Wapun Meadow Waking Up to the Unknown

Behind fluttering eyelids, the mountainous man dreams of his last memory. His teeth bared, the hairs along his spine bristled, multicolored eyes set open the monster he dares to face. It’s a wolf twice his size, one who has a cold, black pelt and eyes pure white of a ghost. Yes, Cross was there to fight and kill the beat that plagued the people native to the land.Or that’s as what he was supposed to do.

His eyes shoot open, he’s lying on his side, the only things in his vision seem to be the tall grass that surrounds him. His face scrunches up at the pulsing headache that aches through his skull. Finally he sits up to lean against his elbow. Hues sliding along the horizon he sees no monsters or demons. The land before him is tranquil, flicking ears can only hear talkative birds and the chirp of bugs. The meadow he’s found himself in is budding with flowers in the early spring. It’s truly confusing.

Making his way to his feet he shakes himself off and tucks his chin to look at himself, swaying from side to side; there’s no stains of crimson like there was when he last remembered. What the hell happened? He wonders internally as he attempts to take a step but falters when his mind feels like it’s imploding due to the headache that strikes him. Before he knows it he finds himself on his side once more and eyes fitfully, fluttering closed. He’s passed out once again.

The male's ceaseless, curiosity-driven wanderings lead him to a sprawling meadow dotted with flowers, sprouting from the fertile spring's bounteous fair weather. Malik stopped in place and took a deep breath of the sweet scents of honeysuckle and fresh grass, the cool breeze rustling his thick mane of fur - all he needed was the warm sun on his face, and it would be perfect, but the clouds were dominating the sky, partially covering the sun. Still, it was a beautiful day, Malik couldn't ask for more.

He lowered his nose as he padded through the grass, tasting the different scents as he walked. Lots of prey animals traversed this ground - hares and deer. The thought of fresh prey made Malik's stomach growl, and he cursed himself for having so much wanderlust that he forgot to feed himself. How on earth was he going to find food? He stopped, and looked around, as if expecting to find something to eat on the horizon, but he saw nothing... Only grass and meadow blossoms for miles -

Oh, there was a white lump. That's odd... The snow should've melted by now. Malik moved closer to it out of curiosity, and flinched when the lump moved, the familiar scent of his own kind wafting towards him, awakening his tail to wag excitedly.

"He - Hey!" Malik barked out in an enthusiastic greeting, ecstatic to see another wolf. "Hey there!"

A faint echo reaches down to grasp him from unconsciousness. The hand pulls him up from the depths of whatever the hell is wrong with him and forces his eyes open begrudgingly. His head still pounds, mainly the right side, as he begins to sit up again. He remembers waking up earlier but the clutches the headache has on him was too much to bear. 

Now though, his eyes have shot open and his body bolts into an upright position. He’s sitting up now, leaning on the flanks of his hind legs, taking up a relaxed sitting position. His form looking monstrously big. He shakes himself off once more, bits of silvery fur swept off into the breeze. He attempts to right himself, the pounding in his head preventing him from thinking clearly. 

Then he remembers what brought him back to the world of the living–a voice. Someone is there with him. So he fitfully opens his squinting eyes and blinks them fervently to correct his blurry vision. The silhouette before him becoming clearer and eventually the blotch presents itself as another wolf. One of agouti print and a beautifully thick coat all over. 

His now focused eyes land on the male. “Hey.” He grumbles, not necessarily in a rude way. The emotions displayed by his voice show more pain than anything. “Where the hell am I? Who are you?” He asks in that rough, freshly woken up voice.

More details were revealed the closer Malik drew to the other wolf - stark white coat aside, Malik gathered from the deep voice that he was male, and he seemed to be slightly bigger than he was. Malik wasn't intimidated, the stranger seemed to be waking up from unconsciousness - not like a nap or a regular sleep, more like he had fainted - so his groggy voice and confused expression allowed Malik to relax. Not that he was worried in the first place.

Malik wagged his tail in a friendly greeting, optimistic despite their situation. "Well, I know that I'm Malik, but I don't know where we are. Who are you, are you feeling alright?"

The big male wondered if the stranger had the same story as he did, dropped alone in an unfamiliar location with amnesia. Malik felt a wave of sympathy - he understood how confusing this must be, and he would try to be of some assistance if he could. He was more well-explored between the two, and even though he had only seen parts of the valley, he had gotten a good grasp on the terrain, so he felt that he could be somewhat helpful. Something in the back of his mind felt that this place was familiar... Maybe he had lived somewhere with a similar biome before, whatever it was, looking around gave him a sense of deja vu.

His heterochromatic eyes blink to alleviate the pain behind them and he focuses on the being in front of him. Most definitely none threatening, or at least that’s what he perceives the stranger to be. His gaze is returned to the wagging tail then back to the handsome face of the other. The male continues to introduce himself and Elijah figures out that he’s in the exact same boat as the great white wolf.

“Huh.” He huffs out in thought. “It’s nice to meet you I suppose, Call me Cross.” Introducing himself is only the polite thing to do. “And no, not really feeling too good.” He mumbles quickly. He tries his best at a smile, even though the only thing shining through his eyes is mild confusion and some pain. Elijah’s normal, easy going gaze peers back to Malik in an attempt at normalcy.

Raising to his massive height, he gives his body a quick shake. Settling a blackened tongue flicks out to lick over whiskers and shining white teeth. “What brings you here, Malik?” He asks with a mischievous smile. “Know where I can find some water? Feelin’ pretty parched.”

He was now standing an arm's width from the other male, close enough to see the vivid colors in his dual-colored eyes, of which his own eyes shifted between, as if he didn't know which to look at. He was mystified, and when the big white male stood to his full height, Malik was amazed by the sheer size of him - by his ancestors, he was enormous!

"Ooh," Malik vocalized instinctively as the other male - Cross, as he introduced himself - shifted onto his feet, not really knowing what else to say... He was just impressed. "That's a shame... I'm sorry to hear that."

He blinked his eyes up at Cross, the sun glinting off of that crisp white fur, brought back to the matter at hand by his next inquiry. Malik tilted his head, considering the question. "You know... I have no idea, I don't remember much beyond yesterday," he grinned up at him enthusiastically. "But I do know where to find water."

Eagerly, he began trotting back the way he came, backtracking to where he knew a stream might be. He glanced over his shoulder to see if the interesting stranger was following him and wagged his tail, as if beckoning for him to follow. "Right this way. There's definitely a river in this valley, but too murky for drinking. I think I heard a stream while I was in that forest right there, though."

He nodded in the direction of the trees from wence he emerged from, the breeze rustling the leaves and causing a peaceful white noise.

The interest the other partakes in his oddly colored eyes makes his mouth curl into a smile. Then the astonished Ooh that exhales from Maliks muzzle has him positively laughing. The smaller is enthralled by him momentarily until his next question comes out.

It seems like they’re both in the same boat on that one. Neither remember just how they got here, nor do they know exactly where they are. Even then, the agouti wolf appears to have more of his bearings than he does. He at least knows where water is for shits sake

Already the male has his back turned to the white wolf as he traces his way back tot he stream he mentioned finding earlier. He’s ecstatic and Cross can’t help but following the other with a smile on his face. “Lead the way then.” He says casually coming up beside him. “I don’t remember how I got here either.” Mentioning his sudden disappearance and vague memory

Malik's cheeks lifted with a dazzling smile at seeing the other follow him, the grass shifting beneath them as he lead the way. The trees towered over them as they were swallowed by the forest, the brush of the wind against the branches and leaves offering a calming ambiance in between the brief moments of silence where the two weren't talking.

Malik perked up when he learned that Cross didn't seem to know of his origins either, relief filling him knowing that he wasn't alone in this situation. "Really? That's so weird," Malik mused, then blinked owlishly at himself. "I - I didn't mean that in a rude way, just - this is weird, y'know?"

Debris on the forest floor poked and prodded at the pads of their paws as they traversed deeper into the maw of the forest, swallowed by the sounds of chirping birds, and the faint bubbling of water that immediately redirected their path. "Maybe it's divine intervention." Malik joked, a bit lost in thought as he autonomously lead Cross down a gentle slope towards a small creek.

As they peak into the forest thats adjacent to the meadow, Elijah eyes swiftly take in the beauty of the forest. Patches of the suns rays creep in through the canopy and pounce along the forest floor. The symphony of singing birds causes his ears to swivel in all directions as he just takes in the tranquility of the current moment. 

The now is so different from the then. What did that thing do to me? Where did he take me? He allows himself to wonder.
He almost wants to tell the tail of the story prior to arriving to these peaceful lands. Yet, he doesn’t, rather he keeps silent as leaves and grass crunch beneath his paws. He continues to move forward. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty fuckin’ weird.” He comments back. “My damn head hurts.” 

Then the hiss of a small stream catches his attention. Sighing in a form of rejoice, he makes his way towards it. Elijah’s head dips down to drink from the clear liquid but catches his reflection first. Brows furrow, “What..?” He whispers. “That scar, I didn’t have it before.” Then a newfound anger rises up within him. That thing, marked him.

Malik could see that his companion's eyes were filled with questions and conflicting emotions, culminating in a taunting pool that no doubt left Cross's mind jumbled. Malik frowned, but tried not to make his concern obvious - he didn't want to offend the bigger male by staring too long, the last thing Malik wanted was to make Cross feel like a freak show.

"I'm sure it does," Malik chuckled, redirecting his thoughts to whatever Cross was saying. "I wonder how long you've been baking out in the sun."

He dipped his head down to drink - although he probably wasn't as parched as his newfound companion, the refreshment helped to clear his mind. Cross's surprise at his own appearance in the water's reflection caused Malik to pause and look up at the white male in bewilderment - apparently offended by the sight of the scar mapping his face. Malik was puzzled - did he really just now realize it was there? His amnesia must truly be fresh...

"I noticed that... At first I thought it looked like you got into an argument with a bear." Malik joked, trying to lighten the mood, but then cleared his throat when he realized that now wasn't an appropriate time.

He’s stunned to see the scar. It wasn’t even a wound before so there’s no way he could get a scar overnight. Unless that thing did it to him. At this point he knows it was the monster he was fighting previous to landing here. 

Shaking his head with a huff he allows his tongue to lap up the cold liquid. It slides down his throat and settles in his stomach, he’s so parched he can feel it trek down his esophagus. 

It does well to soothe his frayed nerves. Soon after his head is rising and looking to the other. He chortles at the males reply. “Oh, the thing that gave me this is much worse than a bear.” He says it ominously, eyes stuck on the agouti wolf, still a smile plays on his face.

“How about you? How’d you get here?” He tries in a careless attempt at changing the subject.

A hint of dread sank in at the male's forboding words, but then childlike curiosity made Malik's eyes shine with cautious wonder - what monster could be much worse than a bear, the king of the forest? His imagination conjured up a horrible beast with claws the size of his head, matted fur that stank like death, and blood curdling eyes that blazed hotter than a thousand hells.

Malik brushed his childish imagination aside with amusement - there are no such things as monsters... At least he hoped. He tilted his head at Cross, nevertheless interested in what he had to say. "I feel like there's an interesting story behind that... But I assume that's for another time."

He sat on the damp pebbles of the creek and watched Cross refresh himself, their casual conversation continuing with more questions. "I'm not sure..." Malik hummed in response, eyes fixed on the water seeping through the cracks of the pebbles below his paws as his brows scrunched together pensively. "I woke up just like you did - confused and alone. I remember... The faint scent of other wolves, but I couldn't remember the names of any of them - even though they smelled so familiar. All I remember is the name of my homeland, and spotty memories of a former pack, but that's it."

My b, I wrote out a reply but it got deleted when I tried uploading it with no service on my phone. :’)

Eyes crinkle and mouth widening at the others surely imaginative picture at what  the beast looks like, he shakes his head. “Yes, that could be a tale for another time.”

Elijah watches the other intently as he spills the last remnants of what he remembers before being chucked out into these unknown forests. Cross finds it interesting that he only remembers bits and pieces whereas Elijah recalls everything except for how he actually got here. The only place the knight can go is forward, so his next plan would be to speak to the natives and gather information about the surrounding lands. 

“What do you plan on doing next then?” He wonders aloud to Malik. “Do you remember when you were a pup? Do you think you lived here prior?” He asks curiously.

Now that was a good question.

Malik stared into the trees with a far off gaze, as if he were searching for an answer where he could not see. Up until this point he had no plans - he knew that he probably wasn't going to just be wandering around forever, but he had accepted the fact that he might not encounter other wolves and he may have to rough it out as a loner. He was experienced enough, he was prepared for it.

"I'm not really sure..." The agouti male responded. "I guess I'm just leaving everything up to fate, you know?"

Fond memories of being surrounded by loved ones filled Malik's head with warmth and longing - he couldn't recognize the blurred faces he saw, but he knew that these wolves were his packmates, his family. Wrestling with a smaller female, hunting with the older males, laughing to the stories an elder told him... They were all faint, but the familiarity and fondness he felt made him long to know who they were.

"I only remember bits and pieces, but I don't remember much from being a pup," Malik replied. "I had a family in a place called Yellowstone before all this... I just don't know what happened to them."

The silvery pelted male nods in agreement at letting fate decide where to take him. Then as his differently colored eyes watch him, he can see the longing for something that is no longer there in his eyes. Elijah has known loss, but he’s so numb to it now that it’s almost normal. Of course that doesn’t stop him from trying to prevent loss. Especially when it deals with another that he holds dear, which sadly isn’t many.

“Yellowstone.” He parrots back checking his mental filing cabinets for the possibility of familiarity. Yet, unfortunately, nothing rings a bell. “I hate to say, but I don’t know of the place.” He says back. Then responding to the males previous sentence he grunts. “I sadly, don’t have time for fate. Gotta get back to where I came from as fast as possible.” 

Standing he shakes himself off again. “Gotta make a livin’ killin’ shit you know?” He chuckles then tilts the scarred side of his face down in a nod. “That’s how this got here. I assume the beast marked me. Yet I remember nothing and don’t feel any pain aside from this massive fucking headache.” He shakes his head in disbelief.

His frown was concerning - if no one had ever heard of his homeland, he must truly be far away from it, but there must be scores of other wolves in this place, there's bound to be one that's heard of it... Right? Besides, the white male knew just as little about this place as Malik did, so it's easy to assume that he might not know where Yellowstone would be.

"Yeah... I feel like that's easier said than done." Malik shifted on his paws and looked over Cross with curiosity. The more his companion spoke, the more interested he became in his backstory - Malik knew he had lead a fairly mundane life before all this, he wasn't interested in a fast-paced lifestyle, so hearing about beasts and old arch nemesis had his ears perked with intrigue.

"Whoa, when you say that it makes you sound like an assassin or something," He joked with a light chortle, but then paused, frowned and gave him a cautious sidelong glance that said "are you...?".

When the other says That’s easier said than done. he nods in agreement. Oh boy, is that statement true. Elijah has found himself in one of the most difficult situations he believes he’s ever been in. He’s fucking lost. With no leads to follow and a horrid headache to match.

At the others tease Cross laughs himself. He returns the males questionable glance with one of his own. Brows lifting he smiles slyly. “I could be.”

Then waving him off with a movement of a large paw he chuckles. “No, I’m more of a mercenary of sorts, but I kill bad things instead of just everybody.”

Malik had blanched and his eyes widened a fraction when the other offered an ominous "I could be", causing him to shrink back a bit. Then, Cross laughed him off and explained himself truthfully, causing Malik's chest to release its pressure in a relieved laugh.

"You got me for a second there..." He chuckled, before looking back up at Cross in interest. "A mercenary? What do you gain from it?"

The occupation genuinely intrigued the male, if it was as rewarding and driven as it sounded, then he might be interested in doing something similar. He's killed things before... Mostly for neccessity, but he had a thick skin, he was willing to hunt more than elk and moose - within reason, of course.

At Elijah’s jest he watches the male cower backwards slightly with a cautious look in his eyes. Yet, as soon as he breaks the news that he was indeed joking, the agouti male laugh and Cross can’t help but laugh just that much harder. His snowy chest rumbles with a hearty laugh and a winning smile that shows his impressive canines splits his face. 

“I did, didn’t I?” The larger male says with a cock of his brow. Finally able to weave the laughter bubbling up his throat away, he’s ready to answer his next question. “Yeah. I gained favor and food where I lived. Everyone knew me and if they didn’t like me and appreciate what I did, they fucking hated my guts.”

Gazing back to the other male he shrugs. “It made a good living honestly.”

The rumbling sound of the white wolf's hearty laugh was felt in the ground and vibrated in Malik's bones, causing him to fight back a grin, something about that laugh was incredibly familiar... Faint memories of a fatherly figure standing tall at Malik's side flitted through his mind.

"Hmm..." Malik hummed, less an acknowledgement of what Cross was saying and more of a sound of fondness towards the subtle recollection. Despite this, he was able to take in what the other male was talking about and snapped out of his reverie. "Huh, not gonna lie, that sounds right up my alley. I'll have you know that I'm a great hunter."

It was just boasting, he was acceptable at best, but it was in his nature to gloat about his non-existent prowess.