Lore

Excitement was still dancing in the copper orbs of Lore by the time he set paw in the Marsh, but the silver wolf had adopted a little more caution. They were out of their territory now, and treading on potentially dangerous turf. There were no alligators in the SunSet Beach territory after all, and Lore knew these beasts could easily take an unwary wolf. With an abundance of self preservation to guide him, and wisdom from years of living on his own, Lore wisely kept to the higher ground, and gave a wide berth to any suspicious log that lay in their path.

"So, not really sure how to go about finding this particular lizard." The big male admitted, eyes still flicking about with the energy of a flighty songbird. They lingered a moment on a series of ivory arches that rose from the water a few dozen yards from the bank. A palmate antler broke the surface not far from these ribs, identifying the skeleton as a young bull moose. A quick, delicate sniff suggested there wasn't sufficient meat left on the corpse to warrant an investigation, so Lore continued on.

Aniyu

It smells earthy and wet along the marsh terrain. Aniyu is relatively unfamiliar with the territory -- the fables of the giant lizards were enough to keep the she-wolf away during her times as a loner. And while adding Lore to the mix only improved their likelihood of successfully combating such a creature, there's an amount of confidence that Lore instills into their journey.

Bounding along a muddy bank, blue eyes sweep out across the large pool of murky water. Her eyes catch sight of the same ivory pair of antlers that jut out from the opaque water. The she-wolf's head tilts as she studies the skeletal remains. "Maybe this giant lizard killed it," Aniyu studies, amazement catching on her tone. Even a bull moose this small and juvenile would've taken a fleet of canines to take down. She was utterly impressed, and somewhat terrified, to think of the large, monstrous jaws of the alligator. "Or," she adds, with a little laugh, "Perhaps he just died of something else." Her last statement an attempt to calm her own nerves.

Lore & *Alligator*

'It's just a log. See? There's a branch on it.' Lore had to convince himself of the safety of the newest downed tree that lay in their path, one in a narrow channel of water bisecting the dry ground he was trying to traverse. To his mate's comments, he turned his head aside, eying once more the silent remains of the plant eater. For a moment, Lore imagined a savaged battle between the great antlered beast and an alligator no less than half of the moose' size. "Yeah." He murmured in awe, whilst feeling his heart pick up its pace by a beat or few. "I say we talk to this lizard from a distance, if we do find him." He added his own laugh there, a trace of nervousness not entirely edged out by his usual confidence and bravery. Turning back around, the alpha made a deft leap for the log, attempt to use it to cross the narrow channel, and avoid getting his legs and belly wet in the cold waters.

The log shifted in a very un-log like manner when one-hundred pounds of wolf landed on it, and gave a startling hiss that Lore had never before heard come from a waterlogged tree. The wolf scrambled, his hind legs sliding off the 'log', and hitting water for a split second before he leaped upward and shot out of the channel. Wide-eyed and shaken, he spun around to see a pair of dark eyes open, just behind the broad, pinkish interior of an alligator's gaping jaws. The branch he'd noticed earlier was just that, but pressed up against the gator in such a way that it looked like it as sprouting from his side.

A low growl started in Lore's throat as he realized in the next moment that the gator was between he and his mate, and that nixed any impulse he had to run away from this cold-blooded threat. He was also wise enough not to rush forward and attack the thing, so he stood tensely where he was, sides rising and falling in rapid motion as he tried to calm his racing heart...

Aniyu

There's a moment before Aniyu registers the peril both wolves are placed in where the she-wolf laughs at Lore's folly. But the warning hiss that rumbles from the alligator's throat suddenly sends Aniyu's hair on end, her blue eyes deep with terror as she leaps backwards a step. Though she's drenched with fear, the she-wolf suddenly growls and beats her front paws against the mud to draw the attention from the behemoth predator. She tries to keep it from lashing out at Lore, though is wildly aware about how that places her hide on the lizard's radar.

Hackles raised, the she-wolf lets out a low snarl. She's sure the alligator hardly views her as a threat, but Aniyu channels every ounce of angry energy into her body. "Hey, rot mouth," Aniyu calls, her head lowered and teeth barred. "Pick on someone your own size."

Lore & *Alligator*

The hiss rises in volume, like an engine roaring to life before dying off and puttering out. The alligator swings his broad head in Aniyu's direction at the sound and motion of her slapping paw, but reptile's actions are lethargic, and those powerful, broad jaws aren't swift at snapping together. It would be an easy task of avoiding the strike, save perhaps for an unfortunate slip on the muddy bank. Dark, gold-speckled orbs flash in her direction, and after a slight delay, the chilled reptile brings voice to a few rasping words, "Come closer with those comments, wolf."

A sharp bark had been issued when the gator turned a snap at his mate, and fur rose like a silvered mantle across his neck and shoulders. The pinks of Lore's gums were bared as he took a few mincing steps towards the bank, ready to distract the beast in turn, if it got a sudden burst of energy and wanted another go at his love. "We wont be feeding your belly today, lizard. You're not who we're looking for, anyway." 'I hope not, at least.' The brief thought traveled through his mind, but didn't linger long when he had more pressing matters to deal with. He wondered now how quickly these alligators could move; this one seemed painfully slow to react, but was it just an act? Could the beast lunge out of the water the second they tried to turn away, and drag one of them under?

Aniyu

Blue eyes blink at the vicious lizard in the murky waters, the she-wolf a little thrown off by the commentary the lizard offers. Her heart thunders in her chest as she studies the lethargic creature, a little growl still rumbling in her chest. "You'd have to catch me," Aniyu mocks, her hair standing up on her shoulders. She isn't sure if she's overly confident in her abilities or just plain stupid, but her confident exudes in this dire situation. She looks over at her mate, back paws already digging into mud in preparation to taking flight.

Lore & *Alligator*

Lore's breath comes heavy and quick, and would have hung in thick clouds about his muzzle if the air were a little cooler. He watches the dark beast, flinching a little when it had turned his broad snout towards Aniyu. He lifts his dial, eyes meeting his mate's gaze as she looks away from the lizard at the same moment, and in that time the alpha gives a quick nod. "And if you did that-" A sharp snarl carried Lore's words as he vaulted backwards, making an awkward but successful leap back to put himself out of the gator's immediate reach, "-you'd find yourself on the wrong end of my fangs."

His fiery defense of his mate made clear, Lore took a few more steps back, watching with satisfaction as the gator briefly turned in his direction. Yet just as quickly, perhaps realizing Lore was now out of easy reach, the old lizard swung back around to Aniyu, plunging suddenly for the she-wolf with a rattling hiss...

Aniyu

An angry growl rattles Aniyu's chest as the alligator lunges at Lore unsuccessfully. She's engrossed in watching the scene unfurl, relief tingling her paws as she sees Lore clear the lizard's assault easily, to recognize the sudden attack being directed at her. The she-wolf sucks in a breath of chilly air in shock, paws sliding in the mud as she flinches away from the gator. While it's fangs miss Aniyu, his snout does collide with her chest. Aniyu is both surprised and furious, her fangs slashing at the gator's nose as she feigns backwards. Her retaliation is only instinctive before Aniyu hauls her body out of the alligator reach. It's her luck that the cool temperatures hinder the giant lizard, otherwise she would be this great creature's meal.

Lore & *Alligator*

A sharp, explosive bark comes from Lore the second he realizes the gator has turned on his mate. He readies to throw himself at the beast, and nearly does so when those broad jaws swing so close as to hit her chest. But her footing is sure, and she vaults out of the predator's reach before it has time to try a second snap. A growl continues to rattle in the alpha's chest nevertheless. Eying the reptile, Lore skirts several yards around the best and clears the small channel to reunite with his mate on the other side.

"Are you okay?" He drags his eyes away from the gator long enough to dip his muzzle down and sniff at her chest. "I should have been paying better attention, that one caught me off guard."

For his part, the gator retains his open-mouth posture but makes no further moves towards the wolves. There's little energy left his in cold bones, and the plumpness of his frame suggests he wasn't really hurting for a meal anyway. He continues to watch them though, bright, yellow-green eyes hardly blinking or shifting as they observe the wolves' movements.

Aniyu

Aniyu finds a bit of relief rejoining Lore away from the grumpy, slow-limbed reptile. The she-wolf's heart still rapidly races in her chest as she gazes back at the reptile shifting in his murky waters, eyes narrowing as she gave a little haughty huff. "We...sure showed him, huh?" Aniyu hoarsely muses, weakly chuckling before reaching out to brush her muzzle against Lore's. Aniyu draws in a steady breath into her lungs, holding it for a moment before releasing it, relinquishing the built up fear and tension that had seized her body. Blue eyes rivet back to Lore, the she-wolf doing her best to stir up some mirth in hopes to reassure her mate that she was okay. "Maybe we should steer clear of the murky waters for the rest of this trip, no?" She suggests dryly.

Lore & *Alligator*

The sound of thunder pounded in his perked auds for several moments longer, until the adrenaline began to wane. There was no scent or sight of blood marring his mate's coat, and her mirth, meager as it was, came like a balm to Lore's ears. "Heh, who'd have thought we'd best an alligator today?" He forced a lopsided grin, the tips of his fangs peaking out while his eyes remained a stitch too wide to really pull off the look of confidence and bravado he was going for.

"Don't kid yourselves." The alligator's rasping voice startled Lore and had him turning his head back. He stared hard at the reptile as the beast went on, his speech slow but determined. "I might have lost a dinner today, but we could both get something more out of this encounter. I need help, and it sounds like your looking for someone I could help you find."

Aniyu

The she-wolf touches the side of Lore's face gently, her breath a bit raspy from the adrenaline pumping through her. Blue eyes trace back to where the lumbering lizard still lurks, her head tilting suspiciously as the creature still engages with them. Aniyu glances back at Lore, her chest expanding as the alphess rivets her attention back to the creature. "You're really going to summon a pair of canines that you just had a spat with?" Aniyu observes with a little chuckle. She isn't hostile though, a bit of warmth tinging the end of her words. Today was truly an interesting day, indeed. "Particular. But we aren't selfish. What sort of help are you seeking?"

Lore & *Alligator*

Aniyu took the words right out of his mouth as he gawked at the alligator, his slightly tilted had and now furrowed expression perfectly displaying his skepticism. He made no move to bring himself closer to the predator, keeping his muddied silver paws planted firmly near his mate. His sides were still rising and falling with effort, though now with the panic of the moment fading, and the gator clearly subdued by the cold, Lore could afford to take his time calming his nerves. The brush of Aniyu's fur against his own was a further balm, and following her words he added on, "And how can we trust your words?"

"You can trust my words because I will trust yours." Those words cascaded from his jaws in a low rumble, one that Lore wasn't sure to take as a growl or just part of the creature's dialect. Either way, it unnerved him. Those emerald green eyes shifted to Aniyu now, "For the past week I have been encumbered by this..." With effort, the creature shifted his body, turning and slowly propelling himself towards the bank. Lore responded by bristling and tensing his limbs. He held steady only for the sake of Aniyu standing with him, for the alpha would not spring away and leave his love alone with the beast. The alligator made no moves to strike though, and once he had pushed the front of his body onto land, Lore could see the cause of his woes.

"It cuts into my skin and holds my arm back. Strong as I am, I cannot break free of it, and it hinders my ability to hunt." And there, glistening ever so faintly against the rugged brown-green of the scaly lizard, was a tangle of fishing line. A three-pronged hook was embedded lower on his toe, an annoyance to be sure, but not as endangering as the fine thread of the line that circled around his upper half and pinned his foreleg to his side, along with that small branch that Lore had seen earlier.

Aniyu

Aniyu's side brushes against Lore's as the massive lizard spurs through the murky water to the earth near them. Blue eyes narrow as Aniyu quietly braces herself for flight, wary to accept the word of the strange, scaly predator. But the alligator does little to indicate he's still hostile from the earlier part of their encounter. Ears flop as Aniyu leans a bit closer towards the sharp hook digging into the creature's foot. "Some human voodoo, huh?" Aniyu remarks dryly, tossing a glance over in Lore's direction. The entire complex of the hook and fish line makes Aniyu grimace just staring at it. "If we get a tooth under the line, we could probably break the thread. But...it isn't going to be comfortable, friend." Aniyu angles her comment towards the alligator, head tilting. There's still an ounce of reserve from the she-wolf. While they've decided to share trust, Aniyu can't be certain an in-pain alligator might forget the accords they've made in the moment.

Lore & *Alligator*

Lore steps solidly up to the alligator, shadowing his mate while copper eyes watch every twitch of movement the predator makes. Which, surprisingly, isn't much at all. Even the gator's breath comes in at a rate slow enough to make Lore want to take an extra gasp of fresh air himself. Still reserved, he keeps a vigilant gaze on the beast while his other half puts more focus on the embedded line of plastic. "She's right, we don't have human paws for such delicate work. But I'm sure our fangs can handle it. Can we still trust you?"

A slow, deep breath rolls from the reptile as he picks up a term from Aniyu, "A few marks from your teeth are nothing to the torment of this voodoo." Slitted pupils rove towards Lore, "As I said, you can trust me. But do know this is a one-time offer. I am not a soft-tooth like some of the other alligators."

Shifting his paws against the cold, wet mud, Lore nodded. "Alright, then. Lets do this." He moved in at the gator's opposite side. A brief, steadying glance was tossed to Aniyu before he dipped his muzzle down and tilted it to the side. He would try to nip at the thin plastic thread here while Aniyu had the other side, all while trying to take more fishing line than he did scale...

Aniyu

The she-wolf scoots closer to the scaly lizard, her heart thumping against her chest as she crouches down near the creature's leg. A little wind of dry humor ripples through her -- who would've imagined, a wolf helping an alligator? Aniyu shovels the remark she wants to make back into the recesses of her mind, leaning in to snag the fishing line with her teeth. "Okay..." Aniyu murmurs. Feeling the taut plastic slip under one of her canines, Aniyu rears back and jerks her head. With one swift movement, the line breaks at that point. Aniyu takes a little leap back with shock, eyes fixing to the alligator and expecting some response to the manuever.

Lore & *Alligator*

An ear swivels, catching the sound of breath released a smidgen too fast by his mate. A steadying exhale, perhaps? Or something else? Lore raises an eye to her, but she's already moved in, head shifting to the side as she angles a keen fang for a section of fishing line.

Lore himself has moved in on a similar target. Black lips curl back at the uncomfortable sensation of unyielding plastic, something almost akin to the anchor lines of a spider's web, only harsher. He can feel his own hot breath washing back against him, reflecting off the cold hide of the alligator. His heart thrums a frantic tune in his ears, and in a burst of movement, he grits his teeth and yanks back with a shake of his head.

Fishing line snaps at either end, followed by a rising hiss and a swelling of the gator's dark sides. His jaws gape open, and for a moment Lore fears he's about to explode into action. There is, after all, a smidgen of blood on Lore's side of the gator, where his incisors had snagged more than than plastic thread. But the gator's deep breath is released in an ongoing hiss, and no strike is made at either wolf. Instead the beast shifts his trapped arm, tugging it sluggishly until the now slackened line gives way and he's able to splay his webbed foot freely against the cold muck once more. The branch that had been strapped to his side tumbles freely away. Another deep, rattling breath is sucked in, and this time Lore suspects it's an action of relief rather than an impending attack.

"That'll do." The gator announces, "Hnnnh. Fair is fair; You're looking for Galar, is it? Or Akili?"