Neverwinter Forest green life and hope

Grezig had seen no reason not to stay here, in this forest. It was healthy with life despite the late season and it was dry in here. Most snow could not find a way down to the ground with such a thick canopy. She was still weary from travel, and certainly her heart ached for all she had left behind, but she felt she could possibly make a life here. She wandered the green forest and felt the spongey moss and bed of pine needles under-paw and listened to the distant sounds of trickling water somewhere. She gave a low howl for @Siege, wanting to speak with him and ask him what he thought of this place.

They (presumably) hadn't spoken much since their departure from the plateau, and he expected that sooner or later she'd let up a howl for him.  He never strayed terribly far from her during their travels and it did not take him long to saunter up, pine needles betraying his presence.  Grezig.

He appeared soon enough, and she looked him over. His fur was thickening with the approach of winter, as was hers. “Siege,” she said, returning his greeting, and gave him a single nod. She looked around the forest, which was more and more feeling like home despite her having been there no more than a few days. “What do you think of this place?” she asked him. “It seems a good forest to spend the winter months in. Sheltered, and warmer than the outside air. I am unsure how much food there is here, though. I suppose we could attempt a hunt.” She looked back at him now to see his reaction to her suggestion. “Perhaps we could stay longer. Try to make a pack here?”

He had thought the same thing when he had visited here last; it was secluded and warm, and large enough to house much more than just two wolves.  There is plenty of food nearby.  There is a herd of bison in the plains to the east which will calf in the spring, which will provide more than enough food for us.  He had been certain it could feed a pack as large as the Plateau, even through the whelping season. Still, he had some concerns.  To the southwest is a pack, I believe; I strayed close enough to scent and left.  We might be in competition with two packs for hunting grounds, but with a small group the forest alone should provide.  

This place seems to attract a lot of loners.  That could be good for us, if we can get them to join us.  But it could also be disastrous if they prove to be so many.

Grezig listened as Siege gave his opinion. Nearby food was always good and helpful, but if they were going to be in competition with another pack, perhaps they should go somewhere else. Or else, make sure they had small numbers… which was never a good thing, in Grezig’s mind. A pack could only succeed with enough numbers for everyone to do what needed doing. She sighed and admitted, “I suppose we will have problems no matter where we go.” She fell silent again, thinking. “We should stay here for a time and see how things go. If we need to move later, we will.” She looked to Siege again, raising her eyebrows to see if he agreed or not.

He didn't think staying in the forest would be an issue.  If nothing else they could shelter during the winter and seek greener pastures come springtime.  And so long as they were still on good terms with the wolves of the Plateau, maybe they could aid each other in taking down larger prey — they hadn't left their previous pack with very many members, and they might be desperate enough to do it.  

He gives a curt nod before swiping his broad paw across the ground beneath him to clear the pine leaves enough to where he could lower his massive form and not come back up looking like a battered tree.  Might as well start making ourselves at home.

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Siege lay down and, after a brief awkward moment of wondering what to do, Grezig followed suit. She cleared her throat, thinking now would be as good a time as any to bring up… that thing. “So, I know you caught me in the middle of… having sex with a strange male you’d never met. I’d like to explain that. I’d never had sex up ’til that point and wanted to get it out of the way, just to see what it was like.” She paused, to give him time to reflect on that. “I decided I didn’t really care for it much. Aside from pups, it doesn’t seem to serve much purpose.” She shrugged, and then looked out at the forest, ready to put the matter behind her just like that.

That wasn't quite what he'd meant by "getting comfortable," and he would've rather her not explained the whole thing.  He didn't care one way or another what she did with her body but her explanation did raise many new questions, of which he wanted actually zero of them answered.  Still, he didn't want to make her feel ashamed for what she'd done — not that he thought it was possible.  After all, he'd done something similar after the hormones had hit him, but she was a little old for that, wasn't she?  There's nothing wrong with that, he says, I did the same.  

He'd never really gotten the point of having sex outside of the season; it felt good during the act, but he had no desire to initiate.  The men of his family had all been so disappointed in him for not partaking in that part of the culture — even the women thought him queer for it.  To have someone in front of him that got it, that clicked with him, was a relief Grezig didn't even know she was providing.

’There’s nothing wrong with that. I did the same.’

Grezig grunted in response to this, unsure of how to react. Siege didn’t seem too interested in her… one-night stand with Aleks. Well, if he wasn’t going to ask her about it then she would say nothing more about it. She didn’t think she needed to explain anymore about it than she already had. Besides, technically it was none of Siege’s business.

“So,” she said, attempting to move on. “What should we do first? Recruiting members is a must, obviously. Marking borders… Filling caches is extremely important if we want to survive the winter.” She paused. “Where do you see yourself in the ranks of this pack?” She had been thinking on this for a time, but didn’t want to spring the Alpha position on him without talking about it first.

He had done a great deal of thinking, and he didn't know if Grezig would truly like his answer.  Two wolves cannot hold down a territory and cannot secure a border.  His expression turns thoughtful as he suggests, We could cordon off a portion in the warmest part in the heart of the territory and mark that until we grow enough in numbers that we can expand.  He shifts, stretching out his forelimbs as he considers the rest.  The forest is appealing to loners.  Although we should look outside of the territory, I'm confident that a few might come to us.

Where do you see yourself in the ranks of this pack?

He hadn't been thinking that far ahead.  There were too many things that needed to be done to worry about dominance; so long as any newcomers knew their place and didn't try to start anything with him just because he looked like he could take it, he didn't care.  There were duties that needed to get done — first and foremost, food.  By nature, I am not a man who gets trifled with, and those that try do not last long.  All I ask is that I am respected.  All else is unimportant until we have survival secured.

Everything Siege said made sense to her. She simply nodded along instead of replying verbally. In the end, when he was done speaking, she said, “We do still need to hunt, if only for us alone. I suppose that’s what we should do first. Perhaps, since it is warmer in here than it is outside the forest, there are still some deer left. Or we will simply have to make do with smaller prey.” She stood up. “I will go and find some kind of trail to follow. You are welcome to come, or I will find you later and lead you back to it. Either way.” Without another word, she turned away and began sniffing the ground, hunting for some sort of animal to kill.

[Exit.]

Even for someone like himself, Grezig was so businesslike and to the point that it left him feeling a little lost.  Perhaps this is how he'd been percieved in his homelands, and he suddenly understood why his father was so disappointed in him — not that he felt the same about Grezig, of course.  He stayed where he was for a moment before heaving himself up and heading after her.