Idrit

    Idrit trotted into the hollow behind the big wolves, looking around apprehensively at all of the new sights and sounds of life in this foreign pack. He had followed these hunters from a place that, he supposed, was quite similar to this river glade, but much greener and warmer. 'Well, I suppose it's actually nice this way. It's still warm, just not uncomfortably hot,' he thought as he walked. Eventually most of the big wolves peeled off to talk to others or do other tasks, and Idrit was left with the light-furred wolf that had been leading the group that came to fetch him. This wolf showed him to a little hole in the riverbank that he said led to the den Idrit would be sleeping in, and, feeling quite sleepy now, Idrit showed himself in.

—

    Idrit emerged from his new place among some scrubby bushes and stretched luxuriously, his eyes closing. When he straightened up and opened them again he was nose-to-nose with a smaller, green tinted wolf who was scowling at him. Idrit snorted and removed his face from this wolf's surly face, pushing past him and swatting him with his tail on the way by.
    "Hey! You're supposed to show me how scouting works!"
    Idrit tossed a glance back over his shoulder and squinted at the younger scout. This one had joined the pack a while after him, and was supposed to become a scout as well. Idrit was well aware, though, that the reasoning behind this young hedgehog's being made another scout was precisely because he was so prickly. Idrit had been at the mercy of Rasp's jibes and foul moods while they were growing up, and he was not going to be caught showing him anything.
    The younger wolf, apparently, did not like this. Idrit felt two sets of claws sink into his rump as Rasp leaped onto him, and he spun around and around trying to shake him off. Rasp tried to bite onto the older scout, but Idrit swung his back half into a nearby boulder before he could. Idrit whirled around as the green-tinted wolf slid to the ground with a grumble.
    "Are you crazy?! You stay away from me, snake!"
    Idrit was about to run off when he came face-to-face with Caio who looked as if he had just walked into something he wasn't supposed to see. The light-furred wolf leaned out to look beyond Idrit at Rasp, then glanced at Idrit himself. Idrit just shook his head, and the two of them trotted off.
    "Should I ask?" Caio said with one eyebrow raised.
    "Probably not," Idrit sighed.

—

    Idrit watched as his friends splashed around and chased each other through the shallows of the ford. He didn't like to be soaking wet like they seemed to, and so he generally ended up sitting on the pebbly riverbank like this, watching and shouting at them from dry land. Eventually a few of the younger wolves trotted past, and he decided to join them since the bunch in the river showed no signs of getting back out any time soon. Coorah and Thorn each nodded in his direction as he tagged along and he smiled back. He was sort of the odd wolf out most of the time, being quite a bit younger than Aleifr and the river group, but older than many of the other younger wolves in the pack. He made do, though.
    "How's scouting coming along, Idrit?" Coorah asked him as they walked.
    "It's coming along alright. I just have to watch out because sometimes Rasp follows me and causes trouble," Idrit chuckled good-naturedly.
    "He's really something, that Rasp. I don't have too much trouble with him personally, but I remember he used to really come after you. I think after Juhan left he just had no one to fight with anymore, don't you think, Zin?" Thorn mused.
    Zinnia smiled as she thought of her brother, who had left the pack to keep the peace with another, "I suppose so. I would suggest that maybe he admires you and wants your attention, but I'm really not sure Rasp likes anyone."
    "Well, anyway, I didn't mean to make it about him. You know, the other day I found a great hill with this big, wide open view? I can show it to you if you like!"
    The three she-wolves looked at him with smiles and nods, and he started off at a run toward the hill, not wanting to miss the sunset view.

—

    Idrit and Rasp walked on either side of Aleifr as he made his way through the forest. Each of them were grumbling and huffing and making a fuss until Ale whirled around and the whole envoy stopped in its tracks. Idrit met his friend's eye for a second before sighing and looking away again. He was the alpha and this was an important visit, so he'd make do.
    "Can you two just deal with it until we get there? I need you both, but right now you're making things more difficult than they've got to be," the alpha reasoned.
    "I can if he can," Rasp growled.
    "Well, I can even if he can't!" Idrit barked, then turned on Rasp, "you just like making things difficult, don't you?"
    "Oh, yeah, we're pups again and I just want to bully you all the time! This isn't an important mission or anything!"
    "Then why are you over there making just as much of a fuss as I am?!"
    "Enough!" Aleifr roared with actual fury in his eyes. Idrit hadn't seen that before. Then the alpha continued more quietly, "we are going on ahead. You two go home."
    Idrit opened his mouth, then shut it again when the alpha's steely gaze fell on him. The scout looked away again, and when he dared to look up he could just see the last wolf's tail vanishing through the underbrush ahead. The mottled white and red-furred scout began to walk, not really toward anything, least of all toward home. He wasn't about to be humiliated like that when the whole pack knew he should be out on this mission. His thoughts were interrupted by pawsteps hurrying up behind him and he spun around to intercept the attack.
    Rasp just stopped and stood there looking at him. He straightened up once more. Rasp didn't move. Idrit rolled his eyes and went to turn and walk off again.
    "Hold on."
    "Hmm?"
    "We're not friends..."
    "Nope!"
    "Oh, shut up and let me talk."
    Idrit sighed a long and exasperated sound, but turned and sat with a thud in the leaf litter staring the other scout down.
    "I'm sorry I messed with you when we were pups, okay? I didn't like you-"
    "I had no idea."
    "Shut it! Sorry. I just... don't mind you so much anymore. I can't always help the outbursts, but I do want to make a friend," Rasp's words were nice enough, but his tone remained gravelly and snappish.
    Idrit scowled at the other wolf, then looked deeper. He squinted at him, then leaned in slightly to stare into the other wolf's surprisingly sincere eyes. He leapt to his feet suddenly which made Rasp jump, and he laughed. Rasp scowled back at him, but relaxed a bit as well.
    "I suppose a friend would be pretty nice. It would help us actually get work done, too, and maybe we wouldn't be kicked off of every important envoy we're supposed to be a part of..." Idrit reasoned awkwardly. "But if you're tricking me I'll bite your tail clean off!"
    "Alright, alright! Don't get your fur in a twist about it. I promise I'm not tricking you... right now," Rasp shot Idrit a tentative and very strained smile which made the older scout laugh again.
    "I suppose we don't have to go our separate ways, then... you want to see a cool sunset?" Idrit offered, and when Rasp shrugged he lead the way toward his hill with the nice views to try and make a new and very odd friend.

—

    Idrit sat by the load of fresh prey that had been dropped by one of the new hunting teams. It was odd. Bits and pieces of things, whatever the group could come up with without the guidance of the older, now retired hunters. He glanced over at Aleifr who was busy speaking to a gaggle of wolves, wondering what his reasoning had been. Shaking his head he turned back to the hunters sat around him enjoying being back at rest at home. There was light conversation all around, and it was a happy atmosphere at least. Zinnia and Thorn laughed and joked, Raea was playing with a flower she had brought back along with the catch of the day, and even Rasp was enjoying himself as he spoke with Winnie and called over to the she-wolves with his own goodnatuerd jibes.
    He hadn't expected the turnaround of his former-scout friend at all, but he was glad to see a relatively more friendly demeanor from him. Stretching, he got up and made his way over to Thorn and Zinnia to join them in their lively discussion and laughter.

—

    Idrit shook out his fur with a contented sigh. Zinnia giggled as some of the water flying in all directions hit her. She had just finished drying off herself, and she fixed him with a wry smile as he ducked his head to hide a chuckle. The scout finished his shake more gently and then approached the masked golden she-wolf. He gave her a quick lick on the nose and she smiled at him again more genuinely.
    "Are you ready? Also, are you sure you want to do this?" He asked as they moved off in the direction of the hollow.
    "What do you mean, am I sure? I wouldn't have agreed to it if I wasn't sure," she responded in her even, matter-of-fact way.
    "I- well, of course. I just mean, since Nikau and Anahera brought up their proposition since we decided to be bonded, I wanted to make sure that doesn't complicate anything," Idrit spoke plainly, not too awkward about the possibility of his becoming breeding male but trying to be conscious of his potential new mate's feelings.
    Zinnia stopped and turned to face him, looking him in the eye as she said, "I truly don't mind. It's a job, nothing more. I know that you wouldn't run off to some dalliance over us, and if you did, well..."
    Idrit didn't need to hear the rest of the threat to understand it. He swallowed as she continued walking, then hurried to catch up. What a wolf, he thought.

—

    "Alright, young Sorcor, now all you have to do is-" Idrit sighed as his young apprentice puffed out his chest and walked straight into the small hollow they were supposed to be sneaking around. "Yeah, sure. You'll find out..."
    Sorcor's tail had only just vanished through the underbrush before he came bursting back out through the thicket, nose bloodied and howling for his life. Idrit scooped him up by the ruff from where he sat concealed above the small entrance and plonked him down at his side. He clamped a paw over the indignant and hysterical apprentice's muzzle as the hollow's inhabitant burst out of the thicket as well, looking this way and that for the young intruder before bounding off to try and catch him.
    Idrit fixed his apprentice with a flat stare, "as I was saying, all you have to do is find a way around this hollow without being caught. You've failed but would you like to try it again?"
    Sorcor looked mortified that he had failed. His mother would never have made this mistake, he was sure. Idrit was giving him another chance, though, and he would take it and do it perfectly this time if he had to take another vicious swipe to do it!
    At his nod Idrit ushered him along with a paw, "you'll have to be extra careful now you've got that bloody nose. If you make it around the hollow we can head to the river next and clean up."
    He didn't want to be harsh on the pup, but the sooner he learned to curb his arrogance the better he would survive out here as a scout. The old mentor raised his eyes to the canopy above as he wondered what he would tell Raalia about that nose. His former apprentice would give him a swipe of his own for that, no doubt, he chuckled to himself.

[355 Trained]

https://www.wolvden.com/breed/2880409 Retiring Soon! | Idrit available for stud! | Colorful Wulfenite | 961+ stats | G2 | 150sc or 1gc :D