His little scuffle with the black bitch had left him rather disheveled and he wasn't completely certain which direction he was going any longer. A quick study of the river at least let him know which way it was flowing, and so he again took up the trail towards the Caldera, this time with a slight limp in tow.
Her explorations had taken her farther and farther from The Bay. Wip was eagerly taking in all of the information about the land surrounding her with the zealous need of an initiate. She was eager to prove herself to those that had taken a chance on her…her new family as she allowed herself to think of them in moments of fancy. Being so close to the Ocean had been fascinating, and still interested her, yet the giant pool of blue was not drinkable, and so, she had let out to discover those valuable sources of fresh water that had the potential of becoming essential in times of need.
And so she found herself at the quiet river, cold as it was, it quenched the thirst brought about by her journey. So preoccupied was she in her drinking, that she did not sense the male until he was almost upon her. Her stomach lurched with an anxiety that was characteristic of any newcomer, until her green eyes set upon the limp that caused his frame to move in such a disjointed manner. She skirted his progress slightly, not wanting to come off as threatening, and loudly began to rub against the trees in an attempt to make her presence known. Hullo, she offered quietly.
Her posture and voice gave no hint of threat so the yearling relaxed very slightly. He remained wary of her though, mostly out of the fact that he wasn't much interested in the company of anyone so unfamiliar in his weakened state. "Yes? he replied shortly, not in an irritable tone, but in one that merely suggested that he didn't have much time for her.
She noticed his posture first, and Wip was slightly relieved to see him adjust it into something not as threatening. It was becoming obvious to her that most of the wolves in these parts seemed to be on guard. She wondered if she was just spending too much time wandering aimlessly without a care in the world. But such was her nature, and she worried that carrying too much stress would only shorten her life. So she was always resolved to be as pleasant as possible. Whether or not that was sustainable in a world shared by many of her own kind, time would only tell.
She noticed his wounds, and Wip twitched her ears, remembering her earlier interaction with the other female, also injured. That stress seeped into her body slightly, was this really that dangerous of an area? She would have to ask Thistle Cloud about this, this was the second wolf with what seemed like fight wounds. Not to mention her own alpha male was purportedly covered in scars. Yet, the male seemed to be agreeable enough for someone in his position.
You're…hurt? Not wanting to injure his pride, she was tentative with her words, and then stepped closer only slightly. I could help…with that. Something to make it feel better…if you want. I saw someone else earlier…hurt too.
"I'll be alright," Summer said finally with a sigh of resignation, "I'd rather suffer the pain." He cast his gaze down at the ground between his paws for a moment before giving her another glance. "Thank you, though, that's very kind of you to offer," he added, now feeling a little guilty at being such a dickhead to her.
Sebastian casually trotted out of the foliage out into the open. His tail was in a neutral stance as his big body craved for water. It didn't take long for Sebastian to find it. He had a christ to quench. After hunting, and eating, he felt like freshening up and a drink. His pink tongue eagerly helped him drink the cold water. He knew if he would drink too much he would get a headache. He was from cold part of Canada, something you learn early on. He took mini breaks between drinking. After that it was his muzzle that was washed clean.
The large grey young male then followed the river down stream. It didn't take long for him to encounter some other wolves. A dark one and a multicolored one that was just leaving. The masked male looked after the leaving female and then walked to the black wolf himself. His pale eyes curiously glanced over him for a brief moment. "Did she do that to you?," he asked, lightly frowning.
Apparently, the female was not too keen on continuing their conversation, though she was gracious enough when she excused herself from his presence. Summer watched her go, feeling rather more shitty than he had before she'd come across him. He heaved a sigh and turned to continue his journey to the Caldera, only to stop with a rigid jolt as his eyes landed on a new face just as its mouth parted to speak.
His surprise caused him to be a little slow on understanding what was being asked, and thus he gave the stranger a confused look for a few seconds before it clicked. "Her? No," Summer answered after a beat, shaking his head while relaxing his posture again, "She was just seeing if I was alright and offer some help." He shrugged to further push off his downtrodden mood - a pointless gesture, but worth a shot anyway.
Sebastian glanced over the dark male with some curiosity. The other confirmed that it wasn't the female's doing. Only that she was offering him some help. Well that meant if Sebastian was going to offer his help the male probably wouldn't accept it. The large grey male flickered his tail curiously. "Have you seen a wolf that looks like me, older and with a docked tail?," he asked, selfishly moving the direction towards him. The other made it clear that he did not want any help. Sebastian wasn't some caring female that would press on the matter to heal him.
For now he had only met some seal girl, as weird as she was, it worked for her. She hadn't been very helpful but maybe this male was? Sebastian's pale eyes kept on the other. He was still a stranger. And maybe he had a bad experience with his father.
"No, I'm sorry," he replied with a shake of his head, "Is this a friend of yours?" Summer was curious as to what the relationship between them was. There were many possibilities and thus far, the man had given him no indication as to what this situation might have been.
Although his amusement soon left his face. "He is not a nice guy. I've come to search for him, since he abandoned us and sentences most of our family members to death," The young grey softly growled. He was obviously affected by it.
"What would you want to find him for?" Summer asked, very curious to know. If his father was that terrible of a wolf, then what exactly was his purpose in seeking him? Did he intend to make him return to save their family, or was vengeance his goal? In either case, Summer supposed it didn't really affect him and thus it mattered little. He was interested to know, nonetheless.
"I want to tell him what happened after he left," Sebastian then spoke. He would tell the older male how wrong he was to leave his old pack. How wrong it was to join a pack here. He didn't understand. "I want the confrontation. I want to know why."
"Well, I hope you find him then," Summer replied thoughtfully, "Hopefully finally speaking with him will help you to find some peace, some closure.."
Sebastian nodded as the wolf spoke in return. "Well I hope so too, i could really use some," he pointed out. Sebastian was a honest guy. He didn't mind telling right from wrong. He also didn't mind to share things, especially how bad his father was. The grey male then bobbed his head in goodbye. "Thank you take care," he spoke politely and trotted away in another direction. Not a very useful conversation but Sebastian deemed it a nice one. Better than the one he had with the seal girl who was just weird.