Over the Hills and Far Away [[ open ]]

[ather]

Through the passing leading into the mountains the air was cold enough to break stone. Strong enough to persuade even the most strongest wolf to have second thoughts. The sun was masked behind a wall of clouds, no longer shedding panes of light down onto the snow. The wind sheer began to pick up and it was coming down hard as if some creature, some great beast had rested it's self on top of the mountains and was blowing it's breath down onto the passing. It continued to come down hard as Ather stepped foot onto the rock landscape where the jagged edges of earth poked out of it like a reptiles spine, snaking back and forth in the water. The weather here seemed to be dead, save for the brief sunny periods when the snow melted and turned to water, paving the way for grass to raise. But Ather, he looked as if he was apart of the Columbia Mountains. This was after all a second home to him, for he had been born on a mountain when he was a pup. Old order, old protocols that he still followed, some natural instinct that brought him to these places where maybe the ghosts of his parents roamed.

Ather could see his breath in the cold, as if he burned some inner fire. The wind halted his expedition through the mountains and he remained hunkered down by a clump of rock. Stuck in between a rocky mountain pass the he could not hear his heart beating. What a fool. I'll die here if it get's any colder. The sound of the wind grew louder and Ather curled himself into a ball. He felt childish and urine began to spill out onto the snow when the wind screamed between the cracks in the rocks. The wind frightened him, hopefully the snow would cover the urine and the wind would blow away the scent of his embarrassment. The wind trailed off like a whisper and then died. Silence. Nothing. Ather shook the snow off him and had to climb out of a foot of snow or two. He was breathing quite heavy and his ears perked up, noticing the eerie silence that followed the storm. Ather looked all white in the snow, one could not see the touches of gray on his dense coat. He gathered himself together and began to ascend deeper, up into the mountains while hoping to find some rocky cliff for him to over see a lake.

There were many rocky alleys leading to dark corners of earth and stone, not many of them held much light save for the faint glow coming from the snow produced from the sun. It was now beating on Ather's back while moved silently through the snow, loping and twisting, almost dancing to get through the snow. Surely there would be a nice cliff for him to perch himself on, to howl and attract another. Perhaps a fae, that was the main reason he was here. It was a hopeless act, what kind of fae would risk death just to see a pretty little lack surrounded by timber It was a daunting task, nonetheless and surely Ather would attract someone with his howl. That is, if he made it to this cliff. By now his muscles began to tire some, and a dull ache began to form in his shoulder blades. Ather stopped to shake his head back and forth, as if to disagree with a thought and then looked up at the mountain. He wouldn't go that far. That was suicide. He hadn't come quite prepared for that journey yet, perhaps a few years down the road he would try to go up there. But for now, he had looked to his right to see light coming from a rocky pass. He followed this light the sun produced and hoped of seeing a rocky cliff side.

It smelled of earth and minerals, like fresh spring water. The wind was coming off the lake and Ather shivered slightly in the comfort of the aroma. It was certainly fitting and it made him stop for a moment to take the smell in. The walls of the rock pasage formed like an animal's rib cage. The rock had been beaten on by age and the hard wind. Oh, how he loved the rocks, the earth, that fresh smell. He only hoped that there was someone, some fae out here that had the same love for the lands as he did. Ather made his way to the cliff and it seemed like it was apart of a theater, like one of those reserved booths on the side of the theater. He perched himself dangerously on the edge of the rocky cliff and closed his eyes for a moment to take in the faint breeze. It made his fur ruffle and sway back and forth. The calming breeze made him think back to when he was a pup, of when he would stand out in the mountains and let the sun and the wind take him away. He opened his eyes and saw the fresh lake below him, surrounded by tall pines that were touched with summer winds. He did find it a little odd for it be so cold up here in the mountains just to see a summer scene down below.

Ather breathed in deep, and then let out a long, echoing howl that erupted down the mountain pass, and over the hills and far away.

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[nagotia]

((Can Nagotia join?
Re: Sorry for the shorness x.x;))

Nagotia's eyes burned from the stinging wind and her paws hurt from digging through the partially frozen rocky earth. She poked her head out of the shallow den she had made in the mountainside and looked out. The world was white and gray, silent too, though it was so all the time for her. She crawled out of her den onto a narrow ledge and attempted to stretch. The shock of tawny and dark gray fur made it impossible for her to hide in the snow. Joints popped and her fur bristled all over her body. Then she shook, sending snow and dirt everywhere. It had been a miserable day thus far, her only meal had been composed of a couple of Pikas, a tick had latched onto her tail, and to make it all worse it had snowed. She growled in frustration, but then stopped, turning her face back toward the whitened mountainside. The valley below was already growing green again, the late snow quickly melting and feeding a small stream to the lake.

Hoping for game, she started to make her way down into the valley. The cool snow soothed her paws and mouthfulls of it temporarily sated her hunger. She spotted an osprey in one of the pine trees nearby and followed its gaze town toward the valley just before it took flight. Too far Nagotia thought and then padded her way into the corpse of pines nearby and looked all around for movement. Finding nothing, the wolf lowered her head and sniffed at the nearby trees. A small bunch of pine needles quivered and fell on her head. She immediately bristled and growled, hackles raised walking in a slow circle. A squirrel scurried from tree to tree overhead and had disturbed the branch where the needles had fallen from.

Nago sighed and padded after it, wondering what it was rushing so furiously to do. Her ears quivered and she shook her head in an attempt to chase the disturbance away. This they always did every so often either because of fleas or flies and occationally in the presence of a bird. Had she been able to hear she would have heard the howl that rang through the still air, causing the squirrel to stop and tilt its head. Ignoring the vermin, she continued to walk until she reached a downhill slope where a pass led to the valley. She began to trot down, enjoying the steadily warming air, and trying to be careful on the uneven jagged rocks.

Words: 425

[ather]

(( I shall reply soon, at least sometime tonight ))

Ather listened attentively to sounds, ones that were unfamiliar or familiar around these parts. Only the sound of wind blowing through trees, the faint sound of ones paws crunching the snow. These sounds were gone before Ather could identify where exactly it was coming from, these noises. He remained perched on the rocky cliff, enjoying the nice summer view down below. The sun light making the scene look antique, old looking in the dim light coming from the clouds. Ather sighed, a small sound from his lungs that crept out from his maw. The howl had long since gone off, turned away into the direction of the wind. Perhaps whoever was making these noises had heard the howl and stopped to listen, to see where it came from. Ather removed himself from the cliff and turned back into the entrance of the rocky passage.

He came out from the alley of rock into the crossing in between the mountain pass. A valley down below Ather, a gust of wind came up, followed by a whirl of snow that whipped around him. He closed his eyes as the snow beat around him and then fell silent again. It was calming, these mountains. Down below in the timbers where the snow was melting, he could make the dark outlines of a squirrel or perhaps another critters breaking across the ground. It was far down and Ather remained at the entrance of the passing leading to the rocky cliff side. Ather's nose twitched, picking up the squirrels scent and then that of another animal. It seemed small for a wolf, it was hard to tell in the cold winds. Ather's eyes were half closed as he leaned his body forward and sniffed. Inhaling, and exhaling, his chest expanding and coming back down.

The scent was coming down from the passage, at the entrance of the mountain pass. Ather began to descend down the crossing to where he hoped the scent would belong to a fae. It smell like a she-wolf, it was becoming stronger. He lifted his paws gently, struggling in some spots where the snow was thickest. A hawk suddenly flew overhead, turning and lifting away from Ather looking like a phantom. It's belly hidden by the sunlight coming from the clouds. Ather watched as the bird flew away from and then circled overhead. The black shape of the bird turned downward and then came down to the passage made of timbers. It perched itself on a limb and Ather felt like the hawk was watching him this whole time. The wolf's den couldn't be too far, Ather had sensed. He scratched through the snow and found prints in the hard mud, the icy ground where so many tracks before this animal have been. He found several prints of the same size huddled around one area, Ather dug his nose in the snow, loping and twisting a little to get a better map of the prints and where they were. He felt sorry if he had woken this wolf.

Ather waited by the mountain side, towering earth above him, almost blocking the sun itself if it wanted to.

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[nagotia]

Only a few yards from the pass' exit, Nagotia stopped. Her paw pads felt on fire and tiny rocks had lodged themselves between her toes. She sat on a smooth stone, frustrated now and licked at the pads and tried to remove the rocks with her teeth. The snow was becoming an icy mush by then and hurt more than it helped. After a few more minutes she stopped, her shoulders slumped and she settled down where she sat. The valley could wait for the sake of her paws but her stomach rumbled and urged her on. She closed her eyes and sniffed, the corners of her mouth turning up as she opened her maw to pant. Nagotia yawned until her jaw felt ready to pop and shut her mouth with a click. A pebble bounced down the mountainside and landed at her forepaws.

The wolf looked up anxiously and sniffed the air. For a few seconds she could scent nothing and then the wolf-smell hit her like a smack. At the same instant she let out a viscous growl and stood, the pain in her paws forgotten. Her hackles raised and her tail stood rigid. She growled for a minute longer and then sniffed the air again. The smell came softer than before but it was still strong enough to be deciphered. It seemed to be a loner, male, and by far larger than her. Nago churned the information in her mind as she calculated a means of escape. She certainly would not go back up, so that was out. Her gaze drifted over to the trees on the other side of her. They smelled only of squirrel and bird, nothing that might fill her stomach. There didn't seem to be much shelter there either. The only way to go now was down into the valley but again her paws began to thrum with pain.

I shall wait. Nagotia decided with a loud exhalation of air.

The den she'd made for the night seemed far more comfortable than a hard, icy-wet rock. Her head slumped down on her forepaws and she closed her eyes. If that wolf came down she would give him a piece of her mind for trapping her down there. She began to growl softly to herself, turning it into some pitch-less sort of melody. Her fur was soaked and she shivered before opening her eyes to glare back up the mountain. A shadow cast down upon her, leaving her in a sunless patch of ground. This snapped her patience in half. Now she was cold, wet, and the warm sunlight had been taken from her.

Nago stood and growled as loud and deep as she could, sounding ten times her size. Her body shook with the effort and her ears twitched something awful until she finally brought all her anger out. Whoever you are... She started up the mountainside.

words: 485

[ather]

Ather's nose was cold and hardened from the harsh conditions of the mountains, but he had grown a certain tolerance to it and the cold didn't really bother him. He looked around uneasily, rethinking this whole situation who was trying to get others into. He honestly didn't know if any other wolves shared the same desire he had for beautiful sights, viewed from snowy cliffs. Ather shook his head, as if to shake way any bad thoughts and also to shake off the snow that had rested itself on him. He removed himself from the clump of snow that he had nestled in and began to tred down the passing. A drift of wind had come unexpectedly, really, this was common in these mountains. Unexpected shifts of winds, and weather were always constant and many find these sort of things unpleasant. But, at the right places, one can find some nice views from the mountainsides. Ather stopped momentarily and noticed a shard of rock was sticking from his paw. He couldn't feel any pain for his paws were already numb from the cold. He lifted his paw slowly and plucked the small splinter of rock, he was puzzled at how he had caught in his paw. And a small shard of rock, of all things. Dark red blood began to trickle out of his little wound.

Ather was finding a shortness of breath as he tried to go down the passing. He stopped, hoping the wall of snow whirling in front of him would pass. The wind was quite, making eerie sounds as it passed all around Ather and turned the snow out into the sky. It stopped very suddenly, and the snow hung around like fog momentarily. The wind made his fur flap back and forth slightly, his eyes remained closed as it blew into his eyes and then he opened them once the wind stopped. He could see a faint shape of a wolf, coming towards him it looked like through the snow. Ather could defiantly smell her now, she seemed quite young and judging by the sounds of the crunching snow, she seemed to almost be hustling towards Ather. He tensed slightly, unsure of what was about come from that screen of snowflakes. Ather stepped forward into the snow, and then stopped. He sensed a sort of uneasiness about the fae's movement and decided to stop to what would was on her mind.

"Why, hello there." Ather said as the screen of snow dissipated, revealing his white coat of long dense fur. His vocals sounded soft when he addressed the fae, and there was a faint hint of smile on his lips. But it was hard to tell in the snow, for he looked as if he was apart of the snow, as if he was a ghost that inhabited these mountains. What a sorry state she looked to be in, Ather noted her shaggy appearance. What would a fae like you have a den around these parts? She looked to be brimming with anger as her ears twitched and the uneasiness about her body. Her body seemed tense and she appeared to be quite hungry in her small frame. He decided to remain with those three words fr now and to wait for her reply as she seemed awfully angry about something.

word count: 585

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[nagotia]

If she hadn't been so angry Nagotia might have noticed that the wolf's mouth had moved and he was trying to communicate. She might have stopped, sat down, and attempted to tell him that she was tired and hungry or that he had blocked her sunlight. Nago might have acted with calm and reasoning but she was too blindingly angry to think. With hurried steps that hurt her paws even more, she trotted up to the wolf; glaring, growling, and raising her hackles as far up as she could. She paused briefly a moment when she was a couple yards away and shivered. He was white as a spirit, white as the snow. Her good sense told her to turn and flee from the apparation but anger crushed that thought as soon as the fog cleared.

It turned out that this wolf was made of flesh and not snow...or whatever ghosts/spirits were made of. His coat was almost the color of snow but for a trace of darker color here and there that she couldn't concentrate on. He was also quite large and, Nago noted, more than capable of snapping her neck like a rabbit's back. Finally sense and self-preservation overrided her blind fury. Or at least made a try to. She started to incline her head in a show of respect but then caught a whiff of her fur matted and dirty from the icy wet, and got angry all over again. She trotted within a yard of the stranger, snarling again, and pawed at the ground furiously. Nagotia then growled, trotted toward her makeshift den, shook her head, and theen made for the pass before stopping and turning back to glare at the wolf.

She hadn't had to speak this way in over eleven months since she'd left her family but the motions were clear as dew in her mind. Well? She sat before the wolf and glared at him, willing her request to be filled. It was like trying to tell one of her brothers or her father something back in her old home, except that this wolf was even larger than any of them and much more frightening. She fought the urge to lower her ears and crouch on the ground like a coward. Her legs shook from the cold and she was thoroughly soaked now, and might've simply dropped her issue and gone to the valley if it weren't for how much her paws hurt. Nagotia found herself sniffing at the stranger while she sat, he even smelled comfortable in the cold.

words: 444 (Like 666 but worse >>)

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[ather]

((OOC Don't worry about the word count, even though you made a devilish twist to it))

At first Ather was expecting the she-wolf to lunge for his throat, and then after seeing her mad tirade of stomping through the snow, completely ignoring his words made him boil inside. His breath came out as he exhaled, he shook the rest of the snow off his bed to reveal that his coat wasn't completely white, but touched faintly with gray. He noticed how she bowed her head, oddly, in some way of showing respect to him, and then trotted off and stopped in the snow. Well then, that's certainly a way to say hello to someone. If she hadn't growled, Ather probably wouldn't have to clench his teeth to fight the urge of blowing up on her. He wanted to bear his teeth, and hadn't noticed that his claws were digging into the ground. But he kept his teeth from flashing and looked tensed. His eyes narrowed down at her and thought that he looked peaceful when he first encountered her, but to no avail. An odd shape of the clouds above them made from the sun formed, and then slowly it began to slip away into the earth's revolution.

The sound and the fury. Her growls and her hard looks pointed at Ather. Yet, no reply still and this angered Ather even further. Surely, she could see how Ather's face changed now that the sun was on full blast, naked and burning white, the clouds now completely away from it. It felt as if the snow was about the melt, a large glow of light began to come from the snow and Ather's eyes squinted a little. He noticed her weak condition and thought maybe she was dimensionally in this mountainous condition. And then she sat down, very suddenly in front of him. Ather leaned back slightly as she seemed to sniff at him. Hello to you? The hawk that was perched on the tree snapped away from the branch and came flying over head. Screeching as it flew by, breaking the awful silence between the two wolves.

"I'm, Ather." He said, hoping this would at least bring the conversation somewhere. Maybe it would anger her some, though Ather hoped this wouldn't swing this way. Already she had ignored his first few words and then hopped around in the snow and was acting quite odd. The sunlight made it seem less awkward, as it was warming his back and a warm breeze crept out from the valley and whipped around them. It felt good, this breeze, it came from somewhere deep in the pines. Announcing that summer was officially here and was battling with the cold conditions of the mountains. Ather hoped that these winds would bring something good, certainly this wolf wouldn't go as far as ignoring him completely. He shifted his weight uneasily in the snow and waited. The air felt good now that the was out, burning some million miles away. Although it still didn't help remove this tension the she-wolf had placed. Surely, she would have something to say.

word count:524

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[nagotia]

Nagotia saw the hawk but took no more notice after it had taken flight. The male looked after it for a small moment and she saw his ears swivel toward the bird before turning forward again. She sighed at the twitching of her own. How senseless to have something that was of no use to her. The wolf's mouth moved and she tried to concentrate on the shapes it made. A warm breeze made her squint but was welcomed. A few droplets of water trickled down her face and dripped off her muzzle. Tawny fur swayed with the breeze, letting a bit of the warmth through to her fur. Nago's mood had lightened. The wolf's mouth movement was quick but she could make out some letters. An 'I' then something strange, pause, then 'A', 'T', something strange, 'E', and 'R'. It took her a solid minute to fit the letters together in something that made sense in her head, but, she managed. I Ater..? She tilted her head to the side. You're Ater?

She silently praised herself for the small discovery but then felt her lips curling back into an angry snarl. What use was that? A name. She had no way of telling him her own. The mouth shapes had never been easy for her to do like the others. Mother had said that they made a sound, that you had to hear yourself in order to get them right. For an instant she accepted defeat but an old defiance burned in her heart. The male sat patiently, awaiting some sort of reply. Nagotia nodded without changing her expression very much, though the snarl was gone. Her brow furrowed in concentration. She growled but tried to make the syllabels in her head into the rhytm of the rumbling in her throat. What she thought the letters should sound like was naturally nowhere near their actual sound.

It came out as "GGRRU". Nago sat back on her haunches when finished, looking pleased with herself. That should do it.

Words: 348

[ather]

Ather's ears perked forward, picking up the she-wolf's vocal cords ripping at him. In an instant, Ather's body was no longer tensed, almost as if something inside him dropped in disappointment. The narrowing of her eyes, leaning forward, looking as if she was struggling to listen to what his name was. He felt his blood boil, the passing of moods shifted as quickly as the clouds had uncovered the sun. Ather remained calm, momentarily, hoping to hear a name from here. Atleast some sign of respect, or acknowledgement that he had spoke and given his name. But all that came out a was a growl, a simple growl followed by her harsh body language. Ather wanted no more of this, and already he felt this was getting him no where by being polite. The thought of wasting his words on her only deepened his anger and triggered unhappy memories of when he tried to be nice to others. Being nice to others either got him somewhere good, or somewhere bad. In some cases, it brought him nowhere and nothing was solved. Sometimes it ended in fights and Ather hoped this wouldn't end in a fight, as he was looking out for her. Her young, fresh muscles would do a bit of damage and Ather certainly didn't want to kill her if it broke out into a fight. He hoped to talk his way out of this, and move on into a new area. Far away from her.

Ather growled back, a deep rumble coming from the insides of his body. He bared his teeth at her, flashing his white fangs. They gleamed in the sunlight like knives flashing in the dark. He didn't like when others growled at him, especially in a situation like this. His body was leaned forward, as he was prepared to walk past her any moment now. Ather inhaled sharply and made sure his voice was loud enough. "Excuse me, but I think when some tries to be polite you should at least reply back." Ather's eyes faded in the sunlight, turning almost dull gray and blue. His eyes were cast with no reflection and no world in it. Ather would wait for what she had to say, and wait no longer. For he had places to go, it pained him even to be standing in the snow in front of her. The snow crunched as he sifted his weight, slight movements these were since his body was tensed up and his claws drawn, digging into the ground. Say something.



word count: 432

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[nagotia]

Nagotia jumped back in surprise when the wolf bared his teeth. He leaned forward and she could feel the intense growl that he let out through her nostrils. She must have sounded quite horrible to earn this sort of reaction. His mouth moved again in speech, but she was too unnerved to even attempt to make sense of it. No, The small fae shook her head. If she was going to fight it should have at least been on a full stomach. Even if she did not fight, she couldn't stand the total defeat it would be should this male leave. Besides, there was no hunting on her own with paws that felt quite ready to either freeze or fall off. Some means of communication had to be forged, her stomach rumbled in support. She dropped her gaze and flattened her ears to her skull. A cold gust of wind made her shiver, the bile rose to the back of her throat in self disgust. I look like a whelp. Nago glared at the snow, forced a whine through her teeth. But...I am hungry.

Far up the mountainside a patch of snow held off the ground by a cluster of stunted pines dripped and slowly began to fall through the twisted branches. A rather large clump with a center of ice rolled down and picked up velocity before hitting a small boulder. The boulder rolled down and hit a log that had been a breeze away from falling anyway. The log came tumbling down toward the woulves, rumbling like something awful as it went. Unknowing, Nagotia crouched low to the ground her tail flailing from side to side. Her soaked dirty fur clung to her body and she looked back up at Ather with wide hazel eyes. Her ears twitched so much they hurt, and she flattened them even lower to her skull in an effort to stop them.

Nagotia took her mind off of her current actions with thoughts of the valley below. It was probably full of hare and other plump rodents...waiting to be caught. She wondered if there may be a rabbit warren somewhere. An owl could probably alert her to one if she could track one down. She had yet to see any but with such richness as she could smell in the valley surely there were a few. There was movement in the corner of her eye but she blinked, returning her attention to the male she was trying to appease.

words: 428

[ather]

The pink flash of Ather's gums were shut away when he snapped his mouth shut. He bared away his anger when he heard the snapping and crunching of wood behind him, something heavy breaking. Sounding as something inside the mountains were breaking and falling apart. His ears snapped, muscles twitching in the direction of the sound. The she-wolf in front of him seemed to be somewhere else, her mind made it seem as if she wasn't here at all, some far away land in her head. It was as if she was oblivious to the sounds of fury about come down, tumbling through the snow towards them. Ather began to move, his claws sheathed back into their places, hidden away in his snow covered paws. He felt as if the sun began to revolve around the earth slower. His body outstretched, jumping out from the snow, leaping out of it like some phantom made from snow. The anger has dissipated and his main concern was to push the fae out of the way. At least push her far away from the tumbling log so she would be safe from the impending danger that was now some ten feet away, gaining speed as it crushed snow and jumbled over rock. There was no way of telling Ather would be in the safe zone away from the log when he would push her away.

He let out a yelp as he jumped, his claws gone and his eyes showing worrying signs. Ather showed no malice nor any sign of threatening intention, but he showed wide eyed concern and fear in his pupils. He came down from his jump, landing into a foot of snow and then began to rush towards her. She seemed to have hint of the what was happening, the log coming down on them, Ather running towards her, making huge strides. He tried to speak but nothing come out, just that yelp a moment ago. Even if anything did come out of his mouth Ather didn't think she would hear it. She made few signs of acknowledging his last few words, and yet she still didn't reply. He hoped she wouldn't take this the wrong way when he would collide with her, pushing her out of the way. Ather had to think of what would become after this incident.

Ather was just a few inches away from pushing her out of the way from the tumbling log. . .

word count: 414

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[nagotia]

Nagotia stratened herself when the other wolf had jumped back. Her ears hurt at this point anyway and the other wolf didn't seem so angry anymore. His eyes were wide blue-gray orbs trying to shout that he was frightened. Her maw dropped open in indignation. How insulting?! She cowers and he is afraid, but when she actually put some energy into proving that she was angry; this old loner all but laughed in her face. She wanted to leap at his throat in a pup'ish tantrum that she had been holding in from the day her own family cast her out. Why was every wolf in the world, (a very small world considering that this was the only non-family wolf she'd met in her life), treating her like a hare in a wolf's skin?

But an angry look at the brute's face queled her anger. He looked honestly terrified. What was his name again? Ater? She shook her fur and took a step forward. The ground was shaking ever so slightly. What was his problem? The she-wolf turned her head toward the movement and let out her own yelp of surprise, frozen to the spot like a deer in bright light. It lasted only a second before her legs began to move of their own accord, muscles churning beneath her small frame to get her out of there. Nago turned her head from the scene and looked forward, nearly skidding to a stop again. What the hell?! She quickly assesed her options. The other wolf was trying to stop as was she, her claws out and her forelegs rigid. But impact was quite inevitable. She could do only one of three things: crouch and pray that he jumped, smash face first into his chest and possibly break her neck or...

I am not sorry! She let out a growl and closed her jaws on the elder wolf's foreleg. Her jaws naturally closed tighter but she stopped herself when her teeth had cut through skin and well into muscle. Blood flooded her mouth as she pulled away leaping back in an attempt to avoid his reaction. This was a splendid, way to begin her summers day.

words: 387

[ather]

Ather clenched his teeth when the fae latched her daggers onto his front leg. The pain was minimal to him and he only managed a faint grimace as she clamped down and skipped backwards, avoiding his reaction. "I was trying to push you out of the way -" His voice, clear, cutting through the air just a moment before the log crashed into him, smashing into his back and then jumbling over him, like a wave crashing onto the shore and then sinking back into the ocean. The log sunk into the snow once it rolled deeper into the passing and half of it remained sticking out of the snow. Submerged and looked as if a giant vessel of wood was sinking away into the ocean of snow. Ather lay stiff on the snow, eyes closed. He moved slightly and this brought a pang of pain that spread throughout his entire body. You stupid bitch. He was beyond angry, and it was hard to get up from snow. An outline of him was etched in the snow and he looked as if he was stamped into the snow by some giant footprint.

The air around them was still, everything quiet save for the sound of the trees swaying back and forth. Ather looked up from where he lay, and moved slowly onto his back. The white jagged scare on his white belly exposed. He sighed, breathing very slowly now. His breath visible in the cold mountain air and then wheezing. Ather broke into a coughing fit that pained his whole body and it felt like his bones were breaking. And look at where this brought me, nearly killed by log, just from trying to be polite to some devil she-wolf. He closed his eye lids and looked into the blackness for a brief moment. It even pained him to look at the back of his eyelids. The anger began to subside and slowly rolled back on his side. He must have broken a few ribs, or some others bones he couldn't quite feel at the time. He would soon have a splitting headache and he would need to lay down and rest. At least take a few days off and get things together. That is, he would need more rest if he was to fight this wolf. If that was the case, then only one of them would be resting in the ground.

Ather stood up on all four, his face lowered and then slowly brought it eye level, looking menacingly at the fae. "And that," He looked back at the log. Maybe she's hearing me a little better now. "is why I tried to push you out of the way." Ather said. Now, explain yourself before I rip out your throat and spill all the blood in your body out onto the snow. Ather stood, his breathing back to n


word count: 494

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[nagotia]

(Poor Ather, -pets him and offers biscuit-
I'm going to set this like Nago found the stone before o.o;
-fails at time and proper organization-)


Nagotia's eyes went wide then the log collided with the brute. It rolled over him and continued to the pass. She winced and felt a sharp pang of remorse as he struggled and got up. Maybe she was sorry after all. He hadn't been trying to kill her but to help. She cursed herself for not realizind this sooner. His shape was deeply pressed into the snow, Nago almost laughed at this. A hawk perched in one of the nearby trees gazed down at the two predators, dark eyes glinting. It would have one interesting story to tell to its friends now. She sat down, aloof for a moment, imagining a great flock of birds flying over the mountain and seeing a wolf shape down below.

Her ears twitched and she turned to the wolf again, pushing back her amusement. Not funny, She scolded herself. He had given up on standing and was rolled over, cringing in pain and then being still. She slowly padded closer and winced at the scar on his stomach. His body shook with great coughs. She surely wouldn't have survived being hit like that. Nago sistepped away as he carefully rolled onto his side. His breathing was slow and the heaving of his sides irregular. She peered closer but could not see any broken ribs sticking out though at least one of them must have been.

He stood, practically quaking with anger and she watched his nouth half-growl and half-speak. He glared at her, turned to the log, and growl-spoke to her again. Nago almost understood all of it, she would have said the same thing. I would kill me too. She shuddered. But there was no way for her to explain. He was close enough to reach out and kill her too. A response was needed, and she had none to give. She would eventually have to die. It is so pointless.... Nagotia regretted her mother had even allowed her to live. If she wasn't killed by this wolf, another log might come by, or a mountain lion, or snow leopard. She shuddered, that she'd survived so long on her own had been only luck, pure luck.

The wolf sighed and tried to stare unmenacingly into the males eyes. Strength spawned from fear flowed through her body but she stood still and pushed it into her will instead. She would have to say something now. I'm sorry... It felt tiring to just think it. It's not my fault that I can't hear. Nagotia felt a wave of exhaustion rush over her and a headache start in her temples. Little did she know that her thoughts had indeed reached the male, though in peices. He would have heard "or-ry..c-n't ear...". She sat down, staring at him. Unwilling to die in fear.

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[ather]

Ather's pupils finally calmed and were no longer dilated. He sighed slowly, and then said, "Oh, I see now." Ather lowered his head slightly, now understanding the situation. His brain felt like it had shifted and bubbles were bursting, it felt like spinal fluid was sloshing around in his back, or so he thought. He began to feel light headed and dizzy, his headache has passed for now. A slight breeze whipped around him and it felt like a ghost swept through him. He shuddered, he felt that maybe he was hallucinating and this worried him that he might do something terrible in front of the fae. She was laying down now and she appeared to look hopeless. Ather felt uneasy and a dull ache began to cover his whole body. What a terrible start to the day, he would have to spend some time recovering, hidden away in his den.

"You'll have to excuse me." She's deaf, she can't hear you. Ather paused for a moment, thinking, he looked her in the eyes and began to speak a little slower, making sure his mouth was visible. "I'm sorry." He paused, he felt blood come up in the back of his throat. Was he alive? He didn't know at the moment. He turned and began to walk down the passing into the valley. He would have to depart, if he stayed out here any longer he would be living no more. He felt sympathy for her, being deaf and everything and wished that he could help her. Ather felt pity for her and knew that it would only lengthen his problems trying to fix past problems in his life. He began to walk away from, forming a very pathetic sight of him limping through the snow.

The snow crunched and it sounded to Ather like his bones were crunching. He still couldn't get why he was still standing. Why his front legs hadn't snapped and broken to splinters inside his body. Why his heart was still beating and his brain still working. Why, a log had tumbled over him. That fae wouldn't survive if a log ran over her. Ather hadn't even realized that he had saved her and was far too out of it to remember what had just happened. He needed to get far away from here, this certainly wasn't the place to be. After all, surviving was what he's good at. At whatever cost. Ather stopped and turned his head slightly back to look at her. "I don't like being followed." He said, lowering his head slightly and then resumed to walk down into the valley where a hawk swopped down from a tree branch to snatch a mouse, and then vanish into the sky with hardly making a sound save for the sound of wings cutting through wind.

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