Whitefish River between two points

Somewhere in the mix of his travels had he come across the river splitting his path. Mordecai paced a broad, shallow part of the waters quietly, testing the still cool waters with his once dirty feet. The water itself was a bit of a relief, if only to relax in, but he still kept his guard up. There was little denying that this place was well inhabited, from the sights, smells, and obvious tracks that litters one range to another. This particular resurgence of bodies didn't bother him much, though he had yet to entirely figure out what they were all about. Spring sun rays bathed him in warmth where the canopy cover gave way, and his slow pace gave him plenty of time to draw in the nooks and crannies of the sights.

While he tried to tell himself that not everywhere was like his youth, the traces of that still clung to him. He carried himself well, going against the weariness that had once again started to plague him in the lull of full on travel. Once again that nonchalant way had come about him, and he paced almost as though he had nary a care in the world. But his eyes couldn't help but betray that and speak the truth; he was watching, waiting. For what, he once again couldn't have known. Exploring was a double-sided coin, one his father had warned him about again and again. A coin that Mordecai knew well, at least now.

The goal was to head north. Tiarnan knew this, but he was also keenly aware of his poor judgement when it came to directions. Prior to his allegiance to Jinx and her horde, he had wandered like any vagrant child would. To stick to the mountain range was difficult - but maybe his new leader knew that the transition would be hard. Maybe he had been allocated for this task because of some.. Desire by the white woman. Tiarnan scoffed at the thought as he moseyed along.

It had been hours since he had seen his travelling buddy. Kaname - the dark wolf who he, in all honesty, did not have a name for - had become lost after a few hours. Their gait was considerably different from Tiarnan's, who was long-legged but far from trained in the art of stealth and speed. Somehow his companion in this mission was quite the professional - he was probably over the river by now and far, far ahead. Or perhaps north, since that was... The point. North and across the river.

Well, he had reached the river. The sound of it eased some of the nervous tension from him, but that only returned in a sharp wave of hot apprehension when he spotted a figure along the embankment. The boy's nostrils flared as he ducked low, taking on a cautious and quick stride in order to drift closer. He made no sound of warning or greeting to the stranger, hoping to sneak beyond them and head upriver before being spotted.

As he continued on, Mordecai took in what he was seeing with precision. Nothing seemed particularly out of place, bar some of the fresher tracks along the bank. From his location in the shallow water, he couldn't bank on whether or not they were minutes or hours old, but he followed them with his eyes all the same. The last thing he really wanted to stumble across was a hunting party with a fresh kill, though he wouldn't have minded picking at their leftovers if there were any to be had. Maybe that was a throw back to his mother's lineage, that desire to pick over said leftovers. Either way, it was the smartest thing he had up his sleeve at that precise moment, and strode forward with renewed interest at the premise.

And that was the moment that something moved at the edge of his periphery, just beyond the range of distinguishable shape. He paused for a moment, turning his head up the bank and into the foliage as though he could have caught up with whatever had shifted. Nothing changed, and after several beats he gave his coat a good shake and proceeded on. It was likely nothing, he reasoned, some small bit of game that he would never have hopes of catching in the density of growth. It wouldn't have been the first time he had been caught off guard by something along those lines, as squirrels had been notorious for pulling that stunt in more than one thorny situation.

At one point, he began his ascent from the shallow water to the drier ground, joining the prints that he had seen. The passing movement now a thing of the past, he brought his muzzle low to the ground and halted, drawing in the scents of the damp grit and earth. As expected, he recognized none of the results he found. A few more steps produced much of the same, but this was a guise he was willing to keep up for a while. Both for and not for his own good, depending on whoever happened upon him.

In thinking that he could avoid being followed by hugging the river, Tiarnan began to creep closer and closer to it. The river stones made more noise when disturbed but they left fewer traces behind - or so he thought, without really thinking about the accuracy of such a thing. His claws clicked upon the stones, occasionally being licked by the river's coursing fluids; he felt the chill of the cold water as he slunk, collecting a wetness upon his extremities which then peppered the ground - and any dry rocks - with patterns. The fool was really making matters worse by trying to stay hidden. Anyone with a bit of sense would be able to track him.

The stones weren't all clean and smooth either. Some were jagged things, unpolished by the water. Others had a collection of moss clinging to the surface that, when wet, were trickier to step on. It was in a lurch for freedom from his pursuer that Tiarnan slipped upon a series of stones. His angular body stumbled awkwardly and the boy fell face-first towards the river. In a scramble to keep himself safe from the current, Tiarnan tried to brace himself and reverse in a flurry of action - kicking a few stones loose and in effect, falling on his shoulder instead. There was a mild pop as his body connected to the ground and he yelped before gritting his teeth.

It was the clattering behind him that first cued him into the knowledge that he was in fact, not alone. Initially Mordecai paid it little mind, interested in the newest of smells he was acquiring, but the splashing that started to follow it was too irresistible. The fact that someone was trying to cross the river behind him was hard to ignore when there was even less doubt that he had been seen in the very area moments before. Lifting his head from the ground as he turned fluidly, he caught sight of the dark-haired canine only moments before his awkward avoidance to collision. The stranger backpedaled if only for a moment, then lost his balance and came crashing down where the water met the muddy, rocky ground.

Mordecai did not hear the distinct pop that the other felt, and even if he had the amusement he found would have played out the same. For such a spindly creature, the well-build Ostrega couldn't have blamed him for being leery of caught out in the open. He might have been flighty and very much like a cat on the prowl of mice, Mordecai closed the distance with a forming smirk. If this was the dash of dark he had seen in his periphery not five minutes ago (and he assumed it was), then he was quite amused. “That's what you get,” he told the younger wolf as he looked him over from a distance. He wouldn't get too close, noting the gritted teeth. “Are you all right though? That looked as nasty as it probably feels.” Wet stones were worse than ice in his eyes, and over the previous winters he had his own share of slips on them.

Dante's always up for a thread ^^ especially for the next week! I kinda want to get him a little bit established before I have to go to work training (and will likely be posting from a phone x.x). I will leave it wide open for you to decide what happened with your current situation ^^

It had been a few days, and still Dante wandered. He was starting to wonder if maybe he wasn't being a little ridiculous, ghosting about these lands like some sort of spirit, appearing here and there before leaving as though he had never been. Perhaps Atrix had been right... mayhaps by denying that which he had been bred for he was losing his chance at actually finding a place to call home. He'd met some nice characters, that's for sure. First Jace had been very helpful. Then fishing with Joulooke had been a great experience, and he had enjoyed his conversation with the wolfess whom he had met around these parts through which he was wandering now. Even the Alpha whom he had met had captured his interest.

But nothing had really stuck out. And the decision hadn't gotten any easier. Most of them, in their own way, had extended to him an offer of joining. But where would he be truly useful? That had yet to be seen.

Dante's mind was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the other wolf until he was almost upon him. He stopped sharply, shaking his head. "I apologize," he said, backing a ways away. "I don't mean to intrude."

Thanks for joining! :) I figured it would be easiest to say that Tiarnan just up and left them abruptly.

And just as fast as it had happened, the young wolf that had gone careening into the waters sprung back, and fled. Mordecai only paused to muse on this for a moment, engrossed with the sudden turn of events that he didn't even realize he was no longer alone. Maybe it was the rumble of a voice coming loose from the world around him that cued him in, or maybe it was the scattering of the damp sand and grit across slick stones that really gained his attention. Mordecai bristled as he turned his head to draw in the grayscale body of another retreating wolf, but this one only went so far. His startled response was mute, his mouth opening for a moment only to shut at the apology issued forth.

“I was beginning to think maybe I was the one who intruded,” he said. “Any idea who that was?” For all he knew, maybe one was in the pursuit of the other. Or maybe they had just been made by some scout. After his meeting with some leader of some place nearby, Mordecai wouldn't have been surprised by much of anything at that point. He kept himself neutral though, not jumping to any conclusion that wanted to spring out of a working imagination. The possibilities were endless. Always endless.

Dante hadn't even seen the other wolf, so when he abruptly took off, it started him. "Not a clue. Wonder who lit his tail on fire?" Dante shook his head, looking after where he had disappeared before turning back to Mordecai. "Not a friend of yours I assume." Obviously, if he was asking whether Dante knew him. Ah well, extra clarity never hurt a situation.

"Since happily neither of us has intruded, allow me to introduce myself. I am Dante, loner extraordinaire." He gave a small bow along with a chuckle. "Or so I tell myself. May I ask who I have had the pleasure of running into?" If I had a rabbit for every time I've introduced myself of late, they'd have to roll me out of these lands. Oh the life of the vagrant.

Well, it seemed that neither of them had any idea who they had been on the verge of meeting. Or dealing with. Mordecai gave one last look in the direction the dark-haired wolf had gone, but the wonder therein ceased to end. It was at that point where he found introductions coming along and turned his gaze back to the grayscale fellow. The playful bow brought a faint smile to his face for a moment; Mordecai had seldom been asked who he was. Instead the question had been what are your plans, and it had been that way for quite a while now.

“Mordecai,” he simply stated. His surname would hold no prideful weight here. While there were many Ostrega's scattered about the world as he knew it, Mordecai had not encountered any of them living wild or in control in the Wilds. “And as far as I can tell, I don't think we'd have to worry about intruding out here. So far the only place I've pegged for a pack is a nearby mountain range.” He gestured in the general direction from whence he had come. Other than that, he hadn't really been in the region long enough to ascertain what packs had formed in its diverse span.

Let me know if I messed up the timeline! This post assumes Mordecai is in Silvertip already ^^;

Dante was glad to see the other male smile. Not that he hadn't seemed friendly - it was just further clarification that there would be no problems here. There was truth in his words, though. Dante had met one from that very mountain pack not too long ago, fortunately in neutral territory. The way he spoke, Dante got the impression that Mordecai too was new in these lands. "So far? So you too have not been here long?" He asked, curious. Dante could smell the other pack on this wolf, same as Erika, so he must have at least been here long enough to curry favor with an Alpha and join their pack.

In any event, it was nice to meet another who hadn't been here for considerable amount of time. Dante was starting to think perhaps he was the only one.

This post is actually from before Mordecai joined STM, but he did encounter Jinx beforehand so that would most definitely attribute to why he smells like the pack, imo. I can work with it though! Dante thinking he's apart of that pack is just foreshadowing in a way I guess haha. :D

When it came to the lay of the land, Mordecai didn't explore every single nook and cranny in existence. He had when he had first started out on his wandering road, but now he simply gained a keen assessment of the places he had been through. From coastlines and mountain ranges pocketed with everything from hopeful leaders starting their pack to seasoned savages, he had seen a lot. The latter had made him learn to keep passing through, if that was just his intention to begin with. For the time being, he had similar thoughts of doing the same in with the Wilds.

“A few days at best,” he informed Dante with a shrug. “I had been travelling up the coast when I decided to branch off. The mountains and valleys around here caught my eye, I guess you could say. There was plenty of wolfish traffic leading in and out of here.” So no doubt in his mind when he stumbled across it that there would be packs found not too far in. Silvertip Mountain had just been one of them, but he had heard the calls of more in the night. “What about you?” If Dante was willing, Mordecai was equally willing to learn what his fellow traveler had picked up as well.

Alrighty, I shall leave it be then! =]

"I've been here about the same, have been doing the rounds. I think I've passed by almost every packland... at least I would think. There are definitely many who have laid claim here. I've only met a few, however, yourself included." He shrugged. "Not that that is surprising, I've been avoiding getting too close to anywhere. Would rather not pick a fight with a territorial pack."

"We came over the mountains, my companion and I, though she seems to have disappeared into the wind. The mountains too caught our fancy. Reminds me of home, but in a good way." He looked about. He had been sticking mostly to the mountains in his travels, though. The flatlands just weren't as pleasant to cross. They made him feel far too open and exposed when he was used to the forests and cliffs. He had crossed flatlands though to get here from the plateau where he had met Peregrine.

“I can respect that,” Mordecai joined in when Dante mentioned not wanting to pick fights with the packs. He felt the same way. It was easier to try and make peace with them than squabble over food or passage. For the most part, the tawny Ostrega had tried to give any pack a wide berth in which he expected no trouble. And so far, he hadn't encountered any trouble yet. Hopefully it would stay that way and if it didn't, then Mordecai was confident it would be no fault of his own.

But in regards to the companion that Dante had become separated from, Mordecai could only sympathize. He had traveled alone largely, only teaming up with another or any number of others to survive on an as needed basis. It had never been hard for him to find ways to socialize on his own, as there had never been a shortage of equal-minded wayfarer like himself. “I'm sure your friend will turn up. There's a lot of ground out there to cover.” It was a small token of console. He didn't dwell on it long. “Were most of the packs near the coast, or inland further?” Maybe Dante's companion had sought refuge in one of them, he thought.

He was glad Mordecai was of the same mind, if not this meeting could have gone much differently. Sometimes even loners on neutral ground posed a threat. A wolf who was only interested in showing how strong they were or exerting dominance would pick a fight with anyone just to prove a point. Luckily Dante's size tended to make him less of a target. Sometimes, though, strangers had gotten ambitious.

"Hopefully." He did wonder where she had gotten off to. Perhaps she had decided it was time to go different paths. "Most of the packs have been to the north, among the mountains. This is the farthest south I have ventured so far." Ah well. He figured perhaps he would pick a pack and settle in here for a while. She would know where to find him should she return. Maybe something had come up.

So most of the packs were nearer to the coast than he had expected. In a way, this didn't surprise Mordecai too much. There was something about the rise and fall of the tides that drew many of them in, and not to mention the prey that followed the rivers and streams out to sea. Perhaps many of them who had first come to settle in the Wilds had been drawn to what was the basic end of their world as they knew it. He didn't know much about any wolves who had braved the sea to see what lied on the other side, and didn't know much about how they would get there, either.

“I had a feeling there were several here.” There was simply too much foot traffic here, there, and beyond to point out otherwise. Mordecai wondered how well they fared sharing such space with others. “Fancy a bit of exploration, then? I've been following the river for a bit now, figured I may as well see where it goes.” All in all, he couldn't resist standing too still for too long. Maybe that fleeting figure from moments ago was just a scout. But at least he now knew that he wasn't about to be blindly encroaching on someone's territory.

"More than would seem sensible, really, though I suppose they would know better than I how this territory works." Dante replied thoughtfully. He nodded at the prospect of exploration, though. "Surely! I haven't been along the river yet and some company would be grand." He too was a bit interested to see where the river went. He wondered that more packs weren't located closer to it's banks. There must be many other sources of water in these parts if one such as this went unclaimed.

Dante really was happy to explore a bit with Mordecai. Between the two of them trouble would be a lot easier to avoid, for he seemed to have some knowledge of some regions that Dante had yet to travel in.

More than would seem sensible? Well, that certainly left an impression on Mordecai as to how grand that number was. Of course he had no idea where exactly the limits of their little piece of the world ended or started, but there had been quite a few bodies inhabiting the same places. The tawny Ostrega had yet to really go anywhere that he had been truly left to his own devices unless he absolutely tried. And it was usually rare that he did try. But the thought of how many wolves made home in the various packs was laid to rest quickly as he got the agreement he was hoping for. Today, he would not travel alone.

Orienting himself in the way he had been headed before his interruption, he gave the area around them a short study before taking a couple of tentative steps. “I was headed in this direction before all of… whoever it was happened. I think this river comes out at the coast as broad as it is. I don't see it just coming to a slow end anywhere, you know?” He chuckled lightly, letting Dante take up the steed beside him. “Did you come from the north or the south, when you stumbled across this place?” Mordecai had come from the south, but he didn't mean just the river itself. He was curious of the travels that had come before Dante and his companion's arrival to the Wilds.

"I don't. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if it led all the way to the shore." He wondered briefly if this was in part the same river which he had been fishing in before. He hadn't followed it all the way in so couldn't know for sure. It was an impressive flow. Dante, fond of water though he was, wasn't sure he'd want to try his luck in crossing it just here. Necessary though water was it could truly be deadly if not treated with the respect it deserved; as was the case with many things outside of their control.

"I hail from the lands far east of here, though I have passed through these lands in more of a south-bound trajectory. So I guess from the north. There hasn't been much method to my madness in exploring these lands, though." Dante smiled. "I've been a bit of a will-of-the-wisp these past few days. Sometimes it feels as though I'm going in circles though I always end up someplace new." He was normally much more methodical in taking an inventory of a new location. Here he had striven to loosen up, though, and have a more carefree attitude about it. As a result he was having much more fun with the whole experience. That and avoiding trouble. If he had picked a direction and decided to take it all the way he was sure he would have run into pack lands before now. "So, did you come from the south, then?"

He chuckled again — Mordecai wouldn't have admitted it, but he had gone in circles a few times. Sometimes going in a circle was just another way of taking that path less thought of, a roundabout way of punching a reset button without actually starting over. But in all matters, there had been little in Mordecai's life that had been overly circular. Sure, the scenery didn't change and sometimes neither did the personalities he encountered, but the experience was always different. Even if the difference was minute. His travels, not his youth, had been more of a principal figure in shaping who he had become.

“In a matter of speaking, yes.” He had come from the south, and quite literally. But that wasn't something he would so readily divulge. “To be honest, I think getting here required me to go all the directions I could. And that hasn't really changed since I've been here, either. Today you and I might be walking this riverbank, and tomorrow you could be up in the mountains and me at the coast. Or somewhere else entirely.” Other than Jinx's offer, Mordecai hadn't really considered staying permanently in the Wilds. But so far, it was certainly alluring, if only for the fact that it was flourishing in that present moment.

"Right you are. I'll be honest with you, I kind of enjoy that." It was the part of being a lone wolf that he would miss once he finally settled on a pack. He was going to join one eventually, for the perks of being alone did not outweigh the downsides, but he would miss the freedom and the - how would he put it - unpredictability? The idea that he could be in a new place with new wolves and new experiences each and every day. To choose a pack was to anchor oneself to a single location and live out your days there. It was security, yes, but it was also predictable.

"If I do join a pack, it will be strange not to be able to go where I will. To be accountable. I've spent more time alone than I have among others. I wonder sometimes if I even remember how to function within a pack." Dante shook his head. "I know it's kind of stupid, but I think that's another part of why I have been avoiding the ones around here." He wasn't sure why he was telling Mordecai this, surely the other wolf had better things to do than hear him complain. But he felt better for saying it. Conversations with strangers were strange things in themselves... you could give of yourself more and without embarrassment, for like he said, tomorrow they could both be anywhere, and it was likely their paths would not cross again.

As they ventured along, Mordecai took in the sights where the conversation lapsed momentarily. It wasn't much too look at, being a winding riverbank for as far as his eyes could see, but they were alone. Where the foot traffic had been higher when he started along the path, it was beginning to dwindle not even five minutes into their venture. This he found interesting, but instead kept himself focused on the flowing words from his venturing partner. Mordecai found it intriguing that Dante had spent much of his time alone; he couldn't fathom the isolation, let alone if it were intentional or not.

“If you do, you'll remember,” he pointed out, “because if you don't, you'll find yourself on the road soon enough again.” The tawny Ostrega had yet to encounter a pack who didn't ask for anything in return for shelter and access to their stockpiles of covered food. To be blunt, he didn't believe such a pack could exist. “But I don't think I would call it stupid. If you're sure your actions would cause some harm to you in that situation, why bother with it? Pack or not, we're all interested in surviving.” And that was simply why as travelers they had managed to stay alive in the first place.

To an extent, Mordecai wasn't proud of the fact that he had deviated to scavenging off of whatever he found. There had been a time or two when the straits got dire enough that he had stole. Another thing he didn't plan on announcing to the world any time soon. “But don't think that packs don't make use of those of us who wander. Some places have… delicate… how do I put it? Situations? Maybe the word I'm looking for is alliances — either way sometimes they do good to figure out what their neighbors are up to. ” Were they in such a place? He didn't think it was that way, at least not yet.

"I suppose you are right, and if I do forget, perhaps I was meant for the road anyway. There are always other lands and other packs." Dante wasn't a big believer in fate, but he knew better than to try and work against an eventuality. Whatever would happen would happen whether or not he wanted it to; what was the use in worrying? "There is some truth in that, but to be a part of something bigger again... it's worth a bit of risk, finding a family. I may have been a loner most of my life but that doesn't mean I like the solitude. Just happened to work out that way." He shrugged. "I could live like this, sure, but life's only so long. Might as well chase happiness while we can."

"What about you? Is the life of a lone wolf your choosing, or have you found a pack worth settling down in?" Dante had thought he knew the answer when he first met the other wolf, but now he was second-guessing that assumption. He knew what Mordecai was talking about with the making use of wanderers; he had heard tell of a rank, Outrider, that did just that. He doubted his own abilities however in that capacity. He didn't have the speed nor agility to wander too far easily from his home. He did love meeting strangers, though, so perhaps. It would all depend on where he ended up.

Mordecai too had his doubts of being apart of that bigger picture. Not that he didn't like the company of others, but it was often his lifestyle that clashed with some. He grappled, at time, with the ability to stay firmly rooted in one place. It had made him a thorn in the side of his father, who was virtually the opposite to an extent. It wasn't that Mordecai wasn't a loyal creature, he just found himself restless when the beauty of a place, or the inhabitants, became too predictable. Commonplace. He liked unfamiliarity, yet clashed with his own ideals by also wanting those creature comforts that he had been raised with. So far, Mordecai had yet to truly find anywhere that met both of those needs adequately.

“It was my own choice,” he said with a sniff, recalling memories now faded and distant. “And no, I haven't really found a place to settle. For now I'm content with having no one to answer to.” A thin smile graced his face as he gave a glance to Dante. Options aside, Mordecai wasn't quite willing to give up his complete freedom just yet. No doubt there would be nudging to come in their respective futures, though.

"Yet another thing we share. At least we choose our own fate." It could be worse. Dante had met many who took no charge in their own lives. Either extreme could lead to terrible hardship. He liked where he was; the balance was nice.

"It is nice, isn't it? No one to tell you where you should or shouldn't go, when to sleep, when and what to eat. Sure, some are more overbearing than others, but in the end, Alpha comes with rules and restrictions." He looked at Mordecai thoughtfully. "You know, I sometimes wonder if they get as tired of giving orders as their packmates sometimes get of following them." It wouldn't surprise him one bit. Not that he would know.

Mordecai had never really faced the oppression that Dante spoke of. Aside from his youth, only his parents and closest of advisors had really told him when to do or not to do something. But he would not have been surprised if there were leaders that strict out there, leaders who led their packs more like regimes where a set in stone regiment was key, and anything else was tantamount to chaos. But they were canines through and through, and chaos was in all reality simply apart of their lives. If they didn't possess the right amount of smarts to know what to do and what not to do, then their lives became pitifully short.

"If there's someone around here who acts that way, I'm sure they do. I don't think I've seen a wolf who ever told anyone what they could and couldn't eat. Or do." He mused then, pausing thoughtfully in their trail with a tilt of his head. "Do you think there's such a place like that? I mean one that basically dictates everything you can and can't do." Had Dante been somewhere like that? Had anyone? If so, Mordecai felt the bloom of sympathy unfold in him. Perhaps at one point in his life he had felt oppressed, but in hindsight things could have always been worse.