Sex: MalePale silver eyes scanned the forest as the grey wolf paused for a moment, sitting down to give his aching legs a moment's rest and catch what breath he could. His chest still ached if he breathed too deeply; his throat was still raw from his infrequent bouts of coughing. His headache, at least, had finally fled, leaving in its wake the increased ability to appreciate his scorched paw pads and odd fits of dizziness. All of this he could survive, but it made his journey damn near impossible at times. He didn't dare stop to sleep until well after dark, because waking up seemed to make everything hurt so much worse for a few precious hours. Kenelm shook his head, letting his ears flop rather than pinning them back against his skull. This was taking too long. It was already a month since the fire, and still he had nothing but Calanthe's scent trail to lead him forward. It was old and faint, and faded more with every passing day, and he didn't have time to waste wandering around like some lame old codger. His little sister was out here somewhere, probably hurt and scared and all alone; the fur along the man's spine spiked as he thought of the state she must be in now. She couldn't survive like this. She could only barely keep herself out of trouble before the fire, when she at least had a home to return to. With a wheezing grunt, Kenelm dragged himself back onto his feet and gave himself a stiff shake. It was time to move on - five minutes was an overgenerous amount of time to allow himself to rest. There was water somewhere nearby; he would seek out the source of the sound, and hopefully he would find some clearer sign of his little sister's passing. She wasn't an idiot. After a fire that awful, she would try to stay near water as much as possible. If Kenelm was lucky - if they were both lucky - she would have left some clues behind that she had been here, or perhaps even some mark that had survived the month and could tell him exactly where she had gone next. |
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It was but a minor setback. He had stalked right up to the mountain's very roots only to be forced away for his own sake. Standing beneath its might he found he was not fool enough to push himself so hurriedly toward death. No one had dared or challenged him to make the climb, much less that very day. He wanted to keep breathing for a few years to come and that simply wouldn't happen if he was lying dead on a mountain he tried to climb while weakened by travel. No one could think him weak, but no one could think him an idiot either. Instead the oldest Zamora brother retreated back the way he'd come; opting to lurk in the woods and perhaps scout out a pack to lay low with while his strength built up. But, if he could catch enough food on his own there was nothing stopping his ascent. Nothing. Now he was back in the dense forest; fruitlessly trying to track down that much needed nourishment. Instead he was drawn off of his trail by the distant sound of rushing water. Many creeks and streams had he seen in his day; and many waterfalls even, but not a bone in the man's body could argue against visiting these natural wonders. His trail had nearly gone cold anyhow; what was the harm in a little sightseeing? But as he trotted along, gliding over the land, drawing nearer and nearer the cool refreshing liquid, something entirely different grasped his focus. At first it was the noise of another moving hastily through the foliage, and then it was his scent. The motion was so hasty that Naberius very much considered leaving the creature be; but that is not how his Isde would have wanted it. He would survey the stranger, but carefully. Padding nearer the sounds; his eyes picked up motion in the foliage. If it weren't for the scent he might not have even been sure it was another wolf thanks to his sight. Well, it was no matter. This seemed like anything but a pack wolf as far as his nose could tell. He was safe enough at this distance; though the waterfall he knew to be near was drowning out the forest sounds. Hopefully his voice would still be audible as it fought to reach the man he saw storming off in the other direction. “Hello?” He called, leaning forward to throw his voice. “Can I help you with anything sir?” For all he knew the man would storm off even faster, or whip around and try to take his tail off. Eh, worth a shot. |
Kenelm heard the stranger's first greeting, but ignored it on principal. It was behind him, and Calanthe's path was ahead. That automatically made the greeting utterly useless to him at the moment. He needed to find Calanthe. Why didn't this stranger understand that? It took two more steps and the stranger's second call for sense to forcibly shove Kenelm's frantic worry into a corner of his mind again, and the grey wolf froze and whirled around, eyes scanning the foliage. The stranger was too far to see clearly... no, there he was, that moving blur of tan that was just slightly out of place with the darker hues of the forest floor. He didn't appear to be on the attack; the outline was blurry but not overlarge, and the air around the other wolf seemed relatively calm. Kenelm squinted just slightly to bring the other wolf more into focus - no, he definitely appeared to be calm, more inquisitive than anything else. Not a threat... at least, not an immediate threat. He was still a stranger, and the disturbance he was creating would need to be dealt with before Kenelm could continue in his search. “Well met,” the grey man called back, similarly raising his voice to compete with the fall - or attempting to. His throat gave a sharp warning itch, and Kenelm slowly paced a few steps closer to the stranger so that he could speak more comfortably. At least this had the added benefit of making the other man easier to see. He was a reddish agouti around Kenelm's size, although his body was longer... and this stranger had eyes nearly as pale as Kenelm's were. Interesting. “I apologize if I've managed to stumble into your territory,” Kenelm told the other man, dipping his head respectfully. “My name is Kenelm Ashfoot. I'm...” he hesitated; should he tell this wolf his purpose here? ...Yes, because perhaps he knew something of Kenelm's misplaced sister and could point him in the right direction. “I'm searching for my sister, Calanthe. I've been following her scent trail--” he nodded to the ground beside him, “--but haven't encountered anything more substantial to lead me in the right direction.” Another pause as he silently weighed the risks against the potential benefits of offering any further advice. Describing her might put her in danger... but then, wasn't she already in a great deal of danger? Kenelm kept his stance carefully neutral as he finally said, “She has pale yellow fur and gold eyes. She may be injured, certainly isn't full-fed...” He stopped himself with a shake of his head. That was enough. “I don't suppose you've seen anyone like that around here?” he asked, and it was impossible to keep the painful hope out of his voice and expression. Please, tell me you know where she is... |
He might have jumped when the tawny-furred male spun to face him, and he nearly did. Suddenly he worried that maybe now he would have to flee. A long, uncomfortable moment passed with the other male just... staring at him. Finally a return greeting crossed the divide between them, managing to win out over the sound of the rushing water. Naberius swallowed down his previous tension. Perhaps it wasn't going to go as poorly as it had at first seemed. The stranger's opening words could have cracked a smile on the other's lips, but he was far too focused on the words that continued to flow from his mouth. This 'Kenelm' was more than willing to spill his guts, it would seem, in the hopes of finding his lost sibling. How interesting, he mused, recalling his own search for Camio. It seemed there were a number of common grounds to stand on with this one.Good. Naberius' expression turned to one of quiet thought as Kenelm let the air fall silent once more, but again this wolf proved just how talkative he could be. Now there was a description, but it was no one he recognized, well, not since the red hills anyway. The Zamora brother met the loner's pale eyes; eyes that practically pleaded with him to give the right answer ...and he met with a crossroads. He could practically taste the praise and gratitude this wolf would throw at his feet for offering even false information, and it was tempting to say the least. Unfortunately, Isde did not take kindly to deception, and it would be at the price of his favor. That was not something the man was willing to risk. He would have to shake the likes of Shadrak from his head this very instant. With a bit of a deflated posture, Naberius delivered the bad news. “No, I'm sorry. I haven't seen anyone like that in a long time.” He let the words flop into the dirt a moment before adding to the conversation. “I'm Naberius Zamora, and do not fret about me; I don't run with a pack as of this moment.” But perhaps soon. He would wait and see. The stranger was clearly not a pack wolf either; unless the packs here treated their members this poorly. Even if he didn't know where this 'Calanthe' was, he sensed that there was perhaps some other way to earn this man's gratitude somehow, and it danced from his lips eloquently as always. “You're going to be a pile of bones by the time you reach her if you carry on this way,” he declared, looking over the man's thin, ragged frame with apprehension. A grin crept forth from his mind and onto his maw. He knew the magnitude of what he was offering to another loner. “I would be happy to provide my services if you'd like to eat something substantial before you leave.” I think we both could benefit from that, he thought. |
Kenelm tried to be patient as the stranger before him seemed to mull over his answer, but he couldn't deny that his paws itched as the silence stretched on. He didn't know what was taking this man so long, and he didn't really care - all that mattered was whether or not he had seen or heard anything of Calanthe, anything that might give Kenelm a more solid idea of where she might have run off to... The grey wolf physically deflated as the other man finally gave him the bad news; his tail drooped nearly between his legs and his head dropped in defeat. Even his shoulders seemed to sag a bit under such a crushing blow. No news. Her scent trail was still his best bet, then - her fading scent trail that frequently passed through water and over mossy, soggy areas. “I see.” He lifted his head a bit though it felt like solid stone and tried to smile at the helpful stranger as the other man introduced himself. Ah, another lone wolf, then. That made the fact that he had no news of Calanthe a little more crushing still - he had far more freedom of movement than a pack wolf. Then again, that probably also meant Naberius had not yet come this far north before Calanthe had left the area... “Well, hopefully you'll find a pack soon, Naberius," he told the man. "Thank you for your help--” He paused, his ears pricking slightly again at Naberius' unexpected comment. Kenelm stole a glance down at his own sides - he was a little thin, perhaps, but not as badly starved as he perhaps could be... Still, the other loner had a fair point. Kenelm hadn't been stopping to eat very frequently, and what game he did take was always only just enough to take the edge off of his hunger for another few hours. He thought it was enough... but at the same time, Naberius was offering to help him get a hold of something more substantial. Only a fool turned down such an offer, although he doubted Naberius' offer was entirely altruistic. “I won't ask you to do all the work,” Kenelm finally answered carefully, “but I would appreciate your help taking down something larger than the rabbits and squirrels I've been after. I'm sure the extra food will help us a both a great deal.” |
It was all he could do to stop the smirk that threatened to split his lips as he watched the other man halt in his tracks. Yes. Instead he pushed the expression into a warmer smile; eyes bright with hope that this Kenelm would see the logic of the offer. There was nothing to lose for either of them. The grin deepened as finally the other male's voice lit the space between them. His tail dared to swing in a few slow, wide shows of friendliness as the loner continued. With a gracious bow of his head, the eldest Zamora swiftly agreed. “Indeed,” he began, bringing his eyes back up to rest on his new hunting partner. Only then it occurred to him to think of what they ought to be going after. For a moment he seemed to ponder this before taking a step to the side and waiting for the man to join him on their quest. “We may as well begin by figuring out what is actually in the area...” His smile had faded by now, but Naberius looked anything but tired. If they were to be successful they would have to leave the falls behind in favor of the quieter woods. No prey could be heard over the water's mighty roar. Not to mention that the wind would have ruined their chances off to the east by now; they had been loitering long enough. As soon as the silver and cream one agreed they were off; padding over the moist earth and ducking under the foliage with noses to the wind. Had he been in this particular area longer he might have already known where the best hunting spots were, but this was not the case. If anything the other man knew even less about the place than he did; if he'd been chasing his sister at such a pace. The trek began at an easy enough stride; though every once in a while it became necessary to stop and untangle the many scents that assaulted them in turn. So far there was little to be excited about; the usual rodents and small birds; even a little vermin but nothing worth the men's time. Naberius snorted softly, expelling the disappointing odors and moving ahead with his muzzle down. Though hunts always began this way it was frustrating all the same. He kept the feeling to himself though in favor of leaving a more pleasant impression should they cross paths again. Once, he stopped to take in the horridly tempting scent of a deer before pinning his ears in realization. Knowing full well that it was a taunt to Kenelm too, the Zamora cast a knowing and sad grin his way; sighing. There had to be something close by... |
Naberius visibly lit up at Kenelm's assent to a quick hunt; clearly the former scout was not the only wolf here who was becoming more than a bit tired of whatever his usual catches might consist of. It also seemed that Naberius came to the same conclusion as Kenelm, and just about in the same amount of time, as well: They had stood around here for too long. The wind had spoiled any chances they had to the east, and with the sound and scent-dampening quality of the nearby water this area wasn't exactly their best choice, either. To that end, Kenelm nodded at Naberius' comment and followed the other man quietly as they set off in search of some form of suitable prey. He knew they still could not hope to take down anything terribly large - even healthier, better fed wolves than they could not manage to take down a deer in pairs. Kenelm was not a hunter by trade, but he had assisted in the odd pack hunt and had made plenty of solo kills as a scout. He knew his own limits, and although it might prove difficult to hunt with a stranger such as Naberius, whose strengths and weaknesses were unbeknownst to him, he felt certain the man was nothing near beastly enough to allow them to chase down anything larger than, say, some pheasants or beavers. Still, he scented the deer moments after Naberius tossed him that knowing grimace, and returned his erstwhile companion's look with a resigned shake of his head. No, as much as the scent tempted him and tortured his hungry belly, chasing after such difficult game as they were was out of the question. That didn't stop Kenelm from paying attention to the scent until they had wandered well out of range of it, its last few traces swept away by a meandering little breath of air. That playful little breeze brought with it something much more interesting than the forest smells: Pheasant. Several pheasants, or else Kenelm was losing his mind due to stress. With a glance and a raised brow at Naberius, Kenelm swung his muzzle demonstratively towards the direction the scent was coming from, then carefully started off towards the birds. Pheasant, now... that wasn't a bad consolation prize at all. |