The sky was clear and bright, filled with such an intense shade of blue that it made Corbin wince; it wasn't that he disliked the color, or even disliked the sky in particular - he just couldn't look at it for long. Sensitive eyes narrowed while he sought out clouds, but found nothing. Anyone else may have been content by this, to be basking in the Spring sun all day; Corbin wanted rain, he wanted something to spice up his travels. It had been ages since he had felt the refreshing touch of rainfall against his skin, although for now he had to survive upon the memory alone. The coiling, twisting ruck of blackberry vines was left behind as he continued to wander, striding away from the tangled mess of threatening barbs; their sweet scent lingering upon his fur, at least where he had let the plants comb through his mottled gray pelt. The plants which peppered the field quickly became scarce, and the wolf ducked below the welcoming branches of yet another tree. At first he thought he had encountered another forest, or at least the edge of the darkness which he had once been treading through; yet Corbin only had to take a small sniff of the air to smell the difference - there was fruit here, cherries, and they blossomed with the spring. Soon enough the fruit itself would form and drop, spreading the seed and prolonging the grove of trees.

Corbin paused in his movement, situating himself next to the nearest trunk, and rested. He leaned against the narrow trunk of one specific tree, brushing against it with one broad shoulder. Above, the branches softly tousled - creating waves of soothing sounds that drifted down to him. This place was calm, and it was relaxing him after all the travel he had been through. Taking a deeper breath, the grizzled wolf sighed softly; how sweet this was, how precious. He almost let down his guard, but then there was an odd sound - from the forest beyond the orchard, perhaps. No sooner had he exhaled, Corbin sat upright and then sprang to his feet again - nervous, jumpy, just as erratic as before. Someone was watching him, but who? And where? Hackles rose in a bristling array, but this time he remained silent; perhaps the interloper would leave him alone.

Finally, the days were becoming longer and warmer. Volkan felt like an entirely different wolf in the warmth and brightness the early days of the season had to offer. In an odd way, it reminded her of being... home. But, as she picked her way aimlessly northward on a whim this afternoon, it wasn't a feeling of nostalgia that lingered in her, nor was it tinged with any of the regret or sadness that normally accompanied her past. No, it was just... comfortable. Somehow, she felt like herself today, and no knowledge of Rhysis' presence in Relic Lore nor worries about the Creek's hierarchy could put a damper on her spirits today.

After a while, she arrived at a place she hadn't visited since her first days in Relic Lore, when the weather had been like it was today. The strange red berries dotted the ground and the trees above it, their smell sweet and sticky in the air. It was intoxicating, pleasant— but, she realized after a long moment of standing in the woods at the edge of the Orchard, it had prevented her from noticing that she wasn't alone. There, not too far before her, was a male, bristling at the sound of another. Guess I'm not the only one thrown off by the smell, she thought to herself, figuring she might as well make herself known. Stepping out from the trees, she peered forward in an attempt to distinguish the source of the noise the male was so concerned about. When she saw who it was, she moved closer. Elettra was popping up everywhere these days, wasn't she?

[dohtml]"Yeah, what's the big deal?"[/dohtml] Volkan remarked with a tilt of her head, her stance unimposing, as an addition to Elettra's warning. Wolves were so edgy sometimes; in her current state of mind, she couldn't understand it. [dohtml]"Pretty big reaction for a guy like you to have to a lady,"[/dohtml] she added through a smirk, finding a small amount of humor in the fact that he'd been scared— by a girl. Studying him, she broke away momentarily to flash a grin at Elettra before returning her pale gaze to the stranger. Whoever he was, he was certainly new around here...

Almost as soon as he was on his feet, the stranger intercepted him. The dark form made him want to snap his teeth, but he noticed the slight curve of the hips - the smell, before her tail flattened against her rump, was enough to key him in to the situation. This wasn't one of the wolves he was avoiding. Corbin let out a low sigh, quietly exhaling while his nervous energy dissipated along with it; beneath his breast his heart still raced, but the man was beginning to calm himself. ”Ease yourself, wolf." Came the woman's snappy comment, which he did not take offense to. There was no reason to find error with it, considering his own behavior. "I'll give you no ache, if you give me none.” What an odd turn of phrase. Corbin took a few steps away from her, but inevitably turned to get a proper look. When he moved, he was met with not one - but two wolves; the second must have slipped close when he was distracted.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Muttered the second female, who seemed considerably younger (and far less jaded). They appeared to recognize one another, which made Corbin hesitant - anxious that perhaps he had intruded upon pack territory, or some such thing. How rude of him. As the second arrival made a comment about his jumpy demeanor, Corbin's face was painted with a coy, slightly embarrassed smirk. "I thought... I thought you were someone else," He responded calmly, letting his deep voice roll about like quiet thunder. "I do apologize, mademoiselles." With that, he fell silent again. Gray gaze passed between both shadows, but did not linger for much time on either of them - there was a sudden awkwardness that demanded his immediate attention. Unaccustomed to the company of wolves (or women specifically,) poor Corbin did not know what to do next; so he simply nodded his head in a polite bow, and turned to leave.

The guy actually apologized for being startled, giving them his excuse, and Volkan grinned. Been there before, she remembered, her meeting with that dark male from the cave a year ago entering her mind. Something about this guy intrigued her, and she watched him as he offered them a bow and turned away. Wait, was he leaving so soon? A glance at Elettra told her that she didn't seem all that interested in the male, which didn't surprise Volkan, she guessed; the dark lady seemed to have quite a mind of her own, and it didn't usually seem to be preoccupied with random conversations. Briefly the achromatic wolf watched her older counterpart as she seemed to move on her way, then turned to follow the stranger, moving quickly to catch up with him.

[dohtml]"Woah, wait,"[/dohtml] she said quickly, not about to let this interesting fellow leave so quickly. For some reason, Volkan was feeling herself quite the extrovert. [dohtml]"You're just gonna leave now, after all we've been through?"[/dohtml] It was an odd, quirky thing that came out of her mouth, a comment that surprised even her. She hoped it'd make him turn around, or even stop, so she stood there a little awkwardly, slender limbs splayed at a somewhat playful angle. [dohtml]"Don't you at least wanna know who we are?"[/dohtml] After all, it'd benefit her to know his name, at least. Here in Relic Lore, every acquaintance was of some consequence, as Volkan had come to learn. Hell, she'd just run into to that weird Sebastian guy, and she certainly hadn't seen that one coming. Silently she stood, wondering whether or not her stab at conversation would be enough to make him stay, casting another glance back in Elettra's direction to see if she'd chosen to stick around as well.

He should have known it wouldn't be easy. As soon as he had turned to leave, Corbin managed to distance himself from both women by a few strides before - as if on cue - a voice piped up. It didn't surprise him at all when the younger woman drifted past him, only to block his escape. "You're just gonna leave now, after all we've been through?" She questioned, although Corbin wasn't about to answer her. The words seemed to be rhetorical, so he only watched her with slight disdain as she pranced about. The gray wolf bristled slightly, not at all amused by her antics - but at the same time, he didn't think it was his place to be aggressive, especially since this girl had a friend nearby. "Don't you at least wanna know who we are?" Corbin watched as her eyes shifted, and found himself turning his head - catching sight of the more mature wolf out of the corner of his eye; with a small sigh of resignation, he gave a tiny shrug of the shoulders. It seemed as if he was not going to escape after all.

Spreading his name around was, perhaps, the last thing on his mind. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, but avoiding others seemed to be backfiring. It wouldn't hurt to hear the names of these wolves, if that would allow him safe - and silent passage across these unclaimed lands. "Alright," he murmured, as if he had just been reprimanded - he glanced up, looking at the older wolf briefly before turning his sullen gaze upon the youngster. "My name is Corbin; what do I call you, miss?" This time, he did not bother speaking a word of French - assuming that neither wolf would understand it, although that thought was a bit conceited.

nakloV heard arttelE practically spit out her name as though it was a command, shooting her a quick, slightly confused glare. What, am I bothering you? she couldn't help but think, irked that a wolf who was very much not her mother was trying to act like it. With a small scoff she brushed this off, an irritated flick of her tail quickly becoming the last acknowledgement to arttelE's order that she would give. Here at the Orchard, they were on no pack's territory; if nakloV wanted to stir up a little trouble, which she wasn't even really doing by just talking to someone, then it was her own prerogative.

Instead of dwell on this awkwardness, Volk pointed her attention toward the male. Corbin. He didn't look happy, did he? For some reason, she found his disappointment endearing, and she didn't hold her grin back as it spread across her rugged-looking face. [dohtml]"Don't look so sad!"[/dohtml] she cooed after he gave his name begrudgingly, [dohtml]"I'm doing you a favor. You always wanna remember names— never know when you might need 'em again someday,"[/dohtml] she finished with a shrug.

[dohtml]"Anyway. nakloV,"[/dohtml] she added calmly, [dohtml]"of Copper Rock Creek."[/dohtml] Her reply came somewhat coyly, as she was pleased that he had actually taken the time to stop and talk to her, even if he didn't seem all that excited about it. She momentarily thought about introducing arttelE too, but given the female's previous display, she finally decided to hold her tongue on this one.