He had scouted a few territories and was about to turn and head back to the hollow, but his paws took him further west instead. He was not done wandering, not ready to return to the routine he had set up for himself. He felt as though he was looking for something, that he was perhaps missing something, but he had not the slightest idea what that could be. He shrugged it off, figuring he was still adjusting to his new life and all that came with it. It was a big change from the one he had lead, and truthfully, was something he was entirely new to. He had grown up in a pack, sure, but the bulk of his adult life had been lead alone as a drifter.
The Swiftcurrent was running clear and cool. He stepped to its bank and took a long drink, savoring the taste and crispness of the water. Before he had finished, he felt a tickle in the middle of his back, and soon a nagging itch. He whipped his head around to nip at it, but could not reach. He bounded over to the nearest tree, rubbing himself against it, but still he could not reach it. So, in a carpet of fallen leaves the blue-nosed wolf did roll, and in this he found satisfaction. Tongue lolling, he wriggled back and forth on the ground, scratching his back and the rest of his body as he rolled around the leaves.
Having confirmed that yes, wandering far and wide on behalf of the Plateau was a legitimate job, Behati wasted no time in trying for the trade. Trying - pah! She was practically married to the road; there was no wolf more qualified.
Like Luke, it was an itch she had to scratch - figuratively speaking. She nosed her way across the valley and onto the banks of the Swiftcurrent, unaware that much of her aunt's life had played out here. There, partially hidden by the tree that could not satisfy him, was Luke.
Behati crept forward, cautious but twice as curious. Was the guy's face.. blue? "Hey, guy! Your face!" she barked at him, tail wagging behind her. "Where did you find blueberries? Will you share?"
His antics carried on for several, blissful moments that relieved his itch and somehow made him feel better all over. Just as he gathered his feet beneath him and gave his coat a good shake, he saw that he had an audience, and she had seen that his features were not quite normal. He chuckled heartily, his own tail dancing behind him. "Oh those blueberries," he said with a flick of his paw, which might have been a snap of his fingers had he been human. "Where did I leave them?" He made to 'search' for these berries with exaggerated head movements, allowing his equally blue tongue to slip out and loll to one side momentarily, before he drew it back in as he turned to face her. He flashed her a cheeky grin, wondering her reaction to this silly game of his, if she would even catch on that there were no berries.
Luke was pulling her leg. Behati waited a good four or five seconds for the blueberries to appear before she realized it, and stuck her tongue out right back at the stranger when realization hit. "Ha, ha!" she chided him, approaching for a closer look at his strangely coloured face. Nothing about her posture suggested that she was being particularly cautious. His nose and tongue were both blue, but the rest of him seemed to be standard issue wolf - four legs and a head, all of it white. "Do you live here, Blueberry?" the dessert-coloured female asked, looking around for any signs of a pack. It didn't smell like a place that housed wolves, but Behati was no expert. Maybe they didn't do a lot of peeing.
It took her a moment, but she finally caught on to his jest. She moved in, inspecting his nose, and he did not mind. Rather, he was quite welcoming, with his tail swaying gently."Yep!" he chirped an answer to her question. "Well, no not here," he hastened to clarify. "I live east, in a hollow. Lost Creek Hollow to be specific. What about you?" There was a hint of something familiar about her scent, but he could not place it to the birches and pines of the plateau.
Lost Creek Hollow, Blacktail Deer Plateau.. the packs seemed to themselves and their territory in one go, and all of them favoured a mouthful. Behati cocked her head and stepped back from her inspections, fixing curious eyes on Luke's face. She would soon find out the hard way that encounters like this were rare, and that the world wasn't the happy-clappy face her father had painted for her. His coddling might cost the young wolf her life day.
"And are you like.. the alpha guy? I'm 'from' Blacktail Deer Plateau," she told him, her tone drawing the quotes quite clearly. "Tryin' it out, seeing if the settled life is for me." She felt the need to impress, and hamming up her lone wolf background was the go-to. The statement sounded lame and childlish, but Behati didn't hear it.
Luke shook his head 'no', though he grinned and took her assumption as a compliment that he should look and act the part of an alpha. Founding a pack of his own had been a possibility when he arrived in these parts, something he had briefly entertained the thought of, but it had never become a serious consideration and he was not sure if he felt himself suitable to the role with his impulsive ways and wanderlust.
"I have met a lot of great wolves from the plateau," he nodded. "In fact, the alphas of the hollow are from there." It did not show how disappointment flickered within his chest, reminded that his alphas did not depart the plateau pack on good terms. "So what do you think so far of the settled life?"
Luke didn't jump on the passing Whinge Wagon, but instead inquired politely about her experiences with pack life thus far. Behati decided that this was more than a passing 'hello', and settled down to answer. "OK I guess," she told him cooly and with a little shrug, "But I kind miss being on the road, you know?" It was partially true; she missed her father, not necessarily the cold. What would this homebody know about any of that? "So.. you were born in another pack, then?" If the Plateau predated Lost Creek Holow, it wasn't likely to be this guy's birth pack.
He knew, and he nodded quietly. He had spent most of his life as a lone wolf, and he was still adjusting to his role as a member of a pack. He had believed it something he had wanted, to have a place to call home, to have the constant social outlet of his fellow wolves, and yet he felt discontent in some aspects. Lone wolf life had fatigued him, true, but he missed the freedom to follow his whims, of meeting new faces and of having no care in the world. He had no routine, no responsibilities, and although it was not without its challenges, he felt rather alive in his travels.
"I was born far north of here. I know what you mean, missing being a lone wolf, for I travelled for most of my life before I finally settled here. I like it where I am, but sometimes I feel restless."
Been there, done that. Luke had apparently spent his whole life on the road - alone, no less - which was more than Behati could claim. Embarrassed, the younger wolf mumbled something about always having her father for company; she had never been one hundred percent alone, and was starting to doubt that she would ever have survived without daddy. That, too, was embarrassing - and oddly infuriating. Behati's entire concept of identity was based around being this badass ranger, but there was little substance to the claim if you really looked.
"So.. maybe you could take like a break?" she suggested, suddenly struck by an idea. It brightened her face like a bulb. "Oh - and me! I could go too!"
Take a break? He was silent as he could not help but consider the words, but said consideration was fleeting. He was quick to remember the pack was still but a fledgling in its nest. It was too soon for a break. Too soon, even, for him to feel a draw to return to his former life and relative care-free existence. He shook his head. "I could not," he said softly, as if disappointed in this realization. Perhaps he was. "I am needed. The pack is new, and I could not abandon my companions." He offered her a somewhat apologetic smile, that he had to turn her down when her face had lit up with the idea of travelling along side him.
If Luke had indeed lived a wanderer's life, any restlessness he felt was superseded by his duty to the pack. Behati frowned at him, at once disappointed but also hopeful - that she, too, might come to feel a connection to a pack that wasn't just pretence.
"Well, your loss! I'm ditching mine and heading out!" she replied smilingly, disguising this second and more delicate thought. Luke could sit there with his pack and his duties - she was going to pursue a life of free-spirited badassery. To hell with Blacktail Deer Plateau! Or.. well, there was Casmir. And Pearl. And she rather liked Lasher and Dante. So maybe it would just be for today. A strange look passed over Behati's face as the doubt crept in, and she was quick to bid the stranger a "Laters!" and rush off, heading east but knowing full well that she would double back as soon as he was out of sight.