feeling less tired than I did before

@Kyeza If there's anything nearby you're working on discovering, feel tree to tag it and they can meet there.

---

Once again, he'd awoken with a little more strength in his limbs and maybe just a little less ache in his heart.

... Just a little.

Waking up in his nook upon the Nameless Mountain was starting to grow familiar to him, imbuing the silver-dappled wolf with the foundations of a routine. Foundations he was able to add to day after day. At least, he mused internally, if my mind can't settle my body can. Not generally being prone to philosophical thoughts - he scoffed at himself slightly for thinking it.

Anyway. It was with that little bit of resilience he found himself eager to venture when he'd awoken. Rising before dawn had even broken, he'd traipsed down the slopes, following a small stream until he'd reached the river. From there, he'd pondered his options - there was still the strange salt air to explore, but to reach it he'd have to follow at least part of a path he'd navigated days before when he'd met Dirge. Today there was something a little more adventurous sparking inside him, and when he reached the thick expanse of the river he gazed past it into the forest beyond.

Getting across it took him the full expanse of the morning and much of the afternoon. He'd had to wind down the bend of the water to a more narrow point, and only with some well placed trees having fallen under the weight of the last winters snow did he find himself a path across. Not without some additional rock hoping and a brief swim - but then did he emerge from the chill water and make it to the other shore, soggy and fatigued. Padding onto the stones of the riverbed, he stopped to shake as much of the water from his coat as he could manage and surveyed the trees ahead of him. A distant slope rose among them and that was what he set his sterling gaze upon, trotting into the woods and leaving a small trail of wet footsteps behind him.
the staff team luvs u

(disc. "The Maw" )

She hadnt wandered too far from the failed alliance with Vengeance in Blackwood Reach. Kyeza had almost settled in the mountainous range as a standing defiance - choosing something in the other's pack backyard as her bid to territory. He would likely not know yet of her little gathering until she deemed it necessary, and it was even more likely that she would not return in mention of alliance as much as at bidding of war. It was unlike the massive wolf, after all, to beg for anything regardless of the consequences. 

The formation of what she was calling ''The Maw'' was not one out of spite to the false king however. It was truly one born from her need to control. The mountainous range and it's tough climb had been one she barely survived, and when she had laid her curious eyes on the land beyond, it had only cemented her hunger to claim the land. She still had a lot of exploring to do though. So the striped Alpha had kept for the most part downwind and scoped out a majority of the territory in a few fearless days. She was now back just before the ragged incline to the cave entrance of her hopeful land lounging lazily in the dirt of the open field. The sun was beating heavily on her dark fur and she was in a rarely delightful mood. Perhaps pleased enough by her exploration to have a friendly interaction of sorts. 

It would be there at the foot of the mountains that Element would find her sprawled like Egypts great sphinx. A makeshift guard to the gem of land she already had begun to feel tied too. Her long fox-like tail curled softly across her muscled front legs - and neck reared back like a steady horse, magnificent and powerful as the chin of her head rested in the plume dark fur at her chest.
the staff team luvs u

He'd wandered long enough through he woods for his coat to dry, although it had done so in a way that left his dark fur looking stringy and unkempt. But his thoughts weren't on his appearance as he continued his trek; instead, he'd been enjoying the way the warmth came down on his back through the scattered canopy, the rays of sun sparse but powerful where they were able to break through the leaves. Entertained by his walk and feeling surprisingly peaceful, the scent of another on the wind took him off guard.

Slowing his pace and listening to the wind's gentle whispers through the leaves, he quirked an ear and listened - waiting for an acknowledgement of his approach or a rebuttal that would send him fleeing. The scent was sparse, but there was something in it that spoke to him of territory, and he didn't wish to step where he was not wanted. Especially not while carrying Empyrean's flag upon his back and inviting hostility between two potential neighbors. When no attack came to him through the brushes, he gathered the nerve to continue his approach, lowering his head and tail in a symbol of respect as he crept further through the bush. 

He was greeted with a picturesque scene - one he had not been expecting. Emerging through the shrubbery at the edge of a clearing, his sterling gaze landed upon a dark figure, resting like a living statue with the backdrop of gaping maw in the slope behind her. The cave drew his curiosity but the stranger was where he kept his attention, frozen in sudden indecision as to how he should proceed.
the staff team luvs u

If one caught her in the right light she would be considered beautiful. 

A brute well-fed she wolf who obviously had survived savage onslaughts. Kyeza was obviously powerful, confident even when posing as a statue with nothing but an ear flick to acknowledge the approach of a stranger nearing. Her silver blue eyes mirror the bright blue sky - and she looks almost like a tiger lounging with the eerily jagged gray stripes across her back and legs. Only a shade or two lighter than the jet coal black of the rest of her fur. 

For once a stranger isn't a seen threat, but a welcome opportunity. Kye finally turning her head to stare unabashedly at the intruder. She lifts her head first to sniff the air, (as one might do to familiarize with any new person) and notes the stark scent of other wolves intermingling. It only confirms the unsaid truth of Element being not a free-wolf and the revelation is an uninteresting one but only on a day as placid as today. 

"Hello." Her voice is sultry and deep; melodic if you squinted, and lacking the usual hints of malice her tone often conveyed. Elements posturing was interpreted well and she felt unguarded with the lowered tail and hunched body they presented. "You've wandered quite aways from home. I havent smelled your kind before."
the staff team luvs u

Perhaps it was becoming a trend for him in this new world, to run into intimidating, powerful women at the foot of mountains to which they were laying their claims. Having happened twice now, it was certainly establishing itself as a pattern. Kinky, thought his writer. Shit, thought Element. Even from afar, Element recognized a steadiness in her shoulders and a strength in her limbs even in her casual posture that surpassed his own, and had he not spent at least one lifetime as an average man cast among giants, maybe he’d feel a little jealous of it. But when it came down to it – he was as much of a gentleman as they came, and had no qualms with those who stood taller than him. The only time it made him uneasy was if threat was to be laced into the encounter – in which case he was all to aware of the disadvantage of his own modest physique.

She had acknowledged him with a sweep of her head and vibrant, cool-colored eyes, and there was just a few moment's pause while they took each other in before she had spoken. Element felt his body tense when her words broke the silence, still unsure how he would be received having stumbled across someones lands, founded or not. "Hello," he answered steadily, trying to keep his own voice neutral. He didn't know how to interpret the meaning of "your kind", be it laced with spite or just used as a generalization. It edged him towards remaining guarded - at least for now. "I was feeling a little restless this morning," he continued, taking a few more small steps out of the brush to reveal himself fully. "Decided that the other mountain I kept seeing in the distance was worth a jaunt", he finished, deciding to end his sentence with a small sweep of his white-tipped tail; an attempt to encourage a continued friendly exchange. The mention of the mountain he hoped to serve as an explanation, however vague, of where "his kind" originated.
the staff team luvs u

His hesitation is warranted -- she thinks. And only feeds her overwhelming ego as it simultaneously vaults the stranger into her good graces. Element seems cautious in his replies, offering sweet and small tail wags of reassurance and attempted camaraderie. Kyeza only keeps on considering him with her clear eyes. Opting for a long stony silence before giving him a reply. "I cant quite hear you," he had stepped out of the brush just barely enough to show the color and patterns of his pelt more clearly, but not enough to be within striking range. Though she was not set upon attacking Element just quite yet,

Kyeza did like to play with emotions sometimes be the situation called for it. And the lesser timid wolf was already proving to entertaining for her to pass up a little cruel jester. The way cats sometimes played with mice with no intention of eating them. 

Had she a bigger foundation, she might have called upon others to drag him into her pack kicking and screaming. Regardless of his status in another group - it was beneficial to rise numbers in anyway she could and the Matriarch so often preferred violence over diplomacy anywho. But because they are alone and her pack has yet to prove fruitful enough to solidify claim she would instead play the game of cautious comity. 

"Come a little closer wont you?"

Element hadnt quite revealed where he was from, but atleast she knew the direction and the general fact there was another mountain somewhere on either side. Kyeza had yet to explore this hungry new world entirely, so she didnt mind paying attention to minor details and making a map for future use. When her land was settled and she could afford to disappear for bouts of time she would put those details to use.
the staff team luvs u

She was messing with him.

While none of her words were threatening in any clear capacity, there was something about the bloated pause that followed his speech and her delayed reply, and the casual way she suggested he move closer so she could hear him.

She made him uneasy.

Element regarded the dark female quietly, sensing the potential for a situation to unfold he had not prepared for. Timid as he may have been, and with a non-confrontational demeanor rooted in his very soul, this wasn't to his liking. But also - despite those things - he was not entirely a fool. He wasn't sure what the rules of this game were, but he made the choice that he'd learn them. So, he took a breath, played a smile across his maw, and took a few steady steps forward to close some more of the distance between them. "Happy to speak up," he offered, coming to a halt a few feet from the stranger. "And to get a closer look at what you've got behind you - that's a sight", he continued, gesturing towards the gaping entrance of the cavern. "Home, or a stop along the way?"
the staff team luvs u

It had admittedly been a long time since she had engaged in any sort of 'pleasant' or 'casual' conversation. Unknowingly to them, @Element is brave to push it. Dancing around her jab with a delicate ease she might consider a graceful avoidance. Despite most common belief, Kyeza was a violent usurper and monarch, but not entirely built upon the foundation of her budding reputation. She lacked diplomacy but not pragmatism. There was personality beyond her teeth although she liked to pretend elsewise.

"A bit of both."

An ear flickers back at the cave entrance in question as if considering his response even more. She still sits as a gargoyle waking from a long nap. Licking her tongue across her teeth, Kyeza then manages a yawn and partial stretch in front of the stranger. It is the least threatening she has been yet with another in this new land. She understood from his approach and body language he was not much of a threat (though that doesn't mean the entirety of her guard is down) so she offers a bit of equanimity. "The cave has some sort of shiny rocks deep within it that glows." The more she had sunk into her self proclaimed territory the more beauty she had found within it. There were many small curiosities. "It is a good place to pause my travels." 

Now it was her turn to ask a question. 

"Your home is in the direction you came from yes?" Her eyes linger on him as if they are the sun burning. "Are there a lot that live with you? I've been looking for somewhere to go."  She lies with stunning ease. Inconspicuously swaying her tail in the soft breeze.
the staff team luvs u

There was something in her tone reminiscent of a poisonous snake; venom dripped through her undulating words, invisible to the eye but stringent upon the nose. She was too relaxed, too confident. The problem he grappled with as he stood before her, debating his next move, what that she was not outwardly threatening him - her words were neither cruel nor menacing, but they were poison nonetheless. If she had met him with with menace he would have had the perfect excuse to flee; to excuse himself with polite surety, watch his back as he turned, and then bolted when he was out of her range. But she expressed no outward contempt, and instead was engaging him in conversation. Danger, his brain growled. A striped water moccasin in his midst, waiting to strike.

But here he was, and it would do him no good to turn tail now. He was not the most prideful of creatures, but there was enough of it inside of him that he would not just turn and run. Not with the scent of Empyrean on his back like a banner; he'd sooner dishonor himself alone than the pack that had taken him in. So he stood tall, steadied himself, and plastered a smile across his peppered maw. "It's a good find," he spoke, gesturing with a nod towards the cavern behind her. It was disappointing, almost, how she managed to catch his interest with her next words. Rocks that glowed? His eyes widened a little, mouth parting slightly as he tried to imagine what she described. She'd touched on an interest of his, unbeknownst to her. It was all the more a shame that he didn't trust her, because part of him desperately wished to see the glowing stones. But there was no chance he'd follow this beast alone into a dark cave, just on her word that treasures lurked beyond. "Glowing stones," he murmured, genuine appreciation sneaking into his tone. "I've never seen such a thing."

Ele shifted his weight lightly across his limbs, feeling tension in them he was grateful for, should he find himself needing to spring away. Other than his last glance towards the cave opening, he kept his eye on the strange wolfess. "It is," he verified, "and there are." A pause. A moment of doubt, like sudden overcast skies - was she expressing genuine interest? Again he studied her, again he felt uneasy, but she expressed nothing outwardly that he could pinpoint as malice. There was something else though; a growing feeling of protection over his own - he decided, then, to offer her no more about Empyrean. "Unfortunately, we don't have any glowing stones."

The conversation never grew more comfortable; this back-and forth between them, the hiss of lies and prodding feeling that she was looking for information. He kept his guard up, waiting for the opportunity to back away without leaving himself exposed. When it finally came, the silver-dappled male excused himself politely, if not a little hastily, and made his retreat. He was on edge as he did, weaving a different path in his departure than that which he had used for his approach, hoping he was not being followed. Eventually, when he felt like he was out of the zone of prying ears or listening ears, he picked up his pace to a run and left the place, never to forget the bad taste it left in his mouth.
the staff team luvs u