Lake Rodney helluva life

Marcello could smell the water from a mile off and when he finally arrived at the shores of the lake, he was blown away by the overabundance of color painting the edges of the shores. Small songbirds bathed in the shallows, and the early morning sun was barely kissing the tops of the sycamores. A smile whisks across his face and he steps down from the earth of the woodland to the soft sand of the shore. All around him is life; buds of spring flowers, tiny urgent peeps of small baby birds, and even a mother doe and her fawn taking a drink on the far bank.

His meandering leads him to a stream that feeds into the lake and it's here where he dips his head to lap at the crystalline waters. He hums to himself as his parched throat is quenched and, after taking his fill, he finds a nice sunny spot to rest his tired paws and take in the beautiful scenery for a spell.

I'm a big fan of your country music references! :D

It was a craving for fish that drew Floki away from Moonspear and back to the banks of Lake Rodney that day. He skeptically eyed Redhawk Caldera in the background as he neared, then settled himself at the water's edge. He wasn't good at fishing -- not yet, anyway -- but he watched patiently with bright blue eyes as silver scales flashed just beneath the surface.

He reached out with a forepaw, suspending it over the mirror of the lake for a long few seconds, then struck with a splash. He wasn't successful in hitting anything; instead, he only managed to scatter the school, sending them swimming out in all directions. "Damn," he murmured under his breath, settling back on his haunches to wait. He glanced up then, and spotted a wolf sunning himself some distance away. Squinting against the glare, he gave a bark as his heart simultaneously skipped a beat; the pond's proximity to the caldera made him nervous, yet it wasn't enough to keep him away.

Haha, thanks! I'm a huge country nut. :D

With a great big sigh, Marcello rolls over onto his back, exposing his milky underbelly to the warm sunshine beaming down through the verdant canopy. The wind was just the barest breath across the lake, pushing tiny waves up the shore to lap at the bank, and soothing the mind of the DeMontarinno man. He kicked out a foreleg in a muscle-trembling stretch and grunted as a few joints popped in his ankle and shoulder; he repeated the motion with the other leg before drawing both paws up to his chest, and splaying his hindquarters. A hum of contentment rattled happily in his chest and he closed his eyes for a moment...

Only to snap them open at the sound of a distant splash. He stared up at the clouds for a few beats, waiting for it to repeat itself, but was met instead with a very wolfish bark. He rolled onto his side, bracing his fore-body with his elbows, and scoured the banks for the source. A young wolf, entirely monochrome, stood a good two-dozen yards down the bank. Marcello blinked, then blinked again, before untwisting himself and hauling his bulky frame up into a standing position.

He waved his tail in a show of good faith and returned the call with two throaty barks of his own before breaking out into a relaxed jog towards the other wolf.

Floki watched the other male closely as he turned over and propped himself onto his elbows, looking to see who had made the noise before hoisting himself to his feet. He felt his stomach twist into a nervous knot when he saw just how large the stranger was, but swallowed his worry once he spotted his friendly countenance. There were two barks given in rejoinder, and then he began to move towards Floki.

With wet forepaws pressed into the soft, damp earth, he waved his tail gently. His ears fell back slightly, but he smiled, his expression friendly if not a bit guarded. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your nap," he said, casting a furtive glance over the male's broad shoulder at the dormant volcano in the distance.

Marcello dipped his head below the height of his spine and offered a subserviant chuff. He meant no harm and even deferred to the other wolf; he was new here, in these lands, and it seemed the right thing to do. The other wolf was tall, just as large as him, but there was an obvious age gap between them. He was handsome, youthful, and fit. Fleetingly, Marcello wondered if he was a recent dispersal wolf, or belonged somewhere. His scent wasn't telling; he hadn't been in the Teekon Wilds long enough to catagorize the various packs.

"Nah, no worries man. S'all good. I was just soakin' up some sun." He said quickly to dissolve any concerns. A warm smile flashed across his face. The younger male seemed a bit reserved, and Marcello couldn't really blame him. He would be too if caught in a conversation with a complete stranger. "I'm Marcello."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Floki," he replied, gradually becoming more at ease in the other wolf's presence. His first impression was that Marcello was laid back and it would be difficult to ruffle his feathers, as evidenced by the fact that he had been sunbathing out in the open, in the middle of unclaimed territory. He exuded a calm confidence that Floki found himself wishing he possessed.

After a brief pause, he asked, "Do you live around here?" He didn't smell anything like the packs that resided in the area, and Floki wondered if he might be able to recruit him into Moonspear's ranks. That was one of his jobs as a scout, after all, but it was a skill he hadn't used much. Maybe this would be his opportunity. His posture and expression became slightly less apprehensive and more attentive, one ear turning outward at the sound of a fish splashing across the surface of the lake -- probably the very one that had given him the slip.

The yearling was slowly beginning to warm to him and Marcello found the tiny knot that had constricted in his chest unravel when the younger wolf offered his name, and returned the genial greetings. The question didn't give him pause, but he knew it might lead into the same trail of conversation that his one with Ambrosia did down by the fen. He flicked an ear towards the splash but didn't pay it much heed. 

"No," He said, reclining to rest in a seated position before the Beta male. "I'm new to these parts." He knew, deep down, that he would one day have to return to the Ridge. But he wasn't adverse to the idea of joining up with one of the local packs to expand his knowledge, and his social sphere. In truth, there wasn't much keeping him tied to the Ridge aside from his sense of duty. His family was grown, and his relationship waned. 

"Been wanderin' for a few weeks. Met a gal from the Fen when I was passin' by. Do you live there, or elsewhere?" He hadn't traveled far enough north to learn of any other packs aside from the Fen. His impression of the Wilds was positive, if not limited.

Floki nodded as Marcello spoke, showing that he was listening to the other wolf's words. He wasn't sure of the "Fen" that was referred to -- having never met anyone from Broken Antler Fen himself -- but made a mental note of it. As a scout, he considered it his duty to keep abreast of the comings and goings of other packs in the area.

"I'm from Moonspear," he replied, and then gestured over his own shoulder. From their location, there were a few peaks standing tall in the distance; the highest of those was his home. "That mountain, back there. I'm an outrider, so I like to do a bit of traveling myself," he said. He was curious to hear where Marcello had come from, and where he had been.

He canted his head, then posed the question. "Where all have you gone, if you don't mind me asking?" There was a whole world outside of the Teekon Wilds, and if he had to guess, he would say that Marcello had seen quite a bit of it.

The two wolves conversed for a short while, but in the end, Floki was unable to recruit Marcello to Moonspear.