he bristles at her last words. He turns on her with bared teeth and shouts, "THEN GO BACK NORTH!" His words seem to hang in the air, weighted in his anger, and his eyes burn.
Anu flinches at the sudden noise. Her senses were on full alert with the stranger, and Tyr just flooded them. She snarls at her brother, issuing a rumbling challenge before she snaps, "What's your problem? You want another mouth to look after? Are you trying to piece a pack together? Do you even /have/ a plan, or are you too busy staring with your mouth hanging open?" The she-wolf is ready to fight-- almost eager for it. She hates Tyr. Hates him. Hates him and his stupid riddle-talk and his stupid affection for a wolf they don't even know. Stupid Tyr.
"Wot business is it of yours?" Tyr bites back, furious. "Do y'live now just t'follow me around? t'fight wit'me? Rot yer teeth, Anu, and go back t'die in the snow!" His muscles bunch, but instead of lunging at her he puts on a burst of speed and with all he can muster, flees. He just runs. Away from Anu. Away from the river. Away from the golden stranger. He doesn't care anymore. He'll run himself dead for all that it matters. Stupid Anu.
Anu's reply is cut short by his retreat. She won't follow him, not now. If he wanted to talk, he would have spoken. If he wanted to fight, he would have attacked. No, Tyr wants to run, and his sister is in absolutely no mood to give chase. It's much too hot. They'll cross paths later. It doesn't matter if they fight or talk, then- either way, something will be resolved. She pauses a moment, making sure he's really gone. Then she pads along the stream, keeping her paws cool as she makes a retreat of her own.