The discovery of the Wildflower Glade had always been a favourite for Indru. He could remember as a puppy crawling through the twisty and almost impenetrable thicket that seemed never ending and ensnaring, and then stepping forward through more foliage and finding himself in a open glade covered with flowers of seemingly random shades and colours. It had been stunning and beautiful, all the more pronounced by the tangle of trees it was surrounded by. Once leaving the glade the for the first time it had been hard to find it again, the thicket barely navigable, but after 3 years here Indru found he could find his way there by his nose, recognising small traces that led him unfailingly in the right direction. This was one of the reasons he thought he would never leave Relic Lore, he loved finding his favourite locations and remembering how to get there, not being lost and instead being knowing.

It was about midday when Indru stepped clear of the tangles, shaking himself to rid himself of the thicket's debris, before stepping forward, feeling the sun break over him once again. It was now, when the sun was highest, that you could truly experience the glade's beauty, the flowers in full bloom and straining to reach the sun that hung above them. It was almost a shame to walk on them. Walking carefully, almost on the tips of his toes, Indru tried to step in between them, carefully trying not to crush any stems. He made it to the centre soon enough and, with a move that totally made his careful tip toeing pointless, dropped the ground, growling lightly under his breath in joy as he rolled around on his back, crushing the flowers into his dark brown fur.

Feathers steps were light and delicate as she meandered along the land she did not know, could not know, and was utterly amazed with the sheer beauty of the place. She was the sort of girl who appreciated something that looked good when she saw it, and her eyes danced in an ecstatic light as flowers and more flowers appeared with every step she took. But she was soon distracted by another figure in the distance, a figure who quickly became the focal point of all she was seeing — the true centerpiece that the swaying wildflowers paused around. They swayed gently as he moved carefully, and Feather was all too curious as to what his intentions were.



It didn't take long to find out. As he moved to crush himself into the ground, Feather dashed towards him to dive-roll beside him, quite liking the look of what he was doing. Her light coat shimmered in the light as rays clung to her coat, and then it was not only the heat-giving rays upon her but flower petals crushing against the entirety of her body. She let out an eager laugh, forgetting that she had joined someone until her green eyes found the tidal-wave of the others rolling body. She tarried for a moment before rolling away from him, moving to a quick sit. She was quick to speak, "I hope you don't mind that I joined you there... I..." Derp. What?

Too involved in what he was going to do, an activity that he was embarrased to admit took place, he was rolling in flowers after all, Indru failed to notice the arrival of another scent, a smell that gave away that he had a witness to his once secret deed. Any noise that she made was covered up by Indru's shimmying body as he chucked himself around none too gently, and his growl that gave away his pleasure at just rolling, and knowing he would smell nice later as well. It wasn't until he suddenly saw a dart of movement to his left and another body thump down next to him, immediately starting to mimic his movements he realised he wasn't alone. Instantly the boy leapt up, half out of embarrassment and half out of shock. The female's laugh brought a quick grin to his face though, pleased that he wasn't the only one who enjoyed this, at least she had the cover of being a girl though, before she realised her random behaviour herself and sat up trying to explain.

Er, hi! Indru greeted, still feeling his fur bristling with the abruptness and embarrassment of it all as he took in the female now sitting opposite him. No.. not at all, join in all you like. The boy laughed, peering down at the now ruined flowers somewhat shame faced. Their stems broken and their petals scattered, many now sticking out of his messy fur, which at least had a pleasant smell to it. My name is Indru, miss.

He was quick to rise and she skirted away, her bright eyes not straying from him for even an instant as she took all of him in. Flower-petals drifted downwards as she observed him, licking her lips in a moment of being absolutely wordless. Her tail twitched anxiously, but as the wolf before he was decidedly not hostile the wolf eased up the tension coiling within instantly. "Feather," she introduced herself in kind, and then she darted towards him and spun in a small semi-circle around him.


And then she slid down to the earth in a sleek, cat-like movement, grinning impishly up at her elder, shimmying in place beside him before suggesting, "Shall we?" Without further adieu, she began to roll again all over the earth, muzzle shoving into the earth so that she could not miss a single inch. By the end of this, she would smell delicious — she hoped. A growl of her own pleasure ripped forth from her vocal chords, lips lifting into a genuine smile as she moved about.

Feather. Hm, she certainly seemed to be light and free as a bird, Indru thought comically as he watched her dart around him as she spun in a semi-circle like gesture. Perhaps the male should of been more on guard and wary of this strange she wolf who had literally just darted into his life but he couldn't help it, and he knew she was utterly harmless. Besides, it was nice to see someone so refreshingly different and free in their movements. He watched as she slid back down to the earth, sleek and smooth like a falcon, plying him with another grin in return, making his stretch even wider in response, and then ask him a question that had him laughing with her daring.

Of course. With a less than graceful flop Indru landed on his side, quickly using his legs to fling himself onto his back and resume his aggressive movement of throwing his body side to side and off the ground to crash back down, tossing petals and pollen up in the process, effectively grinding the scent the flowers were giving off into his fur. So, he panted, the movements demanding a lot of physical energy. Where.. did.. you.. come.. from? Indru asked in between growling and rolling his shoulders, occasionally flipping over onto his side and rubbing the length of his body — from nose to tail — along the now destroyed flowers.

She rolled within the earth, enjoying the feel of the flowers crushing against her back and feeling the stems remove themselves from the earth to intertwine with her fur. Of all elements, Feather loved the earth — water coming to a close second. Her name was ironic, then; for she hated heights, and things with feathers flew. She, however, would avoid Mountains for as long as she lived. The flat land was just fine with her, in truth — there was so much of it, so what was the point of climbing up and up and up to see the same thing that had a limit? The earth was endless. Mountains had peaks, edges. Neither of which she wanted to be near.



As they rolled, he grunted a question. Feather thought for a long while, trying her best to think of some unique and majestic sounding place. She wasn't allowed to tell him of her old lands, and was supposed to have thought of a backstory, but she had been so caught up in the scenery... and so, scenery was just what she thought of. She paused in her movements, panting heavily. The Drylands, She said to him then, recalling the absolutely empty land she had had to cross on her way here. It would certainly make sense to him now that she was absolutely enthralled by all things earth. Although it wasn't true at all, she knew she wouldn't have to do much describing of anything when he asked about it. Just... just West of here, She said in earnest, panting, having at the very least an honest sense of direction. She flipped over onto her side, laying in his direction so that she could see him all the better. Crushed flowers and their petals were littered across her body, her fur ridden with stems and grass.

When she started to speak Indru paused also, his chest heaving at a rapid pace as he tried to lessen the volume of his panting so he could hear her easier. He remained on his side, one paw lifted into the air and his head held raised to watch her as she spoke. The Drylands? Indru repeated, trying the name out to see if it brought anything from his memory. Of course he knew there were many places he had not seen or heard of, but with a name like that it seemed well known. I've never heard of them, he remarked, his voice still friendly and his tail swaying slightly to show that it was not an accusation. Her direction didn't help much either, and Indru still found himself clueless, though perhaps now more aware on how to get there.

I'm from... here. A quick grin was shot her way before he glanced at his paws. My parents they started a pack here, I was among the first litter. Now his youngest siblings would forever be among the last, even more of a reason they were so precious to Indru and the pack. The last remnants of Rihael and Lani. So I've been here since I was a pup. Indru briefly wondered whether to explain the abrupt end to his birth pack, but decided that if not such a question had been asked he did not want to bring it up unnecessarily.

She shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal manner as he mentioned never hearing of them — they'd been in the middle of nowhere, the emptiest abyss surrounded by beauty — her green eyes flashing to show her disinterest in the subject of where she came from. But as he spoke of being born here, of his parents having a pack, she was more attentive. She knew all about herself — as much as one who didn't care cared to know — but wanted to learn all about him. She loved learning of others, of their life, of their story. Others were important whereas she... was just herself.


A pack, She murmured faintly, missing entirely the social dynamics of the word pack. They're so important. Being alone for so long, I nearly forgot, she murmured for him to hear, her green eyes lit in a sad light. To forget about something so important... which also reminded her of her lack of having a decent meal. It had been rabbits, squirrels, snakes, and mice for her. Nothing big enough to fill her for days, which would explain her slim physique. She lifted herself from the earth then, not even bothering to shake her coat out, and grinned down at him. Well, Indru, since you know these lands so well... would you like to get to know them a little better with me? I'm afraid I don't know them at all. You can save me from falling into the random gaps in the ground I don't know about, She suggested, wolfish brows lifting as she grinned in what she hoped was a winning manner.

A weak smile and nod was Indru's response to her comment about a pack's importance. They are, he began, thinking of how close his pack use to be, Hidden Tree, and how the removal of two key players upsets the social dynamic so much. Mine is.. was.. is all my family. He corrected, trying to remind himself to think of his parents in past tense now, they had not just left to travel after all, they had left for good and he should not wait expectantly for their return filled with stories of what they had seen. We are a very close pack. He concluded rather weakly, though the truth of his words still remained.

His grin brought an almost instinctual one out of the male in response, her words making it widen and he laughed, his eyes smiling. It would be my pleasure, Feather. Indru rose to his feet with the speed of a cat, whipping his tail behind him and started forward peering over his shoulder at the smaller wolf. Ready? Our exploration begins! He laughed, his normal regal appearance marred by the various petals and stems that decorated his pelt freely, making the boy look wild with his messy fur and lit up face, a grin stretching his muzzle.

His quick — or slow, really — correction on how it had once been all family caused her brows to lift in a show of confusion. Why had he needed to correct it? She presumed immediately that either someone had left, or that someone had passed on. Either way, she was Sorry, about it, and it was said in a soft and sheepish manner. It was none of her business. But she couldn't help but be sympathetic. She knew how terrible it was when things happened that you could not control. Her face contorted into a pained expression, and she shifted her weight in a moment of anxiety, not one to want to dwell on depression. She had left those days. She was a free-spirited, lighthearted girl. Depression had no place in their time together — at least, not today. At his conclusion, she said warmly, That's good. You must have a good leader, then. And this she said in earnest, having no idea in the slightest that it was Indru who was a leader. The leader, in fact. And when she learned this, she would stand by those words regardless.



As her new friend rose to his feet, she took in all of him. Littered with flowers, he was still quite a treat to the eye, but Feather was quick to turn her nose to the thought. She had come here to be free, after all. So she darted ahead of him, despite not knowing anything about the lands. What she wanted was a good run, and his good company. With a growl at his laugh, she grinned before pushing her powerful back legs to lunge forwards and sprint, her tail flailing left and right wildly.