Fireweed Rise caring is creepy

Her journey over the mountain had been most unpleasant. It hadn't helped that the gigantic stone formation popped in from basically out of nowhere. But Anais knew that she had to go over it. Whatever was on the other side of this mountain would be her key. Key to what? Well, she wasn't sure, but unlocking anything was a good thing. Every inch of her ached. Her body and mind alike. It had been...Weeks since she'd spoken with another wolf, true words, and her mind was slowly beginning to turn towards insanity. The evening shadows would dance around her and, with the wind as their voice, they would speak to her and she would speak to them in return.

This was not a good thing, the Nasrin female knew, but there was little she could do but try and stay aware until her journey was at an end. But the stone seemed to go on forever, and she climbed with little hope, wondering if she would certainly die upon this stupid rock. She would see the smiling faces of her children again, the anguish previously stained would be gone, and she would be happy. Death seemed like a good option. But as it always happened, just as she reached the darkest point, the light appeared. Literally. The sun was rising, setting the field below her ablaze. The red flora that sat atop the green was extraordinary, and her weak paws carried her swiftly down the final rocky slope. She slipped on the way down, but was numb to the pain as she finally felt the grass beneath her paws again, the odoriferous flowers swayed pleasantly around her, welcoming Anais to her new home.

Her muscles worked to bring a smile to her face and the bitter wolf was at peace for a time. <b style="color:#bd6778">"speech."

<blockquote>His last meeting with a wolf had left Crux's mind wandering, and to accompany the fleeting pleasure of meeting a new face, his paws had been wandering as well. They had carried him from the far north of Relic Lore, met a stranger there, and had chosen to wander and explore this grandiose new place for as long as he could stand it. Funny— strange how a wolf so accustomed to wandering, the act of which had worn upon his soul until it almost dulled the vibrant green of his eyes, had chosen to continue exploring. This particular wolf had ignored his instincts to stop at a pack's borders as he travelled in the direction he'd learned to identify as south; instead, he wanted to find the "edge" of this place, so to speak, and as he approached a gradually sloping, flowery hill, he caught an interesting scent.

He looked up. There, her light fur painted golden in the fledgling sunlight, stood a female. Crux tilted his head, his large frame shifting slightly, though remaining steadfast; he kept his posture purposely neutral yet confident, as from her smell, he could tell that they were equals here, both newcomers and rogues. He wore a wide smile, a few thoughts entering his mind, hidden behind his grin.

<b>"Morning,"</b> he called out to her; the distance between them was long enough only to require him to raise his voice a little. Slowly he began to draw closer; as they were in neutral territory and both of them were apparently unranked, anything was fair game.</blockquote>

Rolling lazily onto her side, Anais suddenly remembered her place. This was unfamiliar territory right now. While the thick scent of flowers filled the air, there was also the distinct smell of wolf, though mildly stale, that informed her of inhabitants in this land. Part of her was rather pleased to know that she had not just come across this place, finally, to discover it barren, but the other half would have enjoyed exploring this new land alone, perhaps using her own scent trail to lure more wolves into it. Although, the complete expanse of the land was unknown to her, she did know that the mountain range that seemed to line one side of it was rather expansive. Hopefully that meant that this new place was more than just a field of burning red flowers. Her nostrils flared and she quickly rose to her paws, alert, looking about for danger or...Well, company. Her tongue flicked against the roof of her mouth and she realized it had been quite some time since she'd had a drink, especially one with any glace.

That would be her next step. Tilting her head back, nose towards the sky, she tried to sniff out the damp. Her snuffles were silent, allowing her ears to swivel, in case there was a body of water closer. But the flowers were far too pungent to be of any real use, and all her ears could pick up was the sound of impending pawsteps, which quickly faded, replaced by a voice. The female froze, the fur on her hackles rising as she stood there, turning to face the wolf who had arrived. A jowl rose in distaste, while her emotions screamed for companionship. Damn this body and its chemicals. She made one robotic blink, then settled her dirty yellow eyes upon it in a glacial stare. <b style="color:#bd6778">"Is it?" A cruel smile twisted along her muzzle, and she lowered her haunches to the earth. Her chest expanded then deflated slowly, and not once did she blink. <b style="color:#bd6778">"speech."

<blockquote>The strong emerald eyes didn't move from her as she took a steadfast seat, and he matched her strange smile with his continuing grin. Her simple response made his head tilt ever so slightly, a white brow lifting as he let out a single chuckle. Oh, so she was <i>that</i> kind of wolf. Crux had always enjoyed meeting these types of strangers, females especially; he found them most on his level, so to speak, and so she had immediately piqued his interest.

Yet she didn't seem overly pleased to see him. The observation didn't give him pause, but instead, it tempted him to come closer. He waltzed toward her, his crooked smile shaping his words. <b>"My my, you look far too worse for the wear to be giving me manners like <i>that</i>,"</b> he remarked, large paws parting the red flowers as he approached. <b>"I can't believe you'd treat the first wolf you've met here in such a way."</b> Of course, he knew these words were a risk, but his spotless face wouldn't betray that; while he assumed she'd just arrived here, and the way she reacted had implied that she'd been somewhat unprepared to find another wolf, there was the small possibility she'd already run into someone else since coming here.

His thick, white tail swished behind him as he awaited her response— he was sure it'd be a good one, and he was already enjoying their little meeting thus far.</blockquote>

The reaction she had received was most...Peculiar. He laughed. Great. Her own response to this was confusion. She wasn't really used to other's responding to her rudeness with laughter. Furthermore, it meant that he probably wouldn't be going anywhere soon, since he would be impervious to her words. With an inward groan, Anais merely forced herself to relax (which was a strange way to go about relaxing) and stared him down as he came towards her.

Perhaps this would be fun. At least she would be surrounded by semi-intelligent creatures that wouldn't squirm after every word she said. This was the sort of attention she wanted to attract, right? If she was to attract attention at all. Though no where near a blossoming socialite, she had to come to terms that she would encounter wolves here, and they would be her medicine to fight off insanity. This male here she would sort as the best sort of medicine.

<b style="color:#bd6778">"That wouldn't be a threat, would it?" Her pale brows rose and she finally blinked, though purposefully. The tip of her tail gave the slightest twitch of amusement. <b style="color:#bd6778">"Because it isn't a very good one. And besides, no one ever said you were the first." Turning her head slightly, she chose to look at him sideways in a very odd manner, the strange little smile still on her face. He wasn't a very good welcome-wagon, but she didn't really have any complaints. <b style="color:#bd6778">"speech."

Short! I'm in the car D:
<blockquote>Her words didn't disappoint him. The crooked grin on his face persisting, Crux drew nearer, approaching slowly, though he knew he wouldn't alarm her. Or at least, she was doing a good job pretending not to be intimidated. He lifted his brows to match her own expression, turning his head mirroring her motion, almost mockingly. <b>"Do you want it to be a threat?"</b> He scoffed, though whether or not he meant to be rude was unclear, or whether it was just part of the game. Like she could take him; he secretly knew that he'd like to see her try.

<b>"Well, I'm probably the most interesting, then, at least?"</b> This was only partially a joke; it was no secret that Crux was pretty full of himself, and being faced with females like this one really brought it out in him. <b>"You're certainly the most interesting female I've met,"</b> he added with a tilt of his head, thick tail swishing behind him as he stopped a few wolf-lengths away from her. <b>"You can't have been here long; you wouldn't be taking a rest otherwise, right?"</b></blockquote>

:C Sorry for ending this so suddenly. I'm dropping Anais, and I didn't want to leave my threads hanging. Sorry about that.

She fluffed out her fur, and eyed the male curiously. He kept getting closer, and Anais merely wanted to laugh. She rose to all fours, tail curling over her back, and she began to take her own steps towards him, tail curling out to "smack" him in the face as she strolled past. <b style="color:#bd6778">"I don't particularly enjoy being threatened. But I dare say, you are particularly interesting." Pausing, she spoke over her shoulder, yellow eyes glancing over him. <b style="color:#bd6778">"Not interesting enough to keep me around though." She giggled, smiling at him, then trotted quickly off. <b style="color:#bd6778">"speech."