Hidden Tree all the way to the graveyard

It had been years since the Great Fire - nine, to be exact - and it was hard now to imagine that, once upon a time, this part of the forest was nothing but black upon brown upon black. The broken, charcoaled tree trunks were perhaps the only telltale sign that a dreadful blaze had taken its toll on this part of Relic Lore. Chimera, for sure, had not even been alive then. Hell, not even Niles had been alive to witness such a thing. There were not even stories in his verbal history repertoire that told of what had happened here or who had been left behind.

The Lyall's ears stood tall and rounded open as he stalked past the the old den that had once been Hidden Den, the birthplace of the legendary Tainn family. Niles in his life so far had not had the chance nor pleasure to meet one of them. It was a pity; his Uncle Borden would have told him how kind Corinna had been and his father would have shared just how ferocious Corinna's son Fenru was when it came to keeping their bloodline just one notch above the rest...

A howl echoed in the distance and Niles tilted his head upward to answer. Chimera was nearby (as always) but had just wanted to keep tabs on his traveling companion as they stalked through the fire-scorched ruins of the Wildwood. He stopped and sighed; the air was still quiet. Apart from Chimera's songs, it felt as though the Lore was empty, returning back to the wilderness it had once been when there was but only two packs in the area.

For a good measure, Niles sounded out another howl to pose the question as to whether or not there were any others nearby. He was sure it would go unanswered, but just in case he offered. An invitation offered and unanswered was bounds better than the invitation never extended.

Life had (presumably) been good. She had adjusted to life with one less eye and hellions running about. Everything went on just like it always seemed to.

Still she found herself with the itch to explore some days and wander down into lands that weren't her own. Peace was always welcomed in her travels though. While she would never be fully tamed even with age, she most certainly was not looking for fights were appendages were injured or senses ruined. But it seemed someone else was looking for something.

A short call slipped out from her before she picked up the pace a little. Admittedly it would be far too nice to see a new face that might provide something more stimulating for her mind. She wondered already where they were from, what they were doing here or who they might be. It only took a few moments of striding before she found them. They were a dark beast but lit from the bottom with dusty ash. Handsome and healthy as far as she could tell.

You called? It was poised more as a confirmation that he had been the one to sound out, rather than seeking what he wanted.

have you checked out my player preferences?

A small part of Niles wished Chimera was close by, not just within earshot but within a few wolf's lengths. He thought he could hear something, or someone coming... His body froze but he steeled himself from within. Indeed, he was a beast by size, but for the most part, nothing more than that. It was all a façade. If anything, all he had to do was sound out an alarm and the fiery, red-furred Avalon was at his side. Something told him that this, whatever was going to ensue after his plucky inquiry to the surrounding woodlands, wasn't going to be an ambush of sorts though.

It wasn't long until his howl was returned. Then, almost soon after, there she was. A sizable woman, just as tall as he was, with ashen fur and a face that could be easily remembered. He spun about so that his body was arched toward her. At first, he merely smiled at her in reply, but then came a small, subtly wag and lift of his bushy tail.

"I did," he half-murmured before clearing his throat. His voice grew clearer and a tad louder, but the rasp and gravelly tone from lack of use lingered. "We've, my friend and I, come from the northeast. Just... checking the area. It's... been quiet lately." He made up his mind that he was not going to mention about him and Chimera deciding not to return to the Wild Rye Fields; since they had come 'home,' they were nothing but a duo of bachelors looking to find something comforting before they moved on again. "Haven't run into any packs for the past few days."

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

No shame in the silence. She offered him a smile that seemed mischievous but not malicious. The silence was good sometimes. Meant that trouble was staying at bay if nothing else. She had learned her lessons from tussling with strangers. His following words were met with a soft flick of one ear. Now wasn't that something to consider. Perhaps she'd find time to poke around packs by herself another time, for now she was intrigued by the stranger's presence. Him and a friend apparently.

Her face fell into something more thoughtful for a moment, words rolling on the tip of her tongue before they fell out. If you're trying to run into some I might be able to point you in the right direction and if not...just means more for us. More of everything. More places to explore, more food to be found, more of it all! She had never grown out of the greediness that usually gripped children with their cries of "mine!" or dominance over every toy they had. But she knew she would have never made it this far if she had not been fueled by greed.

Have a name, stranger? She questioned with a raise of a brow over her good eye.

have you checked out my player preferences?

Niles, himself, mirrored her with a thoughtful tilt of his head. In all honesty, he hadn't actually considered such a thing. These days, he and Chimera were suspicious of the silence, having grown up in large families and pack, surrounded constantly by others and, now, one another. The quiet easily paved the way for wariness and doubt. His smile touched his eyes when she mentioned that she could possibly point them in the direction of others. It was a kind gesture; he was even humored by her suggestion that with the absence of others, the whole of Relic Lore could be potentially theirs.

"Have a name, stranger?" she then asked.

"Niles," he took a step toward her. Everything about his body language telling her of his gentle (maybe even naive) nature - his eager eyes, kind smile, waving tail and alert posture with relaxed shoulders. "And, yours, miss?"

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

You discover a half-eaten deer carcass. +5 Health