Wild Berry Meadow Losing Time

As curious as he was if Blackfeather Woods was still empty, Quixote also kind of didn't want to know.  He wanted to be ignorant a while longer so he could enjoy not worrying.  Not worrying was nice.  He had a few other ideas in the back of his mind that he almost wanted to try, but they seemed really, really unlikely to happen.  But still...

Either way, his path reflected his desire to not know more, and he headed almost straight north out of the Caldera for his investigating today.  The terrain changed several times, and now he was wandering through a lumpy, frosty landscape, where he was pretty sure that much of the said lumps were bushes of various kinds.  Not being too into investigating plants this morning, he was spending more of his time just wandering around along the game paths that were carved into the snow and earth.  It seemed like a place he'd have to check out when it was not covered in snow, might be nice.  Unfortunately for him, the thaw still seemed like eons away, and the promising warmer weather had ended in more snow.

So who would he run into today?

Perhaps it was the brisk air, or perhaps she had simply stayed in one location one day too long, but Feyre decided to leave the small alclove she had found days prior. Solid ground crunched beneath her paws, still trapped in winter's icy grasp. This land was normally covered in berries by now, but instead it was covered in frost - if not ice.

The fae rounded a bend, cold wind slamming into her ivory face. Her eyes watered, and for a millisecond she thought that she was seeing black dots, but as her amber optics narrowed against the wind she saw them merge into a singular figure. Another wolf. Perhaps its a loner as well? She marveled, tilting her snout into the now-calmer wind. The distinct smell of others hovered from that singular figure. A pack wolf then. Curiousity lifted her brow, her lithe form trotting towards the obsidian creature. The wolf's features were distinctly male, causing her footsteps to falter ever so slightly before a slow grin chased the shadows from her facade. Her past few run-ins had always been females similar to herself. Stopping nearly ten feet from him, the dove let out a soft chuff - a polite greeting that was sure not to scare him. Saying hello in the silence felt too loud.

The more he walked the more he wondered when winter was gonna give up.  Maybe he should just go home and try again when the weather was better -- all the smart wolves had found somewhere to bunker down for the remainder of winter, right?  Thus far, he'd seen nothing, and he'd been doing an ok job (so he thought) of looking around to spot anyone.  About when he was about to give up and turn around, he thought he saw part of the snow move, but that quickly focused into actually being a pale-colored wolf.  How about that.

He returned the greeting and redirected his path to head towards her, his tail wagging casually as he did so.  She, unlike Fern, seemed to actually be alone from the scent of things.  Quixote was a little more wary than last time after just how ridiculous that whole Blackthorn debacle turned out in the end.  Since then, he'd swore that his attempts to recruit people would come with a bit more of a sanity check.  After all,  he wanted a girlfriend in the end, not a bunch of crazy chicks making everyone's life in the pack hell.

Either way, time for him to attempt to play it cool, to be a good representative of the Caldera... All that.  And if he could passably pull it off or if now that he actually was trying to, he was gonna fall flat on his face.  Hey there.  The wilderness treating you ok?  How was one supposed to randomly talk to strangers again?  Uhhh.  The other thing was that he didn't want to assume too much.  Walking up and asking if she was looking for a pack was way too bold on multiple levels, asking what brought her out to this area seemed too weird and personal...  Yep, this was likely the best the jet black guy was gonna be able to do.

Decided yesterday to revamp each of my characters’ formatting XD

The fae stood as rigid as the frost bitten earth beneath her paws whilst the brute turned to face her. She had fought those of his size before, but that was when she had had a pack to keep her strong and fed. Now her muscles had thinned, her curves less visible then what they had once been. It was the price of freedom she supposed, not that she chose that freedom in the first place.

Feyre caught a glimpse of his tail, fanning out behind him in a friendly, yet slightly wary manner. She found that her own ivory plume quickly mirrored his. Her petite paws awakening from their brief slumber to pad closer. 

The male’s first words ran over her like honey, her audits flickering at the low timbre  she had not heard for a while. She was inwardly embarrassed by her subtle shock, but it might have been awkward if another fae had sounded like that. His next words quickly eased her, for she recognized the slight angst in his wording. 

A  teasing grin grew on Feyre’s face, her voice cool and collected, “It could be treating me better.” She released a small chuckle, realizing small talk must not really be his thing. Or perhaps it was just introductions that caused his mind to stutter.

The fae lowered herself down upon her haunches, visibly at ease as her plumage wraped about herself. “What is your name?” She inquired, her head tilting to the side. Those keen amber optics took in his visage, noting the mark across his muzzle with wariness. Her mind stretched to remember the packs that lived in these lands, to remember if she had accidentally strode through a border without heed of her actions. 

He was the type to overthink things.  He wasn't quite to the point of being some huge jock offering some chick a ratty flower, but that wouldn't be too far out of his wheelhouse.  Nah, he was just some scruffy fighter trying to branch into a direction that wasn't anywhere close to how he'd spent the earlier parts of his life.  He wasn't, however, being threatening at all (which definitely wouldn't have been the case if she had traipsed into the Caldera's lands uninvited), and was trying to be friendly mostly by realizing just how much of a doofus he probably seemed like since he was playing things by ear.  Yeah, I get that.  One of these days it'll stop snowing for a while but it doesn't seem to want to right now.  Wasn't it spring yet?  Where was his sun and not-snow?  C'mon, world.

He, too, took a seat, plopping himself down with considerably less elegance, as he was definitely the type who would sprawl a bit without realizing it if he kicked up to a bar. Quixote.  I'm from Redhawk Caldera -- that mountain that looks like someone ate the top of it.  You new to the area or...?  It wasn't like he was familiar with the members of the more distant packs to see if she'd fled from one of them or something.  All he knew is she was alone and hadn't been part of Blackfeather when the war happened.  A lot of wolves did seem to wander on through, though.  He assumed that she'd give her name in turn in a moment, but was speculating that the way to try and maybe win someone over would be to offer a bit more information than asked in hopes of making them more comfortable -- it made sense to him at least.  These whole trips had sort of been experiments when he tried out different things to see what responses he'd get.  Eventually he'd hit a thing that worked, right?

At least he wasn't trying to flirt, really.  That would really be a disaster.  Business before pleasure.

The coal-dark wolf sat down before her, quite clumsily, her mind added. Quixote. She attached the name to his face. He seemed - different, were he to be compared to others she had known. At his words, a wry grin crossed her features, a small chuckle accompanying it. "I don't know if I would miss it, or cherish the fact that its gone." Blatent, nearly contemplative words. The winter had shielded her from others, hiding her from their sightlines, yet it had also made her ribcage more prominent then it had been since she was a newborn. 

Winter was always more gentle in a pack, the long nights less lonely when filled with comaraderie. It had been two winters since the last time she had watched snowflakes fall from the warmth and safety of a den. Images of her family swept through her mind before darkness spread over them like a blanket of fresh snow, stopping her before she saw images of nature's aftermath. Anger, as small as a single blade of grass - yet sharp as a bobcat's claws, speared through her. The world could be so cruel.

His question sparked a train of thought, also managing to pull her out of the thoughts locked in the recesses of her mind. Was she new to the area? She could not remember where she had been last summer, or even last fall, but she did remember the view from the western mountains- the sparkling of lake rhodney below. A small shrugg, "Kind of? Also, I never knew there was a pack there." Feyre's gold-flecked eyes glimmered with interest. There were a lot of places she had not even known existed until she started to explore. "What's it like?" The fae said, her voice inquisitive.

Damn, no name from her yet.  He'd have to actually ask at some point later on.  He was doing his best to be on his best behavior and erring on the side of caution to not accidentally scare her off somehow, hence the "later" part.  He gathered a little from her words.  She'd been here before, but maybe not here here.  Hm.  I think the pack's been there quite a while?  Not sure.  I've only been around for this season, pretty much,  he shrugged slightly.  Quixote wasn't the local historian, either. I've been pretty happy with it.  Less drama than my birth pack, so I'll take that.  Looking forward to seeing it when winter's done -- the territory has pretty much everything you'd want.. Some forested bits, it's own lake thing, caves and stuff.  

What else would someone like to hear about the Caldera?  Hm.  Well.  The war was old news and not good news, so that was definitely not there... What about the people?  Mentioning the irritable deaf alpha was also probably a no-go  if he wanted someone to follow him home.  Maybe it'd be best if he asked some more questions.  I assume you're looking for a pack or something eventually.  His ears tilted forward attentively as he continued, What would you be looking for?  Then he wouldn't have to worry about revealing too much that he probably shouldn't.  It'd be a nice middle ground of safety, wouldn't it?  Just a bit of friendly curiosity and he wasn't trying to pressure her into anything.  If it turned out she wanted all war all the time, then at least he could point her in some other direction.

He seemed to be quite new to the pack he spoke of as well - or at least thats what she gleaned from his words. A terrritory with all of the necessities did seem interesting, but he never spoke of the people. She remembered the quiet wolves from her last pack - remembered joining them out of her own desperation for a home. She had never truly felt like she fit in - perhaps it was simply because she had been so naive to the world's ways. Feyre remembered the disgust in Jahla's eyes - remembered the anger that had laced the woman's voice as she told her to leave. So naive. She had not deserved them.

It was then that she realized she had started to allow her mind to wander. Reiging it back in was hard - but she managed to nod along to his words, catching up with the bits and pieces she had lost.

What was she looking for?

Until now she had yet to realize that maybe she should be looking. Perhaps her days of wandering would come to an end - where endless forests, rivers, and valleys would be replaced by the familiarity and comfort of recognizable landmarks and scents. The word appeared on her tongue before she even registered it. "Stability." She nodded to herself. "I want to feel safe and protected..." She grimaced at how stupid that came out, and added on to her words. "Which is odd for someone of my profession, I know." She did not deign to supply him with what that was - not if he were most likely to doubt her based on her undernourished appearance. 

The real challenge to him was how much detail to get into.  There was that line between shareable information that didn't matter so much, and then there was that which.. Eh.  Quixote wasn't sure if he wanted to share?  Could share?  Perhaps he was a little paranoid.  It wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

I get that though.  If you've had a lot of troubles recently... A break would be nice.  He was saying that from experience.  Stopping here was supposed to be a break.  There'd been a few bumps, but now didn't seem as bad.  There was quite a bit of drama in my past.  Drama.  Now there was an euphemism for ya, And here, a little here earlier in the season...  But I think it's settled now?  Hasn't been more trouble as far as I know.  Ignoring the fact he was pointedly avoiding a certain radius around Blackfeather.

As I've said, my pack's been around for a while... So as far as that goes, it's stable.  I'm the oddball there -- I think just about everyone else is sorta one big family.  Like literally, via blood or adoption.  I don't think they're going anywhere soon.  Okay, there was Sebastian, but didn't he have a kid?  Ug, that meeting was so long ago he wasn't even sure any more what people said.  Either way, he was still the weird one.  And a few of us are pretty reasonable in a squabble, if that's the concern.  If you joined up, stuck around -- make yourself part of the family or whatever -- any of us would have your back. A slight shift in tone to be more playful and less serious, But watch out, some of them are quite the characters.  He hadn't had the pleasure of seeing how Colt tried to woo ladies but she'd be one that was "safe" by not being a blood relation.  One of these days, Quixote would find out if Colt lived up to his hype.  So far, not yet.  Then there was Towhee, but she was a different issue.

The comment about her profession made him wonder.  If it had just been that context, he'd maybe think she meant some kind of hunting specialist since she was a little ragged around the edges.  It didn't quite seem to fit (but was still reasonably plausible).  So with wanting safety, maybe a fighter of some kind?  Eh.  He wasn't going to press the issue unless she seemed really interested.  He was fishing a bit.  There was always more information to share if she didn't want to keep wandering -- or it could always wait until she exhausted her other options and came back.  Picking a pack wasn't necessarily a decision to make lightly.

Sorry for the crazy long wait time! I've been really busy and only answering my shorter posts!

The fae sat quietly as he devulged information to her. Something bad must have happened, for he seemed to dance around the topic of 'troubles'. Alas, just as she had edged around her own past, so did he. She could not judge him for something she also tended towards. Sometimes things were meant to be shared when you know someone better.

Through the way Quixote described them, his pack seemed like a close-knit group. Feyre watched his features as he described himself. He spoke insecurely about himself, but showed none of that on his face. He described himself as though he was not yet apart of that group. Perhaps it was because he was nearly new. A sliver of doubt slipped into her mind. Perhaps she would talk about herself in the same way if she joined. If she joined? Where had that come from? Now she was legitimately considering everything he was saying. He really did seem to care for the people he lived with, and they must have all grown closer after whatever it was that had happened to them.

A small glimmer of humor finally appeared in her amber eyes as the male joked about some of the members of his pack. He was certainly selling them to her. "Well you certainly seem to like them." She laughed faintly, allowing a smile to light up her ivory features. "You mentioned about me joining? What would your leader think?" About me. Her mind added.

No prob. :D  A lot of stuff has happened since this thread started, haha.  Dunno if we just wanna wrap it up soon or what?

He didn't know whether he'd really ever be worked fully in to the pack.  Maybe things would change in the far future, but at this particular instant, he was just some guy.  The odd man.  Our alpha, Towhee, is a hard one to place.  If you meet her you'll figure out why quick enough,  Though apparently he wasn't going to say why.  Still sounded like a bad idea, security-wise, You say you've got a profession or whatever, yeah?  So something that's useful to packs?  That and being respectful has to win some points.  The betas, Elwood and Finley, are more amiable.  But I mean.. It's not like you've done anything set off red flags on my end.  Unless you're planning on saying something stupid like'd be my trick, I'm not sure any pack would have a problem with you.  He shrugged.  She'd been far more silent, information-wise, so there was only so much to judge by.  She seemed normal, but maybe she wasn't.  Quixote was just guessing.

And maybe he'd done something to freak her out and he just hadn't noticed.  It was about the only thing he could think of for being that careful.  And so, he thoughtfully added, It's your life, though.  You should do what you want, whatever that is.

Yep XD

Feyre supposed that if she were to take up his offer, she should at least be honest. "I would say it is useful, I just don't know how your pack feels about 'violence' per-say. I'm a mercenary." She looked at him searchingly. For some, she supposed, it could be a deal-breaker. "At my old pack I mostly maintained the borders, keeping out the unwanted and such." They had been a strict bunch, but they had ripped her away from her naive denial of her past. It had felt good to channel her energy into something more meaningful than survival.

She felt like she needed to explain herself almost, just to ease his potential worry. "Loyalty is my top priority." After leaving her pack for a fling, she knew better than to simply trot upon lasting relationships. Especially after he left her. Way to dig up the past. "So I would do nothing if not told to do so." Plus, she had always wanted to work on her hunting skills. Maybe the place he spoke of would be the perfect place to hone her skills in that department.

"I would like to meet your leaders," She met his gaze, "Perhaps I will take you up on that offer in the future?" The dove inclined her head questioningly. She was not quite ready for more than that. Not yet.

Thanks for that edit! :D

So far, Quixote was pretty sure he was doing an ok job talking up his pack -- thought it wasn't like he had a ton of experience, so anything above her walking away horrified was probably a positive.  Maybe he'd do ok at this after all?  Nah, probably not.

It did perplex him that she seemed so cautious over things -- maybe she'd been more badly burned by a previous pack than he had.  It was kind of hard for him to imagine something worse, but he was only seeing things from his limited perspective rather than hers.  I don't think you have to worry about it.  I pretty much do the same and I haven't run into any pacifists yet -- everyone always likes knowing nobody's gonna sneak in without an invite, I think.  He did his best to compliment this with a small smile to reassure her that really, it wasn't a problem.  But I don't think anyone's gonna tie you down to it if it doesn't sound good any more, he added.  That was definitely something that Quixote found fortunate.  If that hadn't been the case he wasn't sure what he'd end up doing, but it certainly wouldn't be trying to expand his own abilities like he was right now.

He nodded.  There was nothing wrong with waiting, with making sure that it was the best choice out there.  Maybe she'd like something else -- maybe that trade based pack thing that made zero sense to him was a better fit for her.  Who was he to judge? Feel free to stop by whenever.   If you do call, I'll greet you there if I can.  What's your name, though?  With that tentative interest, he wasn't going to let her be a complete stranger.

It was a relief to know that his pack seemed to be a welcoming bunch. The prospect of having a place to go in the future filled some part of her, the part that already worried about the next winter. It was a shame she was such a stick in the mud over the matter. Of course, a bit of soul searching would not hurt her, so a few more months on her own would probably do her some good. Or they would turn her feral. Who can really tell?

The dove nodded along with his words, allowing his gentle smile to invoke one of her own. "Thank you, and my name is Feyre." Her amber eyes trained onto his. "And yours? So I at least know who to reference in the future?" A suggestion that she had heard all of his not-so-subtle convincing.

So, at the very least he hadn't stuck a foot in his mouth, as far as he could tell.  Mark her down as a potential successful test of his ability to talk to people and not be dumb, huzzah!  It was probably about time to wrap things up before too much time passed.  Good to meet you, Feyre.  I'm Quixote, he said with a bow of his head.  At that point he stretched and got to his feet, not particularly rushed, I'm going to go finish the loop I was planning before the next storm shows up, so safe travels and good luck.  He'd wait for any final pleasantries, but assuming he wasn't stopped, he'd bow his head a second time and continue along the way he had been going.

A lot of things would be changing in the future and a lot was still uncertain -- their paths might cross again, or it might not and instead fate might take her elsewhere.  What was certain was that Quixote was lined up to be hit by a full set of plot wrenches in the not-too-distant future.

It seemed that both of them realized their little chat had turned into an in-depth conversation, which had not been wholly unpleasant. In fact, she was nearly saddened to see him go. "Nice to meet you as well. Safe travels." The fae wished him luck, a tiny smile on her mouth. With a nod in his direction, she trotted back the way she had come.

It was not clear to her where she would go next, but she at least knew another person around this place - wherever this was. The fae could barely even remember how far north she was of the glade, but she could at least remember the view of the caldera  if need be.