King Elk Forest Arrival

Shadowfur walked through the woods, constantly looking around for signs of prey, or of other wolves. Prey however seemed to be in short supply. The locusts must have struck here as well. He thought. The land had been stripped of much of the plant life he assumed had grown here before. However there were signs that life was returning, in the form of small plants and underbrush. But there was no sign of game, large or small. Growling in frustration, the black male trotted on. 

Shadowfur headed north, deeper into the dead forest. Suddenly, he detected the scent of other wolves. He could smell scent marks that claimed the area. Better go quickly through here he mumbled to himself. He quicked his pace, hoping to make it through the forest undetected. His eyes were constantly scanning the forest around him. Hopefully, I can make it through without any incidents. However, shadowfur knew the chances of that were slim.

Minna had been travelling for days now. She wanted to scout out just a little south of Rosings, but ended up going further then intended. She had held on to the hope that beyond the next rise, there would be green- but so far she had seen nothing. She travelled now through a dark forest, leafless and bare, thought it to was beginning to bud ever so slightly. She knew that the forest would come back, but she dearly wanted to prover herself to her pack to show them that she was a capable scout. She wanted to find something of value for the Rosing's wolves.

Head sunk in defeat, she searched for a place to rest. When she woke, she would head home. However, a dark shape caught her vision, and she headed toward it quickly, held high and tail raised in dominance. He lacked the pack scent, and she knew that he must a lone wolf. She chuffed in greeting, waiting for him to speak.

Shadowfur looked around sadly at the forest around him. In all his travels, he had never seen such destruction wrought upon the land. He only hoped it would recover soon. If balance wasn't restored, he feared death would embrace him.

He was broken out of his reverie by a chuff from another wolf. Shadowfur was startled, and he took a few paces back in surprise. He growled at himself, for growing so lax as to not notice the rest of the world around him. Then, he looked at the other wolf.

She had pack scent, although what pack he did not know. It wasn't that of the pack he had smelled earlier, but beyond that, he knew not. Her coat was an interesting mix of colors. She held herself with confidence and while her bearing wasn't the supreme authority of an alpha, it wasn't the weakness of a lower tier member either. Shadowfur chuffed a greeting himself, saying Hello, how are?

Well, he was friendly. That was good. She relaxed her stance slightly, offering him a smile. "Good, thanks. I'm Minna. How are you?" she said in a friendly tone. She admired loners, she had been one herself for quite a while and knew what it took to survive in the wilds alone. Her ears flicked slightly as a bird caught her glance, and her first thought was food.  But it was tiny, and flew high in the branches of a tree. Her gaze flicked back to the male, waiting for his answer. In these times of famine, any potential bit of food was sure to draw her attention, even though it was hopeless to catch.

She noticed his bright green eyes, and was impressed by the vibrance of the colour. They were in stark contrast with his dark pelt, which was scarred and battle-worn. This wolf, it seemed, was a warrior.

Shadowfur saw the release of tension in her stance. He understood. Loners weren't always the most friendly of characters. He had learned that lesson already. She responded to his question and offered him a smile, which he returned. Its nice to meet you Minna. I'm Shadowfur. And, I'm doing as well as can be expected. What- His next question died on his lips as the bird flew by. Like Minna, his eyes wistfully followed it's path. He watched it fly high, out of reach, and growled slightly at the bad luck. Then, he asked Minna his earlier question. What pack do you come from?

Minna gestured with her muzzle to the approximate direction of north. "My pack, Rosing's, lies far to the north. I came south to learn of new packs, and see how far the famine had reached. I may have gone a little far, however, and I will turn back tomorrow. I would hate to be gone for too long." realizing that she was rambling, Minna shut up, though she watched the dark wolf with interest. Was he looking for a pack, perhaps? Even so, she couldn't take him all the way north with her, could she? "How did you come to be in these lands, Shadowfur?" She had never heard a name like his before, and it interested her. Though she could have guessed how he came to have the name, his coat was dark as a shadow.

Rosings, A pack he was unfamiliar with. Of course, he was unfamiliar with just about everything in Teekon. However, he had gleaned some valuable information. If this rosings was far to the north, then he guessed he was at the southernmost reaches of the wilds.

Then, there was the famine. It was one thing he knew of. Does the famine stretch all across these lands? He asked. If it was, he might have made a mistake in coming here.

He could see the interest in Minna's eyes. He hoped she wouldn't get ahead of herself and ask him to join her pack. He wasn't ready yet. Then, she asked him how he had come here. His face darkened briefly as he thought of his past. I'll certainly won't tell her everything. Just a few basics. I've been wandering for a nearly a year now. I was near the edges of these lands when the locusts came. Millions upon millions of them, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. I knew I could never hope to outrun them, so I decide to try and go where they had been, in the hopes that the land would have recovered. Sadly, I was wrong.

Minna sighed, sadness clouded her features. "The locusts destroyed everything here. These lands are decimated, far to the north, east and west. Many are starving, dying, and loners are not fairing well." she have him a quick glance. "I was a loner too, until two weeks ago when I joined a pack. Had I not, I do believe I may have been dead by now." Ergh. She sounded like she was forcing him into pack life. The ways of a loner where hard to give up, she missed her wanderings sometimes. But what could she say? No presssure? Hope you won't die? 
"Of course, that depends on your luck. Some have survived just fine alone, finding prey more often then the unlucky ones who grow weaker each day"

Shadowfur groaned inwardly at the news. The famine had spread all acros the land, nothing had been spared. Then she said she to had been a loner. This came as a slight suprise. Then her next statement. That might be true for you, but I will not fall to this destruction. He didn't say that though, instead stating Then you understand why I live like this. His tone left no room for manuverability. He didn't want to give her any false hope.

Her next statement helped to dispell the tension though. I fear I might be unluckly, at least recently. I haven't seen a hint of prey in a week. He stopped himself before he said anymore. Why he asked himself, are you exposing yourself. He growled slighly at himself for his weakness.

Minna nodded at his first statment, she really did. The life of wandering, adventures and constant excitment was tough to give up, but she had stability, and Leto, and friends that stayed, and that was enough. At his second statment she had an idea. She too had not had much luck with prey, perhaps he would agree to a hunt? "Two pairs of fangs are better then one. Perhaps we could hunt together?" Hopefully he would agree, it would be better if she had someone to hunt with then to be alone.

Shadowfur saw Minna nod at what he had said. However, he did feel a little guilty. She had done nothing wrong, it was simply his past. So when she offered to hunt with him, he jumped at the chance.

He offered Minna a smile as he responded. True, two sets of fangs are better. I'd enjoy a hunt with you Minna. He meant it. This was a good opportunity to find some food. And dare he say forge a new friendship. Possibly. However, he knew hunting here would be a bad idea. I've scented other wolves here Minna. I think another pack already claimed this land as their hunting grounds. Let's head north a little ways and see if we can find free hunting area. He waited for her response, his eyes dancing with a new hope. Anticipation made him slightly impatient, and he started to ruffle his fur in eagerness. He was hungry, and a little companionship was a welcome thing after being alone for so long.

Minna smiled of his acceptance, tail wagging. "Perfect!" she said sincerely. However, when he mentioned the scents of other packs in the area, she didn't know what he meant. The closest pack was one who's borders she had scented earlier, and it was closer to the south. She realized with a start, however, that she was much further south then originaly thought. Minna nodded quickly. "A pack is near, I think. Should we head In the direction of those slopes?" she asked, pointing to the small rocky outcrops in the distance. She knew that they where nothing the size of the massive range Rosing's nestled within, but they where still mountains, where they not?

Shadowfur smiled at Minna's enthusiasm. It was simply infectious. He was excited at the possibility of a hunt. Finally, he might be able to find susitence in theses trying times.

He followed her gaze to the slopes. Hmm, we might find prey there. "Yeah, lets head in that direction." He headed out, then stopped suddenly. He didn't know much of these new lands. Perhaps it would be better if Minna would take the lead. "Do you mind leading the way?" he asked. "I'm still new to these lands." Shadowfur grinned sheepishly, trying to cover up his ignorance, but failing utterly. He hoped it wouldn't lessen her opinion of him at all. He wanted to make a good impression. Why exactly, he asked himself. Why did he seek approval, he had lived without it for the past half year. He shook his head is confusion, waiting for Minna's response.

Minna agreed to lead the way, not at all judging him for his lack of knowledge about these lands. She too knew nothing when she had first arrived, and he would learn in time. She motioned for him to follow, and set off at a steady lope toward the distance peaks. It was after perhaps 15 minutes that she scented the pheasent, and motioned for Shadowfur to stop with a flick of her tail. She crept to the other side of the bird, giving it a wide birth. When she was opposite Shadowfur, and hoped that he had stayed put, she lunged out of hiding, causing the pheasent to head directly toward where she had left Shadowfur.

Shadowfur set off, following Minna towards the slopes. They had covered a fair amount of ground when suddenly Shadowfur caught scent of a pheasant. Minna, had smelled it too, for she stopped and motioned for him to stay put. Immediately, he knew what she had in mind. You push, I ambush he thought. It was a clever hunting strategy and one of his favorites. Shadowfur settled down into the brush while Minna crept around the bird. He waited for a short while, and saw her quick lunge out of cover. Shadowfur watched the pheasant running towards him intently, waiting.

Suddenly, the pheasant began to flap its wings. Shadowfur dashed out of cover, and leaped into the air, catching the bird by the leg. He dragged it back to earth and killed it with a quick bite to the neck. Then, he trotted over to Minna and dropped it at her paws saying "Ladies first"

He caught it quickly and dragged it down, where the dark pelted male dispatched it with a quick bite. Minna approached readilly, offering him a smile and a nod of thanks when he offered it to her first. Had this occured not in the midst of a famine, she would have let him have the first go at the prey, but she was starving, and with a quick nod cleanly ripped a chunk of the flesh away, leaving a little more then one half for the loner. She ate her fill quickly, filling her shrunken stomach. For the first time in days, she had dulled hunger's sharp bite. 

When she had cleaned the blood from her maw, she nodded at the male. "You hunt well, Shadowfur. That was quite a catch." she complimented him. Had she lunged at the bird, she probably would not have achieved the same height that he had, she being much smaller.

Shadowfur saw the thanks in Minna's eyes and smiled at her. She had done a great job flushing out the pheasant for him. He waited for her to take her portion, then dug into what she had left him. The food, his first in a while, strengthened him and helped to chase away some of his hunger. He sighed in appreciation saying "I sure needed that."

When he finished, he looked up Minna, pleased by her praise of his hunting skills. "Thanks Minna," he said. "Of course I couldn't have done it without you. You flushed that pheasant perfectly." He smiled in thanks, then lay down in the short grass, feeling suddenly tired.

Althaia was glad. She had scouted south, gained a meal, made a friend, and learned much of the territory in the south. It was time for her to leave, however. She had a pack, and a special few to get back to, and she did not want to linger. "It has been a pleasure, Shadowfur! I couldn't have done it without you.  But I have to go back to my pack, I dare not leave for too long." She missed her mountain forest home, and was so glad she had stumbled upon it those weeks ago. She offered a smile to the male, waiting to see if he had any parting words before she would depart.

I can archive this, if you would like? Thanks for the thread :D

Shadowfur could see the the restlessness in Althaia's bearing. Then, she told him she was heading home. He was saddened slightly, but he understood perfectly. "Pack wolves... should be with their pack", he said. "I appreciate the kindness you have shown me. Perhaps now I can enter this world with a little more optimism." He nodded once to the female, thanking her for the hunt, then turned northwest and walked on.

He still walked the land alone, but Shadowfur had made a friend in this new, famine ridden land. And to him, that was worth more than he could ever truly express.

Minna gazed at his retreating figure, glad for the friend she had made. "Perhaps we will cross paths again, Shadow!" she called out to his retreating back. Then, spurred by a desire to be home once more, she trotted swiftly toward home. Her form weaved between trees, rocks, and other such obsticales, with only one thought on her mind. 
Home.