Stavanger Bay Too Many War Wounds, Not Enough Wars

@Aria

 James made his way towards the big waters, wondering what he should do next. Should he join a pack? Should he make his own? How was he even supposed to get in a pack? James shook his head and let out a tired sigh. His wound was healing well, but it felt as if his leg was on fire. Well, it hurt less, so mildly on fire. He looked onto the vast, endless blue sea (or ocean, he couldn't see the end of it). 
 
 Now that he thought about it, he shouldn't have left his pack. It couldn't have been that bad. But memories of his bloody sisters laying on the ground made him shiver. He was doing this for them. He was to blame for this, so he had to survive. He just really wanted someone to talk to. The water crashed on the land harshly, spraying the seawater on James's grey coat. "Damn, thats cold," James muttered, shaking off the saltwater droplets.

It had been over a month since Aria had come to Donnelaith and she still hadn't really been to the beach. She'd been once or twice to hunt but never had she gotten to truly enjoy the beauty. In an attempt to get away from Behati and all the drama that surrounded her, she decided to go today. Picking up a small piece of half-eaten meat from the cache, probably left-over deer from the smell of it, the white princess made her way towards the Bay. 

When she arrived, she took in the saltier air in a deep breath and relaxed herself on the sandy/snowy ground- it needed to make up it's mind. She stared into the waters and smiled contently. It was so beautiful, she felt so at ease. This was, until the salty air took on the scent of another, and she scolded herself for not noticing at first. Did she want to be brutally murdered? The answer was no. Pay attention, moron. She looked to her left and saw the figure of a darker gray male, and her gaze narrowed with caution. Who was he? Would he hurt her? Did he notice her? She picked up the meat and stood, ready to defend herself or to move away from him. 

Or maybe he was friendly, she didn't know.

James was enjoying himself somewhat, when suddenly a pack wolf scent appeared. Oh god, what was he supposed to do? If there was a book on how to be a lone wolf, James clearly didn't read it (he couldn't read altogether, but whatever). He rechecked, and no, this was not pack territory. He decided to trust his instincts and just go with the flow.

 He turned slightly and found a wolf blending in with the area. Now that he had gotten a better look at her, he could see she was seriously pretty. Her coat was snowy white and she had soft grey eyes. James caught himself staring with his mouth open, he sheepishly smiled, his grey tail wagging slightly. 
 
 He glanced at the meat but didn't really care, he was well fed, for a lone wolf anyway. He was more focused on that there was a wolf there. And she didn't attack him! That was very, very new to James.   

 He turned all the way. "Hey there," he called out to the wolf.

The male didn't seem hostile. He had glanced to her kill but made no advances towards it. Then he spoke. Her ears cupped so she could hear him, and she tilted her head curiously to him. Carefully, she made her way towards him, stopping so they could speak without yelling to one another but still far enough not to invade any personal space. Surprisingly clear for holding something in her jaws, Aria replied. "Hello," she said simply, her tail wagging a little bit to show she meant now harm. It seemed, however, that he already did not think that she would harm him. 

"My name is Aria," the snowy girl greeted him, her head raising a little. She had no reason to exercise her rank to a loner, they usually didn't care for such things at all. Her head tilted a little bit and she carefully set the piece of meat on the ground. "What might be your name?" she asked curiosity, raising her head again and studying him with interest. In the sunlight she squinted a bit, but her eyes shown much like diamonds in it's light, she waited with patience, wondering what he would say. 

I think it got deleted by accident?

 "James," James said simply. His sea blue eyes flickered with curiosity. "So what is a pack wolf doing out of their pack?", he asked. James was not used to all this new stuff. A pack wolf would stay inside the pack, it was the rule for his pack after all. But things were different now. He quickly added, "You don't have to tell me, its none of my business." He grinned awkwardly. James was in one of his 'goofy cute' personality. 

 He had some empty parts in his memory. It was frustrating, like his life was some fill in the blanks game; he left because his siblings were killed. He left _____ days ago. He felt angry because ______. He wanted to scream because ______. He needed to ______. He was looking for a ______.
 
Truly, this was was very annoying.

The girl smiled vaguely to him. It was nice to meet another male about her age, it seemed. The whole thing with Casmir was driving her mad and she just wanted to find some peace- if that made sense. She shrugged, not directly answering his question. "We aren't chained up, ya' know," she offered, a hint of her flirtatious personality rolling softly from her tongue. This male didn't know her, she didn't know him. Casmir didn't know him, and he probably never would. She could just have a little fun flirting, it was harmless. He seemed just as well. 

"What brought you to the beach?" she asked without adding in the 'oh you don't have to tell me' thing. He either answered or he didn't, but she'd ask regardless.

James wondered for a moment, really trying to answer her question. But he just didn't know. He shrugged and said, "I'm looking for a pack to settle in." Maybe that was what he was doing. "And you?", he asked. Why was so bad that she needed to leave her pack for a little bit? His tail lazily moved from side to side as he thought of this.

He pushed the topic further, and she watched him curiously. "I haven't really seen the beach before," she told him, her tail flicking curiously. "It's a nice break, I suppose," she added calmly, still eyeing him with caution. Why did he care so much? She decided to return the questions to him.

"Any packs you've tried?" she asked with a raised brow. To her knowledge, the only packs nearby were Saltwinter and Donnelaith, and she was partially in charge of greeting the border-dwellers. She also knew of Lost Creek Hollow, the pack that Lasher had recently set out to visit; but she wasn't sure where it was. Donnelaith was also pretty full, she thought, surely if he tried to join them he would have to be turned away.

Truth be told, the pack that he 'tried' wasn't very friendly, to say the least. In fact, he had gotten his leg wound from them. "I've tried one," he said. "Though, I didn't get in," he admitted. He thought for a moment. "You're in a pack," he pointed out. 

 "Is there a chance your pack has space, my lady?", he asked playfully. His blue eyes sparkled with interest, his ears pointed towards Aria, waiting for her response.

The male seemed to catch on to her cage hints of flirtation, repeating the manner back to her. She smirked, rolling her shoulders back a few times. "My lady," she repeated with amusement, eyeing him curiously. She then moved onto his question, making no other comments towards his own. "We're full," she responded flatly, her tail curling around her paws as a gentle yet chilling wind blew by. 

"My pack is Donnelaith-," she added, glancing towards the territory. "-in case you find yourself among our borders, save yourself some time." Her advice was solid. Lasher and Dante (and she supposed herself) were by no means a hostile bunch, but they knew what they were dealing with and wouldn't dare over-expand. She watched him curiously for a response after looking him up and down. 

He frowned at her response. "Well that can't work can it? Are there any other packs near here?", he asked the snowy wolf. "You know, you remind me of my sister," he said, sort of to himself, smiling at the memories. His grey ears twitched when the wind blew, but otherwise, he didn't react. He went back to his neutral expression (a small grin). His eyes seemed to show that he was thinking about a million things at once, which he was. Where would he stay? Would he meet this she-wolf another time? Was there another pack near here?

"Saltwinter," she replied with a nod of her head towards their territory. It was further west of Donnelaith, and she had never traveled to the pack herself. Her tail tip flicked as it was wrapped around her paws, her pale eyes watching him. "They are only together for the winter, I believe I was told, I'm unsure of their ranks though," she added. Mentally, Aria praised herself for remembering such vague things, many people didn't hold on to all the information she did... At least she felt. 

"Your sister?" she asked, then smiled innocently. "Your sister must've been quite pretty then," she mused, ears cupping forward as her sweet smile turned softly into a mischievous smirk. 

He followed her gaze towards the territory, hoping that pack would allow him in. He returned her smirk, and began to speak. "Yeah, she was awesome," he said fondly. "So, Aria," he said, the name still foreign on his tongue, "Do you think Saltwinter is a good pack?" 
 James usually didn't ask for opinions, but, to James, Aria seemed to know what he needed. She has to be the one with the answers, he thought. He was in need of a nudge in the right direction, wherever it may be. Maybe he was looking for a pack all along. Or maybe he just needed a goddamn friend.

A sudden hard breeze knocked James off his feet. He stumbled to regain his balance and thankfully did, but not before tripping near the water, scrambling away and causing quite a scene. "Stupid world, always tryin' to kill me," he grumbled. "Listen up world; you will not see the end of James today, you hear me?!", he shouted towards the sky with mock anger.

He asked for her opinion, and while truthfully she hadn't heard anything good about Saltwinter- it was not enough to form a bias. Njal had warned her to stay away, but Lasher seemed to be completely fine with the pack. Regardless, she didn't have enough time to answer as a hard gust of wind rushed by. The girl was small and light, but was firmly rooted to her spot. While she swayed a bit to the side, she huddled closer to herself and when it passed she remained unharmed- a bit ruffled and goofy looking if anything.

It was nothing in comparison to the boy who stood yelling at the wind, and Aria let out a giggle, burying her nose into her chest fur in an attempt to hide it. This male was far different than Casmir, but in a friendly sort of way. He was flirty and confident, but didn't seem to be making any moves on her. She liked him, hopefully after their meeting she would see him again. 

When James calmed, she watched the silly boy with a bright pair of pale eyes before she answered his original question. "I think that you could handle Saltwinter- just be respectful, most packs look for that in members," she advised, smiling. She hesitated for a moment, thinking of the male she'd spent time with in her own pack. "But uhm, if we ever have some open ranks... I'll give you a call. I would be pretty confident in your acceptance," she told him, her tail wagging slightly in the sandy snow.

I am juggling three threads, but I'm managing! (sort of)

 James shrugged. He was respectful, in his own opinion. Saltwinter seemed fine, but he didn't have any context on how it would be like. He would just have to wing it, then. The other thing she talked about warmed James's heart. A split second later, James responded. "Well, Miss Aria, thank you for the advice. I must leave now, and I think your pack is waiting for you. I hope you have a safe trip home," he said in a gentleman way. He grinned at Aria, then dipped his head in a goodbye, and turned around without waiting for her answer. He felt a lot better, but he must get a move on, if he wanted to join a pack. 

Last one by me!

sounds good! Thanks for the thread <3 (: hit me up if you ever want to write these two again!

Aria dipped her head to the male, his farewell a bit bittersweet. She did need to go back to her pack, but his company was refreshing for once. The snowy princess only smiled, her tail waving as she stood up. She watched him turn and leave her ears cupping forwards as she waited curiously for him to turn or keep on- he chose the latter. 

Unsure of where to go now, she murmured a soft goodbye that she hoped the wind would carry to him, and turned to head back to her own pack- feeling calmed and satisfied.