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Description
Another amazing collab with the most talented sealle
She did the sketch and the background, and I did the lines and the shading. If you don't watch her, go and give her some love <3

Tuaq

Tuaq huddled down into the fur lining of his tunic. They had been moving all day, and although they had covered a lot of ground, they had still not located the wild pack. It had been days since anyone in the tribe had last seen the dire’s, and it looked like it would be another empty search. Now the sun was sinking below the mountains fast, and the cold dark of the night was beginning to creep towards them, but they were still a long ride from home. It almost seemed worth setting up a camp overnight away from basecamp, but the stories he had heard about the wild pack and the dire called Fenrir were enough to make him want the safety of numbers.

He turned to see how his companion fared, wondering if the other man was ok to push on into the darkness to reach the main camp. Naasir had been a surprisingly good match with him. They had worked steadily and efficiently, not needing too much help or discussions to make choices, and he had enjoyed their scouting trips. The golden tokota Zhaitan had also impressed him, the males endurance and level head helped to keep Deniigi as focused as possible. Looking at the young tokota, Tuaq felt a glimmer of pride and satisfaction. Igi had been hard pressed to keep up with the adults today while carrying a large load of gear and supplies. He was still growing, but already his strength was starting to be incredibly useful. The long hours however had worn down his energy, and he now puffed along in Kaniqs footsteps. Not bothering Zhaitan, nor seeking out distractions. Tuaq gave the wolverine an encouraging chirp, and Igi looked up from his job long enough to pant and wag his tail, happiness coming back before he settled back on task.

They had followed the face of the mountainside around into the next valley when Tuaq rechecked the map. Two more valleys to cross and then the mountain pass before they descended down into base camp, it would be well after dark before they arrived. Fading sunlight lingered as a band across the horizon and the newly risen moon was fast climbing into the star speckled sky. Tuaq tucked the map back away and halted Kaniq, “We still have a long ride ahead if we are to make it back to basecamp. Are you feeling up to a ride in the darkness?”

Naasir

Days and Days past after their first encounter with the wild Dire Pack and since then they don’t got any sign of the mighty creatures again and to be honest he wasn’t that sad about it, because it was almost a wonder that they got away without anyone harmed on the last meeting. It was only attributable to Kaniq’s and Zhaitan’s experience, that nothing worse happened…

Tuaq’s chirp to the wolverine pup, brought him back into the here and now, away from his thoughts. Even if it got dark know, he could still see his breath in the air. The wind refreshed now and it got even colder. They crossed a large, snow covered plateau and there were no plants, or even big rocks that could have protected them from the icy breeze. Shivering he moved the collar of his coat a bit higher, to keep himself warm. Only the Tokotas seemed to enjoy the cold environment. How great would it be now, to sit on a warm campfire at the basecamp.

Zhaitan stopped even before he even noticed that Tuaq has haltered Kaniq. “Honestly I would prefer to set up a camp for the night and continue on our way in the early morning, but you look somehow worried. I have nothing against a night ride, much time passed since I and Zhaitan did it last. But tell me, what are you worried about? Do you think the Dire’s could come back while we sleep?” he asked calmly.

Tuaq

“I have heard many people talking about experiences with the dominant male in the area, Fenrir. Apparently he has caused a lot of damage if he is encountered in a bad mood. Our tokotas could probably drive off a few lone Dires, but i am worried if the entire pack decides to cause trouble.” He gently scratched Kaniq’s shoulders where her harness straps sat, she grunted softly and tilted her head in an effort to direct his scratching where she wanted it. “If you wish to camp we should be ok, but i would feel more comfortable if we had more people or tokotas with us in case we did run across the wild ones. Especially given how close it was the last time we saw them.”

He sat still, looking out over the vast and unforgiving mountain range they had been traversing these last weeks. To survive here required stealth, determination, and a ferocity he could admire but did not want to be on the receiving end of. They had not seen any sign of the animals they had sought, but that did not mean they were not nearby. If they were going to camp they would have to chose the site carefully, and then make sure that there was someone on lookout who could keep an eye on the surroundings in case they did have visitors. He began to scan the area, but they were on a very sharp incline, and if he wanted the visibility they would have to find somewhere a little flatter to avoid risk of avalanches. Perhaps over the next ridge a nice spot would present itself.

“Maybe if we….” Kaniq’s sudden alertness made the words die in his mouth. Following her gaze he saw three shapes cresting a ridge nearby. Even from the distance he could see it was the wild pack they had encountered. It seemed it was only the trio again, easing some of Tuaq’s worries. If worst came to worse they would be able to hold the three Dire’s off, or pose enough of a challenge that they would leave them be. He sat still, watching them closely for any signs of aggression, but it seemed both parties were just curious and startled to have come across each other. Kaniq’s breaths sent clouds of mist blowing in the wind before vanishing in moments, and the only sounds were those of Igi still trudging through the snow behind them and the hammering of his heart in his ears. Minutes passed and the stillness stretched, seemed to flash past but each second feeling like an eternity. Finally the calm was broken by a deep, haunting howl. It seemed to echo through the mountains, swelling as it lengthened. Tuaq’s skin broke out in goose pimples and the hairs stood on end, even Kaniq’s seemed to tense at the call. The wild pack moved, turning back the over the ridge, before the female raised her muzzle and answered. Singing filled the night, and as the calls ended the Dires turned for one last look at the small group and then vanished into the darkness like ghosts.

Naasir

“Oh yes Fenrir....I have heard lot’s of stories from him too, one more terrifying than the last. Maybe you're right, we should try to reach the base camp instead of staying here, no need to take an unnecessary risk” he murmured after he thought awhile about his words.

Only a moment after Kaniq, Zhaitan discovered the dire pack that made their way in the shadow of the mountain. The golden Tokota let hear a little growl, but Naasir stroke him reassuring behind his ears. “Calm down boy” he warned silently. Even if the dires were hundreds of meters away and he could barely see them, the pack was impressive. The three Tokotas moved elegant, precise and without big effort through the meter deep, heavy snow…

Then the howl cracked the silence of the night. Zhaitan laid his ears back, and crouched a little deeper on the ground. There was almost no doubt from where the howl came...the deep, dark sound must have come from Fenrir and suddenly Naasir felt somehow observed. He couldn’t help, but the bad feeling stayed, even after the dires weren’t seen anymore, but somehow that made the situation even worse, even more disturbing…
“You're definitely right...were riding back to the base camp, fast” he said almost paralysed to Tuaq. Rapidly they were back in the saddle...and Naasir almost thought that he could still hear the echo from the howl, when they reached the base camp...

Tokotas Name: Deniigi 1067
Link to Tokotas Import: Deniigi 1067
Handlers Name: Tuaq
Task/Bonus Objective: Task 2 - Extra Pic
Expedition Journal: Dire Days Tracker

Tokotas Name: Zhaitan M327
Link to Tokotas Import: Zhaitan M327
Handlers Name: Naasir
Task/Bonus Objective: Task 2 - Extra Pic
Expedition Journal: Dire Days Expedition Journal

Also Shown: Kaniq 744 , WF16 , WM15 , Gilgamesh WM14 (Owned by PippinDraws )

Description
Another amazing collab with the most talented sealle
She did the sketch and the background, and I did the lines and the shading. If you don't watch her, go and give her some love <3

Tuaq

Tuaq huddled down into the fur lining of his tunic. They had been moving all day, and although they had covered a lot of ground, they had still not located the wild pack. It had been days since anyone in the tribe had last seen the dire’s, and it looked like it would be another empty search. Now the sun was sinking below the mountains fast, and the cold dark of the night was beginning to creep towards them, but they were still a long ride from home. It almost seemed worth setting up a camp overnight away from basecamp, but the stories he had heard about the wild pack and the dire called Fenrir were enough to make him want the safety of numbers.

He turned to see how his companion fared, wondering if the other man was ok to push on into the darkness to reach the main camp. Naasir had been a surprisingly good match with him. They had worked steadily and efficiently, not needing too much help or discussions to make choices, and he had enjoyed their scouting trips. The golden tokota Zhaitan had also impressed him, the males endurance and level head helped to keep Deniigi as focused as possible. Looking at the young tokota, Tuaq felt a glimmer of pride and satisfaction. Igi had been hard pressed to keep up with the adults today while carrying a large load of gear and supplies. He was still growing, but already his strength was starting to be incredibly useful. The long hours however had worn down his energy, and he now puffed along in Kaniqs footsteps. Not bothering Zhaitan, nor seeking out distractions. Tuaq gave the wolverine an encouraging chirp, and Igi looked up from his job long enough to pant and wag his tail, happiness coming back before he settled back on task.

They had followed the face of the mountainside around into the next valley when Tuaq rechecked the map. Two more valleys to cross and then the mountain pass before they descended down into base camp, it would be well after dark before they arrived. Fading sunlight lingered as a band across the horizon and the newly risen moon was fast climbing into the star speckled sky. Tuaq tucked the map back away and halted Kaniq, “We still have a long ride ahead if we are to make it back to basecamp. Are you feeling up to a ride in the darkness?”

Naasir

Days and Days past after their first encounter with the wild Dire Pack and since then they don’t got any sign of the mighty creatures again and to be honest he wasn’t that sad about it, because it was almost a wonder that they got away without anyone harmed on the last meeting. It was only attributable to Kaniq’s and Zhaitan’s experience, that nothing worse happened…

Tuaq’s chirp to the wolverine pup, brought him back into the here and now, away from his thoughts. Even if it got dark know, he could still see his breath in the air. The wind refreshed now and it got even colder. They crossed a large, snow covered plateau and there were no plants, or even big rocks that could have protected them from the icy breeze. Shivering he moved the collar of his coat a bit higher, to keep himself warm. Only the Tokotas seemed to enjoy the cold environment. How great would it be now, to sit on a warm campfire at the basecamp.

Zhaitan stopped even before he even noticed that Tuaq has haltered Kaniq. “Honestly I would prefer to set up a camp for the night and continue on our way in the early morning, but you look somehow worried. I have nothing against a night ride, much time passed since I and Zhaitan did it last. But tell me, what are you worried about? Do you think the Dire’s could come back while we sleep?” he asked calmly.

Tuaq

“I have heard many people talking about experiences with the dominant male in the area, Fenrir. Apparently he has caused a lot of damage if he is encountered in a bad mood. Our tokotas could probably drive off a few lone Dires, but i am worried if the entire pack decides to cause trouble.” He gently scratched Kaniq’s shoulders where her harness straps sat, she grunted softly and tilted her head in an effort to direct his scratching where she wanted it. “If you wish to camp we should be ok, but i would feel more comfortable if we had more people or tokotas with us in case we did run across the wild ones. Especially given how close it was the last time we saw them.”

He sat still, looking out over the vast and unforgiving mountain range they had been traversing these last weeks. To survive here required stealth, determination, and a ferocity he could admire but did not want to be on the receiving end of. They had not seen any sign of the animals they had sought, but that did not mean they were not nearby. If they were going to camp they would have to chose the site carefully, and then make sure that there was someone on lookout who could keep an eye on the surroundings in case they did have visitors. He began to scan the area, but they were on a very sharp incline, and if he wanted the visibility they would have to find somewhere a little flatter to avoid risk of avalanches. Perhaps over the next ridge a nice spot would present itself.

“Maybe if we….” Kaniq’s sudden alertness made the words die in his mouth. Following her gaze he saw three shapes cresting a ridge nearby. Even from the distance he could see it was the wild pack they had encountered. It seemed it was only the trio again, easing some of Tuaq’s worries. If worst came to worse they would be able to hold the three Dire’s off, or pose enough of a challenge that they would leave them be. He sat still, watching them closely for any signs of aggression, but it seemed both parties were just curious and startled to have come across each other. Kaniq’s breaths sent clouds of mist blowing in the wind before vanishing in moments, and the only sounds were those of Igi still trudging through the snow behind them and the hammering of his heart in his ears. Minutes passed and the stillness stretched, seemed to flash past but each second feeling like an eternity. Finally the calm was broken by a deep, haunting howl. It seemed to echo through the mountains, swelling as it lengthened. Tuaq’s skin broke out in goose pimples and the hairs stood on end, even Kaniq’s seemed to tense at the call. The wild pack moved, turning back the over the ridge, before the female raised her muzzle and answered. Singing filled the night, and as the calls ended the Dires turned for one last look at the small group and then vanished into the darkness like ghosts.

Naasir

“Oh yes Fenrir....I have heard lot’s of stories from him too, one more terrifying than the last. Maybe you're right, we should try to reach the base camp instead of staying here, no need to take an unnecessary risk” he murmured after he thought awhile about his words.

Only a moment after Kaniq, Zhaitan discovered the dire pack that made their way in the shadow of the mountain. The golden Tokota let hear a little growl, but Naasir stroke him reassuring behind his ears. “Calm down boy” he warned silently. Even if the dires were hundreds of meters away and he could barely see them, the pack was impressive. The three Tokotas moved elegant, precise and without big effort through the meter deep, heavy snow…

Then the howl cracked the silence of the night. Zhaitan laid his ears back, and crouched a little deeper on the ground. There was almost no doubt from where the howl came...the deep, dark sound must have come from Fenrir and suddenly Naasir felt somehow observed. He couldn’t help, but the bad feeling stayed, even after the dires weren’t seen anymore, but somehow that made the situation even worse, even more disturbing…
“You're definitely right...were riding back to the base camp, fast” he said almost paralysed to Tuaq. Rapidly they were back in the saddle...and Naasir almost thought that he could still hear the echo from the howl, when they reached the base camp...

Tokotas Name: Deniigi 1067
Link to Tokotas Import: Deniigi 1067
Handlers Name: Tuaq
Task/Bonus Objective: Task 2 - Extra Pic
Expedition Journal: Dire Days Tracker

Tokotas Name: Zhaitan M327
Link to Tokotas Import: Zhaitan M327
Handlers Name: Naasir
Task/Bonus Objective: Task 2 - Extra Pic
Expedition Journal: Dire Days Expedition Journal

Also Shown: Kaniq 744 , WF16 , WM15 , Gilgamesh WM14 (Owned by PippinDraws )