If he was asked what had brought him in this direction, especially with the woods that now surrounding him looking so intimidating in the dark of twilight, he wouldn't have had a good answer. He didn't have a clue — perhaps it was the desire to extend his knowledge of Relic Lore further but Indru was slightly suspicious whether it was just the thrill of going somewhere, anywhere, new. Corinna was bloated with the new life that grew inside of her and the thought of becoming a Father was so thrilling and utterly terrifying to Indru that he had firmly stuck to her side, and thus in the pack lands, for days to make sure she was kept safe, waiting with bated breath for the time when they would just arrive, finally, so he could meet them. It was yet to come and the insistent ripples of anticipation that made his spine curl and his fur bristle (and therefore snap and any other pack member in sight) had been bad enough to drive himself from his beloved's side and just run himself free of it.

So, as the sun had set beneath the horizon, Indru had gazed up to find himself face to face with the forest which had been the setting for most of the ghost stories he had shared with his siblings when he was a pup. Part of him had wanted to be sensible and go somewhere much more comforting and relax but the other part, the one that wanted a big enough thrill to make him forget the worry that rested on his shoulders, had wanted to relieve the ease of his puppy hood and conquer the Ghastly Woods once and for all. The decision his subconscious had come to had utterly nonplussed the boy, but he had decided to go with it and as the hooting of the waking owls echoed around him Indru took the first steps under the tall, shadowing trunks that seemed to cast a perpetual shadow onto the undergrowth below.

Every so often Indru found himself suddenly halt in his explorations as a echo of a seemingly far off cry of something seemed to circulate around him, causing his hackles to rise up along his spine and, on occasion, a small growl to rumble through his throat. At some points the journey was utterly terrifying, and Indru absolutely revelled in it. Eventually his wandering caused him to stumble across a snaking stream, eerily quiet in the deep, dark forest, leaving a sound almost like a whisper curl around you and leave the weirdest feeling of something murmuring in your ear or just over your shoulder. It was nothing like the comforting babbling of the swiftly flowing river Indru now called home but he walked forward splashing his paws into it cautiously and dropped his head to drink, soothing his dry mouth from the adrenaline rush the forest was capable to beating through his veins.

It seemed impossible to relax in this forest, however many times Indru managed to prove to himself that there was nothing around him and that the noises he heard were down the eerie, ice cold creek at his feet. Indru couldn't help but wonder if the wood would be so nerve wracking with company or whether it would actually turn out worse in a way, but at the moment he found himself wishing that his brother, Ruiko, where here to explore with him as much as he was enjoying himself in a weird, twisted way. It had been a long time since he had just explored for the sake of exploring and the sense of freedom that he felt doing so was wonderful.

Indru's senses were on hyper alert, strengthened further by the adrenaline that was beating through his body, and it did not take long for him to notice the sudden appearance of a fresh scent. Inhaling sharply he dissected it quickly, a male, loner, and not one that he recognised either. The Tainn was on two minds whether it was a good thing or not (it was company, after all) when the wolf in question soon appeared and Indru's spine prickled with the feeling of being watched. Abruptly he spun, hackles raised and a growl ready to escape his throat, before he noted the calm posture of the other and halted, watching him with curiosity. The male spoke and Indru nodded his head to him quickly in response and watched him drop his head into a respectful position which Indru presumed was because of his rank, the leader was grateful (and a little surprised) at the gesture and relaxed in turn though his tail remained curled just slightly over his back in a small sign of the rank he did hold to some. Indru Tainn, Leader of the pack near the Swift River, his confident voice introduced, ears twitching in anticipation for the other to do the same in the significant pause Indru let hang after his words. What brings you out here? It was a innocent question and Indru let a small smile break his muzzle briefly to show so after he spoke, more intrigued than anything why a lone wolf would be drawn to a place like this.

As normal the name the lone wolf spoke had no flicker of memory for Indru and it was confirmed that they had not met before, though he had not used his family name (if he had one), but Indru knew now that the scent that coated the wolf was one he would know now belonged to a wolf called Daedalus. In response he gave him another curt nod, relaxing just a bit further now that the other seemed amicable enough to introduce themselves, surely if he planned to randomly challenge another he would have done it by now. The stranger then answered his next question and in response Indru's right brow rose, a small, playful smirk appearing on his face as he glanced around them with a exasperated air. You wanted to settle for the night here? To Indru this was perhaps the most unwelcoming land in this part of the vast forest before them. The Tainn could not imagine Daedalus having a particularly enjoyable night in these woods, especially if he stayed nearby this creek which was beginning to set Indru's teeth on edge with the constant, eerie whispering of the water by his paws. I've never been to this... This odd creek before, but I can't imagine it would make for a comfortable night. A small, throaty chuckle broke from Indru's muzzle and he peered again around them, shaking his head in confirmation, no, he would much rather a night back home in the pack den pressed tight against Corinna's side.

The male took a step closer and though he wasn't looking at Indru the Tainn couldn't help by bristle ever so slightly again before he saw his intention was to drink and he settled, holding his ground and taking the opportunity to look over the male. He was younger than Indru, he could tell by his scent alone, by he was old enough to be fully grown and Indru could see that he did not reach the large (and often intimidating) size he had — not that he was naive enough to think that size was everything, though. His fur pattern and eyes though were fairly similar, which Indru could confirm when the male stopped drinking and turned to look at him perhaps with a degree of nervousness. What brought you to Relic Lore? Do you seek to join a pack or do you have intentions to move on through? This was not an uncommon thing after all, Indru had greeted many a lone wolf to only see them gone the next day leaving him with only the slightest degree of lingering jealously at their wanderlust on occasion, most of the time they were forgotten and never thought of again.

Shoulder's rose in a careless shrug at the wolf's confirmation of location, it made no difference to him where he wished to say, though Indru could not see any wisdom in the wolf's answer — who would choose to stay in the most unwelcoming territory, scarce of food, when there were much more appropriate ones? There was a reason the territory had such a reputation, and was so aptly named, after all. The sudden look that crossed the wolves face, and the sweeping disrespectful gaze, was not missed by Indru and he stiffened immediately, fiery eyes hardening on Daedalus's. When he spoke Indru scoffed lightly, his nose wrinkling in the threat of a low growl. Afraid? Wary, and rightly so, you will not survive long as a lone wolf if you think yourself safe everywhere. Perhaps, Indru thought, he had misjudged this wolf when he had first met him — the intelligence he had seemed to have shown was now a doubt in Indru's mind, were his senses so muted he did not notice the slight sense of danger the wood permitted? Especially on unfamiliar land, he reminded, unlike Indru this wolf had not spent his entire life here, had not spent the summers exploring further than they were supposed to with his younger brother.

Though the other's response surprised him Indru did not show it and suspicious stole through him at the answer, a pack wolf? Perhaps he would have believed him earlier, but now Indru was unsure of him, he didn't seem the type to want company or to want to work as a team. The thoughts that crossed thorugh his mind were kept hidden when he shrugged non-comittally in response, walking away from the water, careful to not let his eyes leave the male, and pausing beside a large rock on the drier portion of forest floor. No wolf can reach their full potential without a pack, and his comment was meant in agreement with the male, he too was a pack wolf. No loner could reach their full size, full health or full strength without a packs support, nor could they reach their true potential mentally either, wolves were social beasts at heart. Though Daedalus was smaller than he anyway his life as a loner could be traced upon his body as Indru was certain he would only thrive further on the larger kills only a team could make. Though his posture had softened once Indru had reverted back to his previous state, his fur bristled along his spine (only increasing his already large size), as his hard gaze watched him with no concern, only a slight hint of a challenge, if it was a fight that he wanted Indru was not lacking in confidence about his chances.

Cockiness and wrongly placed confidence seemed to go in hand with younger males it seemed, and Indru looked at the wolf with open disdain as he continued speaking irrelevant words. Though some wolves, and perhaps his brother was a weakness to this, found themselves riled easily by the words of another Indru would never be led into a unintelligent rage by words alone, his ego was not so weak to be dented by this male with no claim of anything to his name. At the departing 'words of wisdom' Indru had to struggle to hold in laughter, a smirk of pure amusement curling his face handsomely as he sighed dramatically, the respect he once held for the wolf evaporating quickly ito be replaced with a mixture of pity and amusement. It seems these insecurities you speak of are your own, he offered with a unconcerned grin. After all, I guess, what have you achieved? It was a shame, Indru had to think, how promising the wolf seemed at first, but he had no time for disobedient wolves who liked to think they knew it all, they would learn how infallible and destructible they were when they felt and saw loss like he had.

This wolf — undoubtedly weakened by the life as a lone wolf, living on meagre kills and not to say less than impressive to look at — held no flicker of fear for Indru like he seemed to think he would. When Daedalus switched his own posture much to match Indru's, tail and hackles raised, he could not stop the laughter this time which escaped quickly from him. Without hesitation Indru stepped forward, shoulders raised to protect his neck, and his movements became a prowl, stalking the prey which was now standing before him. You shouldn't take on the posture of a position you can't even begin to understand. As quick as lightening Indru lunged forward and snapped his teeth in the air between them, a clear threat if there was ever one, and slowly a low grumble of thunder escaped his chest as his nose wrinkled and his teeth were bared. At this distance, his large size with hackles raised and teeth bared, his coat stinking of the wolves that were under his reign, he knew it would be an intimidating sight to any wolf with any kind of sense, but if the male needed further teaching he was more than happy to cause the lone wolf some injuries which could easily be a matter of life and death without a pack by your side.