The warmth of the day's sunset only added to the inferno within the female's golden eyes, now churning in thought as she lay in rest at the mouth of the pack den. The outcrop that constituted the framework of the main grouping of dens, forged from the mountainside, was quickly beginning to hide what was left of the day's light. Much of the day had been spent patrolling and exploring, following and reinforcing the borders that Ruiko had recently established. As night approached, the wolf found herself entirely listless.

Lifting her broad muzzle, she screened the air - permeated by the smell of the creek's waters - for a sign of Rue or the others. Deciding that it was time to make a move and with no sign of them nearby, she rose to her feet, still caked with remnants of clay and dirt. Perhaps the shadows of the surrounding wood could revive her.

Within the shadows of the wood lay another shadow, the shadow of a black male wolf to be precise. Rhysis had spent most of the afternoon around the spring; he almost found the noise of the water relaxing, though being relaxed wasn’t something he was used to. He’d been so frustrated lately, his plan had been slow moving and he wasn’t one born with a lot of patience.

His last location had been perched upon the shallow bank of the creed, hidden amongst the tall weeds whilst his tail tip dipped delicately into the icy water. However he had somehow drifted off to sleep, probably induced by consuming a little more from the carcass he and another lone wolf had brought down and with a full belly and little more to do of late, he had managed to doze off in the afternoon.

Now he was stirring, his grey eyes adjusting to the lack of light as it appeared he had slept through the afternoon and into the night… perfect. Most would be asleep now and he would have to endure another night of boredom. How tedious.

That was until the movement of another caught his ears. He raised his head and took a glance around. Dark though it was he could still make out the shadow of another wolf creeping about. He inhaled the air but was unable to recognise her scent… all he knew from that small whiff was she was a female, and she was a pack wolf. Still, she was awake and maybe she could kick his investigation back into gear… he hoped.

He pulled his body up to sit, kept his stance passive and plastered his most charming smile onto his handsome mug. He then made his presence known by clearing his throat. ”Ahem…”

Truth be told, Aeylen had always enjoyed her solidarity. Many aspects of life with the dying pack that she had left behind did haunt her during the nights she spent alone - comfort, companionship, security - aspects that now belonged with Copper Rock Creek, more importantly to Ruiko. So it was with a content second wind that she snaked through the eerie hollow, surveying its secrets and mysteries that she herself dare not investigate to much depth, though she wondered about the damp stench of areas far from the creek.

Eventually coming to a hault, she couldn't help but to feel as though she were being watched...Noises in the shadows lulled in the back of her mind as her triangle ears swiveled astutely. And no sooner than it would appear that her conscious was playing tricks on her did the scent of a stranger catch her immediate attention; she was, in fact, not alone.

Quivering lips yet to reveal any wolf's most prized possession, the female held her breath in hope that any movement would be heard more clearly, her plush tail flagged instinctively behind her. "Ahem," a blunt yet appreciated form of greeting, was what met her hearing. Though she kept her guard, it was with curiosity that she called back calmly into the darkness. "It may be, perhaps, unwise to linger in the shadows..." Shifting her weight forward, she scanned her surroundings for the wolf who had managed to stumble upon her unsuspectingly.

Her voice held an air of authority, something he had yet to hear. He guessed she held herself with some importance, and upon a pack wolf that could mean she held a significant rank. Interesting indeed, for he had yet to meet anyone with real authority in these lands. And with authority came knowledge… perhaps she would be the one to make all his dastardly dreams come true.

He took a moment to prepare himself, both physically and mentally. Making sure his posture was as calm and friendly as possible, flexible and still whilst he calmed his perspicacious mind with silent hushes, he had time to analyze soon. When he was ready, he drew himself from the reeds he had been slumbering within and carried his very tall, and getting larger, onyx body into visual range.

”I do apologise Ma’am. Seems I dosed off this afternoon and your scent roused me from sleep. I hadn’t meant to catch you unawares… Though being a black wolf it appears I am always surrounded in shadow.” He said, with no lies laced at all and a lame attempt at a joke tied to the end- he didn’t really get humour.

He didn’t approach the female, most females weren’t too happy with a huge male stranger lumbering towards them. Instead, he paused a good ten feet or so from her, faced her head on and then dipped his maw to the floor. ”My name is Rhysis.” He added with his southern accent and then paused with his grey eyes upon her, waiting.

Only after a moment of silence did the shadows appear to move, revealing the silhouette of a large, dark figure. Cocking her head to accomodate the wheels turning within it, the Copper Rock female held her stance as her piercing gaze adjusted in focus on the rogue, whose pale eyes seemed illuminated by moonlight. The male was was both cautious and courteous in his approach, coming to stand only a short distance away; he was of notable size, young, and, aside from lacking a suitable winter weight, appeared healthy.

She listened to his words, considering in stride that he'd been so close to the Secluded Spring that day. Did she, by chance, miss him somehow while patrolling? There was no way to be sure, and nonetheless she was here now. A charming grin emerged on her face as she took in his apology and dry humor; though she was wary of the stranger, she felt that his attempt to break the ice was genuine and replied with only a quaint nod.

"Rhysis-" she repeated as she tended to do; an odd name, yet fitting for the black boy- "Aeylen Tainn." It was strange hearing the latter name from her own mouth, something she was proud of but certainly not used to, still. "No need to apologize," she replied, the soft tones of her voice like a lullaby in the night. He'd hardly inconvenienced her; however, she was pressed to relieve the restlessness that plagued her. She assumed, judging from the lack of fresh scents about him other than his own, that he was a loner, which answered many questions in her mind but also left her with a loss as to why he'd come so close to pack boundaries, so deep in the Ghastly Woods. Not many lone wolves would feel comfortable enough in the midst of a pack - even one so young as her own - to sleep much at all. "I was just getting some fresh air for lack of rest," she offered vaguely, "perhaps you'd join me?" It could be an awkward situation, but at this point she didn't mind.

What luck indeed! An invite to join her on a stroll… and generally on a stroll you discussed the weather, yourself and could easily slip in a few names. It was just perfect. Rhysis knew however he needed to collect himself, allow the grating of small talk to commence for a while. He’d have to take it easy, try not to out-stay his welcome and most of all, ask the right questions if he was to make the most of this opportunity.

He raised his head and allowed his metallic gaze to fall upon her once more. His winning smile and pearly whites were shown briefly as he spoke his next words. ”That’s most kind of you Ma’am.” And with that he rose to four paws, but was yet to move any closer then he already have. ”I think that’d be nice, seeing as I’ll probably be up all night now.” He allowed himself a final shake, his claws tapped at the hard terrain beneath him as he took in a deep breath, calming himself and his thoughts for the moment.

The female was obviously well mannered, perhaps a little too naive and very silly to allow a stranger to walk with her. Alone. In the dark. Were Rhysis an evil fellow he might have took the opportunity to slaughter her in the shadows, however, he had questions he needed answered and the sad truth was that the wolves around this area responded better to a nice guy… rather then a killer. Shame really. He was itching for a fight.

”Shall we?” He asked with a tilt of his head. He’d allow her to lead, after all, with the scents upon her it was more then likely she had travelled this area many times, it felt only right to let the female go first.

Her amber gaze watched emotionlessly as the wheels in the rogue's head turned. A flash of a smile, an eager, soft response...perhaps too eager. Suspicion menaced her instincts. Was this just another midnight rendezvous with a complete stranger, or were there other intentions to be revealed? The tip of her proud flag swayed unnoticeably as she listened, tickled by the yearling's subtle self-deceptions as it was obvious that he was making an effort to alter his composure, a task he carried out well. What could be more naive than engaging a stranger in the night - not an uncommon occurrence - could certainly be jumping to an uneducated conclusion about the natures and temperaments of such a wolf. Her smile widened as she stepped forward willingly at his...generous notion.

“Certainly,” she spoke, making eye contact. Not bothering to look behind her as she moved, a sensitive ear was lent to monitor the telling, erratic beating of what could be a fraudulent heart – a survival skill honed by most wolves, though Aeylen was quite hypersensitive and inherently adept at detecting such physiological patterns.

"Tell me, what is it that you seek here? Merely passing through?" she asked inquisitively, as it was her right to inquire about the travels that had brought him so close to her livelihood, her home. She hated a liar, and, though the black figure’s energy had her on edge, she hoped that he was not one.

Rhysis followed in tow, keeping a short distance between them, for her and himself as he didn’t deal too well with physical contact. His heavy paws consumed the ground below him and he had to keep his pace slow as not to gain on the smaller female- the joys of legs that went on forever! He kept his head level with her shoulder, but ensured that they were never close enough to touch, not even to casually bump shoulders; even that was too much and made his skin crawl at the very thought.

Her question was a strange one. He wondered how many loners she had to run into to assume that he was just passing by. Did many of them just pass by? He supposed if he didn’t have other plans he too would probably be roaming aimlessly. He wasn’t a pack wolf, he didn’t do well taking orders, so he supposed even if he wasn’t planning to create his own pack, somewhere down the line he would. Despite his solitary nature, he was a wolf after all and didn’t do well without some sort of contact with another, even if it was just a passing comment.

”I’m actually looking for family. I’ve heard it from a few local wolves that they reside in the area but I have yet to bump into them.” He replied honestly. Surprisingly, he always tried to keep his words as close to the truth as possible, even if he was lying. The closer to the truth it was, the easier the lie was to see through.

The tawny female cast a glance in the dark man's direction, listening intently as he spoke of his intentions to locate his family, or members of it. Relic Lore had not been her stomping grounds, nor had she seen four whole seasons here, so she couldn't help but to wonder just who may be out there, on the other end of the dark man's destiny.

"Family?" she reiterated carefully. Of course, and what better a reason to engage with the unknown. Surely there was no better method than to ask around, it seemed to make sense. "What is your clan's name, Rhysis?" It was a stab in the dark, but perhaps the female had some light to shed for his cause. Carrying the slender musculature of her thick body with a natural charisma, the shewolf held a casual pace, walking beside her dark counterpart as she would beside a friend, though perhaps not so close.

The male stuck close to the female, not too close to be intrude on her personal space but close enough so that conversation could be kept light; there were others sleeping all around them after all and they wouldn’t want to wake anybody.

Ah, his clan name. The name which both gave him power and made his blood boil. He could have changed his name, he thought perhaps his sister Volkan might have considering the lies she had told to Triell, but he liked to keep to telling the truth as much as possible. ”I’m from the Aquila pack. Though I doubt you’ve heard of it…” Not many had met wolves from their pack, they were a solitary bunch and didn’t take kindly to new comers, lone wolves were not welcome and a few were sometimes dinner… the name was kept to the pack and the pack alone.