Thrillseeker (open)

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The young, auburn-furred wolfess briskly trotted along the river’s edge, paws making small prints in the damp, sandy earth. Her large, fluffy tail trailed out behind her, and her ears were pricked forward in an alert fashion. She’d been traveling upstream for a few days, simply for the sake of exploring, and was enjoying the routine challenge of fishing for her meals and generally carefree lifestyle. She hadn’t had many opportunities to practice her fishing skills before, so it was a pretty rewarding experience to fine-tune those skills that had been a little neglected previously in her life. Her keen ears picked up the crashing sound of water, and she was slowly but surely becoming closer to the looming form of the mountains. Jai picked up her pace to a steady lope, predicting she’d reach the end of her course by late morning.
As Jaida reached the large basin, she couldn’t help breaking into a small smile. “Cool…” She uttered under her breath, not really caring that she was completely alone, as far as she could tell. It really was a prime area to hang out in, Jai decided as she quickly scoped out the area with her blue-green-and-yellow eyes. The falls cascaded down the cliff edge, filling her ears with the sound of rushing water. A light spray of water shimmered at the base of the falls, where the water hit rocks. This area did have an abundance of rocks, she realized, many which were situated right on the riverbanks, perfect for sun-baking on while, say, dangling your paws into the water. She also spied a couple of rocks that were just a little higher up off the ground and overhanging the lake, providing perfect platforms to jump off of. Jaida felt an idea forming in her mind. A grin formed on her narrow maw as she dashed off towards the nearest rock, clambering on top of it in a less than graceful manner then peering into the water that she estimated was now between 1 and 2 meters below her. She tried to figure out if the water would be deep enough for her to jump safely. Well, it isn’t that high… Jai reasoned in her mind, licking her lips as she prepared to jump in. She’d find out soon enough.
Jai took a step back and released a loud “Whoop!” before launching herself off the edge and into the water, trying to leap as far forward as possible. She felt the cool water rush up to her envelop her small form, and she felt her paws graze the bottom of the pool. Maybe she hadn’t jumped out far enough, but it didn’t matter. It was still deep enough for her to get away with. Her muzzle broke the surface and she took a breath, dipping her head under the water again and started to swim around, playfully splashing.

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"Watch where you're splashing next time, lass." A voice characterized with the consistency of rough sand called out. Sitting within a crevice beneath the rocks, an old wolf sat, his fur matted and a toothy grin spread across his muzzle. Drops of water from the splash that hit his face trembled as they fell from the tips of his fur. With that, he opened his mouth wide in a yawn, revealing the pale pallor of his gums, and stretched his limbs before standing up and exiting the nook where he hid. Shaking himself off, he turned to the female wolf. "Of course, I don't wish to ruin your fun. I will leave if you would so prefer. I was just resting, and could easily find elsewhere." His expression was relaxed, not at all angry or suspicious, and he awaited her response. If she were to say he could stay he would curl up within that crevice once again and resume his nap, but if otherwise, he would respect her wishes and leave.

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Jaida let out a yip of surprise as she heard a gravelly voice ring out, confusingly close to her. Quickly recovering from her initial shock, she narrowed her greenish eyes a little, searching for the source of the noise. Her eyes settled on the grizzled form of an old wolf whose tangled dark gray fur expertly blended into the surrounding rocks. "Uhm, sorry, sir...." She said a little sheepishly, noticing that she'd managed to splash him square in the face. Jai paddled a little closer into shore so that the water only came halfway up her legs, watching curiously as he stood up and came into the open. He was tall, but frighteningly thin, and had a generally scruffy and unkempt appearance. No wonder I didn't notice him, Jaida thought, seeing that his fur was tipped with dark green streaks that perfectly mimicked the appearance of mossy rocks. She cocked her head, still watching unabashedly as he continued to speak in a rough voice; others may be a little afraid of his appearance, but she found it fascinating. "Of course, I don't wish to ruin your fun. I will leave if you would
so prefer. I was just resting, and could easily find elsewhere." Jaida smiled and shook her head. "Of course not! Sorry again for splashing you, I really didn't mean it." Jai paused; he seemed like he was ready to return to his nap, but she quickly spoke up before he turned around and went back to the little crevice he'd been sitting in. "You sure know how to camouflage yourself." She said admiringly. "I can't sit still long enough to really trick anyone. It can be a real pain when I'm trying to hunt." Jai continued, hoping she wasn't annoying him. Sometimes she could be overly chatty to strangers.

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Out from beneath the rock, he was able to get a better view of the wolf who had joined him. She seemed of short stature with a lean build, and fur that reminded him of autumn ground, beneath the feet of the forest. A young wolf it seemed. He wondered if she had a pack to go along with her adventures, or if she was a nomadic traveler, as was himself. A warm smile fell across his face as she continued to speak to him. She was a chatty one too it seemed."Oh no, don't worry about it, lass. Water goes where it will. Such a strange element of nature, don't you think?." Part of him felt a little guilty that he made her feel as if she had to apologize twice. He lay back down, out in the open this time, where he was able to dip his front paws into the basin, and did so. "Ah, the camouflage comes not from talent, but from the luck of my birth. My fur does end up being able to blend in with my surroundings quite well much of the time. I find myself to be very fortunate for it." He cocked his head to the side a little, "I used to be like that, in younger years. Not being able to sit still, I mean. But the mountains and the forests... They are wonderful teachers." There was a pause, and he continued. "Would it be alright for me to ask as to what has brought you here today? Was there a reason, or were you merely exploring the forests of spring?"

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(( This is gonna be my last post for a few days; going on a school camp ))

Jaida sat down in the cool water, careful as to not cause any large splashes. She listened with keen interest as he talked in his scratchy but kind voice. The way he spoke evoked wisdom, and he reminded her a little of the elders that would tell the pups stories in the pack she grew up in. "Ah, the camouflage comes not from talent, but from the luck of my birth. My fur does end up being able to blend in with my surroundings quite well much of the time. I find myself to be very fortunate for it." Jai smiled as he brushed off the compliment and attributed his stealth to his dark coat. Still, she envied him; he seemed like he had a lot of patience, which she lacked greatly. She tilted her head, considering his question for a moment while taking in the brilliant scenery. “No reason in particular. I like to see what the world has to offer.” Jaida said with a small shrug, before meeting his gaze again. “This place is beautiful…” She marveled; it truly was. It wasn’t the sort of thing you saw every day when traveling. “Do you stay around here a lot?” She asked in a curious tone; Jai had never really been this close to the mountains before.

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(I am so sorry for being gone so long - Not only has it been finals, but it's been a rough month or so. I'm not sure if I can still post here or if it's been shelved, but I'm going to reply, and if there is an issue I will be more than happy to fix said issue. I apologize again!)

"That's the best kind of traveling, don't you think? This place really is beautiful - but then again, most places are..." He chuckled at her question. "I don't stay around anywhere." He paused and glanced off for a moment before returning his attention. "Although, I've found it more difficult to traverse the area with my body with the years it has. I tend not to enjoy sticking around in one place, which I'm sure you can relate to, but... Ah, I digress." He said, as he shook his head, causing the fur around it to shiver somewhat. "I suppose I could say I might be staying around here a little more often. It's not something I'd want to say, but it is something I could say..."

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((That's fine, I get it And I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue to continue this thread ^.^))

“I don’t stay around anywhere.” Jaida nodded as the grizzled wolf returned his gruff reply; that phrase pretty much summed her own lifestyle up. She listened, ears perked up respectfully, as he spoke about how ageing was having impacts on his traveling life. “I suppose I could say I might be staying around here a little more often.” Jaida’s muzzle formed into a sympathetic but thoughtful frown; she wondered if she’d still be traveling around as an elder, discovering new places until it became too difficult to navigate unforgiving terrain. “Well, if you were gonna stick around in an area, this would be a pretty good place to pick.” Jaida commented. “I mean, it’s got so many places to explore.” At that last statement, her greenish eyes scanned the scenery, eyeing off the overhanging rocks and tempting presence of the mountain. She tilted her head for a moment, returning her gaze to the gray and green wolf. “You’d have a lot more experience exploring than I do, though. I bet there are so many other spectacular places to visit…” She trailed off, unable to help but wonder about all of stories this wolf must have.

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Lacqer chuckled. He had been around the area the majority of his life - sometimes wandering far, and sometimes near, but he figured the lass didn't need to know about that. "That's the thing about exploring, Lass." He said after seeing her eyes cloud over with curiosity, "to tell another explorer about ones expeditions would ruin part of the fun... Take away part of the mystery. At the same time, to hear the tales that happened there... That makes it all the more exciting. Would you be willing to tell me about some of your travels, miss... Oh, please excuse me! I don't think I asked your name..."

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Jaida cocked her head as he let out a knowing chuckle that made her think that was refraining from telling her the whole truth. Maybe she was just imagining it, though. Jai couldn't help but look a little disappointed when she realized he wasn't going to tell her tales from his explorations, but let a small smile play back onto her lips as he realized that they hadn't exchanged names yet. "I'm Jaida, and that's OK, I totally forgot to ask for yours as well!" She thought about his question for a moment. Her travels? "You really wanna hear about my travels? I mean... I don't know if I have any particularly interesting stories..." She thought a little about it, considering the past couple of months of her life. "Well... I guess I left my pack a little abruptly. I don't think they were too happy about me leaving, but they couldn't really stop me..." Jaida frowned a little; that wasn't really a story, but it was all she could really think of at the moment. Did she really have no cool stories to tell? "Oh, wait! Once I got really hungry and decided to steal some food off this pack. They full-on chased me out of their territory," She said, grinning a little from the memory. "I mean, I did manage to get the food in the end." Jaida swished her tail, studying the dark gray male in front of her for a moment. Would he really approve of stories of her stealing? "I've gotten a little better at hunting since then, though." She added quickly. "But yeah, other than that I guess it's just been the usual." Jaida said with a shrug.

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Lacqer's smile remained, but seemed a little more forced, as he could see the disappointment on the girl's face, and felt a little guilty for it. He thought, at first, that his constant talking would be a nuisance to her, and he cared about what she had to say and wanted to show that, instead of consuming the conversation with his own words. It was now that he realized that this might not have been the way to go about such things... But he had to admit that his communication skills may not have been at their prime. He was a very intuitive fellow, and could understand facial expressions, movements, and tone of voice extremely well, if he could say so himself, but when was the last time he had spoken to another individual? It must have been months... Or years, even, although he hesitated to think such things, as going years without communicating with another person seemed extremely unlikely. This is not to say that he did not see other wolves - just that he did not make his place known.
And this is the case, he thought.... But if it is, then why did he decide to make his place known now? He blended in perfectly with the rocks that pressed on behind him, encrusted with moss.
He was tired.
Shaking his head a little to banish these thoughts to the back of his mind, he brought his attention back to the lass in front of him and what she was saying. "Jaida, is it? That is quite a lovely name, and I am not only saying that as a formality, as it seems saying such things is usually. It really is quite pretty. My name is Lacqer. It is very nice to meet you." He chuckled a little "Freedom is important, I do understand that. I left my pack too - when I was some seasons old - although unlike as it was with you, my pack seemed almost celebratory with my leaving..." there was a pause, "ah, I do suppose I am exaggerating somewhat. I can't give myself that much credit." a chuckle slipped from between his fangs once again, "That's actually quite amusing. Do you know which pack you took it from? What was the alignment? Although, I do hope you made sure they had enough to eat, themselves..."

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(Mind if I jump in?)
Nico:
Nico yawned, his dark silver fur glinting among the water. He was the perfect temperature and felt just as happy as if he could still have his parents, or Ruko, or Snow, or someone he loved. Nico, thinking he was alone, started crying. He wished that he hadn't been so stupid. He wished he hadn't been blinded as a pup. He wish that, that he hadn't had to fake being able to see for two days before he became fully blind by his sibling. Nico pawed his wet face and felt the horrible scars over his face, and he pushed his dark silver head into the water.

Nico looked up from his misery, and jumped up, his normally dark fur gray with wet. He growled softly and approached with shredded eyes and scared face glinting wet evilly. "Who, what, and why?" He asked, lashing his tail and then made a fool of himself by taking a step and losing his footing.

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(Hai c: hope you don't mind if Bright Eyes joins in on this ^^)

The young, pure white she-wolf merrily bustled through the grasses, leaving small paw prints in the verdant earth. Her broad tail wagged like a whirlwind behind her green-streaked rump, her long white legs adorned with flame-like green markings carrying her in large strides. She enjoyed exploring, but tried to avoid the company of too many wolves. She wasn't looking forward to accidentally scaring off other wolves with her loopy behavior. This place is pretty, she thought. Maybe I could dig and find some shinies! Maybe even a stunning emerald, to compliment the markings of my pelt! Her white ears, filled with several small green furry strands, perked up at the sound of the falls. The she-wolf looked off into the distance, and sure enough saw the top of the waterfall. She trotted to the side of the cliff and looked down, scanning the area beneath her. She saw a few wolves, and quickly turned away.

When she reached the top of the falls, the sound of crashing water filled her ears. A light mist hit her pelt, and she smiled at the cool sensation. When she was cooled off, she bounded to a nearby cluster of long grasses decorated with blossoming pink flowers. She excessively sniffed the ground. Shinies? Without hesitation, her green paws thrust into the mud, and she started to dig at the speed of lightning. Shinies, they must be here! she thought, knowing that if anyone could read her thoughts they'd probably run off in terror. She had a weird, sense... of some sort, that allowed her to find shiny things, usually gems. She didn't know why she had it, it was just sort of there.

Bright Eyes smiled when she unearthed the glimmering object. "Shiny!" she chirped, hopping heartily into the air. She looked at the emerald. It was small, and probably not worth very much, but it was beautiful nonetheless. She had nothing to carry her collectibles in, so she would have to save it for later. She gently swept some dirt over it to cover it; she'd remember where she found it. She flattened the mound with her back paws and, rather ungracefully, threw herself to the ground, scent rolling all over it to mark the spot as hers. Mine! she thought before skipping away to the cliffside. Noticing the wolves below, she called out abruptly. "Hello!"

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Jaida smiled as the dark gray wolf complimented her name, ears perked as he offered his own in return. “It’s nice to meet you too, Lacquer.” Jai said with sincerity, tilting her head as he told her about the manner in which he had left his own pack. Celebratory? “That’s no good.” She muttered with a frown; Jaida believed that packs should value all of their members. Well, maybe not if they had committed some horrific crime; but something told her that Lacquer wouldn't be the sort to do something like that. Though, if her pack had had a similar mindset it would’ve made it much easier on Jai when she had left; she still wondered how her old pack was going at times... Returning from her thoughts, Jaida let herself break into an easygoing grin as he chuckled at her tale of stealing, glad he hadn’t become all stern about it. Her ears swiveled a little bit as she picked up quiet sobs nearby, and she couldn’t help but look in that direction. Another wolf? She looked back at Lacquer for a moment, “The alignment? Uhhh… I’m not sure. They were pretty angry so it was hard to tell… maybe neutral? They’d probably have tried to kill me if they were evil…” She said distractedly, her greenish eyes pinpointing a silvery wolf with jagged scars across his face.

Startled by it's menacing appearance, Jaida's fur bristled involuntarily. It was approaching them, and let out a soft growl. Jaida stood up and let out a warning growl in response, unsure of the wolf’s intentions. “Who, what and why?” He demanded, but then seemed to take an off step on the slippery rocks. She snorted a little at his clumsiness. “Wow, good try there, almost got it. Maybe you’d be a little more intimidating if you could stay on your feet-…”Jai spoke up with a tone of mock encouragement, but stopped herself abruptly when she realized he was blind. Suddenly hearing another friendly voice echo out overhead, Jaida pricked her ears and looked up towards the falls, tilting her head and squinting a little in the sunlight. “Hey, up there!” Jai called out in response to the stranger's greeting, spying the form of a white wolf with light green markings. She then quickly glanced towards Lacquer, wondering what he thought of all of this company. For some reason he didn’t strike her as the type for crowds.

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Lacqer grinned - this time not as friendly as before. In fact, it seemed one parts menacing and two full of regret. This was all, of course, in response to the younger wolf commenting on the way he mentioned he left his pack. He chuckled. "That's what happens when you murder someone, lass." He paused for a few seconds, "Ah, I'm only joking, of course." he said, and chuckled again.
Across the way, however, traveling heavy upon the sparkling river air, the sound of regretful sobs fell to the are where the two sat, talking, and Lacqer's ear twitched as a result. Although he attempted to keep his attention on the conversation at hand, out of a want to be polite, he could not, in good conscious, ignore the sound of another wolf crying, and turned his head to see where this person was and what might be needed to help. Before he could do so, however, it seemed as if this individual was aware of their presence as well, and called out aggressively before his face, mutilated and scarred, was shown. Jaida, beside the old wolf, seemed to growl, before the newcomer lost his footing and tumbled into the water.
Lacqer's first instinct was to rush and help the lad - but his mind knew better.
There was no way that this wolf still had his eyesight. The way the scars seared across his face and the surprise at which he took to the two of them was proof enough of that. With individuals in his position, it was often best for them to be treated as if they could do things on their own, and Lacqer left him to fend for himself - because he knew the lad could. If a problem arose, he would be the first one to go and help, but for the time being, he felt this is what he needed most. Lacqer did, however, give a short glare as Jaida began to tease the newcomer, but she realized the lad's predicament on her own, it seemed.
Another wolf called from above, and this time around, Lacqer could feel his heart beat fire more rapidly. Two was a crowd, after all, and four... Well, there was no hiding now.
"Hello, to the both of you!" He called out. "You up there, why don't you come join us?"
What else could he say, after all?

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(@noelle, your turn)

Nico:
Nico bounced back up, shaking his wet fur. He sniffed the air, but all the water made his nose useless. Instead his hearing kicked in. Nico looked in the direction the tease had come from, and he growled. "You try it sometime!" he snapped, his fur now a lighter color. The lighter tings glimmered against the darker silver. Nico was not in a good mood having bonked his nose it the fall. That had hurt, and the tease had made him more ornary.

Nico's ears swiveled to the sound of the older wolf. Nico lowered his head submissively. He had learned a long time ago to respect older wolves and this wolf, whoever he was, sounded older then Nico. "Hello." he said stiffly. Then Nico's head shot up at another wolf. "What, did I step in on a meeting?" he asked sarcastically. He then sat, and looked back at the one who had teased him. He shook his head, sending a bit more water flying. His face had more light silver then most of his body, giving him a more friendly-ish face. Or it should have.

Nico cocked his head up at the female, and felt resigned that he had to ask. "Um, can someone describe the others to me? I'll be able to get a picture from that." He hated himself for having to ask. He felt part of his face flinch, where claws had torn his face. Nico shook his head to clear his head. He didn't like thinking about it.