Marcello's feet ached─his bones creaked, and hadn't felt this alive in many years.
The sun above beamed out of a cloudless morning sky as he followed his nose down the sloping terrain to a natural bog. The humid, earthy smell of moss and natural decay was so pungent beneath the warmth of the sun that he nearly coughed from the sheer intensity of it. He'd been a mountain-dweller his entire life; this experience was far from foreign, but he could not recall off the top of his head a bog this large within twenty miles of Hurricane Ridge.
He could smell the heady aroma of wolf marking in the air, but it wasn't until he came across an old, rotting log that it became apparent he was entirely too close to a claimed territory. Marcello threw his ears forward and leaned down to sniff at the urine; it wasn't older than a day at most, and came from a hale wolf. He couldn't tell, however, if the wolf was male, female, or how old. Just that it was a wolf, and this was their home.
A surge of something resembling anxiety raced down his spine but he didn't turn tail. There was a thread of curiosity tickling at the base of his jaw─what would possess a pack to live here? His eyes scanned the horizon, tail limp behind him, but head raised well above the reeds. He could see the spotty copses that made up the greater woodland, but it lacked the rich, dense forests that he was accustomed.
"How weird." He muttered to himself as he turned away from the marker and back towards the trail.
Ambrosia was patrolling the borders and off in her own little world, only barely paying attention. Her lemon eyes were on the clouds until the scent of a male tickled her nose. Her tail raised and her hackles puffed out as she hurried towards the scent. It wasn't long before she came into sight of a male of various reds and browns and blacks and cream. He was walking away, but the tawny female chuffed in a neutral greeting.
"Can I help you?"
Her voice, too, was neutral, but laced with curiosity and withheld dominance. Unless this male was a threat, there was no need to be dominant or aggressive. She wasn't alpha, after all, but still felt entitled to show her rank here. She was the Delta, part of the middle tier and the second highest ranking below Alpha and Beta. It made her feel good to protect and make herself known, but its not like she was really in CHARGE.
Marcello stopped and threw a glance over his shoulder at the voice that greeted him. A figure stood there now, as if she'd materialized out of thin air, but he wasn't thrown off by the sudden arrival of the she-wolf. There was an air of idle dominance about her; the way she carried herself, and the crick of her tail. He turned on his heel to face her with an amicable wave of his bottlebrush tail, deferring himself to her inert rank within the pack he'd just been investigating and taking up the temporary mantle of subordinate.
She was interesting; scarred paws, a curiousity, and a vibrant topcoat of gold cloaking an undercoat of darker browns and blacks. Her eyes were laced with suspicion but she wasn't outright chasing his tail out of here, which meant there was an opening for some dialogue.
His russet ears twitched forward only to kick back again, "Mornin'. Sorry to be a bother, just passing through on my way east." He remarked with a smile. "But since you're here, mind tellin' me what this place is called?"
He quickly gained the tawny female's good side, accepting her rank and showing no fight. Her posture relaxed, and her eyes warmed and brightened. He asked about her pack lands, and a smile spread across her muzzle, breaking her inky mask with pearly whites.
"This is Broken Antler Fen. You didn't cross the borders and I've never noticed you before, so I wont give you any hassle. I'm Ambrosia, the Delta here."
He'd been turning around, but was he looking for a home? Ambrosia looked him over subtly, deciding he was a very handsome and even better built wolf. He had a frame like hers, befitting a warrior. His demeanor, however, reminded her more of a lover than a fighter. Perhaps this was the case? Hm....
"Were you looking for a place to go?"
Marcello met the smile with a deeply sincere one of his own, very glad to have met someone uninterested in causing a ruckus.
He took back the steps he'd taken away from the Fen and came within a more comfortable speaking distance. "Pleasure, Ambrosia." He replied with a casual flick of his russet ear. "I'm Marcello, general vagabond of 'Just-A-Tourist Forest'." He could see the appraising cant to her muzzle and maybe sat a little straighter than normal, maybe. It should have been obvious to him that many of the packs in the area could be searching for potential dispersal wolves to join their ranks. Spring was in full swing, and that usually meant more tiny mouths to feed.
But he didn't think about that.
Her question prompted him to speak, even before he had a chance to think of a decent answer. "Eh," He stammered awkwardly, "No, sorry. I have a home, I'm just, well, visiting. There's rumors some of my distant cousins might be living out here. Figured I'd drop them a line and check in on how the other branches are doing, y'know?"
Ambrosia smiled again, hoping that he'd consider joining. His next bout of words, however, shot down those hopes. Damn.... She shrugged her tawny shoulders, but disappointment danced behind her lemon eyes. She hoped she hadnt weirded him out or anything. Cousins? Hm, wonder if any of them resided in the fen?
"I understand. Too bad though. What are your cousins names? Ill keep an eye out, tell em they're being looked for."
She wasn't sure if she wanted to keep on in a conversation with a stranger who had no intentions of joining her family. Her mind began to wander, though she did pay attention to him.
There wasn't much he could do to assuage her disappointment.
As much as he wanted to lend them the support they (presumably) needed, he knew he had obligations back home. He wasn't about to explain the odd complexities of his situation to a stranger, simply because it was wasted breath to explain about a family she would likely never meet, but he quietly hoped she didn't think too poorly of him for it. His ears fell a bit and he lent her an apologetic look. "Sorry, really. But if I meet any good folks, I'll send them your way. Only the good ones, though." he joked good-naturedly.
Marcello smiled, "Well shoot, thanks. Too many names to list, but they prolly have the last name DeMonte or DiSarinno still. That's easier on the brain to remember."
"I'll bring a gift when I come back by this way, if'n y'all don't mind. Returnin' the favor, even if you don't hear from any of my family. The effort's appreciated nonetheless."
He apologized, and the first thought in her head was Go figure, the sweet and handsome one already has a place to call home. Just my luck. But she did truly understand the commitment to your home, and a soft smile formed over her features for a moment at both his offer and his thanks. The gift surprised her, but her tail wagged behind her and a blush warmed her pelt.
"Its not a problem. Should I send them anywhere specific? I plan on being here a while, so howl for me next time you're around."
"Sure! Send 'em to that lake up yonder. I'll probably be hangin' 'round there quite a bit."
The truth of it was: he wasn't entirely sure where he would be in a few months, but he also knew the likelihood of her meeting any of his family was very, very slim. He knew they were out there, somewhere, but he could never really be sure where. He also wasn't entirely comfortable with telling her the location of his home, not that it actually mattered.
Marcello lent her a warm smile. He didn't catch the blush beneath her soft gold fur, but she was obviously appreciative of his offer. He waved his tail and looked up towards the aforementioned lake. "You probably got better things to do than chat with some rando, so I'm gonna keep on goin'; grab some grub, and whatnot. See ya soon, Ambrosia?" He ended it on a hopeful note. She was kind, and he wouldn't say no to a friend in these parts.
Ambrosia nodded at his words with a soft smile, waving her tail high in the air like a goodbye flag before turning and trotting off. She threw a last few words over her shoulder before disappearing into her home.
"Have fun and be safe, I'll see ya the next time around."