King Elk Forest to spend, spend all i've got

maybe @Shaw or @Effie or @Lilah !!

grayson strode on past the creek and into the neighboring woods. so far the cold had not been too bad, thanks to the thick coat that his father had given him. of course, winter would get harsher and harder to endure, but grayson was not concerned. he could not be bested by anyone or anything, certainly not a bit of snow. scoff. 

so far, the territory proved to be no different than anything he'd found on his travels. but that was fine, all was subpar in the eyes of a beautiful man like grayson. it could not be helped, you simply can't impress perfection. he continued along, his tail waving casually as he went. nothing caught his eye, so he continued forwards. perhaps he would explore this place further, or perhaps he'd keep moving on through the afternoon to whatever was east of here. he had not yet decided.

The journey here had been arduous and had required things of her that no lady should ever have to endure. But, she was finally here, which was half the battle, and hopefully soon she would find her other family and go back to a more proper way of life--that is if they'd have her. She hadn't planned for a scenario in which they would accept her, but she supposed she would cross that bridge when she came to it. Besides, what good was it to borrow trouble by thinking of such things.

The first place she found was a forest made of a mixture of giant green trees harboring the most pleasant scents and tall trees with large plumage turned orange and red by the approaching winter. She daintily moved across the cold forest floor until she caught sight of another in the distance. Not wanting to waste any time, she moved in his direction. Excuse me, sir, she greeted with a polite smile and a bow of her head. I hate to intrude, but I was wondering if you might be able to assist me?

He's never too far from Grayson at any given time — after all, he'd followed the man all this way. It'd do no good to lose him now, in a snowstorm or to some other predator, so he sticks close. He prefers his own company in the end, though, and he's indulging in just that when a faint, feminine voice catches his attention through the trees. He only catches snippets of what is being said, a sir here and a hate to intrude there — nothing exciting, but he's bored enough to follow the sound.
He chuffs to his friend as he comes into view, gaze flitting dismissively over the strange woman. A pretty little thing by most anyone's standards — he is not most anyone. More interesting to him is the lack of pack scent on the little fool — arrogant, he thinks, and stupid. The urge to say as much strikes him fiercely and suddenly, but he bites his tongue, glancing briefly to Grayson the way one might look with helpless amusement to the sole other adult witnessing some ignorant childish shenanigans. He's more than content to let his friend do the talking; he finds he has little to say to women these days.

grayson's ears swept forwards as his path as intercepted by a lithe creature of both pale and dark. she was starkly marked, with a dark back and mask and cream underneath. the swarthy odolf yearling regarded her coolly, assessing the most physical of her features and the most obvious of the problems here. she was alone. but, what gives? it was the face-front of the cold season and she was stupid for traveling alone. but grayson knew she must've had some shred of intelligence if she was here now, asking him (a wise choice, if he'd ever seenone) for assistance.

a man should never turn down such a offer, it was his job, his duty, to protect a well-mannered woman. 

his head bowed to her, a smile cracking his fine features, icy gaze settling upon her. "totally," came his eloquent response. though aaron was always so well-spoken, grayson thought that was bullshit. he spoke finely when he needed to, but otherwise he'd speak however the fuck he wanted to. why not be casual sometimes? especially amongst his brothers and close friends. "what do you need, ma'am?" 

Effie's attention was briefly drawn to the arrival of another, and she took a moment to offer him a slow dip of her head in greeting. I'm looking for my father, Aaron Odolf, and I was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction, she stated, addressing both men as she spoke. It was her mother 's dying wish for her to seek out her father, which was the only reason she had risked going anywhere on her own in the first place. But now she had found these two fine gentleman, so it seemed luck was on her side today. She could only hope things continued to go in her favor and she wouldn't have to search too long. She didn't mind the cold, but she did not like being dirty, which was hard to avoid when traveling. She had done her best to maintain herself these past few weeks so that when she did have to address others, she would be presentable, but it sure would be so much easier if she didn't have to worry about so many other things.

sorry this has taken forever... just gonna skip shaw since he's inactive! feel free to hop back in @Shaw (:

it was naive and, frankly, stupid to think that you could wander up to any pack of wolves and just ask for a wolf and they would suddenly point in the right direction. but that was a woman, women just thought like that. that the world revolved around them. 

however, apparently today luck would be on her side. grayson's ears perked.

"my name is grayson aaron odolf," he said with a tilt upwards of his chin, "my father is the same man you seek." how fitting-- that aaron had not stayed true to his wife. hah! but this did not come as a surprise, grayson had countless half-siblings that he would never know, but he knew they were out there. "he is far from here, but we-- your family-- are settling in this creek. you are welcome among us..." he trailed off, expecting a name.

No worries! <3

Wow, luck was really on her side today. Not only had she found gentlemen willing to help a lady out, but one of them turned out to be her very own half-brother. She gave another graceful bow of her head. My name is Effie. It is very nice to meet you, she supplied. That is very kind of you, she said next in response to his offer to join them. I would very much like to stay with you. She had been traveling far too long, and the promise of a safe place to stay almost made her collapse in relief. I have been on my own for a while, and it would be nice to be with family again. She didn't even much care about where they were settling right now; she was too busy being utterly grateful that she had found a family member here without have to search too much. As to whether or not Grayson was trustworthy, Effie didn't even question it--he was a man and a part of her family, so of course she could trust him.