Time To Explore - Anyone

[Arias]

The days were still bitterly cold, and Arias had been out of the den more and more now that his parents were needed in helping to hunt for the weakening pack. Leaving his sisters behind to explore the land not far beyond their densite near the Crimson Lake, the young male had grown increasingly bored of his surroundings, seeing the same trees and bushes everyday with only a change in maybe lera to entertain him.
Knowing that he had met very few of his pack mates, Arias was beginning to grow ever curious about those who lived within the same territory as he, those who were friends with his parents and Alphas.

Growling in annoyance whilst looking at the den's entrance from the outside, he lifted his paw and kicked up a pile of fresh snow, watching with slight entertainment as the light caught it and sent a small flicker of colours through like a spectrum.
A sound caught his attention swiftly however and the reddish hued male flicked his head around quickly to catch a glimpse of movement in the bracken behind him. Quirking a brow to this and flicking his large, broad ear with curiosity, Arias turned his body round and got to his long gangly legs and raised his proud, squirmy tail in defiance. Letting a small growl bubble up from his chest, he let out a sharp bark of warning to the stranger who was trespassing on his turf. Yes. His turf. No one elses.

[Renn]

It had been barely three days since Renn ahd first set a paw in her territory, returning after a long confinement in Ge-Rad terra following being thrice struck by Man's arrows. Now, as the golden youth made her way around the rim of the Crimson Lake, digits carefully picking a way through the snow, avoiding problems, such as cutting a pad on sharp rocks by luck alone. Familiar scents shrouded the air around her, and her nose quivered as she scented each one, remembering the smells of the Mountain Lera, her Packmates, in particular Sudak, Gryffin, and their cubs, Sora, Arias and Aiyu. Cocking her head in a quizzical expression, Renn scented the air again, searching for the strong scent that had swamped her nostrils for a few moments. Catching it again, the Listern faemme struggled to place scent to Varg before it should disapear yet again. Already she could tell from the scent that the source was young, very young, and male. The only cubs in List were Gryffin and Sudak's, and they had one son, Arias.

Speeding up, Renn loped toward where the scent was strongest, her nose tracing it as her golden bodice moved gracefully. The small body of a cub brought the faemme up short. Her emerald oculars scanned the cub, cheking that it was Arias, and not some lost cub of a Kerl. Recognising him, Renn smiled at Arias, her tail swishing slowly from side to side.

((Oh the crappiness...))

[Drathlic]

The sun rolled across the sky like he did every single day that passed. His time within his abode above the Transylvanian lera was shorter now than it had been last year. Though slowly but surely his rein increased once more and Tor was taking her rests earlier than within the dead of winter.
A young adult timber wolf padded relentlessly through his well know terrain, following the tracks of another whose sent was strong enough for him to recognise them instantly as his good friend Renn. He had not seen his golden pelted pack mate for nearly a moon now, and his worry was beginning to increase drastically of her wereabouts. Though he had heard that she had returned, and to have finally caught up with her tracks and scent, it delighted him so much that he'd purposly given up scouting to go find her and be reunited with her.

It didn't take the ruddy male long before he found himself skirting the shoreline of the Crimson Lake. Drathlic slowed to a halt to finally lift his muzzle from the ground and to peer across the rippling exterior of water. His lowered tail swayed happily as he breathed in the fresh, cool air and finally parted his azure gaze from the lake to look where he was heading.
Ahead he could see a high band with the sure signs of a den dug into its side. This, he gathered quickly, was the birthing den that Gryffin and Sudak had chosen for their own litter. A litter he had yet to meet. Cocking an aud to why Renn may have travelled here on her own, he first considered that it was to see Gryffin. But when he saw, faintly, the small figure of a young wolf standing its ground against a larger varg - that of a golden hued pelt he knew as Remm - Drathlic knew that she had gone to see the cubs...or at least guessed this.

Smiling fondly to himself, Drathlic picked up the pace again and began a gentle lope towards the two, slowly to a halt as he approached them, letting out a bark of greeting to alert them to his pressence. "Renn! You're here!" he barked happily before bounding over the young, gangly legged male and racing to her with his tail flailing out behind him and his ears pressed back, tongue hanging out the side of his parted muzzle - expression could only be described as true joy.
Bounding to her side he pounced and began to nip at her ears playfully, suddenly forgetting the young male who was now most likely glaring at him for the interuptance.

[Renn]

The familiar scent was over-powering, twisting round and round Renn as she allowed it to flood her senses. The scent was tempting and rigged with such joy and happiness that the golden-pelted faemme could only assume that it was her dearest, oldest, friend: Drathlic. A sharp bark confirmed her assumption, and soon the red-hued Varg was racing around her, encircling her as a ruddy blur before he came to a halt before her emerald orbs. Instantly, Renn assessed how differant Drathlic looked to the just-reached-adolescense Varg she ahd known before. The ruddy male had shot up, his legs lanky as a long maned wolf and his fur was the armour-like fur of an adult Varg. The old wormy tail and fledged into a magnificent brush that could rival Renn's own golden banner. However, though his voice was deeper, and his appearance had changed, his piercing sapphire orbs were the same old orbs that had first found Renn as a young cub. Gazing lovingly at her friend for a few precios moments, Renn pulled backward as Drathlic danced before her, nipping at her auds with affection.

Even as her own assessment of Drathlic ended, Renn realised that her own appearance must have changed. True be it that Renn was still recogniseable with her golden pelt and her emerald oculars, but her banner had darkened in hue so that it was tinged with a reddy honey color at the end. She too, had shot up on long legs, but she was a bit more elegant in the way she walks - no doubt after ages of impressing Kop. Even as her mind wandered to the grizzled dragga, a dreaded guilt welled up inside her abdomen. Realisation struck her as she remembered that before Kop, Renn had held feelings for Drathlic, a sort of crush if you like, and already she was fearing that that would start up again. Of course, her feelings back then for Drathlic did not go as deep as her passionate love for Kop, but what would happen if it should mutate?

Shieing away from Drathlic's playful nips, Renn backed off a few step s and smiled weakly at the ruddy Mann, covering up her unenthusiasm. Even as the guilt continued on, Caoimhe's cold orbs flashed through Renn's mind, piercing her heart as she remembered the young cub declaring her own love for Kop. "It's good to see you again, Drathlic," Renn growled, smiling with more enthusiasm as she continued, [/i]"I was just following the scent of AArias here, and looking for Gryffin. How are you? How have you been?"[/i] As she spoke, Renn felt her livid scars sting with pain. The scars were located on her right hind leg, where she was thrice struck by Man's arrows, the moment in the chase where she had turned round to find Kop with a shard in his flank. And the Men had taken him.[/color]

[Drathlic]

Drathlic took a few steps back as he saw some sort of sudden uneese slip under Renn's beautiful winter pelt. He lowered his head slightly and pulled back his ears, feeling now that he had done something wrong to make her act this way. She had seemed just as excited as he when he leapt at her..but now she was different. Almost as if there was a hidden meaning to it all that he didn't understand. Females... he thought silently to himself. Though he had befriended far more faemme in his young life than males, he still didn't understand them. Especially Renn. Constantly her mood and reactions would change, and never would they be explained.
Taring himself away from these thoughts - knowing that it would only confuse him further - Drathlic smiled softly at her reply, trying to keep himself from pouncing on her again to play. "I'm good Renn, what about yourself? Where on Tor's earth have you been? And without any warning of your disapearance, I was getting really worried," his last word ended with a slight whine as his now thick and brushy tail drooped, though his head rose slightly and his auds perked forward - intent to hear her answer.

From being seperated for so long, both young adolescants had had time to grow and mature in their own seperate ways. Drathlic was now a young adult - he had reached his full size now and his full winter and adult pelt had grown in thick and lucious. His once so pathetic excuse for a tail had now become full and brushy - so much so that he prized it and enjoyed to wave it around when no one was looking. Though everything about him was adult, the default in his genes had remained permanent and the hue of his eyes remained a vivid azure blue. He didn't care however - he enjoyed the fact that it made him slightly different from the rest.
Renn herself had also changed. She was still slightly younger than Drathlic, but she was gaining on him fast. Her own stature had become sleek and elegent in appearance whilst her golden colourated pelt fit her perfectly. Her own tail was now an impressive banner that was tinted with a reddish hue much like the colour of his own pelt. And the emerald stare she possesed brought her to life - with emotions and memories held strong within them. Renn had indeed grown into a fine young faemme, and Drathlic was almost proud of her just because she had grown so beautiful. Though he was not sure why...

[Renn]

A light turned on within Renn as she felt saw Drathlic's sweet-natured smile. It was caring and kind, sensitive to what she had happened to her, though he had no possible idea of what could have happened. Long ago, the scent of Ge-Rad had been washed from Renn's pelt, growing steadily stale and eventually fading from her bodice, so there was no indication that the Listern faemme had so much as gazed at Ge-Rad terra. Now, her pelt was covered with the fresh scent of the Moutains, as clear and bright as the Mountain streams in Spring. Even as the red-hued male spoke, he seemed to lean forward closer to Renn, his nose twitching and his auds pricked forward, his azure orbs far more intent than their usual piercing state.

"I'm better now that I have the scent of the Mountains surrounding me," Her voice was quiet and soft as she spoke with timid affection, so unlike her blunt arrogant nature - for ,even though Renn trusted Drathlic more than she could ever trust herself, Renn found that she could not meet his orbs for even a second as she spoke. What happened to you?[/u] The voice was familiar but the words were strange, as if they came from a place she did not want to go. What did happen to me? Renn wondered silently to herself as she pondered Drathlic's question. "My heart went bang..." Renn whispered, her voice practically inaudible. Not realising she had spoken aloud, Renn continued, her voice stronger and far more audible. "What happened to me is not for the ears of young ones," Flashing a look at Arias, Renn went back to staring at the ground, focusing on the little shimmering specks that made up the blanket of snow.[/color]

[Drathlic]

((I'll reply after Arias gets on))

[Arias]

Watching as the golden pelted faemme approached him with her tassel swaying happily from side to side, Arias let out a slight yip and allowed his own tail to sway, though by shunning her slightly with his shoulder he made it clear that he was no longer a 'pup' and was a big bag vargie, though he was pleased to see her. But before he could speak, or even Renn for that matter, a large ruddy pelted male came bolting towards her and they engaged in slight play and greeting before starting up a conversation.
Growling in annoyance, Arias frowned and let out a sharp bark to get their attention back and focused on him, his head lowered and ears flattened against his head. "Oi!" he barked again, looking slightly sore now. Having not met a few of his mother and father's pack mates, Arias was unaware of who this male was...though he knew Renn briefly as the litter's protector.

Waiting till they both returned their attention to him, the young sandy and white pelted male padded towards them and lifted his head high to Drathlic, perking his tail slightly and trying to look defiant, though he was still half the older male's size and clearly a young adolesant. Giving the ruddy male a slight nip on the nose, he leapt back swiftly to avoid a retaliation and accidently bumped into Renn. He turned round quickly and shuffled back, his backside stooping slightly and tail lowering as he waited to be scuffed, lips twitching as though ready to be pulled back into a snarl.

[Renn]

Arias's short sharp bark pulled a grateful Renn away from the conversation that had been going between Drathlic and herself, and she turned her emerald orbs to Arias, looking on in admiration as he bravely took on Drathlic in a staring contest of sorts. Laughing slightly as she watched how defiantly and dominantly Arias stepped forward - still staring at Drathlic - her humour turned to annoyance when the cub crossed the line and nipped the ruddy male on the nose, a sensitive area and also, far to disrespective to one ranked higher than Arias. As if realising his mistake, Arias backed up, fear in his eyes, and collided with Renn, taking her by complete surprise that she lost her balance. Of course, Arias was young and innocent, experiencing feelings of dominance that he would have to learn to curb, but she was irritated by his mistreatment of Drathlic. "Arias!" She barked, regaining her balance and staring down at the young cub. "Show some respect to Drathlic. He is older than you and deserves better than getting nipped on the nose by you." But even as she reprimanded the young cub, her green eyes were soft, showing that she was not as angry as she probably sounded.

[Drathlic]

Drathlic stopped his conversation swiftly with Renn as the young male, Gryffin's son, barked out and stood glaring at the two. Turning his own azure eyes round to meet those of Arias, the ruddy male's lips curled into a soft grin as his auds relaxed on his head. The defensive and defiant stature that Arias now held against Drathlic amused him slightly and the young adult couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle, but the second he did so, a sharp pang of pain struck his tender nose and Drathlic let out a high pitched yelp, jerking his head backwards and stumbling backwards in fright.
The sharp bark of warning let out by Renn brought his attention back away from his tender and sore snout and he watched as Arias slunk away from the pair, his muzzle distorting into the beiggings of a puppy-like snarl. Feeling foolish at his reaction to the nip by a mere adolescant, Drathlic frowned and shook his head, a deep growl rumbling in his throat as he made his body grow larger, legs stiffening and his hackles rising slightly to show how a real wolf showed defiance. "I'm sure your mother and father wouldn't appreciate you acting higher than you rank Arias. Listen to Renn, she knows well," he growled warningly. Though seeming to sense that his 'threat' was weak and held little significane, Drathlic relaxed and let his hackles settle, auds flattening slightly and eyes breaking away from Arias' and looking off past Renn, the skin beneath the fur on his muzzle burning with embaressment.

[Arias]

Arias growled in annyance as he was scolded by the pair, his auds flat against his head and his head lowered until it was dipping just below his protruding shoulder blades. Frowning and forcing his lips back over his milk teeth, shrouding the snarl that had a second ago flashed across his muzzle, the young male kept his body lowered slightly as he eyed Renn and Drathlic up warily. There was something inside him...something that flowed through his blood...that made him feel bitter towards these varg. But with his mother and father, Arias knew well that these varg would clipe on him and it would only be a matter of time before he was truly scolded.
Sitting back on his scrawny haunches, his lightly hued pelt bristled slightly and he glanced up at Renn's emerald eyes, noticing that her scold in fact was not meant to be as harsh as it sounded. This only made him feel worse, for she had found the ordeal amusing if anything - and it wasn't intended to be amusing. Arias was to grow into a savage fight...one of the Balkar. He had heard the stories from his mother so many times thatnks to Sora's over inquisitive questions, and as they continued, so too did his wish to join them. And if he were to become one, then varg such as these two should find him terrifying, not funny.

Grumbling slightly he shrugged his shoulders and muttered "Whatever," under his breathe, his now pale ember eyes glistening under Fenris' beams of sunlight. Waiting in silence and keeping his gaze focused on a less than interesting sprout of grass, Arias waited for the two adolescants to do their thing so that he could sneak off and explore. As it wasn't likely they were going to keep him occupied without scolding him every two minutes.

[Renn]

Renn continued to watch as Arias stared at the floor, his brow slightly wrinkled in a frown, then return his gaze to herself and Drathlic. Was it just her, or could she see a spark of...of, not exactly hatred but a certain bitterness, resentment, as if there was something inside him that caused him to dislike Renn and Drathlic. It was understandable as Arias had obviously figured out that Renn was partially laughing at him and Drathlic, but ti was slightly undeserved too. "Arias, you are still a cub. I am merely giving you some warning of future scolding if you continue to act out of place," The golden furred faemme growled, the humour gone from ehr voice yet still not angry, only firm. It almost scared Renn to see Arias like this, as she was good friends with Gryffin and, though Sudak was frosty, he was not really that bad. Maybe, maybe Arias was more like Leohlic, Father of Gryffin, and the former First of the Balkar. Well, if he was then Renn could only hope this streak of hatred would be rubbed away when he was brought up by Gryffin.

Her sensitive auds caught Arias's muttered reply, and it brought back some of the humour. "I heard that, you know," She said, yet did not smile or show her humour. "No more cheek, Arias, okay?" It wasn't really a question, more of a statement yet Renn wanted to hear Arias' consent.

[Arias]

Rolling his eyes as Renn decided to once again play peace maker he merely growled and frowned again. "Fine, no more cheek, I get it ok," he growled with irritance, simply wanting the matter to drop. His lips twitched into the small beginnings of a snarl but he managed to stop himself, knowing that his scolding would only be worse and that Renn would no doubt this time go snitching on him to his mother and father. And if not her only to stay on his good side, then Drathlic would probably have no hesitance in the matter.
Remaining silent for another few moments he directed his gaze back to the forest and then back to Renn. If his mother's little 'helper' wanted to speak to her little love bird then she might as well. If neither of them wanted to be near him and his 'cheek', then he might as well go off exploring on his own.

With a flick of his scraggly tail, Arias gathered himself together once again and stood tall on his long gangly legs, taking long strides of most importance and began to head out towards the forest's edge, knowing that in either case, Renn and Drathlic would still follow jsut to 'keep an eye on him', whatever that meant anyway.