Emberflame Ridge I'm not alive if I'm lonely

@Asterr @Indigo I assume Asterr and Jolon were exploring a little beyond the borders, tell me if this is not okay though! :)

It was a rather beautiful winter day when Jolon decided to explore. What was even better was that the bright spirit, Asterr, tagged along with him. He watched as little snowflakes, all unique in their own way, fell down upon them from the sky above. It was cold but Jolon didn't care one bit. As long as they were moving, every kind of weather would be fine. He sometimes looked back to get a glance of the petite girl, her raven coat now covered with little snowflakes resembling sugar on a chocolate cookie. He wondered if the life of a to-be tribe leader was doing her well. She certainly seemed proud of what she had achieved and Jolon was happy for her, especially when she carried a warm smile on her muzzle. They had walked in silence for a bit now, but Jolon wanted to start a conversation. He had been curious of her past as well as her present since the day they had met, and now was his chance to finally get to know her better. So he stroke up the courage to say something, making a bit of smalltalk to start off with before moving to very personal questions.

So, how do you think everything is going? All according to your plan? Jolon asked her in his cold manner, although he tried to sound more warm to her. He didn't stop to talk though, his muzzle still facing the direction they had been going in.

wopdidop, I'm terrible at starting threads, I'm sorry XD

Perfectly fine~!

After her last trip outside of the territory, the girl had sworn to herself that she would take a break and focus more on completing things in relation to the tribe. Things had been going well, too, for she'd kept herself busy scouting out places for caches and walking along what would soon be their borders. Her urge to travel had been subdued and she'd been content, enjoying the comfort of her home—perhaps even more so than the thrill of adventuring. Still, when she'd spotted Jolon and learned of his plan to explore, she'd been unable to stay behind. The yearling had left the territory with him in silence, taking the time to enjoy the sounds of the wilderness around them. She'd been quick to realize that they were heading in a direction she'd already inspected, but had not alerted him to this fact. It was not a big deal, for surely there must have been things she'd missed during her first trip there.

The quiet was not something that had bugged the girl, for within it peace could be discovered. When her companion's voice touched her ears, however, she'd found herself relieved over that fact that he'd decided to strike up a conversation. "Things are going well," she responded, increasing her pace for a moment so she could move along at his side. "Thus far, everything I have planned has fallen into place. I believe that we may place our claim upon the volcano in the days to come." The day in which their home would be complete was nearing, and Asterr could not deny the excitement she felt within her chest. The first stage of the goal she'd set out to complete would come to a successful close, and that alone was enough to have her feeling more accomplished than ever before. "Are you excited for it?" Her pale gaze was soon focused on the side of his face, before she went back to looking out over the space before them. She knew they would not start off with many members, but the ones she'd recruited were all they really needed. Their loyalty had been given to her and the tribe as a whole, after all, and with that the start of bonds had been made.

Thank you for starting this for us! :)

Indigo kept mostly to herself in her travels, still unwilling to put her trust in others thus far, and having no reason to branch out other than the sheer fact she was a pack wolf at heart.  However, this was the first time in her almost three years of life that she'd been considered a loner, that meant she was without the safety of her family or numbers to feel completely safe. Surprisingly, this reality didn't seem to bother Indigo on the surface, but a part of the burnt charcoal wolf yearned to lift her voice along with the haunting cries and howls she heard at night echoing over the valleys and mountainside, wanting to be apart of something once more. That feeling, she figured, would always remain. She'd never been without her family unit until now, but for the time being, Indigo decided she'd savor these days of solitude, do a little a soul searching herself. So for now, the she wolf ignored her instincts to band with others, wanting to acquaint herself more with these new lands before making any rash decisions. 

The dark furred female had been getting more of a mental map of these lands with each passing day, making notes of areas where lands were claimed and where new scents had begun to amass.  There were many packs in the area as far as she could discern, and she took care to keep her own paws well away from their heavily marked borders. She sometimes observed the various pack wolves and loners that frequented these parts, studying their interactions with one another, but for the most part, Indigo kept to herself. 

She was doing much the same today when a pair of voices caught her attention and pulled her away from the snowshoe she'd been tracking for an early lunch.  Normally Indigo would've simply changed her own direction and sauntered off into the shadows, but there was something intriguing about the dialogue shared between a male and female that had caused the lone wolf to stay and linger. She soon spotted them after hunkering down in the thicket, a pair of dark wolves like herself though the female was much smaller. The unknown she wolf spoke of claiming the volcano nearby. Were these wolves trying to establish a pack?

It wouldn't do to be caught stalking the pair, so Indigo quietly crept out of her spot and loped off a few yards, better for them to see a lone wolf ahead on their path rather than finding a surprise from behind. She huffed slightly on the snowy path, unable to see them just yet, but confident they'd come across her soon enough. She nosed at the ground, playing natural as if she was still tracking that snowshoe rabbit.

When the petite girl spoke, she moved faster, their bodies now lining up. Her saying that everything was going well and that it would not take long before they could lay an official claim was nice to hear. Jolon was enjoying himself for the first time since that dreadful day... But that time was in the past. This new home, his fellow members and the beautiful dragoness walking beside him were his top priority now, his present and future. He glanced over at her, her raven coat standing out in the snow, before she asked him whether he was excited for all of this.Most certainly. I can't imagine what it would be like when we're all together at the beautiful volcano, like a family. Of course he was excited, it was all he'd been looking out for since the day he had met her. He looked forward to bonding with everyone, exploring the area and spending time with Asterr herself. Jolon certainly had grown fond of her, enjoying their time together more than anything.

Jolon sniffed the air. There was someone nearby, someone who wasn't scared of them apparently, for a dark, feminine figure waddled it's way into Jolon's eyesight a fair distance away. It looked like she was tracking something, not paying much attention to them. Jolon stopped walking, his ears perking up but keeping a neutral stance. He glanced over at his companion, wondering if she wanted to approach this dark stranger. Perhaps they could call out to the loner, but who was to say that she wouldn't flee the moment she laid eyes upon them? He tipped his head, staring at the bright spirit. You wanna go to her or not?

Edit; @Jolon want to finish this up with me since Indigo has fallen inactive? If so, you can play it off with your post as if she departed for an unknown reason.

His response brought a smile upon her face, one which was directed solely at him. While she doubted any of her followers were not eagerly awaiting their claim to be made—why else would they have agreed to join if not interested at least a little bit?—she was still comforted by verbal confirmations of such. It made her certain she had not sent herself out on a fool's mission, and that the life she'd envisioned for herself would be well within her grasp soon enough. It was a good thing she was patient, for had she not been it was certain she would've driven herself mad with anticipation weeks ago. Each new recruit took the edge off, strengthening the image of the life she'd picture for them all.

When an unfamiliar wolf had entered their lines of sight, Asterr had taken an extra step before she, too, stopped. Her gaze lingered upon the female for a moment before shifting to her companion, taking note of his silent query. She gave a small nod before returning her attention to the unknown presence, allowing herself to drift closer. To be a polite speaking distance away was all she'd wished to accomplish at the moment, and so her movements had once again ceased once such a position had been reached. She kept silent, as usual, glancing over her figure and allowing her to do the same to them; given she'd noticed their approach, of course.

The woman's title as a loner was obvious, her scent not possessing any hints of others. The tribe's female count was low, consisting only of herself and one other, so it came as little surprise when she'd found herself more interested in the other. "Hello," the dragoness greeted, then paused to give time for her companion to offer one or the woman to return it, perhaps even both. "Is your hunt going well?" It seemed the woman was tracking something, most likely a meal. Asterr was genuinely curious of what her answer would be, wondering if she should offer something to the female, as well as wishing to know of what prey lingered in the area.

Sure, no problem! Though I might have to use a bit of powerplay to do so.

The voice of the dragoness may or may not have scared the poor creature away, as at the moment it laid eyes upon them, it fled. Jolon saw it's tail disappear as the creature fled into the bushes on the left side of it.

Jolon raised an eyebrow, but was not shocked by the creature's actions. As nicely as the dragoness had said her words, it seemed not everyone was as fond of a nice conversation as he was. Or perhaps it was a shy soul, acting this way because of social anxiety. They might never know.

Well, that was uncalled for. He commented shortly, laughing a bit as he returned his gaze to his companion.

Instead of offering a verbal response, the stranger had chosen to flee the scene instead. The dragoness was rather dumbfounded by the action, replaying her words over within her head to ensure she'd said nothing capable of causing offense. Her results were just as expected, too—her words had been fine. That being the case, she wondered what had caused the other to leave. Shyness, perhaps, or maybe even fear. Whatever the case might have been, she did not allow herself to linger on it. The sudden departure had been quite rude, and for that there was no excuse.

"It was," the yearling agreed, her voice a mere murmur as she stared off in the direction the female had disappeared into. She blinked then, once or twice, before directing her gaze to Jolon. "I do wonder about her reasoning for leaving so suddenly..." Asterr did not expect him to hold the answer, the words being nothing other than a statement, but she had been unable to keep them from falling off her tongue.

@Jolon nudging this :3

The murmur of his alpha was enough to made him chuckle again. it was a soft, low sound, yet it may have been the closest he had ever been to truly laughing since his life began as a lone wolf. He knew the situation didn't call for it, but he was amused by all this. It was all so different than his 'normal' life.

Excuse me. He said before listening to her words again. He did not know why the wolf had so suddenly left, and hoped she didn't expect him to have the answer. We might never know. He commented, his gaze slowly returning to the bushes where the creature was maybe still hiding.

Perhaps we should return. Who knows, maybe that wolf was a spy and is now signalling it's pack to come here. He said, a frown in his first amused face.

Went ahead and wrapped this up for us. c: Minor PP of them leaving~

The girl's ears had perked up noticeably, attention being drawn back to the male as he chuckled. It was a type of sound that she rather enjoyed hearing, and it was enough to lift her spirits once more. It was disappointing, of course, that the stranger had departed so suddenly, but it was by no means a loss on their part. Asterr did not wish to force anyone into a conversation, much preferring that no living being have it's free will taken away. That mindset, combined with the tones of the male's chuckles, had her letting the situation go. It would be set aside and left to diminish within her memory, for there was no point in remembering an encounter that hadn't even produced a name.

Shortly after, a frown had settled into her companion's features, his comment that it'd accompanied earning a small nod. "I suppose it would be for the best if we head back now," she'd agreed, able to come up with no reason to stay. "I doubt she was a spy, but we can never be too careful." An amused smile fell into it's rightful place across her lips, before the girl turned and began the trek back home. She would keep an even pace with Jolon throughout the entirety of it, perhaps even striking up some moments of small talk on the way, before they had made it back into the territory unharmed. From there she would temporarily part ways with him, tending to her duties until they were given the opportunity to, once again, spend some time together.