Duck Lake Eclipse Hazel

The temperatures had been below zero for quite a while, therefore you can imagine Birk's surprise, when he found a body of water that was not frozen solid. He had been born at a place, where winter ruled most months of the year, he thought he knew the harsh, greedy and unforgiving nature of the Mistress herself very well, yet there were those, who fought against or simply did not give in. 

Another thing that describes winter well, is the stillness - absence of the maddening chorus of the various songbirds. Here, however, he could hear the quacking from afar with amusing "duck-laughter" breaking through the commotion. The northerner drew closer to the lake, to make sure that he was not imagining things, and was rewarded with a good view over the current duck metropolis of the area. At least twenty birds, where swimming and chatting in the still unfrozen part of the lake.

He stood on the bank and watched them.

@Korei Julia @Alarian

Lennon held no complaint for the new company he’d been traveling with, Korei had already proven herself to the boys liking. For the other wolf, there simply wasn’t a way he couldn’t like him, they were so very similar - of course, he didn’t know him as well either and kept his opinion open to change. The dusky wolf began to reflect on how distinctly different it was when he journied in solitude. 

When on his lonesome, to avoid boredom he would sing (whether in his mind or aloud, it didn’t matter). Singing removed him from the current world and brought him to his own, forcing him to miss minuscule and large details on his surroundings. Having others around had the opposite affect, he spent more time focused on the world around him - their presence kept him grounded. So, for once he noticed a ebony pelted stranger in the distance instead of a few feet away. His ears perked, noticing the strangely unfrozen water. He, too, came from the Great North and such a sight was thought provoking. Especially in below freezing temperatures. He inches closer to the new face, keeping a safe enough distance in case he caused fret. ”Strange, in’nt?”

Korei Julia followed Lennon, but stopped slightly behind when she saw the other wolf that Lennon approached. Cautiously, she too approached, moving slowly to the other side of Lennon to see the unfrozen water. It was quite the mystery to her, seeing such a thing in cold weather.

In another post it was mentioned that Birk didn't hive much for beauty and aesthetics (though he liked pretty girls and his own handsome face), because they turned your focus away from the things that really mattered. And now - when he was suddenly swamped by a pair of wolves - he cursed under his breath for his own stupidity, when he turned around to greet them.

The male in the little company did not get that much of a kind greeting (a quick, evaluating look over his features and a skeptical cough) than his companion, who was a very good, if a little unsure looking she-wolf. For her he mustered up a very polite smile and a respectful dip of his muzzle. "Who are you?" he asked out of curiousity and to buy him time, if these two were here to eat him.

Lennon didn't mind that the stranger didn't answer his question at all, new company without it being expected could be startling he supposed - though he was always on the lookout for company. That lack of a welcoming greeting is what, if anything at all, bothered him, especially with the large focus being on Korei. For now, he decided to ignore it.

He sent the male a kind grin,  "I'm Lennon, and this is Korei." His head gestured behind him to the white-coated she-wolf. His glance shifted to her, attempting to show her a sense of kindness, not knowing if she was very comfortable meeting strangers often - which their expedition seemed to consist of often.

Korei Julia perked her head up when the other wolf spoke and at Lennon's greeting and mention of her name. She then quickly ducked her head down, sticking rather close to Lennon. She remained silent, letting Lennon do any talking unless specifically addressed.

The guy was bold enough - and that was expected, because males usually were like this. But the female with the unusual name seemed to be very shy and intimidated. Birk looked from her back to the one, who had introduced himself as Lennon, wondering, if her behaviour had anything to do with the man, but the suspicion did not seem to have any proof. 

Well, wait and see, though the most likely scenario would be that he would forget about the pair the moment they walked out of his life never to return. "Birk from Easthollow," he said his name and pack's as well, in hopes that this would make them wary of doint any harm to him. Though it was highly unlikely that any of the older members of the group would do anything for a newbie.

"Where are you heading?" he asked, having found suddenly something very interesting to sniff at on the ground and therefore moving away nonchalantly to a spot, where he would not be trapped between a pool full of ice cold water and ducks and two wolves, whos intentions weren't clear.

Easthollow - he knew of that place, meeting a kind dog by the name of...Poppy. That's right, a brown young border collie, as she called herself. The collie had been general kind, and didn't warn him to stay away from the Hollow's borders and instead welcomed him. Though, this male seemed much staler and shut off versus the last hollow pack member. He was still trying to wrap his head around the pack's character, they had to be friendly to have such loose border patrol. 

"Nowhere particular," He admitted, just searching for a home for Korei. "Think you can tell us some more about Easthollow?" Wondering if they had the potential to ber forever home - though their lack of defense was unsettling and he only wanted the best for the young girl. The more time they spent together, he wondered if he could leave her at a pack without joining himself... Yet, he knew no pack would make him happy.

Korei couldn't think if she knew of this pack, and she kept herself hidden as much as she could behind Lennon shyly. She also began to wonder where Alarian was, perhaps off on another one of his adventures. To distract herself from wondering, she put her eyes on the frozen water once more.

Nowhere in particular. To Birk this kind of aimlessness sounded suspicious, but he had been the same last winter and been forced to join a pack, because otherwise, he would have greeted the spring with both ears rotten away. Therefore he nodded in response and then mulled over about the next inquiry about Easthollow. 

He had not been part of this pack long, to pass on the judgement or be the perfect ambassador. He was also not so sure, how did the rules of keeping the pack's secrets applied to the newbies, what he was allowed to tell and what should be kept hidden. "A decent pack - lots of wolves around this time of the year, but - perhaps - with the spring the numbers will dwindle," he replied, knowing well, that, if it came to famine caused by overpopulation, he would be first to leave them. 

"Though, if you want to know more - I suggest you go and make a call at the borders. I have not been there long myself."