Fox's Glade A decision

@Keoni

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He had had some time to think. Which was something he was dreading doing. All this time he had tried to distract himself, but distractions only lasted for so long and the real issues eventually found the surface. Though he wouldn't be ready to talk it over with anyone else, which would really be the way to cope with it, he was beginning to see what it was that needed to be done. 

A pack was needed. A place where he could have some purpose, motivation to go on living his life without her. But he didn't want to make the same mistake he had made when he first arrived in the Teekon Wilds when he began joining Teaghliagh. The pack he joined, he would put hard effort into, maybe more then was needed, which really wouldn't be the worst thing.

He entered into the fox glade. The first place he had meet Valette and subsequently Eziekiel. The two males had meet a few times after that, but he hadn't seen Valette since. A thought that fluttered through his find for a few moments. At the time she had invited him into the pack. He wondered if the invitation still stood, or if he would want to accept it. He hadn't asked any questions about the pack back then to see if it would be the right fit, but maybe now would be the time.

The girl had wandered from the borders for the first time in ages, steps taking her towards the Fox's Glade. Cold slipped through her fur; genetics had left her with a sparse coat, that filled out somewhat in the winter but still left her cold. Needless to say, she was no looking forward to the snows, and decided that she ought to approach Krypton for mentorship soon, lest winter claim all the herbs and greenery before she had a chance to learn about them. She didn't know if any other in the pack had the skill that Krypton did, which left her as the only viable mentor.

She was distracted by the appearance of another, a dark-coated male. She paused, wary, off-put by any stranger since the incident with the dark girl. Still, she didn't slip away immediately, instead standing, wavering, and watching.

As he wondered though the fox glade heading in the direction of Easthollow, Howl was first meet by the sight of a young female. She wasn't a pup but she didn't look like a full fledged adult, possibly around the age of a yearling. Her coat was a mixture of gray tones and her legs and muzzle were a darker color. 

She was cute, but Howl had been worn out of his current endevors with past females to be in a flirtasious mood. But he was always a gentleman to some point, so he went up to her and greeted her by saying "Good day ma'am."

He approached her readily as soon as he spotted her, and she swayed the slightest on her feet, deciding whether to stay or slip away. It was never too late for an exit; but when quite suddenly he was before her and greeting her, she could bring herself to leave. She hummed a little note, a nervous greeting, gaze cool in contrast. She passed her gaze over him briefly, as if in evaluation, and gave a little nod of her head, tail raised now in quiet confidence as she gathered herself. She canted a lobe towards him in silent question, wondering at his identity and presence here in the glade.

She didn't respond, instead she hummed lightly and looked him over. He thought it rather odd when she didn't respond. She didn't have a look on her face that would be read as annoyed or displeased. The expression Howl would have expected from someone who simply chose to not reply to a greeting or even ignore one.

He waited from a few moments, wondering if she would say anything. After alittle bit he added, "My name is Howl. What's your name?" he introduced himself and asked if she would do the same. He thought that maybe faced with a direct question she would feel the need to respond.

She merely shook her head sadly at the male's question, gaze glinting with some emotion not immediately decipherable. This was why she ought not to leave the pack's borders, she decided, that fact that her love of adventure had declined rapidly after the incident, and coupled with her loss of speech, made this the first time that she had left the pack's borders in a while. If the male still didn't catch on; she supposed that she could simply show him; though it still made her uncomfortable to do so.

[algin=justify]
But instead of introducing herself or saying anything she simply shook her head. He thought about how the response would have sounded if she had spoken it, simply telling him no when he asked for her name. It took him a moment, but it seemed as though it wasn't that she didn't want to give her name, but that she physically couldn't.

He felt alittle embarrased to asked but, "Um... Sorry if this is a dumb question but... are you choosing not to speak?.. Or is it that you can't speak?" he said waiting a moment to see what her responce would be. "Of course if you can't speak you can't really respond... but." he finished. His statement open ended, not sure what to say until he found out the answer. His expression was one filled with slight curisority. 

she offered only a small shake of her head, sad smile on her muzzle. perhaps she ought to limit outside encounters, she hardly saw the use for them if neither party could get much across in ways of words. can't  she mouthed, unsure if the mere motions of her lips would be able to get the message across; in most cases, it seemingly didn't.

She shook her head to say no, which was surprising to say the list. She went on to mouth something, and even though Howl wasn't sure the words she mouthed it clearly demonstrated her inability to do so. Howl had never meet a wolf unable to speak, other then very young pups. He had heard of mute wolves before, but it was still somewhat of a mystery to him. He wondered why it was she couldn't speak. Had she been able to speak before? But all these questions couldn't be answered easily, at least not by her. 

He could see the saddened expression on her face and so he replied "That's alright." in an attempt to make her not feel so bad. But it took him a few moments to think of what to say next. Especially with her being a stranger he wasn't sure how this conversation... interaction would lead. I mean, in any regular situation if you went up to someone and spoke and they simply didn't reply one might think to walk away. But it wasn't that she was choosing not to speak, it was that she couldn't, or at least thats what Howl thought she was trying to tell him. 

"Are you from around here... I mean where are you from. You can just gesture or point if you like." he thought this to be a normal question between strangers, and though that this yes or no question followed by one that could be answered non verbally might be a way for them to begin their interaction. 

she regarded the male for a moment, and after a moment made her decision. beckoning to him that he ought to follow, she slipped towards the general direction of Easthollow, glancing back once to see if he would take her up on her offer to show him. perhaps he was a scout, or something of the like, and someone from home might be able to answer his questions better than herself.