Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

Shrike watched as his human led Moonlit Moor into the small, overgrown pasture surrounded by vine-choked fencing and filled with scraggly trees Quentin had yet to cut down. The man spent a few hours yesterday clearing out space in the decades-abandoned lot, and shoring up what was left of the connecting barn, so that it was at least a safe, dry space for the mare to rest in at night.

"What... is this place?" Moonlit questioned in a voice meant for herself, but which the observant wolf caught anyway and went on to answer, "It looks like the pasture Quentin got you out of. But with... more plants? A lot more plants."

Moonlit glanced back at the wolf and snorted lightly, "I can see it's a pasture, wolf-"

"Shrike." The canine corrected, with a readiness suggesting he'd dealt with this kind of response more than a few times already.

An irritated paused followed, wherein the smokey-black mare turned back to her surroundings and began to cautiously inspect the abandoned pasture. ",B>...what I mean is, why are we here? I smell other horses."

Shrike would have shrugged his shoulders if he could, "I don't know about that, but I like it; look at all the trees and open spaces! And who knows, maybe you can make friends with them?" Having no lack of confidence in his master's decisions, the young wolf didn't think twice about the last two days that they'd spent here, or why Quentin had brought them to this derelict lot.

What neither the wolf nor the mare knew was that Quentin had bought the abandoned property a few weeks prior, and after two days of solid work, had made the cabin house and the adjacent barn somewhat habitable. It would take a few more weeks and plenty more sweat to turn it into a comfortable home, but the man was looking forward to a project to focus on, and a return to a promise he'd made himself.

Scorponock

He was lean and only 95lbs. But he could run for days sometimes. He was a grizzled grey in color with white along his underside. Both of his ears were blackish brown but around his head it faded to gray. He also had a thin white stripe that went from the top of his head down to his nose. His amber eyes gaze boredly around Wonder what out here he said as he moved down toward the wooded area a bit.

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

"I wonder too." Shrike answered with his head tilted to the side and large ears primed forward. "I don't smell other wolves though." He followed after his cousin, with one aud thrown back when Quentin shouted a brisk command to warn the wolves not to stray too far from him. "I like it though, it's less noisy than town, and the smells here don't burn my nose like they do there."

Moonlit nibbled at a few plants before raising her head and gazing out past the meadow to the wolves. "Don't go too far." She warned, echoing the essence of Quentin's orders. "There are probably predators out there, and I need you two to help keep your eyes and ears alert for that."

Quentin eyed the pair, wondering if it was a good idea to let them off the leash here like this. Sure, he'd trained them well since they were pups, but he knew they were also wild animals. It was part of the reason he'd moved out here, realizing a cramped backyard was no place to raise giant canids like them. His face furrowed in thought, but the man ultimately went back to his work. If he was going to give them the freedom they deserved, he had to trust them.

What Quentin didn't see was the midnight buck that stood at the other edge of the clear, just past the barn. The old stag observed the four intruders at length before disappearing quietly into the underbrush to report his findings.

Scorponock

He snorted at the horse your not my bosshe said his tail above his back as he gazed in teh direction of the buck but he didn't see him.

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

"You've got a fence around you, you're fine Moor." Shrike yawned back, much to Moonlit's irritation. The wolf traveled a little closer to the edge of the forest before turning back around and trotting in the direction of the old house that Quentin had started working on now.

The mare mentally rolled her eyes at the pair and didn't bother to correct Shrike on her preferred dubbance of 'Moonlit' over being called 'Moor'. She went back to her idle grazing, having also failed to noticed the white-tail before he'd melted back into the shadows of the forest.

----

Many miles away, Nightshade covered ground as swiftly as he could. The scars he'd attained during the winter now stood out as a tangle of silvered marks cut into his dark hide. A testament to his resilience, and an explanation for why he still had a slight hobble and lameness to his hind quarters that hadn't entirely gone away yet. But he pushed through it, traveling steadfast over trails he knew by heart, until he reached the meadow the herd was grazing at this afternoon.

"Onok, Xenarona!" He called with a soft bark, calling for both respective leaders. "There is a human on the land, with a mare and two canines." His words came in between light panting as he worked to catch his breath, "I saw no boomsticks, but it does appear that he is claiming the old human den in the corner of the territory."

Onok, Callaquioa, & Brennik

Onok came trotting over to Nightshade, harks at the ready to hear what his scout had to say. And what he heard caused a stir of dread in the stallion's gut. He'd met two humans in his life; one kind and gentle, and the other... he'd taken a mare and two foals from him, none of which he'd been able to rescue. If this one had a mare captive, and two hounds at his disposal, they surely wasn't a good one.

"I want you to stay back with the mares while I go investigate." Onok cast a protective look back at his band, where Callaquioa had paused in her grazing to watch their interaction in curiosity. He swung his dial back to meet the stag's, an unspoken look of appreciation in his gaze for Night's dedication to the herd. "I don't plan on being gone long." And with that, the draft zorse delved into the forest, making his way to the only human structure he knew of in the territory.

Brennik had been grazing a little distance from the herd when he saw Nightshade approach. He couldn't quite hear what he and his father were talking about, but his curiosity was peaked when Onok galloped away with intent.

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

"Of course." Nightshade vowed with a dip of his head, swinging his velveted antlers down. A questioning glance was thrown at Xenarona to see if she was going with Onok, or had any issue for him as well.

Back at the clearing, Quentin was taking a break to catch a bite of food and tend to animals before he'd start back in. Two bowls were set on the porch and filled with a mix of kibble and a hearty amount of turkey that would also make part of his own sandwich. "Harley, Thander - come on, lets eat."

Shrike wasted no time diving into his bowl, wolfing down mouthfuls of food while growling happily - a habit he'd had since he was younger.

As with the stag, none of the three were aware of the stallion closing in on their location.

Onok

The scent of wolf invaded his nares and began to boil his blood. His legs still carried the healing scars from the hounds at Ethan's home, and acted as fresh reminders of what these vile creatures could do to his herd if left unchecked. Determined to protect his remaining three children, Onok broke through the cover of the trees and stepped boldly into the yard.

"Human." This deeply graveled snarl of a word may not be caught by human ears, but the wolves would surely catch it if they were paying attention. "You are not welcome here! Leave, and take your pets with you." Where words may not cross the language barrier, the stallion had Quentin locked in a hard stare, with his head lowered and his ears pressed back. A hoof struck the ground.

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

Quentin nearly dropped his food when he saw the horse emerge from the tree, so surprised he was by the stallion's sudden appearance. "Stay. Be good, you two." He ordered in a quiet but commanding voice that he could only hope the two wolves would obey. His eyes, meanwhile, locked onto Onok's, registering the horse's defensive aggression. Quentin stayed right were he was, seated on the steps of the porch, with his own movement being to lower the sandwich to his lap. With a voice that remained quiet, he spoke to the agitated horse, "I'm not here to hurt you. It's alright, big guy."

"Pets?" Shrike scoffed. The wolf had stepped away from his food and stood tall beside his seated human. His master might be calm, but Shrike wasn't particularly pleased with being called a 'pet' or taking the demands of a wild equine. "We're not 'pets', and he can't understand you anyway, horse. Buzz off!"

Moonlit Moor cantered to the edge of her weedy pasture and craned her neck out over the shored up fencing when all the ruckus started up. Her ears were pricked with interest, and that only grew when her dark eyes lit upon the zorse at the other end of the yard.

Onok

He had his eyes out for boomsticks, and was ready to run if he so much as saw a glint of metal. But the two-legger didn't appear to have any weapons on him, and hadn't even bothered standing up. There was no shouting, and flash of sudden movement. Even the hounds stayed their ground and didn't come barreling at him. Onok stomped his hoof again and dragged it against the soil and grasses at his feet, as if to spur some sort of reaction out the man. He had expected them to either flee or run at him, not this.

A heavy snort billowed from Onok and he tossed his head, "I won't be driven from my land, and I won't tolerate you three on it!" His muscled clenched beneath his brown and white coat, just begging to go into action and stomp Shrike into paste, but he didn't necessarily want to provoke an attack if he could spare himself the danger. Ideally, his posturing would frighten these interlopers off. "Now leave, before I have to force you."

Beyond the house, Onok spotted the mare cantering into view, and for a moment, one aud peeked upward. He had even more reason to drive these predators away now, and to save this poor, abducted mare!

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

Quentin remained calm in the presence of Onok's fit of rage. He was calling the stallion's bluff, and doing it as peacefully as he could. Besides, safety was a mere few steps away at the front door of his new home, and it could withstand whatever the angry fellow might throw at it. With this security in mind, Quentin spoke again in light tones, "I'm not here to hurt you big guy. You're from the Toklat band, aren't you?"

"You better get use to tolerating us, because we'll be here as long as my master wants to be!" Shrike challenged back, in complete contrast to his owner's passiveness. The wolf might have offered the threat of death, but he and Scorponok had been trained early on not to harass horses and other common domestics, and that training stuck with him.

"They're all bark, no bite." Moonlit finally offered her silken words, spoken from one who was bothered neither by the wolf's angry words nor Onok's fierce displays. An ebony tail swished delicately at her backside, and her wavy mane bobbed as she shuffled her hooves and pressed forward as far as the fencing would allow to better see this newcomer. "The human isn't any more dangerous than them... just good with tools." Her dark, flashy mane danced again as the mare turned her dial to look with disapproval at the fencing that held her at bay.

Onok

His ears came up again, releasing from the aggression they'd been primed for a moment ago. The human still hadn't gotten up, reached for a weapon, or offered any loud noises. Just quiet babbling in that weird, nonsensical way the two-leggers were known for. The wolf, annoying as it was, also hadn't come forward, and he didn't dare rush the predator with the unpredictable human right there, leaving Onok at a frustrating stalemate. The stallion dug his flints into the ground and shuffled his bi-colored pistons in uncertainty, "You'll find no safe quarter here, not while I have mares and children to protect." Onok finally rumbled back, "If I catch you away from the safety of your master, I'll personally introduce you to the ground." A final stomp was given, to emphasize how serious he was about killing Shrike and Scorponok should they get anywhere near him or his family.

Between these leveled threats, Onok's attention kept flitting back to the mare in her pasture. He'd mulled over her words, and noted the general ease at which she stood in the corral, unbothered by the wolves or the human. She looked to be in good condition too. "Does the human carry a boomstick?" He finally asked, letting his gaze stray from Quentin long enough to take in Moonlit's dark physique again.

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

"I don't eat horses, dude." Shrike scoffed back in an almost indignant tone, as if the very idea was absurd to the young wolf. "But I will take a bite to protect Quentin, so stop all your stomping and snorting and behave yourself!" He finally sat back down on his haunches after seeing some of the aggressive posturing fizzle from Onok.

"You're Gentleman, aren't you? Where's your pretty mate?" Quentin carried on his own one-sided conversation, oblivious to the heated words shared between Shrike and Onok. He was busy mentally recalling the various photos and descriptions he'd read from Kate's studies, where the woman had detailed the only two known horse herds in the Valley.

"No, he doesn't." Moonlit responded to Onok, "And Shrike, annoying as he and Scorp are, won't bother you or your family. Quentin will see to that." The mare flicked her tail again and leaned her dusty-black dial out over the fencing to reach for some tall greens on the other side. Tearing off a mouthful of leaves, she continued, "How many of you are there, anyway?"

Onok

Moonlit's words brought back memories of Kate, the very first two-legger he'd ever encountered, and ironically, the one that had supplied Quentin with information on himself and his herd. Brooding, distrusting eyes fell over the man as he mulled over this comparison. The two-legger continued babbling at him, and the wolf actually sat down.

"Are you saying this human is harmless? Isn't he the one that put you in that cage?" Onok puzzled, "A mare and two foals have been taken by a human already, just north of the mountain ridge; I won't allow another to nest in my land." And yet, he didn't charge forward to chase this pest away, not when two wolves sat beside him, and so many human constructions surrounded him. He ignored Shrike fully now as he went on to answer Moonlit's latter question, "I have two mares left, an older stallion, and three foals."

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

Shrike's attention began to falter now that the big horse had quieted down and no longer threatened himself or Quentin. He listened for a moment to the conversation between Onok and Moonlit before deciding this stallion was just as boring as all the others at the corral, and focused instead on the sandwich that Quentin had sat down on his lap. The wolf eased down onto his belly and slowly inched his nose towards the man's lap, eyes hooked on the sammy...

Unlike his furry companion, Quentin's focus remained fast on the horse. "You like Moonlit?" He noted, holding back the excitement that wanted to rise in his voice. He had plans to re-wild her, and give the mare back the freedom that had been taken from her when she was just a young thing. He wanted the same for Nightlinger too, but his inexperience with horses meant the ebony dame had to stay at the corrals until he learned how to properly handle such a wild horse.

To Shrike's surprise and absolutely delight, Quentin broke his sandwich in two, handing one half to him and the other to Scorp with a quiet murmur, "Be good, stay Okay, you guys? Stay." Shrike barely caught the commands over his gnashing and gulping of human food, but at least his focus was entirely off of the horse now, even as his human stood and began a cautious walk to the pasture gate.

Moonlit Moor bobbed her head, continuing her discussion with Onok as Quentin began her way. "As far as I can tell, yes. Never raised a bad hand to me, like some of the two-leggers. A bit hard to read though, but he's not a loud, flashy human at least." The confidence of her words was backed by the way she didn't pay an mind to the approaching man, other than to flick an aud in his direction, "What do you call yourself, stranger? I'm Moonlit Moor - Moonlit for short."

Onok

Pillars shifted restlessly beneath his heavy frame. His muscles tensed anew when the two-legger stood, and Onok was ready for a tussle. But the man turned away from him after a bit more babbling, and began to move towards the pasture, and the stallion exhaled a silent breath.

"I..." He started, his attention split between answering Moonlit and seeing what this human was going to do. Moonlit showed no fear when Quentin ambled her way. In fact, she hadn't broken stride in her conversation, and threw only a ear in the man's direction. Warily, Onok continued, "...Onok, son of Majesty and Cloudbreaker."

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

Quentin lingered at the gate with one hand resting atop the pocked and weathered bar, where sun-muted colors of green were interrupted by splotches of rustic orange. Like the pasture and the rest of the property around him, the gate would need some attention to repair so many decades of disuse. But it was hardly a priority right now, not when he planned to empty the pasture of its sole occupant.

"Alright Moonlit, this is what what we planned for, isn't it?" Said the man in a voice that wasn't entirely confident. Was he doing the right thing? He certainly hadn't anticipated any of the White River band to show up this suddenly, and he didn't have the expertise of Gailen to help him now. Kate had been optimistic though, and relying on her guidance, the man reached down to unlatch the gate, then stepped back as he pulled it open. "You're back home now, girl. Come on out, no more bars and fencing for you." His voice grew quieter then as a distant emotion crept up on the man.

"Onok?" Moonlit spared little attention to the man still, aside from the solo ear that followed his voice. "You've got some interesting markings there - I don't think I've ever seen stripes on a horse before... oh, what's this?" As she was remarking on the stallion's lightly striped backside, Moonlit became aware of the sudden exit Quentin had provided. She gave the man her full attention, eyes roving him and pondering his intentions. Slowly at first, and then with greater speed, the mare cantered for the gate and slipped out. She lingered for a moment in this sudden and unexpected freedom, tail swishing and dial raised in growing excitement. She then turned fully towards Onok and trotted towards him with little hesitation.

Shrike watched too, having already devoured his surprise sandwich. "Uh... Moonlit?" His gaze flashed to Quentin, expecting to see a frantic human trying to contain his loose horse. But he was standing idly, both hands clenching the gate in a grip that was little tighter than it should be. "Quentin?" The wolf abandoned any concern about the horses and broke his master's command to approach him, coming up beside Quentin to press a muzzle questioningly against his hand. "Why do you look so tense? I'll keep that stallion back, if that's what you're worried about. Did you not want Moonlit to get out?"

Onok

Onok kept his daggers planted, resisting the urge to dig at the ground again. What was this human doing? His attention darted to Shrike when he got up, but the wolf merely moved further away and planted himself next to the two-legger. Onok's tail thrashed indecisively and his eyes shifted again, now taking in Moonlit's form as she stepped freely from the shoddy corral. His heart leaped a little and he stretched his dial forward, eagerly closing the distance between them to touch his whiskered muzzle against her forehead when she reached him.

"Lets leave this place, Moonlit." He commanded gently, paired with a nudge to the side of her neck, and not the nip that might have come from the average stallion. His tail swished again and he raised his head, peering at Quentin and his wolves, just to make sure none of them made a move towards he or his new mare. "Head for the safety of the trees; I'll follow to make sure we aren't bothered."

Quentin, Shrike, & Moonlit Moor

A wet nose against his hand stirred Quentin from his concentration and loosened the tension that had begun to set in his jaws. "Hello to you too, Thander." He released his hold on the gate and turned his fingers for Shrike's head, scratching at the base of the wolf's ears. The act seemed to calm him as much as it did his lupine companion, and a smile came to his face, "Good boy, Thander. You and Harley did good." By the time he lifted his blue eyes back to the mare, she was being greeted by Onok and soon disappearing into the forest.

Shrike thumped his tail against the ground and peered up at his human, tall ears soaking in one of the best phrases a canine could hear. 'Good Boy'. His banner beat the ground even harder and he looked to his cousin, "I don't know what we did, but we got a sandwich and a praise. This might be the best day ever."

"If Shrike and Scorponok follow, they won't go far - they never stray from the human." Moonlit answered back simply as she stepped willingly into the beckoning shade of the pine trees, following Onok's guidance.

Onok

Onok swung his dial back to settle the wolves and human with a parting look of warning, though it hardly seemed necessary. He eyed them a moment longer before retreating to the woods after Moonlit Moor. Once they were out of the predators' sights, Onok took the lead to guide Moonlit to the rest of the herd.