Sleepy Fox Hollow Oh, I'm burning out

Traveling had not been an overly easy task for the young male, especially once he'd reached the mountain range. In truth, he had absolutely no idea where he was going, since the land was new to him. He'd never really gone to the mountains, save for one time a long while ago, and didn't know what laid on the other side of them. What was to be expected, he couldn't even imagine, but that did not stop his legs from carrying him to elevated levels. His paw had offered him a few issues here and there, but for the most part, he was just fine. The injury was healing slowly due to his reluctance to not use that leg, but that wasn't too worrisome. It had been expected, really, causing him to constantly remind himself not to complain about it.

As Alastor made his way to the hollow, he kept himself alert by focusing on each step taken. It was normal, for him at least, and would serve to better his mental map of the land; which most likely needed some altercations made in light of the storm. No matter, that was a task for another day, and wasn't currently weighing too heavily on his mind. He had a basic outline of where the paths he'd taken were, and that was all that mattered. His icy gaze trailed around the area, taking in his surroundings. The place seemed nice enough, and like other places before, he made a mental note to visit it again in the future.

Moving forward, the Greek wolf further explored the meadow, feeling at peace within it. Even the pain that would occasionally shoot through his leg seemed to be dulled significantly, making him forget about it for the time being. For once, since the disbanding of the Bypass, he actually felt happy, or some sort of positive emotion. It was nice, but also made him miss previous moments in which he'd experienced the emotion. The talks with Crëyr, particularly, we're missed, as were the times he'd gone off and met with Aesop. He wondered what the elder was up to nowadays, which brought forth a new task in his mind—maybe he could try to find the other male's pack. All he knew was that it was close to Horizon Ridge, but the exact coordinates were lost to him. Sitting down, both to think and relieve his paw of his weight for a bit, he attempted to think back to what he'd seen near the ridge, or if he'd spotted anyone who could give directions. All the while, he was oblivious to any happenings going on around him, far too invested in his own mind to be attentive.

FitzDutiful was out scouting today. He'd lost his outrider and had to take yet another task upon his shoulders. He hated that the two women he had become affectionate about had left. Was it a curse upon his or something? The only good thing to come out of that was his children and they were growing up so fast that he was worried that soon they wouldn't need him any longer. What if they decided to move on as well and everyone left him behind?

So that brought him to today. Out looking for recruits, for new members for the pack. To keep it alive. He wanted to have families raised there, pass on the information he knew and create a community that would thrive long after his days had passed. If that ever happened.

Luck was with him today, however. He crested the mountain range of Spotted Eagle Mountain and began his journey down into Sleepy Fox Hollow where he came across just what he'd been seeking. A lone wolf. The wolf in front of him was a mix of greys with a scattering of black and white and seemed very caught up in his own world but FitzDutiful thought he might as well try some conversation.

"Hey," he said kindly. "Everything okay?"

One thought after the other bounced around in his head, as did the map he'd slowly been piecing together since his arrival in the Wilds. He'd recalled the scent of the sea during his first meeting with the elder wolf, and given the other said he'd lived nearby, perhaps the pack was along the coast? It certainly made sense, but he could not be too sure just yet. Before he could work on a route to get to the ridge, he was startled from his thoughts by the sound of a voice. He jumped, slightly, in the way one might when given a sudden shock. Mentally, he informed himself he should have been more alert, before turning to face the other. Lucky for him, the male's tone came off as being kind, and his posture wasn't one he felt he needed to be concerned about. Still, despite his stroke of good luck, he reminded himself to be more attentive in the future, but whether or not that'd actually happen was a whole different story.

"Hello," he voiced, returning the greeting with a polite dip of his head. The inquiry left him momentarily unsure of what could be said, before his earlier sense of release reminded him things were okay. There was nothing he was tied to any longer, which was both pleasant and discouraging at the same time. Either way, he felt good, or at least better than he'd been previously. "Everything is fine, I was just trying to figure out a way to get somewhere," he answered, offering a faint smile to accompany his words. "Is everything alright with you?" Returning the gesture seemed like the right thing to do, and the correct thing was often his ideal method of going about situations. The male had been kind enough to ask, and so saying nothing after answering came off as a rude gesture to the Greek—and such behavior was not something he would ever resort to.

It seemed everything was fine as the polite wolf replied. FitzDutiful suspected that this wolf was of a similar age to himself and it reminded him of how different things could have been for his life too. There was a high possibility that Mason and June would have never been had he stayed at the Caldera close to a year ago. The other possibility was maybe there would be more than two of them. Who could say how life could have gone, there were infinite possibilties.

"Everything's good for me too. I'm FitzDutiful and just out scoping for wolves like yourself. Lone wolves maybe in want of a nice pack to hunker down with for the winter at least." Be bold FitzDutiful, be bold.

FitzDutiful had never been very good at 'putting himself out there' though he was getting better at it each time. He had successfully recruited two of the three wolves that he had tried for. Though both had since left so maybe he needed to improve keeping them as well. Reardless, that was a problem for another day. He needed a good, trustworthy core - leaders to help but all of that needed solid foundations. Chaska and Ryuu, now Zhavvi - no Zaria - were the start of a rock solid foundation. Mason and June were the pack's future and hopefully they too would stay and bring their families too.

Could he persuade another lone wolf to throw in with them or was this one taken already?

Though he possessed no connections to the other male, he was glad to hear the other was good, too. It was always nice meeting someone who was not in low spirits, after all. Realizing that, he felt a twinge of guilt go out to those he'd met and conversed with after the disbanding of the Bypass. Surely, he'd not been very good company at that time, and for that he was apologetic. Inwardly, anyways. On his exterior, there remained a smile, and a relaxed sort of posture. His nerves had died down almost instantly after his initial fright, which he was thankful for. Those same nerves returned, however, as the words continued from the pale one's mouth. The introduction was not the cause, but the mention of a pack. Would it be worth joining? Would it last? He was a social being, at heart, so the idea of a pack was rather enticing, but he was still hesitant.

Shoving such thoughts to the depths of his mind, he returned his focus to FitzDutiful. "My name is Alastor," he returned, then, deciding to take things one at a time. Giving his name was the easy part, but confronting the other topic felt odd to him. Though he hadn't really been looking for the past few months, due to his previous state of sheer mopiness, the idea of joining a pack wasn't something he disliked. Alastor wanted to be apart of something again. "What is the name of the pack you're out scoping for?" the Greek questioned, having crossed his bridge of worries, landing him smack dab in the center of his own curiosities. He didn't want to doubt the structure of the pack, so he focused his mind on the time he'd spent in Noctisardor, the good times. For awhile, the argent wolf had been reluctant to admit it, but he truly did long for that feeling again. The same feeling that came with sharing a set land with a group of others, of forming familial bonds with those same wolves. It was something that just seemed natural to him.

The other male introduced himself, without needing prompting, and FitzDutiful liked to think that the inner counsellor within him saw the male as a good fit. He felt as though he could see a place within the inner core of his pack for the male. Zaria, Chaska, Ryuu, Alastor, Mason, June. It was well balanced and for once he wouldn't have a woman on the side to mess things up. Unless, well unless he wanted to —

No, he wouldn't think of that. Back to the question at hand.

"Silvertip Mountain." he said, returning the smile that Alastor had given him. "We've a good collection of wolves, well, I like to think of them all as my family, and leave further west. We've a variety of skills too some of us have obtained them already and others are actively pursuing them. I like to think we all hope to better ourselves, bettering the pack as a whole in the process."

He wasn't going to lie about what he wanted from his pack any more. That's not to say he had ever explicitly lied previously, he had just tainted the truth with rose coloured glasses. Now he spoke freely, openly, with a passion about the pack he ruled and what he wanted from it.

Alastor listened closely as a name was given, and then as the other continued with his words. Silvertip Mountain. It had a nice ring to it, and the way it was spoken of piqued his interest quite a bit. There was a notable passion in the tone taken on, and the Greek found found himself growing more and more intrigued with each new word. The way Crëyr had spoken of her pack so long ago was nothing in comparison to how FitzDutiful went on about his. "Silvertip... what is it like? What are the other members like?" Following his questions, his head cocked to the side slightly, officially hooked. He'd jumped into the Bypass rather quickly after meeting the silver beta. He'd asked no questions, he'd just gone in knowing he had a friend there. In hindsight, perhaps that was a mistake, despite the good memories he had made. This time around, he would not act so impulsively. Instead, he would learn what he could, and only if his interest remained afterwards would he make a trip to the borders.

Speaking of trips, if it came down to that, he wanted to know something. "How far is Silvertip from the sea?" For Alastor, it was a rather important question. It seemed as if all the friends he'd made had just up and left, most without so much as a 'goodbye'. The cream coated man was a mystery, however. Whether or not the elder still remained was unknown to him, but he wanted to at least have the option to try and check. If the pack was too far from the sea, he feared he would miss out on that. With such thoughts bombarding his inner self, a look of concern had been left able to weasel it's way into his facial features. Even his eyes started to show a mixture of his fascination, tinged with the growing worries that had begun to plague him.

There were a lot of questions. FitzDutiful was still thinking about the best way to describe Silvertip Mountain - the answer to the first question - when the third came along. He didn't mind though, and he was glad he hadn't started answering the first question yet because there seemed to be a sense of urgency surrounding the last one. He wondered whether the deal breaker was being too far from or two close to the sea.

"We're not on the coast, but not that far away. There's only one pack that I know of that's closer than we are. It's not even half a day's journey from our mountain. We're not in any danger of being swallowed by the sea but we can still gaze upon it from the mountain vantage point." FitzDutiful had discovered that after seeing Charon. It was now one of his favourite haunts.

"As for Silvertip Mountain. It's a lovely place. We had a forest before the tornado hit but the storm levelled that a bit. We also gained a bit sheet of to one side of us as well. We have a waterfall and lots of beautiful caves. There's lots of passage ways that lead through the mountain for easy access to the other side - or there's the traditional way of going round. We border a beautiful forest that did survive the tornado so we have plenty of food nearby." He fondly recalled the hunt that he, Zhavvi and Chaska had undertaken.

"As for my pack members. Well, in order of us joining, there's me. I'm a counsellor, naturalist and warden. I try to look out for the pack and give it a sense of family. That's important to me - that as pack we're family. We also have Chaska who is a wolf with a wonderful imagination - he's in training to be a chronicler - and isn't a bad hunter either! Ryuu is fairly shy, but she's beginning to get comfortable with us and she's very caring - a healer to be and the main caretaker of the children. The children are Mason and June, mine. Mason's very sweet and full of adventure. June is more sly about it, she tries to avoid speaking for a reason I don't yet understand. We also have Zaria - our tongue isn't her first language, but she's learning more each day. She's our pack's warrior and she's very protective of everyone that lives at Silvertip."

FitzDutiful could continue on, that much was clear, but he stopped it there not wanting to rattle on too much. His expression didn't hide the fondness that he felt for every single one of his pack members. He loved them all dearly because each was invaluable.

As the answers to his questions started to come, Alastor listened closely to each and every word spoken. Perhaps he was being being a bit too meticulous about it, but it was important for him to be sure. He didn't want to make a mistake and risk joining a pack that simply wasn't his cup of tea, and he also didn't want to take a chance at not being able to see his friend. His worries that centered around the latter issue were soon laid to rest, however, as he learned of the mountain pack's proximity to the sea. They did not dwell on the coast, but they also weren't too far away. From what he heard, it sounded as if they were merely a safe distance off from the vicious waters. That was something he could definitely work with. "It's location sounds wonderful." He couldn't help but think that, in certain ways, it seemed even better than the Bypass had been.

While he'd attempted to subdue it at first, the explanation of the land's lay caused his interest to skyrocket. It was sad, hearing what the tornado had done to it's forest, but everything else sounded lovely. It was a place he could envision himself wandering within, and becoming one with. Mentally, he chased those thoughts away, forcing them to the back of his mind in the hopes of staying clear-headed. "Sounds like you've found yourself an amazing place to settle at," he voiced, his tail swaying unconsciously. Once he'd become aware of the motion, he stilled the appendage and silently told himself to focus. There was still another question in need of an answer, before he could decide what he planned to do. Of course, nothing was definite just yet, as he'd need to first find the territory, and then be accepted into it's ranks. His conscious, which was currently put on mute due to it's pestering, had already settled on what he was going to do, even if he didn't yet know it.

Then came the words depicting the members of the mountainous group of wolves. There was an easily detected fondness in FitzDutiful's tone, as was shared with the expression on his face. The Greek soon learned why, too, as the idea of a familial bond all throughout the pack was shared with him. It was a very nice thought, one he could appreciate in every way. Family was important, and sharing such a close bond with those you were in a single territory with was fairly important. Only then did the other's status in his pack dawn on him, and he felt momentarily embarrassed for having not given the necessary respect. He felt lucky that the other male did not seem like one who felt the need to flaunt his power about, as had he been the type, he was sure they'd not be sharing such a pleasant conversation. "It seems like your pack isn't too large," he pointed out. The size of a pack did not matter much to him, just as long as those there were enough to keep it running. "Smaller is sometimes better, though. Everyone sounds very nice, very different from one another." The last member mentioned caught his attention almost immediately. Another language? He could relate to the difficulty that came with learning a new language, though not to a high extent. The lessons from his mother had started while he was still rather young, allowing him to grow fluent in both Greek, his native tongue, and English, the common tongue. Even so, he felt he was capable of relating. "I'm sure Zaria will be able to speak the common tongue flawlessly with everyone you mentioned around her. Everything about your pack seems kind and inviting." And there it was. The moment in which he realized that, without a doubt, he was going to end up heading to Silvertip's territory, and requesting entrance into their ranks.

Another realization came to light, then, and he almost felt foolish for having waited so long to ask. He had a description, but the area was too unfamiliar for him to be able to go by looks alone. That meant he'd need directions, and hope he didn't run into any trouble along the way. "How might I reach Silvertip from here?" Alastor questioned, readying himself to memorize any instructions given. Traveling was easy to him, once he learned more about the land, making directions easy for him to follow. There were occasions in which he'd found himself 'lost', having gone one way when he was meant to go another, but such a thing was rare for him. It had yet to happen in the Wilds, and he wasn't about to allow such a thing to start now. Alastor was a wolf who simply did not get lost, after all.

Alastor seemed to be liking what he heard. As FitzDutiful spoke, Alastor spoke little sentences that seemed to say everything he was hearing was good. In fact he didn't have anything negative to say. Even when he found out how small the pack was. He seemed to like the family aspect of it and FitzDutiful knew that if Alastor wanted to join he would accept him in a heartbeat. He didn't care what 'skills' the other had. Anything could be learnt or taught and even though who didn't always hunt could prove valuable in pack relations.

It seemed as though Alastor was planning to visit - even if he didn't say anything about wanting to join the pack. FitzDutiful took a moment to think of the most user friendly way before replying. He didn't want to give just 'go south then north' because that was so objective. Deciding on the route and turned to face the south mountain from the hollow they were in.

"If you take that pass, it'll lead you to a river. That's called Otter Creek. Follow the creek until you reach a big lake. That's Greatwater Lake. You'll see another river leading from the lake that runs towards the sea. As you follow that a mountain is right in front of you. That's Silvertip Mountain."

He smiled warmly, "I'm going to be heading back there, if you want to company on the way?"

I think we can wrap this up within the next post or two. ○:
Edit; Went from Alastor traveling, to a joining thread, aha. I look forward to having him in STM<3 Especially since it was one of my choices when thinking about where to send him.

The mention of the names belonging to the landmarks he'd need to go past was appreciated greatly. It was always good to know the names of the places you'd be wandering through, and could serve as a way of traveling later on. By simply mentioning a river or lake, the image and location put into one's head could vary quite a bit. Names, on the other hand, prevented that from happening. Land formations were hardly ever a single occurrence, but the title one might be given had a small chance of being the same as another. Hearing about how one of the rivers led to the sea nearly had him changing his entire plan around, but he stopped himself before it could happen. The argent male wished to visit the mountain first, and he would not allow even himself to stop that from happening. He nodded, then, to show he'd heard and understood the directions given. It wouldn't be hard to follow, he knew that much.

As if to prove his impression of the other male had been correct, he was given the option of traveling with the kind leader. Smiling, he nodded once more, liking the sound of heading out together. It'd certainly be nice to travel with another for once. "If you are sure my presence wouldn't bother you, then I would love to accompany you on the journey back to your pack," Alastor voiced. While trekking to the pack's lands with another would be ideal, he did not wish to be a bother to FitzDutiful.

Happy to steal have you!!!

FitzDutiful smiled as the other male accepted his proposal. He would be a good fit for the pack, polite and well manner just like every other pack member. Even Zaria who reminded him of a viper, was polite and considerate of her pack mates.

FitzDutiful was fast changing. He no longer cared thoroughly about his external pack relations. His pack members could react to other wolves however they pleased as long as they continually put the pack before themselves. Although he didn't want friendships with every pack in the Wilds, he didn't one one wolf's actions to have a knock on effect and destroy the pack. He would turn someone out before he let that happen.

None of this was of any concern at the moment, though. And instead he walked Alastor back to the pack lands, talking to him about the pack's situation, finding out more about his newest member, and anything else that the grey wolf wished to learn.