Wolf RPG

She had been caught in the light rain that drizzled from above. A few mumbled curses escaped from between her ebony lips as her pace quickened. There was a small leafy deciduous tree with low hanging branches, perfect shelter from the rain that seemed to want to stick around for a while. Her paws ached for a break too. Tytus was coming to terms that perhaps her idea to see more of the world had not been well thought out. She should have joined up with the nomadic group near her home. All the perks of the pack just more views to it.

Her brows pinched together, lips pulled down, as she settled underneath the tree. She looked like an unkempt upset creature. She planned on fixing that as she began to groom wherever she could reach.

That light drizzle was soon accompanied by strong gusts of wind and a powerful rain-fall. As an experienced hunter Sarah had sensed that nothing good would come of her going outside the hollow now, but she had just enough naive hope that, perhaps, her inner barometer was wrong. 

It was not, of course.

Therefore by the time the heavy raindrops had become a literal wall of water that soaked her to the skin and physically pushed her ground-wards, that small tree in the middle of the fields seemed just as a good choice for a shelter as any. And only, when she had reached it, did she notice that one place was already occupied.

There was a moment of hesitation, but Sarah decided to throw all common courtesy and greeting rituals out of the window for the time being and ducked under the foliage without asking the other wolf's permission. "Hi!" she gave the other quick, superficial look, then stepped aside (as much as the leafy umbrella provided it) and shook her coat.

Unattractively, she had been trying to reach her own shoulders in order to smooth down the damp spiky fur on them when the stranger arrived. They chirped a standard greeting that Tytus had been ready to return. Until they shook out their wet coat. Droplets smacked her on the face, making for one hell of a greeting she just received.

As much as Tytus desired to be upset, she just couldn't be. Underneath the scent of rain the stranger smelled like others — perhaps a pack or group. She also had to be honest with herself and admit she found the gray-scale wolf to be easy on the eyes. It was with a defeated huff that she gave up on grooming, turning her full attention to the stranger.

You greet everyone like that or am I just special? There was a good humored undertone in her words as she moved over some to make room in case the woman wished to settle down.

"Desperate times ask for desperate measures," Sarah grinned, surprised that a complete stranger had managed to wake that part of her, which actually could joke (dryly and darkly, but still) and banter as well. Another new and right, when she had believed that fun had died with everything else a year ago.

"Are you special?" she teased good-naturedly, again perplexed at, how easily this came now, when she had not been able to force herself to be either funny or entertaining for months.

"Are you special?"

Tytus was not capable of stopping the small laugh that escaped her before she even dared to answer the question. I like to think I am but it usually doesn't work as well if I admit that. Her tail beat against the earth for a few beats as she looked up at the other. It wasn't often she was blessed with such good natured company, a curse of being alone in the wilderness.

Are you special? She questioned back with a lazy grin on her face.

Tytus had no idea that her good-natured company was not such 99% of time. That she had got the lucky lottery ticket and the grand prize itself was still in disbelief of, what she was doing and how she was acting. And - what's more - how natural it felt, even with all the grayscale and dark background of the depression she was battling every day. 

"I could not kick you out of here, if you did," Sarah pointed out. "And with that in mind, I think that you cannot kick me out either, if I admit that - yes - I am special. Very. In every sense of that word." Good and bad.

She had no plans to kick out her companion, special or not. Even if she had been sour Tytus was not sure she would kick someone out into the wall of rain that was coming down with biting winds. It wasn't a death sentence but it was a miserable time waiting to be had.

I wouldn't dream of kicking you out. Her confidence didn't allow her to wonder if she ever came on too heavy or too fast. She simply did what she did, consequences be damned. And I believe you, you seem special. There was honesty on every word she spoke. What's the name I should call my special-unkickable-company?

Sarah came to believe that it was easy to converse with this stranger, because the latter was inclined to speak and did not expect an encouragement from her. She was bad at keeping awkward conversations going, or any conversations going, if it meant that she had to entertain the other party in any way. 

"Sarah," she replied. "You?" She realized that she should have added something more creative, but imagination in general was not her strong suite. Therefore she put her hopes in the other's eloquence at words and dialogues.

It was a pretty name she was presented with. Sarah. One might find it simple or old fashion but it didn't fit that definition when it came to the woman before her. The woman who had been dubbed special. Well you could call me whatever you'd like and I'd probably still answer. Even Tytus was aware of how possibly 'cheesy' that line might be but she had offered it up anyways in hopes that her company would keep going along. Tytus is my birth name though. She offered up her actual name with ease to Sarah.

The joke on the "call me, whatever you want" part was a bit lost to Sarah and this showed in a look of perplexion that was there for one moment and then gone, when Tytus offered her name. Coming up with something on her own would have been a difficult task for a lady, who was better at practical and routine tasks. Besides, while it was easy for her to talk with this wolf, there was still a line of courtesy that she had drawn between them. It would not feel right to be overly-familiar on the first go, after mere minutes of being introduced to one another.

"Pleasure to meet you," Sarah returned politely and smiled. "What has brought you here? Besides the obvious reasons?" she asked, wondering, if this person was a member of any pack that she should be aware of and inform her brother about.

The line didn't land well and Tytus tried to ignore the slight sting to her ego. She swept it away in order to better focus on what Sarah was saying now. Pleasure's all mine. The question was a familiar one and all she could offer was a gentle shrug of her shoulders. Just traveling. Wanted to get away from home and see what else was out there for me. It was debatable that this was the most honest she had been with someone in a while. She didn't feel the need to lie or overly impress Sarah — hence no grand story of why she was here.

"The usual then," Sarah nodded. Tytus was among many young wolves, who, feeling no longer satisfied with the confines of their birth-place, set out in the world to find a corner for themselves. Nearly two years ago she had belonged to that group as well. And ironically a storm similar to this had put a quick end to her plans and separated her from Terance up until last year.

"I am with a pack nearby - all forest and rivers," she explained. "And there are quite a few along the way. Most are peaceful, but you never know," in her most recent journey with Ibis and Gannet all of the packs they had visited, had been decent. But then again, it could be written off to the fact that they had been traveling in a group, not on their own.

They're lucky to have you. Most of what came from Tytus was flattery or teasing comments to strike interest, there were neither here though. Honesty is what came through the most in her words. She briefly thought to ask to visit, to see Sarah again but she bit her tongue. In her former experience most packs did not take kindly to a loner lingering around their border without the intention of joining.

What's it like? Your pack, being settled. Her gaze settled on Sarah's features as Tytus settled her head on her paws.

"I am fine with two good friends and the rest do not get in my way or annoy me," Sarah replied bluntly, not entirely agreeing with Tytus assumption that anyone in her pack was lucky to have her there. She was a shadow - a wolf that was present, but who nobody met on regular basis.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked. 

Eventually that spontaneous spark of friendliness faded and, when the weather finally permitted it, Sarah was happy to leave the stranger behind.