Emberwood sail

The afternoon sun glinted off the male’s dappled silver pelt – his lanky form moved with a swift grace that still seemed rather awkward, if only in reverence to the size of his paws versus the size of himself. Still, without a current care in the world, the rogue’s lackadaisical nature shone through with perfect clarity, and a rather lopsided grin could be seen twitching at the corner of his mouth.

It was partially cloudy, stirring the sun to disappear every so often, but it did little to deter the youthful male. Having finally dispersed from his home, Rifter had adoringly kissed his pregnant mother goodbye, listened to a few wise words from his father, and struck out on adventure. His siblings determined they were content to stay for now – no doubt hoping to rise within the ranks their beautiful home had to offer.

But Rifter wanted something more. Something different. And with this desire, he now found himself in a rather ethereal forest.. fueled purely by curiosity, rather than energy, for it had been days since his last meal.

Hope you don't mind me :D

Now that Stavanger Bay's ranks had grown by four — four tiny new additions that would grow incredibly quick — Atreyu had taken it upon himself to scout out herds that would provide for their pack. The leaders were somewhat out of commission for the moment, he determined, because looking after puppies was hard work. Well, when they were older, at least. At the moment they were nothing more than fuzzy, wiggly sources of poop and crying that Atreyu wanted no part of. He would only associate with them once they could walk and talk — when he could take them out for adventures!

Yet he still wanted to provide any help he could, and so took off down his usual trail along the coast before veering east, eventually heading towards a forest that almost seemed like it was on fire.

The boy gazed at the foliage as he wandered, peering curiously at the bursts of bright oranges and fiery reds that adorned the branches. How had he never seen this forest before? It was nothing like the evergreen woods that branched off from the Bay. A silver figure moving through the trees a short distance away suddenly caught the yearling's attention, and he pressed himself close to the ground, pale eyes watching it. A coyote? The scent wafting towards him told otherwise, however, and Atreyu rose again, giving an amicable bark towards the stranger. He was in a good mood today, and felt like some company.

His ears would shift to the direction of the bark – the moment the cry echoed across the forest, the silver male’s senses were alerted, and his bright eyes drifted cautiously around him. Bright green eyes would fall upon a youthful and ivory male, and while there had been no malicious intent in the sound that had captured his attention, his quick glance was quick reassurance of this.

Easing his form in to a neutral state, Rifter drifted a few paces closer, studying the stranger and allowing a small grin to play at the corners of his muzzle. “Lo,’” he offered casually, his tail giving an idle flick as he slowed now, keeping a respectful distance between the two. It had been awhile since he had conversed with another and he found the interruption to be quite welcomed. “I’m Rifter,” he offered then, giving a light nod of his boyish muzzle.

They were the same age, it appeared, or roughly so. Atreyu gazed at the stranger as he began to approach, mirroring his easy-going grin. It was pleasant to finally encounter another who actually seemed to appreciate company. Many others he came across in his travels away from the Bay just did not want to socialise, regardless of how much Atreyu wanted to himself. There were exceptions, of course, but the boy found himself driving away company more often that he attracted them.

"Yo," he returned with a dip of his head, allowing the male to introduce himself before adding, "Atreyu." His nose wiggled as he tested the smells wafting from Rifter's coat — the chaotic but unmistakable mix of foreign lands. "Rifter the drifter?" he questioned with a barely contained, goofy laugh at his own joke, assuming the boy was currently a loner. He definitely looked the part.

"The one and only," he returned, his own grin growing to mirror his new-found companion's. The ivory wolf was close to him in age, though likely older.. and sported a rather healthy looking coat -- which, oddly enough, smelled a bit like salty air.. like the ocean.

The silver male had been to the enormous body of water only a sparse few times, but had never found it to be enjoyable. Sand and salt would stick to one's pelt and it was impossible to fully rinse off without finding a source of fresh water.. and the stranger before him proved no different. Giving a small shake of his muzzle, his eyes alight with good-natured intent, Rifter gave a nod to the other's unkempt pelt, noting the sand intermingled within. "Atreyu of the sea, then?"

Editing in an ending!

Drifter was a title Atreyu had once sought, wanting to be like the stranger before him, travelling from place to place and never settling down in one for too long. Obviously, he had no idea if that was the boy's intent or not, but he found himself partially jealous of the loner's freedom. However, he was loyal to the Bay now, and wouldn't even think of ever abandoning them.

His tail beat the air in pride as the other accurately noted where he was from. There was no mistaking it, really — it was a near impossible challenge to mask the scent of salt and sea water, especially for someone who had lived beside it for so long. "Damn straight. Stavanger Bay," he returned with a nod.

It was a short meeting, overall, as after a quick conversation the rangy loner continued his trek onwards, towards the mountains. Atreyu opted to stay behind, roaming the strange forest with fascination.