Post by Curiosity on Apr 30, 2009 16:43:11 GMT -5
Characters Involved:
Haze, male wolf, alpha
Cyrus, male wolf, beta
Eclipse, female wolfdog, beta
=== Isolated Oasis ===
The worst of the winter is nearly over now, and it won't be long until the lushness of spring returns again. Fortunately for the Lazuli, hiding out in the lowlands over the season has meant more moderate weather than they might have experienced further north in their old home, with very little snow sticking to the sandy ground and prey still relatively plentiful in the area. But Haze is growing restless, the brindle-furred male accustomed to a life of wanderlust and adventure, and he decides it's high time that he and the beta pair make their visit to the Amaranth. Not only should they be aware of the nature of their temporary neighbors, but perhaps the feline tribe can help them understand what - and who - happened to Felstride. Slipping out of the den after bidding a farewell to his mate and cubs, the new Lazuli alpha tips his muzzle back into a howl, calling the betas to his side.
At the Isolated Oasis, Haze howls.
Eclipse is making her way towards the Oasis when the howl catches her attention, head lifting and ears perking forward she sniffs a moment before she moves towards the call. Her bright gaze soon spots Haze and she moves onwards towards where he is offering a smile and nod to the wolf. "Afternoon Haze." Is offered once closer to the other, tail lashing a few times while she drops down to her haunches.
While they others may be semi-relaxed, Cyrus was nothing but a bottle of tension as he approaches the Oasis to Haze's beckoning call. His ears twitch and the ashen male slides up beside his mate, nuzzling Eclipses cheekfur happily as he does so. Blue eyes flit to the alpha and Cyrus dips his head respectfuly, "Well.. let's get this over with." He'll be fine, hopefully, once they get moving. Though the anticipation and the thought of coming face to face, possibly, with his fathers murders is abit unnerving.
Haze's maw pulls back in a genial smile when Eclipse meanders over, turning to Cyrus with a solemn nod. He understands the other's ambivalence about the idea, the dark wolf's behavior conveying it clearly, but he hopes that confronting the matter head-on may serve to relieve some of that tension. "We'll head directly for the mountainside, and rest nearby overnight. Then we can work on scouting out the leader of the cougars there and hopefully get some of the answers we're searching for." He starts to turn towards the northwest, then pauses, turning back toward the other two. "And let's be careful. It goes without saying, but even so, we can't be too cautious here." Haze certainly doesn't want the blood of a beta on his paws. With that said, the brindled wolf sets off on the beginning of the trio's journey to the mountains.
=== Cactus Patch ===
Eclipse smiles to Cyrus and leans closer to nuzzle him back before she nods and starts to follow after Haze once she is back to her paws. "Do you think they will be willing to speak with us?" She questions after listening to the alpha, her ears perking forward as her maw twitches. The thought of actually going to /meet/ cougars bothers her to some degree. What if they run into that pair which chased her some time ago?
Cyrus would give his life before he let anything or anyone hurt his love; or his alpha. He follows quickly after Haze as he sets out, ears turned towards Eclipse as she speaks. His head is level with his shoulders, tail twitching slightly as they move. "There's no telling.. hopefully seeing as how we've got a purpose to come meet with their leader, we aren't just rogues."
Haze glances back at the question, considering it briefly. When Cyrus responds first, he nods in agreement. "I'm sure they will, for that very reason...we'll just have to be careful that we don't trespass too far in to their territory before they notice us." Can't be too careful when it comes to such massive predators, even with the three of them. "My mom met some cougars from the mountain tribe once. Have either of you been up there before?"
Eclipse hums faintly and nods as she listens, a glance offered to Cyrus and then she looks back to Haze. "I've never been that far in the mountains, I went to the edge and then would always go back to the lowlands." She likes staying around places she knew when she was by herself.
Cyrus shakes his head in turn, "In my travels I avoided their lands. I went along the mountains but farther away from where the cougars call it home." He lets his gaze travel side to side and all around him as they move, tail twitching from side to side. "What if these cougars can't help us? What if it wasn't them.." he questions.
Haze looks from the wolf-hybrid to her mate as they speak in turn, nodding to himself as he listens. He ponders on this last question from the beta male for a moment, then responds: "Well, even if they weren't responsible, maybe they know something we don't. I'm sure they don't know -every- cougar that lives around here, but it's very possible that they've heard of any particularly trouble-making ones. Maybe they can point us in the right direction." He does hope that it's someone independent of the tribe, if for no other reason than taking down one cougar would be a lot easier for their pack than going up against a whole army.
=== Sweeping Steppe ===
Eclipse is quiet for a few moments while nodding, her ears lowering slightly while her maw twitches. "If its the two that came after me I'm sure they should have heard or at least seen them.. They seemed rather full of themselves to say the least." She recalls that evening rather well.
Cyrus frowns as they travel, gently brushing Eclipse shoulder, "I won't let them hurt you whether its them or not.." He glances at her, wishing that she would have stayed behind mainly because he worried about her safety. Cyrus moves forwards once more, sniffing the area as they go and ears alertly pressed forwards.
Haze's ears tip forward at Eclipse's description of the cougars she encountered, brow furrowing briefly in thought. His concentration is broken by Cyrus' murmured promise, however, the corners of his maw turning up in a subtle smile despite the solemn situation. Having been fortunate enough to experience it first-hand himself, he knows love when he sees it. And he knows that the wolf-dog's safety is just as much his priority as alpha as it is Cyrus's as both a beta and a mate. Treading onward, he glances back between his traveling companions. "Not much further now," he announces, gesturing with a swing of his head over towards the looming cliffs.
=== Rolling Foothills ===
Eclipse looks to Cyrus and offers him a soft smile before nosing at his cheek. "I'll be fine.. I out ran them the last time after all." She murmurs softly to him. Though she knows Cyrus would do what ever he could to protect her, even if it was some stupid move. Hes crazy like that after all. Her gaze drifts back to the area as the move onwards towards the mountains, something she hasn't been close to since becoming part of the pack.
As they approach the slope that leads up to the top of the mountain, Haze slows to a stop, glancing and sniffing around for any sights or smells that would be worth noting before turning back to the beta pair. "The scent of cougars isn't very strong here...I think we'll be okay to stay here for the night." It doesn't seem to be anyone's marked territory, at least.
Eclipse glances after Cyrus as he moves off to check a few places and she nods to Haze. "Alright, sound like a good idea." Her gaze drifts around the area before she turns to move a bit further into the trees. "I'm going to check over here to make sure its all alright." She doesn't want anyone to sneak up on them from another angle after all.
"Just be careful," Haze offers as another cautious warning, even though he knows the betas are quite capable of taking care of themselves. He settles down onto his side, laying his head down on his paws as he falls into contemplation. The Viridian-born male can't help being so anxious about the situation -- this is his first chance to prove himself as a competent alpha, and he doesn't want anything to go wrong. In the meantime, though, there's nothing else he can do but wait.
Haze, male wolf, alpha
Cyrus, male wolf, beta
Eclipse, female wolfdog, beta
=== Isolated Oasis ===
The worst of the winter is nearly over now, and it won't be long until the lushness of spring returns again. Fortunately for the Lazuli, hiding out in the lowlands over the season has meant more moderate weather than they might have experienced further north in their old home, with very little snow sticking to the sandy ground and prey still relatively plentiful in the area. But Haze is growing restless, the brindle-furred male accustomed to a life of wanderlust and adventure, and he decides it's high time that he and the beta pair make their visit to the Amaranth. Not only should they be aware of the nature of their temporary neighbors, but perhaps the feline tribe can help them understand what - and who - happened to Felstride. Slipping out of the den after bidding a farewell to his mate and cubs, the new Lazuli alpha tips his muzzle back into a howl, calling the betas to his side.
At the Isolated Oasis, Haze howls.
Eclipse is making her way towards the Oasis when the howl catches her attention, head lifting and ears perking forward she sniffs a moment before she moves towards the call. Her bright gaze soon spots Haze and she moves onwards towards where he is offering a smile and nod to the wolf. "Afternoon Haze." Is offered once closer to the other, tail lashing a few times while she drops down to her haunches.
While they others may be semi-relaxed, Cyrus was nothing but a bottle of tension as he approaches the Oasis to Haze's beckoning call. His ears twitch and the ashen male slides up beside his mate, nuzzling Eclipses cheekfur happily as he does so. Blue eyes flit to the alpha and Cyrus dips his head respectfuly, "Well.. let's get this over with." He'll be fine, hopefully, once they get moving. Though the anticipation and the thought of coming face to face, possibly, with his fathers murders is abit unnerving.
Haze's maw pulls back in a genial smile when Eclipse meanders over, turning to Cyrus with a solemn nod. He understands the other's ambivalence about the idea, the dark wolf's behavior conveying it clearly, but he hopes that confronting the matter head-on may serve to relieve some of that tension. "We'll head directly for the mountainside, and rest nearby overnight. Then we can work on scouting out the leader of the cougars there and hopefully get some of the answers we're searching for." He starts to turn towards the northwest, then pauses, turning back toward the other two. "And let's be careful. It goes without saying, but even so, we can't be too cautious here." Haze certainly doesn't want the blood of a beta on his paws. With that said, the brindled wolf sets off on the beginning of the trio's journey to the mountains.
=== Cactus Patch ===
Eclipse smiles to Cyrus and leans closer to nuzzle him back before she nods and starts to follow after Haze once she is back to her paws. "Do you think they will be willing to speak with us?" She questions after listening to the alpha, her ears perking forward as her maw twitches. The thought of actually going to /meet/ cougars bothers her to some degree. What if they run into that pair which chased her some time ago?
Cyrus would give his life before he let anything or anyone hurt his love; or his alpha. He follows quickly after Haze as he sets out, ears turned towards Eclipse as she speaks. His head is level with his shoulders, tail twitching slightly as they move. "There's no telling.. hopefully seeing as how we've got a purpose to come meet with their leader, we aren't just rogues."
Haze glances back at the question, considering it briefly. When Cyrus responds first, he nods in agreement. "I'm sure they will, for that very reason...we'll just have to be careful that we don't trespass too far in to their territory before they notice us." Can't be too careful when it comes to such massive predators, even with the three of them. "My mom met some cougars from the mountain tribe once. Have either of you been up there before?"
Eclipse hums faintly and nods as she listens, a glance offered to Cyrus and then she looks back to Haze. "I've never been that far in the mountains, I went to the edge and then would always go back to the lowlands." She likes staying around places she knew when she was by herself.
Cyrus shakes his head in turn, "In my travels I avoided their lands. I went along the mountains but farther away from where the cougars call it home." He lets his gaze travel side to side and all around him as they move, tail twitching from side to side. "What if these cougars can't help us? What if it wasn't them.." he questions.
Haze looks from the wolf-hybrid to her mate as they speak in turn, nodding to himself as he listens. He ponders on this last question from the beta male for a moment, then responds: "Well, even if they weren't responsible, maybe they know something we don't. I'm sure they don't know -every- cougar that lives around here, but it's very possible that they've heard of any particularly trouble-making ones. Maybe they can point us in the right direction." He does hope that it's someone independent of the tribe, if for no other reason than taking down one cougar would be a lot easier for their pack than going up against a whole army.
=== Sweeping Steppe ===
Eclipse is quiet for a few moments while nodding, her ears lowering slightly while her maw twitches. "If its the two that came after me I'm sure they should have heard or at least seen them.. They seemed rather full of themselves to say the least." She recalls that evening rather well.
Cyrus frowns as they travel, gently brushing Eclipse shoulder, "I won't let them hurt you whether its them or not.." He glances at her, wishing that she would have stayed behind mainly because he worried about her safety. Cyrus moves forwards once more, sniffing the area as they go and ears alertly pressed forwards.
Haze's ears tip forward at Eclipse's description of the cougars she encountered, brow furrowing briefly in thought. His concentration is broken by Cyrus' murmured promise, however, the corners of his maw turning up in a subtle smile despite the solemn situation. Having been fortunate enough to experience it first-hand himself, he knows love when he sees it. And he knows that the wolf-dog's safety is just as much his priority as alpha as it is Cyrus's as both a beta and a mate. Treading onward, he glances back between his traveling companions. "Not much further now," he announces, gesturing with a swing of his head over towards the looming cliffs.
=== Rolling Foothills ===
Eclipse looks to Cyrus and offers him a soft smile before nosing at his cheek. "I'll be fine.. I out ran them the last time after all." She murmurs softly to him. Though she knows Cyrus would do what ever he could to protect her, even if it was some stupid move. Hes crazy like that after all. Her gaze drifts back to the area as the move onwards towards the mountains, something she hasn't been close to since becoming part of the pack.
As they approach the slope that leads up to the top of the mountain, Haze slows to a stop, glancing and sniffing around for any sights or smells that would be worth noting before turning back to the beta pair. "The scent of cougars isn't very strong here...I think we'll be okay to stay here for the night." It doesn't seem to be anyone's marked territory, at least.
Eclipse glances after Cyrus as he moves off to check a few places and she nods to Haze. "Alright, sound like a good idea." Her gaze drifts around the area before she turns to move a bit further into the trees. "I'm going to check over here to make sure its all alright." She doesn't want anyone to sneak up on them from another angle after all.
"Just be careful," Haze offers as another cautious warning, even though he knows the betas are quite capable of taking care of themselves. He settles down onto his side, laying his head down on his paws as he falls into contemplation. The Viridian-born male can't help being so anxious about the situation -- this is his first chance to prove himself as a competent alpha, and he doesn't want anything to go wrong. In the meantime, though, there's nothing else he can do but wait.