Chimera Fields where the miracle of beauty disappears

Long torn earth laid beneath his feet as he made his way across the field; like the distant forest to the north near the coast, the land here spoke of a great upheaval some time ago. There were faint signs that the earth healed itself as it always would, for even in the absence of rampant wildflowers there on the western front the earth was green.

It was cool, cooler than it had been for a summer in his brief recollection but almost welcome as it was almost troubling. A short warm season would plummet things towards colder climes far faster than he wished it, and would make his endeavour to claim the weald that much more difficult. He and @Nyx could take care of themselves no doubt, but two wolves did hardly a pack make, and it was this unseasonably cooler shift that spurred him out to wander.

Finding eager and able bodies to contribute to a cause he was throwing together was more of a daunting task than he would admit to, and whether it was arrogance or confidence that thought it possible was a trait he could not assign to one unclaimed family name or another. Dirge crossed over a divot in the earth and into the wildflowers seamlessly, ducking below flowering shrubs and disappearing for only a moment—there almost seemed nothing of interest here, but he did not discredit whatever secrets the field had to offer yet.

open for all; tags for visibility

Zig had picked up the scent of the unknown male as he moved across the scarred land that lead into the field of wildflowers. He picked up his pace to try and catch up with the stranger. Maybe it was someone he could recruit? Their pack numbers were dwindling, and he was always looking for lone wolves to lure back to his territory. They had food and rum. What else would you need?

As he began to move through the colorful blanket of flowers, his gaze finally locked on the sandy male. He moved towards him, but stopped when he felt he was close enough to alert him to his presence without startling him. For good measure, he let out a low chuff in case the stranger hadn't already heard or scented him.

The awareness he wasn't alone set in shortly after he committed to his course. He let it play out but his footfalls slowed in their pace, his attention divvied between actively searching and offering the fromt he was the approachable sort. Truth be told, he liked to think he was approachable, it only depended on what did the approaching.

Pausing to nibble at the leaves of a sunflower bent from a previous storm, he heard the call. Somewhere behind him, never failed, but a cursory glance revealed the wolf and brought a halt to whatever destruction Dirge thought to render. His tail raised, flagging dominance that may as well have been for show; it waved easily, a quiet greeting for this someone who wanted his attention.

Zig closed a little more of the distance between them when the stranger's greeting seemed relatively non-aggressive. His tail hung down, relaxed but not tucked, and it wagged a little as he moved towards the other male. He stopped a short distance away, just in case the stranger didn't turn out to be friendly and gave him the lopsided grin that regularly donned his face.

Hey there, he said with a polite nod of his head. Name's Zig. You from around here? He added a second later, figuring he would go a head and get his greeting out of the way.

His stance eased as the other approached, the distance between them dwindling and set to settle for conversation. A good thing by all accounts, not that he had been blessed with the fortune of meeting less hospital company. If perhaps there was one attribute he could say of this region, it was that moat of its denizens had decent hospitality. Some were more cautious than others and reasonably so, as the region also had its share of dwellers with no particular allegiance.

"I'm Dirge," he offered in return, "and I suppose I could say I live around here." How strange it felt to even suggest it, but it came with the territory figuratively. Or maybe literally, if he wanted to be liberal with what his personal intentions were. He glossed over the consideration of it and took charge of directing their conversation instead.

"Have you come to sightsee? As brilliant and bizarre as this meadow is, I haven't ventured it at length. The herds seem to enjoy its offerings though," not that he had hunted them here, but rather studied them from afar. Yet the signs of them were here among the variety of flowers and less so among the tattered earth a stone's throw away.

sorry for the gross wait.

No worries!

Nice to meet ya, Dirge, he replied amiably with a dip of his head. I live with a pack down on the coast, he added, tilting his head in the direction of home as he spoke. He silently wondered where the male lived around here but didn't want to bombard him with questions, figuring he'd have specified if he wanted to. 

I'm just scoutin' the area on my way home. Tryin' to learn about the surrounding territories, Zig answered. The place was as the other wolf had explained it--beautiful and bizarre; where he had entered was dreary and held no life but here, there were colorful flowers and many signs of the herds Dirge mentioned. You from a pack around here? Zig finally asked, his curiosity winning out over his politeness.

It didn't surprise him that there were multiple packs along the coast — the ocean was a captivating thing, a horizon eater packed with sea salt and unfathomable depths. He had felt its lure almost from the moment he had set foot in this place so long ago, but even now it remained out of reach. He would gaze on it from afar, but would stay as true as he could to Nyx's desire to stay off the sandy shores.

"Of a sort," he answered, gesturing over his shoulder. "We live in the forests not far from here, between the mountains." A place that had begun to feel more homey, granted that their numbers were small and flighty. But the difficulties therein had yet to sway him away from the potential that perhaps eventually, they could hold their ground.

"How fares the coast? I quite enjoy it, but never put much thought into what it would be like to live there."

Zig glanced in the direction of the mountains when the other male mentioned that he resided in a forest near them, and gave a nod in response. He hadn't explored that area very much, so he wasn't sure what packs lived over there. He knew he wouldn't want to live that far from the ocean, though. The ocean had been his companion his whole life, and he couldn't imagine not living close enough to scent the brine in the air or feel the salty water in his coat on a daily basis. 

He grinned at the golden-eyed male when he asked about the coast. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else, he replied, pride in his voice. My pack is pretty laid back, and there's always plenty of fish to eat, Zig added, as if fish was all anyone ever needed to eat. He really could live off of fish, though. Sure, he enjoyed the occasional deer or rabbit, but one could sustain themselves pretty well as a lone wolf on just fish alone. 

What's it like living in the forest? Zig asked, genuinely curious.

A note of amusement escaped him at the mention that there was always fish to eat—as if the ocean would really offer much else. Though that wasn't to suggest that it did or didn't, as Dirge knew full and well that the ocean offered up many things along its sandy shores and their breadth. But in truth he much preferred the inland locales for hunting and exploration, though the ocean would always captivate him in ways he could not entirely explain. Had it not been for Nyx, chances were he would have picked somewhere closer to it than the weald to linger.

"It's a quiet place," he said to begin, "full of its own secrets and mysteries to unravel I suppose. Most forests are the same really, packed with foliage most of the year and plenty of hunting opportunities to boot. But I do enjoy visiting the ocean as well, so I suppose that's why I picked there above all." It was a half-truth, as the weald also afforded him the chances to slip away and make a clean cut across the wilderness to chase after Hydra as well. It had done some good for Nyx too he believed, as her own ranging was as frequently as his and often for the same length of time.

Really sorry for the wait. Wrap up? I'm working on phasing him out.

Zig listened to the other male compare the forest to the coast. Although, there were some similarities, he didn't think he could ever permanently be away from the sea. Well, if you're ever interested in residing on the coast permanently, my pack Ironsea is always looking for new members, he stated. He was a scout after all, and recruiting able wolves was part of the job, so he couldn't leave here without extending the offer. It was nice to meet you, Dirge. I hope our paths cross again, he added with a lopsided grin, glad to have met another seemingly nice wolf while out exploring. Unless the other wolf had anything else to add, he would turn and make his way back home.

Though it was a tempting offer, Dirge was not swayed. Not with the effort he had been putting in to making his own claim, however meager it was. Instead he offered the wolf a thin smile, hoping to placate that he would consider the offer though untrue. "I'm sure we'll cross paths again," he said, unseeing of the future, "but safe travels until then." With that, he let the seafaring lad go on his way, letting him disappear into the cover until he too took his own leave of the fields.

thanks for the thread!