Drooping Willows A few more miles...

Here he was, alone once more with his thoughts and belly stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. Honestly, he couldn't eat another bite. He'd been distracting himself by hunting the now plentiful game in the woods around Iridescent Lagoon and into this new span of weeping willow trees. The scavengers were likely following him in hopes of finishing off his next carcass. They would have to wait a while since the russet wolf had finally come to the conclusion that it wasn't working. His mind was once again circling the unending questions of what he was going to do with his life. Where he was going to end up and if joining a pack was in the cards for him. He prayed for the time before he had avenged his father. Then there were no questions other than when he could accomplish that one goal. Other than that he had been content being a loner and now it was quite clear that he was not any longer.

Snorting at himself as he made his way through the drooping branches swaying gently in the breeze, he wished for some kind of distraction. Hunting was too easy and really was no distraction at all. He thought of some of the wolves that he had already met and wondered if he should have stayed with them longer. Perhaps, but he had not and now he was here, alone again and feeling like a cannon was ready to explode in his head if he didn't vent somehow. He trotted along, grumbling quietly to himself as the morning sun rose high in the sky, warming his coat through the slender branches.

Maybe it was just time to stop for a while and rest. If he was really lucky, he might be able to trick his treacherous mind into letting him rest. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. He soon found a nice shady spot to curl up in where the breeze could still lull him to sleep. He had always preferred the open air to a dark den, even as a young pup. As it turned out, his mind did let him be for a bit, but sleep eluded him. He was not going to complain. Rest was rest, after all!

Knight of Honor

How long would it take? Time was seeming to slow to her as she plastered smile upon smile on her face. Many were kind here but she couldn't kind herself being her. She believed she just needed to find her sister. Find Cali and everything would be better. Her sister could fix everything. That's how it usually was with these things. Jessie had been trying to find some way to find Cali for the past few months and finally she had gotten a lead. She had no such luck in finding her so far, but for now she didn't mind. The peace of mind that she was out of harms way for the time being calmed her. Everything would be okay. 

Her emerald eyes scanned the clearing looking for any signs of life if there were any. But then she smelt it. Another wolf. Male. Young, much like her. Someone he could talk to. Have a conversation with. Any sign of life at the moment would be a relief to her. She wasn't alone in this sacred land, no one would dare hurt her for the time being. 
Jessie knew she was small, but compared to others she was fast. Quick on her paws unlike the smart large beasts who used to threaten her. Smarter in the wits as well. Flicking her ears she bounded towards where the wind was picking the scent up from. She wondered briefly who this male. No one she knew obviously, but she had only been here for a short time being. Nothing could stop her from becoming the beautiful wolf that she was threatening to become. 

Soon enough, in the clearing, Jess saw a wolf. A quite large one with different shades of brown. Quite a sight for sore eyes if she may say so herself. There were also tinges of white in his pelt. Perhaps if he turned his head she would be able to see his eyes. But she wouldn't be shocked if this male had already scented her. But just in case she ran her claws across the ground gently, making sure the rocks made sharp scrapping noises.

Sloane was nearly asleep, almost there for a good rest without his mind whirling with questions, when a sixth sense nagged at him. Something was not as it should be. He lifted his head from his large paws and was in the process of scanning the area when the sound of scraping rocks caught his attention and he sprang to his feet, ready for whatever was near. His hackles had raised instinctively and his head was lowered to protect his vulnerable throat, long white fangs bared. When he caught sight of a small dark silver and white female, just standing there looking at him, the growl that had started deep in his chest stopped abruptly.

Since she was showing no signs of aggression, merely curiosity, he lowered his lips and flattened the hair upon his back, calming himself. Well, he had been wanting a distraction from himself and here she was. A slight warmth crept up his neck as he thought of his initial greeting to her. Unless she changed her manner quite drastically, she posed no threat to him, so he chided himself inwardly.

Giving himself a mental shake, he made an attempt to greet her a bit more civilly. <b>"Um, sorry about that. You caught me off guard. I tend to wake up on the defensive when if I am surprised in slumber. It helps to keep one alive. I'm Sloane, by the way."</b> Curiosity now filled his bright amber eyes as he wondered what her story was. How a tiny female came to be all alone out in the middle of nowhere. She seemed fairly healthy though, so it seemed that she was taking care of herself somehow.

Knight of Honor

His initial reaction was to lash out for being disturbed in the middle of slumber. Something that hadn't shocked her but did manage to bump up her heartbeat slightly. Larger males never failed to scare her when she was with them. But she was here not making any sign of aggression, dominance, or submission. Being completely neutral gave her a somewhat innocent look to her. 

Tilting her head at the now proclaimed Sloane she smiled. He seemed nice enough and he hadn't attacked her. How sweet was he, though she didn't really know him yet. She was just glad she had met him and he seemed nice enough. But she still didn't know him. 

In a strong voice she spoke, "Apologies for startling you, Sloane. I am Jessie. It's a pleasure to meet you."  

The male's name felt strange on her lips but she pushed the thought to the back of her head immediately. Blinking her eyes rapidly she watched Sloane for his reaction. Who was he exactly? He was quiet large. Where did he come from? She didn't dare say any of this out loud though. The thought almost made her laugh but she remained quiet. She didn't want to piss him off.

She didn't seem afraid of him any more. That was good, since that was not his intent when not threatened. Actually, she'd seemed more startled or nervous initially than scared. She presented him with a neutral posture further showing that she wanted no trouble, but she didn't tremble before him. He liked that about her. His size had a way of intimidating others without his even trying.

He sat down and gave a few waves of his tail while he looked her over. She seemed to be about his age, but she was so tiny it was hard to be sure. Of course, given his size, his perspective was a bit skewed. He couldn't help but admire her at the same time. <b>"The pleasure is all mine, Jessie."</b> He said in a smooth deep voice. He gave her a smile and added, <b>"Please, stay a while!"</b>

He hoped that she would, since he wasn't yet ready to be alone with his heavy thoughts. Now that he was awake, he doubted that he could get back to sleep. He'd been wanting a diversion and here she was, sweet as could be!

Knight of Honor

Smiling at him fondly she dipped her head politely as he spoke approaching him. She sat up straight as she sat down, her emerald eyes seeming through the trees in front of her. Wagging her tail a few times before wrapping it around her paws she watched him. She had actually woken him up which she definitely felt bad for doing but he was awake now and he wanted her company. 

Opening her mouth to speak she said in a strong voice, "That request I shall take up on, Sloane. It's always nice to meet someone new." 

She spoke truth in her words as she pondered on what to talk about with him. What could she possibly offer to this strange male she had met? A conversation obviously but what else could she talk about with him. She didn't know him but she knew she had to strike a conversation before he got bored. Finally deciding on a topic she spoke again. 

"So what brought you to Relic Lore?"

She settled herself and he relaxed, pleased that she had decided to stay a while. <i>"So what brought you to Relic Lore?"</i> Did he have any one answer to that? Not really. So, he decided to give her a brief summery and leave out the worst of the beginning. He didn't want to scare her off after just meeting her, after all!

He gathered his thoughts for a moment and then began his abbreviated story. <b>"When I was nearly a yearling, my pack was taken over by another wolf and all of the males were...sent away. I've lived on my own since then and stuck to the Yukon area for the most part. Recently I traveled eastward and here I am!"</b> All of it true, just incomplete without the murder and revenge parts...

Then he tipped his head slightly to the side and gave her a lopsided smile. <b>"What about you, Jess?"</b> He said the nickname in a friendly and almost teasing voice, wanting to deflect from his story. He was not ashamed of what he had done and he would do it again in a heartbeat, but there was no need to weigh her down with the grisly details. He truly was curious about her past as well. She seemed so out of place alone in the middle of nowhere. She should be safe with her pack, with her family.

Knight of Honor

The story that Sloane had to tell was short and simple. What she liked, easy. He seemed like a nice guy, what happened with his pack sounded unfortunate but at least he was here. Not making any rude comments about his pack was probably a bad idea.  In her rightful mind she thought they were bastards for sending away all of the males. I mean who did that now a days? It was almost like having pups and sending them out on their own. It was now her turn though, her turn to relay what she was here for. 

Smiling a toothy grin at the male, she spoke, "My family died. Got a lead on my sister. Came here to find her. Haven't had much luck but I know I'm going to find her eventually. How long have you been in Relic Lore?"

She felt quite out of place asking all of the questions she was asking. She wasn't use to having a normal, civil conversation with anyone. Actually, after she thought about it for a bit, she had never had a civil conversation with anyone, ever. This thought made her skin crawl slightly but she stayed quiet waiting for an answer. Wagging her tail she contined to smile, the moment feeling light and carefree.

OOC: Sorry I couldn't make it longer, I couldn't really think of anything. :P

She made no comment about his story and he was grateful for that. He didn't want her to think that he was evil, for that was far from the truth. Then she went on to tell him that her family had died. She said it so point blank that he had the feeling that there was more to it, just like his story. He would give her the same courtesy that she had given him and not press the issue on that part of her story. The next intrigued him some though.

He looked at her quizzically for a moment. Then he asked, <b>"Your sister? You followed her here? That must have been an adventure. I've not been here long, but I've met a few faes so far. What is her name?"</b> He hoped that one of the she wolves that he had met was her sister. He liked the idea of helping her out. He was enjoying their budding friendship. He had come to the conclusion that one could never have too many friends and he was enjoying meeting many new ones. A random thought came to him that it was strange that while he had met several females, he had yet to meet another male. He couldn't complain about meeting friendly girls though. He was no Casanova, but he was a healthy young male, after all!

Knight of Honor

When no comments came from the male about her history she mentally relaxed. Good, he ha enough sense not to pry into her own business, but when he asked about her sister she merrily smiled. She had expected this question, many times, but this one question she never would mind answering. Mainly when one was merrily curious and wanted to know if they knew her sister. She wasn't sure if this male had, but if he had, then maybe she would have more luck in finding her sister. 

Speaking openly she exclaimed playfully, "I technically didn't follow her. After a few months I missed her and came to find her. Cali Swiftpaw is her name."

Many of the wolves that she had encountered, which weren't many, had never encountered her sister, but that didn't shock her quite yet, for she could count the number of wolves that she met on her paw. Exactly. . .not many, but any sign of interaction wasn't unwanted from her. It was always nice to have something to fall back on, or at least someone. She hadn't gotten into any scuffles since coming into Relic Lore, but it was something she couldn't complain about.