Bramble Falls storm clouds

The stranger seemed to react to his warning with thought, and the dark peppered male sank down to his haunches, his golden eyes steady upon the pool of water that rest before them. Ruiko’s gaze shifted to the water as well, briefly considering the outcome if the source dried up completely. Where would the fish go? Would the prey relocate to an area more abundant with water? More importantly.. would they relocate?

The male’s words echoed his own thoughts, but the Tainn lifted his shoulders in a shrug. He had no true answer, and in the end, it was not his decision to make. That alone belonged to Indru, who was becoming increasingly worried over the situation. “Not sure yet,” he reiterated, his tail sweeping the ground behind him leisurely. “I’m of the Swift River pack,” he answered with a light drawl, his eyes sharp once more upon his companion. “And yourself?”

<i>Swift River</i>, Quest thought. He had seen several waterways in his journey here, which was partially why he was so surprised to hear about them all drying up. He could only assume that the River wolves dwelt at the banks of one of the larger sources, perhaps not too far off from where the two stood now. If they had been on Ruiko's turf he was certain it'd have been made known long ago, but he couldn't help but ask curiously, <b>"Are your packlands nearby?"</b> He did not want to make a mistake of trespassing on claimed land any time soon, but it was good to know that some wolves lived her permanently. It gave the place more stability in his eyes.

In response to Ruiko's question, however, he could only shake his head, looking at the ground. <b>"The pack I was born into is far from here, and I have no desire of returning to that place ever again. I have traveled, mostly on my own, for the past year and have found no place to settle permanently."</b> He felt his skin prickle at the thought of his homeland and the Aquila Clan, his hackles ruffling gently before he calmed down again and shifted his head back to Ruiko. <b>"I did hope I might weather the winter in Relic Lore,"</b> he said, using the name of the place he'd just learned. <b>"But now, with the water... I'm not so sure."</b>

(This post was last modified: Nov 09, 2010, 01:16 AM by Quest.)

The wolf’s question drew a nod from the male, revealing that his companion was indeed quite new to the lands, for he must not have went near the Sacred Grove yet. “Very close,” he replied as his muzzle gave a nod in the direction of his home. “Our land lies South-west of here, in the Sacred Grove.” Ruiko was never usually so accommodating to a lone wolf’s request for knowledge, and the only reason the male was able to gather so much information from him stemmed as a warning; if this wolf decided to traipse close to his pack lands, he could not use ignorance as an excuse, for he now knew where one of the packs rested.

The male gave insight to his history; a history that if Ruiko had been the wiser and perhaps more psychic, he could have linked the correlation between Ranger and the male before him. It did seem strange to him for a wolf to strongly dislike their birth pack, but he did not question further upon the matter, for it was not his business. “I have no words of wisdom for you,” he remarked with a shrug, his figure lifting now as one paw remained protectively over the fish he had caught. Time was passing, and the male needed to feed the hungry mouths at home. “Except that if you do decide to stay for the winter, it would be wise to settle with a pack, especially during these harsh times.”

Quest could not shake off the furrowing in his brow; the concern he felt for the situation in Relic Lore was an unexpected feeling. This place had seemed so lovely, so peaceful, that he didn't even think for a moment that it could have some sort of disadvantageous mystery brewing. His nose turned to the south west as Ruiko mentioned Swift River's location, and he nodded in understanding. He was certainly thankful for Ruiko's willingness to answer his questions, but when his eyes returned to him, to the protective and unshaken stance the other man had over his fish, Quest finally realized his welcome was worn out.

<b>"Thank you, Ruiko. I will certainly take that advice to heart,"</b> he replied. He was far from ready to settle down in a pack any time soon, but over the next few weeks he would certainly make the decision to move on or stay, and he agreed that safety and numbers would see him through the winter if he chose to give the place a chance, in spite of the vanishing water. <b>"Perhaps I will be visiting you and Swift River in the future. For now, I should let you get on with your meal."</b> Bowing his head politely, the silver-dusted male took a step backward, waiting only to hear if the other man had anything else to say before leaving him in peace.

The wolf seemed to recall once more what Ruiko was so steadily guarding, and a twinge of guilt surpassed the tawny regal as his dark pelted companion took a step back, offering him a polite goodbye. Ruiko bowed his muzzle in a dip lightly, his gleaming eyes fast upon the male as a small smirk finally broke across his stoical features. “I have small mouths to feed,” he explained briefly, not wishing to dwell too much on Borlla, Triell and Kinis’ existence too much with the stranger. After all, as kind and open as Quest seemed to be, Ruiko was still uncertain of the stranger.

The rogue mentioned visiting Swift River, and the second Tainn gave a slight nod. “Call at the borders,” he offered gruffly, shifting his weight. “My brother or I will meet you there. Take care, Quest,” he spoke, only now bending down to gently grasp the fish with his muzzle. With another quick glance, the River wolf was then off to the direction of his home, his cream limbs moving steadily as he imagined the youth of the pack were hungry, if Indru had not yet caught them something.

Leery as he was of other wolves, Quest was happy to have kept his first meeting in Relic Lore on a positive note. It was a refreshing change from what he was used to, which was alternately a home life full of ridicule and abuse or the life of a loner rarely encountering another wolf more than once. Far from deciding whether or not he would like to encounter the handsome Swift River wolf again, Quest nevertheless thought it might be nice to stay in a place where he could near the names of his countrymen and develop a meaningful bond for what would probably be the first time in his life.

He nodded his head to Ruiko's departing words, and turned himself to head in the opposite direction, careful not to trudge forth onto Swift River's territory. The disappearing water would be a source of much worry and rumination for him in the coming weeks, but having positive experiences also helped weigh on the pro-side of staying in Relic Lore. He knew that he had a lot of decisions to make, more than he had expected he'd have when he'd stumbled upon this place, but he wasn't unhappy with it. Slowly, the dusty black wolf disappeared into the Wildwood, mind whirring over all he had learned.