The ivory male gripped the morsel of flesh in his jaws tighter as a howl ripped across the flat lands. His paw falls hesitated slightly as his fiery eyes preened up, glaring out across the expansive territory. The grass and deadened red flowers crunched softly beneath his steps, though he paid little mind to such a thing. Instead, he debated to return home with the small pheasant he had caugt and offer it to the pack cache.. Or determine what had made such a beast bellow so loudly across the terrains.


Curiosity won, despite the pale Argyris' stoical persona, and trailing back closer to the heart of the neutral grounds, the male soon came upon the stranger. He had missed her presence by mere moments before, and blinking at her, the ivory wolf gimgerly placed the dead bird at is paws, his gaze trained upon the she-wolf who had just shouted at the heavens only moments ago asking where everyone was. His eyes were questioning, but it did not slip to his tainted black lips, waiting to see her reaction.

They stood, allowing moments of silence to stretch between them as they studied one another. Phineas noted the light of the she-wolf’s pelt and the way it clung to her thinning figure. The life of a lone wolf was a harsh one, and it seemed the she-wolf before him was battling such a lifestyle.


Finally, she broke the quiet. The gentle murmur of her voice stirred Phineas’ ears forward, and at her words, the male allowed a small smirk to twitch at the corners of his tainted lips, amusement surpassing his fiery orange eyes. She seemed embarrassed at the outburst she had, and had he been more mischievous or even one who reveled in the tease of women, the Argyris male would have commented on this. He was neither – a quiet noble, the male finally bowed his muzzle in silent greeting to the loner, his tail swaying gently behind him.


“Phineas Argyris of Willow Ridge,” he introduced simply, his voice rumbling out after he cleared his throat. His eyes studied her quietly – she was a pretty thing with sparse bits of cinnamon and warm hues that frosted her pelt, unlike his own pure alabaster coat that was tainted with bits of ebony and silver along his spinal.

“What direction is ‘nowhere near here’ from Relic Lore?” His tone was inquisitive – polite, even as he questioned the she-wolf of her whereabouts. After all, he was not native to the valley either – perhaps they had come from around the same area. At her introduction, the ivory male dipped his muzzle slightly, his gaze fixating upon the girl’s cheek so as to not challenge her or make her feel uncomfortable. Not that he felt she was in any shape to take him on. Willow Ridge had been kind to him, and in turn, he had bulked up from his days spent as a lone wolf as well.


“Pleasure is mine,” he assured the golden she-wolf, noting the way her eyes seemed to flicker in the direction of his pheasant. Had the meal been for him the wolf might not have thought anything of it to offer the female a share – but it was for his pack, and he did not imagine Koda or Elettra would take kindly to one of their members feeding the rogues of the valley rather than one of their own.


While he noted the time of day and that he should be returning – after all, the pack had its share of members and Elettra had already turned one male away, who was to say she wouldn’t replace him with another should his presence not be strong enough within their ranks – the pale wolf held back dismissing himself for now, allotting a moment for what he hoped would be pleasant conversation from a rather pretty female.

Phineas withheld the quirk of a wolfish eyebrow at her statement – she seemed reluctant to speak of her birth pack or what area she came from, and the ivory wolf allowed the topic to shift in his direction. Offering a soft shake of his muzzle, the Argyris male allowed his shoulders to lift in a slight shrug, realizing that discussing Asphodel Meadows still left a bitter taste in his mouth and twinged at his heart. “No, I just came upon Relic Lore at the end of Autumn,” he murmured in response, not dwelling on his homelands either. After all, if she was unwilling to share, why would he bore her with his own past?


His nose lifted to the air as the winter wind drifted past the two wolves – his fiery eyes fell upon the bristle of her golden and ivory pelt, given his new status of being single, he found himself rather enjoying the petite beauty before him. She seemed a gentle soul, and with that Phineas took warning – it seemed it was always the quiet and kind ones that were the most deceitful. His ex-mate had been, at least.


His eyes stole down to the meal he kept somewhat guarded, the twitch of a smirk slipping to his usual stoical features. “This is for the cache at home,” he noted, his eyes lifting once more to regard the lone wolf. “I joined a pack called Willow Ridge when I came upon this valley.”

Despite the fact that the ivory wolf did not stare blatantly at the girl’s face, he did notice the widening of her gaze through his peripheral vision. It was interesting that she could not scent the others upon him and come to such a conclusion, but then again, being so new to the valley, it was also likely had not even heard of the Ridge wolves let alone come upon any of their scent before.


She moved towards him then, though Phineas did no more than blink to her. Had he felt threatened by her presence, the large male would have towered more protectively over his catch, perhaps even lowered his muzzle and released a warning growl. She seemed gentle in nature though, and the Ridge male recognized an inquisitive nature versus a malicious one. “They aren’t far,” he responded, his tail giving an idle sweep through the cool air before he gave a quick shake of his pelt.


She mentioned her desire of seeking a path, and Phineas allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of his lips. The life of a lone wolf was certainly a lonely one, and completely unnatural to their species. It came as no surprise to him that she was so intrigued by such a thing, and the male regarded her gently. “I can take you to the borders if you wish to meet the leaders, Elettra and Koda.” It was a light invitation – one she could easily back away from if she felt the desire. “They will want to ask you a few questions to see if you would suit the pack.”