Fantasy To Get To You

[BurntCook]

"Your experience with the internet becomes clearer to me every second." Kimber states, lifting her thick backpack straps so that it lays better on top of her jacket. Now that she's mention the drumsticks, they're actually quite obvious in her bookbag. A long, vertical line is prominent from the bottom all the way up to the top, where the tip of the instrument pokes into the cloth, beside the zipper line. Onyx request surprised Kimber, her eyebrows rise, "Why the change of heart? Up until this point I thought you were about to put a leash on me." Loosely spinning around, she gets her coordinates together to look for Mount Iwoin.

"This is just an educational guess, but I don't think a pack of wolves would be at Mount Iwoin." She points to a specific mechanical feature that's so popular for the tourists that it hasn't stopped since they got here. "The cable car system can hold a lot of people, plus some people travel on foot. I think it would be annoying for any werewolf to want to live there." Kimber grabs her straps in such a girl scout manner and starts walking, "And that's why it's perfect." She goes back into the alleyway, deciding to just take a straight line out of the city and then go towards the very machinery.

As she walks, it's hard for her not to drag her feet, sleeping last night wasn't an option but she can hold out until nighttime. Hopefully that will help her get a good night's rest, anyway, being extremely exhausted. "I don't know how you get money," Kimber starts, "but I get mine from being a street performer, a 'college student that dreams to be a musician'." She quotes with air signs before they make it to the opposite side of the alleyway. There's still a road they need to cross but she can see the sign that points to the cable cars. Looking both ways, she waits for Onyx to be at her side before walking the stripped lines like everyone else.

"You can make music from anything, and with drumsticks it's easy: paint buckets, trash cans, pans, boxes- it's not hard when you get the knack for it. Then you place yourself in the middle of the city and people give you money." The pedestrian light stops the moment they hit the other side of the street and follows a few people that are heading to the same place. Kimber ponders his question for a few seconds with a hum, "We'll have to keep moving for a while, I want to see how the cable cars work and where they stop at, and then we can go the opposite direction." She glances at him with a thumb pointing the other way, "There's not a lot of human-made trails on the other side of the mountain because it's the farthest way from the city. Only some pretty radical hikers- or idiots- would go that far to not even see the view from up there."

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

"Internet? Never mind." Onyx said before they had started to walk. "Hmm, no leash would have been needed. Such a human thing." he said as they continued on, not at all sure what to tell her about the change of heart. If it was that. Whatever had led them to this, as much as he fought at first, was where they were meant to be. He just wasn't at all sure how to tell her that. He wasn't even sure he believed it himself, having run from the first fate that he was meant to have and into this one. He follows her as they walk through an alley to the next street and waits with her to cross it, his attention on the distant thing that she's leading them too. A large mechanical machine he had no interest in, but would go because his pack member wanted too. He still needed to come to terms with it. For now, he let her talk, let her lead. This was something she had obviously planned for so long, that it was easy to trust her lead.

"Wolves can be anywhere." he said to her as they continue on their path for the cable cars that were getting bigger as they got closer. "It would not be so odd to find a pack here, as hard as it may be to live with the humans always walking through where you hunt and sleep. But we're durable, we're fighters and survivors." he told her, his voice a little gruff as he tried to keep his voice low to avoid any of the humans over hearing them. "Humans, some of them really enjoy exploring and going where none have gone. They can find things that they shouldn't." he said, his voice so quiet that she wouldn't have head him if she didn't have improved hearing. "So, we find the end of the these and we go as far away from the signs of humans as we can before night arrives. I can see and hear you dragging your feet, and you need rest. Especially since I would like to see what you know." he said as he slowed his walk. "When we get to the other side, travel will be faster and easier on four paws." he added, his voice again so quiet that only she would be able to hear him.

 

[BurntCook]

As they walk, Kimber doesn't respond to Onyx for some time, letting the silence come naturally between them. The sounds of cars and the voices of people don't stop, but Kimber is able to push it all away for a second as she thinks of her plan. Her violet eyes look ahead at the ground as she walks, her brows flinch every once in a while, and a hand goes up to dig into her thick blonde hair to scratch it. After a few minutes of walking, the two and the small crowd of people made it to the cable car.

It's an organized, clean system they've put up to prevent as much congestion as possible. A medium sized booth with three people to handle the tickets, a system of lines to guide people, and the very prize itself sits, waiting for passengers. There are four cable cars in total and three have already left, two on the way back down. Nature hasn't taken over the boxed machine yet and a guide makes sure people aren't left alone to the car's devices.

Kimber only watches from a distance to get a good view of the cables themselves, her head never staying in one place as she takes a good look. "Only two stops?" Kimber asks of herself, surprised that such a giant mountain would have very few departures. She goes to get a pamphlet map at the booth before hurrying back to Onyx. It's an updated map with all the trail routes and the two-cable car stops. It all looks like a normal map, but her smile grows at cautioning words at the bottom in bold, neon letters. "Due to increase sightings of bears, mountain lions, and other wild predators; camping is not an option on Mount Iwoin until further notice. Park rangers will continue on their designated routes to enforce. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Slinging the bookbag to her chest, she slides the map in and looks up at Onxy, "We'll have to deal with some rangers but a lot less people to worry about." In a trade with her bag, she pulls out a water bottle before taking gulps, her eyes look back at him to acknowledge what he said some time ago. "Oh, and I'll be fine 'till we get there, if we take your offer of getting there."

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Onyx is too busy gazing up at the large metal monster that lumbers lowly but loudly as it takes the humans up and down the mountain in glass boxes. He's head is tilted back to look up the large mountain and the thick steel cables that hold everything to precariously up in the air. He jolts slightly at the sound of her voice and slowly looks down at her with a blank expression of wonder "Huh?" he questioned, taking a moment to catch up to what she had told him and he nodded his head, folding his arms and turning his attention back to the cable cars. "Do we need to ride one of these things, or can we walk?" he asked, not really sure he trusted the mechanical feat the humans had created. It looked ready to fall apart in his opinion. He hadn't the money to get on it anyway, as he showed her empty pockets.

"If they track who goes on and off, they may send a search for us and I'd prefer to not be all over that thing humans call news. We'll walk, it shouldn't take much longer. Those things move slow." Onyx said, deciding with a firm nod before glancing at her and tilting his head as she watched her for a moment and took notice of her human habits. She seemed as prepared as the other humans milling about and wondered if it was one of the things that allowed them to travel so far and discover the things they weren't meant too. He shook his head and waited for her to stand back up before he was starting the trek along the side and started up the mountain. It was an easy silence between them, a comfort that came with having pack, he knew and had missed if he was being honest. He was also taking her word for it, that she would be fine until they found a safe place to sleep for the night. If they were lucky, it would be a safe enough place for two dens and become home.

Maybe it was because they were wolves, but the trek up the mountain to the last stop of the cable cars had been easy enough. Or maybe it was just him that thought as much as he stood and looked own over the human settlement that looked far smaller now that they were higher up. He sighed and thoughtfully scratched at his cheek and yawned before turning and looking at Kimber. "Come on, let's head down the other side until you feel it's time to stop." he said, walking a little further until they were well out of human view before he was stretching with his arms high above his head before he shifted. Within a few moments, a large impossibly black furred wolf stood where he had once been and shook out his fur before turning pale golden eyes Kimber's way. He tilted his head, wordlessly asking if she was ready to continue on.

 

[BurntCook]

Kimber's eyes had stayed stern and focused on machinery and the humans, thinking of every possible scenario and the odds of probably danger ahead of them. Her foot taps as she waits for Onyx to catch up with her words, not like it was anything major to wrap his head around. However, the way that his eyes linger toward the attraction with such hesitance and lingering eeriness to them, makes Kimber wonder just how much effort werewolves would go to avoid these types of things. First busses and now this, is he even afraid of bicycles? Does he even know how to ride one? The thought wipes away the sort of judgment on her face and is replaced with a grin of internal mockery.

"If you would have let me finish, I was going to say that." Kimber comments, not really in a rueful manner, but in a way where she knows that she's not really in charge anymore, acceptance with slight arrogance. "Park Rangers don't explore as much when nighttime hits, so all I need is a good nap and I'm exploring. All we need to do is avoid watch towers and any signs of tire tracks." Putting her water bottle away, she tightens the straps as they walk. Looking up at their destination, she lets out a long sigh, mentally preparing herself for the future calf aches and deep breathing.

And that's exactly what was happening, luckily nature distracts her from the excessive exercise this has been. Some parts were fine as the incline would stop for a moment or two, before continuing on a borderline hike. The boots she had on still had some grip to them but not enough to where she could step on anything wet or else, she'd backslide; and with all the effort into the hiking she wouldn't be able to stop it. If there was a trickle from a creek, she would avoid it but at least take in the blissful sound of water droplets. Something else was blissful, a thing she couldn't pinpoint exactly but she knew it had something to do with her not doing this alone. Perhaps it was the thought of knowing if she fell, there was someone to help her, it stayed on her conscious until they reached the top.

Having had to watch her footing for a few minutes, she looks up when Onyx stopped and sees a sight that makes a breathless gasp. A rush that makes her hands clench above her head as she lets out a long-awaited roar, mixing of triumph and agony. "I wish I could take a picture of this." she rests her hands behind her head to take in the view. They can see the road that leads in and out of the town, not to mention all the national parks that surround it. To see such a difference of nature all in one valley, Kimber could stay here all day, technically she has. Though she doesn't have her phone and watch anymore, she guesses it's the late afternoon or evening. The sky has gone a shade down and some shadows from the parks have darkened areas, like a crafted canvas.

Onyx's want to continue on makes her unwillingly start walking, frowning the further away they were to the very thing that humans have stride to see, including herself. But this is how life is now, her interaction with humans and things related to it will decreased significantly. The sounds of humans huffing as well as family chatters vaporize when the secluded company of nature engulfs them. No more trails as far as she can see, which is a pretty good scope since they're now facing a decline, also the view of Onyx shifting. Shoulders rising and mouth parting open, Kimber sees the first werewolf form for the first time in three years, even then this one is a lot bigger than the one from her memory.

His body language falls on blind eyes as Kimber's investigating urge kicks in with no remorse. "Dude, you're almost as big as a black bear, if not bigger." she states, walking a circle around him to get a view from all sides. His breathing is louder, probably because he's in safe company and the autonomy change. Each inhale makes him bigger, his raven black fur shifting as she nonchalantly places her hand in it. Completely flooded in ink-like fur. The base, his skin, is incredibly warm, natural with his coat. "If you're talking to me right now, I won't be able to hear it," removing her hand, she stands in front of him and looks into his eyes, "your eyes have changed too, interesting, I guess some werewolves do that by genetics."

She raises a hand to her chin before looking down at his chest, fur hiding the probable muscles that have grown for him to be so big, "I wonder if you have to eat more to keep up this state, or is this only with growth and exercise, or genetics too." she speculates, kneeling down to look at his paws. Again, placing her hand in his personal space, beside his paw, it's as big if not bigger than her palm. "Does your size make you faster with excessive stamina or stronger with durability, I wonder...." Standing back up, she looks back at him, "maybe we should find a bear."

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

If Onyx could have raised an eyebrow at Kimber, he would have. But wolf form meant that both went up as he watched her fawn and fuss over him, studying him and taking everything about his abnormal size in. He blinked when she told him that she couldn't understand him if he spoke to her, even though he hadn't yet tried. But the fact that he couldn't give her an answer because she wouldn't understand anyway, and he continued to watch her as she fussed at his paws and measured their size against the palm of her hand. But when she made mention of finding a bear, he scoffed in only the way that a wolf could and pulled away from her, taking a few steps down the non-existent path that would lead them further down the mountain. Turning to look back at her, he tilted and cocked his head, a gesture that was telling her to follow him and join him. They still had a journey ahead of them before it got too dark, before that sun fully set from its journey across their sky.

Onyx waited for Kimber to shift and join him, looking her over when she was finally on four paws and he couldn't help it as he himself walked all around her and took her in. She wasn't much bigger than a large sized dog and she looked more like one of their kind than of their own. He wondered if it had to do with her heritage of whom her mother had chosen to mate with. He shook his head, deciding that as long as she was wolf, and part of his pack, that she was enough and he would grow used to her appearance. He led the way down the far side of the mountain, easily avoiding all signs of humans because there was none, not a single area they traveled through would allow for any of their vehicles and he leapt up and over a fallen log. It was steadily getting darker, with his attention was split between finding a good spot and watching Kimber.

Night had fallen when he noticed that she looked absolutely dead on her feet and he slowed down, casting looks around before he saw what looked like a good spot to bed down for the night. It also possibly made for a good spot to make a den or two and become their home. Trotting over, he stretched his large body out, eyes glowing in the dim light even as he shifted from wolf to human. "Here, we'll sleep here." he said, taking the bag off of his back and letting it fall with a heavy thunk to the forest floor as he gathered up some wood to start a small fire. "Tomorrow, I want to see what you know as a wolf. I want to see just how good you can hunt and see what we can improve upon. We'll work our way to signs of other packs, I think we're alone here." Onyx told Kimber, turning to look at her and find out if she had shifted back or if she had gone straight to sleep. He wasn't going to be able to sleep either way and had no intent on even trying. Not until his body made him.

 

[BurntCook]

The atmosphere was thick with humidity as leftover raindrops sprinkle from pine trees. The noise of trickles, chirps, and wind but no human footsteps or voices make it out to be pure heaven. There is no puddles or mud collecting among the dead leaves and branches. It had to have been a light rain that came across nature last night, a long drizzle according to Kimber. Around the godforsaken hours after midnight, the same hours that she struggles to feel enough peace to sleep.

There were some tossing and turning until she gave up and tried to grab a musical case that is no longer there. Those fingers stiffen as memories come running back from the previous day. Since sleep wasn't going to comfort her she might as well make use of her time before Onyx wakes up.

With that and a bookbag against her fur, she puts her lightweight, small form to use to silently head out. Not going far, just enough to where she knows she won't disturb the older wolf with her running mind. The sky gets lighter and lighter as she sits on a rock, wishing she could strum a greeting to the sun. At least the forest begins to wake up, listening to creatures scurrying and even the sound of possibly elk in the distance. It’s not deafening, good, Kimber can’t handle stillness at this hour.

Instead, a pen spins through her fingers, her eyes scan the journal in her lap that's filled with music notes and lyrics. A canine tooth nibbles on her bottom lip as her fingers place themselves on imaginary guitar strings. No hesitance or pause of contemplation, those long fingers have mechanical memory and her mind is a speaker. As a tune plays in her head, it vibrates in her throat, her mouth too parched to sing.

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Onyx couldn't sleep. He'd had trouble sleeping since that night, and in two years, his body had begun to adjust to the lack of sleep. Well, some days. Last night had been one of them, after he'd explained about digging out a den for shelter, he hadn't been able to crawl into his own to get any sleep. He had sat under a tree for hours before he had crept away into the darkness of the night and explored what would be the boundless ends of their territory. He'd found what would become their hunting grounds, he found their water source before it became a little too dark among the trees and he was forced to stop and wait for morning. He should have left a scent trail to find his way back, but it was too late by the time he'd remembered. And so, deep in the woods away from where he left the younger wolf, was where he had spent the night wide awake and watching the rain and the world around him.

When the first slivers of light began to hit the sky as the sun peeked over the edge of the Earth, and the birds began to sing, he got up and he set about finding his way back to where he had left Kimber. There was still hints of what had been early morning fog around when he finally crested over a hill and happened upon where the younger wolf had chosen to sit that morning. He paused in his tracks and stared at her for a long moment before he trotted past her towards his den not far away from hers and he retrieved his bag before he shifted and walked back over to her with one item in his hand. A water bottle.

"You said you can't understand wolf, so we'll learn to communicate in time. For now, I'll shift between to talk with you. Are you ready to start the day? First task, retrieving water." he said, waving the bottle in his hand at her before he set it down and shifted. He took it into his mouth and stood there, waiting for her to get ready and follow after him. As soon as she was ready to go, he turned and led her to where he had come across the running stream of water. He dropped the bottle before he shifted back to human and knelt down to fill up his water bottle from the cool running water. "Nothing beats fresh water from a mountain. Nothing colder either." he told her before lifting that bottle up to his lips and take a long drink of the cold water before he filled it up again to take back with him to the den. Done, he turned towards Kimber and looked her over before he moved to a log and sat down on it. "Could probably return here to bathe, if you want to keep up human habits." he said, setting elbows on knees and watching the water run.

 

[BurntCook]

Kimber's lip tightens at a particular part of the second verse that still has been causing her trouble. The rhythm of the song as well as the word choreography and plot of the song sort of collide- it's always the last damn lyrics too. Her brows scrunch and her eyes stay closed, knowing that nothing around her could bring inspiration. If anything, the more she focuses the louder the birds are. If she were a normal human being it wouldn't be as daunting, yet here she is being as if mocked by all nature had to offer. Birds giggle, squirrels mutter, and a coyote laughs- hell, even the droplets off of trees gossip amongst themselves. But throughout all of that, one specific noise catches her attention from her study, steady steps make their way towards her. It's Onyx, it has to be, if his steps didn't give him away his scent sure did.

She doesn't acknowledge his existence until she thinks he's only staring at her. Opening her eyes, she meets his gaze, it's a hardened gaze. He threw her off her groove, him and nature, her solitude as well. She only nods a greeting with a long sigh, folding in her journal and getting her things situated back into her bag. As he walks past, she only then shoves the symphony journey into its hiding place. It's not that she doesn't trust him, clearly, he's the last person who'd go through her private belongings, it still reeks of the city. However, something in her feels off, leaving her to only sit there, staring at her backpack. Her fingers trace the zipper lining as her mind keeps her from reality, though no longer thinking of lyrics.

Thankfully, Onyx's presence snaps her out of her when a bottle in his hand is forced into her peripheral vision. She looks up at, the height difference bringing back that crick in her neck from the tossing and turning of sleep. Listening to him, she reaches out for the water bottle before he simply places it on the ground, past her hand. The mere motion of not even being handed something causes her hand to stay in the air in contemplation, even after Onyx had already shifted and waiting for her to follow. Her tongue pokes her cheek as she takes it and crushes it so that it can be stored in her backpack. Also crushing was pretty satisfying. Slapping the backpack over her, she doesn't shift but simply follows him with a fast-paced walk.

As they walk, she begins to hear the delicate rushing water from afar, also the smell of moss. Stepping onto mushy mulch brings her to pull out her water bottle, giving it a good blow so that it pops back into shape. Again, she listens to him as she fills up her bottle only to drink it all without stopping. As he takes a turn to drink, Kimber finally speaks, "Self-purification is why running mountain water is better- and safer- than still water. It's done by plants in wetlands and soil that acts as a natural filtration system." she recalls from her previous studies, not that Onyx would care, remembering how he shook his head at the idea of human school.

Dipping her water bottle back into the stream, she likes how chilling it is on her hands, almost to the point of numbness. Because even if the bottle is filled, the needle-like pain helps her wake up even more, she has to wake up, there's no time for sleep. She places the water bottle beside her and cuffs her jeans up her shins. "Glad to know having poor hygiene is a werewolf requirement." she comments, standing up and kicking her shoes off. Sticking a foot in the water might as well have been in a pool of ice. Fists tighten as the chilling feeling is in now both of her feet, goosebumps travel up her body, but she continues to take cautious steps into the water. Now that her mind is fully awake and screaming for warmth, she turns to Onyx as he sits on the log.

"Look, I'm cool for company and all but I'm not going to beat around the bush." With arms folded, she finally asks him the question she's sat on this whole time. This whole time since they first met, she had a doubt in her mind that later began to personal research, but she needed evidence and not just a feeling in her chest. "Why are you trying to help me when I know for a fact that you don't want to?"

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Onyx's gives Kimber a bit of a look that's hard to decipher as she talks about how the river is so clear and clean. He shakes his head and lets out a sigh as he moves to sit on the ground to lean back against the log and stretches out his legs while she begins to roll up her jeans. He snorts "It's not poor hygiene, canines don't sweat. You seem to spend more time as a human." he told her, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as she begins to dip her feet into the cold water. He's starting to relax and is nearly asleep when Kimber speaks to him and he lifts his head back up to look at her. Both eyebrows went up when he saw her standing there barefoot with her arms folded. He knows that he has to answer her. But what exactly does he tell her. That it's a deep unbridled instinct that he's fought for two years and can no longer ignore? Would she even understand? Oh. Right. She left behind the human world to come out here to learn to be a wolf and learn what her mother had never taken the time to teach her. She really was like a pup.

"Truly, I'm not sure." Onyx decides to tell her, sighing as he pulls himself back up to sit on the log and studies the younger wolf before him. "I was meant to lead the pack I left behind. It didn't feel like it was mine anymore, not after what I'd done." he frowned and looked down as he clasped his hands and leaned on his knees. "A story for another time." he says, taking a moment before looking up and looking at her. "A wolf can only be alone for so long, it seems. But really, I couldn't just leave you to fend for yourself when I know that I can help." he said before sighing softly. "Besides, I am pretty sure that the guilt wouldn't have let me get very far." he told her before standing up. "Are you done? I still haven't found out what you're capable of doing as a wolf and we can either do that here or back at the den's." he told her, waiting for he to decide so he would know if he had to shift or not.

 

[BurntCook]

"For obvious reasons." Kimber quietly retorts, side eyeing Onyx before continuing on with what she's doing. It's a debate she'd rather not get into from the very evident bias he has toward humankind. The guy can't even stand being in a bus, something that only require you to sit and stay- should be something a canine could handle. No, she'll get an ear chewed if she dares to say that. So, she can only stand there and await his response. The speed of the river is the obvious sound in their silence and once he gives an answer, his claim of ignorance, makes her eyes narrow. Fingers tap alongside her damp forearm as he thankfully goes on and gives her something to work off of.

The reveal of something of his past wasn't something she'd expected, her shoulders lowering as she blinks to process it. It was a surprise until it wasn't, hiding behind his stoic violet eyes and scars once more, making Kimber huff before making her way back to the river line. Grabbing her back on the way to the leg, she sits down where he had been and starts to wipe her feet. After all, putting wet feet into socks and shoes is by far the worst feeling in the world. The second worst feeling is the one in her chest right now that grows the more Onyx talks. Fending for herself, guilt wouldn't let him, what she's capable of- Kimber couldn't finalize her decision from the growl that grew in her throat.

"Why? So that you can just pity me and my 'pup' knowledge?" Kimber looks up at him with a jutting chin. Standing back up with her socks and shoes on, she doesn't waver from this height difference. "How about instead of me earning more of your downward glances and shakes of disappointment, you just answer my questions?" Despite the direct behavior she still manages to keep her voice from raising, perhaps it's more out of desperation versus anger. As she speaks, her hands bring more emphasis as direction, "What's the history of werewolves? What's the difference between 'instincts' versus strong emotions? So, you're saying you can be 'made' to lead a pack and then back out of it? What are these important pack positions I've heard so much about?"

Taking a breath, she shoves her hair back and glances away, "I have so many questions that have never been answered because all I hear from a werewolf is how great it is to be one; and yet some of you guys don't even want to touch me." Her cheeks dust in pink, looking back up at him while rubbing the back of her neck, "Is there a werewolf 101 or something before I get thrown to the wolves- no pun intended?" Her voice strains a tad, even in her calm demeanor these questions spark a long-awaited curiosity that's been dragged in the group by the boots of werewolves. Just a basic- so yes, pup- knowledge on the whole species is all she's asked for. All the energy she's hidden made her stomach rumble.

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Onyx let's out a soft sigh and shakes his head "Never felt pity on your lack of knowledge girl, sympathy because you never got to experience a proper teaching. And an anger for your mother who knew better than to leave her own pup to learn on her own. My disappointment, isn't in you. It's in your mother." he said to her, folding his arms as he watched her put her socks and shoes back on. Her questions though were valid, he knew. He just, wasn't sure how to answer them. How would he have told his own pup if it had gotten to be born and grown? It would have been two by now and with questions of its own? Would they be the same as hers? He heaved a sigh and stayed silent as he thought about how to answer her while she got ready and spoke to him. But she gave him a place to start.

"Touching, is reserved for packs and mates." he paused "And fighting. You were never pack, never seen as a potential mate to them so no, they wouldn't have touched you. And part of that is instinct. Something ingrained into your very being, while emotion drives you and makes connections." he told her, a hand going through his thick black locks as he bent to pick up his water bottle. "You should have been taught all these as a pup." he said, turning to start the walk back towards their dens. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure that she was walking with him. "We return our things to our den, then you learn to hunt by watching." he said, waiting for her to be at his side. He wasn't a fan of traveling like a human, but he needed to talk with her and she couldn't speak wolf. Not yet. He'd teach her a few words in time.

"Our history, dates back as far as the humans. We lived among them and showed them how to use our full blooded wolf cousins to protect themselves. Something many of us regret to this day, their canine descendants have been dealt too many bad hands by the humans. If the end were to ever come, many would die horrible deaths because of the selective breeding." he said, his opinion clearly very strong on the subject. "However, as the humans evolved, they grew more jealous and fearful of our abilities. The strength, the healing, the ability to survive on what they could not. They have hunters for our kind, but because we withdrew and hid, the hunters that come for us are fewer and farther between. You may never meet one, their families number only in single digits now." he told her, walking with great care and purpose through the woods. His steps somehow light despite his weight.

"One cannot be made to lead a pack. Instinct and training help. One has to show that they can lead. I was born to it. My father's side has born leaders as far back as our separation from the humans. I was expected to be the next Alpha, the next leader. My mate, would have led at my side and learned to care for the pack with me. She would have been my equal. The humans are the ones who chose the names for the roles, but we use them because they work. They're the same as a full blooded wolves pack. So, Alpha is first. Under the Alpha is the Beta, next in command if the Alpha cannot lead for any reason. Then a Delta, third in line. Then various secondary roles depending on the size of the pack. And then under everyone, the one who eats last and babysits all the pups, is the Omega." he told her, taking notice that they were nearly back.

"I had wanted to teach you everything I just said little by little, day by day. It's a lot to process. It's a lot to take in and I wanted you to retain and remember it all. You're past typical learning age, perhaps past learning through games but not unteachable." he told her, trudging up towards their dug out temporary homes. "Put your things away and I'll show you where we'll be hunting before I catch us something. Tomorrow might be better for learning to hunt. You've learnt enough today." he told her, pausing to take a drink of his water before putting it in his den among his things. He shifted then, stretching out his wolf body before sitting down to patiently wait for Kimber to be ready.

 

[BurntCook]

Going back to a hand on hip position, Kimber listens to Onyx's response to her inquiry on the situation. To Onyx he thinks that he didn't answer her previous question, the one that started this whole discussion in the first place. To a lot of people, this could have risen to an emotional confrontation, one side of mysterious trauma meeting another's. It could have easily spanned from one simple question into a fight. However, here they are, Onyx retorts in not only an equal calm manner, but an honest one too. Kimber's eyes intently look at him with a tilt head, trying to catch any sign of lying, there's none. Tilting her head back a bit to release some neck tension, she lets out a quick sigh, "Well, get in line with all that anger and disappointment, I called her first, if I ever see her again that is." With that, a lot of Kimber's cold gaze and straight posture goes away, going back to her previous demeanor. "Thanks..." she mumbles, going to collect her things, Onyx wants to go so she won't keep him waiting.

As she hoists the bag over her shoulders and tightens the straps, she nods, taking mental notes to some surprising news. "I didn't think about it like that," she admits, the longer she thinks about it the more it makes sense, "so, you're saying that blood and the community really drives the foundation of one's perspective on those inside and outside of it?" The two werewolves they ran away from have a leader, a leader that's possibly all they've known and were taught to drive others away. Drive away from what is debatable, perhaps it's food, territory they 'claim', or other things. Kimber ignores his ongoing comment about absence of pup things and follows him back. A weightlifting off of her when he said she'd just watch rather than try to hunt with all eyes on her, finally, some worthy note taking.

The history of werewolves with humans was something that wasn't talked about often but seems like a predictable scenario if you simply take what they do to regular wolves. The urge to make a sarcastic comment about pug's was dismissed because all Kimber wants to do is soak in his lessons. Each word had her hinged from the knowledge to the ongoing thoughts in her mind, all because of how passionate he sounds. It even causes her to walk too close to him and bump into his arm every once in a while. "I'd find it hard to believe others would believe hunters anyway, unless they grew in popularity, similar to yeti hunters." It's not an intrusive thought that would keep her up at night along with the other ones, but it did cross her mind on how likely she would survive a hunter. Would she even be able to tell if she crossed one on the streets?

The knitty gritty of the function and history of pack positions brought a finger up to her chin, it was something she'd never learned before or seen in action really. Glad that these pack names aren't different than what humans have named them but more questions that need answers fill her mind. Questions on scenarios, causes, more history- so much that she's ready to learn. A small smile creeps onto her chapped lips as her heart is filled with excitement that hasn't been there for a while, a long while really. A library of information is in front of her and for once in her life it's not closed off, he's the key that'll finally open the door to it.

Making it back towards their den, Kimber couldn't be happier to put everything down for now. Not that it hurts her shoulders anymore, it's just nice to not constantly carry a backpack. Hopefully one day she'll have a home where all her belongings can be stowed away safely. "No," Kimber starts, turning back to Onyx while rolling her shoulders, "don't baby feed me any of this, I didn't sell my history at a pawn shop and travel to unknown crevasses to be given teaspoons of a part of me I've never known before." She walks up to him with a slight increase in her voice pitch, "Trust me, I'm fully capable on learning a lot of information, you may have distaste towards human schools but that's the only thing they taught me how to do. Being able to soak in, study, and practice tons of things in a short amount of time." She had determination in her tight fists and unshakable gaze towards the older figure, "Please Onyx, don't hesitate to teach me things from now on."

Kimber watches him put things away and it gives her an idea that makes her dig through her bag. "Is the weather going to change hunting methods?" she asks, pulling out a small journal, that could fit easily in one's pocket, and a pencil. She shoves it easily into her shirt before shifting, having already experimented in the past on what sticks or what has to be carried. Not having to worry about her saliva damaging the journal is something she needed to know a long time ago. Dusts of white fur fall onto the ground after she shifts. Aside from her ears perked towards Onyx and her tail raised high, everything else about her is pretty relaxed.

 

[Wolfy_Mandalorian]

Onyx just sits and looks at Kimber for a moment before he lets out this sigh and shifts back to human for a moment. "I'll try to remember that your education is different and I don't have to take my time with you. It may speed things up and we can instead focus on repetition so it becomes ingrained and work on what you struggle with. The hardest part, might perhaps be learning how to tell where a territory line is when they're virtually invisible to the humans." he says, watching her as shifts after tucking away a notebook. He nods and shifts, deciding its best to lead her to the hunting grounds that he'd located. An area full of good grazing that had a good herd coming to check it out judging from the scents he located the night before. He led her over the mountain to the area before he sat under a tree on the edge of the field. He gazed out over it as a wolf before he shifted back and turned his attention to Kimber.

"If you're going to write things down, you might want to climb a tree to avoid startling the herd. They'll notice your human scent before your canine one." he told her, gazing out over the lush grasses to see if they'd arrived yet but he still had some time. "Weather, you wanted to know if it affected a hunt?" he asked, looking at her but not giving her time to confirm as he went straight into answering. "It can. But there are several other factors in place and a pack can be far more successful during bad weather than a single wolf. Heavy rain and snow are the worst, but the rest is doable. I'll teach you, in time. For now, you watch what I do. I'm a larger wolf and have been doing this for longer." he told her, looking her over once more before he stretched as best as a human body allowed. "Tomorrow, I'll teach you about tracking and following a scent. Right now it's a wait until the herd arrives." he said before he shifted and laid down beneath among the roots of the tree.

It was only maybe a half an hour or so before his nose twitched and he rose up into a seated position. His nose went into the air and he sniffed noticeably before turning his eyes to where Kimber was as he headed off into the grass, the movement the only thing giving away where he was as he moved while keeping as low as his large frame would allow. He moved like water through a stream, relying on his ears and nose to tell him where the herd was as he moved to a better position so that he could see and pick out one to take down. He peeked out from the tall grasses, analyzing the herd before he chose one to separate that would be enough for him and Kimber for the next day or so. He waited for the right moment, when it wandered just a little too far from the herd before he shot out from his observation spot and corralled it away. He set it off at a run in the opposite direction of the rest, nipping at the back of it's hind legs before he was satisfied it was far enough away before he took it down by going for the jugular.

In a cleared spot in the grasses from where it had been taken down, Onyx made sure that it was dead before he was wiping his mouth off in the grass to clear it of blood before he was shifting and standing there as he waved his hand to signal for Kimber to approach and stood there looking around to watch for any that might try to challenge for the meal he'd just procured them. But none seemed around to dare try. As soon as she was there before him, he turned to offer her a cautious smile as he asked "Well, did you happen to learn anything from that?" while he also bent down to hoist it up over his shoulder to get it back to their camp so they didn't have to travel for their meals. However many meals they would have out of it.