Live, little spotlight

ooc: @Atreyu

If asked about, what wanderlust was and how it affected Osprey, it would be hard to explain. It was a feeling, a pull, a sudden rush of joy and inspiration that could be ignited by various seemingly irrelevant things in her life. A discovery, a succesful hunt, a sunny afternoon, heavy rain, a sight of an old tree. Practically anything. This time it had been a gust of wind that had brought a myriad of foreign scents with it, stopped by and then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

But one deep sniff had been all that Osprey had needed to leave the plateau behind her once again and head out in the wilds. She had caught a whiff of flowing water and stones and almost imediately her mind added a picture of a little waterfall, hidden somewhere deep in the woods. The image had been so real that she hadn't hesitated a moment longer. She had to find it. And with only a faint idea of what exactly she was looking for, with 99% chances of failure, she moved quickly through the flatlands.

The Bay's failed hunts had forced the Epsilon to scout further into the heart of the Wilds — pushing his way through a forest, around a mountain and then into the open flatlands, his stomach growling hungrily all the way. Although the shoreline and the forest that bordered it provided small critters that were relatively easy to catch, they were mere scraps that could only hold hunger at bay for so long. Atreyu, while not starving, didn't like the feeling of running on empty and so decided to wander further inland to see if he could track down a herd of deer. Or something. Anything.

His course changed, though, when a curious whiff hit his nose — a mixture of rock, water and wolf. Quickly, he veered to the right and began to follow the scent. Eventually, he came across the slim form of a female loping through the territory, seemingly intent on getting somewhere. Although he couldn't see any signs of prey here, he half-hoped that she, too, was scouting for herds. Maybe she wouldn't mind if he followed her. Warily, — remembering his encounter with the testy dark-furred female that had nearly ended with him being chewed on — Atreyu trailed the stranger at length, ears pricked forward curiously.

Osprey's spirits were high - she was eager to start looking for the place she had come up with. It didn't really matter, if she didn't find in the end or that there was even a greater possibility that it did not exist. The process of searching was the most important. If there was one thing she had learned from her many adventures, then it was - you never knew, where were you going to end up. You could head out with an idea of finding a waterfall and by the end of the day meet the love of your life. Or something along the lines.

Therefore it was only later, when the excitement had gone down a little and she was more aware of her surroundings, did she notice that there was "a tail". She stopped mid-step and turned around to see, what or who it was. It turned out to be a young wolf with a cream colored and unkempt pelt. A boy, who had just stepped in the shoes of a man - beginning to grasp his true strength, yet not having enough confidence. "Is there a valid reason, why you are following me?" Osprey called out to him in a friendly manner.

He was able to tag along with the stranger undetected for a few minutes, before she suddenly turned to greet him. Atreyu stopped as soon as she did, one paw half-raised as he met her green gaze with a hint of sheepishness. "No," he admitted with a grin and casual shrug. He wasn't even sure why he tended to trail after strangers like a predator would prey. He didn't even have questionable motives — the boy just enjoyed seeing their reaction.

Thankfully, the grey female's reaction was civil and not laced with indifference or hostility. Atreyu remained where he was, though, wary of approaching lest she chased him away. One could never know what sort of business strangers were tangled up in. Perhaps she was on some scouting mission and expected a follower and suspected him. "I mean, unless you've seen any deer or anything around here," he added with a curious quirk of one ear.

"Well... I carry some deer around, but..." Osprey looked pointedly at her belly, which was a little swollen after her last meal. "I doubt you will want to have it,"[b] she left out "once I regurgitate it" part, winked at him and giggled at her wayward humor and hoped that she hadn't spooked the kid.

[b]"Where are you from?" she sat down and prepared herself for a little conversation. She was curious about the boy and, before she proceeded with her adventure, she wanted to know more about him. Who knew - maybe she would end up with a worthy companion for her journey.

At her answer, his ears rose before falling with his face in disappointment as she motioned towards her stomach with a giggle. Gross. Sure, he enjoyed rolling in the mud and covering himself in all manner of filth but eating someone else's digested meal? No, thanks. Leave that to the puppies who didn't know any better. Despite his wild outwards appearance, Atreyu was decidedly picky about what sort of things he ate. Her wink was returned with a deadpan look of disgust.

At her question, though, the boy raised his chin slightly, gesturing in the direction he had come from. "Stavanger Bay, near the coast," he replied proudly. "We haven't had much luck with our hunts, though, so I'm out looking for some herds." He paused and canted his head at her. "And you're from?" Her scent was a strange mixture — he hadn't encountered it before.

Osprey refrained herself from bursting out in laughter, when she saw the look of disgust in the boy's face. It felt nice to tease others and see their reactions, even if she didn't have the slightest intention of regurgitating her meal, had he expressed such a wish.

"Stavanger bay? I have been there before," she told him, remembering her extended stay at the place because of the injuries she had got from a stampede. Even after this time she felt indebted to the wolves that had helped her there and now she saw an opportunity. Of course, she wasn't going to take him to her pack and feed him from the caches, let alone bring something home. However, she could help him look for herds or hunting opportunities. After all - you always had to take care of your needs first and only then the pack mattered.

"Well... as it happens I am heading to that forest," she beckoned to the dark line of trees in the distance, "even though I can't guarantee herds there, there must be some kind of prey present. You can accompany me and I can help you?" she offered.

It seemed that, despite the Bay being tucked away in its own secluded spot along the coast, others had travelled that far along and had discovered it, too. Atreyu didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but at least the Bay was efficient enough at keeping out trespassers and they hadn't seen too much conflict — yet. He waved his tail at her response, curious if she was from one of the other packs along the coastline. He had heard of another pack residing there yet hadn't come across any members who belonged to it.

He followed the female's gaze to the looming forest a short distance away, eyeing it curiously. He doubted they would find a herd roaming within but he was always up for exploring unknown grounds. The boy nodded at her offer of help in exchange for some company — a fair trade. "Sure," he said, before giving her a grin. He began to slowly trot forward, waiting for her to lead the way. "The Jarl won't be impressed if I bring back just a rabbit," he said with a huff of laughter. "But, hey, we might get lucky and discover some giant squirrels or something."

"Well, you can't bring back home anything that's bigger than you," Osprey replied, matching her companion's step so that they could run side by side and have a normal conversation without having to turn back every now and then to check, whether the person was listening or repeating, what either of them had said several times in a row. She wondered, if the fellow was exaggerating his Jarl's wishes a bit, because, when she had met Ragnar, he had seemed to be a reasonable man. Maybe she had been wrong.

"So a deer is out of question, but big squirrels... they sound tempting. Have you ever met any?" she asked him jokingly.

Her statement caused a small frown to crease Atreyu's features as she fell into step with him. Says you, he thought with a huff. He didn't doubt his ability to drag back a carcass of a deer or moose to the Bay despite how far away it was from their current location — it was taking it down that was the hard part. He was an arrogant youth but accepted that larger game required the numbers of a pack, taking on one alone could result in getting your skull caved in by a flying hoof. Atreyu liked his face too much for it to be kicked in just yet.

At her question he looked up to the sky in thought for a moment, as if contemplating if he really had seen a giant squirrel. "Nah," he replied after a moment before grinning at his companion. "I have seen a giant crab, though." What a feast that had been, despite the many pinches and cuts he had endured. But, to be honest, he much preferred the taste of the sea-faring critters compared to the sinewy forest dwellers.

There had been a time, when Osprey too had believed that she could take down mountains, swim the seas and - in her case more specifically - find a reliable way to fly without wings. But she had learned that mountains were far bigger and greater than her. Compared to them she was nothing. That the sea and the ocean were stronger than you and could take you down, whenever they wished. And a number of bruises, scratches, sore ribs and lame feet had been all that was necessary for her to understand that birds had wings for a reason and that she would never be able to fly in a way she had imagined.

Experience and mistakes were the two things that taught you the most. "A giant crab?" she had seen smaller ones, but had never figured out, how to eat them. They were hard and - while still alive - quite sturdy fighters for their lived. Therefore, when it came to hunting, she preferred those, who had soft hides rather than an armour. "Do you have a lot of those at the bay?"

Her interest caused Atreyu to straighten up slightly in pride, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. While it was true he had encountered — and then fought — a giant crab before, it had been a single occurrence. He hadn't seen another one since. It had been a while ago, when he had first split from his original tribe, and he wondered if they were only native to the lands there. He hoped not. Imagine the look on his pack's faces if he brought to a massive crustacean feast to a pack meeting! The thought that the other members of Stavanger Bay might not even like crab didn't cross his mind.

Atreyu shook his head at his companion's question. "Not that I've seen," he said with a hint of sadness. He had never actually gone looking for any, however, and aspired to do just that when he returned from his scouting mission. What if he found a nest? They would never need to hunt again! "What about you?" he asked, turning to the grey-furred girl. "Have you ever come across any...mutant animals?"

Mutant animals? Osprey gave him a curious look, wondering, what should she reply. In terms of mixing the imagination world with the reality - yes, she had. Plenty. Dragons, trolls, sand and rock giants, the big fish, the white deer with the golden antlers, bearspiders and many, many more. They all existed, you only had to look for them and believe that they existed. However, she had a feeling that the boy was more direct and was not seeking a cryptical answer. Only the mention of those imagined beasts would make his mind whirl and get him confused.

She sighed - the regular answer then. "No, not really," she shrugged. "I have seen some pretty big bears and a moose though," she recalled these meetings as being something extraordinary. But - of course - none of them could match with seeing an actual dragon.

Her answer wasn't as grand as he had expected, but he offered a grin anyway. Having lived by the ocean for so long, never exploring too far inland, Atreyu hadn't encountered too many bears or moose. In fact — the boy's eyes narrowed as it dawned on him — he had never actually seen a bear before. He had heard of the beasts, big and brown and if you saw one with a smaller version of itself you had to run. But, other than that, he wasn't really sure what they actually looked like.

With a tilt of his head, he turned back to the other, curiousity written all over his face. "How big were these bears?" he asked with a wag of his tail, turning to glance at the forest that loomed in the distance, adding excitedly, "Where'd you see them?"

"Well, I have to disappoint you a little here, because I have never stayed long to have the bear near enough to tell, how big he really is," Osprey replied. Curiousity was good in a sense that it made you step outside your comfort zone in order to explore. She had done a great deal of things that some would regard as very reckless just for the sake of gaining knowledge. However, even she knew, where to draw the line. Bears just looked clumsy and slow, but they were deadly and unpredictable creatures and she had never felt the pull to find out more about them. Admiring them from a distance was good enough already.

"Here and there... they rarely stay in one area for too long, especially, if it is densily inhabited by us," she explained knowing that she could not be 100% sure about that. "But I have heard that there have been some roaming nearby the coast you live at."

Although the stranger offered little clarification on what bears specifically looked like, Atreyu's mind was already brimming with ideas and a burning desire to find one. Perhaps even kill it! He knew they were dangerous — deadly, even — but his excitement had overridden his common sense. What better way to prove his merit and hunting skills? His eyes alight and betraying his over zealous ambitions, the boy stared intensely as the girl continued to speak.

He nodded in understanding, absorbing the information like a sponge, forgetting all about his previous task of finding a herd for the pack to track. Hell, a bear could feed them for weeks! Her mention of some lurking around the coast caused him to wag his tail again while a grin spread across his face. "Oh! Seriously?" They won't be for long. If one was near the packlands, it was his duty as a pack mate to protect it from threats!

"That's, what I have heard, but you should ask this to your leader - a rumour without facts is just a rumour," Osprey shrugged, easily getting rid of the responsibility for her words. Then she fell silent, focusing on the path and slowing her pace, when they got near the forest. Before proceeding she stopped briefly to test the air - just a precaution. She didn't want to trespass on claimed lands - if they happened to be such - or cross path with a predator - be it a bear or a cougar. She was not craving for adrenaline rush today.

"I think that the coast is clear," she told her companion, waiting a bit for him to respond and then continuing her journey in to the woods. "Ever had a dream in childhood of becoming a knight, a superhero or an astronaut?" she asked casually.

Her response caused him to nod in faux sincerity, as if he truly would go and ask Ragnar about this bear infestation. But, if the Jarl knew, then there was a chance he would go and kill one himself. All the glory would go to him! With a bout of defiance, the boy's resolve hardened, and he was even more determined to find one of these creatures — without the help of the others.

Realising he had lagged slightly behind his temporary travelling companion, the boy took a few quick strides to catch up to her again, standing by her side as he tilted his head up at the forest. The air was thick with the scent of wood and pine. Where Osprey wisely tested for rival wolf packs or predators, Atreyu tried to seek out any prey smells, being as forever hungry as he was. Of course, there were plenty; so many it was hard to pick out a single scent. Frowning, he turned to the grey female as she spoke before pressing onwards. "Cool," he said after a brief pause, grinning.

As they wandered into the shadows of the trees, her curious question caught the boy off guard. The heck was an astronaut? He had heard of the first two, something many pups aspired to be, but the third he had no idea about. "An astronaut," he replied with a nod. It sounded cool, at least. Atreyu just hoped it actually was cool.

"An astronaut, that's a very good choice," Osprey nodded and a sly smile appeared in her lips, because she had an inkling that Atreyu did not know exactly, what the word meant. She hadn't known it either up until the last summer, when she had spoken to a wolf that apparently knew a great deal about aliens and, how they had arrived to Earth. But this had not interested her that much as the true meaning behind the term - astron - star, nautes - sailor. Star-sailor. Could it get more beautiful? Osprey doubted it.


"Then you probably know, what astronauts do," she continued, hiding her grin, by pretending to be particularly interested in the nearby raspberry bush. "I always thought it was kind of cute, how they played with the ducklings and wanted to become the duck of the ducks," there was no need to muster up another believable serious expression, because right after she had finished the sentence, she sneezed.

They entered the forest and both decided to suddenly go in opposite directions — Osprey towards a raspberry bush and Atreyu heading over to a nearby tree. He kept his right ear trained upon the girl, however, as she casually spoke about this astronaut profession. He nodded even if she didn't see him, and then rubbed his shoulder against the rough bark to scratch an itch. Of course he knew what they did. He just needed...a refresher.

But at the mention of ducks, Atreyu quickly spun around to face her as she sneezed, her little joke going completely unnoticed by the boy. Ducks? "Wha—?" he began, trying to hide his horrified expression. If there were any birds worse than seagulls, it had to be ducks. Or finches. No, definitely ducks. Squawking dumb lake-dwelling birds that didn't even taste that great. He bared his front teeth in disgust, looking to his mischievous company. "Yeah but, you know, they do other things, too," he stammered out.

Osprey lifted one of her forepaws and rubbed the bridge of her nose, while her ears were up and alert, listening, what the boy's reaction was. If there had been a teeny-tiny doubt about, whether the boy really knew the meaning of the word, then now she had a solid proof that he had no idea. The joke was lost to him and her sneeze had come just in time to cover up her carefully composed serious expression. Another sneeze followed, which sounded a little odd, since it came together with a chuckle. She felt bad for the sheer amusement this bold fellow offered her.

"Sure they do," she agreed, pausing a little to give him a chance for an input and then going on. "I mean there are no better comet dusters than them. But that is not all..." Her voice was quiet now, tone conspirational: "They have this ritual with dancing in the moonlight and tossing dead frogs around. I have never understood, why they did - but maybe you can shed some light on it?"

Her next sneeze inspired a quirk of his brow, wondering if she was allergic to the raspberry bush. He was not a healer nor a lie detector, however, and so her antics were puzzling, leaving Atreyu flustered as he tried to scrape together his pride that had been shattered. It was a good lesson, to not just speak without thinking about things first — a lesson that would most likely take some repeating for Atreyu to finally understand.

He nodded with certainty as she agreed, before going on about their jobs and rituals in the moonlight. He had an inkling that she herself had no idea what an astronaut was (if they even existed). Perhaps she had a few screws loose.

"Well..." he began as she let him speak. He hadn't the slightest clue what a comet was, but dead frogs was something he was well versed in. "...there's like a giant god in the sky, not a duck or a frog or anything," he sneered as he spoke. This astronaut profession had to be at least a little bit cool. "It's...it's a shark!" Yeah, sharks were cool. "And the astronauts have moonlight, frog tossing rituals to please the shark god and offer him food; he likes dead frogs." Atreyu paused for a moment, thinking, before giving a nod of affirmation. "Yeah."

Atreyu had probably got the idea that Osprey was messing with him, therefore she was glad that instead of pouting and appearing insulted, he played along, coming up with the most bizarre thing ever. Shark god - that was cool - and if she had been four years younger (in other words - very small), then she would have wanted to become an astronout very much.

"Shark god sounds totally awesome," she praised him on his creative input in the matter. "What else does he do? How did he get up there - in the sky or on the moon or somewhere else?" she then remembered that the boy came from a coastal pack and that choosing a fish to be the deity was not that unusual.

He beamed when she complimented him on his choice of a shark for a god. Honestly, if he were a religious sort of wolf, he would most definitely worship something that came from the sea. Atreyu was a simple being, however, and more respected the ocean and its creatures rather than worshipped them. He frowned as she prompted him to think about it more, like how the shark got up there in the first place, and what else he did rather than just laze around being a god and all.

"Uh," he began, glancing to the sky as if this mystical shark deity would help him out. He wasn't a storyteller; that was Charon's job. "He swims through the stars. He's been there forever." Atreyu's imagination hadn't stretched far enough to even contemplate how a shark was able to get into the sky. "And he does god stuff, you know, protects the wolves of the coastal packs...oh! And he controls the tides!"

He then regarded the grey-furred wolf in front of him, noting her very un-oceany scent. "And maybe there's, like, a deer or something that looks after packs further inland?"

"That's interesting," Osprey nodded and was about to tell about the Great deer spirit that lived on Earth, when she caught a scent and stopped in her tracks. She sniffed the air and listened carefully. Then shot a quick glance at her companion, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "I think we have found it," she whispered. "Come on, let's go!" she beckoned him to follow and set off. Would Atreyu decide to follow her, they would soon chase a roe-deer.

ooc: this is my last post here. You can fade it out in your next post.