Amon was doing his best to spend more and more time away from his children. Before long they would have to be entirely independent of him, and a few hours had recently become a few days in which they were left to their own devices. Amon wasn't overly worried, putting his full faith in his spawn. Sure, he put plenty of faith in them, knowing each was quite intelligent, but he put more faith yet in his teaching. After all, where had they gotten their rugged endurance and quick wit from? He smiled to himself, and forced himself to focus on the world around him instead of the imagined one within his mind. He had never seen trees as large or impressive as those he walked through in that moment. Their trunks were several wolves wide, nose-to-tail, and so tall he was forced to crane his neck as far as it would go and he still could not always make out their tips. A forest fit for gods, he mused to himself, marking it down as one more thing he must share with his children. The list never stopped growing, just as he hoped their education would not. To stop was to fail, at least as far as he was concerned. A motley of ferns and low shrubs swathed the forest floor, but prey seemed to be scare. Amon was uncertain if the season was to blame, or if the well-established wood was simply too inhospitable to larger game. Birds chattered far, far overhead, but other than that Amon felt strangely alone. Good, he thought, though his heart wasn't in it. In truth he wished he had at least one of his sons with him, to talk battle tactics and fill the silence. He wished his daughters were with him, to talk strategy of attacking a camp at night. He grumbled to himself, debating turning around and heading for home. It would slate his arrival a day earlier than he intended, but oh well. It wasn't as if there was ought else to occupy him. "Talk" "You" Think

I wish you could see me for something more than the things I'm confined and condemned to be

Valdís needed some sort of home base. It had to be strategically located and the climate had to be favorable to her. The prey had to be reasonably plentiful and of the variety that she could either take down herself or a terra that hosted large predators like bears that she could scavenge the kills from. Val knew it would be better to settle with a pack but being so new to the area she just wasn't sure which packs were suited to her tastes let alone which ones could be trusted. So far she'd found the north to be the most suitable, at least for this time of year, but she had yet to settle in a territory. This one however, well, it wasn't bad certainly. Enormous trees with blood-hued bark stretched above her like floral mountains, showcasing the grandeur of nature. Well, she supposed it would prevent her from getting a swelled head?

She chuckled to herself as she leaned against the trunk of a particularly large tree, letting her body rub against it to scratch loose linger clumps of winter fluff. Summer would be on its way and she didn't need the extra thickness in her coat. Ahhhh…. that was better. Valdís shook herself out and continued. She'd found a few small streams that laced through the area but nothing suggested a bounty of prey. She figured she'd have a hard time of it by herself but there were always the surrounding territories that might make up for any shortcomings of this one. She had to admit she liked the idea of denning down deep in the roots of one of these great trees.

Movement caught her attention, it sounded like it was coming from the other side of the tree… something big, very big. She crouched down amongst the ferns, limbs coiled tightly beneath her as she peered around to spy a huge male wolf. He was larger than any she'd ever seen and a good eight inches taller than her! He was large and solid in build and handsomely marked but there was a air about him that gave her pause. However, all things considered, she had already survived one encounter with a nest of crazies, how bad could this guy be? She frowned. She sucked at greetings. What the fuck was she supposed to say? Howdy doody, stranger, how is life round this here forest? She scoffed at the idea. Well, while it wasn't her usual motive, she opted for the truth.

"Hey there, I hate introductions. You live around here?" He seemed to be just as awed by the trees as she was so she doubted it but if she was going to have competition she wanted to know in advance.

The breeze carried the scent of a female to him, and Amon slowed his pace. It was usually enough to sway his course. His disdain for the wolves of this land did not extend quite so far to those who might be able to bear him children, after all. She must have been close by, and true enough it was not long before the titan found her. Rounding one large trunk, he found... Ah. Young, too young to be of breeding age. She looked near enough to his children's age that he quickly lost any interest in that. Oh well. She seemed startled to see him at first, or perhaps she was just taking in his impressive form. He gave the youngling a dry look, wondering what remained to hold his interest. She spoke, saving him the trouble. Her blunt tone, the informality of it, left Amon in a strange state of mind. Naturally part of him was offended, but the other half was baffled. She was hardly what most would call 'small' but she was considerably shorter than he. Did she lack all reservation, then, to risk insulting a beast of his immensity? While his utter lack of humility might have been influencing his view on the situation, he decided at last that the child had guts at the very least. "No," he replied in his deep, rumbling way. "I do not." He said nothing more. Frankly, while the female intrigued him, he still couldn't bring himself to care about their meeting. What was it to him if she shrugged and walked away? He waited to see what she might make of his brief reply. "Talk" "You" Think

SHE'S CROSSING MUDDY WATERS

Valdís first impression of the man was that of a mountain.  Large, cold, and as solid as stone.  He stared down at her in stern contemplation but she did not flinch away.  He answered her like a bite, his words clipped and short but her tail waved just slightly, a grin teasing at the corner of her lips at his answer.  Good!  So he was just some big, old loner walking through.  Valdís felt a sense of relief at this.  She wouldn't have felt comfortable making a home hear with the great beast of a man lurking around somewhere in the shadows. "Ah, I see.  No neighbors for me then.  That's perfectly fine."  

She knew it would be wise to turn around and go about her business but something about the man intrigued her.  There was also the matter of breakfast.  What this meeting was was an opportunity and Val had no intention of letting it slip past without a good and proper try at bartering. "You know you are quite an impressive man, I bet you're a good hunter, yes?"  Her nostrils flared.  No pack scent, but he did bear the scent of others.  A wandering band perhaps?  Hmm…. that made the chances of him accepting her offer less but she wasn't about to back out now.  "Between the two of us I bet we could take down an elk." She let her suggestion hang in the air for a moment before a light laugh slipped past her lips. "I suppose it'd be proper to introduce myself.  I'm Valdís Thyre." If she were asking the man to partake in a meal with her the least she could do was give her name though she wondered if the man would give his in return.

"Speech"

That the smaller creature should grin at his terse reply was surprise enough, but the apparent aim of her question was another surprise entirely. She wanted to be alone, eh? He looked her over once again, and decided she must be close in age to his own children. She was somewhat larger than most of the wolves of this realm, but she still had no hold against his line's gargantuan genes. He let out a low but genuinely amused chuckle, even if it was not necessarily meant kindly. "You mean to hold this entire forest by yourself?" Well, he wished her the best of luck with that. Even if she only meant to be alone for a time, there was no accounting for strangers who wandered wherever the hell they wanted. Himself included. This was apparently a day meant for surprises. Amon wasn't sure he liked this small(ish) female, and her knack for catching him off guard. Despite his prickled personality, the next words out of her mouth were a compliment. He was nothing if not vain, unfortunately, and he felt a small bit of his disdain for her melt away. He was impressive, wasn't he? Then again, professing so only confirmed that the girl had eyes. Her true purpose came out in the form of a thinly veiled suggestion. Ah, he thought. The girl wants an elk. He had seen their tracks and droppings all throughout the forest, and he supposed it was in the realm of possibility... "I am Amon Abraxas," he rumbled out. "And you've caught me in a peckish mood. Why not?" In the back of his mind, he was ever-evaluating. If she proved herself a skillful hunter, perhaps he would set one of his sons on her trail. Before long it would be time for them to take a mate as well, and each encounter he had was another chance to learn, another opportunity to advance their future. Let the young girl lead the way, then. Regardless he planned to get a meal out of their meeting, and that would be good enough for him. "Talk" "You" Think

SHE'S CROSSING MUDDY WATERS

Valdís continued to watch the man warily, taking in the movements of his muscles and the shifts of his breathing.  As he spoke of her holding the whole forest by herself she scowled at him.  What on earth had given him that idea?  "Of course not! But I do like my space.  We have a whole territory in which to settle so I see no reason for us to settle right on top of one another."  Valdís grinned, she was fine with neighbors but she wanted them to be far, far away… like on the other side of the forest.  She considered herself a seasoned fighter, even at her young age but she wasn't certain she could handle the stress of living near such a fearsome opponent constantly.  "If you've claimed this area let me know, I can look elsewhere."  It was a nice tree but it wasn't worth getting in a maim fight over.

Her demeanor brightened as he agreed t the hunt.  Finally she'd get a good meal in her belly!  "Excellent, I found a trail to the south.  This way." She moved quickly and gracefully, picking her way through the forest as she gleaned through her memory to find the trail.  Once she'd found it she paused to glance back at Amon before continuing on until she was at the edge of a clearing where a herd of elk were grazing.  She looked to Amon expectantly.  He was older and she assumed he'd have greater hunting knowledge than she would.

"Speech"

The girl seemed indignant, which Amon was glad for. He had no interest in hunting with an idiot so cocky that they thought to hold a land like this on their own. "I'm glad to see you've got sense," he intoned. "And never fear. I do not tend to stay in one place for long." Following this mortal girl was not at all how he had envisioned his day to go. In fact, the very notion left a sour taste in his mouth. Granted, a little help in felling prey as large as an elk wasn't entirely unwelcome. As they went, he toyed with the idea of simply chasing her off the kill when they had finished. It wouldn't be all the difficult, he was sure, but that was assuming the girl could do more with that mouth than just talk. They'd have to catch the beast first. She was right enough; there was a clear trail which they followed as if it were illuminated for them. It spilled out into an idyllic meadow. Valdis turned to him, seeming to wait for his instruction. He scanned the herd for a moment before nodding at one elk in particular. It lingered near the edge of the herd. It's coat was lackluster in comparison to the others, it's movements choppy and uncoordinated. Whether it was elderly, sick, or both it would be the easiest target. He looked at Valdis again. She seemed quick enough. "Do you see the frail cow on the nearest edge? If you can cut her from the herd I should have no trouble bringing her down." After all, as a monster of his proportions, he'd done it before.   Without waiting to see what the girl thought of his plan (After all, what did he care what she thought of him?) Amon stood and began to circle the edge of the meadow as stealthily as he was capable of. He clung to the shadows of the tree line, hoping his coat and the tall grass would obscure him for as long as possible. He crept as close as he dared, and waited for Valdis to move the herd. "Talk" "You" Think

SHE'S CROSSING MUDDY WATERS

Valdís kept her eyes on Amon so that she wouldn't miss any signal or gesture. While hunting might not exactly be her forte she wasn't a slouch in that department either and she had every intent of proving herself to this stranger. Not that she needed his praise. He mentioned the frail cow on the outer edge of the herd and she nodded. "Not a problem," she spoke, keeping her voice low, "nod when you're ready and will dive in and snip her from the rest of them." Carefully she slipped off into the forest, expertly navigating herself to the northeastern edge of the her, directly north of the doe. She had the intention of driving the panicked creatures right into Amon's open and waiting jaws the second he gave her the signal.

"Speech"