Northstar Vale Not all those who wander are lost

Backdated a week or so

Sorin was twisting his way through the forests of the Vale, delving deep into the shadows cast by the towering pines. The rugged man sought to learn all he could about theses woods, due to the fact that they lined the borders of his newfound home. If he was to wander the territory on patrols, a role he intended to fill for the pack, then he needed to be intimately familiar with the border regions.

Currently, Sorin was near the northwestern edges of the valley, trying to ascertain the quickest way through the woods. His dark shape flashed between trees as he ran, eyes constantly scanning the path ahead so as to not run into anything. He leapt over a fallen log, barely breaking stride as he continued his run.

Tohka was leisurely exploring the edge of the vale, though not so much to familiarize herself with it, but to spend some time alone to process the sudden changes in her life. In a short time, she had gone from being an insignificant member of her to family to living entirely on her own to a chance encounter with Liri which led to her pledging to join the pack that was forming in the vale. She suspected her new life would be similar to her old one in some ways, but she hoped this pack would offer her some opportunity to learn and grow. Only time would tell. She was eager to meet with the other pack members, but after she had time to clear her mind.

Her mind wandered to the vale itself, how it was nestled within the mountains with peaks towering over it on every side. It made her think of the wood dragon making an incursion into the rock dragon’s domain, or perhaps the rock dragon capturing and encapsulating a portion of the wood dragon’s domain. Then there were her fantasies, and she couldn’t help wondering if the others would appreciate her fiction, or if they would be derisive of it like her father had been.

She looked up to catch a glimpse of a shadow bounding through the trees, rapidly closing in on her position. She saw the shadow sail over a fallen log, the swift movements appearing fluid and effortless.
She didn’t try to run or hide, but remained standing where the other could see her but enough out of the way that he could run past her if he wished. So much for spending time alone.

Sorin saw the dark shape of another wolf and promptly turned around. He twisted his body in one fluid move, barley scrubbing off any speed as he completed the turn. However, he checked his rush soon after completing the turn. This newcomer, while a stranger to him, did not appear to be a threat or intruder. Her movements and posture was to relaxed to be a trespasser, so Sorin assumed she was someone who had recently joined their...band...pack. He wasn't quite sure yet. Certainly, he was part of the group now living in the Vale but technically nothing was official yet. Still, Sorin considered the Vale their claim, so he wouldn't allow such a technicality get in the way of watching the borders, or greeting newcomers.

"Hello" he said once within appropriate speaking distance. The stranger's coat was black like his own, although her eyes were amber in color. "Are you going to be joining our pack here?" Best to get the potential threat issue out of the way before engaging in more conversation. After all, it wouldn't be a good idea to divulge any information that could reach the ears of wolves seeking to take advantage of the position of the newly forming pack.

Tohka offered a gentle wag of her tail when the other stopped and greeted her. She couldn’t help but admire how graceful and fluid his movements were considering how fast he had been running. “Hello there,” she said, “Yes, I am joining the pack here. I just met with Liri in the plains nearby, and she told me about it and invited me to stay, so here I am.” She gave a short, sheepish laugh as she finished speaking and fidgeted a bit on her feet. While she was always happy to meet with others, she wasn’t entirely sure of herself, given that she was the newcomer. “I’m Tohka, by the way.”

She quietly sat down to still herself, then regarded the other with soft amber eyes as she softly spoke again. “I kinda got used to being on my own, and this’ll be the first pack I’ve joined since leaving my family. I have to admit the change is a bit overwhelming, but still I’m glad to be here.” She let her gaze drift upwards, into the foliage of the pines that towered above them, sheltering them. She loved the peaceful, secure feeling it gave her. “So, if you don’t my asking, have been you been with the pack for very long?” She assumed by how easily he ran among the trees that he was very familiar with the land, and she imagined he had made the rounds more times than she could count.

Sorin's expression became more relaxed as the female spoke. She seemed somewhat nervous, and so he forced the tension from his bearing, dropping his shoulders and softening his gaze. He hoped it would put her at ease.

"Sorin" he said once she had given her name. "It's nice to meet you." His eyes dropped slightly as she continued. While their experiences certainly weren't the same, he could sense similarities based on what she had said. He didn't comment on it, but his gaze did lose some of its composure as the memory of time spent alone crept into his mind.

"I'm one of the first members that joined Liri," he said briefly, still somewhat troubled by old memories. "So I guess you could say I've been here since the beginning." He smiled briefly as he recalled meeting the ivory women. Their initial encounter hadn't been exactly, full of peace and joyfulness. Still, he wouldn't change anything in regards to meeting her.

"Have you traveled a great distance?" he asked. The shadow was typically curious about the world around him, and he knew had become somewhat sheltered in the Vale. He hoped, once the pack was well settled, to roam about the Sunspires for a little while, learn what he could. Perhaps Tohka had seen something noteworthy in her travels.

Tohka noticed that the other relaxed when she spoke, and that helped her relax as well. She perked her ears and listened as he answered her questions, her tail gently wagging all the while. “Pleased to meet you as well, Sorin,” she said. She raised her eyebrows when he said was one of the first to join, and that peaked her curiosity. “So, if you were here from the beginning, do you mind if I ask why you joined Liri? Like, were you friends before? For me the decision was pretty easy. By the time I met her, she already had a good following, and I got the impression that those who knew her trusted her.”

Tohka was unaware that her tail stopped wagging when Sorin asked how far she had traveled. She didn’t have a problem with the question, but she had mixed emotions about having left her old home behind her. “I wouldn’t say a great distance,” she answered. “Just far enough to make sure my brother doesn’t try to track me down and want me to go back to my family. I love them, I really do, but I’ve been feeling like I couldn’t grow personally as long as I stayed with them. Anyway, I came from somewhere up the coast. I actually met Liri in the meadows west of the mountains, and that’s when she told me about the pack here.” She raised a front paw to point towards Hoshor plains.