Neverwinter Forest in the unknown

Having spent most of the day lying on a bed of sodden earth watching a herd of deer as they clustered around the new growth in the eastern reaches of the pack, Rian was glad for the distraction the howl brought. The herd snorted, unsettled by the sound of the predator, but ignorant that he'd been lurking near them the entire day. So when he stood, they scattered, tails flashing and heels kicking high into the air as if to say try me, wolf. He ignored them as they dispersed into the thicket and shook out his pelt with a sigh only to head off in pursuit of his sibling. 

It didn't take long to find her, standing near a dry stream, cloaked in summer sunshine and taupe. He approached with little aplomb and extended his neck to nose her cheek with a few quick waves of his tail. Though he held the rank of Gamma, he did not impose it on his family, at least not yet. The instinctual urge was there, a dark spot digging and prying at the back of his skull—he wanted to cement his role as the provider and the leader, but he was neither. Just a parasite living off the emotions of others.

He chuffed warmly and mouthed at her nape in a half-hearted attempt at play.