Lost Creek Hollow Poison and Whine

Leto relaxed in the water, smiling at the other. "Hey - I don't judge. If you asked nicely I'd at least consider it." She responded, using her paw to flick some of the water up at his muzzle.

"And sure, the quiet is nice for some time but when it lasts for moons I get a bit lonely." She insisted. Surely he must dislike the consistent silence at least a little bit.

He raised an eyebrow. He knew flirting when he saw it. She might’ve been barking up the wrong tree, though. 

”Maybe.” 

He stuck his tongue into the water, lapping at it a few times. He hadn’t realized his was this thirsty. He could feel the water traveling down, hitting his empty stomach. It sent a chill rippling through his body and only exasperated how hungry he felt. 

”So you got kicked out, but had some siblings. Why ain’t ya traveling with any of them?”

"They left well before me - I have no way of knowing where they went." Leto responded, one of her ears twitching. "They likely have packs and their own families by now - so I wouldn't want to bother them anyways."

Leto considered their conversation for a moment before asking a question of her own. "You've asked me a lot about my pack, but surely you must have had one of your own - why aren't you with them?"

Sure. He could answer questions. He'd rather not go into detail on how he left, though. But she'd been generous with information, so it was only polite to pay it back. 

"Did," he started. "My father, mother, brother, and a few other families. We were relatively large. I...wanted a change of scenery. Wasn't fond of my father or brother, either."

That was putting it extremely lightly. 

"I left after some stuff came to a head. Dad was getting old, brother wanted to take over his position, but I was older, so it defaulted to me. Didn't want it."

That was all true, but he didn't want to scare the girl off so quickly with the rest.

Leto nodded, not ready to pry just yet - but considering his scarred muzzle she felt there had to be more to his story.

"I can understand that. Having a smaller job can already be a lot, so if your father did something important it's reasonable not to want to follow that path." She said in attempt to empathize. "At home all I really had to do was run fast and bite hard - and that was tiring on it's own. I can't imagine having to do that while managing other's."

"Oh yeah, real important." he echoed, and hated the thought of the face his father would make at hearing a young girl talking him up. 

"He managed 'em alright. Bastard had the whole pack fooled, thinking he was some intelligent leader."

The wolf never had a problem seeing through his father's facade. He did have to give it to him though. The man could be charming, almost sickeningly so. 

"But he's dead and rotting now, so fuck him."

She was the first wolf he'd expressed his feelings toward his father's death to, and that felt wonderful.

Leto dragged herself a bit closer, now finding herself invested in the story. "Did you not get along then?"

"Was he cruel?" She asked, holding herself back from asking more than the couple of questions she'd pushed out. She didn't want to pressure him just yet.

More like, actively despised. 

"Yes," the brutish wolf responded. Though, he didn't want to get into detail with her. For one, she seemed too innocent--a kid, by his standards. And his father's disgusting legacy didn't deserve to live on. 

"He hurt a lot of wolves." 

Pepper, now wanting to go back to not considering his past, decided to break the conversation there. He dipped his head under the water, thrashed it a bit, then pulled back out, shaking the loose water off, which speckled the stream as it flew in various directions.

For once she took the hint and moved on from the subject.

"Hey I just had a thought - do you think this stream goes into a bigger body of water? Maybe a lake?" Leto asked, twitching her ears as the water hit them. "There could be fish there, if that's your taste."

She hoped that the suggestion would help to make up for her earlier mistakes - that and she was hungry.

He wanted to exhale a breath he hadn't known he was holding hearing her move on. Maybe some other time, if the opportunity gave itself. He was far too hungry to be recounting his life story to a stranger. 

"Hmm. Maybe."

He was a little surprised. A decent idea coming from her was very unexpected. 

"Fish ain't for me. Too slimy. Otters, though.." He was salivating just thinking about their greasy meat practically melting in his mouth. 

"River could go on for miles though. You think it'll be close?"

"We'll never know if we don't check - and you said it yourself, hunting is easier with a partner or three." Leto insisted, standing to shake the water out of her fur.

"You know I've never ate an otter, what's so good about them?" She asked, prepared to get him talking so that they could start walking. 

I made sure to check the territory desc so they aren't just walking to nothing, thankfully it seems like there's a waterfall with fish? lol

The big wolf filled his mouth with the cool water again, this time spitting it back into the stream after. He was a firm believer that his teeth were his most important asset, and he did bother with keeping them clean, unlike the rest of his body. 

Upon exiting the stream, he shook once more, leaving his fur more or less damp, no longer dripping. 

"Meat's tender, oily. Lotta flavor, too." 

It was rare he could feel himself putting on weight while eating, but otters would do that. And the naps after were the best sleep that could be asked for. 

"They like rivers, so keep an eye out for 'em. May not even need to find a lake."

Leto nodded, following the wolf out of the river. While being damp wasn't necessarily pleasant she was enjoying the way it shielded her from the humidity.

"I'll let you lead the way this time then - I know a lot more about fish than I do otters." She decided. This wolf seemed to be much better at hunting small animals as well - maybe she could learn something.

"Hey I just realized, you never told me your name."

He'd lead the way, then. It'd be a mindless trek, which actually sounded nice. Otters were noisy, so if one was nearby, it'd probably be splashing away. 

Had he really not told her yet? She hadn't told him, either, though, so he didn't feel too bad. 

"It's Pepper." 

He initially thought the feminine name was a result of his father's predisposed hatred toward him, but soon found out the name was his mother's choice. He had grown to like it, though. 

"You?"

"Leto." She responded, lifting her had in an attempt to catch a scent of any sort - however due to her previous activity all she could find was herself, and the wolf in front of her.

"Pepper." She repeated, enjoying the way the vowels rolled off her tongue. "It's a good name. I like it." Leto decided with a firm nod.

"Yeah? Me too," he responded, keeping his eyes forward. 

He liked the name Leto, too. It'd be easy enough to remember. 

"So what kinda pack you lookin' for?"

Leto took a moment to consider the question. She hadn't thought about it much just yet.

"Something simple. Not too strict - and I'd likely join because of someone I meet." She decided, flicking her tail upwards. "There's no point in joining if there's nobody I particularly get along with. My relationships are important to me - more than anything else."

Pepper had no issue agreeing with her standards. He wanted the same. 

"They should be." 

Even if the wolf fronted like he preferred to be alone, he knew it was a dangerous lifestyle. He understood the importance of a pack. 

Pepper just wanted another hunting buddy. So much could be said without speaking, but whether or not it was understood depended entirely on the other wolf. His old hunting buddy understood everything. 

"Any reason you chose to look around here?"

She was quick to respond to that - she'd thought about her answer many times. "The environment is diverse, and it's far from home."

"That and I could smell other wolves. I saw a real pretty one not too long ago, but she wasn't exactly my type - not part of a pack either."

Leto's priorities were pretty clear from that - it could work out well if she played her cards right, or she'd just be leaving a lot of wolves very sad. Either way, that seemed to be how she planned on making her way into a pack.

”Oh yeah? What’s yer type?” 

Why not. They had a ways to go. It might make for interesting conversation.

"Wolves who can keep themselves clean." She responded, sticking her tongue out at him.

"But in all seriousness, I just want someone who can hold a conversation. I like to talk but it isn't any good if they don't respond."

This was a bit of an unexpected topic, but to be fair she had brought it up - and just as she said, she likes to talk.

"Damn, so quick on the dismissal. You know, a little dirt means he's a hard worker," he turned, mimicking her expression. 

"Interestin'," he started. "I like the opposite. Someone I can communicate with without needin' words."

"That sort of thing is nice - it means you have a good connection." She responded, smiling at the thought. She could see the benefit in that sort of relationship too.

"I want all of it - the warmth, the comfort, the communication.." She said with a sigh, but was quick to snap back an insult a moment later. "It would help if they smelled a bit better than you too."

Of course it was meant to be more playful than anything - but that should be expected. By now it's clear that Leto isn't the mean type.

"Hah, I wouldn't expect a youngin' like you to have such a refined palate. My scent's just too complex," he flashed a grin, showing off those teeth he thought to be so precious. 

"You'll find somethin' like that I'm sure. Plenty o' good ones out there." 

He believed it, too. Hell, he was still talking to her. Pepper tended to be fairly selective with who he let waste his time.

"That bath did you some good - maybe now your complex smell won't scare away your meals." She responded, snickering to herself.

"And of course I will! Have you not seen me?" She flashed a quick pose, showing off her ungroomed, half-damp fur. Afterwards her snickers immediately continued.