Whitefish River graphite

Let's pretend I didn't just do that :P @Evergreen

Deimos is out early today, his legs stiff from their prone position overnight. His muscles aren't as easy to bounce back as he remembers; maybe it's a sign of him getting older, or maybe it has something to do with the fact he has now been alone for too long.

He's yet to be starved for company, but his fur shows his travels. He'd always been a wolf of naturally smooth fur, but time and wildnerness has snagged it. He'll spend some time later grooming the burrs out of his pelt, but right now he's trying to finagle fish from the white rapids. It's not going too well; either it's too early, or the fish are too smart (or maybe both). The final solution would be he's not a great fisher, but Deimos isn't about to admit defeat. After a fantastical failure, he slaps the shimmering water in frustration with a paw and then leaps into the water after the fish, entirely unaware that there's a seeming bear lurking (and marking) his domain nearby.

Maybe he's becoming a workaholic.

I mean, his mother always mentioned that once he set his mind to something, no one or thing could simply stop him. Evergreen is starting to feel the fatigue, but it's a pleasant burn in his muscles. Makes him feel alive in a strange way, and as if all his efforts are worth it.

Kaistleoki is so close to being within their grasp he can almost see it.

Alas, the bearish wolf goes about his usual routine, marking the territory the group has claimed as theirs. It still feels strange to think of himself in any sort of leadership position, but he likes the idea of protecting the people that have decided to trust him—a clumsy, socially awkward giant of a wolf.

Not everyone has gotten the memo though, so when he hears the splashing of river water, the bear moves. Mostly curious, somewhat territorial. Strange feeling; being possessive of something.

He watches with a mix of amusement and irritation as an unknown male bounces after a fish, and halts his beefy body at the edge of the river. His toes get sprayed by tiny waves. Hungry?

Deimos didn’t think this through. The water was toe-bitingly cold, and his fish? Completely gone without a trace. 

Rueing his decision, Deimos turns around and is clawing through the water like a bedraggled cat, only his head at the surface and ears flat, when he sees there’s a tower of a man lurking on the bank. 

Now Deimos isn’t exactly small, but this guy is a monolith. His height earns him a wary look from sodden Deimos, who manages to pull himself up a nearby bank. Was he hungry? You betcha. Resisting the urge to shake and splatter his companion, Deimos nods but can’t help the sideways comment that slips from his mouth. You’re a big fella, aren’t you? How much does it take to feed a bloke your size? he can’t imagine his single fish would have been enough for this metaphorical leviathan.

His company is polite; manners minded as he drags himself to shore. A rather decent swimmer, and no shaking to be had. Evergreen's mismatched green eyes roam over the soaked stranger; interest piqued. The bearish wolf nonetheless feels off, as if he isn't quite himself at the moment. Bizarre feelings continue. He isn't sure what to make of it.

A laugh spills from his lips, but its brief—a smile lingers though. Uh, more than I'd like to admit. Admittedly, he's lost a bit of weight from his recent journeys back and forth, too. Yet still has a hearty gut, looking a tad too well-fed and maybe that's the luxury of a pack wolf. Easthollow made it easier. Kaistleoki is still new.

Doesn't help I like food, Eve adds, his muzzle wrinkling with amusement as if he might chuckle again. No laughter comes, however, and instead, he simply shifts his weight, turning towards the dark wolf with round ears alert towards him.

You're, uh, sorta trespassing, it feels weird to call him out, but... I can help find you somethin' to eat if you mind our borders in the future. Evergreen proposes, head tilting to the side in question.

Water is dripping off of him in droves with pitter-patter splatters, but Deimos still resists shaking. Big man in the splash zone and all makes for a bad idea; he’s not the type to invite the anger of locals without reason. 

He can tell, though, that something is on the man’s mind. It’s in the way he stands, how he conducts himself. It’s even in the way his laugh trickles off; Deimos watches him, waiting. 

Ah, there it is. He was trespassing. His fur is too sodden to show the lift of fur he feels. Deimos is many things but he’s not a man to trespass: either he’s obvious, or the scents are faded or all-together new. He looks about them, anticipating wolves from the thicket in any second. Really? His tone is one of disbelief, not defensiveness, but he takes a step back down the bank just in case. Yeah. Whoops. I didn’t even realize. You new or something? He’s thankful then that Evergreen doesn’t seem the hostile sort. In a scuff there’s no contest on who would win. He doesn’t want to linger, but isn’t sure where to go since he still can’t smell anything but the water trickling down his face. Does the rest of the pack match your size too?

He thinks it's a fair deal. Easthollow would've likely chased the guy out before he had the chance to utter a word. While the bear is protective of his people, he knows that it's new, knows not everyone is a threat. Unless they prove themselves to be, he'll compromise. Kaistleoki does not need enemies, especially not right now.

Relief floods him as the stranger takes it pretty well. Seems chill about the whole thing for the most part. Evergreen takes his distance as an apology. The bear rotates his broad shoulders, his grin relaxing.

Yeah, he puffs up with pride. Still giddy about the whole ordeal. New, but we're pretty settled now. Just gotta get everyone else on board. Their little group is growing fast, thankfully. Though part of it is... overwhelming to say the least.

Nah, Evergreen amuses. If he's honest, he's the biggest of their group. There's a theme of Kaistleoki having tiny women so far. And he's pretty sure they're ones to actually watch out for. Ankle-biters. Would definitely kick in the nuts and fight dirty if need be. Size isn't a requirement for joining.

Caught rather unexpectedly deep in someone else’s territory, Deimos isn’t sure where to stand. Suddenly it’s like all the dirt under his feet is taboo, and he’s shifting the weight off his paws quickly as possible as if on hot-top. 

The guy is friendly enough; he’s just territorial enough that his possession of the lands is stated, but there’s little hostility, luckily for Deimos. He looks a little more relaxed, maybe forgiving of Deimos’ unintentional slight, which makes Deimos feel his tension fade. Listening with a half tilted velvet lobe, Deimos learns that there’s a band of them settled, though size seems to not be a requirement. Deimos, ever a man that enjoys a joke, feels a grin fan across his features. Is that so? He quips, the grin spreading. What are the requirements? he’s been alone long enough to know the summer of his journey is coming to an end; if he stays a loner much longer, he knows he’ll run into trouble. Better to find a home now when he’s healthy and fit, versus begging at someone’s borders when he’s frail and destitute. Depending on this guy and his pack’s ideals, he might be a good fit... or not; there were enough crazy cultists around that Deimos isn’t going to dive in blind.

If size was a requirement, Eve amuses that it would be one extreme or the other; you must be this tall or this short to enjoy the ride. Average in height? Nope. You're screwed. No fun for you.

Thankfully their joke seems to have cleared a bit of the tension that lingered in the atmosphere around them. Eve hates to be so nervous, and to see someone else feeling the same way makes it even worse. His own smile wides.

Hmm, he hums, mismatched green eyes glancing skyward in thought. Well, the first requirement is that eating fellow packmates is a no-go. Can't have that, Eve jokes. Although he is serious that cannibalism isn't the way to go here. He worried Easthollow wolves would've skinned him and his sister Thistle alive when he first joined up.

Uh, he pauses again. Honestly Kaistleoki is about new beginnings. A lot of us have gone through rough times recently, and we want to move forward. I like to make sure everyone feels like they have some sort of purpose, and they're a part of the pack instead of... a number to keep us filled. Otherwise, we'll take just about anyone who's cool and interested. Maybe he ought to have some long list of "Must Haves", but it feels sort of useless. He isn't gonna require anyone know things, and so long as they put some sort of effort into it... yeah, Eve's happy enough.

Are you? Interested, I mean.

Turns out a joke is a good way to relieve tension budding between strangers. Deimos watches as the terseness seems to dissipate. That's good, he thinks, having half expected to be eaten alive by the semi-bear when he had first been discovered. This man seems to be rather evenly keeled, which is something Deimos can appreciate. Not all wolves tolerate interlopers, and not all wolves seem willing to chit-chat with them when they're discovered.

Deimos stops his shifting pit-pat of his paws once Evergreen's smile widens and he starts to talk about his pack. The name is not familiar to him, so he assumes immediately maybe it's foreign. Or maybe it's not, and it's just a fun way to say 'castle in the pines'... He's certainly intrigued, particularly roped in by the mention of rough starts and new beginnings. Deimos has been through a fair bit himself.. He keeps that under wraps, but certainly can appreciate any wolf striking out for something better.

"Hmm." He seems to roll the idea around in the back of his skull a bit. He really needs a pack, there's no arguing that.. but Deimos doesn't like being underfoot.. especially under the helm of strangers. He's in the 'Interested, But With Reservations'™ percentile. This pack doesn't sound very cultish, but what if he's expected to do something crazy for a contribution? He considers his options carefully and glances Evergreen up and down. "You the boss?"

Being under assessment is yet another circumstance the bearish wolf has to get used to. An eyebrow arches slowly as the still-wet male looks him over. Maybe finding some sort of strength or flaw in the way he stands there unyieldingly. His head tilts at the quiet hum, and Eve nods a touch too fast when he asks if he's the "Boss".

Uh, yeah. Boss isn't the right word for it since he isn't quite here to bark out orders, but, yeah, basically he is. My name's Evergreen.

Deimos' crimson gaze does not linger long. His assessment is brief, leaving no discernable expression in those red pools. He's got his own things to think about, but he's not surprised this hulking man is the boss. He flashes Evergreen a short smile meant to show he's not put-off in any way, though he still feels guilty standing on claimed soil.

"Deimos. Established starchaser, vagrant, and now, I guess, established accidental trespasser."  He answers in turn, the tip of his sodden tail curled as he smiled jokingly. "So, uh, Kastleloki, you said?" It's a terrible pronounciation of the word and Deimos realizes shortly thereafter he hadn't pronounced 'Kaistleoki' correctly. "Yeah, I'm interested.. but one thing --" He pauses and cants his head to the side, peering at Evergreen out of the corner of his red eyes. This is going to be hard to say, but he has to say it. "I just got out of being under someone's thumb. It's not for me. I don't want to answer to anyone or be below anyone, except the boss."  His gaze flickers to Evergreen meaningfully: he really means that. He's his own damn independent woman man and had only just discovered how liberating it was to not be reined in by other people. "I stay out of people's fur, and can teach anyone who wants to know about the stars... so...

Are you..? Interested, I mean." His features crack in a wide grin as he jokingly calls back to how Evergreen had spoken just a moment before.

Sorry about the delay! Ended up crashing earlier than expected yesterday,,, smh

Deimos. He has quite the resume; long accomplishments joking spilled out, and Eve can appreciate the humor behind it. He chuckles, unable to resist the temptation yet suppressing the urge to release a full blown laugh.

Pleasure to meet you, Sir Deimos, accidental trespasser, and starchaser. Vargant could be added, yet he prefers to remain optimistic that title will disappear. It appears the red-eyed wolf is interested, after all. His head shakes, confirming that Kastleoki is incorrect—Deimos cannot add proper pronunciation to his resume. If only he knew the truth behind the made-up word, for it is nothing as fancy as another language, or "castle of pines". A mishmash of names instead that flows off the tip of the tongue well enough. A namesake that will hopefully live for generations pass his own.

Kaistleoki, he pronounces again, with a shy smile, stressing the 'ai' in "kai".

His head tilts in question, listening careful to the proposal the lone wolf lays out. If he's honest, it sounds fair enough. He can't say he blames him really, for wanting to only answer to one wolf rather than dealing with a strange pecking order typical hierarchies have.

Oh I'm interested, he hums, mirroring the wide grin of Deimos. If you promise not to eat anyone, you got yourself a deal... and a new home.

It’s a tall ask that Deimos is requesting, and he knows it. He’s not a man that’s reproachful to pack life, but he’s not about to give up his newfound freedom either. If he can just find a pack that happily balances both... His gaze rests on Evergreen in anticipation, awaiting the man’s verdict. Would he accept, or turn Deimos back out to the wilds?

He accepts; Deimos hedges out a soft sigh, the smile still evident. There was mention of not eating packmates - ew, Deimos is a lot of things but certainly not a cannibal. He demonstrates this with a boyish bow that is exaggerated but full of humor. Okay, no eating the packmates. Got it... wait.. they’re not rabbits or fish or the likes, right? Because why else would you eat them?

Sorry for the delay again! :( Would you be okay if we wrap this up here? I'd love a newer thread with these two

Hmm, I don't think so, but you never know, they could be rabbits in disguise. If they are fish in disguise, however, Deimos would not be their only danger. Evergreen's love of the sea creatures is irresistible. He gives a hearty chuckle, amused by their shenanigans and how playful the newest Kaistleoki recruit can be. There is much they have to learn about each other, however, and he should introduce him to the others, even if Deimos won't be answering to them directly.

Let me show you around, Eve suggests, and moves to guide him deeper into Kaistleoki territory. Hopefully now the dark male has the space to shake himself free of water, last thing the bear wants is for him to get a cold. But while they wander, Eve would ramble further about how the group operated and who called it home.

Rabbits in disguise sounds like a fun sort of pack, until one of the wolves gets hungry. Deimos thinks this is a quirky kind of idea, and stows away a smile as he pads after Evergreen. 

Being a lone wolf for so long, Deimos can’t help but feel his shoulders lighten. Like a weight had been lifted. Maybe here is where he will start his new adventure; his eyes certainly are bright with hope while he’s shown around his new home.