He was starting to feel numb after the death of his companion, no longer overcome with emotions. He felt them, felt the grief and the hurt, the sadness, but it didn't show nor affect him as much as it were. Not right now at least, as the black male was quite good at suppressing things in order to keep himself going and to protect himself. It was inevitable that these emotions resurface at some point, because although Styx had been buried, he still could not come to terms with the fact that he had lost the one wolf he dared get close to.

Whisper Forest was strangely fitting for his elusive, quiet mood. It was early morning and there was a fog wrapped around the trees, still fresh dew on leaves of the foliage. The morning air was cold and damp but wind came and went in short breezes. He stared through the fog at nothing as he trekked along, head low, not sure where he was going, just walking for the sake of walking.

For once, when the multi-toned male stirred from his make-shift den beneath a half-naked shrub, he hadn't meant to cause trouble in the place he'd come to call the backward land. As he'd shifted himself in a half ground-ward stretch—that involved pulling his forelegs forward to spread his digits and lifting his tail so it trembled with the action—he'd disturbed a rabbit that had been browsing not so far from him: both apparently hidden from each other by the fog's haze, until now. As most prey did when in the sudden presence of a predator, it took off in a headlong run that stirred Hawkspur's most carnal instincts, despite the fact that he had no intention of eating it. He was onto his creamy paws in the flash of any instant, leaving the fingers of sleep to swirl in the kicked-up leaves behind him.

The gentle breezes that had characterised Whisper Forest's weather before became a self-made wind that whipped readily through the twine of his pelt, as muscles churned furiously beneath. His muzzle lowered to effectively streamline his stocky frame and his eyes narrowed to pointedly keep track of the half-disguised prey. He purposefully would extended his gait to catch up to the rabbit, snapping at the soft fur of its heels, before dropping back to do the same thing again. Clearly, the Hó'nehe male was enjoying the pure ecstasy of terrorising the poor creature and kept charging along like it was the greatest thing in the world.

Only, when during one of the periods where Hawk was closing the gap between them—with the aide of his rolling momentum—the lapin suddenly darted to the side and was off, clambering through the shrubbery. The way in which the prey had suddenly done so, startled by something ahead, had caused Hawkspur to twist his muzzle to watch it, distracted by his thoughts on why. It hadn't occurred to his dumb-ass self to look where he was going to find the sole cause of it until it was too late to stop himself. He turned back now with a sudden thought flowering in his mind as something became evident in his path through the fog. Wait. When did the ground suddenly had a block of black situated in the middle of it?

The blunt nails of his paws scraped against the loose dirt in a vain and valiant effort to stop himself when he realised that that black was in fact a wolf. But, it too late and the Neve'heth male found himself colliding, quite painfully on his part, with the sulking wolf. The moment his peppered limbs had found themselves free of the Salvaje wolf, Hawk was up on his feet, snapping: "For the love of Heammawehio! Will you watch where you're bloody-well lingering!" Because it was obviously TD's fault for being in the way, you know.

gorgeous set by karm ! <3
WLC! — 100

OUT OF CHARACTER

Excuse the shittiness. I can't seem to get into writing tonight. I'm too distracted and bothered and crap.


IN CHARACTER

He heard the ruckus through the trees and even smelled a wolf in the air, but when he turned to look and see what was coming, he was a bit too slow to react and a running male charged right into them. Both of them went tumbling and scrambling and got tangled in one anothers legs. Just like the other male, the moment they were free he was onto his feet and staring his assailant in the face. The Devil lashed his tail at the other male's words, before hissing back a response. I'll linger wherever I damn well want.

Besides, their collision was no fault of his. He was amazed that the wolf could even think so. Perhaps it was some sort of jest or sarcasm, but either way, the dark male was in no mood to be run into and then talked to in such a manner.

I know that feeling. :|

His darkly peppered hackles streaked like the sharp edge of razor blades through the parallel arches of his shoulder blades, sparking the lengthy hairs of his spine to lift to attention with each inch of his autumnal coat acting in kind, by mirroring the gesture. Already a stocky beast to begin with, the Ahtono'e must have looked a spiny sight given his offensive state: his leathern lips peeled right back to reveal long incisors, covered with frothing salvia that dripped unrelentingly across the ground below and streaked through his plumed chest. The hissing reply of the black male only seemed to exacerbate the problem as each hair seemed to instantly prickle and tremble with unseen electricity, his vocal range vibrating an eloquent wolven snap in a moment's response.

It didn't occur to the arrogant Hawk that this wasn't the best course of action, considering it was his fault and he was no longer on Hó'nehe grounds. But with an ego addicted to being sated, it was no wonder he was acting the way he did.

gorgeous set by karm ! <3
WLC! — 100

It was a sight to behold: the lighter colored and compact form of the tribe male facing off with the tall lean and long pitch black form of the Silver Creek subordinate. Both were spike-furred and muscles rippling beneath their coats, their charcoal leather-like lips lifted to reveal their vicious fangs. Neither one spoke, neither once moved or flinced.

It was just that: a face off.

It was the light warrior-male that was in the wrong, the black male's aggressive response to his presence caused by his inability to control where he was going. All The Devil was doing now was giving the other male a chance to back down and realize that he was at fault, and that he would have no easy time shifting the blame and being aggressive with the Creeker.

Whether it was the swelling of his ego roughly clashing with the confines of his rib-cage or whether it just saw no point to continuing this, it was unclear. But, the Neve'heth boy hadn't come here to flex the ancestral lines of the Tribe warriors and was quite aware of the consequences if he did start a fight. Zyanya didn't condone violent—unless the spirits asked of her to—and he was well aware that starting something with this shadow could have a knock on effect that would pretty much lead to him to being castrated. He could see it now… and it wasn't the most pleasant vision he'd ever had.

The rearing peel of his lips gradually faded to his trademark smirk, his stance lifting to a neutral posture and his tail slowed to eventually wrap around a chilled hock. The only thing that didn’t change was the raise of his nape, prickling with apprehension, just in case Mr. Lingering dark decided that there was something to be gained from taking Hawkspur on. Titling his muzzle up in a backward nod that made his eyes roll down to see the lowered male, he smugly asked, "What are you lingering about here for anyway?"

gorgeous set by karm ! <3
WLC! — 100

Biding his time worked. The other male backed off and likewise, so did The Devil, but just like the other male again he retained a certain tension, a wariness of the other, a mistrust. The tribe-wolf's smirk was met with the thin tight line of the black male's lips, complimented with his furrowed brows. He was in no impressed mood, and he was none too quick to answer the male's question, just continuing to glare hard for a few moments.

For no reason that you need to know of. He stated coldly, following up with a quick snap of a question. Who are you? He didn't expect to get an answer, or one that he wanted, but that did not prevent the dark male from demanding one.

The midnight hued Creek wolf backed off his defensive stance, just as Spur had, with only the icy demeanour and the rippling apprehension of prickling hackles to be the living memory that there had been a stand-off in the first place. Given their neutral stances of sorts, the stocky Tribe two-year-old took his chance to look over the other with that stupid smirk never relieving its hug over his darkly lined lips. He only twitched his odd eyes back toward the glare of the other—thinking smugly, if looks could kill—when a cold snap came back at him in response to his question.

Just as The Devil would after the query chasing the tail end of his own words, Hawkspur hadn't really expected to get a response that was worthy of much, but it hadn't done anything to deter his often considered big mouth. With the "Who are you?" afflicting sharp barbs on the inside of his ears, he flicked his tail disdainfully about behind him, narrowing his eyes a touch in a devilish glare and snorted heavily, "It's almost laughable that you think it's any business of yours, mutt."

gorgeous set by karm ! <3
WLC! — 100

OUT OF CHARACTER

(xpost) Apologies for the wait.


IN CHARACTER

It was an expected answer but nevertheless met with a clicking of the dark male's teeth and a fierce lash of his tail. He remained quiet and tense, eyes like daggers lancing at the other male. He was unaffected by the pety insult, more irritated at the audacity of this stranger than anything else. That, and it also bothered him to be disturbed in the first place when for once, he was not starting any trouble or harrassing anyone.

I never said I thought it was my business, he snarled. I just want to know. He lowered his head a bit into a more aggressive stance, his posture warning the other wolf that there were a limited number of outcomes for this encounter — tolerance and cooperation of each other for the time being until a peaceable departure occurred, one leaving without another word to the other, or a fight.

Given the nature in which his companion proceeded to lower himself into a direction that leaned more toward aggressive tendencies than anything else, that his mouthy nature wasn't helping in the "let's-not-start-a-fight" train of thought. It was possible in that instant he hated Zyanya and the Tribe for the constrictions placed upon him like a choking leash, when clearly a good ripping each other apart would do them both good… well, it would for Hawkspur anyway, who'd been itching for something like this to come along ever since they'd moved here. But, with this extremely irritating need to please his Priestess at every corner and twist, he rolled his eyes away, puffing out his chest and setting his features into a clearly disgusted façade.

He stayed silent, tense and obviously moody for a time, feeling the pressure of silence pounding in on his senses and was ever aware of the black wolf prickling heatedly nearby. However, with the reigning in of certain amounts of pride, the Neve'heth male looked back toward the other and reluctantly rippled his chords, "Hawkspur," And was he now going to get the same decency of a reply, he wondered, "And what of you?"

gorgeous set by karm ! <3
WLC! — 100

OUT OF CHARACTER

Bad me for the wait :P


IN CHARACTER

It seemed at last the other male had cooled his temper, and so TD, too, relented and allowed his posture to relax in to a less threatening stance. There was of course a lingering tension between the two males, but for the time being the course of their encounter seemed to be moving towards tolerance and cooperation which could continue into a peaceable departure. This was the best for the both in the end.

He had already been conjuring up another moniker to deliver, knowing that his questioning would be returned. He had come up with something half decent, and he offerred it with a flick of his tail and a flat, toneless reply. Drake. He quickly followed it with another question, the other male's relent to answer his questions based on it not being his business did little to deter him for digging for information. Where are you from?