Broken Boulder someone's knocking and i'm out of invitations

He had laid low the last few days, hiding in the shadows and dodging social contact. Ulf was simply going through a phase. It was much easier to stay hidden than it was to try and form words, answer questions and take whatever else the ferals threw at him.

Right now his form crept along the northern borders of the place he was starting to call home. Perhaps he was developing a small case of itchy paws, but he didn't dare leave.

She'd been curious for a while about Ulf. She'd only seen him a couple times, and had never really been properly introduced to the unique-looking wolf. He hung around Alarian a lot, like he was some kind of savior. Well, perhaps he was, but Lily didn't think her company was too bad, either. When she saw the hybrid from a distance, she wagged her tail, coming towards Ulf with a massive smile.

"Hallo, there," Lily chirped, cocking her head as she came to a halt a tail-length or two away from him. "Ulf, right? I'm Lily." Tina was right; there was something wrong--or perhaps just interesting--about his eye. Her gaze lingered on it for a brief instant before returning to his face, her own countenance brightly inquisitive.

His ears stood tall at the voice that called out a greeting. Respectfully he halted any further movements. While he may not have been feeling social, it would have been rude to keep moving along like nothing had been said.

The wolfdog's head gave a small nod as she spoke his name. Lily. He spoke her name back as he committed it to memory. A small smile tugged on his once neutral features. He sort of remembered her from the awful meeting with the pale stranger. He sort of owed her big time for scooping up the awkward situation.

She seemed friendly enough and so with a small motion of his head for her to follow, he asked simply. Walk? He felt the need to keep moving and who better to do it with than a friendly face?

She nodded, smiling. "Of course," she said, falling into step beside him. His presence was solid, comforting. He had fled the scene at the border so quickly, but he seemed so sure of himself now, a quiet man beside her. As a chatterbox, sometimes the silence was nice. No words from either of you ringing in your ears, just the incessant nagging of your own thoughts.

Of course, Lily could never go long without words, and she cocked her head to look at Ulf. "How are you settling in?" she asked politely, warmly. It was sort of her job to ask, but she was curious, given that he spent most of his time around Alarian. Had others attempted to get to know him, or did he feel adrift? Perhaps he would answer, perhaps not.

Sometimes there were more answers in the words left unsaid than those said aloud.

He was glad she didn't give a protest to his question. It was nice sometimes to just stroll in the silence with someone. No questions, no nagging, no need to fill the void.

Or so he thought.

Suddenly there was a question presented to him. A soft hum escaped the wolfdog as he gave a genuine thought on how to answer. Okay. Some trouble, mostly good. He had hit a bump in the road with the pale stranger and was certainly getting used to the company of wolves. It could have been far worse, though. They could have gobbled him up when he arrived.

Here long? He asked in return as he turned his head to glance at her with his good eye.

She was glad it was only some trouble, but that was a small comfort considering he had faced any trouble at all. Her goal was to make the Sanctuary a trouble-free place, and if it was the snowy-furred woman that had caused it for Ulf, she would have words with the appropriate party about Tina. No one deserved trouble. Not anywhere, but especially not here.

He asked her how long she'd been here, and she paused, trying to count back the moons in her head. "I found Alarian in midwinter," Lily said, smiling as she remembered their first meeting. "So, let's see. . .a couple of seasons, about? Seems like a lot longer." Seemed like a lifetime, honestly.

"Did you know Alarian, before you came? You two seem close," she remarked, tone carefully neutral.