A loud call was heard in the distance, from a bush close to the lake's edge shook as a dark coloured bird emerged, it's wings beating frantically as it fleed into the water, out of the pepper coated male's reach.
But he wasn't there for the prey, he had little interest in the duck, merely perking his ears as it fluttered away. So what was he there for? Honestly he didn't know himself, as a loner walking without a destination becomes a habit, legs begin moving unconcioussly, taking him to lands unknown. He did not know what he wanted in the future, he did not like thinking about tomorrow, he had learned only to worry about the present,from the break of dawn till midnight.
It wasn't such a bad life, food was never a problem, he was a strong wolf and and a skilled hunter, he managed to always put something on the table, wether he had earned it by his own merits and wits, or stolen it, thankfully it was rare for him to go to sleep with an empty belly. There was no point in denying the lone life suited him well. Still something inside him longed for more.
Maybe it was the solitude that had drove him in that direction that particular morning. Perhaps his unconcious was looking for company. Company. Oh that was something he hadn't had the pleasure of having for a very long time. He could feel his vocal cords drying up, it had been more than a month since he had held a decent conversation with another fellow wolf...
The ticked coated wolf, sighed, emptying his lungs in indifference, and peeked over the edge at his reflection on the clear lake water. Then lapped up some of it, unaware that he was a trespasser in an unknown territory.
Duck Lake seemed to be the 'it' place to be this season. Bazi had taken to lurking in the bushes on a regular basis since spotting a Silvertip Mountain wolf there - a rare and peculiar sight on this side of the mountain for several reasons. But whoever this was, he didn't belong to Jinx. He shared no scent with the plateau, either, nor the vale - and he certainly wasn't of the Creek. Older, she noted from her hiding place, but well-fed and quite handsome for his age. Clear, blue-grey eyes studied the stranger for a while longer - until without warning, the wind changed, and she was no longer safe from detection.
Concerned that startling a stranger might land her in trouble, Bazi emerged from the shrubbery. Ferdie had forced her into the river and cleaned her coat, removing all traces of long (and messy) visits over the mountains. Thanks to his hard work, she shone like something otherworldly.
Bazi woofed gently to catch the stranger's attention, moving forward with light, cautious steps, posture neutral but alert. "Do you belong to a pack?" She asked, curious and duty-bound to know if Swiftcurrrent Creek was about to be encroached upon.
Ah! He had forgotten how nice and refreshing lake water could be, he had been used to drinking from streams or small riverbeds, but that was by far the best drink he'd had. Maybe it was just the inmense thirst he had, that made it seem better. Whatever it was, he kept drinking, or rather inhaling the cool beverage, scaring away yet another duck.
He swished his tail to the side, ignoring the feathered animal, but then with the breeze another type of scent tickled his nosetrils. A different scent. He pricked his ears attentively and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed vigilant for any sign of movement in his surroundings.
His eyes inspected the bushes intently as his tail adopted a higher, dominant position. He was not one to trust easily, and considering he was alone in the middle of a pack's territory he had all rights to feel wary.
Then a pale wolf materialized in the distance and stepped closer to him, her tail held in a non-threatening position that caused Galileo to relax. Still he said nothing, he limited himself to watch her approach, her impecable coat glistening with the little sunlight that shone through the clouds.
"Do you belong to a pack?"
He blinked once and shifted his weight to his hind paws, settling himself into a comfortable sitting position. Then a friendly smile tugged at his lips, and with a graceful gesture he dipped his head at the lady, like the true gentleman he was known to be. "No, I don't have the pleasure, or displeasure as some say" he barked, not showing any preference towards life in a pack, nor discrediting their value.
"No, I don't have the pleasure, or displeasure as some say."
Bazi breathed a sigh of relief - that meant he didn't pose a threat (not the kind she was wary of, at least), and had everything to offer. The effects on her physical presence were immediately; she met his smile with one of her own, and swept her tail to and fro a few times in greeting. He even bowed, which charmed her.
"On purpose?" Bazi asked, taking a few steps closer, head cocked curiously to one side. He had kind, dark eyes that reminded her of Tiarnán's - but that wasn't a train of thought meant for this moment. "I belong to Swiftcurrent Creek," she told him, indicating to the distant body of rushing water in the north. "My name is Bazi - I'm one of the outriders. We scout - keep track of what's happening beyond the borders."
Galileo's amber eyes focused on the pretty female, making a mental expedition across her face, her piercing blue eyess were truely striking, they reflected her fierce and determined interior but at the same time, glowed with a certain softness and tenderness that simply brought another smile to the mature male's face.
"On purpose?" , she asked with the innocence of a child, her head tilting slightly to her side.
He cleared his throat, it'd been a while since he'd had a nice conversation, and derpite all the water he had just drank, he felt his mouth dry. "I've never had the opportunity to be honest." he barked. Then after a short pause he added, "If that was what you meant".
Then she went on to introduce herself, a very considerate thing to do. Not many would even bother to stop and ask the grey ticked wolf about his voyage, they'd simply reduce themselves to chase him off, no questions asked.
"Bazi" he echoed,the tip of his tail curling with amusement, "My name is Galileo, and there's not much to add to it really" he barked with a laugh.
Bazi nodded. That seemed reasonable - sort of. She hadn't known many lone wolves that preferred to stay that way, save for the wandering Therapist of her home (but he traded his services for food and protection, which wasn't very 'lone' at all). Even the Creek's former shaman sheltered in a pack, if only to allow more time for drawing runes and dancing around corpses - or whatever it was his religion called on him to do.
"I'm sure there's more," Bazi pressed, "If you've always been alone, you must have stories." She tip-toed a little bit closer still and sat, fore-paws neatly aligned and tail curled tight about her narrow hindquarters. Big, curious eyes invited him to share something - preferably facts that would give her some insight into the kind of wolf she was talking to, but he wasn't to know that.
He watched attentively as the pearl coated female settled in front of him like a pup waiting to hear a story. Her cristaline eyes glimmered with a certain hunger, not the one that is filled by eating, but the one that is only satisfied with knowledge.
Another smile was planted on his face, "Alright, alright, well truth is I didn't always live on my own. I had a family once." he began, his voice gruff and emotionless, "It certaintly wasn't a conventional family, it had cracks and bruises but it served as a refuge." he added, his mind slowly drifting back to the days he lived along his mother.
Then snapping back to reality, he met Bazi's eyes again and after a long pause, where no words were spoken, he continued his story, "Then my father threw us out into the world. Us, meaning my brother and I." he barked narrowing his eyes as the face of his brother, Franz, appeared in his head, leaving a bitter taste in his tongue.
"And well, after that there's not much to bring into the limelight. You know besides the endless nights sleeping under the stars and the occasional quarrel with bears" he joked, winking.
Cracks and bruises. Bazi smiled fondly at that. That description suited her own family - and even the Creek, her mind was quick to interject, steering thoughts to a pack that was still alive and thriving. She felt a dull throb, like pressing too hard on a bandage, but the feeling was quick to dissipate.
"Bears?" If Bazi's ear stood any higher they would fly into space. "You've fought bears really? But they're huge!" The little female had been fortunate enough to avoid any close encounters, but had spied one or two from afar during her scouting missions in the north. This boded well for Swiftcurrent Creek - a wolf that could take on a bear was well worth having around, provided he was willing to cash in some of those starlight slumbers for a new family.
He shifted his weight to his right side, and flicked his tail self conciously as the pale she-wolf smiled when he brought up his family into the converstaion. Was that pity glistening in her eyes?
Hmmph,anyways he did not expect anything less, perhaps the way he had phrased his story had caused her to feel bad for him. Typical sob story of a lone wolf, he mused as he recovered his confidence, the odious years he had spent with his father and brother had made him stronger -and wiser - in the end.
Then the younger wolf's surprised gasps broke the silence, "You've fought bears really? But they're huge!", she exclaimed, her eyes wide as platters.
He couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Oh, no!" he howled amused, "I'm wise enough to know when to back down from a fight, although I did have a close call with a mama bear once" he confessed.
He then lashed his tongue over his nose, "Don't get me wrong, I'm no coward, but I'd prefer to live to see another sunrise than lose my pelt out of an act of bravery!.
"I'm wise enough to know when to back down from a fight, although I did have a close call with a mama bear once."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm no coward, but I'd prefer to live to see another sunrise than lose my pelt out of an act of bravery!."
Bazi listened with keen interest. She thought of Jace, and the recent border scuffle with a band of intruders. She thought of Ferdie, too, and the blind rage that had gripped him a the sight of coyotes. They were good wolves, but something about the ease with which they swung from law-abiding citizen to raging maniac made her nervous - she didn't know they. Not really - not yet. An older, level head among the males of the Creek would be welcome.
"Would you follow a young alpha, if they were the fair and good sort?" she asked. Fox was a relaxed leader, but she had been blessed with an obedient following, all pack wolves born and raised. "Would you join our Creek, if the alpha allowed it?" Better cut to the chase, she thought.
After that the converstaion died out a bit, Bazi seemed to be immersed in her own thoughts, her mind had drifted away from the duck lake, the cloudy atmosphere and him.
He took advantage of her sudden distraction to nibble on an itch that burned through his pelt just below his shoulder blade. Another downside from being a loner was always having that spot out of reach where flea bites became unbearable.
Then out of nowhere, the pale furred female spoke again, this time with a request that took Galileo unprepared, like a cobra strike, no warning signs.
"Would you follow a young alpha, if they were the fair and good sort?"
She then blurted out almost inmidiately,
"Would you join our Creek, if the alpha allowed it?"
Never in all of his years of solitude, had he recieved such invitation. Now he couldn't say he hadn't considered it, a pack was like a life long contact that would take away his freedom but in return it offered comfort and safety. Food and shelter were guaranteed, something the loner life couldn't assure for him.
He took his time before answering, the silence growing by the second, but he had no rush he knew such matter was not to be taken lightly, so he sat there in silence savouring the words he was about to utter.
"Now, I appreciate your offer greatly, it has caught me off guard to be honest. I hope you realize this is not an easy decision to make. " he barked with a serious tone "So I ask you to be understanding of my position here. I won't accept your offer for now but I will not decline. Give me some time, could you?" he asked, his deep amber eyes locking with hers.
Exiting! :)
Bazi nodded severely, returning his intense gaze. She liked him as a candidate. His age would be an asset to the Creek, and life as a loner had hardened him. They could use someone like that to ease the burden of defense on the other wolves, all of whom had other jobs to attend to and limited time to spend on defense strategy and warrior training. They had fended off a recent intrusion with ease, but Bazi feared for the mental health of the strongest males within the pack… she sensed something dangerous within them, and that needed bridling.
Or it might, one day, she thought.
”Think on it,” she told him, retreating few steps.
”If you decide in our favour, howl for me at the borders. It might serve you well to bring a gift - the bigger the better. Fox - that’s our alpha - is rightfully prickly around strangers, but I think she’ll give you a chance.” With that, she barked a farewell and turned, loping home with a light feeling in her chest and a spring in her step.