dream about fires [Orion]

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Orion had woken that morning intending to stray from Khalsa, into the neighboring territory. Kharak had spoken of greenery and herbs existing just outside the borders of the Ocassus, and so the young male set off across the heavily-marked border. The air was crisp and warming, soon to reach unbearable highs if the quick rise was any indication. Orion felt confident that he could manage; at the very least, he could find shelter to nap until sunset, when the earth cooled once more.

Yawning widely, the brute padded toward the nearest point of interest, what appeared to be a cliff edge. Due to his downhill position, Orion was not able to see the vast canyon beyond until he reached the rim, staring passively at the abundant landscape below. It was teeming with birds and life, and spoke of very promising finds, if he could manage to get to them. The cliff face was steep where he stood, so he paced the edge down a ways, seeking out a more gradual slope. It took some time, but he was able to slide gracefully down the side, making quite a bit of noise as he raced past dirt and rocks to the first sizeable ledge he hit that did not break.

Heart pounding from the adrenaline, Orion kept his expression hooded, though any observer would see the focus in his gaze. Coming from Kairos--and especially Goliath--had taught him to survey always, and his guard was rarely down. Despite his size and intimidating look, he knew that it would often take more to deter some of the wolves he might find. It was for this reason that he had always trained as well, keeping himself strong and practiced in case he needed to defend himself. While he truly preferred avoidance above all, the young wolf was not afraid to take on an opponent when necessary.

Once he figured out a way to advance, Orion found that the vines and brush were not quite as he had expected. They were lush, but there was very little variety, at least in the area he had landed. There were about three or four different plants, and none of them were remotely worth his trouble, being similar to those he had dug up in Vor'asa during the Agoge. Nothing there was useful except perhaps to dress wounds, and Orion did not need to do that right now, so he traveled on, sweeping his head gently from side to side as he walked.

Before long, the form of another became apparent some ways ahead, and Orion froze, having not heard the beast. Perhaps it was due to his posture; if he were laying down and being silent, of course he could not have been detected. Shaking his head at his own foolishness, the young wolf continued forward, neither amplifying his steps nor putting in effort to quiet them. It would be the other animal's fault if he was not paying attention and became shocked at the intrusion.

Saying nothing, Orion approached and observed the other wolf, noting immediately how much smaller he was. This was incredibly common on Anikira, though the numbers of oversized wolves were growing all the time. The other was a male, with ruddy fur and some ill-defined spots that might have been scars--Orion could not tell from this distance. Stopping at a safe point, the young wolf remained silent, unsure of whether or not he should start up a conversation with this other brute. He did not belong to Khalsa, unless Orion was misplacing his scent, and this land was not currently claimed according to Kharak. Perhaps there was another pack farther down the peninsula.

Words || 666
Tags || Król
Notes || ends awkwardly but... that's mah boy

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Orion blinked as the other male berated him, clearly grumpy about being disturbed. Though initially he had not appeared altogether concerned with the intrusion, his words betrayed his true feelings, and it was clear that the young brute had made a mistake. This male was fiery and harsh, speaking like the barbarian he appeared to be, and though Orion was not necessarily offended, he was put off by the other's disgusting speech. The shit-eating grin that he gave along with it in particular caused Orion's mental hackles to lift, and he focused more intently upon the wolf before him. Clearly there was malice waiting to be unleashed here, and the male wanted to tread carefully.

Insulting him once more, the brute barreled on and scolded him for not speaking, despite his dominant grasp on the situation. Orion fought the urge to huff, as though he were dealing with Dione in one of her rage-filled fits of conviction. "I'm sorry for disturbing you," he said, his voice a rich tenor that did not betray his giant stature. "If you'd stopped your bitching for a second, I might have said so sooner." Challenging the other wolf, Orion let his confidence be known with a loose, relaxed posture and absolute refusal to break eye contact.

Goliath had blessed him with more than just his size, and though his unstable mind was not beneficial, his quiet ferocity was innately clear as he spoke with clarity and diction unlike he ever had before. Anger was a powerful emotion, and though the situation was mostly quiet, there was a very real likelihood that things would escalate. It would likely not be much of an issue, unless the other attacked, for he had some years and experience that Orion lacked. Practiced though he was, that did not guarantee a win.

So he simmered as he stood there, letting a gap form between his words to subtly test the other's patience. "I'm Orion, of Khalsa. Picking... herbs." Though the last sentence was stilted, the brute was desperate not to reveal too much about himself, forgetting that this was not Kairos, where all were trustworthy enough to know basic facts. Even in Khalsa, he had not revealed much, and he did not intend to let this beast know anything about him that was not strictly necessary. "Your turn."

Words || 448
Tags || Król
Notes || last line is DUMB but i did it anyway bye

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Orion resisted the urge to growl again, his annoyance rising with every word the other brute spoke. How was he supposed to speak up when the other was saying everything? No gaps appeared in the conversation for him to respond, which was why he had done so curtly and sharply. "You don't need to appreciate the company," he said darkly, still staring at the smaller brute as though he could see through to his soul. "But you could stop whining for two breaths and let me respond. Or, you can bulldoze the conversation and continue to prove what an awful being you are."

Annoyed more than he ought to be, Orion paid little attention to the offhanded way in which the other wolf was mocking him. He was young, and reckless, and though he had calmed a lot since he left Kairos, the male had a tendency to get riled up on occasion. It might come to blows, if neither wolf relented, and Orion found himself growing eager for it to become physical. Maybe that was a mistake, but he felt the urge to teach this scarred brute a lesson--or at the very least, to add a few scars to his ugly pelt.

Insulted once more, Orion let his hackles raise threateningly, though he kept his teeth covered and his throat silent. Everything the smaller wolf said was meant to dig at him, and Orion was furious at how well it was working. Old habits died hard, and he was beginning to tense his muscles now. Dione would do the same thing--dig and dig at her brothers, until they snapped. Now this fully-grown adult male was needling him like a child, and the foolishness transferred to him as well. "Kharak is no fool," he growled softly, his ears pinned back to his skull. "He knows potential when he sees it."

When Krol introduced himself, the other practically rolled his eyes. Being so new here, Orion had no knowledge of the surrounding packs, and he was not about to get information from this asshole. But it did make him curious as to what packs lay around them, and where--he needed to explore more often, perhaps starting soon. "With a name like crawl, you'd think you would have slunk away by now. Wonder what your mother was thinking when she gave you that title," Orion pushed, narrowing his eyes to sharp slits. "As far as the daisies go, well... here," he added, pushing a brightly-colored, leaf-covered stem toward the other wolf. "Eat a bit of this, then, and see what kind of flowers I'll be giving out." The plant itself was a wretched thing, not poisonous enough to kill a wolf but enough to cause severe stomach and muscle cramps as well as excessive vomiting and an aversion to food. Though it was unlikely Krol would be so stupid, Orion could always hope.

Words || 533
Tags || Król
Notes || what a dick

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