Lion Head Mesa I found something in the woods somewhere.

Heading towards RHC, but crossing by Blackfeather Woods territory and landing in Lion's Head Mesa.

After a run-in with a bear and an impromptu swim across a few rivers, Njal needed a rest. He was more than exhausted - but he had done more in the past two days than he'd ever done before. On one hand he felt tired and sore, but on the other, he felt young, he felt alive. How strange it was to feel so awake and spirited at his age. His journey in to the south was very different from when he went north, with bundles of screeching kids. The glacier had been a welcome sight, a beautiful sight, and once the family had stopped to rest, things seemed idyllic --

Njal caught himself before he lingered too long on those thoughts. He hadn't reminded himself of those initial good days in such a long time, only dwelling on the failures and the ruin which plagued their little family; it felt dishonest to remember the good days, those fleeting moments before he lost it all. Thankfully, he found himself within the fringe of a dark forest. The scent of wolves wasn't so strong in the area, but he detected something familiar - something that reminded him of Fox's invitation.

Was this the caldera? Perhaps the forest draped across a mountain and he simply could not see it in the murk. He thought to howl and alert Fox to his presence - but that thought fizzled and died as soon as he emerged on the other side of the tree line, and was faced with an open expanse. With a squint to his eyes Njal could study the horizon; he turned his head and saw the nearby mountain range (remembering briefly that the Sunspire was in that direction) and then turned his snout further westward - and he thought he could see something rising in the distance.

Luke had come to some sort of decision. If Harlyn's pack still had not founded toward the end of fall, he would seek residence elsewhere. He deigned not to spend another winter as a lone wolf. He had fared well, but the unforgiving grasp of winter was not to be trifled with, and there was no guarantee he would be as successful the next time. To say nothing of how much more he craved the closeness of others when the air was most frigid, and the days the darkest.

It had not escaped his mind that he could be at the plateau now, among his companion and his lover both, but nor had it escaped him that such a thing could prove hard on the heart when and if the time came. So, he would go about things as he had been doing, before he had arrived here and shortly after, before he had become tangled in affairs of others and allowed lonesomeness to prick at his fur. He would explore, play, and seek new faces.

There was one now.

His sweeping gaze spotted a gray male, and immediately his tail began to swing. He looked to be older, but the blue-nosed wolf was not deterred as he quickly bounded and sprinted his way to him. "Hey!" he called as he neared, as he so often was inclined to do. For the first time in a while, he truly felt like his carefree self again.

It wasn't that he didn't expect to see someone out here, but rather, Njal was surprised by the enthusiasm of the stranger. As soon as the voice hit his ears, they flicked back against his head; he turned to face the oncoming stranger, wondering for a fleeting second if this was a threat. But the pale wolf approached with his tail wagging, and did not seem to harbor any aggression. He did have a strange blue nose - and blue lips - and Njal thought, was he caught in the ice as a pup? But that would be ridiculous.

"Hello." Njal responded, his tone low and cautious, as if he were expecting something foul to occur next. Maybe he had traipsed on to another foreign pack's land? To ease his suspicions, Njal drifted closer to the stranger and sniffed at the air - careful not to get too close until he was suitably at ease. The stranger did not smell familiar, nor did he have any mark of a pack upon him; there were a few other scents but nothing that made Njal worry. He relaxed a little, and commented, "You from around here, or just wandering?"

Small correction: Luke doesn't have blue lips but he does have a blue tongue! ;)

The other male was cautious of him, but Luke thought nothing of it. He was an oddity among most, approaching complete strangers with enthusiasm more common with greeting old friends. "Nope, not from around here," he answered. He did not draw any closer, allowing the other fellow a respectable distance and the choice to come nearer when he felt comfortable enough to do so. "I guess you can say I'm wandering. I'm just waiting for my pack to form," he shared. It was partly strategic for him to do so: this wolf did not smell like a pack; his coat carried the light and mixed scents of a lone wolf like himself. A possible recruit.

Njal nodded, as if he held some deeper understanding of the trials and tribulations a lone wolf must go through. He'd been in similar situations before. "So you aren't of the caldera pack." He stated flatly, as if to confirm with himself more than anything - and drop the hint that he was headed that way. "How long have you been wandering?" Packs rose and fell all the time; it was possible that this boy was given a promise that would not be kept, which could make him an ally. Except Njal was still unsure. Both of them were intent on going their separate ways, but were lingering together regardless. Wolves were strange - Njal thought suddenly - banding together even as strangers passing by.

Welcome back!

"No I am not," he confirmed, picking up the hint that had been dropped. "I know Peregrine and Fox though," he shared, before moving on to answer the next question. "It's been about a year and a half, maybe more, now. Yourself?" Had the male not given him the suspicion that he was seeking the caldera specifically, Luke would have approached the subject of asking him if he would be interested in the druid's upcoming pack. Perhaps more recruits would spur action on that end, but if nothing else, he would have been pleased to find more followers for Harlyn even if he did not end up one of them.

:D

At the mention of his friend Fox, Njal became less hesitant and wary of the stranger. He didn't know the extent of their relationship, but it couldn't have been bad; this guy didn't seem like the type to piss off anyone too eagerly. It was curious though. Being friends with two alphas would usually be a good thing, as it would grant an individual pack status - but this guy was alone. Did he not agree with the caldera wolves? Or maybe it was simply wanderlust that made him avoid the pack. Njal had been there before (and probably would be plagued by his own wanderlust again in the future). He let the thoughts slide out of his head. 

"Well, good luck." There wasn't much else to say. If the pale wolf had survived this long on his own, he knew what he was doing.

He was not much for conversation, this one. But fortunately for him, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, Luke was quite okay with carrying the conversation by himself. "Thanks," he said with a dip of his head. Good luck? Everyone needed some of that, too much of life was dependent on it. "So I take it you're heading to see Fox and Peregrine. Plan on living the life at the caldera? Because if not..." He trailed off, waiting for a response. One moment ago he had decided not to bring up the subject of Harlyn's pack, but now in this moment he had decided that he could not, in good conscious, pass up the opportunity if this wolf was not promised to the caldera.

"Yeah," he quickly curtailed the invitation as it fell from the boy's lips. But then a second later, Njal realized he wasn't being very clear. "I mean, Fox is a friend of mine. She invited me to the caldera and I might stick around, I'm not sure yet." He didn't know it now, but the caldera was going to be a very important place for him. A new stage in his life where he could recover from everything he'd struggled with in the past few months - and more. "If it doesn't work out though, maybe I'll look around for your group."

In the long run, he wasn't going to bother. Even if Fox changed her mind or kicked him out, Njal would have nowhere else to go; settling with a bunch of youngsters as they tried to build themselves a home seemed... Far-fetched at best. But he meant what he'd said. It was hard work to get a pack off the ground, and the blue-nosed wolf would need all the luck in the world.

Luke bobbed his head. "Yeah for sure!" he chirped, happy to be kept in mind even if the possibility of him recruiting this male to their pack was slim. Perhaps he would pass the word to someone else who might then seek them out. One never knew.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer." He was hesitant to depart the company, only because he so desperately wished for it at this time, but the older gentleman seemed disinterested in banter, keen to be on his way perhaps, and so Luke felt it best to let him be on his way. "Take care!" He smiled and dipped his head, and then loped off. Though the encounter was brief, he felt better for it.

Wooo we did it. :>

When the pale wolf bobbed his head, Njal found himself briskly imitating him. There was nothing more to say and the old man was losing time, so he wouldn't linger. A swift farewell was met with a small smile and a tersely stated, "You as well," in the style of a disinterested but hopeful customer at Java's stupid job, before heading on his way.