Little Claws (Akree/any)

[Akree]

She saw how Surethim switched to a pose better suited for a pounce, she braced herself for the possible impacts, keeping in check that the pup was much smaller than her, he probably wouldn't be able to take a good tackle well and well his mother didn't seem like the type who one would like to piss off...

When the pup jumped, she kept a careful watch of his trajectory, he was aiming for her shoulders, smart fella. She switched her pose and ducked, so instead of the tan ball of fluff landing directly on her shoulder blades he landed a little farther back on her spine. He bumped against her back, probably would use his claws to hold on.

If he would have been bigger she was sure that this assault would make her stumble back or make loose some balance, but because he was still a pup it was just a bump and some added wait on her back.

She chuckled.

-"Smart little fella aren't ya?" she said playfully while stomping around the snow so Surethim would either get a tighter grip on her, move from her back...or if he had a quick mind he would try to get a grip of her large ears or something, that would be hilarious, she thought while her stomping made everything around her a bit misty with white.

[nightblood]

"Smart little fella aren't ya?"

"I like to think so," the pup answered smartly, cocking his eyebrows in an "I'm awesome like that" fashion.

As Akree started to stomp around, Surethim clinged tighter to her fur, attempting not to dig into her skin. A fall from this height wouldn't hurt him, but he quite liked viewing things from the height he would reach one day.

"This is kinda fun," he said, smiling.

Above the flying snow, the tan pup could see Arnlan from a new perspective. He could see further than the bushes and brambles that blocked his view. He was disappointed, yet unsurprised, that he couldn't see any other wolves. According to his mother, Arnlan was a place of shadows. The wolves not only used the shadows as cover, but they were the shadows. Especially the alphas, whom he'd never seen. Ever.

[Akree]

-"I like to think so,"

Akree chuckled and bounced a bit, making sure the pup had a firm grip. Surethim, she figured could grow to be as big as his mother, he looked quite strong for a pup, so she figured that his father might be just as big if not bigger/

-"This is kinda fun,"

She smiled, flashing her white fangs and caught Surethim gazing longly at the horizon. She followed his gaze on the barren land, he certainly enjoyed the added height, maybe she should give him more of the piggyback ride.

-"Hmm, maybe if explore a bit more we'll stumble into someone..." she suggested "either way, hold on."

Akree launched herself to a trot, making sure the pup was a good grip before she launched herself faster through the snow. Slowing down every few seconds to give the pup the time to get a better hold. She figured she should keep him close to him, but she also figured why not give him a chance to explore.

The wolfess twisted and turned around the trees, scaring a few little animals, like snow hares to their burrows. She slowed down to a trot after a few minutes, stopping completely when she reached a clearing. Sunlight streamed down from between the branches giving the small clearing an inviting feel to it. She chuckled.

-"Maybe you'd like to explore on your own paws." she said with a chuckle "Unless I make a good steed." she said with a chuckle.

[nightblood]

"Hmm, maybe if explore a bit more we'll stumble into someone... either way, hold on."

Surethim gripped tighter with his paws, not letting his claws touch her skin. He may be tough when it came to fighting, but he was always careful not to do real damage. He was finding this trick to be a little harder to do now that she went into a hurried trot. His eyes closed as he clung tightly to her, resting his head on her shoulders. Once he got used to the step, he peeked open one eye, then two. The pup was surprised to see how quickly the forest passed by from this height.

"Maybe you'd like to explore on your own paws. Unless I make a good steed."

Surethim was glad for the stop and slid down without a word, grunting quietly when he landed. As he looked around, however, his mood switched to caution. He remembered Zuka's tale about the hawk and looked up. He backed up under the female, hiding behind her front legs. He wasn't 100% sure about this place, however good it may have looked. Clearings were hunting grounds.

[Akree]

Surethim slided a bit relived from her back and she chuckled. Sure the pup would be a bit wobbly, probably his first real expedition out of the den. Akree caught him gazing at the sky and hurry to hide between her front legs. She lifted her leg of the ground to look at the pup and raised an eyebrow in question. But looked up to see nothing but the clear blue skies, not a cloud in sight.

-"What's wrong little guy?" she asked while looking at Surethim "I can't hear anything big approaching if that's what you're worried about." she said while looking around.

She took a few steps to let the pup get some sun and gazed upward where he had been starring before. Turning back to the pup, smiling. He was a bit panicky she thought.

-"Sooooo" she said playfully, rolling her eyes "What's on your head Surethim, or are we gonna stand and stare at the sky aaaaaaaall day?"

She paced around the clearing, occasionally looking at the sky or the ground or the horizon. The only sound that came to her ears was the scuttling of hares, the rustle of branches in the wind and the occasional cry of some insane bird that wasn't in its nest.

[nightblood]

"What's wrong little guy? I can't hear anything big approaching if that's what you're worried about."

Surethim bounced after Akree, hardly letting the sunlight touch him. There was no way he'd let that hawk get him.

"Just worried about what Zuka said, that's all," he answered, threading himself between her front paws, still glaring up at the clouds.

"Sooooo... What's on your head Surethim, or are we gonna stand and stare at the sky aaaaaaaall day?"

"No."

With that said, the pup aimed a bite at the female's leg. It was an innocent attempt to get them out of the clearing and into the shadows of the forest. At least there, you had a chance that the shows were your friends.

[Squeeji]

Vivian had been wandering Arnlan since her induction, and while Pete seemingly disappeared, the dark colored teenage pup thrived in her solitude...still hunting, still a boundless ball of feral energy.

A sly self satisfied smirk was placed crookedly on her youthful little face. She was growing up tall and pretty, though also unruly. The chocolate wolf quickly hopped from prowling, to leaping back to a regular walk. The only thing that assured that she was naughty was her boredom. Sure she could hunt and she did on occasion, when she was hungry...any more would be wasteful. Never again did she run into the mad gray wolf who promised to make her a warrior.

A pity...she really needed something of more substance in her life.

But the sound of two voices quickly perked her curiosity, one young, one old. One male, one female...she cocked her head and smiled, her tail wagging slightly as she crept back around just outside of the clearing for a better look, play hunting her two pack mates.

"HEY!" She barked, and then pressed herself down against the earth, trying her best to keep a low profile, but still her whole body wiggled with enthusiasm.

[Akree]

-"Just worried about what Zuka said, that's all,"

Akree nodded, trying not to trample over Surethim with her immense paws, but the pup wasn't making the task anymore easier. So giving up, she chuckled.

-"No."

-"Well that's just great." she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Then she saw the pup crouch down at the corner of her eye, preparing for an assault. CHEATER, she thought playfully. But when the pup launched she simply lifted her leg to let him land in the soft snow under her paws. Chuckling.

With a shake of her legs she walked, slowly, making sure Surethim was following her into the trees, the clearing seemed to get the pup in a funny and twitchy mood, nothing bad about sunlight, but she guessed some old den tale or something.

-"HEY!"

She quickly turned at the sound of a female voice. Akree smiled at the chocolate brown female. Maybe she'd have a better idea what Surethim would want to do, she herself, preferred hunting or sparring.

-"Hey there" she said wagging her tail "I'm Akree, this is Surethim" she said turning towards the pup.

[nightblood]

"HEY!"

Suddenly forgetting to be cautious, Surethim jumped up, landing alertly on all fours. He picked up his head and looked around, scanning the surrounding bushes for any sign of life. Then he saw it, a shifting mass behind a few bushes.

"Hey there. I'm Akree, this is Surethim."

Surethim glared up at the female. How could she give their names so willingly? That could be an enemy! Then again... from her height, she might be able to smell the familiar Arnlanian scent. Darn it. Why wasn't he taller? Oh well. He turned his attention back to the hiding wolf.

"Who are you?" he asked, try to sound authoritative, like his mother would while on patrol.

[Squeeji]

Vivian stood up and looked down at Surethim with a roll to her eyes, but generally a humorous look on her face, and wag to her tail. She laughed and romped around the two for a moment. "Ffffffst...you aren't scary." she seemed to resent the authoritative tone to the little male's voice. "Your mom taking you out on your first walk outside the den?" There was no malice to her voice, just a curious little question, she looked to Akree and gave her a toothy smile, her blue eyes wide with excitement.

"I'm Vivian."

The young female beamed, a bit of a cocky smirk on her face and then she gave a slight stern look to the smaller pup. "And I'm supposed to be here you know...the mute Scout and the one-eyed Officer let me in." she said it matter-of-factly, making sure to set this Surethim straight.

[Akree]

Akree chuckled as Surethim finally decided to leave the shelter of the shadows of her legs. She watched carefully as he edged forward, but she was right behind the pup, not letting him out of her sight, sheesh she was starting to sound like some sort of pup sitter.

-"Who are you?"

She smiled at the authority in the pup's voice. Maybe he had learned that from his mother she pondered as he carried on with the tough macho charade,

-"Ffffffst...you aren't scary."

-"That's 'cause he's mother isn't here." Akree joked while looking around, yes things would have been differently with the pups' mother here. The huge beta's appearance and size spoke loudly enough instead of words, if she would have been here the female's remark may have been the same, but with much more respect.

-"Your mom taking you out on your first walk outside the den?"

Akree raised an eyebrow, about -probably- to say something "smart", but instead open her mouth, only to close it again. Yeah, not the best idea, still the female didn't just think she was the pup's mother? She looked down at Surethim raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

-"I'm Vivian."

-"Nice to meet ya Viv" she said with a grin.

-"And I'm supposed to be here you know...the mute Scout and the one-eyed Officer let me in."

-"One eyed officer...?" she said while raising an eyebrow "I met a gray Officer named Mortilas Umbra, will that be the same wolf?" she asked, a bit interested in getting to know as much of her pack mates as possible.

[nightblood]

"Ffffffst...you aren't scary."

Surethim growled in protest at yearling. She wasn't being nice.

"Your mom taking you out on your first walk outside the den?"

Ha! Now he had her. She'd tremble in fear knowing the rank his mother held.

"She's not my mom. And I've been outside of my den before. My mom is the second in command of Arnlan. Beta NightBlood."

"I'm Vivian."

"Nice to meet ya Viv."

Surethim rolled his eyes at the less-than-formalities, but let them carry on.

"And I'm supposed to be here you know...the mute Scout and the one-eyed Officer let me in."

"One eyed officer...? I met a gray Officer named Mortilas Umbra, will that be the same wolf?"

"Yep!" the pup answered enthusiastically, wagging his tail, "That's my Uncle!"

[Squeeji]

"She's not my mom. And I've been outside of my den before. My mom is the second in command of Arnlan. Beta NightBlood."

The yearling yawned, smacking her jowls some and then looked at the pup oddly. "So? What does that make you? You aren't your mom. You didn't earn -her- respect." She made a tsking sound, seeming like that was the most obvious duh-moment ever.

Surethim was boring her with his false self importance, but what do you expect when talking to pups? Vivian smiled and then turned her attention to Akree. "That's the Officer I had met, he was very interesting." That wasn't a lie, and her tail whipped back and forth. But even the dark female acted like she should automatically bow before this little brown runt with a superiority complex.

He probably hadn't even hunted by himself! Whatever. She would have been more than happy to be friends with him, but he was too full of himself.

"I was going to ask if you guys wanted to play, but I guess you're too good for me." She had actually looked a bit disappointed and shrugged, turning to go back into the woods from which he came.

"Enjoying being...whatever you are...alone."

[Akree]

-"She's not my mom. And I've been outside of my den before. My mom is the second in command of Arnlan. Beta NightBlood."

Akree's laugh bounced around the clearing as the pup's tone, he really did try to frighten the female, respect was one thing, being frightened was another. She liked this female, she showed enough spunk, but she -at least- should set an example for the pup by she herself showing even the smallest hint of respect, she thought, this female would be better off as a loner, without pack ties rendering her.

-"Yep!" the pup answered enthusiastically, wagging his tail, "That's my Uncle!"

-"That's the Officer I had met, he was very interesting."

-She nodded "Very interesting indeed." she agreed solemnly.

-"I was going to ask if you guys wanted to play, but I guess you're too good for me."

Akree rolled her eyes, but left it to Surethim to apologize...or not. He needed to learn she figured that trying to shoo of your pack mates wasn't always the best idea if you wanted to socialize. Let it to him whether to decide pride was worth being alone.

-"Enjoying being...whatever you are...alone."

She rolled her eyes again, of course, dramatic. Seriously let's throw this female as messenger, she thought a little smug, she would bring the drama necessary to make enemies shake in fear.

[nightblood]

This new female was getting less and less interesting and more and more annoying by the minute. If he was able to gain his mother's rank, he'd make sure she was fired from whatever rank she managed to get ahold of.

"I was going to ask if you guys wanted to play, but I guess you're too good for me."

Ah-wha? He'd never said that! She'd been the one to act too good for them! Wasn't it she that came in first, belittling him? Sheesh!

"Enjoying being...whatever you are...alone."

"Fine," the pup growled, turning in the opposite direction.

Well, he learned one thing on this expedition: Yearlings are ridiculous.