Ring of Fire(open)

[firefox]

Nyroc walked along the edge of the canyon. The half moon glimmered overhead and glinted off of his scales. His black eyes with their silver rings scanned the area around him. His stomach gave a hungry growl as the scent of rabbit hit his nostrils. He grinned and stalked forward to leap at the rabbit. His scales didn't make any sound as he stole forwards. The strange male exploded up and started to chase the prey. It ran off and started to swerve madly to get away. His whip-like tail spun to the left as he turned to follow the rabbit and caught it in his teeth expertly. he crunched down with his powerful jaws and after a shudder the rabbit died. It dropped out of his jaws and he ripped in to it ferociously.

He finished quickly and looked around. His hunger was sated and now he felt the need to play with fire. It drained him, but he loved it dearly. He threw out his power and started a small flame hat grew quickly as it ate up the fuel around it. He shaped it so it formed a ring around him. His head was tipped towards the sky with his eyes closed in pleasure at the flickering light and warmth. he brought it closer and made the flames lick higher in the air. This would be a nice signal for any to come closer. he could have some real fun then.

[Shanto]

• Cougar

[/size][/font]
[/li][/ul][/color]

>Music<

It started slowly, like a feather landing in water or a whirly bird falling from its tree top home. It was graceful and gentle, only a small fraction of power was needed to make it. As the air chilled from the day-time loss, it became more plentiful in size and mass. The flakes were beautiful, delicate and dignified; just like the female that produced them, laying elegantly in the tree above. It was a great thing Ellis had taught her, climbing trees. A grin spread across her face, playful and full of grace. Why was this loner here? As far as she knew, there were very few wolves left in the outlands. Most had been killed, a few by herself, others by her pack and the rest were smart enough to join a pack or hide themselves. This male was different. He was bold. The bold were fun to play with.

Like a cat with a mouse, her snow toyed with the flames, melting and lowing the burning a couple inches. The rest died in the glow of the flames, wetting the ground at the feet of the loner. Seeing him kill that rabbit was quiet dramatic, not bad, but she could top it. Just drop a big hole in the ground, walk over, and kill it. It took great timing to know when the rabbit would cross where she had focused her sights, but talent had to be developed by practice. This practice was something that she had conquered alone, mostly before Efron had arrived. He distracted her too much now for Cougar to get anything done around him.

Teasing the flames with her snow was not quite as fun as it could have been with the male around, but she needed time to think and get away from her adoptive father's nagging and Moonrunner's almost constant disapproval. Cougar still wanted to know why she always acted like she had a stick up her ass. Was it that someone really did make her mad, or was she naturally such a witch? The younger female guessed it was natural. How else could one be so lunaticish? It was hard not to chuckle at her own joke, instead she smiled a little; the whites of her teeth barely showing. She wasn't one to smile; she couldn't unless she had a really good reason. Good. Snort. Being a Northerner, there was no good involved.

Life carried on, though, even if it was sometimes overly demanding. This wolf in front of her might prove to be demanding; he was fire and she was ice. The spring air was chilly with her around, and hot with him. Their equality was around the same, but it was no harmonized thing like Efron and the she-wolf created. That was special, it was crafted with a bit of care, and this was just the natural balance of things. Cougar was strong and had a full mind of wit, something that could be a powerful weapon. More flakes came down and tipped the fresh, un-opened, buds on the trees. They coated the ground where they could not be melted by the loners flame. The weather slowly changed, bended by a master. It seemed to take almost no energy anymore; she was a real pro in her elements. Blue eyes reflected the warm glow of fire. A ring of ice slowly surrounding the one of fire.

[firefox]

He chuckled and threw more energy in to the flames as the strange snow started. The flames had taken only a small dip in his energy, he welcomed the way using the fire made him feel. The ice formed around his fire and he melted it with a whim. The wind brought the scent of a young wolf to his nostrils and he gave a malicious smile. A chuckled escaped his lips and the scaled male turned his head to look at where the young wolf was.

Why not come out and be a big girl instead of playing with the snow? he called to her. He moved in to a defensive position. His tail wrapped in to the inside of his leg, his ears flicked back, his chin tucked to his chest, his stance spread while his weight moved to the tip of his toes, and his shoulder went forward to create a roll of skin and fat to protect the back of his neck. He made a very imposing figure as he looked up at the spot where she was.

The flames brought forth the memory of when he had been banished from his home. They had come and surrounded him while he had been stalking an elk. Those he thought his brothers prepared to rip him apart. The alpha that destined him to greatness had ordered his pack to attack. The flames had spread out in a ring and the smell of burning hair and flesh was a ghost in his nostrils as the thought played along in the back of his mind. He had been forced to run, but he would not run ever again.

His strange eyes narrowed and the grin came back. He tensed and then loosened his muscles to get them ready for a fight. Nyroc decided to make the first move by throwing a blast of fire to light her tree on fire to flush her out. The fire started lower down but started to lick up the trunk quickly.

[Shanto]

• Cougar

[/size][/font]
[/li][/ul][/color]

>Music<

Why didn't she come out to face him like a big girl? From what the black-furred female saw, there was no need. This loner would come to her; the cocky bastard expected an easy kill. He expected her to run from her tree, let him have a chase, prove herself to be unworthy, and then kill her. That would never happen. Although his power was somewhat strong, his mind was weak. He thought of only what he wanted. Fresh blood on his teeth, another kill on his black list, and most importantly to see the look of fear in another's eyes. Cougar was young, but she had felt it before and would probably feel it again when the time was right. Maybe that would be soon, today even, but she would not underestimate this male. Underestimation could be a straight shot to the world beyond.

As the fire licked up the tree, she let forward a smile. It was a thoughtful, pitiful, smile. Almost like disapproval and respect mixed into a single feature. It was not large, not her smiles for Efron, not her flirtatious smile, not even the disapproving one she would sometimes give to Ellis. It was all too different. She didn't move, letting the flames glow in her iced blue eyes instead. They were beautiful, just as powerful as her snow. The snow still fell on its own, growing quickly in power. This male assumed that fire was the almighty. It was not; every element has its downfalls. If anything she felt comforted, surrounded by the flames. Or at least that's what her outward feelings let off.

A storm was brewing faster; no longer made of her precious snowflakes. It sent her heart beating a little faster, but this was not her hell to pay for. This was her creation in itself. Thunder booming overhead, the flames were almost close enough to touch from the perch in which she sat. The tree was large, which helped in her protection, but the rain coming down was much more of a shield than the tree could ever be. The flicker of the light was put down and out quickly from the tree's truck. It was left smoldering and reckless, no longer the killer it once could have been.

Rain drenched the fiery core, sending the sparks to dancing with the drops. He was very powerful, the younger female could tell, but this was her element to destroy his. Water against fire. Water was not the friend of fire, but if anything the murderer with a mask on. The clouds rolled in on themselves, outward and spiraled. They were the danger looming above. Grey to black, the moon was basically gone from the sky. She starred at him, no longer concerned for her safety. The girl was on her toes, metaphorically, keeping her sense sharp and ready for anything to possibly come. Preparedness was everything in this world.

Her bright blue eyes were partially covered by the black bangs covering her forehead. Even still they kept a steady look at the male. This loner was not the normal, but something special. Not in a lovey-dovey way, but powerful and powerless way. Her voice was sweet as the sound of a humming bird or the playing of a violin. It was enchanted and hauntingly beautiful even as she talked. It was charming, comforting, and crafty in a way. Something a wolf could listen to for hours and not get fed up with. "I'm a big girl... I don't need your approval, or the blood on my teeth to know that." She blinked slowly, and a small smile came over her face as the rain soaked her fur, "You certainly have a story to tell, don't you?" and with that the thunder crackled quietly overhead.

[firefox]

He grinned as the water put out his fire. This youth had some tricks up her sleeve. Well, maybe it was time to stop playing with the elements. He stalked up to the tree and sat at the base looking up at the female. She was a spunky little thing, he had to give her that. He started to rethink his plans a bit. A rain dampened scent of her reached him and he registered the pack smell. She was in a pack. Interesting.

He replied to her words dryly Yes, I can see that and feel it. One good thing about scales: They didn't get damp and make his body cold like fur did. The water slid right off of his gleaming hide and washed it clean of dirt that accumulated from the wild. Yes, but I don't give it out to little wolves stuck in trees. I will tell you that I left my old home in style, though. He threw up a small flame from one spot that was still dry before extinguishing it. It was plain stupid to try and kindle a flame in this weather.

He made a sound in his throat and said in a coldly sarcastic voice If you were trying to make my scales sparkling clean, I think that you succeeded. The storm didn't faze him, but the water getting in his eyes was annoying. he had to blink more to keep his sight clear. His unique eyes stayed trained on the face of the female. his expression was calm and cool, something that didn't belong in the chaos around him. Lightning made his whole gleaming red and black body stand out sharply. The color of his eyes was visible before the world was plunged in to darkness. The terrible lighting was annoying too.