Moonsong Glacier I'll never forget my mother's face; that was real

AW! Forgive my character development novel :P

Someone had informed him that the huge block of ice before him was called Moonsong Glacier. Tonight, watching the celestial light reflect off the shining expanse, he could understand why.

Steady had told him to keep watch at the border for the ever-present threat of incursion by the forest wolves at the base of the mountain. This glacier gave him the perfect vantage point of those woods. Phocion dared not to step onto the ice--the footing looked a bit dicey--but he found a rock near the top of the glacier to sit on and gaze down on the lands below.

It was a lovely night, cool and breezy and only partly-cloudy, so the moon and stars had a chance to peek through and shine on the earth. Phocion closed his eyes for a long moment as his thick white fur rippled in the spring wind. This was far from being the highest point on the mountain, but it still gave him a good view.

Phocion had been born on a mountain. His mother, impregnated by some waste of oxygen who had left before meeting his own son, had given birth on a craggy piece of land down south. Views like these--sans the glacier--were commonplace where he came from. And those first few months of life had been wonderful. Just his mother and he. The food was plentiful enough to survive on their own.

Then she died, one day. For seemingly no reason whatsoever. One second, she was fine; the next, she lay writhing on the ground, her mouth foaming, her eyes wild. It was over in minutes. Phocion now suspected she had gotten into some poisonous substance, but as a young weanling pup, he had had no clue what had taken his mother so suddenly. All he knew was that he was alone.

The image of his mother in her death throes brought tears to Phocion's eyes, and a droplet trickled down his cheek, then another, then another. "Oh, God, Mom," he sobbed, lowering his head and letting his grief spill onto the rock below. It was the first time he had cried for his mother since he was a pup.

When the crying had ceased, Phocion sniffled, shook his head to clear those sad thoughts, and locked his eyes on the edges of Neverwinter Forest. "Chin up," he could hear his mother say, as clearly as if she were right beside him again. "It does no good to cry." God, she was right. She was always so strong--and so right.

Just going to jump in here!

It was a chilly night, the slight breeze in the air biting at Anita's fur. The lone she-wolf stepped out of the forest, the frost-bitten undergrowth turning to cold, hard-packed ice with a few plants sticking out here and there.

Although the expanse of white and green was surprising, what caught her eye the most was the large glacier ahead. Anita surveyed her surroundings, acknowledging that her red pelt made her stick out like a sore thumb. If someone else happens to be here, I hope that they are friendly...

The wind started to pick up despite the spring weather, the breeze still slight but present enough to keep her moving. Anita squinted against the breeze. There was someone near the top of the glacier, but the she-wolf couldn't quite make it out. A male, by the looks of it. And a crybaby too. Anita shook her head at her own mean-spirited comment. She needed to work on that, or else she had no chance of making allies.

 Anita paced warily over to the glacier, being sure not to interrupt the other wolf's grief session. She scaled the mound of ice, and with a few slips, managed to get to the rock where the male sat. "Sorry to interrupt...this..." Anita spoke suddenly, her voice raising over the wind. It wasn't too cold, but she wanted to head back to the forest as soon as possible. "May I ask what is going on?" Anita sat down, tensing due to the freezing stone underneath her.

Movement down below startled him out of his thoughts, and he stood, fur bristling warily as he searched for the source of the motion. He relaxed a little as he took in the newcomer's scent, noticing it was a female, and alone, with no smell of a pack on her. Sure enough, the reddish-colored woman came into sight, long legs carrying her up the glacier. Phocion nodded stiffly, attempting to balance friendliness with wariness.

"Good evening." Her question as to what was wrong rubbed him the wrong way; what right did she have to inquire into his private thoughts? Then he resisted a chuckle at his own hypocrisy--he was just as forward as this female, he just didn't like it as much when he was on the receiving end of prying questions. He allowed a small smile to creep onto his face in response. "It's a long story. I'm sure you wouldn't want to sit through it," he said succinctly.

He did have a question for her, however. A couple, actually. Despite not being affiliated with any pack--he was 98 percent sure about that--she was a little too close to Silvertip for comfort. He was becoming awfully protective, almost savagely so, of his new mountain home.

"Who are you?" Phocion asked, keeping his tone light while still maintaining an edge that demanded an answer. "What brings you to the glacier?" The pair of queries had two benefits; one, to figure out who she was, and two, to draw attention away from his own emotional breakdown. This female had probably seen him weeping up here, and he hated to know that someone else had bore witness to his moment of weakness.

The other wolf stirred, catching Anita's attention. The male quickly regained his composure, recovering quickly enough from his despair to look cooly at her. He had a wary look about him still evident on his face, but Anita decided not to pressure him with any more statements. "Good evening to you too." Anita said, nodding her head as a sign of respect. She knew she was awfully close to land that seemed to be his, and didn't want to risk getting in a fight. Afterall, she didn't know where to go. Anita listened to the male explain about how his story wasn't one to be told at the moment. "Fair enough," Anita said, a small grin showing on her face. 

The she-wolf heard the other wolf ask who she was and shifted her weight to sit more comfortably. She had a feeling that she would be at this glacier longer than she had expected. "For starters, my name is Anita." She picked up on his calm yet demanding tone. He wanted more than just her name, as expected.

"I happen to stay on my feet a lot. I suppose moving around is just what I do," Anita answered, jumping right into the question. "I knew that I was heading towards this glacier, and I figured someone else would be here. I haven't eaten in a while, due to the scarcity of prey these days. More or less, I figured a little company would help if I could find anyone." 

"So what are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking?" Anita immediately realized how pointless of a question that was--this place was probably his home. "Well, what brings you to the glacier tonight, I suppose?" The she-wolf truly wanted to know what had saddened the male so much, but didn't want to pressure him into speaking up.

"Anita," Phocion repeated, nodding his head curtly. "Nice to meet you." He would normally let his guard down a bit with a small, but he was still prickly at her discovering his tears. She was a traveler, then, moving around in search of food. And had come looking for company. Heh. That's the opposite of why I came here.

He said as much. "I came for some solace. I find myself in the company of others quite often and need a break from time to time." He turned his cool blue gaze over to her, voice impassive. "Though I won't turn you away now that you've spent time and energy scrabbling up the ice."

Phocion nodded toward the forest below. "As for food, you won't find much here on the glacier. You could find it down there"--he pointed his nose toward the trees--"or up here," he continued, looking back towards the mountain. "But you're between a rock and a hard place, as both lands are taken. I can't speak for the forest wolves, but there are several up here who'd gladly rip your head off and leave your body to rot if you trespassed and hunted on pack lands." Here he let a grin slowly spread over his face. "Myself included."

"Why do you run alone, Anita?" Phocion queried, his tone beginning to lighten. "You'd have much better luck in a pack. It's hard times for a lone wolf, these days."

The outline of the forest loomed ahead of her--it looked promising prey-wise, but she wasn't in the mood to put her life in danger. "I suppose you're right. It's not my territory, but then again, nowhere is." Anita muttered, glancing at the treeline. "Solace?" The she-wolf paused, thinking for a moment. "Funny, that's the opposite of what I came here for. Well, besides being starving, I've spent most of my life alone. Company would be nice, I suppose." 

Anita pondered for a little, looking towards the mountains. "Do we know anything of the wolves there? Do you ever wonder if they are as aggressive as the forest wolves?" Anita knew she may be jumping to conclusions, but the mountains looked promising. She let that thought slip to the back of her mind as she heard the other wolf's question.

"I've ran alone for most of my life," she turned her amber gaze over him, her grin fading to a more serious look. "My mother was a loner, not sure what became of her. She told me that being in a pack wasn't worth it, and that's all I know."

"I have considered joining a pack, especially on the days food is scarce," the she-wolf admitted, dropping her gaze to the forest. "But as you said, I'm worried about getting my head ripped off and my body being left to rot," She grinned, restating the male's statement.

Anita's mind wandered back to the time she first saw this stranger. He was obviously upset over something, and Anita wondered if that was any of her business. She decided that for some reason, it was. Anita cleared her throat, regaining eye contact with her company. "Mind if I ask who you are and why you were weeping a few moments ago?" 

He nodded slowly as she spoke at length, taking in her words. However, her inquiry into his earlier episode rattled him, and his gaze grew hard again, jaw clenched. Nosy girl. He took a few long moments before he responded; he didn't necessarily have to give the whole story away. Just an outline.

"My mother died when I was young," Phocion said, a sentence he had been forced to say too many times. "I'm over it, mostly, but sometimes, when I'm by myself, I see it in my mind. Again. I watched her die."

He let his voice grow softer as he continued. "My name is Phocion. I'm a member of the pack that lives on the mountain behind us. As for those mountains," he continued, looking to the south, "I'm afraid I don't know much. I crossed them on my way here, but I caught little glimpse of the pack that lives there."

Phocion cast a long look over Anita, taking in her appearance. She was blessed with a trim figure, and long legs; she looked swift and athletic. Her amber eyes were frank, and he knew her for a wolf that spoke her mind, despite a tendency to be sharp-tongued. He had the same quality, himself.

"I ran alone for most of my life," Phocion said. "I didn't realize how great it was to be part of something bigger until I came here." He nodded up toward the mountain again. "If joining a pack is something you seek, you need not worry about getting your head ripped off. Stand at the border, be polite, and, most importantly, keep your mouth shut, except to answer their questions." He grinned.

The she-wolf bowed her head in sympathy. "I am sorry for your loss, it must be very hard." Anita knew that losing a loved one was very difficult, especially if it was someone as important as their mother. "Wherever she may be now, I hope that she is doing well." Respectful wishes like these were hard due to her normal brash talk, but she wanted him to acknowledge her sympathy. Anita looked up as the male introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Phocion." The name rolled strangely off her tongue, sounding not strange but more different than what she was used to. Then again, she didn't know many names due to her life of living alone. Anita studied the male before her. He was well-built, not too tall, not too short. He seemed to have a cold demeanor, but she could sense some sort of wit underneath that as well. 

What stuck out the most was his blue eyes. Anita had seldom seen any other color besides her own, nor had she seen a pelt so white before. "Now that we have discussed it, I realize a pack would be very benefitial. I will take your advice." The she-wolf felt a shiver go down her spine--she had no idea what she was getting into. 

She listened to Phocion's careful advice about being accepting into the pack. She was admittedly nervous--the way of life was probably something she had never seen or experienced before. As a loner, she would have to get used to being surrounded by others. It was a big decision, and Anita decided she should take the risk.

He allowed himself a warm smile as she offered her condolences, beginning to slide back into his normal air of good humor. "Thank you, Anita," he said softly, looking at the stars. Was his mother watching him from above? "She was an extraordinary woman."

Looking back down at the lone female, Phocion nodded in response to her statement about joining a pack, though was a bit confused--did she mean Silvertip, or another group? He decided to run with assuming the former and said, "My pack has endured some hard times lately. Several deaths have weakened our ranks and broken hearts as well. Strong warriors and hunters would be beneficial."

He continued on with the main caveat of entrance to the pack as it stood. "We have young ones, so the highest priority is to keep them, and their mother, fed. Little food is left for everyone else. It will require a great deal of selflessness, as well as cooperation and loyalty." He gave her a long look, searching for conviction in her eyes. "If this sounds like something you can handle or are interested in, I will lead you to the border to talk to our beta male. He, then, will decide whether you can join or not."

Phocion made sure to gauge her reaction as he spoke. It was one thing to dream of joining a pack, another to take the weight of responsibility upon your shoulders. Phocion found himself weakened and unsteady because of the lack of food, but he knew that Zaria's brood came first--he had promised to protect and feed them when he first arrived to Silvertip, and he would not break that oath.

Anita exchanged a warm smile with Phocion, he had seemed to drifted off whilst speaking of his mother. As he began to walk, Anita tagged along, listening to the male explain about the ways of his pack. "I am sorry for your pack as well. Little did I know the extent of your hardships." Anita's words were tentative at first, she figured that they were heading towards the entrance of the pack soon. However, she seemed to regain her composure.

She had decided that she did indeed want this. A life with a pack would teach her how to live with others. It seemed so much easier to live as a lone wolf, but Anita didn't want to live the easier life. She needed to learn, struggle and grow alongside a pack. Devotion shone in her amber eyes as she matched her gaze with Phocion's. 

She listened as Phocion dove deeper into the explanation of pack life."I forgot about pups, they must be a large resonsibility." Anita couldn't even bear the thought of a pup dying, but she knew that things like these happened often--especially during this time. "If it comes down to it, I will sacrifice every meal for the ones who need it more than I do." Anita meant these words. It did not seem like it due to her witty nature, but she had learned to be selfless in the face of innocence. If it was for a good cause, she would gladly offer up her possesions to others.

Anita stood up, shaking out the debris that clung to her legs and underbelly. "I have made up my mind. I wish to join your pack, and I sure do hope the beta is friendly."

Fine words from Anita, he thought gladly. Determined. "Yes, we have gone through hard times as of late, but with God's grace, we'll recover." He looked over at the female with a smile, continuing to melt into his normal self. "If this is what you want, then we will head for the border. It's not very far away.

"As for our beta, well. . ." He trailed off with a chortle, thinking of the weird, tense triangle that had sprang up recently between himself, the second-in-command and Niita. "Steady's a fine wolf. Very friendly and kind. He doesn't bite--not hard, anyway," Phocion added in jest, with a playful nudge of his new companion's shoulder.

"Follow close," he said over his shoulder as he began to trot toward the edge of Silvertip territory. "We'll be there before you know it." A rush of excitement overcame him as he went on his way. God willing, if this new recruit proved useful to Silvertip, his stock in the pack would raise even higher--and that was good, indeed.

Last post from me. Feel free to post once more or fade & archive. Will tag you in a post at the Silvertip border