The Feud in the Forest (Private Rp with Wingfeather)

[tenebria]

As soon as the Alphas speech had ended, talking and murmuring had broken out among the wolves. Vaskra got to her feet and began padding away silently, Alistra quickly following. "Why do you think the elves would kidnap a human? and a boy at that?" She asked with a deep frown. Vaskra gave a sigh, and the apprentice remembered how much she hated speculative questions. Quickly she opened her mouth to apologize, when her mentor spoke in a pensive tone. "I'm not sure Alistra, but whatever it is, It doesn't bode well for us." she responded, pausing to look out into the calm forest with such a look of foreboding that the young silver wolf gave a shiver of excitement. "Does this mean another war will start?" she questioned as they moved forward. "I doubt our Alpha would go to war over a human boy, especially since we didn't even go to war over his own pup" Vaksra said dismissively. Alistra gave a nod, hurrying to keep up with her mentor. Although Vaskra had a large scar across her right side, she was still had much longer strides than the younger she-wolf. Alistra moved forward quickly at her mentor's side, her thoughts filled with tales of battles of old. If another battle came, she hoped she'd be right in the middle of it.

[wingfeather]

Greynan understood his apprentices's turmoil of mind and decided it wise for them to go out and cool off a bit. As they walked through the bright midday sunlight they came across a small group of wolves holding private conference. One of them them looked up and hailed Greynan from the distance. ''Greynan'' he called ''come and and tell us what you think of this new evil of the elves.'' Slowly Greynan joined them, he sat down heavily. ''I know not what to think of this'' ,he said when he saw their expectant faces, ''unless they want to make enemies of the men as they are with us.'' All we can do for now is wait for what the council decides, and what The Alpha commands.'' ''I hope the alpha calls for war!'' said a large young grey wolf his bright green eyes flashing. ''NO!'' Greynan said this with such vehemence and strength that the younger wolf actually stepped back a pace, ''do not wish for war, it is an evil that benefits few and harms all.'' He stood up suddenly and walked away, Enilair close behind keeping and remembering all he heard.

[tenebria]

As Alistra trotted by her mentor's side, she suddenly realized she hadn't even asked where they were going. "Vaskra, where" she trailed off as the she-wolf glanced down at her disapprovingly. "I trust you still have eyes and a nose" she said in an icy tone. The young wolf looked sheepish, and quickly glanced around, taking note of the different dens. "Oh, the hunters!" she said suddenly as she remembered their early conversation. Vaskra snorted, eyes on the trail. "But I though with the announcement..." Alistra trailed off at her mentor's stiffening body language. Too many questions. As usual. With a barely audible sigh, she resigned to trotting silently.

She heard the hunters before they arrived, and it sounded as if there was a small disagreement going on. Vaskra padded over to the den and slipped inside. As soon as she appeared, the commotion faded, and Zeera stepped out of the group. "Vaskra, I was wondering if you would come along today" she said with an easy smile. The mentor simply dipped her head slightly "My apprentice and I were hoping to join your hunt for the High Alpha's prey" she said as Alistra trotted in beside her. At the she-wolf's words, the younger one looked up in surprise. Joining the hunt for the High Alpha's prey? that was much more exciting than just a regular hunt! Zeera glanced at Alistra, then nodded "You are both welcome to join us, and mayhap you could lend your thoughts, Vaskra. You see, I believe we should go for a small beast of prey, something that is elusive yet not too extravagant. But there are some in here" she paused to glare at a chosen few in her hunting party "that believe we should hunt for a gyrfalcon" she said as she turned her gaze back to Vaskra. The older wolf paused, looking thoughtfully at the faces of the other wolves before replying. "At the moment, I do not think the High Alpha needs any more reminders of the elves and their evil works. A Jackalope will do for today" she said firmly. Zeera gave her a grateful look, then turned to her party. "You heard her, we're going for a Jackalope." she said, ignoring any grumbling and beginning giving out places to each. "We'll start out as one hunt to go after the Jackalope, and once it is secured, Vaskra and Alistra will return with it to the Clan Alpha. The rest of us will continue hunting for tonight's meal" the lead huntress barked before turning and padding quickly out of the den. Vaskra and Alistra followed suit, gathering with the rest of the hunting party outside. "A jackalope... but aren't those the hardest to catch?" Alistra queried as they stepped into the sunlight. Her mentor glanced down and gave a subtle nod "They are extremely swift, but not impossible to catch" she answered shortly.
"Let the hunt begin!" Sumar's voice rang out from his stand by the Alpha's den, and Zeera quickly looked up, bowing gracefully before rising and racing into the forest. Silently, the rest of the wolves strung out after her, the experienced hunters quickly shifting into one of their sweeping patterns. It took Alistra a moment to remember how the maneuver worked, but quickly finding the rhythm, she slipped into place, senses alert for the tell tale sign of their prey.

[wingfeather]

Enilair had a hard time keeping up with his mentors long strides, as they made their way back to the den which, upon reaching it, Graynan walked into its dark mouth and disappeared inside. Enilair knew what he would see if he followed, the old wolf would be pacing back and forth across the rocky ground muttering to himself incoherently, and completely forgetting about his apprentice. Enilair sighed to himself and walked away in the direction of the creek. The woods seemed quieter today than normal as if it were waiting, watching for something to happen, Enilair was not oblivious to this, he learned from a very young age that part of being a strategist was to learn the language of the forest, and to know when being warned by it. But it was not forboding he felt but a sort of expectation that caused him to be wary and on the alert. It was not long until he reached the creek and after looking around began to lap at the cool quiet water. Suddenly seeming out of nowhere a reddish form jumped out at him tumbling with him into the creek. the water was not deep only about to his shoulder, Enilair floundered a little trying to regain his footing, only to be dunked again, he broke surface sputtering looking about wildly for whoever it could be. hHe heard a high laugh behind him and turned quickly to see a pretty auburn furred wolf watching him with laughter in her dark brown eyes. ''What was that for'' ,Enilair asked in mock anger, in true he actually loved water and was planning on taking a short swim. ''It was an unpassable opportunity,'' she said laughing again. ''Were you following me the entire time?'' Enilair asked. ''No,'' she answered, ''I was actually lying in those about bushes waiting for some unexpecting to pounce upon, but then you came along-'' Enilair suddenly growled playfully and lunged at her, they romped about in the water for a bit until both became tired and layed down on the bank drying their soaking coats in the warm afternoon sun.

[tenebria]

At the beginning of the hunt, Alistra was full of energy and enthusiasm. But as the time ticked by, she grew quickly bored. By the end of the first hour, she'd dropped back from the pattern, and was beginning to wish she was anywhere but there. A hunt for the High Alpha had seemed an exciting and prestigious experience... but now it was just plain boring. Not a feather, hair, or antler of a Jackalope had been sighted as of yet, and she was beginning to wonder if they had ever even existed in the forest. Suddenly, the lead huntress stopped in her tracks, raising her tail high and scenting the air. The rest of the party froze to a halt as well, except Alistra who hadn't been paying attention, and almost plowed into her mentor who gave her quite the glare before looking back to Zeera. Sheepish, the silver she-wolf scented the air as well, narrowing her eyes in concentration as she attempted to find what the lead huntress had locked on to. Zeera made a swift movement of her head, and at the movement, half the party began stalking forwards, spreading out and moving as softly as they could, until they created a half circle, with Zeera at the head. Vaskra nudged to get her attention, then motioned for her to move forwards as well. Alistra slipped forward, crouching deep in the brush as she saw the others doing. Abruptly, Zeera's loud howl erupted through the forest, and with one accord, the wolves charged forwards. A scampering was heard and then suddenly a frantic dark brown Jackalope burst from the brush, and ran straight into Zeera's jaws. It was over in a moment, and she dropped the prey at her feet, letting out a triumphant howl which the rest of the party quickly picked up. Alistra felt adrenaline throbbing through her veins as she lifted her head and let her young voice join the others. A moment later Zeera dropped her head, panting a wide smile to the other hunters. "A prime prize" she said, then adding "Zorrix, I believe we could all use some refreshing, pick up the scent of creek and head over there while I see these two off" Zorrix, an extremely dark brown wolf, dipped his head, then turned and loped into the brush, the others following his trail.

Vaskra padded up to Zeera, lowering her head to examine the jackalope before speaking. "I agree, the High Alpha will be pleased, or as pleased as he can be this day" she said, then turned to her apprentice who quickly joined them. "We must be on our way now if we wish to get this back in time for Alpha Vanorr's departure" she said firmly with a respectful nod to the lead hunter, then indicated for Alistra to retrieve the target. Alistra quickly obeyed, darting forward to pick it up, with a slight bow of deference to the lead hunter. "Run well" Zeera called after them as they turned and began loping into the forest, heading for home.

[wingfeather]

Once Enilair and his young friend were sufficiently dry and rested they made their way silently back toward the dens. ''So Enilair,'' his auburn friend asked, ''what do you think of all this elves stealing a boy, and important council business.'' Enilair sighed wearily ''honestly, Thuckeen, I am becoming very tired of the whole thing.'' she nodded. They walked in silence for the rest of the way. ''I should get back to my parents'' she said suddenly, turning she began trotting in the direction of her den. ''Thuckeen,'' he called, ''I did not mean to be rude back there I just...'' ,he trailed off not knowing what to say. Thuckeen nodded and smiled then turned and resumed her walk back to the den. When Enilair reached his den he found Greynan had ceased his pacing and was now lying on the floor head on paws resting. He raised his head when Enilair entered and asked sleepily ''have a nice time at the creek?'' Enilair had long since stopped being surprised whenever Greynan seemingly effortlessly guessed where he was, though he did realize that he was still slightly damp around his sides. Enilair smiled and nodded then laid down near his godfather. ''When will mother and father be back,'' he asked. Greynan looked at him thoughtfully before answering, ''I do not know, but I would assume that they would be at the council tonight perhaps they will come by here for a short visit afterwards. Enilair laid his head on his paws and wined slightly, ''I hardly ever get to see them, I wish they could come oftener.'' ''Young Enilair, your parents are some of the most highest esteemed wolves of our Alpha, there very blood is to serve him in every way possible, they love you Enilair, oh they love you terribly, but they also have a loyalty to honor, and will honor it until they they die of it.'' Enilair heard these strong words he looked suddenly at Greynan. ''I am of the same blood as they are, when my time comes I too will will swear my loyalty just as they, and serve my Alpha till the end.'' Greynan smiled to himself at the young wolf's enthusiasm, little did he know the true strength and resolve that was behind those bold words.

[tenebria]

The mentor and apprentice's journey back was much faster than it was the other direction as they raced through the underbrush with seemingly reckless abandon. As always, Vaskra took the opportunity to teach her apprentice a lesson, and sped up, her paws right behind Alistra's heels. "You'd have to run a lot faster if I was panther" she barked. Alistra glanced behind her once, and saw that Vaskra was quite serious about making this a test run. Her green eyes glittered with the adrenaline of the challenge, and she suddenly burst ahead, using her reserve strength to flash under a fallen tree, darting into the forest undergrowth. Her mentor sped up as well, although her scarred side burned slightly at the strain as she leapt over the tree, crashing into the underbrush and continuing her pursuit. The young she-wolf was a flash of red and silver as she weaved through the tangled brush, making her own path while keeping an eye on the sun to keep her on track. She could just barely hear Vaskra behind her, a faint crackle of leaves here, as swaying tree there. Her heart was pounding with the thrill of the chase as the ground grew rockier. Her eyes darted left and right as she chose her path, paws swiftly following her gaze without hesitation as she took the high ground, leaping from boulder to boulder. By her estimation, she was no further than eight furlongs from the Clan, and with this goal in sight, she pushed herself faster, weaving, ducking and leaping. The scent of home grew stronger, and the sounds behind her had disappeared. With a confident grin around the prey in her mouth, she leapt for the tree border, and was tackled midair by a dark purple blur. Landing on the ground with a thud, she gave a grunt, just barely able to keep a hold on the Jackalope as she twisted to look up at her captor.

Vaskra looked down with an unamused expression as she removed her paw from her apprentice's side. "Sometimes forging your own path is not the fastest way." she said calmly as she stepped into the Clan Clearing. Alistra picked herself up with a disgruntled air, glancing in the direction her mentor had sprung from. Sure enough, the trail, worn down by many hunting parties, was clearly visible. Shaking herself, she trotted after her mentor in silence, the adrenaline wearing off as her limbs began to ache from the hard landing. She half expected a lecture to come of the lost race, but instead her mentor simply said "Come, we must deliver the Jackalope to Alpha Vanorr". And just like that, the subject was dropped. The young silver wold gave a slight sigh, not only out of relief for the non existent lecture, but also her jaws were getting quite tired of keeping up the constant light pressure on the furry prize.

[wingfeather]

The two wolves laid in companionable silence for a little while longer until Greynan stood up and arched his back in a long draw out stretch. He pawed at Enilair until he too woke, stretched and shook grey-blue coat of sleep. He looked up at Greynan expectantly. ''We have neglected your lessons today,'' the grey wolf stated, ''and now that you have had your romp and rest, you should have an easier time of keeping your mind trained upon the past alphas of clan Stykr.'' Enilair yawned again and nodded sleepily, he sat up attentively and fixed his ears directly at his teacher, preparing himself for a long lesson about genealogies.

[tenebria]

Sumar, still at his post by his Alpha's den, looked down as he heard a crackling in the underbrush. A swift smile flashed over his muzzle as he saw the interaction between mentor and apprentice. His eyes were still twinkling, although he attempted to look serious, as the two she-wolves trotted up the well worn path. "Vaskra, Alistra, I see the hunt was successful?" he said, motioning to the prey in the younger's jaws. Vaskra nodded "Yes, very much so. Zeera and her party are still out, making sure the Clan will not go hungry tonight" she said, pausing before adding "May we see Alpha Vanorr?" Sumar gave a swift nod "Give me a moment to speak with him, i believe he may be in conference with some individuals" as he said this, he glanced to Alistra and almost smiled again before disappearing inside.

A few moments later he reappeared and inclined his head slightly. "You may enter" he announced, and Vaskra lead the way inside. As soon as Alistra's eyes adjusted to the change in lighting, she almost dropped the Jackalope in shock. Side by side, smiling at her, where her mother and father! Her tail began wagging furiously and she almost trotted to them, before remembering she had a job to do. Impatiently she looked up at Vaskra, and then realized that she was bowing. Gulping, the young wolf quickly dropped to the floor, bowing with her nose to the floor as the Clan Alpha approached. "Ah, I see you have caught quite the elusive prize for our High Alpha!" he said in a pleased tone. Vaskra rose from her position, nudging Alistra to follow her example and nodded. "Zeera and her party were kind enough to let us join them on the hunt, and she did the honors herself" she replied. "Ah, very good. You may give it to my Beta, he will take care of it from here" he said to the younger wolf, who quickly nodded and swiftly gave it to Sumar, who took it carefully so as not to damage the wings. "I will return" he said shortly, turning and trotting down the path to the healers, where he knew fresh plants would keep the meat from becoming spoiled during the journey.

"And now, I'm sure you're eager to greet your parents" Vanorr said, smiling at the young apprentice who was looking over at them longingly. She swiftly looked up and met his eyes, and he motioned for her to go to them. "Mother!" she barked, trotting up to them both and nuzzling them lovingly. "They said you would be back yesterday!" she said as she looked up into her father's similarly green eyes. Einvaldr smiled at her, licking her nose fondly. "We were slowed down a bit by the recent rain. It's so good to see your face again!". Faraya hugged her silver furred daughter. "You must have grown several inches since we last saw you!" she praised, amber eyes glowing with love. "Where were you guys this time?" Alistra asked, leaning into her mother's soft auburn coat. Her father nuzzled her fur again. "You know we can't tell you, at least not yet." he said gently, and she sighed, pulling back slightly with hope in her eyes. "Are you going to be home for a while?" she asked. Faraya sighed as well, then looked over to Vandorr who had turned from talking to Vaskra and was watching the reunion. He answered for her. "I know you wish to see your parents more often, but I'm afraid I am once again in need of their services, this very night in fact. They are accompanying me to the Council." he said, almost sounding apologetic. Alistra turned to look at her parents, then sighed again. "Well at least I got to see you this time" she said, but still disappointment was in her tone. "I'm sorry my vixen, but you know that we pledged our life and limb to our High Alpha, as you no doubt will someday. Train hard, and we will be back before you know it. When we are, I'll teach you a new maneuver I learned. Alright?" she said, looking into her daughter's eyes. Alistra smiled at the nickname and nodded. "Ok, hurry back" she said in a wistful tone, wishing she could go with them. "Alistra, we must be going" Vaskra said firmly from the background, although her eyes were soft. She knew, probably better than any of the clan, how much her apprentice missed her parents. Which was partly the reason she kept her so occupied with training. The more active she was, the less time she had to worry and wait for them to return. Alistra sighed, nuzzling them both one more time before trotting to her Mentor, turning at the opening of the den to look back. Her parents smiled at her as she left, watching until she turned the corner.

Einvaldr sighed slightly, speaking softly to his mate "I worry for her... if war comes..." he sighed, shaking his head. His daughter was so reckless, he hated to think what would happen if she was called upon to fight. "Don't worry, she's a lot stronger than you think. After all, she has you for a father" Faraya said with a slight smile. She was much less worried for her daughter, for the same fire that was in her, she saw in Alistra. Einvaldr looked down and smiled lovingly.
"Pardon, but we have much to discuss before we leave" Vanorr said, and the two quickly turned to him. "Of course Alpha Vanorr, we are yours to command" the large silver wolf replied, sitting down before his superior with a determined expression.

[wingfeather]

The genealogy lesson lasted quite a while, but Graynan decided to bring it to a close once he noticed Enilair begin shifting restlessly. ''Did you know,'' he asked after the lecture was finished, ''that your mother is of the Kvikr clan?'' Enilairs ears quickly perked up again with interest, ''I never knew that.'' ''Yes she used to be the fasted wolf in her clan apart from the Kvikr alpha of course. Enilair was rather surprised at tis new knowledge, he knew his mother was a great runner but he did not know that she was that good, he wondered if maybe some of that speed had seeped into his blood, he decided he wanted to try it out. Greynan of course knew his apprentices thoughts and gave a nod when Enilair asked permission to leave the den. Greynan smiled slightly as the young wolf scampered out to test his legs. He knew that Enilair wanted desperately to be like his parents and Greynan wholly encouraged it, in his opinion there being no two better wolves for Enilair to take example from. It is good to have a purpose in mind when wanting to do something not just cram your head full of knowledge and have no reason behind it.
Enilair stretched his muscles he did not exactly have a goal he just wanted to see for how long and fast he could run. He gave a short bark and took off tail wiping behind him, his paws seemingly flying over the leaf strewn path eyes trained straight ahead. But all to soon his body tired and his feet faltered, he stopped, panting hard, narrow chest heaving. He realized that he was unused to straight runs, strategizing and history and knowledge of past alphas and long ago battles is was he spent his time thinking and doing. Some things are going to have to change he thought to himself with annoyance while he lapped water from the creek. As he slowly walked back to the den, plans began taking shape in his young active mind.
When he came back he saw that Greynan had brought back some meat that the hunting had recently killed, he fell to eating his share, and felt some of his disappointment slide away. Greynan saw his dejected yet determined young face, he knew exactly what had happened and was glad of it. ''Good'' ,he said to himself, ''this should keep him occupied for a while.''

[tenebria]

Vaskra glanced over at her apprentice who was trotting beside her with a wistful look on her face. "We should take a quick dip in the stream to wash all this dust off" she said suddenly, turning her eyes to the trail ahead once more. Alistra looked up hopefully. "Oh that would be nice" she said, a bit of energy creeping back into her tone. Vaskra smiled slightly, keeping her head up and moving forward. A few moments later they arrived at the edge, and Vaskra slid into a medium sized pool of water that collected in a deeper end. "Come now, get fully submerged, it's good for your coat" She said before suddenly plunging under water and coming up swimming, shaking the water from her head and smoothly paddling to the shallower end where she could stand and watch her apprentice. The young green eyed wolf gave a slight grin, then leapt into the water, plunging in a perfect dive. The cool water rushed past her face as she let herself sink downwards, reaching the bottom before thrusting herself back up. Bursting through the surface she shook her head as well, paddling in a circle with a pleased grin as the cool water soothed her sore muscles.

Alpha Vanorr got to his paws as Sumar trotted back into the den. "The tribute, My Alpha, packaged to keep it fresh, as it is almost time to leave. If you wish to get there in a timely manner that is" he said quickly. The Clan Alpha gave a slight nod of acknowledgement of this words. "Einvaldr, Faraya, unless you are in need of sustenance, are you prepared?" he questioned, turning the pair. Both nodded "We are ready, we took the liberty of catching our meals as we were headed back" Einvaldr spoke for them both. "Wonderful. If there is nothing else that must be brought to my attention, we may leave immediately" he said, looking over to his Beta. Sumar shook his head "No my Alpha, everything is in order, and I swear to keep the Clan safe and organized in your absence" he said, making a deep bow. Vanorr dipped his head slightly in acceptance of this "Thank you my faithful Beta. Einvaldr, if you will carry the tribute, we may be off" he said, padding towards the opening. The large silver wolf quickly crouched and picked it up with a nod, trotting after his Alpha, with his red furred made bringing up the rear. In a few moments they trotted down the path and picked up a mile eating lope, disappearing in the darkening forest. "May the Moon guide you safely." Sumar murmured as he watched them from the high point of the Alpha's den, looking out over the Clan.

[wingfeather]

Froedi looked about warily something felt terribly off, even the woods it seemed frowned down upon their group in disapproval. He looked back at the three wolves following behind, one in front of the other. The one closest to him was Hadara the daughter of his faithful Beta, she was a pretty young wolf, with intelligent sky blue eyes and a beautiful grey coat of a grey color so light it seemed almost white. Very familiar was she in her esteemed position as Beta's daughter and was used to holding her head high and having orders followed. Behind her slunk an older grey wolf it seemed as if his entire body was covered in scars he limped because of a deep wound that ran its long way from the top of his left flank and down into his leg. One of his eyes were missing the rumor was that he had lost when attacked by a group of gyrfalcons, no one knew for sure the scared wolf hardly ever spoke. His other eye roved about ceaselessly taking in all there was to see. The last in there group was a tall powerful brown wolf covered in swirling Dark blue patterns that seemed to spin if looked on for too long, he was liked by all for his courteous manners and had charmed all with his flashing smile. 
Froedi and his small traveling group trotted on in silence then realization hit him: there was a traitor in their midst.

[tenebria]

Vanorr settled into the slow yet rhythmic pace down the single file trail. It was a good feeling to know he didn't have to be fearfully skulking through the woods, the danger of an elf scouting band around every corner. Even if that danger were a reality, which it wasn't at that point, as the High Alpha's scouts patrolled the area regularly, he knew that the two warriors behind him would never let anything creep up on them. Even now, when he glanced back to make sure they were on his tail, he could see their eyes roving the forest, ears swiveling and flicking in silent signals to each other. Taking the moment of relaxation, he began to ponder on the outcome of this Council. A human boy was nothing to pass by, he knew all too well the consequences of any human knowing of their existence. They already had elves against them, and they didn't need another species coming after them. Although, humans were quite agreeably weaker than either species already dominating the woods. But why would elves bother to kidnap a human child? No matter how hard he tried to come up with an answer, a plausible one did not surface. He could only hope that the High Alpha would be stronger minded.

The High Alpha, at that moment, was restlessly pacing at his spot on the Council Rock. He knew that the Clan Alphas would come expecting answers... but what answer could he give them? The most he knew, was that a band of approximately ten elves had kidnapped a human boy. Why, or to what end, he couldn't fathom. But he did know, that it meant nothing good for the boy. First they stole a pup, and now a humans pup as it would be. He ground his teeth together in a momentary flare of anger, his eyes deepening to a fiery red. "My Alpha" a sturdy voice suddenly barked behind him. Whirling, his rage dissipated as he inclined his head in welcome to his Beta, Kverk. "Kverk, I am glad you have arrived, my old friend" he said, padding towards him. The Beta swept a low bow, then stood with the hint of a smile on his muzzle. "High Alpha Nolryn, I am pleased to have arrived on time" he said. Nolryn almost smiled at that. "Ah yes, quite the rare occasion" he said, looking serious. The other looked at him hard for a moment, then blinked and quickly spoke. "That may be my Alpha, that may be" he said in a slightly distracted tone, adding cautiously "You have been pondering the situation, have you not?" Nolryn motioned for his Beta to join him, sitting down precisely as he nodded. "I see you have not lost your observation skills." he said in answer,then sighed before continuing "I know not what to make of this play by the elves... if indeed it is a move on their part. I would not want to call any of the Clans to action needlessly. But if it is... I only wish that scout had observed more before returning to report" he said with a shake of his dark head. "Perhaps more will be revealed as the night arrives? With the Clan Alphas coming to council, we may come to understand the reason for this heinous action." Kverk spoke quietly as he sat down at his Alpha's shoulder. Nolryn glanced over to him before giving a rare smile. "Once again, I see why I chose you as my Beta" he said, sharing a comradely glance with Kverk before turning his gaze to the layered rock face below them, and the dark forest beyond that.

[wingfeather]

Froedi did not quicken his pace lest his followers notice his body language and know something was wrong. He could not help it but tense slightly though. luckily it was not much farther to Council Rock. 
They stopped once, by a narrow stream to refresh and relax themselves. Froedi laid down but paid especial care that his back was not exposed to any of the three, and did not let any of them leave his sight. Wait! where is Grthmé One-Eye! he relaxed when he saw the old wolf lying in the shade of a tree near the bank, his single eye closed halfway in what seemed to be a doze, but wise Foedi knew it was anything but that. Beautiful Hadara was lapping daintily at the slow moving stream, but stopped and glared menacingly at the brown and blue wolf who ''accidentally'' splashed some water on her gleaming pelt. Thoroughly drenched, yet cooled, he emerged dripping and promptly shook the water from his mesmerizing coat. ''Titindar,'' Hadara admonished, ''We are to greet the high alpha today, and here you are dripping wet and smelling of creek moss.'' But Titandar only gave her one of his flashing smiles, and shook himself again.
Alpha Froedi stood up after he deemed the short rest long enough and commanded his wolves to get back into their single file line. He was not relishing the fact of turning his back on the trio but at least he had the other two as allies or at least he hoped.



*In the name Titindar the first i is short as in hidden, not long as in Titan 

[tenebria]

Vanorr and his two guards loped for quite a ways before he slowed, and they followed suit. "There should be a stream up ahead, I have need of refreshing myself" he panted. The two nodded, Faraya gracefully moving forward to take the lead as they approached the stream. She scented the air,then nodded "All clear" she said. She herself was hardly panting, but she dipped her head to drink a few laps of water before raising it to watch for danger while the Clan Alpha and Einvaldr, who was relieved to set the leaf wrapped Jackalope down, refreshed themselves. "Give me a few more moments" He said as he saw them prepare to leave. The two glanced at each other then sat down, knowing it was wiser to take a break and reserve energy. It wasn't too long until Vanorr got to his paws with a nod to the two. "We must make it there before Moon's rise, so there won't be many more stops" he barked as he picked up a lope once more. The minutes began slipping by as the sun continued it's journey over the wood, lighting the path as they raced to the west.