Dreary eyes wandered up towards the fiery golden glow of the early morning sun. With a soft sigh, lids slid shut with the rising sweep of his head. There it was again, the warm stroke of sunlight against his face; his only comfort in the depths of unfamiliarity. A fresh morning breeze snaked through the trees causing a cold chill to rake up his spine and ignited a sharp shiver that rippled down his neck. His body shuddered and the hackles along his back stood up on end as he curled his tail in closer, in attempt to feel some kind of comfort and security.


His head lifted, only slightly, to gaze back over at the large piles of dirt and rubble that had built up around the entrance of his newly made den. He had been digging since the late hours of the previous night and all through the early hours of the morning. Desperation and fear had kept his energy high, but now that he had finished his work, tiredness was starting to creep up on him. Lorcan lowered his head back onto his outstretched paws, settling his chin neatly between the two, as he lay down comfortably just inside the entrance of his shoddily-made den. His eyes fluttered shut, fighting against the growing light of the sun that brimmed over the horizon as his body finally gave in to sleep.

It had not taken the young male long to slip into a heavy, deep sleep. Though the sunlight had only recently begun to flicker tendrils of fiery light over the horizon, within the dark confines of his hurriedly-made den, darkness reigned and the sweet sound of silence hushed him into quiet slumber. For all the wolf knew, it was only the faint hiss of his breath and the deep thud of his heart that tied him to the real world, for in the darkness of the night when he had created his temporary shelter, the freshly disturbed ground was much less obvious to his tired eyes. The young male was safe and hidden, or so he had thought.

He couldn’t remember dreaming, but whatever thoughts had been swirling through his unconscious mind were suddenly disturbed when a loud ominous thud broke the morning silence. Dark ears pricked up immediately, flickering around in all manner of directions as the sound echoed against his chamber walls, as his mind wearily roused from his sleep and struggled to process the situation. Eyelid twitched up, exposing narrow slits of gold as his eyes traced up the crumbling walls of his den towards the ceiling where the sound had erupted.

A subtle growl grumbled in his throat and his brows furrowed as he forced himself alert. Large paws shifted to clamber back onto his feet. He crouched there in the dark for a moment, suspicious as to what had caused the sudden thud above him. Black nostrils flared as his muzzle inched forwards towards the entrance of the den, as he tested the air for any scented clue. The pungent scent of a dominant male wolf caused his hackles to raise and his ear to fold back with unease. A dominant wolf meant that a pack was possibly nearby, which potentially meant his choice for a den site was dangerously close to their territorial boundaries… which would explain why a dominant pack member had come to investigate. His tail flicked sharply with uncertainty as he cautiously crept forwards out of the shadows of his den, golden eyes glancing up behind him.

His gaze was met with a pair of devious yellow eyes, enclosed by deep obsidian fur which itself surrounded by silver. Thick scars littered the large male’s face. The stranger was rather intimidating to the slightly smaller, leaner young male. He paused for a moment, hesitant that the scar-laden dominant male would try to harm him, before slowly and calmly stepping out from the shadows of his den and out into the open where he was fully visible to the other wolf. Lorcan tilted his chin up to address him, respectfully. ”I apologise if I am too close to the edge of your pack’s boundaries. It was not my intention, just this land is unfamiliar…” He lowered his head in a nod of respect, tail sweeping briefly between his legs. ”I’m Lorcan.” The younger wolf hoped courtesy would keep him out of trouble, as his body was still exhausted from his travels.

To Lorcan’s surprise, the larger wolf cloaked in midnight black and stormy grey did not take the opportunity to enforce his dominance – even though he was clearly at a great advantage, positioned on the ridge above the den. Charcoal lips pursed open as he slowly let a sigh of relief slip like silent smoke out his chest. Well, that was one potential danger averted. His lean muscles beneath his grey and tan fur rippled as he readjusted his paws for a more neutral stance. However, the young wolf may have been new to the loner life, but he was not arrogant enough to assume he could handle himself in his current weakened condition. His muscles were tired from his journey across the mountains, and his body was in need of sustenance. He needed to keep this encounter friendly.

The larger male introduced himself as Craw. Lorcan’s golden gaze flickered, mentally storing that name to memory, as he continued to hold his tail low in submission. The male’s next statement was enough to put the younger male at ease. His tail emerged from between his legs and settled calmly in a neutral hold behind him. He was at least reassured that he hadn’t completely lost all his senses the previous night when he had smelt no mark of a pack’s boundary. Lorcan watched curiously as Craw peered down to inspect his den, his face perplexed in judgement. “It’s not the best, I know.” He admitted, leaning down to nudge a stray rock away from the entrance with his paw, as the man continued. “Oh no Sir, It wasn’t my intention to settle here... I was only planning on staying here a day or two to rest.” His head cocked to one side as he turned to study the appearance of his creation. “Although, I doubt it will even last that long.”

Flicking his tail is dismissal, decided that perhaps he better continue moving and leave his monstrosity of a den to the mountain hares, Lorcan stepped forward to approach the male up on the ridge, moving calmly to stand beside him. “I grew up in a valley, beneath a mountain similar to these.” His golden eyes scanned over the horizon, up to the cold grey peaks of rock in the distance. “They aren’t the easiest place to reside, I know, which is why I presumed my presence would not be a disturbance here.” He lowered his rump to sit, eyes still trained on the horizon. Rumble. Crack. The roof of his den that the pair of wolves were perched upon gave way in an instant, and the floor broke away beneath him, resulting in Lorcan finding himself in a state of tohubohu face-planting a pile of dirt and stony rubble, his limbs splayed out in an awkward fashion under and around him.

Golden eyes widened in horror as the plumes of dust and dirt slowly settled, leaving Lorcan covered in a blanket of dirt, with tiny stones clinging to his long wisps of fur. A piece of rubble tickled at his nostril, causing a sharp intake of breath before his body erupted with a loud sneeze, sending yet more dust flying. A soft growl rumbled in his throat as he lay there, sprawled amongst the rubble, supressed by a wave of embarrassment which flushed hot across his pale skin. He took a moment to figure out the position of his limbs, toes twitching as he began to regain some form of bodily control before he slowly heaved himself up from beneath the rubble. His head turned, jaw ajar in speechless concern, his wide-eyed gaze flashed towards the large monochrome figure of Craw, who appeared to have fared better in the tumble, having managed to land somewhat on his feet unscathed.

A cackling laugh broke the silence, and a sly comment followed.

Russet ears folded back against his head in shame, his golden eyes falling to the ground for a moment in an attempt to hide his insecurities. Craw shook his pelt and Lorcan echoed his movement, twisting his entire body sharply from one direction to the next, from his head to the tip of his tail. “That was entirely my fault, are you okay?” His voice was dry and croaky, his throat still infested with dust, as he looked over to Craw with mild concern, dirt still plastered across his face. When craw spoke of a trap, the young male wasn’t entirely sure if he was joking. Having only just met the older wolf, he wasn’t ready to full hand over his complete trust just yet. Still he snickered, finally moving away from the pile of rubble that was once his temporary home, and settled down to sit on a less disturbed piece of mountainous rock a few metres away.

His attention turned back to Craw, wondering why he had wandered up the mountain in the first place if his pack land were not close by. ”Where about is this pack you belong to? Are you scouting here or —“ He paused mid-sentence, realising it was impolite to ask so many questions all at once and forced himself quiet, with an eager lick of his charcoal lips. ”If you were searching for something, perhaps I could assist you? I do owe you after all…” He added, acknowledging the fact that he had just caused a complete stranger, who was of some kind of status, to fall ass-first off a ledge.

A wave of relief washed over the Lorcan, as his anxious concern for the older male was put to rest as a thin dark smile tugged at the corners of Craw’s obsidian lips in amusement. The lean male tilted his chin to one side momentarily, his golden gaze searching Craw’s scar-ridden face for any hint of untapped emotion that may have potentially been simmering under the surface if he had told a lie. However, as Craw paused to gingerly scratch at his neck, Lorcan began to accept that all possibilities of confrontation appeared to be behind them. The anxieties that had clouded up his mind made way for a much focused, calmer demeanour.

A single pearlescent fang tugged gently at his charcoal lips as he bit back the urge to bombard Craw with questions about his intentions and instead listened intently to what snippets of information the older male was prepared to offer him. His brows furrowed at Craw’s response, casting a shadow of suspicion across his golden stare. “Why do the mountains make you so uneasy?” The words broke through the barrier between his inner thoughts and his mouth, tugging curiously at his vocal chords. His tail flicked behind him in vague amusement.

Craw’s voice was dismissive as he enquired as to just how Lorcan was planning to repay him for his troubles. The young male’s head tilted to one side as he pondered. He had expected the older male to suggest an appropriate action, given that he had hinted at being the pack’s alpha male, Lorcan would have thought that an alpha male would have a many number of tasks to hand out to willing volunteers given the chance. Apparently not. Lorcan was left to come up with his own ideas. “I could provide you with food or herbs.. or information perhaps. Tell me what you want and I will be at your service” To Lorcan there were many advantages to having an alpha male as an ally and so he was prepared to accept whatever task the pack wolf asked of him.. After all, he was currently a lone wolf with no sense of direction or purpose. Lorcan much preferred to be put to good use.