The male swept through the thick foliage with little effort, only because it was a path he had taken many times before. The thick fur of his pelt protected him from the grasping branches, though it could not shield him from all of the sharp trees. It was unheard of traveling through the thicket and not gaining a few scratches along the way.


His eyes swept through the winter kissed land, always looking for a place he could officially call home. He had been here many times, but as the large male broke through to the small clearing, he had never recalled seeing a sleeping wolf in the middle of it. Blinking, the regal wolf stiffened his figure, noting the peaceful way the she-wolf’s chest rose and fell in a deep sleep, completely oblivious that there just might have been danger lurking nearby. Uttering a sharp snarl to awaken the female, Ruiko studied the dark creature, his emotionless façade revealing nothing to her.

The squeak that emitted from the jaws of the surprised female would have stirred a look of bemusement upon the male’s features had he allowed any emotion to break through the stoical mask he kept. The ebony wolf was quick to awaken now, the shock of his presence not fully registering completely upon her mind it seemed. Shifting his shoulders loosely back, Ruiko was about to bow his muzzle down and reveal to her he would not harm her when a snarl finally escaped her lips, stirring the automatic reaction of his own lips to curl back in a dominant snarl.


Lifting himself to his full height, the tawny wolf whipped his tail once in the air, waiting to see if she would back down, his bright golden eyes staring back at her just as she did to him. “Keep it up, littlewolf,” he warned with a growl, wondering if she would stand down. It seemed there was something feisty about the darker females of Relic Lore.

The ebony she-wolf did not fully back down, despite his warning. Yet she stood, moving toward him with what Ruiko considered to be a fearless feat, much like sleeping in the opening of the thicket. Her muzzle still remained up a notch, but her greeting was what soothed the male’s nature. His figure remained stiff while his hackles remained bristling, but upon her greeting Ruiko gave a brief dip of his muzzle in turn of her welcome.


His tail flicked behind him gently, his eyes regarding her carefully for a moment. He had not seen her in Relic Lore yet, but that did not mean she was new to the lands. He had been dutifully aiding Swift River with his time, and in turn had not strayed far from the heart of the lands. “Ruiko Tainn,” he introduced, one ear twitching as he waited to see what she would do.

The ebony girl seemed to relax then – and as a mirror to her actions, Ruiko’s own tawny tail gave one quick wag through the cold winter air, his own muscles relaxing as he allowed the tension to release from them. It seemed there would be no fight today, which stirred relief to the large male. When he was younger he had thrived upon such actions – lived for the fight and to prove himself through dominance. Now, he was simply looking to settle down. At four years of age, it was time.


However, the interlude between the two wolves only lasted for a brief introduction of names, and no sooner did her name spill from her black lips did her slender figure begin to droop. Blinking, Ruiko watched as the she-wolf turned, her swarthy form beginning to meader away from him in the definition of disappointment and heartache.


It would seem Ruiko had once more found himself a female who was nothing but an emotional roller coaster. Holding back a sigh, the male prowled forward, coming up just to the side of the she-wolf as his muzzle inclined in her direction. “Something I said, perhaps?” There was a small pause, and it seemed a bit of his humor could be found in this situation. “Or is it that I smell bad?”

His small quips of humor weren’t lost on the girl – which was nice, as Ruiko offered them so rarely, especially to a wolf he had just met. Even so, the she-wolf kept going, her ebony figure rather intent to escape his presence. Pulling back, the tawny male cast one more quick glance to the distraught she-wolf, slightly perturbed by her behavior and deciding then and there that she was perhaps crazy.


Turning without another word, the regal wolf moved back to the direction he had come, deciding it best to leave the disturbed girl behind; bleeding hearts had never gotten him further ahead in life, and he wasn’t about to get pulled in to the traumas of a wolf he did not know. He did not see the stranger flop herself to the ground, but the soft ‘phlump’ of fur hitting the earth stirred his muzzle to cast a quick glance back. Blinking, he noted the she-wolf lifting her paws above her head, and bowing his muzzle down, Ruiko Tainn turned his head, continuing on the path that would lead him away from anothers drama.