He ran and ran and ran, it felt like he's been running forever. What a nightmare, everything happend so fast, yet he was able to see all the events rolling in his mind clearly. He wanted to believe it was all a dream, something he would just wake up from. But he couldn't wake up when he was already awake. It's all too real, first his parents then his siblings. Everyone he thought that were friends ended up being total strangers. He was unaware of why all pack members turned against his family. he was chased out and spared, there was reason to believe that it was only because it was winter. They obviously believed he wouldn't survive.
Now he was here in some frozen wasteland. It was nothing like he seen before. The ground was smoochy with the mix of frozen mud and water. Running here was harmful so he switched to walking carefully. As he walked it felt like it was getting colder. His paws were freezing, He couldn't stop here. For all he knows he could still be hunted.
He wanted to find some place dry so he could try to warm up but instead he focus on trying to find the end of marsh. He didn't know how long it would take to get at of here but hopefully it was soon. He started questioning why he kept going. Why was he going through with this? What seemed to push him forward was the fact that he was the last one. Wouldn't that mean he was really the special one?
In an effort to clear his mind, he finds himself away from the pack once more. Not because it doesn’t feel like home anymore, it does, but because of how much has changed in just a matter of weeks. It’s a lot at one time and Ukko thought he’d been ready for it once upon a time but he isn’t so sure, not with how it all plays out.
He passes through the plains without hesitating, he doubts he’d see Capri again so soon after seeing her once, and decides to keep going. The immediate area surrounding his home is largely unexplored. Ukko much prefers staying closeby, especially after the attack on Scarlett and Saena’s disappearance and how she returns.
The sight of another wolf catches his attention, awkwardly walking through the marsh. The ground beneath his own feet were a mix of hard and slush, forming between his paw pads and freezing uncomfortable. Why the other had continue to go, he’s uncertain, but Ukko hesitates a deep approach and instead barks at the other wolf from where he stands.
The cold was very tiring now that he wasn't running anymore. The colder it felt the more he didn't want to move but staying here would only result of him freezing to death. He held on to the thought of being the last of his family as if everyone was counting on him to survive. How much farther did he have to go to reach some place he could stay? He never got a chance to mourn his lost. For now those feelings were frozen, He needed to focus on survival first.
He heard a bark, he turned to see a wolf not far from where he is. He didn't know what kind of wolves lived here but he didn't care. Someone was here, which meant he could get help. Immediately he made his way to the stranger with hope restored. If there was someone here then there is bound to be some place he could dry his paws and warm up. With all that's happend it kind of felt strange to be happy. He was just glad to see someone.
Running wasn't possible so it took a little time to reach the wolf. "Hello!" He yelled as he continued to approach. Once close enough he started expressing his joy. "I've never been so happy, to see a total stranger."
It was a little bit too cold to be able to pick up any pack scent but the stranger should know more of the area. "Please tell me that, there are others out there. nearby?" He asked, already running out of breath. If there was thing that could get his spirits up it would be being in the company of other good wolves. He continued to get closer up until there was just a meter in between. It's obvious he was happy to see someone, there was no hiding it.
The bark gets the other wolf’s attention and for a moment, Ukko is uncertain of how he will react. His shoulders tense and draw together, lifting one paw on unsteady ground as he lights up and makes his way toward him. It’s sloppy and difficult and his own legs hurt just from watching but the other greets him with more excitement than the dark wolf expects. Ukko doesn’t offer a verbal greeting just yet, letting the other catch up to him, when he doesn’t make an effort to close the distance. He doesn’t have much interest in trying to wade the mud slushy.
Before Ukko is able to speak, he’s asked about what’s nearby and he offers a slight smile and nod of his head. “There is a pack nearby. Though I didn’t notice any others on my way up here,” he tells him. He doesn’t know much else about the rest of the area or the coastal territories. He knows there’s a pack a little more south than his own and he imagines there are more in the area, especially now that Capri’s home is coming together. She isn’t too far off, at least.
“Are you looking for something?”
It was good to know that he wasn't alone out here. Although he had recently lost everything he was eager to meet other wolves. It was starting out well, with no hostile actions. It was hard to imagine someone having ill intentions towards a stranger. But it also difficult to imagine wolves killing each other for selfish reasons. He has already asked himself where bad intentions come from, He doubts they come from birth. That would only leave the possibility of it growing over time. He has yet to figure where the source of these problems could be.
"Right now I could really use some place dry and warm, at least dry." He said speaking for his frozen paws. He needed his paws if he wanted to survive the winter but he would also need the help of others. He was hoping the stranger would help. There was no way he would forget owing someone.
Then he introduced himself "I'm Esaro. and well, I recently became the last one of my family." He felt a little sad sting from saying that. His family just suddenly disappeared, he was never going to see them again. "Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated. I do intent to return the favor one day." Esaro was still have to have met someone and has his hopes raised but the sadness he was holding in was slowly breaking through, it could be seen in his eyes.
The wolf is forward with what he wants—or needs—but Ukko doesn’t hand it out right away. The wolf’s intentions are vague. He seeks a place to dry and warm himself, not something that states stability. He decides against speaking out until he’s heard everything and it doesn’t take long for the wolf to introduce himself and, subsequently, raise a few more flags of alarm. As much as Ukko doesn’t want to jump to conclusions, the information laid before him leaves his stomach knotted.
“You’ll have to explain,” Ukko decides, shifting his weight and puffing out his chest. “I’m not leading whatever it is you have going on to my home.”
Ukko doesn’t even know if they would help out a straggler and set him free, even if he could do something that would repay them. The resources they had were for their members, not passersby wanting a handout. Even if they wouldn’t help, Ukko can do what he can. He jerks his nose for the other to follow and takes a few steps back until the ground is solid.
“And how do you expect you’d repay your helper?” he asks once the dirt doesn’t move beneath his feet. It’s still cold, and snow is on the ground, but at least the slush isn’t coating their toes anymore.
The male didn't share a name in return but that didn't bother him that much. He realized that the stranger wasn't as quick to trust as he was. Esaro could only half understand why the male would want to know more before making a decision. A little insurance was probably what was wanted nut normally it shouldn't be necessary.
He moved onto more solid ground before explain his situation. "Well if you want the short version, the pack I grew up in turned against my parents and siblings. It all happend so fast that it was like everything disappeared within seconds in front of me. They didn't chase me down for long but I kept running to be sure and ended up here."
"I never had the chance to say goodbye to them." He said with a bit of sadness. He started shaking his paws in the opposite direction trying to shake off some mud and water. His spirit wasn't down yet and he gave a little grin. "I counted on sticking around so I could offer a helping paw when ever needed. Besides it's not like I have a place to go to anymore. I just don't think I can survive a winter alone." Esaro was trying to express his good intentions but he couldn't force anyone to trust him so easy, It was all up to them.
The story Esaro offers him makes him frown and he waves his tail a few times and relaxes his shoulders just a little. He felt for the loner, losing his family. In some ways, Ukko misses his own family but, the last he’d seen them, they were alive. To have the whole pack turn on them didn’t allow his alarm to settle back and he remains uncertain on whether or not he’d want to lead the wolf back to his home. If he were going to prove himself as a leader—even with the conflict over the last several days—he couldn’t lead disasters to their core.
“I’m sorry to focus on this but why did they turn against your family?” he asks in the most delicate way possible. He’s not on the borders of Phoenix Maplewood and instead on neutral ground where he can’t enact any sort of protocol, but if Esaro turns out to be unsavory, he’d rather the other not know where he calls home.
He at least offers his stay to the pack. Their numbers are small but they get by, at least, but for the winter they could use extra paws to keep them together. Does he even have the power to welcome someone to the pack? He wrinkles his nose slightly in consideration before brushing that off. He has plenty of time to figure it out, or so he thinks.
“I’m Ukko,” he finally introduces now that he feels relatively comfortable. “And what ca—” he breaks off as a few flakes fall from the sky and land on his nose. He blinks past a few that stick to his eyelashes then jerks his head for the other to follow. He can find out what the other’s good at, what he can do to benefit his home, when they find shelter against the snow that begins to come down harder by the minute.
Ukko finally gave his name which gave Esaro a little sense that maybe he was slowly gaining trust but it wasn't there yet. The snow began falling again. At first he ignored it but apparently it was a sign of a problem. It's cold and being out in a blizzard would be a nightmare. He was depending on Ukko to at least offer a little shelter. It was time to get moving again.
Before really moving anywhere Esaro decided to reply to the question. "Honestly I don't know the reason. I didn't see anything wrong with any of them. They all acted like family up until the end. It really does feel like it was all some sort of play put together now."
The wind was starting to blow harder in one direction. Talking now was pointless, it would have to wait until later. He hoped that shelter wasn't far, He was tired of being cold without the possibly of warming up. Thanks to Ukko these problems would soon be over and then he would have time to think for himself. Process everything that happend and then grief for his lost. All the bonds he had were gone, they were either broken or fake.
Esaro was really looking forward to seeing other wolves. This time he would make sure his bonds were as real as could be. He had to avoid the risk of everything repeating itself. This meant he was going to have to check on all his friends every day once he finds them all. Esaro looked at Ukko. Here is the first friend.
Ukko doesn’t get a chance to answer as the snow continues to fall, a light dusting along his backside, and he sets off the way he’d come. There had been sight of a ridge not far from where he’d started and if he could find a cave, they’d be out of the snow falling in clumps from the ground. It builds up on the snow already on the ground, softly touching his paws and ending in a hard crunch when he puts his weight down.
Eventually he comes upon the ridge overlooking the marsh but seeing more than a few feet in front of him is proving to be difficult. He tries to navigate the new terrain, glancing only once in a while over his shoulder to make sure the wolf is following. He has little time to think through what he’d been told until he comes across an indent in the earth, the wall angling back under a ledge that provides shelter from the snow.
With several deep breaths, trying to regain his composure, smoke forms in front of his face as he tries to side with the wall to avoid the wind. The snow doesn’t ease up, dusting under the ledge, but the wind begins to slow and casting the flakes at a slight angle. Once he’s able to steady himself, he looks out to check on Esaro. He'd been spared by his old pack and Ukko bites back the question why, knowing he's unlikely to get an answer if he doesn't know anymore than he claims.
The weather wasn't getting worse. Heavy snow fall with some wind, Esaro kind of imagined it getting really bad. It wouldn't have been surprising with all the sudden chaos he experienced. The visibly wasn't great, Luckily Ukko was black colored which made it easier to keep track of where he was going. So he followed, wondering how much farther they had to walk in the heavy snow fall.
The problem was the piling snow so they kept going until along the ridge until a hole was found. It was really like a carved bowl on the side. Ukko was first to make use of it.
"They probably thought I wouldn't survive winter alone, I did manage to outrun them though." Saying that Esaro felt a little unspecial, as if he wasn't worth all the trouble of catching. They didn't really try to catch him. The actual chase lasted a couple of seconds but Esaro didn't take any chances and just ran as far as he could.
There wasn't a lot of room after Ukko settled along the wall. Naturally Esaro went to the opposite side but was facing Ukko instead of outside. He pushed against the wall in hopes to avoid the wind. His half end was long the wall but the other half against Ukko's warm half end which was a in the way. Getting too close to someone didn't bother Esaro at all, he would guess it was the same for Ukko. Esaro was glad to have help. If it wasn't for Ukko he would likely be out there freezing. A temporary shelter and a little bit of warmth was already given.
"I really owe you for the help." He said with a friendly smile.
Sorry for the delay. I've been sick and my dog is having surgery today and just, ugh. I'll try to keep up with it.
It doesn’t bother him so much that he can feel the other on him, he is doing a good deed and the other had been traveling a lot longer and a lot harder than he. Ukko had just been out for no particular reason other than to be out. The other is friendly enough, eager, and just maybe he’s telling the truth that he doesn’t know what happened, that he can’t think of another reason the pack would turn on his family. If it to be the case, sparing his life only meant he’d be useless to them and not anything to worry about.
“My pack is about a day from here,” he told the wolf. Perhaps the only pack close enough to them, too. He isn’t entirely sure where Capri’s pack is, other than it being on the mountain range. He’d visit, soon enough, but winter will hit them soon enough and travel would be unwise, for either of them. Even if he’d prefer her coming home with him. He brushes off the thought, realizing he’s losing his focus on the wolf behind him. “What are you good at?” he asks, swinging his head around to garner his expression, “what can do you for us if I take you in?”
You can do it! You can do it! You and your dog shall survive!
Esaro must have been quite lucky to cross Ukko. There are a lot of possible places to be after a day of travel. Just the word pack was enough to make him want to go visit. Even without owing anything to Ukko He'd go see them all. Unfortunately Esaro would always believe them to be friendly.
Then came the big question, what was he good at. First he was going to say maybe he was good at running but hesitated thinking that it wouldn't be so useful. He actually needed to think about it. The problem was nothing particularly stood out. What was he good at? He's done a bit of everything really but not good enough to say he was good at it. He has always been there for others and always offered to help out which is where his jack of all trades would come from but he was no way close to mastering anything.
"Uh, well I suppose I'm good at listening at given instructions." He finally said. It was Ukko's turn to judge if that was even useful at all. Esaro felt sure that helping out everyone is helpful in a way but wasn't too sure if it was useful.
"I'm sure I can make myself as useful as need to be." He added, saying he was willing to work at it if necessary.
Ukko frowns when he’s answered, turned away and looking out into the snow falling. It’s only a temporary distraction as he listens, hoping for something else the wolf might be good at other than he can follow orders. Esaro isn’t batting very well but he wants to give the wolf a chance to prove himself; his gut doesn’t warn him otherwise. The wolf takes a heavy breath, trying to ease the tension along his neck.
“Is that all?” he decides to ask. Following orders is a good trait to have, at least, but with the blanks not filling in well, he’s uncertain. “How well can you hunt? Or fight?” And what if he brings a pack of angry wolves to his doorstep? Ukko shakes the thought from the forefront of his mind and hoping Esaro gives him a little hope, a little more of a reason to take him back home.
Sorry he's a turd, hahaha.
Being 100% nice isn't as entertaining :P Even Esaro is bound to do something out of line eventually
Clearly what Esaro thought was useful wasn't enough. Ukko wanted details, specific areas where Esaro was good at but that didn't exist. He was able to hunt, able to fight, he even knows a few things about herbs. To say he was good at it didn't exactly fit it. What was really needed to help out? Was helping out just not good enough?
He didn't want to sound inconfident in his abilities so he spoke up a little louder.
"I can fight and I can hunt, I even know a little bit about herbs." He answered. He wanted to avoid saying he didn't have talent any where among those. It's still possible that he could have talent somewhere but he hasn't done enough to discover it. Esaro was determined to prove he could be useful even without being skilled at anything.
"Your help won't go to waste, I can promise that."
The promise here felt easy to keep. Esaro didn't feel like he could do anything special but helping out shouldn't be too hard. He would actually enjoy it.
I haven't quite figured out how to add people, so could you apply to the group membership and I can get you titled up. :)
Esaro covers up his former words and gives him an idea of what he can do. A wolf that can’t defend himself wouldn’t make it. He’d been chased away from his home but he didn’t fight back—for reasons Ukko can understand—but nonetheless the information is there. With a quiet hum, he nods his head and watches as the snow begins to shift but it doesn’t come down any harder. The ground is covered, blanketed by the snow. Travel back home wouldn’t be the most pleasant.
“You have no merit with promises to wolves that don’t know you,” he decides, looking down at his paws lightly dusted with flakes. “Once it eases up, we’ll go. Phoenix Maplewood is my home, and I am their Beta. Reek and Saena are my Alphas.”
He shakes his head a little, using a paw to wipe across his face the snow that collected and had melted from his body heat but freezes his fur the longer it remains there.
Then would that mean this is consider as a joining thread? This thread can end here which means we could start another thread within pack ground where Ukko could explain rules or objectives or whatever thing is the thing, if you want to. unless you prefer dumping Esaro on the alphas xD
Esaro felt his worth being questioned. He was more used to the idea of others believing in him knowing fully well he wasn't an expert at any subject. Back then he felt special due to the fact his father was counting on giving him the Alpha position one day. His father never shared the reason for it but it at least made Esaro believe he had something special. But now being out here, away from everyone, there was a feeling that what made him special had disappeared or was left behind. His confidence was wavering. What if he wasn't able to meet Ukko's expectations or he decides that he wasn't worth the effort or the help?
Already there was no turning back. The decisions were made and Esaro had made a promise. There was no doubt that Ukko or the Alphas would put that promise to the test. If that time ever comes then all he could do was do his best and hope that his best was enough.
At the same time Esaro felt a little honored to be in the presence of a beta, which means Ukko must be great at something or at least proven that his abilities were at a high level. But if Esaro was going to be Alpha one day then that meant he would have to do better than Ukko. That didn't sound possible to do. Esaro wanted to question his father if only he could. Did father see something special or was it just high expectations? He was loaded with self doubt, how could he ever fill the Alpha position with no talent in anything?
"Even if I'm not known. I do intend to keep the promise I made. I'll show everyone in your pack that it was worth helping me out." He said in attempt to give himself a goal to focus on. This would be the first time he would have to prove himself to others. It was truly different from home where he was accepted just like that. The promise was easy to made but to keep it sounded like a very difficult challenge that was up ahead. Already it was fairly difficult to convince Ukko but what about the others? In any case Esaro was going to have to try, and if that didn't work he was just going to have to try again and again.
With the hard work up ahead, Esaro was starting to miss the happy life at home. But that world he knew was now gone forever.
I figured it would be, if you were okay with that? Since you did the group membership anyway. :P I was planning on starting a thread a little bit after this one in timeline for them to see how it's going. Ukko would have told him a little bit more/maybe asked a few more questions during this time but we don't have to pick up there. I am going to work on the new thread, though. :)
Esaro tries to pile on to his promise despite his suggestion but doesn’t push it away. He goes quiet, for the moment, as she considers what’s ahead of them. Once the snow lightens, they can go, but in the meantime traveling when you can barely see more than four feet in front of you isn’t ideal. Ukko goes to a few extra measures to make sure he’s comfortable, glancing back over his shoulder.
Once the snow begins to ease, after talking to his new companion for a little while longer, he begins the trek back to his home. With Esaro in tow, having spoken most of what he can in the cavern, it’s relatively quiet.