It was Gavriil's first time being near a vast body of water. The male stood with his head high, eyes closed, and let the salty wind pass through his pelt. He felt alive for once. Gavriil opened his eyes and glanced down at his paws covered in sand. The bear-like wolf ever imagined he would ever be in a place like this. In all honesty he never dreamed he would travel away from his home pack in the forests of western Canada. Changes of leadership, and just overall feelings of wanderlust overtook the male. Eventually he was brave enough to take the first step to a new life. Right now, in this moment, Gavriil was hally he took that step. The giant gave one last look to the blueish sea before trotting back to the tree line.
Gavriil was still unfamiliar with the territory that surrounded him. Being recently acquainted with the pack and it's belongings the young male had yet to meet many wolves. Traveling up the foothills to the very top of the overlook Gavriil stood over the ocean. In this little spot, nestled between rocks, this was one of the very few places the trees parted enough do you could see the full view of the ocean. The young male, this being his first exposure to such a large object, couldn't comprehend how far out the sea actually went. With a tilted head, and curious mind he sat and watched the ocean. Letting the wind still rustle his mixed pelt.
The last few days had disappeared in a whirl. Pump hadn't had any time to wallow in self-pity about the rock-slide and how it had affected her, because she was busy. Akhlut had disappeared and even though the remaining pack members were looking for him (as much as their state of health allowed), in case he was buried in a pile of rocks, injured and helpless just the same way Kennedy had been, the chances of finding him were dwindling with every passing day. It appeared that the temporary leadership she had taken was turning into a permanent one.
It was very unusual for Pump to be in charge of something - she had never wanted to be a leader, fearing the big responsibility that came with it. Yet.. here she was. Confused, lacking confidence in many things and giving orders, constantly fearing, whether they were right and if their missing alpha would accept that. She also had had conflicting emotions, when she had accepted a newcomer in their ranks. Therefore after making sure that Kennedy and the rest of the pack members were fine, she went to seek out for Gavriil.
Moving around was still uncomfortable, her wounded flank ached with every step she took, but it was a matter of "clenching teeth and simply surviving it". A moment later she had caught his scent and it didn't take long to find the wolf himself. "Hey," she barked at him, when the wolf-dog was within hearing distance.
The wind rustling through his fur brought a scent with it. A pack wolf was approaching, Pump, he had met her briefly after joining the pack. He joined the pack as they lost their leader. He hadnt been seen in a while and this was abnormal for him. Gavriil would have helped searched be he didnt know his scent, nor what he looked like. For now the bear wolf stayed out of the way not wanting to cause trouble.
He kept his head forward until she came close to him and barked a greeting. When he looked back the she wolf had trouble walking, obvious pain showed on her face. He frowned not liking seeing others in pain. "Hey, is there anything I can do for your leg?" He questioned as he rose from his sitting position, bowed his head, and then trotted over to the female so she didn't have to walk far.
"It's flank, actually," Pump corrected him, while regarding the newcomer with a critical eye. First impressions could always be wrong - therefore she was not going to trust him just because he had shown interest in her well-being. She had to get to know him in the beginning and then he would have to prove his worth. But given his noteworthy size and the fact that out of them all he was healthy and not traumatized in any way - he already had good check-points in his list.
"Thistle has got it covered," she replied. It had not been easy for her to admit that her wound needed to be tended for, mostly because she was too proud to ask for help. Yet the lithe healer had managed to convince her. "I didn't have a chance to ask much, when we met the other day," she went straight to the business. "If you are here to stay, I would like to know everything I should know about you."
Gavriil stopped coming closer to the female once she gave him a look of observation. He halted a few feet away from her and sat down, he kept his head angled towards the ground in submission and respect. When she corrected the male about her injury he kept his head down but his voice was still warm and friendly. "My mistake, sorry."
Gavriil was glad to hear that the female was taken care of. He didn't push the matter of her injury any further. When she asked Gavriil about himself he didn't know what to say. While he considered himself an open book the question was open ended. He knew the she wolf was looking for his strengths but also his flaws. He just didn't know his to present himself in an appetizing way. "My name is Gavriil Gigas, my friends call me Gav. Well they would if I had any friends. I just recently left my home pack in the north to look for a new beginning". Gavriil didn't know what else to say about himself, but he felt like that wasn't enough.
Pump was not very good at reading people, neither did she trust everything she saw. Therefore she put much value in what people did - a work well done was always more important than the character of the person. When he sat down and averted her gaze, for a moment she feared that he would turn all weird just the same way Kennedy sometimes did, when he didn't feel confident enough around her. But this was not the case. Another bonus.
She listened to his tale very carefully and, after he had finished, sat in silence for a short while. Contemplating, what to tell him. Technically she was a leader and she had the rights to implement rules. Yet it did not feel exactly right. Not yet, anyway. "What made you leave your home?" she asked.
The silence that drifted between the two wolves was eerie, well for Gavriil it was. He glanced up to see if any emotion could be read on her face. Seeing that she showed no sign of anything but pure questioning he gazed back down in submission. When she asked him why he left his previous pack there was no set answer. He wasn't banished, nor did he leave for some heroic or dauntless adventure. Gavriil just didnt feel connected there. No wolves were truly his friends. His parents were just fine. They never mistreated the large wolf. When he left they were upset but they had each other. They would make it.
"I left because I wanted to start a new. It wasn't that my old pack was bad by any means I just didn't fully fit in there. I was just another wolf. I was hoping I could find the place were I could belong. I have faith that it is here ma'am." Gavriil replied in a hearty voice.
Not too long ago Pump herself had felt disconnected to this pack and had been wandering around, looking for answers of what made you to belong somewhere? The land she had grown fond of over time had brought her back. People - forming relationships based on friendship and loyalty and not out of purely practical reasons was a new thing for her. She had avoided becoming a friend of anyone all her life, for the sole purpose of protecting herself from unneccessary heartbreak. Love could destroy you - she had seen proof to that, when some of her family members had succumbed to the wrath of winter every year and those, who wanted to survive, had committed unspeakable acts. Pump wouldn't be standing here, had she not hardened and distanced herself, when they had been forced to feed on the carcasses of the dead packmates.
"I can't promise you that you will find, what you are looking for here," she said after another pause, her gaze focused on his face, since his gaze was averted. "We have decent wolves here, you might find friends among them, but I don't promise you that I will become your friend or that you will like me. I am not nice, I have many flaws and I put survival as the most important thing in life and only then comes everything else, therefore you might find times, when my decisions will be hard to tolerate," she decided that it was better to be honest with him from the beginning. So that he wouldn't be disappointed that much, if everything didn't work out as planned. Abandon hope all ye who enter here, after all.
"I judge people for not, where they come from or what they are or have been in the past, but what they do here and now. A worth of a person is reflected best in the way they work and contribute for the good of everyone in this pack," that was, how she was raised, how she had earned her name among many nameless wolves in her birth pack. "Therefore - do your best and you will have my utmost respect. You will always have protection, care and support. Work hard and I promise you to stand by your side in both good and bad times. That is, what I can offer. Whether that's enough or fair - is for you to decide," she finished.
Gavriil had always been one to trust others. When he first meets a wolf they automatically have his full trust, only after they break it will they see the colder side of Gavriil. While he trusts quickly he doesn't forget easily, nor does he forgive. The she wolf standing in front of him had his full trust, even though the bear of a wolf could tell she didn't trust him. Which was understandable, trusting a large male wolf whom you just met isn't easy. Nor should it be.
Pump was focused on survival, which Gavriil enjoyed. The only thing he had a problem with was her outlook on wolves. He could tell from her speech that she herself wasn't out to make friends. What was the point of living if relationships weren't formed along the way? Surviving can get you so far, but what's the point of just simply living if you don't plan on thriving? "I understand ma'am, I just hope one day we could become friends." Gavriil spoke as he lifted his head and gazed into the female's eyes. This wasn't done as a dominance play but simply as a friendly gesture. "None the less, I have no doubt you will lead us to survival. I trust you, don't abuse my trust."
"We will see," Pump didn't want to give a promise that she wouldn't be able to keep. Friendship and trust in others did not come easy for her, because up until now she had depended on no one but herself. But now she was going to be a leader of wolves and in order for the pack to be strong, a force to be recognized, she needed to learn not to be afraid of putting her trust in them.
He seemed to accept everything she had said, even the blunt truth about her character had not deterred him from staying. That was good, because Pump had learned by now that she was not the easiest creature to be around and it was important that they accepted her the way she was. At her age it was hard to change established habits and she was not particularly keen on doing that either. "I won't," she replied. As long as he wouldn't hers.
"Now, let's get to business," Pump got to her feet, shook her coat and with it let the last remnants of formality fly away. "We have some people back there, who would be happy for a meal," she began to explain, what they were going to do. "Some prefer hunting, I prefer scavenging and we are just at the right place, where to start," of course she could leave Gavriil now and let him decide, how was he going to impress her and the others, but she decided that it would be more useful, if she offered a little help.
"Follow me!" she beckoned in the direction of sea lion shores, which lied in a bit of a distance and began walking.
Gavriil was prepared to give up just about anything for a pack he found worthy. So far, Pump and her pack hadn't done anything to lose his faith. They cared about each other, and that was seen through the headings and search parties taken for each and every wolf. Everyone mattered here, and in Gvariil's findings that was hard to come by. Gavriil bowed his head when the ebony she wolf gave her response to his speech.
The swarthy female rose from her position on the ground, shaking her shiny fur. She seemed to be in a more relaxed, and informal mood. This in turn made Gavriil relax. He stayed seated until the female finished her proposal, well order. "Scavenging? Now that's something i have expirence with." Even when Gavriil was on his own the bear of a wolf could still find ways to get his paws on a half eaten hare, or the bones of a leftover ungulate that a predator couldn't consume.
The she wolf gestured for Gvariil to follow her. Gavriil with nothing else better to do besides twiddling his paws decided it was in his best interest to follow her. The wolf trotted to catch up with the coal pelted female but stayed a pace behind, not wanting to challenge her. Some dominate wolves didn't like it when you walked next to them, but they wanted you to trail behind. Gavriil wasn't willing to push the female so early. "So, What are the other wolves like here?" Gavriil asked politely attempting to initiate small talk.
Gavriil followed her close behind, preferring to keep a polite distance from her. At first Pump appreciated that, enjoying the fact that she was in charge, but then it grew a bit disturbing, because she had this obssesive need to look back every other minute to check, if the newcomer was still there and wasn't far too far off. "Come and walk, where I can see you," she told him, stopping to let him catch up with her. "Otherwise I feel like you will pounce every other minute," that was true - she didn't particularly like the feeling of being tracked. "No offence intended - a personal quirk," she added quickly, in case he misunderstood her and would get all weird because of that.
"A decent bunch - but you will have to find out more about them yourself," she said. Pump had her own opinions of packmates and truth to be told she didn't know them that well either. Only from what she had seen. "There is a healer - Thistle cloud - a sepia colored female, then we have a Kennedy - he is black like me, there is a big white beast, named Bjorn - he is a new addition, I don't know him good, so I suggest you to be careful too, and then some more - harmless, but keep to themselves," she finished. That was all the help she would offer him - he would have to do meet-and-greet part on his own.
Listening to the females orders Gavriil trotted closer to her and kept pace with her. "Sorry ma'am, I did it out of respect for your personal space" Gvariil kept a friendly tone as he sounded his apologizes. If the female couldn't tell by now, the bear of a wolf was quick to apologize for a fault of his own. He was 'man' enough to accept when he made a mistake and fix it to the best of his abilities. Gavriil was rather noble in that way.
Pump gave off a list of the members that she knew, and from this Gavriil was rather excited to meet them. He hoped he would run into some of them sometime soon, even though she mentioned they kept to themselves. "I guess I'll just have to change that!" Gavriil was curious on the female. She had told very little about herself besides she didn't expect them to be friends: which was something that Gavriil disagreed on. "My lady, i know very little about you. What's something I should know to keep on your better side?" Gavriil asked in a cheery tone.
Pump always got a bit confused, when people apologized for mistakes, which she didn't consider as such. Kennedy had been like that all the way through their first meeting. Even though she enjoyed to have the upper hand a little, it wasn't that great, when the other party didn't feel too comfortable about it. Therefore she gave Gavriil a half-amused glance and then rolled her eyes. "'tis nothing," she muttered.
He turned out to be a talkative and curious fellow and the first in a very long time, who had taken any interest in her origins and her as a person. So far every conversation she had ever had had been about practical matters. It was a nice change, however, she didn't quite know, what was expected to be said in such cases. "Impress me," she finally answered and smiled at him mischievously, not mentioning anything specific and leaving this to his own imagination.
"Tell me - what are you best at?" she asked, without noticing, getting all practical again. If she was to remain a leader here, then she wanted that everyone in the pack had his/her place - the niche they fitted in. "Is there something you like to do very much?"
Gavriil couldn't help but smile when the she wolf gave him a glance of amusement and then proceeded to roll her eyes. Happiness shone through the large wolf's deep orange eyes. It had been a long time since he had a friendly interaction with another wolf. Which left Gavriil in an exceptionally good mood.
He gave a chuckle when the she wolf answered his question with impress me. "I can impress the ladies with my sexy body." Gavriil spoke puffing out his chest in mock dominance and lowering his already deep voice. Looking at the female he returned her mischievous smile with a look of overbearing flirty-ness. After a second Gavriil returned to his normal stature. He laughed and replied to the female. "I mean I can protect weaker wolves, I really enjoy talking to other wolves." Gavriil mentioned as he looked intently at the female taking in all her features: her cute floppy ears, and ebony pelt. "Enough about me. What do you like to do ma'am?" The male questioned his leader in a friendly voice.
Gavriil seemed to be in a very good mood, even a bit playful, therefore for Pump, who was not used to that kind of treatment (for a lack of a better word), his answers came as a bit of a surprise. She shot him a surprised look and couldn't decide, whether she should laugh or scold him for being cheeky. Her old self would have feel offended and she probably would have refused to talk to him for the rest of the walk.
However, his cheerful mood and easy manner around her was hard to resist. Therefore wolf-dog smiled to herself and said nothing. "You are a chatty bird," she agreed, happy that, while she wasn't that open about herself, he could fill the gaps with funny nonsense. "We are on a scavenger hunt," she reminded him, in case he had forgotten. Then it occurred that he might have meant it differently. "I like to live," she added.
When Gavriil saw the females initial reaction to his playful pokes at fun he regretted the decision immediately nearly forcing an apology from his friendly mouth. When the shaggy ebony female smiled he also did the same, mimicking her emotions just to make sure he didn't set her off on the wrong foot. "I quite like talking if it bothers you, you may tell me to shut my snout. I wouldn't be offended in the least."
When the female responded to his question with what they were doing he was initially confused. Then the second answer gave way to what she truly liked to do. "Living is quite enjoyable madam. Is there anything else you like to do while living?" Gavriil inquired lightheartedly to the swarthy pelted female. He didn't mean to push her in a direction that was uncomfortable. He was merely curious, and wanted to know the female standing before him a little bit better than he did now.
"Don't bother," Pump shrugged, "there must be balance - some are better at talking, some are better at listening." It didn't bother her at all that Gavriil talked so much. That way he filled the uninevatable silence that would set between them, if the wolf-dog was left in charge of the conversation. Except for important occasions or, when she felt especially talkative, she was rather quiet type, who kept a lot to herself.
"That is the very essence," she countered, when it turned out that according to Gavriil "liking to live" was not exciting enough. "You do stuff, stuff happens to you - good or bad - it's part of living. It's the process I like," Pump explained. "But you think differently, don't you?"
Living was something Gavriil quite enjoyed. He was thankful that he was given the gift of life. He was born with four legs to walk, eyes to see, and ears to hear, and a life to live. Gavriil was proud of how far he's gotten. His parents raised him to be a kind and caring wolf. He was taught to love before hating, to be peaceful before violent.
The burly male had always tried his hardest to be friendly with everyone and it's paid off. Being kind to everyone has its rewards, Gavriil gets a personal boost and hopefully the other wolf leaves his company in a better mood. "I was given life and I am living it to the fullest. The little moments, like this, are what I live for." Gavriil replied truthfully.
It turned out that Gavriil's idea of living was not very different from her own. He had worded it out so beautifully and truthfully that it didn't feel like she needed to add anything. Therefore from that point on she padded in silence, contemplating, what he had said and keeping an eye on their goal - reaching Sea lion shores.
They were not far - she recognized both the particular look of the beach, as well as the larger and smaller rocks that were scattered around. Their strong scent wafted through the air and for a moment she stopped, squinted her eyes to have a better look of some of the dark figures that were lying on the shores. Pump smiled to herself - they hadn't come in vain - then turned to Gavriil and announced: "We are almost here."
OOC:Sorry for the long wait, I was on vacation.
Gavriil was familiar with silence. For almost a year he traveled alone, silence filling the voids of space. The bear like male honestly didn't mind silence, he just spoke to make others more comfortable. He could also sense that Pump was more fimilar with silence and because of that he kept his mouth shut until she chose to speak again.
As they continued to pad along their pack's territory they came around to the beach. Gavriil seeing it only once before was still new to its comforts, and dangers. Gavriil could make out shadowy figures lining the shores, resting on the sanded beaches. He tilted his large head in questioning. He had never seen creatures like this before. Being from a landlocked barren landscape all he had ever hunted was small mammals and ungulates. "I'm sorry to inject, but may I ask what kind of creatures we are hunting." Gavriil Inquired in an apologic tone after the ebony female announced they were almost at their destination of choice.
ooc: no need to apologize! :) I am a pretty busy person myself and not the most active poster at times.
"Never seen them in your life before?" Pump asked with a tinge of good humor in her voice. Sea-lions were odd creatures to say the least - in a way they reminded wolves, but were very different too. Their feet were short and their gait on the ground was clumsy and slow. They didn't look particularly strong, but could defend themselves very well, if provoked. They were one of the few animal species Pump admired and felt respect to.
"Those are sea-lions," she explained patiently. "And we are not exactly hunting them, since it is quite tough thing to do," she went on, "but we are looking for corpses. I have found some before."
Gavriil smiled along when Pump replied to him in a cheery tone. In all honesty he hadn't seen the strange creatures, sea-lions, before in his entire life. They were quite large, and even Gavriil being a large wolf was anxious about the idea of hunting them. When his alpha mentioned they were to scavenged carcasses relief flooded through him.
To scavenge the creatures would take getting close to them, at least that's what Gavriil assumed. This came as a concern to him, while taking on one of those creatures wouldn't be a huge issue Gavriil worried about taking on multiple ones. Plus the possibly of having to protect Pump with her injury. "How close do you plan on getting to those creatures...sea-lions?" Gavriil inquired in a steady tone.
Gavriil's wariness was understandable, since it had taken a lot of time for Pump to figure these creatures out and decide, how far it was possible to go, without causing any damage to her. But they had turned out to be pretty calm creatures and, unless you provoked them or tried to attack their young, they pretty much ignored you. However, you still had to watch out, since some of them were very keen on considering you as a big rag-doll to play with.
"As long as they are on the ground - they are quite slow and clumsy," Pump explained resuming to walk in the direction of the sea-lions. "Don't get in the water though and watch your feet, since they like to grab and nibble occasionally," she said and chuckled at her own odd sense of humor. "We will be careful to close the distance gradually," that was the simple plan. When dealing with these guys, you always had to have a clear escape route.
Gavriil had never really hunted...well scavenged a predator. They were dangerous in his mind, but the reward of getting a predator was great. Sea-lions this size could feed many wolves while a hare could feed one, and a whitetail deer could feed two or three. If his alpha thought it was best to take the risk for the payout on these creatures so would Gavriil.
As they continued to trot closer to the sea-lions Pump explained a little safety trick to make sure they weren't injured in the process. She explained that the creature while on ground were slow but in water they were dangerous. Chucking she pointed out they liked to grab and bite paws on occasion. Gavriil laughed in a nervous tone, not understanding why the female thought large predators biting paws was comical. He shrugged it off. "Will we walk together or approach them separately?" Gavriil inquired. On certain large mammals it was best to attack from multiple angles. When his former pack would try and hunt buffalo one wolf would distract the beast from the front wile the other crept up along side and behind it to attack. The male didn't know if the rules of ungulates applied here in the salt ridden beach.