Moonspear Heal me, I'm heartsick.

Maybe Amekaze? But all welcome.  :D

Snow fell gently from a darkened sky, and the boy observed it in peaceful silence. He recalled his first exprience as a young boy, remembered vividly how he'd followed his much bolder littermates into the cold and caught snowflakes on their tongues. They'd all been so small then, and pallid twins Clio and Ceto had loved him wholly until their family taught them otherwise. It was one of his earliest memories, so clear and pure, and one of his fondest and most solemn. His life had never been easy, but it was so much simpler when his sisters were on his side.

It had been in the days following that the boy had been removed from the comfort of his sisters and placed in the care of the Brotherhood. From then on, everything changed: he was no longer "Vex", the cruel title bestowed upon him by a mother who could never accept him, and renamed Talion by the dark Epivitoras who claimed to be his father. With this relocation came new meaning to his existence, but he could never deny the emptiness he felt in the absence of his siblings. At times, even now, he would wonder briefly of they missed the way things were in the beginning. He would wonder if, beneath the endless teaching of their elders, Clio and Ceto might miss him too.

Shaking his head, the peppered yearling gathered himself and pressed on through the night, descending carefully toward the Easternmost border to take over the patrol.

It was snowing again.

As the light flakes numbered numerous and steady, the winds dipped down to bite at his nose. It had become bitterly cold in the interior region; Dirge for once, felt chilly as he prowled along lower recesses of the risig crag. It would have been easy to find somewhere warmer and hole up for the evening, the forest sprawled out like a treasure trove of hidey-holes before him. Behind him there were no doubt numerous options for lodging as well, with caverns and crevasses appropriately sized. But this seemed more a proper use of his time, letting the wind toussle his fur and numb his damp nose.

Shaking the snow from his coat, he progressed down along the slope and familar trail—the woods would suit him tonight. Given the recent shake up, he had been content to remain solo on these ventures. The borders were rarely unattended as well and he suspected if he found anyone at all, it would be closer to that vicinity. Besides, finding company potentially holed up in a temporary cave seemed invasive; the deck was stacked against him of faces he did not know.

This is showing up after our hunt thread with Amekaze and Hydra in my timeline, so I hope you don't mind that Talion recognises Dirge. P.s., I wish Nyx was in the area so I could mooch a thread with you for her.  xD

Being the "newbie" of Moonspear, Talion had yet to acquaint himself with many of its wolves. He'd spent most of his short time there resting and recuperating from his long, lonely journey through the Wilds, and more recently feeling sorry for himself in not really knowing how to properly integrate himself with them. He knew Hydra, who'd accepted him into the ranks, and had hunted with her alongside the Alpha female and a tawny male, and he recalled the interesting ashen wolfess following the small avalanche on the Northern reach. He hadn't actively sought anyone out, though he'd certainly considered searching for the dark boy, Terance, he'd first encountered on the borders upon his arrival.

So lost in thoughts of his uncertainties and of his delicate past, Talion was visibly surprised when he crossed paths with another. He blinked up at his tawny pack-mate with wide periwinkle eyes, and remained in his place with ears pressed forward in curiosity. Recognising him at once as a member of the Alphess' small hunting party, the young Roux-Abrhen barked his friendly greeting before lowering himself accordingly, tail-tip twitching with hesitation and happiness that he'd managed to happen across a familiar face.

A distant bark echoed off the stone around him, stealing his attention from the thought of creature comforts in the woods. His gaze alighted on the source immediately as another departed the relative cover of timber—the lad with the dark mask on his face. It was an unusual marking, but Dirge had seen his share in travels. Moonspear itself was home to several obscure designs, barring himself who stood out like a sore thumb in contrast to the rather bleak palette.

Concluding his descent as the wolf approached, Dirge took note of the submissive behavior that was present. Amusement found itself working onto his features, though he found it a touch confusing. He never thought himself an imposing figure but since the opportunity presented itself Dirge took on the role with a stiff wave of his tail. Friendly, but with reservations.

"We meet again," he commented. "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

a-ok with me! and my thought on snagging this was because nyx isnt near here haha.

It was natural for Talion to submit. From before he could remember, the Nereides had demanded a certain level of exaggerated respect from the brotherhood, but especially from him. He was a product of their High Priestess after all, intended to be their guardian and to serve them in any way they saw fit. A soldier to fight their wars was their initial plan, perhaps even to take his own father's place as Epivitoras when his time came to retire. He could never even be half the wolf Notturno was, though; ruined by the sirens, Talion was far too soft for their world.

Thankful when the larger male did not move to shove his raven-topped snout into the snow in a display of dominance, Talion allowed himself to slacken somewhat. He smiled, tail swishing with greater enthusiasm at his pallid hocks as he lifted his ears a little and blinked up at his tawny companion. "It's Talion," he answered softly, and canted his head slightly; "and yours is...?" In the flurry of excitement surrounding their hunt, it was no surprise that they'd missed out on one another's name.

"Dirge," he offered when the opportunity came about. Now that they both had names to faces, things would go easier... or at least that was the notion. The swish of his tail picked up only mirroring his company halfway, but the exchange was pleasant. Not exactly one to go pushing snouts down for no good reason, the steps that he took towards Talion were merely to curtail the distance between them.

"So you're the new face around here," he went on, finding an appropriate conversation hold in lieu of further questions. "This is quite the place isn't it? Hard to miss this mountain anyway." Moonspear was markedly true to its name, being that it seemingly speared the clouded sky above them. A thin smile split his face as he continued: "And at least you fit in with the variety of locals," because it had become apparent that Dirge was the odd man out when it came to peltage.

With a few more passing words, the two went their separate ways.