Blackbeak Bluff I know who I am when I'm alone

Trade thread anyone?

He trekked out from the lands of Saltwater on a rare excursion, desiring the taste of winter more than the salt which punctuated each breath. A return to something he knew. The beach had seen some snowfall in recent days while areas of higher elevation were more heavily assaulted by the weather; he crunched through it, feeling the packed and frozen sand between his toes when striding through the thinnest, newest snow. As Njal followed the hillside, he watched the air, the birds within it, and listened to the distant calls across the water. Even in winter, the birds had not abandoned the area. They coasted on the chilly air or basked in the pale sunlight, some diving in to the sea from great heights, but they never noticed him - or never cared. Njal limped along until he felt a twinge in his leg, and came to a restless halt upon the ridge.

Well, he wasn't dead. Yet. Tweed had managed to make it through the past months without succumbing to hunger, thirst, or the elements. Somehow, he was hanging in there. Some of that could be attributed to the few bits of food he'd managed to scavenge, but he had to admit that the generosity of a few others was responsible for a good bit of his current existence. He had been ready to die, but the others he ran into hadn't let him. He wondered if this one would. Tweed had stopped several yards away from the other male, testing his reaction from afar.

hope you don't mind me joining as well! (: aria is looking for healing and advisor trades, i thought she could work here

Frustrated and slightly out of breath, the white wolf made her way back towards her territory. She had tracked a small family of deer a bit of a walk from it the past day and had come back empty pawed. She'd managed to catch a snowshoe rabbit on her way back, and was now panting from the chase. She wished to eat it, she was hungry and tired, but wanted to take it somewhere safe before devouring it practically whole. 

It wasn't long before the pretty young female came across two scents, both male. One, she decided was a pack wolf. It smelled of the coast and of a strong, distinctive scent. Saltwater, she would assume. The other she assumed was from the same pack, but he scent was not as distinct. She remembered what Lasher had told her about Saltwater, and how he wished for them to be allies. Perhaps the pack was kind, and she would be able to introduce herself and talk up Donnelaith. She couldn't be sure, but she hoped that she could make nice with the neighbors.

When she approached, she realized that one was not near the other. Perhaps these were not wolves of the same pack, and she became slightly more on edge. Her head lowered slightly and her eyes narrowed, teeth gripping the rabbit slightly. It eased her tenseness to see how thin the one was, and she right away pinned him as a loner, not a pack wolf. She let out a light woof, letting her tail wag. She was a midpoint between the two, the tip of a triangle and at what she considered a safe ground. She eyed them both, hoping they would see she was friendly. If they were kind, perhaps she would even share her hare, she decided.

The smallest scent slipped through the salt, catching in his nose. Metallic and familiar. Njal turned his head in time to see the slinking stranger - roguish in all aspects according to the old man, but not a threat - and he paused to watch them. Then he caught movement in his periphery, which made Njal turn again; this time with his fur bristling, because the scent returned - thicker this time, warmer - and he recognized the smell of a fresh kill. The pale wolf seemed a bit put-off, maybe being a rogue as well. Njal had no interest in taking the rabbit from them, but he did glance sharply towards the bronze coated stranger, curious of their reaction. So far he had barely moved, but there was an obvious intensity to the moment; thus far neither stranger seemed to pose a threat. The pale wolf eventually dropped her prize, calling out gruffly. Njal licked his lips - more testing the air than anything - and then let out a chuff as a response. She was welcome to come closer if she wished.

Perhaps he would have stayed, had the second wolf not arrived. She did, though, and so Tweed felt overwhelmed. He did not wish to get involved in any sort of conflict, let alone one with two other wolves. The scrawny wolf made his exit just as abruptly as he had made his entrance, backing away from the scene and then turning his back on them to find somewhere with less competition.

The wolf whom Aria named a rogue, left. She watched as he parted, and in turn picked up her rabbit and headed towards the remaining male since he had let out a friendly chuff. She arrived closer, but still stood a respectful distance further away. "Hello," She woofed after dropping the kill again, her eyes friendly and curious. "My name is Aria," she introduced, her head tilting to one side, "I come from Donnelaith, a pack not too far from here," she added, hoping the wolf would understand her pack as friendly, and a possible ally. She stood quietly, hoping the silence would prompt him to reply with his own name and pack; which she hoped would be Saltwinter, as she had guessed. Her tail wagged in a friendly manner, and she held a smile.

The pale wolf lingered long enough that the other - the loitering male - seemed to get nervous. Njal watched the rogue depart in silence, wondering what their intentions had been. Probably just survival, like any lone wolf. It didn't bother him that the stranger never came closer. In fact, he was a little relieved. Caiaphas would probably have enjoyed having another capable hunter around through the winter, or maybe the stranger could have been a consort for her decaying beliefs. Either way, it was one less possible mouth to feed.

But the pale wolf remained. She approached with cautious optimism, planting the gift upon the soil. An introduction followed, which Njal listened to in the same gruff silence as he afforded the earlier rogue; he said nothing, although his ears twitched at the mention of another pack. That wasn't surprising; other wolves had probably sought out the coast as a mild retreat from winter.

"Njal," He finally muttered, and licked the salt from his lips, "of Saltwinter." His gaze lingered upon the girl for a little longer, but inevitably trailed down to the meal at her feet. "You come bearing gifts. I assume you know there is a pack just beyond me, then."

The girl dipped her head, watching him curiously. "It's a pleasure," she woofed, dipping her head. When the male made mention of her rabbit, she only smiled respectfully. It was not her intention to to find a wolf of Saltwinter, and pure luck to have made a kill; no matter though. It was either coincidence or fate, Aria decided, and either way she was here and bore the proper tools, so she would use it. 

"Only your own," she responded vaguely, although it was not a lie. Although the young wolf had spent most of her days in Donnelaith mapping their own territory, she was not from the area and only knew of this pack because her alpha had told her of it. She pushed the rabbit towards him with one paw, a smile crossing her lips again. "It is yours, if you will have it. If you're not hungry you can bring it back to your caches," she woofed, almost as if she was offering advice. She would not have been offended if he didn't take it. She understood the idea of strangers, and knew that for all he knew she could have poisoned it... Although she didn't, and hoped he would see the genuine offer of kindness.

Njal quietly scrutinized the girl and her rabbit offering, not moving to take it despite finding a great appeal in the prize. He listened to her with a sullen expression on his face, impassive like a mountain stone, and then moved to swiftly grab it with his teeth. He brought it close, laying a paw across it as if to lay claim. "That is kind of you." Unseasonably kind. He would have been suspicious if it had been anyone else - and was a bit concerned for her intentions regardless - but Aria seemed like a sweet, coy girl. She probably had no idea what to expect from the Saltwater wolves.

"There is another pack besides this one. Further up the coast, a bit north. Unless they failed to form by winter time -" He cast a glance that way, as if he had all-seeing eyes, but then gave a shrug and settled back to looking upon the girl. "I'm not sure what they were calling themselves, but the leader was a nice enough guy. If your group is looking for friends, I suggest visiting them." Sebastian had moved on from the Dragoncrest Cliffs by now, but Njal did not know this. He assumed the group was simply reclusive.

The girl smiled, her icey eyes showing nothing but kindness. Even so, a bitter taste fell into the back of her throat. She was please he accepted it, and even more so that he thanked her for it; practically anyway. It was however unsettling that she would be returning to camp empty pawed. No matter, she could report the male to Lasher and Dante. If she had received any info on the pack she could relay that on as well, although something about this males expression told her she would learn nothing of the sort. Regardless, she listened and responded to the male politely. 

Her ears perked interestedly. "Up the coast?" she echoed, thinking quietly about it. "A gray fellow, perhaps?" she asked curiously, her eyes narrowing slightly as she thought. She did not know the male, but she was aware of two males who had tried to gain entry into their pack after the creation of their own failed. Unfortunately Donnelaiths ranks were and still are full, and the males were denied access to the pack. She did not mention this to the male, but smiled and nodded instead. "I'll make sure to do just that," she replied, her shoulders rolling forward a few times as she grew more comfortable where she sat. 

Truth be told, Njal had encountered the ex-Redhawk too long ago to remember him in detail. So when the girl mentioned a gray wolf, he only nodded and quietly confirmed. At the very least, it was a wolf that lived up the coast so she'd have something to look for. "You'll have to make sure to avoid the Saltwater borders though," that went without saying really, but Njal felt the need to point it out. "The rest of the pack isn't exactly... Pleasant." It wasn't a staunch warning against visiting again, or anything. But Njal didn't trust a single soul that lived alongside him, and he figured it would be best to alert Aria to the potential dangers of lurking too close to them. Her gift was a nice touch, but it wasn't something he could see Saltwater reciprocating. "Now, I'd best be moving on - and you too." He nodded his head, lifting himself to his feet at the same time, hoping she would be prompted to depart before one of the more alienating creatures of the coast appeared.

The white girl listened intently, her ears perking as he mentioned the rest of his pack. Was this really true? There was no way that a male so reasonable and kind (somewhat, anyway) could be part of a pack that was to be avoided. She stood still for a moment, unsure of what to say. The only thing she could think of doing what reporting what she'd found to @Lasher . She thought perhaps of Dante or Blue Willow, but knew of Dante's sickness and Blue Willow's litter, and thought not to bother them. 

Aria dipped her head to the male, her white eyes glimmering as she did so. "It was a pleasure," she murmured, and with that turned and left. Without her rabbit. Without an ally. Without a clue of what to think of Saltwinter.

tagging Lasher just for visibility. (: hoping to use talking with him as an advisory trade so here is the thread for background knowledge! <3