Wolf RPG

Luke's encounter with Peregrine had done little to ease his mind and nothing to answer the questions that thumped around in it, so he had not strayed too far from the caldera in hopes of catching his companion again, but this time while he was awake. It was not as though he had anywhere else to be; the white wolf was currently trapped in limbo waiting for a pack to form, and even that was beginning to wear on him. For a social creature like himself, living alone could only be enjoyed for so long, and his thoughts were beginning to wander to the idea of temporarily joining another pack.

He absently picked up a stick as he strolled, and carried it for some distance before he settled down and started to chew. He was west of the caldera, in a sparsely vegetated steppes he had not yet explored, and while he had intended to check it out, he found his feet were strangely unenthusiastic. So, he chewed, and tried to quiet his mind.

Pantaleimon had departed from the Caldera to try and deal with her confusing feelings, as well as try to find something to eat for the Caldera wolves. While she had not intended to go very far beyond the borders -- for it was harder to drag meat back all the way home if she'd manage to get a big catch out here -- Pantaleimon's paws had carried her further from home than she wanted to be. All the while she thought of Peregrine, drowning in thoughts and feeling a flutter in her stomach every time she thought of him. What a cruel joke life was playing by giving her the affections she felt towards Peregrine.

Since Pan was far out now, she decided not to look for large game, and instead perhaps try to catch a couple of squirrels or rabbits, if she would manage. Her large size was not the best fit for such prey, but her reflexes were trained on fish, so while the technique was different, she was trained to catch fast animals.

However, just as Pantaleimon started her search for some small game, she heard the crunching of a stick. Ears perked forward and Pan started to walk in the direction of the stick-crunching, until she found out that it was a wolf. Pan did not smell any specific scents on him, though she wasn't sure if he was from a pack or not. She had never seen him before, after all. "Uhm... hello," Pan said hesitantly, her body language neutral, although she was not sure why she decided to speak to the wolf in question. Perhaps because just staring would be rather rude.

Luke had entered a daze as his teeth worked the stick into shreds and splinters. His eyes were focused on nothing as he gnawed the time away. Were it not for a gentle breeze that drifted the scent of the caldera past his blue nose, he would not have been aware of the approach of another wolf until the male was beside him. His heart made a couple quick beats as his head turned, he simultaneously hoped to see Peregrine and knew it was not him he had smelled; the scent was not as strong, not his dark companion's own.

He felt the sting of disappointment, but it did not linger. He smiled, and his tail wagged. This male may not be the one he had hoped to see, but the blue-nosed wolf was nevertheless happy to see anyone. "Hey there," he greeted as he rose to his paws, leaving the stick where it lay. "Out for a stroll are ya?"

Pantaleimon watched as the other white male got to his feet and dropped the stick. Pan now noticed his blue nose and tongue, although she said nothing about it; he was probably self-conscious about it already, so it would be rude to. He seemed friendly, and when he asked if Pan was out on a stroll, she nodded.

"Was hoping to hunt some for my pack, but, uhm... Bit f-far from the Caldera, now." Pantaleimon smiled uncomfortably, feeling self-conscious in the presence of the stranger.

If he had not been convinced by scent alone (he was), the male's next statement had confirmed he was a member of the caldera pack. Briefly, he considered that perhaps he could get the answers he wanted (or some of them) from this fellow, but it was not in Luke's nature to pry so much, especially not from one who seemed so... uncomfortable and nervous. Luke furrowed his brows and canted his head. "What's wrong?" he asked softly. He reclined on his haunches, his tail gently swishing the ground. He could not be much less threatening or more welcoming of the other's company. "I don't bite," he winked, hoping jest would help to ease the man's uncertainty. "I'm Luke."

"Oh, uhm, nothing's wrong," Pan said, considering what else to say about it. She wanted to explain, but it was hard to find the right words. Apparently this was one very social specimen of wolf, that he wondered why Pantaleimon was nervous; Pan had always thought that it was not all weird to be apprehensive in the presence of a stranger.

Upon introduction, Pantaleimon forced a smile to her face and said, "Pantaleimon." A short silence followed, one that felt uncomfortable to Pantaleimon, for she wasn't really sure what to talk about, but was pretty sure it was her turn to say something next. "From the Caldera." When saying it, she realised that she had already mentioned the Caldera before, so it was double information. The knowledge she had made that error was clearly written on her face, and she held silent for now, hoping that Luke with the blue features would be a bit better at breaking the ice.

Pantaleimon. Luke blinked, and for the briefest of moments looked at the male with an indescribable wonder. Had it not been spoken so fresh off the heels of his encounter with a sleepwalking Peregrine, it would have meant nothing. But the black alpha had said something that night, had said thanks, pan. It did not register to Luke as a name then, it sounded like a mispronounced man and that's all he thought of it. But now? Now he wondered. This male was white like he. It would have been too easy for Peregrine, when his wits were not about him, to mistake the him for his packmate.

"I'm from nowhere," Luke shared with a smile, hiding his thoughts behind his typical sunny countenance. "But I have friends in the Caldera. I tried to visit, but it seems your borders have been closed," he paused. He had not really meant to say it, but the subject had been breached and so he continued. "I was worried about Peregrine. How is he?"

Luke said that he was from nowhere, and Pantaleimon wondered if that was what he preferred. Especially when he mentioned having friends in the Caldera did she wonder why he did not seem to pursue getting into a pack. Perry had offered her a home, so surely he would have offered one to this Luke fellow, who looked like a healthy wolf -- beside his blue features, but he seemed to have no health deficit from that. Pan didn't want to ask about it, though, for it seemed like a subject that would be hard to talk about without coming off rude.

Pantaleimon was easily distracted when Luke said he was worried about Peregrine. A worried frown came over Pan's face while she considered how their last meeting had gone. Awkward. "Perry! Uhm... He - he's a bit shaken up about, y'know, stuff that happened," Pan remained vague, clearly holding back, because she didn't know how much Luke knew of what had happened, and she wasn't supposed to tell anyone, "I - I think he'll be alright." Pantaleimon meant the last thing; she worried about Peregrine, too, but with some loving from his mate and pups, surely he would be okay again in due time, even if perhaps not as okay as before.

In between his question and Pan's answer, it crossed the blue-nosed wolf's mind that Pan and Peregrine could have a thing going on. Peregrine had responded to his touches readily that night, commenting that he felt safe as they embraced. Certainly, he and Peregrine had a mutual attraction and friendship, but if the black alpha had mistaken him for Pan and had responded to his touch as though he were the shy male, well... it did not matter, in the end, though he wondered if perhaps this was why Peregrine had not sought him out. Either way, they had nothing going on and Luke himself had laid with another. He was not known to be jealous, and indeed, was not.

"I actually don't really know," Luke answered with a shift of his mouth. He did not expect Pan to elaborate any, but he had left the door open should he feel compelled to. "I was out here wandering around the fringe of the caldera's borders hoping I might see him, but I am doubting the possibility of that happening."

"Oh," Pantaleimon awkwardly said when Luke said he didn't actually really know what had happened at all. If he was a close friend of Peregrine's, then surely he would know, wouldn't he? Pan considered telling him, but then she thought of Fox' face in her head, and she didn't want to upset her Queen. Perry had told her that no one should know, because they might misinterpret things. Luke didn't seem like the kind of foul-hearted spirit who would misinterpret things, but in case he would, Pan didn't want to be the one to have spilled the beans and brought the Caldera in trouble.

"No, I... I think he needs some time. Does he - does he know where you are? Do you want me to, uh, tell him.. something?" Pantaleimon was growing more awkward by the moment, not really sure how to deal with the situation. She felt incredibly uneasy holding back the information of Junior's demise or the attack on Wildfire from Luke, but she knew she couldn't tell him.

Luke expelled an audible breath as he considered Pan's offer. Did he want to pass a message on to Peregrine? What would he say? He had more questions than he did statements. Questions he was coming to understand he had no place asking. His usual practicality and nonchalance had gone to the side, gave the floor to wayward emotions and cares and concerns that ran deeper than they should for wolves he, truthfully, barely knew. It was likely a product of lonesomeness he was only just coming to terms with. He shook his head.

"No, not really," he said. "I suppose you can tell him his blue-nosed friend wishes him well, and that I'll be around if he wants to seek me out. I'm a lone wolf, as I said, but I tend to stay in the general area in which he met me." He shrugged, there was little else he could say. "But you don't have to say anything at all." He smiled and flicked his tail, as if to dismiss that subject (or at least, the part centric around him).

Luke seemed to consider Pan's offer a moment, as though he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to send a message to Peregrine. Pantaleimon waited patiently, giving the blue-featured wolf all the time he needed. It surprised Pantaleimon a little when Luke referred to himself as blue-nosed, for she had falsely assumed that he would be self-conscious about his blue features and that he would've been teased with them when he was young (Pan knew how merciless pups could be in regards to oddball qualities, after all); but it seemed like he wasn't embarrassed about it at all.

It confused Pan that Luke ended by saying that she didn't really have to deliver the message, because she wasn't very good at deciding those things for herself. She supposed that if she saw Peregrine and thought of it, she'd let him knew. However, with the way things ended on their last meetings, she wasn't sure when she'd see Perry again and if she did, if she would actually get to the subject of Luke. They had plenty of things to hash out with each other.

After giving it some consideration with a thoughtful, soft expression on her face, Pantaleimon nodded. "I - okay." She left it in the middle if she would deliver the message, because it sounded kind of weird to say 'if i think of it, i'll let him know' or something of the sort; and neither did she want to make a promise she might not keep.

An awkward -- at least for Pantaleimon -- silence followed, in which Pan looked kind of indecisive. She hated to just leave, but she honestly hadn't a clue what to talk about. Even though Luke had already referred to himself as blue-nosed, Pan still felt embarrassed to ask him about his features just to sate her own curiosity, and so she refrained from doing so, remaining silent and looking pretty awkward while she hastily dug her mind for something smalltalksy to say.

Pan may have found the silence that fell between them awkward, but Luke was not one that readily felt awkward or uncomfortable in social situations, and so it was what it was to him: just a pause, a moment of quiet. He could, however, sense that his fellow white wolf was feeling out of place, and reached out a paw to lightly butt his shoulder. "Sorry!" he said with a wide grin. "Didn't mean to put you on the spot or anything."

He stood, as his tail swayed behind him. "Did you want some help finding some prey to take back home are you going to hunt a little closer to the caldera?" He asked, remembering that Pan had mentioned that he was hunting for his pack, though he may be a bit far to drag food back. "Or," he said, bending down to grab his stick, he slid into a play bow. "Game of tug?"

Pantaleimon flinched when Luke touched her shoulder, feeling uncomfortable at the touch, but allowing it nevertheless. She wasn't sure what more to say or do, and was envious of Luke, who seemed completely carefree and fun. It made Pan feel like a giant anxious bore, and she hated feeling like a bore. She tried to relax, but somehow just kept feeling more and more nervous.

The offer of searching for something to hunt together opened up new prospects, and Pan liked the idea. Luke soon suggested tug-o-warring instead, but Pantaleimon had never been very good at playing. She hadn't done much of that with her sisters; not after they found out what she was, anyway, and there hadn't been many other male pups when she was young.

"I uhm, not v-very good at playing," she mumbled, feeling like a giant idiot. "But uhm - but we could search for something to hunt together?" Since he was a loner, Pan figured he'd be eager for the offer of taking some food for himself with the help of a pack wolf. Pantaleimon really just wanted to go home to the Caldera, but somehow she felt like she owed Luke something, or at least like she should show him that she could be fun, and useful, and not like a giant bore at all. Why she was so eager to prove herself to this total stranger, Pan had no idea.

Not very good at playing? Luke frowned inwardly at the thought. There was a story, one he sensed was not all pleasant, behind this shy male, and it naturally provoked his curiosity. He wanted to know more, and wanted to show him how to have a good time with something as simple as two bodies and a stick, but it would have to wait for another time if it at all. He would not play, but he was willing to hunt, and the blue-nosed wolf smiled and nodded. He was up for that. It would do him good to put a bit of food in his belly rather than chewing on his thoughts. He gestured for Pan to follow, and headed off.

He had caught a glimpse of pronghorn earlier, and angled his travel toward where he last seen them, hoping they had not moved too far. Fortunately, they were viewable in a low as the white pair crested a small hill. Luke stilled his paws, glancing to his companion. "How about one of those?" They were fast, wary animals, but they were not large and the two of them could take one down... if they could catch it first.

Pantaleimon followed Luke, glad to be able to do something she was a lot better at than small talk or playing. Her game face went on, and Pan studied the animals as they approached. As she figured he would, considering he had brought them here, Luke suggested hunting one of the pronghorns. Pantaleimon considered this; it would be a challenge with the two of them, two uncoordinated wolves hunting together, but maybe they would manage.

"Okay," Pan agreed with a nod. There was a difference in demeanor now that Pantaleimon was in hunting mode; she could do this. She was good at this. "Do you think you could manage to herd one to me if I'd hide? I don't think I'll catch one by running, unless it's wounded." Pan looked at Luke, waiting for his response before they could decide whether or not to go for it. Pan had not yet spotted any weak ones, but maybe Luke had.

He was on board, and Luke waved his tail. "I think I could manage that," he nodded, and then turned his gaze to the herd, scanning for an appropriate target. "You go ahead and get into position, and I'll see if I can find us a good one." It would be tricky to split the herd and herd one into his companion on his own, but it was worth a shot. If nothing else, it would be fun to give chase. Luke broke from Pan's side, and with his bank lowered below the tops of the grasses and slinking behind every bush he could, he stole closer to the herd. The wind was in face, and he keenly watched the pronghorn's ears which would likely be the first thing to indicate they were becoming uneasy. His coat did him no favors for camouflage here, and so he did not creep too close.

It was a healthy herd, and he did not see any injured or prominently aged. There were a couple fawns, but they were close to their mother's flank. He did not think he could separate them with any ease, so he set his eyes on a lone doe that had strayed from the center of the herd. She was a bit smaller, last year's fawn most likely. If they were going to be able to take any of them, she looked like the surest bet. He looked to Pan, waiting for him to secure himself before Luke would make his move.

Pantaleimon nodded when Luke said she should get into position while he looked for a good target. Pan trotted towards a patch of light, tall grass where she would be able to hide herself among the brushes if she pressed herself to the ground. Once there, Pantaleimon pressed herself to the ground and perked her head out to see if Luke was ready yet.

When Luke looked at her, she nodded briefly before withdrawing her head down to the ground to hide herself better. Pantaleimon had made sure the wind was on her side, so that her location would not be betrayed before it would reach her. She kept herself low to the ground, surrounded by bushes, and perked her ears forward, hoping she'd hear the sound of nearing hooves soon.

He watched Pan settle into position, and then made his move. He crept forward, but the wind was in favor of his hunting partner and not him, and the herd started to become anxious. He would have to sprint from where he was. He gathered his muscles, and then sprang. He charged forward, darting into the herd to cut off his target from the bulk of the group, but in doing two others joined the lone doe as they veered off. Luke sought then to flank them, to steer them toward Pan, and when they turned he moved to split them again, to separate the doe. He struggled to do so cleanly as a solo unit, he managed to cut two away and now a pair, his target and another, charged for his companion. He snapped at the heels of the larger doe, trying to send her off, but she lashed out at him, narrowly missing his head with a cloven hoof.

As they drew nearer to Pan he shifted away from the 'bonus doe' and concentrated on the one he hoped to take down. He barked to Pan, gesturing that this was the one to focus on. He managed to land a bite on its flank, but it kicked out and freed itself before he could gain real purchase, and his action did nothing to slow it. They were almost to Pan, and Luke kept watch on the other male.  

Pantaleimon slightly lifted her head from the patch of grass and watched Luke as he tried to separate his target from the herd, but it was a hard task to do on one's own. Pan usually preferred to hunt side by side when she was with only one other wolf to hunt with, but in this case their prey was too fast for her. She would unlikely manage to get close enough to get a bite in, and she would be more useful like this.

There were two beasts headed towards her, and she quickly identified the smallest one as their prey even before Luke barked to identify it as such. Luke managed to get a bite on it, but he didn't manage to hold on too long before the beast kicked itself free.

When the beasts reached Pantaleimon's hiding place, they noticed her last-minute and the doe that was their target stopped and reared to change direction. It bumped into the other beast, and Pan jumped out of the bushes the moment that it reared. She hoped Luke would be able to get in some bites when he got here since the beasts were halted. Pan jumped at their target's throat. She managed to avoid its flailing hooves while she did, but had forgotten the other beast in her concentration. Pantaleimon landed her teeth in the pronghorn's neck when she felt a sharp pain in her back. The other, bigger pronghorn had kicked her and Pan fell to the ground, seeing nothing but black spots for a moment while she curled up and tried to make herself as small as possible to avoid being trampled by the pronghorns.

Luke felt time slow as the scene unfolded in front of him: the pronghorn made his companion, with their target rearing and checking the other one. The other man hastily jumped for the throat, and Luke turned his teeth on the doe's flank again, but just as he did he saw the second antelope bring its hooves across Pan's back. He spun immediately, rushing to the other male's side with jaws snapping at the larger doe to chase her off, while the smaller doe - now freed from what could have been a death sentence - wasted no time in bolting away to rejoin the fleeing herd. The second doe soon followed. He was practically standing over his companion for a moment, curled on the ground, staring after the pronghorn with a lashing tail. But they were gone, and he softened.

He crouched beside Pan and whined softly. "Are you ok?" Guilt squeezed his stomach. He should never have suggested the two of them try to tackle such fast prey on their own, or he should have at least called it off when he failed to separate their target.

Pantaleimon wasn't sure how long it took before she felt the comfort of Luke protecting her from the angry beasts and their hooves, losing all track of time from the moment she threw herself to the ground and made herself small. When Luke asked if she was okay, Pantaleimon slowly unfolded herself and shook her head. She didn't even remember hearing the pronghorn leave, but when she looked around she didn't see them anywhere, and it was then that Pantaleimon wondered if she'd been out cold for a little while. She didn't remember.

Although her back felt sore, Pan was pretty sure she could get up and walk. For now though, her head was still spinning. "Oomph, yes, I... Sorry!" As soon as her head cleared up a bit, Pantaleimon couldn't help but feel like a lousy hunter for letting the prey get away, even if the hunting situation had been tricky. As a lone wolf, Luke had probably been really hoping for a good piece of meat, and she'd gone and ruined it.

Fortunately, Pan was mostly unharmed, though he did not doubt how much her back hurt, or would come to hurt. His companion apologized and Luke shook his head as he took a seat beside him. "Nothing to apologize for," he reassured. "If anything, I'm sorry for getting you into this mess." He was not the least bit concerned about their meal escaping, although he could not deny that he had looked forward to filling his belly. But he could find his own food, and he was not so hungry that this failure would take much of a toll on him. "Did you want me to walk you home?" He offered.

Pan tried to get up while Luke said there was nothing to apologise for. She couldn't help but feel slightly guilty though. She couldn't help but smile softly when Luke offered to walk her home; he was such a friendly guy. Pantaleimon shook her head, for even though she liked Luke's company, she felt like she should head on home soon, and she'd be fine doing it. To ask Luke to walk her home would be because she enjoyed his company, not because she actually needed help, and that'd be wrong.

"No, I'm feeling better," Pan said with a quick nod and a gentle smile to underscore that it wasn't that she didn't like Luke's company, but that she was just really fine. "I - I'll be fine, thanks." Pan got up then, and she took a few steps to ensure she was actually fine. The worst of the shock was gone for now and the black spots had vanished from her vision. She'd probably have a muscle ache in the morning from the kick, but that was for tomorrow. Pan intended to get home in time today so that she had the time to spare to sleep it off tomorrow.

With furrowed brows he looked his companion over, but seeing no obvious harm he smiled and gave a gentle nod. "If you say so," his tail waved. Guilt still occupied his chest for the moment, but he was relieved that what could have been a much worse situation had turned out the way it had. He hated to end their meet on such a note though, he lifted his head high as he chirped a much more optimistic and lighthearted comment. "Tell you what. Next time we cross paths, I'll take you fishing." He beamed. "There ain't a fish around that'll kick you in the back, and they're all delicious. We can't lose. If you don't fish, I can show you!" He looked to Pan; his expression said what do you say?