Under the gentle disguise of the darkened night, Veldrin traveled through these unknown and unfamiliar lands. He walked regally, formally, head held high - especially for a lone wolf. But yet again, he was on free land. He had no pack to bow down to. And with that thought in mind, he allowed the moonlight to adorn his steel-gray pelt with shimmers and glimmers, and surveyed the land with his watchful, piercing gray-blue eyes. His solid and steady gaze swept through the thick canopy of the thicket, seemingly capturing all there was to see in his eyes.

Veldrin was a dweller of the night, a participant in the game of silence, a wordless conspirator in the darkness. And even though he was forcing his way through intricately entangled vines and branches, even though the moonlight gleamed silver-white on his coat, Veldrin maintained that air of quiet and poise. It was a trait he'd nurtured ever since he was a pup - a straight posture with a subtle hint of solemnness. His eyes did not twinkle, and he was not a starry-eyed explorer, filled to the brim with wanderlust. His eyes were cold and observant, nothing more.

But he was polite - he was raised that way and he kept himself good-mannered. So as the stinging scent of a female stranger wafted into his proximity, Veldrin stepped into a tangled mess of flora - and perhaps fauna - to alert the female of his presence. "Greetings," he spoke, his voice naught more than a soft whisper, and yet it sliced cleanly through the silence of the night.

He surveyed the female with the polite interest that one of his caliber should possess. And so he did. He watched with piercing gray-blue eyes, not intimidating, but instead, neutral. The dark-gray wolf took in information and data, but revealed nothing. He kept to himself in that proud, haughty way, oozing with an inherent charisma that came so naturally to the large male. He took in the silvery female's hesitance and awkwardness, her nervousness and timidness. And he took in her almost aethereal beauty, her pale blue eyes that matched the sky, her small and elegant, though subordinate, posture.

"Would you care to enlighten me on why your eyes are staring so intently at the earth, my acquaintance?" he inquired, noting her aversion to eye contact. And then he waited, watching, still. Still as a statue, firm as a mountain, calm as the surface of a ripple-less pond. One could not call him stiff and unnatural, however. He was comfortable in his current position, content, satisfied. A direct contrast to the anxious female before him. The only indication of movement came from the soft caresses of the nighttime breezes, as they ruffled his coat to whisper sweet nothings.

Veldrin watched, amused, as the young female swept through a melange of expressions. She was thoughtful, perhaps even overly contemplative and indecisive. And she was overflowing with a strange, refreshing brand of naivety and innocence - her fidgeting, her inability to maintain steady eye contact, and her incessant stuttering were all flawless examples of those traits. Somehow, her awkwardness was tainted with a subtle hint of grace and poise. Somehow, there was the faintest trace of royalty in her distinct lack of confidence.

He allowed a neutral smile to slip onto his black lips as he listened to the female's response, transfixed. The Draelin observed her dainty expressions and her positively adorable pout. He stared right back into her blue, blue eyes, and for a moment, there was some sort of acknowledgment. And then it was gone, so Veldrin spoke again, his low voice soft but certain. "I see," he murmured, following her gaze and staring intently at her paws, but made no comment about the gap in logic. Some things were better left unsaid. She'd most likely feel more awkward with that obvious irrationality. "Then perhaps you would allow me the honor of knowing why you're speaking so intently to a nice collection of vines and branches?" he pressed, feeling entertained despite himself.

There was nothing more than the slightest look of amusement in his eyes - hardly visible and perhaps not there at all. His calm, expressionless face took in the female's eyes without fear or restraint. And he stared back, almost daring his new acquaintance to maintain this staring contest. Conveniently enough, because he was such a tall male and the female so significantly shorter, Veldrin seemed to stare down into the female's eyes. Perhaps intimidating, perhaps merely returning her stare. He never knew. He never needed to.

He remained his same, impassive self at the female's reply as well as her display of instant horror and apology. "I don't deny that - perhaps I would even concur - for who am I to judge your perception of beauty," began the older male, letting a slight taste of curiosity linger in his voice quite purposely. "However, would my dear acquaintance not agree that it is merely good-mannered to look at whom you speak to?" It was a harmless, even innocent question, and Veldrin had phrased it specifically that way, aimed to guilt-trip.

But Veldrin had temporarily squeezed every last bit of amusement he received from this exchange as the female returned to her passive, gentle self. "Perhaps that would be a more appropriate start," he commented, deciding that it had been somewhat entertaining to coax out the fiery personality in the female. "But where are my manners?" he continued, place the emphasis on 'manners' as if to tease the female further. "I am Veldrin."

Veldrin gave a dashing grin at female before him, a blinding, toothpaste ad smile (Colgate, not Crest). He tossed his head handsomely, his silky slate gray fur swishing elegantly from to and fro. And no, he has definitely not -- definitely not! -- effeminate. He was going to eat the next wolf who told him that. He was a manly, masculine, macho male (see what I did there? Alliteration!). "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he whispered huskily, giving a charismatic wink. And then the mice attack came, like magic! Terrified and alarmed, he put on his heroic mask and turned to face the mice. "Never fear, lady! For I am here to protect you!" he declared, and swatted one mouse away, joining Kiera's dance. It was strange like a yin yang symbol. "Are you quite alright, my damsel in distress?!"