Winter was starting to creep its cold claws over the land once more, turning the morning air cold with a bite and frosting the plains grass under paw. Drachen's breath clouded in front of him from his dark, now nearly numb, nostrils as he walked along the line that separated Valhallan lands from the rest of the world. While his pace was slow and almost casual, there was a sense of purpose in the way he stopped to sniff a scents or listening to the world around him with his dark ears. His sapphire blue eyes scanned the plains looking for anything out of place or maybe too in place but so far everything was in order. He caught scent of an unfamiliar wolf at one point, the stranger scent obviously stopping several paces away from Valhalla's clear markers but Drachen trailed the scent aways as it turned and followed the border before turning back away after some time. The male made sure to mark the borders again with clear scent markers and even visual ones by the way of chewing on a few scrub branches and then rubbing his chin on them. Perhaps someone else would say he was a little overzealous with his patrolling duties but he would not have some rogue making an excuse of "oh I didn't realized there was a border" on his watch.
Drachen's nostrils flared again as he paused to scan his surroundings, his sharp eyes catching something moving out of the corner of his eye and his attention snapped to it. It wasn't an intruder but a large hare out looking for food before the deep cold and snow covered the vegetation. With a burst of speed and agility nearly that of a feline, Drachen's teeth made quick work of the hare so that it didn't suffer. Deep blue eyes then scanned the skies above him looking for his companion before dropping the hare from his mouth and yipping once to let Enzi know he was stopping to eat and for her to keep look out. She gave a sharp cry in response and he quickly tore off a large chunk for her and set it side while he devoured the remaining meat. It was a perfect breakfast and instantly filled him with energy for the remainder of the patrol. His pink tongue swiped over his black and tan lips a few times to clean his meal from his fur before he yipped again to Enzi so that she could eat her meal as well. Soon a shadow and a flap of wings fluttered above him as his red tailed hawk companion landed on the chunk of meat he saved for her. While Enzi was having her breakfast Drachen kept a look out of their surroundings, his ears listening and his oceanic blue eyes scanning the horizon.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think
Drachen has a female Red-Tailed Hawk companion named Enzi that is always with him unless otherwise stated
In the midst of her training with Cairo, he had mentioned that patrolling might be a good opportunity for her to gain confidence. If she was familiar with the borders and faced her fears, defending herself possibly would come easier. The idea didn't settle well with her, but she also didn't want to disappoint her teacher. As she sat in her den, curled up on her sheep bed, a huff of breath escaped her. Now was a better time than any.
Stretching her slim legs out in front of her, Audra stood with a shake of her fur. Leaving the den area at an easy pace, she braced against a flurry of snow. what a great time to go patrolling. Her mind muttered, already in a sour mood as ice clung to her every hair. Slipping from the embraces of the valley and out into the plains, her nose picked up on a scent she didn't quite recognize. It smelled of Valhalla, but of someone, she hadn't met yet. Curious but wary, the slender she-wolf picked her way through the snow and trees.
A loud yip echoed over the plains as she paused. Someone was definitely near. Hesitating, Audra considered whether she should approach or not. Yet, the whole purpose of the trip was to patrol. So as her own fur brushed up against brush and hanging limbs, she shivered against the chilly winds. It wasn't long until her honey-brown eyes came across a blue-eyed wolf with a feathered companion. Letting out a quiet bark of her own, she raised her tail with a friendly wave.
"W-want some company?" Her quiet tinkle of a voice called out as she tucked her chin, bracing from the wintry breeze. Approaching the male cautiously, Audra smiled in his direction. "I-I figured I'd get some p-patrolling done," her stumbling words sounded nervous as usual when around strangers. Stopping a few feet away, not wanting to encroach on their personal space, she waited for his answer.
By the time Enzi tore off the last few pieces of meat, Drachen's nose began to twitch as he caught wind of a scent he didn't recognize. His dark face tilted towards the breeze as he breathed it in and the tension in his shoulders relaxed slightly as he caught the scent of Valhalla mixed in. He turned towards the sound of the bark to find the source of the new scent, an earthen colored female petite in size. He returned her friendly wag with a few waves of his own tan tipped tail and settled his oceanic blue eyes on her as she approached him the rest of the way. A tan brow arched over a blue eyes as she stumbled on her words, asking him if he would like come company on his patrol and the corner of his lip twitched subtly in an amused smile. He had heard through the grapevine that Cairo was training a young she-wolf and he could smell his friend's scent faintly on this girl. "Of course. Company would be wonderful." The Vaekhal male replied in his soft but confident tones. He then turned his eyes to his companion who had finished her meal and was watching the female with sharp golden hawk eyes and he nodded to the bird who then took flight. The black and tan male then started in the direction he was originally heading and motioned with his head for the girl to follow.
His pace was slower than before in consideration for the smaller wolf's strides but it did not hamper him as he performed his duties as his nose often scented the ground and air, then making frequent stops to listen to their surroundings. Several minutes passed in silence as he worked before he glanced at the she-wolf and rumbled "Are you familiar with patrolling a border?" He wasn't sure on what exactly Cairo was training the younger wolf on but if she needed or wanted training in this task, Drachen would be more than happy to give her a lesson, especially if the girl was going to stay. "My name is Drachen, by the way." his hushed voice rumbled from his chest, mentally wincing that he didn't give it earlier but he had been so focused on his task that he forgot his manners. "My companion is Enzi." he added in as his oceanic gaze scanned over the plains.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think
Drachen has a female Red-Tailed Hawk companion named Enzi that is always with him unless otherwise stated
His demeanor easily calmed her nerves as he replied in a calm but friendly manner. The smile sent in her direction was a clue that she could approach closer. Taking a few steps toward the brown-colored male with bright eyes, her confidence rose. He appeared nice enough and he had agreed to her company. "Thank you," she chirped quietly as she quickly stepped into stride with him. As a bitter wind rolled across the plains, a shiver rolled down her spine. Unlike a lot of wolves, her fur didn't seem to get as thick in the winter. Second-guessing whether she should have grabbed a pelt to wrap herself in before setting out, she hoped that keeping her paws moving would help her blood flow.
Following his lead in the marking pattern, Audra chose random bushes and trees to rub her cheek against. Scratching at bark sometimes too, she found it quite fun. Deep down, she wondered if she should be contributing to patrolling and spreading her scent. After all, she wasn't technically officially a part of the pack yet. Would Valhalla be okay with it? Unsure, but not yet deterred, she kept pace with the male. Minutes passed before he spoke again. His question made her ears fall back for a moment. "N-not really. Cairo went o-over it briefly though," Audra added with the hopefulness that he wouldn't assume her useless.
Finally, he introduced himself and she too felt embarrassed that she hadn't thought to give her own name sooner. "P-pleasure Drachen and Enzi," her eyes moved to the sky to watch the winged bird for a moment. The red-tailed hawk was beautiful as her feathers ruffled in the wind. "I'm Audra," the small she-wolf offered as they continued their trek around Valhalla's borders. "D-do you patrol often?" She asked, her quiet voice filling the space between them.
He was silently pleased when the girl fell into step with him and began to follow his lead, though he could tell that she was still fairly new to the task. His dark head nodded once when she confirmed that Cairo had not come to that lesson yet. Drachen would never knock someone down though for putting in effort. "The pleasure is mine, Audra." he rumbled, his blue eyes taking a moment from scanning to look at her honey brown eyes before returning to his task. He took several more strides and pauses to listen before he answered the younger wolf's question. "I do, it is one task that is shared amongst all the ranks here in Valhalla." Though now with winter settling in and the threat of a raid coming with it, Drachen planned on walking the border more often. The male fell silent once more, the sound of his pawn crunching on the frosty ground was almost undetectable. Hunting and patrolling the border was only half of his duties to the pack but only he and the highest ranks knew that.
"Basically you are looking and smelling for anything unusual or out of place, like a strangers scent that keep returning or walks along the entire border. Also look to see if a scent has traveled inside the border. Respectful loners or rogues will acknowledge the scent and visual markers and turn back several strides before they even arrive at the actual border, give or take depending on the direction of the wind." He explained, his voice never rising above a calm, quiet speech. He glanced his oceanic blue eyes to Audra, taking in her expression to see if she grasp what he was saying before he abruptly stop and his nostrils flared. His dark face turned towards the lands beyond Valhalla and his eyes scanned the terrain. "What do you sense?" he asked the girl. There was a loner's scent in the air, fresh, but only in one small area as if the wolf noticed the border then turned and went back the way it had come. It wasn't something Drachen would have considered investigating further besides maybe urinating on the loner's scent if he had been a rather bad mood, but it certainly was a good gauge to see how well the girl used her senses.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think
Drachen has a female Red-Tailed Hawk companion named Enzi that is always with him unless otherwise stated
Silence stretched between them as the quiet crunch of snow followed their steps. It was a peaceful and calm afternoon with a breeze gently pulling at tufts of fur. Here and there, a mingle of scents stood out to her. The upside to them being wolves, their sense of smell were more than enough to seek out certain ones if necessary. Belonging to a pack and participating in pack duties was all so new to her. Yet, she was a quick learner and easily picked up on Drachen's method of spreading his scent on the scenery.
As his voice rose up and went into an explanation of how patrolling went, she nodded every so often so that he knew she was listening. With one ear turned toward him and the other turning occasionally as she listened to the distance, Audra was pleased that everyone in Valhalla seemed eager to teach. Learning all of these new things would be helpful in the future - whether she stayed with them or not. Meeting his oceanic blue eyes with curiosity, she paused for a moment as his question met understanding in her mind.
Not far from them, there indeed was a scent. A single scent that lingered before fading away. "A loner perhaps, it smells like a loner," she replied quietly. Turning her chin more so that it faced the scent, she tilted her chin to the air. Whenever she smelled Cairo or Ardyn, they smelled of multiple wolves while their own scent was always the strongest. This one that faded out into the distance didn't smell much of anyone except themselves. "It doesn't stay very long though," Audra added on as she looked back to Drachen. Her expression was hopeful as her body quivered with fear and anticipation. She hoped they wouldn't have to face anyone for a while, but she also wanted to prove herself worthy in a sense.
Drachen took his gaze away from the terrain and looked back at Audra, listening silently as she gave her answer and then gave the girl a small but friendly smile with a nod of his dark head. "Very good." his soft voice rumbled and he gave one last scan of the land beyond just to satisfy himself that the wolf the scent belong to was, in fact, gone before walking again. "Would you report that finding to your superior?" he asked the girl. It was a tough question for someone who wasn't used to patrolling a border or belonging to a pack and at the end of the day mostly depended on who was the head of the patrols and what they wanted to be informed of. But it was a valid question non the less and Drachen ask it to get the smaller wolf to think about more than just walking along the edge of a pack boundary and marking. He, himself, always reported even the smallest of findings so that Cairo was aware and could inform the other pack members so that they too could be aware of it in case it happened to be a scout looking for weaknesses for a rival pack. There were some wolves like him that were skilled in masking their scent and the scent of their home so that they could carry out reconnaissance missions.
"You also want to keep a look out for other predators that might pose a threat to the pack and anything dangerously close needs to have the pack alerted immediately. A friend of mine has encountered a bear more than once in and around Valhalla." he continued on in his lesson, cast his oceanic gaze to Audra for a moment before he stopped and pointed to a lone tree with deep, old claw marks taller than any wolf on its trunk with a flick of his muzzle. His deep blue eyes glimmered for a moment as he thought back to when he first gave to Valhalla to join and found Ardyn fighting a bear and stopped to help the boy who happened to be the Spirit's son. He continued walking again and this time his nose lifted to the air as he caught his own scent ion the gentle winter breeze from where he had started earlier in the day. They were almost done with this patrol but he was more than willing to continue the lesson if the girl asked.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think
Drachen has a female Red-Tailed Hawk companion named Enzi that is always with him unless otherwise stated
The question he posed to her made her pause a moment in their walk. Would she have submitted the loner information to her superior? A quiet hum vibrated her throat as she quickly picked up her pace to follow Drachen. "Well, I suppose not," she chirped, hesitant in her words, "I mean if it is just one loner along the edge that didn't try to cross and didn't stay long, I wouldn't want to worry anyone." Maybe she was being too nice. Maybe it was more the fact that she didn't want to bother anyone. Flicking her ears back a moment, she returned the gentle smile he shot her way. Of course, he was being nice and helping her, so if her answer was indeed wrong, she was sure he'd let her know.
For a while, their silence dredged on in a friendly sort of way. They picked their way around the border, spreading their scents and watching the treeline. Thankfully, the day had gone on peacefully until Drachen brought up a rather squeamish topic for her. A loud gulp resounded in her at Drachen's mention of a bear. "A-are large predators really such a threat around here?" Audra spoke quietly, her eyes slightly widened at the thought of them coming across such a large beast. "I, uh, am really more of a healer, not quite the defender. Cairo has taught me some, but I have no real practice," she was embarrassed to admit it, but also wouldn't lie. Courage and bravery were not assets in her personality.
Poison Master
Scout
