Sex: Female Despite these lands supposedly being abandoned, she’d met a surprising number of wolves on her little trip down memory lane. Sure, they’d been loners, just travelling through much like herself, but they were here, which somehow made her feel a little better. Seeing her old home so empty had been a little haunting, populated only by the ghosts of the dead. So the idea of new life streaming into the Lore was uplifting; A healing… She snorted aloud at the thought, shaking her head at herself. Flair Smoke-Athesila wasn’t usually the philosophical type, and she wasn’t about to begin now! The fiery girl shook out her whole fur for good measure, getting to her feet from where she’d been sitting beneath the still-naked branches of the only tree in the area; Time to move on…! In a slow trot, she made her way down the little rise, back among the blackberry bushes which gave name to this part of Northern Eden. Of course, there was no fruit on the thorny branches this early in the year, and any signs of the coming flowers were yet to be seen. But the scent was there, bitter and sweet at the same time, and full of memories. Reaching the bottom of the hill, Flair paused again, despite herself, breathing in deeply as she was flooded by images of her childhood, playing in these open lands near the edges of the Thicket. So much had changed since then, for the better as of late, but for the moment she was content to stay in those happy memories, forgetting everything else. Word count: 266 ”Speech" Thoughts |
The smell of the bushes hung in the air as the new spring warmth began to get the sap flowing, waking up the world around him. Alvar stepped forward, seeing a small hill not far off in the distance. He had been wandering for a little while now, searching continuously for his old friends and family, but still to no avail. He looked around him at the ragged bushes and the new foliage showing on their vines. He smiled slightly at the sight, knowing that soon he would be able to enjoy the summer warmth, and maybe have a chance at not struggling to survive so much. He stepped forward a few more paces, when he noticed a wolf out of the corner of his eye, turning to look at the bright red figure.
He stepped out of the shadows cautiously, sniffing the air around him and he caught the distinct scent that told him that this wolf was a woman, and a loner like him. He let his eyes wander over her, reading her body language, before finally concluding that she was not on the run from anything. At least, not anything that was close. He sighed slightly ad stepped forward, letting out a soft and curt bark to make sure he wouldn't startle her. He sat down a few body-lengths away from her, not wanting to intrude on her space.
"Hello there, Miss. My name is Alvar, and you are?" He spoke gently, happy for a chance to rest himself after clawing through brambles.
![[Image: Alvar.png]](https://i.ibb.co/C5ppYX4/Alvar.png)
| But, of course, the world was not so kind, continuing to spin on, heedless of her nostalgia. An unfamiliar voice broke through the haze of memory, brushing them off to be carried away on the cool breeze. Flair frowned, annoyed at being so abruptly brought back to reality. Amber eyes scanned the surrounding fields, landing on the stranger as he came to a stop, sitting down some lengths away. Her tail instantly went up, ears flattening back defensively despite his polite manner. She was naturally suspicious, still quick to jump to her loner instincts, and none too happy about being interrupted to boot; Her seasonal moods also didn’t help the matter. The fiery woman glared across at the strange male, cocking one brow sharply. “Why should I tell you, Alvar?” She drawled, flicking the tip of her tail like a displeased cat. Her eyes swept over his figure, judging it against her own in case her banter didn’t go over well. They seemed pretty evenly matched when it came to size, his spindly legs standing out as a possible weakness compared to her own, trunk-like limbs. His pelt too could be a darker, muted version of hers, mixed, rich browns with a pale underside; But the eyes are different… An unusual hue, she mused as her own, bright ambers met that faded green. Then she shrugged, rolling her shoulders back in a slow, smooth movement, jaws parting in a big yawn. This Alvar seemed harmless enough, and her vexation at his interruption was already fading, the gentle warmth of the spring sun melting away her bad mood. So she let one corner of her mouth curl in a half-smirk, lowering her hunches into the snow to mirror the mahogany wolf’s relaxed pose. “S’ry,” she said, voice lighter; “I wasn’t expectin’ company. You live ‘round her or somethin’?” She gestured vaguely at the bushes around them, wrinkling her nose a little; Odd place to choose… But then, perhaps she wasn’t in a position to judge. Word count: 335 ”Speech" Thoughts |
The snarl that came from the woman caught the dark tawny man off guard, who pulled his chest back a few inches as she posed her question. He felt his hackles rising slightly with annoyance, and groaned as he pulled himself forward again, only to see the woman sitting down and apologizing... He thought. Her accent was a little thick and hard for him to understand at first, but he caught the second part. He breathed for a second to relax and looked at her amber eyes once more. He wondered for a moment, why she had gone so quickly from seemingly furious, to amiable.
He didn't think long though, chalking it up to mere annoyance that he had interrupted something, and possibly the time of year. "Well, no, I don't live here, I've been out looking for someone recently, and I caught sight of you back there." He spoke, turning his head to nod where he had come from, then returned his gaze to the woman, looking over her for a second to ascertain what she was like in terms of build. "A bit stockier than myself, and maybe younger too?" The words echoed in his mind before he decided that it was of no real consequence, he had no intention of fighting this woman, and he was fairly sure he could keep her from feeling the need to.
"I hope i haven't bothered you too much, I simply wanted to take a moment to rest and maybe have a pleasant conversation." He lifted and licked at his left paw, cleaning away the dirt and mud from around his ankle, while he listened for her reply.
| It appeared her fiery response had riled the dark stranger, his whole body tensing as he seemed to breath deeply in an attempt to calm himself; Touchy… She mused, entirely overlooking her own prickly mood. To his credit, he restrained himself, easing up just as she had, before answering her question. One russet ear flicked at the words, her interest piqued, but Alvar’s search apparently wasn’t all the pressing; That, or he just doesn’t want MY help… Regardless, he offered no more information on the matter, stating that he was simply looking to talk. Flair wrinkled her muzzle in an ambiguous expression, apprehension washing over her at the prospect of pleasant conversation. She’d never been good at the whole socializing thing and being such put on the spot made her instantly stiffen up. Amber eyes drifted to the ground and to her great embarrassment, heat rose in her cheeks. In the end, all she could manage was a tight: “I’m not much fer chit-chat.” Spoken more to the ground than the other wolf. Her ears flattened back in fresh irritation, now at herself, and she silently cursed this damn season and its tumultuous effects on her mood; Get it together! Surely there wasn’t anything to get so flustered about, talking to this random stranger. She forced herself to look back up, meeting Alvar’s gaze and added, only a little stiffly: “But I wouldn’t mind th’ company.” At least she could say she’d made some attempt at civility then, even if the dark man decided to get himself out of the situation now, and far away from this deranged, changeable female as fast as possible. Word count: 274 ”Speech" Thoughts |
The woman seemed to almost be switching personalities now. Her words going from subdued and quiet to nearly nonexistent, to direct and more focused all in the span of a few seconds. The man held back a small smile, knowing that she likely wouldn't find it so amusing. He stepped forward a pace or two and sat down.
"Good to hear." He replied to her final comment to him, as strained as it may have been. He let his tail wave over the ground as he thought for a moment on which query he should pose first. He finally settled on, "Have you been here long? Or are you a newcomer to the lore?"
Maybe, with any luck, he could get a not-so-prickly answer from her regarding Nia, after a few exchanges that is.