Meadowlark Prairie i know you want to cry all night, all night

@Mou if he can hang outside of bfw?

The weather had cooled drastically and he loved every second of it. He breathed in the crisp air as the sun attempted to warm him, but the clouds kept sun-rays at bay. This place was a bare wasteland at the moment. No birds present, no annoyingly bright flowers, nothing but dried grasses. Perhaps the summer heat had killed them and the cold temperatures made sure they stayed so. Either way, Kalganov was pleased for once.

He pushed on east and ignored the telltale signs of a pack on the breeze. The male still had some wiggle room to change his direction. For now he would play the role of wandering loner.

Tag for reference.

Since the hunt, Mou felt much more confident in his body's abilities. He still wasn't as sure-footed as some of the healthier adults but he wasn't afraid to leave the territory to scout nearby areas—he was never away for very long. A part of him would always be nervous of the world outside the influence of the dark wood.

After soundlessly indicating to @Maegi that he wanted to go exploring, and that he'd be back before too long, he set out. The woods let him pass without issue. Mou thought he felt a presence though, a persistent sensation of being watched, even after the woods were behind him. He didn't need to look up to see Maegi's little bird perched in the branches overhead; it called out to him with a twittering noise as he slipped away, and then took off back in to the dark.

The meadow that spread out before him was nothing special, except for the slightest chill of the wind that shifted through the reeds. Mou thought the sky looked particularly grim today, likely forecasting some bad weather. He paused when his hindquarters began to quake and at that point, he noticed a small shape in the distance. It moved with some confidence, and held a gait that he recognized as canine. Another wolf? Mou's spine tingled with apprehension and as the sensation worked its way along, he noticed that it faded around his lower back, thus beginning the pins and needles in his haunches.

What in hell was that thing?

Pale eyes crinkled as he tried to better make out the scarred form. He could not make out every knick and detail but it was obvious that someone (or someones) had got a good hold on them. He did not envy the bleached stranger.

Stupidly and curiously, he moved closer to the figure in the field. Although he was not totally stupid in his brazen approach to the stranger. He halted a few yards away to keep a respectable distance between them and silently kept looking at their figure. It was almost hard to figure out where on them he should stare but he settled for the face. Kalganov would not miss anything there for it was just as tattered as the rest.

Hello. He breathed softly as the faintest twinkle of admiration danced in his eyes. He did not envy the male for his ripped looks but oh gods did he envy him for the stories he must have to tell and the experience he must have harbored from gaining so many marks.

The figure drew closer and closer, and Mou was struck by the odd thought of a rushing wave crested with foaming white. They slowed to a stop and appeared to be inspecting him just as he was watching them, both parties silent in their appraisal. Whoever this was, Mou was right to be cautious. They looked healthy and fit. By far a healthier specimen than himself, which meant they could've been a danger.

Mou would remain curious but cautious, even after they greeted him. The tone wasn't harsh but the voice was certainly unfamiliar. They did not approach him any further then they felt necessary and Mou appreciated that; he felt less like a cornered animal with the space yawning around the two of them. Unfortunate for the stranger, the boy wouldn't be able to make a proper greeting in response — he opened his mouth, closed it, and with a deep breath he tilted his chin so they could see his throat as a way of explanation.

His singular eye fixed on the stranger, and his expression was partly sorrowful and partly apologetic, trying to convey that he was sorry but he couldn't speak. He'd keep what little language skills he had developed to himself for now. After this display, Mou looked around and then made a show of trying to look beyond where the pale stranger had stopped, and motioned as if to say, where did you come from?

He watched the silent display, his own head tilting the opposite way as the male exposed his neck. Pale green eyes glanced over the scar. It explained plenty to him. Truthfully, Kalganov was impressed he still lived after such a brutal mark. He supposed living with no voice was better than being dead. Or was it? Well he might have asked had he been able to receive an answer.

The male looked back over his shoulders, eyes squinting as he examined the lands behind them. There's nothing good over there. At least not in my opinion, why I headed over here. He casually commented with a soft shrug of his shoulders. Kalganov could not comment much on the lands that laid behind them. Good thing he wasn't being asked a million and one questions.

His nose twitched as he tried to pick up the scent on the male and the one that he had spotted on the breeze from the east. You from there? He asked as he gently shoved his muzzle in the direction of the lands behind the scarred male. Maybe if he stuck with questions that could be answered with a head shake they could continue to converse.

Kalganov was intrigued by them after all.

They accepted his display and responded to his silent question, and that was a step in the right direction. Mou wondered where this boy had been, what sort of things he'd witnessed, but his attention drifted to the forest that spread out like an inkstain behind him. He was not as interested in the stranger as they were in him, apparently. 

Mou glanced at the distant line of trees and felt himself relax a little when he thought of Blackfeather and all they had given him. He looked to the stranger a second later and nodded, a thin smile slipping over his sharp features before fading again. If this stranger wasn't an enemy then he could relax a little — not entirely, but enough.

He wondered where the stranger had been before. If he should trust their assessment of his travels, or make his way himself. As he peered westward Mou thought he could discern some far-off mountains merging with the overcast sky but thought little of them; they were not familiar.

The head nod was enough of an answer. Which was well mentioning it was all he was going to get, after all. Kalganov let his eyes linger on the woods beyond the stranger. It was an interesting place. Where he once had wanted to avoid it, he felt drawn to it. A need to investigate it nipped at him hungrily.

They didn't do all that to you, did they? He asked with an arched brow. Would Kalganov need to expect an ambush on himself or had all those scars appeared before the woods? While the question might have been posed in a way that suggested he was interested in the mute, he was calculating how much he would need to protect himself if he stopped by.

His interest in the distant mountain chain was purged from his mind as soon as the stranger asked his question. They sounded genuinely concerned — or perhaps Mou was imagining that level of emotion because he expected it after so many days stuck as everyone's patient. Did what to him? Oh, he meant the throat, or the eye, or the quaking legs. My my, Mou was quite the mess wasn't he?

Nnn, he started to say, shaking his head and making this small sound of rebuke, and then he went quiet. The boy remembered how Relmyna often communicated (using silently spoken words, mostly) and thought that he could get the same effect. He tried to explain, No, not wolf. Bear. Unfortunately for both of them, Mou couldn't recall how he'd lost his eye or his voice, and answered for the many signs of weakness rather than his more obvious scars.

He wasn't the best at reading lips but he was pleased that it was not a complex sentence to understand. Bear. Internally he winced at such an idea. The male was undoubtedly brave in Kalganov's mind for living through such an incident. A soft frown tugged at his features but was quickly swept away by his typical neutral look.

Is it rude of me to ask if there's room for more members? A brow softly raised. He had nowhere to go and any pack that harbored such...hearty wolves had his full interest. Not to mention bear fighters sounded up his alleyway. Granted he could only silently hope that was a rare thing for he was not done with his youthful looks just yet.

omg thank you for the kudos!!

Of all the things Mou had ever hoped to be — healthy, alive — the concept of earning a trade evaded him. Yet here he was, potentially recruiting a wolf to the family. It struck him as something wholly alien but not unwelcome; the stranger's question brought an expression of surprise to Mou's features, an alertness, and he gave a noncomittal shrug because he honestly had no idea.

He glanced over his shoulder, that big bird-shaped scar straining a little with the effort as he looked at the distant forest. This stranger was healthy and strong, and he didn't seem to be aggressive, so bringing him to the forest wouldn't pose much risk. They had tricks up their sleeves to make up for any shenanigans if Mou judged this guy wrong — and then he realized, he was including himself in that thought.

They. Blackfeather — we.

Mou motioned for the stranger to move closer, but was stepping away — he was trying to say, come with me. Perhaps he should not be the judge of this man but he could lead him to the woods and let his family figure out if he was worthy.

<3 & feel free to archive or reply and archive! I'll set something up at BFW :)

He followed with ease, no coaxing was needed. His tail easily swayed behind him as they moved towards the woods. While he followed close enough to be heard and seen Kalganov made sure to keep that respectful distance. He was not interested in getting his nose bit off before he even got near any borders.

Thank you. He murmured softly before falling silent again for the rest of their trip.