Larkcall Lowlands the road laid out before me

@Askan Hi! Sorry the post is a bit short.

The forest thinned out the further northeast she went, giving the small wolf a better view of the sky above. She was walking at a leisurely pace, not because her legs were aching, but because she was enjoying the views. The snow underfoot crunched from the weight of her paws, and the little wolf made no move to quiet herself. She wasn't looking for food; in fact, she didn't really feel like eating anything that day. She knew it should have been concerning to her that she wasn't hungry in the dead of winter, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. No, now was the time for merriment and fun - not the time for concern and worry. She was sure she would have plenty of that crap later on to get through. It hadn't taken her long to reach the place where the forest ended and the plains began; the small wolf wasn't capable of more than a day or two's travel at the moment, so she was content to step right out into the field and tip her head upward as the cold breeze and light snow caressed her face. She wasn't sure if there were any packs around, but she didn't particularly care. In her opinion, they could either see her for what she was - a traveler, an explorer, and a wanderer - or they could see her as a threat. Either way, the worst thing that could happen would be that she would get attacked, and Cas couldn't make herself worry about that. Her short life might be cut a smidgeon shorter, but at least the death wouldn't be prolonged like the way the disease was. Blue eyes flicked upward toward the dull gray sky, and a smile flickered across her maw as a break in the clouds revealed the moon was out in the middle of the day. She'd always loved it when that happened, and this time fire rose in her chest and urged a song from her mouth. She'd never been able to howl in the cages, for the human that kept them would punish them for it. But now, in the middle of the wilderness, nothing was stopping the music. The small wolf tilted her muzzle toward the moon and released a happy, free tune into the air, completely uncaring of if any prey or predators could hear her. In fact, it did not even occur to her to be scared.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2017, 10:05 PM by Castel.)

Askan knew that it wasn't a good idea to leave the pack lands, after all he had been told not to, but he couldn't stand being couped up any longer. Sure, the Field was a massive, wide open space that blessed him with a sense of freedom that no woodlands could provide, but damn it! If he had to spend a moment longer in the company of his sister, @Everly, than usually he'd lose his mind. He loved her, of course he did she was his sister, but it could not be denied that she was a menace. And the fact that no one else saw it was driving him insane. Oh how sweet she was. How charming. Oh, she was nothing like her brute of a brother, Askan.

Grumbling, Askan stomped along through the snow, stepping over the border as he went.

He wouldn't be gone long and neither would he venture far. He just needed to feel safe, that his sister wouldn't leap out of nowhere and pounce on him. He couldn't deal with that again, not today.

He had been wading through the snow for what felt like a few seconds before his ears twitched at the sound of a blissful, sing-songy call. The hell? Askan turned to stare in the direction of which it came. There was no sense of urgency or danger to the voice, they simply sounded as though they were having the time of their life. As though they were floating on cloud nine. Who the hell did that in this sort of weather? Granted, it wasn't snowing that hard today. The snow flitted down from the grey clouds like they were specks of dust, soft and slow. But still, it was pretty dumb to announce yourself like that? Hadn't Askan told another loner the very same thing, not all that long ago? Loners were all the same, they were never careful enough.

With a sigh, Askan trotted along until he found the little singing runt.

Eyeing her with disdain, he came to a stop in front of her. It was as he thought, she was a loner. But there was something about her scent, something that didn't sit right with the Yukon. It felt unnatural, wrong almost, and even though this small one posed next to no threat to him he couldn't help but feel cautious.

"Can I help you?" He asked, his voice dull and dry, as though he asking for curiosities sake more than anything else. "You're making a right racket."

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2017, 12:11 AM by Askan.)

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

"Who the hell did that in this sort of weather?" Cas-the-hell did that in this sort of weather.

Cas wasn't aware that she had an audience, but it didn't surprise her that she did. She really was making quite a bit of noise, after all. Though it had just been for singing's sake than anything else. Still, when her music was cut off by a dull-toned voice to her right, Cas perked her ears and turned her head to look at the wolf who had spoken. It was a dark male - much larger than she, but that was no difficult feat. And, though his words were slightly testy and perhaps a bit annoyed, Cas replied with a teasing tone, anyway. "Well, damn. Is my voice that bad?" she asked, a smile on her lips and a wag in her tail as she turned to approach the wolf a bit further. She could tell straight away that he was a pack wolf - it was written all over his scent. She could pick up quite a few other individual wolf smells from him, all mixing into one discernable scent that marked a pack wolf. Blue eyes bright with excitement, Cas stepped forward until she was only about a wolf-length from the dark man, her tail slightly raised and wagging, but not dominant. She opted not to bop her nose to his; she didn't think he'd be as welcoming as Cottongrass about such contact. "I don't see how you would be able to help me after interrupting my singing so rudely. I'm not on your territory, mister." Her voice was lighthearted and breezy, like she simply had no care in the world. And, in this situation, she really didn't. But she did feel like he probably should have an explanation for her howling. "The moon's out, so I'm singing to it. It's always good to howl at the moon," she told him, looking back up to the break in the clouds where the moon was still very clearly visible in the pale gray sky above. The little wolf's nose wrinkled in disdain as something occurred t her. "Wait a minute. Did you just say the word 'racket?' There are wolves who still use that word?" she nudged gently with her words, still smiling at the man. She had a feeling she might be getting on his nerves, but she didn't really care. She wasn't on his territory, and he was the one who approached her. So, really, any annoyance from her was actually his fault. He shouldn't have made fun of her singing. She had an excellent voice, thank you very much.

Askan ignored her attempt at a bit of playful banter. But no, her voice wasn't awful. He simply wasn't the sort to admit such things, or hand out compliments unless he felt as though they were deserved. He of course noticed the sweet smile on her face, but once again he ignored it. She was doing a good job of presenting herself as friendly as could be, but the Rye wolf was having none of it. Her smiles ans soft voice wasn't going to warm up his ice cold heart anytime soon. Nor was anyone else for that matter, so there was no use in trying.

Askan watched her adjust her posture and rose a brow at the way her tail wagged, as though she hoped he would do the same. Well, he didn't. His tail remained as it was, stiff but high with confidence. He would have been content to leave it at that, to drop the topic of her calling attention to herself, but she had to go on and continue. She had to jab at him, to prod him in such a way that it seemed as though he was at fault. That it was his callous disposition that was to blame for this encounter. Well, Askan didn't appreciate that. Nor did he think he was being rude. And whilst it was true she wasn't too close to the Fields borders, she wasn't exactly far away either.

"There's nothing rude about giving you some advice. Clearly you don't know a thing about self preservation, otherwise you'd be laying low, not shrieking like that." He told her, exaggerating a little but his point still stood.

She had a point, the moon was out but that didn't mean she had to howl. Wolves didn't suffer an uncontrollable urge to howl at the moon, so the fact she was making it sound as though they did was quite silly. It made her seem very juvenile in Askan's eyes. Which wasn't a compliment by any stretch of the word.

He had been about to rebuff her, when she went ahead and did the same. The scowl intensified on his face and Askan tilted his head a little, as if to question the legitimacy of her words. Oh, she was one of those wasn't she? Askan couldn't help but think of @Lena and groaned outwardly. Why where women like this? So giggly and cheeky and annoying? Lena perhaps wasn't so bad, but he wasn't sure whether the same could be said for this runt.

"Clearly. So what are you doing here? Don't seem like you're from around here."

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2017, 07:54 PM by Askan.)

So this guy was a total hard-ass. That was a bit of a downer, but no matter. Cas was determined not to let him ruin the day. She continued wagging her tail and listening to him nag about her howling, and she couldn't help but notice that he wasn't reciprocating her good mood at all. Still, she refused to let him drag her down into the pits of grumpiness alongside himself. She scoffed when he described her howling as shrieking, and she rolled her eyes. "Don't you know how important it is to howl at the moon in the daytime? It's good luck," she informed him. Cas was by no means a superstitious wolf, but in her case, she really needed every last bit of luck she could get. When the dark man's scowl deepened, Cas couldn't help it any longer. She burst out into laughter, ducking her head in order to get control of herself. "When you make that face, you look like you're sucking on a lemon," she breathed, slightly out of breath from her laughing fit. Which, if she were a healthy wolf, would not have taken her breath away at ll. But, she was not a healthy wolf, and therefore was wheezing a little, her chest and ribs giving protesting throbs. Shaking her head and catching her breath, the little wolf ignored the pain and puffed out her chest a bit with pride. "My name is Cas," she led with, considering it just occurred to her that she hadn't offered up her name yet. "I'm from west of the Lore. I'm here on an adventure." She didn't feel like explaining further, so she just wagged her tail and looked the dark man in the eye. "What are you doing here?"

"Good luck?" Askan asked with a baffled squint. "You really believe in that sort of thing?" He then harrumphed to make it clear that he didn't feel the same way. He didn't really need to as by that point he'd made it pretty obvious.

Her sudden burst of laughter caught the Yukon wolf by surprise and Askan couldn't help but take a startled step back. What was so funny? It had to be hilarious if it warranted such a loud and side-aching response. Had he said something? He doubted that, as he wasn't a comedian by any means. So what was it then? All he knew was that he didn't like being laughed at, it was too reminiscent of the times spent with his sisters, and he didn't like being left in he dark. It was frustrating, demeaning and it only made Askan glower all the more as he puffed up, trying to make himself even more imposing than usual.

He wasn't left out of the loop for long, she went onto explain and Askan couldn't claim he felt any better for it.

"I do not!" He argued, sounding like the petulant, stroppy child he once was- and to a degree still was. "You're mocking me, do you expect me to stand here and look happy about it?"

Believe it or not, Askan hadn't come here to argue, so he let it go. More or less. And instead focused on her introduction. She was more than a little vague, but that was around about what he expected. You didn't just spill your life story to the a person you just met. It was foolish, and if she had tried Askan would have stopped her. Her claim that she was on an adventure was very telling, and Askan couldn't help but think she was a little immature. Winter was not the time to wander about, in a few weeks or so she would be starving unless she was careful. And yet she didn't seem to care about that, she was a little too curious for her own good. It wasn't his business to lecture her, even though it was very tempting to.

"We're not far from my pack's lands. Heard you and came to see what the fuss was about." Askan explained, but then paused as a thought occurred to him. He wasn't sure if he was right, but it wouldn't hurt to ask surely."Hey kid, you got some Yukon blood in you or something? You from up north?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2017, 07:09 PM by Askan.)

Cas snorted good-naturedly. Okay, so this conversation was better than she'd thought it would be. "Of course not. You may think otherwise, but I'm no idiot." She flicked her tail and lifted her chin a bit. "No such thing as luck, or fate, or a higher power. We're pretty much all on our own in that department." Yeah, okay, it was a bit depressing to think that way, but with the hand Cas had been dealt, there weren't too many options other than it was just the way life was. She didn't think luck or some god would do this to her. "I was just howling because it's fun. Sometimes you don't need a better reason to do something." The speckled wolf rolled her eyes at Askan's defensive speech, and she wagged her tail contentedly, rather proud of herself for ruffling his fur so much. But still, she figured it would be best to back off a bit, so she nodded. "Yeah, I can get a little mean. Sorry 'bout that." It was a genuine apology. Sometimes, wolves had a sensitive sense of pride, and she didn't want to damage too much, if she could help it. She was simply a passerby, and she didn't want to hurt anyone. So, in an act of sincerity, she tiptoed so that she could tap her nose to his muzzle, seeking forgiveness. His next question caught her a bit off-guard. She wasn't sure why her lineage would be important, but she saw no reason why she shouldn't tell him. A smile broke out on her lips as she nodded, thinking back to her father's explanations of their complicated bloodlines. "Yeah, actually. My parents were both half Yukon, half Timber. Though my dad used to tell me my mom was a Chihuahua, and that was why I turned out so small," she added in with a lighthearted laugh, though her chest felt a bit heavy at the mention of her father. She really did miss him. "And yes, I'm from up north. Or, well, I guess northwest? Because I followed the sun to get here." Her haunches began to ache, and she sat down with a soft, almost nonexistent wince and looked up at the dark-furred man. She decided to ask a question of her own. "What's your name, by the way? I don't think I caught it yet."

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2017, 07:30 PM by Castel. Edit Reason: I don't know why my posts are showing up in all bold. )

He supposed she had a point. There wasn't any harm in doing something just because you felt like it, but with that in mind it was important to remember that sometimes you had to do things you didn't like. It was rather hypocritical of Askan to want to point that out, as he often threw a fit when he had to do something he didn't like, but at least he did it. He just wasn't quiet about it. He hadn't expected an apology, as most wolves never offered him one, so when Cas did he couldn't help but mentally give her a pat on the shoulder. She had backed down, so she deserved some form of forgiveness, even if it was just to clear the air.

"Don't worry about it." Askan told her, as the muscles in his shoulders relaxed. A sure sign that he was content to leave things be.

Ah, so he was right then. He thought he'd noticed a slight tint of Yukon to her. All wolves smelled different, but during his time in Relic Lore he had yet to stumble upon another wolf with Yukon blood, aside from his sister of course.The scent wasn't overwhelming, nor did it smack him in the face, but it was faint, like a memory that faded with the passing of time. The fact that she was part timber cleared things up too, it explained her odd mishmash of a scent. Was that what he'd noticed earlier? That odd little trace of something that struck him as off, that rubbed him the wrong way? Perhaps. He wasn't going to ask, at least not yet.

Not all of her words were so easy to swallow, in fact one of them downright baffled the Rye wolf.

"A Chihuahua? The hell's that?" He squinted in confusion as he tilted his head just so.

But yes, he hadn't introduced himself yet, had he? That was quite rude. Clearing his throat, Askan did as he was requested as politely as he could. Which wasn't all that much, but hey he tried.

"Askan Selwyn, of the Selwyn clan. Have you heard of them? They're up in Yukon as well, beneath the Selwyn mountains, obviously, on a massive tundra. Caribou everywhere." He explained, letting on more than he meant to.

Sure, his sister had told him about their family, how things were going back home but he couldn't help but wonder if she knew of them. Of whether their name was renowned in the area. It was a dim little hope, he knew that in all likelihood she had never heard of them before, but a man could dream that his name had meaning, that it carried weight somewhere in this world.

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2017, 07:54 PM by Askan.)

Cas was glad that he didn't seem to be so irritated with her anymore, even going as far as to tell her that her apology had been received and she'd been forgiven. She waved her banner-like tail over her back; it was natural for her tail to be raised. She wasn't being dominant, but she had a lot of presence for such a small wolf, and she used her entire body to convey that she was bold and daring and unafraid. Too much personality for a body so small. His reaction to the word 'Chihuahua' tugged another laugh from her, though this time she was a bit too achy to go for a full-body laugh. This one was a soft, uncharacteristic chuckle, and she pressed a paw pad into the snow before looking up at him and putting far more exuberance than she felt into her expression. "Chihuahuas are these tiny dogs - oh, dogs are things that are kind of like us, but not really. Less... personality, I guess." These things were harder to explain than she thought they'd be. "Anyway. You know what a human is? A really big, ugly animal that walks on two legs. They really like to keep these tiny dogs inside, because Chihuahuas can't survive outside here. They yip and bark a whole lot, and they're really annoying." Probably as annoying as she was being, trying to explain just what these strange animals were. She smiled as he spoke of his familial pack, and she tilted her head to the side. She wondered, if she had been born in the wild, would she have as much pride in her surname as he did? She wished that she would be able to tell him that, yes, she did know of the Selwyn clan and their mountains and caribou, but she couldn't do so truthfully. "I can't say that I have. I like the way it sounds, though," she told him, tone still lilting, but sincere. "I haven't really been around many other wolves in my life. I think I had a pretty... unconventional childhood, actually." A thought popped into her head, and she wagged her tail slightly, stirring up the snow where she was sitting. "My last name is Noor. My full first name is Castel, but it sounds kind of... dignified for me, so I just go with Cas." The little wolf shifted and her ears snapped back to her skull for a moment as her left foreleg spiked with pain. The damn thing was really getting on her nerves. But, with a soft sigh and a ruffle of her scruff, she was able to take her attention off of the shocking pain and turn her attention back to her new companion. Why did she have to feel ill now? She didn't want him to think her rude for sitting down and only being half-invested in the conversation. But she couldn't help it, and mentally made a note to put more effort into her expressions and words so her body language and posture could possibly be overlooked.