Kingsfall Now the day bleeds [Jethro]

OCC: Outermost edges of Kingsfall, sunset. Feb 5th 2023. Blind date RE

Ever since he'd spoken to Insome about why she wasn't in a pack he'd been toying around with the concept himself. He hadn't come to terms with losing his younger brothers yet...but he was lonely. Luca had never been on his own before. He was battling with the decisions laid out before him. Should he turn back? Would he even be able track them down at this point? The man sighed and pressed his face into the snow in frustration. His muscles were taunt, body restless as he readjusted himself regularly. Luca's mind was racing with thoughts of what to do and what could have become of the yearlings.

The Denahi wolf had made it this far and now...? He felt unsure of his next step. The woman he'd met on the Tundra mentioned a group and vague location. After hanging near the lake for awhile he'd finally chosen to head that way. As the sun began to lower he'd found shelter in a cluster of roots. His small frame if he'd been a darker fur color would have blended in during warmer months, but even against the snow his pale grey fur was visible. He hadn't decided what he would do when and more importantly, if, he found these wolves.

(This post was last modified: Feb 22, 2023, 07:28 PM by Luca.)

These days, he didn’t tend to wander too far from the falls, or too far from the others sheltered there. Although they’d be coming to the end of the harsher winter months before too long, they weren’t quite there yet. But it was important never to get too comfortable, or complacent, and to always be checking the surrounding areas for anything remotely intriguing.

The trail of a new wolf was certainly one such thing. Jethro had not seen any new faces since Auburn, and that felt like entirely too long ago now. There was a part of him that was eager to meet any newcomer at all. Especially another male.

All of the girls were wonderful, but.. well. Sometimes it was nice having another guy to talk to, as well. With each step, the trailer grew more recent, and scents appeared to be coming from just ahead. Sidestepping a tree, a grey figure became visible nestled in the roots of a large tree.

In the event the other had heard him coming, for Jet hadn’t exactly been trying to sneak up on anyone, he offered a greeting. ”Evenin’. Not disturbing ya, I hope?”

Luca's ears perked, his head lifting in the direction of the sound. He couldn't tell from the upwind who or what was approaching. The footsteps were loud enough he couldn't help but consider that whatever was out there didn't fear his presence. His scent was not hidden, and prey would likely not approach. An inkling of hope sprung up within him. Could it be another wolf?

He didn't have to wait long before a male much larger than him appeared. The stranger had dark fur, with striking green eyes and did not look like anyone he'd met before. The wolf was the largest he'd seen in his life. Luca he was not nervous, instead, quite the contrary, he was intrigued. Fascinated, even. What species of wolf grew to such size? He felt humbled in the realization that he was a tiny fellow in comparison to these more southern wolves.

"No, not at all." He replied with a smile, stretching out his front legs before planting them firmly on the ground. He lifted himself, shaking his fur free of snow. His muscles were loose, tail wagging, ears off to the side in a neutral position, "I'm Luca" He offered his name and quickly followed with, "Apologies if I'm intruding on your territory?" He looked towards Jethro eagerly, hoping, despite possible consequences, that maybe he was. He wanted to find the she-wolves group.

No, not at all, the other answered amicably, a smile on his face. Jet offered him a nod and returned the smile as the other rose to offer a greeting. In so doing, Jethro realized that he was smaller. Perhaps around the size of Siyet in height, and similar to her in color except with more grey, and certainly more burly. Probably strong, for his height - the dark one would not underestimate anyone on that alone, though.

The stranger offered a name, and the dark one felt comfortable enough to ease back into the snow, in a seated position. ”Jethro, nice to meet ya. And nah, you’re not too close.” There was still a decent amount of ground to cover before reaching the falls. Certainly enough that he wouldn’t classify this as anything close to an intrusion. Although, the mention of a territory did have his ears turning forth a bit in curiosity.

Was word of their little group already getting out? If so, courtesy of who? Or had Luca just noticed the other scents Jet likely carried?

”Can I ask what brings ya out this way? If you’re lookin’ for someone or somethin’, I might be able to help ya,” memories of Auburn sprung to mind at that. Almost all wolves were.. usually looking for something. Be it someone else, a certain place, or just information. Given how long he’d been here and how much he’d traveled, Jethro felt.. fairly familiar with most of the lore.

Luca followed suit, resting his haunches on the cold ground. His dark eyes were soft and friendly as he patiently listened to the other male. The stranger confirmed that he was not alone, and the grey male's tail thumped on the ground softly in response. "It's nice to meet you too." It didn't matter to Luca that he wasn't close, what mattered was he was in the right area.

He grinned perhaps a bit too eagerly. Luca was normally calmer in nature, but between his hunger and loneliness desperation had crept up on him. "That would be wonderful."  Having help finding whom he was looking for was a welcome advantage. Especially if Jethro happened to be a part of the group. The dark male did carry the scent of other wolves on his pelt.

"I met a woman on the tundra, she spoke of a group. I'm hoping to find them." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Was he going to join them or not? He was still uncertain. "I was traveling with my younger brothers, but we've become separated...it's been hard alone." He was trying to tread lightly enough to not seem rude and was rightfully nervous. "I was hoping maybe they would let me stay for a bit...maybe even join them?" He looked up from his paws and laughed awkwardly, "I'm sorry I'm going on and on and you might not even know them."

The other remained polite, mirroring Jethro’s seated position and further easing any worries the dark one might’ve had tucked away in the back of his mind about Luca attempting anything nefarious. He remained polite and proceeded to elaborate on what had brought him out this way.

He’d met a woman on the tundra, who’d spoken of a group Luca had been hoping to find. The dark one’s expression softened slightly as the other recounted that he’d been traveling with his younger siblings, but they were gone. Luca’d been hoping to find shelter, possibly even residence with whichever group he’d heard of. Jet noted the nerves, from the tone of the words, the aversion of the other’s gaze, and the.. not particularly amused laugh.

Jet offered his company a smile and a little shake of his head to hopefully help put the other at ease - there was no need to apologize. ”No need for apologies. Sorry t’hear about your brothers. Unfortunately.. I can’t really help ya there.” Which Jethro was truly sorry for. They didn’t get many visitors around here, not enough to have heard of lost siblings, but at least he could still help with the group.

”But I can probably help ya find the group you’re lookin’ for. Know of three, includin’ one nearby that I’m part of. Did.. y’have a name, or location given to you?” The tundra was not that far off from them either, so it was entirely possible, likely even - that the wolf and group in question were part of his group. But since that information hadn't been revealed, Jet wasn’t going to jump to that assumption immediately.

After all, Auburn had actually been heading for the Cove. Perhaps this man was, too.    

(This post was last modified: Feb 23, 2023, 05:12 PM by Jethro.)

Luca returned the smile, nodding solemnly. He hadn't expected anyone to have seen the boys. They were his responsibility and he'd failed...The man sighed to himself. Dark tipped ears pressed forward as Jethro went on, offering him help and asking questions. Perhaps things would be looking up for the Dehani wolf.

"She said that it was east of the lake, but didn't offer a name." He could only hope that the vague information would be enough. It wasn't much to go off of, but it'd gotten him this far. With any luck it'd keep him going in the right direction.

East of the lake, the other offered. Which wasn’t particularly specific, but it did fit the proximity of the falls group. It certainly couldn’t be applicable to the cove, so Jet offered the other man a small nod. ”Probably my group then - Paradise Falls. We’re not too far from here,” he explained, gesturing with his nose loosely in the direction of where his home would be found.

”Outta curiosity though, who was it ya met?” Jet inquired. That probably should’ve been something he’d asked initially too, as it would help narrow down which group they were talking about here.

Paradise Falls He replayed the name in his head, it sounded like a perfect place to call home. He envisioned waterfalls cascading down over a hidden cave. He could not know if that's what the pack's homeland truly looked like, but he was free to imagine such. His brown eyes followed the gesture, staring off momentarily before returning his gaze back to Jethro with a warm smile upon his lips."Lovely name for a pack, my birth pack was Glacier Beach." Unnecessary info, but the male was at ease and offered up the small talk anyhow.

Luca felt dumbstruck, why hadn't he started out with the woman's name? "Flair."

Luca commented on the name, calling it lovely. Jet didn’t comment on that, but did offer a grateful smile and a little nod. It was nice to get the opinions of others on the name - good or bad. Just to know. The second part of the statement did attract his attention though, somewhat.

”May I ask why you left?” He inquired lightly, as though it didn’t mean much. And maybe it didn’t. But it could. Whatever Luca’s reasoning was, might tell a lot about the sort of man he was.

But finally, a name. Flair. That brought back the wry smile. ”Ah. My co-lead. I suppose if she trusts ya, there’s no reason I shouldn’t.” So far, Jethro had no reason to distrust or suspect the man anyway. However knowing Flair had, made him all the more comfortable.