While beauty might have been sought in those who admired lagoons for their colors and ambience, typically Ecco D'Oliva wasn't fond of lagoons in the Far North. "Lagoons" in the subterranean North were either entirely frozen over, or carried lonely drifting glaciers. Ecco didn't take to admiring the ambience of certain regions due to the fact her survival was her number one priority of her life to date; perhaps if she would have remained in her more pampered time of life, viewing the beauty of Nature would have been recognized. On this morning, however, Ecco stumbled upon the largest body of water that existed in Relic Lore, and couldn't stop to stare at the tranquil waters emerging from the foliage of surrounding fauna.


          Ecco was common to rise with the morning sun as well. Due to her already small stature, her mass had been greatly depleted over time. There was so much her thermal pelt could do for protection; the addition of a healthy percentage of body mass often worked well in even the most freezing of circumstances, but just skin and bones beneath fur did little for the female than for her to coil into herself as much as she could. The D'Oliva slept during the freezing nights to conserve warmth and energy, and in the day moved in the path of the sunlight to soak in what rays of warmth she could while moving and keeping her muscles warm in that method. Her stopping periods were brief, and already Ecco was drifting to the shoreline of the lagoon's waters, taking more than her fill with gulping laps.


          The lone female drank until her stomach felt heavy and cold within, and withdrew from the shoreline with a shake. Her peripheral vision failed to recognize the gray male that stood not too far from where she was located, and when a sweep over of her amber eyes observed the area around her then, the male appeared to be doing a similar recreation as her. He held the bulk of a large male, covered in cream, russet, and black. Her nose only told of his identity and affiliation from their distance, which he smelled just as much as the pine and Nature as Ecco did herself. No pack. Ecco seemed to run into a lot of wolves like herself lately, and wondered why there was such a concentration of lone wolves versus pack wolves. The only pack she encountered, she was chased from the outskirts of their borders. Perhaps it was the tight security of the packs here that kept the loners well at a distance, and weren't welcoming to the outsiders like them.


          Ecco felt oddly sociable, despite how kept to herself and socially awkward she grew once she left home. There was always that longing feeling of companionship deep within, and decided to take her chance with at least an acknowledging statement. Ecco approached the male, albeit keeping a comfortable distance when she was close enough to see finer details. Her tail hung limp, her body poised in relaxation, not showing any outwardly signs of threat. "We're much too common here, it seems. What, do you need to be born into the packs here to even have a chance?" Who knew if he really even knew this to be true, but it was at least an icebreaker. A meek smile crossed her muzzle, her attempt at sociability slightly awkward, but at least putting the effort forth.

          The male's name was Cisco Moriel, and Ecco instantly relaxed in his presence. Although Ecco would have never guessed Cisco held quite a bit of age and seasoning to him, the contours of his face and smile told the D'Oliva he was a kind soul, a wanderlust like herself. Cisco was apparently new to the Lore like herself, stating how there was no knowing of what the systematics were of the packs already reigning in the valley. One element that stood out from Cisco's introduction was of his origins from the Yukon. The Yukon was the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories, and it was right next to Alaska. Ecco journeyed through the Yukon for quite sometime in migration South toward the direction of Relic Lore. "Ah, the Yukon, huh? You were our neighbors, next to the Alaskans. What part of Yukon, exactly?" Ecco questioned right off the bat. Some old pack mates left her birth pack and rumor was they relocated in the Richardson Mountains of the Yukon (which, by word of her grandparents, was a spacious area with forever rolling fields of gold).


          The D'Oliva shook her head suddenly, a bashful grin appearing on her muzzle. Cisco introduced himself, and Ecco cared nothing more than to learn what region of the Yukon he was from. Then again, Ecco hadn't came across another individual of the Far North ever since she departed from Alaska, so the common ground with herself and Cisco was easy to grab her attention. "Pardon me. Name's Ecco D'Oliva. Originally from Gravina Island, Alaska." Ecco countered with her own introduction. Then, with a sway of her tail and her bashful grin turning more broad, her amber eyes glinted with her following words. "Can't begin to say how much of a pleasure it is myself to be speaking with someone from my neck of the woods." Ecco breathed, for her heart yearned to reconnect with those individuals of the Far North again.

Forgive me for taking so long to respond to this. I promise I'll move this to my priority threads to pick up the pace from here on out. <3


          McKenzie Mountains. Amber eyes lit up with the recognition of the region. "I know exactly where that is." Ecco expressed enthusiastically. The tip of her tail quivered in a sway. "Some former pack mates of ours journeyed there. What a small world, huh?" Ecco then quipped, as for two wolves such as themselves who could have been separated worlds apart by the distance of the far North, here they were meeting upon mutual grounds. For the first time in a long time, the D'Olive felt as if she was warming up to a strange faster than normal. Ecco grinned when Cisco made light of their connectivity by their habitats, easily falling carefree into the tone of his welcoming, friendly voice.


          Cisco suggested a small hunt be in order, to which Ecco herself was quite thrilled he would ask of such an invitation. Well, then again, she grew slightly self conscious of herself in the moment. Here she was, a standing entity of skin and bones, and even for Cisco's age he probably had a lot more takedown power than Ecco ever would with starvation out in the wild by herself this entire time. The gesture and invite was friendly enough; who would be a fool to turn down a hunting opportunity anyway? "Not if you don't mind a frail, weak female like myself tagging along. I can run fast, though." Ecco suggested, a shrug of her dark shoulders. At least she gave the credit of being good at something. There was not much strength in her weary muscles, but her paws were breakneck for speed. Trimming her own fat content made her a lean, swift, agile canine against the fastest of prey.

          Cisco expressed her knack of speed to be beneficial in light of hunting, in which the two would compliment themselves working as a team (him taking on the masculine strength, and her the feminine agileness). Ecco would waste no time following Cisco where he decided to lead them both, as the D'Oliva enthusiastically nodded her head in acknowledgment to Cisco and trailing behind. A sudden rush of life made the dark female come alive, her steps spry and swift behind Cisco. Her mouth was already beginning to salivate at the mere thought of catching a good meal to fill her stomach and satisfy her, although the hard work had to come first. She couldn't get too eager in the beginning, or else it would ruin concentration and calculation.


          Cisco veered off, and Ecco took the cue to start sniffing around in the opposite direction herself. The lagoon was full of moister and moss, something that wasn't necessarily too pleasant to a canine's nose (at least not for her). There was a plethora of scents to be easily hooked on from both creatures who were previously present or were just in the area of the Lagoon. The fresh dew amplified the mossy smell of the lagoon, but Ecco's ears perked up in interest when she thought she smelled something akin to caribou that might have passed here for a drink. Her nose hovered inches about the moist Earth, pinpointing the scent. "Cisco, over here." Ecco lifted her head, calling to him. "I think I might have found something recent. Come take a sniff?" When in doubt with your nose, it was always handy to borrow another's nose just to double check. It smelled distinctly like caribou, so hopefully this one was a winner they could pinpoint and track if Cisco thought it smelled like something to go after.