Wolf RPG

The forest had grown quiet, almost eerily so. There had been no sign of Rannoch or Lucy, and October had begun to lose hope. She had not seen or smelt Scimitar in some time; she felt her concern for him growing. It didn’t seem likely he would return without his son in tow and for that reason, October wondered if she would ever see either of them again.
 
She’d taken to patrolling the borders in his absence. As much as she wished to aid in the search, she knew someone had to stay behind and keep watch over the pack lands. She wasn’t much of a guardian and knew should something happen, she likely wouldn’t be able to put up much up a fight. Still, Neverwinter’s ranks were thin and somebody had to stay on top of things, even if that individual was not an adept fighter.
 
Golden rays splayed through whatever breach in tree cover they could find. October’s plush winter pelt was aglow with the warm hues of the setting sun as she padded her way near the forest’s outskirts, pausing here and there to sniff at strange scents and add her own to the mix.

It was jarring, joining a new pack again and starting right from the bottom. Not that Shrike had expected to be placed at a comfy place in the ranks at all- he simply hadn't expected to leave one pack and join another. He was still somewhat shell-shocked, and went about exploring the claimed territory and learning it as well as he had known the Caldera without running into many other wolves. That way, he could at least avoid the usual questions- where had he come from, and if they knew of the Caldera, why had he left. Shrike was modest, but perhaps a bit too honest to be tactful. Any questions asked would garnish the truth; he'd been exiled because he'd refused to let his cousin's widow seduce him the day after his cousin had died. He felt it was honourable, and in his spite, depicted Fox in the most brutally honest way. 

He pined for his friends of the Caldera and mourned Peregrine still, so his features bore the complacent, but largely blank expression of one who was simply trying to get by. The best he could do was hunt to stock up the caches in the pack before winter hit, and learn the borders of the pack so that he could resume his role as guardian. He would have to prove himself all over again, but it was only natural for the lean male to want to patrol; it was habit. 

He was scouting along the borders, his back dappled by the sunlight that filtered down through the trees when he spotted a light form ahead. Naturally, he stiffened at the scent; this wolf wasn't from the Caldera. His lips peeled back for a second before he caught himself...This wasn't the Caldera, and this wolf belonged here. It was almost disarming, coming to a new pack and being bombarded by new scents. This scent was one he'd crossed many times in the pack, so he was left assuming she was an active and important member of the pack. He quickened his stride, moving at a rangy walk and chuffed to get her attention. The closer he got, the more he could take in her lissome figure, pale coat and feminine features. Were all females of the Forest this pretty? Of course, he was still quite smitten with Allure, as he always had been, but it didn't stop him from noticing this sylph's beauty as well. 

He bobbed his head in a homely but inviting way as he approached, tail waving gently between his hocks. "Mind if I join you?" He asked. "I'm Shrike. I'm new." He said, hoping that was explanation enough.

The wolf’s scent was carried towards her upon the crisp autumn breeze. She bristled as it swept past her, for it contained notes of lands and wolves she was not familiar with. She did, however, smell Allure upon the stranger and did not wish to jump to any conclusions. It was not in her nature to show hostility without reason, anyways.
 
As he neared her, her tail swept over her back in a quick wave. Snowy ears tipped toward the greyscale fellow as his unfamiliar voice breached the silence. He was new to the Forest, apparently. She smiled. “Hi, Shrike,” she replied, offering him a quick dip of her head in greeting. “I’m October. Welcome home.”
 
She gestured with her muzzle for him to accompany her before she resumed her slow pace along the borders. Orange eyes swept toward his rangy figure. It was certainly nice to have a new face in the woods, especially considering how thin the ranks had been as of late. “So, what brought you to our quaint little forest?” she asked, hoping to make conversation but also express her genuine interest in his reasons for joining.

<3 I couldn't pass it up!

Shrike's posture reflected his status in the pack- unranked, as of yet, until Scimitar came back or they found him out in the wild. Scimitar would pass judgement on him, and until that time came, he would do his best to contribute to the pack and integrate himself within its society now that he had had some time to settle and heal a bit. October, the pretty lass, welcomed hime to her home and it was much appreciated. Scimitar would be impressed if he was on a good basis with the other wolves of Neverwinter Forest; and so long as he contributed and continued to socialize well, he couldn't see any reason that his welcome would not be extended. He moved alongside her, continuing to keep his head at par with his shoulders to show respect and assure October that he had no intentions on stepping on anyone's toes, or pushing boundaries. 

Naturally, she asked why he'd come to join them and he cleared his throat. "Well," He said, and exhaled softly. "I'm from Redhawk Caldera. Our alpha, Peregrine, was my cousin and he passed away." He said. "His mate tried to seduce me and make me alpha, but I couldn't. It wasn't right." He said. "Because I refused her, she exiled me." He said. Exile was a big thing- it generally meant that the exiled wolf was not fit to be in not only that pack, but any pack, until they adjusted their attitude. However, Shrike believed his reasons had been noble and good, and thought exile was a ridiculous punishment, for having done the right thing. "It sounds unbelievable, but it's true." He said, sincerely. "I've been looking for our lost pup, Lucy, and one of yours as well, with Allure for some time now. It seemed like this was where I needed to go."

In all honesty, October was expecting a simple, cookie cutter answer from the male. Perhaps he’d been a loner seeking shelter for the winter or something along those lines. The response she was given, however, left her speechless for a moment. Bright eyes colored with disbelief slipped toward Shrike as he spoke.
 
Her lips parted slightly as she prepared to voice her amazement, but she pressed them together once more. Part of her thought the grey-furred fellow was lying through his teeth; his story was almost too incredulous to be true. But the manner in which he spoke about the bizarre, unfortunate ordeal lent him credibility, and October didn’t wish to brand him a liar.
 
“That’s… wow,” she answered finally, brows raising as she peered over at her new pack mate. “It sounds like your cousin’s mate is really struggling with everything. I’m sorry you were caught in the crossfire.” And she was. She couldn’t imagine being exiled from a pack filled with all her family and friends.
 
When Shrike mentioned the two missing children, October inhaled deeply. “Lucy was here for some time before any of us knew where her family or pack was. When one of the Caldera wolves came looking for her, she and Rannoch, Scimitar’s son, were gone.” It was hard to believe the terrible timing of the events that had transpired.

Rickon Alucard II, had not been able to return to Easthollow in peace or in good conscience. He felt more and more miserable with each day that passed without him being able to know for sure  how October had fared with her plight, and soon the burden became too much for him to bear. He wasn't eating or sleeping, and his skin would begin to crawl whenever he started to become occupied by something else. If he'd known anything about love and its mystical strength, then Rickon would have easily known that this was what drove him down though every valley and up over every hill that separated Neverwinter from the Hollow.

He arrived at their borders, appearing worse for wear, but unharmed. From a nearby stream he had collected a tall flower of beargrass, one of the last of the dying season, and its foot-long stem dangled from his drooping muzzle now, all of him reading as exhausted. But despite his lack of energy, he'd thought to bring the plant to October, clinging to it as he completed the last leg of his journey, and began to smell her almost immediately. Good... because he wasn't sure how much further he could walk...

Rickon collapsed then, his legs giving out and his body crumbling forward with a muffled grunt and cloud of cold dust. He hadn't yet traveled into the line of sight of either Forest wolf, but he'd be in their path eventually... Hopefully.

Fortunately, though October looked very surprised, and perhaps a bit doubtful, she chose to believe him and he felt relieved. Too strange to be true, or too surprising to be a lie- either way, his story could have been perceived easily as either a lie or the truth, he was sure someday he'd run into someone who didn't believe him at all. October seemed to be able to see things from Fox's point of view, and Shrike nodded. "Best way to put it." He said, when she agreed that Fox was a mess of emotions and instincts. She sympathized, and he bobbed his head appreciatively, glad she'd chosen to trust him. He'd prove his worth, he was sure, and the truth of his story would become even more obvious, he told himself, when the pack saw him as a worthy man who made sound, rational decisions. 

She spoke about Lucy, and he felt a bit of warmth creep into his heart. She spoke with both fondness and loss, and he nodded. He'd known, by now, that Rannoch was Allure's young brother, which made the search all the more important. "Do you think she got spooked?" He asked. "I heard Trick came here. She wouldn't know him...And might remind her of her kidnapper." He said. Trick had dark fur, after all, and though he didn't have red eyes, he would still be a stranger, and she might have been suspicious of an unknown man who'd come looking for her even if he said he was from the Caldera.

Although she had no intention of prying into his business any further, October still felt the need to reassure him. “Well, the Forest is glad to have you. The Caldera’s loss is our gain,” she quipped with a friendly wave of her tail. A bright smile was offered then as she peered towards Shrike. Her first impression of him was a good one, and she appreciated that he’d been so willing to approach and patrol the borders with her.
 
It was hard to say what might’ve caused Lucy and Rannoch to disappear, but Shrike’s guess didn’t strike October as too unlikely. She nodded, “I barely knew Lucy, but with everything she went through I wouldn’t doubt that she was scared. And I know Scimitar’s boys are very fond of her, so Rannoch tagging along to protect her doesn’t seem too farfetched.” Of course, there was no definite way of knowing; October could only hope that the children would be found sooner rather than later.
 
The Neverwinter pair were downwind of him, so October saw him before she smelt him. Orange gaze widening, she halted immediately and turned her muzzle to the breeze in hopes of confirming her assumption. “Rickon?” she murmured, momentarily forgetting the company of her pack mate before she shook her head and looked towards Shrike again.
 
“I think… I think that’s my friend,” she explained, quiet disbelief and confusion evident within her soft voice. Her gaze shone as she felt her heart hammering against her ribcage at the thought of him having journeyed so far, perhaps to see her. The pale Delta didn’t know what to think in that moment, but as she spotted his figure crumple onto the earth, she gasped and raced off towards him.
 
She came upon the dark-furred male so quickly that she nearly trampled him. October moved to collapse onto the ground beside him, whining excitedly while her tail wagged a mile a minute. “Are you okay!?” she nearly cried, sweet laughter punctuating her words as she looked him over. So overwhelmed with surprise, excitement, and pure delight was she that she couldn’t resist bathing his chin in enthusiastic licks.

Shrike bowed his head gratefully when October welcomed him. He looked forward to getting Scimitar's approval above all, as he hoped to impress Allure's father so he might be deemed an acceptable match, if and when the day came. Shrike was fairly traditional; he wanted to have the father's approval, if not permission, even if it seemed old-fashioned and ridiculous. He'd take time, of course, and would continue to dote on Allure as well as push himself forward as an essential member of the pack. It made him feel good to be welcomed, but it would make him feel better once he'd truly earned his place in the pack. Thus far, it had been good- and October was the kind of wolf he could easily get along with and work with. She had his respect immediately. 

Though Shrike didn't like the fact that one of Neverwinter's children had possibly run off on account of Lucy leaving, it did give him some peace of mind knowing that the two might be able to manage if they were together. They had no way of knowing, of course, but he nodded in agreement, and was glad to hear that October at least sounded optimistic about the two sticking together, rather than resenting Lucy had Rannoch left to be with her. 

He stiffened when he caught sight of the dark figure on the ground, but relaxed slightly when October spoke a name. He looked to her, then, ready to push his guardian mode aside should this foreign wolf be a friend. He nodded in permission when she confirmed her belief, but tagged along at her flank when she moved forward, drawing back when her pace quickened. She knew him, for sure, and he looked to be in poor form when he collapsed to the ground. Defensively and worried, Shrike quickened his pace, and while October's sweet voice rang out in a cheery way, he still remained concerned. He kept his distance but eyed the male warily, looking for any sign of disease or injury. He looked bedraggled and exhausted, but otherwise was unharmed. He lowered his head and sniffed the air- and smelled no disease, but a rather herb-like scent that hung about him. Beside him was a fairly long piece of plant with a flower, looking a bit wilted as well, and he wondered if it was medicinal, or simply meant as a gift. With the way October showered him with kisses, it wouldn't have surprised him much. 

The concern in Shrike's gaze echoed October's question, though he remained a few feet away, still holding back a bit. In case this male- Rickon- had come with a flower for October, Shrike prepared to give them some time alone. He could always get to know October better some other time, and didn't want to be an awkward third wheel.