Getting away...

[moki]

Saki was just wandering around, she was calm. Her legs had started to ache slightly, seeing as she hadn't had a good run in q while, and her fur was getting a little matted. She hadn't been taking care of herself properly lately. There were too many things happening at once.
Ahh, the snow. She liked the snow, it made her distant from the rest of the pack. Although she cared for everyone in the family, she had her days where she wanted to just be on her own. And the snow made that possible. With her elegant, white color, she could just... blend in.
Today was one of those days, she just wanted to get away for a while, let the stress role away into the air around her. She needed a good run anyway. So she bent down slightly, like she was getting ready to pounce, and began to run. It felt great, the wind flowing through her fur, her paws reacted perfectly with the ground, her legs felt as if it was just natural for her to run. It was like she was a born runner. Good for hunts I guess... She didn't know where she was running to, she just wanted to escape for a while. After about 3 minutes of running, she realized she wasn't in pack territory anymore, she was in No Mans Land. Crap... Why didn't I look where I was going!? I'm not supposed to be here. Oh well... I may aswell make the most of being away from everyone else while it lasts. Hopefully I won't get lost...
She stopped running and just padded along slowly. The ground making gentle scrunch sounds as her paws swiftly traced through the snow.

(I know it's a bit crappy, I just haven't been in the roleplay mood lately ._. I'll start doing better posts soon enough though ^-^)

[[Midnight]]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,529,true][bg=000000] He'd spotted her a long ways off, way back in pack territory. The sight of her made his heart ache, because she was beautiful and full of youth and the spitting image of her mother. It was refreshing to see another youngster that had not yet had the joy beaten from her by the harshness of life - and of her own heritage. He had to remind himself continually that this sweet little thing was the seed of Duke, master of all things cruel. As he breathed her scent and followed at a leisurely pace behind her, even when she was far beyond his line of vision, he reminisced on the day of her birth and seeing her wrapped up next to her brother and suckling at her mother's belly. He remembered with pride that he was one of the first to see her and had even beaten Raiden, the pup's father, to the visit. He'd noticed long ago that she was headed away from Moons territory, so that was why he'd started to trail her. The thought of Caden's pack getting hold of her and doing what he and his pack had done to the ex-Alpha - the thought made his protective, father-like instincts kick in and he knew he'd be escorting her back to the territory no matter how long she took to decide to come back, whether she ever noticed his prescence or not. She was grown up now, and though it was still too traditionally early for her to journey away from the pack, he wondered if Saki was going to turn into the loner type or even migrate to the Stars or a land beyond here when she was older. It was all part of the natural order for pups to leave their birth pack behind, but it still made him sad to think of the Rose-replica to leave them behind. He'd enjoyed watching her grow up. He birth had been so influential in his history; he'd grown up just a little bit more when he'd first heard that Rose was expecting. He had barely been out of puphood himself when he first felt the instincts of fatherhood mature inside of his heart. Though Saki was not his and Rose would never be his lover, the two pups would always have a soft spot in his heart. He may as well be their uncle and often thought of himself as such, though he'd never voiced it and sometimes shied away from expressing too much outward affection for them due to embarassment. He was picking up the pace and trying to skirt around her, to get between her and enemy territory, where Star wolves were more likely to appear. Thus he kept closer to the forest, at the very edge of the clearing, where she was less likely to spot him. He took his time, as his ears and nose gave away no signs of any other wolves apart from the two of them. After a while, though, he caught wind of an unsettling smell that made his hackles rise and his eyes widen. It was the musk of a bull moose somewhere nearby, and at the same moment he scented it, the loud crackle of underbrush accompanied it. The creature was somewhere very close by, and if Justyn could smell it, the bull could smell him. He could tell by the way the animal snorted a loud warning to the wolf and within moments was at the edge of the clearing, stamping in irritation that his wanderings were interrupted by a predator's appearance. Justyn, of course, was no match for a fully grown bull moose, and was not interested in provoking it. During this time of year, moose were in the rut and more agressive than usual, so fear pricked at his heart and made him press closer towards the brush on his left side as he tried to stand still and blend in with the bark of a tree. The moose was yards off and stared his way for a long silent moment, but didn't see him. Saki, however, was just West of him, and with her pace, it wouldn't be long before the moose spotted her. Justyn held his breath, knowing that he couldn't attack the moose, but also knowing that Saki would, with certainty, be noticed very soon and possibly charged. She might be able to outrun it, but Justyn wouldn't let it get close. He barked loudly to give Saki a vocal warning, and took off across the snow as fast as he could, heading in her direction and leaving the moose and the forest edge behind him. He didn't turn to look but he could hear the moose's loud roar of surprise and the stamping of hooves, and he hoped the animal decided not to mess with two full grown wolves and instead leave them be. Justyn kept his eyes planted on Saki as he quickly closed the distance between them.

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[moki]

She kept her pace, padding along across the clearing, for a while longer before finally picking up the scent of Justyn. He's following me... Probably to stop me from getting myself in trouble... She carried on moving, wondering how long it would take him to show himself in front of her. He probably would have guessed that she scented him, but then again, he might not realize she could smell him.
After a few minutes her nostrils could just hint the smell of a Bull-Moose. Great... She could either take him on, but he would most likely be in an aggressive mood due to the time of year, so she decided to try and keep out of his way. He didn't seem that close to her anyway.
Just then she heard a bark. Justyn. He was warning her. She turned her head to where she heard the bark and saw the male wolf running to her, she just stood there, hearing the Moose's hooves hitting the ground behind him. It was huge, could easily crush them. She knew she was in danger. but she just stood there. Waiting for Justyn to reach her so they could run together. Although she was the younger one here, she still wanted to make sure Justyn was alright, didn't want him getting hurt. If anyone here got hurt, it should be her, she was the one who decided to stay out here in the first place. She was always warned as a young pup to keep away from NML because of dangers such as this, but of course, she didn't listen.
She was waiting for Justyn to get to her, though she was taking small steps back at the same time. She didn't want to fully leave him in the danger.




(I'm sorry that was terrible xD)

[[Midnight]]

{no it was perfect!}

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,529,true][bg=000000] As Justyn ran, he knew he could feel the pounding vibrations of hoofbeats behind him, but after a few moments, they trailed off and pulled away from Justyn's path altogether. He kept his running pace, though, enjoying the exercise for his cold limbs. He had doubted the moose would really attack them, but he still felt a sense of relief that he and Saki were out of immediate danger. He slowed as he neared the white she-wolf, his tongue lolling from his jaws and each breath vaporizing in clouds around his head. He wore an amused smile as he watched her, though as he stopped his trot to catch his breath, he turned to look at the moose, find where it was. It was galloping back into the edge of the forest, tossing its huge antlers that could easily have gored the two of them to death. "That was actually refreshing," he said with enthusiasm, turning his head back to Saki. He was silent in the next few moments, just catching his breath and looking thoughtful as he watched Saki's eyes. "What made you come all the way out here on your own?" he finally asked, this time sounding a little more like his reprimanding self.

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[moki]

She watched as the Moose changed it's direction to go the way it came. Looking at Justyn as he padded up to her, she smiled faintly, glad that they were both out of trouble for now.
"I just wanted some time alone.. So I ran for a while and I think I was enjoying myself a little too much." At this she just chuckled softly, her breath turning into white clouds as it flowed from her mouth. "When I actually realized where I was running, I was already near here, but I carried on without thinking. But apart from that, what are you doing here? Were you following me again?" She cocked her head a little to the left and waited for a response.
Although she was a little annoyed that he had more than likely followed her without saying anything while she was running, she was grateful that he was there to warn her about the Moose. If it wasn't for him being there, she may have been that Moose's dinner for the day. She didn't like to think about that, so she pushed the thought out of her mind by shaking her head slightly and continued to wait for the male wolf's response.

[[Midnight]]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,529,true][bg=000000] Still young and in great shape, Justyn seemed already to have caught his breath back by now as he shifted his weight and gave his pelt a shake to rid him of the melting ice on his back. He did this while listening to Saki's excuses for being out here in the heart of unclaimed territory, the very place where Caden himself had been kidnapped. As he stood in place his eyes locked with hers and he gave off no expression to hint at anything that suggested he was upset with her. He had no rights by blood to lecture her or anything of that sort; she wasn't his kin and he wasn't interested in doing Rose's mothering for her. He smiled knowingly, catching on that she was slightly annoyed that he had tailed her all this way. He wondered how long she had known of his presence, or even if she'd noticed at all before he emerged from his lurking spot at the edge of the clearing. He had to remind himself that this Saki he was looking at was a young adult now, and not a pup that needed as much looking after. So why had he followed her, then? "Yup, I've been following you; got a problem with that?" he asked her pointedly, his tone only mildly abrasive. She could be mad at him all she wanted, but in the end, he knew she'd see it his way by the end of the day. He was still smiling as he gave one quick wag of his coal-black tail.

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[moki]

So, she was right. He had been following her. I guess I see his concern... Seeing as this is where we got Caden... But he still doesn't have to treat me like a young pup anymore. I can take care of myself now...
She shook her body slightly to get some snow off, although not all, as she thought the snow was kind of soothing to the body. "Actually yes, I have a problem. Why did you follow me without saying anything to me until that moose showed itself? It would have been nice to at least run with you for a while instead of you basically stalking me." She sounded slightly stubborn, but you had to be stubborn around here to get your points across. She just stared at Justyn, waiting for an answer.
She could see what her mother liked about him before. He was handsome, sweet at times, caring towards the wolves he was close with... She looked down and smiled softly before pulling her head back up and looking at the male wolf sternly.

[[Midnight]]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,529,true][bg=000000] Saki was chastising him. Oddly enough it was in a way so like her mother's style; just calling him out and telling him how things were, without sugar coating the truth. He struggled to hide his smile. "I don't run with pups," was his response, offering nothing more than that at the moment. He didn't really mean it but it was up to Saki to decide if she would translate it that way. His eyes wandered away from the white wolf and scanned the clearing beyond, checking once more for any sign that the two were not alone. He saw nothing, and felt more at ease as he turned his attention back to Saki. He was quiet, but his eyes reflected his hesitence to carry on in conversation. He never was one to overcome awkward or uncomfortable situations with grace, and for some reason, he felt anxious. He guessed it was just because he was afraid of seeing an old enemy or a haunted face from his past. "No need to lecture me. I'm just looking out for you. I'm still waiting for a thank-you; I just stopped you from walking into an angry moose." His tone was serious, as usual, but nothing else in his appearance suggested he really was.

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[moki]

"Well then, fine. Thank you, Justyn, for stopping me being another animal's lunch today. I do appreciate it y'know. But I don't like being referred to as a pup." She huffed, and then smirked at him.
"Come on, we'd better get going. The others will probably be getting worried about us." She turned around and began walking in the direction that she came from. She let her tail swish softly behind her as she walked and didn't bother looking back to see if the other wolf was following, she already knew that he would. She quietly wondered if what she had said would be true, would the other wolves be worried about them? Either way, she'd find out when she got back home.