Chanting Chase Change my mind or help me to try

The sunlight slanting through the trees seemed so blazing that Cuan was a little surprised that he could move through it freely. Of course light didn’t have a mind of its own and it wouldn’t bend or shatter when he passed through it. A handful of years of life had taught Cuan that sunlight was usually an innocuous thing. Still, rather than barrelling through the pine forest he was moving with a little more care, placing his paws deliberately and flicking his gaze up towards the canopy far above every few steps, as if the sun might come crashing down onto his broad shoulders.

Cuan would be the last to admit that he was flagging, now. Months of travel, of energy expended just to stay alive, were taking their toll. The Chanting Chase was a more peaceful spot than the male had come across in days, yet he remained as alert as he could be. The crinkling around his honeyed eyes told of a wolf who had known mirth and joy, but there was no smile marking his muzzle and eyes now. There was, instead, a focus which waned every now and then. Cuan was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything other than putting one paw in front of the other. His body yearned for rest and relaxation, but those were things he couldn’t afford just yet.

He shook himself and scented the air, hoping – but not expecting - that whoever he ran into next would be a friendly face.

Perhaps Cuan should have hoped a little harder.  The large, dark wolf circling back from the stand of trees to the lowlands had anything but a friendly face.  Handsome, yes.  But the man rarely smiled, and those scars did little to improve what little (if any) warmth could be found on his features.  He looked every inch the quarrelsome loner he’d been until Drestig had allowed him access to Wild Rye Fields.

That didn’t change everything about the gamma, however.

He came to a slow halt when the other wolf came into view.  Reyes was careful to stay downwind, watching for several long minutes as he analyzed.  He didn’t stink like others – not a pack wolf.  Smelled otherwise healthy, or healthy enough.  But the guy was looking a little weird, and after a few more moments, the Rye wolf moved through the trees.  He woofed softly, having no desire to be accused of creeping on the loner, and drew to a halt, his tail arching lazily over his hindquarters.  “You ain’t lookin’ so good, hombre,” he rumbled, one bushy brow raised as he took the other in.  Almost staggering.  Maybe he was sick?  Reyes resisted the urge to step backwards.

“The hell happened to you?”

A soft woof alerted Cuan to the presence of the darker male, and he inwardly cursed himself for letting his attention slip. The loner knew his mind should’ve been on his immediate surroundings - not the golden beams of light or the pine canopy, but the forest floor where other wolves could set foot. 

And here he was, with another wolf coming to a halt in front of him – and Cuan was still halfway thinking about those piercing rays of light. When had he become so inattentive, or so attentive to the wrong things? He wanted to shake himself out of whatever stupor he was in. He would have, too, if the shadowy stranger hadn’t spoken.

Cuan offered a grimace at the words, but it was coupled with a good-natured sway of his tail.

“Loner life,” he grumbled. “It ain’t always the best. I’m alright, though.”

Cuan drew himself up as if to prove it, though his tail remained low and no amount of straightening of his shoulders or arching of his neck could make up for the fact that his face was marred by lines of fatigue. Good thing that the ache in his paws wasn’t visible unless he moved and the pang in his belly wasn’t audible at this moment. The last thing Cuan wanted to look like was easy pickings

The stranger seemed astute enough, though, so after a moment Cuan let his shoulders sag once more.

“Well, I’m fed, at least. Fer now.”

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

“It’s got its perks,” Reyes drawled, one eyebrow raised as he eyed the paler wolf. He fucking missed life on his own sometimes. Could do whatever the hell he wanted without having to inform the alpha – could travel as far as he wanted without having to worry about a return trip. If he liked the greener grass on the other side of the hill, he could stay!

But-- Living with a pack had its place, too. If it had been just him and Askan, he wouldn’t have known where to find a healer, and if… The gamma let the thought die where it was, not willing to follow it to completion. He cast his attention upon the stranger instead, a single brow still up as he took in the sight of the weary loner. Pity wasn’t in his nature, not exactly, but if this guy wasn’t sick…

“Fed ain’t everything,” he rumbled, mouth twisting to one side. At least it wasn’t snowing anymore – the guy probably didn’t have to worry about freezing to death. Though, he hadn’t seen any sources of fresh water around this joint. “So…you what, just wandered out into these woods and decided ‘yep, this is for me’, or what?” he asked, wondering if he’d get the straight. Nah. That probably wouldn’t work. “You ain’t sick or nothin’, are you?”

Cuan’s head tilted and a grin swept steadily over his muzzle. “That it does,” he agreed. Loner life got grating after a while – but only after a while. Freedom was something Cuan was unlikely to ever shun entirely. Freedom was worth more than anything, and Cuan had only realised that when he had been shouldered with responsibilities. He was still tied down to some extent, though, by the need to hunt and stay in one piece. He would never be truly free as long as he had an ounce of sanity and self-preservation in him. Perhaps the trick was in coming to terms with that.

He studied the twist of the other male’s lips with a smile still playing around his own.

The loner’s square muzzle swept in an arc, his honeyed gaze lifting to that unreachable canopy before dropping again. “Hey, they’re nice woods! Ain’t wanderin’, though,” Cuan objected lightly. “I guess I’m searchin’. Gonna need somewhere to put down roots, eventually.”

He shook his head at the scarred shadow’s question.

“Nah – just tired. Can’t really afford to be gettin’ sick right now.” A slight pause and Cuan lifted one paw from the earth. “So what brings you out ‘ere? I mean, I assume you ain’t just wanderin’ neither...”

The reply caught him off guard. Reyes grinned, despite himself. It wasn’t white daggers or a promise of murder, but a genuine amusement dancing across silver eyes. Perhaps it didn’t last very long, but it was there, all the same. This wolf had a sense of humor on him. It was, perhaps, the first time he’d run into anyone in seasons who shared a humor of a similar ilk. Even Askan had taking a chunk out of his neck the first time (or the first time that wasn’t wracked with emergency).

“Ain’t wanderin’. Got a…home. I guess.” It was weird to say. Even now, tasted weird on his tongue, but Drestig had taken care of Askan, and Lachesis had helped, and if none of them had been there…

Reyes gave himself a firm shake. They were there, and Askan was fine. If he wasn’t he would be, eventually. “Was just checking out the territory. Do a lap in surrounding territory, every once in a while. Was thinkin’ about a hunt. Fill my belly, bring something home.” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I’ll split a kill with ya if ya wanna help.” The loner didn’t look in the best of shape, but two wolves was better than one. Unless he was a total failure, he’d be helpful.