Big Salmon Lake Business in the Front

The soft plume of his tail rest beside haunches, wrapping tightly around Marcus as he sat lakeside. A small wrinkle formed on top his snout as the stench of wet and fish rose steadily from the placid waters below. No longer was the lake just something pretty to look at, all iced over and solid. It was a source of food once more, and he was hungry.

The clear sky above worked in his favor, as Marcus was able to quickly spot a few small fish lingering in the more shallow areas near the shore. It had been forever since he had last dunked his entire face into any body of water, and that was for a good reason. He hated it. Hated fishing. Hated water. But he had no luck with prey on land as of late so, here he was. 

Marcus muttered a few unmentionables before plunging into the water. His paws and open mouth found a wriggling fish at the exactly same time, the weight of the wolf alone would snap its spine and make for an easy catch. Brute force when fishing was highly underrated.

The red wolf retreated, his front half sopping wet while his butt stayed fuzzy... but he had his meal. He looked dumb, but he had his fish.

Spring was in the air and Lele greeted it with a sense of achievement. Another winter survived and months of warmth and relative safety were ahead of her. There was still a lot to be wished in her life - especially since she had learned to no longer be humble and restrained in, what she wanted. But this was probably the first year, when she looked forward with hope. 

Some people - on the contrary - looked for solace and happiness elsewhere. She had gone on a stroll, following a well-trodden path left by other crawlers in the neighbourhood and caught sight of the young man by the lake-side. Never the first to strike conversation, unless sure that there was no danger to her, she first sat down to observe him. If she deemed him good enough, she would approach. 

For a while there the guy looked perfectly normal and almost philosophical (like all people do, when they sit stoically and look in the distance), but then all of a sudden (that appeared to her) he got up and dunked his head in the lake. Attempted suicide? Never a religious creature, but one that still considered all life sacred and worth living, she closed the distanc between them to understand the full gravity of the situation.

She saw him resurface, did not see, what he had got in is jaws and therefore said: "You know - there are other ways to look for reason in life than at the bottom of the lake?"

Startled would have been an understatement. The sound of rushing water and the scent of fish had completely distracted Marcus from noticing he had a spectator. When he turned, the man was met with another wolf, this one around his height but lanky and with a banged up half of her face. He didn't have a moment to think before she spoke. 

Her assumption was ridiculous, but because of that it made him laugh. Snorting, Marcus stepped back a moment to give a good shake of his coat before dropping the fish in front of him. "I was just making friends." His voice  was low like a hum as he looked from the woman to his catch. "Not much of a talker, though."

"Would you like one?"

"Friends?" Lele looked from him, then down at the fish, who was more or less dead by now. "That is kind of direct? I have heard that first you get to know and learn their names and then you share histories and form a connection..." she listed all the things she thought were necessary for building friendships. 

"I will decline - not much of a murdered friend eater," she grinned. "So - who are you and where do you come from?" she changed the subject. 

"Well the thing is when it comes to fish, they seem to all have the same histories." Marcus looked off in the distance and pretended to think back to all of his previous fishy encounters. "Same hobbies.. .you know, swimming and such. And they never really go out of their way to meet you at your place. Always gotta travel to them. So I just kind of take the lead on the friendships I make with fish." 

The man offered a smile to the lady as she grinned at him. Didn't want to eat murdered friends? Well, maybe this could still work. "My name is Marcus. I'm just in the area, looking for a place to live." His chest drew tight thinking about his family, but he held his easy going smile. "Tell me about yourself."

"When you put it like this - you win," Lele admitted that Marcus had had a point. He did not tell much about himself, but the details he shared already made her feel as if she had met a kindred spirit. Nomads, though often on their own, were still a community of people, who shared similar interests and values in life. Adventure and curiousity about, what the world had to offer, was one of them. 

"Name's Lele - recently retired traveller, getting used to a retirement in a pack," she told, leaving out the "still have not given up on finding true love" part. This kind of stuff used to scare people, males especially. But, when you face a very real possibility of not being alive in a year or so, then the opportunities of building your life slowly and according to all the required steps along the way was no longer an option. "Did you leave on your own accord or were you kicked out? Ate some other friends, perhaps?" she asked. 

He didn't feel like much of a winner as of late, so at least he was able to win this situation. Marcus offered a nod, a sort of 'good game', as the woman continued to speak. Lele summarized her history for him, so he assumed they were well on their way to being friends. 

A retired traveler? And he was just starting his journey. Pack life did not entice him at the moment. There was really no place he could see himself other than his home. I need to stop thinking of it as home. Lele cushioned the painful question by circling back to their little inside joke. He was grateful.

"I left on my own." He lied, but he had just met this wolf. He didn't owe her any painful truths, nor did he want to get into it. It was far too long of a story. "Lele, how are you liking pack life? I imagine after traveling for a while it must be strange to be rooted somewhere." The red wolf looked to his fish and then back to his acquaintance. "Would you mind if I ate while we talk?"

"Yeah, go ahead - don't want to let that friend's death be useless, would you?" Lele settled down for a longer conversation. "Well, it was my choice to finally settle down - it is not a smooth ride and there are a lot of occasions, where I feel out of place," she thought about meeting Alaric and his very open conversation about his life. That was the kind of ease she would never be able to talk with other people, but he was an example of, what was possible. 

"On the other hand - at my age - I no longer strive to impress other people, nor burden myself with situations I do not comfortable to be in," she said. "The Reaper may be breathing down my nape, but I have not yet given up hope on finding that Prince Charming as well. And the chances of doing that are better, if you mingle with people than stay away from them," she finished. 

"What do you strive to do in your life?" she asked out of interest. 

She was funny, and Marcus appreciated it greatly. You can tell a lot about a person off the bat with a good sense of humor, good wit. A wolf that could make him smile went far in his book. 

The conversation between them seemed to come relatively easy, and just like he appreciated the company he was about to appreciate the hell out of this meal. So the man rested on his belly with the fish between paws as he started to munch and listen to Lele's story. While it was brief, he felt like he could empathize with her.

Her mention of death made his next bite of food go down like a rock. He hated the thought the woman leaving this Earth without feeling the love of a soulmate... if there really were such a thing. It wasn't hard to shake the intrusive thought away though, she was lovely and kind. He imagined it wouldn't be too hard now that she was no longer a loner and among other wolves.

"I admire that. Not feeling the need to impress others, that is. I've been working on getting to that point in life myself. And I believe you will find that wolf. You seem like a catch to me, and I would know!" Marcus nosed his fish towards her and grinned at his own joke. 

The tipping his nose to the sky, he carefully pondered what his next words should be. "I'd like to be with my children again. They are with their mother... things didn't work out in the end." He refused to show any emotion, but instead kept his gaze to the heavens in thought. "Other than that, I'm not sure."

"I'm glad we met. Needed to get my mind off things, you know."

"You get there after a lifetime of trying to impress other people only to realize that they do not give a damn and you get nothing out of it yourself," Lele said matter-of-factly. This rang true to herself and, while she in general had had a good life, she often wondered, whether it would not have been better, if she had not wasted years on trying to meet everyone's expectations. "Be a good girl" was the same to her as a red piece of cloth to a bull. 

"It is not worth it. Be selfish, live for yourself," she added, seeing no harm in saying so either. If he was already a narcissist or simply a bad person - she hadn't told him anything he did not know already. If he needed some encouragement to focus on self-care - she was a proof that not only that was very beneficial, but also improved your outlook on life in general. 

"People are difficult creatures, ain't they?" she remarked, deciding not to push for more details on, what had led to the split. It was none of her business. 

"Difficult." The man smirked and nodded in agreement at the sentiment, relieved he didn't need to dig into his past any further. Marcus snorted, riding himself of unpleasant memories of Alyse. Taking a deep breath, the man inhaled memories of his pups. He would find them again. Once they were older, he planned to return in hopes that he might be able to explain. He prayed that by then, it wouldn't be too late.

"Lele," In a dream-like state he addressed his companion. "You're great company. Even better than the fish." He floated back to earth, no longer swimming in distant memories, but instead looking right at the woman in front of him. Her presence just as soothing as a good night's sleep.

"I will take that as a compliment," Lele laughed at Marcus's funny choice of words, but did not mind it the least. "Though, if that means that you are intending to eat me the same way as you did the fish..." she said in a mock-worried tone and took a step back. "... then don't. I assure you that living people are far more of a good company than those dead and shred to pieces," she smiled. 

"Here is a rude question," she picked the conversation up after a brief pause. "So - what do you want out of life? Like not today or tomorrow, but in general? What do you want to achieve, gain? Goals?" 

He laughed with her, appreciating her jovial demeanor and wit. "Ah, you're lucky I'm no longer hungry." Of course, he would never eat another wolf, but the idea of it did cross his mind once. Not in a 'I want to do this' way, but more of a 'what if I was stranded and had no choice' sort of way.. Just a good ol' fashioned worst case scenario daydream you entertain when you are on the road alone, bored. At least, he hoped that was a normal thing to think about.

"Coming out with the big guns." He laughed but respected her forwardness. "I'm going to sound like a broken record here but all I want is to be able to reunite with my children. Maybe even start a new family one day." Wintu and Tella were far too young, only a couple months old, and could not go without their mother yet. But once they came of age, when they are able to wander on their own, he hoped to find them. To return now would bring trouble for both them and himself.

The russet beast made an attempt to catch an itch building behind his ear before giving his full attention to the woman before him. "I'm an asshole when it comes to romance and women. Not very good at it I guess." Sure Alyse royally screwed him, but he wasn't perfect in the relationship either.

"I appreciate your honesty," Lele smiled and dipped her muzzle in respect. "Most people I have met walk this Earth with the confidence of them being the God's gifts to the world. Admitting that you are a crappy person is not considered sexy," she remarked, thinking about her step-mother. The longer time passed since they had parted ways, the less she thought of her as a damaged person that should be felt sorry for. Quite the contrary - looking back (when she chose to dwell on her past), she realied what an awful person she had been. 

"No one is. Good at romance or being good with other people in general," she replied. "I often wonder, if I did not know or had not been taught that people should be coupling up and bringing children to the world, would that have occurred to me at all? I mean - I would have saved myself a lot of misery, had I realized earlier that my value as a person does not lie in the eyes of other people. Especially men," she said. "There is a romantic part in me that still wonders about all of the what ifs, but the longer I live, the more I realize that relationships are more about misery and discomfort than actual happiness," this statement was not entirely fair to the few people, who she had shared good connection with. But - in her present set of mind - they were the exceptions of the rule, not the norm.

"I'm the gift the Gods regifted, I think." It was soon after his self-deprecating joke that Ukulele made his brain start to hurt. This was deep intellect hitting him in the face, but the simple man did his very best to keep up by nodding here and there, offering grunts of agreement when appropriate. He did appreciate the overall summary of it, what he did piece together. If he wasn't told he needed to find someone, would he have? Probably, he was a sucker and had relatively low self-esteem.

"You made my brain hurt for a second there, Lele." Marcus chided at her good-heartedly, but realized the seriousness of what she had just shared with him. Standing to attention, the loner moved forward slightly to close some distance between the two, creating a more intimate safe-space. They were birds of a feather. "Hey, misery loves company right?"

Marcus's comment on her lengthy monologue making his brain hurt made Lele laugh heartily. "Well - to be honest - most people are under impression that their loud contemplations about life are something important or valuable," she pointed out. "It is not. But I feel a lot better for having a chance to talk and you not interrupting me. Whether your heard or understood anything - did not matter," she poked fun at him, while meaning every word she had said. It was so. Living alone meant that you mainly had conversations with yourself. Having an outlet was a blessing. 

"Silence is golden, you know," she grinned. 

shall we begin to finish this up? :) sorry for the wait on this I've been trying to get muse back for Marcus!

In truth, he did understand her. Ukulele had a way about her that was effortless, although he knew it to be more complicated than that. She said as much. Still, he respected her and hung on her words until she was finished, grinning even as he fell to the mercy of her teasing. He kinda liked it. 

Silence was golden, but he was glad to be rid of it for the time being while in her company. "We should make this a regular thing, our ramblings." The man chuffed lightly at the female, closing the rest of the distance to brush his head against her cheek affectionately. This was a class act woman, and he would be happy to see her again though she be tethered to these lands.

Sure! It was fun to post in your company!

Marcus's move was unexpected and Lele froze for a moment, not used to having close contact with anyone for a long time. She felt a little confused at first, but then decided that the interaction had not been all that unpleasant. Quite the contrary. 

"Well, if you happen to be near Moonspear," she smiled to herself at the accidental rhyme and beckoned in the general direction of the mountain, "then give a call. For the time being I am not planning to move anywhere." With that she exchanged all the customary "farewell"s and "see you later"s and was off to home.