It had been several months since Ridley has last encountered that little female he'd found, and yet he hadn't stopped thinking about her since then. While it wasn't quite an obsession, his mind was filled with thoughts of her often enough to drive his adventures back towards the direction he had initially found her at. Could he find her again? Would she flee at the sight of him, letting him give chase to her before he decided to catch her between his paws once more? Would she freeze and piss on herself again, forcing him to once again entertain the idea of bathing her? If he did find her, if he did catch her, he'd have to make sure she didn't get away again. That was what the leather strap with a slip was for. That was his ulterior motive, to leash her so she couldn't escape again. Ridley liked her, and wanted to keep her all to himself.
Every step towards the desert brought a sick joy to his mood, the grin on his jaw long and revealing his rows of sharp teeth. The air was thick and stunk horribly of rotten eggs, and yet Ridley stepped on eagerly, the leather strap and slip dangling from his jaws as the other end of it draped casually over his back. It was hung in a way where with a flick of his head, he could wrap the leather around his own neck to rid his body of it and free his limbs, or better yet, could throw it towards someone or something. His paws splayed outwards as they slipped down loose rocks, catching his balance as his tail whipped behind him to further control his movements. He slipped a ways, dust furling up around him in a cloud, before he slid to a stop down the rocky bank. Ahead, he heard the gush of air and water as a steam geyser shot up into the air, expelling a strong stench along with the gasses. His head tilted as he spied the gust above the rocks and trees, wondering if the geyser was consistent or inconsistent in its timing. He wondered, then, how he might harness such a power for his own uses and if it held any special properties. Would it be more beneficial to harness it closer to the vent, or further away?
A rock fell from the sky and landed nearby Ridley. His silver gaze shifted from the steam vent in the distance to the rock that settled and rattled beside him. It looked wet, he thought, and it held that same stench as the general area - but stronger. It also looked like a different color. Ridley stepped forward towards the rock and lowered his muzzle, sniffing at the rock before flipping it over to look at it's other side. He wondered, could it hold any properties of its own? Perhaps he should take it with him, something to entertain his mind while he continued his trek to the desert to search for the sweet little cactus fruit.
He lay on his stomach, long tail flowing around him. The heat from the ground soaking into his tired muscles and bones, he was actually sleeping. The warmth from the sulfur fields and geysers around it had been a great relief to him the night before, the faint sound of movement not to far from where he lay had him slowly blinking his eyes open. Yawning he lazily looked around, not even trying to lift his head. Not seeing anything he closed his eyes again, shifting from his stomach onto this side he sighed and lifted a paw to drape it across his muzzle. Flicking his tail he created a small ring of fire to surround him, hopefully that would deter anyone from bothering him while he napped. Not like the bright light of the sun didn't help at all.
The roar of a geyser snapped him fully awake, head jerking up and looking around he angrily blew smoke from his lungs. Yawning loudly he slid his paws forward in a stretch that soothingly rolled up his back, arching his back the way a cat would he sat down and began to groom himself. Shaking his head hard he felt his coat roll and ripple across his body, rising to his paws he flicked his tail. Ceasing the circle of fire that had circled him, walking away from where he had been sleeping he didn't go far before noticing that he wasn't alone in this area. The scent of another wolf filled his senses, and raising his head he inhaled deeply. Searching for the owner of the scent, it was strongest to the west of him. Twisting his body in that direction he made his way towards it, walking around a sulfur flat he than spotted the dark shape of a wolf in the distance.
Tall audits rose to his skull, curious about the other he hoped that this wolf wasn't like the dense 'dog' he had met a few weeks ago. Gods above he actually wanted to set his coat on fire just to hear him scream, blinking away that train of thought he made his way toward the wolf. Immediately he noticed the unique wolf's tail, his eyes skimmed the body searching. Ah, a male, how interesting. Instinctively he set a small circle of fire around his paws, something he did when he was a bit unsure of what to do.
His muzzle had come down to crunch on the yellow rock expelled from the geyser. His tongue pressed against it. His teeth ached as they crunched the mineral. It flaked in his mouth, tasted horribly salty and sickening, so Ridley decided to spit it out. Blood welled in his gums from the pressure of the bite, dripping down his jaw along with his inky black saliva. The taste reminded him of something. It reminded him of something, specifically, within the kingdom he used to live in. It reminded him of... black powder! Was this rock some raw form of that?
Mentally, Ridley made note of the location and thought that once he returned from his adventure to gather up the little cactus blossom, he and she could together harvest more of the substance to experiment with. If he could somehow manage to recreate the black powder, oh... oh, what fun he could have then. Ridley resumed his journey to the base of the geyser when he spotted a black figure in the distance who seemed to have seen him as well. He paused, his head up high as his silver gaze studied the other individual. From this distance, it looked like the other male was larger than he. The other looked to be agile based on his structure, and seemed to enjoy fire from the looks of the rings around his paws. Was he weary? Was he being aggressive?
Ridley really didn't care. He did not fear other wolves or beasts or monsters. He didn't fear the living, nor the dead. He'd seen both sides of the planes, lived as a reaper even for a short time, and had manifested once more into another wolf's living body, claiming it as his own. Physically, Ridley was a young wolf, only two, but mentally, Ridley had access to the experiences of souls thousands and thousands of years old.
But, if the other wanted to square up, Ridley would give him a show. He stalked closer to the other, lowering his head to align with his spine as he stepped slowly closer and closer. His silver gaze fixated on the other wolf, his tongue flicking rapidly from the hole between his front teeth. Slip slip slip the sound tinked as he tasted the air eagerly, scenting male must on the winds. His reptilian tail behind him wiggled much like an agitated lizard's tail would, shaking quickly at the tip with a rattling motion. Closer Ridley stepped, bringing their many lengths of distance down to several wolf-leaps away. There he paused, putting the dance into the other wolf's paws. His head lifted slightly, then tilted strongly to one side. Not once did the silver eyes leave the black wolf. He waited and waited, until the other wolf made it clear what it was that he wanted.
The male spotted him and came to a distance not far from him, it was a staring contest. Ears twitching on his head he huffed and lowered his head, with a flick of his tail the fire around him was put out. His voice called over the distance, chilling and deep. "At ease, I know when its time to fight and not. I'm simply.... curious." Which was true, he was, the male was so much closer to what he was himself it was something that he didn't mind, hell he even relished in the fact that the beast that stood across from him was another wolf and not... With a shake of his head he shoved away the thoughts of the encounter he had with the dog, simply focusing on the here and now he studied the male before him. He was taller than him, he could tell from the distance alone. But how tall he wasn't sure, blowing air from his muzzle he lowered his head and walked closer. He wasn't being submissive, far from it. He was simply aligning his skull with his tail, should he deem it he'd raise his head show just how large he actually is. Stopping closer to the male he tilted his head, raising it to his full height he knew that was right.
Naervon truly towered over him, he didn't try to fluff out his coat like he usually did. Instead, he kept it smooth but studied him still, the male's tail was interesting though. He had never seen one like that before, shifting slightly to the right he peeked at him more. Yes this male was interesting to say the least.
Speech.
ooc: sorry for the short post, just not really feeling like a long reply rn.
The other canid called out and Ridley's head tilted fully from one side to the other as he spoke. His words were understood simply enough. They had both evaluated one another and neither was interested in a tussle. There wouldn't be shows of brawn and strength clashing on these ashen lands today. Instead it would be two males passing in relative peace, or so Ridley hoped. He eyed the horns on the other canid's head and found himself wondering if they were heavy, or if they required a lot of maintenance. Then he eyed the other wolf's fur, and wondered if the heat ever got to him. On second thought, he figured probably not based on the level of fire control the other wolf had displayed. As the other closed the rest of the distance, Ridley's tail continued to rattle. Aside from that, however, he remained calm and stoic, his silver gaze never leaving the other's.
"Curiosity is dangerous" Ridley finally spoke as he leaned just as the other did to inspect the male's body up close. His paws shuffled and soon enough, Ridley was moving to walk a half-circle around the stranger. Tsillah, that was a lot of fur he had to deal with. "But I get the feeling that you're no stranger to danger." It was presumptuous of Ridley to state as such, but he didn't care. The leather cinch and rope still dangled, wrapped around his neck. "You haven't seen a small little gray and green lass running around, have you? I'm looking for her. She's escaped me, and I need to get her back." It didn't dawn on Ridley that the other wolf might be shocked to hear him chasing down, well, another wolf. He didn't think about how the other might react to his confession. To Ridley, it was just another day doing business and filling his desires and needs. "She's a slippery one. She has a neat magic trick where she duplicates herself. It's really quite fascinating. I'd love to study it further."
He listened to the male, of course, he was no stranger to danger, and he relished in it. Only when he mentioned a female did his head tilt inquisitively, she had this power the other sought. "Power? She can duplicate herself, hmmmmm. No I haven't seen her, however I wouldn't mind tagging along to help. Who knows maybe two more pairs of eyes could make it easier to capture her." He was offering himself to aid him, this male, he felt a kindred sense towards. Something about him screamed power, or that he was one to help aid him in gaining it himself. A twisted smile spread across his jaws, yes this male just might help him. Far so than that dolt of a creature he encountered weeks ago, yes this male will do.
"If you will allow it that is." His words would be his pact, he hoped this male would help him in gaining his vision for this land. It to burn and be tormented, he felt the heat in his body roll through. Who knows maybe this female could be of use to both of them, rarely did he bow but he felt this male would.... not appreciate it but seek it. He would only bow to those who wish to kill, this male he didn't plan on killing. Not unless he wished for a battle to the death, standing tall he parted his jaws. "My name is Naervon." The deep timbre of his voice would send chills down the male's spine, his voice promised death and destruction lies and false promises. The prosperity to rule, to show the wolves and other creatures of this land that they would be the ones to bring it to its knees.
Pads pressed into the ground, the scent of burning earth soon would meet their nostrils. He was burning his "promise" into the ground, subtly lifting his paw all the other had to do was look down and see the burned print of a paw and claws. Naervon wouldn't show the male the true extent of his powers, no that would be for him to do when the time was right.
To Ridley's slight dismay, the stranger hadn't seen his little female. Part of him was glad for it. He didn't want others to find her as fascinating as he had. And yet, when he had asked the stranger if he had seen her or not, he had felt a slight tingle of hope that he would answer 'yes'. How dare he hope. He knew better than to do such a thing. Hope was for fools, for dreamers and believers. Hope wasn't for him.
When the other had offered to help him look for the lass, Ridley thought to turn him down. So far, they had survived the first test of a male on male encounter. But could they, two strangers, continue on together without either acknowledging where the other stood? Ridley knew that he could certainly behave himself. He didn't have that same drive other males had. Perhaps because when it came to his raising, he had been the weakest of his siblings in their brawls. So, instead of learning how to tussle, he learned other ways of being strong. Such as, being strong of Will and strong of Mind.
And yet, if he accepted the help of the stranger (who had a good point about more eyes) then he might find his little female that much faster than if he were on his own. If she resisted and fled and split herself again like she had done before, there would be one to chase each of her copies, increasing their odds of keeping track of her. It, he concluded, was worth it for that alone. Besides, if the other acted up and decided to turn lip towards him, Ridley at least knew how to take care of himself. He wasn't aggressive, but he wasn't a push-over either.
"Sure" Ridley answered with a tone even and untelling of how he had considered telling the male to continue and go off on his own. He turned his gaze to look out to the horizon, staring off in the direction of the desert, and started to head off in that direction when he suddenly smelt a burning smell taint the glands on his tongue. The stranger introduced himself unprompted. Ridley smiled slightly, amused that once again, the stranger was giving him information without Ridley even trying to dig it free. "Are you going to burn things the entire journey? I'd rather not give her smoke signals to track our movements by. She's a skittish little thing, and I suspect she'll burrow down like a tick and hide until she starves if she knows I'm coming."
He bristled when the male made the comment about his burnings, narrowing his orbs the male bared his fangs. The bones of his teeth glowed as the fire he barely kept at bay wanted to burst forth from his jaws, ears flattening against his skull he stepped towards the male. A loud growl rumbled from his deep chest, the sound growing in pitch when his jaws parted. This female better be worth it, he was tempted to sink his fangs into this male's body and burn him. Seeing him squirm and burn from his fire was something he wanted desperately, who knows maybe this female could be one he could get under his paws just to get under this male's skin. Tail lashing angrily he slightly leaned back and turned his head to the left, snarling he spun away and distanced himself. Better keep this male away from him before he attacked, twisting his horned skull back to him he hissed. "What does this.... female look like?" Head tilting to the side as he narrowed his orbs, nostrils flaring as he inhaled.
Flicking one ear back he turned his head away again, thoughts swirled in his skull as he felt the fire in his body raise his temperature greatly. So much so that he was blowing smoke from his nostrils, yet that didn't help him keep cool. He wanted to rip and rend, claws digging deep into the earth. Small flames sprouted from underneath his paws, tail curling up onto his back as he fought the urge to spin around and attack the male and show him just who he was dealing with.
It seemed the words he'd given the other male had not been taken kindly. He bristled his fur, flattened his ears, barred his fangs and rumbled a deep snarl in Ridley's direction. Ridley himself let his tail twitch with irritation. Was this going to be the back-and-forth the entire time Naervon accompanied him? Perhaps he should have bid him to go on his own way instead of accepting his help, for what he was getting was not help, but a thorn in his side. The fiery beast spun away to collect himself - or so Ridley figured - and Ridley huffed and smirked in response. Temper temper he thought, and heavily debated on egging him on further. Ridley started to push onwards until he turned back around and asked him a question. Ridley paused to respond.
"She's very small with dark grays covering her topside, and a dark green covering her underside. She's got bits of light gray speckled about her, mostly on her face and lower back. She's got one gold eye, and one silver one..." Ridley envisioned her as he described her, saw her cowering crouched behind a bush and promptly peeing herself after. Poor little thing. He had only meant to be playing a game. Back at home that was how they played as children. Back at home where life had been pleasant and normal. He had seemed to have scared her nearly to death, however. She had ran and ran and ran and though he had pursued her, she had escaped him in the end. She would need to be protected. He needed to protect her from wolves like Naervon here.
Again the wolf was spewing smoke. Ridley sighed audibly, the tip of his tail flicking more aggressively than before. His stance, however, remained casual. His lips remained down. He didn't respond with aggression, only irritation. "If you're just going to smoke up the whole time, leave. I told you she's skittish. You're giving our position away."
