Greatwater Lake i won't let you suffer

anyone at all is welcome - set at greatwater lake, at night, cloudy but dry weather.

Cicero had pulled himself from pack life for a moment's time to expand his horizons. The children were growing older, and at nearly half a year of age, Cicero did not fear the outside, nor was he as excited about it as he were when he was small. Cicero remained a small child, and looked younger in age than both his siblings due to his small stature and thin, ragged fur. Cicero did not mind, however; he did not vie for attention or compliments... Not from most wolves, anyway. Those that mattered knew his worth, and that was enough for Cicero.

After pulling himself from the Woods' depths Cicero decided to explore the nearby lake. He remembered passing by it when Burke had taken him to the Sunspire on a spying mission. Perhaps he would go to the Sunspire today, and see about speaking to its inhabitants this time.

The aspiring outrider looked from left to right while he neared the lake, cloaked by the night. There was not much light from the moon and stars today, for they were cloaked by a veil of grey clouds. Cicero did not mind. Cicero did not need much light. The adolescent neared the lake and leaned down to lap up some water, though keeping his eyes open and remaining vigilant for strangers.

I just adore Cicero. His appearance, his character, his name lol.

Though he tried, he could not sleep. He was growing restless with anticipation, waiting for the howl of his companion to signal that it was time to found their pack. He had spent enough time as a lone wolf, and although he had been enjoying his carefree days he longed for the comforts of a place to call home, amid wolves he would call his packmates. Luke was ready to settle down, knowing that as an outrider he could still take a day here or there to stretch his legs and see new places, or otherwise have a small taste of the lone wolf life.

He jogged toward the lake that the small creek where otters played bled into, thinking he would have himself a late night's swim or perhaps he would even find a sleeping duck or fish to munch on. There was an edge of hungerness in his belly, although he was not starving. So fortunate he had been to find something to eat almost everytime he had been hungry. He started to nose around the grasses first, but was distracted from midnight snack hunting by a small black and white figure skirting the lake side not far from him.

Luke's tail started to wave as he loped toward the young male, who appeared thin and a bit ragged, but smelled of a pack. Peculiar, for his appearance was more suggestive of someone on their own. "Hey!" the blue-nosed wolf called out, stopping half a dozen feet from the other wolf.

aw, thank you :D i like luke too, was always hoping to snatch a thread with you sometime, somewhere, so i'm glad you popped in :b

Cicero turned his head when he heard someone call out to him. Duo-toned eyes -- one nearly stark white, one orange -- stared from dark eye sockets into the night as his eyes fell upon the white wolf. Cicero sniffed the air. The other wolf smelled of other wolves, although if he were of a pack, it was one that Cicero did not know. A moment of silence lingered between them while Cicero took the other wolf in, before he returned, "Hello white wolf."

Since the white wolf remained neutral, Cicero did the same. He had not met many strange wolves yet, not at Blackfeather's borders nor out in the open, although most so far had been friendly enough. Under the dark blanket of night, Cicero was glad that the other wolf was white, so that Cicero could at least somewhat see his expression. Turning away from the water and towards the white wolf, Cicero stared at the wolf with a neutral expression, waiting for him to continue speaking; Cicero assumed, at least, that he had something or other to say, considering he was the one that called out first. Small talk was not Cicero's forte.

well thank you too! <3

Despite his ranginess, the young male had a striking appearance. Boldly draped in a monochrome blend, but one that stood out among the many hueless others. Stark white was bright upon his shoulders and back, and he turned to look at Luke with a mismatched eyes, addressing him simply as white wolf. He had a blue nose, tongue, and pads, but indeed, he seemed rather plain on side of this fellow. "Hello..." he drawled and trailed off, his gaze flicking over the boy, at a complete loss for a succinct summary of the other's portrait. "...patches? No that's not quite right," he chuckled. "How about just 'hello' then." He made an exaggeration of clearing his throat and waved his tail, starting his greeting over entirely.

"Hello!" he grinned. "I'm Luke the sleepless. What got you roaming around the lake at night?" he asked.

'Patches'; there was something that Cicero had never been called before. Perhaps that was because he usually gave his name away first, though, as it was never hard for others to guess his name. The white wolf babbled on a little -- his blue details went unnoticed under the cover of night, for most black looked blue and so Cicero assumed it a play of the night's cover -- before concluding with a simple hello. Cicero nodded and shared, "Cicero.", for this wolf seemed harmless to him.

'Luke the Sleepless'. It sounded like he roamed around every night, and every day, never sleeping. Perhaps that's what he actually did. "Cicero is used to the dark," said Cicero. "Cicero's forest is always dark." There were plenty of places where Blackfeather was lighter in daytime, of course, but Cicero was used to darkness, for he liked its dark bits. He shared: "Cicero likes the darkness, because it's easier to not be seen." And sometimes, life simply called for being unseen.

"Cicero," Luke repeated with a smile, tail waving. The name had a nice ring to it, it flowed off the tongue freely. Perhaps the young male thought so too, for he spoke in the third person, which the white wolf found charming.

His ear turned more forward at the mention of a dark forest. Was this the same forest that Mordecai and Kero had spoke of? Luke had not encountered anyone from that pack, and thus could not match Cicero's scent to it. For all he knew, there could be more than one dark forest too. Whether it was or was not, however, did not matter at this time. Luke assessed others on his own experience, not on the anecdotes of others. Though he kept note of their warnings and to some degree adjusted his wariness, this wolf had done nothing wrong, and so Luke carried on.

"It's quieter too," Luke said. "I like a quiet night. Though I don't mind when the frog's sing," he added. "There's a peacefulness in the dark, isn't there? But," he chuckled. "I am not so good at remaining unseen in it. Especially when the moon is out, I swear it makes my pelt glow." A white pelt against the shadow of night - nope, no contrast there.

This Luke wolf seemed very friendly. Cicero wondered if more wolves out there were like this, or if the majority of the wolves was like those occupying Blackfeather Woods. The Woods had a grim variety of wolves, although Cicero had always thought most of them to be fairly normal and friendly, too. Not as trusting, he thought (but perhaps he assumed wrongfully), as this Luke wolf, however. He looked about ready to join Cicero home.

Luke continued on about the darkness of night, and how the moon made him light up. Cicero nodded to acknowledge Luke's words. Then he asked, "Does Luke know more of the lake area? What pack is Luke from?" Cicero's ear twitched as he looked at Luke, and waited for him to reply, hoping that Luke indeed knew more about the lake and the surrounding areas. Perhaps he was from a nearby pack.

Cicero had a couple questions for Luke. "Luke is not from any pack," he said, grinning. Though he mimicked Cicero by referring to himself in the third person, it was meant only as friendly jest and not mockery, and he wagged his tail along with the words. "Not yet, anyway. My friend will be founding one in the future and I've agreed to join her." He paused then, considering what he knew and what he could tell the black and white boy.

He had wandered, seen many places and met many faces, but the blue-nosed wolf had not been on a tactical mission to gather as much intel as he could and so really, had not much to offer. He was not even sure exactly what Cicero was wanting to know. Was he curious as to what sort of territories were around? What other packs there were? Did his pack not know their neighbors?

"As for the area..." he began, but paused again. "Well, what is it you wanted to know, exactly? I mean I've done some exploring but that's about it."

Cicero nodded as he received the information that Luke was not part of any pack yet. He did not respond to the joke, mockery or not; Cicero did not really care whether he was mocked or if it was meant as a friendly joke. Neither were up his alley. Not in the way they were for most others, anyway.

Luke then asked what Cicero wanted to know about the lake area. Cicero hadn't explored much yet himself, and he mostly needed to take a stroll through the area to find out more of how the land worked. "Special places, special herbs or mushrooms, streams, high places to scout from or holes to hide in or make traps out of, dens, food... Anything." Cicero tilted his head while he looked back at Luke with a neutral expression. A smile fell upon his face as Cicero said, "Cicero is drawing a map in his head of the places around Blackfeather Woods. Cicero needs x'es of special places in good or bad ways." Cicero sat down and watched Luke's expression, hoping he had some x'es that Cicero would use on his mental map.

Cicero was not looking for the big picture. Cicero was looking for all the little details. The sort of thing the blue-nosed wolf was not known to pay attention to. To be sure, he appreciated the details and knew how to stop and smell the roses. But he was not the wary sort that methodically cataloged places to scout from or hide in, and certainly never thought much about traps. The black and white male was a pleasant enough sort but his interest in these things (and at such a young age) along with the implied confirmation that he was from Blackfeather caused Mordecai's warning to briefly echo in his mind. Despite Kero's more comical account, perhaps there was something more cynical about these dark forest wolves.

"Well shoot," Luke replied. "I don't really pay attention to that sort of thing. But," he paused. "The stream that flows into this lake," Luke gestured with his muzzle to the inlet down the shore, which was hard to discern in the dark but nevertheless visible, "is full of nice fish. Lots of otters live around it too. If you're into fishing, or I guess otter hunting." Hey, it was something.

It was a disappointment that the white wolf did not know much about the details of the lay of the land, although Cicero did not let it show on his face. Cicero smiled a smile that was perhaps a bit too broad -- for the simple intent that it carried, at least -- when the white wolf shared what he knew, and nodded. "Thank you."

Cicero did not know what else to talk about with the wolf. He glanced over his shoulder, towards Blackfeather territories, before looking back to the wolf. "Cicero goes home now. It was nice meeting Luke." With a curt nod and a broad smile Cicero turned around, his duo-toned eyes lingering on Luke for a short moment. Then he broke into a trot towards Blackfeather Woods and, unless Luke would stop him or call out to him, he disappeared into the night, towards his Woods.

feel free to finish this up, unless luke has anything more to say! :-)

ok! :)

"No problem," Luke responded with a wag of his tail. Whether the information was useful to the young male he had his doubts, but at least he had been able to offer something. With that, Cicero was ready to depart his company, and bid him a farewell. "Nice meeting you as well," Luke replied, smiling back. "See you around." He watched for a few moments as the boy headed back toward the dark forest, and then he found another quiet place to lay down for the rest of the night.