Haunted Wood A lonely road

Bernard lumbered on his own through the snow, unsure of where he would go. The loss of his parents and separation from his brother still stung his heart. He felt empty and purposeless as he meandered, questioning why he even bothered to keep moving. His eyes were open yet unfocused as he merely existed, barely taking in his surroundings. Trees trickled into view until they were a steady flow, surrounding him fully. Also flowing steadily was a river to his left, which he supposed he'd follow.

He did so for a while before collapsing onto the ground on his side. His body was not exhausted, but his emotions were. He laid there for some time, struggling to find a reason to rise again. It was as if he had already died.

For Wraen's timeline purposes set on 12th/13th December

Wraen had not intended to wander that far South (past the notorious Caldera and the spooky Blackfeather woods), but the trail made by several roe deer had been too tempting to leave it "unfollowed". Therefore she had begun to track it, until she finally caught sight of the little herd that consisted of three older specimens and one, which - judging by the size - was younger. Too bad, however, that she was alone and the herd was further away from Moonspear than her howl could reach the packmates to aid her. With a sigh she was about to leave the place, when...

...she noticed a massive heap of fur several feet away from her and judging by the particular smell it belonged to another wolf or something along the lines. Curious she approached the animal, who was lying on the side, still breathing and radiating heat. "You are alive?" Wraen asked the first thing that came into her mind (and not particularly clever), while keeping her distance and ready to bolt for her life any second.

He heard those footsteps approaching him, all the more apparent now that his eyes were closed. But he couldn't bring himself to care about them. Perhaps whoever it was would kill him, or perhaps he was already dead. You are alive? Came a voice now. An odd question, but he opened his eyes nonetheless and slowly rose to a slanted sitting position. When his eyes landed upon what he could only assume to be the source of the voice, a wolf of various monochrome shades, he then looked around him.

His eyes landed upon her again, and when they did, he uncertainly responded with, ... I suppose I am. He sounded displeased with the realization. Bernard said nothing more after that and merely stared at the wolf before him with no emotion behind his eyes.

Wraen had to rethink her rather reckless decision to approach this fellow, because, when he got up to a sitting position, revealing, how big and massive he really was, the girl gaped at the guy with open mouth, before taking some steps back. The first thought that came to her mind was that this was a lovechild between a wolf and bear, because he was frickin' huge! Yet she had the good sense of not asking this to the man right away, because, who knew what he was capable of, if annoyed.

"Are you disappointed by that?" Wraen asked, picking up the emotional tone in his words. "Because, if you were busy dying, I did not want to bother you. By all means - die away," she smiled at him encourigingly and wagged her tail to emphasize her good will.

The girl appeared highly taken aback by his appearance when he rose, and he frowned but supposed this was understandable. However, what she said and the smile she gave him, oddly, made him smile, too. Though there was still hurt in his eyes while he did so, it was a smile nonetheless.

I feel as if it'd be rude to do so in the presence of a lady, so I suppose I'll hold off, for now, He jested, which helped with the hurt.

Your reply just made my day! :D

It took few seconds, before the joke dawned upon Wraen and her expression changed from confused to laughing wholeheartedly. That a big and serious guy like this had a sense of humor, was totall unexpected. This brief and witty exchange broke the ice between the two and she forgot her earlier wariness about the stranger. 

"You are a gentleman to the very core," she told him, when she had stopped laughing. "So, what exactly are you? I can't decide between a bear and a wolf, but you probably know, how the story happened better?" she asked in a rather cheeky, but good natured manner.

I'm glad! Bernard's a sweetheart.

The sound of her laughing brough a few chuckles forth from deep within his chest. When she collected herself, she called him a gentleman. With a dip of his head, he replied, I try. Then came the question of what he was, but the manner she went about asking it made him chuckle again.

You're close. My father was a Caucasian shepherd: a large, powerful breed of dog. He looked over a human's territory where they kept strange looking prey animals, for some reason. A wolf would visit him from time to time and try to make conversation. Despite how he chased her off, she kept coming back. When he asked her why, she told him it was because she had no friends in her pack. Their relationship blossomed, and he left with her to start their own pack. That's where I come in. Bernard finished with a playful wink.

It was a story he loved hearing his parents tell as a pup. The thought of them made him frown, though, for it was the loss of his family that led him to be where he was now, speaking to this wolf. He tried to hold his composure, nonetheless.

A love story, how sweet... Wraen thought, while she listened to the man telling about his origins. It made another part of her brain working of how to present her story in the same or even better way, but aside from the fact that her parents were the best in the world there was nothing too outstanding about their love story. Nothing at least that had never ever happened before.

"That is a wonderful story - thank you for sharing, except..." one thing "What is a "dog" some subspecies of a bear?"

Bernard was relieved to find that she wasn't disgusted by his origin and even found it wonderful. Her question made him blink, and then he gave a wholehearted laugh. He was named for his resemblance to a bear, after all. My father told me dogs descended from wolves a very long time ago. Some may not look it, though, He explained. Bernard straightened up as he became more and more comfortable with this wolf. She was easily the kindest individual he'd met out here.

Wraen, who was small and lean, would never even dare to look down on a creature (read, "dog") that could be this big, fluffy and imposing looking. Size mattered, when it came to combat or when it was decided, who was going to be eaten by whom, therefore even if she ever met a wolf, who scorned those dogs, she would not agree. Because the first impressions sometimes were the ones that lasted the longest. And from this day on, whenever a dog would be mentioned in the conversation she would have this bear-like creature's face in mind.

"Well, wolf all the same," she shrugged. "What is your name?"

It flattered him that she considered him to be one of her kind despite how utterly different dogs had become from their ancestors. Before, he considered her mother to be some kind of exception to a rule that wolves were cruel, uncaring savages. But now, this opinion was being reconsidered. To her next question, he answered, My name is Bernard, and yours?

"Wraen Re... never mind. A fancy overlong family name," the girl smiled at Bernard. "Would you mind talking and walking? Feet are getting cold from all the sitting," she suggested, getting to her feet and stretching. She was a bit of a wimp, when it came to cold feet, because they ached. 

"I was planning to explore along that lake," she beckoned to the big body of water that was visible between the trees. "Going for a scout trade - and you can tag along, if you want to?"

Chuckling more, Bernard jested, I'd love to, Wraen Re-Nevermind. He rose to his feet as well, shaking out the snow clinging to his thick fur. He was so well-insulated that it didn't even melt. Soft eyes followed where she gestured to the nearby lake before returning to Wraen. To her mentioning of a scout trade, he said, You like travelling? I prefer to stay in one spot.

"Re-nevermind... that sounds kind of cool," Wraen memorized this for future use, when and if she met appropriate audience again. In her experience not all wolves understood the word-games and witty comments that she so enjoyed to embroider her sentences with.

"You do? Well, you just decided against dying for a lady, you might as well extend your courtesy by walking with the said lady for some time," she teased him, having misunderstood his statement slightly.

I suppose I can make an exception for you, He responded lightheartedly, deciding to go along with her teasing. With that, Bernard took on his lumbering stride towards the nearby lake, assuming Wraen would be in tow. When she mentioned it, though, it was odd to think she found him hopelessly lying on the ground just a few minutes ago, and now he was jesting back and forth with this wolf. Her presence was so utterly pleasant and upbeat that it was contagious. Well, he wasn't complaining.

"Excellent!" Wraen replied glad to have a willing companion - not all people saw the beauty in traveling and wasting energy in exploring new places. She did not mind doing it on her own as well, enjoying the independence that came along with making your own decisions, setting your own pace and deciding, where to go next and when to return home. 

What she found more difficult than she had expected, was keeping up with Bernard. While he could stroll, she had to pad quickly to match his steps. But she said nothing, keeping her gaze focused at the goal in front of her and time from time letting it turn to the side to eye her sturdy companion. 

"You would make an excellent body-guard," she said, feeling amazingly safe in the presence of the big wolf-dog. "If I was not just a subordinate in a pack without any real power, I would hire you right away."

Wraen was so much smaller than him, it was... Honestly adorable watching her try to keep up with his huge strides. He slowed his pace even more to accomodate her, though. At the prospect of her hiring him as a bodyguard, he smiled at her and said, I would still be your bodyguard. After a pause, he asked, You have a pack? Bernard perked up as he said this, but he tried to somewhat keep his composure. Getting his hopes up would probably do him no good, anyway, especially with being the beast he was.

"Yeah - I live in Moonspear," Wraen explained. "It is led by Ostrega family wolves, but there are some outsiders like me as well. My mother was good friends with the leader Charon and honoring their friendship he offered me a place there." It made it sound like there had been on other reason than favoritism alone, but she thought that in the last half a year she had made a good impression and worked hard to earn his trust and respect. 

"I can't speak for all, but time from time there is room for another one," she told him, part of her wanted to take him back to the Moonspear right away, while the other wanted to be fair and not get his hopes too high. After all - she was not the one, who made decisions. "So, if you at any time are drawn to share living premises with a ton of people, who are not as half as funny, adorable and silly - make a call."

Moonspear... He murmured, tasting the word on his tongue after listening to Wraen explain the pack. Well, it sounded nice enough. From what she said next, it sounded like she wanted him to join. His lips tugged into a grin, and he said, I might just do that, if only because there would be one funny, adorable, and silly wolf there. Then, more seriously, he asked, Where is this 'Moonspear'?

Had Wraen been human, she would be blushing. Since she wasn't she did the wolfish equivalent - turned her gaze away from Bernard for a while and smiled to herself. It was unusual to hear compliments, but it was very pleasant. 

"Moonspear?" Wraen stopped and focused on the mountain ranges in the distance, trying to pick out the correct one. She could not - there were too many obstacles along the way. "Is up North. You walk along this lake, until you hit the foot of the mountains and then just keep going paralell to the line and you will end up at my place one way or another. Or... if you walk past, you will hit the sea-side and then you simply have to turn around and walk back."

Bernard felt his own skin become flush as Wraen was clearly flustered, feeling quite bashful. He stopped when she did, his eyes following hers. But if she couldn't see Moonspear, then he had no chance. He listened intently at her directions, but even that couldn't help his awful sense of direction. Nodding, he turned back to Wraen and said, I'll have to come visit sometime. I'd like to join a pack, though I'm not sure how they'd take to me.

"What's there not to like about you?" Wraen asked, oblivious to the fact that wolves, who had had encounters with dogs, had their reservations and stereotypes about them. Seeing them at times as lesser beings, or as food sources, when there was really nothing else to eat. 

"You are big, scary looking and strong - anyone would take you for a bear from a distance. Plus, if a person is not downright stupid, then everyone has a respect for size and muscles," she listed his good points. "So, give a try and, if they don't take you, they are to blame for losing a good opportunity."

He hummed as she spoke, further humbled as the wolf listed off positive traits about him. Wraen likely had never encountered a dog or wolfdog before, or perhaps she'd had a positive experience. Either way, he was glad for it, though he knew that most wolves were not the same. Still, she did have a point—he may as well try, and Bernard knew he had much to offer in terms of his physical strength and appearance.

You're right, I ought to at least give it a shot, He said. As the thought hit him, he then added, Well, I don't want to distract you from your duties any more than I already have. Perhaps I could get a head start and meet you there.

After Bernard's last sentence Wraen shot him a look, which could only mean - leaving so soon? Besides - they were walking in the general direction of the pack already, so why rush?

"Or you can extend your stay with me and be useful in the mission," she offered him with a sly smile. "By the time we reach the other end of the lake, we will be half-way to Moonspear anyway. What do you say?"

Wraen looked disappointed at the mention of them separating, and he was, too. But they would meet again, no matter what. Even if he weren't accepted by Moonspear, Bernard couldn't let go of his first friend in this place.

Have I already been hired? He playfully asked, grinning back down to Wraen. Well, then I guess I can't say no.