King Elk Forest the wrong name

Someone from Tindómë?

Moving from rocky to flat terrain was a relief to Uka, as he was beginning to ache quite a bit. The shade from the trees helped to sheild him from the harsh midday sun, which was another relief, as his coat didn't quite shed the way he'd needed it to this season. As a matter of fact, he looked so battered and uneven that laughing at it was all he could do. Uka had long since learned that laughing at things he couldn't change was a much better solution than letting them destroy him. 

There were obviously other wolves nearby, but he didn't mind. Besides, there were no clearly marked borders, so he couldn't have been trespassing anywhere too important. Maybe he could find someone and get an idea of where he was, maybe figure out where he was headed next. Helloooo! he called, hopeful that someone might hear.

/waves

the forest is cozier day by day and delight is dedicating to becoming one of its shadows, spending his days idly keeping track of where his pack-mates tread when he can - and really, it's just an excuse for him to play around and still feel like he's contributing, he is still young. he wonders sometimes if he should feel competitive with seabreeze and mato - both around his age or younger and already so much more - untouchably wisened, it seems like, but it's easier to dedicate himself to their well-being. someone's gotta be the brat for everyone's sake.

still, the forest has been quieter. he supposes he should look for mato, to discuss his chronicling, but before he's given the chance to work up the energy, a stranger's voice catches his ear. the wisp prickles - this is their home - but they aren't so formally established yet. still, he feels a little territorial as he approaches, a slinking androgynous form with sharp eyes like moons. the strange new man was scruffy but didn't seem a threat. "what are you doing," he demands, almost churlish, though it's offset by his obvious (if condescending) intrigue.

If this young brute thought that his prickles were impressive, then that meant Uka's were show stopping. His heart jumped into his throat when the other approached, his hackles finding their way to a point out of instinct. He didn't settle completely either, with having heard the passive aggression in this young ward's voice. Easy now, soldier. I'm just a-wandering. And Uka seemed to have remembered very vividly just how legal that was. 

Say, can you tell me where I am? he asked, his tail wagging slowly behind him. His hackles had since lowered and any signs of aggression disappeared, but that didn't mean he was off his rail. If this young brute wanted to try his luck, well, Uka wouldn't stop him. That being said, there'd be no one to stop him either.

soldier, the man calls him, and delight finds himself puffing up slightly with pride despite his warning. yes, yes, the other is larger and more frightening and del does lower his defenses petulantly, the beginnings of a pout threatening to overtake his frown. this is his home even if the stranger has no way of knowing that - but then he expresses interest in it. oh, right, yeah, he's probably supposed to help out with recruiting, isn't he?

"tindómë," the wisp answers proudly, the last edge of his sulk fading as quickly as it came. "-- it will be, anyway. the forest is named king elk." the androgyne gives the man an appraising look - he's not actually sure how recruiting works, or what mato's looking for (though, a mean voice reminds him, he took in you), but he seems healthy enough, that counts for something? "what's your name?" del asks him, absently winding against the closest tree and leaning, his eyes sharp and something between thoughtful and judgemental as he watches the larger being.

Uka was never afraid of the spotlight, so he didn't budge when his examination began. C'mon, you can't guess? he cooed, finding himself smiling a sinful thing, It's Eucalyptus, but I go by Uka now. It's a lot easier on the ears. At least, Uka thought it was, but his parents would have respectfully disagreed, give or take on the latter. Now, he wasn't too keen on honeypotting when there were other options, but he was tired and his legs hurt; he wanted to rest, and he knew he wouldn't be able to do that until he was no longer under this boy scout's scrutiny.

And your name? I figure it'll be easier to find my way back if I have a name to call you by.

the man - uka, euka, whatever - changes his attitude once del relaxes, but it turns weird quick. something about that smile unsettles him, similar to how trajan's affectations had, but those had been harmless and this felt knife-point precise against him. "why would i be able to guess your name, we've never met," he says irritably, oblivious as always to the give and take of social niceties. "and my name is delight singing-sunlight." 

despite the fact that he's yet to meet someone who could resist mocking him for his name (even mato had shown a flash of judgement, he thinks), the androgyne lifts his head, a little prideful. his name suits him just fine, there just aren't many others worthy of being delightful to. "-- and, come back? are you looking to join us?" he tilts his head to accompany his question. this would be easier if he knew mato was around, but he isn't sure where the silvery prince spends his time. should he howl for him, he wonders, but he'll wait to see what uka says before deciding.

Worth a try, Uka thought to himself as he began a gradual decline in overall interest. After all, games like these were only fun to play when both parties had equal interest in winning. Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine, he joked, Get it? Although he was still smiling, it was clear that he was being a bit more patronizing, or perhaps domineering than before. Uka kept it overall respectful, as he wasn't quite sure just who this Delight character was beyond a name, but he wasn't a fan of having his presence challenged. 

I wouldn't mind joining — as long as you don't all have sticks up your asses — but I can't say I have any established skills to offer. I work well with others, though...most of the time. Uka liked dealing with all kinds of spirits, but if everyone around here was the same as this brute, he wasn't sure how long he could last.

while uka does not outright mock him, he does joke nonetheless. will the boy ever meet anyone who appreciates him as he is? "i am," he huffs, fully aware he's being patronized and not appreciating it one bit. but still, he imagines mato's face if he lost the opportunity to recruit someone to their ranks because of his attitude, and he forces himself to let it go. (for now). 

"that's okay," del says quickly, glad to be changing the subject back to tindómë itself. "we don't have traditional ranks - tindómë is trade based," he says, recalling the way mato phrased it, realising this is an opportunity to flex his skill as a chronicler. "our prin- our leader's name is mato. he doesn't ask anyone to already have a trade to join us. i didn't when we met, either." technically he still doesn't, but he's unwilling to admit that to this stranger. he flushes beneath his fur at his slip - he may think of mato as a prince but he knows that's not his official title, and he hopes uka doesn't pick up on it. "um, we also have someone working towards caregiver and toward mercenary, so you can study with them, or choose your own path, sort of thing." he tries to imagine the man working with the roman or with mato's girlfriend seabreeze and can't quite, but he figures it might help to establish a bigger picture of the still-developing group. the wisp is curious what sort of thing this.. uka would choose for himself, if anything.

Uka heard the slip up, but he wasn't a fan of embarassing kids. And besides, there was no real use in it; any sort of weak flirtation he could've gotten was hiding deep in the back of this Delight's throat, and Uka refused to ever dig for someone else's affection. So while he had the perfect chance to make a coy joke, he just let it slide. His back was beginning to hurt from standing, as were his legs, so he sat back on his haunches with a sloppy huff and a content smile. 

Fighting isn't really my thing, believe it or not. I'm more of a lover. He gave a toothy half-smile as a final attempt at charming his way into Delight's favor, then got back to business, Why don't you call this Mato character for me so I can talk to the prin- leader himself. There it was, Uka's smartass comment of the day; who would he be without it?

heat flares in him when the man repeats his slip of the tongue, flushing deep under his fur. "augh," he says, ducking his head, "fine." the comment about being a lover hasn't escaped his notice either, but the wisp doesn't really know what to do with that, has never really experienced flirting so obtusely and he's too focused on his job here anyway. delight is still flushed-embarrassed as he tips back his head and calls out for @Mato (and oh please let him be near-by, the wisp does not want to have to go look for him, especially with this guy).

shooort sorry haha

He is summoned with a howl upon the winds. Umbra dipped ears twitch atop his skull to better pinpoint the origins of the call and when he has discerned it he wastes no time making his way there. His steps are sure and set with purpose as he closes the ( thankfully ) slight distance from where Delight has called and himself upon his patrol. The empyrean’s pace slows as he approaches and comes to a full cease as he enters the scene, his bright, apple green gaze taking in Delight with a dip of his head in acknowledgement before he turns his full focus upon the stranger, taking him in with a regal lift of his chin. “I am Mato; Morwinyon of Tindómë,” He offers his title in his introduction with a tip of his crown in greeting. “You seek to join our ranks?” He inquires of the stranger, offering Delight a glimpse in the hopes the dark wisp might offer him a subtle confirmation that Mato’s assumption is correct.

Maybe it was something in the air, or maybe it was in the water. Hell, maybe it was even a new disease that their meat had contracted, but something about these wolves and the logs they had forced up their rear ends turned Uka off. You seek to join our ranks? Mato asked, and internally, Uka mocked him akin to a modern Spongebob meme -- yOu SeEk To JoIn OuR rAnKs? He spoke as if he already had some sense of royal privelege about him, and that superior complex was something Uka knew would piss him off. 

I just wanted to know a bit more about what it is you do here, you know, before making any major decisions. Read: I don't plan on being here for more than ten minutes but that's too risky to admit. Uka was looking forward to finding the next pack and trying his luck there, as it didn't seem like there was much for him here. He could only hope that there were wolves who liked to have a bit of fun, so as to balance out the irksome seriousness of these brutes.

mato had been close by, it seems, and delight can't quite hide the relief on his face when the silvery male shows up. the prince introduces himself as morwinyon which del commits to memory immediately. he will not make the same embarrassing mistake twice - if he can help it, that is.

uka's attitude seems to have changed yet again. the wisp wonders if he's botched things, wonders if he should really care, wonders if mato will be disappointed. he frowns but does not speak again, letting mato take the reigns of the conversation, since clearly he's already done more harm than good here.

feel free to skip del now!

Mato’s umbra ears cupped forth as the stranger did not, directly, answer his question, but he supposes that wishing to hear more was a start, however discouraging. Still, the druid would give him more information to mull over, if that was what he wanted. “We are not a traditional pack here, adhering to a hierarchy where high rank is rewarded by skill alone and culls out leader favoritism. Beneath leadership sit the wolves who have earned their mastery. Beneath them, those who have earned their specialty, then those who hold a basic trade, the apprentices and then those who bear no trade at all at it’s lowest.” He has yet to figure out where children factor into that hierarchy aside from the apprentices but as they have no children among their foundling ranks and he does not think about children because there are no mated pairs ( and on a personal level he is still yet too young to conceive ) he is in no real rush to factor if their birth gives them a higher standing than the Núro or not; and eventually he would think of some way to cull favoritism for leadership as well; perhaps if they wish to become leaders they, too, must pass some sort of trial ( but now was hardly the time to think of such things! ). In Morwinyon’s mind Tindómë operated very simply and hoped that in practice it would work as seamless as it appeared to work in theory. It is here that Mato gives pause, allowing the break down of the tiers and how they work to sink in, unsure whether this stranger has actual interest or not.

Though his eyes remained focused and his head busy with the occasional nod, Uka was dying of both boredom and frustration. The syntax, the vocabulary, everything about what was being said was so mind-boggling to him, regardless of how much of it there was. If such a short conversation could manage to be so draining, Uka wondered what it would be like to live in such a place. That does sound very intriguing, he said with a reassuring drawl, but I'd like to see what else is around these parts before I settle. There; that was nice enough, wasn't it?

I'll surely keep this in mind, though. Rest assured, captain.

last post for mato & me! i'm not sure if you two wished to continue the thread or not ...but if not feel free to archive as is, if you'd like. c:

“Of course.” Mato speaks with a respectful dip of his crown. He would not begrudge this man before him the chance to weigh his options for there were many in the Teekons. Perhaps it was as simple as a foundling pack wasn’t everyone’s idea of a good time; perhaps there was too much uncertainty in the balance and they would rather a established pack. Regardless, the empyrean will not push for an immediate answer. That was not the kind of man that he was and he would rather someone join willingly as opposed to feeling forced either way. “May your travels be well.” Morwinyon offers the stranger before he takes his leave assuming that his presence is no longer required.