FitzDutiful was out patrolling the borders today. He was on high alert for anyone that was nearby and had, because of this, extended his range down to the outer borders of their territory. He wasn't usually too bothered by passer-bys that wandered through this area as long as they were far away from the inner lines but today was different.
Anyone on their territory without good reason was due for a surprise.
As he walked he kept a look out for all the signs that Elwood had told him about all those months ago when the two had patrolled side by side. He knew that being harsh to the lone wolves could scare off new recruits but, in truth, they would have to be darn special to get accepted right this moment. He was willing to accept wolves into the pack but they had to make their homes on the outer rims, not in the safe secluded area that the current wolves slept. That was too close to home. Too close to the pups.
At least until trust has been earned.
With a huff to himself he sniffed at the remains of a wanderer and, satisfied they had moved on, carried on with this relentless search.
Luke's stroll along the river had led him into a forest, and as his pale form weaved between the trees the wind, which predominantly blew from the coast inland, away from him and toward the looming mountain, swirled back on itself and filled his blue nose with the strong scent of a defined pack border. The white wolf had not yet reached the immediate edge of said border, nor did he intend to, and so kept his distance as he continued a walk among the trees. Unless he was seeking audience with an Alpha to inquire about joining the pack (which he was not, for he had no interest in living on a mountain), he did not trust his presence to be well-received. It was one thing to greet anyone you met on neutral ground, but many packs fiercely defended their home range, and rightfully so. On their doorstep was not the place to expect to make friends.
As he stepped beneath a notably tall tree, a pair of crows, whom had a nest in said tree, started to caw at him relentlessly. If his scent had not been enough to alert anyone in the vicinity that he was here, their raucous cries certainly were. "Oh knock it off," Luke said in good humor, ducking as one of the crows made a dive at him, "I can climb but I can't climb that good." Unlike being in the midst of songbirds, the crows were not at all pleasant to listen to, so he continued to walk along but unhurriedly despite the dark birds and their cacophony.
A new scent drifted through the trees and FitzDutiful started towards it. It was fairly far from their borders and ran parallel. It seemed as though this lone wolf had no intentions of coming near any pack borders. That was a good start. He thought about the situation in his pack and wondered if he should start actively recruiting wolves that were nearby. That way he might be able to be more picky about who joined and who he ran off. He couldn't run off everyone if he wasn't recruiting those that didn't stop by to say hi.
Scared to leave the borders, but reasoning that it was still within earshot, he stepped out and headed on an intercept course for the lone wolf's position. He had the presence heralded by the birds flying from the trees and the sound of a voice that the wind swept from him. At least that meant he was a lot more likely to hear anything happening on the mountain.
"Hi there," he said approaching the wolf in front of him while looking at a tree root that had tried to trip him up more than once. He looked up. "I — uh — do you need medical treatment?!" he exclaimed at the sight of the blue nose on the wolf in front of him.
By the time Luke was approached by another male, the crows had just about ceased their cawing and after a few passing circles were making their way back to their nest, content that they had 'driven' the predator far enough away from their clutch. In truth, if he had the opportunity it was highly likely he would have taken the eggs or even the young in the nest, though he would have preferred the eggs. Such a rich and delicious treat was highly seasonal and thus not readily available. Usually when he found eggs they were from ducks or geese, nestled in the reeds of a swamp, but even those nests were not always easy to find. But alas, as talented a climber as he was he was not part squirrel and could not climb a straight trunk to the top where the crow's roost.
"Well hello," Luke greeted his company, recognizing by scent that this male lived among the mountain wolves whose borders he was skirting. Fortunately this one seemed friendly, and like so many others, he was quick to make note of Luke's blue nose. "Oh no, I'm fine," he chuckled. "I was born with a few blue pieces, but I'm perfectly healthy." His tail wagged and he sported a friendly smile. "Name's Luke."
FitzDutiful had to process the words a few times before he could make any sense of them. Born with blue bits? Who was born with blue bits - it was the most unnatural colour that FitzDutiful could think of. He had yet to find anything good come of anything that was blue. Even the best time to go fishing in the river wasn't when the river was blue.
"I'm — uh — FitzDutiful." he replied, unable to take his eyes of the blue in front of him. How did a wolf deal with that?! "I own Silvertip Mountain with my pack. You're just wandering from place to place at the moment?" His nose had picked up the lack of pack scent from the blue-tinged Luke. It made sense for a loner to be wandering from place to place. They often visited borders of packs nearby too.
Luke was aware that FitzDutiful could not take his gaze away from Luke's blue nose, but as always he was nonchalant about it. It was not the first time and would not be the last time someone's eyes were drawn to his unique features, and he did not blame them. He accepted that his coloration was a novelty and was accustom to the attention it received.
As the white wolf suspected by scent, this male was from the mountain - the Alpha in fact. He did not seem concerned by Luke's proximity to his borders, which was fine by Luke. "Yep, I'm just a lone wolf for now," the Bluenose confirmed. "I haven't been around these parts long. I've just been exploring as much as I could to see what I can find. I'll be settling down when I find my place," he nodded.
FitzDutiful had fully intended to metaphorically bite the head off the lone wolf that was near his pack lands but the curious nature of his physical appearance had stunned all of that out of it. He probably appeared meeker than he would have to another wolf, though this wouldn't last. Luke's words would raise his hackles a little - though his posture would not make Luke fear for his life. It was more a warning that his words were not happily accepted.
"Are you looking for a place to settle in or a place to own yourself?" The former would relax FitzDutiful's stance but the latter would cause him to appear slightly more aggressive. A neutral answer would keep his stance exactly as it was. He had no qualms with wolves joining - he was almost actively seeking them - but a pack settling - he would not abide that. Neverwinter Forest and Firestone Hot Springs were off limits for anyone but one of his pack members.
"I am not sure," Luke answered, and truly he was not. He was open to either idea and it would be whatever struck his fancy first. If he found some nice wolves living in a suitable place he may join them, or if he found a captivating territory himself that he dearly liked he might start anew. So far neither had occurred, although Luke believed it was more probable that he join a pack first and branch out later if ever, start a family perhaps. "I kind of go where the wind blows me," he chuckled, knowing his carefree and impulsive nature was not the norm. "I don't make a lot of plans."
"How's life on the mountains?" he queried warmly. "I'm more of a lowland wolf myself." If Fitz had been the least bit curious about asking the blue-nosed wolf about joining him, he would be disappointed to know that Luke would be hard pressed to convince to live on a mountain. It would take a very special wolf to get him to move up on a slope for longer than a visit.
Luke asked about life on the mountains but didn't seem inclined to want to join. FitzDutiful wondered how any wolf managed to survive on their own but it appeared as though a lot did, or wanted to, recently. It was strange. Without a pack food would be scarcer, you were always looking over your shoulder, and yet this valley seemed to teem with wolves that weren't part of a pack and suffered no worse the wear for it. With his pack soon struggling for members it was enough to make him wonder if he had indeed made a very bad decision.
"Life on the mountain is good. Well protected, not too far away from all the necessities either." FitzDutiful's want for conversation was significantly lower now. He knew this wolf would not be joining any time soon and he wasn't likely to intrude and now FitzDutiful wanted to be off and dealing with any other lurkers around their territory - assess their situation and see if there was any chance of change there. But FitzDutiful, being polite, stayed for now in case this blue-nosed strange wolf wanted to know anything else (or changed his mind about the chance of joining).
Luke bobbed his head. No doubt there were wolves that would not settle anywhere but a mountain. Mountains were beautiful and did offer plentiful shelter and were often not short on prey either. It was a great territory for a pack to claim, and the blue-nosed wolf would have considered joining the ranks of mountain pack if not for his deep-seated affinity for the water and fish. Unless he could not from a survival standpoint, he would keep to his preferences. It was a fortunate thing to have that choice.
"Sounds like a nice home," he smiled, "and I won't keep you from it." Luke could chit chat all day most times but he was eager to resume exploring, and he suspected the Alpha had only intercepted him because he had been strolling past his pack's borders. "Take care!" With a courteous dip of his head, he bid FitzDutiful a farewell and after a brief pause to ensure the other fellow had nothing else to say, went on his way.
It seemed Luke was in the same frame of mind and departed shortly after a reply to FitzDutiful's words. As he wandered inside of his pack lands he wondered whether he would ever see the blue nosed wolf again - or if anything would ever surprise him as much as seeing a blue nose on a wolf. Later that day he would end up meeting a wolf with a collar on and, no, it wouldn't surprise him. Having his fill of surprises he would accept the female with the understanding that if it hadn't hurt her then he couldn't hurt them.