By nature he was not a purely a creature of the dark. But in life the beast had been drawn to the veil of shadows where he dissolved into nothingness and went unseen. He found the hushed sounds of night soothed him most when he choked down raging restlessness which went unheard. So to Leatherface, this unsolicited discovery at the edge of Wilds came as a safe haven which he was loathed to eventually leave. Life seemed stagnant, save for the punctuated call of birds that would let their prescence be known. But otherwise, it felt to him, as if he'd been cut off from the bustling rush that seemed constant out of the wood.
Subconsciously he took so much pleasure in the peace he found that he went so far as to mark the base of a root, moving forward to brush his scent against the bark of the tree it belonged to. When he pulled away Leatherface was surprised to see something had fallen from his coat. It was a spider. He'd crushed the life from it's small body, tearing off two legs in the process. Curious to what he'd done, he leaned forward to watch the small thing wither beneath the gaze of it's killer.
Another wolf had entered the forest that Meldresi was beginning to claim as her own. Though this one, unlike the others, was marking the trees. The priestess felt her hackles rise a bit. This was unofficially her land! She could not tolerate anyone anyone marking her woods. Annoyed, she followed the scent trail.
After a bit of wandering, she got to the end of the trail and found the culprit. When she began walking towards him, she stopped when he started sniffing a broken, withered body of an insect. No, not an insect, an arachnid! A spider! That made Meldresi even angrier. Spiders were sacred to her religion, and she despised those who even snuffed the life out of one. She got closer to the wolf. "And what are you doing in these woods?"
i typed everything then lost it *internally screeches*
The sasquatch was not so involved in his studying that he did not notice the other wolf's approach before she spoke. From a distance he invited her as he invited all company (at least those who gave him his space) with a jovial wag of his tail, tapping his paws against the earth the way a joyful puppy might greet something new and exciting. He suspected her of nothing, and erecting his ears, attentively took in her question. It was simple enough and his answer was just as passive; Leatherface simply tilted his head at her.
He was doing as much as she saw. To assume Leatherface moved with his own purpose and passions was a stretch against him. He consumed to maintain himself, and fought to secure himself or appease others as they might have him do. These rare simple moments of pleasure that he found, such as in this forest, just happened to be wild occurrences he hadn't sought out and couldn't see the potential in. Attempting to include the she-wolf, he nudged the spider towards her (unaware that she'd noticed it already) as if she might also take some interest in it.
UUUGGHH That's the worst.
Meldresi almost hissed with rage as the brutish male pushed the spider towards her. She backed away slowly, glaring at the wolf angrily. It was truly apparent that she was offended, though the reason was not very clear.
Her indigo eyes narrowed at the dark brown wolf. He hadn't answered her with words, but actions similar to a pup's. Was he one of those adults who never grew up? She sniffed him, trying to get a hold on where he came from. His scent told her that he was from a group of wolves, but which one?"What pack are you from?"
Whatever he had done it seemed to have upset her, and it being unintentional, served to make Leatherface uncomfortable as well. He would have eagerly apologized with the courteous lowering of his ears and tail but remained in his current neutral posture, locked with caution as she came forward to sniff at him. He returned the act, out of habit, having no real use for the information he collected from her perfume.
Wh... Gull... Island.
Had he known better of the 'war' between their two homes perhaps he would have not handed the information over, but as he did not know any better the beast expected her to be satisfied with his answer.
Another one who didn't speak that well, or really, that often. Meldresi didn't mind the lack of conversation, unlike other wolves. But what the wolf said was rather vague and broken. Wh....Gull....Island. She hadn't heard of an island anywhere, let alone a pack on it. Just like the brute, she didn't really know about the feud between their packs either.
"Ouroboros Spine." She offered, wondering if he had any knowledge of the pack. She looked back at the spider in disgust, quickly murmuring a prayer. "Forgive me, but spiders are sacred to my religion...." There was no harm in explaining her disgust to him.
As expected the name of her pack went in one ear and out the other, Leatherface's face blank with the information he was given. He did not know of Ourobros, but even if he had known of the tension, it made no difference to him, a man who struggled to conform to social cues in regular conversation. As long as she was not in his pack he was aware enough to know she was no higher or lower than him in status.
What drew his attention most was the way she acknowledged the crushed arachnid just between his paws. She spoke things he did not understand and would not openly question about though Leatherface did wonder briefly to himself, coming to no conclusions. Go... away?
Willing to bury or remove the spider, the realization slowly dawning on him that this was her what had been upsetting her.
Religion.
He echoed, though it should have been a question, his mind trying to pick apart the unfamiliar word.
Meldresi looked at the wolf with a perplexed face. He didn't know what religion was? She was silent for a moment, trying to discern the best way to explain it to him. "Religion, it is something one deeply believes in." She said, hoping it would be enough. "And I believe that spiders should not be harmed." Her eyes fixed gently on the spider again as she sighed.
The female brought her gaze away from the spider at the moment, looking around. "Are you lost? Or are you exploring?" She had found many who had lost their way in this nightmare-ish landscape. He would not be the first, nor the last.
Not happen... again.
Was Leatherface's promise, and though he'd not purposely killed the spider he found himself somewhat anxious that he'd upset the other wolf. While her gaze wandered his seemed to linger his mind still attempting to piece the connection of her religion to this spider. If she could believe so passionately about not harming this simple tiny creature, why no extend the same mercy on other creatures? The question was there, tangible on the tip of his tongue, and he swallowed it down to be forgotten a moment after.
His gaze shifted up, higher, examining the dark veins of trees above them. Not lost.
She'd only need to make the request and he could lead her down the quickest path out of the woods, though he wouldn't stop until they'd reach the shores and then the island that he called home. His tail lifted behind taking a step back as if that might be her request.
"Thank you..." she murmured, though a part of her wondered if he would stop killing spiders all together, or simply while he was in her company. It didn't really matter to her, even for a proselytist like her. As long as she didn't see a spider harmed in front of her, she was calm.
The male stepped back, his tail lifting as he responded. She interpreted the gesture as him offering to lead her out, though it wasn't needed. She knew this forest as well. If not better. "No thank you, but I must ask." She said, tilting her head slightly. "You are quite far away from the shore. You must have some other reason for being here."
His offer having been turned down, Leatherface seemed perplexed at her suggestion that he had some alternative motive for his presence. The beast shifted in place, it was obvious then he seemed uncertain as to what had lead him here. If he had better control of his own thoughts and translating them into words, he might've simply said chance or fate. And yet there was a reason for being so far, something he'd been pushing from his mind.
His ears flattened against his skull. He remembered then, he wasn't suppose to leave the island. That had been his alpha's command, and he had gone against it. For no other reason than... he did not wish to be confined so strictly any longer. In many ways he felt he was still loyal, but he now questioned his ties since he'd gone against Ypres' law. Would she too sentence him to death?
J-Jail...?
The word felt foreign, but it suited what he felt towards the island, so he pressed himself to continue, finding it difficult. Island... jail. Come... here... far. Like here.
Oblivious to how it sounded, and perhaps painted him in a negative light.
Though his words were broken, she understood the meaning perfectly. Of course, islands were actual jails. Water on four sides, no means of escape except for swimming. She had once lived in a pack that used an island as a way of holding their prisoners-of-war. Quite an intresting experience.
A devious part of her took over then. She was thinking about starting a pack in these woods. He was comfortable in them too, which was rare to see. Could she convince him to come join her? "Are you thinking about going back to the island?"
He took her words literally. He did think about going back and what it might mean, so the beast nodded his head. But did he want to? It was apparent to Leatherface now that he didn't, and he struggled with the idea that in the end it was his decision to make, inexperienced when it came to directing his own fate. He had already made the decision to flee the island after the gates had come crashing down, so this didn't seem so different. Still, he feared the consequences, though he pushed them from his mind.
Just as soon as he had nodded he then shook his head, slow and deliberately. If it was his will, then he would not return. His thoughts did not extend so far to think where he would live if not on the island, only attentive to the present.
The male's answer was confusing to say the least. At first he nodded his head. Meldresi prepared a speech to influenced him to stay here instead, when he then shook it. The priestess blinked in surprise but decifered the meaning after a few more bats of her eyes. He was trying to make decisions of his own. Poor thing probably wasn't used to it. It reminded her of another wolf back at Ouroboros that was similar to this brute.
"I see." She murmured. "I guess you'll stay here, right?" It was rhetorical and she didn't expect him to answer. "The thing is, I was planning on starting a pack here..."
Cocking an ear forward at her question, that was not quite a question, Leatherface was quick enough to catch what he assumed was an invitation. Despite not wanting to live on the island, he did not want to live alone. Enjoying these woods as he did, it was easy then to succumb to the suggestion that he stay. While he had been neutral in his stance before, he suddenly lowered himself so that his posture hung beneath the female. He was a bulking beast, his strength imitating and impressive, and yet submitting came so naturally to him. So it was only habit that he bow to his new alpha, pledging his loyalty to Meldresi in one swift motion.