Tarth & Horaji

Tarth's head hung low, nostrils flared, and tongue limp. It was a particularly hot spring day, and that alone put the Drappa in a mood. It was a surefire sign that summer was on the way, and that meant more mindless tongue flopping and lots and lots of shedding. The idea was so uncouth to her that she visibly cringed as she paused next to the field of poppies. She had grown increasingly confident passing through the woods that was not her's or her mate's, just to arrive here in Tratto Territory. She sat among the poppies, taking in the ripple of red blossoms before her. The wind never died here, she thought. It felt good against her fur, though. The relief of it made her stretch out her forelegs, a light groan of pleasure developing through her throat. Tarth turned and licked bits of her fur on her back that the wind seemed keen on making her look as ruffled as posisble. She wanted to look presentable to the alpha of this land. When she was ready, she rose into a sitting position again. "Hello?" she called out. "I come with Larka's Blessing, I..." She sniffed the air again. Odd, she thought. There were scent markings all around her, but they've... faded. How did she not notice before? Her hackles rose... was the alpha still here?


Horaji frolicked cross the lands with presumably no care in the world. Never even knowing when she crossed from territory to territory until unfriendly faces chased her from the land. Though they had stopped she kept running. How long this kept up the young wolf did not know her eyes watered and her feet ached but still she had ran. Only to slow when red blotches invaded her blurry vision. Slowing finally Horaji looked about her curious and awed. That just passed experience of running for her life slowly got pushed out revitalizing the energy in her. A pep returned to her as she almost began bouncing through the feild of flowers. It was so grand and pretty how could she help but not be excited! Plus no one was casing her! Without abandon she bounded onward weaving through threes until she could almost see a vast clearing. This was even more exciting! Just about to run right for it movement caught her eye haulting her at the edge of the small gathering of trees. Horaji spotted another wolf and immediately froze holding this thought that if she didn't move she couldn't be seen. This, this is how she stayed for a good moment, staring wide eyed. Then there was sound, words, and she dropped to the ground ears flat just trying to absorb into the ground itself. There was many ways to hid, right? All it took was strongly believing you couldn't be seen. Part of her knew better, that part that helped her survive so long and yet that part was so easily cast aside the moment she was no longer alone.

Tarth's eyes caught a bewildering sight. A grown wolf had come into the field, frolicking as though the spring fever had caught up with them. So Tratto Territory has an alpha still, she sighed, relieved. "Ho there! Excuse me!" Tarth rose to her paws, keeping a respectful posture. "I heard your howl, but who couldn't, you made it known--hold on--please--" Tarth tilted her head. The wolf was still at play, and perhaps, had not heard Tarth. Maybe the wind carried her voice away? But then the young wolf spotted her, and instantly attempted to hide among the blossoms. This in of itself made Tarth stare. If she was expecting anything, it wasn't this. "Apologies if I scared you," she continued, determined to make friends with this alpha. Her own pack was still small and weak, and the more friends her family could have, the better for their own future. There were whispers that the boars were amassing for another attack, and she wanted to be ready. Tarth approached, though her hackles involuntarily stood on end. "Look, I don't have time for this, so if you'll please get up so that I may speak with you, alpha to alpha... I don't mean you any harm, if that's what you're worried about." Tarth was still several feet away, but she extended her bushy neck, the better to smell the young wolf. She snorted. Though the scent markings were fading around the Territory, this wolf's scent was different. Maybe it was the flowers messing with her. They had a strong, heady scent that made her head swim. Getting scents mixed up was an easy mistake to make.

Horaji's breath caught in her tthroat. It was talking to her! There were words and things she did not understand. A few of these she mouth back never making a noise above a whisper. Alpha being one that she rolled across her tongue for a moment; breaking the word down, dragging it out. She had heard this before, but what did it mean? Slowly her head tilted mimicking what she had seen but never lifting it from the ground. Straightening it Horaji's ears flopped with the movement as her rump popped up into the air. A second later it went down and her front half went up. Getting sniffed at caused the younger wolf to lean away as if something distasteful was getting put to her muzzle. Not that this wolf here was all that close. When it stopped so did the reaction bringing her to look at the wolf properly. Slowly her maw opened as if she might just say something, but never did. Only created a soft tink as it closed and her teeth clicked together.

Tarth stared. The wolf's mannerisms were so unorthodox that Tarth wasn't sure what to do. The wolf said the word 'alpha', or at least a poor mimic of the word. "Uhhhh," was Tarth's only puzzled response. Her hope for this Territory was sinking, and fast. As soon as she got her bearings, she tried again, grasping on to some hope that she wasn't wrong about this place, or this wolf. "Yes. 'Alpha'. Are you the alpha here?" she asked, unable to hide the impatience in her voice. She was beginning to suspect that the wolf wasn't, but it looked like there was only one wolf around these parts besides herself. "It looks like you're alone. That's not a good idea... do you have packmates here with you somewhere? Hunting, maybe?"

Horaji again tilt her head looking much like she was trying to mimic an owl and twist her head all the way around. This one was not trying to hurt her yet which a tad comforting, but sometimes that is all she needs. "You alpha..," she repeated as her body started to twist with her head to conpensate for the lack of movement. It was a little difficult shaking her head like this. Nearly falling in the process Horaji corrected everything returning to a normal sitting position. "Can eat alpha," she questioned. Was it food, could she eat it? Food sounded really good, she's starving. Comfortable with the distance between them she glanced around for this promised food.

Tarth's heart sank somewhere in her bowels. The realization that she wasn't going to get anything coherrent from this wolf meant that there was little need for her to be here. The wolf was an idiot, in all sense of the word. She could clearly see that in the way the wolf moved around, and the way in which she spoke. And Tarth resented idiots. But... there was a major difference between being an idiot on purpose. Tarth suspected that this was not the case. What was this, then? Why did she stay, when she could have given this up as a bad job and return home to her mate? It still made little sense to her. Maybe she was caught up in her fascination... Can eat alpha? the wolf had said. Tarth almost spit laughter, but she held it in. "No," she said slowly. She gestured to herself. "I am Tarth, Dra--" she paused, nearly speaking in her native tongue, the word for 'Alpha'. She didn't want to confuse the wolf even further. "I am Alpha. My name is Tarth. I am not food." She shook her head vigorously. It was like speaking to a pup, she thought. She didn't miss the wolf glancing around, and she thought she saw a glint of hunger in the wolf's eyes. "You want food?" asked Tarth. "Look. Rabbits. Rabbits are food. Over there." She gestured with her muzzle. Several yards away, a couple of rabbits peeked over the poppies, their lips stuffed with grass.