[size=x-small]ooc: preferably anyone (or two!) who Surra hasn't met yet :)[/size]
It was unbearably hot. Surra's tongue lolled out of his mouth, as he inwardly cursed the distinguishing mane that ran down the back of his neck. Not only was it thick as all get-out, it was dark, and absorbed the sun's rays more than any other part of his coat. As it had become clear in the early morning that it would be a scorcher, even with the sun hidden behind the clouds, Surra sought out the beach, where the ocean breezes would (hopefully) cool him down some.
As the sturdy male walked in the shadows of the trees, he thought about how strange it was the he had only met Pump and Ragnar so far. To be fair, he hadn't been actively searching out anyone since he found Ragnar - and he hadn't thought about the size of the territory, really. It was pretty large. Though Surra was content to be alone, he had not joined a pack to not know anyone in it. He wanted to build new relationships, learn from wolves he had never met, and find a place among them. He hoped that maybe the heat would drive another of his packmates to the shore.
The grey-brown male ducked under some branches and onto the beach, and breathed an audible sigh of relief as a cool ocean breeze barreled straight into him. The smell of salt and fish and humidity filled his nostrils, and he breathed it in gratefully. He glanced to his left, then to his right, where he saw a shaded patch of sparse grass just on the edge of the forest. He trotted over to it and let his hips fall sideways to the cool, slightly damp sand that had not yet been touched by the midday sun. Slowly, he lowered his chest down as well, but kept his head raised, finally pulling his tongue back into his mouth. Calm blue eyes looked out to the ocean and slowly closed, so that he could fully enjoy the rhythmic lapping of the waves and the cool salty breeze running through his fur.
The cinnamon wolf was born in the north. Their winters were cold but their summers were colder. He was lucky here that he possessed, for the most part, a lighter pelt. He commiserated with wolves like Kennedy, and Diluculo who could find very little escape from the blazing heat of a blistering summer’s day.
It wasn’t the heat that lead Gavriil to his favorite place in his territory. He wanted to see his rock. He knew nothing would have changed with it. He will die and chances are that rock would stay the same. That didn’t stop the male from everyday wandering towards the sea lion shore to gaze upon the magnificent pillar known as Gavriil’s rock. Trotting through the thick and heavy forest Gavriil caught scent of a new packmate whom he hadn’t met before. I believe Surra is his name, I remember Ragnar mentioning him.” The cinnamon wolf thought to himself as he continued through the forest.
Following his scent Gavriil soon came upon a thick pelted wolf that was lying on the beach. Trotting closer to the male he let out a simple bark of greeting. ”Hello, Im Gavriil. You’re Surra right? Ragnar mentioned you brieftly.” Gavriil spoke kindly to the stranger.
[size=x-small]ooc: yay hi :)[/size]
Surra lay still, letting the sound of the waves and the feel of the ocean breeze envelop him for a few long moments. He felt his body cool at the touch of the salty air, his mind clear as he focused on the rhythm of wave, after wave, after wave.... He breathed deeply, filling his large, strong lungs, and exhaled fully. It was a simple form of meditation that he had self-taught; focusing on one external thing, usually a sound - in this case, the waves - and focusing on one internal thing, usually breathing. He did not claim that his meditation was in perfect form, but it worked for him, in clearing his mind and calming his body.
A single ear flicked at a foreign sound. At first Surra ignored it, but it quickly came again, growing louder - pawsteps. The young male opened his eyes and turned his head to see another male approaching. He smelled faintly of Pump and Ragnar, so immediately Surra knew this orange-eyed male was a packmate.
”Hello, I'm Gavriil. You’re Surra right? Ragnar mentioned you briefly.” 'Ah, one of Ragnar's Wardens,' Surra remembered. He stood as the other male approached, with a slight smile at being recognized. "Yes, I am Surra. It is a pleasure to meet you, Gavriil." Surra returned the kindness in his voice as well, and dipped his head as a show of respect to the male who had no doubt been a part of Horizon Ridge much longer than he. "You work as a Warden under Ragnar, if I'm correct?"
Gavriil had been working towards the Warden trade slowly. He put that adventure on the back burning ever since the pups were born. While becoming an (official) Warden was important to the male he chose to actively pursue the caretaker trade. "Yes sir. I am not a full warden but I'm working towards becoming one. With the new pups I'm going to actively go after Caretaker." Gavriil spoke softly to the other male, he had kindness dripping from his voice like hot honey from a spoon.
It was nice meeting a pack mate who showed respect and kindess all the same. As of recent the only unfriendly wolves in the Ridge (that he knew of) were Diluculo and Kennedy. Both although having their own personal reasons for being less than friendly.
Gavriil had never met the newcomer before and he wanted to know more about him. Sitting down on the cool sand the cinnamon wolf let the breeze run through his fur for a moment before speaking again to the grayish male. "Any ideas on what Trade you want?" Gavriil inquired softly and just as friendly as he did before.
[size=x-small]ooc: I apologize for the wait! :/[/size]
"Yes sir. I am not a full warden but I'm working towards becoming one. With the new pups I'm going to actively go after Caretaker." Surra's ears pricked at mention of the pups. He had heard the howl of their birth, but had not heard much news of them since then - from what he could tell, and was scarcely surprised by, Ragnar had been extremely protective over them. "Ragnar's pups!" Surra let an uncharacteristic bit of excitement leak into his voice. "Are they well? I have not heard much news."
Surra found it a bit out of the ordinary that a male was choosing to be a caretaker - the young male figured it was usually a female's calling. But judging by the kindness he already saw in Gavriil, he could already see that he may well be a very good caretaker. As the reddish wolf sat in the sand, Surra also settled his haunches back down, finding himself relaxing his posture a bit. Gavriil's friendliness was welcome. So far, Surra had only otherwise met Pump and Ragnar - not unfriendly, per se, but as a young male and a relatively new member of the pack, Surra did feel a subconscious pressure to not make a wrong move around them.
"Any ideas on what Trade you want?" Surra was slightly taken aback by the question. Sure he had been thinking of it since speaking to Ragnar - but that didn't mean he had come to any kind of conclusion on what trades he might pursue. "Honestly," Surra said after a moment, "I am not sure." He paused, running over the trades again in his mind. "I would be willing to be anything the pack needs, of course." Again he paused. Normally he would leave it at that, but felt compelled to share a bit of his thoughts with his new companion. "I can hunt, and fight, so Gamekeeper, Warrior and Warden are all possibilities - though I do not necessarily enjoy fighting by any stretch. Chronicler and Counselor are trades I have never encountered before, so they have both interested me for that if no other reason."