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Post by Meds on Nov 17, 2017 23:40:43 GMT -5
Koa;
A foul wind was blowing, stirring up the snow into drifts and whistling through the trees, but Koa wasn't feeling bitter. Her pelt, a stormy-looking blue that matched the winter skies, had thickened up and she was quite comfortable. She had poked around this new land a little bit and come across a lot of pack-boundaries. Koa was smart enough not to trespass, but it had resulted in her taking a bit of a round-a-bout way to the clearing that she now found herself in. The trees on all sides kept the wind at bay satisfactorily, and the air around her calmed enough for her to catch the scent of something tasty scampering amidst the drifts.
Koa's mint-green eyes sparkled, and she bent to a crouch as she identified the scent as belonging to a rabbit. Her patterned legs carried her silently through the snow, and she hesitated only once when she hit a bit of a deeper patch of snow and sunk up to her chest. A laugh ripped from her throat at the hilarity of suddenly being chest-deep in snow, but the laugh died soon after she heard the thumping of the startled rabbit as it made its escape.
Koa's face fell and she frowned, chastising herself for making too much noise, though she didn't go chasing after her prey. She was smart, and she knew that a wolf would never catch a rabbit with a head start in the snow. Instead, she looked around. She was still deep in the snow, for she hadn't moved, and she suddenly realized that she had halted in some sort of a pit.
"Pit" was perhaps too heavy a word, for really it was just snow drifts around her that were taller than she was. She hadn't noticed travelling down one of them until its mates had risen up in front of her. She smiled lightly. At least the wind, what amount of it could find its way into the little clearing, couldn't find her below the snow.
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Post by tovaana on Nov 19, 2017 20:02:46 GMT -5
Epicenter;
It was about time that he made his way back home. Home. He thought about Secluded Sunrise, and while it was in fact where he lived and was… somewhat accepted as far as he knew, he wasn’t quite sure he accepted the term ‘home’ in his mind. This of course, was due to his many plans for his future, which he knew were ambitious and high – but he also knew that it was patience and hard work that would get him where he needed to be. He had enjoyed his trip away from his pack, ‘pack’ being a more acceptable term as he worked well within a pack, and he thought briefly on his trip up the mountain and all the wolves he had encountered. While his trip may not make sense to his Alphess, he knew all the more information he could gather, would make their pack stronger. One who knows, grows.
Winter seemed to throw itself on the valley with all its might and he missed all the colors and sights in the autumn. As most of the valley was either dreary or covered in snow, he got more bored with his ability turning him white, or the contrasting dark color of wet trees without their leaves. Still, he had to practice; he needed to have better endurance and control over what came over his body. At first he had simply allowed the change to come over him and his body seemed to adapt to its surroundings. Now, he was able to take on in more detail what was around him, and tell his body to copy what parts of the land around him. It was much more satisfactory, but with Epicenter, it was never enough. He wanted more.
Right then he was mimicking the snow on the bottom portion of his body, and the gray sky with wisps of wind that curled through it. It took quite a bit of concentration, with the detail of the wind whipped snow, but it took his concentration off of his feet that were tender from traveling nonstop (to get back to the pack in a decent amount of time) and from the cold. While his coat had thickened, it was also damp from being exposed to the weather all day and not taking shelter during a couple of flurries that had caught him.
As he came to a clearing, he stopped, he kept the imagery on his body flowing, but he realized he was in a land that would make a good territory. He glanced around the field and noticed a few startled rabbits dart away. His instincts almost had himself chasing the rodents, but they were already too far and would surely find somewhere to hide before he could catch up to their zigzagging footsteps. It reminded him that he had planned on bringing food back to the pack, remembering that there were pups to feed and a cold winter ahead.
He paused at a snow drift that dipped in front of him. A wolfess was there – facing sideways and in front of another drift and she was chest-deep in the powdery white cold. She didn’t seem to be making any movements to escape. Where he was, the wind whipped at his fur, which he fade back into his normal green and brown tribal pelt – almost unconsciously as his focus changed to the femme.
“Well, well…” He said, his tone slightly teasing and raised to be heard over the wind, “You’re either mighty comfortable in the snow, or stuck.” While Epicenter was a friendly wolf and social, he knew there were wolves that were not, so he kept his position on the slight incline, looking down at the wolfess with eyes squinted against the wind. |
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Post by Meds on Nov 20, 2017 14:54:28 GMT -5
Koa;
Because the wind was silent and almost nonexistent down in her snow-pit, Koa thought she heard footsteps approaching. She couldn't be sure, but it sounded like the crunch of snow underfoot. Before she turned her head to look, however, a voice spoke up behind her. She jumped and craned her neck around to look at whomever had spoken. It was a tall male, green and brown, with the wind whipping his fur into a frenzy. Koa smiled in greeting, and even let a small chuckle escape her lips when the male commented on her predicament.
"It might be a bit of both, at this point," She grinned, turning her head the other way to see if that made looking at him any easier. She tugged one of her paws to free it, but found that, indeed, it had sunk rather deep and didn't seemed to want to come loose. Her smile faltered, not wanting to appear weak or silly in front of someone she had just met. She had sort of been kidding about being stuck. "Oh—blast," She muttered, swinging her marked face downward and trying to see through the snow to her cemented paws. She grunted as she tried to wriggle herself free—but came up in vain. She cleared her throat and decided it would be best to appear like she knew what she was doing.
So she tossed her head a little and gave the male her most charming smile.
"So what brings you here?"
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Post by tovaana on Nov 20, 2017 23:23:25 GMT -5
Epicenter;
He cocked his head to the side as she turned with a chuckle at his words. His duo gaze found her minty gaze and face framed with dark swirls that contrasted against their white scenery. Epicenter found himself grinning back at her response and also relaxing as he felt that she was sociable and even pleasant at way she responded and grinned. She looked away at him and seemed to be trying to free herself, but he couldn’t be sure, as she had not moved much, but she had moved. Her final jerking movement made him smile again and he lowered his head and hid his face away from the wind in the wake of his own shoulder.
Then she started up conversation, as if her standing there chest deep in snow was completely in the ordinary. He then moved down his own slope on the side to avoid the deeper snow. The sound died down a little and the cold even gave him a little rest away from the most of the breeze. The movement down the slope gave him the opportunity to think of how he would reply; should he be honest? Or skirt around the truth? It did not reveal too much right away, besides, girls liked mystery, yeah?
“Hunting, unsuccessful so far; unless finding you counts as something?”
While he was on her level, he didn’t dare get too close into the snow he had sunk into…And while he assumed she would be able to get out eventually, perhaps with his own ingenuity he could make himself of use.
“One second, I have an idea.”
He said, glancing obvious down at where the muted colors of her fur disappeared into the snow. With a little smirk, he turned and went in search of a stick. Unfortunately, in the clearing there were not many trees where sticks would have fallen from, but with the winds, he had found random debris, including a stocky part of a branch. It was not very long, but it would serve its purpose. It took him a moment longer to find because the winds had blown snow over it, but once he had found it, he picked it up and brought it back, hoping his idea would still be of use.
He dropped the stick in front of him, smiling at the femme.
“And what brings you… here?” He asked in return, not revealing what his plan was right away, in case she had loosed herself from her snowy prison in his short absence. Besides, while she was stuck, she was his captive audience. |
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Post by Meds on Nov 21, 2017 3:01:32 GMT -5
Koa;
"Unless finding you counts as something."
Koa's marked face split into a pretty grin when he said that. Ahh, so like a male. Witty, teasing, with a hint of charm... He had seemed to think his reply over before giving it, but it was to Koa's satisfaction and so she didn't argue. The male came a little further down the decline until he, too, was shielded from the vicious winds. He had a carefree smile, though calculated—as if his reactions were sincere, but purposefully diplomatic.
What an interesting wolf.
Koa lifted her chin slightly and regarded him with cool, calm eyes, not unpleasant in their own respect. He mentioned that he had an idea, and was suddenly up and out of the pit once more. The moment he was gone, Koa set to wriggling her paws furiously. Hr breath misted out before her as she worked. She would be free by the next time he see her.
But alas, all too soon he appeared again, though this time with a stick in his mouth. Koa froze the moment that she saw him and once more adopted the calm, collected, and casual smile she had held previously. It was as if to say, what? This is fine. Why bring that stick? I have no need of your help, this is on purpose.
He asked what brought her there, though his question held more of a joking air, as if he was asking why she chose to sit chest-deep in the snow in the middle of winter. Koa blinked, half-knowing but not fully-accepting that he knew she was stuck.
"Oh just hunting, not unlike yourself." Her smile flashed once more, more genuine this time. "I was tailing a rabbit but it gave me the slip." She didn't include just how literally.
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Post by tovaana on Nov 22, 2017 0:27:59 GMT -5
Epicenter;
As she had come into view, he felt a guilty pleasure in that she was still in the snow, clearly stuck. He doubted he was so charming that she would stay just to see him again; his powers were not so overwhelming. She was very still, too still – as if he had caught her in the middle of something, probably trying to free herself. Her casual smile and disdainful glance at the stick made him think she was not keen on being rescued, or the fact that she was stuck at all – he wasn’t sure which she was less excited about.
At first he couldn’t tell if she was poking fun at his own response, but her then softer smile and explanation of the rabbits made him think otherwise. Being part gentleman, Epicenter felt slightly uncomfortable leaving the lady stuck in the snow, but on the other paw, she did not seem eager to be saved, nor had she admitted it out loud (besides the first comment she had made). Part of the male wanted to hear her ask for help - wondering how proud she was, and part of him wanted to offer help. He decided to wait a little longer.
“Ah, yes – I think I witnessed your quarry’s escape.” He noted, glancing idly toward where he had seen the rabbits scamper off. It was possibly she wasn’t lying about hunting then, as he questioned and doubted everything. While it made him somewhat cynical in his mind, it made so he was always prepared and hardly ever surprised. Still, he liked to imagine how between the tracking and the escape of the rabbits, she had ended up in the snow. The thought brought a smile to his maw, but he let his own soften as he added:
“Perhaps we could combine efforts, catch something with a little more meat on the bones.” This would be valuable to her, him, and his pack. It seemed logical enough, and that was enough for Epicenter.
“If you wouldn’t mind hunting with a stranger, that is.” He smiled, realizing he had not introduced himself. He had felt comfortable enough not too, but he had not considered that perhaps she felt even more disadvantage, in addition to being stuck.
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Post by Meds on Nov 22, 2017 13:08:25 GMT -5
Koa;
The jig was up. He knew she was stuck. Koa knew he knew, too. He continued speaking as if he didn't though, and he didn't offer her his stick either. Koa glanced at it as he mentioned seeing her prey escape. For a half-minute, she considered lunging and bodily snatching it up from him. But her self-respect and the knowledge that she couldn't lunge if she was stuck, kept her still. The male was smiling about something, and Koa read into it as a good opportunity to lose all of her dignity.
"Now... not to interrupt... but if you wanted to help, you know, unstick me—I wouldn't be opposed to that." Her eyes danced as she smiled. Ahh, perhaps it wasn't so bad. Somehow, he didn't strike her as the kind of male to poke fun; besides, the sooner she admitted her problems the easier they would be to deal with. And her stomach was getting rather cold and wet at this point. She was well and stuck at this point, as she couldn't get enough leverage to push up from the snow anymore. She had been able to touch at first, but now the snow underpaw had fallen away to leave her feeling quite helpless.
As she thought that over, the male offered they hunt together. Koa smiled. That would be acceptable if it meant food in her belly. He then added that, of course, it would only work if she was comfortable hunting with a stranger. She leaned into the snow at her chest and looked him up and down. Her smiles broadened and she tilted her head.
"Oh... you're not so strange." Her laughter was like the Spring thaw. "I'm Koa."
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Post by tovaana on Dec 1, 2017 23:44:57 GMT -5
He tried not to smile in a mocking way, but he couldn’t help but smile anyways as she casually asked for help. She had not asked for help directly, but it was good enough for him. He lowered his head and looked up at her as her last smiles and laughter brought her last words, and her name. Koa.
“Koa…. I’m Epicenter.”
He paused for a moment, glancing at his stick.
“Grab on to the stick, and I’ll pull.” He said, not making any further mention more of her predicament. If they were to hunt, she needed to not be stuck, and he needed her to like him enough to allow him to take part of their kill to his pack.
With his head already bowed close to the floor, it didn’t take much to grab on to the thick branch that only extended as long as his head, if not a little longer. It wasn’t much, but he knew it wouldn’t break. His only fear was worsening the situation.
He took a couple of assuring bites into the stick to sink his teeth into its wood. Then stepping forward into the deeper snow he sidled up parallel to Koa and stepped carefully sideways to her. He shifted his paws a couple of times in the deep snow until he felt like he had a good enough stance and then offered her the other end of the stick to grab hold on to.
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Post by Meds on Dec 4, 2017 3:16:51 GMT -5
Koa;
Koa chose to ignore the male’s smug grin when she admitted that it would be alright if he helped her. She kept her chin slightly raised, fighting off a grin of her own after her first, quick laugh. It was a ridiculous situation, and Koa was usually the first to laugh in such cases—but there were appearances that needed keeping up, and as such her face remained (somewhat) straight. The tall male then dipped his head and smiled up at her more genuinely. Males really ought not to be allowed to smile like that, Koa thought to herself. Especially when having just met somebody.
She couldn’t dwell on it for long though, as he then introduced himself and offered her the stick. She gave her head a slight shake, making a mental note to remember his name. Epicenter. Interesting.
He found a steady footing, then offered the branch. He looked sturdy enough, Koa thought, so she decided to feel confident in his ability to help her; besides, the worst thing that could happen would be that he would fall into the deep, loose snow as well. At least in that case Koa could scrabble out on top of him and send him smug little smiles from the other side, instead. The thought brought a smile to her face as Epicenter extended the stick.
Koa leaned forward, trying not to put too much more weight on her feet for fear of them sinking in farther—and because she had no footing with them anyway. She pushed her neck out straight, eyes squinting with the effort, until her nose was bumping the end. She glanced into Epicenter’s eyes, close at hand, then lunged and snapped up the branch in her teeth. She was quite a bit smaller than him, but even so, what little footing she did have was then lost entirely. Thankfully, she held onto the stick tightly, though it would be a pull and drag situation after that.
How embarrassing.
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Post by tovaana on Dec 21, 2017 23:33:16 GMT -5
Epicenter;
He smiled momentarily through his grip on the stick, watching her consider the moment, nodding in encouragement. Epicenter did not have much time to consider her or how close she was, because his concentration was turned to how he should shift his weight as she lunged at the stick. While Epicenter was tall, he was not very broad, even with a good stance. While not the strongest, he was quick, and having traveled much (gaining some endurance and strength) and fed well by his pack, he was fit enough for the burst of power as his whole body tensed in preparation for her weight. His body lowered a little in the snow from her weight as she clasped on, but he had been able to keep steady for the moment.
Panting lightly, Epicenter slowly put more tension on the stick to test its strength and to warn Koa that he was about to pull more. It was while he was getting ready to pull that he realized that in pulling Koa, it would surely put him off balance, and he would fall. In realizing this, he tried to calculate how he could fall with more… grace, at least as much as he could manage in the slippery snow.
With a growl and grunt he took her weight with his own through the thick branch and pulled. He lowered his body, and strained in the pull to raise her above him and with a sudden thrust (having no momentum to start with) pulled her over him, having to turn his head (because of the inflexibility of the stick) and eventually turn his body once she was hurdling, or maybe more like falling, over him. So – he had not thought through the angle very well, but… she wasn’t stuck – and he wasn’t stuck either…but he was rolling after letting go of the stick and it was in the direction he had pulled Koa to, as it was where the momentum of his body had pulled. |
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Post by Meds on Dec 22, 2017 13:09:58 GMT -5
Koa;
The next thing Koa knew, her paws had been ripped free from the snowy prison. As Epicenter pulled, she flexed her muscles and raked her claws up the slippery edge of the embankment of snow, trying to gain some traction and aid Epicenter in helping her. She gained a little too much traction, though, which brought her up more quickly than she had anticipated. Epicenter had to turn his neck because of the short stick, and Koa barely cleared him on her way past; in fact, barely clearing was probably a generous term, as her back paw had caught him, and because he had already been so off-balance, he began rolling in the same direction as her.
”Careful, be careful!” Koa laughed as she slid down the hill, forgetting the need to appear clever and aloof in that moment. There was a coating of ice under everything that she hadn’t noticed before, and it only gave them more speed. What might have started as an innocent little tumble had become a full-fledged sledding session. Koa somehow managed to get her feet under her, but her rump dipped down as she descended, so all she really managed to do was slip in a different way.
Finally, she came to the bottom of the hill. It wasn’t a big hill, more a bump than anything, and the entire ordeal probably hadn’t lasted more than ten seconds, but Koa was out of breath and laughing all the same. She landed in a heap against a snow-covered stump at the bottom, laughing and trying to see past the snow in her face to which direction Epicenter was coming at her from.
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Post by tovaana on Dec 28, 2017 14:47:02 GMT -5
There was a thrill that shot through his body as he lost control of his body, the sensation of slipping and not feeling anything solid under him. Her back paw had clipped him, and as he was losing balance already, it just added to his descent. The breath got knocked out of him for an instant and he heard Koa’s bell like voice telling him to be careful – and he couldn’t help but smile and chuckle nervously, “woah!” His ears flipped back on his head and he felt himself moving, and not of his own accord.
The crunchy snow had a thin layer of ice from the sun in the sky, but chilled over from the temperature. He had no time to consider this, only that he was moving on his side and every time he moved it seemed to make his situation worse or add to his momentum down the hill. He could hear Koa not too far ahead of him, she seemed to be falling as well. While he guessed it would add to his momentum, he swung his legs over his body, so that he could see where he was going – and he did so just as he was nearing the end of the slide – near Koa, as his body had slipped into the rut that she had made going down the hill.
“Here I come!” he was smiling apologetically, but laughing – having…fun and hoping she could get out of the way in time, so that he didn’t injure her. He was using his claws to slow his descent, but the packed snow where Koa had already slid down was not very forgiving. The whole thing brought back memories of when he was younger – play had not been a priority, and while this wasn’t ‘play’, it was the closest he had gotten to in years. |
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Post by Meds on Dec 28, 2017 15:32:34 GMT -5
Koa;
Epicenter came barreling down the path that Koa had made through the snow, and she was pleased to see that he didn't make it look anymore graceful than she had. She managed to right herself before he came down the slope, and alighted onto the little stump she had landed on. Her paws came together and she sat, looking at him rolling down the hill with a wide smile. If he stayed the course, he would land right under Koa, and in that case, she would look directly down at him and fix him with the same smile.
He was laughingâshe was sure of it. Smiling, at the very least. He hadn't struck her as the sort, but then again, their initial conversation had been full of introductions and half-concealed (yet good-natured) gibes. She probably hadn't seemed the sort to him, either. In any case, Koa was safe from the tall male on the stump, but her tail was thrashing behind her. She would not have guessed their interaction would take a turn in this direction.
"So other than hunting and happening upon meâa far better find than a rabbit by the wayâ" She smiled after the laughter of his landing (however it turned out) had subsided. She blinked curious eyes, and made sure to have a good hold of the stump beneath her with her claws. "What else do you think we can find in a place like this? Rabbit for sure, but perhaps we could find something a little tastier?" He was quite a tall male, and she was not weak besides—she figured they could probably bring down a deer if they found one.
He was interesting to her, and yet she couldn't quite figure him out. All smiles and flirtatious comments in the beginning, but here was a wolf laughing and apparently letting his guard down a little bit. She watched for his answer. Seeing how he hunted and how he conducted himself when there was meat on the line would be a very interesting learning opportunity.
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Post by tovaana on Dec 30, 2017 22:50:27 GMT -5
And thump.
He was covered in snow, clumps had gathered in the longer parts of his winter coat and pulled uncomfortably at his skin. Epicenter shook his head and licked the snow from his muzzle, blinking up at Koa. Something had stopped his descent, and he knew a bruise would probably form where he had smacked into it. He was on his back and he could see Koa’s frame above him somehow, smiling down at him. Epicenter chuckled and smiled back, panting from the excitement. He made no move to move though, transfixed by her smile for a moment. The exchange was refreshing, and even when she got back to business of hunting, he tucked his legs in and turned a little – just so he wasn’t so ‘belly up’ to her. In other moments he would have felt the gesture submissive, but their lighthearted encounter perhaps had changed it.
“Hmmmm…” He said, considering her words. He chewed at a clump of snow on his leg before swinging himself back to his feet. He shook his fur, and a flurry of snow rose from his pelt, some like rain – the softer bits fell like dust settling.
“I could go for deer at the moment. This area is an unclaimed territory – with not so many that have traveled on it, my guess is that a larger meal shouldn’t be too difficult, even in the winter. I say we head in the direction your rabbit friends went, what do you think?” He thought about how he had used his ability to confuse his prey before, he was excited by the thought of trying it on larger prey. He didn’t want to surprise Koa though, so somehow he would have to bring that up eventually.
He used his back foot (the one with his mark of defense on the bottom) to scratch off another couple of clumps of snow that had gathered on his side that he had slid the most on. Epicenter then turned a curious duo colored gaze on Koa, curious of what how she would respond. He liked that she had taken to his idea of hunting together.
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Post by Meds on Jan 3, 2018 14:47:24 GMT -5
Koa;
Rather than jump up right away, Epicenter seemed content to tuck his legs and lay in the snowbank and smile up at her. Koa continued to consider how wrong she had been when guessing which way their encounter would turn as she grinned down at him from her stump-platform. Epicenter didn't seem like a wolf for such pup-like fun, and Koa knew that she herself wasn't—but there was something to be said for good old fashioned, innocent revelry; after all, what was snow for? There was no better way to stay warm than by getting th heart rate up.
Eventually, Epicenter swung himself up. Even while she still on top of the stump, while he was sitting he was almost at Koa's eye level. He mentioned deer though, and Koa remembered that hunting had been what she had been intending to do in the first place, before meeting the male (or the deep snowbank).
Koa leapt down and did a slow circle, scanning the area before them. The sun was dipping, and though the wind was still held at bay by the white spruce and other pine trees surrounding the meadow, the winter-air was chill. A hot meal would be welcome in her belly. Epicenter suggested that they go in the direction that the rabbits had taken, mentioning that even in winter, in a place as untouched as this one, prey would probably be plentiful.
"Well said," Koa smiled, and leapt forward once more. She didn't run, wanting to avoid any other snow-related mishaps, but her nose was in the air and her tail was lifted. "You know," She said quietly, over the howl of the wind on the outside of the trees. "This field slants down pretty heavily. If we keep heading down and press into the treeline a bit, I bet we could get the upper hand on something unsuspecting and tasty." She turned to him and her eyes widened invitingly.
Depending what they found and what the terrain was like farther down the slope, Koa figured that this might actually be a pretty good area. It was unclaimed, as far as she could tell, but if Epicenter's suspicions about prey proved to be correct, she half-wondered why. She supposed most of the packs in the valley were quite large and probably wouldn't fit, but why some smaller band of wolves hadn't come in yet was anybody's guess.
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