Swift River so many new faces, familiar places

<i>midday, near the den.</i>

<blockquote>Being back in Swift River felt like falling into a hole. A deep hole, with light at the top but light at the bottom and a thin pathway connecting the two.

It wasn't... it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He felt a need to be at both ends, with Indru and his family but also making his own life, out with Ruiko and whoever else they would find. That Ruiko had succumbed to the pit made it easier to lose sight of the top. Kinis knew he could be happy here, living his years out in this land, but he was simply incapable of letting go of the pathway. He would always need a way out.

Oh, it made his head hurt. He grunted to himself, sick of being stuck in endless looped thoughts already, and he had only been back in the ranks for a few days. Why couldn't he just be happy? Fortunately, he had a good means of relieving his irritation. Crunching down harder on the slender, toothmark-riddled femur that he had procured earlier, he ground down on it and subjugated it to every piece of heart burn and confusion that he fought with.

It didn't help that Swift River was doing so well, so damn well, which only went to show him how little he and Ruiko had managed to do. He should have tried harder, should have more readily approached strangers, and, for those that he had talked with, not so easily dismissed them as potential family. It wasn't a simple task when you automatically measured everyone up to Ruiko's standards.

But they wouldn't be able to survive effectively, just the two of them. So why not just settle in here? Argh, why was he going in circles?!</blockquote>

<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

After his last encounter with one of pack members by the den, Faolán had done his very best to avoid any more contact with anyone other than Indru that evening. Sadly for him, he had failed to track down the older male and so he had spent his first night in Swift River alone, slumped up against the base of a large tree for shelter. But now, after much of the day yet again spent alone, the young male was growing increasingly bored and desperate for company. He spent much of the morning sitting around quietly waiting for someone to approach him, only to have gone unnoticed.

A sharp breath flared his nostrils as he slowly lifted his head up from his outstretched paws and glanced around. Faolán couldn’t help but feeling lonely, looking out at an empty scene. His tail thumped firmly against the ground as he promptly pushed himself up on to all fours and gave a brief shake. He refused to spend his entire day moping around and feeling sorry for himself. Without much thought he began to wander forwards in search of something of interest. He found that something on the wind...a distinctive scent, unfamiliar to him, but well known to the pack. Immediately he began to move in on the wolf, cautiously making his way back towards the main den area.

A loud crunching met his ears and caused them to perk up momentarily. Glancing across the floor, amber eyes came to settle on the large paws of the young male close by. He smelt higher ranking and so Faolán’s eyes dared not trail up any further than his neck. He gave a small huff, shaking his head slightly before approaching slowly, unsure if the other male would be accepting of his company. His tail curled neatly underneath him and his ears folded back as he crouched down a little lower, quickly sniffing the bone, as he tried to appear as small as possible. Being slightly older than the other male he was a little taller, but being the submissive individual, always had to carry himself at a lower level to his superior.

<blockquote>Company wasn't something that he had expected, nor sought after, but not something that he shunned. In fact, as the sound of a wolf shuffling closer broke through his self-torturing thoughts, he welcomed the distraction, especially as he immediately identified the wolf as a relative stranger. That was good. No awkward conversations about family to be had here.

For the most part, Kinis didn't move as the male timidly sniffed at the bone before retreating. If anything, the display intrigued him; it was obvious from the sights and smells of the wolf that he was at the bottom of Swift River, but this presented Kinis with a novel situation. Even when he had belonged here, truly belonged here, his rank had been the lowest. He had only know submissive, even if it had been relatively friendly submission. Then, when a nomad, he had technically answered to no-one but Ruiko - and, more importantly, no-one had answered to him.

His instincts knew how to respond, but they were faint and alien. It would take more than a casual display of submission to kick-start any truly dominant qualities in this Tainn. He did not, however, show any submission back, as was proper - but he did not assume the superior role either. Instead, he just watched the wolf with curiosity as he lay there, idly appreciating the novelty of the situation.

<b>"Hey there,"</b> he said, placing one protective paw over the bone, almost subconsciously. The habits of the needy lone wolf die hard. <b>"You're new, right? I've smelt you around."</b></blockquote>

<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>