Ocean's Breath Plateau Up Here Looking Down Below

 

Looking to meet someone from Stormrift. Otherwise AW.

 

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The events of the last couple weeks had been an ordeal for Howl. Within the last month, he had learned that Cebra had died and then soon after learned that he had a daughter. The thought of his daughter both scared and excited him. From what her mother said she hadn't asked about him yet. He wanted to meet her but wanted to be worthy of her first. His life over the last year had been a rollercoaster with seemingly only steep plunges. In an attempt to start a new, and make a change, he thought to go up and climb Ocean's Breath Plateau.

From up here, he could see the areas around him in the distance. The ocean to the north being the most visible. He could see feel a gentle breeze blowing over, smelling faintly of salt. It wasn't either pleasant or unpleasant, simply something he wasn't used to. A thin layer of snow coated the ground. Around him were scattered conifers and bushed that he hadn't expected to find on top the plateau. Seeing as how he had never been here before, and with his natural scout tendencies, he began exploring the area.

The brute ventured out and beyond the limits of the bay, through the ashen wood, and onto the heights of the plateau. From above the sea, he could hear the way the water slammed against the stone without apology. With a curious eye, Ford ventured close to the edge and down toward the swell. From higher up, it was almost an intimidating sight. Perhaps, he should have been humbled by it, but he only felt as though it was affirmed that he belonged there – beside the indomitable stretch of endless ocean.

The warhound continued his trek along the edge of the world until the wind had shifted and carried the scent of a stranger toward him. Ford drew his crown upward and turned his sights toward a dark figure that was ahead of him some ways. With a quickened pace, the brute attempted to close a great deal of distance between them. When he had, the titan released a chuff to announce his presence and to ensure that the other did not feel as though he had been ambushed without warning.

In the middle of his gazing, he heard a faint chuff approaching him from the side. He turned his head to see a dark male with a white masked face. The male was only slightly larger and more toned then Howl was. Howl's usual physique had faded a bit, resulting from a decreased amount of patrolling and sparing he was used to.

Though the male came to approach him, he didn't appear to be looking for any trouble, at least not outright. Wanting to assume the best of others, Howl nodded his head to this stranger and greeted him. "Evening sir." he said before taking another glance over the plateau. "Lovely view isn't it?"  he asked attempting to make pleasant conversation before turning back to the male for his response.

The other swung around to latch his sights with the lumbering sea wraith. As Ford closed the remainder of the space between them, he noted just how fit the stranger appeared to be. Though he did not seem as though he was particularly aggressive, the titan noted just how easy he carried his own size on his shoulders and back.
 
Ford had noted that they had gathered quite a few intellects in their folds since they started Stormrift. He knew better than to consider one greater than another, but he also knew that a mind could not win a battle if they were faced against each other with only their fleshy bodies to protect them. Time would allow them to teach the intellects to grow physically, and the physical brutes to flourish their minds. Until then, the sea hound thought it wise to gather more like himself.
 
“It’s one of my favorites,” the skeletal brute answered in a smoky baritone. He turned his gaze toward the sea with a soft sigh that filled the air with a great plume of his breath. Then, Ford set his sights back on the dark stranger and canted his skull to the side. “What brings you to the edge of the earth?”

It seemed as though Howl's judgment of the intentions of the male were correct in that he did not approach aggressively and continued in a civil conversation. As he walked forward, closing the gap between the two, Howl was about to see white stripes adorning the males rib cage. This added detail made the male look very skeletal, yet built at the same time.

His response to Howl's question made him sound like a seafarer. Perhaps he even lived in the area as well. When asked what had brought him to the plateau Howl did not have a clear answer. He wasn't sure himself how could he tell a stranger. "Not quite sure honestly. Perhaps a change of scenery. Needed to get away from some stuff if that makes any sense." he stated hoping that would satisfy the male. "And what of you?" he asked in return.

The answer that was received was a peculiar one. Reading into it, Ford thought it sounded as though the dark male was running away from something. He wasn’t one to condone such actions, as he didn’t believe that turning tail would solve problems; they always had a way of catching up. Still, he had only just met this beast and it was not in his nature to immediately chastise him or tell him how he was supposed to live his life. If the dark fellow wanted to leave something behind, then he was entitled to that choice. There was a moment of second guessing in the titan’s mind – unsure if he should extend an offer of a home if there was a chance that it would bring trouble to his pack.
 
The question was reversed, and Ford swung his head around to look down the length of his muzzle at the bay beyond the sentinels. “My group and I have claimed the bay, just there. It’s a good group… I believe they will be capable of great things one day,” he answered with a ghostly smile curling the dark corners of his lips just so. After a moment, he turned his mismatched gaze back on the dark wolf with ears cupped forward and a slight tilting of his crown. “Do you plan to stay? Has the change in scenery inspired you?”

The dark male gestured down towards a bay between two large cliffs. A forested area fading into grassland before meeting the water's edge. He spoke of his pack and remarked that they would be a good group someday, leading Howl to believe that they were recently formed. Howl also thought that perhaps this male was the leader of the pack, but couldn't be sure.

His next question made Howl think. At this point in time, the coast was just a place Howl had wondered to. He hadn't expected to find anything, even though he was searching for something to help him. He thought about it, thought about the wolves that could be apart of this group. Ones of the coast he would probably have never met before. No one knowing who he was or anything of his past. Fresh eyes clear of judgment and expectation. Thinking of those things did inspire him a bit.  "Coming here initially I hadn't planned on staying. But looking down now at your sliver of paradise does get me thinking. Are you asking as an invitation?" he asked wondering his options with this pack.

He didn't know much about it other than that it was one by the coast. Surely Howl would want to know more before making any commitment, but he was willing to listen and learn about it.

The ocean had a way of doing that. Most of the wolves who wandered to the edge thought that they needed only a glimpse of the magnificence and they could return. For some, that was true enough; it was easy to say that the sea did not speak to everyone in the same way. Ford had once believed that wolves belonged to different terrain. It all depended on where their spirit was connected. His mother had been of the trees and the touch of the woods had followed her everywhere she had gone. In many ways, he had envied this of her, and of Lilia. His father had existed entirely of the ocean. The titan had never met a creature who was more like the darkest parts of the sea.
 
Shaking the thoughts of his family from his mind, the warhound paid closer attention to his companion and found that there was a question that had been asked. Ford wasn’t sure that he had invited anyone into the rift, or if he had it would have been the wolf Govinda who had turned him down for his own pursuits. He bobbed his head to the left once and then fixed his gaze on the dark wolf at his side. “Only if it should suit you,” he answered carefully.

'Only if it should suit you'. The words held in Howl's mind. The statement presented two ideas. The first was that there was room within the pack, that if he wanted to he could join. The second was that unlike other times when he had been approached by a pack wolf while he was alone, he wasn't being asked to join. It wasn't that this male's pack needed new members desperately and was out seeking others to join their ranks. It was a matter of fact thing. Allowing Howl to not feel pressure as to how his decision would affect the welfare of the pack.

The grouping together of wolves into a pack was pretty standard throughout the Wilds, but each had a different culture and code of ethics that made each of them unique. These would be the things that would say if Howl belonged or not.  "Perhaps it might."  he responed. "What is it that I would need to know about your pack? What do you all stand by?" he asked wanting to know the general culture of the pack. 

Perhaps, perhaps – the word hung in the air without weight to it. Ford thought there was a possibility that the dark male would find a peaceful existence in his pack. Still, he fretted over the past that could have followed at his heels. He did not wish to bring any further harm to the wolves of the rift. He knew what the trauma had done to Dalia, and he had vowed to never allow such things to happen to any of the others in his group. More than this, he had set his mind to ensure that they were capable of taking care of themselves. He did not want any of them to suffer from their weakness. So, he felt that was an appropriate place for him to start.
 
“We are creatures of growth. We aim to overcome any weakness that we have and better ourselves through personal trial and tribulation. We do have our ceremonies in the sea and the storms, but they are only to better us,” he offered. Really, it was the strongest part of their culture; so much so that even the children were meant to endure it in their own way. He wanted only those who desired to be part of his pack – those who were destined – and none other. If that was something that the dark stranger did not believe he wanted, then Stormrift was not the place for him.

From the description, the male gave it sounded as though this were a skill-based pack. Heavily focused on the skills and effort provided by it's members, which was something Howl could get behind. Working on his mercenary skills was a preferred pass time for him and knowing that it would be rewarded was very appealing to Howl.

When he mentioned the sea and storms Howl only thought slightly on it. He was not a wolf from the coast and so the sea was still a mystery to him, but the scout in him wanted to explore it and see what it was all about. Plus looking down he could see there were still plenty of wooded areas for him to spend his time. "Your focus on growth is something that I very much admire and could stand behind. I am not a wolf of the coast and am unfamiliar with the ways of the sea, but I am willing to see what it has to offer me." he stated wanting to be honest.

Ford could have hoped that the dark stranger would like the sound of the pack he had created. He could have wished that many others would have found the premise to be promising enough that they'd wander to him from afar after hearing of the growth that had been inspired by those beneath him. Those were thoughts of ego that truly had very little place in their conversation. Instead, the titan allowed for the offer to stand, and if the other would accept it then they would find themselves in a place of understanding and acceptance. Of course, if he were to deny the prospect, there was a good chance that he did not belong in the first place.

It seemed that he found the thought of Stormrift to be ideal for his nature. He expressed that he was not familiar with the ocean, or that he did not share the same fondness that many of the others did. In spite of this, there was a willingness to improve; that was all that Ford could have asked for. The warhound bowed his head and offered a ghostly smile. Then, he fixed his hollow gaze on the dark male and motioned toward the bay. “Then Stormrift is your home. As long as you seek to improve yourself, you will be welcome,” he assured the dark wolf. “I am called Ford, and I lead there.”

It seemed that Howl's lack of familiarity with the sea would not be a problem in Ford's eyes, as he presented the pack's name, Stormrift. A fitting name Howl thought after hearing of the sea and storms they organized with ceremonies around.

He had formally invited Howl to join the pack and this brought a smile to Howl's face. It was a step towards what he wanted to be and that was all he could ask for. The male then gave his name and confirmed Howl's thoughts about him leading the pack.

Howl nodded his head in greeting before introducing himself as,  "Howl... Howl Pendragon. I very much appreciate you extending a hand to me. I shall do my best to make you never regret it." he stated.

We can fade with ur next post and I'll make us a new one. <3

All of the children of the sea had been unfamiliar with it at some point. Comfort in the swell could be taught and learned, if one was willing to do so. Really, that was what he looked for most in those he extended his offers to. If they were willing creatures, then they had a place in the rift. If they were not, Ford would pass them by. He knew that he could not afford to gather the wrong sort around him. There was a lot of room for failure and very little for the success that he desired. The titan would not be the same disappointment that his half-siblings had been. He would not have his father speak disdainfully of his name or the name of his brothers and sisters.

So, Howl was the name of the dark stranger – a stranger no more. He made a sentimental comment about Ford regretting the acceptance. The warhound offered him a ghostly smile and shook his head. He did not regret, but he would not tell the man this. All of his actions were made because that was how it was intended; he had no reason for regret. “I don't believe you will. Come, I'll show you to your new home,” his voice rumbled like thunder. Ford motioned with a swing of his muzzle for the bay and began to lead their newest member home.

 

Sounds good :)

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His response was recieved with a friendly smile, and a statement that gave Howl alittle bit of comfort. Perhaps the pack needed more mercenary types, hence why Howl's appearance was satisfactory enough to allow him into the pack. Luckily that assumption was correct and he would fill the role well, at least he would try him best to.

And with that he gestured for Howl to follow him and the made their way down the pateau to the bay. This was Howl's first step. First steps towards a new way of life he would be proud of. He was determined to only keep going up from here. No more down sides, and soon that would be able to be applied to his past, and his children.