Overture Downs shepherd

The winter was ambling towards it's peak, but it was days like this when harsh winds were blown off of nearby waters that made the season so deadly. Amadeus had weathered open plains since he was a pup - the burn of the wind, the cold that cut through fur coats, he had never gotten used to it but he had learned to tolerate it.

He never would have left home had he not made that promise. Even now he had half a mind to turn back, but the consequences and his loyalties outweighed that desire.

Pushing through winds in a snowed over meadow, the wind battering his ears was enough to silence his surroundings. There was no guidance waiting for him here, no sign directing him to his next stop. He was forced to pause. What would his father do?

A moment passed, but soon Amadeus felt an answer boiling in his throat. His head flipped back, sending a steady and confident howl up into the sky. It was time to meet the residents of these lands.

Searchlight wandered through the snow on a dreary day. The sound of a howl filled his ears and he perked. His hair raised along his spine and he looked toward where the howl had come from. Soon, he started making his way toward the sound.

Soon, he caught sight of the wolf and padded toward him, quiet and curious. He sniffed at the scent, trying to see if he'd noticed it before.

"Hello," he said as he got close.

The man who came to him was young. Lanky, head dipped in the night sky just as himself. Amadeus watched him with a look that spoke of careful assessment.

Good morning! He responded, tail flagging high but friendly. I am Amadeus. Come closer, let me meet you properly.

The wind was blowing towards the stranger, and through it Amadeus could not pick up his scent. It irked him.

"I'm Searchlight," the wolf answered as he came closer to the other wolf. "It's good to meet you," he added, still sniffing at the air.

He didn't recognize the scent, but he was perhaps too curious. He didn't know the area too much, either, so not knowing wasn't unusual.

The young wolf obeyed. Naive, but typical for someone his age.

Amadeus takes his time, meeting Searchlight halfway and moving through the notes of his unfamiliar scent. Milk, lavender, an older woman, and someone familiar.

A twitch of his lip is the only sign that something has changed. You smell like a pack wolf. He says in place of the demands that run through his mind. Has the season been good to your family?

He could be a brute later. First, he had to be smart.

Searchlight felt on edge as he approached, but he did, at least to be polite.

"It has," he said. "Are you a pack wolf?" he asked. "How has the season been for you?"

No, not anymore. My parents are old, I left to continue their legacy here. And he would, but for now he was alone. But the world looks on me kindly, and I have made it far enough to settle.

Should he take him by the scruff of the neck? Tackle him to the ground?

No, this boy wasn't responsible.

You've settled close by? You are young to have gone far.

"I hope you get to do that," Searchlight said with a nod. When asked about himself, he paused for a moment. "I am mostly passing through," he admitted. "With my family."

He watched the other wolf, curious and cautious. The naive parts of him seeing the best, while the rest of him was simply uncertain.

With his family?

That made no sense. Unless.. no, that didn't make sense. Or did it?

Amadeus realized he had left a long pause in the time he took to ponder this, and quickly seeked to fill it.

You won't stay with them? He raised a brow. What makes you want to leave?

Searchlight shook his head. "No, I'm planning on staying with them," he said. "We're all passing through."

He watched, still. This other wolf was curious, and Searchlight wanted to know more.

"I take it you're not from here?"

Passing through, but how soon? How young were the pups he could smell?

No, I'm from far north. He admitted. Flatlands like these, but with much deeper snow.

He was happy to escape the winter this year, even if was only trading it for another.

"Ah, deeper snow," Searchlight said. "That can't be too fun, unless you like the deeper snow." He did enjoy the snow, but it was awfully cold, and he couldn't imagine a deeper snow not being even colder.

"It sounds cold," he said, voicing his thoughts.

It is, he admitted, but it keeps wolves close to home. Not necessarily true, but to Amadeus it seemed to be. In truth, nobody came and went from the compound anymore.

He had a lot to think about now, and he needed space to do that. Let's meet again soon. A polite good-bye accented with a smile, and then Amadeus slipped away.

Searchlight nodded. "I suppose it does," he said, thinking about it. It made sense. Cold snow could be difficult to travel.

Then, the stranger said they should meet again, but before Searchlight could respond, the other wolf slipped away.

"Definitely," he said to the empty air in front of him, before slipping away himself.