The ivory male once more found himself straying to the Northern parts of Relic Lore. It was a two day journey, and yet ever since his recent conversation with the lady Elettra, the ivory male had been unable to stay still for very long. The aspect that she and Koda were not mates rattled him to the core, if only because he was dangerously close to wanting her for himself. Yet she had given no insight or hints of reciprocation, and instead the Argyris male took to keeping himself busy.


The day found him following a creek; the swirl of thick fog cloaking his pelt in a dampness that was uncomfortable, though he paid little mind to such. Instead, his fiery eyes remained focused upon the waters beside him, noting the bits of ice that drifted along the surface of the still moving waters. There was no sign of fish within it’s more shallow depths, and the Ridge male could only assume that the cold had such a potential meal buried within the muck at the bottom.. waiting to resurface come the warmer signs of spring.


While it seemed quiet, the brisk wind carried a scent to him, and when the large male glanced sharply up from the creek, his eyes scanned the terrain before him, his figure stilling. The wind told him of the presence of another, and soon enough, Phineas’ eyes fell upon the other beast, surprised he had not noticed him sooner. Upon the opposite side of the waters, the dark male stood, silent and seemingly deep in thought. With his tail sweeping the air behind him and both ears flicked forward intently, the Argyris male awaited for the stranger to take notice of him – surely the wind had carried his scent to the stranger as well by now, despite the thicker fog that surrounded them.

He regarded the dark wolf for a moment, his gaze withholding his emotions like a stoical mask. Yet upon the greeting, even as hesitant as it seemed to be upon the lips of the unknown male, the Argyris wolf dipped his muzzle slightly in terms of his own, his tail giving an idle flick behind him. “My apologies, I did not realize another was so close by until the wind picked up,” he admitted, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Of course, the fog had hidden the other from him, but the ivory male was nonetheless berating himself for a moment of foolishly relaxing his guard.


His eyes fell to the creek once more, unable to decipher what the land he was in truly looked like. The coiling fog gave little in the way of allowing him to see, and so when it swept past once more, curling about the darker wolf before him, Phineas shrugged his shoulders back in a light stretch, uncertain if his presence was welcome and if he should stay. “I’m Phineas Argyris of Willow Ridge,” he introduced, his fiery eyes flickering over the other in an attempt to gauge his reaction and perhaps gain some insight to the stranger’s thoughts. They seemed close in age, though it was impossible to tell, but the ivory male found he was slightly relieved with such an assumption; for the most part, the wolves he came across in Relic Lore were younger than him by at least two to three years.

The ivory male gave a light shake of his pelt – more so a means to relax himself than anything else, and as the darker male introduced himself as a lone wolf, the Argyris wolf allowed a small smile to flicker across his features, though he doubted the other would notice it through the fog.


There was little to be said amongst strangers. The interlude itself only maintained a level of awkwardness, and while it was likely wise to simply give a courtesy nod of politeness and make his leave, Phineas instead chose to stay, surprised that a wolf of around his age remained as a loner. Though it hadn’t been too long ago when he himself had been in such a position, though it was likely the male’s stories and past were vastly different.


“Well Faol of Nowhere,” he mused lightly, his shoulders shrugging back in a leisurely stretch. “Do you plan to stay in Relic Lore or are you just passing through?” After all, many he had met had simply disappeared without him seeing them again.. it was far more likely they had continued their travels to other valleys.

The darker male gave a brief description of his stay here – the dry humor that seemed to lace his words drew a sardonic snort from the ivory wolf, and the hint of a smirk etched upon his lips. “Poisonous fungus and a shady female,” he mused in repeat, his own words holding the hint of a light tease. “Sounds like you’re time here has been both interesting and efficient so far,” he offered, realizing his own time spent in Relic Lore had been to dote upon the pack that had taken him in.


He did not regret joining Willow Ridge – in truth, he found himself finding the place home if only because of his growing fondness for his pack mates.. a certain dark lady included. Yet restlessness grew upon him as spring approached ever closer, and he knew that come breeding season, he would need to define the next path he was to take.


His attention reverted back to the other as he spoke, his own eyes drifting to the direction of his home. “Willow Ridge lies just south of here. Elettra, the lead female, is strict when it comes to such matters, so the offer is appreciated.” There was a small pause, and while he would have questioned the male where he planned to go, he found himself leaving such a topic in the air. Had Faol wanted to discuss the matter, he would have brought it up, and Phineas was not willing to encourage the male to join the ranks of Willow Ridge when he seemed content to be on his own. “Traveling during the winter is a risk,” he mused then, his eyes flicking back to study the male. At five years of age, both were in their prime of life – they held experience, wisdom, and the strength of a still younger wolf. He was curious to the patht his male longed to take. “But it seems the season as treated you well.”

The darker male’s words struck a chord of amusement within Phineas, and the ivory male felt his tainted lips curl in a brief smile. It was refreshing to come across one not only of his age, but more of his dry sense of humor as well. He made no comment on the more somber statement however – such was true with life, whether you held a pack behind you or not. Nature had a tricky way of interfering with matters of all sorts, and the alabaster wolf recalled how quickly his life had changed from proud Leader and father to abandoner and rogue and back to pack wolf. All within a year of his life.


Faol made to rise, shaking his fur as he did so. Phineas was quick to follow suit, his fiery eyes casting out upon the path he would take that would lead him back to the Ridge. Both ears flickered at the sound of the other’s voice, and as Phineas swung his muzzle in the direction of the lone male, he offered a nod of farewell as well. “Keep safe on your travels,” he offered, his tail giving an idle flick before his shoulders rolled back in a light stretch.


Without much more hesitation, the Argyris wolf was once more taking the direction to home. His task of familiarizing himself more fully with the lands had given him the unexpected and brief interlude with a stranger, but one that he had found more settling and soothing than what he had found even with his own pack fellow pack members. Whether or not he ever saw Faol again, he almost doubted such things. The wolf seemed hesitant to settle just yet, and the lands that stretched beyond Relic Lore were just as plentiful.