stranger in a strange land.

The winding mountain pass whistled and howled, the wind shearing the cleaved cliffs, passing like dragons above the Timber wolf's head. This was his third day of traveling through the canyon, and he could only hope that the end of it would come soon. It had been difficult to sleep with the wind as loud as this; he missed the soothing sound of the ocean waves rolling upon the shore. He was far, far from home, and there was no turning back now. He did not have the strength to. He needed food and rest, but it had been miles since he had seen another wolf, back before the pass. He had survived the past three days on the mice and lizards that dwelled within the narrow way, and he knew he needed more. It was just a matter of reaching the end, and he knew he would figure it out from there. He had relied on himself this long.

The Arctic wolves back up in the North had told him to travel south, and he would find lands of great woodland and greater mystery. He noticed the greenery poking out of the dirt, the canyon's walls widening and sucking in warm air - well, warm to him, considering that he had traveled through the harsh winter in the North, having departed from his home last fall. He welcomed the fresh, green scent, filling his lungs with it and exhaling, glad to see that his breath was no longer a fine mist. Tired as he was, he picked up his pace, excitement coursing through him. He was almost there.

The granite walls of the pass crumbled into conglomerate piles of rock, earth and plant growing over as he finally emerged. Here, the land was green, flourishing in the spring. Birds he had never seen before twittered in the canopy, the trees mixed and old, but still thriving. His dirt path ended and the ground was matted with decayed plant matter, adding a slight bounce to his stride. Vines tangled in the brush, and he made a note to himself to keep an eye out for large snakes, but he wasn't sure if there even were any this far north. Still, he was not familiar with the area, so he would at least take the knowledge he had and apply it. Better to be safe than sorry.

A babbling brook drew him near. He came upon the shallow, muddy banks, pausing before he drank. Pale eyes scanned the surrounding area, from the copper-hued rocks to the ash trees on the other side of the stream, cautious. He didn't smell a pack when he came in, but he had had many run-ins with unpleasant wolves when he had been traveling in the North. Content, he drank from the stream, the cold water filling him for what it could. He would still need to hunt, though. He would need to eventually find a pack as well... This was just the beginning of the forest. He had the feeling that if he went in further without guidance, he would become lost.

this blood keeps me alive but what is it that

lucero

runs through you

There was no fighting the way she felt as though she was too far from home. She had left on a whim and slipped away into a starless night to devour the distance between the creek and the mountain, her swift strides leaving a spray of damp earth in her wake. All of the pieces had fallen together just as she'd imagined—she had a home and a pack, and had even made a friend or two; she was well fed and hardly wanted for anything. And yet, as her muddied paws scraped along the stone path that descended from the mountain, it was still like she was still looking for something. In the pit of her gut she knew exactly what it was, but she wasn't about to acknowledge the fact that, maybe, her longing had drove her to the other side. It was fate that had brought them together that night beneath the fireflies' glow, as it was fate that had sent her far from him and the place that was his home. Perhaps it was fate, like gravity, that drew her here now.

Lucero had forgotten the way the air smelled differently here. It was drier, and in a way more aromatic. She welcomed the essence of fresh grass as she caught a whiff of it upon the wind that blew harshly up her back, inhaling it deeply as her golden stare roved the not-so-distant treeline. The alabaster girl couldn't have been more grateful to be past that forsaken ridge. Thirst welled in her mouth as a dry, pink tongue slipped roughly along her dark lips, and it was the promise of a long drink from a certain sequestered spring that hastened her steady pace. Her memory of the area was starkly different than the scene that sprawled before her now. Where once had been a tangle of sparse, bare trees, seemingly inhabited only by swarms of blackbirds and an eerie, icy fog, now loomed evergreen canopies and the shadows they cast along the forest floor. The wood was abuzz with life and the telltale gurgling of the creek it harbored lingered in the distance, calling to her like a siren's song. So immersed in her thoughts of the gratification it would pay her, Luce was oblivious to the figure who had beaten her to the finish line with similar intention.

A shift in the wind alerted him of another's presence. Pale eyes looked further south to find a female, her white muzzle plunged into the stream, gulping the cold water down. He was downwind from her, and her ruffled appearance, along with her muddied paws, told him that she had taken no notice of him. He wondered if she lived here, but she did not smell like the woods around him currently did. No, she smelled of something sweeter, but not like any flower he had ever come across before. Least to say, she perked his interest.

"Good afternoon," he said, not wanting to startle her. He hoped that she wouldn't take off running the moment he started talking to her... She was the first other wolf he had seen in these lands, and he wondered where she had come from, where she was headed, how long she had been here. He also hoped that these lands were giving her a reason to stay, not leave. If she was leaving, he would take it as a warning sign that something more dark and dangerous lurked deeper within the wild. He smiled at her, welcoming. "Do you have a moment to talk?"

I'm sorry for the wait <33

this blood keeps me alive but what is it that

miss lucero

runs through you

Without much thought given to anything but the crystal clear allure of the stream, Lucero proceeded to pad straight into it without much grace at all. Her nostrils, wet and slick from the strenuous nature of her travels, flared to take in a deep breath as the frigid waters wrapped her limbs and stroked her underbelly. Steam rose from her body like grey smoke from a fire before eventually dissipating and sweeping away into the wind. The water was so cold that it felt to numb her aches and worn paws, and after a few moments she exhaled her worries and every other thought that had been in her mind. There was only the stream, and there was only the thirst that was appeased with each mindless lap...until a voice broke over the creek's babbling.

Taken by surprise, the girl's head shot up more quickly than a bolt of lightning. A short ways upstream on the bank stood a silver-streaked figure, as rugged as they came. His body was lean, his voice surprisingly straightforward and polite, and as his question lingered upon the air, the curiosity that was Lucero's nature piqued. After a few moments of senseless gawking and not until the shock of being caught off guard began to fade, she blinked away the surprise. "Uhm—s-sure," she regarded him, soft-spoken and steady all the same. As the current washed past her, she remained statue-still, the tips of her long fur like wet spikes as a single ear pressed backward and forward again. How rude of her! she thought, and as an after thought added, "—good afternoon."

(This post was last modified: May 24, 2013, 07:05 PM by Lucero.)

"Oh!" was the first thing out of Riku's mouth, as he turned to see the fem halfway into the stream. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he continued, blue eyes darting away from her cream-colored form. Though he had seen many females bathe before, he didn't want to come across as rude or perverted, especially since he had no idea who she was, where she was from, or what the customs were in these lands. Instead, he focused on the cold water swirling in the creek in front of him, long hairs from her coat shedding downstream. Dark shapes swam beneath the surface, and he realized that the spring was full of fish - more than likely trout - and that he wouldn't have to go very far for a meal, thankfully. Hungry as he was, he knew he would have to be patient and introduce himself first.

"My name is Riku, and I'm not from around here, if that's any consolation," he said, eyes still on the fish in the stream. He wondered if she could tell that he was from some place far beyond the mountains and the snow and the pines, for the scent of the briny sea was forever clinging to his silvery fur. Or maybe it was his tone of voice, cool like the ocean breeze upon the beach. Did this fem even know what an ocean was? The last he had seen of one had been in the North, and most of it had been frozen over or chunked with glacial ice. Just as she was probably wondering about him, he was wondering about her - Where had she come from? Where was she going?

this blood keeps me alive but what is it that

miss lucero

runs through you

Though she wasn't initially concerned to be seen as she was (after all, she'd come to the stream only for a needed drink), the stranger was quick to tear his eyes from her as if she were, well, somehow inappropriate. Or if he were somehow inappropriate. Either way, it made her feel as much, and for a moment she felt like cowering or flopping into the water to conceal herself. She didn't, however, and instead reinforced to herself the fact that this was only a chance meeting and that the silvery boy was quite polite. With a smile not unlike the one she so often wore in the face of novelty or embarassment, she looked him over thoughtfully. "Lucero—" she introduced in return.

As his words revealed, it was clear that he really wasn't from around here. From her position she could make out the distinctive achromatic sheen of his fur, the sleek forms of his rugged musculature, and if she blocked out the earthen smell of the forest and water there was something familiar about his scent. Salt. She didn't remember much about where she came from, but Luce would never forget the smell of the sea or the way its dark, white-tipped waves crashed at the foot of the palisade where the wildflowers grew along the cliff's dangerous edge. She perked up curiously. "Well, where are you from, then, Riku? Smells to me like you may be far from home." Assuming he had a home; some didn't. She didn't mean to pry or to enter immediately into some context of interrogation, but she was curious by nature and the smell of him had her complete attention.

A soft smirk replaced the embarrassed smile on the timber wolf's features. The sound of her movement in the water told him without words that it was all right to face her now, and silvery eyes landed on hers, and it struck him that the hue of her coat reminded him of the sands on the beach at sunset; soft gold. He chuckled. "I'm a long ways away from home, and maybe a little lost, but it's all for good reason," he replied, walking along the muddied bank to her, his paws not quite sinking into the mud, but enough to leave large footprints. He didn't want to feel like he was yelling at her to have a conversation. "See those mountains behind me? I came through them to get here. Beyond them is the North, where everything is ice. And beyond the North, you will find my homeland, along the seaside. I was born and raised there, but let me tell you, it gets boring after a while. You end up wanting to see more and do more. I heard of a great forest, and so I came here to see for myself."

As he spoke, the inner strings of his heart tugged; yes, he was homesick, but no, he would not return. Not yet. He had a journey to complete, a mission to fulfill. He wondered if Kai would come across this great forest as well, and if he would meet him inside, instead of at the ends of the earth like they had planned. He didn't want to draw too much attention to his inner thoughts, though, and instead focused on Lucero. "And how about you?" he responded in the same tone that she had used with him; not prying or suspicious, but curious. It wasn't uncommon for travelers that crossed paths to question where the other was going, where the other was from. "You seemed like you were in a hurry to leave somewhere... I hope I'm not stalling you."

this blood keeps me alive but what is it that

miss lucero

runs through you

As soon as he made a move to come closer she realized how awkward her position was, and having had her fill of water, she opted to ascend the bank. With both ears flexed in his direction and as beads of water rolled down her slender limbs, she listened intently to any and everything he offered. The world he described was one she'd never known. To think that everything there was made of ice made her feel a bit chilly, as hot as she really, and she imagined the peaks of great white mountains looming over a land where everything was painted a silvery white. Reclining to a more leisurely position on her rear end, she couldn't help but to wonder if his dark coat stuck out like a sore thumb up there, or if the others of his kind looked similarly. How very interesting.

The great forest, he'd said. She'd never thought of Relic Lore as only a forest before, having seen it's lagoon and rivers, it's great waterfall, and the cherry orchard. However, it made sense that he could think it so if he was from a place that was covered in ice. His friendly question drew her from her thoughts of the world he'd described, and with a kind smile she answered him honestly. "Not at all—I actually just came from over that mountain," she motioned to the east where the Mountain of Dire towered. "I live on the other side, in a secluded glen where the waters run cold." Her regard of Cold Water Creek had always been warm. "It sounds as though you've come a long way. I've never been anywhere that was covered in ice, but the way you describe it, it must be beautiful. I lived near the sea once-" But I don't remember when or where. "Do you...plan to stay here long?" Her ears perked with interest.