-Scents-

A strange scents hangs in the air. Pungent lavender, sharp notes, and something almost bitter. A strong breeze carries this odor from a nearby dell, three-quarters of a mile from a roadway.

Orcai

Orcai's nose was in the air, twitching eagerly at the new scent it had come across. The black and white female wagged her tail in simple delight at this mysterious odor, enjoying the fact that she was old enough to explore on her own without her parents or great grandmother hounding after her.

White peds carried her through the moss and ferns, and splashed through puddles left behind by the melting snow and ice. She bounded over a fallen log and dropped into a steady lope, trailing the brisk scent until it led to the small meadow tucked between two shallow hills. Her ebony tail stilled with caution and her nose wiggled again, trying to reaffirm that she was still on the right track...

-Scents-

The scent grew stronger the longer it was followed, and lingered heavily at the edge of the dell where Orcai stopped. She had followed it correctly.

At the end of the shallow nook, the wolf's curious gaze would find a strange structure set against an old catalpa tree. It almost looked like a dome of earth, colored in patterns of green, gray, black, and brown, but it flapped and billowed slightly when the winds hit it, as if made of hide or leaves rather than solid earth.

New scents came from here, many that would be new to Orcai, and a few that were similar to the odors on the weird little rocks with eyes that the pack had found scattered at their various rendezvous sites.

Orcai

A notion of hesitation seeded itself in the young wolf's mind, pinning her to the edge of the dell. The voices of her parents, and especially of her mother, echoed in her subconscious. Aakari had never liked those weird little rocks, and had always grumbled and marked them whenever a new one was found. Catching that same, odd scent now is what caused Orcai to show some caution.

...and just as quickly, curiosity swept that wariness aside. Those rocks had never done anything to hurt them, right? Right. Orcai stepped forward, ghostly paws slipping gracefully down the shallow hill, black tail hanging idly behind her. Her nose was down, but she'd stop here and there to raise her head and stare at the strange, flappy dome. Closer she came, zig-zagging a little as she tried to pick up each and every odor she could as she came nearer to the strange thing...

*Scents and Sights*

The strange scents grew stronger the further Orcai ventured into the dell, and seemed to emanate from the dome. The ground in front of and around the dome appeared flattened too; leaves, dirt, and plants trampled down by something moving over them recently.

A few dozen yards away from the dome, a small bag hangs from a tall branch, roughly fifteen feet off the ground, and anchored in place by a rope.

Orcai

Closer and closer the young wolf travels, until she's just yards from the dome. Her tail hangs apprehensively behind her, and she drops her muzzle to the ground to sniff at the trampled leaves and dirt. 'What did all of this? Is this... a human den?'

The thought brings another bout of fear to Orcai, reflected in the pitch of her ears as the turn back towards her skull. She lifts and paw and turns, ready to flee back to the safety of the deep forest, but something new catches her eye.

The bag in the tree.

Curiosity draws the trepidations out of her, at least enough that her ears swivel forward and she takes a few cautious steps towards the hanging sack. Her head tilts one way, then the other, ears and nose working to pick up any clues. Wolvish fascination getting the better of her, Orcai makes a powerful leap, springing upwards in an attempt to snag the hanging parcel...

Kate Wallock

Orcai's jaws would snap shut a few feet shy of the bag, no matter how hard she tried jumping up to reach it. She would encounter a faint new smell upon leaping so close to it however: food.

While the wolf was busy stretching her legs, a quiet clicking noise sounded from the camouflaged domed. If Orcai paid attention to this, she would see a section of the dome peeling back from the inside after being unzipped, revealing a screened window that faced her and the bag. A human face peered through the fabric, quiet and scarcely moving.

Orcai

She felt her jaws slam shut with a disappointing clack, and fell back to earth empty-mouthed. Orcai circled the object, with her head tilted up, judging and re-judging the height before she leaped again, and... again fell back to the ground with nothing new between her fangs. She gave an anxious, frustrated whine and was about to plop down in defeat when the faint clicking sounded.

Orcai spun around, ears thrown forward and eyes wide. She watched part of the dome peel back from within, revealing a see-through membrane, almost akin to the wings of a dragonfly. She never seen a window screen before, nor had she ever encountered the strange, flattened face of the creature that stared through the window back at her.

The young wolf froze. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of this thing. Was this some malnourished, flat-mugged bear? No... this had to be a human! Orcai thought about turning tail and running, but her curiosity was a little too persistent, and once against compelled her to stay. She didn't move closer, she didn't move at all. She just stood there, caught between flight and curiosity, waiting to see what the two-legger would do.

Kate Wallock

Her heart was thumping rapidly in her own chest, powered by excitement and a healthy does of adrenaline. This was her first close encounter with this pack aside from Aakari's collaring, and she still wasn't entirely sure how they would react. The Aspen Grove pack had been exceedingly aggressive, forcing herself and Nadeem to restrict their visits to quick, discreet affairs that avoided running into the wolves. Here, though, Kate was more hopeful for a peaceful outcome.

The woman scarcely moved. A can of bear spray lay within arm's reach, and next to the tent's entrance, a heavy-duty taser was at the ready. She hoped neither would have to be utilized, but the sheer amount of deaths attributed to canines in this Valley made such precautions necessary. She left both untouched as she continued to watch Orcai, almost holding her breath to see if the wolf would run off, or if that curiosity would keep her around a little longer.

Orcai

Her nose twitched again and for several long, uncertain moments, wolf and human stood at a stalemate with neither making a move. It was Orcai who finally shifted, allowing her ebony head to raise. A soft whine, inaudible to human ears, escaped her throat. Yet still the creature inside the strange dome didn't move.

"Hello?" The black and white wolf finally ventured, throwing her voice forward with what she hoped sounded like authority. "You know I can see you in there."

Kate Wallock

The first whine fell on deaf ears, but the soft woof that followed it brought a faint smile. "It's okay." Kate returned gently, still not daring to move lest she frighten away the wolf, or worse - incite an attack. "I know you're big and tough." She continued, figuring Orcai was trying to initiate some sort of reaction out of her. "You're a good girl, huh Peace? Where's your brother? And your sister?" She kept her voice as quiet and neutral as she could, with her gaze falling to Orcai's chest. "How about your parents, do they know you're out here? I don't think your mom would be vary happy about that." She smiled more, even though she felt a small spike of dread at the thought. Dovahkiin was a big wolf, and Aakari was very forward about her dislike of anything human-related. She wasn't sure how the pair would react if they came across her.

Dovahkiin

The warm weather and quiet in the territory made Dovah lethargic. Their pack had been well-fed, and well taken care of the last few weeks, and the large alpha was not required to keep acute awareness. On this occasion, Dovah finds himself curled up in a sunny patch in a secluded clearing. He'd remain there until someone roused him, or the evening rolled around, did his nose not start to twitch. An unfamiliar scent clings to his senses, shaking sleep from the alpha's mind.

Dovah is on his paws in a moment, cracking his jaws open to better grasp the scent. He smells the faint waft of human, coupled with his daughter's undeniable scent. A little growl rumbles in his throat, bounding across the territory in the direction of the disturbance.

He keeps a low profile, keeping to the underbrush as he approaches Kate and Orcai's encounter. The alpha growls a bit, slowly pacing from the cover of the bush he'd hidden underneath, remaining a safe distance from the human and his daughter. "Orcai," Dovah warns, voice low, "Step back from them." He isn't hostile, but very defensive especially since his daughter is involved.

Orcai

Her ears were up and forward, catching each of the curiously soft words that were thrown at her by the human. But no matter how hard she concentrated, none of the babbling sounds made any sense to Orcai. It was like listening to the burble of a brook, inoffensive and calm. Nothing like what she'd imagined a human might sound like, and certainly not threatening. The wolf tilted her head and was about to respond when a quiet snap of a twig nearly had her bolting out of her own pelt.

Orcai spun around just as her name was being given, and immediately her eyes went wide and her ears back, looking so much like a child who'd gotten their hand caught in the cookie jar. "D-dad!" She sputtered in surprise, glancing between Dovah and the filtered Kate, before taking a few, slinking steps in the direction of her sire. "I- there was a scent, I, uh-" She floundered and looked back over her shoulder, "-is that a human?"

Kate Wallock

Kate was aware of Dovah before the daughter was, having caught the movement in the brush before that subtle snap of a twig had caught Orcai's attention. She remained as calm and still as before, and her words just as quiet and gentle as she adjusted them for the alpha's presence.

"Hello King." She kept her smile subdued, which was now easier when in the presence of a larger male who was far more uncertain of this encounter than his daughter was. There was no curled lips or savage snarl, but she sworn she'd heard a low rumble, and his body language was tense. She did not want to give him any reason to shift that apprehension into aggression. "It's okay King, we're just having a little visit. You're a handsome boy, look at you."

Dovahkiin

Perhaps Kate is lucky it is Dovah that came instead of Aakari. He's a bit more toned-down than his mate, and that alone might save Kate a limb today. The massive brute stares the human down, but does not contemplate making any advances to protect his home. They weren't foreign to the human scent lingering around their home, but this was the first time a human had shown face so close to a family member. There's a little, cautious growl that comes from Dovah before the alpha male grows stoically cold. Honey-colored eyes study the human, determining if she came to harm his family or to simple...observe.

Humans were a weird species, that was for sure.

Shoulders rolling, Dovah gently nudges his daughter. His eyes never depart from Kate, though, but there's an amount of relief as he puts himself between the human and Orcai. "It's a human," Dovah confirms to his daughter. "Most carry cold, metal tools that sound like thunder and can kill. This one..." Dovah's nose twitches in Kate's direction, "May not have one that we can see...but that doesn't mean she isn't dangerous or yield ill intentions."

Orcai

The sheer intensity of her father's unbreaking stare, it was like watching the approach of a storm cloud before it unleashed its fury. And she didn't want to see that second act. Tail tucked abashedly back, the two-toned wolf slunk behind her father's protective frame and dared to peak past his dark shoulder. One flattened ear creeped upward and swivel towards Kate, where her curiosity still couldn't quite be extinguished.

"The boomsticks, that mom talked about?" She queried, almost hesitantly. A tingle of fear danced along her spine, causing the young wolf to shiver briefly. Having never experienced these things herself though, it was hard for Orcai to truly appreciate their destructive power, or the danger they could have been in if this were a hunter rather than a researcher. That naivety kept her fascination buoyed, and reluctant to leave, "This one seems so quiet though, and it's making little noises. They don't sound aggressive...?"

Kate Wallock

"You're a good papa." The woman continued to murmur, somehow managing to keep her voice steady despite a stare that seemed to pierce through her very soul. This time, she had caught the growl that he offered, and recognized a warning when she heard one. Wisely, she heeded it. She didn't reach for the camera that lay nearby, nor the transmitter that might warn her if Aakari was drawing near or not. She stayed still, spoke softly, and remained alert of her surroundings.

"I'm not going to hurt your daughter." Kate held back a smile when Orcai's head peeked from behind her sire's shoulder, the young wolf's curiosity a glaring contrast from Dovahkiin's abundant caution and displeasure. At least, Kate mused, he wasn't trying to mark her tent to show his distaste, as his mate was so fond of doing to their cameras.

Dovahkiin

A little huff leaves Dovah's chest, a gentle sigh of mild discontent but also a little release of nerves. The alpha male trains his eyes back to Kate, before softly confirming to his daughter, "Yes...the boomsticks." The human tools were treacherous and vile. Dovah had seen the long rifles before, but also the smaller sticks that fit in a single paw of a human. Dovah couldn't shake that nagging doubt that Kate could wheel on them at any moment, however soft she spoke to them now.

Leaning his weight back onto his hind legs, Dovah steadily begins to shift back towards the underbrush. His eyes never leave Kate, and he refuses to turn his back on the woman. But he no longer desires sharing the vicinity with the two-legged creature, especially with his daughter still there. He didn't feel like Kate was imminent danger, but Dovah wasn't going to let curiosity lead him to his grave.

Orcai & Kate

'But, this one sounds so gentle, like a little fawn. And defenseless - I could defend myself from her, easy.' Orcai protested, thinking quietly the words she wanted to say out loud. She kept that internal monolog to herself though, and reluctantly back-stepped further into the brush at the direction of her father. The human's light words followed after them until their view was eventually obscured by layers of leaves, branches, and the dense ferns that dominated much of their land.

Orcai pressed her ears back and exhaled a huff of noise, "You and mom always talk about boomsticks and how dangerous humans are, but that one didn't sound aggressive at all. She didn't show her teeth, or growl, or anything." Her protest was offered in an almost hopeful tone, as if trying to guide Dovahkiin into relenting on his views, so that she could go back and see the curious creature in its fabric den. As the young wolfess waited for the words she knew she wouldn't get, her mind drifted to her siblings, and a new idea began to form.