To The Ascent (Cedrus/Open)

[Chrysanthra]

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[atrb=background,http://i.imm.io/5Jhx.png] It had been days, and long days at that. During the day the sun shone down a golden she-wolf’s pelt as she trotted, slunk, jumped, clawed and out rightly ran from the snow of the tundra. She was consistently changing her speed and routine to keep each of her muscles prepared and limber, to avoid them locking up with the cold, dry winds whipping through the tundra. It had taken them a while but they were finally near the mountains, their first stop. She had stopped and let her screaming muscles take a break while she looked back at her traveling companion. Cedrus was impressing on her more and more while they were on this trip. He thought logically, realistically, and he kept up. They had taken turns scouting as they had traveled, though as of yet each wolf had secured food on a more private solitary way. At this point in the game it would be wasteful to hunt big game neither could finish. Although not entirely wasteful, some creature would come along and eat it, but that could be worse and draw just the right amount of attention or the wrong scenario right to their paws. Chry had no intentions of letting anything happen to Cedrus, just as she had no intentions of letting Arkham or Cypress flaw the hide from her back for losing the eldest heir to the Empire in any way, shape, or form possible. He may look intimidating but he was still younger, and there were things in these lands that did not fear the Yagi, but saw them as a rather fulfilling snack. That thought giving shivers up her spine she paused to look at the strapping young male now beside her. He was muscled, and a fine specimen of Yagi attractiveness, that she would not deny, and his nature made others around him comfortable, although she could see how he could have a temper like that of his father…although she had not seen it personally, most wolves cowered at Arkham’s name. While his father seemed to blow rather hotly, or at least had the potential to, his mother Cypress, well she seemed to blow as cold as the north wind. She was a hard female to get close to, the only time she had seen her seemingly happy was with her pups, otherwise she was strictly business. Not that Chry minded that in the least, it did make things easier to get done but it did make for getting to know the pack…problematic at best. But Cedrus….Cedrus seemed to be warm, warm like the summer breeze of other lands she had traveled to, a mixture of his parents with all the potential to go any way his heart should take him. Snapping out of her reverie she glanced up at the mountains. “This is our first stop as agreed Cedrus, and now our eyes must be sharp, our noses powerful, and our muscles strong. The mountains have what I would call a defensive advantage, most wolves besides Yagi and Keiyou would be powerless to scale the mountains to mount an attack. Although I think the weather would still be hard on the pack, and unless we found livable surroundings and plentiful prey it is not better than the tundra in what it will give to the pack. My heart seems to call to the Prairie, but that has it’s negatives as well one of the biggest being there are many Yagi in the pack, there is not much shelter and no defense whatsoever, it’s a lot of open land, no cover from the elements or enemies…” In her own mind she was disappointed with the notion that considering most of the members of the Empire were larger wolves, the mountains would probably end up where they would move to. She rolled her shoulders and looked at Cedrus to see if he had any input before standing up and beginning the climbing ascent of the impending mountains. There might be a path here or there but most likely they would have to climb in between the paths to explore and see if there was suitable cover, den space, among other things they would need to report back with before they even thought about moving on to explore other areas and possibilities.

[atrb=background,http://i.imm.io/5JhI.png] Bwuahha Chry crush in 3.....2....1....

[Cedrus]

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[atrb=background,http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/lilDiablo_/cedmid.jpg] His thick nose, laced lightly with fresh snow, scented feverishly about the earth below. Cedrus was careful to check the wind and the ground for any sign of impending danger as they made their way into the unclaimed, untamed mountain territory. The crunching sound of snow almost chimed equally with his pulsating muscles that screamed for rest, but he would not allow it. He was behind his Captain, but by no means lagging. She was head of this patrol, and, he couldn't deny the view of her swaying hips at this angle as she pushed forward in front of him. Like a little boy and his first crush, his face would flourish with color at the thought. They seemed to be penetrating his thoughts, his instincts much more frequently as he aged. Her age, and her authority over him also sent the heir into a craze, and he made a mental note to ask his mother about what might be happening to him. His mind had always been on the future, on training and growing into the male he always wanted to be. Girls never got a second thought, nor did fun or play. But now... it seemed very much reversed, and the young brute didn't quite know if he liked it or not. Noticing he was blankly staring and Chrysanthas backside, Cedrus shook his head violently to snap himself out of it. It was then she turned to face him, her golden maw parting gently to speak. He trotted closer, shifting from his tired status to a more perky, confident stride. He was struggling slightly, but the journey had not been easy. He would not admit it to his Captain, no, for he couldn't bare the thought of her being disappointed in him. Another thing he cared about, but had no clue why. Panting softly as he closed the gap between them, ruby orbs scanned the landscape as she described it. He too, felt a sting of distaste, but knowing his parents, they would opt for the more challenging terrain. The heir truly didn't mind a challenge, but this fucking snow. It was beginning to wear thin his patience, and fast. It was then something clicked in the young males mind, his body shivering ever so slightly, and not from the cold. It had been days since they left the Empire, days since they had any sort of something but utter dedication to the will of his parents. Flexing his paws hidden under a blanket of white and brown, Cedrus felt the softened earth below. A tight grin made its way onto his features, and his eyes sparkled mischievously. "You know, I admire your clear loyalty to our pack, and all that good stuff. But I have yet to see the softer Chry, the Chry I know is in there-" He slowly motioned toward her chest with a thick paw. "- somewhere." Flashing her a cocky smile, he cocked his head in question to his own question. He truly was a handsome fellow, should anyone take the time to notice it. And why wouldn't he be? He had great genetics, was in line for the Empire throne, and all round, was just a good guy. However should anything arise, the striking brute hoped it was all for the right reasons, and not his future title. And with that thought, Cedrus circled his traveling companion once, that cheeky smile very much still prominent as he did so. He chuckled slightly at to what his Captain may be thinking, but weary of the possibility she may reprimand his silly behavior on such an important job. He stretched out into a clear play bow as he reached her tail, and quickly nipped at her lower back before speeding away ahead of her. The air was filled with a rumbling growl of defiance, willing the ever so uptight Chry to follow him, and what seemed to be the start of a good old fashioned game of chase.

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[Chrysanthra]

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[atrb=background,http://i.imm.io/5Jhx.png] As it was, Chry did not consider Cedrus to be young at all. As heir to the Empire, a very serious minded pack, she thought of him as just that, a serious minded wolf. Although the more and more time she spent with him the more she realized he could be fun loving and spontaneous, and it had been quite refreshing. So far between Lacey and Cedrus they were the only ones getting to know Chry, and Cedrus was pushing the envelope for the most time spent with the tight assed female. She personally did not know how he stood her, she seemed to be quite like his parents, but perhaps she was even more closed than they were. She had not really taken the time to think of how she may have come off to others, she had come, joined, rose in ranks, and did her job. Her existence didn’t mean so much more than that, at least not to her. She was so oblivious to the fact that the younger Yagi had been happy to follow her from behind, and although she felt someone watching her, she simply naturally assumed he was looking ahead like she was to the paths, and mountains that would soon appear. She had no idea her backside was the scenery Cedrus was rather happy to pay attention to. Even if she had been aware she would not have known what to say so she would simply shut up and ignore it in it’s entirety. In the back of her mind she wondered why Arkham had sent his son on this mission. It was not as though he was not strong, and had the will of mind, she wondered if this was just as much a test for him as it was for her. The thought made her stomach sink, then for her sake as well as his they must not fail! She could see in the way he carried himself that his muscles were screaming just as much as hers, and she thought that maybe they could take a break but not now. For now their muscles must win out in this battle, they must get at least a portion of the way up the mountains before they could rest. She had to be firm no matter that she wanted to keep him alive and healthy, she had to push him. They both had to take this as proving ground and if she had to she would push him to brink to show he was strong enough to secede his parents. She wanted to back up when he got closer but she just couldn’t will herself to show him submission like that. So instead she sat by his side as they both looked at the landscape ahead of them, she could inhale his scent next to her, and while she knew they were both so sick of snow it would seem they would still be seeing more long before their journey had ended. She turned and looked at him as close as he was, and it was almost weird….almost. In a weird way it felt right, and the fact that it did feel right made Chry completely uncomfortable, but hell would have to freeze over before she would ever show it. When he began speaking Chry’s ears turned and swiveled to give him her full attention, her chest puffed out with pride at his comment. When he near touched her gesturing that there was something softer inside of her, her eyes went to what seemed to be melted amber. She looked away for a long moment, there was no way he could have known, guessed or anything else along those lines of how she had been feeling lately. She had not had a male’s attention for so many years now, and she thought she had put it down completely, unnecessary and unneeded. Then here he was, trying to bring out a different side of her…and she didn’t know how to react or what to do. He wouldn’t think there was something soft if he had seen what had happened during her youth, or what she was capable of now as she had gotten older and gained control. She looked back at him, her eyes slowly going back to their hardened state, but she noticed his cocky smile and she could not help the woosh of air that escaped her maw, and a small laugh at him. Here he was again, that not so serious side rearing it’s head, trying to get her to show him another side of herself, and here she was laughing at him. Her shoulders shook with it, becoming relaxed, her stomach lean as it was poked out while she laughed. It was short lived however, as he began to circle her, and her eyes became serious. She knew this might just be a distraction to give his muscles a break but she also knew they had made good time out of the Empire’s lands and could afford a small break, she supposed. She felt the nip on her backside, and yowled in return and whirled around, but her attacker was already fleeing. She pounded her feet into the earth after him, barking excitedly, “I WILL get you Cedrus!” Her voice held no reprimand though, and had lightened into a tone of fun and amusement…and for the first time in years, Chrysanthra loosened up, and had…fun…

[atrb=background,http://i.imm.io/5JhI.png] AWWWW! -Sniffle-

[Cedrus]

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[atrb=background,http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/lilDiablo_/cedmid.jpg] It would seem Cedrus wasn't the only one that felt a little playful that afternoon, the wind picked up to swing his luscious grey mane from side to side. Even the normally formal Captain of the Empire had given in, barking out her playful intentions over the tossing weather. The Heir only laughed cheekily, a rumbling growl dared her to do so as he zigzagged his body through the white blanket around them. "That you will dear Chrysantha." He teased, howling excitedly to the sky. "The question is, when?" And with that he pushed harder, rounding off his forward path to turn back toward Chrysantha. He would loop around her right side before running right at her. His muscles no longer ached from fatigue, now burning with a sensation he hadn't felt in many months. They moved effortlessly beneath his emerald fur, and even at this adolescent stage one could tell his Yagi bulk would soon come and fit him very nicely. His ruby orbs sparkled dangerously beneath narrowed lids, his tongue caressing his cheek as it flung outside his maw like a flag in the wind. When it came down to it, Cedrus realized he never really had a friend. He only ever played with his younger siblings, or confided in Maggie. She had long ago ran away, but there wasn't a day that the Heir did not think of her. He tried looking for her once, to share the news of her new siblings, and perhaps coax her home. But to no avail. He had returned home more heartbroken than when he left, and nothing ever came along to fill that void. Or perhaps it did, but Cedrus's eyes, heart and everything else had been well and truly closed to any of it.

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[Chrysanthra]

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[atrb=background,http://i.imm.io/5Jhx.png] The ground below the golden lupus seemed to be giving away, or that her pads were barely touching it. Surely though the dirt springing up to meet her pelt and shatter the air around her were proof she was hitting the ground. Her chest heaved and the cool air seemed to set the nerves in her lungs on fire. She swore within her now adrenaline mind that she would find a source of water to bathe herself, from the collection of water on a pelt as well as dirt. She simply would not return from this journey looking like a mud pie. As he zigged, she zagged, turning her body to become close to the ground as she sped up trying to get at him. The howls and barks must have echoed around them but for once it would seem neither explorer cared, they were focused on each other, and the intensity of the focus was amazing. For a moment she lost her focus on him, his silver mane lashing out from side to side, catching the light of the sun, it seemed to glitter and blind her like tinsel and she took in breath deeply through her chest and forced herself to treat him like prey. Soon her mind began to wear away and sheer predator instinct took over, the desire to take him down more than the desire to look over his form which was pounding the earth as she was coming behind him. His scent filled her nose and she blew out accordingly, taking the scent deep from her nose all the way into the core of her very being. Some part of her mind remained because in truth he was not prey he was her partner, but chase games like this tended to bring out the predator within. Snow was raising up from the ground, the heat in her feet causing little imprints, but the white soft substance flew up and dappled her pelt with a dew like substance which gave a shining gleam after a while, but she would not give in! The fact that he could talk and run was evidence that his mind was still in the forefront, but with Chry it was a completely different story. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at him from behind, the heat of her body rising in delicate waves as she pushed herself harder, and harder, refusing to listen to the fact that while her muscles may not have been screaming now, they were feeling as though someone had lit her on fire. She saw him coming right for her and her own tongue lolled out of her mouth. Her eyes gleamed dangerously, and she cut around his side as he had earlier, so that she was behind him, she pushed up a pile of snow, and managed to push off the soft substance for a small burst of speed. Cedrus may have been powerful, but Chry had not earned the title of Captain without having the speed to maintain the position. She flung herself at the younger male in front of him, sliding beneath his legs, to take him out at the knee. It was nowhere near enough force to hurt him, in fact Chry was more at risk to be trampled by him, but she didn’t care. Her need to win and take him down was at the forefront of her mind. She felt the force impact of his legs within her ribcage, but her body was enough to fling him forward on his face in the snow in front of her. She got up, and she knew she would be in pain for at least a few hours, perhaps even the rest of the day but she also knew it had been worth it. With slow, determined steps she brought herself to the fallen Yagi Heir and with a slow, mischievous smile she leaned down to his face. She pushed her face near his and spoke with a lot, seemingly dangerous voice, “How about now? I told you I would get you, you don’t receive a rank such as Captain without having the ability to chase down prey, and today you were the prey…” Her smile was genuine but so were her words. The muscles were bunched in her shoulders and having minor spasms from putting herself under him almost directly but she stood, confident. In a normal fight, Cedrus would more than likely win, he was just too big, and he would end up to be too powerful with his species. Something within Chry wanted to prove to him that she was a worthy adversary as well as a playful friend.

[atrb=background,http://i.imm.io/5JhI.png] OOChere