Great Bear Wilderness Hey there Delilah;

DELILAH

Nature.

The concept was most alien to Delilah, who, as a result of her past, had been most removed from it indeed. First as a pup; raised by a set of humans, and then under the control of the Master; who never let her out of his sight. So, stepping forth under the leafy canopy of the trees was a completely new experience, and Delilah was absolutely astonished. She had never, ever imagined trees to be so green. The forest around her assaulted her with smells of the dirt, the leaves, the crispness of the air in the sky, and the smells of animals darting in and our of the underbrush around her, startled as she loped past them.

And wolf. Delilah wanted to close her eyes and soak in the smell. It had been so long since she had smelt, or seen wolves. The Master had been proud of his collection of purebred dogs; prouder still that he had managed to purchase a real wolf. But Delilah had been the only one of her kind at the Estate, and knowing that she was now surrounded by real wolves, like her, sent her senses reeling.

Her heart contracted when she remembered why she was here. Anael. Her darling son, her little cub, ripped from her side just when she had learned to love him. Anger started to pool in her belly, and her nostrils flared as she thought about the smile on the Master's face when he took her son from her. She wanted her son back, and she would find him. Maybe the wolves that lived here knew about him; maybe they had seen things. Delilah didn't know.

And so she stepped forth boldly, scrutinising everything with a cold set of eyes, ignoring the wonderful sights and scents and sounds of the nature and focusing on the task at hand; finding the pack. She had no idea how deep she was in their territory, but their collective scent enveloped her in a mist, and she knew her outsider smell must be sticking out like a sore thumb. Was she trespassing? She had lived without a pack for so long that all the customs had been completely forgotten.

Uncertain about what course of action to take, Delilah stopped for a moment and looked down at her aching paws. She had been walking around for a long time. Her throat was parched, her stomach grumbling; but she didn't want to go and hunt this pack's lands for food. So she sat down, allowing the breeze to ruffle her fur and basking in the sunlight that shone through the trees.

Luke had an itch, and it was an itch he could not quite reach, and so it was that the white wolf found himself rolling around on the ground, painting a comic picture as he tossed and squirmed. Eventually, he had scuffed his spine against the earth enough that the itch dissipated, and he rose to his feet and gave himself a rigorous shake; pieces of grass and bits of dirt sprang free from his pelt. As Luke stretched himself tall, inhaling a deep breath, he caught wind of unfamiliar scent. Curious, he turned toward it and jogged.

His sweeping gaze found a sitting female, enjoying the sunlight. As he was approaching from behind, Luke gave her a friend woof to alert her before he was so close that he startled her (he was doing that to wolves a lot lately). Then as he neared, his tail waving amicably, he smiled and said "hey!"

A friendly woof behind her alerted Delilah from her spell and she raised her head, opening up her eyes and turning around to face the wolf that stood there. He had a pelt the colour of New York snow, flecked with dirt and twigs. He had a sunny smile on his face, and Delilah felt her own lips twist up into a tired smile in response. She felt the smile came out as more of a sneer. She forced some warmth into her cold eyes; she didn't want to go scaring off the wolves from these new lands straight away.

"Hello," She answered, baring her teeth in a smile. "I am Delilah, what's your name?" She asked, feeling the need to get the ball rolling. Unfortunately, her stomach chose that moment to speak up, and grumbled loudly. Delilah felt heat rush into her cheeks.

Trying to force her embarrassment aside, she surveyed the wolf in front of her. She couldn't deny that he was handsome; he simply was. His eyes were of a brilliantly silver colour, his body lean and firm with muscle.

But his most startling features were the colours of his nose, pawpads and tongue; for they were dyed a deep blue colour. Delilah immediately wanted to know how and why those parts of him were coloured in that way. Her mouth itched with the need to ask the question; but she kept her mouth firmly shut.

So instead she asked, "What is this place? Where am I?"

"I'm Lu—," his response was cut short when her stomach audibly rumbled in protest of her hunger. Luke gave her a blank look and then laughed heartily. "I'm Luke. You sure you're Delilah? It sure sounds like you're hungry." he joked with a wink. Although she might have been a bit embarrassed, the outgoing Luke thought nothing of it at all.

He was about to offer to help her find a bite to eat, but she had a question for him, to which he could not resist another playful joke. "This is the wild, and you are here in it." He paused for effect, giving her a serious look, but as usual he could not hold the charade for long and chuckled with a smile. "This is what the locals call the Great Bear Wilderness," he answered. Kris has decided that he heard the name in passing somewhere.

Delilah felt her blush deepen, brought on by the words of the white wolf in front of her. None of the wolves at the Master's Estate were quite as... Outgoing as this. She didn't know quite how to respond. She felt the coldness prickle at the edges of her vision; threatening to shut down her emotions and her reactions. She didn't want to get hurt by this wolf.

"Yeah..." She replied, somewhat stiffly, wanting to let go of the coldness but being unable to. The white male, she now recognised him as Luke, cracked another joke about her earlier question, held still for a moment, and then burst out chuckling. Delilah decided that Luke was the only male she had ever met who actively laughed harder at his own jokes than other animals.

Nevertheless, she forced a smile on her face. "The Great Bear Wilderness?" She questioned, "Are there bears here?" She felt slightly stupid asking that questions, but she couldn't stop herself.

Luke easily picked up on the female's stiff answer, wondering at her unease and why she felt she had to be so guarded. But he did not think too long on it. Not all folks were as comfortable around strangers he was, and he did not feel the need to press her for her reasons, figuring she would warm up to him soon enough once she realized he was every bit as friendly as he portrayed.

Ever playful, Luke glanced around in an exaggerated way before answering. "I don't see any," he said, giving her a broad, bright grin and a wink. "They are around here in places, but they won't bother you usually," he continued, a bit more helpful. "We can find something to eat if you want," he offered, canting his head to the side inquisitively.

Delilah could practically sense the cogs turning in Luke's head, pondering over the information that he was given. Thankfully, he seemed to quiet down after that, and Delilah allowed herself a sigh. She felt her strained muscles uncoil, her fast heartbeat slow (when had it begun to pound?), and the heat inside of her dissipate.

She relaxed as Luke began to speak again, and this time didn't seize up when he cracked yet another joke. This time, his joke seemed to tickle something deep within her, and she actually chuckled. Delilah smiled, completely not of her accord, and she actually let herself. Something in his twinkling eyes; in his broad grin told her she could trust him.

The thought of food caused yet another growl in her stomach; and Delilah smiled. "Yes, please, She admitted, "That would be fantastic. Could we get some water, too?"

At last she chuckled, and Luke felt warmed by it. She seemed to relax and his invite to find a bite to eat was well received as she accepted it with a smile. "Yeah for sure, there's a creek not too from here. Any preferred prey?" he replied as he gestured to her with his muzzle to follow as he began to walk toward the Heartwood. Luke was certain he could find her a few fish there, but he was open to any suggests she might have. Rabbits, squirrels, perhaps a deer if the two could locate one. The world was their buffet. The blue-nosed wolf could even show her where to find grubs and salamanders if she wanted a different taste experience.

Delilah idly scratched at an itch on her right-foreleg with her teeth before raising her head and smiling. "No, not really," she answered, "Although I feel like I could eat round-about an entire stag on my own, now." She joked feebly; the humour putting an awkward taste in her mouth.

Fear suddenly tickled the edges of her consciousness. She had never been a good hunter; she had been raised by two zookeepers who had given her her daily meals much like a domestic dog would receive theirs. She had also been with the Master; who fed his dogs daily. Delilah had never really learnt to hunt properly; all the food had been prepared for her and she had never learnt to track prey or gauge their emotions as a result. Gods,she hoped she didn't have to hunt. She was horrible at it.

"Will we have to hunt?" She asked uneasily, unable to meet Luke's eyes. Embarrassment threatened to choke off her vocal cords. "I know it's stupid, but.." She swallowed hard, finally meeting Luke's eyes. "I-I never learned how to."

He was surprised by her question and subsequent admittance that she had never learned to hunt. Luke gave her an arched-brow look, though she was avoiding meeting his gaze right away and so it likely would go unnoticed. "Do you fish?" he asked, his inquisitive expression turning to one more hopeful as she raised her gaze to his. Perhaps she was an avid fisher like he, or maybe she was one of those rare breeds that preferred to forage. Although, he doubted a veggie-eater would crack a joke about eating an entire stag. Either way, she had captured Luke's attention and curiosity. It would seem  there was more to this female than meets the eye. Fortunately for her, she was talking to perhaps the most nonjudgmental fellow she could ever meet.

Fishing. Aye, there was something she could do! It was probably the only skill she had ever learnt how to use, particularly in the wild. In the zoo; there had been moving stream of salmon fish, which ran through both the wolf and bear enclosures, in order to simulate the conditions in the Wild as closely as possible. If there was one thing that Delilah had learnt; it was to fish.

She had been fortunate enough, in her journey to these lands, to travel along the sea shore, where she had often been able to fish; the large, salty, salt-water kind which she had special liking for. Thankfully, this skill had kept her largely alive, and she had never been more grateful for her upbringing.

"I- Yes!" She replied with a happy exclamation, her tail beginning to wag. "That's one thing I do know how to do. Fishing, yes. Do you know a good spot?"

Just and FYI because I am not sure you know - but your character can be in multiple threads at once :)

"Aw yeah!" Luke exclaimed in response, making a small jump in the air. His tail wagged vigorously, clearly delighted that he had just found a fishing parter. "I sure do," he said when she asked if he knew of a good spot. They were already headed that way but his pace quickened with excitement. "There's a nice creek in the woods up here, full of trout," he shared, grinning. Although he had not been too hungry before, his mouth now salivated with the thought of fresh fish.

When they arrived to the woods, he commented, "just up ahead," and lead her straight the creek without allowing her a chance to glance around the timberland. Too excited was he to fish. At the creek edge he finally stopped, and took a seat. He glanced to his friend, gestured to the creek with his muzzle, and encouraged, "show me how you do it!" His tail thumped on the ground. Luke was used to showing others how to fish, but he was very curious to see what technique(s) Delilah knew.

Delilah let out a surprise bark of laughter when Luke's entire body seemed to lift into the air; shake and seize whilst he laughed and yelled in joy. She'd never met a wolf who expressed his joy in such a way that Luke did. She simply found his joy infectious; she wondered why he wasn't a member of a pack.

At the mention of trout, Delilah's stomach growled again and she quickened her pace to a trot. They arrived at a quaint little creek; the water looking refreshing with the snow from the craggy peaks on the horizon. It was spring; the creek would be bursting with trout. The trees bent lovingly around the creek; as if they was protecting it from the air and all the predators that might lurk there.

Delilah stepped up to the side of the creek and eyed Luke from the side as he told her to go ahead and show him her tactics. She lay down on her belly, the ground cool against her skin, and she waited. She dipped her muzzle in once and tested the coolness of the water, lapping up water and quenching her thirst, and then got up again and searched the water for signs of rapids where the trout might struggle to get upstream.

She found a small pool where the water bubbled vigourously, and she saw the shimmering forms of the trout struggling upstream. In a series of careful movements, she entered the creek, cutting off the downstream escape for the trout. She gasped in shock at the coldness of the water; but it soon turned into concentration as she tried to keep her movements as still as possible.

It was a very good feeling, having the water clean out the filth in her fur, and she reveled. The trout hadn't noticed her yet; but all that changed when she ducked her head into the water and closed her teeth around a fish that had strayed a bit too close. The trout around her frenzied into movement, ducking between her legs and escaping back downstream.

Delilah quickly raised her head and flung the trout onto the shore; before ducking down again and snapping with her teeth, searching for the trout. Another trout was unlucky enough to stray to close to the jaws, and she snapped it by the head and threw it onto the shore. By that time, however, most of the trout had fled, and she was unable to get any more.

The water was cold though, and Delilah quickly jumped up onto the land and shook out her pelt. The water flew everywhere, including the trout, who struggled feebly on the shoreline. She looked at Luke, her smile dizzying. "Want to have a go?"

Luke watched with interest as Delilah fished, keeping quiet and still so as not to disturb her or any of the wary trout. It did not take her long to produce the first trout, giving it a sling to the shore where it still flopped and thrashed. Luke sucked in a breath as the fish flipped, nearing the stream. He thought her catch was about to be spared its fate, but its throes subsided and it lay still. He would not have thrown it ashore without ensuring it was dead first - having lost fish in this way before - but he could not argue with her results. By throwing it to the shore and quickly returning to fishing she was able to follow the first trout up with a quick second before the school dissipated, which she also threw ashore but her snap to the head had killed it instantly.

"Great show!" he commended, rising to his feet and waving his tail enthusiastically. It was a thrill for him to see another skilled fisher work. "Yep, I'll have a go," he said. He walked downstream from where she had finished, finding another pool behind a large boulder. Luke stepped in carefully, slowly, until all four paws were in the creek. He stood like a statute, unmoving except for his roving eyes. The fish schooled around him, nervous, but the longer he stood still the quieter they become, and then sure enough, one swam within strike range. Luke lurched forward and seized the fish in his jaws. He did not throw it, instead he jumped ashore with it still grasped in his jaws. Luke did not want a second fish, one was enough for him for now.

"Let's eat!" he grinned to Delilah before giving his coat a shake and sinking to his belly. He waited for her to gather her fish and then tucked into his, eating slower than usual, savoring each small bite.

Delilah couldn't deny that she was impressed as she watched Luke fish. He possessed a certain grace that she missed; a certain skew to his posture as he calmly entered the stream and waited for the fish. She almost found herself envying the swell of his muscles, the soundless brush of his feet over the cobbles under the water.

As she watched him, she felt her own senses heighten thanks to the thrill of watching another hunt. Her tail twitched and she widened her eyes when Luke struck from his frozen pose and snapped up a fish. Rather than toss it to shore, he jumped ashore with it in his paws, and then lay down with the struggling fish in his jaws.

Delilah thumped her tail on the ground. "Wow, that was fantastic!" She complimented him, smiling widely and drumming her paws on the ground in a sort of applause. She licked her lips and dug into her fish, grateful that Luke had started eating first. The fish was delicious; it burst across her tongue in a delectable mix of sweet and salt. Delilah made sure to eat slowly, savouring every small tidbit and also so that her empty stomach wouldn't heave it all up again.

"So, Luke," She said, in between bites, "How is it that your tongue, and your nose and paw-pads have such an... unusual colouration?" Delilah could almost not believe her own bravery, brazenly delving into another wolf's psyche like that. But her filling belly, and the thrill of the hunt were causing her to throw all caution to the wind.

Luke beamed at her compliment, his tail thumping the ground in tandem with hers. Of course Luke's tail seldom ever stopped. "Thank you!" he said. He was proud of his fishing prowess and appreciated it when others took note of his skill. For a few moments the two ate quietly, enjoying their fish together. By the time she asked the question he had been expecting since she first saw him, Luke had cleaned the fish leaving nothing but a few bone scraps and fins and was swiping his blue tongue around his lips.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," he laughed. "I was born with it. It's an inherited trait in my family. We're called the Bluenose's," he grinned. "I know, I know, the name doesn't fit us at all." He paused for a moment to pick up and swallow a small bit of fish meat he had missed. "So what's your story? Are you looking for a pack or someone?" he asked.

The Bluenoses? Delilah smiled at that. "Wow; I'm sure they had no problem picking you out from your friends when you were younger," She joked feebly, gulping down the last of her fish and leaving only a myriad of small bones on the ground. With a claw, she drew cross in the ground, and then a kite shape connecting the lines. The bones lay in the middle, and she brought her muzzle close to them. "Mene mene tekel upharsin," she whispered.

Then she straightened up and looked Luke in the eye. She tried to smile, but couldn't. She thought that her grief must be rather plain to see on her face, because all of a sudden her elation was gone. Gone was the thrill of the fish, of eating, of drinking; of regaining her strength. And replacing it was grief, hard and jagged, cutting away her happiness until there was barely any left.

Anael. She almost felt regretful for forgetting him. She looked back at Luke, realising that her head had fallen to look at the ground. "I-i..." Her voice came out in a stutter. Could she trust him? Luke may have given her food, good company, and the thought that she would maybe be okay in these lands after all; but was it all a ruse?

Deciding to take a plunge in the deep end; she took a deep breath and spoke. "I'm l-looking for my son. Anael. He was five months old when the Humans took him."

Luke laughed. "Nope I'm pretty easy to spot," he agreed. Although his coat did not bare any markings and his build, while tall and toned, was also unremarkable, his blue points ensured that he was both immediately recognizable and memorable. The pair's amusement at this was short lived. Luke's smile faded as he concentrated on what she was doing with the fish bones, watching in wonder this ritual he had never witnessed before. Delilah's demeanor shifted to one of grief and the blue-nosed wolf canted his head, his brows furrowing with worry. He was about to ask what was wrong when she began to speak.

At the mention of humans his blood ran cold and he bristled. His concerned expression became hard, his lips pulled taught and his eyes iced, his gaze directed away from Delilah. But all this was brief, he sighed and collected himself, responding softly. "I have not seen any humans or human places around here," he answered. It was one of the reasons he had been drawn to this expansive, uninvaded area. Although Luke was optimistic to a degree often unheard of, where humans were concerned he struggled to maintain a positive outlook. Suddenly, her earlier admission that she had never learned to hunt sparked the question, "were you with the humans?"

Luke bristled; his easy expression a thing of the past, and Delilah felt her guard go up. Was he going to turn against her because she had had contact with Humans? Had she been right? Was this a ruse; a lie; was he going to hurt her? Delilah's hackles rose, her lips lifting away from her teeth as she took a step back. She guarded her eyes, keeping her face low to the ground.

Fear pooled off her in waves. She hadn't been in any scuffles during her journey here; and she certainly didn't want to get in one now. She couldn't fight; she didn't want to try to either. But she could run. She could run as fast as the wind, and she was prepared to.

However, he calmed down almost immediately, the brief flash of aggression gone as though the wind had changed direction, and straightened up with a much softer look in his eyes. Delilah felt herself relax; she ceased snarling and her hackles smoothed back onto her spine. Her muscles were less keen to lose their tension, though, and Delilah remained standing with stiff muscles ready to flee.

Luke's words caused a flash of grief, enough to make her forget her alarm, and she felt tears prick at the insides of her eyes. Anael. She felt her heart contract as Luke asked his question. "I-i've been with them all my life," She hiccuped, the corners of her mouth turning down, "My own mother didn't want me, so I was raised by a set of Zookeepers. Then I was sold to the Master; who bred me for his own gains. Humans are all I remember. They're my past, and if I don't find Anael they're going to be his future."

Luke had never met someone like Delilah, who had been raised by humans and had never lived in the wild. Someone who had never had to learn to hunt and to survive on their own or even within the strategical structure of a wolf pack. Although Luke had a deep seated hatred for humans, it did not extend to Delilah just because she had spent time with them. It was not her choice to live that life and even if it had been, the blue-nosed wolf was not one to judge. It sounded like she had had quite a limited life and he felt nothing but compassion for her, and respect that she had managed to break free from it.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. They killed my sister," he clarified, having felt bad for upsetting her when the mere mention of humans caused a change in his disposition. "I don't like them much," he added, though it did not need to be said. "I hope you find your son, but in the meantime, you should probably find yourself a pack." Surely there was a pack somewhere that would welcome her, and allow her to learn the ropes of survival. The lone wolf life could be hard, living off small prey and fending whatever small catch you got from all manner of thieves looking for a meal they did not have to work for.

He wanted to help her more, but Luke did not know her son, and could not embark on such a wild goose chase, looking for a wolf imprisoned by humans.

Delilah allowed a small, wan mile to curl the corners of her lips upwards. We're all grieving, aren't we? She thought, marveling at how she and Luke were bonding; united in their grief. She sniffed loudly, rubbing the unshed tears on her foreleg and straightening up. "I'm sorry to hear that, Luke," She said, and she meant it.

Luke's words, however, alerted her to something else. A pack. She looked into the sky, the grey interspersed by the blue. Delilah had already decided that she couldn't leave these lands to look for Anael now. Her needed her, she knew this, but it was too risky departing on the massive journey alone. Life as a lone wolf was hard; and journeying up into the north was a dangerous affair.

She needed training; to become stronger both mentally and physically in order to prepare herself for the journey. She needed information; maybe there were wolves that had come from the north and knew about the Miner's outposts, or knew the places where they would take young, able-bodied wolf pups for the hard labour.

She looked back at Luke. "How many packs are here in these lands?" She asked, "Which pack are you with?"

Luke gazed softly at Delilah, and when she had finished brushing her tears away and apologized for the death of his sister, he stepped forward and gave her a gentle lick on the muzzle. "Don't worry about it," he reassured. Although the death of his sister had been a devastating blow to him when it had happened, he had since allowed himself to move on and find happiness in life, as his mother had wished for him.

He shook his head when asked how many packs were in this area. "I do not know. I only know of two so far, a pack on the plateau," he gestured with his muzzle to the distant mountain range, "and a pack on the caldera," he gestured to the looming slopes of Peregrine's home. Then he paused, remembering that Mordecai had mentioned a third pack. "Actually, I was told of a third in the dark forest that should be avoided. Unfriendly folk apparently. But as for me, I have no pack yet." When Luke bid his mother farewell, she had not only wished for him to find happiness again, but for him to find his own pack. He had not yet, but he felt confident that somewhere in this park was the place for him. Away from humans and among many other wolves.

"I don't think I'll find my place just sitting around," Luke went on. "So I think I'll grab a nap somewhere and keep on exploring. Best of luck to you! Maybe see you around sometime!" The blue-nosed wolf gave his companion a friendly nudge and a warm smile, and then carried on his way.