It was early evening, but Luke found himself tired and had found himself a spot to sleep in the shelter of a forest, which flanked the waterway he had been traveling. But the blue-nosed wolf did not have a restful sleep, he shook and trembled, and his legs kicked out while his face contorted into all manner of troubled expressions. He was caught in a nightmare from which he struggled to awaken, and the minutes slipped by as he thrashed in his makeshift nest, muffled whines escaping his mouth.
Despite the fact that she'd made no real progress, Harlyn still felt as though she was getting somewhere. Though she hadn't found Mordecai, she was slowly ticking off all of the places that he wasn't, but was slowly - ever so very slowly - bringing her closer to where he actually was.
When she came across the blue-nosed wolf, she had no idea just how close she was to finally finding him. As it was, she simply saw a trouble wolf, trapped in his own mind. Harlyn crept quietly towards him, reaching out a paw to touch his shoulder lightly. "Hey, hey... wake up," she said softly, wanting to wake him but also avoid startling him too badly.
A touch on his shoulder and a soft voice gradually stirred him awake, and Luke awoke with an unattractive snort and blinked, his eyes coming to focus on a feminine face. The blue-nosed wolf smiled broadly and he sat up, his tail wagging amiably. "Dang, was I making a racket in my sleep again? Sorry about that, pretty lady!" Anyone coming by now would not look at Luke and think he just had a disturbing nightmare for he looked as relaxed and content as ever; he was skilled at shrugging things off and this nightmare had not been one of the worst he'd had.
Harlyn pulled back her paw once she succeeded in her goal and the male began to awaken. She took a few steps back and slipped down onto her haunches, her head and ears lifted instinctively. Though she had no fear of him turning to violence, she wanted to warn him against it nonetheless. Harlyn had never held a leadership position in a pack, but she was a dominant wolf by nature, and it always showed in moments where her instincts took over.
The white wolf was quick to slip into a genial disposition, and thus Harlyn was quick to relax in his presence. Her ears fell back at his response and she smiled softly at him. "You were," Harlyn replied with a slight tilt of her head, "Was it a nightmare? You seemed rather.. fretful."
"Musta been a bad fish," Luke joked with a warm chuckle. Although it was not in his nature to lie or hide information (within reason) it was in his nature to dimiss unpleasant topics in favor of more neutral or entertaining ones. His nightmares were not something he enjoyed talking about, and he believed that one day they would simply go away so he did not think much on them, either. "Don't you worry about it," he went on. "Everyone has nightmares once in a while." Luke gave her a reassuring wink and then made for a topic change. "So what's your name, girl? You always wander through the woods wakin' folks up?" His friendly grin showed that he meant the last bit as a jest, and was not at all bothered that she woke him. Rather the opposite.
The male blamed his distressed sleep on an earlier meal and Harlyn smiled warmly. Stomach issues and other such toilet humor was not really her style. She was a classy woman, but she was quite good at listening with a patient smile. He seemed like an amiable enough fellow, so she decided to settle in for a bit of a conversation with him. He wasn't Mordecai, but that didn't mean he wasn't worth her time.
"I'm Harlyn Cinderloch," she said with a slight dip of her muzzle. Her fiery eyes traced the curves of his face, lingering on the unusual color of his nose, then flickering briefly at the brilliance of his eyes. He was a handsome creature that might have piqued her interest were she not already wholly committed to a wolf that didn't know it yet. "Actually, that's a hobby of mine. You'd be surprised how often my services are requested," a sly smile slipped across her muzzle. Just because she was a prim and proper lady didn't mean she had no sense of humor.
A soft chuckle slipped from her lips then. "Actually, I'm in the area looking for a friend of mine," she admitted, "The public service was just a bonus."
Luke returned her polite gesture by dipping his muzzle to her in turn. "Harlyn," he repeated with a gentle smile. "Such a pretty name. Mine's Luke," he shared back, his tail wagging noticeably behind him. when she commented that waking folks up was a hobby of hers, Luke grinned. "I can see that would be an interesting passtime," he replied. "Never knowing what you're getting into when you go to wake someone new." He chuckled warmly, his eyes looking upward briefly as he contemplated this form of entertainment. Although she meant it as a joke, and he joked in return, he may have to give this a try sometime.
"Well, Harlyn, I haven't been around here long, but maybe I can help." Luke offered as he looked expectantly at her. "What does your friend look like?"
Harlyn's gaze fell humbly to her paws when he complimented her name. It was only when he continued that she stole a glance back up at his face. She chuckled softly as he continued, appreciating his appreciation of her humor. It was true - you never really knew what was going to happen when you woke someone. They could awaken peaceable like Luke had, or they could do just the opposite and react with violence. Fortunately, Harlyn was intelligent enough to prepare for either result. And I quit moving on.
"Well... Harlyn began, biting her lip briefly as her eyes took on a mystified glow, "He's.. a brown wolf, with golden eyes. He has a wonderful personality and a subtle charm. There's a power about him that is.. unassuming, but undeniable." She sucked in a deep breath, reveling in the simply fact that she had been given the chance to discuss him in such depth. "His name is Mordecai Ostrega,"" she said finally, an affectionate gentility coming over her every feature as she gazed hopefully at her new friend's face.
Luke's tail thumped behind him and his eyes glowed, his smile broadening as he listened to the girl describe the wolf she was looking for - the wolf she very clearly had a lot of affection for. It was undeniable in the words she chose to speak of him, in the way her eyes looked, and the way she took in her breath. Luke was an outright sucker for this sort of thing and allowed himself to be caught up in his companion's reverie. When she spoke the name though, Luke's joyous expression turned into shock, and his jaw dropped, exposing his blue tongue.
He stared at her for a few moments, and then his open-jaw expression because a very wide grin. Luke jumped up excitedly. "Harlyn!" he exclaimed, his tail swinging with enough exuberance to give someone a concussion. "I know this wolf!"
It was the very last thing Harlyn had expected her companion to say. He had been chosen at random to keep her company that evening - a simply matter of being in the right place at the right time. But there he was, swiftly and excitedly proclaiming that he knew the wolf she so longed for. The druid looked at him for a moment, simply astounded and full of wonder. And then her tail began to thump rapidly upon the ground, and she whined softly and anxiously.
"You know him? You do?" she said eagerly, the fire in her eyes dancing as she gazed so very hopefully at him.
"Yeah!" Luke exclaimed. "I gave him a few tips on fishing. I can take you to him," Luke offered, hopeful that she would take him up on his invitation and looking at her expectantly, cheerfully. Mordecai had seemed a rather nice fellow and was recovering from some misfortune, if this pretty female would be so happy to see him again the blue-nosed wolf could not imagine Mordecai feeling any different. No, Luke was certain that he would be reuniting old lovers and it would thrill him to do so.
Luke confirmed for her that he knew of Mordecai, and Harlyn felt relief wrapping around her like a warm blanket. "Oh, thank the gods," she said, allowing her dark lids to cover the glowing embers of her eyes as she said a silent prayer of gratitude to them for guiding her to him at last.
"This is such wonderful news!" Harlyn exclaimed suddenly, bouncing to her feet with a bright smile, "Oh, I'm so happy to have found you, Luke! I'm so thankful for your nightmare!" She chortled softly, giving him an apologetic look before leaning towards him and planting a happy lick upon his cheek. Harlyn was not one to hide her joy or to think twice about sharing affection. Fortunately, Luke didn't seem like the type of wolf who would mind, even though she'd only known him for all of five minutes.
I will start us our new thread :D
Luke's tailed wagged harder when the Harlyn moved in to give him a joyful lick upon his cheek. Unbeknownst to either of them, both of them were affectionate and not ashamed to show it. Luke, in fact, was downright cuddly, happily leaning in to her caress before giving her ear a soft nuzzle.
"Let's go get him," he said, beaming, and as he cheerfully strolled past his companion he let his tail touch her shoulder, further beckoning her to follow him.