Dawnlark Plains rustling leaves

@Oliver

Perhaps he was really doomed to travel for the rest of his life, to be an eternal wanderer, to never settle down for good in one pack. Seriously though, he had been traveling for ages already, yet there seemed to always be a path ahead. Did this world never end? What if he walked for a thousand years and still never reach the end of the earth? Was that even possible? Perhaps Riptide should never have left his natal pack, perhaps he should've beaten his mother and taken over the throne for himself. But then, she was still his mother...

Plains. That was his next destination. He stood among the grass which tickled his flank as the breeze blew over them. Riptide shoved aside thoughts of his path and concentrated on his task ahead, to explore the packs in this surrounding area, and maybe, just maybe, there was a suitable home for him here. Although the chances of that was extremely slim.

Nostrils flared as he caught the scent of a rabbit nearby and his russet ears twitched as he heard a slight rustling by the grass on his right. Immediately, having pinpointed the prey's location, Riptide leaped forward from his hiding place and sank his fangs into the hare's throat. A rabbit may only contain a bit of meat, but it was still food. And even rotten carcasses were welcome when you were a loner.

hey :) sorry I couldn't post till now

That day found Oliver out on the Dawnlark Plains hunting prey of another sort. The young wolf had always struggled with anxiety in the past, but ever since he'd witnessed the violence inflicted on Sebastian it had gotten to the point where his restless mind wouldn't let him sleep. Hoping to soothe his troubled mind so he could finally sleep without being woken by nightmares, the budding herbalist had come in search of lavender, a beautiful flower with a lovely scent known to be effective in reducing stress. This was another of the few lessons that his mother taught him that had managed to sink in. At least her efforts weren't a total waste.

After a long search (and more than a few short breaks) Oliver finally found some wild lavender growing among the tall prairie grasses. He picked every plant in sight, planning to share some with the equally troubled Arion, if he wasn't too proud to accept the newbies help. Maybe the soothing power of lavender could help him kick his poppy habit, it was worth a try.

He was on his way back up to the rise when his path crossed with Riptide's. The normally friendly Redtail wolf had gained a new fear of strangers since Sebastian, and so at first he fully intended to ignore the loner and continue on his way as if he'd never seen him (and hope he wasn't called down to help kill him later). But his friendly nature came through and Oliver set his bundle of flowers down so he could speak clearly to the other wolf. "Nice catch."

Riptide's jaws clamped firmly on the rabbit's scruff and lifted it off the ground as he began making his way to a spot where he could eat his prey in peace, but before he could explore the plains any further, he crossed paths with a rangy black youth with yellow eyes. He paused in his steps, concealing his impatience as the other wolf set his bundle of flowers upon the ground and made to compliment his catch. Now he didn't really know whether to thank the wolf and boast like he usually would, or simply walk past him and ignore him.

Hunger gnawed at his belly. But in the end, he decided to have a talk with this wolf. After all, the scent of a pack was thick upon the other male's ragged fur, and he did have a mission of finding out all the packs in this area after all. It wouldn't hurt to chat with this male for a while.

Riptide set his catch upon the ground and blinked at the pack wolf with bright turquoise eyes. "Course it's a nice catch. Otherwise, I'll be long dead. Life as a loner doesn't provide you with free prey all the time." His eyes twinkled as he regarded the rangy fellow, tail flicking in an amiable manner. "I'm Riptide. What's your name?"