Dawnlark Plains running wild and running free

For @Ukko

Winter had come to grip the lands once more – though, this would be the first winter the slender fae was not in the safety of her birth pack. Worry fluttered within her heart at the thought, but Capri pushed it aside. She had known this was the risk she took when making her leave in November, and even after a month of solitude and travel, the Roux-Abrhen had yet to determine what it was she wanted to do. Find a pack? Attempt to start one of her own? If she was being honest with herself, the latter option seemed the least terrifying.
 
But it was not a decision she had to come upon now, and with her nose to the ground, the silver ebony wolf strode forward, trailing the faded scent of a herd of roe deer. It mattered little – a singular wolf was not likely to take such prey down unless one was extremely injured.. and if they were on the move, that was unlikely.
 
Chuffing softly, her breath seemed to freeze with the cold – a cloud of smoke seeming to unfurl from her jaws. Her icy eyes scanned the plains before her – they seemed barren.. almost destitute.

Ukko doesn’t often leave Phoenix Maplewood.  The last time he did, he’d gotten into a little trouble with a wolf that turned into being a pack mate because he tried to save her hide.  His original goal for leaving the pack had been set aside for a while but now, as his large paws hit the cool ground, begins to follow a scent that wind blew in his direction.  It pushes him along, traveling further away from his home.  It he came back with information of a herd, especially with no other packs up this way just yet, they could eat well and have some left over for the upcoming winter months. 

The pack wasn’t terribly large, but the pups were growing up and on the cusp of adulthood.  A few months and they’d be functioning members of their group.  

He’s distracted for a moment, cause by the sight of another wolf.  The scent he’d been following seems to be more popular than he expected.  Ukko hums quietly to himself as hot breath billows in front of his face now that he’s at a standstill.  If she’s following the same scent, then she’s a threat, but it’s hard to justify on neutral territory.  He looks behind over his shoulder, wishing he’d brought someone along, but he’s empty handed in company except for the stranger.  The large wolf clears his throat as he approaches, narrowing his orange eyes as he regards the other.

Her tail waved through the air, and no sooner did she return to her senses did the wind drift another scent toward her. Stiffening with natural tension, the she-wolf swung her muzzle back, noting the swarthy frame that now loped toward her. Relief flooded her when she realized it was only a single wolf and not a group – and yet his eyes began to narrow as they fell upon her.
 
Her own icy eyes remained aloof, though her muscles taut. The challenge was indirect but not missed by the rogue – her jawline lowering only slightly in potential defense rather than submission as her tail gave an idle lash. As far as she could tell, she was on no one’s land, and as he cleared his throat and seemingly glared at her, she canted her muzzle slightly. “What?”
 
Might as well get to the point.

The other wolf didn’t do much more than Ukko expects.  She remains relatively neutral, they aren’t on any territory claimed and the nearest place to note would be his own pack.  He’s unaware of the two packs forming to the north west of them and even if he did, it’s not likely he’d care.  They would be far enough away from him and his home not to be a concern.  He doesn’t even know the other existing packs in the area to know her scent might be apart of one of them.

Ukko makes a half-hearted attempt to relax but his muscles remain tense.  His tail rests lazily behind him but his shoulders remain broad and ears cupped forward.  He doesn’t want to explain his purpose, lest he give away what he knows so far:  not much at all.  There’s a scent that he’d tracked up her and surely it hadn’t gone over the other wolf’s nose. “Nothing,” he admits with a slight shrug and bites his tongue on words he wants to say.  “I don’t recognize your scent,” he tells her a beat later. 

“Where are you from?”

She eyed him with unwavering caution – hoping he did not see the wariness in her gaze. She was newly a lone wolf, and while the effects of a solitary life had yet to fully reach her as of yet, she could only bet that the wolf before her was better fed than she, and in turn, stronger.
 
Her eyes studied him carefully, noting the clench of muscles. Had he any interest in attacking, he would have done so by now – and her rather blunt question did not seem to set his nerves any further off from the rather abrupt greeting she had received.. or lack thereof. Instead, the swarthy wolf seemed to be honest with her, and Capri tried to still her fluttering heart that refused to believe yet that she just might not be in danger. “Nowhere near here,” she determined, wondering if it was too much information without being entirely forthcoming. She did not necessarily consider it wise to relinquish the information that she was without a pack – but he did not yet know that she traveled alone, either. “Could you tell me where I am?”

Nowhere near here.

It doesn’t answer much but it does tell him she’s in foreign territory, especially with the followup question of where she might be.  “I don’t know the name of the place but this area, I think, goes by Teekon,” that is, of course, if he remembers correctly.  He hadn’t been given a welcome guide but it’s what he recalls from when he first came to the area.  Once he’d found his home, the rest only seemed to fade away.

“You’re awfully far away from home if that’s the case, though,” he adds thoughtfully with a tilt of his head.  Perhaps she’d gotten lost in her travels or left them behind, but there isn’t much Ukko can confirm based on what she’s said already.  “My pack is just south of here, Phoenix Maplewood,” he tells her with a point in direction of his nose, in case it rang any bells but he knew it might be a long shot.  

“I’m Ukko.”

Her initial assumption of the male had thus far proven to be wrong – and as he made a point to offer insight to her regarding his name and home, the traveler felt herself only begin to relax then. She shifted her weight, as if to stretch the tired muscles, though her eyes did not stray far from him. If she had learned anything over her short life, it was to not let her guard down – something her parents had taught them through wariness of their own experiences.
 
“Capri,” she offered then, giving a small nod in agreement to his statement. “And yes, I suppose you could say I’m far from home,” she murmured then, uncertain where to take the conversation from there. With the knowledge of a pack’s whereabouts, her nose would quiver slightly as she took in his scent with more purpose, now placing the name of Phoenix Maplewood to memory. “You dispersed from your birth pack?” It was an assumption only brought forward by the male's lack of knowledge to their current whereabouts -- unless wolves in this area called Teekon did not place a name on everything.

Ukko tests the name mentally a few times while she agrees to his comment.  Watching her relax makes him feel a little better and he’s able to ease himself back down once more.  He hasn’t completely erased her from being a threat; the scent he’d been tracking hadn’t been found and he isn’t going to let her have it before he got to it.  Her home is too far away when his is just around the corner.  There’s no business those she follows to hunt this far away from her home.

“Yes.  A few months ago.” His time in the area may have been short but he’d proven himself time and again to Reek and Saena.  He doesn’t hold power but he’s above the others, settled neatly beneath the leading pair. “Why do you travel so far away?” Ukko asks, unable to mask the curiosity building inside him.

The scent of the roe deer still teased at her senses – as if reminding her that despite her hunger, she would not be enjoying such a meal for a time yet – not until she found herself amongst comrades once more.  But it was beginning to fade.. drifting forward only when the wind stirred past her nose.
 
He clarified her question, and provided one of his own. Capri did not hesitate to answer with honesty, though she still safeguarded her thoughts and concerns quite well.. truly unwilling to provide too much insight to a wolf she had met for only five minutes, despite this was the most conversation she had held in over a week. “To find a life of my own,” she offered, feeling the spark of a smile pull at her lips before fading. “I just have yet to decide what that life should be.”

Ukko frowns as the wind shifts but he doesn’t linger on it.  He resists the urge to follow it but he remains standing.  Even if he finds the scent he’d been tracking, he’d have to return home and gather the others in hopes he could find them again.  The stranger put a rock into his path but he isn’t bothered by it too much.  He hasn’t gone without food since being in his new home and the new beginning had been the best thing for him.

“It seems to be a common reason,” he offers.  The wind blows, his thick fur waving in the gust.  His own is similar but spurred by a disagreement with the leaders of his home, disagreements that were enough to push him out.  “Though on the cusp of winter, perhaps not the best timing?” Taking in other wolves, for some packs, can do more harm than good.  Perhaps she has a backup plan she doesn’t want to share.  Ukko doesn’t press for more information but considers offering up his home.  Tavi had done well to join and she is able-bodied enough that showing up with her wouldn’t cause Reek or Saena to scoff at the suggestion.

With a twinkle in his eye, he offers her a smile at the sight of one that threatens to spill across her face:  “Perhaps I could help you make the decision.”

Amusement finally did spread to her features at his comment regarding the winter – her eyes blinking up at him as she gave a casual shrug of her slender shoulders. “I’ve made better decisions in my life,” she agreed, though she certainly had no regrets of her decision – if anything, she was far more discontent with the inability to finalize what her next move should be.
 
And yet the man before her offered to aide her in her decision-making, and she canted her muzzle slightly, bemused by the thought. “You mean whether to stay here or go elsewhere? To try to claim a land or join a pack?” She paused, her eyes gleaming as she regarded him quietly. The idea of considering a stranger’s proposal of her life was absolutely ridiculous, and yet perhaps that was the beauty of it.
 
“And what would you decide if you were me?”

He offers a soft chuff of laughter once she’s opened up a little, admiting to better decision, but she didn’t seem like she’d taken the decision to leave her homeland lightly.  With the threat of winter, life is much harder on a lone wolf.  If he hadn’t come across his current home, he’s not sure what he’d be doing.  Devoting his life to another pack, no doubt; Ukko isn’t dumb enough to stay on the streets when he’d be competing with a lot more wolves than just what’s in front of him.

Ukko nods to her query, then opens it up for him to give his decision.  His smile hadn’t left his muzzle but his tail creeps up in speed, waving back and forth behind him playfully.

“I think if I ran into a… tall, dark, and handsome wolf, I’d follow him,” he tells her with a grin, shifting his weight to broaden his shoulder.  The excess of fur gives him an extra boost to make himself look bigger.  Surely he’d produce beautiful healthy children, in the long run, but he kept that tucked away while he watches her eyes that pop from her darker features.  “Of course, that’s if I were you. I don't have to survive on my own through the winter.”

There was a pull of playfulness in the wolf – one she had not expected, and her wolfish brows arched delicately as he seemingly puffed himself up after complimenting himself. Tempted to feign confusion at his words and look around instead, she refrained – she wasn’t certain how sensitive the ebony wolf was. “Follow him to his pack, you mean?” It would seem she had received an invitation to join his home – and yet she wasn’t even sure he was the one with the power to grant her access. “Even if you’ve only known this tall, dark and handsome wolf for all of ten minutes?” Her tone was teasing – but there was a hint of truth to her words. They barely knew one another.
 
“I think I would need to know more. How many tall, dark and handsome wolves are in your pack?” After all, one was enticing – but who could resist multiple?

Even though Capri’s retort made sense, Ukko shrugs a shoulder to feign disinterest in the semantics.  Wolves come up to borders wanting to join, trusting a whole group of wolves they don’t know for less time.  What made it different if he were alone and not with a pack?  Perhaps more than he considered but he pushes the thought away and keeps a goofy—albeit trying to be much more serious than that—grin on his face.

“Why not? I like to think I’m a good judge of character.”  He’s not. That doesn’t mean he’s wrong all the time, though.   “And there’s the Alpha,” he pauses with a slight tilt of his head.  It had been Reek to accept him into the pack.  “Who meets the criteria.  I guess you could say I already made the decision to follow a tall, dark, and handsome wolf.” 

Ukko was quick to determine she was ‘good people’ and she wasn’t going to try to dissuade him of such. Her pale eyes regarded him openly, as if attempting to determine if he was indeed tall, dark and handsome. Of course he did fit such a description – but it wasn’t something that had been on her radar until he had decided to point it out. “And does this tall, dark and handsome wolf allow his followers to breed?” She could already feel the beginning of a blush spread to her cheeks – but it was a fair question.
 
What good was being tall, dark and handsome if the Alpha wasn’t even going to let him reproduce? Clearly, she had come to the true meaning of her inability to decide if she should join a pack or stake her own claim elsewhere.

The question shouldn’t have caught him off guard as much as it had, but he is silent for a moment in consideration.  It hadn’t been a question he asked upon joining.  The Alpha pair didn’t have children of their own, though he hadn’t inquired about that, he had his own conclusions, but Scarlett had a litter herself.  The history of that litter is unbeknownst to him but they seemed willing enough for their followers to have their own children.

“Yes,” he tells her, keeping his tone even to not hint his surprise or his uncertainty in answer.  Ukko is strong and able and Capri looks like she could hold up her end well enough.  While the thought of his own children rarely came through his mind, he knows he wants them.  It hadn’t been something he ever had to question before.  He could reproduce in his old pack but here, he couldn’t say for certain.  Ukko tucks that away for another time, making note to ask later.  

In the meantime, his smile remains unwavering; it's not like they had to rush.

He seemed unfazed by that question, and briefly, the silver-tipped wolf wondered who possibly could be unfazed by a rather direct question when only meeting someone for the first time? Had she known he might have taken it to mean the two of them reproduce together her blush would have darkened – and her eyes certainly would have redirected.
 
Either way, Capri was both amused and impressed with how casual the wolf before her was.  “I’ll have to take your suggestion under serious deliberation,” she decided then, hinting that she was not quite willing to make such a decision this day. “Could you tell me more about your pack? What are your pack mates like?”

Sorry for the delay!  I have been working too much, so tired. xx;

It is then he knew he isn’t walking back to the pack with a new recruit but he doesn’t dare push it.  She’s kind enough to consider his suggestion and he hopes he hasn’t made a poor judgement as he had with the wolf he greeted on the borders a few days prior.  He’d simply missed an expression Saena had caught and he’s lucky she’d been there and picked apart his skills.  Nonetheless, she inquires more about his pack and with a smile he nods his head.

“It’s a dense forest and has plenty of small games, due to the berries and fruits it generates.  Not too long ago, a band of large turkeys came through,” he begins.  He’d been able to stock a few caches near his sleeping spot and the Alphas of rabbits and a squirrel or two for the upcoming winter.  Though small game is nice and easy to come by, the scent of larger had brought him out here.  Enough to feed the whole pack, he’d assume, but distracted by the lovely loner had his attention.  

“There’s a few younger wolves not quite in the adult ranks but they are ambitious.”  Desna is a little impatient but she has plenty of room to grow into a great hunter.  “But so far they all seem great.  I’ve really enjoyed my time.  I know I’ve made the right decision.”

Ukko was incredibly confident about his selection of a pack, and remained completely unwavered as he offered her insight to what she could expect should she join him. She was not yet ready to commit – nor could she, if she had so wanted, given Terich-mir should have a say as to where they would end up in the end.. even if just for the winter.
 
It was tempting to give in to the swarthy wolf’s words and simply follow after him. Turkeys and handsome males? Who wanted to turn that down? Yet logic won in the end, and she gave a light shake of her silver-tipped fur, indicating their conversation was coming to an end as she gave him a small smile.
 
“Thank you for inviting me to your home – I have a traveling companion that isn’t here yet,” she explained softly, her tail giving an idle flick through the air. “And I can’t make such a decision without him.”

We can end here or if you want one more fading post, up to you!

Capri is convinced about the maple wood with his description but she appears to put the information away for another time. He doesn't press her about it and offers a friendly shake of his tail. He can't complain about it too much when he didn't make an enemy. Maybe she'd stick around or come by to actually join but he doesn't bother making another attempt to sweep her off her feet.

"Come by any time," he tells her. With the dip of his head, he takes a few steps out of her immediate area but waits to see her direction before he gets back to his original goal.

Her frosted gaze drifted over him with one more stolen glance of appreciation. Not only for his desirable looks, but the simple fact that he had taken the time to discuss with her the land she was in, offer a tidbit of insight to his home, and remain kind to her, despite the fact she was not of his pack. She could not say that she herself had such tolerance for those outside of her family, and at his words, the silver-tipped female gave her own small nod, watching him as he began to distance himself from her.
 
But Capri had no glass slipper to place upon her feet, nor a carriage that would turn in to a pumpkin. This was not a fairytale, and as intrigued as she was by the wolf who had been so forward toward her, she knew she would need to find Terich-mir and together they would determine what they were going to do.
 
So despite the fact that it was possible her own prince charming stood only feet from her, the girl cast another stolen glance toward him, and then swept away from the temptation – but not without taking in the details of the territory she had found him in.. in case she desired to find her way back.