Wisps of curiosity

For any BFW Member! :D

The sound of an animal wading through the water echoed through the swamp. The large grey male was eager to explore every inch of this territory. All his senses were on alert once he reached the northeast corner of Blackfeather grounds. Everything was silent except for the sounds he was making. His body having to wade through the water that came to his chest. Slowly the ground under his feet elevated onto a higher muddy bank. The wolf didn't bother shaking out his fur since there would probably be water soon again. His blue eyes tried to see through the fog laying low over the ground.

A strange feeling settled over him once the mist suddenly disappeared. Burke still wasn't sure if the glowworms and mushrooms were magical or not. He did not believe in that type of 'magic'. Frankly, the wolf didn't believe in magic at all. But once a pale blue wisp came into his vision the older wolf had to tip his head in question. Fear did not come to him. Burke wondered if he couldn't feel fear because he physically couldn't put his tail being his legs. His tail was docked by accident after all. The grey male jumped forward towards the curious phenomenon. It almost looked like they were dancing in the air.

His dripping body moved towards them, but the pale blue wisp seemed to vanish when he came too close. His eyes matched the color of the strange things. Burke moved to the next one, following their trail of floating blue lights trying to catch them. His sense of adventure rose in his limbs. Where would they lead him? Why did they appear? He couldn't wait to find out.

Finally these two meet :D

In all his time since joining the pack of the dark woods, Kove had only ever traveled into the swamplands once to investigate a “ghost” of sorts with Crescendo, his fellow pack mate. Since then he hadn't gone into strange part of land—until today, anyways. He was curious of the area, and wanted to enter it without the prospect of going on some wild goose chase. So, he did just that. His legs carried him through the suction-like mud, the dark substance sticking out like a sore thumb against his white pelt, and then allowed him to wade through the murky waters once he reached a patch of it. It was a good thing that he didn't need to swim across, for had that been the case he surely would have alerted everything within a fifty mile radius to his presence there. For as graceful as the long legged lupine was on land, he had the tendency to do nothing more than flail about and send water flying everywhere when swimming.

Before the ghost had realized it, he was out of the water and back on somewhat sturdy land, shaking the droplets of water from his coat. In hindsight, he knew doing that was foolish, since there was no way of telling when he would encounter another patch of water once again. Shrugging his shoulders, Kove continued forward, but stopped when he saw an unfamiliar form. He went into high alert, knowing well the wolf was in Blackfeather territory, but his stiffness faded shortly after as he caught a whiff of the silver man. His scent held a bit a Meldresi's with it, though it was hard to detect at first due to the water that clung to his fur. Still, it was there, and it made the pale wolf toss his caution out the window, metaphorically speaking.

Taking a few steps closer, naturally curious of the new member, Kove took note to the fact that he seemed to be following something. When he saw what, he couldn't help but let his presence be known. “Fan of the whisps, are you?” he inquired, closing the remaining distance between the two of them as he did so. “They're rather interesting occurrences, wouldn't you agree?”

Yeeessssss Besties for life.

Burke was actually starting to get agitated with the blue wisps. He creeped closer and then jumped up. The sounds of his jaws slamming together echoed through the air, the blue colored wisp made way for his jaw and vanished. Burke stood on all his fours and held his docked tail high. Burke's ear turned to an approaching body, his head followed to see a pale wisp of a body coming towards him. He had the red mark of a blood brother. Ah this one was important. He wanted that red mark. Burke cocked his head a bit, his pale blue eyes glaring at his words. The glare was more directed towards the wisps than to his pack mate. "A fan I wouldn't say," he spoke slowly, the calmness returning to him.

Burke got a charming smile on his lips. "I will have to admit that after you saw me hunt one," he admitted and bobbed his head in greeting. His docked tail was till held high. The little stump standing up. They hadn't met but he could tell this wolf was someone he could converse with. Probably will all the Black Brothers and Sisters. "Can you inform me what these things are?" And there the older grey thought he knew so much about this world and the things living in it. Burke might look all muscles, looks and no brain but he actually had some interest in the world around him. "What do you wish for me to call you, Dark Brother?," he asked then.

The pale being was mildly amused by the words and actions of the other. He found it funny that he had attempted to 'hunt' one of the formless flames, however he did not voice such thoughts. It didn't seem as if mentally laughing at another would make such a great first impression. So, he ended up staying silent, only nodding his head in response to the words, until a question was asked. It seemed as if the grey lupine was curious as to what the cold flames were, and that was something Kove had no problem answering. “They're will-o'-wisps,” he told the older man. “False, cold fires that often appear as a result of certain gases coming together.” The ghost looked out passed the other, copper gaze meeting one of the false flames before it disappeared. “They're usually found over swamps—like here—but you can also see them out over lakes sometimes.”

When another inquiry left the mouth of his fellow pack mate, Kove tore his gaze from the blue wisps and brought it back to the other wolf. “You may call me Kove,” the pale man informed him. “What would you like for me to call you?” It was his first time meeting the stranger, having not had the opportunity to make his acquaintance during his time of joining. He had not heard his name travel about, either, but was curious to learn it.

The large grey looked at the blue flames, maybe even slightly glaring in a way because he couldn't catch them. He turned to the smaller wolf to listen. Slowly the light spots on his brows raised. Well that was interesting information. It immediately confirmed that the alpha and the lands were not magical after all. It was just some natural phenomenon that occurred. Good to know. He bowed his head respectfully. He came here to learn and now he had. "Thank you for your information. Now I will not look foolish in front of others. Chasing gas, well that is something that can't be done."

Burke slowly nodded. "Dark Brother Kove," he repeated. The large grey could be very respectful if he wanted to respect someone. You could say Burke was grateful for the information. "Burke will do just fine," he returned. His pale blue eyes fell on the brother's white coat. Like he thought before, the wolf could almost join those wisps. "And what brings you to this swamp? Just on patrol or are there other reasons?"

The pale man gave a nod of his head, and allowed another chuckled to escape him. “No need to thank me,” Kove said, giving a seemingly dismissive shrug of his shoulders as he spoke. “I don't mind helping a fellow pack mate not come off looking like a slightly crazed fool.” It was funny watching the older male chase after something that was impossible to catch, but he didn't wish to embarrass someone who shared the same home as himself. If the circumstance were different, the white wolf wouldn't have hesitated to let him embarrass himself, and might have even spun a lie or two claiming that the fires were works of magic, or perhaps even the souls of the swamp's victims. Oh, how amusing that would have been for him.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Kove was brought back to the present time and place when the other said his name, and then introduced himself. “Pleasure to meet you, Burke,” he officially greeted. “I'm just here to explore. Each time I've come here before has been for a reason, and none of the times allowed me to actually look around this place.” It was true that the only times he'd come to the swamplands had been for business. First it'd been because he'd followed a female who wished to enter the swamps that expanded out of the territory, then he'd gone to a place just outside of the swamps to join the Brotherhood, and then he'd gone with Crescendo in order to chase some screeching ghost. It was his first time coming just to explore, and was also his first time exploring an actual swamp. “I never got to learn the quirks of a swamp before coming here since there weren't any back home. Thought it'd be nice to learn now, and also get a better feel of the territory as a whole.”

Wanted to reply before bed. I will edit errors in the morning xD

Burke shook his head slowly because when he thanked someone he meant it. The grey tank didn't say thank you very often. Slowly the muscled wolf grinned, a wolfish grin coming on his lips. "Crazed fool ey?," he returned in amusement. Maybe he would turn into one of those crazy old wolves. Who knows? He could see the humor in it. He would probably be grumpy. A curt nod was shown in response. He was also pleased to meet this pale wolf.

He listened to the dark brother's reasons of being here and approved of them. It had been the same for him. He also wanted to explore what these grounds had to offer. He hadn't really looked outside black feather just yet. He wanted to get a grasp of the pack and smell like them, act like them. Burke wanted to be a good representative of Black Feather Woods. "I have the same reasons for being here, although I did not got any missions yet. Which is logical since I recently joined."

Burke looked around with his icy blue eyes. "Well.. Not much. It is muddy and gassy," he spoke rather amused at the moment. He wondered if wolves every got stuck in the mud permanently and then had to die a slow death. He would have asked Kove but with the information the white one just gave him it seemed useless to ask. "You are a dark brother, is it?"

Crazed fool ey?

Kove could see it, he could envision the thought in his mind. The grey wolf, well into old age, and chasing after the wisps still. It was an amusing thought, and he wondered how likely it was to be true. Hopefully the white wolf would still be around when the other got into his crazy, elderly years. On the off chance something happened that prevented him from being there, however, he wished to learn more of the brute so he could figure out the likelihood of it happening ahead of time. Then, with whatever happens, the younger man would be prepared.

He continued to listen as the other spoke of being there for the same reasons, and also added the fact that he hadn't gone on any missions yet. It was true that it was logical for him to have not, though Kove did wonder how long he would have to wait. “Give it time, and you'll be busy in what seems like no time at all,” Kove said, some of his earlier amusement still contaminating his words. “In the mean time, though, how about we both learn all we can about these swamps?” He knew of the wisps due to having spotted them over lakes during his travels as a loner, but was interested in what other abnormalities the land might hold. It could be fun to figure things out, like solving a puzzle.

The pale wolf nodded in agreement, already knowing that much. The mud pulled as his paws and the gasses created the wisps, leaving those two things covered. However, Kove found himself wanting to know if the gasses caused any other mysterious things, or if the suctioning mud hid anything worth seeing within it. With his thoughts swirling, he'd almost missed the man's question. Luckily, the white lupine had managed to hear it even through his whirlwind of thoughts. “Yes, I am,” he told him, turning his head for a second to glance at the crimson mark on his shoulder.

The grey one would probably turn into a crazy fool eventually. He liked to see himself as this old wise guy. He would know such great things and could tell the younger wolves about--- Nah, nope. He would probably want all these annoying young dogs far away from him. Old Burke would probably be extremely grumpy. Burke was slightly amused at that thought; he would be irritating a lot of wolves. He kinda liked that.

The grey tank nodded courtly at the other wolf. "Of course. I won't expect anything less. I am new they need to get to know me and all," he spoke in a calm matter. Another court nod showed his agreement. He walked next to the smaller white one. These gasses prickled in his nose, but he was slowly getting adjusted to it. He wondered what the small one was looking for, other than the wisps. He wasn't much a nature guy even though he at least tried to understand it.

When Kove confirmed he was in the dark brotherhood Burke got more interested. He wanted to join himself and maybe this one would know the requirements. The red mark had been quite the indicator. "Interesting. So tell me. How does one join the brotherhood?," he questioned.

The white being began to move from his spot, making it obvious he wished to walk further as they spoke. What was he looking for? He would know when he found it. The swamps were and unknown factor to him at the moment, something that couldn't be examined to see what was coming. He wished to change that, even if doing so meant tearing his paws from the grip of the mud with each step he took. Kove was a wolf who was rather light on his feet, what with his long legs and arctic background, which helped him moved through the unpredictable land. A part of him felt sorry for the larger wolf, as his weight could become his Achilles heel if they entered a part with even less solidity to it.

As he moved, he considered the question presented, not certain on how he should approach it. It had been a simple thing for him, but he was uncertain as to whether or not it was the same for each wolf. With a shrug of his shoulders, he began his answer. “It could be different for each of us, I'm not sure,” Kove responded, pausing in his steps to take some extra time to pull his paw from the everlasting mud. “I showed some interest in the Brotherhood, and then later on I was summoned by the Queen and given more information on it. After agreeing to obey the rules of the Brotherhood, I was marked.” The words played over in his head a few times, assuring him something like that could not be seen as a secret. Anyone could have seen it had they been there.

Burke had indeed difficulties with the deeper mud, but that wouldn't stop the large wolf. The grey masked male was dedicated. He saw the mud as a workout training for his muscles. This way they stayed as buff as they were before. He liked to feel his muscles on the end of the day. It meant that he had worked hard. He was already feeling a slight ache now with all the mud around them.

Burke slowly nodded. Maybe they had enough members and he was just on a waiting list. That could explain why he wasn't asked yet. Maybe the large one needed to do something else. "Thank you brother Kove." Burke had shown interest, at least maybe he should meet up with their alpha once more to make clear he likes to join this brotherhood. He wanted the red mark. Somehow he would feel even more like an assassin. "Interesting. Well I guess I have to be on my best behavior until they realize they should pick me," he hummed.

A light, barely noticeable shrug was given in response to the larger being's 'thanks', as Kove was a bit more focused on making his way through the thick mud. “Don't mention it,” he said, finally finding a piece of ground somewhat sturdier than the rest of it. Lowering his nose to the ground, he used his snout to nudge at an overturned bird's nest, knowing it must have fallen down from one of the trees. There didn't appear to be anything in it, not even a feather, so he left it go and continued to move further. By now his paws and legs were covered in the dark substance that is mud, and it had even managed to make it's way up onto his stomach from lifting his legs out of it when he would step. It would be a pain to get rid of once it dried, but he hoped any discoveries made would be worth the effort.

Kove glanced back at the older male as he spoke again, grinning slightly. “Yeah, don't act out and be on your best behavior. Maybe socialize with the other members of the Brotherhood, make sure they see that you're interested,” he told him, thinking it would be a good idea. “Maybe they'll put in a good word for you to the Queen.” His last sentence held some humor to it, but not a lot. He didn't know if such a thing would actually work, but it would at least be worth a shot, right?