The black wolf skimmed over the rocks under a near full moon, paws propelling him forwards in a slightly ungainly, bumbling manner. Grace was not part of him. Not at all but somehow, he managed to run across the rocks without falling down. He had grown bigger, much bigger. Big and muscular which had its disadvantages but he was what he was. He launched himself through the air, using his strength to launch himself again straight away off the rock that he landed on. He vaulted through the air, clearing eight rocks and landed clumsily, his forepaws scrabbling over the rock and his back paws slipping. He re-adjusted himself immediately. Straightening his head, he looked around tail straight out behind him. It was incredibly foggy here. His gold eyes squinted ahead, trying to see clearer through all the fog. He wanted to see what was on the other side of the waters. He didn’t know where it was but that was part of the fun. He was all on his own. He didn’t know where his parents were. Or his brothers. Scrounging for food or with his parents probably. He’d smelled someone on Striker. A female pup. Not Willow. Another one whose scent was strange to him. But even Renier had been drifting away. He’d spent a lot of time in his head. Dreaming. Wandering off on his own. Icarus snorted, puffs of air coming from his nose and muzzle wrinkling. He was a fool. Spent too much time thinking. Too much time dreaming. But his father hadn’t said anything to him. He’d see him around but the young wolf was stepping out of his father’s shadow. Icarus would distance himself from his father’s shadow. In some way. Then he’d over-take him. He’d beat him and he’d show him how much better he was than him. Icarus looked into the water, finding his own murky reflection staring back at him. Scowling with eyes that glowed in the near-darkness. Fur messy and unkempt on the back of his neck and top of his head. The only difference he held with his father were the colour of their eyes. His were fierce gold. His father’s, icy blue. Fire against ice. He growled, slamming the water with his paw and leaped onto slate rock that was sticking out of the water near from the shore. Dripping wet, he flopped down onto the rock in the middle of the treacherous terrain of rocks, fog and water on his side, staring ahead blankly with his tongue sticking out of his lips slightly. It was fun out here. He'd stay out here for the night. No one could get him here.

(Sorry for the wait. I’m getting on top of things now)

As to be expected, the night was dark, but it was not black. Islets of light were distinct through the clouds, illuminating the fog in places and giving a glimpse of what brightness lay above in the form of the, almost full, moon. The brute stormed onwards, nothing more than a dark figure in the hazy air. The murkiness of the area made up for the lack of total darkness, making it just as hard to distinguish one dark spot from another, and also cloaking him nearly as efficiently as darkness could. Eclipse appreciated the night as a gift, allowing him free roam without being spotted with his dark brown pelt. Sure, most animals had a good sense of hearing and smell, especially forest dwellers, but no matter their ability to use them, the stimuli for those senses could always be manipulated. Staying quiet and masking one’s scent could be an easy task when one knows how, and the Elite sure knew. He hadn’t once been a lead hunter for nothing. In fact, he seemed to go by unnoticed in all aspects of his life, not that he minded too much. However, tonight was not an evening expected to need much in regards of concealing oneself. The sturdy male made light work of manoeuvring around the jagged stones with his long, lean limbs, keeping his steps firm and steady. Visibility was not the best, but he could only make do with what he had. Seeing the formidable rocks could only make one wary of the dangers and put one off balance anyway, whereas relying on touch and sound gave more alertness to what was going on closely around. Navigating these neutral lands was a long task, but one he decided needed doing to gain a mental map of how everything was laid out, and to meet more of the wolves that called the surrounding lands home, whom were considered potential foes. If he could find a way up the tallest rocky outcrop by morning, maybe he would be able to see which other locations were nearby.

For now though, he padded along at a more relaxed pace, taking in the atmosphere of the unusually wonderful foggy phenomenon as his damp paws were submerged further into water. The liquid was cold and it allowed him a moment to stop finally and flex his toes into the pebbles, rolling and relaxing his shoulders slowly, easing his muscles. Forcing himself to keep active kept him fit and strong and gave him things to do, but also made him feel old. He couldn’t take hours of travelling and training like he used to. Dipping his head, he parted his maw and peeled back his lips as if he were slightly snarling while his tongue snaked out between his fangs and lapped at the chilly water. It wasn’t the freshest, but it was refreshingly cool as it slipped down his throat and gripped his insides, making him shudder just a little. His whiskers brushed the surface of the water as he drank, taking his time. As he licked the droplets away from his muzzle and began to lift his head, ripples in the water pulsed against his whiskers. Accompanied with the sound of a heavy mass falling down, he was aware that something was there, a living thing because the sound was not sharp like a rock would be if it had fallen. Something with wet fur, though he couldn't smell anything yet. 'Well this is an exciting turn of events, I wasn't expecting company', he mused quietly in his mind, his fur rising slightly and ears swivelling to the approximate direction of the stranger. Until he knew what, or rather who, was there, he'd keep the element of surprise on his side, not letting the other know of his presence until he was within some faint range of sight or smell. Stealthily, he moved closer with hushed steps, rich gold eyes searching ahead of him and nostrils flaring. His demeanour was calm, but curious as to who lay ahead.

Icarus sniffed the air. The fog was curdling around at his legs. Eerie. Looks like he wasn’t alone. Icarus immediately rolled into the water, tearing meat off by holding the creature with his forepaws and yanking the creature apart. When he disappeared into the water he swallowed it, leaving a spatter of blood on the rock and into the water. He swam further away near a cluster of rocks that were gathered together, submerged beneath the water but above on the surface looked like a deformed log. He swam behind the log, ears folding down over his head and looked out from around the end of the log, keeping his muzzle halfway in the water with his ears leaning forwards. Peering around the log, he looked around through the fog for the culprit of the sound and he finally saw him on the terrain. He squinted. Father? There were so many scents in the air. Was that father? It looked like him. Icarus watched the wolf curiously. This wolf was large like his father, muscled but Icarus couldn’t tell if that was him from here. He had black fur. His movements had been very silent so that Icarus had not even heard him. His father could be silent. Icarus sniffed the air. He couldn’t smell the scent. He swam underneath, in another direction from him away from the other wolf’s line of sight. He emerged as quietly as he could, the tips of his ears showing followed by the upper head of his head. Only his eyes and ears. He was facing the wolf’s back. He swam closer. Closer. Closer. And with a thunderous roar of “SPAAAAAAAAARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS”, lunged out of the water through the fog and slammed into the wolf from the side, grabbing his neck with his forelegs and hung on, scrabbling for hold on his back by planting his hind paw on his lower back. Icarus was large so he was not that much lighter in weight than this wolf. He grabbed the back of the wolf’s neck with his jaws, the scruff and growled through the fur,“Yield!” He let go, twisting his head to snap at the wolf’s ears but he caught sight of his eyes. Gold. Icarus paused, staring at him, “Wait…you’re not my dad…”

[It’s alright. Least you kept your promises]