Gone Tomorrow

The young female's heart was racing to the point that she could hear its pumping of her blood. She knew nothing of the technical aspects of what it took for a heart to beat; she only knew that when she ran, her body devoured all nourishment she had at an accelerated rate. Which would be good...if she had any nourishment. Since she hadn't in quite some time, she was beginning to feel the effects. Her pace was no longer frantic, and she settled into the legendary lope that her species was known for. She could go for days like this, but her body was screaming at her to shut down and take a break.

Tongue rolling out of her mouth, her sides heaving, she whined somewhat pitifully as she left flat land and scaled the snow covered slopes of Luna Hill. It was not a steep incline by any means, but she could feel her legs burning as she moved. "Ouch!" Soprano voice proclaimed as the young body of mottled gray and white fell into a heap, not even all the way to the top of the hill. Legs underneath her, she didn't even bother lifting her head, but merely surveyed her surroundings from her stationary position in the snow. It was the middle of the afternoon - not exactly prime time for other wolves, so she was safe in that regard. Not that she was worried. Since her return to Relic Lore, she had yet to come across anyone, or anything, unfriendly. So it was doubtful that she was in any danger currently. Forcing herself to breathe slowly, she settled herself, shifting her body so if the need arose, she could summon what reserved energy she had to get to safety. Setting her head down on the ground, she closed her eyes; not taking long before she was gone to the world in a fit of sleep.

Gone Tomorrow

She never dreamed in color. Everything was always in black and white. Once she had questioned her mother if that was a normal occurrence, but her mother did not have the time to deal with her child's dreams or desires. She dreamed of them now, shadowy beings who haunted and tormented her. Ares and Ciri, the parents who had always loved her, but who had always had a distant sense of love. In the background she saw the distorted figure of Arietta, the she-wolf that had driven Cori to leave her home as soon as she was able to. Even further back in the gloom were the misshapen forms of her siblings, wolves that she would probably never again meet. They had not been driven out of their home like she had been. She remembered running, the landscape flying by her in a whirl. She had left the comforts of Relic Lore behind her, but had not returned home - too afraid to admit that she had been wrong. The smokey forms faded away into the darkness, replaced by the more distinct forms of the wolves she had met along her journey. Borden's face came to the forefront, and she felt some comfort at his smile. But he was flanked by a stark white male and a gray-scaled version of the brown alpha who had chased her off his lands so long ago. Alexander and Indru. On the one side, Alexander was offering a kind smile, while on the other, Indru was growling something fierce, though her dream came without sound.

"Are you okay?"

The voice broke through, and Corinna returned to a state of wakefulness with a start. Head lifting so fast that she could feel bones crack, she jumped to her feet. Snow flurries that had been kicked up by her sudden movements rose up in a wild whirlwind before settling again. Green eyes wide, the female immediately took in the colored tawny colored male. He had to have been the source of the noise that had woken her. But, how was that possible? She didn't see color in her dreams, and she didn't typically hear things either. And yet, the wolf who stood before her was the shadowy, growling alpha. Indru.

He introduced himself as such, which confirmed her initial suspicions. But, this didn't make sense. She wasn't still sleeping, was she? If she was, then this was a new experience all together. But...Indru wasn't in Relic Lore, was he? He had left, Swift River was left under the leadership of Ruiko, his brother. Granted, she hadn't known the circumstance of which he had left, so she supposed he could have returned without her knowing. She certainly hadn't kept tabs on him. The last she had seen of him was when he had escorted her out of his borders. Eyes narrowing, she looked at him with fresh eyes. He had introduced himself, which meant he had not remembered who she was. "I know who you are. You were the leader of the Swift River wolves," she told him, her tone dry and neutral. Was this chance offering her a way out of her struggles? After all, she could hardly be trespassing in his territory now, and there was no real reason for him to be here. She would see, and while she was certain that she would never forget, it did not mean she was unwilling to forgive.

Gone Tomorrow

For a moment, the she-wolf hoped that maybe she too would be remembered. After all, wasn't it better to be remembered for something, no matter what it was, than nothing at all? She thought so. But alas, it seemed that she had not left a lasting imprint, and she wondered curiously if there had been others before and after her who had ventured across Indru's path and been subject to his anger. But, right now, he didn't seem particularly angry, and he seemed genuinely concerned about her well being. "I'll be alright, I think. I'm just tired..." she paused for a moment. "And hungry." She added after with a half smile. He had been born and raised a pack wolf, and with the exception of the past couple of months, he had never really known what it was like to be away from his family and without a stable food source. She on the other hand, had been living in a state of constant hunger for months now. Her hunting powers that had served her so well in her home pack were futile here when she was on her own. She found things to eat, eventually - it just took time. "I'm Corinna Donata, by the way," Cori piqued up again, dipping her head in his direction. Not that he would remember the name. "I visited your borders a couple of months ago looking for a home. You, eh, escorted me out." No point in beating around the bush with it; he would either remember or he would not, the least she could do was remind him about their initial meeting.

Gone Tomorrow

She watched him close the distance between them, naturally easing the tension that always seemed to appear when two strangers first met. After all, they were strangers. She knew where he came from, knew his leadership history, but that was all from observation - a skill that all lone wolves were quick to detect. Not that Indru was slow on the uptake either. His comment about her status as a lone wolf did not elide his curiosity, Cori could very clearly hear the undercurrent of curiosity. It was a comment curiosity, after all. It was strange that she would still be on her own even after the harshness of winter. "The water dried up. I left Relic Lore to survive. I came back when the water did. I like it here, I don't particularly want to live anyplace else," she told him, cutting her story down to the nitty-gritty of what was actually important.

Cori's face flushed as he commented on her trespassing. Not that it mattered. He didn't seem particularly annoyed about it now, and her shoulder wound, from where he had bitten her, had long since healed up. So she supposed it was probably time to let it go as well. Slipping back down on her haunches, the gray female relaxed for a moment, before noticing that she was sitting on a downward slope in the snow. Beneath her, she could gradually feel the snow give way, and she got back up in a bit of a hurry, shaking her body so as to remove the snow that clung to her hindquarters. Grinning, she took a few steps forward so that she was level with Indru and not in danger of being swept away by the snow. "Why?" she answered, registering that he had asked her a question. "Well, for starters, there's only two packs in Relic Lore - not much of a choice there. And, well...I'm afraid of heights, so Midnight Plateau is out," she explained, her voice growing softer as she admitted her fear. "And I haven't made it to Swift River yet, so right now it's just me."

Gone Tomorrow

She had wondered what had happened to the original Swift River leader. When she had returned and discovered that Indru's scent was nowhere to be found, but rather had been replaced by his brother, Ruiko, she had been confused. At first, she had wondered if a confrontation had broken out between the two brothers. She was one of three siblings, the idea of a sibling rivalry was not a new concept to her. But, despite everything, she was glad he had returned. Cori didn't know Indru on a personal level at all, she had only met him and Ruiko before briefly, but somehow things seemed more at place when the Tainn family was reunited. Their parents had made the original mark on Relic Lore, and it was only right that their offspring was continuing it. "That drought was something...I'm surprised that any one decided to stay around and tough it out," she mused. Ironic, considering that she and Indru were standing atop the snow - an abundant source of water if need be.

Cori's attempt to lower her voice when mentioning her fear of heights did not go unnoticed. He picked up on it, smiling at her, though his confusion was evident in both his face and his tone. She grinned back, a bit sheepishly. Shrugging her slim shoulders, she spoke up, "My birth pack lived at the base of a group of mountains. When I was maybe half a year old or so, I went exploring in the foothills. I lost my balance...and it was only sheer luck that I landed where I did and not on the rocks below. Ever since then, I've avoided heights like the plague." Whoever said that childhood experiences didn't have an effect on the adult life was an idiot, or Cori was the exception to the rule.

Gray ears perking up, she looked at him with wide eyes in surprise at his offer to help. She had told quite a few of the wolves she had met about her fear, and surprisingly none of them had offered to help her overcome it. And yet, he had. "You know, I would like that. Thanks, Indru," she returned, smiling at him. She didn't care if he might have been joking, she was unable to elide her joy at the potential possibility of overcoming her biggest fear in this world. His reference to their past meeting made her flush, but she flicked her tail in enjoyment, glad that they could reduce it to jokes. "I would like that. I've been meaning to seek out Ruiko. I like to be on my own...but I'm a pack wolf at heart, you know?"